I don't own ARC-V, but I DO own this story! Learn to live with that fact. Enjoy!
As Aren rode the lift up to the observation deck, he could already hear a number of voices talking with each other. As the deck slowly came into view, Aren gazed upon the sight of his elder brother arguing with Declan, who was sitting in his chair with his hands folded solemnly, Claude standing behind him to the left.
"I should be there!" argued Shay, pointing at the massive screen at the end of the dark room. "Yuto needs my help!" Aren's gaze turned to the screen, and his eyes widened at the sight. The screen was currently displaying feed from a security camera in the heart of Paradise City. At an amphitheater was none other than Yuto, who was currently dueling none other than the Fusion agent Sora.
YUTO LP: 3000
SORA LP: 3800
YUTO Field: Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak (LEVEL 4, DARK, 800/1000); Phantom Knights of Silent Boots (LEVEL 4, DARK, 200/1200) + Set Card (x2)
SORA Field: Frightfur Bear (LEVEL 6, DARK, 4200/2000) + Set Card
From looking at the current stats Aren instantly knew what had already transpired: Frightfur Bear had destroyed Yuto's Phantom Knights of Break Sword, dealing 200 points of battle damage, and then equipped the destroyed Xyz Monster from the Graveyard through its effect to raise its Attack points from 2200 to 4200. Yuto's Break Sword however had used its effect to Special Summon its Xyz Materials from the Graveyard as Level 4 Monsters.
"You doubt your friend?" questioned Declan, his face as impassive as ever, the display of the screen reflecting off his rectangular glasses. "Take a look at him. He seems like he has everything right where he wants it."
"It's my turn!" said Yuto, drawing a card. Placing it in his hand, he raised his other arm up. "I Overlay Level 4 Silent Boots and Ancient Cloak!" His two Warrior-type Monsters transformed into purple light which dove into a galaxy-like portal on the ground. "With these two Monsters, I build the Overlay Network!"
"Ha ha! You're actually going to Xyz Summon again?" mocked Sora, laughing giddily.
"Cloaked in shadows and relentless in its objective, I call upon the most dangerous of dragons!" chanted Yuto as a massive lightning pillar rose from the portal. "I Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuto's ace monster appeared with a mighty roar.
Every time he saw the dragon, Aren couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. The dragon was majestic in a terrifyingly beautiful fashion. From the purple orbs in its wings, to the massive fang on its lower jaw, to its bipedal stature, the War Eagle always felt a little humbled whenever it appeared on the field. (RANK 4, DARK, 2500/2000, OVU: 2)
"Well that was pretty pointless!" said Sora, eyeing the dragon greedily. "It doesn't even come close to matching the attack power of my Frightfur Bear! The only thing it serves is to be more food for my monster!" Frightfur Bear roared in agreement.
"That won't happen!" countered Yuto. "Because by using one Overlay Unit, I activate Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's effect!" One of the purple rotating orbs around Dark Rebellion's body dissolved into the dragon's wings, which began crackling with electricity. (OVU: 2-1)
"With this effect, I halve the attack points of one Level 5 or higher Monster on your field, and then those attack points are added to Dark Rebellion's until the end of the turn!" said Yuto as the electricity extended off Dark Rebellion's wings and began wrapping around Frightfur Bear, causing the Fusion Monster to roar in defiance.
(Frightfur Bear ATK: 4200 - 2100 = 2100)
(Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon ATK: 2500 + 2100 = 4600)
Aren smirked as Sora's face dropped like a rock as he realized what a bad situation he was now in. He probably had figured out that the usage of the second Overlay Unit would widen the attack point gap between the two monsters enough to reduce his Life Points to zero. However, Aren knew Yuto well enough to know what was about to happen next.
"Let's battle!" shouted Yuto, shocking Sora. "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, destroy Frightfur Bear!" Dark Rebellion flew at its opponent, the fang on its lower jaw glowing with an ethereal blue light. "Mauling Mandible Charge!" Dark Rebellion stabbed straight through Frightfur Bear's body with the fang, causing a massive explosion, throwing a screaming Sora back nearly fifty feet into a heap on the ground.
SORA LP: 3800 - 2500 = 1300
"Why didn't he finish Sora off?" questioned Claude. "He could have ended the duel right there, so why did he let Sora survive?"
"Because excessive violence isn't Yuto's style." replied Shay.
"Each member of the Resistance changed their dueling style when Duel Academy invaded our homeland," explained Aren, everyone in the room acknowledging his presence at last. "Shay and I take advantage of our opponent's swarm techniques to deal massive damage all at once. Shark and Rio typically use attack point alteration to get around attack strength and deal effect damage. As for Yuto, he duels very defensively, only going for sheer offense when absolutely necessary, choosing instead to use stall tactics to either force an opponent to eventually Deck Out or surrender outright."
"I end my turn." stated Yuto, Dark Rebellion returning to his side. "At the End Phase, Dark Rebellion's effect ends and its attack points return to normal."
(Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon ATK: 4600 - 2100 = 2500)
"Sora!" called out a voice on the screen. Everyone turned their attention back to see none other than Yuya Sakaki helping Sora onto his feet.
"Are you okay?" asked Yuya, his voice dripping with worry.
"Well look at this," remarked Declan, his eyes glimmering with slight intrigue. "Yuya Sakaki."
"What's he doing here?" questioned Claude. Aren said nothing, but studied Yuya's face. As he did, he failed to notice a soft blue light emanating covertly from his deck.
The spirit of Crush Claw Ritual Dragon appeared invisibly behind the group as the size of a human, not even Aren noticing his presence. Crush Claw's eyes gazed deeply at Yuya, and then at Yuto when the image on the screen returned to him.
'DESTINY IS AT WORK IN FRONT OF MY EYES,' thought the Ritual Dragon solemnly. 'I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT WHAT HAPPENS TONIGHT DOES NOT COME BACK TO HAUNT US IN THE FUTURE.'
"Get lost, Yuya!" shouted Sora, shaking off Yuya's hand angrily. "This doesn't concern you at all!"
"It absolutely does!" argued back Yuya. "You're not in any condition to be dueling right now! You're still injured from dueling Shay earlier today!"
"You little freak…" muttered Sora at Yuto venomously, rising to his feet. "You could've used that second Overlay Unit to finish me off, but you didn't...I'm going to make you suffer for not taking me seriously…"
"I highly doubt that." retorted Yuto.
"You've done enough already Sora!" said Yuya. "You need to take a break!"
"Forget it Yuya!" yelled back Sora. "I need to keep fighting! I need to do this! I have to do this! I HAVE to prove myself!"
"You can prove it some other time!" replied Yuya, his voice rising.
"No, I can't!" said Sora, turning to Yuya and then back to Yuto. "When it comes to dueling like this, there IS no other time!"
"Sora is right!" called out Yuto, gaining Yuya's attention. "That being said, I am a merciful guy, so if Sora surrenders here and now, I will spare his life. Otherwise, I promise that the pain he feels now will be nothing compared to what I will be forced to do later! One way or another I am getting the answers I want from him. Be smart Sora, otherwise this will be the last duel you ever have."
"And praytell what does that mean?!" questioned Yuya, the anger rising in his voice. "What exactly are you going to do to Sora?!" When Yuto did nothing but stare back, Yuya continued on. "I've had enough of this! You and Shay and that Aren guy are done harassing my friend!"
"If you have any sense of self-preservation," retorted Yuto, "then you'll leave now so I can get my answers. We were not the ones who started this fight - if they hadn't attacked us and kidnapped Lulu, I would not be forced to take such drastic action!"
"Lulu?!" questioned Yuya, his confusion evident. Sora merely gritted his teeth even harder. "Forget it, pal! I'm not letting you hurt Sora more than you already have! I'm stepping in and joining this duel! Time for me to swing into action and time to put you in your place for hurting my friend!" At that word, Yuya activated his red Standard Dimension Duel Disk, its yellow angular blade shining brightly as it activated itself.
BATTLE ROYAL MODE ENGAGED The electronic voices on all three Duel Disks rang out the change in the duel rules.
"Let's duel!" shouted Yuya.
YUYA LP: 4000
SORA LP: 1300
YUTO LP: 3000
"I'm up! I draw!" stated Yuya, running forward as he drew his card. He glanced at it and smirked. He took the card along with another card in his hand and showed them both to Yuto.
Aren gasped at the cards, instantly recognizing their unique appearance. "Those are-!"
"I'm using Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician to set the Pendulum Scale!" said Yuya, placing the cards at each end of his Duel Disk blade. "I'm taking control of this Duel, starting NOW!" The words 'PENDULUM' appeared in between the two Pendulum cards in rainbow text. On either side of Yuya, two magicians rose from the ground encased in pillars of blue light. As the finished ascending, the numbers 1 and 8 appeared beneath them respectively. In addition, a holographic pendulum began swinging around in the sky, leaving glowing trails as it followed its path.
"I am now allowed Summon as many Monsters between levels 2 and 7 as I want all at the same time!" explained Yuya, his red eyes shining with anticipation. "Sway, the pendulum of my soul! Carve light in an arc of victory! I Pendulum Summon! Now, swing into action my Monsters!" A hole of light appeared between the two blue pillars, and from it a red light shot forth. From the red light appeared none other than the Monster that Aren had been so interested in learning about.
The dragon was encased in red scales, massive pieces of white armor resembling curved spikes rising out of its back. The dragon's most defining trait was its heterochromatic eyes, one which shining blood red, the other a verdant green. The dragon let loose a mighty roar to signify its grand appearance. (LEVEL 7, DARK, 2500/2000)
All of sudden, both Yuya and Yuto shook and took their hands to their hearts. Both were eyeing their respective dragons with strange looks. At the same time, Aren felt a slight twinge, and an odd feeling began rising in his body. He instinctively sorted through his deck and took out the Crush Claw Ritual Dragon card.
'What is happening?' Aren thought in wonder, the soft blue light reflecting in his irises. As he pondered this, his attention was caught by indigo and crimson lights flaring on the screen. He gasped in amazement as Dark Rebellion and Odd Eyes were surrounded by those color auras, respectively, each one roaring at each other while their draconic heads were raised skyward.
"It's as if the dragons are communicating with each other." remarked Claude.
"It's showtime!" called out Yuya. "Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, with your wonderful and mysterious eyes, lay waste to all that oppose you! Attack Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" At that, Odd Eyes roared and began trampling towards Yuto's Monster.
"What is Yuya doing?" questioned Claude. "Both dragons have 2500 attack points, so this battle will end in a draw and both will be destroyed."
"But isn't Odd Eyes a Pendulum Monster?" inquired Aren. "Doesn't that mean-"
"Your assumption is correct Aren." interrupted Declan. "Because Odd Eyes is a Pendulum Monster, it doesn't go to the Graveyard when it's destroyed. It goes face up in the Extra Deck, so Yuya can call it back again later." The group watched as the dragons battled it out, chasing each other across the amphitheater area, neither one gaining the advantage over the either.
"I play my facedown: the Continuous Trap Card, Phantom Knights' Fog Blade!" said Yuto, the facedown to his right flipping upward to reveal a spectral sword of ghostly purple fire surrounded by a plethora of spirits. "With it, your attack is negated!" A spectral image of the same sword came down from the sky in a slashing motion, breaking apart the two dragons just as they were about to ram their bodies straight into each other. "Furthermore, so long as this Continuous Trap remains faceup on the field, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon is not allowed to attack!
Sora stared in shock at the Trap card, realizing a startling fact. "Yuto...had a trap that could...block attacks…?"
"That's another one of Yuto's tactics." explained Aren to Declan. "He's not afraid to take a small loss, like a few Life Points and Break Sword, if it means gathering the parts to gain the advantage."
"Yuto sure is something else." Shay acknowledged with pride. "That's my best friend for you."
"You bastard!" swore Sora. "You knew that if your Break Sword took that attack from Frightfur Bear you could then summon a stronger Monster! You've been playing me for a fool this entire duel!" Yuto said nothing, but Shay knew that inwardly Yuto was laughing at the Fusion agent.
"That still doesn't explain why you didn't use that second Overlay Unit before! You could have ended the duel right there!" continued Sora before gasping. "Unless...you've been taking it easy on me from the first turn! You dishonorable freak! There's no greater insult to a Duelist than that! I'll never forgive you, you piece of scum!"
Yuto continued to remain silent, but instead locked his eyes with Yuya, who did not seem concerned that his attack had been blocked in the slightest.
"I activate the Pendulum effect of Timegazer Magician!" called out the Sakaki teen, the Scale 8 Pendulum Monster extending an arced, blade-like chain frame from a gauntlet on its right arm. "Once per turn, when a Trap Card activates that targets exactly one Pendulum Monster on my field is activated, that Trap's activation is negated and the card is then set back facedown on the field! Inverse Gearwise!"
The chain then took the form of a clock, whose hands began winding in reverse. Yuto watched the actions of him playing his trap play in reverse, and when he blinked the card was back to its facedown position.
"With that the battle resumes!" said Yuya. "Go Odd Eyes!"
"Not so fast!" countered Yuto, the facedown on his left now flipping up. "I play my other facedown: the Continuous Trap, Booby Trap E!" The trap displayed a glowing letter E shining above a smoldering pit. "By revealing one set Continuous Trap Card in my Spell and Trap Zone and returning it facedown, Booby Trap E copies that card's effect! So I reveal Phantom Knights' Fog Blade, return it facedown, and have Booby Trap E copy the effect!" Yuto's other trap card revealed itself in a spectral form, which then transferred itself to Booby Trap E, whose picture took on the former's.
"What?!" reacted Yuya in surprise.
"And now that Booby Trap E has copied Fog Blade's effect, the attack of your Odd Eyes remains negated!" said Yuto. "Your Odd Eyes will not be attacking again!"
"Argh, then I end my turn," slumped Yuya. At that moment, Sora ran over and pushed Yuya to the ground and out of his way. "What the heck, Sora?!"
"If you can't be useful in any way then get out my way!" yelled Sora ferociously. "Yuto is mine to hunt!"
"To hunt?!" questioned Yuya. "What has gotten into you?! Why are you acting so unhinged?" When Sora refused to reply, Yuya added, "You were like this in that duel with Shay too! Sora, you're my friend! Please be honest with me! Zuzu told me that Shay, Yuto, and that Aren guy are after you because they think you know something about Lulu, Shay's sister!"
Shay and Aren gasped at the mention of their sister's name. They pushed their way past Claude and paid undivided attention to any microexpression that Sora might give.
"What?!" replied Sora angrily, his fist balled tightly. "Zuzu said that?!"
Yuya nodded and then turned to Yuto. "You're Yuto, right? Time to talk! Is that really what this is all about?"
After a moment of silence, Yuto nodded.
"It is," he confirmed stately.
"So then why do you think Sora is involved in all of this?" Yuya glared at Yuto. "Why won't you answer me?"
Yuya growled but then stopped as Sora began laughing sinisterly.
"Ha ha ha! He's not going to answer you," stated the Fusion user mockingly. "Because if he did, he'd have to openly and verbally admit that he's on the losing side!" He pulled out a lollipop and like he did during his duel with Shay, bit right through it, crunching the pieces with vigor instead of sucking on it. "Well, if this clown won't talk, I guess I will!"
'Finally,' thought Aren determinedly, 'answers.'
"When my people finally put their foot down and conquered the Xyz Dimension, he and his Resistance pals all fled like rats on the sinking Titanic!"
"Xyz Dimension?" questioned Yuya, emphasizing the last word.
"Be quiet, Sora!" yelled Yuto, anger evident in his voice. "You don't know what you're talking about! We left so we could save our own and fight another day, against you cowards from the Fusion Dimension!" He spat at the last words.
"There's a Fusion Dimension?! AND an Xyz Dimension?!" inquired Yuya in shock, stumbling over his words. "What the heck does that mean?!"
"It means they didn't leave so much as they did run away like cowards!" clarified Sora, pointing at the Xyz Duelist. "When my friends came calling, they said "NOPE" and high-tailed it out of their world!" Sora then took his lollipop and crushed it beneath his foot. "My crew took the battle to them and in that glorious battle we emerged in indisputable victory! And since I graduated at the top of my class at Duel Academy, I was selected for this special mission: to journey to this dimension as an advance operative!"
"Advance operative?! This dimension?!" Yuya couldn't seem to find the words to describe his confusion properly.
"It's my destiny to stand at the top of the world as conqueror!" Sora eyed Yuto with a demonous demeanor. "Time for the hunt to begin! It's my turn, I draw!" Sora drew his card. "I activate my Trap, Designer Frightfur!" A trap displaying several types of weaponry being inserted into a stuffed winged lion flipped upward.
"With this Trap, I Special Summon Edge Imp Tomahawk from my Graveyard, but it is treated as a Frightfur Monster!" explained Sora! "Return to battle, Edge Imp Tomahawk!" A fiendish amalgam of various tomahawks with a pair of demonic red eyes appeared in front of Sora. (LEVEL 4, DARK, 1800/800)
"Next up, I activate the effect of Edge Imp Frightfuloid in my Graveyard!" Sora continued as the spectral image of a creature wearing a knitted dog mask and holding various pencils, bottles and crafting supplies appeared in the sky. "When it's on the field or in the Graveyard, it can be treated as a Frightfur Monster! So with that, I now activate my Spell Card, Frightfur Fusion!" The familiar Spell Card from the duel with Shay appeared.
"By banishing Edge Imp Tomahawk from my field, along with Edge Imp Frightfuloid and Frightfur Bear from my Graveyard, I can Fusion Summon a brand new Frightfur Fusion Monster!" said Sora scornfully, all three monsters appearing above him.
"I know what's coming next." thought Aren out loud.
"So do I." added in Shay.
"Blades of steel, fury of bear, creature of mimicry!" chanted Sora. "When the three come together, we'll emerge in victory!" A glowing yellow light began shining from Sora's Extra Deck, basking his face in an ominous golden glow. "Now Yuto, I'm going to show you why I was selected as the top of my class! Prepare to be floored by the most ferocious Fusion Monster you've ever seen!"
As Sora laughed, his Duel Disk screen suddenly began glitching before displaying the text, "DUEL CLOSE." His blue blade vanished as his Duel Disk began glowing with a red light.
Sora gasped in shock at the sudden turn of events. "Ah, no no no! You can't pull me out now!"
"Sora?!" questioned Yuya. "What's happening?!"
"Be quiet!" Sora barked at Yuya before turning his attention back to the Duel Disk. "Stop! Let me stay! Not until I've destroyed this Xyz scum! Don't take me awayyyy!" Sora's body began glowing blue as he suddenly vanished in a shower of blue sparkles, leaving no trace that anyone had ever been there.
Yuya stared at the spot where Sora vanished and muttered incoherently. "Uhh, Sora?!" He then turned to his lookalike. "What did you do to my friend Sora?!"
"Sora went back to his dimension," said Shay, aggravated.
"Yes," agreed Declan, "but it looks like not by choice. It appears he was taken against his will. I find it most interesting that it happened before Sora could reveal too much information. Most likely there was a program in his Duel Disk constantly analyzing his speech, and upon picking up numerous keywords in a short period of time, activated, to return him home."
"He's home." stated Yuto simply. "He returned to his dimension!"
"You mean...he…" said Yuya slowly, as if fearful of what he was saying.
"Correct," confirmed Yuto, nodding, "just as my friends and I come from a different dimension."
"You've got to be kidding me!" Yuya's voice returned to being angry. "You honestly expect me to believe some wild story like that?! Now tell me the truth! Where is my friend Sora?! And don't you dare tell me that you already said it to me!"
"As much as you don't want to hear it," returned Yuto, "the truth is what I've already said. He's back home, at Duel Academy!"
"Duel Academy?" murmured Yuya. "Sora mentioned that place before he disappeared…what is Duel Academy?"
"It's a dueling school, where students are trained to become dueling warriors!" said Yuto emphatically, his voice pulsing with emotion.
"Dueling...warriors?!" repeated Yuya in horror.
"Enough talk!" stated Yuto, snapping Yuya out of his funk. "It's time to get back to the duel! I draw!" Yuto drew his card. "From my hand, I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Emergency Provisions!" A Spell displaying several cans and packages of rationed food appeared. "For every Spell and/or Trap card on my field that I destroy, I gain 1000 Life Points! I destroy Phantom Knights' Fog Blade and Booby Trap E in order to gain 2000 Life Points!" Both of Yuto's traps shattered in showers of light, which then flew into Yuto's body, surrounding him in a soft aura.
YUTO LP: 3000 + 2000 = 5000
"With that, I end my turn." said Yuto quietly, closing his eyes.
"But why do that?" inquired Yuya. "You destroyed both traps that were blocking Odd Eyes from attacking! Now there's nothing to stop me from attacking your Dark Rebellion!"
"...If that's what you want, by all means. Go ahead." replied Yuto simply.
Yuya growled in annoyance, before suddenly taking his entire deck out of his Duel Disk. "I've had enough! This duel is off!" Yuto removed his deck as well, and both duelist's blades disappeared into nothingness, the monsters on both sides' fading away into the starlit skies.
It was at that moment when Crush Claw Ritual Dragon's card stopped glowing. Noticing this change, the War Eagle of Heartland eyed the card for a moment, then slotted it back into his deck.
"I can tell when someone's heart isn't into what they're doing, and that's what I'm seeing from you right now Yuto!" said Yuya pointedly. "But if you ask me, from the outset your heart wasn't ever into it! After all, using that second Overlay Unit could have ended the duel before I even got involved! So why didn't you finish Sora off right there?"
"I'll put it simply." stated Yuto. "My people aren't the type to bring harm to others. Being violent isn't in our nature."
"I wonder if Yuya truly believes that." remarked Aren, eyeing the Standard Dimension duelist. "After all, ever since the five of us arrived in this dimension, my brother, Yuto, the Kastles, and myself have done some pretty violent things."
"I understand that this is hard to believe," admitted Yuto, "but what I'm saying is the truth. My people and I were attacked by those of the Fusion Dimension - they destroyed our home and ripped apart our families."
Shay grunted in anger. "They didn't just destroy Heartland City. They turned it into ground zero for an all-out war!"
Yuto began explaining the day when Duel Academy invaded the Xyz Dimension. As his friend droned on and on about the horrors, Aren clenched his eyes shut, images of the fire and innocent civilians being turned into cards, the Heartland Tower collapsing amidst layer upon layer of smog and dust.
"I can't believe that all of this is happening," said Yuya, snapping Aren's attention back to the conversation the two lookalikes were having. "Dueling is about making people smile, to bring people together! These Duel Academy people, they're using dueling to cause pain and to reign supreme over innocent people?! The dueling that I love, the dueling taught to me by my father, is used to unite people in happiness and companionship! If it's being used to hurt people then I refuse to stand by and do nothing!"
"Yuya…" breathed Yuto in amazement, his lookalike's passion and resolve piercing his heart like an arrow.
At that moment, an emerald green light flashed to the left of Yuto, the verdant glimmer shining off of his and Yuya's faces. All of a sudden, the transmission feed on the screen cut out, the video changing to nothing but static.
"What happened to the feed?!" barked out Claude.
"A massive surge of energy has shorted out the video cameras in the vicinity of the conversation!" called out a female LID employee.
"We are unable to restore the video at this time!" added a male LID employee.
"Let me take care of this." said Aren, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a spherical piece of metal. Pushing a button on its side, the sphere sprung to life, a hidden slot opening to reveal a camera lens, and a compartment on the top popping off to allow metallic wings to shoot out and begin spinning.
"Is that a surveillance drone?" inquired Declan, admiring the object.
"Built it myself," confirmed Aren, smiling.
"My brother is the Resistance's technical expert," explained Shay. "He's the one who replicated Duel Academy's human sealing technology for our use."
"Oh, so you're to blame for how my staff were sealed into cards," commented Declan, a smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth. Aren felt a drop of sweat run down the side of his face, and chose not to make eye contact with the president.
"I only use this drone in emergencies," added Aren, sending commands from his mechanical arm Duel Disk to the robot, which then flew out of the room and towards its commanded destination.
"How long will it take to reach Paradise Park?" Declan asked.
"At most? 5 minutes." responded Aren, turning his attention to the main screen. Sending a series of commands from his arm to the screen, the video display of the drone linked up with LID's systems and began broadcasting.
"Yuto may not have that long!" argued Shay, raising his hands. "What if that light was Sora returning from the Fusion Dimension with reinforcements?! Let me go and help him Declan!"
"The drone will reach the park long before you do," countered Declan, returning to his regular stoic expression. "Besides, like I said earlier, have faith in your friend. If nothing else and it is Duel Academy, Yuya Sakaki is already there and if necessary, I have no doubt that he will aid Yuto in the fight."
After a minute or so, alarms began flashing on the screen, interrupting the transmission from the drone.
"What's going on? Someone tell me!" commanded Claude.
"Immense summoning energy has been detected in the Paradise Park area!" called out the female LID employee. "Sensors indicate it is Synchro energy!"
"Synchro energy?!" asked Claude in disbelief. "Not Fusion?"
"Correct," confirmed the employee, "and it is incredibly powerful. It's the strongest Synchro energy our sensors have ever detected!"
More alarms began sounding, causing Aren to cover his ears out of annoyance.
"Now we are detecting Xyz energy!" added the male LID employee. "It's just as strong as the Synchro energy!"
"I don't understand what's happening here," admitted Claude.
"Fortunately I do!" growled Shay, balling his fists. "Yugo must be here!"
"Yugo?" questioned Declan, taking his eyes off of the screen.
"Yugo's a Duelist from the Synchro Dimension," explained the War Eagle. "Once upon a time Yuto dueled him in Heartland City. Yuto didn't say much about the duel, but I could tell something about the fight that bothered him."
"Yugo's an ally of the Fusion Dimension! He's going after Yuto again!" added Shay, gritting his teeth. "I should be there!"
"We don't know if he's an ally of Duel Academy or not, Shay!" corrected Aren, grabbing his brother's arm. "The fact of the matter is that we just don't know enough about him to say that for certain."
"And whether or not he is involved or not," chimed in Declan, catching the attention of the Obsidian brothers, "this is my city. I will decide how to protect it. Your stubbornness won't help this situation, so stand down." Declan's firm tone shook Aren and he instantly knew that if Declan ever got angry, you would not want to be the one on the receiving end.
Aren's Duel Disk began beeping, receiving a signal from his drone. "My drone's at the park. Pull back up the video feed."
The screen switched back to the drone's broadcast, displaying quite the unusual sight.
"There's Yuto," pointed Aren, finding his friend. Rotating the camera, the group's eyes fell on a teenager in a white jacket outcropped in red with yellow stripes on the sleeves. He wore this over a white jumpsuit, with red, blue, and yellow stripes which were arranged in a chevron pattern. He also wore a white riding helmet, which mostly hid his hair, aside from a blue strand lacing down his right cheek. The most interesting thing about his ensemble was the white motorcycle he rode, adorned with numerous gold and white elements and black stripes. On the hood was a hornet-like motif that also vaguely resembled a dragon head, whose eyes acted as the headlights, which shone with an emerald glow. Directly in front of the teen, whom Aren immediately confirmed to be Yugo, was a Duel Disk attached to the bike, twin green blades extending in both directions off of the disk.
But that wasn't the most noteworthy thing. Sitting on the backseat of the motorcycle was a young girl who looked to be the same age as Yugo. She wore a pink helmet, which mostly covered her short-cropped, sea green hair which had two light green side tails running down either side of her face. She wore a blue and white jacket with pink shoulder pads. She wore hot pink pants that extended to her mid-thigh, and from her knees down wore form-fitting white boots with pink soles and pink knee pads. On her wrist she wore a metallic bracelet in the pattern of an ornate spiral wind gust, all of which surrounded a forest green gemstone.
"That girl, riding behind Yugo…" breathed Shay in shock, his body freezing up. "Is that...Lulu?!" Aren gasped when he saw the girl's face was exactly identical to that of his sisters, but in the case of this girl, her amber-colored eyes shone in direct contrast to Lulu's ruby red irises.
"I...don't think she is…" muttered Aren. "It's just like that Zuzu girl...she looks just like Lulu!"
"Could she also be from the Synchro Dimension?" wondered Declan audibly.
Yuto and Yugo were currently in a duel, with Yuya watching from the sidelines, though the Standard Dimension duelist was clearly anxious, his face filled with worry. From the cloud of smoke that resonated from a spot near Yugo, Aren guessed that one of Yugo's Synchro Monsters was previously there, until Yuto destroyed it.
YUTO LP: 1800
YUGO LP: 2600
Yuto Field: The Phantom Knights of Break Sword (RANK 3, DARK, 2000/1000, OVU: 2) + The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak (LEVEL 3, DARK, 800/1000) + Set Card (x1)
Yugo Field: Empty
"It looks like the sword is mightier than the kendama!" taunted Yuto. "It's your turn now, if you dare to take it, Nogo!"
"My name isn't Nogo, dammit!" yelled back Yugo, his voice startling Aren for how deep it was.
'That is a deep voice for a 14 year-old,' he thought to himself.
"Man, now I'm pissed!" swore Yugo, punching his palm with his fist. "First you keep getting my name wrong, then you try and kidnap my best friend in the world! I'll never forgive you!"
"I never tried to kidnap anyone!" yelled back Yuto, some confusion now evident. "You and your friends are the ones who kidnapped my girlfriend!"
"..."
Aren turned at the sound of Shay making a sputtering sound. Shay's eyes were the size of dinner plates, his mouth wide open in sheer horror.
"Girl...friend?" Shay stammered in fright. "GIRL...FRIEND?"
"Uhh Shay you might want to calm down," rushed Aren, holding his brother tightly.
"Yuto you son of a bitch!" screamed Shay, Declan tutting in annoyance. "YOU LITTLE SNEAK! YOU'VE BEEN DATING MY LITTLE SISTER AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?! YOU'RE GOING TO REGRET THE DAY YOU WERE BORN!"
"So much drama," muttered Declan, turning back to the screen.
"Enough talk!" yelled Yugo. "She and I both know the face of the guy who tried to kidnap her, and yours is a perfect match! Now get ready to feel the hurt! It's my turn and I draw!" Yugo drew his card, his eyes gleaming with a satisfied light.
"From my hand, I summon Speedroid Double Yoyo!" Appearing next to the duo on the motorcycle was a yoyo-like monster complete with buzzsaws. (LEVEL 4, WIND, 1400/1400)
"Next, I activate Double Yoyo's effect!" continued Yugo, raising his hand at his Monster, whose buzzsaw-like extensions flew off its body and into a Graveyard portal, which appeared on the ground. "When this Monster is successfully Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 3 or below Speedroid Monster from my Graveyard! So I'm bringing back my Tuner Monster, the Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice!" From the Graveyard appeared a pyramid-shaped, dice-like monster, each side containing a single glowing red eye. (LEVEL 3, WIND, 300/1500)
"A Tuner Monster!" said Aren. "So he's going to Synchro Summon again?!"
"I tune my Level 3 Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice to my Level 4 Speedroid Double Yoyo!" called out Yugo, raising his left hand to the sky. Both Monsters flew up, Tri-Eyed Dice transforming into three spiraling rings. Double Yoyo flew through the rings, transforming into four white stars. (3 + 4 = 7)
"With your beautiful and wondrous wings, strike down our enemies at light speed!" chanted Yugo, placing a white-bordered card from Extra Deck onto his Duel Disk blade. "I Synchro Summon! Rise up!" The four white stars were engulfed in a blue-embossed stream of white light, which then faded away to reveal a majestic dragon. A white dragon with black stripes and blue pieces of armor running the length of its legless body appeared from the light. Its yellow eyes contrasted magnificently with its four transparent, emerald-colored wings. At the end of its tail was a metallic spear-like bone, sparkling brightly against the moonlight. (LEVEL 7, WIND, 2500/2000)
"Clear Wing...Synchro Dragon?" breathed Yuya. "Yugo has a dragon too?"
"A...Synchro Dragon?" questioned Declan, his eyebrows raised.
"Now Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, attack The Phantom Knights of Break Sword!" ordered Yugo. "Whirlwind Helldive Slash!" At the command, Clear Wing shot into the sky, its wings now shining a blinding emerald. It spun twice, green wind cycling around its body menacingly. The Synchro Monster tore through Yuto's Xyz Monster like butter, causing a massive explosion that threw the Xyz Duelist back, tumbling head over heel into the ground.
YUTO LP: 1800 - 500 = 1300
"That's a nice look for you, pal." stated Yugo, he and his passenger riding over to where Yuto had fallen to. Yuto attempted to get up, but felt his body rack with pain, causing him to gasp and fall back again.
"Yuto!" called out Yuya, who ran over to his Xyz lookalike.
"Get back!" ordered Yuto, waving Yuya off, the latter stopping almost directly in between the two dueling foes. Yuto rose to his feet and began running. "I activate Break Sword's effect! When it leaves the field, I can Special Summon its Xyz Materials as Level 4 Monsters!" Skidding to a halt, The Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves (LEVEL 3 + 1 = 4, DARK, 1000/500) and Silent Boots (LEVEL 3 + 1 = 4, DARK, 200/1200) both appeared on the field in front of Yuto.
"I'll raise your move with one of my own!" countered Yugo, playing another card. "I activate my Spell Card, Shock Surprise!" A spell displaying a monster through a targeting scope being electrocuted appeared before the Synchro Duelist. "By banishing one Speedroid from my Graveyard, like my Double Yoyo, I can destroy one Monster on your field! I'll destroy your Ancient Cloak!" The Spell shot out a linear blast of light, which shot straight through Yuto's Monster, shattering it into thousands of yellow particles.
"I end my turn," finished Yugo.
"Nice job, Yugo!" said the girl riding behind him, smiling brightly.
"Thank you Rin-Rin! Don't worry, this kidnapping creep is almost through." Yugo assured his female passenger soothingly. "There's one last matter to settle though." He then turned back to Yuto. "You know why I left you would those two Monsters in particular, right? They both have the same level, so go ahead and summon it! Bring out Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"
"Oh don't you worry," assured Yuto angrily, "I'll bring it out alright! My turn, I draw!" Drawing his card, he set aside immediately. "I Overlay Level 4 Ragged Gloves and Silent Boots in order to build the Overlay Network!" Both monsters turned into purple streams of energy, which dove into the galactic portal, which gave off its usual lightning blast.
"Cloaked in shadows and relentless in its objective, I call upon the most dangerous of dragons!" chanted Yuto. "I Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuto's ace monster appeared with a tremendous roar for the second time in the night. (RANK 4, DARK, 2500/2000, OVU: 2)
At the new dragon's appearance, Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo all grasped their hearts tightly, shaking in apparent agony. At the same time, the earlier sense of foreboding returned to Aren's mind, as he instinctively took back out the Crush Claw Ritual Dragon card. The attention of everyone in the room was drawn to the blue light the card was giving off, which was much stronger than it was earlier.
"Aren, your Ritual Monster!" breathed Shay in confusion. "What's it doing?"
"I don't know," admitted Aren, the blue light reflecting off of his face mysteriously. "It happened when Odd Eyes and Dark Rebellion were both out earlier. Ever since we learned about Yuya and his Pendulum Dragon, I've had a suspicion that it and Yuto's Xyz Dragon were somehow connected. Now I know it, and I also know that those two, my Crush Claw Ritual Dragon, and this Clear Wing Synchro Dragon are all connected to each other!"
"But what does it all mean?" wondered Shay.
"My chest…" stammered Yuya painfully, "it's on fire! What's this...pressure?!" Yuya then gasped as Yugo and Yuto's eyes were both painfully shut.
"Yugo? What's wrong?" asked Rin in worry, holding her friend's shoulders. She screamed when her friend's eyes opened to reveal they were completely glowing emerald. Yuto had developed the same condition, only his eyes had completely become engulfed in an ominous dark blue light.
"Yuto?! Yugo?!" Yuya shouted in concern, still grabbing his heart. "What's wrong?!"
"It's finally time. Time to unleash everything...and destroy all!" shouted Yuto, his voice completely unlike him.
"Yes, it is time!" agreed Yugo, his voice unnaturally altered as well. "Time to destroy you and everything else in the world!"
"Yugo!" shouted Rin, tugging on her friend. "What's gotten into you?! Snap out of it!" Yugo responded by grabbing Rin's shoulders and throwing her off the bike. She shrieked as she hit the ground with a thud, her eyes red with tears.
"I activate Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's effect!" shouted Yuto. "By using one Overlay Unit, Dark Rebellion steals half the attack points of one Level 5 or above Monster on your field until the end of the turn!" Lightning wrapped around Dark Rebellion's wings, shooting at Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. (Dark Rebellion OVU: 2 - 1 = 1)
"If this works, Clear Wing's attack points drop to 1250, and Dark Rebellion's go up to 3750!" realized Aren. "Yugo will only have 100 Life Points left if Yuto decides to attack now like he did with Sora!"
"I chain that with Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect!" countered Yugo. "When a Level 5 or higher Monster is targeted by a Monster's effect, that effect's activation is negated and the Monster is destroyed!" Clear Wing shook off the lightning, its wings glowing even brighter than before, before launching a stream of green-colored wind at Dark Rebellion. "Go Dichroic Mirror!"
"I activate my facedown, the Trap Card: Phantom Knights' Wing!" yelled back Yuto, his facedown revealing itself, the artwork displaying a green, blue, purple, and black colored shadowy wing. "Since Dark Rebellion would be destroyed by battle or a card effect, that destruction is negated, and instead gains 500 attack points!" Dark Rebellion likewise blasted away the wind, its power rising instead. (Dark Rebellion ATK: 2500 + 500 = 3000)
"He saved it!" said Yuya in awe. "Not only that, Dark Rebellion is stronger than ever! Even if Yuto can't use its effect again because of Clear Wing's effect, now Dark Rebellion can just destroy it in battle!"
"Time to die!" barked Yuto demonically.
"Die?!" shouted Aren in horror, not believing what he heard.
"Yuto, no!" shouted Shay. "This isn't you!"
"Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, attack Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" ordered Yuto.
"No wait!" shouted Yuya, running in front of the Xyz Duelist and holding his arms out wide. "You have to stop this right now! You told me that your people only duel for fun! That's not what you're doing now! Remember what you said! Being violent isn't who you are!"
"Who...you...are…" growled Yuto, shaking his head and closing his eyes. When he opened them again, they had returned to normal. "I...don't want to hurt anyone!" A tear slid down his face as he slumped to the ground. "I end my turn."
"You may not want to hurt anyone but I do!" shouted Yugo. Yuya and Yuto, as well as Rin, gasped as Yugo had not returned to normal. "I draw and Normal Summon Speedroid Razorang!" A boomerang-like monster with twin razors at either end and a monstrous set of eyes appeared next to Clear Wing. (LEVEL 4, WIND, 2000/0)
"Yugo what are you doing, please stop!" pleaded Rin, still crying. "Destroying him won't change anything! I can't lose you too! Not like we lost Luna!"
"You're wrong, you simple-minded fool!" howled Yugo maniacally, his eyes glowing even brighter. "I use Razorang's effect! By switching it to Defense position, I can target one Monster and have it lose 300 Attack points!" Razorang folded itself up and began spinning, releasing pulses of white light.
"No, don't do it!" yelled Yuya in anguish. "Destroying Yuto and Dark Rebellion won't do anyone any good! Listen to your friend!"
"Fine then, I target Clear Wing Synchro Dragon with this effect!" replied Yugo, Clear Wing roaring as its attack strength fell. (Clear Wing ATK: 2500 - 300 = 2200)
"This triggers Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect!" continued Yugo. "When a Level 5 or above Monster is targeted by an effect, that effect's activation is negated and the Monster is destroyed! So Speedroid Razorang's effect activation is negated and it is destroyed! Go, Dichroic Mirror!" The same light shot once again from Clear Wing, destroying Yugo's second Monster in a massive explosion. (Clear Wing ATK: 2200 + 300 = 2500)
"You destroyed your own Monster?" questioned Yuya, slowly smiling. "So you will stop fighting after all!"
"And then Clear Wing Synchro Dragon gains the destroyed Monster's Attack points until the end of the turn!" yelled out Yugo.
"Wait, WHAT?!" screamed Yuya. (Clear Wing ATK: 2500 + 2000 = 4500)
"Yuto!" yelled out Shay and Aren.
"Battle!" shouted Yugo, lifting his arm. "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, destroy Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon! Go Whirlwind Helldive Slash!" Clear Wing flew up into the sky, spinning like a tornado, one of which surrounding its draconic body as it descended towards its foe. In response Dark Rebellion flew up in an effort to counter, but was ripped in half by the superior foe and dissolved into a shower of sparkles.
Yuya gasped as Clear Wing would hit him before it ever hit Yuto, when he felt a hand push him well out of the way.
"YUYA!" shouted Yuto, pushing his new ally away just in time, for a split second later, Clear Wing smashed directly into the ground, sending the Xyz Duelist flying hundreds of feet back before crumpling to the ground, broken and defeated, his Duel Disk lying next to him.
YUTO LP: 1300 - 1500 = 0
WINNER: YUGO
"Oh no, Yuto!" shouted Aren, as he and Shay ran out of the room amidst Declan's yells. As they ran out of the building, Aren continued looking at the feed, which now displayed Yuto being held gingerly by Yuya. All of a sudden, a blue light began shining, causing the two to disappear. One minute later, two different lights, one pink and one emerald, shone over the blue, causing the transmission to turn to nothing but static.
"What happened?" barked Shay.
"My drone was destroyed! I don't know by what though!" replied Aren, his voice dripping with worry. Before he had a chance to continue, he felt a sharp pain against his neck, causing him to instantly fall over, the last thing the War Eagle viewing was his brother also lying unconscious on the ground. He briefly heard the sound of footsteps, then darkness enveloped him.
{Next Chapter [12]: At the Beginning of the Fray}
Aren and Shay awaken two days later to learn that Yuto has completely disappeared. Their plans to interrogate Yuya Sakaki about the events of that night are interrupted when Shark and Rio reveal that the female companion of Yugo, Rin, was found unconscious at the scene. Now, the story of Rin is revealed to the four Resistance members, who realize a startling fact about Lulu Obsidian, as well as Duel Academy's plans.
Author's Note: Surprise! After watching ARC-V in full, it was painfully obvious to everyone that Rin was the least developed and least appreciated Dimensional counterpart, so I'm giving her a more prominent role! Seriously, it was a crime that she didn't have her first physical appearance outside of flashbacks until the 116th episode! Hope you enjoy the twists that come from her alternate portrayal in the plot! See you next time!