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

by BlaiseCandell

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

21. Chapter 21: Calm Ocean, Quiet Abyss

Starting Notes:

Welcome back! Uh, the poll that I mentioned will actually be put up after this chapter is posted, even though there's still a Chapter 22, and it'll close about a week after Chapter 22 is posted. I'll talk more about the poll in the end notes. I was tired. :) This is a pretty short chapter, but that's because it's very focused specifically on Yuji and Yuno. Let's go!

---

Chapter 21: Calm Ocean and the Quiet Abyss

Six beds in a room. Six children all lying there lifelessly. A few adults standing around the room, desperately crying out to their immobile children. Younger siblings reaching out for their older siblings.

"Chikyu!" A young, eight-year-old boy was sobbing. "Chikyu, wake up! Chikyu!"

His brother didn't even move. The boy stayed there, crying, unable to even look at his brother, who was lying in the bed.

"Chikyu… don't leave me…"

Even in the depths of the night, the boy was still there.

"No one loves me but you. And I don't think I'll ever find someone that loves me as much as you." Quiet sobs left the boy's throat. "What do I do, big brother?"

---

Two boys with the same face stared at each other.

"Well?" Yuji said bluntly. "I don't want to waste any more time with you than necessary."

"… it's weird to hear that from my face," Yuno said with a chuckle. "But if you say so! Let's get this show on the road, then."

"Thank you for being the only opponent today that isn't talking down to me," Yuji said, raising an eyebrow. "It won't stop me from crushing you."

[ACTION DUEL!]

Yuji Fujita: 4000LP

Yuno Sugisaki: 4000LP

[Turn 1: Yuno] [H:5]

"Oh, I'm first!" Yuno chuckled. "Figures… I'll Normal Summon Marincess Sea Horse!" The girl with silvery-blonde hair appeared on his field, floating around with a rather confident smile on her face.

[Marincess Sea Horse (3*/1400/1000/WATER/Cyberse/Effect)]

"Next, open, circuit of the limitless ocean! Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are a Level 4 or lower "Marincess" monster! Shine, beautiful water creature that dwells in the depths! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 1! Marincess Blue Slug!" The blue-haired Link Monster appeared, her orange antennae wobbling nervously. She floated around the left Extra Monster Zone.

[Marincess Blue Slug (L1/1500/WATER/Cyberse/Link/Effect/↓)]

"Blue Slug's effect. I will add Sea Horse from my graveyard to my hand!" Yuno immediately placed the card down again. "Once per turn, I can Special Summon Marincess Sea Horse from my field to the Link Marker of a "Marincess" Link Monster I control! Come, Sea Horse!" The blonde-haired girl reappeared. "And then, I will activate the effect of Sea Archiver. Since a monster was Special Summoned to a Link Monster's Link Marker, I can Special Summon it from my hand, but it is banished when it leaves the field!" A white metallic seahorse with blue circles around its body appeared, electric sparks surrounding it.

[Sea Archiver (3*/300/2100/WATER/Cyberse/Effect)]

"Open, circuit of the limitless ocean!" Yuno declared enthusiastically. "Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two WATER monsters! I will set Marincess Sea Horse and Sea Archiver in the Link Markers! Float through the water, away from the dangerous predators that seek our trail! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 2! Marincess Sea Butterfly!"

A young woman appeared, dressed in purple silks that seemed to ripple in the air around her. There was something translucent to her body and her clothing, as though she was a ghost, between one world and the next. She had a purple veil over her face, with black silk gloves on both of her hands. Water swirled around her feet, and she sang a few melodic notes.

[Marincess Sea Butterfly (L2/1800/WATER/Cyberse/Link/Effect/↑, →)]

"Sea Butterfly's effect," Yuno called. "Since she was Link Summoned and I only control WATER monsters, I can Special Summon a Link 1 "Marincess" monster from my Extra Deck, treating it as a Link Summon! Cloying Wave!" He pulled out a card from his Extra Deck. "Come, Marincess Sea Angel!" A girl with fluffy white hair appeared on her field, cheerfully waving as her two shimmering gelatinous wings swung slightly.

[Marincess Sea Angel (L1/1000/WATER/Cyberse/Link/Effect/←)]

Now, Blue Slug was co-linked with Sea Butterfly, who was co-linked with Sea Angel.

"And when Sea Angel is Special Summoned, I can add Marincess Battle Ocean to my hand and activate it!" Yuno called. Waves swept out around them. "And I'll now open the circuit a third time!" He pressed his hands together, before spreading them out in front of him. "The conditions are two or more WATER monsters! I will set Marincess Blue Slug, Sea Angel and Sea Butterfly in the Link Markers! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 3! Lovely sea idol arriving for the finale of the performance! Marincess Marbled Rock!"

With her spiky urchin-like scarf, Marbled Rock appeared with a determined look, spinning around in the air, holding onto some spines in her hand, prepared to throw them.

[Marincess Marbled Rock (L3/2500/WATER/Cyberse/Link/←, ↓, →)]

"Battle Ocean will equip three "Marincess" Link Monsters from my graveyard to Marbled Rock. I will equip Sea Angel, Blue Slug and Sea Butterfly to Marbled Rock, and then, she gains 600 attack points for each, along with another 200!" Marbled Rock glowed brightly.

[Marincess Marbled Rock: 2500 + 600 x 3 + 200 = 4500ATK]

"I'll activate Marbled Rock's effect to add Sea Horse from my graveyard to my hand." Yuno smiled. "I end my turn!"

[Turn 2: Yuji] [H:6]

"... good turn," Yuji said, and Yuno blinked in surprise.

"H-huh?" He chuckled nervously after a moment. "Thanks?"

"... nothing." Yuji drew a card from the top of his deck, glancing at it silently. After a moment, he made his move. "I will Normal Summon Tour Guide From the Underworld." A pink-haired girl in a blue tour guide's uniform appeared. Yuno blinked.

"Do you use female monsters too?" He said cheerily.

[Tour Guide From the Underworld (3*/1000/600/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"... I'm sorry, I don't?" Yuji gestured to Tour Guide. "I can Special Summon a Level 3 Fiend monster from my deck. I will Special Summon Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss." The tour guide opened up a portal next to herself, and a white-horned, dull red demon appeared next to her.

[Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (3*/1000/1900/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"Farfa would usually destroy itself in the presence of a monster that isn't a "Burning Abyss" monster," Yuji explained. "However, Tour Guide negated its effects, meaning that it can survive. I will now overlay the Level 3 Farfa and Tour Guide!"

An Xyz Summon immediately? Hmm. Yuto was his Xyz counterpart, right? And this guy, Yuji, was his Ritual Counterpart. So it was odd that he didn't choose to Ritual Summon first… ah, maybe Yuno was being too judgemental. In the middle of the journey of our life, I found myself within a dark woods where the straight way was lost. Xyz Summon! Rank 3! Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss!"

Yuji's main Xyz Monster appeared in front of him. Yuno watched with some surprise.

[Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss (R3/1000/2500/LIGHT/Warrior/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)]

Why was it in Attack Position?

"I will activate Dante's effect," Yuji said. "By detaching Farfa, I will send 3 cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard. Pulled to the Underworld!" Three cards fell from the top of his deck to the graveyard. "Dante gains 500 attack points for each."

[Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss: 1000 + 500 x 3 = 2500ATK; OU:2 - 1 = OU:1)]

"Since Farfa was sent to the graveyard, I can target your Marincess Marbled Rock and banish her from the field until the End Phase," Yuji continued, narrowing his eyes. "And when that happens, your equipped monsters go to the graveyard."

"I guess you're right." Yuno revealed a card in his hand. "Since I control a Link 3 or higher "Marincess" monster, I can activate this card from my hand! Trap Card, Marincess Circulation! I can target a WATER Link Monster and return it to the Extra Deck to Special Summon a "Marincess" Link Monster with the same Link Rating. This is treated as a Link Summon, but the summoned monster cannot attack directly or be destroyed by battle this turn!"

"So Farfa's effect will misfire." Yuji was unfazed. "I will chain two effects of the monsters that were sent to the graveyard in succession. First, Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, will send a "Burning Abyss" Spell or Trap from my deck to the graveyard. And then, Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss will Special Summon a "Burning Abyss" monster from my deck. Come. Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss." A demon in a horned helmet appeared, ash grey skin seeming almost hollow, with a morningstar on a long chain in his hands.

[Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (3*/1700/1000/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"Circulation's effect will now resolve," Yuno called. "I'll return Marbled Rock from the field to the Extra Deck. The beauty of the colourful coral reef! Now, graceful elegance, take a step onto the battlefield! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 3! Marincess Coral Triangle!"

The green-haired woman appeared, cool-coloured coral all around her body, as she elegantly stood up in defence of Yuno.

[Marincess Coral Triangle (L3/1500/WATER/Cyberse/Link/Effect/↙, ↑, ↘)]

"Farfa's effect misfires," Yuji said. He raised an eyebrow. "What about your Field Spell?"

"Coral Triangle was Special Summoned as Chain Link 2," Yuno said sheepishly. "Thus, Battle Ocean misses timing."

"Fair enough."

The air was… surprisingly civil between them. After all, they had no reason to argue. No big wrong that either of them had done to each other, no insults that had been exchanged, just a simple understanding of the other's motives.

There was no need to be angry. There was only the duel.

"Coral Triangle does gain 200 attack points with the continuous effect of Battle Ocean though," Yuno continued.

[Marincess Coral Triangle: 1500 + 200 = 1700ATK]

Yuji continued his turn. "You said that your monster can't be destroyed by battle this turn." Also, he activated that Trap from his hand. He has an honest face, but he isn't quite as straightforward as he looks. He considered what he should do for a moment. I can't overextend right now, until I understand the way his deck works. For Kyorin, it was easy, since I'd seen her entire deck before, but…

He took a deep breath.

"I will have Dante attack your Marincess Coral Triangle. Traveler's Bargain!" The warrior dashed forward, ready to attack the elegant woman of coral.

Yuno simply let the attack happen—after all, he lost nothing from it, other than a few life points.

Yuno: 4000 - 800 = 3200LP

"I will end my Battle Phase. Dante changes himself to Defense Position." Yuji placed a card facedown. "I'll set a card facedown. During my End Phase, Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss activates its effect in the graveyard. I can add a Level 3 DARK Fiend monster to my hand. Over to you—Sugisaki."

"It's odd to be called by my last name by someone with my face," Yuno said relaxedly. "Won't you just call me Yuno?"

"We're not friends," Yuji said tensely. "Don't you dare call me by my first name."

"... alright, testy one. Have it your way."

[Turn 3: Yuno] [H:4]

"Draw!" Yuno glanced at the card. "I'll send a WATER monster from my hand to the graveyard to activate Marincess Coral Triangle's effect. I will add a "Marincess" Trap from my deck to my hand. And then, I will Normal Summon Marincess Blue Tang!" His main playmaker appeared, her blue hair neatly falling around her face.

[Marincess Blue Tang (4*/1500/1200/WATER/Cyberse/Effect)]

"When Blue Tang is Normal or Special Summoned, I can send a "Marincess" monster from my deck to the graveyard." He slid a card into the slot for his graveyard. "And I will activate the effect of Marincess Mandarin in my graveyard. I will revive her to Coral Triangle's bottom-right Link Marker!" The pink-haired girl in an orange outfit appeared, high-fiving Blue Tang. "But she is banished when she leaves the field." The small girl faceplanted.

[Marincess Mandarin (1*/100/100/WATER/Cyberse/Effect)]

"I will then set the Scale 3 Marincess Knifejaw in the Pendulum Scale." One of the pillars of light rose up, shining with bright blue light, as the dark grey-haired girl appeared, spinning around knives with a smirk. "Then, I will open the circuit of the limitless ocean again!" Yuno declared. "Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are three monsters with different names, including a Link Monster! I will set Marincess Blue Tang, Marincess Coral Triangle and Marincess Mandarin in the Link Markers! Cybernetic dragon that crosses into reality! Now, infuse yourself with the ocean waves that crash against the shore, and pull the world into your magnetic field! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 3! Magnetic Current Link Dragon!"

The purple and blue dragon appeared, floating in front of him with metallic wings.

[Magnetic Current Link Dragon (L3/2500/WATER/Dragon/Link/Effect/←, ↓, →)]

Yuji winced in visible discomfort. So did Yuno. Something about the feeling of bringing out this dragon in the presence of this boy with the same face as him… it felt wrong. It made his brain itch.

And then, suddenly, the pressure lessened.

---

From the ledge directly above the two boys, Serena frowned as her bracelet began to shine dimly.

"What's that?" Kurosaki asked.

Serena shrugged. "Don't know," she said. For a moment, she looked back down at the two boys, though she didn't know why. Then, she faced their opponents again. "Let's stay focused."

---

Yuno lifted his head again, smiling. "Knifejaw's effect," he said. "She inflicts 400 damage to you times Magnetic Current's Link Rating." Three knives were thrown out at Yuji.

Yuji: 4000 - 400 x 3 = 2800LP

"And then, Magnetic Current is treated as a "Marincess" monster while face-up on the field." Yuno chuckled. "Of course, Battle Ocean misses timing, as it always does, since Magnetic Current wasn't a "Marincess" monster when it was Link Summoned. But he still gets the boost of 200 attack points!"

[Magnetic Current Link Dragon: 2500 + 200 = 2700ATK]

"Plus, Blue Tang will let me excavate the top three cards of my deck and add a "Marincess" card from among them to my hand." Yuno picked up a card from among the top three cards. "Magnetic Current will attack Dante!" After all, the theme of the cards his opponent was using was apparent by now—Yuji wanted his monsters to be sent to the graveyard, so he'd probably send his cards there himself. To leave Dante on the field was to allow Yuji to mill three more cards. "Circuit Breaker!" The electric waves shot forward, blasting away Dante. Since the man was in Defense Position, Yuji didn't take any damage.

"Since Dante was sent to the graveyard, I can add a "Burning Abyss" card from my graveyard to my hand. Generous Retrieval." Yuji revealed the card. "The Terminus of the Burning Abyss."

That card must have been sent to the graveyard with Cagna's effect…

"I'll end my turn," Yuno called.

"You added a Trap to your hand, and that monster is treated as a Link 3 "Marincess" monster," Yuji pointed out calmly. "Interesting."

[Turn 4: Yuji] [H:7]

"Draw!" He glanced at the card. "I will activate the Spell Card, The Terminus of the Burning Abyss. I will perform a Fusion Summon using Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, Draghig, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss in my hand."

A Fusion Summon?

"Woe to you, depraved spirits! Hope not ever to see Heaven. I have come to lead you to the other shore; into eternal darkness; into fire and into ice. And thou, who are there alive, depart thee from these who are dead. Fusion Summon! Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss!" The Fusion Monster appeared, much to Yuno's… well, not really to his shock. It wasn't that shocking that someone fighting for the Fusion Dimension would have a Fusion Monster.

[Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss (9*/2800/2500/LIGHT/Fairy/Fusion/Effect)]

"Cir's effect. I can revive a "Burning Abyss" monster. Come back to the field, Dante." The other form of Dante reappeared on the field, next to his stronger counterpart. "Draghig places a "Burning Abyss" card on top of the deck." Yuji revealed a card in his hand. "I will activate the effect of Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss. I can discard a card and draw a card. I will discard Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and draw a card."

And since he used Draghig's effect beforehand, that was just a free search for any "Burning Abyss" card…

"Since Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss was sent to the graveyard, I will Special Summon a "Burning Abyss" monster from my deck. Come—Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss." The white-haired demon appeared, with blue flames forming around it.

[Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (3*/1200/0/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

Now, Yuji had four monsters on his field—Dante, Dante (again), Alich and Barbar.

"I will activate the Ritual Spell, Sins Cast into the Burning Abyss."

Ah. There it was.

"I will tribute the Level 3 Alich from my field. Then, since you control a monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, I can also tribute a monster from my deck! I will tribute the Level 3 Cagna from my deck!" The two cards both dissolved into dark streaks. "Love, which pardons no one loved from loving in return, seized me for his beauty so strongly that, as you see, it still does not abandon me. Ritual Summon! Level 6! Francesca, Noblewoman of the Burning Abyss!"

A beautiful woman with long, curly brown hair appeared on his field, her body slightly translucent, similar to Sea Butterfly. She was dressed in a lovely blue dress, and she held out a wooden staff, a brave and determined look on her face.

[Francesca, Noblewoman of the Burning Abyss (6*/2000/2500/DARK/Spellcaster/Ritual/Effect)

"Cagna sends another "Burning Abyss" Spell or Trap from my deck to the graveyard, and Alich will negate the effects of your dragon." If it was anything like Empty Abyss, Yuji wanted none of that. The dragon let out a roar as it was shrouded in shadows. "Attack his dragon, Pilgrim!" The Fusion Monster dashed forward, slamming down a hand covered in light towards Magnetic Current's head.

"I will banish Marincess Crown Tail from my graveyard," Yuno declared. "And since the total Link Rating of "Marincess" monsters in my graveyard is 7—Coral Triangle, Sea Butterfly, Sea Angel, Blue Slug—I don't take any damage that is less than 7000 this turn!"

"A card that only gets stronger as you continue dueling," Yuji said. "Interesting." Dante destroyed Magnetic Current. Yuno held up a hand to shield himself, his heart thudding for a moment. He didn't take any damage, though.

"You may have negated Magnetic Current's effect on the field, but its effect still triggers in the graveyard! When Magnetic Current Link Dragon is sent to the graveyard, I can set a Trap from my graveyard to my field, and it can be activated this turn! Aquatic Resurgence!" A set card appeared on the field.

"That's just Marincess Circulation." Yuji shrugged. "No point in attacking when you don't take damage. I end my turn—Scarm, who was sent to the graveyard this turn, lets me add a Level 3 DARK Fiend monster from my deck to my hand again."

Yuno drew a card as well.

[Turn 5: Yuno] [H:4]

An Xyz, Fusion and Ritual Monster on his opponent's field, along with another monster…

"I will activate the effect of Marincess Coral Triangle in my graveyard. Since I control no monsters, I can banish her from my graveyard to revive WATER Link Monsters who have a total Link Rating of 3! Bermuda Reincarnation!" A green portal appeared in front of him. "I will revive Magnetic Current Link Dragon!" His dragon swam out, perfectly composed and ready for battle. "However, I cannot Special Summon monsters this turn, except for WATER monsters."

"No wonder you weren't bothered," Yuji said after a moment. "You could bring your ace back."

Magnetic Current roared, and Yuno turned to him, somewhat surprised. He could… understand. Not his dragon's roar—it wasn't in any comprehensible human language. But the feelings in that roar… that much was something he understood.

He knew what Magnetic Current was saying, but he didn't understand why.

"You're making her cry."

What did that mean?

"Are you going to continue with your turn?' Yuji asked, and Yuno blinked. Right.

He pointed to Pilgrim.

"I will activate Magnetic—"

"Pilgrim cannot be targeted by card effects," Yuji replied.

Yuno promptly face-planted the ground.

"... well, never mind." He had been hoping… oh well. In that case, he decided not to even use the effect, since technically, he hadn't declared a target for it yet.

He glanced at his field.

"Marincess Circulation!" He called, flipping over his set card. "I will return Magnetic Current Link Dragon to the Extra Deck, and Special Summon a Link 3 "Marincess" Link Monster from my Extra Deck. It cannot attack directly this turn, and it cannot be destroyed by battle!" His ace turned into three streams of water that flowed back into his Extra Deck. "Come—Circuit Combine, Link Summon, Link 3! Marincess Marbled Rock!" The cycle was complete, and the first Link 3 monster that he had Link Summoned this turn appeared on his field.

[Marincess Marbled Rock (L3/2500/WATER/Cyberse/Link/←, ↓, →)]

"I will activate Battle Ocean's effect—"

"I will activate Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss's effect," Yuji responded all of a sudden. "I will send a "Burning Abyss" card from my hand to the graveyard to draw a card."

Huh? It was a Quick Effect? So that meant that he could interfere with Yuno even on his turn?

Yuno grimaced. "I will chain Knifejaw's effect! I will inflict 400 damage to you times Marbled Rock's Link Rating!" Three more knives shot towards Yuji, costing him more life points, the waves knocking him to the floor.

Yuji: 2800 - 400 x 3 = 1600LP

Yuno gestured to Battle Ocean. Sea Butterfly, Sea Angel and Blue Slug attached themselves to Marbled Rock as Equip Cards.

"More burn damage…" Yuji seemed almost annoyed as he picked himself back up. He revealed the card that he had sent to the graveyard. "Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss. I will banish a face-up monster you control until the End Phase. So you don't get to take back another card from your graveyard with Marbled Rock's effect!"

Yuno frowned as his monster was banished.

Now then, what should he do? His field was empty again.

"I will activate the Spell Card, Marincess Dive," Yuno called. "I cannot Special Summon non-WATER monsters this turn. Then, I can Special Summon a "Marincess" monster from my deck!" A whirlpool appeared in front of him. "Marincess Basilalima!" An auburn-haired girl in a modest green long-sleeved blouse appeared, a cream-coloured skirt around her legs, with a red and white inner layer. She was wearing blue pants and black leggings.

[Marincess Basilalima (4*/600/2100/WATER/Cyberse/Effect)]

"Basilalima's effect," Yuno continued. "I will banish a "Marincess" Trap from my graveyard to add another "Marincess" Trap from my deck to my hand."

One step at a time…

"I will open the circuit of the limitless ocean again! Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are a non-Link WATER monster! I'll use Basilalima to Link Summon! Water, flow like humour and shoot into the brightened abyss! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 1! Marincess Clownfish Confit!" An orange and white-haired girl appeared, with some curls around her face. She was bouncing on her feet and winking. She had bright red eyes, with a boa of anemone and coral around her neck.

[Marincess Clownfish Confit (L1/700/WATER/Cyberse/Link/Effect/→)]

"Clownfish Confit can tribute herself to revive a non-Link Monster in my graveyard," she said. "I will revive Marincess Blue Tang!" The blue-haired girl resurfaced. "I will use her effect and send another "Marincess" monster from my deck to the graveyard."

Yuno closed his eyes, pinching his nose.

He had no clue how he was going to defeat his opponent right now. Against a field like this, even before his opponent had brought out his ace… the sheer amount of card advantage on the field for Yuji was apparent. The reason that he had even brought out Clownfish Confit was to increase the number of Link Monsters in his graveyard, but even then…

"I will banish Marincess Sea Star from my graveyard to Special Summon Marincess Springirl from my hand!" A girl with dark blue hair appeared, dressed in pretty silks.

[Marincess Springirl (4*/1200/1000/WATER/Cyberse/Effect)]

"I will activate the Trap Card, Fire Lake of the Burning Abyss," Yuji called. "I will send Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss and Barbar from my field to the graveyard. I can then destroy three cards you control. I will destroy Marincess Blue Tang, Marincess Springirl and your Marincess Battle Ocean."

"If monsters I control would be destroyed by card effects, I can banish Basilalima from the graveyard to negate it!" Battle Ocean was still torn apart though. He was in a worse situation than before.

"Very well." Yuji gestured to his graveyard. "Traveler's effect. I will add a "Burning Abyss" card from my graveyard to my hand. And with Barbar's effect, I will banish Fire Lake, Cagna and Draghig from the graveyard to inflict 300 damage to you for each!" Three balls of flame shot back at him, depleting more of his life points.

Yuno: 3200 - 300 x 3 = 2300LP

And then, Yuno heard a roar again, even though his ace wasn't on the field. You're making her cry.

"Who?" He asked quietly. Magnetic Current roared again.

And Yuno understood, all of a sudden.

"Do you believe in Duel Spirits?" Yuno asked after a moment. Yuji raised an eyebrow.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Humour me for a moment."

Yuji frowned, but he responded after a moment. "I know that Duel Spirits are real," he said. "I've seen some monsters do… odd things. Including my own, of course."

"... my dragon," Yuno said after a moment, "tells me that you're making yours cry."

"Making my dragon cry?" Yuji's frown became a little less cold for a moment. "I don't… understand."

"You said that you hadn't summoned that dragon in a while," Yuno said. His heart was thudding from the understanding—some part of him was upset at the idea that this dragon was being mistreated, even if he had never met her. "But does that mean that you've just… ignored her? Even though she's your partner, even though she's one of a kind? Have you never tried to talk to her? Have you never used her even when she asked you to?"

"... the one time that I summoned her, it was against a common thug who was trying to rob me," Yuji recalled. "I barely had a full deck at all. I was just fighting tooth and nail… she was the only strong card I had. And when I summoned her, she mauled my opponent. Afterwards, I just… didn't use her."

"And that was wrong of her," Yuno said. "But she was likely angry at that human for your sake. So you could've talked things out with her. You didn't need to hide her away and abandon her when she was likely scared for you!" There was a sense of fierceness in his voice.

My deck.

Help me prove a point. I want to show him the strength of a duelist and their monsters when they properly work together. He has the skill, but there is no heart in his dueling at all.

… heh. So strong right now without any intention. How strong would he be if he truly had a reason to duel for himself?

And then…

He saw the image of a monster in his mind.

… I understand.

"I will open the circuit of the limitless sea!" He called. "Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two WATER monsters! I will set Marincess Springirl and Marincess Blue Tang in the Link Markers! Appear now, colourful idol of the reef! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 2! Marincess Coral Anemone!" The orange-haired woman appeared, bravely striking out with a hand.

[Marincess Coral Anemone (L2/2000/WATER/Cyberse/Link/Effect/←, ↓)]

"Blue Tang's effect," Yuno continued. "I will excavate the top three cards of my deck and add a "Marincess" card to my hand. And then, Coral Anemone will revive a WATER monster with 1500 or less attack points from my graveyard to her Link Marker! Return—Marincess Springirl! And then, I will Normal Summon Marincess Sea Horse!"

The two monsters appeared on her field.

"Open, circuit of the limitless ocean!" With the sound of a wave crashing against a wall—like a water leaking through a dam that was slowly creaking open, the circuit burst forth above him. "Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are at least two WATER monsters! I will set the Link 2 Marincess Coral Anemone, along with Marincess Springirl and Marincess Sea Horse, in the Link Markers!" Rainbow light streamed through the water that flowed up into the circuit above him.

I see it! That light within reach.

"Light splits forth through the invitation of the great reef," Yuno chanted. "Unimaginable colours, split-second reflections, all which exist within a second of time! Now, lady of the shimmering waters! Shine forth! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 4! Marincess Great Bubble Reef!"

A beautiful woman with long aquamarine hair appeared, a confident smile on her face. Her eyes were bright red. There were two gold dagger-like pieces over her ears. She was wearing a neat kimono with different shades of blue. She had pastel pink ribbons wrapped around her shoulders and arms. In her right hand was a dark pink staff in the shape of a flower.

[Marincess Great Bubble Reef (L4/2600/WATER/Cyberse/Link/Effect/←, ↙, ↓, →)]

The woman turned to him and nodded serenely.

Link 4, huh? A higher Link Rating than any monster Yuno currently had.

"I will activate the effect of Springirl," Yuno continued. "I will send a card from the top of my deck to the graveyard for each of the "Marincess" monsters I control—just one. Then, for every "Marincess" card sent to the graveyard, I inflict 200 damage to you!" He revealed the top card of his deck, and then, a small blast of water shot towards Yuji.

Yuji: 1600 - 200 = 1400LP

"Coral Anemone lets me add a "Marincess" card from my graveyard to my hand." Obviously, Yuno had lost Battle Ocean for now, so he couldn't boost Great Bubble Reef to quite the ridiculous level that he could've easily done with it. He could've added Battle Ocean to his hand with Coral Anemone's effect, but… that might leave his field more vulnerable. He would rather add the card that Springirl had sent to the graveyard, to guarantee his own safety on the next turn. He could still win this turn even without Battle Ocean.

Anyway…

"Then, Great Bubble Reef's effect! I will send a WATER monster from my hand to the graveyard to Special Summon a "Marincess" monster that is banished! Elegant Ocean Illusion!" The bubbles parted, and then, Marincess Coral Triangle reappeared, floating behind her.

[Marincess Coral Triangle (L3/1500/WATER/Cyberse/Link/Effect/↙, ↑, ↘)]

"I will send a WATER monster from my hand to the graveyard for Marincess Coral Triangle's effect," Yuno continued. "I will add a "Marincess" Trap to my hand."

He immediately activated the card that he had just added to his hand, leaving him with only one card in hand.

"And I will activate the Trap Card, Marincess Cascade from my hand, since I control a Link 3 or higher "Marincess" monster! I will banish Marincess Coral Triangle from the field until the next Standby Phase, and grant Great Bubble Reef 300 attack points times Coral Triangle's Link Rating! And Great Bubble Reef gains 600 more attack points with her own effect, whenever a monster is banished!"

[Marincess Great Bubble Reef: 2600 + 300 x 3 + 600 = 4100ATK]

"4100 attack points…" Yuji murmured. I was hoping to use Francesca's effects on his monster last turn, but I didn't realise that Link Monsters had no Defense Position. Looks like I can't use her effect at all.

"I will have Great Bubble Reef attack your Francesca! World-Crashing Ripples!"

"If this attack goes through, I lose." Yuji frowned. "I already used Dante's effect. I guess this is my only choice." He clearly hadn't expected Yuno to be able to bring out such a strong monster—and considering the sheer amount of removal that Yuno had to wade through just to get here, he wasn't wrong. If not for that strange resonance with his deck, Yuno might not have been able to do anything.

To his surprise though—

Yuji leapt for an Action Card.

Immediately, knowing that he was too far from Yuji to interfere with him, Yuno moved for an Action Card nearby as well.

Both of them slammed the cards on their duel disks at nearly the same time.

"Action Card, High Dive!" Yuji called. "Francesca gains 1000 attack points!"

[Francesca, Noblewoman of the Burning Abyss: 2000 + 1000 = 3000ATK]

"Action Card, Bubble Bomb Memory!" Yuno responded. "I can inflict double the damage of an instance of effect damage this turn to you! I will double Knifejaw's effect damage this turn and inflict it to you, for a total of 2400 damage!"

Yuji hopped up a couple of rocks, the Pilgrim boosting him up as he grabbed an Action Card from a stalagmite. "Action Card, Flame Guard! I reduce an instance of effect damage to zero!" He cancelled out the damage. Yuno grimaced for a moment, before the brunette woman on Yuji's field was destroyed by Great Bubble Reef's attack.

Yuji: 1400 - 1100 = 300LP

"Since Francesca was sent to the graveyard, I can add another "Burning Abyss" Spell or Trap from my graveyard to my hand," Yuji explained, picking up a card from his graveyard.

"I'll set a card and end my turn," Yuno said. Marbled Rock reappeared on his field.

"... I apologise," Yuji said after a moment. "You deserved to win there—I had no outs to your monster."

"Don't apologise to me," Yuno said with a reassuring smile. "You've done nothing wrong to me, Yuji Fujita. Even if you've hurt others… you haven't done anything to me. And while I might be angry on their behalf… I think you are someone that needs to be saved too." He chuckled. "And, I mean… they say that Action Cards are the symbol of Standard's dueling. I don't agree with that in terms of the cards themselves—they are a crutch—but symbolically, they are the representation of their philosophy. The importance of entertaining and performing for others, beyond the duel itself."

"Do you agree with that?" Yuji said, sounding genuinely curious.

"... nothing is more important than the duel itself," Yuno said with a chuckle. "I mean, it's a fun gimmick… but nothing more than that to me. But anyway, back to the duel. Don't apologise to me for using the tools that you have to win. That's practicality, isn't it? I'm not the one you need to apologise to."

[Turn 6: Yuji] [H:5]

Yuji glanced at his deck. On his field, Dante was still there, but the Pilgrim was the only monster left on his field.

'I'm not the one you need to apologise to.'

Is that true? Are you truly so upset at me? He wanted to ask. This dragon was an enigma to him—he certainly knew that she was alive, which was why he had asked her aloud to be kind to Kyorin. At the same time, he had never tried to reach out. Not out of hatred, not out of anything like that. He had never despised her. He had simply just not been willing to risk the safety of others around him. And he had never enjoyed dueling anyway.

He picked up the top card of his deck—and he saw her card immediately.

… oh.

He held onto the card, and felt a wave of reassurance wash over him—and at the same time, sorrow.

Oh.

"You don't hate me," he said after a moment. "You hate yourself for scaring me… and you love me. You think of me as your partner."

He heard the dragon's melodic roar in his head.

Right.

Before Chiaki, there was someone else who wanted to protect me too.

Even after ignoring her for so long, she still wants to fight by my side.

It's been ten years, and yet when I needed her in my duel with Kyorin, she showed up and did her best.

This kind of unconditional care…

I have never felt worthy of it. Not from Chiaki. And not from this dragon. But even so…

"... I am sorry," he said. He glanced at Yuno's field. "Let's win this, then. I still don't quite have the heart for this…"

Empty Abyss roared encouragingly.

"I don't have the heart for much." Yuji closed his eyes. "But if you want victory… I suppose part of my apology will be to bring us there."

He opened his eyes again.

I was the empty one all along. And you simply wanted to help me.

"Have you come to an accord with her?" Yuno asked cheerfully. "I will use Great Bubble Reef's effect. During either player's Standby Phase, I can banish a WATER monster from my graveyard to draw a card. I will banish Springirl from my graveyard to draw a card! And since a monster was banished, Great Bubble Reef gains 600 attack points until the End Phase!"

[Marincess Great Bubble Reef: 2600 + 600 = 3200ATK]

So he now had a monster that would draw him a free card every turn and net him an absurd amount of field advantage.

Yuji glanced at his hand again.

"I will activate Dante's effect," he declared for the start of his turn. "For the cost, I will send Farfa from my hand to the graveyard—"

"Set card, Marincess Ripples," Yuno replied immediately. "I will pay 300 life points times the "Marincess" Link Monster with the highest Link Rating that I control, and negate the effects of all face-up monsters you currently control that were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, and for the rest of the turn, my monsters are unaffected by your card effects." A wave of water spread across the field, sealing away Dante's effects.

Yuno: 2300 - 300 x 4 = 1100LP

Yuji frowned. He had discarded Farfa to banish Great Bubble Reef, but now, he couldn't draw or banish his opponent's monster.

He still had four cards in his hand though, so he wasn't done.

He had to beat Great Bubble Reef or Marbled Rock through battle, due to the lingering effects of that Trap. Yuno only had 1400 life points left. If not for that Trap, Yuji would have won easily.

As it stood, Malacoda wouldn't be enough either, since his effect weakened the opposing monster—

A flash of something echoed in his mind. A heartbeat. Yuno flinched as well.

Yuji understood, all of a sudden.

Perhaps it was the will of his cards, who he had ignored for a decade.

Perhaps it was just his own empty heart, reaching back out to reflect another's intentions for the first time.

"I will activate the effect of Good & Evil in the Burning Abyss," Yuji called. "I will banish it from the graveyard, and discard a "Burning Abyss" card to add another from my deck to my hand. And since I discarded Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, I can Special Summon a "Burning Abyss" monster from my graveyard. Come back, Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!" The dark canine demon appeared on his field, wings ripping outwards.

[Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (3*/1000/1500/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"I will then Normal Summon Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss." The viking-like demon appeared in front of him.

Then…

"Open, circuit of the blazing abyss," Yuji said calmly. Yuno's eyes widened, and then his smile grew slightly—seeming excited to see Yuji's new monster. "Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two Level 3 monsters! I will set Graff and Barbar in the Link Markers! The heavens, that their beauty not be lessened, have cast them out, nor will deep Hell receive them—even the wicked cannot glory in them." His chant was entirely improvised, which perhaps proved how much of a literature nerd he was. He placed the two cards in his graveyard, before pulling out the card from his Extra Deck and placing it in the Extra Monster Zone, the way that he had seen Yuno do it. "Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 2! Cherubini, Ebon Angel of the Burning Abyss!"

On the field, a creature with two bull-like heads appeared on the field, resembling a minotaur with sleek black hide and two heads. Two long sable black wings stretched out behind it, its right hand covered in aquamarine energy as it stepped down onto the ground with its two slender human legs. A long, jagged sword surrounded by orange and red energy slashed through the air, held by the creature's left hand—

And then, it raised its head, revealing that neither of the bull heads was truly its head. Rather, it was a human head with long bright red hair.

[Cherubini, Ebon Angel of the Burning Abyss (L2/500/DARK/Fairy/Link/Effect/↙, ↘)]

"You have a Link Monster…"

"I didn't have it before this moment," Yuji said. To his surprise, Yuno chuckled.

"Yeah," he said. He nodded towards Great Bubble Reef. "Me neither. And I don't understand it, but I'm guessing that neither do you."

"Yes."

"Then…" Yuno shrugged. "Am I the first person to see this then? The first manifestation of a part of your dueling that belongs to you?"

"... maybe. I still don't know if…" Yuji held up the two monsters that he had used as material. "I will use Barbar's effect to banish Graff, Cir and Francesca from the graveyard to inflict 300 damage to you for each."

Yuno: 1100 - 300 x 3 = 200LP

"I will activate Graff's effect too, to Special Summon a copy of Cagna from the deck." Cagna appeared on his field, right by Dante's side.

[Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (3*/1500/300/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"I will then use Cherubini's effect," Yuji continued. "By sending a Level 3 monster to the graveyard, I can increase the attack and defense points of a "Burning Abyss" monster I control by that monster's attack and defense points. Abyssal Darkening!" He revealed the card that he had sent to the graveyard. "My final copy of Cagna. So Dante will gain its attack and defense points!"

[Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss: 2800 + 1500 = 4300ATK; 2500 + 300 = 2800DEF)]

"Dante will attack Marincess Marbled Rock!" Yuji called, aiming directly for the kill. Dante dashed forward.

"I will activate Marbled Rock's effect—" Yuno called, ready to fight back—

And then, all around them, the world changed. All of their monsters faded from sight. The city was just Maiami City again—and it seemed that their duel had been cut off by the sudden ending of the Battle Royale.

---

Above them, Serena's bracelet stopped glowing.

---

Yuji and Yuno stared at each other.

"You asked Serena Akaba to let you handle me," Yuji said, the two of them simply standing there in a world that they did not belong in. Neither of them had ever wanted to be in this war—and there was even a chance that they might never have been, if not for their extraordinary circumstances. "But you also said that I didn't do anything wrong to you. So why did you…"

"... I'll tell you a story too," Yuno said. He had overheard Yuji's confession, after all, even though he had just been hiding back and trying to destroy the wall of fire. An explanation that might have been owed to everyone else there, but not him, not the person who didn't even know Yuji Fujita. "If you're willing to listen? It's a short one."

He braced himself, and he reached out for those memories that he had shunned. The moment that he even tried to bring them up, he felt himself come close to breaking down again, but he forced himself to carry through.

No matter how painful these memories were for him, they were still words that he felt might help someone else.

How could he hold them back, if that was the case?

---

There was once a boy. He looked up to his older brother, and so did most of the other people around them.

However, one day, the boy's older brother was kidnapped. Nervous and afraid, the boy ignored everyone else around him. To him, this was the only person who had ever loved him. The only person who had ever been genuine with him, who had never lied about their affection for him.

So he closed himself off…

And then, his brother was found, but his brother couldn't speak. He, along with five other kids, had been put through horrible experiments, the details of which weren't disclosed to their families. He would never wake up again.

So the boy ran.

And then, the boy ran and ran until he met another family, who was kind to him. The mother of the family had walked out a year prior, but they still had so much love to give, despite that.

The boy wanted to trust them, but he was afraid. He was afraid to love and lose again. And he was afraid that he was not worthy of the love of others.

Then, he met a girl. And… at a single look, he could tell that something deep within the girl was lost. That the girl had been saved from something. It was the look of someone that had tiptoed close to the abyss that the boy's brother had fallen into, but been pulled back at the last moment.

The boy reached out to the girl, and he was saved by her, pulled away from the abyss of his own self-hatred.

And, six years later, the boy found out that apparently, by reaching out his hand, he had saved the girl too, from demons that he didn't even know about.

---

"No matter how confident or cold you are," Yuno concluded, making direct eye contact with Yuji, "it is the nature of people to save each other. And… people who have been saved before always recognise those that need to be saved, too. So. I wanted to understand what I saw in you. This pain, this despair, this loneliness and this emptiness."

"I have done a lot of unforgivable things," Yuji said tersely.

"I'm sure you have." Yuno took a step closer. "And now, I understand that I cannot currently save you. There is only one person who can save you, only one person who matters to you so much that you would take her hand, and I am not her. But I am letting you know that I understand the pain that comes with the inability to walk one way or another. Because knowing that someone understands might make your path a little easier."

"... you have no reason to want to save me," Yuji said. "Spare me your altruism."

"Oh, altruism's the wrong word for it!" Yuno waved his hands through the air. "I'm selfish. I can't stand to see someone else suffer, or be unhappy, but that's entirely because of myself, don't you see? Even strangers matter because they are part of the world that I exist in. If I can do something to make a single person happier, then it's worth it, because seeing people happy makes me happy too."

He pressed a hand to his chest firmly.

"So. When you're finally able to walk away—there is a place for you, and for her here. I'll fight for you to have the right to fight against those who oppressed you."

A small smile formed on Yuji's face. It was only there for the briefest of moments—but to Yuno, that was a kind of hope too.

Then, Yuji looked at his duel disk.

"... I'm the last member of Academia in your dimension," Yuji said after a moment of deliberation—clearly telling Yuno something that he wasn't supposed to reveal. "My duel disk lost the signal of my 'partner''s duel disk around an hour ago… he stopped in the Iceberg Area."

And—

Yuno's heart sank.

"Our goal here was to retrieve Serena Akaba, Yuzu Hiiragi and Miharu Kogami," Yuji elaborated. "Thus, a different group went to every sector. We confirmed that Miharu Kogami was either in the Iceberg or Volcano Area. If she isn't here, and neither is Yuri—"

And Yuzu was missing too.

Did that mean—if Miharu saw Yuzu in trouble, she would have stepped in—

No.

Miharu wouldn't lose to anyone. No one—

"I hope for your sake that I'm wrong," Yuji said. "But if I'm not… I hope that you'll be reunited with her. From your face, she's just as important to you as Chiaki is to me." He turned around. "... I have to go back now."

He teleported away.

Yuno just stood there, his mind stuck in horror.

No. No.

When he came to his senses, he was on his knees, his hand furiously slamming against the screen of his duel disk. The screen was displaying Miharu's tracking program, and those three mocking words. His throat felt raw. In the distance, there was someone screaming.

'Location not found.'

"Yuno!" There was a voice calling his name in the background, getting closer and closer. (Later, Yuno would recognise that this was what had awoken him from his stupor in the first place.) Yuno didn't reply to them, weakly pressing his hand against his screen again. The words didn't change. The voice got closer. "Yuno! Yuno, stop!" The voice was actually rather calm, but Yuno didn't calm down at all.

He then finally recognised the scream. It was his own. A long, tortured, horrified scream that had torn itself from his throat, with this absolute helplessness. He slammed his fist against the ground, in an open display of frustration (but not fury) that he hadn't had since he was a child.

She's gone she's gone we ran so far to keep each other safe but in the end she disappeared while I wasn't looking It's like Chikyu again help me help me I will drown them all until I find her—

A pair of arms wrapped around him tightly, stopping him from hurting himself more. His scream was cut off by a firm press of a hand to his chest, causing him to let out a painful, raw cough. At the same time, air managed to find its way back into his lungs, and he gained some level of clarity—enough to stop thrashing around.

"Breathe, Yuno." The voice said soothingly. "Come on, match my voice. In, out. In, out."

Yuno slowly listened to the voice, and his breathing managed to slowly get back to normal.

"There you go. I'm going to slowly let go of you, alright?" The voice was rather calm. "Yuto, do you have the wet cloth?"

"Yeah." As the person behind him slowly let go of him, a wet cloth was pressed into Yuno's hands. The feeling of holding onto something grounded him somewhat to reality—the shock and panic was slowly beginning to subside.

"Alright. Slowly lift your head, Yuno. You're alright."

Yuno lifted his head, meeting the concerned gazes of Yuto Kamisoka and Hitoda Makishima. Hitoda was clearly the one who had hugged him, while the cloth he was holding was Yuto's red scarf. Yuto was holding onto a bottle of water, which he had clearly used to dampen the cloth.

Yuno still felt absolutely shaken.

Yuto reached down with a hand, patting his shoulder slowly. "Take your time," he said kindly. (He must have been used to comforting people who were panicking like this.)

"Yuno!" Yuya and Gongenzaka rushed over from nearby. There were some others nearby, but those were the only two that Yuno currently had the energy to notice. "Yuno, are you alright?"

Yuno opened his mouth, exhausted but about to reply—

"—I saw all of your duels."

All of them fell silent—every single person standing there in the city that had been their battlefield for the entire past day. They all turned to look at the tall, grey-haired young man that was walking into the place that had previously been the Volcano Area. Next to him was the ninja that had helped to get Serena and Kurosaki away. At this point, more people had reached the area—and Yuno realised with some dismay that from the way that Reiji Akaba was talking, these were the only people who had survived the Battle Royale.

The reactions across the area to Reiji's appearance were mixed. Yuya and Gongenzaka were just confused—after all, they hadn't known about Reiji Akaba's plans to combat Academia prior to this. They were perhaps two of the only four people here to have been clueless before this. Mion, who also hadn't known anything beforehand, had a softer expression than before at the sight of him. Dennis just looked completely perplexed, as did the girl on his back, who was decidedly not a member of this Battle Royale. Kurosaki, Serena and Nue all stared at Reiji with clear suspicion. Yuno couldn't see either Hitoda or Yuto's faces, but he was pretty sure that neither of them were particularly happy to see him either.

Only one person remained oblivious.

"You came at a good time!" Sawatari said cheerfully. "I chased out that group of Academia soldiers with the help of these mooks, just like you asked me to!"

From the side, Mion levied a glare at Reiji when she heard Sawatari's words.

"I guess that makes me one of your Lancers now?"

"Lancers?" Gongenzaka said with a baffled expression.

"Huh? Didn't you know?" Sawatari turned to look at him. "This Battle Royal was a selection exam for the Lancers—Duel Soldiers to fight against Academia."

"Exam?" Yuya turned around to look at Reiji, looking shocked. "What do you mean by that? Is that true, Reiji Akaba? You—did you know that those duelists from Academia were going to show up from the start? Did you intend for us to face off against Academia from the start?"

Yuno thought about how Miharu had apparently encountered Serena, who was from Academia, before him. Had Miharu known more about what was going to happen today than she had let on?

He lifted the red cloth to his face, pressing it to his face to try and stop himself from falling back into that same state of shock as before.

"I did know that the Obelisk Force was arriving today. Thus, I made the decision to change this tournament's final to a Battle Royale throughout the city. It was my hope that the enemy invasion could be fought off without endangering this city's people." Reiji adjusted his glasses. "Thus, the onus fell on you."

"Why us? Why not the Senior Division?" Yuya asked, taking another step forward. "Why not the Pro Duelists?"

"Don't be so hasty, Sakaki!" Sawatari took a step forward. "The Senior division was sent out to fight them initially. However, they were wiped out completely—with only one survivor, but that survivor was too traumatised to fight after nearly dying."

"And not just wiped out," Reiji shared. "The Obelisk Force defeated three of them. The Ritual duelist who some of you encountered defeated and carded two of them himself, though he was clearly reluctant to do so. And the one that held both Kamisoka-san and Mion back took out three of them in a single turn."

"Someone held back Nue and that girl?" Kurosaki exclaimed.

"They did," Nue confirmed. "I ended it in a draw, but if I didn't, it really could have gone any other way."

"Such skilled duelists, wiped out so quickly," Gongenzaka muttered.

"That's why I was sent to come to your assistance," Sawatari said proudly. "Thanks to my prodigious skill, we were able to drive back the invaders."

"It's the same story for me and Makishima-san here," Yuto said. Yuno saw Sawatari glance over at Yuto and baulk at the sight of his face, though he didn't seem to have noticed Yuno yet. "I insisted on coming out here to help, and she came to assist me. Three of the Obelisk Force were driven back by us as well."

"That explains why you were out here in danger," Nue said with a sigh. "You're too reckless when it comes to protecting others, Yuto…"

"Indeed," Reiji said, drawing everyone's attention to him. "But it seems that I was correct to expect success from all of you, the Junior Youth that have managed to grow alongside the Pendulum. You managed to fend off the invaders in the end. You truly are our anti-Academia Duel Soldiers! You have shown power worthy of the title Lancers!"

"Screw that!"

Yuya's voice defiantly rung through the area.

"To Hell with your Lancers! For something like that, Michio and Teppei, and so many others, they were turned into cards!" His fists were clenched. "And Yuzu… it's your fault that everyone was… that Yuzu was…"

Serena stepped forward. "It's not Reiji Akaba's fault," she said. "If Yuzu was defeated by Academia, then the one to blame is me."

"What do you mean by that?" Gongenzaka asked. "Who are you? Why do you look so much like Yuzu?"

"My name is Serena Akaba," Serena said, drawing sounds of surprise from everyone. "I am a duelist that ran away from Academia."

"She is my adopted sister," Reiji elaborated. "Though I would prefer if we don't discuss my private family business for now." Sawatari, who had been about to accuse Serena of something, deflated instantly, not willing to go directly against Reiji. "All that matters is that she ran away from Academia—and she is now no longer on their side. Isn't that correct?"

"Yes. The Obelisk Force came to this dimension to look for me." Serena frowned. "I'm sure that Yuzu was mistaken for me and taken… and that's not to mention…" She glanced around. "Where is that Kogami girl? Was she taken by the Obelisk Force too?"

Yuno tensed up.

"Kogami?" Sawatari frowned. "You mean that girl who hangs around him all the time?" He gestured to Yuno somewhat condescendingly. "Don't know. Has anyone seen her at all this Battle Royale? She might have been too weak—"

Yuno lunged up in a moment of split-second anger, but a hand gently pressed against his head, pushing him back. Mion walked forward, and then she smacked Sawatari across the head sharply. Sawatari let out a yelp.

"Don't let your pride and self-importance push you into saying things that hurt others," she said firmly. "Sorry, Sugisaki. Forgive him for it."

"Fine," Yuno said. He pulled the red cloth away from his face, watching as Sawatari flinched at the revelation of his face. "For your information, Miharu could defeat you with her eyes closed, Sawatari. Don't ever call her weak again." It was a cruel thing to say, and he immediately regretted it.

"Kogami was one of the people who helped me realise my mistakes, along with Yuzu Hiiragi, who changed clothes with me so that I could meet Kurosaki without being hunted by the Obelisk Force," Serena explained. "That's why I defected."

"Miharu Kogami has the same face as Yuzu Hiiragi and Serena Akaba," Reiji said. "But that's besides the point."

So you're just ignoring the fact that Miharu is missing? You bastard!

"In any case, you all won and survived this ordeal. What we require now is that strength. Instead of mourning those who were defeated, you should take pride that you managed to overcome such strong duelists!"

"Shut up!"

Both Yuya and Yuno shouted this at the same time, surprising everyone. Yuya lunged forward even as he continued to speak. "If you didn't make us fight, then Yuzu wouldn't have… give everyone back!" He tried to punch Reiji, who caught his fist.

"If you call yourself a duelist, express your anger not through your fists, but through your duels," Reiji said calmly. He tossed Yuya backwards, even as Gongenzaka cried out Yuya's name.

"Fine! I will!" Yuya sprung up again. "For all of our comrades who were sealed in cards, and for Yuzu… I'll make you grovel at my feet!"

Reiji nodded. "Fine by me. If I lose, I'll repent until you're satisfied."

Yuno simply watched as the duel began. Hitoda pressed a reassuring hand to his shoulder. They all watched as Yuya and Reiji clashed, and then, as Dark Rebellion was summoned, Yuno turned to Yuto for a moment.

"How do you feel?" Yuno asked.

"About this?" Yuto pressed a hand to his heart. "I am… angry at what Reiji Akaba has done. If Yuya wants to defeat him using my dragon… I don't think I'd mind. But I don't think he can do it."

"I don't think he can do it either," Yuno agreed. Yuya was too emotional right now. Yuno didn't even think that he himself was ready to duel.

They heard Yuya dedicate his dueling to Yuzu and Yuto, and Yuno saw a smile form on Yuto's face.

Yuya was defeated, and Reiji walked to his side. The following words about how Yuya wasn't strong enough made half of the people there tense up in anger towards him.

And yet, Yuno could barely move at all.

He stayed motionless throughout the entirety of the following proceedings—walking to the stage, being applauded by the crowd, hearing Reiji Akaba tell them that they would depart in two days and ask them to go to the LDS building the next morning, heading back to LDS. He didn't even put his mask back on.

There were people everywhere. Some people were whispering about him, but before they approached him, he stood up and headed towards the LDS office silently.

---

"Reira, dear," Mion said, patting the young boy's head. "Would you leave the room for a moment? Promise that I'm not angry at you, I just want to talk to your brother."

Reira nodded, picking up his bear and heading out.

The door closed.

"... you're mad at me," Reiji said.

"Fantastic observation," Mion said dryly. "Care to guess what exactly I'm angry at?"

"... putting your brother in danger."

"Specifically, validating his vainglorious attempts to try to show off." Mion rubbed her forehead. "Shingo's going to insist on coming along now, no matter what I tell him, because he's already tied this title you've given him to his own self-worth. My brother is going to throw himself into a mission that he is underqualified for, in a situation that he shouldn't have been in anyway, considering that he was already eliminated earlier in this tournament. And he will do it all of his own choice."

Her voice was bitter. Very different from her usual kindness, and all of it was directed at him.

"You've certainly made a good Duel Soldier out of him, Reiji. I guess I should applaud your efforts."

Reiji jolted up from his desk. "No, I—" Mion looked at him, and he cleared his throat, trying to maintain his composure. "That was not my intention, Mion."

"Wasn't it?" Mion tapped her fingers on the wall of the room—as far away from him as she could possibly be. She was turned halfway away from him, so her expression wasn't visible either. "You told me that the reason you got me to come back was because you needed strong duelists. But you didn't tell me why. You didn't trust me at all, Reiji."

There was something terribly distant to her tone.

"I saw the looks on everyone's faces today. The only other person that didn't have a clue what was going on was Mackfield. Even Yuya Sakaki and Noboru Gongenzaka had known a little about what was happening. Out of the people there, not including the guy who literally doesn't live here, I was the only one that went in completely blind today." Mion glanced away from him. "I can't stand this. The fact that you just aren't willing to say a word about anything… that's the worst part of you!"

The room was silent for a moment.

"Are you done?" Reiji said. It seemed to be the wrong thing to say, because Mion immediately reached out for the doorknob. "Wait."

"I think I've done quite enough waiting—"

"I trust you." Reiji said, his cheeks going slightly red—it was an outburst, despite the calm tone that he had spoken in. "I trust you. It wasn't a problem with you. The reason why everyone else knew was because they were from a different dimension, or they were friends with someone from a different dimension."

Mion's hand moved away from the doorknob after a moment.

"Mion," Reiji said. It was half-imploring, half-hesitant. "I apologise."

Mion closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead. "But you're going to keep doing this anyway," she said. "Hiding your intentions, hiding things from others, making sure that you're the only one with a complete plan. Don't lie to me about it."

"You're right," Reiji said. He stood up, walking closer to Mion. "The truth was, perhaps, also that I hoped you would be safer if I didn't tell you. If I did, I was afraid that you would seek them out and fight them yourself."

"That would, objectively, have kept the rest safe," Mion said. "If I had done that…"

"You would have exhausted yourself and lost to the Academia agent that juggled both you and Kamisoka-san at once."

"… eleven people died today, Reiji," Mion said bluntly. "They are a number to you, but to me, they are people who would have been alive had I known where to go to protect them." She took a step closer to him. "My safety cannot be compared to eleven people who will never see their parents or families again, who died terrified."

"… don't look down on the importance of your own safety."

"I am a girl who no one cares for," Mion pointed out bluntly. "My parents despise me, my brother dislikes me, anyone who I've ever dueled hates me for never holding back against them."

"That's not true," Reiji interrupted. "Because…"

The word lingered in the air for a moment.

"Reira looks up to you too," he said after a moment. "And I… would be displeased to lose you."

"Because I'm capable?"

"Because…"

Reiji's tongue felt stuck. On impulse—to try and stop messing up over and over again, but unable to speak the truth—he reached out for her hand. He held her real, flesh and blood hand, taking it and squeezing it gently. Mion's eyes widened—

The door opened.

They practically jumped away from each other like the other was lava. Yuno Sugisaki, who looked as terrible as he had back when they had seen him in the Action Field, looked at the two of them.

"… sorry?"

"Would you like a cup of water, Sugisaki?" Mion asked. Yuno blinked, and then he cleared his throat and nodded. Mion walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"... what do you need, Sugisaki?"

"I want to know what happened to Miharu," Yuno said after a moment. "There are cameras—and you hinted that Yuzu was somewhere to be saved. Were they taken by Academia?"

Reiji observed the boy, speaking up after a moment. "... what is the reason that you lose all will to live in Miharu Kogami's absence?" It was a rather bold statement, but he felt that it fit. It seemed to hit the nail on the head.

"It's not her absence. It's the fact that I don't know where she is. If I knew, I wouldn't feel as awful as I do now." Yuno shook his head. "It took me a while to even think rationally about what might have happened… so tell me, please." There was a determination that was slowly building in his eyes. Good. Reiji had worried that he had shattered in the absence of his friend, but it seemed that he was right in his assessment of Yuno Sugisaki—a resilient person who truly wished the best for everyone around him. Someone who could pick the pieces back up and keep walking forward.

"... Yuzu Hiiragi was confronted by a duelist from Fusion, and she lost," Reiji said, finally deciding to explain. He would still keep some things close to his chest, but he had just nearly lost his… friend through keeping secrets. And that shattered expression, that panic attack from earlier when Yuno Sugisaki was in the Volcano Area… "Miharu Kogami stepped in to protect her."

"... of course Miharu did," Yuno murmured.

"It was a terrible duel to witness," Reiji recounted. "A struggle—she managed to fight him on somewhat even ground, and every time she almost won, he casually overturned her efforts. But then, suddenly, Yuzu Hiiragi's bracelet glowed and teleported their opponent away."

That must have been the partner that Yuji mentioned.

"A Synchro duelist—one who helped to save the last Senior member—showed up. They talked for a moment, and then as Yuya Sakaki and Noboru Gongenzaka showed up to the iceberg, Yuzu Hiiragi's bracelet teleported the three of them away. They are not in this dimension. Assuming that her bracelet has some strange power that reacts to danger and sends them to somewhere safer…"

"They are likely in the Synchro Dimension," Yuno said with clear relief.

"Yes."

Yuno pressed a hand to his chest, nearly collapsing with relief.

She was safe. For now, Miharu was safe.

"So we're going to the Synchro Dimension first?" He asked.

"Yes. Don't tell the rest about this for now though. I'm only telling you because I feel like you might break apart if I didn't."

"I'm telling Yuya."

"... if you feel that Yuya Sakaki has found the resolve to stand on his own," Reiji said, "you may."

Yuno understood exactly what Reiji meant. After all, while Yuno had been in shock, Yuya had been lost and his mind had been completely clouded by the loss of Yuzu.

"... I will," Yuno said. He clenched his fists. "Reiji Akaba… do you truly think it was right to send us in today, without any knowledge of what would happen to us?"

Reiji closed his eyes. "It was a test," he said. "And if not for you all… the casualties may have been higher."

Yuno nodded stiffly. "I'll be one of your Lancers, as we agreed," he said. "But if we go to Synchro and I find any sign of Miharu, I will go to find her." He cracked a smile, seeming to bounce back to normal—and it was entirely genuine. Just the news that Miharu wasn't in danger seemed to have pulled him back from the edge, and he was alright again. "After all, she's my best friend."

"That's alright." Reiji pushed up his glasses. "After all—Miharu Kogami and Yuzu Hiiragi are Lancers too."

Yuno nodded again. The door opened and Mion walked in, holding out a glass of water. Yuno took it and downed it in a single quick gulp.

"Hope you resolved things peacefully in here while I was gone," Mion said. She ruffled Yuno's hair. "Don't push yourself."

Yuno nodded. He left, and Reiji cleared his throat.

"I should go to sleep too," Mion said, not looking at him. She left, and Reiji sighed.

… well, he might not have screwed things up completely with Yuno Sugisaki, but he had certainly eroded the trust of most of his Lancers.

He still had a lot of cards to finish for the Lancers…

So much to do, so little time.

Well, better to start now than never.

---

Duel 1 Summary: Yuji Fujita vs Yuno Sugisaki

Duel Format: Action Duel

Turn 1: Yuno Sugisaki

Yuno Normal Summons Marincess Sea Horse. (3*/1400/1000) Using Sea Horse, he Link Summons Marincess Blue Slug. (L1/1500/↓) Using Blue Slug's effect, he adds Sea Horse back to his hand. With Sea Horse's effect, he Special Summons her to Blue Slug's Link Marker. Sea Archiver (3*/300/2100) Special Summons herself from the hand to the field since a monster was summoned to a Link Monster's Link Marker. Using Sea Archiver and Sea Horse, he Link Summons Marincess Sea Butterfly (L2/1800/↑, →) to the Main Monster Zone behind Blue Slug. Yuno uses Sea Butterfly's effect to Special Summon Marincess Sea Angel (L1/1000/←) to the middle Main Monster Zone, treating it as a Link Summon. With Sea Angel's effect, Yuno adds the Field Spell, Marincess Battle Ocean to his hand and activates it. Using Blue Slug, Sea Angel and Sea Butterfly, Yuno Link Summons Marincess Marbled Rock. (L3/2500/←, ↓, →) With Battle Ocean's effect, Yuno equips Sea Angel, Blue Slug and Sea Butterfly to Marbled Rock, granting Marbled Rock 600 ATK for each, along with an additional 200 ATK. (MMR: 2500 + 600 x 3 + 200 = 4500ATK) With Marbled Rock's effect, Yuno adds Sea Horse back to his hand. He ends his turn.

Turn 2: Yuji Fujita

Yuji draws. He Normal Summons Tour Guide From the Underworld. (3*/1000/600) With her effect, he Special Summons Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (3*/1000/1900) from his Deck with its effects negated. He uses Tour Guide and Farfa to Xyz Summon Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss (R3/1000/2500/OU:2) in Attack Position. He uses Dante's effect, detaching Farfa and milling Cagna, Graff and Scarm from the top of his deck. Farfa targets Marbled Rock to banish her. Yuno activates Marincess Circulation, targeting Marbled Rock. Yuji chains Cagna and Graff's effects. Graff Special Summons Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (3*/1700/1000) to the field, while Cagna sends a "Burning Abyss" Spell/Trap from the Deck to the GY. Marincess Circulation resolves, allowing Yuno to Special Summon Marincess Coral Triangle (L3/1500/↙, ↑, ↘) from the Extra Deck and treat it as a Link Summon. Farfa's effect misfires. Battle Ocean grants Coral Triangle 200 attack points. (MCT: 1500 + 200 = 1700ATK) Dante attacks Coral Triangle, but Circulation protects her from destruction by battle. [YS: 4000 - 800 = 3200LP] At the end of the Battle Phase, Dante changes to Defense Position. Yuji sets a card facedown and ends his turn. Scarm lets him add a Level 3 DARK Fiend monster from his Deck to his hand.

Turn 3: Yuno Sugisaki

Yuno draws. He sends a WATER monster from his hand to the GY to activate Coral Triangle's effect, adding a "Marincess" Trap from his Deck to his hand. He Normal Summon Marincess Blue Tang (4*/1500/1200) and sends Marincess Mandarin (1*/100/100) to the graveyard, before reviving Mandarin with her own effect. He sets the Scale 3 Marincess Knifejaw in the Pendulum Scale. Then, he uses Marincess Coral Triangle, Marincess Blue Tang and Marincess Mandarin to Link Summon Magnetic Current Link Dragon. (L3/2500/←, ↓, →) Knifejaw's Pendulum Effect makes Magnetic Current a "Marincess" monster, and inflicts 400 damage to Yuji times Magnetic Current's Link Rating. [YF: 4000 - 400 x 3 = 2800LP] Magnetic Current gains 200 ATK from Battle Ocean. (MCLD: 2500 + 200 = 2700ATK) Blue Tang allows Yuno to excavate the top 3 cards of his Deck and add a "Marincess" card from among them to his hand. Magnetic Current attacks and destroys Dante. Dante's effect lets Yuji add a "Burning Abyss" card from his graveyard to his hand. He adds The Terminus of the Burning Abyss from his graveyard to his hand. Yuno ends his turn.

Turn 4: Yuji Fujita

Yuji draws. Yuji activates The Terminus of the Burning Abyss, fusing Scarm, Cir and Draghig in his hand to Fusion Summon Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss (8*/2800/2500) to the field in Attack Position. Cir revives Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss in Attack Position. Draghig places a "Burning Abyss" card on top of the Deck. With Pilgrim's effect, he discards Graff and draws 1 card. Since Graff was sent to the graveyard, Yuji Special Summons Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (3*/1200/0) to the field in Attack Position. He activates the Ritual Spell, Sins Cast into the Burning Abyss, tributing the Level 3 Alich on the field and the Level 3 Cagna in his Deck to Ritual Summon Francesca, Noblewoman of the Burning Abyss (6*/2000/2500) in Attack Position. Cagna sends another "Burning Abyss" Spell or Trap from Yuji's deck to the graveyard. Alich negates Magnetic Current's effect. Pilgrim attacks Magnetic Current. Yuno banishes Marincess Crown Tail from the GY, negating all damage less than 1000 x the total Link Rating of "Marincess" Link Monsters in the GY. (Less than 7000 damage.) Magnetic Current is destroyed. Yuno uses its effect to set Marincess Circulation back to his field. Yuji ends his turn. Scarm adds a Level 3 DARK Fiend monster from his Deck to his hand.

Turn 5: Yuno Sugisaki

Yuno draws. He banishes Coral Triangle from his graveyard to revive Magnetic Current. He activates Marincess Circulation, returning Magnetic Current to the Extra Deck to Special Summon Marincess Marbled Rock from his Extra Deck, treating it as a Link Summon. He activates Battle Ocean's effect. Yuji chains Dante's effect, sending Farfa from the hand to the GY to draw 1 card. Knifejaw's Pendulum Effect is chained. Knifejaw inflicts 400 damage to Yuji times Marbled Rock's Link Rating. [YF: 2800 - 400 x 3 = 1600LP] Battle Ocean equips three Link Monsters to Marbled Rock, who is then banished until the End Phase with Farfa's effect, since it was sent to the GY. He activates the Spell Card, Marincess Dive, Special Summoning Marincess Basilalima (4*/600/2100) from his Deck. He banishes Marincess Circulation from his graveyard to add a "Marincess" Trap from his Deck to his hand with Basilalima's effect. He Link Summons Marincess Clownfish Confit (L1/700/→) to the Extra Monster Zone. He tributes Clownfish Confit to Special Summon Marincess Blue Tang from the GY. With Blue Tang's effect, he sends a "Marincess" monster from the Deck to the GY. He banishes Marincess Sea Star from the GY to Special Summon Marincess Springirl (4*/1200/1000) from his hand.

Yuji activates Fire Lake of the Burning Abyss, sending Traveler and Barbar from the field to the GY to destroy Battle Ocean, Springirl and Blue Tang. Yuno banishes Basilalima from the GY to protect Springirl and Blue Tang from destruction. He uses Springirl and Blue Tang to Link Summon Marincess Coral Anemone (L2/2000/←, ↓) to the Extra Monster Zone. With Blue Tang's effect, Yuno excavates the top three cards of his Deck, adding a "Marincess" card from among them to his hand. Coral Anemone revives Springirl. Yuno Normal Summon Marincess Sea Horse. Using Coral Anemone, Springirl and Sea Horse, Yuno Link Summons Marincess Great Bubble Reef. (L4/2600/←, ↙, ↓, →) Springirl sends the top card of Yuno's Deck to the GY to inflict 200 damage to Yuji. [YF: 1600 - 200 = 1400LP] With Great Bubble Reef's effect, Yuno sends a WATER monster from his hand to the GY to Special Summon the banished Marincess Coral Triangle to the Main Monster Zone behind Bubble Reef. Yuno sends another WATER monster from his hand to the GY to use Coral Triangle's effect, adding Marincess Cascade from his Deck to his hand.

Yuno activates Marincess Cascade, banishing Coral Triangle from the field to grant Great Bubble Reef 300 ATK times its Link Rating. Great Bubble Reef gains 600 ATK with its own effect. (MGBR: 2600 + 300 x 3 + 600 = 4100ATK) Great Bubble Reef attacks Francesca. Yuji activates the Action Card, High Dive, granting Francesca 1000 more attack points. (FNOTBA: 2000 + 1000 = 3000ATK) Yuno activates the Action Card, Bubble Bomb Memory, to inflict 2400 damage to Yuji. Yuji activates the Action Card, Flame Guard, protecting himself from effect damage. Francesca is destroyed. [YF: 1400 - 1100 = 300LP] Yuji uses Francesca's effect to add a "Burning Abyss" Spell/Trap from his GY to his hand. Yuno sets a card and ends his turn. Marbled Rock returns to the field.

Turn 6: Yuji Fujita

Yuji draws. During the Standby Phase, Yuno banishes a WATER monster from the GY with Great Bubble Reef's effect to draw 1 card. Yuji uses Dante's effect, paying the cost of discarding Farfa. However, Yuno activates the set Trap, Marincess Ripples, paying 1200 life points and negating Dante's effects, preventing Yuji from drawing a card. Also, Ripples makes all his monsters immune to his opponent's card effects until the End Phase. [YS: 2300 - 1200 = 1100LP] Yuji banishes Good & Evil in the Burning Abyss from the GY, discarding Cir to draw 1 card. Cir revives Graff. Yuji Normal Summons Barbar. He uses Barbar and Graff to Link Summon Cherubini, Ebon Angel of the Burning Abyss. (L2/500/↙, ↘) With Barbar's effect, he banishes Graff, Cir and Francesca to inflict 300 damage to Yuno for each. [YS: 1100 - 300 x 3 = 200LP] Graff Special Summons Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (3*/1500/300) from the Deck. Then, by sending the last copy of Cagna from the Deck to the GY, Yuji uses Cherubini's effect to boost Dante's ATK/DEF. (DPOTBA: 2800 + 1500 = 4300ATK; 2500 + 300 = 2800DEF) Dante attacks Marbled Rock. The duel is interrupted.

---

OC Cards:

Marincess Sea Butterfly

(L2/1800/WATER/Cyberse/Link/Effect/↑, →)

2 WATER monsters

If this card is Link Summoned and you control only WATER monsters: You can Special Summon 1 Link-1 "Marincess" Link Monster from your Extra Deck. (This is treated as a Link Summon.) You can only use this effect of "Marincess Sea Butterfly" once per turn. While you control this face-up card in the Monster Zone or Spell/Trap Zone, co-linked WATER monsters you control cannot be destroyed by card effects.

Marincess Knifejaw

(3*/S6/1400/800/WATER/Cyberse/Pendulum/Effect)

Pendulum Effect: Once per turn, if you Link Summon a WATER Link Monster: You can inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's Link Rating x 400, and if you do, while it is face-up on the field, treat it as a "Marincess" monster. (This effect continues even if this card leaves the field.)

Once per turn: You can target 1 WATER monster you control; it gains 400 ATK for each WATER monster you control. You can only activate this effect of "Marincess Knifejaw" once per turn.

Magnetic Current Link Dragon

(L3/2500/WATER/Dragon/Link/Effect/←, ↓, →)

3 monsters with different names, including a Link Monster

Once per turn: You can target 1 Level 5 or higher monster your opponent controls; negate its effects, then, place that opponent's monster in a Main Monster Zone this card points to and take control of it until your opponent's next End Phase, and if you do, your opponent gains LP equal to the original ATK of the targeted monster. If this card is sent to the GY: You can Set 1 Trap from your GY to your field. It can be activated this turn.

Sins Cast into the Burning Abyss

(Spell/Ritual)

This card can be used to Ritual Summon any DARK Ritual Monster. You must also Tribute monsters from your hand or field whose total Levels exactly equal the Level of the Ritual Monster you Ritual Summon. If your opponent controls a monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, and the monster that you are Ritual Summoning with this card's effect is a "Burning Abyss" monster, you can also Tribute 1 "Burning Abyss" monster in your Deck. During the Main Phase, except the turn that this card was sent to the GY: You can banish this card from your GY; add 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from your GY to your hand.

Francesca, Noblewoman of the Burning Abyss

(6*/2000/2500/DARK/Spellcaster/Ritual/Effect)

You can Ritual Summon this card with "Sins Cast into the Burning Abyss". Once per turn: You can send the top card of your deck to the GY; then, if it is a "Burning Abyss" monster, you can target 1 monster on the field; change its battle position, and it loses ATK/DEF equal to the ATK/DEF of the monster sent to the GY to activate this effect. If another "Burning Abyss" monster you control would be destroyed by a card effect: You can negate that effect, and if you do, destroy this card. If this card is sent to the GY: You can add 1 "Burning Abyss" Spell/Trap from your GY to your hand. You can only activate each effect of "Francesca, Noblewoman of the Burning Abyss" once per turn.

Marincess Clownfish Confit

(L1/700/WATER/Cyberse/Link/Effect/→)

1 non-Link WATER monster

This card cannot be destroyed by battle. You can Tribute this card; target 1 non-Link monster in your GY, Special Summon it. You can only activate this effect of "Marincess Clownfish Confit" once per turn.

Marincess Ripples

(Trap)

If you control a "Marincess" Link Monster: Pay LP equal to 300 x the Link Rating of the "Marincess" Link Monster with the highest Link Rating on your field (you choose if tied); negate the effects of all face-up monsters your opponent currently controls that were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck until the end of this turn, then, if you control a Link-2 or higher "Marincess" monster, all face-up monsters you currently control are unaffected by your opponent's card effects until the end of this turn. If you control a Link-3 or higher "Marincess" monster, you can activate this card from your hand.

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Different Card Effects from TCG:

Action Cards - Once again, from the manga and anime.

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End Notes:

Why did nothing overly dramatic happen here, even though there are five Yu Boys in the same world? … eh. Now's not the time. That's all I'll say on the matter. Like I said, the Standard Arc is here to introduce everyone as characters. The Synchro Arc is when shit starts to actually go down. Also, yes, Serena's bracelet is the second to have its effect revealed, though technically I've already hinted at two others. Her bracelet has a very simple effect—Dragon Boys cannot go berserk when it is present. Of course, I'm treating all of the bracelets as batteries—they take time to build up energy, and they run out if their abilities are used. If the duel had gone on much longer, it was possible that Serena's bracelet would have run out of that energy. As such, unless a Dragon Boy's dragon destroys another's dragon by battle, they cannot fuse in her presence. I just thought that was mildly ironic—the Fusion counterpart's bracelet stops fusions between the boys.

Hope you guys enjoyed Yuji vs Yuno! I apologise for yet another No Result, but if you thought that there was going to be an actual result to this duel in the first arc of this story, with two of the main characters, where one would most likely die if they lost, you were lying to yourself. :) Yuji and Yuno are both too important to the story for either of them to be absorbed here. Do you need an answer to who would have won?... Yuno. Duh. I think that's obvious from the very way that the duel was written. Objectively, currently, Yuno is stronger than Yuji, especially because Yuji is still very unmotivated, despite his clear mercilessness.

Fun fact of the day. Another reason why I chose Burning Abyss for Yuji, other than the obvious personality similarities, was because I knew he wouldn't be staying in the Ritual Dimension for long. I'm so glad to be able to use Dante, oh my god. And now that he has canonical access to Cherubini, I'm free to write an actual competent Burning Abyss duel! Also, back to two decks that don't have like ten thousand things going on at once! A nice, simple duel! (I say this while staring at Yuno's third turn, which gave me about three hundred heart attacks.)

I had to rewrite this entire duel because I forgot that Battle Ocean can miss timing, and that it does miss timing in this case. Help. I'm suffering. Also, me being like "I'm sure I can write Yuji vs Yuno to reveal all of Empty Abyss's card effects!" and forgetting that Yuno is a Link duelist. *gestures wildly* In other words, there is 0 likelihood that the other effects will ever trigger in this duel, and with Marincess Wave, for now, there was no reason for Empty Abyss to show up, especially because Serena's bracelet is stopping Yuji from Awakening. Yuji's deck also basically doesn't allow Yuno's to work. Thus, blame Yuji and Yuno's decks, but Empty Abyss's effect will be censored until the next time it shows up.

Anyway, for card choice…

Why another female dragon? Because I didn't like that Clear Wing was the only female one. I liked the idea of Empty Abyss being female, especially with the kind of personality that she has. I made three of the dragons female—Clear Wing, Empty Abyss and… *clears throat* Starving Venom. So yes, Purple Poison Magician, if he turns up, will be female instead too. Bonds of Pendulum wrote Starving Venom as female, and now I can't think of it any other way.

Why Great Bubble Reef before Wonder Heart and Aqua Argonaut? I think Wonder Heart is self-explanatory—Yuno needs to use Crystal Heart before he uses Wonder Heart, and Yuno is going to need to go through a whole character arc before he can bring himself to use Crystal Heart. Aqua Argonaut… too powerful to give to him right now. He'll get it later.

Why a random "Burning Abyss" Ritual Monster? Oh, I have like four of them which I made for just in case I needed to give Yuji more Ritual Monsters. I didn't realise how randomly Francesca (based on Francesca da Rimini) appeared. I have an entire document of just every OC card I've ever made, and there's a lot of our main leads' cards in them.

Alright, also—while Yuno's tale of what happened to his first foster brother (the one based on Earth) is based on the Lost Incident, the Ignis don't exist in this story. It was just a convenient base to build on. Some of you might be confused on the visceral reaction that Yuno had to learning about Miharu not being there, especially because he was so stable beforehand—and for that, I ask you to refer to Yugo, Yuto and Yuya's reactions to anything involving the missing Bracelet Girls throughout the entire series. He'll bounce back—he's Yuno, after all.

Also, while there's one more chapter in the Standard Arc, this is, for all purposes, the climax of the Standard Arc. What's after is just dealing with the aftermath.

Alright, now for some of the review interaction stuff! Sorry to interrupt, please read what's below, since it's actually pretty important and not just my rambling!

Alright, so I'll talk about the poll, and then the review responses. What will happen is that there will be a poll open on my profile, and there will be nine options in the poll for the major OCs of this story, and you can pick three. It's mainly for fun! Oh, and for Guests, you can submit your votes through reviews, but try to use a pseudonym so that it's easier to count! :) I'll also have a poll after Chapter 23 (the interim chapter) is posted asking about canon characters that you would like to see more of. :D There should be about three weeks before the Synchro Arc starts—at this point, I have the Friendship Cup completely planned out, but everything before and after still needs to be put in the chapter-by-chapter outlines. :)

Chapter 23 is intended to be a Q&A chapter with the characters. You can address any questions to the characters in any review you submit for Chapters 21 and 22, and they'll be answered in that chapter! (Unless your questions are weird. I reserve the right not to answer any questions that make me uncomfortable.)

Alright, now for review responses!

To phantomdragons, Shino is definitely the Token Good Teammate! She's not perfect—and she is a bit of a hypocrite, but to be fair, what Fusion character isn't? Also, I spy a fellow troper! *eyes emoji* Nue is definitely the cruellest of the Xyz group, though the cruellest of the Xyz group is still kinder than most of Synchro or Fusion. Thanks, you're also very based.

To HunterHQ, thanks for your interest with the VRAINS fic! It's still heavily in development, so it'll be a while before it comes out. In my opinion, the Xyz characters were always the most interesting characters in Arc-V. I will confirm that Shino will have access to Despia and Albaz Dragons, but that she'll only have a few cards splashed in from most of the other Albaz lore archetypes. Bystial… maybe. It wasn't out when I planned this fic, so I'm still considering it now. I do like the archetype though. Also, I don't think this is a spoiler, so I'll just say it. Yes, Zarc is both a Ritual Monster and a Link Monster, and thus, has the things needed to be treated as both.

To the Guest talking about the boys' fusions with each other who reviewed in Chapter 20, I won't comment. Yuno will be a good influence on Yuji before any fusing happens though—as this chapter shows.

To LHOCIN, thanks for your review! And thanks for the kind compliment. :) Considering that Leo Akaba did basically nothing good in the anime, I thought that it would be good to give the Fusion Dimension a reason to actually follow him. He's still terrible, but at least Academia makes more sense now.

To the Guest that commented on Chapter 19, thanks for your review! A lot of the deck options were agonised over, since I didn't want to give characters decks that would be too boring to write. Yuji is… certainly learning, over time. Also, I'm honoured that my characters interest you so much! :)

To naminexriku2468, I'm still considering Pendulumgraph and whether or not I have an appropriate time to add it in. I love the card, but I do have to figure out a good time in context to introduce it, if I do. Especially because it's a Ritual-Pendulum, which makes it more difficult to justify giving it to him. Hope that you understand.

To the Guest asking about Undertale, I actually played it last year, and I will agree that the music's great. And that ties in with my response to the next review as well!

To the Guest asking about OC theme songs, I do have theme songs for them—both instrumentals and songs with lyrics. (Wow, this is going to expose all of my interests so much.) I'll post it to the profile if anyone here is interested.

That should be it! Thanks for reading, remember to exercise your right to vote, and see you next time!

Edit: It seems that ffnet's poll function isn't working. I'll try to fix it, so if possible, check back in a day!

Edit 2: Issue seems to be resolved. Let me know if it's not working!