"So you're Yuya Sakaki, huh?" The teacher sneered. "I am Professor Chronos di Medici, and I will be your examiner. Prepare yourself to lose."

Yuya gulped. Everything was fine. He just had to win and everything would be fine. So… he would show everyone his way of duelling.

[Duel Mode Randomised. Mode: Master Mode.] The computer announced. Yep, Yuri was right. This was definitely fixed to put them at a disadvantage. Or perhaps, with the fact that the teacher seemed so disdainful of him and had come to face him personally… could he have known that Yuya was a Pendulum user and set the mode accordingly to disadvantage him?

Argh, so many questions. He would just have to talk to Chronos after this. (If the other would even listen to him, a part of his mind sneered at him.) "Duel!"

Yuya Sakaki: 4000LP

Chronos di Medici: 4000LP

"I'll start!" Yuya winked, smiling. He still didn't do so well in Master Mode, despite his brothers attempting to help him to get used to only being able to revive one monster from the Extra Deck. "I'll Normal Summon Performapal Skullcrobat Joker (4*/S8/1800/100/DARK/Spellcaster/Pendulum/ Effect) from my hand. "Then, I'll activate Skullcrobat Joker's effect. When Normal Summoned, I can add a "Performapal", "Odd-Eyes" or "Magician" Pendulum Monster from my deck to my hand."

He hesitated. It kind of terrified him to make this next move, because of how the crowd might react to his own dragon. He didn't remember the incident that they were booing him over, but he does know a little about it, and he knew his dragon had a huge part in the incident…

Starving Venom growled in his Extra Deck. "What are you doing? Odd-Eyes trusts you, just like we trust you!"

Odd-Eyes… he gave it a nod of thanks. "I will add Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (7*/S4/2500/2000/DARK/Dragon/Pendulum/Effect) to my hand!"

As expected, the name brought up a bit of stir in the crowd. However, the death glare that Yuto fixed on the loudest students at least kept the peace. Yuya turned back to his cards, before the teacher spoke up. "An Xyz Dragon, a Synchro Dragon, a Fusion Dragon and a Pendulum Dragon… where did your dragons come from?"

"These dragons? They're our soul cards, obviously." He said softly. Having Odd-Eyes with him gave him an odd sense of comfort.

Soul cards were the cards that were quite frankly suited to the person who they were given to. At ten years old (or maybe a bit older, he and his brothers had received theirs at eleven) people went to the Temple of Horakhty and they received a basic deck from the goddess herself. Any new cards that duelists got were either generic cards that anyone could use—in other words, made by humans—or evolutions of the original Duel Monsters they had.

Performapal…

"I will now show everyone a beautiful Pendulum Summon! I will set the Scale 3 Performapal Seal Eel (1*/S3/100/100/WATER/Fish/Pendulum/Effect) and the Scale 8 Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon (7*/S8/2800/2000/DARK/Dragon/Pendulum/Effect) in the Pendulum Scales! Sway, pendulum that casts the arc of light! With the set Pendulum Scales, I can Pendulum Summon monsters from Level 4 to 7! I will Pendulum Summon! Come, my monsters! Performapal Skeeter Skimmer (4*/500/1600/WATER/Insect/Effect) and the one, the only Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Skeeter Skimmer, an orange mosquito with long gloved legs and a tiny hat on its head appears. Meanwhile, next to it, a scarlet-scaled dragon appeared, swinging its long, scaly tail around with a loud roar. Its dual coloured eyes locked onto Chronos with a slightly lower-pitched growl.

Then, it moved next to Yuya and licked his cheek, before wrapping its tail around Yuya and pulling him onto its back with a smile. He laughed, petting its back. "Yeah, it's nice to see you too, Odd-Eyes. I end my turn."

The teacher sneered, drawing a card. "I'll send you home crying along with those brothers of yours, tomato boy. Draw! I will play the spell card Polymerisation to fuse the Ancient Gear Gadget (4*/500/2000/EARTH/Machine/Effect) and the Ancient Gear Frame (4*/1600/500/ EARTH/Machine/Effect) in my hand!" He smirked. "Come on out! Fusion Summon! Level 8—Ancient Gear Howitzer!" (8*/1000/1800/EARTH/Machine/Fusion/Effect)

Yuya stared, impressed. An immediate Fusion Summon… but why was it in Defence Position?

"Howitzer's effect! During my Main Phase, I can deal you 1000 damage once per turn!" He pointed at Yuya. "Hunting Howl!" True to what he said, the monster let out a loud howl, shooting out shrapnel towards him. Yuya held up his hands, blocking the shrapnel. A few small cuts were formed on his arms, and he idly wondered how no one had sued for injuries with Solid Vision yet.

Yuya Sakaki: 4000 - 1000 = 3000LP

"I set one card and end my turn. Over to you, Sakaki."

"My turn! Draw!" He smiled at the card. Starving Venom really wants to help him, huh… and so does Yuri. "I will answer your Fusion with my own, Chronos-sensei! I'll play the spell card Polymerization! I will fuse the Performapal Skullcrobat Joker and the Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon on my field!" He jumped off Odd-Eyes before the dragon flew into the fusion vortex. He clasped his hands together. "Joker spellcaster who dances on the stage! Become one with two different colored eyes and point to a new path! Now become one, and from the hell beneath your petals, give birth to a new terror! Fusion Summon!" He gave a bright smile.

If he smiles, he can make everyone else smile too.

He will keep on believing that.

"Appear! Poisonous dragon with hungry fangs—Level 8! Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!" (8*/2800/2000/DARK/Dragon/Fusion/Effect)

"You gave him your dragon?" Yuto said, looking over. "That's a good idea. I should have too."

Yuri shrugged. "Yes." He looked back down at his youngest brother standing next to his fierce dragon. He felt… proud? Happy? For a moment, Yuya looked up to him and smiled, giving him a victory sign and a wink. His dragon let out a loud, protective roar, its wings flaring out with a victorious growl.

By this point, they were sitting with the Kurosakis—four sisters, two of which had spoken up for Yuya earlier. Yuzu Kurosaki, the pink-haired one looked at the field. "That's a rather scary dragon." The green-haired one gave a slight shake of her head that Yuri caught, not really disapproving but the protective Yuto look as she glared down at the dragon. He found it interesting.

"Thank you," he said with a smirk. "Now let's focus on the duel, shall we? I want to see Yuya and Starving Venom destroy that mascot."

Yugo cupped his hands around his mouth. "Crush him, Yuya!"

Chronos looked at the dragon, shivering a little. "That dragon… it's creepy. This is the one that beat Masumi-san, no?"

"Yes." He said. He petted Starving Venom on the back. "Starving Venom will gain the attack points of your monster—so he'll gain 1000 attack points and go up to 3800 attack points. Hungry Fang! (Starving Venom Fusion Dragon: 2800 + 1000 = 3800ATK) I will Pendulum Summon again using my Scales! Come on out from my hand, Performapal Partnaga!" (5*/S3/500/2100/EARTH/Reptile/Pendulum/Effect) A yellow snake with a goofy smile appeared. "Partnaga's effect! I'll give a monster on my field 300 attack points for each "Performapal" on my field! I'll give Starving Venom those attack points—300 times two is 600, so that'll bring him up to 4400 attack points. (Starving Venom Fusion Dragon: 3800 + 300 x 2 = 4400ATK) However, Partnaga's effect stops all Level 5 or lower monsters from attacking."

Chronos laughed mockingly. "Then you can't deal me damage. Misplay, boy? You should have brought Partnaga out later. Now that dragon of yours is completely useless and can't get to me."

Don't get angry don't get angry don't get angry—

He bit his tongue. "Don't insult my brother's dragon." He said, before immediately regretting it. "Starving Venom Fusion Dragon's second effect." He snapped his fingers. "Everyone, now this dragon shall show you all a gorgeous show! Once per turn, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon can copy the effect of a Level 5 or higher monster on the field. It will copy Ancient Gear Howitzer's effect. Predator's Mimicry! Once per turn, it can deal you 1000 damage! Hunting Howl!"

He nodded to Starving Venom with a smile, conveying the simple message—don't hurt him. The dragon flew into the air, letting out a storm of scarlet and violet petals as well as metal shrapnel, reflecting light and falling all around them, transforming the ground into a field of petals.

"So pretty…"

"It looks nice."

"He said he wanted to give us a gorgeous show. Do you think he's trying to be an Entertainment Duelist?"

He grinned. Chronos pushed himself out of the petal pile.

Chronos di Medici: 4000 - 1000 = 3000LP

"Thanks for your help, Starving Venom." He said, petting the dragon's back again. "Battle Phase! Take it out, Starving Venom! Toxic Spore!"

Starving Venom let out a bloodthirsty screech, before it let out a hail of crimson leaves and flowers, all of which surrounded the hunting dog until all of a sudden it vanished beneath the leaves.

"Ancient Gear Howitzer's Effect! When destroyed, I can Special Summon an "Ancient Gear" monster from my deck ignoring summoning conditions! It looks like you need a better lesson, Sakaki—"

"Yuya."

"..."

"Please stop calling me Sakaki. I'm Yuya." He said.

He didn't carry the same pained hatred that his brothers held for their father, but he did feel… sad, at least. His father… Yusho Sakaki… Yuya had lived his life from that one fateful day until now carrying that feeling of inferiority, of loss and a feeling that he hadn't been good enough. It was silly, but he suspected he would always feel that way.

The teacher coughed. "I will Special Summon Ancient Gear Golem! (8*/3000/3000/EARTH/Machine/Effect) Normally, this card cannot be Special Summoned, but since Howitzer allows me to ignore summoning conditions, that is no issue."

Yuya nodded. "Alright. I will end my turn there." (Starving Venom Fusion Dragon: 4400 - 1000 = 3400ATK)

"Draw! I will activate the spell card Ancient Gear Fusion! With this card, I can use materials from my hand or field to Fusion Summon! Since I am using an "Ancient Gear Golem" I control as material, I can also use materials from the deck! I will fuse Ancient Gear Golem and two Ancient Gear Wyverns (4*/1700/1200/EARTH/Machine/Effect) from my deck! Come on out, ultimate machine golem! Fusion Summon—Level 10! Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem!" (10*/4400/3400/EARTH/Machine/Fusion/Effect)

4400 attack… this could be trouble. And Starving Venom's attack gain from its own effect had already worn off, leaving it with just 3400 attack points… but he had an ace up his sleeve, at least.

"I will play the spell card Twin Blast Burst—this turn, a monster on my field can attack twice, but the damage it deals will be halved! I will obviously give this attack to my Golem. Now, attack S—Yuya's Performapal Partnaga! And Golem deals piercing damage! Ancient Collapse!"

The golem shot out a blast of old and rust shrapnel at his monster, but Starving Venom quickly blocked the stray shards from hitting Yuya. Meanwhile, Partnaga took most of the hit and was destroyed.

Yuya Sakaki: 3000 - 2300/2 = 1950 LP

"Now—destroy that eyesore of a dragon! Ancient Collapse!"

Starving Venom was blown to shreds. Yuya winced at the shockwave.

Yuya Sakaki: 1950 - 1000/2 = 1450LP

"Everyone!" He announced. "Starving Venom will now give everyone its farewell with a fabulous display!" The petals all around him rose into the air, floating in a strangely mesmerizing manner. "When Starving Venom Fusion Dragon leaves the field, it destroys all Special Summoned monsters on the field! Do it, Starving Venom! Vengeful Storm!"

Normally when Yuri's dragon had to use this last manoeuvre, it would create a rather unsettling scene of gore instead of the beautiful shows it helped Yuya with. Starving Venom was just like Yuri—dangerous, adaptable, vengeful… and yet kind. The golem melted into shining particles as it vanished.

"Seriously? Well, my Golem has an effect too! It will Special Summon an "Ancient Gear Golem" from my graveyard to the field! So return, Ancient Gear Golem—and show Yuya Sakaki the grave error he made! Destroy Performapal Skeeter Skimmer and put an end to this duel!"

Yuya gave what he hoped was a cheeky smile. "Sorry, but I won't let it end so easily! When targeted for an attack, I can change Skeeter Skimmer to Defence Position and negate your attack!"

Chronos huffed. "I end my turn. Now what will you do?"

What he would do, huh?

… he had decided that a long time ago. He would move forward. With Yuto, with Yugo, with Yuri. He would leave all the tears behind him. So he couldn't lose here. Not when the other three had tried so hard, always tried so hard for him… he looked at his deck.

It would respond. He knew it would.

"Draw!" He grinned at the card. "Pendulum Summon! Return from the Extra Deck, dragon of shining eyes! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" His ace appeared with its loud roar, letting him know its will. It would stand by him, as always. "I will activate the spell card Pendulum Destruction! I can destroy up to two cards in my Pendulum Scales, and one of your monsters loses 1000 attack points for each! I will destroy both and lower your Golem's attack by 2000!" (Ancient Gear Golem: 3000 - 1000 x 2 = 1000ATK)

Chronos paled, glancing at his Golem as it was weakened by the transparent spirits of the two destroyed Pendulum monsters. "But that's only 1500 damage. I can beat you next turn—"

"Chronos-sensei." Yuya interrupted. "When Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon battles a monster, the battle damage is doubled."

Chronos let out a comical gasp. "What?"

This was all thanks to Starving Venom, who protected him until this vital moment. Just like how his brothers had been defending him until he had the chance to stand up for himself, to show everyone his dueling…

"Ladies and gentlemen!" He said loudly, hearing his voice echo. "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon is about to make his final attack on Ancient Gear Golem!" He brought his voice back to its normal but still audible volume. "Let's make this last attack a nice one, Odd-Eyes. Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon will attack now! Spiral Strike Burst! And the damage will be doubled! Reaction Force!"

Odd-Eyes let out a bright ruby beam of light that hit Gear Golem, who shattered into pieces—pieces that were caught in the wind brought about by the attack just like all the petals around it, creating one final, breathtaking flurry of petals as the duel was concluded.

Chronos di Medici: 3000 - 1500x2 = 0LP

There was a short, awkward silence and Yuya briefly wondered if he had done something wrong. Then, people began applauding, with hesitant looks at each other to make sure that they weren't the only ones. The applause grew louder, and Yuya gave a sigh of relief. He had succeeded.

He glanced briefly at his brothers. Yuri's approving, cocky smirk. Yugo's excitement as he loudly cheered Yuya's name. Yuto's kind smile as he gave a thumbs up.

He smiled. "Thank you." He said, and the crowd's applause grew, although he wasn't addressing it to them. Anyway, since he had to end the performance… he walked over to Chronos. "Chronos-sensei? Are you alright?"

Chronos glanced up at the red-and-green haired boy.

From the tales, he had expected this boy to be a little bundle of hatred and rage. He had expected Yuya Sakaki to be a coward just like his father, and just as infuriatingly proud as that man.

But no.

This boy… and the other three, now that he thought about it… they were all damaged. Damaged by the fact that their father had run away and left them. Damaged by their own sorrow. They had been hurt by Yusho Sakaki's actions more than anyone else, and he had been far too proud to see that.

He stood up. "Of course. Sa—Yuya," he was still getting used to that, "you should get to the stands." The Solid Vision deactivated, the petals fading away.

The boy looked him over with those earnest scarlet eyes, before nodding. He ran up to the stands, to where his brothers were sitting. Were those the Kurosakis sitting with them? He sighed. Well, time to go and rest—

He felt a burning glare land on his back. He spun around to see Asuka Tenjoin looking at him with a look of extreme anger. "I think we should talk, Chronos." She said with a too-sweet smile. He heard some students gossiping in the stands and laughing at him and groaned internally as the woman gestured for him to follow her to the side of the testing area.

What happened next was on display for all of Duel Academia to see. That is, to see what happened when you crossed Asuka Tenjoin and those she was protective of—now including a group of boys with various fruit coloured hair. It was spoken of by students in hushed voices and in awe for the rest of the day, as Chronos was taken on a stretcher to the medical bay and the students were calmly informed by the female teacher that the boat to Academia would be delayed for a while.

But it also sent another clear message to the other teachers—that bullying and unfairness towards any of the students would not be tolerated by the newest addition to their ranks. That it would not be tolerated by Asuka Tenjoin, recent winner of the Pro Circuit and youngest teacher of Duel Academia.

Judging from the shivering, it was definitely received.

Yuya wondered why his brothers were staring towards the duel field in awe. He had tried to turn around, but Yuto and Yuri had simultaneously stopped him from doing so, each holding onto him with a steady arm. Yugo's eyes were practically sparkling with admiration, and Yuri's smirk had been growing bigger and bigger for so long that it was way too creepy to look at.

And then all of a sudden, there was a sickening crack and his brothers all flinched, their awe-filled expressions vanishing. Yugo especially looked sick.

The purple-haired girl leaned forward. "I didn't know a— mmphmhh." Her voice was muffled as her green-haired sister placed her hand over her mouth.

"Serena!" She chided, and the other two hid snickers. Then, the voice of the nice teacher from the waiting area came over the loudspeakers, informing them that there would be a delay.

Yuya grinned. "Alright! Let's go find people!" He paused to consider that statement, before he turned to the girls. "Hi. I'm Yuya."

The laughter he got at that made him smile—both in amusement and in confusion.

Oh well. Girls were weird.

A/N: And here it is! Ok, so this one came out really close to the last one because I had free time and I already sort of plotted the next few chapters anyway, so yeah! Here, another chapter! I hope you enjoy :) (Could we consider this a double release? :))

Chapter Preview: Chapter 4—Melodious Symphony and Moonlight Waltz

On the boat, curious about why Serena and Yuzu Kurosaki would stand up for Yuya, Yuri challenges them to a tag duel to try and understand them through the duel.

So yeah! Next chapter we get to see Serena and Yuzu duel! Yay :p Thanks so much for reading, and if you followed or favorited this, thanks a lot! I'm so glad you enjoyed. Anyway, see you next time!

-Blaise

Edit: (8/7/19) Added a bit more description, centralised life points and added a few spaces to break up the card stats in order to make the paragraphs look better.

Edit: (10/10/20) Wow, it's been a while. I actually love this chapter so much XD Anyway, the duel has been edited to the newer format now. :)