What's up, everyone! This is GKC here bringing you the next chapter to Arc-Vanguard!
I'm really pleased to hear how you readers are liking the story. Though I will answer one question that someone asked me. Where in the Vanguard timeline does this take place. Well, to answer that, it takes place after Vanguard G, the original series. So you can expect some Stride units to make their debut in later chapters.
However, that doesn't mean that I'm forgetting the reboot series. In fact, there will be some cards based on certain abilities used during the reboot.
Now for the disclaimer: I do not own, except my OCs, Cardfight Vanguard or Yu-Gi-Oh. All rights belong to their respective owners.
Now let's get this party started… BEGIN!
Chapter 4: The Arc of Light, Pendulum Summon
In the days that followed for our young protagonist, Tsubasa Sendou has come to enjoy his time in Maiami City and at the You Show Duel School.
His new friends, Yuya Sakaki and Yuzu Hiragi, helped introduce him to their classmates and principal. The first he met were the kids, Futoshi Harada and Ayu Ayukawa. The former being a rather pudgy boy with a habit of performing a strange dance whenever he got the 'shivers'. The latter is a young red-haired girl who seemed to like cute things but also had a similar outlook to Yuzu.
Next came the only teacher he physically met and who happened to be Yuzu's father, Syuzo Hiragi. A rather hot-blooded man who liked to fawn over his daughter and even express how much he valued hot-blooded training.
Then there was Yuya's best friend and rival, who apparently comes from a different Dueling School, Noboru Gongenzaka. The heir apparent to the Gongenzaka Dojo which practiced Steadfast Dueling and apparently had their students wear stone sandals for some reason.
Overall, everyone that Tsubasa has met seemed like good and amazing people. He couldn't wait to meet other Duelists that would be as strong as those he's Dueled so far. Yuya, Yuzu, Gongenzaka… every chance he got, he would partake in an Action Duel to learn how to move on his feet and keep his opponents guessing.
Currently, Yuya thought it would be nice to introduce his new friend and rival to his mother. Tsubasa agreed since he actually wanted to meet the wife of Yusho Sakaki.
"Well, this is the place." Yuya said, gesturing to his family home.
"Wow, looks like a pretty nice home. Guess it comes with being the son of a pretty famous Entertainment Duelist." Tsubasa commented.
"Let's head inside. Mom is probably back by now from grocery shopping." Yuya said as he opened the front door after using his house key, "I'm home!" He announced as he and Tsubasa entered the Sakaki household, removing their shoes and leaving them by the door.
"Oh, Yuya, perfect timing. Could you come into the kitchen? I need a little help with the groceries." A woman's voice called out.
"Ha~i, I'm on the way." Yuya replied. "Oh, by the way, I brought a friend over. Hope you don't mind."
"Not at all. It's nice to hear you bringing another friend. Could it be a girl perhaps? What would Yuzu say?" Yuya's mother teased.
"Mom, why do you have to say something so embarrassing?" Yuya whined as he and Tsubasa entered the kitchen.
"Sorry for barging in like this, Mrs. Sakaki, but-" Tsubasa paused when he stared at who Yuya's mother really looked like. She is a fairly tall and youthful-looking woman of slender build with green eyes and light skin. She has long blond hair and the front bangs being golden in color. Her hair is tied in a ponytail and sections out as spikes. Her bangs part to the right side and frame her face. She wears an aqua-colored long-sleeve shirt and blue jeans with brown low shoes. She also wore accessories with silver big-hoop earrings, two golden bands on her left wrist, and a small golden necklace hanging under her neck.
"Ara? Yuya brought home a cute boy?" The woman said with a smile.
"Uh, Yuya… I didn't know you had a sister." Tsubasa said with awe.
"That's actually my mom." Yuya corrected his friend.
"Oh, I see."
…
…
…
…
…
"EEEEEEEEEEEHHHHH!?" Tsubasa exclaimed in comical shock.
"Eyaa~! It's so nice to hear you say I look like a sister." Yuya's mother said with a blush and a smile. "Not only cute but a natural charmer too."
Tsubasa blushed and chuckled sheepishly since he's never been called cute before. "Ano, thank you…"
"Mom…" Yuya gave his mother a dry look. "You gotta stop that."
"Oh, calm down, Yuya. I can't help it if your friend here admires a young woman like me."
"Tsubasa, look what you've done. Now I gotta deal with this for a few weeks." The tomato-haired boy told the Royal Paladin Duelist.
"Sorry, Yuya, but consider this karma for leaving me to Yuzu's fan."
"You're still mad about that!?"
"Yes, yes I am."
The next day came faster than Tsubasa realized as he stood outside of a viewing area watching an Action Duel between Yuya and Gongenzaka since apparently a potential student was looking to join the Duel School. Yuzu was in the control room, managing the Solid Vision System with the current Action Field resembling an ancient Japanese castle. So far, the Duel between the two rivals was progressing quite well with neither of them giving each other ground.
Though a teenager, Gongenzaka has a huge frame, easily equivalent in height to some adults. While he has a fairly round face, he is stockily built and rather muscular. He has black hair styled into a large pompadour, restrained by a red band (possibly his sash from his youth), and his nose is somewhat redder than the rest of his face. There is a constant blush on his cheeks. He appears to wear a Paradise Prep School jacket (albeit one that is more of a vest) over a buttoned white coat that has golden trim, as well as white pants. He also wears a white sash crossed over his back, tied at the left shoulder. He also wears heavy sandals rather than shoes. His Duel Disk is grey in color with an orange blade.
Behind him were two Duel Monsters. The monsters looked like heavily armored robot samurai, each wielding a polearm-based weapon or a defensive shield.
Gongenzaka himself currently had four cards in his hand and 2600 LP. However, he would not let that deter him from winning the Duel as he took a card from his hand and pronounced, "I'll release Superheavy Samurai Waka-02 and Superheavy Samurai Sword-999…" As he said this, both of his machine-based samurai disappeared into particles. "...to Advance Summon Superheavy Samurai Big Ben-K!" Emerging from a blue light came a larger machine warrior monk wielding a polearm as it readied itself for battle (8/DEF: 3500).
Tsubasa grinned, "He's bringing out his ace monster. This is gonna be good." He said to himself.
Gongenzaka held out his arms as if issuing a challenge to his opponent, "Come on, Yuya, and duel me, Gongenzaka, one-on-one!"
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Yuya proudly declared while he and his monster, Discover Hippo, landed on the roof of a gate. "I activate the Quick-Play Magic, Hippo Carnival!" He tapped the screen on his Duel Disk, activating the card he had set face-down in his Magic/Trap Zone. "It's showtime!" At his declaration, three different colored hippos wearing makeup and samba outfits started to dance.
"Dancing… hippos," Tsubasa stated, with a sweat drop. "That's something you don't see everyday."
Gongenzaka seemed to be of a similar mindset, "Wha… are you kidding me?!" He exclaimed.
Yuzu, who was at the control booth, didn't find this amusing, "Mou! Play seriously, Yuya!" She exclaimed, slamming her hands down… and hitting the controls of the Solid Vision System. "Eh?" Several electrical arcs sparked from the console as Yuzu tried to stop it but the device exploded, "Kyaa!"
Her father opened the door after hearing the explosion, "Yuzu, what are you doing?!"
The pink-haired girl looked at her father, "S-Sorry, Dad!"
"If this thing breaks, my hot-blooded coaching…" Syuzo looked ready to pop a blood vessel and break down crying all at once. "The Solid Vision's going to go out!" As he said this, the ARC Solid Vision projector slowly started flickering even as Yuya continued to pronounce his specialty playstyle.
"Uhh… shouldn't we get out of here?" Tsubasa asked, with his head profusely sweating.
"This is Entertainment Dueling, the specialty of the You Show Duel School…!" Unable, or rather incapable, of noticing that the arena around him was flickering and slowly disappearing, Yuya had the misfortune of losing his temporary ride and seat while hovering in mid-air. "Uh-oh…" He tried flapping his arms but gravity won over and dropped him onto his face.
Tsubasa winced, "That's gotta hurt."
"Ouch…" Yuya groaned before he noticed that the boy watching him from the window was concerned if he was alright and decided to show it by making a funny face.
Syuzo, who had been watching the interrupted Action Duel and the vanished Action Field, slowly lost both his patience and his blood pressure, "My hot-blooded coaching!" He shouted so loud that the glass actually cracked and passing citizens winced from the loud noise assaulting their ears.
"Um… sorry?" Yuzu laughed sheepishly.
"Yuzu~?!" Syuzo growled, slowly turning his head towards his daughter. And while both of his eyes were covered by a shadow, one of them gleamed darkly, making Yuzu's spine shiver in terror. But that all vanished when the man sat on a chair, holding his head as actual tears started to appear from the corner of his eyes, "The Solid Vision System's broken and all the prospective students will leave…" He shook his head rapidly, "The You Show Duel School is over!"
That made Yuzu fall down, anime style. "THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT?!"
"Hello~!" Tsubasa said as he, Yuya, and Gongenzaka came in.
"Aw, man, I could have made them laugh even more if you didn't break it, Yuzu." Yuya said while putting his goggles over his eyes.
*BONK!*
"Ow!"
"That's not the point, baka!" Yuzu snapped. "And besides, that was because you were messing around, Yuya! And look at me when I'm talking to you!" She went in to hit him again but the Entertainment Duelist quickly moved to avoid the hit but slammed into his best friend's burly chest. He held his aching nose in pain, "Ouch… you're still here, Gongenzaka?"
"That boy wasn't laughing." The Steadfast Duelist stated.
"Huh?" Yuya lifted up his goggles, revealing that the impact he made left red rings around his eyes from the metal pressing down on his skin. "Come on, he was cracking up!"
"Uh, Yuya, there's a difference between someone laughing with you and laughing at you." Tsubasa pointed out.
"Sendou is right! Your father, Yusho Sakaki, always made everyone smile with his dueling." Gongenzaka said, looking at a poster that featured Yuya's father. "Have you forgotten the smiles he stirred from their hearts?!"
The tomato-haired boy placed his hands behind the back of his head without a care in the world, "Well, everyone ended up laughing at him in the end."
Apparently, his childhood friends didn't see it that way, "Yuya!" Yuzu and Gongenzaka exclaimed.
Suddenly, the door opened, "Oh, it seems something is amiss in here." The person entering said before revealing…
"Ah! It's Adolf Hitler!" Tsubasa exclaimed in shock as he grabbed a chair and lifted it overhead, "Kill him with fire!"
"I'm not Adolf Hitler! Why does everyone keep calling me that!?" The thin man cried out.
"The Hitler-stauche, of course."
The Hitler-like person is a skinny man who wears a pink, yellow, and black jacket and a ribbon tie. He has straight black hair and pink and orange glasses. He somewhat resembles a clown. He also wears two rings on his left hand.
"Um, who might you be?" Syuzo asked.
Getting over the little debacle with the Royal Paladin Duelist, the man turned to the You Show Duel School principal with a smile and an eager glint in his eyes, "My name is Nico Smiley. I'm the manager/promoter of the current champion of Action Dueling, Strong Ishijima." He gave them a polite bow.
Yuya gasped, "Strong Ishijima?!"
"Who's that?" Tsubasa asked.
"You don't know who Strong Ishijima is?!" Yuya gawked.
"Uh… should I?"
"He's the guy who became champion after…" Yuya paused.
"After what?"
"After Yuya's dad disappeared." Yuzu answered.
"Oh…" Tsubasa said.
"Indeed." Nico nodded. "Strong Ishijima is our poster duelist at LDS, and we'd love to invite Yuya to appear with him on his Fan Appreciation Day."
Yuya looked surprised, "So you want me to… with Strong Ishijima?!"
"Yes, duel him!" Nico finished for the tomato-haired boy. "Your wish from three years ago will come true!"
"Wow, uh… I don't know what to say." Yuya said in disbelief.
"But… are you sure though?" Yuzu asked. "Because well…" She trailed off.
"What's up?" Tsubasa asked Yuzu.
"Well the thing is… Yusho was supposed to duel Strong Ishijima, but… that was the day he disappeared."
"Oh…" Tsubasa grimaced. "So this is personal…"
Nico slid a poster detailing the event with Strong Ishijima. "As you can see, our preparations are already complete."
Yuya gulped, feeling anxious that the Duel to prove his father wasn't a coward was just around the corner.
"No!" Syuzo stated. This surprised the teens, mostly Yuya, who stared at the man in shock. "We can't allow Yuya to go up there."
"And why is that?" Nico asked, looking like he was about to have a panic attack. "The fans will love seeing Yusho Sakaki's son appear!"
"I won't let Yuya be your show pony!" Syuzo declared firmly.
"But… isn't this what the You Show Duel School is all about? Entertaining people?" Tsubasa asked.
"It's more than just that!" Syuzo shouted. He clenched his fist, looking frustratingly sad, "How do you think Yuya has felt over these three years?!" He looked at Nico Smiley with uncharacteristic stoicism. "Please, leave."
The thin man didn't even seem deterred as he gave Syuzo a wide grin, "How unfortunate! As a thank you for your cooperation, we were considering giving you the newest Real Solid Vision System produced by Leo Corporation." Then he added, "For free, of course."
"You serious!?" The hot-blooded principal's attitude took a complete 180… before being smacked across the head by Yuzu's paper fan.
*WAPISH!*
"OW!"
"Stop being such a Pot of Greed!" Yuzu snapped.
Syuzo rubbed his aching head, looking at hisndaughter a bit terrified, "Yeah, but-"
"Besides, weren't you saying that Yuya wasn't going to be a show pony?!" Yuzu scolded her father. "The school's important, too, but…"
"What's important is how Yuya feels about it." Gongenzaka pointed out. However, when he opened his eyes, he noticed the tomato-haired boy was gone.
"Huh? He's gone?" Yuzu said in surprise.
"Yeah, he left like two minutes ago." Tsubasa replied.
"Where did he go?!" Yuzu demanded.
"Probably to the Duel Arena. I don't know, I'm not his keeper. That's usually your job."
Syuzo stood up from his seat, "Then what are we waiting for!? Everyone, to the car!" He exclaimed as he left the room followed by Yuzu, Gongenzaka, and Tsubasa.
The only one left was Nico Smiley, who was a little shocked before his wide smile returned, "Marvelous! I better inform my producers of this!"
The drive to the Stadium was eerily quiet for all those gathered, especially from Yuzu, Syuzo, Gongenzaka, and Tsubasa.
When they entered the Stadium, the interior was abuzz with the cries and cheers of the crowd as the LDS Festival was underway. Several duel fields featuring different Duelists and their Monsters battling their opponents in explosive matches.
Arriving, for some strange reason, ahead of the You Show group, Nico Smiley began his announcement while holding a golden microphone. "And now, it's time for the main event here today!" He started. "And who will be challenging the Champion, Strong Ishijima here today, but the only son of Yusho Sakaki, the legendary Star Duelist... Yuya Sakaki!"
"Yuya…" Yuzu said, concerned for her childhood friend.
"Is he really going up against him?" Gongenzaka pondered.
Tsubasa took note of something, "But the question is, where could Yuya be?"
"Awright," Syuzo cheered, feeling pumped. "I can smell that brand new-" He went silent when an irritated Yuzu quickly slapped him across the head with her paper fan.
Nico Smiley continued his announcement, "This Special Match will be conducted with the official Action Duel Rules." He said with a grin as he brought up his unattended hand, which had yellow particles gather before it formed into a Duel Monsters card. The thin man raised the card in the air, "I activate the Field Magic, Frontier Fang Castle!"
From below the stadium, a massive version of the Solid Vision System began to activate, releasing beams of light that alit the stage with a soft purple glow. Afterwards, a magnificent castle as well as a beautiful landscape formed in the entirety of the stage.
"Look at this sight." Nico told his audience with well-practiced drama. "This castle could be mistaken for the real thing! All brought to you by the LDS Solid Vision System."
When the Action Field became fully solid, a brown boot stomped on the stone path, sending a small influx of digital particles from the Solid Vision's projection.
"Look, atop the castle…!" Nico exclaimed, directing the audience's attention to the figure arriving on the stage of battle. The figure is revealed to be a tall, muscular man with tan skin, long venomous purple hair with three mohawk-like spikes, beady dark eyes, and red tattoo markings on his face that start from his eyes and down to his cheeks. He wore an outfit similar to a heavy metal rocker mixed with a post-apocalyptic biker. "It's Strong Ishijima, the Ultimate King of Action Dueling for three years running!" After Nico's announcement, Ishijima decided to make his presence known by releasing a mighty war cry that brought on various cheers from the bystanders within the audience. "And here's our young challenger to the Ultimate King… Yuya Sakaki!"
"Here we go!" Syuzo cheered before pausing when he noticed a critical error… there was no sign of Yuya at all.
Apparently, Nico Smiley was a little nervous to see the main attraction nowhere in sight, "S-step on up, Yuya!" He called out, internally hoping that the young tomato-haired Duelist hadn't actually fled.
Unfortunately, some of the audience didn't seem as hopeful.
"What's up? Did he run away?"
"Just the same as his dad did three years ago!"
"A coward… like father, like son!"
These comments however, infuriated Yuzu and Tsubasa.
"Hold on a second!" The pink-haired girl tried to scold the crowd but Gongenzaka stopped her.
"Stop it, Yuzu!"
"But…!" Yuzu tried to say but her father placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
The Royal Paladin Duelist frowned, "It's not right…" He said to himself, his hands morphing into white-knuckled fists as he listened to the crowd jeer and mock his friend.
From his perch on the Action Field, Strong Ishijima seemed disappointed, "I thought Yusho Sakaki might show up if we dragged his son out here, but…" As he was monologuing, he was completely unaware… of a clown quietly behind him as they mocked and made fun of the Champion. "Tsk! I can't truly be the Ultimate King unless I beat him."
While the Champion didn't notice, the crowd seemed to along with a familiar blue-haired boy who had been at the You Show Duel School earlier.
"What's that?"
"A clown?"
The boy then noticed the clown doing a familiar funny face that he had seen once before and the realization made him gasp.
Back with the You Show group, they finally took notice of the clown and figured out exactly who it was.
"That clown…" Yuzu said with both awe and surprise, "...could it be?"
"That guy… always making people worried." Tsubasa said with a grin.
Strong Ishijima heard his fans called out to him, "Champion, behind you!"
"What?" The man turned to look at what the commotion was all about before he was met… with a clown giving him a funny face, which surprised him. He growled at the jester, figuring it was his opponent. "So, you're Yusho Sakaki's brat, huh?" The clown, revealed to be Yuya, gave the Champion a bow but Ishijima took it as a form of mocking. "Is that the respect you should show to the champion?!"
Yuya stepped back, removing both the hat and clown makeup he wore, as he bowed apologetically at the Champion. "I apologize for my rudeness." He said in a manner that sounded similar to teasing. "Well, then, with the greatest respect…" He gave a wink. "Allow me the honor to duel you." With that said, he activated his red Duel Disk, the yellow blade sprouting from the box as he smiled. "Let's see how great the champion is!"
"How great I am?!" Strong Ishijima snarled angrily as he activated his black Duel Disk as a dark purple blade emerged from it. "Know your place, son! I'll show you the skills of a pro and give you some well-needed disciplining."
Despite the smile on his face, Yuya couldn't help but sweat with anxiety in what would surely be a pulse-pounding Duel.
"Wow! What an unexpected turn of events, but it seems our players are ready!" Nico Smiley exclaimed, inwardly happy that his job was safe and his producers would be satisfied. "Please draw five cards." Both Duelists drew their starting hand as Nico continued his announcement. "The duelists, at this palace of battle, shall kick their way across the earth and fly across the air on this Field with their monsters!" Nico felt the crowd's growing enthusiasm that got them riled up. "Fix your eyes upon the ultimate evolution of Dueling, the Action…" He raised his fingers in a moment as if to snap them.
"DUEL!" Yuya and Ishijima exclaimed at the same time while Nico snapped his fingers, which sent hundreds of Action Cards out randomly throughout the Action Field.
Yuya: 4000
Strong: 4000
"The Action Cards flutter onto the field and our battle begins!" Nico declared.
"I'll allow you to go first." Strong told his opponent. "Just for your information, you can't draw on the first turn."
Deciding to use this chance to excite the crowd, Yuya quickly proclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen!" He ran towards a zipline that was present for the Action Field while hopping on the battlements of the castle tower. "Allow me to show you what a classic Action Duel looks like!" He took hold of the zipline and used it to traverse to lower ground.
"What?!" Strong exclaimed in confusion.
"And for my first performance…" Yuya took a card from his hand. "I summon Entermate Discover Hippo!" As he played the card on his Duel Disk, a pink hippo dressed in a purple suit with a top hat appeared, giving the audience a pose in greeting (3/ATK: 800). When the zipline reached a suitable altitude, Yuya dropped and landed on his Monster's back then looked back at his opponent with a teasing smirk. "Catch me if you can!"
The audience didn't seem all that impressed with Yuya's first move. In fact, some of them were even jeering that he was running away or acting like a coward. But the You Show group didn't see it that way.
"What is Yuya doing?!" Yuzu said, angry that her childhood friend would be running.
"He should face him proudly!" Gongenzaka, the Steadfast Duelist, said with a clenched fist.
Syuzo said nothing but Tsubasa grinned, "He is facing him. He's just doing it in the way that he believes in."
"Eh?/Huh?" Yuzu and Gongenzaka looked at the blue-haired teen, who continued to watch the Duel with his grin plastered on his face.
Meanwhile, watching the fleeing Entertainment Duelist from atop the tower, Strong Ishijima growled, "It won't be long until I catch you." Once his turn starts, he places two fingers on his Deck. "My turn, draw!" He noticed the card he drew and mentally smirked. He took a card from his current hand and declared, "I play the Magic Card, Savage Feast Level 5!" He played the card on his Duel Disk. "I Special Summon two Level 4 Warrior-type Monsters from my hand, nullifying their effects! Come forth, Lava Battleguard and Swamp Battleguard!"
Appearing in front of the Champion were two ogre-like creatures with hairy arms and legs while wearing tattered loincloths and wielding battle clubs. The only way to tell the difference between the ogres were their skin and eye color. The first of the ogres had burning red skin with luminescent yellow eyes while the second of the ogres had forest green skin and dark red eyes.
Lava Battleguard (5/ATK: 1550/DEF: 1800)
Swamp Battleguard (5/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1550)
However, Strong wasn't finished yet as the two Battleguards fell to the ground since they lacked the ability of flight. "I will then Release these two cards to Advance Summon." As he said this, both of his Level 5 Monsters vanished into green particles as a pillar of light emerged from the forest of the earth.
"Come forth from the depths of the hidden wood, crushing the giant trees in your way… King of savages, ruler of the wild! Battleguard King!"
Emerging from the forest is a giant troll-like warrior with red skin, yellow eyes, a mane of dark green hair, and long horns. It wore dark metallic armor fit for a barbarian while wielding a massive two-handed battle club that it held with one hand (8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 1100).
"Here he is, the Champion Ishijima's ace Monster!" Nico Smiley announced with gusto as the crowd cheered wildly for the massive monstrous king.
"That thing is huge!" Yuzu exclaimed.
"Even without the Solid Vision, that Monster is intimidating." Tsubasa grimaced as he focused on Yuya, who had stopped in front of the towering Battleguard King. "How will you beat this, Yuya?"
"Your father got away from me, but there's no escape for you!" Strong told his young opponent. "Battle! Battleguard King, attack Discover Hippo!"
The giant monstrous warrior raised his club in the air and brought it down to flatten the pink hippo. However…
"Lucky me! I got an Action Card!" Yuya declared joyfully as he swiped said card from a bush it was laying on. "Action Magic, Evasion!" He played the Action Card in his Duel Disk. Feeling the power of the Action Card, Discover Hippo was shrouded in a yellow aura before doing a barrel roll to avoid Battleguard King's attack. "Rolling Hippo!" Yuya proclaimed the evasion move.
Gongenzaka looked irritated, "You can't win just by evading! He needs to fight…"
"He is fighting." An all-too familiar female voice spoke, drawing the attention of the You Show group to see the newcomer, revealing themselves to be Yoko Sakaki, Yuya's mother.
"Yoko!" Syuzo said in surprise.
Yoko smiled fondly as she watched her son's Duel. "Yuya's reinventing himself while fighting."
Tsubasa nodded in agreement, "You're right. I can see it. This Duel isn't just about proving his father isn't a coward. It's to prove to Yuya that he can take the stage just like his father."
While Yuya continued to lead Battleguard King on a merry chase with Discover Hippo, Strong Ishijima watched with his scowl softened with a modicum of respect. "As expected of Yusho Sakaki's son; you're able to utilize Action Cards effectively!" But his expression hardened, "Professionals, though, are able to go beyond that!"
Hearing this, Tsubasa pondered what the Champion meant before his eyes widened, "No way…"
"By Releasing a Monster with "Battleguard" in its name when Advance Summoning Battleguard King, it allows him to attack twice in one turn!" Strong explained.
"What? Attack twice?!" Yuya exclaimed, equally shocked by this revelation. Battleguard King decided to show Yuya the true terror of his special effect as he brought up his battle club once more and swung it down to flatten the boy's Monster. A huge pillar of dust shot up into the air, blocking the audience's view of what happened.
"There it goes! Battleguard King obliterates Discover Hippo with an Attack Power of 3000!" Nico declared as was his job as an announcer. However, just when it seemed like Yuya had taken massive damage… out he stormed atop Discover Hippo's back, who looked completely unscathed. "Or did he?!"
"No way!" Strong exclaimed in disbelief.
Yuya released a breath and grinned, "Just in the nick of time! I activated the Action Magic, Miracle!" The monitor displaying the Duel for the audience showed footage of Yuya managing to snag an Action Card just before Battleguard King's second attack hit. "Its effect negates the defeat of my Monster and cuts the battle damage I take by half."
Yuya: 2900
Strong: 4000
Now the audience wasn't even mocking Yuya anymore. In fact, they were both surprised and excited to see more.
"Amazing!" One of Yuya's previous jeerers said with awe.
"He's going toe-to-toe with the champion!" Another exclaimed excitedly.
"Well, then." Strong said with respect. He played a card on his Duel Disk. "I'll place one card face down and end my turn."
Back with the You Show group, Yuzu looked at Yoko bequizzled, "What do you mean when you say Yuya's reinventing himself?"
Yoko swiftly answered, "Yuya's lived the last three years behind a mask of buffoonery. He made fun of himself before allowing anyone to make fun of him for his father running away. But Yuya really wants to become like his father." She smiled fondly as she remembered when Yuya was younger and how he always had a look of amazement whenever his father would go on stage as an Entertainment Duelist. "The legendary Star Duelist he always admired when he was just a boy."
With Strong's turn over, it went over to Yuya. "My turn, draw!" He declared with a smile and drawing a card from his Deck, noticing the image to be the one he wanted most. "Got it!" His smile widened as Discover Hippo jumped up to an arch and the tomato-haired boy proclaimed, "Everyone, we are approaching the climax of our show today! Entermate Discover Hippo can act as two Monsters when used for Advance Summoning."
Entermate Discover Hippo released an excited noise as he took off running while Yuya rode his back.
"I'll release Discover Hippo to Advance Summon…" Yuya said as the hippo leapt off the edge of the arch and turned into green particles, leaving the Entertainment Duelist freefalling. "Everybody put your hands together for…" He pulled off his clown costume, revealing his original outfit beneath. "Today's main attraction; the rare dragon with two differently colored eyes! Odd-Eyes Dragon!"
Forming from the particles of Discover Hippo came a scarlet red-white dragon with spikes, heterochromatic eyes with the right being red and the left being green, a long dark violet tail with spikes, and five-fingered claws. Though for a dragon, it had no form of wings. Nevertheless, the Monster's appearance was nothing to joke about nor was its fierce calling roar (7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000).
Yuya lands on his ace Monster's back, holding onto the two large spikes that jetted from Odd-Eyes Dragon's back to keep himself stable. "The fun is just beginning!" He declared, saying his father's catchphrase.
Syuzo beamed happily with comedic joyful tears in his eyes. "There it is! Yusho's famous line! My blood is hot with excitement!"
While the You Show group seemed excited and happy to hear the famous line of Yusho Sakaki, the Champion was not amused.
"Using the same line as your father, the chicken, are you?" Strong spat. Suddenly, Yuya's image appeared on a holographic projector screen on his Duel Disk. The boy looked absolutely livid.
"My dad is not a chicken!" He countered angrily.
"Oh, yeah?"
"I'll win using the dueling skills he taught me to prove that he's stronger than anyone else!" Yuya vowed.
"Hmph!" The punk-looking man scoffed. "That dragon of yours only has 2500 ATK. He's no match for my Battleguard King with 3000!"
Yuya smirked teasingly at his opponent, "We'll see about that!" He said playfully before playing a card from his hand. "Continuous Magic, Wonder Balloon!"
Suddenly, a big colorful mystery box appeared in front of Battleguard King then Yuya and Odd-Eyes took off with the boy collecting Action Cards that he seemed to have luck finding on the Field. But the strange thing was that instead of using the cards he picked up, he would send each one he grabbed into the Graveyard.
"Look at Yuya!" Nico announced. "Grabbing all those Action Cards and sending them to his Graveyard!"
The tomato-haired Duelist shot his right hand into the air, "Wonder Balloon, fly away!" He ordered as the mystery box's top exploded off, revealing three different colored balloons that floated in the air. "Wonder Balloon increases by one balloon for every card I send to the Graveyard when it enters my hand." The balloons hovered over a bewildered Battleguard King, confused by the strange objects. "And by sending it to the Graveyard, the balloons burst, decreasing one Monster's ATK by 1000 for each balloon until the end of the turn!" Yuya explained as a holographic image of Wonder Balloon appeared over his right hand before he snapped his fingers, shattering the card into motes of yellow light.
The balloons that hovered over Strong's Monster suddenly exploded into clouds of pink smoke, covering the giant warrior.
"Three balloons popped, meaning…" Yuya paused for effect as the smoke dispersed to reveal Battleguard King… looking like a balloon statue save for his head. "Battleguard King now has an ATK of 0!"
The crowd cheered in astonishment with Nico Smiley reflecting the voices of the audience through his announcements, "W-W-What a twist! Who would have thought that Action Cards could be used in such a fashion?!"
Strong grimaced, "You can't have more than one Action Card in your hand at any given time. You weren't just running around; you were finding out where all the Action Cards were." He said, realizing his opponent's strategy.
Yuya brought up his pendulum necklace, looking at it fondly, "I've always been good at finding things."
The audience were excited to see that a young Duelist was pushing the Champion to the limits and started to cheer for Yuya Sakaki. The boy took it all in, realizing now how his father felt with each of his Action Duels and when the crowd would look upon the Star Duelist with awe. Smiling, he looked at his opponent and spoke to his Monster, "Here we go, Odd-Eyes! Let's get this huge crowd going even crazier!"
The scarlet dragon roared in agreement with its master as energy began to pool from the two blue orbs in its chest.
"When Odd-Eyes Dragon destroys a Monster that's Level 5 or higher, it deals damage equal to half of that monster's original ATK." Yuya explained as flames gathered in Odd-Eyes' mouth.
Strong gasped in realization as he took not of the predicament he was in. "Half of Battleguard King's original ATK would be 1500! Together with the 2500 damage he was already going to deal… that makes 4000 damage?!"
Yuya narrowed his eyes, "With that, I'll be able to one-shot kill you!" He said before beginning his offensive. "It's battle time, Odd-Eyes Dragon! Attack Battleguard King!"
Odd-Eyes Dragon reared its head back as crimson fire emerged from its throat as Yuya called out the monster's signature attack, "Spiral Flame!" Then a torrent of spiraling fire was shot at the struggling Battleguard King, who could do nothing but take the attack head-on as a large explosion covered the area around the giant.
"I'm burning inside!" Syuzo cheered from the stands. "He's won!"
"Yuya!" Yuzu and Gongenzaka called out to their friend, happy that he managed to beat the Champion.
However, Tsubasa didn't join in the cheering as he narrowed his ocean blue eyes at the explosion. He ignored the cheers of the crowd and focused only on that singular point. When the smoke cleared, it revealed to everyone's shock, Battleguard King, still trapped in his balloon prison, but nonetheless alive. In fact, the loud roar he released was enough evidence to say that he was pissed.
"I knew it…" Tsubasa said to himself.
"W-Why?!" Yuzu questioned, shocked to see that Yuya's opponent's monster still stood. Syuzo looked ready to have a heart attack while Gongenzaka was concerned for his friend. The only sign of Yoko's displeasure to this was the scowl on her lovely face.
"Did you forget that Yuya's opponent can also use Action Cards?" Tsubasa reminded the others.
To prove his point, Strong Ishijima stood near the entrance of the tower with a large projection of an Action Card behind him. Despite the nervous sweat on his face, he was smirking with triumph, "I activated an Action Magic card as well! The same card that you used earlier; Miracle!"
Yuya: 2900
Strong: 2750
Yuya looked at the stadium screen in shock while Nico announced, "The Champion doesn't let us down! He had an Action Card hidden up his sleeve!"
"This is all there is to Yusho Sakaki's dueling!" Strong exclaimed as he started leaping off the castle level by level then while he was descending to the earth, he tapped the screen of his Duel Disk. "I activate the Continuous Trap, Battleguard Rage! When I take battle damage, it increases the ATK of one of my Battleguard monsters by 2000." As the Champion explained, a yellow aura surrounded Battleguard King, whose balloon body slowly expanded as if bulking up, raising his ATK by 2000.
Yuya clicked his tongue in annoyance, "I end my turn."
Hearing those words, Battleguard King struggled before ripping out of his balloon prison as his Attack Power rose back to its original 3000, which added to the power he gained from the Continuous Trap, gave him a grand total of 5000. Nico Smiley even emphasized this point by explaining it to the crowd, "With the end of the turn, Wonder Balloon's effect lapses and his ATK rises!"
"It's not only back to normal, but even more powerful than before!" Yuzu said, her hand over her chest with worry.
"Don't count Yuya out yet." Tsubasa stated. "As long as he still has cards and Life Points, he can still fight."
"Here comes your requiem!" Strong Ishijima told the boy. "My turn!" He drew his card and watched as Yuya took off atop of Odd-Eyes Dragon, hoping to find an Action Card that might help him. However, the Champion was not about to let his prey flee. "You won't get away! Battle! Battleguard King, attack Odd-Eyes Dragon!"
The red-skinned giant roared with unrestrained fury, hefting his battle club high in the air to bring it down on his foe. Yuya spotted an Action Card and reached out to grab it but just when he was mere feet away from seizing his chance, the club came down and Odd-Eyes Dragon was crying out in pain when it smashed into the earth, throwing Yuya off from his ace Monster.
Yuya landed roughly on the ground, rolling a few times before stopping. Odd-Eyes Dragon disappeared into yellow particles, signaling its defeat.
Yuya: 400
Strong: 2750
Battleguard King advanced upon the fallen boy while carrying his master in his left hand. Strong looked down at Yuya, "Your dragon goes back to your hand without heading to the Graveyard due to Battleguard Rage's effect."
The tomato-haired teen forced himself up with gritted teeth, taking Odd-Eyes Dragon's card off his Duel Disk and adding it to his hand, making it four in total. But even with his dragon added to his hand, he didn't see much of a way to bring it back out.
"Next, I activate the Quick-Play Magic, Battleguard Magic!" Strong declared as he played a card from his hand, leaving it currently at one. "I'll recover Life Points equal to half of the ATK of Odd-Eyes Dragon!" As he said this, a yellow aura surrounded the man's body as his LP returned back to normal.
Yuya: 400
Strong: 4000
"His life is back to 4000?!" Yuzu exclaimed.
Yuya felt hopeless. He finally had the winning edge but now it felt like he was back to square one with even less Life Points than his opponent. Strong allowed himself to smirk rather deviously at the boy's expression. "Battleguard King can only attack monsters twice. Seems you'll live to see another turn." He took the last card from his hand and placed it in his Duel Disk. "I place one card face down and end my turn." He pointed at Yuya, goading him to keep struggling. "It's your turn! Draw a card! Or will you choose to surrender? Turn your tail and run, just like your father?"
"No!" Yuya yelled. "I'll never ru-" He paused when he realized the situation he was in. Looking at his hand, all he had were four Monsters, one of which was Odd-Eyes Dragon. How could he even make a comeback with this sort of hand? And against a Monster with 5000 ATK as well!
'Maybe… I'm just not as good a Duelist as my father…' Yuya thought to himself as he remembered some of the Duels he had with his friends and even the ones he had with Tsubasa. 'If it were Tsubasa on here, he'd know how to win. He always seemed to find a way to win.'
The You Show group could tell that the tomato-haired boy looked close to giving up and they could do nothing but watch.
"Yuya…" Yuzu said with worry.
However, Tsubasa wouldn't stand around and let his friend drown in despair. In times like that, he always counted on his Royal Paladins to help him. Now, he needed to help Yuya!
The blue-haired teen took off running down the stairs, drawing the attention of the You Show group.
"Tsubasa!" Yuzu cried out.
"Where are you going, Sendou?!" Syuzo exclaimed.
The Royal Paladin duelist ignored their cries. His attention was focused only on Yuya. He passed by onlookers, who gave him a passing glance but ignored him in favor of the Duel. Tsubasa stopped at the bottom end of the stadium then took a deep breath and shouted…
"DON'T GIVE IN, YUYA! THE DUEL'S NOT OVER! AS LONG AS YOU'RE STILL STANDING, YOU CAN STILL FIGHT! BELIEVE IN YOUR CARDS! BELIEVE IN THE DUELING SKILLS YOUR DAD TAUGHT YOU!"
Yuya gasped in surprise. He had heard the shouts of his blue-haired friend/rival and it made him think back to the words of encouragement his father gave him when he was really little.
"When you feel like crying, laugh."
"The more you push, the more it'll come back."
"If you're frozen in fear…"
The last words that came to mind suddenly left his own lips as Yuya stood up, "...You can't do anything. Have courage and step forward..."
Gone was the despair and doubt in his heart. Now it was replaced by something even greater. Something that not only his father but Tsubasa as well had given him: Hope.
"If you want to win!" He loudly declared, unaware that his necklace sparkled for a bit. Yuya continued speaking even as he drew his next card from his Deck. "Swing, pendulum! More and more!" This time the pendulum around his neck glowed blue and three cards in his hand suddenly started to shine with a strange light.
Yuya gasped as Odd-Eyes Dragon, Astronomy Magician, and Chronology Magician's cards suddenly changed, including their appearances. But seeing these new cards and the effects they have, Yuya's confidence returned and he knew… that he would win this Duel.
He held up the cards of his magicians and spoke, "I Set the Pendulum Scale with the Scale 1 Magician of Astromancy and the Scale 8 Master of Chronomancy!" He slapped both cards on the ends of his Duel Disk, which suddenly read "PENDULUM" in bold rainbow colors.
Awakening to this new power, a white-garbed magician with blonde hair and blue eyes looked up while a dark-garbed magician with brown hair and sunken brown eyes awoke as well. Two pillars of light emerged from the earth and out came Astromancy Magician and Chronomancy Magician as they hovered in the center of the pillars while two yellow numbers, a 1 and an 8, appeared below both respective Monsters.
"Now I can Summon any Monsters between Levels 2 and 7 at the same time!" Yuya declared.
"What's happening?!" The Champion exclaimed in bewilderment, unsure of what his opponent was trying to do.
"What's going on?" Tsubasa pondered as he stared at the process in surprise before suddenly a headache came along, forcing him to hover a hand over his right eye. "Ugh! My head…"
"Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Come forth! My faithful Monsters!"
A portal opened in the sky and out came three different trails of light as three Monsters appeared on Yuya's Field. The first is a purple cobra with a top hat, a bowtie, and a whip grip on his tail (4/ATK: 1700). The second is a literal swordfish with a pompadour, sunglasses, and an angry tick mark (2/ATK: 600). The last Monster was a familiar yet completely different scarlet red dragon with different colored eyes (7/ATK: 2500).
Everyone in the audience was confused and bewildered by this new Summoning Method, including the You Show group, who stood just as surprised as the others.
"What…" Yuzu started.
"...is this?!" Gongenzaka finished.
All the while, Yuya continued to smile as if he had just discovered the means to become a Duelist just like his father.
In the Leo Corporation, a command center had just received high-level energy reports as evident by the alarm echoing from their monitors.
"We're detecting high levels of summoning activity from the seafront of the city!"
"Hurry up with the analysis!"
After a few seconds of typing on holographic keyboards, a woman reported, "We have the results! The summoning method is "Pendulum"!"
"Pendulum… Summon?"
Back at the stadium, the revived and remodeled Odd-Eyes Dragon released a loud crying roar while Yuya continued to smile.
"Three monsters at the same time?" Strong pondered in surprise. "And that dragon is Level 7! He shouldn't be able to summon high-level monsters without releasing!"
Nico Smiley's image appeared on his Duel Disk, looking equally baffled and surprised. "But since the system isn't signaling an error…"
Strong gritted his teeth, "That means his summon...is legal?!"
Yuya climbed atop of his dragon's neck, holding onto its newly sprouted head horns as he began his turn. "I activate Entermate Whip Viper's effect! It switches the Attack and Defense Points of an opponent's monster!" The purple cobra, Whip Viper, jumped back and held up a small pink heart on a string and used it in a form of hypnotising Battleguard King, who dropped his club and dropped down on one knee, his ATK being switched to 1100.
"Battleguard King's Attack Power is…" Strong said with shock as he stepped off his Monster's giant hand.
"ANd then Entermate Sword Fish's effect!" Yuya suddenly declared. Several copies of the Monster appeared before they flew forward and stabbed down all around Battleguard King, shrouded by a yellow aura. "He decreases an opposing monster's Attack Points by 600 during this turn."
Now the troll-like monster's ATK had lowered to a measly 500, which started to make Strong sweat.
"Battleguard King's Attack Points have quickly decreased from 5000 to 500!" Nico Smiley announced with both shock and amazement.
"Battle!" Yuya commanded. "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Attack Battleguard King! It's time to show us your true power!" The heterochromatic eyes of the dragon flared along with the blue orb on its forehead. The spheres on its spines glowed and shined with unparalleled power.
"I won't let you!" Strong declared, not willing to let his Monster or himself be defeated as he tapped the touch screen on his Duel Disk. "I activate my Trap Card, Battleguard Howling! It returns an attacking monster to the hand, and inflicts its Attack Points to you as damage!" The trap card released a blast of white light, which would surely take out Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and drain the rest of Yuya's LP but the boy had other ideas…
"O Chronomancy Magician, who rules over Space-Time itself!" Yuya spoke as he called upon the power of the dark-garbed magician. "Protect me with your ethereal powers!"
Answering his master's call, the gauntlet on Chronomancy Magician's right arm suddenly sprouted a golden ring similar to a clock. When he poured his power into the device, a holographic clock appeared in front of him that started moving backwards.
"Chronomancy Magician's Pendulum Effect! Once per turn, it can negate the activation and effect of a Trap Card that activates by targeting a Pendulum Monster. Inverse Gearwise!"
Strong's Trap Card suddenly canceled and dropped to the ground, making the man curse. "Shit! Then…" He jumped into the air and snagged an Action Card from a tree, flipping himself over and landing on his feet. "Action Spell, Evasion!" He declared, playing the card. This time, he knew his Monster would be safe.
Unfortunately, Yuya proved him wrong, "O Astromancy Magician, who rules over Space-Time itself! Seal my foes with your ethereal powers!"
The white-garbed magician of the stars heeded the cries of his master, wielding his scale-like staff and pouring his power into it. A horoscope of stars appeared in front of him.
"Astromancy Magician's Pendulum Effect! Once per turn, during the Battle Phase, it negates the effects and activation of Spell Cards that target an attacking Pendulum Monster on my field. Horoscope Divination!"
A big red X appeared over the Evasion card, shocking Strong Ishijima as he realized that there was no possible way to protect his ace Monster. "He even negated my Action Spell?!" He ran, trying to find something. Anything that could prevent him from losing.
"It's time now, Odd-Eyes!" Yuya told his dragon as it broke off into a charge. "Burn everything to cinders that your heterochromatic eyes catch a glimpse of!" Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon roared as it took a running leap and seemed to hover in the air. An orb of fire gathered in the dragon's mouth that it would unleash upon its master's enemies. "Spiraling Strike Burst!"
Odd-Eyes released a spiraling blast of dark red flames that Battleguard King tried to take out with his war club. Strong hiding behind the giant in an effort to escape. Even though he would lose his Monster, the Champion wouldn't take this attack lying down.
"Shit! But in the next turn…" Strong tried to say. However, his opponent interjected.
"Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's effect! When it battles a Level 5 or higher monster, it inflicts double the Battle Damage!" Yuya explained his dragon's ability while the orbs on its body flared with untapped power, which flowed directly into Odd-Eyes' signature attack. "Reaction Force!" This time, the blast was coated in orange flames that made the attack seem like a raging inferno.
"D-Double?!" Strong stuttered in horror as he realized in that brief moment… that the Duel would be over. Battleguard King couldn't hold out against Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's power and was promptly incinerated, the shockwave sending Strong screaming as he flew back before landing on his face.
Yuya: 400
Strong: 0
Odd-Eyes landed on the earth with Yuya smiling victoriously, "This is "The End"!" He declared.
WINNER: Yuya Sakaki
With the Action Duel over, the Field slowly began to disappear along with the remaining monsters that were still present. The crowd watched it all in silence, unsure of what to even do.
The You Show group were similarly quiet.
"Did he win?" Yuzu quietly pondered in amazement.
"Yeah…" Gongenzaka answered.
Syuzo suddenly broke out into tears of joy, "Whoaaa! His blood was boilin'!"
With the adrenaline and imagery gone, Yuya blinked a few times as he realized the Action Field had disappeared. "Huh? What?" He noticed his fallen opponent on the ground. "Is that Ishijima?!"
"You won!" He heard the voice of his mother behind him. Turning around, he spotted his friends and family all giving him proud and happy expressions. "You won against Strong Ishijima for your father! Well done, Yuya!"
"It was awesome, Yuya!" Yuzu praised her childhood friend.
"You did it!" Gongenzaka added his own praises.
Syuzo continued to cry while saying things like 'boiling blood' and such.
This didn't stop the giant smile from appearing on Yuya's face as not only did his friends and family cheered for him but even the audience who were extremely bedazzled by Yuya's performance as well as the Pendulum Summon he had performed.
However, the only one who wasn't smiling was Tsubasa Sendou, who had a pained expression on his face when he heard the name of Yuya's Summoning Method as well as got a good look at Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. He felt something inside that made him wary of such power.
"Why… why do I…" He tried to say but couldn't form the words. His Deck on the other hand seemed to pulse as if warning him to be careful around Yuya Sakaki and the mysteries of Pendulum Summoning. Tsubasa couldn't understand it but when he looked at Odd-Eyes, he saw three other dragons beside it…
…and a teen with evil in his eyes.
A/N: And that's the end of the chapter. I tried to get this out as fast as possible but I had work on weekdays, so it takes most of my time out of the day.
I'm really happy that everyone reading this is loving the story. Some of you are even asking me what I plan to do for the Vanguard side of things. Well, that will come later on.
But here's a quick statement to you guest reviewers: CALM THE FUCK DOWN!
Seriously, I get it! You wanna read the next chapter but my free time is limited! You love the story, I get that but tone that shit down! Asking me to hurry? To speed up progress? The fuck you think I am, the Flash? I'm only human! I have bills to pay, a job to do! You can't expect me to pull a chapter out of my ass and post it! I will update as I go but stop rushing me! God!
Anyways, review and comment on this chapter. Love it, hate it, but just know that you've read it.
Peace out, everyone!