Chapter 27: The Games Begin

A few weeks had passed, and at last it was time for the tournament to begin. All of the You Show students met up at the Boyle household, where Skip would drive them to the stadium. Before they left though, Skip insisted on giving a motivational speech, much to their annoyance.

"I can't tell you kids how proud I am of your accomplishments. This is the first step towards becoming Pro duelists, and the more sponsors you rack up the more publicity we get, so go out there and do your best! Now, time for a group hug!"

Skip leaned in to grab everyone...

Only for them all to move out of the way, causing him to face plant into the curb, where someone on a bike casually drove over him.

"...Or maybe not."

"Sorry dad, but there's no time. The opening ceremonies are in 30 minutes, and between getting there and parking..."

"Oh man, you're right! Everyone get in the car now, and if you have to go to the bathroom, hold it!"

Everyone scrambled into the car, and they drove off. They made it just in time, and quickly signed up. Skip made his way to the stands, while his students entered the lobby to wait for the cue to enter the stadium.

"Man, look at this crowd! There's some pretty stiff competition around here."

"Boy, I'll say."

"Please, this is nothing. Once they get a whiff of my Fusion Summoning, they'll be crying home to mommy."

"Yuya, is that you?"

The group turned to see Reed Pepper coming towards them, along with Trout.

"Reed, you made it!"

"But of course! You can't keep a good chef down."

"Yeah, and you'd better hope we don't duel each other before the finals, Yuya. With my new deck, you won't stand a chance!"

"I look forward to it, Trout."

"Well, well, well, looks like the coward's son showed up after all."

Yuya shuddered as a large, lumbering teen made his way over to him, sneering.

"Hello, Grizzlepike."

"Lets get one thing straight, there's no way a loser like you could beat The Sledgehammer! You must have cheated, and I'll make sure you pay!"

"Yuya would never cheat, you big bully! Leave him alone!"

Grizzlepike did as Ally said, only to pick her up by the hair.

"And who are you to give me orders, little missy?"

"Grizzlepike, that's enough! Did you learn nothing from your time in my dojo?"

Grizzlepike snarled as Gong marched over, ready to defend his friend.

"Pah, your dojo is weak. Honor means nothing, only winning. You'd better watch yourself, Gong."

Not wanting to get into trouble, Grizzlepike sauntered off, leaving everyone to shake their heads at his retreating form.

"Thanks for the save, Gong."

"Don't mention it. That creep is a disgrace to my daddy's dojo, and deserves everything he's going to get."

Attention, all participants in the Arc League Championship are to report to the stadium. Repeat, all participants must report to the stadium.

"Guess thats our cue, huh?"

"Come on, lets show them what we've got!"

Making their way into the stadium, the participants were met with a roaring crowd. It was so loud that it took Nico Smiley a whole 10 minutes to quiet them down before he could speak.

"Yes, thank you. Welcome, duel fans, to the Arc League Championship, a place for our youth to show their stuff! We've got some interesting new twists these year, which I'm sure you'll love!"

The contestants began to murmur to themselves. New twists?

"But why hear it from me when you can here it from the man himself, Maximillion Pegasus!"

Everyone clapped and cheered as Pegasus stepped onto the podium, bowing before taking the microphone.

"Yes, thank you Nico. Now, I'm sure you're all wondering what this is all about. Quite simple really, I thought this year could use something to really shake things up, so with the cooperation of Leo Corporation I've made some changes to this year's tournament! First, for all duels in the Junior Youth Division, life points will be set to 8000 instead of the usual 4000, to prevent duels from being won too quickly. Next, only one action card may be activated per turn to cut back on reliance on them."

The crowd nodded, agreeing with these new rules.

"And for the last change, I think I'll let Declan handle that. Come on up here, Declan Boy!"

Declan remained silent as he took the mic.

"Thank you, Pegasus. As president of Leo Corp, I am proud to announce our most ambitious venture into the field of Solid Vision yet. With assistance from Kaiba Corp, we've worked tirelessly over the past month to create this! I activate the action field, Quartet of Quandry!"

The big screen behind him turned on, showing various areas of the city. To everyone's surprise, the scene began to warp, changing into various simulated environments: a jungle, a volcanic area, an arctic tundra, a set of ancient ruins, and multiple others.

"Now, the whole city is the battlefield! At registration, all participants in the Junior Youth Division were given a backpack filled with survival essentials, as well as one card."

Yuya, Sora, Zuzu, and Gong checked their backpacks. Sure enough, all of those things were packed into it.

"This card is represents your will as a duelist, as well as your continued participation in this tournament. As well as the normal variety of action cards, you will find these Pendulum cards scattered throughout the various areas. In order to reach the finals, you'll need to collect 10. When two duelists meet in battle, they must wager at least one, up to as many as they have. Once you lose them all, you're out of the tournament. But these are more than mere wagers. As Pendulum cards, you can add them to your deck in order to summon monsters to your heart's content."

The crowd cheered in excitement. This was bound to be the most exciting tournament in years.

"The tournament will begin in an hour. I suggest all of those participating in the Junior Youth Division say goodbye to their families, as it maybe a long time before you see them again. Only the first 16 to gather 10 Pendulumstatue's may enter the finals, and you must accept any challenge issued to you."

With the rules laid down, Declan and Pegasus retreated into the corridors of the stadium. As they walked, Pegasus voiced his concerns.

"Declan, are you sure this is a good idea? These are just children, after all..."

"I wish there as another way, but if my sources are correct Fusion will make their move on Standard soon. This is the only way to ensure our safety."

"I just hope you know what you're doing, Declan boy."

"So do I."