Hey folks, just a quick message before the start of the story:

I've seen some people ask why I didn't use Pegasus' manga-only sons as his family instead of OCs, so here's a clarification: Sigmund and Roderick are supposed to be Yako and Gekko. I just did a 4Kids and gave them English names in order to match Pegasus' more English name as well. It's likely that their physical description wasn't enough to make the point across, so apologies for that. Still, here's the statement.

I'll talk more at the end.

~O~

It was a pretty quiet day at Duel Academy. Classes were going smoothly, the schedule was on time, and the amount of missed homework was apparently at an all time low! Granted, Jaden was still part of that low, but considering he was a "no work, all talent" kind of guy with studies, that was a given.

And hey, even the weather was pleasant! Just the right amount of heat to make it comfortable, and the sea breeze coming from the coast was just the right amount of refreshing and humid. The local café was even offering discounts on milk shakes and smoothies, something that I had already taken advantage of.

Turns out, however, that all these things do not help with mega-anxiety, who would have thought!?

In all seriousness though, I was panicking horribly. Because as it turns out, things were already turning out to be interesting at the Academy. And by interesting, I mean horrifyingly scary.

What else would I call the thought of Sora Perse walking around the same halls as me, when he wasn't even supposed to exist in this series? I had already been blind-sided by that girl Anna, who I also know didn't exist in the show, plus Slifer not looking like shit, which already sent a few alarms in my head. But those I could just write up as having chara—People, having people that didn't receive screentime in the anime. Hell, I even went poking around to try and distract myself from the crushing pressure of the butterfly that could happen any second, and did not find any trace of that kid who put people to sleep by existing. So obviously, things wouldn't be 1:1.

But Sora Perse… That was another level of crazy. Worst of all, unless I started digging deep, I wouldn't be able to tell if he was post-development Sora who acted nice and had been redeemed, or if he was pre-development Sora, aka a psychotic little shit who considered some Duelists to be sub-human scum.

Hell, I didn't even know if he was an Academia infiltration soldier!

Granted, that last one was very unlikely. If Pegasus could figure me out with just a look, and I landed here with quite literal divine intervention, then he and Kaiba would have definitely picked up a man-made dimensional jump, and never would have let him enter Duel Academy. So small mercy at least.

But in the end, it still left the big question of what the hell he was doing here, and who the hell even was he. And what's worse, seeking answers could end with me in hot water with the school, and one extremely paranoid potential ally-slash-psychopath. Neither of which were particularly appealing options. Besides, Narita probably still hated my guts enough that she'd take that as her chance to throw me into detention until I rotted away.

Prick…

So that only left one option: duel him.

I mean, what else would I do? Invite him over to tea or something?

Pity I didn't have access to Xyz cards, that'd be a quick way to make him show his true colors if any… Maybe. Probably.

Nevertheless, I had to keep my head cool to do this. So right now, all I could do was breathe, relax, and find myself a chance to fight the tiny pineapple kid without arousing suspicion.

Until then… I had class to attend. Specifically, Crowler's.

… Okay so maybe this shit was lining up well.

"I think I prefer you being bombastic and loud," called out someone beside me. That's when I realized that for quite some time now, Bastion had been walking alongside me with that same calm and collected look he always had. "I'd expect this much silence during our test week, and we're quite far away from those."

"Oh… Hey there, Bastion. Yeah, I just… Had a whole lot in my mind these last few days."

"Yes, that has been quite apparent," he replied with a friendly smile, his eyes returning to face the hallway as we walked. "Especially considering how many times people say you've been wandering the island."

That drew a chuckle from me, and I couldn't help but rub the back of my head sheepishly. "Just wanted to get a lay of the land, maybe find out if we got some cave holding treasure or secret passage." Thankfully, my quick attempt at humor served to deflect any possible budding suspicion, if the chuckle that Bastion gave was any sign.

"Well, I see your quest was fruitless in the end. Hopefully you'll put as much effort into your studies."

"Nah, I'll just mooch off of you doing my homework for me while I sit back and relax."

"Your delusions are truly grandiose, your majesty. Next you'll tell me you're not naked, that only smart people can see your clothes."

Considering the laugh that got out of me, it seemed Bastion had achieved his goal: I could already feel a lot of my anxiousness drifting away, or at least enough that I didn't feel like having a meltdown right there. So in return, I gave him a pat on and a shake of his shoulder. "Thanks, man… I needed that." In return, Bastion smiled and gave me a firm but gentle pat on the back.

Man, he really was a cool guy… The dub didn't make him justice. Guess that was one more reason to give him a hand with not slumping.

The rest of our walk was both quiet and short, and soon we had entered Crowler's classroom. As expected, we were some of the first students to get here, and with quite a few minutes to spare before the start of class. Around the place, around a dozen students were milling about either together or alone, just throwing small talk with one another, checking notes or even working through their Decks.

Honestly, it was strange to see such things being done so casually and openly, and then remembering this was their curriculum. Hell, the last time I remember checking my Yu-Gi-Oh Deck in class, the teacher took it off my hands and gave it directly to my mother.

… Oh good, here came the depression.

No, focus. My mom's fine, my family's fine, Null wouldn't pull a trick that dirty after throwing me here. And I already had that talk before.

With a wave to Bastion, we moved to opposite sides of the classroom and sat onto our chosen seats. Naturally, he chose the seat with the best calculated view and acoustics… And I wish I was joking. He actually showed me the equations when I asked.

I, however, decided to go with visibility of the class in general. So off I went to one of the corners of the room, with the perfect line of sight of every other seat inside, and readied all my materials for the class. And not a moment too soon, either. Not five minutes later, more students began filing in, all of them with varying degrees of excitement. Surprisingly, Jaden was here early, chatting animatedly with Syrus about something or other as they moved to their place. Behind them followed Anna, who almost immediately locked eyes with me and gave me a cheeky grin and a two-finger salute.

Guess paying for the dry-cleaning of her coat was enough of an apology…

Right after the three Slifers was Alexis Rhodes herself, flanked by Jasmine and Mindy as they talked between themselves about… Well, something or other. They didn't seem to notice me, however, and that was fine by me. I'd talk to her later when her wingmates weren't around.

My attention, however, became laser-focused once I saw him walk through the door, followed by my heart skipping a few beats.

Because yes, that really was Sora Perse joining the mob. Spiky teal hair, green eyes, hell he was even chewing on a lollipop! The smile he had was also surprisingly disarming, every sign that this was just a kid attending school focused on card games and here to have a good time. To top it off, he even sat next to Syrus and started chatting up with him, leaving Jaden to instead focus on Anna. And apparently, they got along like a house on fire, considering how happy she looked to chat with him. Probably about his E-Heroes or something…

A particularly loud kick at the door heralded the arrival of the one and only Chazz Princeton, flanked by his two old cronies… And he looked pissed. What the hell could have happened? Did he decide to start his rivalry with Jaden anyway and get stomped? I knew for a fact that he hadn't lost with his brand new V-to-Z cards, because I had yet to see a massive military fleet come deliver the cards, and Crowler seemed blasé enough about Jaden to not justify buying all the cards just for Chazz…

… Where did he get the money to do that, anyway? Questions for later, especially since the door opened yet again, more gently this time, allowing through—

… Oh… Oh no.

Oh no, she's beautiful.

That was the only description I could give to the young woman that walked through the door, and she lived and breathed it. Her shining silver hair cascaded like a waterfall over her back, as a gigantic pony tail hanging from the back of her head, and in two fox-like tails over her shoulders. Her eyes were the shiniest golden I had seen before, and even as pale as she looked, it was like looking at a statue sculpted out of ivory. Hell, even her features seemed built for maximum nobility looks, the kind that made her seem older than she probably was.

And instead of the standard Obelisk Blue female uniform, she was dressed in a regal-looking coat, blouse and dress skirt combo in the colors of the dorm, with the latter reaching all the way down to her ankles and barely allowing view of her shoes.

In summation? Alexis had some serious competition for Queen of Obelisk Blue.

And in my inelegant staring, I didn't realize that the girl was looking directly at me, a distinctly satisfied smile gracing her face, until she gave me an almost supernaturally fluid wave, then moved away to seat at an isolated spot in the classroom.

The sound of clapping down below quickly returned by mind to reality, my objective of investigating Sora, and most importantly to the sight of Dr. Crowler standing at the front of the class, a calculating gaze scanning the crowd of students that slowly but surely quieted down and focused their attention on the teacher. "Buon giorno to all of you. For those who have yet to learn this, I am doctor Velian Crowler, the proctor responsible for the Practical Duel Application course of this academy."

It honestly surprised me how firmly he spoke, and even more so of how calm and collected he seemed. And honestly, I had no complaints there, because a calm and serious Crowler meant he probably wouldn't go on some crazy-ass revenge plot against the Slifer dorm, especially since he didn't get humiliated by Jaden.

… Oh right, he got humiliated by me.

Fingers crossed on that.

"While the faculty is more than aware that some of you have more than proven their skill and resources, be aware that it will not be enough to triumph in this course," continued the teacher, his hands crossed behind his back. "You must learn, evolve, grow and strive for ever greater heights. If you believe yourselves incapable of achieving your peaks, then effort will not be wasted with you. This institution has both history, reputation and pride to uphold, and we shall uphold it."

Oop, there it was. That educated-but-condescending tone I had gotten used to for so long. Granted, it was still more polite than saying "You Slifer slackers suck and deserve the boot", but the result had been pretty much the same: a students were shifting uncomfortably in their seats, chief of which was Syrus, who looked like someone walked over and threw his Deck into a bag of shit. I know he would have that shuffled off of his head sooner or later… But hey, any-percent glitch speed-running is great! Might as well get his personality through a wringer fixed.

A smile did end up crossing my face when I saw Anna throw a folded paper at Syrus, who opened it up and a second later had to suppress a chuckle. Heh, guess she's got a soft spot for him, that would probably help me… Especially if she started adding her cannon to the mix. Oh, Zane, I hope you get to see it…

Crowler's voice was quick to draw me back to reality, however, and once more I turned my gaze to the teacher, seeing that he now had the projector on and was showing four empty squares, on a two-by-two pattern.

"Of course, I am also aware that the circumstances of the entry exam means applicants may not be at full focus. Ergo, I shall give you all this opportunity: we shall have two duels, and four volunteers will partake in it." And with that, Crowler turned his gaze directly towards me, an action that I matched by giving him a fully placid look. "Consider this an opportunity to show you are capable of taking our studies seriously."

Alright, dick move on his part… But I suppose I shouldn't let it rile me up. I did take it a bit too far during our duel, probably didn't give a good first impression by acting so brash… Still, this wasn't the time. I had to focus on Sora, and unless he volunteered—

"Welp, guess that means I'll hit it up, teach."

… Fucking hell, this shit lines up so easy sometimes.

"Very well, signor Perse…" replied the teacher in a… Strangely reserved tone, even creasing his brow a bit as he eyed the little possibly-psychotic pineapple. "Now, who will join as his opponent?"

Oh, I am not missing this chance.

With barely restrained anxiety, I rose from my seat and lifted my hand into the air, still doing my best to not look suspicious. "I'll—"

"DENIED!"

WHACK!

Unfortunately, my plans were met with an unexpected set back.

Also, I was forced to sit back when something small, rubbery and fast whacked me in the face, leaving a very bright and prominent red mark in my face. Something that, naturally, drew more than a few snickers from the crowd of students… And a very loud and hearty laugh from Chazz.

Laugh it up while you can Princeton, I'll get my revenge someday…

"What the hell, Anna?!" I screamed from up above, slamming my fist against the table to punctuate it. "What did you just throw at me?!"

"Rubber ball ammo, custom made," was her completely shameless reply, that big toothy grin aimed squarely at me. And with a grin, Anna twisted her arm around in a show of victory, before turning proudly to Crowler. "I'll be taking the Obelisk shrimp, teacher!"

Sora, for his part, seemed pretty nun-plussed by the whole thing, just twirling his lollipop around in his mouth. "Well, I ain't refusing… But why me? Why not his majesty up there?"

"Ha! True, he would be a fun match up to fight…" said Anna excitedly, eyeing me from the side as I threw the rubber ball back at her, catching it easily with one hand. "But I heard around the corners that you're pretty damn high on the Obelisk pecking order, Perse. That means if I beat you, people will know they can't screw with me! And besides, I gotta put on a show without him getting in the way!"

Crowler's response to that little chaos… Was to groan and run his hand down his face, somehow not ruining the make-up in his face. "Madre di Dio... Very well. You shall duel signor Perse for the first match." As the young cannoneer celebrated and turned enthusiastically towards Sora with her arms crossed in a victorious pose, Crowler returned his attention to me. "Signor Atlas, do you still wish to participate on the exam?"

Now that put me on an awkward spot... If I said no, it would put a target on my back from the get-go, and knowing how paranoid Sora could be, my chances of getting intel on him would become zero… But if I said yes, it'd probably mean me destroying some kid, like Chazz…

… On second thought, it'd be perfect.

"Yeah, I'm still up for the challenge, teach," I replied in a far-calmer tone, even while I still glared daggers and bullets at Anna. "I'll work my frustrations off on someone… Hey Chazz, feel like proving you got bite behind that bark?"

"How dare you, you no-name extra!" shouted back the Obelisk boy, all trace of his previous happiness replaced with fury. "Just because you won by a fluke doesn't mean you got a chance against me!"

"Says the guy who's one third of the Three Obelisk Stooges."

"Why, you-!"

"I accept his challenge, professor."

Those five words made the entire classroom freeze over in silence, with everyone's heads snapping around to stare at the source of the melodious voice that had spoken up. And when I joined the masses in looking, I saw who had just agreed to duel me: it was the silver-haired girl from before.

And when I turned to Crowler, I saw him staring at the girl with bowel-shattering horror, as were many other people around the classroom… Including Chazz.

"… W-Well, erm, s-signor Atlas. Do you… Accept dueling against signora Augur?" asked the teacher fearfully as he tugged at the collar of his shirt. When I turned back to said "Miss Augur", I was met with that same serene smile. Hell, her hands were even folded atop each other, all lady-like!

"… Sure, I don't see the issue. Let's have a good match!" I spoke up cheerfully.

"And I look forward for a glorious duel against you, oh king," was her reply, capped off by a graceful bow to me.

In her seat, Alexis let out a weary sigh before hanging her head in exasperation. "Well, this will be interesting…"

-O-

Not a few minutes later, all students had moved from the classroom to the closest dueling arena, with everyone but Anna and Sora occupying the seats surrounding the field. Rather than sitting beside Bastion, however, I decided to go with the peanut gallery who had a reason to root for the little bombardier, so now I found myself sitting next to Jaden and Syrus, the former of which seemed unable to rein in his excitement.

"Goddamn, Jaden, did you eat the entire sugar pitcher at breakfast?" I asked with a smile as I fiddled with my Duel Disk. "I'd expect you to be this excited if you were down there dueling."

"Nah, only a few spoons of it."

"Oh, of course, how foolish of me."

"And yeah, I mean I wanted to give a shot at dueling you, but that Augur girl was faster than me," continued Jaden, his fists pumping up and down as he turned to eye me with a smile of his own. "But man, the way Anna kept talking about her Deck, I'm all pumped up to see what she's got!"

"Really? Did she give a hint of the cards she had or something?"

"Only that it'd be a 'blast' to see, and that it'd 'run all over' Sora's cards," replied Syrus, with a surprising amount of assuredness. "She also seemed pretty sure of it, honestly…"

"Heh, that so?" I replied with a grin as I turned to stare at the first arriving duelist, Sora.

In truth, however, I was really dang nervous. If this really was Sora, the chances of him packing his usual Frightfurs was pretty damn high. And if he was packing those cards, then he had a good chance of straight-up obliterating Anna, no matter what cards she had in her Deck. And knowing the kid, he'd either beat her and make it look easy, or crush her like a bug the slow way…

Goddammit, why did this shit have to happen? If it was me with my Superheavies, I'd have a far higher chance of winning than Anna… No, stop thinking like that! You've just met her, and you've yet to see what Sora can do! Have a little faith in your new friend!

Speaking of said child soldier, he was the first to enter the arena, all calm and tranquil as he finished securing his Duel Disk to his arm before giving Crowler a thumbs-up. "All ready here, teach!"

"Very well, signor Perse. Signora Witzer, are you ready as well?" asked the teacher, turning towards the other entrance to the arena…

Except Anna wasn't there. Only an empty doorway.

And then said doorway exploded into a furious cloud of pink smoke and firecrackers, causing screams and shouts of surprise to erupt from the crowd. Before anyone could think of questioning things, another sound joined the cacophony: that of an engine… And it was growing louder by the second.

"YAHOOOOOOOOOO!"

From amidst the pink clouds and sparkles of light burst forth Anna, her coat flapping wildly as she sped towards the arena wearing a pair of inline skates, a blocky Duel Disk strapped to her left arm and her cannon held on her right hand, shooting steam from its barrel as it pushed her forward. Just as she reached the edge of the arena, Anna pointed the cannon downwards and fired, launching herself into an aerial forward flip before landing and skidding to a halt in the arena. Right as she landed, the wheels in her skates folded onto the side of her boots, allowing the girl to stand proudly with her arms crossed and head held high. "Alright, let's get this show started!"

Yet none of the spectators spoke up about the spectacle. They simply stared, dumbfounded, even as the pink smoke disappeared into the air vents and the crackers began dying down…

"Yeah! Nice show, Anna!"

"You go, bomber girl, give them a good show!"

… Well, except for me and Jaden, of course. Because unlike the rest of the crowd, we knew a good show when we saw it.

Anna, however, seemed undaunted with the lack of reaction, instead slamming her cannon down onto the ground before placing her deck onto her Duel Disk as it activated. "Alright, Perse, you ready for this?" she asked loudly with a grin, pointing the closed fist of her arm with the Disk in it towards the young Obelisk Blue student, who in return gave a nonchalant shrug before activating his own.

"Sure, let's get it done."

That was the moment that Crowler made himself known, coughing loudly into his hand before giving both Sora and Anna his patented Teacher Analytic Stare (Patent Pending). "Very well then, both of you seem to be ready. Signora Witzer?"

"Yeah, teach?"

"Please control your utilization of pyrotechnics, the school has many rules against them for very good reasons."

"Eh, don't worry teach, I've used them for years!" declared the bancho as she waved her hand dismissively. "Besides, gotta make sure the duel's fun while I trounce the Perse kid!"

"… Il cancelliere dovrebbe aumentare la mia paga quest'anno... Very well, begin."

"Bring it on, kid!"/"Duel!"

ANNA WITZER: 4000LP -/- SORA PERSE: 4000LP

"Well, I'll be going first," called out Sora with a grin as he pulled a card from his Deck, and giving it a quizzical look before turning to his hand, before grinning cheekily at them.

Up in the seats, my expression hardened, the grip in my arms almost strangling the blood flow out of them. Alright then, Sora… Let's see what you got.

"Here comes the first move! I summon Deskbot 003 in Attack Mode!"

… Eh?

-O-

And indeed, in a flash of light an adorable yellow robot made of school and work supplies, wielding a sword made of a ruler and a compass as weapons appeared in the field, giving a heroic pose before jumping to the ground in a triumphant pose (ATK 500/DEF 500).

Anna's reaction… Was to gawk a bit and blink slowly at the toy-like monster. "… Well uhh, that's… Kinda adorable, granted… But he's kind of a shrimp."

"Heh, don't worry, he's about to get a lot stronger," replied Sora, the lollipop stick in his mouth waving to and fro as he spoke. "Now, for his effect! When Deskbot 003 is Normal Summoned to the field, I can Special Summon one Deskbot monster from my Deck! So come on out, Deskbot 002!"

Yet again light flared up, and yet again a small robot appeared in the field, only this one was green and was wielding a pen as a gun. (ATK 500/DEF 500). "And with him on the field, I'll play a Spell Card! Machine Duplication!"

As soon as Sora played said Spell Card, large conveyors appeared on either side of him, carrying deactivated robots towards nothingness. "This card lets me choose one Machine-type monster with five hundred Attack points or less in the field, and Special Summon as many copies as possible from my Deck with the same name! So let's triple that headcount shall we? Come forth, Deskbots 002!" And indeed, as soon as he called out the name, the conveyors brought forth two more copies of said robot, dropping them next to the original in the field. "Now, for their effects! First, Deskbot 002 lets me add one Deskbot card to my hand when he's summoned. So with three of them, I get to add three cards!" With that said, Sora withdrew his Deck from his Disk and splayed it, before pulling three cards from it before placing it back onto its slot. "Guess I'll be taking Deskbot 005, 006, and Deskbot Base. Now, for their second effect, Deskbot 002 raises the Attack of all my Machine Monsters on the field by five hundred points! And since there's three of him in the field…"

Sora did not need to finish. As his words trailed off, the three green robots launched lightning at each other and at 003, making their eyes shine even brighter and small bolts of electricity to arc from their body. (Deskbot 001: ATK 500 - 2000/DEF 500 - 2000) (Deskbot 002 x3: ATK 500 - 1500/DEF 500 - 1500). "Guess I'll put a card face-down and end my turn. Your turn, little bomber, show me what you got!"

"Don't you worry, I'm gonna do just that! My turn, draw!" she declared loudly, punctuated by a jet of steam coming out of her Duel Disk. "Let me show you what a Machine monster should look like! I summon Infinitrack Anchor Drill in Attack Mode!"

The ground in front of Anna cracked and buckled right after she called out her monster, before suddenly exploding into the air in a shower of dust and debris. And from inside the crater drove out a large blue-and-yellow construction vehicle with a large jackhammer at the end of a long, articulated arm (ATK 1800/DEF 500). "Now for its effect! When Anchor Drill is summoned to the field, I can Special Summon one Infinitrack monster from my hand in Defense Mode! So come forth, Infinitrack Brutal Dozer!" This time, it was one of the walls surrounding the arena that had a hole torn through it, allowing a massive green bulldozer to plow its way into the arena, its engine roaring loudly the entire way, before parking itself between Anna and Sora's monsters (ATK 1900/DEF 2100).

"But don't worry, this train doesn't stop here!" called out Anna amidst the cacophony her monsters were causing as she pointed towards her second monster. "When Brutal Dozer is Special Summoned from the hand, I can Special Summon one Infinitrack monster from my Deck in Defense Mode! So everybody, put your hands together for the next metal monster to join the field!"

And from the door that Anna had arrived into the arena, her third machine sped into view: a shining yellow harvester tractor, with dangerous-looking blades lined in front of it, that circled the arena once before drifting into place beside Anchor Drill.

"Say hello to Infinitrack Harvester! (ATK 0/DEF 2100) And of course, he's got his own effect!"

"And let me guess, you can summon another monster?" asked Sora in an almost bored tone as he rolled his eyes. Rather than show annoyance, however, Anna simply snickered and waggled her finger side-to-side.

"Heh, not this time. Instead, I get to add one Infinitrack card to my hand, so I'll be adding Infinitrack Crab Crane to my hand. And unfortunately for you, this is where my victory starts! I play the Field Spell Fusion Recycling Plant!" Once more the arena began shaking, but this time rather than a monster appearing, a torrent of scrap appeared from a purple gateway and piled beside Anna, while a massive metal crane erupted from the ground on the other side, alongside several floating eye-shaped robots who began circling the scrap pile. "Here we go! I play Polymerization, fusing Infinitrack Harvester and the Crab Crane in my hand, to bring forth one hell of a machine!"

As she spoke, the Harvester dissipated into light particles and floated into a swirling blue and red spiral alongside the card in Anna's hand, both streams of particles combining together in the middle of the vortex and exploded into a brilliant flash of light.

"Facing the tides and currents, a force of nature made metal and fury! March on and part the seas!"

And from within it, emerged a new machine, shining crimson and with a large three-cannon turret sitting atop its chassis, larger than both of its component machines and towering behind Anna.

"COME ON, INFINITRACK RIVER STORMER! (ATK 2500/DEF 500)."

-O-

"Oh man, those cards are sweet! And we're just two turns in, this is awesome! Right, Drake!?"

"Yeah… Yeah, uhh, definitely…"

What, you expected me to have a witty reply or something? Yeah, nope, my brain is still trying to process this entire thing. Mainly, WHAT. WHAT THE FUCK?!

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK?!

WHY DID SORA HAVE DESKBOTS?! WHY DID ANNA HAVE INFINITRACKS?! WHY WAS AN XYZ MONSTER A FUSION MONSTER?!

This… How was this happening? These cards weren't supposed to exist in any way in this reality! Yet here they were!

… Was this my fault? Did I cause some kind of butterfly effect or something by asking Pegasus to redo my cards? Did dimensional data somehow leak into the Spirit World or the timeline and retroactively make these cards appear here?!

If this was the real world, I would have slapped the shit out of myself. But considering the circumstances, I had every right to worry. That's exactly what I needed, yes, more fuel for my anxiety and panic.

There was, however, at least one itty-bitty silver lining in this: if somehow an Xyz monster could be a Fusion monster… That meant Pegasus would be able to adapt all of my cards. Maybe. Probably.

Maybe I should focus on the duel still…

-O-

"Alright, Perse, get ready for a walloping! Battle time! River Stormer, attack the middle Deskbot 002 with Torrential Cascade!"

At her command, the massive cannons of the machine turned their sights to one of the diminutive green robots, and with a deafening boom, fired three gigantic pillars of water at the Deskbot…

"Sorry, that won't be happening! I activate Deskbot 003's effect!" shouted back Sora. In response, 003's body glowed with lightning, which he then shot at the 002 under attack. "I can choose one Deskbot in the field, and boost its Attack and Defense points by 500 for each Deskbot in the field until the end of the turn!"

And indeed, the lightning supercharged the green robot, creating a bright aura of crackling power as the Deskbot let out a victorious cry (ATK 1500 - 3500/DEF 1500 - 3500), before boosting in an almost unbelievable burst of speed towards the triple water jets. And against all possible outcomes, the robot parted the waters easily, flying through the violent torrent before impacting itself against the turreted machine. The resulting explosion was almost deafening, launching shockwaves and smoke everywhere and nearly pushing Anna off her feet. Thankfully, however, she held on.

Her Life Points, however, didn't.

ANNA WITZER: 3000 LP -/- SORA PERSE: 4000 LP

"Fuck!"

"Mind your language, signora Witzer!"

Biting down her next scathing comment, Anna settled instead for waving her hand dramatically at her remaining monsters. "Fine, then I'll go for River Stormer's effect instead! By tributing Brutal Dozer, I can bring my monster back to the field!" In response, light enveloped the green bulldozer and hid it away from view, and when the light died out, once more River Stormer stood upon the dueling arena (ATK 2500/DEF 500). "Re-do time! River Stormer, fire on the 002 to the right!"

Once again, the machine fired its weapon, but this time nothing stood in the way of the attack. And like a massive liquid fist, the streams of water blasted the small robot aside, throwing it against the wall far behind to explode in a surprisingly large blast, ruffling both Sora's hair and clothes, though the boy himself seemed surprisingly unaffected.

And with one less Deskbot 002 on the field, some of the lightning coursing through the remaining Deksbots seemed to flicker out, a sign that they had just weakened. (Deskbot 001: ATK 2000 - 1500/DEF 2000 - 1500) (Deskbot 002 x2: ATK 1500 - 1000/DEF 1500 - 1000).

ANNA WITZER: 3000 LP -/- SORA PERSE: 3000 LP

"Heh… Not bad, bomber girl."

"And it's about to get worse! Anchor Drill, attack the left 002!" shouted the diminutive bancho as she dramatically pointed to the second weaker Deskbot. In response, the ground breaker let out a belch of smoke and trudged forward towards Sora's monster, and once it was in range, the Infinitrack stabbed the small robot with its jackhammer, piercing through the Deskbot's torso and destroying it in yet another large explosion before trudging back to its starting place. And yet again, the power of the remaining monsters in Sora's side weakened (Deskbot 001: ATK 1500 - 1000/DEF 1500 - 1000) (Deskbot 002: ATK 1000 - 500/DEF 1000 - 500).

ANNA WITZER: 3000 LP -/- SORA PERSE: 2200 LP

"Heheh… Turnabout's fair game, Perse!" declared the girl with a grin, who punctuated her statement with another rev of her Duel Disk as a card was ejected from her deck. "And now, I'm activating River Stormer's effect! Since he destroyed a monster by battle, I can add one Earth-type Monster from my Deck to my hand, so I'll be adding Drill Driver Vespenato. Wrap it up with two face-downs, and I'll end my turn by using Fusion Recovery Plant's effect to retrieve Crab Crane from the grave and add it to my hand! Your go, Perse, make it good!"

The boy's grin in response to her call wouldn't have looked out of place in a wild animal. "Oh, trust me, I will… My turn, draw!"

-O-

Analyze patterns, deconstruct moves, account for personality traits… It was a complex, multi-stage process that requires utmost concentration on all of its many different parts, something very difficult to an unprepared teacher.

Fortunately for the curriculum, Vellian Crowler was a very prepared man.

And so he watched, calmly yet intently, even as the young miss Witzer… Spiced up the duel with her pyrotechnics display and acting. Like he didn't have to already deal with a possible tinnitus diagnosis from his duel with signor Atlas at the entrance exam…

And yet, as he watched another of miss Witzer's monsters be destroyed by another of mister Perse's freshly summoned Deskbots, Crowler neatly fit such trait into the mental profile he had made of her, one that had become nearly completely realized.

Crass, boastful, seemingly flippant of authority and a tomboy through and through. Her dueling was straightforward and simple, with a focus on overwhelming attack power through powerful Main Deck and Extra Deck monsters, even if the effects of these previously-unknown cards and their support allowed the girl to bounce back destruction effects onto her opponent. Her entire goal was blitzing her opponent, and if her assault was sufficiently blunted, her short supply of back-up options meant defeat was a very possible reality.

And yet, Crowler could see the positives in her person: thoroughly honest, surprisingly friendly and open-hearted to others. Surprisingly, she even seemed to connect with the younger Truesdale, even when the boy seemed resistant to emotional growth. Distaste for authority aside, her grades were stable, enough that if they maintained themselves then miss Witzer would soon find itself amongst the halls of Ra Yellow, alongside the other newest loudmouthed addition to the school.

Speaking of said loudmouth…

Drake Atlas. Enrolled into the Academy through an Illusion Industries scholarship program, with a mostly average school history and background. Hailing from Brazil, biological parents seemingly disappeared, grew up in a government program before becoming a tester for Illusion Industries' new line of cards meant to push the limit of KaibaCorp's holographic technology… And that was it. A blank past with no indication of who he had been, a complete unknown walking through the hallowed halls of Duel Academy.

His personality was also… Peculiar. His showcase on the entrance exam had been unexpected, indeed, but served to let Crowler know what kind of person he should have expected: loud, obnoxious, wearing his heart on his sleeve… But something seemed to have changed. Ever since the welcome feast, signor Atlas seemed to have become more… Shifty. Nervousness, fidgeting, an apparent penchant for exploring the many, many corners of the school… Or at least, that was his attitude in private. When in public, he continued being as boastful as usual, cheerfully speaking with students who approached him, chiefly being Slifer Reds.

… And curiously, he seemed to be watching the Duel just as intently as Crowler himself…

Another explosion in the field, which the professor was quick to note was from signora Witzer's recently summoned Drill Driver Vespenato destroying signor Perse's own recently summoned Deskbot 006, lowering the Obelisk student's Life Points down to a dangerous 500 value. And at the sight of the blue-haired child, Crowler couldn't help but scowl.

Sora Perse… Ever since the boy had arrived, Crowler had made sure to keep him under tight surveillance. Narita had objected, of course, but the Obelisk headmaster has pressed on the request enough that the chairman had complied, with an addition to maintain their efforts hidden. But in the end, all the reports remained the same: the boy kept a completely normal schedule, retained civil relationships with all his colleagues, did not get involved in any problems and kept his grades predictably high. By all means, a model student through and through.

His dueling, however, was… Odd. And not because of his unknown cards. While one could see his moves as "power in numbers" or "teamwork effort", but if one looked closer they would see underlying points: concentrating power upon one monster, overwhelming strength against singular targets, punishing actions with elimination of field…

In the end, Crowler could not help but feel unease whenever he saw Perse. Whatever it was, the boy had something hidden, and it was his duty to discover what, and ascertain its danger, both as headmaster of Obelisk Blue and as a professor of this university.

"That's a wrap! Deskbot 007, wreck that big Tomka of hers with Twin Slicer!"

"Cazzo…"

To his embarrassment, all the pondering had pulled his attention away from the duel long enough that he could now only witness its ending: a small yellow robot slicing a large yellow bulldozer in four, making it explode in a massive fireball and almost sweeping signora Witzer off her feet.

ANNA WITZER: 0 LP -/- SORA PERSE: 500 LP

-O-

"Fucking dammit…" muttered the young bomber as her Duel Disk deactivated and her surviving monsters disappeared into thin air. With teeth grit and fists clenched, Anna rose from the ground and adjusted her bancho cap, her grip on her cannon a tad tighter than needed. Across from her, Sora grinned cheekily and crossed his arms behind his head, giving a wave to the Obelisk Blue students in the seats above… And a wink towards Chazz, who responded with a furious scowl before turning his head haughtily to the side.

Suddenly, something fell upon her shoulder, and when Anna turned behind her to look, she saw Jaden giving her a big grin and a thumbs up. "That was a great duel, Anna! You got some sweet moves!" declared the Slifer cheerfully, punctuating such a statement by clapping her shoulder. Beside him, Syrus gave her a nervous smile and a nod.

"Would have been better if I won…"

"At least the show was good," added a new voice, which they quickly took note to be Drake's, who stood to the side with his arms crossed and a smile in his face. "Pyrotechnics were top notch, and the summon animations were pretty good. You got heart, dynamite girl, so don't let this keep you down." And with that, the Ra offered her his hand for a shake.

She didn't reply to the comment, at first, nor to the offered hand.

Then she chuckled. And with a grin, she grasped his hand and squeezed it tightly, giving it a shake for good measure. "Heh, would you look at that. You can actually give speeches that aren't shit… Not bad, Atlas."

"Hey, I try sometimes."

Their banter was quickly cut short, however, by the sound of clapping, which they quickly realized had come from Crowler, who was standing off to the side of the arena.

"An excellent duel, both of you," spoke up the teacher in his usual business-like tone, his gaze flitting between Sora and Anna. "Your results shall be handed over later at the end of the day. For now, clear the arena for the next duel. Signor Atlas, please step forward."

"Well, wish me luck, Anna." And with that, Drake stepped into the arena, his Duel Disk and Deck already prepared, something that earned a nod of approval from Crowler, and a quiet but audible round of cheers from the onlookers, even as Anna, Jaden and Syrus returned to the seats to watch their friend duel.

The cheers, however, quickly died once Drake's opponent strode to meet him.

Like a spectre, Seras Augur walked into view, her dress billowing with every step as she placed her Duel Disk, an oriental fan-like model, onto her arm. Her expression was serene, a faint smile on her face… And yet her golden eyes seemed to sparkle as the moment of the Duel approached. "Are you ready then, oh His Majesty?" she called out to the Ra Yellow as, with a flurry of her arm, her Disk opened into its full size.

"Sure thing. Let's dance, miss."

"Yes… Let us~"

And with their declarations made, both took ready stances and stared at one another's eyes.

The rest of the arena, however, settled to shivering in dread… Bar Anna, Jaden and Syrus.

GAME SET. DUEL, READY!

"Duel!"/"Duel~"

DRAKE ATLAS: 4000 LP -/- SERAS AUGUR: 4000 LP

Drake was the first to make his move, drawing a card from his Deck with the same amount of flair he had shown before, even if his voice tone was far more level. "Let's do this then! I summon Superheavy Samurai Magnet in Attack Mode!"

In response to his call, a heavy-set blue robot with magnetic poles for his hands and a giant magnet on his head appeared onto the field, slamming its arms together and launching lightning all around itself (ATK 900/DEF 1900). "And now for its effect! When Magnet is summoned to the field, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Superheavy Samurai from my hand! And I choose to summon Superheavy Samurai Kabuto, in Defense Mode!" And indeed, from beside the blue robot another appeared, colored brown and orange, wielding a large hammer and with a far more stereotypical samurai armor covering its body, who (ATK 1000/DEF 2000). "Now I change Magnet himself to Defense Mode thanks to his effect, and that ends my turn."

Seras barely showed a reaction to the move, instead merely keeping her gaze past the two monsters and directly on Drake. "Very well… Then let us begin our struggle, oh king. It is my turn," she spoke in a calm, melodious tone, daintily drawing a card from her Deck before regarding it for a moment, then picking another card from her hand. "And I'll begin by summoning Vendread Anima to the field in Attack Position."

And though she was a bit far away, Anna swore she saw Drake slumping minimally once the Obelisk Blue girl declared her move.

-O-

"I'm sorry for imposing on you, chancellor," spoke an absurdly massive man as he entered Chancellor Sheppard's office, every step he took seeming to shake the entire room as he sat down on the couch off to the side, the only seat who could feasibly hold his weight.

"Oh, no worries commissioner, we all work under the same leadership, after all!" replied Sheppard cheerfully, waving his hand dismissively in the air. "I do apologize for the seating options, however. I'm sure you understand the circumstances."

"Trust me, I am more than aware."

Granted, it was an understatement. Few actually had the honor of meeting the head of the KaibaCorp's Special Operations Suppression Unit, and since Sheppard was the chancellor of the Academy, he was one of such honored people. And yet, the commissioner looked positively nothing like one would expect the leader of a Special Ops group to look like.

Instead of a bureaucrat or soldier, Hughes Lawman was the complete opposite.

In less polite terms, he was fat. Incredibly so.

And yet, not in an overweight way. There was clearly muscle beneath his figure, and his movements were likewise very calm and effortless, a good mark that there was strength inside him. Complementing that was his features: aged, but not old. His silvery hair was combed perfectly, his cowboy-like business suit were neatly pressed, and the rest of his equipment was as pristine as possible.

So was the surprisingly big Burger World takeout bag in his hand that was placed atop the table, and from which was pulled a scarily large burger, an extra-large pack of fries and a large soda, followed by a far more normal version of it.

"Now, let's get down to business…" continued Hughes as he carefully placed his food onto the table before motioning to the other sofa in front of him. "Your request for increased security of the school is currently under revision. Granted, extenuating circumstances are pushing the paperwork forward quite quickly, but even the CEO's influence can only force things so hard. Still, expect a reply soon over this."

"And I thank both you and Mister Kaiba for the promptness," replied the chancellor as he rose from his seat and moved to sit in front of Hughes. "With the coming darkness in the horizon… I'll take any resource I can muster."

It was only once he was seated that Sheppard realized just how much taller the commissioner was compared to him. The sheer girth of the man only added to that feeling, giving Lawman an overwhelming air of command. And yet, his expression was soft, with almost no creases on his skin. Truly, a strange dichotomy.

"What of your investigation? Have you found any trace of the Shadow Riders?"

"As of now, no. KaibaCorp is employing what resources it can spare, but understand that we must be cautious and discreet with our movements. We don't need the public questioning why the company is utilizing assets in such ways." As he continued speaking, Hughes picked up the normal-sized burger meal and placed it in front of Sheppard, carefully facing them towards the chancellor. "We have a few leads, regardless. Once the information is properly checked, I'll pass it forward to you. Now… As for your second request…"

"… How is she?"

The gravitas that followed such statements was palpable in the air, Sheppard's expression hardening as the many forms and requests he filed before the start of the school year returned to mind… And of course, of his first meeting with the young woman cited on them.

Hughes' expression changed equally, the commissioner rubbing his bearded chin as he stared off to the side. Finally however, the man returned his gaze to Sheppard and gave him a nod. "Far better now, thankfully. The treatments worked as they expected, we're just running final check-ups to make sure she's healed properly. Of course, she'll have scheduled appointments with a KaibaCorp counselor that'll come alongside her, plus the necessary security measures."

Sheppard, however, shook his head and pinned Lawman with a firm glare. "I will not have her earned freedom become a gilded cage, commissioner. She deserves freedom, a chance for a normal life, and I will not tolerate her being treated like an animal."

A moment of silence settled between them, a chancellor staring down a special ops commander… Until finally Hughes let out a long sigh and waved his hand. "Yes, yes, I'm aware… Don't worry, we'll leave it to you, chancellor. It's your school after all." And with that, the man waved to the fast-food set upon the table, taking the larger soda cup in his hand. "Now, how about lunch? I brought your favorite."

"Oh, thank you. I missed lunch time already…"

But even as the two settled to eat, the thoughts of the future and preparations needed passed through the mind of both men.

And of course, of the woman that they would soon house upon the house, and whose name was printed on one of the many documents piling on Sheppard's table.

One Raiga Mask Sanviento.

-O-

DUEL END! VICTORY!

As the holograms of Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei disappeared and my Duel Disk deactivated itself, I let out a breath in relief and wiped the sweat off my brow. "Phew… Glad that's over… Damn, dueling's a lot more tiring than I thought…"

"Haaah… Indeed, mister Atlas…"

… Oh… Yeah, right, that…

As naturally as I could, I stared back at my latest opponent… And she still had that scary look in her eyes, was sweating even more than me, her clothes were ruffled and Jesus Christ I could see her breath clouds ever time she exhaled.

"I was indeed correct…" she continued, carefully straightening her posture as she ran a hand through her hair, straightening some stray strands back into place. "Dueling with you turned out be a wonderful experience… Truly exhilarating." And with that, she bowed down, somehow still perfectly composed even after all the… everything in our duel. "I look forward to our future battles, Drake Atlas."

My response… Was rub the back of my head and chuckle nervously. "Uhh… Yeah, same to you, Seras."

And with that glorious final exchange, fit for the history books, we walked out of the arena, with all the first-year students watching us from above.

In utter silence, of course, considering the little show they got to witness.

Soon, I found myself meeting up with Bastion, Jaden and Anna down in the hallways, the three of them giving me stares with varying degrees of pity. Still, gotta play it up! "Well, what did you think? Guess I can beat an Obelisk easy-peasy!" I declared a tad louder than I expected, crossing my arms in victory. "Ain't no one standing in my way!"

There was a moment of silence… And then Anna stepped forward and pinned me with an unimpressed, flat stare, which actually made me lose a bit of my hot air, but I still did my best to keep up the pose.

"Atlas?"

"… Yeah?"

"… You're fucked. You know that, right?"

For about two seconds. Then I crumpled to the ground with a defeated groan.

"Yeah… Yeah, I know…"

Guess this year was gonna prove reeeeeeeeal interesting…

~O~

There we go, finished. Sorry for the delay, folks, I got caught up with some… Stuff related to the story. Suffice to say it's all settled now, so hopefully I can keep going from now on no problems.

Now, I gotta go to class right now, so I can't finish this AN. I'll probably update it after school, but if I don't, pass by SpaceBattles or SufficientVelocity Forum and ask whatever questions there, I'm pretty active on those.

So for now, [PLACEHOLDER].

EDIT: Alright, AN time.

This chapter turned out to be a lot more difficult to write than I expected. And the reason was Anna's duel against Sora.

First because until BlackHawk748 on SB pointed me towards DuelingBook so I could create custom version of all the cards I need to use, I had to keep rewording things on the fly to what I had changed them too. Thankfully I now updated a whole bunch of cards that needed updating, so that hassle is finished.

The second hassle however was in making plays that, while making sense, did not cause them to have a field absolutely loaded with stuff and thus showing they're better than everyone else, so as you can see plays were thus severely limited.

In regards to not showing the full duel, it was an executive decision to keep the chapter at a reasonable length, and not make it balloon into a 15k word mess that would have been mostly making moves and nothing more. This is the same reason Drake's duel was not shown at all... And also because I wanna keep Seras' deal a surprise until we finally witness her dueling uninterrupted. And trust me, I think y'all will like it c:

So, a few more teased stuff this chapter, particularly one new introduction and one future introduction. And while Hughes will be an intermittent figure in the fic... Raiga will be far more present.

Plus... I challenge you all to figure out Raiga's shtick. Bet people can't guess it.

As promised, next published work will be the first chapter of the Iron-Blooded Orphans fic, so look forward to it! After that, we follow back into Titanomachy, and the cycle begins anew.

'Til then folks, stay safe.