『 Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Dimensions is a story created based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! Series; please, please, PLEASE support the Official Release! 』
『 Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V is a Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, the fourth main spinoff series, which first aired in Japan in April 2014 and ended March 2017. The series is owned by Kasumi Oto, not myself, if it was owned by me.. The Yu-Salad and the Brace-Girls wouldn't have become just two people in the end. 』
〘 Last Time On Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Dimensions... 〙
"Masked HERO Emerald! Attack Blue-Eyes Lunar Dragon! Radiance Shooting!" Emerald would fire the arrow it pulled forward, it striking Lunar Dragon in its chest.
"Fractured Mirror's second effect. Any battle damage I would take, you would take as well."
"Yeah, I know! Better than a complete loss, though!" Yuji would raise his arm, guarding against the strong current of wind that would hit both him and Seiji.
〘 [Yuji] - 0 LP 〙
〘 [Seiji] - 0 LP 〙
After the dust cleared, Yuji and Seiji would be staring each other down. While Yuji had a grin on his face, Seiji had a blank expression.
[ ... ]
Shun had been walking across an alley with his eyes narrowed.
"Hmph.. I've crushed this many of his minions and he hasn't shown himself.."
Clutching his fist, the teen would narrow his eyes.
"Hey! You!"
Turning his head, he would notice Masumi standing behind him, a glare aimed his way.
"So you're alone..?"
She would clutch her fists.
"What happened to that kid and girl?"
She clicked her teeth in annoyance. "Don't know.. Don't care." Her eyes would meet with his. "I thought that the one in the black mask was responsible for Professor Marco's current condition.." Looking down, the growl behind her words became more audible. "No matter what the doctors do, he hasn't awoken.. What did you do to him?!"
"Professor.. Marco..?"
"He's the one who taught me how to Fusion Summon at LDS!"
Shun would take a moment to ponder over who all he has defeated since he started targeting LDS Duelists. "Oh, him." Shun would shrug, "His skills were lacking." Shun would raise a hand. "I don't blame him, though. He didn't have any experience in any real battle. If I were the same, I'd likely be just as pitiful and weak-"
[ ... ]
"Well, before you go investigate.. Allow me to make an investigation of my own." The two would turn around, their eyes locked on the approaching Yuto, who lifted his hand and removed his mask.
"Yuri..?" The Yuzu look-alike would mutter to herself, before shaking her head.
'She looks like Ruri, but.. Even my heart tells me her being here is unreasonable.' Yuto would lift his hand to his chest briefly, before narrowing his eyes. "Who are you?"
The larger man would step forward, placing a hand in front of his comrade. "That is classified information."
"Then I'll just force the information out of you." Yuto would throw his arm forward, his Duel Disk being alike to Shun's, though black in color with an indigo blade.
"Fine by me." The man would throw his arm forward as well, presenting a rhombus shaped Duel Disk similar to the one Yuji's, though with a pale navy blue coloring around the edges and the blue plate being shaped like a sword.
The girl looking toward the two would simply lean against the wall on her right with her arms crossed.
"Duel!"
〘 [Yuto] - 4000 LP | Hand - 5 〙
〘 [Barret] - 4000 LP | Hand - 5 〙
[ ... ]
"Huh. I'm starting to notice an odd similarity between us." Barret would slip another card into the side of his disk. "I set a card and end my turn."
Yuto would clutch his fists, gritting his teeth. "..there's no similarity between us!" Reaching toward the top of his Deck, he would pull it with force. "My turn!" Examining what card he drew, he would place it into his hand.
Finding herself bored, she would examine her Duel Disk, briefly scanning over it before turning toward the distance to notice an interesting new appearance.
"Now, I overlay my Level 4 Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves and Phantom Knights of Silent Boots!" Raising his hand forward, the two monsters would once again dive into the black and yellow vortex.
"This is different than the others.." Barret would mutter to himself as the intense wind bursting from the vortex blew his hood off.
"From the pitch-black darkness..."
A slick black tail with a pair of sharp appendages from the edges.
"Rise up against the foolish oppression, Fang of Rebellion!"
A claw would outstretch, revealing a blade stretching from its wrist, the arm attached leading to a silver chest that had brief red glowing lining on either side, having a military green under skin and black scales.
"Descend now!" Yuto would open his eyes wide as he glared toward Barret. "Xyz Summon!"
"Come forth! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion... Xyz Dragon!"
Emerging from the vortex, the black and purple dragon would roar loudly as it slowly descended next to Yuto, two floating orbs floating around its body.
〔 [Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon] Dragon/Xyz/Effect - DARK | Rank: 4 - OVLU: x2 | ATK: 2500 〕
[ ... ]
The tomato haired boy would look toward Yu and Joichi with his eyes furrowed. "That guy that took Yuzu.. Was he your friend?"
"He's not taking your friend, I assure you." Yu would quickly answer.
"You could've fooled me!" Yuya would narrow his eyes. "Where's he taking Yuzu?"
"Somewhere safe." Yu would respond.
"For who? You guys or her?"
"Both."
"What's both mean?" Yuya struggled to hide the frustration within his voice.
"..." Yu would look to Joichi, who would shrug. "Here. Allow me to explain something to you."
"Does it have something to do with where Yuzu's being taken? If not, I don't care!"
"Oh, you'll care by the time I'm finished." Yu would place a hand on the center of his glasses. "Skeptical as it may sound, it would seem that there are three other identical worlds to this one known as Dimensions: the Xyz, Synchro, and Fusion. Currently, duelists from the Fusion Dimension is enacting an assault other dimensions, which the Xyz has suffered greatly from."
Yuya would blink, stepping back with a brow quipped. "Dimensions..? Xyz..? Fusion..? What're you talking about?!"
"Grr.." Joichi would step forward, stomping his foot. "Whaddoya got some lead in your ears? Ya tellin me ya didn't just hear him?"
Yu would sigh, placing his hand on Joichi's shoulder as he, too, stepped forward. "Don't stand in front of me."
"Enough!" Yuya threw out his arm, narrowing his eyes. "Yeah, I heard him! But, come on! Do you really expect me to believe that there's some interdimensional war going on?! You're just trying to make excuses for your friend kidnapping mine!"
"Believe what you want.. We're telling the tru-"
"Don't say you're telling the truth!" Roaring back, Yuya would throw out his arm, his Duel Disk projecting its blade with a flash. "If you won't tell me where Yuzu's being taken, I'll just have to duel it out of you."
Yu sighed. "I suppose your reaction is reasonable. But please underst-"
"Nah, Yu. We're done try'na reason with 'em."
"Joichi-"
Joichi would activate his Duel Disk, which would be a red rhombus that had a black border on its innerd, bringing emphasis to the square screen in the center. On the left side had been two small rectangular prisms that would grind to the other side of the disk one after the other, projecting the plate. Afterwards, from the rhombus would shoot out a Deck slot and the back would extend slightly to reach just below his elbow joint.
"If speakin' to ya with words ain't gonna stop ya, then we'll just have to let the cards do the talkin'!"
"Fine by me." Yuya would meet Joichi's glare with one of his own.
"DUEL!"
〘 [Yuya] - 4000 LP | Hand - 5 〙
〘 [Joichi] - 4000 LP | Hand - 5 〙
[ ... ]
"Alright, alright! It's my turn now!" Joichi pulled the top card off of his Deck, examining it carefully. "Alright, now I summon Black Stone of Legend!" Emerging from the ground had been a slab of obsidian shaped in the form of an egg that would emanate a soft red glow.
〔 [The Black Stone of Legend] Dragon/Effect - DARK | Level: 1 | ATK: 0 〕
"Now I'll be using Black Stone of Legend's effect! I tribute it in order to Special Summon a Level 7 or lower Red-Eyes monster from my Deck!" With a click, the egg would begin to crack, the gleams of red light spewing out from within.
"Dragon of the crimson eyed clan, avatar of the shining sun.." As the egg cracked, a fist would force its way out of the shell, opening out and showcasing the claws on the fingers. "Cast your radiance upon the dark adversary!" Soon, the egg would completely shatter, showing the silhouette of a large figure made a silhouette before the setting sun.
"Come on down, Red-Eyes Helios Dragon!"
The silhouette, in a blur, would soon drop from the sky, a rough boom would follow as multiple red gleams would shine from the black figure. Lifting its head, the figure would reveal their shape as that of, true to its name, a dragon. Spreading its legs, its metallic claws would scratch against the ground violently. Along its chest and back spread dark grey metal plates that would build to even frame around its eyes and wings. On the sides of its legs, their would be red jewels at the center, as well as the center folds of his wings and center of its chest.
After a flash of his red eyes, it would lift its head and let out a powerful roar that would make Silver Claw take a step backward.
〔 [Red-Eyes Helios Dragon] Dragon/Effect - DARK | Level: 7 | ATK: 2600 〕
"Now I activate Kaleido Scorpion's effect! Using his effect, I can target 1 monster I control, and then that monster can attack all Special Summoned monsters you control!" Kaleido Scorpion would clasp his shields together, which would trigger a golden aura around Odd-Eyes' body. After the ace of the dueltainer let out a screech, the boy pointed toward Joichi's monsters. "Now, take 'em all out, Odd-Eyes! Spiral Strike Burst!"
Raising his head and breathing inward, then throwing its head outward to release a massive blast toward all of Joichi's monsters. "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's effect! When he battles a Level 5 or higher monster: any battle damage you take is doubled! Reaction Force!" Screeching in the midst of his attack, Odd-Eyes would huff again, layering over his first attacking with a golden blast that would cone around and enlarge the first.
"Urgh..!" Looking toward his hand, Joichi would lower it, looking forward as the golden wave raced toward him. "I admit.. Ya got me there."
Quipping a brow to this action, Yu turned toward Joichi as he had been swallowed by Odd-Eyes' attack.
〘 [Joichi] - 0 LP 〙
[ ... ]
"Huh?! Whaddoya mean ya lost Yuzu?!" Sora would roar into his duel disk, his brows furrowed as he stepped away from the You Show Duel School.
"It's like I said. Some guy ran off with her and the guys who had a lead on where he coulda been going are gone."
To this, Sora would silently click his teeth. Turning his head to either side, he would sigh. "Don't go anywhere, I'll come to you so we can look around together."
"That won't be necessary."
Turning his head, Sora would widen his eyes with a soft gasp as in the dark of night beyond stood Yuto, who carried Yuzu in a bridal style.
"Sora? Sora, you there? What happened?"
"I'll call you back, Yuya."
"Sora? What about-"
With a click, the call abruptly ended. Sora, narrowing his eyes toward the male, softly placed his Duel Disk on his wrist.
The street light above him flickering, Yuto would be glaring toward Sora through his goggles, a scowl hiding behind his scarf.
〘 Let the Fun Begin! 〙
"..huh.." Sora narrowed his eyes. Yuto quietly stepped forward, presenting the unconscious Yuzu to him.
"..keep her safe." This was the only remark Sora received before the man quickly vanished into the shadows.
"Wa-" Sora paused, well aware he was screaming at nothing. With a defeated sigh, his attention turned back to Yuzu. "Sheesh.. We need to put some kinda tracker on you or something.."
"Reiji-taichou. Was it wise to leave that Kurosaki Shun character to his own devices?"
"It's quite fine, Nakajima.. Something tells me that encounter will drastically change his and his comrades' approach."
Turning in his chair, his attention moved to the trio of large monitors before him.
"Furthermore, I'm interested in the energy spike detected on the westward end of the city." Reiji waved a hand softly, the monitors all zooming in to a location marked Gongenzaka Dojo. "Records suggest it was during a duel between Sakaki Yuya and Gongenzaka Noboru.."
"Smiley reports that it was from a Fusion Summon Sakaki performed." Nakajima tapped along a tablet in his hand, Reiji raising his wrist as the information his assistant referred to appeared on the screen of his Duel Disk.
"So he's learned to Fusion Summon.." Reiji straightened his glasses, "He's beginning to take steps toward being a worthy adversary, Nakajima."
"Furthermore, it appears Sakaki Yuuya's entry into the Junior Youth Championship has been decided." Nakajima turned his gaze to his president, who closed his eyes softly.
"I see." Reiji took a breath. "That means now all of the Duelists I've had my eye on are now all in attendance."
"Yes.." Nakajima then raised his eyes from the tablet, eyes behind his blue shades locked firmly on the chair concealing his president's backside. "On a different note, concerning the case with Kotsu Matsumi, Toudou Yaiba and Shijima Hokuto.."
Quickly bringing the case in question to the forefront of his mind, he turned toward Nakajima, a firm gaze on his tinted bifocals.
"The memory erasure procedure has been completed?"
"Yes sir." Nakajima nodded, "Through the follow-up survey, we can confirm that all information on Kurosaki Shun and their duel with him has been promptly stripped from their recollections."
"Good work." Reiji quickly responded. Turning his attention back to the monitors, he folded his hands together, tapping his index finger against his thumbs. "Now we can successfully enter Kurosaki into the tournament without internal conflict."
One of the monitors would then blink to a different area, a boxed room where Shun was in the middle of a duel with a machine installed in the center of the ceiling. Nakajima would then approach Reiji, giving him the tablet he had in hand, which would flash on to an LDS Screensaver, before moving to a symbol of a bronze diamond, which doubled with a logo that featured the silhouette of a knight charging into battle on a horse, lance in hand. The title read in bright yellow, english cursive letters Lancer Duelist Soldiers.
"Now the largest question on my mind.." Reiji leaned back in his chair, "Which of the competitors will be the ones to save our world..?"
Tapping his chin softly, Reiji let out a soft hum. 'And this tournament will be quite the way to discover the answer.'
Yuji stood in the lobby of the You Show Duel School building, holding his head softly. As he walked through the hall, he grumbled over the pain he felt. As he was getting closer to the lounge, he heard the sound of the fridge clicking open. Curious, he began walking closer. As he approached, he heard the sound of a microwave ringing, followed with the sound of the door popping open.
"Mm, ooh, god- This is good!"
Entering, he saw that a boy was eating from an Instant Ramen cup. After every couple geysers he shoved into his mouth, he chugged a chunk of the water bottle sitting next to it to bury it down.
"Uh- Do you go here..? I don't recognize you out of any of Yuya's frien-" Yuji began to ask, but paused as he got a look at the male's face.
Clearly he hadn't noticed Yuji walk in as he was preoccupied with scarfing down the ramen.
"Tomato? That you?"
Truth to his suspicions, the male eating in front of him had facial features nearly completely identical to that of Yuya though just distinct enough for Yuji to tell that it wasn't him..
Suddenly, the sharp pain in Yuji came back with a vengeance, causing him to quickly snap his eyes shut and let out a howl before falling to a knee.
"Hm?" The person in the room immediately stopped what he was doing and hopped from his chair, rushing over to Yuji's side. "Hey! Hey! You alright?!"
"Hmph.. Still nothing special about you.. How unfortunate. If it weren't for your pathetic Dueling Skill, keeping you around would be quite fun~"
In Yuji's immediate view was another man who shared faces with Yuya. Though this guy was far more distinct from the other.
His hair had been divided into a purple and pink, the former being the dominant while the latter took the bottom layer and his eyebrows. His hot pink eyes pierced through Yuji's soul as they stared forward. His body was adorned with a violet abbreviated coat with gold buttons concealing the down to his abdomen, which revealed the purple and blue waist coat beneath, Clipped onto the shoulders by a pair of golden shoulder buttons was a red coat with white highlights that hung over his back in the fashion of a cape. On his lower body was a pair of white pants that rung around the ankles of his black combat boots, both coats and pants having an amass of golden highlights and cuffs (be it wrist or ankle).
"Hey!"
"Hey!" The vision came to an abrupt end when Yuji came to his senses at the calling of the male he found eating before. Now having a closer look at him, he had blue hair carefully combed over his scalp, some of that hair escaping from the smoothness with noticeable spikes, including the hinges that framed his left face. Above those bangs were an array of blonde hair that took a sharp turn upward when they intersected with the bangs.
"You alright?!"
"Uh- Yeah.. I'm alright.. Just a headache is all.." Yuji shook his head softly, waving off the stranger's concerns.. Before he remembered the situation. Quickly, he grabbed the guy and put him into a headlock.
"Agh- WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"I don't know who you are and I'm pretty sure you're stealing out of my friend's schoolhouse fridge!" Yuji quickly responded, now engaging in a wrestling match with the invader.
"I was enjoying a nice dinner! You got a problem with that?! Lemme give ya som'a this then!"
...the wrestle ended up short, as Yuji in quick succession had the stranger pinned in a deadlock. To that end, he quickly pat the ground in surrender.
"Alright, alright, uncle! Uncle!"
Hearing this, Yuji released his grip on the other, who rose from the ground and dusted off his navy shirt.
"Ok, first off, who are you? Second off, how did you get in?"
. . .
"So your name is Hayai Yuugo, you're from another dimension that has some city where it's basically one half floating over the other: split between the wealthy and the poor, who refer themselves as Tops and Commons respectively.. And you got here thanks to a dimensional transporter you accidentally found while stealing parts for your Dueling Motorcycle from a junkyard.. Chasing after a guy who looked like you.. Only to find another guy who looked like you?"
Yuugo nodded. "Yeah, and I suddenly end up outside the school, go and grab a bite to eat and in the middle of my meal, I saw you having some kinda episode and when I went to help ya ya put me in a headlock!"
"Yeah, yeah, I already apologized for that." Yuji waved his hand softly. "But.. If you're telling the truth.. Then that means what I think I saw the other day might actually make more sense.."
"What you think you saw..?" Yuugo quipped a brow.
"The other day, I was walking through town, and I thought I saw my friend, Yuzu-" Showing his Duel Disk, he zoomed in on a picture of himself with the You Show Duel School students to where it showed Yuzu's face exclusively, "-but it wasn't her."
"Holy crap. Rin?!" Yuugo grabbed Yuji's duel disk, his eyes glued to the screen, wide with bewilderment. "Wait.. No.. Rin doesn't have pink hair.." Yuugo calmed down after examining her closer, scratching the back of his head softly.
"So, if that's the case.. Then can we assume that if there are people that have the same face as you and Yuya, then there are people with the same face as Yuzu and this Rin girl..?"
"I mean, if we think about it like that. More of this is gonna make sense.."Yuugo tapped his chin lightly, now pondering alongside Yuji.
"Well, anyway.. You can't stay here. If Yuya finds you, he'll probably freak out." Yuji stood up from his chair. "You said your bike was outside, yeah? I think I can take ya to a place where you can be safe. At least while we figure out exactly what's going on."
"I guess it's better than no where." Yuugo shrugged, getting up to lead him out.
『 Opening Cue:
Closer「 Inoue Joe 」』
「Michika ni Aru Mono..」
Yuji drew a card from the top of his Deck, looking to it with a smile. Sliding it onto the blade of his Disk, Masked HERO Ruby appeared behind him, alongside Emerald and Topaz. The three of them leaped forward as Yuji watched them with a smile. Beginning to walk forward, he watched as crystals flew across the sky in streams made of their respective colors.
「Tsuneni- ki wo tsu-ketenai to..」
Yuya raised his hand toward the sky, Stargazer and Timegazer Magician on either side of him lifting their hands in the same direction. On cue, three beams shot down from the sky, the red one being the one followed by the camera as it struck the earth with a burst. Emerging from it was Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, who let out a roar.
「Ama- rini chi-ka sugite..」
Yuzu put her hand to her chest as three girls with outfits that had musical notes on them flew above her. They entered a fusion vortex and arriving from it was one in a large dress.
「Miu-shinatte shi-masou..」
Yuji stopped when he met up with the two of them, watching them walk ahead slightly as he turned his head to look behind him. From there, he could see many duelists of varying outfits and styles to them, including Yu and Joichi who both turned their gaze in either direction to different contestants in the same line. On Yuya's end, he stepped to the front of the stadium, raising a fist. Confetti would fly out from the stands as the camera moved upward to the bright blue sky above.
「Instrumental」
Yuji spun around, his eyes landing on a figure in a brown trench coat walking away. Trying to chase after them, he reached out his hand to grab at their coat, but when it seemed to make contact, the figure vanished. A swing of a pendulum cut to Yuya with a bright smile as he walks on stage. Just as his foot touches the stage, though, a black miasma shot up from his feet and swallowed his entire form. Raising a hand to block what of the miasma obscured view of him, he emerged with a purplish black aura that outlined his frame. His pupils emit a bright red glow that dimmed his irises to a dark crimson, while his mouth slowly curled into a malicious grin.
「Anata ga sai~kin tai~ken shita..」
The Action Card scattering sequence being the next transition, it turns to Yuji walking down the road. On his walk, he stopped by You Show Duel School. Staring at the school for a moment, he was startled and jumped out of the way of Sora, who dropped to the ground in front of him with a lolipop in hand. Behind him approached Yuya and Yuzu, the latter of which carrying a sheepish smile on her face. After a laugh from the other three, Yuji entered into the conversation.
「Shiawase wa ittai nandesu ka?」
Another break. This time, it transitioned to Yu and Joichi sitting by a tree outside of a High School. The two wore matching blue blazer and pant uniforms, along with a boy who wore the same, and a girl who wore a pink blazer and blue skirt remix of the same uniform. Together, they shared a laugh during the midst of their conversation, until Joichi made a comment in the middle of it that earned him a punch across the jaw from the girl.
「Megumare su-gi-te ite..」
A lolipop would spin, heading for the skies. Though, before it reach too far up, gravity would take its toll and bring it downward. Saving it once again from going to far was a swipe from an arm, Sora's to be exact. The boy would give off a grin and place it into his mouth. Ayu, Futoshi, and Tatsuya spectated, quipping their brows as they looked to Sora with a sweatdrop. Next to the boy in question was a trashcan that carried a box that used to be filled with lolipops.
「Omoi-dase-na~i ka-mo..」
Behind Yuji came a collection of silhouettes that clashed with fellow silhouettes on Yuya's side. While the silhouettes on Yuya's resembled elements, the ones Yuji stood by were colored in outlines of green, purple, indigo, and red respectively. Breaking the feud between the figures were Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Ruby, who clashed fist to claw. As they all flew upward, the camera lowered to Yuji and Yuya, who looked toward one another with a grin. In a flash, the two jumped forward, clashing their Duel Disk blades against one another.
「Ima koko ni iru koto..」
A tan male with sand blonde hair stood next to a female of similar height who wore an Egyptian Priestess-like dress. The two looking to one another, they spoke briefly before nodding, turning to head in opposite directions. As they left, the screen shattered and suddenly the coloration of the environment went to negative. Standing in the center of this was a tan man with spiked, dark teal hair with golden eyes that gleamed in the reflection of the object floating between his hands. It was a large orange cube that emit a bright light that outlined itself. Behind him was a female figure in a skin-tight white sight with a coat over it that was also white, but with black undertones and red highlights. Her face was covered with a white mask that shared blue lights in lines across it with the rest of her outfit.
「Iki wo shite iru koto..」
Sora, who clicked at the lolipop in his mouth with his teeth, began walking forward with his face slowly becoming more and more sinister. On the other side of him was Shun, whose glare was unwavering as he followed in this gesture. As the two got closer to one another, two figures would arise behind them. On Sora's side, he had a giant mechanical behemoth that had the upper bodies of several stuffed animals attached to its three springs. For Shun, he had his trusty Raidraptors - Rise Falcon.
「Tada soredake no koto ga..」
Yuzu's smiling face quickly turned to a somber frown. Bursting from beneath her was a purple mist, one that quickly formed the shape of a cackling evil grin that grew massive behind her. Leaping upwards to try and escape, gravity began to pull her down into the mist's core. As she was falling, she reached up to the skies above, a white gloved hand reaching for her.
「Kiseki dato kidzuku-」
Reiji would lift his hand, showing he carried in it three cards, sliding all three of them down onto his Duel Disk's blade. Looking upward soon, three copies of Hell King Armageddon emerged from a light just above, beams firing down toward the nearby Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon. The dragon moved swiftly to gracefully dodge the beams it moved closer. Once it drew in a close vicinity, it vanished in a blur before the next beam could strike. Reappearing right in front of the center Armageddon, it threw forward its head ready to stab into it with its jaw blades.
「Michika ni aru mono..」
Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and another Dragon of similar features became shrouded in light of red and green respectively. Afterwards, they would swirl over one another and form a vortex, all before exploding into blue light that would become ice, revealing underneath a sky blue dragon with a red and green eye as well. Pushing the entire scene aside had been Ruby, who crossed his arms as he backflipped into a vortex. Emerging from the vortex was a masked figure whose armor split into two distinct sides. Emerald-green jadeite with yellow streaks for highlights, and a jet-black onyx with purple streaks for highlights. Moving further up, their could be seen that around its neck was a silver scarf that flowed in the wind, and a black fedora with a green hat sash on top of its helmet. In their hand they held a lapis gun with topaz streaks around its center. Raising the gun toward the screen, it shot a green beam forward.
「Tsuneni- ki wo tsu-ketenai to..」
Yuugo raced forward on a white motorcycle with black undertones, yellow highlights, and red streaks. Flying not far behind was a black dragon covered in white and blue scales that shone a bright green as it flew freely in the air. Yuugo then revved his engine as he screeched to a halt with a spin, the dragon following in this action. When it did, the trail it had spun into a massive gust of wind that covered the screen.
「Ama - ri ni chi-ka sugite..」
A boy who looked alike to Yuji, though his hair faced the opposite direction and his bangs were orange rather than dirty blonde, raised a hand and swiped it over his Duel Disk's blade.
「Miu-shinatte shi-masou..!」
Shun would land atop of his Rise Falcon, standing up as he crossed his arms. The wind blowing over him as the mechanical bird dashed through the air. Raising his hand forward, he would leap forward as Rise Falcon would engulf itself in flames and push forward.
「You know the closer you get to something..」
Joichi ran over to a girl with a similar hairstyle to his, though longer and brown colored, who met eyes with him and smiled back. Though, after they spoke a bit, the girl lowered her head with a somber expression, turning away. This caused Joey to watch her walk off with a small frown that transitioned into a glare as it changed to him being on a stadium. On the other side was a shorter boy wearing a green jacket and a red beanie who laughed as a giant red armored tyrannosaurus emerged before him, ready to strike at any moment.
「The TOUGHER it is to see it..」
Tatsumi held his arm, looking at the crimson cubical behemoth that stood before him. Commanding the monarch was the tan man who before had the orange cube in his grasp. Raising a hand, he pointed forward as his monster raised its three tendril claws and fired a golden beam from each toward the foe.
「...and I'll never take it for granted..」
Yuya held his head, the dark aura returning over his body. As it did, a silhouette took shape behind him. The figure was inhumane, seeming to have several spikes protruding from its body. The most notable part of its appearance was that it had a red and green eyes gleaming through the obscurity.
「O-i tsud-zu-kete kita yume..」
Yuto pulled a pendant out of his pocket in the shape of a spade, clutching it tightly. Turning, he saw Ruri running to escape from a mechanical foot dropping down toward her. In quick reaction, Yuto raced over to Ruri, reaching out for her. Just as their hands seemed to meet, she disappeared from view. Finding himself in an alleyway, Yuto punched the wall in anger.
「Akiramezu ni susumeyo nante..」
Leaping out into the air was Masked HERO Ruby. Leaping after them were a collection of other beasts that snapped their jaws toward them. With a swift punch and kick, he knocked them back down to the direction they came. Turning their head, they saw Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon charging an attack, before firing it to obliterate the creatures that were knocked down.
「Kirei goto wo ieru hodo..」
The sand blonde walked away from the stadium. Slowly, his face grew into a wide smirk as behind him a blonde girl fell to the ground. In the stands, Joichi let out a scream in response. Afterwards, it transitioned to the boy who hung out with Yu and Joichi falling in the same manner, triggering screams from both Yu and Joichi.
「Nanimo dekicha inai kedo..」
Yuji stood parallel to a white haired male on the stadium. The two of them smiled to one another before drawing each of their first cards. With that, it transitioned to the white haired boy having a malicious grin as he stood on a pillar much higher above Yuji, who was on a knee with several burns and bruises.
「Hito nigiri no yuuki wo mune ni.. Ashita wo ikinuku tame ni..」
Yuya walked forward slowly, narrowing his eyes as they met with a male with brushed blonde hair, dressed in a flamboyant bull fighter-esque outfit. The two stopped at each edge of the field they stood upon, grasping a card from the top of their decks. Upon the cue of their draws, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and a trio of ninja-style dressed ferrets sprung forward from either side, clashing their blades with the former's claws. At the clash, a massive gust of wind would form.
「..and I'll never take it for granted..」
Yuzu had stood firm before Masumi, both challenging the other with their confident smirks. The blue haired doppelganger of Yuzu shot a glare in Seiji's direction, who had three Blue-Eyes Lunar Dragons hovering behind him. Her backup was a large woman who bore feline features and wore a Shrine Dancer outfit, carrying two fan shaped blades in either hand.
「Let's go!」
In a cheer, Yuya jumped to the sky as his Duel Disk's screen read WIN across it, and just behind him an explosion of red light. Making his landing, Yuya would stand in the center of the Miami Championship stage, all the characters in the opening were standing around him. Soon, all of the characters' Ace Monsters would emerge, flying into the air above them.
『 Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Dimensions: ARC-V 』
【 Third Duel: Gather! The Maiami Championship Begins! 】
The two raced toward a small house towards the edge of the city on a white motorcycle with gold highlights, traces of red lining with a blue undertone. Coming close, Yuugo made a sharp turn into the driveway, coming to a stop next to a teal Toyota Aqua. Yuji stepping off from the back of the motorcycle, he walked over to the garage. Inputting a keycode before pressing the bottom button, the garage would open, the light inside clicking on automatically when it fully came open.
"Well, it looks like Auntie Emi is home, so I'll have to explain the situation." Yuji raised a hand to Yuugo, gesturing him to stay back to let him explain. Receiving a nod, he responded in kind before stepping inside the house.
"My.. You were right. He does look just like Sakaki." Spoke the voice of a mature woman.
Sitting next to Yuji was a woman with auburn hair dressed in a pony tail with one collection of strands coming down as a jagged bang around the right side of her head. She wore a pink top with black lining on either edge. A pair of jean shorts covered her bottoms with a pair of black leggings below them.
Yuugo looked to her with a confused expression. She had closely been examining him from her chair. She hadn't moved, but she can tell his entire frame was under inspection through her eyes.
"His mannerisms are noticeably different through. If not for that, I almost couldn't tell the difference." Turning her attention to Yuji, she gave a soft smile, "Ya know, when are you going to bring a girl over again? You haven't brought one since that Masumi girl." She teased, much to Yuji's dismay.
Red like a tomato, Yuji scoffed, "I'm outta the house more often, Auntie! It just doesn't occur to me!"
"Oh, is that so~? That's too bad, I have to be sure the right girl was by my little man's side."
"AUNTIE!" Yuji screamed defensively.
"Well, anyway.." Emi gave a chuckle, having had her fun, "I don't mind letting him stay.. But he knows he'll have to stay out of sight right? The Maiami Championship starts tomorrow, and if two Yuyas are walking around.."
"Yeah.. Things can get overcomplicated." Yuji placed his hands on his hips, turning to Yuugo, who quipped a brow. "C'mon. Let's head upstairs. You can stay with me in my room."
"Oh, okay, thanks." Yuugo followed along with Yuji up the stairs, Emi watching them closely with a soft smile.
"I'm glad he's making friends now.." She muttered softly.
"This Maiami Championship thing.. It reminds me of the Friendship Cup back home." Yuugo said as he laid back on a bed on the left side of the room, while Yuji sat on the right.
"I'm guessing that's your guys' Duel Tournament?"
"Yeah. I was hoping to get Rin back and bring her home in time for us to be able to win it together, but.. If missing it means I can get her home safe, then I'll make the sacrifice." Yuugo clutched his fist tightly toward the air, green eyes locked on the ceiling.
"You really care about this Rin girl, huh?" Yuji gave a soft smirk, now having found some leverage on the Yuya-lookalike.
"Of course I do! We.. We've been together since I can remember!" Yuugo smiled as he looked up, lost in thought. "We even made my D-Wheel together.. All so we could race to the top together. We were gonna beat Jack Atlas and be the ones to unite the Tops and Commons.. To make a better city for everyone."
"But that didn't go so smoothly when that guy you mentioned took her, huh?" Yuji remarked, to which Yuugo nodded.
"Getting her out of the danger she's in.. That's my top priority right now.." Yuugo placed his hands on the back of his head. "Oh, I've been wondering. Why does your room have two beds?"
"Oh, that's because my brother normally sleeps there when he's home. But, he's a student at LDS, so he lives in the Student Boarding House to make it easier on Auntie Emi." Yuji replied, rising up from the bed and grabbing a picture off of his nightstand. Presenting it to Yuugo, his eyes shot wide.
"Woah..! He looks almost identical to you!" Yuugo said as he sat up in the bed, wrapping his hands around the photo frame to take a closer look.
"Well, he is my twin brother after all."
Walking through the halls of LDS was a male whose facial features matched Yuji's exactly. Though, his hair not only faced the opposite direction of Yuji, but his front bangs were orange, curving downwards to frame around his face as opposed to Yuji's upward curve.
He wore a grey dress shirt with a red tie around his neck that bore the LDS Logo, along with a blue-violet blazer that had golden highlights along the shoulders and down the sleeves and around their red cuffs. His pants were a maroon color that fit cleanly atop his black tennis shoes.
"Hey, Ikki!"
Turning his head, his attention was brought to a fellow student in the same attire.
"Hm? What's up?"
"Ikki, look at this! The LDS Roster for the Maiami Championship! You made it, man! Congrats!"
Ikki blinked, his attention turning to the Duel Disk in his classmate's hand. Grabbing it softly, he swiped his finger across the screen to examine the list..
Before long, he found a name he hadn't recognized..
"Hey. Who is this Kurosaki Shun? I don't recognize that name."
"Ya don't know 'em? Weird. Woulda figured you would seeing how much Kotsu-san and them like 'em."
"Masumi?" Ikki quipped a brow, turning his attention to the screen carefully. 'Something's not right..'
In the image, Yuji and his brother stood side by side, both smiling widely. Behind them was Emi, who was wearing a white coat over her pink shirt with a sheepish smile on her face.
"If ya watch the Tournament, ya might end up seeing him during one of the matches. Though, it won't be for a while since the Youth Division duels during the night."
"What am I gonna do all day then if there's no point in watchin' til the night?"
"I'm sure there'll be plenty to watch throughout the entirety of the tournament, Yuugo. Besides, if you do watch, then you'll end up seeing Yuya, and then you'll know why I was so confused when I first met you."
Returning the photo back to the night stand, Yuji returned to laying back on the bed.
"Well, I guess." Yuuto shrugged as he laid back too. "Thanks for the help, by the way, Yuji."
"Don't mention it, man." Yuji quickly responded, "We're friends now, so it's just natural."
"Friends.." Yuugo looked toward Yuji with a soft grin, then turned back toward the ceiling and closed his eyes. "You're right.. Well, g'night."
"Night, Yuugo."
『 Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V 』
"Yuya?! Yuya!" Yuzu stopped, looking to either direction. Her breaths were heavy, but also rapid. She had been running around the Maiami Stadium building in search of Yuya, who had disappeared just before their departure from the You Show Duel School. Her head perking up at a noise from her side, she drew her Duel Disk to see her father was calling, quickly, she picked up her end of the line.
"Hey, Yuzu! How's your end of the search going?"
"I still haven't seen him, Dad! How about you?" Yuzu sadly reported.
"Unfortunately, it's the same on my end. Let's keep searching, there's no way he won't turn up somewhere!"
"Mhm.." Yuzu gave a soft nod as she heard the call go silent. Bringing down her disk, she let out a soft sigh. "Yuya.. Where are you..?"
"Like father, like son. I knew that Sakaki would bail. It's what those Entertainers do."
Yuzu's head spun, attention pinned to a slightly older male who wore a green jacket over a yellow shirt. Most notably, he wore a red beanie cap to contain the top of a ragged flood of hair that spilled black out of the back.
"Agreed, though it's quite meddlesome for those who wished to duel him.. Quite a shame.."
Cackling came from another who stood next to him, this boy had turquoise hair cut into a Beatles' Style. Behind his yellow glasses with a beetle horn insignia in the center connecting the lenses were a pair of bright blue eyes. Over his small frame was a large green coat that had yellow insect patterns tattered around it, wearing black shorts below with a pair of black and white sneakers that matched the others', save for the wings poking out from the laces.
"Sheesh.. Ticks me off the guy even bothered to sign up. If he wasn't gonna show, he shouldn'ta wasted the reservation."
"That is certainly correct. Besides, all he's good for is that Pendulum Su-"
A hand clasped onto the shoulder of the smaller boy, causing him to pause with a sharp inhale. Turning his head, he looked up to meet an innocent smile that hid an unyielding malice just beyond.
"I'd suggest you stop badmouthing others. From what I hear, karma pays double in trade~"
The two gulping at this, nodded to one another before racing off toward the distance. The person who approached them looked up to watch them race off, then let out a sigh of relief.
"That went well." Ikki happily remarked, as he spun around to walk back to the direction he came his eyes couldn't help but look to the Yuzu who stood there, eyes pinned on him.
"Um.. May I help you, Miss?"
Yuzu walked over, her head slowly tilting to the side a bit as she examined Ikki.
Looking up.. She couldn't help but notice that his face was exactly the same as..
"Yuji?! When did you dye your hair?!" Yuzu blurted out, eyes pinned to the frontal strands that were an orange color compared to the blonde.
"Oh- I see what's happening now.." Ikki sheepishly chuckled, lifting a hand, he would straighten out his unkempt hair. "I see you know my twin brother.. Sorry, but I'm not him, I'm actually Yuuta. Ikki Yuuta."
"Oh- I'm so sorry! It's just you two looked so similar that I-"
"No, no, please. It's okay." Yuuta waved a hand softly, "It's such a common occurrence, when we're apart, it just happens naturally." He gave a sheepish chuckle, having found the fact to be more of a hindrance than a virtue.
"Ehehe.." Noticing his expression, Yuzu sweatdropped.
"Yuzu-neechan, what are you doing? We gotta find Yuya-niichan!" Focus cut by the sound of another voice, Yuzu looked over to see Ayu, Futoshi, and Tatsuya.
"Oh, I was just talking with Yuji's brother."
"Brother?" Ayu looked to Yuuta with her head tilted, eyes widening. "Wow! It's hard to tell he wasn't Yuji!"
"You said you were looking for Yuya?" Yuuta cut them off, raising a hand softly to emphasize the secondary conversation's end.
"Yeah.. Yuya disappeared when we were on the way to the stadium.."
"That's not good.. If he's not here by the time we start moving in, he'll be automatically disqualified.." Yuuta tapped his chin softly. "Do you have any idea where he could be?"
"Er.." Pondering over the question, Yuzu looked down.
"Wha~t? Did you say Darling is missing~?"
Quickly, the group turned as they saw Mieru staring at Yuzu with puppy eyes.
Yuya sat on a bridge, staring at the sky as he leaned back. His goggles over his fence, the blue in the sky was tinted to be orange.. Much like the sunset on that day..
"Isn't the challenger this time, Strong Ishijima, super strong?"
A young Yuya, 11 years old, asked his father. Yusho looked to him with a soft smile.
"You're right in that assessment, Yuya." Patting his son's back softly, Yusho gave a chuckle. "You're on your way to becoming a fine duelist already, you can tell his skill just by looking at him!"
"You think so..?" Yuya smiled brightly, a hope igniting in his voice, "Then- Then do you think I'll be able to someday be a super strong Entertainment Duelist like you?!"
"Yuya.. That right there isn't the goal you should be aiming for.." Yusho smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder as he softly lifted the pendant on Yuya's neck. "You shouldn't try to be like me, Yuya.. The world doesn't need a second Sakaki Yusho, that's for sure." Again, a soft chuckle escaped the man's lips.
"Then.. What am I supposed to be, Dad..?" Yuya looked to his father with confusion overcoming his expression.
"Son.. What you need to be is all up to you. But I can tell you what you will be.. Not the World's Greatest Entertainment Duelist Sakaki Yusho's Son.. But the Spectacular Dueling Sensation, Sakaki Yuya."
As his father said these words to him, his eyes widen, a sparkle seeming to have lit within them.
'You said that, Dad, but.. I still don't know what I'm supposed to do to get there..' Yuya sighed, lifting his pendant in front of his goggles to gaze as it gleamed in the sunlight. 'Does it have to do with this..? Yuzu said it was glowing when I first Pendulum Summoned..' His mind jumbling with questions with no answers became overwhelming for Yuya, so he soon shook his head to make them vanish to the back.
"Ah, mou! I'm talking about some pendant like its some magical item now.." Yuya scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Dad.. Today's the day I finally take part in the Maiami Championship.. Maybe here's where I'll find my start.."
"You won't be finding any start if you're disqualified, Mister."
His head turned, seeing his mother with her hands on her hips with a soft grin.
"Oh.. Hey, Mom."
Shaking her head softly, she spoke calmly: "I got a call from Yuzu. Everybody's worried sick because somebody turned up missing!"
"Sorry, Mom, I just.." Yuya turned back, lip quivering as he thought about how worried the others must be. Nonetheless, the thoughts of the conversation with his father came again, Yuya looking down torn by the inner conflict he was having.
"Yuya."
Feeling a pair of hands grasping his shoulder, Yuya quickly relaxed when he realized it was his mother.
"This isn't the place you should be settling this battle of yours.." This piqued Yuya's interest, finally getting the boy to look to his mother who nodded softly. "It's there." Pointing forward, Yuya's eyes followed the direction it went to land on the Maiami Stadium building.
"...you're right." Yuya lifted his goggles, determination filling his eyes.
『 Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V 』
Yu and Joichi were both standing in the waiting room, both wearing uniforms that had blue blazers with a matching pair of blue pants with black shoes. Joichi wearing a blue T-shirt underneath with green graffiti drawings of fists plattered over it under his blazer. While Yu simply wore a black shirt.
"Man, the Youth Division this year's lookin' pretty different than the usual, eh, Yu?" Joichi looked to Yu, who straightened his glasses.
"Yeah. A lot more foreign duelists signed up for the Youth Division this year." Yu commented, as surrounding were figures in Egyptian-like getups and outfits that varied wildly in style and culture.
"Well, they can all line up, cuz I'm gonna take 'em down!" Emphasizing his point, Joichi punched into his palm at the word take.
"Is that so? Quite the interesting proclamation." The two quickly turned at an unfamiliar voice responding to them.
Standing before them was a tanned man whose golden eyes seemed to stare into their souls. Dark teal hair spiked back from his scalp, two strands escaping the pattern to spike up like horns. With the exception of a few bangs over his face, the only hair to be notified other than the spikes were the four ponytails, two in the back while the came down the sides, framing around his jawline.
His attire mainly included a green, sleeveless trench coat that hung to his knees, the black border around the edges having orange outline that sprouted triangular cuts of the black that separated them in a pattern. Under was a lavender long-sleeved shirt that cut into a short undercape just below the waist, tied up with a light green sash, with the sleeves rolled up and the turtle neck scrunched down that made it seem like a scarf. His lower half was adorned with tan pants and brown boots with tan laces.
Second most notable was the golden jewelry covering his body. Around his wrists were a pair of golden cuffs that had several curve patterns engraved into them. Hanging on his neck was a necklace that was shaped like a miniature pyramid with an eye in the center. His hair was no exception to obtaining jewelry as the ponytails were held up by golden cylinder clips that had the same engravings as his cuffs.
"Heh? You rarin' to go, tough guy?!" Joichi quickly walked over to him, getting close as he snarled at the man's remark.
"If it is decided we are to duel in the tournament, then I will gladly take up on your offer. However, until then, I'll have to decline. I wouldn't like to waste unnecessary energy on duels that don't matter."
"Why you..!" Joichi arched a fist back, Yu quickly moving forward to grab his wrist. "Ah- Yu!"
"Don't, Joey. He's just trying to provoke you." Yu warned, looking to the stranger. "Who exactly are you, anyway?"
"Oh, me? My name is Aigami. Though I suppose I'm listed under my duelist alias, Diva. So you may call me whichever you'd like."
"Ok, Aigami.. Why'd you decide to approach us, specifically?" Yu questioned, eyes narrowing softly.
"Well, Yu. It's come to my attention that some threat may be on the horizon.. And you two have quite the information on the subject."
Looking to one another, Joichi and Yu furrowed their brows when their attention went back to Aigami.
"Judging from that fierce look in your eyes, you two know what I'm alluding to."
The two remained silent, Yu beginning to reach to his side for his Deck, Joichi the same. Just before the two managed to equip them, an audible gasp caused them both to nearly fall. All tension was lost when they both looked behind them to see a girl with short brown hair wearing a pink blazer in a similar fashion to theirs, with a blue skirt to match their pants.
"Yu.. When I saw you on the list for this year, I thought my eyes were deceiving me.."
Yu eye twitched slightly as his purple eyes met blue.
"Oh, um.. Hi Anzu.." He managed to get those words out before the girl stormed over, shaking him by the collar.
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL THIS TIME?! ME AND HIROTO-KUN HAVE BEEN WORRIED SICK ABOUT YOU TWO!"
Yu felt his brain jumbling far too much for him to accurately come up with an excuse for his absence.
The girl shaking him was one of his greatest friends, Masaki Anzu. Back in middle school, he could always count on her when things went worse for ware. Mostly because there would be no troubles left to worry about when Anzu got angry.
Unfortunately, Yu was now the target of said anger.
"Well?! Are you going to answer?!" Anzu kept pressuring Yu as she rattled him more.
"W-wait, Anzu- if you stop- Shaking me, I can- Explain!" Yu struggled amongst shakes to get his words out.
"Well, then.. With that note, I'll be off." Aigami chuckled at the interaction before taking his leave.
"Ey, hold on-" Joichi tried to stop the figure, but when he turned to face where Aigami stood.. It seemed like he vanished. "What the..?" Pausing as he heard more of Anzu's forceful interrogation, he quickly spun around with a deadpan expression. "Alright, alright! Enough already!"
Joichi would finally pull Anzu off of him.
Shoes clapped against a staircase, a huff escaping Nico Smiley's mouth as he reached the stage. Looking out toward the mass of spectators in the stands, all focused on either tha man standing on stage himself, or one of the several screens showing a close-up of his face. Clearing his throat, he stepped forward to the microphone and nodded to himself. Pulling it off the stand, he looked up toward the crowd once more.
"I'd like to begin by thanking all of you in the crowd for coming to watch the Grand Opening of this special event for the entirety of Maiami City! As you all are aware, today is the first day of the Maiami Championship, the largest dueling event in all of Japan! And not just that, this year's Maiami Championship marks the return of You Show Duel School in the competition!"
Cheers exploded from the crowd at the announcement, though there were some who had murmured about their suspicions on the subject.
"You Show..? That's where that Sakaki Yuya goes, right..?"
"Yeah, so I'm not expecting much."
"I won't keep you all waiting much longer, so before we begin, an address from Leo Corporation President, Akaba Reiji-san!"
Attention turning to the Commentary Box, emerging would be Himiko and Reiji Akaba, with a child in tow behind them.
"Good morning, everyone. I hope not to take up too much of your time." Reiji waved to the members of the crowd who were chanting his name. "Every single duelist that qualified for the tournament this year put blood, sweat, and tearsinto their efforts to do so. I ask that you treat this tournament as a showcase of the growth each Duelist have gone through in their duels. If you do so, I can guarantee this will be a show you will all thoroughly enjoy. Thank you all."
Clapping roared from the crowd as Reiji took his seat. Sitting back in his chair, Reiji sat back in his seat, giving a glance to his mother before turning back forward.
Yuya stood at the front of the line for the You Show Duel School, hands on his hips as he looked around to the lines of every other school with his mouth hinging from his mouth.
"Wow.. There are so many.."
His scanning around the room stopped when his eyes locked onto a certain character standing in line with Leo Duel School.
"Wait, that's-!"
Noticing Yuya's tone, Yuzu turned in the direction he was looking to to see Shun, standing at the back of LDS' line with his arms crossed.
"Why is Kurosaki Shun..?!" Yuzu scanned the line, eventually finding Masumi at the end of the line. "Masumi!"
The fusion user raised a brow turning toward the pinkette.
Joichi was currently in a headlock with another friend dressed similarly to him, though his hair was cleanly cut with all of the longer strands pointed upward.
"Hey! Hey! Hiroto, get off!" He pleaded, jabbing his elbow against his stomach.
"Ain't gonna do that til you apologize for ditchin' us for so long!"
"Agh- Get off!" Joichi shook around, struggling to escape Hiroto's grip. Then, he paused as he looked up.
Looking in the distance, she noticed a figure in one of the far lines that he recognized.
"Shizuka..?"
Hiroto stopped, looking toward where Joichi was staring.
"Yo, Jo.. You said Shizuka? Isn't that your sister's name?"
"Yeah.. I think I saw her just now.."
Once all the contestants were gathered on the stadium, Nico Smiley picked up the mic once more. Bringing it to his lips, he ensured the crowd grew quiet.
"As per tradition of the Maiami Championship, we now dedicate this portion of the tournament to the reciting of the Oath of Fair Play!" Smiley's attention then turned to the contestants. "Now, for this year's recitation.. It will be performed by none other than You Show Duel School's rising star, Sakaki Yuya-kun!"
Shock filled their expressions.
Yuzu..
Gongenzaka..
Shuzo..
Ayu..
Tatsuya..
Futoshi..
Yoko..
Yu..
Yuji..
Joichi..
And certainly not least, Yuya himself.
"What?! Me?!"
"That's right, Yuya-kun! Please come up on stage!""
Yuya then suddenly found himself being picked up by two men in black who brought him onto the stage. Grunting as he was dropped on his rear with a thud, he brought himself up.
"Now, Yuya-kun. Making this pledge is just another step in you becoming a Pro."
Meeting eyes with Smiley, he pondered over the truth of that statement.
'Smiley always has put me in the Duels I needed to succeed..' Nodding to himself, Yuya walked forward grabbing onto the microphone Smiley handed him. Looking down at it, he clutched it tightly. 'What do I do..? I dunno the Oath of Fair Play! I never read any Duelist Handbooks, those things were always a drag!'
"Um!" Yuya took a sharp inhale.
"Yuya.." Yuzu let out a soft groan.
"Yuya, if you're a true man. You'll do it one go." Gongenzaka chuckled from where he stood.
Yuya closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, he imagined all the members of the crowd as a mass of spotlights focused on him. When that image settled in, he couldn't help but throw out an arm before he spoke.
"Ladies and Gentlemen~!" He moved his free hand to his chest with a smile. "For those who don't know me: I'm the one responsible for introducing the Pendulum Summon to the world, Sakaki Yuya!"
To emphasize, he kicked on his Duel Disk, pulling from his deck Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician, setting his Pendulum Scale. When he did, two pillars of blue light shot out from either side of the stage as the two magicians emerged. With this development, the crowd roared in excitement.
"Now I can't lie to you all. I'm not familiar with the exact Oath of Fair Play. So I'll instead give you my Oath of Fair Play." Yuya lifted his pendant around his neck. "Most people look at me.. And they see the son of the man who disappeared on the day of his match against Strong Ishijima, Sakaki Yusho. But, in this tournament, not only for myself, but for all of you, I'll try.. No. I will create a new image in your minds of me. Instead of that, I want you to see me as the incredible duelist who carries my audience along with me for a ride on the sway of fate with my Pendulums. No one's son, no one's anything. Just, me. Sakaki Yuya."
From an alleyway, Yuzu's lookalike stood next to Barrett, leaning on the wall with her arms crossed as the latter was watching the live feed of the Maiami Championship from his Duel Disk.
"So an Xyz Remnant is supposed to be participating in this tournament, hm..?"
Then, she paused, attention locked to the screen when she saw Yuya.
"Wait a minute.. Isn't that the Remnant you dueled, Barrett?"
Yuya stepped to the side, lifting a hand toward the contestants standing just beyond the stage.
"And I'm sure that's what they are all here for, too. We want you to see us as the duelists we are. All of our goals here are to start out own personal legacies here at this tournament this following week."
Yuto sat alone in a café, spinning a card softly as he looked around. Interestingly, the torn blazer he wore over his shoulders like a cape was now properly put on, the green dress shirt's sleeves rolled up over the jacket's.
'Shun said he managed to strike a deal with Akaba Reiji, so we didn't have to walk around masking our identities, but..'
Looking around, he noticed many onlookers murmuring about how his resemblance to Yuya was uncanny.
'I think working that way was easier to bare than this..'
Yuto sweatdropped as they began taking photos and he raised a hand to shield his face.
With a couple steps, Yuya faced himself back forward.
"So once again.. Ladies and Gentlemen~! I kindly ask that you please pay attention to all of my duels, because I swear to make sure to give you all a show you've never seen before!"
Finishing his speech with a bow, Yuya placed the microphone in Smiley's hand. With that note, he turned to leave from the stage.
Breaking the silence was clapping from Reiji in the commentor's box. Following this would be all of the contestants and the crowd in succession. Hearing the applause, Yuya sighed in relief as he walked back over to his group.
"That was pretty neat, Yuya!" Looking over, he saw Yuji give a thumbs up next to Sora, who nodded with a smile.
"Of course my Sensei would give a speech that got the crowd hyped for the action.". Sora commented with a smile.
"Ah, you..!" Yuya quickly pulled Sora into a nuggie.
"Ah- Yuya, cut it out-" Sora flailed his arms.
Yuya then stopped, letting go of Sora as he pointed to Yuji. "Wait, why are you standing in You Show's line?"
"Oh, I talked to Hiiragi-san about it and I decided to sign up under You Show. I hang out with you guys a lot anyway, so why not represent? You guys don't have anybody competing in the Youth Division anyway."
"You're really willing to compete for You Show?" Yuzu remarked ecstatically.
"Definitely!" Yuji gave a thumbs up and smiled brightly. "I feel like the tourney this year's gonna be awesome, so I'll stick with the people I like most."
Yuya chuckled in response as he gave a thumbs up. "That's perfect, then!"
Yuugo sat in front of the TV in Yuji's room, eating from a bag of popcorn. "That Yuya guy.. Big shots here make big speeches too, when they're given a microphone."
Yugo took a last bite of his popcorn as the program cut to commercial break. Turning his head, he got up from the floor to head downstairs and get more.
『 Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V 』
"Now, Duelists. On your entry of the stadium, you all were given a card containing the data you need regarding the Championship. On each card, it contains records of your progress in the Championships and some basic data on your next scheduled opponent."
Smiley explained to the contestants, who all on cue drew a card from their pockets.
"If you would please, insert these cards into your Disks and they will inform you of your duel times and your first opponents."
The You Show group all looked to one another, nodding softly before following the instructions.
When Yuji saw his Duel Time, he grumbled. "I don't even get to duel until the third night?! Man.."
"I'm dueling.. Masumi..!" Yuzu's eyes widened at the screen, Yuya and Yuji's heads perking up at the information.
"Well, Yuzu, I'm sure you'll win this time!" Yuya pumped a fist, Yuzu nodding.
"Well, who are you dueling, Yuya."
Yuya then looked over to his own Disk. Seeing the information that covered the screen, he sweatdropped.
"Looks like I'm dueling Sawatari.."
"Well, I just hope he doesn't try and steal your cards again." Yuzu sighed, crossing her arms.
Yuya nodded softly, turning back to Yuji with a quipped brow. "You didn't mention who you were dueling, Yuji."
Yuji then chuckled, "Oh, right! I should check that." Looking down toward his Disk, he examined the screen carefully, reciting the name listed as he examined the picture of the duelist he was to face. "Bakura.. Ryou.."
Across the field, a male with white ragged hair stood afar from his fellow classmates. He looked around the crown with a slight frown as he slowly scanned over them.
"My father's not here this year either.."
His face grew somber, looking down toward the ground.
Shun examined his Duel Disk's screen after inserting the data card. Reading the time and date, his eyes quickly scanned over to who his opponent was.
"Shiun'in.. Sora."
"That's your opponent, huh?"
Shun raised his eyes from his disk, having met with a pair of blue eyes. These blue eyes were owned by Yuuta, who waved a hand.
"You.." Shun thought back, recalling the records of the duelists he read from the files Reiji gave him on each LDS duelist participating. "You're... Ikki Yuuta, right?"
"Yeah. You've got that right. I was half-expecting you to mix me up with my brother."
No response, Shun looked to him in silence at Yuuta's chagrin. Puffing his cheek, he placed a hand on his hip.
"So, how long have you been at LDS? I don't think I've seen you before." Yuuta smiled as he spoke.
"Just this year." Shun spoke, recalling the story the false memories planted in Masumi and the other two's minds created. "I was talented at Xyz Summoning, so I chose to enter the school that teaches it the most proficiently. And by recommendation from Shijima Hokuto, I entered the tournament." He struggled not to let his tone sound as though he were reading off a page in his mind.
"Well, that's pretty rare to get into the Championship on your first try!" Yuuta smiled brightly, "I bet you've got some awesome skills, Shun. Can't wait to see them!"
Giving a soft nod, Shun presented his Disk, pointing to the character on the screen.
"So, Yuuta...-san. Do you know who this Shiun'in Sora is?"
"Hm?" Yuuta looked to the screen, leaning back and tapping his chin softly. "If what my brother's told me about him is right.. He uses Fusion.. But that's all I've heard."
"Thank you, that information is plenty." Shun looked back to the screen, his eyes narrowing. 'Fusion.. Hm?'
"Ladies and gents, our festivities will begin with the Junior Division's matches, followed by Junior Youth, then by the Youth Division. We hope you all stick around through the entirety of today. Duelists, please stay aware of your Dueling times. If you're not dueling, you are welcome to enjoy the tournament at your discretion."
"Ooh. Well, looks like neither of us are dueling today, so why don't we check out what other duelists there are?" Yuuta looked back to Shun with a wide grin.
"Right.." Shun nodded softly. 'This person.. Why are they so interested in me..?'
Turning away, Yuuta focused his attention forward. 'What I need to know will come out soon..'
『 Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V 』
"And with that, the second match of the Junior Division is decided! Our second winner is Akaba Reira-kun!"
The crowd erupted with applause.
In the commentary box, Reira hid behind Reiji's chair, the man offering a soft chuckle to the response.
"It's alright, Reira. They're just cheering for you." The man spoke in a soft tone to assure Reira, who nodded.
"As per expectation, LDS dominated the Junior competition. Now we simply wait for the inevitable in both the Junior Youth and Youth Divisions.." Himiko grinned, eyes lingering over the stage.
"Mother. Do not forget what the end goal of this tournament is." Reiji carefully warned his mother, his eyes darting to her briefly. "Do not let your greed for dominance over other schools blind you of the greater picture."
"Hm.. Of course, dear." Himiko spoke in agreeance, though her facial features showed her true feelings on the matter. She desired LDS to succeed above all else.. No matter what. She couldn't help it. What with her being the Chairwoman of the school, after all.
In the hallway leading to the stage, the You Show group was surrounding Tatsuya, who bowed his head slightly.
"Sorry, guys. I could've won the Juniors for us, but that Reira was too strong for me."
"That's alright, Tatsuya. You did your best in that duel, and that's all anyone could ask for." Yuji knelt down, patting Tatsuya's shoulder.
"I, the man Gongenzaka, am proud of you, Tatsuya. No, I'm proud of all of you. Ayu, Futoshi, Tatsuya. You all fought valiantly." A male spoke with a grin.
While still being a teenager, the figure was very large in his overall frame, being easily equivalent in height to Reiji and Nakajima. While having a fairly round face, he was stockily built and rather muscular. Atop his scalp was black hair styled as a large pompadosur, restrained by a red bandanna, while in the center of his face his circular nose had a red tint to make it distinguishable from the rest of his skin.
He wore a similar jacket to the one Yuya wore over his shoulders as a vest atop a closed white coat that was lined with six buttons and yellow edges. His feet were adorned with a pair of steel cleated geta that clapped against the ground with each subtle step. Across his shoulders was a white sash wrapped in a cross over his back.
"Thanks, Gongenzaka-san." Tatsuya smiled, along with Futoshi and Ayu.
"Well, pretty soon, it'll be Yuzu's turn. So let's work together to cheer her on, alright, guys?" Yuya gave a wink as he jabbed a thumb in Yuzu's direction.
"Yeah!" The three children cheered in response.
"Yuzu. You're up against Masumi this time. Her skill in Fusion is pretty dangerous. So I wouldn't be shocked if she pulled out some moves you've never seen before." Yuji stood up, looking to Yuzu with a stern gaze, "You think you can do this?"
Yuzu hesitated, biting her lip as she thought on the matter. Looking away slightly, she pondered on the question. With a deep breath, she clenched her fist, turning to Yuji with a smirk.
"I think- No. I will defeat Masumi!" Yuzu's tone exuded an ensuring confidence, one which earned a smile and a nod from Yuji.
"Go get 'em, then." Yuji raised a fist toward the girl, who responded by bumping hers against it.
"It seems the first victor of the Junior Youth Division of the Maiami Championship is Rebecca Hopkins~!" Smiley called, a cheer erupting from the crowd.
On stage stood a small girl with blonde hair dressed into pigtails. She wore a blue blazer with a white dress shirt beneath and a blue skirt. Making a spin around with a smile, she happily skipped off the stage. Her opponent was laid out on the ground with wide eyes, one twitching.
"How did I.. Lose..?"
"Allllright, folks! Let's get on to the second match of the Junior Youth Division! For this match we have the daughter of Hiiragi Shuzo, the princess of You Show, Hiiragi Yuzu-san~!" Cheers erupted from the crowd as Yuzu stood on one end of the stage, a smile on her face as she looked out to the crowd.
"YOU'VE GOT THIS YUZU~! FIGHT! FIGHT!"
Yuzu let out a sheepish giggle as she rubbed the back of her head, a blush covering her cheeks as she heard her friends cheering for her. "Ahaha.. Um. Guys~, you can stop now.."
"And facing her in battle today is the top representative for the Fusion Course in LDS, Kotsu Masumi-san~!"
On cue, the girl walked onto the stage, giggling at the cheers surrounding her. "It seems you have quite the fans, Yuzu. Most duelists use that as a sign that they've grown." Masumi stated, looking to Yuzu with a smirk.
"I have you to thank for that." Yuzu smiled, "I doubt I could have gotten how far I have without that loss." Then, she softly raised a hand, slowly clutching a fist, and making a smirk. "But that changes here! Today, I'll be beating you as my first step to the finals!"
"Hmhmhm.. Is that so?" Masumi chuckled at the proclamation, "I can't wait to see how you do that, then."
"Now for this duel I believe this Action Field will be perfect for such a duel!i"
With a snap, the stadium was encased in light, a beam shooting toward the sky. In the wake of the light, the stage turned into a towering structure made entirely of bridges. Now, Masumi and Yuzu each stood on the two highest bridges, parallel from one another.
"Now that the stage is set, it's time, everyone, for a second spectacular duel!"
"You heard him, Yuzu. It's time to get this show on the road." Masumi raised her wrist, the device expanding to Disk mode before protruding its blade.
Yuzu followed suit, presenting her arm forward as the Disk shuffled her cards. "You're right. This is gonna be one to remember! Let's go!"
"DUEL!"
〖 What Lies in the Cards? 〗
【 In the Next Duel.. 】
"So we're about to see a test of how far Yuzu's come, huh?" Yuji commented.
The You Show group sat together in a line, featuring Gongenzaka between Yuya and Shuzo. All of them watched with high anticipation weighing over them.
"Come on, Yuzu! You've got this! YOU'RE HOTBLOODED! FIGHT! FIGHT!"
「 March on! 」
"I hope you've not forgotten my specialty, Yuzu-san." Masumi carried a grin on her face as she pulled a card from her hand.
In a flash, a fusion summon would be performed, a gem knight clad in red armor appearing before Masumi.
These flashes would continue, as several times Yuzu would be forced to guard against the force of Masumi's brutal attacks. Eventually, she was flung back, met with the gaze of an unimpressed Masumi.
"It doesn't seem like your light has gotten any brighter."
「 The fun awaits! 」
Yuuta sat next to Hokuto and Yaiba, Shun sitting with his arms crossed on the opposite side.
"Geez, Masumi.. I know we gotta win, but not that badly!" Yuji's twin exclaimed, wincing as he saw the way Yuzu's life points were dwindling down.
"Yeah! Get her, Masumi!" Yaiba cheered.
「 Who will take the helm?! 」
Yuzu arose from the ground. Her legs quivering a bit, but standing nonetheless. Looking toward Masumi's field, she grunted. Before her were two massive knights who both had several different gems attached to either of their armors.
"This next draw.. Has to be the one that changes everything.."
Yuzu ignored Masumi's taunting as she grasped onto the top of her deck, closing her eyes.
"I'll place everything on this.. I draw!"
「 Does desperation create a miracle?! 」
Himiko sighed, getting up from her chair to turn away from the sight of the duel.
"We might as well call the match here, there's nothing that girl can do to-"
"Wait."
Hearing Reiji's quick interjection, Himiko spun around. Her eyes shot wide at what she saw as a result.
「 Does the fun begin here?! 」
A gleam in her eyes, Yuzu raised two cards from her hand with a smirk. Then, she slid her hand across her Duel Disk.
The crowd looked in awe as a bright blue light emanated from the field, exploding in rainbow colors.
"Is this for real?!" Sora jaw dropped, the lolipop in his mouth dropping to the floor.
"Is Yuzu about to.." Yuya gawked as well.
"Pendulum Summon!"
〘 Jikai! Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Dimensions! 〙
【 Fourth Duel: Encore! The Fusion Concert! 】
「 Oh my god, I am terrible at this. I never actually mean to go on any year-long hiatuses or anything like that. They always end up happening, and I sit there and always wonder how it even got to this point. 」
「 Anyway. On to talking about what this Chapter does for us. First off, I've introduced Yuugo into the mix! He's a fan favorite, and also my favorite Yu-Boy. So I wanted to have him be a factor from the start much like Yuto had been. I kept the talk about Rin very brief as to not overcompensate for her not having any screen time whatsoever with an overabundance of flashbacks like the anime did. We'll meet Rin when we meet Rin. And yes. We'll meet Rin. PROPERLY. Originally, I was going to try and squeeze everybody into the Junior Youth Category... But then I remembered Youth Division is a thing- Which made it easier for me to roll matchups for Yuji and our slightly older Duelists like Yu and Joichi. Also, yes, Aigami is in this story. I felt obligated as, for one, his movie was about Dimensions. Two, his movie came out while Arc-V was still running. 」
「 I introduce Yuji's twin brother here: though it won't be some major factor until later on. And also, yeah, I remember watching Yuto just casually walking around during Shun's duel with Sora and it always begged the question in my mind: Why isn't anybody mentioning he looks like Yuya?! So, I went over it briefly, giving a nod to the insinuations from the flashbacks that in contrast to Yuya, Yuto does not like being the center of attention very much. 」
「 Are there any matches you're lookin' forward to in this? Eh. Well, if ya do have any, do let me know! With that, this is the end of the chapter. As always, I'll see ya guys in the next duel! ^^ 」
