Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V: Pendulum of Connections

by Imagine97

(Remake of the Arc-V series starting from the beginning.) What would happen if Yuya was more confident and skilled as a duelist? What if he had an older brother? What if Yuya had slightly different beliefs in dueling but the same intentions? Conflict never ends. Everyone is tied by bonds they don't know that exists which lead to two choices: Peace or Destruction.

35. Return of the Cursed Past

Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter. And thank you to donkeyboy100, enigma1493, Kel Mitchel, HereICome, Chris, HMSFormidable, Stinger, Kel Rockmore and Cdswalkthrough for reviewing the last chapter as well. Also, we've reached around 300 favorites so thank you so much for all the support you've all shown for this story. I really appreciate it. Anyway, here's some responses to recent review/comments:

PlayerGirl88 - I suppose the duels where I introduce my own archetypes would be harder to write since it would be easier to use cards already made in Yu-Gi-Oh.

Killer Frost - I suppose I could. It never even crossed my mind but it is an interesting idea. Although if I were to, it wouldn't be just a pure copy and paste of the Arc-V openings and endings. It would be my own versions of them. I'll think about it.

Cosmo9856 - It is a possibility.

Tsunade Sawada - I think Rush Duels are fine; I personally don't care about them though.

Tongo - My favorite Yu-Gi-Oh character is Yusei.

Mpena44 - I have. It is a really good story so far.

Kel Rockmore - In my personal opinion, no. I don't think those specific summoning methods harmed the game. If anything, it is how Konami doesn't plan things long term for how certain cards could affect it or aren't careful as to how players could abuse them.

Also, just a reminder, this story does have a TvTropes page if you're interested. It could use some updating so check it out if you can.

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Chapter 35 - Return of the Cursed Past

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MAIAMI CITY - LEO CORPORATION (MORNING)

Mikleo was sitting at the main desk of the LDS control room, with Reiji sitting next to him and Nakajima standing by. A lot of employees were also monitoring their own camera feeds and activity, but were also paying attention to what Mikleo was doing. His laptop was open while he typed away at another keyboard which changed the big main screen facing away. It was showing a divided group of files and folders across a network. His laptop showed a multitude of numbers, symbols, and abbreviation commands with lines connecting similar to a pipeline.

Nakajima watched Mikleo with an anxious frown, "Anything?" Mikleo didn't respond as he just kept typing with Reiji watching him quietly.

After about a minute passed, Mikleo pressed the last key which sounded very loud to everyone else. Mikleo leaned back and stretched his arms, "Alright, I think I found some things." Nakajima reacted as Reiji narrowed his eyes.

"First, I've noticed some traces of your video feeds being viewed from another location." Mikleo pressed a button which changed the big screen to show all of the live camera feeds throughout the Maiami Stadium which were about 40 of them. Another screen popped up showing a list of timestamps next to them. "See here. It shows your IP address as the ones who were watching over these surveillance footage. But here…" On screen, a lot of the timestamps had the same set of decimal numbers as an address, going from all day to all night. However, in the middle of the set, there was another set of numbers that were different from the others and showed that it was being viewed only from 10 AM to 8 PM. "It seems there was another channel viewing these feeds during this timestamp."

Nakajima let out an unsettled frown, "To think someone has been listening in on our surveillance…" He recognizes that the first set of the same numbers shown were their IP address they had for the server organizing the video feeds. The other set was completely unknown to him. "They managed to break through the firewalls we've set in this company."

"I don't really blame you. The fact that there hasn't been any alarms set out throughout your system means the hacker didn't do anything drastic such as download your files or upload a virus into your system." Mikleo turned to face Nakajima, "To me, all they did was look over the video feeds and files. Anything else and it would have been more obvious something was wrong with it."

"If they tried to download our files, our operators would've noticed immediately." Reiji commented as he looked at Mikleo, "Have you tried tracing the address back to the source?"

Mikleo nodded, "I did." He turned back to type on his laptop with the big screen showing him clicking on the second address, "But when I tried to, all it brought to me was a dummy channel, meaning the address itself is a fake." The screen changed to it being completely blank with an error sign showing. "It is likely that he or she is using multiple signals in order to chain them together and make them unable to be tracked down to its source for a short period. And by the time your men would've finished, the signal would likely end."

Nakajima narrowed his eyes, "I see. Can you find another way to trace them?"

"I can. But in order to do that, I need to find the signal and since there's no way to trace it right now while it is offline…"

"Then, you would need to wait until the hacker searches through the cameras once more." finished Reiji, having the same conclusion as Mikleo. "And once it is out in the open, the opportunity would be there for you to search through and trace it back to the source."

Mikleo smiled, "Correct. It probably isn't the only solution but it would be the easiest way for me to track them down."

"I suppose all we can do is wait then." concluded Reiji. Nakajima and Mikleo agreed and decided to wait until the Maiami Championship matches begin later today.

---

Reiji sat at his desk and took a sip of coffee from the mug nearby. Mikleo stood in front, holding a can of cola and took a sip of it as well.

Reiji put down the mug and looked at Mikleo, "I'll arrange so you'll have access to the control room in the Maiami Stadium. You'll meet us there later." Mikleo nodded as he took another sip.

"I must admit. I was surprised you were willing to help us so easily." Mikleo stopped drinking to look at Reiji who narrowed his eyes, "Given your interaction with my mother, I would've thought you would be hostile towards me as well."

Mikleo shrugged, "I have a problem with your mother, but I don't have one with you, Reiji. Her attitude just irritates me, especially towards my brother."

"I see." replied Reiji. He's not going to argue with that. His mother's behavior isn't something he agrees with entirely. He raised his head, "In any case, you can go back home for the time being." Mikleo nodded before he turned around towards the door.

"One other thing." Mikleo attempted to move before he heard Reiji's voice again. He turned to face him. "Do not tell anyone about this right now. Especially Yuya."

Mikleo narrowed his eyes, "I assume that is because you don't want the risk of information leaking out."

"That's right. But there's also another reason." Reiji clasped his hands under his chin. "Regardless if Yuya, Yuzu Hiragi or any of the others want to help out, I would rather they focus on the Maiami Championship. They need to prove their might if they are going to be Lancers. They can lend their strength later when the time comes."

"Hmm. Is that why you wanted Yugo and Ruri to participate then? You wanted to see what they're capable of?" Given that they're not fighting in the tournament, Mikleo figured this must be a way of Reiji testing them.

"Correct," agreed Reiji. "I merely wish to see how far their strength goes. This also gives me the opportunity to see more of the skills of the Xyz and Synchro Dimension. I want to see if they have the potential to become Lancers too."

Mikleo stared at Reiji for a moment before turning to leave. He stopped after a few feet with his back towards Reiji, "Reiji, you said before that you don't fight with passionate emotions. You fight with the aspect of a soldier. Would that imply you have something against duelists fighting with emotions like that?"

Reiji pondered before he narrowed his eyes, "...I'm assuming you're referring to Yuya. No. I don't dislike people dueling like that. But in a real fight, just like the one against Academia, unstable feelings like that aren't beneficial if we want to win. You would understand that."

"..." Mikleo stared off into space as he pondered his words before closing his eyes, "Is that so?" He continued walking and took his leave, with Reiji watching him in silence.

---

MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE

Yuya narrowed his eyes, "Reiji wants you all to safeguard the stadium for a few days?" He asked Yuto and Lucine who were standing apart from him and Yugo in his room.

Yuto nodded, "Yes. With the threat of Academia looming over this city, he wants to take extra precautions just in case."

"What about the person who attacked Ryuka? Do you know what's going on with that?" wondered Yuya.

"We don't know. But Academia may be planning an attack so we're going to be watching over for anything suspicious." replied Lucine without a hitch in her voice. She and Yuto were asked not to mention anything important about what they're doing to anyone. In regards to Yuya and Yugo, they gave off some small information, though they weren't lies either.

"Woah, sounds like fun." Yugo held his hands behind and leaned over on the chair. "Wish I could join in. I'd love to take a crack at those Academia bastards."

Yuto turned to him, "Actually, about that, Reiji has been wanting to meet with you for some time. He has something to offer you."

Yugo blinked and pointed at himself, "Eh? Me?"

Yuya frowned in confusion at this. Then, he heard the door open and looked to see Mikleo entering. Yuya blinked, "You're back. So, what happened?"

"Reiji asked me to look over some of the footage and see if there was any suspicious activity on their database." replied Mikleo.

Yuya frowned, "That's what he wanted you for? Was there anything else?"

Mikleo shrugged his shoulders, "Not really. LDS just needed some extra help with security." Yuya's frown grew deeper as something seemed off about this.

"Yuya! It's time for us to go!" Yoko shouted from outside, where everyone heard her. Yuto and Lucine nodded at each other and left the room, with Yugo following behind. The door shut, leaving Yuya and Mikleo alone for a moment.

"...So, are you sure there's nothing happening right now? Especially with an Academia duelist showing up yesterday?" Yuya asked as he looked at his brother with a confused and bothered expression. From what they're saying, it seemed like they were leaving out some details about what transpired last night. He wondered why they wouldn't say anything.

"Obviously." Mikleo let out a small smirk before starting sharing what happened with him, Yuto and Lucine last night. He mentioned the things he and Reiji talked about during the morning as well.

Yuya looked down in deep thought, "What is going on here?" Why would Academia be after duelists in Maiami Championship? Could it really be like Reiji suggested? That they intend to coerce them over to their side? He raised his head back up, "So, you decided to tell me about this despite what Reiji said."

"He asked me to keep quiet, but I never officially agreed so I'm not obligated to do so." Mikleo narrowed his eyes, "That said, the reason I told you is because I feel you have the right to know at the moment." Yuya blinked at him. "But I think it would be best if you don't tell the others for now."

Yuya frowned, "Why's that?"

"Like Reiji said, the less people know about this, the less risk of panic ensuing among the people. Besides, it would be more complicated if you and the others got involved." Mikleo turned his head away, "We shouldn't risk anything that would dampen our opportunities to strike back."

Yuya didn't argue back as his brother had a point. However, he still felt bothered, "But…"

Mikleo placed a hand on Yuya's shoulder and smiled, "Relax. I will keep an eye out and make sure they will be safe. We can tell them eventually, just not now." Yuya was still frowning, but didn't offer a retort at first. Before he could ask more, he heard another voice.

"Yuya! Mikleo! Are you both coming?!" Yuya and Mikleo perked up when they heard their mother calling out to them.

"Yes, we're coming!" Mikleo shouted back as he turned to exit the room with Yuya following behind while still frowning.

---

MAIAMI CITY - MAIAMI DUEL STADIUM

"Now, everyone! It is time to start the first match of the day! First, we have…!" Nico's voice was shouted throughout the stadium as he was shown on the monitors of the gathering hall. Yuya and everyone else just entered the building as Nico was announcing.

A security guard was standing by a few feet and perked up when they saw them enter, with his gaze on Mikleo. He walked up to him who was beside Yuya, "You're here. Right this way." Mikleo nodded as he took a step forward, which left everyone else besides Yuya confused and Yugo scratching his head.

"Big Bro Mikleo?" wondered Ayu.

"What's going on?" questioned Tatsuya.

Mikleo turned his head to everyone with a smile on his face, "Oh, I forgot to mention. Earlier, I received a job to help manage and fix the security system they have at this stadium. I'll be going to a control room instead of the stands for now."

Yuzu blinked, "They need help with the security system?"

"Is there a problem with them?" asked Rin, confused.

"Not sure. They wanted to do a maintenance check and asked me to do it since I was available." replied Mikleo.

Futoshi looked at him with a confused expression, "Then, you're not going to be here with us?"

Mikleo smiled, "Don't worry. I'll still be watching the matches. Just from another location." He turned as he felt the security guard tapping his shoulder. He gestured to Mikleo that they needed to go.

"Well, good luck then." Shuzo said with a smile before Mikleo nodded and walked away with the escort.

Yuya frowned as he watched his brother leave. He then felt a hand slam on his back which made him cough and bend over a little. He turned to see Yugo smiling at him, "Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be fine." Yuya stared at him before he smiled and nodded.

Rin looked at them confused, "What are you talking about? Why wouldn't he be fine?" Shuzo and Yoko proceeded to walk forward and lead the kids towards their seats.

Yuya and Yugo tensed when they heard the question before Yugo glanced to the side and had his arms crossed behind his head, "Eh, nothing really. Just wanted to show support, that's all!" Yugo chuckled nervously as he felt everyone stare at him in more confusion. He looked away and proceeded to move away while whistling innocently.

Feeling something is off, Rin frowned and followed after Yugo, "Yugo, what are you babbling about?" Gongenzaka followed behind her, "It may be just a case of a man giving moral support." Rin walked alongside Yugo and proceeded to ask if something was wrong with him while Yugo just whistled away. Yuya blinked as he just watched them out of earshot. He chuckled sheepishly before following in suit.

Yuzu smiled and went to follow but then stopped when she noticed somebody missing. She turned around to see Ruri looking down at her duel disk she was holding up with a frown.

"Ruri?" Ruri looked up to see Yuzu looking at her curiously, "What's wrong?"

Ruri put her device away as she bowed her head with an apologetic smile, "Sorry, Yuzu. Lucine wants to see me for something. So, I won't be joining you all for now."

"Eh?" Yuzu blinked as Ruri turned and ran in a different direction towards another hallway, leaving her to watch in confusion.

---

After a few minutes of running, Ruri ended up in another section of the main hall, near a concession stand with several people lined up. There were less people around than when she was around the entrances.

Ruri looked up and checked the section she was in. This was the area she was asked to meet Lucine by. When she arrived at the stadium with the others, she got a message on her duel disk from Lucine saying that she wanted to see Ruri but didn't mention why. Just that it was important. She looked around and tried to see her friend but there was nobody around other than the people lined up at the concession stand and those walking toward their seats.

Ruri felt someone tapping her shoulder and turned to see Lucine with a robe over her head, obscuring the top half of her features, "Lucine."

Lucine gestured to her to follow, "This way." She led Ruri up to some stairs nearby where a security guard let them pass by. Ruri blinked her eyes at the guard before continuing following with nobody else walking with them. Both of them soon ended up on another floor with nobody else around other than a few more guards patrolling.

Lucine continued leading her farther away and out of the guards' sight eventually. Ruri frowned in confusion as she walked beside her, "What's going on?" This feels like they're sneaking around which is making her suspicious of whatever this is.

Lucine held out her hand and stopped both of them. She looked up in which Ruri followed her gaze to see one of the large screens displaying on the wall. Nico was shown on the screen with his mike held up, "After a display of back-and-forth, it seems we will have a clear winner here very soon!" Below his feed, there were two duelists shown on-screen with one having an advantage over the other.

Lucine frowned, "We might not have much time left." She looked down at her duel disk longingly. She has to wait for a message from Mikleo before they can do anything else.

"Seriously, Lucine, what's wrong?" asked Ruri, who felt more concerned than before.

Lucine stared at her duel disk for a moment before raising her head back to Ruri, "There's something you need to know so I'll try to be quick about this." Ruri's frown grew deeper before she listened intently.

---

Yuya and Yuzu were following behind the others and were the last ones left in the hallway. They stopped when they heard a voice, "Yuzu! Yuya!" They turned to see Hikaru walking towards them while waving and smiling.

Yuzu smiled, "Hikaru, how are you?"

"I'm fine. It is good to see you two doing well." replied Hikaru.

"Did you and Ryuka want to join us again?" asked Yuya with a curious smile.

"Yes, but before that…" Hikaru bent her back over and held her hand to whisper, "I have a favor I wish to ask of you two." Yuya and Yuzu blinked in surprise before they leaned in closer to listen. Hikaru turned to the side which made them follow her gaze. They saw Ryuka leaning back on a cushioned seat in the waiting area, gazing at her duel disk while having headphones plugged in.

Hikaru turned back to the two of them with a smile, "I was wondering if you'd be willing to be friends with Ryuka." Yuya and Yuzu blinked again. That…was not a question either of them had expected. Hikaru saw the confusion on their faces and her smile grew, feeling she needed to clarify.

"You see, Ryuka isn't the best when it comes to social interactions." Their gaze turned back to Ryuka as Yuya and Yuzu looked curious. "She is nice to other people but she doesn't try to hang out or make friends. I don't think they…understand her." There was hesitance in her voice as she frowned. She then continued with a smile again, "So, if it is not too much trouble, could you two try to be friends with her?" They both stared at her as they pondered the question.

Yuzu smiled at Hikaru, "Sure. I'd like to know more about her." Yuya nodded, "Yeah. It'd be nice to have her as a friend." Both of them could see she was a nice girl and her dueling was pretty good.

Hikaru smiled in relief, "Thank you." With that said, the two of them walked over towards Ryuka's direction to talk to her.

Ryuka was watching a detective tv show on her duel disk when, out of the corner of her eye, notice movement near her and looked up to see Yuya and Yuzu standing next to her. She blinked her eyes at them, "Hey."

Yuzu smiled, "What are you watching?"

Ryuka blinked before shrugging her shoulders and lowering her duel disk to show them what was on-screen, "A tv show."

Yuzu's expression brightened up as she recognized it, "Ah, I like that show. Mind if we watch it with you?"

Ryuka blinked a third time, this time more confused than before. She closed her eyes and shrugged, "I don't mind." Yuzu smiled as she took a seat next to Ryuka. Yuya sat on the other side as he gazed curiously at the show, having never watched it.

While watching all of this, Hikaru couldn't help but smile at the scene she was witnessing with her daughter.

---

After a few minutes, Mikleo entered the control room with him being escorted by a security guard in tow. Reiji was sitting at the main desk with Nakajima and Reira standing beside. The big screen was showing what was happening at the center court with a duel currently going on.

"You're here." Reiji turned his chair to look at Mikleo, "Are you ready to begin?"

"I am." Mikleo stopped to look at Reira, who noticed his gaze and gasped silently, looking a little frightened as he clutched his teddy bear. Mikleo narrowed his eyes before taking a seat next to Reiji and pulled out his laptop from his bag. "I have everything set up. I just need to connect and do the rest." He started typing while the big screen brought up multiple camera feeds of the stadium, both inside and out, including showing the current duel happening.

The screen on his laptop showed the wired map of the stadium just like last time. However, after he pressed a button, hundreds of dots appeared around the entire structure. Then, two green dots showed up on-screen, where one was next to a white one on the far left side of the stadium and the other was closer to the center court in the audience stands.

Mikleo looked at the display, "It seems they're getting into position. And if I'm right…" He clicked on the white dot next to the left green before it showed an eight digit ID number. He recognized the number right away. "Ruri is with Lucine right now. I better change the filter on her ID." He pressed some buttons and the white dot turned into green as well.

"Since they are with each other, it would appear that Lucine is guiding Ruri into another floor with tighter security. She must be telling her about what we're trying to do." surmised Reiji before he turned to Nakajima, "Where is Kurosaki?" Before Nakajima could speak, the door was heard open and Shun walked into the control room.

Reiji nodded, "Good. Everyone is almost in position now." Reiji turned back to the big screen which showed both the current duel and wired map. "As much as I prefer to have Yugo assist us, we'll have to settle for asking your sister's help for now. We're on a tight timetable." He and Mikleo were up all night planning to set up the interception. There was no time to explain or ask both of them at the same time without arousing suspicion. He clasped his hands under his chin, "Once we repelled the forces today, we'll have the time to offer the same opportunity to Yugo when we need it."

Shun narrowed his eyes and directed them both at Mikleo and the big screen, "Is this really going to work? From what you've told us, I don't see any of the agents on the map." There were only white and green dots shown. There are no orange dots signifying Academia duelists anywhere.

"That's because I have the filter turned off for them, but if I change it now…" Mikleo pressed a button and two white dots sitting on opposite sides of the stands turned into orange ones. Mikleo narrowed his eyes, "Only two? There were five yesterday."

Reiji frowned, "Perhaps due to Yuto's intervention, they decided to be cautious and decided to send less people for the next day to lower the risks of losing more of their men."

"Maybe. Regardless, if you're right, they won't be making their move until the match is over." Everyone looked at the big screen to see one duelist have 600 LP left during their turn against a duelist having 2000. "It looks like we have a couple minutes left." Mikleo turned over another page which had various coded numbers and connected wired structures in the background. "Which gives me time to check if anyone else is looking through the cameras."

He pulled up a history log that's recorded who's signed into the system. There were two sets of IP addresses shown on-screen, with one of them saying someone is currently logged in while not being from Leo Corporation; it started ten minutes ago with no end log beside it.

Mikleo smirked, "Found it. Now, I just have to trace it."

---

UNKNOWN CORPORATION

"We're at the climax! One more attack and it will be over!" Nico's voice was heard as Albel and Falin were watching on a big screen in his office. They were seeing the current match happening in the Maiami Stadium.

Albel took a sip of his wine and sighed in relief with a smirk, "What's the status of Laburo and Galim?"

Falin looked at him, "Galim was brought here yesterday so he's still recovering, but Laburo should be back at full health in a matter of no time."

"I see. From the footage we've seen, Galim was defeated by one of the runaway Xyz Dimension duelists." He pressed a button on a remote which brought out another big screen from the ceiling, showing video footage of the duel between Galim and Yuto. Albel frowned at his glass, "Disappointing, but at least he was able to get away."

He turned to Falin, "And what is Jasper's response?"

"It seems he's pulled back three of the remaining soldiers stationed at the stadium on standby while keeping the other two there. I'm not sure of the reason but maybe he's being cautious after yesterday." replied Falin.

"I see." Albel pulled his leg on top of the other and tapped his finger on his desk repeatedly, thinking about something. He eventually gestured to a button on his desk, "Perhaps it is time we give him a call." He pressed it which changed the second screen into static for a moment. It changed into a video call with someone looking at the camera.

It showed a young boy with short, yellow-orange hair with bangs hanging on his forehead and the back of it tied in a ponytail. He wore glasses over his green eyes. He wore a custom blue uniform with white cuffs, combat boots, and a belt.

The boy gasped as he was on-camera before he straightened himself and looked at Albel calmly, "Albel, I didn't know you were calling so soon." A hitch was heard before his voice was speaking clearly the rest of the time.

"I'm calling to check on the progress concerning the first stage of our project, Jasper." Albel tapped his desk a few times before he smiled, "So? Things don't seem to be going well, aren't they?"

Jasper tensed before he bowed his head apologetically with a frown, "...My apologies, sir. I coordinated with Laburo and Galim just as we planned but I didn't expect to run into interference like this."

"Need I remind you that I placed you as overseer of this team I sent for the Maiami Championship so that it would be guaranteed that the operation wouldn't be at risk." Albel's smile grew colder towards Jasper. "And two of our duelists were defeated by both a Standard duelist and a runaway Xyz duelist." Jasper frowned as he looked down at the ground in frustration.

"Do not misunderstand me though. You have all done a fantastic job with this operation." Jasper looked up to see Albel's smile turn normal which relieved and confused him. "We've acquired so many duelists to use for this experiment and it will be enough to carry on to the next phase. If anything, the plan was a success. But…"

"But?" asked Jasper, who frowned in concern.

Albel frowned as he held a fist to his cheek, "The fact that Laburo and Galim were defeated and sent back here concerns me. When Laburo was defeated by Shingo Sawatari and was forced to flee, I let it slide as it was just one loss. But now that another one of our men has fallen, I have to ask…" Albel narrowed his eyes, "Is this going to be an issue?" Falin frowned as he stared at Jasper and wondered what he might say.

Jasper stared at Albel in silence for a moment before he smirked, "You don't have to worry. I still have the surveillance footage connected to my system. Even if they try something, we'll stop them before they have the chance to."

"Is that right?" wondered Albel. He looked at his computer which showed his desktop being connected to multiple camera feeds of the stadium, "It is true. Thanks to your hacking, we were able to tap into the surveillance footage so we could watch their movements." Albel frowned at Jasper, "But is there any chance your signal will be traced back?"

"Not a chance. If there ever was a skilled hacker at Leo Corporation's dispense, I will make sure they won't do much." Albel frowned as he paid more attention to his finger tapping the desk, contemplating their next move.

"Albel-sama. If I may make a suggestion…" Their eyes turned to Falin who spoke, "Since we have enough people to continue with the project, wouldn't it be safer if we recalled everyone back here? There's no need to obtain any more duelists as far as I can see."

Albel placed a hand under his chin as he had a careful and thoughtful expression, "That is true. There would be less risk of our plans being put in danger if we stop it right now." He stared at the desk as he thought about what their next move should be.

"Albel, if I may, we could-" Jasper spoke before the screen suddenly turned into static and his voice was cut off, surprising both Albel and Falin.

Albel lowered his eyes, "What happened?"

Falin leaned over and started typing on the keyboard, "I'm not sure. The signal just got cut off. And I don't think Jasper did that." Albel stared at the static screen with a frown as Falin kept trying to get the screen working again.

---

MAIAMI CITY - UNKNOWN

On the outskirts of Maiami City, a warehouse was in a street block of multiple restaurants and general stores with the park being a few miles away. At the third floor, Jasper just gasped at the screen he was looking at, which turned static just as he was about to suggest something to his superior. Then, several alarms went off throughout the room, alerting him and some scientists working nearby.

"The hell?" Jasper, perplexed, typed away on the computer in front. He checked the system and it showed a red warning sign blinking repeatedly. Someone was breaching through the firewall they had set up. He blinked before he smirked, "It seems they are attempting to intercept me. Well, they won't find it easy with me."

"Jasper! Someone is trying to breach through our firewalls!"

"I'm aware. Send out multiple signals to confuse them for a moment. I'll handle the rest." He typed away various sequences with several scientists typing at other computers and the rest were scrambling to get things back in order.

---

Back at the Maiami Stadium…

"Academia has been attacking them after they lose?!" Ruri shouted in surprise as she looked at Lucine incredulously, having heard everything that's happened from her.

Lucine nodded, "Yes. Right now, me, Yuto and Mikleo are working with Reiji to ensure they can't take any more duelists." She did a quick glance at her duel disk before looking at Ruri with a frown, "Ruri, I know I don't have to ask, but can you help us?"

"Of course I will." Ruri placed a hand to her heart before she frowned as well while turning her head to the other direction, "But why aren't we telling the others? We should get their-"

"No." Lucine interjected which surprised Ruri as she turned back. "As much as I want to agree with you, I'm with Reiji's stance on this. It would be better if we didn't have everyone involved in this. We need to stop them but we also need as few people helping as reasonably possible."

"What do you mean?" questioned Ruri.

"We don't know how long this will take but if we have a massive amount of people guarding the stadium besides the security here then there's the chance they might get suspicious and escape before we could do anything." Lucine explained as she looked down in deep thought, "We need to be efficient and stealthy for this plan to work. Having just the four of us might be able to cover enough ground while also not drawing too much attention."

Ruri frowned at this. She does see the logic in this but she still feels bad for not being able to tell anyone about it. A thought then flashed her mind as she noticed the last thing her friend said, "Four of us? Is Mikleo patrolling the stadium too?"

"I don't know if he will but he is monitoring the network around this stadium for now. I am referring to Yugo."

"Yugo? Does he know about this?" wondered Ruri.

"Not completely, but we can discuss that later." Lucine turned to one of the big screens on the wall, "It is time." Ruri blinked as she looked to see the current duel ending with a blue-haired duelist having a victory over a blond-haired one.

Lucine frowned, "The enemy might be making a move right now." She glanced at her worn duel disk before her eyes lightened up as she saw a wired map with green dots moving slowly. She turned back to Ruri and gestured to her, "Come on. We need to get moving."

"A-Alright." While a little confused on what the plan is, Ruri followed Lucine with a resolved expression as both of them ran down the hallway.

---

Back in the control room…

Reiji frowned at the big screen, "The duel is over. What's the status of the two agents currently in the arena?"

"Sir! They are still there! They haven't made a move yet!" An operator answered as the map showed the two white dots moving by centimeters but they haven't moved away from the stands.

Reiji turned to Mikleo, "How is the interception?" Mikleo was typing away on his laptop, giving his full concentration on the screen.

Mikleo smirked, "As expected, this person is not making this easy. He is trying to seal me off by sending different channels to redirect my attention while also trying to hack my laptop as well."

"I see." Reiji looked at Nakajima, "Have them help him out by narrowing down the channels to find the real signal." Nakajima nodded and was about to speak before Mikleo interjected.

"Thanks, but no need. I've already taken care of that." Nakajima blinked as Mikleo kept typing. "I made a small program just now that acts like a virus and waits to see what reaction each firewall has to it. Three of them responded the same fashion but there is one who is different from the rest. And now…" Mikleo made one final press before a chime was heard across the room.

---

Jasper's eyes widened as he typed away on his main computer, "How the heck did this person find me so quickly?" He'll have to worry about it later. This person managed to block his breaching and is now attempting to breach his firewall. More alarms suddenly went off and multiple warning signs appeared on the screen.

Jasper gritted his teeth, "Damn it. If I don't do something…" He has to be quick about this or else his system will be put in danger.

"Jasper? Are you there?" He heard a voice through the earpiece he was wearing which sounded female.

Jasper kept his gaze on the screen and typed away frequently, "What is it, Eiko?"

"The match just ended. Do you want me to go through with it?" asked Eiko, through the earpiece.

"Yes! Do it!" Jasper shouted as he was sweating bullets on his forehead.

"Are you okay?" Eiko sounded concerned and confused for a moment.

"I'm fine!" Jasper retorted as he angrily took the earpiece off and refocused on the computer screen. He needed to focus.

After a minute, Jasper smiled, "There. Let's see how you deal with this."

Mikleo clicked his tongue, "A virus, huh? Two can play that game." He soon did the same thing, which made Jasper gasp and redouble his efforts.

Another minute passed before Jasper's eyes widened, "Shit! He got through." He only needed a few more seconds to get rid of his virus. He tried inputting more commands but his attempts became more and more denied.

"Jasper, sir! The hacker is attempting to search through our database! We won't last much longer!" shouted one of the scientists with a panicked expression.

He slammed a fist on the table, "At this rate…!" This hacker has outmaneuvered him, something he didn't think would happen. If this continues, his commander will-

He doesn't have a choice now. He inputted some commands over the keyboard, "Prepare for the emergency shutdown!"

A lot of the scientists gasped in shock with one of them speaking, "But sir! If we shut it down now, then-!"

"Do it or we'll risk losing more than we're about to!" The scientists gasped and looked amongst each other before they all scrambled back to their positions. They began shutting down and closing everything they've set up as the alarms kept going. All monitors let out a noise before they each shut down one by one. Nothing was left on as the whole room turned dark. The emergency ceiling lights turned on afterwards.

Jasper let out a huge sigh as he leaned back on his seat and held a hand to his forehead, "What a mess." He let out a frustrated frown as he stared at the static screen.

---

A loading bar filled up on Mikleo's monitor and maxed out. It then disappeared altogether along with several lines of code he had set up next to it. A window on the big screen also closed that had several codes written. Mikleo let out a sigh as he narrowed his eyes, "Great. Well, this is annoying."

"What happened?" questioned Shun, who narrowed his eyes in confusion.

Reiji frowned, "It appears the channel linked to the hacker's database has been cut off." It seems that the IP address no longer showed up active on the network, other than it being recorded in the history log.

"Yeah. It looks like the person shut down their server just as I was about to decrypt the data it had." Mikleo turned around with a fist on his cheek, "There's no way for me to gain access anymore."

Shun scowled, "So that means he slipped away unscathed?"

"...I wouldn't say that." replied Mikleo, who then smiled.

"Yes. Thanks to Mikleo, the enemy will be unable to hack through our systems again for a while. That has bought us some time." Reiji pointed out.

Nakajima's eyes widened, "Really?" He turned to Mikleo, "Thank you then. You've helped us out for now."

"Don't mention it, but it wasn't the only thing I did. And it wasn't like I didn't see anything." Nakajima and Shun narrowed their eyes while Reiji just watched Mikleo who turned back to his laptop, "We can discuss that for later. For now, hopefully those two have gotten the GPS data I sent to Lucine's duel disk." He sent mapping and tracking data he scanned over the network of the stadium just as he started hacking the enemy server. He pressed a button which brought the digital map of the stadium as well as the blinking bots.

Mikleo's smile grew into a smirk, "Bingo." In an exit hallway, one orange dot was closing in on a white one while two green dots entered through the other entrance.

---

A blond-haired, blue-eyed boy walked in the hallway wearing a blue t-shirt, while being escorted by a security guard. He had a frown on his face as he just had a match that ended in his loss. While the boy was lost in his thoughts and the security guard kept looking side-to-side, they were being followed by a person wearing a brown robe that obscured the features.

The lights suddenly turned off and left the entire hallway dark. Everyone gasped, including the robed person, who looked female with blue eyes, before she frowned and ran straight toward where she saw the two of them. While not able to see clearly, she collided with someone running into her and got pushed back, making her choke in surprise. Two sounds of someone getting hit were heard around the area.

Soon after, the lights turned back on. The robed female opened her eyes to see Lucine standing tensely in front of her with a frown on her face. Ruri was right behind her, kneeling beside the boy and the security with concern in her eyes as the two were knocked out.

The robed person gasped before she narrowed her eyes, "I see. This was a trap. You two must be part of the group that came from the Xyz Dimension." She thought it was strange she didn't get any signal from Jasper after asking for the attempt but now it is starting to make sense.

"That's right." Lucine brought her duel disk on her arm and activated it. "And I won't allow Academia to do whatever they want here. If you want them, you'll have to get by me first."

Ruri looked up at Lucine with a worried frown, "Lucine." Lucine turned her head to her for a second, "It's alright. I can handle this on my own in a fair fight. You stand guard just in case." Ruri stared for a moment before she nodded resolutely.

Everyone in the stadium control room was watching this through the big screen. Reiji clasped his hands together, "Good. It seems the interception was a success." He turned to Nakajima, "Inform security and make sure to get those two out of there." Nakajima nodded before placing a finger on his earpiece and relaying an order to staff.

"Now then, let's see how Lucine will handle an Academia duelist." Reiji said with everyone watching closely. Shun frowned as his gaze was on Lucine and his sister.

The robed person frowned, "I've heard that Galim was defeated by someone from the Xyz Dimension. If that's the case-" She grabbed her brown robe and removed it. She had white blondish hair that's shoulder length with bangs brushed on each side of her forehead. She reached into the yellow uniform she was wearing, which had black outlined on the sides, before she took out her duel disk to activate it with a smile. "I will make sure he and Laburo are avenged. I will make sure you won't interfere with us anymore."

"So be it. May I ask for your name?" asked Lucine with an undeterred expression.

"It's Eiko. Now, let's begin." Eiko and Lucine at each other intensely with Ruri watching from the side. They both shouted as they started.

[DUEL!]

LUCINE LP: 8000
EIKO LP: 8000

"The first move is mine. I draw!" Lucine drew her first card before she picked up a different one, "I set a monster face-down." A set monster appeared in front of her.

Lucine held up another one and placed it in, "I set a card and end my turn." Another face-down appeared behind the monster.

Eiko narrowed her eyes and frowned, "A very cautious turn. Well, I suppose I'll have to go on the offense. My turn!" She drew her card and then held out her hand, "I summon Calphyta Angioflower (ATK: 1000, DEF: 1000, LV: 3)!" A humanoid green plant appeared with a flowering plant for a head as well as standing on two leafy legs. The plant made a happy smile as it waved its arms around.

"Angioflower's effect activates! Since I Normal Summoned, I can summon a Phyta Growth Token to my opponent's field." She announced before Angioflower aimed its head and launched a seed into the ground. It grew into a small flower bulb (ATK: 1000, DEF: 1000, LV: 3) standing on two legs made of dirt.

Lucine frowned, "A token." She wonders if this might hinder her dueling style.

"And now, I activate the Magic Card: Polymerization!" Eiko held up a revealed Polymerization card which Lucine narrowed her eyes at. "I use it to Fusion Summon using Angioflower on my field and Calphyta Liliplanter in my hand!" Angioflower and a large lily flower with vine tentacles and brown eyes at the base emerged and floated into a swirling colorful vortex. They merged together into a single being in the middle with a light shining.

"Plant your roots deep into the earth!" Eiko chanted as she held her hands together, "Combine into a vital guardian that crosses the paths of the unknown! Fusion Summon! Appear! Chlophyta Dracaenia Preserver (ATK: 2000, DEF: 2400, LV: 6)!" The monster that emerged was humanoid, having its entire lower body made of tree bark. Vines and roots were tied around its arms and legs, making it look like muscles. They centered around the chest which had an oval-shaped hole. The head was dracaena leaves that were reddish brown in the center and green everywhere else. Two thin vines were wrapped around the torso and hovered behind the creature. The bark on its body was creaking and it took a large step with its leg roots planted in the ground as it appeared.

Lucine narrowed her eyes cautiously, "Fusion…" No matter how many times she sees it, it still bothers her. Even if she can accept Yuya and Yuzu using Fusion Summoning, seeing this method still reminds her of what happened. Ruri frowned and unconsciously clenched her hand, feeling similar thoughts as Lucine.

"Since I used Calphyta Liliplanter as Fusion Material, I activate her effect in my Graveyard!" Eiko declared. "It allows me to Special Summon another Phyta Growth Token to either field. I think I'll summon it onto your field!" Another humanoid bulb (ATK: 1000) appeared in front of Lucine.

She gestured to her field, "Dracaenia Preserver's effect! This card gains 500 ATK for each Plant monster on my opponent's field. And you currently have two right now." The two tokens glowed green with Dracaenia Preserver (ATK: 2000→3000) glowing green as well. Lucine frowned as she just observed all of this.

"I activate the Continuous Magic: Calphyta Selection!" Eiko brought out a magic card that showed Naturia Strawberry and Cherries being planted into a garden with Dracaenia tending to them. "Once per turn, I target a Plant-type monster on my field and it gains an additional attack at the start of the Battle Phase for each Phyta Growth on my opponent's field! I choose Chlophyta Dracaenia Preserver." She gestured to her monster which flashed white for a second.

Lucine frowned as she looked at the field, "There are two tokens on my field, which means her Fusion Monster would be able to attack three times the moment she declares her Battle Phase." If she was going to do something, her instincts told her to do it now. She held out her hand to flip up a card, "I activate the Trap Card: Ghostrick Panic! I target any number of face-down Defense Position monsters on my field and switch them face-up to Attack Position. Then, I can force that many monsters on your field to face-down Defense Position."

"Is that so?" asked Eiko with a cute smile. She gestured to her field, "I activate Dracaenia Preserver's effect! Once per turn, when my opponent activates a card or effect that targets, I can tribute a Plant monster on either side of the field to negate your card and then destroy it! I release one of your Phyta Growth Tokens!" Dracaenia Preserver reached out its arm and released its vines that crushed the token to pieces. Another vine wrapped around Lucine's trap and destroyed it, making Lucine frown.

"Now, the effect of Calphyta Selection goes through, although Dracaenia Preserver loses 500 ATK since it just released one of your tokens." Eiko pointed out that her monster (ATK: 3000→2500) grew weaker as a result.

"Battle! Dracaenia Preserver attacks your Phyta Growth Token! Furious Nature!" Eiko declared before Preserver swung its vines around the area. Lucine and Ruri ducked and avoided getting hit. The vines slammed into the humanoid seed bulb and destroyed it. Lucine gritted his teeth as she took some of that blast.

LUCINE LP: 8000→6500

"Since you had a Plant monster during the start of the Battle Phase, Dracaenia Preserver gains another attack!" Preserver (ATK: 2500→2000) withdrew its vines before standing ready once more. "Attack her face-down monster!" Dracaenia Preserver hurled its vines forward.

Eiko held out her hand, "At this moment, I activate Dracaenia Preserver's effect! When this card declares an attack, I can target and change the attack target's battle position." Lucine's eyes widened as she continued, "I'll force your set monster into Attack Position!" The set monster flipped face-up and revealed itself. It was a skeleton wearing a black robe around its entire body while carrying a red pouch around its neck. It carried a scythe in its right hand and raised it up, cackling as it emerged.

"The monster you're attacking is Ghostrick Skeleton (ATK: 1200, DEF: 1100, LV: 3)." Lucine revealed as Skeleton swung its scythe and collided with the vines, pushing each other back. "Ghostrick Skeleton's effect activates! Since it is flipped face-up, I can banish a card from the top of your Deck for each "Ghostrick" on my field. I only have one so I'll banish the top card from your Deck!" Eiko frowned as the top card of her deck was banished. Since Ghostrick Skeleton's effect was a normal Trigger Effect instead of a Flip Effect, Preserver couldn't negate it.

"That may be, but your monster is still getting destroyed! Furious Nature!" Dracaenia hurled even more vines that cut through the scythe and overwhelmed the skeleton. It was blown back and exploded by the vines. Lucine shielded herself from the blast with her arm.

LUCINE LP: 6500→5700

Lucine held up a card in hand, "I activate the effect of Ghostrick Specter in my hand! Since a "Ghostrick" monster was destroyed in battle with my opponent's attacking monster, I Special Summon this card in face-down Defense Position and then draw a card!" A ghost with horns and a funny face appeared before floating over and transformed into a set monster onto the field. Lucine drew a card afterwards and took a quick glance at it.

Eiko narrowed her eyes before placing a card in, "I think that's enough for now. I'll end my turn by setting one card face-down." A set Magic/Trap card appeared as she ended her turn. She raised her head, "Since it is the End Phase, Calphyta Selection allows me to Special Summon a Phyta Growth Token to either field; I'll summon it to your field!" Another humanoid bulb (ATK: 1000) emerged from the ground in front of Lucine.

Chlophyta Dracaenia Preserver (ATK: 2000→2500)

"I wonder if you got something better than playing defensively. Otherwise, this will be over soon enough." said Eiko with a calm smile.

Ruri frowned, "If she keeps bringing tokens out to the field, Lucine will have a hard time trying to counter that monster." Lucine frowned to herself. Ruri was right, but there are ways to work around it. And she already knows what to do.

"My turn, draw!" She drew before she held out a card, "I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Ghostrick Jumpscare!" A magic card appeared showing Ghostrick Specter scaring Dancing Elf on a street at nighttime. "I target a set monster on my field and change it to face-up Defense Position." She pointed at Eiko, "Since my card targets, do you respond with Dracaenia Preserver?"

"...I do not." replied Eiko with a confused frown after a moment of silence.

"Then, I'll switch my set monster face-up. Ghostrick Specter (ATK: 600, DEF: 0, LV: 1)!" The card flip over and the ghost monster emerged from it with its tongue sticking out in a silly manner.

"Since it was a "Ghostrick" monster that was flipped up, I can Normal Summon a "Ghostrick" from my hand immediately afterwards. I summon Ghostrick Witch (ATK: 1200, DEF: 200, LV: 2)!" A blonde-haired witch in black clothing appeared with a smile, carrying a broom with a black handle and a red ribbon wrapped around.

"I activate Ghostrick Witch's effect! Once per turn, I can target a face-up monster on your field and change it to face-down Defense Position." Lucine pointed at her opponent's field, "I select Dracaenia Preserver!" Ghostrick Witch sat on her broom and pointed a glowing finger at the plant monster.

Eiko blinked and let out a reluctant smile, "I see what you're doing, so I guess I don't have a choice right now." She looked up with a serious expression, "I activate Dracaenia Preserver's effect! I release the Phyta Growth Token on your field to negate and destroy your Ghostrick Witch!" Vines erupted from the ground and took Witch by surprise as she was enveloped and crushed by them. They went away as Dracaenia Preserver (ATK: 2500→2000) retracted its foot from the ground.

"Since the Token left the field, she can freely target any cards on the field now." Ruri observed.

Lucine held up a card, "I summon Ghostrick Phantom (ATK: 0, DEF: 600, LV: 1)!" She brought out a ghost that was similar in shape to Specter, except it had a black cloth and wore a white silly-faced mask over its face.

Reiji narrowed his eyes, "Two Level 1 monsters…"

"I activate the Magic Card: Ghostrick Suspense!" A magic card emerged showing Ghostrick Witch, Fairy, Warwolf all performing at an old theater, with the audience watching Warwolf battling the other two monsters dramatically. "Since I do not have a Field Magic on my field, I can add one from my Deck and then add a "Ghostrick" monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I add Ghostrick Shrine from my Deck and Ghostrick Witch back from the Graveyard." She held up and showed the two cards she added.

Lucine held out her hand, "I Overlay both my Level 1 Ghostrick Specter and Phantom!" Both monsters morphed into energy and flew alongside one another. They merged and entered a spiraling black-and-white portal formed at the ground in the center. A beam of light shot up as she chanted, "Cursed headless knight! Ride your steed away during the dusk of midnight! Xyz Summon! Arise, Rank 1! Ghostrick Dullahan (ATK: 1000, DEF: 0, RNK: 1, OVU: 2)!" The haunted black knight riding a white horse appeared as the animal galloped and let out a neigh.

"A Rank 1 monster that is obviously weaker than my monster. What would you be planning?" questioned Eiko.

"You'll find out. Ghostrick Dullahan gains 200 ATK for each "Ghostrick" card on my field and I have only one right now." Lucine clarified as Dullahan (ATK: 1000→1200) let out a dark aura around its body.

Lucine held out her hand, "I activate Dullahan's effect! By using an Overlay Unit, I target a monster on the field in order to halve its ATK until the end of the turn. I'll select your Dracaenia Preserver!" Dullahan (OVU: 2→1) absorbed an orb into its sword; it then swung and sent out a shockwave that made Dracaenia Preserver bend over tiredly. Eiko clicked her tongue at that.

Chlophyta Dracaenia Preserver (ATK: 2000→1000)

"Forcing me to use my monster's effect just so you can target it for the rest of the turn was a clever move." Eiko let out a small smile, "But you obviously won't be defeating me at this rate. I will win for the sake of Academia!"

"Let's see how long that certainty will last then." Lucine held out her hand, "I activate the Field Magic: Ghostrick Shrine!" A card appeared showing an ancient brown shrine during midnight. The field around them transformed into an area where both duelists were standing beside that same shrine with the roof over their heads. They stood on a stone floor with various rocks poking out as stepping stones. Cobwebs, skeletons, and jack-o-lanterns were placed on different places of the shrine. Blue and white spectras phased through the ground and rose through the roof every now and then, each letting out an ooo.

Ghostrick Dullahan (ATK: 1200→1400)

"As long as this card is in play, all non-"Ghostrick" monsters lose 500 ATK & DEF." Lucine stated, leading Eiko to frown at.

Chlophyta Dracaenia Preserver (ATK: 1000→500)

"Battle! Ghostrick Dullahan attacks Chlophyta Dracaenia Preserver!" Lucine declared as Dullahan charged forward. "At this moment, the effect of Ghostrick Shrine activates! I draw a card from my Deck since an attack was declared involving my "Ghostrick" monster and an opponent's monster." She drew a card as Dullahan raised its sword up.

Eiko gestured to her field, "I activate the Trap Card: Calphyta Endurance!" A trap revealed itself showing the image of Liliplanter sitting in a pot while toughening out through a harsh hailstorm. "Since an attack was declared involving my "Phyta" monster, Dracaenia Preserver cannot be destroyed in battle or card effects for the rest of the turn!" Dracaenia Preserver planted its feet into the ground as Dullahan slashed it across the chest. It wasn't destroyed but the shockwave the attack caused made Eiko grit her teeth.

EIKO LP: 8000→7100

Lucine narrowed her eyes, "You may have saved your monster for the turn, but I'm prepared for something like that." She held up a card, "I activate Ghostrick Banshee's effect in my hand! Since I inflicted battle damage by using a "Ghostrick" monster, I discard this card to Special Summon another "Ghostrick" from my Deck in face-up Attack or face-down Defense Position."

A ghastly girl with long, white hair and wearing a blue dress appeared as it made a silly face. It suddenly vanished as Lucine shouted, "Appear, Ghostrick Stein (ATK: 1600, DEF: 0, LV: 3)!" A blue undead monster appeared with various parts stitched together, including a green tank and bolts attached to its head. It wore a red jacket, pants and dark boots. It took a step forward as it moaned.

Ghostrick Dullahan (ATK: 1400→1600)

"Ghostrick Stein attacks Dracaenia Preserver now! And due to Ghostrick Shrine, I draw a card!" Lucine drew as Stein limped over and threw a lazy punch at the plant monster, with a loud bang heard from the wood. The collision made Eiko wince and take a step back.

EIKO LP: 7100→6000

"Since I inflicted battle damage with Ghostrick Stein, I can add a "Ghostrick" Magic or Trap from my Deck." She added a card to her hand afterwards.

Eiko smiled, "Not bad from someone who's from the Xyz Dimension." She held out her hand, "Calphyta Endurance's effect activates! At the end of the Battle Phase, I Special Summon a Phyta Growth Token to your field!" Another humanoid bulb (ATK: 1000) sprouted in front of Lucine.

Chlophyta Dracaenia Preserver (ATK: 500→1000)

Lucine frowned at the token, but decided it didn't matter at the moment. "I activate Ghostrick Stein's effect! I change it to face-down Defense Position." Stein's card appeared below and flipped over, changing the monster into a set card.

Ghostrick Dullahan (ATK: 1600→1400)

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn." Lucine placed two more set cards on her field.

"Since it is the End Phase, I Special Summon another Phyta Growth Token to your field!" Eiko summoned another bulb token monster (ATK: 1000) to her opponent's field. After that, the effect of Ghostrick Dullahan ends which means Dracaenia Preserver (ATK: 1000→1500→2500) regains its lost strength.

Reiji clasped his hands together, "I see. Lucine's dueling style is more methodical and her deck functions as a control deck. She waits and sees what her opponent's moves are and reacts to them accordingly." Shun narrowed his eyes as he didn't offer an opinion.

Eiko looked at Lucine, "You are good, but I will make sure you're defeated on this turn."

"You can try, but the Resistance is always prepared when our backs are against the wall." retorted Lucine.

"Let's put that to the test then, shall we? My turn!" Eiko drew before she picked up a card, "I activate the Magic Card: Growth Fertilizer!" A card appeared showing Baobaboon sitting in a large patch of grass with Nettles eating it and growing larger. "By targeting a "Phyta" monster on my field, it gains 1000 ATK for every other Plant monster on the field and it can also inflict piercing damage this turn!" Lucine's eyes widened as Eiko pointed at her, "I choose Dracaenia Preserver and because you have two Plant monsters on your field, it gains 2000 ATK!"

Chlophyta Dracaenia Preserver (ATK: 2500→4500)

"After it resolves, it Special Summons a Phyta Growth Token to either field!" A third bulb (ATK: 1000) monster sprouted onto Lucine's side.

Chlophyta Dracaenia Preserver (ATK: 4500→5000)

"Once I activate this, Dracaenia Preserver is the only monster I can attack with for the remainder of the turn. But I'm not worried since I have this." Eiko gestured to her field, "I activate Calphyta Selection's effect! I target Dracaenia Preserver and it gains an additional attack during the start of the Battle Phase for each Plant monster on the field!" All three Phyta tokens glowed white which led to the tree monster glowing as well.

Ruri frowned in worry, "With three of those tokens currently out, her monster gains three more attacks this turn." Reiji narrowed his eyes while Shun tensed a little as they both watched.

"Battle! Dracaenia Preserver attacks your face-down Ghostrick Stein!" Eiko declared as Preserver threw its vines towards Lucine's field.

"Since you declared an attack against my face-down monster, I get to draw a card thanks to Ghostrick Shrine. But first-" Lucine held out her hand which flipped up a card, "Continuous Trap, activate! Ghostrick Rollshift! Once per turn, I can target a set monster on my field and switch it to face-up Attack Position. Then, I can change one of your monsters to face-down Defense Position if it is a "Ghostrick" I switched before."

"So that's why you changed Stein face-down." Eiko smiled, "Then you should know what my response is." She held out her hand, "Dracaenia Preserver's effect! I release one of the Phyta Growth Tokens on your field to negate your targeting effect!" One of the tokens buried itself into the ground and disappeared entirely, with Dracaenia Preserver (ATK: 5000→4500) growing a branch back.

Lucine smiled, "I expected that, especially since that effect is once per turn. And now that it is out of the way…" She gestured towards the other set card which flipped up, "I activate the Trap Card: Ghostrick Reform! I target a Field Magic I control and return it to the hand." She added it back which made the entire field return to normal.

Chlophyta Dracaenia Preserver (ATK: 4500→5000)

"Then, I can activate a Field Magic from my hand or Deck. From my Deck, the Field Magic: Ghostrick Mansion!" A card was placed which changed the field once more, transforming the area into an old, abandoned mansion and everyone was inside a living room with dusty furniture at night.

Ruri smiled in relief, "With that card in play…"

Eiko frowned as she looked around the area, "Dracaenia Preserver's effect now resolves which negates and destroys your Ghostrick Rollshift." Vines erupted from below and crushed the trap into pieces. Shrine's effect then resolves and Lucine drew a card from her deck afterwards.

"And now, I use Dracaenia Preserver's effect your face-down monster's Battle Position!" Vines appeared and forced the set card over. Ghostrick Stein (ATK: 1600) appeared before it was quickly restrained by said vines.

"Furious Nature!" Preserver launched its vines that whipped around and cut through Ghostrick Stein, destroying it.

Lucine frowned as she held her arm to shield herself from the explosion, "Due to Ghostrick Mansion, any battle damage inflicted by non-Ghostrick monsters is halved!"

LUCINE LP: 5700→3200

"With the damage being halved each time…" Eiko pondered with a frown before looking up, "I still have three attacks left. Dracaenia Preserver, attack Ghostrick Dullahan!" Preserver redirected the extended vines toward Dullahan, whose horse braced itself.

Lucine held out her hand, "I activate Ghostrick Dullahan's effect! By using an Overlay Unit, I halve the ATK of your Dracaenia Preserver! And you can't respond with it again this turn!" Dullahan raised its sword and absorbed an orb into it (OVU: 1→0). It slashed with it and sent a vacuum wave that crashed into Dracaenia Preserver (ATK: 5000→2500), pushing it back a couple feet as it stumbled.

"That's not enough! Furious Nature!" Preserver lashed its vines around once more and striked both the knight and the horse, blowing both up as they cried in pain. Lucine winced as she shielded herself.

LUCINE LP: 3200→2650

Lucine lowered her arm, "Ghostrick Dullahan's effect activates when it is sent to the Graveyard! I target a different "Ghostrick" card in my Graveyard and add it to my hand." She revealed Jumpscare, which she added back.

"Dracaenia Preserver attacks your first Phyta Growth Token!" Preserver used its vines to whip the bulb creature around before it exploded off the field.

LUCINE LP: 2650→1900

"And now it attacks your second Phyta Growth Token!" Preserver (ATK: 2500→2000) lashed out its vines once more and swatted the token off the field. It exploded which made Lucine wince again.

LUCINE LP: 1900→1400
Chlophyta Dracaenia Preserver (ATK: 2000→1500)

Lucine held up a card, "I activate Ghostrick Mary's effect in my hand! Since I took damage, I discard this card to Special Summon a "Ghostrick" from my Deck in face-down Defense Position." She discarded it before a table with a mirror on top appeared. A white-haired girl wearing a purple dress was inside the glass as she looked spooked. The girl vanished before the glass ripped and a set card tore through it. "I set Ghostrick Ghoul!" A face-down card appeared soon after.

Eiko frowned before she picked up a card, "You'll survive for the turn, but I'll make sure the next one will be the last. I activate the Continuous Magic: Seed Cannon!" A thorny yellow flower with berries growing on the sides appeared with an open mouth.

"I end my turn. At this moment, Calphyta Selection summons another token to the field." Another bulb monster (DEF: 1000) sprouted in front of Lucine as the ATK decrease of Dracaenia Preserver (ATK: 1500→2500) ended as well.

"Seed Cannon's effect! Each time a Plant monster is summoned, it gains a Plant Counter." The flower (PC: 0→1) ate one of the berries it held and chewed very slowly. "During my next turn, I can send this card to the Graveyard and deal 500 points of damage to my opponent for each Plant Counter it has." Eiko let out a small smile as she finished.

Ruri lowered her eyes in concern, "Which means if that thing gains two more counters, Lucine will lose." While everyone was focused on the duel, two guards were behind Ruri and carried the two unconscious people safely away.

Nakajima frowned, "She has to end this on her next turn or else she has to destroy that card. Either way, this isn't looking good."

"...She will win." Reiji turned to see Shun watching with an undeterred expression, "I know she will." Reiji narrowed his eyes before turning back to watch.

Lucine narrowed her eyes, "Then I suppose I'll have to finish it on this turn. My turn!" She looked at what she drew before a small smile grew on her face. "And it looks like I will be able to." Eiko frowned at that, wondering what she's up to.

"First, I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Ghostrick Jumpscare!" Lucine declared as her card appeared, "Once again, I target my set monster to flip it face-up. Do you respond?"

"I will not." replied Eiko with a skeptical expression.

"Then, I will flip up Ghostrick Ghoul (ATK: 1100, DEF: 1200, LV: 3)!" An undead green humanoid with sharp claws and bones sticking out from its back appeared from the flipped card. She held up another monster, "And due to Jumpscare's effect, I summon Ghostrick Witch (ATK: 1200)!" Witch appeared next to the monstrous humanoid.

Lucine pointed at her opponent, "I activate Ghostrick Witch's effect! I target your Dracaenia Preserver to flip it face-down!" Witch aimed her broom at the plant monster.

"I don't want to use it now but I don't have a choice again." muttered Eiko before she looked up, "Dracaenia Preserver's effect! I tribute a Phyta Growth Token on your field to negate and destroy Ghostrick Witch!" Lucine's only token monster vanished as vines erupted and crushed Ghostrick Witch into pieces.

Chlophyta Dracaenia Preserver (ATK: 2500→2000)

"Given that's the same strategy you played during your last turn, you must have something planned." Eiko let out a smirk, "Is that right?"

"Perhaps. Either way, you've played exactly how I expected you to." Eiko narrowed her eyes as Lucine held out her hand, "I summon Ghostrick Gnome (ATK: 1400, DEF: 1300, LV: 3)!" A small, bearded humanoid with sharp ears appeared with a smile on its face, wearing green and white garbs as well as a leather red cap.

"Ghostrick Gnome's effect activates! When this card is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Ghostrick" monster from my Graveyard. Resurrect, Ghostrick Skeleton!" Skeleton (ATK: 1200) re-emerged from a portal in the ground in front of Lucine.

Lucine had a determined expression on her face, "I Overlay the Level 3 Ghostrick Gnome and Ghostrick Skeleton!" Both monsters transformed and flew into the air as dark energy. They entered a spiraling portal formed in the ground. A beam of light shot up from the center with a monster forming, "Soul of the blood prince! Arise from the ashes and make way for your new haunted form! Xyz Summon! Arise, Rank 3! Ghostrick Alucard (ATK: 1800, DEF: 1600, RNK: 3, OVU: 2)!" Alucard emerged onto the field as the vampire whipped its cape around with flare.

Eiko tensed as she frowned, "You may have Xyz Summoned, but that monster is clearly weaker than my own."

"Then, I suppose I'll exchange it for something stronger." retorted Lucine, which made Eiko raise an eyebrow. Lucine held up her hand, "I activate Ghostrick Reform's effect in my Graveyard! By banishing this card, I select a "Ghostrick" Xyz Monster on my field and use it as material to Xyz Summon a "Ghostrick" with a different name from my Extra Deck!"

Eiko's eyes widened, "What?"

"I use Ghostrick Alucard to rebuild the Overlay Network!" Her trap was banished as Lucine's monster morphed into dark energy and rose into the air. A swirling portal opened from above as the energy entered the center. A beam of light shot open and formed a monster as Lucine chanted, "King of the blood undead, release your soul into your new form! Hunt down your desires and be reborn with revitalization! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Arise, Rank 4! Ghostrick Dracula (ATK: 2100, DEF: 1800, RNK: 4, OVU: 3)!" An older, more sleek vampire appeared, flailing his blood red cape around as the monster smiled.

"Rank-Up? Is this the unique summoning method I've heard about from the Xyz Dimension?" asked Eiko with a surprised expression. Ruri smiled at the monster that summoned, having seen what it can do. Shun let out a small smile as everyone else in the control room watched very closely.

Lucine gestured toward her field, "I activate Ghostrick Ghoul's effect! Once per turn, I can target a "Ghostrick" on my field and make its ATK equal to the combined original ATK of all "Ghostrick" monsters I control until the end of the turn! I will select Dracula!" Ghoul dug its claws into the ground, releasing blue spirits from the earth that circled around Dracula's body before they were all absorbed into him.

Ghostrick Dracula (ATK: 2100→3200)

"When I use this effect, only the monster I targeted for this effect can attack for the rest of the turn." Eiko gritted her teeth as she realized her monster was stronger than hers now.

"I activate Ghostrick Dracula's effect!" announced Lucine. "I use an Overlay Unit to target a monster on your field and switch it to face-down Defense Position." Dracula (OVU: 3→2) absorbed a dark orb into his hands and they glowed purple. The vampire pointed his left hand at Dracaenia Preserver before gesturing it down, transforming the monster into a set card. "And since I sent Alucard to the Graveyard by this effect, I add a different "Ghostrick'' card from my Graveyard." She added Rollshift as she momentarily showed it.

"What was the point of that?" Eiko wondered with a confused expression. "By doing that, you won't be able to inflict damage to me this turn if you attack Dracaenia Preserver."

Lucine let out a look of resolve, "That would be true, if I was planning on attacking it. With Ghostrick Mansion out, monsters cannot face-down monsters but if the opponent only has face-down monsters, they can attack directly." Eiko's eyes widened as Lucine held out her hand, "Before that, I activate the Continuous Magic: Ghostrick Phase!" A magic card appeared showing a dark wooden room with Lantern and Jackfrost phasing through the wall as Warwolf laid on the ground unconscious. "Once per turn, I tribute a "Ghostrick" or a face-down monster on my field to activate one of three effects. I release Ghoul in order to use the second effect. It targets a "Ghostrick" Xyz Monster and it can attack twice this turn." Ghoul evaporated as Dracula's entire body glowed white.

Eiko took a step back in shock, "But then you can-!"

"That's right. You know what's about to happen now. This is the start of Academia's ambitions ending in this stadium!" Lucine declared as she narrowed her eyes at Eiko, "Battle! Go, Dracula! Attack her directly!" Dracula flew forward and slashed Eiko across the chest, making her cry out from the pain.

EIKO LP: 6000→2800

"This will finish it. Dracula, attack her again! Hollow Moon!" Dracula clasped his hands together as dark miasma gathered in them. He held them out and generated a big ball of dark energy hovering above. Using his hands, he threw it across the field at Eiko, who cried out as it hit and knocked her onto her back.

EIKO LP: 2800→0

LUCINE: WIN
EIKO: LOSE

Ruri smiled, "You did it!"

"Well done!" Nakajima exclaimed as Shun nodded his head. Reira blinked his eyes curiously as his brother just carefully watched.

Lucine walked up to Eiko, who was lying on the floor unconscious. She stared at her before she raised her duel disk towards her.

Ruri gasped, "Lucine!" Lucine tensed and said nothing as she just stood watching the soldier with a frown. Ruri ran up and stood directly behind her with a sad expression, "Please. Don't."

Lucine's frown grew deeper as she stared at her longer…then she eventually lowered her duel disk. They watched as Eiko's body turned into blue particles and vanished away from the area.

Everyone in the control room watched cautiously as they saw the soldier disappear. Things were quiet between the two girls as one looked at the other sadly while the other just kept her gaze on where the Academia duelist just was at.

"...I know you're still disappointed in us." Ruri blinked as Lucine raised her head towards her. "Despite you saying you understand before, I know you would never do something like this either. I'm sure none of us like it." She closed her eyes solemnly, "But you know we do this to survive…Me, Yuto and Shun are all willing to dirty our hands for this conflict to end. It is not something you have to bear."

Ruri's frown grew deeper, "Lucine…" She lowered her head as she pondered for a moment. Her frown turned more into a bothered one as she raised her head, "I-"

"We better get moving in case there's another attack soon." Lucine interrupted as she walked on ahead, not wanting to see the look on Ruri's face right now. Ruri tried to open her mouth to speak but Lucine was already a bit too far to hear. Ruri just kept frowning as she reluctantly ran after Lucine and didn't say anything else.

---

1 hour later…

"Let's give a round of applause to Teppei Tairyobata! What a surge of victory!" Nico's voice was heard across the arena two people exited the center field. It was a guard along with a pale-haired girl with glasses, who was the duelist who just lost her match. She was being escorted out of the arena by the guard walking by her.

They were being followed by a person, who appears to be male, wearing a brown cloak that obscured his features just like the last Academia duelist. He carefully walked behind without making too much noise with a smirk on his face.

Suddenly a gate came down from the ceiling and landed between the robed person and the other two. It locked him from the other side. The robed person gasped before he reached into his pocket for something, attempting to use it to quickly breach it.

"Stop right there!" He tensed as he turned to see two girls, one with purple hair and the other had pink with blue-violet flowing in the back, standing behind and glaring at him. His eyes darted back and forth between the girls and the sealed wall.

"Oh, I see. I was being watched. I thought Jasper had the security taken care of." He muttered that last part under his breath before he turned back to the girls, "Are you two trying to stop me?"

"That should be obvious since we have you cornered right now." Lucine retorted. Ruri activated her duel disk and pointed it at him, "We won't let you harm any more people here."

The robed boy's eye twitched irritably before he narrowed his eyes, "That duel disk and those clothes…I see. You're the Xyz runaways I've heard about."

"And what if we are?" asked Lucine with a frown.

He smirked, "Then this could be more fun." He grabbed his robe and pulled it off. His features were now fully shown. It was a young man, about the girls' age, wearing a red uniform with brown chain link accessories on the shoulders. He had brown eyes and spiky dark green hair with the front bangs brushed sideways. From his waist, he took a red shield-shaped duel disk with blue trimming and activated it, "I was getting bored of chasing down these Standard losers. Having to hunt down someone from the Xyz Dimension is much more interesting."

"Hunt down…" Ruri frowned at the man before she looked more determined, "If that's how you feel, then I will stop you here!" Ruri glanced over her shoulder to Lucine who nodded at her. She'll duel this time instead of Lucine.

The man barked a laugh, "Ha! Let's see if you'll still be saying that after you're turned into a card." He held out his duel disk, "The name is Shinta. Now, let's get this hunt started."

Lucine took a step back to give both of them some space as they each stared at each other fiercely. They both shouted at the same time.

[DUEL!]

RURI LP: 8000
SHINTA LP: 8000

Everyone in the control room was watching Ruri and the Academia duelist starting very closely. Shun frowned as he watched his sister, "Ruri…"

"The first move is mine. I draw!" Shinta drew before he picked up a card, "I summon Molten Amoeba (ATK: 400, DEF: 0, LV: 1)!" A unicellular organism made out of molten magma with energy lines flowing through its clear body.

"I activate Molten Amoeba's effect! I can Fusion Summon a monster using monsters in my hand or field as material including this card!" Ruri tensed as Shinta held up a monster, "I use Molten Amoeba and Gunner Dragon, the Dual-Mode Machine Beast in my hand to Fusion Summon!" A pale yellow mechanical dragon with iron treads and gun cannons emerged and floated beside Molten Amoeba. They spiraled and merged into the colorful vortex. A light shined in the middle as a monster formed.

"Heavy machinery built in the shape of a dragon!" Shinta chanted as he held his hands together, "Merge with the power of fire and evolve into an artillery beast! Fusion Summon! Come, Level 7! Ignatous Blaster Dragon (ATK: 3000, DEF: 2800, LV: 7)!" A dark metal dragon appeared with heavy metal armor, sharp claws and red energy lines flowing through its body. It had treads on the back of its legs as it stepped forward and dug through the floor. Its head was a gun cannon with the nose of it being the barrel and its eyes gleamed red.

Ruri frowned, "His Fusion Monster…" Even though it still bothers her, it won't stop her from dueling.

"I set two cards and end my turn there." Two face-downs emerged as Shinta smirked, "Now, let's see how you'll do before you'll eventually struggle."

Ruri's frown grew deeper before she drew, "It's my turn, I draw!" She held up a card and activated it first as it appeared, "I activate the Magic Card: Lyrical Luscinia - Bird Call! I take a "Lyrical Luscinia" monster from my Deck and either add it to my hand or send it to the Graveyard."

She took a card from her Deck and showed it, "I add Lyrical Luscinia - Topaz Owl to my hand. Then, I can Special Summon a "Lyrical Luscinia" with a different name from my hand! Fly, Lyrical Luscinia - Celeste Wagtail (ATK: 200, DEF: 0, LV: 1)!" A girl wearing a black, gray and white wagtail bird outfit with blue gems engraved appeared.

"Celeste Wagtail's effect activates!" Ruri declared, "When this card is Special Summoned, I can-!"

"Before that, Ignatous Blaster Dragon's effect also activates!" Shinta interrupted with a smirk, which caught her off guard. "Each time you Normal or Special Summon a monster, you take 800 points of damage!" Ignatous aimed its head and blasted a fireball at Ruri. It hit her which made her wince from the blast.

RURI LP: 8000→7200

Ruri frowned, "Celeste Wagtail's effect now resolves. Since it was Special Summoned, I add a "Lyrical Luscinia" Magic or Trap Card from my Deck." She added a card from her deck afterwards.

"That effect basically punishes Ruri's strategy since it relies on Special Summoning multiple monsters." thought Lucine with a concerned frown.

Ruri had the same thoughts. But she wouldn't let it stop her. She just needed to be careful. With that in mind, she held up a monster, "I summon Lyrical Luscinia - Topaz Owl (ATK: 0, DEF: 100, LV: 1)!" A humanoid girl wearing a pinkish-orange owl outfit appeared. Ignatous Blaster Dragon knelt down on four legs and fired another fireball from its head. Ruri winced as the flames grazed her body.

RURI LP: 7200→6400

She raised her head back up, "I activate Topaz Owl's effect! When I Normal Summon this card while having another "Lyrical Luscinia" on my field, I can summon a "Lyrical Luscinia" monster from my Deck! Fly, Lyrical Luscinia - Cobalt Sparrow (ATK: 0, DEF: 100, LV: 1)!" A girl wearing a brown sparrow bird outfit appeared with its wings spread. Ignatous fired another fireball which made Ruri wince and tense again.

RURI LP: 6400→5600

"I activate Cobalt Sparrow's effect! I add a Level 1 Winged-Beast monster from my Deck since it was Special Summoned!" Ruri added a monster before she held it up, "I activate Lyrical Luscinia - Sapphire Swallow's effect in my hand! When I control a Winged-Beast monster, I can Special Summon this card along with a Level 1 Winged-Beast monster from my hand. Appear, Lyrical Luscinia - Sapphire Swallow (ATK: 100, DEF: 0, LV: 1) and Lyrical Luscinia - Sunstone Thrush (ATK: 200, DEF: 100, LV: 1)!" Two females with blue swallow bird and orange thrush bird features appeared respectively. Another fireball was fired before it blasted into Ruri.

RURI LP: 5600→4800

Shinta blinked at his opponent, not expecting five monsters to be summoned in one turn. Well, it wouldn't make a difference. But wait…

Nakajima frowned, "She has summoned multiple monsters but the opponent already damaged almost half her life." Reiji narrowed his eyes as he noticed something, "Five Level 1 monsters."

"I use my Level 1 Celeste Wagtail, Topaz Owl, Cobalt Sparrow, Sapphire Swallow and Sunstone Thrush to build the Overlay Network!" Ruri announced as all five monsters transformed into turquoise energy. They all converged and entered a spiraling portal in the ground. A beam of light shot from the center as Ruri chanted, "Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale (ATK: 0, DEF: 0, RNK: 1, OVU: 5)!" A female with avian features, such as wings for arms and yellow clawed feet, appeared while having light yellow, light blue and light purple patterned on her body similar to a dress. The skin on her body was black around her legs, chest and head. Ribbons were tied to her chest and around her shoulders. The monster twirled in the air as she spread her wings out.

Shinta's surprise turned into a smirk, "You used five monsters to summon that, but what can you do when it has no ATK? Especially since Ignatous Blaster Dragon's effect deals you damage!" Ignatous Blaster fired another fireball. Ruri winced as it connected.

RURI LP: 4800→4000

"It's only been the first turn and you've already lost half of your life points. What a shame. Eventually, this hunt will be short and sweet." Shinta's smirk turned into a mocking one directed at Ruri.

Ruri looked up as she ignored the flames, "Assembly Nightingale gains 200 ATK for each Overlay Unit it has. Also, since I used Sunstone Thrush as Xyz Material, it gains 500 more ATK." Assembly's five orbs glowed while her body glowed orange as well.

Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale (ATK: 0→1000→1500)

"I activate the Magic Card: Lyrical Luscinia - Wound Salve!" Ruri announced as a magic card showing Cobalt Sparrow tending to Turquoise Warbler, who had her left wing in a cast, inside the nest of a tree appeared. "I target a "Lyrical Luscinia" Xyz Monster on my field and gain 500 LP for each Overlay Unit it has. I select Assembly Nightingale!" All five orbs circling Assembly glowed again as a green aura enveloped Ruri.

RURI LP: 4000→6500

"Wound Salve then attaches itself as an Overlay Unit onto Assembly Nightingale." The card morphed into a orb and circled around Assembly Nightingale (OVU: 5→6, ATK: 1500→1700) with the rest of them.

Shinta raised an eyebrow, "That's it? You've powered it up but that's obviously not stronger than Ignatous Blaster."

"It doesn't need to be." Ruri replied which made him blink. "Assembly Nightingale can attack directly and it can attack as many times as the number of Overlay Units it has!"

"What?! But that…that means it can attack directly six times!" exclaimed Shinta with a shocked expression.

Ruri sent a determined glare at her opponent, "Battle! Go, Assembly Nightingale! Attack him directly!" Assembly Nightingale forward across the field.

Shinta gritted his teeth, "You think I'll let you do that?" He threw out his hand to flip a set card that showed an explosion detonated by a cracked landmine, "I activate the Trap Card: Widespread Ruin! When an opponent's monster declares an attack, it destroys an Attack Position monster on your field with the highest ATK! You only have one on your field so it is now destroyed!" The trap erupted a burst of flames towards Assembly Nightingale.

"I activate Assembly Nightingale's effect!" Ruri announced. "By using an Overlay Unit, all "Lyrical Luscinia" monsters on my field can't be destroyed by battle or card effects for the rest of the turn! Widespread Ruin will resolve but my monster won't be destroyed!" Shinta gritted his teeth as Assembly absorbed an orb into her body (OVU: 6→5, ATK: 1700→1500) before flying into the fire blast. She flew out unscathed.

Shinta raised his head, "I activate Molten Amoeba's effect! I banish this card from my Graveyard to reduce damage I would take from a direct attack to zero!" His monster was banished as a red barrier was projected that blocked Assembly's charge.

"Assembly Nightingale still has four more attacks! Go! Attack him directly!" Ruri declared as Assembly Nightingale flew back again. The monster flapped her wings and sent multiple vacuum waves. Shinta gritted his teeth as he was pelted by the first one. Then, another one hit. And the third. And then, the fourth one sent him skidding back a few feet.

SHINTA LP: 8000→6500→5000→3500→2000

Shinta glared at Ruri as he stood up fully, "Why you…!"

"I activate Celeste Wagtail's effect in my Graveyard. I attach this card as an Overlay Unit onto a "Lyrical Luscinia" Xyz Monster." Ruri announced as a dark portal opened and an orb came out; it circled around Assembly Nightingale (OVU: 5→6, ATK: 1500→1700).

Ruri placed a card inside, "I set one card and end my turn." A face-down emerged afterwards.

Shinta scowled, "I'll admit that you're better than I expected, especially from someone who uses Xyz." He then smirked, "But that just makes the hunting even sweeter once I win."

Ruri let out a bothered frown, "You keep saying hunting. Is all of this just a game to you people?" This isn't the first time she's met an Academia duelist who treats the invasion of her home as a hunting game, even before she met Sora. It makes her angry and sad at seeing such sadism.

"Why shouldn't it?" Shinta smirked, "After all, since you all will be used for uniting our worlds, it might as well be fun."

"You…" Ruri tensed while looking unnerved, with Lucine frowning as well. She had no words right now.

"In any case, let's get back to this. My turn, draw!" Shinta announced as he drew. He glanced at the drawn card before showing it, "I summon Molten Amoeba!" Another magma organism (ATK: 400) appeared on the field.

Shinta held out his hand along with a monster card, "I activate Molten Amoeba's effect! I use it and Duck Fighter in my hand in order to Fusion Summon!" Molten Amoeba floated as a fighter jet shaped like a duck appeared and floated alongside it. They both melded and merged in a swirling vortex. A light shone in the middle as a monster was formed.

"High speed machinery! Merge with the molten lava and form a phoenix within the ashes!" Shinta chanted as he held his hands together, "Fusion Summon! Appear! Bomb Fenix, the Heavy Bombardment Bird (ATK: 2800, DEF: 2300, LV: 8)!" A mechanical phoenix appeared with flames bursting over the top of its head, neck and lower half of its body.

"Battle!" Shinta declared. "Bomb Fenix attacks Assembly Nightingale!" The phoenix's entire body burst into flames before all of it was fired forward as it spread its wings.

Ruri gestured to her monster, "I activate Assembly Nightingale's effect! I use an Overlay Unit to prevent her from being destroyed this turn and I also take no battle damage involving her!" Assembly Nightingale (OVU: 6→5, ATK: 1700→1500) absorbed an orb into her wings as she flew toward the fire.

"Is that what you think?" Shinta asked with a smirk, which surprised Ruri. He held out his hand, "I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Fusion Shutdown!" The card appeared showing a factory being torn apart with computers short circuiting and showing a distorted fusion vortex in the background. "Since I have a Fusion Monster on my field, all monsters that aren't Fusion Monsters have their effects negated until the end of the turn!" Ruri's eyes widened as Assembly winced and spiraled down as a red aura passed over her.

Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale (ATK: 1500→500)

Lucine frowned, "With her effects negated, Assembly Nightingale can be easily destroyed now."

The flames scorched Assembly Nightingale as she descended into them, burning her whole body. She cried out as it exploded with Ruri wincing from the blow she took from that.

RURI LP: 6500→4200

Ruri frowned before raising her hand, "I activate the Trap Card: Lyrical Luscinia - Flock Rescue!" A trap flipped open showing the image of Sapphire Swallow leading Cobalt Sparrow and Topaz Owl to save a falling Prom Thrush from a distorted portal in the sky. "When my "Lyrical Luscinia" Xyz Monster is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Level 4 or lower "Lyrical Luscinia" monsters from my Graveyard with their effects negated, up to the number of Xyz Material my monster had when it was destroyed. Return, Celeste Wagtail (DEF: 0), Topaz Owl (DEF: 100), Cobalt Sparrow (DEF: 100), Sapphire Swallow (DEF: 0), and Sunstone Thrush (DEF: 100)!" All five bird girls emerged from the ground portal as the smoke cleared.

Shinta narrowed his eyes, "Since you summoned a monster, Ignatous Blaster Dragon deals you 800 points of damage!" Ignatous Blaster fired again as Ruri let out a cry as she got blasted by the fire.

RURI LP: 4200→3400

"You may have summoned multiple monsters at once, but it will cost you greatly." Shinta warned before gesturing to his trap being revealed, "I activate the Trap Card: Dimensional Escape!" The card showed an astronaut jumping into a wormhole that was sucking up debris and meteors around it. "I target a monster on my field and banish it. I banish Bomb Fenix!" Bomb Fenix vaporized and vanished into thin air. Ruri blinked, wondering why he did that.

"I see your confusion but you'll understand soon enough." Shinta smirked as he pointed at Ruri, "For now, Ignatous Blaster Dragon attacks Cobalt Sparrow!" Ignatous Blaster aimed its head. "At this moment, Ignatous Blaster's effect activates! When an attack is declared involving this monster, I can target a monster on your field and destroy it! Then, you will take 800 points of damage! I will destroy Sunstone Thrush!" Ignatous fired upwards which curved back down and incinerated Sunstone Thrush. Ruri winced as the explosion and flames passed by her.

RURI LP: 3400→2600

"Ignatous Blaster will now destroy Cobalt Sparrow!" Ignatous fired a stream of fire forward. Cobalt Sparrow yelled as she was engulfed and destroyed in the blast.

"Since my Battle Phase is now over, Dimensional Escape will Special Summon the monster I just banished back to my field!" Blaze Fenix (DEF: 2300) reappeared on the field in Defense Position.

"I activate Bomb Fenix's monster effect! Once per turn, I can inflict 300 damage to my opponent for every card on the field." Shinta pointed at Ruri, "The only drawback is that I can't attack with Bomb Fenix this turn. However…"

Ruri's eyes widened in realization, "Since you removed Bomb Fenix from the field and resummoned it, it is no longer treated as it had attacked before." That is why he used that trap earlier.

"That's right!" Shinta gleefully replied with a smirk, "With five cards on the field, take 300 damage for each one!" Bomb Fenix bursted into flames before it fired a beam of fire from its center. The flames engulfed Ruri, who screamed as she was assaulted by the flames. She sat down on one knee after they subsided with her breathing heavily.

RURI LP: 2600→1100

"Ruri!" shouted Lucine with evident worry. Shun gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, heavily feeling the urge to get down there to stop this. Reiji frowned and faintly clenched his right hand, something Reira blinked at.

"I end my turn." Shinta let out a smug smile, "With you having very few LP left, there's very little you could do especially since you have Ignatous Blaster wearing you down to consider. So, why don't you surrender? I'll make your carding quicker and painless than it already is."

Ruri frowned as she stood back up, "Thank you for the offer, but I refuse to back down here. As long as I'm standing, I won't stand by and let Academia hurt anymore people!"

"Please. What can you do in this situation?"

"What me, the Resistance, and my friends always do when our backs are against the wall." Ruri clarified as she had her hand on her deck, "Fight with everything we have and look for hope like there always is. It's my turn, draw!" She drew her next card.

She glanced at the card before raising her head, "I activate Flock Rescue's effect in my Graveyard! By banishing this card, I can target any number of "Lyrical Luscinia" monsters on my field and increase their Levels by 1 or 2. I will increase Celeste Wagtail, Topaz Owl, and Sapphire Swallow's Levels by 2!" As the trap was banished, all three monsters glowed for a moment.

Lyrical Luscinia - Celeste Wagtail (LV: 1→3)
Lyrical Luscinia - Topaz Owl (LV: 1→3)
Lyrical Luscinia - Sapphire Swallow (LV: 1→3)

"I summon Lyrical Luscinia - Ruby Cardinal (ATK: 700, DEF: 100, LV: 3)!" A humanoid girl wearing a red cardinal bird outfit appeared, with blue eyes and a tuft of hair standing out in the middle of her head.

Shinta sneered, "Ignatous Blaster's effect activates! Take 800 damage once again!" Ignatous fired another blast which hit Ruri and made her wince once more.

RURI LP: 1100→300

Nakajima frowned, "If she summons any more monsters, she'll automatically lose due to that monster's effect." Reiji calmly watched the screen.

"Ruby Cardinal's effect activates!" Ruri shouted. "When this is Normal Summoned, I can send a "Lyrical Luscinia" monster from my Deck to the Graveyard." She took a monster, Kainite Finch, and sent it to the grave.

"Well, if you summon any more monsters, you'll automatically lose." Shinta let out a mocking smile, "Are you just trying to put up more defense then?"

Ruri looked at Shinta with a determined expression who caught him off guard, "Using the Level 3 Ruby Cardinal, Sapphire Swallow, Topaz Owl and Celeste Wagtail, I build the Overlay Network!" All four monsters morphed into turquoise energy and shot up in the sky. They entered a spiraling portal formed in the ground. A beam of light shot from the center and exploded the area.

"Avian of bright wings! Unleash your striving song for it to send waves around the world! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky, Rank 3! Lyrical Luscinia - March Redstart (ATK: 500, DEF: 500, RNK: 3, OVU: 4)!" A blue female anthropomorphic bird with short red hair clad in a dark blue dress appeared. Yellow patches were outlined on her chest, the insides of her tail and wings, with white feathers highlighting her lower body. Red and orange were shaded across her chest. The dress she was wearing covered from her shoulders to her knees which had yellow talons on the end. Besides the main dark blue it sported, purple diamond patterns were on the outside with red outlining them. On the top of her head was a headgear with cloth similar to her dress as it had dark blue with red feathers curving the front to the top area. The monster opened her yellow eyes as she spread her wings and flew gracefully in the air.

"Ha! You idiot! I guess you decided to self-destruct after all." Shinta held out his hand, "Take Ignatous Blaster Dragon's effect and fall!" Ignatous Blaster roared as it fired a fire blast from its cannon.

Ruri held out her clenched fist, "I will be fine. When I Xyz Summon March Redstart, I don't take any damage for the rest of the turn!" March Redstart twirled and spinned, creating a tornado using her entire body. It intercepted the fire and blocked it from reaching through.

Lucine smiled in relief, "With that, she is freely able to do anything this turn."

Shinta gritted his teeth, "You may have saved yourself, but that monster only has 500 ATK. It obviously can't compete with both of mine!"

"You're right about that. I will just have to change it then." Ruri held up a card, "Since I used Sapphire Swallow on the field to Xyz Summon a Wind Xyz Monster, I can target a "Lyrical Luscinia" monster in my Graveyard and attach it to March Redstart as an Overlay Unit. I attach the monster I sent with Ruby Cardinal earlier, Kainite Finch, to it as Xyz Material!" A dark portal opened in the ground and a glowing orb emerged; it orbited around March Redstart (OVU: 4→5). "And when Kainite Finch is attached as an Overlay Unit, the Xyz Monster gains 200 ATK!"

Lyrical Luscinia - March Redstart (ATK: 500→700)

"Battle! March Redstart attacks Ignatous Blaster Dragon!" Ruri declared as the bird monster flapped her wings and flew straight to the metal dragon.

"Huh?! Have you lost it?" wondered Shinta with a confused expression, "Ignatous Blaster is obviously stronger!"

"Due to March Redstart's effect, I don't take any damage!" Redstart slammed her body into Blaster Dragon who made it stumble back a bit. The dragon roared angrily and fired flames from its cannon and tried to hit Redstart, who flew out of the way. She airdodged the fire and flew down. She slammed her talons onto the dragon's head.

"I activate March Redstart's effect! When it is battling a monster with equal or higher ATK, I can use an Overlay Unit to prevent Redstart from being destroyed by battle!" Blaster jerked its head and knocked Redstart off it. It roared and fired a massive flamethrower. While descending down, an orb vanished (OVU: 5→4) before heavy winds surrounded the bird's body, blocking and redirecting the flames elsewhere. "And then, after it battles, my monster gains ATK equal to the ATK of the monster it just battled!" Redstart flexed her wings and blew back the wind around her as she cried.

Lyrical Luscinia - March Redstart (ATK: 700→3700)

"W-What?!" exclaimed Shinta, who took a few steps back in shock. He then gritted his teeth, "But it won't matter! You don't have any more monsters to attack with!"

"You're wrong. I still do." Shinta's eyes widened as Ruri gestured to her monster, "At the start of the Battle Phase, March Redstart gains an additional attack for each Overlay Unit it had and she had five when I declared it!" Shinta gasped as he realized the implication.

Ruri pointed at her opponent resolutely, "Go, March Redstart! Attack Bomb Fenix, the Heavy Bombardment Bird!" Redstart cried as she darted forward at high speed and rammed the phoenix in the chest. It was destroyed, leaving Shinta to shield himself while gritting his teeth.

"Now, attack Ignatous Blaster Dragon! Swift Ascent!" The dragon roared and fired flames. Redstart spinned and twirled around in the air with its wings out, making a drilling motion. It dived through the flames without a scratch and pierced through the dragon's chest. Ignatous groaned before it knelt down and blew up, making Shinta yell from the fire.

SHINTA LP: 2000→1300

"T-This can't be!" winced Shinta with a shocked expression. "I represent Academia! I can't lose here!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow you people to continue doing what you want." Ruri replied with a determined expression, "I will fight with my friends! March Redstart, attack him directly! Swift Ascent!" Redstart descended forward with wind currents wrapping around her body. Shinta watched with a panicked expression before she landed an explosion. He screamed as he was sent flying by a few feet and landed on his back.

SHINTA LP: 1300→0

RURI: WIN
SHINTA: LOSE

"Good work, Ruri!" cheered Lucine with a smile.

"Nicely done!" Nakajima cheered along with the rest of the control room staff watching. Reiji nodded his head. Shun watched with a stoic expression, but behind that stoicism, he was both relieved and proud of his sister. Reira blinked his eyes. Mikleo let out a small smile.

Ruri frowned at her fallen opponent, who was knocked unconscious. She turned her head to see Lucine watching her with a wary expression. She narrowed her eyes as she knew what she was thinking. She was not going to turn him into a card. She made that clear from the way Lucine tried to. She then heard a noise and turned back to see Shinta shining and disappeared in a blue light.

"...I don't blame you for earlier." Ruri turned to see Lucine with a somber expression. She closed her eyes, "It doesn't get any easier either. But realistically, it is the better option for us." It was a pragmatic choice. By doing this, it would be safer for both her friends and the rest of the innocents. That didn't mean she liked it either.

Ruri pondered for a moment and frowned with her head down. She raised her head afterward, "Do you remember what Yuya said before?" Lucine opened her eyes and narrowed them in confusion. "No matter what happens, I will fight for what is right…I think that can be said for all of us."

"What?" asked Lucine. Shun narrowed his eyes as he listened in with Reiji doing the same. Mikleo raised an eyebrow at this.

Ruri let out a small, sad smile, "You're right. I never want to turn somebody into a card. And I always knew none of you liked it either. Maybe it is the safer option." She looked at the ground with a frown, "But I feel like if I do something like that, I'd be just like them. And dueling wouldn't be as fun or enjoyable as it used to be for us." She raised her head and her fist up, "And I don't know if I can't take something like that. Instead, I should be trying to fight for what I believe in and not what Academia's way is, just like Yuya is trying to."

"Ruri…" Lucine muttered as her eyes locked toward the ground, not sure what to say to that. Shun lowered his eyes as his gaze suddenly turned to the floor in thought. Meanwhile, in another hallway, Yuto had his duel disk held up with a frown on his face as he listened to everything Ruri said.

Lucine was deep in thought with Ruri watching her. She suddenly tensed up and looked over Ruri's shoulder with a wary expression. She narrowed her eyes as she looked down the hallway, "Who's there? I know you're hiding out there." Ruri's eyes widened as she turned around to see where Lucine was looking.

There was nobody back behind them for a moment before footsteps were heard. Kyo stepped out of a column she was standing behind. She looked at the two of them with a calm expression with one hand in her pants pocket and walked over to them.

"Who are you?" asked Ruri, not recognizing this woman as well as Lucine. Both of them barely noticed her presence at all.

Nakajima looked surprised, "What? Who is that? And how did she get past security?!"

Mikleo narrowed his eyes, "That woman…" He recognizes her from before. From the time he infiltrated into LDS once.

Reiji looked at the camera feed curiously as the woman stopped in front of the other two girls.

---

Meanwhile…

Shuzo looked at his daughter, "Ruri went to go see her friends?" While the matches were going on, Yuzu explained to everyone that Ruri met with some of her friends from where she lived in the arena and wandered elsewhere to catch up with them. Everyone was sitting in their usual seats; Hikaru and Ryuka were sitting with them like before.

Yuzu nodded, "Yeah. I think she will come back in a while." Shuzo frowned as he turned away, leading Yuzu to blink in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Shuzo perked up with a smile, "Oh, nothing. I'm just relieved for her." Yuzu frowned, feeling something was weird but decided not to ask.

Yugo was eating popcorn enjoyably from the bag in his hand at a fast pace. After a few seconds, he started coughing and holding his throat. He took out a drink from his seat and started sipping away. Rin sighed before she pointedly frowned at him, "Geez. At least try to slow down when enjoying all of this."

He sighed in relief as he stopped sipping. He then smiled, "Come on, Rin! It is not everyday we get to enjoy something like this, especially from our home." Rin's expression softened as she found she can't argue that. He turned his head behind him, "Thanks, Yuya's mom!"

Yoko smiled as she was sitting behind, "You're welcome, Yugo. And please, call me Yoko." Yugo smiled before he went back to eating more popcorn with Ayu, Futoshi and Tatsuya watching in amusement.

"Everyone! It is time for the fourth match of the day!" Nico's voice was heard among the arena as a hole opened in the center court. Nico pointed at the center, "First, we have a very special duelist! She made an impression during her first match in the Youth Championship! Chihaya Kotona!" Chihaya slowly rose up from the hole and stopped as she calmly watched the arena.

"She's here! The Cursed Duelist!" A lot of murmurs spread amongst the audience with a lot of people looking at her warily, while the rest were skeptical or intrigued. "Is she actually going to hurt someone this time?"

"What do you mean? Her last opponent wasn't hurt."

"But there was something weird with that duel!"

"Come on, you're just being paranoid!" People were now quietly arguing over the situation.

Yuzu watched Chihaya as she frowned, "Yuya, do you really think she has a "curse" or something?" Yuya frowned, "...I don't know, but there was something strange about how her dueling affected Solid Vision."

Rin looked skeptical, "Aren't people jumping to conclusions? It can't really be a curse, can it?" She had heard of this "curse" from Yuya and found it a little far-fetched.

Nico held out his hand, "And her opponent is someone who doesn't belong to a school and climbed the ranks on his own! Rikuto Saionji!" The other side of the court opened and raised a platform up with a boy standing on it. He had short, messy brown hair and green eyes with glasses worn over them. He wore a green sweater with dark green patterned with zigzags on the upper half, blue pants and brown shoes. The boy was glaring at Chihaya with a hard stare, while Chihaya frowned when she saw him appear.

"So that's her opponent." Ayu commented.

"I wonder what will happen. I'm getting all kinds of shivers for some reason." Futoshi frowned uncomfortably.

Tatsuya looked at Rikuto, "Does this guy know her? He looks like he's angry." Everyone blinked as they did notice the guy glaring at Chihaya.

"...Hello, Chihaya." Rikuto relaxed himself as he looked indifferent, "It has been a while."

Chihaya's frown grew deeper, "Rikuto."

Meanwhile, in a nearby stand entrance, a grown man, who looked to be in his early 30's with some muscle, stood there watching Chihaya with a frown. He wore a green collared shirt, blue pants and boots. He had black hair with a bang hanging from the left side and the back of it combed down. The rest of his face had a short beard and green eyes. The man sighed and closed his eyes, "What a fine mess you've gotten yourself into, kid."

"Now, let's set up the Action Field!" Nico held out his hand in a grandeur manner, "Action Field, on! Field Magic: Temple Ruins, activate!" He snapped his fingers which caused a field magic to appear in the sky.

The Solid Vision system down below activated as the magic card scattered a lot of glowing cards from the sphere. The field transformed into an old stone temple with lots of corridors in every direction. Chihaya and Rikuto were standing in the middle of a room with a throne next to them, lit by candles nearby.

Rikuto and Chihaya watched each other as they both activated their duel disks. Nico shouted amongst the arena, "Now, let's get ready to-" Both duelists shouted very loud.

[DUEL!]

CHIHAYA LP: 8000
RIKUTO LP: 8000

Chihaya calmly placed her hand on her deck, "I'll go first. Draw!" She drew before she held out a monster, "I summon Crystron Smiger (ATK: 1000, DEF: 1800, LV: 3)." A mechanical white tiger with brown quartz spikes sticking out of its back and hind legs leaped onto the field.

"And then, I activate the Continuous Magic: Crystron Abundance." Chihaya activated a magic card which appeared and showed the image of a rocky mine with crates containing large quantities of crystals. Crystron Quan and Citree were standing by and loading them onto a minecart. "With this card, I can Special Summon a Crystron Token once per turn." A blue crystal (ATK: 0, DEF: 0, LV: 1) standing on two legs made of wires appeared.

Chihaya held out her hand, "Crystron Smiger's monster effect. Once per turn, I can destroy a face-up card on my field to Special Summon a "Crystron" Tuner monster from my Deck. I will destroy my Crystron Token." The blue crystal blew up as she continued, "Appear, Crystron Agatan (ATK: 100, DEF: 1800, LV: 2)!" A small mechanical knight wearing orange armor with yellow energy lines flowing throughout the center of each part, dark red pads worn on the shoulders, and a helmet with orange crystals spiked at the top and curved around the brow area appeared on the field.

"I set a card. I will end my turn now." Chihaya placed a set card which appeared in front of her.

Rikuto closed his eyes, "Hn. You still use the same strategies as before." He opened them, "And that will be your downfall. My turn, draw!" He drew his card afterward.

He then grimly smiled as he gestured the hand holding the card to Chihaya, "You know why I'm here, don't you? It all dates back to that incident a year ago." Chihaya just frowned in response to him. The black-haired man frowned at that. Murmurs started happening in the audience as a lot of people were confused.

Yuya frowned, "A year ago?" Yuzu blinked, "What's he talking about?"

"I've not forgotten about that and I've not forgiven you for what you did either. Yet you still carry on as if nothing happened." Chihaya's eyes wavered for a moment before she stared at him with a frown.

Rikuto held up a card, "I've watched a lot of your duels and I know what your monsters are capable of. I summon Marauding Captain (ATK: 1200, DEF: 400, LV: 3)!" An old knight wearing teal armor and a cape appeared with two swords in hand and a scar on his left eye.

"Marauding Captain's effect activates! When this card is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster from my hand. Appear, Command Knight (ATK: 1200, DEF: 1900, LV: 4)!" A blond-haired knight wearing red armor, black cap and helmet appeared, holding a sword stuck in the ground.

Marauding Captain (ATK: 1200→1600)
Command Knight (ATK: 1200→1600)

"As long as Command Knight is on my field, all Warrior monsters on my field gain 400 ATK. Not that it matters." Rikuto pointed at Chihaya's field, "I'm well aware that a lot of your Tuners have effects to allow you to Synchro Summon during my turn. But that won't matter either as I've prepared for your strategy." Chihaya frowned, wondering where he was going with this.

"By tributing two Warrior monsters on my field…" Command Knight and Marauding Captain vanished as he held up a monster, "I Special Summon this monster from my hand. Appear, undying warrior that breaks through his limits and surpasses all challenges! Gozen the Unbound Champion (ATK: 2800, DEF: 1800, LV: 7)!" A giant, muscular warrior that wore no shirt with his chest showing well-defined abs. It wore metal braces on its wrists, white sports tape around the biceps and the heels of its feet, and black mask covering its face, showing its red eyes and long, flowing blond hair behind. The warrior's eyes shined as it yelled out a guts pose.

"That monster looks strong!" noted Futoshi with a smile, with Ayu and Tatsuya blinking at it.

Chihaya frowned before she held out her hand, "I activate Crystron Agatan's effect. During my opponent's Main Phase, I can Synchro Summon-"

"It won't work." Rikuto interrupted. "As long as Gozen the Unbound Champion is on my field, all monsters on the field with ATK less or equal to Gozen's have their effects negated." Chihaya's eyes widened a little. Gozen let out a war cry as both Smiger and Agatan lost some of their colors.

"Oh my! Player Rikuto has managed to seal off Chihaya's signature Synchro Summoning during her opponent's turn!" Nico announced.

Yuya was a little surprised, "With her monsters' effects negated, she won't be able to activate them to Synchro Summon during the Main Phase or Battle Phase." Yugo blinked, "Synchro Summoning during the opponent's turn? That's pretty cool."

Rikuto held up another card, "From my hand, I activate the Equip Magic: Limitless Meteor! I will equip it onto Gozen!" Chains materialized into Gozen's right hand with a black spiked ball on the end of it, letting out a red aura. Gozen roared as he swung the chain mace in the air. "With this card equipped, Gozen can inflict piercing damage when attacking a monster in Defense Position."

"Battle! Gozen the Unbound Champion, attack Crystron Agatan!" Gozen held up the flail and spun around in circles with it. "Super Crusher!" The warrior flung the flail at Chihaya's monster. Agatan creaked before it was crushed to pieces and exploded, with Chihaya frowning.

CHIHAYA LP: 8000→7000

"There is one thing you should know about Limitless Meteor." Rikuto added. "Any monster that Gozen destroys in battle with it has their effects negated even if they're in the Graveyard." Chihaya's frown grew deeper.

"Gozen can also make a second attack during each Battle Phase." Rikuto held out his palm, "Gozen, attack Crystron Smiger! Super Crusher!" Gozen flung and hurled the chain ball at Smiger. The mechanical tiger roared before it was crushed and destroyed.

Chihaya held up her arm to shield herself, "I activate the Trap Card: Pressure Release!" Her set card flipped open to reveal the image of a blue crystal getting mashed by a factory press machine, causing it to spread out on a conveyor belt and letting out electricity. "Since my "Crystron" monster was destroyed, I take no damage from this battle. In addition, I can Special Summon a "Crystron" monster from my Deck with ATK less than or equal to the damage I would've taken. I summon Crystron Citree (ATK: 500, DEF: 500, LV: 2)!" A yellow and brown armored humanoid robot with crystals sticking out appeared.

"So, you prevented some damage but Citree cannot use its effects nor Smiger in the Graveyard thanks to Gozen and my Equip Magic." He placed a card in and it appeared face-down in front, "I set a card. Then, I end my turn."

"Player Rikuto starts off the first one to inflict damage! With her monsters' effects sealed, does Chihaya have a way to counter?!" Nico announced throughout the arena, leaving some people cheering and others uneasy.

Rikuto's harsh expression turned into a glare, "I'm in no rush to beat you. After all, I want you to understand the rage I've felt for you since that time." He held out his fist to Chihaya in a beckoning manner, "And I don't care if you use your weird powers on me!"

"Rikuto…" Chihaya watched with a stoic expression, feigning indifference. She closed her eyes. She understands why he is here and why he is angry with her. But she can't change what she's done. No matter how much she wants to.

She opened them. She'll just push forward without looking back like she's always tried to. She held her hand to her deck, "My turn, draw." She looked at the card before she raised her head.

"I activate Crystron Abundance's effect. I Special Summon a Crystron Token to my field." Another small crystal robot (ATK: 0, DEF: 0, LV: 1) appeared in front of her. "And then, I summon Crystron Rosenix (ATK: 1800, DEF: 1000, LV: 4)!" A mechanical phoenix bird wearing bronze and red armor with pink crystals flowing throughout the center appeared.

"I tune my Level 1 Crystron Token and Level 4 Rosenix with the Level 2 Citree!" All three monsters rose up with Citree changing into two green energy rings that surrounded the other two. Rosenix and the token transformed into five stars and lined up with the center (2 + 1 + 4 = 7), gathering as a beam of light shot up from it.

"Crystals formed from the very heat of the Earth!" Chihaya chanted. "Assemble together into a soul where its foes tremble before it! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 7! Crystron Bastrix (ATK: 2600, DEF: 1600, LV: 7)!" A red humanoid machine that had armor made out of clear crystals, tentacles protruding from its back and claws attached to the back of its hands, with shining eyes gleaming as it appeared.

"Chihaya managed to Synchro Summon! But due to Rikuto's Gozen, she can't use its effects!" Nico clarified throughout the arena.

Yuzu blinked, "So that's her Synchro Summon."

Chihaya held up a card, "I activate the Magic Card: Crystron Shockwave." A magic card appeared showing Ametrix exploding and scattered into pieces with the shockwaves sending two face-down cards flying and cracking apart. "I destroy up to two "Crystron" cards in my hand or field, then target that same number of cards on the field and destroy them." She revealed a monster in-hand, "I destroy Crystron Malacorse in my hand and Abundance on my field to destroy Gozen and your set card!" The card she held up and her face-up Abundance shattered as the magic shot shot a beam of energy.

Rikuto narrowed his eyes, "I've already prepared for something like that. Limitless Meteor's effect! By halving the equipped monster's ATK, Gozen cannot be destroyed!" The chains Gozen held let out a dark aura and some were cracked, with the warrior (ATK: 2800→1400) lifting the broken weapon. The energy beam then blasted Gozen and his face-down card, but only the latter was destroyed.

"Due to Crystron Shockwave, it also lowers the ATK of your monsters by 800 until the End Phase." Chihaya added.

Gozen the Unbound Champion (ATK: 1400→600)

"In addition, since Crystron Abundance was destroyed by an effect while being in the Magic and Trap Zone, I can add a "Crystron" monster from my Deck to my hand." Chihaya added a monster straight from her Deck.

Chihaya's eyes flashed pink for a split second as she held out her hand, "Battle! Crystron Bastrix attacks Gozen the Unbound Champion!" Bastrix held out its hand with the tentacles converging toward it, gathering red energy into the palm. It fired a red beam at Gozen who yelled as it was being blasted.

Rikuto gritted his teeth, "I use Limitless Meteor's effect once more to prevent Gozen from being destroyed by halving its ATK!" Gozen yelled as it was beginning to be unfazed by the beam hitting it with the weapon it was holding, cracking down even further. The beam soon bypassed the monster and hit Rikuto, launching him into the air as he yelled and landed on his back. It also cut through one of the pillars in the room and made it fall over. Shockwaves were sent throughout the arena, alarming and confusing a lot of people, with the You Show group surprised when they all felt it.

RIKUTO LP: 8000→6000
Gozen the Unbound Champion (ATK: 600→300)

"A-Amazing! Player Chihaya has managed to find a weak spot and draw damage!" Nico announced while surprised from feeling the same shockwave.

"W-What was that?" asked Ayu with an alarmed frown. Futoshi shivered in his seat nervously, "I felt the power of that attack all the way from here." Tatsuya frowned, "Did they change the Solid Vision System's damage sensation recently?"

Yuya frowned, "No. That's not it. It is just like before." It is just like what happened during his duel with Chihaya, which was in a normal park. Yugo blinked as he stared at Chihaya in confusion.

Chihaya watched Rikuto, having minor scratches and cuts on his clothes, slowly getting up and groaning with a stoic expression, "I activate Crystron Malacorse's effect in my Graveyard. I banish this monster to add a "Crystron" card from my Deck to my hand." She added a card afterwards.

Yugo looked confused, "What the…Look at that guy! He's got a lot of scratches on him." Gongenzaka frowned, "What is going on?"

"Hey! Look at him!" Everyone in the audience murmured in the audience uneasily. "So, it's true?! She's cursed?!"

"I'm getting scared…"

"What's going to happen?!"

Yoko looked around the people sitting close by with a frown, "Everyone is getting nervous by what's happening." Shuzo scratched the back of his head uncomfortably, "I'm not even sure what is going on. Could what the news said about this girl really be true?"

Yuya tensed as he gripped the handlebar with a frown on his face. Yuzu noticed and frowned as well, "Yuya, are you okay?" He didn't answer as he kept watching.

Chihaya calmly held up a card, "I set one card and then end my turn." A set card materialized as Chihaya gazed at Rikuto standing back up.

Rikuto glared at Chihaya, "At this moment, Gozen the Unbound Champion's effect activates! During the End Phase, if its current ATK is different from its original ATK, I can make its ATK become its original value!" The cracks on Gozen's weapon slowly healed as the warrior yelled.

Gozen the Unbound Champion (ATK: 300→2800)

Chihaya narrowed her eyes but kept her gaze on the boy, "It hurts, doesn't it?" Rikuto grit his teeth. "You of all people should realize what would happen by dueling me. I suggest you should forfeit sooner rather than later."

Rikuto growled, "Or what? So I don't suffer the same fate as her? Because of what you did?" His voice grew more frustrated as Chihaya flinched for a second.

Yuya blinked, "What Chihaya did?" The others were puzzled by this statement. And who is "her"?

"Something is going on." Ryuka muttered as she leaned on the handlebar in front calmly.

"I know fully well what happens. As you recall, I was there." Rikuto kept his glare up while raising his hand, "I don't care what happens to me. I swear I will make you pay for putting her in that situation! It's my turn, draw!" He drew with a lot of anger behind it, which Chihaya frowned at.

Rikuto pointed at her, "Battle! Gozen the Unbound Champion attacks Crystron Bastrix! Super Crusher!" Gozen spun and hurled his spiked weapon forward. It struck Bastrix in the chest and launched it back as a hole cracked through its chest. It was then destroyed as Chihaya winced from the resulting shockwave she received.

CHIHAYA LP: 7000→6800

"My monster still has another attack. Gozen attacks you directly! Super Crusher!" Gozen hurled and launched the weapon again. This time, it struck the ground right in front of Chihaya, sending her flying as she gritted her teeth and landed on her back a few feet.

CHIHAYA LP: 6800→4000

Rikuto exhaled a sigh, "I set two cards face-down. I end my turn." Two face-down cards emerged. Rikuto frowned at Chihaya who stood back on her feet. "I don't have your curse so you won't experience the pain you've inflicted before. But maybe now you'll understand what she went through."

Chihaya frowned, this time more annoyed than before, "I've always understood what happened and what she should've gone through. It has been on my mind everyday."

"Then, what about when you ran away from us?" Rikuto spoke with a low tone, with Chihaya silently gritting her teeth.

The black-haired bearded man frowned, "Calm down, Chihaya. You're letting your frustration get to you."

"...Even now you still don't get what I'm going through." Chihaya muttered under her breath before she drew, "My turn, draw!"

"I summon Crystron Jadagon (ATK: 300, DEF: 700, LV: 1)!" She summoned a small baby mechanical dragon with green crystals flowing through its body and wings; its yellow eyes shining as it roared.

She gestured to her field, "I activate the Trap Card: Torrential Burial!" A trap flipped up which showed a torrent of water splattering across a large area. "Since a monster was Summoned successfully, all monsters on the field are destroyed!" Everyone in the audience tensed as the trap let out a shockwave and massive water poured onto the field. The entire field was flooded as both Jadagon and Gozen were washed over.

Rikuto frowned, "I use Limitless Meteor's effect to prevent Gozen from being destroyed by halving its ATK." An explosion set off in the water before it went away entirely, with Gozen (ATK: 2800→1400) the only one still standing on the field.

"W-What a bold move! Chihaya essentially blew up the entire field! Only Rikuto's monster survived but it is severely weakened!" Nico announced with a nervous expression as some of the water washed near him.

Chihaya held up her duel disk, "When Crystron Jadagon is destroyed by a card effect, I can draw a card." She drew afterwards.

Rikuto gritted his teeth, "I suppose the reason you did that was to weaken Gozen so that you can use monster effects more effectively right now."

"I activate the Magic Card: Pot of Avarice!" Ignoring the comment, Chihaya revealed a magic card on-field, "I shuffle five monsters from my Graveyard into the Deck and then draw two cards." She took Crystron Agatan, Smiger, Citree, Bastrix and Jadagon out and shuffled them back in. She drew two cards afterwards.

"Since they're out of the Graveyard and in the Deck, she can use their effects whenever she can get them back to her hand or Graveyard again." Yugo pointed out. "That was a nice move."

She revealed a card out, "When I have no monsters on my field, I can Special Summon this monster from my hand. Crystron Carnelion (ATK: 1700, DEF: 600, LV: 4)!" A mechanical lion with brownish-red crystals shining on the lion's mane and claws, with the beast letting out a roar as its yellow eyes flashed.

"Since that monster has more ATK than Gozen, its effects can't be negated now." thought Rikuto with a frown.

"Crystron Carnelion's effect grants me an additional Normal Summon or Set of a "Crystron" monster once per turn." Chihaya picked up another card, "I summon Crystron Quan (ATK: 500, DEF: 500, LV: 1)!" A small mechanical robot wearing blue armor with crystals shining inside and out appeared.

She held out her hand, "I tune my Level 1 Crystron Quan to my Level 4 Carnelion!" Quan rose up and transformed into a single green energy ring. It surrounded Carnelion as it floated, changing into four stars that lined up in the center (1 + 4 = 5). A beam of light shot up in the middle and transformed.

"Warrior soul clad in pure crystal, step onto the land and change into the shining force!" Chihaya chanted as she narrowed her eyes, "Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 5! Crystron Berylon (ATK: 2100, DEF: 2000, LV: 5)!" The tall mechanical warrior that emerged from the light of the Synchro portal was wearing light gray layered armor with light green beryl crystals melded into it. The armor was made up of the appearance of a taller helmet, thin crystal blades on its wrists, clear crystals in the middle of its chest and shiny boots. It also had a tail made out of crystals with a jagged, pointy end to it. It raised its head, showing red eyes gleaming as it spun around in a circle with its blades reached as it appeared.

"Crystron Berylon's effect activates!" Chihaya announced, "When this monster is Synchro Summoned, I can target a monster on the field and negate its effects. I target Gozen the Unbound Champion. Syphon Crystalize!" Berylon aimed one of its swords forward. It fired a beam of light that enveloped Gozen and surrounded it in a coat of clear crystals, making the warrior groan, in which Rikuto grit his teeth at.

"Then, Berylon gains ATK equal to half of the targeted monster's ATK until the end of the turn." The crystals of Berylon's body shined green as it siphoned some of the warrior's energy.

Crystron Berylon (ATK: 2100→2800)

Chihaya held up a card and placed it in, "Finally, I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Mystical Space Typhoon. I target a Magic or Trap Card on the field and destroy it. I select Limitless Meteor." The card released a massive tornado that blew away the chain weapon and destroyed it.

"Now that the Equip Magic's been destroyed, Chihaya is able to destroy it in battle." Rin observed.

"Battle." Chihaya pointed at Rikuto as she glared, "Crystron Berylon, attack Gozen the Unbound Champion!" Berylon retracted the blades back into its wrists before they transformed into cannons. Energy converged into the barrels. It then fired green energy blasts that blasted Gozen, with the warrior yelling as it was destroyed. The blast enveloped Rikuto as well, who yelled from the pain this attack was causing. He was forced onto one knee with more tattered clothes and scratches on his body. Rikuto was panting really loudly.

RIKUTO LP: 6000→4600

The majority of the audience were getting more scared of the damage being done to him, though some were cheering as well. Nico nervously looked over at the scene, "Player Chihaya finally managed to take down Rikuto's Gozen the Unbound Champion!"

Yugo gasped as he looked more surprised at the scene, with Rin noticing his subtle reaction with a confused frown. The You Show kids were also getting more frightened. Yuya and Yuzu looked over the match with a tense frown and an alarmed expression respectively.

Rikuto was still breathing heavily as he got up while leaning against a pillar, "So…you've destroyed Gozen. But…that is something I've wanted you to do!" He held out hand to flip up a set trap, "I activate the Trap Card: Power Unleashed!" The card showed Gozen the Unbound Champion breaking through a rocky field with chains broken that were attempting to encircle around him. Dark clouds were also surrounding him in the background. "When Gozen the Unbound Champion is destroyed by my opponent's card and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon its evolved form from my hand, Deck or Graveyard!"

He held up a card, "Warrior with an undying will, surpass the limits of death and be reborn with rage! Appear, Gozen the Berserker Champion (ATK: 3000, DEF: 2300, LV: 8)!" The floor busted open a hole in front of Rikuto and a large warrior emerged from it. He had the same stature and appearance of Gozen with the exception of a few differences. Metal braces weren't on his wrists anymore. His mask was off which revealed a fierce face with a shadowy tattoo plastered across from his chests all the way to the top of his chest. His entire skin looked darker as a black aura was surrounding his entire body. The warrior roared in rage as he landed.

"Gozen the Berserker Champion's effect! While this card is on the field, the effects of all my opponent's face-up monsters are negated!" Rikuto declared as the aura got more intense and Gozen roared again. A shockwave was sent that caused Berylon to fidget and tremble a bit.

Crystron Berylon (ATK: 2800→2100)

Gongenzaka crossed his arms together, "He recovered quickly with a stronger monster after it was destroyed. He might've planned this before."

"You might be right." Rin commented before her gaze turned back to Yugo, "Yugo, what's wrong?" His expression still showed shock and confusion like before.

Yugo furrowed his eyebrows, "I don't know. But I feel like I've seen this before."

"What do you mean? Have you seen Chihaya duel before?" wondered Yuzu as she looked at him.

"No, it's not that. I've never seen her. You called this a curse, didn't you?" Yugo leaned over to look closer, "That power she's displaying. I've seen it somewhere before. But I can't remember where." He scratched his head as he was having trouble remembering where he'd seen something like this. The others blinked at this.

"It is definitely not normal." Ryuka commented with a soft tone.

Yuya was confused, "Yugo had seen something like this before? Is it something from the Synchro Dimension then?"

Chihaya narrowed her eyes but her focus stayed on Rikuto, "Do you still want to go through with this?" The black-haired bearded man in the audience clenched his elbow.

Rikuto glared at her defiantly, "You already heard my answer before. I'm doing this for her."

Her eyes narrowed further, "I activate Crystron Carnelion's effect in my Graveyard. I banish this card to add a "Crystron" card from my Graveyard to my hand." After it was banished, Chihaya picked a card and showed it, "I add Crystron Abundance to my hand."

"I'll now activate Crystron Abundance once more." Said magic card appeared again. "With it, I Special Summon a Crystron Token to my field." Another small crystal robot (DEF: 0) appeared in front of her.

She placed a card afterwards, "I set a card. I end my turn."

Rikuto stepped forward while glaring at Chihaya for a moment. He then raised his duel disk, "My turn, draw!" He drew and looked at it for a brief second.

"Rikuto." He looked up to see Chihaya looking back with a disgruntled frown, "You should stop this nonsense. I understand why you're angry, but hurting me is not going to help Rika."

Yuya's eyes widened, "Rika?" He didn't know who that was. Is that the girl these two have been talking about this whole time?

Rikuto grit his teeth before his expression was livid, "You think I don't know that! She's been in that bed ever since that day and she's not getting any better!" He closed his eyes, "I can't do a damn thing to help her when I should be able to! And then, you decided to leave us when you were the one responsible for what happened!" Chihaya's expression tensed as he opened his eyes, "I may not be able to do anything to help Rika, but at least I can hurt you!" Chihaya's bangs shadowed over her eyes as she gritted her teeth.

"Responsible for what happened? What are they talking about?" whispered Yuya with a surprised and confused expression. The others nearby shared the same sentiment.

Rikuto held up a card with an angry expression, "I activate the Equip Magic: Fairy Meteor Crash! I equip it onto Gozen the Berserker Champion!" A pink aura surrounded Gozen's body in addition to the dark miasma. "Now, when Gozen the Berserker Champion attacks a monster in Defense Position, it can inflict piercing damage!"

"Battle! Gozen the Berserker Champion attacks the Crystron Token!" The warrior yelled as he leaped forward and smashed the crystal robot into pieces with his bare fists. Chihaya winced as the explosion hit her.

CHIHAYA LP: 4000→1000

Chihaya raised her head as she glared, "I activate the Continuous Trap: Crystron Luster!" She held out her hand to reveal a trap depicting Crystron Ametrix shining a massive beam of light around its entire body, destroying rubble all around. "When a "Crystron" monster is destroyed, once per turn, I can target a card on the field and destroy it!"

"That definitely won't work. Because Gozen the Berserker Champion can't be targeted by your card effects!" said Rikuto.

"Then…" Chihaya gestured to her field, "I will destroy Crystron Abundance." Her magic card blew up. "Crystron Abundance's effect activates! I add a "Crystron" monster from my Deck." She added a card afterwards.

Rikuto ignored the move as he held out his hand, "Gozen the Berserker Champion can attack twice! Attack Crystron Berylon!" Gozen yelled as he spun his arm in circles and rammed the machine with a lariat. Berylon was launched back and destroyed. Chihaya winced as she was launched a few centimeters and lost her footing for a moment. She landed back quickly as she stood on one knee.

CHIHAYA LP: 1000→100

"Rikuto has cleared out Player Chihaya's field! She only has 100 LP left! A single move could mean the end for her!" Nico shouted with a nervous smile. A lot of the audience started cheering for Rikuto while some were a little frightened.

"That's it!"

"Keep your curse away from us!"

"We don't want you here! End this duel now!"

Yuya gasped as he looked around the audience with widened eyes. Yuzu did the same as everyone else did. The kids looked a little frightened and disturbed by the shouting.

Yoko frowned at the shouting crowd, "They're afraid of her." Shuzo was a little uncomfortable listening to this.

Chihaya stood back up as Rikuto's expression calmed down a little, "I end my turn."

Chihaya glared at Rikuto as she raised her duel disk, "Crystron Berylon's effect activates. Since it was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard while Synchro Summoned, I target and Special Summon a non-Synchro "Crystron" monster from my Graveyard. Return, Crystron Rosenix (DEF: 1000)." Rosenix emerged from a ground portal.

Rikuto was breathing heavily while he kept his glare up. He stared at Chihaya for a moment, "Answer me, Chihaya! If you really thought about me and Rika, why did you run off and leave us? Tell me why you suddenly decided to disappear and not say a word when she needed you!"

Chihaya's bangs covered her eyes as she frowned, "...You utter moron." She raised her head to show her eyes glowing pink while her expression turned really angry. "It was my fault that I put her in that position in the first place! What was I supposed to do?! I'm trying to protect you two, idiot!" The bearded man frowned as he closed his eyes and looked to the side.

Yuya blinked as he flinched a little, "Protect them?" Yuzu let out a sad frown, "What does she mean?"

Rikuto flinched for a second before his angry expression came back, "Protect us? If you really wanted that, you wouldn't have let this happen in the first place! It was that power you had all this time that caused her condition! You could've done something!"

"...Then, you really don't know anything about my curse." Chihaya retorted in a low tone. She raised her right hand and looked at it, "I don't know anything about this power. All it does is hurt people." She clenched her hand before looking back with an irritated frown, "We're done talking about this. It is time that I end it." Her eyes flashed pink as she held up her hand to draw, "My turn, draw!"

"I activate the Trap Card: Seal Break!" Rikuto declared as a trap revealed itself, showing the image of a black gate containing Gozen the Unbound Champion and being broken apart from the inside. "When this card is activated, I can equip it onto a "Gozen" monster! I choose to equip it to Gozen the Berserker Champion!" A white seal emerged onto Gozen's chest for a second before his entire body turned golden. "Now, Gozen cannot be destroyed by card effects as long as it is equipped with this card."

"Furthermore…" Rikuto narrowed his eyes, "During my next Standby Phase, I can inflict damage to Chihaya equal to the equipped monster's ATK. It will be over on my next turn."

Chihaya stared with a stern expression before she held up a card, "I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Crystron Density." The card appeared showing a blue gem being squeezed by a metal hand as light and cracks were breaking out of it. "I target a monster on each of our fields. My monster is destroyed while my opponent's monster has its effects negated until the end of this turn. I will destroy Rosenix to negate Gozen the Berserker Champion's effects." Rosenix blew before a strong wind blew over Gozen and made the warrior pant louder, which Rikuto grit his teeth at.

"With its effects negated, Chihaya can now use monster effects once again." commented Gongenzaka.

"Then, Crystron Luster's effect activates! Since a "Crystron" was destroyed, I can target a card on the field and destroy it."

"But Gozen cannot be destroyed by card effects. Are you choosing to destroy Seal Break then?" asked Rikuto.

"I will destroy Crystron Luster itself." Rikuto blinked as Chihaya pointed at her trap which blew up. "Now, Crystron Luster's effect! Since it was destroyed by a card effect, I can target a "Crystron" monster that's banished or in my Graveyard in order to Special Summon it. Emerge, Crystron Malacorse (ATK: 2000, DEF: 1600, LV: 5)!" A mechanical horse covered in silver armor with brown crystals sticking out appeared with a spiked tail.

"The monster she used and banished earlier in the duel." Rin noticed.

"I activate Malacorse's effect! I destroy Malacorse itself to Special Summon a non-Tuner "Crystron" monster from my Deck." Malacorse galloped and uttered a neigh as it blew up. "Appear, Crystron Magniraffe (ATK: 400, DEF: 600, LV: 1)!" A mechanical giraffe appeared, built in white armor with black crystals protruding from the base of its neck and hooves.

"If what we've seen is any indication, her monsters can also benefit from being in the Graveyard also." Gongenzaka surmised.

"I banish Malacorse from my Graveyard in order to add a "Crystron" monster from my Deck to my hand. I add Crystron Sulfefnir." Chihaya added a card before showing a different one, "I summon Crystron Jadagon (ATK: 300, DEF: 700, LV: 1)." A mechanical baby dragon emerged wearing green plating and crystals protruding in its fangs, claws and the center of its wings.

"Crystron Jadagon's effect activates! When this card is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a "Crystron" monster from my hand. Appear, Crystron Sulfefnir (ATK: 2000, DEF: 1500, LV: 5)." A golden armored mechanical dragon appeared with green crystals protruding out of the armor from its wings, chest, neck, claws and tail.

Chihaya held out her hand, "I activate Crystron Rosenix's effect in my Graveyard. I banish this card to Special Summon a Crystron Token to my field." After the card was banished, another small crystal robot (ATK: 0, DEF: 0, LV: 1) emerged.

Rikuto tensed as he looked at the monsters, "Four monsters that total to Level 8."

"I tune my Level 1 Crystron Magniraffe, Level 1 Crystron Token, and the Level 5 Sulfefnir with the Level 1 Jadagon!" All four monsters flew high up. Jadagon roared as it transformed into a single green energy ring. It surrounded the other three as they changed into seven stars and lined up in the center (1 + 5 + 1 + 1 = 8). A beam of light shot up in the middle as a monster was formed.

"Mechanical soul of a warrior, inherit the power of clear purity as your power becomes a magnificent white shine! Synchro Summon! Appear, the diamond guardian! Level 8! Crystron Diamion (ATK: 2500, DEF: 3000, LV: 8)!" An armored, silver mechanical humanoid being appeared with diamonds embedded all around. The machine punched the ground in front which released a shockwave that made everyone in the audience panic and tense up.

"Crystron Diamion?" Rikuto muttered with a wide-eyed confused expression. "I've never seen this monster!"

Chihaya ignored that as she glared, "Crystron Diamion's monster effect activates! When this card is Synchro Summoned, I can negate the effects of all other face-up cards on the field." Rikuto gasped as Diamion shifted around. "Clearness Impurity!" Electricity generated from the machine's body as the crystals protruding from its body glowed, letting out massive light that enveloped the entire field. Gozen stumbled back as the magic and trap cards behind him lost some of their color.

Rikuto frowned, "Even if you negate my cards' effects, Diamion doesn't have enough ATK against Gozen!"

"Battle." Chihaya's hard expression turned into a cold glare. "Crystron Diamion attacks Gozen the Berserker Champion!" Diamion moved and placed its hands together, creating energy inside them. A white ball of light was formed as white crystals encircled and encased the energy as it grew larger.

"Crystron Diamion's effect." Chihaya added. "Once per turn, if it battles an opponent's monster, I can have it lose 500 ATK for each "Crystron" monster in my Graveyard." Rikuto gasped. "There are currently five "Crystron" monsters. Therefore, Gozen loses 2500 ATK." Five massive crystal pillars erupted from the ground and trapped Gozen at every angle, preventing the monster from moving as it struggled.

Gozen the Berserker Champion (ATK: 3000→500)

Chihaya's expression hardened, "Go, Carbon Crystallization!" Diamion pulled back and threw a spiked ball of energy crystals forward. Gozen roared before it was blasted in the chest. The energy ball exploded and took out Gozen with it. Several pieces of diamond scattered across the arena and made cuts on some seats. Several people were scared because of how close they were as many held their heads from the resulting shockwave as well. Rikuto gritted his teeth before he suddenly was pelted with multiple pieces of crystals. He screamed as several cuts formed on his clothes and a couple on his face. He fell down on his knees as it ended.

RIKUTO LP: 4600→2600

Yuya gripped the railing with a pained and shocked expression, "This kind of dueling…" It reminded him too much of Sora's duel with Shun. So much pain and agony in these attacks. The others all had too similar expressions as they were too shocked to even say anything.

Chihaya watched as Rikuto was on his knees, panting and unable to raise his head for the moment. She continued, "I banish Crystron Shockwave from my Graveyard to activate its effect. Since a monster was destroyed in battle, you take 1000 points of damage." An immense pressure enveloped Rikuto as he gasped and gravity felt heavy on him.

RIKUTO LP: 2600→1600

Rikuto eventually raised his head to show a defeated expression. He didn't say anything as his eyes grew more tired on Chihaya.

"Since it used Crystron Magniraffe as Synchro Material and it destroyed a monster by battle, Crystron Diamion is able to attack again in a row." Chihaya started with a frown. She raised her finger and started to signal for it, making everyone tense up.

"Chihaya, stop!" Yuya pleaded.

Chihaya stared at Rikuto with her finger still raised and not moving it, "...Sorry." She whispered though no else heard it. She lowered it to point at him, "Go, Carbon Crystallization!" Diamion pushed another spiked ball of crystal energy forward.

The ball of energy transformed into a singular stream. Rikuto stared as the beam came closer and closer. He closed his eyes, "Rika."

*BOOM*

He was hit and sent flying backwards. He then landed on the stone temple floor on his back unconscious.

RIKUTO LP: 1600→0

CHIHAYA: WIN
RIKUTO: LOSE

There was no cheering as the field dissipated and returned to normal. A lot of people in the audience had expressions mixed with shock, confusion, horror, dread and among others. The arena was filled with an eerie silence.

"T-The winner is Chihaya Kotona!" Nico shouted with an alarmed expression as he broke the silence with her profile appearing on-screen. "T-Throughout the odds, she managed to outmaneuver her opponent! Now, please! Get the paramedics down there!" Several medics ran up on the stage and tended to Rikuto. Then, the audience let out all sorts of noise. Some were frightened screams, some were excited shouts, some were supportive cheers, but everyone was riled up by the scene. Though most of it was fear felt by them.

Yuya stared with a pained frown, "Chihaya…" Yuzu held her hands to her mouth, "How horrible." Everyone else with them was unnerved by this.

Chihaya watched with an unreadable expression as Rikuto was being placed onto a stretcher and tended to. A hand was placed on her shoulder, "Come on." She turned to see the bearded man frowning at her in sympathy. "It is time to go home." Chihaya's eyes darted back for a moment before she nodded. She turned to walk away with the other man guiding her. The audience roared for her as some were yelling at her with animosity.

Yuya narrowed his eyes with a sad frown, "Her dueling…I could see a lot of pain behind it."

---

MAIAMI CITY - HARBOR (NIGHTTIME)

Bryan was standing alone at the pier as he listened to the water waving around and watched the scenery.

He had a pondering expression as he frowned, "What do I want to do?" He looked down at the deck he was holding, the same one he received from his mother and inherited from his father.

"Yuya. Ruri. Gongenzaka." He closed his eyes. "You've given me some things to think about." He had a lot on his mind the past couple days and it was thanks to those three.

"Bryan!" Bryan opened his eyes and turned to see Katsuro running towards him. He stood up as he was surprised, "Katsuro!" He was about to say more before he noticed Katsuro looked very tired and that there were a ton of scratches on his body and clothes.

"What happened to you?!" Bryan asked as Katsuro leaned down and panted really loud. After catching his breath, Bryan and Katsuro were talking as the latter looked really confused and exhausted explaining everything.

"Kylian did what?!" exclaimed Bryan in shock after hearing everything.

---

Fanfiction OC Memo:

Calphyta Angioflower
(LV: 3, Plant, LIGHT, ATK: 1000, DEF: 1000)
Monster Effect: If this card is Normal Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 "Phyta Growth Token" (Plant, LIGHT, Level 3, ATK 1000, DEF 1000) to your opponent's field.

Calphyta Liliplanter
(LV: 2, Plant, LIGHT, ATK: 700, DEF: 800)
Monster Effect: If this card is sent to the Graveyard as Fusion Material: You can Special Summon 1 "Phyta Growth Token" (Plant, LIGHT, Level 3, ATK 1000, DEF 1000) to either player's field.

Calphyta Selection (Continuous Magic) - Cannot be destroyed by card effects while there is a "Phyta Growth Token" on the field. You can target 1 Plant monster you control; until the end of the turn, for each "Phyta Growth Token" your opponent controls, that monster gains an additional attack during the start of the Battle Phase. During the End Phase: You can Special Summon 1 "Phyta Growth Token" (Plant, LIGHT, Level 3, ATK 1000, DEF 1000) to either player's field. You can only use each effect of "Calphyta Selection" once per turn.

Growth Fertilizer (Magic Card) - Target 1 "Phyta" monster you control; it gains 1000 ATK for every other Plant monster on the field, also if it attacks a Defense Position monster this turn, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent. Then, Special Summon 1 "Phyta Growth Token" (Plant, LIGHT, Level 3, ATK 1000, DEF 1000) to either player's field. For the rest of this turn after this card resolves you cannot declare attacks, except with the targeted monster. During your Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the Graveyard: You can banish this card from your Graveyard; Special Summon 1 "Phyta Growth Token" (Plant, LIGHT, Level 3, ATK 1000, DEF 1000) to either player's field. You can only use 1 "Growth Fertilizer" effect per turn, and only once that turn.

Calphyta Endurance (Trap Card) - When an opponent's monster declares an attack involving your "Phyta" monster: For the rest of this turn, that monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects. Also, at the end of the Battle Phase, Special Summon 1 "Phyta Growth Token" (Plant, LIGHT, Level 3, ATK 1000, DEF 1000) to either player's field.

Chlophyta Dracaenia Preserver
(LV: 6, Plant, LIGHT, Fusion, ATK: 2000, DEF: 2400)
2 "Calphyta" monsters
Monster Effect: Gains 500 ATK for each Plant monster your opponent controls. Once per turn, when your opponent activates a card or effect that targets a card (Quick Effect): You can Tribute 1 "Phyta Growth Token" on either field; Negate the activation, and if you do, destroy that card. When this card declares an attack on an opponent's monster: You can target the attack target; change that attack target's battle position. (Flip effects are not activated.)

Ghostrick Phantom
(LV: 1, Spellcaster, DARK, ATK: 0, DEF: 600)
Monster Effect: Cannot be Normal Summoned, unless you control a "Ghostrick" monster. Once per turn: You can change this card to face-down Defense Position. When a "Ghostrick" monster is destroyed by an opponent's card effect, or by battle with their attacking monster, and sent to your GY: You can Special Summon this card in face-down Defense Position, and if you do, Special Summon that destroyed monster in face-down Defense Position. You can only use this effect of "Ghostrick Phantom" once per turn.

Ghostrick Banshee
(LV: 2, Fiend, DARK, ATK: 400, DEF: 1300)
Monster Effect: Cannot be Normal Summoned, unless you control a "Ghostrick" monster. Once per turn: You can change this card to face-down Defense Position. When your "Ghostrick" monster inflicts battle damage: You can discard this card; Special Summon a "Ghostrick" monster with a different name from your Deck in face-up Attack Position or face-down Defense Position. You can only use this effect of "Ghostrick Banshee" once per turn.

Ghostrick Gnome
(LV: 3, Fairy, DARK, ATK: 1400, DEF: 1300)
Monster Effect: Cannot be Normal Summoned, unless you control a "Ghostrick" monster. Once per turn: You can change this card to face-down Defense Position. If this card is Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: You can target 1 Level 4 or lower "Ghostrick" monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it.

Ghostrick Jumpscare (Quick-Play Magic) - Target 1 face-down monster you control; Change it to face-up Defense Position, then if it was a "Ghostrick" monster, you can, immediately after this effect resolves, Normal Summon 1 "Ghostrick" monster. You can only activate 1 "Ghostrick Jumpscare" per turn.

Ghostrick Suspense (Magic Card) - If you do not control a card in your Field Zone: Add 1 "Ghostrick" Field Magic from your Deck to your hand, then you can add 1 "Ghostrick" monster from your Graveyard to your hand. You can only activate 1 "Ghostrick Suspense" per turn.

Ghostrick Shrine (Field Magic) - Monsters cannot attack face-down Defense Position monsters, but can attack directly if all monsters their opponent controls are face-down Defense Position. All monsters lose 500 ATK/DEF, except "Ghostrick" monsters. When an attack is declared involving a "Ghostrick" monster or a face-down Defense Position monster you control and an opponent's monster: You can draw 1 card.

Molten Amoeba
(LV: 1, Pyro, Fire, ATK: 400, DEF: 0)
Monster Effect: Once per turn: You can Fusion Summon 1 FIRE Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using monsters from your hand or field as Fusion Materials, including this card. During damage calculation, if your opponent's monster attacks directly (Quick Effect): You can banish this card from your Graveyard; you take no battle damage from that battle.

Ignatous Blaster Dragon
(LV: 7, Machine, FIRE, Fusion, ATK: 3000, DEF: 2800)
Gunner Dragon, the Dual-Mode Machine Beast + 1 Pyro monster
Monster Effect: You can only control 1 "Ignatous Blaster Dragon". If your opponent Normal or Special Summons a monster(s): Inflict 800 damage to your opponent. When this card declares an attack: You can target 1 monster on the field with ATK less than or equal to this card's ATK; destroy it, and if you do, inflict 800 damage to your opponent.

Fusion Shutdown (Quick-Play Magic) - If you control a Fusion Monster: Negate the effects of all non-Fusion Monsters on the field until the end of the turn. You can only activate 1 "Fusion Shutdown" per turn.

Dimensional Escape (Trap Card) - During the Battle Phase: Banish 1 monster on your field. At the end of the Battle Phase: Special Summon the monster banished by this effect to your field.

Lyrical Luscinia - Ruby Cardinal
(LV: 3, Winged-Beast, WIND, ATK: 700, DEF: 100)
Monster Effect: If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can send 1 "Lyrical Luscinia" monster from your Deck to the Graveyard. You can target 1 other Winged-Beast monster you control; the Level of that monster or this card becomes the Level of the other. You can only use each effect of "Lyrical Luscinia - Ruby Cardinal" once per turn.

Lyrical Luscinia - Wound Salve (Magic Card) - Target 1 "Lyrical Luscinia" Xyz Monster you control; gain 500 LP for each Xyz Material attached to it, then attach this card to it as Xyz Material. You can activate 1 "Lyrical Luscinia - Wound Salve" per turn.

Lyrical Luscinia - Flock Rescue (Trap Card) - If a "Lyrical Luscinia" Xyz Monster you control was destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to the Graveyard: Special Summon Level 4 or lower "Lyrical Luscinia" monsters from your Graveyard up to the number of Xyz Material that monster had on the field, but their effects are negated. You can banish this card from your GY, then target any number of "Lyrical Luscinia" monsters you control; increase their Level(s) by 1 or 2. You can only use each effect of "Lyrical Luscinia - Flock Rescue" once per turn.

Lyrical Luscinia - March Redstart
(RNK: 3, Winged-Beast, WIND, Xyz, ATK: 500, DEF: 500)
3 or more Level 3 Winged-Beast monsters
Monster Effect: After this card is Xyz Summoned, for the rest of this turn, you take no damage. At the start of your Battle Phase, for each Xyz Material currently attached to this card, this card gains 1 additional attack during each Battle Phase this turn. Once per battle, during damage calculation, if this card battles an opponent's monster with an equal or higher ATK: You can detach 1 material from this card; it isn't destroyed during that battle, also it gains ATK equal to that monster's ATK after damage calculation.

Crystron Agatan
(LV: 2, Machine, WATER, Tuner, ATK: 100, DEF: 1800)
Monster Effect: During your opponent's Main Phase or Battle Phase, you can (Quick Effect): Immediately after this effect resolves, Synchro Summon 1 Synchro Monster, using monsters you control, including this card. If a "Crystron" Synchro Monster you control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, while this card is in the GY: You can Special Summon this card from the GY, but banish it when it leaves the field. You can only use each effect of "Crystron Agatan" once per turn.

Crystron Carnelion
(LV: 4, Machine, WATER, ATK: 1700, DEF: 600)
Monster Effect: If you control no monsters: You can Special Summon this card from your hand. During your Main Phase, you can Normal Summon 1 "Crystron" monster in addition to your Normal Summon/Set. (You can only gain this effect once per turn.) You can banish this card from your GY; add 1 "Crystron" card from your GY to your hand, except "Crystron Carnelion". You can only use each effect of "Crystron Carnelion" once per turn.

Crystron Abundance (Continuous Magic) - During your Main Phase: You can Special Summon 1 "Crystron Token" (Machine-Type/WATER/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0). While you control that Token, you cannot Special Summon monsters, except WATER Machine monsters. If this card in the Magic & Trap Zone is destroyed by a card effect: You can add 1 "Crystron" monster from your Deck to your hand. You can only use each effect of "Crystron Abundance" once per turn.

Crystron Shockwave (Magic Card) - Destroy up to 2 "Crystron" cards you control and/or in your hand, then target that many cards on the field; destroy them. Then, your opponent's monster(s) lose 800 ATK until the End Phase. If a monster is destroyed by battle or by the effect of a "Crystron" monster: You can banish this card from your Graveyard; inflict 1000 damage to your opponent. You can only use each effect of "Crystron Shockwave" once per turn.

Crystron Density (Quick-Play Magic) - Target 1 monster you control and 1 Effect Monster your opponent controls; destroy that monster you control, and if you do, negate that opponent's monster's effects (until the end of this turn). During your Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the Graveyard: You can banish this card from your GY; Send 1 "Crystron" monster from your Deck to your GY. You can only use this effect of "Crystron Density" once per turn.

Crystron Luster (Continuous Trap) - If a "Crystron" card you control is destroyed: You can target 1 card on the field; destroy it. If this card in the Magic & Trap Zone is destroyed by a card effect: You can target 1 of your "Crystron" monsters that's banished or in your Graveyard; Special Summon it. You can only use each effect of "Crystron Luster" once per turn.

Crystron Berylon
(LV: 5, Machine, LIGHT, Synchro, ATK: 2100, DEF: 2000)
1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters
Monster Effect: If this card is Synchro Summoned: You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; negate its effect(s), also this card gains ATK equal to half the ATK of that target, until the end of this turn. During the End Phase, if this Synchro Summoned card was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard this turn: You can target 1 "Crystron" monster in your GY, except a Synchro Monster; Special Summon it.

Gozen the Unbound Champion
(LV: 7, Warrior, EARTH, ATK: 2800, DEF: 1800)
Monster Effect: Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned (from your hand) by Tributing 2 Warrior monsters you control. Negate the effects of monsters with equal or less ATK than this card. This card can make a second attack during each Battle Phase. During your opponent's End Phase, if this card's current ATK is different from its original ATK: You can make its ATK become equal to its original.

Gozen the Berserker Champion
(LV: 8, Warrior, EARTH, ATK: 3000, DEF: 2300)
Monster Effect: Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned by the effect of "Power Unleashed". Cannot be destroyed by battle, also your opponent cannot target this card with card effects. Negate the effects of face-up monsters while your opponent controls them. This card can attack all monsters your opponent controls, once each.

Limitless Meteor (Equip Magic) - Equip only to a "Gozen the Unbound Champion" you control. Negate the effects of monsters destroyed by battle with the equipped monster (even in the Graveyard), also if it attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent. If this card and/or the equipped monster would be destroyed, you can make the equipped monster halve its ATK instead. If the equipped monster has 0 ATK, destroy this card.

Power Unleashed (Trap Card) - When "Gozen the Unbound Champion" you control is destroyed by an opponent's card and sent to the Graveyard: Special Summon 1 "Gozen the Berserker Champion" from your hand, Deck or GY.

Seal Break (Trap Card) - Target a "Gozen" monster you control; Equip it with this card. It cannot be destroyed by card effects. During your next Standby Phase: You can send this card to the Graveyard; Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the equipped monster's ATK.

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Just for clarification, there's a lot of cards I've updated over the past few months for the sake of either making them better, more playable, fair, etc. If you want to know all of them, they are there on my profile for the sake of convenience. For example, I've updated the Synchros I've made for Crystrons earlier on because I feel like I could do more with them with these updated effects.

Recent Changes to OC Cards

Crystron Geltrix
(LV: 6, Machine, WATER, Synchro, ATK: 2400, DEF: 2000)
1 "Crystron" Tuner ~ 1 or more non-Tuner Monsters
Monster Effect: If this card is Synchro Summoned: Target 1 monster on the field; banish it, and if you do, inflict damage to its controller equal to the ATK of that monster. During the End Phase, if this Synchro Summoned card was destroyed: You can Special Summon 1 "Crystron" monster from your Graveyard, except "Crystron Geltrix".

Crystron Bastrix
(LV: 7, Machine, WATER, Synchro, ATK: 2600, DEF: 1600)
1 Tuner ~ 1 or more non-Tuner "Crystron" Monsters
Monster Effect: If this card is Synchro Summoned: You can reduce the ATK of all Special Summoned monsters your opponent controls to 0. During the End Phase, if this Synchro Summoned card was destroyed this turn: You can Special Summon 1 "Crystron" monster from your hand or Graveyard, except "Crystron Bastrix".

Crystron Diamion
(LV: 8, Machine, WATER, Synchro, ATK: 2500, DEF: 3000)
1 "Crystron" Tuner ~ 1 or more non-Tuner "Crystron" monsters
Monster Effect: If this card is Synchro Summoned: You can negate the effects of all other face-up cards on the field. Once per turn, if this card battles an opponent's monster: You can make that monster lose 500 ATK for every "Crystron" monster in your Graveyard until the end of the Damage Step. During the End Phase, if this Synchro Summoned card was destroyed by battle or card effect this turn: You can Special Summon 1 "Crystron" monster in your Graveyard, except "Crystron Diamion".

Some OCG, TCG, Anime and/or Manga effects are changed for the sake of convenience

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With Mikleo's help, Lucine and Ruri were able to step in and defend the stadium against the Academia invaders. And it seems like they're preparing for more to come. Unfortunately, Chihaya set off her powers too much against her old friend and now people are starting to be afraid of her. Also, it seems like while Bryan has things on his mind, he learns Kylian did something bad. What that is we'll find out soon.

I do apologize for the long wait. In all honesty, this chapter should've been finished a couple months ago but I've been getting distracted by other things in life lately. Don't worry. The story will go on. I've been trying to think of ways to make the chapters faster, but I also don't want to risk lowering the quality of them.

Anyway, I hope y'all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.

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NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:

The Sudden Howling Storm - The final matches of the Second Round are underway. In one of them, Hokuto Shijima goes up against Kylian Orman. However, during the match, something strange happens with Kylian's behavior. Meanwhile, thanks to help from Mikleo, Leo Corporation begins to make their move…

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