Unfortunately, there were no questions, cards, or decks asked and/or suggested. Next chapter, there is a few things to clean up, but we we will be moving back into the WDC.
Temple: Bottom Floor…
Chazz Princeton, an old man with white hair sectioned in two layers and with black eyes, had made it to the bottom of the temple. His outfit consists of a black jacket, with grey trim, over a purple shirt, dark blue pants, and brown shoes.
"This temple is peculiar." Chazz thought. "It feels as though I've been walking forever, yet I entered about 1 hour ago. What is going on? Is the temple affecting my time or has my entrance affected the temple? What have you sent me to do Reiji?"
Chazz entered what seemed to be the only room in the temple which made the chancellor feel that the situation was even more off. There were 5 doorways, which seemed to lead to the wall behind, and in the center of the room there was a black, circular platform.
Each doorway was a different color which seemed to correspond to the summons one could perform. Dark blue for Ritual, purple for Fusion, white for Synchro, and two other portals Chazz didn't recognize. One was a light blue and the other was divided into four segments.
Those segments being dark blue, purple, white, and black. That wasn't all as the dark and light blue portals were nothing but rubble. Chazz walked into the room only to notice that nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
The chancellor approached the platform before kneeling beside it and rubbing his hand over it as he tried to discern what Reiji wanted with this place. Why send him here? Unfortunately, no matter how careful he was, Chazz activated the platform, and it began to glow black.
"What is…" Chazz thought.
His thoughts were interrupted as the white, segmented, and purple doorways glowed. The black glow consumed Chazz, and he vanished. Everything returned to normal and it was silent.
Outside Heartland: Country Home, Morning…
Quatro sat by the window seal of a simple guest room looking out; however, he wasn't looking at the miles of farmland one could see. He was rather looking at his own reflection. After hours of sitting there, he put a hand on the eye which had been scared.
Kitchen
Taiki sat at his family' dining room table with is D-pad out and tuned to the messages from his friends detailing all that has gone on within Heartland. Cat, Caswell, Lance, and Yuma were missing. When they asked for his help, he had to turn them down without giving a reason.
The gymnast put the D-pad down, sighed, and ran his hand through his hair. "Of course, I couldn't give a reason. How would the others react knowing I'm trying to help Quatro?" He stood up. "I need to clear my head."
Taiki walked up the stairs.
Upstairs
The gymnast knocked on the guest bedroom. "Quatro, you still in there?"
Quatro replied, "The doors open."
Taiki opened the door only to see Quatro looking at the window. "Are you okay?"
Quatro didn't look at the gymnast as he simply lowered the hand on his eye. "Why did you decide to help me? Especially after everything I've done to those you know."
Taiki crossed his arms. "When I came across you in that park, I didn't see the person that attempted to hurt Caswell, did something horrible to Shark and Rio, and is after the Numbers. What I saw was someone who needed help."
Quatro glanced back at him before looking back at the window. "That doesn't answer my question."
"Doesn't it?" Taiki uncrossed his arms. "Quatro you've wronged people; however, I don't know much about how you've wronged them. What I do know is that seeing you in that park made me realize you aren't a lost clause.
You're someone conflicted; however, conflicted people can change. All you need is a chance and maybe someone to believe in you." He shrugged. "I'm uncertain if my belief can do anything." He sighed. "Even if it is stupid, I do believe you can be better.
You just need to try." Quatro said nothing as he shifted a bit in his seat. "I can see you're not in the mood to talk, so I'm going to leave." He turned to leave. "I'm heading out on a run. Help yourself to anything in the fridge and make yourself at home."
Taiki left the room and out the house before starting to run. Quatro watched him go from his place at the window. Once the gymnast was out of sight, the champion looked over at his deck and gear Taiki had provided. Quatro stood up and walked over to it.
Heartland City: Photon Warehouse
Shark stood in a room with Shay and Kite as they worked to search for any of the missing. Orbital was off to the side, at a computer, keeping the systems operating at maximum compacity. Nistro, Yuto, Dextra, and Kala had joined Rio, Nelson, and Vega in the search.
Naturally, early on, they had found Tori who was hospitalized for hypothermia; however, she was still out. This left them without a lead besides what Haru heard about Yuma being in trouble, and that Kari and Trey were also missing.
"Just what is going on?" Shark questioned. "First the Numbers appeared followed by Number Hunters and Barians. Then, this Fusion Dimension comes along causing massive trouble. What does it mean?"
Kite spoke up. "I got something." Shay and Shark came over. "The sports arena is beginning to read strong summoning energy. We may not have the data to support this, but I'd bet that's Lance. At the very least, someone that may know something about the missing."
"It's a sound bet." Shark stated. "Send a message to have everyone converge there."
"Orbital, send that message as we make our way there, and don't leave anyone out." Shay ordered. "If you think of excluding the Number Club, we'll turn you to scrap."
Orbital sighed before perking up. "Yes sir, Master Shay!"
The group left the room.
Link Remnant's Warehouse (Heartland)
Sam and Yuven were waiting for word from Yusaku. Considering it'd been a whole night since he moved to confront the potential Fusion Dimension soldier, and they hadn't heard word from him since, they were worried.
"Yuven, are you certain Revolver can't answer you?" Sam asked.
Yuven shook his head. "Revolver and Quinton have been quiet since we arrived." He sighed. "I'm not certain about the reason. Weather they're too mad at each other to speak or they're tired." He was frustrated. "I just have no idea."
Sam looked at Yuven with concern before sitting on the couch next to him and placing a hand on his back. "Hey, it'll be alright Yuven. I know the lack of answers is trying, but Yusaku and Revolver promised they'd help."
Yuven sighed. "I know." He nodded. "I also recognize that somehow recovering our world matters more than my problems, but I can't escape this feeling that my situation has something to do with what happened to our world."
Sam hugged her long-time friend knowing that he needed one.
"Thanks Sam." Yuven hugged her back. "You always know when I need a hug."
Their D-pads went off, and when they checked them, the remnants got the location of the sports arena seeing that it was giving off powerful summoning energies.
"Do you think this has something to do with Yusaku?" Sam asked.
"It's a safe bet." Yuven stood. "I know he said not to leave but sitting around isn't going to give us answers."
Sam joined him. "You're right Yuven so let's go."
The two remnants left the warehouse.
Hotel
Two, young men were in a room with two beds. The first young man had gray hair sectioned into two layers, fair skin, and dark blue eyes. His attire consists of a silver suit with a militant look, and the jacket was lined with gold. He was currently looking over his deck.
The other young man had black hair neatly arranged with a large portion flushed back and slightly to the left. His attire was more along the lines of a Ra student from the past as opposed to the Fusion Dimension. His blazer was open revealing a black shirt underneath.
The Ra was using his portable computer when an alarm went off. "Aster, the energy signature from last night has reappeared. It's weak but quickly growing."
"We were ordered not to be seen by potential allies until the party Bastion." Aster stated.
Bastion stood. "I'm aware, but Jaden wouldn't have stood for this if he…"
Aster stood. "Your childhood friend wouldn't have stood for this, but we don't know what he'd stand for today because Academia has him under their control."
"I may not have come into contact with the real Jaden since we were children, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't act." Bastion stated. "Face facts. Even without the Jaden argument, we can't stay out of this world's affairs if we want allies."
Aster looked at his deck once more before sighing and putting it away. "Very well, but we're going with the cloak because we must maintain the first rule. We do not reveal our faces until we see Lance."
Bastion nodded. "Agreed."
Sport's Arena
Bastion and Aster stood before the epicenter of the summon readings.
"The energy continues to rise." Bastion stated.
"How long do we have until something happens?" Aster questioned.
"According to my readings, the energy is at 90%." Bastion declared. "While this is the same energy as last night, it is most peculiar as last night's energy didn't need to build. It is as though something is causing a major interference, and my systems can't pick it up."
"Hey!" Yuven shouted.
The two Fusion Dimension residents turned to face the two Link Dimension remnants who were currently on guard.
"You two look suspicious." Sam stated. "Do you have something to do with Yusaku Fujiki's disappearance?"
"I could ask you and your friend the same thing considering that boy next to you looks like that ritual duelist, Yuven." Kite stated.
The Link remnants turned to see Kite, Shay, Yuto, Orbital, Shark, Rio, Nelson, Vega, Nistro, Kala, and Dextra. Everyone was looking looking from Yuto to Yuji to Sam.
"So, that's the ritual duelist?" Yuto questioned. "He really does look like me, and that girl looks like Lulu." He shook his head. "That can't be because I don't see that Barian. What is this?"
"Agreed." Yuven shook his head. "Wait, that's not the point." He pointed at Yuto. "I don't know what you're talking about because I wasn't here last night." He looked at Kite. "Based on what you said, you were, so what happened to my friend?"
"Let's all calm down." Bastion stated. "Clearly, we're all confused, so…"
"Easy for you to talk when you're over there hiding your identity." Kala crossed her arms. "If you wanted to make a more honest point, you'd remove your cloaks."
"We can't remove them until we see Lance Hogan." Aster stated. "Originally, that was going to be at the party, but my partner wanted to come out here."
"What do you want with my student?" Nistro asked.
Rio walked to stand beside him while holding Vega's hand. "Yeah, what do you want with Lance?"
"If you're out to hurt my father, I will stop you." Vega declared.
He tried to sound serious, but all he came across as was cute.
"Wait, we're not out to hurt Lance." Bastion stated. "We just want to talk with him and revealing our identities would only cause problems before then."
Nelson stepped forward and stood between everyone as best he could. "Let's all calm down." He looked at all who were gathered. "I know things are tense, but none of us seem to wish to fight. So, why don't we act amicable?"
"The kid does make a good point." Dextra stated. "There's nothing solid that says anyone here is up to something."
"What about that kid who Kite says was here last night?" Nistro asked.
"Use your brain Nistro." Kala stated. "If Yuto and Yuji look like each other, then there's no guarantee that there aren't others out there who look like him."
"I may have jumped to conclusions." Kite stated. "After all, if this and the so-called Fusion Dimension are in fact separate dimensions, then it's not impossible that other dimensions, besides those, exist."
"That's right." Sam nodded. "My friend and I are from the Link Dimension before it vanished."
Shark stepped forward deciding to interject. "We're starting to get somewhere, so let's try to figure out what's happening."
At that moment, Bastion's gear began beeping drawing everyone's attention which just so happened to allow everyone to see Lance, Trey, Kari, Yusaku, and Yusei appear. Of course, they knew people would be there, but it was shocking to see certain people there.
Fortunately, Bastion and Aster were a bit more composed, but that wasn't about to help anything as they approached Lance. The pair removed their cloaks confusing some and putting others on guard.
Bastion said, "Lance Hogan, we come from the Fusion Dimension. Yugi Muto and Zack Hogan sent us."
"Lance's grandfather sent you but that's impossible." Kari stated. "He was taken out not to long ago or has been dead for a year. Honestly, I'm still confused on that."
"Considering everything we've seen, and learned from Lance's memory, it could be possible" Trey stated.
"There's also the fact that the Ra's attire closely resembles the known Duel Academy as opposed to the uniforms Academia wears." Yusei stated.
He was familiar with the past Duel Academy before his world became what it is. Naturally, no such academy existed now that his dimension had changed, but the fact remained that he still had those memories."
"I know things are confusing, and honestly we don't know everything ourselves; however, you have my word when I say Zack Hogan and Yugi Muto, of the Fusion Dimension, sent us." Aster stated. "We're here for and to seek help."
Lance looked at everyone. Fusion Dimension residents, Yusaku's friends, his friends, and Kite, Shay, and their people who seemed to help his friends. He nodded before deciding to speak up. If they were to stand a chance against Academia, this was the start.
The multi-deck user held up his arm. "I need everyone to listen to me because I'm going to try to make things clear!"
He got everyone's attention before walking to a place where they could see him. He naturally noticed that everyone was looking at him oddly, but that was to be expected since his appearance had gone through another change.
Lance stopped and turned to face everyone. "Odd-Eyes, you there?"
Lance heard Odd-Eyes speak to him. "I am always here Lance. What do you need?"
"Please, share my memories with everyone here." Lance thought.
"Using such a power on many will drain me for a while. I will need rest." Odd-Eyes thought.
"I appreciate your effort. Thank you." Lance thought.
Everyone in that stadium, including Astral, glowed white as everything Lance knew was passed onto everyone. This included the memories of the Numbers, Number Hunters, Fusion Dimension, and his recent, little journey.
While everyone was still reeling from the memories, Lance decided to maintain control of the situation. "What you saw is the truth. Yuma has fallen to the Fusion Dimension and was taken." Lance placed his hand over his heart. "Before he was taken, they appeared to cause trouble.
I even have reason to suspect they are responsible for the disappearance, and change in our world, of my grandfather, father, and mother. Given newly received information from Bastion and Aster, it is likely they ended up in different dimensions befitting their summoning methods.
It's likely most, if not all, of us can't leave this dimension because it is still impacted by the battle for the Numeron Code. The Fusion Dimension seemingly has looser barriers than us. They will attack again before invading.
That is why Astral and I have reach certain conclusion. We are out to collect the Numbers to save Astral and Barian World. Once that is done, we plan to stop Academia and protect the other dimensions. It will be war, and a war cannot be fought alone.
All of you are a duelist of varying ability but skilled, nonetheless. That is why I request you work with me to achieve these goals. We will train and work together to save Astral and Barian World before tackling Academia. If you aren't with me, I will not fault you."
For a moment, everyone was silent before Kari, Trey, Yusaku, and Yusei stepped forward. They had already said they were with Lance, so it wasn't a hard choice to make.
"We'll fight Lance." Kari stated.
Bastion and Aster stepped forward.
"We were sent to represent the True Duel Academy as well as Zack and Yugi." Bastion stated.
"No matter the size of your force, our academy wishes to align with your forces." Aster finished.
Sam and Yuven came to stand with Yusaku.
"If Yusaku is in, we are as well." Sam stated. "The Fusion Dimension took my older brother so taking the fight to them will help us find him."
Yuji nodded. "The Fusion Dimension took our dimension into theirs, so we will fight with you."
Nelson nodded firmly. "I will fight to protect my friends, family, and dimension."
Shark put his hands in his pockets before looking at Rio and Vega who nodded.
The water user sighed. "You're a lot of trouble Lance, but I'm not about to let some other dimension trample all over us. Rio and Vega are always on your side, so we're in."
"Way to step up kid." Nistro smiled proudly. "You got my skills."
Kite said, "Shay and I decided to ally with your group against the Fusion Dimension, so we're in."
"I'll join, but you'll have to prove your strength if you want me to follow you." Shay stated. "I will see you in the next round of the WDC."
"Understood." Lance stated.
"If Kite is going to fight, then I will to." Dextra stated.
"Even if Shay won't follow you, it sounds like he'll fight, and I refuse to let him show me up." Kala looked at Lance. "I'll be interested to see your strength going forward."
Lance took a deep breath. "I know some of you are hesitant to follow me, but we must address certain things. Yusei, I'll give you a key and the address. Lead Yusaku, Yuven, Sam, Aster, and Bastion there.
I'll come see you sometime before the finals. Kite send me the address where you and your people are staying because we need to talk. Plus, some of your skills will be helpful moving forward. Now, we're all going to separate.
There are issues to sort through, information to share, and we must prepare for the WDC's next round. An important first step, besides establishing communication and camaraderie between our various groups, is getting the people on our side. With that, I'm leaving."
Lance walked towards the entrance. Rio, Shark, Vega, and Nelson wanted to follow since people were still missing, but Rio's D-pad went off stopping them. Rio looked at the message only to see that it was somehow from Lance:
'Meet me on the roof of Heartland Academy. I know you may be angry with me, and I would talk to everyone of you; however, I'm drained. I may not know everything, but something might be wrong considering Taiki, Cat, Tori, and Caswell weren't there.'
Shark looked at Rio. "It's from Lance, right?" Rio nodded. "Go."
"What?" Rio asked.
"It's not hard to know what he wants or why he'd message you." Shark stated. "Go see him." He took Vega's hand who was looking after Lance sadly. "I'll take Vega home."
"But, dad…" Vega stated.
Nelson ruffled the kid's hair with a smile. "I may not have known Lance for long, but I can tell he'll be fine. All he needs is some rest, and I'm certain he'll come see you as soon as he can after."
Rio nodded. "I'll make certain he comes see you. I promise."
Vega nodded. "Alright mom, but please don't be too mad at dad." He looked at the ground with a confused face before shaking his head. "He didn't mean to vanish."
Rio looked at Vega but nodded. "Right."
She left as the various groups broke off and did the same.
Heartland Academy: Roof
Rio walked onto the roof and looked for Lance; however, she couldn't see him. The Red Dragon user walked forward trying to find him. Just before she shouted his name, she spotted Lance sitting against one of the buildings sleeping.
"Lance must have been through a lot if he's tired enough to fall asleep in a matter of minutes." Rio thought. "Still, he disappeared without a word, but Yuma was taken by that guy who looks like Yuto, Yuven, and Yuji."
Lance jolted awake and rubbed his eyes while shaking his head. "Come on, you got to wait for her. Don't doze."
Astral appeared. "Lance, she is already here."
Lance removed his hand and looked at Rio before jumping to his feet. "Rio!" He looked at the ground. "Rio, I…"
Rio approached him. "Lance, listen to me. You shared your memories with us, but I need to know what was running through your mind when you decided to run off to challenge not only that Academia soldier, but four others."
She looked away sadly. "No matter how strong you are, there was a chance you'd lose. That you'd be lost like Yuma." She looked back at him. "I'm not saying you shouldn't have gone, but you were reckless. So, what do you have to say for yourself?"
"Rio, you're right." Lance stated. "I was reckless, but beyond that I was an idiot. Yuma's been such an important part of my life, so I let my rage take over after learning he'd been taken. Deep down, I didn't want anyone to be involved because I feared losing any of you.
Especially you, Shark, or Vega who've all become important to me. The fact is, I still fear that even after everything I went through, but I'm done forgoing my friends and allies." He looked at Rio. "I'm sorry for everything Rio. The truth is, I never wanted to hurt you…"
Rio hugged him. "I know Lance. I know you never wanted to hurt me, but after learning everything, I can't just say I'm not. I honestly want to forgive you, but I'm afraid if I do, it'll be too easy."
Lance hugged her back. "I understand Rio. I know it'll take time for you to forgive me." He pulled away and closed his eyes. "I promise I'll earn your forgiveness." He walked away. "I'll get the low down on Cat, Caswell, and Tori from Nelson."
Rio watched him go before closing her eyes. "I'll be able to forgive you eventually Lance, but I need to see that you mean what you say. I am sorry."
Lance walked inside and down the stairs. "Rio, I promise I'll earn your forgiveness during the next rounds of the WDC." He thought back to his duel with Yusho. "I may be new to it, but I'll use Entertainment Dueling to prove everything that's needed."
Tsukumo Residence: Lance's Room
Lance entered his room only to look at the ladder to the attic. "I promise Yuma…" His eyes fluttered close as he walked over to his bed. "…you will be saved."
Lance passed before falling onto the bed.
Astral appeared and looked at the ladder to the attic before nodding in agreement with Lance's promise. "Observation 18: Bonds can give great determination, but they can be quite complicated."
Country Home
Quatro stood outside and across from Taiki's gear waiting for the person who saved him. Soon, he finally saw the gymnast returning.
Taiki came to stand before his own gear and looked at Quatro with confusion. "Quatro, what is this?"
The champion looked at Taiki before sighing. "I've been thinking about everything. Not just what you said, but every aspect of my life. I've concluded that you, as the person who inspired this change, will be my opponent. To change who I am or remain as I am…"
"… you're banking everything on a duel with me." Taiki grabbed his gear. "Alright, I'll beat you to set you on a better path."
Quatro nodded firmly. "Let's see if you can hold true to those words."
D-pad go
Duel Gazer on
Augmented vision link established
(Taiki 4000/Quatro 4000)
"I will take the first move." Quatro declared. "I summon Gimmick Puppet Egg Head(LV 4/1600/1200)." A red egg with long metal limbs and green hair appeared. "By discarding one Gimmick Puppet, my Egg Head can deal you 800 life points (Taiki 3200/Quatro 4000).
Now, I activate the continuous spell Perform Puppet allowing me to banish a Gimmick Puppet from my grave and make every monster I control the same level. So, I'll banish the level 8 Gimmick Puppet Twilight Feeler making Egg Head level 8."
"You made your one monster level 8." Taiki stated. "Does that mean you have a level 8 in your hand that can be special summoned?"
"I do in my deck, but my hand has Overlay Satellite which can be equipped to my Egg Head. Now, he can count as two monsters for an Xyz summon, and the equipped card will become a second Xyz material for whatever I summon.
With that in mind, I will overlay my counted as two materials Egg Head to Xyz summon Gimmick Puppet Phantom Queen(R 8/O 2/2800/800)." A light blue, female puppet with long, black hair appeared. "I'll then set one card ending my turn."
"A strong start Quatro, but you just used your entire hand to achieve it." Taiki stated. "Not a smart move."
"We'll see." Quatro stated. "For now, make your move."
"You asked for it." Taiki drew. "I special summon Gilasaurus(LV 3/1400/400)." A small, brown raptor appeared. "Normally, you could special summon any monster from your grave; however, you banished yours, so I'll follow up with Big Evolution Pill."
"I activate the effect of my Phantom Queen." Quatro interrupted. "Once per turn, I can detach one overlay unit to banish a card. You then lose 900 life points, so say goodbye to that Big Evolution Pill (Taiki 2300/Quatro 4000)."
"You may have stopped one play, but another can be made." Taiki declared. "By tributing one dino, Gilasaurus, I can normal summon Super-Ancient Dinobeast(LV 8/2700/1400)." A light blue dinobeast with small wings appeared.
"I'll then activate Dino Blast. By targeting a Dino I control, you are dealt 300 life points x that monster's level. So, I'll target my level 8 Dinobeast to inflict 2400 life points to you (Taiki 2300/Quatro 1600)."
"That's all well and good, but my monster is still standing." Quatro declared. "Not to mention your monster is to weak to destroy mine."
"That's why I'll use Riryoku." Taiki declared. "Now, I can half your monster's attack and add it to my monster." Gimmick Puppet Phantom Queen(R 8/O 1/1400/800 effect) and Super-Ancient Dinobeast(LV 8/4100/1400 effect). "Now Dinobeast attack Phantom Queen for game."
"I activate Gimmick Box(LV 8/2700/0)." Quatro declared. "This trap reduces the damage I'd take to 0. Then, it is summoned as a monster with ATK equal to the life points I'd have lost."
"I will set one card." Taiki stated.
"It is time to end this." Quatro drew.
"I agree." Taiki stated. "I activate Jurrasic Devastation. This trap destroys all monsters on the field and inflicts 1000 life points, per monster, to the owner of those monsters."
Quatro went wide eyed. "Impossible."
All monsters were destroyed and Quatro was knocked back (Taiki 1300/Quatro 0).
Taiki approached Quatro. "I lost again."
Taiki nodded. "That is true, but I didn't get the feeling Caswell likely did when you dueled him. It's clear your conflicted."
Quatro turned his head to look at Taiki deciding to ask him a question. "What does dueling mean to you?"
Taiki said, "Honestly, I'm more into gymnastics than dueling, but someone once showed me how fun it can be. I have fun dueling, but there are times, like another opponent I faced, where I'll use what skills I have in defense of my friends."
"Fun and defense…" Quatro looked at the sky. "Fun… There was a time when that was what dueling was for my family." He closed his eyes. "Alright, you win Taiki." He opened his eyes. "I'll try going down your path."e closed his
Quatro wouldn't admit it, but deep down it felt good to say that.
Taiki held out a hand with a smile. "I'm glad to hear that."
Quatro looked at the hand before taking it allowing someone to help him up. They then shook hands before entering the country home.
Tsukumo Residence, Next Morning…
Lance was on the phone with Nelson hearing everything that had happened. "Cat and Caswell are gone and Tori's in the hospital!" Lance clenched is fist. "I shouldn't have let my exhaustion and feelings get in the way of finding…"
"Stop." Nelson interrupted. "Look, you were in no state to do anything yesterday. Everyone could see it. The fact you even talked to Rio was likely pushing things. Anyways, Tori is fine. She's came to yesterday evening and is simply resting in the hospital."
Lance sighed. "Does she know?"
"No." Nelson stated. "We thought it best for you to tell her considering you, Yuma, and her are the closest."
"I'll head over right away and make sure she knows." Lance looked at a letter on his desk likely left there by Kari. "Nelson, I wanted to say I'm sorry for giving you all a scare."
"I won't deny I was scared that you seemingly vanished, but I forgive you." Nelson stated.
"I wish it were that easy with Rio." Lance sighed. "Thanks Nelson. Make sure you're ready because I just got my invitation to a party in 4 days. Seems the WDC's next round will be kicking off soon."
Nelson replied. "I got mine to, and I'll make sure. Hey, we should hang out some time. I know this stuff with Rio is getting to you, and Cat, Caswell, and Yuma are missing. That said, I don't think any of them would want us to run ourselves ragged."
"I don't doubt it." Lance stated. "Not to mention worrying about it constantly will start to deteriorate our skills. We must find a balance while never forgetting to look for and/or rescue them. I'll talk to you later man."
"Yeah, talk to you later." Nelson stated.
Lance hung up his D-pad and placed his hands on the desk as Astral appeared. "I would ask if you are okay, but that is clearly not the case."
Lance sighed. "You'd be right but standing around wallowing in my emotions and problems isn't going to fix them." He stood up. "It seems one problem after another comes our way."
"That does seem to be the case, but with every problem we amass allies to help us face them. While it is true that many have been lost, we can get them back. All we must do is never give up." Astral stated.
Lance smiled. "Sometimes I guess I just have to hear something like that." He walked to the door. "Thanks, Astral."
"It is as you said Lance. You may not need my help to duel, but I believe I have learned enough to support you." Astral stated. "Now, let us venture out as there is much to be done, and things to fix."
Lance nodded. "You got that right." He dialed a new number into his D-pad, and the person on the other end picked up. "Shark, please don't hang up because I need your help."
"I'm listening." Shark stated a little coldly.
"I know I hurt Rio, but I'm trying to fix my mistake." Lance stated. "To do that, I'm going to need your help. Please."
Shark sighed as his tone softened to what it normally was. "I know you didn't mean it, but it doesn't mean I'm not angry with you for hurting Rio. That said, if you got an idea to fix it, I'll listen; however, it better be good."
"It will be because together we will show Rio what we've practiced." Lance stated. "I know it won't fix things completely, but I think it'll be a start."
"I see where you're going with this." Shark stated. "When are we doing this, and what's the first step?"
"We need to write up at least one or two more songs in these next few days." Lance stated. "Meet me at the music shop around evening today, and don't let Rio know. We'll plan things from there."
"You better show." Shark hung up.
Lance looked at Astral as he opened the front door. "Looks like there's much to do. Both before and after the finals"
Astral nodded. "That is true, but I believe we can pull off anything that needs to be done as long as we all work together."
Lance nodded. "That is something that I will take to heart moving forward."
The two left the home.
Below, you'll see how I've divided the WDC into Preliminaries and Finals. The Preliminaries will be set during that party episode as to ensure only the best 16 make it to the Final Round. My choice for Preliminary participants are those who have less stakes going into the finals and/or to ensure not to many people from any one group are in the finals.
From this list, you can have say in the match ups. All you must do is review or pm what matchs you'd like to see.
27 Competitors
Preliminaries:
Number Club
1. Lance
2. Tori
3. Nelson
4. Taiki
Photon Number Hunters
5. Kala
6. Dextra
7. Nistro
Barian Mind Controlled
8. Lloyd
Link Dimension
9. Sam (Bracelet Girl of Link)
10. Yuven(Yu Boy of Link
11. Revolver (Ryoken/Varis)/Quinton
Fusion Dimension
12. Aster
Final Competitors:
Number Club
1. Shark
2. Rio
3. Trey
4. Quatro
Photon Number Hunter
5. Kite
6. Shay
7. Yuto
Number Hunter
8. Dos
9. Vetrix
Barian/Mind Controlled
10. Organization
11. Hart
12. Lulu
Link Dimension
13. Yusaku
Fusion Dimension
14. Bastion
Lance
15. Shane
Whomever wins Preliminaries
16. ?