Yu-Gi-Oh Vrains: Advent of New Beginnings

by donkeyboy100

Sequel to Circuit of Smiles. Months have passed since Yuji, Ena, along with their counterparts, Yuya and Zuzu put a stop to Roget's plans and saved LINK VRAINS. However, a new mysterious group has come along that plans to eliminate LINK VRAINS Top 10 to take control of SOL Technologies. Can Storm Rider and his friends stop this new enemy without the aid of their counterparts?

23. Suspicions

Greetings, everyone. Thank you for being patient and supporting the story. After this chapter, I will take a short break to focus on school so I don't fail this semester and have my parents on my case. I hope you understand.

In Den City, at Kolter's apartment…

A look of exhaustion was on Yuji and Ena's faces as the door to the closed-off space opened and fell to one knee.

"Need a hand, you two?" The duo looked up to see Kolter offering them a hand.

"Yeah, thanks," Yuji said as he and Ena accepted Kolter's hands and stood up. "Our duels have sapped almost all of our strength."

"You could say that again," Ena said as the trio sat down. "Especially my duel with Marionette. I didn't expect her to end the duel in a tie."

"But you didn't lose," Kolter stated. "That's all that matter." He turned to Yuji. "But congrats on your against Umbra, Yuji!"

"It was too close of a win, though," Yuji replied, pondering the entire duel. "If I learned anything from it, it's proof that the Syndicate has gotten much stronger."

"And that's something we can all agree on," Yusaku added as he entered the room. "Especially with those Sergeants. Somehow the Syndicate managed to get their hands on the most powerful Decks in the history of Duel Monsters."

Ena's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"He sure is," Yuji confirmed. "Right before my duel with Umbra, I dueled against a Sergeant who used the famous Dark Magician Deck. The Deck that was previously owned by the King of Games himself."

"But the question is how the Syndicate get their dirty hands on them?" Kolter wondered. "If I remember correctly, SOL Technologies possessed those Decks."

"So that means the Syndicate must have stolen them." Ena deduced. "And to ensure they wouldn't be tracked down, they probably replaced them with fakes."

Yusaku pondered this over for a few moments. "We should probably inform Zaizen of this."

"Exactly," Yuji confirmed. "And speaking of Zaizen, I have a few questions that I want to ask him."

"Questions?" Ena repeated. "What kind of quest-."

GROWL…..

"Perhaps we'll continue this conversation after a decent meal," Kolter said. "Follow me. I'm planning on making cheeseburgers for dinner tonight!"

Immediately, Yuji's face lit up. "Oh boy, cheeseburgers!" He left the room and headed straight to the kitchen, eager for dinner.

Ena smirked. "Typical Yuji. You mentioned food, and he ends up drooling like a labradoodle."

"You're not wrong about that statement," Yusku replied as he and Ena headed to the kitchen to set the table while Kolter cooked the cheeseburgers.

Meanwhile, in an unknown location in LINK VRAINS…

"It looks like the operation to obtain the Link Spell failed. I'm rapidly losing faith in my elites due to all these repeated slip-ups."

Queen Priscilla remarked with a severe expression on his face while addressing Umbra, who was kneeling before her in her chambers.

"My deepest apologies, my queen," Umbra said with lowered head. "Seeing as I'm also included in the group of people who disappointed you, I cannot properly express my chagrin at failing to carry out your order of obtaining the required resource during the mission."

"The blame does not entirely rest on your shoulders, Umbra. Storm Rider and his allies tried to get the Link Spell at the same time you and Marionette did so that an encounter would have happened one way or the other." Priscilla pointed out.

"I see," Umbra responded. "But I must inform you that in my duel with Storm Rider, he used a card that unleashed the same power he used in his duel with Astro long ago."

"Is that so?" Priscilla said. "Thank you for informing me. However, at the moment, I'm more concerned about how stronger the Top 10 are becoming. Slight as it is, there's always a chance they might prevent the completion of our goal, something which could spell certain disaster. As such, they must be dealt with as soon as possible, especially now that we learned in possession of Pendulum Cards."

Umbra's eyes widened. "They are? Where and how did you learn this?"

"Marionette passed this information to me after you and the others came back from your mission," Priscilla answered before pulling up a holographic image of a young girl in a form-fitting crimson jumpsuit with black patches on her knees, inner thighs, chest, and outer arms with green trims. Silver armor with green highlights covered her shoulders, hands, waist, and feet. Her hair color was now red-violet with two ponytails made of flames.

"Who's that?" Umbra asked.

"Her name's Pyrrha. And according to what Marionette told me, she and her father are the ones who created Pendulum Cards for the Top 10," Priscilla replied.

"In that case, please let me go out and capture her." Umbra requested.

"I'm afraid I'll have to deny your request," Priscilla said. "As punishment, you're temporarily forbidden from missions. Until notice, you will stay behind and solidify the Syndicate's security systems after what Ghost Gal and The Shepherd did to it during their ambush. Besides, I've already assigned the people necessary for this mission."

"Really. Who is it then?"

"Why don't you turn around and take a look for yourselves?"

The newcomers who entered the throne room were two unknown individuals. The one on the left was a fair-skinned female with light lavender-colored hair and hazel eyes. She wore a white sleeveless dress embezzled with jewels along the hem. Her Duel Disk was a silver model with a regular lavender-colored base with several gems.

The one on the right was also a fair-skinned female. She had long purple hair with orange tips and emerald-green eyes. Her attire included a small silver jacket, white gloves, blue earrings, rouge jumpsuit with uneven-sized boots and leggings. Two dark blue butterfly wings attached to her back as well. Her Duel Disk was a black model shaped like a butterfly wing.

"Who are they?" Umbra asked"

"They're my associates," A new voice interjected. The newcomer who walked inside the throne chamber was Natura. "Meet Glimmer and Papillo. They're old friends of mine. And they're here to help."

"You're here, Natura." Priscilla turned to the young girl. "You understand I assigned you on this mission because out of all the Syndicate members, you specialized in Fusion Summoning, which will be beneficial if you go against Pyrrha."

"I appreciate this opportunity, Your Holiness," Natura responded. "After everything you've done for me, I don't mind fighting against someone who uses a special summoning method. Plus, with the new cards you provided me, there's no way I can lose."

"...Your loyalty is commendable as always," Priscilla said after a small pause. "In any case, Glimmer and Papillo, the two of you will tag along with Natura if Zaizen sends the Top 10 to protect Pyrrha from the three of you. When the time comes, I'll have you go and capture her."

"When the time comes?" Papillo raised his eyebrow at this. "Shouldn't we go now since her guard is down?"

"No, since I want the Top 10's focus to be diverted from this separate mission," Priscilla responded. "However, if they become aware, the three of you will make your move."

"Very well," Everything shall be done as you command, my queen," Natura said.

"Good," Priscilla said. "Then, next is—"

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to everyone present, Enoch observed the meeting through the security cameras installed in the throne room after hacking into them.

"It looks like the Queen is finally getting serious," Enoch remarked. "To think that she would kidnap someone of unimportance to give us an advantage."

"You, of all people, should know that any available advantage is crucial in a war."

Enoch saw Marionette standing behind him with a wide grin.

"You know it's rude to enter someone's room without knocking first," Enoch said. "Did nobody teach you about manners?"

"People might also say that a soldier spying into a clandestine meeting involving their superior officer can be considered treason." Marionette retorted. "Honestly though, I'm surprised you took the trouble of hacking into the Syndicate's systems to spy on the meeting. That's a bit out of character for you."

"I can't refute that," Enoch showed a sheepish smile. "It's just that I was curious about the Top 10 and my 'rival'. However, given that the Top 10 are growing stronger, we will need as much help as possible."

"That's true." Marionette agreed. "Therefore, we must hurry up and eliminate the Top 10 to ensure Queen Priscilla's vision becomes a reality. Fortunately, I came up with a plan to ensure that. Moreover, I visited our Card Design Department and returned with some interesting spoils that will strengthen our Decks."

Upon saying so, Marionette opened the small case she was holding, causing Enoch's eyes to open wide upon seeing its contents.

"You certainly have been quite busy despite returning not that long ago," Enoch smirked. "Furthermore, you're planning to go against orders and regulations by trapping the Top 10 without authorization. It looks like I'm not the only one acting out of character. Or should I say that you're showing your true colors?"

"As they say, it's better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission," Marionette let out a sly smile. "If we succeed in taking down our target, Priscilla will surely turn a blind eye to this little act of insubordination. Even if she doesn't, achieving her goal matters more than a little punishment. Don't you think so as well, Enoch?"

"That's right, Marionette," Enoch said with a dark expression matching his comrade. "As the first step towards the Syndicate's noble goal, we'll destroy Storm Rider and Sanctum."

The next day…

"…As always, I hate getting up early…."

Yuji muttered so as he yawned. He was currently heading to Den City High with Ena. However, there was one thing that was on his mind. In his duel with Umbra, he mentioned that a woman by the name of Queen was the one who recruited him to join the Syndicate. Before Akira became the CEO of SOL Technologies, a woman named Queen was originally the CEO but stepped down after an incident. Could the person Umbra be referring to be her?

"What's on your mind, Yuji?" Ena asked.

"It's what Umbra told me the other day," Yuji answered. "Be honest, Ena. Is there a chance that Zaizen's old boss is the Syndicate's leader?"

Ena thought about that question for a full minute. "Maybe. Maybe not. Skye has told me that the Queen always hated Zaizen's guts. So it is possible that after he was awarded the position of CEO, that could've created a grudge."

"That does make sense," Yuji stated. "I never thought it like that."

"Hey, Yuji! Ena!"

Turning their heads toward the direction of the voice calling for them, Yuji caught sight of none other than Rhea approaching them with hurried steps.

"Rhea!" Yuji spoke with a relieved tone. "Nice to see you again! Where have you been all this time?"

"Sorry, sorry." Rhea rubbed her neck awkwardly. "Ever since that duel with Pandor, I've felt under the weather."

"Under the weather, you say?" Ena narrowed her eyes at Rhea. "We were all really worried about you, you know. We were afraid that something might have happened to you."

"As I said, I'm sorry," Rhea said. "In any case, we better hurry up and get to school. Let's move along. We're almost out of time."

Yuji and Ena nodded at Rhea's words as she joined them on their walk to school. However, after a few minutes, they both heard something as they walked.

Yuji's eyes widened slightly at the sound. "What was that?"

Ena looked toward the sound and pointed. "It sounded like it came from over there!"

The trio ran in the direction of the voice. The three tens stopped in an alleyway nearby and saw some people there. Three guys were around their age, with two kids in front of them. Two of the teenagers were thin, wearing punk clothes in different clothing; one had blue eyes and black hair, and another had hazel eyes and green hair. The last one, who looked like the leader, was wearing a red and black jacket, a red flat cap hat, brown shorts, and brown sneakers, and had brown eyes and dark orange hair and eyebrows. They all looked menacingly at the two kids in front of them with mocking smiles.

Meanwhile, the two kids looked afraid of the five guys staring at them. They were both a boy and a girl. The boy had light blue hair, brown glasses, and blue eyes while wearing clothing similar to Tatsuya. The girl had brown hair and pink eyes while wearing a light orange dress.

"We don't want to duel you guys! Stop it!" The young boy said.

The little girl nodded. "Yeah! Leave us alone!"

The green-haired guy narrowed his eyes at the two kids. "We told you before. You don't duel. We take your cards!"

The leader then walked over to them. "If you don't want to duel, we'll take your cards by force."

The two kids were frozen in fear as they couldn't move as that guy approached them. His hand reached out to them with a smile, but before he could get to them, out of nowhere, Yuji ran toward them and went in between the kids and the leader. He kicked the leader in the stomach, which made him step back in surprise.

The leader was surprised and grunted. "What the…?" The two punks and kids looked at Yuji while Ena and Rhea ran over to him.

Yuji narrowed his eyes at the three thugs. "Hey! Why don't the three of you pick on someone your size? You aren't a true duelist if you gang on someone and force them to duel you."

The black-haired guy narrowed his eyes at Yuji. "Wha-What do you say?"

The leader glared at Yuji. "Who do you think you are?"

Yuji narrowed his eyes and smirked. "The name's Yuji. Yuji Sugimuto."

The leader also smirked. "Oh, so we're introducing ourselves? Very well. The name's Bryan. And these are my buds, Derek and Kaz. And while I don't mean to be rude, but this is none of your business, so I'd advise you to get lost, or things will get nasty."

Yuji shook his head. "Sorry. But that's not going to happen."

Kaz glared at Yuji. "Hm! So you think you're a tough guy?"

Bryan also glared at Yuji. "Not a smart guy to get in the way of my duel!" He reached into his pocket and grabbed his Duel Disk. "All right, if you want to help these kids, then duel…." His friends then joined in, "Us!"

Yuji smiled before bringing out his Duel Disk and Deck. "No problem, big guy."

The little boy looked angry. "Huh? What? But that's not fair!"

The little girl shouted. "Duel fairly, you big bullies!"

Bryan growled at the two kids. "Be quiet! This is how it's going to be!"

Ena put her hand on Yuji's shoulder, which made him turn towards her. "You can't fight them alone. Let us help!"

"Ena's right," Rhea agreed, looking determined.

Yuji shook his head. "That won't be necessary. I can defeat these three easily."

Following his words, he activated his Duel Disk, causing a light green blade to emerge from the side. The three thugs activated their Duel Disks in response. Derek's was a dark brown new-model Duel Disk. Kaz's was a white new model, and Bryan's was a black and silver new model with red lights on the edges.

"Duel!" they shouted.

Yuji: 4000 LP

Derek: 4000 LP

Kaz: 4000 LP

Byran: 4000 LP

"I'll take the first turn," Yuju said, taking a card from his hand. "I activate the Spell Card: Ancient Rules! Through its effect, I can Special Summon a Level 5 or higher Normal Monster from my hand. Come, Luster Dragon #2!"

A dragon with green wings and emeralds growing on its body, glowing with green light, appeared and roared.

Luster Dragon #2 ATK 2400 DEF 1400 LVL: 6

"A dragon?" Ena questioned, narrowing his eyes. "Yuji's never used that monster before. Did he add it to his Deck?"

"From there, I activate the Spell Card: White Elephant's Gift. I can draw two cards by sending one non-effect monster from my field to my Graveyard. I send Luster Dragon #2 to the Graveyard!"

Yuji drew his cards, then played one of them. "Next, I activate the Spell Card: Silent Doom, whose effect allows me to Special Summon a Normal Monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position. Be revived, Luster Dragon #2!"

The large green dragon reappeared.

Luster Dragon #2 ATK 2400 DEF 1400 LVL: 6

"And since I Special Summoned a Dragon monster from the Graveyard, I can activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Adamantine Sword Revival!" Yuji declared. "By Tributing Luster Dragon #2, this card allows me to Special Summon Diamond Head Dragon from my Deck!"

As the emerald dragon disappeared, a large green dragon wearing crystal for armor appeared, looking more powerful than its predecessor.

Diamond Head Dragon ATK ? DEF 2800 LVL: 8

"What's up with the points?" Bryan asked.

"It has the same attack points as the dragon used to summon it, plus 1000," Yuji explained.

"Since Luster Dragon #2 had 2400…," Rhea started.

"Adding the power boost, Diamond Head Dragon has 3400 attack points!" Ena finished.

Diamond Head Dragon ATK ? →3400

"I place one card face-down and end my turn," Yuji concluded.

"My turn! I draw!" Derek drew his card and said, "I summon Armor Canine – Cannonboxer!"

A mechanical brown dog with a black and red cannon appeared.

Armor Canine – Cannonboxer ATK 1400 DEF 0 LVL: 3

"Cannonboxer's effect activates! I Special Summon an "Armor Canine" monster with a lower Level from my hand. Come, Armor Canine Bullcopter!"

A black and yellow mechanical bulldog with rotors on its back and sides appeared in Attack Position.

Armor Canine – Bullcopter ATK 600 DEF 0 LVL: 2

"Now Bullcopter's effect activates! When it's Special Summoned, I can add Polymerization from my Deck to my hand." A card popped out of his deck, which he added to his hand immediately. "I activate the Spell Card: Polymerization! This card lets me Fusion Summon a Fusion monster from my Extra Deck by using monsters in my hand or field as Fusion Material. I use Cannonboxer and Bulldog on my field to Fusion Summon!"

Cannonboxer disintegrated into red particles, while Bulldog disintegrated into blue particles before swirling into a vortex. Two tornadoes of energy merged to form a white and yellow whirlwind.

"I'm putting a whole new spin on the term "top dog"! Now watch as I Fusion Summon! Here it is; man's best friend but your worst enemy! Full Armor Canine - Bullfortress!"

A large dark blue and yellow mechanical dog with cannons at its sides and a tower at its rear emerged from the portal, summoned to the field in Attack Position.

Full Armor Canine – Bullfortress ATK 2000 DEF 0 LVL: 6

"I activate Bullfortress's effect!" Derek continued. "For each Polymerization and "Fusion" card I send from my hand to the Graveyard, it gains 1000 attack points. I send De-Fusion, Re-Fusion, Paradox Fusion and Fusion Deployment from my hand to the Graveyard!"

Full Armor Canine – Bullfortress ATK 2000→6000

"A monster with 6000 attack points right from the start?" the girl asked, surprised. The boy narrowed his eyes at Yuji, whose expression was plain as day.

"Battle!" Derek declared. "Full Armor Canine – Bullfortress attacks Diamond Head Dragon!"

Bullfortress fired two cannon shots at Diamond Head, intent on destroying it. However, Yuji smirked.

"I activate the Continuous Trap Card: Regulation of the Tribe!" Yuji responded. "With this card, I declare one Monster Type, and as long as this card remains on the field, all monsters that share that type can't attack. I declare Machine!"

Following Yuji's words, a large barrier blocked Bullfortress' attack.

"You'll regret this, kid!" Derek snarled. "I end my turn."

"My turn! I draw!" Kaz said, drawing. "I summon Armor Canine – Submastiff!"

A mechanical Monster resembling a cross between a dog and a submarine appeared on Kaz's field.

Armor Canine – Submastiff ATK 1800 DEF 100 LVL: 4

Yuji sneered. "You use the same Deck as your teammate? How unimaginative."

"Shut up!" Kaz said. "Our teamwork will let us crush you into oblivion."

Yuji's expression didn't change. "Believe whatever you want to believe. It won't change the outcome."

Kaz growled as he gestured to his field."Since it was summoned successfully, Submastiff's effect activates, allowing me to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Armor Canine" monster from my Deck. I choose Armor Canine – Bullcopter!"

A compartment opened on Submastiff's body, out of which emerged Bullcopter.

Armor Canine – Bullcopter ATK 600 DEF 0 LVL: 2

"And I'm sure you remember, Bullcopter's effect allows me to add Polymerization from my Deck to my hand," Kaz smirked. "Next, since I control an "Armor Canine" monster, I can Special Summon this card from my hand. Come, Armor Canine – Rockethound!"

A mechanical dog with several missile pods and two large rockets attached to its body appeared on Kaz's field beside his other monsters.

Armor Canine – Rockethound ATK 2100 DEF 1300 LVL: 5

"I activate Rockethound's effect, which allows me to Fusion Summon a "Full Armor Canine" Fusion Monster by using monsters from my hand or field as materials, in this case, Submastiff and Bullcopter, along with this card!"

His monsters separated into particles before swirling into a vortex and forming a white and yellow whirlwind.

"I Fusion Summon! Come forth, Full Armor Canine – Rottfleet!"

An imposing mechanical monster resembling a cross between a rottweiler and a futuristic-looking battleship appeared on Kaz's field in Attack Position.

Full Armor Canine – Rottfleet ATK 2800 DEF 2100 LVL: 8

"It appears I cannot attack you due to the effect of your Trap Card," Kaz said as lips curled into a malicious smile. "However, as you know, there is more than one way to inflict damage on a Duelist. I activate Rottfleet's effect, sending Polymerization, Fusion Tag, Fusion Weapon and Fusion Gate from my hand to the Graveyard to inflict 500 points of damage to you for every sent card! Take this!"

The cannons on the massive battleship swung forward, aiming at Yuji. Immediately afterward, they unleashed a barrage that almost sent Yuji flying due to the intensity of the bombardment.

Yuji: 4000→2000 LP

"However, that's not all there is to my monster's effect," Kaz smirked. "When Rottfleet inflicts damage to my opponent, I can increase its attack points by an amount equal to the damage you received."

Full Armor Canine – Rottfleet ATK 2800→4800

"Then, I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Armor Dog Battlefield!" The card showed Cannonboxer, Bullcopter and Bullfortress fighting against Monster Cat, Cat Girl and Nine-Lives Cat."This card increases the attack points of all "Full Armor Canine" Fusion Monsters on the field by 400 for every Fusion Material used to summon it."

Full Armor Canine – Rottfleet ATK 4800→6000

Full Armor Canine – Bullfortress ATK 6000→7000

"I end my turn," Kaz concluded.

"Yuji's Life Points have been halved, and now he has to contend with two powerful monsters," Rhea stated. "Now that's quite a pinch."

"And things are about to get even worse for you." Bryan let out a sinister smile. "Allow me to bring you even closer to defeat. My turn! I draw! I activate the Spell Card: Armor Canine Pack!" The card showed multiple Armor Canine monsters following behind Bullfortress. "This card allows me to Special Summon "Armor Canine" monsters from my hand equal to the number of "Armor Canine" monsters on the field, in this case, two. In exchange, I have to send an equal amount of cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard. Come, Armor Canine – Bullcopter and Armor Canine – Doberblaster!"

Bullcopter and a mechanical Dobermann with two blasters attached to their shoulders appeared on Bryan's field in Defense Position.

Armor Canine – Bullcopter ATK 600 DEF 0 LVL: 2

Armor Canine – Dobberblaster ATK 1600 DEF 1000 LVL: 4

"Through Bullcopter's effect, I will add Polymerization from my Deck to my hand." Bryan continued. "Next, I summon Armor Canine – Bassetcraft!"

A mechanical monster resembling a cross between a basset hound and a hovercraft appeared.

Armor Canine – Bassetcraft ATK 700 DEF 1500 LVL: 3

"Since it was summoned successfully, Bassetcraft's effect activates!" Bryan stated. "I will add Fusion Guard from my Graveyard to my hand through it. Then, I activate Polymerization to fuse my Bullcopter, Dobberblaster and Bassetcraft!"

The three monsters separated into particles before swirling into a vortex and forming a white and yellow whirlwind.

"I Fusion Summon! Come forth, Full Armor Canine – Houndbomber!"

A mechanical monster resembling a cross between a bloodhound and a futuristic-looking bomber plane appeared on Bryan's field in Attack Position.

Full Armor Canine – Houndbomber ATK 2500→3700 DEF 2000 LVL: 8

"I activate Houndbomber's effect, sending Fusion Guard, Final Fusion and Fusion Tag from my hand to the Graveyard to halve your Life Points for every card sent to the Graveyard. Then, Houndbomber's attack points are increased equal to the amount of Life Points you lost!" Bryan declared. "Blow him away, Houndbomber!"

The Fusion Monster flew up high, opening its bay doors and unleashing its payload on Yuji, blasting him backward with tremendous force.

Yuji: 2000→1000→500→250 LP

"I end my turn with this," Bryan said with a satisfied smile. "It looks like it's the end of the line for you. We have three powerful monsters on the field, while your Life Points are a mere candle in the wind. Surrender and spare us the trouble of finishing you off."

Yuji looked at the three thugs for a few seconds before bursting into laughter simultaneously.

"Oi, what the heck is so funny, you pile of trash!?" Kaz bellowed with an outraged expression. "You think this is a joke or something!?"

"Your dueling skills are the joke here," Yuji responded. "Do you think your silly moves are enough to beat me? If you believe such childish strategies will be of any use against someone of my caliber, then you're sorely mistaken. Half-baked measures like these would only work if there were at least a dozen of you. Let me demonstrate. My turn! I draw!"

Upon checking his drawn card, Yuji let out a faint smile.

"Perfect. With this, the path to victory is wide open. First, through Retribution's effect, I choose not to Tribute Diamond Head to keep it on the field."

Following his words, the Trap Card shattered.

"Then, I activate the Spell Card: Level Award. With this card, I can change the Level of one monster on the field from 0 to 8, and I select Bullfortress and change its Level to 8!"

Full Armor Canine – Bullfortress LVL: 6→8

"What was the point of that?" Derek asked.

"This was the point. I activate the Spell Card: Brain Reboot!" Yuji declared. "With this card, if my Life Points are 1000 or lower, all my monsters on the opponent's field are returned to the hand, and then the three of you damage equal to the combined Levels of the returned monsters times 500!"

"What did you say!?"

The three thugs were all shocked by this. Meanwhile, Ena whistled. Yuji was correct in his assessment; there would be no next turn. And to think that he pulled off a one-turn-three-kill so easily made him more amazing than he already was.

"The combined total of the returned monster's Levels was 24," Yuji said. "So each of you will be taking 4000 points of damage!"

The three Armor Canine Fusion Monsters were surrounded by a storm of lightning, consuming them before vanishing completely from the field. The lightning storm exploded outwards, sending the thugs flying off the ground and onto their backs, unconscious.

Derek: 4000→0 LP

Kaz: 4000→0 LP

Bryan: 4000→0 LP

Yuji smiled as the little boy and girl approached him.

"Thanks, mister." The girl said, "Thank you for helping my big brother out."

Yuji nodded. "No prob. Are you kids alright?"

The little boy nodded, "We're fine, thanks to you." He turned to his sister, "Sis, we should get home."

The little girl nodded, "Okay."

Both kids got up and walked away, waving at Yuji. "Thank you so much!" I hope we can see you again!"

"You too," Yuji said as he waved back.

"That was impressive," Ena said. "You performed an OTK and defeated all three of them."

"Thanks. Though if I hadn't drawn the right card, it would've been lights out for me," Yuji said. "As always, my Deck's there for me."

"Speaking of your Deck, didn't you use the World Chalice archetype in your duel with Taigen? Since when did you start using Dragons?"

Yuji narrowed his eyes at his Deck. "I guess you do deserve an explanation. As you know, I had some difficulty when I dueled Taigen. Given how he used a Deck a beginner would use. I decided then and there that my Deck needed altering. And I remember a few years ago, the famous Pro Duelist Rebecca Hawkins came into town for a local tournament right before I met you. They also hosted a little tournament where participants' fans could compete. And whoever won got an exact copy of the Deck of their favorite Pro Duelist."

"And I'm correct to assume you won and got a replica of Rebecca Hawkins' Deck?" Ena asked.

"You would be correct," Yuji confirmed before checking his watch. His eyes widened. "Shoot! We're late!"

"Not to worry," Rhea said with a smile. "I was secretly recording everything. So now, when asked why we were late, we'll have the proof to back up our claim."

Ena smiled. "Nice thinking, Rhea," she said. "Well, we better get a move on."

"Right!"

The trio exited the alleyway and continued their way to school.

At Den Academy, in the gym….

Today's gym period was a joint class between sophomores and juniors. The P.E. teacher decided to hold a volleyball game. Each class will be divided into different groups and played against each other. The teacher decided the grouping would ensure fairness and balance. There were two fields.

"Kyaaaa! Taigen is so cool!"

The girls cheered as they watched Taigen hit another score in volleyball, resulting in his team's victory. Following his team's victory, several girls gathered around him, giving the orange-haired boy their praises and words of admiration. Several boys who were watching stared at him with nasty glares.

"He's not the type who likes attention," Ena mused while drinking water.

"You think so too, huh?" Yuji said as he wiped the sweat on his face with a towel.

"He sure is athletic, though!" Theodore said.

"Where's Rhea at?" Lily asked, noticing the girl was gone. "Wasn't she here a minute ago?"

"She's still playing volleyball over there," Skye answered, pointing at where Rhea was playing with her team.

"Skye, do you have time after school? I want us to discuss Akira's response to the questions I had for him that I had you ask him." Yuji asked.

"Sure. Let's do it in the Duel Club's room. There's no club activity today, so it's empty." Skye suggested.

"Great! Hopefully, I'll get the answers I've bee–"

Yuji didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as a volleyball hit him right on his face, pushing him down flat on his back. Ena, Lily, Theodore, and Skye were so startled that they reacted late. Ena and Skye checked on Yuji, who was holding his reddened face from the strike.

"Yuji! Did I hit you? Sorry about that. I didn't mean to," Taigen apologized as he approached the group and picked up the ball.

"It's okay. It was an accident. It could've happened to anyone," Yuji replied.

"Thanks for understanding," Taigen said. "But I still feel bad. Let me make it up to you. And I won't take no for an answer!"

"Very well," Yuji said. "Give me some time to think about it, and I'll reply."

"Taigen! Did you get the ball yet?!" A student from his team called him out.

"Coming!" Taigen replied before retreating to his volley game.

30 minutes later…

After gym class was home economics for Ena and the girls, the class was divided into groups of four people each. Today, the class will make chicken soup, which was perfect since Kolter said Jin was sick, so it was the perfect dish for someone sick. For 8 minutes, the students searched for ingredients, opened cabinets and refrigerator, and looked at the cookbook. Soon, the table groaned under the weight of the things they collected. From here on, they split the jobs. Rhea and Skye will prepare the vegetables and fruits, while Ena and Lily will handle the rest.

"Let's remove the skins of vegetables. Prepare the knife." Skye said, clasping her palms together as she looked at the vegetables.

"This one, right? Alright! Hyaaaaaah!" Rhea took the kitchen knife and placed a vegetable in front of her. And then, she swung the knife with such force that the others were sure she would cut down the vegetable and the table.

"R-Rhea! Don't swing the kitchen knife around like that!" Skye told Rhea, which fell on deaf ears as the latter continued cutting the vegetable as she had done ten seconds earlier.

"It's dangerous! I said it's dangerous! Stop that!" Lily tried to dissuade Rhea from cutting, waving her arms in panic.

"You don't have to use that much strength!" Ena also joined in to calm Rhea down, but it was unsuccessful.

Rhea's hand was stopped by another hand holding her wrist. She turned to her right side to see the home economics teacher, Mrs. Miyuki, stopping her and slowly moving her hand that was still holding the knife to the vegetable. Carefully, she moved her hand in a cutting motion, properly cutting the vegetable. And then, as they continued together, the teacher let go of her hand, allowing Rhea to continue cutting the vegetable correctly.

"If you swing the knife like that, you'll get hurt too. You have to do it slowly and steadily. Continue cutting it like that." The teacher told Rhea before checking the other group.

"Cooking is so difficult," Rhea remarked as she slowly cut the vegetables like she was told to. Going steady and slowly was not her style.

"Cooking is a delicate thing to do. If you want your food to be delicious, you must do it carefully. You don't want the food you made inedible, right?" Skye told her while cutting the other vegetables.

"Yeah. I don't want to give Kolter's brother food that would only make him worse." Rhea said. The three girls sighed in relief. Good that she understood fast. But still, they must keep an eye on her.

"Skye, you're pretty good at cooking. The food you cooked for me the last time at your place was delicious." Ena praised while observing Skye's hand working on the other ingredients.

"My brother taught me. Since he started working long hours after being employed at SOL, he thought it would be best if I knew how to cook for myself." Skye revealed.

"Yeah! Now that you mentioned it, I have seen you make dinner with Akira. I hope I can have dinner with you guys again soon!" Ena said genuinely. She could still remember the taste of the food.

"Of course! How about you two, Ena and Lily? You seemed to be able to cook too." Skye asked, looking at the two girls, who handled their ingredients neatly.

"I learned it from my parents. Since they're both botanists, we grew many fruits and vegetables." Lily replied. Not many workers were at the orphanage, so the head orphanage decided to teach some children to cook for themselves just in case.

"I learned from Yuji's mom. She was an amazing cook. Not to say that mom wasn't. Her teaching was easy to understand, so I had no problem." Ena answered. She even remembered Yuji's mom saying it would be good for her once she married. Men like housewives who can cook. That part made her blush.

"Maybe I should learn from her if she decides to visit." Rhea contemplated.

Ena nodded in response as she and the others continued working on the soup.

An hour later…

Times passed, and it was already the fourth period. This time, it was Yuji's class using the home economics room. They were making okayu. Like the girls, Yuji, Theodore and Taigen ended up together, but their fourth partner was sadly Shima. However, there was one problem with this: unlike the girls, half of the boys had no experience whatsoever in cooking.

Theodore scratched his head. "I don't understand what to do next." He said the cookbook wasn't much of a help to him.

"Okay…so first, we need to boil the rice," Yuji explained. Shima grabbed the nearest pot and examined it. He could only cook fast foods and never with natural ingredients, so he was at a loss. And when cooking, his mom never allowed him to turn on the stove. He always waited for her or someone else to turn on the stove and then cooked.

"How do you boil rice?" Shima asked, looking confused. Theodore shrugged his shoulders. He had never cooked before, so he didn't know himself.

"Rotate that button," Taigen answered, pointing at the button on the stove just as he finished washing the rice and handing it to Shima to be boiled.

"Okay, all we need to do is to rotate this button…." Shima rotated the button…to the fullest power. Instantly, the stove went on fire, making the rice burnt. Smoke filled the kitchen. They covered their mouths and noses to not inhale the smoke but failed. They coughed out from the smoke.

"Fire! Fire!" Shima went panicky.

"Turn it off! Quickly!" Yuji yelled, pointing at the stove.

"It's hot!" Shima yelled back as he shook the pot. He tripped himself out of panic, making the pot fall onto the floor along with the other ingredients.

Theodore took this chance and turned off the stove. They all sighed in relief. Finally, Theodore extended his hand for Shima to take, helping him up.

"Adjust the flame, everyone." Taigen showed the trio how to ensure flame won't burn them. It was a good thing that Yuji at least learned fast just by watching the first time and reading the cookbook, but Theodore and Shima still needed quite some time to get used to it.

To ensure nobody would make any more mistakes, Taigen had Theodore and Shima peel and skin the vegetables while he and Yuji boiled. After a few minutes, they successfully boiled the rice and were pleased with the results.

"Next, we add some salt or flavoring," Theodore muttered while reading the cookbook.

Yuji walked over to the counter and picked up some ingredients. "Let me do it, and I saw my mom do it before when I was a kid." He took the salt and added some to the pot. He then opened a bottle of sauce and poured some in.

"How come you don't know how to boil the rice while you can do this?" Theodore asked in wonder.

"The last time I tried to boil food, I almost set the kitchen on fire," Yuji replied. "Usually, Ena or Kolter turns on the stove, though. Like this." He rotated the stove again to demonstrate it without thinking much. And what's worse, he did it as Shima did. Once again, the stove was on fire.

"What have you done?!" Theodore rushed toward Yuji, only to have him trip over his feet and hit the drawer where the knives were. He accidentally hit some vegetables by chance, causing them to fall to the floor. The knife also fell when Theodore hit it, and it would have stabbed him if only he didn't roll to the side. The boys immediately helped remove the knives away before they could do any harm.

Panicking by another fire, Shima picked a bucket and filled it with water. He rushed to the stove but tripped because the guys didn't get to pick up the remaining vegetables on the floor, making the water spill on Theodore. He'd laid on the floor, wet and frustrated, as he pointed at the stove.

"Just hurry up. Turn it off!" He shouted.

"I know already!" Shima replied.

"Wait! Shima! Don't use that–" One of their classmates tried to stop Shima from making his move, but it was already too late by then.

Shima refilled the bucket, splashed a bucket of water on the stove, and turned off the stove. Once again, the three boys let out a sigh of relief while Taigen sighed in exasperation together with the other students. They have no idea what they have just done. Theodore shook his body to dry himself a bit. He sniffed his own body and found the smell of the water weird, and…it had a taste…?

"Shima, what water did you use to turn off the stove on your first try?" Theodore asked.

"I use the water filled with detergent for cleaning the floor over there," Shima answered, pointing to where he found the bucket. It was the nearest water he could find, so he didn't care much as long as it could help turn off the stove.

Theodore twitched. No wonder it smelled and tasted bad.

"What in the world is happening?!" Their teacher, who left for the restroom, returned with a gaping mouth from the shock. He just left for a few minutes, and then it became like this?!

The teacher went to look for a towel while Shima took off his jacket and threw it at Theodore. "Take off your clothes and wear this. You'll catch a cold if you keep wearing those wet clothes," Shima said to Theodore, who accepted the jacket.

The rest looked around the room and paled. Their table was a mess. They would need to clean it up later. The other groups stared at their group with sympathy before being urged to continue cooking.

"We need…to do this…very slowly…and safely…" Yuji said. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Yes, all of you should." The teacher pouted quietly.

Slowly and safely, they said, yet, for the next five minutes, screams, crashes, and small explosions were the only sounds that came out from the home economic room. It took the teacher's whole effort to help them without cooking the food directly. On second thought, he should have done a demonstration so these four won't destroy their remaining ingredients. They better finish cooking and clean this up before the other teachers fuss about it. The other students were already finished. He needed to make various excuses to ensure no one who passed by would come to look. After his hard work and patience, finally, the four boys managed to reach the half-finishing.

"Now, we add some meat," Taigen grinned. He picked up the knives and pulled out a piece of chicken. He then threw it in the air and sliced it. He quickly grabbed a plate, and the meat fell into the plate orderly.

Theodore whistled and clapped his hands, which the others also did. Taigen laughed softly and threw them all into the pot.

"Wow, Taigen. I didn't expect you to be so good at cooking," Shima remarked.

"Yeah. You're pretty good with your hands." Yuji was mildly impressed by Taigen's display of cooking skills.

"During my parent's time military, there were times when they had to prepare food for themselves just in case. That's when I decided to learn to cook myself to ensure what is edible and suits my palate." Taigen explained. "Looks like we're done cooking the meat. Now for the vegetables…."

Shima grabbed the vegetables and threw them into the pot. Taigen then picked up a spoon and stirred the food.

"Now we have to let it cook," Taigen said. All four of them then looked at the pot.

Three of the four teens looked nervously at the stove. To let it cook, they must turn on the stove again… The previous disaster they caused made them hesitant and afraid that they'll set the kitchen on fire this time. They were so nervous. The boys insisted they must do this as they couldn't let their teacher do all the work.

"…You do it, Theodore," Shima stated.

"Wha-? No, you do it!" Theodore protested.

"I'm clumsy about this, so you do it!"

"You know what happens when I do it!"

"Then Yuji, you do it!"

"What?! No! Didn't you already see what happened earlier?!"

"But at least you're good at cooking!"

"Just do it for our grade! Are you running away?"

"I'm not!"

"You did!"

"Did not!"

"You did!"

"Did not!"

"You did!"

"Did not!"

"Just start cooking!" Taigen snapped, pushing aside his group members and turned on the stove again. After a few minutes, they were finally finished; the foods were ready to be served. Taigen has taken the liberty to make not only one dish but multiple ones.

"We did it!" Theodore exclaimed as he raised the food happily.

"Fufufu, it all thanks to me," Taigen said smugly. But none of them care about it right now.

"Let's take it to the cafeteria and dig in!" Shima cheerfully. Their teacher tapped his shoulder and pointed behind them. Shima turned around, and sweat dropped as he quickly looked away.

"You didn't blow up the kitchen…but…" muttered the teacher as he looked around the kitchen.

Dishes and failed ingredients are scattered around the kitchen. Three of the four twins smiled nervously. Small mistakes in cooking turned out to be a big mess. The other teachers and students won't be happy if they see this. They need to clean it up before anyone else sees it, or they'll have to receive their wrath or perhaps detention. They made the mess; they must be the ones who cleaned it up.

Meanwhile, during lunch period, in Room 101…

Ena and the girls were in a classroom eating, waiting for Yuji and Theodore to arrive. It's been fifteen minutes since lunch started, and they were getting worried.

"Where do you think guys are at?" Skye asked.

"Who knows," Lily answered as she turned to Ena. "You said Yuji had home economics right before lunch, right?"

"That's right," she confirmed. "Wonder what's taking him so long."

Before anyone could answer, they heard someone knocking on the door.

"Speak of the devil," Rhea said. "Let's see who they are and if they're worth working alongside."

Ena exited her chair and opened the door, letting Yuji and Theodore enter the classroom.

"Finally," Rhea said. "What took you guys so long?"

"We had a bit of trouble during home economics," Theodore answered. "When I get home tonight, I'm asking Kiku to teach me how to cook."

"So that's why you were late," Skye said. "Well, be lucky you didn't get detention."

"No joke," Yuji said. "By the way, Skye, was your brother able to answer my questions?"

"He did," she confirmed. "However, the results ended up not being good."

"What do you mean by that?" Ena asked.

"For starters, I asked him to check the card vault to see if the Legendary Decks that Yuji and Yusaku went against were replaced with fakes. And turns out they were."

Yuji narrowed his eyes at Skye's words. "So it looks like my presumption was right? What about my theory about the Queen being the Syndicate's leader?"

"I'm afraid he ruled that possibility out," Skye answered. "The Queen is vacationing in Portugal and hasn't logged into LINK VRAINS ever since she was hospitalized."

"I see. Well, that sucks. Back to the old drawing board then."

"Don't worry, Yuji. I'm sure you'll get the answers you're looking for," Lily said. "By the way, what did you guys make in HC? We made chicken soup."

"We made okayu," Theodore answered.

"We also brought some for you guys to try," Yuji added.

"Well, that was nice of you two," Rhea said. "We should've probably brought some soup for you."

"It's ok. It's no big deal," Theodore said. "Yuji, Shima and I were a complete mess, but Taigen kept his cool and managed to cook and finish the dish."

"He sure is talented," Skye commented.

"No joke," Ena agreed. "Is there anything he can't do?"

Yuji remained silent as everyone continued talking about how great Taigen was. Now that he thought about it, Taigen's been in every one of his classes. And every time the teacher assigned a task to the class, he had no trouble completing it and always got a good grade. Every answer was the same whenever someone asked how he managed to do it. He learned it. While he didn't want to be negative, he couldn't help but feel that Taigen was too perfect than the normal person.

Ena narrowed her eyes at Yuji. "You've been quiet, Yuji. Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine," he replied. "Remember when I said I felt that Taigen was hiding something after my duel with him?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Think about it. Taigen can cook, play sports and is good with technology. I'm sorry, but no one is that perfect. I refuse to believe it."

Theodore raised an eyebrow. "Is it just me, or does Yuji sound jealous?"

"It's not just you," Skye vouched.

"Make all the jokes you like, but I feel that Taigen's letting on more than he seems."

"Okay. But how are you going to prove your theory?" Lily asked.

"Simple. By challenging Taigen to a duel," Yuji answered, shocking everyone.

"How's dueling him going to solve anything?" Ena asked.

Yuji turned to her."In my last duel with him, he used a "tellarknight" Deck. At first, I was confused about why he used a Deck like that when he mentioned he won fifty duels in a row. Such a fact troubled me as I dueled against him."

"So you believed he was holding back against you?" Skye questioned.

"That's correct."

Rhea smiled. "Well, I would love to see a duel between you and Taigen," she said. "I've already seen your skills in action but never seen his. Maybe we should have the whole school witness."

"I don't think so," Theodore said, shutting down Rhea's idea. "Where do you plan to duel him at?"

"I already have something in mind," Yuji replied.

A few hours later, at Den City Central Park…

Kids played on the playground, having fun on swings and monkey bars. Yuji and the others looked at the kids joyfully as they stood across the playground on a duel field.

Yuji smiled. "Looking back these days, I can't help but wonder if things will stay this peaceful."

"I'm sure they will, Yuji."

The group turned around to see the source of the voice belonging to one other than Taigen.

"I got your message during lunch," he said. "To be honest, I wasn't expecting a duel challenge."

"Well, it's better than having you do my homework," Yuji grinned. "Shall we begin?"

"Sure. I wouldn't want to keep our lovely audience winning," Taigen responded with a challenging tone as he set up his Duel Disk. "Heads up, I changed my Deck since we last duel, so expect a few surprises."

"Thanks for the heads up," Yuji commented as he activated his Duel Disk. "Hope you don't get upset when I beat you again."

"We'll see about that."

Following Taigen's words, he activated his Duel Disk, with Yuji following suit.

"Let's Duel!" They both shouted, and a large screen displaying their names with their Life points appeared above them.

Yuji: 4000 LP

Taigen: 4000 LP

"Since I won our last duel, I'll take the first turn," Yuji said. "I summon Alexandrite Dragon!"

A winged, majestic dragon with jewels embedded in its scales appeared in Attack Position.

Alexandrite Dragon ATK 2000 DEF 100 LVL: 4

"A dragon?" Theodore said in surprise. "Did he have that card before?"

"Nope," Ena said. "He decided to change his Deck." She narrowed her eyes. "But will a new Deck be enough to win him this duel?"

Taigen smiled. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's changed their Deck."

"It appears so," Yuji said. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn. You're up."

"It's my turn!" Taigen announced. "I draw! I activate the Field Spell Card: Shrine of Zera!" The card showed an ancient ruin resembling a massive flying fortress guarded by multiple fiends. "Due to this card's effect, it's treated as the Field Spell Pandemonium while on the field."

Yuji raised an eyebrow. "Pandemonium? Does that mean he's using an Archfiend Deck" he wondered.

"Next, I summon Rook of Zera!"

A dark blue octopus-like fiend with purple horns appeared on Taigen's field in Attack Position.

Rook of Zera ATK 1100 DEF 1800 LVL: 3

"Shrine of Zera's second effect activates!" Taigen declared. "All "Zera" monsters gain attack points equal to their Level times 100."

Rook of Zera ATK 1100→1400

"From there, I activate Rook of Zera's effect!" Taigen continued. "When summoned, I can add a "Zera" monster from my Deck to my hand. However, if Pandemonium is on my field, I can add two monsters instead." Yuji's eyes widened. "I add Warrior of Zera and Queen of Zera to my hand."

"He's playing combo after combo," Theodore noted. "Taigen's sure has upped his game since their last duel."

"It might end up being more challenging," Skye commentated.

"I activate the Spell Card: Double Summon!" Taigen declared. "This card lets me perform a second Normal Summon this turn. Emerge, Queen of Zera!"

A blue-skinned female-like monster with wings and horns appeared on the field, screeching. It was decked in a purple robe and wore strange red and beige armor.

Queen of Zera ATK 900→1300 DEF 1500 LVL: 4

"I activate the Trap Card: Hidden Soldiers!" Yuji abruptly announced. "Through its effect, when my opponent Normal or Flip Summons a monster, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Dark Attribute monster from my hand. Come, Rare Metal Dragon!"

In a flash, a large, silver metal dragon appeared in Attack Position on Yuji's field with massive spikes all over its body.

Rare Metal Dragon ATK 2400 DEF 1200 LVL: 4

"Two monsters with high attack points," Lily gasped.

Taigen ignored Yuji's play and continued with his turn. "Queen of Zera's effect! When it's summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 6 or lower "Zera" monster from my hand. Appear, Warrior of Zera!"

A warrior with a green armored chest plate, helmet, arm guards, and blue pants appeared. He wielded a broadsword in his right hand.

Warrior of Zera ATK 1600→2000 DEF 1600 LVL: 4

"Queen of Zera's second effect! All "Zera" monsters I control gain 500 attack points!"

Rook of Zera ATK 1400→1900

Queen of Zera ATK 1300→1800

Warrior of Zera ATK 2000→2500

"Lastly, I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Burden of the Mighty! Each monster you control loses attack points equal to its Level times 100!"

Alexandrite Dragon and Rare Metal Dragon groaned and slumped over.

Alexandrite Dragon ATK 2000→1600

Rare Metal Dragon ATK 2400→2000

"Battle!" Taigen exclaimed. "Warrior of Zera, attack Rare Metal Dragon!"

The armored warrior swung its sword at the metal dragon, slashing it in half and making Yuji wince.

Yuji: 4000→3500 LP

"Next, Queen of Zera attacks Alexandrite Dragon!"

The robed fiend conjured up a ball of fire before firing it at the jeweled dragon, destroying it in an explosion.

Yuji: 3500→3300 LP

"And now Rook attacks you directly!"

The octopus-like monster raised its hands and shot bolts of lightning at Yujii.

The boy smirked. "It won't be that easy! I activate the Trap Card: Counter Gate!" he yelled. "Through its effect, if I'm about to receive a direct attack, I can negate it! Then, I will draw a card from my Deck, and if it's a monster, I can Special Summon it in Attack Position!"

Yuji drew his card and smirked as he revealed it.

"The drawn card is Luster Dragon, a monster. That means I can Special Summon it!"

A portal appeared before Yuji, out of which a tall blue dragon with wings covered in sapphires appeared.

Luster Dragon ATK 1900→1500 DEF 1600 LVL: 4

"Not a bad move, Yuji," Taigen praised his opponent. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

"In that case, it's my turn!" Yuji announced. "I draw! First, I activate the Spell Card: Bountiful Harvest!" The card showed two opposing farms. On the left side were Jerry Beans Man, Dandylion, Botanical Lion, and Cactus Fighter, protecting their side of the farm. On the right side were Mystic Tomato, Sweet Corn, World Carrotweight Champion and Cucumber Horse guarding theirs. Each group was gazing at the other. "This card allows me to draw five cards from my Deck if the combined Levels of all monsters on my opponent's field exceed mine.

Following his words, Yuji drew five new cards.

"At this moment, I activate the Trap Card: Zombie's Jewel!" Taigen announced. "This card can only be activated when a Spell Card is placed in your Graveyard. In exchange for allowing you to draw a card from your Deck, I can add that Spell Card to my hand. So if you don't mind, I'll take your Bountiful Harvest."

Following Taigen's words, Yuji took the card from his Graveyard and threw it to Taigen, who caught it. Shortly afterward, Yuji drew a card.

"Interesting play. I didn't expect that. But I bet you didn't expect this," Yuji said. "I activate the Spell Card: Polymerization! With its effect, I fuse the Lord of D. and Divine Dragon Ragnarok in my hand!"

Two monsters – a dark-skinned man in a blue cape wearing dragon-shaped armor and a white dragon made of energy appeared on his field. His monsters dissolved into red and blue particles that swirled into a vortex. The particles turned into streams of energy that soared upwards before merging into a violet whirlwind.

"Protector of dragons, become one with the instrument of the gods and give birth to a new dragon!" Yuji brought his hands together in front of him. "I Fusion Summon! Come forth! King Dragun!"

The monster that appeared was a light brown dragon with black wings, but instead of a head, it had the upper body of the Lord of D. Its entire body shone with rainbow light.

King Dragun ATK 2400→1700 DEF 1100 LVL: 7

"And check out his effect," Yuji grinned, "Once per turn, I'm allowed to Special Summon one Dragon monster from my hand. Appear, Luster Dragon #2!"

Everyone gasped as another emerald-based dragon appeared on the field with a deafening roar.

Luster Dragon #2 ATK 2400→1800 DEF 1400 LVL: 6

"From there, I activate the Spell Card: Stamping Destruction, which lets me destroy a Spell or Trap on your field. I choose to destroy your Burden of the Mighty!"

King Dragun swung its tail, slamming down on the Continuous Spell Card, destroying it.

Taigen: 4000→3500 LP

Luster Dragon ATK 1500→1900

King Dragun ATK 1700→2400

Luster Dragon #2 ATK 1800→2400

"Battle!" Yuji said. "King Dragun, attack Queen of Zera! Twilight Burn!"

King Dragun held a dragon-shaped horn in its right hand that released a blast of yellow fire at the female fiend.

"I activate my Trap Card!" Taigen declared, gesturing to his field. "Damage Diet! All damage I take this turn is halved!"

The stream of fire vaporized the robed fiend and made Taigen wince.

Taigen: 3500→3200

"And since Queen of Zera left the field, your monsters lose 500 attack points!" Yuji stated.

Rook of Zera ATK 1900→1400

Warrior of Zera ATK 2500→2000

"Moving on, Luster Dragon #2 attacks Warrior of Zera with Emerald Flame Attack!"

The named dragon spat out flames at the armored warrior, burning him to a crisp and making Taigen wince again.

Taigen: 3200→3000

"Now Luster Dragon attacks Rook of Zera with Breath of Fire!"

Luster Dragon took and fired an intense stream of fire from his mouth, destroying Rook, and pushed Taigen back.

Taigen: 3000→2750

"I place two cards face-down and end my turn," Yuji concluded.

"My turn! I draw!" Taigen declared as he drew. "First, since I control no monsters, I can Special Summon King of Zera from my hand!"

A large blue demon with bone armor and large purple wings with a cape and sword appeared in Attack Position.

King of Zera ATK 2000→2400 DEF 1500 LVL: 4

"I activate King's effect! When summoned, by paying 1000 Life Points, I can target and destroy up to two Spell or Trap Cards on your field. But due to Shrine of Zera's third effect, I don't need to pay any Life Points to activate the effects of "Zera" monsters." Taigen pointed to Yuji's field. "I destroy both your face-down cards!"

"Before you do, I activate the Trap Card: Baton of the Hero!" Yuji abruptly declared. "Through its effect, I get to choose the targets of your attacks this turn!"

Following Yuji's words, King of Zera raised his sword, causing two lightning bolts to descend from the sky, destroying Yuji's face-down cards.

"Next up, I activate the Spell Card: Bountiful Harvest!" Taigen continued. "Through its effect, I get to draw five cards since the combined Levels of all monsters you control exceed mine. Following that, I summon Knight of Zera!"

A skeletal armored figure with purple hair, blue-bladed claws, and a shield resembling a fiend appeared on Taigen's field in Attack Position.

Knight of Zera ATK 2000→2400 DEF 1600 LVL: 4

"Knight's effect activates! When summoned, by paying 1000 Life Points, I can target and destroy one monster on your field. I destroy your King of Dragun!"

Yuji smirked. "Hate to disappoint you. But thanks to King Dragun's additional effect, you can target my Dragon monsters with card effects."

"In that case, I'll destroy it the old-fashioned way," Taigen said. "I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Solidarity! So long as I have monsters of the same Type in my Graveyard, all monsters of that Type I control gain 800 attack points!"

"All of Taigen's monsters are Fiend-type," Skye said. "That means all Fiend-type monsters he controls become even more powerful."

King of Zera ATK 2400→3200

Knight of Zera ATK 2400→3200

"Battle!" Taigen declared. "King of Zera, attack!"

"Due to Baton of the Hero's effect, I'll have King of Zera attack Luster Dragon #2!" Yuji stated.

King of Zera charged at the emerald dragon and cut through it with its sword, causing it to explode and pushing Yuji back several feet.

Yujii: 3300→2500 LP

"And now, Knight of Zera attacks!"

"And just like before, I'll have it attack King Dragun through Baton of the Hero's effect!"

Knight of Zera did the same thing King of Zera did and slashed the Fusion Monster with its claws, destroying it in an explosion and sending Yuji tumbling back.

Yuji: 2500→1700 LP

"Looks like the advantage has shifted once again," Rhea shouted. "Despite having two monsters with 2400 attack points each, Taigen destroyed them with ease. It appears this Duel is shifting to high gear from the get-go."

"But there's something I don't get," Lily said. "Why didn't Yuji have Knight of Zera attack Luster Dragon instead?"

"He'd probably wanted to reduce the damage," Ena answered. "While having King Dragun on the field would allow him to summon more monsters, it isn't enough if they aren't strong enough to overcome Taigen's monsters."

"I activate the Trap Card: Destruction Bounty!" Yuji exclaimed as he gestured to his field. "Through its effect, since a monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck was destroyed, I can draw a card from my Deck for every material used to summon it. In this case, two."

"So you've refilled your hand, eh?" Taigen grimaced. "That means a counterattack is coming for sure next turn… I place a card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn!" Yuji announced. "I draw! First, I activate the Field Spell Card: Gem Underground Palace!" The card showed an underground cave with beautiful, different-colored gems across its walls and a mural that depicted a large dragon-themed palace. "When this card is activated, I can add a Dragon monster from my Deck to my hand. I add Beriruyu to my hand. And thanks to its effect, I can Special Summon it since I control a Dragon Normal Monster on my field!"

Following Yuji's words, a light blue-colored scaled dragon with feather-shaped wings, an ice pattern tail, and claws appeared in Attack Position and roared.

Beririyu ATK 2500 DEF 800 LVL: 6

"From there, I activate the Equip Spell Card: Eternal Reverse and equip it to Beriuryu!"

Taigen narrowed his eyes as the blue-scaled dragon lit up with a soft green glow.

"I activate Eternal Reverse's effect!" Yuji continued. "Once per turn, I can change a face-up Spell or Trap Card on your field to face-down." Taigen's eyes widened. "I select Solidarity!"

The Continuous Spell disappeared and was replaced by a Set Card.

Taigen gritted his teeth. "Since Solidarity is no longer face-up, both my monsters lose 800 attack points."

King of Zera ATK 3200→2400

Knight of Zera ATK 3200→2400

"Next, I Tribute Luster Dragon to Tribute Summon Tiger Dragon!"

As the sapphire dragon vanished, an orange-skinned dragon with black stripes appeared.

Tiger Dragon ATK 2400 DEF 1800 LVL: 6

Yuji gestured to his field. "When Tiger Dragon is summoned by Tributing a Dragon monster, two of your face-down cards are destroyed!"

The dragon roared as Taigen's face-down cards shattered.

Ena smirked. "That was a smart play Yuji made."

"I agree," Theodore said. "This new Deck of his surely is amazing."

"Battle!" Yuji exclaimed. "Tiger Dragon, attack King of Zera! And at this moment, the second effect of Gem Underground Palace activates! When a Dragon monster I control battles, it gains 400 attack points!"

Tiger Dragon ATK 2400→2800

Tiger Dragon blasted a ray of fire from its mouth with black stripes circling the blaze. The ray instantly hit and vaporized King of Zera and sent Taigen skidding back.

Taigen: 2750→2350

Tiger Dragon ATK 2800→2400

"Next, Beririyu will attack Knight of Zera!" Yuji said. "And just like Tiger Dragon, it'll gain 400 attack points thanks to my Field Spell!"

Beririyu ATK 2500→2900

The blue-scaled dragon opened its maw and unleashed a wave of ice-blue flames at the fiendish knight, destroying it and causing Taigen to grunt in pain from the force of the attack.

Taigen: 2350→1850

Beririyu ATK 2900→2500

"They're now even in Life Points," Lily noted.

"Which means it's anyone's game at this point," Skye added.

"This will do for now," Yuji remarked. "I place a card face-down and end my turn."

"Then, it's my turn!" Taigen announced. "I draw!" He drew and smiled. "I activate the Spell Card: Spellbook Inside the Pot! This card enables the both of us to draw three cards!" They did so, and Taigen smiled at what he saw. Oh, this is going to be fun.

"I summon Bishop of Zera!"

A fiendish humanoid draped in blue robes wielding a purple staff appeared on Taigen's field.

Bishop of Zera ATK 300→600 DEF 1400 LVL: 3

"I activate Bishop's effect!" Taigen continued. "When summoned while Pandemonium is on my field, I can add a "Zera" monster and a "Zera" Spell Card from my Deck to my hand."

Following his words, two cards popped out from Taigen's Deck as he took them and added them to his hand.

"And now, it's time for the main event!" Taigen took one of the two added cards from his hand and played it. "I activate the Ritual Spell Card: Zera's Forbidden Ritual!"

Everyone's eyes widened. "Ritual Summoning!?"

The card showed Warrior of Zera's silhouette sitting on a throne with a demonic design, almost resembling a screaming fiend's face, and had violet feathers which faded to white at their tips, raining down around it. "This card allows me to Ritual Summon any "Zera" Ritual Monster by Tributing monsters from my hand or field." He then smirked. "However, I can also use monsters in my Graveyard."

Yuji's eyes widened. "Your Graveyard!?"

Taigen gestured to his field. "I banish King of Zera and Knight of Zera from my Graveyard to Ritual Summon!"

Following Taigen's words, a purple circle with eight blue flames materialized before him. Silhouettes of the two mentioned monsters appeared before breaking into blue particles, which went into the circle and produced a beam of light.

"Fallen hero reborn with grander power! Feed on the souls of lesser fiends to empower your new body! I Ritual Summon! Come forth! Zera the Mant!"

The monster that appeared was a hulking creature with a spiky, dark blue exoskeleton with huge claws on its hands and feet appeared on the field. The only article of clothing was a purple cape around the back.

Zera the Mant ATK 2800→3600 DEF 2500 LVL: 8

"Ritual Summon…?" Yuji wondered. "Don't tell me…you learned Ritual Summoning after our first duel?"

"Indeed I did," Taigen confirmed Yuji's question. "But enough with that. I activate the Spell Card: Transmodify! With it, I can Tribute one monster on my field to Special Summon a monster with the same Type and Attribute from my Deck but one Level higher! I Tribute Rook of Zera to Special Summon Phantom of Chaos!"

Following Taigen's words, Bishop disappeared, replaced by a swirling black massless entity.

Phantom of Chaos ATK 0 DEF 0 LVL: 4

"My monster may not look like much, but I assure you, it is rather powerful. You see, I can choose a monster in my Graveyard, and Phantom of Chaos gains the name, attack points and effect of the chosen monster. I choose Warrior of Zera!"

Yuji gasped as the black fog began to morph, becoming a replica of the armored warrior, albeit with a darker shade.

Phantom of Chaos→Warrior of Zera ATK 0→2000 DEF 0→1600 LVL: 4

"But it doesn't end there," Taigen stated. "By Tributing a face-up "Warrior of Zera" on my field, I can Special Summon this card from my hand. Appear, Mazera Deville!"

Warrior of Zera's features began to alter until large wings grew out of his back, his finger and toes transformed into claws, and his helmet hardened as its horns grew from his skull. His muscles grew to ridiculous proportions as he took flight and roared at Yuji.

Mazera Deville ATK 2800→3600 DEF 2300 LVL: 8

"Mazera DeVille's effect activates!" Taigen announced. "When Special Summoned with Pandemonium on the field, I can discard up to three cards from your hand!"

Mazera created an arrow of fire from its claws, firing at Yuji's hand, burning three of his four cards to ashes.

"Battle!" Taigen exclaimed. "Zera the Mant will attack Tiger Dragon!"

"But thanks to Underground Palace, Tiger Dragon gains 400 attack points!" Yuji stated.

Tiger Dragon ATK 2400→2800

"That doesn't change a thing!" Taigen countered. "Go, Zera! Despair Claw!"

Zera's claws glowed green and created a crescent wave of energy that slashed through Tiger Dragon, destroying it, with the energy wave striking Yuji, who grunted in pain.

Yuji: 1700→700 LP

Taigen smirked. "You fought well, Yuji. But this is the end." He gestured to his field. "Mazera attacks Beriruyu!"

Yuji gritted his teeth and gestured to his field. "Due to my Field Spell's effect, my dragon gains 400 attack points!"

Beririyu ATK 2500→2900

"Even so, the difference between our monster's attack points is 700," Taigen pointed out. "And with only 700 Life Points, this duel is as good as mine. Finish him off, Mazera!"

Following his words, Mazera created an orb of dark red energy before firing it at Yuji's monster, causing an explosion that covered Yuji's field in smoke. However, his Life Points hadn't decreased when the smoke cleared, nor was his monster destroyed.

Beririyu ATK 2900→2500

"What just happened?" Taigen looked perplexed. "How are you and your monster still standing?"

"That's because I activated the Trap Card: Defense Draw!" Yuji explained. "Thanks to it, battle damage is reduced to 0, and I can also draw one card. And thanks to Eternal Reverse, I can send it to the Graveyard to prevent Beririyu's destruction."

"In that case, I place a card face-down and end my turn," Taigen concluded. "Now then, what will be your next move?"

"Why don't I show you?" Yuji replied. "My turn! I draw! First, I activate Gem Underground Palace's third effect. I can draw one card by shuffling three Dragon monsters in my Graveyard back into my Deck. I shuffle Rare Metal Dragon, Tiger Dragon and King Dragun!"

Yuji retrieved the designated cards from his Graveyard and returned them to his Deck. He drew his card, and his eyes widened upon seeing it.

"Time for me to make my comeback," Yuji stated. "I activate the Spell Card: Gemstone Flash Fusion!" The card showed Luster, Alexandrite, and Labradorite Dragon combining in a bright Fusion portal. "This card lets me Fusion Summon a Dragon Fusion Monster that lists a Dragon Normal Monster as Fusion Material by using monsters from my hand, Deck or field. I fuse Beririyu on my field with Hyozanryu in my hand and Ruby Dragon in my Deck!"

Silhouettes of a majestic diamond-blue dragon with a bright yellow underbelly, claws and horns and a red dragon that rembled Luster Dragon with its wings covered in rubies appeared on Yuji's field. Moments later, the three dragons became a whirlpool of particles that formed into a violet twister as Yuji chanted.

"Through the dark shines of the gemstone dragons, emerge from the pitch darkness to destroy all light and eclipse all in your dark glow! I Fusion Summon! Rise, the Gem Dragon of Darkness! Blackstone Dragon!"

A large jet black, malicious dragon with glowing, piercing red eyes and lining emitting a black-red colored electrical aura appeared on Yuji's field in Attack Position and roared at Taigen.

Blackstone Dragon ATK 3000 DEF 2400 LVL: 8

"When Blackstone Dragon is Fusion Summoned, I can target cards on the field equal to the number of monsters used for its Fusion Summon and shuffle them back into the Deck," Yuji stated. "Since I used three monsters, I get to target three cards. I shuffle your two monsters and face-down card back into your Deck! Darkness Flash!"

Following Yuji's words, Blackstone's eyes glowed as beams of piercing dark light were emitted from its body and struck the designated cards, causing them to vanish from the field.

"This will finish you, Taigen." Yuji grinned. "Blackstone Dragon attacks you directly! Darkness Shine Burst!"

Blackstone opened its maw and fired a red and black energy beam at Taigen.

"I won't allow that!" Taigen yelled. "From my Graveyard, I activate the Spell Card: Rescuer From the Grave!"

Following his words, a barrier formed appeared, repelling the energy beam.

Taigen smirked. "Thanks to this card's effect, by banishing five cards from my Graveyard, I get to end the Battle Phase!"

"Where did that card come from!?" Theodore asked.

"I bet it was the card Yuji destroyed earlier through Tiger Dragon's effect," Ena deduced.

"But he could only activate it once," Skye added. "So, he saved it when the finishing blow was about to be dealt."

Yuji grimaced. "In that case, I place a card face-down and end my turn."

"It's my turn!" Taigen announced. "I draw! I activate the Spell Card: Foresight Draw, whose effect allows me to draw five cards from my Deck if I correctly guess the top card of my Deck. I declare that my top card is a Spell Card!"

Taigen drew a card and revealed it to Yuji.

"Seems like my gamble was correct, meaning I can draw five cards from my Deck," Taigen said. "Then, I activate the Spell Card: Magical Stone Excavation, discarding two cards from my hand to add Zera's Forbidden Ritual to my hand from the Graveyard and activate it! Through its effect, by banishing Rook of Zera, Queen of Zera and Bishop of Zera from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon a "Zera" Ritual Monster!"

Following Taigen's words, a purple circle with eight blue flames materialized before him. Silhouettes of the three mentioned monsters appeared before breaking into blue particles, which went into the circle and produced a beam of light.

"Lord of Fiends. Through these souls, take form and become your true self! Let your power wash upon the realm of demons and warp it into the tower that will pierce the heavens! Release your darkness and eclipse the light! I Ritual Summon! The true dark God! Mazera the Ultimate Dark Ruler!"

Emerging from the pillar of light was a monster that resembled an evolved version of Mazera Deville. It had four bat-like wings emerging from its back now, a fanged mouth and two slitted eyes on its chest. Several orange orbs engraved with slitted pupils adorned its shoulders, gauntlets, and knees, and bat-like wings replaced its helmet's horns.

Mazera the Ultimate Dark Ruler ATK 3800→4800 DEF 3300 LVL: 10

"Mazera…the Ultimate Dark Ruler…?" Lily wondered.

"Not to mention it's a Level 10 Ritual Monster…." Rhea noted.

"Either way, it might be stronger than our monsters, but don't forget that Taigen's facing Yuji," Theodore stated. "And I'm sure his face-down card will protect him from whatever Taigen's monster throws at him."

"Mazera the Ultimate Dark Ruler's effect activates!" Taigen announced. "When summoned, it can destroy all cards on the opponent's field, and those destroyed cards can't activate their effects for the rest of the duel!"

"What did he say!?" Ena cried out in alarm. "To think it would have such an absurd effect!"

"Do it, Mazera!" Taigen exclaimed. "Cursed Catastrophe!"

"Not so fast!" Yuji interjected. "I activate the Trap Card: Mirror Shade! By paying half my Life Points, all battle damage dealt to me this turn is reduced to 0!"

Yuji: 700→350 LP

"Furthermore, I activate Gemstone Flash Fusion's effect from my Graveyard!" He added. "If a Dragon monster I control is about to be destroyed, I can banish this card to negate its destruction!"

Following Yuji's words, the orbs on Mazera's body lit up. After that, the monster took off, unleashing numerous orange spheres of energy which ravaged Yuji's field. While his monster survived the onslaught, his Field Spell was sadly destroyed.

"You might've saved your monster from Mazera's effect but not its attack," Taigen said. "Battle! Mazera attacks Blackstone Dragon! And thanks to my monster's additional effect, when it battles a monster, that monster's effect is negated, and it loses half its attack points!"

Blackstone Dragon ATK 3000→1500

"Go, Ultimate End!"

Extending its claws, Mazara stabbed through thin air, forming a dark portal that its claws went through, and the portal manifested in front of Blackstone, stabbing the dragon with its claws and releasing a wave of electricity that vaporized it.

"And should your monster have an effect when it's destroyed, don't bother activating it since any monster that Mazera destroys in battle is instantly banished," Taigen stated.

"Well, that sucks," Yuji grimaced. He hoped to use Blackstone's Graveyard effect to summon a Normal Dragon Monster from his Graveyard to build his defense.

"I place two cards face-down and end my turn," Taigen concluded.

"My turn!" Yuji announced. "I draw!"

"At this moment, I activate the Trap Card: Dark Tournament!" Taigen declared. "For the rest of this turn, all monsters must be in Attack Position, and you're forced to battle this turn."

"This is bad…." Ena had a concerned expression with tightly clenched fists. "Yuji's Life Points are a mere 350 right now. Unless he summons a monster strong enough to overcome Mazera and bypass its effect, it's all over for him."

Yuji couldn't help but agree with Ena's assessment. However, with the card he just drew, it was possible to mount a counteroffensive and even win this. Although the chances of success were slim, they weren't zero, and that's all that mattered now.

"I activate the Spell Card: Take Over 5!" Yuji declared. "Through its effect, I send the top five cards of my Deck to the Graveyard." He sent Cave Dragon, Dragon's Rage, Dragon's Gunfire, Wish Dragon and Dragon's Rebirth. "Next, I activate the Spell Card: Dragon's Mirror! This card lets me Fusion Summon a Dragon Fusion Monster by banishing Fusion Materials from my field or Graveyard! I banish Luster Dragon, Divine Dragon Ragnarok, Alexandrite Dragon, Ruby Dragon, Hyozanryu, Luster Dragon #2, and Beririyu from my Graveyard!"

A giant mirror with a dragon-like design materialized on Yuji's field, in which the reflections of the selected monsters. Moments later, the five dragons became a whirlpool of particles that formed into twisters as he chanted.

"Legendary Dragon beyond the gems and light, awaken from your slumber and bring forth the shining beauty of the Gem Dragons! I Fusion Summon! Now rise, the God Gem Dragon, Rainbowstone Dragon!"

A white, green lining, rainbow-colored dragon with horns resembling a crown, an opal gem on its forehead, and a larger one on its chest roared as it appeared on Yuji's field in Attack Position.

Rainbowstone Dragon ATK 3400 DEF 3100 LVL: 9

"Another dragon…" Taigen muttered. "You never fail to surprise me, Yuji."

"Now, the finale!" Yuji exclaimed. "Rainbowstone Dragon, attack Mazera, the Ultimate Dark Ruler! At this moment, Rainbowstone's effect activates! Since I used at least eight monsters for its Fusion Summoning, its attack points are doubled!"

"That's useless!" Taigen stated. "Mazera's effect will halve your monster's attack points and end this duel in your defeat!"

"I beg to differ," Yuji rebutted. "Thanks to Rainbowstone's other effect, since I used at least seven monsters for its Fusion Summon, you can't activate monster effects whenever a Dragon monster I control attacks!" Taigen's eyes widened. "So with Mazera's effect shutdown, Rainbowstone Dragon's effect continues, and its attack points double!"

Rainbowstone Dragon ATK 3400→6800

"Rainbow Gem Burst!"

Rainbow Dragon opened its maw wide, unleashing a powerful blast at the Zera Ritual Monster.

Ena narrowed her eyes. "The difference between their attack points is 2000. If this attack connects, Yuji wins."

Taigen narrowed his eyes. "I hoped not to use this, but it seems I have no other choice." He gestured to his remaining face-down card. "I activate the Trap Card: Bye Bye Damage! Through its effect, Mazera can't be destroyed in battle!"

The Ritual Monster was suddenly encased in blue energy.

"Bye Bye Damage also has another effect," Taigen continued. "You take the same amount of damage I take, only double!"

"What!?" Yuji gasped.

Following his surprised cry, Rainbowstone's attack made contact with Mazera's body, generating a large explosion that engulfed both players, with both duelists flying backward and landing on the ground.

Yuji: 350→0 LP

Taigeni: 1850→0 LP

"Are you okay, Yuji?" Ena asked as she and the others ran over to him.

"I'm fine," He answered, pushing himself into a sitting position. He narrowed his eyes at Taigen. "What about you, Taigen?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Taigen stood up fully, brushing the dust off his shoulders. "You're surely a talented and amazing duelist, Yuji. I thought I'd won at least three times."

"If I hadn't drawn Dragon's Mirror, you would have won," Yuji said. "And thank you for indulging my selfish request."

"It wasn't selfish." Yuji blinked at Taigen's words. "After hitting you in the face with a volleyball earlier today, I promised to make it up to you by doing anything you ask me. So now we're even."

Yuji chuckled. "Guess we are." He held out his hand. "Thanks for the duel. It was really fun."

Taigen shook Yuji's hand and nodded. "Couldn't agree more," he said. Well, as much as I would love to stay and hang out, I got to get home and get a start on my homework. See you guys tomorrow."

And with those words, Taigen took his leave. Immediately after that, all eyes turned to Yuji.

"So, do you still have suspicions about Taigen?" Theodore asked. "Because it seems like he's just a nice guy who loves to duel and have fun."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Yuji let out a sigh. "I guess with all this madness dealing with the syndicate is making me paranoid."

"Well, hopefully, all this madness will come to an end, and we can go back to living our lives," Skye stated."

Before anyone agreed to Skye's statement, Yuji's Duel Disk beeped. "Sorry. I have to take this call." Yuji walked away from the others before pressing a button on his Duel Disk. "Hello?"

"Storm Rider! Thank goodness I was able to reach you!" Pyrrha stated, her voice containing concern and worry.

"Pyrrha? What's wrong? Is everything okay?" Yuji asked.

"It's not okay! My dad's been kidnapped!" Pyrrha exclaimed, the statement causing Yuji's eyes to widen from the shock of the news.

"WHAT?!"

OC Card Memo:

Street Thugs:

Armor Canine Submastiff

ATK: 1800, DEF: 100, LV: 4

Water/Machine/Effect

Monster Effect: If this card is summoned successfully, Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Armor Canine" Monster from your Deck.

Armor Canine Rockethound

ATK: 2100, DEF: 1300, LV: 5

Earth/Machine/Effect

Monster Effect: If you control an "Armor Canine" Monster, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. You can Fusion Summon a "Full Armor Canine" Fusion Monster by using this card and Monsters from your hand or field as materials.

Full Armor Canine – Rottfleet

ATK: 2800, DEF: 2100, LV: 8

Water/Machine/Fusion/Effect

"Armor Canine Submastiff" + 2 "Armor Canine" Monsters

Monster Effect: This card cannot be destroyed by battle. Once per turn, you can send any number of "Fusion" cards from your hand to the Graveyard to inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent for every discarded card and increase this card's ATK by an amount equal to the damage your opponent received.

Armor Canine Dobberblaster

ATK: 1600, DEF: 1000, LV: 4

Earth/Machine/Effect

Monster Effect: You can send a "Fusion" card from your hand to the Graveyard; destroy a card on the field.

Armor Canine Bassetcraft

ATK: 700, DEF: 1500, LV: 3

Wind/Machine/Effect

Monster Effect: If this card is summoned successfully, you can add a "Fusion" card from your Graveyard to your hand.

Full Armor Canine – Houndbomber

ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, LV: 8

Wind/Machine/Fusion/Effect

"Armor Canine Bassetcraft" + 2 "Armor Canine" Monsters

Monster Effect: This card cannot be destroyed by card effects. Once per turn, you can send any number of "Fusion" cards from your hand to the Graveyard to halve your opponent's Life Points for every discarded card and increase this card's ATK by an amount equal to the amount of Life Points lost by your opponent.

Armor Canine Battlefield

Continuous Spell Card

Increase the ATK of all "Full Armor Canine" Fusion Monsters on the field by 400 for every Fusion Material used to Fusion Summon them.

Armor Dog Pack

Normal Spell Card

Special Summon a number of "Armor Canine" Monsters from your hand equal to the number of "Armor Canine" Monsters on the field and send one card from the top of your Deck to the Graveyard for every summoned Monster.

Yuji:

Beriruryu- Level 6, ATK: 2500, DEF: 800, ATT: LIGHT, Type: Dragon/Effect

Effect: This card is treated as a Normal Monster in the hand, field or GY. If you control no monsters or you control a Dragon Normal Monster(s), you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If a Dragon monster you control battles, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the end of the Damage Step. If this card is used as material for summoning a Dragon Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Link Summon along with a Dragon Normal Monster: Draw 1 card. You can only use each effect of "Beriruryu" once per turn.

Blackstone Dragon- Level 8, ATK: 3000, DEF: 2400, ATT: DARK, Type: Dragon/Fusion/Effect

Effect: 2+ Normal Dragon Monsters with different names

When this card is Fusion Summoned: You can target cards on the field, up to the number of Fusion Materials used for its Fusion Summon; shuffle them into their owner's deck. If this card was Fusion Summoned using 3 or more Fusion Materials, it can attack twice per Battle Phase. If this card is destroyed by the opponent's card: Special Summon 1 Dragon Normal monster from your hand, deck, or GY in Defense Position. You can only use each effect of "Blackstone Dragon" once per turn.

Rainbowstone Dragon- Level 9, ATK: 3400, DEF: 3100, ATT: WIND, Type: Dragon/Fusion/Effect

Effect: 3+ Normal Dragon Monsters with different names

This card gains effects equal to the number of monsters used for its Fusion Summon:

● 4+: This card can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each.

● 5+: Once per turn: You can Special Summon 1 Dragon Monster from your Deck in Defense Position.

● 6+: If your opponent activates a card effect (Quick Effect): You can banish 1 Dragon monster from your GY; negate it.

● 7+: Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to the activation of monster effects on your field.

● 8+: If this card battles, its original ATK is doubled until the end of the damage step.

Gem Underground Palace- Type: Field Spell Card

Effect: When this card is activated: You can add 1 Dragon monster from your deck to your hand. If a Dragon monster you control battles, it gains 400 ATK and DEF until the end of the damage step. You can shuffle 3 Dragon monsters in your GY to your Deck; draw 1 card. You can only use each effect of "Gem Underground Palace" once per turn.

Gemstone Flash Fusion- Type: Normal Spell Card

Effect: Fusion Summon 1 Dragon Fusion Monster that lists a Dragon Normal Monster as a material from your Extra Deck, using monsters from your hand, Deck or field as Fusion Material. You cannot Special Summon monsters for the rest of this turn after this card resolves. If a Dragon Fusion Monster you control would be destroyed by battle or card effect, you can banish this card from your GY instead.

Bountiful Harvest

Normal Spell Card

Draw five cards from your Deck if the combined Levels of all Monsters on your opponent's field exceed yours.

Taigen:

Bishop of Zera- Level 3, ATK: 300, DEF: 1400, ATT: DARK, Type: Fiend/Effect

Effect: If this card is summoned: You can add 1 "Zera" Ritual Monster or Ritual Spell Card from your Deck to your hand. If you control "Pandemonium": You can add both cards instead. You can only use this effect of "Bishop of Zera" once per turn. When you Ritual Summon, you can banish this card from your GY as 1 of the monsters required for the Ritual Summon.

Desrook of Zera- Level 3, ATK: 1100, DEF: 1800, ATT: DARK, Type: Fiend/Effect

Effect: If this card is Summoned: You can add 1 non-Ritual "Zera" monster from your Deck to your hand, except "Desrook of Zera". If you control "Pandemonium": You can add 2 "Zera" monsters with different names instead. If a "Zera" monster you control is destroyed: You can send this card from your field or hand and pay 900 LP, Special Summon the destroyed monster. You can only use each effect of "Desrook of Zera" once per turn.

Queen of Zera- Level 4, ATK: 900, DEF: 1500, ATT: DARK, Type: Fiend/Effect

Effect: When this card is summoned: You can Special Summon 1 Level 6 or lower DARK "Zera" monster from your hand. If you control "Pandemonium": DARK "Zera" monsters gain 500 ATK. If a card is activated in your opponent's GY: Pay 700LP; negate its activation. If this card is Tributed: Draw 1 card. You can only use each effect of "Queen of Zera" once per turn.

King of Zera- Level 4, ATK: 2000, DEF: 1500, ATT: DARK, Type: Fiend/Effect

Effect: If you control no monsters or all monsters you control are DARK "Zera" monsters; You can Special Summon this card (from your hand). When this card is summoned: Pay 1000 LP and if you do; destroy up to 2 Spell/Trap cards your opponent controls. If this card is Tributed: Banish 1 card in your opponent's GY. You can only use each effect of "King of Zera" once per turn. Negate the effects of monsters destroyed by battle with DARK "Zera" monsters you control.

Knight of Zera- Level 4, ATK: 2000, DEF: 1600, ATT: DARK, Type: Fiend/Effect

Effect: When this card is summoned while you control a DARK "Zera" monster: Target 1 monster your opponent controls and if you do; destroy it. If you control "Pandemonium" when you activate this effect: Inflict damage equal to half of this card's original ATK. You can only use each effect of "Knight of Zera" once per turn. When you Ritual Summon, you can banish this card from your GY as 1 of the monsters required for the Ritual Summon.

Mazera the Ultimate Dark Ruler- Level 10, ATK: 3800, DEF: 3300, ATT: DARK, Type: Fiend/Ritual/Effect

Effect: You can Ritual Summon this card with any "Zera" Ritual Spell. Must be Ritual Summoned. This card is unaffected by the effects of non-Fiend monsters and cannot be targeted by your opponent's Spell/Trap Cards. If this card is Ritual Summoned: Destroy all cards your opponent controls and cards destroyed by this effect or by battle cannot be activated for the rest of the Duel. If this card battles an opponent's non-Fiend monster, their ATK is halved and their effects are negated. If this card leaves the field by an opponent's card: You can Special Summon 1 Level 8 or lower "Zera" monster from your Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions. You can only use each effect of "Mazera the Ultimate Dark Ruler" once per turn.

Zera's Forbidden Ritual

Ritual Spell

This card can be used to Ritual Summon any "Zera" Ritual Monster from your hand. You must also Tribute monsters from your hand or field, and/or banish "Zera" monsters from your GY, whose total Levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster you Ritual Summon. You can banish this card from your GY, except the turn it was sent there, target 1 "Zera" monster in your GY; Special Summon it.

Shrine of Zera- Type: Field Spell Card

Effect: (This card's name is always treated as "Pandemonium")

"Zera" monsters you control gains ATK equal to its Level x 100. You don't pay Life Points during the Standby Phase for "Zera" monsters. If a "Zera" monster is destroyed by acard effect: You can Special Summon 1 Fiend monster with a Level lower than the Level of the destroyed monster. You can only use this effect of "Shrine of Zera" once per turn.

QOTC

Did you like the kitchen scene? If so, what was your favorite part?

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: The Advent of New Beginnings. Chapter 24: Silent Ambush. Having been alerted by Pyrrha about her dad being kidnapped, Storm Rider ventures out with her to search for the kidnappers, only for them to realize that the Syndicate was responsible for kidnapping Pyrrha's dad. Will they be able to rescue him and stop whatever the Syndicate's pan is?