08/09/2016

Those Who Endure

Chapter 7: Stranger Tides Part II

"I set a card facedown and end my turn here."

"Really?" Naruto asked with surprise. "You could've just summon another monster or attack my Set monster. What gives?"

"Rookie mistake?"

"Really?" Naruto sent a disbelief look. "I know what she's saying actually." He thought before beginning his turn. "All right then. I Flip Summon the facedown monster to reveal Dark Magician Girl (6/ATK-2000/DEF-1700)!"

The facedown card turned upside down as a blue light shined from it moments before the cheery Magician Girl emerged from it and made a pose next to her exasperated master.

Naruto and Akiza shared smirks as their monsters stared down at each other on the field. They also felt the intensity of excitement of their ace monsters, given the glowing auras coming off Black Rose Dragon and the two Magicians. Sparks of electricity became visible every few seconds on the field in the space between them.

"And I believe you know my Dark Magician Girl's special abilities." Naruto stated while his female Magician ATK grew to 2900 at the moment. "Now destroy her Black Rose Dragon off with Dark Burning Attack!"

Dark Magician Girl twirled her wand a couple of times before pointing it at Black Rose Dragon as dark magic energy bursts towards it. Akzia gritted her teeth before activating her facedown card.

"Trap Card activate!" Akiza commanded. "Slip of Fortune! This negates an attack from my opponent's monster and removes the targeted monster from play until my next Standby Phase."

Naruto and his monsters were stunned while Black Rose Dragon disappeared from the field and the game for the time being.

"Okay then. Dark Magician, attack her Splendid Rose with Dark Magic Attack!"

The beauty of the Signers coughed from the smoke after her second monster was destroyed by a blast of dark magic from the legendary monster.

"I set a card and end my turn from there."

"Then that's my cue!"

"Huh/Eh?" Narruto and Akiza looked back to barely see something drive past them with great speed, the force of which caused their Runners to lose balance. "Whoa!"

"What was that?!"

Eventually the two regained control of Kurama and Bloody Kiss and looked ahead to find the cause of their little mishap.

It was a child in a weird white get-up with a white helmet that has black spots throughout and a matching visor that completely covered his eyes. The biggest notice of all was the skateboard-like device he was riding on and the laser-like disk blade that serves as the Monster Zones of a Duel Disk with six gold cylinders in between.

A Duel Board. It was unlike any of the previous models Naruto had seen from the prototype blueprints that his father's mechanic friend was building long before his family's moving to Neo Domino City. Kaibacorp's announcement of Duel Board's release was released to the global public since last year during his stay at Egypt.

Another thing that puzzled Naruto was the fact that the kid's Duel Board was going as fast as his Kurama and Akiza's Bloody Kiss. The Duel Boards were not supposed to be as fast as a Duel Runner since they're more along the line for children to use.

"Who are you?!"

"And why are you interrupting our Turbo Duel?! Get out!" Naruto demanded while the kid smirked, trying his patience out by the second.

"The name's Lester and I joined your Turbo Duel because it'd be fun to create chaos for you. And what's better than a Battle Royal between the three of us."

Akiza felt uneasy about this kid and she assumed Naruto was in the same place like her. The fact he managed to hack into their Runners' systems and entered their battle mi-duel and turned it into a Battle Royale like it was nothing really troubles her.

"Naruto?"

"…Let's find out what he wants by beating him together!" Naruto declared, looking at her with a determined expression. Akiza couldn't help but feel determined as well.

"Let's do it."

"Good! It's my move. I draw!"

Naruto: 1500 LP

SC: 6

Akiza: 3700 LP

SC: 6

Lester: 4000 LP

SC: 2

"He's starting off with 4000 LP?" Naruto mumbled. "Talk about cutter in the line."

Lester chuckled at the card he just drew before looking at Naruto's Dark Magician. "First, I'm going to make that pathetic Magician of yours powerless."

"And how are you going to do that?" Naruto felt the answer to his question was coming up any second.

Lester smirked as he played his card.

"With this! I summon Absurd Stealer (1/ATK-100/DEF-0) in ATK position!" A small machine with a bulky body and two jewels on the upper and lower parts as two prongs faced opposite sides of each other. It was colored light green between two shades of light purple. "Now its special ability kicks in! Since this card was Normal Summoned, I can choose one of my opponent's monsters and until the End Phase, that monster's ATK becomes 0!"

Both Naruto and Akiza's eyes widen by this revelation.

"That means—"

Dark Magician (ATK-0)

"Not only your monster is so pathetically weak, my Absurd Stealer's ATK becomes equal to the monster's DEF." Lester cackled when he saw his opponents' stunned expression.

Absurd Stealer (ATK-2100)

"Now Absurd Stealer, time for an attack!"

Naruto had expected his attack to be on his Dark Magician, but realization suddenly struck him as he looked at Akiza's field. There were no monsters to defend her LP!

"Oh no."

"Attack her LP directly!" Lester commanded as his monster dashed toward Akiza who braced herself for the attack.

"Not so fast!" Naruto suddenly countered back as he revealed his facedown. "Negate Attack, activate!" His favorite Trap Card summoned the signature purple/red/white tornado that pushed back Absurd Stealer away from Akiza.

"Tch!"

"Thank you, Naruto."

"No problem!" Naruto sent a thumbs up to the relieved Akiza. "Let's teach this brat not to mess with us."

"Right!"

"… I set three facedowns and end my turn." Lester somberly stated with a hidden scowl. "How dare he interferes?! He'll pay for that!"

"Since he ended his turn, my Dark Magician and his Absurd Stealer's ATK returns to normal." Naruto thought as his Magician's strength returned. "But the big question is why he didn't choose my Dark Magician Girl as his choice instead? She has more ATK than the other monsters including Dark Magician. I have a bad feeling about this."

"My turn!" Akiza declared. Hers and Naruto's Speed Counters increased to seven while Lester's rose to three. "By this time, my Black Rose Dragon returns to the field!" She smirked when her dragon reappeared above and roared at both Lester and his lone monster. "Attack his monster with Black Rose Flare!"

"But your monster is restrained by your friend's Trap Card." Lester pointed out.

Akiza had a hidden smile that Naruto caught for a split second before she made her move.

"I activate my Raigeki Break Trap Card!" Naruto's eyes widened upon seeing the card while Akiza explained its effects to their opponent. "And I choose Naruto's Spiritual Swords of Revealing Light!" Akiza declared after discarding one card.

The bright, glowing swords flickered as they dimmed lower by the second until they were gone and Black Rose Dragon couldn't be happier about it as she roared in great content.

"Commence attack!"

"Akiza, wait!" Naruto tried to stop her, but it was too late as Black Rose Dragon had already fired its attack.

Lester chuckled before he commenced his plan. "Stupid Human! You activated my facedown: Exus Summon Trap Card!" Naruto and Akiza braced themselves for the effect. "Since Absurd Stealer was targeted for an attack, it returns to my hand and I can Special Summon a monster whose ATK is lower than Stealer's from my hand as well." Lester chose the card he wanted to bring out. "I Special Summon Sky Core (1/ATK-0/DEF-0) in DEF mode."

An ocean blue egg-like monster took the spot of the previous Absurd Stealer. It had three small feather-like prongs on both sides of the bottom with a technical eye that possessed 'teeth' around it.

"That looks similar to Wisel Core from Ghost!" Naruto said in surprise, stunning Akiza while Lester simply smirked at him.

"Now I activate my other facedown: Torrential Tribute!"

Akiza gasped while Naruto shouted, "No! Not that Trap!"

"Yes and since a monster was just summoned, this card destroys all monsters on the field!" Lester cackled in maniacal glee as a fiery purple flame burst from the card, engulfing Sky Core and his opponents' monsters who screamed and roared in pain before they were sent to the Graveyard.

Naruto grunted before he snarled at Lester who stuck his tongue at him while Akiza looked a little downtrodden.

"And my Sky Core's special ability activates at this moment. I can Special Summon Machine Emperor Skiel (1/ATK-0/DEF-0) in ATK mode—" A blue body with a green, glowing energy inside within an infinity symbol on its chest. "—Skiel Top (1/ATK-600/DEF-0)—" A thin blue machine that resembled a long beak with two gray wings appeared next to Emperor Skiel. "—Skiel Attack (1/ATK-1000/DEF-0)—" The next to assemble was a mainly gray machine that resembles a tail and the lower body of a creature. "—Skiel Guard (1/ATK-200/DEF-300)—" A spider-like creature with three silver limbs on both sides of the body with a hard shell in the front and a sharp horn on the back. "—and Skiel Carrier (1/ATK-400/DEF-0)!"

Naruto gulped while Akiza looked at the last monster, a blue creature that resembled a pair of folded wings, in fear. Already their opponent has five monsters on the field while she and Naruto had none at the moment. Because of her mistake.

"What have I done?"

"Oh but the worst has yet to come." Lester laughed before continuing, "Thanks to Machine Emperor Skiel's special ability, its ATK adds up to the total amount of the Skiel monsters I had just summoned!"

Akiza's eyes widen while Naruto narrowed his eyes. "That means!"

"Combine, my monsters!"

Both Naruto and Akiza watched the five monsters merge together flawlessly to become a huge bird-like machine with its blue wings extended fully and its beak let out a screech that sounded metallic in tone.

Machine Emperor Skiel (ATK-2200)

Quoting a famous catchphrase from a certain alien robot series, Naruto groaned "Scrap."

TWExTWExTWE

Yliaster's Headquarters

"Lester's getting ahead of himself." Primo remarks with his and Jakob's eyes staring below.

In the vast space of the center of their throne room was a live feed of their comrade's Turbo Duel against one of the Signers and the unknown associate who Jakob considers to be a threat to their plans. For Primo, this Naruto person is something akin to a bug: to be squashed like one in the end.

"He's a kid, Primo. It's just the way children are nowadays." Jakob then admits, "I remember the old days when I was Lester's age." He looked on slightly solemn.

Primo didn't say anything as he continued to watch the match.

"You are bothered that it wasn't you who should be Dueling the Signer and her friend."

"…"

Jakob let a small chuckle escape from his covered mouth. "Your silence says it all."

"Quiet, Jakob." Primo demanded harshly.

"Do not be so hasty or angry, Primo. Your time will come soon and you will show the Humans the despicable side that is Synchro Summoning."

Primo listened but he didn't really care as his eyes never left the image of Naruto on Kurama. His fists tightened from the rage inside of him.

"Just you wait, Human. Just you wait…"

TWExTWExTWE

Dueling Lane

"W-What are we going to do?"

"We duel." Naruto responded with finality. Akiza saw him completely calm and wondered how he was able to do so. "I faced this kind of creature before. Ghost had a monster similar to this one. That monster is composed of five, single monsters so we have to attack the one with the least ATK."

"O-Okay. Anything else you want to add?"

"Yeah, he might—no, he definitely has stronger versions of the separate monsters in his deck. He could easily summon them by either us destroying it or him discarding it by his will." Naruto responded before looking at Akiza. "Hey, don't worry about it. Just focus on what we need to do next, okay? That's one of the steps to becoming a good Turbo Duelist."

Feeling comforted by his words, Akiza smiled while she nodded. "Right!"

"Aw~ How touching!" Lester said before he gagged loudly, annoying Naruto and Akiza.

"And you're about to taste dirt, brat! My draw!"

Naruto: 1500 LP

SC: 8

Akiza: 3700 LP

SC: 8

Lester: 4000 LP

SC: 4

"I summon my Big Shield Gardna (4/ATK-100/DEF-2600) in DEF mode!" The iconic shield-bearing monster took its place in front of his master. "That ends my turn for now."

Akiza looked at him with great surprise while Lester simply smirked at him.

"Is that all?" Lester asked tauntingly as he drew a card, increasing the Speed Counters once more. "Oh well. This makes it easier to destroy you two and I'll do it with this Trap Card! This is known as Trap Stun and it negates all other Trap Card effects on the field during this turn!"

"Oh no." Akiza said in dreaded realization. No monsters on her field. Hers and Naruto's Trap Cards are worthless during this turn. She's open for an attack!

"Machine Emperor Skiel, attack her directly!"

The bird-like machine screeched before dashing towards Akiza with a mighty flap of its metallic wings. Lester's grinning smirk that was present during the attack had suddenly turned into a frown when the Spiritual Swords of Revealing Lights emerged and held back his Machine Emperor from attacking Akiza.

"What?! What is this?" Lester asked in outrage while Akiza was confused and surprised. The two looked at a smirking and confident Naruto.

"I activate my Trap Card's effect." Naruto answered casually.

"But my Trap Card negates all other Trap Cards' effects on the field during this turn."

"On the field!" Naruto repeated. "But it doesn't include the effects of Trap Cards in the Graveyard." His smirk grew a little when Lester was taken aback, "By banishing my Spiritual Swords of Revealing Light from my Graveyard, you cannot make any direct attacks during this turn! Tough luck there, bud."

"Tch!" Lester scowled deeply at Naruto who glared back. "I set a card and end my turn."

At the moment, the swords disappeared from Akiza's field.

"Thank you again, Naruto." Akiza said with a sigh of relief. Naruto nodded at her.

"Again, no problem."

"…"

"Akiza?" Naruto called out after seeing the brief look of uncertainty on her face. "Akiza!"

"W-what?"

"It's your turn. You can do it. I believe in you!" Naruto shouted confidently. "Now make a killer move that'll blow this kid away!"

"Right!" Akiza drew her card. "My turn!" Hers and Naruto's Speed Counters increased to nine while Lester's increased to five. "First I play Speed Spell: Angel Baton. I have more than two Speed Counters, I can draw two cards as long as I discard one from my hand." Akiza did the action and held up one of the card she just drew. "Since I drew this card via an effect of a Trap Card, Spell Card or an Effect Monster, I Special Summon Rose Fairy (3/ATK-600/DEF-1200) to the field in DEF mode."

A thin fairy-looking creature emerged from the white summoning circle as it made a pose afterwards. It had pink skin with matching pink boots and gloves. Purple wings that split into four and formed an 'X' protruded from her back while her dark blue bangs framed both sides of her face as her deep red afro hair fluttered against the wind.

"Next I Normal Summon Hedge Guard (3/ATK-0/DEF-2100) in DEF position as well and set a facedown card. That ends my turn." Akiza declared after the green bamboo-like creature emerged onto her field. Like her other Plant-Type monsters, it has several shark-like teeth ready to chomp at her opponent.

"All right, it's my move. I draw!"

Naruto drew his next card and couldn't help but smirk while the Speed Counters rose to 10 and six respectively.

"I call to the field Summoner Monk (4/ATK-1600/DEF-1400) in DEF mode!" Naruto said as his monster appeared next to Big Shield Gardna. "And I activate its special ability. By discarding a Spell Card from my hand, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster from my deck to the field and I choose Injection Fairy Lily (3/ATK-400/DEF-1500) in DEF mode!"

A pretty and pale woman in a white nurse uniform that showed her shoulders and the shorts stopped at her mid-thighs as she wielded a very large needle that puts the fear in every child in the world. Her bright pink hair contrasted the white angel wings on her back. She turned around and winked at Naruto who chuckled sheepishly a moment later.

"I then play the Magical Dimension Spell Card. Since I have a Spellcaster on my field, I can Tribute one of my monsters to Special Summon a Spellcaster from my hand. I choose my Big Shield Gardna as the tribute!" Naruto stated as his chosen monster turned into energy particles. "And I call forth Dark Magician of Chaos (8/ATK-2800/DEF-2600)!"

Hearing those words, Akiza and even Lester looked in shock as a black portal opened in the field. Out came was a light blue-skinned man donning a tight leather black outfit with matching boots and gloves as it twirled its black staff in preparation for battle. Its overflowing black hair hung to cover his shoulders while its double-horned hat kept it at bay.

"And at this moment, Magical Dimension will destroy your monster and I choose your Skiel Guard!"

From the hole in the middle of the steel magician-shaped cage, a yellow-gold beam shot towards the right arm of the Machine Emperor. Lester scowled as Naruto continued his move.

"Now battle! I attack Machine Emperor Skiel with Dark Magician of Chaos!" Naruto commanded. "Chaos Magic Attack!"

"I activate my Trap Card and you should know it."

Dread filled Naruto when one of Lester's face-downs revealed itself to be one of the rarest and famous Trap Cards in the Duel Monster world.

"Mirror Force, block his attack!" Lester smugly shouted in defiance. "Say good-bye to your monster!"

The rainbow-colored beam emerged from the card before it solidified into a wall in front of Machine Emperor Skiel as the black/purple ball of chaos-infused magic collided against it. Akiza gasped when the attack was reflected back to Naruto's strongest monster on field, destroying him in the process.

"Damn it… I end my turn." Naruto said before he remembered something. Fortunately, Mirror Force only destroys Monster who are in ATK mode so his and Akiza's DEF positioned monsters are safe. "Oh and during the End Phase when Dark Magician of Chaos was either Normal or Special Summoned, I can take one Spell Card from my Graveyard and add it to my hand." His Disk's graveyard ejected the card he wanted before putting it in his hand.

"My turn! I draw!"

Naruto: 1500 LP

SC: 11

Akiza: 3700 LP

SC: 11

Lester: 4000 LP

SC: 7

"Now I activate my Trap Card: Sky A3 to send my Skeil Attack to the Graveyard—"

Naruto spoke to Akiza. "Get ready." A nod was his answer while Skiel's right arm disappeared in the process, reducing its ATK to 1200.

"And I Special Summon Skiel Attack 3 (3/ATK-1200/DEF-0) in ATK mode!" Lester cackled as a light blue insect-like monster appeared on his field. "Now combine once more my monsters!" He and his opponents watched the new monster become a part of the Machine Lord while increasing the ATK in the process.

"2400 ATK?!" Akiza shouted in surprise.

"But wait, there's more!"

Naruto's eye twitched in annoyance. "He's trying my patience!" He muttered under his breath.

"I sacrifice my recently Summoned Skiel Attack 3 to Special Summon Skiel Attack 5 (5/ATK-1400/DEF-0) to the field." Lester cackled smugly once more as the new monster took its predecessor's place with the Machine Emperor, changing the ATK with both the loss and arrival.

Machine Lord Emperor (ATK-2400)

"What was the point? Since my Magical Dimension's effect destroyed your Skiel Guard, your monster's ATK remain the same."

"I'll tell you why and this is the best part! Thanks to Skiel Attack 5's special ability, all of my monsters can attack my opponents directly!" Naruto and Akiza were shocked by the power of the Machine Lord Emperor. "Now attack the blondie's LP directly, Machine Lord Skiel!" Lester commanded with a smugly grin.

Akiza watched in horror as her opponent's large machine monster fired a powerful red beam that flew past Naruto's defensive monster and aimed at the blond Duelist himself who took it head on.

Heavy smoke covered the lane upon the instant contact between the attack and its target.

TWExTWExTWE

Yusei's Garage, Fountain Plaza

"Hm?"

Yusei felt a throbbing pain in his arm, causing him to find his Dragon Mark glowing light red. This was the sign of one of them being in a Duel and the Signers would feel each other's pain during a Duel. He grew concerned since it was a friendly duel between Akiza and Naruto, but the Mark is telling him otherwise.

And he wasn't alone in that department.

"What's going on?" Crow asked concernedly.

Jack pondered for a moment before stating, "The two of them must be really going at it then. Akiza did challenge him after all."

They had watched the early parts of Akiza's and Naruto's Turbo Duel, but the feed to their Duel Runners was suddenly cut by the subtle hand of Akiza. So the last thing they saw of the duel was Akiza's Black Rose Dragon staring down at Naruto's Dark Magician.

"No." The older teens turned to Luna who cradled her mark closely, her brother nearby to comfort her. "Something's wrong. I can feel it. Akiza's worry."

"…Crow, stay here with Leo and Luna." The Head Signer finally spoke as he got on Yusei Go and Jack on Phoenix Whirlwind. "Jack and I will go check things out. Hopefully they're okay."

"A big one if you consider the pain on our arms." Jack interjected before leaving the garage.

Yusei looked at his friends and nodded at them before riding out to reach their Dueling comrades with the hope that everything is fine and there's nothing to worry about.

TWExTWExTWE

Dueling Lane

"NARUTO!"

Emerging from the vast smokescreen was Lester followed by the Bloody Kiss piloted by Akiza who was looking for her friend.

"Forget him! He's done! It's just you and me now, Signer~" Lester taunted with maniacal glee.

Akiza gritted her teeth in rage. What just happened? She was having a fun Turbo Duel against a strong opponent and this kid came out nowhere and wrecked havoc on them. She's going to make him pay for what he did to Naruto on her next turn. She swears it!

Then a familiar voice spoke out in a loud and condescending voice.

"Oh really?"

Both Duelists looked back where the smoke cleared and emerged one unhurt Naruto Ea on Kurama with his monsters. The blond Duelist exhaled a big sigh upon catching up to Akiza who was relieved and glad he was safe and still in the Duel.

Lester however wasn't happy in the slightest.

"How are you still in the Duel?! You should've lost!" Lester screamed in anger. His partially covered face beamed hot rage.

Naruto stayed silent before he chuckled, "It's simple really."

He pulled a card out from the Graveyard and held it out for Akiza and Lester to see as a translucent creature hovered above Naruto. It was a mechanical turtle with an electric aura stemming from its hard shell and two letters, S and N, embroidered on its underbelly.

"It was thanks to this card. It's called Electromagnetic Turtle (4/ATK-0/DEF-1800) and it has a very unique effect. I can banish this card from my Graveyard during my opponent's Battle Phase and end it right there. So my LP are untouched and I'm still in this Duel. Nice try, short stuff." Naruto taunted with a cocky smirk as Lester snarled at him. "It wasn't easy finding this card though. Thank goodness a friend of mine found it while I was in Egypt. Although, I owe him a favor but that doesn't matter now. This card saved me and I owe it a lot now."

Naruto looked up at the translucent turtle who screeched its approval before it disappeared.

"Now I believe your turn ended, Lester."

"I end my turn." Lester scowled in frustration.

"Now it's my turn! Draw!"

Naruto: 1500 LP

SC: 12

Akiza: 3700 LP

SC: 12

Lester: 4000 LP

SC: 8

Akiza looked at her card and smirked at it. "You're so going down." She played the new card. "I activate the Speed Spell: Monster Reborn! By removing 10 of my Speed Counters, I can bring back a monster from the Graveyard. Revive, Black Rose Dragon!"

The trio of Duelists watched the Signer Dragon ascend slowly from the ground before it roared loudly, content to be resurrected and back on the field.

"I also play the Trap Card: Reinforcements! During this turn, my Black Rose Dragon gains 500 ATK." Akiza said before ordering, "Attack his Machine Emperor Skiel with Black Rose Flare!"

"As if I'll let you destroy my monster with a Synchro!" Lester shouted before activating his facedown. "Sinister Trick Mirror!" A robot with multiple mirrors attached to its round body. "This Trap Card allows me to look for a Trap Card on your Graveyard and use as one of my own and I know just which one!"

Akiza's eyes widened when the chosen card revealed itself to be one of Naruto's cards.

"Negate Attack?!"

Naruto growled at his card being used against him and Akiza as Black Rose Dragon was pushed back away from Machine Emperor Skiel by Lester's Trap Card's effect

"And as an added bonus, my opponent can't summon a monster on their next turn." Lester smugly cackled loudly. "I end my turn."

"My turn! I draw!" Naruto drew his card as Lester's Speed Counter increased to nine. His and Akiza's have already reached the limit of 12. "I set a card and end my turn."

"Good! Now I'll show the power of the Synchro Killer!"

"Synchro Killer?" Akiza and Naruto asked in surprise and worry.

"My Draw!" Lester declared while increasing his Speed Counters to 10. "I activate Machine Emperor Skiel's special ability. Once per turn, I can equip a Synchro Monster to it and increase the ATK equal to the absorbed monster!"

"Absorb?"

"Watch! Machine Emperor, it's feeding time!"

The glowing sphere inside the machine monster became brighter while the infinity symbol grew slightly larger just as silver-gray vines shot and wrapped around Black Rose Dragon's wings, neck and legs. The Signer Dragon screeched in pain as she tried to break free to no avail.

"Black Rose Dragon!" Akiza shouted with great worry and panic. Her fears grew from there as she and Naruto watched in horror when Black Rose Dragon pulled inside the chest of the Machine Lord, its head whimpering for her master to save her before it was completely absorbed. "No…"

"Hahahahaha! Good! I love the look on your face! The despair! The hopelessness! I want more!"

Machine Lord Emperor (ATK-4800)

"4800?"

"Now my monster, attack her LP directly!" Lester commanded, maniacally staring at Akiza who was about to be defeated.

Was it really over? Akiza thought about it over and over in her mind, watching her opponent's monster preparing its red energy beam at her. Then she heard someone calling her name and looked to her right to find Naruto shouting something.

"Wha?"

"It's not over yet! Akiza, you're still in this Duel. Don't give it up! Like my father and I always say, 'it's not over until the last LP is gone,' Fight until the end!" Naruto roared with a pump fist.

Akiza stared at him for a moment before she nodded firmly and looked forward as the energy beam was fired at her. Lester laughed loudly when his monster's attack hit bull's eye on his Signer opponent. His eyes directed on the blond whom he'll make sure that he regrets coming across his way.

However, to his great surprise, his Machine Emperor Skiel was hit by a red energy beam… its very own attack as it disappeared from his field. When Lester looked at the smoke, his surprise changed into anger once more as Akiza emerged safely with her LP intact.

"How?!"

"It's simple, really." Akiza pointed at her activated Trap Card on her left side. "My Drowning Mirror Force sends and shuffles an opponent's attacking monster to his/her deck when it is a direct attack."

"Tch!"

"Oh but it's not over yet, Lester." Naruto spoke after a while. "I activate the facedown card: Spellcaster's Summoning Command!" he smirked at Lester before explaining, "If an opponent's monster was sent to the deck by a card effect, I can Special Summon two Level 6 or higher monsters from the Graveyard." Lester's eye widened in shock. "So come on back, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl!"

The awed Akiza and the scowling Lester watched as the two legendary Magicians appeared on Naruto's field, ready to take on the Machine Lord.

"But I'm not done yet. Next I sacrifice my two Magicians to Tribute Summon my Sorcerer of Dark Magic (9/ATK-3200/2800)!" Naruto declared as his Magicians were engulfed in two pillars of light before they merged into a sphere. The sphere condensed slightly before it bursts open, revealing the new monster on the field.

The Sorcercer looked a lot similar to the Dark Magician except that it was tanned, had sleeveless clothing with black armor throughout and a cape as it held its staff that possessed a glowing gem in its center. Sparks of electricity flashed around the powerful as he stared at the machine monster with contempt.

"Wow." Akiza stared at the monster.

"The second effect of Spellcaster's Summoning Command is that I can take one Equip Spell Card from my opponent's deck and equip it to a Spellcaster on my field and increase its ATK. And I know which one I want."

"No!"

"Yeah! It's Akiza's Black Rose Dragon! Your Machine Lord treated it as an Equip Spell Card." Naruto pointed as a beam of purple light shot at Lester's deck and out came was a small black sphere that flew across the field where it stopped behind his Sorcerer. The sphere expanded before it took shape of Black Rose Dragon who roared at its freedom.

"Black Rose Dragon." Akiza cried out in relief as her dragon looked at her. Both dragon and Signer stared at each other while silently conveying their feelings of relief towards each other. The bond between the Signers and their dragons is as strong as the bond between the Signers themselves. "Thank goodness. Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto nodded before a determined expression took its place as he stared at the scowling Lester. "It's time to end this. And lastly, the final effect of my Trap Card is that the Spellcaster who is equipped by the card I've chosen must attack during this turn, regardless of the turn player!"

"What?!" Lester looked at his opponent's monster's ATK.

Sorcerer of Dark Magic (ATK-5600)

"Sorcerer of Dark Magic, attack his LP directly with Celestial Blast!" Naruto commanded as his powerful Spellcaster fired a powerful magic blast at the maniacal kid.

"I don't think so! I activate my Trap Card—"

"Too bad because my Sorcerer's special ability is that it cancels and destroys a Trap Card!"

"No…" Lester mumbled when his safe guard was destroyed by a second blast, courtesy of Naruto's Sorcerer. "NOOOO!" He screamed in defiance as the attack hit him directly, reducing his LP to 0 with an explosion being the aftermath.

Naruto and Akiza stopped their Duel Runners just short of the smoke cloud with their monsters on the field. The Signer shared a glance with her dragon who growled contently as it and her fellow monster comrades disappeared into their decks. She pulled the card from her Disk's arm-blade and held her dragon card close to her chest.

"W-what the hell?!"

Akiza looked at her friend and followed his eye-line to the dissipated smoke cloud where they expected to find Lester on the ground, only to find no one in sight.

"Where is he?" Akiza asked as she looked around for signs.

"Little brat escaped in the smoke." Naruto punched his fist into his palm in frustration. "Darn it, I wanted to give him a pounding for that smug attitude of his." He muttered before taking a deep breath. "That was scary, wasn't it?"

"…Yes."

"We need to tell the others about this." Naruto stated, getting a nod from Akiza as they quickly left to relay the recent Duel and their opponent.

TWExTWExTWE

Yliaster Headquarters

"How is this possible?!"

"Primo…"

"No, I will not be quiet! This Human has made a mockery of us twice. TWICE! I will not sit here while he's out there! I'll silence hi—"

"PRIMO!" Jakob bellowed after finally hit his limit, silencing his younger counterpart's rambling. He was still upset about the outcome of the Duel. Who could blame him? "I too am feeling upset about the loss, but we gained a greater gift than we thought."

Primo sent him an incredulous look.

"Oh yeah and what's that?"

"We know he possesses no Synchro Monsters and a legendary monster from the time of the King of Games. And who do we know that also possesses a legendary monster from that time?"

"You mean…" Primo couldn't say it but his lone eye spoke for him. Surprise yet glee. "Oh I see."

"He's been waiting for the Dark Magician to appear for a long time. Who are we to deny him and his creature the battle they crave for?" Jakob rhetorically asked in an amused tone.

Primo chuckled as he smirked at his older colleague. "You're devious."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not." Jakob answered as their third colleague finally returned and sat on his throne with an angry expression and crossed arms. "How'd it go?"

"I don't want to talk about it!"

TWExTWExTWE

Yusei's Garage, Fountain Plaza

After returning home and running into Yusei and Jack who apparently was looking for them, Naruto and Akiza relayed their Duel between themselves, Lester and the latter's Synchro Killer, its similar appearance to Ghost's Machine Emperor and its scary ability to absorb Synchro Monsters within itself and gain ATK equal to the monster to everyone present in the garage. They made the assumption that Lester must be from Yilaster.

The stunned Signers and Leo couldn't speak as they try to process this new piece of information, especially the older male teens.

"Wait… I just realized something. If Jack, Crow or I had Duel against Ghost, our Synchro Monster would've been absorbed as well." Yusei spoke in slight worry.

A reluctant Jack nodded firmly as he grabbed his arms together, a sure sign of his uneasiness at the moment. "I can't imagine our Dragons fighting against us." He and his childhood friends shuddered at the thought of their Signer Dragons' power being used against them.

"I wouldn't worry much about you guys." Naruto bluntly stated, surprising his friends as he smiled. "I'm sure that any of you guys would've pull some combo or even summon a very powerful monster in the crucial moment. From what I've seen during this time I hung out with you, neither of you would never give up until the end." He placed a hand on the now stunned Akiza's shoulder. "Like Akiza here. She lost her dragon, but she kept fighting on until the end and we beat the guy."

Akiza couldn't help but blush and look bashful at the same time. Yusei on the other hand didn't feel comfortable with Naruto's hand on Akiza's shoulder.

"Anyway, this tells us something." Naruto paused for dramatic effect. "We are being watched!"

Everyone sweat-dropped at the blonde's Captain Morgan pose before Crow spoke, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think Naruto's right. We need to be more careful and aware of our surroundings."

"Anyone could be our enemy." Jack stated grimly. Leo and Luna held hands together in fear while the former held the latter in a protective hug. "No one should be alone."

"Now, now!" Naruto waved his hands in a placating manner. "Or we could just move on and live our lives as usual." He said casually. When Jack and Crow glared at him in disbelief, he sighed in annoyance. "If we are being watched by this Yliaster group, all of us will be too tense to Duel them or their lackeys with our full strength. Yes, it is scary but we all must not let them to get inside our minds. If we do, that's half the battle they'd already won."

"…"

"…"

"Who are you really?" Leo finally spoke in awe. Naruto smirked as he scratched his nose.

"I'm just a normal guy who happens to be friends with a group of Signers and Duel Monsters."

Everyone couldn't help but chuckle and laugh at the blonde's answer before being offered to eat at his home once more. They all agreed and began walking over there. At the back of the pack, Akiza and Yusei was side-by-side to each other with neither word being spoken. Just comfortable silence.

"I'm glad you're safe." Yusei finally spoke, breaking the ice. "I was worried."

Akiza was stunned when she heard him. "Yusei was worried about me? I… I don't know to—What should I say?" She thought while fighting her blush. "T-Thank you."

"You're welcome." Yusei responded shyly as he slightly looked away to hide his small blush. He slowly looked back at Akiza and couldn't help but stare at her face. Her beautiful face framed by her bangs and those mesmerizing eyes. The moonlight seems to amplify her beauty further. "Wow."

"W-what?" A bashful Akiza asked after catching Yusei's staring at her. Her cheeks became hotter at the moment. "W-why?"

Soon the two Signers stared at each other, unconsciously inching closer with their lips.

*Shatter*

Blinking owlishly, Yusei and Akiza noticed their closeness to each other before they quickly looked away from each other. They remembered about the sound and looked at Naruto's house where everyone looked like a deer caught in the highway in the main window.

"Crap, busted!" Naruto cried out as he and the others closed the blinds.

The embarrassed Signers then heard Crow's voice from inside the house. "Damn it, Jack! They were close to doing it and you had to ruin it!"

"Stop blaming me! Whose idea was it to have a lamp right here?" Jack shouted back. Sounds of fighting was heard before a sudden ominous aura quickly filled the house and silenced the commotion.

"Naruto's mom most likely." Yusei and Akiza thought with sweatdrops.

The two looked at each other before Yusei offered a hand to Akiza, surprising her with the gesture. She then smiled before quietly taking it with her own as they walked back inside the house. Although they quickly separated when entering said building, everyone noticed the smiles of their faces and that told them everything.

Especially since Kuriboh and Kuribon saw the whole thing and told their owners/friends. Naruto and Luna—who were sitting next to each other with Leo on her left side—shared a knowing look before chuckling together. As they ate together with the delicious food courtesy of Misaki, Naruto looked around the table and saw a wonderful sight.

Laughter. Kindness. Peace. Friendship.

Those traits were inside the room with everyone together and he couldn't help but be happier than he has been before. Of course when his younger sibling is born, he'll be a lot happier than he is now but until then…

"In order to protect this atmosphere with everyone, we can't stick with the same tactics and cards. We need more. I need more." Naruto pondered within his mind.

And he wasn't alone in this line of thinking.

"There's still much I don't know about and his duel against Vizor was proof of that. Yliaster attacked Naruto and Akiza today. They won't stop until they get what they want and that's what scares me: we don't know what they want!" Yusei glanced at Akiza who sat on his right as she laughed with Leo and Luna at Crow who accidently squirted soda from his nose. "Their laughter and smiles… I can't let them extinguish it. I must get stronger, better."

"Since they have Synchro Killers that affects Synchro Monsters, I must be more compatible and flexible with Fusion Monsters. They're my key comeback against them."

"Naruto has his Fusion Monsters. He can fight back without a worry against their Machine Lords. I for the other hand must learn the secret of a higher level." Yusei tightened his fist underneath the table to avoid onlookers. "I must master Accel Syncho Summoning!"

With those words in mind, Naruto and Yusei looked at each other and knew that they had the same idea: to get stronger and better for the sake of their loved ones. The two nodded as their ace monsters, Dark Magician and Stardust Dragon, stared at their owners with looks of understanding.

The first battle has been fought. However, there are harder challengers ahead of them but they feel it within themselves that the Signers and Naruto will prevail and reach new heights together.

With shared looks, Dark Magician and Stardust Dragon nodded before returning to their home world as the Signers and Naruto enjoyed their peaceful night.

END OF CHAPTER

I hope you all enjoy this chapter, but I'll understand that if it feels strange or weird to you. This is really good that I'm still about to update within a week or so. I can hope I'll keep this pace up. Also, I will keep the canon as close as I can except that I'll be skipping the Town Arc where Yusei goes to help his friend Kalin against a corrupt family. In that particular area will be a side story Naruto. In the next chapter will start with the appearance of Bruno in the anime and go on from there.

Chapter 6 Q&A's:

Megakdre100 (August 2): Do you enjoy the next chapter? What do you mean 'wrongly how who the choices are for the pairing'? Do you not like the pairing choices?

NinjaFang1331 (August 2): Thanks a lot. Did you enjoy this new chapter as well? What do you think? Do you have any ideas or suggestions to make the story better and exciting?

Jebest4781 (August 2): Thank you.

GodX (August 2): Really? That is something cool to hear! Of course there'll be a time when Naruto summons Timaeus' true form. Of course one or three of the Egyptian God cards will make an appearance in the story. During his duels, Naruto will encounter skilled Duelists that push him to his limits and help him master his Deck. There's a strong possibility I'll make a side story and that includes a new villain. The anime version was really good, but I'm not really feeling it to include the Seal of Orichalcos in the story. I'll consider it though. When you mentioned the story's top quality, was there a part in the story or the last chapter that made you feel that way?

Ivan0061509 (August 2): Thank you very much for your support. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter.

RoyalTwinFangs (August 2): Thanks. Did you enjoy the new chapter?

Guest (August 2): Yep! I was really excited when the movie packs came out and I really liked the Magician Girls and their effects. There will be more cards from the movie that make an appearance in the story. I hope the battle against the Machine Emperor Skiel was off to a good start for the arc. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter.

Lightningblade49 (August 2): You don't like Dark Magician Girl as a pairing choice? Why or because it's too soon? I tend to surprise people now and then. Did you enjoy the new chapter?

R-king 93 (August 3): Yes, it will. A retrained version of Magician of Black Chaos has appeared at last! There will be more appearances of Spellcasters later on with Warrior Types making a grand entrance as well. The time for the Egyptian Gods will be when I think it is time… which is in a racing competition. What was your feeling? You kinda got cut off there in the rest of your review.

Ito Uchiha (August 3): Naruto has Spellcasters and some warriors in his deck, but I still am trying to avoid putting Red Eyes Black Dragon cliché in his deck like the other crossovers. But I will consider putting the card. Who knows that he might need help from a dragon? Did you enjoy the new chapter?

The Sith'ari (August 5): Whoever said that I haven't consider him and Blue Eyes White Dragon? I like it and I'm currently trying to figure out how to introduce Sasuke and their eventual duel together. More so, cards from the new Yugioh movie will make appearances as the story moves forward.

RedDragonRaven (August 5): Of course he will be in Naruto's deck. You can't really have Dark Paladin without Buster Blader. Sorry, but Akiza is Yusei's girl in this story just as it should've been in the anime. I'm still pissed about that, by the way. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter.