Hey, everyone. Here is Chapter 16. I think I might just release these on Sunday's since I can barely write during the weekend and each chapter takes about two days to complete. But I am not gonna give up on this story, not by a long shot because I love to write it and I have so many great ideas to come. I hope that you all look forward to it.

Luis014: Ray doesn't have any feelings for Yuya, she only sees him as the reincarnation of the Zarc that she loves. Here, she believes that Zarc is gone for good. The reason will be revealed later, maybe around the Xyz arc, but I will tell you that it involves Eve and G.O.D.

Now let's get on with the chapter.

Chapter 16: Superior Tactics vs Dumb Luck

Duel Palace – Team Guardians vs Team Unicorn

"This is it, everyone! This is the last Duel that will determine the winner of this Preliminary Round! It's the Captain of Team Unicorn vs the Pro Duelist from another dimension, Katsuya Jonouchi!" Melissa announced.

"That Yuzu girl was amazing."

"If that guy's a Pro, then he must be stronger."

"I'm rooting for the Guardians!"

The audience started to show support for the Guardians and wishing them luck. "Wow, they're actually starting to like us." Sawatari said.

"It's thanks to Yuzu." Yuya looked back at his sleeping childhood friend. "She defeated two members of a professional team and gave Uncle Jonouchi a good card to use."

As Jonouchi rode on his D-Wheel he looked at the Crystal Rose card as well as his current hand. "Yuzu…I'll use Crystal Rose to win this match!"

"Jean!" Jonouchi shouted. "You're not just fighting me! You're fighting everyone!"

"That's my line! Team Unicorn will definitely win!" Jean countered.

"Duel!" Jonouchi and Jean declared.

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

Jean LP: 4000, Hand: 2, SC: 11→12
Jonouchi LP: 4000, Hand: 6, SC: 10→11

"I activate Crystal Rose's effect! While this card is on the field, I can treat is as a substitute for any Fusion Material for a Fusion Monster! I treat Crystal Rose as Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Crystal Rose shined and a silhouette of Red-Eyes Black Dragon appeared.

"And from my hand, I activate the Speed Spell: Speed Fusion! By sending the Fusion Materials from my field and hand to the Graveyard, I can Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck!"

"I Fuse Crystal Rose that is treated as Red-Eyes Black Dragon along with the two Red-Eyes Black Dragons in my hand!" Jonouchi showed that he had two copies of Red-Eyes.

The three dragons appeared before the spiraling vortex and flew into it. "Black dragons with red-eyes, now is the time to unite with the power of friendship and create miracle! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 12! Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (3900, LV: 12)!" Appearing was a triple headed Red-Eyes Dragon that made a loud roar that shook the stadium.

"3900 Attack Points?!" Jean was surprised.

"I was able to summon Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon thanks to my teammate! Like I told you, you're fighting all of us! Battle! Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack Lightning Tricorn! Ultimate Flame Shot!" All three heads fired at Lightning Tricorn and the beast was destroyed.

"Don't think so! I activate the Trap Card: Return Damage! This card stops me from taking battle damage, and you take that damage instead!" Jean used one of his set cards.

"From my hand, I activate the effect of the Card Dealer! By discarding this card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can draw one card! If it's a Monster Card, I can Special Summon a monster from my Graveyard, if it's a Magic Card, I can draw two cards, and if it's a Trap Card, I can negate the activation of a Magic or Trap card on the opponent's field and destroy it!" Jonouchi drew his card.

"I drew Demon Dice, a Trap Card! I negate Return Damage's activation and destroy it! So, the damage goes through!" Jonouchi shouted as Jean's card was destroyed and Jean took the damage after all.

Jean LP: 4000→2900

"What luck." Jean cursed.

"I will admit you are a strong opponent! Your tactics are good enough to corner even the strongest and smartest of Duelists! But, can your tactics work on a man who gambles with everything in his soul?" Jonouchi asked.

Jean's eyes widened. "Oh no! I have formulated strategies that have countered the enemy's own as well as use them to their full advantage. But I've never faced someone who risks everything with chance!"

"That guy uses a Gambling Deck!" Breo exclaimed.

"This is bad, Gambling Decks are difficult to strategize against!" Andre narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"I won't let you take control of this Duel away from me!" Jean shouted. "Lightning Tricorn's effect! When this card is destroyed, I can Special Summon either Thunder Unicorn or Voltic Bicorn from my Extra Deck! Come! Voltic Bicorn (ATK: 2500, LV: 7)!" Jean summoned Voltic Bicorn.

"That monster…" Jonouchi looked at his hand. "I set two cards and end my turn!" Jonouchi finished his turn.

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

Jean LP: 2900, Hand: 3, SC: 12
Jonouchi LP: 4000, Hand: 1, SC: 11→12

"I activate Dimension Highway's effect! By removing all of my Speed Counters, I can banish one card on the opponent's field, Graveyard, hand, deck or Extra Deck! I banish Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" A black hole appeared and started sucking in Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon

Jean SC: 12→0

"Oh no! If Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is gone, and if Jean has a monster with 1500 Attack Points in his hand…" Serena panicked.

"Jonouchi will lose!" Asuka got worried.

"I activate Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's effect! When it is targeted by a card effect, by returning it to the Extra Deck, I can Special Summon its Fusion Materials from my Graveyard in Defense Position! Revive! Two Red-Eyes and Crystal Rose!" Both Red-Eyes Dragon and Crystal Rose came back. "But their Attack and Defense Points are reduced to 0."

Red-Eyes Black Dragon x2 (DEF: 0, LV: 7)
Crystal Rose (DEF: 0, LV: 2)

"Damn it…" Jean cursed as he slowed down due to the loss of his Speed Counters. "But you have nothing but weaklings! Voltic Bicorn, attack one of the Red-Eyes Black Dragons!" Voltic Bicorn charged.

"I activate the Continuous Trap: Synchro Blast! Once per turn, when a Synchro Monster I control attacks, the opponent takes 500 points of damage!" Voltic Bicorn destroyed Red-Eyes and Jonouchi was hit from Synchro Blast.

Jonouchi LP: 4000→3500

"Next, since my Synchro Monster destroyed a monster in battle, I can activate the Trap Card: Synchro Rally! This card allows me to Special Summon a Synchro Monster from my Graveyard! Return! Lightning Tricorn!" Lightning Tricorn returned.

"It's still my Battle Phase! Go! Lightning Tricorn attack Red-Eyes!" Lightning Tricorn charged.

"I activate my Continuous Trap: Return of the Red-Eyes! If I control a Red-Eyes monster, I can Special Summon a Normal Monster from my Graveyard! I Special Summon the Red-Eyes that you destroyed!"Jonouchi brought back Red-Eyes.

Red-Eyes Black Dragon (DEF: 2000, LV: 7)

"Continue your attack!" Lightning Tricorn destroyed the second Red-Eyes that was weakened. "I set three cards and end my turn!" Jean finished his turn.

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

Jean LP: 2900, Hand: 0, SC: 0→1
Jonouchi LP: 3500, Hand: 2, SC: 12

"I activate Dimension Highway's effect! By removing 10 Speed Counters, I can destroy one card on the field! I destroy Lightning Tricorn!" Lightning Tricorn was destroyed.

Jonouchi SC: 12→2

"Thank you, Jonouchi!" Jean smiled.

"What?" Jonouchi asked.

"When a card is destroyed by a card effect, I can activate the Trap Card: Chain Whirlwind! This destroys two Magic or Trap Cards on the field! I destroy your set card and Return of the Red-Eyes!" Both of Jonouchi's cards were destroyed.

"When Return of the Red-Eyes is destroyed by a card effect! I can Special Summon one Red-Eyes monster in my Graveyard! Revive! Red-Eyes Black Dragon (ATK: 2400, LV: 7)!" Jonouchi brought back Red-Eyes.

"Next I use a Speed Counter to activate the Magic Card: Red-Eyes Fusion!" Jonouchi played his card specific for Red-Eyes. "I once again fuse my two Red-Eyes and Crystal Rose treated as Red-Eyes!"

Jonouchi SC: 2→1

"Fusion Summon! Come back once more! Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (ATK: 3900, LV: 12)!" The three headed dragon came back.

"I can't risk losing cards." Jonouchi thought. "Battle! Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack Lightning Tricorn! Ultimate Flame Shot!" The three headed dragon destroyed Lightning Tricorn once more.

Jean LP: 2900→1800

"Lightning Tricorn's effect! I Special Summon Thunder Unicorn (ATK: 2200, LV: 5)!" Jean summoned the unicorn.

"I set one card and end my turn!"

"It's hard to see who is in control of the Duel." Melissa admitted. "On one hand, Jonouchi has the strongest monster on his field, but Jean has a combo that whittles away Jonouchi's Life Points."

"She's right, I can't tell who's really in control of the Duel." Crow admitted.

"Jonouchi does have Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, but Jean has a combo that can inflict Jonouchi damage as well as other set cards." Rio observed.

"Something's wrong." Jean thought as he looked at Jonouchi. "He claims that he has a Gambling Deck, but the only Gamble card he has played was Card Dealer."

"Was it all a bluff? No, the card he drew, Demon Dice is also a Gamble card…I can't tell, is he really planning this or is he just Dueling by instinct." Jean thought.

"Jean, don't think about it! Just Duel like you always do!" Breo shouted.

"Remember, Jean, you have our secret weapon!" Andre added.

"Secret weapon?" Jonouchi heard that.

Jean looked at his teammates and he nodded. "That's right. We have the ultimate monster. I just need to draw that one card." Jean put his fingers on his deck. "If I can draw that card, I don't have to fear for Gamble Cards…"

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

Jean LP: 1800, Hand: 1, SC: 1→2
Jonouchi LP: 3500, Hand: 0, SC: 1→2

"It's here!" Jean declared.

"I activate the Continuous Trap: Call of the Haunted! This lets me revive a monster from my Graveyard! Revive! Lightning Tricorn (ATK: 2800, LV: 8)!" Lightning Tricorn revived once more.

"Next, I use one Speed Counter to activate the Magic Card: Road to the Quadcorn!" Jean played a Magic Card.

Jean SC: 2→1

"Quadcorn?" Jonouchi questioned.

"I can only activate this card when I have Thunder Unicorn, Voltic Bicorn and Lightning Tricorn on my field! This card reduces their Levels to four and turns Thunder Unicorn into a Tuner Monster!" Jean revealed.

Lightning Tricorn (LV: 8→4)
Voltic Bicorn (LV: 7→4)
Thunder Unicorn (LV: 5→4)

"He turned a Synchro Monster into a Tuner Monster?!" Sawatari was surprised.

"Team Guardians! Be honored as you are the first team to face our mightiest monster! Here we go! I'm Tuning my Level 4 Lighting Tricorn and Voltic Bicorn with my Level 4 Thunder Unicorn!" Thunder Unicorn neighed and turned into four green rings and both Bicorn and Tricorn flew through them and became a total of eight stars.

"Ultimate beast of thunder and lightning, appear now before us and grant us the glory of victory! Synchro Summon! Appear before us! Level 12! Electro Quadcorn (ATK: 4000, LV: 12)!" Appearing was a horse with four horns and gold wings and it flew above Jean.

"That's their strongest monster…" Shun looked at the monster.

"Amazing…He Synchro Summoned using three Synchro Monsters." Dennis was amazed.

"Take a look at our power! Battle! Electro Quadcorn, attack Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Electro Bomb!" Quadcorn gathered electricity in its horns and it formed a ball and it fired it at Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

"I activate my Trap Card: Demon Dice!" Jonouchi played his card. "This card rolls a dice and the opponent's monster's Attack Points are divided by the number rolled!"

"Useless! Elector Quadcorn's Monster Effect! During either player's turn, it can negate the activation of a Magic or Trap card and destroy it once per turn!" Jonouchi's card was electrified and Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon was destroyed.

Jonouchi LP: 3500→3400

"Additionally, Synchro Blast's effect inflicts you 500 points of damage since a Synchro Monster I control attacked!" Jean added and Jonouchi got hit again.

Jonouchi LP: 3400→2900

"And that's not all! When Electro Quadcorn destroys a monster in battle, the opponent takes damage equal to the Attack Points of one of the Synchro Monsters used as material to Synchro Summon it!"

"What?!" Jonouchi shouted.

"I'll have you take damage equal to Lightning Tricorn's 2800 Attack Points!" Quadcorn flapped its wings and unleashed lightning bolts that hit Jonouchi and making him lose control.

Jonouchi LP: 2900→100

"What a brilliant combination of moves! Using the power of his teammate's ace monsters, Jean has secured the lead for Team Unicorn!" Melissa cheered and so did the audience.

"I end my turn!" Jean smiled.

"I can't believe he was able to destroy Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon so easily." Yuya said.

"Jonouchi doesn't have a single card in his hand." Asuka noticed.

"And that monster can negate the activation of any Magic or Trap card once per turn." Rio added.

At that moment, Yuzu woke up and sat up from the couch. She then felt something in her hand and saw the envelope that Gongenzaka left earlier, only she didn't know it, nor did anyone else. She opened the envelope and took out a letter and looked at it.

"That Jean is amazing. I hate to say it but if he and I were to fight one on one, I would lose." Jonouchi thought. "But…I'm not fighting alone…Crystal Rose wasn't the only thing that Yuzu left me." Jonouchi put his fingers on his deck.

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

Jean LP: 1800, Hand: 0, SC: 2→3
Jonouchi LP: 100, Hand: 1, SC: 2→3

Jonouchi looked at the card he drew. "Alright!" Jonouchi cheered, alarming Jean. "I activate Melodious Gaea Dragon's Pendulum Effect! By revealing a Ritual Monster or Ritual Magic card in my hand, I can add a Ritual card that is related to the revealed monster!"

"I reveal the Ritual Monster: Lord of the Red! Therefore, I add the Ritual Magic: Red-Eyes Transmigration to my hand!" Jonouchi added his Ritual Magic to his hand. "And I activate it by using a Speed Counter!" Jonouchi immediately activated it. "This card allows me to Ritual Summon Lord of the Red in my hand!"

Jonouchi SC: 3→2

"But you have no monsters on the field or in your hand to release?!" Jean pointed out.

"Red-Eyes Transmigration allows me to banish Red-Eyes monsters in my Graveyard whose Levels equal 8 as the cost!" Jonouchi revealed. "I banish the two Red-Eyes in my Graveyard!"

Flames encircled Jonouchi and his D-Wheel as the two Red-Eyes Dragons appeared before disappearing.

"Lord of the black dragons with red-eyes, grant me your power to open the path to victory for myself and my comrades! Ritual Summon! Embody me!" Jonouchi's Riding Suit started to change into black dragon scale armor. "Level 8! Lord of the Red (ATK: 2400, LV: 8)!"

"Amazing! Katsuya Jonouchi can also do multiple summon methods!" Melissa smiled. "He performed both Fusion and Ritual Summon in this Duel!"

"Impressive, but your monster's Attack Points are lowered than Electro Quadcorn!" Jean pointed out.

"Attack Points aren't everything! From my Graveyard, I activate the effect of Card Dealer! By banishing this card from the Graveyard, I can draw two cards but I'll have to skip my next turn's Draw Phase!" Jonouchi said as he drew his cards.

"I use another Speed Counter to activate the Magic Card: Dark Mega Flare! If I have a Red-Eyes monster on the field, I can destroy one monster on the opponent's field and deal half of it's Attack Points as damage!" Jonouchi revealed.

Jonouchi SC: 2→1

"Jean only has 1800 Life Points! If Electro Quadcorn is destroyed, half of its 4000 Attack Points, 2000 will be dealt to Jean and the Duel is over!" Melissa shouted.

"Did you forget! Electro Quadcorn can negate the activation of a Magic or Trap card and destroy it!" Jean reminded Jonouchi as Electro Quadcorn destroyed his card.

"I've figure as much." Jonouchi smiled. "I activate Lord of the Red's effect! Once per turn, when a card or effect is activated, I can target a monster on the field and destroy it! I destroy Electro Quadcorn!" Jonouchi's body was encased with blue flames and he jumped off his D-Wheel and charged towards Electro Quadcorn.

"Don't think it's that easy! I activate Electro Quadcorn's last effect! By banishing one of its Synchro Materials from the Graveyard, I can negate Electro Quadcorn's destruction via battle or card effect! I banish Thunder Unicorn!" The spirit of Thunder Unicorn took the blow and Electro Quadcorn was safe.

"In that case, it's time to put our fate to the Goddess of Luck!" Jonouchi declared.

"What?" Jean asked.

"I still haven't Normal Summon this turn." Jonouchi had one more card in his hand. "And this card will determine the winner of the Duel. I summon Quantum Magician (ATK: 500, LV: 2)!" A cartoon like magician with a beaker full of red particles appeared.

"I activate Quantum Magician's effect! By paying half of my Life Points, I release this card and banish all monsters on the field!" Jonouchi's black armor of Lord of the Red disappeared and so did Electro Quadcorn.

Jonouchi LP: 100→50

"Next, we both send all Monster Cards in our decks, hands and Extra Decks to the Graveyard!" Jonouchi said as he discarded every Monster Card he had to the Graveyard.

"What are you planning?" Jean asked as he did the same thing.

"Now, look at your screen!" Jonouchi said. Jean looked at his screen and he saw multiple set cards.

"We both draw one random Monster Card that was sent to the Graveyard! Whoever draws a monster with higher Attack Points will have their banished monsters Special Summoned back to the field, while the other remains banished!" Jonouchi smirked.

"You're betting your team's chances of victory on a game a chance?!" Jean's eyes widened. This was crazy, this move made no sense. What was the point of playing a card that could wipe yourself out.

"If I do nothing, I would lose either way." Jonouchi answered. "Besides, a Duel based on data and strategies, that's not my style! I like to take chances, high-stakes win or lose it all! Not knowing what's gonna happen is what makes Dueling so fun!"

"This guy…even though he's aware that he could lose because of this, is having fun. Come to think of it…" Jean put his hand on his chest. "What is this feeling? Anxiousness? Excitement?"

"So, it's all coming down to a game of luck of the draw. This guy is insane." Breo looked at Jonouchi.

"What will you do, Jean?" Andre looked at his captain.

Jean didn't say anything before chuckling a little before laughing loudly. "Interesting! You're interesting! Katsuya Jonouchi! Very well! I'll play your game!"

"That's what I want to hear!" Jonouchi said. "We both have 3 seconds to pick our cards!"

"Everyone, let's all countdown!" Melissa announced. "3!"

"2!" The Guardians shouted.

"1!" Team Unicorn Shouted.

"Draw!" Both Jonouchi and Jean drew their cards.

"The card I drew is…Naturia Gaodrake with 3000 Attack Points!" Jean showed his card.

"Which means in order to win, Katsuya Jonouchi had to draw a monster that has more than 3000 Attack Points!" Melissa said. "Which card did he get?"

"What did he pick?"

"I'm so nervous!"

"Come on! Show us the card!"

Everyone in the audience was getting really anxious, wondering if Jonouchi did get a card more powerful than Jean.

"Come on…" Rua mumbled.

"Did you get it?" Rio wondered.

"Please, Jonouchi." Asuka prayed.

"Uncle Jonouchi…" Yuya sweated.

Jonouchi held his card up in the air. "I drew…" Jonouchi flipped the card. "Comet Dragon – Meteor Black Dragon! 3500 Attack Points!"

"He got it!" Melissa shouted. "Jonouchi drew the stronger monster; therefore, Lord of the Red is Special Summoned!" Jonouchi was once again in his black dragon armor.

"Here I come, Jean! Battle!" Jonouchi stood on his D-Wheel. "Lord of the Red! Direct Attack!" Jonouchi jumped into the air. He then encased himself in flames and then dived down towards Jean.

Jean looked up at the diving Jonouchi and he smiled. The attack connected and Jean was forced to an emergency stop as he lost the last of his Life Points.

Jean LP: 1800→0

Winner: Team Guardians

The entire audience was silent and so was Melissa. The favorite team to win the Friendship Cup has just lost to a team of outsiders.

"Wait, what just happened?" Sawatari blinked.

"I think…we won." Rin said.

"We did…we won!" Yuya declared.

Everyone smiled and they all shouted. "We won!"

"Ladies and gentlemen! We just witness an incredible come from behind victory! While they had a rocky start, with teamwork, trust and a bit of luck, the winners of this A Block Preliminary Match are Team Guardians!" Melissa announced.

The audience cheered as Gongenzaka's, Yuzu's and Jonouchi's pictures appeared on the screen with win underneath.

"That was amazing!"

"I change my mind! I'm Team Guardians all the way!"

"They're so cool!"

Most of the audience had changed their tone towards the Guardians. Only a few still showed disdain towards them, especially the Tops that confronted Yuya and Aki.

Jonouchi arrived back at the pits. "Aw yeah!" Jonouchi let out a victory screech.

"Way to go Jonouchi!" Rua jumped on Jonouchi.

"Nice job!" Rio jumped on him too making him lose his balance and he fell off of his D-Wheel.

"Dog pile on Uncle Jonouchi!" Yuya shouted.

"No, wait, wait, wait!" Jonouchi protested but it was too late as almost everyone jumped on top of him, the only exception was Shun, who simply smiled.

Jean soon arrived back at the pits and he took off his helmet and got off his D-Wheel. He approached the Guardians as they all got off of Jonouchi. "Jean." Jonouchi said.

"We gave it our all in this match. Andre and Breo used all their strength to win. But at the end, I forgot about winning or losing. Your gambler spirit broke through the strategist's tactics. I haven't felt like this since the first time I started Dueling as a child. When I had so much fun." Jean smiled.

"But even so, I threw away the effort that both Andre and Breo had given me. I failed as a leader of Team Unicorn." Jean said.

"No way did you fail." Jean turned to see Andre and Breo walking towards him.

"You had a new experience in this Duel." Breo answered.

"A new experience?" Jean asked.

"Jean, you finally met an opponent that pushed you away from strategies. You had a head-on fight where the outcome was unknown and you regained your joy of Dueling." Andre explained.

"That's right. I always planned strategies, both for myself and my team, all for the sake of winning. But even with this loss, I feel satisfied. To think that I would get this feeling from a Duelist in another Dimension."

"Jonouchi and Yuzu, any skilled Duelist who meets you will want to challenge you head-on. Because you remind us why we began Dueling in the first place. To have fun." Breo smiled.

"Breo." Yuzu smiled.

"Thank you, Guardians. This Duel and this defeat will change my life forever." Jean thanked.

"We should be thanking you." Jonouchi said. "We're a mess when it comes to teamwork, but battling you guys, we now know what it takes in order to win the Friendship Cup and change Neo Domino City's society."

"I'll make sure to use the experience today to help my friends and myself." Yuzu smiled.

"And when we're ready, let's have another Duel." Jonouchi said.

"We're looking forward to it." Jean said. "And you can count on Team Unicorn to be allies in your fight to change Neo Domino City and against Academia."

"Thank you." Jonouchi thanked and the two shook hands.

Both sides went back to their pits and started gathering their stuff. "Aw man, I didn't even Duel and I'm feeling tired out." Sawatari moaned.

"When we get back to the penthouse, let's throw a big party!" Rua shouted.

"I'll provide the entertainment!" Dennis declared. "And Shun will handle the food."

"Huh? Why me?" Shun asked.

"Great, you all can try Shun's Duel Fudge!" Ruri said.

"You can make fudge?" Serena asked.

"Uh, well…" Shun got embarrassed.

"Oh yeah, he's a good baker. When we were kids, he would play with his Easy-Bake oven every day." Ruri smiled.

"Ruri!" Shun shouted in embarrassment.

"Excuse me." Andre approached Yuya. "Do you know where Noboru Gongenzaka is? I want to apologize to what I said during our Duel."

"Hm, come to think of it, he never came back." Yuya noticed that his friend wasn't around.

"Yuya." Yuzu approached Yuya with the letter in her hands. "I woke up and this was in my hand."

Yuya took the letter and he read it.

Yuya, Yuzu.

I, the man Gongenzaka, am ashamed of my behavior and actions. Though we are friends and allies, I put my own pride on my Steadfast Dueling before the team. I need time to revaluate myself and figure out what I can do for the team when we finally face Academia. I've heard of a town a fair distance from Neo Domino City that has a Synchro Summon that is different from what I've learned. I'm heading there now to learn it. Until I come back, continue winning in the Friendship Cup and changing this city, because I know if anyone can do it, it's you guys.

Until we meet again,
Noboru Gongenzaka

P.S. Give this card to Sawatari. Thanks.

There was a card attached to the letter and Yuya looked at it. "Gongenzaka…" Yuya uttered.

"What should we do?" Yuzu asked. "Should we go after him?"

"You know how Gongenzaka is. Once he's made up his mind, there's talking him out of it. And who knows, maybe this is what he needs." Yuya answered. "But I believe he'll come back. For now, we have to do what we have to do."

"Right." Yuzu nodded.

"Sorry, Andre." Yuya apologized.

"That's fine. I'll do it when he comes back. Go celebrate, you earned it." Andre smiled. Yuya and Yuzu went to their friends and headed back to the penthouse.

"I know the place that Gongenzaka is going to. It's a dangerous place, especially because it's run by that man." Andre imagined the back of a person wearing a black coat and white hair.

Duel Palace – Team Guardian's Penthouse

"Let us raise our glasses to the MVP of this round! Yuzu!" Jonouchi raised his glass. "Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Everyone chanted while Yuzu was blushing with embarrassment.

"I didn't really do much." Yuzu rubbed the back of her head.

"Are you kidding, you defeated two members of Team Unicorn and you left me Crystal Rose to summon my strongest Fusion Monster. We won thanks to you. Now get over here!" Jonouchi started giving Yuzu a noogie.

Suddenly a sweet aroma entered the nostrils of all the members and Shun walked over carrying a tray full of fudge. "Duel Fudge!" Ruri smiled and she ran to take some.

"Hey, save some for us!" Rua complained.

"I want some!" Sawatari declared. Everyone rushed to grab at least one fudge from the tray and they all enjoyed the chocolatey goodness.

Shun sighed and went out to the balcony to get some air. "Those guys…" They were still in the middle of the war and now they're getting carried away over a simple victory. He smiled though because his school would do that whenever they won an important match against one of the other schools. "I want those days back."

"It's a shame that we can't turn back time."

Shun's battle instincts kicked in and he turned to his left to see a woman with long blonde hair with bangs that curl away from her face in a horizontal direction and has emerald color eyes. She was wearing a Riding Duel suit that was white with red accents that run along the outside of her arms, down the outside of her legs, and wrap around her calves. She also wears a red undershirt. Her uniform also consists of grey shoulder, knee, elbow, and shin guards, while she wears charcoal colored padding over her chest.

"Who are you?" Shun glared.

"Someone like you. A seeker of revenge." The woman approached Shun. "I am the Captain of Team Paris, Sherry Leblanc."

Dessert

Gongenzaka walked towards a town that he saw on the horizon wearing only a white cloak to keep him warm from the cold desert temperature.

"If I can master this kind of Synchro, I can be of better use to my team. No matter the trials, I will overcome them for my friends." Gongenzaka thought.

He heard a harmonica playing as he made it to the entrance of the town and leaning against it was a man with long white hair, mark along the right side of his face and he wore a black trench coat with a pistol in his gun holster around his waist.

The man stopped playing when he saw Gongenzaka. "It's rare that we get tourists. Are you from Neo Domino City?"

"I'm from another Dimension. I have proof." Gongenzaka showed his deck.

"Another Dimension…so what brings you here, we don't really have anything that interesting." The man said.

"I've heard that this town has a different kind of Synchro." Gongenzaka answered. "I came here to learn it."

"I would turn around and leave." The man warned. "The Synchro that is used in this town not only is more powerful than normal Synchro, but it can also be dangerous."

"I am prepared." Gongenzaka said.

"Are you? Are you prepared to let yourself be drowned in darkness? Are you prepared to face your own demons? Are you prepared to lose your humanity?" The man asked.

Gongenzaka looked up at the sign of the town before looking back at the man. "I am here to be satisfied." Gongenzaka said. "And my satisfaction is helping my friends by obtaining a new power, no matter the cost."

"Satisfied…very well." The man turned around. "Your name?"

"Noboru Gongenzaka."

"Nice to meet you, Gongenzaka. I am the Kiryu Kosuke, the leader of Satisfaction Town." Kiryu introduced himself. "And I will teach you our Synchro…Dark Synchro."

And that is the end of this chapter. Thanks for waiting and I hope that you all have enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think in the review or if you have questions feel free to send me a Private Message and I will answer as soon as I can. See you next time.

Preview: Shun meets Sherry Leblanc, a woman who is seeking revenge against Roget for the death of her parents and wants Shun to join her in her quest. Meanwhile, Crow's friends, Shinji, Tony and Damon are approached by Divine who offers them an interesting offer that will help them reach their goals.

Next Time: Prelude to Revolution