Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V: The Fifth Circuit

by scififan599

To Yuji, Den City is his home. Fighting to protect it as Kingmaker, he ends up pulled into a war between dimensions alongside the Lancers. Follow alongside him and his comrades Hanako Zaizen and Go Onizuka as they navigate the dimensions and do their best to restore peace to their world and others. AU of ARC-V with the addition of the Link Dimension. Second Arc: Synchro Arc

35. Chapter 35: Linked Destinies

Responses to Reviews

Thank you to HunterHQ, thirdegree101, Star Vader Chaos Breaker, Rodvek97, Slimereader11, Nirvash Neo, fieryfoxpaws, RoyalTwinFangs, HelioB, savagemaster1999, DSpaceZ, Clearwing Yuta, Dimension Se7en, sanedimentio, ZarcEternal, Valtryek-sama, Noobmaster, British jack, FlameFireZero X, D3lph0xL0v3r, darthwolf, pokemonking0924, Xyzdragon1234, suppes1, RighteousHope, doa570047, Super Shadow 2018, NewComer1, Arie Draconoid, Anthony Galupo, helios darkus, Jason, Haoh Ryu Z-ARC, Ethan Kironus, GuestKingOfGuest, SakushiRyu, Lock Requiem, Ungulateman, Demon lord Digimon, and Guests for reviewing Chapter 34. Wow, this one had a lot…

Before I get to specific responses, anyone know how I can commission fanart? A lot of people were asking for fanart of Primal Dawn or Viral Dawn, and now I want some. Anyone know how I can commission something? Anyway, onto individual responses:

fieryfoxpaws: Sorry, but Pendulum hybrids are Yuya's thing; Yuji might use Pendulum Monsters to enhance his dueling, but he won't be using any Pendulum hybrid monsters. Well… not without Yuya.

doa570047: Oh Abelard isn't gone; he was knocked out and wounded, but he was sent back to Academia. We're going to be seeing him again, don't worry. Also, on Yuji and the lap pillow… he actually doesn't care. Yuji and Serena are two different kinds of socially inept: Serena is the kind that doesn't understand how her actions come across, Yuji is the kind who does understands, but just doesn't care. Meaning that if he's caught in a situation like that, he'll be pretty indifferent and nonchalant about it.

Super Shadow 2018: Of course you should have them interact. One of the joys of fanfiction is taking characters that don't interact and making them interact, or taking two who do interact and changing how they do so.

NewComer1: Are you All Might?

Arie Draconoid: A reminder: Yuri kidnapped Hanako; Abelard just gloated about it to Yuji. And Yuji's voice actor is Kensho Ono, the same VA as Yuya, except his voice is lower to highlight his more serious personality.

Anthony Galupo: Not sure if I said who Hanako's voice actor is, but I'm thinking it is Mai Fuchigami, the same VA as Ray, only her voice is lighter to show she's younger than Ray.

Haoh Ryu Z-ARC: I did in fact choose Primal Dawn's Link Markers to resemble a reverse pentagram, but that was more of a side benefit. The real reason I chose those Link Markers was because they Firewall Dragon Darkfluid's Link Markers inverted; you can think of it being a symbolic way to show how different Primal Dawn is from Playmaker's ultimate monster.

Guest Reviews: If Yuji was in the Nasuverse and could only summon a Saberface? Probably Lancer Artoria (or Altria, whatever), since she has similar troubles relating to humanity. What is Viral Dawn's gender? Whatever it wants to be. NO, Yuji won't have a Ritual dragon.

Lock Requiem: Let me clarify this right now: NO, Borreload Riot Dragon will not be appearing in Fifth Circuit. Revolver's Ritual Monster in this story is Borreload Ravenous Dragon. I'm not changing it, and he doesn't need two Ritual Monsters.

Thank you all once again for reviewing Chapter 34. Now I hope all of you enjoy Chapter 35, the last chapter of the Synchro Arc!

---

Chapter 35: Linked Destinies

"Battle! Decode Talker attacks Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!" The violet warrior swung his sword down and cut the metal hound in half. Its owner cried out as he fell backward and hit the ground unconscious.

Obelisk Force: 500→0 LP

Yuji breathed a sigh of relief as the three Obelisk Force disintegrated into blue light. That was the second group that had found them and they had proved to be a tenacious bunch. "Reira, are you-?"

Yuji cut off as he took in Reira's condition. She was panting heavily, and while her Duel Disk was still raised, her body was shaking. Yuji frowned before the sounds of boots made him look up. Another squad of the Obelisk Force had arrived.

"There's no end to them," Reira muttered. Her eyes were wide and her shaking and panting intensified. Yuji's frown deepened as he recognized the symptoms. A panic attack: this was getting to be too much for the young girl. Yuji didn't know her story, but he remembered what Reiji said about them having similar eyes; despite her courage so far, it seemed the Obelisk Force was triggering a bad memory.

Yuji placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. She jumped and turned to him before flinching. Yuji ignored that; she'd been flinching away from him since his duel with Abelard, and while it was disheartening, Yuji couldn't and wouldn't blame her. Even if his memory regarding what happened to Abelard was a little foggy.

"Take a rest, Reira," he whispered. "You've done what you can, now let me handle the rest."

"But… But I…" Reira's breathing was steadying but she was still shaking.

"Reira!"

Everyone turned at the voice that came from the tracks. And their eyes widened when a Duel Runner shot out. "Reira!"

The young girl smiled in relief. "Yuya…"

Yuji couldn't resist a smirk. "Good timing."

Yuya landed and pulled his goggles up. "Reira! Serena! Yuji! Are all of you alright?!"

"Yuya," Serena muttered with a smile.

"We're fine for now," Yuji assured him. "But right now we have more immediate concerns." Yuya followed his gaze to the three Obelisk Force and grimaced.

A few minutes later, Yuji watched with middle amusement as Encryption Paladin, Enlightenment Paladin, and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon tore through the three members and sent them teleporting back to Academia.

Yuya then turned around, and upon seeing the panting and shaking Reira, hugged the girl. "Calm down! Calm down!" he urged. Serena's smile widened on seeing Reira stopped shaking and her breathing evened out.

"Why are you here?" Yuya asked Reira before looking at Yuji. "And you too? I thought you were sent underground!"

"Tsukikage and Reiji wanted my help outside of the tournament," Yuji answered. "So when I lost, Tsukikage kept me from going underground."

"As for Reira," Yuya turned to Serena, "Security captured me, and Reira was the one who saved me. She and Yuji have been holding off the Obelisk Force. Though Reira took out three of them alone."

"Alone?!" Yuya turned to Yuji, his expression thunderous. "Yuji-!"

"Yuji didn't have a choice!" Reira interrupted. "He was already dueling someone else!" Reira flinched on thinking about Abelard but plowed on. "He was protecting Serena, so I protected him and Serena!"

Yuya stared at her before smiling. "Well done, Reira. Nice job!"

Reira smiled at the praise, only for her, Yuya, and Yuji to stiffen as more boots hit the ground. Yuya turned around and Yuji stepped in front of Reira to face the Obelisk Force, only for the latter to raise an eyebrow when the three Academia duelists stood to the sides. That eyebrow lowered when his eyes narrowed as someone else walked down the stairs.

Serena gasped. "You're-!" The man came down the stairs, revealing he was tall with a muscular build, and that he wore a military jacket over a black shirt, bandages, and gray pants. An eyepatch covered his left eye and a massive scar and his dark green hair was spiked backwards. "Barrett!"

"It has been a while, Mistress Serena," the man said.

"You know this man, Serena?" Yuji asked calmly.

"Yes," she confirmed with a frown. "He was my minder back at Academia. Are you here to take me back, Barrett?!" Her frown morphed into a grimace. "Piss off! I won't go back!"

Barrett stared at her and walked forward, only for Yuya to block his path. "Move," he said.

"I won't let you have Serena!" Yuya asserted.

The man narrowed his eyes. "My name is Barrett. I will be taking Serena back to Academia."

"And if Serena wanted to go with you, we might have let that happen," Yuji said, making Yuya look at him in surprise. "But as she doesn't want to go, we'll be standing in your way."

"Is that so? Then I will defeat you!" Barrett activated his Duel Disk and stood off against Yuya.

"Duel!"

Yuji grimaced and turned towards the three Obelisk Force members, who arrayed themselves against him. "Commander Barrett will deal with your friend, while the three of us will deal with you!" Red declared.

"We'll see about that," Yuji responded with a neutral expression.

"Field Spell Card: Crossover."

"Duel!"

Yuji Kogami: 4000 LP

Obelisk Red: 4000 LP

Obelisk Green: 4000 LP

Obelisk Yellow: 4000 LP

"Master Rule Override activated."

"Master Rule?" Green's eyes narrowed. "So you're one of the Link Dimension duelists."

"Then that makes this a good opportunity," Yellow said.

"Yes. To test our newest power!" Red declared.

Yuji's eyes narrowed. The other Obelisk Force had given similar reactions to the Master Rule Override, but they hadn't done anything about it. But then again, if Abelard was any indication…

---

Go dodged the guard's punch and delivered a cross-counter to his jaw, knocking the man out. He then spun out of another guard's way before grabbing him from behind and suplexing him. He let go and looked up. "Is that the last of them?" he asked.

"For now," Shun confirmed, knocking out his own guard. Gongenzaka, Sawatari, and Crow approached them, but before they could speak, someone from above spoke up.

"All of you!"

They looked up, only for Gongenzaka, Sawatari, Shun, and Go to reflexively catch the Duel Disks that were thrown at them.

"Tsukikage!" Gongenzaka exclaimed as the ninja jumped down beside them.

"Is what Crow said true?" Go asked. "Is Academia here?"

"They are," the ninja confirmed. "Right now, they are hunting Serena. Reira and Yuji are protecting her, but they'll need backup!"

"Reira's fighting?!" Shun asked in surprise.

"Yuji?" Go blinked and smiled. "That's just like him."

"If that's the case, then we need to get out of here!" Gongenzaka declared.

"No, you need to stay here, Gongenzaka!" The burly teen looked about to protest before Tsukikage continued. "If we all move now, no one will be protecting Yuzu. We can't have Yuzu be taken away by Security during the commotion, so I'm counting on you."

Gongenzaka frowned and nodded. "Got it. Kurosaki, Onizuka, I'll leave Reira and Yuji to you two then."

"Yeah," Shun confirmed.

"Let's go!" Go declared, heading towards the exit and followed by Shun. Both of them ignored Sawatari's protest that he was there too before following them. Gongenzaka and Crow split off and headed towards Yuzu's area.

---

"I'll take the first turn!" Red announced. "I summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!" A green metal dog appeared.

Ancient Gear Hunting Hound ATK 1000 DEF 1000 LVL: 3

"I activate the Spell Card: Double Summon, which lets me Normal Summon a second time this turn. Come, another Hunting Hound!" A second mechanical dog appeared alongside the first.

Ancient Gear Hunting Hound ATK 1000 DEF 1000 LVL: 3

Red smirked. "Let me show you our new power. Appear, the fused circuit!" Yuji narrowed his eyes. As he thought, the Obelisk Force also had Link Summoning. "The summoning conditions are two Earth Machine monsters. I set two Hunting Hounds in the Link Markers!" The bottom-left and right arrows lit up. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-2! Ancient Gear Ballista!" A mechanical centaur with crossbows at the ends of its arms and an even larger crossbow at its midsection emerged from the portal at the right Extra Monster Zone.

Ancient Gear Ballista ATK 1500 LINK-2 ↙→

"So you also have Link Summoning."

"That's right," Red confirmed. "Now prepare for defeat at the hands of your own summoning method! Ballista's effect activates! When it is Link Summoned, I can add an 'Ancient Gear' monster or one Geartown from my Deck to my hand. I'll add my third Hunting Hound to my hand. I activate the Spell Card: Ancient Gear Double Imitation! This card Special Summons up to two 'Ancient Gear' monsters from any player's Graveyard with their effects negated! Resurrect, my Hunting Hounds!" The two Hunting Hounds reappeared in Attack Position.

Ancient Gear Hunting Hound ATK 1000 DEF 1000 LVL: 3 x 2

"I activate the Spell Card: Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards. I activate the Spell Card: Polymerization and fuse the Hunting Hounds on my field with the Hunting Hound in my hand! Mechanical hounds who carry on the ancient spirits! Flock together and become one with a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 7! Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!" A larger and three-headed mechanical dog emerged from the portal at Ballista's bottom-left Link Marker in Attack Position.

Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound ATK 1800 DEF 1000 LVL: 7

"I Set one card. I end my turn."

Yuji's eyes narrowed. A Link Monster and a Fusion Monster… this was going to be tricky. "My turn! Draw! I summon Flame Bufferlo!" A black metal bison with flaming horns and tail appeared.

Flame Bufferlo ATK 1400 DEF 200 LVL: 3

"Appear, the circuit that leads to the future! The summoning condition is one Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster. I set Flame Bufferlo in the Link Marker!" The monster entered the bottom arrow. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-1! Link Disciple!" A humanoid digital red, black, and white monster emerged from the portal at the Extra Monster Zone.

Link Disciple ATK 500 LINK-1 ↓

"Flame Bufferlo's effect activates! When it leaves the field, I can discard a Cyberse monster to draw two cards. I discard Latency and draw!" Yuji glanced at his new cards. Good. "I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Cynet Optimization! Once per turn, Cynet Optimization lets me Normal Summon a Cyberse monster, but the turn I activate this effect, I can only Special Summon Cyberse monsters from the Extra Deck. I Normal Summon ROM Cloudia!" A ram with brown fur and pink horns appeared and bleated.

ROM Cloudia ATK 1800 DEF 0 LVL: 4

"ROM Cloudia's effect activates! When it is Normal Summoned, I can add a Cyberse monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I'll add Latency to my hand. And since Latency was added to my hand from the Graveyard, I can Special Summon it!" A small pink mechanical girl appeared in Attack Position, holding a blue hourglass.

Latency ATK 0 DEF 0 LVL: 1

"Appear again, the circuit that leads to the future! The summoning conditions are two Effect Monsters. I set Latency and ROM Cloudia in the Link Markers!" The monsters entered the top and bottom arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-2! Code Talker!" A gray armored warrior emerged from the portal at Link Disciple's Link Marker and swung a sword.

Code Talker ATK 1300 LINK-2 ↑↓

"As Latency was Special Summoned by its effect and used for a Link Summon, I can draw a card. And while Code Talker is linked to a monster, it gains 500 attack points!"

Code Talker ATK 1300→1800

"Appear for a third time, the circuit that leads to the future! The summoning conditions are two or more Effect Monsters. I set Link Disciple and Link-2 Code Talker in the Link Markers!" The monsters entered the top, bottom, and right arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-3! Transcode Talker!" A warrior in orange armor emerged at the Extra Monster Zone, popping a gun out of its shoulder.

Transcode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↑↓→

"Transcode Talker's effect activates! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Link-3 or lower Cyberse Link Monster from my Graveyard to its Link Marker. Resurrect, Code Talker!" The gray warrior reappeared at Transcode Talker's bottom Link Marker.

Code Talker ATK 1300 LINK-2 ↑↓

"Once again, Code Talker gains 500 attack points for each monster it points to. And when Transcode Talker is co-linked, itself and monsters co-linked with it gain 500 attack points and cannot be targeted by my opponents' card effects."

Code Talker ATK 1300→1800→2300

Transcode Talker ATK 2300→2800

"As I control a Cyberse monster, I can Special Summon Backup Secretary!" A violet-haired woman in pink and purple robes and armor appeared in Attack Position.

Backup Secretary ATK 1200 DEF 800 LVL: 3

"Appear, the circuit that leads to the future!"

"What?!" Green gasped. "Four Link Summons in one turn?!"

"The summoning conditions are two or more Cyberse monsters. I set Backup Secretary and Link-2 Code Talker in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the left, top, and right arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-3! Excode Talker!" A large green warrior with shields on his wrists emerged from the portal at Transcode Talker's bottom Link Marker.

Excode Talker ATK 2300→2800 LINK-3 ←↑→

"Excode Talker's effect activates! When it is Link Summoned, I can choose unused Main Monster Zones equal to the number of monsters in the Extra Monster Zones and make those zones unusable so long as Excode Talker is on the field. Grasp Zone!" Green and Red gasped as two green orbs impacted their field, leaving both of their center-left Main Monster Zones unusable. "Furthermore, monsters linked to Excode Talker gain 500 attack points and cannot be destroyed by card effects."

Transcode Talker ATK 2800→3300

"Those are some pretty strong monsters," Yellow commented.

"But they're powerless against us!" Red declared with a sneer. "Continuous Trap activate! Fusion Trench! While this card is on the field, only Fusion Monsters can declare an attack!"

Yuji's eyes widened. "What?"

Serena grit her teeth. "That card is annoying…"

"Your Link Monsters are useless now," Green sneered.

"But the same cannot be said for our Fusion Monsters," Yellow reminded him.

Yuji's eyes narrowed as he took cards from his hand. "I Set two cards. I end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Green sneered at his card. "I activate the Spell Card: Polymerization! I fuse the three Ancient Gear Hunting Hounds in my hand! Mechanical hounds who carry on the ancient spirits! Flock together and become one with a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 7! Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!" A second three-headed dog emerged from the Fusion vortex at the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound ATK 1800 DEF 1000 LVL: 7

"Time to punish you for your defiance! If the turn player only Special Summoned Fusion Monsters this turn, Fusion Trench allows one of my Fusion Monsters to attack you directly! Battle! Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound attacks you directly!"

"Yuji!" Reira and Serena cried out.

Yuji narrowed his eyes at the charging hound and took a card from his hand. "If I would damage from a direct attack, I can discard Cyberse Gardna to reduce that damage to 0!" A black metal face with white arms and black gauntlets appeared in front of him. The hound bit down on the monster, making it shatter, but Yuji was unaffected.

Green grit his teeth. "Damn it! But when it is my partner's turn-!"

"Continuous Trap activate!" Yuji interrupted. "Cynet Integration!" The card showed Cyberse Converter, with green lines of code shooting out of its lights and wrapping around Gouki Suprex. "Once per turn, I can banish a Cyberse monster from my Graveyard to add a different Cyberse monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I banish Flame Bufferlo to add Cyberse Gardna to my hand."

Green growled on hearing that, but Serena smirked. "So he can negate one direct attack per turn. And if they use Fusion Trench's effect, their Fusion Monsters can't attack the monsters on his field."

"So you've created a stalemate," Yellow summarized with a scowl. "You can't attack us because of Fusion Trench, while we can't attack directly because of your Monster Card and Trap Card." His scowl morphed into a sneer. "But your Trap Card will eventually run out of monsters to banish. Once that happens, we only need to wait you out."

"Yes," Green agreed. "Your defeat is still certain. I Set one card. I end my turn."

"Yuya!"

Yuji turned and stiffened at what he saw. Yuya had managed to bring Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, only for Barrett to use two Trap Cards to bind not only his monsters, but Yuya himself in chains. Yuji was worried for him, but he had his own battle to fight, so he refocused on the Obelisk Force.

"My turn! Draw!" Yellow announced. "I activate the Spell Card: Polymerization and fuse the three Hunting Hounds in my hand! Mechanical hounds who carry on the ancient spirits! Flock together and become one with a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 7! Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!" A third three-headed dog emerged from the Fusion vortex at the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound ATK 1800 DEF 1000 LVL: 7

"Even if you can negate our direct attacks, we can still inflict damage. I activate the Equip Spell Card: Ancient Gear Blaster and equip it to Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!" A double-barreled cannon appeared on the Fusion Monster's back. "Once per turn, I can inflict damage equal to the equipped monster's Level times 100!" The cannon fired a beam of red light at Yuji, making him wince.

Yuji Kogami: 4000→3300 LP

Green sneered. "And since you've taken damage, I think I'll deal some of my own! Trap activate! Ancient Gear Punisher!" The card showed Legendary Fiend being crushed underneath massive and weathered gears. "When an 'Ancient Gear' card inflicts battle or effect damage, I can destroy the monster my opponent controls with the least attack points!" Yuji's eyes widened. "I destroy Excode Talker!" The hacker flinched as the green armored warrior exploded.

Transcode Talker ATK 3300→2300

Yuji glared as the smoke cleared, revealing his smug opponents. "And now you only have one monster left."

"Perhaps," Yuji allowed. "But your actions benefit me as well. Trap activate! Cyberse Beacon! Since I took damage from battle or an effect this turn, I can add a Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster from my Deck to my hand. I'll add Clock Wyvern to my hand!"

Serena blinked. "Clock Wyvern? That means-!"

"It doesn't matter what you add to your hand. And even if you can negate our direct attacks, you'll still lose one of your monsters. Battle! Using Fusion Trench's effect, Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound attacks you directly!" The three-headed dog pounced at Yuji.

"I activate the effect of Cyberse Gardna! I discard it to reduce the damage of this direct attack to 0!" And once again, a monster made of face and arms blocked the dog's path before it shattered. "I activate the effect of Cynet Integration! I banish Latency to add Cyberse Gardna to my hand."

"Even if you evade our attacks, that's still one less monster," Yellow stated. "I Set one card. I end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Red sneered at his card. "I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Ancient Armageddon Gear! If a monster on the field is destroyed, that monster's controller takes damage equal to that monster's attack points!" His sneer widened. "But you don't have to worry about that. Ancient Gear Ballista's effect activates! Once per turn, I can target a Spell or Trap Card I control and a face-up monster you control. I target Ancient Armageddon Gear and Transcode Talker. My card is then destroyed, and your monster's attack and defense points become 0 until the end of the turn!" Yuji's eyes widened as the Continuous Spell Card shattered and Transcode Talker groaned.

Transcode Talker ATK 2300→0

"Cyberse Gardna can only be used to block damage from direct attacks, not attacks against monsters!" Red said with sadistic glee. "Battle! Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound attacks Transcode Talker!" The hound pounced on the warrior and made it explode, pushing Yuji back with a shockwave.

Yuji Kogami: 3300→1500 LP

"Unfortunately, Fusion Trench also keeps Ballista from attacking since it's a Link Monster and not a Fusion Monster. But that doesn't mean you're safe."

"Trap activate!" Yellow declared. "Ancient Gear Enhancement!" The card showed Ancient Gear Soldier, getting his arms replaced by much larger arms with numerous guns attached to them. "When an 'Ancient Gear' monster inflicts battle damage, all 'Ancient Gear' monsters on the field gain 1000 attack and defense points until my next Standby Phase!"

Ancient Gear Ballista ATK 1500→2500

Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound ATK 1800→2800 DEF 1000→2000 x 3

"I end my turn." Red sneered. "Even if you can still use Cyberse Gardna's effect, you are at a massive disadvantage. Go ahead and save us the trouble by surrendering."

"…I will grant you this: you are determined to fulfill your mission." Yuji's eyes narrowed. "But I am even more determined to fulfill mine and protect Serena. So I'll take this opportunity to end this duel right now."

"What?!"

"My turn! Draw! I summon Clock Wyvern!" A blue and purple metal dragon appeared and roared.

Clock Wyvern ATK 1800 DEF 1000 LVL: 4

"Clock Wyvern's effect activates! When it is Summoned, I halve its attack points to Special Summon a Clock Token!" A mass of violet crystals appeared in Defense Position.

Clock Wyvern ATK 1800→900

Clock Token ATK 0 DEF 0 LVL: 1

"Appear, the circuit that leads to the future! The summoning conditions are two Cyberse monsters. I set Clock Wyvern and Clock Token in the Link Markers!" Yuji's monsters entered the bottom and bottom-right arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-2! Clock Spartoi!" A red-skinned warrior wearing silver and gold armor emerged from the portal at the Extra Monster Zone, wielding a lance.

Clock Spartoi ATK 800 LINK-2 ↓↘

Serena smirked on seeing Yuji's monster. "It's here."

"Clock Spartoi's effect activates! When it is Link Summoned, I can add Cynet Fusion from my Deck to my hand!"

"What?!" Red gasped.

"Fusion?!" Green repeated.

"I activate Cynet Integration's final effect!" Yuji declared. "By sending it to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Cyberse Link Monster from my Graveyard, but that monster cannot activate its effects for the rest of the turn. Resurrect, Transcode Talker!" The orange armored warrior reappeared at Clock Spartoi's bottom Link Marker.

Transcode Talker ATK 2300→2800 LINK-3 ↑↓→

Clock Spartoi ATK 800→1300

"Clock Spartoi's effect activates! If a monster is Special Summoned to its Link Marker, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster from my Graveyard with its effects negated. Resurrect, Clock Wyvern!" The dragon reappeared and roared in Attack Position.

Clock Wyvern ATK 1800 DEF 1000 LVL: 4

Yuji allowed himself to let out a satisfied smirk. "Fusion Trench only allows Fusion Monsters to attack. If that's the case, then I'll just finish you all with a Fusion Monster. I activate the Spell Card: Cynet Fusion! I fuse Clock Wyvern, Clock Spartoi, and Transcode Talker to Fusion Summon!" His monsters broke apart into red, blue, and green particles that swirled into a vortex. Three tornados shot out of the vortex before merging into a violet whirlwind. "The strong ones gather before its grand wings! Become a new legend! Fusion Summon! Come out! Level 7! Cyberse Clock Dragon!" The whirlwind parted, revealing a violet dragon in black armor with gold and silver wings. Its four blue eyes gleamed as it roared from the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Cyberse Clock Dragon ATK 2500 DEF 2000 LVL: 7

"A Fusion Monster?" Red gasped.

Barrett looked past Yuya at Yuji. "Dennis's report did mention him having a Fusion Monster. But this seems stronger than it should be." Laying on the ground, Serena smirked.

"Clock Dragon's effect activates! When it is Fusion Summoned, I send a number of cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard equal to the combined Link Ratings of its Fusion Materials. Clock Spartoi was Link-2 and Transcode Talker was Link-3; that means I send five cards to the Graveyard." Yuji did so and smirked. "Then, until the end of the next turn, Clock Dragon gains 1000 attack points for each card!"

"What?!" "1000 for each card?!"

"Go! Cyberse Clockup!"

Cyberse Clock Dragon ATK 2500→7500

"7500 attack points?!"

"Calm down!" Red declared. "Even if that monster can attack, he can only defeat one of us! On our next turn, we can-!"

"You're wrong," Yuji interrupted. "This duel will end right now. I activate the Equip Spell Card: Code Accelerator and equip it to Clock Dragon! Once per turn, Code Accelerator lets me banish a Link Monster from my Graveyard. Then, for the rest of the turn, the equipped monster can make attacks on monsters up to the banished monster's Link Rating!"

"What?!"

"I banish the Link-3 Transcode Talker to let Clock Dragon attack up to three times this turn!" All three members of the Obelisk Force gasped and stepped back in horror. "Battle! Cyberse Clock Dragon attacks all three Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hounds! Pulse Pressure!" Pink lightning sparked over Clock Dragon's body before it gathered in its maw. Said lightning was then released in a massive stream that enveloped all three Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hounds. The Obelisk Force all cried out as their monsters exploded and they were all knocked off their feet.

Obelisk Red: 4000→0 LP

Obelisk Yellow: 4000→0 LP

Obelisk Green: 4000→0 LP

Yuji watched calmly as the three disintegrated into blue particles. "Impressive." The youth turned towards Barrett, who was studying him intensely. "Dennis believed your strength to be on par with Reiji Akaba and Shun Kurosaki. It seems his analysis was accurate. Once I have finished my duel with Yuya Sakaki, you will be next."

"That won't happen!" Yuya growled, struggling against the chains of Barrett's Trap Card. "You won't get anywhere near Yuji, Serena, or Yuzu!"

"I couldn't agree more!"

Everyone turned as a voice came from a hole in the roof. A young boy leapt through the hole and landed in front of Yuji, who tensed at first before relaxing.

"Sora!" Yuya exclaimed happily. "You came?"

Serena's eyes widened in recognition. "You're-! You're the one who fought Kurosaki!" She tried to move, only to stumble and collapse next to the bench. "Get away! I won't go back to Academia!"

"He's not here for that, Serena," Yuji said calmly. Serena turned to look at him. "Remember what Tsukikage said? About a friend of Yuzu Hiragi's helping Yuya? That friend was Shiunin."

"What?" Serena gasped. "But in the Standard Dimension-!"

"It's true that I was sent to the Standard Dimension to bring you back, Serena," Sora interrupted. "That was the Professor's order. And it's his order now that you be brought back to Academia. But… this time is different."

"What is different?!" Serena demanded.

"It's simple," Yuji interrupted, meeting Sora's eyes. "Before you were a soldier following orders. Now… you're a duelist following your heart, aren't you?"

Sora blinked and then smiled morosely. "Yeah, I suppose that's a good way to put it. Before I was your enemy. But now… now I'm your ally!"

Serena and Reira gasped while Yuya smiled happily. Yuji just nodded for his part.

"Oh? So then that means you've betrayed the Professor?"

And then their optimistic mood was broken by a single voice. A mocking drawl that contained the slightest hint of curiosity.

Everyone gasped, tensed, and turned towards the sound of the voice. Yuji narrowed his eyes upon seeing a violet-haired boy in a dark purple uniform nearly identical to Abelard's.

"The same face as me!" Yuya exclaimed in surprise. "Then he's the Fusion Dimension's-!"

Yuji and Sora both tensed and stood protectively in front of Serena. Out of the corner of his eye, Yuji noticed Barrett glower at the boy. It seemed Barrett didn't like him.

The boy leapt across the rails to the platform and smirked at Sora. "To betray the Professor while wearing an Academia uniform… Do you think that would ever be forgiven?" He glanced at Serena. "I'm saying this to you as well. Are you listening?" His gaze returned to Sora. "Anyway, that means you're a full-fledged criminal in Academia's eyes, then. The two of you have committed treason against the Professor, so I will be apprehending both of you."

Yuji glanced at the boy next to him. "Shiunin, who is this?"

Sora grit his teeth. "First off, call me Sora, it's easier. And this is Yuri, the Professor's strongest Honor Student."

Yuji tensed as he refocused on the boy in front of him, the hairclip in his pocket suddenly heavier. Yuri, huh?

Yuri's smirk widened as he raised a hand. Yuji and Sora tensed again as they noticed the three Obelisk Force behind him, one of them having summoned an Ancient Gear Hunting Hound. Said hound leapt across the platform and snarled at them.

"Well then, just capturing you wouldn't be any fun so… why don't we play a little?" Yuri mused.

"Play…?" Serena repeated.

"Yeah. I was thinking I'd like to duel you."

"Duel… me?"

Yuri chuckled. "Oh right, you can't? It looks like you can't even stand!" He turned his eyes to Sora and Yuji. "Then, will one of you duel in her place? Though in Shiunin's case, it may turn into an execution, since dragging you back sounds like a hassle."

"An execution?" Sora spat out. "Fine then, I'll be-!"

"No."

Sora flinched and turned to Yuji, at which point his eyes widened. A natural reaction, considering the stormy glower that had come over his face.

"I'll duel you," Yuji declared as he glared at Yuri. Yuya blinked, not having seen such anger before. Serena however frowned in sympathy while Reira flinched and edged away from Yuji.

"Oh?" Yuri gave his whole attention to Yuji. "You want to duel me? And with such dislike? It seems you know me. Tell me, have we met before?"

Yuji's eyes narrowed. "We haven't met, but I've got a personal problem with you."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Hanako."

Yuri blinked. "Hana-?" The confusion cleared in an instant, replaced by an almost feral euphoria. "You mean Hanako Zaizen? Nature Queen? If you know that name, then does that mean you're from the Link Dimension too?"

"I am Yuji Kogami," the teen declared. "Code name Kingmaker, leader of Security Team 13, comprised of Go Onizuka and Hanako Zaizen, aka GO and Nature Queen."

"Yuji, huh?" The sadistic joy didn't lessen. If anything, it only increased. "I've heard your name before. Hanako called me that when we first met. And if you're her superior… then you're stronger than her, right?" Yuji didn't answer with words, only with narrowed eyes. Yuri's response was to break out in laughter. "Interesting! Very interesting! Yes, this is what I was hoping for!" A manic grin split Yuri's face. "Alright, I've decided! I'll duel you! Hanako Zaizen gave me one of the best duels I've ever had, and if you're stronger than her…!" The boy shuddered in near bliss. "Oh, this will be so much fun!"

"C-Commander Yuri?" Obelisk Red stammered, looking at the boy uneasily.

Yuri gained enough control over himself to turn to the three duelists. "Don't interfere. I won't have you spoiling my-."

"I found you, you smug bastard!"

Yuji and Sora blinked as one of the windows shattered and a Duel Runner shot in. Yugo raised his visor and glared at Yuri. "This time you won't get away! Duel me!"

All prospective joy vanished from Yuri's face as he regarded Yugo with disdain and annoyance. "You again?" he groaned. "You're really persistent, aren't you? Well, I'm afraid I'm a bit busy right now, so I'll deal with you later."

"Shut up!" Yugo shouted. "Do you even understand how long I've waited for this moment!? Ever since you kidnapped Rin that day…!"

"That was just my job, you know!" Yuri interrupted, his exasperation clear. Yuji meanwhile frowned. Rin, huh? He remembered Yugo mentioning that name. So Yuri kidnapped her like he did Hanako? That likely meant he was responsible for kidnapping Kurosaki's sister too. "There's no point in hating me so much for what I'm ordered to do."

"An order!? From who!?"

"The Professor, obviously. That is true now as well, I have to bring Serena back immediately."

Yugo blinked. "Serena?" He turned his head and blinked. "Serena and Yuji? What are you two doing here?"

Yuji felt his eye twitch. He just noticed we were here, didn't he? he thought. Such tunnel vision was almost impressive. Almost.

"I thought the two of you lost and got sent underground!"

"We were supposed to, but things changed," Yuji answered. "Yugo, while I have no problem with you, I have to ask that you back off. Yuri's mine." That last part was said in a growl.

"What?!" Yugo protested. "Hell no! I've chased this bastard across the City! I'm not letting him-!"

"He kidnapped Hanako," Yuji interrupted, drawing Yugo up short. "She looks like Serena and Yuzu Hiragi. And she was my teammate. As team leader, it's my responsibility to avenge her." His eyes narrowed. "Your grievance against Yuri is legitimate, but I was here first. Wait your turn."

"Your friend was kidnapped by this bastard too?" Yugo repeated in shock. "Tch! Even if you have as much reason as me to hate him, I've waited too long for this!"

Yuri sighed. "My, I feel so popular. Well, as much as I would prefer to duel Yuji here solo, I suppose I can put up with the loudmouth's presence. Fine then, I'll duel both of you." Yuri snapped his fingers. Sora gasped when the Hunting Hound bit down on his Duel Disk. "Sorry, but I'll be dealing with you later. For now…" Yuri's sneer widened malevolently. "I'll be enjoying myself with these two."

"Yuji!" Serena muttered.

"Don't worry, Serena," Yuji assured her. "I'll end this quickly. Shi- no, Sora, once I've beaten this guy, I'll get you free."

Sora grit his teeth as he yanked on his arm. "Make it fast, would you? But don't take this guy lightly! He's more dangerous than anyone in Academia!"

"I won't," Yuji promised, his eyes narrowed as he glared at Yuri. After all, Yuri had managed to defeat Hanako, and she was one of the strongest duelists Yuji knew. Anyone who could defeat her was worth being cautious around.

Yuji's glare didn't seem to intimidate Yuri. If anything, it seemed to excite him. "Oh, that gaze of yours… it feels familiar. Sharp. You're not like the Standard Dimension duelists; you have experience in combat. Plentiful experience. This should be fun." Yuri turned towards his comrades. "By the way, Obelisk Force, you aren't allowed to act on your own."

"Yes, sir!"

"I will bring back Serena, so just stay there and wait patiently." Yuri turned back to Yuji and Yugo. The three arranged themselves in a triangle, Yuji standing closest to Serena, Yuri near the tracks, and Yugo on his Duel Runner closer to the entrance.

"No more running, huh?" Yugo growled.

"Yes," Yuri confirmed. "I have no more reason to run from you, and if putting up with you means I get to duel someone as interesting as Yuji here, then I'll do it without holding back."

Yuji's eyes narrowed. "You seem to have some interest in the Link Dimension," he noted. "Why is that?"

"Oh? It's very simple: Hanako Zaizen gave me one of the best duels of my life." Yuri's sneer widened. "I'm very curious to see whether her strength was the standard of the Link Dimension or just a fluke. Do try not to disappoint me. It'll end badly for you if you do."

"And it'll end badly for you if you underestimate us!" Yugo growled. "I'll beat your ass and get Rin back!"

"I already told you that Rin isn't here anymore," Yuri said disinterestedly.

"Quit your yapping and get ready!" Yuri sneered as he, Yuji, and Yugo activated their Duel Disks.

"Field Spell Card: Crossover."

"Duel!"

Yuji Kogami: 4000 LP

Yugo: 4000 LP

Yuri: 4000 LP

"Master Rule Override activated."

Yuji's eyes narrowed. "The Obelisk Force and Abelard had Link Monsters in their Decks," he said. "Does that mean you have one too, Yuri?"

"Oh?" Yuri blinked before sneering. "You met Abelard? I'm guessing since he isn't here that you defeated him. Well, to answer your question, I don't. It's not because I don't want one; truthfully the idea of having something new is invigorating. But the Professor wanted to prioritize those who needed them more, and for someone as strong as me, a Link Monster was unnecessary."

"Confident bastard, isn't he?" Yugo muttered.

"I'll take the first turn," Yuri continued. "I activate the Spell Card: Predapractice! This lets me Special Summon a 'Predaplant' monster from my hand, then add a 'Predap' card from my Deck to my hand. I Special Summon Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra and add Predaplanning to my hand." A snake made of plant matter with two heads appeared in Attack Position.

Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra ATK 1000 DEF 1500 LVL: 3

"Darlingtonia Cobra's effect activates! When it is Special Summoned, I can add Polymerization from my Deck to my hand. I summon Predaplant Flytrap!" A venus flytrap with a large mouth and clawed hands appeared and hissed.

Predaplant Flytrap ATK 400 DEF 800 LVL: 2

"I activate the Spell Card: Polymerization and fuse Darlingtonia Cobra and Flytrap! Two sweet smelling flowers that invite the abyss! Become one, and give birth to a new terror! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 7! Predaplant Chimerafflesia!" A red flower with green vines came out of the vortex at the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position, with two of the vines elongating and opening gaping mouths.

Predaplant Chimerafflesia ATK 2500 DEF 2000 LVL: 7

Yugo grimaced at the twisted-looking Fusion Monster while Yuji's eyebrows just furrowed.

"I Set two cards. I end my turn." Yuri's sneer widened. "Now, do try to entertain me. I don't want my fun to end so soon."

"This isn't going to be fun for you, smug bastard," Yugo growled. "I'll go first, Yuji; I'll set him up and you knock him down."

"Do what you want, Yugo," Yuji assured him.

"My turn! Draw! I activate the Spell Card: Speedraw! When I control no cards, I draw two cards, then I have to send a 'Speedroid' monster from my hand to the Graveyard." Yugo drew and discarded a card. "I summon Speedroid Double Yoyo!" Two green wheels with a silver connector appeared.

Speedroid Double Yoyo ATK 1400 DEF 1400 LVL: 4

"Double Yoyo's effect activates! When it is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 3 or lower 'Speedroid' monster from my Graveyard. Come, Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice!" A blue pyramid with red eyes painted on it appeared in Attack Position.

Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice ATK 300 DEF 1500 LVL: 3

Yuji narrowed his eyes. A Level 4 monster and a Level 3 Tuner. That means…

"Heh? Are you trying to bring out that dragon of yours?" Yuri mused with a smirk. "I'm interesting in fighting that monster, but I don't want our fun to end so soon. Trap activate! Predaplanning!"

"What?" Yugo gasped.

By sending a 'Predaplant' monster from my Deck to the Graveyard, Predaplanning places Predator Counters on each face-up monster on the field! I send Predaplant Cordyceps to the Graveyard!" A green head made of plant matter with red eyes and sharp teeth appeared before it latched onto Double Yoyo's side. Two similar heads latched onto Tri-Eyed Dice and Chimerafflesia.

Predaplant Chimerafflesia: 0 PC→1 PC

Speedroid Double Yoyo: 0 PC→1 PC

Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice: 0 PC→1 PC

"In addition, monsters with Predator Counters that are Level 2 or higher become Level 1!"

Predaplant Chimerafflesia LVL: 7→1

Speedroid Double Yoyo LVL: 4→1

Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice LVL: 3→1

Yugo stared at his monsters before gritting his teeth. "Damn it, you crafty bastard!"

Yuji had a similar grimace on his face. Synchro Summoning, as well as Xyz Summoning and Ritual Summoning, were highly dependent on monsters' Levels. Link Summoning and Fusion Summoning weren't as affected, so this strategy wouldn't impact himself or Yuri, but Yugo was at a disadvantage here.

"If you think this will stop me, you're dead wrong! I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Speedroid Roulette! By discarding a card, I can roll a die and Special Summon up to two 'Speedroid' monsters from my hand or Deck whose combined Levels equal that result. But those monsters' effects will be negated, and if I don't Special Summon, then I'll lose Life Points equal to the die roll times 500!"

Yuri blinked and then sneered. "So you're relying on luck? But very well; you need to roll a five if you want to bring out your dragon. A six would likely work too. But if you roll four or lower…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But there's no time like the present! I discard Speedroid Ohajikid and roll!" A die appeared and rolled on the ground before settling on a number. Yugo grit his teeth. "I rolled a four, so I can Special Summon up to two 'Speedroid' monsters whose combined Levels equal 4. But I only need to Special Summon one. Come, Speedroid Pachingo-Kart!" A blue machine monster with two extended ends appeared in Attack Position.

Speedroid Pachingo-Kart ATK 1800 DEF 1000 LVL: 4

Yuri sneered and gestured to his field. "Continuous Trap activate! Predaplanet! Once per turn, if a monster with a Predator Counter leaves the field, I can add a 'Predap' card from my Deck to my hand."

Yugo grimaced but gestured to his own field. "I tune Level 1 Tri-Eyed Dice to Level 1 Double Yoyo and Level 4 Pachingo-Kart! Magical sword with the form of a cross. Use your power to rend all enemies! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Level 6! Hi-Speedroid Kendama!" A blue cross-shaped machine with a spear tip emerged from the light at the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Hi-Speedroid Kendama ATK 2200 DEF 1600 LVL: 6

"So you managed to Synchro Summon after all," Yuri said. "Not bad, Fusion."

"My name isn't Fusion, it's Yugo!"

"Yes, yes, whatever you say. But since your monsters with Predator Counters left the field, Predaplanet's effect lets me add Predapruning from my Deck to my hand."

"Add whatever you want, it won't change a thing! Kendama's effect activates! Once per turn, I banish a 'Speedroid' monster from my Graveyard to inflict 500 points of damage! I banish Pachingo-Kart!" A bolt of blue lightning hit Yuri, making him flinch.

Yuri: 4000→3500 LP

"I set up the board, Yuji," Yugo said. "Now you knock him down. I Set one card. I end my turn."

"I'll make sure to do so, Yugo," Yuji promised. "My turn! Draw! I summon Draconnet!" A white metal dragon with blue lines on its body appeared.

Draconnet ATK 1400 DEF 1200 LVL: 3

"Draconnet's effect activates! When it is Normal Summoned, I Special Summon a Level 2 or lower Normal Monster from my hand or Deck in Defense Position. From my Deck, I Special Summon Protron!" A white and dark blue ball with light blue eyes appeared.

Protron ATK 100 DEF 100 LVL: 1

"Appear, the circuit that leads to the future! The summoning condition is one Level 1 monster. I set Protron in the Link Marker!" The ball entered the bottom arrow. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-1! Linkuriboh!" A small dark blue machine monster with two eyes and a red tail emerged from the portal at the Extra Monster Zone.

"Kuri kuri ku!"

Linkuriboh ATK 300 LINK-1 ↓

Yuri's smile widened. "Ah, so this is your Link Summoning…" His smile then fell into a disappointed look. "Though, couldn't you have summoned something a little more intimidating? This thing is a little too cute."

Yuji decided to ignore that commentary. "I Special Summon Link Infra-Flier!" A blue and gray kite appeared at Linkuriboh's Link Marker in Defense Position.

Link Infra-Flier ATK 0 DEF 1800 LVL: 2

"Link Infra-Flier can be Special Summoned to a Link Monster's Link Marker. Appear again, the circuit that leads to the future! The summoning conditions are three monsters. I set Draconnet, Link Infra-Flier, and Linkuriboh in the Link Markers!" Yuji's monsters entered the left, bottom-left, and right arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-3! Powercode Talker!" A large warrior in red armor emerged from the portal and posed in the Extra Monster Zone.

Powercode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ←↙→

Yuri's disheartened expression cheered up almost immediately. "Yes, that's more like it! This guy actually looks like he can throw a punch!"

"There's something wrong with this guy's head," Yugo grumbled.

Yuji agreed but didn't respond. "Powercode Talker's effect activates! Once per turn, I can target a monster on the field and negate its effects until the end of the turn! I negate Chimerafflesia's effects! Wire Restruction!" An energy grapnel shot out of Powercode Talker's right wrist and grabbed the Fusion Monster, making it moan.

Serena smirked. "With its effects negated, he can destroy that monster."

"Since I control a Cyberse monster, I Special Summon Backup Secretary!" A violet-haired woman in purple and silver appeared at Powercode Talker's bottom-left Link Marker in Defense Position.

Backup Secretary ATK 1200 DEF 800 LVL: 3

"Battle! Powercode Talker attacks Chimerafflesia!"

"Oh?" Yuri raised an eyebrow as Powercode Talker charged forward. "You're attacking even though your monster has fewer attack points?"

"Powercode Talker's additional effect activates! Once per turn, if it battles your monster, I can Tribute a monster at its Link Marker to make its attack points double its original attack points during damage calculation! I Tribute Backup Secretary!" The woman disintegrated and Powercode Talker glowed.

Powercode Talker ATK 2300→4600

Yuri's eyes widened. "Well, that's surprising."

"Go! Power Termination Smash!" Powercode Talker's fist tore through Chimerafflesia, destroying it in an explosion and knocking Yuri back.

Yuri: 3500→1400 LP

Powercode Talker ATK 4600→2300

"Yes, you got him!" Yugo cheered.

Yuri grimaced but then smirked. "Impressive. But since Chimerafflesia had a Predator Counter on it, Predaplanet's effect lets me add a 'Predap' card from my Deck to my hand. I'll add Predaplast to my hand."

"I Set two cards. I end my turn." Yuji looked over the field. Yuri had no monsters and only his Continuous Trap Card. His Life Points had also dropped significantly, but Yuji was experienced enough to know differences in Life Points meant nothing until one had reached 0. For now, he would just duel as he always did.

Yuri chuckled as he looked at Yuji. "My my… I already said it, but you're impressive. Rather than attempt to overpower Chimerafflesia, you negated its effects instead. Smart. And those eyes of yours…" Yuri's eyes narrowed. "I thought this before, but you're no amateur. You're an experienced combatant. The loudmouth is adaptable, but your experience outweighs his."

"Who are you calling a loudmouth, you ass?!" Yugo demanded, though Yuri ignored him in favor of continuing to study Yuji.

"But… this feeling… Hey, you wouldn't happen to be broken, would you?"

Yuji stiffened as Serena's eyes widened. "…What are you talking about?" Yuji asked eventually.

Yuri sneered. "If you have to ask while making that expression, then you know what I mean." The sneer fell into a more… contemplative look. "Your dueling is sharp, like a blade aimed for the enemy's vitals. A sharpness created by combat. I've seen similar things before at Academia and Heartland. I also saw it in Hanako; she knew what she was doing, and she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. She was scared but fully able to move past it. But you…"

Yuri looked Yuji up and down. "You're different. The sharpness that you have is detached, clinical. Not that of a warrior wielding a weapon, but that of a worker wielding a tool, a surgeon wielding a scalpel if you would. For your dueling to be like that… something happened to you, didn't you? Something broke you and left you in pieces. Left you empty inside. I'm right, aren't I?"

"…So what if you are?" Yuji asked, his eyes narrowed in a frown. "What does it matter?"

Yuri chuckled. "It matters because you aren't the only person who's empty. Or rather was." His eyes narrowed. "When I first joined Academia, I was alone. I was too strong for everyone else, and they left me alone as a result. In that time, I felt nothing. Nothing excited me, nothing gave me joy. But then… I met the Professor, who saw value in me. He put his trust in me and showed me that they were things in life worth valuing."

"…And what would those things be?"

"Why, the excitement of the hunt naturally." The contemplative look on Yuri's face vanished as it was replaced by a sneer. "He helped me realize that I didn't need friends or companions. As strong as I was, all I needed was to take pleasure and pride in my own strength. And I can share that with you." Yuri reached out a hand. "I can see it in your eyes; you're empty inside, just like I was. The Professor gave me a purpose and helped me find joy in life. He can do the same for you. So what do you say? Don't you want to do something worthwhile?"

"…"

Yuji closed his eyes with a frown. "You're right. I am empty inside. Dueling is just a tool to me, not something to enjoy. I have very little motivation to do anything for personal reasons."

"Then-!"

"But no, I must refuse." Yuji opened his eyes with a glare. "Even if we are similar, even if you could understand me, there's one irreconcilable difference between us. One thing that makes it impossible for us to get along."

"Oh? And what is that?"

Yuji's eyes narrowed further. "You hurt Hanako."

Yuri blinked and then laughed. "Well, I suppose I can understand that. She was strong enough that her company would be worthwhile. But are you sure? If you join us, you could meet her sooner rather than later."

"Maybe. But if I did something like that, she, my brother, and my father would all be disappointed in me."

And that was the true similarity between him and Yuri. Yuji had realized it when Yuri was talking; they were very similar, but also very different. Both of them had been alone, in a life without meaning, before they had been taken in by an older man and given meaning. And they both gave everything for that man, because they didn't want to disappoint him. But the similarities ended there.

Yuri had been chosen by the Professor, who used him as a tool, a weapon, to capture the girls like Serena. Going off what Yuri had said, Yuji believed that the Professor held no affection for him and only saw him for his usefulness. But Dr. Kogami had adopted Yuji as his son and had raised him as such. He had done his best to make sure Yuji knew right from wrong. But rather than his own morals, his father had insisted Yuji learn and develop his own beliefs and ethics. He had made that clear when the Collective appeared, and Yuji joined the Security Project.

---

"Yuji. Some will say that the Collective are evil. That what they are doing is wrong. And it is. But just because someone commits a wrong act, that doesn't mean they are evil. People are not that simple; they make choices for a variety of reasons. Their own benefit, their own beliefs, how much they care for others… And it is those choices that define people. That make them who they are.

"When you look at a problem, when you are faced with a choice, I want you to decide for yourself whether such choices are right or wrong. I want you to think independently and critically. Don't do something because I or SOL tell you to do it; do it because you yourself believe such an action is just."

---

Yuji hadn't always followed that advice; it was easier to follow orders than to think about them. Thus, he saw the Collective as a threat, and it was his job to stop their threat. But Yuji did understand why his father had said those words. He had wanted Yuji to discover right and wrong for himself. To be a leader instead of a follower.

If Yuji had been in Yuri's place, if it had been the Professor who found him and took him in rather than Dr. Kogami and Ryoken, Yuji had little doubt he would have ended up the same as Yuri. The two of them had been empty, and those who took them in filled them up with their own beliefs and goals. The primary difference had been that one of them wanted Yuji to decide his own path. The other just wanted Yuri as a tool.

And because Yuji had been taught to decide his own morals, he knew one thing with perfect clarity: He was willing to commit immoral acts if it meant achieving his objective faster. But there was one thing he would not, could not bring himself to do.

And that was work with the bastard who hurt Hanako.

Yuri shrugged. "Oh well. A little disappointing, but not surprising. Anyway, let's get to the duel."

"Finally," Yugo muttered. Yuji blinked. Huh, he had almost forgotten Yugo was there.

"My turn! Draw! I activate the effect of Predaplant Cordyceps in my Graveyard! During the Standby Phase, I can banish it to Special Summon two Level 4 or lower 'Predaplant' monsters from my Graveyard!"

"You can't!" Yuji interrupted. "Counter Trap activate! Cynet Conflict! Since you activated a monster effect while I control a 'Code Talker' monster, Cordyceps' effect is negated and it is banished! Furthermore, you cannot activate cards or the effects of cards with Cordyceps' name until the end of the next turn."

Yuri blinked and then chuckled. "Well, that was unexpected. But impressive nonetheless. Still, Cordyceps' effect wasn't the only one I could activate. Since Chimerafflesia was sent to the Graveyard last turn, I can add Polymerization from my Deck to my hand. Next, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Predaplast! By revealing any number of 'Predap' cards in my hand, I can target the same number of your monsters and place Predator Counters on those monsters. I reveal Predapruning and Predaplant Squid Drosera to place Predator Counters on Kendama and Powercode Talker!" Little green mouths appeared and latched on to the two monsters. "In addition, any monster that is Level 2 or higher becomes Level 1."

Hi-Speedroid Kendama: 0 PC→1 PC LVL: 6→1

Powercode Talker: 0 PC→1 PC

"I activate the Equip Spell Card: Predapruning! This lets me Special Summon a 'Predaplant' monster from my Graveyard in Attack Position and equip Predapruning to it. Resurrect, Chimerafflesia!" The red flower with two vines that ended in mouths reappeared.

Predaplant Chimerafflesia ATK 2500 DEF 2000 LVL: 7

Yuji frowned. So that monster was back. And it had some rather troubling effects…

"Chimerafflesia's effect activates! Once per turn, I can target and banish a monster on the field with a Level less than or equal to Chimerafflesia's Level." Yuri sneered. "Sorry, Fusion, but it's time for your toy to leave the field!" Two vines lashed out from Chimerafflesia.

"I told you before, it's Yugo, not Fusion!" Yugo shouted. "And Kendama isn't going anywhere! Trap activate! Memory Loss! Since your Attack Position monster activated an effect, that effect is negated, and your monster is changed to Defense Position!" The vines disintegrated and Chimerafflesia shifted with an unhappy gurgle.

Yuri pouted. "Well, that was rude. Still, it's good to know you can put up something of a fight. I activate the Spell Card: Predapulse!" The card showed Chimerafflesia with several vines stabbed into the ground, shockwaves traveling across the ground. "I banish a Level 4 or lower monster from my opponent's Graveyard. I know about its effect, so I'll banish Tri-Eyed Dice from the loudmouth's Graveyard." Yugo grit his teeth at that. "Predapulse then lets me add a 'Predaplant' monster with the same Level from my Graveyard to my hand. Tri-Eyed Dice is Level 3, so I'll return Darlingtonia Cobra to my hand." Yuri smirked. "Finally, Predapulse also reduces the attack points of all monsters on the field that aren't 'Predaplant' monsters or Fusion Monsters I control by the monsters' Level times 300 until the end of the turn." Kendama and Powercode Talker both groaned.

Hi-Speedroid Kendama ATK 2200→1300

Powercode Talker ATK 2300→1400

Yuri's mouth and eyes widened malevolently. "I activate the Spell Card: Polymerization! With it, I fuse Chimerafflesia with the Darlingtonia Cobra in my hand! Carnivorous plant that tears foes asunder! Sweet smelling flower that invites the abyss! Become one, and through fangs and poison, give birth to an incarnation of terror! Fusion Summon! Appear! Carnivorous plant in the shape of the dragon! Level 8! Predaplant Dragostapelia!" A green and purple dragon with green armor and flytrap mouths for hands emerged from the vortex at the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Predaplant Dragostapelia ATK 2700 DEF 1900 LVL: 8

Yugo grinded his teeth. "Another one. Great…"

"So long as Dragostapelia is on the field, the effects of all your monsters that have Predator Counters o0n them are negated. And since I Fusion Summoned a Dark monster, I can banish Predaplanning from my Graveyard to destroy one card on the field!" Yuri's lip twitched. "You've both slowed me down with Trap Cards, so I think I'll take out that last face-down Yuji has!" The aforementioned teen frowned as his card shattered.

A pity, he thought. Overload Anchor would have protected Powercode Talker and reduced any damage.

"Battle!" Yuri declared. "Dragostapelia attacks Kendama!" The flytrap mouths opened, as did its center head, and fired violet energy at the Synchro Monster. Yugo cried out as his monster exploded and the energy washed over him.

Yugo: 4000→2600 LP

"Since Kendama had a Predator Counter, Predaplanet's effect lets me add a 'Predap' card from my Deck to my hand. In addition, since my monster attacked, I can discard Predaplant Squid Drosera from my hand." Yuri's sneer widened again. "Dragostapelia can now attack every monster on the field with a Predator Counter on it!" Yuji's eyes widened in response. "Dragostapelia attacks Powercode Talker!" More violet energy shot out and consumed the Link Monster. Yuji covered his eyes as he was pushed back.

Yuji: 4000→2700 LP

"I think that's enough punishment for now. I Set one card. I end my turn." Yuri glanced at Yugo. "Now then loudmouth, why don't you try and make your turn interesting?"

"Jackass," Yugo growled. "You keep putting me down, but I'll make sure you remember me for this! My turn! Draw! Since I control no monsters, I Special Summon Speedroid Terrortop!" A number of red tops appeared in Attack Position.

Speedroid Terrortop ATK 1200 DEF 600 LVL: 3

"I summon Speedroid Party Horn Kid!" A green-haired little kid armed with a slingshot and a scarf around his neck appeared.

Speedroid Party Horn Kid ATK 1000 DEF 1000 LVL: 4

"Party Horn Kid's effect activates! When it is Normal Summoned, I can excavate cards equal to the number of other Wind monsters I control and add one of those cards to my hand. Any other cards are then placed on the bottom of my Deck in any order."

"But since you only have one other Wind monster, that essentially means you draw a card," Yuri surmised. "And I see that monster is a Level 4 Tuner monster. Not bad. But pointless! Dragostapelia's effect activates! Once per turn, I can target a monster and place a Predator Counter on it! I target Party Horn Kid!" A green mouth appeared and bit into Party Horn Kid's butt, making him leap into the air with a pained yelp.

Speedroid Party Horn Kid: 0 PC→1 PC

"And of course, Party Horn Kid's Level now becomes 1!"

Speedroid Party Horn Kid LVL: 4→1

"In addition to putting Predator Counters on your monsters, Dragostapelia's effect also negates the activated effects of your monsters with Predator Counters," Yuri continued. "Which means that Party Horn Kid's effect is negated."

Yugo growled. "You think that will stop me? You bastard; all it does is slow me down! I tune Level 1 Party Horn Kid to Level 3 Terrortop! Thousand-face possessing shadow of the labyrinth. With that sharp blade, render chaotic darkness! Synchro Summon! Come, Level 4! Hi-Speedroid Puzzle!" A humanoid blue and green machine with an orange scarf emerged from the light at the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Hi-Speedroid Puzzle ATK 1300 DEF 1600 LVL: 4

Puzzle can double its attack points when it battles a Special Summoned monster, Yuji remembered. But Dragostapelia has 2700 attack points; that's too much for Puzzle's effect.

"Since the Party Horn Kid with a Predator Counter left the field, Predaplanet's effect activates!" Yuri interjected. "I add Predaplant Droserapites Terrapin to my hand."

"Add whatever you want, it won't matter!" Yugo declared. "Since I control a Wind monster, I can Special Summon Speedroid CarTurbo!" A monster that was a combination of a playing card and a car engine appeared in Attack Position.

Speedroid CarTurbo ATIK 800 DEF 1200 LVL: 3

Yuri blinked and then chuckled. "My oh my; so even after all my efforts, you still managed to summon it. Not bad."

"I tune Level 3 CarTurbo to Level 4 Puzzle!" Yugo growled. "Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" A white dragon with blue armor and green wings made of glass emerged from the light and roared from the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon ATK 2500 DEF 2000 LVL: 7

BA-BUMP

Yuji gasped and stumbled as a wave of pressure washed over him. Behind him, bound by Barrett's chains, Yuya also gasped and shivered. On his field, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon roared and thrashed against their own chains. Clear Wing itself raised its head and roared a howl that swept over the field. Yuji grit his teeth and breathed heavily as his eyes flashed gold, unaware that Yuya's eyes were flashing red.

Serena looked down at her bracelet, which had started to pulse with violet light. "This is…" she muttered.

Yugo grit his teeth and rubbed his chest, ignoring the sweat that was coming down his brow. "Now that my ace monster is here, you're done for! I activate the effect of CarTurbo in my Graveyard! By banishing it, all Wind monsters I control gain 800 attack points until the end of the turn!"

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon ATK 2500→3300

"Battle! Clear Wing attacks Dragostapelia!" Clear Wing fired a beam of green energy at the plant dragon.

Yuri sneered, sweat on his own brow. "That's a pretty cool monster you have there. I guess that means I should do my best too, right? If my 'Predaplant' monster would be destroyed by battle, I can banish Predaplast from my Graveyard instead!" The beam impacted Dragostapelia, but the monster withstood it while Yuri was sent sliding back.

Yuri: 1400→800 LP

Yuri's sneer widened. "Trap activate!" he declared. "Predaplague!" The card showed Predaplant Drosophyllum Hydra in a crowd of people, waves of violet light coming off of it and hitting them, making them sick. "When my 'Predaplant' monster battles, Predaplague places Predator Counters on each monster on the field except for 'Predaplant' monsters!"

"What?" Yugo gasped. One such Predator Counter bit into Clear Wing's side, making it groan in pain.

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon: 0 PC→1 PC

"And of course, Predaplague makes the Levels of those monsters Level 1."

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon LVL: 7→1

"But that's not all," Yuri continued. "Predaplague then inflicts 800 points of damage for each monster to those monsters' controllers!"

"What?!" Yugo flinched as he was struck by a wave of poison.

Yugo: 2600→1800 LP

"Oh, and I'm sure you didn't forget, but since Clear Wing has a Predator Counter on it now, that means Dragostapelia negates its effects."

Yugo growled. "And since that isn't an activated effect or one that targets, Clear Wing can't negate it. Damn it. I end my turn. During the End Phase, Clear Wing's attack points return to normal."

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon ATK 3300→2500

"You managed to damage me, but once again you failed to do anything significant," Yuri taunted. "Now then Yuji, why don't you show this loudmouth what a real duelist looks like?"

Yuji and Yugo both grimaced at the taunt, but while the latter bristled indignantly, the former just buried those feelings, as well as the pain in his chest.

"My turn! Draw! I summon Cyberse Gadget!" A white and blue humanoid machine appeared.

Cyberse Gadget ATK 1400 DEF 300 LVL: 4

"Cyberse Gadget's effect activates! When it is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 2 or lower monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position with any effects negated. Resurrect, Protron!" The white and blue ball reappeared.

Protron ATK 100 DEF 100 LVL: 1

I need to stop Dragostapelia's effects so that Clear Wing can use its own, Yuji thought. And that leaves only two options. "Appear, the circuit that leads to the future! The summoning condition is one Level 2 or lower Cyberse monster. I set Protron in the Link Marker!" The monster entered the bottom arrow. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-1! Talkback Lancer!" A blue and green armored humanoid armed with a halberd emerged from the portal at the Extra Monster Zone.

Talkback Lancer ATK 1200 LINK-1 ↓

"Talkback Lancer's effect activates! Once per turn, I can Tribute another Cyberse monster to Special Summon a 'Code Talker' monster from my Graveyard to Talkback Lancer's Link Marker. I Tribute Cyberse Gadget!" Said monster disintegrated.

"I see," Yuri realized. "You're going to bring back Powercode Talker and negate Dragostapelia's effects. Well, I can't have that! Dragostapelia's effect activates! I place a Predator Counter on Talkback Lancer!"

Talkback Lancer: 0 PC→1 PC

"With it now having a Predator Counter, Talkback Lancer's effects are negated due to Dragostapelia's effects." Yuri sneered. "So? What are you going to do now, Yuji?"

"Since Cyberse Gadget was sent from the field to the Graveyard," Yuji responded, "I can Special Summon a Gadget Token!" A small silver monster with red pliers for arms appeared in Defense Position.

Gadget Token ATK 0 DEF 0 LVL: 2

"Appear again, the circuit that leads to the future! The summoning condition is one Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster. I set Gadget Token in the Link Marker!" The token entered the bottom arrow. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-1! Link Disciple!" A red, white, and black humanoid emerged from the portal at Talkback Lancer's Link Marker.

Link Disciple ATK 500 LINK-1 ↓

"I activate the Spell Card: Link Treasure! This card lets me draw a card for each Link Monster on the field. With two Link Monsters on the field, I draw two cards!"

I only have one chance left to defeat Dragostapelia, Yuji thought. And for that, I'll need the right cards! Yuji drew and looked at his cards. His lip twitched. Perfect!

"If I would Link Summon a 'Code Talker' monster using a Cyberse monster, I can use the Code Exporter in my hand as material!" Yuji declared.

Yuri blinked. "Link Summoning with a monster from the hand?" He broke out in a wide-toothed smile. "Interesting!"

"Appear for a third time, the circuit that leads to the future! The summoning conditions are two or more Effect Monsters. I set Code Exporter in my hand, Link Disciple, and Talkback Lancer in the Link Markers!" A green metal griffin with holographic wings appeared, only for it and Yuji's two Link Monsters to enter the top, bottom-left, and bottom-right arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-3! Decode Talker!" A warrior in violet armor wielding a large sword emerged from the portal at the Extra Monster Zone.

Decode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↙↑↘

"Since I used Code Exporter to Link Summon a 'Code Talker' monster, I can add a Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I'll add Backup Secretary to my hand."

"But before you do anything else, Predaplanet's effect activates!" Yuri interjected. "Since Talkback Lancer had a Predator Counter and it was sent to the Graveyard, I can add a 'Predap' card from my Deck to my hand. I'll add Predaplant Cephalotusnail to my hand."

Yuji narrowed his eyes but continued on. "As I control a Cyberse monster, I can Special Summon Backup Secretary!" The violet-haired woman in silver and purple reappeared in Attack Position.

Backup Secretary ATK 1200 DEF 800 LVL: 3

"For a fourth time, the circuit that leads to the future! The summoning conditions are two or more monsters. I set Backup Secretary and Link-3 Decode Talker in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the left, right, bottom-left, and bottom-right arrows. "The malicious dragon whose claws defend the world! Link Summon! Appear! Link-4! Viral Dawn Link Dragon!" The light blue dragon covered in dark blue armor emerged from the portal, the orbs in its wings and chest gleaming, and spread its wings and roared from the Extra Monster Zone.

Viral Dawn Link Dragon ATK 2500 LINK-4 ←↙↘→

BA-BUMP

Yuji gasped and stiffened as the pressure on his body doubled. Yugo and Yuri similarly gasped and panted, though the latter less so. Behind them, Yuya breathed heavily, his eyes flashing red at a faster rate while Serena's bracelet's pulse quickened.

Like before, Clear Wing, Dark Rebellion, and Odd-Eyes all roared, but unlike before, this time their roars were directed. Directed straight at Viral Dawn, with said roars filled with hatred. Viral Dawn roared back at the three dragons, its howl challenging and hateful all its own.

"So you have a dragon too?" Yuri said, panting lightly. He giggled to himself. "How interesting! How cool! Show me what this new monster of yours can do, Yuji!"

Yuji panted himself but forced himself to focus on the duel rather than the pain that was spreading from his chest to the rest of his body. "Viral Dawn's effect activates! When it is Link Summoned using a Link-3 or lower monster as material, the effects of all Level 5 or higher monsters my opponent controls are negated, and you cannot activate cards or effects in response to this effect! Infection Code!" Viral Dawn howled even louder, red light shining from its orbs that made Dragostapelia whimper. "This effect would affect Clear Wing, but since it has a Predator Counter, it is treated as Level 1 instead."

Yugo smirked through his own pain. "So your plan backfired, jackass! And with Dragostapelia's effects negated, Clear Wing's own effects return!"

"Yuji," Serena muttered, staring at the boy's back in concern. She could see his body shaking, and while she wasn't sure what was causing it, he seemed to be in pain. Next to her, Reira groaned and stumbled to her knees.

Yuji grit his teeth. "I activate the Equip Spell Card: Link Armaments and equip it to Viral Dawn!" Viral Dawn's armor changed colors from dark blue to silver. "Viral Dawn cannot be destroyed by card effects, inflicts piercing battle damage if it attacks a Defense Position monster, and it gains 500 attack points for each Link Monster in my Graveyard. There are five Link Monsters in my Graveyard, so Viral Dawn's attack points double!"

Viral Dawn Link Dragon ATK 2500→5000

Yugo smirked. "A single attack from that dragon will end this! Finish it, Yuji!"

"Battle! Viral Dawn attacks Dragostapelia! Daybreak Tempest!" The dragon opened its maw and fired a stream of red energy at the monster.

Yuri sneered. "Impressive but not enough! I activate the effect of Predaplant Droserapites Terrapin in my hand!" The card showed a deformed green turtle made of plant matter with numerous weeds on its back. "When my 'Predaplant' monster battles and I would take battle damage, you take the damage from that battle instead!"

Yuji's eyes widened. "What?!"

The blast hit Dragostapelia and made it explode, only for red lightning to zap all over Yuji, making him cry out in pain and fall to his knees.

Yuji Kogami: 2700→400 LP

"Yuji!" Serena and Sora cried out in worry.

Yuji panted, both from the pain of the lightning and from whatever was making his chest hurt. He looked up and glared at Yuri as the boy laughed.

"A pity, but it looks like you can't beat me as you are! Honestly, I'm a little disappointed; you're not doing nearly as well as Hanako did. Though…" Yuri's laughter fell away as he stared, panting, at Viral Dawn. "That dragon is really something."

Yuji grit his teeth and pushed himself up to a standing position. "I end my turn."

"Which makes it my turn! Draw!" Yuri looked at his card and sneered. "You two have shown me really cool things the last few turns. So I think I'll show you something just as cool! I summon Predaplant Cephalotusnail!" A bulbous light green plant with a violet mouth atop it appeared.

Predaplant Cephalotusnail ATK 1300 DEF 1200 LVL: 4

"I activate the effect of Droserapites Terrapin in my Graveyard! By banishing it, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Predaplant' monster from my Graveyard. Resurrect, Darlingtonia Cobra!" The serpent plant reappeared in Attack Position.

Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra ATK 1000 DEF 1500 LVL: 3

"Darlingtonia Cobra's effect activates! When it is Special Summoned, I add Polymerization from my Deck to my hand." Yuri held up the card. "I activate the Spell Card: Polymerization and fuse Cephalotusnail and Darlingtonia Cobra! Two beautiful flowers with an insect-alluring fragrance! Now become one, and from the hell beneath your petals, give birth to a new terror! Fusion Summon! Appear! Poisonous dragon with hungry fangs! Level 8! Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!"

A large violet and green dragon with numerous red and yellow orbs on its body emerged from the Fusion vortex and roared from the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Starving Venom Fusion Dragon ATK 2800 DEF 2000 LVL: 8

Reira and Serena gasped, and the former backed away from the fearsome dragon. Saliva dripped from both its mouth and the mouths on its shoulders as it raised its head and roared.

BA-BUMP

Across from it, Clear Wing raised its own head and roared.

BA-BUMP

Viral Dawn roared at the other two dragons and raised its head high.

BA-BUMP

Odd-Eyes and Dark Rebellion roared as they struggled against their chains.

BA-BUMP

Serena glanced down at her bracelet as its pace of pulsating light quickened. "What…?" She looked up and gasped. "Yuji!"

Whatever expression the boy had worn before was gone. All contemplation, all analysis gone. Disappeared in a flash of gold.

And while his irises shone gold, Yuri's eyes glowed solid violet and Yugo's shone solid green. And as Yuya growled and struggled against his chains, his irises glowed red, and deep in his mind, another boy's eyes glowed blue. Yuya raised his head with a howl as a dark aura enveloped him and the other three boys.

"No…" Reira whimpered. "No!"

"What?" Serena muttered. She tried to stand but only managed to stumble forward onto her knees. "What is…?"

"Yuya," Sora whispered in concern, his eyes wide. All of the five dragons had raised their heads towards the sky and were out low howls, while dark auras had wrapped around Odd-Eyes and Dark Rebellion. Their four partners were all growling low in their throats as their mouths twisted into grimaces.

"W-We have," Yuya growled. Despite the obvious pain he was in, he was still able to speak. "We have waited… for this time."

"Now," Yugo picked up. "Now is the time of our revival. Revival…"

"We," Yuri said. "…become one. We become one."

"For so long," Yuji exclaimed, his voice as harsh as it had been against Abelard. "We waited… for so long. And now… we'll become one!"

In the sky above, a multicolored vortex had appeared. A vortex that seemed to suck in the sky itself.

"What is that?!" one of the Obelisk Force wondered, highly unnerved by what was happening.

"That appeared out of nowhere," another said.

But all three of them gasped as Yuri walked forward. "Commander Yuri! Commander Yuri!"

Yuri stepped towards Yugo, a blank look on his face. A similar look had come over Yuji's face as he also walked towards Yugo.

"One," Yuri muttered. "One…"

"One. One…" Yugo joined Yuri's chant.

"Become one," Yuji intoned. "Become one…"

Serena's eyes widened. She didn't how she knew, nor did she know how it was going to happen. But at that moment, a single thought struck her with absolute clarity:

Yuji was going away.

"No," she muttered. "Y-You can't leave!" She stumbled forward again, crawling as fast as she could. "Yuji!"

"Serena!" Sora cried out, noticing her actions.

The boys paid no heed to Serena or the others. "We become one!" Yuya declared, his hair standing on end. "We become one!"

"What is this?" Barrett wondered, as unnerved as the Obelisk Force. "What's happening?!"

The dragons roared as Yuri and Yuji walked towards Yugo and Serena crawled after Yuji. And Yuya raised his head and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Now we become one!"

"Yuya!"

Only for Yuzu Hiragi to run down the stairs and catch sight of her friend's face.

Sora, Reira, Barrett, and the Obelisk Force gasped as Yuzu's bracelet lit up like a beacon and covered their faces. And while Serena noticed the light, she paid it no mind as she reached out and grabbed hold of Yuji's leg.

The pink light consumed everything in an instant, only for it to fade just as fast. It faded quickly enough for everyone to see Yuya get flung into the air and crash into the ceiling.

"Yuya!" Yuzu cried out, watching in horror as Yuya came crashing down to the ground.

"Yuzu!" Sora shouted.

Reira gasped. "T-They're gone," she whispered. As Yuzu shook Yuya's body, Sora looked over at Reira, then turned to where she was looking and gasped.

Yuji. Yugo. Yuri. Serena. All four had disappeared without a trace.

---

"I'll win! I'll absolutely win! And when I do, I'll make everyone smile! Not just me and you, but my opponents and the audience and the monsters! Everyone will be happy!"

"I wish we could go back. Back to that playground. Back where there were no audiences, no expectations. No cries of the defeated or wails of the injured. Back when it was just you and me. Us and our monsters."

"Humanity wanted this! It wanted more violent duels, a bigger show! So I'll give you the biggest show that will ever exist! A show where I keep winning until the world is destroyed!"

"Forcing me to choose between you, my father, and the world… You really are a cruel man, Z&$*."

---

"Ugh…"

Once again, everything hurt. Once again, Yuji found himself returning from unconsciousness.

This is starting to get annoying. That was the first thought in his foggy brain. Seriously, there had been his arrival to Standard, whatever happening in the Battle Royal, whatever happened while he was running with Serena, and now this. He kept blacking out or losing consciousness. And every time it happened, he woke up with his lower body on hard ground and his head aching.

Wait… hard ground?

Yuji forced his eyes open and blinked several times to erase the blurriness. He found himself looking up at a cloudy sky. Before he shifted his head, he took stock of the rest of his body. Bumpy ground under his back. Not bumpy like dirt, but like rock. Or rather, like rubble. There was a similar bumpiness under his legs. And a rather heavy weight on his right leg.

The teen lifted his head and looked down. Then he blinked. And blinked again. His confused expression fell away into a flat expression.

"Serena," he said. "Wake up."

The girl didn't respond to his request. She continued to remain unconscious and clinging to his leg.

Yuji sighed. He didn't have time for this. He lifted his right arm, winced at the stiffness, then jostled Serena's shoulder. "Serena, wake up."

The girl groaned in protest, but Yuji wasn't in the mood. He jostled her again, which was enough for her to lift her head and blinked at him.

"Y-Yuji?" Serena moaned.

"Yes," he answered.

Serena blinked at him and then did something he didn't expect. She smiled. Not a confident smile like when she dueled, but a relieved one. As though she was happy to see him.

"Thank goodness," she muttered. "I was afraid…"

"Serena," Yuji said again. "Would you get off me? I can't move with you clinging to my leg."

Serena blinked again and then slowly pulled herself away. That led to her foot slipping on rubble and she fell next to him.

"What-?" Serena lifted her head and gasped. Yuji followed her gaze and finally got a good look at where they were.

It was a city. Or rather, it had been a city. But all that was left of it was ruined buildings and rubble covering the ground. Smoke from distant fires filtered into the sky. In the distance, Yuji could make out craters, as though numerous large somethings had impacted the city. And even farther off, in what he suspected was the center of the city, Yuji could make out a massive tower, constructed in such a way as though it was meant to hold something up, but what that had been was now gone.

Yuji's eyes widened. He had seen this city before. It had only been a picture back then, but he would never forget it. And though he hadn't been given the name of this city, Kurosaki and Reiji had seen fit to tell it to him.

"Heartland," he muttered. "This is the Xyz Dimension."

Serena stared at the ruined city and finally opened her mouth.

"Well… shit."

---

Yuji Kogami vs. Obelisk Force: Red, Green, and Yellow

This Duel is conducted as a Master Duel and a Battle Royal, with each player having their own field. At the start of the Duel, the Field Spell Card Crossover is activated, as per the rules of an Action Duel. It will allow the players to use Action Cards, but they may only have one in their hand at a time.

Turn 1: Red

Red Normal Summons Ancient Gear Hunting Hound (1000/1000/3). He activates the Spell Card Double Summon, which lets him Normal Summon/Set a 2nd time this turn. He Normal Summons a 2nd Ancient Gear Hunting Hound (1000/1000/3). Red uses 2 Hunting Hounds to Link Summon Ancient Gear Ballista (1500/2/↙→) to the right Extra Monster Zone. As Ancient Gear Ballista was Link Summoned, Red can add 1 "Ancient Gear" monster or 1 Geartown from his Deck to his hand. He adds a 3rd Ancient Gear Hunting Hound to his hand. Red activates the Spell Card Ancient Gear Double Imitation, which lets him Special Summon up to 2 "Ancient Gear" monsters from either player's GY with their effects negated. He Special Summons 2 Hunting Hounds (1000/1000/3) from his GY in Attack Position. Red activates the Spell Card Pot of Greed, which lets him draw 2 cards. Red activates the Spell Card Polymerization, fusing the Hunting Hound in his hand with the 2 Hunting Hounds on his field to Fusion Summon Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound (1800/1000/7) to Ancient Gear Ballista's bottom-left Link Marker in Attack Position. Red Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.

Turn 2: Yuji Kogami

Yuji draws. He Normal Summons Flame Bufferlo (1400/200/3). Yuji uses Flame Bufferlo to Link Summon Link Disciple (500/1/↓) to the Extra Monster Zone. As Flame Bufferlo left the field, Yuji can discard 1 Cyberse monster to draw 2 cards. He discards Latency and draws. Yuji activates the Continuous Spell Card Cynet Optimization. He activates Cynet Optimization's effect to Normal Summon 1 Cyberse monster. He Normal Summons ROM Cloudia (1800/0/4). As ROM Cloudia was Normal Summoned, Yuji can add 1 Cyberse monster in his GY to his hand. He adds Latency to his hand. As Latency was added to Yuji's hand from the GY, it is Special Summoned (0/0/1) in Attack Position. Yuji uses Latency and ROM Cloudia to Link Summon Code Talker (1300/2/↑↓) to Link Disciple's Link Marker. As the Special Summoned Latency was sent to the GY as Link Material, Yuji draws 1 card. Code Talker gains 500 ATK for each monster linked to it (Code Talker: 1300→1800). Yuji uses Link Disciple and Link-2 Code Talker to Link Summon Transcode Talker (2300/3/↑↓→) to the Extra Monster Zone. Yuji activates Transcode Talker's effect to Special Summon 1 Link-3 or lower Cyberse Link Monster from the GY to its Link Marker. He Special Summons Code Talker (1300/2/↑↓) to Transcode Talker's bottom Link Marker. While Transcode Talker is co-linked, itself and monsters co-linked with it gain 500 ATK and cannot be targeted by Yuji's opponents' card effects (Code Talker: 1300→1800→2300) (Transcode Talker: 2300→2800). As he controls a Cyberse monster, Yuji Special Summons Backup Secretary (1200/800/3) in Attack Position. Yuji uses Backup Secretary and Link-2 Code Talker to Link Summon Excode Talker (2300→2800/3/←↑→) to Transcode Talker's bottom Link Marker. As Excode Talker was Link Summoned, Yuji can choose unused Main Monster Zones equal to the number of monsters in the Extra Monster Zones and prevent them from being used. Yuji chooses Green's center-left Main Monster Zone and Red's center-left Main Monster Zone. Monsters linked to Excode Talker gain 500 ATK and cannot be destroyed by card effects (Transcode Talker: 2800→3300). Red activates his Set Continuous Trap Card Fusion Trench. While Fusion Trench is on the field, only Fusion Monsters can attack. Yuji Sets 2 cards. He ends his turn.

Turn 3: Green

Green draws. He activates the Spell Card Polymerization, fusing the 3 Hunting Hounds in his hand to Fusion Summon Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound (1800/1000/7) to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

As Green didn't summon any non-Fusion Monsters this turn, Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound can attack Yuji directly. Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound attacks Yuji directly, but as he would take battle damage from a direct attack, Yuji activates the effect of Cyberse Gardna in his hand, discarding it to reduce the battle damage to 0. Yuji activates his Set Continuous Trap Card Cynet Integration. Once per turn, Yuji can banish 1 Cyberse monster from his GY to add a different Cyberse monster from his GY to his hand. Yuji banishes Flame Bufferlo to add Cyberse Gardna to his hand. Green Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.

Turn 4: Yellow

Yellow draws. He activates the Spell Card Polymerization, fusing the 3 Hunting Hounds in his hand to Fusion Summon Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound (1800/1000/7) to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. Yellow activates the Equip Spell Card Ancient Gear Blaster, equipping it to Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound. He activates Ancient Gear Blaster's effect to inflict damage to Yuji equal to the equipped monster's Level x 100 (Yuji: 4000→3300 LP). As an "Ancient Gear" card inflicted battle or effect damage to his opponent, Green activates his Set Trap Card Ancient Gear Punisher, which lets him destroy the monster Kingmaker controls with the least ATK. He destroys Excode Talker (Transcode Talker: 3300→2300). As he took damage from battle or a card effect, Yuji activates his Set Trap Card Cyberse Beacon, which lets him add 1 Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster from his Deck to his hand. He adds Clock Wyvern to his hand.

Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound attacks Yuji directly, but as he would take battle damage from a direct attack, Yuji activates the effect of Cyberse Gardna in his hand, discarding it to reduce the battle damage to 0. Yuji activates the effect of Cynet Integration, banishing Latency from his GY to add Cyberse Gardna to his hand. Yellow Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.

Turn 5: Red

Red draws. He activates the Continuous Spell Card Ancient Armageddon Gear. If a monster on the field would be destroyed, the controller of that monster would take damage equal to the destroyed monster's ATK on the field. Red activates Ballista's effect to destroy 1 Spell/Trap Card he controls and then reduce the ATK/DEF of Yuji's monster to 0 until the end of the turn. He destroys Ancient Armageddon Gear and targets Transcode Talker (Transcode Talker: 2300→0).

Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound attacks and destroys Transcode Talker (Yuji: 3300→1500 LP). As an "Ancient Gear" monster inflicted battle damage, Yellow activates his Set Trap Card Ancient Gear Enhancement. Now until Yellow's next Standby Phase, all "Ancient Gear" monsters on the field gain 1000 ATK/DEF (Ballista: 1500→2500) (Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound: 1800→2800/1000→2000 each). Red ends his turn.

Turn 6: Yuji Kogami

Yuji draws. He Normal Summons Clock Wyvern (1800/1000/4). As Clock Wyvern was Summoned, Yuji halves its ATK (Clock Wyvern: 1800→900) to Special Summon 1 Clock Token (0/0/1) in Defense Position. Yuji uses Clock Token and Clock Wyvern to Link Summon Clock Spartoi (800/2/↓↘) to the Extra Monster Zone. As Clock Spartoi was Link Summoned, Yuji can add Cynet Fusion from his Deck to his hand. Yuji activates the effect of Cynet Integration, sending it to the GY to Special Summon 1 Cyberse Link Monster from his GY, but that monster cannot activate its effects this turn. He Special Summons Transcode Talker (2300/3/↑↓→) to Clock Spartoi's bottom Link Marker (Clock Spartoi: 800→1300) (Transcode Talker: 2300→2800). Since a monster was Special Summoned to Clock Spartoi's Link Marker, Yuji can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster with its effects negated. He Special Summons Clock Wyvern (1800/1000/4) in Attack Position. Yuji activates the Spell Card Cynet Fusion, fusing Clock Wyvern, Clock Spartoi, and Transcode Talker to Fusion Summon Cyberse Clock Dragon (2500/2000/7) to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. As Clock Dragon was Fusion Summoned, Yuji can send cards from the top of his Deck to the GY, equal to the combined Link ratings of its Fusion Materials, and for each card sent, Clock Dragon gains 1000 ATK, also Yuji's other monsters cannot attack. Yuji sends 5 cards to the GY (Clock Dragon: 2500→7500). Yuji activates the Equip Spell Card Code Accelerator and equips it to Clock Dragon. He activates Code Accelerator's effect to banish 1 Link Monster from his GY. He banishes Transcode Talker. Now, during each Battle Phase this turn, Clock Dragon can make a number of attacks on Yuji's opponents' monsters, up to Transcode Talker's Link Rating.

Clock Dragon attacks and destroys Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound (Yellow: 4000→0 LP). Clock Dragon attacks and destroys Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound (Green: 4000→0 LP). Clock Dragon attacks and destroys Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound (Red: 4000→0 LP). Yuji wins.

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Yuji Kogami & Yugo vs. Yuri

This Duel is conducted as a Master Duel and a Battle Royal, with each player having their own field. At the start of the Duel, the Field Spell Card Crossover is activated, as per the rules of an Action Duel. It will allow the players to use Action Cards, but they may only have one in their hand at a time.

Turn 1: Yuri

Yuri activates the Spell Card Predapractice, which lets him Special Summon 1 "Predaplant" monster from his hand, then add 1 "Predap" card from his Deck to his hand. He Special Summons Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra (1000/1500/3) in Attack Position and adds Predaplanning from his Deck to his hand. As Darlingtonia Cobra was Special Summoned, Yuri adds 1 Polymerization from his Deck to his hand. Yuri Normal Summons Predaplant Flytrap (400/800/2). Yuri activates the Spell Card Polymerization, fusing Darlingtonia Cobra and Flytrap on his field to Fusion Summon Predaplant Chimerafflesia (2500/2000/7) to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. Yuri Sets 2 cards. He ends his turn.

Turn 2: Yugo

Yugo draws. As he controls no cards, he activates the Spell Card Speedraw, which lets him draw 2 cards, then send 1 "Speedroid" monster from his hand to the GY. He draws and sends Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice to the GY. Yugo Normal Summons Speedroid Double Yoyo (1400/1400/4). As Double Yoyo was Normal Summoned, Yugo can Special Summon 1 Level 3 or lower "Speedroid" monster from his GY. He Special Summons Tri-Eyed Dice (300/1500/3) in Attack Position. Yuri activates his Set Trap Card Predaplanning. He sends 1 "Predaplant" monster from his Deck to the GY to place 1 Predator Counter on each face-up monster on the field. Yuri sends Predaplant Cordyceps to the GY (Chimerafflesia: 0 PC→1 PC) (Double Yoyo: 0 PC→1 PC) (Tri-Eyed Dice: 0 PC→1 PC). Any monster on the field with a Predator Counter that is Level 2 or higher becomes Level 1 (Chimerafflesia: 7→1) (Double Yoyo: 4→1) (Tri-Eyed Dice: 3→1). Yugo activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Speedroid Roulette, which lets him discard 1 card to roll a six-sided die. He discards Speedroid Ohajikid and rolls a 4. Yugo can then Special Summon up to 2 "Speedroid" monsters from his hand and/or Deck whose total Levels equal the result with their effects negated, but if he does not Special Summon, he takes damage equal to the result x 500. Yugo Special Summons Speedroid Pachingo-Kart (1800/1000/4) from his Deck in Attack Position. Yuri activates his Set Continuous Trap Card Predaplanet. Once per turn, if a monster with a Predator Counter leaves the field, Yuri can add 1 "Predap" card from his Deck to his hand. Yugo tunes Level 1 Tri-Eyed Dice to Level 1 Double Yoyo and Level 4 Pachingo-Kart to Synchro Summon Hi-Speedroid Kendama (2200/1600/6) to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. Yuri activates Predaplanet's effect to add Predapruning from his Deck to his hand. Yugo activates Kendama's effect to banish 1 "Speedroid" monster from his GY to inflict 500 damage to Yuri. He banishes Pachingo-Kart (Yuri: 4000→3500 LP). Yugo Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.

Turn 3: Yuji Kogami

Yuji draws. He Normal Summons Draconnet (1400/1200/3). As Draconnet was Normal Summoned, Yuji can Special Summon 1 Level 2 or lower Normal Monster from his hand or Deck in Defense Position. He Special Summons Protron (100/100/1) from his Deck. Yuji uses Protron to Link Summon Linkuriboh (300/1/↓) to the Extra Monster Zone. Yuji Special Summons Link Infra-Flier (0/1800/2) to Linkuriboh's Link Marker in Defense Position via its effect. Yuji uses Draconnet, Link Infra-Flier, and Linkuriboh to Link Summon Powercode Talker (2300/3/←↙→) to the Extra Monster Zone. Yuji activates Powercode Talker's effect to target 1 face-up monster on the field and negate its effects until the end of the turn. He targets and negates Chimerafflesia's effects. As he controls a Cyberse monster, Yuji Special Summons Backup Secretary (1200/800/3) to Powercode Talker's bottom-left Link Marker in Defense Position.

Powercode Talker attacks Chimerafflesia. As Powercode Talker is battling Yuri's monster, Yuji activates its effect to Tribute 1 monster it points to and make its ATK double its original ATK during damage calculation only. He Tributes Backup Secretary (Powercode Talker: 2300→4600). Chimerafflesia is destroyed (Yuri: 3500→1400 LP). As a monster with a Predator Counter left the field, Predaplanet's effect lets Yuri add 1 "Predap" card from his Deck to his hand. He adds Predaplast to his hand. Yuji Sets 2 cards. He ends his turn.

Turn 4: Yuri

Yuri draws. During his Standby Phase, Yuri activates the effect of Cordyceps in his GY, banishing it to Special Summon 2 Level 4 or lower "Predaplant" monsters from his GY. As a monster effect was activated while he controls a "Code Talker" monster, Yuji activates his Set Counter Trap Cynet Conflict, which negates the activation of Cordyceps' effect and banishes it, also Yuri cannot activate cards or the effects of cards with the same original name as Cordyceps until the end of the next turn. As Chimerafflesia was sent to the GY last turn, Yuri activates its effect to add 1 Polymerization or 1 "Fusion" Spell Card from his Deck to his hand. He adds Polymerization to his hand. Yuri activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Predaplast, which lets him reveal any number of "Predap" cards in his hand, then target that number of face-up monsters Yuji and Yugo control and place Predator Counters on those monsters, and each monster that is Level 2 or higher becomes 1 so long as it has a Predator Counter. Yuri reveals Predapruning and Predaplant Squid Drosera to place Predator Counters on Kendama and Powercode Talker (Kendama: 0 PC→1 PC/6→1) (Powercode Talker: 0 PC→ 1 PC). Yuri activates the Equip Spell Card Predapruning, which lets him Special Summon 1 "Predaplant" monster from his GY in Attack Position and equip Predapruning to it. Yuri Special Summons Chimerafflesia (2500/2000/7). Yuri activates Chimerafflesia's effect to target 1 monster on the field with a Level less than or equal to its own and banish it. He targets Kendama, but as Yuri's Attack Position monster activated an effect, Yugo activates his Set Trap Card Memory Loss, which negates Chimerafflesia's effect and changes it to face-up Defense Position. As he controls a "Predaplant" monster, Yuri activates the Spell Card Predapulse, which lets him target 1 Level 4 or lower monster in his opponent's GY, banish it, then add a "Predaplant" monster with the same Level from his GY to his hand and reduce the ATK of all monsters on the field except "Predaplant" monsters or his Fusion Monsters by that monster's Level x 300 until the end of the turn. Yuri banishes Level 3 Tri-Eyed Dice from Yugo's GY and adds Darlingtonia Cobra to his hand (Kendama: 2200→1300) (Powercode Talker: 2300→1400). Yuri activates the Spell Card Polymerization, fusing Darlingtonia Cobra in his hand and Chimerafflesia on his field to Fusion Summon Predaplant Dragostapelia (2700/1900/8) to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. While Dragostapelia is on the field, the activated effects of his opponents' monsters that have Predator Counters are negated. As Yuri Fusion Summoned a Dark monster, he activates the effect of Predaplanning in his GY, banishing it to target and destroy 1 card on the field. He destroys Yuji's Set Overload Anchor.

Dragostapelia attacks and destroys Kendama (Yugo: 4000→2600 LP). As a monster with a Predator Counter left the field, Predaplanet's effect lets Yuri add Predaplague from his Deck to his hand. As Yuri's monster attacked this turn, Yuri discards Predaplant Squid Drosera from his hand to target Dragostapelia. Dragostapelia must attack all monsters on the field with Predator Counters once each. Dragostapelia attacks and destroys Powercode Talker (Yuji: 4000→2700 LP). Yuri Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.

Turn 5: Yugo

Yugo draws. As he controls no monsters, he Special Summons Speedroid Terrortop (1200/600/3) in Attack Position. Yugo Normal Summons Speedroid Party Horn Kid (1000/1000/4). As Party Horn Kid was Normal Summoned, Yugo can excavate cards from the top of his Deck equal to the number of other Wind monsters he controls, add 1 of those cards to hand, then place the rest on the bottom of his Deck in any order. Yuri chains the effect of Dragostapelia, targeting Party Horn Kid and placing a Predator Counter on it, changing its Level to 1 (Party Horn Kid: 4→1). While Dragostapelia is on the field, the activated effects of Yugo's and Yuji's monsters that have Predator Counters are negated. Yugo tunes Level 1 Party Horn Kid to Level 3 Terrortop to Synchro Summon Hi-Speedroid Puzzle (1300/1600/4) to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. As a monster with a Predator Counter left the field, Predaplanet's effect lets Yuri add Predaplant Droserapites Terrapin to his hand. As he controls a Wind monster, Yugo Special Summons Speedroid CarTurbo (800/1200/3) in Attack Position. Yugo tunes Level 3 CarTurbo to Level 4 Puzzle to Synchro Summon Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (2500/2000/7) to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. Yugo activates the effect of CarTurbo in his GY, banishing it to increase the ATK of his Wind monsters by 800 until the end of the turn (Clear Wing: 2500→3300).

Clear Wing attacks Dragostapelia. As his "Predaplant" monster would be destroyed by battle, Yuri banishes Predaplast from his GY instead (Yuri: 1400→800 LP). As his "Predaplant" monster battled, Yuri activates his Set Trap Card Predaplague, which lets him place 1 Predator Counter on every monster on the field except "Predaplant" monsters and make their Levels 1 if their Levels are 2 or higher, then inflict 800 damage to those monsters' controllers for each monster. He places 1 Predator Counter on Clear Wing (Clear Wing: 0 PC→1 PC/7→1) (Yugo: 2600→1800 LP). Yugo ends his turn, and CarTurbo's effect ends (Clear Wing: 3300→2500).

Turn 6: Yuji Kogami

Yuji draws. He Normal Summons Cyberse Gadget (1400/300/4). As Cyberse Gadget was Normal Summoned, Yuji can Special Summon 1 Level 2 or lower monster from his GY in Defense Position with its effects negated. He Special Summons Protron (100/100/1). Yuji uses Protron to Link Summon Talkback Lancer (1200/1/↓) to the Extra Monster Zone. Yuji activates Talkback Lancer's effect, Tributing Cyberse Gadget to Special Summon 1 "Code Talker" monster from his GY to Talkback Lancer's Link Marker, but Yuri chains Dragostapelia's effect, placing 1 Predator Counter on Talkback Lancer (Talkback Lancer: 0 PC→1 PC). Talkback Lancer's effects are negated. As Cyberse Gadget was sent from the field to the GY, Yuji Special Summons 1 Gadget Token (0/0/2) in Defense Position. Yuji uses Gadget Token to Link Summon Link Disciple (500/1/↓) to Talkback Lancer's Link Marker. Yuji activates the Spell Card Link Treasure, which lets him draw 1 card for each Link Monster on the field. Yuji draws 2 cards. If Yuji would Link Summon a "Code Talker" monster using a Cyberse monster, he can use Code Exporter in his hand as Link Material. Yuji uses Code Exporter in his hand and Link Disciple and Talkback Lancer on his field to Link Summon Decode Talker (2300/3/↙↑↘) to the Extra Monster Zone. As Code Exporter was used to Link Summon a "Code Talker" monster, Yuji can add 1 Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster from his GY to his hand. He adds Backup Secretary to his hand. As a monster with a Predator Counter was sent to the GY, Predaplanet's effect lets Yuri add Predaplant Cephalotusnail to his hand. As Yuji controls a Cyberse monster, he Special Summons Backup Secretary (1200/800/3) in Attack Position. Yuji uses Backup Secretary and Link-3 Decode Talker to Link Summon Viral Dawn Link Dragon (2500/4/←↙↘→) to the Extra Monster Zone. As Viral Dawn was Link Summoned using a Link-3 monster as material, the effects of all Level 5 or higher monsters Yugo and Yuri control are negated, and Yugo and Yuri cannot activate cards or effects in response to this effect. Dragostapelia's effects are negated. Yuji activates the Equip Spell Card Link Armaments, equipping it to Viral Dawn. Viral Dawn cannot be destroyed by Yugo's or Yuri's card effects and gains 500 ATK for each Link Monster in Yuji's GY (Viral Dawn: 2500→5000).

Viral Dawn attacks and destroys Dragostapelia, but as Yuri would take battle damage from a battle involving his "Predaplant" monster, Yuri activates the effect of Predaplant Droserapites Terrapin in his hand, discarding it so that Yuji takes the damage from the battle instead (Yuji: 2700→400 LP). Yuji ends his turn.

Turn 7: Yuri

Yuri draws. He Normal Summons Predaplant Cephalotusnail (1300/1200/4). Yuri activates the effect of Droserapites Terrapin in his GY, banishing it to Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Predaplant" monster from his GY. He Special Summons Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra (1000/1500/3) in Attack Position. As Darlingtonia Cobra was Special Summoned, Yuri adds Polymerization from his Deck to his hand. Yuri activates the Spell Card Polymerization, fusing Cephalotusnail and Darlingtonia Cobra to Fusion Summon Starving Venom Fusion Dragon (2800/2000/8) to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Because of interference from Yuzu's bracelet, the Duel ends with no result.

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Yuji Kogami:

Cynet Integration Continuous Trap Card
Once per turn: You can banish 1 Cyberse monster from your GY; add 1 Cyberse monster with a different name from your GY to your hand. During your Main Phase: You can send this face-up card you control to the GY; Special Summon 1 Cyberse Link Monster from your GY. The monster Special Summoned by this effect cannot activate its effects the turn you activate this effect.

Obelisk Force:

Ancient Gear Punisher Normal Trap Card
When an "Ancient Gear" card inflicts battle or effect damage to your opponent: Destroy the monster your opponent controls with the least ATK.

Ancient Gear Enhancement Normal Trap Card
When your opponent's monster is destroyed by battle: Increase the ATK of all "Ancient Gear" monsters on the field by 1000 until your next Standby Phase.

Yuri:

Predaplant Droserapites Terrapin (name credit to dvdryms)
Attribute: DARK Type: [Plant/Effect] ATK 1200 DEF 1500 Level: 3
If you would take battle damage from a battle involving your "Predaplant" monster (Quick Effect): You can send this card from your hand to the GY; your opponent takes the damage from this battle instead. You can banish this card from your GY; Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Predaplant" monster from your GY. You can only use 1 effect of "Predaplant Droserapites Terrapin" per turn, and only once per turn.

Predapulse Normal Spell Card
If you control a "Predaplant" monster: You can target 1 Level 4 or lower monster in your opponent's GY; banish it, also add from your GY to your hand, 1 "Predaplant" monster with the same Level as the target, then all monsters on the field except "Predaplant" monsters or Fusion Monsters you control lose ATK equal to the banished monster's Level x 300, until the end of the turn.

Predaplague Normal Trap Card (name credit to SakushiRyu)
When your "Predaplant" monster battles your opponent's monster: Place 1 Predator Counter on each face-up monster on the field, except "Predaplant" monsters, and if you do, any of those monsters that are Level 2 or higher become Level 1 as long as they have a Predator Counter, and the controllers of those monsters take 800 damage for each monster.

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Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh!: ARC-V: The Fifth Circuit. Chapter 36 - The Ruined Metropolis

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Question of the Chapter

Thus ends the Synchro arc. What were your Top 3 duels of this arc, from Chapter 11 to Chapter 35? This includes the duels in Heartland and the Fusion Dimension, btw.

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Author's Notes

Thank you to SakushiRyu, ThePLOThand, Haoh Ryu Z-ARC, and dvdryms for looking over and helping with the OC cards in this chapter.

Well, this was an interesting chapter to write. I had to rewrite the second duel, partly because Yuji's moves were similar to his moves in the first, but mostly because I wasn't satisfied with the initial result. Then I did something similar to the first duel. Anyway, the ones above were the final product, and I'm mostly satisfied with how they went.

Let's start with the first duel: We finally have Yuji going solo against three duelists at once and curbstomping them. He's done this before with Yugo, Sawatari, and Tsukikage, but this is the first time he's done it on his own. My favorite part of this duel was him using Clock Dragon to get around Fusion Trench, then having it obliterate the Obelisk Force with a single attack courtesy of an OC Equip Spell Card. Other than that, this duel was also to show that the Obelisk Force have a Link Monster too. And we're only going to see more of them from Academia's forces.

And then the second duel: Yugo and Yuji vs. Yuri. Some people wanted just Yuji vs. Yuri, but considering what happened here, Yugo had to be involved. I am somewhat sorry that Yugo didn't get as good a showing as Yuri and Yuji did, but that can be attributed to Predator Counters being especially problematic for Synchro Summons. Despite that, Yugo still managed to roll with the punches and gave a decent fight. Hopefully he'll get a better showing when I write his next duel. But the duel was mainly Yuri's and Yuji's show, and I think I did well to show how powerful the two are in comparison to each other. Needless to say, but if they face each other again, Yuji will have to try his hardest to defeat Yuri.

Let's move onto characters. As we saw, Reira is still scared of Yuji after his breakdown last chapter, which I hope you all won't blame her for. The pressure of a trauma flashback and the Obelisk Force made it worse for her, but she'll rally from it and become stronger from now on. We also got a glimpse of Go helping the Lancers and Crow escape the underground, but since I don't have plans for any major changes there, I decided to keep it brief.

However, as stated before, the true stars of this chapter were Yuji and Yuri. At first, Yuji hates Yuri for his capture and defeat of Hanako, while Yuri is excited because he's hoping Yuji can give him a good fight like Hanako did. But when they duel, Yuri realizes that the two are similar: they were both empty and guided by someone else, but whereas Yuri was guided by the Professor and became his tool, Dr. Kogami adopted Yuji and encouraged his own decisions. Some reviewers have noted that Yuri and Yuji are similar, and they were right; I hope I managed to convey that here.

And of course, we have the ending: all five dragons are on the field, and Zarc is about to revive… only for Yuzu to interrupt and ruin it. Personally, I'm not upset about that; it helped build suspense for the next season and gave a glimpse of the power behind the boys. But here, it served another purpose: getting Serena away from Barrett. I know how this happens is similar to Fifth Factor, and that story was a major inspiration for this chapter, but I hope I managed to provide my own unique twist with a Serena getting teleported when Yuzu showed up, since unlike Yukio, Yuji isn't immune to Yuzu's bracelet, so Serena got dragged along for the ride like Yuzu did with Yugo at the end of season 1. What this means is that Serena becomes part of the Heartland arc, and how she interacts with not only the Resistance but also the Academia Occupation Force will be interesting to write.

Thank you for reading Chapter 35 of Fifth Circuit. This was the last chapter of the Synchro arc, and Chapter 36 will start the Xyz arc. That said, I will be taking an extended break from posting; I want to write out as many duels as possible for this next arc to both speed up my updating speed, while also hopefully keeping the quality consistent. I'll be doing the same for Hidden Memories after I post Chapter 65. I'll be aiming to finish the duels up to Hidden Memories Chapter 73 and Fifth Circuit Chapter 44. As such, I will make this announcement: the next Fifth Circuit chapter won't be posted until September! I hope all of you can stay patient until then. Until then, stay safe, and I hope you all have a good summer!