"I'll use Adante the Melodious Sorceress(1) and Vibrato the Melodious Sorceress(9) to set the Pendulum Scale! My monsters are ready to swing into action! Now come out and perform a masterful melody, Mozarta the Melodious Maestra(2600 Attack)! Now, attack and destroy my opponent's Luster Dragon #2(2400 Attack)! And check this out! Adante can increase my Maestra's power by 1000 since it's battling a monster with 2000 or more Attack points(3600 Attack)! Now win this duel with your magic (Opponent's LP-0)!

"We have a winner! This duel goes to Yuya and Zuzu! To think, that once they learned how to Pendulum Summon, they would take the Pro Circuit by storm and get to the top of the dueling world!" Nico Smiley announced to a roaring crowd, which included all of their friends.

"I knew some day we'd reach the top together Zuzu! I bet we've done my dad proud with our impressive Dueltaining!" Yuya said to his dueling partner, now girlfriend, as he kissed Zuzu on the cheek. Zuzu blushed in response to Yuya's kiss, feeling warm at the contact.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Sora ran toward the two of them and gave them a big hug. "That was some impressive dueling, you guys! I knew that it was a good idea to choose you both as my teachers! So, when will you teach me? I mean, we have to have our first lesson."

"Um, Sora?" Zuzu was confused at his sudden intrusion, only for the confusion to continue as the ground beneath her broke and she fell into the abyss along with Yuya and Sora.

Zuzu woke up in her nightgown, having fallen on the floor of her room in her sleep, explaining why she fell in her dream.

"Aw man! I finally manage to do my school and Yusho proud and it was a dream?! It was such a good dream too," Zuzu said to herself aloud. "I wonder why I was partnered with Yuya, though? I mean, we both want similar goals and have dealt with a lot of the same pressures, but why as a team? I guess I can't complain, but why?" Zuzu wondered, confused as to why she imagined them as boyfriend and girlfriend. The thought, however, made her blush. "Well, maybe some day soon we'll end up together and be able to throw the dueling world by storm for real. After all, we both can Pendulum Summon. Then again, so can Yugi. As for Sora, I have to say I'm flattered that he wants to learn from Yuya and me. However, I don't know whether I want to be a teacher. Well, maybe I can think more at breakfast."

That morning, Joey was woken up by a video message from his sister Serenity. As of late, he hasn't been able to see much of her. When they were both young, their parents got a divorce and they went from hanging out all the time to barely seeing each other at all in person. Still, they did try to message each other at least once a week. Joey decided to see what Serenity was calling for and answered the call.

"Joey! It's good to see you!" Serenity greeted.

"It's good to see you too. I do have to ask why the call couldn't wait, seeing as how I don't leave for school for at least an hour. Anyways, things have been crazy over here. Well, not for me specifically. I made some new friends, Yugi learned to Pendulum Summon, my duel teacher's soul was stolen and…," Joey blurted out before Serenity motioned for him to stop.

"First, I'm sorry that I couldn't wait any later to message you. It's just that… I may no longer be able to see you with my own eyes again soon enough. I just wanted to be able to see you one last time," Serenity said trying to be happy in spite of her situation. "Well, goodbye. I'll talk to you later."

"Wait, Serenity!" Joey tried to call out to his younger sister but she hung up the call before he could. He wanted to find a way to help his sister, but he had no idea. The only way to do that would be… Suddenly, Joey got an idea. "Hopefully, I will be allowed in the Duelist Kingdom Tournament. I have to find some way to do so."

"Good morning, dad. How is it going?" Zuzu asked her father after she got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. Her dad wasn't that good of a cook, but he still did try to make a good breakfast each morning.

"It's great to see you, Zuzu. Actually, I have a little surprise for you," Skip Boyle said.

"Really? What is it?" Zuzu asked curiously.

"Do we really have to play frivolous games here, sir?" A familiar female voice asked Skip.

"Wait a minute. Celina? What are you doing here?!" Zuzu demanded, confused and shocked to see the young woman was sitting at the breakfast table.

"Sora suggested I try and hang out with you. He wanted me to convince you to try and teach him stuff. I don't take orders, but I didn't have much to do so I figured I'd bite. Then, your father saw me outside and invited me in where I explained…," Celina explained only for Skip to interrupt her.

"She revealed that she didn't have anywhere to stay! So, I decided to allow her to stay here with us for the time being!" Skip announced as he placed some burnt waffles onto the table.

"Wait, what?!" Zuzu was surprised by the development.

"Since I don't know where else to stay other than on the street I reluctantly decided to agree. Just don't get in my way and things will be fine," Celina said.

"Well, for the time being, you want some of my waffles?" Skip offered as he motioned to the waffles.

"What are waffles?" Celina asked, having never had the dish before in her life.

"Seriously? Where have you been staying? Have you lived on the streets or something?" Skip asked, concerned for the young adult.

"No, I haven't. I just haven't had these "waffles" before. Are they any good?" Celina asked.

"Good? Well, not these all that much, but they are at least edible with syrup. I can call Yuya's mom to make some better waffles that you can eat later," Zuzu whispered to the woman.

"Um, okay?" Celina accepted the offer, though she wasn't sure if that was a good idea. "So, what is syrup?" At this, Zuzu facepalmed, knowing that there may be quite a bit to explain to the young woman with mysterious origins.

Yuya, meanwhile, had also gotten dressed and was ready for breakfast before school. "Man, that blue haired pest Sora's even bugging me in my dreams now. First he pops onto the scene with Zuzu, Luna, and that Celina girl to help floor Sylvio and his goons, and then he announces he's gonna become my student?"

Suddenly, Yuya was interrupted from his thoughts by the barking of a dog. When he turned, he saw a brown and white dog along with a white cat with a pink tie walking up to him. "En and Core. Hi," Yuya said as he picked up the dog, En. "Look at you. When Mom first found you, you were small enough to hold in one hand. But it looks like you've been spending plenty of quality time chomping and chewing at your food bowl, haven't you, pal?" En barked as Yuya laughed. He was interrupted by the meowing of Core. "Good morning, Core."

Before Yuya could continue, he heard his mom say, "You certainly are hungry, my little friend. There's plenty more where that came from."

Yuya slid down the pole located next to his room before asking, "Did you let another stray in the house, Mom?"

"Yeah, me!" Sora cheerfully responded, being the "stray" in question. Yuya, meanwhile, fell to the floor comically.

"What are you doing here?" Yuya asked.

"I noticed him wandering around the neighborhood, the poor boy. I had no choice but to offer him breakfast, of course, since he looked so hungry," Yuya's mom answered.

"You should've given him food to go," Yuya bitterly responded.

"He's welcome here. Sora's your student, isn't he?"

"No!" Yuya yelled aloud, before saying more calmly, "Well, you're not. You have had a bad habit of turning up when you're not wanted, which happens to be all the time."

"That's rude. I can see you didn't learn manners from your sister here," Sora said.

"His sister?" Yoko was confused at the remark.

"Uh, have I made a mistake? Sorry. I figured you had to be Coach Y's sister since you look so incredibly young and beautiful," Sora apologized while also complimenting Yoko.

Yoko seemed to be pleased by the compliment. "Oh! Well well, what a perceptive young man, and completely charming, too." Yoko grabbed Yuya's pancakes and gave them to Sora. "I bet you're still hungry. Can I get you more syrup?"

"Those are my pancakes!" Yuya complained.

"Yes, please, if you don't mind," Sora accepted.

"Why don't I make waffles, too? After all, Zuzu called and said to make some for this Celina, so why not?" Yoko offered.

"With scrambled eggs and French toast?"

"Coming right up!"

"So, are you ready for work, Lulu?" Luna asked as she put on Lulu's bracelet. In order to throw attention off of her, and also as a sign of friendship between the two, Luna has started to wear Lulu's bracelet.

"I guess so. I was just thinking…," Lulu began.

"You were worried about stopping Duel Academy, weren't you?" Luna finished the thought.

"Kinda. I was also worried about Shay, Yuto, and the others. What if they were carded or worse?" Lulu asked, worried.

"I don't know what happened, but I do know that one way or another we'll crush Duel Academy and Sector Security or die trying," Luna darkly stated.

"Look, I know that both groups are horrible and did horrible things to us, but maybe destroying both groups isn't the answer. I agree that we need to do something, but maybe we should focus on finding more help before we do something rash," Lulu explained her thoughts.

"Well, fine. How about this? While you work at your job, I'll go out and find some more Duelists to help us fight back," Luna planned. "Does that sound good to you?"

"Sure. Just try and be calmer, okay? I don't like seeing you be so vengeful," Lulu said.

"Don't worry. I'll try to remain calm. I'm just… worried about us. Especially after everything that has happened," Luna said.

"Well, see you at You Show," Lulu said goodbye.

"So, Sora did show up at your house today after all," Zuzu said to Yuya after seeing how annoyed he was looking. The two of them and Celina were walking to the university.

"Yeah. He wants to make me teach him how to duel," Yuya answered.

"I understand. He has been very persistent in asking the both of us to help him. I hope we can get him to simmer down soon," Zuzu said. "So, Celina, how are the waffles?" Are they any good?"

"They're…," Celina began to answer roughly before she was interrupted by Sora.

"Coaches!" Sora cheerfully greeted the two.

"So, you're following us?" Zuzu asked.

"Yeah!" Sora answered.

"Look, while you seem nice enough we've both had enough of your pestering! So, please, just go away!" Yuya yelled.

"I can't, because we have to have our first lesson. I'm ready to get started whenever you two say," Sora said.

"Can you please just leave us alone?" Zuzu asked, noticing that Yuya was looking annoyed.

"Come on, you guys! You've got to teach me! When I saw Yuya duel Sylvio and Zuzu defeat Celina I could tell that you both were the greatest duelists ever, especially after your incredible Pendulum Summons! I wanna learn to Pendulum Summon, too," Sora said.

"So, that's why you're obsessed," Celina realized.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but you can't because you don't have any Pendulum Cards," Yuya bluntly pointed out.

"Oh, can't you both teach me anyway?" Sora pleaded.

"Maybe we can try to get a lesson in after school, but for now just leave us be," Zuzu suggested.

"Well, okay. I guess I can wait for later, you two love birds," Sora said.

"We're not love birds!" Both Yuya and Zuzu exclaimed.

"Yeah! Zuzu is a nice girl, but she isn't my girlfriend!" Yuya yelled, which angered Zuzu to the point that she used her fan to hit Yuya.

"How dare he insinuate I'm bad-tempered and hard to get along with?" Zuzu grumbled as she walked away.

"I think she likes you, Coach Y," Sora commented to Yuya.

"Well, Sora, I guess we should be going. By the way, Yuya? Can you give a message to Zuzu when she's calmer? It's about the waffles your mom made," Celina asked as she tried to drag a protesting Sora.

"Really? What is it?" Yuya agreed, curiously.

"They… were nice," Celina said meekly before leaving.

During the time before class, Joey noticed that Yugi was still looking down over what happened to his grandpa. Wanting to comfort his friend, he decided to have a talk with him.

"Hey Yuge? Want to talk?" Joey asked his friend.

"I guess," Yugi said almost soullessly.

"Um, okay?" Joey sat down next to Yugi and began to talk to him. "So, any news on what happened to your grandpa?"

"According to the doctors, he's physically healthy for someone his age. However, they can't explain his coma. That means that Pegasus wasn't lying. He really can take away other people's souls," Yugi realized sadly.

"You sure he has magical powers? After all, magic is something that is very hard to believe. It's not like we're little kids, Yuge," Joey pointed out.

"Actually, the thing is Joey… I think that my Millenium Puzzle may be magic."

"Seriously? Are you sure you weren't just imagining it?"

"I'm certain. Sometimes, when my friends or I have needed help, another presence takes over and helps out in winning a duel or getting revenge," Yugi revealed. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."

At first, Joey didn't know if he should believe his friend. After all, what he was saying was outlandish and hard to believe. However, it would explain how Yugi seemed to be a different person whenever he dueled someone. So, Joey decided to believe his friend in spite of how unbelievable the story was. "Wow, Yuge. So, you have another friend. Well, technically all of us do. So, how is he?"

"I don't know. I haven't ever talked to him one on one before. He kinda takes over whenever I duel. I still can think or plan in a duel, but we've never directly interacted," Yugi explained.

"Oh. Well, maybe he helped us when we dealt with that bully Tetsu a few years back. Remember, back when Tristan and me were bullies? I'm sorry we messed with you back then. We didn't know how good of a guy you really were."

"That's okay, Joey."

"Well, I still feel bad about that sometimes. We even stole your magic puzzle when you were putting it together. Then Tetsu attacked us because we couldn't pay him the money he wanted. We both thought we were in huge trouble, but you were willing to defend us even though we treated you poorly. Then, you tricked him into thinking he was surrounded by money when it really was just leaves. Maybe that was when your friend helped us all out."

"Maybe."

Before the two friends could continue talking, a tall and muscular red-haired student arrived, saying, "Oh look! If it isn't that cheater Yugi Muto!"

"Hey! How is he a cheater? He won against Seto Kaiba fair and square!" Joey defended.

"Oh, who are you supposed to be, his mom? I bet that he would lose in a duel against me if I faced him! So, go ahead and challenge me shortstack!" The bully mocked Joey and Yugi.

However, noticing that Yugi still didn't seem up to dueling, Joey said, "Well, how about the two of us duel after school? If I win, you leave us alone!"

"Deal! If I win, I'll take your deck. Soon I'll tear you apart with ease, Wheeler! Names Axel. Commit it to memory," the bully named Axel said as he left for class.

"Joey… thanks. But the spirit and I can duel him. You don't need to do it," Yugi said.

"I know, Yuge. But I want to," Joey answered as the two friends got up and headed to class.

"I wonder if anybody can Pendulum Summon as long as they have the right cards. Sylvio didn't seem to have any problem when we dueled." Yuya thought.

"I don't know why I could start Pendulum Summoning. Do I have some special connection to Yuya and Yugi or something?" Zuzu wondered, also conflicted.

Meanwhile, Sora was spying on the duo from a tree, upside down. "My coaches both seem worried about something. I better find a way to turn their frowns upside down."

And so Sora did. Throughout the day, he followed them both around, and tried to act happy and cheerful. He interrupted just about everything they tried to do from gym, to lunch, to class itself. In fact, he even interrupted Yuya when he was in the bathroom.

"Sora was just trying to cheer us up, Yuya. As annoying as he was being you could at least tell that he was well intentioned. Why are you so down in the dumps anyway?" Zuzu asked.

"Well, I'm not the only one," Yuya responded. "Besides, I don't know why I feel down."

"Touche. Well, you don't take anything too seriously, Yuya, so why take your miserable mood so seriously?" Zuzu asked. "Hey, know what would really cheer us up? A duel to beat back the blues."

"You know what? You're right, Zuzu! I can't let doom and gloom bring me down."

"Then let the battle begin," Zuzu responded.

Luna walked throughout Paradise City, looking for signs of any duelist that could be of potential help in the fights that she and Lulu had to fight. After a few hours of looking, she had no luck. Just as she was about to give up, she saw a cloaked duelist hiding in an alley. Realizing that they could be a potential threat, Luna followed after the figure.

Eventually, Luna cornered the figure. She couldn't tell anything about the figure from their appearance. They were completely covered from head to toe in their cloak. She couldn't even tell if the figure was a man or woman.

"Hey, you! Who are you and what are you doing here?!" Luna demanded.

"I can ask you the same thing. Who are you? And… why do you have that bracelet?!" The figure demanded back.

"I don't have to tell you that! Also, how do you know about this bracelet?"

"I know about it just like I know about Lulu! So, tell me! Where is she?! Talk, now!"

"How about this? We'll have a duel, and the winner will tell the loser what they are doing here! Agreed?" Luna suggested.

"Agreed! Let's duel! I'll go first! I summon to the field Gagaga Magician (1500 Attack)! Next, I'll play the spell card Wonder Wand and equip it to my magician! With this spell card, I can increase my magician's power by 500 Attack points (2000 Attack)! I place one card facedown and end my turn," The figure played.

"That's one strange monster you just summoned. However, I'll still find a way past it. I draw! I summon Armored White Bear (1800 Attack)! Next, I'll play Pixie Cyclone! With it, I can destroy a spell or trap card my opponent controls not only that, but I can increase the attack on a Light monster by 1000 for the rest of this turn (2800 Attack)! Now, attack and destroy that magician!

"I play the trap card Bye Bye Damage! With it, I can prevent my monster from being destroyed and deal you double the damage I would have taken!"

"Good try. But by banishing Pixie Cyclone from my graveyard I can negate the effect of a spell or trap card and destroy it! Now, the battle resumes! (Figure-2700 LP) So, impressed with the best of what the Synchro dimension has to offer? Well, you'll soon see that I'm even tougher than you were expecting! I place one card facedown and end my turn. Your move."

"Well, you certainly are a much better duelist than I expected you to be. You're not wrong about that. Right, Astral?"

"I must say that there is something odd about this woman. Perhaps she isn't an enemy," A white creature that only the figure and Luna could see said.

"You may have a point, Astral. But we don't know if that is the case or not. So, are you connected to Yugo?" The figure asked.

"Who is Yugo? And who is this Astral that is with you?" Luna asked.

"I guess not. Wait. You can see him?!"

"Of course! I can see a lot of different things, including Duel Monster spirits."

"So, this woman is special. Not many can see the spirits of the cards," Astral pointed out.

"Well, looks like just another thing to ask her about once we win. It's my turn! I play the spell card Monster Reborn in order to bring back Gagaga Magician! Next, I summon Gogogo Golem(1800 Attack)! Now, I'll use both of these monsters in order to build the Overlay Network! I Xyz summon Number 39: Utopia(2500 Attack)!"

"Wait! Number? What is that? Why do you have an Xyz monster? Are you a spy?!" Luna demanded.

"I seriously doubt that she is an enemy of our home, judging by how she's acting," Astral said to the figure.

"Maybe. I want to trust her. But she has Lulu. We can't just blindly trust her, not after what Vector has done," The figure responded.

"Very well then. Let's finish this duel," The figure agreed.

"All right, who's ready to duel?" Yuya asked once he got into You Show. "The one and only Yuya Sakaki has arrived to take center stage with Zuzu Boyle!"

"Ah, what's up, coaches?" Sora cheerfully asked, being present in the school along with Celina, causing Yuya to fall over.

"Wait, what are you doing here?" Yuya asked.

"Well, I did promise a lesson after school," Zuzu reminded Yuya.

"Yeah! And so he came to meet you both for his first lesson," Frederick said.

"It's rude to keep your students waiting, you guys," Allie agreed.

"But I didn't…," Yuya tried to say only to be dragged back on his feet by Skip.

"Yuya, Zuzu, I'm so proud you both chose to entertain your first pupil here, and I'm even prouder that he'll be enrolling in our school. Right? No pressure!" Skip said.

"Listen to me!" Yuya yelled as he pushed back Skip. "He's not my student! Zuzu may have agreed to teach him, but not me!"

"Come on, what are we waiting for, coaches?" Sora asked. "We all gotta tackle out first lesson, right? Then let's get to it! I want to learn how to Pendulum Summon from the two best people there are! I'm counting on you both to turn me into a dueltaining whiz kid."

"How many times do I have to say no before you stop asking?" Yuya asked Sora.

"Yuya… I know you don't want to teach him but maybe we should at least try to be nice," Zuzu argued.

"Hm. I'm not sure. Look, you guys, I'll make you a deal. Just duel me this once and I'll never bother you again," Sora pleaded.

"That sounds like a fair deal to me," Allie said.

"I guess it is. What about you Yuya?" Zuzu asked her friend.

"Well…," Yuya began to think it over.

"You can't turn him down, Yuya," Frederick said.

"Come on, Yuya, just say yes. After all, we're only agreeing to one simple duel," Zuzu pointed out as Yuya looked shocked.

"Yuya, if you turn down this poor kid it will bring dishonor to the reputation of the You Show Duel School, not to mention we'd have to give back his tuition money," Skip said.

"Please, Coach Y. Let's duel. Pretty please," Sora pleaded with a cute look on his face.

"Look, you can just duel Zuzu because you can ask me a million times and I'll still tell you no," Yuya blunty rejected, only for Sora to make a cuter face as he pleaded for Yuya to say yes. "Except for this one time only. But listen. If Zuzu and I win you have to promise you'll stop following me around everywhere, and you won't ask me to teach you or call us Coach, agreed?"

"Yuya…," Zuzu was uncertain as to how to feel about this, but ultimately accepted the terms of the duel.

"Yes. But if I win, I'll be your student and I can call you Coach, plus I can follow you guys around as much as I want," Sora gave his terms.

Both Yuya and Zuzu agreed to these terms as the trio entered the duel field, ready to duel.

"And so begins an epic showdown between our resident Pendulum experts and their wannabe student," Skip announced.

"Wow, this is really happening!" An excited Sora said, looking pumped up.

"Now, let's get ready to duel!" Skip yelled as he pushed a button that made a wild west field. "Our cardslingers will clash in the Wildest West!"

Sora, however, looked less than impressed with the Action field that Skip had selected. "Don't you have a cooler field?" Sora asked. "This one's kind of weak." Skip looked shocked to hear that his field selection wasn't appreciated by Sora. "Use some imagination. I want to duel Yuya and Zuzu somewhere sweeter than this."

"Uh, let me think. Okay, go!" Skip selected another field that was made up of sweets.

"Whoa," Yuya was surprised.

"Yeah, I know. Maybe Sora will be happy with this field," Zuzu commented.

"Wow! Yum! That's more like it!" Sora was amazed by the field. "Now this field's a treat! It's awesome! You're the best!"

"How cute!" Skip was charmed by Sora's cuteness.

"Give me a break," Yuya sighed. All three duelists then prepared their duel disks for the duel.

"And now, get set for a duel of delicious delights," Zuzu said.

"It's teachers against student, ha ha!" Tate said.

"This battle will have you rolling with excitement," Frederick continued.

"Because only one side will rule this sweet treat of a duel," Allie finished.

"The action begins… Now!" All three duelists yelled out.

"Seriously? Is there any reason that you all gave such a weird description for the duel?" Celina asked as she shook her head.

"It's called being theatrical and entertaining for the audience, Celina. Duels should be about entertaining the audience," Zuzu answered.

"Duels are about winning, not entertaining people," Celina pointed out.

"Well, watch this duel and see if you change your mind," Yuya said. "So, Sora, how should we have this duel go?"

"We'll all have 4000 Life Points. You both will go before me and won't be able to attack on your first turns. You okay with that, you guys?" Sora asked.

"Sure thing! I'll go first. I'll get things started by summoning my Performapal Hip Hippo(800 Attack). What do you say we hoof it into high gear, Hip Hippo? See you, Sora!" At this, Yuya got onto his Hippo's back and begun to ride around the field.

"Not if I see you first," Sora responded.

"Well then, I suppose that it is my turn then. I summon to my field Barcarolle the Melodious Diva(Light/Fairy/Level 4/1500 Attack/1200 Defense/Scale 2)! So, Sora? Are you impressed with our dueling yet?" Zuzu asked.

"I suppose so. I draw!" Sora noticed that he drew Toy Vendor. "One of the cards I drew was the spell Toy Vendor and I'm gonna activate it right now! This toy's fun-tastic, because it lets me send a card from my hand to the graveyard and then I can draw another card from my deck. Uh, this card is yucky. Now if I draw a monster card that's Level 4 or below I'm allowed to summon it, but if it's not I'll have to toss it into my graveyard." Sora managed to draw a monster. "Look, it's Fluffal Bear (1200 Attack)! Come on and join the party, Fluffal Bear! And I'm inviting your friend Fluffal Leo to join us, too (1600 Attack)!"

"That kid may look like he's all fun and games, but by the way he plays I can tell he's not toying around," Skip pointed out.

"I know, dad, he doesn't duel like a newbie. He has some experience under his belt already," Zuzu pointed out. "I must say though that his monsters are very cute! I wonder how dangerous they are though."

"Seriously? You can find them cute after the duel. Right now we need to focus!" Yuya reminded Zuzu.

"Sorry I'm late you guys. Oh, looks like a duel is underway. Who is dueling?" Lulu asked the others.

"Yuya and Zuzu are dueling that teenager, Sora. He has some very cute monsters out!" Allie answered.

"Well, you aren't wrong but… Yuya! Look out!" Lulu called out, worried about Yuya as he was running to a pond of sweet fluid.

"Huh? This is not going to be sweet!" Yuya yelled as he and Hip Hippo ran into the fluid only to climb out.

"Get in the game, Coach!" Sora cried out. "Your Barcarolle is history, Zuzu, because my Fluffal Leo is prepping to pounce," Sora yelled.

"Aw man! This is going to suck!" Zuzu yelled.

"I know! Just kidding. I'm gonna use the Action Spell Evasion to tame your Leo, protecting Zuzu from your attack!" Yuya played.

"Hey! Doding my attack isn't fair!" Sora complained.

"You don't just expect me to just let you destroy our monsters, do you?" Yuya reminded Sora.

"Where did he get an Action card?" Frederick asked.

"I know. I didn't see Yuya pick one up anywhere. Unless…," Lulu wondered.

"He picked it up when he fell in that goop," Tate realized.

"I get it!" Zuzu realized as she rushed into the giant cake, much to the confusion of the others. She popped up on top of the dessert.

"While you were dessert diving, Zuzu, my Fluffal Bear was getting prepped to hint down Yuya's hippo!" Sora pointed out.

"Well, nice try, but Yuya's hippo isn't going anywhere! I play the Action Spell I found Candy Shower!" Zuzu yelled.

Candy fell to the ground from the sky. "Wow! What a sugary surprise," Sora was amazed. However, he turned annoyed very quickly upon seeing Fluffal Bear eat the candy. "You should be attacking Yuya's hippo, not that candy (800 Defense)!"

"The sweetest part of that Action Spell is that it switched Fluffal Bear into defense mode," Zuzu explained the card's effect.

"I guess I'll end my turn then. If you guys can find Action cards then I can, too!" Sora said.

"We'll see about that," Yuya responded as he followed Sora and drew his card. He was confused to see Sora reaching for an action card on top of a cookie house, complaining all the while.

"Wow. He's acting like a silly little kid," Celina rolled her eyes.

"Almost got it…," Sora reached for an Action spell only for it to blow away and for Yuya to catch it. "Hey that was mine!"

"You wanted a dueling demo and that's what you're getting. And next I'll show you something really amazing. 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 Level 7 all at the same time! Swing far, Pendulum. Carve the arc of victory!" Yuya yelled as Sora looked on, amazed. "My monsters are ready to swing into action! H-2-Fo, Skeeter Skimmer (500 Attack). Slice and dice, Sword Fish (600 Attack). It's time to turn up the heat, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (2500 Attack)!"

"So, you actually showed up after all, Wheeler," Axel said. "I thought for a moment that you wouldn't show up."

"Well, I don't like people messing with my friends. You're about to see that we're not so helpless after all!" Joey yelled back.

"Joey, are you sure that you can handle this? After all, you don't have the best track records when it comes to dueling," Yugi reminded his friend.

"I know, but I want to be able to help you for a change. Alright, Axel, are you ready?" Joey asked.

"Oh, I'm ready! Let's duel! I'll start things off by summoning Blazing Inpachi(1850 Attack)! I place one card facedown and end my turn," Axel played.

"Wow! That's a seriously powerful monster you got there."

"Really? Are you scared Wheeler?"

"Well-," Joey began.

"Joey! Just remember to believe in your cards the Heart of the Cards, and you'll win!" Yugi yelled supportively.

"Thanks, Yuge…," Joey mouthed. "I play the spell card Shield and Sword! With it, I can switch the attack and defense of all monsters on the field! So, your Blazing Inpachi won't be burning anything down anytime soon (0 Attack)! Next, I'll summon Blue Flame Swordsman to the field in attack mode (1800 Attack)! Now, wipe out his Blazing Inpachi! (Axel-2200 LP) So, looks like we'll be getting you out of our hair soon enough! I'll place one card facedown and end my turn. Your move, Axel!"

"Impressive, Wheeler! You managed to pull off a decent move. Still, I'll be the winner in the end. My move! I play the spell Monster Reborn to bring back my Blazing Inpachi!" Axel played.

"What?! I just got rid of that monster!"

"Joey! Relax!" Yugi called out. "You can win this!"

"You really believe you stand a chance, do ya! Well, time for a reality check! You're gonna lose this duel, Wheeler! I now summon out my favorite monster Gorlag (1000 Attack)!" Axel summoned.

"So what? He doesn't look so tough!" Joey was less scared.

"Maybe now, but not for long! Gorlag's ability allows for him to gain 500 Attack Points for every Fire monster on the field, including himself! So, his attack points are now 2000 (2000 Attack)! So, how does it feel, Wheeler? Soon, you're going to lose and all of your cards are going to belong to me!"

"Wow! That's amazing, Coach Y!" Sora yelled, impressed by the Pendulum Summon.

"Wait until you see what I've got in store for you next. Check out my Sword Fish's special ability. Once per turn, my Performapal can zero in on one of your monsters and then slice and dice its attack points by 600," Yuya said as he lowered Fluffal Leo's attack points(1000 Attack). "But I'm not done. I'll also use the Action Card I snatched from you. It'll give you the biggest sugar crash, because now my Odd-Eyes gets a 700-point power boost (3200 Attack). It's on! Odd-Eyes is primed to take down your fragile feline. Okay, get set to strike! Ready? It's time to finish off that furball! Here's a lesson you won't forget, Sora. Odd-Eyes isn't toying around. Spiral Flame Strike (Sora-2800 LP)!" Sora was knocked off the roof and into some marshmallows.

"Yuya's taking this duel to the next level," Skip said, impressed. "It's got me all fired up!"

"That sent a shiver down my spine- huh?" Frederick realized something. "Hey, wait, something isn't adding up right. I thought Odd-Eyes was supposed to deal double damage to opponents."

"I think I can explain. You see, the effect only works on higher Level monsters," Lulu reminded Frederick.

"Yeah! Only if the monster is Level 5 or higher," Tate agreed.

"Oh right! I got so caught up in the excitement of the duel that I totally forgot," Frederick said.

"It's your turn now, Zuzu. Of course my Action Spell's effect wears off now, so Odd-Eye's attack points are going back to normal," Yuya said.

"Finally! Time to show you my skills, Sora! I'll use Adante the Melodious Sorceress(1) and Vibrato the Melodious Sorceress(9) to set the Pendulum Scale! My monster is ready to swing into action! Now come out and perform a masterful melody, Mozarta the Melodious Maestra(2600 Attack)! Now check this out, Sora! Barcarolle the Melodious Diva can inflict piercing damage when they attack a defense position monster! Now, take aim and attack Sora's Fluffal Bear!"

"I play the Action Spell Ultra Miracle! With it, I can keep a monster I control from being destroyed until my next Standby Phase! And I choose Fluffal Bear! Don't worry, though, I still take the damage from your monster's attack (Sora-1100 LP)! I place one card facedown and end my turn. Your move, Sora," Zuzu played.

"My my. Looks like Sora has lost his touch. From what I've heard he should be so much better than this," Celina commented.

"Um, guys? Maybe you should go easier on the poor kid," Skip suggested.

"I'm sorry. Yuya, maybe we should be more careful," Zuzu said.

"But remember, he wanted to duel us for real," Yuya defended.

Suddenly, Sora started to laugh to himself as he got back up. "Thanks, you guys. Now that I felt the full force of one of your guy's Pendulum monsters, I'm even more determined to become your guy's student. My draw! I think my deck is trying to send me a message. It's telling me that it's time to get serious."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Yuya asked.

"Are you saying that you haven't been serious until now?" Zuzu also asked.

"Maybe or maybe not. Let's see. If I send a card to the graveyard, I can play with my Toy Vendor again. I can't wait to see what card it's gonna be. Go! Cool, these Edge Imp Sabres are going to cut you both down to size," Sora said as the ball containing Edge Imp Sabres came out of Toy Vendor. "Monsters don't get more cutting-edge than Edge Imp Sabres (1200 Attack). Then I'll use a spell. It's a card called Polymeri-something or other."

"Wait! What card?!" Lulu was shocked and uncomfortable.

"You mean Polymerization?" Yuya was also shocked.
"Yeah! This awesome spell lets me fuse together my Edge Imp Sabres and my Fluffal Bear. Edge of sharpness and fury of bear When the two come together, you had better beware! Fusion Summon!" Sora said.

"What does he mean by that?" Allie asked.

"He's Fusion Summoning. By playing a fusion spell like Polymerization, you can combine multiple monsters together into a stronger one," Lulu said, no joy in her tone.

"Hey, are you okay?" Tate asked Lulu, who just ignored him.

"Here it comes, the most unbearable monster you've ever seen: Frightfur Bear (2200 Attack)!" Sora summoned his monster.

"Well, that bear doesn't look so cuddly anymore," Zuzu was concerned for her and Yuya.

"Thanks, coaches. I learned a lot from you today, but now it's my turn to teach you guys a lesson or two," Sora said as both duelists stared down the massive beast.

Hope you enjoy this chapter. Sorry it took so long. By the way, if you guys have any constructive criticism, please let me know and review.