Those Who Endure

Chapter 5: Fusion vs. Synchro

"I place three cards facedown. That ends my turn for now."

What Naruto could do right is to find out what Vizor wants from him while finding the right time to summon his new monster.

"It's my turn now!"

Naruto: 3300 LP

SC: 3

Vizor: 3350 LP

SC: 3

"I play the Speed Spell: Card of Sanctity! Since I have three Speed Counters, we both must draw until six cards are in our hands." Vizor explained as he and Naruto drew the allotted number of cards. "Now I attack your Kiwi Magician Girl with Tech Genus Wonder Magician!"

"Hold on. My Magician's Valkyria's special ability kicks in and forces your Wonder Magician to do battle with her instead." Naruto said as his Valkyria intercepted Wonder Magician from reaching Kiwi Magician Girl. "Plus I activate a Trap Card! Magician's Circle! Since you declared an attack with a Spellcaster, we both can Special Summon a Spellcaster that has 2000 or less ATK from our decks."

Vizor grunted as he didn't have another Spellcaster besides his Wonder Magician and Cyber Magician. However, Naruto smirked as he said aloud the summoning chant.

"Apprentice of the master of magic: whose innocence brings warmth to those around her. With hope of her master's succession, her power grows indefinite! Arise! Dark Magician Girl (6/ATK-2000/DEF-1700)!"

Vizor's eyes widen beneath his glasses as the legendary female Spellcaster joyfully appeared on Naruto's field.

"But I'm not done! Next I activate the Trap Card: Ready for Intercepting! I choose either a Spellcaster or a Warrior on my field to facedown DEF mode and I choose my Magician's Valkyria." Naruto declared while his chosen monster was flipped to a set position.

"I still don't see the point of this. My Wonder Magician will still destroy it."

Naruto smirked. "Not when I activate my other Trap Card: Shift. This switches your monster's target to another monster on my field of my choosing and I choose my Dark Magician Girl!" Vizor's surprise grew when the blonde declared yet another effect. "Did I also mention Dark Magician Girl's ATK increases by 700 when she's successfully summoned." He stated rather than asking.

Dark Magician Girl (ATK-2700)

"Oh no."

"Dark Magician Girl, counterattack with Dark Burning Attack!"

"I activate my facedown, the continuous Trap card: Depth Amulet!" Vizor watched when Dark Magician Girl was repelled from his Wonder Magician. "By discarding one card, I can negate your monster's attack. However, this card must be destroyed after your third End Phase, Naruto."

"So my monsters' attacks will be negated for three of my turns? Darn it!" Naruto grumbled as Vizor ended his turn after he set a card. "My turn then. Draw!"

Naruto: 3300 LP

SC: 4

Vizor: 3350 LP

SC: 4

"I summon Defender the Magical Knight (4/ATK 1600/DEF-2000) in DEF mode." A royal blue armored bulky Spellcaster with a matching cape, a small silver-bladed dagger and a slightly large rectangular shield on his left hand appeared next to Kiwi Magician Girl. "Since he was Normal Summoned, I can place one Spell Counter on it. Next, I Flip Summon my Magician's Valkyria into DEF mode as well."

"Is he going to attack?"

"… I end my turn here."

"My draw!" Vizor looked at his new card as the counters increased by one once more. "Now I play the Speed Spell: Overboost! With this, my Speed Counters increases by six during this turn." His Speed Counters rose to 11. "Next I activate Speed Spell: Monster Reborn!"

"Monster Reborn?! Don't tell me-"

"By removing 10 Speed Counters, I can bring back a monster from the Graveyard! Revive, Tech Genus Power Gladiator!" Vizor declared as his Synchro Monster reappeared back on the field.

Naruto and his monsters braced themselves for another bout against the two Synchro Monsters, but they were caught off-guard when Vizor ended his turn after he set a card.

"By this time, my Speed Counters will reduce to one by now as a cost for Overboost."

"With both Magician's Valkyria and Dark Magician Girl on the field, he decided to play it safe." Naruto assumed but he felt something else. "But what's this nagging feeling in my stomach? I have a feeling he's up to something… something big." Naruto thought before drawing his card. "My draw!"

Naruto: 3300 LP

SC: 6

Vizor: 3350 LP

SC: 2

"Now, I sacrifice my Kiwi Magician Girl to Tribute Summon Chaos Command Magician (6/ATK-2400/DEF-1900)!" The bronze clothed magician made its appearance on the field after taking Kiwi Magician Girl's place. "Battle! I attack Tech Genus Wonder Magician with Dark Magician Girl! Dark Burning Attack!"

"Have you forgotten about my Trap Card? I discard one card to negate your monster's attack."

Naruto grumbled in his throat as his monster was repelled once more. He has four monsters, but Dark Magician Girl is the strongest on the field. However, she was pushed back with Vizor's Trap Card, but he has to do something.

"Then I attack Tech Genus Power Gladiator with Chaos Command Magician!"

"I don't think so. It will be your monster who will lose."

"Huh?"

"It is time to show you."

"Eh?" Naruto was caught off-guard when Vizor suddenly accelerated his Duel Runner to incredible speed, barely able to see him. "What's going on?" He asked in shock when Vizor declared his next move.

"Let's go! Accel Synchro!"

"Accel Synchro?"

TWExTWExTWE

(A Few Minutes Before)

The Streets of Neo Domino City

"Meh~"

"What is it, Crow?" asked Yusei. He, Jack and Crow were out patrolling around the city in case of any trouble throughout the city.

"Naruto hasn't given us an answer about joining our team." Crow admitted.

"I'd say we be lucky if he refuses." Jack countered with steel resolve. A glare was sent from Crow. "From what Leo and Luna said from their conversation with Naruto, he is reluctant about joining because he doesn't want to mess up with our dynamic. Plus we don't really know him. Leo, Luna and Akiza are getting along since the four of them are students at Duel Academy."

"But that says something about Naruto right there." Crow answered. "I think there's another reason why you are adamant against him joining our team."

"And what's that?" Jack asked grimly as he and Yusei looked at Crow.

"You want to duel him as a rival. No association or bond with him, so you can go all out right from the start." Crow answered.

"…"

"You know I'm right, Jack."

Jack finally looked at the Blackwing Duelist. "And how do you know that?"

"Because I want to duel him too. Especially against his Dark Magician." Crow chuckled. "It's obvious he's a good duelist and the Dark Magician is his ace. It's only natural we want to duel him to prove which monster and duelist is better than the other."

Jack and Yusei had to agree with Crow on that matter. Ever since Naruto's Turbo Duel against Ghost and his skills with the Dark Magician, they had an urge to duel him. It is the same with every Duelist to discover which one is better.

"I admit that as well, but I think it'd be better if Naruto did join us. I can only hope his answer is yes." Yusei finally spoke for the first time in the conversation.

"…Yeah."

"Whatever." Jack said before an idea formed in his head. "Hey, why don't we challenge him to a duel a right now?" Both Yusei and Crow gave him confused glances. "As initiation to join our team. That way, we get to duel him and if—a big if by the way—he beats one of us, Naruto could join our team."

"That might actually be the first good idea to ever pop out of your head, Jack." Crow said as he looked up in the skies. "Is there a storm coming?"

"Why you-"

"Guys, look!" Yusei pointed at one of the Duel Lanes where they see a familiar blonde face. "That's Naruto!"

"Another Turbo Duel?" Crow asked in disbelief. "Either the guy is cocky or he just has luck finding challengers where he goes!"

"Let's follow!" Jack declared as the trio suddenly sped up to keep up with the ridiculous speed the two Duelist were pushing their Duel Runners. "This is ridiculous! How is their Duel Runners can go that fast?"

"But Naruto is struggling to keep up. His reflexes are that great." Crow pointed.

The trio watched the Turbo Duel where Naruto had summoned his four monsters, including Dark Magician Girl and his opponent having two Synchro Monsters. Then suddenly Naruto's opponent sped up so fast that he literally disappeared along with his Synchro Monsters with a loud boom just as Chaos Command Magician's attack missed.

"What the-?"

TWExTWExTWE

"W-where'd he go?" Naruto looked around for his opponent.

Suddenly a distortion shattered the space on his left, causing Naruto to direct Kurama away from it just as Vizor reappeared from a few large light rings similar to a Synchro Summon… with a new monster. It was a large robot with green parts, a slightly long neck connected to a humanoid-shaped head with beaming red eyes.

"Say hello to Tech Genus Blade Blaster (10/ATK-3300/DEF-2500)!"

"W-what happened to your other monsters?!" Naruto asked in shock. "And how were you able to Synchro Summon during my turn?"

"Accel Synchro summoning is a more advanced form of summoning." Vizor answered. "By using a Synchro Tuner monster and a regular Synchro Monster, I can Accel Synchro Summon their evolved form so to speak."

"Amazing." Naruto couldn't help but be in awe. "That's awesome! Tell me more!"

Vizor was caught off-guard by his outburst. He assumed Naruto would be scared or intimidated, but that was shot down. "And now the time's come to end this duel. End your turn right now." He demanded after regaining his composure.

"I set two cards. That ends my turn."

"My move then." Vizor drew his next card. "I set a card. Now I attack your Dark Magician Girl with Tech Genus Blade Blaster!" Blade Blaster detached a futuristic black gun and fired at the legendary Magician Girl.

"Hold on! The special ability of Magician's Valkryia's prevents from attacking any other Spellcasters besides her."

"Not in this case."

"Huh?" Naruto was taken aback as Vizor activated one of his facedowns.

"I activate my Mirage Capture Trap Card! During this turn, I can choose one monster of the field and negate the special ability of that monster if they have any." Vizor explained while Naruto was taken aback. "Now my Blade Blaster can attack your Dark Magician Girl!"

But Naruto was quick to activate the last of Dark Magician Girl's special ability arsenal.

"I activate Dark Magician Girl's special ability! By sacrificing a Level 6 or lower Spellcaster-Type monster either on the field or my hand, this prevents my Dark Magician Girl from being destroyed in battle during this turn." Naruto declared. "So I offer my Chaos Command Magician as tribute!"

His Chaos Command Magician morphed into bronze energy that solidified into a sphere in front of Dark Magician Girl who gasped with joy as the attack bounced off the shield and hit Naruto aboard Kurama.

"But you still take the damage. I end my turn."

"…Yeah. My draw!"

Naruto: 2700 LP

SC: 7

Vizor: 3350 LP

SC: 4

"Darn it! I have a few Trap and Spell Cards in my hand." Naruto was hoping to draw a stronger monster in this turn, but it didn't come. However, he looked at the card that had been in his hand from the start of the duel. More so, about the time he obtained the card and the how.

It was around the time after he knocked himself out from the revelation of the Signers.

-(Flashback Begins)-

His eyes moving slightly due to some discomfort before they opened, Naruto flinched upon the sun hitting him with its intense blast. He sat up on his bed before fully opening his eyes, scanning his room and discovered one problem.

"This isn't my room." Naruto whispered before he freaked out. "WHERE THE HELL AM I?!" He was still wearing his clothes, so that's good. Now is the time to find out where he is. Fortunately, his answer came in the form of a familiar, small creature.

"Kuriboh?"

A purring-like echoed from the spirit who was transparent and solid. Naruto found this out by poking Kuriboh and in return, he got scratched in the face.

"Ow! That hurts, you know." Naruto whimpered as he held his nose where the claw marks are. "Why don't you get some clippers to dull those out?" Another slash occurred across the forehead this time. "Ow! Why you little-"

The duelist and Duel Monster entered a comedic chase with the former losing due to their smaller creature's stature. After crashing into yet another bookcase, a bruised and peeved Naruto glared at the mischievous Kuriboh who was laughing at him.

"Kuriboh!" A comedic Naruto cried out at the furry creature.

"What happened here?!"

Naruto and Kuriboh cringed when a strong voice echoed in the room. When they looked for the person, Naruto was surprised when it was Dark Magician Girl who had a disapproving glare.

"Somehow she reminds me of my mom." Naruto muttered before his surprise finally set in. "Who?! What?! How is this possible?! Where?! When?! Why?!"

"P-please calm down, Naruto. As for the how, the monsters including myself pulled you into our world."

"Your world?" Naruto repeated. He looked out at the panoramic view the balcony provided. "No way."

The Ea blonde found himself atop a balcony belonging to the castle he's currently residing albeit temporarily. The castle was surrounded by lush, vast and strong forests with a rainbow arching above in the skies. That's when he also noticed something else.

"Is that a floating island?" Naruto wondered until he realized where he was. It was mentioned plenty of times by theories of archeologists. The home of Duel Monster Spirits. "I'm in the Duel Monster Spirit World."

"Correct." Dark Magician Girl answered joyfully while she and Kuriboh were behind him. "I understand this is sudden, but—"

"Are you kidding?!" Naruto suddenly turned around, startling the two with his sudden outburst. "I've always dreamed of visiting the Spirit World since I've heard stories! This is amazing!"

"Really?" The magician asked with surprise in her tone. Naruto nodded vigorously.

"Totally! I mean this is where you, Kuriboh and Dark Magician live here. It's so peaceful."

Kuriboh and Dark Magician Girl nodded with their visitor.

"So what made you to bring me here to your world?"

"Follow us." The female magician gestured and Naruto complied. The trio were on their way through the hallways as Naruto walked while the two monsters floated. Other monsters walked by the trio and Naruto recognized them as low level monsters such as Watapon, Key Mace Fairy and such. There were also monsters of Level 4 status such as Celtic Guardian, Mystical Elf and other Spellcasters.

In fact, the Spellcasters he saw down at the atrium and garden were the ones he assembled in his deck back home. He waved them 'hello' as they passed with their wondering looks and the monsters waved him back.

"Where are we going exactly?" Naruto asked as the trio stopped in front of two grand hall doors.

"We must speak with you." Dark Magician Girl answered.

"We?"

The doors opened and revealed a grand hall with marble floors that reflected the light within constantly. Statues of Duel Monsters decorated the hall and they were created with exquisite detail to the point that they almost look alive. Naruto was in awe until he noticed two monsters in the center of the hall: one of them was Dark Magician.

As for the person he was conversing with, it was a man in teal/green armor not unlike those of the knights of the old times although it looked more custom and powerful-looking. When they noticed the entourage, the knight turned and revealed a scar across his closed right eye.

"You must be Naruto." The knight extended his hand. Naruto looked at it briefly before shaking it.

"Yes, that's me. And who are you?"

The knight chuckled before responding, "I am he who is named Timaeus. And I am a knight of Atlantis."

No more could he handle it as Naruto instantly froze in place like he had a stroke before falling on the ground, shocking the group of monsters who tried to wake him up.

-(Flashback Ends)-

"Play it." A gentle voice told him. Naruto looked up and saw Dark Magician Girl giving him a reassuring nod. "You can do it. We are behind you."

Taking a breath and smirking, Naruto had a resolved look. "All right, let's do it."

"Right!"

"First off, I switch my Magician's Valkyria to ATK mode." The said magician stood up from her kneeling position. "Next, I play from my hand a card not seen by most. And you're the first to witness its power for the first time after several decades!" Naruto looked at the card before inserting it into his Duel Disk. "I activate The Eye of Timaeus!"

Vizor's Duel Runner, Delta Eagle, and the Signers' marks reacted instantly as a bright light encircled Naruto and Kurama. The party watched when a massive teal dragon that rivaled Stardust Dragon and the rest of the Signer Dragons' size as it roared upon being summoned. It had four limbs: two forelegs and two hind legs. Two wings protruded from its back flapped as its strong neck directed its head at his fellow monsters with its scar-etched eye stared at Naruto.

The blonde shared a look with the dragon and Dark Magician Girl before making his move.

"Now I fuse together my Dark Magician Girl with Timaeus!"

"A Fusion Summon?!" Vizor was caught off-guard as was the three Signers watching from the adjacent lanes.

Fusion Summoning and Fusion Monsters were a thing of the past during the time Yugi Muto, but especially prominent during the era of Jaden Yuki: a very well-known user of Fusion Summoning. But since the introduction of Synchro Summoning, Fusion Monsters nearly fell out of practice with very few Duelist who still play them.

Looks like they found another user.

Everyone watched as Dark Magician Girl and Timaeus ascended in the air before a bright light shined through the dark night while Naruto chanted. "The apprentice shall take her power to new heights with the help of another! An unknown power waiting to be unleashed with the union of these two! Fusion Summon! Descend! Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight (6/ATK-2600/DEF-1900)!"

The sphere of light burst open as the newly summoned monster descended above Naruto. It was still the dragon, but Dark Magician Girl was sitting on its back in a new attire. Her outfit was replaced with a purple armor version of her master's attire, although it exposed her midriff and legs. In her right hand was a sword version of her wand and her left hand wielded a silver with small blushes of orange.

Timeaus roared with power while Dark Magician Girl brandished her sword, causing Tech Genus Blade Blaster to tense up in face of the new monster.

"Fusion Summon." Vizor repeated before he chuckled. That chuckle soon turned into laughter. "Interesting. Very interesting, Naruto! Show me more! Let's see who wins: my Synchro Monster or your Fusion Monster!"

"You're on! And I'll start by activating my new dragon's ability!" Naruto cried out. "Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can discard one card from my hand, then I can destroy one card on my opponent's side field!"

"Any card?"

"And I choose your Synchro Monster!" Naruto pointed at Blade Blaster. In response, Timaeus roared before it unleashed a powerful greenish-white beam of power at the Synchro Monster. "Now you're left wide open! Attack him directly, Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight!"

Vizor only scoffed. "Seems you've forgotten about my Depth Amulet Trap Card. I can negate your monster's attack anytime."

"I don't think so. Reveal Counter Trap Card: Seven Tools of the Bandit!" Naruto declared, surprising Vizor. "By playing 1000, I can negate a Trap Card's activation and destroy it." His opponent's card was destroyed by his own. "Now my dragon, commence the direct attack. Dark Magic Power Wave!"

Timaeus roared once more before it unleashed yet another breath of power, this time with Dark Magician Girl's assistance as she fired a stronger dark magic beam from the tip of her sword. The two attacks merged together, becoming a stronger attack as it made contact against Vizor.

Naruto: 2300 LP

SC: 7

Vizor: 750 LP

SC: 4

Vizor grunted before slightly losing control of his Duel Runner until he regained it with ease. He looked at the powerful Fusion Monster that stared at him. "Impressive."

"Magician's Valkyria, attack his LP directly! Mystic Scepter Blast!" Naruto declared as his Valkryia fired a goldish-yellow attack at his opponent, reducing his LP to 0. "All right! I won against a Synchro Monster with a Fusion Monster!" He gleefully said before stopping Kurama as Vizor stopped Delta Eagle. "But that wasn't all you got, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"I could tell you were testing me and when I duel someone, there's a language of sorts that we Turbo Duelists understand. Granted I'm a beginner, but I could tell what you were feeling or saying." Naruto looked at Vizor. "You weren't giving it your all, Vizor."

"…Perceptive, aren't you." He stated rather than asking. "I heard you had defeated Ghost with the old ways of dueling and that caught my attention. You were a bonus, but my main objective was Yusei Fudo."

"Yusei? I know Yusei." Naruto said before he cursed himself for outing that information. "What do you want with him?"

"That is something between myself and him." Vizor responded, getting a steel glare from the blonde, but he remained unfazed. Eventually he gave up this particular information. "He will need to surpass himself if he wants to defeat Yliaster."

Naruto was taken aback by this. Another mention of this group, Yliaster. Is he a member or someone against them? "Are you with them or are you helping us?"

"…Yusei and his friends are heading for a very difficult journey in the future, but after seeing your skills which I admit you need a little polishing—" Cue a twitching eye from a tick marked Naruto. "—You on their side, it won't be as difficult." Vizor said before revving his Runner. "Until we meet again, Naruto." With that, he left but not before hearing from an increasingly faraway Naruto.

"And that time we'll duel again, but this time with all our might!"

Unbeknownst to the blonde, a hidden smirk etched Vizor's lips as he rode off into the night.

Exhaling deeply, Naruto put his cards back into his deck and rode off with Kurama back on the way home. It wasn't long until he was accompanied by three people. "Oh hey, guys. How you've been?"

"Naruto, who was that?" Crow asked, getting a confused look from Naruto. "The guy you just Turbo Dueled."

His confusion replaced with surprise, Naruto responded, "You guys were watching?" Yusei and Jack nodded. "Um, that guy's name was Vizor and it was a fun duel, although he was holding back." Naruto grumbled under his breath with the last words.

"What about that new Synchro Monster he summoned?" Yusei asked with urgency, surprising the three especially Jack and Crow. They'd never seen him ask like that. "And where'd he did go during your turn?"

"And what about your new Fusion Monster? I've never seen that dragon before." Jack interjected with haste.

"Oh yeah. That dragon was awesome, but our marks reacted to its presence." Crow mentioned while Jack and Yusei nodded, surprising Naruto.

"Your Signer marks reacted to Timaeus?"

"Timaeus?" Yusei asked.

Naruto sighed while he rubbed his nose. "Listen you guys, I'm tired and itching for my mom's cooking, so let's pick this up tomorrow." A chorus of 'no' was his friends' answer. "Okay, how about this: a race to my house and if either of you wins, I'll tell you everything."

The Signers looked at each other before nodding as they stopped and lined up their Runners with Kurama. The quartet revved the engines while they waited for an indicator to start the race. They chose a lone bird that was standing in the middle of the lane.

"Although I'll tell you guys this—" The trio looked at the blonde non-Signer. "He's not working with Yliaster. Also Vizor wants to see Yusei. A test." The Signers stared at him before Naruto suddenly revved Kurama and left them behind, scaring the bird away. "On another note, see ya losers! HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Cheater!" A peeved Crow cried out with a tick marked on his twitching eye.

"No one outruns Jack Atlas! I am the Master of Faster!"

Yusei chuckled as he and his friends kicked it into high gear to catch up and pass Naruto. However, the unknown Synchro Monster and its mysterious owner remained in his mind. What did Vizor want with him? How is he involved with Yliaster and/or why? These are questions that hopefully can be answered either tonight or in the future.

TWExTWExTWE

Ea Household, Fountain Plaza

"And that's how he summoned that Synchro Monster."

The three Signers sat in their seats along with his parents who ate dinner with them. Shock couldn't explain what they were feeling right now. Accel Synchro Summoning. A more powerful form of Synchro Summoning exists in the palm of a mysterious stranger who may or may not be their enemy, which makes them nervous.

However, Naruto didn't seem too bothered by it.

"Mmm…delicious ramen, mom." The whisker-marked blonde gleefully said.

"Thank you, dear." Misaki answered back before pecking her son's cheek, which elicited an embarrassed 'gawk' from him. "Now if you'll excuse me, this pregnant lady needs to rest now."

"I'll help you." Joshua stood up to help his wife, but not before saying to his son, "And you'll explain to me and your mother about you having Dark Magician Girl in your deck."

"Ah…right. I forgot to tell you guys. Don't worry, I will." A sheepish Naruto remembered after realizing it. "Have a good night, mom."

"Good night dear and to you three as well." Misaki said to the three Signers.

"Night, Mrs. Ea."

"Have a good sleep."

"Stay well."

After the parents, Naruto turned to face his friends who were expecting something else and he knew what it was. His answer. "Guys, about the offer to join your team… I…" He took a deep breath. "My answer is no."

He got different responses from the trio: Crow being a little disappointed; Jack's being not surprised; and Yusei's being one of understanding.

"But in case you guys want to practice your strategies against someone, I'm your guy." Naruto quickly interjected with a reassurance gesture. "I'll be rooting for you guys."

"That's all good." Crow said in a gruff tone.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about this." Naruto pulled a deck from his deck box and placed it on the center of the table. It was the one he found on the highway the day Yusei was kidnapped. "I found it on the road when we dueled Sherry. Do you guys know whose deck this belong to?"

Instantly, the Signer marks glowed while a card in the deck responded as well. Yusei grabbed the deck and pulled out the card that was calling to them. "This is Black Rose Dragon. The deck belongs to Akiza."

"Oh that's good." Naruto sighed in relief. "Even better that it belongs to someone we know. Yusei, you should give it to her."

"Huh? Why?"

Naruto shared an 'are you serious' look with Crow and Jack before he looked at the clueless Yusei.

"Really?" Naruto asked while Crow sighed before he spoke.

"I know. It gets annoying from time to time." Crow commented with a shrug of his shoulders. Yusei's confusion grew by the passing moments.

Jack shrugged his shoulders with his arms in a nonchalance gesture. "Akiza doesn't help herself too, you know. Crow, remember when we were looking Yusei, she scolded you for not telling us the creepy phone call soon?"

"Oh yeah. And she got all defensive and flustered when you mentioned her attitude changes regarding Yusei."

"What's up with that?" Naruto asked curiously.

"No clue." Jack and Crow replied in unison. That's when Naruto also remembered something about Akiza.

"Speaking of Akiza, she wants to become a Turbo Duelist." Crow and Jack did a dual spit take of their drinks while Yusei was amused. "I know. The twins and I were surprised as well, but she seems determined." Naruto said before quickly voting, "I vote for Yusei to be her instructor!"

"What?" A surprised Yusei was taken aback and even more so when Jack and Crow voted for him as well.

"It's settled then. Yusei will be Akiza's Turbo Duel instructor." Naruto gleefully said with a grin. "First it's a teacher-student phase…"

"…Then they'll get closer with each lesson…" Jack joined in with a teasing smirk.

"…They'll touch hands…"

"And a kiss under the moonlight on Yusei's Duel Runner…" The trio chorused with teasing smirks while Yusei grew nervous and blushed with each passing verse. The teasing didn't stop there and the leader of the Signers endured the teasing all night.

TWExTWExTWE

(Three Weeks Later)

Schoolwork, training and housework took up his free time, but Naruto was finally done with all of those and was about to play video games as his reward. Playing on the highest possible level of Pac-Man on his father's Nintendo 64, Naruto focused onto attaining his highest score yet until he was paid a visit.

"Hello, Naruto."

The startled blonde Duelist jumped from the floor and turned with a cocked fist, but restrained himself from punching upon seeing who it was. "Timaeus." He called out while lowering and relaxing his fist.

"Is this a bad time?"

*Drone* *Drone* *Drone* *Quack* *Quack* *Quack*

"Actually it was~" Naruto pouted on his knees with waterfall tears. "I was so close too~" He quickly recomposed himself and turned around in seiza position. "How may I help you, Timaeus?"

"Before we discuss, are your parents around?"

"No, they're at the doctor for my mom's monthly appointment." Naruto answered. "You don't to have to worry. They won't tell anyone about you and about how I got the Dark Magician family in my deck." He had already told his parents about his obtaining the cards, the exploration of the burial site of Yugi and his friends, and Timaeus.

"I sure hope so. The Gods won't be pleased if you break your promise."

"Eh?" Naruto gawked at the amused face of the legendary knight. "I… I know. I must admit I was really surprised when you gave me your card back in the Spirit World. It helped me out against that Accel Synchro Monster."

"That's what I came here to talk to you about."

"Oh?"

"You see, Naruto, the card only has my dragon form within it. Therefore it only has half of my power and the remaining half is with me as I reside within the castle in the Spirit World. You can only use my card five times during a duel."

"I see." Naruto couldn't help but feel a little bummed out. But the five-time usage is more than enough in a duel. "I understand, Timaeus." The knight nodded before it was about to leave, but Naruto stopped him with a raised hand. "Before you go, I have one other question."

"Please ask away."

"I'd noticed the castle was inhabited with monsters that are in my deck including Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl."

A pleased smile etched Timaeus' lips before he answered his owner's question. "The castle represents your deck. You see, when each Duelist around the world create their decks, they also create homes for the monsters they had chosen to fight for them in Duels. The environment also reflects a Duelist's nature within their heart."

"Their heart?"

"When we brought you to the Spirit World, what was the environment around like?"

"… It was sunny, calm and the air was so fresh. The gardens and vast plains around the castle was green and alive."

"That shows your inner self and we are fortunate to have you as our Duelist."

Naruto shook his head in return with a smile. "It is I who should be saying that to you, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl." He then felt something smack his head, causing him to turn around and see a pouty Kuriboh. "And this little rascal."

Timaeus smiled at the grinning blonde before taking his leave.

"Well Kuriboh, what should we do?" Naruto asked the furry spirit who gave a 'I don't know' sort-of look. "Want to pull some pranks?" Kuriboh floated up and down vigorously as if he was nodding. "Let's go!" The Duelist and monster ran out the house after closing and locking it for a round of sweet, sweet pranks.

Unbeknownst to the two, a certain female spirit watched from afar on the rooftop while Naruto and Kuriboh watched a group of cheerleaders that got wet from a water bucket on the slightly ajar door.

"I wonder if he'll like the surprise tomorrow."

TWExTWExTWE

(The Next Day)

Neo Domino Duel Academy

"COME BACK HERE, EA!"

"DUEL ME!"

"Again with this!" An annoyed Naruto thought while running away from yet another group of challengers just before class starts. Although it was much smaller compared than his first week back; around 10 people this time.

His annoyance soon changed to one of amusement as Naruto watched the show before him: his chasers being pummeled by irritated and angry girls with bokken after tricking them that he was in the boys' locker room. The Kendo Club members always had morning practices after dawn and before school begins.

How he knows this is that he made a friend with a member of the club and they got along from there.

"Naruto Ea. I should've known." Naruto looked to his left and saw a girl around his age completely clothed unlike her towel-wrapped members. An Obelisk Blue in contrast to his Slifer Red attire. She had long purple hair that reached her back with matching eyes, a serene face and red lips as she held her bokken in her bag. "Did you have something to do with this." She stated rather than asking with a knowing smirk.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Naruto feigned innocence with a smirk. He and the girl then walked together back to their classes while leaving behind a heap of whimpering boys and peeved kendo girls. "So how was practice?"

"Same old, same old." The girl smiled. "How about you?"

"Same here."

"…"

"…"

"You know I want a rematch, right?"

"I know." Naruto glanced at her with a smirk. "But I don't think it'll be anytime soon… Saeko."

Saeko looked at her rival martial artist's smug face and suppressed the urge to whack him with her bokken, but she knew better than that. After they met under the circumstances of one being Naruto was accused of peeping on the Kendo Club while they were dressing in the locker room, she proposed to him with two conditions: if she won, Naruto would serve the Kendo Club for a month; if it was Naruto's victory, he would be scot-free with no punishments and they'd look for the real perpetrators.

Naruto accepted and he won with an overwhelming victory, much to the shock of the Kendo Club and Saeko herself. He defeated her with his fists. Against her swordsmanship. Although he admitted that she was a strong opponent and would've lost if the match had continued for a long duration.

Since then, they had a friendly rivalry to determine who would be the best in Japan.

"Oi, Saeko, Naruto." The duo turned around and saw a black-haired boy in Slifer Red uniform running towards them. He and Saeko stared at each other before they shared a kiss. "How are you guys doing?"

"Fine, Takashi." Naruto answered. The two met through Saeko as Takashi was her boyfriend. Although, they couldn't be more different as he was an average student while Saeko was the captain of Kendo Club as well as a member of the Student Council. "You're late again."

Takashi stiffened in place while trying to play it off. "What are you talking, Naruto?"

"You're out of breath and have sweat on your forehead." Saeko answered this time. Takashi sheepishly rubbed his head as he chuckled. "What am I going to do with you?"

"A lot of things, actually."

*Whack*

"Ouch!"

Naruto chuckled at Takashi's misfortune as the latter rubbed the bump on his head. Saeko and Takashi are among the few who befriended him instead of challenging him to a duel and that made him happy. His circle of close ones is slowly growing day by day.

After bidding farewell to the couple as they walked together to their separate classes, Naruto entered his assigned classroom and sat on his desk just as the homeroom teacher entered the room.

"Everyone please take a seat." The teacher said. The students slowly returned to their seats just as the teacher made a surprising announcement. "This is rather sudden, but we have a transfer student from America. She's mostly home-schooled, but her scores on the entrance exams were astounding." He looked at the closed door. "You may come in."

The door opened and revealed the transfer student to be a girl. She had long, straight blonde hair with bangs over her forehead with blush marks on her cheeks and yellow eyes. She was wearing the female Slifer Red uniform with the skirt reaching her mid-thighs and a small sapphire gem on her necklace.

Everyone was stunned by the girl's appearance with the boys' eyes turned into hearts while the girls were feeling jealous. However, none of them was more stunned or shocked than Naruto as he stared at her while feeling a faint energy from the necklace.

"Hello everyone. My name is Diana Michelle Gordon. Please take care of me." Diana introduced herself with a bow. She then noticed the only other blonde looking at her. "Hello there, Naruto."

"Eh?" Naruto was taken aback by the girl knowing his name. Even more so when he was suddenly bombarded by hateful glares of his classmates. "What?"

"You may take a seat behind Mr. Ea for the semester, Ms. Gordon."

The new transfer student took her seat behind Naruto and the homeroom teacher started announcing other news regarding the Grand Prix and the Culture Festival.

"Diana looks exactly like her. Could she be—"

"Yep, Naruto." Naruto's eyes widen in surprise when he looked at Diana. "Finish your thought, please." Diana said with an eye smile.

Naruto pictured Diana in a different set of attire: one that is familiar to him. He imagined the pink Spellcaster attire and hat on her head with a wand in her right hand.

"D-Dark Magician Girl?"

"Correct!" Diana answered with a dazzling smile.

There was only one thing Naruto could say in light of this recent development. "Nice." Naruto said before sharing a smile with one of his favorite Spellcasters despite his shock and awe.

END OF CHAPTER

I am done with this chapter. I see an increased number of followers and reviews in the last chapter, so that tells me I'm doing good. Hopefully you guys liked this chapter and I do apologize if there was only one duel in this chapter. Don't fret because there will be more duels next chapter. How did you all like about the appearance of Timaeus and Dark Magician Girl's Fusion? I hope you liked it. Please review after you finished reading, please.

Chapter 4 Q&A's:

Veilslide (July 18): I followed on what you said and now I understand perfectly. Thank you for helping me to correct my mistake. This is why reviews are so good in Fanfiction. Again, thank you and I hope you enjoyed the new chapter.

GodX (July 18): Considering how she is in Naruto's classroom, I'd say I answered your question regarding the pairing. I am pleased you liked the three new effects and I hope the same goes for the last effect I put in during the new chapter. Also regarding the Timaeus card and appearance, where do you rate it?

Blackseal84 (July 18): I hope you liked the new chapter and the duel. I know that it wasn't very long, but I hope you enjoyed it. If not, tell me otherwise.

Jebest4781 (July 18): Thank you. I hope you enjoyed this new chapter.

Ito Uchiha (July 18): You liked it and that's great! So far, I'm into single pairing for this story but I may go into multi-pairing later on. We'll have to wait and see as we go along. You mean the Red Eyes Black Dragon card to be in his deck… I'll see what I can do about that.

Lightningblade49 (July 18): Glad to know you have a favorite chapter. Yes, Naruto will soon hit a wall and get an upgrade to put him on the playing field. We'll have to see about that particular pairing though.

Guest (July 18): I know there are Spellcaster Synchro Monsters out there, but he won't use them yet. I hope you liked this new chapter.

Zdeath01 (July 18): Thank you for your support. Did you like the new chapter? Do you have any suggestions or ideas to make the story more exciting?

ThatCreepyGuyNext2You (July 18): I see. Well, I'm honestly surprised and pleased that you liked the story. I surely hope you would continue to read it as the plot progresses.

Edrick Twilight Legend (July 19): Well you were correct that it was Sherry. I was following the anime episodes and doing my best to follow the canon. I hope you like Timaeus' appearance in the story and the Fusion Monster Naruto used in his duel. The pairing is as the end of the chapter implies the road ahead, but that doesn't mean I'm not considering the harem option. I might put it to the M rating, but we'll have to wait and see. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please let me know what you thought about it.

R-king 93 (July 19): Did you enjoy the new chapter? I'm glad that you liked the previous chapter.

Megakdre100 (July 21): Did you mean 'Peace' at the end? Did you have fun with the new chapter?

Ivan0061509 (July 21): I am happy that you're happy. Did you like the new chapter? Are there anything you like or don't like about the duel or the chapter itself? Do you have ideas or suggestions to make the story more fun? Please don't hesitate.

Anoyak111 (July 21): I'm pleased you like this story. Maybe or maybe not. You'll have to wait and see if he does or does not. That's the benefit of being an author.

RoyalTwinFangs (July 22): Thank you.

The Sith'ari (July 24): So far, I'm also for the pairing as you saw the ending of this chapter. I hope you like the name I chose for Dark Magician Girl. I might get flamed by readers who dislike it though. Did you like the chapter?