"Where is he?" Edo growled as his troops invaded the Resistance camp. He still wanted revenge on Kaiser from what happened in their last Duel. Ever since his defeat, the soldiers had been respecting him much less. He still remembers the end of their last confrontation like it was yesterday.

"Commander Edo." Edo's thoughts were interrupted by the voice of Gloria Tyler, known for being of the deadly Tyler twins. Edo turned his head towards her. "When should Grace and I advance?"

"Whenever you want. However, I don't want you to go out attacking random Duelists. Attack the Spade Branch. That will take out a good amount of their forces." Edo commanded, turning away and overlooking the attack on the camp.

"Yes sir! Let's do it now, Gloria!" Grace exclaimed as she and Gloria walked away from Edo.

Edo returned to his thoughts of Ryo. Once former comrade. Once former rival. Now, they were only enemies. Marufuji Ryo, I will find you, and I will get my revenge!


At the Resistance Camp

Allen, Sayaka, Rio, Rin, Ryo, and Kaito ran to the entrance of the Resistance camp. There, they saw multiple soldiers marching to the camp with a variety of Ancient Gear Monsters towering over them.

"So, this is it, Academia's soldiers…" Rin murmured to herself so the others couldn't hear her. She had heard rumors about Academia's tyranny and their disgusting hunting game, but she never thought it would be this bad.

"There's so many of them!" Sayaka exclaimed in fear.

"Don't tell me that we barely made a dent into their army!" Allen bellowed in shock at the sight of the overwhelming amount of soldiers.

"Just how many soldiers does Academia have under their belt? At this point, the Resistance is going to run out quickly if we don't battle cautiously." Rio stated with a frown.

"We should split up into groups of three." Ryo suggested.

"I don't trust that idea. How do we know you guys won't just backstab us?" Kaito questioned Ryo. Considering that they knew nothing about Rin and Ryo, and the fact that Ryo claimed to be formally from Academia, the two couldn't be trusted easily. He could just be saying that to get on their good side. To be trusted, they had to earn trust.

"Come on Kaito. We're gonna have to work with them, whether you like it or not." Allen spoke up in support of the two newcomers. "Soon, the Resistance will barely have any Duelists left to fight Academia with. We need as many comrades as we can get. We can't risk getting rid of potential help. Especially now..."

Kaito froze to think about Allen's words. They did need more comrades, they were starting to run out. Maybe it was a good idea...as long as they had caution. Kaito nodded his head. "Fine, I'll accept it. But don't think that we're on good terms you two!"

"Whether we're on good terms matters not to me, all I care about is overthrowing Academia!" Ryo told Kaito with a resolved expression depicting his disgust towards Academia. "You and Rin come with me."

"Fine, but if you try to backstab me though, I won't think twice about putting you down!" Kaito warned Ryo. "And I must warn you, I am not a weak Duelist, just ask the soldiers of Academia that I have defeated."

"Hmph, that's fine with me. So, are we just going to sit here wasting time or are we going to hurry up?" Ryo asked the group.

"Ok, if you three are going, then Allen, Sayaka, and I will be our own group." Rio insisted, speaking for her friends.

"All right! Here we go!" Allen yelled confidently, agreeing with the plan they currently had. "Let's go, Sayaka, Rio!" Rio and Sayaka nodded as they ran off from the group.

"So it's me with you two then." Kaito turned to Ryo and Rin and sharpened his gaze at them.

At that moment, Rin suddenly touched her head with one hand. She had a weird feeling about something. Her head...it felt like it was throbbing...like there was something inside.

"Are you alright?" Kaiser asked with a hint of concern.

"Huh? Uhh, yeah, I'm...I'm fine." Rin lied to Ryo. In reality, she had a feeling something was about to happen, and she had a feeling that something is going to be really bad.

"Let's stop wasting time, let's go!" Kaito exclaimed. Ryo and Rin nodded at him as they faced the upcoming Academia soldiers.


Meanwhile

"Hihihihihihihihihihihihi!" The Doktor chuckled to himself, ready to conduct his plan in a little bit. He looked through a camera, showing him what Rin saw thanks to what he did to her. "Not yet, I have to get a good time. Then, I will strike." In his hand, the Doktor held a Card...


Later - Back with Kaito, Rin, and Ryo

Rin, Kaiser, and Kaito managed to take out about three groups of three soldiers so far. Now, Kaito was starting to trust Kaiser and Rin slightly more than he used to, but it was a work in progress.

Suddenly, Rin spoke to the other two about a very concerning topic.

"I don't feel so good…" Rin complained. After the first Duel was finished, a pain was growing in her head, it worsened as she felt herself lose more stamina.

"We can't stop now! Academia has tons of more soldiers out there!" Kaito growled, looking around the area for another group to fight.

"Let her rest. Go to Dr. Faker, Rin." Ryo told Rin, who nodded her head in response. "The two of us should be able to handle ourselves out here alone." Kaito narrowed his eyes at Kaiser in a suspicious manner. Why his Dad? Couldn't Rin just go into some other tent? However, Kaito decided to shrug this suspicion off for now. Now was definitely not the time.

As Rin walked away, Kaito spoke, "Very well, let's go."


With the Tyler Twins

The Tyler twins, through all of the fighting had made it to the Spade Branch section of the Resistance camp. Most of the Duelists fighting currently were in the Clover Branch, not as many Duelists from the Spade Branch came to fight. They decided to guard the ones who couldn't Duel or protect themselves.

"So, are you ready to do this, sis?!" Grace asked Gloria in excitement.

"Be serious, Grace. For all we know, some of the Duelists here might actually be threats to us." Gloria scolded her sister in a harsh manner. They were currently in a warzone after all. Screwing around could bite them in the ass somewhere down the road. Unfortunately, Grace was too naive to realize this fact.

Gloria took a look around, some of the Ancient Gear Monsters had shot into the camp, some areas were completely destroyed,with many people running around trying not to be captured. Everyone was too scared and worried about the lives of themselves and their loved ones to even point out the presence of the Tyler twins.

"Oh fine…" Grace pouted in annoyance. "Well, shall we get going?"

"Yes, let's go." Gloria replied to her sister's question with a serious gaze. "The sooner we get this over with the better."


With Rio, Allen, and Sayaka

Rio, Allen, and Sayaka had just defeated two groups of three Academia soldiers straight. While they had strength in numbers, most Academia Duelists were not enough to make up for it.

"Damn! They just keep coming!" Allen commented with a wide scowl at the sight of the numerous soldiers marching into the area.

"I know, but we need to take out as many as we can." Rio informed the boy.

"Hoh, you three seem like good Duelists." A voice spoke, the trio looked to the direction of the voice and saw a boy with an Obelisk Blue uniform with black hair. "One of you, Duel me. My name is Ryusei Gin. However, I'm not telling my name to be polite, I'm just saying it so you know the name of the person who ends you!"

"Is that a challenge?!" Allen walked forward and held out his Duel Disk, completely forgetting about everything happening around him.

"No, let me, Allen." Rio spoke up, walking in front of her comrade.

"Huh? Rio?"

"You guys just go head back to camp, I'll take care of this guy. I'm more than enough for him. Besides, you need to hold off any other soldiers. Protect as many people as you can!" Rio told Allen and Sayaka with a loud and forceful tone.

"What? No, I'm not leaving you!" Sayaka exclaimed as a sad expression came across her face. "I don't want the same thing that happened with Ruri to happen again…" Sayaka whispered that statement so no one could hear her, tears flowing down her face. She remembered Ruri Dueling that guy from Academia, how she didn't bother to help Ruri at all, and let her be defeated and taken away. She didn't want to make the same mistake again with another one of her friends.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Rio assured Sayaka with a small smile.

"But-"

"Don't worry, she's Ryoga's sister, she's too stubborn to lose." Allen reminded Sayaka with a smirk. "Let's go!" And with that, he took Sayaka by the hand as they scurried back to the camp.

"Finally, they're gone." Gin said in an annoyed manner.

"Shut up and get on with it." Rio spoke harshly as she activated her Duel Disk. Gin did the same as they both glared at each other in the eyes.

"DUEL!" Both Duelists shouted in unison.

"I'll take the first move!" Rio declared as she took a Card from her Hand, placing it on her Duel Disk as a bright light shone in front of her. "From my Hand, I Summon Aurora Wing!" Rio's neon Winged-Beast Monster flew to the Field with a screech.

Aurora Wing: Level 4, 1200 Atk, 1600 Def

"I end my turn." Rio concluded.

"Hmph, that's all? How disappointing!" Gin insulted as he drew a Card from his Deck. He glanced at it before placing into his Hand. "If you control a Monster and I don't, I can Special Summon this Card from my Hand. Appear, Giant Battleship - Assault Core!"

Assault Core: Level 4, 1300 Atk, 2000 Def

"Now, I release Assault Core in order to Advance Summon Giant Battleship - Crystal Core!" Gin took Assault Core off of his Duel Disk and slapped his new Monster's Card onto his Duel Disk. A giant ship appeared to the Field, towering over Rio and her Monster.

Crystal Core: Level 5, 2100 Atk, 1000 Def

"When this Card is Normal Summoned, I have to place 3 counters in this Card."

Crystal Core: 0-3 Counters

"Battle! Go, Crystal Core, Attack Aurora Wing! If this Card attacks or is attacked, a Counter is reduced from this Card." Crystal Core shot multiple bullets at Rio's Monster, causing the beast to cry out in pain before disappearing. Rio covered her face as smoke filled her view.

Rio: 4000-3100 LP

Crystal Core: 3-2 Counters

"When Aurora Wing is destroyed, I can once per turn Special Summon the Card back to my Field in face-up Defense Position!" A portal to the Grave opened and Aurora Wing was released from it's chains to its original space on the Field.

"Finally, I activate the Continuous Magic Card Boss Rush from my Hand. With that, I will end my turn." Gin finished with a wide grin.

"My turn, draw! I Summon Blizzard Falcon!" Rio placed her Monster onto her Duel Disk as a falcon flew onto the Field in a breeze of snow.

Blizzard Falcon: Level 4, 1500 Atk, 1500 Def

"I, using the Level 4 Aurora Wing and Blizzard Falcon, overlay! With these two Monsters I build the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon! Appear before us, Sylphine, the Sub-Zero Bird!" Rio thrusted her hand towards her newly born Monster with vigor.

Sylphine: Rank 4, 2000 Atk, 2200 Def

"It's still not enough! Sylphine has only 2000 Attack, while my Monster has 2100!" Gin reminded Rio, who simply scoffed in response, causing the boy to lose his smirk.

"It's this again? The opponent underestimating a Monster just based on its Attack points. How pitiful. I activate the Monster effect of Sylphine! Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can negate every other face-up Card on the Field until my next Standby Phase, then for each one, I can decrease the Attack of one Monster you control by 300!" Rio revealed as one of the overlay units orbiting her Monster shattered. Then, Sylphine blew out fierce winds at Gin's only two Cards.

"Unreal!" Gin exclaimed in shock as he looked at his Cards to see them grayed out showing that they have been nullified.

"Since two Cards were negated, your Monster's Attack is decreased by 600!" Rio told Gin, who clicked his tongue out of annoyance.

Crystal Core: 2100-1500 Atk

Crap! My Monster would be invincible by battle but since the effect is negated it can be destroyed! Gin widened his eyes as the realization hit him.

"I'm not done. From my Hand I activate the Magic Card Blizzard Jet! A Water Winged-Beast Type Monster I control now gains 1500 Attack until the end of the turn. Of course, Sylphine will get the boost!" Rio said as a hologram of her Card appeared in front of her.

Sylphine: 2000-3500 Atk

"3-3500 Attack…" Gin whispered in awe.

"Battle! Go, Sylphine, attack Crystal Core!" Rio declared as her Xyz Monster formed a spear made out of ice with one hand, she then put her hand on the spear with the other and threw it at Crystal Core, piercing right through the Monster and destroying it.

"UAGH!" Gin cried out in pain as he fell backwards down to the ground from the force of the Attack.

Gin: 4000-2000 LP

"Damn it…" Gin cursed as he got back up to his feet. "In just one turn, she managed to wipe out halves of my life, while I only managed to wipe out a measly 900 points…"

"I place a Card facedown and end my turn." A set Card materialized in front of Rio. "At this moment, the effect of Blizzard Jet ends, and the Attack of Sylphine returns to normal."

Sylphine: 3500-2000 Atk

Rio closed her eyes and let out a sigh of relief. Then, a thought came to her mind. Rio whispered to herself "No Fusion on his first turn..." Normally, soldiers of Academia would use Fusion on their first turn, but this guy didn't, which is weird. "No Fusion, huh?"

"I don't use Fusion." Gin suddenly said to Rio, causing her to look at the boy in confusion. She thought every person at Academia used Fusion. Gin simply gained a grin on his face in response to her reaction. "Well, it's not like that. It's more like I don't need Fusion."

"Don't need Fusion?" Rio repeated in confusion, getting her guard ready for anything unexpected.

"Yes. You see, I live for the hunt! I want to prove to you people of this Dimension, you Xyz Scum that unlike my comrades, I don't need the Summoning Method to win! I spared no one, and no one here has been worth my time! I should stop because of no challenge, but I don't. I have the power, so why not I use it for Academia?" Gin explained to Rio his reason for no Fusion Monster being Summoned in the Duel.

"I'm no pushover." Rio told Gin. "And if you haven't noticed, your life has been halved, I'm still in control of this Duel. So you either bring out Fusion or you'll find yourself on the ground."

"True, I have my life halved. You are the only one so far who gave me a challenge. I haven't experienced anything better in my life!" Gin exclaimed as he put a creepy smirk. He placed his hand on the top of his Deck. "My turn, draw! I activate the Magic Card Monster Reborn! I can now revive a Monster in either player's Graves to my Field. Appear once again, Giant Battleship - Crystal Core!" A portal to the Grave opened as Gin's Monster floated out of the portal. "The Monster doesn't gain Counters, but I can deal with this. I activate the the effect of Crystal Core! Once per turn, during my Main Phase, I can change your Attack Position Monster to Defense Position." Crystal Core glowed yellow, as did Sylphine, who took a defensive stance.

"Oh no!"

"I'm not done yet! I activate the Magic Card Shield Recovery. Now, I can add 3 Counters to a Giant Battleship Monster I control! I add 3 Counters to Crystal Core."

Crystal Core: 0-3 Counters

"One more thing, I activate the Equip Magic Giant Artillery! First of all, I can only equip to this to a Giant Battleship Monster. Now, The equipped gains 1000 Attack!" Gin started his explanation as his ship gained a red aura.

Crystal Core: 2100-3100 Atk

"Next, the equipped Monster can Attack twice, and when it attacks a Defense Position Monster, I can inflict damage to you equal to the Attack of this Card and your Monster's Defense!" Gin finished as Rio gasped out of sheer shock.

"Battle! Go, Crystal Core, attack Sylphine!" Gin yelled as he pointed at Rio's Monster. Crystal Core began to shoot at Sylphine. However, because of the power boost, the bullets were more fast and more powerful. Rio's Monster was destroyed in a flash. The ensuing shockwave caused Rio to tumble backwards a few feet as she grit her teeth.

Rio: 3100-2200 LP

Crystal Core: 3-2 Counters

"Now, you have no Monster left to protect you! This is the end! Attack her directly, Crystal Core!" Crystal Core released more fast bullets at Rio. However, before any of them could hit her…

"Trap Card, activate! Xyz Reborn! I can target an Xyz Monster in my Grave and Special Summon it. Then, this Card becomes an overlay unit for the Special Summoned Monster. Come back to me in Defense Position, Sylphine!" Sylphine rose from the Grave as Rio's Trap turned into an overlay unit and started to orbit around the Monster, who took a defensive position.

"Very well. Crystal Core, send her Monster back to the Grave!" Gin once again declared an attack with this Monster. The ship proceeded to continuously pummel at Sylphine with more bullet. Sylphine lasted longer, but she was still destroyed in the end. Rio let out a yelp of pain as she was forced to the ground with her face up. When the smoke from the explosion of her destroyed Monster cleared, Gin saw Rio standing once more with mud and numerous scratches scattered over her face and entire body.

Rio: 2200-1300 LP

Crystal Core: 2-1 Counter

"I end my turn. At this moment, I will now have to make a decision. I either pay 1000 of my life in order to keep Giant Artillery on the Field and inflict 500 damage to you, or I can just simply not pay a cost and let this Card be destroyed. I'll deduct 1000 of my life points to keep this Card alive." Gin smirked as his life decreased.

Gin: 2000-1000 LP

"Now, you take 500 points of damage!" Gin reminded Rio, causing her to gasp in shock. A part of Crystal Core opened, and Rio saw a bigger gun slide out. The gun charged a blue spherical projectile. Crystal Core launched the sphere at Rio. The projectile struck Rio hard in the abdomen, causing her to be thrown backwards. She rolled across the ground, she stopped with her face looking at the sky. She was rolling so fast that the ring on her pinky fell off without her noticing.

"Kuagh…" Rio gasped for air continuously.

Rio: 1300-800 LP

"It will be over soon!" Gin laughed. "What a shame, and I thought you could actually come close to beating me! I still had you in the palm of my hand!"

Rio rose from the ground, bruises and dirt on her and clothes. It was at this moment that Rio noticed that her silver jewlery was not on her finger. "My ring! It's gone!"

"Hahahahaha! That cracked me up! So you lost your ring. What the hell do you need a ring for? It's just a ring! Wow, that's just sad!" Gin taunted Rio, who got angry at his comments.

"Shut up!" Rio shouted at Gin with venom evident in her voice, causing him to stop talking. However, he still had the same stupid grin on his face that he was wearing for most of the Duel.

That ring...it was Ryoga's ring...that's all I have left of him now...since we're a Dimension away from each other...I won't even know if he is still alive…maybe he just gave up and decided to ditch the mission...ditch us...ditch me...no, Ryoga isn't like that…


Flashback-Before Shark Left For Standard-At the Resistance Camp

Rio had entered the tent Ryoga was in. Her brother was arranging his Deck while scowling, seeming to not even acknowledging the fact that Rio was in the room until she spoke up.

"Are you really going to leave us?" Rio asked her brother.

No response. Shark kept on doing what he was doing.

This annoyed Rio.

"Brother, are you really going to leave us? Aren't the other three enough?" Rio pressed her sibling with more questions, not wanting her brother to leave.

Ryoga still remained silent, as if he didn't have a care in the world.

This hurt Rio in the heart. Her own brother was ignoring him, had it been under normal circumstances she wouldn't care. She would just do something that would make him mad or make him listen. However, this was different…

Rio started to feel a wetness well up in her eyes. She tried her best to keep it in, so that her brother wouldn't have to see her as a weeping mess. However, she just couldn't find the strength to hold it in. The war had torn her strength to hold her feelings in. And now, she was just letting them flow out like an overflowing water fountain.

"Answer me, Ryoga!" Rio cried as she broke down into tears, weeping continuously. She was weeping so much she didn't hear Shark place his Deck and Duel Disk down on the ground. Suddenly, she felt two arms around her. She immediately started to cry less. She could feel whose hands it was. That familiar touch.

It was Ryoga, her brother. Her loving brother...

Rio glanced up at her brother, like he was the sun that the Xyz Dimension had lost since Academia attacked all of those countless weeks ago.

"Don't worry." Shark spoke softly with a hint of kindness. "You guys will be fine. I will make my way back, quickly. The other three need as much help as they can get. And as their friend, I intend to be with them."

"But what about your other friends?! Why can't you be with them, why can't you be with me, your sister?!" Rio continued to weep into Ryoga's shoulder, her tears making his jacket wet.

Shark paused for a moment, trying to think of an answer to that question. He finally settled on one.

"I am here for you. Always. I'll be back, no matter what." Shark broke the hug and took off the ring he was wearing. "Take this." He proceeded to hold out Rio's hand as he placed the ring in her hand. He closed his sister's hand, as a way to enclose the ring. "It used to be Mother's, but at some point she decided to give it to me. Now, with that, I will always be with you. No matter what." Ryoga gave Rio a small smile.

"But Ryoga, what if you...what if you…" Rio struggled to get the words out of her mouth.

"I'm not going to get Carded. I'll make sure of that." Ryoga assured Rio.

"Even still, I don't want you to go! I don't want you to go! I don't want you to go!" Rio repeated, continuing to break down.

"Now stop that crying, and be the sister that I know. The real Kamishiro Rio, the one who doesn't cry. The one who is strong." Shark told his sister.

Rio stopped crying as she dried her tears. She looked at Ryoga straight in the eyes, what she saw in his eyes was determination, a will. A will to keep fighting on.

A will to never give up.

Rio slowly put the ring she received from her brother onto her pinky. "All right. Please, come back. Please come back, Ryoga…"

"So we can be together again…"


Now

"That's the only thing I had left of him, and now he could be gone forever! Even though I didn't show it after that moment, I still was reluctant of him leaving to Standard…" Rio shook in her spot as she whispered to herself, emotions of regret and failure pouring into her. "I regret letting him go...but even when he left, at least I had the ring to remember him by, and now I lost it…" Along with the emotions of regret and failure, there was one more emotion…

Anger.

Rio shut her eyes as she formed a fist. She held up her Duel Disk and placed a Card on the top of her Deck. She ushered the words "My turn…"

She shot open her eyes.

"DRAW!" Rio cried out in fury as she drew her Card from her Deck.

"Hoh, so you still fight." Gin noted.

"I will defeat you! I Summon Blizzard Thunderbird!" Rio slammed the Monster onto her Duel Disk.

Blizzard Thunderbird: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1400 Def

"Hmph, what's that going to do?" Gin questioned.

Rio shoved off his question and continued on. "I activate the Continuous Magic Card Blizzard Vision! With this Card, I can target a Water Monster I control. Then, I can Special Summon this Card as a Normal Monster with the same Type, Attribute, and Level as the targeted Monster!" Rio's Magic Card was shown disappearing from the Magic and Trap Zone and reappearing in the Monster Zone right next to Thunderbird.

Token: Level 4, Winged-Beast, Water, 0 Atk, 0 Def

"Two Level 4 Monsters! So that means…" Gin trailed off as he watched Rio's next move.

"I overlay the Level 4 Thunderbird and Token! Xyz Summon! Please appear, Ragnazero!" Rio chanted as she Xyz Summoned her ace Monster. Her Monster spun around as she slashed her swords in different directions before facing her opponent.

Ragnazero: Rank 4, 2400 Atk, 1200 Def

"A new Xyz Monster?" Gin grew a look of fear for a second, before smirking in amusement. "No, it's not a problem, if you think that Monster, who has 2400 measly Attack is going to stand up to my 3100 Attack Monster, your highly mista-"

"Underestimating my Monster's power again?" Rio interjected with a clearly pissed off expression on her face.

"Huh?"

"You're hopeless. I shall show you why Attack Points aren't the only thing that determines winning a Duel." Rio thrusted her hand at Ragnazero. "When Ragnazero is Xyz Summoned, her effect activates, I can decrease the Attack of a Monster you control by 2400!"

"What?!" Gin widened his eyes in shock. Ragnazero let out a beam of ice from her sword at Crystal Core weakening the Monster.

Crystal Core: 3100-700 LP

"Now, this is where it is over. I activate the effect of Ragnazero! When a Monster you control has Attack lower than its original Attack, I can detach an overlay unit and destroy that Monster! Say goodbye to your Crystal Core!" Ragnazero unleashed multiple slashes continuously at Crystal Core, slicing the ship into multiple pieces and destroying it.

"Kgh…" Gin grunted as he covered his eyes from the smoke coming from the ensuing explosion.

"Next, I can inflict damage to you equal to halve the difference between the original Attack and the Attack the destroyed Monster had. Crystal Core had 700 Attack. It's original Attack is 2100. The difference is 1400. Therefore, you take 700 points of damage and I get to draw a Card!" Rio explained as she swiped a Card from her Deck, not even bothering to glance at as she knew it was over.

"No…" Gin took a step back as Ragnazero slashed one of her swords upwards, releasing a wave that struck Gin in the stomach, causing him to take multiple steps back.

Gin: 1000-300 LP

"Now, I don't even have a Monster to defend me!" Gin realized with wide eyes.

"Correct! This is the end! Go, Ragnazero, attack him directly and end this Duel!" Rio yelled as Ragnazero let out a flurry of fearsome strikes with her swords at Gin, who yelled in pain from them all. Ragnazero finished it off with one last slash. Gin lost consciousness, dropping to his knees before falling forwards to the ground.

Gin: 300-0 LP

Ragnazero disappeared from the Field as Rio took a moment to recover her breath.

"Whoo." Rio breathed. She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry about the ring, brother."

She turned back to the Resistance camp, which was a little far, but not bad. She had to make sure that Allen and Sayaka were ok.

Rio sharpened her gaze at the camp and began to run back to camp.


In the Synchro Dimension

"You...you...you are...Izayoi Aki...the Black Rose Witch!" The Duel Chaser mused at the sight of the girl. Izayoi Aki is a Duelist who, about six months to a year ago started to hunt down Duel Chasers, particularly in the Commons Area. Her reasons for this are unknown to many, only to the Duel Chasers who have been around longer than the new ones, but some rumored that her reason for this is revenge…

"Call me that cursed name again and I'll do more than beat you in this Duel!" Aki threatened the man, causing Ruri to shudder in her place. Threats like those usually don't mean good things. She was ready to run away at that moment. However, what happened next stopped her. Aki turned her head and looked at her, straight in the eye. "Don't worry, I won't let this guy capture you." Aki turned her head back to the Duel Chaser, activating her Duel Disk. "Now then, let's get this over with!"

On the other hand, the Duel Chaser hesitated. He could end up like the other Duel Chasers, who ended up scared out of their skull or injured. However, he chased the girl and met up with the Black Rose Witch. He can't back down now, although he is already doomed now. He reluctantly activated his Duel Disk also.

"DUEL!" With that exclamation from both Duelists, the Duel commenced.

"I will begin." Aki told the Duel Chaser. "I Summon Evil Thorn from my Hand." An odd looking spiked plant was Summoned to the Field.

Evil Thorn: Level 1, 100 Atk, 300 Def

"That's a weird looking Monster." Ruri shuddered.

"I activate the effect of Evil Thorn! By releasing this Card, I can inflict 300 damage to you, then, from my Deck, I can Special Summon two more copies of Evil Thorn in face-up Attack Position. However, those copies can't activate their effects." Aki explained as she took her Monster off of her Duel Disk, causing the Monster to explode. Out of the explosion rushed the spiky thorn plant from the Monster, it struck the d-wheel of the Duel Chaser. To his surprise, it did real damage.

"What the hell? It did damage!" The Duel Chaser exclaimed in shock.

Duel Chaser: 4000-3700 LP

"I better get off of this thing. The boss will kill me if this thing takes more damage." Duel Chaser took off his Duel Disk from his d-wheel and stood up facing Aki.

Ruri showed no reaction to the real damage as she and people from Xyz and Fusion can also inflict real damage through Dueling. However, Ruri holds back her power so it doesn't destroy anything.

"Due to the effect, I Special Summon two more Evil Thorns from my Deck." Two more copies of the same Monster appeared. "I activate the Magic Card Closed Plant Gate, when I control two face-up Plant Monsters with the same name, you can't declare an attack next turn."

"What?!" The Duel Chaser gawked.

"No way!" Ruri gasped in amazement.

"I will end my turn there." Aki concluded with a straight face.

"Well, I won't be able to attack, but I'll have to pull something out. My turn, draw! I Summon Jutte Lord!" Duel Chaser threw his Card onto his Duel Disk as his Monster was Summoned.

Jutte Lord: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1200 Def

"When this Card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a Jutte Monster from my Hand, appear, the Tuner Monster Jutte Fighter!" The Duel Chaser called out his desired Monster.

Jutte Fighter: Level 2, 700 Atk, 900 Def

"A Synchro Summon!" Ruri mumbled under her breath.

"I tune the Level 4 Jutte Lord with the Level 2 Jutte Fighter! Synchro Summon! Show yourself! Level 6, Goyo Predator!"

Goyo Predator: Level 6, 2400 Atk, 1200 Def

"I activate the Equip Magic Goyo Arrow. With this, I can once per turn, inflict damage to you equal to the equipped Monster's Level times 100! Goyo Predator's Level is 6, so take 600 points of damage!" An arrow was shot towards Aki, who veered to her left to avoid getting hit by the arrow, however, she still got grazed in the shoulder, and since things did real damage, Aki grunted in pain as the arrow scraped off part of Aki's shoulder pad on her suit, revealing some of her shoulder. Ruri yelped as the arrow came towards her, she dodged and the arrow hit the wall and immediately disappeared. Aki looked at Ruri, who gave her an uneasy nod. The Xyz girl still didn't know if she could trust her savior, as although she did save her she could be doing this as an act.

Aki: 4000-3400 LP

"I set a Card and end my turn." Aki's opponent concluded.

"My turn, draw! I activate the Magic Card Fragrance Storm! With this Card, I can destroy a face-up Monster I control. Then, I can draw a Card from my Deck. If the drawn Card is a Plant-Type Monster, I can draw another Card. I destroy one of my Evil Thorns to draw a Card." Aki glanced at her Card and smiled. "The Card I drew was Gigaplant, a Plant-Type, so I draw another Card. The Card I drew was Rose Fairy!" Aki showed the Card to the Duel Chaser. "When this Card is either added to my Hand or drawn via the effect of a Monster, Magic, or Trap Card, I can Special Summon this Card!" A fairy with red hair flew onto the Field, she took a defensive position, signaling that Aki put her Monster in Defense Position.

Rose Fairy: Level 3, 600 Atk, 1200 Def

"I release the final copy of Evil Thorn on my Field to Advance Summon Gigaplant!" Aki exclaimed as a big venus flytrap creature took to the Field.

Gigaplant: Level 6, 2400 Atk, 1200 Def

"I set a Card and end my turn." A set Card materialized in front of Aki in her Magic and Trap Card Zone.

"My turn, draw! This turn I can actually attack now, so be prepared for a world of hurt! From my Hand, I Summon Gonogo!" The Duel Chaser Summoned a green sphere like creature in Attack Position.

Gonogo: Level 3, 1350 Atk, 1600 Def

"Next I activate the effect of Goyo Arrow once again in order to inflict 600 points of damage to you!" An arrow was once again sent towards Aki. Ruri made sure to stay away. Unfortunately for Aki, the arrow was much faster this time. She tried to dodge, but she got grazed once again. The arrow flew right past her stomach, once again ripping her riding suit to her reveal a little bit of her bare stomach underneath.

Aki: 3400-2800 LP

"Are you ok?!" Ruri asked Aki in concern. She may not be able to trust her yet, but she hasn't done anything wrong from what she knew. She didn't deserve any pain.

"I'm fine." Aki nodded at Ruri.

"I'm not done!" The Duel Chaser bellowed, causing Aki and Ruri to turn their attention back to him. "Battle! Go, Goyo Predator, attack Gigaplant!" This action shocked both Ruri and Aki. However, Aki might have had an idea of what was going to happen next, as she faced a lot of Duel Chasers before.

"But their Attack Points are equal! They'll both be destroyed and he won't have a Monster to defend himself!" Ruri spoke in a confused manner, questioning the Duel Chaser's actions.

"Quick-Play activate!" The Duel Chaser clicked a button on his Duel Disk, causing a Magic Card to be revealed. It had a running bull on it. "Rush Recklessly! Until the end of the turn, I can increase the Attack of a face-up Monster on the Field by 700! I choose Goyo Predator!"'

Goyo Predator: 2400-3100 Atk

"This isn't good!" Ruri said as she widened her eyes in worry. Aki, however, remained calm. Goyo Predator smacked Gigaplant with it's weapon, destroying the Monster. Aki flinched slightly from the damage.

Aki: 2800-2100 LP

"When Goyo Predator destroys a Monster in battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon the destroyed Monster to my side of the Field." The Duel Chaser revealed. Ruri gasped in surprise, while Aki remained serious. A portal to the Grave opened and Goyo Predator threw his chain inside the portal, he proceeded to lift Gigaplant out and onto Duel Chaser's Field. "Now, Gonogo, attack Rose Fairy!" Gonogo, at great speeds, rammed right into Rose Fairy like a pinball or bowling ball, easily destroying the Monster.

"She has no Monster!" Ruri noted nervously.

"Now Gigaplant, attack Izayoi Aki directly! End the reign of the Black Rose Witch!" Duel Chaser shouted as Aki's own Monster swung it's multiple tentacles at its original owner. Ruri closed her eyes and looked away in fear, expecting to hear Aki scream out in pain when the attack connected, however, instead she heard…

"Trap Card, Ground Capture! When an opponent's Monster declares an attack, I can halve the damage I would take from that attack. Also, if I would take 1000 or more damage, I get to draw a Card." A small barrier formed around Aki as the multitude of tentacles hammered down on her shield, causing a crack with each hit.

Aki pushed Ruri to away from her, so she wouldn't get by anything. The barrier finally broke, and when it did, Aki was assaulted by eight tentacles coming from her own Monster.

One tentacle wrapped around Aki's neck, causing her to choke uncontrollably.

The second one wrapped around her legs, keeping her in place. Aki reached up for the tentacle around her neck and tried to pry it off. However, she was then assaulted by the other six.

One tentacle slapped her in the stomach, causing her to bend over in pain as she let out a groan of pain. The second tentacle hit her back, causing her to grimace. The third and fourth slapped her across the cheek, Aki let out two screams of pain. The fifth tentacle hit her dead in the face, making her gag from the pain. The final one did what the first did and struck Aki hard in the gut, a loud sound was heard when the attack connected, Aki screamed in pain as the tentacles let go of her. The girl dropped to her knees, before falling flat forwards to the ground.

Aki: 2100-900 LP

"HAHAHA! Looks like she is unable to Duel now, too bad. So much for the so called Black Rose Witch." Duel Chaser cackled while Ruri ran out to Aki and crouched down. She had a look of concern and fear in her voice. She shook Aki's body vigorously to wake her up.

"Come on! Wake up, please!" Ruri pleaded.

"Don't you see, she's beat! The Black Rose Witch has been defeated! Now, come with me and-"

"What did I say?" Aki interrupted suddenly, causing Duel Chaser and Ruri to look at her in confusion. The girl in the riding suit slowly got up to her feet, almost falling, she had her face looking down at the ground. "I said...don't. Call. Me." Aki revealed her face, Duel Chaser gained a look of fear as he saw the look of anger Aki had on her face. "THE BLACK ROSE WITCH!"

"What...happened…?" Ruri questioned quietly as she took a step back.

"Due to the effect of Ground Capture, I get to draw a Card since I took 1000 damage or more." Aki reminded the two as she drew a Card. "Now, end your turn."

"I-I-I end my turn." Duel Chaser was so scared he forgot to mention that Goyo Predator's Attack returns to normal.

Goyo Predator: 3100-2400 Atk

"My turn, draw!" Aki drew her Card with a lot of force, causing a shockwave which caused Duel Chaser to stumble. "I Summon the Tuner Monster, Night Rose Knight!" A knight in dark armor with the face exposed with blue hair appeared, raising her sword.

Night Rose Knight: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def

"When this Card is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Plant-Type Monster from my Hand, I Special Summon Violet Witch!" Aki wildly took a Card from her Hand and slammed it down onto her Duel Disk, the Monster she Summoned took to the Field with a wide smile.

Violet Witch: Level 4, 1100 Atk, 1200 Def

"A Synchro Summon?!" Ruri realized with the setup on Aki's Field.

"I tune the Level 4 Violet Witch with the Level 3 Night Rose Knight! Black rose guided by a pitch-black flower, bloom before us and show us your might! Synchro Summon, Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon!" Aki chanted as her Monster flew to the Field in fierce winds, causing nearby scraps of paper to be taken by the wind and trash cans to topple over to the ground. The Duel Chaser's d-wheel toppled and dropped to the ground while Ruri was thrown to the ground. The Duel Chaser covered his eyes, stumbling quite frequently. Inside multiple places and outside nearby, people heard what was going on and cowered in fear. Some were still lucky to be sleeping.

At the orphanage, both Yugo and Yuzu woke up, albeit in different rooms, startled by the sound. They both were scared and decided to stay in. They could both hear the kids crying in rooms nearby, afraid of the nearby sounds.

Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 1800 Def

"What good will that Monster do?!" Duel Chaser questioned.

"Silence!" Aki yelled coldly, causing the Duel Chaser to grimace from how loud her voice was. "When Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon is Synchro Summoned, I can target the two Monsters on the Field with the highest Attack, banish them, and then inflict damage to you equal to halve the combined Attack of the banished Monsters. I banish both Gigaplant and Goyo Predator!" Black Rose roared in rage as the declared Monsters disappeared into thin air as Duel Chaser could only look on in shock. "The combined Attack of the banished Monster's is 4800, so take 2400 points of damage!"

Black Rose Bloomlight charged a purple ball of energy in her mouth, she shot at Duel Chaser, engulfing him, causing him to yell out in pain, he dropped to the ground, his body steaming and his clothes torn with blood seeping out of the multiple cuts along his body.

Duel Chaser: 3700-1300 LP

"Stop!" Ruri told Aki. "You're going to kill him!"

"I'll kill him…?" Aki paused, before getting an evil smirk. "Good…"

"No, stop! What happened to the woman who tried to save me!? I couldn't trust you, but I had a feeling you had good intentions! Please, stop! Be who you really are!" Ruri begged to the enraged Aki, who didn't have control of her mysterious powers. Aki paused once again, the smirk disappeared. Did she really want this? Did she really want to kill someone, despite him being from the same stupid society that did something terrible to her? Aki pondered on those questions as the girl clutched her head and groaned in pain. She looked at Duel Chaser and got a serious face, now in control. "I-I activate Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon's effect, once per turn, by banishing a Plant-Type Monster in my Grave, I can shuffle a Monster you control into your Deck, I banish Evil Thorn to shuffle Gonogo into your Deck!" Duel Chaser slowly and painfully shuffled his Card into his Deck. Aki's ramage did a number on him.

"It's time to finish this. Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon, attack the Duel Chaser directly and end this!" Aki declared as Black Rose simply smacked Duel Chaser on the head with its tail, causing the man to lose consciousness.

Duel Chaser: 1300-0 LP

As Black Rose disappeared, Aki started to breath heavily She turned to face Ruri, who was backing up in fear.

"Not again…" Aki grumbled in frustration. "Damn it! Why can't I control these powers?!" Aki looked at her hands. She calmed down, deciding to worry about it later. "I'm sorry, that was...not the real me…"

"I can tell." Ruri responded simply, still a little jumpy. "Umm...th-thank...you…?" It sounded more like a question then actually thanking her.

"Your welcome. Again, I'm sorry, when I get really angry, I lose control, for some reason, I can inflict real damage through Dueling, it's really scary. I feel like...a Monster after one of those 'transformations.'" Aki looked away from Ruri as she looked down at her riding suit, which was ripped in multiple places from the real damage through the Duel. "Good thing I have more of this riding suit. Anyways, I saw you being chased by the Duel Chaser, so I decided to help you. If you need a place to stay, you can stay with me, it's not much, but, it will work for two people."

"...uhh...thank you...I accept this offer…" Ruri nervously took a bow.

"We better hurry, people might come here." Aki walked over to her d-wheel, which was on the ground. She stood it up and checked for damage, thankfully, there were only a few scratches. "Get on, I don't have an extra helmet, but it will do." Aki put on her helmet, the situation still awkward between the two. Ruri hesitantly got on. She thought about her decision. This girl went on a rampage and was about to go overboard, was this a good idea? The girl might do it again? But the thing is…

The girl saved her.

I made up my mind. Ruri thought to herself. She would stay with this Izayoi Aki, since she did save her. And, other than the anger stuff, she seemed like a nice person.

Hopefully nothing bad happens.


Card Catalog

I changed the effect of Rose Fairy a bit so it can be drawn and Special Summoned also.

Giant Artillery, Equip, Magic: You can only equip this Card to a Giant Battleship Monster. The equipped Monster gains 1000 Attack, it can attack twice, and it can inflict piercing damage. During the End Phase of your turn, pay 1000 life points or destroy this Card, and if you pay 1000 life points, inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent.

Ragnazero (Remember, this is not the Numbers Monster, this is a different version, just like Silent Honor Ark,) Fairy, Xyz, Water: When this Card is Xyz Summoned, you can decrease the Attack of a Monster your opponent controls by 2400. When your opponent controls a Monster whose Attack is lower than the original Attack of that Monster, destroy it, then, inflict damage to your opponent equal to halve of the difference in Attack between the original Attack and the Attack the Monster had when it was destroyed. When this Card is in the Grave, you can target two Water-Type Monsters, Special Summon this Card and attach those two Monsters as Materials, this is treated as a Xyz Summon.

Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon, Dragon, Synchro, Dark: When this Card is Synchro Summoned, you can target the two Monster's with the highest Attack on the Field, banish them, then, inflict damage to your opponent equal to halve of the combined Attack of the banished Monsters. Once per turn, you can banish a Plant-Type Monster in your Grave, then, shuffle a Monster your opponent controls into their Deck. When this Card is destroyed, Special Summon a Monster from either player's Graveyard or Banished Zone to either player's Field, except Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon.


Finally finished!

The beginning took a while to think of, but I managed to do it. Wow, this has been the longest chapter in a while in terms of words.

I decided to have Rio Duel here since she has only Dueled one other time this fic. Like with Shark, I gave her an alternate Ragnazero. Just to make things clear, Rio does NOT have a rage mode, she was just very very very pissed off during the Duel.

Another thing, sorry about the Aki scene when she attacked by her own Monster, I needed something to trigger her rage mode other than being called the Black Rose Witch, so being reminded of a certain pain may do it, hint hint. I in no way hate Aki, and I hope everyone experiences little to no pain in real life, sorry if you guys were a little mad about the Aki scene.

Now the ring that Rio has, if I remember correctly in Zexal it used Ryoga's. So, as a way to remember Shark while he is gone, Shark gave Rio the sane ring.

Here's the preview.

While Rio Duels Gin (This segment is set when Allen and Sayaka leave Rio,) Allen and Sayaka see two people who are wiping out the Spade Branch section of the Resistance, they try to Duel them, however, they instead are met with two Academia Duelists. They decide to Duel each separately.

So here, I'm giving Allen and Sayaka a chance to shine next chapter. Soon, Kaito will get a Duel also.

Now, if you guys are wondering who Gin, is, it is a one-shot character in Gx who Dueled Jaden/Judai in episode 71. I didn't want him to use an Ancient Gear Deck so I made due with his anime Deck. I might use two more Gx one-shot characters next chapter. Also, I'm pretty sure his first name is Ryusei, not Gin, but I didn't want to repeatedly type in Ryusei, it's annoying.

Actually, I was planning on adding Fujiwara Yusuke from Season 4 of Gx instead of Gin, but I decided against it because 1. Fujiwara was too important in Season 4 of Gx to be reduced to a soldier. 2. have a lot of characters already, this could make it so certain people will outshine others. 3. Doing his Deck in a Duel against Rio would not be fun, it would be irritating since I'm pretty sure his Deck doesn't have anything to reduce or increased Attack, in fact, I don't think be he has Monster with Attack, I think they are all 0. I'm probably wrong though.

Damn I feel like a Yusaku 2.0!

Yuka Kuroshiro: I actually did decide to put Aki in here, a lot of people at some point wanted me to put her in the story.

Matrixnis: No problem. Your prediction is right my friend.

Bridgey: Burgundy is a shade of red, correct. I'm just letting you know, I basically got the character appearance description thing from Yugioh Wiki, NOT WORD FOR WORD, I'm not here to plagiarize. The Arcadia Movement will not make an appearance. I don't see how I can implement it into the story, I don't want to make things hectic, and things are hectic already with all of the characters. Kaito will be seen defecting soon. As for Yuto and the Lancers, the chapter after Kaito defects from the Resistance is when we see the Lancers again. I would estimate...2-4 chapters.

Mekyaku: Sometimes, I feel like Faker is his real name, but what do I know.

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.

Take care, goodbye!