Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART

by Vile.EXE

Follow the story of Kohaku Yudin, an ace Game Card collector in the bustling metropolis, Sigma City. When he receives an odd silver card from another boy, it starts him on a path that will challenge his will, strength, and determination as he realizes his true destiny. My own unique YGO series!

32. Level 032

RK777: RocketKnight hacking in to hijack this intro. The fault is on me this time. As Vile's unofficial official proofreader, real life just got in my way and slowed us down. Still, At least it wasn't a couple of years this time.

Vile: *boots myself up* Hey, what got into my sys-Oh, Rocket. Scared me for a bit there.

RK777: Sorry, felt like I should explain to the folks at home what kept this one, since it was my fault.

Vile: Well, I still appreciate all the help despite how long it took. And like you said, better than years, right?

RK777: And who's to thank for getting you going again?

Vile: Hehe, you are. Definitely a kick in the ass that I needed.

RK777: My pleasure and happy to help. Now, roll tape...aaaaaaand ACTION!

---

Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART

Level 032: Healer Joins The Party - Anxiety Attack

*12 second intro*

A new day brings new ways to play...
The next level begins, so go and chase your fears away!
One life, one try, show the world that you can fly.
Game Start! Player 1!
Feel the wind and make the jump!

Go beyond what you thought was all you could do and see just what you're truly made of
Yu-Gi-Oh GSTART, ready, go!
*four beat instrumental*
It is ON!

The road may be long and rough, but you are made of tougher stuff
So run until you reach the goal! See it to the end!
Don't let your worry keep you down, it's easy with friends around
Together you'll come out on top! See it to the end!

*6 second ending instrumental*

---

As it was a quiet Sunday morning, Kohaku had dived into the Silver Game Card to try and finish up the things he had left undone the previous night. He was currently standing in front of Decadia Caravan, watching the shopkeeper inspect the Treasure Ship Figure he had found. "Mmm… The design is impeccable, and the condition is printine." He said, moving the ship around. "This is a true treasure of the world. I'll gladly trade you my half of the Alpha Crest for it!" Kohaku gave a small fist pump with a quiet "Yosh." "I'll also throw in a small bonus," he went on, putting a small bag of coins on the table. "After all, a treasure such as this is likely worth its weight in Alphcoins." As Kohaku took the bag, it morphed into a small batch of them that flew in a line to his total, raising it from 23 to 38.

"Arigatou." Kohaku said before looking over at the other two items on the shelf. "Hmm… Since I've got the spare funds, I'll buy those too."

"The Fire Essence and the Buckler? Gladly." The shopkeep said, moving them to the counter. "2 Alphcoins apiece. A bargain!"

As Kohaku put the coins on the counter, he paused as he heared something from outside the game world, listening hard. "Onii-chan? Guess he's not here."

"Kinoko?" he wondered.

"Is there a problem?" The shopkeep asked.

"Uh, sorry, something might be happening outside." Kohaku replied.

The shopkeeper looked up to where the screen would be. "Oh, of course. I hope I'm not keeping you very long, then." He placed the Fire Essence and Buckler on the counter, taking the coins as Kohaku's total ticked down to 34. Kohaku took the two items, causing them to poof into his inventory. The shopkeep then took the Alpha Crest piece and made it float toward Kohaku, causing the other piece to float out of his inventory. As the two pieces floated around each other, another figure materialized between them: Kohaku's hero mask. Then both Alpha Crests suddenly locked together, smaller pieces unfolding from them, before the combined form latched onto the front of the mask. The two sides of the crest framed the eyes of the mask before projecting two spikes in a V-shape upward, leaving the mask looking a lot more ornate than it used to.

Alpha Crest complete! Omega energy won't affect you nearly as much anymore!

"Sugee…" Kohaku said in awed wonder.

"Oh, would you look at that? You've cleaned me out!" The shopkeeper said. "I'll see what I can do in regards to getting more items in stock, so hold onto those Alphcoins until next time!" He clapped his hands together. "Cimal of Decadia Caravan never stays empty for long!"

"Thanks again!" Kohaku said, instinctively leaving the shop space and transitioning back to the world map. "Now I think I'll go turn in that card I found to Zolton." As he started down the path, he could hear the voices again.

"See, I told you he wasn't in here."

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that."

Kohaku stopped. "Oh right… She doesn't know about this yet." But then a cheeky grin spread on his face.

Out in his room, Sokudo led his sister into the room, making sure to shut the door. "You're probably gonna freak, Kinoko-nee-chan, but trust me, this is real." He said, walking over to the Gamepad on the bed. "Kohaku-nii? You in there?" But there was no response, prompting Sokudo to pick it up to look at the screen, seeing his brother's D-Vatar standing idle, until he happened to see it wink.

"I think you were just dreaming that night, Sokudo-nii-chan." Kinoko said, folding her arms. "There's no way anyone could just enter a digital screen."

"Oh really?" Sokudo said, handing her the Gamepad. "See for yourself."

Kinoko rolled her eyes and took the Gamepad. "I don't like touching Onii-chan's things without permission, but if it'll prove you wrong." She looked at the D-Vatar. "Seems normal enough."

It was then she saw the fairy fly over the character. "Hey, why are you just standing there, Kohaku? Weren't you going to the boardwalk?"

"See, Onii-chan just left his Gamepad on idle," Kinoko huffed.

"No he didn't." Kukiran told her.

"Then why isn't the D-Vatar moving?" Kinoko asked the fairy.

"That's what I want to know." Kukiran told her, before tapping his shoulder. "Come on, Kohaku. I don't think this place allows a pause button to work."

On cue, Kohaku silently and robotically started to move. It was then Kinoko noticed the control stick. "Hey! Why's the stick moving by itself?"

Sokudo came over beside her. "Take a wild guess," he suggested with a big grin on his face.

Then Kinoko heard the D-Vatar start laughing. "Busted by the stick, huh?" He turned and looked up at the screen. "I got you good though, didn't I, Kinoko?"

"Eh?" Kinoko gasped, clearly confused. "Are you really in there, Onii-chan?"

"Where else would I be?" He replied.

"Told ya!" Sokudo said, lightly sticking his tongue out.

"But… but how?"

"Best I can figure is this is something Alphomega related," Kohaku told her. "But let's keep this our secret, ok?"

"O-Okay…" Kinoko said, uneasily.

"Don't worry, he's totally fine in there. He can get out." Sokudo assured her.

"I hope so," Kinoko said. "Kaa-Chan has lunch ready, and she said she wanted to talk to Oni-Chan."

"I've got just one more thing to do, but I think I may as well do it from the real world, just in case Kaa-San walks in. Can you angle the screen away from you? Just to be safe."

"Uh, okay." Kinoko said, moving the Gamepad so she was out of view. Kohaku pictured the Exit button and pressed it, morphing into light before shooting up and out of the screen, reforming on his bed.

"Sugee! That was awesome!" Sokudo exclaimed.

Kohaku got up and kneeled down to them. "See? All good."

"Wow…! That WAS neat, Onii-chan!" Kinoko chirped. "Can it bring us in there?"

"Ehehe… Probably not. Plus mom and dad would probably kill me if I tried. Speaking of, remember…" Kohaku crossed his arms in front of him and stuck his pinkies toward each of his siblings. "Our secret, ne?"

Kinoko and Sokudo nodded, also crossing their arms and tying one pinky each with his and the other with each other. "Our secret!" They both said.

"Yosh, go on for lunch. I'll be down in a second." As the twins ran off, Kohaku went back to the Gamepad. "Hope you don't mind me finishing this out here, Kukiran?"

"No big deal. Either way is progress for you, right?" Kukiran said as Kohaku finished going to the boardwalk.

Kohaku walked up to Zolton's box, the machine once again animating as he got close. "Hello again, young one. May I foretell the future once more?" Kohaku pulled up the inventory and selected the glowing card, while his D-Vatar fished out and held up for Zolton. The card vanished from its hands, and Zolton's Deck reshuffled as his mystical music played. Zolton drew and flipped the top card, revealing a picture of an old man in a long cloak, holding a cane and lantern, the number "IX" visible. "Arcana IX: The Hermit."

"Wonder what this one stands for," Kohaku said to him.

"The Hermit is the withdrawal from events and relationship to introspect and gather strength. Seeking the inner voice or calling upon vision from within. A need of understanding and advice, or a wise person who will offer knowing guidance. A card of personal experience and thoughtful temperance," Zolton explained. "Although it is usually thought to connote aspects of healing and recovery."

'Healing… There's only one person I know that could refer to.' Kohaku thought.

"Do you wish to know the fortune of the Hermit?" Zolton asked. This being the first time he saw it from outside the game world, he noticed that the question came with a "Yes" or "No" prompt.

"Might as well, you haven't steered me wrong so far." Kohaku said, selecting Yes.

After the selection, Zolton did as he did the last two times, leaning back as the mystical music intensified and the violins played furiously. "Spirits of the other world, show me what lies before The Hermit!" After a beat, Zolton returned to normal. "In helping to overcome the fear of misfortune, the supporter shall gain new support."

"So, Doc's the next to get something?" Kohaku ended up wondering aloud.

Kukiran flew up to the screen. "You know who he means?"

"Yeah, one of my friends. He's been around hospitals and other places all his life." Kohaku told her.

"Not for anything serious, I hope," Kukiran said, sounding worried.

"No, nothing like that. His parents are healthcare professionals, so he's usually been the kind of person to look out for our well-being."

"Sounds like someone that's good to have around, if he cares for people that much."

"Yeah, but I think rather than surprising him like we did with Dizzy, I better call him first; just to see if he might know what could trigger this. Thanks, Zolton."

"May the future be in your favoooooooorrrrrrr…" Zolton said, powering down once again.

"I hope I can make this call quick before mom comes yelling for me…" Kohaku groaned, ejecting the Silver Game Card and pulling up Doc's name from his contacts, selecting a video call versus the typical DM he's done before. After a couple rings, Doc's face appeared, with his hair a slight mess.

"Ok, what's wrong? You normally just IM, so…"

"Whoa, whoa, it's ok, Doc," Kohaku said, cutting him off. "I just figured it'd be faster this way."

Doc sighed. "Sorry, sorry. What's going on?"

"Well, umm," Kohaku looked to the side briefly. "How do I ask this? Is there anything major happening with you today?"

"Uh… Not that I'm aware of." Doc answered.

"Well, it's just…you know that blank tarot card I found in the fortress? Turned out it was yours."

"That right? What did it say?"

"Something about 'helping to overcome the fear of misfortune' or something like that. What I took from it, though, was I think you might be the next to power-up."

"Me? How?"

"Got me, you know how vague Dizzy's was. In any case, I didn't know if I needed to be there to witness it for it to happen, so I thought I might stop by if that was alright."

"Slight hitch there, sweetheart." Kohaku looked up and turned, seeing his mom peeking in through the door. "Got a second?"

"Hai." Kohaku told her before turning back to the Gamepad. "Think about it, Doc. Message me later. Ja ne." He then hung up, leaving Doc a little confused on his end.

As he did, Sankako entered the room and shut the door. "I want you to be honest with me, Kohaku. Your plans involve some kind of Alphomega business, doesn't it?"

Kohaku hesitated for a moment. "...Yeah, Doc is one of those Designators I told you about, and I think something's about to happen because of it."

"Something dangerous?" Sankako asked, watching him closely to see if he lies with his next sentence.

"I hope not. The game just said something about Doc helping somebody through fear."

"It's just…your father and I want you to watch the twins today."

"Eh?" Kohaku wondered. "What for?"

"There's a family meeting being called between us, my parents, and your father's parents." Sankako started, but then sighed. "You deserve to know this. Your grandparents, on both sides, heard about the school war and the aftermath. So they, in their infinite wisdom, want to talk about moving us out of this 'dangerous city'."

Kohaku groaned with a facepalm. "Not this again…" Sankako gave him a confused look. "Everywhere I turn, it feels like another problem caused by that stupid event pops up! Was it really THAT bad?"

"I can't speak to any other things you've dealt with, but you know how stubborn and old fashioned some generations can be, my own included. I mean, some people I heard have equated it to the gang wars of old." She then put her hand on Kohaku's shoulder. "But that shouldn't be something you need to worry about. You have so much on your plate as this 'great being', and…"

"And it's likely the ones who set it off, Pyro and those other Sykonetyks, did it to try and draw me out because of this Alphomega stuff."

"Should I tell them that?"

Kohaku sweatdropped. "I'd… rather you didn't."

"Then let your father and I handle your grandparents." Sankako told him. "We know you love living here, and we plan on it being our line in the sand if it comes to it. Besides, even if we did leave, that wouldn't stop what you're supposed to become. Destiny finds a way, if you believe most anime out there."

Kohaku couldn't help but laugh. "You watched what Kinoko and Sokudo watch, didn't you?"

"Who do you think got them into those shows in the first place? I'd likely be a lonely otaku if not for your father." Sankako said with a wink. "Just leave the meeting to us. We trust you with the twins as long as you promise you'll keep them out of danger. Okay, Kohaku?"

Kohaku was about to say something when realization hit. "What about Hakaimo?"

"Oh, she's coming with your father and I. She'll hopefully be our secret weapon in regards to changing the subject. You know me, I'm not above weaponizing cuteness for the good of the family."

"Ok," Kohaku said with a nod, "I'll reach out to Cleo and Dizzy too. He's got his powers to some degree, so he can help if things should go wrong; and she not only lives in Alpha too, but she's someone I'd trust to get the twins to safety if I can't. But above all else, Kaa-San, you have my word I will not let anything happen to Kinoko and Sokudo."

Sankako smiled. "That's all well and good, but I want you to promise me like you did at their age." She held out her pinky. Kohaku blushed in slight embarrassment, but he tied his pinky with hers. "Yakusoku?"

Kohaku nodded. "Yakusoku."

"Good, now come on, before Sokudo eats your lunch for you."

Meanwhile, back at Doc's house, he had already gotten ready for the day, but what Kohaku had told him kept rattling around in his head. 'What does 'fear of misfortune' mean?' As he got up to leave his room, he paused when he noticed the door to the clinic was open. "Aren't we normally closed on Sundays?" As he went down to investigate, he saw a green-eyed woman with hair the same orange as Doc in a ponytail going through some files. "Hey, mom. I thought we were closed today."

"Normally, yes," his mom explained, "but I do have some patients that like their privacy, so I offer them a Sunday appointment when I know we won't be disturbed. Which I'm grateful for in this instance."

"What do you mean?" Doc asked, aa he leaned on the counter.

"You remember that Semi-pro tournament I helped at a few months ago, where I and others were on standby in case of Augmented Reality induced injuries?"

"Yeah…?"

"I passed out my business card if any of them wanted a follow-up. Well, one of them called in about some persistent arm pain, so they're coming in for a check later. He wanted a private consultation specifically because he's a single dad whose son is… well, he calls him a major worrywort."

"How bad could he be?"

"I don't know, I never met his kid. But I figure if you have nothing else planned, since he's your age, you could probably distract him while I have a look."

Doc didn't answer for a second. "Well, I suppose it gives me some way to be useful." He immediately felt a heavy hand on his head, mussing up his hair.

"I know it's not glamorous work, Jace, but we don't want him worrying over every little thing," The hand's owner explained, Doc looking back to see his father, a man with scruffy brown hair and a neatly-trimmed beard, the same red eyes, and rectangular glasses smiling at him. "It's hard enough to figure out what could be wrong when a patient tries to self-diagnose."

"No, no, I get it," Doc sighed, admitting to his dad's point, when something clicked. "Fear of misfortune…"

"What about fear?" His dad asked.

"Oh, nothing yet. Just something Koha-kun told me." Doc replied. 'Maybe this is what he meant…'

*Later*

At one of the train stations in Alpha District, Cleo watched all the different rails go by, watching the clock on her Gamepad. "He should be here soon…"

"Would you like me to keep waiting with you, Ms. Hamun?" asked a man in a sharply dressed suit and driver's cap.

"I should be okay for now, Niles." Cleo replied. "If I need a ride home, I'll call. It isn't far to the Robinson clinic from here."

"Very good, Ojou-sama," Niles said with a bow. "Then if you'll excuse me, I have some shopping I must do. After all, if I just return to the manor now, heads would surely roll. Namely my own." He gave a laugh to show he was joking.

Cleo rolled her eyes as he left, but then she heard the train pulling and looked to the doors opening as Kohaku walked out with his younger siblings. She waved to show where she was. Sokudo was the first to notice, pulling Kohaku's pant leg to point her out before the three walked over to her. "Hope you didn't get lost."

"Nah, felt about normal for a trip to Alpha." Kohaku replied.

Cleo then knelt down to the twins. "Hey, you two. Your brother didn't tell me you were coming."

Kinoko and Sokudo rose an eyebrow. "He didn't?" They said at the same time.

"I knew I was forgetting something when I closed the IM." Kohaku said, scratching his head.

Cleo just shook her head with a small laugh, her pigtails waving as she did. "Typical."

"It's not a problem, is it, Hamun-san?" Kinoko asked. "Tou-chan and Kaa-chan had to go to a family meeting, and we weren't invited."

"We wouldn't wanna go to that anyway, Kinoko-nee-chan." Sokudo said. "Tou-chan says they draaaaaaaaaag."

"Nah, not a problem at all." Cleo said, ruffling both their hair. "Just unexpected, that's all."

"Hey guys!" called out a voice. From the other side of the turnstiles was Dizzy, rushing up to them. "My train came from the other way. I thought maybe you left without me."

"Nope, you got here at a good time. Me and the twins just got here." Kohaku said as the group walked to him. "Let's get moving, Doc-kun's waiting." As they walked the sidewalks to their destination, each twin held one of Kohaku's hands while Kinoko also held Cleo's just for extra security.

"So, Doc's about to get on my level, huh?" Dizzy asked, walking near the group with his hands behind his head.

"That's what it looks like." Kohaku said. "I'm just wondering how."

"I'm wondering how you got the ok to join us, Dizzy-kun," Cleo said. "Didn't your dad give you extra shifts after yesterday?"

"Oh, he did. I got the morning prep done, kept up with dishes during the lunch rush, and so long as this doesn't go worst case, I should be able to be back at the shop before dinner."

"And if you're late?" Sokudo asked curiously.

"Then I'm on late night dish duty, even though I have school. Keep this in mind, kiddos: Don't break rules unless you can pay the consequences."

After a while, the group turned one corner and spotted a building with a symbol that looked vaguely medical-themed to Kohaku and the twins visible on the sign, the name "Clara Robinson" being listed on it. They made their way over and walked inside, passing by a stranger that seemed to just be loitering with his face buried in a newspaper. Kohaku got a weird feeling, making him instinctively glance back, but the stranger paid him no mind. Cleo and Dizzy gave him odd looks, but Kohaku merely shrugged it off. The inside of the clinic was fittingly empty due to a lack of real business on Sundays, only a single teenager with black hair and nervous blue eyes sitting in the waiting room anxiously fidgeting with a Gamepad. Then a glass window slid open and a woman in nurse's scrubs looked out. "Do you have an appointment?" she asked in a nasally voice.

"Uh, no, but we are friends with Jason." Kohaku answered.

"We are only accepting patients by appointment today, please call ahead."

Kohaku was about to say something when… "It's ok, Juri, they're with me." Doc then back out of the back with his Gamepad and D-Gazer. "Sorry, she takes the job a little too seriously." This made the woman huff as she closed the window. "Hey, Banri-kun. These are the friends I told you about."

The lone teen in the waiting room, Banri, stood up and nervously bowed. "He-hello."

Kohaku eagerly held out a hand, startling the boy. "Nice to meet ya! I'm Kohaku Yudin!" Banri slowly went for the handshake. Afterwards, Kohaku placed a hand on each of his siblings' backs, who then waved to the boy (Kinoko more shyly than her brother). "These are my twin sibs, Kinoko and Sokudo." He then pointed to his other friends as he named him. "And this is Dizzy and Cleo."

Banri glanced down at his hand after shaking Kohaku's. His hand shook, making him gulp. "I…I should go check on my dad," Banri said, starting to head to the exam rooms.

"Hey, hang on." Doc said, stopping him with a hand to his shoulder. "He's gonna be fine, Banri-kun."

"But… but that arm pain, it could be signs of carpal tunnel syndrome, or some form of neuropathy, or…"

"Listen." Doc told him, firmly. "My mom is gonna do all she can to pinpoint whatever is going on. Just let her handle it, okay?" Banri just kept looking between Doc and the exam rooms. "Come on, let's take our minds off our troubles with a Duel, that'll pass the time. We can use the parking lot across the street. It doesn't get much use on Sundays."

"A-A… Are you sure…?" Banri asked.

"Look, respectfully, you can sit here and worry yourself into a heart attack, or we can make the time pass quicker with a fun, simple Duel. We'll even play with Game Cards just to make things more interesting." Banri wasn't sure, but still gave a nervous nod.

In one of the examination rooms, Doc's mom was examining a person's arm, moving it in different directions and getting a few grunts of pain from its owner. "Hmm, it does seem a little swollen. How long has it been like this?"

"About a week and a half." The man in the exam chair said, having spiky hair the same pitch black as Banri, orange eyes instead of Banri's blue, and a bandage across his nose. "Started hurting after one tournament, thought it would go away in a few days, but it just didn't. Made drawing cards feel like pulling a tow truck."

"With the way you draw cards looking like you're trying to break a punching bag, I'm not shocked it probably hurt like breaking an arm."

The man laughed, holding up his other hand as a fist. "It's the Murota style! Knockout Draw!" He pretended to draw with the same force as a punch.

Clara couldn't help but laugh as she looked over an x-ray on the table, the name "Kazan Murota" visible on it. "The x-ray you sent me doesn't show any fractures. Any difficulty moving or holding things?"

"Nah, my fingers all work." Kazan replied, moving them around as proof.

"Okay, that rules out anything that resembles early arthritis." She wrote down what he was telling him. "It seems like little more than wrist strain."

"Strain, eh? That's some wind outta my sails. Anything like a sprain?" Kazan said.

"Similar, but this looks like it could because of your method. It doesn't seem too extreme, though, so you may be able to ease through the rest of it. That said, part of it will involve keeping that arm out of high-stress situations, so you might not be able to Duel with that arm for a time."

Kazan sighed. "Figured. I've already been out for two days, but I ain't surprised it's gonna take longer. That said, hopefully that'll ease my kid's nerves. He just kept babbling about the possible worst case scenarios this pain could lead to."

"Well, hopefully my son is keeping him distracted," Clara said with a giggle. "He may not have the family bedside manner down, but he knows how to get through to most kids his age."

"Heh, don't worry too much about hurt feelings. Sometimes with my son, you kinda need to be a little blunt. I just hope he doesn't drive him too far up the wall."

*Meanwhile*

"This kid is driving me up a wall!" Doc harshly whispered to Kohaku and Cleo while Dizzy ran interference on Banri. "Feels like no matter what I try, I just can't get his mind off of this!"

"Just take a breath, Doc-kun," Cleo told him. "It shouldn't be too much longer at this point. His dad might show up mid-Duel and it'll all be over."

As Doc was venting to them, Banri was looking over a bunch of cards, Kinoko and Sokudo leaning in to see. "Ooh, these cards look cool." Kinoko said.

"Th-They're my dad's." Banri stuttered. "He Duels in the P-Pro Circuit, but he's been out a couple days because…" He gulped, unable to finish that sentence. "...He let me use it while he's out… it's almost like he won't be able to use them anymore…"

"Hey, I wouldn't think like that," Dizzy told him. "I'm sure it's all gonna work out."

"Weren't you gonna Duel Doc-san with those?" Sokudo asked.

"I-I'm gonna t-try, at least," Banri said as he locked in the deck into his disk.

As Doc was talking to Kohaku and Cleo, he noticed a message on his Gamepad. Opening it, he saw that it was an initial prognosis from his mom, making him smile. "Ah, good. This should calm him down. Hey, Banri-kun."

"E-Eh?" Banri stuttered.

"Mom's still checking up on your dad to be sure, but she thinks it's just wrist strain. All goes well, he should be fine in a couple weeks."

Banri blinked for a moment. "...O-Oh. That's… not that bad. As long as he r-rests…"

"See, what'd I tell ya?" Dizzy said with a grin. "Worried about something little!"

"Y-yeah…"

"Mom said she's just gonna give a quick physical as long as he's there, just in case you two wish to continue at our practice. Meaning we still have time to Duel."

Banri looked down at his disk, and in his mind he briefly flashed back to a time when he was watching Kazan practice. He remembered what his dad said that day: "Y'know Banri, one day you might be the one using this Deck. But to get the most out of it, you gotta be willing to take a risk. Throw caution to the wind and just strike! Your fists and feet won't ever let ya down!"

The boy gulped again. "...I'll d-do my best!"

Meanwhile, the man who was loitering outside the office positioned himself on a bus stop across the street. 'That kid is just radiating self-doubt.' He thought to himself, still not taking his face out of the newspaper. 'Guess I was wrong thinking hanging around here would drag.' Kohaku found himself instinctively glancing his way.

"Something up, Koha-kun?" Cleo asked with a headtilt.

"Might be too soon to tell," he told her. "But promise me if this goes south, you'll get Kinoko and Sokudo out of harm's way." Cleo nodded in response. As the two duelist took positions, the spectators stood roughly between them, yet a good few feet back to give room for the monsters. Kohaku instinctively placed his hands on his siblings shoulders.

"D-Controller, switch on! Game Mode, hatsudo! D-Gazer, set!"

"AR VISION, LINK ESTABLISHED."

DUEL!

Doc LP:4000

Banri LP:4000

"I-I guess if we-we're doing this, you can go f-first," Banri stuttered out.

"All right then, I'll take that offer." Doc said, drawing his card. "Masked Rescuer "M", Shoukan!" His monster emerged as a black-haired man largely dressed like an EMT, wearing a standard medical face mask, but he notably also wore a mask wrapped around his eyes, and this combined with a white cape flowing behind him gave him the appearance of a superhero.

Masked Rescuer "M": Lv.4 LIGHT Warrior/Base ATK:1800/DEF:1400

"Kaado ichi mai settei. Turn end."

"B-b-boku no turn." Banri said, drawing. "I summon U-United B-Burning Knuckler Roundhouse." Appearing before Banri in a flourish of flames was a muscular dark orange skinned male humanoid. He wore a headband, small protectors on his hands, and loose blue pants. Though, through those pants sprouted exhaust pipes from his calves, and he had a small blade on the top of his bare feet.

United Burning Knuckler Roundhouse: Lv.4 FIRE Warrior ATK:1700/DEF:600

"Looks like a Deck that's ready for a fight." Kohaku said.

"Kinda ironic with how timid he is." Sokudo whispered, earning a nudge from Kohaku.

"Behave." he harshly whispered.

"I… I attack Masked Rescuer with Roundhouse." Roundhouse dragged one foot behind before fire burst from the pipes, rocketing him forward.

"You know The Masked Rescuer has more Attack Points, right?" Doc asked. However, as the fighter twisted his body to deliver a kick to the heroic medic's head, the flames from the pipes doubled in size, increasing the speed and colliding with Doc's monster's cheek and launching the monster careening into the nearby building's wall, leaving quite an impact. "What the?"

"Um… R-Roundhouse automatically d-destroys any monster it battles w-with more than 1700 Attack P-Points." Banri explained.

"That… kinda seems busted." Kohaku said.

"No, no, I just looked it up." Dizzy said, showing his friend his Gamepad. "It's got a downside."

"K-kaado ichi m-mai settei. Turn e-end."

Doc was checking his own Gamepad to see how Roundhouse works. 'Destroys any monster with over 1700 Attack Points… but destroys itself if it battles something with less than 1700.'

"GAME CARD INTERMISSION." The game cards were loaded, and the roulette began to spin. Eventually it came to a stop and selected one. "BRICK BUSTER." An image of what appeared to be the inside of a warehouse appeared in the AR field. Doc and Banri's D-Vatars walked into frame, Banri's D-Vatar looking much more confident than he did, then two large piles of bricks crashed into the ground in front of them, knocking them on their butts. "TARGET AREAS WITH CONTROL STICK, REPEATEDLY ALTERNATE A AND B TO ATTACK. FIRST PLAYER TO DESTROY ALL BRICKS WINS, AND MAY SET 1 TRAP CARD FROM THEIR DECK." The D-Vatars shook off the impact before getting to their feet, Doc's taking a stance while Banri's cracked its knuckles. The game view shifted to a first-person view, each pile on the opposite side of a split-screen view.

GO!

A cursor appeared on each pile, making Banri lightly panic before both players moved their cursors and frantically hit the buttons, causing impact effects to occur wherever they aimed. Bit by bit, cracks started forming in the aimed-at spots with each continued punch. While Doc largely stayed on one spot at a time, Banri seemed to be frantically darting his cursor across the bricks as if afraid he missed something. Despite this erratic behavior, Banri's speed at pressing the buttons was taking more out of the bricks than Doc's, and before long the last piece of Banri's pile shattered while Doc still had one heavily cracked section left.

FINISH!

Banri Wins!

"I….I did it?" Banri asked, surprising himself. His D-Vatar did a jumping uppercut before holding up a fist, Doc's D-Vatar merely shrugging and pulling out a water bottle to drink from.

"Looks like it. Good game, Banri-kun." Doc told him.

"BANRI MUROTA HAS WON AND MAY SET 1 TRAP CARD FROM HIS DECK."

"Oh-oh… Ok…" Banri searched through his Deck before finally coming to a card, which he Set directly set on his field. The game visual vanished, letting the Duelists eject their Game Cards.

"Okay… Not my best start to a Duel." Doc mused to himself. "Let's see how I can step things up. Draw." He drew his card. "Magic Card, Blue Medicine, hatsudo. A simple card that gives me 400 Life Points." A flask of blue potion appeared, which Doc appeared to grab and drink before the flask vanished.

Doc LP:4400

"However, because I gained Life Points by a card effect, I can Special Summon Masked Rescuer "L" from my hand!" The sound of a motorbike was heard before another costumed figure with a medical mask drove onto the field on a yellow motorbike, though rather than a domino mask, he was wearing a strange mix of a motorcycle helmet and safety glasses.

Masked Rescuer "L": Lv.3 LIGHT Warrior ATK:1400/DEF:0

"When Masked Rescuer "L" is Summoned, I can Special Summon a fellow Masked Rescuer from my Graveyard!" The hero leapt off his motorcycle, which seemed to rev to life by itself and drive toward a purple portal, riding right through it before riding right back out with Masked Rescuer "M" aboard. (ATK:1800)

"You gotta wonder where Doc finds a lot of these medically themed cards." Dizzy whispered to the others. "About the only ones I know of are the two Lilies."

"Given the allowance he must have, he probably special orders." Cleo whispered back before shooting Dizzy a glance. "Not that it's that major a thing how or why he gets them. Just that he builds the Deck he likes."

"Hey," Dizzy admitted with a shrug, "can't blame a guy for being curious." Kohaku just rolled his eyes at his two friends, before stealing a glance back at the man with the newspaper.

"So, y-you know how to counter Roundhouse," Banri commented.

"Reading the card explains the card, after all." Doc said with a light smile before pointing forward. "Rescuer L, do the honors, please?" L snapped his fingers, causing the bike to move again, charging into Roundhouse. A one-trick pony, Roundhouse immediately tried to counter with his signature kick, but the bike's handlebars were just too low to be hit by it, allowing him to be rammed into by the bike and obliterated. "You're cleared for attack, Rescuer M!" M reached behind him before pulling out a larger than average reflex test hammer, slamming it into the ground to send a shockwave toward Banri. Banri stumbled from the shockwave, falling back on his butt.

Banri LP:2200

Banri looked at his Disk, seeing it was asking if he wanted to activate his Trap, to which he selected 'Yes'. "T-Trap, open!" He stutteringly declared. "Long Count! When a 'B-b-burning Knuck-kler" monster I control is destroyed-d, this card g-gains a counter at the e-end of the B-battle Pha-ase for each one that was." The number "1" appeared on the card as if being spoken by the announcer on the artwork.

"You gonna be okay, Banri-kun?" Doc asked.

"Y-yeah…" Banri said as he stood back up. "I just don… don't duel much. This is th-the first time I've u-used Tou-chan's D-Deck…" He looked around. "I-Is he watching?"

"I don't think he even knows you're Dueling right now." Kohaku said.

"Good…" Banri looked at his feet, ashamed he actually said that. "H-He'd probably think I'm b-bad at this…"

"Hey, it'll be alright, Banri-kun. There's nothing at stake here, just a friendly Duel." Doc said. "Don't worry about how you're doing. Just do your best, okay?"

"But…but I have to sh-show I can carry on for him. He's fine now, s-sure; -b-but..when he retires…or worse…"

"Whoa, slow down." Kohaku called to him. "Don't overthink what might happen or what might be. Just live for now."

"Live for now, huh?" The man with the newspaper quietly said to himself. "Well, easier said than done for him." Despite not having a screen, the man could see moving images against the newspaper covering his face. They appeared to be Banri and his dad at different moments in time. "Based on these memories, it's just been him and dear old dad. Wonder where mama is?"

Banri took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. "Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out." Doc told him.

Banri sighed as he managed to calm back down a little. "Thanks."

Doc smiled and nodded. "Always here to help. Turn end."

"Ok…here I g-go." Banri said as he drew, the announcer voice calling out a "2". "I summon U-United Bur-rning Knuckler Kneethr-thrust." Appearing in a flourish of flames was another humanoid in a similar get-up as Roundhouse. The differences being beige skin, blue pants, a white headband, and what looked like thick padding on its knees.

United Burning Knuckler Kneethrust: Lv.4 FIRE Warrior ATK:1200/DEF:0

"Time for R-round 2. Kneethrust, attack Rescuer L!" Fire erupted from Kneethrust's feet, rocketing it into the air.

"Eh? With less Attack Points?" Kohaku wondered.

"When Knee-kneethrust attacks, his Attack Poi-points immedi-diately double." As Kneethrust began his descent, his body became engulfed in flames while some shot out behind him like jets to increase his speed. (ATK: 2400) Fitting his name, the boxer stuck his padded knee forward and plowed right into Rescuer L's chest, the flames causing his bike to overheat and explode after Kneethrust leapt away.

Doc LP:3000

"Q-Quick-Play Magic, hatsudo! Burning Combo! When a FIRE Wa-warrior destroys a monster through battle, I can hav-have it attack again. So, go kno-knockout Rescuer M, Kne-Kneethrust!" Still in midair from his jump, Kneethrust angled himself before dropping down, slamming Rescuer M into the pavement like he was nothing.

Doc LP:2400

"Ok, that w-worked out well," Banri said, impressed with himself.

"Don't be so sure…"

"Wheh?!" Banri jumped, looking around frantically. No one was around him at all. "Wh-Who said that?!"

"What's wrong, Banri-san?" Kinoko asked.

"S-Someone just whispered in my ear!"

Kohaku looked around a bit, glancing at the man behind the newspaper again briefly, but noting he wasn't even near Banri. "How? No one even walked near you."

Something about what Kohaku said caused Banri to feel... off. "You… you don't believe me?"

"No, it's not that." Doc said, trying to cover for Kohaku. "I'm sure you heard something, but it might not be what you think."

"But it…" Banri started, but then sighed. "Ma-Maybe you're right. Coulda b-been from the stre-eet over. Turn end."

"GAME CARD INTERMISSION." Both players loaded their Game Cards, and the roulette began to spin. However, after the roulette did one lap, an exclamation mark appeared in the center with a loud noise, forming a new card in the center. "CHANCE TIME!"

"Eh?" Banri asked. "W-what's going on?"

"Haha! All right, Chance Time!" Kohaku cried. "This is a chance for the Duel to go any way possible!"

"I never saw this before," Cleo said. "What is this?"

"Chance Time only happens every once in a while." Kohaku said. "When it happens, the players can get either a big bonus, a big penalty, or even an entire switch of fortune! You never know what'll happen until the roulette stops spinning!"

The game card overtook the AR vision, depicting a dark area that was briefly illuminated by moving spotlights. Eventually the spotlights converged as the curtain opened, revealing a large, glitzy slot machine with various symbols on the reels. "LET THE WHEEL OF CHANCE TIME SPIN!" The system voice said as a swanky casino-esque song started playing, and the reels began to spin wildly. Banri gulped as the first reel started to slow before stopping at the image of Doc's and his own D-Vatar's head side by side.

"Both of us?" Doc wondered. Eventually the second reel slowed down, showing an image of a Deck, a tombstone, and an arrow pointing from the former to the latter.

"Dang, they gotta mill their Decks." Dizzy groaned.

"Question now is how many cards." Kohaku added. He didn't have long to wait, as the last reel slowly came to a stop: A monster card with the number "3" where the card image would be. The machine began ringing and chiming as if a bonus was hit.

"BOTH PLAYERS SEND 3 MONSTERS FROM THEIR DECK TO THE GRAVEYARD!"

"Whoa, I didn't think it could be that specific." Cleo commented.

"Oh, it has all kinds of options that could happen." Kohaku told her. "But this could easily be a blessing in disguise."

"How come, Onii-chan?" Kinoko asked.

"If you've got monsters in your Graveyard, that just means you've got a Composition Summon set up!" Kohaku said as Doc and Banri sent their 3 monsters.

"So, sport, how would Daddy get out of this?" The voice asked Banri again from seemingly nowhere. Banri gasped, looking around frantically. "Don't tell me he'd be screwed here…"

Kohaku noticed Banri's reaction. "You ok?"

"Well, kid, you gonna tell them you're going crazy?"

"...I-I-I'll be fine…" Banri meekly whimpered.

"Good boy… hehehe."

Doc could see Banri's regression. "Hey, don't give up. You got this!"

"Isn't it his turn, though?" Sokudo asked his brother.

Kohaku knelt down to his brother's level. "Doc's trying to help lift Banri-kun's spirit," he said softly. "Poor guy looks like he needs some emotional support."

"Watashi no turn." Doc said, drawing his card. "Trap, hatsudo! Emergency Hotline!" A large, fancy white and red phone appeared, ringing loudly with a siren on it. "Because I have no monsters on my field, I can Special Summon monsters from my Graveyard equal to the number of monsters you control, then one monster from my Deck, all in Defense Mode!" The receiver was picked up, and the siren fired two beams of red light, one of which formed a purple portal that Masked Rescuer L returned from. The second beam, however, morphed into a large blue shield with eyes on it, two floating glove-like hands and shoe-like feet alongside it. "And because I Special Summoned Rescuer L, I can bring back another Masked Rescuer from my Graveyard! Come out, Masked Rescuer B!" Rescuer L's bike revved back into a purple portal, and came back out with yet another medical mysteryman, his coat and cape being a light shade of blue. As he hopped off the motorcycle, he drew a large scalpel from a sheath on his back like a sword, kneeling and holding it in front of him.

Masked Rescuer "L": Lv.3 LIGHT Warrior ATK:1400/DEF:0

Vitamin Guar-D: Lv.4 EARTH Machine ATK:500/DEF:500

Masked Rescuer "B": Lv.4 LIGHT Warrior ATK:1700/DEF:1500

An "Uh..oh.." was all Banri could mutter. Just then, Doc got a ding on his Gamepad, making him check it.

Message: Exam's all done. Dad's watching the Duel from the waiting room. Don't tell Banri.

Doc smiled before closing the message. "I don't have much I can do for now, so I'll just put a facedown. Turn end."

"Heh. All those monsters and he doesn't try to hit you." The voice Banri was hearing said. "He's taking pity on you."

In the waiting room, Kazan watched out the window, while Clara stood nearby. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked him.

"Banri's always so nervous about messing up," Kazan explained. "I'd rather not make him think I'm disappointed while watching him." After a pause, he realized what he said. "Not that I would be, just that he would default to thinking I thought he didn't live up to his potential."

"What do you think made him so jittery about Dueling?" Clara couldn't help but ask.

Kazan sighed. "I don't know. First I thought it was just stage fright, then it started happening more and more. Never even pushed him that hard growing up, he's just had the most touchy fight or flight response I've ever seen."

"That sounds like seriously bad anxiety." Clara said. "Have you ever had him looked at?"

"Tried. Poor kid's terrified to even look at a doctor's office out of fear of something worse. I swear he's… what's the word for someone who always thinks something's wrong with them?"

"Hypochondriac."

"Yeah, that. It's why I wanted to make this private appointment, afterall. Didn't want him raising a fuss in front of other patients." Kazan then sighed. "I wish Kiyo was still here. She'd be better able to keep him calm."

"Banri's mom, I assume?" Clara asked.

"Mm-hmm. We lost her years ago. Poor Banri's been a worried wreck ever since, terrified that something like that's gonna happen to me."

"Tell me more." Clara inquired.

Back at the Duel, Banri tried to breathe, lightly clenching his hands in and out. "I'll…I'll make you regret going easy on me." Banri said as he drew, trying to sound tough, the announcer declaring a "3" as the Long Count card gained a 3 counter. However, he paused when he saw the card he drew. "Eh? This... This isn't mine..."

"Just a little gift." The voice told him. "Just Set it for now. I'll tell you when to use it."

"Who… Who are you? Why are you giving me this?" Banri asked.

This made everyone raise an eyebrow. "Who are you talking to, Banri-kun?" Cleo asked this time, but Banri seemed to ignore her.

"Don't worry about me, I'm just helping you see through their lies." The voice continued. "I mean, think about it. Why did your dad want to come to this doctor at all?"

"H-He… He wanted to-to know… what was h-happening…"

"Oh sure, that's why he went to a doctor who's literally married to a surgeon."

"W-W-What?" Banri stammered in shock, looking right at Doc. "You're….you're dad's a surgeon, Robinson-san?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah, Dr. Matias Robinson." Doc said, not sure what the problem was. "But he doesn't practice in this building, he works several blocks down."

However, Banri's mind practically drowned out what Doc was saying by his loudening heartbeat. His eyes quivered, pupils shrinking. "No… No… NOT AGAIN!" He shouted as he covered his face.

As the kids wondered what was happening, the man with the newspaper lifted his head enough to cause a gleam off a mask on his face. "Now, let's guide his hand a little."

Having said that, Banri then lowered his hands, and while still upset, there was still something different in his actions. "Magic Card, Burning Knuckler Fightcard, hatsudo!" His stutter had seemingly completely vanished. "This lets me add up to 3 Burning Knucklers from my Deck to my hand, in exchange for letting you get the same number of monsters so long as they have the same Levels or lower as the highest one I add." Three cards popped out of his Deck, and Banri showed them off. "I'm adding Burning Knucklers Counterpunch, Shadow, and Freakshow. So the highest you can go is 6."

'What's gotten into him?' Doc wondered, going through the motions of checking his Deck. "Okay then, these are the ones I'm adding." Doc showed 3 monsters of his own. One was a Level 6 Vitamin, but the other two were lower than that.

"Next, since you control a monster, I can Special Summon Burning Knuckler Promoter from my hand. Let's get ready to rumble!" Appearing next was what looked like a mechanical humanoid with black boxing gloves, but he wasn't dressed to fight; rather, he had a suit and tie, a large black pompadour, and a microphone, holding a fight program paper in his glove.

Burning Knuckler Promoter: Lv.4 FIRE Warrior ATK:1700/DEF:800

"Anyone else notice that he suddenly stopped stuttering?" Dizzy asked his fellow spectators.

"There's something else worth noting, partner." A voice said, startling Dizzy before he found Cycloner hovering over his shoulder.

"Eh?! Cycloner? What do you mean?" Dizzy asked.

"Can't you feel it?" The Duel Spirit asked. "That same pressure that hung over the field yesterday. It's not as intense right now, but it's there."

Kohaku heard Cycloner talking, and that was when he could feel it. That same negative pressure from before. But that was all he could feel it as: Pressure. No headache, no pain of any kind. "Guess that proves the Crest works." He said to himself before scanning the sky, instinctually holding his young siblings closer.

"I release Promoter to use his effect to Special Summon 2 Burning Knucklers to the ring!" Promoter tossed his program into the air before vanishing. "Koi, Sparrer and Axekick!" Unlike the other monsters, the first to appear was a grey skinned fighter that was more in line with an actual boxer with yellow gloves and large red pads on its arms. The next was maroon and green-skinned, looking like the other United monsters, but with with axe-like blades running from its heel to mid-calf and standing barefoot because of it.

Burning Knuckler Sparrer: Lv.4 FIRE Warrior ATK:1200/DEF:1400

United Burning Knuckler Axekick: Lv.4 FIRE Warrior/Base ATK:2000/DEF:0

"Time to stop pulling punches! I Overlay the Level 4 Spar and Kneethrust!" The two boxers clashed fists before turning fully red and shooting into the air. "I construct the Overlay Network with these two monsters!" A red spiral portal opened up, absorbing both monsters. "Ekushiizu Shoukan!" A silhouette began to zip back and forth, leaving trace images of itself everywhere it went. "Arawareyo, Burning Knuckler King Dempsey!" Eventually the figure landing on the ground, rolling across before screeching to a stop, revealing a red-skinned mechanical boxer with yellow gloves, a gold mask with red hair coming out the back, and notably, four glowing blue… engines of some sort attached to his back, two red Overlay Units circling him.

Burning Knuckler King Dempsey: Rank 4 FIRE Warrior/Xyz ATK:2300/DEF:1800 2 Overlay Units

"When Dempsey is Summoned, I can take 1 of two kinds of cards and either add it to my hand or send it to my Graveyard." A new card pops out of his Deck. "I choose to add Burning Knuckle Vitality to my hand. Next, I'll detach an Overlay Unit from Dempsey to summon Burning Knuckler Shadow from my hand!" One of the Overlay Units flew into the larger fighter's shadow and was absorbed, allowing a black boxing figure to rise out of it and throw a few punches.

Burning Knuckler Shadow: Lv.4 FIRE Warrior ATK:1800/DEF:1400

Kazan watched from his room, one eyebrow raised. "Whoa. I've never seen Banri go that hard before."

"Something's not right, though." Clara said, watching through the same window. "He looked like he was about to shut down before, but now…"

"But he's not sticking around, as I release him to summon Burning Knuckler Freakshow!" The darker figure dissolved into pixels and was replaced by a purple giant of a boxer, with only a single large glowing eye under his headgear, a tail, and arms far larger than his whole body; so large, in fact, he was actually standing on them instead of his actual legs.

Burning Knuckler Freakshow: Lv.6 FIRE Warrior ATK:2200/DEF:1000

Banri briefly looked like a fire was lit in his eyes. "Shadow, Roundhouse, Promoter! Synergize with the Level 4 Axekick!" Axekick rose his foot before planting it in the ground, three purple portals opening to bring those monsters back to the field, then all four punched the air, sending their red energy together into a combined force. "With the energies of these 4 united, a new fighter is reborn to break through your line of defense!" As the monsters morphed into Soul Towers to energize the sphere, one arm sprouted from it, having a boxing glove at the end like the rest, but the arm that followed was barely a simple arm, looking far more overtly mechanized and clenching its fist with steam coming from it. A boot-clad leg touched the ground, followed by the loud clang of a steel leg, steam also coming from it. "Kozu Shoukan!" The monster's dark skin was broken by a steel chestplate, which had a red light shine on. "The unstoppable Force! United Burning Knuckler… Hakim the Machine!" The same gleaming steel made up the monster's headgear, large wires sprouting from the head like dreadlocks. One eye was covered by metal, only for it to brighten up like the other, organic eye. The monster delivered a heavy punch with its metal arm, using the momentum to kick with its metal leg, then pose with a stomp of its metal leg and clench of its metal fist, steam billowing from both as its eye glowed bright.

United Burning Knuckler Hakim the Machine: Quality 4 FIRE Warrior/Composition ATK:2600/DEF:1500 4 Active Soul Towers

During all this, Kohaku could swear he was hearing all that in stereo, hearing a softer voice saying the same things Banri was shouting. He looked around slightly, which Kinoko noticed. "What's wrong, Onii-chan?"

"You heard that, right? That other voice?" Kohaku asked.

"He talking about me?" Cycloner asked Dizzy, who just shook his head.

Kohaku knelt down to his siblings again. "You remember what we talked about on the train, right? If things started getting weird, you two were to go with Cleo, right?"

"Yeah?" Both twins said.

"That's probably gonna happen soon, so be ready to go with her, okay?"

"But Kohaku-nii…" Sokudo started.

"No arguments. I promised Kaa-san you'd be safe if this got dangerous. Last thing I want is to risk losing you."

While this all was happening, Banri just watched this before he grunted, and his face changed back to his scared one. "Wha…what happened?"

"Tck. Lost it." The man behind the newspaper huffed. "He's gonna need a little more I guess."

"Banri, are you ok?" Doc asked.

"No…" the boy said, his hands trembling. "Y…You're not telling me everything ab-bout my D-d-dad."

"What do you mean?"

"He's not just d-dealing with a stra-ained wrist. It's w-w-worse than that, like I always thought-t."

"Please, Banri-kun, calm down." Doc told him. "Mom would've told me if it was anything worse, and she hasn't said anything. Your dad's gonna be fine, I promise."

"Liar!" Banri shouted. "I'll get the t-truth out of you! I use K-King Demp-psey's effect! By u-using an Overl-lay Unit, you can't t-target my mons-sters with card effects!" Dempsey punched his last Overlay Unit out of existence, and his engines powered not only him, but also Hakim and Freakshow, causing them all to exude blue trace images and start shifting from side to side.

"Hey kid, don't forget your other Spell." the voice hinted. "Might want to try and build up your hand."

Taking the advice, Banri slid another card in a Spell Zone. "M-Magic Card, B-Burning Knuck-kler Priz-z-zefight, hatsudo! Each time a Knuck-kler destroys one of ya-your monsters in battle this turn, I draw 1 card. H-h-Hakim, attack the V-Vitamin monster!" The mechanically enhanced fistfighter leapt into the air and prepared to slam his heel into the smaller monster. Guar-D tried to put his shield body forward, but it didn't do him any good as he was completely broken to pieces by the metal foot. "I n-now activ-vate Hak-k-kim's effect!" Banri stuttered as he drew from Prizefight. "By deac-ctivat-ting a Soul T-Tower, he can attack again!" As a Tower darkened, steam blew out of the mechanical parts as the Fighter became energized again. "Attack R-r-rescuer L!" Hakim tightened his robotic fist and spun to backhand the masked medic with it, slamming him into the dirt. "A-Again! No m-mercy!" Once more, a Tower darkened; and the cyborg delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to the remaining monster, destroying it as the knightly doctor was slammed into a wall. "You will p-p-pay! You'll p-pay for lying about my dad!" Banri screamed. "Freakshow, attack him directly!" The properly named fighter ran on his hands before pushing off the ground and slamming an overhead, downward punch to the top of Doc's head, which thanks to the nature of Solid Vision phased through the young duelist as the fight impacted the ground to create a large dust cloud.

Doc LP:200

"What the heck is wrong with him?" Sokudo asked. "Why's he talking like Doc-san did something wrong?"

"I've got a pretty good idea…" Kohaku said, glaring over at the man behind the newspaper.

Doc coughed from the dust before hitting a button. "T-Trap, hatsudo! Damage Vaccine Omega Max! Because I took damage from your attack, I can immediately regain those Life Points!" The Trap showered him with purple sparkles.

Doc LP:2400

"F-f-fine then, I'll just b-beat out your confe-fession next turn," Banri huffed. "King Dempsey, finish this round!" The last of his monsters bobbed and weaved with extreme speed before throwing a punch right into Doc's gut.

Doc LP:100

"Don't forget to set the card…" the voice said.

"I set 1 f-f-facedown. Turn End." Banri finished.

"GAME CARD INTERMISSION."

"Banri-kun, what's gotten into you?" Doc asked. "I haven't lied to you at all! Why on earth would I lie to you about this?"

"W-why w-would my dad need a d-doctor who knows a surgeon?" Banri seethed as he pulled out some Game Cards.

"That was coincidence! It's not like my mom and dad see the same patients!"

"LIAR! All we are are a p-pound of flesh-sh and a wad of ca-cash!" Banri shouted! "You cl-claim to care about hum-man lives, but what about those that get left behi-hind?" This sentence struck a nerve in Doc, making him slightly glare. "Just p-p-pick your games alre-ready so I make sure your Ma-mom does here job right!" the formerly nervous boy continued. Doc groaned and merely loaded his cards, causing the roulette to spin.

"CAPSULE CLEAR." The AR vision changed to show the display of two clear glass bottles in some kind of medical office. Doc and Banri's D-Vatars appeared in two small windows in the display, changing to be wearing doctor's coats. "MATCH THE COLORS OF THE CAPSULES TO SCORE POINTS. BIGGER CLEARS AND CHAINS GIVE MORE POINTS. THE PLAYER WITH THE HIGHEST SCORE WINS AND CAN ADD 1 CARD FROM THEIR GRAVEYARD TO THEIR HAND." At the top of the bottle, a pill appeared on each side: One side red, one side yellow.

GO!

Banri's nerves came back with a vengeance as he saw the capsules slowly begin to fall to the bottom. "A p-p-puzzle g-game?" Doc didn't verbally respond, merely shifting the capsule to the far left and laying it flat.

Meanwhile, Kohaku started breathing a little deeper, to which the others immediately noticed. "You okay, Kohaku-nii?" Sokudo asked.

"Yeah, I think so. Just a little tightness in my chest all a sudden."

"You think that Crest is working?" Dizzy asked.

"If this is the same kind of power as last time… yeah, I think it's working. I don't feel any pain. But I honestly don't think this is it. This feels more like that last time you were Dueling Geo, Dizzy-kun."

Dizzy looked at him weird. "What do you-" He paused for a moment. "Ohhhh, what happened right before my power first showed up."

"Right," Kohaku said with a nod. "It's not as intense as that time, thankfully; but that might be because Doc's not as worked up as you were then."

Sokudo looked at his sister. "What are they talking about?"

"Remember when we were checking the camera feeds for the stream and Kohaku-nii-chan looked like he was having a heart attack?" Kinoko said kinda bluntly.

"Oh yeah, I remember now! He said something later about Dizzy needing his help."

"Yeah, I guess somehow I can feel the emotional pain of my Designators." Kohaku said as he ruffled his siblings hair. "I just hope that doesn't mean Doc-kun's gonna break."

Doc didn't look much like that was about to happen, rotating the capsules in ways to set up strange-looking walls. Banri, however, wasn't faring as well, his placement looking rather messy and only managing to clear simple groups of 4 at once. "Come on, come on…!" He groaned. Doc, however, placed a capsule to clear a row of 4, but the remaining capsule parts began falling into additional places to keep clearing more rows, buffing his score multiplier higher and higher until he was seriously far ahead.

"Wow," Cleo said in awe, "who knew Doc-kun was that good with Puzzles?"

"Doc plays it off well, but he does have an above average intelligence." Kohaku explained.

FINISH!

Hearing that declaration, the group looked back to see that while Doc's score was quite high, that wasn't really why the game was calling him the winner: Banri's capsules had stacked high enough to block the top of his play area, rendering him unable to really do anything else. "Ooh…sucks to lose that way, don't it?" The voice in Banri's head taunted.

"Why are you b-being so mean?" Banri asked the voice aloud.

"Hey, I'm the one being truthful to you. I'm not trying to spare your feelings like they did while your mom suffered."

Banri's hair stood completely on end. "D-Don't talk ab-bout my mom like that. H-How would you kn-now her?"

"I know a lot about her… and you…"

"Now's about the time you guys get to safety," Kohaku whispered to his sibs and Cleo and he pushed them towards her and stepped forward as she herded them twins away from the lot and down the street a bit. "Banri-san!" he then exclaimed. "Don't listen to him! He's just trying to mess with you!"

"Oh, he could hear me? How annoying." The voice said. "Who are you going to believe, kid? My voice that's actually been helping you, or the words of someone else you barely know?"

Banri began to hyperventilate. "How… How d-do I trust either of y-you? I don't know them… o-or you! How d-do you know ab-bout me?!"

"It wasn't hard. It's written all over your face and your actions. You're so terrified to ever witness that pain again… but you want me to be truthful? Here it is: All that worry is for nothing. Whatever happens to you dad, you can't stop it. He could die from the simplest of surgery overnight while you pump your blood pressure to bursting. And you'll have no one to blame for it, but you can't accept it."

"Banri-san! You need to ignore him! He's not just some voice in your head. It's coming from him!" Kohaku declared, pointing to the man with the newspaper across the street.

"You can't change the world. You can't save him. You can't even save yourself." The voice said as Banri's eyes quivered from the stress. "So go ahead. Tell me I'm wrong. Deny the truth. It will kill you faster than your father… but it won't hurt me at all…"

"That's enough out of you!" Dizzy shouted as his sword cleaved through the newspaper but missed the man as he leapt into the air.

"Shut up…!" Banri cried, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks as a dark green force started to grow in his eyes. "I won't listen to YOU!" Banri's scream echoed as he was surrounded by dark green energy, converging on his face. The energy exploded in a small burst, and Banri's body went limp, only raising the head to reveal a crude green mask with barely a face on it, only two closed eyes and an X where the mouth should be.

"Fine…" The voice echoed, now clearly audible to everyone. "Then sleep in blissful ignorance. I don't care." The mask made the face look at Doc as the actual man landed near him, turning to show an identical mask on his own face. "As for you… Where were we?"

"You can start by explaining who you are and what the hell you're attacking Banri-kun for!" Doc shouted. "Isn't he going through enough without whatever you're causing?"

"Enough? He's a paranoid fool who can't cope with simple tragedy." The man said, the voice clearly coming from the actual man now as he leaned on his new puppet casually. "At first I wasn't sure he'd actually be useful, but he's so unwilling to face danger that I couldn't help but latch on. As for who I am… there's no point in hiding it. I'm merely someone who wants to see the Alphomega fall before he reaches full power."

"You know about the Alphomega too?" Kohaku asked.

"Only that you're supposed to become incredibly powerful. But that's not interesting to me. I want to see what happens when you're denied that chance, so my little puppet here is going to cut one of those strings before it ever gets attached to you."

"HEY!" screamed an angry voice as Kazan stormed out of the doctor's office. "Get your hands off my son!" He started to sprint, only to slam into a barrier that surrounded the masked man, Banri, Doc, and Kohaku (the only one of the others still nearby).

"Go back to bed, Murota." The masked man told him as he stepped away from Banri. "I don't have time for you. Banri, nip this straggler in the bud." Banri's old voice was heard, echoing behind the mask as it shuddered.

"You're sick, and not in a curable way." Doc growled, adding a card to his hand from the game. "If Dizzy could knock that mask off before, I'll be damned if I don't this time."

"That was her, this is me. But by all means, try and avert your fate, Designator."

"The hell even is all of this?" Kazan shouted, before turning his attention to Clara who just joined. "You told me he was gonna be fine! What the hell is this?"

"I swear to you I have no idea!" Clara exclaimed with equal parts worry for her own son and fear for what Kazan might do, before a sword wound up between them.

"I don't mean to sound rude, sir," Dizzy said politely but firmly, "but I suggest you back away from my friend's mom."

"There's a lot to explain, so might wanna open that mind." Kohaku said from the other side of the barrier, making Kazan give him an expectant look.

"Watashi no turn. Draw!" Doc drew his card before taking a card out of his Graveyard. "By shuffling Guar-D into my Deck, I can Special Summon Vitamin A-lien from my hand!" His monster was similar to Guar-D, being floating glove hands and shoes, this time surrounding a small UFO with an alien head peeking out of the top.

Vitamin A-lien: Lv.6 LIGHT Psychic/Base ATK:1600/DEF:2400

"Ikuze! I Synergize Vitamin A-lien with Masked Rescuers M and L, as well as Vitamin Sight-C!" A-lien floated up before snapping its fingers, causing three purple portals to open up. Rescuers M and L emerged from two of them, while the last one revealed a small pair of sentient glasses, also flanked by the floating hands. "With the energies of these 4 united, a new lifesaver will be deployed to end all suffering!" The four monsters pooled their energy into a mostly yellow sphere with a slight amount of orange before morphing into Soul Towers, firing yellow lightning to further energize the sphere. Three hexagonal metal devices emerged from the sphere on each side, each being loaded with a giant pill, before large insectoid wings sprouted from it. "Kozu Shoukan! Arawareyo! Vitamachine B-Hive!" The being within took to the air on its wings, propelled by a rocket booster coming from the end of a stinger tail. Said booster was eventually replaced by a genuine stinger as the body of a large white-and-black hornet scanned the area, its eyes locking onto the masked Banri and reading "EMERGENCY", readying the hexagonal cannons locked to its body.

Vitamachine B-Hive: Quality 6 LIGHT Machine/Composition ATK:2500/DEF:3000 4 Active Soul Towers

"Ooh, one big, scary, metal bug." the masked man sarcastically taunted. "Lotta help that'll give ya."

"Didn't read the card yet, did you? Vitamachine B-Hive no kouka hatsudo!" Two of its Soul Towers shut off, causing two cannons to spin before the pills within them were changed out, being replaced by new ones. "By deactivating two Soul Towers, I can Special Summon two Vitamin monsters from my Deck!" The wasp's eyes locked onto its own field before launching the two pills, which were yellow and black, into the air. As the pills flew, they transformed into a pair of cartoonish-looking bees with notably hexagonal bodies, flanked by the same floating hands and shoes.

Vitamin Bumble-B: Lv.4 WIND Insect ATK:800/DEF:700

"And because I did, B-Hive gains Attack Points equal to their total Attack Points until the turn is over!" Yellow energy traveled across B-Hive's stinger and across its torso, causing its eyes to glow yellow.

B-Hive ATK:4100

"That won't be enough to finish my fighting force." Banri said through his mask.

"Then I'll need an even bigger dose. I Overlay both my Level 4 Vitamin Bumble-Bs!" Both his monsters turned fully green and shot into the air. "With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" A red spiral portal opened up, absorbing both monsters before giving off a burst of light. "Ekushiizu Shoukan!" Red lights in the shape of a plus sign within a circle lit up in darkness, attached to a large silver-painted robot. Said robot brandished a powerful-looking cannon, tubes attached to the barrel from a large pack on its back that seemed to have numerous pills rattling around within it. "Koi, Remedy Robo Prescriptron!" The head, resembling a helmet but lacking a true face, having a color divide of yellow on top and red on bottom, brought its hand to its cannon and cocked it like a shotgun, two yellow Overlay Units circling it.

Remedy Robo Prescriptron: Rank 4 LIGHT Machine/Xyz ATK:2300/DEF:2500 2 Overlay Units

"And before you try to discredit me again, watch this. By using one of its Overlay Units, I can equip any Vitamin monster from my hand or Graveyard, like Vitamin B-rrage, to it instantly!" One of the yellow units was absorbed into its cannon, and a lid on the top of its pack opened up. A purple portal opened up to let something leap out, resembling (of all things) a living gatling gun with two eyes perched on top of the barrels, also having the typical hands and shoes. The creature then morphed into a pill, gray on both sides, before flying into Prescriptron's pack and letting the lid clack shut. When it did, Prescriptron's cannon morphed until it also had a gatling gun barrel.

"I-I'm not scared…" The masked Banri shuddered.

"Banri-kun shouldn't. But YOU should be." Doc said to the puppeteer. "Because I detached a Vitamin Bumble-B for Prescriptrons effect, its own effect activates, which can let me equip it to a monster on my field; and I chain to that effect! Quick-Play Magic, Night Rescue Call, hatsudo! Because I have fewer Life Points than you do, I can Special Summon Masked Rescuer B from my Graveyard!" A purple portal was torn open by the toss of B's large scalpel, the man leaping out and catching it.

Masked Rescuer "B" ATK:1700

"Bumble-B, equip to Prescriptron!" Bumble-B flew into view, saluting Prescriptron before morphing into a yellow-and-black pill. Prescriptron's pack opened again to let the pill be placed inside, a yellow hexagon symbol appearing over his armor. "The healing power of the bee's honey gives me Life Points equal to half the equipped monster's Attack Points." Prescriptron fired a small blast into the air, exploding into yellow sparkles. "However, because I gained Life Points, Rescuer B gains Attack Points of the same amount!"

Doc LP:1250

Rescuer B ATK:2850

"Fine, so you got two monsters that beat the odds," the masked man said with a shrug,

"But I have 3," taunted Banri in a confident voice. "The bell rings my victory next turn."

Doc crossed his arms. "And you thought I was already done with my treatment. Prescriptron no kouka hatsudo. By sending the equipped Bumble-B to the Graveyard, I can attach a different Vitamin to it as an Overlay Unit." Prescriptron's pack appeared to sort itself out before a small claw took the yellow-and-black pill, pulling it into the robot's actual back. The pack then rumbled before spitting out a blue-and-yellow pill, which morphed into another orbiting yellow sphere. "And once that's done, the Level of the newly attached card degrades the stronger stat of one of your monsters for 300 each!" Prescriptron locked its vision onto Hakim before firing off a blue-and-yellow energy blast, which struck him and caused electricity to course through him, making him stumble and causing his mechanical eye to short-circuit as he takes a knee.

Hakim the Machine ATK:1700

"Preparations ready! Vitamachine B-Hive, attack Hakim the Machine!" The giant mecha-wasp adjusted its position before raising its stinger, retracting the point and replacing it with a cannon that fired a piercing blast at Hakim, striking him right through the chest and destroying him.

"Trap Card, open!" Banri and the masked man declared together. "Damage Generator!" The card flipped up but then turned into a strange electrical generator. "This little beaut denies me taking any major damage, and gains a Counter for every 500 points that just missed me." The shockwaves from the attack were absorbed into the machine, which began to whirl with power.

Damage Generator: 4 Counters

"I've got another dose for you, then. Rescuer B, attack King Dempsey!" The masked medical professional twirled his scalpel before charging forward, swinging like a sword.

Banri then held up a card. "Burning Knuckler Chief Second no kouka hatsudo! When you attack while I control a FIRE or Warrior monster, a few different things happen. First, I can Special Summon this runt in Defense mode." Appearing on his field was a smaller figure in black and red gear. He had a towel draped over his neck and carrying a stool and water bottle. He then set the stool in front of him like a shield as he kneeled down.

Burning Knuckler Chief Second: Lv.4 FIRE Warrior ATK:500/DEF:2000

"Second, your attack gets denied!" The sword clashed against the stool, but it was solid metal, solid enough to keep the blade at bay. "And finally, I can banish a monster on field until the end of this turn. Now, the obvious would be your Perscriptron, but I think I'll bench Freakshow instead." A portal opened behind the weird-bodied boxer and pulled him in before closing.

"Then I'll just take the opportunity. Prescriptron, strike King Dempsey!" Prescriptron aimed his new gatling cannon at Dempsey, tubes from his pack feeding crushed medicine powder into his body as the barrel began to spin. "Due to the power of Vitamin B-rrage, each monster you control gives it 200 Attack Points during the Battle Phase when it attacks!" (Prescriptron ATK:2700) The barrel then began firing a wave of icy cold blasts that pelted King Dempsey, freezing him solid before finally shattering him.

Banri LP:1800

"And on top of that, B-rrage lets me attack any other monster you had when the first attack went through! Take out Chief Second!" The icy blasts were aimed at the smaller boxer, causing him to suffer the same fate as Dempsey.

"Heh. All that work and all you got out of it was 400 damage." The masked man mused. "Don't expect any less resistance."

Doc merely ignored him, instead focusing on the masked Banri. 'If there's any way I can, I gotta get through to Banri-kun. But how?' "I set a facedown. Turn end."

"And with the end, Freakshow comes back." the man continued as the freakish fighter returned. "I think you oughta consider letting Banri here have his way, kiddo."

"HIS way? When you're clearly controlling him?" Doc asked.

"Right you are. Think about it, though." He leaned forward a bit, pointing one eye of his mask at Doc. "If I have full control, what do you think I could make him do?"

Doc immediately had a really bad idea of what he meant. "You wouldn't!"

"Already got my drift, huh? Maybe I wouldn't, right now I don't feel like it. But if I ever did… what the heck could you ever do to stop me?" To prove his point, Banri was already placing his hands on his head, starting to grip hard. "But like said, you let him win here, and maybe I'll let him go. Maybe…" the masked man just let that hang before cackling.

Kazan was glaring daggers, practically shaking with anger. "You miserable freak of nature…!" He growled. "If I was able to get my hands on you, I'd- Agh!" He grunted in pain, clutching at his arm. "D-Damn wrist…!"

"This is little outside what we can do I'm afraid, Kazan." Clara said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Best let the kids handle this. Crazy as it is."

"Wish we could say it made sense to us." Dizzy said. "Still, right now Doc-kun's the only one who can save him now." He looked over at the also trapped Kohaku. "Just wish you got out of there, Koha-kun."

"I'm holding up, though." Kohaku said. "I'm more worried about Doc-kun."

"Onii-chan!"

Looking over, Kohaku saw Kinoko and Sokudo run up to the barrier. "Guys, what are you doing here?! I told you to go with Cleo!"

"I'm sorry, Koha-kun." Cleo said, showing up behind them. "I was leading them to an ice cream shop, but then they just wrenched their hands free, worried about you."

"Heh. Tried to keep them safe and even THEY weren't having it." The masked man chuckled. "This just isn't your day. Course, I likely woulda tracked them down and forced them to fall once I was done with medic-boy here."

"Speaking of which, I believe you're still Dueling me, so cut your spiel short and get to it." Doc told him.

"Yadda yadda, just make sure you take the lumps that are coming." The masked man went on as Banri silently drew.

"First I play Burning Knuckler Vitality!" Banri declared. "By banishing a Burning Knuckler from my Graveyard, I draw 1 card." A card popped out of his Graveyard, and he showed it off. "And since I'm banishing King Dempsey, that means I get an additional card with it." He pocketed the Xyz, and drew 2 cards. "Now, I don't know if you were paying attention, but each time one of my monsters bit them dust, and each Standby Phase, my Long Count gained a Counter." Doc looked over at the card and noticed the announcer had counted up to 6.

Long Count: 6 Counters

"And now by forfeiting my Normal Summon for this turn, I can Special Summon a Burning Knuckler from my Graveyard by removing as many Counters as its Level. So, I'll use 4 to bring back United Burning Knuckler Axekick!" A bell rang twice out of nowhere as the Counter went down from 6 to 2 and spotlight shown down on a portal that opened as the Base from earlier returned.

Axekick ATK:2000

"Time to for the main event! I Synergize the Axekick on my field with Promoter, Chief Second, Roundhouse, Shadow, and Hakim the Machine!" Axekick stomped his foot again, prompting five portals to surround him, bringing his fallen comrades back to the field before they all pooled their energy. "With the energies of these 6 united, a new fighter descends to deliver the blow of a force of nature!"

"He's goin' for it… My old ace!" Kazan realized.

The monsters morphed into Soul Towers and further energized the red sphere, causing bolts of lightning to surround it and shoot out from within. "Kozu Shoukan!" Out of nowhere, the sphere shot straight into the air, barely visible before seemingly exploding with electricity, one large bolt barreling down from above. "The divine decisive strike!" The lightning crashed into the ground, only for a figure to stand up from within the smoke. Their body was largely green, accented by yellow, the head resembling that of the other Burning Knucklers. However, his legs were entirely dominated by massive green leg guards with small thunderbolt edges. "United Burning Knuckler… Jinrai no Greave (Thunderclap Greave)!" The new warrior cracked his neck before merely taking one step forward with a grunt, that one step being enough to cause a smaller thunderbolt behind him.

United Burning Knuckler Thunderclap Greave: Quality 4 FIRE Warrior/Composition ATK:3000/DEF:200 6 Active Soul Towers

"And now, to make this card more fitting of its name, I equip Greave with Shock Knuckle Strike, which not only turns Greave into a Thunder monster, but one monster you control other than the attack target will be unable to attack if I destroy my target." Greave slowly clenched one of its hands which began to crackle with electricity. "Now for some overkill. I remove all Counters from my Generator to raise the attack of my Thunder monster by 400 for each Counter!" The strange generator shot a bolt of electricity at the fighter, supercharging it.

Thunderclap Greave ATK:4600

"And now the final nail in your coffin. I deactivate 2 Soul Towers to let Greave attack twice and double the damage!" Two Soul Towers shut off as Greave jumped up, powering himself up with even more electricity and seeming to actually float about the ground, yelling from all the power.

"Now," the masked man said gleefully yet evilly at the same time as Banri, "time for you to disappear! Thunderclap Greaves, attack Masked Rescuer "B"!" Greave's leg guards moved to cover his feet, sprouting a large jagged blade before he dove toward Doc, clad in electricity.

Doc clenched his fist. "...Gomen, Banri-kun, but I can't let him do what he wants. Trap, hatsudo! Draining Shield!" A green barrier surrounded Doc just as Greave jabbed the powerful blade in his vicinity, causing him to visibly struggle against it. "This card negates your attack, and the battle damage I would've taken instead becomes Life Points!" The shield made Doc briefly glow.

Doc LP:4750

"You negated one attack, but can you handle-" The masked man started to say, but then he noticed something. Greave's grunts had changed to sound more pained, and his leg guards were starting to crack. "What the?"

Kazan was then heard laughing from the side. "That's what happens when you hijack a Deck you don't know! If Greave's attack is ever negated after using his own effect, he gets destroyed instead!"

"Tch, guess I gotta use it now." the masked man said under his breath before shouting to Banri. "Get the ref!"

"I activate the effect of Burning Knuckler Referee!" Banri announced, holding up a card in his hand. "By banishing this from my hand or Graveyard when a Burning Knuckler would be destroyed by battle or effect, the destruction is denied." A Burning Knuckler like being appeared wearing a referee's uniform appeared, blowing a whistle before a bell rang three times, causing Greave to suddenly be alright. The warrior leapt back to Banri's field, but the electricity around him was going haywire before being absorbed by Damage Generator.

Damage Generator Counters: 7

"What? More counters?" The masked man asked.

"You'da been done without that little piece of kit!" Kazan said, now grinning. "Not only would Greave be destroyed, but all that massive damage would smack you right upside the head!"

"That was 3500 damage I missed out on, and I had to burn a protection. Double denial, huh?" The masked man mused. "...You think you can get away with doing that to me? I guess you thought I was bluffing." He then started chuckling evilly. "Banri, I think you should get rid of that kink in your neck." Banri's hands started moving toward his own head.

"BANRI!" Kazan roared, not out of fear (or rather very well disguised fear) but rather out of defiance. The sound actually caused his son's body to stop. "Are you going to let him control you so easily?! You of all people would have piloted Greave to victory! You are NOT weak enough to be strung along like a puppet, you hear me, son?!"

"Save the volume." The masked man said with a chuckle. "As long as that mask is on his face, he can't hear a word you're saying. Shame, really. He won't ever get to see you again." However, at that moment, he could hear Banri making grunts through the mask. "Huh?"

"T… T…" Banri tried to say, slowly moving his hands away from his head.

"Banri-kun?" Doc asked.

"...Turn… End…"

The masked man touched his own mask for a moment. "...You loudmouth bear. I actually lost my hold for a bit there." He sounded almost impressed.

"Lost his hold…" Kohaku said to himself.

"Kuso, how do I get out of this?" Doc said to himself.

"Would you like a little help?" says a gentle, male voice in his head.

"Huh?"

"Let's see what we're working with."

"GAME CARD INTERMISSION." As Banri loaded his Game Cards unwittingly, Kohaku felt a familiar glow before it suddenly stopped, only for the Silver Card to appear among the cards before Doc had even loaded anything. The roulette started without input, only to quickly stop dead on the card. "ACCESSING WORLD MAP." The card gave off a bright flash, and when everyone's vision came back, they were looking at or standing on parts of the Airborne Atoll map.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me." The masked man groaned in disbelief.

Doc looked around for a moment before seeing a first-aid tent appear on the cloud beach where Kohaku played that frisbee game. "That… wasn't there before." Kohaku said, seeing a game space appear in front of the tent. Doc, feeling a compulsion, started walking toward the tent, everyone seeing him walk along the map.

"Honey!" Clara called out, concerned, but was stopped by Kazan and Kohaku before she fell.

"It's ok, Robinson-sensei, have a little faith in your son." Kohaku told her reassuringly. They all watch as Doc walking into the tent before a large screen appeared in the world showing a message:

World 2-Theta: Healer's Choice

The screen then changed, showing Doc in what looked like an operating room. On a tray nearby lay a few objects: a syringe, a lotion bottle, gauze, forceps, though what stood out was a straight stick carved out of grey wood designed with a white hilt of sorts. A locked box marked "surgical tools" was on the other side of the operating table. "Where is this place?"

"Welcome, sonny." The voice he heard earlier said. "Hope you don't mind someone other than the fairy guidin ya for a moment. Just wanna be sure you're the right one." Doc then realized he wasn't alone, mostly because he smelled an odd scent going through the air. Looking over to where it was coming from, he saw a very old, wrinkled man dressed in a brown and yellow robe, over a bubbling cauldron that he was stirring with a stick.

"Who are you?" Doc asked.

"Oh, I'm just an old man." the man replied. "But you and I have something in common. We both have the same patron."

Doc rose an eyebrow. "Patron?"

"Oh yes. Someone important who wants to see us both succeed." The old man said. "Well, I already have in a way. This is about you now, sonny."

"But who is this 'patron'?" Doc asked.

"Come now, you must have a thought given the setting on who they might be. You've seen one with your friend earlier."

Doc scratched his head trying to remember. "Wait…" He remembered seeing Crimson Cycloner in the Gamepad screen before. "So… this patron is some kind of spirit?"

"Probably the best way to put it. I'm one too, after all." The old man said. "I assume you have at least one card of mine. But I'm getting off topic. Time for a little test. You're going to have a few patients come in for a treatment. Impress the patron, you just might have the card and the power to get out of this predicament. Oh, and, uh, don't worry about the young lad. Long as everyone's in here, no one may act against the rules of this world."

To prove his point, a screen appeared before Doc, showing the masked man was currently tapping his mask over and over again, but Banri's body didn't seem to respond at all. "Damn geezer…"

"Ho ho ho. You can wait your turn, you rascal." The old man said before looking at Doc. "Are you ready, boy?"

"You got this, Doc-kun," Kohaku said under his breath, yet Doc could hear it within his head.

Doc took a deep breath through his nose, holding up his hands. "I'm ready. Let's begin the procedures."

GO!

The first "patient" to appear on the table was female D-Vatar in a bikini. She had a pained look on her face and several bright red spots on her body. A chart appeared next to her with a few visible words compared to the squiggles around.

Patient is complaining about severe sunburn.

"Sunburns. That obviously calls for appropriate lotion." Doc saw a bottle in front of him, grabbing it before looking back to the patient and applying the lotion. Everone watching was seeing the game from his POV, as if it was a VR game. After that the patient started to look better in very little time, smiling and sparkling before she left the tent. The next patient to appear was a male D-Vatar in board shorts. There was a gash on his foot. Doc looked at the chart near him.

Patient cut his foot on a piece of glass on the beach.

"Okay… likely option would be to clean and dress the wound," Doc said to himself. He looked at the syringe. "But is that what I need?" He hovered his hand over the syringe, and after a moment, a pop-up that read 'sterile saline'. "Okay, this is one part. Where's the gauze?" He looked over the items and eventually found a roll of gauze. "This'll work." He squeezed the syringe to put saline on the gauze before putting it near the gash, using it to get rid of the excess blood. He then squirted a little saline into the wound itself to flush out any access dirt still inside. After a moment, he made motions to get some cleaner gauze from the roll and put it on the wound, which quickly turned into the patient sparkling with a thumbs-up and a bandaged foot, walking out of the tent with a limp. "Okay, what next? Doc asked. Another male D-Vatar appeared in a wetsuit, this one in major pain with a few large barbs sticking out of his chest as forceps appeared on the tray with more gauze.

Patient is suffering poison from Strange Urchin spines.

"E-Eh? Poison?" Doc wondered, looking at the tools. "I could remove the spines, but… there's nothing else here! No antivenom!"

"One step at a time, sonny." the old man wheezed. "Do what you can, then ask me for a hint if you need it. Better hurry. That lad's on a timer."

Doc looked up and noticed that there was indeed a timer ticking down, making him gulp. "O-Okay, first thing… Gotta get the spines out." He tried to breathe before taking the forceps.

"This is insane!" Doc's mother exclaimed. "Why would anyone want my son to do something so complex?"

"I'd say this is only a game, but at this point that's only a half-truth." Kohaku told her.

Doc gently but firmly tugged on a barb, trying to work it out without causing more damage. The patient winced and struggled a bit, but slowly the barb came out with minimal damage. However, by the time Doc did so, he noticed the time limit ticking down again. "One thing at a time, one thing at a time…" He told himself, trying to calm himself down, refocusing on taking care of the barbs.

"Is he gonna make it, Oni-Chan?" Kinoko asked her brother.

"Yeah, Kohaku-nii, he's running out of time." Sokudo added.

"I know he can do it." Kohaku said, his voice again faint within Doc's head. "I believe in him."

Doc still had a couple of barbs left, but the timer was almost up. "Runnin out of time there." the old man mused. "Care for a word from the experienced?"

Doc felt the sweat pile on his brow, panting as he tried to focus. "Please… I-I don't know what to do."

"That timer isn't the poison, it's the patient's will," the old man said. "While the barbs pump more poison in, the poison takes more of their will. Use the wand to channel the patron to pull that poison out and give you more time."

"Wand?" Doc asked. He looked back at the table and noticed the stick he saw earlier, grabbing it. "This… can help?"

"Have a little faith, sonny." The old man said. "Hold the wand high, place your hand on the patient's heart, and imagine in your mind what you want the patron to do."

"Faith healing?" Clara asked in disbelief. "What kind of hokey game is this?"

Doc merely stared at the stick for a moment, then back to the victim, who groaned on the table. "...I don't know how this is supposed to work… but I'm willing to try anything…" He walked over to them, placing a hand on the victim's chest and holding the stick up. Almost immediately, the timer stopped just before running out.

"You wish to use my power to save this youth?" boomed a loud voice.

Doc gulped, having no idea where that voice came from. "A-At least give this person hope. Hope that they'll pull through."

"Then let us make a pact." the voice echoed again. "I shall help you when you feel it is needed, so long as you never forget the true power within healing of all kinds. Now, channel my power into him."

Kohaku watched as the screen seemed to shift. While before it had showed the proverbial buttons Doc would be hitting as he grabbed and used items, this time it looked like it was setting up the same button mash as when Dizzy drew his sword. Doc closed his eyes as the lights dimmed, and the stick started to gently glow, the glow spreading across Doc's arms and into the patient. The timer began to count backwards second by second, steadily going faster and faster, but the patient lightly tossed on the table, causing the timer to stop again. Doc squinted his eyes further shut, and the button mash prompt added a second button. The glow intensified, and the timer's reversal continued until it reached full again. As the lights brightened, Doc looked up to see the timer was not only full, but also not moving. "Well, looks like you got all the poison out." the old man mused. "Best get the rest of them barbs before they start inflicting again."

"R-Right." Doc said, grabbing the forceps again. Doc carefully finished pulling out the last of the barbs, then applied gauze and medical tape over the holes to put pressure and stop the bleeding.

FINISH!

"That's the last of them, sonny." The old man said, dunking a ladle into his cauldron and pouring some of the brew into a cup. "Frankly, I wish we coulda done without an audience, but this being an emergency, it couldn't be helped."

"I'm just glad I was able to help." Doc said, slightly out of breath. "But, what about the poison actually in his body?"

"All he needs is a little of this." The old man handed the D-Vatar the cup, who downed the brew in no time at all. Within seconds, the telltale sparkle shone across him, the D-Vatar raising both fists in hype. "Keepin' him calm kept the poison from circulating too fast. If he got too stressed, it might not have worked. Course in time, with guidance, you'll be able to cure poisoning through the magic you just performed, so long as you don't abuse the patron's power."

"The patron's power…" Doc wondered, looking down at the stick he was still holding.

"It'll make more sense in time, son. But with what little ya got now, I bet you can help that lad in the mask."

"What? How?" Doc asked.

"Don't ask me, just ask him once you're back outside. He'll be watching." Doc's vision then went white, as did the screen everyone was watching this on. Doc then walked out from within the tent, the space changing to blue to signify completion.

"Okay…" Doc said aloud, "I don't know if you can hear me, but how can I save Banri-kun?"

"Aim the wand at him." said a voice in his head. Doc moved his hand to look at the wand, only to realize it wasn't there anymore. "It will appear to you. Use it, and hope can be brought to him."

"JASON ROBINSON HAS WON AND MAY DRAW 1 CARD."

Everyone's vision went white before they found themselves back in reality. Doc was still a bit out of it, holding his head for a moment, only to be brought fully back by the sound of his Deck ejecting the top card to be drawn. As he drew it, he was taken aback slightly by seeing the older man in his card's artwork. "I don't know what you're planning, kid, but I think it's about time I cut my losses." the masked man said. "But before I go, best give daddy a reason to really hate your guts." He touched his mask, and this time Banri reacted, starting to reach for his head again.

Doc's fingers tensed around the card before adding it to his hand. "...Please work." He rose his now open hand and pointed it toward Banri. The Greek letter Theta briefly appeared in his eye without him noticing, and a small bit of energy morphed into the odd stick he once held. As Doc took hold of the stick, he could feel the energy enter him. "Help me save Banri-kun! Please!"

The energy traveled to the end of the stick, causing the end to glow with a bright light. Banri's hands were already gripping his head, tensing up in preparation to move. "Do not give up, young one." The deep voice spoke. A beam shot out of the stick and struck Banri's forehead. Doc's eyes widened as his vision went white. Before he knew it, he suddenly found himself in a dark, empty void, only a spotlight denoting where he was standing.

"...Why are you h-here…?" He heard Banri's voice echo, looking around before finally catching sight of Banri himself, curled up on the ground right next to him with his back to Doc in his own spotlight. "H-How are you here?"

"I…I don't know myself really." Doc admitted. "But since I'm here, could you… can we talk, please?"

"Why b-bother?" Banri said. "Wh-What am I supposed to d-do? I t-tried not listening to him! It didn't work!"

Doc sighed, sitting himself down. "I'm sorry if I came off as rude at any point. I just… I just didn't want you to worry about him. He's been fine the whole operation."

Banri whined when he heard that word. "And you c-couldn't tell me that?" He asked.

"I wanted to. But the more you had your mind on him, the more it seemed to just make you spiral. I just thought… if I took your mind off it and you saw him come out okay…"

Banri didn't immediately answer, shivering a bit. "...H-He says my d-dad's out there. He s-sees what's happ-pened to me. What am I s-supposed to tell him?"

"I…I don't know. This whole situation is way out of both of our comfort zones."

"Check your device." the deep voice whispered to Doc.

Doc instinctively checked his wrist, and his Duel Disk and Gamepad were indeed still there. It was then he noticed a message on it sent to him earlier in the Duel. "Mom." Doc realized, opening the message.

Message: This might be against Doctor-patient privilege, but this might be important to helping Banri. He's been worried about losing his dad because of how they lost his mom.

Doc took a deep breath. "Your dad's all you've got left, isn't he?"

Banri just nodded, choking back a sob. "She… she was ge-getting better, but then she wasn't. No one would tell me why!"

"They were trying to spare your feelings, but it backfired. Either way likely wouldn't have helped though." Doc said, as he read more of the message.

"Yeah? Why?"

"Because her cancer had come back in an inoperable location."

This actually made Banri slowly turn to look at Doc. "Wh-what?"

"She had a recurrence. And it was spreading. The best they could have done was using chemo and radiation to shrink it, maybe make her more comfortable, but…"

Banri slowly turned back away, but he could be heard sniffling. "They… actually tried to save her? But nothing worked?"

"That's what I'm reading." Doc sighed. "I can't imagine what going through that was like. I wish I could've been there to help you through it… but I don't even know what I could've done… short of what we're doing now, talking about it."

"Yeah? What g-good does that d-do?"

"For one, it helps me see how that goon managed to take over. He was playing with your emotions. Because you don't want to lose your dad, you worry about every little thing until you oveblow it in your mind. Am I wrong?"

Banri's sniffles became more audible as he shook. "...No… I don't want anything to happen…" He said through tears. "B-But it feels like no matter what I d-do, things just g-go wrong! What else c-can I do but w-worry?!"

Doc gulped in preparation for what he was about to say. "...You could have a little faith."

"E-Eh?"

"I know, it probably sounds like it won't help… but if there's nothing you can do, the least you can do is try and trust those who CAN do something. Because no matter what happens, there's always someone willing to do everything they can to help. Just try to believe that it'll get better… somehow." Banri just scoffed. "Believe me, I wouldn't have thought about it at first. But the more I think about it, medicine is all about having faith. Faith in the patient to tell the doctor everything that is or could be wrong. Faith in the doctor to know the causes for their problems or find ways to find those causes. Faith in the treatment to cure the problems. It's a cycle that feeds into each other, and it all hinges on the belief you can and will get better. The science can really only work if you want it to."

Banri didn't immediately respond, but Doc could hear him breathing heavily. Eventually, he slowly turned, looking at Doc with teary eyes and a pleading look. "Help… me."

Doc gave him a soft smile and repositioned as he placed his hands on Banri's shoulders, feeling himself guided in what he was going to say. "I think you can help yourself here, Banri-kun. I believe in you being able to overcome this. Just imagine hugging your dad again, no worries between you. Can you see it?"

Banri looked down, closing his eyes. He pictured himself getting a rough, but hearty one-handed hug from Kazan. "That's my boy, Banri. I told ya you could do it!" He heard his dad say.

"Hold tight to that feeling. Feel it grow. Use it to push aside all the doubts and denials you're feeling. Believe you will see him again."

"Dad…" Banri whimpered, clenching his fists and shutting his eyes tightly. "I… I want you to be alright… I don't want to worry anymore. I believe…" He pumped both fists. "I k-know you'll get through this!" Everything seemed to go white for them again.

Back outside, Doc was still pointing the wand at Banri's head, whose body had stopped moving completely. The masked man was tapping his mask repeatedly. "Oh, what the heck? He stopped it again, but I didn't think it would stop for this long." Doc then suddenly came to outside, getting his attention. "What the hell did you do?"

Doc made sure he had all his bearings before re-gripping the wand, the white beam fading. "I worked on my bedside manner a bit."

"Cute." The masked man scoffed. "Now if you're done screwing around-" He was cut off as he saw Banri start to move again, hands moving away from his head.

"...Dad…" Banri's voice groaned behind the mask.

Kazan's attention was immediately on him. "Banri? That you, son?"

"I'm… sorry… this happened…" Banri struggled to say. "...But… I can… try and… fix it…!" His hands grabbed hold of the mask covering his face, gripping tightly.

"You think you can get out of my grip, kid?" The masked man said, tapping his mask.

The mask covering Banri's face began to crackle with energy, causing him to scream underneath and flail about as he tried as hard as he could to pull at it. "Banri-kun! Hold firm!" Doc shouted. "I promise, it'll be alright!"

Despite shaking violently from the pain, Banri's grip never left the mask. "I… believe you…!" He suddenly stomped one foot on the ground, steadying himself. "I… won't… be afraid…!" He pulled even harder, causing his tormentor to grip his own head briefly. "Get… off… ME!" With one final pull and a yell, the sound of tearing echoed through the area as the mask was ripped off of Banri's face, somehow leaving nary a mark. In a rush of adrenaline, he then crumpled the mask like the paper it was and tossed it to the ground, which then inexplicably burst into blue flame.

"He… He freed himself!" Dizzy said in shock.

Kazan grinned widely. "Attaboy, Banri! That's the guts I wanted to see!" Banri lightly jumped, looking over to see his father happy as could be.

Kohaku smiled at Doc. 'I knew you could do it.'

The masked man stared at the burning remains of his duplicate mask, resting a hand near the chin of the one he was wearing as if he was about to raise it. "...I don't believe it. I didn't think it was possible for someone to rip one of those off." He looked at Doc.

"The problem is that your power is based solely on a person's emotions," Doc explained. "I doubt I'll be able to reach any others you and your kind try to control like I did with Banri, but know now that I sure as hell am gonna try and keep them out of your clutches!"

The masked man was silent for a moment before scoffing. "That just means I know who we gotta watch for next time. And trust me, you won't be so lucky with anyone else. But I'll be truthful: You impressed me. So for that, I'll give you a tidbit." He tapped his mask again. "How about a name to remember? I got a simple one: Vito. But the others? Denied. Find that out on your own. You're bound to run into them anyway." Vito then looked over at Banri. "And as for you, kid… I shouldn't have even bothered with you." The eyes of Vito's mask gave off a gleam as green energy spread from it, surrounding him from head to toe before even covering the mask itself, and in an instant, it and the man himself were gone. The Damage Generator and Shock Knuckle Strike cards on Banri's disk were consumed by the same green energy, dissolving into nothing, causing the odd contraption to explode and the electric effect around Greave's fist to vanish.

With him gone, the barrier fell, letting Kazan rush in and tightly hug his son. "Holy hell, Banri, that was scary. Are you okay, son?"

Banri panted heavily as the adrenaline slowly faded from his body, clinging to his father while shaking like an earthquake. "D-Dad… I-I'm sorry… I c-c-couldn't stop worrying… He got in my head…"

Kazan placed a hand on his son's head. "Son, I am not gonna blame you for a psychopath doing what he did to you. I know you're worried about me, just like you were your mom. But if anyone between us needs to be worried, it's me. I had to be strong to raise you alone. I don't wanna see you break yourself just because you think you need to worry about me."

"Personally and professionally," Clara chimed in, "a little worry between the both of you is healthy, but I think you both need to be more open about your feelings toward each other, if only to help your mental as well as your physical health."

Banri looked down for a moment before looking over at Doc. "S-Sorry, Robinson-s-san. I sh-shouldn't have been th-that way toward you."

"I've come across worse in my lifetime." Doc said with a shrug. "Besides, you weren't quite yourself. I'm glad you seem to be okay, though."

"How about we get you checked out, though? At no charge." Clara said.

Banri was about to answer, but then he looked down at his Duel Disk for a moment. "Okay… but… I-I want to finish this Duel first."

"You sure, Banri-kun?" Doc asked, surprised. "You've been through a lot already."

"I know… b-but this is the first time I've really used Dad's Deck. I… want to see if I can do well, i-if I have a little faith."

"Well, if you're game," Doc said as pulls out his headband and puts it on, "let's finish the treatment."

Kazan couldn't help but give his son a proud smile, giving him a hearty pat to the back. "Do your best, Banri. Show me whatcha got." Banri gave a firm nod, and Kazan moved aside to let him go on.

Doc looked at the stick he had used, moving it a bit before thinking about putting it away, only for the object to glow white and vanish from his hand. He took a breath. "Watashi no turn!" He drew his card, then looked at the card with the old man. "To give you a chance to make a comeback, I'll keep this move simple. Continuous Magic, Cauldron of the Old Man, hatsudo." Green and purple smoke billowed up, coming from a familiar cauldron being stirred by the old man from the card and the tent, giving a "ho ho ho" laugh. "This card gets a counter when I play it, and then I can gain 500 Life Points for that counter."

The old man dunked a cup into the brew and handed it to Doc. 'Enjoy, son.' Doc heard the man say in his head, smiling as he downed the drink.

Doc LP:5250

"And because of that," Doc said as he wiped off his mouth, "Masked Rescuer B gets a bit more of a boost." Rescuer B drug his hand across the flat side of his scalpel blade.

Rescuer B ATK:3350

"Hope you got something that can save you! Rescuer B, attack Thunderclap Greave!" Twirling his blade, Rescuer B leapt into the air, posed to strike at Greave.

Banri started to sweat a bit, but a quick look at his hand showed him a way he could get through. '...Have a little faith!' He told himself, taking a quick breath before stepping forward as if stancing up. "Burning Knuckler Clinch no k-kouka hatsudo!" A burly-looking, grey-skinned Knuckler in a tattered martial arts gi appeared, leaping forward. "By d-discarding this card, I can s-stop your attack!" Clinch easily dodged B's scalpel and wrapped his arms tightly around him, locking B's arms completely in place before bringing them back to earth. Clinch then looked back and nodded, which Banri returned.

"Clinch, eh? I actually forgot I had that one." Kazan mused.

"Eheh… You d-didn't." Banri said. "I-I added that one. I thought it would've h-helped."

"Hahaha, already making that Deck your own, kid." Kazan gave his son a big smile, making Banri blush in embarrassment.

"You definitely left an opening for yourself." Doc said, looking at his hand. Nothing there could be placed as a facedown. "So I guess the floor's yours now. Turn end."

"Okay…" Banri said, drawing his card. He looked over his hand a bit, looking at Counterpunch. "W-Wait…" He looked at Greave, then to Doc's monsters, then to his Gamepad screen. "Minus that, double it…" After a while of seemingly doing mental math, he gasped as if realizing something. "I… I always had a way." He gulped before clenching his fists. "...I d-don't need his cards anymore… I'm g-glad they're gone. Because I can do th-this! Thunderclap Greave no kouka hatsudo!" Two more Soul Towers shut off, causing Greave to once again float off the ground from the electricity coursing through him. "Go, Thunderclap… attack R-Remedy Robo Prescriptron!" Greave grunted as his leg protector covered his foot, sprouting a blade, but Banri quickly grabbed a card. "Burning Kn-nuckler Counterpunch no k-kouka hatsudo!" A blue boxer emerged from behind Banri, its most notable attribute being blades resembling wings attached to his wrists. "By b-banishing this card from my h-hand when battling, Greave g-gains 1000 Attack Points!" Counterpunch threw a punch, disappearing as a blade detached from his wrist and flew around, locking onto Greave's right wrist.

Thunderclap Greave ATK:4000

"Thunderclap Greave can attack twice and deals double damage with that effect." Kohaku said. "Doc-kun's got no defense, so…"

"...It's enough to beat me." Doc realized.

"When P-Prescriptron is defeated, Greave also attacks V-Vitamachine B-Hive." Banri declared quietly, taking a breath through his nose. "The knockout kick…" Hearing the memories of his father's Duels in his mind, Banri rose his head and opened his eyes. "GOD STRIKE DIVE!" Greave spun around as he rose further into the air before the electricity flashed brightly, and in an instant, Greave was barreling down on Prescriptron foot-first, bladed wrist outstretched like a giant electrified wing. Before anyone knew it, Greave plowed his leg blade right through Prescriptron's chest armor, and in the same fluid motion, the electric blade slashed clean across B-Hive's thorax. Both medical machines jerked and crackled as the electricity overloaded their system, finally exploding all at once and allowing Greave to keep flying, leg armor and blades scraping loudly across the ground as he slid hard from all the momentum, only finally come to a stop right past Doc. Greave slowly stood back up and looked at Doc, who had his arms up to deflect any of the force from the explosions, but when Doc noticed, he merely gave Greave a content smile. Greave nodded before finally turning around to look at Banri, raising an arm with a victorious grunt, and Long Count let out a loud bell.

KNOCKOUT!

Doc LP:0 - LOSER

Banri just stared in shock as the AR dissolved. "I… I did it… I DID IT!" He looked over at Kazan, looking happier than he ever had. "I-I did it, Dad! I won!"

Kazan walked over and slapped a hand on Banri's shoulder. "I never doubted ya for a minute, Banri. I knew you had it in you to use my Deck. You just needed to not worry so much!" Banri felt tears well up in his eyes from the sheer elation he was feeling.

Doc just watched the father and son talk with each other, letting out a content sigh. He held up his hand, materializing the wand he had earlier. 'If you're hearing me, patron, thanks.'

'I gave you aid. In the end, you did the work.' He heard that voice in his head. 'Just remain vigilant in case you are needed. I will be watching. In fact…' A ball of light popped up right in front of Doc's face. "I'm right here."

"Eh?" Doc wondered. "Where did you-?"

"Come from?" the light ball asked. "Technically, I just sent something to you so I could see if you're really as worthy as I think you are. Though, far as fate is concerned, you and I are bonded."

Doc was so in the middle of processing what was said that he didn't even notice Kohaku, Dizzy, Cleo, and the twins approach. "Bonded?" Doc asked.

"Like your friend and his little demon who are behind you."

"He talkin' about me?" Cycloner asked.

Doc whirled around upon realizing his friends were there. "Jeez guys, you scared me."

"So it seems." Cleo said. "You're starting to talk to yourself too, huh, Doc-kun?"

"I told you, Cleo, there's actually a spirit next to me! Even Koha-kun backs me up!" Dizzy protested.

Cleo quickly elbowed Dizzy in the gut. "Are you trying to make the little kids WANT to be part of this?" Cleo harshly whispered in Dizzy's ear, nodding her head to the twins. Both kids tilted their heads before looking at Kohaku, who just shook his head.

Doc sweatdropped at the interaction, but then he looked near Dizzy. Unlike before, he was now able to see the spirit of Cycloner, who was actually laughing at Cleo and Dizzy's interaction. "...So it WAS real." He whispered to himself.

"As your group awakens, they'll all be able to see us before long." The patron said. "So goes the bonds of Designators and their Envoys."

"So then, why can't I see you as clearly as I see Dizzy's?" Doc asked in a whisper.

"On the one hand, I'm not ready to show you who I am until I know for sure you can handle what I can give you." it explained. "On the other… welll you know what they say about 'going mad if you see what angels really look like.'"

"Is that what you are?"

"In a sense. When I believe you can handle my power… you'll see." The patron's light floated around Doc before seemingly vanishing.

"So," Clara said as she approached the kids. "You're some kind of 'faith-healer' now, Jason?"

Doc looked at the wand he was holding. "...If it helps the patient, it's a remedy that goes with any other, I guess."

'Repeat what I will say,' the voice said in his head one last time.

Doc listened to what the voice was telling him. "Medicine requires as much faith as it does science." He said, tapping the wand against his finger. "Faith that the science will work as it should for the needs of the patient."

Clara merely stared at him for a moment, before just closing her eyes with a smile. "You sound like your grandpa. He used to talk about faith too. I thought he just meant confidence."

"M-Miss Robinson?" Banri spoke up, getting her attention. "I-I… I could use that check-up… i-if you're not busy…"

"Sure thing," Clara said, going to Banri and Kazan. "Let's make sure what happened didn't leave any lasting effects." Doc merely smiled as his mom led the two away, the hilt of his wand gleaming in the sunlight.

---

*15 second intro*

We're rolling deep into your underground crib
Thought I sent a prior notice card for you
We wanna make this party you don't want to skip
Gonna be a show to remember

Take Over, it's time to boogie down
Make Over, nothing's gonna be the way you might like
(It) was over when you started with us
You should've thought twice, walked on thin ice
Hey, Game's Over

Take Over, it's time to boogie down
Make Over, nothing's gonna be the way you might like
(It) was over when you started with us
You should've thought twice, walked on thin ice
Hey, Game's Over

(Hey, it's time to boogie down!
Hey, it's time to boogie down!)

---

*Preview*

Pyro: We've only got one shot at this... Hope you're ready, Cryo!

Cryo: Oh, this is not going to end well...

Kohaku: Feels like I keep finding something new each time I'm here. Yikes! What the? Walls?

?: You won't go any further, Yudin...

Kohaku: Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART: "Sykonetyk Strike! The Thermo Combo!" It is ON!

---

Author-Made Cards (card names here use TCG names)

Masked Rescuer "M"
Level 4 LIGHT Warrior/Base
ATK:1800/DEF:1400
Once per turn, if you gained LP this turn: You can target 1 monster you control; if it attacks an opponent's Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent. [other effects unconfirmed]

United Battlin' Boxer Roundhouse
Level 4 FIRE Warrior
ATK:1700/DEF:600
If this card battles a monster with more than 1700 ATK: Destroy that card without applying damage calculation. If this card battles a monster with less than 1700 ATK: Destroy this card without applying damage calculation.

Masked Rescuer "L"
Level 3 LIGHT Warrior
ATK:1400/DEF:0
If you gain LP, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 "Masked Rescuer" monster from your GY. You can only use each effect of "Masked Rescuer "L" once per turn.

United Battlin' Boxer Kneethrust
Level 4 FIRE Warrior
ATK:1200/DEF:0
If this card attacks: Double this card's ATK until the end of the Damage Step. If a "Battlin' Boxer" monster you control attacks a monster but doesn't destroy it by battle: You take half the Battle Damage that results from that battle. If an attack from a "Battlin' Boxer" you control is negated: You take damage equal to half that monster's ATK.

Vitamin Guar-D
Level 4 EARTH Machine
ATK:500/DEF:500
During your Main Phase 2: You can equip this card to a monster you control as an Equip Spell Card. The equipped monster cannot be destroyed by battle. During your opponent's next End Phase after this card was equipped to a monster: Send this card to the Graveyard.

Masked Rescuer "B"
Level 4 LIGHT Warrior
ATK:1700/DEF:1500
Once per turn, if you gain LP: You can have this card gain ATK equal to the amount of LP gained. [incomplete?]

United Battlin' Boxer Axekick
Level 4 FIRE Warrior/Base
ATK:2000/DEF:0
Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. If your opponent declares a direct attack with a monster with 1500 or more ATK: You can Special Summon this card from your hand, and if you do, change the attack target to this card.

Battlin' Boxer Freakshow
Level 6 FIRE Warrior
ATK:2200/DEF:1000
If this card was Tribute Summoned by Tributing a "Battlin' Boxer" monster: This card's attacks cannot be negated.

Vitamin A-lien
Level 6 LIGHT Psychic/Base
ATK:1600/DEF:2400
You can shuffle 1 "Vitamin" monster from your GY into the Main Deck; Special Summon this card from your hand. You can only Special Summon "Vitamin A-lien" once per turn this way. During your Main Phase: You can equip this card to a monster you control as an Equip Spell Card. [equip effect unknown] During your opponent's next End Phase after this card was equipped to a monster: Send this card to the Graveyard.

Vitamin Bumble-B
Level 4 WIND Insect
ATK:800/DEF:700
During your Main Phase: You can equip this card to a monster you control as an Equip Spell Card. If this card is equipped to a monster: Gain LP equal to half that monster's ATK. During your opponent's next End Phase after this card was equipped to a monster: Send this card to the Graveyard.

Vitamin B-rrage
Level ? EARTH Machine
[ATK and DEF unknown]
During your Main Phase: You can equip this card to a monster you control as an Equip Spell Card. The equipped monster can attack all monsters your opponent controls, once each. If the equipped monster attacks, it gains 200 ATK until the end of the Battle Phase. During your opponent's next End Phase after this card was equipped to a monster: Send this card to the Graveyard.

Battlin' Boxer Referee
Level 4 FIRE Warrior
[ATK and DEF unknown]
If a "Battlin' Boxer" monster you control would be destroyed by battle or by effect, you can banish this card from your hand or GY instead.

Battlin' Boxer Clinch
Level 4 FIRE Warrior
ATK:0/DEF:1500
Once per turn, when a "Battlin' Boxer" monster you control is attacked by a monster with more ATK: You can discard this card; negate that attack, and if you do, the equipped monster cannot attack until the end of your opponent's next Battle Phase.

United Battlin' Boxer Hakim the Machine
Quality 4 FIRE Warrior/Composition
ATK:2600/DEF:1500
1 Level 4 "Battlin' Boxer" Base + 3 monsters in your Graveyard, including at least 1 "Battlin' Boxer" monster
When this card attacks and destroys a monster through battle, you can deactivate 1 of this card's Composition Materials; this card can attack again this turn. This card cannot attack directly if you use this effect.

Vitamachine B-Hive
Quality 6 LIGHT Machine/Composition
ATK:2500/DEF:3000
1 Level 6 "Vitamin" Base + 3 monsters in your GY, including at least 1 "Vitamin" monsters
Once per turn: You can deactivate up to 2 of this card's Composition Materials; Special Summon the same number of "Vitamin" monsters from your hand or Deck, and if you do, this card gains ATK equal to the total ATK of the Summoned monsters until the End Phase. [incomplete?]

Remedy Robo Prescriptron
Rank 4 LIGHT Machine/Xyz
ATK:2300/DEF:2500
2 Level 4 monsters
"Vitamin" monsters equipped to this card cannot be sent to the GY by their own effects. You can only use each of the following effects of "Remedy Robo Prescriptron" once per turn. You can detach 1 material from this card; equip 1 "Vitamin" monster from your hand or GY to this card. You can send 1 "Vitamin" Monster Card equipped to this card to the GY; attach 1 "Vitamin" monster from your hand or GY as material, and if you do, apply 1 of the following effects:
* Gain LP equal to the ATK or DEF of the attached monster (whichever is higher, your choice if tied).
* Reduce the ATK or DEF of 1 monster your opponent controls (whichever is higher, your choice if tied) by the Level of the attached monster x 300.

United Battlin' Boxer Thunderclap Greave
Quality 4 FIRE Warrior/Composition
ATK:3000/DEF:200
1 Level 4 "Battlin' Boxer" Base + 5 monsters in your Graveyard, including at least 2 "Battlin' Boxer" monsters
Once per turn: You can deactivate 2 of this card's Composition Materials and target 1 "Battlin' Boxer" monster you control; if it battles an opponent's monster this turn while you control it, apply these effects.
* If it attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent.
* If it destroys an opponent's monster by battle, it can make a second attack during this Battle Phase.
* Double any battle damage your opponent takes.
* Other monsters you control cannot attack during this Battle Phase.
* If its attack is negated, you take damage equal to the battle damage that would result from that battle.

Burning Combo
Quick-Play Spell Card
If a FIRE Warrior monster you control destroys an opponent's monster by battle: It can attack once again this turn.

Battlin' Boxer Fightcard
Normal Spell Card
Reveal up to 3 "Battlin' Boxer" monsters in your Deck and add them to your hand, then your opponent can add the same number of monsters from their Deck to their hand that have the same Level or lower as the highest Level monster you revealed. You cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck this turn, except "Battlin' Boxer" monsters.

Battlin' Boxer Prizefight
Normal Spell Card
Target 1 "Battlin' Boxer" monster you control; if it destroys a monster by battle this turn, draw 1 card. You can only activate 1 "Battlin' Boxer Prizefight" per turn.

Night Rescue Call
Quick-Play Spell Card
If your LP are lower than your opponent's: Special Summon 1 "Masked Rescuer" monster from your GY. [incomplete]

Battlin' Boxer Vitality
Normal Spell Card
Banish 1 "Battlin' Boxer" monster from your GY; draw 1 card, or, if you banished an Xyz Monster, draw 2 cards instead.

Shock Knuckle Strike
Equip Spell Card
The equipped monster is treated as a Thunder monster. If the equipped monster destroys a monster by battle: You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; it cannot attack during your opponent's next Battle Phase.

Long Count
Continuous Trap Card
Each time your "Battlin' Boxer" monster is destroyed, place 1 Long Counter on this card. At the start of your Standby Phase: Place 1 Long Counter on this card. You can remove any number of Long Counters from this card; Special Summon 1 "Battlin' Boxer" monster from your GY whose Level equals the number of counters removed, but you cannot Normal Summon monsters this turn.

Emergency Hotline
Normal Trap Card
If only your opponent controls a monster: Special Summon a number of Level 4 or lower monsters from your GY in Defense Position equal to the number of monsters they control, then you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower monster from your Deck in Defense Position, but you cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck for the rest of the turn.

Damage Generator
Continuous Trap Card
Once per turn, if you would take damage: You can prevent that damage, and if you do, place 1 counter on this card for every 500 damage you would have taken. You can target 1 monster you control and remove any number of counters from this card; that monster gains 400 ATK for each counter removed until the end of the turn.

Brick Buster
2-Player VS Game Card
Move targeting cursor with the Control Stick, and alternate pressing A and B to attack the bricks. First player to break all bricks on their side of the screen wins and can Set 1 Trap directly from their Deck.

Chance Time
Bonus Game Card
No inputs required. The outcome will be decided by the results of the slot reels.

Capsule Clear
2-Player VS Game Card
Move capsules left and right with the Control Stick, rotate them with either A or B, and forcibly drop them to the bottom by pressing Down. Connect four pieces of the same color to make a match and earn points. Chains and matching more than 4 at once give bonus points. Highest score at the end of the time limit wins, but if the capsules reach the top of one player's area, that player instantly loses. The winner may add 1 card from their GY to their hand.

World 2-Theta: Healer's Choice
1-Player Game Card
Examine the situation the patient is in, then choose the correct tool to solve the problem. Use the Control Stick to examine tools and A to select. This game is also VR compatible. Successfully treat 3 patients within the time limit to win and draw 1 card.

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Vile: Cut and print! Always feels good to get another chapter. *looks around* Looks like Rocket had to go before the chapter finished. Oh well, I'll show him any reviews when this finally gets some. He's been a big help getting stuff out this quickly. And I gotta thank all of you readers who are still around, and the new ones who might've shown up since. It feels amazing to know that I've still got readers. If you guys liked this chapter, feel free to leave a review for me, and I'll see y'all in the next one. Ja ne for now!

Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.