Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh Arc V
"Please! Teach me how to use XYZ Summon!"
Yuto stared at her, wide eyed. He was wondering if he'd heard her correctly, or if he'd just imagined it. He was somewhat sleep deprived from the last couple of weeks so it wasn't impossible. Even in his hometown he hadn't slept much, at least not since the invasion started.
Yuzu looked up at him with hopeful eyes. "Can you?"
Yuto blinked still confused. "What?" It was the only thing he could say at the moment since he wasn't sure what was going on.
"Can you teach me XYZ Summon?" Yuzu repeated.
This time Yuto knew he hadn't misheard it.
'Crap she's serious about this!' he realized. "Um, well." Yuzu's expression dropped, causing Yuto to feel a bit guilty. "Why do you want to learn it? And why ask me?"
"I want to get stronger! I'm not strong enough as I am right now!" Yuzu declared with her face getting closer to Yuto's at each sentence.
Yuto understood wanting to get stronger. When his homeland had been invaded he was forced to step up and get stronger or else he'd end up dead, or as many people called it, carded.
"Okay, I understand," Yuto admitted. "That doesn't explain why you want me to teach you."
Yuzu stared at the ground. She figured he wouldn't agree right off the bat. If she wanted him to teach her she would have to be completely honest. She made the decision to become stronger, and she was going to stick with it.
"Before I say why, will you promise to wait until I'm finished talking before saying anything?" Yuzu requested.
Yuto relied with a simple nod. And so, taking a deep breath, Yuzu began her explanation.
"I lost a duel, to someone from LDS." Yuto's eyes narrowed. Losing a duel was quite normal and could happen to anyone. "It wasn't your typical duel. It was a best two out of three match between my school and LDS. If LDS won, they would get the school and Yuya would become a student of LDS, if we won, they would leave and drop all charges against Yuya."
'Charges?! Just what did this guy do?' Yuto wondered.
"Yuya won the first match, I lost after my first turn in the second, and Gongenzaka tied in third. As a tie breaker, Yuya duelled against Reiji Akaba, President of LDS, though we didn't know it at the time." Yuto's eyes widened. Reiji Akaba! He was the Professor's son, the one he and Shun came here to capture and use as a hostage. "It was unbelievable. That man, he could use all the summoning methods: Fusion, Synchro, XYZ, and shockingly Pendulum."
'ALL SUMMONING METHODS!' Yuto thought shocked. He'd seen different people use one summoning method but not all of them. 'This man, he sounds like a formidable opponent. I'd better warn Shun to be extra careful. Although, what is Pendulum Summon? I thought this world only focused on the three along with Tribute Summoning.'
"We almost lost everything, but then, he received an urgent call and walked out on the match giving us the win," Yuzu finished explaining. "It was our victory, but it was a hollow one. We barely managed to protect the school. That's why I want to get stronger, so I can protect what I love without worry."
'Protecting what you love huh! Not like I can't relate,' Yuto silently admitted.
"As for why I would like you to teach me, well, I should be honest and say you weren't the first person I thought of going to," Yuzu admitted much to Yuto's surprise. "You're the first person I've come to but not the first person I thought of. The first person I thought of was a friend of mine. I thought it takes a Fusion user to beat a Fusion user."
"You lost to someone who uses Fusion!" Yuto interrupted with a harsh tone.
Yuzu was a little surprised by his sudden change but nodded in confirmation.
"Yes that's right. I thought maybe he could teach me Fusion Summon and help me counter her, but then I realized that Masumi would know how to counter someone like that. Only LDS teaches the three summoning methods, and barring that friend of mine, which is why I came to ask you to teach me," Yuzu explained. She held her hands up with her fists clenched. "I know we only recently met but please, teach me XYZ Summoning!"
Yuto could see nothing but raw determination in her eyes. She was committed to doing this, of that he was certain.
'What should I do?' he pondered. 'I can't abandon my mission. Too many are depending on me, not to mention Shun would never forgive me. On the other hand, I'd rather she didn't learn Fusion. With the suffering that card had wrought it wouldn't suit her.' Yuto examined her face. She looked so much like Ruri, who'd gone missing. Images of his homeland being destroyed filled his mind. From what he and Shun learned their dimension, the XYZ Dimension, was only the first of the Academia's assimilation, with Synchro and Standard following. 'These duellists, these people, they're much like we were when we were attacked. In which case they won't stand chance the Invasion begins.' He continued staring at Yuzu's face. 'At the very least, I want you to survive.'
And with that he made his decision.
"Very well, I'll teach you," he decided.
Yuzu's eyes widened. "Really, you'll really teach me?!"
Yuto nodded. "I will. Only because I want you to have your best chance." Yuzu was slightly curious about what he meant. "Also, know that I am a strict teacher and will expect you to take this seriously."
"I will," Yuzu promised.
Yuto had never really taught anyone anything before but he would try to take it seriously. That's he remembered something.
"I should mention now that I came here to do something so I won't always be there to help you," he pointed out. "That's why I think we should exchange contact information so we can decide when and where to meet up."
Yuzu nodded. "I understand. Well here's my," she started before suddenly freezing.
"What's wrong?" Yuto asked concerned.
"I just realized that I don't know your name," Yuzu admitted. "And I'm guessing you don't know mine."
Yuto's eyes widened slightly at the miniature revelation but quickly returned to a stoic expression.
"Well in that case, I'm Yuzu, Yuzu Hiragi," she introduced holding out her hand. "It's nice to meet you."
"Yuto," he responded shaking her hand. "Likewise."
'I can't believe I'm doing this. Oh well, no backing out now,' Yuto thought. 'I wonder how Shun will react when he finds out.' At the thought of his comrade Yuto remembered how he reacted to Ruri's capture, and how he acted afterwards. 'Maybe I should keep this a secret for now. There's no telling what he would do if he found out there was a Ruri lookalike here.'
"Okay, now that that's done here's my," Yuzu started before she was cut off by Yuto moving in a putting his hand over her mouth.
It was a miracle Yuzu hadn't whipped out her fan as a reflex. However, the serious expression on Yuto's face made her decide against it. His eyes weren't focused on her, they were focused on the doors behind her.
Yuto knew he was exaggerating slightly but, just know, he could have sworn he heard footsteps outside and they were getting closer. Talking with Yuzu hadn't made him forget his surroundings.
As the footsteps got louder, the sound of the door opening caused Yuto to react. Without warning, he grabbed Yuzu by the hip and leaped up with her to a floor that held some cargo. Even though she was surprised, Yuzu had enough sense to not yelp or scream. They hid in the shadow of a cargo box. When the door finally opened light shone in and revealed the someone who Yuzu hadn't planned to encounter so soon.
'Masumi Koutsu!' Yuzu realized. 'What's she doing here?'
Masumi walked in and quickly scanned the room.
"This is the site of the first incident where Sawatari was attacked," she murmured softly.
If there were any clues as to who attacked Marco, this where she would find it.
Yuto eyed her suspiciously. He didn't know whether to consider her an enemy or not but he wouldn't hesitate if she made herself out to be one. One thing that caught his attention was what she said.
'First Incident?' Yuto pondered.
He knew she was talking about his duel with Sawatari but why did she say first? He hadn't attacked anyone since that time, and in reality, he only stepped in to protect Yuzu who he thought was Ruri at the time. He hadn't duelled anyone since then. That meant someone else was behind it this time. And, while he hoped he was wrong, he had a very good idea of who it was.
'Please be wrong! Please don't be an idiot and act rashly!' Yuto silently begged.
Masumi started to look around and Yuto got out his duel disk. He didn't want to fight, he really didn't, but he would if he had to. Yuzu saw what he had out and placed her hand on his duel disk to stop him.
'Don't duel her, not here, please,' Yuzu mouthed to him.
Yuto contemplated her words for a moment before relenting. She was right. Duelling here and now would only cause more problems, especially since it would lead back to Yuzu. And that would complicate him teaching her XYZ.
"I'm going to lead her away," he whispered softly to Yuzu. "Meet me back here in three hours. And don't worry! I won't duel her, not if I can avoid it!"
Yuzu deciding to trust him, nodded and moved back to remain hidden. That's when Yuto made his move. He jumped out in front of Masumi, startling the girl and forcing her to take a few steps back.
'What the hell! Who is?' she thought before realizing. 'I see. So that's it.'
"You! So you're the one who attacked Sawatari!" Masumi snapped. "Then, the recent incident, was that also you?"
'How deductive of you,' Yuto quietly complimented. 'However, I haven't attacked anyone!'
There was a tense standoff between them as both stared into each other's eyes. This was broken when Yuto jumped onto a cargo box and then another floor. Masumi headed in his direction, climbing up right after him. Unfortunately for her, Yuto planned for this so he could make a beeline for the exit. Diving through the gap, Yuto turned right and started running as fast as he could. Masumi was hot in pursuit as she went through the same space.
'I won't let you get away! I'll capture you and find out exactly what you did to Professor Marco!' Masumi declared as she ran after the alleged culprit.
Yuzu stood there for what could have been several minutes until she was sure Masumi was far enough away. She then exited the warehouse while closing the door behind her.
"What was Masumi doing here?" Yuzu muttered. "She was looking for the one who attacked Sawatari, why? Are they close or something? No that can't be it. She didn't seem that concerned for him during the match. She did say this was the site of the." Yuzu gasped as she remembered the final match between LDS and You Show. When it was announced that a teacher had been attacked. But that wasn't all, it was how Masumi reacted. "That professor, could he have been the one who taught her fusion summon?"
It seemed like the most logical scenario. Masumi was worried about her teacher and came to the first site looking for answers.
"Sawatari said he was attacked by an XYZ user but, that couldn't be Yuto, at least I hope not," Yuzu whispered.
She really didn't want it to be her new teacher. It was true he attacked Sawatari but that was only to protect her.
"Since I don't know for certain, I won't look into it," she decided. "I've got too much going on right now."
She took out her duel disk and saw her dad had called her several times. It annoyed her to no end. She told the others to tell him she wasn't showing up today, then again he probably would have called no matter what anyone said.
"YUZU!" a familiar voice called out.
Yuzu turned and saw Yuya running towards her.
'Oh great, dad must have gotten worried and sent Yuya to look for me,' Yuzu realized. 'Oh well, doesn't matter. I'll just have to bend the truth a little to get them both off my back. the main issue is meeting back here in a few hours' time. Because I am going to get stronger! I'm going to learn XYZ Summon!'
The Warehouse three hours later
Yuzu arrived at the warehouse exactly on time. She'd manage to pass Yuya's attempts at finding out what she was doing and instead got him talk about his next four duels arranged by Nico Smiley. Yuzu was surprised, and a little suspicious, when she discovered he wanted to be Yuya's manager. She guessed it was to make more money like he was doing with Strong Ishijima, however, Yuya surprised her again by telling her that Ishijima had resigned as champion and had gone overseas to train. She knew it was tough losing because he was the champion, but it was just one loss. It was hardly worth getting that upset about.
Her father had been worried about her but Yuzu managed to trick him as well. Yuzu hated lying to him, to all of them, but it was necessary.
Glancing around, she didn't see any sign of her teacher. Did he not manage to escape Masumi?
'Maybe he's just running late,' Yuzu thought.
"You came," Yuto's voice called out.
Yuzu jumped startled and quickly looked around to find him on one of the cargos. Yuto somersaulted down right in front of Yuzu who quickly composed herself.
"If I recall correctly, you were the one who said to meet back here in three hours," Yuzu pointed.
"True, but I wasn't sure if you would actually come after what happened," Yuto admitted.
"I don't care about that," Yuzu told him. "I said I was going to commit myself to this and I am. Speaking, of which, what happened to Masumi?"
Yuto shrugged. "I managed to lose her. Surprisingly, it wasn't easy. That girl was fast, more than I gave her credit for, but I eventually lost her in the city." Yuzu wasn't surprised. Since Masumi attended LDS she would have to be good at Action Duels. "Who was she anyway? You seemed to know her."
Yuzu shifted slightly uncomfortably. She hoped he wouldn't react badly.
"She's the girl I lost to, the one from LDS," Yuzu explained. "The one I want to beat."
"The one who uses Fusion!" Yuto said in a soft harsh tone.
Yuzu flinched at the way he said it. That was the second time he reacted to hearing Fusion, that couldn't have been a coincidence. Did Yuto have some sort of grudge against people who used the Summoning method? Whatever the reason Yuzu chose to leave it for another day.
"Okay, let's get started," Yuto announced. "First off, do you know how XYZ Summoning works?"
Yuzu thought about it for a moment. "You need two monsters of the same level to summon an XYZ monster. Those monsters become something called overlay units that allow them to use their special abilities. Also, I think XYZ monsters have ranks instead of levels."
Yuto nodded. "You've got a basic idea. The important thing is to have all the monsters you need as materials out on the field, and it isn't always two, sometimes it's more. There's also a special way to summon higher ranked monsters without overlaying."
Yuzu nodded in understanding. She figured there was more to it than she first thought.
"Now, I'll need to get a look at your deck to see if it's suited for XYZ summoning, and get an idea of your skills," Yuto informed her.
Yuzu's eyes widened. "With a duel?"
Yuyo nodded. "Don't worry about the roof coming off though. Last time I attacked full force, this time I'll restrain myself."
Yuzu was slightly nervous but swallowed it and nodded with a determined look.
Yuzu and Yuto stood across from each other and activated their duel disks.
'And so it begins,' Yuzu thought.
'Here we go! Show me what you got Yuzu!' Yuto declared.
Yuzu LP: 4000 Hand: 5
Yuto LP: 4000 Hand: 5
"DUEL!" they yelled.
Hi there. Well, what did you think of that? Yuto picked up on Masumi approaching in this version because this time he wasn't focused on Yuzu and Sora's conversation about Yuzu learning Fusion. Speaking of which, Yuzu learning Fusion is ample reason for Yuto to teach her.
A duel was originally going to take place in this chapter but since I need to study I decided to post this now. Next chapter will feature Yuzu facing off against Yuto for the first (and not the last) time.
I'm also going to be revising this story a bit. I'd like to turn it into a long story with plotlines different to the anime. It will still follow along the timeline of the anime but many things will be changed such as characters introduced and events that occur.
Hope you enjoyed this. Please review.