Chapter SP2: A Year's Passing
Somewhere
"And done!" A man called out to no one in particular, pushing a desk chair away from a laptop hooked up to a monitor, "And with that, next week's Chapter is ready!" Sitting back, he couldn't help but get a feeling that he was missing something. "Hmm. What could it be?" He asked himself, looking around to see if anything would jog his memory, his eyes stopping when they hit the date/time display. "Oh shoot! The 18th! Has it seriously been a whole year already?" He wondered out loud, when a sudden boom sounded outside his window, and pulling back the curtain in front of it revealed that somehow, an open plain of seemingly endless space was outside it, and standing around, looking very confused, were about ten people, of whom the man recognised.
Putting on his jacket, he didn't know how cold it would be, and slipping on some shoes that he'd taken off for comfort, the man went outside the office and called out a "Hello!", causing everyone to look towards him,
"Wha-? Who are you? Are you the one who brought us here?" A girl with startling pink hair asked, Zuzu, the man recalled,
"Well to answer the second, I was going to ask you that. And the first, please call me Phantom." The man responded,
"That's so obviously a pseudonym." A purple-haired boy, Yuri, remarked,
"Well, if this is what I think it is, it is a lot better for me to not use my real name." Phantom said, unamused,
"But what of us?" Yuya, a boy who's dual-coloured hair only looked more interesting in 'real life',
"Somehow, I think that it'll be fine," Phantom answered, "As, uh, how to put it? Well, I write a story. The story is fictional and features you lot. Today, for me at least, actually marks one year since the first chapter was published to the internet."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Celina interjected, "You're writing a story about us? And without our permission?!"
"To be fair, in the place I live, you all are considered fictional yourselves!" Phantom exclaimed, holding his hands up in an attempt at pacification, "All of you, bar Ren and Izumi, existed initially as characters in the anime Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, with Ren and Izumi being made up for my story."
"That is slightly concerning," The mentioned girl said, her gaze on Ren, who was examining his hand as if he hadn't seen it in years, "But wait, Ren, is that really you?"
The boy looked up, and Izumi's worried eyes caught his sparkling ones, "I-Izumi, it is me." He answered her, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug, catching her slightly off-guard,
"R-Ren!" She squeaked, but Phantom cleared his throat,
"As nice as this is, if I'm correct, this isn't even the final level, so to speak. HEY! OTHER ME! WILL ANY OF THEM REMEMBER THIS?" He called out,
"Probably not." Another, much deeper voice, as if it were being projected announced,
"Well, there we have it. Unfortunately, this is in the bounds of non-canonicity!" Phantom sarcastically said,
"Well then what are we supposed to do?" Yuri asked,
"Well, it, as I mentioned earlier, has been a year in my world since I started publishing the story I was writing, so I guess that's somewhere to start."
"That is indeed what you are here for. I will grant everyone present access to the previous chapters for perusal." The 'True Phantom' announced, and everyone suddenly gasped as knowledge rushed into their heads,
"Oh, uh, Yuya, how long ago was your first duel against 'Ren'?" Phantom asked, putting air quotes around the name after rubbing his own head in slight discomfort,
"Perhaps three months ago?" Yuya answered to which Yuto nodded,
"I may have only become active after that duel, but that also gives me the perfect frame of reference." Yuto confirmed,
"Okay, so three months for you guys, a whole year for me!" Phantom laughed,
"So how often did you update this story?" Lulu asked,
"I aim for once a week but missed a few weeks due to some circumstances in my life."
"Ah, so that explains why there's only forty-five chapters but fifty-two weeks in a year."
"Indeed. And now looking back, I realise how much editing I still need to do! I mean, how many times did I use the numerals as opposed to writing them out?"
"Yes, and this card text formatting seems a bit strange, doesn't it?" Rin asked,
"Ah, yes. My enemy, PSCT." Phantom mused,
"PSCT?" They all asked,
"Problem Solving Card Text," Phantom clarified, "It is a system of writing used by Konami, who make the Duel Monsters game, or as I know it, Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, in order to help prevent issues with cards and resolving their effects."
"That does make sense."
"Anyways, are there any moments you all would consider your favourites?" Phantom posed the question, and everyone started to think,
"Hmm. If I had to pick, I'd probably say reuniting with Yuto!" Lulu cheered,
"Hehe, well, meeting back up with you was certainly the high point of this journey for me." Yuto chuckled,
"Well, defecting from Duel Academy is still the thing I'm most proud of." Yuri said, putting his hand dramatically on his chest,
"Infiltrating the base in Xyz was fun, if a bust." Celina said,
"Oh, I really don't know what to pick! There's been so much!" Yugo admonished,
"Like Lulu, I guess my moment is escaping Duel Academy and reuniting with this dunderhead." Rin said, her words slightly harsh but her tone affectionate,
"Probably meeting back up with everyone. I was quite worried for a time!" Zuzu admitted,
"For me, it was finding out Zuzu was safe, but I guess we've also done a lot of good, so I can't help but feel proud of all that." Yuya said,
"Can I say that I don't have one just yet?" Izumi asked,
"Sure. Oh, and Ren, I understand that you've literally got no moments in control, so favourite in the past three months as you can see?"
"Yuya fucking eviscerating that creep Leo so reverently called 'the Doktor'." Ren's voice was very dark, the swear catching everyone slightly off guard,
"Wait, WHAT?!" Everyone bar Yuya exploded,
"Uh, he may have been in control there. I regret that so much." Yuya admitted,
"Yuya," Zuzu said, laying her hand on his shoulder, "That wasn't you, so don't feel too bad about it."
"Thanks, Zuzu." Yuya smiled, placing his hand on hers, getting a small chorus of 'ohhhs', and the Standard duo blushed crimson upon realising what they did.
"With that bombshell out of the way, how about hopes for the future? I mean, I know you're all locked in battle with Z-ARC right now, but assume you win. What would you like to do?" Phantom asked,
"Well, Yuto and I have some catching up to do. It has been a while." Lulu cheerfully said, causing Yuto to blush slightly,
"I intend to take the Professor's place. It's obvious he won't be allowed to lead Duel Academy anymore, and I believe I can take that position." Yuri pridefully stated,
"That's grand!" Celina laughed, "Well, I'd just like to chill out, y'know?"
"Ah yes. I'd like that as well." Ren remarked, Izumi nodding as well,
"My best friend and I also have a lot to do after all these years." She smiled,
"The Friendship Cup's title will be mine!" Yugo shouted, Rin clipping his shoulder,
"Quiet down! We're right here, you know?"
"Sorry." Yugo sheepishly rubbed the back of his head,
"Well, it would be nice to win a sanctioned tournament for once." Rin sad,
"You Show will likely see expansion, so I'll probably help there." Zuzu mused,
"And I hope to hit the Pro League!" Yuya finished,
"As for me, well, school's annoying, but I guess finishing this story will be my next priority." Phantom smiled,
"Your time is finishing. Please conclude any business in the next 3 lines." 'True Phantom' intoned,
"Oh! Well, anything you'd like to say to the fans?" Phantom asked the gathered duelists,
"Yeah!" They cheered,
"Thank you all for reading, and here's to another good year!" And with that, another thunderclap sounded, and they all returned to where they'd been beforehand.
Hey all, thank you so much for reading this second bonus chapter.
It's hard to believe that it's been a whole year since I started publishing this fic, and I couldn't be more pleased with what I've done so far. It's a bit hard to believe that 365 days after that first chapter was published while I was sitting in a History class, and about 150 thousand total words later, I'd have what I do now.
Thank you all so much for your continued support over this past year, and I hope you are all excited to see the electrifying conclusion to Pendulum of Darkness ahead of the planned sequel!
As with the last bonus chapter, reviews will be answered in the next main chapter, where Yuma and Yusei have stepped up to face Z-ARC.
Thank you once again, from the bottom of my heart, for everything, and I'll see you all in the next chapter. - NightWingBOI
