Chapter 15
Friendship Cup Begins
Tariko yawned loudly, earning an annoyed look by Wendy who was walking ahead of him."Anyways, why are we here anyway?" He said as he examined his bull mask.
Yuke didn't bother to turn to his team mate and spoke up."We are here because this is where we will begin our operation to infiltrate into this so called "Friendship Cup" that the citizens of this dimension are hosting. Seiko, as expected, was 10 steps ahead of the rest and managed to set up a meeting with the elders. Thanks to that, we'll be saving valuable time."
"Leave it to Seiko-sama." Naho chuckled, prompting for Tariko to laugh.
"There's something I don't get, Yuke-dono." Tariko asked, waiting for the boy's attention which was simply a nod."Why do we have to wear these masks?"
"What a foolish question, even for you. Must you always ask such stupid things, swordsman?" Asked Makoto with clear irritation in his voice.
"What?! Why you little...!"
"Because," Yuke rose his voice slightly, provoking for both boys to quit with their argument. "there is someone who would easily recognize the three of you." He addressed the 3 XYZ users."Furthermore, there will be people who look exactly like Wendy and me. Those lookalikes are astute and are aware of our possession of the other girls and probably already know some of my other counterparts."
"In short, they would immediately realize that we're from the Ritual Dimension and that would be a pain in the ass," Wendy said nonchalantly.
"That and it would put our plan of infiltration in jeopardy." Naho pointed out.
"You're right, Naho-san! You are so smart." Tariko's words of praise were completely ignored by the girl as she walked up to their leader.
"Really, must we put up with this imbecile?" Makoto groaned in disgust.
Before Tariko could return the insult, Yuke looked over his shoulder."We're almost there. Put on your masks."
Without saying a word, each Unifier proceeded to put on their masks. Tariko had a bull mask, Naho had one of a bird, Wendy one of a cheetah, Makoto one of a bat and Yuke one of a dragon.
Without saying a word, each Unifier proceeded to put on their masks. Tariko had a bull mask, Naho had one of a bird, Wendy one of a cheetah, Makoto one of a bat and Yuke one of a dragon.
"Be advised, do not speak unless you're spoken to and even then, make sure to keep the number of words you say to a minimum." With a firm nod, the Unifiers increased their pace and walked side by side with Yuke in the middle.
"Oi!" Sawatari whispered to a tired looking Kyle."Are you okay? You don't look so good."
The Lancers had been brought to some kind of elegant hall that resembled a courtroom. In front of them were 5 individuals sitting on elegant thrones placed on the highest balcony. Roget was also there and had pointed out the various crimes the Lancers had committed in front of his superiors, Neo Domino City's Executive Council. Much to their dismay, Roget even used their status as foreigners from another Dimension against them.
"Just dandy." Kyle rolled his eyes, drinking some medicine that was given to him by the old man sitting in the middle, White Taki. His friends had already complained that Roget drugged him but as always, he merely dismissed this as a mistake done by some officers when they injected some tranquilizers on him when he was going "crazy". Serena, however, was outraged at this and was about to go up and beat the crap out of Roget if the elders hadn't intervened. Soon enough, Yuya revealed that they were from another dimension and things got a little complicated.
"If you take his words at value, that means they come from another dimension." Roget picked up the conversation."That also explains why they can use summoning methods not present in our world, like Fusion, XYZ, Ritual, and Pendulum."
As Roget numbered the summoning methods, each duelist hardened their gazes at the mention of their preferred summoning method.
"Of course, ignore the rest of us, why don't you." Cody spat in irritation.
"That really isn't the biggest of our concerns." Crow deadpanned.
"Do these users of unknown summoning methods have a purpose for appearing in the city?" Roget continued, ignoring the last comments."I ordered security to arrest them to investigate that."
"So you guys really are from another dimension? Is that true, Yuya?" Tokumatsu turned to the tomato head.
"Yeah." Yuya nodded firmly."We came from another dimension called standard. But please believe me when I say we didn't come to this dimension in order to cause trouble!"
"That's right. Our aim isn't to cause mayhem."
At that instant, the doors opened once more, revealing the missing Lancers; Tsukikage, Reira, and Akaba Reiji.
"Akaba Reiji!" Yuya, Sawatari and Kyle exclaimed in surprise.
"Ew, dude! That's..."
"A ninja!" Both Maria and Cody beamed, earning several stares from the others.
"We Lancers came to Synchro Dimension in order to protect it from Academia's invasion." Reiji stated, approaching closer to Roget."We would also like to join forces with you in order to win the Dimensional War."
"Lancers?"
"It's short for Lance Defense Soldiers." Maria responded, noticing that Sawatari had opened his mouth before she cut him off."Oh! I'm sorry!"
"Don't sweat it, Maria-chan. The truth is, we're Duel Soldiers meant to take on Academia!"
"Duel Soldiers?! You?!" Tokumatsu said in disbelief.
"I know right! That's pretty sick! Of course, your boy Cody will also-" Cody rubbed his chin with a grin on his face but was stopped by the sound of laughter."What are you laughing at?!"
"Excuse me." Roget cleared his throat after his sudden reaction."But a Dimensional War? And here I was thinking about what you would say."
"The Executive Council knows the full story," Reiji commented, pushing his glasses back up.
"Indeed. We heard everything from Akaba Reiji." Gael said.
"About this Dimensional War-" Gray continued.
"...as well as about the Lancers." Azul finished her colleague's sentence.
"Correct, Chairman?" Bordeaux asked.
"Yes, this talk is over. However, we have been keeping quiet about another group of young duelists who approached us recently. You may come in now." White Taki called out.
"Huh?"
Following their cue, 5 figures appeared from the door and lined up neatly in front of everyone. The one with the bulk mask stepped forward and locked his hands behind his back. Kyle felt his stomach turning inside out and instinctively tried to grasp for it.
'What is this...sensation...?' He wondered as he wiped off the sweat forming on his forehead.
'It's that guy from before!' Sawatari, Yuya and Tokumatsu thought in unison.
"I appreciate you giving us the opportunity to prove ourselves, Executive Council. I see the Lancers are here as well, as you informed our associate earlier."
Roget bit his lower lip at the memory of Seiko talking privately with him but smiled coldly as usual."Ah, I see. I am glad you could make it."
"Indeed." Gael agreed, gazing each of the newcomers.
"Would you be so kind to present yourselves to everyone?"
"Very well. We do not possess a proper name as the rest of you do. I am Ender." The man, (Yuke), said.
A female with a black shirt, magenta shorts and a cheetah mask took a step forward."My name is Scarlet."
"I am Skull." A girl with a white dress and a skull mask bowed slightly.
A boy with a jumpsuit and a bull mask raised 2 of his fingers."Yo. I'm Red."
The last one had a bat mask, a long purple scarf, and bandages all over his arms."Genesider."
"Together, we are the Forsakers," Ender stated with a monotone tone."We were previously members of Academia but soon realized their true motives, hence our departure of the school."
"I've never even heard something like that in Academia." Serena said."Sure, I heard rumors about people leaving the island but I thought they weren't true at all."
'There's no mistaking it. They must be the Unifiers of Chaos undercover. But why are they here now?' Dennis thought.
"What the hell is this? What kind idiots do you take us for to believe that story?" Kurosaki frowned.
"Why wouldn't we? Your credibility is just as low as theirs." Azul pointed out.
"What's this about? You deflected Academia?" Reiji inquired.
"Indeed." Ender replied simply."Needless to say, we don't the same intentions as you do. For all the simple eyes could see, you guys could be the evil force here."
"What?! That's preposterous!" Gongenzaka yelled as he clenched his fist.
"Yeah! What gives you the right to declare what we are anyway?!" Maria raised her hands in emphasis.
"Enough." Reiji interjected as he kept staring at Ender."That may very well be the case. However, you could also be this dimension's enemies."
"Wait. So there are no good guys in neither side?" Sawatari furrowed his brow.
"Actually, that's where you're wrong. There is a way each team can prove their worth."
"How?" Kyle asked.
"By participating in the Friendship Cup," Reiji answered.
"Friendship Cup? Cool." Cody grinned.
"That is correct." Reiji nodded."It's what the Executive Council is aiming for. Lancers participate in the tournament to show their skills as Duel Soldiers. I am guessing it will be the same with Forsakers.
"Yes. As you may have guessed, the Executive Council also wants us to participate in said tournament to prove ourselves." Yuke said.
"Hey! Question!" Cody raised his hand high up."Why are you guys wearing those masks? Is it just to make you look cool or something?"
Yuke seemed to not even acknowledge the question at first, but several seconds later he sighed silently."It's part of our code to wear these masks until the day our sins have been atoned."
"Oh? So it's kinda like your way of atoning for your sins? That's deep." Sawatari nodded.
"I have something to ask you as well." Serena folded her arms with a grim expression."Those clothes you're wearing...that's the uniform for the Secondary Union, isn't it?"
With a simple nod, Serena decided to continue on with her questioning."It seems you are the leader of this group of yours but you're wearing a uniform like that."
"So what? Does it mean they're just a group of newbies from Academia?" Cody turned to Serena as he scratched his head.
"How dull. It seems everyone in Academia tends to judge someone by the color of their uniform. Yuri paid dearly for such mistake, so I'd highly recommend for you to think twice about such trivial things."
"Yuri?! You beat Yuri?!" Serena gasped, taking a step back in surprise.
'What?! He must be bluffing!' Dennis's mouth dropped.
"Yuri? Who is that?" Some Lancers wondered among themselves.
"That name isn't relevant anymore." Ender dismissed their comments."Let us stay on topic. We will be competing to see which team is the strongest, isn't that right, Executive Council?"
As the Executive Council began explaining, Yuto's figure appeared next to Yuya much to his surprise.
"Yuto? What is it? You look worried." Yuya asked his counterpart in concern.
Yuto swallowed hard, taking a second before replying to his friend."That guy, Ender, he gives off a strange aura...almost like it puts pressure on those around him by just being present."
"Yeah, I was thinking the same at first but I dismissed it as me feeling a bit sick." Yuya lowered his head."It feels somewhat...familiar, as well."
Yuto nodded."I agreed. I felt a similar feeling when I met you and the other guy before at the park back in Standard. And also..."
"Alright!" Sawatari yelled, interrupting the boys' thoughts."Let's fire up the audience of the Synchro Dimension with our Entertainment Duel, Yuya!"
"Well, we have to find Yuzu as soon as possible..."
"Yuzu Hiragi, you say?" Roget grinned."Is she your ally indeed?"
"You...you're telling me that you captured Yuzu?!" Yuya gasped in shock.
"Bastard! You better not have done anything to her or I will personally kick your skinny ass!" Cody snapped as he clenched his fists.
"She hasn't been arrested, you brat." Roget's eye twitched, holding back the need to grab Cody by the neck."She is an important duelist who will also participate in the Friendship Cup."
"She's entering the Friendship Cup?!" Both Yuya and Cody said.
"If you're so concerned about her, I can assure you that she's perfectly fine," Roget stated nonchalantly.
"I believe we've had enough of the small talk." Ender's boomed.
"Oh, my apologies." Roget adjusted his collar a bit."I understand. I agree with both of the teams' participation. That's why..." He turned to Yuya with a deranged smile."Every, on the eve of the Friendship Cup, The King carries out an exhibition match. How about letting him serve as the opponent?"
"Me?!" "Him?!" Why him?!" Yuya, Kyle, and Sawatari exclaimed consecutively.
"Why him?" Azul asked.
"From what I've seen, he is the one most adept at this bizarre summoning method called the Pendulum." He began explaining."In order for the King to verify his true strength..."
"I see. Is that acceptable, Chairman?" Bordeaux asked his comrades.
"Yes, that is fine. But I would like to hear Akaba Reiji's and Ender's opinions about the matter."
"I have no objections," Reiji said, turning slightly to Ender.
"None at all. You may proceed as you like." The teen said, not bothering to even glance at Reiji.
"In that case, please lead the participants to their quarters." White Taki gestured at the guards."As for Sakaki Yuya, escort him to the pit area."
"W-wait a second!" Yuya cried out upon seeing his friends and the Forsakers being taken away by the white-uniformed guards."Where are you taking everyone!?"
"Do not worry. We have no intention of putting them in any more danger." Gael reassured him.
Without putting any resistance, the 'Forsakers' were lead away by the guards, ignoring the commotion that the Lancers were causing.
"I hope Sakaki Yuya puts up a spectacle for us. He does remind me of Yuto quite a bit so I am willing to say without any doubt he may very well be strong." Naho stated to his comrades who shared some looks amongst themselves.
"I must agree with you, Princess," Makoto nodded without taking his eyes off of the ceiling."Also, Kurosaki Shun is not a push over himself."
Tariko sighed, placing his hands behind his head."I can't believe I'm siding with the weirdo, but he's right."
"Ha! You loser dogs are hopeless!" Wendy stuck out her tongue before grabbing Yuke's arm."We'll talk about it later, right, Yuke?"
"Of course. For now, go get some rest." Yuke said, earning acknowledging nods from his comrades.'Yuya Sakaki...show me what kind of fight you can put up in these conditions."
"I understand your reasoning, Dr. Brueno, but I assure you, you're just overthinking about it." Said an annoyed looking Daisuke as he flipped the page of his manga.
"No, no, no!" A man with a white lab coat repeated as he paced around back and forth in the middle of a small room that resembled one of a laboratory. The old man looked like he was in his late forties. He was an overweight and had short brown hair swept back, blue eyes and a pair of glasses neatly adjusted on his nose. Underneath his lab coat was a white shirt with a black bow tie and brown pants.
"Seriously, old geezer, aren't you exaggerating a bit?" A bored looking Lumi said as he rolled around on a stool.
"Maybe you are correct...perhaps I am just letting my head play tricks on me." Dr. Brueno pondered as his breathing returned to normal. With a sigh, the doctor sat down on a chair next to a bed.
"There you go, good doctor." Seiko mused with a slight smirk on her face as she made herself comfortable on the bed."Yuke is mentally stable, as far as I can tell. Speaking of him, I think they should be at Synchro as we speak."
Irina slurped the last of her apple juice and tossed it in a nearby trash can."Will Roget keep the end of his deal?"
"Not only that but do you think they won't be recognized as they are right now?" Lumi inquired.
Seiko scoffed upon hearing their remarks and folded her arms."Yuke was smart enough to only include people that are not from Synchro on his mission. As for their disguise, I reckon Roget is vouching for their credibility so there won't be any problems for now."
"That's a fair assessment." Commented Daisuke without taking his eyes off of the manga."Worst case scenario, they will have to execute their mission at a faster pace than originally thought."
"Precisely!" Dr. Brueno exclaimed with a matter-of-fact tone.
"You're in a good mood, eh, mate?" Lumi cackled at the surprised expression Dr. Brueno had."So, what's the kid's deal?"
"Now, now. We mustn't pressure Dr. Brueno with questions he's not allowed to answer." Seiko sang."Whatever the case, my darlings will surely put up quite a show in Synchro."
Meanwhile, at Synchro, the Unifiers of Chaos were on top of the Duel Palace, watching the exhibition match between Yuya and Jack.
"Glad you guys could make it, I thought it was just gonna be me and the dark lord freak." Tariko mocked, earning a scoff from Makoto.
Yuke closed his eyes in thought."Thanks to Roget, we have accessibility to various parts of this place. Not to mention that I have special permission to move throughout the palace with ease, so coming here was mere child's play."
"Not bad for an entertainer loser." Wendy whizzed upon seeing Yuya Pendulum Summoning."No wonder he's made it this far."
"That dragon he has..." Makoto muttered under his breath.
"Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. As expected, it's named after its summoning type." Yuke remarked with a bored tone.
"Performapal Trump Girl can be used as a material with a Pendulum Monster for a Fusion Summon! I fuse Trump Girl with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya declared, both of his monsters being absorbed by a multicolored vortex as he began to chant.
"He can Fusion Summon as well? Now, that's a surprise!" Tariko admitted.
"Fusing his dragon with his monsters...I see." Yuke said.
"Next, I overlay the Level 4 Plusturtle and Amenboat!" Yuya announced, successfully summoning Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon.
The three XYZ duelists couldn't believe their eyes. Someone who wasn't Yuto had Dark Rebellion after all.
"Why does he have that? Could it be that this kid has defeated Yuto and stole his card as a prize?" Tariko speculated.
Makoto snorted."I doubt this naive kid could possibly have malice in his heart to steal that card. It must be something else."
"You got it right." Naho smiled deviously."Ace mentioned that Yuto and Yuya were inside of each other's bodies."
"Well, ain't that weird." Tariko sweatdropped, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
"What a pervy dog you are, Tariko. No wonder you're still a virgin." Wendy laughed uncontrollably as she rolled around the floor.
"Shut up! You're a virgin yourself!" Tariko yelled back.
Yuke paid no attention to their discussion and simply began walking away, taking off his mask."According to my calculations, it won't be long before one of us has to duel. In the meantime, I will go ahead and investigate something."
"Oh? Sure, Yuke. Have fun." Naho waived goodbye but she was completely ignored by him.
"He sure is a brooding one indeed." Makoto stood next to Naho with a plain expression.
Naho chuckled at his remark."Oh, I am sure all of us have our different senses of humor. Regardless, we should be getting ready in case we have to duel."
"We're leaving already? But what about the duel?" Tariko asked as he tried to push away Wendy off of him.
"It doesn't matter, swordsman. Yuya Sakaki has no chance of defeating Jack Atlas."
Kyle looked intensely at the cart of food in front of him. With all the craziness that has been happening, he hadn't had time to eat something ever since the facility. Being able to restrain himself any longer, he started eating at a fast rate.
'This is weird. Why am I so hungry?' He pondered as he gulped a steak and washed it down with some juice.'I've never been this hungry, even while Ritual was in utter chaos. So why...?'
Without any notice, his door opened and quickly shot again. Startled by the sudden even, Kyle stopped eating and noticed a bag in front of his door.
"What is that?" He slowly got up from his bed and made his way towards the mysterious bag. Upon searching what was inside of it, his eyes widened."T-this is...!"
Inside of the bag was a total of 10 syringes with "Formula XV" labeled on each one.
"I have noticed the various symptoms of the drug, Kyle." A voice spoke outside of his room.
"Who's there?!" Kyle said in a demanding tone.
"Is that question really needed?" Roget asked. Kyle bit his lower lip and came closer to the door."I've been keeping a close eye on you. It seems you have a desire to get stronger and stronger, right?"
"Whatever makes you think that? This drug you used on me is nothing to be proud of!" Kyle snapped, punching the door with anger.
"I know of your loss against Serena, Kyle. You felt powerless, didn't you?"
"Tch! Stop acting like you know me!"
"Ha! But you're wrong, Kyle. You must have felt something when you were under the influence of Formula XV. I saw you making your way through the guards with ease, something you wouldn't have been able to do without it. You must have the urge to protect something, don't you?"
Roget's words were slowly making their way into Kyle's head as much as he hated to admit.'He has a point...I have to protect Serena from all of this and save my dimension...but this can't be the answer!'
"Anyway." Roget's voice broke him out of his thoughts."I'm not forcing you to use that as much as you want. However, keep in mind that you shouldn't use a whole lot of it, seeing as this is quite dangerous when used on humans. That extreme hunger you're feeling is just one of the many symptoms. But hey, winners only win when they sacrifice something."
Soon enough, Roget's voice could no longer be heard so Kyle assumed he went away. Falling on his knees, the Ritual Duelist started crying silently.
"I won't use this...there's no way I would." He told himself."I'll protect everyone with my own power!" With a dignified expression, he stood up and raised his fist."Please, Johan! Watch over me!"
The next day...
Serena was laying down on her bed, facing the ceiling as she held the picture Hiraki had left her in Ritual.
"I can't stand wasting any more time in this place. The sooner we go to Academia, the better." She muttered to herself, hugging the picture unconsciously."Hiraki...my heart feels as if it's suffocating the longer we are apart like this. I wish you were here with us...with me..."
Her sorrow quickly changed into anger, remembering the figures that presented themselves as the Forsakers."There's no mistaking it. They must be part of Academia. That would explain why they're covering their faces; because they probably think I might recognize them. Besides, people who rebelled against Academia wouldn't wear THAT uniform so freely." She recalled Ender dressing like a student from the Secondary Union course.
"As expected, you noticed as well." A monotone voice echoed through her room."I suppose there is no need to hide it any longer from you."
Serena immediately jumped out of her bed and assumed a defensive position."That voice..."
"I am Ender, from the Forsakers. However, you have already uncovered the puzzle all by yourself. I am glad you can do at least that much."
"Who are you, really?!" Serena growled, attempting to intimidate the person behind her door.
Yuke stood on the other side, leaning against the door with his arms folded and eyes closed."My name is Yuke. I am the leader of the Unifiers of Chaos."
"Huh?!" Serena gasped in shock at the overwhelming revelation."You are...the leader?"
'The leader...that must mean he knows where Hiraki is!' Serena speculated. With no time to think twice, she rushed over to the door and began banging on it."Damn you! Where is he?! Where is Hiraki?! I know you captured him!"
Yuke sighed."How dumb. Out of all the questions you could have asked me, you ask me about your friend? You surely are predictable."
"Stop joking around!" Serena snarled, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down."Are you the one responsible for everything related to the dimensional war?"
"I want to create a new world." He said."And for that, I need you. Well, really, the Professor is the one who needs you. That's why we were sent here."
Serena wasn't surprised in the least."Figures. So he sent you people to come after me, correct? Does that mean you're here fo-"
"For Yuzu Hiragi, yes." His voice cut in rather quickly."Only the 2 of you are remaining."
"The 2 of us?" Serena repeated."What is the Professor planning? What does he want with all of us?!"
"I'll leave that up to you, in fact. It would be a pity if I were to tell you something so obvious. Regardless..." Yuke began strolling away."I believe you will prove to be a great challenge. I'll bid you farewell, for now, Serena."
"Wait!" She yelled to no avail. Yuke was gone."Why does his voice sound so...familiar? It's comforting but at the same time, it tells me to stay away from him. Just what is this guy?"
Further ahead, Yuke halted his walking and stood still, not moving a muscle at all."Why? Why did I tell her all of that?" He pondered, staring directly at his palm.
At last, the Friendship Cup had officially begun and the first match was Crow vs. Red. The tension could be felt in the air. Right off the bat, both teams are put to collide against each other.
"Already, they're putting us to fight against the Forsakers," Kurosaki noted with a serious expression."Whatever these guys are planning, I don't like it one bit."
Tokomatsu hardened his expression at the duelists with the mask."Finally, I will be able to see what this man is really capable of."
"What's up? Ready to go down, tough guy?" Tariko mocked. Crow ignored his comment and continued facing forward."Man, you're no fun at all."
"Action Field, on! Field Spell, Cross Over Accel!" Melisa cried out.
"Duel Mode, on! Auto-Pilot, Stand-By!" A robotic voice said from their respective D-Wheels as a holographic countdown appeared in front of them.
3
2
1
"Riding Duel! Acceleration!"
"Duel!"
Red vs. Crow LP: 4000
Red immediately stepped on it the accelerator in an attempt to outspeed Crow. Him, however, wasn't in the mood to whatever little scenario Red was going to make so he himself accelerated after.
"I hope you don't mind too much, but I'm going to take the fir-" Red was interrupted by the engine of Crow's D-Wheel as he passed him.
"I'll start," Crow said, prompting Tariko to grit his teeth.
"Taking the first corner and the first move-Crow Hogan!" Melisa announced over the mic, her mood quickly changing upon seeing a number of people arguing with each other."Seriously! I just got everyone's spirits up too!"
"When there are no cards on the field, I can Special Summon Blackwing - Gust the Backblast from my hand!"
A humanoid bird best appeared on Crow's side of the field, flying alongside him.
Blackwing - Gust the Backblast Level 2, Dark, Winged-Beast, ATK: 900, DEF: 1400
"Next, when there's a "Blackwing" monster on the field, I can Special Summon the tuner monster Oroshi the Squall from my hand!"
Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall Level 1, Dark, Winged-Beast, Tuner, ATK: 400, DEF: 600
"I tune the Level 2 Gust the Backblast with the Level 1 Oroshi the Squall!" Gust the Backblast turned into 2 stars and surrounded Oroshi the Squall, as this turned into a ring." Jet-black wings, pierce through the skies and soar! Synchro Summon! Appear! Assault Blackwing - Kuniyoshi the Fogbow!"
Assault Blackwing - Kuniyoshi the Fogbow Level 3, Dark, Winged-Beast, Synchro, ATK: 1000, DEF: 1000
A bird standing on 2 feet and with mechanized limbs appeared on Crow's field.
"Synchro Summoning already? I guess that's just natural, coming from you." Red commented. Before he could mock him another further, Red noticed that Crow was distracted and looking at the audience.
"What's he doing? Looking for someone?" He wondered with a quizzical expression.
"Once per turn, with Kuniyoshi the Foghow's effect, I send one Blackwing from my hand to the graveyard and deal 300 points of damage to my opponent!" Crow announced and his monster cut through the air, sending an air shockwave towards Red.
Red grinned, his tongue sticking out inside of his mask."When I would take damage by a monster's effect, I can Special Summon Noble Knights Scartun!"
Noble Knights Scartun Level 2, Light, Warrior, Tuner, ATK: 600, DEF: 1100
"And when Noble Knights Scartun is Special Summoned via this effect, I can deal to my opponent damage equal to the one I'm taking!"
The shockwave was divided into two and struck both duelists, causing them to lose their balance briefly.
Crow LP: 3700
Red LP: 3700
"Unbelievable! Crow tried to reduce Red's LP with a monster effect, but he managed to reduce Crow's LP by the same effect!" Melisa exclaimed.
"Dammit! He saw through my move." Crow frowned.
"If you're impressed right now, then you're not going to be much of a challenge for me!" Red cried out.
"Not yet! Next, I summon the Tuner monster, Blackwing - Blizzard the Far Pole!"
A chubby bird with black and white feathers appeared next to Crow's other monster.
Blackwing - Blizzard the Far Pole Level 2, Dark, Winged-Beast, Tuner, ATK: 1300, DEF: 0
"When this card is summoned successfully, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower "Blackwing" monster from my graveyard in DEF mode! I Special Summon Blackwing - Jetstream the Blue Sky that I sent to my Graveyard!"
Blackwing - Jetstream the Blue Sky Level 1, Dark, Winged-Beast, ATK: 100, DEF: 800
"I tune the Level 1 Jetstream the Blue Sky with the Level 2 Blizzard the Far Pole!" Blizzard the Far Pole turned into 2 rings and Jetstream the Blue Sky into 1 star as Crow chanted.
"Jet-black wings, slash the skies in tandem with a flash of light! Synchro Summon! Appear! Assault Blackwing - Kunisada the Fogbow!
Assault Blackwing - Kunisada the Fogbow Level 3, Dark, Winged-Beast, Synchro, ATK: 1000, DEF: 1000
"Another Synchro Summon? But that guy is too weak, so why even get that one out?"
"Once per turn, with the Kunisada the Fogbow's effect, I can return one Level 3 or lower "Blackwing" monster to my hand from my graveyard! Until my next draw, its ATK is added to the ATKs of all Synchro Summoned Blackwing monsters on my field! Blizzard the Far Pole adds 1300 ATK!" Crow announced.
Assault Blackwing - Kunisada the Fogbow ATK: 2300
Assault Blackwing - Kuniyoshi the Fogbow ATK: 2300
"The turn I activate this effect, I cannot battle! Turn end!"
At that time, Shinji was observing the duel through the Television that was in his room.
"What's wrong, Crow? Why are you in such a hurry?" He said in a concerned tone.
Back to the duel, Red was about ready to start his turn."You honestly think two 2300 ATK monsters are going to protect you from me? How insulting!"
'Where? Where are they?! They haven't been caught, have they?!' Crow fought the negative thoughts in his head.
'Again, looking at the audience. Is he underestimating me? No, he's not that stupid. Perhaps there's something else involved in all of this.' Red thought."Anyways, you'll have to excuse me for breaking you from this little trance of yours."
Crow frowned at his comment but decided not to say anything."My turn, draw! I summon Merlin from my hand!"
Merlin Level 3, Dark, Spellcaster, ATK: 1400, DEF: 500
"I'll do some Synchro Summoning of my own! I tune my Level 3 Merlin with the Level 2 Noble Knights Scartun! Wizard who controls the dark magics of destruction, warrior that is born from the ashes of a fire! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 5, Ignoble Knight of High Laundsallyn!"
A crimson mist surfaced from the ground and grew in size. A knight wielding 2 blades and black armor walked out of it and his body was letting out some kind of red steam.
Ignoble Knight of High Laundsallyn Level 5, Dark, Warrior, Synchro, ATK: 2100, DEF: 900
"That monster again! Is he planning for the same combo he used on me?" Tokumatsu observed on the screen.
"This is bad!" Yuya said from his room."His monster can be equipped with an Equip Card from his deck."
As expected, Red used the Equip Card Noble Arms - Caliburn and equipped it to Laundsallyn.
Ignoble Knight of High Laundsallyn ATK: 2600
"Red's monster has more ATK than Crow's!" Melisa stated the obvious.
"Battle! I attack your Kuniyoshi the Fogbow with Laundsallyn! Noble Dark Slice!" Laundsallyin rotated in circles, firing a ring like energy blade towards Kuniyoshi, cutting its body in half.
Crow lost control of its D-Wheel due to the sudden explosion but managed to recuperate control of it.
Crow LP: 3400
"Incredible! Red easily destroyed one of Crow's monsters and dealt some damage!"
"At this moment, Laundsallyn's second effect activates! At the end of the Battle Phase, if this card destroyed a monster by battle, I can add 1 "Noble Knights" or "Noble Arms" from my Deck to my hand!" I hope this much pain is enough to sharpen your senses!" Red said with a condescending tone."I end my turn!"
"At least he's going at a fast rate..." Crow murmured to himself."My turn! I draw!"
Assault Blackwing - Kunisada the Fogbow ATK: 1000
"Kunisada the Fogbow's effect ends and its ATK return to normal!" Melisa said.
"I activate the Spell Card, Graceful Charity! I can draw 3 cards and discard 2 from my hand!" Crow declared as he drew his cards."Next, I summon Blackwing - Blizzard the Far Pole and activate its effect! I can Special Summon a "Blackwing" monster from my graveyard! I Special Summon Blackwing - Harmattan the Sandstorm from my graveyard!"
Blackwing - Harmattan the Sandstorm Level 2, Dark, Winged-Beast, ATK: 800, DEF: 800
"It seems he wields his blade with thought. Not only did he draw 3 new cards from his deck, but by discarding 2, he was able to successfully used Blizzard the Far Pole's effect efficiently." Red analyzed.
"Let's finish this fast. Harmattan the Sandstorm can increase its Level by the Level of one "Blackwing" monster in my field! I choose the Level 3 Kunisada the Fogbow! Spread your jet-black wings and storm forth with roaring thunder! Slash apart the lightning! Synchro Summon! Cascade! Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Shower!"
Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Shower Level 7, Dark, Winged-Beast, Synchro, ATK: 2700, DEF: 2000
"Tch." Red clicked his tongue."He's already got a monster that surpasses mine."
"Once per turn, Raikiri the Showe can destroy cards on my opponent's field up to the number of "Blackwing" monsters I control!"
"Destroy the cards on my field?!"
"There are 2 "Blackwings" on my field and 2 cards on yours!" Crow declared as Laundallyn and the Equi Spell were destroyed.
"I attack directly with Raikiri the Shower!" Raikiri the Shower turned around and raised its sword as it was surrounded by lightning.
"If this attack hits, Tariko's LP will be diminished to a mere 1000," Naho said nonchalantly, take a sip of her tea.
'Dammit, dammit, dammit! What do I do now?! Huh?' Tariko noticed a floating card in the middle of the track.
"An action card! Action Cards are Spell Cards scattered across the entire duel field!" Melisa explained."Can Red use it to avoid the damage?"
'To think I'll have to use the Lancer's style of dueling to save myself! Damn!' Tariko cursed in frustration before reluctantly making a move to get the Action Card."Hold it! I activate the Action Card, Battle Reducer! For the rest of this turn, all damage I take is reduced to 0!"
Raikiri the Shower destroyed Red's monster by sending a tornado-like attack towards it.
"Red used an Action Card and escaped from Crow's incoming attacks! Looks like Lady Luck is smiling upon him!"
'Please, for the love of God! Don't say that! You're making me sound like Evan!' Tariko groaned internally.
'I'll end it next turn.!' Crow reassured himself, taking a look at the audience.'Wait for me, you guys!' "Turn end!"
"My move! I draw!" Red looked through his hand.'Seems like I have no choice but to show them XYZ Summon. Still, with Kurosaki here, it won't go unnoticed by him the kind of power I possess.'
"Hey, can you hurry up over there?! Hurry up and make your move already!" Crow complained as he continued scanning the stands.
"Screw you! If you want to lose that badly, I'll show you what I'm capable of! From my hand, I summon Noble Knight Artorigus in ATK mode!"
Noble Knight Artorigus Level 4, Light, Warrior, Normal, ATK: 1800, DEF: 1800
"Following that, if I control a Light Normal monster, I can Special Summon Gawayn in DEF mode from my hand!"
Another knight with bronze armor and a blue cape appeared on Red's field.
Noble Knight Gawayn Level 4, Light, Warrior, 1900, DEF: 500
"Now! I construct the Overlay Network with the Level 4 Artorigus and the Level 4 Gawayn!" Red declared with exhilaration in his voice."Ancient king, Chosen by the Blade, Ruler Gone and Ruler to Be! Your Humble Vassals Call You Forth! XYZ Summon! Take to the Field of Battle! Rank 4! Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights!"
A bulky man with a red cape on his back appeared on the field. He was clad in silver armor and had a red cape.
Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights Rank 4, Light, Warrior, XYZ, ATK: 2000, DEF: 2000
The audience went wild in cheers or gasps. Even Melisa was left speechless at the boy's sudden move.
Kurosaki punched the screen of his t.v with rage, cracking it."Dammit! I knew there was something odd about his deck, but I disregarded as being a different variant in this dimension. There's no question...that is Tariko's Deck!"
With a swift motion, Kurosaki started slamming his fists against the door, yelling in outrage."Open up! Those guys are with Academia! They're tricking all of us!"
Meanwhile, Yuya was unconsciously doing the same thing in his room, but it was Yuto had taken control over his body.
"That's Tariko's deck! They must have stolen it from him!" Yuto exclaimed."They are with Academia!"
"XYZ Summon..." Serena whispered."So it was true. All of the masked people are members of the Unifiers of Chaos."
Yuke watched silently next to Akaba Reiji, Tsukikage, Reira, Ender, and the Executive Council.
"XYZ Summon..." Reiji repeated, watching Ender's back."Care to elaborate on that?"
"There's no need for further explanation, Akaba Reiji. Like you, we are skilled in using the different types of summoning. A simple Xyz Summon shouldn't be much of a surprise this early in the tournament." Ender explained, an obvious hint of boredom in his voice.
"Artorigus' effect activates!" Red announced."When this card is successfully XYZ Summoned, I can target up to 3 "Noble Arms" Equip Spells from my graveyard and equip them to this card! I'll equip Artorigus with Noble Arms - Caliburn!"
Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights ATK: 2500
"In just a matter of seconds, Red XYZ Summoned a powerful monster and re-equipped his Equip Spell from before!"
'What does this mean? I thought only a few of the others could perform this summoning method.' Crow thought, glancing back at his opponent's unreadable face.
"I'm far from done, you know! I activate Caliburn's effect! Once per turn, I gain 500 LP!"
Red LP: 4200
"Furthermore, I activate the Equip Spell, Noble Arms of Destiny and Noble Arms - Gallatin! Gallatin gives my monster an extra 1000 ATK!"
Artorigus wielded 2 swords in his hands and one appeared in his mouth, biting down on the grip
Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights ATK: 3500
"I attack Raikiri the Shower with Artorigus! Noble Commandment!" Artorigus started rotating in circles at an incredible speed, to the point where it looked like he was a small hurricane.
"Artorigus is way stronger than Raikiri the Shower! If this attack lands now, Crow would be in serious trouble!" Melisa exclaimed, prompting for the audience to cheer.
Crow spotted an Action Card and quickly grabbed it."Action Card, Formidable Foe! My monsters cannot be destroyed by battle for the rest of the turn!"
"You'll still take damage!" Red pointed out. Artorigus launched himself in his hurricane form and clashed against Raikiri who tried to fight back until his sword was destroyed by the velocity Artorigus was rotating his blades.
Crow LP: 1900
"Crow used an Action Card to save his monster but still took the difference in damage! Seems like Red's counterattack was more than enough to put him on the lead! How will Crow respond?!"
"Turn end. None of that will be happening, right, Crow? I know what you've been bothered by all this time." Red said, taking Crow completely by surprise.
"W-what do you..."
Red shifted his gaze over at the stands and Crow did the same. There, the sight of the kids being cornered by security made him skip a heart beat.
"You guys! Get out of here!" Crow yelled."Run!"
"You care about those kids. Them being in dangered is the cause of your turmoil, which essentially affects your capability of dueling." Red explained, his voice slowly becoming more deep and sinister."Make no mistake when I say I will find those kids and cut them in half after I'm done with you. It won't be difficult to do so since you're the only line of defense between me and them."
Crow's blood ran cold, paralyzed after hearing the threat after the kids.'He...he will...hurt them. I can't allow that. They mean the world to me! If it wasn't for them, I'm not sure what would have become of me. I will not let them be in harm's way, even if it costs me my life and my freedom!'
"That's right. Be consumed by chaos and succumbed into despair. It's over."
"I will not let you touch them," Crow replied with a voice of unholy wrath. I'll kill you before that happens! My turn, draw!"
The audience cheered at Crow's sudden increase in willpower.
"Crow Hogan has yet to lose all hope, ladies, and gentlemen!"
"Seems like your spirit has finally returned to you. Finally, we can draw our swords and clash in an epic battle of true warriors!" Red exclaimed.
"I activate the Spell Card, Against the Wind! " Crow declared, ignoring Red's remarks."I add Blizzard the Far Pole from my graveyard to my hand and take damage equal to its ATK!"
Crow LP: 600
"He took so much damage already and has already taken more voluntarily. He's not driven by blind rage but..." Red said.
"I summon Blizzard the Far Pole!"
Blackwing - Blizzard the Far Pole Level 2, Dark, Winged-Beast, Tuner, ATK: 1300, DEF: 0
"I activate Blizzard the Far Pole's effect!" Crow continued."Appear, Jetstream the Blue Sky!"
Blackwing - Jetstream the Blue Sky Level 1, Dark, Winged-Beast, ATK: 100, DEF: 800
"Furthermore, I activate the Spell Card, Synchro Cost! The Level of all Synchro Monsters I control is reduced by 2!"
Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Shower Level 5
Assault Blackwing - Kunisada the Fogbow Level 1
"I tune the Level 1 Jetstream the Blue Sky with the Level 2 Blizzard the Far Pole! Jet-Black sword, echo in tandem with your wings! Synchro Summon! Appear! Assault Blackwing - Kunifusa the Fogbow!"
Assault Blackwing - Kunifusa the Fogbow Level 3, Dark, Winged-Beast, Synchro, ATK: 1000, DEF: 1000
"What's the point of this? You keep bringing this 1000 ATK Synchro monsters, but none of them can compare to Artorigus!" Red argued.
"You really think so? When a "Blackwing" monster is used as material to Synchro Summon Assault Blackwing - Kunifusa the Fogbow, it can be treated as a tuner!"
"As a tuner?!"
"I tune the now treated Level 1 Kunisada and the Level 5 Raikiri with the Level 3 Kunifusa!"
As Kunisada and Raikiri turned into 6 stars and Kunifusa turned into 3 rings surrounding them, Crow chanted.
"Spread your jet-black wings amidst gathering clouds and become the sword that divides the heavens! Synchro Summon! Descend, Level 9! Assault Blackwing - Kusanagi the Gathering Clouds!"
An anthropomorphic bird warrior clad in violet armor and holding an oddly-shaped sword appeared on Crow's field.
Assault Blackwing - Kusanagi the Gathering Clouds Level 9, Dark, Black-Winged, Synchro, ATK: 3000, DEF: 3000
"Nice job, Crow!" "Go for it!" Amanda and Tarren cheered respectively.
"A Synchro Summon with 3 Synchro Monsters..." Red breathed."However, you still have a long way to go before you even dream of defeating me!"
"I'm not done yet, Red!" Crow declared."Until the End Phase of the turn Kusanagi the Gathering Clouds is Synchro Summoned, it gains ATK equal to the ATK of all Blackwing Synchro monsters used as its material!"
Kusanagi the Gathering Clouds ATK: 3000+1000+1000+2700=7700
"Using Synchro Monsters as material for an even stronger Synchro Monster, Crow has successfully brought out an even stronger one with an ATK of 7700!" Melissa announced enthusiastically.
"I attack Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights with Kusanagi the Gathering Clouds!"
"Hell no!" Red cried out as accelerated towards an Action Card. Crow bit his lower lip and stepped on the accelerator as well. Barely missing Red's D-Wheel, Crow grabbed the Action Card and immediately activated it.
"Action Card, Double Attack! The ATK of Kusanagi is doubled until the end of this turn!"
Kusanagi the Gathering Clouds ATK: 15400
"AN ATTACK OF 15400!" Red screamed in shock.
The rest of the Unifiers of Chaos observed the duel in their respective areas, waiting patiently for the defeat of one of their members.
Kusanagi's blade was enveloped in black thunder, which was then shot forward in the form of a crescent wave, bisecting Artorigus in the middle and creating an explosion that sent Red flying out of his D-Wheel onto the ground. Red's mask cracked open on the left side of it as he began rolling around uncontrollably on the course.
Red LP: 0
Winner: Crow Hogan!
"It's settled! Although it was a bit overkill..." Melisa's cheery voice died down at the end. However, this was soon fixed upon seeing the audience clapping and cheering loudly."Making an unexpected comeback with nothing but willpower, we have the winner, Crow Hogan!
Crow came to a halt and removed his helmet, a sheen of cold sweat shining on his brow."I wasn't able to see much of his Deck, but I can already deduce the amount of Equip Spells he uses."
"Phew!" Cody exhaled."Crow defeated one of those masked freaks! I can't wait to get a shot at them!"
Inside of Yuya's room, Yuto had calmed down and switched places back with Yuya.
"Yuto, are you going to be okay?" Yuya asked his XYZ counterpart.
Choosing to be silent over the matter, Yuto's figure disappeared from sight again, leaving a Yuya with many questions in his head.
"Now I know. These people are from Academia and are here most likely to cause another armageddon. But I won't let them do as they please!" Kurosaki exclaimed with a determined look on his face.
A group of medics rushed over to Red's side and laid him on the stretcher, part of his face being exposed due to his mask cracking severely. However, the cameras avoided showing the feature and instead focused on a confused looking Crow.
"It would seem like Tariko's swordsman code of honor-I mean, his ego, prevented him from defeating Crow earlier." Naho stated plainly."But this was to be expected, I suppose. In case either Yuzu or Serena lose their matches, Tariko will keep an eye on them wherever they take the losers."
"So it is." Makoto's voice replied from Naho's watch."Regardless, our objective has yet to change."
"That's the good thing." Wendy yawned on the other side of the line."If we're still here, it means Yuke is doing a good job at making up excuses."
"That, and Roget is vouching for us. He covers out tracks perfectly so we cannot be found out, at least for the time being. However, I'm sure Kurosaki already knows."
"Indeed." Makoto agreed."Shun is not one to dismiss even the smallest detail. He's most likely onto us, as well as Akaba Reiji."
"But what will keep them from talking is their credibility. To the Executive Council, their words must be backed up by winning this tournament." Wendy reminded them.
Makoto hummed in thought."The rule applies to us as well."
"Meh. You worry about stupid details too much." Wendy scoffed in a somewhat insulted manner."We are the strongest team in Academia, you know. We already completed our mission as soon as we set foot on this place."
"However, we cannot ignore the fact that the Lancers are powerful. It'd be wise to keep them under control." Naho suggested.
"No shit, Sherlock. Yuke is doing that as we speak. On top of that, the Executive Council has restricted their movements as well." Wendy stated with satisfaction in her voice.
Makoto sighed in exasperation."Disregarding your condescending attitude, fouler..." Wendy gritted her teeth at the nickname."...for now, we must wait for further instructions and continue with this tournament as regular participants. And when the time is right...we are to eradicate this dimension to the point where it's considered a wasteland."
And that, folks, was the end of Chapter 15 and the beginning of the Friendship Cup. I know some may be wondering why Tariko, a member of the Unifiers of Chaos lost right off the bat and in such an odd way. Don't worry about it, Tariko will play a funny role in the next chapters xD. Tariko lost his duel for 2 reasons; One, he underestimated Crow and let his ego get the better of him and two, the swordsman honor inside of him made him provoke Crow in order to have a fair and honorable match, which resulted in a massacre. And if you're wondering, yes, Yuke will participate in the tournament but is with the Executive Council for his leadership over the others. I'd also like to point out that the Lancers knowing that the 'Forsakers' are from Academia won't affect them in the least, for now.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed and don't forget to read, review, favorite and follow. Until next time!