Disclaimer: I do not own the properties of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise or the work of the cards; I only own the OCs that could or may be involved in this series. I own nothing of the real OCG cards, just the formal OC character.

Friendship Cup — Chapter 19: What is Entertainment

Yuya was having a dream. It was the dream of being in the middle of an empty white world with only himself. He isn't sure how he's levitating. There is no ground to stand on. There was only him. As he turns around, Yuya finds himself being faced with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

He didn't speak up. He was initially surprised that the dragon was still with him. Yuya raises his hand, and Odd-Eyes Pendulum lowers its own to allow his palm to touch the jewel orb on its forehead. Upon physical contact, the jewel started to glow. Soon after, Odd-Eyes Pendulum glows as well.

Yuya was blinded by the light shining onto him. Before he knew it, he was enveloped by the light.

Yuya snapped his eyes open, surprised by his dream. It happened again—the same dream—him in another world with only his monster. The boy realized he had woken up in a room.

Yuya slowly gets up, but he can still feel the soreness in his chest. "What happened?" he wondered. Then, Yuya had a short flashback of what occurred. Yesterday, he dueled against Jack Atlas, the king of the Friendship Cup. He tried everything, but it wasn't enough to stop him. Jack defeated him, and he ended up falling off his duel runner.

"Of course…" he said. Yuya then recalled the insult Jack told him.

"Your entertainment is merely self-satisfaction!"

His words angered Yuya. "My duels are not self-satisfaction!" he exclaimed. "My dad taught me how to do the Entertainment Duel for everyone. They're not self-satisfying."

Ignoring his pain, Yuya pries himself out of the blankets and sees what kind of room he is living in. The room looked like it belonged to a hotel room. There is a desk, a couch, a plasma-screen TV set, and a bathroom.

Yuya turns to the closed window curtains, approaches them, and lifts them wide. He looks out and sees the beautiful ocean horizon near the coastline of Neo Domino City.

"Where am I?" Yuya wondered.

While processing his thoughts together, someone suddenly spoke up from behind.

"Ah, good morning, Yuya. Glad you are awake."

Yuya turns around and is shocked that the Administrative Council is standing before him. He screams in fright at their appearance. "Whoa! What the—"

"Forgive me if I startle you," White Taki apologized.

Yuya was baffled to see the Administrative Council in his room without knocking. "How'd you get into my room?" he asked. He took a closer look and noticed that the council was hollow. "And why are you all transparent?"

White Taki chuckled in delight. "My, aren't you amusing."

"Don't be frightened," said Gael.

"We aren't really in your room," Gray replied.

"We are merely projecting a 3D Vision Image chat into your room," White Taki stated.

"But you can still see and talk to us," Gael added.

"Oh, so, you're not here?" Yuya questioned.

"Of course not," said Bordeaux.

"All the participants in the Friendship Cup…." Gray began.

"…are our guests," Azul finished.

"And are under surveillance by the Administrative Council," said Bordeaux. "Right, Chairman?"

"Yes," White Taki confirmed. "You're in our penthouse at the top of the Administrative Council building. This is where contestants get to stay for the tournament. It's equivalently similar to a first-rated hotel facility. Are you comfortable?"

Yuya doesn't mind the penthouse room or the luxury in the building; he just wants to know one thing: "But I need to know where the others are. Where are Yasuko and Akiza? And what about Crow and Shinji?"

"There is no need to worry," Gray assured. "Miss Yukihana and the others are safe. They're all in the same building together with you."

"Although they are in different rooms," Bordeaux informed.

Surprised, Yuya was daunted. "In different rooms? You mean all of us? Including Akiza and Crow?"

"32 participants are in the tournament, and you, your friends, and Akiza's associates make up half of that number," Gael informed. "The eighteen of you will be staying at the penthouse for the duration of the tournament."

"However," White Taki cautioned, "you can only remain as long as you keep winning."

"If you lose, you'll be kicked out immediately," Bordeaux added.

"That was the deal we made with Declan Akaba," Azul stated.

Yuya was disappointed by their decision. After his performance against Jack, that means he's done. "So that means…I'm out of the tournament then," Yuya assumed. "Since I lost to Jack, does that mean I can't participate in the tournament?"

Bordeaux shakes his head. "No, of course not," he disagreed. "That was just an exhibition match; it's not part of the main event. Right, chairman?"

"Yes," White Taki responded. "Those we ask to leave are the ones who lose in the Friendship Cup properly. That duel with Jack was unaffiliated with the whole event, so don't worry."

"But only if the next time you lose," Gael warned.

"So, if you want to stay here…" said Gray.

"You have to keep winning," Azul advised.

"That's all we wanted to tell you," Bordeaux concluded.

"We'll, goodbye, and good luck," White Taki smiled.

Like ghosts, the holograms of the council disappeared right before Yuya.

"Hey, wait! Is Zuzu—" Yuya didn't finish when the council disappeared.

The boy was left to his thoughts. Because Jack beat him, Yuya thought he would be kicked out, but the math doesn't count in the real game. It should've been a relief for the boy. However, Yuya was uneasy about Declan's deal with the council. On top of it all, Zuzu is also in the tournament.

"If Zuzu is really taking part in the tournament, too," said Yuya, "then she should be in the same building as me and Yasuko."

Yuya had to find out himself. He ran to the door and tried to open it, but the doorknob didn't move. He realized that the door was locked from the outside. "I'm locked in?" he wondered.

Yuya was agitated and tried to open the door, but it was useless. The door was locked. "Damn it!" Yuya slams his fist at the door with a loud bang, and every slam is louder. "Hey! Is anyone out there!" he yelled. "Someone! Anyone! Answer me! Come on! Someone, please answer!"

As Yuya keeps hitting the door, he hears a small voice from the other side of the door.

"We are here, Yuya."

Yuya paused to hear a girl's voice from the other side of the door. "Yasuko? Yasuko!" he exclaimed. "Are you okay?! Where is Akiza?! And the others? What about Gongenzaka? And Serena?"

"Don't yell, you idiot!" Yasuko yelled back from the door. "I'm not here to get shouted at just because you locked in while I'm here." Yuya paused, waiting for Yasuko to calm down. "We are here to tell you something," she said.

"Tell me what?" Yuya questioned. "And whose we?"

"Who else? Your esteemed attorney," Yasuko replied.

From the other side of the door, in the hallway corridor, Yasuko was standing against the door. She wasn't alone. Akiza had accompanied her to find Yuya.

"Unfortunately, we cannot leave the penthouse because the douchebags are keeping us from leaving, but since Akiza is the senator's daughter, she's allowed to roam free, and she came to get me," Yasuko explained, glancing at Akiza. "It's a great thing you are here; otherwise, I'd be going crazy just by being locked up in my room."

Akiza gives a sheepish smile. "Don't thank me yet; we still have this to deal with," she commented.

"Akiza? Is that you?" Yuya inquired.

"Yeah, I'm here, Yuya," Akiza confirmed.

"Are you sure it's safe? Are you allowed to leave your rooms?" Yuya sounded worried if they were caught.

"It's fine. I can be allowed outside my room to visit whom I want so long as I cooperate," said Akiza. "And as for Yasuko, she's been pardoned by the Administrative Council, expunging crimes she may or may not have committed."

"Great, now you can get us out of here," said Yuya.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Akiza denied.

"Why not?"

"Since we're all contestants in the Friendship Cup, we cannot be allowed to go see everyone," Akiza informed. "And the Administrative Council will not let me off the hook. They told me it's to protect us from Jean Roget."

Yuya recalls the man testifying against his friends the day before his exhibition match. "Jean Roget. That's the guy who you told us about, right?"

"Yeah," Akiza answered. "Jean Roget is the Director of Sector Security. He's the guy in charge of everyone in security, including the Duel Chasers."

"What do you know about this guy? He seemed like he wanted to go after all of us." Yuya paused to think of another explanation. "Why does he want me and my friends?"

"Jean Roget believes that anyone who threatens the status quo between Tops and Commons is a threat, and he won't hesitate to use force to bring them down," Akiza explained. "The Administrative Council may be the highest authority in the city, but Jean Roget is the one who's been pulling the strings."

"Is he still going to get us so long as we're still in the Friendship Cup?" Yuya asked.

"We don't know," Yasuko replied. "We do know that Jean Roget will do something about it. If he's the guy who sent Duel Chasers after us, he'll likely come and arrest us."

"But he can't touch us so long as the Administrative Council covers for us, right?" Yuya questioned.

"That is if they can cover us," Yasuko pointed out. "The ninja told me this: Declan came to this dimension the same time you were arrested by Sector Security." Yasuko had a flashback to when Moon Shadow suddenly appeared at the door and told her everything before meeting Yuya again.

"The ninja told me Declan came to the council while I was on the run with Riley. His business skills have been quite valuable for negotiating. He made a deal with the council, and as requested, he wanted us to be in the tournament to gain their trust, but if we fail, the council will throw us out.

"Declan wasn't going anywhere without us. That's why the Council brought us to their place. But I highly doubt they have our backs. Those senile old people don't care about us; they only wanted to be sure if we're enemies or allies."

"And Jean Roget? Is he the enemy?" Yuya questioned.

"We don't know, but if he's the boss, then it's more likely enough to consider him an enemy," said Yasuko.

"But Yasuko, he's from the Synchro Dimension; he can't be the enemy," Yuya argued.

"But he's not an ally, too," Yasuko retorted. "I don't like this Jean Roget guy one bit. It seems like he knows something we don't. I can't be sure who we can trust. We must keep our heads low and figure it out together."

Yasuko wants to talk with Yuya about another issue; however, it's more personal for her. "Hey, Akiza, would you please give Yuya and me some time? There's something I need to discuss with him," she requested.

Akiza nodded. "I'll be over there." Akiza then walks away to give the two some privacy.

Now, Yasuko stands at the door alone. She doesn't know if she should open this door. Yuya probably waits for her to open, but the council keeps them under surveillance. If she can guess where he is, Yuya will likely be standing at the front of the door waiting to be opened.

"I watched your exhibition match the other night," she said.

"Oh, really?" Yuya paused to speak more. "I know. It was bad. Jack was certainly strong."

"Strong? You got schooled," said Yasuko. "Jack let you play right into his hands; I should've been the one to duel Jack Atlas. You didn't have to for me."

"I made my choice, Yasuko," Yuya argued. "You managed to get me out of the Facility and kept Riley safe. You've done so much for me, so I wanted to repay you."

"Why?"

"Because…" Yuya paused, gathering what he wanted to say. "Because I didn't want to burden you with Jack Atlas. Jack Atlas is called the king, and I have to know who he is and how strong he is compared to me." He recalls every moment of their duel. Jack had everything, and he was playing right into his hands. Jack knew he was about to do everything in the field.

"It was something I hadn't noticed until now that Jack purposely took on Dark Rebellion's attack," Yuya explained. "He left himself vulnerable to Rune-Eyes, but he had Reject Reborn this entire time, and on top of that, he had Solemn Strike."

"He could've negated Dark Rebellion's effect with his trap," Yasuko pointed out, "but instead, he let you do that to see what kind of an opponent you are." She had never forgotten the one rule: never underestimate your opponents. That was the unbreakable rule she set in every duel. "You seem to forget one rule: don't underestimate your opponents."

"You're right," Yuya agreed. "It all went as he'd planned it." He remembers his words about his entertainment being self-satisfaction. "Hey, Yasuko, can I ask you something?" Yuya requested.

"What is it?"

"Tell me honestly, has my entertainment been only self-satisfaction, or has it ever mattered to you?" Yuya asked.

His question took back Yasuko. She wonders if Yuya is asking her about his entertainment. "Like…if you're asking me, does your entertainment have selfish desires, or was it meant to make people smile?"

"Both," Yuya replied.

Yasuko thinks back to all the duels she witnessed with Yuya. In all those duels, from their first encounter to the Arc League, it was rather enthralling to see a spectacular performance by Yuya himself.

Yet, she didn't find herself smiling. Out of all the duels she's seen, none of them felt like it's entertainment.

"I…suppose your entertainment is only self-satisfying to yourself, but I don't see it satisfying enough for me," Yasuko answered. She can guess Yuya was a bit hurt by her words. She didn't want to mitigate her opinion, but Yuya should know something about herself.

"Hey, Yasuko, what does entertainment mean to you?" Yuya asked.

Yasuko paused to think through what it might mean for her. "Everyone has their different taste," she said. "But to me, entertainment is…" Yasuko paused herself. She finds it challenging to explain to Yuya.

"Entertainment is…"

Yasuko is thinking hard about his question. What does entertainment mean for her? Does she even know what entertainment means to her?

"Entertainment is…is a thing…that makes me feel…like I'm free," Yasuko answered.

"Free?"

"To me, Entertainment is a feeling of freedom. The freedom to feel like I am free from my worries. My life. My misery. I want entertainment to be amusing enough to feel like it's freedom, where amusement, enjoyment, and pleasure can free me from my sorrows. Where I can feel like there's nothing to be afraid of," said Yasuko.

"I see," Yuya answered. "So, that's what entertainment means to you?"

"In a way…"

She waited for Yuya to respond, but he was quiet in his room. She doesn't know what Yuya is feeling right now after her talk.

"I couldn't beat him," Yuya blurted out. "Not even with Fusion and Xyz."

Yasuko raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

"Yasuko, I couldn't beat him. He knew I was going to end the match in the second turn, and then he crushed me on the third, just like he said he would," said Yuya. "I don't think my entertainment is good enough. I'm nowhere on his level."

"I'm the one who should be blamed," Yasuko admitted.

"What?"

"I did not realize that despite us being in Lancers and in the Synchro Dimension, you still want to know how to use the Extra Deck to your Pendulum," said Yasuko.

"You mean you still want to teach me, even though we're in a different dimension?" Yuya questioned.

"Well, you said you wanted me to teach you, right? Remember? You said you wanted to know how to use the Extra Deck to your Pendulum, and I only taught you Fusion and Xyz." Yasuko paused. She thought through her own words to convey her feelings about Yuya's progress. "I think we should do that," she stated.

"What? Now? But we're in the tournament," said Yuya. "How could we have time to do a lesson if we're in the Friendship Cup?"

Yasuko rolled her eyes. "I'll figure it out," she replied.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

From behind the door, Yuya was baffling his mind out of Yasuko's decision to continue what they left off in the Arc League. She wanted to finish what they started months ago when he asked her to teach him how to use the Extra Deck to his Pendulum.

"Doesn't Yasuko know Jack was strong? Too strong, even for me?" he thought. "Jack was unlike any opponent I've ever faced before." He recollects his previous dueling losses from Yasuko and Declan. "Declan and Yasuko are different opponents, but Jack knew what he was doing. Maybe…maybe Jack was right." He had doubts about his abilities regardless of what he did next. "I'm nowhere near his level. Not even on Dad's level."

Yuya looked at the door, thinking of his promise to make Yasuko smile. "And now, Yasuko's teaching me again? That means she knows I don't have the power to make people smile. If I can't make the people here smile, I can't make Yasuko smile with just my dueling alone."

He looked down, almost defeated. While doing so, something slipped under the door shaft. Yuya saw it was a card. "A card?" He kneels and picks it up. Yuya saw the monster card that slipped under his door when he did.

Tuning Magician.

"Tuning Magician?" Yuya wondered if this was Yasuko's card since she was at the door. "Is this Yasuko's?" he asked. He looked at the door. "Yasuko, why are you giving me this?" he asked. But there was no response. It was all quiet on the other side. "Yasuko?" he called. When there was no response again, he thought that she left right after the card slipped under.

"It's me."

Yuya flinched at a boy's voice from the other side. It was not Yasuko. "Who?"

"The one who led you to the Duel Palace," the boy responded.

Yuya then realized that the boy had to be the same bellhop boy from before the exhibition duel. "You? Where's Yasuko?" he asked.

"She left a few minutes ago," the boy replied. "Said something about seeing Miss Izinski."

Yuya felt it was already bad enough for him to be trapped, but Yasuko left him after their important conversation. "Oh, I see," he said. "So, then, this is your card?" He assumed Tuning Magician had to be the boy since he was now at the front door. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Sam," the boy responded.

"Sam, why did you give me this card?" Yuya questioned. A pause came from the door, and Sam responded with a request.

"I want you to give it back to Jack," Sam answered. "I overheard that girl, Yasuko, saying about teaching you Synchro Summon, and I thought I would help. So, I want you to win the Friendship Cup and fight Jack again."

Yuya was surprised. He looked at the card. It doesn't have anything good or special effects that are worth anything. "But why?" he asked. "You want me to return this card to Jack?"

"I don't know if you may have heard," said Sam. "But Jack… for us Commons, Jack was the star of hope. Like me, he grew up in the slums of Neo Domino City. But he then began to make a name for himself, winning tournament after tournament until he won the Friendship Cup. After that, he became the king and the champion, winning against top duelists worldwide. I admired him so much. Three years ago, he won and became the first Commons-born King of Duelists. I was happy as if I were up there.

"But after that, Jack changed."

"Changed?"

"After he was crowned king, Jack became the City's biggest superstar. The richest and most powerful people bestow gifts on "winners." Since he kept winning, big corporations and rich people approached him, sponsoring his fame," Sam explained. "Jack himself amassed a great deal of wealth. At some point, he began to look down on us Commons. He gave me Tuning Magician because I have no money to buy cards. He told me, "This card is the most suited to you.""

Yuya felt saddened by Sam's story. He looked at Tuning Magician. "That was this card?"

"It's a low-level monster with weak attack points," Sam retorted. "He said it was the monster suited to me." The more Sam speaks, the angrier he sounds just by explaining the story. "He looked down at me, even though we're both Commons! Jacks changed!" he exclaimed. "Jack Atlas became king and got rich, but he's a traitor who sold his soul to the Tops!"

Sam's exclamation took back Yuya. "A traitor?" He remembers Crow and Shinji's words, telling him to crush Jack. "Jack Atlas? A traitor? But why?"

"Jack became increasingly full of himself and eventually came to look down on everyone else," said Sam. "He has fans who think that's cool, but I…" Sam paused. "That's why I want you to beat him in my place."

"But why me?" Yuya inquired. "I dueled Jack before, and I lost."

"Because you told him not to mock your duel," Sam revealed. "As someone who's suffered the humiliation of losing to him, I thought you might understand how I feel."

In truth, Yuya does know how Sam feels. He's experienced this before. The powerless feeling of being unable to do anything about the growing hatred for the ones who have power.

Then, he hears something calling. There was no sound, but Yuya could hear it like something was calling. He can't be sure if Sam is still at the door, but whatever he's hearing is coming from inside the room.

He turned to the desk where his deck was. The deck was emitting low light pressures that pulsed continuously. Yuya came over and checked it out. He took the two cards that were emitting light pulses.

His Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

Yuto's Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon.

They were making sonic pulses, but no noise came from them. "My Odd-Eyes, and Yuto's Dark Rebellion…" He recalls when they first met, and at that instant, he felt a sudden pulse. "Back then, when I first met Yuto, the two dragons seemed to be calling each other," he thought. "And then, Yugo appeared and summoned that dragon as well."

Yuya realized something with his dragons. "Wait, could it be that they're reacting to Yugo's dragon again?" he assumed. "If Yugo's here, then Zuzu might be nearby!" He turns to the walls and the ceiling.

"Zuzu! Are you here?" Yuya yelled loudly, hoping the girl could hear him. "If you can hear me, say something! I've come across dimensions to save you! Yasuko, Gongenzaka, and Sawatari are with me, too! Shun and Dennis are here too! And Serena! They came because they wanted to save you!

"The principal, Fredrick, Allie, and Tate, my mom… They're all worried about you!" He comes to the door, hoping Zuzu is somewhere out there. "So, I swear I'll save you! And I'll use my entertainment duel to stop the war and return the smiles to everyone in every dimension!"

He still has many things he wants to say if he gets the chance. "I promise I'm going to bring you home!"

He waited for a response, wondering if the walls were thin enough to make her hear him. Dead silence was all he got. Yuya felt his hope dashed when he got no response, but he was determined.

Yuya stares back at the city. "Sam, I understand what you are feeling; I really can't stand it either," he thought.

He was lost in his thoughts when Melissa announced to the crowd who would be dueling for the first round.

"Anyway, it's time to duel!" Melissa stated. "Out of the thirty-two contestants, the two who will open this first round are…" she paused. "Yasuko Yukihana and Gongenzaka Strong!"

Upon hearing those names, Yuya gasped, shocked that two of his teammates and friends would duel each other.

"What?" Yuya inhaled. "Yasuko? Gongenzaka?"

Yuya turns to his TV and listens to the two opponents of the rounds. He couldn't believe it. The tournament's first round will be a battle between two comrades. For some unknown reason, Yuya has a horrible feeling that this duel will be rough, especially for the two of them.

And here we are, the next update. There are not many things going on, but the duels will be the most exciting part of the stories as we move alongside the Friendship Cup. Don't lose your hope, readers. More duels will come as we move along. If you like reading this story, don't forget to leave a comment or like it so you can keep track of it. If you like it, then let some other readers who wanted something different take a look at what they think. Good night, folk!"