Chapter 10
Light of Hope

Ace had his hands in his pockets, his mouth covered by his white scarf. His fedora was covering his eyes, but he that did not stop him from looking him, looking directly at someone else coming his way.

Yuri, who had a tired look on his face, raised an eyebrow upon seeing Ace and Evan walking down the hallway at this time at night."Oh, it's you guys."He smiled and opened his mouth to speak, only to be shoved aside by an angry Ace.

"Not today, Yuri. I don't have the patience to listen to your bullshit." He stormed away, leaving Yuri and Evan looking at each other.

"How rude." He scoffed.

Evan waved and went after Ace."Sorry for that, Yuri-kun. I'll be right back!"

Later on, Evan and Ace were inside their room, getting ready to sleep. While Evan was already laying down on his bed, Ace was brushing his teeth, mumbling some stuff about the water being too cold."Hey, Ace-kun. Want to talk before we go to sleep?"

"Sure." Ace responded, closing the bathroom door behind him."Actually, I want to talk to you about something as well."

"I have a hunch about what you're thinking. Is it about Yuto and Yuya?" Evan inquired.

Ace sat on the side of his bed."A pointless duel." He growled."No challenge at all. I don't think Yuya could have been any different."

Evan sighed."I don't think so, Ace-kun. Neither of us has duel Yuya and or even witness the power of his dragon."

"I don't think it can be stronger than that Dark Rebellion dragon Yuto had. What about Yugo's dragon?"

Evan smiled."While Yugo isn't the smartest cookie in the jar, his dragon is top notch. Not only it can negate the effect of a Level 5 or higher monster, but it can also increase its ATK by the ATK of the monster who activated an effect."

"A little too fancy for a lowlife like him." Ace groaned."Then all that's left is Yuri's dragon. I hate to admit, but his dragon is on whole other league compared to the others."

"Is that why you haven't dueled him yet?" Evan asked in a teasing voice.

"Don't be stupid. I'm just saving the best for last." Ace answered."Why haven't you duel him?"

"I'm not interested in dueling him, honestly. But you know, you'd be missing one if you want to beat Yuri last."

"What? Don't tell me yo-"

"We still don't know about Yuri's Ritual counterpart's whereabouts. We still have no info on him."

Ace crossed his arms."You seriously believe that he exists? He's a myth. A character that those crazy people in Ritual made up in order to have some sort of God that they could worship all day long."

"No, I don't think that's it at all. Think about it for a minute, Ace-kun. What have you noticed about that the 5 dimensions share in common?"

"Their stupidity?"

"That they all have different versions of Yuri and Serena. For instance, this dimensions has Yuri and Serena. Synchro has Yugo and Rin. XYZ has Ruri and Yuto, the guy you just beat. Standard has Yuya and Yuzu. Therefore, it would only make sense if Ritual has a person who looks like Yuri. Wendy is the living proof that Ritual has a girl who looks like Serena, so it's highly possible."

Ace scoffed."Even so, he's most likely dead."

"But if you had the chance to duel him, will you do it?"

"He wouldn't be much of a challenge to me. All people from Ritual are weak, after all." He yawned.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. According to the rumors, he was the one who brought chaos to his own dimension. Because of him, that world has gone through the apocalypse."

Ace spat, placing his hands behind his head."Whatever, not like it matters that much. Anyways, I'm about to pass out, so stop running your mouth."

"Okay. I'll be going out for a bit. I told Yuri-kun I was going to have a word with him for a bit."

"Suit yourself. Just don't forget to turn the lights off."

With that, Evan walked out of the room and made his way down the corridor."Still, now that that Secondary Union kid is out of the Professor's way, we'll be getting a new member."He giggled quietly."I wonder what kind of person he will be..." He noticed that Yuri was just ahead, looking at him with a tired expression.

"I was just about to leave. What took you so long?" Yuri asked.

"Sorry for that, Yuri-kun. I lost track of time while I was conversing with Ace-kun." He raised his hand as he apologized.

Yuri chuckled."I wonder how you could hold a conversation with him at all. I feel sorry for you. He's your partner."

"Don't worry. It's not as bad as you might think it is." He rubbed the back of his head, before leaning against a wall, arms folded."So tell, how is everything coming along here?"

"Same as always." He said in an uninterested tone of voice, looking at the back of his palm."I heard that scientists and engineers will be absent for a couple of weeks, including The Doktor."

"Is that so? That sounds rather peculiar. I guess I won't be able to get some more sleeping pills." Evan tapped his chin with a finger."What could they possibly be planning?"

Yuri just shrugged."Who knows, who cares? Anyways, how did your trip go?"

"Decent, I guess. I can't complain that there are people in a dimension that worship us so much." He paused for a moment."We also met with on-two of your counterparts." He quickly corrected himself.

"Oh? And?" Yuri shifted, facing the opposite wall.

"I believe one was from XYZ and the other one from, strangely enough, they were sharing a...body."

"Sharing a body?" Yuri echoed.

"Yes, it was pretty weird. First, we see Yuya Sakaki standing and then all of a sudden Yuto is there instead."

"Yuya Sakaki, eh? Did you card them?" He inquired.

"Nope! The rest of his comrades barged in just in time. However, I did not wish to card Yuya until I see what kind of abilities he possess. Speaking of counterparts..."

"Yes?"

"Yuri, do you not find it strange that we haven't encountered your Ritual counterpart? I mean, Wendy is Serena's counterpart, so it would only make sense if there was a Ritual version of yourself." Evan noticed that Yuri was clenching his hands.

"If I ever saw him...I'll make sure he regrets ever existing." He said in a monotone tone."Though, I am a fan of his work. Anyways, I'll be leaving now. Goodnight."

Before Evan could respond, Yuri quickly left the area, leaving Evan by himself."Goodnight to you too, Yuri-kun." He whispered to himself.

It was dawn in the Ritual Dimension. The Militia were bringing the civilians outside of the underground bunker. They had succeeded in defeating the countless of Unifiers of Chaos that had attacked that night and forced them to retreat. Kurosaki, Tsukikage, Gongenzaka and Dennis had volunteered themselves to help them out as much as they could before the preparations for their depart were ready. Yuya just watched, a sad expression across his face. He wondered why he couldn't do more to help everybody...to prevent Saki from being carded and above all...to saved Hiraki from his demise. Everyone took Hiraki's lost hard, some more than others. Once Serena had healed up. she ran off and locked herself in the room that was provided for her.

"Hiraki..." Yuya put his goggles on, hiding his watery eyes. Yuto hadn't said a word ever since he lost against Ace, so Yuya had no one else to talk to.

"Hey, Yuya." Kyle took a seat next to Yuya.

Yuya turned to him, a feeling of hope filling his heart."How did it go?"

Kyle shook his head."She won't open. I tried to convince her but she wouldn't listen to me...it's my fault anyway. If I had been stronger, then none of this would be happening right now!"

"Do you really think so?" Kurono walked up to them, a cast on his arm."This isn't your fault, guys. It's mine. If I hadn't left him behind...damn it!" He kicked the air in frustration.

"It's no one's fault." A voice behind them spoke with a calm tone.

"Akaba Reiji..." Yuya raised his head. To everyone's surprise, Serena was standing behind them. She somewhat looked like a mess, her hair was messy and her eyes were slightly red. Yuya deduced this must have been because she's been crying for a while.

"Serena!" Kyle stood up, rushing to her side."Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She spoke softly."Don't worry about it." Kyle frowned but took her word for it.

By then, all the Lancers had gathered up, including Kyle and Kurono."I have 2 announcements to make. We will leave shortly to Synchro Dimension, thanks to the General's efforts."

"No detours this time, right?" Kurosaki asked impatiently, Reiji nodded.

"So what's the other news you have for us?" Sawatari asked.

Reiji cleared his throat."There is the possibility that Hiraki is alive and well."

Everyone gasped in surprise, especially Yuya, who was now smiling brightly."Ar-are you serious? He's alive?!"

"How can that be?" Kurono asked.

"It's rather simple, actually." Reiji turned to Serena."As we know, Academia came here with the intention of taking Serena back. But isn't it strange how they left Serena alone and focused on Hiraki?"

"That's right." Serena spoke up."The 2 people that Kyle and I dueled said they were here to retrieve me. But when Hiraki showed up, they left me and took him somewhere...else..."

"Considering that, Hiraki must be of great importance if they decided to focus on him rather than Serena." Reiji resumed.

"I see. So Hiraki-chan is probably at Academia right now, right?" Dennis closed one eye, rubbing his temples.

Kurosaki crossed his arms."So we have another reason to go to Academia."

"But why would they need Hiraki?" Gongenzaka wondered.

"Serena?" Reira murmured.

Serena shook her head."It's probably some kind of bait to lure me in."

Yuya walked up to Serena, placing a supporting hand on her shoulder."Don't worry. We'll get them back." Serena smiled lightly.

The General came out of the base, holding a deck in his hand."You're all here? Perfect." He took out a total of 9 cards, handing one to each Lancer."We were able to mass produced thanks to the information you provided for us, Reiji. However, due to the attack from yesterday, we won't be able to aid you in the war, at least not until we've secured the city."

"General, please let me go with them!" Kyle beamed.

"What the hell are you talking about? You want to go with them?" Kurono drew closer to his brother.

"What is your reasoning?" The General asked.

"I...felt so powerless, so weak. I couldn't help back then, but I want to help now. If by helping the Lancers means that other dimensions will be spared from a catastrophe such as the one that happened here, then I want to help as well! Please, General!"

"I ask of you to let him come along." Reiji said."He'd be a good addition to our team now that we're a member short."

Everyone started with an intense look at the General."Well, if Reiji has no problems with you going, then I won't stop you. Here." He handed Kyle a card and a deck.

Kyle gasped as if he was short in air."T-this is...!"

The General put his hand on Kyle's shoulder."I believe you're ready to use this deck. He would have wanted you to use it. It's been slightly modified, but I believe you'll make great use of it. Use it when you feel you're ready." He said reassuringly

"Thank you so much." Kyle turned to Reiji and smiled."And thank you for letting me join you. I promise I'll do my best!"

Reiji nodded."There's no need to thank me. You made this decision on your own. From now on, you'll be an official member of the Lancers." He turned to the rest of them."Today we'll go to Synchro and recruit more allies. Once we're ready, we'll go to the Fusion Dimension and stop Academia once and for all!"

"Wait!" A voice suddenly yelled, getting everyone's realization, Kurono watched in confusion as Maria came into full view.

"The hell are you doing here?" Was all Kurono could say.

Maria took a moment to catch her breath before speaking."I-well, I want to..." She eyed everyone, her eyes finally landing on Serena."I want to go too!"

"What?" Kurono turned to Kyle.

"Em, why are you suddenly asking this, Maria?" Kyle arched an eyebrow.

She stepped closer to Serena, grabbing both of her hands with hers."I want to help save Hiraki!" She lowered her voice and drew her face closer to Serena."I know what it's like to lose someone precious to you. It's a horrible feeling, I know. While I did not know Hiraki very well, he and Kurono saved me regardless. I want to be able to return the favor and also I want you to feel alive again." She tilted her head to the right, facing Reiji and the General."Please."

Serena was dumbfounded at her sudden request. Dennis stepped in to break the silence, putting his hands on his hips."She does seem enthusiastic to join us. And you know what they say, the more the merrier!"

"General, do you have any issues regarding her joining our side?" Reiji said, causing Maria's eyes to sparkle in excitement.

The General chuckled before breaking into laughter."I'm okay with it. I trust she and Kyle will be of great help."

"Well..." Serena's voice came out as a whisper."It wouldn't hurt us to have more allies coming along."

"Thank you so much." Maria replied, letting go of Serena's hands but not taking her eyes off of her.

"Then it's decided. I'd like to welcome you to the Lancers as well."

The General took out another card and handed it to a nervous Maria."Make you sure you don't give them too much trouble, alright?"

Maria pouted."Of course not, General!"

Sawatari suddenly moved closer to Maria, bowing slightly."No need to be concerned, sir. I promise that I, the Great Sawatari, will do the impossible, not like there's anything I can't do."He whispered. "To assist Maria in any trouble she ever encounters!"

Everyone stayed silent. Most Lancers were looking at Sawatari with an incredulous. Yuya was about to say something but Maria was faster than him.

"Oh thank you! Nice to meet you, Sawatari-kun." She took his hand."Oh, that's right! I need to introduce myself to the rest!"

"I can help with that, my lady." Sawatari exclaimed. He raised his hand up in the air before pointing at Kurosaki."The bird man's from the XYZ dimension. His name is Shun Kurosaki." Before Kurosaki could protest, Sawatari had already moved on to the next one."This fella right here is Dennis Mcfield! That little boy with our captain is Reira. We can't forget about my subordinate, Yuya Sakaki. The ninja is Tsukikage and the big guy is Gongenzaka."

There were some groans, especially from Yuya, but Maria seemed to happy to actually pay attention to any of what the others were saying."Splendid! You're amazing, Sawatari-kun!"

That comment made Sawatari's cheeks turned red. He ruffled a bit of his hair."O-of course I am! Yeah!"

Gongenzaka deadpanned."Anyways, how about we resume what we've discovered so far."

Kurosaki stepped forward."We were supposed to be at the Synchro Dimension. But, for whatever reason, we ended up in the Ritual Dimension, a place victim of both Academia and an inner conflict."

Gongenzaka cleared his voice."That inner conflict is someone who looks like Yuya. That person was responsible for the destruction of this world."

Reiji adjusted his glasses."Let's call that person "Yu" and put him aside, for now, let's try to focus on what we now."

"If so, after we came here, we were met by the Militia, who mistook us from a terrorist organization who called themselves the Unifiers of Chaos." Tsukikage said.

Kurono sighed."Then, we were alerted by nearby bases that the Unifers of Chaos were attacking certain areas. We all divided into teams and cleared said areas."

"Meanwhile, I had already been kidnapped by that clown and his ogre friend. Until you guys saved me." Maria quavered.

"In that time, while the others were being attacked by countless of Unifiers of Chaos, I'll call them fakers from now on, me and Serena were pursued by these two guys who called themselves the Twin Dragons." said Kyle."I was defeated...and Serena had to...face them alone."

A long paused followed after that."You managed to call your brother, who rushed over while being severely injured and with Hiraki. Hiraki decided to go by himself, while you were taking Maria to a safe place." Dennis hummed.

Serena lowered her head, clenching her arms."I lost the duel. And those guys were..."She gulped, a clear look of disgust in her expression."...making their way with my dignity, until Hiraki came and protected me. I heard that they were blackmailing him about them taking me away if he didn't do as he was told, so he followed them and..."

"They took him to the abandoned chemical plant, where they most likely had a duel." The General grunted.

"That's n-not all." Yuya suddenly spoke. Everyone stayed silent."Saki and I were on our way to assist Serena and Kyle, but we were stopped by 2 guys who claimed to be the Unifiers of Chaos."

"As I recalled, you said they admitted to be the real ones, right?" Kurosaki questioned.

"Right. If I remember correctly, one of them said his name was Evan Sukira. Evan was...how should I put this?" Yuya rubbed his head, somewhat feeling unsure of what to say.

"You mentioned before that he beat Saki with nothing more than luck." Kurono interjected.

"Yes. His two trap cards were based on gambling. If a coin toss landed on heads, a play will receive 2000 LP. However, if it landed on tails, the player was dealt with 2000 points of damage."

"And his coins all landed on heads while Saki's landed on tails. It sounds stupid, yeah, but Evan must have been extremely lucky. What are the chances that he got 4000 LP while Saki lost the duel entirely?" said Kyle.

"His luck was scary, I did not see any other cards that he might have had. Moving on, next is Ace Hashimiro. His deck is Fusion related, just like any other Academia soldier."

"You said Yuto was the one who dueled him. How?" Kurosaki demanded.

"I-I'm not sure myself. It kinda just happened spontaneously." He admitted."Yuto tried to get some information about your sister and his lost friends, but was defeated." His eyes widened, remembering Evan's smile and the way he talked about his father."Before they left, Evan said he and Ace were former pupils of my dad."

"It doesn't add up." Reiji folded his arms."From what you're telling me, these individuals were not normal duelists. Judging by what you said about Ace, he must be one of Academia's higher-ups."

"So that means we're entering into the "Unknown Zone", huh?" Kyle inquired, earning a nod from everyone.

"Before that, I'd like to make some clear. We already know the identities of 2 members of the Unifiers of Chaos, however, we still don't know how many of them area in total."

"We still don't know why those guys came looking for Hiraki." Reira hissed.

"Above all, we still don't know about Yu's whereabouts or the girl who looks like Serena." Dennis pointed out.

"Like I said before, Yu is probably dead. But Wendy is most likely being held captive in Academia." The General shifted his gaze to the rest of his people.

"All of our doubts will be answered eventually. For now, let us focus on what we can solve first." He eyed everyone before showing them his card."I believe you all are ready to go, yes?"

Kurono wasted no time and gave his brother a hug."Ah! Kurono, your ar-"

"It's okay. I'll be there as soon as it heals up. Take care of Maria for me, will ya?"

Kyle's eyes teared up, returning the hug to his brother."I will." Kurono backed up, waving goodbye. Reiji and the General shared one last glanced at each other, before Reiji ordered the Lancers to insert their respective cards in their Duel Disks. With a bright flash, the Lancers were gone, leaving nothing behind them.

'It's sooo soft.' Yuzu mumbled to herself, moving from side to side on Rin's bed. Yugo was kind enough to let her stay in Rin's room for the time being, while him and Cody slept in their respective rooms. She had asked them to stay for a while with her since she was a bit shaken by all that had happened to her. Cody and Yugo brought over some cards and the trio spent hours and hours playing, laughing, and in Yugo's case, cursing his bad luck for always losing. Some rays of sun came through Yuzu's window, letting her know it was probably morning, but she ignored it and continued sleeping. It wasn't until she heard that someone was in her room, that she opened her eyes, looking directly at Cody.

Cody was holding a tray of food in his hands, placing it gently on a table nearby. He dared to turn to a recently awoken Yuzu, who was rubbing her eyes."Cody?"

Cody fidgeted, raising his hands in sign of surrendering."Y-Yoho- Yuzu! This isn't what it looks like, I swear! I was just bringing you some breakfast and the- the-then!"

"It's okay! Cody, it's okay. I believe you." Yuzu fixed her shirt, covering herself a bit more. She shifted her gaze back to Cody, who had covered his eyes."You can watch now."

"Oh. Okay." Cody nervously removed his hands from his eyes, looking somewhat lost at words. He shook his head rapidly."I made you some breakfast. It's not the best in the world, but it's pretty good. I wasn't feeling that hungry, so I put extra if you were hungry."

"Oh, no. You didn't have to deprive yourself of your own breakfast." Yuzu said in a concerned tone for the boy.

Cody held his hand forward."It's cool. I don't feel hungry at this time of the day, so I thought maybe you could use the extra portion. Besides, it's better if you eat than just throw it in the trash."

Yuzu hesitated, but nodded with a smile."Thank you, Cody. You're so kind."

Cody blinked a couple of times, coughing awkwardly."T-thank you. Anyways, how did you sleep?"

"Rin's bed is really comfortable." Yuzu admitted. She scanned Cody carefully, noticing that he was dressed up in his blue jumpsuit."You're all suited up. Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah. A friend of mine is taking care of some kids, so I took it upon myself to help him out whenever possible. I was about to leave."

Before he could react, Yuzu reached for his arm."Wait!"

"Huh?"

"Wait. Do you think we could...talk? I'd feel better if I could have a conversation with someone right now."

"Of course, Yuzu. Don't worry. It's still early, so I guess it wouldn't matter." He was about to sit down, but Yuzu beckoned him closer.

"You can sit in the bed if you want."

"O-okay." He stuttered, carefully taking a seat on the corner of the bed."So, what did you want to talk about?"

Yuzu hugged her knees, covering the lower part of her face with them."Well, I'm a bit curious about something. What kind of person is Rin?"

"Ah, so that's it!" He folded his legs."Well, how do I put this? I guess you could say Rin's been the same person as always."

-Flashback-

"And with that, I attack you directly!" Rin declared."Which means you'll have to drink again!"

"NO!" Yugo cried out, holding a red bottle."You can't do this to me, Rin! My belly can't take more of this hot sauce!"

"Now, now. Settle down, children." The Sensei announced, holding the hand of a kid with purple hair who was wearing a blue shirt, blue snickers, and blue shorts."I'd like to introduce to you our newest addition to the family. His name is Cody."

The young boy scanned the area, smirking as he laid eyes on both Rin and Yugo."Name's Cody! The code-ster! The Code-stalker! The Code-master!"

While the boy kept on ranting about his various nicknames, Rin couldn't help but chuckle."He's really energetic."

"More like he's just trying to act cool." Yugo huffed.

"Sensei! Can he play with us for a bit?" Rin smiled.

"Of course. Cody?"

"Sure, ma'am. I have a deck of my own, so I'm pretty sure this will be fun!" Cody rushed over to the duo, sitting down next to Yugo who gave him a mean look."So, how are we playing?"

"Basically, we have a little challenge going on. The loser of a duel has to get a sip of hot sauce. The winner gets ice cream."

"You're not too late to get out. You must be pretty scared, right?" Yugo said with a smirk.

Cody didn't like this. He took out his deck and placed it hard on the mattress."You bet I'm in!"

"My name is Rin by the way. And the one loser over there is Yugo." Rin teased.

Yugo stuck out his fist."Hey! It's not fair!"

"Can we just get with the duel? I'd like to you against you first, Rin." Cody announced.

"Fine by me." Rin rolled her eyes."But you better be ready for what I have in store for you."

An hour had passed. Yugo and Cody were on the verge of tears after drinking countless sips of hot sauce."My mouth! It hurts so much!" Cody screamed.

"I can't feel my belly anymore!" Yugo cried out.

"Rin! Please! We need some milk!" Cody begged, grabbing Rin's knees.

She sighed."You guys are hopeless."

Years later, Yugo, Rin, and Cody were readings books about the different parts a D-Wheel is composed of.

"Heyo, Rin-Rin. Come here for a sec." Cody called out to Rin, a frown on his face.

Rin walked over to Cody with an open book on her hands."What's up?"

Cody grunted, letting himself go down the chair."I didn't want to let Yugo know, but I'll tell you. I got a part-time job now."

Rin clapped her hands together."That's wonderful! What kind of job is it?"

Cody trailed off, picking his book back."Nothing big. Just picking trash and toss it in dumpsters. I did the math, though, and I'll be able to get some pretty nice components for our D-Wheel."

Rin wrapped her arms around Cody's head, giving him a big hug."Oh, Cody! You're amazing!"

Cody patted Rin in the head."I know I am."

"Damn you! Don't get so friendly with Rin!" Yugo stormed in the room, grabbing Cody by the collar of his shirt."You bastard! I bet you think you're cool just cause' you got a job, huh?! I can get one too if I wanted to!"

Cody glared at Rin and then Yugo. With a swift move, he tackled Yugo to the ground."Think it's that easy, huh?! Aren't you the one who has tried even more than I have and never got accepted anywhere?!"

"Stop it! Both of you!" Rin grabbed their ears, pulling them apart."You're acting like kids again! Yugo, stop provoking Cody and be proud of him, for goodness's sake! He's doing this for us so we can have money to buy everything we need for our D-Wheel. Now, apologize!"

-Flashback Ends-

"Hehehe. She always was keeping us from tearing each other's throat out. Eventually, me and Yugo became friendlier towards one another, and we ended up becoming best friends." He closed his eyes, shifting his head to the door of the room."Can I tell you something, Yuzu?"

"Yes. Anything at all."

He turned back to Yuzu. His expression softened a bit as his shoulders had relaxed."I...never told them the reason why I came to the orphanage. The real reason. You see, I told sensei to never tell the truth to anyone."

"The truth?" Yuzu echoed in a lower tone.

"My mother was a Common, but she married someone from the Tops, my father. My father was a bastard, always coming at least once a month to visit my mother and I and it wasn't anything special. Just a chat with her and a pat on the head for me." He said bitterly."One day, my mother and I were enjoying a movie on T.V, until a loud bang caught our attention. It was my dad. He had a knife in his hand and a bottle in the other. He..." Cody was sobbing now. In his mind, an exact replay of his memories was playing."He killed my mom right in front of my eyes...! And he was going to kill me, but I grabbed a screwdriver that was next to the T.V...and stabbed him...I killed him."

He felt a gentle hand clearing his tears and was astonished to find out that it was Yuzu herself."It's okay now. You don't have to get those memories keeping eating you from the inside. I don't know how it feels, so I'm probably the least person suitable for this. Regardless, you have some good memories with your mom, right?"

Cody rested his head on Yuzu's shoulder as she comforted him. They stayed like that for a while. Yuzu didn't mind it. She thought that Cody needed someone to be there for him right now, and since he's been there for her during her time at Synchro, it would be appropriate if she did the same for him."I think I'm feeling better now." He slowly left Yuzu's side, locking eyes with her one more time."Thank you so much, Yuzu. I mean it."

Yuzu smiled kindly."No need to thank me. I'm just glad you feel better. Be safe, alright?"

Cody smirked."You got it. I'll be back in a couple of hours." He made his way to the door."Once we get Rin back. I'll tell them everything. They deserve to know."

Yuzu watch as Cody disappeared. Again, she was alone, but she didn't feel as sad as before."Yuya...don't worry about me. I have people that are willing to protect me until I can go back with you guys."

"Noooo!" A woman screamed before being carded. The card containing her landed on a table, near a bowl of ice cream.

"These XYZ scum...always so impulsive and idiotic. Well, at least now that we've gotten rid of their food, they won't be causing so much trouble for a while." A young man sat down on the table, picking the card and the ice cream up. He had messy greenish blond hair and two small ahoges on top. He was wearing a dark blue striped sweater with gray cargo pants and orange shoes. He also had multiple silver rings: one on his left index finger, one on his right thumb, and one on the right index finger. To top it all, he had crimson eyes with notably long eyelashes. He noticed the presence of another person coming, shifting his head towards the door of the dinner he was in.

"Goodness, you'll rather eat here than in a healthier establishment?" The voice whined. The young man who entered had crimson eyes, short black hair that is seen under a white cap with a black clip. He was wearing a blue hoodie and gray pants and brown shoes."You know, for someone of your stature, you shouldn't be eating these kinds of things whenever you want to. You'll get fat. Will you ever listen to what I say, Junpei?"

"Why should I listen to what a botanist has to say? I'm so skinny I could be broken in half by anything." Junpei scowled.

"You're not as skinny as Evan is." The youth pointed out.

"Whatever, Tatsuyo. What have you learned so far?"

Tatsuyo pulled out a piece of paper in which he had written notes on."It would appear that all the labs and dueling stations have been closed temporarily. Seiko-sama did not give me a reason as to why, since she didn't know herself."

Junpei took a spoonful of ice cream and put it in his mouth."Looks like Sora was right. This flavor is amazing." He pointed with the spoon at Tatsuyo."Couldn't she have talked with the Professor about it?"

"The Professor has been extremely busy himself, so no. Next, I have something that might interest you."

"If it's not anything related to sweets, I don't want to hear it."

"It's about the new member we'll be getting."

"New member?" Junpei put his ice cream down and jumped off the table."What do you mean by that?"

"It's just as it sounds." He shrugged with one shoulder."There's absolutely no details about this person. No characteristics, not deck, nothing at all. It's as if they're completely unknown to the world."

"It's probably just Seiko and her stupid wish to give us a surprise. Maybe we should ask Daisuke once we go back to Academia. Are we the only ones here?"

"It's us, plus the other kids from Osiris Red and Ra Yellow." He stated."Ace and Evan recently arrived at Academia from Ritual. I don't know about the rest."

"We should get going then. Let's go pay a visit to our little friend, Kaito." He suggested, leaving the card of the woman he carded behind."Let's go. I have quite the surprise for Kaito. I know the place where his father and brother are taking refuge in."

"Hahahaha. You're psychotic. I love your plan. Let's go then." Tatsuyo rushed over to the door, opening it for himself."I want to say hi to Sayaka and Allen."

"They'll most likely be there. We don't have to walk, that's for peasants. Let's go in my limousine."

"Exotic as always, I see, eh?" Tatsuyo grinned at his comrade.

"In this hell of a place, anything could be luxurious." Junpei guffawed, slapping Tatsuyo hard on the back.

A light shone brightly in the middle of a street in a rundown neighborhood, which consisted of houses with broken windows and worn out doors. Once the light died down, Kyle, Serena, Yuya, Sawatari, and Reira appeared, each of them looking very confused.

Kyle scouted the area in place before finally putting a hand on his hip."This looks like some sort of abandoned town or something. Everything looks just dirty."

"I guess it is?" Yuya said with hesitation in his voice."What do you think, Serena?"

"It's not the Fusion Dimension or XYZ for that matter. We've witnessed for ourselves the state in which Ritual is in, so it's basically a process of elimination."

"There seem to be cities above this one." Kyle stated."Maybe we'll find your friend up there, Yuya."

"I sure hope so..." Yuya frowned, looking attentively at the city.

"Anyways, aren't we missing some people?" Sawatari exclaimed."Maria isn't here either!" He quickly turned around, stomping away but was held back by Kyle, who had gotten a hold of his shoulder. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Asayi?!"

"Where are you going?"

"To look for Maria and the others!"

"Okay. Where?"

Sawatari slapped Kyle's hand away before taking a step back."Akaba Reiji and the other aren't here, do you not see?!"

"Nii-sama...is not here?!" Reira asked."I...have to find Nii-sama...!"

Yuya put his hand on Reira's shoulder to prevent him from leaving and knelt down."We have to stick together. We'll find your brother and the others as soon as possible, right guys?"

Serena remained silent as well as Sawatari."Eventually, yes. If they hadn't found us by then, that is."

"You're talking like you're some kind of expert at this!" Sawatari growled, before realizing that everyone was staring at him."Okay! Maybe that wasn't the best example."

"Unfortunately, I am an expert at search and rescue missions." Kyle muttered dryly."We're in unknown territory, so we should be careful about what we do and determine exactly where everything is."

"That's stupid! We don't have time to be "thinking" about where we are when Maria could be in danger!" Sawatari protested."Oh, and the others too."

"I keep telling you this, you idiot. We don't even know where we are!"

Yuya shifted his gaze from one boy to another."Guys, come on. We won't solve anything by arguing like this."

"I must say, I agree with what Sawatari is saying," Serena said.

"Huh?" Kyle gasped, shocked at her response."Serena...?"

"It's better if we find the others as fast as we can. We can't afford to sit here forever."

"See? I told you it was a good idea, Asayi. Now, will you stop being such a nuisance and help us search for them?"

Before Kyle could respond back, the sound of sirens getting closer and closer made them turn to the source of the sound. In front of them, a police car had stopped and a total of 4 men got out of it swiftly."This is security! You have been completely surrounded! Surrender and come with us! Any attempts of resistance will be met with force!" The one who was driving declared.

"Resistance my ass!" A D-wheel passed right by them at top speed, drifting easily right next to Kyle was standing, making him jump back."Shit. Looks like here is even worse than on the road." The boy took off his blue helmet, revealing Cody's face.

"Hey! Watch where you're driving! You almost hit me with that motorcycle!" Kyle protested, much to Cody's annoyance.

"It's not a motorcycle, you dunce! It's a D-wheel!"

"Reira!" Yuya cried as Reira attempted to escape but was stopped by a barrier that appeared in front of him.

Cody scoffed."Damn it. There goes the way out." He turned to the others."So wha-" Cody stopped in midsentence as soon as his eyes fell on Serena."Rin?" He got off of his D-wheel and threw his helmet away."Rin! It's really you!" He sprinted towards her, his arms opened wide.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Serena snapped, punching Cody right in his belly.

'Oh, that's right.' Cody squealed in pain.'Yuzu did say that there were other girls who look like here. More importantly...' He shifted his gaze, his eyes landing on Yuya who was standing next to him, offering his arm.'This guy looks like Yugo...And Yuzu's description of him matches completely...'

"Are you okay? Sorry if she hit you too hard." Yuya apologized.

"Yuya, right? You really do look like Yugo." He took Yuya's hand and got on his feet."And she looks like Yuzu and Rin."

"Yuzu?!" Yuya and Serena asked in unison.

Before Cody could open his mouth, a Duel Chaser parked next to the security car."I'm Duel Chaser 332. I've been assigned to take care of this scum with the blue attire. What is the situation here?"

The officer on the back leaned on the car."Those three over there are wanted criminals for trespassing Top's territory." He said while pointing at Serena, Yuya, and Cody.

"Trespassing?! What are these buffoons talking about?!" Sawatari exclaiming indignantly.

"Are you kidding me? We've got just here!" Yuya said.

"Besides, who would surrender to you, loudmouths?! Sawatari spat as he activated his Duel Disk."I, Sawatari Shingo, take orders from no-one! If you want a duel, bring it on! I'll put all of you in your place!"

Cody smirked and made his way to his D-Wheel, grabbing his Duel Disk, attaching it to his arm."Not bad. I like your style. By the way, I called some friends over, so let's just buy some time until they show up."

"Buy some time? Who do you think we are?" Serena retorted, activating her Duel Disk."You're going to tell us everything you know after this is over, understand?"

"Right, right..." Cody sweatdropped."You remind me of Rin as well."

"Hold on a second, you guys aren't serious, are you?" Yuya said, attempting to reason with the others.

"Yuya is right! If we try to fight this dimension's law enforcers, we'll be digging ourselves a hole!" Kyle added.

Cody glanced over his shoulder directly at Kyle."Loosen up a bit. We can't reason with these people. All that's left is go through them by either winning or buying time for my friends."

"Damn it! I'm serious here! Ugh!" Kyle groaned, stepping up next to the others. He took out both of his Decks, deciding to stick up with his normal one. Once this was done, he activated his Duel Disk."We'll follow your lead. You said we only have to buy time, yes?"

"That's right. Once my friends get here, we'll get the hell out of here."

"Such coward tactics. You may want to buy time for your little friends to show up, but I'll beat all of them in an instant." Serena grumbled, causing Cody to shiver.

"Guys! Come on!" Yuya cried out.

"Well said!" Sawatari pointed upwards."Action Field On!"

Field Spell: Crossover

"Duel!"

Sawatari vs. Security LP: 4000

Cody vs. Security LP: 4000

Serena vs. Security LP: 4000

Kyle vs. Security LP: 4000

"Oh, yeah! I forgot to mention." Cody ruffled his hair."You guys might want to beat these guys as soon as possible, otherwise, they'll trap you with their One Turn Kill technique."

"What a good detail to tell us now." Kyle narrowed his eyes before facing his opponent."Let's go then. I'll take the first turn if you don't mind." Kyle drew his 5 cards before taking one out of his hand."I activate the Spell Card: Pot of Greed! I'll draw 2 extra cards from my Deck. And then, I'll use the Ritual Spell: Super Soldier Origin! I can Ritual Summon a "Black Luster Soldier" from my hand by sending 1 Light monster from my hand and a Dark monster from my Deck whose levels are equal to the monster I want to summon to the Graveyard!"

"Ritual Summon?!" The officer dueling Kyle echoed.

Cody smirked."Ritual Summon? Just what the hell are you guys?"

"I choose my Level 4 Envoy of Chaos from my hand and my Level 4 Beginning Knight from my Deck!" Two pots appeared on the field, with an emblem of two crossed swords in the middle. The two Level 4 monsters were absorbed by the pots, as Kyle began to chant.

"One soul shall merge with light! The other soul shall merge with the darkness! Between light and darkness, the gate to chaos is opened! Ritual Summon! The Chaos Soldier descends! Level 8! Black Luster Soldier!"

Black Luster Soldier Level 8, Earth, Warrior, Ritual, ATK:3000, DEF:2500

"I set a card face-down. I end my turn."

"Not bad. This is a hell of a party!" Cody exclaimed, raising his hands in the air."Now, I'll let you have a taste of my Synchro Summoning! I tune my Level 4 Scrap Orthros to my Level 4 Scrap Beast!" Scrap Orthros turned into 4 stars as Scrap Beast turned into 4 rings surrounding it."Steel-cold shards of forgotten glory, lingering on in hateful rage, take form now and rise from the vengeful darkness! Synchro Summon! Rampage and roar! Level 8! Scrap Dragon!"

Scrap Dragon Level 8, Earth, Dragon, Synchro, ATK: 2800, DEF: 2000

"How's that? This is my most loyal monster!" Cody said gleefully.

"Stop messing around!" Serena snapped at both duelists, clenching her fists."Hurry up and end your duels already!"

"Serena is right."Kyle argued."This isn't some kind of competi-"

"It's time! Now I'll show you the power of true Pendulum Summon!" Sawatari announced, taking 2 cards from his hand."I, with the Scale 1 Abyss Actor - Devil Heel and the Scale 8 Abyss Actor - Funky Comedian, set the Pendulum Scale!" Two columns of light appeared next to Sawatari with his monsters rising up."Now I'm able to simultaneously summon monsters from Level 2 to Level 7! I Pendulum Summon! Come on out, Abyss Actor - Big Star!"

Abyss Actor - Big Star Level 7, Dark, Fiend, Pendulum, ATK: 2500, DEF: 1800

"How's that?! Amazing, isn't it?" Sawatari remarked.

"Hey, girly." Cody addressed Serena."Can you duel at all?"

"What was that?!" Serena growled in anger."Don't you dare underestimate me! I use Polymerization to fuse Moonlight Blue Cat and Moonlight Purple Butterfly from my hand!" Both of Serena's monsters appeared in front of a multicolored vortex and were absorbed by it."Blue cat that prowls through the darkness!Butterfly with violet poison!Spiral into the moon's gravity and become a new power!Fusion Summon! Beautiful beast that dances in the moonlight! Moonlight Cat Dancer!"

Moonlight Cat Dancer Level 7, Beast-Warrior, Dark, ATK:2400, DEF:2000

"Pendulum, Fusion, Ritual and Synchro..." Reira murmured."All that's missing is..." He raised his head, locking his eyes with Yuya's.

"Come on, Sakaki! Don't just stand there and bring that XYZ monster of yours!" Sawatari cried out.

"I, with the scale Stargazer 1 Magician and the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, set the Pendulum Scale! Now I'm able to Summon monsters between Level 2 and 7 at the same time! Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Come forth! My Monsters Servants! Level 4, Performapal Whip Snake and Level 4, Performapal Silver Claw!"

"With the Level 4 Performapal Whip Snake and Performapal Silver Claw, I construct the Overlay Network! Fangs of pitch-black darkness, rise up against the foolish oppression! Descend now! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon Rank 4, Dragon, Dark, ATK: 2500, DEF:2000

"Heck yeah!" Cody cheered, jumping up and down.

"We have the whole cast today! Presenting the fabulous performance composed of Ritual, XYZ, Fusion, Pendulum and Synchro!" Sawatari announced.

Cody ran next to Kyle, wrapping his arm around him."Nice going, champs. Now, let's be-"

In that moment, Cody noticed that all the others had vanished out of thin air. He glanced around, watching as the officers were shouting incoherently at a group of people riding D-Wheels. "You idiot, Cody! Hurry up and get out of there!"

"Was that...? Crow?" He rubbed his temple."Oh shit! I totally forgot about the reinforcement call!" He grabbed Kyle's hand and before the last could protest, he was forced to sit on Cody's D-Wheel as he put his helmet on."Grab on tight. This is going to be a wild ride!".

"You bastaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-" Kyle screamed in horror, closing his eyes in fear as Cody accelerated even more.

A man was running as fast as he could in a hallway of a hotel while holding his child. A battle between Academia and the Resistance was taking place, Academia holding a huge advantage. Many people doing whatever they could to survive, run, hide, betray their own comrades. But nothing could save them from the bitter fate that awaited for them.

"Father, where are we going?" The child asked.

"Don't worry, Hart. We will get out of here safely, so please, don't look back."

"How long do you intend to run for, Dr. Faker?" Tatsuyo inquired as he was walking calmly along with Junpei.

A vase lost its balance on a table, falling and rolling onto the floor where it met Dr. Faker's feet, causing him to lose control and fall."Father!" Hart cried.

Dr. Faker mustered all the strength he could and put his son back on his feet."Run, Hart! Run and don't look back! Kaito will be here and he will save you! Now run!"

"Father!" Hart sobbed. He took a last look at his father and smiled. He turned away and ran away from the area.

"How lovely. You must be a truly dedicated father." Tatsuyo mused, walking where the fallen Dr. Faker was.

Junpei caught up to him, looking with clear disgust at the man. He touched a few buttons on his Duel Disk, creating a purple light that soon turned Dr. Faker into a card."Great, the kid ran away."

"This is a close hallway. I'm sure he's inside in one of those rooms." Tatsuyo said, making his way to the last room of the floor.

"We know you're there, Hart. Open up, please." He knocked softly.

"No! Yo-you carded my father!" Hart sobbed uncontrollably.

Junpei kicked the door down, knocking Heart back due to the impact."I don't like peasants that do not follow simple orders." He grabbed the boy by the collar of his shirt and rose up to him.

"N-no..." Hart whimpered, grabbing Junpei's arms.

"Hmph!" Junpei scoffed, walking up to the window of the room.

Outside out the hotel, Sayaka and Allen were running, horrified looks on their faces as they watched countless of people being carded by Academia soldiers.

"We have to get to Kaito soon! We don't know what's happening inside of there!" Allen said.

"I just hope we're not too la-"

"Sayaka! Watch out!" Allen pushed her aside, falling down on his face himself. A massive hole had been created in a room on the fourth floor of the hotel. From the dust and the broken glass, Junpei emerged, holding heart dangerously close to the edge of the hotel.

"It would seem that you pawns are here. Now, does this mean that Kaito is here as well?" Junpei inquired.

"Yep. He's coming up the stairs." Tatsuyo alerted.

"Then let us waste no time. Say hello to your father for me, Hart." He whispered to the boy's ear before letting him go.

"No!" Sayaka and Allen both screamed as they watch Hart falling down to his demise. Before he could hit the ground, a purple light surrounded his body, turning him into a card.

"HART!" Kaito shouted, bursting into the room. He pushed away Tatsuyo and took a look on the ground."Hart..."

"He's...they..." Sayaka put a hand on her mouth, tears pouring down her face.

"He's a card..." Allen sat on the floor, hugging his legs.

"A shame. Looks like that's over now, isn't it?" Junpei asked in a sarcastic tone, turning to Kaito."So, what are you going to do?"

"I'm...I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU REPENT FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE! YOU MONSTERS!" Kaito screamed, activating his Duel Disk."I will never forgive you!"

"That's the spirit." Junpei snickered, activating his Duel Disk."A shame. I guess I'll have to duel you without my D-Wheel." He beckoned Tatsuyo to the door."Go deal with the kids outside. I'll take care of this."

"Whatever floats your boat." Tatsuyo sang, leaving the room.

"You will...regret ever...doing this!" Kaito spluttered.

"Sure I will."

"DUEL!"

Kaito vs. Junpei LP: 4000

Sorry for taking so long on this chapter v_v. Anyways, 2 new members of the Unifiers of Chaos have been introduced. I don't want to spoil how many there's going to be but don't worry, there won't be that many. Don't forget to follow and favorite this story if you're enjoying it and as always, take care.