Pikatwig: So… this chapter will be containing a duel between Yuma and Yuya.
KKD: They're nearly the same name. Just one letter difference.
Pikatwig: Yeah… and they pretty much exhausted out all of the two syllable sounding 'Yu' names with Yuya's alternate dimension selves, so… probably goes on to explain Yusaku's name. Wonder if they'll ever use Yusuke.
KKD: Who knows. We'll have to see. If anything, I think they need to start using female protagonists as the focus.
Pikatwig: I think so too. And… funny you bring that up, given a joke that be in the chapter. Anyway... today's battle is between the guy that even the staff says lacks skills vs. the character who's move that had never been seen before in his world actually gets him called a cheater.
KKD: Really?
Pikatwig: Yep. After Yuya failed to get the Pendulum Summon to work the second time he tried it and lost a duel, people starting calling him a cheater.
KKD: Sheesh!
Pikatwig: Yeah.
KKD: So… how'd he fail to get it to work the second time when he got it to work the first time?
Pikatwig: He didn't remember doing it the first time.
KKD: Why not?
Pikatwig: Reasons.
KKD: Can you say the reasons?
Pikatwig: Partly spoilers and partly complicated stuff.
KKD: Shoot. Oh well.
Pikatwig: Anyway… let's go ahead and get started. You kept me waiting long enough to work on this. *gets looks* Behind the scenes stuff we won't be getting into.
KKD: Right, of course.
Disclaimers: Neither author owns the rights to anything in this story apart from original content. Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal, Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains are owned by Konami and their respective owners.
Jaden got into an observer area as he watched Yuma and Yuya enter the arena, "This should be interesting. Two kids from another version of history…"
"It is interesting to say the least," Yubel admitted.
"So… where do you think Yusei is? I haven't seen him since I beat him earlier…"
"I'm not entirely sure. Maybe he got sent back…"
"It's gonna be nice to battle another Xyz summoner," Yuya smiled as he had finished shuffling Yuma's deck.
"Don't think I'm going to go easy on you just because you're a girl," Yuma retorted.
"Uh… I'm a guy."
"Sure you are…"
"Yes I am!" Yuya yelled.
"Keep it cool, Yuya…" a voice told him.
Yuma and Yuya handed each-other their decks back and then walked to their respective sides of the field.
"You ready?" Yuya inquired.
"Whenever you are, Miss," Yuma smiled.
"I already told you that I'm a guy!"
"Yeesh… sensitive much?" Yuma commented, "Well. doesn't matter. Let's reach out to the sky!"
Yuya took a moment to shake his head before he turned towards the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen… it's showtime!"
(Yuma: 4000; Yuya: 4000)
"I'll start this duel off by summoning Cardcar D in Attack Mode!" Yuma announced, summoning what appeared to be a car as flat as a card that was blue with a design on the hood resembling a yellow dragon with a red D.
(Cardcar D; Lvl 2; ATK: 800; DEF: 400)
"And I'll activate its effect! I tribute it to draw two cards, but I can't Special Summon this turn!" Yuma declared as the car vanished, "I set one card face down. Your move."
"Okay then. First, I'll summon Performapal Skullcrobat Joker to my field!" Yuya announced as a jester appeared in a black and purple suit with a skull-themed top hat.
(Performapal Skullcrobat Joker; Lvl 4; ATK: 1800; DEF: 100)
"Now, I'll use its effect to add a Performapal, Magician, or Odd-Eyes Monster from my Deck to my hand!" Yuya explained before taking a card and placing it in his hands, "And now, it's time to set the Pendulum Scales in place!"
"If I knew what you were talking about, miss, I'd say something more than what I'm saying right now."
"Are you trying to make me angry?" Yuya questioned before he quickly shrugged it off and readied two cards.
(Insert Song: Arc-V OST 09 Swing! Pendulum of Souls)
"I set the Pendulum Scale with the Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician!" Yuya declared as he loaded cards of two spellcasters, one appeared white with a purple cape and blonde hair while the other wore black and gold with red hair, taking to both sides of the stage as numbers appeared beneath them, and a pendulum started to swing between them, "Now, I can summon any monster with Levels 1 through 8!"
"What kind of summoning gimmick is THIS?!" Jaden gasped.
"Swing, pendulum of the soul!" Yuya shouted as the jewel-like pendulum swung between his two monsters, "Draw an arc of light across the ether! I now Pendulum Summon! Appear now, my monsters!"
The pendulum swing at a rapid pace to create a sort of portal in the sky between the two monsters and, through the portal, came three lights.
The first was a humanoid monster in purple and white armor with hair made of a blue-fire like substance, a staff in hand with a green tip of sorts.
(Performapal Odd-Eyes Dissolver; Lvl 8; ATK: 2000; DEF: 2600)
Second was a female monster with hooves, a dark blue outfit with white highlights, yellow shoulder pads, a unicorn horn, and sky blue hair and matching tail.
(Performapal Corn; Lvl 3; ATK: 600; DEF: 1000)
And thirdly was a red dragon with white horns and attachments decorated with orbs of varying colors, a yellow beak, and a blue chest. The dragon let out a fierce roar as Yuya simply had a calm smile.
(Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon; Lvl 7; ATK: 2500; DEF: 2000)
"How did you do that?! You managed to summon monsters higher than level 4 without a single tribute! That's against the rules in my time!" Yuma yelled.
"I said that by putting my magicians in the Pendulum Zones, I could summon ANY monster with levels between 1 and 8. I get that I was the guy who invented this, but I try to make the explanation simple!" Yuya responded.
"He INVENTED this type of card and summoning?!" Jaden gawked in the observing area.
"How interesting…" Yubel commented.
(End Insert Song)
"Now then, I'm going to wipe you out in just one turn! With my four monsters, I can beat you with direct attacks! It's over, Yuma! It looks like this round of the tournament won't be lasting as long as the pharaoh hoped! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Yuma directly!"
"Not gonna happen! I activate the effect of my Gagaga Gardna in my hand! When my foe does a Direct Attack, I can special summon this in Attack Position!" Yuma declared as a cloaked figure in dark purple wearing a silver helmet while wielding a massive magenta, dark purple, and yellow shield appeared.
(Gagaga Gardna; Lvl 4; ATK: 1500; DEF: 2000)
"Your Gagaga Gardna only has 1500 attack points. It's weaker than my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, so now I'll attack your monster with my Dragon! Your Gagaga Gardna is a… gagaga goner!" Yuya joked.
"I activate Gagaga Gardna's special effect. By discarding a card, I can cancel your dragon's attack, and I discard Gagaga Girl," Yuma shouted, the shield user standing his ground as the dragon's attack was blocked.
"You may have had your monster survive the round, but you still lose life points because your monster was in attack position," Yuya commented, "And I still got two monsters that can attack and beat your monster!"
(Yuma: 4000-3000)
"Performapal Odd-Eyes Dissolver, attack Gagaga Gardna!"
"Nope! I play Negate Attack!" Yuma countered, the attack simply being reflected off of the card, "Your attack is negated and your phase ends!"
Yuya sighed as he leaned back a bit.
"I draw!" Yuma smiled as he took out a card, "Alright. Now, I summon Gogogo Golem in Attack Mode!"
A rock being with what appeared to be a tower for a torso emerged.
(Gogogo Golem; Lvl: 4; ATK: 1800; DEF: 1500)
"...Performapal, Gagaga, Gogogo? What kind of names are those…?" Jaden muttered.
"Says the guy who came up with Neo Spacians."
"Now, it's time to Xyz summon my ace!" Yuma declared.
"...what summon?" Jaden blinked.
"I build the Overlay network with my two Level 4 monsters! I Xyz Summon my buddy, my pal, my partner, the ultimate… Number 39: Utopia!" Yuma proudly shouted.
From that, two cards layered on top of each other, 4 golden stars turning black as a knight-like figure emerged with gray and golden armor, wings, a sword, and the red number 39 on his shoulder.
(Number 39: Utopia; Rank: 4; ATK: 2500; DEF: 2000)
"Now, I'll attack your Dragon and slay it!" Yuma announced.
"But… our monsters have the same attack points! They'll both go down!"
Yuma had a content look on his face as both monsters collided, and a bright light seemed to flash, but a roar was heard and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon was gone.
"Wait, what? My Pendulum Dragon's gone?! And Utopia's still out on the field?!" Yuya gawked
"Utopia is a Number Monster. And like all Number Monsters, Utopia cannot be destroyed in battle, EXCEPT by other Number Monsters!" Yuma declared with a scoff.
"But I don't have any of these 'Number Monster'!" Yuya responded, giving a wave of his hands as he said 'Number Monsters'.
"Then it doesn't look good for you, girly."
"I AM NOT A GIRL! GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD ALREADY!"
"I set one card face down. Your turn, miss."
"CALL ME A GIRL ONE MORE TIME AND I'LL BITE YOUR HEAD OFF!" Yuya snapped, his eyes glowing red and his hair starting to float.
"Yuya, cool it…"
Yuya was about to respond, but then gasped as a vision flashed in front of his eyes. He began to calm down a bit, yet seemed scared of something.
"Yuya?"
"I… I… I…" he stammered nervously as he backed up a bit, "I…"
"Are you alright down there?!" Jaden called out from his spot.
Yuya shook his head for a moment to try to regain his focus a bit, "...I… I'll use the already set in place Pendulum Scales to… Pendulum Summon! Revive from the Extra Deck, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"
"Wait, what?! What are you doing?!"
The portal between the two magicians reappeared and out of it emerged Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.
(Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon; Lvl 7; ATK: 2500; DEF: 2000)
'Yuto… I… I'm seeing a lot of stuff right now. I… can't focus…' Yuya thought.
"Don't worry… I got this."
Yuya's eyes turned silver and he looked at the current field, "I now summon Performapal Coin Dragon to my field!"
Then came a green Chinese dragon with a coin on its forehead, a blue vest and a pink bowtie.
(Performapal Coin Dragon: Lvl 4; ATK: 1700; DEF: 1000)
"And now, I'll fight fire with fire! I Overlay Performapal Coin Dragon and Performapal Skullcrobat Joker!" Yuya announced as he caused the two monsters to enter a portal, "Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! I Xyz Summon Rank 4, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"
This summoned up a large black and silver dragon with purple and magenta parts all over
(Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon; Rank: 4; ATK: 2500; DEF: 2000)
"Still not a Number Monster, dumb girl."
"...wow, you're annoying…" Yuya sighed.
"I get that a lot!" Yuma said with a smile.
"But now, I set one card face down and end my turn," Yuya declared, "Your move."
"So, basically, an Xyz Summon is done when you put two monsters of the same level together underneath the card you want to summon via use of the Overlay Network," Rio explained as she had some cards on a table, "It's rumored the Xyz Monsters originally came to our world from the other side of a black hole and that energy transformed into the Overlay Network."
"Really?" Akiza blinked.
"Just a rumor, but still."
"As for Synchro Summoning, It basically requires a bit of math, but you take a Tuner Monster and tune it with several other monsters to meet the level of the Synchro you wish to summon," Luna explained.
"Heh… I know one of my friends wouldn't ever want to use it because it involves math."
"So… why is it the cards have a different color for their level numbers?" Carly asked.
"Xyz Monsters don't, ordinarily, have levels. They have Ranks."
"What's the difference?"
"Hard to explain…"
"So, are they all Level 0?"
"...What?"
"I'll set one card face down and then end my turn," Yuya declared as he put a card down.
"My turn. First, I'm gonna play Graceful Charity! With this, I get to draw three cards as long as I discard two," Yuma announced, "And I end my turn."
"You didn't attack this turn with a monster I can't destroy? Wow… you're stupid. Well, my turn. I draw," Yuya announced.
"Does something about Yuya seem… off to you?" Jaden asked.
"Almost like his personality changed…" Yubel commented.
Yuya looked at the card he drew for a moment before he gasped at it, "No way… this is... "
"Yuri's dragon?"
The card that Yuya had drawn was that of a purple and gold dragon with red gems all over, yellow orbs and horns, as well as what looked to be green ooze
"How did you…?"
Yuya's eyes returned to their normal color and he quickly readied a card, "I now play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!"
"It happened again," Jaden muttered.
"I now use the effect of Performapal Odd-Eyes Dissolver, which allows me to perform a fusion summon with a card in my Pendulum Zone!" Yuya declared as Timegazer Magician left its spot and flew forward towards Odd-Eyes Dissolver, "Those dichromatic eyes that illuminate the dark night! Become the guide of time and point to a new path!"
"What's he trying now…?" Jaden wondered.
"I Fusion Summon!" Yuya declared with his arms outstretched as his monsters appeared together and got sucked into a tunnel before Yuya slammed his hands together, "Appear to my side, Starve Venom Fusion Dragon!"
The dragon from the card emerged and roared loudly.
(Starve Venom Fusion Dragon; Lvl: 8; ATK: 2800; DEF: 2000)
"And I now play a Spell Card, Card Thief!" Yuya declared, "Now, I'll declare a type of monster that you'll need to hand over to me for the remainder of the duel at the cost of 100 Life Points. So hand one over one Number Monster!"
(Yuya: 4000-3900)
Yuma gave a sigh as he took a Number Monster card out of his Extra Deck and tossed it towards Yuya.
"And now, I end my turn."
"Well then, it's my move, girly," Yuma smirked.
"Will you stop that?!" Yuya yelled.
"Now I'm starting to wonder if he's intentionally doing that to annoy Yuya or is just genuinely not aware Yuya is a guy…" Yubel commented.
"Who knows," Jaden shrugged.
"I'll activate a spell card. Monster Reborn!" Yuma announced, "This'll let me bring back one of the cards I sent to the Graveyard with Graceful Charity and I summon Flelf!"
He summoned up a blonde elven figure with a blue cloak, wearing armor underneath and wielding a sword.
(Flelf; Lvl: 2; ATK: 800; DEF: 1300)
"Next, I activate Flelf's ability. I discard my Level 3 Achacha Archer to increase Flelf's Level by 3!" Yuma announced.
(Flelf; Lvl: 2-5)
"And now I summon Gagaga Magician from my hand!"
He summoned up a spellcaster similar in appearance to the iconic Dark Magician, but his armor was black with a turned down hat, crimson armor around along with chains that went around most of its body.
(Gagaga Magician; Lvl: 4; ATK: 1500; DEF: 1000)
"And I activate its effect to change its level from 4 to 5! Now, it's time for another Xyz Summon!" Yuma smirked.
(Gagaga Magician; Lvl: 4-5)
"I Overlay Flelf and Gagaga Magician to Xyz summon Number 61: Volcasaurus!"
The two monsters he used were soon sucked into a vortex before from it emerged a large bipedal dinosaur with purple scales, red armor and yellow spikes, and what looked to be a yellow tail
(Number 61: Volcasaurus; Rank: 5; ATK: 2500; DEF: 1000)
"Now, I'll use Volcasaurus' special ability! I detach one Xyz Material from the card to destroy your Starve Venom Fusion Dragon and inflict damage to your life points equal to the attack points of that monster!" Yuma declared as the dinosaur roared at Starve Venom Fusion Dragon before the monster shattered.
(Yuya: 3900-1100)
"Tch! Lucky shot!" Yuya responded.
"Now, Utopia, attack his Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon and destroy it with the Rising Sun Slash!"
Utopia raised its blade high into the air and as the blade glowed it slashed down and caused Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon to vanish.
"And, now, I send one card to my Graveyard and end my turn. So how's it feel to get beat by somebody smart like me? Then again, you'd know about getting whooped since you're just a girl who can't even play by the rules."
"...it's not even worth the energy to yell at him anymore…" Yuya groaned.
"I'm glad I've never encountered anybody this dumb back in my dimension…" the voice in Yuya's head sighed.
"Yea… hopefully Yuzu hasn't met anybody this dumb…"
"You're safe…" Serena gawked as Yuzu walked over to her.
"Hi Serena. It's been a while," Yuzu smiled.
"So… are you two sure you're not sisters? You just happen to look an awful lot like twins…" Alexis commented.
"We're not," they said in unison.
"So… who is this?" Yuzu asked.
"I'm Alexis. Alexis Rhodes, Duel Queen of Duel Academy and a Hypno Duelist," Alexis informed.
Yuzu gave a nod of her head before she paled a little, "Duel Academy…?"
"Not the same one I'm from," Serena said assuringly, letting Yuzu sigh a bit in relief, "Very much a good thing. Otherwise… we'd be in a lot of trouble right now.."
"Yeah…" Yuzu nodded, "So… where's Yuya?"
"He went to go deal with something. Hopefully we can reunite soon," Serena informed.
"Yea…"
Serena and Alexis were about to say something to Yuzu, but Yuzu slowly backed away a bit from them.
"Yuzu?" Serena asked.
Yuzu tilted her head down for a moment, her hair covering her eyes in shadows, and then she began to growl.
"Oh no…" Serena whispered as she slowly backed away.
"What?" Alexis questioned.
"So… remember how I said some stuff to you earlier about me not being in control of my actions and seemingly betraying my friends in the future? Well… I'm guessing Yuzu's starting to remember that… but minus the fact I wasn't in control of my actions during that point…" Serena explained.
Yuzu then, without saying a word, got out a paper fan and pretty much told Serena that she was right. Serena quickly started to run as fast as she could.
"GET BACK HERE YOU TRAITOR!" Yuzu yelled as she chased after Serena.
"Wait! Stop!" Alexis yelled, "Get back here you two!"
Neither of them listened to her, so Alexis started to chase after them.
"I draw!" Yuya declared as he drew his next card and gave a smile, "Looks like I got a back-up plan in case this plan doesn't work. Okay. First, I'll set Xiangsheng Magician in my open Pendulum Zone!"
A pinkette archer with magician's clothing and a mask to cover much of her face appeared to the right of Stargazer Magician.
"Now, I can Pendulum Summon once more!" Yuya smirked, "Swing, pendulum of the soul! Draw an arc of light across the ether! I now Pendulum Summon! Appear now, my monsters!"
From the sky appeared two monsters. The first was a rather handsome gentleman that resembled a stage magician with a beaming smile.
(Performapal Smile Sorcerer; Lvl 8; ATK: 2500; DEF: 2000)
The other was a blonde girl with a white, purple, and green uniform and with a kind of unicorn motif.
(Performapal Uni; Lvl 4; ATK: 800; DEF: 1500)
"I now play a Spell Card, Multi-Monster! With this, I can pay 100 Life Points to create a duplicate of one monster on my field and I choose Performapal Uni!"
(Yuya: 1100-1000)
Uni seemed to split in two, the two monsters smiling as they waved to the crowd.
"And now I construct the Overlay Network with the two Unis I have!" Yuya declared as the girls high fived and dove into the dark vortex that spawned below them, "Hey, kid, question. What killed the dinosaurs?"
"...what?" Yuma blinked.
"The ice age! I Xyz Summon Number 103: Ragnazero!"
From the vortex emerged a woman with a dark mask and headdress wearing a white dress with gold and crimson accents, ice like blades emerging from her back as the number 103 appeared on one of these blades that resembled a wing.
(Number 103: Ragnazero; Rank 4; ATK: 2400; DEF: 1200)
"And I know play a Trap Card, Xyz Charge! By giving up one monster for the remainder of the duel, I can boost one Xyz Monster's Attack points by 1000! I banish Smile Sorcerer to activate the effect of Xyz Charge!"
Smile Sorcerer then turned into a bright light before merging with Ragnazero.
(Number 103: Ragnazero; ATK: 2400-3400)
"Ragnazero, attack Volcasaurus!" Yuya declared.
The frozen girl then summoned up several ice blades before launching then at the dinosaur, freezing it and then slashing right through the dinosaur.
(Yuma: 3000-2100)
"I end my turn."
"I draw!" Yuma announced as he pulled out a card, "Well, could've used this a minute ago. Ah well. I activate my Spell Card, Memories of Hope! This allows me to draw cards equal to the number of Number Xyz Monsters on my side of the field."
He pulled out another card and smirked, "Alright then. I activate… Pot of Desires! By banishing the top 10 cards of my deck, facedown, I get to draw two cards."
Yuma smiled as he looked at the cards, but then paled a little.
"Seems like your plan didn't work out, did it?" Yuya questioned.
"...I'll have Utopia attack Ragnazero!"
Yuya gave a confused look, "Well… because I like to see fun duels and not have things blow up if it's just for fun, I'm going to save you from that fatal move. I activate my Trap Card, Performing Call! As long as one Performapal is on the field, I can activate this trap card to negate an attack from my opponent."
"Just what I was hoping for. I activate this Quick-Play Spell Card… Double or Nothing!" Yuma announced, "Since you negated my attack, I get to attack with Utopia once more! And, with the card, his attack points get doubled!"
(Number 39: Utopia: 2500-5000)
"Go, Utopia! Finish him off!"
"I'm not going down that easily! I'll summon Performapal Kuriborder!"
Yuya called out a Kuriboh-like monster dressed for Christmas as Utopia charged.
(Performapal Kuriborder; Lvl 1; ATK: 300; DEF: 200)
"When my foe declares an attack at me or one of my monsters, I can special summon this monster and turn all of that damage into life point!" Yuya declared as Utopia smacked Kuriborder.
(Yuya: 1000-5700)
"I hate your stupid performing monster, girly. You're nothing but a showoff!"
Yuya simply rolled his eyes as he quickly shrugged.
"I end my turn…" Yuma growled.
"I draw!" Yuya announced, then gaining a smile as he saw the card in his hand. He quickly put it in his hand and then looked to the field, "I activate a trap card. Overlay Destruction!"
"What the…?"
"Now, with this Trap Card, all Xyz Monsters are broken apart to their material and banished from the duel. While this costs me my Number Monster, your Utopia is out of my way!" Yuya announced.
Suddenly, both Ragnazero and Utopia ended up breaking apart and the monsters that made them up ended up banished.
"And now, I play my Spell Card, Odd-Eyes Fusion Gate!" Yuya declared, causing Jaden to look on with an interested look, "Now with this card, I can special summon a Fusion Monster from my graveyard. I bring back Starve Venom Fusion Dragon and fuse it with my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"
The two dragons roared as they soared into the air once more, roaring loudly as they soared into the air.
"Dragon with dual colored eyes! Become one with the poisonous dragon! Be the power that leads to supremacy! I Fusion Summon!" Yuya declared as he did the same motion he did earlier, "Appear to my side, my Level 10 Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon!"
The two dragons got sucked into another vortex before they came out as one large purple dragon with white armor, and red and green orbs surrounding it.
(Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon; Lvl 10; ATK 3300; DEF: 2500)
"Sugoi…" Jaden gawked, "It looks awesome…"
"And now, since I remember you sent a card to the Graveyard earlier, I won't attack with Venom dragon. Kuriborder, attack Yuma directly!"
"No you don't! I counter with the Rainbow Kuriboh I sent to the Graveyard earlier!" Yuma yelled as a rainbow colored Kuriboh with smooth skin instead of fur and appeared, "Since you declared such an attack, I can special summon this guy from the graveyard!"
(Rainbow Kuriboh; Lvl 1; ATK: 100; DEF: 100)
"Had a feeling you had a Kuriboh-type. Well then, Performapal Corn, attack Rainbow Kuriboh!" Yuya shouted.
Rainbow Kuriboh then tried to defend as the female monster dashed over and kicked it into the sky, causing the creature to disappear.
(Yuma: 2100-1600)
"I'm still in this duel!" Yuma declared.
"No, you're not. You forgot I have one dragon ready to finish you off," Yuya reminded as he pointed to Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon, "Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon… FINISH YUMA OFF!"
Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon let out a mighty roar before it blasted a massive attack at Yuma.
(Yuma: 1600-0)
"And I win," Yuya smiled as he turned towards the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you! Goodnight!"
Jaden began to cheer in response as Yuya gave a bow.
"I'll beat you next time, you stupid girl!" Yuma yelled as he hurried out of the arena.
"I! AM! NOT! A! GIRL!" Yuya angrily yelled.
"Still… this whole Xyz thing doesn't make much sense. I can't believe that the monsters you get after the process lack levels."
"Well, your Synchro thing is confusing too. I mean, the idea of adding up levels and needing a 'tuner' make sense on paper, but the execution is tricky seeing you hardly have the numbers you need…"
Luna and Carly just looked at the two as they conversed, but then the power suddenly went out.
"Oh…" Akiza sighed.
"...okay…" Rio nervously commented as she placed her hand over her Duel Disk.
"You alright?" Akiza asked.
Rio simply nodded her head nervously, Akiza smiling as she embraced her and kept the younger girl calm.
"...I ended up at a dark place once after I lost a duel, so… little nervous of it happening again…" Rio nervously admitted.
"Don't worry. I'll be sure to keep you safe…" Akiza told her in a calm and motherly tone.
"Crud…" Serena gulped as she ended up at a dead-end.
"I got you now, traitor," Yuzu angrily said as she had her paper fan at the ready, ready to strike as Alexis managed to catch up to the two, "You're going to pay for what you've done…"
She was about to strike at Serena, but Alexis' hand grabbed it.
"Hey, let my fan go!" Yuzu yelled.
"Alexis…" Serena whispered.
"Will you two knock it off?! Serena didn't do anything willingly!" Alexis told Yuzu.
"She betrayed me and my friends to our enemy. Or… will betray us. It's rather confusing, but I do know she betrays us a-"
"Not willingly. She was controlled by someone and wouldn't have done it to you willingly. Now will you just knock it off?!"
Yuzu was about to speak again, but her eyes gained a kind of foggy look for a moment. She eventually looked to Serena, her eyes turning back to normal, and began to nervously laugh, "...right. I remember now. Th-This is a bit awkward. I… uh…"
Alexis looked to them both with a somewhat irritated look, "Both of you. Follow me. Now."
"Yes ma'am," they quickly responded.
"...kids these days…" Alexis sighed as she guided them forward.
Meanwhile, back several years in the past, we see what appeared to be the Pharaoh in a Japanese high school uniform playing a round of Duel Monsters against an AI opponent.
"I play Multi-Monster to duplicate my Dark Magician. Now, I'll play Dedication Through Light and Darkness on the first one and Knight's Title on the second one," he called out in a much more youthful voice before he played the cards, "Come forth, Dark Magician of Chaos and Dark Magician Knight! Now, I will call a direct attack and finish you off."
The AI couldn't defend itself before it's monsters were destroyed and its Life Points hit zero.
"Hi Yugi," a woman's voice called out.
"Oh, hey Téa. Good to see you," the young man, Yugi, smiled.
The woman, Téa, walked over and gave Yugi a kiss on the cheek.
"How was rehearsal?"
"It went well. The play will finally be ready for its premiere tomorrow," Téa smiled as she took off a jacket, "Though, if I can say something, little worried I'm starting to get type-casted."
"What do you mean?"
"This is I think the fourth or fifth play where I've been put in a role where I get hypnotized. It's not that it's bad, but it can get tiresome."
"I can at least guess why that is."
"Do tell," Téa requested.
"You look really pretty while in a trance… and you were a big fan of that one hypnotist when we were younger. Oh… what was her name, what was her name…?"
"Aileen Rao?"
"Yeah, her. You were a big fan of hers when we were younger and even wanted to see her every time she visited town."
"...touché," Téa shrugged, "Either way, I guess I just hope I won't get type-casted as somebody who gets hypnotized all the time."
"Fair enough."
Tea sat down and took off her footwear as she began to relax a bit, "So, Yugi, how has the AI research been going?"
"Pretty well. The program appears to be functioning on an optimal level, and has gotten pretty used to dueling. Company wants me to make sure they're hack-proof as a safety protocol next. It's going to take some time, but I think I can do it."
"Alright. Hope it goes well," Téa smiled.
"But I will be taking tomorrow off so I can go to the play you're in. I promise," Yugi informed.
"Thanks, Yugi. You're so sweet," Téa smiled as she pulled him into a hug, "I'll be looking forward to having you see it."
"Well, it's getting late. I need to take off, myself. See you later tonight," Yugi told Téa.
"Alright. Later, Yugi."
As the two left the computer, though, a small light shined by the deck of cards and a new card appeared at the top of the stack…
Pikatwig: And we finally get to see the original protagonist and the girl who got hypnotized quite a lot.
KKD: Yea, no joke. Still, this was a fun chapter to write, too.
Pikatwig: Took forever for us to actually finish it because reasons, but that's neither here nor there.
KKD: Yea… sorry about that, folks.
Pikatwig: Going back to the topic of Téa getting hypnotized… that's such an important piece to the character that it was in at least three video games and happened, at minimum, 16 times. 15 by that guy with one of the Millennium Items, and once by the hypnotist that Yugi and Téa mentioned in their conversation.
KKD: Yeah, it was in Season 0. The season before the card game was fully the focus of the show.
Pikatwig: I only happened upon that info while skimming the Yu-Gi-Oh wiki for research purposes.
KKD: Interesting tidbits as always.
Pikatwig: As for people wondering what their relationship is right now… boyfriend and girlfriend. Not married.
KKD: Sorry folks. Give it more time.
Pikatwig: So… overall thoughts on the featured duel?
KKD: It was tricky to follow at first, but it was cool regardless.
Pikatwig: What made it tricky for you to follow?
KKD: Not sure.
Pikatwig: Alright. Favorite part?
KKD: Hmm… not sure, admittedly.
Pikatwig: While I did like the duel… I honestly thought the scene with Yugi and Téa was sweet. I may not know much about this series, but I did think the moment between them was nice.
KKD: That was a cute scene, I'll admit. Well, stay tuned in for more, folks. Jaa ne.
Pikatwig: Just Live More.