Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V: The Six Dimensions

by BlaiseCandell

Before the invasion of the Xyz Dimension, scans done by the Fusion Dimension reveal two more dimensions. The Ritual Dimension, and the Link Dimension. Within those two dimensions, Chiaki, Yuji, Miharu and Yuno have their lives turned upside down, and are tossed into a vicious war. Also, why are there five people with the same faces as them?

64. Chapter 64: Welcome! Empress of Dragons!

Starting Notes:

Welcome back! Despite the fact that I've had this chapter planned before the start of the fic, it was just fighting me the whole way, lmao. Enjoy! We'll talk more at the bottom, since I have a big announcement!

---

Chapter 64: Welcome, Empress of Dragons!

In the labs, most of the doors were left wide open—as though their occupants had fled in a rush. Yugo didn't even know what he was looking for. But he blindly searched and searched—

And then, he found the cells.

The cells were quiet, and yet…

Yugo peered in through the glass window of the first one. Seeing no one, he carried on, looking into all of the cells—

It was in the last cell when he found her.

"Hey—Miharu!"

Miharu barely stirred. She was seated in the corner of the room. Her laptop was set on the ground next to her, but she wasn't looking at it.

Yugo hammered on the door. "Miharu!"

Miharu finally looked up—however, she didn't seem to see him. The window seemed to be one-way. Yugo's eyes widened when he saw her face. Her eyes looked… empty.

"Can you hear me?"

Miharu nodded.

"Okay. I'm going to get you out!"

"... the door is electronically locked," Miharu said dully.

… ah. And he didn't have the keycard.

"You can hack it though, right?"

A shrug. She still looked so… quiet.

And Yugo was not equipped to deal with this at all. Like, he wasn't—he wasn't some kind of sensitive guy at all. He usually wasn't even able to tell when people around him were in pain…

But he wanted to help her.

"Hey, Miharu," he said. "Something's… wrong, right?"

"... I can't focus." Yugo noticed that her fingers were trembling—for all that her facial expression was cold, Yugo couldn't help but feel bad for her.

What if it was Rin like that? Rin in a room by herself—the only one that could let herself out, but suffering too much to do so?

"Ok. Ok." Yugo leaned against the door. "How do you focus?"

"I'm trying," Miharu said. Her voice seemed to crack slightly at the last word. "It just keeps—it gets better, and then it gets worse. I'm trying so hard, because I need to get out, but… I can't move."

… oh.

Oh, he was so underqualified for this right now. There was a big chance that he was going to only make this worse.

I'm really not mature enough. Anyone else would be better in this situation except for me. Anything that I could say right now is just going to be too simple.

… hold up.

But if there was any smart method, she's smart. She'd have figured it out, right?

So maybe me being a dumbass…

"Then, if trying is just making it worse… stop trying?" Yugo said the first thing that came to his mind.

"Stop trying?" Miharu said blankly.

"Look, you try really hard. No one in their right mind would say that you don't try enough, y'know? So if trying hard isn't working… maybe just sit back and stop trying a bit?"

"... but I need to help."

"And you can help once you get out!" Yugo said. He saw Miharu immediately tense up. Shit, had he just implied that she should try harder to get out so that she could help? "But for now… well, take a moment? I'm sure they'll be okay."

"... I can't stop thinking that I should be doing something," Miharu said. "I don't like feeling so… useless. Or helpless."

"You could never be either of those things!" Yugo said passionately. "Come on, Miharu. Who was it who figured out how to contact the rest of her comrades when she ended up in a different world all on her own? Who is it that keeps on working hard in the background to figure things out? Honestly, the fact that you don't take breaks is probably one of the weirdest things about you!" (Okay, maybe not. She was plenty weird in her own way.)

"... but taking breaks wastes time."

"Hah. Who cares?" Yugo wasn't trying to mock her—his voice was completely sincere. "I take breaks all the time. Sometimes, I fall asleep on my D-Wheel! Or I take a ride around and don't do anything useful. Or I just climb to the roof of the orphanage and look at the sky! And sometimes, I just talk to people for no reason at all, other than because I want to, and because it makes me feel happy. Do you think that's wasting time?"

"... not for you."

"Then why is it any different for you?" Yugo shot back. "If you don't let yourself take time for yourself between the times when you try to be useful, no wonder you're so… sad! Can't you think of anything that you do for yourself, just because it makes you happy?"

"I have… but I've ruined it," Miharu murmured. "He… didn't know what was going on. And while he was in that state, I… cut him down. And I thought I helped him. I thought I protected him. But he's not here, so that means that I didn't."

"Sugisaki?" Yugo guessed. "I just saw him, actually—"

Miharu raised her head sharply—there was some sign of hope flickering in her eyes again.

The circumstances of what had happened still confused him. What had happened in that ruined building, but…

"Is he alright?"

"... he's injured, but the rest of the Lancers came and got him and the rest to safety," Yugo said. "But the entire time, he was worried about saving you, so I thought I'd come and help you in his place."

"So he's going to be safe?"

"Yup! Only reason he's not here is because he took a nasty spill, but he's fine." Yugo was… downplaying Yuno's condition a bit, but at the very least, it would help Miharu to cheer up for now, right? "So… yeah. You don't have to worry too much about all that stuff, alright? It's under control—our comrades are pretty reliable, huh? You can slow down and stop trying!"

Miharu nodded. She raised her hands, before she picked up her laptop.

"H-hey!"

"It's alright," Miharu said. "After stopping for a bit… I can see a little better now." She smiled—a small, fragile smile. But there was something hopeful to it now. "I'll get myself out of here in a minute or so."

"That's the spirit!" Yugo cheered. "Let's go!" So he'd actually managed to calm her down? Score one for him!

Miharu turned back to her screen. "... thanks, Yugo."

"Hah. No problem! We're friends, aren't we?"

And I still owe both of you for how kind you were to me.

"Still though," Miharu said, "is everything… really under control?"

---

Everything, Reiji reflected, was not under control. It was perhaps the most out of control that it had ever been. For someone like him who liked having everything organised well…

Well. Quite honestly, it was all turning out to be a shitshow.

"You do realise that other than her, you're basically alone, right?" Mion said with a furrowed brow, gesturing to Kisara, who waved a hand when she noticed.

"She is essentially alone," the white-haired woman said. "She told me to go home—that means that she doesn't want my help."

"Well, correction, you are alone." Mion shook her head. "What exactly… do you gain from trying to take us on by yourself?"

"You're still so kind, Myojin!" Shino tilted her head. "But to answer you… everything and nothing." Her green eyes glanced around them. "Of course, I don't actually want your lives! But I'll take on as many of you as I need to, in order to take Yuri back home. That's my bet. So lay down your conditions, o' mighty leader of the Lancers!"

Letting him set the conditions?

… it felt like he was being played. And Reiji, logical as he was, could not comprehend a single reason for his enemy to give him the advantage of setting the conditions.

He could feel this girl's confidence—and it did not seem unearned, for all that she might seem frail at first glance. And… after dueling Sergey, in his current state, he did not feel that he could muster up the focus to face her directly. And if he could not, he was not going to let Mion go against this girl. And Reira was awake now, but Reiji didn't want to make her deal with this either.

So…

"Kamisoka and Kurosaki," Reiji decided. "Beat the two of them together and you can take him and go. Lose and—"

"Nope! That doesn't work for me."

Reiji narrowed his eyes.

"You see…" Shino winked. "Like I said, I'm not here for your lives. Even if I win, I'm not going to eliminate all of you immediately."

Reiji's gaze drifted to Kisara for a moment, who was just… watching all of this. As though she was curious to see how it unfolded.

"If I win, I want to earn my victory," Shino said cheerfully. "And I already know from experience that Kamisoka and I mix about as well as oil and water. If I do duel her, I will card her if I win, you know. She's the one person among you who might actually give me trouble in the future—she's manageable now, but in the future, if she grows, it'll suck. Why should you take that risk?"

"... you seem to already have stakes in mind, despite saying that you would let me choose," Reiji replied.

"Oh, nothing like that! Actually, I just came up with this idea after hearing yours."

… that was perhaps the most obvious lie that Reiji had heard recently.

"I need to show you all what you're dealing with." Shino put her hands behind her back. "So, how about a Ceremonial Challenge?"

Mion and Reiji's eyes both widened.

A Ceremonial Challenge. A duel where a single person would duel several people in a row by themselves, with the next opponent intruding each time that one was defeated.

Was she that confident that she was stronger than the Lancers?

"I'll take on the Lancers," Shino said, stressing the last word, "as many of you as you like." She grinned. "Well, except Kamisoka, Kurosaki and you two. Not because I don't think it'd be fun! But because… well, I'm not the last opponent that you all will have to face today. And because I'm not cruel enough to beat up a girl who's just gotten hit with a motorcycle and a guy who's just dueled that sadistic…" She stopped, clearly stopping herself from saying something far more offensive. "Well. That sadistic man."

Mion and Reiji both tensed up.

Exactly how much had this girl been… watching?

"What do you think?"

"... and it keeps going until you lose?"

"Or until you run out of people to face me," Shino said cheerfully. "And that's how either of us win! What do you think?"

… she's pulling something. And I can't tell what it is. That's… troubling.

"Alright," Reiji said. At the very least, if she was pulling something and won, he wouldn't lose any of his Lancers. And he could gauge the strength of this girl.

And if there was truly another commander, as Kisara had supposedly said earlier, it might be best to save Nue and Shun until then.

(Reiji, of course, did not have the privileged knowledge of knowing what had already happened in the Security Bureau.)

"Great!" Shino raised a hand. "So—who wants to—"

"Shino!"

Shino's eyes widened—and then they softened for a moment, her smile becoming more genuine. Reiji hadn't realised just how plastic her smile earlier was until now. A smile of negotiation, as opposed to affection. There was no lack of affection in her eyes now though. "Hey, Sora."

Ah. Her eyes were the same colour as Sora Shiun'in's.

Sora was standing there, seeming shocked.

"Why are you here, Shino?"

"Well, Ryo-san decided to bring me along." Shino shook her head. "You have no idea… it's been really hard for me, Sora. For a city that puts so many resources into motorcycles, they seem to really enjoy putting stairs everywhere."

"Really?" Sora asked for a moment, seeming genuinely curious. But then, he seemed to remember the situation. "But, Shino—if you really want to face the Lancers, I'm here now, you know? And technically, Yuri isn't back in Academia either. We kidnapped him. So you won't have to fight him! There's nothing stopping you from defecting now, you know? We can work together!"

Shino's lips twisted slightly, into something more wry. "I'm glad for you that you found your place to belong," she said. "But I will not be joining the Lancers. Not now, and not ever."

"What?" Sora exclaimed.

"That's too predictable, don't you think?" Shino shook her head. "Me having a change of heart because you two are there now, and deciding to turn against Academia and work with the Lancers? It's a fairy tale, Sora, and we don't live in those."

"I—"

"You think too highly of yourself," Shino said, "to think that I would defect from Academia just for you."

---

Sora blinked—he was hurt by the statement, especially because…

Especially because he knew that it wasn't true.

Because Shino had been the one who had risked her life to save him, back when their parents had died. Because she had never stopped caring about him.

And that smile on her face was too genuine.

So there had to be a reason for the lie.

And he would figure that out!

"Then—" Sora raised his arm. "I'll be your first opponent! And I'll do my best to bring down those dragons of yours! Because even though I care for you, I believe that what you're doing here is wrong!"

"... well, there couldn't be someone more fitting to try to bring me down." Shino smiled proudly. "Well then, step up, and let's see if you do better this time than any time that you've tried before."

[DUEL!]

Sora Shiun'in: 4000LP

Shino Gitsune: 4000LP

[Turn 1: Shino] [H:5]

"I know you favour the second turn, so I'll give it to you," Shino said cheerfully. "Then again, that's everyone around me, isn't it? Funny how that works out—we of Academia do like taking the first Battle Phase. I'll activate the Quickplay Spell, Branded Opening. I'll discard a card and Special Summon Aluber the Jester of Despia from my deck!" The masked boy with a long cape appeared, its black and white checkerboard pattern standing out against the rest of Aluber's shiny red and black outfit.

[Aluber the Jester of Despia (4*/1800/0/DARK/Fairy/Effect)]

"And since Aluber was Normal or Special Summoned, I can add a "Branded" Spell or Trap from my deck to my hand! I'll add the Field Spell, Despia, Theater of the Branded to my hand." She placed it down. "And I'll activate it, along with the Continuous Spell, Branded Lost!" The two Spells emerged on her field. "Then, with the effect of Despia, Theater of the Branded, I can perform a Fusion Summon of a Level 8 or higher Fusion Monster by using monsters in my hand or on my field as materials! I will fuse Aluber the Jester of Despia on my field with Despian Tragedy in my hand!"

Here it comes. Sora braced himself. I was dumb for thinking that she'd hold back against me, even a little.

"Beautiful masks lie over a hidden darkness. Scarlet dragon, rise up, and with the power of your envious heart, strike down all others like a phantom! Fusion Summon! Level 8! Masquerade the Blazing Dragon!" The bright red, black and white dragon appeared, its curtain-like wings spreading through the air as it let out a howl.

[Masquerade the Blazing Dragon (8*/2500/2000/DARK/Fiend/Fusion/Effect)]

"Doing good, Aluber?" Shino greeted the dragon playfully. It protectively moved in front of her, letting out an affirmative growl. "Good! Then, we can get the show going. Since I Fusion Summoned a Fusion Monster, I can activate the effect of Branded Lost. I will add Fallen of Albaz, or a monster that mentions it, from my deck to my hand." She picked up a card from her deck. "And with the effect of Despian Tragedy, I can add a "Despia" monster from my deck to my hand as well." She refilled her hand to three cards. "Then, I'll activate the effect of Albion the Shrouded Dragon in my graveyard. By sending a "Branded" Spell or Trap from my deck to the graveyard, I will return it to the deck."

She cycled out the card swiftly.

"I will, of course, set a card facedown and end my turn. During the End Phase, since Branded Bond was sent to the graveyard to activate the effect of Fallen of Albaz this turn—which, by the way, Albion the Shrouded Dragon counts as—I can set it back to the field." Another set card appeared in front of her. "Your turn, Sora. And don't forget Masquerade's effect—it's particularly deadly for you."

[Turn 2: Sora] [H:6]

Right. Masquerade's effect would force him to pay 600 life points for each card or effect that he activated. That meant that he had to get rid of it as fast as possible. Otherwise, he would burn himself to death with its effect.

For someone like Sora who liked to use tons of effects to recoup his card advantage…

"Draw!" Sora declared. "I'll activate the Spell Card, Polymerization!"

Masquerade's effect burned him, but he was fine with it.

He only needed two effects for this.

Sora: 4000 - 600 = 3400LP

"I'll fuse Fluffal Wings and Edge Imp Chain in my hand! Chain of destruction! Become one with the wings of angels and show us your new powerful form! Fusion Summon! Come out! Sea devil that steals freedom and pulls everything into the darkness! Frightfur Kraken!" The large purple Fusion Monster appeared on the field, and Shino nodded in response.

[Frightfur Kraken (8*/2200/3000/WATER/Fiend/Fusion/Effect)]

"I see," she said. "You're planning on using Kraken's effect to send my Masquerade to the graveyard."

"Destruction effects won't work on your monster while you still have Branded Opening in the graveyard, since you can just banish it to protect Masquerade." Sora nodded to Kraken, which raised its long legs. "Kraken! Now—"

"Set card, Branded Bond," Shino said casually. "I'll Special Summon Fallen of Albaz from my hand." Her signature monster appeared on the field.

[Fallen of Albaz (4*/1800/0/DARK/Dragon/Effect)]

"Frightfur Kraken's effect isn't a quick effect. So it can't be chained to what I'm about to do." Shino discarded the last card in her hand. "When Fallen of Albaz is Normal or Special Summoned, I can discard a card and perform a Fusion Summon using it and monsters that my opponent controls! I'll fuse Fallen of Albaz with Frightfur Kraken!"

Sora grimaced. Already?

"Bestial dragon with wings of magma! Rip and tear the world asunder to protect that which you cherish! Fusion Summon! Level 8! Brigrand the Glory Dragon!" The brown dragon appeared, black fur covering its chest and legs. Its two long, stag-like antlers shone with a golden sheen. Around its body, long red, magma-like spikes could be seen protruding from its body. Its wings, while brown at the top, ended with that same magma-like texture at the bottom.

[Brigrand the Glory Dragon (8*/2500/2000/DARK/Beast/Fusion/Effect)]

"Oh, and since I Fusion Summoned again, my Branded Lost lets me add another monster that lists "Fallen of Albaz" in its card text from my deck to my hand."

Brigrand required a Level 8 or higher monster as material. So… that was it for Kraken, then.

And Brigrand was troublesome to remove, too. It couldn't be destroyed by battle. Furthermore, while it was face-up on the field after being Fusion Summoned, Sora couldn't target Masquerade with effects.

This was just…

"Well, Sora? You're not giving up just because of that, right?"

"No." Sora raised his head. "I still think I can win against you… no, I still want us to win! And even if I fail, I'm going to pave the way for the rest of the Lancers to succeed against you, by removing your most insidious card from the field!"

Because as long as Masquerade left the field once, even if Shino brought it back again, it wouldn't have the same burning effect.

However, if she had it even after she defeated him, those who intruded in the duel—those with only 2000 life points—would have a harder time. They would only be able to use three effects in total.

He had to do what he could.

"Edge Imp Chain's effect! I will add a "Frightfur" card from my deck to my hand!"

Sora: 3400 - 600 = 2800LP

"I will add the Spell Card, Frightfur Reborn to my hand and activate it!"

Sora: 2800 - 600 = 2200LP

"I can Special Summon a "Frightfur" monster from my graveyard! Come back! Frightfur Kraken!" The purple squid surrounded by long metal blades reappeared on the field.

"So you got it back? But Brigrand's effect stops you. So, are you getting rid of it first?"

"... I'll activate the Spell Card, Frightfur Trick!"

Sora: 2200 - 600 = 1600LP

"I will target Brigrand the Glory Dragon and change it to facedown Defense Position until the End Phase!"

"Why not Masquerade?" Shino wondered, before she blinked. "... right. You wanted to just get rid of Masquerade for everyone's sake."

"If I flipped Masquerade facedown, it would still remember that it was Fusion Summoned, so its effect would still work," Sora said. "I don't want that. I want to make sure that there's no chance that you'll continue to burn us."

He gestured upwards.

"And I'll activate the effect of Frightfur Kraken! I will send Masquerade the Blazing Dragon from your field to the graveyard!"

He took Masquerade's burning effect for what he hoped was the final time, and gestured forward.

Sora: 1600 - 600 = 1000LP

"... heh."

Sora blinked.

Shino nodded. "I'm very proud of you," she said. "To take out Masquerade at all cost, no matter what—for the sake of your comrades? That's a decision you would never have been capable of before—you would have wanted to preserve yourself and your card advantage no matter what."

Masquerade roared—and then burst into flames in front of her.

"Well done," Shino said.

Sora blinked.

He… really wasn't used to dueling against someone who spoke to him with nothing but affection. It felt surreal, considering that they were still in a warzone—especially because they were now under different banners.

Even so…

"I'll send Fluffal Bear from my hand to the graveyard to set Toy Vendor directly from my deck to my field!" This left him with one card in his hand. "I'll activate the set Continuous Spell, Toy Vendor! I'll discard a card and draw a card—and then, if that card is a "Fluffal" monster, I can Special Summon a monster from my hand!"

The odds weren't that great, despite it all—after all, he did run three archetypes in his deck. Even so…

Come through for me, deck!

He drew a card—and revealed it.

"I drew Fluffal Dolphin! Come to the field!" A pink dolphin appeared, with a yellow and orange ring floatie around it.

[Fluffal Dolphin (4*/1600/1000/WATER/Fairy/Effect)]

"Then, I will activate the effect of Fluffal Wings in my graveyard! I'll banish it—along with another "Fluffal" monster from my graveyard, like Fluffal Bear! I can draw a card—and then, I can send Toy Vendor from my field to the graveyard to draw another card!" Toy Vendor vanished from the field, and Sora drew two cards. "Then, since Toy Vendor was sent to the graveyard, I can add a "Fluffal" monster or Edge Imp Sabres from my deck to my hand!"

Doing so, he refilled his hand to three.

"I will then activate the effect of Fluffal Dolphin! I will target Toy Vendor in my graveyard and set it back to my field! Then, I can send a "Fluffal" monster or Edge Imp Sabres from my deck to the graveyard!" He flipped over Toy Vendor again. "I will activate my set Toy Vendor!"

"And Toy Vendor's effect is not a hard once per turn."

"Exactly!" Sora exclaimed. "So I'll activate the effect of Toy Vendor again! I will discard a card and draw a card!" He glanced at the new card. "Come from my hand, Fluffal Owl!" The golden yellow bird appeared in front of him, chirping loudly and tilting its head slowly.

[Fluffal Owl (2*/1000/1000/EARTH/Fairy/Effect)]

"When Fluffal Owl is Normal or Special Summoned from the hand, I can add Polymerization from my deck to my hand! And then, I'll activate Polymerization! I'll fuse Frightfur Kraken with Fluffal Owl and Fluffal Dolphin!" The three monsters were pulled into a vortex behind him. "Demonic evil! Become one with the bird of prey and the playful waves, and reveal a new form and power! Show yourself! Wild ghost-cave beast that bares fangs at all! Frightfur Sabre-Tooth!"

The new monster appeared on the field, much to the surprise of everyone around him. Right, Sora hadn't really shown this card off. It was a cobalt beast with black stripes, and long white canines that shone in a frightening way. Bright white horns could be seen covering the beast. Goggly red eyes stared forward.

While it might not be the 'strongest' of the Frightfurs in terms of stats, it had one of the most potent effects of them all.

[Frightfur Sabre-Tooth (8*/2400/2000/DARK/Fiend/Fusion/Effect)]

"When Frightfur Sabre-Tooth is Fusion Summoned, I can Special Summon a "Frightfur" monster from the graveyard! Come back—Frightfur Kraken!" His other Fusion Monster reappeared on the field. "Since I Fusion Summoned on the turn I activated Frightfur Trick, once per turn, I can draw a card. And since Fluffal Dolphin was used as Fusion Material, I can shuffle Polymerization from my graveyard into the deck! Also, Sabre-Tooth gives all my Frightfurs a boost of 400 attack points!"

[Frightfur Sabre-Tooth: 2400 + 400 = 2800ATK]

[Frightfur Kraken: 2200 + 400 = 2600ATK]

However, he had also brought back Kraken in Defense Position. That was because…

"I will use the effect of Frightfur Kraken again!" Sora declared. "Brigrand the Glory Dragon can't be destroyed by battle—so I have to get rid of it like this! Kraken will send it to the graveyard!"

Brigrand vanished from the field, dragged down into the depths.

"However, Kraken cannot attack directly on the turn that this effect is activated!" Meaning that it couldn't attack at all, since Shino's field was now empty. This was why Sora had chosen to put Kraken in Defense Position—to make use of its superior defense points, since it couldn't attack anyway. "Frightfur Sabre-Tooth will attack you directly!"

"Trap Card, Screams of the Branded," Shino said. Her other set card flipped up. "Since a Level 8 or higher Fusion Monster was sent to the graveyard this turn, I will Special Summon a Fusion Monster that is banished or in my graveyard. Return—Brigrand the Glory Dragon." The brown dragon reappeared on her field in Defense Position. "And Brigrand cannot be destroyed by battle—just like you said."

Sora grimaced. "I'll set one card and end my turn," he said.

[Turn 3: Shino] [H:2]

"Mm. Then it's mine."

The duel still felt far too cordial.

Shino glanced at the next card that she drew. "Hmm—nice! I'll activate—" She stopped. "Hmm, wait, no. I'll pace myself. Since my opponent controls more monsters than me, I can Special Summon Incredible Ecclesia, the Virtuous from my hand!" A blonde girl holding up a bone-like hammer appeared in front of her.

[Incredible Ecclesia, the Virtuous (4*/1500/1500/LIGHT/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect)]

"Ecclesia's effect. I will tribute her and Special Summon Fallen of Albaz from my deck!" The dragon boy appeared in front of her again. "I will activate the effect of Fallen of Albaz. I'll discard a card to perform a Fusion Summon using monsters from both sides of the field!"

… ugh.

"I will fuse Fallen of Albaz with Frightfur Sabre-Tooth." The two monsters shot up, turning into another vortex. "Lawful dragon born of the stoic judgement of the land of cruel dogma! With your ruthlessness, reduce this world to ashes. Fusion Summon—Level 8, Titaniklad the Ash Dragon!" The bright silver dragon appeared—usually the monster that she brought out for its attack point-gaining effect.

[Titaniklad the Ash Dragon (8*/2500/2000/DARK/Dragon/Fusion/Effect)]

Still though, she could have brought out Mirrorjade right then. So… she was holding back to avoid using it on him, since she was planning on facing multiple opponents?

"Titaniklad gains 100 attack points times the total Level of its materials!"

[Titaniklad the Ash Dragon: 2500 + 100 x 12 = 3700ATK]

"Also, since I Fusion Summoned, I'll use the effect of Branded Lost to add another of my monsters which list Albaz in their card text, or Albaz itself, to my hand. I will then change Brigrand the Glory Dragon to Attack Position." Shino pointed forward. "Titaniklad the Ash Dragon attacks Frightfur Kraken!"

"Trap Card, Ne—" Then, Sora stopped, realising that his card wasn't activating.

"You can activate it later to save yourself!" Shino said. "But you didn't really think that'd work, right? Or did you forget that Negate Attack has to target my monster, but Brigrand stops my other monsters from being targeted?"

He'd… forgotten the first part, but not the second.

Titaniklad destroyed Kraken right away, but since Sora had put it in Defense Position, nothing happened to him.

"Brigrand, if you will~!"

"Trap Card, Negate Attack! I will negate your attack and end the Battle Phase!"

"Fair enough! I'll end my turn." Shino picked up a card from the graveyard. "Oh, and since I sent Judgment of the Branded to the graveyard for Albaz's effect, I can set it back to the field!"

He hadn't heard of that card before.

[Turn 4: Sora] [H:3]

Sora drew a card, still feeling rattled.

If she brought back Masquerade there with its effect, I'd have been dead meat.

"I'll activate the Spell Card, Frightfur Patchwork! I'll add Polymerization and an "Edge Imp" monster from my deck to my hand! I'll then activate the effect of Toy Vendor! I'll discard a card and draw a card. If that card is a "Fluffal" monster, I can Special Summon a monster from my hand. Otherwise, I'll discard it!"

He drew the next card from his deck.

"... come! Fluffal Rabbit!" A pink rabbit with a pair of white wings appeared on the field in front of him.

[Fluffal Rabbit (1*/300/1200/EARTH/Fairy/Effect)]

"Then, I'll activate the Spell Card, Polymerization! I'll fuse Edge Imp Sabres in my hand and Fluffal Rabbit on the field! Eager beast who leaps across the gap. Dark creature that resides within. Combine and form the dark monster that destroys all! Fusion Summon! Level 9! Frightfur Cruel Whale!" The large black and white whale with sharp knife-like teeth appeared.

[Frightfur Cruel Whale (9*/2600/2400/DARK/Fiend/Fusion/Effect)]

"Frightfur Cruel Whale's effect! When Fusion Summoned, I can destroy one card on both of our fields! And this doesn't target! I'll destroy Titaniklad the Ash Dragon and Toy Vendor!" Cruel Whale lashed forward with its tail, destroying both cards. "Since I used Fluffal Rabbit as material for a Fusion Summon, I can add Edge Imp Sabres or a "Fluffal" monster from my deck to my hand. Also, since Toy Vendor was sent to the graveyard, I can add Edge Imp Sabres or a "Fluffal" monster from my deck to my hand!"

He still had Brigrand to deal with. It was a monster which couldn't be destroyed by battle. However…

"I'll then Normal Summon Fluffal Owl!" He'd added the card back to his hand with Rabbit's effect, after all. The small golden bird reappeared on the field. "I'll activate the effect of Fluffal Owl! I'll add my third copy of Polymerization from my deck to my hand! And I'll activate Polymerization again! I'll fuse Fluffal Owl on the field with Edge Imp Saw in my hand!"

"Edge Imp Saw?" Shino repeated. "Then you're bringing out Leo, aren't you?"

"... you really are scary," Sora muttered. "Steel blades possessed by demons. Become one with the fanged beast, and show us a new form and power! Fusion Summon! Show yourself! King of the hundred beasts that tears everything to pieces! Frightfur Leo!" The pale, terrifying lion appeared, its long red claws slicing sharply through the air.

[Frightfur Leo (7*/2400/2000/DARK/Fiend/Fusion/Effect)]

"Frightfur Leo's effect! I can target a monster you control, destroy it and inflict damage to you equal to that monster's attack points! Brigrand doesn't protect itself!"

Leo dashed forward, striking at Brigrand—

"Sorry, Sora," Shino said. She lifted up a card from her graveyard. "But I can't allow you to deal too much damage to me too early—it'll make things too easy for the next person. I'll banish Branded Opening from the graveyard to negate the destruction of Brigrand."

The claws glanced off the brown dragon's fur, and Brigrand roared angrily in response.

"And since my monster was not destroyed, your monster inflicts no damage to me with its effect."

"Then, I—I just have to deal more damage to you! I'll activate the effect of Frightfur Cruel Whale! I'll target Cruel Whale itself and send a "Frightfur" card from my deck to the graveyard to increase its attack points by half of its original attack points!" Cruel Whale glowed.

[Frightfur Cruel Whale: 2600 + 1300 = 3900ATK]

"Cruel Whale attacks Brigrand the Glory Dragon!"

"I'll activate the effect of The Golden Swordsoul in my hand!" Shino declared, revealing the card. "When my opponent declares an attack, I can Special Summon it from my hand and negate that attack!" A pair of warriors, one with yellow hair and the other with black hair, appeared, surrounded by golden energy. They were in Defense Position.

[The Golden Swordsoul (4*/1800/1500/LIGHT/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect)]

"Then, since I control a Fusion Monster that mentions "Fallen of Albaz" as material, I can destroy the monster that declared an attack!" The two warriors moved forward, slicing sharply through his monster. Sora cringed away as Frightfur Cruel Whale shattered right in front of him.

"Frightfur Leo attacks The Golden Swordsoul!" He countered. The lion leapt forward, cutting through the warrior—but despite this, Brigrand was somehow still causing him just as much trouble.

What should he do? The only card left in his hand was a Fluffal monster, and that couldn't defend him at all. He…

"I'll end my turn," he muttered.

"... I really don't like being the one that puts that look on your face, Sora," Shino said. "But… you knew what you were standing up against. And I'd rather let you meet reality now than think that you're ready…" She stopped for a moment. "For the true upper echelon of Academia. You're not ready to face me yet… so please forgive me for defeating you now."

[Turn 5: Shino] [H:2]

"During your End Phase, since Titaniklad was sent to the graveyard, I will add a "Dogmatika" card or Fallen of Albaz from my deck to my hand. Draw!"

Sora grimaced. I don't want to believe it. But… is she right?

"I will activate the effect of Masquerade the Blazing Dragon. Since my opponent controls a Fusion Monster, I can Special Summon it from the graveyard." The red dragon from earlier reappeared. "However, it is banished when it leaves the field. Masquerade the Blazing Dragon attacks Frightfur Leo."

I defected to use my strength to protect my friends. But…

I was chasing after her when we were kids. Back then, I thought that she was just within reach…

Since when did she get this far ahead of me?

Leo was destroyed, and the damage rained down on Sora.

Sora: 1000 - 100 = 900LP

"If no one intrudes here, I win," Shino said. She smiled. "You made your moves at the start for the sake of your comrades, right? Let's see if they're worth that loyalty—if they'll stand up for you too. Brigrand the Glory Dragon attacks you directly!"

The dragon roared and moved forward—

And just as the attack hit, there was the buzz of a duel disk, as someone joined the duel.

Sora: 900 - 2500 = 0LP

[INTRUSION PENALTY: 2000LP!]

Tsukikage Fuuma: 4000 - 2000 = 2000LP

"Are you alright, Sora-dono?" Tsukikage said, holding out a hand. Sora glanced around himself—when had he fallen down?

"I'm fine," Sora said. "She would never hurt me. You…" He took Tsukikage's hand, and the ninja pulled him to his feet. "Why are you…"

"... Reiji-dono agreed to the conditions she set," Tsukikage said. He looked away from Sora, pulling his hand away. "He is our leader. Thus… I will choose to follow."

Sora's throat was oddly choked up. He glanced over at Shino, who was still watching them.

… no. For now, I have to treat her like the enemy.

"While she controls Branded Lost and her Field Spell, it's very hard to stop her from Fusion Summoning," Sora advised. "I couldn't find an opportunity to take them all out…"

"I understand."

"Alright." Sora raised his palm, and Tsukikage slapped his palm against it. "Go get her, ninja."

---

"If you're done," Shino said, "I'm ending my turn. You can go ahead."

Tsukikage observed her field. Sora had already pointed out how her Spells were giving her hand advantage. So he just had to remove them from the field.

[Turn 6: Tsukikage] [H:5]

"I will activate the Continuous Spell, Ninjitsu Art Notebook," Tsukikage said. "I will send a "Ninja" monster from my hand to the graveyard to set a "Ninjitsu Art" Spell or Trap from my deck." A set card appeared in front of him, and he flipped it face-up. "I will activate the Field Spell, Hidden Village of Ninjitsu Arts. Then, I will Normal Summon Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo."

A masked ninja in a dark scarf appeared in front of him.

[Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo (4*/1800/1000/DARK/Warrior/Effect)]

"I will activate the effect of Hanzo. I will add a "Ninjitsu Art" card from my deck to my hand. Then, with the effect of Hidden Village of Ninjitsu Arts, I can add a "Ninja" monster or "Ninjitsu Art" card from my graveyard to my hand, but for the rest of this turn, I can't activate cards or effects with the same name." He picked up the card that he had discarded. "Since I control a "Ninja" card, I can Special Summon Mitsu the Insect Ninja from my hand." A girl with long black hair appeared, smirking. She had two long antennae extending from the top of her head.

[Mitsu the Insect Ninja (2*/200/2100/WATER/Insect/Effect)]

"Ooh, a lady ninja!" Shino's eyes lit up. "She looks cool!"

… yes, this was definitely Sora's cousin. Their personalities very much matched up.

"I will open the circuit of the ninja arts! Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two "Ninja" monsters! I'll set Mitsu the Insect Ninja and Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo in the Link Markers. Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 2—the strategist in the shadows who watches over all, Ninja Grandmaster Saizo!"

A ninja in a silver helmet appeared, wearing dark blue-purple garments. He held up a sword, standing in front of Tsukikage determinedly.

[Ninja Grandmaster Saizo (L2/2000/LIGHT/Warrior/Link/Effect/↙, ↘)]

"Link Summoning?" Shino blinked. "Oh, right. Standard. So…"

"During the Main Phase, Saizo allows me to set a "Ninjitsu Art" card from my deck to my field." Tsukikage narrowed his eyes. This Brigrand the Glory Dragon's battle immunity seemed to be causing problems. Therefore… "I will activate my set card, the Equip Spell, Ninjitsu Art Tool - Iron Digger. I will equip it to Saizo, and it gains 500 attack points."

[Ninja Grandmaster Saizo: 2000 + 500 = 2500ATK]

"Furthermore, by banishing a "Ninja" monster from my graveyard, I will use Iron Digger's effect to target a card on the field and destroy it. I will banish Mitsu the Insect Ninja from my graveyard, and by doing so, target and destroy Brigrand the Glory Dragon."

"Oi, Tsukikage!" Sora exclaimed, seeming annoyed.

"Hold on, Sora." Shino turned over to Tsukikage, seeming to examine him. "... hmm. Alright then." Saizo tossed a long tool through the air—it resembled a centipede's body, and it wriggled menacingly. Wrapping around Brigrand, it squeezed the monster to death.

"With the effect of The Golden Swordsoul, since a card was banished face-up, I can banish it from the graveyard and Special Summon a LIGHT Spellcaster monster from my graveyard, whose attack points equal its defense points. Return in Defense Position—Incredible Ecclesia, the Virtuous!" The blonde girl reappeared on her field, seeming rather determined as she raised her clenched fists. Her hammer floated behind her.

Another monster on her field?

Tsukikage narrowed his eyes warily. "I will set the Scale 10 Twilight Ninja Kagen in the Pendulum Scale. And then, I will move to my Battle Phase!"

"And your Pendulum Effect probably lets your monster overcome mine in battle" Shino said. "Is that what you're thinking of doing?" She gestured forward. "I don't think I mentioned this. Do you remember Ecclesia's effect?"

Huh? Yes, but—

"During either player's Main Phase, I can tribute Ecclesia to Special Summon Fallen of Albaz or a "Swordsoul" monster from my hand or deck."

Huh? So it activated on both players' turns?

"You're the kind that talks about following a style, right? Your own honour and things like that." Shino plucked out a card from her deck. "Come. Fallen of Albaz!" Her third copy of Fallen of Albaz appeared on the field. "I will activate the effect of Fallen of Albaz. I will discard a card and perform a Fusion Summon, using Albaz itself and your Ninja Grandmaster Saizo as material!"

That was…

"Cheap?" Shino said, seeming to read his mind. "Most people have ways to stop their cards from being destroyed. But short of your monsters being completely immune to monster effects, you can't stop my monsters from taking your power for their own. Iron swiftness, possess the physical form and crush any that are too fragile to accept your will! Fusion Summon! Level 8! Sprind the Irondash Dragon!" A large monster that resembled a triangular aircraft appeared. It was made out of dark metal, with rocket thrusters around it. Only the discretely shaped jaw at the front of its face identified it as a dragon in the first place.

[Sprind the Irondash Dragon (8*/2500/2000/DARK/Machine/Fusion/Effect)]

"And Branded Lost lets me add another monster that lists Fallen of Albaz from my deck to my hand. Still want to carry on with your Battle Phase?"

Tsukikage continued with his Main Phase. "... I will activate the Spell Card, Ninjitsu Art Notebook of Mystery. I'll set a "Ninja" monster from my graveyard to the field, and set a "Ninjitsu Art" Spell or Trap from my deck to the field. I will then activate the set Armor Ninjitsu Art of Alchemy. By destroying all other "Ninjitsu Art" cards, I can draw two cards." Glancing through his three cards, he sighed in relief. "Spell Card, Graceful Charity. I will draw three cards and discard two."

Earlier, he'd had a card that he couldn't use in his hand—the card that he had added back to his hand with his Field Spell. But now, all the cards in his hand were usable again.

"I will set the Scale 1 Twilight Ninja Jogen in the Pendulum Scale." Tsukikage completed his Pendulum Scales. "With my current Pendulum Scale, I can Pendulum Summon monsters from Level 2 to 8! Swing, pendulum! Pendulum Summon! Come! Twilight Ninja Getsuga, the Shogun! Twilight Ninja Nichirin, the Chunin!" The two tall ninjas appeared in front of him. For a moment, Tsukikage's heart thumped slightly—the reminder of his brother and himself again.

[Twilight Ninja Getsuga, the Shogun (8*/2000/3000/DARK/Warrior/Effect)]

[Twilight Ninja Nichirin, the Chunin (6*/2300/1000/DARK/Warrior/Effect)]

"Getsuga's effect. I will change him to Defense Position, and I will Special Summon two "Ninja" monsters from my graveyard."

"Oh, so you can keep going." Shino winked. "Not bad!"

"... return. Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo. Upstart Golden Ninja." Two shorter ninjas reappeared on the field. One of them was certainly more familiar than the other.

[Upstart Golden Ninja (4*/500/1800/LIGHT/Warrior/Effect)]

"With Hanzo's effect, since it was Special Summoned, I will add a "Ninja" monster from my deck to my hand. And I will… overlay the Level 4 Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo and Upstart Golden Ninja!"

"Link, Pendulum and Xyz!" Shino clapped her hands together. "I thought so. People from Standard are way more adaptable than we are, aren't they? Maybe it's because you all start out the weakest."

Tsukikage narrowed his eyes. He had learned his summoning methods in order to make himself a better assistant to the rest of the Lancers. In a way, those were the three methods that were used the most by the Lancers that he had first gotten to know. Ritual, Fusion and Synchro had not been used as much.

Even so…

… something is strange about this girl.

"Come now! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Blade Armor Ninja!" A ninja dressed in red armour with gold trim appeared in front of him. Two long white swords crossed in front of him.

[Blade Armor Ninja (R4/2200/1000/WIND/Warrior/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)]

"Blade Armor Ninja's effect. By detaching an Overlay Unit, Nichirin can attack twice this turn!"

[Blade Armor Ninja: OU:2 - 1 = OU:1]

"By discarding a "Ninja" monster, Nichirin gains 1000 attack points!"

[Twilight Ninja Nichirin, the Chunin: 2300 + 1000 = 3300ATK]

"Battle Phase. Nichirin attacks Masquerade the Blazing Dragon!"

"... hmm." Shino shrugged. "Competent enough to clean up some Obelisk Force. But I don't think that will work. I'll activate my Trap Card… ah, it feels like a waste when there's only one monster to deal with, but that's still important. Trap Card, Judgment of the Branded. I will target a Level 8 or higher Fusion Monster I control and destroy all monsters you control with higher attack points!"

Nichirin was destroyed. Tsukikage grimaced.

"I end my turn," he said. He had at least discarded Aqua Armor Ninja, so he could protect himself from a direct attack. So he could still defend himself.

[Turn 7: Shino] [H:5]

"During the End Phase, Brigrand lets me add a "Tri-Brigade" monster or Fallen of Albaz from my deck to my hand. Then, draw," Shino said. "Sorry if you think that you're lasting longer than a round against me. But Sora only lasted as long as he did because he knew me. Sprind the Irondash Dragon's effect. I can move it to a different Main Monster Zone." She shifted it to the zone right in front of Tsukikage's Extra Monster Zone, where Blade Armor Ninja was. Getsuga was right behind Blade Armor Ninja. "And then—all other face-up cards in that column are destroyed."

"What?" Tsukikage muttered. Both Blade Armor Ninja and Getsuga were destroyed with a sharp, metallic screech from the dragon.

"Yes," Shino said cheerfully. "Let's see. That leaves you with Nichirin. But you don't look too panicked yet. So, how should I play this?... let's go! Masquerade the Blazing Dragon attacks Nichirin!"

And Tsukikage had nothing to discard, so he could not protect Nichirin. His monster was destroyed, and his life points fell.

Tsukikage: 2000 - 200 = 1800LP

"And Sprind the Irondash Dragon attacks directly!"

"I will banish Aqua Armor Ninja from my graveyard to negate the attack!"

Shino smirked slightly. "Since my opponent activated a monster effect while I control a Fusion Monster that lists Fallen of Albaz as material, I can discard Tri-Brigade Mercourier to negate your effect."

Sprind roared, and it finished him off with another loud roar.

Of course though, that wasn't the end.

However, most of the others were already intimidated by the fact that two people together had not landed a single hit on her.

Even so, one person there stepped up without any hesitation.

Tsukikage: 1800 - 2500 = 0LP

[INTRUSION PENALTY: 2000LP]

Rin: 4000 - 2000 = 2000LP

"You're not a member of the Lancers," Shino said amusedly. The other Lancers around—Sawatari, Gongenzaka and so on—had not stepped up, but that hadn't stopped the green-haired girl from claiming her right to be there.

"Yugo's joined them. Obviously, I'll be keeping him out of trouble while he's there. So it's the same thing, really." Rin narrowed her eyes. "I'll show everyone that it's perfectly possible to inflict damage to you. And you already wasted your monster effect negation!" She turned over to Tsukikage and Sora, nodding at them sharply.

"Fair! I'll set a card facedown. Your turn."

---

Rin eyed the girl in front of her.

… it had really all gone according to what she'd said, huh?

"… I need to put up a show. When we meet again, could you do something for me?"

[Turn 8: Rin] [H:5]

Rin glanced at her starting hand. No Ice Bell. It looked like she would be taking a different route to her ace monster this turn.

"I'll be taking out half your life points this turn," Rin said.

"I'd genuinely like to see that," Shino said cheerfully. "Come on, Rin-chan! I don't know much about you, but I do know that you shouldn't be here!"

Right. In order to stop Shino from being found out, they weren't supposed to acknowledge even the idea that she'd been friendly to them. So Rin put an aggressive expression on her face. "I'll Normal Summon Wind Witch - Hail Bell from my hand!" The quiet witch with pale grey hair appeared, adjusting her hat.

[Wind Witch - Hail Bell (4*/1300/1000/WIND/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect)]

"And when Hail Bell is Normal Summoned, I can target a monster on the field and inflict damage to you, equal to that monster's Level times 100! I'll target Sprind the Irondash Dragon!"

Ice and wind blew forward, and Shino's life points fell by that small amount.

Still though, they were no longer untouched.

And Rin was both very petty—and someone that wanted to prove a point.

Shino: 4000 - 100 x 8 = 3200LP

"Then, since it's a monster you control, I can inflict another 400 damage to you!" More ice blew towards Shino, who was smiling, seeming rather amused.

Shino: 3200 - 400 = 2800LP

"And then, I will Special Summon Wind Witch - Freeze Bell from my hand, since I control only "Windwitch" monsters!" She brought out the girl with pale hair, who spun around, a calm smile on her face.

[Wind Witch - Freeze Bell (3*/1200/1200/WIND/Spellcaster/Effect)]

"Midwinter wind. Make ice and snow my power and blow through! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 7! Wind Witch - Winter Bell!" The beautiful sapphire blue bell woman appeared, snowflakes drifting around her.

[Wind Witch - Winter Bell (7*/2400/2000/WIND/Spellcaster/Synchro/Effect)]

Now, Winter Bell couldn't be destroyed by battle, thanks to Freeze Bell's effect. And with Winter Bell's own effect…

"I will activate the effect of Wind Witch - Winter Bell! I will target a "Wind Witch" monster in my graveyard and inflict 200 damage to the opponent times that monster's Level! I will target Wind Witch - Hail Bell! And since she's a Level 4 monster, you take 800 damage! Hypothermic Subzero!"

Shino: 2800 - 200 x 4 = 2000LP

"Nice," Shino said cheerfully. "Two thousand in a single turn…"

"I'll set a card facedown," Rin said. "Over to you."

[Turn 9: Shino] [H:4]

"Draw. I really can't afford to let you stay in this duel for so long." Shino winked. "You're pretty good. I'd say you're very similar to Serena, actually—just as aggressive as her, but in an alternate direction!" She gestured forward. "You're pretty smart. You summoned Winter Bell to the same column that Sprind is already in, and you set your card in that column too, just so that you could avoid me destroying them with Sprind's effect."

She had noticed that?

But…

"Trap Card, Fairy Wind!" Rin declared. "I'll destroy all Spells and Traps other than Fairy Wind on the field, and inflict 300 damage to both of us for the number of cards destroyed! I'll destroy Branded Lost, your Field Spell and your set card!"

"Trap Card, Brightest, Blazing, Branded King," Shino replied. "I'll target a Fusion Monster I control that has Fallen of Albaz as one of its Fusion Materials. Then, I'll negate the effects of all other face-up cards currently on the field until the End Phase."

"What?" Rin exclaimed. "Then—you could have—"

"You were so confident that you could deal me half my life points as damage. I decided to see if you would be proven right." Shino winked. A bright golden blaze shot across the field, negating the effects of all the cards on the field. Sprind flew up, letting out a loud roar. "So I get to keep my Spells for a while longer. I will Normal Summon Guiding Quem, the Virtuous from my hand."

A white-haired girl in a ghastly black gown appeared.

[Guiding Quem, the Virtuous (4*/1500/1500/LIGHT/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect)]

"See, Quem here, she's a bit of a saint. When she's Normal or Special Summoned, I get to send Fallen of Albaz or a card that mentions it from my Extra Deck to the graveyard. And then, my Field Spell's effect!" Shino raised a finger. "Quem is always treated as a "Despia" monster. I will fuse her with Dogmatika Fleurdelis, the Knighted in my hand!"

---

"Dogmatika?" Yuji repeated. "That's… your new one, right?"

Chiaki nodded. "The official story that she told me to give if anyone asked," she said, "is that I stole it from her when she wasn't looking, since she keeps stuff in her wheelchair."

"She wants you to pretend that you took advantage of a person's disability to take their personal belongings?" Yuji muttered.

"According to her," Chiaki said, still carrying some distrust, "she did weaken herself to give me almost all of the Dogmatikas. And… she did help me out. But if Academia finds out, she'll be in danger. So I guess I can do that much."

"You don't sound happy."

"I don't trust her. For one, no one that happy go lucky survives in a place like Academia. And…"

Chiaki narrowed her eyes.

"… I have a feeling that she's playing everyone like fools. Not just in dueling. She's not lying about anything, but… when I'm talking to heer, I always get the feeling that everything that I'm doing is something that she's predicted."

"How so?" Yuji glanced over. "She doesn't look that threatening."

"Exactly." Chiaki shook her head. "And yet she is. That's what's so striking about her. It's like everything is following a script in front of her… and she's the playwright. Has she lost control at all in this duel?"

---

"How is she like, compared to when you and Kamisoka-san faced her?"

"... our duel didn't last long," Mion said. "Back then, all three of us had too much counterplay for it to last long. Traps, spells and monster effects—those were each of our main plays. But…" She narrowed her eyes. "She's way stronger than back then."

"Stronger than back then? Well, it makes sense that our enemies are growing as we grow." Reiji turned back to the duel.

Mion was about to stand up, before she was interrupted.

"What are you doing?" That was Nue, who had walked over—Shun was still with Ruri and Yuto.

"I don't think that we can stay out of this."

"Didn't you agree that you two and us wouldn't take part in it?" Nue stuffed her hands in her pockets. "Leave it to them."

"What—"

"You're right. That girl is way stronger than she was when we dueled her." Nue glanced over. "But she's grown stronger at a faster rate than we have, even though we've been in a high stress situation this entire time. What does that tell you?"

"... you're not telling me that she held back on us in the Maiami Championship, are you?"

Nue nodded slightly.

"That's ridiculous…"

Reiji spoke up. "Regardless… we've already seen that Rin has dealt a large amount of damage. I trust that the others can win."

---

Shino raised her head, glancing over at all the people that were talking.

… hah. As I expected, the paranoid ones are always the ones who can feel it.

"Darkness sealed within a suit of holy armour, emerge now in the flurry of the rising curtains, and crush them in the emptiness of destruction. Whom do you seek?" She flashed a peace sign. "Fusion Summon! Level 8—Despian Quaeritis!" The dark black and red knight in a cape appeared, long spikes piercing the air.

[Despian Quaeritis (8*/2500/2500/LIGHT/Fiend/Fusion/Effect)]

"Your set card is Icy Breeze Refrain," Shino said, tilting a hand through the air. Rin's eyes widened. "You were planning on using Fairy Wind to knock my life points down by 900. Then, with Icy Breeze Refrain, you would bring back Hail Bell and inflict 1200 damage to me. That would have defeated me."

"How did you…"

"... I have a good eye for the win conditions of my opponents." Shino tapped the side of her head. "It's very easy for me to put myself in the heads of others, you see? So once you finished your turn, I knew immediately what your plan was."

Come on, Rin. Get agitated. Feel that burning need to get stronger.

That way, you'll be even more capable of helping the Lancers—and your friend, if you want—to take down the injustice in your own home, Academia.

I'll bury you, so that you'll bare your fangs even more strongly later on.

After all, that's my entire purpose here—to let you all know that you're not enough yet.

"Quaeritis's effect. During the Battle Phase, I can change the attack points of all monsters on the field, except Level 8 or higher Fusion Monsters, to 0."

"What?"

"So you can do what you want, but you're going to lose the moment that an attack hits, even if your monster is not destroyed!"

[Wind Witch - Winter Bell: 2400 → 0ATK]

"Battle Phase!"

Right then, Rin regained her courage, flipping over her set card. "Then fine, I'll do as I please! Trap Card, Icy Breeze Refrain! I will choose the effect that Special Summons a "Wind Witch" monster from the graveyard in Defense Position. Return—Wind Witch - Hail Bell!" Her monster reappeared, and she summoned up sharp winds. "I will target Despian Quaeritis and inflict 100 damage to you times its Level, along with an additional 400 damage!"

The winds whipped around Shino's face, but she didn't mind the cold.

Shino: 2000 - 100 x 8 - 400 = 800LP

"Defiant! Good job." Shino gestured forward. "But still not good enough. The next one can sub in now. Can I ask which one of you wants to do it?"

Silence greeted her.

Hmm. That wasn't good. She didn't want to break their spirit just yet.

Eh. Hopefully it would work out.

"Quaeritis attacks Wind Witch - Winter Bell!" The dark monster dashed forward—ready to deliver its malicious judgement.

---

When Yuya regained consciousness, the first thing that he saw was a dragon wreaking havoc over the field. He sat up sharply.

"Hah. You look… in good shape."

Yuya turned over in confusion. Next to him was Serena, and…

Red eyes met violet eyes.

Yuya jerked back in shock.

He remembered—

He remembered dueling Barrett. Then, Yuto had come to help him. Then, he had blinked and suddenly, rubble was raining down from above him. A shout. And then, he had fallen, and—

He distinctly remembered seeing the face of the boy in front of him before he passed out.

Yuri's legs were an ugly sight. Yuya cringed away the moment that his gaze landed on them.

"What happened?" Yuya said. "I—you saved me—"

"I didn't save you!" Yuri snapped.

There was a pause.

"But you did," Yuya said. He had seen it. He had seen Yuri tackle him even as they were crushed by debris. No matter what Yuri said, he knew what he had seen.

"I didn't." Yuri's response was almost petulant. "I would never—"

This wasn't going to get them anywhere.

"Fine, you didn't. What's happening?"

"Apparently, they're dueling her for the right to keep me here," Yuri said. 'Her' probably referred to the girl with pinkish purple hair. "I… only woke up a bit ago."

The right to keep him here…

"It's weird," Yuri said. "I get that she's trying to rescue me. But why is Reiji Akaba bothering to send his Lancers to duel her? Just forfeit me, and it's all over, right?"

"Because he's a control freak," Yuya muttered. To his surprise, Yuri let out a sharp, croaking sound, though he started coughing afterwards. That… was that a laugh?

It was… weird to hear this guy laugh. Not just because he had Yuya's face. In a way, his voice even sounded a little similar to Yuya's—more similar to him than any of the other boys that shared his face, anyway. But… this was the guy who had scared Yuzu. This was someone who had wholeheartedly worked for Academia.

He was, without a doubt, a terrible person.

So why did his laugh remind Yuya of his own?

"Why do you do it?" Yuya asked. Yuri turned to look at him. "Work for Academia, I mean."

Because from what he knew, none of the other boys who shared the same face as him were particularly bad people. He hadn't gotten to know Yuji Fujita yet, but Yuno, Yugo and Yuto were all kind people.

"Huh?" Yuri snorted. "Isn't it obvious? I like watching people die. It makes me feel alive."

"That's not true!" Yuya shook his head. "No one is a complete monster. There has to be more to it—"

"I hate you."

Yuya reeled.

"There are monsters in this world, and I am one of them, idiot." Yuri shook his head. "The fact that you're so naive is so… disgusting."

"I don't think so," Yuto said. "I think you have a dream. I think that you want to make everyone happy. It's naive, but you're a good person, in that sense. No one can fault you for that."

Yuya glared at Yuri. "You can't fault me for being naive," he said. Because it was true—because he believed in himself as strongly as he could—

"No one's faulting you. Be as fucking naive as you want, and take the consequences as you go." Yuri shook his head. "But I hate the naive. I hate you, I hate the candy eater, I hate every single last child in Academia. I especially hate most people in other dimensions. And I—"

Yuya cut him off. "But don't you like Serena?"

Yuri stopped for a moment, his mouth falling open for two seconds—before he scowled. "Just because you have a crush on that pink-head who shares Serena's face doesn't mean that you should project that on others."

"I—what?" Yuya blushed, slightly flustered. "I don't…!"

"I don't give a damn if you do," Yuri shot back. "Just don't poke into our business."

But didn't that imply that there was something between the two of them anyway?

Yuri's gaze turned towards the purple-haired girl again.

Yuya gritted his teeth. He was about to give up—clearly, he wasn't going to get a straight answer out of this guy.

Some people are just incomprehensible in how cruel they are.

Then, his gaze landed on Yuri's battered legs again.

Yuya shook his head.

… but I can't help but feel like this guy isn't one of those.

So he tried again. "Do you know that girl?"

"She's…" Yuri shifted around slightly. "Don't ask me about her. She's Sora's cousin, so I'm sure he'll tell you more. He's your precious friend, after all."

Sora's cousin? From what Yuya remembered, Sora hadn't mentioned anyone like that… and Yuri didn't seem to like Sora either.

"Is she not your friend?" Yuya said.

"Hah. As if I care about other people enough to have friends."

"But… she's fighting to bring you back to Academia, right?"

Yuri did not respond.

It was just so difficult to talk to him. Yuya didn't have the effortless confidence of Yuno or the calmness of Yuto, or even Yugo's enthusiasm. How was he supposed to try and communicate with someone like this?

"She's the most naive one of all," Yuri finally said. "She wants to save people, despite—I do not understand her." He shook his head.

"What don't you understand about her?"

"She is… good," Yuri muttered. "All my life, I thought that being good meant being weak. But I have never won against her in a meaningful way—never when she takes me seriously. How can someone good be strong?" He sounded genuinely baffled.

Yuya frowned, because he had been raised on the opposite idea—that good always triumphed, that evil was weak.

"Why do you think that way? That's… different."

"What, are you trying to be my therapist?" Yuri snarked, and Yuya realised with dawning horror that he was. He really was. He was sitting here, worn out after somehow losing consciousness, and he was somehow attempting to understand and help the lunatic that had scared Yuzu. "Good people die and cruel people prosper. That's the law of the world—not that you would understand. You've lived a pretty charmed life."

A pretty charmed life…

"Three years ago, my dad disappeared," Yuya said. "For those three years, I was mocked as the son of a coward. I don't know what happened to him—Reiji Akaba still hasn't explained anything to me. But I could never make any friends. The only people who would be nice to me were the people at You Show."

Yuri's gaze slowly turned to Yuya.

Yuya gulped, but he soldiered on anyway. "I can take a lot of things," he said, "but don't say that I've led an easy life."

It had taken him so much effort to try to smile, no matter how sad he was. He couldn't let someone discount that.

Yuri slowly sat up. He tensed up several times due to the pain of his injuries. "... so your father ruined your life too," he muttered. "Figures."

Who exactly are you?

It was only when Yuri snorted that Yuya realised how he'd spoken the words aloud. "Fine," he said. "I'll admit it. The same as you, in that one way."

… oh.

"But I still want to find my dad," Yuya said. "I believe in him."

"Congrats. Mine's dead."

"I—I'm sorry—"

"Don't be." Yuri narrowed his eyes. "Or I'll kill you for it." He looked away. "... since you want to understand me so much. I'll grant your wish if you can answer one question for me."

"What?" Yuya exclaimed. "I mean—what is it?"

"Yuya Sakaki," Yuri said. "Why is Reiji Akaba fighting so hard to keep me, and why are you Lancers going along with it?"

How on earth was Yuya supposed to answer for Reiji? That guy's brain lived on an entirely different planet with aliens and space dolphins!

Still though…

It felt like he was just on the edge of breaking through to this weird boy.

It's one less enemy to fight if I get this right.

If it's possible to redeem him, it might be possible to make others understand too. That none of this is what dueling is for.

But Yuya just couldn't explain it.

Why were the rest fighting? Why was Reiji Akaba insisting on keeping Yuri here? None of it made sense.

"... I thought so," Yuri muttered. "You're all so illogical."

"Hold on…"

No time to think—

"I can't answer for Reiji Akaba, and I can't answer for the rest, but…" Yuya raised a fist to his chest. "I can answer for myself!" It was the only answer he could give. "If it comes down to it… I'd fight her too."

"You'd lose," Yuri said.

"But…" Yuya looked at him. "You're creepy. You're cruel. Sadistic. All those different things are still a part of you—"

"—I'm feeling really flattered right now, by the way—"

"You're not irredeemable."

"... what the fuck did you just say?" Yuri said dangerously.

"I've decided," Yuya said. "Hating you isn't going to solve anything. You're a person too, and… I guess it's selfish of me to say this, but I don't want to hate anyone that's so much like me." The words carried a heavier weight. They were similar not just in appearance, but…

When looking at Yuri, Yuya just saw someone who was horrendously lonely. Who was ostracised by people for things beyond his control.

If Yuya hadn't had Yuzu and Gongenzaka, or the safe haven of You Show to hide in, would he have grown to resent everything?

… he would like to think that he would still be the same person. The same naive person…

That felt like a good thing. He wasn't sure yet.

"I want to make you smile." Yuya held out a hand towards him. "You have some good in you. That's why you pushed me out of the way. That's why you still took on Serena according to her wishes, even though you could have just ignored them and taken her back to Academia, since she was weakened by Security."

"... you're such a loudmouth."

"But you were asking me questions because you're confused too, right?"

"So because I'm confused, you want to keep me from going home?"

"No." Yuya glanced back at the battlefield. "I want… I want…"

Yuri frowned. "Spit it out," he demanded. "I don't have time for your stuttering."

"I want you to have a chance," Yuya blurted out. "Not to be dragged back to Academia, not to stay here—I want you to actually choose."

"Huh? Choose?" Yuri snorted. "I choose Academia. That's it. Done. Not sure what you want from me."

"But do you?" Yuya didn't look away from him. "Or do you just think that you can't choose to be good? Because I'll vouch for you if you join us. I'll stop holding a grudge against you. If you could really choose, without worrying about being rejected—"

Yuri snapped his head back, glaring at Yuya. Yuya's heart, however, softened slightly.

… ah. They really were the same in that way.

They had been rejected for so long.

"Would you feel better being… good?"

"... you use too many words," Yuri muttered. "I will not be a good person. I just won't. I can't be like… him, I'll die if I am. I nearly died to knock you out of the way. Doesn't that show you just how worthless it is to be a good person? You'd be better off hating everyone too."

Wait—was Yuri giving him advice? Really?

"Serena said… that she couldn't be blind anymore. Funny. I always thought that she'd be a bird in the Professor's cage, because… it's comfortable. We don't have to think about anything. It's easier." Yuri shook his head. "I wanted to be blind to the world like her, and now she no longer is."

It was the most honest that Yuri had been with him.

"But I don't want to see. I want to stay at Academia. I don't want to have to look at more of the world, I've seen enough—"

Yuya reached out, grasping onto Yuri's shoulder. Yuri immediately swung his fist at Yuya's chest, but he had no strength, considering his injuries.

"What are you doing?" Yuri shouted. They were drawing some attention now, though the ones dueling hadn't noticed yet.

"If you don't look," Yuya shouted back, "how are you supposed to find anything good? If you've only seen bad things and you stop looking, you're dooming yourself to cry forever!"

"What the fuck do you know?"

"I know that life is a pendulum," Yuya shot back. "It can get bad, but it will never stay bad forever. There is a way out, but you have to be willing to take a chance to get there! Otherwise, you're just a coward who can't bear to understand happiness!"

"Fuck. Right. Off!" Yuri swung his fist clumsily at Yuya's face again, before gasping in pain as his leg twisted slightly.

They were both silent for a moment, glaring at each other. When Yuri finally broke eye contact, it was for a very surprising reason.

"Help me up," he said. He grabbed Yuya's hand—not in a handshake, but to yank him upwards.

"Huh?"

"You said you wanted me to get the chance to choose. So help me up."

"Your legs…"

"I don't give a damn if I never walk again," Yuri snapped. Even so, he didn't seem truly angry at Yuya. There was a sense of… understanding between them now. "It'd be karma if that was the case. But right now… I want to choose. Help me up. Or so help me, I will—"

Yuya reached out. It was clumsy—in the end, Yuri leaned most of his weight on Yuya's shoulder. They stumbled forward, though it was basically Yuya dragging Yuri along. They spoke more, but it was mostly arguments—save for one small exchange. Though they wouldn't mention it to anyone else for now.

They made their way forward just as the next attack landed—and Yuri raised his arm.

Rin: 2000 - 2500 = 0LP

[INTRUSION PENALTY: 2000LP]

Yuri Kaiba: 4000 - 2000 = 2000LP

The girl turned to look at him—there was a moment when her expression turned cold, as she surveyed Yuri's injuries. However, she then smiled. There was something warm and sweet to it.

"That's a surprise," she said. "You do know what the stakes of this duel are, right?"

---

"I'm beginning to understand why Serena was so upset with me," Yuri muttered. He lifted his head. "I am not a prize to be exchanged. And neither you nor Reiji Akaba get to bet on my future! Whether or not I go back to Academia—who said that you got to decide for me, Shino?"

Shino tilted her head, leaning on the side of her wheelchair. "Mm? So you want to defect, then?"

"I didn't say that either. But I want a choice." Yuri gestured forward. "I may not be a Lancer, so I don't fit into the terms of this duel in that way. But you can't keep me out of a duel that is trying to decide my fate!"

Soft, sweet laughter left Shino's lips. "So you're going to fight me?"

"They softened you up. I might as well go for the K.O." Yuri narrowed his eyes, smirking. "This duel is now my chance to see if I can survive. If I can bring myself to strike against you with all my current might, and win, even while being weak enough that I have to borrow someone else's aid just to stand in front of you—I'll have learned all that I can from you!"

"... I see." Shino gestured forward. For a moment, she truly seemed to be a tyrant, one that commanded her dragons coldly. "... I guess you're right. It wouldn't be right if you weren't a part of this duel."

Yuri reached out to draw his starting hand. He paused and looked at Shino—and then he thought about Serena, unconscious now but still judging him in the back of his mind, as always. He thought about Yuji, who had threatened him but at the same time, offered a sense of kinship that had made him actually think about things. Even the red and green-haired idiot next to him.

But even so, he had abandoned everything and anything, back then. And the only person who had chased after him when he was so unbearably lonely—not that he could have admitted to that gaping emptiness, back then…

Was this girl in front of him. The girl who had been the only person that had kept him going through that terrible, miserable past, who had refused to ever let him throw her away like he had everyone else.

To reclaim his future… no matter what choices he might make then, whether or not he would return to Academia or stay here in this uncertain place, to search for an uncertain future…

Yuri readied himself to face the one person that had always supported him, no matter what.

---

OC Cards:

Frightfur Trick

(Spell)

You can target 1 monster your opponent controls that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck; change that monster to facedown Defense Position. Monsters changed to face-down Defense Position by this effect cannot change their battle positions. After this effect resolves, this turn, the first time you Fusion Summon a monster, you can draw 1 card. You can only activate 1 "Frightfur Trick" per turn.

Wind Witch - Hail Bell

(4*/1300/1000/WIND/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect)

If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can target 1 monster on the field; inflict damage to your opponent equal to the target's Level x 100, then, if you targeted an opponent's monster, inflict 400 damage to them. You can only activate this effect of "Wind Witch - Hail Bell" once per turn. A WIND Synchro Monster that used this card as Synchro Material gains the following effect.

● If this card destroys a monster by battle: Inflict 500 damage to your opponent.

---

Different Card Effects from TCG:

Frightfur Leo - Anime effect, TCG summoning conditions.

---

End Notes:

*clears throat* god I've been waiting a long time for this chapter. You want to know how long this has been planned? I've had this chapter's original outline done before I posted the fic. Though originally in this chapter, Shino 1v5ed before the finale—but that felt a bit much. And besides, at some point it began to feel like padding. 1v3 gets the message across quickly. I finished this chapter and was like "oh, 15k isn't that long, maybe I should reconsider the cliffhanger." And then I realised "wait no 15k is long as shit for a duel with almost 0 OC cards, Chapter 54 has just rotted my brain", so I posted it. :)

However, the duel did suck to write. While I planned this duel with Shino from the start of the fic, as I approached it, I had an "oh fuck idk how to write this" moment, especially because my plans for the plot of the Synchro Arc also changed a lot since the initial plan. That's why this chapter has taken so long. It didn't help that I wrote almost six different drafts of this duel. If you think that this version is one-sided, you should have seen the first draft.

Alternate name for the start of this chapter: Yugo, like the reader, realises just how much therapy the main characters all need. Yugo is trying his best to be a therapist. He's also one of the few S-Tiers in this fic when it comes to mental health. *thumbs up* Yuya also tries his best. A for effort. Yuya and Yugo going the pacifist route with Yuri and Miharu is absolutely nice to write side by side, because those two have very different problems, but in the end, it takes someone that is slightly less logical and much less… well, much less of a genius than either of them to snap them out of their fugue.

The hard cut from Yugo being all "everything is going great!" to Reiji going "fuck." made me laugh writing it.

The term 'Ceremonial Challenge', in universe, refers to duels where a single person takes on any number of challengers, and where the motive isn't so much to win as it is to show how many opponents one can take out by themselves. Of course, I'm not going to be subtle—Zarc's battle against the Lancers in canon is a Ceremonial Challenge. Will that be the case here?... still too early to say! :D But Shino's duel here is, shall we say, a taste of what's to come.

Why does Shino choose to do this?... well, the easy answer is curiosity. And the more difficult answer is that the duel itself is a warning. The Lancers have improved, but they're still a long way off from combatting the upper echelons of Academia. After all, the Lancers didn't defeat Kisara either—Jack did. As for the out of universe reason why Shino does a Zarc-esque play here?... it's because I desperately wanted to set up Sora choosing to duel Shino because of what he believes in now, and especially how Sora dedicates himself to being a team player by removing Masquerade from the field. Furthermore, I really wanted that scene with Yuri.

Everyone also assumed that Shino was going to face Reiji and/or Mion here, but… hmm, how should I say it? I'm saving that duel for a later date. Reiji's already had to deal with Sergey this arc. Give the boy a break. :D

Also, I only realised in this chapter that all of the currently shown 'higher-ups' of Academia that I came up with use Dragons in some form or another (even Ryo.) There's some non-Dragon users, but they haven't actually shown up in story yet.

Writing duels for Sora is hard for the same reason as Shun—every time I write their turns, I constantly think of better plays that they could do in the TCG and have to tone it down a bit, lmao. Also, the intention was absolutely to make you think "wow, Sora got defeated really easily" only to realise that "fuck he did really well compared to the average Lancer, aka Tsukikage." And yes, your eyes do not fail you, I am still setting up future interactions with those two because that's going to be great for Sora's character!

As for Shino's deck… it is technically just Despia Albaz. However, it also contains specifically one or two cards from the related archetypes, just to make the Fusion Monsters actually plus when they're sent to the GY. Mercourier/Fleurdelis/Kitt. Otherwise, she doesn't have enough monsters to summon with her effects. Also, note that Chiaki says that Shino is weaker because she gave her the Dogmatikas, but Mion says she's stronger than when she and Nue fought her. :) Neither of them are lying.

Fun fact, in case you didn't know, Despia monsters are based on theatre. *clears throat* have I mentioned that my educational qualifications are in literature and psychology? *coughs* And that my main literature specialisation is Shakespearean theatre? :) I do love a little dramatic irony myself.

Yuya and Yuri's moment was decided the moment that I realised how they too, were really strong foils in this AU. Disclaimer—there are very few characters I hate in Arc-V. This entire fic is, in essence, a love letter to Arc-V. That's why instead of bashing characters, I prefer to give them more depth and let them develop into something more compelling. But the idea of two boys raised with completely different ideals which both get utterly screwed over by their fathers is… really fun.

Everyone also predicted early on that Shino would defect and duel Yuri. I have been biting my tongue on this duel for so long. While Shino vs Yuri will get a proper, one on one match in the future—now, the one that is on the cusp of defecting is Yuri, who is trying to figure out if he's any weaker because he's relying on Yuya. The duel really does write itself. I've pretty much been building up to this for pretty much the whole story as well. Of course, Yuri hasn't actually defected yet—he's just being a brat because he's emotionally confused, and his gut response is "ok? Let me fight something." He wants the chance to choose. What will he actually choose though? You'll have to wait until next chapter!

As for Yuya, he'll get his own big duel later in the arc. :) Bless Rin, she'll get her own big win too. But I needed one of the Nature Girls to take part in the duel, and both Ruri and Chiaki come with their complications, so Rin it was. I decided that long before this chapter was written, but in the end, I do think it works well—it means that when Yugo and Rin meet again, they'll both be coming off the shared feeling of failure.

Review responses!

To Ben23ten, oh, that's definitely part of what I was going for with both characters! Glad that got through.

To Bryz0n, mmm, it was definitely a difficult decision! In the end, I decided that I didn't want Ryo to take an L in this arc yet, which is why I did that. And it's still a bit early for Reiji vs Shino at this point! :)

To naminexriku2468, that's an interesting opinion! We'll see how it goes.

To phantomdragons, I do love that you caught that distinction! Yes, there is a certain degree of self-acceptance that makes Kaname's mental state better than Miharu's, despite the two of them clearly both suffering from some great childhood trauma. I will say that we're getting Security Quartet backstory, yes. You're also correct on the three-part finale idea—and honestly, it's a relief to hear that this arc isn't too bloated, because while I always knew that this arc was going to be long, I did my best to ensure that everything was at least plot relevant too. And tentatively, you should be able to post your theories by Chapter 66 or 67!

To kikuruhime, hope you enjoyed! I love writing Aki and Kiryu too—especially because they're older characters than most of the Lancers, which makes for some interesting interactions.

To the Guest talking about Roget, yeah, I tend to write Roget as someone with a certain level of strategy—considering that he managed to rise to the top of a corrupt society with pretty much no identification, I'd say that's fair. At the same time, he's also narcissistic in a way that makes him extremely self-absorbed and somewhat impulsive in an attempt to get back at people who 'insult' him. As for your question, for now, the plan is complicated—I'm still juggling the two possibilities. Dogmatikas and Heralds don't mix very well, and they both play better without the other. I think it's more likely that eventually, some cards from that deck will find their way into the Dogmatika deck as tech options, but it won't be a true hybrid deck.

To Unlucky-Fausto, so, uh… surprise! Neither. :D Honestly, there are still a lot of reveals relating to Security that haven't come out yet. I intended the duel as a sort of taster for Ryo's strength. In a way, I'm following canon Arc-V, in that the Synchro Arc is a prelude to everything afterwards. Thus, the Academia members are still being set up in the same way that Yuri was set up. The only exceptions to that rule are Dennis and Manjoume, both of which are fulfilling different roles in the story compared to Kisara, Ryo and Shino. Chino will show up soon, but I will confirm that she is still going to be an antagonist. Thanks for the review!

To cardfan135, haha, I appreciate the long review regardless. I will say that while I can't talk about a good chunk of what you mentioned in your review, you should be able to confirm your theories around say, Chapter 66 or 67, as of what I currently have planned.

QOTC: Lay down your bets about how exactly Yuri vs Shino is going to go! :D Both the duel itself, and any character beats that you think are going to happen.

On other things to do with this fic, I should have the Tumblr up by the time I post this! The blog is under "hexagonhoopa" on Tumblr (you get a cookie if you get the joke!), and I have most of my character profiles up! I'm working on some other extras and stuff that I'll post when I'm ready. For ffnet, I can't post the link because ffnet breaks it, but if you just type it in Tumblr you should find it. I'll probably post progress updates occasionally (especially for chapters like this, which take so long.) That way, there's a way to communicate too :D

Ok, this chapter did exhaust me, so that's all for now. Hope you all enjoyed! We're getting very close to the end of the Academia part of this arc now. I have quite a lot happening next week, so Chapter 65 might still take a while, but I'm hopeful that I can get it out within a week.

Also, thank you to Ben23ten for pointing out a mistake that I made in the duel! :D