Hey, everybody! Merry Christmas Eve! Here's my gift to you all, Chapter 2 of the Xyz Arc. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and that your Christmas this year is merry and bright.

Now let's get on with the chapter.


Chapter 02: The Xyz Hunter, Kaito Tenjo


Tsukumo Residence

"Come on in." Akari gestured Yuya, Rio, Jonouchi, Asuka and Rua into a house that was actually the only one that was still standing without any damage. "Grandma, I'm home and I have friends!"

"Welcome back." A small older woman with white hair entered the room. "Oh, five new friends, that's nice. Nice to meet you, I'm Haru Tsukumo. Now pull up a chair, dinner is almost ready."

"Uh, sure. Thank you." Jonouchi answered even though he was confused as to why Haru was acting so normal while the rest of Heartland was in the state it is.

"I hope you're all hungry. I made plenty." Haru came back with pots and plates of food. At that moment, Rua's stomach grumbled, making him embarrassed.

"S-Sorry." Rua apologized.

"No need for that, you're a growing boy, you need to eat. But this isn't just regular food, it's Duel Food." Haru smiled.

"Duel Food?" Asuka asked.

"Yes, little Akari would call it Duel Food so she would be prepared to Kattobingu." Haru explained.

"G-Grandma, you're embarrassing me…" Akari pouted.

"Kattobingu?" Yuya asked.

"It's something Akari's father taught her. It's a word that means never giving up even if the odds are against you, always challenge yourself to do better and believing in yourself. Because Akari is daddy's little girl, she took it to heart, and she applied it towards her Dueling." Haru said.

"Oh, then you must be strong." Jonouchi looked at Akari.

"N-Not really." Akari blushed.

"Here you go. Duel Chicken Strips. Duel Grilled Fish. Duel Miso Soup. Duel Pot Roast and Potatoes. With generous helpings of Duel Rice." Haru presented the dishes.

"Oh, wow, that looks good." Rio smelled the food.

"It's been so long since I've had a home cooked meal." Yuya admitted.

"Remember, say itadakimasu first." Haru said.

"Itadakimasu." Yuya, Rio, Jonouchi, Asuka, Rua and Akari put their hands together in a prayer and then started eating.

"Ah, now this is real food." Jonouchi sighed.

"This meat is so good." Rua smiled.

"Hey, Rua. Get some vegetables too." Asuka scolded.

Yuya grabbed some chicken and took a bite when his eyes widened as he felt something within him.


United World – Park

7-year-old Yuya was crying into his knees as he sat at a very large tree. "Hey, Champ? What's wrong?" Zarc approached his son. "Did something happen at school?"

"Everyone hates me." Yuya cried.

"They hate you? Why?" Zarc sat next to him.

"During Duel Recess, everyone ganged up on me and they took me out before I could get a turn." Yuya said. "They then called me weak and they tried to ripped up the cards you got me for my birthday."

"Well, that's not nice at all." Zarc said. "Did you tell your teacher?"

"Yeah, and she gave them all detention but that made them hate me even more." Yuya answered. "I don't even understand what I did to make them hate me."

"Well, if I had to guess, it's probably my fault." Zarc said.

"What do you mean?" Yuya asked.

"Well son, becoming champion isn't all that great as you think it is." Zarc explained. "Sure, there will be some who like you and admire you, but there are some that are jealous and that jealousy can extend to other people. And while some want to take it out on me, they know they can't because they're not strong enough, so they choose to focus that on the people closest to me, like you and your mom."

"Even mom?" Yuya asked.

"Oh yeah. Especially women." Zarc and Yuya look to see Ray walking up to them. "When your father and I were dating, I couldn't begin to count the number of women who hated my guts."

"As much as I want to say that it will get better, Yuya. Sometimes it doesn't and we just got to live with it." Zarc said.

"But it hurts so much." Yuya put his hand on his heart. "Nobody wants to be friends with me."

"Well then…" Zarc reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. "Let this guy be your friend."

Yuya looked at the card and his eyes widen. "But Dad, this is your favorite card." The card Zarc was gonna give Yuya was Odd-Eyes Dragon.

"And now it's yours." Zarc patted Yuya's head. "Odd-Eyes helped me out when I was a kid. And now, he'll help you. Ain't that right buddy?" Zarc summoned Odd-Eyes with his Duel Disk.

Odd-Eyes appeared in front of them. "Well, if you're asking me to, I can't say no."

"Aw, don't be embarrassed. You and Yuya are gonna be good friends." Zarc picked up Yuya and placed him on his shoulders. "Go ahead, Yuya. Pet him."

Yuya was a little scared of Odd-Eyes at first but held out his hand towards the dragon. "Come on, Odd-Eyes, you gotta meet halfway." Zarc said.

"Uh…fine…" Odd-Eyes lowered his head and allowed Yuya to pet him. The moment Yuya touched Odd-Eyes his fear disappeared and he chuckled while Odd-Eyes simply smirked.

"Well, now that that's out of the way. Let's have a little picnic." Ray pulled out a box. "I made your favorites." Ray opened the box to reveal fried chicken strips.

"Oh, that looks so good!" Zarc was gonna grab one before Ray slapped his hand away.

"Yuya's first." Ray scolded.

"No fair." Zarc pouted.

Yuya couldn't help but laugh at his parents' antics as the family enjoyed the delicious, juicy chicken with Odd-Eyes simply looking at Yuya with a small grin.


Tsukumo Residence

"Yuya! Yuya!" Yuya snapped out his thoughts when he noticed that everyone was looking at him with Asuka calling out to him. "What's wrong? You're crying."

"Huh?" Yuya then realized that his cheeks were wet with his tears.

"Is there something wrong with the food?" Haru asked.

"No, it's delicious. Sorry." Yuya stood up and walked out of the house.

Yuya quickly wiped his eyes. "Damn…and in front of everyone."

"There's nothing wrong with crying." Rio had followed Yuya. "We're not gonna think differently of you, you know."

"I do." Yuya answered.

Rio walked up next to Yuya. "Want to talk about it?" Rio asked.

"A memory." Yuya said. "I saw another memory of myself, and Mom and Dad. Because Dad was a champion, those that were jealous of his success bullied me through their own kids. I couldn't make any friends and then Dad gave me Odd-Eyes. Then we had a family meal of fried chicken."

"That sounds like a good memory." Rio said.

"It is…and I'm scared." Yuya answered, confusing Rio. "These good memories, they're leading up to what happened in the United World and…I'm scared to know what's gonna happen. What if I see something that I wish I didn't? What if the reason the United World was split was because of me?" Yuya looked at his hand as it was shaking. "I'm scared…I'm really scared…"

Rio took Yuya's shaking hand in hers. "It's gonna be okay, Yuya. I'm here for you and so is Jonouchi, Asuka and Rua. Not just us. Yuzu, Rin, Ruri, Serena, Gongenzaka, Sawatari, every one of the Dimension Guardians is here for you. If you have a problem, just tell us and we'll help you. You don't have to go through this alone. We'll help you get through this. That's what friends are for."

"Friends…" Yuya repeated before he took a deep breath. "Thanks, Rio."

"Anytime, Yuya." Rio smiled. "Come on, let's go inside." Both Rio and Yuya went back to the house.


Akari's Room

"I see. So, you're each from a different dimension." Akari heard what the Dimension Guardians had told her. "So, even you oppose Academia?" Akari asked Asuka.

"I do." Asuka nodded. "Even so, if we have to win this war, we have to use Fusion Summon."

"It's too bad the Resistance doesn't share your idea. If they had, they wouldn't be as crippled as they are now." Akari said.

"What do you mean?" Rua asked.

"Academia is using the other summon methods. Including Xyz." Yuya answered. "I know that because Hell Kaiser showed us a Synchro and Xyz Monster he had back in the Standard Dimension." Yuya recalled after he defeated Marik in Standard when Kaiser showed his cards.

"And because of that, Academia has gotten stronger." Akari verified. "They've spread out far beyond Heartland and have been establishing bases throughout the entire dimension.

"So, it's not just Heartland anymore. It's everywhere else." Rio said.

"And to make matters worse, people like Charlie, who chose to serve Academia for survival are turning the rest of the people into cards. Those that chose to serve them were given special cards, the Numbers."

"What are the Numbers?" Jonouchi asked.

"Honestly, I don't know. If there's anyone who knows it would Byron Arclight and Doctor Faker, but…" Akari looked down.

"Dr. Faker…you mean Kaito's father?" Rio asked.

"Kaito?" Yuya asked.

"Kaito Tenjo. He is the ace of the Clover Branch school. He's a super strong Duelist and is a rival to both my brother and Shun." Rio explained. "Oh, no…I just remembered."

"What?" Asuka asked.

"Back at the Ark Cradle, Shun and Ruri Dueled a copy of Kaiser. They defeated the copy, but Shun lost to the real Kaiser during the Zero Reverse incident. Shun told me that Kaiser turned all of Kaito's family into cards because Kaito turned his little brother into a card."

"I see, so that's why…" Akari looked down.

"That's why, what?" Rio asked.

"Kaito left the Resistance and has been hunting down anyone with ties to Academia. He's now known as the Xyz Hunter, he brutally defeats his opponents and they become this." Akari showed photos of people looking like ghosts, with little to no life left in them.

"Kaito…" Rio got worried.

Suddenly, Akari's computer went off. "What's that?" Jonouchi asked.

"It's a notification from an app I set up when an Xyz Duelist is facing someone from Academia." Akari typed in her computer. "Let's see the Xyz Duelist is Kaito and the Academia Duelist is someone named Serena."

"Serena?!" The five gasped.


Guardians Camp

"Who the heck is this guy?" Sawatari looked at Kaito as Kaito walked towards them.

"Kaito Tenjo." Dennis recognized. "He's a really strong Duelist."

"How strong?" Crow asked.

"Strong enough to beat Shun." Dennis answered.

"Wait, wasn't he the same one that Kaiser mentioned." Serena said.

"You know Kaiser?" Kaito glared at Serena. "Perfect, you'll tell me where he is!" Kaito extended his Duel Disk and a red chain shot out of it and grabbed onto Serena's Duel Disk.

"Wait, we're not your enemies!" Yuzu shouted.

"Let's just talk this through." Rin added.

"That scarf on your hand." Reiji saw Kaito's hand. "That means that you are a member of the Resistance. The same as Shun and Ruri Kurosaki and Rio Kamishiro."

"Rio…how do you know Rio?" Kaito asked.

"She's our friend and one of the founders of our team, Dimension Guardians." Gongenzaka answered.

"Dimension Guardians…fine if you are who you say who you are, then prove it to me." Kaito said. "Academia has used many different means of hunting us down, including turning us against each other and using different methods other than Fusion and Xyz. If you really are an ally, then show me."

"But there's no reason to—" Yuzu wanted to protest.

"That's enough, Yuzu." Serena spoke.

"But, Serena." Yuzu wanted to protest.

"It's obvious that words aren't gonna reach this guy. That's why we'll talk using our cards." Serena walked forward to lessen the gap between her and Kaito.

"Hm? Your face…" Kaito saw Serena's face.

"I know, but I'm not Ruri. My name is Serena. I'm a resident of the Fusion Dimension and a prisoner of Academia."

"A prisoner?" Kaito questioned.

"Let me give you a proposition. If I lose this Duel, you are free to turn me into a card." Serena said.

"Serena, what are you doing?!" Rin shouted.

"But if I win, you will at least hear us out and give us the location of the Resistance Base." Serena said.

"Very well. I'll accept those terms." Kaito nodded.

"Also, one more thing. To prove that I'm an ally, I won't Fusion Summon." Serena added.

"But Serena's deck revolves around Fusion, not to mention her ace monster is a Fusion Monster." Aki remembered Serena's deck.

"But if it can convince this guy that we're not the enemy, then it's a risk worth taking." Jack said.

"Tsukikage, be on standby to interfere." Reiji whispered.

"Yes." Tsukikage nodded.

Kaito activated his Duel Disk and so did Serena.

"Field Magic: Dimension Gates" The gates appeared around Serena and Kaito.

"Dimension Gates." Kaito looked at the gates.

"These gates allow both of us to perform different summon methods at the cost of 1000 Life Points. Of course, it's up to you whether or not to use them." Serena said. "Let's do this!"

"Duel!" Serena and Kaito declared.

Serena LP: 4000, Hand: 5
Kaito LP: 4000, Hand: 5

"My turn! Draw!" Serena drew her card. "There's no doubt this guy is strong if he's got beef with Kaiser. In all honesty, without my Fusions, I'll lose instantly. But my Dueling is more than Fusions."

"I summon Moonlight Emerald Bird (ATK: 1200, LV: 4)!" A female dancer with emerald wings appeared. "When this card is summoned, I can send one Moonlight card from my hand to the Graveyard and draw one card! I discard Moonlight Yellow Marten and draw one card." Serena drew one more card.

"At this moment, Moonlight Yellow Marten's effect activates! When this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can add one Moonlight Magic or Trap Card from my deck to my hand!" Serena added another card from her deck to her hand.

"I set two cards and end my turn!"

Serena LP: 4000, Hand: 4
Kaito LP: 4000, Hand: 5

"Is she really not gonna use Fusions?" Sawatari wondered.

"My turn! Draw!" Kaito drew his card. "I summon Cipher Wing (ATK: 1400, LV: 4)! And when there is a Cipher Wing on my field, I can Special Summon another Cipher Wing from my hand (ATK: 1400, LV: 4)!" Kaito summoned two pairs of monsters with wings.

"Two Level 4 monsters…" Serena uttered.

"I activate my Continuous Magic: Cipher Interfere! When I control two or more copies of the same Cipher monster, I can double the Attack Points of one of them during battle!" Kaito revealed as one of the Cipher Wings got stronger.

Cipher Wing (ATK: 1400→2800)

"Battle! Cipher Wing, attack Moonlight Emerald Bird!" The Cipher Wing charged towards Serena's monster.

"Quick-Play Magic: Quick Summon! This card allows me to Normal Summon one monster in my hand! I summon Moonlight White Rabbit (ATK: 800, LV: 2)!" Serena called out a female monster dressed as a rabbit.

"When Moonlight White Rabbit is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon one Moonlight monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position! I Special Summon Moonlight Yellow Marten (DEF: 2000, LV: 4)!" Serena summoned her Yellow Marten.

"With three Moonlight monsters, I can activate the Trap Card: Waxing Moon! This card my Moonlight monsters not to be destroyed in battle and battle damage to be reduced to 0!" A new moon before going through the waxing phases and the light protected Serena and her monsters from Cipher Wing's attack.

"When the battle ends, Cipher Interfere's effect ends and its Attack Points return to normal." Kaito said.

Cipher Wing (ATK: 2800→1400)

"I set two cards and end my turn." Kaito finished his turn.

Serena LP: 4000, Hand: 3
Kaito LP: 4000, Hand: 1

"Looks like he's testing her out." Jack observed.

"Now to see how Serena answers back." Crow looked at Serena.

"My turn! Draw!" Serena drew her card. "If I'm gonna prove that I'm an ally…"

"I activate Dimension Gate's effect! I pay 1000 Life Points to open the Xyz Gate!" The Xyz Gate opened.

Serena LP: 4000→3000

"The Xyz Gate allows me to change the Levels of all monsters on my field into the same Level as the monster I target. I choose the Level 2 Moonlight White Rabbit! That means, Emerald Bird and Yellow Maten's Level is reduced from four to two!"

Moonlight Emerald Bird (LV: 4→2)
Moonlight Yellow Maten (LV: 4→2)

"I Overlay my Level 2 Moonlight White Rabbit, Emerald Bird and Yellow Maten!" All three of Serena's monsters turned into purple lights and entered the spacelike portal in front of her.

"Little beast that howls with the moonlight, appear before us and showcase your grace with your four cute paws! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 2! Moonlight Puppy Dancer (ATK: 1800, RNK: 2, OVU: 3)!" Appearing was a female puppy with shaggy fur and bushy tail.

"Aw, cute little thing." Sawatari commented.

"Next, I activate the Magic Card: Fusion Revocation! By discarding Fusion from my hand, I send one Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard and Special Summon one of the Fusion Material monsters from my hand!" Serena revealed.

"She's getting rid of her Fusion and Fusion Monster?" Kaito was surprised.

"I discard Fusion from my hand and Moonlight Cat Dancer from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard to Special Summon Moonlight Blue Cat (ATK: 1600, LV: 4) from my hand!" Serena summoned her blue cat.

"Moonlight Blue Cat's effect! When this monster is Special Summoned, one Moonlight monster on my field has their Attack Points doubled until the end of this turn! I choose Moonlight Puppy Dancer!" Puppy Dancer gained power.

Moonlight Puppy Dancer (ATK: 1800→3600)

"Wow, 3600 Attack Points!" Dennis was amazed.

"Now even if he uses Cipher Interfere's effect, Serena's monster is still stronger." Reiji fixed his glasses.

"Battle! Moonlight Puppy Dancer, attack Cipher Wing!" Moonlight Puppy Dancer jumped towards Cipher Wing.

"At this moment, Cipher Interfere's effect doubles the Attack Points of Cipher Wing!" Kaito used his card to make Cipher Wing stronger.

Cipher Wing (ATK: 1400→2800)

"And then, I activate the Continuous Trap: Cipher Shield! When there are two or more Cipher Monsters on my field, Cipher monsters cannot be destroyed in battle!" A shield protected Cipher Wing.

"But you still take damage!" Serena pointed out and Kaito flinched from the damage.

Kaito LP: 4000→3200

"Next, I activate the Continuous Trap: Cipher Chain! When I take damage from battle, this card targets all monsters on the field!" A chain connected to Kaito's Cipher Wings and Serena's Puppy Dancer and Blue Cat.

"If one of the monsters connected to this card is destroyed, all players take damage equal to the combined Attack Points of all monsters that were connected to this chain!" Kaito revealed.

"But won't that take him out as well?" Reira wondered.

"The Continuous Trap: Cipher Shield negates Effect Damage that is dealt to me." Kaito said. "This is the end for you. At the end of your turn, the effect of your Magic Card: Fusion Revocation, destroys the monster that was Special Summoned using that card's effect."

"But my turn isn't over yet! I activate Puppy Dancer's effect! By using one Overlay Unit, it can attack all monsters on my opponent's field! Puppy Dancer, attack the other Cipher Wing!" Puppy Dancer consumed the Overlay Unit and charged once more.

Puppy Dancer (OVU: 3→2)

Puppy Dancer hit the Cipher Shield that protected Cipher Wing, but Kaito still took damage.

Kaito LP: 3200→1000

"When the Battle Phase ends, Cipher Interfere's effect ends and its Attack Points return to normal." Kaito grunted.

Cipher Wing (ATK: 2800→1400)

"I set the Scale 2 Moonlight Gray Koala in my Pendulum Zone and activate its Pendulum Effect! Once per turn, I can banish one Moonlight Fusion monster in my Graveyard to destroy one Magic or Trap Card on the field! I destroy Cipher Chain!" Kaito's card was destroyed.

"Also, at this moment, Blue Cat's effect ends and Puppy Dancer's Attack Points return to normal.

Puppy Dancer (ATK: 3600→1800)

"And as you said, Fusion Revocation destroys the Blue Cat that was Special Summoned." Blue Cat was destroyed. "I end my turn."

Serena LP: 3000, Hand: 0
Kaito LP: 1000, Hand: 1

"Wow, Serena has gotten stronger." Rin was amazed. "I never thought she could Xyz Summon as well."

"And she is also using Pendulum Effects as well." Yuzu added.

"Man, if Serena is this strong without using her Fusions, then I wouldn't want to be Kaito right now." Sawatari said.

"Using Xyz despite being from the Fusion Dimension…you're just like Kaiser." Kaito growled.

"Kaito, I know what Kaiser did and I'm sorry. You have every right to be angry. But Kaito, you're not innocent yourself." Serena said.

"What?" Kaito questioned.

"Kaiser only went after your family because you turned his brother into a card. If you hadn't done that in first place, Kaiser would have—" Serena spoke.

"Shut up!" Kaito shouted harshly. "Did you think I just turned Sho Marufuji into a card for no reason?"

"Huh?" Serena asked.

"I saw what he did." Kaito growled.


Clover Branch – During Team Kaiser's Invasion

Kaito panted as he defeated three more soldiers and watched them disappear. He then heard an explosion coming from one of the classrooms and he headed to the room and he looked inside to see a family of four with the parents holding a little boy while a female Resistance member was defeated by Sho.

"Wait! Don't do it, take me!" The father rushed to protect his daughter.

"Patroid!" Sho played his monster and it knocked the father back.

"Leave my big sister alone!" The little boy cried.

"Steamroid!" Sho summoned another monster to keep the parents and little brother away as he approached the daughter.

Kaito looked and he noticed that the girl's Duel Disk was damaged. She couldn't fight back anymore.

"Please…don't do this…" The daughter cried. "At least…spare my family…"

"Glory on the Academia." Sho pressed the button on his Duel Disk and the girl screamed as she turned into purple lights. Sho took a card out of his Duel Disk to show the girl in fear.

Kaito was enraged, the girl couldn't fight back and Sho just turned her into a card without a care in the world. "You bastard!" Kaito roared as he charged into the room.


Serena vs Kaito

"She couldn't fight back; her family was forced to watch as she was turned into a card!" Kaito told his story. "After that I vowed never again! I would not allow Academia to separate families!"

"My turn! Draw!" Kaito drew his card. "I summon my third Cipher Wing (ATK: 1400, LV: 4)!" Kaito summoned his final copy of Cipher Wing.

"I release my third Cipher Wing to activate its monster effect! It raises the Level of all Cipher monsters on my field by four!" Kaito revealed as his other two Cipher Wing's Levels changed.

Cipher Wing x2 (LV: 4→8)

"Two Level 8 monsters!" Aki gasped.

"I Overlay my two Level 8 Cipher Wings!" Both Cipher Wings turned into yellow light and entered the spacelike portal.

"Galaxy shining in the darkness, dwell in the demonic god of revenge and become my very servant! Xyz Summon! Descend, Rank 8! Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon (ATK: 3000, RNK: 8, OVU: 2)!" Kaito brought out a dragon with white skin and red and purple armor on its body and gold wings and claws.

"Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon…" Serena looked at the monster and stepped back.

"I use one Overlay Unit to activate Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon's Monster Effect! Cipher Projection!" Galaxy Eyes unleashed power from its wings. "Once per turn, it negates the effects of one monster on my opponent's field and gives me control of it!"

Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon (OVU: 2→1)

"I won't let you! I activate Puppy Dancer's other effect! By using one Overlay Unit, it can negate an effect that targets it!" Puppy Dancer let out a howl that negated Cipher Dragon's effect.

"But that was only once per turn." Kaito said.

"What?" Serena asked.

"I Overlay my Rank 8 Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon!" Kaito shouted.

"What?!" Serena gasped.

"He's Xyz Summon using an Xyz Monster?!" Jack was surprised.

"Galaxy shining in the darkness, sharpen your blades of vengeance and become my servant! Xyz Summon! Descend! Rank 9! Galaxy Eyes Cipher Blade Dragon (ATK: 3200, RNK: 9, OVU: 2)!" Appearing was more powerful version of Cipher Dragon but with two long blades along its arms.

"Galaxy Eyes Cipher Blade Dragon's effect! By using one Overlay Unit, I can target one card on the field and destroy it! I destroy Moonlight Puppy Dancer!" Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon swung its blades and destroyed Puppy Dancer.

"Are you ready to repent?!" Kaito shouted. "Galaxy Eyes Cipher Blade Dragon! Direct Attack! Cipher Blade of Destruction!" Galaxy Eyes Cipher Blade Dragon charged towards Serena.

"Serena!" Everyone shouted.

"I banish Waxing Moon to activate its effect! I gain 100 Life Points for every Moonlight monster in my Graveyard! With five, I gain 500 Life Points!" Serena quickly played her card.

Serena LP: 3000→3500

Serena was then struck by the blade and was blown away and she screamed in pain. She crashed onto the ground and rolled backwards before her back hit the wall of some rubble.

Serena LP: 3500→300

"I end my turn." Kaito finished his turn.

Serena LP: 300, Hand: 0
Kaito LP: 1000, Hand: 1

"Serena!" Yuzu ran to her.

"Don't come!" Serena shouted, making Yuzu stop. "You just stay where you are. Don't interfere." Serena tried to get up but she felt a sharp pain in her ankle. "Damn it…I think it's broken."

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Kaito asked, getting Serena's attention. "That pain your feeling, it's nothing compared to what the people of Heartland went through when your people attacked! You have no idea the pain that we all have went through, the family and friends that we have lost, all of this was caused by the Fusion Dimension, by your home!"

"But Serena had nothing to do with it!" Yuzu argued. "She was against Academia from the very start! You can't just decide that she's guilty because of where she came from!"

"Yuzu, that's enough." Serena said.

"But!" Yuzu felt a hand on her shoulder. "Rin?"

"Serena is trying to tell Kaito something." Rin looked at Serena. "Just watch and listen."

"My turn…draw…" Serena drew her card. "I set a monster in Defense Position and end my turn."

Serena LP: 300, Hand: 0
Kaito LP: 1000, Hand: 1

"My turn! Draw!" Kaito drew his card. "I activate Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Blade Dragon's effect! By using one Overlay Unit, I destroy one card on the field, I destroy your monster!" Cipher Blade Dragon destroyed the card which was revealed to be Cyber Pod.

"Cyber Pod. When that monster is flipped, all monsters are destroyed and we are each allowed to reveal the top five cards in our decks and Special Summon all Level 4 or lower monsters in face-up Attack Position or face-down Defense Position." Kaito understood Serena's plan.

"But when Cipher Blade Dragon is destroyed by battle or card effect, I would Special Summon Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon from my Graveyard. A good strategy, but not good enough." Kaito said. "Are you ready to repent?"

"Yes." Serena answered, surprising Kaito. No one ever answered him before. "But…can I say one last thing before you finish this?"

"What is it?" Kaito asked.

"The Academia that your fighting…it wasn't always like that…" Serena spoke. "It used to be a place where everyone would find their dream. Whether it was to be a Pro Duelist, or be a card designer, Academia had something for everyone."

"A place…where everyone would find a dream…" Kaito repeated. From what Serena was describing, Academia was just like his school.

"That was…the true Academia. I had a good teacher; he would always make me laugh and make every day fun. But Leo Akaba came and you know the rest…" Serena said.

"I know this is not enough to quell your anger, and I know this won't make you feel even a little better, but…I am sorry for what the Fusion Dimension did. I'm really sorry." Serena bowed her head to Kaito.

"She never planned to win the Duel at all." Reiji observed, getting everyone's attention. "She wanted to quell his anger and calm him down, even if it meant getting herself hurt. She wanted to take all of Kaito's rage."

"Serena…" Yuzu looked at her lookalike.

Kaito, meanwhile, was trembling. Hearing Serena talking about what Academia was like had caused some of his happiest memories to resurface. He was now confused on what to do. Academia took everything from him, but Serena apologized for their actions even though she didn't have a part of it.

"Everyone!"

Everyone turned to see Yuya, Rio, Jonouchi, Asuka, Rua and Akari running towards them.

"Yuya…" Serena smiled.

"Rio?" Kaito's eyes widened when he saw her.

"Serena, are you okay?" Yuya knelt down to Serena.

"A little banged up, but I'm okay." Serena winced as she held her ankle.

"Kaito. What are you doing hurting my friends?!" Rio asked.

"Your…friends…" Kaito repeated.

"That's right, Kaito! They're our friends!"

Kaito turned to see Shun and Ruri walking towards the group with Sayaka and Allen.

"That's right, Kaito! Shun and Ruri are back with friends!" Sayaka said.

"And there's more of them than the fingers on my hands! In times like these, just one Duelist is important. I'm glad." Allen commented.

"Friends…" Kaito looked at the Dimension Guardians once more.

"You don't have to worry, Kaito. They all hate this Dimensional War and want to stop Leo Akaba." Ruri added.

"They're all good people, especially those five." Shun looked at the founding members. "In the Synchro Dimension. Those five were able to get all of us to work together and we saved the dimension from destruction."

"The Synchro Dimension." Kaito repeated.

"Trust me, Kaito. And trust them, especially Yuya Ryuga." Shun added.

"Ryuga?" Kaito's eyes widened and he looked at Yuya.

"Kaito, come back to us! Then we can be together again and…" Sayaka spoke.

"I refuse!" Kaito shouted. "I don't need people holding me back!" Kaito played a card from his hand and his Galaxy-Eyes's wings shined and blinded everybody.

When the light died down, Kaito was gone.

No Result

"Kaito…did you really change that much?" Rio looked at where Kaito was.

"Well, this just got a lot more complicated." Sawatari complained.

"You all can come with us. We have a save place away from Academia territory." Allen said.

"Let's go." Reiji said and everyone followed.

"Ow…" Serena winced as she held her ankle. "Yeah, that's broken."

"Can't be helped." Yuya sighed. He put one arm under her thighs and one arm around her waist and picked her up.

"Geez, this is embarrassing…" Serena blushed.

"You can carry me when I get hurt." Yuya offered.

"I'll hold you to that." Serena chuckled.

"Here comes the bride. Here comes the bride." Sawatari sang before he was smacked by Yuzu's paper fan. "Ow! What did I do?"

"Don't worry, Rin. I know a way to get the lead. You just have to…" Crow whispered something into Rin's ear that made her blush. "It's foolproof."

"It's stupid. Stupid Big Brother Crow." Rin punched Crow in the stomach.

"Shut up." Ruri said to Shun.

"But I didn't say anything." Shun was confused by his sister's sudden change of behavior.

Watching from above was a Duelist wearing a large cloak and he had an Academia Duel Disk on his arm and he looked at Yuya. "Yuya…Ryuga…"


And that is the end of Chapter 2 of the Xyz Arc. I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the next one, which I hope to release soon as well.

Let me know what you think of this chapter in the reviews and if you have a question, feel free to PM and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Thanks for reading and I will see you next time.


Preview: The Guardians are taken to the Duel Lodge, the headquarters for the Resistance and are caught up on what happened in Heartland in Shun's and Ruri's absence. However, tensions rise when Allen and Sayaka learn that Shun and Ruri have used Fusion Monsters and Allen's older sister, Anna Kozuki, constantly calling out Rio for being the weakest member of the Resistance. Angered by the bigotry towards his friends, Yuya challenges the Kozuki siblings to a Tag Duel with Rio as his partner.

Next Time: Fire and Ice Combination!