-Chapter 20-

Enter the Fire

"Woah….Yusuke Pendulum Summoned his monsters, using Sensai's old Pendulum Cards!" Aiko looked amazed.

"Just why…" Sasuke mumbled.

"Well done, Yusuke. You have successfully Pendulum Summoned your monsters from your hand," Katsuo-sensai said. "But, now let's see if you can utilize your Pendulum Cards' effect."

"Certainly!" Yusuke pumped his fist up, showcasing his excitement. "I activate Dawn Sage's pendulum effect! When I control a Spellcaster or Warrior type monster, it gains 500 ATK for boost. Both my Masquerade monsters now get 500 points for their Attack!"

Dawn Sage waved his scepter before the orb on the top shined a bright blue light, emanating a pulse of wave as it hit both his Spellcaster, making their body glow in light as their ATK increased respectfully.

"Now, I declare to attack!" He declared. "First, I make Thorny Drago to attack your Xyz monster. Go, Thorny Drago!"

Thorny Drago leaped into mid-air as it opened its mouth ride, revealing some sharp teeth.

"Wait!? Is he nut!? His monster will be destroyed if he does that!" Aiko exclaimed.

"Unless," Sasuke said.

Thorny Drago bitten the cloudy blowfish, but when it did, it got bounced back, hitting the ground and shattered itself.

"Thorny Drago's effect activates! Any Battle Damage I would take with it is inflicted to my opponent instead," Yusuke explained as the damage dealt to Katsuo-sensai instead.

Katsuo-sensai's LP: 1300

"Next up, Kraken Crusher goes and attacks, too! Kraken Crusher, use your Crush Impact!" His squid monster wrapped Nimbowfish, but just like Thorny Drago, its tentacles were bounced back and the Xyz struck back, destroying the poor squid.

Yusuke's LP: 1800

"I activate Nimbowfish's effect! By detaching one overlay unit, I inflict 600 damages to your Life Points," Katsuo-sensai said as cloudy spikes strike on Yusuke.

Yusuke's LP: 1200

"Thanks to Kraken Crusher's effect, I get to destroy 1 monster on the field. I choose your one and only Xyz!" Yusuke declared as a Graveyard portal opened up, revealing Kraken Crusher as it used its tentacles to drag the Xyz down into the portal.

"Oh! So, that is why he made it be destroyed by battle on purpose!" Aiko realized.

"First, he sacrificed Thorny Drago, so that he can damage Sensai's Life Points and then use Kraken Crusher to destroy his monster….well play," Sasuke analyzed. "Now, that Sensai's field is empty, he can direct attack!"

"Now that your field is empty, Sensai, it's time to end this! Masquerade Caped Crusader, do your thing! Magical Beam," Yusuke snapped his finger.

His ace monster bowed before he charged up his attack. The energy gathered into one palm, and then he blasted the energy in a straight rainbow-colored beam.

"Trap Card, open; Puff-Cloud Judgement Fist!" His face-down flipped up, revealing a puffy, cloudy giant fist aiming over a scared goblin.

"When this card is activated, I negate an attack. Then, I remove from play one Puff-Cloud monster in my Graveyard and inflict damage equals to that banished monster's ATK by half to my opponent. I remove from play Puff-Cloud Cirrostartosaures to inflict 1250 damage to your Life Points!"

"What!?" Yusuke gasped.

"No way!" Aiko gasped, too.

Now that is just OP!

The rainbow beam absorbed into a cloud formed in front of the owner. It materialized into a giant fist, and it aimed at Yusuke, launching at him before it landed a punch at him. Although not too strong, it just went through him.

Yusuke's LP: 0

All the monsters disappeared as the wave field dissipated.

"That. Was. Awesome," Aiko thought aloud. "That Trap Card was kind of OP, although."

That is just what I said!

"I agree," Sasuke nodded.

But, I said that first!

Katsuo-sensai walked over to Yusuke as Sasuke and Aiko joined in, too.

"Yusuke, you did well. I congratulate you," he said.

"Huh? What for?" Yusuke asked.

"Remember these words, Yusuke, and to you both, too; believe in yourself and in your Deck. That is a way to victory. Also, you may have the two Pendulum Cards I gave you. I think they suit better with your Deck than mine," Katsuo-sensai stated.

Yusuke nodded as he grinned. Aiko grinned, too while Sasuke kept his demeanor the same as usual.

Kuro decided to show up, entering the room like normally (she does not tell them that she was watching all the time). "Everyone, lunch is ready."

"Sweet! I am starving," Yusuke said as his stomach growled like a lion. Aiko chuckled as Sasuke just facepalmed. Katsuo-sensai smirked while Kuro smiled.

After a day of training, they settled down for today's dinner. While they were eating, Miss Akako rushed into the dinner room, surprising them as she made Yusuke choked on his food again, but he managed to swallow it.

"Akako-san, is something wrong?" Kuro asked, looking worry.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have something to show you all!" She exclaimed.

"What is it, Akako?" Katsuo-sensai asked.

The three young pupils wanted to know, too. "This!" she stated as she turned on the TV.

In the nick of time, they saw the cheif manager of the IDLC, Sazaki.

"Good evening, citizens of Tokyo, Japan, and the world! My name is Tensai Sazaki, the chief manager of the International Dueling League Committee. I would like to announce great, wonderful news to you all!" Sazaki stated.

Yusuke's eyes flickered with interests as he scooched closer to the television.

"As you know, this year's International Dueling Championship Tournament will be hosted by Tokyo, just like last year, but to add little bit of originality, the standard tournament held in a stadium will be changed to a new tournament standard that we, here at the IDLC thought, with the help and support of our staff, and the rest of the members around the world. This year, we'll be hosting the tournament by challenging our participants to Duel each other across the inter-district area of Tokyo!" Suddenly, a map of the city appeared, with the red line making a giant circle around the central district of Tokyo.

"Within the encircled area as you see on the TV monitor right now, this area will be the authorized area for any dueling activities during the time of the tournament. In this tournament, the Duelists will duel each other out through search and duel method, meaning you must find your opponents first before they find you to Duel. When the Duel commenced and ended, the winner will proceed, with a special keycard that the loser will forfeit. Once you collect all five keycards, you can combine them to create a map, and on that map, it will tell the location where you must go in order to continue in the tournament. However, to add a mix into the rules, not only the loser has to forfeit his or her keycard, but he or she must forfeit their strongest card as well."

"What!?" Yusuke and Aiko gasped. Katsuo-sensai looked stern at Sazaki while Sasuke did the same, too.

"Oh dear…" Kuro thought aloud.

"We'll bring more information about the tournament as days pass until the first day of the tournament comes. The tournament will be held in the next two months, the last month of summer. I hope to see some very exciting duels, and one more important announcement to make is the registration for the tournament will be open the day after this announcement. You may register in-person at the main IDLC HQ in central district of Tokyo or your local Dueling Cards' store with the registered IDLC license, or online. If you would like to test your skills, have fun, or even challenge the 4 Horsemen, and possibly…that is probably, the King of Duelist himself, Atsushi Kai, then I hope to see you in the tournament. Goodnight, everyone," he finished as the broadcast ended.

There was a moment of silence for few seconds. "Guys…I am so going to register tomorrow," Yusuke said, breaking the silence.

"So am I!" Aiko screamed.

Well, obviously you two will register….

"Akako, is that what you wanted to show?" Katsuo-sensai asked.

"Yes, sir," she replied. "Isn't it cool? It also gives you guy the reason to train even harder from now on."

"And, it's something to look forward to, too!" Yusuke exclaimed. "This is it; my chance to get my rematch with Atsushi Kai!"

Sasuke chuckled, catching their attention, especially Yusuke. "You? Duel the King? That's a good joke."

"It can happen! Well…again, but it can happen! I dueled him once before!" He argued.

"Do you know how many people in the world want to duel the King? It is conclusive that every Duelist in the world wants to duel King Atsushi to become the next King of Duelists. However, the chance of everyone achieving that is none. Only the very few can, and most of the times, it is one or two of the Horsemen of Dueling," Sasuke explained.

"Well…I dueled one of the Horsemen, too! I think it means I am one of the lucky few to have the most likely chance to duel Atsushi…again!" Yusuke exclaimed.

Well, you're the main protagonist after all.

"Yeah! Like what he said," Yusuke agreed.

"It doesn't matter," Sasuke argued. Hey, my fact and opinion matters….occasionally. "Even though you dueled him and one of the Horsemen, it does not mean there will be another chance, and if there is, even with your fancy, new summoning method, it is very slime and difficult to defeat the King because…nobody can defeat!"

"Well, as long as I believe in myself, then I think anything is possible!" Yusuke stated.

"Enough, both of you," Katsuo-sensai said, with calm, yet serious tone. "I believe what you two say is true in many ways, but words can only be proven through action. Like Akako said, from here on and end, you three will train harder in order to prepare for the upcoming tournament. If any of you can make it through the preliminaries, then there may be a chance to duel the King."

Yusuke nodded to the sensei with a big grin over his face. Sasuke, on the other hand, looked disgusted, but he agreed with the teacher.

"I believe it is getting late now. You all should go to your bedroom and rest for the day," he suggested, although he said in a way that sounded more like an order.

"Yes, Sensai," Sasuke obeyed.

"You got it, teach," Yusuke said.

"Yes, Sensai," Aiko said.

-Not Yusuke's POV-

Sasuke stared at the ceiling as he thinks to himself. The time was now almost midnight. He couldn't go to sleep because…of his teacher's words, and his argument with Yusuke.

'Hmph! I respect my Sensai's words, but what I believe in is more important than what that kid, Yusuke says!' Sasuke thought.

He slowly got up from his bed, and decided to take a midnight stroll to get his head cool off.

Sasuke walked to the park, which was not too far from the dojo agency. He usually came here to get his mind off from things. The night sky twinkled with few stars as he stood at the balcony, where he can see the illumination made by the skyscrapers of the city, including the famous Sky Tree Tower.

"…If I want to get stronger and achieve my chance to face the King, I may have to learn that new summoning method," Sasuke thought aloud. "Mirror Summon…."

Suddenly, he felt someone's presence behind him. He turned around, seeing a tall man in raggy clothes (same man that Iris defeated). "Who are you?" he asked.

"I heard what you said, kid. You know about Mirror Summon," he said as he smirked oddly.

"What!?" Sasuke looked surprised. "You know it, too?"

He chuckled a bit, although sinisterly. "If you want your answers, then Duel me, kid!" He stated as he activated his D-Ring, transforming into his Duel Disk.

Sasuke put up with a serious demeanor. "If you're asking for a challenge, then I will not back down. Bring it on!" He activated his D-Ring, too!

-Yusuke's POV-

Yusuke tried to sleep, but he couldn't.

"Yusuke…" His mirror-self appeared. "Do you feel well?"

Yusuke got out of the bed. "Well, not really. I kind of feel bad."

"Is it having to do with that young lad, Sasuke?" He asked.

"Yeah. Maybe I was being too harsh on him. I think I'll go apologize to him," Yusuke decided.

"Suit yourself, but I suggest going outside. I sensed him and it appeared that he left out of his room, and headed outside. He still hasn't come back yet," his mirror-self explained.

"OK," he nodded.

Yusuke headed outside to find Sasuke. After walking around a bit, his D-Ring was blinking light.

"Hmmm, hey! My D-Ring is blinking!" He noticed. "That means that someone's dueling right now."

He looked around until he came to a park when his D-Ring reacted strongest.

"Gaaahhh!" He heard a scream. Yusuke turned and saw Sasuke, lying on the ground.

"Sasuke!" He yelled as he ran over to his side. "Yo, Sasuke, what happened to you, dude?!"

"Grggh," he grunted.

"Hmph! Pathetic," a voice said as Yusuke turned to the source of the voice, seeing a man. "That was so lame, but now that your friend is here, perhaps I'll have a better Duel."

"Did you do this to him?" Yusuke asked.

"You….what are you doing here?" Sasuke questioned him. "Get…out of here!"

"No way, Sasuke! I'll not leave you alone!" He decided as he faced against the culprit. "Hey, sir! What's the big idea, hurting my friend?!"

The man laughed evilly. Yusuke's mirror-self appeared as he looked very alerted. "Yusuke! This man is giving a dark wave of energy. It can only mean one thing!"

"He is possessed by a Mirror Monster, right?" He asked.

"Exactly. Be careful," he warned him.

"Alright! Let's do this thing!" Yusuke exclaimed, with positive look as he activated his D-Ring, transforming it into his blue Duel Disk.

"Duel Mode Initiate. Searching Duelist Nearby…Duelist Found! D-Wave Field On!" His Duel Disk pulsed out several waves, creating the duel field that covered the entire park area. "Dueling Commence!"

"DUEL!" They both yelled, starting the Duel.

Yusuke vs. Ash: 4000 LPs

"I shall make the first move, kid!" Ash drew five cards to start off this duel. "First, I normal summon my Level 4 Burn Feur Hound Dog!"

The fire-breathing dog roared into the field. "When this monster is normal summoned, I draw 1 card from my Deck." He drew a card. "And, if the drawn card is a FIRE monster, you're inflicted with 600 points of damage! And what do you know? I drew a FIRE monster!"

His hound dog monster shot out a fireball, hitting Yusuke as he covered with his arms crossed over his face.

"Grgh!" He cringed.

Yusuke's LP: 3400

"However, the effect does not end there! Since I drew this monster, I get to Special Summon it! Go, my second Burn Feur Hound Dog!" His second one appeared next to his first clone. "Thanks to its effect, it inflicts 300 damages to your Life Points!

Yusuke cringed again as he got hit by another fireball.

Yusuke's LP: 3100

Sasuke helplessly watched as he sat on the bench nearby.

"Man that feels really hot! No pun intended," Yusuke thought aloud.

"With these two monsters on my side of the field, I construct the Overlay Network!" He declared as his two monsters turned into two red energies, entering the spiral galaxy portal. "Hound Dog Guardian of the burning gate of Hades, rise from the ashes of the dead and burn all things in your path! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 4! Burn Feur Behemoth!"

His ace Xyz appeared as the two heads roared at Yusuke. "Woah, now that's a monster!" Yusuke exclaimed.

"I activate its effect! By detaching one overlay unit from this card, it inflicts 400x damages for each FIRE monster I have in my Graveyard," he said as the Xyz Monster ate one of its red comets.

Each head shot a bigger fireball at Yusuke. Although, neither of it didn't hit him, the heat felt almost real.

"Gah!" Yusuke gasped.

Yusuke's LP: 2300

"I am not over with your pain, kid! I use my monster as a material for Mirror Summon!" He declared as a mirror portal opened up behind his monster.

"No way!" Yusuke exclaimed.

"Here it comes, Yusuke!" His mirror-self warned him.

"Mirror, mirror, hear my wish! Burn all my foes before me to the depth of hell!" His Xyz roared before it swallowed into the portal, and the red light shone through, making a shattering of glass for sound effects. "Mirror Summon! Come out, my beauty! Shard 4! Volcarage Triple Hound-Dog!"

Three dog heads popped out of the portal until its entire body came out slowly and steady. Its body was purely orange, but the underbelly was black. The three heads were covered with mane, each with different color (green for left, red for middle, and blue for right). Each eye glowed in blood red color as each head had sharp teeth. This monster was truly based on Cerberus from the ancient Greek myth about the realm of Hades.

Volcarage Triple Hound-Dog-Shard 4, FIRE, Beast/Mirror/Effect, 2300 ATK, 2800 DEF.

Ash laughed evilly until he became a maniac. Yusuke sweated as he looked worry, with the powerful, defensive Mirror monster stood in front of him. His mirror-self also looked wary to see such a beast.

Hello, guys! I am officially in my Spring Break, so more time for writing for me! The New Cards Cheat Sheet for this chapter will be in the next chapter because I only introduce two new cards, so it would be too short to even have it here.

Is anyone playing Fire Emblem Fates? If not, it is a very great game! It is my first ever Fire Emblem game, but I really like it so far. The characters, the story, the gameplay, it is really fun. Try it out, if you have not brought it. I recommend Birthright if you are first-timer, but if you want more challenging way, you should play Conquest. There is also a third edition, Revelation for download, but you need a physical copy of the game.

Anyway, guys, sorry to leave with another cliffhanger, but the next couples of chapter will be interesting, and hopefully all of them will come out within a week. I also have my birthday approaching very soon (March 29th, if you wanted to know), so I will have something special...Anyway, I hope to see you all in the NEXT CHAPTER!