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.

23. Stealing the Spotlight

Last time in Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-Vrains The Circuit of Smiles, Yuya and Zuzu finally decided to tell the truth to Kolter and Jin about their origins and the real reason behind why they're here. After finishing explaining everything and expecting to freak out, they were both shocked and relieved when they said they believed them and that they would help them search for Leo Akaba.

Meanwhile, after being freed, Yuji tells Ena that he believes Yuya is Ringmaster based on the dragons they possess having some unworldly connection with each other and is determined to see if he's right or not.

Believing that he's going to give some tips on Xyz Summoning, Yuya is forced into LINK VRAINS and ends up dueling his Link Counterpart.

Both gave it their all and pushed each other to the brink until it was down to their ace monsters. Cyber Tech and Arc-Eyes. Thinking that he has this duel in the bag, Ringmaster is surprised when Storm Rider uses Necro Link's Graveyard effect to cause the duel to end in a draw.

Storm Rider allowed Ringmaster to leave since he didn't win under the terms of their agreement, but Ringmaster refused and decided to tell him the truth about his identity, the connection they have with their dragons, and why they're here.

After informing him about everything, Ringmaster and Storm Rider both logged out, and Yuya and Zuzu focused on meeting the rest of the Lancers after school. With the rest of the Lancers in the Link DImension, will Yuya and Zuzu be a step closer to finding Declan's father? Find out now!

Den City, Warehouse District…

Yuya and Zuzu had just entered the building where the rest of the Lancers were, but no one was there.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Yuya yelled. "You sure this is the right building?"

"Positive," Zuzu replied. "I have the coordinates right here logged into my Duel Disk, and the addresses both match."

"Then how come we haven't seen a single person once we entered?" Yuya asked. "I mean, Moon Shadow was following us the entire walk here, so he's got to be here."

"Well, there's still plenty of space and room to check out, so let's do that," Zuzu suggested.

Right before they were about to start the search, the lights suddenly turned on.

"POP!"

The loud noise caught Yuya and Zuzu's attention as they saw a bunch of confetti falling as well as a bunch of familiar faces standing on a ledge above.

"Surprise!" The Lancers exclaimed.

"Everyone! You're all here!" Yuya excitedly said.

"It's great to see all of you!" Zuzu added.

The rest of the Lancers proceeded to climb down the stairs and reunited with Yuya and Zuzu.

"Yuya! Zuzu!" Gong yelled as he ran over to the two teens.

"Gong!" They said with joy. "It's so good to see yo-" The two were silenced as Gong wrapped the both of them in a bearhug.

"Gong was so worried bout you two! Gong's glad you're safe!" the big youth shouted.

"Gongenzaka… I can't breathe…."

"Gong thought he'd never see the two of you again, to think we're finally reunited…! It's so emotional that it makes me cry!"

Everyone blinked as Gong started bawling like crazy. Some found this very unexpected, while others didn't.

Crow sighed. "Just like the time when we were all locked up in the Facility."

"Only this time, we're all allies. But Gong's overreacting is still the same," Dennis said with a smile. "Nice to see you again, Yuya and Zuzu!"

"Dennis!" Yuya and Zuzu said, having freed themselves from Gong's hold. "Great to see you too!"

"Well, what about me? Aren't you happy to see your student/teacher?" Sora said as he walked over.

"But of course, Sora," Yuya replied. "I mean, we're your very first friends. That means a lot to us."

"Plus, teaching me how to Fusion Summon also means a lot to me," Zuzu added. "I even defeated duelist in this dimension with it."

"Is that so? Promise me to share the story with me later."

"It's a deal."

Yuya smiled at his two friends' reunion before a certain someone grabbed his attention.

"Now now, Yuya. You possibly couldn't haven't forgotten about me. Your rival, Neo New Sylvio Sawatari!" The youth yelled as he pointed at Yuya.

Yuya grinned as he narrowed his eyes at Sylvio. "Come on, Sylvio. Did you honestly think I'd forget about a fellow entertainer? You're the main reason I continue to hone my craft as a Dueltainer because I'm afraid one day that you might upstage me."

"Well, believe me when I say that day will come sooner than you think!"

"I highly doubt that Sylvio," a voice said, causing Sylvio to stumble a bit before turning around to see the comment came from Shay.

"How dare you, Obsidian?" Sylvio said with an angry look. "When we return to the Pendulum Dimension, I'll have my father, who's the mayor, have a word with you!"

"Yeah yeah," Shay said, ignoring Sylvio as then approached Yuya. "Nice to see you, Yuya."

"You too, Shay," Yuya replied.

"How's Yuto?"

"He's doing good. As well as Yugo and Yuri."

"That's good to hear."

"Indeed it is, Shay."

Everyone looked over as two figures stepped out of the dark corner.

"Glad to see you and Zuzu are doing okay, Yuya," Declan said with a smile as Kurae stood next to him with a bland expression on his face.

"Hey, Declan! We're glad to see you too!" Zuzu said.

"But who's the guy next to you?" Yuya asked.

Kurae suddenly walked over towards Yuya, causing him to sweat a little as he got closer.

"So your the Yuya Sakaki who beat Declan to become a Pro Duelist?" he asked.

"Uh…yeah?"

Kurae then smiled as he held his hand out. "Nice to meet you. My name is Kurae Okabe!"

Yuya shook his hand in response. "You too. But might I ask what you're doing here?"

"He's a new member of the Lancers," Declan answered.

"Really? How and when did that happen?" Zuzu asked.

"Right before our departure, Kurai came into my office and demanded a rematch from me ever since I beat him in a tournament years ago."

"What?" You guys were rivals?" Yuya said.

"Indeed," Kurai replied. "Even our families were rivals."

"Who ended up winning?" Zuzu questioned.

"Declan did," Sylvio stated, causing the rest of the Lancers to look at him with annoyed looks.

"As Sylvio mentioned, I did end up winning the duel," Declan admitted.

"And he did it with this dimension's specialty. A Link Monster," Kurae added.

"What?!" Both Yuya and Zuzu gasped.

"That's right. Mr. Leader here was able to mass-produce for not only himself but the rest of us as well," Dennis said.

"That's amazing!" Zuzu exclaimed.

"Not only that, but Declan also has plans to update this dimension's set of Master Rules," Crow added.

"Are you saying that Declan has found a way for us to Pendulum Summon without any limitations?" Yuya asked.

"Something like that," Declan replied. "For now, the program is only half-finished, but once completed, we'll be able to use our full power against the Arbiters."

"Speaking of Arbiters, have you guys managed to find out any leads regarding Leo's whereabouts?" Sora asked.

"Sadly, no, but we do have something that may provide his location," Zuzu said. "Show them, Yuya!"

Yuya nodded and then pushed a button on his Duel Disk, revealing a holographic image of a map.

"What's that?" Gong asked.

"It's a map that I won in a recent duel that holds the location of the leader of the Arbiters," Yuya answered.

"But sadly, it's strongly encrypted, meaning we'll have to hack the program to receive the location," Zuzu added.

"I see," Declan said. "Well, after receiving enough of this dimension's tech and equipment, that shouldn't be a problem for me.

"And to make it easier, we know someone who can provide you some assistance," Yuya mentioned.

"And who would that be?"

"His name is Cal Kolter," Zuzu replied. "We met him when we first arrived in the Link Dimension."

"He's an amazing hacker who owns a food truck in the central plaza of the city and also gave us a place to live while we waited for you guys," Yuya added.

"Even so, should we take the risk of an individual wondering why he should help us?" Shay noted.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that because we told him everything," Zuzu pointed out.

Everybody's eyes widened after hearing her.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Zuzu, but are you insane?" Sora rhetorically asked.

"I have to agree with Sora," Crow said. "It's best to stay hidden long enough and make sure no outside people are involved."

"I understand that, Crow, but you guys trust Kolter," Yuya informed him. "He's been kind to us ever since we crossed paths. "He even created us accounts for LINK VRAINS and made Link Monsters for our Decks.

"He did?" Declan said, intrigued.

"What's LINK VRAINS?" Kurai asked.

"It's an acronym. LINK VRAINS stands for Link Virtual Reality Artificial Intelligence Network System," Zuzu explained. "It's cyberspace where people take part in Virtual Reality Duels. SOL Technologies, a company similar to the Leo Corporation, created it."

"Virtual Reality?" Shay repeated.

"Cyberspace? The hell is that?" Sawatari asked.

Yuya frowned. "It's a simulation that your mind enters while your body remains in the real world. In LINK VRAINS, people create avatars that can appear however they wish; they can look like themselves in the real world or look like whatever they want. And each avatar has an ID, a name to identify them. Some people like use their real names. Others use pseudonyms or codenames. I, for example, go by Ringmaster, and Zuzu goes by Maestra."

"So people in the Link Dimension duel in virtual reality," Gong surmised. "Not in real life?"

"They can, but it isn't as common as it used to be. LINK VRAINS is far more popular, particularly because of Celebrity Duelists."

"Are those people similar to Dueltainers?" Dennis asked

"Yes, Dennis," Zuzu replied. "Celebrity Duelists are dueling idols. They put on shows and duel on special stages in LINK VRAINS.

"Like Jack Atlas back in the Synchro Dimension," Sylvio mentioned

Kurai turned to him. "Jack Atlas?"

"He was the number one duelist of New Domino City in the Synchro Dimension," Crow explained. "He's was the Duel King for three years defeated him."

"Really? So you not only beat Declan but a dueling champion as well? I better keep my eye on you."

"I rather if you didn't," Yuya said as he rubbed his head.

"Getting back to the topic at hand, if Yuya and Zuzu say this "Kolter" can help us search and find my father, then I believe them 100%," Declan stated.

"Gong agrees with Declan. We're going to need all the help we can get," Gong said.

"Well, if Gong's on board, then so am I," Sora said.

"Me too," Dennis added.

Followed by Crow, Sylvio, and Shay, everyone was on Yuya and Zuzu's side except Kurai.

"Well, Kurai. Are you in or not?" Declan asked.

Kurai was silent for a few seconds before finally responding. "Seeing on how I'm now part of a team, it's only natural to be a team play, so yes, I'm in."

"Awesome! We'll inform Kolter later tonight," Yuya said.

"Great. Until then, why don't the two of you catch up with everyone else?" Declan said before snapping his fingers, causing a set of lights to appear as they revealed a table full of food.

"Wow! Where did all of this food come from?" Zuzu asked.

"Declan had Moon Shadow, and I scour the city to look for the best restaurants and town, and he was able to hack into their system after acquiring enough technology to place orders without needing to pay," Sora answered.

"So once we heard that you guys were coming, we decided to throw a party," Gong added.

"So let's have some fun!" Dennis exclaimed.

"Sounds good to me!" Yuya exclaimed as Zuzu nodded along with him as they started to party with the other Lancers.

Meanwhile, a few hours later, at Cafe Yamashiro…

"I'm telling Ena, my duel against Ena was one of the best duels I've had in my life.

"I'm sure it was,'' Ena said in agreement as she and Yuji were heating leftovers from earlier today from their shift. "But did I really have to wait for you to tell me the entire story until after we clocked off and made it back to my place?"

Yuji turned to her. "I was too tired to tell you after the duel and, I didn't want anyone to overhear us while we were working, so this was both the best and safest option."

"I guess," Ena admitted as she and Yuji took their leftovers out of the microwave and sat at the table. "Were you able to get any answers to your questions regarding your connection with his dragons?"

"I did. And I learned that my connection with Yuya's dragons has to do something long ago from where he comes from," Yuji replied.

"And where does he come from?"

"Well, for starters, he and Zuzu come from a universe that's separated into four dimensions based on a summoning method.

"Are you serious? Ena said, shocked.

"Uh-huh. Three are based on Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz," Yuji explained. "And the fourth is based on Yuya's famous Pendulum Summon technique."

"But how does that explain you and the dragons?"

"I'm getting to that. You see, the four dimensions were originally one whole dimension before a duelist by the name of Zarc, who was an undefeated dueling champion who became obsessed with power used the power of Solid Vision Technology similar to ours to make himself into a human/monster hybrid and almost cause the destruction of the world."

"And I'm guessing that the person who put a stop to him wielded the four dragons Yuya had?" Ena deduced.

"Correct," Yuji replied. "The person had the same face as Yuya and me, but when he defeated Zarc, it caused the individual to split into two. Causing one universe that houses Pendulums but no Link Monsters and vice versa."

"Wow. That sounds so imaginary. How do you know Yuya's telling the truth?"

"That did come to my mind, but then I thought, why would he make that up. Plus, it does explain how he has Pendulum since they probably existed in the Original Dimension and how I have a connection with my dragons since probably Cyber Tech was created after the split."

"Guess that makes sense," Ena said. "So did Yuya also explain why he and Zuzu are here?"

"He mentioned that the Arbiters kidnap the father of one of his friends, who's a brilliant scientist named Leo Akaba," Yuji answered. "I don't know how the Arbiters know him, but I bet Yuya and Zuzu are trying to figure the answer behind it."

"Well, just to let you know, I'm on board on helping our friends anyway we can!"

"You just took the words out of my mouth. But since we already promised to help out at the shelter tomorrow, how bout we offer our assistance the next time all four of us are free," Yuji suggested.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Ena agreed as she and Yuji went back to eating their dinner.

The next morning…

"Yuya! Come on, wake up! It's breakfast time!"

The tomato-haired youth let out a muffled groan following the knock on the door and the voice calling out for him. After twisting and turning for a bit, Yuya eventually rose while grumbling.

After a few seconds of stretching, Yuya got out of bed and exited from his room as he headed to the dining room, where Jin and Kolter were busy setting up the table.

"Good morning, Jin and Kolter." Yuya greeted the two brothers. "I can smell something even more delicious than usual. It looks like you've outdone yourself again."

"Just as you and Zuzu both evolve as Duelists, I've also got to polish my skills, no?" Kolter smiled.

"Now, where's Zuzu at? If she doesn't hurry, the food will get cold," Jin said.

"She's probably doing her hair," Yuya said. "Normally, she does it late at night to save time, but after our meet-up with the gang, she forgot to do it last night."

"No joke. Glad your friends drove the two of you home, or else, I had to come to pick you guys up," Kolter said. "Wish I could've met them, though."

"I'm sure you will, Kolter."

"Good morning, everyone…." Zuzu entered the dining room while stifling a yawn and took the seat next to Yukio. "Also, before I forget Yuya, we have a test in history class today.

"But I hate tests," Yuya replied. I always spend the day before a test studying, causing my head to feel like it's going to explode and then the day of the test, I panic and stress out and end up failing."

"Well, maybe things will be different today," Jin said.

"I hope so," Yuya said.

"How about we worry about the test when you arrive at school and focus more on the delicious breakfast we cook for you and Zuzu?" Kolter suggested.

"That sounds great!" Zuzu exclaimed. "Doesn't it, Yuya?"

"Sure does! Let's dig in!"

The four sat at the table and started eating breakfast together before the start of the school day.

A while later...

"Mmwaaaaahh…" Yuya yawned loudly. "Man, I'm so tired…."

"I'm surprised you still are after all those melatonin pills and warm milk you had last night," Zuzu mentioned.

"While those things help you sleep better, they still weren't enough."

"Good morning, you two!" A voice nearby said, startling both Yuya and Zuzu.

"Aaaaahhh!" The two teens screamed.

"Hey, take it easy, you two!" The voice belonged to Ena, who was standing alongside Yuji.

"You guys look so tired. What did you guys do last night?" Yuji asked.

"Um, we were busy studying for a test we have today," Yuya replied as he yawned.

"A test? For which class?" Ena asked.

"History," Zuzu answered.

"I see. Well, I hope you guys do well on it.

"But next time, just don't work yourselves too hard," Yuji stated. "Studying is good and all, but too much can also be a disadvantage and if you don't give yourself a break or a rest."

"Thanks for the advice, Yuji," Yuya said. "We'll make sure to do that next time."

Coming up from the street, the four teens noticed a limousine drive right past them.

"A limousine?" Zuzu questioned.

"Looks like it's heading straight to Den City High School," Ena noted.

"But why?" Yuya asked.

"Let's find out," Yuji suggested as he and the others headed towards the school.

A few minutes later…

As the four teens made it to the school, they noticed a crowd of students running over to the limousine they saw earlier as it arrived at the high school's front entrance.

"Hey, what's going on over there?" Ena wondered.

"Hey, you guys!" Shima shouted as he ran over to the group of four. "Haven't you heard?"

"Hey, Shima. What's up the limousine being here at Den High?" Yuya asked.

"What? You seriously haven't heard, Yuya?"

"Heard about what?" Zuzu asked.

"You know?! Arthur Royals, the famous actor and one of the Top Celebrity Duelists, is coming to our school today for a special visit!"

"Who's Arthur Royals?" Yuya questioned.

"He's a teen TV star who plays a character named Jon Snow in a fantasy drama show called Game of Thrones," Yuji answered.

The show also attracted record viewership on the channel HBO and has a broad, active, and international fan base," Ena added. Critics have praised the series for its acting, complex characters, story, scope, and production values.

"I'm surprised that someone of our age has time to do a TV show and be a Pro Duelist in LINK VRAINS," Zuzu said. "But which Celebrity Duelist is he?

"He's Chevalier! Now, come on! We better hurry, or else the other students will take up all of his time!" Shima exclaimed as he ran back over towards the crowd.

"Should we go over and check this guy out? Yuya asked.

"I don't see why not," Ena replied. "What about you, Yuji?"

"I don't mind," he replied. "I'm a big fan of the show, so it would be interesting to see what he's like in person.

"Looks like everyone's onboard then. Let's go!" Zuzu shouted as she and the others walked over to the crowd.

Meanwhile, all the female students gathered until a couple of security guards blocked them and pushed them aside on each side. A tall woman in a business suit and eyeglasses opened the door, and a handsome, young male came out.

He was a foot taller and more muscular than most male students with blonde, slightly spiky hair and green eyes, dressed in a short-sleeved, greenish-gray button shirt with a black tie, brown cargo pants and black sneakers.

"Mr. Royals!" The female students screamed and cheered loudly as if this was a movie opening.

"Good morning, my adorable fans!" He greeted as he gave a kiss and blew at all of them, making them even scream louder.

"Welcome to Den City High School, Mr. Arthur Royals!" The principal greeted him.

"It's an honor to meet you, sir," Arthur replied as they gave each other a handshake. "I'm very excited to learn here at your school."

"Well, well! I hope you're up for the challenge," the principal remarked.

Arthur chuckled. "I'm always up for a challenge, sir."

Just then, as Yuya, Zuzu, Yuji, and Ena approached the large crowd, Yuya accidentally bumped into some female students, making him along with Zuzu trip due to the impact.

Everything started to move slowly in motion. Yuya burst out of the crowd of female students, missing Arthur barely. He turned around and noticed them, but his attention towards Zuzu caught his eyes. Her pink hair shined brightly like a sun to him, and her eyes sparkled like beautiful diamonds. He was amazed to see such a beautiful girl despite the very awkward situation right now.

The motion returned to normal, and Yuya finally stopped when he tripped over a random rock.

"Yuya Sakaki, What's the meaning of this?!" The principal asked as he crossed his arms and looked at the tomato-haired boy.

"Hey, Principal. Sorry for causing trouble," Yuya replied as he and Yuji quickly recovered from their fall and stood back up.

"We heard from Shima that Arthur Royals, who's both a famous young actor and the 8th best duelist in LINK VRAINS, was coming to our school, and we were excited to meet him," Yuji added.

"I see. Well, promise me that you won't cause any more shenanigans for the rest of the day."

"We promise."

"Ouch…my head," Zuzu said as she rubbed her head.

"Tell me about," Ena said as she also rubbed her head.

Yuya and Yuji noticed how much pain their friends were in as they walked over to them before seeing Arthur approaching the two girls.

"Are you alright, mademoiselles?" Arthur gave them both a helping hand, but they didn't pay too much attention to him as they took his hand and stood back up,

'Thanks for the assistance," Ena said.

"Yeah. We both appreciate it," Zuzu added.

"Zuzu!" Yuya yelled as he and Yuji reached her and Ena. "Are you okay?"

"I am now!" Zuzu replied with an annoyed look.

"Thanks to you and Yuya's little incident, we almost ended up being in detention," Ena stated as she scolded Yuji. "The two of you are both lucky our principal is in a good mood today."

"We're sorry, Ena," Yuji apologized.

"We swear it was an accident," Yuya added.

"Now now. There's no need to apologize," Arthur said, causing the quartet to turn to him. "The important thing is that no one got seriously hurt, and nobody was punished."

Yuya smiled as he held his hand out to Arthur. "You must be the famous actor/Celebrity Duelist, right? My name is Yuya Sakaki, and you have already met my friends, Zuzu, Yuji, and Ena," he said. "Even though I don't and have never acted, I do enjoy dueling and entertaining people through it. So if it's no trouble at all, during lunch break, the two of us can duel one another? Promise I'll give you my all and not hold back just because you're a pro."

Arthur looked shocked and annoyed by Yuya and his request as he wanted both Zuzu's and Ena's attention.

"Stop that, Mr. Sakaki!" The principal demanded as he had Arthur's two security guards grab Yuya by his arms. "Unfortunately, Mr. Royals won't have any time for you during lunch since you'll be spending it in detention. Guards, please take him away."

"Wait, what? Why?" Yuya yelled as the guards started to drag him away.

"That Yuya…." Zuzu mumbled as she, Yuji, and Ena entered the school and headed for class, with the principal following right behind.

"Yuya Sakaki…" Arthur growled under his mouth. "Not only did you think you had the right to speak to me without permission, but even requested to duel me when it's obvious that you are nowhere near my level as a duelist. I don't know why Zuzu hangs around someone like you, but I'll make her see that she can do better."

A few hours later…

Later that day and after some scolding by the principal, Yuya, Zuzu, Yuji and Ena were punished, and they had to stay in the detention hall during their lunch break.

"Why did this happen to us?" Ena asked sadly.

"Yeah, I mean just because we were with, we also had to get detention," Yuji added.

"You just to had to open your big fat mouth and ask him for a duel?" Zuzu rhetorically asked.

"Blame it on your roommate," Emoti-chan hissed.

"Sorry, Zuzu. But don't be so glum, guys. Besides, at least we're allowed to eat lunch here," Yuya said with optimism as he was eating enjoyably. The teacher who watched over them was sleeping too deeply that he didn't pay any attention to him or anyone who came in.

Just then, the door opened. "Hello. Anyone in here?"

Everyone turned around and saw the voice belonging to none other than Arthur Royals.

"Hey, it's you!" Yuya exclaimed as Zuzu suddenly hit him on the head with her paper, causing a huge bump to appear on his head.

"Be quiet, Yuya! Do you want us to get into more trouble!?" Zuzu said with an angry look as both Yuji and Ena looked horrified.

"Forget about him, my dear," Arthur said smoothly two her. "So, how about the two of us get out of here quietly, and we can enjoy some lunch together? You can also bring your friends if you want to."

"Hey, count me in, dude! And maybe we can duel after that!" Yuya said as he stood up.

"You recovered quickly, Yuya!" Yuji exclaimed.

"Keep it down, will you?" Zuzu scolded him. "Um, excuse me, but I don't think you're supposed to be here, and as much as I want to get out of here, I don't want to."

"Oh, don't you worry, dear. It will be fine if you're with me. The principal will understand," he suggested as he got a little closer to her.

Zuzu felt a bit creeped out.

"I'm not sure if you're aware, Mr. Royals, but you're kind of in Zuzu's space.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure she's fine with it," Arthur said as he got closer to Zuzu.

"OK, mister. I don't care who or what you are, but I'm staying here, and that's final!" Zuzu exclaimed.

Arthur looked surprised and felt a bit offended.

"No one talks to me like that," He thought. "Very well. Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, Arthur apologized as he walked out of the detention room. He was so upset that he ignored the other students who tried getting his attention.

At the end of the school day...

Later that day, school was finally over. The principal forgave the quarter and let them go after being scolded enough.

"Ew, what a day," Zuzu mumbled.

"Hey, I said I was sorry," Yuya reminded her.

Zuzu turned to Yuya and gave him a look. "Listen, Yuya. Just forget about it. Just promise that you'll control yourself next time something like this happens. Do. You. Understand?"

"Yes, Zuzu!" he replied.

"Say, Ena and I volunteered to work at the shelter tonight," Yuji mentioned.

"If you guys haven't got any plans tonight, you're more than welcome to come and help out," Ena added.

"Thanks for the offer, but we're working at Kolter's truck an hour from now," Yuya replied.

"Maybe we could help out next time?" Zuzu suggested.

"No sweat, you two," Ena said.

"Just hope you guys aren't busy tonight and are exhausted to get any sleep," Yuji said.

"I hope that as well," Yuya said.

As they continued walking down the street, a familiar limousine pulled right in front of them, causing them to stop and look. A window opened and revealed to be Arthur Royals.

"Hello again, everyone, especially you, Zuzu," Arthur greeted smoothly.

Ew! It's this guy again. What's with him? And why is he so obsessed with me? Zuzu thought in an annoyed tone.

"Hey, Arthur! What's up? You changed your mind about dueling me?" Yuya happily greeted.

"Hey, Yuya was it?" he said before turning his attention back to Zuzu. "Hey, Zuzu, I have some free time today. How about you and I hang out until I have to go to work later?"

"Uh! Can I come too?" Yuya asked, looking very demanding as his eyes were big and sparkled like a kid at a candy store.

"I'm talking to Zuzu at the moment. Not you," Arthur said strictly.

"Oh…." Yuya said, looking a bit disappointed.

"Sorry, but I'm not interested," Zuzu declined.

"You sure? I promise it'll be worth your while. We could go see a movie, have a bite to eat at a fancy restaurant, take you shopping for anything you want, or I can get you all access to my next big duel in LINK VRAINS," Arthur offered.

"No offense, but I'm more of a Rinmagster fan," Zuzu replied.

"A Ringmaster fan?!" Arthur said, shocked.

"Yep. Come on, Yuya! We have to get ready for our shift."

Zuzu then grabbed Yuya by his hand and walked away.

"Ouch, Zuzu! That hurts!" Yuya complained.

"See you guys! Have fun at work!" Ena shouted as she and Yuji then turned to leave for the shelter.

Arthur became more upset.

"Curses! That Yuya Sakaki, he's more persistent than I thought! Zuzu's more interested in him than me! And to top it all off, she's a Ringmaster fan! Well, I will show her I'm the real man for her!"

Arthur closed the window on his limo as it drove away.

An hour later, at Den City's Central Plaza…

Yuya and Zuzu were at Cafe Nom, greeting customers and taking orders while Kolter cooked the food.

"Thank you! Come again!" Yuya said as he waved goodbye to a customer after handing them their food.

"Nice work, Yuya. You too, Zuzu," Kolter praised the two teens.

"Thanks Kolter," Zuzu said. "It may have been busy at first, but luckily Yuya and I were able to handle things quickly and get everyone's orders out."

"Speaking of which, four new ones just sat down at a nearby table," Kolter noted.

"We're on it!" Yuya said as he and Zuzu walked over to the table where the new customers were seated at.

"Hello! How can we help you?" The two teens happily greeted.

"You can help me by telling me what it is the two of you are doing."

Yuya and Zuzu froze after hearing the familiar face and saw it belonged to Sylvio, one of the customers and Gong, Sora, and Dennis.

"What are you guys doing here?" Zuzu asked.

"You guys mentioned your friend owning a hot dog truck here in the plaza of Den City, so we thought to come down and check it for ourselves," Dennis answered.

"That's nice and all, but wasn't Declan opposed to the idea?" Yuya asked.

"He was at first, but he decided to have Moon Shadow watch over us from the shadows to make sure we don't stick out or cause a scene," Gong replied.

"To be honest, I think it's unnecessary," Sora mentioned.

"Well, regardless, just please promise us that you'll act as ordinary customers?" Zuzu pleaded.

"I'm sure the others are on board, but I can't speak for myself if the food isn't good," Sylvio replied.

"Well, believe me, Sylvio, when I say that it is," Yuya said.

The Lancers then placed their orders as Yuya and Zuzu gave them to Kolter.

A few minutes later…

"Here you go! Four hot dogs, four large drinks and four large fries!" Yuya said as he handed the food to his friends.

"Hope you guys enjoy your meal!" Zuzu added.

"I'll be the judge of that," Sylvio said as he took a bite of his hot dog.

The Lancers all stared at Sylvio as he continued eating before finally swallowing his food.

"Well, how was it, Sylvio?" Gong asked.

"I hate to admit, but this dog is delicious!" Sylvio exclaimed. "Give my thanks to the chef."

"With pleasure," Yuya said as he headed back towards the truck before noticing Kolter leaving it.

"Where are you going, Kolter?"

"I was about to replace the oil in the fryers before finding out that I have none left, so I'm heading to the store to buy some more," Kolter answered.

"You want us to keep running the place?" Zuzu asked.

"Nah. You guys can close it up until I return. In the meantime, you can keep talking to your friends over there."

"What? You knew this whole time?" Yuya asked in shock.

"Of course. You guys normally don't take that long when writing down people's orders, so I guess they were either from school or your Lancer friends, and I went with the latter," Kolter replied.

"Nothing gets past you, does it?" Zuzu said.

"Nope. Well, I'll be back in a little while. See you."

"Bye, Kolter!" Yuya and Zuzu shouted.

"Looks like your boss is gone, meaning you guys can ditch this place and join us into doing something more fun," Sylvio said.

"Sorry, Sylvio, but we promised Kolter to keep an eye on his truck even while it's closed until he gets back," Yuya said.

"Aw, come on, you two. It feels good to relax once in a while," Dennis stated.

"I agree, especially with friends," Sora said as he smiled.

"While Gong supports your claims, Sora and Dennis, if Yuya and Zuzu promised their friend they were going to be responsible while he's gone, then they should keep it," Gong said.

"Sometimes you can be a bummer, Gong," Dennis said.

"I second that," Sora agreed.

"Kyaaaaah! Isn't that Chevalier!" One of the mall guests screamed. Most of the people gathered at the front of the TV screen.

"What!? Chevalier?" Yuya said as he and the others ran and joined the crowds.

Multiple reporters rolled their cameras at Chevalier. He turned to the camera, waving his hand before as he stood at a rooftop, pointing at the camera.

"Everyone, listen up! I have a very important announcement to make! You there! And you over there! Watch! I declare that I, Chevalier, challenges Ringmaster to a duel!"

Everyone cheered in response after hearing Chevalier's news.

"So come on out! C'mon! I know you're watching! Accept my challenge! Duel me!"

"It looks like we may get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity here, people!" the MC said. "Another duel between two of LINK VRAINS' Celebrity Duelists! So exciting!"

"Looks like Arthur finally wants to duel you," Zuzu said.

"Who's Arthur?" Gong asked.

"You see, the guy you're seeing on the screen is a guy named Arthur Royals," Yuya explained. "He's not only a Celebrity Duelist but a famous actor on a popular TV show called Game of Thrones."

"Yuya kept pestering him by asking him for a duel but always declined as he focused more on me instead," Zuzu added.

"Seems like to me he's got a thing for you," Zuzu said with a smile.

"No joke. "I think Arthur/Chevalier is a little jealous of Yuya and is hoping to beat his avatar to prove he's the one you should be with," Sora stated.

"He kind of reminds Gong of Sylvio a bit," Gong noted. "Always trying to be the center of attention, even when it belongs to Yuya."

"Speaking of Sylvio, where is he?" Yuya asked, not seeing the fellow dueltainer anywhere nearby, prompting everyone to look for him as well. "Since when did he leave?"

In LINK VRAINS…

Back at LINK VRAINS, Chevalier was waiting for Ringmaster to show up. But a few minutes passed, and he never appeared. People who gathered expecting a duel started leaving one by one. Chevalier was pissed off that a fellow duelist stood him up and was about to log out until he sensed someone behind him. He turned around, expecting to face Ringmaster. However, the one behind him wasn't the person he wanted.

It was a young man with the same height as Chevalier. He had gray skin and crimson eyes. His hair color was a very dark shade of red. He wore refined, Medieval-esque clothing that consisted of a dark gray top under a light brown dress shirt, beige pants, and brown boots with black soles. Lastly, he had a black and white magician's hat on the top of his head, which had an actual eye attached to its side and a fanged mouth on the other and wore a long silk green cape with the Abyss Actor's symbol on it.

"Who are you?" Chevalier asked.

"I go by many names, but you can call me Abyssio," The young man introduced himself with a charming and cocky smile. His introduction, however, immediately rolled the cameras to him.

In Den City...

At the plaza in the real world, Yuya and the others were staring at the monitor with wide eyes and opened mouths before running back to Kolter's truck as they entered and saw Sylvio encased in a blue sphere.

"Sylvio logged into LINK VRAINS!" Zuzu stated.

"What the heck is he thinking?!" Gong exclaimed with an angry look on his face

"Wait a minute. So you guys and the rest of the Lancers have already made avatars for LINK VRAINS?" Yuya asked.

"Yeah, kinda. After you guys left, we got to talking more about LINK VRAINS and Declan though it would be a great idea to get a jump on creating an account for ourselves," Dennis answered.

"We stayed up late last night working on them and finished them before morning," Sora added.

"While that's great and all, this isn't the perfect time at the moment!" Zuzu stated.

"Gong agrees with Zuzu," Gong said. "Yuya, you have to log in there and get Sylvio out before he starts causing trouble like usual."

Yuya looked at the screen showcasing Sylvio in his avatar before turning back to Gong. "Sorry, Gong, but no."

Everyone but Sora and Dennis became shocked after hearing Yuya.

"Did you just say no, Yuya?" Zuzu asked.

"Are you not thinking straight?" Gong asked. "If Sylvio duels, there's a chance it might cause getting spotted by the enemy.

"I know. That's why I want Sylvio to do it," Yuya said, shocking everyone but Sora and Dennis again. "Before you guys arrived, Zuzu and I had difficulty trying to locate the leader of the Arbiters. Even though now we have his location, that still might be enough. Our best option is to have them come to us through any means necessary."

The Lancers were silent for a bit before Gong finally responded. "Alright, Yuya. If you think this plan of yours will work, then Gong's with you.

"Me too," Zuzu said. "But if this backfires, you're getting slapped by my fan for the rest of the week!"

"Noted," Yuya said as he turned his attention back to the screen. "Sylvio…" he mumbled, pondering his friend's action. As Gong said, Sylvio loves being the center of attention. When Gong made that comment earlier of Chevalier being jealous, it made Sylvio believe that he's declaring himself as his rival. Whatever it was, he would support him. Also, his avatar fits him and his Deck perfectly. His name, Abyssio, being a combination of his name and Deck, especially suited the fellow dueltainer.

"Go get him, pal."

In LINK VRAINS…

"As you're already aware and can see, I'm not Ringmaster, but I'm capable of putting on a show for everybody if they came here to see a duel. So Chevalier, If you want Ringmaster, you'll have to get through me first!" Abyssio exclaimed.

Chevalier narrowed his eyes at Abyssio. "Look, while I respect your morals and your pride as a duelist, I made it very clear that I want Ringmaster. So, unless you want to be humiliated in front of everyone, I suggest you leave right now."

"Oh, my apologies. I didn't know being afraid of losing was your biggest fear," Abyssio snarkily said, angering Chevalier.

"How dare you?!" Chevalier shouted. "Fine, if a duel's what you want, then you're going to get it!"

"Now we're talking. But before we begin, how about we make things a bit more interesting?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if you manage to beat me somehow, which I'll know you won't, I'll share the identity of Ringmaster," Abyssio stated.

"Wait! You know Ringmaster's identity?" Chevalier gasped

"Of course," Abyssio said. "Think of all the attention you'll get from everybody by revealing Ringmaster's real-world self. So do we have a deal or not?"

In Den City...

Everyone in the plaza was shocked by Abyssio's news, especially Yuya and the others.

"He plans to reveal my identity to everyone?" Yuya questioned.

"Gong told you he would do something stupid," Gong reminded him.

"Maybe Sylvio's just bluffing to lower Chevalier's guard down a bit," Dennis mentioned.

"Even if that's true, think more about what will happen if Sylvio loses," Sora stated.

"It'll be disastrous for Yuya," Zuzu noted. "You're still not going to interfere, Yuya?"

"Tell you what. If things start to go south, that's when I'll make my move," Yuya informed her. "But I faith in Sylvio, and you guys should too."

"Well, Gong hopes that your faith in him is strong enough to help reduce that ego os his a bit," Gong said.

In LINK VRAINS…

After thinking it over, Chevalier finally gave Abyssio an answer. "I accept. If I win, you'll give me the name of the person who's Ringmaster.

"If you win," Abyssio snarkily corrected him.

"Whatever. But what do you want if you should win?"

"Simple. If I win, you must forfeit the No. 8 position of the Top 10 you hold over to me!"

"What? Why would I do that?" Chevalier asked.

"Because it's only fair," Abyssio replied. "I'm offering you the chance to win the hearts of many Ringmaster fans out there by not only revealing his identity to you but the chance of defeating him as well because he'll be so broken that everyone knows who he is."

"That is true," Chevalier mumbled. "Plus, if I do manage to beat this clown, I'll show Zuzu that she needs a man like me in her life."

"Uh, hello? Anyone there?" Abyssio asked.

Chevalier returned his focus to Abyssio as he activated his Duel Disk. "Fine then. If I lose, my spot in the Top 10 is yours. But just to let you know, I'll make sure that won't happen."

Chevalier activated his Duel Disk immediately, revealing it to be one of SOL Technologies Duel Disks. It was golden with silver lines and a black sphere on top.

"We'll see about that," Abyssio retorted as he activated his Duel Disk in response which revealed a green blade with a blue outline.

"DUEL!" both duelists declared, drawing five cards each as the layout for a Master Duel appeared before them.

Abyssio: 4000 LP

Chevalier: 4000 LP

"I'll take the first turn," Chevalier said, waving his hand in front of him to see his cards. Excellent, he thought. This Shakespeare wannabe won't stop me with these cards. "I activate the Spell Card: Reinforcement of the Army! With this, I add a Level 4 or lower Warrior monster from my Deck to my hand. I add Noble Knight Medraut to my hand and then summon it!"

A young, blond-haired man in white armor and a tattered red cape wielding a small sword appeared.

Noble Knight Medraut ATK 1700 DEF 1000 LVL: 4

"Noble Knight?" Yuya wondered.

"According to what I've learned from my time in the Xyz Dimension, Yuya, Noble Knight is a classic archetype of Warrior-Type monster that focuses on using an Equip Spell Card that supports the archetype monsters and allows them to activate their monster effect as well as allowing the player to perform one of two Special Summoning methods," Dennis explained.

"Two Special Summoning methods? What are they?" Zuzu asked.

"If we stay patient, then maybe we'll see," Sora stated.

Back at the duel on the screen, Chevalier continued with his turn. "Medraut is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field," he told Abyssio,

"Eh? Why would you tell me that? You could've had the element of surprise." Abyssio pondered.

"Because, I activate the effect of Gwenhwyfar, Queen of Noble Arms, from my hand, equipping her to Medraut, giving him 300 extra attack points."

The spectral figure of a maiden in a pink dress appeared just behind Medrat, causing his body to glow.

Noble Knight Medraut ATK 1700→2000

"Not only that, but his attribute also changes from LIGHT to DARK, becomes an Effect Monster and gains one Level!"

"What? Three things all at once?" Abyssio said as he saw Chevalier's monster be wrapped in shadows as his features started to darken.

Noble Knight Medraut LVL: 4→5

"Now I activate Medraut's gained effect! Once per turn, if I control no other monsters, I can Special Summon 1 Noble Knight monster from my Deck in Defense!" Chevalier said as a screen appeared on his Duel Disk, and he selected his choice. "I summon Noble Knight Borz!"

Appearing next to Medraut was a knight decked out in full metal armor, a red cape on his shoulders and a golden chalice in his hands.

Noble Knight Borzt ATK 1700 DEF 900 LVL: 4

"Borz is also treated as a Normal Monster while not equipped with a Noble Arms Equip Spell," Chevalier explained. "Then Medraut's effect destroys the equipped Gwenhwyfar!"

The maiden disappeared from the field, causing Medraut's features to return to normal.

Noble Knight Medraut ATK 2000→1700 LVL: 5→4

"But she won't be gone for long because I'll use her effect from the Graveyard and equip her onto Borz, granting him the same effects as Merdraut."

Gwenhwyfar reappeared on the field, this time behind Borz, causing the shadows to consume the knight once more.

Noble Knight Borz ATK 1700→2000 LVL: 4→5

"Noble Knight Borz's effect!" Chevalier continued. "I reveal three "Noble Arms" cards from my Deck and have you pick one at random." Three large cards appeared over his head, Noble Arms – Caliburn, Noble Arms – Arfeudutyr and Noble Arms – Gallatin. Then the three rotated and were shuffled.

"I choose the one on the left," Abyssio said, pointing to it.

The card flipped around, revealing Noble Arms – Caliburn. "That card goes to my hand, and the others to my Graveyard," Chevalier announced, taking the selected card and discarding the others. "Now I activate the Equip Spell Card: Noble Arms – Caliburn and equip it onto Medraut!"

Medraut's weapon changed into a wonderous shiny longsword.

"Once again, he gains his effects, and he gains 500 ATK due to Caliburn!"

Medraut's shadow became demonic for a second time.

Noble Knight Medraut ATK 1700→2200 LVL: 4→5

"Then Caliburn's effect! Once per turn, I can gain 500 LP!" Chevalier declared as a yellow glow enveloped him.

Chevalier: 4000→4500 LP

"I place two cards face-down and end my turn. Now show me your power!"

"Opening small, aren't we?" Abyssio smirked."Well then, I'll show you what the Great Abyssio is capable of! I draw!"

Abyssio looked at his drawn card and smiled. "Now it's time to show you something spectacular!" Stregone said as he selected two cards in his hand. With both Scale 2 Abyss Actor – Wild Hope and Abyss Actor – Noisy Trumpeter, I set the Pendulum Scale!"

Two blue pillars appeared on Abyssio's field. Wild Hope appeared and rose in one of them, and a small blue fiend with a polo shirt holding a trumpet appeared and rose in the other.

Abyss Actor – Wild Hope Scale: 2

Abyss Actor – Noisy Trumpeter Scale: 2

Chevalier's eyes widened in shock. "Pendulum?!" he repeated. "How and why do you have that?!"

"Please save all further questions until the end," Abyssio replied.

"Well, even with your Pendulum Scale, you're unable to summon anything. Guess you're all talk and no show."

Abyssio tipped his hat forward and gave Chevalier a wicked grin. "Who says I won't be Pendulum Summoning?" He said, pointing towards Wild Hope. "Wild Hope might be a lonely gunman of the wildest of the west. But he isn't afraid to assist! Because he's able to lift Trumpeter's scale from a mere two to a whopping nine!"

"What?" Chevalier gasped.

Wild Hope looked at Trumpeter before tossing him a spare hat from his belt. As Trumpeter fumbled to catch it, nearly tripping over his feet, he finally managed to put it on, having a happy look on his face as he played his trumpet.

Abyss Actor – Noisy Trumpeter: 2→9

"Looks like this duel's swinging my way if you get what I mean?" Abyssio announced. "With the set Pendulum Scale, I can Pendulum Summon monsters between Levels 3 and 8 at the same time! Monsters emerge!"

Within moments, a portal opened between the two pillars, where two lights emerged. The light hit the field and then dissipated.

"Joining us for today's performance is Abyss Actor – Sassy Rookie!"

"And Abyss Actor – Leading Lady!"

A one-eyed fiend with blue hair and in overalls wearing a small gold and purple hat, with a bell at the top along with a purple-skinned girl in a dress with one eye, green hair, with the back of it tied in two ponytails and a purple hat with gold bat symbols as she carried a purple whip appeared on Abyssio's field.

Abyss Actor – Sassy Rookie ATK 1700 DEF 1000 LVL: 4 PS: 2

Abyss Actor – Leading Lady ATK 1500 DEF 1000 LVL: 4 PS: 2

"This is a shocker!" The MC said in surprise. "There's someone else out there who possesses Pendulum Monsters, and his name is Abyssio!"

Everyone cheered in response to the MC's commentation

"Abyssio! Abyssio! Abyssio!" Spectators chanted.

"Looks like Sylvio has a few fans," Dennis noted.

"Knowing him, he'll let the fame go to his head," Gong pointed out.

"Give him a break Gong," Yuya said. "After all, the duel just started."

"Yuya's right. I'm sure after his training with Crow, he's become a better duelist," Sora mentioned.

"Let's just hope you're right," Zuzu prayed as she and the others looked back at the monitor, showcasing Sylvio's duel.

"Next, I activate the Continous Spell Card: Abyss Actor's Assembly Line!" The card depicted a stage set similar to a factory with multiple Abyss Actor dresses as workes. A mini stage appeared on Abyssio's field as his monsters got on top of it."Once per turn, I can search for an "Abyss Actor" Spell or Trap Card from my Deck and set it on the field!"

A card popped out from Abyssio's Deck as he then set it on his field face-down.

And "Abyss Actor" monsters present right now on the field gain 200 ATK per card."

Both Sassy Rookie and Leading Lady glowed as their power increased.

Abyss Actor – Sassy Rookie ATK 1700→1900

Abyss Actor – Leading Lady ATK 1500→1700

"In addition, I activate the Equip Spell Card: Abyss Costume – Mage's Wand and equip it to Leading Lady!"

Leading Lady's purple whip suddenly transformed into a stylized wand of the same color.

"Thanks to its effect, she gains 300 attack points for every "Abyss Actor" monster I control. Since there are two, Leading Lady gains 600 ATK!"

Abyss Actor – Leading Lady ATK 1700→2300

"Battle!" Abyssio pointed his right hand to Chevalier's field. "Abyss Actor – Leading Lady attacks Noble Knight Medraut!"

Leading Lady aimed its wand at Medraut, blasting it with a beam of purple energy, destroying it and making Chevalier wince.

Chevalier: 4500→4400 LP

"Next, Sassy Rookie attacks Noble Knight Medraut!"

Sassy Rookie jumped high up as it dived down towards Borz.

"I don't think so! Since Gwenhwyfar is equipped to a Dark-Attribute monster, at the start of the Damage Step, her effect immediately destroys your monster!" Chevalier stated as the spectral maiden formed a ball of energy before blasting it at Sassy Rookie.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but Sassy Rookie can't be destroyed once per turn!" Abyssio abruptly stated as a barrier formed around him, deflecting Gwenhwyfar's blast. "Not only that, I activate Trumpeteer's Pendulum Effect! When my monsters attack monsters in Defense Position, I can deal piercing damage to you!"

"What?"

Sassy Rookie landed straight to Borz's chest, destroying him and causing a small explosion and making Chevalier wince for a second time.

Chevalier: 4400→3400 LP

"I end my turn with that," Abyssio smirked. "So, how do you find me now, Chevalier? Do you still think I'm some sort of wet-behind-the-ears loser? If so, I'd advise you against underestimating me."

"Please. If you couldn't do at least this much, you two wouldn't be worth my time. Still, if you're satisfied merely by inflicting a small amount of damage, then you truly are a fool of the greatest caliber. Allow me to show you how one who is destined to stand above others duels. "And with it ending, I activate my Trap Card: Noble Arms Reclaim!" Chevalier declared as one of his face downs flipped up. The card depicted a bunch of swords scattered around on the barren ground, as several Noble Knights were collecting them.

"At the end of the turn that "Noble Arms" Equip Spells are destroyed, I can target one of them and add it to my hand and draw a card for everyone destroyed!" he explained. "I add Caliburn to my hand and draw one card as well." the selected appeared before him, then was added to his Hand. "Then I draw a card from every two Equip Spells destroyed." he drew a card.

"So you had this plan all from the start?" Abyssio asked.

"Of course I did. My turn! I draw!" Chevalier drew his card. "I summon another copy of Noble Knight Merdraut!"

A second Medraut appeared on Chevalier's field.

Noble Knight Medraut ATK 1700 DEF 1000 LVL: 4

"Next, I activate the Equip Spell Card: Noble Arms – Caliburn!" the shining sword appeared in Medraut's hand. His shadow shifted to become demonic.

Noble Knight Medraut ATK 1700→2200 LVL: 4→5

Medraut pointed Caliburn at Chevalier as it then began to emit a green light that enveloped his body.

Chevalier: 3400→3900 LP

"Now I activate Medraut's effect! Since I control no other monsters, I can Special Summon a Noble Knight from my Deck in Defense! "I summon out Noble Knight Artorigus!"

A chivalrous knight with red hair wearing bright silver armor wielding a long sword manifested onto Chevalier's field next to Medraut.

Noble Knight Medraut ATK 1800 DEF 1800 LVL: 4

"Medraut's effect then destroys the equipped Caliburn."

The shining sword disintegrated from Medraut's hand, causing his features to return to normal.

Noble Knight Medraut ATK 2200→1700 LVL: 5→4

"Then I activate my face-down card, the Spell Card: Junk Dealer!" Chevalier continued,

"Junk Dealer!" Abyssio shouted, shocked. "That card is old but powerful."

"Using this card's effect, I'm allowed to revive either two Machine or Warrior-Type monsters from my Graveyard by halving their ATK and negating their effects. Return to me, Noble Knight Medraut and Borz!"

In a flash of light, the two Noble Knights from before reappeared on Chevalier's field.

Noble Knight Medraut ATK 1700→850 DEF 1000 LVL: 4

Noble Knight Borz ATK 1700→850 DEF 900 LVL: 4

"At this moment, I activate my face-down card, the Continuous Trap Card: Abyss Actor's Injury!" Abyssio exclaimed. "Through its effect, I can target one monster you control and prevent you from using monsters with the same Level as the targeted Monster as materials for a Summon! I target one of your Level 4 Medrauts, which means you can no longer use Level 4 Monsters as materials!"

"Hoh, so he sealed all Extra Deck Summons by using that Trap?" Zuzu noted. "Not a bad move."

"Maybe. However, I don't believe Chevalier will be deterred so easily, Yuya mentioned."

"I'll set one card and then activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Double Cyclone! By destroying my set card, I can destroy your Continuous Trap."

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

"Since I lost Abyss Actor's Injury, both my monsters lose 200 attack points," Abyss noted.

Abyss Actor – Sassy Rookie ATK 1900→1700

Abyss Actor – Leading Lady ATK 2300→2100

"Not only that but since my face-down card was Dummy Maker and a Spell Card destroyed it, I'm allowed to draw two cards," Chevalier explained as he drew. "Now appear! The Circuit that leads to a righteous path!" A Link Portal appeared above Chevalier. "Link Arrows authorized! The summoning conditions are two "Noble Knight" monsters. I set the two Medrauts in the Link Arrows!"

Both Medrauts turned into twisters of energy, entering the bottom-left and button-right arrows, turning them red.

"Link the Circuit! I Link Summon! Link-2! Isolde, Two Tales of the Noble Knights!"

Appearing from the Link Portal were two women. One was dressed in a royal red dress, the other was wearing a black dress and appeared pale as a ghost. They were Summoned to the Extra Monster Zone to Chevalier's Right.

Isolde, Two Tales of the Noble Knights ATK 1600 LINK-2 ↙↘

"When Isolde is Link Summoned, I can add one Warrior-Type monster from my Deck to my hand at the cost of not summoning or activating the effects of the added monster. I'll add Lady of the Lake!"

"So, was there a point in doing that?" Abyssio snarkily asked.

"There will be soon, but for I overlay the Level 4 Artorigus and Borz to build the Overlay Network!" Artorigus and Borz broke down into data and were absorbed into the network, causing a reaction, releasing four beams that tore a rift into space.

"King of noble knights, pick up your blade and charge into battle!" Chevalier chanted, "I Xyz Summon! Appear Rank 4, Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights!"

Jumping out from the light was a new knight. He was decked out in full armor with a red cape. It was lined with fur on some parts with some smoky blue patches on them. Held in his hand a wide long sword. He was summoned to the middle monster zone on Chevalier's field, linked to Isolde's bottom-left arrow. Two yellow lights orbited the Xyz Monster.

Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights ATK 2000 DEF 2000 RNK: 4 OU: 2

"Wow! That's an Xyz Monster!" Abyss yelled, amazed.

"Artorigus's effect activates!" Chevalier declared. "When Xyz Summoned, I can target up to 3 "Noble Arms" cards in my Graveyard and equip them onto him. I equip Arfeudutyr and Gallatin!"

Artorgius raised both his hands as a dark sword, with a blade the hue of moonlight appeared in his right hand, and a sword which shone like sunlight appeared in his left hand.

"Gallatin gives Artorigus 1000 ATK!"

Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights ATK 2000→3000

"Next, I activate the Spell Card: Arms Regeneration. It lets me take Caliburn from the Graveyard and equip it to Isolde, giving it 500 extra attack points as well as using its second effect to gain 500 Life Points!"

The weapon appeared from a dark portal, with the woman in red picking it up as she pointed it at Chevalier, causing a green aura to emanate around him.

Isolde, Two Tales of the Noble Knights ATK 1600→2100

Chevalier: 3900→4400 LP

"Then I activate Artorigus's effect!" Chevalier continued. "By detaching an Overlay Unit, for every "Noble Arms" Equip Spell Card I control, I destroy one Spell or Trap on your Field. I control three Equip Spells, so I choose to destroy both your Pendulum Cards as well Abyss Actor Assembly Line!"

All three of the swords glowed, Artorigus swung Arfeudutyr and Gallatin, creating a wave of dark and light energy, Isolde's red queen did the same, but a bit slower, destroying his three cards.

"Wild Hope's effect activates! I can add an "Abyss Actor" card from my Deck to my hand when it's destroyed! I add Abyss Actor – Funky Comedian to my hand!" Abyssio added the said card to his hand and then revealed it to Chevalier.

"Clever. But it won't help you! Battle! Artorigus attacks Leading Lady!"

Artorigus lunged forward and raised his sword high up before bringing it down, slashing the young lady demon in half, destroying her and making Abyssio wince.

Abyssio: 4000→3100 LP

"Since Abyss Costume – Mage's Wand was sent to the Graveyard because the Leading Lady left the stage, I can draw cards equal to her Pendulum Scale. In this case, two!" Abyssio explained as he drew two cards.

"So you replenished your hand, no matter! You'll still end up losing this duel! Isolde now attacks Sassy Rookie!"

"Sassy Rookie's effect activates! Once per turn, it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects!"

Isolde's sword struck a hazy barrier that appeared around Sassy Rookie and couldn't destroy the monster.

"However, you'll still take the damage." Chevalier pointed out.

Abyssio: 3100→2700 LP

"I end my turn with this."

"This Chevalier guy is proving to be a real challenge for Sylvio," Dennis noted.

"Yeah, it appears the Top 10 is all show and not just talk," Sora said. "Let's see how Sylvio deals with it.

"Time for me to shine once more and deliver some payback as well for all the earlier damage I received!" Abyssio announced. "My turn! I draw! I activate the Spell Card: Pendulum Exchange!" The card showed some businessmen at the stock market exchange, looking at the stock going up and down, and some people making a trade, but instead of money, they were using Pendulum cards.

"By sending one Pendulum Monster card from my hand to the Extra Deck, I draw cards equal to the monster's Pendulum Scale," He explained. "I send Scale 3 Abyss Actor – Superstar to my Extra Deck so that I can draw three cards."

He sent his ace monster to his Extra Deck and then drew three new cards. "Next, I reset my Pendulum Scale with Scale 3 Abyss Actor – Extras and Scale 8 Abyss Actor – Funky Comedian!"

Two pillars of light appeared on Abyssio's field. One contained three blue one-eyed fiends, each wearing a different colored vest and a black hat. The other contained a fat yellow four-armed fiend in a red vest. A stylized "3" and "8" appeared beneath them.

Abyss Actor – Extras Scale: 3

Abyss Actor – Funky Comedian Scale: 8

"Now, I'm able to summon Level 4 to 7 monsters simultaneously!" Abyssio declared as he pointed up into the air. I Pendulum Summon!"

Purple lightning appeared from the portal before two lights emerged from them and morphed into monsters.

From my hand, Abyss Actor - Eccentric Composer! And from my Extra Deck, Abyss Actor – Superstar!"

Appearing on Abyssio's field was a fiendish adult male with white hair covering his left green eye while wearing a dark blue suit with collars, purple boots and white gloves and carrying a composer baton in his hands as he was summoned into the middle Main Monster Zone. The other monster was a pink-skinned fiend wearing an exaggerated suit, a mechanical monocle over his one eye, along with a hat resembling that of a rose as he appeared in the Extra Monster Zone.

Abyss Actor – Eccentric Composer ATK 2200 DEF 2500 LVL: 7 PS: 8

Abyss Actor – Superstar ATK 2500 DEF 1800 LVL: 7 PS: 3

Abyssio pointed to his ace monster. "I activate Superstar's effect, which allows me to add an "Abyss Script" Spell Card from my Deck to my hand once per turn. I choose to add Abyss Script – Evil Ploy to my hand and activate it!" The card depicted Superstar and Evil Heel setting up for a boxing match while Heel was secretly in the corner, cutting a hole in his gloves and placing batteries inside.

"Through my Spell Card, you'll receive 400 points of damage for each "Abyss Actor" monster currently on my field! And since I have three, you'll take a total of 1200 points of damage!"

Following Abyssio's words, a torrent of darkness erupted from his Spell Card, striking Ojin's body and sending him skidding backwards.

Chevalier: 4400→3200 LP

"Then, Eccentric Composer's effect activates! For every "Abyss Script" in my Graveyard, your monsters lose 100 ATK!"

Eccentric Composer wrote some notes on paper, creating an effect that sapped both Noble Knight's strength.

Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights ATK 3000→2900

Isolde, Two Tales of the Noble Knights ATK 2100→2000

"And since I activated an "Abyss Script" card, Composer's second effect lets me add a Level 4 or lower "Abyss Actor" monster from my Deck," Abyssio continued. "I add Abyss Actor – Heinous Villain. Next, I activate Funky Comedian's Pendulum Effect! Once per turn, I can add an "Abyss Actor" monster to my Extra Deck to increase one monster's attack points by that monster's attack points. I add Sassy Rookie to my Extra Deck and add its attack points to Superstar!"

Sassy Rookie burst into light while Superstar glowed.

Abyss Actor – Superstar ATK 2500→4200

"Battle! Eccentric Composer attacks Isolde!"

Composer pointed his baton and blasted a beam of purple lighting at the two ladies, destroying them and making Chevalier wince.

Chevalier: 3200→3000 LP

"Since Caliburn left the field, its effect activities, equipping it onto Artorigus!" Chevalier stated as the Xyz Monster's sword in his left hand glowed as it became sharper and longer.

Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights ATK 2900→3400

"That isn't enough, Chevalier!" Abyssio said. "End it, Superstar!"

The monster spun around and kicked struck Artorigus in the chest, destroying it. Chevalier winced again from the damage.

Chevalier: 3000→2200 LP

"Amazing," Gong whispered. "He defeated both his monsters and cut Chevalier's Life Points by more than half."

Chevalier grimaced as he pushed himself up. "Not bad. But not good enough. I'll say this once. I will never lose, so long as I can duel, I'll never admit defeat!"

"Same here, Abyssio replied with a smirk. "After all, if I lose here, there's no way I can aim to become the best duelist in the world!"

"Well, it'll be my pleasure to rob that dream of yours."

"We'll see. I place one card face-down and end my turn," Abyssio concluded. "And during my End Phase, Superstar's attack points return to normal."

Abyss Actor – Superstar ATK 4200→2500

"My turn! I draw!" Chevalier yelled, drawing his card. "I activate the Spell Card Pot of Greed two draw two cards. Then I summon the Tuner Monster Lady of the Lake!"

An ethereal figure appeared at Chevalier's side, with long flowing blonde hair, a soft blue dress, and a long golden sword.

Lady of the Lake ATK 200→100 DEF 1800 LVL: 1

"A Tuner monster!" Abyssio shouted.

"Lady of the Lake's effect! When Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon 1 "Noble Knight" Normal Monster from the Graveyard. I summon back Artorigus!"

The silver armor reappeared on Chevalier's field.

Noble Knight Artorigus ATK 1800→1700 DEF 1800 LVL: 4

"I tune my Level 1 Lady of the Lake with my Level 4 Noble Knight Artorigus!"

A bolt of green lightning struck Chevalier as the world greyed out, and his two monsters disappeared into particles. Two rings, one blue and one silver, appeared before turning blue and merging. Blue rings stacked in a tower appeared, a screen displaying "1 + 4" in front of them. The screen changed to "5" as light surged through the rings.

Chevalier closed his eyes and softly chanted. "Knight driven from the world and fallen into darkness, draw the arms of vengeance and punish those who tore you from the ones you love!" His eyes snapped open. "I Synchro Summon! Become an avenger! Ignoble Knight…"

A silhouette emerged from the shadows, wrapped in a dark haze and with blazing red eyes. Twin swords were clutched in its hands, one baleful red, the other a dull gold trimmed in black. Red lines like blood ignited across its armor.

"…of High Laundsallyn!"

The knight emerged into the Right Extra Monster Zone, clad all in dark armor crossed with red lines, and wielded dark swords. His hair was midnight black, his eyes a terrible red. Roaring in a fury, High Laundsallyn pointed its sword right at Abyssio, glaring at him with his fearsome eyes.

Ignoble Knight of High Laundsallyn ATK 2100→2000 DEF 900 LVL: 5

"So this guy can also use Synchro Summoning…." Abyssio said, stunned.

Lady of the Lake is banished when used to Synchro Summon." Chevalier continued. "Laundsallyn's effect activates! When Synchro Summoned, I can equip a "Noble Arms" Equip Spell from my Deck onto him. Come, Noble Arms – Caliburn!"

Chevalier took a card from his deck and played it, causing Laundsallyn's crimson sword to be replaced by a more ornate sword with a golden hilt. Initially, the lines which ran up its blade were blue, but after a moment, red veins ignited in place of the blue, crisscrossing the metal.

Ignoble Knight of High Laundsallyn ATK 2000→2500

"Then, I use Caliburn's second effect to increase my Life Points by 500."

Laundsallyn pointed Caliburn at Chevalier. Then it began to emit a green light that enveloped him.

Chevalier: 2200→2700 LP

"Laundsallyn…," Zuzu murmured. "I remember reading something in class about a knight of the same name who betrayed his king and was exiled. The knight turned to darkness by love."

"Is that so? Maybe Arthur has a liking for folktales," Yuya deduced.

"I now activate the Spell Card: Dark Core!" Chevalier announced. As he did, a dark portal soon appeared on the field.

"Wha-! What is that!" Abyssio exclaimed.

Yagumo smirked. "This card allows me to discard one card to banish your Composer."

The gravity from the portal suddenly intensified, sucking Eccentric Composer in before vanishing.

"Since Eccentric Composer is no longer on the field, all your monsters regain 100 ATK points," Abyssio stated.

Ignoble Knight of High Laundsallyn ATK 2500→2600

"Not only that, but since I discarded Card of Compensation, its effect lets me draw two cards," Chevalier explained.

"NexI activate the Spell Card: Riryoku! One monster on the field loses half of its attack points, and another monster gains those attack points. I'll target my Laundsallyn and your Superstar!" Toru gasped as the said monsters glowed.

Abyss Actor – Superstar ATK 2500→1250

Ignoble Knight of High Laundsallyn ATK 2600→3850

"This is bad!" Yuya exclaimed.

"Battle! Laundsallyn attacks Abyss Actor – Superstar!"

The Noble Knight Synchro Monster charged forward with its sword out, ready for clash with the enemy.

"I activate my Trap Card: Ground Capture!" Abyssio declared. "Since your monster declared an attack, the battle damage is halved!"

Soon, a giant stone hand erupted from the ground and temporarily stopped Launsallyn's attack. Unfortunately, it destroyed Superstar, causing Abyssio to flinch from the shockwave.

Abyssio: 2700→1400 LP

"Then, since I took 1000 or more points of damage from your attack, I can draw a card!"

"Once again, you've impressed me with your quick thinking," Chevalier praised him before taking the last card in his hand. I place one card face-down and end my turn. And since it's now my End Phase, Riryoku's effect ends."

Ignoble Knight of High Laundsallyn ATK 3850→2600

"That attack wasn't half-bad." Abyssio grinned. "It looks like I have to revise my opinion of you a bit, Chevalier. I promote you to being my No. 2 rival! You'd better be grateful that the great me has acknowledged your skill! And now, it's time for the counterattack! Time to swing into action!"

"Oi!" Yuya exclaimed with apparent indignation. "Don't go stealing my catchphrase, Sylvio!"

"My turn!" Abyssio announced. "I draw! First, I activate Abyss Actor – Extras Pendulum Effect! Since you control a monster, I'm allowed to Special Summon it from the Pendulum Zone!"

Extras exited out from the Pendulum Zone and landed on Abyssio's field.

Abyss Actor – Extras ATK 100 DEF 100 LVL: 1 PS: 3

"100 defense points?" Zuzu said, narrowing her eyes. "That isn't enough."

"Next, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Abyss Script – Romantic Terror!" he declared. "By returning an "Abyss Actor" Pendulum Monster I control to my hand, I can Special Summon an "Abyss Actor" Pendulum Monster from my Extra Deck. I return Extra to my hand and summon Wild Hope in Defense Position!"

Abyss Actor – Extras vanished from the field as the fiend dressed like a cowboy reappeared.

Abyss Actor – Wild Hope ATK 1600 DEF 1200 LVL: 4 PS: 2

"Now I'll reset the Pendulum Scale with Abyss Actor – Extras!"

Extras reappeared in the pillar of light as a stylized "3" appeared beneath it.

Abyss Actor – Extras Scale: 3

"With this, I can summon monsters between Levels 4 and 7! I Pendulum Summon! Monsters emerge! Come from the Extra Deck! Abyss Actor – Superstar! And from my hand, Abyss Actor – Heinous Villian!"

Abyssio's ace monster reappeared in the Left Extra Monster Zone, along with a monster dressed in a black tuxedo, which had a white mask on its face with a Glasgow smile engraved on it and held two curved daggers on its hands.

Abyss Actor – Superstar ATK 2500 DEF 1800 LVL: 7 PS: 3

Abyss Actor – Heinous Villian ATK 1700 DEF 1300 LVL: 4 PS: 3

"Now then, everyone! Please pay close attention to the second act's dramatic twist!" Abyssio declared with a flourish. "I activate Heinous Villain's effect! Once per turn, I can destroy an "Abyss Actor" monster I control and add its original attack to Heinous Villain until the End Phase! I choose to destroy Wild Hope!"

Following Abyssio's words, Heinous Villain sneaked behind Wild Hope and stabbed him with its daggers, causing him to dissolve into dust absorbed into Heinous Villian's body.

Abyss Actor – Heinous Villain ATK 1700→3300

"Wild Hope's effect activates! Since Heinous Villian's effect destroyed him, I can add Abyss Actor – Mellow Madonna from my Deck to my hand!"

"Sacrificing the weak to allow the strong to prosper." Chevalier frowned. "How dare you call yourself an honorable duelist? I'll make sure your petty tactics won't bring me down."

"As I said before, I'll make you eat these arrogant words of yours," Abyssio said with absolute confidence. "But first, I'll finish the preparations for our spectacular finale by activating Superstar's effect to add and activate the Spell Card: Abyss Script – Shadow Script. Now, battle! Superstar attacks Ignoble Knight of High Laundsallyn!"

Superstar spun around and kicked out at Chevalier's monster. Said boy gestured to his field.

"I activate the Trap Card: Intrigue Shield! "When this card is activated, it becomes an Equip Card to one of my monsters. The equipped monster cannot be destroyed in battle once per turn, and I don't take any battle damage when the equipped monster battles."

A gold and black shield appeared in Laundsallyn's hand as he raised it, and the purple energy reflected off the shield and deflected Superstar's attack.

"But you can only use that effect once," Abyssio pointed out. "Heinous Villian, attack and destroy Laundsallyn!"

Heinous Villain charged at the knight while cackling madly.

"And at this moment, the effect of my Spell Card activates, making your monster's attack equal to its defense."

"What?" Chevalier gasped.

Ignoble Knight of High Laundsallyn ATK 2600→900

Heinous Villian drove its daggers into Laundsallyn's chest, causing a shockwave to go through its body, destroying him.

"Thanks to Intrigue Shield's effect, I didn't take any damage from that attack."

"Which is why I'm activating the Quick-Play Spell Card: Abyss Entertainment!" Abyssio continued. "When an "Abyss Actor" monster destroys your monster in battle, I can halve its attack points and allow it to attack again."

Abyss Actor – Heinous Villain ATK 3300→1650

"No way!" Chevalier yelled.

"Heinous Villian, attack Chevalier directly!"

Heinous Villian charged once more, this time at Chevalier as he struck him with his daggers, causing him to scream in pain as he fell to his knees.

Chevalier: 2700→1050 LP

"Abyssio has regained the lead, and now Chevalier is the one in trouble!" The MC commentated.

"Awesome!" A spectator shouted." This Abyssio guy is giving Chevalier a run for his money!"

"Abyssio, both rocks and rules! Another spectator shouted.

"Yeah!" Other spectators shouted in agreement.

"Man. Everybody is sure loving Sylvio," Sora noted.

"Not only that, but he's pulling amazing moves and combos to gain the lead over his opponent," Dennis added.

"Gong has to admit. He's sure had exceeded my expectations," Gong said.

"I'm telling you guys. This duel's so great that I'm even itching of logging in to it with my own two eyes," Yuya stated.

Back at the duel, Chevalier was still on his knees as he listened to everyone's comments.

I can't believe it! This clown is stealing my fanbase! He thought to himself. I have to show them that I'm the better duelist and the star of this show. And I think I know just the way to do it.

"You sure spoiled my big finale with that Trap Card of yours. In any case, I place one card face-down and end my turn. At this moment, the effect of Heinous Villain and Shadow Spirit also ends," Abyssio stated.

Abyss Actor – Heinous Villain ATK 1650→1700

Chevalier stood back up. "Then it's finally time to put an end to this farce of a battle." Ojin declared. "My turn! I draw! I activate the Spell Card: Card of Demise, which lets me draw until I have five cards in my hand. But during my fifth Standby Phase after activating this card, I must send my entire hand to the Graveyard."

Abyssio narrowed his eyes. "What an annoying card."

Chevalier drew five cards, looked at them, then took one. "I activate the Spell Card: The Warrior Returning Alive! I'm allowed to retrieve one Warrior monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I return Noble Knight Artorigus to my hand and then summon it!"

The blonde man in gilded silver armor wielding a large broadsword appeared in Attack Position.

Noble Knight Artorigus ATK 1800 DEF 1800 LVL: 4

"Next, I send my Artorigus to the Graveyard to Special Summon Ignoble Knight of Black Laundsallyn from my hand!"

The blonde knight disappeared, replaced by a man in black armor with long hair and wielding a darker version of Noble Arms – Gallatin.

Ignoble Knight of Black Laundsallyn ATK 2000 DEF 800 LVL: 5

"But I don't plan on stopping there," Chevalier constituted. "I banish Noble Knight Borz and Artorigus from my Graveyard to Special Summon Noble Knight Eachtar from my hand!'

A brown-haired knight in silver armor with gold designs wearing a green cape and wielding a torch in his hand appeared next to Laundsallyn.

Noble Knight Eachtar ATK 1600 DEF 2000 LVL: 5

Abyssio's eyes widened. "Two Level fives! That means!"

Chevalier then formed a smirk. "Using both the Level 5 Ignoble Knight of Black Launsallyn and Noble Knight Eachtar, I build the Overlay Network!"

Chevalier raised his Duel Disk and shot out a bolt of golden energy. That bolt created the Xyz cross. His monsters disintegrated into data and entered the red bolts. The ends of the cross fired multiple beams, creating a galaxy, which exploded with energy as Chevalier chanted.

"King of the Noble Knights, take up your strongest power, and strike down those who threaten your majestic kingdom! I Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 5! Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus!"

Appearing in the Right Extra Monster Zone was a knight who liked an older version of Artorigus, dressed in white and silver armor with a red cloak fluttering behind him, short red hair, wielding two swords, one pure silver while the other red and blue, in his hand with two overlay units circling him.

Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus ATK 2200 DEF 2000 RNK: 5 OU: 2

"Did you all see that?!" MC commentated excitedly. "Chevalier has brought out another Xyz Monster who looks like to be the evolved form of his previous one! He's not shown disappointment at all in this duel!"

"And something tells me he's only getting started…." Abyssio muttered.

"When King Artorigus is XYZ Summoned, I can target up to three "Noble Arms" Equip Spell with different names from my Graveyard and then equip them to King Artorigus," Chevalier explained. "I select Arfeudutyr, Gallatin, and Caliburn!"

Three purple portals opened behind Artorigus, and the three Equip Spells reemerged briefly before equipping onto the Nole Knight Xyz Monster.

"Thanks to Caliburn and Gallatin, Artorigus gains 1500 attack points!"

Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus ATK 2200→3700

"Then, I use Caliburn's effect to gain 500 Life Points!"

Caliburn glowed as a green aura surrounded Chevalier's body.

Chevalier: 1050→1550 LP

"Next, I'll use Arfeudutyr's effect to lower Artorigus's ATK by 500 to destroy your set card!"

Artorigus pointed the blade at Abyssio's face-down as a beam of blue light from the tip shattering it.

Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus ATK 3700→3200

"Finally, I detach an Overlay Unit from Artorigus to activate his effect!" Chevalier continued. "I can select and destroy one monster of my choice. And the unlucky target is none other than your Superstar! Go, Excaliburn Banishment!"

Abyssio gasped as Artorigus stabbed his sword into the ground, and a crack in the ground started to move towards Superstar before a pillar of blue and red light burst from under it, growing in strength before the intensity destroyed the Abyss Actor.

"Battle! Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus, attack and destroy Abyss Actor – Heinous Villain and bring me victory! Go, Sacred Slash of Avalon!"

Artorigus drew back his swords as he ran towards Heinous Villian before swinging his swords up to him, creating a cross-shaped blade of white energy, releasing it at the Abyss Actor, destroying it and creating an explosion that limited vision around the area.

"Sylvio!" The Lancers yelled.

"Finally, this is done and over with," commented Chevalier with a satisfied expression, knowing that the duel is over now. He proceeded to take a few steps forward before he noticed his Duel Disk was still active. He turned around and narrowed his eyes in confusion as he saw his monster was still present. "My monster's still here? But how? I won, didn't I?" He narrowed his eyes towards his opponent's field as they widened in shock and realization as he looked up towards the smoke, "It can't be…."

The smoke obscured everyone's vision for a while, so everyone couldn't see what was happening. However, it eventually cleared, revealing Abyssio having a smirk on his face with his life points remaining the same.

"Remember my set card you destroyed earlier? Well, you see, it was the Trap Card: Abyss Actor's Exit Cue," The card that Chevalier had destroyed earlier appeared on Abyssio's field. It showed Abyss Actor – Superstar, Curtain Raiser and Twinkle Littlestar, all signing autographs as Trendy Understudy, is near the exit, trying to tell them that it's time to leave. "Thanks to Exit Cue's effect, if I have an "Abyss Actor" monster face-up in my Extra Deck, I can banish it to prevent me from taking any damage this turn."

After hearing the explanation, Chevalier clicked his tongue as he was annoyed, "Tch. To think you would survive thanks to me."

Abyssio shrugged his shoulder as his smirk grew more cheeky, "Plus, Heinous Villain's sacrifice wasn't in vain for one additional reason. When this monster is destroyed, I can destroy one card on your field. What I choose to destroy is—your Xyz Monster, Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus!"

Following Abyssio's words, several daggers appeared around the field, which then headed straight towards Artorigus.

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Forbidden Dress!" Chevalier declared. "Until the end of the turn, one monster on the field loses 600 attack points, but it cannot be targeted or destroyed by other card effects. I target King Artorigus!"

A blue force field appeared around the Xyz Monster, deflecting all of Heinous Villian's daggers into different directions, leaving the knight unscathed.

Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus ATK 3200→2600

Abyssio smirked. "So you were prepared just in case I had an effect that would destroy your monster?"

"You're not defeating King Artorigus that easily. I end my turn with a face-down, meaning Forbidden Dress's effect ends."

Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus ATK 2600→3200

"Then, it's time for the final turn and the much-anticipated climax!" Abyssio announced. "I draw!"

I have this duel in the bag. If you manage to summon a stronger monster and attack, Orange thought, my Sakuretsu Armor Trap Card will destroy his monster. It doesn't matter what you play this turn. You'll lose!

Upon checking his drawn card, Abyssio let out a small smile before addressing Chevalier. "Alright, my luck is turning! This turn will be your defeat!"

While Chevalier had a confused expression on his face, Abyssio gestured to his field. "First, I'll use Extras Pendulum Effect to Special Summon it from the Pendulum Zone!"

Just like before, Extras exited out from the Pendulum Zone and appeared on Abyssio's field.

Abyss Actor – Extras ATK 100 DEF 100 LVL: 1 PS: 3

"Next, I'll reset the Pendulum Scale with Scale 0 Abyss Actor – Mellow Madonna!"

A woman wearing a long black dress appeared in the pillar of light on the left on Abyssio's field. She had long pink hair, with the front bang of it being yellow. In the middle of her dress was a purple rose.

Abyss Actor – Mellow Madonna Scale: 0

"I activate Mellow Madonna's Pendulum Effect! By paying 1000 life points, I can add one "Abyss Actor" Pendulum Monster with a different name from my deck to my hand. However, I can't Special Summon monsters for the rest of this turn, except 'Abyss Actor' Pendulum Monsters."

After Abyssio took the card that popped out of his deck and added it to his hand, a red glow surrounded him, indicating that he had lost life points.

Abyssio: 1400→400 LP

"Now, I'm able to summon monsters Levels 1 to 7 simultaneously!" Abyssio stated as he pointed up into the air. "I Pendulum Summon!"

Within moments, a portal opened between the two pillars, where one light emerged. The light hit the field and then dissipated.

"Returning for an encore from the Extra Deck is none other than the main lead himself, Abyss Actor – Superstar!"

The fiendish monster in a black suit with a red hat reappeared in the Left Extra Monster Zone.

Abyss Actor – Superstar ATK 2500 DEF 1800 LVL: 7 PS: 3

"I activate Superstar's effect! I add a new "Abyss Script" Spell Card from my Deck to my hand." Abyssio took the card and smirked. "It's time for you, and everyone else, to realize just how awesome I am! I activate the Ritual Spell Card: Abyss Script – Abyss Ritual!"

"What?!" Chevalier gasped.

"Ritual?!" The MC said in surprise. A word that was repeated by Yuya, Zuzu, Sora, Gong, Dennis, and most of the audience.

The card showed Superstar, Sassy Rookie, and Wild Hope holding hands around a blue fire in a brazier. "By Tributing monsters from my hand or field whose Levels equal that of the "Abyss Actor" Ritual Monster in my hand, I can perform a Ritual Summon!" Abyssio continued. "I Tribute the Level 7 Superstar and the Level 1 Extra!"

The brazier appeared on Abyssio's field. Superstar and Extras lit up with blue flames and leaped into the air. They landed on the brazier, which lit up. A pillar of light shot upwards as Abyssio chanted.

"Mischievous outlaw pursuing everlasting freedom! Emerge from the pages of history and travel across the path towards the endless dream! I Ritual Summon! Appear now, Level 8! Abyss Actor – Dashing Rogue!"

A monster reminiscent of a cowboy wielding two pistols with blades attached to them, clad in a purple and green hat with the Abyss Actors' symbol on it, a crimson and blue mask, and a purple cape black coat, appeared on Abyssio's field.

Abyss Actor – Dashing Rogue ATK 2900 DEF 2700 LVL: 8

"Ritual Summoning?" Zuzu stared at the monster in shock.

"Since when does Sawatari have a Ritual Monster?" Yuya wondered in confusion.

"…I'll give him this," Gong muttered. "I wasn't expecting him to know how to Ritual Summon."

"Oh, that's an impressive monster, Abyssio," Chevalier said, smiling in excitement at the monster his opponent just summoned. "But it doesn't matter how impressive it is; it's not strong enough to take down my knight!"

"Are you sure about that?" Chevalier's eyes widened in uncertainty. "I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Abyss Actors' Costume Chest!" Abyssio declared a demonic purple and golden chest with hands designed at the base next to him. "With this card, once per turn, I can equip an "Abyss Costume" Equip Spell Card from my Deck onto an "Abyss Actor" monster. I equip Dashing Rogue with Abyss Costume - Mage's Robe!"

The chest opened up as an intricate robe popped out of a dark portal inside the chest and covered Dashing Rogue's body.

"Battle! Dashing Rogue, attack Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus!"

Dashing Rogue raised its pistols, but Chevalier was ready.

"Too bad!" Chevalier said, sneering. "I activate the Trap Card: Sakuretsu Armor! This card destroys the attacking monster!"

The Trap released a blast of energy at Dashing Rogue but shielded itself with its robe.

"What? What happened?"

"Thanks to Mage's Robe effect, Dashing Rogue is now unaffected by my opponent's card effects, meaning it wasn't destroyed by the effect of Sakuretsu Armor," Abyssio explained. "Also, at this moment, Dashing Rogue's effect activates! When this card battles, I can send any number of "Abyss Actor" Pendulum Monsters from my Extra Deck and/or hand to the Graveyard to reduce the opposing Monster's attack by 1000 for every card! I will discard Leading Lady, Wild Hope, Superstar, Trumpeter, Extras, Sassy Rookie, and Heinous Villian to reduce your Monster's attack by 7000!"

Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus ATK 3200→0

Go, Dashing Rogue! Dethrone his King! Funky Shot Discharge!"

Dashing Rogue flew forward, unleashing a hail of bullets that pierced Artorigus's body on numerous spots, causing it to scream in agony. Abyssio's monster then slashed at it with the blades mounted on its pistols, destroying it and generating a massive explosion that engulfed Chevalier.

"This…can't be…." Chevalier muttered. "I lost…"

The former Celebrity duelist couldn't say anything else as he was sent flying backwards, screaming as his Life Points dwindled to zero.

Chevalier: 1550→0 LP

"Incredible!" The MC shouted. "Making an unbelievable come-from-behind victory is the mysterious duelist Abyssio!"

Yuya smiled. "Sylvio won!"

Zuz smiled as well. "Congratulations, Sylvio."

Gong laughed. "Way to go, you airhead!"

Abyssio laughed as he soaked in everyone's cheers. These cheers… these cheers are for me!

Eventually, he walked over to Chevalier, who was struggling to get up.

"Hey, are you OK, dude?" Abyssio asked as he lent his hand.

"Get away from me!" Chevalier snapped as he smacked Abyssio's hand away.

"Woah! I can see you're not OK at all,"

"I should've won that duel! You cheated!"

"No, I didn't," Abyssio replied. "Just because I also use Pendulum Summoning, you see that as cheating? You're just upset that I beat you, and per our agreement, I now hold the No.8 spot in the Top 10."

"Say what you want! But you don't see what you have done here!? You RUINED me, Abyssio! In front of that camera, nonetheless!" He pointed at the reporters.

"Eek!" One of them screeched. "Well, folks. It looks like Chevalier is having a breakdown after losing to Abyssio."

"You'll pay for this! Someday, you will!" He quickly logged out angrily, leaving Abyssio alone.

"Man. What a sore loser." Abyssio said to himself.

"Tell me about it," a voice said. "I'm glad you show up instead of me."

Abyssio turned around to where the voice was coming from and was shocked to see who it was.

"Ringmaster?"

And that's Chapter 23. Bold cards are OCs. Credit to dvdryms for letting me use his Abyss Actor cards. As you guys have been waiting for, the Lancers have arrived, and I decided to have one of them duel against one of the Top 10. I chose Sylvio because I knew he would want to try LINK VRAINS immediately after hearing about it. I thought Chevalier would be the best opponent for him since they have similar personalities. Also, sorry this post is updated later than usual. I was hoping to have it posited Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, but I got called in on my day off on Monday, and since I recently became manager, I can't say no anymore, so I hope you guys understand that some updates might come later now. Also, thanks to everyone for getting this story to 100 reviews before the end of the year. I appreciate every one of you, and I probably wouldn't continue this without your guys' support, so once again, thank you. As always, follow, favorite, review, and don't be afraid to send me a PM. See you guys next week, and let me know what you think about the outcome of the Duel in the reviews.

P.S. Duel for next chapter: Lancer Battle Royale

OC Card Memo:

Abyss Actor - Trumpeter

Dark/Fiend/Pendulum/Effect

ATK: 200, DEF: 1500, LV: 3, SC: 2

Pendulum Effect: When your monsters attack monsters in DEF mode, you can deal piercing damage to your opponent

Monster Effect: If this monster is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, you can banish it and Special Summon a Level 4 or lowe "Abyss Actor" monster from your Deck to your graveyard.

Abyss Actor – Heinous Villain

ATK: 1700, DEF: 1300, LV: 4, SC: 3

Dark/Fiend/Pendulum/Effect

Pendulum Effect: Each time an "Abyss Actor" Monster on your side of the field is destroyed, increase the attack of all other "Abyss Actor" Monster you control by 400.

Monster Effect: Once per turn, you can destroy an "Abyss Actor" Monster you control and add its original ATK to this card's ATK until the End Phase. If this card is destroyed, you can target one card on the field and destroy it.

Abyss Actor – Dashing Rogue

ATK: 2900, DEF: 2700, LV: 8

Dark/Fiend/Ritual/Effect

Monster Effect: You can Ritual Summon this card with "Abyss Script – Abyss Ritual". When this card battles, you can send any number of "Abyss Actor" Pendulum Monsters from your Extra Deck and/or hand to the Graveyard in order to reduce the opposing Monster's ATK by 1000 for every sent card until the end of your turn. You can banish any number of "Abyss Script" Spell Cards from your Graveyard to destroy an equal number of Spell/Trap Cards on your opponent's field. You can use the above effects only once per turn.

Abyss Script – Evil Ploy

Normal Spell Card

Inflict 400 points of damage to your opponent for every face-up "Abyss Actor" Monster you control.

Abyss Actor Assembly Line

Continuous Spell Card

Once per turn, you can search an "Abyss Actor" Spell or Trap card from your Deck and set it on the field. Also, all the current "Abyss Actors" on the field gain 200 ATK for each one.

Abyss Costume – Mage's Robe

Equip Spell Card

Equip only to an "Abyss Actor" Monster you control. As long as it's equipped with this card, it's unaffected by your opponent's card effects.

Abyss Costume - Wand of the Mage

Equip Spell

the equipped monster gains 300 ATK for each face-up "Abyss Actor" monster on the same side of the field as it. If this card is sent to the GY because the equipped monster left the field: Draw cards equal to its Pendulum Scale. You can only activate this effect of "Abyss Costume - Mage's Wand" once per Duel. If this Set card in its owner's control is destroyed by an opponent's card effect while you have a face-up "Abyss Actor" Pendulum Monster(s) in your Extra Deck: you can add 1 "Abyss Script", "Abyss Stage" or "Abyss Actor" Spell/Trap Card from your Deck to your hand.

Abyss Script – Abyss Ritual Ritual Spell Card

This card can be used to Ritual Summon any "Abyss Actor" Ritual Monster. You must also Tribute monsters from your hand or field whose total Levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster you Ritual Summon. If you control 2 "Abyss Actor" cards in your Pendulum Zones, you can also use "Abyss Actor" Pendulum Monster(s) face-up in your Extra Deck, by shuffling them into the Deck.

Abyss Actors' Exit Cue (Trap Card) - When an "Abyss Actor" monster you control battles an opponent's monster: Your opponent takes any battle damage you would have taken from that battle. If you have a face-up "Abyss Actor" monster in your Extra Deck: You can banish this card from your Graveyard; you take no damage this turn.

Noble Arms Reclaim

Normal Trap

At the end of the turn, that "Noble Arms" Equip Spell(s) are destroyed and sent to the GY: Target 1 of those cards; add it to your Hand, then draw 1 card for every Equip Spell that was destroyed.