On the same night when Mira and her friends celebrated Marcy's victory, and Giichi discovered another of the Wielders' identities, Karamar was imprisoned in the facility – still strapped to the gurney, still in the facility's isolated area, and still in his comatose state.

But at this moment, Karamar was having flashbacks of his deadly duel against Homanu, and how he supposedly had the upper hand after Homanu was knocked unconscious by the devastating attack of his fully upgraded Cybernaut Ramarak. But just when Karamar and the rest of the Devil's Hand assumed they had gotten their revenge, Homanu miraculously recovered without the faintest difficulty. Karamar attempted to electrocute Homanu by having Switchblade zap him with the shock devices still attached to him at maximum intensity – evidently, they were unsuccessful.

That's when the mysterious masked stranger appeared out of nowhere and knocked out all of the Devil's Hand, save for Karamar. But the unexplainably invincible Homanu took care of him by activating a card that neither Karamar nor anyone else had seen before. With this strange card, he created a monster that started out as a simple orange blob, but quickly transformed into a fiery winged warrior. At this point, it was all over for Karamar.

"It all ends here!" the seemingly possessed Homanu declared. "Unform Ptah, attack all of his monsters and bring me victory!"

And that's exactly what happened. The winged warrior flew up towards the sky and unleashed an immense barrage of fireballs from its wings, striking at Cybernaut Ramarak and Karamar's other two mechanical trolls. Not only were all of Karamar's mechanical monsters incinerated, but the attack activated the shock devices of the screaming Karamar, who failed to realize that his shock devices were at maximum intensity, as well.

Through his tightly clenched eyes and clenched teeth, Karamar could feel his heart pounding in anger over his humiliating defeat. 'I can't believe that bastard won again!' he furiously thought, his anger increasing by the second. 'I got an entirely new deck and a card that would strengthen my ace to no end, and I still lost to that fucking traitor?!'

"ISHAKO!" he loudly roared, unable to take it anymore. His scream echoed throughout the room, but no one came to see where that noise came from – he was, after all, in isolation.

"Once I get free from this place, I'm gonna fucking MURDER you!" he furiously vowed, struggling to get free. He was so irate that he didn't notice a cluster of yellow pixels forming at a distance from the gurney. "Argh, I'd do anything to get outta this place!"

"You'd do anything?" a female voice smugly spoke. In place of the clusters was Jupiter, who approached the captive Karamar with great interest.

"Who the hell are you, and how did you even get here?!" Karamar demanded, too busy trying to break free to even care.

"I am Jupiter, second in command of the Forces of Itzamna," Jupiter solemnly introduced herself. "And all I want… is to help you, Karamar."

"Help… me?" Karamar asked, fully perplexed.

"Yes," replied Jupiter. "We have been watching you from afar, especially in your battles against that one particular ruffian – 'Homanu Ishako', was it not?"

"Ishako…!" Karamar hissed, clenching his fists. "I swear, I'm gonna get that bastard if it's the last thing I do!"

"Seems that you and I have mutual enemies," Jupiter calmly remarked, crossing her arms.

"Wait, you have a beef with Homanu, too?!" Homanu cried. He wickedly grinned as he added, "Man, I like you already! So, how are you gonna get me out of here so we can get back at him?!"

"In due time," Jupiter replied. With a wave of her fingertips, she unleashed some small bolts of yellow electricity that snapped apart Karamar's restraints. "But first, you must come with me."

"Come with you?! What for?!" Karamar demanded.

"Let's just say… you're a special case," was Jupiter's explanation. Grabbing Karamar by the arm, she declared, "Now come with me, and I shall give you the power you need to defeat your enemies!" Both she and Karamar disappeared in the same cluster of yellow pixels, leaving only an empty gurney in the isolated chamber.

YU-GI-OH! CHRONIXII

LEVEL 1-18
THE FRESH PRINCE OF ALBA LITORA

The following morning came, and it was breakfast time at the orphanage. Mira and Kero sat at their usual table, with Marcy taking Homanu's seat due to his hospitalization. Marcy and Kero had their respective breakfasts of tamagoyaki and shokupan toast with jam, while Marcy helped herself to a bowl of tsukemono.

While they ate, Mira easily noticed that Marcy was eating rather slowly, and she had an idea as to why. "Hey, Marcy?" Mira gently asked, breaking Marcy's concentration.

"Oh! What's up?" the mildly startled Marcy asked.

"I couldn't help but notice that you're eating pretty slowly," Mira explained. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," Marcy replied, chuckling nervously.

But Mira wasn't so sure. Determined to get the truth out of Marcy, she asked, "Was it because of what happened last night? We were watching that movie you loved, and you got sad all of a sudden-"

"Oh, that!" Marcy nervously interrupted. "Like I told you, it was my favorite scene of the whole movie, and it always gets me! You know how it is, right?"

Mira calmly placed a hand on her shoulder. "Marcy, I think I know what really made you upset," she said. "Your real friends aren't here, and you're starting to miss them, aren't you?"

This time, Marcy remained silent for a few moments. Then, dropping her shoulders, she lowly confessed, "…Yes. I miss Anne and Sasha…"

"I'm sure they miss you, too," Mira said comfortingly. "I don't know how or when we'll get to them, but one way or another, I'm sure we will."

The heartfelt Marcy's eyes glistened with tears as she embraced Mira, which led to Mira hugging Marcy back. This moment of friendship was disrupted by Kero sobbing loudly as he was scarfing down pieces of toast. "I always cry at speeches like that!" he sobbed with his mouth full of food.

"Oy, Mira!" Sister Golas called. Mira and Marcy quickly released themselves just before the Catholic caretaker approached their table. "There's someone from Giichi Corp to see you."

"He wants… to see me?" the perplexed Mira asked.

"Yes, he specifically asked to see Mira Yukiko," Sister Golas explained.

"I dunno why he'd want to see me, but okay," Mira said suspiciously. Standing up from her seat, she said, "I'll be right back, guys."

She and Sister Golas were about to head to the entrance when Sister Golas paused and turned her attention to Kero. "And for goodness' sake, Nobuyuki," she scolded, "swallow your food before you choke on it!"

"Yes, Sister Golas," Kero murmured, his chewed food still in his mouth. He harshly swallowed the food before breathing heavily, much to everyone else's embarrassment.

Mira and Sister Golas continued their way through the hallway of the main entrance. Standing before them was a lab technician working for Giichi – the same unnamed lab technician who reported both the progress of the Game Duel format's uploading as well as its statistics and reception after its official launch. "Ah, Mira Yukiko! A pleasure to meet you!" the attendant eagerly greeted her.

"Yeah, that's me," Mira said calmly. "Is there… anything I can do for you?"

"As a matter of fact, there is," the attendant proudly explained. "Giichi has sent me over to invite you to Alba Circuit to participate in a publicized duel… against the one and only Arthur!"

Mira was amazed by this announcement. "I'm actually gonna duel… against Arthur?" she breathlessly spoke.

"You're gonna duel against ARTHUR?!" most of the orphans overhearing Mira wildly gasped. They were shoving their way through the hallway while Sister Golas blocked the way and waved her arms to try and restore order.

Mira, trying her hardest to ignore the orphans' immense excitement, loudly asked, "I mean, I'm flattered that I get to duel against Arthur, but how did that happen? And why today?"

"Well, Arthur did say he owed you a Game Duel," the attendant replied, also speaking loudly over the orphans' excitement. "It was when we first launched Fusion Monsters into the game before that purple-haired troublemaker interfered."

Mira did remember that day, especially what Arthur told her after Yuri's interference. "But why today?" she asked.

"I'm afraid that's classified information, my friend," the attendant said, almost slyly. "But in the meantime, we'll pick you up here at around ten o'clock, and the match will commence in about a half hour. See you then, challenger!"

Even as he left the orphanage, the excited orphans were still making all sorts of comments and the like about Mira. "Alright, alright, that's quite enough, children!" shouted Sister Golas. "I get that you're excited about Arthur duelin' Mira, but the girl still needs to finish her breakfast and change! Now please, get back to your seats, or else your own breakfast will get cold!" The orphans were still excited, but they obeyed and headed back to their tables.

"Hey, Mira?" Marcy asked as soon as Mira sat back down to finish her breakfast. "Who's this 'Arthur' person everyone was so excited about?"

"Get out!" Kero cried in excited disbelief, quickly sitting down at the same table. "You actually don't know who Arthur is?! The Arthur?! The superstar of Alba Litora?!"

"Kero," Mira scolded, "Marcy still has amnesia, so of course she wouldn't know who Arthur is!"

"…Oh…" Kero said. Mira placed a hand over her eyes in embarrassment.

"Arthur's, like, the greatest duelist in all of Alba Litora!" Reggie said, heading to Mira's table upon overhearing the conversation. "He has, like, this deck that has lion knights and all that, and trust me, they're really strong! Oh, how I hope I get to duel him someday!"

"This is Reggie Abbott, and she's… a big fan of Arthur," Mira calmly introduced Marcy to her female friend. "Probably a bigger fan than all his other fans combined."

"But a deck full of lion knights?" Marcy said with interest. "Sounds pretty cool – almost like the kind of deck I have!"

"Just wait until you see his best card though," Kero commented, almost dramatically. Standing on the table and striking a pose, he bellowed, "The Equip Spell Card, Sacred Lionhearted Blade, Excatibur!"

"Nobuyuki, don't stand on the table like that!" Sister Golas shouted.

"Sorry, Sister Golas!" Kero called back, quickly stepping off the table.

"But anyway, you'll see how strong Arthur's deck really is once Mira takes us to Alba Circuit!" Reggie eagerly said, nudging the perplexed Mira's shoulder.

"Reggie, what are you talking about?" Mira asked. "I'm not taking you with me."

Reggie's face immediately dropped. "You're… You're not?!" she whined. "Come on, I thought we were your friends!"

"You are," Mira reasoned, "and I'd like to take you, but the guy who came didn't exactly say I could invite whoever I wanted, and it's too late to ask now."

"But this is Arthur we're talking about!" Reggie whined once again.

"I'm sorry, but the answer's no," Mira said. "I don't want you getting into trouble like you did last week." After finishing her breakfast, she immediately stood up. "Sorry, but I gotta get dressed now. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck, Onee-chan!" Kero called back. "We'll be rootin' for ya!" Mira nodded as she headed upstairs.

"Sorry you won't be able to see Arthur in person," Marcy said to Reggie, placing an arm around her shoulder.

"Oh, no," Reggie calmly but defiantly said, placing a fist on the table. "We're gonna see Arthur in person, whether Mira likes it or not!"

"But you heard what Mira said!" Kero protested. "We could all get into trouble for whatever stunt you have in mind!"

"Hey, if no one else knows about it, then there's no harm done!" Reggie said. Motioning to Kero and Marcy to form a huddle, she said, "Okay, now here's what we're gonna do…!"

Meanwhile, Mira entered her room and was about to get dressed in her everyday attire when she remembered something important – she still had to insert her SD card back into her Disk. Without wasting a second, she pulled out the drawer containing both the Disk and the miniature envelope with the SD card still inside. She quickly took out the SD card from the envelope and inserted it back into her Disk. But when she did, a familiar streak of pink and violet pixels shot out of her Disk. They transformed into Pixel Pinkie, who was more than overjoyed to see Mira after about two weeks.

"MIRA!" she squealed, flamboyantly flying over to nuzzle Mira's cheek. "Oh, how I've missed you so!"

Mira was morbidly irritated by this affection – a fitting reaction, given her rocky relationship with Pinkie. And yet she, herself, hadn't forgotten about her effervescent ally throughout the time she didn't have her Disk with her. "I can't believe I'm saying this…" Mira muttered, "…but I actually missed you too…"

Pinkie's eyes glistened with happiness. "You… you really mean it?" she said in no more than a high-pitched whisper.

"Yes… I really do mean it."

"WHOOPEEEEEEEEEEE!" Pinkie cheered, performing a quick backwards loop in the air. "It's really good to have your Disk back after it was taken from you for so long, huh?"

"Wait, how did you know my Disk was confiscated?" Mira demanded.

'You could say Pinkie had some… company during your absence,' a deep female voice spoke. It belonged to Shai, who slowly formed from lavender digital pixels.

"Shai!" Mira gasped. "What are you doing here?!"

'As with Pinkie, I now reside in the Secure Digital card of your Disk,' Shai explained. This made Mira wonder if this was the reason why Reggie discreetly brought over that SD card while she was hospitalized. 'And during your absence, I was able to keep Pinkie at bay. Obviously, you were in no condition to meet her the last time we met.'

"But now that you're back," Pinkie swooned, "we just have to make up for lost time!"

"I really don't have time for that," Mira said, walking to her dresser and taking out her everyday clothes. "I gotta get ready for when I duel Arthur in about an hour!"

"You're gonna duel Arthur?" Pinkie questioned. "The same Arthur you were gonna duel about two weeks ago before Yuri ruined everything?"

"That's him," said Mira. "But I'm not worried about Yuri interfering this time. Reggie said that Sister Golas was so upset with him for the stunt he pulled, she took his Disk away, too – and chances are, she still has it. Now, do you mind? I gotta get dressed now!"

"Aww, but what about the ways we can do to make up for lost time!?" Pinkie whined. Shai grabbed her by the arm, and the two disappeared into pixels.

Thankful that she now had some privacy, Mira was about to change into her everyday clothes when the necklace underneath her pajama top shone once again. Her eyes widened as another vision ran through her head.

This time, what she saw was the endless patches of blackness around her – almost like from the abnormal dream she had over a month ago. But instead of falling rocks, what she saw was an orange stone floating in front of her, followed by a white snowflake-shaped crystal, and a blue water orb. But after a few more seconds, two more mysterious objects formed – a wisp of violet energy, and a red ember. After yet another few seconds, a small green cyclone formed. Mira felt that these objects represented something, but she couldn't figure out what.

It wasn't long before this mysterious display took a dramatic turn. The orange stone and white snowflake appeared to be shoving each other, as if they were in some kind of quarrel, the hostility increasing every few seconds. Eventually, the snowflake had enough and knocked the stone far away before fleeing into the distance. After shaking itself off, the stone took notice of the violet wisp, and they engaged in the same kind of mysterious quarrel. But this time, the stone slightly dimmed, as if it were defeated.

Mira still wasn't sure what that signified, and what happened next certainly didn't make things any clearer. For whatever reason, the orange stone became illuminant once more, as the objects formed two sets of triangular patterns – the violet wisp, green cyclone, and blue water orb forming one, and the white snowflake, orange stone, and red ember forming the other. Suddenly, after both patters were formed, a powerful storm appeared, with the blood-red outline of the Krana Xa forming overhead. Mira tried to resist, but she found both herself and the six mysterious objects being thrown into the vortex.

Almost immediately, the vision ended and Mira snapped back into reality. But unlike the visions prior to this one, Mira had no idea what any of it meant – perhaps even less so than the similar dream she had over a month ago. After a failed attempt to try and make any sense of what she had just witnessed, she shook her head and focused on getting dressed in time for the limousine to arrive.

Mira, now fully dressed, was standing outside the main entrance with Sister Golas. At ten o'clock sharp, a black hovercraft resembling a limousine pulled up. Emerging out of the driver's side was a slim, black-suited butler of African descent, with thinning hair and a goatee that were both black, wearing a pair of white gloves. He walked to the passenger door on the same side and opened it. Arthur emerged out of the vehicle. "Ah, Miss Yukiko," Arthur politely greeted her. "It's nice to see you again after so long."

"Y-Yeah, same," Mira said, slightly blushing. She was reminiscing over how someone as beloved as Arthur chose her as his opponent, back when Fusion Monsters were first unveiled.

"I can only hope we can have our duel without any… interruptions," Arthur said, remembering how Yuri ruined the unveiling of Fusion Monsters with his interference.

"Don't you worry," Sister Golas said, stepping forward. "As soon as I found about what Yuri did, I saw to it that he was severely punished. He won't be dueling for quite some time, so you should be able to have your duel without incident."

"I should certainly hope so," the butler spoke in cynical contempt. With a shudder, he added, "Oh, those rebellious rapscallions of today's youth – when will it ever end? First, that purple-haired braggard completely disrupts an unveiling, then I hear the news about these 'Devil's Hand' thugs abducting and endangering innocent civilians! What's next, a small group of juveniles stowing away in our limousine when we depart to Alba Circuit?!"

"My, Poole, you've got quite the imagination there," Arthur remarked. But unbeknownst to him and the others, that's exactly what happened – Reggie, Kero, and Marcy were sneaking off to the back of the limo without the faintest detection.

"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Marcy excitedly said in no more than a whisper. "This is exactly like those stealth missions in Creatures and Caverns II!"

"Yeah, but what if we get caught?" Kero cautiously whispered. "Worse yet, what if we can't get out of the limo?"

"Relax," Reggie whispered back. "I've seen these guys do it on TV, so there's no way we'll get caught! Now, c'mon!" She discreetly pushed down on the trunk of the limo until it gradually opened. Afterwards, she motioned to Kero and Marcy to sneakily climb inside the trunk. Reggie got in the trunk last before she closed it.

"Well, I'd certainly love to keep the conversation going," Arthur said with a chuckle as he looked at his Disk's clock feature, "but we really should be off to Alba Circuit for our duel. Shall we, Miss Yukiko?"

"Yeah, let's," Mira said with a gentle smile.

"I'm coming along as well for Mira's safety," Sister Golas firmly declared. "I know she's fourteen and all, but after all she went through, I'm still not taking any chances."

"But Sister Golas, who's gonna watch all the other orphans while you're gone?" Mira asked.

"Don't worry, it's all taken care of," Sister Golas said reassuringly. "Now, come on, we haven't a moment to lose!"

With that declaration, Poole opened the passenger door, and Arthur, Mira, and Sister Golas climbed inside. The butler returned climbed into the driver door, started the limousine's engines, and headed off to the city's main stadium.

"Well, Miss Yukiko," Arthur said rather friendlily as they rode, "I've heard quite a few things about you, especially how you've managed to defeat Miss Hawk on the same day I happened to defeat her!"

Mira wondered how Arthur knew about her defeating Hawk. Then she remembered that Andrea mentioned it when she streamed the duel between Mira and Reggie, which Arthur most likely saw even as Fusion Monsters were about to be released. "Word really gets around fast, doesn't it?" Mira remarked, almost playfully. Determination crossed her face as she added, "Of course, I only got a bit lucky – but don't think I'm gonna go easy on you!"

"Spoken like a true duelist!" the pleased Arthur boldly declared. "Of course, as a professional, I don't intend to hold back, either – so once we duel, you'd best show me your fullest potential!"

Mira said nothing, but nodded in determination. As they continued riding, Arthur kept a discreet but close eye on Mira. 'I still find it hard to believe that someone as commonplace as her would be one of the Wielders I'm looking for,' he thought, slightly frowning. 'And yet there's no mistaking – the Pixel that's accompanying her and the Iroa card she has. But as impressive as her victories are, I still don't expect to lose to her – not like the way I lost to… that other Wielder…!'

Ten minutes later, the limousine finally arrived at the Alba Circuit. As Mira took a glance out the window while passing through the main entrance, she couldn't help but notice that there were several police officers dutifully escorting those attending the match into the stadium's main entrance.

"Whoa, that's a lot of police officers," Mira commented. "Guess they're not taking any chances after the stunt Yuri pulled, huh?"

"I don't know for certain," Sister Golas said, rather contemptuously, "but it certainly wouldn't surprise me – especially not with the way Yuri somehow got possessed by Heaven knows what!"

Mira hadn't forgotten what truly caused Yuri to be possessed like that, but she didn't have time to make any remarks about it. The limousine pulled up at the back entrance of the stadium. After Poole exited the driver's side, he opened the passenger door on the other side. "Alright, you two, we're here," he said as he escorted the two duelists out. "Now go on, and enjoy your Game Duel."

"Thank you, Poole," said Arthur. "I'll be sure to call you if anything comes up."

"Don't worry about me, sir," Poole replied, almost cynically. "It's not like I could use actual company every now and then – me being told when to pick you up will suit rather nicely!"

"Alright, Poole, you've made your point," Arthur said in an attempt to comfort him.

Sister Golas, meanwhile, ignored Poole's remarks and calmly placed her hands on Mira's shoulders. "Have fun out there, Yukiko," she said comfortingly, "and good luck!" After briefly embracing Mira, Sister Golas returned to the limousine. As soon as Arthur and Mira made their way inside the stadium, Poole returned to the limousine to head back to the orphanage.

"Okay, now!" Reggie's voice quietly cried from the trunk. As soon as Poole started to drive off, Reggie popped the trunk open, and she, Kero, and Marcy all tumbled out. The driver stopped upon hearing the noise, but the three stowaways ran into the stadium just in time as Poole discovered the open trunk.

"How on Earth did this get open, I wonder?" he asked himself. He closed the trunk before returning to transport Sister Golas back to the orphanage.

"Phew, that was a close one!" Reggie sighed as the three were inside one of the stadium's hallways. "But we're here at last!"

"That's great," Kero groaned. "Now where's the little stowaway's room? I've been holdin' it in this whole trip!" He began hopping on each foot indicating that he indeed had to use the restroom.

"Fine, use the restroom, and then come find us!" Reggie impatiently ordered. Kero uncomfortably nodded and dashed off. To Marcy, Reggie added, "Okay, Marcy, let's go and find Arthur without getting caught!"

"Don't worry, Reggie!" Marcy said, winking at Reggie and giving her a thumbs-up. "I totally know how these stealth missions work, so let's get going!" She and Reggie sneakily ran to search for Arthur.

'I'm comin' for you, Arthur,' Reggie determinedly thought as she hastily followed Marcy, 'so ready or not, here I come!'

Elsewhere in the stadium's lobby, Mira and Arthur were walking down a hallway to the locker room, and they were humorously a way's away from where Reggie and Marcy were stealthily searching for their idol. It wasn't long before the two participants were stopped by Ushio. "Ah! Mira, Arthur!" he called. "So glad you two arrived safely!"

"Chief Ushio!" the surprised Mira spoke. "What are you doing here? …Come to think of it, what's with the increased security?"

"Perhaps you were right," Arthur remarked. "This city's law enforcement really isn't taking any chances after Yuri's little fiasco!"

"Actually, Yuri's stunt has nothing to do with any of this," Ushio corrected him. Motioning to have Mira and Arthur come closer, he quietly warned, "Karamar Isonek… has escaped from prison!"

Mira was aghast at these words. "Karamar escaped?!" she said in a gasp. "How did that happen?!"

"That's the thing – we don't know!" Ushio frustratingly explained. "When I checked on him this morning, I immediately saw that he was gone, and his straps were broken and singed. But when we did some further investigating, we didn't come across anything that would look like he broke out! And when we thoroughly interrogated some of the detainees that might've had some part in it, they insisted that they didn't know anything about Karamar's disappearance, either!"

"So basically, you guys are here to make sure there won't be any crimes or the like," Arthur assumed, crossing his arms.

"Exactly – especially considering how much of a potential threat he is!" Ushio affirmed. "Of course, we haven't seen any trace of him yet, but we're still not taking any chances!"

Looking at Mira's worried face, Ushio calmed down. With a sigh, he said, "I'm sorry – I… I didn't mean to startle you like that. I was only spitting out the facts. You two just come with me, and I'll show you to the waiting room before your match starts in about twenty minutes." The two duelists nodded and followed Ushio to the proper room.

Approximately twenty minutes later, the publicity match between Arthur and Mira was about to begin. The blue fluorescent bleachers were packed full of fans, the virtual screens before them, and their excitement intact despite the news of Karamar's escape. The screens displayed the commentary box housing the red-suited Bobba and the blue-suited Jimma.

"Hello, duel fans of Alba Litora!" Bobba announced. "I'm Bobba, and this is my partner, Jimma. As always, we are coming to you live from Alba Circuit, where this time we're about to witness a publicity match between the city's idol, Arthur Rutherford, and one of the city's ordinary citizens lucky enough to face such a beloved duelist, Mira Yukiko!"

"For those of you who aren't up to speed," Jimma explained to the audience, "the match between Arthur and Mira was originally going to occur during the commemoration of Fusion Monsters being added to Game Duels. Unfortunately, it was postponed due to the disruption of one… particular fanatic who insisted that he was meant to duel Arthur in Mira's stead."

Back at the orphanage's rec room where the duel was being broadcast, all the orphans, save for Yusaku, were all giggling at the humiliated Yuri's expense. "Oh, shut up, you…!" he fumed as he crossed his arms to try and block out the taunting laughter.

"However, Arthur has acknowledged that Mira does deserve a duel against him, as originally intended," added Bobba. "And so, our lucky Mira is gonna participate in a publicized duel against him!"

"And speaking of which," Jimma dramatically announced, "it's only appropriate to welcome the superstar of Alba Litora! Give it up for… ARTHUR RUTHERFORD!"

The audience cheered as smoke flared from one end of the stadium's innermost platform, Arthur proudly emerging from it. "That's right!" Arthur declared, pointing towards the sky. "'Tis I, the great Arthur Rutherford – your idol, your superstar, and most of all, your champion!"

The audience at the stadium cheered even wilder, as did most of the orphans back at the orphanage. Yusaku simply crossed his arms, but then heard a door close. He turned his head and saw that it was Sister Golas, who had just returned. "Hey, Sister Golas," he calmly greeted her.

"Hello, Yusaku," Sister Golas said as she hastily entered the rec room. "Thank you for supervising the orphans while I was away. How are they behaving?"

"They're behaving rather well," Yusaku reported. "That includes Yuri, believe it or not."

"Well, that's certainly a relief," Sister Golas said, sighing lightly.

"Although," Yusaku said, gently pushing the caretaker aside so no one would hear them, "you haven't seen Reggie, Kero, or Marcy around, have you? I haven't seen them since breakfast – and if I know Reggie, there's no way she'd wanna miss anything that involves Arthur."

"They're probably out for a walk or something," Sister Golas said, maintaining her composure. "And while you're right about Reggie's behavior over anything involving Arthur, perhaps it'll be good for her – no sense in obsessing over an idol like there's no tomorrow!"

"I know," said Yusaku, "but something tells me she's pulling a stunt as insane as the one Yuri pulled a while back… But there's no way Reggie would be that rebellious, would she?"

"She most certainly wouldn't," Sister Golas said with a huff. "Especially not after the severe talking I had with her when she snuck out past curfew and got Mira hospitalized! …But let's not worry about them for the moment; we should get back so we don't miss Mira's duel against Arthur." Yusaku nodded as the two returned to the rec room.

"And now that the city's main attraction has made his entrance," Bobba announced, taking over for Jimma, "it's time to introduce his opponent! She may be an ordinary duelist, but word has it that she was strong enough to defeat Arthur's previous opponent, Hawk – and if that's the case, Arthur might wanna be careful dueling this girl! Ladies and gentlemen… MIRA YUKIKO!"

The audience cheered as smoke flared from the opposite end of the platform, with Mira calmly walking through it. No sooner had she walked out of the smoke when the streak of pink and violet pixels shot out of her Disk before transforming into Pinkie. "Hello, Mira!" she energetically greeted her human partner. "Looks like I arrived just in time to give you a refresher on how duels work since you haven't dueled in so long! You can Normal Summon Level Four or lower monsters regularly, but Level Five or Six monsters need one Tribute, and Level Seven and higher need two-"

"I know how Game Duels work!" Mira harshly whispered back through her gritted teeth, startling Pinkie. "I'm sorry, I really don't have time for you right now – I'm about to duel Arthur!"

Though Pinkie smartly kept her mouth shut, she still floated beside Mira. But unbeknownst to Mira and Pinkie, Arthur saw Pinkie in plain sight, just like he did during the unveiling of Fusion Monsters. 'That's the Pixel that's accompanying her, all right,' he thought, closely observing Pinkie, 'so there's no doubt she is one of the Wielders after all…' He raised his arm that held his D-Gear. 'But if I'm going to let someone as commonplace as her defeat a professional like me, she is beyond mistaken!' Without saying a word, he projected his Disk's orange blade. Upon seeing this, Mira quickly projected her Disk's hot pink blade.

"It looks like both duelists are more than eager to begin the duel!" Bobba announced, taking quick notice of both duelists activating their Disks. "In that case, let's go ahead and activate the proper Game Duel Field – Game World, Brave Battlegrounds!"

The Game Duel Field Card, its artwork depicting the vast meadow with the black and white knights ready to face off against each other, moved up to the center of both Disks' touchscreens. "Now activating Game World Field: Game World, Brave Battlegrounds," the female computerized voice spoke during this sequence. The entire field around both duelists transformed to depict the same meadow, complete with the falling leaves.

"I'll admit, I still find it rather impressive you've managed to defeat someone like Hawk," Arthur boldly complimented. "But let's see how you fare against me!"

"I didn't hold back when I dueled Hawk," Mira said, defiantly raising her Disk, "and I don't plan on holding back now!"

"Exactly what I want to hear!" Arthur shouted back.

"Our duelists are in position," Bobba announced, "so let the Game Duel commence!"

"Game Duel, game start!" Arthur and Mira shouted.

ARTHUR: 4000 LP / MIRA: 4000 LP

"I shall make the first move!" Arthur declared, valiantly drawing his opening hand of five cards. "I'll start by activating the Spell Card, Lionheart's Ordeal!" After grabbing a card in his hand and swiping it through one of his blade's horizontal slots, a BLACK MAGIC Spell Card materialized beside him. Its artwork was drawn in a 'split screen' kind of manner – the left half depicted Arthur's ace lion knight, Artorigus, falling from part of the cliffside path that crumbled beneath his feet. But the other half depicted his arm hanging on a part of the path that remained intact.

"This card forces me to send cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard, equal to the number of cards in my hand – which, in this case, is four! But if any Monster Cards with one hundred or less Attack Points were sent to the Graveyard this way, I can add one of them to my hand!" His Disk's ring appeared, and four cards shot out of the topmost ridge, each dissipating into pixels. Not long after, a card materialized in front of Arthur, which he grabbed hold of. "Excellent!

"I summon the Upgrade Monster, Lionhearted Knight, Artorigus!"

He immediately slapped the card he just retrieved onto his blade's centermost floating zone. Afterwards, a pillar of orange light with dust and pebbles swirling in the vortex shot up from behind him. Leaping out of the portal was his ace red-brown-haired lion knight clad in bronze armor. [BASE ATK: 100 / GRADE: BASE]

'Artorigus!' the awestruck Mira thought, having a flashback of how it was used against Hawk and her own ace, Chunin Ayame. 'I remember how Hawk fared against him – I just hope I'm ready!'

"I inject Artorigus with Upgrade Core Super, bringing him to his 'Super' Grade and making him acquire his three Cores!" Arthur continued, revealing the generic Core Card to Mira before sliding it directly underneath Artorigus's card counterpart. Almost immediately, the three unlit hexagons on Artorigus's chest lit bright blue. [GRADE: BASE – SUP / BASE ATK: 100 – SUP ATK: 100 / CORE: 0 – 3]

"Not only that, but Artorigus will gain a power boost from the 'Meadow' Terrain of this Game Duel Field!" [SUP ATK: 100 – 300]

"I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn!" Arthur finished, sliding two cards from his hand into his blade's outermost horizontal slots. Two cards materialized behind the lion knight before disappearing.

"Unbelievable, folks!" Bobba excitedly spoke. "Usually Arthur waits until he brings out his ace monster, but he actually brought it out on his very first turn!"

"I don't know what he's up to," Jimma added to keep the audience excited, "but something tells me that Arthur's really eager to defeat Mira! But we'll have to see how this unfolds!"

Mira, however, was puzzled and suspicious as she stared at Arthur's ace monster. 'Why would Arthur be so eager to bring out his ace so early?' she thought. 'From all his duels I've seen, he usually doesn't do that unless he's in a tight spot. …Could he possibly be that ambitious about defeating me?' Determination quickly crossed her face. 'Well, if he's really not holding back, then neither am I!'

"It's my turn!" she said aloud, drawing her five cards. "And I'll start by activating the Spell Card, Magical Mallet!" After swiping the card through one of her blade's horizontal slots, the WHITE MAGIC Spell Card picturing the wooden mallet with angelic wings materialized.

"This card allows me to add both this card and any number of cards in my hand back into my deck, and then I get to draw the same number of cards! I'll return this card and three cards in my hand back into my deck, so I get to draw four cards!" Three cards materialized in front of Mira, and after swiping her fingertips across them, both the cards and her Spell Card dissipated into hot pink pixels. Afterwards, four stacked cards materialized in front of the ridge, which Mira drew. After looking at the new contents of her hand, she determinedly looked up at Arthur and said, "Alright, Arthur – if you're that eager to bring out your ace so easily, well, so am I!

"Since I drew it this turn and have no monsters on my field, I can Normal Summon this monster without any sacrifices – the Upgrade Monster, Destiny Dragon Chronogias!"

She immediately slapped the card onto her blade's centermost floating zone. Afterwards, a lustrous pillar of lavender light shot up from behind her, and her ace ebony cybernetic dragon flew out of it, unleashing a frightening screech upon its emergence. [BASE ATK: 1900 / GRADE: BASE]

"Ladies and gentlemen, neither duelist is giving an inch!" Jimma excitedly said as the audience wildly cheered. "Just after Arthur quickly brought out his own ace monster, Mira has brought out hers – and it just so happens to be the very same Upgrade Monster she used when Game Duels were first launched!"

Mira nostalgically eyed her dragon with a gentle smile. 'Good to be using you again,' she calmly thought. Then she immediately returned her focus to the duel at hand. "And just like you did with your Upgrade Monster, I inject Chronogias with Upgrade Core Super to bring it to the 'Super' Grade!" After revealing the Core Card to Arthur, she slid the card directly underneath Chronogias's card form, causing the dragon's two unlit hexagons to light up bright blue. [GRADE: BASE – SUP / BASE ATK: 1900 – SUP ATK: 2400 / CORE: 0 – 2]

"All right!" Pinkie cheered, raising a fist in the air. "Now go on an' weaken that lion knight o' his!"

"It's plenty weak, so I don't see any real reason to!" Mira discreetly scolded her pink partner. She remembered the two face-down cards Arthur placed earlier. 'Right now, I have to worry about his face-down cards, and I think I have an idea as to what one of 'em might be!' She then looked at one of the cards in her hand. 'Fortunately, I do have a chance of getting rid of it!'

Grabbing the card in her hand, she said aloud, "I activate the Spell Card, Psychic Cyclone!" After swiping a card through one of her blade's horizontal slots, an ILLUSION MAGIC Spell Card materialized beside her. Its artwork depicted a smug spiky-haired man with his irises glowing light blue and a mystical wind of the same color forming around his right pointer and middle finger.

"This card lets me choose a face-down card on your field, and I have to guess if it's a Spell or Trap Card before I destroy it. If I guess correctly, I then draw one card. Otherwise, you get to draw one card." Both of Arthur's face-down cards reappeared, and Mira pointed at the one on her right. "I choose the one on the right, and guess that it'll be… a Trap Card!" A light blue digital cyclone shot out of the card and caught the chosen face-down card in the vortex. Just as Mira had thought, the card was a Trap Card – Lionhearted Grit, to be exact. It wasn't long before the Trap Card dissipated into pixels before the storm died down.

At first, Arthur frowned at one of his strongest cards getting destroyed, but then smirked. 'Excellent – she didn't destroy the card I truly need!' he thought.

"Since I was right about your face-down card being a Trap Card, I get to draw a card!" Mira continued, drawing the card that materialized in front of her ring's ridge. Then she once again examined the contents of her hand.

"I'll place three cards face-down!" She grabbed the three cards in her hand and swiped them through all her blade's horizontal slots. Three cards materialized behind the dragon before disappearing.

"It's now my Battle Phase – and since Chronogias is the only monster on my field, it gains one thousand Attack Points!" Lavender digital fire began forming in the dragon's mouth. [SUP ATK: 2400 – 3400]

"Things are really getting intense, ladies and gentlemen!" Bobba dramatically cried. "If this attack succeeds, Arthur will be taking over three thousand points of damage!"

"But if I know Arthur, just like everyone else does," Jimma refuted, "then he'll find a way to overcome his predicament – he always does!"

"I congratulate you on bringing out such a strong monster," Arthur said, back in the duel. "However, you forget that since Artorigus is the only monster on my field, he can't be destroyed in battle!"

"But you're still gonna take damage!" Mira reminded him. "And massive damage, at that!"

'We'll see!' the smirking Arthur determinedly thought.

"Chronogias, attack his Knight Artorigus!" Mira commanded, pointing at the lion knight. The cybernetic dragon unleashed the digital fire from its mouth, striking directly at the lion knight and creating an explosion on Arthur's field. After a few suspenseful seconds, the smoke began to clear. As Arthur had stated, the lion knight was still standing.

"This duel's far from over!" Arthur boldly declared. [LP: 2700]

"Twenty-seven hundred Life Points?!" Mira gasped. "But they should be lower than that!"

"They would be… if it weren't for my Stoic Counterattack Trap Card!" Arthur haughtily corrected her. An EARTH Trap Card materialized beside him. Its artwork depicted Number 54: Lion Heart performing an aggressive counterattack on Number 39: Utopia inside a colosseum of Ancient Greek origin.

Mira was startled. 'I don't remember Arthur using that card before!' she ghastly thought.

"Since you were attacking my Upgrade Monster that had one thousand or less Attack Points," Arthur explained, "this card automatically depleted all of its Cores. But for each one that was used up, my monster gains six hundred extra Attack Points!" Even though the cores on its chest were no longer lit, the lion knight unleashed a triumphant roar. [SUP ATK: 300 – 2100 / CORE: 3 – 0]

"But since Artorigus has no more Cores, your Core Card gets ejected from it, and it goes back to its 'Base' Grade!" Mira reminded him. [SUP ATK: 2100 – BASE ATK: 2100 / GRADE: SUP – BASE]

"That may be true," said Arthur, "but my Trap Card has another effect! Since the only monster on my field when I activated this card was a monster whose original Attack Points were one hundred or less, I get to take any Spell Card in my Graveyard and return it to my hand!" His Disk's ring appeared, and an orange streak of light shot out of the green-slotted ridge and into his hand.

'I'm pretty sure I know what that card is,' Mira cautiously thought, recollecting all the duels involving Arthur she saw. 'But if I'm right, then I'll be ready for it! …I hope…'

"I end my turn," she said, "so our monsters' Attack Points return to normal!" [SUP ATK: 3400 – 2400] [BASE ATK: 2100 – 300]

"Very well – it's my turn!" Arthur bellowed, drawing three cards. After looking at them, a seemingly overconfident grin stretched across his face. "Excellent! I now have everything I need to win!

"From my hand, I activate the card I've reacquired with my Trap Card – the Equip Spell Card, Sacred Lionhearted Blade, Excatibur!"

After vigorously swiping the card through his blade's center horizontal slot, the WHITE MAGIC Spell Card depicting the golden and white metal sword with the lion motif around the hilt materialized. The very same sword stuck out from beneath the virtual soil.

"What you're seeing is real, folks!" Bobba dramatically cried. "Arthur has just activated his trademark two-card combo with Artorigus and Excatibur!"

"He may have defeated Hawk with his combo," Jimma added, "but will he be just as victorious against Mira?"

"Since the only monster on my field is a Warrior or Beast-Warrior-Type monster whose original Attack Points are one hundred or below," Arthur explained, "Excatibur grants that monster five hundred extra Attack Points! Additionally, when it attacks your monster, any and all battle damage you take will be doubled!" Artorigus grabbed hold of the blade, causing his armor to turn from bronze to pearl white, and his hair from red-brown to gold, which only further excited the audience. [BASE ATK: 300 – 800]

"Now I inject Artorigus with a new Core Card – Holy Upgrade Core Super!" He revealed a Core Card depicting the same hexagonal graphic found on the other Core Cards. The only difference was that this one was tinted white gold, and had a heavenly white aura shrouding it. After revealing the card, he placed it directly underneath Artorigus's card form. Not only did this cause the lion knight's hexagons to light up blue a second time, but a pair of white crystalline angelic wings embroidered with bright yellow crystals formed on the knight's back. [GRADE: BASE – SUP / BASE ATK: 800 – SUP ATK: 800 / CORE: 0 – 3]

"Whoa, that's amazing!" the awestruck Pinkie gasped. "But what's with those fancy schmancy wings o' his?"

"I don't know," was Mira's reply. "But I have a hunch I'm gonna find out what they do pretty soon…"

Elsewhere, Reggie and Marcy were sneaking around the stadium's hallways in their search for Arthur. It wasn't long before something caught Reggie's attention. "Marcy, wait!" she cried, grabbing Marcy by the arm.

"What is it? What's the matter, Reggie?" the perplexed Marcy asked.

"That!" Reggie excitedly cried, pointing to one of the television screens in the lobby that displayed the current duel. It was displaying Arthur and his upgraded lion knight who now wielded the angelic wings and the blade of Excatibur. "It's him! It's really him!"

"You mean that's Arthur?" the amazed Marcy cried.

"Yep! That's him with his ace monster, Artorigus, and his trusty blade of Excatibur!" Reggie beamed.

"O-M-G, that lion knight of his is so cool!" Marcy squealed. "Now I know why you're so into him!"

"So glad you do!" Reggie beamed, unable to contain her excitement. "Of course, I don't know what's up with those wings, but Arthur's still awesome! GO, ARTHUR!"

"Hey! How did you two get in here?!" a male voice shouted. The horrified Reggie and Marcy turned and saw that it belonged to one of several officers who caught sight of the two trespassers.

"Crap, it's the cops!" Reggie shouted. "Run, Marcy, run!" Reggie shot off like a rocket, and some of the officers began chasing her in hot pursuit.

"Reggie, wait up!" Marcy cried. She was about to take off, but she was apprehended by one of the officers who grabbed her from behind. As the helplessly squirming Marcy was led off, the officer who caught sight of the intruders told the other officers, "Search out this stadium at once! We can't have any more trespassers around here!"

"Right!" said the remaining officers, saluting the first as they began their intense search.

"I activate Artorigus's Super Effect!" Arthur declared, back at the duel. "By using one Core, your monster will lose one thousand Attack Points, and Artorigus will gain the same amount of Attack Points!" One of the hexagon's on Artorigus's chest became unlit as the lion knight pointed the sword directly at the cybernetic dragon. [CORE: 3 – 2] An orange aura shrouded the dragon, which transferred to the lion knight. [SUP ATK: 2400 – 1400] [SUP ATK: 800 – 1800]

"Thanks – I was hoping you'd do that!" Mira shouted.

"You… You were?" the perplexed Arthur said.

"Yep, because you've activated my Trap Card – D-Chronomancy, Effect Paradox!" With a wave of her arm, the ILLUION MAGIC Trap Card, its artwork depicting Destiny Hero Dystopia protecting Elemental Hero Shining Phoenix Enforcer from the incoming attack of Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman, revealed itself. "Now I get to activate the effect of a monster on my field, even though it's your turn! And the effect I choose to activate is none other than the Super Effect of Chronogias!

"By using one Core, your Artorigus loses fifteen hundred Attack Points!" One of the hexagons on the dragon's chest became unlit as digital lavender fire formed in its mouth. [CORE: 2 – 1] The dragon unleashed the spiral of lavender fire at the lion knight. But to Mira's shock, the lion knight used his left wing to deflect the incoming attack. "What the hell?!"

"Oh, yes, I forgot to mention," Arthur smugly explained. "With Holy Upgrade Core injected into Artorigus, it also protects Artorigus from all of your card effects!" Mira only seethed in response.

Back at the orphanage, all of the orphans, except for Yuri, appeared distraught over Mira's predicament after all of the cards Arthur played.

"Man, this is the duel between Arthur and Hawk all over again," Yusaku observed, crossing his arms. "He somehow acquired some really strong cards to really put Mira in a spot. But is she gonna end up losing like Hawk did?"

"We'll have to wait and see," Sister Golas replied. "But where on Earth is Reggie?! It's not like her, missing out on a duel involving Arthur – especially not when things are getting this intense!"

Back at the duel, Arthur was pleased with himself for being at a significant advantage over Mira. 'Haha, victory is now in my grasp!' he thought before looking at his hand. 'But just to be safe…'

"I place two cards face-down!" he said aloud, swiping two cards into his blade's leftmost and rightmost horizontal slots. Two cards materialized behind the angelic lion knight before disappearing.

"It's now my Battle Phase! And since the only monster on my field is a monster whose original Attack Points are one hundred or less, it gains fifteen hundred extra Attack Points!" The angelic lion knight unleashed a triumphant roar, further exciting the audience. [SUP ATK: 1800 – 3300] "And don't forget – the damage you take from Artorigus and his Excatibur will be doubled!" The angelic lion knight pointed his sword directly at the cybernetic dragon.

"Ooh, this is not looking good for Mira, folks!" Jimma announced. "If this attack hits, Mira will be hanging onto her Life Points by a thread!"

"Artorigus, lay waste on her Chronogias! Excatibur Finisher!" The lion knight flew directly towards the cybernetic dragon, ready to slash at it with his sword.

"Mira!" Pinkie wailed.

"I activate the Trap Card, D-Chronomancy, Battle Stasis!" Mira quickly shouted. An ILLUSION MAGIC Trap Card materialized beside her, its artwork depicting Time Thief Redoer projecting a light green gear-like graphic to protect himself from the attack of S-Force Orrafist.

"Useless!" Arthur shouted. "I already told you, your cards won't work on Artorigus, as long as it's injected with Holy Upgrade Core!"

"And who said I was gonna use it on Artorigus?" Mira smugly asked, to Arthur's perplexity. "When you attack my Chronogias that has Attack Points lower than its original Attack Points, Chronogias's Attack Points return to their original value! Plus, it won't be able to be destroyed by battle this turn!" The cybernetic dragon unleashed another roar. [SUP ATK: 1400 – 2400]

With a huff, Arthur said, "But you're still taking damage – and massive damage, at that!" Indeed, the lion knight slashed across the dragon's chest. Though the dragon withstood the attack, Mira still winced in pain. [LP: 4000 – 2200]

'That… was almost too close!' Mira thought, a trickle of sweat rolling down her cheek. 'Now I just gotta find a way to get around Arthur's combo next turn!'

"Artorigus, attack her Chronogias again!" Arthur commanded.

"Again?!" the aghast Mira protested. "But it already attacked!"

"You're right, it did," Arthur solemnly explained. "But it seems I forgot to tell you about the other power Excatibur holds! When the monster who uses it attacks your monster the first time, I can pay one thousand Life Points to have it attack you again!" [LP: 2700 – 1700]

"Whoa, that card's more powerful than I thought!" Pinkie exclaimed. The yellow crystals on the lion's wings began to shine as it flew up towards the sky.

"EXCATIBUR FINISHER!" Arthur screamed.

The lion knight flew directly towards the dragon. The dragon retaliated by flying directly towards the lion knight to engage in combat. But as the two monsters collided, something extraordinary happened, though no one in the audience noticed it: the tags hidden underneath the shirts of Arthur and Mira began to shine lustrously.

Arthur and Mira found themselves in a pitch-black background that featured nothing but a pattern comprising of twelve golden circles connected to each other by lines of the same color. The pattern was the shape of a cross with four short diagonal lines between the cross's vertical and horizontal ones.

The two duelists were unable to make out what was happening because the supposed hallucination happened so quickly. Flashing before their eyes were shots of six figures in front of different crude symbols, each figure completely obscured by the color of their assigned symbol. The first was an orange spiky-haired boy in front of the symbol of an upside-down triangle. The second was a white boy in front of the symbol of a crude sword-shaped crystal. The third was a blue girl in front of the symbol of a crude waterfall. The fourth was a lavender girl in front of the lavender symbol of a crude eye. The fifth was a muscular red boy in front of the symbol of a crude volcano. And the sixth was a green teenage girl with a sideways ponytail in front of the symbol of a crude cyclone.

After the hallucination, both duelists snapped back to reality without the faintest idea of what they had just witnessed. Meanwhile, both duelists' monsters were back on their respective controllers' fields. 'What… was that…?!' Mira thought, breathing heavily. [LP: 400]

'I don't know what I just saw,' Arthur thought, also almost out of breath, 'but I can't let that stop me from winning this duel!'

"Alright… I end my turn," Arthur finished breathlessly. [LP: 1700] [ATK: 3300 – 1800]

"Whoa, that attack really took a bit out of our competitors!" Bobba remarked. "I guess the excitement really got to 'em, huh?"

"Well, luckily for us," said Jimma, "they're still able to continue – so let's see what other surprises await us, and see if Mira can make a comeback!"

"Um… Mira? Are you okay?" Pinkie timidly asked her human partner. "You looked like you were in a trance or something. Did you, like… have a vision or anything?"

"I actually did," the dumbfounded Mira said. "But I have no idea what to even make of it… And yet, that weird pattern… and some of those people looked… kinda familiar…" She suddenly shook her head. "Damn it, I can't think about that right now! I have to get back to the duel!"

Back at the orphanage, most of the orphans were in a confused commotion about how Arthur and Mira briefly stared off into space. However, this unusual behavior from Mira was especially noticed by Yusaku and Sister Golas. "Um… Sister Golas?" Yusaku said. "Why was Mira blankly staring into space like that?"

"She must've gotten some kind of shock from the revelation of Excatibur letting Artorigus attack multiple times," Sister Golas assumed. "But I wouldn't worry about Mira – I honestly don't want a repeat of what happened when Homanu was suspicious of her unusual behavior."

"In any case, I hope she pulls through and finds a way to make a comeback," Yusaku said as he and his caretaker continued watching the duel.

"It's my turn!" Mira shouted, drawing five cards. After looking at her hand, she thought, 'Okay, Arthur, let's do this!'

"I summon Destiny Hero Paradoxer in Attack Mode!" After slapping the card onto her blade's leftmost floating zone, a hot pink hexagonal portal appeared next to the dragon, and the cybernetic angel warrior with the white mask flew out of the portal. [ATK: 800]

"I activate Paradoxer's effect! Since I summoned him this turn, I get to shuffle two cards in my Graveyard back into my deck. After that, I get to draw two cards, but then I have to send two cards from my hand to the Graveyard!" Two streaks of hot pink light shot up from her ring's green-slotted ridge into her red-slotted one, before the streaks transformed into two cards. After drawing the two cards, six cards appeared in front of her, and she hastily pressed on two of them, causing them to pixilate while the others vanished.

"I don't know what you're up to," the morbidly irate Arthur said, "but it won't work against me – not when I have Artorigus and Excatibur on my side!" The angelic lion knight unleashed an intimidating growl.

"Well… there's one thing you kinda forgot," Mira said with a hint of smugness. "Remember when you were about to duel me before I ended up dueling Yuri, and how it all happened when Fusion Monsters were being added to Game Duels?"

"Yes…" Arthur said, starting to feel uneasy.

"I may not have been able to duel you then," Mira said, "but Giichi did let me create a Fusion Monster which would not only be added to the card database, but for me to use! And you're about to see it as I activate my face-down card, Fusion!" The WHITE MAGIC Spell Card materialized, picturing the near identical artwork of the classic 'Polymerization', except the creatures where white and the vortex blue. The activation of this card resulted in a gasp of awe from the audience, both at the stadium and at the orphanage.

"Hey, I do remember her getting that!" Yusaku said. "Question is, what kind of Fusion Monster does she even have?"

"We're about to find out!" Sister Golas replied with a hint of excitement.

"With this card, I fuse together Destiny Dragon Chronogias and Destiny Hero Paradoxer!" Mira declared, stretching her left arm towards the sky. The cybernetic dragon and the cybernetic angelic warrior slowly merged to overlay themselves with each other. Once they did, a burst of lavender energy flashed before the audience.

"I Fusion Summon – NEO DESTINY DRAGON CHRONOPARADOX!"

Flying out of the light was an ebony cybernetic dragon that was built just like Chronogias, complete with its disjointed limbs connected by lavender spheres. The only major differences were that it now donned white angelic wings with black trim, and it wore a white cybernetic mask on its face that had black accents. The audience cheered as the dragon unleashed a triumphant screech upon its emergence. [ATK: 2400]

"Since I Fusion Summoned Chronoparadox using Chronogias in its 'Super' Grade, Chronoparadox gains eight hundred Attack Points!" Mira shouted. [ATK: 2400 – 3200]

'Thirty-two hundred Attack Points!' the startled Arthur thought. 'Rather impressive on her part. But if Chronoparadox is anything like its non-Fusion form, it'll probably be capable of weakening my monster, and then some. But I won't let that stop me from defeating her!'

"I activate the Trap Card, Excatibur Gambit!" he shouted as a WHITE MAGIC Trap Card materialized beside him. Its artwork depicted the blond-haired and white-armored Artorigus recklessly rushing towards the dragon hand of Hyper Engine Vast Vulcan. "When you summon a monster while the only monster on my field is my Artorigus equipped with Excatibur, Artorigus's Attack Points become the number of cards currently in your hand and on your field, multiplied by one thousand! I count a total of five cards, so Artorigus's Attack Points become five thousand!" The lion knight unleashed another roar as he raised Excatibur towards the sky. [SUP ATK: 5000]

"That's insane!" Mira gasped.

"Oh, and this card also forces you to attack Artorigus this turn," Arthur said rather pompously, "so don't think you can get out of this so easily!"

"Not good!" Pinkie wailed. "You're up against a monster that's way stronger than your Chronopara-whatchamacallit, and you're forced to attack it! You're gonna lose!"

"I don't plan on losing so easily!" Mira said, her confidence still intact. "I'm still able to activate cards and effects before I'm forced to attack – such as the effect of Chronoparadox!" Two cards materialized in front of her, and she swiped her fingertips across them, dissipating them into hot pink pixels. "By sending two ILLUSION MAGIC-Attribute cards from my hand to the Graveyard, Artorigus loses twenty-four hundred Attack Points!" Digital lavender fire formed in the dragon's mouth, and the dragon unleashed it upon the lion knight.

"Meaningless!" shouted Arthur. "Artorigus is still injected with Holy Upgrade Core, meaning he's immune to all of your cards and effects!" Indeed, the lion knight swung his sword to extinguish the flames, and the knight came out without so much as a scratch.

"Maybe I wasn't able to weaken your knight," said Mira, "but I am able to activate this Spell Card – D-Chronomancy, Past Strength!" After swiping the card through one of her blade's horizontal slots, the ILLUSION MAGIC Spell Card depicting the three phantasmal Necrolancers being absorbed into Chronogias materialized.

"By returning up to three ILLUSION MAGIC-Attribute monsters that each have one thousand or less Attack Points from my Graveyard into my deck, Chronoparadox will gain Attack Points equal to their combined Attack Points! I return Destiny Heroes Paradoxer, Passer, and Makyuron, the last of which counts as a monster of the ILLUSION MAGIC Attribute!" The phantasmal versions of the cybernetic angel, the blue-armored cybernetic warrior, and the cybernetic warrior reminiscent of Makyura the Destructor appeared, and were all absorbed into the dragon's chest. [ATK: 3200 – 5800]

"So you've used your monster's effect to fill up your Graveyard for that card," Arthur commented. "Impressive… but it's still not enough to defeat me!"

"There's one thing you kinda forgot," Mira reminded him. "It's this Game Duel Field! Since Chronoparadox is the only monster on my field, it gains one thousand extra Attack Points!" The dragon unleashed a fearful roar. [ATK: 5800 – 6800]

'Now the difference between our monsters' Attack Points is higher than my Life Points!' the terrified Arthur thought. He eyed down at his last face-down card – it was an EARTH Trap Card whose artwork depicted Artorigus recklessly slashing his sword across Hyper Vulcan's chest. 'Once she attacks, I'll activate my Lionhearted Vengeance Trap Card, which will not only destroy both of our monsters, but we'll both take damage equal to the difference between both of our monsters' Attack Points! At least this outcome won't be too humiliating!'

"Let's battle!" Mira declared. "Chronoparadox, attack his Lionhearted Knight Artorigus!" The dragon flew directly towards the lion knight, more lavender fire forming in its mouth.

'This is it!' Arthur declared. "I activate-" But as the Trap Card attempted to activate, it stopped halfway and was tinted lavender, much to Arthur's shock.

"I forgot to mention," Mira said with a smirk, "when I use Chronoparadox's effect, you're also not allowed to activate any Trap Cards when it attacks this turn!"

Arthur was left horrified. 'So that means… I actually lost?!' he thought.

The dragon unleashed a massive burst of digital lavender fire at the lion knight. This time, the lion knight was incinerated by the flames, but they also struck Arthur, who was flung off the platform as the scenery returned to normal. [LP: 1700 – 0] After his defeat, the screen displaying Mira's profile with 'WIN' written underneath popped open as her dragon faded away.

"Unbelievable!" Bobba wildly announced just as the duel concluded. "Mira Yukiko has won the duel, making her the first duelist to ever defeat the great Arthur Rutherford!" The audience cheered wildly even as he was making this announcement.

'Second…!' the defeated Arthur darkly thought, slowly climbing back onto the platform as the audience continued cheering.

Back at the orphanage, most of the orphans were making all sorts of comments, ranging from amazement to disbelief over the fact that someone like Mira was able to defeat a professional like Arthur. Even the calm and collective Yusaku was amazed at Mira's victory. "I can't believe it… She actually beat Arthur…" he said, almost breathlessly.

"I can hardly believe it, myself," Sister Golas said. "And while I'm still wondering where Reggie is, I'm almost glad that she's not here – I can only imagine how heartbroken she'd be if she saw her idol defeated like that."

Of all the orphans witnessing Arthur's defeat, Yuri was the one who was visibly irate, though none of the others noticed it. 'I still think that should've been me!' he enviously thought. 'And not only was Mira the one chosen to duel Arthur, she actually beat him?!' Clenching one of his fists, he vowed, 'Mark my words, Yukiko, we will duel again – and you'll see how much I've changed as the greatest Fusion Champion!'

Back at the stadium, Arthur had just climbed back onto the platform when Mira warmly approached him. "Hey, you did good out there," she said with an outstretched hand. "Sorry that you lost, but you still almost had me out there!"

"Yes, I… enjoyed our duel," Arthur said, attempting to hide his bitterness as he grasped Mira's hand in false companionship. However, Mira didn't realize that or the fake smile crossing his face. The audience kept cheering as the screens displayed the two competitors.

After a few minutes of complimentary congratulations and the like from the audience, Mira and Arthur were back in the lobby. They were about to go home when Giichi stopped them. "Ah, there you are," he greeted them. "You two performed rather wonderfully out there. And congratulations on your victory, Miss Yukiko."

"Thanks, Mr. Giichi," Mira said while Arthur tried his hardest to conceal his contempt. "I had fun, but I'm actually gonna go home now-"

"Actually," Giichi calmly interrupted, "I'm going to need you and Arthur for… something else."

"R-Really? Why?" Mira asked starting to feel uneasy.

"Come with me to Giichi Corp, and I'll gladly explain," he said, directing the two through a hallway.

"We'd better do what he says," Arthur calmly suggested, following Giichi.

Mira wasn't sure what was going on, but she didn't think it was anything too suspicious since Arthur was rather determined, as if following Giichi was part of something crucial. Not wanting to start any arguments to clarify her confusion, she willingly followed Arthur and Giichi to their destination.

Around the same time Karamar escaped from prison with the assistance of Jupiter, the two emerged from the cluster of yellow pixels. They were now at the mysterious Mesoamerican altar, specifically at the monolith where the red lights repeatedly flashed. Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Uranus were there awaiting Jupiter's return.

"Mistress Jupiter! You've returned!" Uranus flamboyantly greeted his superior. After seeing the markings on Karamar's bare chest, he heavily gasped with excitement. "Is that him?! Is this the vessel we've been searching for?!"

"'Vessel?!' What the hell's he talkin' about?!" the annoyed Karamar demanded, hastily looking at his surroundings. "And if anything… what is this place?"

'It is the place where you shall acquire the power you need to defeat your enemies, and save all the worlds from destruction,' a calm male voice declared. It was the essence of Itzamna, who spoke from the altar. His voice made everyone except Karamar kneel before the deity they served.

"Who… Who are you?!" Karamar asked, not even caring that he was talking to an inanimate object.

'I am Itzamna,' the being solemnly spoke. 'It was I who created the first world, and it was my knowledge that gave birth to the worlds born from the original world. However, I fear that the influence of my creation has been misused, causing all of these worlds to be plagued. And I can no longer idly watch.'

"I don't know what that's supposed to mean," Karamar snarled, "but this 'Jupiter' person said that she'd help me get back at Homanu!"

'Indeed, you shall. All you need to do is let my spirit become one with yours.'

Karamar stared at the monolith in disbelief. "I have to what?!"

'You are the vessel I have been seeking ever since my arrival in this world,' he explained. Karamar looked down at the marking engraved on his chest, which began to glow red. 'Without you, I would be unable to truly exist in the physical world and aid my loyal subjects in purifying these worlds. Lend your physical self to me, and I, Itzamna, shall bestow the power I have onto you so that you may defeat your enemies!'

"If it means getting back at Homanu once and for all…" Karamar said, maniacally taking a step forward with a clenched fist, "…THEN GIMME ALL YOU GOT!"

'Very well!' Itzamna declared.

The Krana carving's eyes shone brightly as they zapped a wave of digital red energy at Karamar's body, making him scream as he slightly levitated in the air. This process completely turned the monolith black, and after a few seconds, the transference stopped and Karamar fell hard on his back. This caused the monolith to crumble into debris.

Everyone, save for Jupiter, was visibly aghast at what they just witnessed. "Is… Is he okay?" Venus timidly asked.

"Oh, please don't tell me that our Great Itzamna has left us!" Uranus melodramatically wailed.

Jupiter said nothing, but fearlessly walked up to the fallen Karamar. "Great Itzamna, are you alright?" she calmly asked.

At first, Karamar said nothing. But after a few seconds, he managed to get himself up. As he opened his eyes, the onlookers could see the glowing blood-red pupils – the same red previously displayed on the monolith. "I… have never been better," Karamar ominously replied in Itzamna's voice.

FEATURED CARD – LEVEL 1-18

Neo Destiny Dragon Chronoparadox
ILLUSION MAGIC/High Dragon – Fusion – Effect/8/2400/0
"Destiny Dragon Chronogias" + 1 Level 3 or lower ILLUSION MAGIC Attribute monster
After this card was Fusion Summoned using a SUP "Destiny Dragon Chronogias" as material, this card gains 800 ATK.
REQUIREMENT Send 2 ILLUSION MAGIC Attribute cards from your hand to the Graveyard.
EFFECT 1 face-up monster on your opponent's field loses 2400 ATK, also your opponent cannot activate Trap Cards when this card declares an attack this turn. Then, you can add 1 ILLUSION MAGIC Attribute Spell Card from your Graveyard to your hand.

GIICHI CORPORATION CARD DATABASE

Lionheart's Ordeal
BLACK MAGIC/Spell Card
REQUIREMENT During a turn you have not activated "Lionheart's Ordeal".
EFFECT Send a number of cards from the top of your Deck to the Graveyard equal to [the number of cards in your hand]. Then, if any monsters with 100 or less ATK were sent to the Graveyard by this effect, you can add 1 of them to your hand.

Psychic Cyclone
ILLUSION MAGIC/Spell Card
REQUIREMENT None
EFFECT Choose 1 face-down Spell/Trap Card on your opponent's field, then declare if it is a Spell or Trap Card, then destroy that card. If you were right, draw 1 card. If not, your opponent draws 1 card.

Stoic Counterattack
EARTH/Trap Card
REQUIREMENT When an opponent's monster declares an attack targeting your Upgrade Monster with 1000 or less ATK that has a CORE(s).
EFFECT Remove all COREs from the attack target, then it gains ATK equal to [the number of COREs removed] x 600, until the end of this turn. Then, if the attack target was the only monster on your field when you activated this card, and if it has an original ATK of 100 or less, you can add 1 Spell Card from your Graveyard to your hand.

Holy Upgrade Core – SUP
WHITE MAGIC/BASE/Core Card
During the End Phase, if the injected monster's CORE is 0, eject this card.
REQUIREMENT Inject only into an Upgrade Monster that can become the SUP Grade.
EFFECT Once this card is injected into a monster, it acquires its SUP CORE. While this card is injected into a monster, it becomes the SUP Grade, also while it has a CORE(s), it is unaffected by your opponent's activated effects.

D-Chronomancy – Battle Stasis
ILLUSION MAGIC/Trap Card
REQUIREMENT When your opponent declares an attack targeting a face-up monster on your field whose ATK is lower than its original ATK.
EFFECT The ATK of the attack target becomes [its original ATK, also it cannot be destroyed by battle this turn.

Neo Destiny Dragon Chronoparadox
ILLUSION MAGIC/High Dragon – Fusion – Effect/8/2400/0
"Destiny Dragon Chronogias" + 1 Level 3 or lower ILLUSION MAGIC Attribute monster
After this card was Fusion Summoned using a SUP "Destiny Dragon Chronogias" as material, this card gains 800 ATK.
REQUIREMENT Send 2 ILLUSION MAGIC Attribute cards from your hand to the Graveyard.
EFFECT 1 face-up monster on your opponent's field loses 2400 ATK, also your opponent cannot activate Trap Cards when this card declares an attack this turn. Then, you can add 1 ILLUSION MAGIC Attribute Spell Card from your Graveyard to your hand.

Excatibur Gambit
WHITE MAGIC/Trap Card
REQUIREMENT When your opponent Normal or Special Summons a monster during their turn, while the only monster on your field is a monster equipped with "Sacred Lionhearted Blade – Excatibur".
EFFECT The ATK/DEF of that monster on your field become [the number of cards currently in your opponent's hand and on their side of the field] x 1000, also your opponent must attack that monster this turn, if able. During the End Phase, take damage equal to [that monster's ATK].

Lionhearted Vengeance
EARTH/Trap Card
REQUIREMENT When an opponent's monster declares an attack, while the only monster on your field is a face-up Attack Position monster.
EFFECT Destroy both the attacking monster and the attack target on your field, then inflict damage to both players equal to [the difference between the ATK of the destroyed monsters on the field].

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! CHRONIXII…

Giichi takes Mira and Arthur, and eventually Marcy and Kero, to Giichi Corp to reveal a top-secret project to them. But this "top-secret project" happens to be a tremendous journey where the Wielders' participation is essential to ensure its overall success! Just what does this journey involve, and why are the Wielders essential for it? Find out in Level 1-19: Project CHRONIXII! Game Duel, game start!