Chapter 8: Maguro and Yuya's Doubts
It didn't take long for Declan to leave the area altogether… which prompted Henrietta to leave, along with Dipper, Kit, Julia, and Sylvio. Yuya then came out of the action duel field, but he didn't say anything as he came to his friends. This, of course, made them worried for him.
Amitie and Lidelle: "Y-Yuya?"
Zuzu: "Yuya, are you okay?"
Yuya: "..."
Maguro: "Look man, if you have a problem, we're here to help."
After Maguro said that, Yuya's attention snapped back to reality.
Yuya: "H-huh? Oh, I'm fine, guys. Don't worry. I'm just a little tired, that's all."
Maguro: "Well, now that you say that… this was a pretty eventful day. I guess I can't blame ya for losing steam, especially when it came to that duel against Declan."
Sora: "And speaking of Declan… If that duel hadn't been interrupted, those guys might've won control of the school."
Yuya: "... Yeah…"
Zuzu: "Well, at least we still have You Show with us."
Yuya: "But for how long? We know that those Leo students, and probably Declan, will come back to try and take You Show again."
Skip then came to the others with a smile on his face.
Skip: "In any case, our school's safe for the time being and that's what's important. By forfeit, sure, but I'll take it! And I'm sure all of you are relieved to know that as well… right? And, if those Leo students do come back, then we'll give them the one-two punch of showing what we're made of!"
Draco took a liking to what Skip said and her face lit up.
Draco: "Yeah! And that'll give me a good chance to duke it out with Kit again if it does happen!"
Skip: "Ah, you have such a fiery spirit, Draco! Still, I can't believe those wings are real."
Draco: "Uh, y-yeah! My wings sure are awesome!"
Sora: "Hmm… That reminds me. Delcan was going on about how you, Maguro, Amitie, and Lidelle had been from a different world. Is it true that all of you aren't from here?"
Maguro: "Uh, yeah, we actually aren't from this world… but we weren't just going to outright tell him, probably 'cause he was a stranger to us at the time."
Sora: "Huh. Well, that makes sense. It's not something you can just tell ANYONE… But, why didn't you guys tell me about that?"
Skip: "Or me?"
Maguro: "Well, uh… we didn't really see a reason to. But, I guess the cat's outta the bag now; we're from a different world."
Maguro made an awkward smile as he said that.
Sora: "Uh-huh… Well, I think that's pretty cool! What's your guy's world like?"
When Sora asked that question, Maguro dropped the awkward smile.
Maguro: "I would love to tell ya about it, Sora, but I think it's getting kinda late. Also, some of us could use a rest after what happened today..."
Sora: "Oh, all right. Maybe some other time, then?"
Maguro: "Yeah."
Skip: "And on that note, I think we should leave the school now. C'mon girls, let's get going!"
Amitie, Lidelle, Draco, and Zuzu: "Okay!"
Draco: "Well, see ya guys tomorrow!"
Maguro: "Yeah, see ya."
With that, the girls left You Show Duel School, following Skip. And then… Maguro, Yuya, and Sora left the school as well. They then started to make their way back to Yuya's place. Along the way, they ran into Gong and he began speaking to Yuya.
Gong: "Yuya! Is the school okay?! Gong was worried things would end up bad without him being there with ya!"
Yuya: "I-it's okay… for now."
Gong: "...? For now?"
Maguro: "Uh, let me explain for Yuya…"
Maguro explained everything that happened concerning the duels between the students of You Show and Leo to Gong, and to say that the large young man was shocked would be an understatement.
Gong: "Someone other than Yuya can Pendulum Summon?! Where is this Declan guy?! Gong wants to deck him in the face!"
Maguro: "Woah-! Cool it, big guy. Declan doesn't seem to be a bad guy; that much I can tell."
Gong: "Then what the heck was he aimin' to do?"
Maguro: "He was… more than just fascinated in Pendulum Summoning; he was an actual fan of Yuya's dad's exploits as this bringer of action duels. In other words: Declan was, by extension, fascinated with Yuya himself. He said he saw Yuya on TV, dueling against some person called the Sledgehammer. And that's how Declan became fascinated with Pendulum Summoning in the first place. I dunno if that's actually true, but considering he already knew who Yuya's dad was… I guess we have to take his word for it. Other than that though, I can't seem to get a read on him."
Gong: "Hmm… Well, Gong would watch his back if he were you. We can't take everything Declan says at face value."
Maguro: "Uh, sure."
Sora: "Duly noted."
Gong: "Anyway, Gong needs to get going again. He needs to go home."
Maguro and Sora: "All right, see ya."
And with that… Gong disappeared from the trio's sight. Without saying anything else, the trio continued to walk back home. Once they arrived, Yoko welcomed the boys back. However, she could tell that Maguro, and especially Yuya, were not exactly in the best mood.
Yoko: "Hey, what's wrong, you two?"
After Yoko asked the two of them that question, Maguro faced Yuya.
Maguro: "So, uh… You wanna tell her, or…?"
Yuya: "... I'll tell her, Maguro…"
Yuya then explained to his mother what happened at You Show Duel School, and it was then that Yoko understood how Maguro and Yuya were feeling.
Yoko: "Hmm… No wonder you both appeared the way you did as I welcomed you back… especially you, Yuya."
Yuya: "Uh-huh…"
Maguro: "..."
Yoko: "... *sigh* Look, you two: Life will always come and smack you in the face with things you didn't expect, didn't hope for, or both in some cases. You can't just expect everything to go your way, even if you try your hardest. And when things do go wrong for you, you'll often find yourself in a rut that's difficult to get out of."
Maguro and Yuya: "...?!"
Both Maguro and Yuya were shaken by Yoko's hard, truthful words. They didn't know how to take them in.
Maguro: "But, then… How are we supposed to deal with what happened today, Yoko? We almost lost the school to Leo, and those guys might come back another day."
Yoko: "I can't give you the answers to your problems, boys. It's just something that you both have to figure out on your own. I know that may seem tough for you two, but it's important that you find the answers you seek."
Maguro: "Find the answers…"
Yuya: "...we seek?"
Yoko: "Yes. Now, try to lighten up. I've decided to make a special meal to bring your spirits up."
Maguro and Yuya: "O-okay."
And so, Yoko started to cook dinner for everyone as Maguro, Yuya, and Sora sat at the dinner table. Meanwhile… Declan and his mother, Henrietta, had both just returned to Leo Corp in haste. They met up with one of Declan's bodyguards as they made their way to this control room. It was filled with workers associated with Leo Corp. One of them saw Declan arrive on an elevating platform and said…
Worker 1: "O-oh, sir! Would you like some coffee or-"
Declan: "I'm fine. Just give me a situation report on Marco."
As Declan said that, he, Henrietta, and the bodyguard walked off of the elevating platform. From there, the worker spoke up again.
Worker 1: "Right, well… The latest incident occurred in Paradise City's NLD 38 district, at precisely 5:54 P.M. Our systems detected a powerful summoning."
Declan: "And the summoning method?"
Worker 1: "It was Xyz, sir."
Henrietta: "Hmm… Yuya and his friends don't have the ability to Xyz Summon, do they?"
Declan: "Most likely not, Mother. Though, I'm not sure about Amitie and Lidelle… They might have the potential to Xyz Summon, but I don't think they would have the ability to make Xyz Summons as powerful as the one detected. Also, we were with them when this event happened. So I believe it's safe to rule all of those children out. But, let's continue to monitor the You Show Duel School, just to make sure."
Declan then faced the bodyguard and…
Declan: "With that said… Do we know where Marco is?"
Bodyguard: "We… haven't exactly been able to, um… know… But, um, the evidence…"
?: "Right… This was found at the scene of the event, sir."
Suddenly, a higher-up wearing a blue Leo coat walked up to Delcan with a plastic bag in his hand. In this bag, there was a damaged duel disk, along with three cards. These cards were: Fusion Recovery, The Last Warrior from Another Planet, and Instant Fusion.
?: "This stuff is definitely Marco's, but he was nowhere to be seen."
Declan: "..."
Declan became more concerned as he took in that information. And then…
Declan: "... I want every resource we've got dedicated to finding out what happened to Marco. Whoever the culprit may be, they couldn't have gotten too far. They must still be in the city somewhere. We'll use that to our advantage and find them. We must not waste time here, otherwise the culprit will most likely escape. Do I make myself clear, Herc?"
Herc: "Understood, sir!"
Meanwhile, back at the Leo Institute… Dipper, Julia, and Kit were all standing at the main area of the establishment. Julia decided to speak up.
Julia: "Something just isn't right here… If Professor Marco is okay, then why aren't they letting us see him?"
Dipper: "Maybe he doesn't want anyone to see him, 'cause he's all wrapped up in bandages like a mummy or something."
Julia: "Bandages?! You have no idea what you're talking about, Dipper!"
Kit: "Hmm… Well, one thing's for sure… There's something that these people aren't telling us."
Julia: "..."
Julia was so bothered by the lack of knowledge on the situation, she couldn't stand around for any longer and started to run off. This got the others' attention.
Kit: "Hey, where're you goin'?"
Julia: "I'm gonna find out what's going on here! I won't just stand around and wait; I need to know!"
Dipper: "Not without us!"
Kit: "Yeah!"
Hearing Dipper and Kit say those words, Julia stopped for a bit and looked back at them.
Julia: "... All right, but don't get in my way."
Dipper: "We don't intend to, Julia."
Julia: "Then let's get going!"
Dipper and Kit: "Right!"
With that, the three Leo students ran out of the Leo Institute and started talking to other students to gather information. For about ten minutes, they got nothing out of asking random Leo students about Professor Marco's whereabouts. That was… until they got one answer from a female student. She said she heard that Professor Marco was attacked at a specific warehouse within the city. So, with no time to waste: Julia, Dipper, and Kit followed directions that the student gave to them. Before long, the three saw yellow tape with the words "KEEP OUT" wrapped around the entrance to the warehouse as they approached it.
Dipper: "This has to be the place, right?"
Kit: "Well, the "Keep out" tape is kind of a dead giveaway."
Julia: "Which means someone is obviously hiding something in this warehouse…"
Julia went under the tape and...
Dipper: "Hey, that's probably not a good idea, Julia…"
Julia: "I don't care. I came here to find out what happened, and I'm not going to let this damn tape get in my way."
Julia made her thoughts very clear to Dipper and Kit as she walked up to the warehouse's door. However, when she got to it, the door opened and a man from Leo Corp stopped her.
?: "Hey, what are you kids doing here?"
Julia: "We're here to find out what happened here. We're all students at the Leo institute. My name's Julia, and I'm in Professor Marco's Advance Fusion course."
When Julia said that, Herc turned around from examining the inside of the warehouse, out of slight interest.
Herc: "Is that so? And who're your friends?"
Kit: "I-I'm, uh… I'm Kit, and I'm honing my skills as a Synchro Summoner."
Dipper: "My name's Dipper, and I study Xyz Summoning."
Herc: "Hmm… I see…"
Herc then walked up to the door to get closer to the three Leo students.
Herc: "So all three of you are with the institute?"
Julia, Dipper, and Kit: "That's right."
Herc: "And people know about what happened? Talking about it at school?"
Julia: "Apparently. Though, it seems that only a few people knew about it before we asked them about Professor Marco's whereabouts. One student told us that he was attacked here. And if that's true, then our classes are going to be canceled. We tried to see Professor Marco as soon as news got out that he was attacked, but the TA wouldn't let us and they didn't explain why we couldn't see him. Look, we just want to know what's going on. That's all."
Herc: "... I understand how you feel, but we can't disclose the specifics surrounding this case of assault at the moment. This includes the professor's current condition, as well as the culprit behind the assault. However, let it be known that your concern will be noted. And don't worry… We'll find out more soon, I promise. We've got guys working in shifts to get to the bottom of this. For now, I'd suggest you three go home and study, since the night sky is nearly here. That's what Professor Marco would want you to do. Right? Also, this place is absolutely off limits, and you three need to forget you ever came here or that we spoke. Trust me, it's for your own safety. Got it?"
When Herc finished saying all of that, Julia was frustrated with the end result of her efforts. However, she also understood that she wasn't the adult in this situation, even if she felt like one in up until Herc came up to her.
Julia: (... As much as I want to find out the truth behind Professor Marco… I don't think pushing things further will get me closer to it. I have to back off for a little while.)
Juila then sighed before saying…
Julia: "Yes."
Herc: "Good."
And with that, Herc and the other man closed the warehouse door, locking out the Leo students.
Julia: "... I'm going home. I'll see you two tomorrow."
Dipper and Kit: "O-okay?"
The three Leo students went their separate ways for the night, going back to their homes. Later that night… Maguro and Yuya wanted to go to sleep, but neither of them were all that tired. Because of that, they weren't sure what they should do. The two boys stayed silent until Yuya broke the silence.
Yuya: "Hey… Maguro?"
Hearing Yuya speak up, Maguro looked up at the ceiling as he laid in his sleeping bag.
Maguro: "Yeah, Yuya?"
Yuya: "Are you having trouble sleeping like I am?"
Maguro: "Yeah. Does that mean you're still thinking about what your mom said? 'Cause I certainly am."
Yuya: "Uh-huh… … She said that we have to find the answers to our own problems, but… How do I deal with the fact that I'm no longer the only duelist who has Pendulum cards?"
Maguro: "I dunno, Yuya. As for me, I'm still trying to figure out how to cope with my loss to Sylvio after beating him the first time. Like, you saw how that duel went down today. For most of our second duel… he was crushing me with those Monarchs of his. The only reason why I even got close to beating him for the second time was because I was attacking him directly with Submarineroid's special ability. The rest of my monsters barely did anything else. I know I shouldn't take my loss this seriously, but not only was Sylvio seeking to defeat me after I humiliated him… I also really don't like to lose to people like him. Remember what I first said about Duel Monsters when you told me and the others what the game was all about?"
Yuya: "Yeah? Why do you ask?"
Maguro: "Well… I take pride in not just enjoying games, but also my ability to play games well. Now that I've lost to Sylvio… I'm not sure if I'll ever live it down. He humiliated me by stomping me and my machines into the ground. And of course, I feel like I can't forgive myself for screwing things up at the most pivotal moment of that event at You Show today. It's my fault that you're not doing so hot right now."
Yuya: "H-huh? Your fault?"
Maguro: "*sigh* Yep. If it weren't for me losing, then you wouldn't have dueled against Declan and seen the Pendulum cards he had. You would've still had a smile on your face, and I'm so sorry things went down like that."
Yuya: "W-wait a minute, Maguro. You- Actually… Neither of us knew all of that was gonna happen. It can't possibly be your fault."
Maguro: "... I wonder about that… Do your actions as a person lead into faults, regardless of whether or not they end up the way you intend for them to?"
Yuya: "I… don't know."
Maguro: "Then I guess that means we both have our own doubts."
Yuya: "And we have to figure out how to clear them from our minds…"
Maguro and Yuya: "..."
Maguro and Yuya were both at a loss. For a while, they laid there, thinking back to the events of the duels between You Show and Leo. But suddenly, the two boys were beginning to lose consciousness. It seemed it was starting to get late enough into the night that it took effect on Maguro and Yuya. Before either of them knew it, they fell asleep. And in their deep sleep… they each experienced a nightmare of sorts. Maguro's nightmare started out as a normal dream. He was dueling against Sylvio, but once again, the latter was using his Monarch deck.
Five turns into the duel, Maguro and his monsters had been beaten into the ground, and he wasn't drawing into any of his trap cards to stop Sylvio's attacks. All he had on his field going into his next turn was Oilman, and there were five cards in his hand. As for Sylvio, he had a face-down and two Monarchs on the field, which were Mobius and Zaborg. Additionally, Sylvio had four cards in his hand. And as for the life points, Maguro's life points were at 900, and Sylvio still had all 4000 of his life points.
Sylvio: "Hahahahahaha! Well, it seems you're about to lose to me again, Maguro! How does it feel, knowing that you're about to get compacted into trash for a second time?"
Maguro: "Urgh… Sh-shut up! Is that all you ever think of me? Trash?"
Sylvio: "Yes, because I carry prestige, unlike you. I learned all the know-how from the best: The Leo Institute. Meanwhile, you're just some no-name, learning the basics from such an underwhelming duel school. Your win from our first duel was nothing more than a fluke, and I intend to prove that by beating you again."
Maguro: "That was no fluke!"
Sylvio: "Oh really? Then how would you describe this sequence of events? You attacked me directly with Submarineroid by using its special ability. Then, you survived my hellish onslaught of Lightning Hoverboard, Power Dart Striker, and Ultimate Dart Striker, all attacking you directly, by playing the Damage Diet trap card. And finally, on the last turn of the duel… You managed to summon B.E.S. Big Core, used Limiter Removal to double its attack points, and had Big Core attack Lightning Hoverboard in order to deal the EXACT amount of damage needed to beat me. If that doesn't scream "all luck", then I don't know what does."
Maguro: "... All luck, huh?"
Sylvio: "Indeed. None of that shows you're any good as a duelist! And don't even start with you almost beating me and my Monarchs in our second duel at You Show! That Submarineroid was the only reason why my life points got as low as they did. However, now that I've taken care of it before it could be a problem… Let's see you try and beat me with your other machines! Come on! Bring it!"
Slyvio's arrogance was starting to really get on Maguro's nerves as the latter grit his teeth.
Maguro: "... Alright, you asked for it Sylvio… You've officially pissed me off."
Sylvio: "Oh, really now? Then go on! Use that anger! Make this duel interesting for me!"
Sylvio grinned, making Maguro act.
Maguro: "If you… insist! My move!"
Maguro's LP: 900 - Sylvio's LP: 4000
Maguro's Hand Size Before DP: 5 - Sylvio's Hand Size Before DP: 4
Maguro: "I draw! … I play the spell: Magnet Circle LV2! Thanks to this card, I'm allowed to summon a level two or lower machine directly from my hand! So for this, I'll bring this hip-hoppity fellow to the field in defense mode! Mecha Bunny!"
Mecha Bunny hopped onto the field and Sylvio wasn't impressed.
Sylvio: "Heh. You used your anger to summon a metallic hare? Not a very productive use of the emotion if you ask me."
Maguro: "You won't be scoffing at my moves for long, 'cause I'll sacrifice Mecha Bunny… and Tribute Summon B.E.S. Big Core!"
B.E.S. Big Core appeared from above and lowered itself to the field.
Maguro: "When B.E.S. Big Core is summoned this way, it gains three counters. And every time that Big Core would be destroyed by battle, one of these counters is removed from it instead."
Sylvio: "Ah, now that's more like it… However, surely you must know that Big Core has 100 less attack points than my Monarchs."
Maguro: "Of course I do. And that's why I'll now play this! Megamorph! As long as I have lower life points than you, this equip spell will double Big Core's attack points! Do the math if you can."
Sylvio: "Heh. I don't need to, Maguro. I remember the amount of attack points your Big Core had when they were doubled by the effect of Limiter Removal during our first duel. 4600."
Maguro: "Yeah, and that'll be more than enough to take down one of your Monarchs. But… I think I wanna end this duel now."
Sylvio: "What? You're saying that isn't all?"
Maguro: "No… I have more in store for you, Sylvio. I'll use Oilman's special ability to equip himself to Big Core!"
Oilman equipped himself to B.E.S. Big Core by opening the latter's hatch, jumping into its cockpit, and closing the hatch.
Sylvio: "Heh, you'll draw an extra card after destroying one of my Monarchs, so what? That doesn't really matter."
Maguro: "No, but THIS will! I play a third spell from my hand!"
Sylvio: "A third one…?"
Maguro: "Yeah… And it's one that you're quite familiar with! Limiter Removal!"
Sylvio: "...?!"
Maguro: "That's right! The card that ended you the first time we dueled! It's coming back to haunt you, 'cause this will double my Big Core's attack points again!"
Big Core's attack points then skyrocketed to 9200 attack points and Slyvio was a bit surprised to see that.
Sylvio: "9200 attack points?! You intend to wipe out all of my life points in one shot?!"
Maguro: "Right! Big Core… Take aim at Mobius the Frost Monarch and all of Slyvio's life points!"
On command, Big Core aimed its cannon at Mobius. And then…
Maguro: "Rapid-Fire Cannon Storm!"
Big Core fired its weapon and the bullets were quickly reaching Sylvio's most prevalent Monarch.
Sylvio: "...!"
Dust formed around Sylvio and his cards as Big Core continued to rain bullets down on Mobius, preventing Maguro from seeing much of anything on Sylvio's side of the field. Once Big Core's attack ended, the dust began to settle.
Maguro: "D-did we get him?"
After the dust went away, Maguro saw the state of Sylvio's side of the field… and he was shocked.
Maguro: "What?!"
Not only was Mobius still standing on the field, but Sylvio's life points weren't damaged. In fact, Slyvio's life points went UP.
Sylvio: "You seem rather surprised… I thought that perhaps you would've taken my one face-down card into account when trying to defeat me like this. But no, you completely forgot about it. And because of that, your attack didn't go through. Just before your Big Core could obliterate Mobius, I played the trap, Draining Shield. This stopped Big Core's assault and added its attack points to my life points. So thanks for the boost, Captain Fringe!"
Maguro: "Grrr…"
Sylvio: "And now that your attack has been wasted, you have no choice but to back off."
Maguro: "... Then I'll just set this card face-down and end my turn."
Sylvio: "And with that comes the destruction of Big Core, due to the second effect of Limiter Removal."
Maguro: "Not really. Since Oilman's equipped to Big Core, he gets destroyed instead."
Oilman ejected himself out from B.E.S. Big Core's cockpit, and he blew up in the air. This left Big Core with no pilot, so to speak.
Sylvio: "Not a bad combo, I must say. However, you had to practically use your entire hand in order to pull it off. So even though your Big Core is still on the field… it doesn't have any other cards protecting it from going bye-bye. And unfortunately for you, I already have the means to easily send that scrap heap to the junkyard, where it belongs!"
Maguro's LP: 900 - Sylvio's LP: 13200
Maguro's Hand Size Before DP: 0 - Sylvio's Hand Size Before DP: 4
Sylvio: "I draw! … I activate the quick-play spell, The Monarchs Stormforth!"
Maguro: "Ah-!"
Sylvio: "That's right. You remember this card, don't you? For this turn: If I would Tribute Summon a Monarch monster, then I can use one of your monsters as a sacrifice. So I'll use your B.E.S. Big Core to Tribute Summon this behemoth! Granmarg the Rock Monarch!"
Maguro's Big Core disappeared and Granmarg landed on the field with a thud, intimidating Maguro.
Sylvio: "And now that he's on the field, his special ability kicks in! Granmarg destroys one of your set cards, and last time I checked… You just set a card down on the field at the end of the previous turn!"
Maguro: "No…!"
Sylvio: "Yes! Granmarg, crush that face-down card! Rock Arm Hammer!"
With that order made clear, Granmarg slammed one of his arms down on Maguro's only face-down card. This left Maguro defenseless in the face of three Monarchs.
Sylvio: "And now…! With your field AND hand empty… Granmarg, Zaborg, and Mobius can now eliminate what remains of your life points! Go, my Monarchs!"
Sylvio's Monarchs proceeded to launch their individual attacks at Maguro and…
Maguro: "Aaaggghhh-!"
But then, Maguro woke up…
Maguro: "*gasp* *pant* *pant*"
The boy sat up in a cold sweat as he looked at his surroundings. It was still dark in both the room and outside, which meant it was still nighttime. To his surprise, Yuya was awake. Yuya saw Maguro wake up then and there, making the former speak up.
Yuya: "A-are you okay, Maguro?"
Maguro: "I-I… … *sigh* No, I'm not okay, Yuya…"
Yuya: "Did you have a nightmare?"
Maguro: "Yeah, I did… You had one, too?"
Yuya: "Uh-huh. ... What happened in your nightmare?'
Maguro: "... I was dueling against Sylvio again… and he had those Monarchs. I managed to bring out B.E.S Big Core five turns into the duel and powered it up enough to take out all of Sylvio's life points. But then he just played Draining Shield to suck up my ship's attack and add its attack points to his life points. And then, when Sylvio's next turn came around… he played The Monarchs Stormforth and sacrificed Big Core to summon another one of his Monarchs. At that point, he had three of them, and I had nothing left on my field. So he attacked me directly and probably took out what was left of my life points. I-I dunno. I woke up after all three of those attacks got close to me. … So, what about you? What happened in your nightmare, Yuya?"
Yuya: "It was pretty much the duel that I had with Declan at You Show… except it wasn't interrupted. … Declan beat me, and that caused the school to be handed over to Leo. After I felt that loss in my nightmare, I woke up. I'm surprised I didn't scream at that moment. I guess… I was just too terrified to scream."
Maguro: "Geez… That sounds no better than how my nightmare ended."
Yuya: "Yeah… … Well, what are we gonna do now? It'll be hard for us to fall asleep again. And, even if we do… we might have another nightmare."
Maguro: "..."
The two sat there in silence for about a full minute, not sure of what to do or say. That was… until Maguro came out with an idea.
Maguro: "Hey, why don't we ask our friends about our problems when we go to You Show tomorrow? Maybe they can help us."
Yuya: "Huh…?"
Yuya wasn't sure about that, but the more he thought about it… the more he realized there wasn't much else that he and Maguro could do to help their current situations.
Yuya: "... Alright."
Maguro: "Okay then, let's get some more shut-eye for the day ahead of us… If we can, that is."
Yuya: "Right…"
And so, the boys fell asleep again. Thankfully, neither of them had another nightmare as they slept peacefully. Once morning came around, Maguro and Yuya got ready for the day. Then they, along with Sora, came down to eat breakfast. Sora was still feeling somewhat cheery, thanks to the pancakes that Yoko made for him. When Yuya was done, he wasted no time in leaving to go to prep school. As for Maguro and Sora, they stayed at Yuya's place for the day until the time came in which Yuya and Zuzu got out from prep school. After that time came, Sora dragged Maguro out from Yuya's place and the two made their way to You Show. From there, they met up with Yuya and the girls at the duel school.
Maguro: "Hey… How was prep school today, Yuya?"
Yuya: "I… couldn't focus in class at all today, Maguro..."
Zuzu: "That's putting it bluntly. What the heck is distracting you like this, Yuya? I've never seen you this absentminded before."
Sora: "I think I know what it is, Zuzu."
Sora then faced Yuya before saying...
Sora: "It's about what happened here yesterday… isn't it, Yuya?"
Yuya: "W-well… … Maguro and I will explain it to you guys once we get inside."
Draco: "Okay…?"
The kids went inside the school, Skip greeted them, and he noticed that Maguro and Yuya both had troubled looks on their faces.
Skip: "Hey, what's wrong, you two?"
Maguro: "O-oh, um… Mr. Boyle, there's something that you should know about, as well as everyone else."
Yuya: "Yeah."
Skip: "Huh...? Well, okay… tell us."
Maguro and Yuya nodded, and the two boys began to tell everyone else what's been bothering not only Yuya… but also Maguro. When they were finished, the others understood the situation, including Skip.
Skip: "Huh… … Well, Yuya… Maguro…"
Maguro and Yuya: "Huh?"
Skip: "I know what you two are going through right now, but… Yuya, this Pendulum Summoning was never going to be just your thing. Like, I get it. You thought Pendulum Summoning was your special deal and Declan just came along, performing his own Pendulum Summon, and it's throwing you off. I dunno how Declan managed to get some Pendulum cards for his deck. I mean, for all we know, his company is developing 'em now."
When Skip said that last bit, Yuya couldn't help but gasp. And Maguro was similarly caught off guard by that info drop.
Yuya: "*gasp*
Maguro: "What…?!"
Zuzu: "His company? Dad, what are you talking about?"
Skip: "... Well… You kids should probably know about this. Declan Akaba… That young man is the president of the Leo Corporation."
Amitie: "Huh? What's a president? And what's a corp-o-ray-shun?"
Lidelle and Draco: "We don't know what those are, either."
Zuzu faced the other girls for a bit and said…
Zuzu: "I'll tell you three what those are later."
After Zuzu said that, Skip spoke up again.
Skip: "Anyway, the Leo Corporation is the world's number one creator and distributor of duel systems."
Maguro: "So, they're the ones that made it possible for people to duel each other?"
Skip: "Right. Knowing how big they are, I can only guess that they might've unlocked the secret to making Pendulum cards. If that's the case, then there's gonna be Pendulum cards for everyone around the globe to duel with."
Yuya: "...! But, that's so unfair!"
Skip: "Unfair? Yuya, let me ask you: Is it fair for you to be the only one to possess Pendulum cards? What if other duelists want to swing into action, just like you? What then? Are you going to run away, like always?"
Yuya: "U-um…"
Suddenly, Skip turned to face Maguro to say something to him as well.
Skip: "And as for you, Maguro... You really shouldn't beat yourself over losing to Sylvio. It's not your fault that we almost lost this school to the Leo Institute. And what's this "pride" that you had before in the past? You and the others don't come here to strengthen your pride. You all come here to learn how to duel and have fun with yourselves, even during tough times. Right?"
Maguro: "Uh…"
Skip continued to look at Maguro and Yuya for a bit, and the others stayed quiet as this happened. Then, Skip spoke up once again…
Skip: "Alright, if you two aren't gonna stop feeling so down, then I'm gonna have to make you two duel each other!"
Maguro and Yuya: "H-huh?! Duel each other?!"
Skip: "Right! I want you two to duke it out in the duel field and get you guys to find a way to stop feeling sorry for yourselves; that's gonna be today's lesson! Yuya, I promised your dad I'd look out for you whenever I could, and I'm not gonna let him down. And Maguro, you're just as much of a student here as Yuya and the others are. You're gonna learn to take your losses better."
All of a sudden, Zuzu spoke up against her father.
Zuzu: "W-wait, Dad! Can't you just give those two some time to them-"
Zuzu was stopped by Draco, who placed a hand over the former's shoulder.
Draco: "You might wanna stay out of this one, Zuzu. Your dad looks like he ain't messing around..."
Zuzu: "... Yeah, maybe you're right, Draco…"
With that, Skip made Maguro and Yuya go into the duel field with their decks and duel disks. Once they were in there, Skip ran over to the computer to choose an action field. The others watched Maguro and Yuya hesitantly put on their duel disks as they waited for something else to happen.
Author's Notes: Yeah, I know this chapter is noticeably shorter than at least most of the others so far in this story, but it's kind of more of a breather chapter after all the other crap that happened in the past few. Anyway, you diehard fans of Arc-V might have noticed that I changed up already existing events that are covered in this chapter: Ordering them differently, choosing to hold off on certain upcoming developments in the story... and adding extra dialogue. This is because I wanted these things to flow better, and you guys will come to understand that in due time.
As for now though, we have another duel that's not in the anime to look forward to: A duel between Maguro and Yuya. This duel is technically in place of an actual duel from Arc-V, but the context behind it is just different enough that I'm going to treat it as its own duel. Which means EVERYTHING that happens in this duel can and will be different to the one that actually went down in the anime, which was Yuya Vs. Skip Boyle.
With the way that I've written things for this take on Arc-V so far, it makes sense. Both Maguro and Yuya feel sorry for themselves in different ways, so it would only be natural for Skip to decide that the two should duel each other to help them find the answers to their problems. In any case, I also did things this way so that you guys would feel torn between who to root for in the upcoming duel. And, oh boy! You guys are gonna see some more of Maguro's deck and I can't WAIT for you all to see some more new machines. But anyway… What's going to happen in this duel? Well, there's only one way to find out... Next chapter, Chapter 9: Problem-Solving Duel.