Surprise! I'm updating early because I finished work early and I have not been able to stop typing. Hopefully I can get another chapter or two in by the weekend. We'll see.

Now on to the chapter.

Chapter 11: Floral Dragons vs Fiendish Samurais

Godwin's Penthouse – Duel Field

Gongenzaka/Sawatari LP: 7200 (Gongenzaka Hand: 0, Sawatari Hand: 1
Field:
Sawatari: Scale 0 Mellow Madonna, Scale 9 Twinkle Little Star, Sassy Rookie (DEF: 1000, LV: 4, PS: 2), 1 set card.
Gongenzaka: Superheavy Samurai Katakana-G (DEF: 2400, LV: 8), Superheavy Samurai Waka-O2 (DEF: 2000, LV: 4), Superheavy Samurai Sword-999 (DEF: 1800, LV: 3)

Yuzu/Aki LP: 7300 (Yuzu Hand: 4, Aki Hand: 1)
Field:
Yuzu: 1 set card.
Aki: Scale 2 Purple Rose Dragon, Scale 8 Yellow Rose Dragon, Queen of Roses (ATK: 2400, LV: 7), Rose Sorcerer (ATK: 2400, LV: 7).

"Aki is amazing, she was not only able to defeat Gongenzaka's Big Ben-K, but she was also able to stop Sawatari's assault. Can I…can I really support someone that strong?"

"Yuzu." Yuzu snapped out of her thoughts when Aki spoke to her. "What's wrong? It's your turn."

"Oh, right." Yuzu put her fingers on her deck. "My turn! Draw!" Yuzu drew her card. "I activate the Field Magic: Dimension Gates effect! I pay 1000 Life Points to add two Pendulum cards from my deck to my hand."

Yuzu/Aki LP: 7300→6300

"Using the Scale 4 Aster the Melodious Songstress and the Scale 9 Baritone the Country Diva, I set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuzu set her own scale. "With this, I can simultaneously summon monsters from Levels 5 to 7!"

"Song within my heart! Become the melody that brings harmony to all! Pendulum Summon! Come forth! My musical friends!" The portal opened and two lights came out.

"Petunia the Melodious Diva (ATK: 2400, LV: 5, PS: 1)! And Melodious Flower Dragon (ATK: 2500, LV: 7, PS: 4)!" Yuzu summoned her ace monster and the petunia dressed diva.

"Okay, with Petunia, I can deal piercing damage. If I attack Sassy Rookie, even though it won't be destroyed, the damage will be 1400. And then I can use Flower Dragon to destroy either Superheavy Samurai Waka-O2 or Sword-999. But Sawatari has a set card." Yuzu analyzed the field.

Yuzu looked at the rest of her hand. "I can only attack with monsters that I control. But which monster should I…"

"Yuzu." Yuzu turned to Aki. "Remember, you have my cards as well."

Yuzu's eyes widened. "That's right. I can't attack using Aki's monsters but I can use her Magic and Trap cards…including her Pendulum Effects."

"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! Petunia has 2400 Attack Points and Waka-O2 has 0 Attack Points, therefore, Waka-O2 is destroyed!" Gongenzaka's monster was destroyed.

"As expected of Yuzu, she knew Waka-O2 couldn't be destroyed in battle so she used a card effect." Gongenzaka thought.

"Battle! Petunia, attack Superheavy Samurai Sword-999!" Petunia sang a song unleashed a wave of petals. "When Petunia attacks a monster in Defense Position, it deals piercing damage!" Sword-999 was destroyed and both Gongenzaka and Sawatari suffered damage.

Gongenzaka/Sawatari LP: 7200→6600

"Why didn't she go for Sassy Rookie? She would have dealt more damage." Rua said.

"Sassy Rookie can't be destroyed once per turn, but even if she could destroy it, Sassy Rookie is a Pendulum Monster that Sawatari can bring back." Yuya explained. "Not only that Superheavy Samurai Sword-999 has an effect that when it battles an opposing monster, that monster's Attack Points become 0."

"So, Yuzu chose to take out Gongenzaka's monsters and leave him wide open." Rin realized.

"Not only that Gongenzaka doesn't have a card in his hand." Jonouchi added. "Even though his deck is full of Monster Cards, just having one won't be enough."

"Next, I'll use Purple Rose Dragon's Pendulum Effect to deal 400 points of damage to you!" Yuzu used Aki's other Pendulum Monster to deal damage.

Gongenzaka/Sawatari LP: 6600→6200

"I end my turn." Yuzu finished.

Gongenzaka/Sawatari LP: 6200, (Gongenzaka Hand: 0, Sawatari Hand: 1)
Yuzu/Aki LP: 6300, (Yuzu Hand: 3, Aki Hand: 1)

"Good job, Yuzu." Aki smiled.

"I was only able to do this thanks to your cards." Yuzu smiled back. "So, please use my cards when you have the chance."

"Of course, this is a Tag Duel, we can only win if we support each other." Aki nodded.

"Damn it…they have a point." Sawatari looked at his set card.

"My turn! Draw!" Gongenzaka drew his card.

"Continuous Trap: Abyss Magic Assist!" Sawatari played his set card. "This card allows me to discard one Magic Card from my hand and this Trap Card take on the name and effect of the discarded Magic Card. I discard Pendulum Treasure!" Sawatari discarded his last card.

"Now when Abyss Magic Assist is sent to the Graveyard, the player can use Pendulum Treasure's effect to draw one card for every Pendulum monster on the Monster Zone." Sawatari said.

"There's Yuzu's Melodious Flower Dragon and Petunia as well as Sawatari's Sassy Rookie." Asuka observed.

"That means a 3 card draw." Rio said.

"I see." Yuya realized. "Sawatari is giving Gongenzaka an opportunity to add more cards to his hand. All he has to do is send Abyss Magic Assist to the Graveyard."

"Use my card, Gongenzaka. Turn the tides." Sawatari said.

"I refuse!" Gongenzaka shouted.

"What?!" Sawatari got mad.

"No matter the Duel, I will not abandon my Steadfast Dueling, that means no Magic or Trap cards! When my opponent controls two or more monsters, I can Special Summon Superheavy Samurai TenB-N (DEF: 1800, LV: 4)!" Gongenzaka summoned his samurai with large scales.

"When this card is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon one Superheavy Samurai monster from my Graveyard! Revive! Tuner Monster, Superheavy Samurai Horaga-E (ATK: 300, LV: 2)!" Gongenzaka brought back his tuner.

"I'm Tuning my Level 4 TenB-N with my Level 2 Horaga-E!" Horaga-E turned into two green rings and TenB-N went through it and became four stars.

"Rise your war cry. Divine ogre! Show yourself. On this battlefield infested by evil! Synchro Summon! Now depart for the front! Level 6! Superheavy God Ogre Shutendo-G (DEF: 2500, LV: 6)!" Gongenzaka summoned his ogre.

"When Shutendo-G is Synchro Summoned, while I have no Magic or Trap cards in my Graveyard, I can destroy all Magic and Trap cards my opponent controls!" Shutendo-G destroyed all of Yuzu's and Aki's Magic and Trap cards, including their Pendulum cards.

"Oh no!" Yuzu looked up.

"Our Pendulum Scale!" Aki's eyes widened.

"Furthermore, I activate the effect of Superheavy Samurai Soul Buster Synchro Gauntlet from my Graveyard! When a Superheavy Synchro Monster is Special Summoned, this card can equip itself onto the Synchro Monster!" Shutendo-G gained a white gauntlet on its right hand.

"Synchro Gauntlet increases the Defense Points of the equipped monster by 500 points for every Superheavy Samurai monster in my Graveyard! Furthermore, once per turn, I can send one Synchro Monster on my field or Extra Deck to the Graveyard!" Gongenzaka revealed and Katakana-G disappeared. "By doing this, I have a total of six Superheavy Samurais in my Graveyard, therefore it gains 3000 Defense Points!"

Shutendo-G (DEF: 2500→5500)

"5500 Defense Points!" Yuzu gasped.

"I don't have a card to stop it." Aki admitted.

"Battle! Shutendo-G, attack Queen of Roses!" Shutendo-G threw his club and it hit Queen of Roses, destroying it and damaging Yuzu and Aki.

Yuzu/Aki LP: 6300→3200

"With this I end my turn!" Gongenzaka crossed his arms.

"Wow, I was wrong. He can turn things around with just one card." Jonouchi admitted.

"But still…he refused to accept his partner's help." Asuka said.

"It appears your friend is insisted on following his own style until the very end." Godwin commented. "That train of thought could damage teamplay, wouldn't you say?" Yuya didn't say anything as he just kept watching.

Gongenzaka/Sawatari LP: 6200, (Gongenzaka Hand: 0, Sawatari Hand: 0)
Yuzu/Aki LP: 3200, (Yuzu Hand: 3, Aki Hand: 1)

"My turn! Draw!" Aki drew her card. "If Queen of Roses was still on the field, I could've use is effect to destroy Shutendo-G." Aki looked at her hand. "With these cards…I'll have to take a gamble."

"I summon the Tuner Monster, Rose Guardian in Defense Position (DEF: 2100, LV: 3)! Then, I switch Rose Sorcerer to Defense Position (DEF: 1300)! I set one card and end my turn!" Aki finished.

Gongenzaka/Sawatari LP: 6200, (Gongenzaka Hand: 0, Sawatari Hand: 0)
Yuzu/Aki LP: 3200, (Yuzu Hand: 3, Aki Hand: 0)

"She didn't Synchro Summon?" Sawatari was confused. "My turn! Draw!" Sawatari drew his card.

"With my current scale, Pendulum Summon! Revive from the Extra Deck! Abyss Actor – Evil Heel (ATK: 3000, LV: 8, PS: 1)! Abyss Actor – Curtain Raiser (ATK: 1100, LV: 4, PS: 7)! And from my hand, Abyss Actor – Big Star (ATK: 2500, LV: 7, PS: 3)!" Sawatari summoned three monsters.

"Next, I send Abyss Magic Assist to the Graveyard and use the inherited effect of Pendulum Treasure! I draw one card for every Pendulum monster in the Monster Zone! There are five, so I draw five cards!" Sawatari drew five new cards.

"I Normal Summon the Tuner Monster, Abyss Actor – Backstage Handyman (ATK: 1300, LV: 3, PS: 6)!" Sawatari summoned his Tuner Monster.

"But before we bring out the main star, there is some preparation to be done. First, I activate the Magic Card: Abyss Script: Rise of the Demon King! This card allows me to destroy cards equal to the number of Abyss Actor monsters that I have in Attack Position! I have four; therefore, I can destroy four cards!"

"That's weird." Yuya raised an eyebrow.

"What is?" Rin asked.

"I destroy Rose Sorcerer, Rose Guardian, Melodious Flower Dragon and… Curtain Raiser!" A shot of lightning destroyed Aki's monsters, Yuzu's dragon and Sawatari's own monster.

"Why didn't he destroy Petunia?" Rua was confused.

"And now I'm Tuning my Level 4 Sassy Rookie with my Level 3 Backstage Handyman!" Backstage Handyman clanged his tools together before turning into three green rings and Sassy Rookie flew through them.

"Entertainer of the stars above, swoop in on the stage and showcase your talent! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 7! Abyss Actor – Space Pirate (ATK: 2500, LV: 7)!" Sawatari summoned his first Synchro Monster.

"When Space Pirate is Synchro Summoned using Pendulum Monsters, one monster on the opponent's field loses 500 Attack Points for each Pendulum Monster in my Extra Deck! With three, Petunia loses 1500 Attack Points!"

Petunia (ATK: 2400→900)

"I activate the Magic Card: Abyss Script – Fire Dragon's Lair and select Space Pirate as the target! Battle! Abyss Actor – Space Pirate, attack Petunia! Dual Pistol Barrage!" Space Pirate fired multiple bullets that destroyed Petunia and damaged Yuzu and Aki.

Yuzu/Aki LP: 3200→1600

"At this moment, Fire Dragon's Lair's effect activates! Since it destroyed a monster in battle, 3 cards from your Extra Deck are banished!"

"What?!" Yuzu gasped.

"I banish Melodious Flower Dragon, Bloom Prodigy Dragon, and Nature-Eyes Harmony Dragon!" Yuzu's ace monster and her Fusion forms were banished.

"Time to end this! Big Star! Direct Attack!" Sawatari pointed as Big Star headed for Aki but a thorn shield appeared in front of her. "What?!" Sawatari gasped.

"When Rose Guardian is destroyed, the opponent cannot inflict damage via direct attacks." Aki revealed.

"Damn…" Sawatari cursed as he looked at the last two cards in his hand. "I don't care what he says." Sawatari glared at Gongenzaka. "I set two cards and end my turn!"

Gongenzaka/Sawatari LP: 6200, (Gongenzaka Hand: 0, Sawatari Hand: 0)
Yuzu/Aki LP: 3200, (Yuzu Hand: 3, Aki Hand: 0)

"Gongenzaka's Shutendo-G is the most powerful monster on the field, and Sawatari's monsters aren't too bad either." Yuzu looked at her hand. "None of the cards in my hand are a match against either of them."

"My turn! Draw!" Yuzu drew her card. "I activate Pot of Greed; I draw two cards!" Yuzu drew two more cards. "Another thing that is bothering me is that Aki didn't Synchro Summon before. She had a Tuner Monster and a non-Tuner Monster earlier, but she didn't use them. Unless…" Yuzu eyed Aki's set card.

"I activate the Field Magic: Dimension Gates and open the Fusion Gate!" The Fusion gate opened to reveal a spiraling vortex.

Yuzu/Aki LP: 3200→2200

"From my hand, I fuse Soprano the Melodious Songstress, Canon the Melodious Diva, Aria the Melodious Diva and Laureate François the Melodious Maestra!" The four monsters appeared together and entered the spiraling vortex.

"Angel's song! Supreme Prodigy! Echoing melodious voice! The flutter of angel wings! By the guidance of the baton, assemble your power. Fusion Summon! Now on stage, the song of passion! Melodious Floral Saint Bloom Prima (ATK: 1900, LV: 7)!" Yuzu summoned a small monster in a yellow dress.

"At this moment, I activate the Trap Card: Dimension Tuning!" Aki revealed her set card. "When a monster is Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, I can Special Summon a Tuner monster and a non-Tuner monster from my Graveyard! Revive! Rose Guardian (DEF: 2100, LV: 3)! Queen of Roses (DEF: 1300, LV: 7)!" Aki's two monsters came back. "I can then perform a Synchro Summon by banishing the materials!"

"Synchro Summoning on her partner's turn?!" Gongenzaka's eyes widened.

"I'm Tuning my Level 7 Queen of Roses with my Level 3 Rose Guardian!" Rose Guardian turned into three green rings and Queen of Roses flew through them and became seven stars.

"Red petals that dance in the wind, unleash your beauty and clear away all evil! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 10! Blood Rose Dragon (ATK: 3200, LV: 10)!" Aki summoned her evolved dragon.

"I like where this is going." Yuya smiled.

"When Blood Rose Dragon is Synchro Summoned, all cards in our Graveyard are banished!" Aki revealed.

"What?!" Gongenzaka gasped as he saw the monsters in his Graveyard get banished.

"With no Superheavy Samurai monsters in the Graveyard, Shutendo-G's power up due to Synchro Gauntlet is gone." Aki said.

Shutendo-G (ATK: 5500→2500)

"Bloom Prima gains 300 Attack Points for every monster that was used as Fusion Material. Since I used four, she gains 1200 Attack Points!" Yuzu added.

Bloom Prima (ATK: 1900→3100)

"It's stronger than Devil Heel." Sawatari gasped.

"Next, I activate the Magic Card: Pendulum Storm! This card destroys all cards in the Pendulum Zone, and then I can destroy one Magic or Trap card on the opponent's field!" Sawatari's Pendulum Zone monsters were destroyed along with one of his set cards.

"Battle! Bloom Prima, attack Shutendo-G!" Bloom Prima created a wave of songs that destroyed the ogre. "Bloom Prima can attack twice per turn! Bloom Prima, attack Big Star!" Bloom Prima attacked and destroyed Big Star.

Gongenzaka/Sawatari LP: 6200→5600

"I end my turn!" Yuzu finished.

Gongenzaka/Sawatari LP: 5600 (Gongenzaka Hand: 0, Sawatari Hand: 0)
Yuzu/Aki LP: 2200 (Yuzu Hand: 0, Aki Hand: 0)

"My turn! Draw!" Gongenzaka drew his card and his eyes widened. "Superheavy Samurai Nusu-10! This is a Level 10 monster; I can't summon it."

"Gongenzaka, use my set card!" Sawatari shouted. "You're allowed to use my cards!"

"I told you! I will not change my Steadfast Dueling, no matter what!" Gongenzaka argued. "I would not only betray myself, but my father as well as the other disciples of the Gongenzaka Dojo!"

"We're not in Standard anymore!" Sawatari argued. "Look, I'm sorry I was mean to you, okay! I may act tough but I'm actually scared! This is a new dimension and we still know only a little about it! I'm scared of what will happen if we lose the Friendship Cup and we fail to stop Academia."

"Sawatari…" Yuya uttered.

"Those two only just met, but they're in perfect sync with each other!" Sawatari pointed to Yuzu and Aki. "That kind of teamwork is how we're gonna win the Friendship Cup, so please, just listen to me and use my card!"

"I…" Gongenzaka closed his eyes. "I end my turn!"

"Gongenzaka!" Sawatari cried.

Gongenzaka/Sawatari LP: 5600 (Gongenzaka Hand: 1, Sawatari Hand: 0)
Yuzu/Aki LP: 2200 (Yuzu Hand: 0, Aki Hand: 0)

"Gongenzaka…" Yuzu closed her eyes and had a sad look on her face.

"Your partner offered his help. He gave you chances to use his cards, but you ignored him." Aki was angry. "Even if you are Yuya's friend, you won't get mercy from me! My turn! Draw!"

"I summon the Tuner Monster, Copy Plant (ATK: 0, LV: 1)!" Aki summoned a small plant. "Yuzu, I'm using your monster."

"Yes." Yuzu nodded.

"I'm Tuning the Level 7 Bloom Prima with my Level 1 Copy Plant!" Copy Plant turned into one green ring and Bloom Prima flew through it and became seven stars.

"Flames of anger that engulf the entire world. Bright-red flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Level 8! Fire Rose Psychic Dragon (ATK: 2900, LV: 8)!" Appearing was red-skinned version of Black Rose, but its petals were made of actual fire.

"When Fire Rose Psychic Dragon is successfully Synchro Summoned, all Level 8 or lower monsters on the field are destroyed and for each one destroyed, the opponent takes 800 points of damage! Fire Rose Gale!" Fire Rose unleashed a gale of flames that destroyed Devil Heel and Space Pirate and damaged Gongenzaka and Sawatari.

Gongenzaka/Sawatari LP: 5600→4000

"Battle! Blood Rose Dragon! Direct Attack!" Aki pointed at Gongenzaka. "Blood Rose Gale!" Blood Rose Dragon unleashed a pure red breath attack that hit Gongenzaka.

Gongenzaka/Sawatari LP: 4000→800

"It's over! Fire Rose Dragon! Direct Attack! Fire Rose Flare!" Fire Rose fired a shot of pure flames and it engulfed Gongenzaka as he took the damage but remained standing.

Gongenzaka/Sawatari LP: 800→0

Winner: Yuzu Hiiragi/Aki Izayoi Pair

The field returned to normal as both of Aki's dragons disappeared. "In the end, I had to rely on you to win." Yuzu admitted.

"Don't sell yourself short." Aki smiled. "You were able to trust me despite the short time we've known each other. I hope you can keep trusting me during the tournament." Aki held out her hand.

"I will." Yuzu accepted Aki's hand and they both shook.

"Well, we figured this would be the end result but…" Rua said.

"What will you do, Yuya?" Jonouchi asked.

Yuya stood up. "We'll take an hour break before we begin the next Duel! The next match is Ruri/Serena pair vs Rin/Rua pair! That also means the last match will be the Shun/Dennis pair vs Crow/Jonouchi pair!"

Godwin's Penthouse – Rec Center

Sawatari got a soda from the machine and sadly opened it. "Hey, you okay?" Sawatari turned to see Aki approaching him.

"I lost…but I'll get over it." Sawatari sipped his soda.

"You didn't lose, your partner did. You tried to help him and did everything you could. You're already ready for the Friendship Cup." Aki said.

"But I can't blame Gongenzaka for not wanting to work with me. Not after everything I've done to him, Yuya and Yuzu." Sawatari sat on the bench.

"You want to tell me?" Aki sat next to him. "I'm a good listener."

"I didn't get off to a good start with Yuya. I was ordered to get his Pendulum cards for Reiji Akaba, but I just wanted them for myself. I tricked Yuya into thinking I was his fan and I used Yuzu as a hostage. I also called some cards garbage."

"Yuya and I Dueled and even though I had the Pendulum cards, he was able to beat me with those same cards I insulted. I wanted revenge and that was when Yuzu confronted me. I thought with a new and powerful deck I could win, but she also had Pendulum and defeated me."

"I eventually got my own Pendulums, the Abyss Actors and I really enjoyed using them. I wanted to Duel Yuya again not for revenge but to show him that I have changed. But when I heard about the Synchro Dimension…"

"You used insults to hide how scared you were." Aki understood. "And you picked on Gongenzaka because you felt that he was only one you can match instead of Shun or Dennis."

"I know we have to win in order to gain an alliance with Neo Domino City. But I…I feel like I'm just a burden to the team. Everyone has something that makes them special but I'm…"

"Hey, you are special." Aki assured him. "You admitted your fears and you asked for help. That's not being a burden, that's being a team player, and that's who we need for the Friendship Cup. And let me tell you a little secret."

"A secret?" Sawatari asked.

Aki made a shushing gesture. "When Yuya told me about you guys, he said the one that he's most envious of was you."

Godwin's Penthouse – Pool

"YOU'RE WHAT?!" Gongenzaka bellowed as he glared at Yuya. Yuzu watched from the distance with worry.

"I said I'm cutting you from the team." Yuya said sternly.

"Why?!" Gongenzaka exclaimed. "I was able to push Yuzu and Aki against the wall with my own power!"

"That's the problem, Gongenzaka. The Friendship Cup is a team tournament, that means we have to collaborate and compromise." Yuya answered. "Sawatari's was trying to use his cards to help you. He even allowed you to use his Magic and Trap cards to help you draw more cards and maybe even protect you."

"Besides, you had your own field and Graveyard, so even if you did use them the cards would go to Sawatari's Graveyard, they wouldn't negatively affect your strategies." Yuya said.

"My Steadfast Dueling is believing in the strength of my own deck. Using other people's Magic and Trap cards goes against everything I believe in." Gongenzaka argued. "Also, Sawatari threatened you and Yuzu! I can't let that slide!"

"I will admit that Sawatari didn't get off to a good start with us. But he has changed." Yuya said. "He loves his cards and he loves to Duel. Have your forgotten your Duel against the Obelisk Force with him and Dennis?"

"I will admit that he's strong, but that doesn't mean that I will change my mind. I will still remain true to my Steadfast Dueling! I'll prove it, put me as the starting Duelist in the First Round match and I can take out one of the opponents!" Gongenzaka said.

Yuya sighed. "Fine, I'll let you be in the first round. But if you can't win against the first opponent, you're out. Even if you are my friend, we have to win, whatever it takes."

"Fine." Gongenzaka walked away.

Yuya walked over to the railing and looked at Neo Domino City and sighed. He didn't want to hurt Gongenzaka's feelings, but he had to be honest. They had to win the Friendship Cup in order to gain more allies. If that meant cutting his friend from the team, then so be it.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Yuzu walked up next to him.

"I don't know…" Yuya admitted. Yuzu leaned her head on his shoulder and held his hand while Yuya kept his eyes on the city.

Godwin's Penthouse – Medical Room

The door to the medical room opened. "Whoops, not the kitchen." Rin was about to leave when she saw someone sleeping on one of the beds.

She silently tiptoed to get a closer look and on the bed was Ruka, who was still sleeping like a baby.

"We're twins." Rin turned to see Rua entering the room. "Thanks to that, I was able to lead a double life so that she could keep her status as a Tops."

"How long has she been like this?" Rin asked.

"Two years." Rua answered. "Ruka had…has a special gift. The ability to communicate with Duel Monsters. Sometimes I would catch her talking to herself but she kept saying she was talking to her cards."

"Grandpa has a theory. He thinks that Ruka's mind is stuck in the Duel Monster's Spirit World. Something in that world is keeping her there and preventing her from coming back to this world. What it is, who knows. But…" Rua pulled out Ancient Fairy Twilight Dragon. "She had this card in her hand when she collapsed."

Just then, Rua's and Rin's arms burned and they both held it as their marks glowed again. "This again?" Rua winced before he passed out.

"R-Rua…" Rin passed out too.

Godwin's Penthouse – Duel Field

"Here." Serena held out her deck to Ruri.

"What's this?" Ruri asked.

"It's my deck, since we're gonna be working together, I want you to look through it, so that way you can tell me any strategies that could help us win." Serena answered.

"Then I guess you can look at mine." Ruri held out her deck and both girls exchanged and started going through them.

"Hey, this could work with that." Serena pointed to a couple of cards.

"And this could also help summon this card easier." Ruri added.

"I'm sorry." Serena apologized, getting Ruri's attention. "I didn't have any friends in the Fusion Dimension. Even before being dragged to Academia, I couldn't get along with other people. So, seeing you defend your brother and how easily you befriended everyone else…it made me jealous."

"I'm sorry too." Ruri apologized. "I'm not making excuses but…it's kind of hard to forget what happened to Heartland."

"You shouldn't forget it." Serena said. "Because that's your drive, it's what pushes you to keep fighting against all odds."

"Things get worse before they get better." Ruri said. "Well, if the worse was us getting ourselves in jail, then us winning the Friendship Cup will be the better." Ruri smiled. "Let's go win this!"

"Yeah!" Serena smiled back. The two went to their spots and prepared for their Tag Duel, only for a small problem.

"Have you seen them?" Asuka asked Rio.

"Rin said that she was gonna get a snack from the kitchen." Rio answered.

"I was just there; I didn't see her." Jonouchi said as he ate a bag of chips.

"What's wrong?" Ruri approached the Dimension Guardians.

"We can't find Rua or Rin." Asuka answered. "I'm getting worried."

"Argh…" Yuya winced as he held his arm and his dragon mark appeared. "This again."

"What does this mean?" Aki looked at her mark.

"This feeling…Rin!" Crow ran out of the arena.

"Crow!" Yuya ran after Crow and the others followed.

Godwin's Penthouse – Medical Room

"Here!" Crow opened the door to the Medical Room and saw both Rua and Rin unconscious. "Rin!" Crow knelt down and picked her up. "Her mark too."

"Rua!" Asuka ran and picked him up. "What happened?"

"They just collapsed." Godwin entered the room. "Most likely due to them not being used to their Signer marks."

"Signer marks?" Yuya asked.

"Those marks on your arms are marks that the Crimson Dragon has bestowed upon you. It means the dragon has chosen you to be the defenders of great evil." Godwin answered. "But explanations will have to wait, let's make sure these two are in the clear."

Crow and Asuka put Rin and Rua on medical beds and Godwin had them hooked up to some machines to monitor their status. "It doesn't seem they are in critical condition, but I'm afraid that they cannot Duel until they wake up."

"I see." Yuya said. "Then we'll just have to move on to the other Duel."

"But…" Crow didn't want to leave Rin.

"I'll look after them." Aki said. "My Psychic powers can heal them if need be. Don't worry, they're in good hands."

"Okay, I'm counting on you, Aki." Crow nodded.

Godwin's Penthouse – Duel Arena

Crow and Jonouchi stood on one side while Shun and Dennis stood on the other side. "This will be fun. Right, Kurosaki?" Dennis smiled.

"Just don't get in my way." Shun brushed Dennis off.

"Do you really think we can get these two to work together?" Crow asked.

"It'll be tough." Jonouchi said. "After all, Shun doesn't trust anyone from Academia since they're targeting his sister and any girl that has the same face as hers."

"Then he and I are not so different." Crow inserted his deck into his Duel Disk. "Minus the angry scowl."

"It's tough being a big brother." Jonouchi activated his Duel Disk.

"The Tag Duel between the Shun/Dennis pair and Crow/Jonouchi pair will now begin! Same rules as before, you are allowed to use each other's cards. Ready! Begin!" Godwin gave the signal.

"Duel!" Jonouchi, Crow, Dennis and Shun declared.

Duel Monsters Spirit World – Ancient Forest

"Rua! Rua!" Rua opened his eyes and he saw Rin looking down at him. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah…" Rua sat up and shook his head. "What happened?" Rua looked around and he saw they were in a forest. "What is this place?"

"I don't know." Rin shook her head. "But I don't think this is Neo Domino City."

"Kuri kuri!"

"What's that?" Rin got spooked.

"Wait, I know that sound." Rua said.

"Kuri kuri!" Coming out of the forest was a small fur ball monster with a tail and a red ribbon tied to it.

"Kuribon!" Rua's eyes widened.

"Kuri!" Kuribon flew into Rua's arms.

"Hey, there." Rua patted the little monster. "Wait, if you're here then is this…the Duel Monsters Spirit World?"

"Kuri kuri!" Kuribon jumped out of Rua's arms and went to a path and started hopping up and down.

"I think she wants us to follow her." Rin guessed. Kuribon then hopped along the path.

"Hey, wait!" Rua called out as he and Rin ran after Kuribon.

As they kept running down the path, they noticed that the forest was getting less lively and getting darker. They soon reached a clearing where multiple monsters were gathering around a coffin.

Kuribon then jumped Rin's arms and had a sad look. Both Rua and Rin looked at each other before approaching the coffin and in it was…

"Ruka!" Rua cried. "Ruka, wake up." Rua went to touch her only to retract his hand instantly. "Cold. No, please don't tell me…"

"She's not dead, Rua." Rua and Rin looked up to see Ancient Fairy Twilight Dragon descending before them.

"Ancient Fairy Twilight Dragon." Rua said.

"Forgive me for bringing you to the Spirit World, but you deserve to know what happened when your sister collapsed." Ancient Fairy Twilight Dragon said. "And why you were chosen as Ruka's successor as a Signer." She spoke to Rin.

"Ruka's…successor?" Rin questioned.

And here is a good stop for this chapter. The next Duel will be the Shun/Dennis vs Crow/Jonouchi pair. What did you all think of this chapter? Let me know in the reviews.

Thanks for reading and I will see you next time.

Preview: Shun and Dennis take on Crow and Jonouchi and right off the bat, Shun begins exhausting all of his resources, unaware of the unpredictable tactics of Crow and Jonouchi. Meanwhile, Rua and Rin are told what became of Ruka in the two years her mind was trapped in the Spirit World.

Next Time: Gambling Tricksters vs Magicians and Falcons