A/N: Long story short, I lost notes on the fic because of some computer troubles. Luckily I didn't lose too much; mostly ideas on bonus chapters, some extra fun facts, possible plots. But the main story should still be intact.
But now's a good time to suggest some bonus chapter ideas, of anything you want to see. I'm thinking of doing some duel chapters, which will include cross-series characters. So if you want to see something like Dennis vs Kaiba, suggest it and I'll see what I can do.
Fun Fact: Sawatari owns a skunk ape.
Description: The Lancers fight against Jean-Michel and the Doktor.
Jean-Michel didn't have a camera in Leo's little lab. But that was okay; he knew they were in there, trapped like little rats. They corralled themselves together nicely for him. Now all he had to do was send in the cats.
Jean looked over the wall of screens before him, watching over the various areas of the school. His soldiers were walking around robotically, on the hunt for Serena.
The newly-activated Sector K of students were now marching through classrooms and gathering as many un-infected students for "emergency check-ups." Those students would be brought to the gymnasium, where they would be brainwashed by the nurses. His army would grow, and there would be less people in the school that could interfere with his plan.
Now, where did Serena go again? She must have been in one of the classrooms, which didn't have cameras, for some reason. So it was just a matter of checking each room until she was found.
There was a small chess board on Jean's desk. He placed a hand on a white pawn and moved it forward two squares. His hand then moved over to the black queen and massaged the top of the piece. He was fighting the urge to topple it over. But no, he had to wait until the actual queen had toppled.
The Chancellor's Office, Duel Academia third floor
Part of the wall rose up, revealing the tunnel behind it. Yuya and Gongenzaka stepped out of the tunnel and into the office, their heads desperately scanning the room for any signs of life. Luckily for them, they were alone.
Gongenzaka pointed towards a camera in one of the corners of the room. "They might see us now. We'll have to hurry up, before they find us."
Gongenzaka made his way towards the Chancellor's desk. His hands searched the back, until he was able to find a drawer. He pulled the drawer open and began to search through its contents. The movement caused the monitor on his desk to spring into a waking state, shining light over Gongenzaka's face.
"Map, map..." he mused. "Is it here? Or on the computer? Or... Hmmph."
Yuya, meanwhile, looked out of the wall of windows, which went from the ceiling to the floor. He could see the courtyard below, along with a few students walking about. They weren't what drew his eye, though.
"Gongenzaka," Yuya said. "There's something outside."
Gongenzaka turned his head to look out the window. Just a few feet away from the courtyard was a large, semi-transparent orange wall. From the ground and up to the sky, the wall was bending forward as it rose.
In other words, it was a dome. The whole school was surrounded by a dome.
"Are we trapped inside?" Gongenzaka asked.
"I don't know," Yuya admitted. "Maybe it's not solid, but a projection? Maybe it's just some sort of blocker, or..."
A bird caught Yuya's attention. It flew from a tree in the courtyard, up to the wall. It headed right towards the dome's wall, seemingly not even noticing it. Its body smacked right into the wall, making it bounce off and fall into a tailspn.
"Okay, nevermind."
Yuya made a mental note: check up on that bird.
"This is bad," Gongenzaka sighed. "Getting LDS could have been our best chance at saving the school."
Yuya turned around and started walking towards the room's front doors. He gave his friend a small wave, then opened one of the doors.
"Where are you going?" Gongenzaka asked.
Yuya stopped and turn to him. "Even if I can't get out, I can still rescue Yuzu."
Gongenzaka couldn't help but egao. "You don't sound too upset about this."
Yuya returned the egao with one of his own. He blushed and scratched the back of his head, then turned and walked through the open doorway.
"Good luck, Gongenzaka," Yuya called out. "After I find Yuzu, I'll come find you."
"Don't worry about me, Yuya," his friend responded. "I can handle it. Just worry about yourself and Serena, okay?"
"Thanks."
Yuya fiddled with the lock, then shut the door. And Gongenzaka went back to the Chancellor's desk, looking for that map to the security room. He was on limited time, but he wasn't going to let that cloud his mind. You could even say that he was
steadfast
in his resolve.
Haha get it, like Steadfast Duels? Haha.
Amazoness Swords Woman's sword cut through the door. The door became more and more battered and cut, until the monster and the duelists were able to push them down.
Grace and Gloria Tyler stared down the people in the lab. Amazoness Swords Woman stood by Grace's side, while Grace held her Duel Disk in front of her.
Sawatari and Chronos stood before them. Their disks activated and Sawatari's Pendulum Zones filled, the two were blocking the sisters away from the Akabas.
"We found you~" Grace said happily. "Gloria, what should we do with them?"
"The bosses would want them alive, as our soldiers," her sister answered. "But I'm sure they would be alright if they were just removed from the picture."
"Oh, goodie!" Grace cackled. "Amazoness Swords Woman, destroy them!"
The monster ran across the room, waving the swords in her hands as she tried to cleave the heads off of her enemy's shoulders. She let out a large cry and raised the blades high.
"Pendulum Summon!" Sawatari declared. "Onto the scene, my monstrous actors!"
Two lights fell from the sky, landing before Amazoness Swords Woman. She halted her attack and watched as the lights shifted into two new monsters: Abyss Actors - Orchestral Backdrop and Leading Lady.
Orchestral Backdrop was a strange creature. A hunched over, pale-green-skinned gobin woth one bulging eye. A curtain hung from the top of its head, obscuring a large portion of its face. It had a tuxedo, and one hand carried a conductor's baton. (ATK 100)
A third monster materialized onto the field. This time, Abyss Actor - Extras appeared on the field, waving to the enemy Amazoness.
Backing them up was Ancient Gear Engineer. It jumped down from the sky and wedged itself between Sawatari's monsters and the Amazoness. It aimed its drill arm at the enemy monster's neck; a threat that warned it to baack away from the actors.
There was a small buzz in the air. Sawatari, Chronos, Grace and Gloria all looked down to their Duel Disk screens, which were now lit up with words.
"BATTLE ROYAL MODE - JOINING."
The names of the four duelists appeared on the screen. First, it was Grace. Sawatari's name followed, Gloria was third, and Chronos was listed last. A set of rules soon rolled up the screen.
"Battle Royal Mode?" Grace wondered. "So we can't attack on our first turn, and we must follow this order."
"It's tough, fighting the both of you," Sawatari told her. "But trust me, you won't see a repeat of last time!"
"Yeah!" shouted Gloria. "We'll crush you even harder this time."
"So I get to go first?" Grace said. "Goodie! I'll activate Polymerization from my hand!"
Amazoness Swords Woman floated above Grace. An Amazoness Tiger rose from the Duel Disk and joined her. Together, they merged their bodies into a swirling vortex of blue and orange.
"Wild beast of the jungle with vicious fangs. Obtain the eyes of the warrior who cuts down her enemies, become savage new beast! Fusion Summon! Come before us! Level 7, Amazoness Pet Liger!"
A large, yellow beast jumped onto the field. Amazoness Pet Liger let out a loud roar and sat before its summoner. (ATK 2500)
"I'll set a card facedown, then end my turn!"
Grace slammed a card into her Spell/Trap Zone. Her turn ended with with her having an Amazoness Pet Liger on the field, along with the set card. She had 1 card in her hand, and he Life Points were at 4000.
Sawatari instinctively put his hand on his deck. But he quickly remembered that he couldn't draw during the first turn of Battle Royal Mode, and lowered his hand to his side.
That's okay, he thought. Because the fun has just begun!
"I tune my Level 3 Abyss Actor - Orchestral Backdrop with my Level 4 Abyss Actor - Leading Lady, and my Level 1 Abyss Actor - Extras!"
Orchestral Backdrop floated above the field. Its body dissolved into a series of three green rings, floating and spinning before each other. The other two monsters jumped into the rings, becoming the five stars needed for the Synchro Summon.
"Pitch-black wings of darkness! The fiend that flies through the night! Touch down on this stage, and make the audience's cries soar! Synchro Summon!"
A bolt of lightning struck the field, and a large, seven-foot tall man was lowered down onto the field. It was a green, wide-eyed goul in a black bird costume. Its muscular arms and were left exposed, and black wings were on his back, supported by white strings that rose up to the sky. The strings then broke, and the wings dropped sadly.
"Level 8, Abyss Actor - Black-Winged Fursuiter!" (ATK 2800)
"Haha, I get it," Grace said. "Furries, haha."
"Haha," Gloria agreed. "Original and humorous."
"Haha."
"You won't be laughing when you see its effect!" Sawatari declared. "When it's summoned, I can destroy a number of cards on the field, up to the number of Abyss Actors used as material for its summon!"
The monster raised its right arm. Both Amazoness Pet Liger and Grace's face-down card were struck down by bolts of lightning, shattering them.
"My monster!" Grace gasped. But she didn't seem too upset. In fact, she was smiling at the destruction of her ace monster. "Oh well!"
"Because of the rules of the Battle Royal, I can't attack this turn," Sawatari explained. "I'll end my turn here, and let Chronos kick your asses!"
"With pleasure," Chronos responded.
Sawatari's turn ended with his Abyss Actor - Black-Winged Fursuiter on the field, along with his two Pendulum Scales. His hand was empty, but his Life Points were full, at 4000 Points.
"My move!" Gloria's booming voice announced. "Prepare to face the wrath of the Parasites! I summon Amazoness Marauder!"
Gloria aggressively threw a card onto her Disk's blade. Materializing onto the field was a young woman with a muscular body and orange-yellow hair. A long blue cape with a red trip flowed behind her. She was wielding a short sword in each hand. (ATK 1400)
"When Amazoness Marauder is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a level 3 or lower monster from my hand."
This time, Gloria carefully placed a card onto her blade. A Fusion Parasite materialized onto the field by the Amazoness monster's side, like some sort of vicious, loyal pet. A loyal pet that jumped and latched onto the back of its owner. (ATK 0)
"Mama mia!" Chronos exclaimed.
"Here it comes..." Sawatari grumbled.
"When Parasite Fusioner is summoned, I can Fusion Summon, using monsters on my side of the field as material," Gloria explained. "Also, it can be used as a substitute for a monster listed required for the Fusion."
The insect dug its claws deep into the Marauder's back. She let out a small help as the creature grew in size, growing bigger and bigger until the Marauder couldn't help but fall onto her hands and knees. Both monsters glowed and started to swirl their bodies together.
"Warrior of the jungle! Become one with the inner voice, and build an empire that rules over everything! Fusion Summon!"
Flames erupted onto the field. The lord of all Amazoness monsters herself rose from the fire, holding up her arms to the sky. Tied to her back was an enormous, spiked sword.
"Level 8, Amazoness Empress!" (ATK 2800)
Chronos clicked his tongue. "Man vs machine. Hopefully, you can keep up against my Ancient Gears."
Gloria smiled and said, "Your mechanical empire is going to crumble. Go, Amazoness Empress!"
Yuya was surprised by now empty the floor had been. It was likely that most of the students had moved to the lower floors, or were on other trails. Honestly though? He knew that they would be coming for him soon. There was no escaping the cameras.
Unless he destroyed them.
... No, that wouldn't work. It would take too long to destroy enough to make a difference. The noise would just alert everyone. He'd have to go through the entire school to get them. When Gongenzaka would wrest control of the security room, it would be useful to have all the cameras working. And the time spent destroying the cameras meant there would be less time to find Yuzu.
It was frustrating that he couldn't do anything, but that's just how it was. For now though, he decided to focus all on Serena.
As Yuya slowly stalked through the halls, he was having conversations with the voices in his head. Yuto, Yuri and Yugo would help him bounce ideas on what to do. After all, four heads were better than one. Even though they only had one head.
We could call or text Serena, ask her where she is, Yuya proposed.
Yuto shook his head. The ringing could alert people nearby. We'd basically be telling the enemy where she is.
We could hide in a crowd of students, Yugo offered. Blend in, wait until Rin is found, then kick their asses and run away with her.
Anyone in the security room would see us coming, Yuya responded, apparently not realizing that his distinct hair would be a bigger give-away.
Yuya, maybe I should take over, Yuto said.
Eh? Why?
I'm the one with the most stealth experience. I know subterfuge. I can get us through this place well enough.
Yuto's right, Yugo said. He's our best shot at getting through this school.
Even if there are cameras, I'll be too quick to pinpoint. I'll just need Yuri to give me a few directons...
Yuto closed his eyes. He felt a pain in his throat, but he had to swallow. Yuri was a terrible taste, but he needed to have him there to help. Though he hoped that the boy wouldn't screw him over for the sake of a joke.
Yuri, you've been pretty quiet, Yuya said. Will you help us?
Yuri looked at his three brothers, though Yuya was too busy staring at the hallway ahead of him to look back. Yuto crossed his arms and Yugo put his hands on his hips, both looking at him expectantly.
I should take over, Yuri said.
Yuri crossed his arms and looked at the trio. Yuya stopped walking and looked right at him. All three of Yuri's counterparts had various looks of surprise and unease.
Yuri let out a sigh. Yuto's right; I know this school better than any of you. I know where the cameras have blind spots, and where we can find some hiding places. And since I know what Yuzu smells like, I'll be able to track her down easily.
The three of them didn't answer. Not with their words. Instead, their continued silence was enough to tell Yuri their thoughts on the matter. And Yuri hated it.
Oh, come on! he scoffed. You STILL don't trust me? I don't want to die, either!
Why SHOULD we trust you? Yuto snapped. You'd probably turn on the Lancers the second you got the chance.
Yuri took a step back. He coud see absolute rage in his counterpart's eyes. Yuto clearly didn't want to budge on the matter, and the palpable hatred in the air made Yuri decide that talking to him would ultimately be pointless.
But Yuri had to admit that, upon seeing Yugo and Yuya not supporting him, he felt a little hurt. Yugo looked less mad than Yuto, but clearly didn't support giving control over to Yuri. Yuya wasn't even watching them; he was walking towards a staircase and pretending that he wasn't involved with the argument.
Yuya, Yuri said. Yuya. Yuya... Yuya!
Yuya didn't answer. He pressed his back against a wall and leaned his head toward the staircase. He was listening out for signs of life, like footsteps or talking. Luckily, there were none. Maybe the person in the security room wasn't checking out this area?
Yuya, answer me.
Yuya closed his eyes. The girls' safety is too important to risk.
Oh, I'm a risk now? Yuri said, offended. I'm the best shot we have, and you're acting like-
Enough, Yuri!
Yuya turned his head toward his counterpart. Look, I can't indulge you right now. I'm not going to put people at risk to keep you happy.
Yuri bit his lip. What he wanted to do was throw something at Yuya's face. Mention how he lashed out at him for trying to help him with Yusho. Something he could use to guilt Yuya into giving him control. But from the way Yuya spoke just then, he knew that it Yuya wouldn't have any of it this time.
Now it was Yuri's turn to fill the air with his anger. He was barely able to stop himself from grabbing Yuya by the throat and throwing his spirit out of his own body. He couldn't actually do that, but he wanted nothing more than to try.
Well, there was one thing he wanted more. And when he thought of that thing, he was able to sigh and let some of his anger drift on the wind.
He reached out to tap Yuya's shoulder. To force his mind into the body and take control. Just to forget all of this pointless arguing, and take matters into his own hands. He had the most power while in the Fusion Dimension; they couldn't stop him.
Instead, he sighed again. I know that I haven't been the best person. I don't deserve your trust.
You got that right, Yuya replied.
I don't deserve your trust, but I'm asking for it anyway. I KNOW I'm the best one for the job. And I don't want to see Serena and the others get hurt.
Do you really care? Yugo asked. Or are you just saying that?
I mean it! Yuri said defensively. This time, I have a reason not to turn on the Lancers. I have something I don't want taken from me.
Serena? Yuto asked.
She entertains me. I don't want to see her get killed just yet.
Yuri... Yuya thought.
Okay, maybe that's a little harsh! But being nice is new for me-
Would Serena trust you to save her? Yugo asked.
Yuri paused. He looked down to his hands, almost hoping that he had some sort of tangible way to answer him. When he saw that a hand-written note from Serena didn't magically materialize, he looked back up to his counterparts. All eyes were on him now.
She's not going to be my wife or anything, but I think she understands me. We haven't talked much, but... I don't know. I just think that...
That you have a connection, Yuto mumbled.
Yeah, that. It's like-
You understand a lot about her, just by being around her, Yugo added.
And it's almost as if-
She understands you right back, Yuya said.
Yuri sighed once more. I hate talking about this crap. But yeah. Being around her makes me feel-
In love, the three answered.
Not a chance in hell, Yuri grumbled. But talking to her made me feel a little better, because she knows what it's like to feel the same way.
Yuto egao'd. My, my. Did Yuri just prove that he has the capacity to care about other people?
Yeah, laugh it up, eggplant. Yuya, will you let me take over?
Yuya's ears perked up. He leaned further even more to catch the sound of something coming their way.
Yuya?
I have an idea, Yuya told him. Let's do this together, Yuri.
Serena hoped that her stomach rumbles wouldn't give away her position to the enemy. She had also hoped that, when this was all over, Yuri would buy her lunch at the dining hall. Jeez, why couldn't the Doktor start his plan after she ate something? Probably because he was a jerk.
Sitting beside her were Rin and Ruri. Having been watching Serena's struggles, the two decided to sit down and join her in hiding. They were also afraid, but they weren't going to let Serena face this alone.
Yuzu was unable to show up, being too busy in the mindscape to even be aware of what was going on.
Maybe we can just summon a monster and bum rush anyone we see, Rin proposed.
But what if we get get attacked by a Fusion Parasite? Ruri asked. Her voice shook a bit as she spoke.
Then you guys can just destroy it again, Serena said.
The two girls looked at Serena in confusion. Serena raised an eyebrow at them in response. All three of them seemed to be a bit lost now.
You guys can't destroy them again?
We didn't destroy any Parasites, Rin responded.
But then why did the Doktor say it was destroyed? Serena asked. Why aren't we under his control now?
... Maybe we are, Ruri muttered.
The three looked to Ruri. Ruri continued with by saying to them, Maybe he let you escape, so you could get Yuto and the others to rescue us.
... And then, the Doktor activates the Parasite and makes us turn on them! Rin exclaimed. We can't let them find us then.
No, no! Serena protested. We got rid of the Parasite. We killed it somehow.
But how do you know?
I-I just do... I think.
Serena brought her knees to her chest, taking an almost fetal position. The thought that she was unknowingly under someone else's control just plagued her mind. it was like she couldn't even trust in her own thoughts. Could she even trust Rin and Ruri right now?
She let out a small sigh. If she was able to question it, then maybe she really did have some free will now. But if the Fusion Parasite could take control over her at any time, she could lose that will before she knew it.
Then, amidst her turmoil, Serena could feel something in her chest. A warm, pleasant sensation. It was like the sun was shining through her, trying to get out.
Serena's head rose up to look at the other girls. They were both clutching at their chests. She could tell that they were also feeling the same thing. They could feel the heat that was pouring through their bodies.
Serena looked down to her Duel Disk. To her surprise, her deck was glowing a gentle blue. The sight was oddly comforting. It felt familiar, in a way. She reached out and touched the top card of her deck.
Before she could draw, she heard furious knocks at the door. Someone was pounding wildly, shaking and punching the door in an attempt to get it open. Serena's concentration broke, and the deck's glow started to fade. The warm feeling quickly left her body, and she was quickly brought back to the situation she was in.
Before she could do anything, the door burst open. She could see a single person step into the room. Although Serena could barely see them in the dark, she could hear them step towards the light switch.
The lights came on, and Sora was starting down at her.
"There you are!" he exclaimed. "Come on, we need to run!"
Serena slowly rose up, keeping her eyes glued to him. She kept her Duel Disk arm in front of her, ready to duel should Sora make a move against her. Since she didn't see him with the other Lancers earlier, she didn't trust him just yet.
"Are you going to rat me out to the Doktor?" she growled.
"What? No!" Sora answered. "Yuya sent me to get you."
Serena's eyes softened. "You saw Yuya?"
Sora nodded. "I saw him by the stairs earlier. He told me to get you. He's going to fight the Doktor now."
Serena took a step closer. Though she kept her Duel Disk at the ready, she wasn't too sure of Sora's allegiance to the Doktor.
"That... sounds like something Yuya would do," Serena admitted. "Where can we meet up with him?"
"You crazy?!" Sora whispered harshly. "We can't fight the Doktor! You don't have something to block the Fusion Parasite; you'll get one in your head!"
"No, I... I think I'm immune."
Sora sighed. "That doesn't make sense. And we're not going to confront the Doktor. You need to come with me, before the students find us."
Serena lowered her Duel Disk. She hesitantly walked towards Sora. Though she was still on high alert, Sora seemed to be telling her the truth. He seemed to have her best interests at heart. So maybe he wasn't the enemy?
Stop, Rin said to her.
Serena stopped in her tracks.
"What's wrong, Serena?" Sora asked. "We don't have time to waste. The student soldiers are coming!"
Serena, ask him who his best friend is.
"Sora," Serena said. "Prove to me you're not under the Doktor's control."
Sora raised an eyebrow. "Right now? How?"
"Who is your best friend?" Serena asked.
"Why would you-" Sora grumbled. "Yuya. It's Yuya, obviously!"
Serena egao'd. She made her way over to Sora, nodding in agreement to his words.
And then she punched him in the face, knocking Sora to the ground.
"What was that for?!" he screamed. "Serena, what the hell?!"
"You can't fool me, pawn of the Doktor," she told him.
"... You figured it out, then."
Sora pressed his hands against the wall and pushed himself up. His face stare at the floor, his eyes not even daring to look at Serena. But Serena could see the corners of his mouth raise into a smile.
"What gave it away?" he asked her.
"Nothing," Serena answered. "I was just bluffing, and you fell for it. It was Rin's idea."
"You clever little toy."
Sora's head rose up. His left eye was becoming discolored, but it was nowhere near as disconcerting as his expression. He looked deranged, bloodthirsty. His broad smile conveyed his desire to kill.
"So we'll have to do this the hard way," he said to her. "Let's duel."
So we can assume that Serena's not on the third floor, because the students have all stopped searching there, Yuri said.
Uh-huh, Yuya answered.
Yuya skated down the hallway. So far, the second floor had been empty of students, aside from the one Yuto knocked out by the stairs.
The classrooms with open doors were probably checked, Yuri continued. And Serena would be an idiot to hide in a room with an open door, because anyone could just walk in.
Uh-huh, Yuya answered.
They could hear the sound of footsteps. A few students of various colors appeared a the end of the hallway. Once they caught the sight of Yuya, they started running at him.
Yuya turned to the doors in the hallway. They were all open, and no sound was coming from the rooms. They were probably empty, then.
To the next hallway? Yuri asked.
Uh-huh, Yuya answered.
The students were running forward, Duel Disks outstretched. But Yuya wasn't going to even bother fighting them. Instead, he skated faster and dashed passed a few of the students.
A few of them tried to grab hold of him. Instead, Yuya jumped at a student and dug his skate's heels into his belly. He bounced off the student and spun in the air, before landing back on the ground.
The hurt student fell to his knees and clutched his stomach. A few of the students backed away from Yuya and activated their Duel Disks. Apparently, they knew that trying to use their hands to hold him wouldn't work.
Yuya pulled his goggles over his eyes. He turned to a wall, then ran straight towards it. His foot tapped against the bricks, and he started to skate on the wall. He skated right passed the confused and angry students, and right down the hall.
Two students- a Red girl and a Yellow boy- stood by the entrance to the security room. The Yellow boy, who towered over the Red girl, leaned against a wall and laughed at something the girl said.
"That's why it's so funny!" she giggled. "Man, that duel was crazy."
"You made his monster fall in love with yours, though?" the boy asked. "I still think you're kidding me."
"No, it really happened! It's because Maiden in Love's effect-"
The sound of something clanking made them stop. The two turned forward to see the source of the sound. The man, Gongenzaka turned the corner and stopped before them.
"Am I interrupting something?" he asked them.
"Nah, man," said the Yellow boy. "We were just waiting for someone to try and get to the room behind us."
"Kenzan," the girl said to the boy. "I hope you're not thinking of dueling him alone."
"Of course not," the boy responded. "Where's the fun in leaving a zaurus out?"
"Two against one isn't very fair, you know," Gongenzaka interjected.
"You scared?" Kenzan asked confidently.
"Of course not," Gongenzaka responded. "Because you're both going to lose either way."
Sora's turn had just ended. He had 3 cards in his hand, a facedown Spell or Trap, and Frightfurs Wolf and Sheep on his side of the field. His Life Points were at 2400.
Serena drew a car, giving her 2 cards in her hand. Her field consisted of Lunalights Cat and Panther Dancer, and her Life Points were at 1500.
"The odds are against you, bitchcakes," Sora told her. "If you get on your knees and beg for mercy, maybe I won't have you cut. Maybe."
"You're going to be the one begging for mercy!" Serena hissed. "Prepare to eat a cuckold, you b-"
"Serena!"
Both duelists recognized that voice! They, along with their monsters, turned to look at the open door. Someone was standing in the doorway, egao-ing wickedly.
"Finally, I found you," he said. "You were harder to find here than you were in Synchro."
Serena's jaw dropped, and the corners of her mouth curled into an egao. This was probably the first time she'd been happy to see Yuri, of all people.
Yuri pulled the goggles from his (Yuya's?) face. He stepped into the room and walked towards the duel.
"Do you know how many laws of physics Yuya had to break to get through this place?" he said. "I don't know what's with those skates, but-"
"For freakin'..." Sora grumbled. "We're trying to duel here! Do you want me to slice you up, t-"
As Yuri walked by, he backhanded Sora in the face, hard. So hard that Sora fell back and thew his hands over his bleeding nose.
"Come on, Serena," Yuri said. "Let's get out of here. I gotta tell you about my cool plan."
Serena shook her head. "What about Sora? I can't just walk away."
Yuri turned his head back to Sora, then looked back at Serena. "Forget about him, he's a little twerp."
"I'm not backing down," she said. "Plus, he could just come after us again."
"... Make it quick," Yuri sighed. "And violent. I'll hold off the other students, if they come."
Serena gave Yuri a thumb's up.
A/N: Despite what the treatment of Sora this chapter might imply, I actually like him a lot. He's one of my favorite ARC-V characters. But that's what you get when you cross Yuri and Serena.
Next time: Yuri and Serena confront the Doktor, who reveals an even darker side to his research.