And here we are with chapter 47. Honestly, I don't think I evened out the Duel correctly on this one. But I hope you all enjoy the rest of the Yuya vs Reiji Duel.

We are one Duel and which means the finale of the Standard Arc will be the next chapter.

But enough of that, on with the chapter.

Chapter 47: The Pendulum Dragon Slayer

Yuya vs Reiji

Field Magic: Dimension Gates

Yuya LP: 1100, Hand: 2
Field: Chaos Paladin (ATK: 3000, LV: 8)

Reiji LP: 1525, Hand: 0
Field: Scale 1 DD Magical Savant Copernicus, Scale 10 DD Magical Savant Newton

Reiji looked at his Extra Deck and he noticed that his Pendulum-Hybrids weren't there. "When destroyed, Pendulum Monsters are supposed to go to the Extra Deck, so why aren't they here?" Reiji asked.

"Chaos Paladin is the anti-Pendulum Monster." Yuya revealed. "When it attacks and successfully destroys a Pendulum Monster, they are banished instead of being sent to the Extra Deck."

"Wow, I honestly never expected Yuya to have a monster that counters the Pendulum cards he created." Sawatari was amazed.

"It's ironic." Gongenzaka said. "The conditions to summon that anti-Pendulum Monster is to release Pendulum Monsters."

"While Chaos Paladin is on the field, neither of us are allowed to use Pendulum Effects of the monsters in our Pendulum Zones. Also, the moment you summon a Pendulum Monster on the field, it's Attack Points are instantly reduced in half. I set one card and end my turn." Yuya finished.

Yuya LP: 1100, Hand: 1
Reiji LP: 1525, Hand: 0

"That was splendid." Reiji praised. "You have showed instant mastery of the Ritual Summon and even sealed the power of the Pendulum."

"This guy…I banished his portfolio but he quickly composed himself. What is he thinking?" Yuya thought.

"I think I'm beginning to understand why the God Osiris aided you in your Duel with Marik." Reiji fixed his glasses.

"Osiris told me why he helped me. I heard him speak." Yuya revealed.

"He spoke to you?" Reiji questioned.

"I don't know how to explain it, but I am able to communicate with my monsters." Yuya said. "Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician also contacted me which led to the birth of Chaos Paladin. And Odd-Eyes…he told me he won't lose to cheap knock-offs! As the first Pendulum Monster, he will show his true power!"

Yuya pointed to Reiji. "And the same is said to me! I won't lose to someone who just copies my moves!"

"Yuya." Yuzu smiled.

"Looks like we both fell for stubborn males." Yuzu heard a voice. She looked at her deck and drew the top card which was Melodious Flower Dragon. "Right, Yuzu?" Melodious Flower Dragon spoke to her.

"You can talk?" Yuzu thought.

"And eat and laugh. All things you can do, I can do too. Wait, don't tell me you thought I was just a card?" Flower Dragon asked.

"No, of course, not. It's just…how come I never heard you before?" Yuzu asked.

"Well, I never really tried talking to you before. You had a lot of things going on and a talking dragon probably would've blown your mind, literally." Flower Dragon pointed out.

"I guess so." Yuzu looked at Yuya and blushed. "They won't lose. I believe it."

"Me too." Flower Dragon agreed.

"I won't deny that I have copied your methods. You're only half right." Reiji admitted. "Not only did I copy them, I have improved them. I'll show it right now."

"My turn! Draw!" Reiji drew his card. "From the Graveyard, I activate the effect of DD Fusion, Synchro and Xyz. By banishing these cards from my Graveyard, I can revive the three Hell Armageddon's from my Graveyard with their effects negated and their Attack Points reduced to 0!" The three Armageddon's revive.

Hell Armageddon x 3 (ATK: 0, LV: 8, PS: 4)

"They're back again." Rin got worried.

"But their Attack Points are reduced to 0." Serena pointed out. "They can't attack but…"

"They're all Level 8." Ruri finished.

"I Overlay two of my Level 8 Hell Armageddon's!" Two of the Armageddon's became purple lights and entered the spacelike portal.

"When two suns rise, the horizon of a new world shall open up! Xyz Summon! Appear and come forth, Rank 8! DDD Twin Dawn King Kali Yuga (ATK: 3500, RNK: 8, OVU: 2)!" A fiend in brown armor sitting on a throne appeared.

"When this card is Special Summoned, it negates all card effects on the field other than Kali Yuga's until the end of the turn!" Reiji negated Chaos Paladin's powers.

"Damn it. Chaos Paladin's effect allows me to banish a Ritual Magic from my Graveyard to negate an attack." Yuya cursed.

"Battle! Twin Dawn King Kali Yuga, attack Chaos Paladin! Twin Break Shot!" Kali Yuga fired two dark beams at Chaos Paladin.

"I activate my Trap Card: Half Unbreak! My monster isn't destroyed and the battle damage is reduced by half!" A barrier protected Chaos Paladin while Yuya grunted as he took damage.

Yuya LP: 1100→850

"Since a DDD monster attack but failed to destroy your monster, I can activate this Trap Card from my hand! Trap Card: DDD Armor!" Reiji revealed the card.

"What?!" Yuya gasped.

"He has an Armor too?!" Yuzu exclaimed.

Reiji's body glowed and he became encased in black and silver armor with two demonic wings sprouting out from behind. "Here I come, Yuya! DDD Armor's has 3 effects! I activate the first one! By paying 1000 of my Life Points, I can fuse DDD Armor with a DD monster on my field! I fuse myself with Hell Armageddon!"

Reiji LP: 1525→525

"He's also gonna fuse himself with his monster!" Dennis gasped.

"Ruler of all kings! Become one with the armor of your master and bring about true justice!" Both Reiji and Hell Armageddon entered the spiraling vortex and bright flash of light came out of it, blinding everyone.

"Fusion Summon! Be born! DDD Purple Armor – Oblivion Armageddon (ATK: 3500, LV: 10, PS: 3)!" Reiji reappeared with the armor now colored purple.

"Another Fusion-Pendulum Monster." Yuya looked at the card. "And Chaos Paladin's effects are negated, meaning I can't reduce its Attack Points."

"I activate Oblivion Armageddon's effect! Once per turn, I can target one monster on the opponent's field and destroy it!" Reiji gathered magic in his hands. "Void Nova!" Reiji fired the blast and it hit Chaos Paladin.

Chaos Paladin tried to stay strong but the blast was pushing him back and his sword began to crack. "Also, the opponent takes 100 points of damage times the destroyed monster's Level!" Reiji added.

Chaos Paladin couldn't hold it back anymore and the blast consumed him. Yuya shielded himself from the blast but in an instant Reiji appeared in front of him and punched him right in the stomach.

Yuya felt the wind knocked out of him and he was blown back and fell down the stairs behind him to lower ground.

Yuya LP: 850→50

"Yuya!" Yuzu and Gongenzaka ran from their spots.

"Darling!" Mieru ran with them.

"Due to this effect, I cannot attack with Oblivion Armageddon. With that, I end my turn." Reiji smiled proudly. "In an instant, I have destroyed your anti-Pendulum Monster and I have created a Fusion-Pendulum Armor that possesses other effects than what you just witnessed."

"Damn it…" Yuya held his back, he was pretty sure a rib cracked.

"What's wrong? Are you done already?" Reiji provoked. "Is this all the Dragon Soldier, Yuya Sakaki is capable of? Is this what Yuto, Yugo and Yuri gave up their lives for? Is this the Duelist that can defeat Leo Akaba and save the world?!"

"Or you are you nothing but a disappointment of Yusho Sakaki?! A disgrace to You Show Duel School! A failure to protect his family and friends!"

"I…I…" Yuya tried to get up, but now the damage from the Battle Royal and this Duel started to take a toll on him. His vision began to get blurry and he wasn't sure if he could get back on his feet.

"I can't watch this anymore!" Gongenzaka shouted.

"Hang on, Yuya, we're coming!" Yuzu called out.

"I'll help you!" Mieru added.

However, Kali Yuga fired beams at them to stop them from advancing. "Yuya, don't listen to this guy! You can still win!" Yuzu shouted.

"Yuzu…" Yuya turned to her.

"I was able to get stronger because of you! Thanks to you, I was able to evolve Pendulum Summon my own way and obtain a new power! And it's not just me, you've inspired everyone here!" Yuzu declared.

"She's right, Yuya!" Gongenzaka agreed. "Thanks to you, I was able to evolve my Steadfast Dueling to incorporate the Synchro Summon! You've made me realize that I can still grow even without giving up my Dueling!"

"You've changed me, Yuya!" Sawatari joined them. "Before, I only cared about rare and powerful cards, but our Duel has taught me that what makes a Duelist strong isn't the cards he holds, but the heart that he puts into the cards! That's why you have to win this Duel! As my fated rival, I will not allow you to lose anymore!"

"Yuzu…Gongenzaka…Sawatari…" Yuya uttered.

"Your friends are calling out to you! Don't let them down!" A new voice shouted from above.

Everyone looked up to the roof of a building and standing there was a man with brown hair and wearing a long white sleeveless coat featuring shoulder pads and a raised studded collar, with black sleeves from his shirt coming out from under. He had extra belts in pairs strapped around his upper arms and shins. On his belt buckle and coat were the initials KC.

"Seto Kaiba!" Yuya's eyes widened.

"What is he doing here?" Reiji narrowed his eyes.

"Who is that?" Serena asked.

"Seto Kaiba. The CEO of Kaiba Corporation and a rival to Leo Corporation." Tsukikage explained. "The Duel Disk that Yuya is wearing is one designed by him. He's also one of the top Duelists in the world."

"Yuya Sakaki, your life as a Duelist doesn't end here! In fact, it's just beginning!" Kaiba declared. "The four dimensions are calling out for a hero! You must answer the call! Answer it by showing them the Dueling that is Yuya Sakaki! The Dueling that surpasses Reiji Akaba! The Dueling that surpasses Yusho Sakaki! The Dueling that only you and your pride and soul can produce!" Kaiba summoned his Blue-Eyes and it roared.

"My pride…my soul…" Yuya uttered before he closed his eyes. "Come to think of it…"

Center Court – 3 years ago

It was the finals of the Rookie Tournament and both Yuya and Yoko came to watch Jonouchi in the finals.

"I release Wyvern Warrior and Flame Swordsman!" Jonouchi's monsters disappeared. "We're gonna be the champions together! Because this guy is my pride and soul! Come forth! Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Jonouchi summoned his ace monster and the crowd cheered.

"And there it is! Katsuya Jonouchi has summoned his pride and soul, Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

"Hey, Mom? Why is Red-Eyes Uncle Jonouchi's pride and soul?" Yuya asked.

"Because both your uncle and Red-Eyes have been through a lot together." Yoko smiled. "Victory after victory. Defeat after defeat. Both of them continued to use each experience to grow stronger to the point where Red-Eyes obtained a new power."

"I activate the Magic Card: Red-Eyes Fusion! I fuse Red-Eyes Black Dragon with Red-Eyes Metal Knight Gearfried!" The swirling vortex appeared behind Jonouchi and both Red-Eyes and a metal clad warrior entered the vortex.

"Black dragon with red eyes! Iron clad warrior with the same red eyes! With your friendship, become one and create a new power! Fusion Summon!" Jonouchi punched both his fists together. "Come forth! Level 7! Red-Eyes Slash Dragon!" Appearing was a Red-Eyes with swords along his claws and the armor of a warrior.

"Go! Red-Eyes Slash Dragon! Slice and Dice!" Red-Eyes Slash Dragon swung his blades so fast that it literally turned the monster into small pieces.

"The winner is Katsuya Jonouchi!"

"Alright! We did it, Red-Eyes!" Jonouchi held his fist out and Red-Eyes bumped its fist with Jonouchi before it disappeared.

"So cool!" Yuya was in awe.

"One day, you and Odd-Eyes will have that bond." Yoko smiled.

"Yeah, me and Odd-Eyes will be the ultimate duo!" Yuya declared.

Present Time

Yuya opened his eyes and got to his feet. "Odd-Eyes…"

"I hear you and I know what you're gonna say." Odd-Eyes appeared behind Yuya.

"Stronger…much stronger…" Yuya thought.

"We'll be the ultimate duo!" Yuya and Odd-Eyes declared and the top card of Yuya's deck glowed.

Yuya LP: 50, Hand: 1
Reiji LP: 525, Hand: 0

"My turn! Draw!" Yuya drew his card and created an arc of light. "I activate the Magic Card: Amazing Pendulum! When I have no cards in my Pendulum Zone, I can add two Pendulum Monsters from my Extra Deck to my hand!"

"With the Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, I set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuya set his scale and the two magicians appeared in columns of light.

"With this, I can simultaneously summon monsters from Levels 2 to 7…under normal circumstances!" Yuya revealed.

"What?" Reiji perked up.

"When I have Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon in my Extra Deck and two monsters in my Pendulum Zone, I can Pendulum Summon this monster regardless of the scale!" Yuya revealed, shocking Reiji.

"What did he say?" Sawatari couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Pendulum Summon a monster regardless of the scale." Yuzu repeated.

"Dragon with dichromatic eyes! Bless me with your power and grant me the strength that slays your kind! Overscale Pendulum!" Yuya slammed the card on his Duel Disk and his pendant glowed consuming him.

Odd-Eyes then appeared above them before turning into a red ball of light and entering the light.

"Now!" Yuya shouted.

"Now!" Odd-Eyes roared.

"We become one!" Yuya and Odd-Eyes shouted together. The light subsided to reveal a giant pendulum crystal before it shattered to reveal Yuya had changed.

He was taller, more toned, but there was one major difference. Along his arms and face were the scales of a dragon. "This is the bond between me and Odd-Eyes and Pendulum's maximum potential! Level 10! Pendulum Dragon Slayer – Yuya (ATK: 4000, LV: 10, PS: 0)!"

"Hey, are you seeing this?" Sawatari couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Yuya and Odd-Eyes…became one." Gongenzaka said.

"Amazing…" Yuzu was in awe.

"I activate Oblivion Armageddon's effect! When a Pendulum or Fusion Monster is Special Summoned, its Attack Points are reduced to 0!" Reiji formed a lance with his armor's magic and hurled it at Yuya.

Yuya crossed his arms and a shield made out of pendulum materialized and blocked the lance. "What?!" Reiji was shocked that his effect didn't work.

"I am unaffected by the effects of non-Pendulum monsters or Pendulum monsters that possess the same or lower level than me." Yuya revealed.

"Here I come, Reiji! I attack Kali Yuga!" Yuya inhaled and reared his head back as the ground shook around him. "Pendulum Dragon Roar!" Yuya let out a roar attack with the power of Pendulum and it headed towards Kali Yuga.

"I activate the last effect of Oblivion Armageddon! When a DDD monster is targeted for an attack, all battle damage is reduced by half!" Reiji shouted. "With this, I'll have 25 Life Points…"

"Not gonna work!" Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon appeared behind Yuya, where everyone could see him.

"Did Odd-Eyes talk?!" Dennis exclaimed.

"It did." Shun's eyes widened.

"When Pendulum Dragon Slayer – Yuya destroys a monster in battle, the battle damage is tripled!" Odd-Eyes smirked.

"Tripled?!" Reiji's eyes widened.

"The Battle Damage from the original attack would be 500." Ruri started.

"And reduced in half would be 250." Rin continued.

"But 250 tripled is…750." Serena's eyes widened.

"Then that means…" Gongenzaka smiled.

"Yuya wins!" Yuzu cheered happily.

Kali Yuga roared in pain as the attack consumed him and the attack headed towards Reiji and he was blown off his feet. "ARGH!" Reiji screamed before he crashed on the ground.

Reiji LP: 525→0

Winner: Yuya Sakaki

With the Duel over, the six gates all disappeared, returning the Business District back to normal.

Leo Corporation – Control Room

Himika couldn't believe what she had saw. Reiji, her genius son, defeated by a Duelist of a second-rate school. "This…This can't be! Reiji…LDS…we're the best in the world! This can't…Argh!" Himika threw a chair at the monitor, damaging it.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Himika slammed her hands on the controls in frustration. Reira got a afraid but Nakajima stood in front of him to protect him.

Business District

Kaiba smiled at the scene. "The result was obvious." Kaiba turned and walked away. "Your nephew is something else, Loser Dog Jonouchi."

Yuya's skin on his arms and face returned to normal and took a breath. "Thanks, Odd-Eyes." Yuya turned to his pride and soul.

"We won't stop here." Odd-Eyes spoke.

"Yeah, we'll keep getting stronger and defeat Leo Akaba and save the Four Dimensions." Yuya declared and held his fist out. Odd-Eyes smiled and bumped his fist to Yuya's before disappearing.

"Dar—" Mieru was gonna go towards Yuya when she was pushed aside by Yuzu.

"Yuya!" Yuzu happily ran towards him.

"Yuzu." Yuya turned and smiled at her but was surprise when she jumped towards him. "Whoa!" He caught Yuzu and he spun her around a bit before setting her down and the two embraced.

"You did it! You won!" Yuzu declared.

"Yeah." Yuya wanted to defeat Reiji this time and he finally achieved it.

"Yuya!" Gongenzaka pulled both of his friends into a big hug. "I, the man Gongenzaka, have never been so moved before! I have faith that you will lead us to victory against Academia!"

"I guess I'll follow your orders for now." Sawatari acted cool.

"I don't care who leads, so long as we defeat Leo Akaba." Shun stated.

"A deal is a deal, Reiji. I will lead the Lancers." Yuya approached the defeated Reiji.

Reiji sat up and fixed his glasses. "Very well. I will honor our agreement." Reiji typed something on his Duel Disk and Yuya's gave off an alarm.

"Free of contract?" Yuya looked at the notification.

"Now you just have to find members to join your cell." Reiji stood up.

"Wait, what?" Yuya asked.

"The deal was that you would lead the Lancers if you win." Reiji said. "But you never said that you would lead my Lancers."

"What are you talking about?" Serena asked.

"As soon as one of you began a Duel in the Battle Royal, you unknowingly signed a binding contract that if you survived the Battle Royal, you would answer to me when we begin our mission to defeat Academia. The only way to get out of it is to beat me in a Duel." Reiji revealed.

"And while I may have lost the Pioneer of Pendulum, the rest of you showed a lot of potential. Originally, I thought most of you wouldn't even make it this far, but you have proved me wrong." Reiji fixed his glasses.

"You bastard! You're not giving them a choice!" Yuya argued.

"Oh, and you'll have to find a way to travel dimensions on your own." Reiji added. "Only my Lancers get the access to travel dimensions."

"Hey, wait you can't—" Yuya was gonna argue but exhaustion began to take him over. "Oh man, not now…" Yuya's body gave in and he fell.

"Yuya!" Yuzu caught him.

"Nakajima, did you get the data from the Duel?" Reiji asked.

"Everything has been recorded, sir." Nakajima answered.

"Good work." Reiji ended the call before his arm felt numb. He looked back at the exhausted Yuya. "Next time, I'll be the victor. That I promise." He continued walking away.

Yuya's Heart - United World

Yuya opened his eyes and he found himself back in a familiar place. "Huh? I'm back here again? Does that mean I'm gonna see the same thing again?"

He walked around for a bit before seeing Zarc pouring water over some graves. "Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad. I'm not gonna be able to visit for a while. The Australian League is starting up soon and I have to head there for the preliminaries."

"I'm…I hope I'm doing you proud. The dragons you gave me." Zarc pulled out Odd-Eyes, Dark Rebellion, Clear Wing and Starve Venom. "They've helped me overcome a lot of obstacles and I've built a connection with them."

"I know it sounds ridiculous, but there are times I can actually hear their voices. How they want to show off their power and prove that they're the best. That's dragons for you though, full of pride." Zarc chuckled.

"But, they're also gentle. They congratulated me on the proposal. That's right, I proposed to Ray and she said yes." Zarc smiled warmly. "Though, we won't get married for a while since she's continuing her studies and I'm starting my career."

"Maybe one day I'll introduce you to her. Actually, her father is planning to debut a new evolution to the Duel Monsters game. Apparently, the monster's become real that you can actually touch them." Zarc explained.

"Riding with the dragons…that would be so cool." Zarc imagined himself riding on Odd-Eyes.

Yuya watched and he smiled. "I still can't believe this guy is the same one who tried to take me over." He then got serious. "So, what could've caused him to change."

The area around Yuya changed to a stadium and Zarc was looking at the Round Robins shown on the multiple screens.

"One more win. One more win and I'm guaranteed a spot in the main tournament." Zarc looked at the one with his name on it.

"Contestant #19 and Contestant #25. Please report to the arena for your next Duel." The intercom announced.

"That's me…You got this." Zarc slapped his cheeks and headed to the arena but he accidentally bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry about tha—" Zarc apologized only for the person to be gone.

"Huh? I could've sworn?" Zarc looked around but there was nobody there.

"Who was that?" Yuya did see who Zarc bumped into, well sort of. The person was wearing a purple coat with a hood concealing their face and as soon as Zarc bumped into him, he quickly ran away in a flash.

"Huh?" Zarc saw a card on the ground and picked it up. "Astrograph Magician."

And that's the end of this chapter. We have one more Duel and then we are done with the Standard arc and moving into the Synchro Arc. I'm not saying that I don't like Reiji but as I stated before, he is an antihero, so he will do whatever means to accomplish his goal.

And while he couldn't keep Yuya in his ranks, the Duel wasn't a total loss as Reiji was able to get more data and in turn, create more powerful cards for himself as well as perfect the Pendulum cards he is developing for each of the Lancers.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I will see you next time.

Preview: Leo Corporation explains the Dimensional War to the public and the Lancers are presented. But since Reiji won't give him a method to travel dimensions, Yuya has to find a way on his own. At that moment, Seto Kaiba appears and explains a solution that can help Yuya travel dimensions but in order for it to work, Yuya needs to perfect his skills on his D-Wheel. Kaiba proposes a Riding Duel and Yuya's opponent is none other than…

Next Time: Farewell Duel. A Promise of a Lifetime.