Chapter 2: Stuffed Animals

Another night came to Amitie and co., and everyone began to sleep. Each of them had a dream of sorts. Amitie dreamt of what a life as a dueltainer could be like as she performed stunts as Yuya's assistant. Lidelle had a dream where she was brave and helped her friends out of a hostage situation by dueling and defeating a bunch of bullies. Maguro dreamed about winning a Duel Monsters tournament by using his machine monsters.

Draco had a dream that involved her being the coolest female duelist around, and showing off her skills to Arle. Zuzu's dream was nothing special… And as for Yuya… his dream was about him being the world champion of action duels, and he even saw his own dad. But then, Sora appeared and jumped on him. Sora had his arms around Yuya's neck, and had his legs wrapped around Yuya's waist as he said...

Sora: "That was so cool, Yuya!"

Yuya: "G-geez, take it easy, Sora…"

Sora: "*excited laughter* I just knew that you'd win, your use of Pendulum Summoning was fantastic! So when's my Pendulum Summon lesson, Yuya? Hmm?"

Suddenly. Sora leaned forward and the area around Yuya changed to the surface of the moon. Then, Sora's leaning caused Yuya to fall into a dark abyss. After that happened, Yuya in the real world woke up as he hit the floor. Maguro woke up from the sound it made and looked at Yuya.

Maguro: "Woah… Are you all right, Yuya?"

Yuya: "Ugh… Yeah, I'm okay, Maguro… I was just surprised with something that happened in my dream."

Yuya got up as he said this and grabbed onto a little crystal-like charm of his. This charm was actually important to him, but Maguro didn't know that.

Yuya: (The most awesome duel that I ever took part in, and it was only a dream…)

Yuya looked at his charm as he said this in his mind. Maguro saw the charm, and spoke up.

Maguro: "Hey, what's that, Yuya?"

Yuya: "Oh, this? … To tell you the truth, this is something that my dad gave me some time before he disappeared…"

Maguro: "He gave you that?"

Yuya: "Yeah. … You know, this thing swings like a pendulum… and I'm the only duelist that I know of who has Pendulum cards. If I can use these cards to entertain people… then I might be able to become the greatest dueltainer in the world. I just have to believe in my deck, and in myself. Dad taught me that lesson, and I want to make it a promise to him that I won't forget it."

Maguro: "Heh. I think it's good that you're striving to deliver entertainment to others whenever you can, Yuya. Everyone needs at least some levity in their life, and you could definitely provide that to people. I got a lot of levity in the past by hanging out with Ringo."

Yuya: "Really? … Either way, yeah… Levity is good for people. … Let's get ready for the day, Maguro."

Maguro: "Okay."

The two boys got dressed for the day ahead of them and they left Yuya's room. As they did, they heard Yoko speaking to someone in the kitchen.

Yoko: "You're certainly hungry, my little friend. Well, keep eating; there's plenty more where that came from."

The boys decided to go down a pole and see what was going on. And from there, they saw someone that they didn't expect. The appearance of this person caused the boys to comedically drop to the floor.

Maguro and Yuya: "S-Sora?"

Sora: "Oh, hi guys!"

Yuya: "What are you doing here?"

When Yuya asked this, his mother faced him and said…

Yoko: "I noticed him walking around the neighborhood, the poor boy. I had no choice but to offer him breakfast, of course, since he looked hungry."

Yuya: "Mom… you should have given him food to go."

Yoko: "Yuya, he's welcome here. Sora, you said that Maguro was your teacher, right?"

As Yoko faced Sora and asked him that, shivers went down Maguro's spine. Of course, Maguro didn't show that he had shivers, but in his mind… he was a bit embarrassed.

Sora: "Yeah!"

Maguro: "Uh, teacher is a bit of a strong word to use here…"

Sora: "Anyway… Yuya, your mom makes some amazing pancakes."

Yuya: "Um… Well, I can't disagree with you there, Sora."

Maguro: "Speaking of which… we should probably eat as well, Yuya."

Yuya: "Yeah, you're right, Maguro."

And so, Maguro and Yuya ate pancakes with Sora… though, there wasn't much talking. Mostly because Maguro and Yuya still felt a little awkward when being around Sora. After some time passed, Yuya left for prep school and Maguro stayed behind with Yoko and Sora. And of course, Sora began to bug Maguro, trying to get him to teach those "dueling skills". And, as Yuya made his way to prep school with Zuzu… talked to the latter for a bit.

Yuya: "Zuzu, Sora ended up hanging around in my house because Mom saw him walking around the neighborhood, and she decided to offer him pancakes… I'm also pretty sure that Sora's trying to get Maguro to teach him stuff as we speak."

Yuya slumped in his walking as he said that. Zuzu gave him a quizzical look and…

Zuzu: "He's living in your house, too?"

Yuya: "Most likely…"

Zuzu: "Aren't you happy about it? Sora seems like a legitimately nice and happy person… And don't you like it when people are happy?"

Yuya: "Yeah, but not exactly in that way… *sigh* Oh well… at least he's not obsessed with me and Pendulum Summoning, like how Sylvio was."

As Yuya said that, Zuzu looked at the time and...

Zuzu: "*gasp* Yuya, we need to hurry!"

Yuya: "Oh no! We're gonna laaaate!"

Yuya and Zuzu ran to prep school, and thankfully… they made it to class on time. During class, Yuya was ignoring a lecture and looking at his Pendulum cards from behind a raised book.

Yuya: (I wonder if anyone can do a Pendulum Summon when they have the right cards… Maguro told me that Sylvio performed one without any issues. … I can't believe that Maguro managed to win that duel… He was on the brink of losing after halving the damage he took from those three direct attacks, and only barely won with B.E.S. Big Core. … If everyone has the ability to Pendulum Summon… then what will happen to my days as a dueltainer?)

Hours later, Yuya and Zuzu got out of prep school and the two talked again.

Zuzu: "So, um… why the long face, Yuya?"

Yuya: "Zuzu, have you ever thought about the possibility that everyone might have the ability to Pendulum Summon?"

Zuzu: "No…? Why do you ask?"

Yuya: "Well… … If everyone IS able to Pendulum Summon with the right cards, then what about my whole thing as a dueltainer? If Pendulum Summoning becomes the norm, then people will have no reason to be excited about me…"'

Zuzu: "Aw, don't believe that. Just because Sylvio was able to Pendulum Summon without any problems, that doesn't mean everyone could have what it takes to perform one. So smile like you usually do and make others smile as well."

As Zuzu said that, though… Yuya wasn't so sure."

Yuya: "..."

Zuzu: "... Oh-! I know what will cheer you up! Maybe a duel can beat back those blues of yours."

Yuya: "Maybe. *sigh* I'm just not sure… … …! Wait, you're right, Zuzu! I can't let gloom drag me down like this."

Zuzu: "Then let the battle begin."

The two then made their way to You Show Duel School, and Amitie and co. were there already… along with Sora. When Yuya and Zuzu entered the room, the former asked…

Yuya: "All right, who's ready for some excitement? The one and only Yuya Sakaki has arrived to take center-"

At that point, Yuya saw that Sora was sitting in a chair next to Maguro. Yuya stopped speaking for a bit from this.

Maguro: "Uh, hey there, Yuya… Sora decided to follow me here and I've been, uh… yeah."

Maguro had this awkward grin on his face as he said that, and Yuya sighed.

Yuya: "*sigh* He's now here, too?"

And then, Skip appeared and said…

Skip: "Ahh, I'm proud that Maguro was already able to find someone else to teach the fun dueling skills from this school… And I feel even prouder that Sora and everyone else will officially be enrolling here, starting today."

Yuya: "What?! Wait a minute! Maguro never accepted Sora as his student!"

Maguro: "Th-that's right, Yuya…"

Sora: "Oh, come on, Maguro… What are you waiting for? We gotta tackle our first dueling lesson, right? Let's get to it; I wanna learn from the best!"

Maguro: "H-hold on…!"

Yuya: "Sora, can't you see that Maguro doesn't exactly want to teach you?"

Sora: "... Okay, look… I'll make you a deal, Maguro. Just duel me this once, and I'll never bother you again."

As Sora said this, he had a precious-look on his face.

Lidelle: "O-oh my… Maguro… you can't just turn Sora down after he has made a face like that."

Amitie: "Yeah! So, pleeease? Sora's so nice, Maguro..."

Maguro: "... No. I don't wanna teach him. I just don't think I'm cut out for teaching others about something that I've barely experienced myself. … I'm sure you can understand that, Sora…"

Sora: "B-but…"

Amitie, Lidelle, and Draco: "..."

Maguro: "Hmm... …? …! I got it! Yuya, why don't you teach him a few cool tricks in an action duel? You're a dueltainer, after all."

Yuya: "H-huh?!"

Zuzu: "...! That's right! Yuya, you can use this duel as an opportunity to wow somebody with your way of dueling!"

Yuya: "What? You think so, Zuzu?"

Zuzu: "I don't just think so; I know so."

Sora: "Yuya can wow people?"

Amitie: "Yeah! We saw how he dueled against one of his other friends, and he was amazing!"

Yuya: "H-hey! Don't hype him up too much, Amitie…"

Sora: "Heh. Okay, you got me curious... I wanna know how much Yuya can wow me."

Maguro: "There are no take-backs, Yuya."

Yuya: "Ugh… Very well. I'll duel you, Sora. And I'll be sure to bring my dueltaining a-game with me."

Sora: "Great!"

Skip: "All right, with that settled, let's go to the action duel field!"

Amitie: "Yay! This is gonna be fun!"

And so… everyone went over to the field in You Show Duel School that was made specifically for action duels. There, Yuya and Sora went into the duel field, and the others stayed outside of it. And with that, Amitie and co spoke for a bit.

Maguro: "As much as Sora bothered me… I'm kinda curious to see what deck he has in store."

Amitie: "Ooh, I'm super curious to see what kind of deck Sora has! What about you Draco?"

Draco: "I'm, uh… actually not really wondering what kind of deck Sora has... I'm kinda more excited about how the duel will go than anything else."

Skip: "As you should be when watching any action duel. Anyway…"

Skip picked up a microphone and spoke into it so that everyone could hear his voice.

Skip: "And so begins an epic showdown between our resident Pendulum expert, Yuya… and Sora, the wannabe student!"

Sora: "Oh, I'm getting excited already!"

Skip: "Duelists, get ready... to duuuel!"

Skip then pressed a button on a keyboard and said…

Skip: "Our cardslingers will clash in the Wildest West!"

After he made that known to everyone, the ARC system did its thing.

Female Computer Voice: "Augmented reality combat system energized. Generating action field."

And soon enough, it was like Yuya and Sora were in the wild west. Though, the latter was actually not impressed with the choice of field.

Sora: "Don't you have a cooler field? This one's kind of weak."

Skip: "Huh?"

Sora: "Use some imagination. I wanna have this duel take place somewhere sweeter than this."

Skip: "Uh, let me think… … Ah-! Okay… here we go!"

Skip pressed the button again and this time, the field that was picked was something along the lines of what Sora was looking for.

Female Computer Voice: "Generating action field."

The field then changed from the Wildest West… to a place that was made entirely out of candy and other sweets; a place that Lemres would've loved if he was there. Upon seeing this field, everyone was wowed! Heck, even Yuya was blown away.

Yuya: "Woah…"

Amitie: "This field would be perfect for one of our other friends! Plus, it looks so warm and tasty!"

Lidelle: "Y-yeah. This field has that warm, inviting feel to it and I can't say no to it."

Maguro: "I may not be much of a candy guy, but this all looks pretty good!"

Sora: "Ooh… yum! Now THAT'S more like it! This field's a treat! It's awesome!"

Skip: "Ooh, how cute!"

Yuya: "*sigh* Give me a break… Anyway, I think it's about time that I show you the excitement that comes from action duels, Sora! Ha!"

Yuya activated his duel disk, and Sora quickly did the same. As the two duelists stood against each other, Zuzu chimed in.

Zuzu: "And now, get set for a duel with delicious sights and delights!"

Yuya: "The action begins…"

Yuya and Sora: "Now!"

Female Computer Voice: "Action cards dispersed."

Yuya's LP: 4000 - Sora's LP: 4000

Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 5 - Sora's Hand Size Before DP: 5

Yuya: "Are you ready, Sora? I'll make the first move to set the stage! I draw! And I think I'll get things started by summoning my Performapal Hip Hippo! What do you say you and I hoof it into high gear, Hip Hippo?"

Yuya got on Hip Hippo and the latter began to run off to who knows where.

Yuya: "See you, Sora! I'll end my turn from there."

Yuya's LP: 4000 - Sora's LP: 4000

Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 5 - Sora's Hand Size Before DP: 5

Sora: "Not if I see you first, Yuya! I draw! … I drew the spell Toy Vendor, and I'm gonna activate it right now! This toy's fun-tastic, 'cause it lets me send a card from my hand to the graveyard, and then I can draw another card from my deck. Uh, this card's pretty yucky. So I'll discard it, and let my Toy Vendor do its work. Oh, and if I happen to draw a monster that's level four or below: I'm allowed to summon it. But if it's not, I'll have to toss it into the graveyard. So here we go! Hah!"

Sora drew his card off of Toy Vendor, and it was a monster.

Sora: "And hey, look! It's Fluffal Bear! Come on out and join the party, Fluffal Bear!"

Sora summoned Fluffal Bear, and Amitie and Lidelle were infatuated by the bear.

Amitie: "Oh my goodness, it's so cute!"

Lidelle: "I wish I had a stuffed animal like that…"

Meanwhile, Draco didn't care so much for it.

Draco: "Meh. It's okay, I guess."

Maguro: "Aw, c'mon Draco... even I can see how cute Fluffal Bear is."

Draco: "*sigh* It bein' cute isn't the problem, man. I just… I dunno. For some reason, the way that it presents its cuteness doesn't really appeal to me."

As Draco said that, Sora decided on his next move.

Sora: "And now... I'm inviting Bear's friend, Fluffal Leo, to the party as well!"

As Sora made that move, Skip said to the kids out the action duel field…

Skip: "That kid may look like he's all fun and games, but with the way he's playing right now, I can tell he's not toying around."

Maguro: "Hmm… Yeah… He sure doesn't play like a newbie. In fact, he might be playing better than me. So why did he want to learn stuff from me in the first place?"

Amitie: "Does it matter? Both of Sora's monsters look so…"

Amitie, Lidelle, and Zuzu: "Cuddly!"

The other girls being infatuated with Sora's monsters made Draco roll her eyes.

Draco: "Oh, brother…"

Yuya heard the girls as well and he couldn't believe what they said.

Yuya: "Cuddly? Come on… they don't look-"

And then, Maguro noticed that Yuya and Hip Hippo were running straight into a sticky caramel pond.

Maguro: "...! Yuya, keep your eyes on the road, man!"

Yuya: "Huh? …! Oh no! This isn't gonna be sweet!"

Yuya tried to get Hip Hippo going in a different direction, but it was too late. They both fell into the caramel pond and had to get out of it. Once they did, Sora got their attention and said…

Sora: "C'mon, get in the game, Yuya! Your hippo's history, 'cause Fluffal Leo is preparing to pounce."

Sora's Fluffal Leo then pounced at Hip Hippo…

Yuya: "Uh-oh! … Just kidding."

Sora: "Huh?"

Yuya: "I'm gonna use the action card that I found in that caramel: The action spell known as Evasion. This will keep my Hip Hippo safe from your Leo's paws by having the former steer clear of the attack. Roll with it, Hip Hippo!"

Hip Hippo was able to dodge Fluffal Leo's attack and Sora got upset.

Sora: "Hey! Dodging my attacks isn't fair!"

Yuya: "You don't just expect me to let you destroy my monster, do you? Heh."

Draco: "...! Yuya, watch it; you're about to run into something else!"

Yuya: "Huh?"

At that moment, Yuya and Hip Hippo went through a giant swiss roll, and appeared at the top of it. The two sighed, along with Skip and the kids. Sora found this to be mildly amusing and smiled as he said…

Sora: "While you were dessert diving, my Fluffal Bear was getting prepped to hunt down your hippo! Fluffal Bear, attack!"

Yuya: "...! Luckily for me, I found another action card in that giant swiss roll… and I'll play it!"

Skip: "*gasp* If all of the action cards here are hidden inside the giant desserts, Yuya and Sora are gonna need a diet!"

Yuya: "Behold, the action spell: Candy Shower!"

Yuya activated the action card, and candy began to rain from the sky.

Sora: "Wow, what a sugary surprise! … Huh?"

Sora quickly noticed that Fluffal Bear was distracted as it started to eat the candy, and he didn't like that.

Sora: "You should be attacking Yuya's hippo, not the candy!"

Yuya: "Sora, the sweetest part about that action spell is that it switched Fluffal Bear into defense mode."

Sora: "Aw man… I guess I'll end my turn, then. If you can find action cards, then I can too!"

Sora began to run after he said that and Yuya quickly followed him.

Yuya's LP: 4000 - Sora's LP: 4000

Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 5 - Sora's Hand Size Before DP: 3

Yuya: "We'll see about that. I draw! Hah! … Huh?"

As Yuya landed on the ground with Hip Hippo, he saw Sora trying to use his Fluffal Bear and Leo to get to an action card that was caught up in a weather vane.

Sora: "Come on, Fluffal Bear, put your back into it! … Almost got it…!"

Sora got up to the action card, but before he could grab it, the card fell off. And then, Yuya caught the falling action card.

Yuya: "Better luck next time, Sora."

Sora: "Hey, that was mine!"

Yuya then made Hip Hippo stop before speaking again.

Yuya: "You wanted an action duel, and that's exactly what you're getting. And now, I'll show you something really amazing."

Sora: "Huh? Like what?"

Yuya: "You're about to find out! I'll use scale one Stargazer Magician and scale eight Timegazer Magician to set the Pendulum Scale. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!"

Amitie and co. saw this, and they were excited.

Amitie: "*gasp* He's doing it!"

Maguro: "Yep! He's going for a Pendulum Summon, alright."

Draco: "Great! I might be able to see that awesome dragon of Yuya's again!"

Zuzu: "Let's go, Yuya!"

Yuya: "Sora, I'm allowed to summon monsters from level two through seven all at the same time! Swing far, Pendulum; carve the arc of victory!"

Sora: "..."

Yuya: "My monsters are ready… to swing into action! H-2-Go, Skeeter Skater. Slice and dice, Sword Fish. It's time to turn up the heat Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Yuya summoned three monsters with his Pendulum Summon and everyone, including Sora, was stunned.

Draco: "Yeah! There's that dragon!"

Amitie: "This is so cool!"

Maguro: "Right you are, Amitie. Now, let's see how Sora handles the power of a Pendulum Summon…"

Sora: "Wow… So this is what it's like to go up against a Pendulum Summon…"

Yuya: "Oh, you haven't seen anything yet. Check out my Sword Fish's special ability. Once per turn, my Performapal can zero in on one of your monsters and slice and dice its attack points by 600. Sword Fish, weaken Sora's Fluffal Leo!"

Fluffal Leo's attack points then went down by 600, and…

Yuya: "But I'm not done… I'll also use the action card I snatched from you. It'll give you the biggest sugar crash, 'cause now my Odd-Eyes gets a 700-point power boost for the rest of this turn."

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's attack went up to 3200.

Draco: "That's one strong dragon!"

Maguro: "Sora'll need to do something if he doesn't want Fluffal Leo to get smacked around by Odd-Eyes."

Yuya: "That's right! Odd-Eyes is primed to take down your fragile feline. Okay, get set to strike! Ready? It's time to finish off that furball! Odd-Eyes, destroy Fluffal Leo with Spiral Flame Strike!"

Yuya's attack landed and Fluffal Leo was destroyed. This caused Sora to be sent flying into a stack of marshmallows, and he lost 2200 life points in the process. When Draco saw that, she was stoked.

Draco: "Oh yeah! I love this!"

Maguro: "Yuya sure knows how to keep things engaging."

Skip: "Yuya's certainly taking this duel to the next level... And it's got me all fired up!"

Amitie, Lidelle, and Zuzu: "You go, Yuya!"

Yuya: "Thanks for the positive feedback, guys! Anyway, I'll hand it back to you, Sora. Of course, my action spell's effect wears off now and Odd-Eyes' attack returns to normal."

As Yuya said this… Amitie and co. noticed that Sora was still lying on the pile of marshmallows, not moving.

Amitie: "Um… Is Sora okay up there?"

Lidelle: "I-I hope so… That attack from Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon must have done a number to him."

Skip: "Hey, Yuya, you didn't have to knock the poor kid for a loop."

Zuzu: "Yeah, you should go a little easier on him."

Yuya: "Zuzu, this duel was what Sora wanted after Maguro suggested this-"

While Yuya said this, Sora laughed for a bit and this grabbed everyone's attention.

Sora: "*chuckle*"

Yuya: "Huh?"

Sora: "*continues to chuckle* … *grunt* Thanks for that, Yuya. Now that I've felt the full force of one of your Pendulum monsters, I can see how exciting Pendulum Summoning can be!"

Sora got up as he thanked Yuya for the attack and smiled.

Yuya: "...?"

Sora: "In any case, it's my turn!"

Yuya's LP: 4000 - Sora's LP: 1800

Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 1 - Sora's Hand Size Before DP: 3

Sora: "I draw! … I think my deck is trying to send me a message, Yuya. It's telling me… that it's time to get serious."

Yuya: "What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying that you haven't been playing seriously until now?"

Sora: "*chuckle* Maybe, or maybe not. Let's see. If I send a card to the graveyard, I get to play with my Toy Vendor again. I can't wait to see what card it's gonna be. Hah! … Oh, cool! These Edge Imp Sabers are gonna cut you down to size. Monsters don't get more cutting edge than this one. Then I'll use a spell. It's a card called: Polymeri-something or other."

Yuya: "You mean Polymerization?!"

Amitie, Lidelle, Maguro, and Draco: "Polymerization?"

Amitie: "What the heck is that?"

Sora: "Why, I'm glad you asked… This awesome spell lets me fuse my Edge Imp Sabers and Fluffal Bear together! The edge of sharpness and the fury of a bear! When the two come together, you had better beware! I fusion summon!"

Draco: "That was kinda freaky, but what did he mean by all of that?"

Maguro: "I think… he's taking his two monsters, and creating an entirely new monster out of them."

Sora: "That's right, Maguro! So now, here it comes: The most unbearable monster you've ever seen! Frightfur Bear!"

Sora brought his new monster out and Amitie and co. were creeped out for the most part.

Amitie: "I-I'm not scared… I'm not scared…"

Lidelle: "I-I-I don't want to look at it, Amitie; it's such a far cry from what Fluffal Bear was like!"

Maguro: "Maaan, is that creepy."

Draco: "Agreed, but I'd rather stare at this thing than those Fluffal monsters. In a way, Frightfur Bear is more of my style."

Zuzu: "..."

After Amitie and co. got their words out, Sora smiled again.

Sora: "Thanks, Yuya. I learned a lot from you today, but now… it's my turn to teach you a thing or two. As sweet as this duel field is, it'll pale in comparison to the taste of my victory."

Yuya: "We'll see about that, Sora, 'cause with my monsters ready to perform: You're gonna end up leaving this duel with a sour taste in your mouth."

Sora: "Not a chance! Your monsters are gonna get cut down by my Frightfur Bear."

Skip: "... That kid's a cutie on the outside, but on the inside… I can see that he's all fight. Plus, he knows the secret to an incredible form of summoning."

Zuzu: "Yeah, he can…"

Zuzu and Skip: "Fusion Summon."

Skip: "Word around the city is that the Leo Institute has begun teaching that form. Is Sora already enrolled and taking classes there?"

Maguro: "Actually, uh… about that, Mr. Boyle..."

Zuzu: "He was planning to go there, but he saw Maguro duel and changed his mind."

Zuzu looked back at the duel in front of her and the others, and...

Sora: "Yuya, now I'll slow you down by giving your Hip Hippo the heave-ho. Frightfur Bear, send Yuya and his pal packing with Pummeling Paw."

Sora's Frightfur bear then shot its paw at Hip Hippo, and the latter was knocked into the caramel pond. This caused Yuya to fly into the pond as well for a second time, and he lost quite a few life points in the process. Everyone else had shocked looks on their faces.

Skip: "Ah-!"

Lidelle: "O-oh my goodness!"

Amitie, Draco, and Zuzu: "Yuya!"

Maguro: "Someone should really call a lifeguard up."

As Maguro said that, Yuya got up to the caramel's surface and…

Yuya: "*gasp* Ugh… Did I really have to end up in this stuff again?"

Amitie: "Hey, he's all right!"

Zuzu: "*sigh* I'm glad he's okay…"

Yuya then swam out of the caramel and crawled on the ground for a bit, only to see a shadow coming to him from above. He looked up and saw that Frightfur Bear was staring him down.

Yuya: "...?!"

Sora: "And that brings us to Frightfur Bear's special ability. See, my bear can take the monster that it just destroyed and equip it to itself."

Yuya: "Wha-? How does that work?"

Sora: "I'll show you. Frightfur Bear, dig through the caramel as if it was your toy box!"

The bear dug its paw into the caramel and it grabbed Hip Hippo, as if it was wreckage. From there, Frightful Bear pulled the hippo out and…

Yuya: "Hip Hippo! …?"

Sora: "Don't feel bad, 'cause my Frightfur Bear will put its attack points to good use. Down the hatch!"

Amitie, Lidelle, Maguro, Draco, and Zuzu: "*gasp*"

Everyone watched in horror and/or disgust as Frightfur Bear devoured Hip Hippo whole.

Amitie: "Yikes!"

Lidelle: "G-get me out of this nightmare!"

Maguro: "Dude, that's so messed up…"

Draco and Zuzu: "Eugh, gross..."

Yuya: "I REALLY did not want to see that…"

Meanwhile, Sora was still smiling as he said…

Sora: "Your hippo really hit the spot, Yuya. Its added attack power will help my monster bear down on you with grizzly force."

Frightfur Bear gained the 800 attack points from Hip Hippo, and it topped out at 3000 as it grew bigger.

Skip: "Woah… That's one big bear."

Zuzu: "With the attack points to match."

Maguro: "That thing's powerful enough to slay Yuya's Odd-Eyes…"

Skip: "And once it does, it'll get even grizzlier. Who would've thought a toy bear could be so unbearable?"

Yuya then gritted his teeth slightly as Sora turned to face Maguro and said…

Sora: "So, Maguro, I know I have a lot to learn… but what do you think of my dueling so far?"

Maguro: "... Honestly, I think you're a better duelist than me, Sora. I don't think I could beat you, now that I know what you're probably capable of."

Sora: "Aw, thanks. Either way… Yuya, I'll let you have a go now… but not before I set these two cards face-down. So don't take it easy on me.

Yuya: "Don't worry… I won't!"

Yuya's LP: 2600 - Sora's LP: 1800

Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 1 - Sora's Hand Size Before DP: 1

Yuya: "I draw! … Your monster's a lot more dangerous than I thought, but my deck packs a punch too, Sora. We have friends that will help us knock the stuff out of that bear, don't we, Odd-Eyes? Performapal Sword Fish will prove it with its special ability. Your Frightfur Bear will now be the one who's cut down to size, and it loses 600 attack points!"

Frightfur Bear felt something poking at it as Yuya said that and it roared in pain.

Maguro: "All right! Pull the stuffing out of that bear, Yuya!"

Then, Frightfur Bear's attack points went down to 2400, which was just enough for Odd-Eyes to take out. Yuya quickly got on his dragon and spoke to it.

Yuya: "Listen, Odd-Eyes: If we wanna beat that Frightfur Bear then we'll have to stay sharp. Let's go!"

Sora: "Ha! I'm ready for your attack. I play my trap... Punch-in-the-Box, which sends one of your monsters that didn't attack to the graveyard. Then, Odd-Eyes loses attack points equal to that monster's attack or defense points. Oh yeah, and your attack's negated too."

Yuya: "Nice try! But my Timegazer Magician's Pendulum ability can trump your trap. Timegazer has mastered the deepest secrets of space and time. Its power can protect me from the past and rewrite history. Infinity Gear Reverse!"

And with that, Sora's trap card wasn't able to be resolved and it was set back down on the field. Though, Sora didn't seem to be shaken up by that.

Sora: "Fantastic! Pendulum power is amazing! You can even control time itself! That ability would come in super handy if you went to school, and then realized too late that you forgot to bring your homework to class. Now I can't wait to see what you come up with to stop my other trap."

Yuya: "...?"

Maguro: "Another trap?"

Sora: "That's right! Okay Yuya, let's see what we can spring on you next. It's another Punch-in-the-Box trap card."

Yuya: "Seriously? The same trap twice in a row?"

Sora's surprise with a second Punch-in-the-Box made Maguro think to himself for a bit.

Maguro: (Hmm… Did Sora somehow guess that Yuya would undo his first Punch-in-the-Box? Why else would he have a second copy of it at the ready? That just seems kinda strange... And again, why did Sora want to learn stuff from me in the first place? He's clearly a better duelist than me; this duel shows that fact. Maybe he just wanted to learn a specific dueling skill from me…? … I dunno, I can't get a read on him.)

Zuzu: "Timegazer can only use his Pendulum ability once per turn, so Yuya's helpless to stop Punch-in-the-Box this time."

Amitie: "...! Oh no!"

Skip: "Sora definitely has tricks up his sleeves…"

Everyone looked back at the duel in front of them and...

Sora: "All right, gotta send a card to the graveyard now. I guess I'll send… Skeeter Skimmer."

A box materialized and out came a hand that took Skeeter Skimmer from Yuya's field, and threw it at Odd-Eyes.

Yuya: "Ah-!"

Sora: "Now I can negate Odd-Eyes' attack, and subtract Skeeter Skimmers defense points from your dragon's attack points. And since Skeeter Skimmer's defense points add up to 1600, your dragon loses that many attack points. Better luck next time, Yuya."

Odd-Eyes was hit, Skeeter Skimmer was sent to the graveyard, and Odd-Eyes lost 1600 attack points. This brought it down to a measly 900 attack and it roared weakly.

Yuya: "... I'm switching my Sword Fish to defense mode."

Sora: "You've made up your mind and decided to play it safe, huh? Bummerville. I thought this duel would be a blast the whole way through, but I guess things ended with a whimper. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were scared of losing to me."

Yuya: "I set one card face-down. I'm ending my turn, but that doesn't mean I'm scared to lose to you."

Sora: "Oh, you should be, since Frightfur Bear's attack points rise back to how they were before Sword Fish used its special ability."

Frightfur Bear's attack points rose back up to 3000 and this made Amitie and Lidelle scared again.

Amitie: "No… it's at 3000 attack points again."

Lidelle: "A-and it's ready to pummel Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon to the ground…"

Zuzu: "... This could be game over for Yuya."

Sora: "Well, it's my turn again!"

Yuya's LP: 2600 - Sora's LP: 1800

Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 1 - Sora's Hand Size Before DP: 1

Sora: "I draw! … Heh. It's time for my big finish: Bring on the Toy Parade! This spell is spectacular, it's going to help me march towards victory, because for every monster that's equipped to Frightfur Bear, my bear is allowed to use its Pummeling Paw and attack one more time."

Amitie, Lidelle, Draco, and Zuzu: "Huuuh?!"

Yuya: "You're kidding!"

Skip: "Woah, back up! How many times can he attack?"

Maguro: "Hmm... Since he has Hip Hippo equipped to Frightfur Bear… I think it can only attack once right now."

Yuya: "Yeah, it gulped down my Hip Hippo and it's allowed to attack one time… But Sora, you and I both know that it's not gonna stop there, will it?"

Sora: "Of course it won't, Yuya; I'll keep on attacking."

And at that moment, Maguro realized something.

Maguro: "...! Oh no!"

Amitie: "M-Maguro, what is it?!"

Maguro: "Yuya might actually lose the duel this turn, Amitie! I just realized how Sora is gonna pull the rug out from under Yuya! If Frightfur Bear destroys a monster, it can snack on it and equip it to itself. And since there'll be another monster equipped to Frightfur Bear, it can attack again! As far as I know, Frightfur Bear's ability can activate more than once per turn... So this process will repeat until Yuya has no monsters left, and Sora will be free to attack Yuya's life points directly!"

Amitie: "WHAT?!"

Draco: "Holy crap, that's crazy!"

Maguro: "Crazy doesn't even begin to describe this play, guys… But, this is all assuming I'm correct."

Sora: "Which you are, Maguro!"

Maguro: "... Well, this might be the end of the duel as we know it…"

Yuya: "Urgh…"

Sora: "Well, it was fun while it lasted, Yuya… but I think it's about time for me to win this duel."

Skip: "If Sora wins, then Fusion Monsters are going to revolutionize dueling here as we know it."

Amitie: "Yuya will lose…?"

Zuzu: "... I wouldn't count him out just yet, Amitie. Trust me, Yuya can be pretty resourceful."

Amitie and co. looked back at the duel and...

Sora: "Now… I guess I'll start by knocking your Odd-Eyes out of the duel."

Yuya: (If I don't think of something fast, Sora and that bear are gonna wipe out my whole field AND my life points. There's not much time… If I let him destroy Odd-Eyes, things will spiral out of control. I have to rescue Odd-Eyes now, or my monsters and I are all going down. I only have one chance here!)

Yuya then started to run for an action card that was on the top of a giant candy cane. Sora saw this and immediately knew what Yuya was up to.

Sora: "Hey, I know what you're up to."

Sora got on Frightfur Bear and the two followed Yuya.

Yuya: "Ah-! Pick up the pace, Odd-Eyes!"

Odd-Eyes caught up with Yuya and the latter got on the dragon. Unfortunately for Yuya, Sora used Frightfur Bear to launch himself up to that action card. Sora grabbed it and swung on the candy cane before flying back over to his bear.

Sora: "Yeah!"

Yuya: "Ah-! Oh no!"

Amitie, Lidelle, Maguro, Draco, and Zuzu: "*gasp*"

Amitie and Zuzu: "No way!"

Lidelle: "S-Sora caught it…"

Skip: "Wow, what agility!"

Maguro: "That's bad…"

Yuya grit his teeth from being unable to grab that action card as he and Odd-Eyes landed on the ground.

Yuya: "..."

Sora: "You have to be a lot quicker than that if you wanna snag an action card before I do, Yuya. That's why I took out your Hip Hippo first, because I knew it would slow you down for the rest of the duel."

Yuya: "Say what?!"

Maguro: (Huh?! Sora had this all planned out from the start?! … Sora... how good are you, actually?)

Maguro thought about that before looking back at the duel.

Sora: "You wouldn't want me to make it easy for you, would you, Yuya? I hope not, 'cause my Frightfur Bear's about to track down and destroy your Odd-Eyes!"

Yuya: "No, it won't. I activate a trap: Command Performance! Whenever there's a Performapal on my field, this card switches your monster to defense mode."

Sora: "Sorry, Yuya, but the action card that I just got will cut that performance of yours short. Candy Coat!"

Yuya: "...!"

Sora: "Thanks to the sweet power of this action spell, my bear is protected from any spell or trap effects for the rest of this turn. And, it also saves my bear from being destroyed. You know, it's lucky that I grabbed this card first, Yuya. If I hadn't, you could've used it to save your Odd-Eyes and foil my strategy."

Yuya: "No, I was so close!"

Sora: "Oh well… Frightfur Bear, finish your attack."

Yuya: "...!"

Frightfur Bear's attack landed and Odd-Eyes was destroyed, causing Yuya to fall to the ground and lose a lot of life points.

Yuya: "No… I lost Odd-Eyes!"

Amitie: "His dragon's gone…"

Zuzu: "Oh, Yuya…"

At that point, Yuya teared up and covered his eyes with his goggles.

Amitie, Lidelle, Maguro, Draco, and Zuzu: "...?!"

Lidelle: "H-he's crying…"

Yuya looked defeated in the eyes of Amitie and co., lamenting the loss of his ace monster.

Yuya: "I'm sorry, Odd-Eyes... I tried to save you, but I failed."

Sora: "Yuya, cheer up! It's not over yet. After all, you still have a few life points."

Skip: "Yes, but will they be enough, though? None of us like getting beaten, of course, but Yuya might just have to find a way to deal with it."

Zuzu: "No, that's not why he's upset."

Amitie: "Huh? What do you mean, Zuzu?"

Zuzu: "Amitie, can't you tell? Yuya feels a special bond with Odd-Eyes… That dragon stands for everything he loves about his Pendulum cards."

Amitie: "O-oh…"

Maguro: "... I can tell that Yuya's not taking this well at all…"

Draco: "G-geez, I didn't think he was THAT attached to his dragon…"

Lidelle, Maguro, Draco, and Zuzu: "..."

Amitie: "...! Now wait just a minute! If Yuya and Odd-Eyes have a bond that strong, then it shouldn't matter if Odd-Eyes gets destroyed! Yuya should know that Odd-Eyes will always be with him, no matter what. … Yuya!"

Yuya: "...? Amitie…?"

Amitie: "Look, I know that it hurts to lose your dragon like that; Zuzu told me! But, you've gotta move forward and finish your performance with a smile, okay? If you don't, then who will?"

Yuya: "...!"

Sora: "Hey, look, Amitie: I can tell Yuya knows that there's nothing he can do; he's at a loss. My bear's just gonna keep using his own monsters against him, so…"

As Sora spoke, Yuya clutched the crystal-like charm that was around his neck. Maguro saw this, and frowned.

Maguro: (Yuya…)

At that moment, Yuya's mind flashed back to a memory of him when he was younger. He looked around for something in a playground, but couldn't find it. This caused him to cry and wonder where it could be. And then, Yuya's father came from behind and asked…

Yusho: "Something wrong, Yuya?"

Yuya (Younger): "Dad, I lost my necklace and I can't find it anywhere…"

Yusho: "Well, I'd be upset too, but… in a situation like this: Hanging your head down and crying isn't the answer. Hey, listen to me, Yuya. If you really want to find what you've lost, then you've got to hold your head up. Stay positive and good things will happen."

Yuya (Younger): "It's hopeless!"

Yusho: "Come on, give it a try."

Yuya (Younger): "... …? …! Dad, look!"

Yuya found his necklace, and it was hanging on a tree branch. The boy was relieved and Yusho smiled.

Yusho: "See, it worked. Didn't it, Yuya?"

Yuya (Younger): "Mmhm."

The flashback faded from Yuya's mind and…

Yuya: (I haven't forgotten, Dad: "Stay positive and good things will happen.". Dad knew what he was talking about. If I just worry about what I lose, then I'll miss the fun that's right in front of me. I have to hold my head high and enjoy the ride while it lasts. No matter how things turn out… at least I'll have a good time, and so will my fans.)

Yuya grinned after saying that in his mind and laughed as he got up. This confused Sora, as well as Amitie and co..

Sora: "Huh?"

Amitie: "Y-Yuya…?"

Maguro: "Hey, are you okay, Yuya?"

Yuya: "Oh, I'm doing fine now, guys; don't worry about me. Huh?"

Yuya then saw something blinking on his duel disk and he didn't know what it was for at first. A few seconds later, he saw that Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon was now in his Extra deck, rather than in his graveyard.

Yuya: (What the heck is Odd-Eyes doing in my Extra Deck?! Well, I guess that's good for me because that means Frightfur Bear can't equip itself with Odd-Eyes…)

Sora: "All right, then if you're done weeping, then I'll use Frightfur Bear to- … Huh? What's going on? Why can't my bear fish out your Odd-Eyes?"

Yuya: "Heh. You can search all you want, but your bear's gonna remain empty-handed!"

Sora: "And why's that? Where did your Odd-Eyes go? It's not in the graveyard!"

Yuya: "It seems you still have a lot to learn about Pendulum cards, Sora. When my Odd-Eyes was destroyed, it didn't end up in my graveyard. It's with me… here in my Extra Deck!"

This revelation shocked everyone else and they all gasped.

Amitie, Lidelle, Maguro, Draco, Zuzu, and Skip: "*gasp*"

Zuzu: "In your Extra Deck?!"

Sora: "Well, that's some bad news for me. … Hehehahahahahaha!"

Yuya: "Huh?"

Sora: "Awesome! That's so cool, Yuya! So a destroyed Pendulum monster… instead of going to the graveyard, it ends up in your Extra Deck? I never would've guessed that! Pendulum monsters are totally amazing! Since Odd-Eyes wasn't sent to the graveyard, I can't equip it to Frightfur Bear, and that essentially stopped it from attacking any more. Since you stopped me in my tracks, I have no choice but to end my turn. Yuya, it's your move… please make it a fun one!"

Yuya: "All right! Then brace yourself for a battle that's gonna blow you away."

Yuya's LP: 500 - Sora's LP: 1800

Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 1 - Sora's Hand Size Before DP: 1

Yuya: "Here I go! I draw! ... Great! I couldn't have drawn a better card."

After drawing his card and saying that, Yuya did a front flip and made his move known.

Yuya: "Attention! I'd like to present my two magicians: Stargazer and Timegazer. Before your very eyes, I'll use them to Pendulum Summon monsters from level two through seven all at the same time! Swing far, Pendulum; carve the arc of victory! Pendulum Summon! And now, I'd like to introduce a new Pendulum monster to you all: Performapal Cheer Mole!"

Yuya summoned Cheer Mole, and it hid itself in the ground out of shyness.

Lidelle: "Th-that mole looks rather shy…"

Yuya: "But wait, that's not all! I'm also bringing back a crowd favorite… my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Odd-Eyes came back, and everyone else couldn't believe it.

Sora: "...!"

Amitie: "What the heck?! Odd-Eyes is back on the field!"

Maguro: "Well, I guess what you said about Odd-Eyes always sticking with Yuya ended up being true, Amitie…"

Amitie: "B-but how?! How did it just suddenly come back to the field with a Pendulum Summon after it was- I just don't get it!"

Draco: "Yeah, me neither…"

Maguro: "I'm sure we'll find out how this whole thing works, guys. Until then, let's cheer Yuya on."

Zuzu: "Go, Yuya!'

Skip: "Go, Pendulum Power go! This has me more excited than ever before! I'm totally fired up!"

Yuya: "Odd-Eyes is set, and so is our supporting cast. And now, friends, without any further ado: Let's get on with the duel. Our lead act is Performapal Sword Fish, who will show off its special ability again by slashing down 600 of Frightfur Bear's attack points!"

Maguro: "Not only will Odd-Eyes have 100 more attack points than Frightfur Bear after Sword Fish's ability goes through, but Yuya has a clear shot at destroying that bear."

Zuzu: "And Odd-Eyes will be able to send it back to the toy store."

Yuya: "Correct."

Sora: "My first Punch-in-the-Box trap is still on the field, but Timegazer will just negate it again. So no matter what I do, my Frightfur Bear will lose this battle."

Yuya: "That's right, Sora!"

Sora: "Hold on! If you destroy Frightfur Bear, I'll still only take 100 points of damage. That definitely won't be enough to knock me out of the duel."

Yuya: "Actually, with my "Mole Move", it will be."

Sora: "Huh?"

Amitie: "Mole move?"

Yuya: "Allow me to show off Performapal Cheer Mole and her special ability!"

Cheer Mole then popped out of the ground, but quickly covered her face with her pom-poms.

Yuya: "Oh, come on, it's no time to be shy. I got spirit, so how about you?"

Yuya's words motivated the mole and the latter began to cheer Sword Fish on.

Amitie: "How cute!"

Sora: "...?"

Yuya: "Cheer Mole strengthens Sword Fish's ability. So instead of lowering Frightfur Bear's attack points by 600, it lowers it by 1600!"

Sword Fish then made its move and lowered Frightfur Bear's attack points to 1400.

Sora: "Ah-!"

Yuya: "Sora, you wanted to know how much I could wow you... So, how do you like this next surprise? Since Frightfur Bear is level five or higher, Odd-Eyes can use its special ability to double the damage that you take during the battle."

Sora: "Huh?!"

Yuya: "And now, it's time for the grand finale! So get ready. Odd-Eyes, get set to strike and make this the sweetest finish ever."

Odd-Eyes then roared, jumped into the air, and…

Yuya: "Attack, with Spiral Flame Strike!"

Yuya's attack landed as Sora felt the power of it.

Sora: "...! Hrrrgh- Aaaaaah!"

Sora flew backwards and landed in a bunch of cream as his life points dropped to zero.

Yuya's LP: 500 - Sora's LP: 0

Winner: Yuya

Skip: "Aaand, it's over! Yuya's the winner!"

Amitie, Lidelle, and Zuzu: "All right! He won!"

Maguro: "Yuya totally deserved to win today's duel, and I'm proud that he was able to wow us all…"

Draco: "That dragon is even more awesome than I thought it was before!"

The action field faded as Draco said that… Sora looked completely defeated, like how Yuya was at one point during the duel.

Yuya: "..."

Amitie: "Sora…"

Maguro: "... Y'know, if I had a sound strategy like Sora's and lost anyway… I'd be upset, too."

Lidelle: "Poor Sora…"

Everyone frowned from Sora's sad look, including Yuya. Though, it wouldn't be long before Yuya himself smiled and came up to Sora.

Yuya: "Hey, Sora."

Sora: "...?"

Yuya: "I think you might be the most clever opponent I've ever faced. It's clear that you don't need to be taught anything from Mag-"

Before Yuya could finish... Sora stood back up, looked at Maguro, and smiled widely.

Sora: "What a blast! That duel totally rocked! Thanks for having me duel Yuya, Maguro!"

Maguro: "H-huh? You're not upset about losing?"

Sora: "Of course not; that was so much fun! How could I possibly be upset? Anyway, let's be best friends! We'll be hanging out with each other all the time from now on!"

Maguro: "... Best friends, huh?"

Maguro's mind suddenly flashed back to Ringo, and then… he shed a single tear before silently walking away from the others with a frown. Everyone noticed this and they worried for his well-being.

Amitie: "M-Maguro? Are you okay?"

Sora: "Hey! What's wrong, Maguro?"

As Amitie and Sora said those things though, Maguro didn't stop and he left the duel school altogether. Yuya and Sora left the duel field, met back up with the others, and they all began to wonder what was up with Maguro.

Draco: "What the heck was that about? He suddenly started cryin' and walked away from us."

Sora: "I don't understand… All I said was: "Let's be best friends!", and then he just took off…"

Lidelle: "I-it doesn't make any sense…"

Amitie: "Yeah… Shouldn't he be happy to have a new friend?"

Yuya: "Hmm… … …?! Oh no… I think I know why he cried then and there. I have to find him! Guys, stay here!"

Yuya realized why Maguro walked away and he ran out of the duel school to try and find him. He went outside and saw that the sky was somewhat orange. From there, Yuya looked around the city for Maguro… until he found him at a walking bridge. Maguro was staring out at the horizon in front of him... with a frown on his face. He also had his right elbow against the side of the bridge, and he held his head up with his right hand.

Yuya: "Maguro…"

Upon hearing Yuya's voice, Maguro looked at where it came from and...

Maguro: "Hm? Oh. Hey, Yuya… I guess you were looking for me?"

Yuya: "Y-yeah? Hey, did you walk out of You Show Duel School on us because of what Sora said?"

Maguro: "... Yeah… When he said that we would be best friends: I was reminded of Ringo… Yuya, I miss her more than I originally let on. I don't just miss her, as in: "Oh, I know I'll see her again some time in the near future.", but rather… I REALLY miss her. Yuya, Ringo is irreplaceable to me as a friend; she was my first best friend. I would trade anything in the world to make sure that she's okay. Ever since coming to this city, though… I haven't seen her at all. Yeah, I know that it's only been a couple of days since me, Amitie, Lidelle, and Draco all came here… but I usually see Ringo every day. And right now, I don't know if she's actually safe or not. Frankly, that feeling of uncertainty scares me. … Yuya, let me ask you something: How would you feel if you were separated from the best friend that you usually see every single day?"

Yuya: "H-how would I feel? U-um… Well, Zuzu is one of my best friends… and I basically see her every day. So if she was separated from me and I didn't know how she was doing… I would be worried."

Maguro: "Exactly. That's the kind of feeling that I'm experiencing right now. I just… I just wanna know if Ringo's okay, man. For all I know, she could be lost… or worse, she could be in danger. I mean, Ringo has held her own in the past back where we came from… but that's just because she had the power of Puyos there. Here though? She can't defend herself. I know that you're unaware of how impactful having the power of Puyos is, but trust me when I say that it helps us tremendously where me and the others come from."

Yuya: "... Maguro."

Maguro: "Hm? What is it, Yuya?"

Yuya: "You told me that we might find my dad at some point when you first came to stay with me and Mom, right?"

Maguro: "Yeah…? Where are you going with this?"

When Maguro asked that, Yuya smiled with a few tears in his eyes.

Yuya: "Well, maybe this is just one of those things where we need to help each other out. Like, you guys help me find my dad… and me and friends can help you find Ringo. Doesn't that sound good to you, Maguro? We can all work together to find the people we really care about."

Maguro: "...! Yuya…"

Yuya: "Don't worry, we'll find Ringo before you know it. I'm your friend here, Maguro; you can count on me to help you."

Maguro: "... … Yeah. Thanks, man. I feel a lot better now."

Yuya: "Great. Now, how about we meet back with the ot-"

Before Yuya could finish saying that, a voice came up from behind; it was Sora. And behind him, was everyone else.

Sora: "Maguro… are you okay?"

Maguro: "I wasn't okay a few minutes ago... but thanks to Yuya, I'm fine now. And Sora?"

Sora: "...? Yeah?"

Maguro: "Even though you lost today's duel, I wanna let you know that I'm impressed with the way you duel. Honestly, you're in a completely different league than me. There's no way that I could've come up with a strategy like the one that you almost pulled off; that was brilliant. So really, if anything… I was the one who learned a lot about dueling and you're the one who taught me. Sooo yeah, I think we can be good friends, Sora."

Maguro smiled and reached his hand out to Sora.

Sora: "Heh. Thanks, Maguro."

Sora took Maguro's hand, and shook it with his. As they did, Skip walked up to the boys.

Skip: "Well, it looks like everything is okay now. In any case, since Maguro and Sora are friends now… I'm gonna discount Sora's intuition for You Show Duel School. Sora, will you enroll as a student there?"

Sora: "Do you even need to ask? You bet. After today's duel, I wouldn't sign up at the Leo Institute for anything."

Skip: "All right! Another new student, which means maybe I can pay this month's electric bill! I'll go get your signup forms, Sora. Boys, stay here. And girls, you're free to go back home."

Zuzu: "Okay, Dad! Amitie, Lidelle, Draco: Follow me."

Amitie: "All right. Well, I'm glad everything is fine for you, Maguro! See you tomorrow!"

Maguro: "See ya, Amitie."

The girls left, and the three boys remained standing at the bridge. While they were alone, a thought popped into Yuya's head.

Yuya: "... Sora, I don't get it."

Sora: "Hm? Don't get what, Yuya?"

Yuya: "Well, if you never studied at the Leo Institute… then where did you learn to Fusion Summon?"

Sora: "Oh! Where I come from, Fusion Summoning is really common. Like, everybody uses it."

Maguro: "Wait, say what?"

Yuya: "You're not from around here?"

Sora: "Nope."

Maguro: "That's funny, Sora… 'cause me, Amitie, Lidelle, and Draco aren't from around here either. Yuya here knows our story."

Sora: "Huh. That's so weird…"

Maguro: "Tell me about it…"

Yuya: "Mind telling us a little bit about where you came from, Sora?"

Sora: "Why does it even matter? I've decided to stay here with you, especially since you and your friends are sweet. Besides, I don't feel comfortable talking about where I came from..."

Maguro: "Okay, I guess it doesn't matter if we know or not. And if you feel that uncomfortable about telling us where you came from, then we won't pry."

Yuya: "Yeah, we wouldn't be good friends of yours if we force you to answer my question."

Maguro: "Anyway, what matters is that we're all friends here and we'll have some fun for days to come."

Soon enough, Skip came back to the boys and Sora filled out his form. Skip then said goodbye to the boys and left for home. The boys also left the bridge and walked back to Yuya's place. The rest of the night goes by fairly quickly and the boys all go to sleep. In their sleep, their dreams were all awesome and they loved them. And so… the night passes, and a new day begins…

Author's Note: Holy crap, was this chapter pretty long… Something tells me that this is going to be a running trend. If I want to cover an entire duel, then more likely than not, it's going to take up the majority of the chapter it's a part of. And the duel in this chapter is an example of that. Now, this duel was actually played out the exact same as in the anime. The only things that have changed there, aside from the removal of Allie, Tate, and Frederick… were various lines of dialogue. After the duel, though… a lot has obviously changed from the anime. Instead of that goofy ending to episode 6 of Arc-V, I decided to give Maguro and Yuya another heart-to-heart of sorts.

And besides, with how this crossover story has been written so far, the goofy end to episode 6 of the anime wouldn't have made sense. Hence, I felt obligated to change it to the heart-to-heart moment you guys just witnessed. Also, I felt as though Maguro needed another moment like that for you guys to actually care about him. After all, he's not a particularly stellar character in the Puyo Puyo games. Other than that, Yuya here wasn't super annoyed with Sora staying at his place, unlike in the anime. This is because, of course, Sora was looking up to Maguro. Since Maguro was the one to kick Sylvio's butt in the previous duel, Yuya wasn't the one being followed around by Sora.

So in general, the non-duel scenes in this chapter were a lot more chill than they were in the anime. Oh, but don't worry: If you want wacky hijinks from the anime, then you'll get it at some point. Other than that, this chapter was pretty easy to follow for those who have watched the show. So with that said, what will happen now as a new day comes? And what will come from Sora being the newest student of You Show Duel School? Well, for those who have seen the anime: You might actually be in for a surprise with what's coming next… A pleasant one, that is. Next chapter, Chapter 3: The Mystery Duelist.