Yes, Professor (Rewritten Version)

by LordMammon

What if Yuri and Yuya were swapped at age seven. See how Yuya takes Yuri's place at Duel academy and Yuri takes Yuya's as the founder of pendulum. This is the new and hopefully improved version of the previous story.

15. Demons

Sigma was weird, Yugo quickly decided after spending just one day with the effeminate Jeweller. Now, he had met and interacted with his fair share of weird people in his life, Sakura was pounding on the walls of his mind as that fact was brought up, but Sigma was just plain unusual in everything.

He had already known that his "carer" had memory issues. That much he could still remember out of the last two days. He just wasn't aware of how bad said issue really was.

"Holy shit! Who the fuck are you and what are you doing in my store!?" Was what he had yelled as he stood in the doorway of the room he had trapped Yugo in, the book he had brought with him being dropped as he pointed an accusatory finger at the supposed intruder.

Yugo was about to speak up in his defence before Sigma realised something "Wait a sec, I need to go get something. Don't you dare leave, Mr Invader!" Yugo wasn't even to dignify that stupid ass statement with words, even a dumbass like him knew how dumb it sounded.

Yep. Sigma's memory was a big issue, the man was totally unable to recall any details of anything. He had quickly returned a few moments with an obscenely large black covered book which had the words "Memory Diary" scrawled across it in messy handwriting. Flicking through the pages, absolutely coated with words that were indecipherable to a normal human eye, he stopped and began to read "Oh… Oh... Ooh! Right. I think I remember now." Sigma said, smiling and slamming the cover of the diary shut. "So you're, Yugo? Right? You mean as in Fusion?"

"It's Yugo not Fusion!" Yugo promptly yelled as soon as the world had slipped past Sigma's lips.

Sigma was taken aback, dropping his diary to the ground and covering his ears "Jesus, kid! You have the voice of a fucking loudspeaker! Alright, I won't call you that, but I'll have to write it down to make sure I don't make that mistake again." Picking up the diary and jotting it down, Sigma still grumbled "Fuckin' Christ, what did I get myself into to?" He then returned his gaze to Yugo "Right, I have to deal with some customers today, the work of a Jeweller is hard, and I have to make sure I appraise the gems for what they're actually worth, mainly because they're so fucking set on squeezing every last penny out of them that they can get their greedy hands on. I sometimes just undervalue them for the hell of it and then overvalue the worth of the Commons since they deserve the money more. Oh, one more thing, don't appear before my customers, they are not the accepting types, which also reminds me, you need to be back in that bed by the time I get back. I see you out of there for even a second once I'm back and I will be locking this room. Now that I think about it, how's it going in here? I rarely use this room for anything else but reading and..."

Yugo had long tuned out, Sigma's inexplicable ability to rattle on for god knows how long about totally non-sequitur issues was really tiring, but he had heard arguably the most important point out of all. If Sigma was going to be gone, he would be able to sneak out for just long enough to maybe find a way to Sakura and then to Rin. Sigma had been hospitable and all, but his true place was with Rin and Sakura.

"Although, I got this place on the cheap because of a few connections that I have. You see, I know this really cool guy, rich as they come, and I once had to apprise something that he was planning to give to his son. The reason I say he was mega-rich is because he was able to present me with a diamond. But not just any diamond, a red diamond! Those things are millions per fucking carat and he was just going to give it to his son! It's insane! Anyway, it was in my infinite wisdom, that I decided to undervalue him since he was obviously rich enough. Now, imagine my surprise when I find out that not only does this guy know I'm bullshitting him but he also knows the exact value and isn't angry that I tried to lie. He said it "Showed courage in the face of power" or whatever the fuck that's supposed to mean. As a result of this whole debacle, I ended up getting into contact with him and one thing led to another and I ended up with getting this new location on the cheap with his help. So yeah, there's the story." Sigma, despite talking at a mile a minute, still seemed to take years to get through his rambling. Nevertheless, he remained smiling before it eventually started to falter seconds after finishing "Shit. What was I going to do in here again?"

Yugo resisted the urge to roll his eyes following the last sentence. Of course Sigma forgot what he was going to do. That was just so PERFECT!

God, he missed Rin so much. He was wasting so much time just sitting here in this useless Top's home.

"Ah, no matter. What do you want to do?" Sigma's question came out of the blue, the sheepish grin on the effeminate male's face looked almost apologetic. Was he seriously asking Yugo what he wanted to do? He had just said that Yugo wasn't supposed leave the bed less than twenty seconds ago.

An idea then raced into his mind. It was really stupid. Like, really stupid. The kind of idea that would have Rin shouting at him for at least a good hour for being such a dumbass. But he had to go for it "Can you take me around the place? I've been feeling a lot better and it's been an age since I was last able to move freely."

"Sure!" Sigma lit up with a happy grin "I was going to show you my collection soon anyway. That's what I told you about yesterday, wasn't it? I've got some time to kill before I have to go to my clients anyway!" Rushing to the bedside like a hyperactive child, he ripped the sheets off of the bed, exposing Yugo to the elements.

Whilst Yugo didn't appreciate what the dual haired adult had just done, it didn't matter in the long. It was all a ploy. He had suffered enough under the shortass shitbag and his creepy right hand man, he could deal with some ditzy Jeweller.

"I'll leave you to get dressed. Just come down when you're ready!" Sigma was weird. There was no other way to describe it in Yugo's, admittedly, small vocabulary. The Jeweller seemed to flip totally on a dime every few seconds, going from accusatory to confused to sheepish and then finally giddy.

What was weirder, though, was the stack of clothes that were placed on the table Sigma had been at when Yugo first awoke in his home. Ambling towards them, dizzy from having stood up too quickly from the bed, he carefully avoided the spillage of food that Sigma had forgotten to clean up. The smell was nauseating, but still made him debate degrading himself in order to eat it.

Shaking those thoughts clear, he let his fingers slip through the clothes. They were nice. That was too be expected of a top. It was probably the best quality of clothing he was ever going to feel in his life time, unless that so talked about revolution was ever going to happen.

Taking the top he had been wearing off, he nearly vomited for the second time in two days. Parts of his skin were stained purple and a disgustingly nauseating yellow in the centre of those purple splotches. Perhaps worse were the stiches that were haphazardly and lazily placed over those patches of darkness, it was almost like they had been done by a blind person with their inconsistent length and terrible general being. Just what had they been doing to him?

And what lay underneath?

Pushing those dark thoughts to the dregs of his mind for the time being, it felt wrong as he slipped the pure white shirt over his head. It immediately felt like the shirt was constricting his breathing causing him to pop two of the top buttons off in response. The trousers, a deep black, also felt so wrong.

Everything just felt so wrong. He just wanted his original riding suit back.

Finally steeling himself after his inner turmoil, Yugo took a deep breath and reminded himself who this was all going to be for. 'Rin… Rin… Just always remember that you're doing this for Rin. She could be suffering as we speak and you're being a chicken shit over some goddamn clothes! Pull yourself together!'

Descending the small staircase that creaked and squeaked with every single step he took, no matter how large or small, Yugo pushed the dividing door open and was met with a sight that made him widen his eyes instantly.

"Oh, you're done!" Sigma called out, casually lounging about on top of one of the number of glass display cases in the vast room. He was also finally in the state to take note the man's attire. The white overcoat that Yugo had been crying on yesterday was nowhere to be seen, instead it had been replaced by an open, black suit jacket with a crisp white shirt, golden tie and a purple waistcoat underneath it. Like the pair he had given Yugo, his trousers were black and so were the dress shoes he was wearing. "So, what do you think of my collection?"

There were hundreds, possibly thousands, of glistening gems in the cases. Thoughts of robbing the place blind and selling the gems on the black market started to overpower his previous Rin related thoughts. There were sapphires of all kinds, alexandrite, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, opals, amethysts, and garnets, those were just the ones that Yugo could see as well. "It's… Wow…."

"Yeah, that's usually the reaction I get." Sigma said with a smug grin, waltzing his way over to Yugo and placing his hands on the Speedroid Duelist's shoulders. "This is only the tip of the iceberg as well, you wouldn't believe what I can get my hands on." Pride swelled within the Jeweller's voice as he leaned into to whisper the next part in Yugo's ear "I have something really, really special as well. Something that's only a one of its kind, maybe if you're good you can see it one of these coming days. I have it kept totally under lock and key, I think that the last guy who saw it was that loaded dude."

The mesmerising effect of the collection had still yet to wear off of Yugo as whatever Sigma was speaking about faded into the aether, the mouth-watering amount of money sat before him had sent his greed into overdrive. "I see you've taken quite the liking to it, but I fear that you're staring at it with the intent to steal it than appreciate it." Sigma said, voice monotone and the grip on Yugo's shoulders.

Yugo tensed, had he been that obvious? "I don't take too kindly to people like that. Those who see with their wallets rather than their eyes. Listen here, brat, I'm more than willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, but if you are going to betray me and think about stealing my collection for even a single second, I'm going to make sure it's the last thing you'll ever do." By the time he had finished speaking, Sigma had returned to his earlier position, his eyes locked onto Yugo's with a laser sharp focus "I know Security is after your ass as well, care to explain that one to me?"

"Ugh!" The mere mention of Security replaced all of Yugo's tension with white-hot anger "You steal one D-Wheel part one time and they get on your ass about it! They weren't even using the damn thing and I get stitched up not only for theft, but also for trespassing in a Tops area! It's bullshit!"

"Ah, that makes perfect sense then. Sorry for being so accusatory." Sigma recanted, holding his hands up in mock surrender "Security can be real assholes about shit like that, yours truly got in hot shit with them once."

Yugo's eyes widened "You were arrested by Security?" The Speedroid Duelist scarcely believed his ears. He had no idea that Tops could be targeted by Security as well.

"Oh yeah, that's one thing I'll never forget. Granted, it was like six months ago so I don't think I've hit the amnesia point where it just becomes a blur." Edging closer to the man, Yugo listened with feverish anticipation "I'll spare you on the full details, but know that I had gotten myself into a right mess. I was talking to my favourite client at his place about pricing some gem he had unearthed recently. His, I want to say father, was there in the background of the deal, just sorta lurking there and staring at me like I was a curse on his existence. Turns out, the dad wanted to buy his son parts for a new D-Wheel since the son had gone off and crashed it but not totally beyond repair. So, they were wanting me to apprise the gem at a high enough value for said parts. Because they were so pushy about it, though, I got really pissed off and said fuck it. One thing led to another and the next I could remember, I was waking up in the back of a Security van."

"How did you get out?" Yugo questioned "If you were actually in the Facility for any length of time, surely you would've got a criminal mark?" He continued, noticing the distinct lack of the infamous yellow marks that had been so prominent during his duel against Junichiro.

Sigma smirked, lazy as it always seemed to be. His eyes full of mirth "Now, that is a story for another day, brat. I can't have you learning everything right away. Where's your sense of mystery?" The Jeweller laughed, rummaging around behind one of the display cases "You must be hungry, right? Whelp, the last of the shit I had is now upstairs on the floor, so you're going to be coming out with me." Face lighting up, Sigma chucked a grey helmet in Yugo's direction, the Speedroid Duelist fumbling with it as he caught it.

"Hey, hey, hey! What? Earlier you told me to stay put, and now you want me to come out with you?" That was really going to put a damper on his plans, he was kinda depending on Sigma leaving him by himself so he could execute his very complex plan of running away and escaping back to where he could begin his search for Rin again.

"Plans change." Sigma droned, donning his own helmet. It was purple and gold split straight down the middle with two horns, one gold and one purple, jutting out and twisting like a ram's. "And from what you told me, stealing parts for a D-Wheel, you're going to like my baby. Follow me."

The effeminate male promptly proceeded to vanish into another one of the many back rooms that seemed to litter the ground floor. Cautiously following to where he had vanished with the pace of a snail, Yugo flung the door open, revealing Sigma just positioning himself on top of his D-Wheel "What ya think?" He said, giving a quick rev of the accelerator to entice Yugo towards him. "I like to call her the Terrible Omen."

The body was sleek, white with grey flecks going across it, and long, coming into a sharp point at the front of the D-Wheel. It bulked out considerably towards the back where the two exhausts were, jutting out above the back wheel was located. Two interlocking wheels were at the front, it was a miracle how the D-Wheel looked like it had never even been dented with wheels like those. There were two arm guards and a weird looking compartment on top of the body that beckoned Yugo to touch it, which he nearly did until Sigma spoke up "If you ain't going to say anything, brat, you better get on. Else, I'm going to run you over."

"Okay, okay, okay, God!" Yugo grumbled, following Sigma's orders. It felt super unnatural to be sat on a D-Wheel and not being in control, whenever he and Rin used their D-Wheel he would also be at the front as Rin would keep a lookout for their surroundings. He didn't have the best situational awareness, he'd be the first to admit that.

It was that exact lack of situational awareness that had cost him Rin and resulted in his kidnapping in the first place.

Still, the blast of wind and fresh air that flowed over him as Sigma sped out of the garage and down the street was mightily refreshing. Having been bunged up in that stuffy, dank underground warehouse and Sigma's enclosed "guest" room, the air did a number on burning up on his lungs, but he welcomed it nevertheless.

Another thing he noticed was the sheer speed that belonged to the Terrible Omen. Being well versed in all manner of Riding Duels and a general adrenaline junkie, Yugo was used to travelling at hyper fast speed, but this felt like nothing else. Another unnatural feeling that stabbed in his gut. "I had a few modifications done after I got this D-Wheel as a gift. The Terrible Omen you see now was nothing like it was when I first got it, it was a slow ass, broken, piece of junk. However, I was able to call in a favour or two and I got it modified to the exact preferences I wanted. Now, it's the fastest D-Wheel around and handles like an absolute dream."

As Sigma spoke, Yugo could feel the speed of the vehicle practically punch him in the face as they zipped around corners and navigated the twisting streets "Umm, are you sure it's safe?" Yugo found himself asking all of a sudden, even perplexing himself with how concerned he sounded.

"Mostly." Sigma replied bluntly as a beeping noise notified him of their approaching destination "I've never ridden with another person on it before, so I'm assuming it's fine for you."

"Uh, yeah… It's fine…" It must've been because he wasn't on their D-Wheel that Yugo was feeling so off kilter about this whole thing. Yeah. That must've been the reason.

"We're here by the by, told you my baby was fast as shit." That made Yugo blink owlishly. They were already here? They had probably only set off less than two minutes ago and as he looked around him, seeing the somewhat full street of Tops mingling about, that was indeed the case. He had been around this area once or twice in the past, the little trespassing issue being one he hadn't mentioned to Sigma earlier. "Come, if I had to leave you to your own devices you'd probably end up getting into deep shit again." Sigma ordered, parking his D-Wheel at the side of a wall and meandering casually into the sea of people, Yugo scrambling after him.

"Why are you doing this anyway?" Yugo said, sucking up harsh breaths, turns out that two days of inactivity and whatever had been done to him to justify the shitty stitching and damaged skin really took it out of him. "I mean, I know you're helping… But… Why? You're a Top, I'm a Common. You have no reason to help someone as lowly as me.

Sigma shrugged, placing his helmet underneath his shoulder "Meh, I don't see it like that. It's easy to say that without knowing the whole story. There's a lot of stupid rumours that fly about both groups, like how Tops supposedly have Secret Underground Duelling rings where they beat up on Commons for fun; or how Commons are so uncivilized that they don't do anything but take drugs, commit crime, and depend on Duelling for everything. Hate to break it to you, it doesn't quite work like that. It's kinda sad that all status in this world is based upon Duelling than other merits." Recognition flashed briefly in Sigma's eyes "Wait a second. I remember it now! I saw you at that tournament with that Magma guy, you kicked ass there!"

"You were there?!" Yugo squawked, only for Sigma to shush him as heads were turned their direction "You were there?" Yugo said in a much more subdued tone.

"Yep, I like to watch them from time to time. Hey, congrats on getting to the Friendship Cup. You must have some serious skill if you got there!" Yugo blushed as Sigma praised him. He was so unused to anyone, especially a Top, praising him. Sure, he got praise from Rin from time to time, but that felt a lot more unconditional from their shared life so far. Sigma's praise had just filled a yearning that Yugo had never realised he had. "Who knows? You might even have the skill to take on the King himself."

The King, Yugo gulped. Jack Atlas was his idol, he had wanted nothing more to duel him and make him notice him. Before his heel turn, Jack had been held in such high regard by both sides of the divide that he was tantamount to a god. Even after he had seemingly turned his back on the Commons by not pushing through with any effort to make things better for them and mingling with the Tops, he still had his supporters with the Commons. Yugo being one of them. To just share the same arena with Jack Atlas seemed like a pipe dream, let alone get to the point where he could duel him and actually win.

But even if he did get to the point and he did win, it would all be nothing without Rin. What was the point of a triumph against the odds if there was nobody to celebrate it with? Sakura was there, but she wasn't too in to duelling for entertainment, preferring instead to spend her time duelling for "justice" or whatever the hell the hyperactive girl meant when she spewed that talking point. R

Rin was the one he had toiled with when building their D-Wheel, Rin was the one that had supported him from the off, without Rin it would just feel like he was winning for winning sake. It felt hollow.

"So… Who's this Rin?" Sigma said with a smirk on his lips.

"Ack!" Yugo scuttled backwards. Had he said that all out loud? How did Sigma know about Rin? Was he working with those people who kidnapped him? Was he a psychic?!

"Yes, nothing, no, and no." Sigma replied in order of points Yugo was shouting out "And do keep it down. I have a reputation to up keep and you're going to make me look like a madman, brat. You don't have to tell me everything about Rin, just who they are to you."

Yugo sighed "She's… My childhood friend, we used to live together in an orphanage before… before…" Wow, he hadn't realised it hurt so much to recount the events of that fateful night that Rin vanished because of that bastard that had the same face as him. How was that a thing, anyway? He didn't have a brother. They must've been some kind of doppelganger.

"Oi, brat, you're mumbling." Sigma kicked out, shoving Yugo out of his own trance before smiling down at the young Synchro Duelist wryly "I get it. She's important to you and I won't force you to speak anymore if you don't want."

Why? Yugo stared at Sigma. Why was this Top being so accommodating to him? It didn't make any sense. Every Top he had ever met had been nothing but an asshole, sneering at the sight of him and making it clear that they hated his whole existence. For the love of God, that Top whom had given him that prize following the tournament had shoved his cane into his foot!

He was going to bring this up to Sigma, however, his attention quickly switched when a glint began to take prominence in the corner of his eye. A kind of hazy fog residing in that direction, as well. For whatever reason, as he inched carefully away from Sigma and towards it, the glint was irresistible to him. It wasn't as if he was choosing to do this. He felt like he had to do this. This thing, whatever it was, was calling to him. Beckoning him to come closer like a moth to an open flame.

Approaching it closer, the fog only seemed to get thicker, the glint of whatever this object was that pulled the zombified Yugo in closer being the only constant source of light through the hazy. Previous thoughts leaving him, like how this fog would've started up in the first place in such a crowded area, the only thought in his head now was how much he wanted, no, needed this object.

Yugo's eyes started to dull, blue seeping in and nearly covering the whole sclera.

Yes…

It was so good to finally be free again. That shortass chibi may have been able to hold him down within this vessel for the duration of his time there.

But not any longer.

True, he didn't know why this vessel was weakening now, but that scarcely mattered in the long run.

He really had to think this miasma. Yes, it wasn't a fog. This was a miasma, an incantation by someone who had his tome.

It made him want to laugh. Laugh to the high heavens as his resurrection and the inevitable destruction that he would bring is now one step closer due to the fool's mistake.

These people.

These wretched humans were all sheep. They had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Whatever was possessing Yugo sauntered through the miasmic fog and reached the glint in no time.

Ah, perfect.

It was exactly what he was expecting. This would be very much useful for later. Should he ever see any of that man's Kamarilla ever again.

Pocketing the glint. Their new secret weapon. They itched for their other vessels, the urge to become one should've been flowing through all his vessels, yet only one had undertaken any form of desire to mend their broken soul into one.

Maybe Clear Wing would answer to him?

"Oi! You there! What are you doing trespassing in this area!?" The entity controlling Yugo turned as he heard they heard the voice. The foggy miasma had cleared dramatically as the reprobate that dared speak to him, dressed in some policeman like attire with the word Security smattered all over their clothing.

"Leave me be, ingrate. Know your place." He declared, watching the offence growing on the foolish human's face.

"What did you say to me punk? Do you want a one way trip to the facility?!" Did this human honestly think that he could threaten him? Did he honestly think that he was superior to him? This human wouldn't be worthy enough to lick his boots when he was still a human!

But the ingrate was lucky. Lucky that he didn't have any capability to call ay of his vessels or use any of his powers. What a shame.

"Yugo! Yugo! Yugo!" A voice rang out before he could get a chance to respond causing him to snarl. He had already had to deal with two annoyances in as many times as he had controlled this particular vessel, was there ever going to be a time where he could what he wanted without being impeded by some nuisance?! "Come on! I know you're out here, brat! If you're not before me in the next minute, I'm going to beat your ass from being disrespectful!"

Hmm. This person was looking for this vessel. Interesting…

Skidding into the scene, Sigma gawked at the sight he saw "Oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi! Would you care to explain what's going on in here, brat?!I go off to do something for two seconds and you get yourself into shit with Security again? Jesus, do you always attract trouble or this just something you're doing recently!? Like, honestly! Could you not?!"

Was this his caretaker? He couldn't remember. He had spent so much time on the Fusion and Standard vessels that he had forgotten who he had designated the others to.

No matter.

He could tell his time was waning anyway. This vessel, whilst his most powerful host at the moment, was unable to hold him much longer.

Parting now would really be… Such sweet sorrow.

"Is this yours?" The Security officer growled, tugging on Yugo's collar and holding him up as the Speedroid Duelist's eyes reverted back to their usual form.

"Wh-WHAT?!" Yugo screeched, flailing and failing to get out of the officer's grip. The last thing he remembered was that he had seen something out of the corner of his eyes and now he was somehow in the vice like grip of a Security officer?! What had he done during the blackout? "What the hell's going on here? Get the hell off of me!"

Sigma stared incredulously at the officer "This? I do hope you are aware, Officer, that you are referring to a human being there?" He quirked his brow dangerously. Yugo didn't like the look that crossed the Jeweller's face, it looked worse than that razor sharp grin he had given Yugo as he left when they first met. "And yes, until I can find his proper parents or guardians, I shall be taking care of him since he sure as hell can't do it himself." Sigma sniped with a huff.

Yugo wanted the earth to sallow him whole. Sigma looked really angry with him. He may have just screwed up his one chance of escaping and getting back to Rin.

"Then you won't mind if I… Say… Send him to the facility?" The Security Officer replied slyly, giving Yugo a sadistic smirk "Don't think I don't know who this punk is, I've seen his picture in our database and I know for a fact that I have a few associates that would very much like to have him back."

Oh god no.

No.

No.

No.

No.

He was with them.

He was going back there.

"I wouldn't mind normally." Sigma said, inspecting his fingernails "But usually I'm impartial to the people around me. Yugo, here, is someone I took into my care after he came out of such a dreadful place, and he isn't going to be going back there without any say from yours truly. Nor is he going to be going to that hellhole called the Facility." Yugo's eyes pleaded, begged Sigma to get him out of this situation no matter what he would have to do. Understanding what was being asked of him, Sigma smirked and presented his offer "Say, Officer, how's about we have a Riding Duel for Yugo's freedom? If you win I'll allow you to take Yugo with no complaints, do what you will with him."

Yugo couldn't help but look betrayed as the Security officer threw him to the ground and he crawled over to Sigma's side "Good." The officer said, cracking his knuckles "I get to extend my chasedown numbers and send a punk to the facility! It's killing two birds with one stone! You're on! Don't think I won't send you there as well for aiding this Common, even if you are a Top!"

"Wouldn't have dreamed it any other way." Sigma grinned, looking all too pleased with himself for some godforsaken reason. Yugo was busy just trying not to piss himself the whole while back to the Terrible Omen, which seemed an awful lot closer than before… Was he imagining it due to the anxiety that was coursing through him?

Settling in onto his D-Wheel with Yugo secured behind him, Sigma sent one last glance at his coming opponent. 'Let's see if they've figured out anything from last time… Knowing Security, though, chances are they'll repeat the same thing over and over again expecting the shit to change. Do they know the definition of insanity?'

The area around them began to shift. The commotion that the scene had originally caused had made all the Tops still around clear out in disgust, a few still remained but they were also shooed away by an automated voice declaring the creation of a 'Duel Lane'. Erupting out of the path in front of them, and appearing the screens of their D-Wheels, was a path to the main duel lane used whilst in the Tops. A path of glitz and glamour that took everyone on it through the most well-known parts of the Tops. It was a way to rub their success in the faces of the Commons whilst also killing any sort of hope for escape they had.

"Whoever takes the first corner gets the first turn, understood?" Sigma threw out to the officer who did nothing more but count down as the same miasma that had entranced Yugo just minutes prior rolled back into the scene.

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"Riding Duel!" The two of them declared simultaneously.

Only for just the officer to take off, Sigma sitting and perusing his surroundings like he was o some kind of leisurely jog instead of a duel for Yugo's freedom. The teen made good to remind of what his priorities should've been "What the hell, man?! I know you said your D-Wheel was fast as shit, but come on! What's your deal?!"

Flashing a lazy smirk, Sigma wagged his finger at Yugo "Patience is a virtue, Yugo. It was your blind rush and inability to think things through that lead to this situation in the first place. Just let a professional handle this."

Slowly, the Jeweller began to mutter under his breath. Unable to make out any of it, Yugo could only sit and pray that whatever was running through the ditzy male's mind was actually worthwhile or he'd be returning to that hell on earth after all with no chance of finding Rin or Sakura again.

"Go!" He heard Sigma shout, the Terrible Omen speeding forward rapidly after the declaration. Faster. It was so much faster than it had been previously. It made Yugo examine the speeding D-Wheel with wide eyes, just how fast was this thing? He'd love to take it apart to make it tick, maybe it would help their own… D-wheel…

Within a flash, they were right behind the Security Officer who looked back at them like he had seen a ghost. "Surprised?" Sigma gloated, welling with pride for the umpteenth time that day. His cockiness made even Yugo, the cocky bastard that he could be, groan. "See ya!"

Another second later and Sigma was already streets ahead of him, taking the first corner and the first turn without so much as breaking a sweat.

---

Sigma's LP: 4000 Security Officer's LP: 4000 Cards x1

Turn 1

"Watch and learn, Yugo. This is how you get these idiots to bow down to you whims! To begin with, I activate the Continuous Spell Fortissimo the Wandering Fortress!" The first card of the duel had art that depicted the scene of a massive mechanical fortress, one that was tangled mess of wires, lasers, cannons, and clocks. "You see, with this card, I can add one Level 4 or lower Machine-type Monster from my deck to my hand." The selected card was ejected into Sigma's hand as he flashed in front of him "And wouldn't you believe it? I think I'll summon it! Wise Core, appear!"

Yugo balked as he saw the monster Sigma had just played. It looked like mechanical egg, that was about the only way he could describe it. It had 0 attack points as well! Was Sigma trying to get them caught by summoning such a weak Monster against Security?

Wise Core, Level 1, DARK, Machine, Effect (0/0)

"Hahahaha! You seriously think you're going to win by playing that weakling?! Even if you are a Top, I'll send you straight to the Facility!" The officer declared with all the smugness and bravado Yugo knew they all possessed.

Sigma smirked, they hadn't learned a damn thing from the last time. "Let's just see what happens, shall we? I set one card face down and end my turn."

Sigma's Cards x3

Turn 2

"My turn! I draw!" The officer couldn't have been happy by the reprobate's first turn, he had played such a weak Monster and had such little protection that he was confident that he would be able to send the pest and his charge off to the Facility without so much as breaking a sweat. He couldn't even manage to Synchro Summon! This was going to be so easy! "I summon Jutte Lord!" Jutte Lord was a man with painted white skin and red markings dressed in a very traditional looking Japanese outfit, he was brandishing his weapon threateningly at Sigma and Yugo.

Jutte Lord, Level 4, EARTH, Warrior, Effect (1600/1200)

"Jutte Lord's effect! I can now summon a Jutte Monster from my hand to the field! I choose the Tuner Monster Jutte Fighter!" Jutte Fighter was a far smaller man than Jutte Lord but looked to be holding a similar enough weapon. Its Tuner status was the thing that made Yugo nervous, though. He knew what was inevitable now.

Jutte Fighter, Level 2, EARTH, Warrior, Tuner, Effect (700/900)

"Now! I tune the Level 4 Jutte Lord with the Level 2 Jutte Fighter!" Yugo watched in terror whilst Sigma, by contrast, was calm as they observed Jutte Fighter exploding into two green rings which Jutte Lord passed through, x-raying the Monster and revealing the four stars that lay dormant within it. "Two hardened warriors come together to form a new beast! Meet the ultimate Monster in Security's arsenal! The Duelling Destroyer of criminals! Level 6! Goyo Guardian!"

Goyo Guardian. Yugo had heard horror stories about that card from the few Commons that had been able to escape it once it was summoned. He gulped as he took in the infamous Monster's appearance. Like Jutte Lord, its face was painted white whilst some red was also dotted around it. Traditional clothing also covered its body and its hairstyle looked very similar to that of a samurai's. This time, it carried a whip with the previous weapon held by Jutte Lord and Fighter tied on the end.

Goyo Guardian, Level 6, EARTH, Warrior, Synchro, Effect (2800/2000)

The officer laughed loudly, extending his hand out and clenching it "You're going to regret summoning that weak Monster! I hope you're ready for your new life in the Facility! My 100% chasedown rate is going to remain intact!"

"Are you done rubbing yourself off?" Sigma replied with a groan. It wasn't unusual for him to forget things, but had truly forgotten how high up their own asses the Duel Chasers in Security were. "Because I'm getting bored listening to you."

"How are you so calm about this?!" Yugo squawked at Sigma, who handily ignored his complaint.

"If you're so confident that you can beat me right here and now, do it. I can get off. I can bribe you with whatever you want to get out of going to the Facility." Indignant at what he was hearing, Yugo was about to scream Sigma's ears off. But Sigma spoke again before he could do so "But Yugo here is just a poor Common, he can't. For that reason, if you want to get this brat, you're going to have to pry him out of my cold dead hands after I make you regret your helplessness and feel despair!" Turning his head back with a grin on his face, Sigma gave Yugo a thumbs-up, a gesture that immediately did well to bring Yugo back into the realm of calm. "So. Act."

The officer growled. How dare trash like this speak to him like this! "Goyo Guardian attacks Wise Core!" Goyo Guardian quickly got to spinning its whip following its master's command, launching it with the intent to obliterate the mechanical egg looking Monster.

"I activate the Trap Card Twin Vortex!" Sigma's trap showed off twin bolts of lightning smashing into a barrier and reverberating "With this card, I destroy one Machine-type Monster I control and one Monster you control!" Two bolts of lightning emerged from the card, destroying both Wise Core and Goyo Guardian. Yugo in awe at how easy Sigma had disposed of the officer's self-proclaimed most powerful card.

"Was that your plan? Suicide your weak monster to destroy my powerful one? You duel more like a Common than you do a Top!" The officer yelled, smashing his fist down on his D-Wheel in anger.

"Nehehehe, you're so stupid." Sigma chuckled grimly, pumping the accelerator and turning his D-Wheel around to face the Duel Chaser's "I'm going to show you a world where your hope is replaced by nothing but the black pit of despair! Wise Core's effect! Whenever this card is destroyed by card effect, I can summon these cards from my deck, hand, or graveyard! Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity, Wisel Top, Wisel Attack, Wisel Guard, and Wisel Carrier!" Appearing out of a spinning vortex, five monsters hit Sigma's field. Wisel Top looking very similar to a worm, Wisel Guard fulfilling its namesake with its shield-like design, Wisel Attack being a mechanical arm with a deadly looking blade attached to it, Wisel Carrier looked very non-descript as the bottom of something larger, whilst, finally, Infinity looked the most like the torso of a possible monster.

Initially frightened by Sigma's declaration, the officer had bite back a laugh. "What the hell is that?! Is that the black pit of despair you spoke of? They're all so weak! What's more, none of them are Tuners! Are you an idiot?" The miasma surged, it built and built until barely any of them, apart from Sigma, were able to see. "What the hell is this fog?!"

It was merely due to being close to him that Yugo was able to feel Sigma shaking and his hands tensing around the accelerators as he brought the D-Wheel back to normal orientation. This was not going to end well, was it?

"You're the idiot, not I. They're not meant to be separate… They're meant to be together! Combine! Meklord Emperor Wisel!" Green electricity magnetised all five parts together into Infinity, Top becoming the head as a red light shown out in a manner like a face, Carrier was added on to become the budding monster's legs, Attack and Guard both sprouted the monster's arms, and finally the "eyes" of Infinity opened, revealing an infinitely rotating ball of green energy. "Wisel gains the attack and defence points of all Top, Carrier, Attack, and Guard Monsters on my side of the field!"

Meklord Emperor Wisel, Level 1, DARK, Machine, Effect (2500/1200)

"Five monsters became one…" Yugo looked at Wisel in a kind of mesmerised awe, he could spy the five monsters making up Wisel still on Sigma's duel disk meaning that they were all still present, just merged into this monster. He had never seen anything like it.

The Duel Chaser didn't look much different either, trapped between a state of amazement and anger. Snarling, he glanced at his hand and realised he had just vomited all of his resources out into summoning Goyo Guardian. "I set one card face down and end my turn!" He said with a huff. It was so infuriating having to depend on trash to get him out of this situation.

Security's Cards x3

Turn 3

"Regret your helplessness and feel despair." Sigma droned, pulling the top card of his deck into his hand "I activate the effect of my Wandering Fortress. As you should remember, this card grants me the ability to add one level 4 or lower Machine-type Monster from my deck to my hand. Such as Wisel Attack 3."

'But what's that going to do?' Yugo thought, puzzled by Sigma's decision to activate an effect to get a monster he couldn't summon 'He can't summon any monster with those five he's already got on his field, especially if they're level 4 or lower. He's still yet to even draw a Tuner.'

Holding Wisel Attack 3 into his monitor so the officer could see it, Sigma smirked once more "Now, normally this would be a pointless move since I can't summon any more monsters and I can't tribute summon. But, Wisel is not like other monsters that exist in this world, you see, I can release one part of my Meklord so long as I have the appropriate monster in my hand. So, I now release Wisel Attack to replace it with Wisel Attack 3!" A new, more advanced version of Wisel Attack now attached itself to Wisel. The previous part evaporating into nothingness. "Since Wisel Attack 3 has 400 more attack points than its previous incarnation, Meklord Emperor Wisel will now gain that increase overall!"

Wisel's ATK: 2500 – 2900

"Despair is best served all at once, so why shouldn't I make this worse for you? I activate the Spell Meklord Infinite Feast!" The card's art depicted a desolate scene, a city that looked an awful lot like the one they were in being overrun by three large robotic monsters. Meklord Emperors to be exact, in conjunction to the smaller versions of them that happened to be roaming about too. In a way, the destruction seemed to look like an infinity symbol. "With this card, I can send one Top, Guard, Attack, or Carrier from my field to the graveyard, like Wisel Top for example." Said part dissolved away as it took refuge in the graveyard "And then I can summon advanced version of it from my hand or my deck, I summon Wisel Top 3 from my Deck!" Wisel Top 3, just like Attack 3, was clearly a more advanced version of its previous form. This time, there was still a wisp of green electricity as it slotted in. "As before, Wisel's attack continues to climb!"

Wisel's ATK: 2900 – 3000

"Looks like it's time for the battle phase!" Wisel's "face" lit up, the Meklord Emperor now standing tall and proud over the Duel Chaser's being. Said Duel Chaser cowering like a scared child in the face of the monster. "Meklord Emperor Wisel attacks you directly! Show him the start of his despair!" Wisel streaked towards his vulnerable target, the large blade slashing into the ground and tearing up the concrete.

It was just about to connect when the officer called out his protection for the turn "I activate my Trap, Goyo Resurgence!" A large open grave surrounded by various people that looked similar to the Jutte cards the officer had used, was all that the art showed "During the battle phase only, by banishing both Jutte Fighter and Jutte Lord in my Graveyard, I get to Synchro Summon a Monster using the banished cards as material!"

The ground cracked open as the two Jutte cards reappeared, repeating the same process that had been undertaken during Goyo Guardian's summon. "Synchro Summon! Level 6! Goyo Predator!" Contrary to all the monsters that the Chaser had used so far, this one looked more like a demon than it did a warrior yet it still wore the same traditional clothing as the previous ones. A blue sheen overtook it as it switched to defence mode.

Goyo Predator, Level 6, EARTH, Warrior, Synchro, Effect (2400/1500)

The officer breathed the sigh of relief, losing to trash like this should never have been an option but at least he now had a way out of this. He just needed more time… Just one more turn and he-

Sigma's roar of laughter, befitting that of hyena, booted him back into reality with a case of severe whiplash "NEHEHEHEHEHE! You've done it now! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Now you get to see the true power of my Meklord Emperor!" Calming down only after a bump caused Yugo to latch onto him tighter. "Normally, their effects are limited to my turn, but you must understand one crucial factor. Direct your attention to my Wandering Fortress Continuous Spell, while I've been using it mainly to add to my hand, it has another effect! The effects of all Meklord Emperors become Quick Effects! Which means I can now steal your Synchro Monster without any delay!"

"What?!" Both Yugo and the officer exclaimed as they watched the centre of Wisel start to glow a ghostly green, tendrils slinking and slithering out of the torso and latching onto Goyo Predator.

"Know that the Meklord Emperors are nothing like the others! As the Demons of Synchro Monsters Once per turn, I can target one face-up Synchro Monster on the field and equip to Wisel! Since it is now a Quick Effect, I can do it during your turn too!" The tendrils pulled Goyo Predator further and further towards Wisel until it was absorbed into the Meklord Emperor's torso. The stunned faces of the officer and Yugo searing themselves into Sigma's brain. There was always shock the first time seeing it "And to make to complete your spiral into despair, Wisel gains the attack points of the Synchro Monster attached to it. You just assisted in your own defeat." The ghost of what was once Goyo Predator now lingered over Wisel Attack 3, a ghastly spirit that would bring its former master to defeat and despair

Wisel's ATK: 3000 - 5400

Another card came out of Sigma's hand, another card was flaunted in front of the wrathful gaze of the Security officer "And I feel like making things worse for you for how you insulted Wisel earlier, so now I activate the effect of Meklord Army of Granel – Life Equaliser! By sending this card from my hand to the graveyard during the battle phase, I get to activate the following effect. The face-up Meklord Emperor I control, Wisel this time round, now gains attack points equivalent to the number of "Meklord" cards in my graveyard x200. I count Wisel Top, Wisel Attack, and Meklord Infinite Feast, that makes for 600 more attack points!"

Wisel's ATK: 5400 – 6000

"But wait… How do Wisel Top and Wisel Attack count? They don't have that in their name…" Yugo thought out loud, catching his "carer's" ear.

"Brat, they are all counted as being a part of Meklord Emperor Wisel. They are one and the same." Sigma explained, fishing off with an exasperated sigh "But I think it's finally time to end this! Wisel, tear him apart and add another gem of a win to my collection!"

With nothing to protect him, the Duel Chaser could only sit in despair as Wisel's attack tore him from his D-Wheel and sent the pair of them vanishing into the miasma.

Security's LP: 4000 – 0

Sigma: Win!

The Speedroid Duelist looked back as the miasma dissipated, he had felt so terrible throughout the duel for some reason. His chest hurt every time he breathed, and it cleared as soon as they were able to clear the fog. The Terrible Omen piercing through it in victory "Phew… That guy was tiresome." The effeminate male looked up at his "charge" "Hey, Yugo. Where's my thank you for saving your ass, again?"

"I'm more concerned about how you bet my ass and not yours in the duel!" Yugo replied, although no malice was actually present in his voice.

"Hey, hey, what did I say before this whole duel? I actually think that your brain has dripped out of your ears sometimes." Sigma sighed, shaking his head "In case you weren't paying attention, my ass was on the line as well, I could've easily been sent to the Facility myself, you heard the fucker threaten me with it."

That was true. Sigma had put himself in the line of fire by doing this, he didn't have to do any of this, he could've thrown Yugo at that Security Officer and left him for dead. But he didn't.

Yugo was glad. Glad that his "carer" was held the Demons of Synchro Monsters.

"Umm, you're fucking grounded after this."

Scratch that. Sigma was the demon. Yugo wasn't glad in the least!

---

(Standard Dimension)

Demons came in all shapes and sizes, they hid in every nook and cranny of a person's mind that they could, they came out when you least expected them and hit hardest when they were at your most vulnerable.

Yuri Sakaki had plenty of demons. Not least the ones held over from his time at Academia. He was the "Demon Prodigy" for the brief stint he had been there for, a devil walked around in the clothes of a human and was to be avoided at all cost.

Naturally, being socially ostracised when he was barely six did quite the number on his psyche. Seeing adults and children alike scurry away from him when he asked them for a friendly duel. It wasn't his fault that he was so strong! It wasn't his fault that sometimes those people got harmed! That's just how it went in Academia! So why were they always so terrified of him in particular?!

The Professor must have been the reason. His blood always boiled when thought of that accursed man. The man had taken him under his wing for the remaining year that he had spent on that island. What should've been his greatest achievement (Him! The Professor had chosen him!) Was tainted by the man's apprehension. He saw the way the man looked at him with terror in his eyes, how he was always closed whatever he was working on when Yuri came into his room, how he kept Yuri and that girl that was always with him at least six feet apart, The Professor had said it was to stop his two charges from spreading sickness, but Yuri could smell that bullshit even as a kid.

The most powerful man in the dimension, in Academia, was terrified of him. He could still vaguely remember the metal visor that was placed over him from time to time, he didn't know what it was for since the Professor never told him, but it couldn't have been for anything benevolent. He knew nothing of the Professor's motives, knew nothing of the purpose of Academia, or even why he had his picture and that girl's on that document he had been able to spy on one time.

When he first appeared in Standard it was overwhelming, originally he had been unable to cope and it was only because of the kindness of strangers, the strangers that later became his mother and father, that he was able to get through the tumultuous months that followed his arrival.

At face value, Yuri had been able to adapt to his new environment rather well after that. He had created his own little flower garden in the house once his green thumb had been discovered by his foster parents, he had been able to make friends with Yuzu and some burly kid called Gongenzaka wasn't that far behind her, he had been able to ace all of his classes which only further proved his genius to him. Everything was just how it should be to an outside observer.

Yuri's mind, on the other hand, was like a minefield of demons and devils that threatened to pop up at the most inopportune times. His first duel, for example, was a total disaster and it was a memory that he would forever keep under lock and key. There were plenty of other minor demons too, demons that weren't that bad and demons he could live with, the types that convinced him every once in a while to punish this degenerates that messed with him and his friends.

Those were fine…

His biggest demons, they would never leave him. Very few people knew these demons, Yusho, Yoko, being his parents knew of course, Yuzu knew to a certain extent but he still refused to tell her certain snippets so she wouldn't worry about him. One person he never dreamed would know would be some creep that he had met only a few weeks ago and had already gotten him to spill his biggest insecurities. Was he really just that weak to displays of affection that it made him susceptible to ay random weirdo to learn his darkest secrets? That was something that he needed to fix sooner rather than later.

His biggest demon, he knew, had a name. A name that was Yuya Sakaki. A name that haunted him like none other. He was Yuya's replacement and that was all that he was.

The only reason Yusho and Yoko ever treated him well was because he had the same face as their son, a fact that was already traumatising enough for Yuri, he would forever just be the replacement for Yuya and nothing more.

He had spilled that part to Shiki at the warehouses but he didn't spill the other events that tore away at his psyche.

Yusho's disappearance nearly superseded the Yuya demon. Being abandoned by someone who said he loved him and would never leave him wasn't nice in any normal circumstance, but to see it happen when he was supposed to have his crowing moment and in front of a mass audience which would later go on to decry him as a coward, was far too much for him to handle as a preteen. The torrent of abuse had only stopped when he finally manged to avenge his father when he beat Strong Ishijima, although the accusations of cheating still wouldn't go away since Pendulum was still something that only few had access to.

That was only just scratching the surface. They were just to name a few, his demons remained plentiful, but he had to remain strong. He had people who depended on him like Shuzo to help keep You Show open with his performances, people like Yuzu and Yoko who wanted to see him succeed, and the three kids who looked up to him and wanted to be like him one day. He was going to put them all on his back and he was going to succeed.

That was why he was where he was now, trawling through card shop after card shop in order to improve his deck.

His duel against Reiji should've been the wake-up call. He shouldn't have tried to duel Shiki without having first improved his deck, it had been such a stupid heat of the moment decision and Yuri hated himself for making it. If Pendulum Summoning was going to become the norm then he was just going to become the best at it.

He hadn't expected this to last too long, he already had a few ideas in mind. Then again, he didn't expect to run into someone he didn't want to see.

"Oh, God! Why does this always happen to me?" Demil Kaimia, for whatever god forsaken reason, was in the very same store he was. From his clothes' dark splotches, Yuri knew that the other teen had been sweating profusely for some reason and from the dark circles under his eyes he could tell Demil hadn't slept for a good bit. "Ugh, is this where I'm supposed to say hello? Do I have to?"

He had only met the other twice, one time during the Jex incident, what that whole thing was about and why Jex had appeared in his mind Yuri was still trying to figure out, the other time was during the warehouse debacle directly after duelling one of Shiki's entourage and that had resulted in the two of them butting heads before Demil unceremoniously decided to leave.

For some reason, despite the limited interaction, Demil seemed to absolutely hate Yuri. It was a hatred that Yuri also replicated to a certain extent. "You know, you didn't have to say anything to me and you could've left without even noticing me. It's almost like you wanted to speak to me."

"Fuck you for making reasonable points." Demil groaned, rubbing at his eye and muttering something under his breath that Yuri couldn't quite hear before speaking again. "I went up to you because I've been told that I should be more "social" and because I'm a complete fucking masochist."

"And you did that by coming to a store like this?" Yuri responded, raising an eyebrow. He didn't quite process the logic behind the other teen's thoughts.

"Well, let's see my other options! One, I could walk around by myself in the city! Which I did and which resulted in me sweating like a goddamn pig because the sun hates me for whatever reason. Two, I could sit by myself and eat ice cream by myself like a loner, needless to say that doesn't count as being social but is something I would much rather be doing. Finally, three, I could actively try to look through these shitty shops to see if there is anything that could improve my deck and maybe talk to some lay about if I was unfortunate enough." Demil said, holding up three bandaged fingers as he went through each point. "You can tell which one I ended up doing. Why are you here then?"

Yuri didn't speak but held up one of the packs in his hands "Same as you I suppose, I need to improve if I'm to become the greatest. Apparently, I'm too predictable." They didn't haunt him per se, but they certainly had the desired effect. Yuri definitely wouldn't be able to shake off Shiki's words any time soon.

"You ain't going to do it with that shit, though." Demil put crassly as he pointed at the section Yuri was standing in front of, naturally it was the Fusion section since Yuri wasn't going to be outclassed in both of his Summoning Methods and especially the one he had known since he was kid. "Fusion is a weak ass method to start off with, but the stuff in this store is already substandard. There's like, two, three, good cards in this store to do with fusion. No wonder people think you're predictable!"

The Predator Plant duelist glared daggers at Demil, hearing someone insult the method he had literally been trained as a child solider in hit something deep within Yuri. The red mist descending as Yuri felt a new spirit and feeling inhabit his body. "What the hell would you know about Fusion, bandage boy?"

Placing his hand over bandaged eye, Demil spoke back with his voice a low rumble "More than you would think. Fusion is a filthy method." His voice contained nothing but pure venom and the sheer level of hatred that dripped from his lips would be enough to make Satan proud "But besides that, I like to think I know quite a bit about duelling. I've been doing this shit since I was figuring out not to eat my own shit." Okay, Yuri was already trying to banish that image from his mind.

Pushing aside his own growing hatred, Yuri decided he would pick Demil's brain a bit. If Demil really was as knowledgeable as he claimed then it would be helpful, conversely, if he was a total idiot then it gave him material to insult Demil with. It was a win-win. "Is that so? Well then, Mr Expert, do tell me, which cards are the best here for Fusion Summoning?"

"Simple. Outta my way." Not waiting for Yuri to move, Demil shoved past him. Something Yuri noticed, though, was how Demil seemed restrained as he touched him. Almost as if he didn't want to. "You don't want that shit you have at the minute. Your chances of getting anything halfway decent are about the chances of me enjoying your company. You want this." He said, tossing the packet in question at Yuri, who just about caught it "Your odds are better with this, they're still not any good but it's better than nothing."

"And pray tell? What are cards are these exactly?" Yuri asked, staring at the packet and wondering why it was this one that Demil had picked out.

"Instant Fusion, free Fusion that is level 5 or Lower that can still use its effects at the cost of 1000 life points and not being able to attack with said monster. Super Polymerization, card basically wins the game since it cannot be negated under any circumstances, comes at the cost of discarding just one card and allows you to Fusion with your opponent's monsters." Yuri's eyes widened when he heard that. That card was actually made? And there were no costs other than discarding one card? How was it that powerful? "Finally, this is more of a half good card, Ultra Polymerization is pretty good if you have the life points to spare since it costs 2000. However, it can't be negated and also can bring back the Fusion Material that was used for the summon at the cost of killing all points and effects they had." Demil responded, looking rather pleased with himself for being able to rattle all of the effects off the top of his head.

Damn, that actually seemed rather great. If all of this was indeed true then Yuri had to actually give credit where it was due to Demil. "If it doesn't diversify your strategy then it should make you a hell of a lot less predictable." The bandage covered teen said to him, retreating back to his previous position.

"Thanks." Yuri mumbled, he was used to giving praise in duels, not so much every day. It was as he passed Demil though, with his head pointed downwards, that he noticed something about the other "Are you just here for fun then? You don't have anything."

Demil groaned, very loudly at that "Oh my fucking god! What did I tell you? This was one of my three options, and because I know that Nesta will have sent someone out to trail me to make sure I'm actually following along with his stupid damn demands, I came in here and I am now talking to you. It's really not that hard!" Immediately after finishing speaking, Demil wanted to kick himself for dropping Nesta's name like that. Even dumbass Daiki wouldn't make that mistake.

Yuri blinked owlishly, he… Hadn't quite expected that reaction. It was… Interesting to say the least "Alright… Why's this Nesta guy doing this to you then if you clearly hate it? And you say he's got someone trailing you? You do know that they heard you in China?"

Sighing, swearing into himself and readjusting the bandage over his eye, Demil replied lowly "He's my… Guardian, I suppose you could say. To cut a long story short, I don't like him, he's too controlling. He doesn't like to be disobeyed, add that to the prior point and you can tell that he'd much prefer to have someone tailing me in a situation like this just to satiate his need to see me under control." There was a lot that Demil was leaving out, an awful lot, but Yuri wasn't privy to the information of the Guild. Frankly, knowing what his dipshit of a brother did to Yuzu, it would be inefficient to tell Yuri about everything. No matter how much he might've wanted to. "You know anyone like that?" He said, hoping to shift direction of the conversation away from himself.

"Thankfully not." The anymore went unsaid, but just as Yuri wasn't privy to the Guild, Demil wasn't privy to Academia and the Professor.

As an awkward silence settled between the two teens, neither knew where to go next. Both had made it clear that the other's presence was a blight on their day, Demil with the grace of a sledgehammer compared to Yuri's more restrained disdain. Yuri, at this point, wanted nothing more than to hightail it out of there with his cards and just lock himself in his room at home to sort his new deck out. Demil, already hating being outside, was just looking for any way out of this now. No way in hell was he going to talk to Yuri for the rest of the day, despite what Nesta told him.

Thankfully, the sound of a beep on Demil's duel disk, signifying a request for a call, was just the opportunity the two of them were looking for to leave. "Well, it seems that someone else wants to talk to you, lord knows why, but maybe this can help with your little "socialising" escapade. Nice talking to you, bandage boy!" Yuri said as soon as the wonderful noise entered his ears, shoving past Demil like the other had done to him to go and pay for his cards.

Growling, Demil didn't say anything as he spied who was calling him and walked out of the store, giving one last glare at Yuri as he kicked the door open and jumped straight into insulting whoever he was talking to.

Yuri breathed a sigh of relief, his day might be saved just yet.

(Meanwhile)

'It's okay, Yuzu… Just going in there and ask him.' Yuzu didn't know what had compelled her to stand outside this building. Its gargoyles jeering at her as they peered down at her from their perch. 'He'll understand…He'll probably be expecting me…' The building, massive in its own right and definitely larger than You Show, loomed even larger, taking on the look of something akin to Mount Everest despite Yuzu being perfectly aware of what lay in wait inside.

The Enchanted Underworld Duel School would never cease to intimidate her, the memories associated with it also haunting her like a malevolent phantom. Ghastly images of seeing Yuri sprawled across the ground, two phantom people hunting her down to ask about a person that shared Yuri and Yuya's face, seemed as if they were never going to leave her.

Taking a deep breath and steeling her resolve, Yuzu cracked the door open and was immediately met by the sight of a panicked looking Kichirou racing after a group of butterflies, all of them with midnight black wings "Come back here, you bastards! If Shiki finds out I've lost you again he's sure to be mad!"

Whilst initially confused, Yuzu's mind was still stirring enough to link Kichirou back to being the one to kick the hole now fixed in You Show's walls. She was also able to remember the butterflies, the fact one of them had landed on Shiki's outstretched hand when they first met the sandy haired male should've meant that they were at least trained, so why Kichirou was having such issue trying to corral them back into the cage he was swinging about like a madman was a mystery.

It didn't stop her from laughing at how ridiculous the situation was, though. Kichirou was like an angry dog barking at seeing its own reflection. Still, not wanting to appear rude, Yuzu tried her best to squash and muffle her laugh.

However, that did nothing, as the moment she let out a small snicker was when Kichirou's head snapped over his shoulder with his pupils diluted within a sea of pinkish red. "Oi… Who the hell do you think you're laughing at, you bitch?"

"Ah! Uh… Uh… No one… Nothing!" Yuzu squeaked, stiffing like a washboard and waving her hands in front of her face.

Kichirou strode forward, Yuzu could swear that the ground was melting from underneath his feet "Answer the fucking question!" Despite the similar heights, Kichirou seemed so much larger as he pressed into her personal space. It made her knees feel weak.

She was just about to respond and apologise for her mere existence, but a flash of recognition in Kichirou's eyes was enough to save her from that fate "Hey, you're one of those You Show duelists, aren't you? What are you doing here?"

Being allowed breathing space, Yuzu took a step backwards before replying "Y-yeah! I'm Yuzu Hiiragi-I, nice to meet you!" She said, steadying her voice and sticking out her hand.

"Oh, Yuzu. Shiki told me about you before." Kichirou muttered, taking the friendly gesture graciously. The cage being set down to the ground and the butterflies being thrown out of his mind as if he hadn't just been screaming his head off over it "So what're you doing here? Is something wrong with You Show at the moment?"

'Except for the hole in the wall, no…' Yuzu replied internally, having seen what Kichirou was like long enough to not say anything vaguely insulting "N-no! I came here to ask Sogami-san for some help!"

"Help? What could you want from him? I hope you don't mind me saying that you're probably wasting your time coming here. I don't think Shiki's in the mood to see one of you lot again." Kichirou said, looking a strange mix of on edge and pleased at the same time.

What he said was strange, though. Sure, they had rather frostily left one another quite quickly after the end of the duel between Shiki and Yuri, but Shiki didn't look all that annoyed. Instead, there was almost a morbid fascination in his words as he uttered them to Yuri on his way out. "Huh? Why?"

The pink haired magician shrugged his shoulders "Shiki does what Shiki does. When he came back with us he was fine, but he's not left his office since. Kioka and Teru haven't turned up today either, so if you were looking for them as an alternative, sorry about that."

"Oh no, there's no need to apologise!" Yuzu responded, frankly surprised that the guy who had caused her dad an aneurysm over the holed lodged in You Show's wall could actually be anything other than angry. "Is Sogami-san angry or something like that?"

Scratching the side of his head that he had previously torn apart, Kichirou darted his eyes around the Duel School, glaring at the butterflies that hovered mockingly in the background, before replying with a low voice "Sometimes… Shiki'll get angry and we won't know why for a good couple days. This isn't the first time he's done something like this, he once went an entire fortnight not speaking to anyone here. He still came, but he always had other people take the lessons and when Kioka-chan and I went to speak to him, he refused to acknowledge our presence event though he was staring right at us for the majority of the time. I think what happened with Yuri-kun during that duel has affected him in some way."

Deferring to Kichirou's judgement, Yuzu reckoned that he was probably right with that last sentence. Maybe Shiki just had harder tells that took a while to get used to, she could read Yuri much better than anyone else could after all. "Do you think you could show me where that office is? He may not be in the mood, but I at least want him to hear how I want to get stronger!" Daiki, Jex, and Yuri had all motivated her in different ways to get stronger. If Yuri was going to take the commitment to carry them all on his back, the least Yuzu could do was to lighten that load.

Looking quite bewildered by the sudden show of passion, Kichirou stuttered and shuffled his feet back "S-sure. I-I w-would be careful, though. F-follow me…"

It was only as she followed Kichirou through the corridors by herself, that Yuzu noticed the sheer scope of the school. The corridors, when not full of confusing turns and stray students skipping out on classes, stretched into depths that beckoned them deeper. The inside was designed nothing like the outside, that was for sure, it was just now that Yuzu realised all the work that must've gone into making this place look so intimidating on the outside but so refined on the inside. It must've cost an awful lot too.

"We're here…" Kichirou mumbled, knocking Yuzu out of her architecture inspired trance. The door to Shiki's office lay before them, looking rather pathetic with its simple wooden frame and silver plaque reading "Principal" on it when placed near such finery as the walls. Kichirou edged towards the door, kneading his bottom lip as he tentatively rapped the frame.

"Leave." Shiki's voice was muffled, but it was clear and easy to her the vitriol in it. Taking a glance sideways, Yuzu could just see how upset the Smoke Sorcerer Duelist was. He looked absolutely devastated.

"It's not for me, Shiki… That girl from You Show is here… C-Can we come in?" Kichirou replied, wringing his hands over and over again as silence filled the air. The oppressiveness of Deity Loveless had nothing on the few seconds that presided over them like a tyrannical monarch passing its corrupt judgment on them.

"You may enter." A shiver ran down the pair's spines as Shiki eventually spoke, tone measured and calm.

Kichirou took the lead, pushing the door open and allowing light to flood into the dark office. Shiki shielding his eyes from the light as the two of them stepped in. The office space was cramped, enclosed from every corner by bookshelves with numerous dusty books and the occasional deck that Shiki had probably collected during his life. In addition, there was a great mess of wilted rose petals on the floor that just made it even more difficult to not to spread any more mess. The three of them squeezed tight with Yuzu and Kichirou inches from Shiki's desk that said adult was currently sprawled across for no discernible reason. "Ki-kun, what was so important that you just had to see me?"

"Uh… Uh… Uh…" The pink haired magician stammered out, fiddling his fingers "It's her!" He yelped, trashing his arm out and pointing at Yuzu as if she were the devil "The bitch here demanded to see you for some stupid, fucking, asinine reason and that's why I'm here it's no fault of m-"

With the raise of his hand, Shiki silenced Kichirou's budding rant. Looking them in the eye for the first time since they entered. Yuzu never knew so much disdain and hatred could be located within a single place. "First of all, go wash your mouth out. You can be yourself, but not in the presence of someone who willingly came here. Second, let the woman speak for herself. Remind yourself that I only let you come in once you told me she was with you, if I wanted to listen to you, I'd have let you come in the first time." Yuzu spied the unnatural tensing of Kichirou's shoulders, it were as if someone was stabbing a knife multiple times between them "Finally. Where are my butterflies? I know I gave you the cage. Aren't you supposed to be looking after them?"

With widening eyes, the realisation of his neglected duties hit Kichirou hard "Shit! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! This is your fault, bitch!" He scrambled out of the office as fast as humanly possible, his actions in the last few seconds completely tarnishing the normalcy that had proceeded them.

Yuzu was stunned by how quickly Kichirou had once again flipped 180 degrees in no time at all, but a beckoning hand from Shiki brought her out of that train of thought "Don't think too much about it. Ki-kun does what Ki-kun does, I trust him enough to handle himself and he generally rewards that trust with his own skill. Which brings me onto you, you're looking for my help aren't you?"

"How did you know?" Yuzu said, mouth gaping at Shiki's correct assumption.

"Lucky guess. But it's natural to assume that following your little display against that Masumi girl." Shiki responded, still as cold and calculating as he was when she first stepped in. Mere mention of Masumi brought back more unwanted memories and doubts, her own demons coming back to jeer at her again. She had never gotten closure on that mysterious person at the warehouse, or who those other two people who seemed to know that person were, or why a girl had her face. This had to be the first step to allowing her to take that leap forward to clear her mind. "So, tell me, what exactly do you want me to help you get stronger? My flightless mariposa."

She had to learn an extra deck summon. Synchro wouldn't work with her Melodious deck, plus she had been hearing rumblings from Gongenzaka that he too was looking to learn a method to beat someone. If his duel was anything to go by, it was clear who he mean and what method he wanted to crack.

She could've learnt Fusion. After all, she had two extremely powerful Fusion users at her own school, and one of them was her childhood friend. But watching what Yuri was going through, not knowing what he was thinking and what mental state he was in, was too much for Yuzu to overcome to ask him to teach her Fusion. With Sora, she still didn't trust him yet. Maybe the events over the past two weeks or so had warped her natural trusting disposition, but she wasn't ready to trust someone like him.

Whilst she had only known Shiki for slightly longer than Sora, he was at least an established figure in the city and had his own school. He had invited Yuri and herself for that tag duel that went awry, but the gesture couldn't be understated. Barring a few short instances, he was never anything but courteous to them.

She took a deep breath before blurting out her demand "Teach me XYZ!"

---

(Time Skip)(Elsewhere)

It was such a shame that he could rarely be out during the beautiful day. Beyond being the poster child for stranger danger, it hurt his skin too much to be out there in the bright sun. An unfortunate down side for how he was born.

Nevertheless, moping about how he couldn't see the sun, never had, was pointless and needed to be locked away in the back of his mind.

All actions that had transpired from that night he had met the Dog and the Rabbit needed to be rectified. Quickly for all intents and purposes.

The Rabbit and the Dog truly were interesting souls, one with such ferocity in their being like someone who would fight with a desire that could destroy the entire world if they wanted. The other was a more mellow kind of soul, one with no intense joy nor deep despair, one with a natural disposition to want to make peace and one that would only resort to force when it had reached its breaking point. He'd be lying if he said that wasn't usual. Much like how someone might judge a book by its cover, one glance at the type of person was enough for him to get the general gist without even seeing their soul.

However, something was special with these two. A darkness lay at their foundation, something that pulsated much stronger in the Dog than it did in the Rabbit. In the Rabbit it was like a mixture, a powerful light tainted with deep darkness whilst in the dog it took on the blackest form of a soul he had ever seen.

It was so odd that out of the pair of them, the Grimoire had decided to choose the Rabbit as the key. Although, at this point in his journey he had come to except he couldn't be omniscient over everything, a fact he loathed every time he had to tell himself it.

Nor could he be omnipotent over all factors at play, a fact that he had to face whenever those servants walked around in the daylight. Those who hunted him like he was some kind of hot commodity. It was rather annoying, frankly.

He needed some breathing space for his next move, they were swarming all over the place. It was only by pure chance that he was able to avoid them earlier in the day, the one time he could be grateful for his lack of sun protection. If he had dared to venture out of shadowy alleyways and decrepit old buildings, there was no doubt in his mind that he would be caught. Pale alabaster skin combined with his viridian green hair, not least to mention his attire, stuck out like a sore thumb.

In a way, meeting the Rabbit and the Dog as soon as he did had turned into a curse for Jex. Not only did he have to flee with his tails between his legs like a total fucking coward, but he had played his cards a little too early as a result. Whilst paranoia was usually a good enough wrecker of the mind, it only had the desired effect for him whenever he left on his own terms. There was now a massive Kaimia-sized hole in his plan.

Kaimia seemed to be lurking in wait for him to resurface and it infuriated Jex to no end. He was supposed to be the one in control. He was the one who was supposed to be the master of the game. He was the one who was going to reclaim the Grimoire. Not some shitty bandage wasting low life that belonged beneath his jackboot.

Worse still, Jex could just feel something off about this dimension. Some wretched being was going to rear their ugly head and prevent him from reaching the Rabbit again. His cards, his true cards- not that shitty excuse for a dummy deck that he liked to pilot from time to time, his servants needed better decks- cried out to him with every fibre of their being. It hurt him to hear them screech like that, it felt like it was taking a piece of his soul every single time he heard those painful cries to turn away.

But the die had been cast, he declared as much. Legend had it that there was a saying engraved on the gates of Hell themselves, "Abandon all hope ye who enter here."

Hunting for the Grimoire was his one hope.

He wasn't ready to abandon it just yet.

Not when Uriel needed him.

Not when a new candidate with a delectable looking soul had passed in front of him…

---

A/N: So... Yeah... I'm late on this again. I said I would get this out in March, I did not and I am sorry for that. The one excuse I can give is also something that everyone is taking about now. The Pandemic has thrown a lot of things out of place, including forcing me to prematurely end school as I was about to take my exams, despite that I still need to do the work and it's becoming as it usually had. I also strangely had a lack of motivation during this period of time, but I should be fine for the next chapter. I hope all of you reading this are doing well as well, make sure to maintain your distance, wash your hands, and all the other stuff you've heard time and time again. It's important

Anyway, what did you think of this chapter? This is mainly a set up plot in standard whilst an action plot in Synchro, but don't forget any moving parts behind the scenes, just because something isn't being shown doesn't mean it isn't happening.

The idea to bring the Meklords back into the fray with some new support was mainly due to the existence of the Earthbound Servants used by Sergey in the anime, basically making me go "Why not?" and include another one of the antagonist archetypes. What did you think of the duel this chapter anyway?

Well, that's it till the next chapter. Be sure to review if you want, and also favourite and follow if you wish to keep up when I post next because knowing me it could either be two weeks or two months.

See ya!