And here we are with Chapter 10. As promised, I am here to update the chapter. I hope that you all realize that dealing with adults is actually much harder than dealing with children, especially when the adults have no idea how to do their job right and it's exhausting putting up with them.

Anyway, on to the chapter.

Chapter 10: Mission: Build Teamwork

Council Building

Yuya and Aki walked the hallways of the Council Building with Jeager in front of them. "Thanks for your help, Mr. Vice Mayor." Aki thanked.

"Please, you can call me Yeager." Yeager responded. "As one who supports Mayor Godwin's dream of creating equality for Neo Domino City, I am happy to help anyway I can."

"Though, the way you helped was…unique." Yuya recalled what had happened when Security surrounded them.

Commons Area – Back Roads

The officers slowly trapped Yuya and Aki to a wall while Jack simply watched as he still held his burning arm.

"We don't need any more of this." Yuya flinched as he held his arm.

"I can't Duel like this." Aki looked at her glowing arm.

"Stop right there!" Jumping in front of Yuya and Aki was…well…a man that was dressed as cup ramen. "This injustice will not stand! I, Cup Ramen Man, will put you in your place!"

"Wh-What in the world?" Aki was a little disturbed.

"Cup Ramen Man." Yuya sweat dropped.

"Get out of our way!" The officers charged.

"Torrential Broth!" Cup Ramen Man released hot soup broth that burned some of the officers.

"Noodle Whip!" Cup Ramen Man whipped some officers with noodles.

"Fishcake Shuriken!" Cup Ramen Man hurled fishcakes shaped like ninja stars that damaged the officers' Duel Disks.

"Now, let us make our heroic escape!" Cup Ramen Man grabbed Yuya and Aki and flew in the air.

The officers groaned from the combination of ramen as Jack look at where Cup Ramen Man flew away. "There goes a real hero." Jack said.

Cup Ramen Man landed on a roof and dropped Yuya and Aki. "Mission Accomplished Master Jeager!" Cup Ramen Man saluted as Yuya and Aki looked at Yeager

"Thank you, Cup Ramen Man, I'll take it from here." Yeager gave off a chuckle.

Council Chamber

"Here we are." Jeager opened the doors to the chamber and he, Yuya and Aki entered. "I have brought them, sir." Jeager bowed to Godwin.

"Good work." Godwin nodded.

"Yuya!" The Dimension Guardians ran to him.

"Hey, guys! Wait, whoa!" All four of them tackled Yuya to the ground.

"You little punk! Don't you scare me like that again!" Jonouchi gave him a noogie.

"Are you hurt? Are you hungry?" Asuka asked with concern.

"Thank goodness, I was so worried." Rio wiped her tears.

"The Dimension Guardians are together again!" Rua declared.

From the sidelines, the Lancers watched the interaction, some with smiles, some remained neutral.

"I'm glad you have new friends, Yuya." Yuzu thought.

"Amazing, Yuya was able to make new friends instantly." Rin was amazed by the friendship between the five.

"I'm glad you can join us, Yuya Sakaki." Roget smiled at Yuya. "And you as well, Aki Izayoi."

"Yeah, we got your welcome party back there." Yuya glared at Roget.

"Ahem!" White Taki cleared his throat. "Now that you are here, we can catch you up."

Godwin's Penthouse

"Please, make yourselves at home." Godwin opened the doors to his penthouse as the Dimension Guardians and Lancers entered. It was large and open with a living room, open kitchen, multiple bedrooms, bathrooms and outside was a large pool.

"Now this is more like it!" Sawatari smiled.

"Thanks for letting us stay here, Grandpa." Rua thanked.

"It's been a long day for all of you. There's a bathhouse that you can…" The moment Godwin said bathhouse, Yuzu, Ruri, Rin, Asuka and Rio ran at the direction Godwin was pointing to.

"Thank you, Mayor Godwin." Aki bowed before following the other girls.

"You're not joining them?" Yuya asked Serena.

"I'm just not that eager. It's just a bathhouse." Serena commented before following the girls.

"There's another one for the boys at the other end." Godwin gestured.

"Thank you very much." Yuya thanked.

Boys Bathhouse

"Cannonball!" Rua jumped into the bath and started swimming around happily and a wave of water hit Gongenzaka, who was trying to clean himself on a stool.

"Ah, nothing like a hot bath to soothe the muscles." Jonouchi stretched his arms as he sunk into the bath water.

"Argh…" Yuya winced as he got into the water and held his side.

"Hey, are you gonna be okay?" Crow asked.

"Yeah, Aki closed the wound but I can still feel where that guy shot me." Yuya said.

"And he called himself Raider?" Dennis asked. "Never heard of him before."

"He told me that he was brand new to Academia, but he rose to the highest ranks easily." Yuya recalled. "He doesn't Duel to card people. He Duels to kill." Shun narrowed his eyes as he heard that before continuing to scrub himself.

"Well, you're not the type that would lose to a guy like that. At least, that's what Rin believes." Crow said.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Yuya asked.

"Ah, I'm Crow Hogan." Crow introduced himself.

"You're related to Rin?" Yuya's was surprised.

"She's my foster sister." Crow answered. "She told me how you took care of her. You have my thanks."

"She's my friend. Plus, she's helped me too." Yuya recalled how he and Rin teamed up in the Battle Royal. "Anyways sorry about your friends."

"It's fine." Crow said. After they were dismissed from the council, Shinji, Tony and Damon went back to the Commons as they wanted nothing to do with the Friendship Cup. "You can't blame them for not wanting to be show dogs to the Tops. Plus, they don't want to be friends with them, they want to destroy them."

"Sounds like someone I know." Yuya recalled Divine.

"Scrub a dub a dub. I like to rub." Sawatari sang as he scrubbed his head full of soap. "One thing left to do!" He grabbed a bucket full of water and splashed it on himself and the water hit Gongenzaka.

"Do you mind?" Gongenzaka glared at Sawatari.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I don't speak useless." Sawatari got up and walked away while Gongenzaka glared at him from behind.

Shun grunted as he tried to get his back. "Need some help?" Dennis asked.

"I don't need your help." Shun stood up. "And I don't need you." Shun walked away from a sad Dennis.

"Oh man…" Yuya sighed.

"No wonder the Lancers got caught." Rua commented.

"And this is just the guys." Crow said.

"What do you mean?" Yuya asked.

Girls Bathhouse

"Oh, there it goes." Asuka grunted as she twisted her body.

"You okay?" Aki asked.

"It's my back, it's really stiff." Asuka answered.

"Oh, I have that problem too." Aki admitted.

"I don't understand why it always happens." Asuka was confused.

"It's completely obvious." Yuzu looked at both Asuka and Aki with envy.

"They're only two years older than us." Ruri looked at them.

"What's their secret?" Rin wanted to know.

"And even then…" The three looked at the other side.

"Thanks for getting my back for me." Rio thanked Serena.

"Don't mention it." Serena said as she scrubbed harder.

"How are they bigger than us?! We're the same age!" Yuzu, Ruri and Rin thought.

"Ruri." Serena approached Ruri. "I wanted to apologize for what happened at the prison. I didn't mean to insult your brother, even though he is a moron."

"You can't blame my brother for thinking that. Dennis caused the invasion, even if he is sorry, that doesn't change what he did." Ruri argued.

"But Dennis is trying to make it right being a Lancer, but he can't do that unless Shun cooperates with him. Just like you and I have to cooperate as well." Serena countered.

"I know Fusion is not the enemy, but I'm not gonna stand by and let you insult my brother!" Ruri stood up. "How would you like it if I said something bad about your foster father!"

"You don't even know him!" Serena shouted.

"And you don't know Shun!" Ruri shouted back.

"Enough!" Asuka separated the two. "Honestly, if we keep acting like this, then we've already lost not only the Friendship Cup, but the Dimensional War as well."

"Forget this." Serena walked out of the bath.

"Geez. This isn't gonna be a cakewalk." Rio commented.

"Who do you think is right?" Aki asked.

"Don't know. But everyone has the right to make their own statements." Rio answered. "Just as everyone has the right to make a compromise."

D-Wheel Workshop

Reiji observed as multiple men started putting together parts together with Reira and Tsukikage by his side. "Here are the results you have requested, sir." A worker gave Reiji a tablet.

"And the implementation of Speed World Neo?" Reiji asked.

"Fully operational." The worker answered. "I must say, I was a bit skeptical when you said you were from another dimension. But with your cards as proof, we've been able to evolve the Riding Duel."

"I look forward to the final products." Reiji smiled as he eyed the D-Wheels that the Lancers would be using in the Friendship Cup.

Yuya's Heart – United World

Yuya opened his eyes and he found himself in a massive stadium and he saw Zarc Dueling against a really tough opponent.

Zarc wiped his sweat as Odd-Eyes was also getting exhausted. "Give it up, Rookie! You're not good enough for the big leagues!" Zarc's opponent boasted.

"Not yet. As long as I have cards in my deck, I won't give up! My turn! Draw!" Zarc drew his card and his eyes widened. It was Astrograph Magician. "This card…I thought I put it in my side deck?! What am I supposed to do with this?"

"That card holds important power." Zarc heard the voice of a woman.

"Who's there?" Zarc asked.

"At this moment, I activate my monster's effect! Once per turn, I can destroy one monster on the field, I destroy Odd-Eyes Dragon!" Odd-Eyes Dragon was destroyed.

"Use the effect! Hurry!" The woman shouted.

"I-I activate Astrograph Magician's effect from my hand! When a card is destroyed while I have this in my hand, I can bring that card back to the field while Special Summoning this monster! Come forth! Astrograph Magician (ATK: 2500, LV: 7)!" A magician with a cape of the stars and a staff of time appeared.

Zarc felt his chest burn up. "Wh-What is this pain?" Zarc held his chest.

"Don't waiver! Keep going!" The woman ordered.

"Next, I release and banish Starve Venom Fusion Dragon, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon from my deck, Extra Deck, field and Graveyard!"

"Wait, what are you doing? Master!" Odd-Eyes cried before he disappeared.

"By doing this, I Special Summon Supreme King Dragon from my Extra Deck!" Zarc's Extra Deck glowed and he grabbed the card. "Appear, Supreme King Dragon (ATK: 4000, LV: 12)!" Appearing high in the sky was a dragon with a white body and emerald green scales and majestic blue eyes.

"Whoa…" Yuya was amazed by the dragon. It looked powerful…but gentle at the same time.

"E-Even so, I'll still have Life Points to survive!" Zarc's opponent said.

"When Supreme King Dragon is Special Summoned, I can destroy all monsters the opponent controls and for each one destroyed, the player takes the combined Attack Points of those monsters as damage!" Zarc revealed.

"Impossible!" Zarc's opponent shouted as the Supreme King Dragon destroyed his monster and he was blown back.

Winner: Zarc Ryuga

"And that's it, ladies and gentlemen! Performing a comeback victory and securing his spot in the main tournament is Rookie Zarc Ryuga!" The commentator announced and the audience cheered.

"Zarc! Zarc! Zarc!" Zarc happily waved to the audience.

"Very good, Zarc." The woman's voice spoke again.

"Who are you?" Zarc asked.

"Someone who needs you." The woman answered.

"Needs me for what?" Zarc asked but no response.

"Wow, he was able to use the card he found to win." Yuya observed.

"You did well, servant." Yuya turned and he saw a woman talking to the man in a purple cloak.

The woman was tall and had fair skin along with long blonde hair that went down to her waist with green eyes. She wears a long, black mantle over a sleeveless, white jumpsuit, patterned in a similar manner to armor, with a high collar, and boots of the same color with thick, black heels and soles. She also had a V symbol on the chest and navel of her jumpsuit both feature it in black and green, as does the clasp of her mantle.

"I thought the deal was for me to defeat that joker, so why did you have me give him such a powerful card?" The one in the cloak answered.

"His voice…" Yuya could've sworn he heard that voice before.

"The thing about power is that it consumes the individual. Now that Zarc has had a taste of it, he'll come to rely on it. He'll start only thinking about victory, nothing else. He'll push away those who are closest to him and when he has obtained enough power, will the advent of G.O.D. begin."

"And this, G.O.D. is gonna help me defeat Zarc?" The man asked.

"He'll do more than that. G.O.D. has the power to make ones dreams a reality. You can finally be in a world where everyone respects you for your hard work, not for naturally talented Duelists like Zarc." The woman answered.

"That's right. I had to work my way to enter the leagues. That punk doesn't deserve to be here." The man clenched his fist.

"I promise you. G.O.D. will listen to your prayers. You just need to keep doing your part." The woman walked away.

"I'll keep doing your dirty work for now…Eve." The cloaked man muttered.

Godwin's Penthouse – Yuya's Bedroom

Yuya opened his eyes and he rubbed his eyes. "Eve…" Yuya uttered the name that the man gave that woman. "G.O.D."

"Rise and shine sleepyheads!" Rua rang a gong that echoed throughout the penthouse that woke everybody up. "It's time to begin D-Wheel Training!" Rua hit the gong again.

Godwin's Penthouse – Roller Rink

"Your grandfather has his very own Roller Rink?" Jonouchi asked as walked outside to the backyard.

"Grandpa sometimes has disco parties." Rua smiled.

"I thought we would be going to a track." Rin said.

"Oh, no. You guys are definitely not ready to ride a D-Wheel." Crow patted her on the back. "Not until you master your balance." Crow then skated on the rink

"Riding a D-Wheel means putting your whole body into it. And unless you have good balance, you'll fall right before you make the first turn." Aki put on her skates and got into the rink.

"This is a waste of time." Shun scoffed.

"Then if you're an expert, skate backwards?" Crow challenged.

"Easy." Shun stepped into the rink and moved backwards. "See, eas…" He then hit the low wall and flipped over.

"Shun!" Ruri ran to help her brother.

"Another thing is to be aware of you're surroundings. Sometimes the courses can change so you need to adapt." Crow said as he skated backwards perfectly.

"Now, let's start!" Rua blew a whistle.

Gongenzaka's legs shook as he was holding on to the side. "Seriously, dude. That's just sad." Jonouchi pointed out.

"The Steadfast Dueling is about standing still…" Gongenzaka said.

"Okay, whatever you say." Jonouchi skated past him.

Sawatari and Dennis were racing each other from one end of the rink to the other.

"I'm not losing Dennis!" Sawatari shouted.

"I won't either!" Dennis smiled.

"How…are they able…to do that so easily." Serena held on to the rail as she kept slipping.

Ruri skated past her and the two of them huffed and turned their heads. "Come on, you two." Yuzu sighed as she skated around.

"Whoo!" Rua cheered as skated circles around.

"How about a race?" Rio skated next to him.

"You're on!" Rua accepted and two went faster.

"Be careful, you too!" Asuka advised.

"That's good, you got it!" Crow smiled as he saw Rin skate.

"This pretty easy." Rin smiled. She then turned around and started skating backwards. "It feels good." Rin closed her eyes.

"H-Hey, watch out!" Aki shouted.

"Huh?" Rin opened her eyes and turned around to see that she was getting close to the wall. "Oh, crap! How do you turn?!" Rin closed her eyes and prepared for the impact, but she felt a pair of arms stop her.

"You okay?" Yuya asked.

"Y-Yeah…" Rin blushed as she held onto Yuya's jacket. "Sorry. I didn't know how to turn."

"Let me help you." Yuya took Rin's hand and they both skated together. Yuya started showing her by leaning his body to the left and right for making smooth turns.

Rin started slow but soon enough she was able to keep up with Yuya and the two started skating backwards together while looking at each other happily.

"Those two are in their own little world." Aki smiled.

"They grow up so fast." Crow sniffled.

Shun was soon able to skate backwards and he smirked. "See easy…"

"Out of the way!" Both Sawatari and Dennis zipped past Sawatari making him spin out of control.

"That's it!" Shun shouted angrily and he chased after the two.

"Kurosaki's gone mad!" Sawatari and Dennis panicked and they dispersed.

"Gongenzaka, use your fat body to shield me!" Sawatari hid behind Gongenzaka.

"I'm not fat!" Gongenzaka tried grabbing Sawatari but since he still wasn't moving, Sawatari kept dancing around him.

"Madman incoming!" Dennis jumped over Serena's legs while Shun tripped on them and fell.

"Someone's clumsy." Serena commented.

"Argh, you're so irritating!" Ruri shouted.

Arguing started breaking out amongst the group. "Ah man, here we go again." Crow sighed.

"I got this." Aki activated her Duel Disk. "Black Rose Psychic Dragon!" Aki summoned her dragon. Black Rose then used its thorns to separate and trap the arguing, Lancers.

"Guys, we're a team!" Yuya scolded them. "You don't have to be friends, but you have to at least tolerate each other!"

"Hey, I'm pulling my weight and doing my best, it's your Steadfast friend who isn't a team player!" Sawatari argued.

"What did you say?!" Gongenzaka argued.

"And I refuse to cooperate with anyone from the Fusion Dimension!" Shun declared.

"Now that's just discrimination!" Dennis exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, Yuya. But I just can't work with Serena!" Ruri said.

"That's fine, because I don't want to work with you!" Serena agreed.

"Enough!" Yuya shouted. "We're all participating in the Friendship Cup as allies. If we lose one round, not only do we lost the chance of gaining an alliance with the Synchro Dimension, but we're giving Leo Akaba a tactical advantage."

"And like White Taki said, your usual strategies won't work in Riding Duels. You all have to adapt to each other's playstyles." Crow added.

"Screw this! I'm out of here!" Shun walked away.

"I cannot allow you to leave." Godwin entered the room. "You are already on thin ice with Security and the Council. Besides, what can you, an ordinary boy, accomplish on your own?"

"Sorry, Grandpa. We didn't mean to disturb you." Rua apologized.

"It's alright. In fact, I have a solution. I propose Tag Duels." Godwin suggested.

"Tag Duels?" Rio asked.

"It's clear that these six need to learn how to cooperate, so why not pair them up against an impromptu pair and push them to cooperate while also learning more about each other's strategies and adapting to different situations. Two birds in one stone." Godwin suggested. "If there's one thing that these people have in common is that they hate to lose."

"That sounds like a good idea. I'm game." Asuka smiled.

"Alright, then. So, the pairs are Gongenzaka-Sawatari, Ruri-Serena and Shun-Dennis." Yuzu said. "So, how do we decide the other pairs?"

"First, we need six individuals out of the nine remaining." Godwin answered.

Security Headquarters

"You two will be participating in the Friendship Cup as the leading representatives of Team Security. Don't let me down." Roget said to Ushio and Mikage.

"Of course." Mikage nodded.

"But sir, what about the 15th member?" Ushio asked.

"The 15th member will take a while to prepare, but I assure you that his power won't be necessary until you face the Dimension Guardians and Lancers." Roget said.

"If only we had the third Machine Emperor Deck." Ushio grumbled.

"Machine Emperor Master would've been a good addition for our group." Mikage agreed.

"The penultimate Machine Emperor, to be taken by the lowly scum of the Commons. I have no doubt that it will appear in this tournament, and when it does, we will take it back, whatever it takes."

"Yes sir." Ushio and Mikage saluted.

Godwin's Penthouse – Duel Field

"The first Tag Duel! Gongenzaka-Sawatari pair vs Yuzu-Aki pair will now begin!" Godwin announced.

"I look forward to working with you." Aki smiled.

"S-Same…" Yuzu nodded.

"Don't get in my way." Sawatari glared at Gongenzaka.

"Same to you." Gongenzaka countered.

"You will share 8000 Life Points, but you will have your own field. You are also allowed to use cards that your partner controls. Furthermore, no one can attack on their first turn! Ready! Duel Start!"

"Field Magic: Dimension Gates!" The Field Magic activated and it created the gates surrounding the four Duelists.

"Duel!" Yuzu, Aki, Sawatari and Gongenzaka declared.

Gongenzaka/Sawatari LP: 8000 (Gongenzaka Hand: 5, Sawatari Hand: 5)
Yuzu/Aki LP: 8000, (Yuzu Hand: 5, Aki Hand: 5)

"I'll go first! Draw!" Sawatari drew his card. "I summon Abyss Actor Sassy Rookie (ATK: 1700, LV: 4, PS: 2)!" Sawatari summoned his rookie actor to the field. "I end my turn!"

Gongenzaka/Sawatari LP: 8000 (Gongenzaka Hand: 5, Sawatari Hand: 5)
Yuzu/Aki LP: 8000, (Yuzu Hand: 5, Aki Hand: 5)

"My turn! Draw!" Yuzu drew her card. "I summon Melodious Opera (ATK: 2300, LV: 4)!" Yuzu summoned her tiny opera singer. "Next, I set one card and end my turn!"

Gongenzaka/Sawatari LP: 8000 (Gongenzaka Hand: 5, Sawatari Hand: 5)
Yuzu/Aki LP: 8000, (Yuzu Hand: 4, Aki Hand: 5)

"My turn! Draw!" Gongenzaka drew his card. "By discarding one Superheavy Samurai monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Superheavy Samurai Horaga-E (ATK: 300, LV: 2)!" Gongenzaka summoned his trumpet Tuner.

"Since I have a Superheavy Samurai on the field, I can Special Summon Superheavy Samurai Rokka-9 (ATK: 600, LV: 6) in Attack Position!" Gongenzaka summoned a samurai with a bo staff.

"I'm Tuning my Level 6 Rokka-9 with my Level 2 Horaga-E!" Horaga-E blew his horn and turned into two green rings and Rokka-9 flew through them.

"Veteran who tempers blades with a loud iron hammer! Appear on the battlefield in a conflagration! Synchro Summon! Take the field! Level 8! Superheavy Samurai Katanaka-G (DEF: 2400, LV: 8)!" Gongenzaka summoned a samurai with a big forging hammer.

"When I successfully summon Katanaka-G, I can Special Summon as many Superheavy Samurai monsters from my hand!" Gongenzaka played the rest of his hand. "Superheavy Samurai Sword-999 (DEF: 1800, LV: 3)! Superheavy Samurai Waka-O2 (DEF: 2000, LV: 4)! And finally, Superheavy Samurai Big Ben-K (DEF: 3500, LV: 8)!" Gongenzaka summoned three powerhouse monsters.

"Looks like he's powered up his Steadfast Dueling." Jonouchi observed.

"Steadfast Dueling?" Rua asked.

"It's a style in Standard where they don't use Action cards." Yuya explained. "The Duelists remains still and doesn't move a single step."

"Is he gonna be okay?" Rio questioned. "I mean, Synchro is all about speed, isn't it?"

"Well we'll see." Asuka looked at the Duel.

"I end my turn!" Gongenzaka finished.

Gongenzaka/Sawatari LP: 8000 (Gongenzaka Hand: 0, Sawatari Hand: 5)
Yuzu/Aki LP: 8000, (Yuzu Hand: 4, Aki Hand: 5)

"My turn! Draw!" Aki drew her card. "Yuya has told me about the Lancers. Gongenzaka specializes in building up Defense, but he uses their Defense Points to attack and inflict damage while also protecting himself."

"Sawatari is unpredictable and can change the tides. The common strategy in a Tag Duel is to go after the weakest player…in which case." Aki grabbed two cards. "Sorry, Yuya. But I have to use your power to defeat your friend."

"Using the Scale 2 Purple Rose Dragon and the Scale 8 Yellow Rose Dragon, I set the Pendulum Scale!" Aki set her scale.

"What?!" Gongenzaka gasped.

"She has…" Sawatari's eyes widened.

"Pendulum?!" Yuzu was surprised as well.

A small dragon with purple rose petals appeared along with a similar one with yellow rose petals and they appeared in columns of light. "With this, I can simultaneously summon monsters from Levels 3 to 7!"

"Flowers that bloom from the soil of the earth, let the wind carry your petals into the future! Pendulum Summon! Come forth! My monsters!" The portal opened and two monsters appeared.

"Demon Angel – Rose Sorcerer (ATK: 2400, LV: 7)! And Stately Angel – Queen of Rose (ATK: 2400, LV: 7)!" Appearing was a light and dark version of a warrior. The dark one had a thorn whip and the other one had a sword.

"Amazing!" Rua was in awe.

"This is…Pendulum Summon." Crow looked at the monster.

"But how did she get Pendulum Cards?" Rin wondered.

"Well…" Yuya spoke.

Aki's House – Yesterday

"Ow!" Yuya hit his foot on the coffee table and some of Aki's cards fell to the ground.

"Yuya, are you okay?" Aki hurried into the room.

"Yeah, I just hit my toe on the table. Sorry." Yuya started picking up cards.

"It's okay, it was an accident." Aki also helped.

"Wow, you really like the roses." Yuya looked at some of her cards. Suddenly Yuya's pendant glowed and the card he held glowed as well and he covered his eyes.

"What is that?" Aki was alarmed as she shut her eyes from the bright light.

When the light died down, Yuya opened his eyes and he couldn't believe what he saw. Aki's card had become a Pendulum Card. "This is…"

"Hey, this card changed…" Aki showed a new Pendulum Card. "These are just like your Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. How did you do that?"

"I…don't know." Yuya looked at his pendant."

Godwin's Penthouse - Duel Field (Present)

"Somehow my pendant just gave Aki those Pendulum cards." Yuya explained. "If I can figure out how it did it, I could transform some of your cards into Pendulum cards."

"Just when you thought you've seen it all." Jonouchi muttered.

"I activate Purple Rose Dragon's Pendulum Effect! Once per turn, I can inflict 400 points of damage for every Plant-type monster on my field! I have two, therefore you take 800 points of damage!" Purple Rose Dragon fired some thorns that hit Gongenzaka and Sawatari.

Gongenzaka/Sawatari LP: 8000→7200

"Next, I activate Yellow Rose Dragon's Pendulum Effect! Once per turn, I can destroy one monster on my opponent's field that has lower Attack Points that one of my Plant-type monsters on the field! I destroy Superheavy Samurai Big Ben-K!" Yellow Rose Dragon unleashed some pollen that made Big Ben-K corrode and was destroyed.

"She took out Big Ben-K so easily." Yuzu was in shock.

"I set one card and end my turn!" Aki finished.

Gongenzaka/Sawatari LP: 7200 (Gongenzaka Hand: 0, Sawatari Hand: 5)
Yuzu/Aki LP: 8000, (Yuzu Hand: 4, Aki Hand: 1)

"Damn it…she's a tough one. My turn! Draw!" Sawatari drew his card. "I'll fight Pendulum with Pendulum! With the Scale 0 Abyss Actor – Mellow Madonna and the Scale 9 Abyss Actor – Twinkle Little Star, I set the Pendulum Scale!" Sawatari set his own scale.

"With this, I can simultaneously summon monsters from Levels 1 to 8! The stage is set! Now let the spotlights of the heavens shine down o the dark underworld! Pendulum Summon! Come forth!" The portal opened and two monsters appeared.

"Abyss Actor – Curtain Raiser (ATK: 1100, LV: 4, PS: 7)! And Abyss Actor – Devil Heel (ATK: 3000, LV: 8, PS: 1)!" Sawatari summoned two monsters.

"I activate Devil Heel's effect! When this card is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, I can target one monster on the opponent's field and it loses 1000 Attack Points for each Abyss Actor on my field!" Sawatari revealed.

"I choose Queen of Rose and it loses 3000 Attack Points since I have 3 Abyss Actor monsters on my field!" Queen of Rose fell to her knees.

Queen of Rose (ATK: 2400→0)

"Next, I activate Twinkle Little Star's Pendulum Effect! Once per turn, I can have one Abyss Actor monster on my field attack monsters 3 times during the Battle Phase! In exchange, the other monsters can't attack. I choose Devil Heel!" Sawatari pointed to Devil Heel.

"Devil Heel has 3000 Attack Points." Dennis said. "It's the strongest monster on the field."

"If it attacks all three of the monsters on the field, the total damage will be 4300 more than half of their Life Points." Serena added.

"Go! Devil Heel, attack Opera!" Devil Heel kicked Opera and destroyed it, damaging Yuzu and Aki.

Yuzu/Aki LP: 8000→7300

"Here's some big damage! Attack Queen of Rose!" Evil Heel charged.

"I activate my Trap Card: Thorn Wall! When a Plant-type monster is targeted for an attack, all monsters in Attack Position are destroyed!" Aki revealed.

"No!" Sawatari cried as Evil Heel and Curtain Raiser were destroyed. "Sassy Rookie can negate destruction once per turn. I switch Sassy Rookie (DEF: 1000) to Defense Position and set one card and end my turn!"

"They seem evenly matched, but there's still no sign of teamwork coming from either side." Rio observed.

"Well, they're gonna have to start showing some of it soon, because if there's no collaboration, even if they win, then we have no chance against the Friendship Cup." Yuya narrowed his eyes and both sides stared each other down.

And that's the end of Chapter 10. What did you guys think of the chapter? Let me know in the reviews section.

I hope to keep up with these weekly updates, but there will be days where I'm so drained that I don't have the energy to write, so I apologize in advance but I will not give up on this story as I really enjoy writing it.

See ya all next week.

Preview: Both teams are struggling to cooperate with each other with Yuzu being intimidated by Aki's strength and Gongenzaka refusing to use any of Sawatari's Magic or Trap cards to help his monsters. Tensions continue to rise both on the field and off the field.

Next Time: Floral Dragons vs Fiendish Samurais