[Paralogue 1. The world's most wanted Scumbag.]

The room was quiet enough for multiple people to hear the clink of a teacup landing back on its plate, followed by a gasp of joy. "Aah! This tea is absolutely divine! You've outdone yourself again, Gekko. Perhaps I should be calling you the Perfect Brewer next."

The man named Gekko Tenma laughed gently. "Please, Mr. Pegasus. The last time you called me perfect, I ended up causing inferiority complexes that escalated into almost destroying Kaiba Corp," He paused as he remembered that company's history in hostile takeovers and hacking attempts. "Again?"

"I don't know. Now that Mr. Pegasus mentions it, I'd love to see an evil tea brewer and how his plot of vengeance will go." A man named Depre Scott laughed as he put his legs atop a coffee table in the office.

"I'd rather not," A man with the exact same face as Gekko, his twin brother, Yako Tenma, said. "I don't think anyone else here is brave enough to participate in a tea-making competition."

A taller man with spiky hair named Richie Merced moved Depre Scott's legs off the table. "Show a little more respect, Scott."

"Right, sorry. I got too comfortable."

"Don't be sorry!" Pegasus told the two. "I don't always get to see you four together when you aren't handling the branch companies and your mercenary card guild. You can make yourselves at home as much as you want!" Pegasus smiled before he realized something and fished his cabinet. "In fact, now that you're all here, I'd like your opinion on this artwork!"

He showed a picture to Gekko, and the other three flocked over to see what the protege had.

"This looks great, Mr. Pegasus. You truly are a master artist." Yako enjoyed the shading and the details of the landscape.

"I didn't draw that," Pegasus said with a smile as he saw the four's reactions. "A student from Kaiba-Boy's school did."

"No way! A kid made this!? But this looks like something you would make, sir!" Scott stepped back in shock.

"His name is Chumley Huffington. And I'd love to recruit him over to be a card designer for Industrial Illusions."

"You've always had an eye for talent in young ones, sir," Richie said aloud. "While card design isn't anyone's forte besides yours, we do know this is the first time in a while that you've been excited over something. You should get him to come over when you can."

"Oh, I'm just waiting for his school to hand him over," Pegasus sighed. "Hearing all of you approve of him warms my heart."

One of Pegasus' assistants opened the door. "I'm sorry for bothering you, Mr. Pegasus, but Mr. Willa Mette insisted on entering."

Willa Mette was someone who belonged in a rock concert, but the look on his face showed concern and worry, which was unusual coming from the prideful duelist. "We have a problem! Someone hired us to hunt down and capture a new target! But Ted already broke off and went to collect the bounty himself and...!"

"Willa. Willa! Calm yourself." Richie Merced ordered his subordinate. "Why is that important?"

Willa looked over to the assistant that came in. Pegasus, sensing trouble, dismissed the man and put off his hidden microphones. "You may speak now, Mr. Mette."

"The bounty that we got? It was for Bandit Keith! Someone paid a lot of money to get the guy alive, or specifically his deck!"

"Bandit Keith? His deck?" Pegasus raised his brow as he thought back to the American Duelist back in Duelist Kingdom. "What does this have to do with..." Pegasus trailed off when he noticed his proteges all look like they've seen the worst of hell at that moment.

"Oh no," Yako fell to his knees as Gekko and Richie tried to help him up. "W-What? W-Who could have known!? How did they know what I forgot!"

"It's not your fault, Yako! I forgot too in the end! I didn't think it would bite us like this!" His twin brother tried to soothe him.

"What's going on?" Pegasus asked. All four of the duelists he raised turned back to him with varying levels of shame. But Yako inhaled and stepped forward.

"You remember what we told you about after your defeat in Duelist Kingdom, right?" Yako waited for Pegasus to nod before moving on, "I found the Wicked God Cards and tried to bring you back to life while you were in the hospital."

"The doctors did say it was a miracle I was alive," Pegasus thought back. "But you told me Yugi-boy already saved you and destroyed the Wicked God Cards."

Silence returned over the four. Gekko stepped forward this time and admitted, with guilt, "Sir, we didn't destroy one of them."

Pegasus put the pieces together as his eye widened. "You gave it Bandit Keith. And he still has it now after a decade!?"

"Forgive us, sir! We got complacent when we heard nothing about him after all this time!" Gekko and Yako bowed their heads in shame.

"We can still make this right. We have the order to capture Bandit Keith. I do want payback for what he did before." Richie started before turning to the messenger. "Willa, I need you to call Ted Banias and tell him to wait for the others. If that idiot isn't listening, send the others so he won't do anything drastic."

"Uhh, Richie?" Willa gulped. "W-We're not the only ones who got hired to hunt for Bandit Keith."

The entire room fell silent.

"T-The caller," Willa shook his head as he tried to tell everyone in the room. "The caller had a lot of money. He even sounded like he wanted to make a, in his words, "fun game." He's giving a 1 million dollar bounty on Bandit Keith on whoever can nab him first. It was an open message. It didn't reach our guild only. Other guilds and mercs are probably hunting him down as we speak."

The stoic leader of the Card Professor Guild grunted as his poker face broke. The situation was direr than he thought. "Then we need to move, now!" Richie began to walk out.

"Wait, Richie!" Gekko stood up and turned to his friend. "Send some of your Card Professors our way. We need to find who sent this bounty."

The man nodded before he and Scott left the room in a hurry.

Pegasus closed his hands together. "The Last Wicked God card? Wait, does this have anything to do with what Sheppard told me?"

Yako and Gekko turned to their mentor. "What do you mean, Mr. Pegasus?"

The creator of Duel Monsters was silent. (First, the Sacred Beasts reawaken, then Slifer reappears and battles them. Did the clash between Egyptian Gods and Sacred Beasts reawaken the last Wicked God card? ...Three different sets of God Cards? There's something about them, isn't there? But what?)

Pegasus turned and looked out to the distance.

The day looked clear and sunny, but Maximillion Pegasus felt a storm coming, one that was unlike anything they had ever seen before. (And more importantly, who knows about all three of them?)

If there was one good news about all of this, it's that Pegasus found it funny that Bandit Keith has now become the most important scumbag in the world.

[Paralogue 2: An Idiot's Wish.]

"You utter dingus." Wilona turned to leer at Jaden.

Chazz quickly agreed. "I'm with the witch on this one, Slifer Slacker!"

Bastion felt a migrane. "Do you have any idea how many of my calculations have been ruined by you, Jaden!?"

"Aww, come on, guys! Don't be too hard on Jay!" Jesse tried to defend his friend while Syrus leered at him for stealing his line. "You gotta admit that this is pretty cool!"

"Jesse," Alexis inhaled deeply before looking back at the situation before them. "Cool is not the word I'd use."

"I Synchro Summon a monster!" "I Overlay my two level 5 monsters!" "I summon a tuner!" "I can detach one material to activate my monster's effect!" "I set the Overlay Network!" "Shining stars cluster together to form...!"

Those from the Music Club watched as other students played Synchro and XYZ monsters as if they always existed.

"Hey! You heard what Future Me said!" The Slifer Ace tried to get away from the many glares pointed in his direction. "This isn't all my fault! Wilona was the one who brought us to the center of the 12 dimensions!"

When they had arrived back in their world, something felt off to those who witnessed Jaden and Wilona's duel. The day after, many started noticing cards that clearly were not there before they left. Those cards were new cards that could both perform Synchro Summoning and XYZ summoning. Judai explained that Jaden's wish must have altered their reality, and he later showed the group an "old" news article about Pegasus creating a line of monsters known as Synchro and XYZ monsters. Apparently, they all came out this year.

"I wasn't the one who made a wish to add more insane cards to our timeline! I am more than willing to bet these cards are going to be used against us in the not-so-distant future!" The green-haired girl pointed to the madness going on in front of them.

"But that sounds fun!" Jaden whined.

Wilona put a hand on her head as if that would stop her worsening headache. "Yuki, you are making me want to go back down to the Spirit Gate and retake the Sacred Beasts!"

Instead of being scared, Jaden looked mildly interested. "... Now, I know I don't have Slifer and Sabatiel anymore, but if you don't destroy the world, then maybe..."

Wilona gave up and walked out. "I'm going to be restudying. I am not failing finals because Yuki changed history!"

Everyone realized the weight of what Wilona complained. Because Jaden wished for these alien cards, that means their finals would include topics that they had barely any time to get familiar with!

"Wait, Wilona! Form a study group with me!" Alexis shouted as she ran after her best friend.

"Let me join you! I have so much to catch up on!" Bastion cried out before he took a notebook and started scribbling furiously on it.

"Wait!? Finals!? We still have to do that!?" If there was one thing that truly brought fear into the brave soul of Jaden Yuki, it was final exams. "H-Hey! Can I come too!?"

"NO!" Everyone but Jesse and Syrus yelled at the Slifer Ace.

"Aww, come guys! My dad and mom will kill me if I'm held back a year! Guys!? Don't leave me to despair!" Jaden cried out as he ran after his friends. "H-Hey, Wilona! Feel like destroying the world yet!?" It spoke volumes that Jaden would rather face the end of the worlds than the finals of his school.

[Paralogue 3: Infiltrators.]

"So, what do we tell them?" Gloria looked to Sora. "That the world was almost destroyed by the Sacred Beast cards? That we went to the center of 12 worlds and found out we're all tied together by a Kuriboh?"

"We don't mention the..." Sora paused for a second. "We'll just omit the magic, world-breaking cards beneath the school."

"They kinda sound important." Grace put a finger on her chin.

"The mission wasn't to talk about the cards. It was to keep track of any weaknesses in the school's top duelists. We'll have to include Wilona Konami high on that list, maybe even higher than Jaden Yuki." Sora thought back to their duel. "Even with the Sacred Beast cards, I get the feeling she had the edge over him during their duel."

"Wilona doesn't duel as much as the others," Gloria kept walking with the other two. "She's so focused on her academics and club stuff. Are we really going to include her?"

Sora turned to leer at Gloria. "She was 'excluded' during the whole Shadow War. That's what made her dangerous when she finally stepped in: because no one expected it. Yeesh, why am I picking up your slack?"

"Are we also going to report that Chancellor Sheppard is taking a temporary leave?" Grace said aloud.

"That's a given for sure. Seika and Zane are graduating, and Chancellor Sheppard won't be here. It's the perfect time for our employer to make a move."

The Tyler Sisters agreed, but a small part of them was hesitant. After all, they genuinely liked the students and friends they've made in Duel Academy.

But a job was a job. The twins only hoped this would be over fast.

[Paralogue 4: Shadow Riders, Roll Out!]

In the middle of the sea, an old, decrepit Jolly Roger ship sailed as if held together by otherworldly magic. Mist surrounded the ship to the point sunlight was kept out, but the ship moved with direction and purpose. However, one could hear the shrill cries of horror aboard the ghostly, magical vessel.

"AAaahhhhhh!?" A ball of light screamed while trapped in a magically produced cube.

If one were to say that Aruru shook the cube violently, she would respond that it was merely a trick of the eye while shaking the object harder.

"Oi. Oi!" Judai, from the steering wheel, looked over to the deck where Aruru and Camula glared at the floating orb in the cube. "That's not your Amnael. He's Daitokuji of my timeline."

"Considering ours is dead without proper retribution, do you truly expect us not to vent our frustrations out on someone with the same essence?" Camula narrowed her eyes at the orb inside.

"I-I wasn't the one who trapped both of you!" Daitokuji tried to defend himself.

Slayer walked up to Judai and sighed. "I don't think they'll harm him. But the two have built up stress." The Vendread Duelist turned to the Future Hero. "I'm surprised that you have two souls: one human and one Duel Spirit. Considering I've met a past version of you, how does that happen?"

Yubel appeared near Judai. "That question has a long answer. Not only will that cause problems if it's revealed too soon, I get the feeling there are enough differences in this timeline that it also might be wrong."

Slayer looked back at Judai and noticed the apprehensive and traumatized look on his face. The Vendread Duelist decided that that was a topic best ignored. "How will we be able to track Paradox? He could be anywhere in the world, perhaps even in the Spirit World."

"I have a feeling if he stuck with the Shadow Riders, he's going to mess with next year's events too." Judai's eyes narrowed to nowhere in particular.

Slayer held his chin. "Hmm, this storm you warned us about must be bad if you're willing to meddle with future and past events like this."

"It really is." Yubel folded her arms. "But I will admit things are looking up so far. I did not expect us to gain allies when trying to find out what causes the storm. Talking to this fool alone almost always gives me a headache, so it's nice to hear opinions that don't make me want to strangle a brunette."

Judai had the audacity to look offended hearing that.

"It is nice to be with people once more." Slayer looked back to see Aruru and Camula playing with the alternate Pharoah, the cat. But they were using Amanel/Daitokuji's soul like a cat toy. "Granted, I would appreciate a more normal company, but I don't think I'm in a position to complain."

"Ahoy, Captain!" Don Zaloog walked out of the lower deck. "We will be reaching land soon!"

"Thank you, Captain Don Zaloog!" Judai saluted back. "Man, if Camula in my world came into Duel Academy with this instead of a dinky boat, I would have been way more intimidated!" The red-themed duelist smiled as he made the boat turn hard.

"Oi. Oi," Yubel chided. "This isn't a toy. This is our new base of operations, and I'd rather you not crash it."

"On a more serious note," Slayer turned to the Hero Duelist. "Even before my world fell, I also knew time travel stories that warned us how complicated the process truly is. I am aware that the more you try to fix things, the worse they will become. But what of Paradox? He's purposely attempting to make things worse, so will time help him while hindering us?"

The idea that time always went wrong when people tried to correct events was common. But what if someone was genuinely trying to mess with time in the worst possible way? Seeing as how the storm in the future was still a threat, all their work might end up a waste.

Judai became silent again. "I don't know. But! When you Shadow Riders joined us, I got an idea." His smile returned.

Slayer recalled how Judai mentioned his Shadow Riders simply vanished after being defeated. But now? "You plan to make allies of future enemies?"

"To me, they're past, but yeah. We didn't exactly have a plan besides trying to stop the storm. But if we're able to collect more of our former enemies as allies, we might have a better chance to stop Paradox."

Slayer noticed Yubel holding her head in an exasperated manner.

It dawned on the Shadow Rider that their new leader did not care for things such as— "You're skipping important details that are going to cause us more trouble, aren't you?"

"Oh, I am going to like you." Yubel looked at Slayer. The Duel Spirit was glad that there was someone else who could see past Judai's BS.

"I'm sure my past version and his friends can handle them," Judai wished more of the new— The Neo Shadow Riders agreed with him than Yubel. "But we have to move ourselves to make sure that we can recruit them in the future."

"That would explain where we are heading." Slayer blinked. "But where specifically?"

Judai smiled with a twinkle of mischief and irony in his eyes. "How do you feel about temples?"

[Paralogue 5: The Final Grudge Duel.]

Seika and Zane watched as the final scores tallied up. To no one's surprise, Zane attained perfect marks just as he always had done the years before. As such, he was allowed to choose one opponent for the Final Duel of the School Year.

Zane had already decided to choose Jaden.

Their Duel captivated everyone watching and symbolized the passing of a torch to the new best Duelist of the School.

Yet, during this time, someone watched Zane duel with an intensity that rivaled the tensions of both Zane and Jaden's duel. And while that might have been the last official duel of the School Year, everyone was not ready for what was about to happen the next morning.

Zane included.

The Kaiser of Duel Academy didn't expect to see a letter near his desk with a heart stamp when he woke up on the final morning of the school year. Something told the Cyber Duelist that this wasn't a love letter by some random fangirl. When he opened up the letter, he felt his suspicions confirmed as he found three words written on it.

-One last time.

Zane narrowed his eyes as he unpacked his deck again and reached for his duel disk. He knew what that letter meant, and it looked like he wasn't the only one getting a Graduation Duel of his choice.

Although he didn't say a word, all of Obelisk Blue noticed Zane leaving with his duel disk and deck. They saw how determined he looked and couldn't help but follow after him. When Zane passed by the Yellow Dorms, he attracted Ra Yellow after him as well. And it didn't take long for word to spread around the island that Zane was going to duel again right after his Graduation Duel.

Slifer Red eventually got the message, and the entire school watched Zane stand in front of the main building's entrance while seemingly waiting for someone.

"Hey, what's going on?" Jaden asked as he and the other Slifers pushed through the crowd.

"I don't know," Bastion admitted. "But rumors are going wild. Though it appears Zane is going to duel again."

"Right after mine? Man, I'm still beat from our duel. But he looks as good as new!" Jaden whined before looking over to Zane. "So, who's he dueling? Should I go back out there again?"

"It's not you, deweeb!" Chazz pushed the Slifer back. "It's obvious he wants to duel me now!"

"Princeton, if he wanted to duel you, he would have told you directly as he did with Yuki." Wilona crossed her arms. "I assume someone challenged him. But whose challenge would he accept?"

The others started to realize that seemed to be the case. Zane didn't seem like the type to challenge someone right after issuing his challenge against Jaden. At the same time, who would make Zane accept their challenge?

"What?" Syrus looked at Wilona. "Who would challenge Zane before everyone leaves the island?"

Alexis realized something, or rather, two missing people.

That was the moment Zane reopened his eyes and walked forward. Everyone became silent as the Kaiser stopped with his duel disk raised. When he did, everyone looked over to the opposing side to see the one and only, Seika Kohinata.

The usually mischievous President had this fearsome look in her eyes as she took a stance opposite to Zane's. Neither of the two said anything, but everyone could tell they were about to duel as both their duel disks flared to life.

"Oh! Good, I found you guys." Atticus pushed through the crowd as he saw the usual gang. "I was afraid I was going to miss this."

"Atticus?" Alexis turned to her green-haired brother. "What's going on?"

"Isn't it obvious? Seika's going to duel Zane one last time before they both go their separate ways!" Atticus leaned in to get a closer look at the two.

"Let's Duel!" Seika and Zane shouted.

Seika: 4000 LP

Zane: 4000 LP

Seika took the first draw. "I play the Continuous Spell Card, Spring of Rebirth! For each card that returns to the owner's hand, I gain 500 life points! Next, I normal summon Nikitama in defense mode!"

As Seika exclaimed this, a monster that looked like a fire spirit slowly appeared into the field.

Nikitama. [Type: Spirit/Effect Monster/Sub-type: Fairy/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 4/ATK: 800/DEF: 1800]

"When he's normal summoned, I can Normal Summon another Spirit Monster! And I choose Shinobird Crane!"

Soon, a humanoid bird-creature appeared with a bow and arrow.

Shinobird Crane. [Type: Spirit/Effect Monster/Sub-type: Winged-Beast/Attribute: WIND/Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1500]

"I end my turn with one facedown." Seika then pointed to her monsters. "Since my two monsters are Spirits, they return to my hand! And my continuous spell gives me 1000 Life Points!"

Seika: 4000 → 5000 LP.

Zane: 4000 LP.

Turn 2: Zane. Cards: 5.

"So, as psyched as I am to see Zane and Seika duke it out, can I ask why they're doing this?" Jaden turned to Atticus, which made everyone else do the same.

"I thought it was obvious? Seika has been relentlessly pursuing Zane for Best Duelist in the school. She's never forgiven him for beating her the first time, even up to now. This is her last chance to beat the undefeatable Zane Truesdale."

"Hold on there, I mean no disrespect, but didn't Zane lose to Slayer?" Jesse asked.

"Revendread Slayer was in a completely different class than all of us," Bastion thought back to how the Shadow Rider decimated them if not for Paradox tampering with the last Tag Duel. "Not to mention that he's from another world. I like to think that it doesn't quite count."

"Yeah!" Syrus agreed. "Zane's unbeatable to other humans! I told all of this to Jaden before he dueled my brother!"

"Hey! I technically beat him!" Jaden whined.

"Both of you losing in a draw doesn't count as well." Wilona raised her brow towards her friend.

"Don't count out Seika," Atticus didn't tear his eyes off the duel. "She's been growing a lot in these 3 years. And unlike everyone else that Zane's defeated, Seika keeps getting back up. She clawed her way to be his equal, but now she wants his throne."

Zane drew his card. "I summon Cyber Dragon Core in attack mode!" He exclaimed.

The smaller Cyber Dragon appeared, but most knew what the true purpose of this monster was. "I can choose a Cyber spell or trap card and add it to my hand from my deck. I take one Cybernetic Overflow. I now play Polymerization to fuse Cyber Dragon Core and Cyber Dragon from my hand! Come forth, Chimeratech Rampage Dragon!"

Chimericatech Rampage Dragon[Type: Fusion/Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Machine/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 5/ATK:2100/DEF:1600]

The metallic beast came out of the core and roared towards Seika. Funny enough, the duelist the beast roared at was the only one who did not flinch under its force.

"When Chimeratech is fusion summoned, I can destroy set cards equal to the amount material used to summon this monster! I used two, so I will destroy your continuous spell and your set card!"

"Not only that," Alexis narrowed her eyes. "Zane can later activate Chimera's discard ability to send two LIGHT Machine Monsters to the grave to attack 2 extra times. Even with Seika's boost in life points, that monster can deal 6300 points in battle damage."

"Yeesh! Do all of Zane's monsters have the ability to end duels in one turn?" Jesse started to sweat when he heard all those effects from the first fusion monster of the duel."

"Guys," Atticus remained calm. "None of you noticed Seika's facedown activated already."

By the time they all looked, a strong gust of wind passed through the duel field. But they the gales looked concentrated around Zane's fusion monster to the point it looked like it was sapping the strength of the monster.

"Lost Winds is a trap card that I can activate!" Seika talked about her card. "I can choose a special summoned monster on the field and negate its effects! Not only that, this card halves the attack points of the said monster!"

(ATK: 2100→ 1050)

Zane didn't seem to mind that he lost the ability to end this duel. In fact, it looked like he expected something like this. Even with this deficit, he pointed forward to command his weakened beast. "Chimera, attack Seika directly!"

The monster unleashed a weakened energy blast towards the opposing opponent. Seika did brace herself; but as the attack died down, her eyes never faltered towards the opponent.

Seika: 5000 → 3950 LP

Zane: 4000 LP

"For most people, when Zane summons a fusion monster, it's almost certain one is losing chunks of their life points if not flat out losing the game," Bastion found himself saying. "I don't think I've ever seen it neutralized as much as right now."

Technically, all Zane was able to do was inflict 50 points of life point damage, laughable numbers when compared to the usual damage Zane did to his opponents. Everyone could only imagine what would happen when Seika got to go on the offensive in this duel.

Zane took a card out. "I put one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Seika. Cards: 4.

The challenger of the duel drew her next card. When she did, her eyes widened for a second before she glanced back in the field. "Return to the field, Shinobird Crane!" Soon, the spirit from a while ago returned to the field in attack position this time.

"Next, I play Double Summon, which allows me to bring out Nikitama again into the field in attack mode!"

The small fire-like spirit reappeared into the field.

"Crane's effect activates! When I normal summon another Spirit Monster, I can draw one card. And don't forget, Nikitama allows me one more normal summon if it's a spirit Monster!" Seika took another card from her hand. "I tribute Nikitama to summon Dark Dust Spirit!"

Everyone watched as the little fire spirit suddenly started to flinch and turn its body dark black. Its shadow devoured the being and transformed to form into a tall, oni-like being that turned its hungry gaze towards Zane.

Dark Dust Spirit. [Type: Spirit/Effect Monster/Sub-type: Zombie/Attribute: EARTH/Level: 6/ATK: 2200/DEF: 1800]

Seika swung her free arm outward. "When Dark Dust Spirit is normal summoned, I can destroy all face-up monsters on the field!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, everyone paled as the new spirit monster unleashed a powerful roar that destroyed all other monsters in the duel so far.

However, as the dust settled, everyone was surprised to see another monster along with Dark Dust Spirit. This monster radiated war as even the spider-like limbs growing on his back looked more like blades ready to pierce through metal like wet paper.

"When Nikitama is in the graveyard, I can draw one more card if I have one spirit monster on the field!" Seika exclaimed while she did so. "And I'd like to introduce to you all to Yamato-No-Kami! I can special summon this Spirit Monster by banishing a Spirit Monster from my grave! After Dust Spirit activated their effect, I summoned this monster!"

Yamato-No-Kami [Type: Spirit/Effect Monster/Sub-type: Warrior/Attribute: DARK/Level: 6/ATK: 2200/DEF: 1200]

"Zane has an open field, and Seika has two monsters whose combined total is over 4000 points!" Chazz shouted from the side.

Seika turned to Zane with bloodlust in her eyes. "Yamato! Dust! You know what to do!"

Bot Seika and Zane knew this attack would fail, but they knew it was a move that needed to be done. Zane threw his hand out. "Nice try, Seika! I reveal my facedown, Cybernetic Overflow!"

"No, you don't!" The dark purple-haired duelist reached for a card in her hand. "By halving my life points, I can play Red Reboot from my hand! (Seika: 3950→ 1975) This trap card allows me to negate and reset your trap card!"

Everyone watched as Zane's set card got forced back down. The two Spirits rushed for the Ace of Duel Academy.

But it was Zane's turn to grab a card from his hand. "When a Direct attack is declared, I can play Swift Scarecrow! I can discard this card and end the battle phase before the attack connects!"

Something shot out and circled the two incoming spirits. A mechanical, jet-powered scarecrow flew around the battlefield and disoriented the two spirits.

"I've never seen Zane use that card before." Syrus raised his brow. "Wait, is he using one of the new cards Jaden wished for!?"

"He is?!" Jaden cried out. "Aww, come on! I didn't even get a chance to open a packet yet because of all our finals!"

Back in the duel, Seika sighed after her attack got stopped. "Red Reboot allows you to choose another trap card in your deck and set it on your field. It also prevents you from activating your traps for the rest of this turn."

Zane nodded before he looked over his deck and chose a new trap card to set.

With her opponent finished, the Spirit Duelist continued. "Now, I play Mirage of Nightmares! Then I set one card facedown. And since it's the end of my turn, Dust and Yamato return to my hand, and my continuous spell grants me 1000 life points!"

Seika: 1975 → 2975 LP

Zane: 4000 LP

Jaden looked over at the last card Seika played. "Hey! It's Mirage of Nightmares! I didn't know the School Prez uses that card too!"

Turn 4: Zane. Cards: 2.

Zane drew his card, but Seika shouted out loud, "I play Mirage of Nightmare! Now I can draw up to 4—"

It looked as if the older Truesdale was not about to let his opponent finish as he motioned to his facedown. "I know Jaden uses that combo, Seika! But I won't let you! I link Cybernetic Overflow to your Mirage of Nightmares! I banish Core and Cyber Dragon from my graveyard to destroy both Mirage of Nightmares and your facedown!"

Zane's trap card activated as it launched electrical blasts that destroyed both Mirage of Nightmares and Seika's facedown.

"Now you can't draw those cards." Zane narrowed his eyes.

"Uhh? So why did that work? I thought destroying cards wasn't the same as negating them?" Syrus asked aloud.

"Syrus," Bastion started. "Please tell me you're kidding."

Wilona sighed. "He isn't. Truesdale, we went over this. Continuous Spells have a hidden effect of needing to be on the field to activate their effects. If you destroy a continuous spell before its effect finishes, they'll resolve, but it will not work."

"Uhh—yeah, Sy!" Jaden rubbed the back of his head.

"Yuki, do not speak. I saw your test results." The green-haired girl glared over to the brunette.

The Hero Duelist winced before he looked to the field. "An-Anyway! It sure sucks that Seika can't draw any cards."

"Wait," Alexis squinted as she looked over to Seika. Instead of worried, Seika was... smiling?

Zane's eyes widened when he saw Seika's expression. He realized—"That facedown was neither Emergency Provisions nor Disgraceful Charity?!"

"Yep," Seika made a popping sound at the end of that word before she took out the card she sent to the graveyard. "You destroyed this card, Waking the Dragon! If this card is banished or destroyed by an opponent's card effect, I'm allowed to special summon a monster straight from my deck or extra deck! And I choose my Extra Deck!"

"What!?" Everyone turned to Atticus when Seika exclaimed that. "Even Seika's first deck never had Extra Deck monsters! I didn't know she used them!"

Seika pointed directly at Zane. "I had a feeling you'd try to destroy my facedowns, Zane! So I baited and made sure to tech the trap card with this in my Extra Deck before our duel! I special summon The Last Warrior from Another Planet!"

With that, Seika pulled a card from her extra deck slot and slammed it into her Duel Disk. When she did, a tall and muscular being of both strength and machine towered over the battlefield.

The Last Warrior From Another Planet. [Type: Fusion/Effect Monster/Sub-type: Warrior/Attribute: EARTH/Level: 7/ATK: 2350/DEF: 2300]

"No! You had that monster!?" Everyone couldn't believe what they were seeing: Zane was worried about something? Nothing phased him, even defeat by the 3rd Shadow Rider! Why was he acting so alarmed?

"Am I missing something?" Chazz raised his brow. "Why is Zane scared of a monster with barely 2400 attack points? His Cyber Twin Dragon has more attack points than that!" Chazz asked what everyone was thinking. However, no one noticed Atticus looking silently alarmed and stepping away from the new fusion monster.

"For those that don't know," Seika shouted aloud. "The Last Warrior From Another Planet has one of the most powerful effects in the game: as long as he's on the field, no player can summon any monster! That includes tribute, normal, and special summon!"

Everyone gasped as they heard the declaration from the Student Body President.

"Okay, now I see why the seniors are so scared of that monster," Chazz started to sweat.

Zane looked over to his facedown. "I play my other facedown, Jar of Greed! I can draw one more card!" The ace of Duel Academy looked at his hand before turning back towards the battlefield. "I end my turn!"

Turn 5: Seika. Cards: 2.

Seika drew her next card before she pointed towards her opponent. "Last Warrior, attack Zane!"

The monster that exuded victory reared his mechanical fist back. Everyone heard the stretching of both machine and muscle before the fusion shot his fist forward and created a punch-shaped shockwave that was the size of a monster truck. Zane braced the blow, but unlike before, this one caught him off guard and forced him to kneel to prevent himself from losing balance.

Seika: 2975 LP

Zane: 4000 → 1650 LP

Many jaws dropped at the sight of Zane being pushed on the back foot this time around.

"That's for the past 46 losses!" Seika's voice held all the majesty of a thunderstorm and the restraint of Hoover Dam. "And I intend to pay you back for all of those years in this duel!"

Zane stood back on his feet after the blow. When he did, everyone saw a smile on his face as his stance changed. The nature of this duel had changed. Zane wasn't dueling as the Best of Duel Academy. There was a fire in his eyes that proved that this duel was personal, and he hungered for victory unlike anything before. Not even when his soul was at stake during the Shadow Duels did he hunger for victory in the way that he did at this moment.

"Pay me back?" Zane scoffed in a way one would exhale built-up stress. "If we're talking about counting annoying habits, you've done nothing but pester me for the past three years. I know it was you who stuffed all those fan letters into all my lockers for all of February!" The Cyber Dragon Duelist glared as he said this and exerted an aura of oppression and annoyance.

Seika met Zane's pressure with her own equally intimidating glare. "They were made with so much effort that it was such a waste to throw them away!" However, her comeback carried none of her tone.

Those among the freshmen were both impressed and... flabbergasted that the two were arguing about such a mundane topic so fiercely.

Turn 6: Zane. Cards: 4.

Seeing as how Seika made no more moves after summoning the Fusion monster, Zane drew his next card.

"I play one card facedown and end my turn!" He declared.

Turn 7: Seika. Cards: 2.

"Come on! I thought you were finally taking this seriously!" Seika pulled another card from her deck and looked back at the field. "Sorry, Zane, but there's no lighthouse to run to this time! Last Warrior, attack!"

The monster roared as it reared its fist and fired another fist-shaped shockwave the size of a monster truck.

Zane pointed down as the attack came to him. "And you've always been chasing things blindly, Seika! I reveal my facedown, Sakuretsu Armor!" As he exclaimed this, a set of spiked armor surrounded itself on Zane. The moment the attack collided with Zane's armor, it reflected the move with triple the speed and power, destroying the fusion.

Turn 8: Zane. Cards: 5.

After Zane drew, his eyes narrowed to what card he received. "I now play the field spell, Fusion Gate!" As he exclaimed this, the area around them started to get distorted. "Now we can both banish materials to fusion summon monsters, and I choose my two Cyber Dragons in my hand to bring out Cyber Twin Dragon!"

Cyber Twin Dragon [Type: Fusion/Effect Monster/Sub-type: Machine/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2100]

No one but Jaden and Wilona noticed that Seika was about to say something, but Zane continued to talk.

Or rather, he pushed his hand out as his fusion monster started to gather energy in its maws. "Twin Cyber Dragon, attack Seika!"

Everyone knew that the President's field was empty of monsters and only had a continuous spell card. This looked like the end of the du—

Seika grabbed a card in her hand. "When a Direct attack is declared, I can special summon Battle Fader in defense mode!" She exclaimed before slamming the card into her duel disk.

Battle Fader [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Fiend/Attribute: DARK/Level: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0]

Zane's attacks fired, but a strange compass-like creature appeared out of Seika's field and created a shield that blocked the incoming attack.

"And when he's on the field, the battle phase ends!" Seika screamed over the clash. Even under fire from one of Zane's most prominent monsters, the forcefield held against the attack.

"It appears Seika also teched in some new cards into her deck," Wilona noted out loud.

Jaden had the most excited look on his face. "Man, I can't wait to try some of those cards! Hey, Wilona, is the card store open or?"

He got his answer when Wilona gave him a flat look.

"Alright! Maybe you can help us out at summer break!" Jaden laughed as he rubbed the back of his head.

Wilona looked away and pulled down on her cap. Luckily for her, no one noticed how red her face was because of her clothes. Unluckily for her, she loathed with every ounce of her soul that she felt happy at the thought of spending time with Jaden during summer break.

Back in the duel, Zane pulled out two cards. "In that case, I set a monster and turn it over to you."

Turn 9: Seika. Cards: 3.

"Zane set a monster card? I've never seen him do that." Syrus looked confused.

"He has to set a monster," Alexis looked to Seika. "The president can easily summon Dust Spirit again and clear the field of all face-up monsters. Setting one monster facedown protects Zane."

The dark purple-haired duelist drew her next card. "I now sacrifice Fader to bring out Dark Dust Spirit again!" As the spirit reappeared, he activated his effect again and destroyed Cyber Twin Dragon on summon, but not the facedown monster. For that, Seika had another monster. "And I banish Nikitama to special summon Yamato-No-Kami!"

The war spirit returned to the field. Everyone realized that after Seika destroyed the facedown monster, Zane would be vulnerable to a direct attack!

"Dust, destroy Zane's facedown!" Seika cried out as the red spirit punched the card down.

However, when it revealed itself, many saw what looked to be...

"You're not the only one who teched cards for this duel, Seika!" Zane threw his hand out. "The monster you destroyed was Cyber Jar! And he has a flip effect! When he is, I destroy all monsters on the field!"

The mechanical jar started to glow before everyone shielded themselves from the clearing of the board.

"He has another effect," Zane cried out. "We both reveal the top 5 cards of our deck and special summon as many level 4 or lower monsters in face-up attack position or facedown defense position. We keep the rest of them in our hands."

Bastion realized what the best of Duel Academy was doing. "Hold on! Spirit Monsters can't be special summoned!"

Chazz narrowed his eyes. "Zane knew that. So that's why he put Cyber Jar in his deck! He knew he'd be able to use its effect better than Seika!"

Back at the duel, both duelists drew their cards. "I drew the following cards: Cyber Dragon Vier, Cyber Dragon Nachster, Cyber Dragon Zwei, Limit Remover, and Cybernetic Fusion Support!" Zane placed all three monsters on the field.

Cyber Dragon Herz. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Machine/Attribute: Light/Level: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 100]

Cyber Dragon Nachster. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Machine/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 1/ATK: 200/DEF: 200]

Cyber Dragon Zwei. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Machine/Attribute: Light/Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1000]

Zane pointed to the dragon in the center of the three. "Nachster has an effect when he's summoned! I can bring back a Cyber Dragon with either 2100 Attack or Defense Points. And I choose to bring back Cyber Twin Dragon in attack mode!"

The monster that Seika just destroyed returned to the field on the same turn.

"Herz can turn into a level 5 monster!" (Level: 1 → 5)

Even after Seika used Dust Spirit, it looked like Zane was the one who gained card advantage over Seika's clearing combo. However, it was now time for Seika to reveal her cards.

"I drew Shinobaron Peacock, Emergency Provisions, Dian Keto the Cure Master, Graceful Charity, and Gorz The Emissary of Darkness!"

Everyone heard those cards, as predicted, Seika could not summon a single monster. However, Zane's eyes narrowed when he heard about the last card Seika added to her hand: Gorz the Emissary of Darkness. It was a special card that allowed itself to be summoned after the user took battle or effect damage. But what was dangerous about this card was the fact that it could summon a token that was equal to the amount of damage Seika took in attacks. So if Zane attacked Seika with Cyber End Dragon and didn't end the duel that would mean Seika would then have a token with 4000 Attack Points.

But since Seika didn't end her turn, it didn't mean her hand was truly dead.

"I play Dian Keto the Cure Master, and I chain-link it with Emergency Provisions! Emergency Provisions activates first and grants me 2000 life points by sacrificing both Dian Keto and Spring of Rebirth! Then, Dian Keto resolves, and I gain another 1000 Life Points!"

Seika: 2975 LP → 5975 LP

Zane: 1650 LP

"Next, I activate Graceful Charity! I draw 3 cards and discard two!" Seika declared as she did so. "I end my turn there!"

Turn 10: Zane. Cards: 4.

Zane drew his next card, but everyone could tell the air around the duel became tense.

"Seika has a lot of life points." Alexis looked on.

Even though she said this, many instinctively knew that she would need every extra life point in order to survive Zane's next turn.

Everyone noticed how quiet it was between Seika and Zane; it was the type of quiet that was found only in a calm before a storm. The two stared down at each other while a silent conversation went between them, one about how they both started and how they came to this moment. Yet the remeniscing ended as Zane reached for the cards in his hand.

"I play Cybernetic Fusion Support! By paying half my life points," (Zane: 1650→875 LP) "I can fuse using materials in my grave! Now I fuse all my monsters and Chimeratech Rampage Dragon in my graveyard!" The five monsters converged and combined into Chimera Rampage Dragon. Everyone watched as the Cyber Dragons transformed and reconfigured themselves into a monster larger than the first Chimera. It had a head from every Cyber Dragon that was created from its fusion.

"Behold Chimera Overdragon!"

Chimera Overdragon. [Type: Fusion/Effect Monster/Sub-type: Machine/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 9/ATK: ?/DEF: ?]

"When he's special summoned, I must send all other cards on my field to the grave." However, Zane had no other card left aside from the combination of all of his dragons. He then pointed up to his creature. "This monster gains attack equal to the number of materials multiplied by 800!" He looked back at Seika and clenched his fist. "That's 5! So my monster's attack is!"

(ATK: ? → 4000)

"It has the same attack points as Cyber End Dragon!" Jesse shouted out loud.

However, Zane was far from done. "That's not all! Overdragon can attack equal to the amount of material used to summon him! So he can attack five times!" Many could only gasp as a monster that powerful could attack that many times. "Next, I play this card!" Zane took one of the cards he had before Cyber Jar's effect. "You see, all three of my Cyber Dragons are banished, and this card will let me bring them back! I play Cyberload Fusion! I can send material from the field, and the banish pile, to fusion summon another monster! But I'm aiming for all 3 of my Cyber Dragons in my graveyard!"

Everyone knew what that meant as the three Cyber Dragons appeared and raced towards the area behind Zane.

In a blinding light, all three monsters fused and a familiar dragon's silhouette appeared behind the Cyber Duelist. "Come forth, Cyber End Dragon!"

Cyber END Dragon [Type: Fusion/Effect Monster/Sub-type: Machine/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 10/ATK: 4000/DEF: 2800]

"Talk about overkill!" Jaden and the other gasped as they realized two of Zane's most powerful monsters were now on the field.

"But wait! Seika has Gorz The Dark Emissary in her hand!" Many turned to Bastion as he explained further. "After the first attack, Seika will be able to summon Gorz. Afterward, she will be able to gain a token with 4000 attack points. That should ward Zane from attacking!"

"Bastion, did you forget Overdragon has five attacks?" Alexis looked to the genius among their peers. "All Zane has to do is attack first with Overdragon, then destroy both Gorz and his Token with a clash, and finish Seika off with Cyber End Dragon."

Wilona and Jaden were about to point out—

Zane caught everyone's attention by motioning forward. "Overdragon, attack Seika directly!"

The head of Nachster appeared and fired a laser right at Seika. The President remained stoic even as the winds...

Wait a second, the winds?

Seika pointed to the farthest spell and trap card zone on her left, where everyone saw a raised trap card!? "I played my returned trap, Lost Wind!"

"What!?" Zane yelled out.

"You got sloppy, Zane! You were so focused on Twin Cyber Dragon on your last turn that you didn't let me tell you that when you special summoned a monster from your extra deck, I can return Lost Wind back to my field facedown! And I'm using it on your Overdragon! With its effect negated, its attack becomes...!"

(ATK: 4000 → 0)

Everyone watched as Overdragon's attack suddenly twisted due to the strong winds and missed Seika before flying upward. All the while, Seika did not even flinch as the attack barely missed her.

The crowd, except Jaden and Wilona, were caught off guard by the hidden trap card. The two Slifer Reds spotted the trap card sliding out of Seika's graveyard when Cyber Twin Dragon appeared. But like with Seika, their attempts to mention it was interrupted.

"My word! She's stopped Overdragon! That means if Zane attacks with Cyber End Dragon, she can summon Gorz and win the duel in her counterattack!" Bastion shouted with anticipation.

However, even with Overdragon neutered, Zane remained stoic. "I had a feeling you still had something up your sleeve, Seika." He then pointed forward. "Now, Cyber End Dragon! Attack Seika directly!"

"What!? He knows about Gorz, though!?" Chazz shouted in confusion.

"Do you not remember what Zane drew with Cyber Jar? He did call it out, did he not?" Wilona folded her arms.

Zane took another card out from his hand as his dragon started to gather energy in their maws. "I play Limiter Removal! This will double my monster's attack points over your life points, so you won't even get to play Gorz!" (ATK: 4000 → 8000) "You can't stop this, Seika!"

Cyber End Dragon roared as it unleashed a beam the size of itself at the Student Body President.

However, Seika reached for a card in her hand. "In either player's battle phase, I can special summon Juragedo from my hand!" She exclaimed as she placed the monster in attack mode.

Juragedo. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Fiend/Attribute: DARK/Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1300]

Zane realized that must have been one of the cards Seika drew from Graceful Charity. But even with Seika summoning that monster in attack mode, the difference between Attack points was more than he current life—

The Spirit Duelist pointed forward. "When he's summoned, I gain an extra 1000 Life Points!"

Seika: 5975 LP → 6975 LP

Zane: 875 LP

The summoned fiend monster appeared and took the brunt of Cyber End Dragon's attack. It wailed in pain for taking a devastating effect before it was quickly devoured by the light. The force of the attack caused an explosion that could be seen anywhere from the island, even if there was someone behind the volcano.

However, as everyone regained their senses and as the dust died down...

Seika inhaled deeply as she stood tall from one of the most powerful attacks from the most powerful duelist in the school.

Seika: 6975 LP → 675 LP

Zane: 875 LP

The dark purple-haired duelist then pointed to Zane. "And don't think I forgot what Limiter Removal does! At the end phase, all the machine monsters you control get destroyed!"

As Seika said this, Cyber End Dragon self-destructed, taking the weakened Overdragon with it.

Turn 11: Seika. Cards: 1.

One would think that after witnessing a complex play between the top students of the academy, people would be cheering to the point they'd be louder than their own volcano erupting. However, everyone was quiet when they saw the expression of the challenger.

When Seika's standby phase came, she stared over to Zane with a look no one had seen the President's face: shock.

She almost looked unsure as she reached for the cards in her hand. However, she shook her head and said, "I play the card I just drew: Shinobird's calling! This allows me to banish Spirit Monsters like Dust and Yamato from my grave to special summon a Spirit Ritual Monster!"

A familiar temple appeared before it shined brightly then exploded in a storm of feathers. As it died down, one of Seika's strongest monsters graced the field.

"Come forth, Shinobaron Peacock!"

Shinobaron Peacock. [Type: Ritual/Spirit/Effect Monster/Sub-type: Winged-Beast/ Attribute: WIND/ Level: 8/ATK: 3000/ DEF: 2500]

Seika pointed forward, but it lacked the motivation and determination she had during the rest of the duel. She paused, as if waiting for something from Zane, but the Kaiser of Duel Academy only looked at Seika... and shook his head.

The queen of duel academy gripped her fist. "Shinobaron, attack!" At her command, the Spirit Ritual monster closed the gap and held the blade near Zane's face. However, it raised its blade to tap the head of the Cyber Dragon duelist.

Seika: 675 LP

Zane: 875 LP → 0 LP

Everything was silent as Zane's life points hit zero. Seika looked more like the statue that she claimed Zane was whenever he brooded at the lighthouse.

The holograms faded, signaling that Seika won fairly. But even then, Seika continued to stare as if her mind could not process what had just happened.

Finally, Zane walked forward to his friend... and smiled. "Good Job, Seika. You won."

"I-I did?" It was odd to see the mischievous and confident woman look so lost and confused at that moment. She then put her hands on her hips and tried to look smug, but everyone could tell it wasn't natural. "Of course! It was only a matter of time before I finally... final... oh. I," She paused for a bit as if finally realizing what happened. "I won? Did you hold back a graveyard effect or hand trap?"

"No. I played everything to the best of my ability. You surpassed me, Seika. You should be proud of what you've finally done. Your final duel was splendid."

"Oh." Seika's façade dropped as easily as she put it up. Everyone watched as she sniffed before she started rubbing her eyes. "O-Oh? I-I... I always knew... I would..."

Everyone watched as the usually confident young woman started to cry into her hands. Zane sighed and went up to hug the girl.

"Not to sound insensitive: but I don't get it? Why is she crying?" Jesse scratched his head.

"Because," Even those outside of the immediate circle of friends turned to Atticus. "Seika isn't going to duel anymore after she leaves Duel Academy. Her beating Zane means that she's finished with Duel Monsters."

"What!? She's quitting Duel Monsters!?" Jaden had a look of disbelief to the point he couldn't even believe in the concept of not playing the game he loves.

"Sadly, her dad is a stick in the mud. It took her so much to convince the Japanese Secret Service not to enter school grounds."

Wilona blinked as she heard what Atticus said. "Hold on. Did you bloody say Japanese Secret Service?"

"Oh? Right, we never mentioned it did we?" Atticus looked over to the freshmen. "Seika is the daughter of the current Japanese Prime Minister."

"WHAT!?" All the top freshmen yelled. Meanwhile, Chazz started to think back to when his brothers first tried to get Duel Academy. For some reason, Seika knew exactly how to deal with her brothers. And those two aren't slouches when it comes to their respective fields.

While everyone else was bugging out from those revelations, Madison and the other Student Body electives walked into the dueling field.

"What are you all doing!?" Zachary, the Representative, shouted in a grandiose manner. "We have witnessed a true duel between the finest our school has to offer, and we're all just gawking? Let us give it up for the prides of Duel Academy! More importantly, give it up for our victor, Seika Kohinata! May she represent the hungry drive of all Obelisk Blues to reach for the sky and never give up!"

"Now he means for y'all, not just the Blues!" Alyssa, the Historian, stepped beside Zachary. "But let's give it up for our Student Body Pres!"

Those from the Student Body were right. Jaden and Jesse were the first to cheer. And like dominoes on a grand scale, it felt like the entire island was cheering Seika on for the amazing duel they got to see before they truly ended the school year.

"Seika! Seika! Seika!" The crowd, and even some of the teachers chanted.

The Student Body President was dumbfounded at the appreciation she was receiving. Soon, the rest of the Student Body and the Music Club all ran up to congratulate her for a job well done and one of the best duels they had seen in the year, which was a huge feat considering all the best duels on the island.

As Zane was giving his friend applause, a strange quiet thought overpowered the noise and cheer Seika received for finally defeating her bitter rival. All it did was notice how happy everyone was when Seika won. He saw how everyone gathered around when she had won only once, where whenever he won, there was usually a strange silence and perhaps fear. His own brother was miserable until the help of his friends rather than himself.

If the likes of Seika and Jaden could inspire such warm victories, why was Zane's usually so cold and quiet? This made the Duel Academy Ace wonder if there was something wrong with his dueling?

Bah, this was Seika's moment to shine. Zane went up to her and Atticus to congratulate her again.

The Cyber Dragon Duelist did not realize that seed of doubt would only grow in the future.

[Paralogue 6: His Name Revealed at last.]

In a place where light never shone and where darkness ruled, a resident danced where his kind once could not thread. His journey was a strange one, for all he knew was to hunger, to eat. But something about the two Red intruders called to him, specifically the girl.

So, as the smallest of his kind, he hid in the intruder's shadow, and witnessed into a world of both darkness and light. The light he despised as it burned him even in the shadow of the female red intruder. Yet, he devoured. The Darkness here tasted different and he felt himself... changing.

Being commanded by both a King of Darkness and an Agent of Chaos changed the little darkness. Even as they influenced it to act, the little darkness soon ate energies that his kind could not imagine, especially that of the red intruder as she accessed powers long abandoned.

When rejected by the Tag Force, he and the being of light returned home to where he began.

Soon, the angel left, called by something from the same place that rejected them both. Yet, the little darkness stayed.

No.

His form changed than that of those he resided with. Devouring those energies which were not pure darkness had transformed him in ways that would make his world tremble in fear.

Finally, the long trek was over, and the being sat upon the empty throne.

"At longeth last, I taketh a name. And with t, mine own right to ruleth this l'rdless realm. Beholdeth Tlakalel, thy Malevolent Majesty!"

The darkness stirred and ambition rose.

{Author Notes}

And here we are! I thought I'd take a break, but apparently, I only relax when I'm writing this story. (Edit. I just tweaked and deleted a few of "Atticus" lines. I probably overused him this chapter.)

Anyway, I feel a bit bad for Zane. He hasn't had any real wins aside from the one with Jaden, but I skipped that!

You're probably wondering why I made Seika and Zane duel. Well, it was the same problem as I mentioned above where I hyped up Seika to be this powerful duelist, but her only win was against Alexis in a reflection of Zane and Jaden's duel. It didn't feel right that I hyped her up only for her to lose a lot on her last year in Duel Academy. Plus, like I said, I reworked her character from the ground up.

There was a complaint that she was basically an OC with a reskin as a character. That is fair, but at the same time, I really didn't like her original personality and deck as she was when I got to her. (Snakes? Really? Professor Cobra is right there.) TLDR: She didn't fit my writing style, so I made her different.

I choose Spirit Monsters because when I was writing notes on what deck she could have, I saw something called the Shinobird Archetype. That caught my attention the first time I saw it, and I was amazed to find out they were Spirt Ritual Monsters. Now? In retrospect, I can imagine why it appeals to this story's Seika so much. It's got an advantage over Cyber Dragons that would only work in the Anime and not in real life: the fact that her monster field is always almost empty.

Think about it. Cyber Dragon's greatest strength is special summoning itself when there's a monster on the other side of the field. Spirit Decks circumnavigate this as they return to the hand before Cyber Dragon can come out, forcing Zane to use his other monsters that Seika can exploit and handle easier than Cyber Dragons. Not only that, her strategy to protect and boost life points narrows Zane's opportunities to OTK her since he has a habit of sacrificing a lot of resources to boost his monsters to absurd amounts of damage. (I am basing this off how Noah dueled Kaiba, where Noah's life points reached high levels for his duel.)

I think it's fitting that Seika takes a deck no one plays to beat Zane/ "The Meta" since that's how cards like Neo Space Aqua Dolphin got to be so good when hand traps were abound.

Another thing I revealed in this is the token of darkness that latched itself onto Wilona: I always meant it for it to grow into this monster. Keep an eye out for him in the future.

And one more little thing: as of posting this, guess whose birthday is it? That's right, me! Whoo! But as I'm growing older, I find it a lot more fun making other people happy on my birthday than getting things myself. (Granted, I do need money. And I won't say no to some new gear here and there.) So here's my birthday gift to all of you guys. I know I'm not popular, but thank you all for the amount of support this fic gets in the reviews. I can tell you all really love what I put here, and that makes me smile.

Thanks for your support, and I hope it continues even after.

[Altered/Made up cards.]

None. (Edit: Again, thanks to Kurimaster for telling me I made wrong timings based on Anime and not TCG. I had to rewrite the last turn again. My previous edit had Lady Golden Bug and Gorz, but I removed that.)

That's right! I didn't make up or alter a single card in this duel! I wanted to prove I could write without them, but dear lord! I had to rewrite the duel a dozen times for almost every turn because every play and combo I tried to find was so anti-climatic to me. And the funs ones I thought I found were impossible because I overlooked one sentence in one card! (Example: Gorz's effect can only activate when THERE'S NO OTHER CARD on the field! You have no idea how many times I had to rewrite the last turns in this duel when I found that sentence.)

Another reason why I disliked it was because of how it conflicted with my themes. Seika here only won with mostly Tech cards, not her own deck, which weakens her victory against Zane because it feels more like she played to beat Zane rather than because she was the better duelist. (And any time I tried to make Seika win with Spirit Deck alone, it involved making Zane look like an idiot. And I wasn't going to do that to him.)

But hey. This is how some people write all the time, and I respect them. But with how I wrote this story, sticking to real cards doesn't work with me.

Thanks again for all the support, I really do appreciate the love you guys have for this series. I hope you can all continue it. See ya soon! And Happy Halloween!

[Paralogue 7: (Random Non-story-related extras) Incorrect Quotes for fun.]

[#1]

Wilona: When I first met you, I did not like you.

Jaden: Yeah? I know that.

Wilona: But then you and I had some time together.

Jaden: Uh-huh?

Wilona: It did not get better.

[#2]

Alexis: Wilona, I know you love Jaden. I mean, we all do, he's a very nice person, and I respect him immensely.

Alexis: But I think he might be a f—ing idiot

[#3]

Wilona: Rhodes, gather the others. We need to have another Yuki-is-doing-something-stupid-again-and-we-have-to-stop-him-before-he-hurts-someone/destroys-the-world-through-card-games convention.

[#4 (This one I made up.)]

*The sound of the cosmos dying in the distance.*

Wilona: YUKI, ONE SCHOOL YEAR! ONE BLOODY SCHOOL YEAR! I WOULD LIKE THE WORLD TO NOT END IN A DRAMATIC FASHION!