I groaned before opening my eyes. I blinked a few times to get the sleep out of me and saw that it was still night. I tried to move but fely some weight on me, turning my head I say Sally holding me in a tight embrace

'I remember now' I hummed 'I dueled using Yuya's Pendelum deck and won' I can still feel my body being tired 'ah well, I gave proof to this dimension and the secret war those Fusion duelists'

I struggled a bit to feel more comfortable in my girlfriend's embrace 'I'll worry about that after getting more sleep in me'

And I closed my eyes again as Sally groaned a bit trying to keep me in her arms


The next day Lazar was in his office humming in thought after the experience from last night

'This is truly troubling' he hummed 'but then again, those duelists haven't invaded our home yet' he smiled a bit 'so there's a bit of time to prepare' but then frowned a bit 'although, with the Friendship Cup coming up... a majority of us will be focused on the competitors than safety'

His thoughts stopped when the door opened to reveal Mina letting Reiji and Reira inside

"Ah Mr. Akaba" he smiled "I was about to call you in"

"I see that our conversation from last night still has you in deep thought" the leader of the Lancers hummed

"Apologies" the mayor sighed "even though my world has faced some...unnatural moments. Having it happen again after achieving our peace will cause heavy disruption"

"I do not blame your worry mayor" Reiji nodded "so I will change the subject, have you had any unusual behaviour reported to you from the detention facility?"

"Ah yes" Lazar pulled out a couple of files from his drawer "two names have caused a bit of ruckus when they were in there" he laughed a bit at imagining the staff there trying to subdue those two "thankfully they have calmed down enough when Tetsu Trudge called yesterday before meeting you and explaining your situation"

"Serena and Shingo" Reiji nodded "those two have been...energetic upon learning of the mission, and didn't realize that by blurting it out in the open would cause them trouble"

"Ah yes, the energy of an active youth" Lazar hummed "I'll have to make a meeting with the Tops council along with you and Yusei to make it believable since you know... the dimension travell thing"

"Of course Mayor" Reiji nodded "I'll assist your endeavors on this matter"


I was at the dining hall with the rest of the lancers eating a hearty meal

"Ah that hit's the spot" I smiled

"You said it" Sally agreed biting on another bread "a simple breakfast to start our day"

"I, the man Gongenzaka, have bad news Jason" the steadfast duelist spoke "but we still have members missing in our group"

"Indeed" Tsukikage nodded "when we gathered I noticed that too"

"So who are we missing?" I asked 'I can already guess Shingo to be in that list'

"They are Dennis Mcfield, Serena, Shingo Sawatari and Shay Kurosaki" the ninja answered

'Of course' I rolled my eyes 'the more...active members might cause a scene thanks to our mission'

"You know I heard from officers Crow and Tetsu that a couple of duelists were acting wild and spreading nonsense" Yugo spoke

"Seriously?" Sally covered her eyes "did they not realize that this dimension isn't attacked yet?" she shook her head "then again, they just thought the mission was too important to ignore"

"Which is saying something" Yuzu spoke

'I can see Serena in trouble since being caged lacked social skills for her' I then slapped my face 'and to think Shingo, you have been making trouble ever since using those Pendulum cards'

"Is there any way we can get them?" Yuya questioned "I mean, they are still part of us and it will cause more trouble if we let them be" he reasoned

Just then LCP officers stepped in

"You don't have to worry about that" Crow grinned

"We just got approval to visit those two delinquents from the Detention Facility" Tetsu followed "so finish breakfast and we can get there sooner"

Speaking of said duo...


Shingo wasn't really making it easy for himself to relax as he kept complaining about the lack of luxury in his cell

Serena simply watched her partner in crime blankly sitting on her bunk bed before thinking about the whole incident they made upon arriving in the dimension

'I was too focused on the mission to notice that this place hasn't been invaded yet' she thought 'so maybe declaring that trouble is coming isn't really helpful...'

Just then an officer came in and whacked the complainer's head

"Ow!" Shingo held his head "how dare you hurt the great Shingo Sawatari like that!"

"You've got that coming kid" the officer replied "your friend is smart enough to stay quiet, keep acting that then expect an extended stay in this facility"

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Shut it Shingo" Serena spoke "your complaining is just making it harder for us"

"Like you could order me around!" he snorted "you didn't even bother that your belief in dueling caused people to suffer!"

Which resulted in the Lunalight duelist punching him to the wall knocking the boy out as he slid down

"I'm starting to see why Jason said you were a loser..." she frowned "you can't take your loss gracefully"

"I'm surprised you did that girl" the officer blinked in surprise "isn't he supposed to be your friend?"

"I'm not really the social type sir" she replied "but there are times that I get fed up when someone doesn't realize what happens after the situation"

"At least we can agree on that" the officer shook his head "hopefully your other aquintances can help you handle him upon leaving this place"

"I appreciate the sentiment" she nodded

In another part of the Detention Facility, Dennis was wowing his fellow inmates with dueltaining skills

"Now Trapeze Magician" the boy pointed at his opponent "attack my opponent directly!"

The Xyz monster then swung forward before grabbing the trapeze and used it to hit the ground unleashing bright sparks blinding the target as his lifepoints decreased

Inmate LP: 1000-0

Dennis LP: Win

The young dueltainer bowed as his audience cheered and clapped with joy at his spectacular performance

"Man new guy" the inmate groaned "you surprised me" he sat up "I haven't felt that happy since entering this place"

"No problem my friend" Dennis smiled "just doing my job as a dueltainer"

Shay Kurosaki wasn't really vocal on what he saw right now... sure he was reminded of a happier time when dueling brought joy back in Heartland

But that was dashed when the Fusion dimension invaded and destroyed his home. His eyes narrowed at Dennis smiling to the audience

'I know your'e hiding something teme' he thought 'and when I duel you again, that mask you wear will be destroyed in front of everyone you deceived...!'


At the entrance of the facility, Crow and Tetsu guided the Lancers inside as they talked about the predicament they're in

"I can't believe we're walking in a place like this" I looked around

"No kidding" Sally wrapped my arm in hers "even though this is supposed to help people calm down, I feel scared right now"

"Yeah..." Yuzu nodded

"I'm just glad I didn't cause big enough trouble to be sent here" Yugo commented 'no doubt Rin would visit only to scold me...'

"It looks that way at first" Tetsu looked at his guest "but when you interact with the inmates, it won't feel so bad"

"And thankfully with us around" Akiza added as she walked "you kids shouldn't be too insecure"

Crow looked ahead thinking of a fellow Commons officer he met a couple years back

'I wonder how the inmates are handling themselves when your taking shifts in the facility?'

We went through the halls seeing the residence calm and relaxed, like they just had a wonderful show

"What's with the smiles in here?" Tetsu blinked

"Guess you were not informed upon arriving here" the detention officer spoke "we received new delinquents yesterday and a couple of them had Lucas Swank visit here"

"Wait Lucas is here?" Akiza blinked in surprise before turning to the Lancers "then that means-!"

"Dennis is here" I guessed "are the new delinquents nearby?"

"Yes they are" the officer smiled "I believe deputy Chojiro is with them too"

"Then tell us where he is!" Crow shouted in slight panic

"What's happening to him?" Yuzu asked

"He just misses the friendly officer in our group" Tetsu answered "some of us take shifts in the Detention Facility every couple of months"


After getting the directions all of us were in the area with said officer who was keeping an eye Lucas and his recruits

"I apologize for my lack of information when you recruited me for your Turbo Duel"

"No problem kid" the businessman smiled "I was at fault too for seeing such enthusiasm"

As the two were conversing, Serena walked into the open area dragging a still whiney Shingo by the collar

"Do you have to drag me?" the spoiled idiot questioned

"It got you quiet for once" the girl retorted before tossing him conveniently landing at Jason's feet

"I see that you are still causing trouble" the HERO duelist spoke blandly

"Jason!" Shingo stood up in surprise before pointing his finger "and I see that you finally got into trouble if you're here!" he smiled "I can't wait to tell Reiji-sama about this!"

"You know this kid?" Tetsu and Crow blinked at Shingo's stupidity

"He's part of the Lancers Reiji talked about" he answered

"How is he part of it?" Akiza questioned seeing the boy jump up and down at removing competitors on his greatness

"From what I heard, he persisted on getting what he wants" Jason replied "making him part of us with uncaring zeal of the danger he's blindly walking toward"

"I'm surprised he even stayed in good shape with the mess he's faced" Sally muttered

"Hai..." Yuzu and Yugo nodded seeing as the guy was in his own little world

Serena walked toward the Lancers looking regretful that her actions caused her group trouble

"I'm...sorry..." she spoke "I did not realize my actions would create a panic"

"At least you're learning" the two officers nodded in relief

But then there was a surprise when Jason turned to Shingo, delivering a gut punch sending the idiot to his knees as the wind was knocked out of him

"What was that for!?" he wheezed

"Your lack of thinking" Jason answered coldly "you have a chance to improve yourself, and yet here you are... making a mess" he made an effort to stay calm "if you really are the great Shingo you keep claiming to be...then you better start making that greatness without looking like a total fool!"

This scenario caused all attention to them and anyone who knew Jason shivered on seeing his cold fury

'I'm glad that I'm not Shingo right now'

"Jason" Yuya stepped in "I know that you aren't on good terms with Shingo, but we still have to look out for each other"

"You're right Yuya" I nodded before looking at my friend "but if he doesn't get it together, he will keep making irrational decisions that will cause us to be at risk"

"I believe that would be enough from you young man"

Clacks of wood echoed and we turned to see a man wearing a green yukata with an LCP pin on the left side of his robe signifying his job profession

"Chojiro!" Crow smiled at seeing a fellow LCP officer in the facility "good to see you man!"

"You as well Crow"

"I see that you haven't met trouble that you can't handle" Tetsu nodded

As the conversation between the three officers began, Lucas decided to watch the Lancers as Dennis was being scolded

"I can't believe you would jeapordize our mission like that!" I panicked upon hearing the event of the other Lancers' arrival "I get Shay doing that since he hasn't felt relaxed upon recruitment, but I expected better from you Dennis!"

"Don't make me the bad guy here" the guy tried to calm the tension "I am a dueltainer after all. So my actions aren't for naught"

"Oh please" Shay crossed his arms "compared to your methods, I took my mission seriously"

The Lancers, plus Yuzu and Yugo, talked to each other about the comparable situations between them making the visitors, officers and other inmates blink or laugh at them

"They are quite a group" Lucas smiled

"I couldn't agree more" Akiza nodded "seems that upon having most of them around can cause a ruckus"


While that happened. Lazar was with Yusei, Sherry and Elsworth plus Reiji, Reira and Tsukikage talking to the Tops council about the recent development

"This does sound concerning Lazar" Azul hummed

"And at the time of the Friendship Cup tournament also" Bordeaux sighed

"Truly appalling to have such a dire matter coming to us" Gray wove his fingers

"Although..." Lazar interjected "this could be a good thing"

"Care to share those thoughts?" Gael asked

"Considering that most would focus on the tournament, this would lead only the security to occupy the streets" the mayor of Commons pointed out "making the invaders face them instead of the non-duelists of New Domino City"

"That does give a positive situation on the topic" Taki smiled "but now there is the matter with the Lancers entering our world"

"Of course" Reiji stepped forward "which is why we have Yusei Fudo and a couple of his compatriots in this meeting with us"


Back at the facility, Chojiro was given information of the situation Tetsu and Crow have

"So there is a secret war about the dimensions and most of the children there are a special group to combat against the invaders" he repeated

"That's right" the LCP nodded

"I'm surprised that you're taking this well Chojiro" the BlackWing duelist blinked

"Considering the encounter of the disastrous future from years back" he recalled "this type of problem shouldn't be different" he then placed a fist to his chest "besides, I became a police officer to protect New Domino City. And no invaders will do that when deputy Chojiro is around!"

"Glad to have you on board Chojiro" Tetsu grinned "now why don't you have a duel against one of them"

"It would give me an idea how the Pendulum cards work"

The three then walked back to the Lancers as Lucas and Akiza stopped the bickering

"Now that the noise has calmed" Chojiro looked at the young duelists "I would like to have a duel from your group"

"Say what now?" some of them blinked

"I know where this is going" I hummed "you want to know how the Pendulum method works" and pushed Yuya forward "he will be your opponent"

"What!?" Shingo looked outraged "why are you having that loser take the spotlight?!"

He would've ranted on had he not taken another punch to the gut from me making him fall to the ground again

"if you actually paid attention" I sneered at the pathetic member of the Lancers "you wouldv'e been smart enough to let the others step forward and handle the situation"

I turned back to Chojiro "besides this is a good way to let us relax a bit from the tension of our arrival here"

"And what about you Jason?" Dennis raised a brow "with you taking charge in this group, what will you do?"

"I have busines with Shay" I looked to the Raidraptor duelist in front of me "while the duel happens, I can talk some sense to him on his aggressive behavior" I turned to Yuya "and besides who better to bring smiles than the future dueltainer himself"

Yuya smiled at Jason as he grabbed Shay's wrist and walked to a private location without prying eyes or eavesdroppers nearby

"Now that the opponent is declared" Chojiro smiled "why don't we start our duel Yuya?"

"I'd be glad to show my skills against you" the young dueltainer smiled back


After finding privacy for the both of us. I let go of the Xyz duelist as he looked at me suspiciously

"Any reason why yu dragged me here?" Shay crossed his arms

"I did that because I wanted to show you something" I pulled out a deck in my deck box

"You made a second deck?" he blinked

"Not exactly" I gave him the cards "take a look"

The Raidraptor was unsure at first, but when he turned over the deck the cards were familiar

"The Phantom Knights..." Shay looked at me in surprise "how did you-?"

"It was before we left Standard" I answered "while Reiji was studying the dimension travel tech from Yuto's duel disk. He entrusted those cards to me" I looked at him in the eye "and since you care for the guy deeply, I want your permission to use them"

Shay looked at Jason before gazing to his comrade's deck

'Yuto...' he thought 'I hope you will be fine when Jason uses your cards' before giving them back to his new friend "I'll allow it"

"Thanks" I smiled "and don't worry, after this duel I'll return Yuto's deck back to you" I sighed "I just need to show everyone how good I am at using Xyz cards"

Shay simply looked at Jason as he started adjusting his deck

After some time passed I finished the adjustments of my deck "okay it's ready" I placed my deck back in the duel disk and the other deck in my deck box before turning to Shay

"Now that I mixed Yuto's cards with mine" I spoke calmly "let's get back to the others"

The walk was quiet and I can understand that. Shay allowed me to use his comrade's cards with some reluctance. And frankly I don't blame him... after all, having someone you just met to use a trusted friend's cards can be offensive because my deck carried the pain he endured before travelling to other dimensions


Upon our return we saw Yuya being congratulated on his victory against Chojiro's Flower Cardian deck as the rest of the crowd applauded in joy

"You did great Yuya!" Yuzu cheered

"I, the man Gongenzaka, am glad that your dueltaining was able to reach others still" Noboru smiled

"Truly worthy of being related by the great Yusho Sakaki" Dennis sighed one day wishing to see the father son dueltainer tag team

"I have to say Yuya" Chojiro spoke "I was surprised that your Pendulum cards were able to get the advantage" he chuckled "provided that it required a bit of luck since you had trouble against my Flower Cardian flow technique"

"Well, that archetype you have got me dizzy since it came form a different card game" the dueltainer scratched his head

"I cannot blame you young one" the deputy acknowledged "when Duel Monsters became popular, I didn't want to forget that other card games were still around to play with"

"It's something alright" Yugo scratched his head "I'm still trying to get used to those Pendulum cards"

"I agree" Akiza followed "the Pendulum method seems to make an unexpected advantage when necessary"

"What a waste..." Shingo muttered "I should be the one getting the applause"

"And that would have you getting hurt by me again" I called getting their attention "you would be too busy enjoying the attention making your opponent question why you are a duelist"

"Like Hell that will happen again!" he shouted in denial

"Welcome back Jason" Crow stepped in "how was your private talk with Shay?"

"Pretty good" I nodded "but I really have a strong urge to duel someone right now"

"This is great!" Shingo jumped "I can finally get back at you for your insults on my dueling skills"

"Not you Shingo" I pointed to Serena "she will be my opponent"

The Lunalight duelist blinked in surprise but didn't deny a chance to face a strong duelist like me

"Are you sure Jason?" Sally spoke "I mean, when I dueled Serena, her strategy is very powerful despite it being simple"

"Which is why I wish to duel her" I countered "her thoughts rely more on the direct approach and that's going to cost her"

"Ahem" Serena crossed her arms "you do know that you just insulted me right?"

"And it's intentional" I looked at the Lunalight duelist "people can resort to do bad things if it doesn't go their way"

"That's a coward's tactic" Serena scowled

"it doesn't change the fact that the option can be used" I retorted "thankfully I'm not that kind of person, so you can rest easy"

"Our duel will be just like Yuya's then?" she questioned

"No" I answered "our duel will be old fashioned...no Pendulum needed. Just us and our experience in dueling"

"Now that's something I'd enjoy"

"After seeing the duels earlier, I'd like to feel something nostalgic"

"You're really working the crowd Jason" Dennis hummed "are you sure you don't wanna be a dueltainer?"

"Yes I am" I answered then turned to Chojiro "does this facility have any of the old model duel disks?"

"I heard from other guards that there is a delivery yesterday" the deputy hummed "I'll call them for confirmation and have it brought to us"

That would take a bit of time but it would help the rest to relax and get ready for the old fashioned duel Jason declared


"So Jason against Serena?" Yugo hummed "I'm not sure who would win this" he scratched his head 'especially with what Jason told me about the Fusion dimension invading the Xyz dimension' he then glanced at Serena 'and since she came from that place...I hope he wins'

"I'm betting on Serena to win" Shingo huffed "Jason needs to know his place on walking into such a situation"

"I doubt your prediction will come true" Noboru shook his head "Jason Wellbing is a strong individual, so he can prove to be Serena's equal"

"I can attess to that" Shay added "he is someone you should be careful of"

"And what do you know?" the idiot of the Lancers questioned

The Raidraptor duelist decided to shed some light back in the Miama Championship

"Do you remember Jason used Xyz summoning in his match against Sally?"

"I have" Noboru answered

"Me too" Yuya followed

"That was a surprise to me as well" Yuzu blinked

"It was a spectacular moment for him" Dennis smiled

"One Xyz monster he summoned was called Utopia" he said looking a bit sad "which came from my home in Heartland"

"WHAT/NANDA!?" the Lancers gawked at him

"Not only that" Shay looked at them again "Jason was able to used Utopia's common strategy that only one other duelist knew" he then glared at Shingo "if that isn't enough for you on Jason's strength, then shut up and watch the duel"

Akiza and Lucas blinked at their conversation but decided to stay quiet since it doesn't involve them but they couldn't help on wondering about Jason

'So the boy has some special potential' the businessman thought 'well what better way than to see it myself' he smiled

'Jason said that dueling show's a one's personality' the doctor of team 5ds hummed 'if this duel will show something about Serena, then I hope the girl will learn to be better since she was placed in here upon arrival'

Finally an imnate officer came in with two suitcases in his hands

"Ah they have arrived" Chojiro smiled and took them then going to the duelists "I hope this will satisfy you"

"I'll be the judge of that" I hummed and opened the case to see a gun and holster inside

Yuzu screamed in panic and jumped backwards at seeing it "nanja kore ga!?"

"Are you crazy Jason?!" Noboru pointed at the suitcase "you are going to hurt Serena with that!"

"Cool your heads kids" Crow picked up the holster from the case "this is a duel disk"

"Huh?"

"You heard right" Tetsu nodded "this is a gunman disk from Satisfaction Town"

"I heard of that place" Akiza spoke "that was where Yusei's friend, Ka;on Kessler, lived in with a quickdraw duel being used"

"Quickdraw duel?" Yuya blinked

"Let me show you" the Blackwing duelist strapped the hoslter on his waist and prepared himself "this is what she meant"

He unholstered the duel dusk, placed it on his arm and transformed for the duel

The Lancers blinked at the the method of that item

"So you have to assemble the duel disk first in this type of duel?" Sally spoke

"Yes" Lucas smiled "I would have an order for the gunman disk, but with models being portable and lighter..." he huffed in dismay "no one took an interest in them anymore"

"Interesting" Serena smiled as she took the spare and strapped it on her waist "I'm guessing that this duel requires you to have good hand-eye coordination"

"Correct" Chojiro answered "since Turbo dueling was a strong interest, the ground duelists wanted to be fast themselves"

"Then this is easy for me" I took the gunman disk from Crow "I trained myself to be fast back home"

"You think you can beat me Jason?" Serena challenged "get ready to be disappointed"

"I'm not the one who acted wild then got sent to this place" I retorted placing my deck in the duel disk

"Ooooh...!" the crowd called geting excited right now

"You just signed up for your loss" the Lunalight duelist smirked as she inserted her deck i n her Gunman disk

"Jason..." a few of the Lancers felt worried that their friend might regret what he's doing

The two were now facing each staring in silence. Everything was quiet, no doubt waiting for the signal to start

Another couple seconds of quiet and then...!

"DRAW!"

Serena reached for her disk, but Jason was faster as he assembled his disk and completed his hand first. She was struck speechless at her opponent's reflexes

"Impressive" Chojiro, Tetsu and Crow hummed

"EEEEEHHH!?" Shingo was gobsmacked

"Na...nazeda?/But how...?" the other Lancers, Yuzu and Yugo blinked in shock

"It's actually something Jason wanted to do ever since he was a kid" Sally smiled

"Care to explain Sally?" Yuzu questioned

"When we were still in school he has an interest of cowboy films" she answered "since the showdown scenes are like dueling "

"So Jason in a quickdraw duel made him feel like a cowboy..." Dennis hummed before smiling "looks like he might want a souvenir from New Domino City"

"You staying surprised Serena?" I smiled "we're dueling here"

That was enough to get her bearings back, she assembled her duel disk and drew her hand


Jason LP: 4000

Serena LP: 4000

"I won the the first turn" I drew my card "and I activate the Field spell, Colosseum of Warriors"

The area changed into a colosseum with us in a stone ring

"Now I activate my Double Summon spell to summon two Herioc Challenger-Spartans"

Heroic Challenger-Spartan (Lvl:4 ATK:1600x2)

"I end my turn" I finished

"My turn" Serena drew "I activate the Polymerization spell card" she slid te card into the spell/trap slot then pulled out two cards from her hand "fusing my Lunalight Blue Cat and Purple Butterfly!" said monsters appeared above her

"Blue cat of sharp claws, unite your power with the creature of the forest and become a force of strenght!" she chanted "Fusion summon! Lunalight Cat Dancer!"

Lunalight Cat Dancer (Lvl:7 ATK:2400)

"Battle!" Serena pointed at of my monsters "attack that Spartan Cat Dancer!"

The Fusion monster leapt in the air and delivered a flying kick at my monster

"Spartan's effect activates!" I called "should my opponent target him in battle, all monsters of the same name combine their ATK points!"

The second Spartan went to his comrade and both of them raised their shields

Heroic Challenger-Spartan (ATK:1600-3200)

Cat Dancer tried to break through but she was pushed back and got destroyed in the process

"I activate Lunalight Gray Moth's effect, by sending this monster card to the grave the damage is cut in half"

A ghost of said monster looking similar to Purple Butterfly, but has short hair, gray clothes and a veil covering the lower half of her face, appeared blocking the damage as Serena's lifepoints decreased

Serena LP: 4000-3200

"You expected me to do that didn't you?" the Lunalight duelist frowned "that's why you didn't place any facedown cards on your turn earlier"

"Correct" I nodded "even though I haven't dueled you myself, I can already see your strategy" before looking at her sternly "no matter how capable you are...if someone can predict your moves, you're already losing"

"Yeesh..." Shingo groused "what's gotten Jason so fiesty?"

"Have you not realized that almost half of us got into trouble for reckless behaviour?" Noboru reminded

"And only some of us were aware enough on finding others to stay safe" Yuya added

"Not only that" Sally raised a finger "we got lucky on getting back together thanks to the manners we kept upon arriving here, if we hadn't... then all of us will be in this facility!"

"And there's his philosophy in dueling" Yuzu hummed

"Philosophy?" Dennis and Lucas blinked questioningly

"Dueling shows people who they are" Akiza spoke as she overheard the comments of the duel between him and Leo last night "experiencing it myself, dueling shows one's feelings"

"You got it Miss Izinski" the Sally nodded "not only by the type of cards, but also the strategies using them"

'Okay, now I'm worried about facing Shay or Jason in my duels...' Dennis thought 'Reiji Akaba is enough to scare me on keeping my cover!'

Serena gritted her teeth at being read like an open book. But she has to stay strong in this duel

"I end my turn"

"My turn" I looked at my opponent 'let's see you stay confident on what my field can do' I raised my arm "I activate my field's effect! Once per turn I skip my draw phase to add a random card from my deck to my hand"

"What?!" Serena and most of the audience shouted

"The only cost of it is how many warrior monsters I control" I added "since it's an even number, I add a monster card to my hand" the card ejected from my deck for me to add it in my hand

"A field that help's you get specific cards instead of taking chance" Shay muttered "you have found ways to surprise me Jason..."

"What do you mean by that?" the Lancers questioned

"I'm not telling" the Raidraptor duelist answered "I'll let the duel show you what I mean"

I looked at my hand and smiled "I summon my third Spartan to the field"

Heroic Challenger-Spartan (ATK:1600x3)

'Great' the Lunalight duelist grumbled 'it just got harder for me to destroy that monster...'

"I see that you are still narrow on thinking" I commented making her blink "have you not realized what is in front of you?"

"You have 3 monsters that can protect themselves from my attack" she said reluctantly

"Wrong, I control monsters with the same level" I corrected "and you know what that means"

"You're-!" Serena didn't finish as I started to perform an Xyz summon

"I overlay my two level 4 Spartans and build the overlay network!"

The two monsters changed into streamers and moved into a galaxy portal before exploding

"Champion of light, enter this battle and fight your opponents with your sword!" I chanted "Xyz summon! Heroic Champion-Excalibur"

The monster appeared and it was ready to battle against Jason's opponent by his command with most of the inmates cheering at the monster's appearance


"So that's Xyz summoning" Yugo hummed "one good thing about it is that Tuner monsters aren't used but still needs monsters on the field to make the summoning possible"

"I shouldn't be surprised thanks to Dennis' duel earlier" Chojiro commented "but it still takes time on getting used to a different extra deck summon besides Fusion in here"

"Usodaro!" Shingo gaped "you mean to tell me that Jason can perform more extra deck summons now?!"

"Be glad that he's not on Reiji Akaba's level" Dennis gulped remembering the back in Miami City "from what I'm seeing, he can't summon monsters from the extra deck simultaneously"

"And be happy that Jason won't humiliate you with Xyz monsters back at Miami City" Sally reminded

"Would you drop that topic already!" the wannabe dueltainer shouted having to recall the fear of Yuto giving him a near-death experience

"Only if you drop that annoying personality" she huffed not really tolerating that his presence is making the objective more trouble than it already is


"I activate Excalibur's effect!" I called "by using two overlay units, my monster has his ATK points doubled!"

Heroic Champion-Excalibur (ATK:2000-4000)

'An Xyz monster that can streghthen itself...' Serena thought 'I'm starting to see why Professor doesn't allow me to leave'

"Now Excalibur" I pointed at Serena's Fusion monster "attack Cat Dancer!"

The Xyz monster pulled out his sword and delivered the attack destroying the Fusion monster

Serena LP: 3200-1600

"Now Spartan" I continued "attack Serena directly"

The monster threw his spear at the Fusion duelist but got surprised at the deduction of her lifepoints

Serena LP: 1600-800

"What happened?!" Yugo blinked "Jason's last monster should've ended the duel!"

"Yeah!" Yuzu followed "Spartan's ATK is equal to Serena's remaining lifepoints!"

"That's thanks to Gray Moth's effect" Serena spoke as she removed said card from her graveyard "I banish this card to recieve only half the damage"

"You at least have a plan to stay in the duel" I smiled "though that card would be necessary earlier when the damage was above 2000" I sighed "I place one card facedown ending my turn"

"My turn" Serena placed her fingers on the deck 'make fun of me will you?' she thought "I draw!" she looked at the card and smiled

'Looks like she has something good' I thought seeing my opponent smile before gazing at my facedown 'but with my facedown card, she won't know what's coming...'

"I activate my Pot of Greed to two cards" she looked at her new cards "I now use Monster Reborn to revive Lunalight Cat Dancer!"

Said monster appeared again in her field

"And use Polymerization to fuse my Cat Dancer with Lunalight White Rabbit in my hand" and proceeded a Fusion summon

"Cat warrior of the night, let your strength rise by the power of your allies" she chanted "Fusion summon! Lunalight Panther Dancer!"

Lunalight Panther Dancer (Lvl:8 ATK:2800)

"My monster can battle all monsters my opponent have twice with the targets not destroyed in the first attack" she called "and she can't be destroyed by spell or trap cards"

"Now that's a card you have trouble fighting against" the inmates commented

"Jason's toast now" Dennis crossed his arms "I had to keep my defenses up against Cat Dancer in my duel gainst Serena"

Yuzu stared at the other dueltainer 'is it because you don't want to be seen as dangerous?' she thought 'or is your good deed with Yuya gave you a bad draws when you dueled alone again...?'

"Now you'll get what's coming to you!" Shingo sneered "take him out Serena!"

'Definitely a loner...' I stared at Serena's field 'all that skill... and you use one monster to win' I blinked a bit 'then again... those Fusion invaders may rely more on swarming, which could explain their mindset on battle royale duels'

"Battle!" she pointed at my monsters "attack them Panther Dancer!"

"I don't think so!" I retaliated "I activate my trap card!"

"Haven't you paid attention?!" Serena spoke in anger "Panther Dancer can't be destroyed bt spells and traps!"

"I'm not destroying your monster" the facedown card flipped "I'm stopping her with Negate Attack!"

The Fusion monster stopped with her claws just inches away from her targets. Panther Dancer went back to Serena's field with the duelist looking very frustrated that her chance slipped again

"And thanks to my trap" I looked at her "you only have one option to do..."

"I..." she was reluctant to say it "...end my turn"


"I'm impressed" Lucas crossed his arms "not only did Jason cut a good chunk of Serena's life points, he hasn't lost any of his yet..."

"Oh come on!" Shingo growled glaring at Jason "just let yourself get hurt so I can see lose for once!"

Noboru wasn't happy to hear those words and decided to put the wannabe dueltainer in a headlock

"I, the man Gongenzaka, do not appreciate the words you just spoke"

"You really have problems when it's not you getting attention" Yuya blinked at his fellow Lancer

Shingo would've made a retort when the steadfast duelist let him go, but he received a smack from Yuzu's paper fan

"Yakamashi!" she glared at the guy fire in her eyes "if you keep talking in this duel then I'll send you to the hospital myself!"

Yugo gulped at his new friend's attitude and having been smacked by that fan for mistaking her as Rin a few times... he pitied Shingo as the boy tried to soothe his stinging face

Akiza sighed that someone had to get hurt for lacking common sense. But she was glad to be a doctor or else people will be in pain for a long while...

Serena was fuming that her chance was snatched away again, it was like being in Duel Academy again!

She looked at Jason and saw him looking stoic, no doubt that this duel isn't taken seriously making the girl lose more composure

"You..." she growled "you're mocking me on purpose!"

"Looks like you finally realized my plan"

That did it...

Serena ran forward and tackled me to the ground surprising everyone by her action

"Serena!" the Lancers shouted in shock

"Should we call for back up?" Chojiro blinked "she might hurt Jason"

"That won't be necessary deputy" Tetsu shook his head

"Yeah" Crow followed "I have a feelng that this was supposed to happen"


I looked calmly at Serena, her expression was angry and confused

"Why?" she whispered "why are you doing this to me...?"

"Two things" I spoke loud enough for only her to hear "one is for you to realize that your fellow duel soldiers cared more for unfair advantage, two is to see how you can handle the receiving end of it" I then looked away "and I'm sad that you acted the way I predicted"

The Lunalight duelist blinked before looking up to see the audience looking at them in shock making her let go and jump away giving me the chance to sit up and pick up my card that I dropped from the tackle

"Serena, I know you wish to be seen as a strong person" I sighed "but you must realize that this duel isn't just winning or losing" and stood up "it's also how you show yourself in front of others"

'I'm so stupid...' She regretted on her actions again and walked back to her field 'I was so desperate to do something' then looked at the Lancers 'some member I am...'


"At least that settled without problem" Crow smiled

"Although Serena might not be able to focus after what she did now" Chojiro hummed

"Let's just hope she can snap out of it" Akiza gazed at Serena's sad expression 'I'm suddenly reminded of my past with my psychic dueling so potent' she then looked at Jason 'I hope you can reach her like Yusei was able to reach me'


"It's my turn, and thanks to my field spell, I add a monster card to my hand instead of drawing my deck" I looked at my hand and smiled 'it's time to use them...'

"I activate the spell Xyz draw!" I slid the card in the spell/trap zone "I return one Xyz monster to my extra deck and draw two cards"

Excalibur disappeared from the field giving me the chance to draw again 'I hope this draw can get a card I need'

"Next I activate another spell Phantom Exchange" the card appeared on my field with the image of Rugged Glove holding the Shift trap card "I shuffle a monster I control back into my deck to special summon one The Phantom Knights monster with a level equal or below from said deck to the field"

"Phantom Knights!?" Yuya, Yuzu and Shingo shouted in disbelief

"I return Spartan to my deck" I slid said card back and the deck reshuffled before it ejected a card "and special summon The Phantom Knights Rugged Glove!"

The Phantom Knights Rugged Glove (Lvl:3 ATK:1000)

"With a Phantom Knights on my field, I special summon The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots"

The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots (Lvl:3 ATK:200)

"I overlay my two level 3 monsters and build the overlay network!" the monsters turned into purple streamers and entered a galaxy portal before exploding

"Warrior of the night, arise from the shadows and face the enemy before you" I chanted "Xyz summon! The Phantom Knights of Break Sword"

The Phantom Knights of Break Sword (Rnk:3 ATK:2000)

"Okay..." an inmate pointed at Break Sword "that monster would give someone the creeps"

"But you have to admit one thing about it" another spoke "it looks scary cool...!"

"I activate Rugged Glove's effect" I called "when used to Xyz summon the Xyz monster gains 1000 ATK points"

The Phantom Knights of Break Sword (ATK:2000-3000)

"Battle!" I pointed at the Fusion monster "destroy Panther Dancer Break Sword!"

My Xyz monster galloped forward and slashed it's target into pixels

Serena LP: 800-600

"I end my turn" I said as the effect of Rugged Glove finished

The Phantom Knights of Break Sword (ATK:3000-2000)

I looked at Serena solemnly "this is your last chance, your draw is the only option left to fighting back..."


"I now see what you mean Shay" Noboru blinked "I haven't felt this surprised from Jason ever since the Miami championship"

"Honto desu..." Yuzu and Yuya nodded

"And he sure isn't hiding the fact how hard it is for his opponent to win when pushed her into a corner" Yugo crossed his arms

'Serena' Sally grasped her hands tightly 'please don't hate Jason for this'

"My turn" Serena was about to draw 'please show me a good card' she revealed the card and smiled slightly

'Looks like she has another shot to get me' I looked at my field having no facedown cards 'and no tricks to stop her this time'

"I activate the spell Lunalight Revival" she slid the card into the spell/trap zone "I remove one Lunalight monster and a spell card to revive one Lunalight Fusion monster!" she paid the cost of her card's effect "return Cat Dancer!"

Lunalight Cat Dancer (Lvl:7 ATK:2400)

"Wait" Shingo blinked "why did she bring back that monster? She could've used Panther Dancer and win the duel!"

"No wonder Jason kept hitting you..." Shay muttered

"What was that!?" the wannabe dueltainer glared

"Had you remembered Jason's philosophy" the Raidraptor duelist reminded "Sally is showing her feelings in this duel"

"And with Cat Dancer, she is back to where the duel started" Akiza concluded


"Battle!" she pointed at Break Sword "destroy that monster Cat Dancer!"

The Fusion monster removed her crescent moon badge and threw it at the Xyz monster destroying it

Jason LP: 4000-3700

"I activate Break Sword's effect" I called "when this monster leaves the field, I revive the overlay units attached back to the field with their level changed to four"

The Phantom Knights of Rugged Glove (Lvl:3-4)

The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots (Lvl:3-4)

Serena knew what is going to be next but with what just happened in this duel she decided to let it happen "I end my turn"

"My turn, and since my field has two warriors, I skip my draw and add a monster card to my hand" I then raised my arm "I now overlay my two level 4 Phantom Knights"

And performed another Xyz summon

"Warrior of great fury, enter this battle and destroy your enemies...!" I chanted "Xyz summon! The Phantom Knights of Jagged Axe"

The Xyz monster appeared, and like Break Sword, it was a black armored being mixed some leather under the metal blue flames for a body but with a viking helmet for a head with it's visor glowing through the holes. The weapon the monster held was a big, jagged, axe

The Phantom Knights of Jagged Axe (Rnk:4 ATK:2300)

"Jagged Axe..." Shay blinked with wide eyes "you still kept that card Yuto?"

"I activate my Xyz monster's effect! By using one overlay unit, I destroy a monster on my opponent's field"

The glowing orb moved to Jagged Axe's weapon making it glow, and in one swing Cat Dancer was destroyed again

"Now battle!" I pointed at Serena "end this by attacking her directly"

The Lunalight duelist simply looked at the Xyz monster swinging it's weapon down at her, accepting the defeat completely

Serena LP: 500-0

Jason LP: WIN


The inmates cheered at the duel applauding at Jason more than Serena

"That was great!"

"It sure was!"

"I never thought that the old fashioned duel disks can be interesting again!"

"Looks like Jason was able to entertain the crowd even though he isn't a dueltainer" Dennis hummed

"That's because Jason's duels are about feelings being expressed" Sally reasoned "no matter how good the moves are, if you don't show your feelings with them... then it's nothing but a humorless joke"

I walked to Serena as the girl was on her knees feeling the weight of realization on her

"So Serena" I kneeled in front of the Lunalight duelist "did you learn anything from this duel?"

"I did" she answered before looking at me in the eye "I have to make plans besides agression in my duels"

"Good" I nodded "but knowing you Serena, it will take time to be versatile in your next duel"

"Jason" I turned my head to see Shay "I believe you have a deck to return"

"Right" I stood up and pulled out my duel disk "I'll readjust my deck again to give Yuto's deck to you"

Most of the other Lancers plus Yuzu and Yugo went to Jason and congratulate him on his victory against Serena. Leaving Yuya alone to his thoughts about the duel itself

'Jason's really good at this' he thought 'I wonder if he didn't offend Yuto for using his deck?'

'I'm not Yuya' Yuto's voice echoed in his head

The dueltainer looked up to see emptiness around him with the Xyz duelist looking back at him

"Yuto..." he muttered

'I'm actually surprised that he was able to grasp my strategies like that' he said

"Aren't you at least a bit angry that he'd use your cards in his duel against Serena?"

'Jason knows that she wants to change but she lived with the enemy for a long time' Yuto reasoned 'I know he's a good person Yuya. Isn't that why he became your friend?'

The dueltainer blinked as he recalled his first duel with Jason and the duels he made back in the Miami Championship. Jason was a person who expressed himself through dueling, after realizing that. Yuya was back in the facility seeing some of the Lancers praising his friend

Lucas and Akiza simply stayed quiet sharing one thought about the situation

'There is no doubt that the Friendship Cup will be interesting to everyone when it comes...'


Back in Tops, Jean-Michel Roget smiled as the call ended from the Tops council about escorting a group of people from the Detention Facility

"Truly an unexpected surprise" he placed four black pawns on his cheesboard "and no doubt some rules will be bent to handle this change" he moved a white bishop to eat a black knight "though I might end up losing good things" then the bishop was eaten by a black rook before it was eaten by a white knight

"No matter" he stood up "I should at least see the Lancers myself before I start my plans to keep this dimension neutral for Professor" and walked to the door "I'll visit Miss Simington for information first since she was involved too"


Author's notes:

Okay that is part 1 of the filler and part 2 is already being worked on. I actually thought this chapter is going to be short... but then I remembered that I was altering parts of the progress as the two series interconnect (was I dumb to forget that part) before the Friendship Cup section of this arc

Now for questions...

Why is Jason taking charge of the Lancers while Reiji is somewhere else?-Reiji Akaba is a man of plans and that requires him to do things on his own while the Lancers are handling teamwork (that means after getting info about the dimension war, they must be able to trust each other upon recruitment). After seeing Jason's progress back in Standard, he is acknowledged by Reiji to keep them together while the man made sure to not cause trouble on his objective of stopping Leo Akaba

Shinji getting hurt in the story-be honest, the guy has done nothing but trouble for the Lancers thanks to his big ego. He's been getting slaps on the wrist right to the end. So I plan to have him carded by an elite from Duel Academy in the Xyz dimension arc

Serena blowing up in the middle of dueling-from what I see in her personality, she was a duel soldier under Leo Akaba's plan to unite the 4 dimensions. She was eager to act and prove herself, but Jason used preservation tactics resulting in her outburst. (I know she has cards in her deck that will help her win, but her most used strategy is one Fusion monster then evolve it when it get's tough)

Jason using The Phantom Knights-Jason's deck had mixed Fusion and Xyz summoning into his deck, I wanted to try a duel with him using only the Xyz method and he passed with flying colors. Not to mention that Serena's debut was to face against an Xyz duelist. So Jason using Xyz summoning with Yuto's cards to beat Serena will help assure her beliefs that Leo Akaba's plan isn't noble. (And this chapter would be the last time the archetype will be seen since Yuto is fused with Yuya... at least not until the arc I thought of at the finale of this story)

Jean-Michel Roget following Leo Akaba's plan-I for one believe a better way for his involvement in the story of Arc-V... and since he was in the Synchro dimension, I figured he was there thanks to the Professor... he will have proper closure in Duel Academy (rather than simply being banished into an unkown dimension, or the void between them, for his narcissistic nature and mental breakdown of repeated failures)

With those questions answered, I hope the Friendship Cup arc will be better for you when it comes. Because I have yet to figure out who will face who in the tournament yet

Original card/s:

Colosseum of Warriors

Field spell

Effect: Instead of drawing the card in your draw phase. Activate one of these effects depending on the number of warrior-type monsters you control: even-add 1 monster card from your deck to your hand, odd-add 1 spell or trap card from your deck to your hand. You can only use this effect once per turn

Lunalight Gray Moth

DARK

Level: 3

Beast-Warrior/Effect

ATK/DEF: 1000/1000

Effect: send this card from your hand to the graveyard to recieve half of the damage this turn. Banish this card and the damage you recieve is now halved

Xyz Draw

Normal spell

Image: an Xyz monster card above the duel disk with 2 cards drawn out of the deck

Effect: return 1 Xyz monster you control back into the extra deck. Draw 2 cards

Phantom Exchange

Normal spell

Effect: reshuffle 1 monster you control back into your deck, special summon 1 The Phantom Knights monster with a level equal or below from your deck

Lunalight Revival

Quick-play spell

Image: Cat Dancer holding an orb of light with Monster Reborn as the background

Effect: Remove from play 1 monster card and 1 spell card to revive 1 Lunalight Fusion monster from your graveyard

The Phantom Knights of Jagged Axe

DARK

Rank: 4

2 level 4 monsters

Xyz/Warrior

ATK/DEF: 2300/100

Effect: once per turn detach 1 overlay unit to destroy 1 monster in your opponent's field

Trivia: this Xyz monster represents Yuto's hatred against the Fusion invaders back in Heartland. (yes I know that he wishes to not hurt people anymore, but remember that humans have feelings and even he could not stand the mocking words from his enemies when they take pleasure of turning his home into a wasteland)