Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V: Pendulum of Connections

by Imagine97

(Remake of the Arc-V series starting from the beginning.) What would happen if Yuya was more confident and skilled as a duelist? What if he had an older brother? What if Yuya had slightly different beliefs in dueling but the same intentions? Conflict never ends. Everyone is tied by bonds they don't know that exists which lead to two choices: Peace or Destruction.

31. Turbo Dueling in Standard

Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter. Also, thank you to 7, Jasom, star eyes pendulum dragon, Anime100, Vicente Salamanca, Chimera608, FlameFireZero X, and Eremika9 for commenting. Here's my responses:

Anime100 - There is a bigger picture to all of this and something will be revealed sooner than later.

Vicente Salamanca - In the future, yes.

Chimera608 - Probably not, though it is an interesting idea. Maybe somebody else will try that or something similar in the future. Anyway, thanks for liking the story.

FlameFireZero X - Thank you.

Eremika9 - Thank you. :)

Anyway, with all of that said, let's get started.

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Chapter 31 - Turbo Dueling in Standard

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MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE

During the late morning, Yuya and Yuto were still lying unconscious in their respective beds with Yuzu, Rin, Ruri, Lucine sitting next to them, watching both of them in concern. Mikleo was sitting at his desk with Yugo sitting next to him with a bothered frown. Just then, Yoko came into the room and sat next to Yuzu, in front of Yuya's bed.

Yuzu looked at Yuya and Yuto troubled, "I'm getting worried. It's been two days and they haven't woken up yet." Rin turned to Yuzu reassuringly, "Don't worry. I'm sure they'll wake up soon."

"That's right, Yuzu." Yoko said before placing an arm around Yuzu, making her turn to her, "Yuya is not that weak. He'll be back on his feet in no time. And I may not know Yuto much, but I'm sure he'll be fine as well." Yuzu stared at her for a second before nodding her head and let out a small smile. Ruri and Rin felt the same but still were concerned nonetheless. Yugo had a bothered frown on his face as he looked to the side, still feeling a little responsible for this even though he doesn't remember much of what happened.

However, everyone then heard someone shouting from outside, "No, darling! Don't leave Mieru alone!" Everyone was surprised as they turned to see Mieru pressing her face against the window, looking very frantic and worried.

Yoko looked at the girl in shock, "W-Who is she?" Yuzu immediately recognized her while being surprised as well, "Mieru Hochun!"

Mieru cried for a moment before she pushed the window open, "Out of my way!" She jumped in, surprising Yoko and Yuzu before knocking them over and turning to Yuya, "No! I won't let you go!" She held up a fist determined, "Now that I'm here, I'll definitely save you! I'll revive my darling with my fortune-telling charms!"

Yoko, Ruri, Rin, and Lucine were lost and confused while Yuzu muttered, "No, he's not dead…" Mikleo raised an eyebrow when he saw the girl, amused and wondering if this is the fortune-telling girl Yuya once mentioned before.

Yugo was confused by all of this before quietly walking over to Rin and whispered, "Hey, Rin. Who's the weird girl?"

Rin got annoyed and elbowed Yugo in the stomach, making him cough in pain for a second while she frowned at him, "Don't be rude. That's Mieru Hochun, a duelist Yuya faced a while back. And she's not weird. She's just...a bit eccentric." She said that reluctantly as she doesn't know what to make of Mieru, remembering what happened with Yuya at the end of that duel.

Mieru noticed Yugo for a second and then noticed another person in a second bed, looking very closely like Yuya. Mieru blinked her eyes in confusion, "Who are you?"

Yugo opened his mouth to speak, "I'm Yugo…"

Yuzu interrupted him, "He is one of Yuya's brothers." Yugo was taken aback as Mieru looked at him in interest, not knowing Yuya had any siblings though it would explain why his face looks similar to her darling's face. Yuzu then pointed at Yuto, "And that is Yuto, Yuya's other brother."

"Hey, I'm not…!" Yugo tried to clarify before Rin elbowed him again, shutting him up while seeing Rin with a stern expression. Lucine watched this exchange before silently nodded, having a feeling where Rin was going with this. Mikleo raised an eyebrow though quickly realized what she was up to and didn't say anything.

Mieru pondered it for a second before turning back to Yuya with a determined smile on her face, "In that case, for darling's sake, I'll revive his brother as well!" Yuzu was getting annoyed by her calling Yuya "darling" again but felt a little relieved that she bought it.

The next few minutes Mieru had been trying to bring them back to life using her fortune telling skills. She had everyone set up some blue curtains on the windows, incense in the room and some stones around Yuya and Yuto's pillows. Eventually, everyone learned that Mieru had heard about Yuya's condition from overhearing Tatsuya, Ayu and Futoshi talking about it in the stadium and soon rushed over to be with him, not caring about her match right now. However, she soon got convinced by Yuzu and Yoko that Yuya might have a better chance of waking up if she wins her match since he is a duelist. She then hurried on towards the stadium to get to her match.

The moment Mieru walked out of the house, Yoko and Yuzu sighed in relief as Yoko commented, "Good thing she bought that. I was worried that she might've wanted to stay here." Yuzu nodded her head, agreeing with the same sentiment.

Yoko stood up and walked over the room to pick up stuff, "I'll open the window to get rid of some of the essence and move some of this stuff out of the way for you all." She opened the window as she picked up the stones and candles left behind by Mieru.

Yugo scratched the side of his head, "So...did that fortune-telling stuff actually do anything?" Rin gave him a look before shaking her head, "I don't know. I personally don't think it did much."

Ruri sweatdropped from hearing Rin's opinion before giving off a nervous smile, "Well, I think it's at least sweet that she came since she was worried about Yuya." Yuzu nodded and frowned a little, agreeing with that but still felt somewhat glad she left and didn't have to worry about her trying anything. She wasn't comfortable letting Mieru stay here with Yuya.

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MAIAMI CITY - MAIAMI DUEL STADIUM

A young teenage boy stood in the center court, dressed in a black ninja outfit completed with gloves, shoulder and leg protectors, a headband with moon symbols, a katana strapped on his back and a sleeve covering his right arm. He has blue eyes and hair, which was being held up in a high ponytail. A blue scarf was wrapped around the bottom half of his face and neck, covering them up like a mask. Some of the details of his clothing were also blue with some lining on the shoes and gloves.

The ninja stood in the field with his arms crossed and eyes closed while Nico was announcing on the mike, "Today's first match of the Maiami Championship's Youth Class is Fuuma Duel School's Tsukikage vs. Unno Divination School's Mieru Hochun, but…" Nico had a troubled expression on his face, "It appears that Hochun is nowhere to be found! If she does not arrive, then Tsukikage will win by default!" Most of the audience appeared to be troubled or annoyed that the first match might not even happen as they whisper amongst themselves.

Tsukikage was still waiting in the middle for a little while longer before a voice shouted, "You're not winning by default on my watch!" He opened his eyes and looked up to where the voice was.

Nico was surprised by the voice and looked around to see who said that, "Huh? Where?" He finally turned to look up behind him to see Mieru standing there with a determined expression, "Now, Hochun has finally arrived!" Mieru then held up two fingers towards Tsukikage, "Oh! This is…!"

Mieru looked down at Tsukikage with a confident smirk, "Two minutes. That's how much time is left until you're grovelling at my feet! No, not just groveling...I'll put you in a deep sleep for eternity!"

Tsukikage didn't respond and just watched Mieru jump down onto the center court as Nico announced, "Hochun has just declared her own victory!"

Tsukikage and Mieru looked at each other before pulling out their duel disks and activating them with Mieru smiling, "Just you wait darling, I'm going to win this match for your sake!"

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UNKNOWN - YUYA'S DREAM

Yuya looked back and forth in curiosity as he was wandering through a black empty space with only a spotlight shining on him. He wondered where he was as he looked around the area, not seeing anybody or anything in this place. He is the only one here.

Suddenly, a shape manifested in front of Yuya which surprised him and made him stop to look at it. He couldn't see what the shape was due to it being so dark; however, the shape changed to where a familiar black dragon emerged in front of Yuya with the shadows fading away.

Yuya was surprised as he recognized the dragon in front, "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon?" He wondered why Yuto's dragon was here.

Dark Rebellion lowered his head to stare down at Yuya, making him question what the dragon was doing. Before he could ask, his vision got blurry and couldn't see anything. He eventually blacked out afterwards.

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MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE

Yuya groaned before slowly opening his eyes and finding himself waking up in his room while looking at the ceiling. He turned his head to the left to see his mom and Yuzu before they noticed Yuya woke up.

Yuzu smiled happily in relief, "Yuya!" Yoko had a relieved smile on her face as she looked at her son.

"Mom...? Yuzu...?" muttered Yuya tiredly as he wondered how long he had been out.

Ruri and Rin came up into Yuya's vision to see both having relieved expressions with Ruri happily speaking, "I'm so glad you're okay!" Rin nodded her head in agreement, both having small tears in their eyes. Mikleo walked up to him with a small smile on his face before Yugo came up into view with a nervous smile as he wiped his forehead, "Phew! What a relief!"

While feeling happy from seeing them, Yuya immediately noticed Yugo looking at him which made him confused, "Huh? You're..."

Around a minute later, a food tray was on Yuya's bed as he looked surprised, "I've been out for two days?" He was told by everyone how long he was sleeping after he finished eating.

Yoko nodded her head, "That's right, and you slept pretty soundly. You must have been exhausted." Yuya pondered it for a second before responding, "So, how's the Maiami Championship going?" A lot of matches have probably passed since he slept.

Yuzu had a smile on her face, "The first round of the Youth Class should be ending today." She pulled out her duel disk to take a look at it, "Right now, Mieru Hochun's match should still be…" She pressed some buttons on her duel disk before it showed she was on the Maiami Championship website. However, what she saw surprised her, "Huh?" There was no match happening on the screen right now with the arena having no duelists in it, meaning that Mieru's match just ended. Yuzu was confused by this, "What happened with Mieru's match?" She scrolled through and pressed a couple more buttons before finding something else that surprised her more, "What? Mieru was...knocked out in a one turn kill against Fuuma Duel School's Tsukikage?!" A video feed was showing Mieru getting knocked around by some shurikens as she screamed before she fell to the floor in defeat with all of her life depleted.

Yuya was taken aback by this before he narrowed his eyes at the ground, "There really are some high-level duelists in this tournament…" For Mieru to lose in a one-turn kill, this Tsukikage guy must be pretty good. After all, when he had his duel with her, he didn't have much trouble but she wasn't a pushover either. Yoko smiled from seeing her son already feeling better before getting up to leave him alone with his friends.

"Hey there." Yuya turned to see Yugo walking up to him while looking a little uncomfortable. Yuya looked back at him, "You're Yugo, right?" Yugo gave a nod before Yuya turned his gaze to everyone else, "Mind telling me what happened?" Soon after, everyone informed Yuya what had occurred and been talked about during the time he was unconscious.

"I see." muttered Yuya as he processed all of this.

Yugo looked at Yuya while scratching the side of his head, "So...I wanna say sorry. It's my bad...About what happened that night." He didn't know how else to say it other than he's sorry. He felt really bad about what happened that night although he doesn't remember what happened after Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon was summoned. He scolded himself for jumping into conclusions like that easily, something Rin gets on his case usually for being a bad habit.

Yuya took one glance at Yuto, who was still unconscious, for a second before turning to Yugo with a small smile, "It's alright. You were just worried about Rin." Yugo looked up in surprise as Yuya continued with his smile growing more sincere, "I know you confused Yuto with someone else so I don't blame you for what happened. We just didn't get a chance to explain."

Seeing Yuya's sincerity and being surprised by it, Yugo watched Yuya hold out a hand to him with a smile on his face. Feeling very happy and amazed, Yugo reached out and hugged Yuya, "Alright! You are a really good guy!" Yuya was very surprised by the hug and didn't have time to process it before Yugo quickly broke out and happily shook his hand, much to everyone's shock and amusement though Rin couldn't help but sweatdrop a little.

Since Yugo had woken up, Rin had explained to him what has happened to her since she had gotten here. She told him Yuya was the one who offered her a home along with Yuzu and Ruri when they first met. Hearing that as well as the fact that Yuya actually beat Rin in a duel helped form a more positive opinion on the guy. From also hearing about some stuff from the other girls about what Yuya is like and seeing his attitude now, he couldn't help but hug Yuya to express his gratitude.

Yuya, however, didn't know what to expect when he first met Yugo but this wasn't what he thought would happen. As he watched Yugo shake his hand happily, he slowly shook it back since he saw Yugo's expression. He didn't mind the hug, he just didn't expect it. It sorta reminded him of when Gongenzaka hugs him sometimes. It wasn't a comfortable hug but it was full of affection that his close friend gave him and Yugo is similar to that except it wasn't bone-crushing.

"Anyway, Yugo." Both of them stopped their handshake with Yuya looking at Yugo, "You know about Academia, right? Does that mean you'll be helping us?" He probably knows what Yugo's answer would be especially since he had time to think about it before he woke up.

Yugo was confused for a second before he immediately understood and held up a fist in resolve, "You bet I am! I won't forgive those bastards for using duels like that and what they did to those people! Besides..." He looked up at the ceiling with a fire in his eyes, "That bastard that tried to abduct Rin is working for Academia! I gotta pay him back as well!" Yuya imagined that he was probably referring to the unknown third person who had the same face as him, who is from the Fusion Dimension.

After another moment of greeting each other, Yugo was soon told by everyone what their plan was going forward: try to communicate more with Reiji Akaba and prove their worth by dueling in the Maiami Championship.

Yugo tilted his head in confusion, "Maiami Championship? What's that? Is it like the Friendship Cup?"

"Sort of. It is a tournament held in Maiami City." stated Rin before pointing at herself, Yuya, and Yuzu. "I'm dueling in this event along with Yuya and Yuzu." Yuya and Yuzu both nodded at this.

Yugo got a little interested when he heard that, "Really?" Yugo looked at them eagerly, "Then, could I join in? This could be good practice for me when I get back home!" If Rin has joined in this tournament, he feels he should duel in it as well. He loves participating in these kinds of events since it would help him become a better duelist.

Yuzu gave off a troubled and nervous smile, "Uh...sorry. But the deadline to enter the event just ended a couple days ago. There's no way to enter now even if you get the qualifications." There have been a few exceptions for last-minute entries such as famous pro duelists but she doubts Yugo would get that kind of treatment.

Yugo looked disappointed when he heard that, "Eh?! For real?" He hung his head sadly for a second before perking back up toward Rin, "Well then, I'll be cheering for you Rin!" He then looked at Yuya and Yuzu, "And you two as well. I hope you three kill it!" Yuya chuckled a little and Yuzu just sheepishly smiled at that.

As Yugo asked some more questions about the Maiami Championship with everyone else, Ruri smiled at the scene before turning to Yuto with a worried expression. She stared at him for a moment before she heard a voice, "You don't have to worry, Ruri." She turned her head to see Lucine with a small smile, "Since Yuya and Yugo have woken up, I'm certain he will wake up soon."

Ruri looked at Yuto for another second before softly smiling, "...Yeah." For now, she's just glad that Yuya was able to wake up.

Yuya suddenly remembered something as he looked at Yuzu, "That reminds me. What about the Junior Class?"

"The Junior Class is already on their Second Round matches." replied Yuzu before she frowned a little. "And yesterday, Futoshi fought that Reira kid from LDS. But…he was defeated when Reira used Synchro Summoning." She remembers Futoshi getting blasted and having his life reduced to zero right when Reira performed a Synchro Summoned, knocking him around a bouncy castle field.

"Synchro?" wondered Yuya before he looked down at the ground, "Well, guess it would make sense he would know multiple summoning methods with him being Reiji's sibling." Since Reiji knows multiple summoning methods, it wouldn't be questionable that anybody related to him is able to do the same.

"Anyway…" Mikleo spoke up which made everyone turn to him, "Since we've got time, I think it's about time I show you all something." To everyone's curiosity, Mikleo got up and walked out of the room with him motioning for everyone to follow him, which they did, at least after Yuya got up and changed clothes.

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MAIAMI CITY - MAIAMI DUEL STADIUM

Amongst the loud cheering heard in the crowd, Nico stood at his commentary table while holding his mike with an excited smile on his face, "Now, everyone! We're about ready to start the second match of the day!" He held out his hand towards the left side of the field, "Here in our center court, we have Yugen from Spiritual Duel School!" A youth with black hair and red eyes was shown standing on one side of the arena with a soft smile, wearing white tape around his arms, a black jacket and a brown scarf wrapped around his neck.

Meanwhile, in the downtown area of Maiami City, Bryan was walking across a sidewalk with other people nearby, ignoring the big screen that was close by on a building. As he passed it, Nico's voice could be heard throughout the city from the big screen, "And now, his opponent is someone who doesn't belong to any school but managed to qualify for the tournament. The former Forest Hunter of LDS, Kylian Orman!"

Bryan stopped in shock as soon as he heard that name before quickly turning toward the big screen to look up where the voice was coming from. It was then that the camera showed Kylian slowly appearing from a corridor and onto the field. Bryan's eyes widened in shock for a second before he happily smiled, "Kylian! You're back after all!" He was so relieved as he didn't think he would see Kylian again.

However, that happiness was short lived when the screen showed Kylian standing on his side of the center court. No one could see his face as his head was facing the ground and his bangs were hiding his expression. He seemed to be antsy while clenching his fists in and out repeatedly.

"...Kylian?" wondered Bryan with a confused expression, now seeing and wondering why Kylian is acting strange.

Nico held out his hand with an excited smile, "Now, let's begin the match! Activating Field Magic!" The audience cheered as the sphere of glowing cards scattered with the Solid Vision system activating. Yugen held out his red duel disk on his arm with a determined expression.

As the field materialized, no one was able to notice Kylian still staring at the ground for another few seconds before slightly raising his head, showing a crazed look in his eyes while breathing slowly and heavily.

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MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE

Mikleo guided everyone to the garage they have which had both Rin and Yugo's duel runners parked in the middle as well as one large object that was covered by a giant white cloth.

Yugo was happy when he saw his duel runner and ran past everyone to go check on it, with the others watching. As he glossed over it for a few seconds, he turned his head which showed a smile, "I'm relieved you guys brought my runner here." He turned back to look at Rin's runner that was next to his, "And yours is here too, Rin." Rin smiled at Yugo's enthusiasm, sharing similar sentiments to her own runner as well.

Yuya walked up and crouched over to look at both runners. Even though he has seen Rin's runner a few times, it still intrigues him with how people use them in Turbo Dueling. Yuzu shared similar feelings as she looked at the runners with intrigue while Lucine was a little interested but tried to keep a straight face to not show too much curiosity.

"So, what is it you want to show us?" asked Yuya as he looked at Mikleo who walked over to the large cloth nearby.

Mikleo stopped in front of the cloth to turn to face everyone with a straight face, "Do you all recall that I mentioned working on something in this garage?" Yuya, Yuzu, Rin and Ruri nodded their heads while Yugo and Lucine didn't know what he was talking about. Mikleo suddenly smiled in amusement, "Well, with some help from Rin, I've managed to finish a little nice thing a few days ago."

Rin pondered what he said for a second before her eyes widened in realization and she smiled excitedly, "You mean you finished it?" If it is what she thinks, then she's very interested in the result Mikleo made.

While everyone else was confused, Mikleo nodded before he grabbed the large cloth with his left hand, "Yep. And with that, I present to you all...my own duel runner!" After pausing for a second, he lifted the cloth up to reveal what it was concealing below. Everyone was surprised by what they all saw.

It was a motorbike with a frame that connected all the way from the front of the first wheel to above where the seat was, forming a semi-enclosed roof around the vehicle with a polycarbonate window in both the front and back. Double fork tubes connected the two large wheels with some reinforcement. Twin engines and exhaust pipes were built in the lower half mostly near the back of the vehicle. A large seat was inclined with the driver being able to lean on his/her back and still being able to reach the driver and brake pedals with their feet. In the actual driver seat, a monitor was set up with some buttons, a rear view mirror attached at the top and a hole large enough where his duel disk can fit in. Two handlebars were made for the ignition, control and acceleration gears with some protection armor built onto the back of them for protection and are able to retract to allow entry for the driver since they close in enough where it is like a door in a normal car. As for the color, it was mostly black in appearance with crimson red painted straight in the middle and the seat was purple.

Yugo had stars in his eyes as he looked around the duel runner in awe, "Whoa!" He hopped around the whole vehicle, glancing at each part excitedly, "Look at this engine! And this design! It is so awesome!" He took in every detail, not having seen a duel runner like this.

"Amazing…" muttered Rin in an awe expression, impressed with the design she was seeing.

Yuya didn't know what to say while he stared at the runner with an amazed expression, "This is what you were working on, Mikleo?" Mikleo nodded his head before Lucine looked at him curiously, "You made this yourself?"

Mikleo smiled in minor amusement, "Yeah. When I saw Rin's duel runner the first time, I was very intrigued by it. So, I decided to build one for myself." After a while when he didn't duel anymore as the Chrono Emperor, he has had some experiences working as a mechanic in Maiami City whether it was freelance repair jobs, building actual vehicles or fixing the Solid Vision system in You Show.

Rin sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck, "When he said that he wanted to build one, I let him look at the parts of my runner and the blueprints I've kept with me for the basis of it." Rin smiled at Mikleo, "Still, to be able to build one this fast all by yourself after seeing one for the first time is amazing." Mikleo smiled in response from hearing that.

Ruri held her hands together while smiling merrily, "Well, I'm glad that it turned out well for you." Yuzu looked at the runner curiously, "Yeah. Just looking at it makes me feel in awe." She had only seen Rin and Yugo's duel runners but she feels this one fits Mikleo really well.

"So, have you taken it out for a test drive?" wondered Rin with a curious expression.

Mikleo smirked and nodded his head in response, "Sure did. And it works nicely."

When Yugo heard that, his ears perked up and he turned to look at Mikleo with a curious expression on his face. He stared at Mikleo for a moment before he spoke, "In that case, I wanna duel you!" Mikleo raised an eyebrow when he heard the statement. Everyone else was confused by this challenge.

Rin put her hands on her hips and frowned, "Yugo, what are you talking about?"

Yugo held up a fist in excitement, "Just seeing this awesome duel runner is itching at me to duel! Besides, you guys told me he's like an "Emperor" or something in this city! That means he's like Jack! So, how about it?" While he was staying over at Yuya's, he had heard some stuff about Mikleo having the title of "Chrono Emperor" which interested him and even more when he just made his own runner. It is making him eager to see what he's all about.

Rin's frown grew a little more concerned and almost scoldingly, "Yugo…"

Lucine closed her eyes in deep thought, "Ah, yes. The Chrono Emperor as everyone called it." While she and Yuto had heard the stuff that was said during Rin's first match, they were a little confused and skeptical about who Mikleo was about. However, her spending time with everyone in Yuya's home gave her some clarification as they told the full story which lightened her opinion of him. She's not that concerned about Mikleo's history much anymore and will probably inform Yuto when he wakes up.

Yuya turned to everyone, "You guys told him about Mikleo's history?" Yuzu sheepishly scratched her cheek, "Yeah. Mikleo insisted that it was fine to tell him about it." Ruri nodded her head in agreement since Yugo was told a lot of stuff about what was going on since she and Rin arrived in Standard.

"It's whatever. I don't really care if people know about it. Not like it matters anymore." commented Mikleo with a bored expression and his eyes closed. He then opened them to stare down at Yugo firmly, not saying anything else at the moment.

"Yugo, are you sure about this?" Rin frowned at Yugo which made him turn to her excitedly, "Of course I am. What? You don't think I should, Rin?"

Rin shook her head, "It's not that." She then looked at him seriously, "What I am saying is that you're jumping into this too recklessly. Mikleo is stronger than what you probably are thinking." She had seen first hand how strong Mikleo is during his duel with Yuya. From her perspective, he might even be a match for Jack, maybe even more so.

Mikleo stared down at Yugo in intrigue while still being silent. He could see the passion and determination in his eyes. He was intrigued by him and wanted to see the dueling skill his brother and friends told him about. When he saw how serious Yugo was being, he only had one answer for him.

"...Fine. I'll accept your challenge." replied Mikleo with a small smile.

When he heard the answer, Yugo pumped his fist happily, "Alright! Thanks!" He lowered to look at him, "And it won't just be any duel! It will be a Turbo Duel!"

Yuya looked at Yugo and Mikleo with a curious expression, "Turbo Duel…" From what he recalls, that is the special type of duel exclusive to both the Synchro Dimension and duel runners they use.

Mikleo looked at Yugo for another second before he nodded, agreeing to the terms. He turned to his head to look out in the open, "In that case, I think I know where we can have it." The others wondered what he meant while looking in the same direction Mikleo was facing.

---

MAIAMI CITY - MAIAMI DUEL STADIUM

Meanwhile, Bryan had a shocked expression on his face from what he was watching on-screen in the city, with a lot of other viewers nearby looking shocked and/or scared. Various grunts and yells were heard from a single person before the video feed showed a blustering tornado blowing away somebody.

Yugen, the boy announced from before, was launched into the air from that same tornado while he was yelling in pain. He landed on his back and slid across the floor with his clothes battered and torn up. He was out cold with the Action Field disappearing and the field returned to normal soon afterwards.

KYLIAN: WIN
YUGEN: LOSE

Nico was in stunned silence for a few seconds before nervously holding up his mike, "T-The winner is…is Kylian Orman!" A lot of people in the audience were confused, concerned, frightened and/or shocked by what they just watched in that match. They had just watched that boy get brutally beaten so badly. Not everyone shared that sentiment. There was a small amount of people actually cheering for it though it wasn't entirely loud in the arena.

Kylian had his head hanging down while staring at the ground, hiding his expression along with his fists clenching tightly. He was breathing heavily with a fierce grin on his face. His eyes are shown to be having a strange intensity in them.

He raised his head to look at his fallen opponent before someone shouted out, "Bring the paramedics over here!" Two men in green medic uniforms arrived on the center court with a stretcher in tow. Kylian stared at them for a moment before he smirked and turned around to walk away from the arena, leaving behind the men who carried Yugen onto the stretcher.

Bryan gasped when he saw Kylian leaving the area on-screen, "Kylian!" He turned to the direction of the stadium and ran as fast as he could. He needed to make sure Kylian was okay and ask where he had been these past few days.

---

MAIAMI CITY - OUTSKIRTS

A few miles away from the edges of Maiami City, Yugo, Rin and Mikleo's duel runners were parked on the side of a road. Mikleo looked around the area with the others in tow since they followed him all the way here.

Mikleo smiled a little as he looked around, "Good. This should suffice." To everyone's curiosity, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a map of Maiami City. He showed it to everyone before pointing his finger on one of the roads outside the city, "If we do it around here, we shouldn't have much traffic problems." His finger gestured toward the road that, while connected by other curves and junctions, led along nearby the city and formed a large circle. It was almost ideal for something like a race track. If they race along this specific path, he and Yugo shouldn't have trouble running into oncoming vehicles since these roads are old and aren't used as much.

Yugo looked at Mikleo with a big smile on his face, "Alright, then let's get started!" He felt some excitement rushing through his body as he punched his open hand with his fist.

"Just be careful, Yugo. You shouldn't underestimate Mikleo." commented Rin with a semi-concerned expression and her hands on her hips.

Yugo gave her a thumbs up in response, "Don't worry. I'll be fine." While it is confusing and a little concerning that Rin is telling him not to underestimate this guy, he is just gonna duel like he always does. He imagined Rin must've seen his skill before so this will be exciting. Plus, he likes a challenge every once in a while.

Meanwhile, Yuya looked at Mikleo curiously, "Are you really going to do this, Mikleo?" Mikleo was staring down at a black helmet he was holding before shrugging his shoulders, "Well, he did challenge me and he has passion. So, it is alright with me." Yuya stared at him for a moment before nodding his head. He'll just watch this though and wonders if Yugo will be able to handle Mikleo's dueling. Yuzu felt like she should watch this as well to see where it will lead.

Lucine looked at Ruri with a frown, "Ruri, you've told me you've seen this man duel before. Can you tell me anything?" Since he is Yuya's brother, she wonders if he's even stronger than what she's seen from Yuya.

Ruri smiled nervously at her, "To be honest..." She turned her head toward Mikleo with her expression being a little serious, "It is hard to explain but the skill and aura he has shown us reminds me of Kaito and...our leader. Maybe even more so." At first she was confused, but once she pondered and saw the seriousness on Ruri's face, Lucine's eyes widened a little before looking at Mikleo with intrigue in them afterwards, realizing what she was referring to which made her wonder.

"Hey, Mikleo!" Mikleo turned to see Yugo standing next to his black runner with a smile on his face, "What's the name of your runner?"

Mikleo raised an eyebrow, "Its name?"

"Yeah! A lot of duelists back at our home personalized their own runners and give each of them a name." said Yugo before he held out his hand towards his own runner excitedly, "Mine is the Burning Speeder!" When he and Rin worked very hard on their first runner, they had decided to focus on speed for it, which is his own personal preference.

Rin sighed from seeing that, feeling a little embarrassed before she gestured to her runner, "My runner's name is the Storm of Zephyr." Unlike naming it based on statistics, Rin decided to call hers that due to her loving the wind as well as feeling it fits the theme of her deck.

Speaking of her runner, it has a similar appearance to Yugo's with it having the same frame though there are some differences. There are two green metal blades sticking out parallel from the back of it. In the front, a yellow plating shaped like an arrow with four jagged ends was plastering onto the hood. Finally, unlike Yugo's runner which was purely white, hers is more light sky blue with the very top of it shaded in white.

Mikleo pondered it for a moment as he held a hand under his chin. He hadn't considered naming his own runner but figured it wouldn't be a bad thing. If he had to name it, it had to be something he liked.

With everyone curiously watching him thinking, he pondered for a few more seconds before he looked at his runner, "...B. Equinox." Yugo wondered what he said before Mikleo held out a hand, "The B is short for black in its color. Equinox is the time when the sun crosses the celestial equator. It means both day and night are at equal length. Thus, Black Equinox." With all that said, he decided to name his runner the B. Equinox.

Yugo raised his fist in excitement, "I like it! It's a cool name. So, are you ready to start?" Mikleo nodded his head before following Yugo over to their own duel runners and putting their respective helmets on. The others stood aside as they watched both boys start up their runners with the engine being heard. After they both sat down in their runners, Yugo turned to Mikleo with a curious expression, "Hey, do you know the rules of a Turbo Duel?"

"I've heard the details from Rin before so I think I'll manage." replied Mikleo, letting Yugo know it was okay to start now. The air was intense as both of them stared longingly at the road ahead with the engines running before quickly starting up the acceleration and drove forward, deeper into the road they're about to follow.

Yuya, Yuzu, Ruri and Lucine gathered around Rin's duel runner, Storm of Zephyr, with Rin pushing a button on her monitor. An image popped up showing two duel fields along with video feeds of Yugo and Mikleo in their driver seats. Rin was able to use her runner to log into the duel feed.

Ruri turned to Rin curiously, "Rin, what are the rules of a Turbo Duel?"

Rin smiled, "Turbo Duels are when two or more people ride on their duel runners and duel while feeling that rush of speed." She pointed at a counter shown on-screen which made everyone look at it, "In these duels, we can also activate Magic Cards called Speed Spells which are exclusive to Turbo Dueling. The Field Magic: Speed World Neo activates to initiate a Turbo Duel."

After Rin said that, a field magic card appeared on both Yugo and Mikleo's monitor while they drove along the road. A voice spoke, "Duel Mode, engage! Autopilot, standing by!" Both runners released an energy wave that caused the space around them to become slightly more blue.

Both duelists drove closer together before the speed picked up again and then both of them shouted, "Turbo Duel, acceleration!"

[READY...SET...DUEL!]

YUGO LP: 8000; SPC: 0
MIKLEO LP: 8000; SPC: 0

"In a traditional sense, the duelist who manages to turn the first corner the fastest gets to go first." said Rin, knowing that most Turbo Duelists play that rule in a dueling race track. The others watched and wondered who was going to make it first.

Yugo smiled excitedly while looking at the road ahead, "The first one to turn the corner gets to go first! And that will be me!" He pressed his drive pedal further to amp up the acceleration, going a little faster while looking out for the first big corner. Mikleo just watched in amusement before increasing his own acceleration to catch up.

Yugo had the upper hand at first as he was a little further than Mikleo. However, Yugo turned to the side and was surprised by the fact that Mikleo was catching up very quickly, to where he is literally right next to him. Yugo looked at Mikleo in wonder, "What the heck? Is this really his first time riding a duel runner?" Mikleo didn't look concerned as he was watching the road ahead with a calm expression.

Yugo and Mikleo then noticed the first corner was just up ahead by a few blocks and tried to get there first. However, there was thick foliage in their way with big branches and trees blocking the path, each of them evading them their own way. Yugo was dodging and ducking under them in deft evasive movements while Mikleo just calmly move side-to-side in a slow, steady pace. They were getting closer to the corner as Yugo tried to gain some momentum back but his quick dips to the side gave Mikleo the edge he needed to move ahead as he drifted to the very edge of the road and boosted forward, surprising Yugo once again. Just as both duelists were about to turn the first corner, Yugo tried to catch up to no avail but suddenly, Mikleo pulled back his drive gear and slowed down his runner, allowing Yugo to catch up and pass him. He was the first to turn the corner with Mikleo following him behind shortly.

Yuzu looked at the monitor in surprise, "Eh? Did Mikleo let Yugo pass him?" Lucine wondered the same, "Why would he do that? Is he being generous?"

Yuya lowered his eyes in deep thought, "I don't think so."

Yugo looked at Mikleo with widened eyes, confused and wondering why he did that. Mikleo just looked back before giving out a small, sly smile, "You can have the first move."

Yugo narrowed his eyes before shaking it off. If he wanted to give him the first turn, then he's fine with it. Yugo placed his fingers on his deck, "Then the first turn's mine! Draw!" After drawing, Yugo held out a card, "I summon Speedroid Gravity Baton (ATK: 1500, DEF: 1000, LV: 3)!" A white robot shaped like a baton appeared on the field, twirling around and creating small sparks.

He then placed a card in his duel disk, "Then, I'll set a card face-down and end my turn." A set card materialized momentarily next to Yugo.

Mikleo narrowed his eyes before looking down at his deck, "It's my turn." He drew his card easily, not having much trouble keeping balance with his runner at the same time.

YUGO's SPC: 0→1
MIKLEO's SPC: 0→1

Rin looked at the monitor, "During each turn, Speed World Neo gives each player a Speed Counter during the Standby Phase. To activate Speed Spells, you need to have a certain number of Speed Counters but if you want to use a normal Magic Card, you need at least 2 Speed Counters. Also, a person's duel runner goes faster the more Speed Counters he has." She pointed at the duel runners which were going a little faster than when they first started in the duel.

Mikleo picked up a card and held it out, "When there are no monsters on my field, I can Special Summon Chronogear - Clock Unicorn (ATK: 2300, DEF: 1600, LV: 6) from my hand." A white horse with a golden mane and horn galloped straight into the field, wearing green armor and gears around its body while running next to Mikleo.

"Next, I'll activate Clock Unicorn's effect." declared Mikleo. "Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Level 2 or lower "Chronogear" Tuner from my Deck with its effects negated. Appear, Chronogear - Volley Rabbit (ATK: 800, DEF: 600, LV: 2)." Clock Unicorn shot open a portal using its horn, making Volley Rabbit emerge next to it.

Yugo looked surprised when he saw the monster, "A Tuner? Then, that means…"

Mikleo looked at his field, "I'll tune my Level 2 Volley Rabbit to my Level 6 Clock Unicorn (6 + 2 = 8)!" Volley Rabbit hopped into the air and turned into two energy rings that surrounded Clock Unicorn, who charged straight into them. It turned into six stars while gathering inside the force of the rings as Mikleo chanted, "The pulse of the essence roars as the mighty beast crumbles the spacial earth! Synchro Summon! Appear! Chronogear Arch - Beat Buffalo (ATK: 3000, DEF: 2800, LV: 8)!" A large, armored buffalo monster appeared on the field. The armor it was wearing had two layers: both metal with mostly blue and a red layer over the other in areas of its shoulders and arms. Golden gears and blue orbs were built all over the armor. The buffalo was also red and wearing a helmet with yellow horns attached. Gears rotated and steam rose from the armor before the beast took a large step and roared in might.

"Heh...So you use Synchro as well, huh?" wondered Yugo with a curious and excited expression.

Mikleo ignored Yugo's question and held out another monster in his hand, "Next, I activate the effect of Chronogear - Polymer Idea-Drone in my hand. Using both this card and Chronogear - Ethos Jackal in my hand, I can Fusion Summon." Yugo's eyes widened when he heard that before Mikleo calmly brought out the cards of Idea-Drone and Ethos Jackal, making them both appear on the field and absorbed into a colorful vortex.

"Mechanical combiner!" chanted Mikleo with the monsters fusing together, "Merge with the time jackal and create a new era of prosperity and vision! Fusion Summon! Emerge! Chronogear - Steampunk Gunner (ATK: 1900, DEF: 2400, LV: 6)!" Emerging from the portal, a brown-haired male dressed in bronze armor appeared with a gauntlet attached to his left arm that had a blaster mechanism built in the shape of a longbow, extending all the way to the monster's lower body.

Lucine narrowed her eyes and frowned at what she saw, "Mikleo knows how to use Fusion also." She turned to Yuya curiously, "Since he is your brother, can I assume he knows of the other summoning methods as well?" Yuya nodded his head, acknowledging Mikleo knows how to perform Xyz and Ritual as well.

Mikleo looked at his field, "Since Ethos Jackal was used to summon Steampunk Gunner, it gains 400 ATK." A red aura surrounded Gunner, being powered up from Ethos' energy.

Chronogear - Steampunk Gunner (ATK: 1900→2300)

Yugo watched Mikleo's monster carefully, "Fusion Summon..." Come to think of it, he has witnessed those guys from Academia use Fusion Summoning in Heartland but this is his first time dueling against someone using it.

"Battle." announced Mikleo who held out his hand, "Beat Buffalo attacks Speedroid Gravity Baton!" Beat Buffalo roared and charged toward Gravity Baton at fast speed.

Yugo threw out his arm in retaliation, "I won't let you! Because you declared an attack, I can Special Summon this monster from my hand! Come, Speedroid Menkoat (ATK: 100, DEF: 2000, LV: 4)!" Menkoat landed flat on the road before rising up and Yugo continued, "And since I summoned it, I'll change all of your monsters into Defense Position!" Menkoat used its boosters to unleash sound waves onto Beat Buffalo and Steampunk Gunner.

"That's pointless." replied Mikleo before opening his eyes and holding up a card, "I send Chronogear - Progress Blaster from my hand to the Graveyard to activate its effect." A card image of a fiery haired male wearing golden armor carrying two pistols appeared for a moment, "During the Battle Phase, my "Chronogear" monsters are unaffected by my opponent's activated effects until the end of the Battle Phase!"

Yugo's eyes widened in surprise, "Say what?!" Afterwards, the sonic waves had no effect on Mikleo's monsters with Beat Buffalo continuing his charge forward.

Mikleo turned his head to Yugo seriously, "And when Beat Buffalo attacks a monster in Defense Position, it inflicts piercing damage. Continue the attack, Beat Buffalo! Velocity Disruption!" Buffalo slammed his shoulder straight into Gravity Baton with a shockwave erupted from the force, putting a dent in the monster while also causing Yugo to stumble a little.

YUGO LP: 8000→6000; YUGO's SPC: 1→0

Yugo yelled a little from taking the damage before looking back defiantly, "But due to Gravity Baton's effect, it cannot be destroyed in battle once per turn!"

"That's of no concern to me right now." Mikleo retorted as he held up the card of Ethos, "Beat Buffalo's effect activates! Once per turn, if it attacked this turn, I can banish a "Chronogear" monster from my Graveyard to enable Beat Buffalo to attack again in a row." Ethos Jackal was banished as a result which led to Beat Buffalo roaring again proudly, "And since I banished Ethos Jackal with this effect, I can Special Summon it!" Ethos Jackal (ATK: 2000, DEF: 1900, LV: 5) appeared from a portal in the air next to Steampunk Gunner.

As Yugo was shocked by this, Mikleo held out his hand again, "Beat Buffalo attacks Gravity Baton once more! Velocity Disruption!" Buffalo charged forward and rammed into the baton monster once again, this time destroying him and causing a huge explosion that made Yugo scream a bit from the pain he was receiving.

YUGO LP: 6000→4000

Rin gasped, "Yugo! Be careful!" Yuya lowered his eyes in sympathy, "As expected of my brother. He's not taking it easy on Yugo."

"I activate Chronogear - Steampunk Gunner's effect," declared Mikleo. "When my "Chronogear" monster destroys an opponent's monster in battle, I can target and destroy a card on the field!" Steampunk aimed its blaster right at Menkoat and shot a fire blast that destroyed it.

Yugo gritted his teeth and moved away from the blast as he showed a card in hand, "I activate the effect of Speedroid MediStetho in my hand! When my "Speedroid" monster is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon this card to end the Battle Phase then gain LP equal to half of the damage I took this turn!" MediStetho (ATK: 0, DEF: 200, LV: 1) appeared on-field which was a blue toy stethoscope. Stetho then waved its tube around before creating a green aura that surrounded Yugo, who looked more lively now than before.

YUGO LP: 4000→6000

Mikleo narrowed his eyes as he observed, "Hmm, you managed to survive that." He looked down at his deck, "Beat Buffalo's other effect activates. At the end of the Battle Phase, I draw a card for each of my opponent's monsters that were destroyed this turn." There were two that were destroyed before the Battle Phase ended, allowing Mikleo to draw two cards from his deck.

Taking a quick look at the cards drawn, Mikleo proceeded to place a card in his duel disk, "I'll end my turn by setting a card."

Yugo couldn't help but sigh when he heard that his turn was over, feeling like he was sweating bullets just from it. He looked at Mikleo incredulously, "What the hell? That was just his first turn and I almost lost from that!" It was a good thing he was prepared for it but that was too close. There wasn't any doubt in his mind now: Mikleo's strength is the real deal.

"Well?" Yugo saw Mikleo looking at him curiously while bringing his duel runner close to Yugo's, "Are you going to start your turn? Or are you really shaken up from just that?"

Yugo got a little irritated and held up a fist, "Hah?! What are you talking about? We're just getting started!" Yugo turned to face forward just before Mikleo let out a small, hidden smile. However, Yugo then let out a nervous one, "Man, I wonder if this is what it would be like facing Jack." Just seeing and feeling Mikleo's dueling is reminding him of the Duel King; heck, even his mentor's skills.

However, he quickly slapped himself in the face to recollect himself, "Get a hold of yourself! What would Rin and everyone else think?" If he let himself get caught up in awe, he would be ashamed to face every one of his friends. So he got caught off guard and didn't know what to expect. It wasn't a big deal. He can bounce back from this. Determined to face Mikleo head-on, he placed his fingers on his deck and drew, "My turn!"

YUGO's SPC: 0→1
MIKLEO's SPC: 1→2

Yugo threw his arm out and pressed a button, "Trap Card, activate! Speedroid Tune Up!" A trap flipped open as Yugo continued, "I target a "Speedroid" monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it! Come, Gravity Baton (ATK: 1500)!" Gravity Baton reemerged back onto the track, "Then, Gravity Baton's Level increases depending on what rolls on a die!" A die rolled on the monitor before it landed on a 2 which made Yugo smile, "It is a two so Gravity Baton's Level increases by 1!"

Speedroid Gravity Baton (LV: 3→4)

"I summon the Tuner monster, Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice (ATK: 300, DEF: 1500, LV: 3) from my hand!" Yugo brought out Tri-Eyed Dice next to him.

Yugo looked forward with a determined expression, "I tune the Level 4 Gravity Baton with the Level 3 Tri-Eyed Dice (4 + 3 = 7)!" Tri-Eyed Dice turned into three green rings that surrounded Gravity Baton, turning into four stars and gathering in the force as Yugo chanted, "Cleave yourself from the virtual world and launch into a new dimension! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Level 7! High-Speedroid Gamblaster Boy DMG-01 (ATK: 2600, DEF: 2000, LV: 7)!" Yugo summoned a gray metal robot that was human-shaped with a large monitor as a head, showing a digital, green happy face that was 16-bit. The robot had a blaster for a right hand while the other was just a normal metal one. There were also small purple propellers attached to its back, enabling it to stay afloat and fly in the air.

The card of Gravity Baton appeared in the air, "When Gravity Baton is sent to the Graveyard, one monster on your field loses 500 ATK!" A blast was shot which connected onto Beat Buffalo and made it weaker as it looked dazed.

Chronogear Arch - Beat Buffalo (ATK: 3000→2500)

"And then, High-Speedroid Gamblaster Boy's effect activates!" announced Yugo, turning his head to Mikleo. "When this card is Synchro Summoned, I can destroy cards on the field up to the number of "Speedroid" monsters used as Synchro Material! I'll destroy Beat Buffalo and Ethos Jackal! Hyper Disintegration!" Gamblaster Boy opened compartments from almost every part of his body and fired lasers everywhere, specifically aiming for two of Mikleo's monsters.

Mikleo wasn't fazed by this as he narrowed his eyes, "That's not enough! I'll use the effect of Progress Blaster. By banishing this card from the Graveyard, both of my monsters' destructions are negated!" The monster card was banished before a red barrier surrounded both Beat Buffalo and Ethos Jackal, protecting them from the lasers.

Yugo clicked his tongue before he looked resolved, "Gamblaster Boy can attack all of my opponent's monsters once each!" He pointed at Mikleo, "Battle! Gamblaster Boy, attack Chronogear Arch - Beat Buffalo! Digital Blaster!" Gamblaster aimed its right hand and fired a blue pixelated blast that destroyed Beat Buffalo as it bellowed. Mikleo calmly sidestepped to the right to avoid the blast radius.

MIKLEO LP: 8000→7900

"Now, Gamblaster! Attack Steampunk Gunner this time!" Gamblaster aimed and blasted Steampunk Gunner into pieces with Mikleo being pushed back a little along with his runner.

MIKLEO LP: 7900→7600

Mikleo looked down at his monitor, "When Steampunk Gunner is destroyed, I can add one "Chronogear" monster from my Graveyard to my hand." Due to the effect, he took Polymer Idea-Drone and added it back to his hand after showing it for a moment.

"I'm not through yet! Gamblaster Boy attacks Ethos Jackal!" announced Yugo, with Jackal preparing to aim.

Before Gamblaster could fire, Mikleo threw out his arm and retaliated by pressing a button, "I activate the Trap Card: Chrono Reprisal!" A trap flipped face-up as he continued, "When at least two of my "Chronogear" monsters are destroyed this turn, I destroy an opponent's monster on the field!" A red aura enveloped Gamblaster before it was suddenly destroyed. Yugo frowned while Mikleo looked at him seriously, "And then, I draw a card from my Deck!" He drew a card as a result of his trap.

Yugo's frown grew deeper before looking back forward and held up two cards, "Damn. I set two cards and end my turn!"

Lucine held a hand to her chin thoughtfully, "It seems even though Yugo is skilled, when it comes to dueling strength, Mikleo might be stronger." It was only the first turn, but even she could see that Yugo was already at a disadvantage based on that one turn. She had only seen him fight Yuto but Mikleo almost beat him in one turn while Yuto had some trouble, which bothers her a little.

"You haven't seen everything yet." Lucine turned to see Yuzu staring hard at the monitor, "Just watch." Lucine raised an eyebrow, wondering what she meant while Yuya, Ruri and Rin watched in anticipation.

Mikleo was driving side-by-side Yugo while staring at him and not saying anything. Yugo noticed this which made him annoyed, "Hey! What are you staring at me for?!"

Mikleo stared for another second before his expression turned into amusement, "I was merely curious if that's all you got." Yugo was confused and was about to retort before Mikleo turned to the side, "Because if it is, you better be prepared for what's coming next." His eyes got serious before he placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn, draw!"

YUGO's SPC: 1→2
MIKLEO's SPC: 2→3

After drawing his card, Mikleo looked to the field, "When there is a "Chronogear" monster on my field, I can Special Summon Chronogear - Volley Rabbit (ATK: 800) from my Graveyard! Come!" Volley Rabbit appeared from a dark portal in the road.

"And then, I activate Ethos Jackal's effect!" Mikleo announced while holding out a hand, "Once per turn, I can increase a monster's Level by 1!" Jackal pointed its staff at Volley Rabbit, making it glow blue for a moment.

Chronogear - Volley Rabbit (LV: 2→3)

"My Level 3 Volley Rabbit tunes the Level 5 Ethos Jackal (3 + 5 = 8)!" Volley hopped into the air and transformed into three green rings that surrounded Jackal. It turned into five stars and gathered in the force of the rings as Mikleo chanted, "Dragon ruler that controls the gravitation! Transcend into this dimension and correct the errors of nature! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Chronogear Arch - Extend Magnet Dragon (ATK: 2800, DEF: 2300, LV: 8)!" Extend Magnet appeared in the air while sitting criss cross style. And since Ethos was used as Synchro Material, its effect allowed Extend Magnet to be granted more strength.

Chronogear Arch - Extend Magnet Dragon (ATK: 2800→3200)

Yugo frowned a little, "Another Synchro Summon…"

"In addition…" Mikleo held up Polymer's card along with another monster in hand, "By using the effect of Polymer Idea-Drone, I fuse both it and Epistem Truth Dragon in my hand to Fusion Summon!" Both Idea-Drone and Truth Dragon flew above Mikleo before being merged into a colorful, swirling vortex.

"Molding machine and dragon of verity! Combine together to transcend and bypass the natural boundaries! Fusion Summon! Appear, scholar of space rifts! Chronogear Arch - Spacial Sage (ATK: 2100, DEF: 1400, LV: 5)!" Appearing from a white portal in the sky, a tall male sorcerer appeared, wearing a dark purple robe and hat with red markings on each side of his face. The monster held out a hand before a white wand materialized and he grabbed it before spinning it around. Yugo was surprised when he saw the monster summoned.

Lucine narrowed her eyes at this, "Synchro and Fusion in one turn again…" She will admit that it is impressive but why does she have this uneasy feeling that there's something more to what Mikleo is?

"It is not over yet." Lucine turned to see Yuya with a firm expression, "There's still one more thing."

She was confused for a moment but, after pondering for a second, Lucine's eyes widened at the screen, "Wait, are you saying…?"

Mikleo looked at his monster, "Spacial Sage's effect activates! When this card is Fusion Summoned, I'm allowed to Special Summon a banished "Chronogear" monster to my field. Emerge, Chronogear - Progress Blaster (ATK: 2000, DEF: 0, LV: 4)!" Progress Blaster appeared with his guns loaded and bursting in flames.

"And then, I summon Chronogear - Battler Dadasig (ATK: 1600, DEF: 1100, LV: 4)!" Mikleo summoned a red haired warrior onto the field. He had a large, gold armored knuckle glove on his right hand with a blue orb plastered in the center. He was dressed like a steam engineer with a brown coat, yellow goggles, gold chains shaped like gear cogs hanging from the sides, red armor, brown shoes and horns sticking out from the side of his goggles. The warrior yelled excitedly as he pulled back his knuckle while it was glowing.

Mikleo held out his hand, "I use the Level 4 Progress Blaster and Battler Dadasig to build the Overlay Network!" Yugo was surprised once more with the two monsters turning into two red orbs, flying into a swirling black-and-yellow portal in the road as it was floating next to Mikleo. A beam of light shot up and the portal exploded, forming a monster onto the field.

"An abstract change in the essence flows!" chanted Mikleo. "With the power of repel, bring forth the mighty golem! Xyz Summon! Come, Rank 4! Chronogear - Reverse Blocker (ATK: 2300, DEF: 1700, RNK: 2, OVU: 2)!" A reddish brown golem made of earth rocks appeared with some shrubbery sticking out from some sides. There was machinery wrapped around its torso all the way to its neck area. It also wore a metal helmet with a visor built that overshadowed its yellow eyes. Two red lights were orbiting around since it was summoned.

Lucine looked at the monitor in shock, "Amazing...He performed Synchro, Fusion and Xyz all in one turn." To say that it is impressive is a bit of an understatement but this is the first time she had seen something like this. Ruri couldn't help but giggle from seeing Lucine so surprised though she can't blame her. She was very surprised when she saw Yuya, Reiji and now Mikleo do it the first time too.

Yugo turned to the three monsters summoned in shock before he let out an excited smirk, "That's awesome! To pull off these summoning methods in one turn, your strength is the real deal!" He held up a fist, "But don't think I'm gonna back down from this!"

Mikleo let out a faint huff and smiled as he was amused, "I like your spirit, Yugo. Then, let's see if you can handle this." He then threw out his hand, "I activate Extend Magnet Dragon's effect!" Extend Magnet flew over his head as he continued, "Once per turn, I can change the battle position of one monster on the field! Magnet Pulse!" To Yugo's surprise, Extend Magnet pulled back his arms and roared loudly, creating shockwaves that caused MediStetho to shift around and change positions.

Speedroid MediStetho (DEF: 200→ATK: 0)

"I'll now battle!" declared Mikleo. "Reserve Blocker, attack Speedroid MediStetho!" Reverse Blocker reacted by reaching out with its fist pulled back and flew over to the other side.

Yugo gritted his teeth at him, "I won't let you! I banish Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice from my Graveyard to negate your attack!" Tri-Eyed Dice was banished which brought up a barrier that blocked Reverse Blocker's fist and forced it to retreat.

"You may have blocked the first one but can you block the second?" wondered Mikleo before throwing out his arm, "Spacial Sage attacks MediStetho!" Spacial Sage aimed its glowing staff and fired a purple magic blast at the toy stethoscope.

Yugo retaliated by pressing a button, "I activate the Trap Card: Speed Recycle!" A trap flipped face-up which redirected the blast to a different path, "I destroy one "Speedroid" monster on my field to negate the attack!" MediStetho blew up from the field as he wasn't finished, "And then, I draw a card for each "Speedroid" monster with a different Level in my Graveyard!" There were currently four monsters with each having a different level, allowing Yugo to draw and add four cards to replenish his hand.

Mikleo watched calmly, "Hmm, then Extend Magnet Dragon attacks you directly! Electro Polarize!" Extend Magnet's magnetic wings glowed and the dragon fired blue energy from its mouth at Yugo, engulfing him and had him yell in pain, almost stumbling off the road.

YUGO LP: 6000→2800; YUGO's SPC: 2→0

Yuzu gasped in concern, "Is he okay?" Ruri frowned with solicitous tenderness on her face, "I think so. But Mikleo has the advantage right now." Rin stared at the screen firmly while clenching her fist, "Yugo..Hang in there."

Soon after, everyone heard some noise and turned to see Yugo and Mikleo coming around the corner. They immediately made a full lap around the track by passing by them.

Lucine watched them pass by and stared longingly at them with a curious expression. Ruri noticed this and smiled at her, "Lucine?" Lucine turned to her as her smile grew more innocent, "Are you interested in what they are doing?" She was referring to Turbo Duels with them riding duel runners at high speed.

Lucine was surprised before turning her head to the side, "...No. I'm not." She refused to look at Ruri right now, hiding her flushed cheeks as she didn't want to admit she was a little interested even though this shouldn't be the time right now. Ruri giggled a little but chose not to say anything else.

"Well, I am. This is a cool type of dueling." commented Yuya while holding his gaze at both duelists, showing intrigue and excitement in his expression from watching this.

Yugo coughed a bit as he was still recovering from that blow he just took. After getting back on track, to his confusion, he turned to see Mikleo just driving next with a calm expression while his eyes were closed. He looked at him, "Hey, what are you doing?"

Mikleo opened his eyes to stare forward at the open area, "Sorry. I'm just enjoying this." He smiled as he felt the strong breeze hitting part of his cheeks, "This speed...this rushing feeling that's flowing through me right now..." He then smirked a little, "It is exhilarating. I've never felt something like this before." This isn't like having fun or enjoyment in a duel. This feeling is different. It is almost like you have adrenaline flowing through your body as you ride the wind and roads. He is liking this feeling a lot.

Yugo heard that which made him smile, "Right? This is what Turbo Dueling is all about and so much more." He knows exactly how Mikleo feels right now. Dueling with this amount of speed gets you pumped up and excited.

Mikleo let out a small smile before his expression turned serious again as he faced the road again, "I set a card to end my turn." A face-down appeared before his turn ended there.

"You may have some solid offenses, but I'm about to break through them and pay you back tenfold!" shouted Yugo, looking determined before placing his fingers on his deck, "My turn!" He drew his card with the Speed Counters increasing and the speed being driven.

YUGO's SPC: 0→1
MIKLEO's SPC: 3→4

Yugo picked up another card from his hand and showed it, "I summon Speedroid Karuta (ATK: 500, DEF: 700, LV: 2)!" Karuta appeared while it floated and spun its entire body around Yugo.

As Yugo was about to do something else, Mikleo interrupted him, "Before you do anything else, Extend Magnet Dragon's effect is now in play. During my opponent's turn, all monsters you control lose 600 ATK!" Extend Magnet flexed its wings and release magnetic gravity waves that slowed Karuta's movement.

Speedroid Karuta (ATK: 500→0)

"Tch. To think it had an effect like that." complained Yugo with an annoyed expression, "So as long as that dragon is on your field, my monsters get weaker." He then narrowed his eyes in resolve and showed another monster, "But I'm not gonna let that stop me! Since there is a Wind monster on my field, I can Special Summon Speedroid Taketonborg (ATK: 600→0, DEF: 1200, LV: 3) from my hand!" Taketonborg appeared on the field while also being affected by the magnetic waves.

Yugo held out his hand, "I activate Taketonborg's effect! I release this monster in order to Special Summon a "Speedroid" Tuner from my Deck!" Taketonborg was released from the field as he continued, "Come, Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice (ATK: 100→0, DEF: 100, LV: 1)!" Replacing the monster from before is a yellow six-sided dice that has a red eye on each side, ranging from 1 to 6 and increasing, and having multiple red orbs floating around the new monster.

"Red-Eyed Dice's effect activates!" declared Yugo. "When this monster is Special Summoned, I can target another "Speedroid" monster on my field and change its Level from 1 to 6 until the end of the turn!" The red orbs around Red-Eyed Dice created sparks which shocked Karuta and made it change stats.

Speedroid Karuta (LV: 2→6)

Yugo looked at the field, "My Level 1 Red-Eyed Dice tunes my Level 6 Karuta (1 + 6 = 7)!" Red-Eyed Dice transformed into a single green ring that surrounded Karuta who spun into it. The monster converted into six stars and gathered in the force of the single ring with Yugo chanting, "Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, LV: 7)!" Clear Wing appeared from the portal, flying beside Yugo as she roared.

Mikleo narrowed his eyes when he saw the dragon, "Clear Wing...That's your ace monster that I've heard from Yuya." However, he was confused while he kept looking at the dragon, staring longingly before he placed a hand on his chest. His heart beating fast and his head feeling uneasy for some reason. His eyes were on the dragon as he wondered, "But what is this feeling of...nostalgia I'm having?" He feels like he knows this monster from somewhere.

Unbeknownst to him, Clear Wing had her head slightly turned to look at him and inwardly gasped when she saw who it is, "Is that...?"

Mikleo raised his head toward Yugo, "But due to Extend Magnet Dragon's effect, your monster's ATK decreases by 600." Extend Magnet roared once again, causing Clear Wing to stumble in her flight as she gasped in surprise.

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (ATK: 2500→1900)

"You may have that annoying effect but my turn isn't done yet." stated Yugo with a smile before holding out a hand, "Speedroid Karuta's effect activates! When this card is sent to the Graveyard as Synchro Material, I can Special Summon a "Speedroid" monster from my Graveyard! Return to the field, High-Speedroid Gamblaster Boy (ATK: 2600→2000)!" Gamblaster Boy reappeared before it was slightly weakened by Extend Magnet's energy waves.

Yugo picked up and held out a card from his hand, "I activate Gamblaster Boy's monster effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Speedroid" from my hand! I summon Speedroid Knucklejack (ATK: 0, DEF: 0, LV: 1)!" Gamblaster Boy held a metal hand, conjuring a portal in which Knucklejack came out of.

Mikleo narrowed his eyes in response, "A monster with 0 ATK."

Yugo turned his head toward Mikleo, "Let's battle! I attack Extend Magnet Dragon with Knucklejack!" Knucklejack flew over to Extend Magnet with its jacked knuckle held out.

Yuzu was a little confused by this, "Huh? Why attack first with that monster?"

"...I activate the effect of Chronogear - Reverse Blocker." Mikleo announced as he calmly gestured to his monster, "By using an Overlay Unit, I negate your attack once per turn!" Reverse Blocker absorbed one of the lights before holding a hand to project a barrier, protecting itself and Mikleo by blocking Knucklejack's attack. He isn't sure what Yugo is planning but he knows he wouldn't attack with Knucklejack, who has 0 ATK, without having one.

Chronogear - Reverse Blocker (OVU: 2→1)

Ruri watched on the monitor with a slightly surprised expression, "Mikleo stopped the attack." Lucine narrowed her eyes, "I think that is fair. Even though the move looks reckless, I have a feeling Yugo did it for a reason. That much I am sure." Though she wonders what Yugo was going to do if it came through.

Yugo smirked before retaliating by throwing out his arm, "I activate the Trap Card: Accelerate Reignition!" His trap flipped up as he continued, "When my monster's attack is negated, that monster gains 500 ATK and can attack again this turn!" Knucklejack glowed and it punched its fists together while gaining more power.

Speedroid Knucklejack (ATK: 0→500)

"Go, Knucklejack! Try again by attacking Extend Magnet Dragon once more!" Knucklejack launched its fist towards Magnet Dragon for the second time.

"I don't know what you're trying to do but you're not gonna get far with this." Mikleo called out as he continued, "Extend Magnet Dragon's effect! Once per turn, I target a monster on the field and change its battle position!" Magnet Dragon extended the compartments on his wings before roaring at Yugo.

Yugo smirked at this, "I knew you'd try that and that's what I was waiting for! When a Level 5 or higher monster activates its effect, Clear Wing can negate that effect and destroy the monster! Dichroic Mirror!" Clear Wing's entire body glowed white and shined her wings before roaring and unleashing beams of light on Magnet Dragon, destroying the monster. "And then, Clear Wing gains ATK equal to the destroyed monster's ATK until the end of the turn!" Clear Wing clenched her claws as she took the stolen power of Magnet Dragon and added it to herself.

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (ATK: 1900→5100)

Mikleo seemed to be intrigued by the dragon, "Oh? That is an interesting effect indeed." Mikleo kept a calm smirk as he showed the card of Magnet Dragon, "Due to Magnet Dragon's effect, when it is destroyed by an effect, I banish it instead of sending it to the Graveyard." He immediately pocketed the card afterwards. And since Magnet Dragon left the field, his effect no longer lingers around Yugo's monsters.

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (ATK: 5100→5700)
High-Speedroid Gamblaster Boy (ATK: 2000→2600)

"And now that Magnet Dragon is no longer here, I choose to attack Reverse Blocker." announced Yugo before he held out a hand, "Go, Knucklejack!" Knucklejack flew straight over to punch Reverse Blocker but the golem blocked the punch with its palm. Blocker then reached out and punched the machine in the face, making it explode.

Yugo was shown to be unharmed which made Mikleo narrowed his eyes at him, "You didn't take any damage. Suppose that's cause of Knucklejack, right?"

Yugo nodded his head in response, "Yeah. Due to its effect, I don't take any battle damage!" He then held out his hand while metal jacks springed from where the monster originally was, "Speedroid Knucklejack's monster effect! At the end of the battle, the monster who battled Knucklejack has its ATK and DEF reduced to 0!" Metal jacks pelted the golem relentlessly which caused it to deteriorate a little.

Chronogear - Reverse Blocker (ATK: 2300→0; DEF: 1700→0)

Yuzu held up her fist, "With this, Yugo can freely attack all of Mikleo's monsters now." Ruri nodded her head with a soft smile, "Yeah. It was a good strategy he just did." Yuya smiled as well before slightly frowning, having a bad feeling that it won't be enough for his brother.

Yugo turned his runner to face Mikleo head-on, "Go, Gamblaster Boy! Attack Chronogear - Reverse Blocker! Digital Blaster!" Gamblaster aimed its gun and shot a blue blast at Mikleo's golem monster.

Mikleo retaliated by throwing his arm out, "I activate the Trap Card: Chrono Surge!" A trap flipped open as he continued, "By banishing a "Chronogear" monster from my Graveyard, each time I take battle damage this turn, it is reduced by that monster's ATK! I banish Epistem Truth Dragon!" Epistem's card was banished before a green barrier projected around Mikleo. The blast hit the barrier which only slightly damaged him and made him stop for a single second before moving back to normal speed. Since Epistem had 2400 ATK, the damage became just 200.

MIKLEO LP: 7600→7400

"In addition, Epistem Truth Dragon's effect activates." announced Mikleo, who took a card out from his duel disk. "When this monster is banished, I add a "Chronogear" monster from my Graveyard." He added Clock Unicorn as he showed the card momentarily.

Yugo clicked his tongue before his expression turned into resolve, "That means I can't do much damage to you this turn. Then I'll just take out your monsters! Gamblaster Boy attacks Spacial Sage!" Gamblaster aimed and shot another blast but this time toward Spacial Sage.

"I'm afraid you won't get very far again. I banish Progress Blaster from my Graveyard in order to prevent Spacial Sage's destruction." Mikleo stated by showing Progress' card image, protecting Spacial Sage as he took the blast head-on. "And due to Chrono Surge, the damage is reduced by Epistem's ATK."

Yugo looked at Mikleo with a frown, "Finally, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon attacks Spacial Sage! Helldive Slasher of Whirlwind!" Clear Wing flew high into the air before descending and rammed the sorcerer with her glowing wings, destroying the monster which made Mikleo actually stumble his runner a bit from taking damage.

MIKLEO LP: 7400→6200; MIKLEO's SPC: 4→3

Mikleo straightened his runner before looking down at his deck, "Since it is the end of Battle Phase, Chrono Surge allows me to draw a card because I banished a Level 5 or higher "Chronogear" with its effect." He was able to draw another card from his deck since Epistem Truth was Level 6.

Yugo frowned, "Damn. Even with that, I couldn't do much to you." He held up two cards before placing face-down, "But I'm not giving up! I set two cards and end my turn! At this moment, Clear Wing's ATK returns to normal."

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (ATK: 5700→2500)

Yuya had his eyes lowered in concern, "Even though Yugo took out his entire field, I feel like Mikleo still has an advantage somehow." Lucine nodded her head, "Yes. It doesn't help that he has a lot more life than Yugo right now and it seems he isn't fazed by what just happened." That calmness being displayed makes her wonder what it would take to shake someone like Mikleo. It reminds her of Kaito in a way.

Rin held her fist to her chest, "Even so…" She still believes in Yugo. He might find a way to pull through.

Mikleo pulled over so that he was next to Yugo side-by-side, looking at him curiously before drawing, "Then it is my turn. Draw."

YUGO's SPC: 1→2
MIKLEO's SPC: 3→4

Suddenly, cracks appeared in the open before a giant wormhole bursted open. Extend Magnet emerged from it and flew next to Mikleo, roaring for its return.

Chronogear Arch - Extend Magnet Dragon (ATK: 2800)

Yugo had a shocked expression on his face, "What the...? Why is your monster back?"

"When Extend Magnet Dragon is banished, I can Special Summon it to my field during my next Standby Phase." retorted Mikleo, explaining his monster's effect which made Yugo frown in response. Mikleo then pulled his driver back so that he was riding side-by-side next to Yugo, "Tell me, Yugo. You are familiar with Ritual, Fusion, Synchro and Xyz Monsters, right?"

Yugo narrowed his eyes, "I don't know anything about Ritual but I have heard the rest. What are you asking for?" Though he has some things from Rin and Yuzu about Ritual Monsters, he doesn't know anything about them or how they are summoned right now.

Mikleo smiled in amusement, "Oh, nothing much." He picked up two cards from his hand, "Just that this next move probably won't be familiar to you." He turned the cards over and revealed them, "Now, with the Scale 1 Chronogear - Sorcerer Magala and Scale 9 Chronogear - Sorcerer Uluru, I'll set the Pendulum Scale!" He placed them in the Pendulum Zones, making Magala and Uluru appear in their respective pillars of light. He looked up at his field, "With this, I can now summon monsters from Level 2 to 8!"

"Wh-What is this?" wondered Yugo, showing complete confusion in his expression.

"But before I do anything, I activate Sorcerer Magala's Pendulum Effect." said Mikleo, showing Clock Unicorn's card in his hand. "By banishing a card in my hand, I draw a new one. In addition, Clock Unicorn's effect activates. I send a "Chrono" card from my Deck to the Graveyard since I banished it." He was able to draw another card while sending a monster called Chronogear - Grind Worker to the Graveyard.

After drawing, he turned his attention back to his light pillars, "Denizens of the temporal world, emerge into a new one with guidance from the light of aether! Pendulum Summon!" Mikleo called out, holding out two monsters in hand. "Come out, my monsters!" Two lights appeared from the giant portal and morphed into monsters, "Chronogear Arch - Armor Jet Dragon (ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, LV: 8, PS: 5)!" Armor Jet roared while another dragon emerged, "The cyborg black dragon emerges to cause havoc and chaos among the timeline! Appear, Chronogear Arch - Chronologic Cyborg Dragon Helios (ATK: 3000, DEF: 2500, LV: 8, PS: 6)!" Helios then emerged while throwing out his metal arms and roaring intimidatingly. Yugo's eyes blinked in confusion from seeing this unknown summoning method, unable to hide his shock.

Lucine narrowed her eyes when she saw it, "So he has Pendulum Cards as well…"

Yuya nodded, "Yeah. But that is also bad news since Mikleo brought Helios out. That means he's getting more serious." Rin frowned in concern, hoping Yugo would stay safe.

Yugo stared at Mikleo in stunned silence for a moment before an excited grin formed on his face, "Awesome! You managed to summon two high-level monsters at once! I've never seen that before! Is that a new summoning method from this dimension?" This is the first time he's heard of this Pendulum Summon but he's already getting pumped from seeing it. He wondered if this one was this dimension's signature method just like with the others.

"Well, it's something like that. But it is too soon to be impressed right now." replied Mikleo before he held out his hand, "Since I Pendulum Summoned Armor Jet Dragon, it gains 500 ATK & DEF." Armor Jet Dragon had a blue aura enveloped around itself as it powered up.

Chronogear Arch - Armor Jet Dragon (ATK: 2500→3000, DEF: 2000→2500)

Clear Wing had her head turned to look at Helios partially, "Helios…." Helios noticed the look she was giving and frowned before shaking it off.

Mikleo then showed a card in hand, "Then, I activate the Magic Card: Secrets of the Time Emperor. I banish a "Chronogear" monster from my Graveyard in order to draw 2 cards. I banish Beat Buffalo and since it is a "Chronogear Arch", I can draw another card." Beat Buffalo was banished which allowed Mikleo to add three cards to his hand in total.

"Battle." Mikleo declared before holding out the same hand, "Extend Magnet Dragon attacks Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! Electro Polarize!" Extend Magnet, charging a blue-grayish blast, unleashed from its mouth toward Clear Wing who braced herself.

However, Yugo threw out his arm, "I activate the Continuous Trap: Burning Sonic!" His trap revealed itself while he continued, "This card negates one attack and raises Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's ATK by 500!" A stream of fire wrapped around and enveloped Clear Wing's body, shielding her from the blast as soon as it connected.

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (ATK: 2500→3000)

Mikleo smiled a little, "In that case, Chronologic Helios' monster effect activates! Once per turn, I can lower the ATK & DEF of one monster on the field by 800! Also, cards and effects cannot be activated in response by my opponent!"

"No way! You mean I can't use Clear Wing's effect?!" shouted Yugo, shocked that he can't respond or do anything to Helios at the moment.

"Demise Shift!" Helios roared really loudly as the wings on his body extended and released shockwaves that pushed Clear Wing and made her body weaker. She cried out a bit in surprise from taking that hit.

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (ATK: 3000→2200; DEF: 2000→1200)

Mikleo pointed at Yugo's dragon, "Helios, destroy Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! Ragnarok Destruction!" Helios had a smirk on his face, "With pleasure, Mikleo! Here comes a special one!" Helios roared as he opened his armored chest, revealing a big cannon that was hidden and charging power, before firing a big red blast that headed towards Clear Wing. Clear Wing gasped in surprise and then, having no time to get away, decided to take the blast head-on by turning her body to use her left wing as a shield. She was being pushed back as the blast hit her wing. Finally, the blast got bigger and engulfed Clear Wing entirely, destroying her off the field. Yugo got skidded off to the side and he winced in pain from taking that blast as well.

YUGO LP: 2800→2000

"Helios' other effect activates." commented Mikleo, who looked towards his dragon. "When this card destroys a monster by battle, I can banish a card on the field! I select your High-Speedroid Gamblaster Boy DMG-01! Outer Banishment!" Helios roared before slicing the air with his metal arm, creating a vacuum wave that engulfed Gamblaster Boy and made it disappear into a black hole. Yugo could only watch in shock from seeing that effect.

Ruri frowned in concern, "All of Yugo's monsters are gone."

Yuya narrowed his eyes at this, "While my brother still has Armor Jet left."

Yuzu frowned, "If Yugo gets hit with that…'' Lucine closed her eyes while Rin just watched the monitor attentively.

Mikleo gestured towards Yugo, "Armor Jet Dragon, attack him directly! Matter Soul Strike!" Armor Jet spun around and flew at Yugo while glowing blue, getting very close inch by inch with its increasing speed.

Yugo gritted his teeth before he yelled, "It is not over yet!" He threw out his hand, "I activate the Trap Card: Speedroid Launcher! The damage I'll take from this attack is halved!" After that, Armor Jet flew over and rammed Yugo in the back, engulfing him in its glowing aura and making him yell loudly in pain from it.

YUGO LP: 2000→500; YUGO's SPC: 2→1

With his runner slowing down, Yugo coughed a little and rubbed his fist over his mouth, "Speedroid Launcher then lets me Special Summon a "Speedroid" monster with ATK equal or less than the damage I just took. I summon…!"

"Quick-Play Magic, activate! Speed Spell - Summon Close!" Mikleo abruptly cut Yugo off, who widened his eyes in shock as he turned to look at him. A face-up Magic Card was shown on Mikleo's field as he continued, "By removing three Speed Counters, I send a card from my hand to the Graveyard in order to draw a new one. After that, you aren't able to Special Summon this turn." With it, he discarded one card while also drawing a new card.

MIKLEO's SPC: 4→1

Yugo frowned in annoyance, "Damn. You locked me out." He wanted to at least bring out some defense but Mikleo completely outplayed him on that. Also, for his first time using a Speed Spell, he played it perfectly.

Mikleo stared at two cards in his hand before he decided to place them in his duel disk, "I'll end my turn by setting two cards." Two face-down appeared for a moment, floating beside him and his runner.

Ruri held out her hand while looking concerned, "Mikleo has a lot of cards he can still use on his field while Yugo has none left in his hand or field." Lucine nodded her head, "You're right. I wonder, even if under these situations, will Yugo not give up?" At this point, she wouldn't really blame him.

"You don't have to worry. That will never happen." Everyone turned to Rin who spoke with clarity in her voice. She looked convicted as she placed a hand on her runner, "No matter how much he is pushed, Yugo always gets back up and forges ahead by following his instincts." Even if it was certain that he would lose this, it wouldn't stop him from trying. That much she is certain. Yuya smiled in intrigue, wondering what Yugo was going to do.

Mikleo looked at Yugo curiously while bringing his runner closer to his, "Well, Yugo? What are you gonna do now? You realize you have no cards left in your hand or field. It is almost impossible to come back from this."

Yugo stared at Mikleo back for a moment before a small smile formed on his face, "Sure. Maybe it looks that way." His expression turned into a resolved one, "But that doesn't mean I should quit! In a duel, anything can happen! Even with what I draw right now." Yugo placed his fingers on his deck, getting to draw at any moment.

Mikleo smirked a little, "That's not a bad answer. Well then, show me what you can do." He gestured his hand towards Yugo, asking him to bring it on. However, his expression then turned serious, "Because this will be your...Final Turn!" His eyes were narrowed as he yelled out that last part, catching Yugo off guard with that.

Yuya stiffened a little when he heard that, "He said it." As Lucine looked at him and wondered what he meant, Yuzu turned to her, "Mikleo has said this before. It's when he knows he is going to win on this next turn."

Lucine frowned, "On his turn or Yugo's?" She turned back to the monitor with an expression of both skepticism and wonder, "Well, either way, he must be pretty confident to declare that. Let's see if that prediction holds up."

While narrowing his eyes, Yugo nodded before facing the road forward, "My turn, draw!" As soon as he drew, him and Mikleo drove around some tree branches that were in the way again.

YUGO's SPC: 1→2
MIKLEO's SPC: 1→2

Yugo had his eyes closed as he was silently hoping whatever he drew was good. He opened his eyes to look and it was a magic card with the image of a blonde woman and a man wearing a helmet, separated from each other by a dice block. Yugo smiled excitedly, "Just what I can use!" He turned his head forward, "I'm activating the Magic Card: Treasure Cards of Fate! I draw cards from my Deck equal to whatever I roll on a dice roll and then I send the same number of cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard!"

"So you're relying on luck to turn this around?" Mikleo said with an amused expression. "That is quite bold to do this late in the game."

Yugo smiled as he held up a fist in resolve, "Luck is also a part of dueling and if it helps me win, I'll rely on it as much as I need to! Now, let's see what I get!" A solid, blue dice appeared and rolled around in the air, next to Yugo. It rolled over a few times before eventually stopping and showing a glowing 4.

Yugo nodded his head, "Good. It is a four which means I draw four cards and send four more to the Graveyard!" He added four cards to replenish his hand before four cards were all sent to his graveyard. From his hand, he can see he drew a monster, two spells, and one trap card.

He picked up one of them and placed it in his duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Hidden Ejection! By banishing two "Speedroid" monsters from my Graveyard, I can target two monsters on your field and return them to your hand!"

"Well in case you aren't aware, Helios cannot be targeted by my opponent's card effects." stated Mikleo.

Yugo turned his head toward Mikleo, "Then I'll just go for your other monsters! I banish MediStetho and Menkoat from my Graveyard to return both Extend Magnet and Armor Jet Dragon to your hand!" Both monsters were banished before two of Mikleo's dragons were forced to leave, leaving only Helios left.

Lucine looked at the screen with a soft and impressed smile, "I see. By returning them to the hand instead, Extend Magnet Dragon cannot return to the field next turn since it wasn't banished. That was a clever move."

Yugo then held up a card, "I activate the Magic Card: Momentum Shift! With this card, I can Special Summon a Wind-Attribute Synchro Monster from my Graveyard. Return, Clear Wing (ATK: 2500)!" Clear Wing emerged next to Yugo as she spun around and roared.

Yugo showed a monster next, "I summon Speedroid Shave Boomerang (ATK: 2000, DEF: 0, LV: 4) from my hand!" He summoned a mechanical monster that wore a red visor while having hands and its lower body covered in thin, golden armor, resembling very closely to a boomerang. He held out his hand, "I activate Shave Boomerang's effect! Once per turn, I can change this monster to Defense Position and lower one monster's ATK by 300!" The monster shifted itself into a boomerang and spun around above Yugo.

Mikleo narrowed his eyes under his helmet, "300 wouldn't be enough to fight Helios especially since Yugo knows about his effect. Which means…" He has a feeling he knows what he's actually planning to do.

Yugo turned towards his Clear Wing, "I choose to lower Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's ATK! But I activate Clear Wing's effect! When a monster effect targets a Level 5 or higher monster on the field, Clear Wing can negate and destroy the monster! Dichroic Mirror!" Clear Wing gripped her claws and shined her wings brightly, creating light beams that destroyed Shave Boomerang off the field, "And then, Clear Wing's ATK increases by that monster's ATK until the End Phase!" Shave Boomerang's energy transferred over to the dragon in which she roared.

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (ATK: 2500→4500)

"I may not be able to end it this turn but at least I'll get rid of your dragon!" shouted Yugo in resolve before he held out his hand, "Go, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! Attack Cyborg Dragon Helios!" Clear Wing roared as she flew over to Mikleo's direction with Helios flying over to intercept her. Both dragons headbutted each other before attacking and clashing against one another with their wings and claws back to back.

Mikleo looked at Yugo, "So, you'll settle for just knocking me down a little? Well, I'm afraid that's not good enough!" He then threw out his hand while flipping a magic card up, "I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Unlimited Time! By shuffling 3 banished "Chronogears" back into my Deck, I can double Helios' ATK this turn!" Through its effect, he returned Volley Rabbit, Clock Unicorn, and Progress Blaster as he showed for a moment before shuffling them back. Helios roared as a golden aura enveloped his body before his punches and slashes were getting stronger by the minute.

Chronogear Arch - Chronologic Cyborg Dragon Helios (ATK: 3000→6000)

Yugo suddenly smiled as he turned to Mikleo, "Momentum Shift's other effect! When Clear Wing battles a Special Summoned monster this turn, it gains ATK equal to half of your monster's ATK during the Damage Step!" Clear Wing was soon fighting back even more as she headbutted Helios and flew up into the air with her wings glowing.

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (ATK: 4500→7500)

Yugo turned his runner as he gestured his fist at Helios, "Go, Clear Wing! Helldive Slasher of Whirlwind!" Clear Wing was above in the sky by a few meters before she descended downwards. The dragon's body glowed green and wind currents wrapped around her with her descent heading towards Helios.

Mikleo stared at Yugo for a moment before he smiled, "You fought well, Yugo." He then frowned and held back his arm, "But you're far too early to fight someone like me." He threw his hand to reveal a face-down trap card, "I activate the Trap Card: Temporal Reset! Since your Clear Wing Synchro Dragon is battling my "Chronogear" monster with an ATK different from its original, your monster's effects are negated and its ATK are returned to normal!"

"What?!" exclaimed Yugo in shock.

The trap glowed and shot a blue blast at Clear Wing. She was hit by it and stopped in midair before the dragon suddenly went backwards. All the way from her descent to where it was originally when it moved to attack, appearing like time just went backwards for the monster. It also zapped the dragon's strength as she looked dazed and confused from what just happened.

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (ATK: 7500→2500)

Helios opened up his metal chest and brought out a big cannon again, charging and firing a big, red energy blast. It engulfed Clear Wing before the dragon could respond and it was destroyed. Yugo yelled as the blast enveloped him as well, forcing his runner to vent out steam and making him stop from crashing.

YUGO LP: 500→0

YUGO: LOSE
MIKLEO: WIN

Yuya and the others saw that both Yugo and Mikleo were just coming up by a few blocks and ran towards them. Mikleo stopped his runner before pulling it in reverse to stop next to Yugo, who was knocked off his runner and coughing a bit. Yugo looked up to see Mikleo, who took off his helmet, offering a hand to him. He reached out and accepted it, pulling him to stand back up. Everyone else soon arrived as they stopped behind Mikleo.

However, Yugo was looking down at the ground with his bangs hiding his eyes and a frown formed on his face, making the others confused and concerned for him. Yuzu frowned at him, "Yugo…"

"You…" Yugo suddenly took off his helmet and raised his head to show his expression changed to an excited one, "You are awesome!" Yuzu, Ruri and Lucine blinked their eyes at this while Yugo looked at Mikleo, "Seriously, I heard you were strong but man your strength is the real deal!" He closed his eyes, "Even though I was beaten this badly, it was an awesome duel!" He raised a fist at Mikleo, "But you and I are gonna have a rematch in the future and this time, I will beat you!"

Seeing and hearing all of this, Mikleo couldn't help but crack a small, amused smile, "Sure. I'll duel you as many times as you want." Yugo nodded, "Alright! You know, you remind me so much of Jack."

"Jack? Who's that?" wondered Ruri.

Rin turned to everyone, "The Duel King, Jack Atlas. In our home, he's the best duelist there ever was. The world's first champion from the Commons."

Yugo smiled excitedly, "With his skills, he won the largest duel festival in New Domino City, the Friendship Cup, and rose to the top in an instant to become our hero! Both me and Rin have our goal of reaching the top and duel Jack one day." He pointed at Mikleo, "You remind me of him, including how you duel with power! You might be a match for Jack if you ever face him!"

"Hmm...Interesting." mused Mikleo, being low-key interested in this Jack person.

Before anyone could further comment on the subject, ringing was heard right where Yuzu was which surprised her. She picked up her duel disk from her pocket and pressed a button to see who was messaging her. She glossed over it before raising her head, "Dad is wondering where we are at. He said we should meet at the Maiami Stadium." Yuya, Ruri, Rin and Mikleo nodded their heads, agreeing they should probably head over there soon since Yuya just woken up.

"Hey, are you guys going to where this Maiami Championship is?" wondered Yugo with a curious expression. "Can I come? Even if I can't participate, I still want to be there to watch." He has to be there to cheer Rin on. Everyone looked at each other and wondered if they should let him or not, before eventually coming to a decision.

---

MAIAMI CITY - MAIAMI DUEL STADIUM

While the crowd was cheering very loudly, Hokuto was holding his duel disk up while being inside a dark skybox with outer space and temple buildings in the background. It was Cosmo Sanctuary, the same field Hokuto fought against Yuya in You Show. On Hokuto's field, he had four monsters: Sacred Gredi, Kaust, Scheat and Pollux.

Hokuto stood on a stone pillar with a smirk on his face, "I overlay my now Level 5 Gredi and Kaust!" Gredi and Kaust, who were both Level 5 at the moment, transformed into streams of yellow energy that were enveloped into a portal, forming a monster with thunder being heard as Hokuto chanted, "Light of the stars, come descend and shake this very earth! Xyz Summon! Sacred Pleiades (ATK: 2500, DEF: 1500, RNK: 5, OVU: 2)!" Pleiades emerged to Hokuto's side with his saber sword held out.

Hokuto wasn't done as he turned to his other monsters, "Additionally, I overlay my Level 6 Scheat and Pollux!" Both monsters also turned into yellow streams of energy that flowed into a portal as Hokuto chanted again, "Rain down your dazzling light! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 6! Sacred Ptolemys Messier 7 (ATK: 2700, DEF: 2000, RNK: 6, OVU: 2)!" The armored white and golden dragon appeared next to Pleiades with Ptolemys roaring as it emerged.

Many people in the audience were getting excited from seeing two Xyz Monsters summoned at once. Yaiba, who was sitting in the audience, smiled and raised up a fist, "Alright! Nice work, Hokuto!" Hokuto's grin was shown to have grown larger while staring at his opponent from afar.

---

Meanwhile, in the lobby of the stadium, Gongenzaka had a happy expression on his face with tears running down, "Yuya!" Gongenzaka grabbed Yuya in a tight hug and pressed his face next to him happily, "I, the man, Gongenzaka, have never been this happy! Do you know how worried I've been these past few days?!" Yuzu and Rin smiled sheepishly at this while Ruri smiled warmly and Mikleo smiled in amusement.

Yuya was a little uncomfortable as he nervously smiled, "It wasn't that big of a deal." Shuzo smiled in relief, "No, we all were really worried! Like what would we do if Yuya doesn't wake up?"

"Big Bro Yuya!" Everyone heard Ayu yelling which made them turn to see her, Futoshi and Tatsuya running through the entrance. They all smiled when they saw them before they stopped in front of Yuya.

Tatsuya smiled in relief at Yuya, "Good, you're okay!" Futoshi smiled, "I'm so happy I've got shivers! Now if Sora comes back..." Ayu smiled as she finished, "You Show Duel School will be back to normal!" Yuya, Yuzu, Ruri, Rin and Gongenzaka frowned at this and looked to the side, knowing full well Sora ain't coming back right now. Mikleo just closed his eyes with his arms crossed, not saying anything.

Shuzo closed his eyes while having a discouraged expression on his face, "Sorry, Yuya, we kept searching after that, but…We still don't know where he is."

Yuya was in deep thought before he turned his head to him, "No, it's fine…"

"Hey! Are you going to introduce me or not?" Yuya and Yuzu stiffened in surprise while Ruri smiled nervously from hearing the voice. Shuzo, Gongenzaka and the kids perked up and looked around in confusion, wondering who said that. Rin just sighed and face palmed her forehead in exasperation.

Mikleo turned his head behind to look at where the voice was before Rin walked over behind and punched someone in the stomach. The person was Yugo who cried out in pain a little, "Ow! What was that for?!" He was hiding behind Mikleo as he was waiting for everyone to introduce him to the others.

Rin had an irritated expression on her face as she looked at him, "You were supposed to wait for the signal! We were looking for the appropriate moment." Yugo frowned as he rubbed his stomach that was hit, "Well, sorry! I just got tired of waiting!"

"Uh…" Tatsuya muttered in confusion as he and everyone else was looking where Mikleo was standing, still wondering who was behind him.

Mikleo stared at Shuzo, Gongenzaka and the kids for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and stepping to the side. Yugo was revealed to everyone else which made Yuya and the others a little nervous and uneasy. Yugo opened his eyes when the pain went away to see everyone else staring at him. He waved at them enthusiastically and tried not to make it awkward, "Yo." Shuzo, Gongenzaka, Tatsuya, Ayu and Futoshi all widened their eyes in shock from seeing Yugo. They were even more surprised when they saw his face which was similar to Yuya's which added more to their confusion.

Futoshi took a step back while looking surprised, "Eh?! This guy has the same face as Big Bro Yuya's?"

Ayu blinked her eyes, "Who is he? Is he the same as Big Sis Ruri and Rin?" She wondered if it was the same thing when they first met Ruri and Rin before.

Tatsuya stared at Yugo uneasily before he waved at him, "Hello. I'm Tatsuya Yamashiro. And you are?"

Yugo smiled as he pointed his thumb at himself, "I'm Yugo. Rin's childhood friend!"

Shuzo was surprised by this before he smiled, "Really? You've known her for years, then? Where are you from?"

"Uh…" Yugo paused for a moment to scratch the side of his head before his expression changed to realization, "Just a city...far from overseas." He struggled for a bit but then he remembered what to say. They had a discussion of what Yugo would say to Shuzo and everyone else when he met them. They can't just speak about him being from another dimension yet. Lucine decided to stay behind to watch over Yuto for the time being, since she is not with them now.

"Well then, it's nice to meet you." Yugo turned before he stepped back a little in surprise from seeing Gongenzaka, not expecting to meet someone that big. Gongenzaka smiled at him, "Although I wonder why you have the same face as Yuya, I, the man Gongenzaka, will overlook it for now." Yugo blinked his eyes before nodding his head and smiled, with Yuya and the others smiling in relief that it went well.

Afterwards, Yugo was introduced to everyone else and told some stuff about the Maiami Championship, even though he heard most of it from Rin and Yuzu already. Still a little confused however, Gongenzaka quietly asked Yuzu what had happened exactly these past couple days, but Yuzu replied that she'll tell him later.

Shuzo mentioned that maybe they could celebrate since Rin's friend is here and the fact most of You Show made it into the second round of the tournament. While Ayu and Tatsuya were smiling and talking, Yuya noticed Futoshi was the only one with a frown on his face, "Futoshi? What's wrong?"

"Sorry!" Futoshi suddenly lowered his head while looking apologetic, surprising and confusing Yuya. Futoshi looked down at the ground with a frown on his face, "I shouldn't really be celebrating right now. Actually, I lost yesterday."

Yuya smiled, "I heard." Futoshi raised his head as Yuya placed his hands on his hips, "That Reira kid used Synchro Summoning this time, right?"

Futoshi's frown grew deeper as he looked at the ground again, "I never thought he'd use Synchro too. I was so shocked I got shivers."

Yuya began to walk up to Futoshi, "Then…"

"Hey, Futoshi, was it?" Yuya stopped and turned to see Yugo with an earnest expression on his face. Yugo knelt down to face him, "If you lose a match, you get back up."

"Huh?" asked Futoshi in confusion as he looked at Yugo.

Yugo smiled and held up a fist, "Every duelist can fall down but you can always get back up each time!" He stood up and pointed his thumb behind at Mikleo, "Just now, I lost a match against this guy but I'm not gonna let that stop me! I just gotta train harder and get better. Then, the next time we fight, I'll be sure to beat him!" His smile turned more passionate, "So, you do the same. The next time you get a chance, just get stronger and win. Got it?"

Futoshi stared at Yugo in surprise for a moment before smiling and nodding his head, "Yeah!" Rin smiled when she saw Yugo encouraging Futoshi.

"Darling!" Everyone was confused when they heard the voice and turned to see Mieru standing in front of Hokuto and Yaiba. Mieru had a happy smile on her face while holding her hands together, "You've finally awoken, darling!" Yuya blinked his eyes before Mieru soon had stars in her eyes, "My prayer...the prayer I risked my life for...It really worked!" Mieru gleefully launched herself towards Yuya with her lips out and tried to give him a kiss. However, Yuya noticed the other two behind her and moved his head to the side, surprising her and she ended up landing on the floor in shock. Everyone watched in silence as Mieru landed and Yuya walked over to Yaiba and Hokuto.

Upon noticing Yuya approaching him, Hokuto looked at him a little confused, "Yuya Sakaki…?" He then smirked and held out a hand, "You came to watch my match? What were your thoughts after witnessing my full power? I'm on a different level than when we fought at You Show."

Sweatdropping on the inside, Yuya smirked back at him, "Well, you've definitely gotten better than last time." He just made up something on the spot there. He didn't want to ruin Hokuto's excitement by saying he didn't watch. Even though he didn't actually see the match, he imagined Hokuto must have trained to get better after their last duel, given how he acted before. In all honestly, he feels happy for him.

Hokuto's smirk grew bigger, "That's right." He frowned before pointing at Yuya, "Make no mistake. The next time we fight, it won't be the same as last time. I will show you my true strength when we have it."

Yuya nodded his head before he narrowed his eyes, "But enough about that. There's something I need to ask you two." Yaiba and Hokuto were confused by this before Yuya looked at them curiously, "Do you know anything about Shun Kurosaki or why he's with LDS?" He has been discussing this with Mikleo about this and wondered how deep this alliance goes between Reiji and Shun. He wondered if any information was extended to some of the students, like the two in front of him right now and if they can help them.

Yaiba frowned at him, "Why are you asking that?"

Yuya turned to him, "Because I know that he is the one behind the incidents from before." Hokuto and Yaiba were surprised before Yuya continued, "There are some things that aren't adding up. I need to know if you two know anything about why this happened."

Yaiba and Hokuto turned to each other and were unsure if they should answer or not. They then heard Yuzu speak, "Please help us." Yuzu came up next to Yuya with a serious expression on her face which made them turn to her, "We want to help in any way we can if you'll let us."

Yaiba stared at the two in front of him for a moment before he sighed and frowned, "Alright."

Hokuto turned to him in shock, "Yaiba?!"

Yaiba closed his eyes, "It's fine. It's not like there's any harm telling these guys anyway." Hokuto looked at him cautiously before turning away, silently acknowledging he had a point. Yaiba opened them to look at Yuya and Yuzu seriously, "Reiji Akaba didn't really say much as to why LDS allied with Kurosaki but that there was a threat concerning the entire world."

"What do you mean?" wondered Yuzu. Just then, Gongenzaka, Rin, Ruri and Yugo quietly walked up behind Yuya and Yuzu to listen in while Shuzo and the kids were watching in confusion. Mikleo just stood by with his hands in his pockets.

Yaiba leaned in with his hand out and made everyone near come closer, "Just between us, we still aren't sure what he is talking about. But he did show us one thing. What happened to the missing LDS staff." Yuya and the others blinked their eyes before Yaiba frowned, "Somehow, they were turned into actual Duel Monsters cards." Everyone that listened in had shocked expressions on their faces when they heard that. Yuya, Yuzu, Rin, Ruri and Gongenzaka were all surprised that Yaiba and Hokuto were told about this.

"For real? They were turned into cards?" Yaiba nodded his head before his expression turned to confusion as he didn't recognize the voice that just spoke. He raised his head and, to his complete shock, saw Yugo standing in front of him with a frown on his face, having the same face as Yuya Sakaki.

Hokuto was also taken aback as he stepped back a bit, "What...Who are you?"

Yugo frowned at them before pointing at himself, "I'm Yugo."

Yaiba narrowed his eyes, "You have the same face as him." He gestured at Yuya before he continued, "Are you his twin brother or something?" They had never seen him at You Show before so he wondered where he came from.

Rin was about to speak before Yugo openly spoke up in an annoyed tone, "What? No! I'm an only child." He then suddenly wrapped his left arm around Yuya's shoulder, surprising him while Yugo smiled, "We just happen to have the same face." Yuya sweatdropped and smiled at Yugo's openness but he wasn't complaining. Rin sighed as she felt she could have tried to explain in a different way but she supposes that works too.

Yaiba and Hokuto stared at both boys in wonder and curiosity as Hokuto muttered, "What the hell…?"

Yuzu looked between Yaiba and Hokuto and noticed someone was missing as she frowned, "Hold on. Where's Masumi? Isn't she usually with you two?"

Yaiba looked at her with a frown on his face, "We haven't seen that girl since she lost that match with you. We tried asking around LDS and the stadium but we got nothing. She just...disappeared." Hokuto looked down at the ground in deep thought, both boys concerned for what happened to her.

Yuya and the others were surprised and wondered where on earth she could be, with Yuzu frowning in concern, "Masumi…"

A loud wave of cheers suddenly erupted throughout the arena and made everyone perk up to look at the screen when they heard the loud noise. As everyone wondered what was going on, Hokuto noticed something as his eyes widened, "Hey, what's going on? Is the next match over already?"

Nico was shown on the big screen in the lobby holding his microphone with an excited smile on his face, "What a shocking display! The ace of Surprise School, Yuzo Tanegashima, has just been defeated! With her specialty in Ritual Summoning, Ryuka Ainara is now moving on to the second round!" Yuzo Tanegashima was shown getting escorted out of the arena by his fellow classmates.

Yuzu watched the screen in surprise, "Ryuka?"

"That's me." A low, calm voice spoke which made everyone wonder who said that before Gongenzaka, confused, moved his body to the side, revealing Ryuka standing right there with her hands in pockets. Ryuka looked at everyone with a neutral expression as she held out her hand, "Hi."

Yuzu recognized her with her eyes raised up, "It's you." She was the girl she and Yuya met one time when the tournament officially started.

Ryuka nodded her head before she heard someone shout at her, "Wait a minute!" Hokuto came up to her with a frantic and confused expression on her face, "You were the one who just won the match? How did you win that fast? My match just ended a couple minutes ago!" There wasn't that much time after his victory. There's no way this girl won that fast unless she is really good.

Ryuka just stared at him for a moment before shrugging her shoulders, "Dunno. I just won." Hokuto's face faulted from hearing such an answer. She turned to Yuzu, "Congrats on your win, Yuzu." She then turned to Yuya, "You too, Yuya."

"Uh...Thanks." replied Yuya, having a small smile on his face.

However, the very next moment someone was heard shouting, "Kylian!" Everyone turned to see Bryan running through the hallway with a frantic expression as he had his hand held up to his mouth, "Kylian! Where are you?!"

Rin looked at the person with confusion in her eyes, "Is that…?"

Yuya smiled when he saw him, "Bryan!" He ran up to Bryan and stepped in front of him, surprising him as he was forced to stop near the others. Yuya waved his hand, "Hey, Bryan! It's good to see you."

Still surprised to see him jumping in front, Bryan looked at him incredulously, "Y-Yuya!?" He then looked irritated as he held up a fist, "I ain't got time to deal with you right now! I gotta find Kylian!"

Yuya raised an eyebrow, "Kylian?" Is he in the Maiami Championship as well? And why is Bryan looking very worried right now?

"...You mean Orman?" Bryan and Yuya turned to Ryuka with a bored expression on her face before she turned and pointed towards the outside, "He left a few minutes ago with some guys in grey suits. Drove off in a car."

Bryan turned to the entrance alarmed, "He did?!" He then ran out of the building with a frantic expression on his face, "I'm coming, Kylian! Hang on!" He was soon out of sight and nobody else can see him. Yuya couldn't help but watch in confusion, wondering what was going on between him and Kylian.

Hokuto blinked his eyes in confusion, "What was that about?" Yaiba was confused also before he smirked at Yuya and the others, "Well, since you guys are here, why don't you watch my match? I'm up against Isao Kachidoki! I won't disappoint!" Hokuto and Yaiba took their leave as Yaiba shouted that last sentence, heading towards deeper in the stadium. Everyone else watched as they left before they decided to follow suit and head towards the stands.

---

Amidst the cheering crowd in the background, Nico held up his microphone with an excited smile on his face, "Everyone, it's almost time for the last match of Round One!" One of the big screens was showing Yaiba Todo and Isao Kachidoki facing each other as he continued, "The winner of this duel will proceed to be a qualifier for Round 2!"

Yuya, Yuzu, Ruri, Rin, Gongenzaka and everyone else proceeded to sit in their seats in the stands. Yugo went past Yuya, Yuzu and Ruri, "Coming through!" He then sat down in his seat next to Yuya and Rin. Yugo looked over the entire arena with a smile, "Woah! Look at this stadium! It's huge!"

Rin sighed while Yuya and Ruri just smiled at seeing Yugo's enthusiasm. Yuzu smiled and was about to sit down before she heard a voice, "Mind if I join you?" Yuzu turned and everyone else looked over to see Ryuka had followed them, who just looked at them calmly.

"Ryuka." Yuzu muttered before she frowned in deep thought, thinking about what she should say. She then looked at her in curiosity, "Say, when we first met, how'd you know about me and Yuya?" Yuya looked at her curiously and wondered the same thing as well. She somehow knew the both of them when they first met which was strange since they've never heard of her before.

Ryuka just stared at Yuzu for a moment before shrugging her shoulders, "My mom told me." Yuzu was now even more confused, "Your mom?"

"Ryuuuuuka!" Everyone was surprised by the sudden shout before Ryuka's calm expression turned into a slightly annoyed one. A woman with long, light blue hair tied into a ponytail hugged Ryuka tightly from behind, "You did great out there, sweetie!" Everyone blinked their eyes from the woman suddenly appearing before them, having a happy expression on her face with her eyes closed. She was wearing blue pants, brown high heels and a green long sleeved shirt.

Ryuka looked uncomfortable as she struggled to get out of the woman's hold, "Mom...That's enough. Stop hugging me…!" From her expression, you can tell she doesn't hate it but is more embarrassed by the gesture.

Yuzu's eyes widened as she saw the woman in front, "You're...Hikaru!" She immediately recognized this person. She is the one she met one time while searching for Yuto and who also inspired her to learn how to Ritual Summon. She even gave her one of her own cards: Saffira.

Hikaru loosened her hold to look up at Yuzu, "Hm?" Her expression brightened up as she smiled when she saw who it was, "Ah, Yuzu! It's good to see you again. How've you been?" She released Ryuka from her hug to face Yuzu.

Yuzu smiled back at her, "Great! It's nice to see you too." Meanwhile, everyone else wondered who this woman was as Ayu tilted her head confused, "Big Sis Yuzu? Who is this?"

Yuzu turned to Yuya and the others while gesturing her hand toward Hikaru, "Everyone, this is Hikaru. She is the one I met one time and inspired me to Ritual Summon." Yuya, Ruri, Rin, Mikleo and Gongenzaka suddenly remember Yuzu mentioning her one time as the person who gave her a Ritual Monster as a gift of some sort.

Shuzo walked up and greeted Hikaru with a smile, "So you're the lady I've heard about, then?" He then held his hand out to her, "It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Yuzu's father, Shuzo Hiragi."

Hikaru smiled back while accepting the handshake, "It's nice to meet you too. I'm Hikaru Ainara. And this…" She stepped back and placed her hands on each of Ryuka's shoulders as a way to introduce her, "...Is my daughter, Ryuka."

"Huh? D-Daughter?!" staggered Yuzu, showing shock written on her face. "She's your daughter?" She didn't know Hikaru had a daughter. From what she saw, she thought she looked a little young to be a mother but looks can be deceiving. Yuya, Ruri, Rin and Gongenzaka looked at her in interest while Yugo and the kids seemed to be a little lost from all of this.

Ryuka just stared at Yuzu calmly before looking at everyone else and waved her hand, "Hello."

Yuzu stared at both Hikaru and Ryuka in stunned silence for a second before her eyes widened in realization, "Wait, so the reason you knew about me and Yuya…"

Hikaru chuckled a bit as she smiled, "Yeah. I've told my daughter some stuff about you and Yuya." Ryuka looked at Yuzu, "Said some stuff about how you're a good duelist and that you have a friend. It interested me a little."

"I see." replied Yuzu, now understanding how Ryuka could have heard of her and Yuya. Yuya nodded his head and smiled, happy to meet the both of them.

Before anyone else spoke, Nico's voice erupted throughout the arena once more which made everyone turn to face the center, "Now, it is time for the match to begin! Will it be Yaiba Todo from Leo Duel School?" Yaiba walked onto the platform with a smile on his face and his duel disk strapped on his arm. Hokuto was watching from a different side with a smile as Nico continued, "On the other hand, will it be last year's runner-up, Ryozanpaku's Isao Kachidoki! Both players are known for their great skills!" The purple haired young man, Kachidoki, walked up onto the center court with his duel disk attached as well, ready to begin the match. On one side of the audience, several duelists of the Ryozanpaku School were watching closely while appearing to be martial artists as well.

As the match was about to begin, everyone sat in their seats before Ryuka turned to them curiously, "Mind if we sit with you?" Shuzo, Yuya and Yuzu were surprised and looked at each other before they nodded, allowing Ryuka and Hikaru to sit behind the You Show group with the latter smiling in gratitude. Ryuka, who was sitting behind Yuya, leaned on the back of his seat, with her arms under her chin, to watch with a calm expression.

Nico gripped his fist tightly as he smiled in excitement, "I can guarantee this will be a match that will make your hands sweat!" He then threw out his hand, "Activating the Field Magic: Sword's Graveyard!" The Solid Vision system activated and materialized the arena into a black, barren land filled with broken swords stuck all over the ground.

Gongenzaka smiled when he saw the field changed, "Oh, this is the field I fought Yaiba-dono on before." Kachidoki and Yaiba stood face-to-face with their duel disks activated, waiting for a moment before they both shouted.

[DUEL!]

YAIBA LP: 8000
KACHIDOKI LP: 8000

Kachidoki was looking at Yaiba before throwing out two punches and kicks straight in his direction. He then lowered his leg and smirked at Yaiba while gesturing his hand toward him, telling him to come at him with everything he had.

Yaiba frowned and narrowed his eyes at him, "So you want me to bring it on, eh? Then, I'll be taking the first turn! My turn, draw!" Yaiba placed his fingers on his deck and drew his first card.

Yaiba held up the first card he drew, "I summon XX-Saber Darksoul (ATK: 100, DEF: 100, LV: 3)!" A humanoid beast monster with wolf-like features appeared on the field, wearing dark clothing and a red cape draped around his shoulders and head, resembling a reaper as it wielded a scythe in its hands as well.

Yaiba smirked while holding up another monster, "When there is an "X-Saber" monster on my field, I can Special Summon the Tuner monster, EX-Saber Paladine (ATK: 1700, DEF: 1100, LV: 4), from my hand!" Yaiba summoned a female warrior wearing light, metal armor, a blue visor over her eyes, a red cape draped over her shoulders, brown arm and shoulder guards while also carrying a metal pole weapon resembling a brandistock. The warrior shouted as she spun her weapon around and got into a fighting stance.

Yaiba pointed his wooden katana at his field, "Now, I'll tune the Level 4 EX-Saber Paladine with my Darksoul (4 + 3 = 7)!" Paladine jumped in the air and transformed into four green rings that surrounded Darksoul. The monster also transformed into three stars and gathered inside the force of the rings as Yaiba chanted, "Black blades of the coldest steel, render the enemies useless! Synchro Summon! Come forth! X-Saber Urbellum (ATK: 2200, DEF: 1300, LV: 7)!" Emerging from the portal was a tall, muscular warrior that had scars all over his body while wearing a red, torn cape at the back and dark armor with part of his stomach and arms exposed. The warrior yelled with his spiked helmet highlighting his fierce eyes as he gripped his two golden swords and slashed the air from making his entrance.

"Yaiba has opened up on the first round with his signature Synchro Summoning! And with a Level 7 to start with! So, how will Kachidoki respond now?" announced Nico.

Yaiba held up three cards and inserted them into his duel disk, "I'll set three cards to end my turn! And since it is the End Phase, XX-Saber Darksoul's effect activates! Because it was sent from the field to the Graveyard this turn, I add an "X-Saber" monster from my Deck!" He showed XX-Saber Faultroll for a moment, which he added to his hand afterwards. He then smirked at Kachidoki, "Now, let's see what you got, ace of Ryozanpaku!"

Kachidoki looked back at Yaiba with a serious expression before drawing a card, "Draw!" He took a quick glance at what he drew before he raised his arms and right leg to get into a fighting stance, "If my opponent controls a monster and I don't, I can summon Hayate the Earth Soaring Star (ATK: 2100, DEF: 0, LV: 5) without a Tribute!" A purple and blue armored warrior appeared next to him, wearing arm guards and a wolf's pelt on his head. It reached behind its back, which had a circular wooden ring attached, and brought out the metal pole it possessed.

"Hayate's effect activates!" announced Kachidoki as he held up a monster. "When this card is successfully Summoned, I can summon a Level 5 LIGHT Warrior-type monster from my hand! Come, Tenma the Sky Rising Star (ATK: 2100, DEF: 1000, LV: 5)!" A second male warrior was summoned who was wearing a blue samurai outfit, sage green pants, a white helmet in the shape of a horse's head, long tendrils on its back that looked like hair, and held a short sword in his right hand.

Kachidoki then held up another card, "If there is an EARTH monster on my field, I can Special Summon Rekka the Burst Exploding Star (ATK: 2300, DEF: 1000, LV: 5) from my hand!" He summoned a long, red-haired tribe warrior clad in orange armor, blue shirt, pale green pants, spark-shaped wooden tendrils on his back, and a metal helmet. As he appeared, he carried a long golden staff which he spun around for a moment.

People in the audience roared in excitement while Nico announced, "Kachidoki has already opened up by summoning three Level 5 monsters on his first turn! It seems he still hasn't lost his skills since the last time he competed here!"

Rin looked at the field curiously, "It's impressive that guy was able to summon high level monsters very quickly without doing something like Pendulum Summoning." Yuzu also commented, "Yes, but I wonder if Yaiba will be alright since Isao Kachidoki has more monsters now."

Kachidoki gave Yaiba a fierce look in his expression before striking an open palm in his direction, "Battle! I will attack Urbellum with Rekka!" Rekka spun his staff and jumped over to Urbellum, who held up his swords defensively.

Yaiba smirked at him, "Heh. You've definitely got some fight in you." He then threw out his hand, "But so do I! I activate the Trap Card: At One With The Sword!" A trap flipped up as he continued, "When I have only one "X-Saber" monster on my field, this card equips onto Urbellum and allows it to gain 800 ATK!" One of the Urbellum's blades vanished before a bigger, more ancient one appeared in his right hand as he held up in the air, with a blue aura surrounding the weapon.

X-Saber Urbellum (ATK: 2200→3000)

"Counterattack, Urbellum!" Yaiba called out to his monster which made the warrior charge forward and clashed with Rekka using his left blade against the other's staff. Rekka pulled his staff and tried to strike again, but Urbellum was faster as he used the bigger sword to slash through and destroy the monster. Kachidoki appeared to be unfazed as the blast radius passed through him.

KACHIDOKI LP: 8000→7300

Yaiba's smirk grew bigger, "How do you like that? And since the monster equipped with At One With The Sword destroyed a monster by battle, I can draw a card from my Deck!" He then drew a card and added it to his hand afterwards.

Kachidoki looked back at him, "I activate Rekka's monster effect! When this monster is destroyed by battle, the monster that destroyed it is also destroyed and both players take 1000 damage!" Yaiba gasped in surprise before the spirit of Rekka casted a hand sign, creating a fire blast that destroyed Urbellum and caused it to damage both duelists, though only Yaiba yelped in minor pain.

KACHIDOKI LP: 7300→6300
YAIBA LP: 8000→7000

Tatsuya watched that with a surprised expression, "He was willing to do damage to himself just to get rid of his opponent's monster?" Rin replied while watching as well, "Sometimes, in dueling, you may have to take risks just to get the advantage." She turned her head to Yugo and Yuya who were immersed in this match, "Just like two boys I know…"

Kachidoki kept his serious gaze on Yaiba, "Hayate the Earth Soaring Star attacks you directly!" Hayate yelled as the warrior flew over with his weapon in hand.

Yaiba clicked his tongue before looking down at his duel disk to press a button. However, before he could, out of the corner of his eyes, he heard something and looked up to see a broken sword flying towards him. He gasped and jumped back a bit as the sword barely missed, stabbing the ground in front of him by a few feet. As he tried to process that, Kachidoki surprised him by running at him at full speed and struck him in the face with a knife hand, knocking Yaiba in the air for a moment and making him cry out in pain. Just as he was sent flying, Hayate came up and slashed Yaiba, sending him back to the ground in a loud thud.

YAIBA LP: 7000→4900

Everyone in the You Show group, including Hikaru and Ryuka, gasped in shock from what just happened. Yuya just stared in shock, "What the…?!" Yugo suddenly got an angry expression on his face and stood up from his seat, "Hey! What was that all about?!"

Yaiba groaned in pain as he began to get off the ground and onto his knees. He then heard Kachidoki chuckling which made him look up. Kachidoki had a smile on his face as well as his right hand on one of the broken swords sticking in the ground, "You're too slow. The battle is still going on." He picked up and pointed the broken sword at Yaiba, "Tenma attacks my opponent directly!" Tenma then flew over to Yaiba's direction with his sword pulled back and ready to be used.

Yaiba gritted his teeth and quickly reached out to try to press the button again. However, Kachidoki was faster as he came up and striked Yaiba in the face with a crescent kick. He croaked out more pain with his expression showing before Tenma came up and struck him with a vacuum wave, sending him back to the ground on his knees and his back turned to Kachidoki.

YAIBA LP: 4900→2800

"Yaiba!" cried Hokuto, showing shock and concern in his expression for his friend.

Many people in the audience were shocked and confused by the violence displayed, though some of them welcomed it as they cheered for it, making it more awkward for the entire stadium. Nico had an uneasy and shocked expression while holding up the mike, "W-With this, Kachidoki has succeeded in wiping out almost all of Yaiba's Life Points! As well as giving a beating!"

Kachidoki calmly walked back to where he was a minute ago before turning around, "I set two cards face-down. I end my turn." After placing two face-downs, Kachidoki smiled and gestured his hand at Yaiba once again, telling him to bring it.

Yaiba breathed heavily in and out as he was on his hands and knees. He was staring back at Kachidoki with a troubled frown, "So, this is the famous Ryozanpaku dueling style…"

The kids looked nervous and afraid as Futoshi commented, "I'm getting very uncomfortable shivers right now." Ayu frowned sadly, "How terrible…" Tatsuya watched Kachidoki cautiously, "To think there are people who use dueling like that." They all noticed that Yaiba tried to activate one of his set cards but couldn't as Kachidoki kept beating him up and making him run out of time to use it.

"Dueling and fun don't belong together." Everyone turned to see Shuzo watching with narrowed eyes, "That's how the Martial Arts School Ryozanpaku trains their students. To them, winning is everything."

"Martial arts…" muttered Tatsuya curiously.

Hikaru narrowed her eyes and frowned, "I have heard some things about how Ryozanpaku teaches duelists but this is…" She didn't think it went this far and that isn't right in her opinion.

Mikleo closed his eyes while having his arms crossed, "And in dueling, it is obvious that they're exploiting some loopholes when it comes to tournament rules." Everyone wondered what he was saying before Mikleo opened his eyes to show seriousness in them, "In terms of tournament rules, there is nothing preventing a duelist from hurting one or the other whether it is by actual dueling using monster attacks or effects. Since you're already at risk from dueling in Solid Vision, as long as the methods aren't lethal or critical, you can do whatever you want. Using martial arts in a duel, it isn't against the rules."

Everyone pondered that for a moment before Mikleo turned his head to look at them, "When you want to chain to an effect or attack by using a set card or something else, you only get a certain amount of time to do it before the former goes through. If someone were to stop his opponent from doing anything, he could use martial arts to hurt and injure his opponent enough to where there is no time left to react. Just like what Kachidoki is doing right now."

Ruri felt bothered by this as she turned back and frowned, "That's terrible." Rin frowned as well but it was more like an annoyed one, "Even if it isn't against the rules, that still doesn't make it right."

Yuzu frowned as she felt the same way before she heard Ryuka speaking, "How stupid." Yuzu turned to Ryuka who had an annoyed and unamused expression on her face. She was confused before Ryuka continued, "He's probably been there for a long time. Sounds like he's just following the teachings of his school." Yuzu, while acknowledging she's right, narrowed her eyes and wondered where she was going with this.

Yuya had his eyes narrowed while clenching his fist and gritting his teeth, "This kind of dueling…" It makes him angry anytime he sees duelists using underhanded tactics like that.

And it seemed like he wasn't alone. Yugo stood up from his seat with an angry expression, "Man! Seeing someone do things like this makes me mad!" He held his fist in front of his chest, "I'm about ready to go out there and give that guy a piece of my mind!" Yugo muttered some other things about how he doesn't like it and was fuming until Rin got up and placed back in his seat, trying to calm him down in the process.

Gongenzaka closed his eyes while having a frown on his face, "Believe me. I'm as frustrated as you are now, Yugo. But we can't do anything at the moment. We'll have to just man up and watch." Yugo heard what he said before turning back to his seat and pouted; he didn't like it but Gongenzaka was right.

Yaiba was still leaning on his hands and knees. He stared at Kachidoki with a frustrated expression on his face and scoffed, "Give me a break." He stood up back up to glare at his opponent, "Who cares if you know martial arts? It's not enough to deter me." He placed his fingers on his deck, "This only gets me more fired up to beat you! I draw!"

After looking that he drew a certain monster, Yaiba turned back to his field, "I Normal Summon XX-Saber Boggarknight (ATK: 1900, DEF: 1000, LV: 4)!" Boggarknight was brought onto the field as Yaiba continued, "When this card is Normal Summoned, I'm allowed to summon a Level 4 or lower "X-Saber" from my hand! I summon…!" He held up a card he was going to use as Boggarknight glowed for a moment.

However, Kachidoki interrupted him as he pressed a button, "I activate the Trap Card: Soaring Star Seal!" A trap flipped face-up behind his monsters, "When my opponent's monster activates its effect, it cannot attack for the rest of the turn and its effects are negated!" A red binding circle appeared below the monster with a seal symbol in the middle, sapping Boggarknight of some of his power.

Yaiba clicked his tongue before he still looked determined, "Clever move. Then, I'll just change up my strategy." He threw out his hand, "I activate the Trap Card: Gottoms' Emergency Call! When I have an "X-Saber" monster on my field, this card allows me to summon 2 "X-Saber" monsters in the Graveyard to my side! Come out, X-Saber Urbellum (ATK: 2200) and XX-Saber Darksoul (DEF: 100)!" Urbellum and Darksoul came back in front of Yaiba.

Yaiba smirked as he held out a monster, "Then, when I have at least 2 "X-Saber" monsters on my field, I can Special Summon XX-Saber Faultroll (ATK: 2400, DEF: 1800, LV: 6)!" Faultroll appeared next to Yaiba's other three monsters as the monster swung his sword around.

Yaiba held out his fist, "I activate Faultroll's effect! Once per turn, I can bring back an "X-Saber" monster from my Graveyard! Come, EX-Saber Paladine (ATK: 1700)!" Faultroll stabbed his blade into the ground which opened a portal for Paladine to appear back, making Yaiba have a total of five monsters on his field.

"I activate Paladine's monster effect!" declared Yaiba, with his smirk growing bigger. "Once per turn, I can increase or decrease the Level of an "X-Saber" monster on my field by 1! And with it, Boggarknight's Level is increased!" Yaiba snapped his fingers which enabled Paladine to spin her brandistock towards Boggarknight, making it glow for a second as its Level changed.

XX-Saber Boggarknight (LV: 4→5)

Yaiba held up his hand, "Here I go! I tune my Paladine to my Level 5 Boggarknight (5 + 4 = 9)!" Paladine floated and transformed into four green rings that surrounded Boggarknight. Boggarknight turned into five stars and gathered inside the force of the rings as Yaiba chanted, "Let your silver armor shine! Crush the hope of all who oppose you! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 9! XX-Saber Gottoms (ATK: 3100, DEF: 2600, LV: 9)!" Gottoms appeared on Yaiba's field while wielding the large sword on its shoulders.

Nico held up his mike in excitement, "And Yaiba is making his comeback by bringing his signature ace monster! Is Kachidoki about to be pushed back?!"

Yaiba smirked at Kachidoki, "You bet I'll do it." He then held up a magic card, "But before that, I activate the Equip Magic: Sword of Sparkles and equip it onto XX-Saber Gottoms!" One of Gottom's swords was transformed into a sparkly, silver one.

Yaiba pointed at his opponent, "Time to battle! I attack Hayate with XX-Saber Gottoms!" Gottoms clashed his two swords together before rushing over toward the direction of Hayate.

Kachidoki retaliated by striking the air with an open palm, "I activate the Trap Card: Star Intercept!" A trap flipped up as Gottoms was moving closer, "When my opponent's monster attacks, I can Special Summon a "Star" monster from my Graveyard! Re-emerge, Rekka the Burst Exploding Star (DEF: 1000)!" Rekka appeared back on the field while standing in Gottoms' way, "And then, your attack is redirected onto the monster I summoned!" Yaiba was surprised as Gottoms, while trying to attack Hayate, was blocked by Rekka who tried to defend himself with his staff but was stopped by his opponent's blade. Gottoms swung his other sword and destroyed Rekka by slashing through him.

Yaiba shielding himself from the blast before looking back at Kachidoki, "Spark of Sparkle's effect activates! When the equipped monster destroys a monster in battle, I can target a card on my opponent's field and destroy it!" Yaiba pointed at Hayate, "Say bye-bye to Hayate!" Gottoms aimed his sparkling sword at Hayate.

Kachidoki, however, was undeterred as he looked at his other monster, "I activate Tenma's effect! Once per turn, when my opponent activates an effect that targets a Warrior monster on my field, by having Tenma lose exactly 500 ATK, your card effect is negated and destroyed!"

Tenma the Sky Rising Star (ATK: 2100→1600)

A red aura reduced Tenma's power as the warrior slash the air with his small sword, creating a vacuum wave that destroyed the sword in Gottoms' hand, making Yaiba grit his teeth in response.

"At this moment, Rekka's monster effect activates!" Kachidoki declared as he got into a fighting stance once again. "When this monster is destroyed by battle, I destroy the monster that battled it and we both take 1000 points of damage!" A spirit of Rekka came and blew itself up, taking Gottoms with it and damaging both duelists even though Yaiba was the only one gritting his teeth again.

YAIBA LP: 2800→1800
KACHIDOKI LP: 6300→5300

Ayu frowned, "His monster got taken out again!" Tatsuya frowned but was also unsure, "But he still does have monsters left to attack with."

Yaiba rubbed his mouth with his arm before he shouted, "Urbellum, attack Tenma the Sky Rising Star!" Urbellum drew out his twin swords and dashed across the land to strike at Tenma.

Kachidoki held out his open palm, "I activate Hayate's effect! Once per turn, when a Warrior monster on my field is attacked, by having Tenma lose exactly 500 ATK, it can negate the attack!" The circular ring on Hayate's back glowed as the warrior blocked Urbellum's striking blades with his pole staff.

Hayate the Earth Soaring Star (ATK: 2100→1600)

Yaiba frowned before throwing out his hand, "I still have one more left! Faultroll, attack and destroy Hayate!" Faultroll jumped and lunged towards Hayate with his sword in-hand. He smashed it into the ground which destroyed Hayate, pushing Kachidoki back a bit though he kept his serious gaze on Yaiba.

KACHIDOKI LP: 5300→4500

"I end my turn." Yaiba breathed in and out before looking up at Kachidoki, "You are strong, as I expected. But the one who will come out on top will be me. Now, bring it!" He shouted out that last part, showing eagerness and unwavering resolve in his expression.

"...Fool." Kachidoki scoffed before gazing down towards Yaiba, "Showing such spirit and feelings are meaningless in a battle. Only those who fought through the hell in the darkness are worthy enough to claim victory." As Yaiba narrowed his eyes in confusion and wondered what he was saying, Kachidoki proceeded to draw his card, "Draw!"

Taking a quick look at what he drew, Kachidoki showed the very same card in his hand, "When there is a Level 5 or higher Warrior-type monster on my field, I can Normal Summon Arashi the Sky Wind Star (ATK: 2300, DEF: 2800, LV: 7) without a Tribute!" Appearing on the field was an orange-eyed, bearded warrior wearing green samurai armor and a hat in the same of a hawk and its feathers, carrying a blade in his left hand as he swung it around.

Kachidoki held out his hand, "I activate Arashi's effect! When this monster is Normal Summoned, it can target a Magic or Trap Card my opponent controls and destroy it!" Arashi pointed his blade at Yaiba's sole face-down card, slashing the air with it which cause vacuum cutters to destroy the card, much to Yaiba's annoyance.

Kachidoki then flipped over and showed the last card in his hand which is a very familiar one, "And with Arashi and Tenma as Fusion Materials, I activate the Magic Card: Polymerization!" Everyone in the You Show group were surprised when they heard that, including Ruri whose expression turned a bit fearful.

"Fusion? When did you learn that?" wondered Yaiba, very surprised to see this.

"Star racing across the heavens." Kachidoki chanted while placing his fist into his open palm, "Soar to a new sky! Become one and shine as an eternal ruling star!" Tenma and Arashi transformed into spheres that were absorbed into a swirling vortex as he changed into a gou quan stance, "Fusion Summon! Come, Idaten the Conqueror Victory Star (ATK: 3000, DEF: 2200, LV: 10)!" He summoned a male warrior that was wearing a dark ornate mask with two golden horns, purple chest and shoulder armor, blue green undershirt, blue pants and dark boots, a golden belt, and a crimson cape with golden blades attached to its back. He also carried, in his right hand, a large, brown trident with a green gem inserted near the three tips.

Everyone in the audience was surprised as Nico announced, "What a surprise! Kachidoki has performed a Fusion Summon! It seems after falling short of the Maiami Championship last year, he's evolved himself even further!"

Kachidoki calmly raised his duel disk slightly, "When Idaten is Fusion Summoned, its effect allows me to add a Level 5 Warrior-type monster from my Deck." Thanks to his monster, he was able to add another monster to his hand as a result.

Gongenzaka watched the field cautiously, "Idaten has more ATK than all of Yaiba's monsters. He should be safe but…" Mikleo watched the scene calmly before closing his eyes, "...It's over."

"Battle. I attack X-Saber Urbellum with Idaten!" Kachidoki declared as Idaten jumped and flew straight towards Yaiba's Urbellum. Kachidoki then shouted, "Idaten's effect activates! When this card battles a monster with an equal or lower Level, the opposing monster's ATK becomes 0!"

Yaiba was shocked by this, "It does what?!" After he said that, a green aura surrounded Idaten before the same aura surrounded Urbellum but this time it appeared to be sapping Urbellum's energy as opposed to not affecting Idaten.

X-Saber Urbellum (ATK: 2200→0)

Yugo had a shocked expression on his face, "That's not good! If the ATK is now zero, then that means…!" Ryuka watched calmly before she suddenly frowned, "That's a bummer."

As Idaten drew closer, Yaiba could only watch in shock as his monster got weaker and weaker. There wasn't anything he could do. Suddenly, a sudden flash hovered his vision which made him look down to see Kachidoki crouching in front of him. Kachidoki gave him a serious gaze, "Those who lose the battle must suffer the consequences." Yaiba's eyes widened and, before he could do anything, Kachidoki made his move.

There was silence in the audience from what they were witnessing with everyone in the You Show group stunned as well. Yuya had a shocked expression on his face, "Wh-What is he doing?!" As every second passed, Kachidoki was beating Yaiba to pulp using martial arts moves such as a karate chop to the face, a back fist to the stomach, an elbow strike to the check and so on. Yuzu, Ruri, Rin and Gongenzaka all gasped in shock from seeing the beating that was being given, while Yugo was getting more angry at this by showing his gritted teeth. Ryuka and Hikaru both frowned and looked away as they couldn't bear to watch the rest. Futoshi, Ayu and Tatsuya had the same idea with all three crying in shock and covering their eyes with their hands. Mikleo had his eyes closed the entire time while still listening to the whole thing. Hokuto watched with an angered and bewildered expression on his face, concerned for the well being of his friend.

Yaiba was shouting out in pain every time he was being hit. He was launched in the air as he kept taking hit after hit. Meanwhile, Idaten slashed Urbellum and destroyed him. However, that didn't matter much as Yaiba was still taking a beating even if his life points already dropped to zero.

YAIBA LP: 1800→0

The members of the Ryozanpaku School just stared down coldly and undeterred by Kachidoki's continuous beatings while the principal, Ryozan Godagawa, who was wearing a green robe and formal red clothing, also having a full beard and moustache with two scars extended down his forehead, stared down calmly and not saying anything. Kachidoki soon stopped with his leg left hanging up in the air and Yaiba landing on the ground face first with the Action Field disappearing.

YAIBA: LOSE
KACHIDOKI: WIN

As everyone was still silent, Yuya felt his eyes tremble a little while frowning, "This is...not right…" Using martial arts and other cheap tactics just to win at dueling is not right. He narrowed his eyes and gripped his fists, unable to hold back or even hide his anger right now.

Yuzu noticed Yuya's anger as she frowned at him, "Are you okay?" He didn't answer and just stared down at the field.

Everyone in the arena was still silent with bewildered, stunned, disturbed or confused expressions on some of their faces. Kachidoki was staring down at the fallen Yaiba while Nico announced, "Wi-With this, the first round matches of the Youth division have been concluded!" Nico said that with a bit of awkwardness in his voice as Kachidoki took his leave, "Now, we will be announcing the second round matchups very shortly. All duelists who have advanced, please put your registration cards into your duel disks." Amidst some people in the audience whispering amongst each other, Yaiba was being tended to by a couple paramedics and was soon carried onto a stretcher.

Yuya and the others placed their registration cards into their duel disk to see who their next opponents were. Gongenzaka saw the image popped up and looked down at it, "My match is in a few days. My opponent is...Bryan Williams." Yuya and Ruri perked and turned to see Gongenzaka was showing Bryan's profile versus his own.

"Bryan? Isn't that the guy we just ran into a few minutes ago?" wondered Yugo, to which Gongenzaka nodded yes. He remembered just something and that he was in a hurry for some weird reason.

Yuzu wondered about that before turning to look at her screen, "I'll be playing against...Eh? Ryuka?" On her screen, she and Ryuka were shown to be opponents in the second round.

"Guess I'm finally facing you, Yuzu." Yuzu turned to see Ryuka having a calm smile on her face with her duel disk flipped around, letting her see that she has the same result. She held up her two fingers as a peace sign, "I'll look forward to it in a few days." Yuzu stared at Ryuka for a moment before she smiled excitedly and nodded. Hikaru smiled warmly and wondered how their duel was going to turn out.

Yugo looked over Rin's shoulder closely, "Who'd you get, Rin?" Rin lowered her eyes at the screen, "Someone named Mikiyo Naname of the Duel Girls Club. I'm facing her tomorrow." Her profile along with Mikiyo's was shown on her duel disk.

The kids turned to Yuya curiously as Futoshi asked, "Big Bro Yuya, what about you?" Yuya didn't answer and just stared at his duel disk in seriousness for some reason, leading the kids to stand up to take a look. All three gasped when they saw who he was facing with Tatsuya shouting, "Isao Kachidoki!" His profile was shown next to Yuya's on-screen.

Yuzu, Ruri, Rin, Gongenzaka and Yugo were alarmed to hear that as the three kids looked concerned. Ayu frowned in worry, "No way!" The rest of them stood up from their seats in concern for Yuya. Mikleo narrowed his eyes when he heard it as well.

"Yuya…" muttered Yuzu, really showing concern in her expression as well as the others.

Yuya stared at the screen for another moment before he closed his eyes to think. He eventually spoke, "No matter who I face in a duel..." He opened his eyes to show a serious and resolved expression, "I'll fight the way I believe in. That kind of dueling I saw...I don't accept it. I'll show him how wrong it is to fight that way." Yuzu, while still concerned, smiled a little from seeing Yuya not being deterred from this.

Kachidoki was walking down the exit before he suddenly turned around to direct his gaze toward Yuya. Yuya saw that Kachidoki was looking at him and returned the gesture. One thing is for sure when looking at their expressions. Both of them were ready to fight.

---

Fanfiction OC Memo:

Speedroid Gravity Baton
(LV: 3, Machine, WIND, ATK: 1500, DEF: 1000)
Monster Effect: Once per turn, this card cannot be destroyed by battle. If this card is sent to the Graveyard: Target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; it loses 500 ATK.

Speedroid MediStetho
(LV: 1, Machine, WIND, ATK: 0, DEF: 200)
Monster Effect: During the Battle Phase, if your "Speedroid" monster is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard (Quick Effect): You can Special Summon this card (from your hand); end the Battle Phase, then gain LP equal to half of the total amount of damage you took this turn.

High-Speedroid Gamblaster Boy DMG-01
(LV: 7, Machine, WIND, Synchro, ATK: 2600, DEF: 2000)
(1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner WIND monsters)
Monster Effect: If this card is Synchro Summoned: You can target cards on the field, up to the number of "Speedroid" monsters used for the Synchro Summon of this card; destroy them. This card can attack all monsters your opponent controls, once each. Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Speedroid" monster from your hand.

Momentum Shift (Magic Card) - Target 1 WIND Synchro Monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it. Then, if that monster battles an opponent's Special Summoned monster this turn, it gains ATK equal to half of that monster's ATK until the end of the Damage Step.

Hidden Ejection (Magic Card) - Banish up to 2 "Speedroid" monsters from your Graveyard; target that many number of monsters on the field, and if you do, return them to the hand.

Speedroid Tune Up (Trap Card) - Target 1 "Speedroid" monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it. Then, you can roll a six-sided die and apply the following effects.
● 1 or 2: Increase the Level of that monster by 1.
● 3 or 4: Increase the Level of that monster by 2.
● 5 or 6: Increase the Level of that monster by 3.

Speed Recycle (Trap Card) - When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Destroy 1 "Speedroid" monster you control; negate the attack, and if you do, draw 1 card for each "Speedroid" monster with a different Level in your Graveyard.

Accelerate Reignition (Trap Card) - When your WIND monster's attack is negated: Target that monster; until the end of this turn, it gains 500 ATK and can make a second attack during this Battle Phase.

Chronogear - Clock Unicorn
(LV: 6, Beast, EARTH, ATK: 2300, DEF: 1600)
Monster Effect: If you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). Once per turn: You can Special Summon 1 Level 2 or lower "Chronogear" Tuner from your Deck, but it has its effects negated and it cannot be used as Fusion or Xyz Material, also banish it during the End Phase. If this card is banished: You can send 1 "Chrono" card from your Deck to your Graveyard.

Chronogear - Progress Blaster
(LV: 4, Pyro, FIRE, ATK: 2000, DEF: 0)
Monster Effect: During the Battle Phase (Quick Effect): You can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard; until the end of this Battle Phase, "Chronogear" monsters you control are unaffected by your opponent's activated effects. If a "Chrono" card(s) you control would be destroyed, you can banish this card from your Graveyard instead.

Chronogear - Battler Dadasig
(LV: 4, Warrior, FIRE, ATK: 1600, DEF: 1100)
Monster Effect: If this card attacks an opponent's monster, it gains 400 ATK until the end of the Damage Step. After damage calculation, if this card battled an opponent's monster: You can destroy that opponent's monster.

Chronogear - Grind Worker
(LV: 3, Machine, DARK, ATK: 1000, DEF: 1600)
Monster Effect: Once per turn: You can banish 1 "Chronogear" monster from your Graveyard; this card gains ATK equal to that monster's Level x 100.

Chronogear - Steampunk Gunner
(LV: 6, Machine, EARTH, Fusion, ATK: 1900, DEF: 2400)
(2 "Chronogear" monsters)
Monster Effect: Once per turn, if a "Chronogear" monster you control destroys an opponent's monster(s) by battle or card effect and sends it to the Graveyard: You can target 1 card on the field; destroy it. If this card is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "Chronogear" monster from your Graveyard to your hand.

Chronogear Arch - Beat Buffalo
(LV: 8, Beast-Warrior, DARK, Synchro, ATK: 3000, DEF: 2800)
(1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner "Chronogear" monsters)
Monster Effect: If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage. Once per turn, if this card attacked: You can banish 1 "Chronogear" monster from your Graveyard; this card gains an additional attack during the Battle Phase this turn. At the end of your Battle Phase: You can draw cards equal to the number of your opponent's monsters destroyed by battle or card effects this turn.

Chronogear Arch - Spacial Sage
(LV: 5, Spellcaster, DARK, Fusion, ATK: 2100, DEF: 1400)
(2 "Chronogear" monsters)
Monster Effect: If this card is Fusion Summoned: You can target 1 of your banished "Chronogear" monsters; Special Summon that target. During your Main Phase, you can activate this effect: Banish this card from your field; negate the effects of all monsters your opponent controls on the field until the End Phase.

Chronogear - Reverse Blocker
(RNK: 4, Rock, EARTH, Xyz, ATK: 2300, DEF: 1700)
(2 Level 4 "Chronogear" monsters)
Monster Effect: Once per turn, when an opponent's monster declares an attack on a "Chronogear" monster: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate the attack. If this card is banished while it has Xyz Material: You can make all monsters your opponent controls lose 1000 ATK/DEF for each Xyz Material that was attached until your next Standby Phase.

Secrets of the Time Emperor (Magic Card) - Banish 1 "Chronogear" monster from your field or Graveyard, and if you do, draw 2 cards. Then, if you banished a "Chronogear Arch" monster using this effect, you can draw one more card.

Unlimited Time (Quick-Play Magic) - Shuffle 3 of your banished "Chronogear" monsters into the Deck, then target 1 monster on the field; double its current ATK, until the end of this turn. During the End Phase, destroy that monster.

Chrono Reprisal (Trap Card) - During the Battle Phase, if 2 or more "Chronogear" monsters were destroyed this turn: Target 1 monster your opponent controls; destroy it, and if you do, draw a card.

Chrono Surge (Trap Card) - When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Banish 1 "Chronogear" monster from your Graveyard, and if you do, reduce any battle damage you take this turn by the ATK of the banished monster. At the end of the Battle Phase, if you banished a Level 5 or higher "Chronogear" monster with this effect: Draw 1 card.

Temporal Reset (Trap Card) - During damage calculation, if your "Chronogear" monster battles an opponent's monster whose current ATK is different from its original ATK; that monster's ATK becomes its original ATK and its effects are negated, during damage calculation only.

EX-Saber Paladine
(LV: 4, Warrior, EARTH, Tuner, ATK: 1700, DEF: 1100)
Monster Effect: If you control an "X-Saber" monster, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. Once per turn: You can target 1 "X-Saber" monster on the field, then activate 1 of these effects.
● Increase its Level by 1.
● Reduce its Level by 1.

Rekka the Burst Exploding Star
(LV: 5, Warrior, FIRE, ATK: 2300, DEF: 1000)
Monster Effect: If only your opponent controls a monster, or if you control a LIGHT or EARTH monster, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card is destroyed by battle: You can destroy the monster that battled it, and if you do, inflict 1000 damage to both players.

Arashi the Sky Wind Star
(LV: 7, Warrior, WIND, ATK: 2300, DEF: 2800)
Monster Effect: If only your opponent controls a monster, or if you control an Level 5 or higher Warrior monster, you can Normal Summon this card without Tributing. If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can target 1 Magic/Trap your opponent controls; destroy it. Once per turn, you can have this card lose exactly 500 ATK, then target 1 face-up card on the field; its effects are negated.

Star Intercept (Trap Card) - When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target 1 "Star" monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it, and if you do, change the attack target to that monster instead.

Soaring Star Seal (Trap Card) - When your opponent activates a monster effect, while you control a "Star" monster: This turn, that monster cannot attack, also its effects are negated.

Some OCG, TCG, Anime and/or Manga effects are changed for the sake of convenience

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And that is Chapter 31 done, along with the first round of the Maiami Championship. Despite it being his first Turbo Duel, Mikleo quickly picked up on it and defeated Yugo with much skill. My bad for making you all wait this long. I've gotten a job recently and I haven't had much free time to work on this story for a couple months so that's why I'm a bit slow.

So in case y'all didn't notice, there's a specific scene I didn't include in this chapter. It is the one Serena is introduced and goes to Standard. The reason I did that is because she won't be arriving in Standard just yet and she'll be coming in a later chapter. What that also means that is the Maiami Championship will be extended, meaning more duels and chapters to spread throughout the story especially with what's coming. Don't worry. She'll be arriving in the future. Just not now.

In the meantime, I have a question for all of you: What are your thoughts on the LDS trio (Hokuto, Masumi and Yaiba)? Like how you feel about them, their part in the story, or just anything in general. Cause I am legit curious how people actually feel about them.

By the way, a quick note, the Kachidoki duel that's coming will be different than how it was originally, especially with how it ends. However, you'll have to wait and find out what that means. Also, happy to see great support for both Yugo and Ruri in the next Duelist Pack!

Anyway, I hope y'all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.

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NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:

Horizon of a New Awakening - As the second round of the Maiami Championship begins, Yuya finds himself facing Isao Kachidoki, who was the runner-up in the championship last year. Facing Isao's ruthless way of dueling, Yuya begins to fight back as much as he can before finding himself in a strange encounter with a familiar monster...

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Like or please review ~