This is IT! The tournament is nigh! Let's see who Zero's going to face, and let's start this thing! WHOOO! Onward to Chapter 13!

Ch.13: Let the Tournament Begin!

Lelouch watched as the camera zoomed in towards Reiji Akaba, the main backer for the entire Miami Championship. The entire stadium suddenly screamed at his arrival, along with Himika Akaba and a smaller child that stood rather close to Reiji's leg. The raven haired teen had to plug his ears from the sheer volume of the crowd sitting in the stadium, they were so damn loud.

Today was the beginning of the tournament. The plan was that Lelouch would quickly check up on Yuya and the rest to make sure they knew he was here, before heading towards Shun. Apparently, Reiji decided to make Shun an L.D.S student. The two geniuses had a brief conversation the night before, and when Zero asked about Masumi and the others getting in Shun's way. Reiji replied that he had it all taken care of, saying that they would think Shun is an L.D.S student the whole time.

It made Zero wonder if Reiji had some form of geass, being able to manipulate someone's memories like that. He did have a Spell card called Memory Replacement. It made the masked man theorize that the cards he actually had in his deck were actually real things in his world. It made a lot of sense seeing as people, knightmare frames, and even geass types actually existed in his world.

But when VERY subtly asked about it, Zero soon learned that it wasn't true. The red scarfed CEO had managed to do it by a machine or some sort of technology, geass wasn't involved.

While Lelouch pondered on his past activities, he suddenly heard someone call out his name. "Lelouch!" Violet eyes looked away from the screen depicting the Miami Championship to see who had called for him.

The person turned out to be Allie, and Lelouch put on his figurative mask and smiled. "Hey Allie. I'm glad you guys showed up before the last second. I was worried I would have to go take my seat without talking to you guys first." Lelouch's smile dropped a little as he noticed the redhead's worry. "What's wrong? Where is everyone else?" Lelouch looked around briefly, but only noticed Tate and Frederick who ran up beside Allie.

Fredrick hunched over on his knees. "He wasn't there! He really hasn't come here yet!"

"I wonder what happened to Yuya…" Tate trailed off, eyes scanning the crowd.

"Wait, what's happened with Yuya?" Lelouch straightened slightly. Before he saw Tate take out his duel disk and repeat the news. "Is that Shuzo? What's going on?"

"Yuya disappeared before we managed to arrive at the stadium." Allie informed the lost raven haired teen. "We thought he might have gone here by himself, but he hasn't shown up yet."

"Here, we'll take you to where everyone's meeting." Frederick grabbed Lelouch's hand, and all three kids guided the taller teen to where they were meeting at. It felt slightly awkward due to Lelouch having to bend his back, but it didn't stay like that for long.

He soon caught sight of Sora sitting against the wall with a sign saying their school name. The candy addict was at it once again with another lollipop. Then violet eyes caught sight of Yuzu running back the other way, and soon all teenagers and kids met.

"Sora! Has Yuya-" Yuzu began to ask the question all of the Yusho students wanted to know, but Sora interjected quickly.

The candy addict shrugged. "Nope, he hasn't come here yet."

"Yuzu, what should we do?" Allie's eyes looked up at Yuzu.

"I called his house, and he hasn't gone back there either." Yuzu replied softly. "I can't get a hold of him at all! Where could Yuya have gone?"

Lelouch frowned, eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "Why are you guys so stressed about this? I'm pretty sure Yuya will arrive back here before the tournament starts. He probably just needed a quick breather by himself."

"What did you say about Yuya?" Another female voice asked, and everyone turned to look at the shorter teenage girl with long orangy red hair. She held a clear crystal apple in one hand while the other was on her hip. A golden medallion on her dress and apple green eyes looking up at Yuzu and Lelouch.

"Aura!" Yuzu recognized the girl that tried hitting on Yuya.

Apple green eyes now narrowed. "Is it true that my darling hasn't come yet?" She demanded an answer.

"My… darling?!" Lelouch immediately took a few steps back as Yuzu's eyes darkened. He could feel the flames starting to fan around the rising rage.

"Ah! Could it be?" Suddenly, Aura almost seemed to have stars in her eyes as she went off into her own little world. "Darling snuck off to meet my mother and father!" The girl rubbed her cheek against the crystal apple. "Oh my, what a surprise!"

Now Yuzu's fan appeared within her hands, and was it just Lelouch, or did that fan increase in size somehow? "What are you talking about! There's no way that could happen!" He could feel the anger and jealousy rising from Yuzu at the mere thought of that actually happening. This girl really had it bad for Yuya didn't she?

"What delusional fantasies are you going on about Aura?" Lelouch just had to ask. "I thought Yuya made it rather clear that he wasn't interested in you. Especially after Yuzu started to beat him with her fan." Though Aura didn't seem to hear what Lelouch said because she was still stuck in her own world.

"But what should we do? The tournament's opening ceremony is about to start!" Allie grabbed ahold of Yuzu's skirt to try and hold her back from doing anything she would regret. Or from getting the Yusho Duel School disqualified for hitting another opponent.

Aura pointed at the group. "Don't worry! I'll be able to find where darling is with my fortune telling!" Lelouch wanted to call Aura out and say that fortune telling was a load of bullshit. But then again he had a mystical power that allowed him to control anyone with just words and eye contact, so he would just be a hypocrite if he did. That, and at this rate Lelouch would believe anything was possible. He was thrown into another freaking world because of C.C and some other immortal called V or whatever.

Aura kneeled, her dress pooling around her on the floor. Thankfully, nobody decided to be rude and just trample the short girl. She put down a dark purple cloth, before placing her crystal apple on top of it. The fortune teller carefully waved her hands above the crystal apple and began to chant. "Darling Darling where could you be? My darling my sweet darling!" Even Lelouch had to help keep Yuzu at bay from Aura. The Melodious duelist's wrath being too strong, and she slowly inched forward with her fan raised, poised to strike down. Thankfully, Aura seemed to actually have results in her weird ass chant. "I see it!"

Yuzu's anger vanished instantly, replaced with shocked curiosity. "Wh-where is he?" Allie asked hesitantly.

Aura pointed out of the window and towards a big bridge. "That way!"

"He's that way?" Tate asked dumbly.

"Yes!" Aura snapped slightly annoyed. "I just told you he's that way!"

Lelouch gave a small scoff, before shaking his head. "Of course he would go there. That's one of his favorite places to think alone." When all heads turned to look at Lelouch, he explained further. "He took me there when we went on my mock tour around Miami City."

"Ohhh." Everyone said in realization.

Lelouch wanted to facepalm, but thankfully the clock was against him. "I have to go take a seat. I'll be sure to watch you guys and cheer you on." The raven haired teen turned and went to go change back into Zero. "Tell Yuya I said hello and goodluck!"

"Bye Lelouch!" Everyone waved as their friend vanished in the crowd down the hall. Though, they would all be seeing him sooner than they would think.

. . .

"Players can enter the stadium in a moment. All competitors, please line up in front of your respective team placards." A woman on the speakers announced. Zero looked up at the announcement, but soon returned to what he was doing. Which was having one last quick chat with Shun before he had to go with the L.D.S students.

"So you know what you have to do?" Zero asked for the last time. He never doubted Shun and his abilities, the masked man just liked to recheck things around five to ten times just to be safe. He blamed it on his paranoia and shitty luck that kicked his ass on missions with the Black Knights back in his world.

"For the last time Zero, yes. I know what we have to do." Shun sighed heavily. Even the Raidraptor knew that Zero wasn't doing this on purpose. The dude was just stressed, again. "It's not that much anyway, we just have to walk out there. Stand for a couple of minutes, find out who our opponents are and go back into the crowd and wait."

"It does sound rather simple when you put it that way." Zero condeded, before putting a hand on the rebel's shoulder and gripping it tightly. "I'll meet up with you again once this is all over with. Until then, good luck on your match."

Shun casually shrugged the hand off of his shoulder, before he started to walk away towards the L.D.S students. He clicked his tongue. "Please, these people are a joke when it comes to dueling. I'll wipe the floor with my opponents without even batting an eye, just watch."

"Hmph." Zero turned away from his rebel friend, before making his own way towards where he needed to be. "Trust me, I will be watching."

It's showtime.

. . .

"Everyone, we apologize for the long wait!" A man dressed in a black and yellow striped tux announced to the crowd. He had these weird dark pink and orange shades on his eyes, a big dark pink bow tie and a light pink ruffled collar. His black hair went past his ear before spiking up, and he always seemed to have a smile on his face. The announcer, Nico Smiley, seemed just as excited as the spectators where about this event.

"The once a year festival for duelists!" Nico pointed towards the opening where the contenders would walk through. "The Miami Championship has begun!" He now pointed at himself, his golden microphone in one hand. "I, Nico Smiley, will be running you through this opening ceremony!" The crowd cheered loudly at Nico's announcement. "Now then, let the entrance procession begin!"

Somehow, the crowd manage to get even louder. Zero had to hunch back into the shadows a little as the noise rattled within his mask and ears. I'll go deaf before the opening ceremony has even ended.

A spotlight zeroed in on Nico, who kicked out with on leg. "Now then, let the entrance procession begin!" Nico raised a hand into the air like a true showman would, and the crowd went wild as fireworks flew into the sky. Strange fairies formed from the holograms, and flew around the stadium. Even the masked man was impressed at the effort put into this tournament. Reiji Akaba certainly didn't do anything half assed.

The multiple schools and students began to file out one by one as a female announcer took over. "The entry procession had begun! Leading this march is the school that won all classes in last year's tournament, L.D.S - Leo Duel School!" A rather big bunch of students where walking out from the entrance. It certainly dwarfed Yusho's small amount of students. Zero could feel the tension rising from said students from here, they were a literal bundle of nervous wrecks. "As a prestigious school that produces many Pro Duelists every year, they have the most entrants this year once again!"

Zero watched as Kit, Dipper, Masumi, and Slyvio all walked out into the middle of the stadium. They'll be cut down one by one. Zero's masked eye caught sight of Shun calmly and confidently walking alongside the other students. His classic scowl and yellow eyes piercing even through the screen. Classic Shun.

"Following them, the flagship for the martial arts based schools, Ryouzanpaku!" Another, slightly smaller bunch of students walked out. Even Zero could tell from a distance that these people would be trouble. "This school's ace, Isao Kachidoki, was the runner-up for last year's Junior Youth tournament!" The camera zoomed in on a hardened duelist with wild, spiky purple hair and steel blue eyes. His uniform was torn off at the sleeves, and he had a green scarf wrapped around his neck over his red and orange attire. "They're determined to take down L.D.S this year!"

Suddenly, the stadium was filled with the clanking of armor, as multiple medieval dressed duelist walked onto the field proudly. "And now, an international team from overseas, Knights of Duels!" All of them wore white, red and orange robes with yellow tassles and designs stitched into them. Their helmets and white hoods blocking anyone from seeing their faces.

. . .

Shun's yellow eyes looked over to meet Reiji's violet ones as he remembered the moment he met the CEO of L.D.S.

"Enter into a Duel Tournament?" Shun questioned, not wanting to let Reiji know that he was already entered into said tournament. That he knew more than Reiji thought, so he played dumb. "Are those the conditions to our alliance?" Shun almost scoffed at how easy it would be.

"That's right." Reiji put a hand on his hip as L.D.S' Top Team shuffled slightly behind him. The only person who didn't really seem to be affected was Nakajima. "There, we will be picking the strongest duelists in order to fight against Leo Akaba."

"Against your own father?!" Shun faked his surprise, which wasn't really hard since he hardly showed any emotion besides being alone with his friends and family. He never opened up to strangers easily, and that was the same before the Invasion as well.

"Leo Akaba is my enemy." Reiji stated, closing his eyes. Before those sharp violet orbs narrowed at Shun's piercing yellow. "Simply put, we are fighting against a common enemy. In the tournament, there is someone who uses real Fusion Summons." Shun balled one hand into a fist, he already knew who it was, Sora Shiunin. "On top of that, there is another who is using a Summoning method you don't know of yet." That's a lie, Shun did know about Yuya Sakaki and his Pendulum Summoning. "I'd like you to verify it up close. I want to know if he will be useful as a lance to fight against Leo Akaba…"

Yellow eyes looked away from violet as he focused more on what was ahead of him. He would play his game, for now. But he wouldn't stay on his leash for long, because the Raidrapotor had others to protect and a more trusting leader than the son of Academia. Even if that leader wore a mask, didn't everybody? Though it was more in the figurative sense that nobody really shows their true face. Even Shun himself had one, and he knew it as well.

Stop thinking about that and focus on the damn tournament. Though this should still be a breeze, it's better to be completely focused on the Fusion users and spies littered within this damn 'tournament' like the rats they are. In Shun's mind, this was more like a test to find soldiers. Though it kind of hurt to realize that these people were mostly teens, child soldiers sickened everybody.

But the Professor of Academia, Leo Akaba, certainly didn't care now did he? No, he would rather scar the youth to get what he wants in the end.

Shun couldn't wait to get his hands around that man's throat and wring his neck. Or to turn him into a card. One day. Shun swore. One day the people of Heartland would reap its vengeance on that man and Academia as a whole. For Ruri, and for Yuto. I will persevere. I will live on and fight!

. . .

"Moving on, a school which specializes in Trick Dueling, Surprise School!" Zero wanted to rub his forehead. What kind of dueling was that?! These schools and their names were getting more and more ridiculous. A magician whose eyes were blocked out by his top hat waved to the crowd. "This school's ace, Yuzou Tanegashima, has a designed a transforming deck."

"This is getting ridiculous. Just move on to the important people already, and get this done and over with." Zero ground out over his gritted teeth. He was tempted to go up there and geass the woman into going faster in her announcing.

Suddenly, a lot of the female populace in the stadium began to cheer even louder as a bunch of boys on roller skates appeared. "And with those loud cheers, we welcome a school for active idols who are learning dueling, Duel Girls Club!" only three girls walked out, but they soaked up all of the attention like a sponge. "We have our eyes on the genius Idol Duelist, Micky Scarlet!" A girl in a light pink and dark pink dress, with done up blonde hair and white gloves appeared on the screen.

"Why did I choose to be last!" Zero bemoaned.

"Following them, the talk of the town with their Entertainment Dueling, Yusho Duel School!" Zero instantly perked up and looked at the screen. It was indeed Yuya and his friends. The three kids were in front, with Sora, Yuya, and Yuzu behind them in that order. While Sora had his hands behind his head calmly, everyone else seemed rather serious.

Though they all seemed to loosen up some after hearing Yuya's mother and Shuzo cheering them on. Surprisingly, they were louder than the rest of the crowd, and the kids could actually hear them and reply. Good luck Yuya, Yuzu.

"Yusho Duel School's Yuya Sakaki is becoming a household name with his new Summoning method, Pendulum Summoning!" Scarlet eyes briefly looked over at Reiji's form sitting in a special stand. "We'll be keeping our eyes on him this tournament!"

"Well, looks like it's my time to shine." Zero stretched his hands up towards the air to loosen his stiffened muscles from all of the waiting. The masked man walked forwards, by himself, cape billowing softly behind him. It made him look even bigger, and was almost reminiscent of a dragon spreading its wings threateningly.

"And finally, for our last school competitor we have-!" The lady began, before she cut herself short at the pure lack of information. She scratched her head, and spoke in confusion. "Alright then." Her voice went over the speakers and that sudden tone made everyone else quiet down slightly. "We don't seem to have a lot of information our this person. No school, no summoning methods or way of dueling. It looks like we have a special guest folks! The only thing we've got is his name!" The lady decided to spin it as if it was all entirely planned, and was once again more enthusiastic in her announcing. "The name of this mysterious duelist… Zero!"

Yuya, Yuzu, Sora, and the kids all spun their heads back towards the entrance in shock. They certainly didn't expect THAT name to be spoken in this tournament. Even Masumi, Kit, Dipper, and Sylvio turned their heads in speechless shock. While Slyvio's memory weren't tampered with, the other three still remember the masked man rather well. Masumi bundled her hands into fists at the stinging reminder of her loss.

Zero walked out confidently and calmly, the definition of collected. Some mummering spread across the stadium as Zero was the only person, and nobody really knew anything about him besides his masked name.

"Zero? As in nothing?"

"Why would someone name themselves after a number?"

"Why is he hiding his face behind that mask?"

"He looks scary mommy."

"I think he looks rather cool. Where can I get a costume like that one?!"

Be cool, be calm, be collected, and be in control. Zero breathed to himself as he continued towards the waiting duelists. In a hilarious turn of events, the masked man was gestured to stand right beside Yuya and the other students in Yusho. Scarlet red eyes staring at him intensely, studying his every movement as if he was about to disappear again.

Zero's faceless mask turned imperceptibly towards Yuya. "What's wrong Yuya? Thinking that'll I'll vanish with another Geass: Time Stop? Or do you believe you're seeing a ghost?" Yuya blinked and jerked back slightly, and was about to reply before he was cut short by the announcers. Zero's attention returning to them along with Yuya's, mostly. To the rest of the crowd, it looked like Zero didn't even pay Yuya any mind.

"All of you who have gathered here, are the elite, having won your way out of many other duelists!" A person with squinted eyes, grey hair, and a brown tux spoke over a microphone. "We expect you to Duel your best while exhibiting fair play!" Everyone began to clap after those words.

Now Nico took over. "Next, we will be conducting the oath of fair play! The players' representative this year is… Yusho Duel School's Yuya Sakaki!" Nico pointed towards the sky at the declaration.

Zero could release a breath he had been unconsciously holding in. For once I'm glad I wasn't chosen. No one said anything about a damn 'oath of fair play'!

On the other hand, Yuya was freaking out. "Huh?! M-ME!" The teen pointed at himself dramatically. Before he frantically waved his hands. "Wa-wait a second! No one told me about thi-!"

"Yuya Sakaki, to the stage please!" Nico asked. Right after those words were said, two security guards grabbed Yuya and began to practically carry him towards the stage. Even Shun felt a little bad at the kid's predicament.

"Yuya, if you're a man, pull it off in one go!" Gongenzaka cheered for his childhood friend.

Meanwhile, Yuya was literally thrown onto the stage and Nico had to help the boy up. "Yuya, this is another step forward as an entertainer!" Thankfully, the man had his microphone behind his back, so his words didn't catch on to the entire stadium. "Now, if you will…"

Yuya stood up, extremely tense it was so obvious even to the crowd. "Well, then." He stiffy walked up to another microphone, back turned to the rest of the duelists in the tournament. He raised his hand up in a motion of taking an oath of sorts. "O-o-o-oath of pair flay!"

Everyone did some weird anime like drop of poise of sorts after that screw up. Even Shun and Zero hunched over to suppress their snorts and chuckles of laughter. The masked man even having to go as far as to biting his inner cheek to shut the hell up! This is Yuya, as a 'friend' you're supposed to be there for him. Not laugh! But it was rather funny, and definitely embarrassing. He could hear Tate and Frederick talk about how the tomato haired teen was way too hyped up for this.

"Uh… Umm…!" Yuya thought frantically.

"Yuya, get it together!" Yuzu yelled towards her friend and crush. "Everyone is watching!"

Yuya blinked, before looking back up at the crowd. "Everyone is…? Make everyone smile." The teen spoke mostly to himself, as if remembering something. He clutched his pendulum necklace, before taking a deep breathe, and raising both of his hands up. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Pardon me for my earlier mistake. In order to turn that around, this is the oath of fair play! ...Is what I'd like to start off with, but I would like you to listen to what I have to say instead." Everyone seemed puzzled by that. "My father is the duelist Yusho Sakaki! The best Entertainment duelist in the world! But as you all know, three years ago, before his duel began, he went away somewhere…" Yuya spoke soberly. "Everyone called me the child of the runaway duelist, and I practiced Entertainment dueling desperately, saying 'I'll show them!' But at some point, I think I really ran away from actually dueling." Yuya closed his eyes, as if reliving a memory, and his voice seemed to perk up. "But after discovering Pendulum Summoning and fighting with really strong duelists, I began to enjoy dueling more and more!" He opened his eyes again, a smile on his face. "I realized I want to like dueling even more! And I want to be like Yusho Sakaki, someone who people will be proud to know, the best Pro Duelist! I want to be a duelist who can make myself and everyone else enjoy dueling even more!"

Someone started clapping, and when everyone turned their heads it turned out to be Reiji Akaba himself giving the applause. Zero wasn't that far behind himself, and eventually, everyone within the stadium was applauding Yuya on his speech. Though Shun didn't clap, his yellow eyes had softened a bit at Yuya's words. He's kind of like Yuto in the way he doesn't want to fight for violence. But in the way he wants to make people smile with his dueling.

"Excellent!" Nico cheered through the microphone. Yuya began to rub the back of his head sheepishly. "That was Yuya Sakaki's oath of fair play as well as his declaration of his determination!" The tomato haired teen did a quick short bow, before returning to his spot beside Yuzu.

"Wonderful speech I must admit." Zero complimented his friend and soon to be rival in the tournament. Yuya seemed surprised that Zero complimented him, but he took it nonetheless with a gracing smile. "Perhaps I couldn't have done it better myself."

Nico raised a hand into the air. "Now then, we will now announce the first matches!" He lowered that hand out towards the side. "All competitors, please put your registration card into your Duel Disk!" Everyone pulled out their cards from their pockets. "The registration card receives communication from the Tournament Operator's computers, and will guide you to your opponent." Nico explained. "And, of course, it will update when you qualify for the next round of the tournament!"

"Really? That's convenient!" Yuya smiled as he read the card carefully. Soon, everyone put their registration card into their duel disks, and impatiently waited for their opponent to show up. Each duelist excited for their own duels. "My opponent is…Sylvio?!" Yuya looked closer at the screen in shock. He didn't expect to be facing Sylvio again so soon.

Yuzu herself seemed surprised at her opponent. "My opponent is Masumi!"

"My match date is tomorrow, huh?" Yuya read the date and time carefully. Putting all of the information into memory.

"Mine is today in the afternoon." Yuzu announced, she still couldn't believe she would be facing Masumi in the first round!

"Mine is tomorrow." Gongenzaka spoke from where he stood a little ways away.

"Gongenzaka…" Yuya trailed off, curious as to who his opponent is. "Who are you playing against?" The sturdy teen turned his duel disk around as an answer. "Grizzlepike!?"

Gongenzaka looked off to the side, voice serious. "This must be fate…"

"Mine's right after this!" Frederick cheered excitedly.

"Mine's after that!" Allie looked up at Frederick excitedly.

"Alright! Today, we'll be cheering for Frederick, Allie, and Yuzu!" Yuya fist pumped. None of them realizing that the masked man beside them was listening in on their conversation. Zero's opponent was one of the students from that Ryouzanpaku school. Their name was Taka Makoto, and it honestly looked like he was wearing an orange Mickey Mouse hat along with some glasses. The kid also wore a yellow martial arts robe and was fair skinned, a constant frown on his features. Though is was much worse than Shun's constant scowl. This kid is like the rejected idea of Mickey Mouse. This should be a breeze for me.

"What about Sora?" Tate leaned over to look back at the candy addict. Zero subtly tilted his masked head back to watch and listen as well.

Sora looked down at his yellow duel disk's screen. "It's tomorrow. My opponent is from L.D.S." Sora stated, and everyone turned to look at Sora's opponent on the screen.

"L.D.S? Who is it?" Yuya asked, and Sora showed them.

Emerald eyes narrowed. "Shun Kurosaki. It's him."

"This person is Shun Kurosaki…" Yuzu trailed off, remembering her first encounter with the strange person.

"Yuzu, it seems you're my opponent." Masumi spoke up, and everyone's attention was diverted to the Gem-Knight user.

"Masumi!" Yuzu took a couple steps forward. "Masumi, tell me! Why is Shun Kurosaki listed as an L.D.S member?"

Ruby eyes narrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about? He's been a part of our group from the start."

"Huh?!" Yuzu leaned back at the suddenly weird news.

"From the start…?" Even Yuya was confused.

Now ruby eyes glared at someone from behind them. "But I'm sure you guys would gladly explain why THAT man is here!" She pointed towards the masked man himself.

Zero didn't bother to make himself disappear. The girl couldn't attack him in such a crowded area, so he was perfectly fine at the moment. Though he was pretty certain he would have to watch his back, or use his geass on her to get the girl to back off.

Zero closed his left eye and grit his teeth. No, I said I wouldn't use my geass anymore unless it was an emergency or the only choice. I have to stand by that. That is, unless I want my geass to runaway. The thought of being anything like Mao convinced him not to use his geass rather easily.

Zero did a short, mock bow. "I'm glad you can remember me Masumi. How does the sting of defeat still feel?" He watched as Masumi raised her fists, as if looking for a fight, and growled. Zero chuckled. "I did warn you that you would lose, didn't I?"

"You-" She couldn't even finish her sentence in her rage. "Just tell me what you did to Professor Marco."

Zero was actually pretty tempted to tell her, but he doubted that Masumi would believe him. Saying that Marco was turned into a card was rather absurd without any proof. Hell, if someone from the Black Knights told him that before he was teleported to the Xyz Dimension he would laugh, call them either idiotic, naive, insane, or all of the above and then have them kicked out of the organization. Instead he went with the more mysterious route. "You'll find out the answer to that question near the end of this little tournament my lady."

Ruby eyes blinked, she didn't actually believe she would get answers that easily. Her frown deepened before she crossed her arms. "Fine, but you better not try and pull anything! I'll be watching you."

"And I will be watching you as well." Zero assured her, and he was pretty certain that comment freaked her out slightly from the way her shoulders tensed slightly. He straightened his shoulders, before turning to walk away to one of the smaller stadiums. "My match is the first one for the Junior Youths, right before yours Yuzu. Now, if you'll excuse me. I have a battle I need to win and an opponent that I must defeat." He nodded his masked head to Yuya and Yuzu. "Yuya Sakaki, Yuzu Hiragi. We'll be seeing each other again sooner than you think. Good day." Zero turned his back on them, feeling all of their eyes on him as he walked away. Including certain emerald green, ruby red, and scarlet red pair of eyes.

. . .

"Alright folks!" Nico cheered loudly through his golden microphone. "Let's get the Junior Youth Championships rolling! We're going to kick this thing off with a bang! The mysterious masked man Zero VS the Ryouzanpaku student Taka!"

The two competitors walked towards each other, until they were only a few feet apart. While one was openly glaring, the other masked stare was scrutinizing. Zero instantly disliked what he was seeing. Not only does this person seem to hold no potential or drive. He's slimy, like a snake. This should be a rather bleak duel.

Zero did a quick check up on who his opponent really was. He knew everything before he walked out here in the middle of the stadium. Zero knew his name, age, birth, school, deck type, and even the way he fights. Which is what had the masked man's attention the most. This person fights dirty. He physically hurts his opponent to win a card game for children. I can't believe people go this far for a children's card game.

Zero didn't bother to shake his opponent's hand. "Let's get this match over with I suppose. I have other places I desire to be."

Taka grit his teeth, but he gave a sly sneer. "My, someone is rather overconfident of their skills. Though, I like that. I'll be sure to beat that confidence out of you and make you fall into darkness before this match is over. After all, I am a student of the Ryouzanpaku Duel School!"

"You certainly like to crow, don't you?" Zero muttered to himself but Taka still caught on.

"What did you say to me?!" Taka glared and bunched his hands into fists, already wanting to beat the living crap out of this masked man.

"You boast about your upbringing and victory before the duel has even started. Such arrogance. I'm rather good at destroying such a nuisance like you as you'll soon come to learn." Zero turned back to face Taka as he spoke. The masked man seemingly looking down at a mouse.

"I'll make you eat those words during our duel! You masked bastard!" Taka swore. Seeing Taka's behavior caused the crowd to boo. The referee having to take a step in unless an actual fight breaks out between the two.

"Alright you two, let's just get this duel started." The referee casually made the two disburse as they walked to their respective sides of the field.

"What a wonderful way to put it." Zero spun around, cape flying behind him as he activated his unique duel disk. The mark of geass as his duel blade appearing once again, while Zero's own geass power was thirsty for another morsel. The power desiring to quench its thirst, if only momentarily, but Zero's pushed back and persevered onwards. "Let's get this duel started! Less talking and more dueling!"

Taka cracked his knuckles with a big grin on his face. "I'm with you on that one." With that, his duel disk also activated.

"The field chosen for this duel is…" Nico trailed off, wanting to add some suspense into the mix. "Ruin Utopia!" The place looked almost exactly like the Shinjuku Ghetto or the current state of Heartland, which surprised Zero slightly. Multiple skyscrapers having fallen down and turned into rubble, the roads cracked or destroy. The entire place looked like a war torn wasteland, it was unrecognizable to what it once was. A place where people now wander around aimlessly, without hope, just waiting to die.

Zero pushed all of that aside without trouble. He was used to these circumstances, they didn't bother the masked man at all. Reiji was most likely testing him to see how he would react to this. Well it won't work, but it was a nice try Akaba.

"Two duelists locked in battle!" Zero chanted, seeing as everyone somehow knew this chant he decided to memorize it as well.

"They kick across the dirt and dance around the air with their monsters!" Taka continued, a frown maring his face at having to do the chant.

"This is the greatest evolution in dueling!" Zero raised one gloved hand into the air. "Action!" He snapped his fingers, and the Actions Cards dispersed in a frenzy as a field began to generate around them.

"DUEL!"

ZERO LP- 4000

TAKA LP- 4000

"I'll go first!" Taka declared. "I draw!" The teenager jumped and parkoured his way up on top of the tallest collapsed building before making his move. "I summon Armor Breaker in Attack Mode!" A little warrior carrying a huge barrel appeared on the field and sat on top of said barrel.

ARMOR BREAKER LV.3 ATK:800 DEF:800

"Next, I activate the Spell card Polymerization from my hand! With this, I fuse together Arashi the Skywind Star and Tsumuji the Earthwind Star to summon a stronger being!" The two monsters appeared on the field briefly to do a Fusion Summon. The light being produced shined brightly behind the Ryouzanpaku student. "I Fusion Summon! Come forth, Level 10! Fujin the Breakstorm Star!"

A warrior with various shades of green armor appeared. He held a staff in one hand, while there seemed to be clouds somehow attached to the monster's shoulders. The monster flexed his muscles momentarily, before giving a mighty war cry.

FUJIN THE BREAKSTORM STAR LV.10 ATK:3000 DEF:2200

"I equip Armor Breaker to Fujin the Breakstorm Star." The smaller monster jumped up and quickly sat on the bigger monster's shoulder. "With this I set one card down and end my turn." Taka stated, before he pointed up at his Fusion monster. "Fujin's effect activates! Once per turn, during the End Phase. My monster can inflict 500 points of damage to my opponent for each Warrior-Type monster on the field. There are two, so you take 1000 points of damage!" Taka sneered as his monster unleashed lighting that was heading directly towards Zero.

The masked man acted quickly, and was just barely able to doge the electrocution by hiding behind a pillar of stone that was from one of the collapsed buildings. Though the lightning managed to scorch one side of the stone black from the sheer power.

ZERO LP- 4000 = 3000

"Look at that!" Nico announced as the crowd cheered slightly. "On his first turn, Taka managed to shave off a thousand Life Points! At this rate, Zero won't last for long! So what will the masked man have hidden up his cape to counter this?!"

Once he figured the coast was clear of any stray lightning, Zero reemerged. The man casually dusting off his shoulders before returning to the battle. "So you mostly defeat your opponents with effects? Though your monster does have a good amount of attack, it's not undefeatable by no means."

"We'll see about that, Zero." Taka spat the man's name. "Now go ahead and take your turn!"

"With pleasure. I draw!" Zero yelled confidently through his modulated mask. "I Summon one Black Knight Glasgow in Attack Mode!" The familiar machine to Zero rose up and raised its machine gun, ready for a fight.

Meanwhile, the audience was cheering. "Ohh?!" Nico spoke up intrigued. "I've never seen this kind of monster here folks, and I've been doing this gig for years! What is Zero's deck like to have this strange monster in it?"

BLACK KNIGHT GLASGOW LV.4 ATK:1200 DEF:900

"With my Glasgow's effect I can Special Summon another Glasgow from the hand or deck. I choose to summon one from the deck. Rise up to join your comrade!" Zero proclaimed as another knightmare appeared.

BLACK KNIGHT GLASGOW LV.4 ATK:1200 DEF:900

"I sacrifice one of my Black Knight Glasgows to Advance Summon a stronger monster." Another knightmare, similar to the Glasgow but seemingly better appeared. "I Advance Summon Level 6! Knightmare Sutherland!" A machine with a purple and black paint job appeared, it was more advanced than the other machine that was sacrificed.

KNIGHTMARE SUTHERLAND LV.6 ATK:1800 DEF:1800

"I now play the Spell card Black Knight Backup. This allows me to summon another monster regardless of its summoning conditions as long as it is the same level as one of the monsters currently on my field." Zero pointed at his Sutherland. "I choose to Summon another Sutherland."

KNIGHTMARE SUTHERLAND LV.6 ATK:1800 DEF:1800

The machines began to crowd around the masked man and their allies. It almost looked like they were an actual unit of soldiers in formation. "However, I'm not done." Zero declared boldly, before throwing his hand up into the air and yelling. "I overlay my two Level 6 Knightmare Sutherlands to build the Overlay Network!" The vortex appeared in the sky, and the two Sutherlands turned into purple light and rushed into it to create a stronger monster.

The crowd started to go wild. "Woah!" Nico yelled, excited by this duel himself. "It seems our masked man knows how to Xyz Summon! Let's see what new monster will arise from the depths of this golden swirling vortex!"

"From within the harsh world you reside in. Come forth with your never ending and never dying loyalty to serve your highness till your last possible breathe! Conquer death itself so that your loyalty may triumph onwards! I Xyz Summon!" Zero yelled proudly. "Come forth! Rank 6! Knightmare Frame Siegfried!"

The Knightmare frame was shaped like an orange sphere. Five giant green spikes sticking out from all directions of the machine as it floated in the air above Zero. A purple Sutherland head could be seen poking out from the orange sphere, and the machine seemed to give a war cry of its own.

KNIGHTMARE FRAME SIEGFRIED RNK.6 ORB.2 ATK:2900 DEF:2500

"I activate Knightmare Frame Siegfried's effect. By discarding one orbital it can destroy all monsters on my opponent's side of the field." Zero pointed towards Taka and his monsters as the Siegfried began to spin along with its spikes. "Razing Spin!"

The Knightmare began to spin rapidly, and was going so fast that a normal person could hardly see the green spikes as they spun. The machine flew forward, ducking down and beginning to destroy the ground and anything in its path. Chunks of debris and stone spit from behind the Siegfried which was currently on the warpath.

"If my monster is endanger of being destroyed, I can't unequip Armor Breaker so that its destroyed instead!" Taka reacted quickly.

"When I said that all monsters are to be destroyed." Zero spoke darkly. "I mean it, Siegfried's effect destroys ALL monsters on my opponent's field. You can't stop this mechanized monster." Taka could only watch in surprise as his both of his monsters were indeed destroyed. The teen having to crouch down as a rather big chunk of concrete just barely passed over his head due to the Siegfried's chaos being so close.

"In a shocking turn of events Zero has just wiped out Taka's entire field!" Nico announced to the crowd that was going absolutely mad. "This means that the boy is wide open for a direct attack!"

"That's right." Zero responded easily, before throwing both of his hands out towards Taka. His cape rising off of the ground at the action. "First, I attack you directly with my Knightmare Frame Siegfried! Storm of Loyalty!" A compartment opened on the back of the deadly machine, and a bunch of missiles suddenly fired from within.

Their target? Taka himself.

The teen was so focused on saving his own skin that he didn't even think about going for an Action Card until it was too late. Not only that, but the wind and ground shaking from the missiles barrage caused the Ryouzanpaku student to be thrown backwards onto the ground.

TAKA LP- 4000 = 1100

Taka was up on his feet once again, growling at the masked man. "You bastard. I'll make you pay for that tenfold!"

"You may try, but you'll fail." Zero retorted calmly, before he smirked. "Besides, I wasn't finished."

"What!-" Taka just now remembered that Zero had another monster on the field. "Oh shit!" The teen ran for an Action Card.

Zero looked up at his Siegfried. "Stop him from getting an Action Card." Zero ordered, and the orange machine took off like a bullet towards Zero's opponent. Then Zero's faceless mask turned towards his remaining Glasgow. "Now then, I attack you directly with my Black Knight Glasgow! Checkmate!"

Taka saw an Action Card just a couple feet away from him, and he lunged to grab it. The teen's fingers just managed to graze the card's surface, before he was lifted up into the air suddenly. The Ryouzanpaku student cried out in shock, and turned his head to see Zero's Siegfried carefully lifting him up by the edge of its green spikes. This prevented the teenager from grabbing the Action Card, which was now taunting him with how close it was but was still unable to grab it. It wasn't long before the Glasgow caught up to both of them, and fired a slash harken that knocked Taka back a ways once the Siegfreid released him. Taka cried out as the rest of his Life Points dwindled to zero.

TAKA LP- 1100 = 0 LOSER

ZERO LP- 3000 WINNER

The crowd was going insane at this point, and it didn't look like it would be stopping soon. "Amazing!" Nico cried out in disbelief. "This masked man- Zero has just managed to do a one turn K.O! It didn't even look like he was struggling either! We have a winner, and the name is Zero! Let's give a round of applause to the marvelous start of the Junior Youth Miami Championship!"

The screens used to broadcast the duel turned into a picture of Zero, with the words 'Winner' stretched across the bottom. The crowd began to cheer for the wonderful display, calling out the masked man's name. "Zero! Zero! Zero! Zero! Zero! Zero! Zero! Zero!"

Zero showed no sign of acknowledging the crowd except for a simple wave of his hand. This only seemed to make the crowd cheer more as Zero began to walk back towards the entrance he came from. Though for some reason, this cheering just seemed to nag at Zero the wrong way. It was most likely from what he had remembered in his last panic attack, all of the cheering.

Thinking that he was a God rather than a human being like them.

Zero didn't bother to reject it though. Instead, the masked man went to go have a quick chat with Shun before watching Yuzu's duel. That was the price he had to pay for making Zero a symbol that was like God, so he would accept his consequences quietly and alone.

. . .

Lelouch studied the two rivals in the stadium with a calculating gaze. The raven haired teen wondered if Yuzu would actually triumph and gain a victory over her rival Masumi. With the training Sora did with her Lelouch thought it was possible, but the girl still seemed to struggle slightly the last time he watched her Fusion Summon.

But that was a while ago wasn't it?

Let's see how far she's progressed. See if she can take care of herself as well as Ruri can. Lelouch thought to himself. To say that Lelouch didn't compare the two girls would be a lie. He actually saw they had a lot in common. Both liked to act kind and caring, while also having a strong desire to protect those closest to them. It was kind of like a mother bear in a way. But it's nothing close to Cornelia. Lelouch huffed at his own thoughts. His sister was very protective of Euphemia, and he didn't blame her. With that bastard he was supposed to call a father on the throne Lelouch was slightly surprised Euphemia didn't suffer the same fate as them in another Area.

Back to the comparison though, both girls also seemed to have a crush on their boy counterparts. Not only that, but both girls had bracelets with powers, and were wanted by the Professor of Academia. They also had that mother hen like side of them, though Yuzu seemed to actually have it more than Ruri surprisingly. Maybe it was because the girl knew what it was like to feel suffocated from a dotting sibling or friend.

The raven haired teen looked over at Yuya and his friends, feeling eyes on him in that general area. Turns out he was right, because Yuya was looking up at him and waving frantically to get his attention. A small smile graced the teen's face as he waved back, though that smile dimmed as he saw Sora staring at something else. Emerald eyes were looking away from Lelouch, the duel, and the rest. When Lelouch followed his line of sight, it turned out to be Shun Kurosaki who had gained Sora's attention.

So he knows. Lelouch deduced from the smirk he gave towards the Raidraptor duelist. The two were staring each other down and Lelouch swore he could feel the fire coming from their gaze.

"DUEL!"

YUZU LP- 4000

MASUMI LP- 4000

Violet eyes blinked as the duel began. Lelouch watched as the two girls fought over a field based entirely on bridges with only darkness as a floor. Good luck, Yuzu. The Action Cards disappearing as well.

"I'll be going first!" Masumi declared. "I activate the Spell card Gem-Knight Fusion! I can use Gem-Knight monsters in my hand to perform a Fusion Summon with this card!" Yuzu narrowed her gaze at the familiar scenario. "The cards in my hand I will fuse are three Gem-Knights Sapphire, Garnet, and Crystal!" The Fusion user threw her hand into the air towards the sky. "Strong willed blue! Crimson truth! Eye of quartz! Combine to bring forth a new dazzling radiance in a whirlpool of light!" All three knights appeared, and put their hands together for the Fusion Summon. "Fusion Summon! Come forth! One who illuminates all with its supreme radiance! Gem-Knight Master Diamond!"

GEM-KNIGHT MASTER DIAMOND LV.9 ATK:2900 DEF:2500

"Got your ace out already?" Yuzu asked from across the field on another bridge.

Masumi only smirked. "Master Diamond's Attack is increased by the number of Gem monsters in my Graveyard times 100!"

GEM-KNIGHT MASTER DIAMOND ATK:2900 = 3200

"I set one card and end my turn." Masumi finished as she pointed towards Yuzu. "Now, it's your turn. Show me just how much you've changed!"

"My turn! I draw!" Yuzu glanced over at Sora, who gave her a confident smile and nodded his head. Before the Academia spy turned to look back at Shun, their secret stare down continuing as they each studied the other for any sign of weakness. The Raidraptor now had his hands on his hips. "I activate the Spell card Polymerization from my hand!" Yuzu yelled, and showed Masumi her new card, surprising the Gem-Knight user.

"Fusion?!" Masumi spoke in shock.

"What a shock!" Nico exclaimed. "Hiragi has learned how to Fusion Summon!" The crowd cheer at seeing the two Fusion users battling.

Yuzu did a quick, short bow before throwing her hands to the sides. "I fuse the Melodious Maiden Aria and Sonata that are in my hand!" The two sang a quick song before they were fused together. "Echoing melodious voice. Flowing melody! Guided by the baton, gather your power!" She balled her fists together, and threw them in front of herself while giving a confident cry. "Fusion Summon! Now, come to the stage! Melodious Prima Maesterin Schubert!"

A female looking monster with very long orange hair and a white baton came onto the field and poised dramatically. The crowd cheered at the wonderful display. The monster wore a big orange, red, and brown victorian like dress and a golden masquerade mask over her face.

MELODIOUS PRIMA MAESTERIN SCHUBERT LV.6 ATK:2400 DEF:2000

Lelouch watched as Shun's form tensed immensely under the sudden turn of events. Yellow eyes widening at the sight of Yuzu, the girl who looked like his SISTER Ruri, perform a Fusion Summon. Any thoughts of thinking this girl looked anything like his sister instantly disappeared and turned into ashes.

"Once per turn, Maesterin Schubert can banish all Fusion Materials of a Fusion monster from the Graveyard!" Yuzu announced, and threw one hand forward towards Masumi's monster. Masumi gasped in shock. "I'll banish the Fusion Materials for Master Diamond: Sapphire, Garnet, and Crystal! As well as the Spell card Gem-Knight Fusion! Chorus Break!"

Damn, that's some effect. Not only that, but Diamond's attack now drops by 300. Lelouch pondered to himself as he returned his attention to the duel slightly. Though he always kept an eye out for Shun and Sora. It could feel how they both wanted to try ripping the other's throat out from here, and he was rather far away.

GEM-KNIGHT MASTER DIAMOND ATK:3200 = 2900

"And for the rest of this turn, it's Attack is increased by 200 for each card banished by its effect!" Yuzu added, which went over Master Diamond's attack if just barely.

MELODIOUS PRIMA MAESTERIN SCHUBERT ATK:2400 = 3200

"Battle!" Yuzu declared as Schubert's mask and hair started to turn into flames. "I attack Master Diamond with Maesterin Schubert! Wave of the Great!"

Masumi ran, and did a daring move by jumping off of the bridge she was currently residing in. Her ace monster swung his sword, but was ultimately destroyed. The ruby eyed girl grit her teeth in frustration.

MASUMI LP- 4000 = 3700

"I set two cards and end my turn." Yuzu finally finished her onslaught. "At this moment, Schubert's Attack Returns to normal."

MELODIOUS PRIMA MAESTERIN SCHUBERT ATK:3200 = 2400

"My turn, draw!" Masumi stood up to take her turn. What she drew turned her frown into a smirk, before she looked back up at Yuzu. "I'm surprised that you can Fusion Summon, but if this is all you can manage, it won't stand a chance against me!" She flipped her long raven hair while speaking.

"Quit bluffing!" Yuzu almost spat. "Right now, you only have one card in your hand!" She pointed at said card. "You can't fuse with just that!"

Masumi's smirk never left. "I wonder about that. I activate the Continuous Spell Brilliant Fusion from my hand!" She threw her arm into the arm, prepared to make another Fusion Summon. "With this card, I can Fusion Summon a Gem-Knight monster using monsters from my deck as Fusion Material!"

"Monsters from your deck?!" Yuzu's periwinkle eyes widened.

"From my deck, I'll choose." Masumi trailed off in thought as she picked up three cards from her deck. "Gem-Knight Alexander, Emerald, and Obsidian to perform a Fusion Summon! Gem with facets of noon and night! Brilliant emerald of good fortune! Sharp, jet-blacked darkness!" All three gem monsters held hands for the Fusion Summon just like before. "Combine to bring forth a new dazzling radiance in a whirlpool of light! Fusion Summon!" Masumi did a quick spin, before slamming her new Fusion monster down on her duel blade. "Dazzling maiden, Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Diamond!"

A female figured knight appeared. A short red cape billowing behind her, with a big diamonds embedded her her chest, helmet, and leg armor stood proudly. The beautiful gems reflecting the sunlight and making her that much more, well, brilliant. The knight held a long silver sword in one hand, ready for a fight.

GEM-KNIGHT LADY BRILLIANT DIAMOND LV.10 ATK:3400 DEF:2000

"The Attack and Defence of monsters Special Summoned by Brilliant Fusion become zero." Masumi announced, confusing a lot of the audience that was cheering loudly as these two ladies battled. Even Lelouch was caught slightly off guard at this, but he was certain the girl had a plan to change that quickly.

GEM-KNIGHT LADY BRILLIANT DIAMOND ATK:3400 = 0

"But, by sending one Spell card to the Graveyard. I can return its Attack to normal until my next turn!" Masumi also added as she ran to get an Action Card from somewhere around the field of unending bridges. Yuzu wasn't that far behind her, the girl determined to stop Masumi from getting a card.

The Gem-Knight user jumped up some steps, skipping two at a time. Yuzu watched, worry gnawing at her as she saw Masumi closing in on an Action Card. "I won't let you!" She declared. "I activate the Trap Melodious Dirge of Divine Punishment! It deals 800 damage to my opponent for each Melodious monster I control!" A giant bolt of green lightning appeared and stopped Masumi from advancing. The girl crying out as she was flung over the railing.

MASUMI LP-3700 = 2900

The L.D.S student acted quickly, and grabbed onto one of the green poles connecting another bridge to swing back around. She snatched the Action Card as she landed back on the same bridge she fell off of. The display caused the audience to go wild. "Now that was amazing!" Nico commented. "As expected of an L.D.S elite! She got an Action Card using brilliant movement!"

Masumi held her Action Card up into the air victoriously. "By sending one Action Spell Card to my Graveyard, Brilliant Diamond's Attack returns to normal until my next turn!"

GEM-KNIGHT LADY BRILLIANT DIAMOND ATK:0 = 3400

"Battle!" Masumi yelled and pointed at Yuzu's Fusion monster. "I attack Maesterin Schubert with Brilliant Diamond!" The knight lunged forward, and cut Schubert's defending attack to pieces. The knight then rushing forward and completely cutting the monster in have before it had a chance to turn into particles as it was destroyed in a rather harsh way.

The force knocked Yuzu back, causing her to scream as her Life Points dwindled slightly. The girl almost being thrown off the bridge which caused Yuya to scream Yuzu's name with worry. Thankfully, the Melodious duelist managed to grab the railing at the last second, her body dangling above the dark abyss.

YUZU LP- 4000 = 3000

"That was a close one!" Nico called out in slight concern. The announcer didn't want anyone to get hurt now, and he could feel the audience heave a breath with relief at Yuzu's safety. "Hiragi manages to grab onto the railing and hold out!"

Yuzu slipped under the railing, and turned back around to face Masumi. The Gem-Knight user being on a higher level than her now. "Now do you get it?" Masumi asked. "This is the difference between our strengths. I end my turn with this!"

"My turn!" Yuzu began to draw, but she seemed to hesitate slightly before going through with the action. "I draw! I set one monster in face-down Defense Position!"

Masumi flipped her raven hair. "What's this? Looks like you don't have any options left!"

Yuzu raised a card, and looked at it. The Melodious duelist ignoring Masumi's jab and finishing her turn. "I set one card and end my turn!"

Masumi ran to search for another Action Card as she started her turn. "My turn! Draw! At this moment, Brilliant Diamond's Attack becomes zero due to Brilliant Fusion's effect!"

GEM-KNIGHT LADY BRILLIANT DIAMOND ATK:0 = 3400

"I won't let you get an Action Card!" Yuzu yelled, eyes narrowed in determination as she ran beside Masumi on another bridge.

"I won't let you stop me!" Masumi spoke back, before summoning another monster. "I summon Crystal Rose!" A literal rose in crystallized form appeared on Masumi's side of the field.

CRYSTAL ROSE LV.2 ATK:500 DEF:500

"When Crystal Rose is on the field, it can be used as any Fusion Material needed!" Masumi spoke up while still running for an Action Card. "I use Crystal Rose as Gem-Knight Tourmaline! I activate Brilliant Diamond's effect! By sending one Fusion Material on the field to the Graveyard, I can perform a Fusion Summon!" Three diamonds appeared around the Fusion monster.

"A Fusion Summon with one material?!" Yuzu exclaimed in surprise, but still kept running.

"This is the power of Brilliant Diamond!" Masumi narrowed her ruby eyes. "Using Crystal Rose as Roumaline, I Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Zirconia! Grind Fusion!" Masumi yelled as light shined down from behind her. "Come forth, bewitching and dazzling splendor! Gem-Knight Zirconia!" The knight had two diamond batter rams for hands, along with silver armor and a dark grey cape.

GEM-KNIGHT ZIRCONIA LV.8 ATK:2900 DEF:2500

The two girls were closing in on an Action Card, but Yuzu was stopped by Masumi's newly summoned monster. The giant Fusion monster blocking Yuzu's way. This allowed Masumi to grab the Action Card for Brilliant Diamond. "I send one Actio Spell Card to the Graveyard to return Brilliant Diamond's Attack to normal!"

GEM-KNIGHT LADY BRILLIANT DIAMOND ATK:0 = 3400

"Battle!" Masumi threw a hand out towards Yuzu and her facedown monster. "First, I attack your facedown Defense Position monster with Zirconia!"

The giant monster leaped forward and slammed down onto Yuzu's monster. This caused Yuzu to trip into a roll, before coming to a stop on the bridge. She held her head down as she crouched while Masumi walked over to her. Ruby red eyes looking down upon Yuzu.

"Now the only monster you had protecting you is gone." Masumi spoke calmly as periwinkle looked up to ruby red. "This will finish you!" The Gem-Knight user spoke boldly. "I make a direct attack with Brilliant Diamond!" The Gem-Knight monster rushed forward, her sword pointed forward towards Yuzu with the intent of cutting her down.

"Trap activate! Fusion Samsara!" Yuzu raised her hand in front of Brilliant Diamond. This sudden declaration caught everybody off guard. "I can Special Summon a card used as Fusion Material this turn from my opponent's Graveyard onto my field in Attack Position!"

"From my Graveyard!" Masumi spoke surprised while Sora smirked after licking his lollipop.

"The card I choose to summon is Crystal Rose!" Yuzu declared as the rose appeared on Yuzu's side this time.

CRYSTAL ROSE LV.2 ATK:500 DEF:500

"A monster Special Summoned by this effect cannot be destroyed by battle this turn!" Yuzu added.

"But you'll still take damage!" Masumi insisted. Brilliant Diamond's strike was so powerful that it cut straight through the bridge and its concrete. While Masumi was able to withstand the force, Yuzu screamed as she was once again thrown backwards and rolled across the bridge.

YUZU LP- 2900 = 100

This isn't looking go. Lelouch thought with a grimace on his face. Though Yuzu's move to save herself was rather smart in his opinion. She expected Masumi to pull of something like that, and prepared for it ahead of time.

"I end my turn here." Masumi finished. "If I hadn't Fusion Summoned this turn, you wouldn't have been able to use Fusion Samsara." Masumi smirked. "You should thank your luck."

"That wasn't luck." Yuzu replied softly, and Masumi returned her attention to her opponent. "Masumi, you have pride as a Fusion user. I was certain you'd try to finish me off with a Fusion monster! And that would protect my life and give the hope I needed!"

"You're quite talkative for someone who only survived by the skin of her teeth!" Masumi narrowed her eyes as she pointed at Yuzu. "Why don't you just prove to me next turn that you can do something aside from pointless struggling?"

"I plan to!" Yuzu moved to draw a card and start her turn. "My turn!" Her periwinkle eyes narrowed in stubborn determination, she WILL win this duel! "Draw! I'll show you my radiance right now!" Yuzu insisted. "I summon Melodious Maiden Soprano!" A female singer with a black and white dress with orange trimmings floated onto the field. Her eyes were blocked by a golden mask, and the monster had long pink hair going down to the small of her back that spiked in every direction.

MELODIOUS MAIDEN SOPRANO LV.4 ATK:1400 DEF:1400

"I can perform a Fusion Summon of a Fusion monster that lists Soprano as a Fusion Material without using a Fusion Spell card!" Yuzu informed her audience and Masumi.

"She…!" Masumi trailed off before starting again. "Don't tell me she's planning to use my Crystal Rose?!" The Gem-Knight user spoke incredulously.

"Crystal Rose can be treated as a necessary Fusion Material for a Fusion Summon!" Yuzu continued, confirming Masumi's thoughts. "I use Crystal Rose as Melodious Prima Prodigy Mozart!" Yuzu gestured to her other monster. "Using Melodious Maiden Sporano's effect, I can fuse itself and Crystal Rose!" Yuzu crossed her arms, did a small bow, and began her Fusion Summoning chant. "Angel's song. Genius of excellence! Guided by the baton, gather your power!" Yuzu balled her hands into one fist and threw it out in front of her. "I Fusion Summon!" A light pink flower appeared on the field and began to bloom one petal at a time. "Now, come to the stage! Sing your song of victory! Melodious Flower Saint Bloom Diva!" The small monster had a light blue dress on along with silver hair and baby blue eyes. Two big light pink tassels flowed behind and around her arms, pink flowers at the ends of each one.

MELODIOUS FLOWER SAINT BLOOM DIVA LV.6 ATK:1000 DEF:2000

"Well this is interesting, though Yuzu's monster's attack could be better. I wonder what it's effect is?" Lelouch pondered as he watched the duel beginning to come to a close. The crowd was going wild around the two female duelists.

"Battle!" Yuzu declared and pointed to Gem-Knight Zirconia. This action surprised most of the crowd and Masumi herself. "I attack Gem-Knight Zirconia with Bloom Diva!" The giant knight slammed one of its hammers down, but Diva's voice blocked the blow, and even pushed the monster back. "Bloom Diva is not destroyed when battling Special Summoned monsters, and the opponent takes any Battle Damage I would!" Yuzu revealed her trick. "And it destroys that monster as well!" The pink petals around Bloom Diva turned yellow, ready for the counterattack. "Reflect Shout!" The monster increased its singing, and a lime green and yellow beam flew out of Diva's mouth and destroyed Masumi's monster. Masumi screamed as she was thrown head over heels backwards from the force.

MASUMI LP- 2900 = 1000

"Now you've done it." Masumi grounded out through her grit teeth as she began to stand once again. A smirk still on her face. "But that will be your downfall! I activate the Trap card Brilliant Spark! When a Gem-Knight on my field is destroyed, I deal damage equal to its Attack to my opponent!" A ghost of Zirconia appeared, and fired a beam of light towards Yuzu from the crystal in it's chest.

Yuzu didn't seem worried. "I activate the Trap card Melodious Illusion! It negates an opponent's Trap card, and lets one of my Melodious monsters attack again!"

Masumi acted fast, and began to slide down one of the green poles while speaking. "Brilliant Spark's other effect!" Yuzu leaned over the railing to watch Masumi head towards an Action Card before deciding to do something reckless. The Melodious duelist jumped over the railing and off of the bridge she was once on to reach the card first. "By sending one Spell card to the Graveyard, I can negate any effects that negate this Trap!" Masumi's hand was just inches from the card. "Got it!"

Not quite, because at that moment Yuzu dived past her and grabbed the card herself.

"Wh-what is this!?" Nico yelled over the golden microphone in shock as the crowd went wild at Yuzu's daring action. The Melodious duelist dived towards the bottom, but her monster Bloom Diva caught her and prevented the girl from being injured. "Hiragi makes a diving catch for the Action Card!"

"Yusho Duel School can't lose when it comes to action!" Yuzu declared proudly.

"Unbelievable!" Masumi exclaimed as she looked down towards Yuzu, hands holding onto the railing. "Why would you jump from that height?!"

Yuzu smiled. "Being one with your monsters is how Yusho Duel School duels!" Yuzu explained happily while making a fist pump. "Due to Melodious Illusion's effect, Bloom Diva can attack again!" The Melodious monster began to sing once again, an dYuzu threw her hand out towards Brilliant Diamond. "This is the final blow! I attack Brilliant Diamond with Bloom Diva! Reflect Shout!" The two female monsters charged at each other. Brilliant Diamond raised her sword, while Bloom Diva shot her green and yellow beam.

Masumi screamed and tried to stand her ground from the hurricane like winds, but was eventually blow away into the air.

MASUMI LP- 1000 = 0 LOSER

YUZU LP-100 WINNER

"Masumi!" Yuzu cried out as she watched the Gem-Knight duelist falling. However, Bloom Diva herself quickly came to the rescue, and saved Masumi from a fatal fall.

Ruby eyes blinked up at the monster with disbelief. "You… saved me?" Yuzu smiled with relief, and gave a short nod. This interaction caused Masumi to gasp, and nobody noticed the very faint blush on her cheeks before she turned away from Yuzu's gaze.

The screens filled with Yuzu's picture and the tex 'Winner' scrawled at the bottom. "This neck and neck fight for Action Cards ends with Yusho Duel School's Yuzu Hiragi's victory!" Nico announced loudly over the constant cheering that was really starting to make Lelouch's ears sore.

"Well done Yuzu." Lelouch leaned on one hand and watched as those around him began to stand up and cheer for his friend. "You're growing stronger, just like you had wished." Though, violet eyes flickered back over to where Shun was, only to find that he was gone.

Sora seemed to notice as well from what Lelouch could gather, because the Academia spy was whining for some reason.

. . .

The sun was beginning to set now over the horizon. With the first day of the Championship over, everyone was beginning to head back home or to their hotels to get a good night's rest after the crazy events.

"Congratulations on your victory Yuzu." Lelouch smiled slightly at the pink haired teen. "I'm glad I was able to watch it from the stands. It's much better seeing such action in person rather than on TV."

"Yuzu using her opponent's monster to do a Fusion Summon gave me the shiver!" Fredrick jumped up and down excitedly, but thankfully didn't do his dance this time. At the moment, the entire group of Yusho and friends were walking away from the stadium, and were somewhere around the L.D.S tower.

Sora had his hands behind his head as he spoke somewhat arrogantly. "Well, I'm the one who taught her, so being able to do that much is a given!" The sky blue haired teen increased his ego.

"Yuzu Hiragi!" The group stopped, and looked to see Masumi herself blocking their way.

Oh boy. Please don't let there be an actual fight. Lelouch mentally pleaded within his mind as he watched ruby eyes glaring into periwinkle.

"Masumi?" Yuzu spoke, confused at the Gem-Knight user's appearance.

"You better plan on winning after you defeat me!" Masumi stated as she pointed towards the Melodious user. That was right before she took a couple menacing steps forward to stand right in front of Yuzu. The light shadowed her face slightly, and seemed to make her that much more intimidating to the kids. "I wouldn't be able to stand losing to someone who doesn't even win the tournament!" Masumi pumped her fist, before looking into her deck box. "So, here…"

Surprisingly, the girl held out a Crystal Rose towards Yuzu. The pink haired teen took the card and looked at it briefly, before looking back up at Masumi with disbelief. "This is, Crystal Rose? Why?"

Masumi flipped her raven hair before explaining her actions with a smile on her face. The girl pointed at Yuzu. "You'll need this card to shine again like you did in your duel today!" The girl turned around and began to walk away. "Later!"

Yuzu rached a hand out, Crystal Rose still in said hand. "Wait!"

"I won't forgive you if you lose, got it?" Masumi said with her back turned as she continued to walk away.

Yuzu's eyes softened, gratitude filling them as the girl waved. "Masumi! Thank you! I'll be sure to shine even brighter!" The Melodious duelist assured her ex rival to newly found friend.

"Well." lelouch was the first to speak at the silence that suddenly enveloped the group. "That was unexpected."

"It seems you've made a new friend Yuzu!" Yuya leaned forward to smile at his childhood friend, who blushed at Yuya's praise slightly.

"That's my girl!" Shuzo crowed proudly for everyone on the street to hear. "I'm so proud of my little girl, defeating her rival and gaining a new friend all in the same da- AHHOOOOWW!" The man couldn't finish his sentence because Yuzu slapped her father with her infamous and deadly fan. Both Lelouch and Yuya sweatdropped at the sight, a sheepish laugh escaping their lips.

The raven haired teen made sure to get away quickly after seeing Yuzu was now in the fan slapping mood.

. . .

"So, I saw you watching Yuzu's duel today, Shun." Zero spoke over the somewhat tense silence that had rose from the dining room table. Yuto and Ruri had watched the duels over the TV in the hotel, and they both knew why Shun was rather upset at the moment.

"She uses Fusion Summoning." Shun spat, the world Fusion like poison in his mouth. "I can't believe she learned how to do that Summoning Method rather than the others."

"It's not like she had many other options." Zero pointed out, in a way subtly challenging the Raidraptor duelist. "No one else in their group knew how to perform a Synchro or an Xyz Summon. Yuya is the only one who can Pendulum Summon at the moment, which is going to change rather quickly in this tournament I suspect. That only leaves Sora. He's the only one that can perform a Summoning Method that isn't useful to only himself and can teach it to others."

Yellow eyes glared at Zero's mask, trying to catch a glimpse of his real face through that purple glass. Even when knowing it was pointless he did it anyway. "I know, but it still rubs me the wrong way." Shun condeded, and grumbled the last part mostly.

All four resistance fighters were currently eating some very well cooked steak. No one could doubt that Zero certainly did have good connections in this world, but it only made them want to know who he was even more.

They couldn't push the masked man though. If they did, everyone knew they would be pushing him away. All they could do was wait until Zero decided to reveal his identity himself, or if circumstances became too dire that they HAD to know who was under that mask.

"I think she did a fine job during that duel." Ruri commented softly. "Though I won't ever use Fusion Summoning for myself I think she used it responsibly." A smile graced her face which caused a lot of tension to leave the room. "And the way she came back from the brink of defeat was rather astounding! Her Melodious monsters are like little angelic fairies that are just as gorgeous as my Lyrical Luscinas are cute."

Yuto and Shun both gave a soft smile at Ruri's enthusiasm. If there was one good thing about the Standard Dimension, it was that they knew how to make duels fun and exciting to both play and watch. "That indeed." Standard helped remind the Xyz users that dueling wasn't all about war and survival, and about what it used to be before the Invasion. But they wouldn't stop until their mission of a free Xyz Dimension and restored Heartland was fulfilled.

"Seeing that this conversation was about dueling." Zero casually put his filled plate aside, planning to eat it later in his room. "Have any of you thought about learning new Summoning Methods like I suggested?"

Now the room was somewhat tense again, and Yuto couldn't help but roll his grey eyes. "Thanks Zero, you made the room tense again with just one question."

Zero narrowed his violet eyes from underneath his mask slightly. "You all knew I was going to ask this question again eventually, so there was no point in trying to delay it any longer."

Shun turned his head to the side and scoffed. "I'll admit that Pendulum Summoning looks rather interesting. It'll help me Xyz Summon my Falcons easier while making them stronger at the same time. However, there's no way in hell you're going to convince me to Fusion Summon."

Zero nodded. "I expected as much. Pendulum Summoning is rather interesting to me as well. It certainly has so much potential. It will most certainly be the edge we and Reiji Akaba will need to defeat Academia. What about you Yuto? Ruri?"

"Well, if Academia is after us. It would be best if we got stronger, and learning a new Summoning Method will certainly give us an ace in case things get rather dire." Yuto nodded his head slightly and brushed a purple bang out of his face back into its upward position. "I was thinking about Synchro Summoning actually." The Phantom Knight's mind flashed back to when he fought that stranger named Yugo. "It certainly doesn't seem too difficult, but perhaps when Pendulum cards become more common here I'll learn how to use those as well."

"Well…" Ruri trailed off slightly, a pondering look on her face as all three males leaned in slightly to hear her response. "I was thinking about either Pendulum Summoning or maybe even Ritual Summoning."

Zero raised an invisible eyebrow. "Ritual Summoning?"

"Yeah!" Ruri smiled. The idea of actually knowing something her leader did not filled her with pride. "It's a rather old method of summoning, and it's not as popular as Synchro, Xyz, Fusion, or even Pendulum but it's still available to those who want to learn." The girl quickly took a bite of mashed potatoes and swallowed before continuing. "I only actually learned that Ritual Summoning was a thing around a few days ago. I watched some teenagers dueling in a park and one of them performed a Ritual Summon."

"How do you perform a Ritual Summoning?" Shun asked, intrigued. If his sister was so interested then maybe he should take a look at it as well.

"Well you see." Ruri began, and leaned back in her chair as the others listened intently. "Ritual monsters actually have a blue colored border, and are actually in the Main Deck along with the Spell card necessary to summon them. I'm pretty sure the Spell cards are called Ritual Spell cards." Ruri trailed off in thought, before continuing with greater enthusiasm. "Anyway, these Ritual Spell cards are used to summon their respective ritual monsters."

"How do you know all of this if you only learned about the method existing for a couple of days?" Yuto asked the unasked question.

"Oh I went to a public library and looked it up. Continuing onwards…" Ruri drawled out. "To perform a Ritual Summon you must have a Ritual monster and a respective Ritual Spell card that can summon said monster. Though there's apparently a tribute requirement to summon the monster as well. It should be listed on the Ritual Spell card though."

"And this Summoning Method." Zero interjected quickly before Ruri could continue. "Is it a Special Summon like Xyz?"

"It is." Ruri confirmed. "They have to be Special Summoned by being Ritual Summoned first, and if the Ritual monster is destroyed it can't be revived by Spell cards like Monster Reborn. That is, unless it was successfully summoned in the first place."

"The way you just put it sounded slightly confusing." Shun admitted. Though then again he had never even heard of a Ritual Summon since coming to the Standard Dimension until now.

"Sorry." Ruri apologized sheepishly, but Shun just waved her off and silently encouraged her to continue. "There are some Spell cards that bend this slightly. There are some that can perform a Ritual Summon using monsters in the Main Deck or some that allow you to perform a Ritual Summon in the Graveyard." With that, the younger Kouraski picked up her suddenly empty plate and stood up from the table. "That's about all I've read, though I'll be sure to look it up again later as well." Shun opened his mouth to speak, but Ruri seemed to know what he was going to say. "Don't worry Shun. I'll be sure to watch your match." The teen giggled slightly at Shun's surprised expression at her being able to read his mind, but quickly brushed it off and crossed his arms like he usually did.

"Well then." Zero also stood up from his seat and grabbed his full plate. "I suppose with this conversation out of the way and ending rather nicely I'll go and actually eat my food. That, and try to get some rest to prepare for watching Gongenzaka's, Yuya's, and your duel." Zero seemingly sighed heavily, though he was just being dramatic. "I just know that your fight with Sora is going to get very violent. I swear you two are going to have a cat fight or claw each others eyes out, probably both."

"Zer- Why you!" Shun lunged from his seat, but the masked revolutionary managed to slip into his room and lock the door just before Shun could grab his his high collared cape. Yuto and Ruri laughing all the way at the display. It vaguely reminded them of a chase scene in Tom and Jerry.

Shun slammed on Zero's door once. "I WILL get you for that you short stack! Just you wait until tomorrow."

"I'm only like a few inches shorter than you Shun. Which is something I'm not ashamed of since you're like a giant, skinny beanstalk.." Zero's modulated voice was muffled behind the wooden door. "Now be a good bird brain and go nest in your room so you can be properly prepared for your duel tomorrow."

The look of rage on Shun's face actually did manage to splinter the wood on Zero's door after THAT comment.

. . .

Later in the middle of the night one could hear Zero scream rather loudly and high pitched. It sounded nothing like a boy's scream and more like an actual honest to God girl's. The reason for this screaming you may ask?

"SHUN!"

It was because Zero excited his room to put his dishes away and get a quick midnight drink in the kitchen. While the masked man was tired and distracted, Shun snuck up behind him and literally dumped a rather big bucket of ice water on top of him.

Sadly for Zero's reputation, a mini prank war ensured after that display. Thankfully, NONE of the Black Knights would be learning of this. At all.

If they somehow did geass was always an option, because learning of information like that WAS an emergency to the masked man's pride.

That's it for Chapter 13 folks! We even got two duels in this chapter, whoopie! Jeremiah's knightmare has just been introduced! Yeah! Who here likes good old Orange Boy? I'll admit I didn't like the dude at first, but he certainly redeemed himself and went on to be one of my favorite characters in Code Geass. I watched the Best Moments of Jeremiah Gottwald, go check it out. 50% man, 50% machine, 100% orange, and 200% MOTHERFUCKING LOYALTY!

Not only that, but Ritual Summoning is in this story as well?! WHHAAAT?! Ruri is thinking of learning Ritual Summoning?! Zero wants to Ritual Summon as well as Pendulum Summon. Yuto wants to Pendulum and Synchro while Shun just wants to Pendulum. Wonder how that will turn out? Everyone wants to learn something new! Perhaps that's a good thing with the entire army of Academia hot on their heels. But will they all be able to learn these Summoning Methods before it's too late? Who knows, I'm the one writing this story after all.

They'll be here soon and we all know it. Yuri is going to come back! Ohh boy.

I like writing these small little memorable moments between Zero and the resistance fighters. Alongside Yuya and his gang I suppose. Though they'll become important at a later date and time though. Otherwise, we'll be seeing Gongenzaka's duel briefly, Yuya's and finally Shun and Sora's matches before we begin the second round of the tournament. Until Chapter 14! -MoonlightWright