Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-Vrains: The Circuit Of Smiles

by donkeyboy100

A year after the Dimensional War and the revival of Zarc, and everything in Paradise City had seemed to die down. Until one day a mysterious group called the Arbiters came and invaded the Pendulum Dimension to capture Declan Akaba and Yuya Sakaki. It's now up to Yuya and his friends to travel to this unknown dimension in search for the answers to their questions.

16. A Fiery Spectacle

Last time in Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-VRAINS The Circuit Of Smiles, Yuya, and Zuzu, along with their friends and counterparts, Yuji and Ena, greeted Kolter and his brother Jin at the airport as they returned from their trip. Having planned out the day for them, Yuji and Ena went to the plaza to work on Kolter's truck while Yuya and Zuzu went to have lunch and see a movie with the two brothers.

When they arrived, they suddenly got a message from Akira asking for Ringmaster and Maestra to attend an important meeting at the Charisma Castle. After arriving, they were ambushed by a fake Zaizien, later revealed to be The Shepherd, who trapped Maestra while challenging Ringmaster to a duel. Almost near the brink of defeat, Storm Rider and Sanctum appeared to want Shepherd to stop the duel, but Ringmaster refused to give up and won the duel by summoning out Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon before being surprised by the real Zaizen.

At the Charisma Castle...

"Zaizen? What are you doing here?" Storm Rider asked.

"And what's the meaning of this?" Ringmaster added.

"I promise to answer all your questions, but for now, why don't we have everyone else join us?"

SNAP!

After snapping his fingers, holograms of Gore, Blue Maiden, Soulburner, and Ghost Gal appeared next to Zaizen.

"It's Gore, Blue Maiden, and Soulburner!" Sanctum exclaimed.

"But who's that with them?" Maestra asked. "She doesn't look like either Charmcaster or Black Rose."

"That's because I'm neither one of them," Ghost Gal replied. "I'm The Shepherd's partner Ghost Gal. And I'm also the one who lured you two in here.

"What!?" Both Ringmaster and Maestra yelled.

"Why would you do that?" Storm Rider asked.

"Because I knew that the two of them wouldn't hesitate at the chance of learning some news regarding our enemy," Akira answered. "I'm sorry I had to take drastic measures to get your attention, but it was all to see if my theory about you two was right or not."

"What theory?" Ringmaster asked.

"You see, ever since you two entered LINK VRAINS's Masters Tournament, you've become big household names. Especially, you Ringmaster."

"Is it because of my ability to Pendulum Summon?"

"Correct. Not only was every citizen in Den City amazed by your Pendulum Summoning technique, but I also.

"And you felt that after the previous incident that happened with the Arbiters, seeing Ringmaster's Pendulum Summon was a new weapon created to use against you?" Maestra questioned.

"Right in the nose," The Shepherd said.

"Is that why you had Gore and Blue Maiden duel us?" Ringmaster asked.

"Of course not," Akira replied.

"He's right, Ringmaster," Gore said. "You should know that we both wanted to duel each other because of our strong passion for dueling and entertaining."

"I agree with Gore," Blue Maiden added. "My duel with Maestra was mostly about ending the feud between our two fanbases and show that you shouldn't pin and compare duelists against each other."

"She's right, Ringmaster," Maestra stated. "I could tell that her true reason for dueling me was to end the debate."

"Okay, I guess I can believe them, but that still doesn't justify that you'd trick us," Ringmaster pointed out.

"While I admit that what I did was a bit rash and unethical, it was the only way you two will come down here for something important or emergency," Akira apologized.

"Is that it, Zaizen?" Storm Rider asked. "Or is there more to want you're telling us?"

"You're right, Storm Rider. There is more to tell," Akira admitted. "I wish I didn't have to ask and share with everyone except Ringmaster and Maestra, but I guess there's no chance. With my suspicions of Ringmaster and Maestra being possible allies of the Arbiter or even another enemy, I had another on why you two decided to join LINK VRAINS Masters Tournament and agree to help us stop the Arbiters."

"Now that I think about it, why would two random duelists out of nowhere join a tournament where the winners ended up being a part of the new Top 10 when they had no history dueling in or outside of LINK VRAINS?" Gore wondered.

"Gore's right," Blue Maiden said. "Even if they've never entered LINK VRAINS before, we still have records on their dueling history thanks to SolTech's Duel Disks."

"But unfortunately, Akira was unable to find any data of past duels they had before the ones they had in the tournament and after," Ghost Gal pointed out.

"So that means they aren't from here," Shepherd said.

"So, if you mind telling us Ringmaster and Maestra, what is your true purpose for being here?" Akira asked.

Ringmaster and Maestra were silent for a few seconds before Ringmaster decided to speak.

"Alright. We'll tell you," Ringmaster said.

"Wait, Ringmaster! You sure we should tell them?" Maestra questioned.

"It's the only way for them to trust us," Ringmaster explained to her. "Back where we live, there's a man known as Leo Akaba, a famous scientist who runs a company called the LEO Corporation who created the Real Solid Vision System."

"Real Solid Vision? What's that?" Sanctum asked.

"If I recall, I remember that before LINK VRAINS was created, dueling in the real world happened via holograms," Storm Rider explained. "Real Solid Vision gives mass to those holograms and allows them to interact fully with the world."

Everyone widened their eyes again. "We'd had something like that? Why hasn't SolTech ever released it, Zaizen?" Gore asked.

"Because shortly after we created Real Solid Vision, we discovered the applications for it beyond dueling," Akira explained. "As such, SOL Technologies kept it a secret and re-invested in advanced networking. That led to the creation of LINK VRAINS.

"As I was saying," Ringmaster continued. "Almost two and a half weeks ago, he learned of Den City, and it was famous for both their knowledge in advanced networking. He decided to travel to learn more about it."

"Once arrived, he learned about not only LINK VRAINS, but LINK Summoning as well," Maestra added.

"And that's how the two learned how to move and duel within LINK," Storm rider concluded.

"Correct," Ringmaster said.

"So, did something happened to Leo that caused you guys to come here?" Soulburner asked.

"Why yes, Soulburner. Something did happen," Ringmaster admitted. "A few days after Leo arrived in Den City, his son Declan lost track of his father's location and was unable to communicate with him. He decided to go and find him on his, but around that time, we were invaded by none other than the Arbiters."

"…What!?" Everyone said again in surprise.

"We're serious," Maestra said. "Out of nowhere, we were assaulted by the same people who disrupted your guy's tournament."

"But why would the Arbiters attack you?" Gore asked. "I mean, you guys had no relation with them, so what would be their motive behind that?"

"That's what I thought to Gore until I dueled one of them and learned they were ordered and sent to capture Leo's son Declan," Ringmaster answered.

"We believe it may be someone who may have some kind of past with Declan or his father if he or she's willing to form an evil group and send them to capture someone and hurt innocent lives at the same time," Maestra added.

"I managed to beat the Arbiter after acquiring "Odd-Eyes Cylancer."

"Wait a minute. Are you saying that you managed to manifest a card from out of nowhere?" Akira asked.

"Sounds similar to Playmaker's Storm Acess Skill," Ghost Gal pointed out.

"I've heard of Playmaker, but what's Storm Acess?" Ringmaster asked.

"It was Playmaker's signature skill he used to help win his duels," Blue Maiden answered.

"Whenever his Life Points were 1000 or less, his skill allowed him to obtain a Cyberse Link Monster at random from a nearby Data Storm and add it to their Extra Deck," Gore added.

"The more intense the Data Storm, the stronger the obtained Link Monster will be," Shepherd said. "Furthermore, the accessed Link Monster will be a well-suited match for the Duelist using this Skill.

"Sounds like an amazing gamechanger," Maestra stated.

"Not only that, but he also had an upgraded form of it know as Neo Storm Access," Sanctum mentioned.

"If the user has 1000 or less LP, they can access a Cyberse monster at random from a nearby Data Storm and add it to their Extra Deck. If the user did not add a new card to their Extra Deck using this Skill, and their LP is 100 or less, they can access a Cyberse monster at random from a nearby Data Storm again and add it to their Extra Deck, and then they draw one card," Storm Rider added.

"Now that sounds more than amazing. It's incredible!" Ringmaster exclaimed.

"I shouldn't be surprised that you're not very knowledgable on Skills since you didn't use one in our Speed Duel," Gore pointed out.

"That's because I never had the chance to create my Skill when setting up my account," Ringmaster replied.

"If you don't mind, Ringmaster, can we please get back to the matter on why you and Maestra are here?" Akira asked.

"Sorry, Zaizen," Ringmaster apologized. "Continuing where I left off, I defeated the Arbiter member with the help of my new Odd-Eyes Cylancer and won. Afterward, I proceeded to get some answers from him, starting with who sent him and kidnapped Declan's father."

"Sadly, before we could get anything, the member was instantly transported away, leaving us with nothing," Maestra added.

"So, what did you do after that?" Blue Maiden asked.

"After the whole incident and making sure everyone was okay, Declan called an emergency meeting to discuss the situation regarding the recent invasion and his father going missing," Ringmaster answered.

Once explaining everything to use, he informed us that he was going to head out to search and rescue his father while also taking the person responsible for all of this," Maestra added.

"But I feel like whoever the enemy is would know that Declan wouldn't hesitate to look for his father, which might the risk the possibility of him running into a trap, leading himself to be captured as well."

"So Ringmaster and I decided to go in his place, knowing that it will not only throw the enemy off guard but give Declan and our allies some time to hone their dueling skills, so they'll be prepared when they arrive."

"When they arrive? Are you saying more of you will be here?" Shepherd asked.

"Yes," Ringmaster answered. "Even though we already had reinforcements, in the beginning, we knew we needed more if we were going to stand against this unknown enemy with a large army."

"So our reasoning for joining the tournament was hoping for the both of us ending up as finalists, so we form bonds with the rest of the Top 10 to gain their trust and have their hand in helping us rescue Leo Akaba," Maestra added.

"I see. So just like us, you two were also invaded by the Arbiters from out of nowhere, and not only do you want to stop them, but rescue your friend's father as well," Akira said.

"Yes." Both Ringmaster and Maestra replied.

"While normally, I wouldn't trust and believe someone, who I hardly know anything about, but since we share a common enemy, and we both seek to stop them from hurting anyone else, you have my word when I say that I'll help you any way I can."

"Awesome! Thanks, Zaizen!" Ringmaster said.

"You have no idea how much this means to us," Maestra stated. "So what do guys say? Will you help out as well?"

"Anything to stick it to those Arbiter punks!" Gore stated. "Plus, if it goes live, it'll put on a good show for the kids to watch."

"You can count me in as well," Blue Maiden said. "I won't let the Arbiters destroy LINK VRAINS ever since it became a second home to me."

"I'm in as well," Soulburner answered.

"Well' that four so far. What about you, Shepherd, and Ghost Gal?" Ringmaster asked.

"Normally, I don't accept a job unless I'm getting paid, but for this time only, I'll make an exception," Ghost Gal replied. "Shepherd?

'Like Ghost Gal here, I too don't accept a job unless there's a form of payment, but after our duel and learning that you have strong allies that'll soon be here, I accept your offer to join and help you," Shepherd said. "Plus, Ghost Gal will nag me until I agree to join, and I don't want to go through that.

"Perfect! And I assume Storm Rider that you Sanctum are on board as well?"

"Of course, we're on board," Sanctum replied, with Storm Rider nodding in response.

"Do you happened to have any clues or leads on where your friend's father could be?" Storm Rider asked.

"Unfortunately, we don't," Maestra answered. "But we do have a theory that they might be inside LINK VRAINS somewhere since it's most likely the Arbiters are hidden."

"That's not a bad idea, Maestra," Ghost Gal said. "Shepherd and I can try and track down any leftover traces they've made and failed to clean up, which will help pinpoint their location."

"Awesome! That will help us get one step closer to finding Leo!" Ringmaster exclaimed.

"Well, if we're done talking here, Ghost Gal and I are going to get starting on finding those Arbiters."

The Shepherd and Ghost Gal turned away as they logged out.

"Well, while he's tracking down the enemy, then I'll do my part by getting stronger," Gore said. "Hey Ringmaster, promise me that after you rescue your friend's father and we defeat the person responsible for taking him, you and I will square off in one more duel before you go back home."

"I can tell you, Gore, that a promise I won't break," Ringmaster said.

"Glad to hear it."

Gore then turned around and logged out.

"Well, if he's planning on getting stronger, then so will I," Blue Maiden stated.

"Me too!" Soulburner added.

The two Charisma duelists then proceeded to log out.

"If everyone else is planning on bettering their skills, then we should to, Storm Rider," Sanctum suggested.

"You know I'm up for anything that helps me be a better duelist," Storm Rider said as he and Sanctum logged out, leaving Ringmaster, Maestra, and Akira alone in LINK VRAINS.

"Looks like you managed to get everyone on your side," Zaizen stated. "So, do you know when your comrades should be arriving?"

"We'll know by receiving a notification through our Duel Disks," Ringmaster answered.

"And we promise you that they're best of the best," Maestra added.

"I hope you're right because we need all the help we can get to stop this foe."

"Don't worry, Zaizen. We will."

Ringmaster and Maestra logged out of the Castle, leaving Akira by himself.

Even though they don't seem suspicious, provided a story sharing they've experienced what we experienced, and providing us more support for the upcoming battle that's ahead, I still feel uneasy about them. There's only one person I know that can keep an eye on them, he thought, logging out as well soon after.

Back at Den City, in the evening…

Yuya and Zuzu woke up back in the alley they hid at earlier to log into LINK VRAINS.

"Ugh..." Yuya said with exhaustion

"Yuya? Are you okay?" Zuzu asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Yuya answered, still tired. "Though I'll need a minute to get up."

"You won't need one," Zuzu said as she put her left arm around his right shoulder as they exited the alley. "Let's head to Kolter's place. I bet he wonders where we are."

"I'm pretty sure that he already knows that we went to LINK VRAINS. Otherwise, why would he sent Yuji and Ena to help us?" Yuya stated.

"I'll admit, you do have a point there," Zuzu said. "I hope that before we get there, your body will heal up a bit. That duel with the Shepherd did a number on your body."

"Tell me about it. Shepherd's attacks almost felt real as the ones I experienced during my duel against Specter," Yuya stated. "But I do have to say he was a fun opponent to duel against."

"I'm assuming that Yuri had fun as well?" Zuzu questioned.

"Not only did he had fun, but it was his idea to use his Deck since Shepherd already knew about mine and Yugo's. Plus, I can't use Yuto's Deck since it will reveal my identity as Ringmaster if the Duel Club found out."

"That was a very smart move on his part. If anyone knows how to defeat a hunter, it's him."

"Sure was," Yuya agreed. "How much longer until we reach Kolter's apartment.

Zuzu checked the map on her Duel Disk to see the travel distance between Kolter's apartment and their location. "According to this, about 5-10 minutes."

"Well, I guess we better pick up the pace."

Zuzu nodded in response as the two walked faster.

A few minutes later...

Yuya and Zuzu finally made it to Kolter's apartment and headed straight inside, hoping they wouldn't be asked too many questions by Kolter when they walked in.

"Kolter, we're home!" The two teens shouted as they entered the apartment but didn't receive a greeting in response.

"Kolter? Jin? You guys here?" Yuya shouted.

"Where could they be?" Zuzu wondered. "Is it possible they got worried and went out to look for us?"

"If they did, we better call and let them know we're okay and we've arrived home safely," Yuya replied as he picked the up phone to call Kolter.

Suddenly the door opened. "Yuya Zuzu! You two in here?"

Yuya and Zuzu turned around to see not only Kolter and Jin but also Yuji and Ena.

"Kolter! Jin!" Zuzu exclaimed in excitement.

"We thought you guys got worried about where Zuzu and I were and decided to look for us," Yuya stated.

"We did at first," Kolter replied. "Right after Jin and left the theater, I called you guys to let you know I was on my way down to the plaza, but you didn't pick up. So Jin and I headed down there to see if you guys were alright."

"When we arrived, you were nowhere to be found, so we had Yuji and Ena help us find you guys," Jin added.

"We'd search everywhere but were unable to find you," Ena said.

"That's until I received a notification on my phone that someone entered my apartment, and by using the security cameras I installed a while ago, I saw that it was you two," Kolter mentioned.

"Luckily for us, we were near Kolter's place, so it didn't take us long to get here," Yuji stated. "Why happened to you guys anyway?"

Yuya and Zuzu were hesitant to answer before finally deciding to speak. "Around the time we left, we ran into Shima and the rest of the Duel Club who were helping out with the school formal and learned the theme has been changed to LINK VRAINS and heard rumors that Zuzu and I are to dress up as Ringmaster and Maestra," Yuya stated.

"Thinking that we wouldn't be able to capture the image of them, he forced us to stay and try on multiple different outfits. It was so exhausting," Zuzu added.

"Sorry you had to guys go through all of that," Ena said.

"The important thing is that you're nowhere. Safe and sound," Jin pointed out.

"Yeah, but because of us, we ruined your plans with Yuji and Ena," Yuya mentioned.

"Not really," Yuji stated. "Just in case we found you guys, we ask the restaurant we were planning to take Kolter and Jin out to change our reservation to a take-out order."

"We also order two extra entrees, just for you guys," Kolter added.

"Really? Thank you, guys!" Zuzu exclaimed.

"After the day we've had, a tasty dinner is sure to make me feel better," Yuya said.

"We know, Yuya," Jin said with a smile. "Anyway, let's eat!"

"Yeah!" Everyone shouted in response as they headed to the kitchen to enjoy their dinner.

At an apartment in Den City...

Theodore yawned as the blue sphere faded away as he exited his room. "Kiku! I'm back!"

Standing in the kitchen cooking was a petite young girl with fair skin, brown eyes, and navy blue hair tied back in a plait. She wore a green apron of her pink nightgown.

"Welcome home, Teddy. And you made it just in time for dinner," Kiku said.

"Nice. How was shopping with the girls?" Theodore asked.

"It was amazing!" Kiku replied. "Lucky for us, most of our favorite stores had sales going on, so we got new clothes, shoes, jewelry, and make-up at a great price."

"Don't you think you already have enough of those things?'

"There's no such thing as having too many things, Teddy."

"That's what everyone says before they turn into hoarders," Theodore muttered.

"What was that?" Miyu asked.

"Nothing," Theodore replied. "Anyway, I bet you're dying to know what happened in LINK VRAINS."

"Of course. So what happened?"

"Well, basically, the reason Zaizen called us was to watch a duel between Ringmaster and the bounty hunter Shepherd.

"Why?"

"Because ever since Ringmaster debuted in LINK VRAINS and showcased his Pendulum Summoning technique, he's been the talk of LINK VRAINS," Theodore answered.

"Not only him, but Maestra as well," Kiku added.

"Right. And Zaizen feels that even while he be great allies to have to help deal with the Arbiters, he's also a bit skeptical that Ringmaster, along with Maestra, is potential allies of the Arbiters or even another enemy."

"So, are they allies or not?"

Fortunately for us, they're clean as a whistle, and they're here to help rescue someone."

"Who?" Kiku questioned.

"Their friends' father," Theodore answered. "His name is Leo Akaba, and he came here after learning LINK VRAINS and wanting to learn everything about it. But sadly, he was taken by the leader of the Arbiters, who somehow has some past with him."

"I can't believe this."

"It doesn't stop there. The Arbiters also attacked Ringmaster's and Maestra's home as well."

"Seriously!?"

"Seriously. Ringmaster and Maestra managed to beat them with the help of their comrades, but they'd all escaped before getting some answers, which led them to travel here to search for potential comrades to help rescue Leo."

"Knowing you, Teddy, you immediately agreed to help them, right?"

"Of course. After hearing about Declan's story is similar to how me when I was taken and tortured during the Lost Incident, and all my parents wondered where I was and searched for me day and night, and I can't stand the thought of someone being robbed of their loved ones."

"Well, I'll be here to support you and your new teammates all the way!" Kiku exclaimed.

"I know you will," Theodore said.

"Speaking of which, you were planning on dueling Ringmaster and Maestra, just like Gore and Blue Maiden did?" Kiku asked.

"Now that you mentioned it, that never occurred to me," Theodore admitted. "Why do you ask?"

"Because not only were they interested in their dueling skills, both Gore and Blue Maiden went out of their way to duel them to experience it themselves," Kiku answered. "If you had to choose one of them to duel, which one would you pick?"

"Which one would I pick, huh? If I had to choose, I pick Ringmaster."

"I'd figured as much, but why did you pick Ringmaster?"

"Even though I don't know much about him, except he's here to help a friend, he gives the same vibes as Playmaker did back then."

"He does?"

"Yep. Unlike Playmaker, he's very social with everybody. Still, his motivation to make something wrong turn right, no matter how tough the challenge, is inspiring, and if I had the chance to duel him, I'd immediately take it."

"Well, why don't you?" Kiku suggested. "Ringmaster challenged Gore to a duel, so you can do the same and challenge him.

"Challenge him?" Theodore said, surprised. "I've never challenged someone to a duel since I've always been the one receiving challenges."

"But you said it yourself. If you had the opportunity to duel Ringmaster, you wouldn't hesitate to take the chance," Kiku pointed out. "Why not cut out the middle man and just send him a challenge request. I'm pretty sure he'll say yes."

Theodore remained silent for a few seconds before giving a response. "Alright, Kiku. I'll send Ringmaster a request challenging him to a duel first thing in the morning. Also, if I didn't, you probably nag me to death until I do."

"That's the spirit! Now that we got that out of the way, let's enjoy our dinner."

"Sounds good."

The two friends sat down at the table and starting eating.

The next morning, at Kolter's apartment...

Yuya and Zuzu had a lot on their mind as they ate the chocolate-chip pancakes they made for Kolter and his brother, Jin. Sure, they were delicious, but with so much stuff going on in their minds, especially with lucking out with everyone believing they're good guys.

"Mission control to Yuya and Zuzu. Something on your guys' mind?" The two teens lifted their heads at Kolter, saying his name. "You know, for a second there, I thought you two were going to fall asleep."

"Sorry, Kolter," Yuya said as he stretched his arms. "I guess we didn't get much sleep last night."

Kolter crossed his arms in response. "Considering you guys stayed up late with Yuji and Ena to replan the evening they set up for Jin and Ithat would make sense."

"You know you guys didn't have to do this. Especially getting up early to set up Kolter's truck since you decided to work there the entire day until nightfall," Jin added as he took a bite of his pancake.

"I know we didn't have to, but we felt like we owe it to you guys," Zuzu stated. "Also, we don't mind working the truck, and we love serving customers."

"Well, if you guys are happy, then I'm happy," Kolter said.

"Glad to hear it," Yuya said. "Nice to see the two of you are enjoying breakfast. It's my mom's recipe.

"Well, if I ever get the chance to meet your mom, I would love a copy of her recipe."

"I'm sure I can make that happen."

After finishing their breakfast, Yuya and Zuzu got up from their seats, washed their dishes, and prepared to head out.

"Time for us to go," Yuya stated.

"Well, see you guys tonight," Zuzu said as she and Yuya grabbed their things and headed out the front door and down the stairs to the exit.

"Okay!" Kolter called out as he and Jin got up from their chairs and cleaned their dishes, and prepared for the day ahead of them.

"I got to say, Kolter, you were really lucky to run into Yuya and Zuzu. They are very nice people and fun to be around," Jin said.

"While I agree with the part with them being kind individuals and comfortable to hang with, I doubt it was luck had a hand with me meeting them," Kolter replied.

"Eh?"

"I believe it was fate that led me to meet Yuya and Zuzu," Kolter said. "Ever since Yusaku left, a part of me felt empty because I lost my best friend, even when I know he's still out there somewhere."

"I think I understand what you're saying, bro," Jin stated. "Meeting Yuya and Zuzu were like when you met Yusaku for the first time. You guys were meant or should I destined to find each other because without him, you wouldn't stop the Hanoi, and without you, he'll never move on from his tragic past and made and met many friends."

"Exactly," Kolter replied. "But I do hope that one day Yusaku will return home and found what he was looking for."

"Knowing him, I'm pretty sure he will."

"Thanks, Jin."

"I'm always here for you, big bro.

The two brothers then hugged before heading to their rooms and changing with Yuji and Ena for their day.

On the way to Den City Plaza…

Yuya and Zuzu were walking down the street on their way to the Central Plaza, where they'll be working all day at the Cafe Nom Food Truck.

"I want your opinion on something. Do you honestly Zaizen trusts us now, or did he just say that so he can secretly keep an eye on us?" Zuzu asked Yuya as he moved her eye to face him.

"Possibly," Yuya replied. "Whether or not he trusts us or not, we have to make sure the others do, and hopefully, that'll convince Zaizen enough to believe that we're here to help and not cause trouble."

"I sure hope your right," Zuzu said.

"Me too, Zuzu," Yuya said as the two resumed their walk.

At Café Nom in Den City's plaza…

"Looks, we're done with setting up the place," Zuzu stated.

"Yeah. And it didn't take us very long either," Yuya added.

Yuya and Zuzu were inside Kolter's food truck and were amazed at how quickly they finished cleaning the dishes, defrosting the food, and organizing the menus for the customers.

"Usually, I'm not a morning person, but it was a good idea to get early to set everything up," Yuya stated.

"Not only that, but we still have up to an hour and a half before people start showing up, so we can take a quick power nap until then," Zuzu suggested.

"You just read my min-," Before Yuya could finish his sentence, he was suddenly interrupted when he heard a beep from his duel disk.

"It appears I got a message," Yuya said as he proceeded to read it as his eyes widened in shock. "No way."

"What is it?" Zuzu asked.

"The message I received is from Soulburner!" Yuya exclaimed, causing Zuz to widen her eyes in surprise.

"From Soulburner? Isn't he the No.1 Charisma Duelist in LINK VRAINS?"

"The one and only," Yuya answered. "Check the message for yourself."

"Ringmaster, I know that it's early, but please come to LINK VRAINS." Zuzu read. "I need to discuss a few matters with you. I know we don't know each other pretty well, but if we're going to be teammates, the best way to work together with someone is by getting to know them. From, Soulburner. P.S., Maestra's also allowed to come if she wants to." There were a set of coordinates at the bottom of the message.

"So, what do you think he wants to talk about?" Yuya asked.

"I'm not sure," Zuzu answered. "How did Soulburner even find out about your email address?"

"This is Ringmaster's address, not mine," Yuya explained. "Remember when Kolter made our avatars, he also created separate ones to differentiate between the two in the event someone who knew Ringmaster or Maestra could reach out to them?"

"Oh yeah. You're right," Zuzu recalled. "Well, what about his address? Were you able to find it?"

"Nope," Yuya answered. "And we can't message him back. I tried, but all I got was an automatic response back within seconds. He must also have set it up as a contingency in case we questioned the authenticity of his message."

"Do you think it's a trap, and he has doubts about us like Zaizen?" Zuzu asked. "You wouldn't be showing us this to me if you didn't believe it was genuine."

Yuya sighed. "Honestly, I don't know," he admitted. "When we first debut as Ringmaster and Maestra, SOL Technologies worked hard trying to figure out who we were. But they couldn't find our email at all, so I'm one hundred percent sure that Soulburner didn't go to them. What are your thoughts?"

"Maybe a hacker such as Ghost Girl might be able to find it, though," Zuzu replied.

The Shepherd might be able to find it as well, he thought. But he's the type who takes the initiative in the hunt, not luring prey in through emails. Besides, he's focusing on locating the Arbiters as well as their leader," Yuya pointed out.

"Well, why don't we send it to Kolter? He could run some tests on the message and see if it contains any surprises or not," Zuzu suggested.

"I'm afraid not," Yuya replied. "We promise we would let him have his time with Yuji and Ena, and after what happened yesterday, I don't think we should rock his boat again."

"You're probably right. But knowing Soulburner, it could be genuine, and besides, if it's not, then you got two pairs of eyes and ears to help you out."

"So, does that means you're not coming along?"

"He did say it was my choice if I want to come or not," Zuzu replied. "Plus, he mainly asked for you. I'll be here keeping an eye on you, and if things start to go south, that's when I'll jump in.

"Right!" Yuya nodded, and he went over to the counter where his bag was, took out his Duel Disk, and put it on. Once he entered the sealed room, he inserted his Deck into his Duel Disk.

"It's time to link the VRAINS!"

In LINK VRAINS...

Ringmaster emerged in LINK VRAINS next to a lake on an isolated island. The island in question was covered in grass and trees with said lake and mountains around them.

"These are the coordinates in the message," Zuzu told Ringmaster through his Duel Disk.

"So now I just have to wait for Soukburner," Ringmaster said.

"I hope this doesn't end up bad," Zuzu said nervously.

"Me too."

A portal appeared in the sky, and emerging from it was Soulburner on his Duel Board as he descended from it and landed safely on the ground.

"I'll be honest. I was afraid you wouldn't come after getting my message." Soulburner said. "Given the enemies after you, I thought you would ignore my message."

"Nice to see you again, Soulburner," Ringmaster said.

"You too, Ringmaster," he answered. He went over and shook Raguel's hand. "Even though we had already met each other day, it's still a pleasure to see you.

"You as well." Ringmaster replied. "In your message, you said you wanted to meet with me. Why is that?"

"Because your one of the most amazing and incredible duelists I've ever seen in my life," Ever since your duel against Seraph, where you introduced your Pendulum Summoning technique, you've been on my mind; nonstop."

"Have I now?"

"Not just in your duel against Seraph, but Gore and The Shepherd as well," Soulburner added. You went beyond Pendulum Summoning with your High-Speed Pendulum to Pendulum Summon during your opponent's turn, and using similar tactics Shepherd uses in his duels against him was mind-blowing!"

"Well, I'm glad you like my duels."

"I don't just like your duels. I love them!"

"I see. Anyway, let's get back to what we originally were talking about. "What's the reason for you wanting to meet with me.

Soulburner closed his eyes and turned around. "You see, a decade ago, about me and five other kids were taken and locked away."

"What?" Ringmaster said in shock.

"Taken and locked away?" Zuzu wondered.

We were used as guinea pigs for this little experiment for about six months. Each day brought nothing but pain and torture for us. Not knowing if we'll survive."

"That's terrible," Ringmaster said. "So what happened

"After being trapped for six months, we were all rescued after someone reported about the Lost Incident, but around that time I was lost, my parents died trying to look for me.

Ringmaster's eyes widened after hearing Soulburner's words. I'm so sorry to hear that."

"I don't like sharing about it very much, but after hearing you share about your friend's father being captured, it brought back all those feelings of separation, and I can't stand the thought of someone being the cause of that," Soulburner admitted, before turning back around. "But don't worry. I've learned to live with my past because it helps me become a better person, and I'll help you and your comrades rescue Leo Akaba."

Ringmaster thought this over for a minute. Soulburner has had a really tough life, especially his childhood. I can relate to that when my father went to the Fusion Dimension to convince Leo Akaba to stop his Arc Area Project when people thought he ran away from his championship match, and I was constantly bullied for it.

He finally turned to Soulburner and said, "Thanks for sharing about your tragic past with me. However, I could never relate to something as painful as I experienced hardship and misery. But something tells me that isn't the reason why you called me here. "

Soulburner smiled and narrowed his eyes at Ringmaster. "Your right. The real reason I called you is if we could duel?" he asked.

"A duel?" Ringmaster said, confused.

"My dueling skills were strong enough to earn me the title of being the No. 1 Charisma Duelist in LINK VRAINS, and trust me when I say that I'll be a fun opponent. And I know how much you like to have during duels, especially when there's an audience."

Ringmaster blinked hearing that. "Not to be rude, but my dueling skills have also shown to be strong. You sure want to go through with this?"

"Hey, anything can happen in a duel," Soulburner replied. "Do you accept?"

Ringmaster nodded. "Very well. I accept."

"Awesome!" Soulburner exclaimed as he lifted his Duel Disk. A bright light blinded the others for a few seconds. When they could see again, they realized that a transparent dome had appeared around them.

"What did you do?" Ringmaster asked.

"I activate a little something known as a Camouflage Drone to keep anyone from interfering," Soulburner said, answering Ringmaster's question. "It's a program designed to keep anyone from seeing what happens inside here. It also prevents anyone inside from logging out."

"While I hate the idea of being trapped, it'll be nice not to have any interruptions. That aside, let's see your strength as a duelist!" Ringmaster declared as he activated his Duel Disk

"With pleasure!" Soulburner replied as he activated his Duel Disk as well

"Duel!" they shouted.

Ringmaster: 4000 LP

Soulburner: 4000 LP

"Even though I challenged you, I hope you don't mind me going first."

"Go right ahead."

"Thanks. My turn!" Soulburner announced, looking at his hand. "I'll start by summoning out Salamangreat Falco!"

A blackbird burning in flames appeared on Soulburner's field as it let out a powerful screech.

Salamangreat Falco ATK 1200 DEF 1600 LVL: 4

"I just realized something, Yuya, we've never seen Soulburner duel," Zuzu noted. "Have you, Yuya?"

"I'm afraid not, he answered. "But that makes it more fun and challenging."

"I now blaze the circuit that scorches the path to the future!"

A stream of fire erupted from his hand, twirling in the air before conjuring a Link Portal.

"The summoning condition is one Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster. I set Falco in the Link Arrow!" Foxy became a whirlwind of fire and entered the bottom arrow.

"I Link Summon! Link-1! Salamangreat Balelynx!"

A cat in red and white armor with its tail on fire emerged appeared in the Right Extra Monster Zone.

Salamangreat Balelynx ATK 500 LINK-1 ↓

"Balelynx's monster effect! When it is Link Summoned, I add Salamangreat Sanctuary from my Deck to my hand." Soulburner took the card before continuing. "I now activate the Spell Card: Fury of Fire! It allows me to summon up to two "Salamangreat" monsters from my hand or Graveyard in Defense Position, but in exchange, I can only summon one more monster from my Extra Deck this turn. So blazing onto the field are Salamangreat Parro and Salamangreat Wolvie!"

Emerging from this portal was a wolf-like creature covered in armor with a flaming back and a blue and red parrot with its feathers covered in flames.

Salamangreat Wolvie ATK 1700 DEF 1000 LVL: 4

Salamangreat Parro ATK 2000 DEF 1000 LVL: 5

"I activate the effect of Salamangreat Falco in my Graveyard!" He declared. "By returning a "Salamangreat" monster I control to my hand, I can Special Summon it!" He gestured to Parro as it turned into a fire, returning into a card form. "I return Salamangreat Parro to bring back Falco!"

The flaming blackbird reappeared in Defense Position

Salamangreat Falco ATK 1200 DEF 1600 LVL: 4

Soulburner raised his hand as another Link Portal appeared. "I'll blaze my circuit once again! The summoning conditions are two Fire Effect Monsters. I set Wolvie and Balelynx in the Link Arrows!" His monsters entered the top and bottom arrows.

"I Link Summon! Link-2! Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf!"

A stream of fire burst from the portal, revealing an anthropomorphic wolf covered from head to toe in grey and green armor, red eyes, sharp claws and fangs, and having its torso burning with flames. The beast gave a loud howl as it entered the field in the Right Extra Monster Zone.

Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf ATK 1800 LINK-2 ↑↓

"I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Ringmaster placed his fingers on his Deck, "My turn! I draw!" He looked at the card he drew before grabbing two other ones in his hand, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Performapal Monkeyboard and Scale 8 Performapal Card Gardna! I'm taking control of this duel starting now!"

The word " Pendulum " appeared on it upon placing his cards on his Duel Disk, the word "Pendulum" appeared on it, while two columns of light appeared on the field, and a large Pendulum also appeared between them. One of them contained a monkey with piano keys for teeth wearing a blue suit and a top hat while riding a unicycle, and the other was a card with arms and legs and had a happy face on the design of it; it also had a star on the "forehead" of the card design.

Performapal Monkeyboard Scale: 1

Performapal Card Gardna Scale: 8

"Now I can summon monsters with Levels 2 and 7 at the same time!" Ringmaster then pointed at Monkeyboard, "But first, I activate Monkeyboard's Pendulum Effect! Once per turn, I add a Level 4 or below "Performapal" monster from my Deck to my hand! I add Performapal Ghostly Protector!" Ringmaster revealed the card he added to his hand momentarily.

"Now it's time for the main event!" Ringmaster announced as he pointed upwards. "Swing far, Pendulum! Carve the arc of victory! My monsters are ready to swing into action!"

A portal opened between the two pillars, out of which two lights appeared. The lights hit the field and then dissipated, revealing two monsters.

"Go bananas, Performapal Drummerilla!"

"And turn up the heat, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Appearing on Ringmaster's field was a gorilla with drums on its body, drumsticks for hands, cymbals on its back, and a large red and yellow bipedal dragon with red and green eyes as it let out a roar.

Performapal Drummerilla ATK 1600 DEF 900 LVL: 5 PS: 2

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon ATK 2500 DEF 2000 LVL: 7 PS: 4

"Your Pendulum Summon is still amazing as always, Ringmaster," Soulburner complimented him.

"Thanks, but don't think a few praises will distract me," Ringmaster stated. "I'll set one card and then activate the Spell Card: Double Cyclone! By destroying my set card, I can destroy yours."

A red and yellow cyclone emerged from the Spell as it destroyed both Ringmaster's and Soulburner's set cards.

"Since my face-down card was Dummy Maker and a Spell Card destroyed it, I'm allowed to draw two cards," Ringmaster explained as he drew. "Battle! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon attacks Sunlight Wolf! Spiral Flame Strike!"

Odd-Eyes' eyes gleamed as it blasted the Link Monster with a stream of red fire, destroying it and making Soulburner wince.

Soulburner: 4000→3300 LP

"Now, I'll have Drummerilla attack your Falco!"

"Why would you do that when Falco's defense points are the same as Drummerilla's ATK?" Soulburner asked.

"Because of Drumming Kong's effect!" Ringmaster answered. "Once per turn, when a monster I control battles an opponent's monster, I can increase its attack points by 600!"

Performapal Drummerilla ATK 1600→2200

"Now Drummerilla has more points than Falco," Zuzu said.

"Go, Drummerilla!"

Drummerilla beat its chest as it ran towards the fiery bird.

"I activate the effect of Salamangreat Baelynx in my Graveyard!" Soulburner declared. "If a "Salamangreat" card I control would be destroyed, I can banish Balelynx from my Graveyard instead!"

A red barrier formed around Falco. The punch impacted it, but the barrier held.

"If you had an effect like that, then why didn't you use it on Sunlight Wolf?" Ringmaster asked.

"I have my reasons," Soulburner replied.

"Very well. Since my Battle Phase is over, Drummerilla's ATK returns to 1600."

Performapal Drummerilla ATK 2200→1600

"I set one card and end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Soulburner exclaimed as he drew. "I summon Salamangreat Jack Jaguar!"

A black and yellow armored jaguar-like monster with flames shooting from its back appeared next to Falco.

Salamangreat Jack Jagar ATK 1800 DEF 1200 LVL: 4

"I activate the effect of Salamangreat Ascetic in the Graveyard!" he declared.

Ringmaster's eyes widened. "That's the card I sent to the Graveyard through Double Cyclone's effect!"

"It is, and by banishing Ascetic from the Graveyard, I can return a "Salamangreat" Link Monster from my Graveyard to my Extra Deck, and Special Summon a non-Link "Salamangreat" monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position with its effects negated. I return Sunlight Wolf to my Extra Deck and Special Summon Salamangreat Wolvie!"

The flaming armored wolf reappeared.

Salamangreat Wolvie ATK 1700 DEF 1000 LVL: 4

"I now blaze the circuit that scorches the path to the future!"

A stream of fire erupted from his hand, twirling in the air before conjuring a Link Portal.

"The summoning condition is one Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster. I set Falco in the Link Arrow!" Foxy became a whirlwind of fire and entered the bottom arrow.

"I Link Summon! Link-1! Salamangreat Balelynx!"

The cat in red and white armor with its tail on fire appeared in the Right Extra Monster Zone.

Salamangreat Balelynx ATK 500 LINK-1 ↓

"Once again, I'll blaze my circuit!" Soulburner declared. "The summoning conditions are two Fire Effect Monsters. I set Baelynx and Jack Jaguar in the Link Arrows!" His monsters entered the top and bottom arrows.

"I Link Summon! Link-2! Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf!"

The green and gray mechanical wolf reappeared and howled.

Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf ATK 1800 LINK-2 ↑↓

Soulburner raised his hand again. "For a third time, I'll blaze my circuit! The summoning conditions are two or more Fire Effect Monsters. I set Mole and Link-2 Sunlight Wolf in the Link Markers!" Soulburner's monsters entered the top, bottom-left, and bottom-right arrows.

"I Link Summon! Link-3! Salamangreat Heatleo!"

A stream of fire emerged from the portal. The fire dissipated and revealed an anthropomorphic lion with dark blue skin wearing orange and red armor. Its hands were covered by gauntlets with mouths and had two large wings on its back. Heatleo roared as it landed in the Right Extra Monster Zone.

Salamangreat Heatleo ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↙↑↘

"That must be Soulburner's ace monster," Zuzu noted.

"No doubt it is," Ringmaster added. "Can't wait to see what tricks it has."

"Heatleo's effect activates! When it is Link Summoned, one card in your Spell & Trap Zone is shuffled into your Deck!" Ringmaster's eyes widened.

"Since Pendulum Cards are treated as Spells and are placed in the Spell & Trap Zone, they're the perfect target for my Heatleo's effect," Soulburner stated. "I choose to return your Performapal Monkeyboard!"

Heatleo roared again as it let out a stream of soundwaves at Monkeyboard.

"Not so fast! I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Pendulum Impenetrable!" Ringmaster declared.

The soundwaves were deflected by an invisible force field that made a loud clinging sound.

"This card makes you unable to target any of my cards in the Pendulum Zone with card effects and negates anything that targets a card in my Pendulum Zone!" Ringmaster stated. "You're not going to get rid of my Pendulum Scale that easily!"

"Not bad. But I'm not done. I use Salamangreat Jack Jaguar's effect from my Graveyard, returning Sunlight Wolf to my Extra Deck to Special Summon itself to the field to a zone that Heatleo is pointing towards!''

Reappearing next to Heatleo's bottom-right arrow was the flaming black and yellow armored jaguar.

Salamangreat Jack Jaguar ATK 1800 DEF 1200 LVL: 4

"Your Deck sure does move fast, but the best you can do with those two monsters is deal me 100 points of damage unless your planning on bringing out a Link-4," Ringmaster pointed out.

"Not exactly. Just watch this," Soulburner said. "I activate the Field Spell Card: Salamangreat Sanctuary!"

A large pink magic circle with white light in the center appeared above Soulburner's field. Embers started falling onto the field.

"Sanctuary's effect lets me Link Summon a "Salamangreat" Link Monster by using a monster with the same name as Link Material."

"It can?" Ringmaster said, surprised.

Heatleo burst into flames and entered the magic circle. "Now rise again from the valley of flames to scorch the land in a raging inferno! I Reincarnation Link Summon Salamangreat Heatleo!"

Heatleo emerged from the fire, with its wings on fire and a mane of flames around its neck.

Salamangreat Heatleo ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↙↑↘

"Amazing," Zuzu muttered.

"Reincarnation Link Summon..." Ringmaster chuckled. "This duel's going to be more fun than I thought."

"I activate the reincarnated Heatleo's effect! Once per turn, when Reincarnation Link Summoned, I can target a monster on your field and a "Salamangreat" monster in my Graveyard. Until the end of the turn, your monster's ATK becomes equal to my monster's. I target Odd-Eyes and Balelynx! Flame Possession!"

An orb on Heatleo's chest emitted fire that took the shape of Balelynx. The fire charged and struck Odd-Eyes, weakening it.

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon ATK 2500→500

Ringmaster gasped. "Only 500 attack points?" he whispered.

"Battle! Heatleo attacks Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Inferno Strike!" Flames covered Heatleo's body as it spun and charged at Odd-Eyes.

Ringmaster gestured to his field. "I activate Drumeriila's effect to increase Odd-Eyes's attack points by 600!" he declared.

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon ATK 500→1100

"Even so, Heatleo still has more points than Odd-Eyes," Soulburner pointed out as Heatleo struck Odd-Eyes, destroying it and causing a shockwave, making Ringmaster skid backwards.

Ringmaster: 4000→2800 LP

"Next, I'll have Jack Jaguar attack your Drummerilla!"

Jack Jaguar roared as it ran straight towards the Performapal.

Ringmaster narrowed his eyes at the Salamangreat before picking up a card from his hand and showing it to Soulburner, "When a "Performapal" monster I control is attacked, I can use Performapal Ghostly Protector's effect from my hand to send it to my Graveyard to switch both battling monsters to Defense Position!"

Ringmaster discarded the card as a silhouette of it appeared. It was a ghost with a top hat along with a pentacle necklace hanging around it. The silhouette then produced a sonic wave which forced both monsters into defense position.

Soulburner huffed in slight frustration but then smiled, "Darn. Well, in that case, I activate Falco's effect from my Graveyard to return Jack Jaguar to my hand to Special Summon it."

The flaming blackbird reappeared in Defense Position.

Salamangreat Falco ATK 1200 DEF 1600 LVL: 4

"With that, I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn! Draw!" Ringmaster announced as he drew. "First, I set one card and then activate the Spell Card: Emergency Recharge!" The card showed a duelist attaching a battery pack to their Duel Disk. "Normally, it lets me draw two cards, but when my hand is empty, I'm allowed to draw four!"

"What?" Soulburner gasped as Ringmaster drew four cards.

"Next, using the effect of Monkeyboard, I add Performapal Block Spider to my hand! And with my Pendulum Scale already set, I Pendulum Summon!"

A portal opened between the two pillars, out of which three lights appeared. The lights hit the field and then dissipated, revealing three monsters.

"Read to succeed, Summoner Magician!"

"Drop on in, Performapal Drop Gallop!"

"And sting your way to victory, Performapal Kaleidoscorp!"

Appearing on Ringmaster's field was a magician with priest robes holding a scroll and a khakkhara, a pink bipedal horse carrying candy in its arms, and a scorpion with shields for pincers wearing a top hat and had a kaleidoscope as a tail.

Summoner Magician ATK 1600 DEF 1400 LVL: 4 PS: 7

Performapal Drop Gallop ATK 800 DEF 1200 LVL: 5

Performapal Kaleidoscorp ATK 100 DEF 2300 LVL: 6 PS: 4

"Looks like Yuya's starting to get serious," Zuzu stated.

"Drop Gallop, and Summoner Magician's effects activate! Since Drop Gallop was Pendulum Summoned, I can draw cards equal to the amount of "Performapal" monsters that were Pendulum Summoned, in this case, two!" Ringmaster exclaimed as he drew his cards. "Next, Summoner Magician's effect activates! Since this card was Pendulum Summoned, I get to add two special cards from my Deck to my hand!"

Two cards ejected out from Ringmaster's Duel Disk as he took and placed them into his hand.

"Special?" Soulburner wondered.

"I now activate the card I set earlier. The Spell Card: Pendulum Rising!" Ringmaster continued. It lets me send Drop Gallop to the Graveyard to Special Summon one Pendulum Monster from my Deck with the same Level. I Special Summon the Level 5 Performapal Odd-Eyes Light Phoenix!"

As Drop Gallop burst into particles, taking its place was a large orange bird with yellow wings wearing a dress shirt and top hat.

Performapal Odd-Eyes Light Phoenix ATK 2000 DEF 1000 LVL: 5 PS: 3

"Alright, Soulburner! Because you surprised me with your Reincarnation Link Summon, I'm going to show you something magnificent!"

"You are?" Soulburner said, confused.

"Of course. Since you've seen all my duels, you're well aware that besides Pendulum Summoning, I also excel in Fusion, Synchro, and Link Summoning. So I think it's fair to show you another summoning method I know."

"And what would that be?"

"I'll show you. From my hand, I activate Ritual Spell Card: Odd-Eyes Advent! Through its effect, I can Ritual Summon a Dragon-Type Monster from either my hand or my Graveyard by tributing Pendulum Monsters I control, or in my hand who Levels equal or exceed the Ritual Monster I plan on summoning."

The light around them faded as a blue circle with seven blue flames materialized in front of Ringmaster.

I Tribute the Level 4 Summoner Magician and the Level 5 Odd-Eyes Light Phoenix to Ritual Summon!"

Said monsters broke apart into blue particles and entered the circle, which produced a beam of light.

"Dragon with dual-colored eyes! Awaken from the void between spaces and shake the universe with your power! I Ritual Summon! Level 7! Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon!"

A large blue-and-brown dragon with dichromatic eyes and armor made of solid rock emerged from the portal on Ringmaster's field, roaring defiantly.

Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon ATK 2800 DEF 2500 LVL: 7

"He knows Ritual Summoning?" Soulburner said wide-eyed.

"Looks like he managed to pull it off," Zuzu said.

Ringmaster narrowed his eyes at Gravity Dragon. "This wouldn't be possible if it weren't for you, Zuzu."

Flashback: Two days ago…

Zuzu raised her eyebrow. "You want me to teach you Ritual Summoning?"

Yuya nodded. "That's right. When I saw you use it in your duel with Blue Maiden, that made me realize that I need to master all summoning methods to stand a chance at beating the Arbiters and reducing Declan's father

After hearing Yuya's reasoning on why he wanted to learn Ritual Summoning, Zuzu gave her answer. Of course, I'll teach you Yuya."

"Awesome! Thanks, Zuzu, I appreciate it!"

Flashback End: Present Day…

"This one's for you, Zuzu," Ringmaster said as he returned to the duel. "Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon's effect activates! When this is card is Special Summoned, I can return all Spells and Traps my opponent controls back to the hand! Furthermore, you can't activate any in response to this effect! Do it, Gravity Dragon! Repulsion Wave!"

Following Ringmaster's command, Gravity Dragon stomped its leg on the ground, generating a powerful shockwave that blew away Soulburner's Field Spell back to his hand.

"To think that monster had such an effect…." Soulburner muttered.

"By sending Card of Compensation to the Graveyard, I can activate the Spell Card: Magical Thunder!" Ringmaster exclaimed. "Now I can destroy any card on the field, and I choose your Salamangreat Heatleo!"

The Spell glowed as lightning materialized from it and aimed at Heatleo.

The red barrier appeared again and formed around Heatleo, shielding it from harm.

"But now you can't use that effect again," Ringmaster pointed out. "Not only that, Gravity Dragon's second effect activates! Whenever you activate card effects, you must pay 500 Life Points! Gravity Pressure!"

Following Ringmaster's words, Soulburner was forced to his knees due to a sudden increase in gravity around him.

Soulburner: 3300→2800 LP

"Also, since I sent Cards of Compensation to the Graveyard, its effect activates, letting me draw two more cards. Now it's time for a little razzle-dazzle. Go, Kaleidoscorp! Kaleidolight!"

The hole in Kaleidoscorp's tail glowed and fired a light beam, hitting both Archlord Razichel and Zerato.

"What's happening to my monsters?" Soulburner asked

"You'll find out soon. Next, I have to choose a monster. Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon." Ringmaster said, turning to his Ritual Monster, Touching its hand causing him to glow yellow.

Both of Soulburner's monster's glowed as well, firing two beams of light at Odd-Eyes. The Ritual Dragon then split itself into two. One red and the other blue. "Since you control a Special Summoned monster, Kaleidoscorp's effect allows Gravity Dragon to attack all your monsters!"

"What!?"

"Let's get the show underway! I switch Drummerilla back into Attack Position and then enter my Battle Phase! Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon attacks Salamangreat Heatleo! Gravity Impact!"

One of the mirages stomped its feet on the ground once more, causing large chunks of rock to rise around it and were shot towards Heatleo.

"Performapal Drummerilla's effect activates!" Ringmaster declared. "Once per turn, when my monster battles, it gains 600 attack points!"

Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon ATK 2800→3400

Salamangreat Heatleo was then pelted with boulders as it exploded and sending Soulburner skidding backwards.

Soulburner: 2800→1700 LP

"Now Gravity Dragon attacks Salamangreat Falco!"

The second mirage rammed into Salamangreat Falco and destroyed it.

"Now Drummerilla attacks you directly!"

Drummerilla beat his chest as he ran towards Soulburner with his fists ready.

"I activate Salamangreat Parro's effect from my hand!" Soulburner abruptly stated. "When an opponent's monster attacks me directly, I can Special Summon it from my hand!"

The flaming red and blue parrot appeared on Soulburner's field.

Salamangreat Parro ATK 2000 DEF 1000 LVL: 5

"And when it's Special Summoned, Parro's ATK becomes equal to a "Salamangreat" monster in my Graveyard. I choose Salamangreat Heatleo.

Salamangreat Parro ATK 2000→2300

"You may have stopped me from attacking, but because you activated another card effect, you have to pay 500 Life Points once more due to my dragon's effect! Gravity Pressure!"

Soulburner was once again brought to his knees due to Gravity Dragon's effect.

Soulburner: 1700→1200 LP

"I place two cards face-down and end my turn with that."

"Then, it's my turn!" Soulburner announced. "Draw! "I activate the Spell Card: Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!" Soulburner drew his cards and smiled after seeing one of them.

"Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon's effect activates!" Ringmaster declared. "Since you activated a card effect, you have to pay 500 Life Points once more! Gravity Pressure!"

Soulburner grimaced as he was assaulted by the intense pressure once more.

Soulburner: 1200→700 LP

"Alright, I believe we've tolerated this dragon long enough!" Soulburner exclaimed. "I activate the Spell Card: Salamangreat Sacrifice!" The card showed the spirit of Salamangreat Heatleo emerging from Manticore of Darkness's body.

"Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon's effect activates! Gravity Pressure!"

Soulburner: 700→200 LP

"Thanks to Salamangreat Sacrifice's effect, I can select and destroy one monster you control to Special Summon a "Salamangreat" Link Monster from my Graveyard with equal or fewer attack points. "I choose to destroy your Gravity Dragon to revive Heatleo!"

Gravity Dragon exploded as a portal appeared on Soulburner's field, and emerging out from it was Heatleo.

Salamangreat Heatleo ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↙↑↘

"If the monster I summoned is Link-3 or higher, I get to draw one card. Next, I use Parro's effect to Tribute itself to gain 2000 Life Points.

Parro burst into particles as they showered Soulburner, causing his body to glow.

Soulburner: 200→2200 LP

"Now, I activate Salamangreat Sanctuary's effect to reincarnate Salamangreat Heatleo!"

Following his words, Heatleo was surrounded by flames as it entered the magic circle.

"Reincarnation Link Summon! Rise again, from the valley of flames! Salamangreat Heatleo!"

Heatleo exited from the portal in a burst of fire, its mane and wings on fire. It roared from the Extra Monster Zone again.

Salamangreat Heatleo ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↙↑↘

"Heatleo's effect activates! When it is Link Summoned-."

"I activate the effect of Performapal Block Spider in my hand!" Ringmaster declared, interrupting Soulburner. "By sending this card to the Graveyard, I can negate your Heatleo's effects!"

A spectral form of Block Spider appeared as it let out a stream of webs at Heatleo, tying it up as a grey aura surrounded it.

"He used his monster's effect before Soulburner could use Heatleo's effect to bounce one of his face-downs or Pendulum Cards back to his Deck," Zuzu noted.

"Clever," Soulburner praised. "Since Heatleo was Reincarnation Link Summoned, I could've used its effect to lower your Drummerilla's attack points. But now, with Heatleo's effects negated, it won't work."

"And since you can only Reincarnation Link Summon once per turn, you're prevented from doing it again," Ringmaster said.

"Well, you're right about that," Soulburner said. "Though, I think I have a card to get around that. I Special Summon Salamangreat Beat Bison!"

A large red and purple buffalo with golden horns and flames all over its body appeared in Defense Position.

Salamangreat Beat Bison ATK 2800 DEF 1000 LVL: 8

"I can Special Summon Beat Bison if I have three or more "Salamangreat" monsters in my Graveyard," Soulburner explained before gesturing to his field. "Beat Bison's effect activates! Once per turn, I can return Fire Link Monsters in my Graveyard to my Extra Deck up to the number of face-up cards you control. Then, for each returned card, I can negate the effects of one of your cards until the end of the turn!"

"It can?" Ringmaster said.

"Yes, it can," Soulburner answered. "I shuffle a copy of Heatleo back into my Extra Deck and negate Drummerilla's effects!"

Beat Bison shot out one of its horns at Drummerilla, tying up as it was then surrounded by a grey aura, draining it of its effects.

"I now activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Salamangreat Circle! I can add a "Salamangreat" monster from my Deck to my hand by activating its first effect. I add the Ritual Monster Salamangreat Emerald Eagle from my Deck to my hand!"

"Ritual Monster?" Ringmaster repeated in surprise.

"He has one too?" Zuzu asked.

"I activate the Ritual Spell Card: Rise of the Salamangreat!" Soulburner declared. "I Tribute monsters from my hand and field whose total Level equals or exceeds the Level of the "Salamangreat" Ritual Monster I'm Ritual Summoning. I Tribute the Level 8 Beat Bison!"

A dark pink magic circle appeared on the ground in front of Soulburner. Eight flames materialized around the circle's edges. Beat Bison disintegrated into red data and entered the circle's center, which glowed with red energy. The flames merged and formed a ring of fire as Soulburner chanted.

"I Ritual Summon! Rise, Level 8! Jade wings clad in flames! Salamangreat Emerald Eagle!"

A large green and black mechanical bird emerged from the circle at Heatleo's bottom-left Link Marker in Attack Position.

Salamangreat Emerald Eagle ATK 2800 DEF 2000 LVL: 8

"So you also excel in Ritual Summoning?" Ringmaster asked.

"Why yes, I do," Soulburner answered. "And trust me when I say I have more surprises in store for you.

"Can't wait to see what they are," Ringmaster replied.

Soulburner then gestured to his field. "Battle! Emerald Eagle attacks Performapal Kaleidoscorp! Emerald Flames!"

Emerald Eagle was enveloped and fire and charged towards Kaleidoscorp.

Ringmaster gestured to his field. "I activate both my set cards, the Continuous Trap Card: Extra Buck and the Quick-Play Spell Card: Wavering Eyes! With Extra Buck's effect, whenever a card(s) is added to my Extra Deck, I can place a Spell Counter on this card. And thanks to Wavering Eyes's effect, I can destroy all cards in both players' Pendulum Zones and apply the appropriate effects according to the number of cards destroyed through its effect! Since two cards are about to be destroyed, you'll take 500 points of damage, and I'll add one Pendulum Monster from my Deck to my hand!"

Following Ringmaster's words, a hurricane destroyed the cards in his Pendulum Zones, enveloping Soulburner as he grunted in pain.

Soulburner: 2200→1700 LP

"Through Wavering Eyes' effect, I add Harmonizing Magician from my Deck to my hand," Ringmaster stated. "And since Pendulum Cards go to the Extra Deck, that rewards Extra Buck with one Spell Counter."

Extra Buck: 0 SC→1 SC

"Even so, Emerald Eagle's attack continues!" Soulburner declared. Emerald Eagle pierced right through Kaleidoscorp, destroying it in an explosion.

"Since Kaleidoscorp was sent to my Extra Deck, Extra Buck gets another counter!"

Extra Buck: 1 SC→2 SC

"The battle continues! Heatleo attacks Performapal Drummerilla! Inferno Strike!" Heatleo burst into flames and charged at Drummerilla, destroying it in an explosion and causing Soulburner to wince in pain.

Ringmaster: 2800→2100 LP

"Extra Buck's effect activates again!"

Extra Buck: 2 SC→3 SC

"I Set one card and end my turn," Soulburner stated. It looks like the tables have turned yet again, Ringmaster! I suggest you try harder if you want to win this duel!"

"Guess it's time for me to go all out. My turn! Draw! First, since Extra Buck has at least three Spell Counters, I can send it to the Graveyard to draw two cards!" Ringmaster declared as he drew. "Now I'll set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Performapal Gumgumouton and Scale 6 Performapal Lizardraw!

Ringmaster set both monsters in the Pendulum Zones as two pillars of light appeared beside him. One held two sheep, one pink and the other green, while the other contained an orange lizard in a red tuxedo.

Performapal Gumgumouton Scale: 1

Performapal Lizardraw Scale: 6

"Now, I can summon monsters between Level 2 through 5 all at the same time. Swing far, Pendulum! Carve the arc of victory! My monster's ready to swing into action!"

A portal opened between the two pillars, out of which one light appeared. The light hit the field and then dissipated, revealing one monster.

"Bring and create peace, Harmonizing Magician!"

Emerging from the portal was a little child dressed in white robes and holding an oddly-shaped wand.

Harmonizing Magician ATK 0 DEF 0 LVL: 4 PS: 8

"Harmonizing Magician's effect activates! Since it was Pendulum Summoned from the hand, I can Special Summon a "Magician" Pendulum monster from my Deck in Defence Position, with its effects negated, and with the condition that it is banished when it leaves the field! Join us on stage! Xiansheng Magician!"

The woman in white and light red robes, wielding a bow, appeared next to Harmonizing Magician.

Xiangsheng Magician ATK 500 DEF 1500 LVL: 4 PS: 8

Zuzu narrowed her eyes at Yuya's monsters. "Those monsters-!"

"Harmonizing Magician and Xiansheng Magician are both Level 4!" Soulburner announced, with his eyes widened.

"I overlay Level 4 Harmonizing Magician and Xiansheng Magician!" Ringmaster declared, swinging his Duel Disk around and sending a bolt of blue lightning to the sky behind him. It struck, creating the Xyz cross. "With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network!"

Harmonizing Magician and Xiansheng Magician disintegrated into bits of data and entered the dots. The ends of the cross lit up and fired beams, creating a miniature galaxy. The galaxy exploded with energy as a monster formed within it.

"Magician that oversees the hours of the stars! Descend and guide me down the path to a new future! I Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 4! Timestar Magician!"

Emerging out of the Overlay Network was a new magician that looks like the combined form of Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician. He had long brown hair, wore a long blue and white conical hat with a blue metal brim at the front, and had a long white and blue cape hanging from his back. He held a long golden gear-like blade, and in his right hand, he had a long dark staff with an ornate blade at the top and a large clear transparent wheel with gold trim attached to the center.

Timestar Magician ATK 2400 DEF 1200 RNK: 4 OU: 2

"Xyz Summon," Soulburner muttered.

"You wanted me to get serious, well here it is," Ringmaster stated. "I activate Timestar Magician's effect! I can detach an Overlay Unit to add one Dark Spellcaster-type Pendulum Monster from my Deck, Graveyard, or Extra Deck to my hand! I choose Chimeric Magician and summon it!"

Appearing next to Timerstar was a magician dressed in plain brown robes, but that's where every sense of normalcy stopped, as its body was primarily colored blue with several scales here and there. Two large horns could be seen sprouting from its head, while a single wing sprouted from its left side, and several spider legs emerged from its right side.

Chimeric Magician ATK 1300 DEF 1100 LVL: 3 PS: 5

Timestar Magician: 2 OU→1 OU

"Since I successfully summoned Chimeric Magician, I can add one Polymerization or "Fusion" Spell Card from my Deck to my hand. I choose the Spell Card Polymerization."

"Polymerization? You plan on Fusion Summoning next, aren't you?" Soulburner asked.

"Correct," Ringmaster answered. "But before that, I activate the Equip Spell Card: Pendulum Tag!" The card showed Odd-Eyes Dragon wearing a pendant around its neck with a picture of Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. "By equipping this card onto Timestar, I can have it be treated as a Pendulum Monster!"

"Why would you want your Xyz Monster to be treated as a Pendulum Monster?"

"So I can do this. I activate the Spell Card: Polymerization to fuse Chimeric Magician and Timestar Magician whose now a Pendulum Monster!"

Timestar Magician and Chimeric Magician broke apart into red and blue particles, respectively. Said particles swirled together into a vortex before spiraling upwards as streams of energy. The streams converged, creating a whirlwind of purple energy as Ringmaster chanted.

Arcane masters of the mystic arts! Become one within the vortex of light and be reborn as the indomitable soul traversing the cycle of reincarnation! I Fusion Summon! Descend! Samsara Sorcerer!

Emerging onto the field was a man with long silver hair styled in a ponytail clad in a purple robe-like armor that holds two chakrams with several gems embedded on them and has a lotus flower-like ornament hovering behind his back.

Samsara Sorcerer ATK 2800 DEF 2600 LVL: 8

"Awesome, Yuya!" Zuzu cheered.

"Since the monster equipped with Pendulum Tag was used as material, I'm allowed to draw one card," Ringmaster continued. "Next, Samsara Sorcerer's effect activates!" "When it's Fusion Summoned, I can Special Summon one Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Monster from either Graveyard to my side of the field. Return, Timestar Magician!"

Raising his hands into the air, the gems on Samsara Soceror's chakrams glowed with light. In front of the magician, a portal appeared, with Timestar Magician emerging from it.

"Pendulum, Ritual and now Fusion and Xyz…." Soulburner had an astonished expression on his face. "I guess it's an indisputable fact that you're a master of all six forms of Special Summoning. Nothing less expected from the one and only Ringmaster!"

"Thanks, Soulburner," Ringmaster replied. "I activate Samsara Sorcerer's second effect! By sending a Pendulum Monster, like Light Phoenix from my Extra Deck to my Graveyard, I can return a card on your field to your hand. I select your Salamangreat Emerald Eagle! Go, Spacial Oscillation!"

Samsara aimed its chakrams at Emerald Eagle and released a small ball of electricity from it. The electricity hit Emerald Eagle before suddenly a black hole appeared in the middle of its body and engulfed the armored monster, making it disappear from the field. Soulburner took the card from his Duel Disk and placed it back in his hand.

"Got to admit, I wasn't expecting that," Soulburner said.

"I always plan out my moves, but I also believe in my cards. As long as I believe in my Deck, they will answer me back," Ringmaster stated. "Battle! Samsara Sorcerer attacks Salamangreat Heatleo! Triangular Space!"

Samsara Sorcerer aimed its chakrams at Heatleo's feet, causing the space around it to form into a small pyramid-shaped terrain. Heatleo roared in pain as the gravity only around it became heavier, causing the Salamangreat Link Monster to explode and make Soulburner wince in pain.

Soulburner: 1700→1200 LP

"I activate the Continuous Trap Card: Backfire!" Soulburner declared. "Since you destroyed a Fire monster, Backfire deals you 500 points of damage!"

The card blasted Ringmaster with fire, making him wince.

Ringmaster: 2100→1600 LP

"I still have one more attack left," Ringmaster reminded him. "Timestar Magician attacks you directly! Dimension Distortion!"

Timestar pointed its staff toward Soulburner; a magic circle appeared on the tip of it and unleashed a blue blast.

"I activate Salamangreat Sacrifice's effect from my Graveyard!" Soulburner abruptly stated. "When you declare a direct attack on the same turn, you destroyed a "Salamangreat" monster I controlled. I can Special Summon one of those destroyed monsters back to my field. Resurrect, Salamangreat Heatleo!"

Soulburner's monster reappeared and roared.

Salamangreat Heatleo ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↙↑↘

"Furthermore, the second effect of Salamangreat Sacrifice prevents my Heatleo from being destroyed the rest of the turn."

Timestar Magician's blast connected, but Heatleo stood its ground as Soulburner wince from the attack.

Soulburner: 1200→1100 LP

"Not bad, Soulburner," Ringmaster said as he then gestured to his field. "I activate Lizardraw's Pendulum Effect! When I have another "Performapal" card in my Pendulum Zone, I destroy this card and then draw one card from my Deck!" Lizardraw waved his staff around before he was destroyed, leaving Ringmaster to draw one more card from his Deck.

Ringmaster suddenly smiled as he saw the card I drew, "I now reset the Pendulum Scale with Scale 7 Odd-Eyes Cyborg!"

A monster that looked half-human and half-machine with dichromatic eyes appeared in the other pillar of light.

Odd-Eyes Cyborg Scale: 7

"I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Since it's now the End Phase, the third effect of Salamangreat Sacrifice destroys the monster I summoned through its effect," Soulburner stated as Heatleo burst into particles.

"Backfire's effect activates and deals you another 500 points of damage!"

The card blasted Ringmaster with fire, making him wince once again.

Ringmaster: 1600→1100 LP

"My turn! Draw!" Soulburner Ringmaster looked at his card, then played it. "I activate the Spell Card: Cards of Adversity! When you control a Special Summoned monster, and I don't control any, I can draw two cards!"

He looked at the cards he drew and smiled. " Next, I activate the Spell Card: Bubble Burst!" The card showed Elemental Hero Bubbleman in a bubble about to get popped by Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude. "With this, I can destroy one face-up Spell or Trap I control, like my Bckfire to draw two extra cards."

The Continuous Trap exploded into particles as Soulburner drew again.

"I activate the Spell Card: Link Fire's Return!" Soulburner declared. "This lets me Special Summon a "Salamangreat" Link Monster from my Graveyard. Resurrect, Heatleo!"

The flaming lion reappeared and roared.

Salamangreat Heatleo ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↙↑↘

"Then, Link Fire's Return's effect inflicts damage equal to Heatleo's Link Rating times 200! Heatleo is Link-3, so you take 600 points of damage!"

Ringmaster flinched from being hit by a small explosion.

Ringmaster: 1100→500 LP

"Now Yuya only has 500 Life Points left," Zuzu noted.

"Next, I activate the Field Spell Card: Salamangreat Sanctuary and use its effect to use Heatleo as Link Material to summon another copy of itself."

Heatleo burst into flames and entered the magic circle, creating a burst of flames.

"Now rise again from the valley of flames to scorch the land in a raging inferno! I Reincarnation Link Summon Salamangreat Heatleo!"

A twister of fire fell out of the circle and hit Soulburner's field. When the fire dissipated, it revealed Heatleo in the Extra Monster Zone but with its wings on fire and a mane of flames around its neck.

Salamangreat Heatleo ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↙↑↘

"Heatleo's effect activates! Since it was Link Summoned, I can shuffle your Performapal Gumgumouton back into your Deck! Resounding Roar!" Heatleo roared again, and Gumgumouton disintegrated.

"Now I can't protect my monsters from being destroyed," Ringmaster muttered.

Soulburner gestured to his field. "Heatleo's additional effect! When it has been Reincarnation Link Summoned, I can change your monster's attack points to the attack points of a "Salamangreat" monster in my Graveyard. I make Samsara Sorcerer's attack points equal to Salamangreat Falco's in my Graveyard! Flame Possession!"

Heatleo blasted fire at the Fusion Monster.

"Sorry. But Samsara prevents you from targeting or destroying my Spellcaster-Type Monsters with your effects!" Ringmaster stated as a barrier formed around Samsara, blocking it from the flames.

"Not bad. "But lucky for me, I still have one trick up my sleeve," Soulburner stated. "I activate the Spell Card: Fusion of Fire!"

"He has Fusion, too?" Zuzu said in surprise.

"Guess he excels in Fusion as well," Ringmaster said.

I Fusion Summon a "Salamangreat" Fusion Monster using monsters from my hand and either field as material! I fuse Heatleo on my field with Salamangreat Emerald Eagle in my hand!"

The white-and-black gazelle reappeared before erupting into blue flames. Heatleo burst into red flames before spiraling into the air, merging with the blue flames that turned purple.

"When the flames consume the old, a new creature emerges to reign supreme! I Fusion Summon! Salamangreat Violet Chimera!"

The flames dissipated to reveal a violet lion humanoid monster with six wings on its sides that emitted blue flames. Its left arm ended in a claw while its right ended in a lance. The monster roared from the Right Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Salamangreat Violet Chimera ATK 2800 DEF 2000 LVL: 8

"Violet Chimera's effect activates!" Soulburner said. "When it's Fusion Summoned, until the End Phase, it gains attack points equal to half the Fusion Material Monsters' attack points!"

"Heatleo had 2300 attack points," Zuzu noted. "And Emerald Eagle had 2800 attack points."

"That means Violet Chimera gains 2550 attack points," Ringmaster concluded.

Salamangreat Violet Chimera ATK 2800→5350

"5350 attack points?!"

''Battle! Violet Chimera, attack Timerstar Magician!'' Soulburner orders as his monster dashes forward.

"I play my face-down, the Quick-Play Spell Card: Spell Textbook!" Ringmaster exclaimed. "By getting rid of all the cards in my hand, Spell Textbook lets me draw one from my Deck, and if it's a Spell Card, I get to activate it immediately!"

"That's a risky move you're making. You sure what to gamble the whole duel on one draw?" Soulburner asked.

"One of the many factors that make Duels so exhilarating. Plus—you should know that those who are strong enough determine their luck, Soulburner! Let's do this! Draw!"

Upon checking out his drawn card—Ringmaster smirked and showed it to Soulburner.

"It looks like my gamble paid off," Ringmaster stated. "Since I drew the Spell Card: Gift of the Martyr, I can Tribute one monster I control and increase the attack points of another monster I control by the Tributed monster's attack points. I Tribute Timestar Magician to grant its attack points to Samsara Sorcerer!"

Timestar Magician disintegrated as Samsara Sorcerer gained a golden aura, increasing its strength.

Samsara Sorcerer ATK 2800→5200

"Yes!" Zuzu cheered. "Now Samsara Sorcerer's strong enough to lessen the damage Yuya will take!"

"Guess you won't be winning this turn, Soulburner."

"Are you sure about that?" Soulburner questioned.

Ringmaster gasped. "Violet Chimera's additional effect! When it battles a monster whose attack points are different from its original attack points, its attack points are doubled!"

"What!?"

"Samsara Sorcerer's attack points are higher than normal because of Gift of the Martyr," Soulburner reminded him. "I'm about to win this duel because of your Spell Card."

Salamangreat Violet Chimera ATK 5250→10700

"Over 10,000 attack points!?" Zuzu screeched.

"Guess I win, Ringmaster."

"Are you sure about that?" Ringmaster asked.

This time Soulburner gasped. "I activate Odd-Eyes Cyborg's Pendulum Effect! When your monster declares an attack, not only can Cyborg stop that attack, but you get slammed with 400 points of damage!"

Odd-Eyes Cyborg's arm transformed into a small cannon before firing two blasts at Chimera, stooping its attack, and one at Soulburner, causing him to fall to his knees.

Soulburner: 1100→700 LP

"Woo. Yuya managed to survive another turn," Zuzu said.

"Since we've reached the Battle Phase's end, Chirmera's doubling effect wears off," Ringmaster pointed out.

Salamangreat Violet Chimera ATK 10700→5350

Solburner stood back up as he recovered from the blast. He had a large smile on his face. It had been long since he had a duel where nothing was at stake, and it was just for fun. Dueling Ringmaster had been making him happy for a while now.

"Thank you, Ringmaster," Soulburner said.

Ringmaster looked at him a little confused, "Huh? What for?"

"For giving me such a fun duel to enjoy," he answered.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you're able to enjoy it. After all, that's what dueling is all about."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, sure dueling should be competitive to people and enjoying themselves. But most importantly, dueling should give happiness to everyone as well as create connections with each other."

Soulburner became shocked by Ringmaster's proclamation, "That sounds a lot similar to how I feel about dueling." Soulburner recalled when he was a kid, and all he loved to do was duel before the Lost Incident ruined it for him."

Soulburner had his hand to his heart as he looked at Ringmaster, "He reminds me a lot of Yusaku. They're a lot similar but different at the same time...I'm glad there are people like you, Ringmaster. Thank you."

Ringmaster narrowed his eyes at Soulburner with concern, "Hey. Are you okay?"

"...Yeah. Don't worry about it. I end my turn with a face-down. And since it's now the End Phase, Violet Chimera's ATK returns to normal."

Salamangreat Violet Chimera ATK 5350→2800

"My turn!" Ringmaster announced. "Draw! I activate the Spell Card: Advance Draw, tributing Samsara through its effect to draw two cards from my Deck."

Ringmaster drew his cards and smiled. "I activate the Spell Card: Magical Sky Mirror! Thanks to this card, I can target 1 Spell Card in your Graveyard that was activated during the previous turn, and I use it. I select Card of Adversity and use its effect to draw two more cards!"

Ringmaster once again drew two more cards. "I'll now complete the Pendulum Scale with the Scale 2 Performapal Ballad!"

A humanoid witch wore green and white clothing, her cape was light rose pink, she had a pinkish-red rose for hair and vines as bangs hanging from her head, and she was carrying two fencing swords in her hand appeared in the pillar of light.

Performapal Ballad Scale: 2

"I'm now allowed to summon monsters from Levels 3 to 6 all at the same time!" Ringmaster exclaimed. Swing far, Pendulum! Carve the arc of victory! My monsters ready to swing into action!"

A portal opened between the two pillars, out of which two lights appeared. The lights hit the field and then dissipated, revealing two monsters.

"Bring the momentum, Performapal Momentum Draco!"

"And earn your stripes, Performapal Salutiger!"

On Ringmaster's field, an emerald-colored dragon with a serpentine body surrounded by several rainbow-colored energy rings and a humanoid tiger clad in a performer's outfit appeared.

Performapal Momentum Draco ATK 1300 DEF 800 LVL: 3 PS: 4

Performapal Salutiger ATK 1700 DEF 500 LVL: 4

activate Momentum Draco's effect! Once per turn, I can either increase or decrease the Level of a "Performapal" monster I control by one," Ringmaster explained. I choose to increase Draco's Level."

Performapal Momentum Draco LVL: 3→4

"Two monsters with the same Level? Are you planning on Xyz Summoning again?" Soulburner asked.

"Nope. I have something different in mind," Ringmaster replied. I tune Level 4 Performapal Momentum Draco with Level 4 Performapal Salutiger!"

"What?!" Soulburner gasped. "Tuning?"

A bolt of green lightning struck Ringmaster and made the world gray out. The two monsters disintegrated into data and reformed into two rings, one of which was composed of four concentric circles. The rings turned blue and merged before reforming into a tower of eight blue rings. A screen appeared before the tower and displayed "4 + 4" before changing to "8." A surge of light burst through the rings.

"With your enchanting brilliance, descend upon this stage and put on a show that amazes everyone around you! I Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 8! Performapal Tricky Ringleader!"

A fair-skinned elf woman with black hair that reached her knees and mismatched eyes, one red and the other dark blue. She wore a crown on her head, made of golden thorns, a black ball gown that had a hole on its stomach area, black high-heeled boots with silver soles and heels, and black, transparent gloves that reached her elbows and had silver claws on its fingertips. Lastly, she held a whip, which had a red gem attached to its end.

Performapal Tricky Ringleader ATK 3000 DEF 2500 LVL: 8

"Synchro Summon…" Soulburner muttered.

Zuzu narrowed her eyes at Yuya's new Synchro Monster. "He always pulls out one surprise after the other."

Soulburner stared at the Synchro Monster before laughing heartily. "Amazing, Ringmaster! I can feel the strength of your dueling spirit! So go on! Show me how you'll overcome my Violet Chimera!"

"As you wish!" Ringmaster accepted. "Ringleader's effect activates! When it's Synchro Summoned, I can add 1 "Performapal" monster and 1 Spell/Trap that lists "Performapal" in its text from my Deck to my hand. I add Performapal Inflater Tapir and Graceful Acrobatics to my hand!"

"Not only did you bring out a Synchro Monster, but you also refilled your hand as well," Soulburner noted. "You continue to amaze me, Ringmaster."

"Thanks, Soulburner," Ringmaster said as he gestured to his field. "Battle! Tricky Ringleader attacks Violet Chimera!"

Tricky Ringleader flew towards Violet Chimera with her arm pulled back, ready to strike with her staff.

"What?" Soulburner blinked. "But both of our monsters' attack points are the same."

"Tricky Ringleader's effect activates!" Ringmaster declared. "When it battles a monster, that monster gains one Tricky Counter!" Ringmaster declared.

Violet Chimera: 0 TC→1 TC

"Next, I activate Performapal Ballad's effect!" Ringmaster continued. "During the Damage Step, when a 'Performapal" monster battles an opponent's monster, that monster loses 600 ATK!"

Ballad used one of her vines to wrap around Violet Chimera before spinning it around, decreasing its strength.

Salamangreat Violet Chimera ATK 2800→2200

"Go! Whirling Whiplash!"

Tricky Ringleader leaped into the air and then lashed its whip down on Violet Chimera. The chimera exploded with a cry. A shockwave of wind struck Soulburner, making him grunt in pain.

Soulburner: 700→100 LP

"Soulburner now only has 100 Life Points left," Zuzu noted.

"Tricky Ringleader's final effect activates!" Ringmaster announced. "When a monster I control destroys a monster with a Tricky Counter, that monster is allowed to attack again."

"W-WHAT?!" Soulburner shouted.

"Let's go! Tricky Ringleader, attack Soulburner directly! Whirling Whiplash!" Ringmaster yelled as the Performapal Synchro Monster raised its whip high in the air before lashing it down.

"If Tricky Ringleader's direct attack connects, Yuya will win!" Zuzu exclaimed excitedly.

"Don't count me out just yet!" Soulburner declared with a determined look in his eyes. "I activate the Continuous Trap Card: Salamangreat Friction!" The card showed Heatleo with several afterimages all imposed around its body. "By sending Salamangreat Friction to the Graveyard and banishing Violet Chimera from the Graveyard, I can negate the damage from this battle!"

A shield made of fire appeared in front of Soulburner and blocked Tricky Ringleader's whip. "Then, Friction's effect lets me draw two cards."

"Impressive move there, Soulburner," Ringmaster praised him. "Looks like you surprise me once again with your dueling skills, but don't think that'll stop me from winning. I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Knowing Soulburner's Deck, he'll try to find a way to return Heatleo to his Extra Deck so that he can use it to Reincarnation Link Summon. Using its effect, he'll most likely return Cyborg to my Deck, so I won't be able to stop his attacks and deal him damage and his bonus effect to alter Ringleader's ATK, Yuya thought. Still, luckily, I have my Graceful Acrobatics Trap Card, which negates an attack that targets a "Performapal" and prevents it from being attacked for the rest of the turn just in case he has a card that allows his monster to attack more than once.

"Looks like it's my turn. Soulburner placed his hand on his Deck. I'll have to put everything into this draw." He placed a hand on his Deck. "She's good, but the two of us are better. My turn! Draw!" He drew, the card trailing flames behind it as he looked at it and smiled.

"I activate the Spell Card: Final Offguard! As my Life Points are lower than yours and you're the only one with a monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, I can draw two cards."

Soulburner drew and smiled at his cards. " I activate Salamangreat Meer's effect from my hand! If this card is added to my hand other than through a normal draw, I can Special Summon it!"

A small orange, red, and black mechanical meerkat appeared as it let out a little roar.

Salamangreat Meer ATK 800 DEF 600 LVL: 2

"I activate the effect of Salamangreat Falco in my graveyard!" Soulburner continued. "If this monster is in my Graveyard, I can target 1 "Salamangreat" monster I control and return it to my hand to Special Summon it!"

He gestured to Meer as it turned into a fire, returning into a card form as Falco took its place before letting out a powerful screech.

Salamangreat Falco ATK 1200 DEF 1600 LVL: 4

"Since I Summoned a "Salamangreat" monster, I can Special Summon Salamangreat Fowl!"

A blue and green mechanical peacock with feathers made of fire appeared.

Salamangreat Fowl ATK 1800 DEF 200 LVL: 4

"I activate Fowl's effect!" Soulburner stated. "By sending Salamangreat Spinny from my hand to the Graveyard, I target one Set Spell or Trap Card on your field and prevent you from activating it this turn."

Fowl let out a loud cry towards Ringmaster's face-down as it glowed gray.

"Great. Looks like I can't use my backup plan," Ringmaster muttered in disappointment as he couldn't use his set card and had a feeling Soulburner wasn't done yet.

"As I control a "Salamangreat" monster, I can Special Summon Salamangreat Spinny from the Graveyard. Resurrect!"

A small dinosaur with orange spines curled into a ball appeared in Attack Position.

Salamangreat Spinny ATK 1000 DEF 1500 LVL: 3

"And you know how they say "three's a crowd," why don't we change that? I summon Salamangreat Meer back to the field!"

The orange meerkat returned onto the field next to Falco.

Salamangreat Meer ATK 800 DEF 600 LVL: 2

Soulburner glares, raising his right arm, and shouts. ''I'll now blaze the circuit that changes the future!''

A new Link Portal emerges from flames it shot out from his palm.

"Link Arrows Authorized! The summoning conditions are two or more Fire Effect Monsters. I set my Salamangreat Meer, Spinny, Falco, and Fowl all in the Link Arrows!'' Soulburner declares as his monsters fly into the portal, transforming into four fiery hurricanes as they enter the left, top, bottom, and right Link Arrows.

''Link the Circuit!'' Soulburner shouts as the Link Portal glows and a figure burns through it. ''I Link Summon! Blazing flames of rebirth! Link 4! Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix!"

A humanoid, red crimson creature resembling a phoenix emerges on Soulburner's field.

Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix ATK 2800 LINK-4 ←↑↓→

"Link-4?" Ringmaster muttered. "Is this his true ace monster?"

"I activate now activate Salamangreat Sanctuary's effect to Link Summon another copy of Pyro Phoenix!"

Following his words, Pyro Phoenix reverts into a fiery hurricane shooting upward to the Salamangreat symbol in the sky by Sanctuary.

"Pyro Phoenix! Let the flames engulf your body! Cause from its ashes, you will be reborn! Super Reincarnation Link Summon! Soar, Link-4! Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix!"

Once more appearing is Pyro Phoenix only now it has majestic blue fiery twin bird-like wings, burning hotter and brighter.

Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix ATK 2800 LINK-4 ←↑↓→

"Looks like Soulburner's decided to take his game to the next level," Ringmaster noted.

''Pyro Phoenix's Reincarnation effect activates, destroys all cards my opponent controls!"

"What!?" Ringmaster gasped.

Pyro Phoenix spreads its arms and wings and unleashes a destructive burst of its flames upon Zarc's field, destroying all his monsters and his Spells and Trap.

"Now Yuya's field is empty," Zuzu said.

"Battle! Pyro Phoenix attacks you directly! Phoenix Finisher!"

Pyro Phoenix charged up a flame ball in its hands and launched the blaze right at the Dueltainer.

"Yuya!"

Ringmaster smirked as he revealed the last card in his hand to Soulburner, "I activate Performapal Inflater Tapir's effect from my hand! By sending this card to the Graveyard, I can reduce the battle damage I would take from this battle to 0!"

Ringmaster sent Tapir to the Graveyard as a monster resembling a balloon elephant wearing a top hat appeared before him and sucked up the damage from the explosion.

Soulburner gave Ringmaster another impressed smile, "Once again you've I'm impressed me, Ringmaster. In a duel against a normal opponent, it honestly would have been over already. But you're making more exciting with every turn."

Ringmaster smiled in agreement, "Thanks. You're impressive as well, Soulburner. I mean, look how many moves and combos you pulled off that I never expect to see."

Soulburner rubbed his neck, feeling a little embarrassed by the praise, before grabbing the last card in his hand. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Yuya eyes his Deck, knowing he won't survive for much longer, and this will likely be his last turn. If he doesn't draw the card he needs, Soulburner will likely win on his turn with Pyro Phoenix. It all depends on this last draw.

Smiling, Ringmaster knows whatever the outcome, he won't regret it. Taking a moment to breathe, the Dueltainer duelist declares, determined yet still with a smile. ''Time for the finale!''

Placing both his fingers on his Deck, Ringmaster put all his emotions on this.

''My turn! DRAW!'' Ringmaster shouts out a final draw leaving behind a trail of rainbow colors through it. At that moment then, he suddenly saw a light. And then, from the light, he saw a man. A man in armor. A man who desired to be made real.

The Dueltainer's eyes narrowed. "I see. I see! Soulburner! Believe me when I say that this will be my last turn!"

"Then make it count, Ringmaster!" Soulburner shouted.

"I activate the Spell Card: Card of Reversal! Since I have no other cards on the field or in my hand, I can draw a card for each card you own on the field! That's three!"

Ringmaster then drew three new cards and smiled after seeing them.

"So, did you get the cards you wanted?" Soulburner asked with a smirk.

"Indeed I did, and they'll be the key to my victory," he answered. First, I summon Performapal Skullcrobat Joker!"

A monster resembling a clown with black clothing, striped shorts, pointed boots, a black mask, and blond hair appeared on Ringmaster's field.

Performapal Skullcrobat Joker ATK 1800 DEF 100 LVL: 4 PS: 8

"When Skullcrobat Joker is Normal Summoned, I can add 1 "Performapal," "Magician," or "Odd-Eyes" monster from my hand! I choose Glitch Magician, which I'll set in the Pendulum Zone!"

A young male magician with short spiky silver hair with red highlights and dressed in a dark blue, hooded magician robe holding a small staff with a white crystal on the top with its body appeared in a blue pillar.

Glitch Magician Scale: 1

"Why'd you do that? You can't Pendulum Summon with just one," Soulburner said.

"I did it to use Glitch Magician's Pendulum Effect," Ringmaster answered. "By returning a face-up Pendulum Monster, like my Odd-Eyes from my Extra Deck to my hand, I can summon Glitch Magician from the Pendulum Zone!"

Glitch Magician vanished from the pillar of light and reappeared on Ringmaster's field.

Glitch Magician ATK 1600 DEF 1600 LVL: 4 PS: 8

"Nice move, very clever." Soulburner praised.

"Duels are a lot more enticing with twists and turns. You never know what comes next, plus it also gets your opponent watching," Ringmaster replied. "I activate the Spell Card: Amazing Pendulum! When I have no cards in my Pendulum Zones, I can add two face-up Pendulum Monsters from my Extra Deck to my hand." He reached out and revealed two cards he picked up, "I add both Ballad and Card Gardna back to my hand."

Ringmaster smirked as he held up the two monsters from his hand, "I reset the Pendulum Scale with Scale 2 Performapal Ballad and Scale 8 Performapal Card Gardna! I'm taking control of this duel starting now!" As he placed the two cards on his Duel Disk, Ballad and Card Gardna appeared in the pillars of blue light along with their scale numbers.

"And this premiere performance is going to have you near the edge of your seat," Ringmaster announced as the Pendulum swing in between the pillars. "I can now summon monsters between Levels 3 and 7 all at the same time. Swing far, Pendulum! Carve the arc of victory! My monsters are ready to swing into action!" A portal opened up between the scales as a single light appeared and slammed onto his field.

"Turn up the heat, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Ringmaster shouted as his ace dragon reappeared.

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon ATK 2500 DEF 2000 LVL: 7 PS: 4

Soulburner smirked. "THate to burst your bubble, but Odd-Eyes, as well as the rest of your monsters, can't defeat my Pyro Phoenix!"

"They won't need to!" Ringmaster countered as raised his right hand as it glowed with blue light. "Appear, the entertainment circuit that connects to the future!"

A bolt of blue lightning shot out of his hand and hit the sky, creating the Link portal.

Soulburner gasped. "Wha-?!"

Zuzu narrowed her eyes. "That can only mean one thing."

"Link Arrows authorized!" Ringmaster shouted. "The summoning conditions are two or more Effect Monsters, including one "Magician" Monster. I set Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Performapal Skullcrobat Magician, and Glitch Magician in the Link Arrows!" Ringmaster's monsters turned into whirlwinds of energy and entered the top, bottom-left, and bottom-right arrows. A pulse of energy erupted from the circuit.

"Link the Circuit! I Link Summon! Appear! Link-3! Decipher Paladin!"

The monster that emerged from the portal was a humanoid and wore dark blue plate armor lined with purple over his chest, upper legs, and upper arms. Boots and gauntlets of a similar design covered his lower arms and legs. He had short spiky blond hair with a scar underneath his left eye, wore a form-fitting black shirt with a small, white, collared vest and fingerless gloves. It was also armed with two blades with a pen-like design as he stood in the Extra Monster Zone.

Decipher Paladin ATK 2500 LINK-3 ↙↑↘

"Yuya has another Link Monster beside Cylancer and Linkipede?!" Zuzu exclaimed in surprise. "But I suppose something like this was to be expected, given his previous impossible acts."

Soulburner stared slack-jawed at the warrior in front of him before he burst into laughter. "Wonderful! Wonderful, Ringmaster! I assume you would summon Cylancer, but I never expected this!" His face split in a fierce grin. "But I'm afraid to say that this duel is over!"

"What makes you say that?" Ringmaster asked.

Soulburner smirked as he explained. ''Because Pyro Phoenix's other effect activates when a Link Monster is summoned on my opponent's field, inflicting damage to my opponent equal to its original ATK! ''Go Pyro Phoenix, Pyro Overflow!''

Soulburner commands as Pyro Phoenix releases a bright burst of flames at Ringmaster.

"Sorry to disappoint you. But since Decipher Paladin's was successfully summoned, I can negate the effect of one face-up card on your field for every Pendulum Monster I used to summon him."

"You used three Pendulum Monsters, so you negate three of my cards' effects."

"Correct. I negate Pyro Phoenix's effect! Go, Logarithmic Lockdown!"

The Link Monster moved his sword to his left side and then swung it, releasing a slash of pink energy. The energy struck Pyro Phoenix's flames as they then dispersed.

"Not bad," Soulburner said.

"Next, I activate Performapal Camo Chameleon's effect from my hand," Ringmaster continued. "By discarding this card, I can select one monster I control and have it from being affected by your Spell, Trap, or Monster effects for the remainder of the turn. Since you have a face-down on your field, which is most likely a Trap, I choose to have Decipher Paladin be unaffected from your Traps!"

As Ringmaster discarded his card, a spectral image of a chameleon appeared in front of the Link Monster as he then was covered entirely in camouflage.

"Now Yuya's monster is safe from whatever Soulburner's Trap was," Zuzu noted.

"What?" Soulburner gasped. "You're attacking even though your monster has lower attack points? Oh! Does Decipher Paladin have an effect like Cylancer's?"

"Not quite," Ringmaster answered. "Decipher Paladin's additional effect activates! Once during your Battle Phase, when it attacks a monster, I can either reduce the ATK of Pyro Phoenix equal to the ATK or the Level of the "Magician" Monster x 200 until the End Phase. I choose the first effect!"

The pink glow spread to the entirety of the knight's sword, sheathing it in pink light.

Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix ATK 2800→1200

Zuzu narrowed her eyes. The difference between their attack points is 1300. If this attack connects, Yuya wins.

"Time for the grand finale, Soulburner! "Go, Decipher Paladin! Decipher Destruction!"

The knight held his sword aloft with both hands, and with a mighty shout, bringing down towards Pyro Phoenix, however…

"I hoped not to use this, but it seems I have no other choice." Soulburner gestured to his face-down card. "I activate the Trap Card: Bye Bye Damage! This turn, you can't destroy Pyro Phoenix in battle!"

Pyro Phoenix was suddenly encased in blue energy.

"But you'll still take the damage!" Ringmaster pointed out.

"Yeah, but Bye Bye Damage also has another effect: you take the same amount of damage only double!"

"What!?"

Following Ringmaster's surprised cry, Decipher Paladin's sword made contact with Pyro Phoenix's body, generating a large explosion that sent engulfed both players, with both Duelists flying backwards, landing on the ground.

Ringmaster: 500→0 LP

Soulburner: 100→0 LP

"No… no way," Zuzu whispered, her eyes wide.

Ringmaster winced as he pushed himself upward. He looked over to where Soulburner had fallen and ran as fast as he could to his position.

"You okay?" Ringmaster asked

Soulburner looked up to the side to see Ringmaster standing right next to his head.

"I think so...," he said with a nod, "How's my hair?" he asked as Ringmaster took a seat next to him, "Is it still there?"

Ringmaster smiled, "Yep. And it looks like the duel's a draw,"

"Yeah...," Soulburner nodded and looked out at the audience as well, "Does that mean... we gotta duel again?"

"Absolutely," Ringmaster looked over his shoulder at Soulburner, "Someday, we will,"

Soulburner looked at him, a familiar smile crossing his face, "Sweet! I guess... until then, Ringmaster,"

The Dueltainer held out his hand, "Until then,"

"Good," Soulburner slapped Ringmaster's hand, "I could use a break!"

"Me too,"

With that, both duelists turned away from each other as they both logged out.

And that is Chapter 16. Bold are OC's. Thanks to SamushiRyu for Tricky Ringleader's design, dvdryms for Samsara Sorcerer, and Decipher Paladin's designs, as well as the latter's effect. Letting me use Yuri's cards, Lena Reign for Glitch Magician's design, and DivadX for the title. As always, like and review. Follow and favorite as well. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and see you next week

Preview: Clash Between Rivals: Declan vs. An Old Opponent

I will reveal all details in the next chapter.