> Duel Monsters Are Magic: ARC-V
>  by snivygamer97
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Link into the Vrains
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing that Twilight knew, she was laying down on what felt like concrete. Confused over her possible location, she tried with all her might to open her eyes. It took a minute of effort, but eventually she was finally able to do so. Upon regaining her sight, Twilight first saw a strange metal wagon that had a sign that said, ‘Cafe Nom.’ Apparently, the place sold weird looking hotdog sandwiches as well as fries and drinks if the signs on the side were any indication.
“Wh-Where am I?” Twilight asked herself as she looked around further. She was in the middle of a city’s central hub that currently looked like a ghost town, with strange screens on the side of a building that resembled ones that she read were found in Manehattan. To her disappointment, none of her friends or her brothers were with her, meaning she was all alone in this strange place. “Well…I guess it’s no mystery that I’m in the middle of a city. The question is, though, what city? No place in Equestria looks like this. So…am I in a different land?” Upon giving another look around, Twilight noticed that there was one other creature nearby; a taller being, a human, that was standing on two legs just like Spike did and was walking toward the metal…wagon. “So…this is a human settlement then? I’ve read in books that rumored different dimensions that humans are very common in many dimensions separate from Equestria, but to think they actually exist?! Wait till I tell the girls and Spike…provided I can find them…”
“Hey…are you okay, miss?” A male voice asked Twilight as she turned, seeing that the human she saw a moment ago had stopped, holding out a hand awkwardly to try and help her up. 
“I think so.” Twilight decided to accept the hand and got up on all fours…though she felt different than normal when she did so.
“Right…So…is there something wrong with your motor functions to require you to be on all fours or…?” The human asked Twilight.
“No! There isn’t! You may not have noticed, sir, but I happen to be a pony, a unicorn to be precise! Being on all fours is normal for me!” Twilight yelled.
“Well, Yusaku, it’s official. We ended up meeting someone that may be more tactless than you. She may also be insane seeing as how she looks nothing like-,” A voice that sounded digitized said from an unknown location.
“Quiet, Ai!” Yusaku whispered to a device on his wrist. “Still, I’ll admit that this girl may be mistaken. Perhaps she is a unicorn in Link Vrains, but here in the real world she definitely is not one.”
“How am I mista-,” Twilight asked as she looked down at where her hooves should be. However, she was shocked, scared even, to see that she had hands instead of hooves. She quickly looked for a place to see her reflection, finally finding something in the hubcaps of the wagon. She saw that the human and the weird voice were right. She wasn’t a unicorn anymore. She was a human too. One dressed in an blue shirt with a red bowtie, a purple skirt with star consolations, blue and white socks and purple boots. She took it well. Okay, not really. 
Twilight immediately screamed at the top of her lungs, with the other human trying to cover his ears.
“Uh…is there something wrong…?” Yusaku asked Twilight.
“You kidding? She’s likely having an existential crisis over being trapped in crazy imagination land! So, no! I mean, seriously?! It’s not like it’s that hard to read the room!” Ai complained.
“I think it may be more than that, Ai. There are three different possibilities. One, there’s a chance she may have unknowingly been logged out of Link Vrains and needs a moment to adjust. Second, it could be a simple trick in order to mess with people or lure them into a trap. However, I think it may be a different possibility.  The third being something more is amiss. If she truly was crazy she wouldn’t be able to be convinced of reality at all, even though she clearly seems to be convinced,” Yusaku responded.
“You seriously think she’s a real life unicorn? Next you’re gonna say that Varis is one of those strange humans trying to sell real estate!” Ai complained.
“Stranger things have occurred, like you for instance,” Yuskau said.
“Oh, thank you for the compliment!” Ai said with no hint of irony or annoyance, missing Yusaku’s snarky remark.
“So…you say you used to be a unicorn then, huh?” Yusaku asked Twilight, who was beginning to calm down.
“Yes? In the world I come from I am one. I, of course, can do magic and am one of the strongest magic users in Equestria. I don’t remember how, but something must have happened back home in order to send me here and away from my friends and family,” Twilight answered, still in fear and disbelief in her current situation, but wanting to figure out what exactly was going on.
“Send you here?” Yusaku asked curiously.
“Uh huh…I think that if I ended up here it must have been from a failed spell or something. Though, to be honest, I wish that at least someone I knew from home was with me. Maybe then I’d have a better chance at remembering what it was that brought me here…,” Twilight confessed.
“You don’t say…Looks like she may be from Link Vrains then, if she still isn’t l for looney,” Ai snarked.
“Be quiet, Ai! You do remember that we don’t want others to hear you, lest we capture the wrong people’s attention!” Yusaku warned.
“Aw! Does mister grumpy and socially stunted actually care about me? We really are buds after all?” Ai asked genuinely.
“No. It’s just I’d rather not be captured by Sol Tech or comatose like Blue Angel,” Yusaku bluntly stated.
“Ow, the edge! It hurts!” Ai whined.
“So…not that the answer will help me, but where is that other voice coming from?” Twilight asked Yusaku.
“Oh, you see…,” Ai said as he popped out of Yuskau’s Duel Disk, Ai being a purple humanoid figure that was inside of the device on Yusaku’s wrist. “The voice came from me; Ai! You may be wondering, ‘Who is that handsome ai that is in front of me?’ Well, to be honest…”
“An ai? I’ve read about a few in books, but I always thought they were fiction. To see one for my own eyes…,” Twilight said in awe, eyes sparkling like a kid in a toy store. “EEEHHHH!” Twilight squeed as she got into Ai’s digital face. “So, Ai was it? It must be so very interesting to have been created by another being! So, how advanced are you? What do you do? Are you new to this world or do you have some experience? Can you feel emotions or do you just follow all programmed instructions?” 
“Well…I guess I am fairly advanced for an ai…if being able to think and feel like a human is what we consider advanced here! I may only be about a decade old from what my memory banks can tell me, but what I do know is that as the best of the ai’s out there, there are a buncha meatbags that want me! Heck, I bet there are some humans that are jelly of Yusaku here for having me! If only he were more appreciative of me!” Ai snarked.
“Right…well it looks like you’ve calmed down a bit, miss…,” Yusaku realized he didn’t know the girl’s name.
“Twilight. Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight answered.
“Right…Well, to be honest, the two of us have to get going now,” Yusaku tried to awkwardly say goodbye.
“Oh…okay. So…when can we see each other again? I would like to know more about your ai…Ai?” Twilight was a bit confused by the weird name.
“To be honest, Twilight, it may be best for you and me if you forgot all about Ai. Like we said, lots of people would do horrible things to get him. They even infected a classmate of mine with a virus in order to lure me out,” Yuskau warned.
“Really? You sure you don’t want another friend? Between me and Kolter, you have a grand total of two! I bet it wouldn’t kill ya to have a third,” Ai reminded.
“Look, Ai. I’m not looking for friends. All that would happen is that this girl would get hurt getting involved in our business,” Yusaku reminded Ai.
“You’re just jelly that someone else wants to hang out with handsome ol’ me rather than you,” Ai snarked.
“Uh…you know…I get it. You want to involve as few people with your business as possible because you want to protect others. I’ve felt that way before. But, please, I can prove to be of great help to you in whatever this serious business of yours is. Besides, I kinda don’t know where else I can go right now and I’d love the help in return,” Twilight pleaded.
Yusaku looked away from Twilight for a moment. To be honest, she had a point. Having extra hands to help with stuff could in fact prove to be quite useful. He may not have gotten as far as he did without help from Kolter. However, he also had doubts on how helpful this girl from another world could be. Even taking that out of the picture, she could just get herself in danger trying to help him and he wouldn’t forgive himself if, on top of his own baggage, this girl got hurt because of him. Right as he was about to say no, however, he looked over at Twilight and saw that she looked incredibly sad and scared. She had said that she didn’t know where to go and what to do without her friends or memories. So, he reluctantly decided, “I don’t know how helpful you’ll be, if at all. But…I’ll give you a hand for now.”
Upon hearing this, Twilight looked ecstatic and relieved. “Oh, thank you! I promise that I’ll do everything I can to help you with…whatever it is you are doing. Speaking of which, what are you doing?” Twilight asked, facepalming that she waited to ask that question in case she regretted it.
“Well, big boy Yusaku here is apparently lookin’ to stop these crooks that want me called the Knights of Hanoi…which you probably never heard of,” Ai realized the last part.
“No…I don’t know them. Why are they bad?” Twilight asked.
“Simply put, they are a group of hackers that invade the digital network of Link Vrains, wanting to do who knows what in order to get Ai,” Yusaku answered.
“Sounds…horrible?” Twilight was confused. “Wait…digital network? Can you explain to me how it works, please?!” Twilight chipperly asked.
“We’ll do that as soon as we get Kolter,” Yusaku answered as he knocked on the back door of the ‘wagon.’
“So…he’s in that wagon then?” Twilight asked curiously.
“It’s called a truck. One specializing in hotdog sandwiches and other fried foods and drinks,” Ai answered.
“They’re not called sandwiches, Ai!” Kolter yelled as he opened the door and saw Twilight. “So…did you make a new friend, Yusaku? You’re kidding, right?!” Kolter teased as he knew how hard it was for Yuskau to interact with others.
“Actually, he has. He agreed to give me a hoo-er-hand with finding out how I got here while I help you out against these Knights that plan on hurting innocents,” Twilight answered.
“So you have amnesia then? Go figure,” Kolter said as he motioned for the trio to enter the truck. As soon as they were in, Kolter closed the truck’s back doors before continuing. “Well, anyway, it’s nice to see that Yusaku has another friend at last.”
“Is it that shocking? I knew it took me some time to make friends, but I never thought much of it,” Twilight noted.
“Really, lady? Is it as long as it took Yusaku?” Ai snarked.
“Well it just took me a couple months…or over ten years? Granted, those are just the ones I remember right now so…,” Twilight nervously answered.
“Yeesh! Antisocial alert! I bet even Yusaku here wasn’t this bad!” Ai noted.
“Hey! I happen to have five of the best friends in the world back at home! I may not know where they are currently, but I managed to make them without even trying! Still…Yusaku? Is there any reason these two are your only friends?” Twilight went from annoyed to concerned.
“Simply put, it’s like I said. I’d rather not have anyone else get hurt in my fight,” Yusaku ominously answered.
“Hey…it’s okay. It took me a long time to open up my heart to friends. If it helps, I can help you make friends in the future…you know, when this Knight of Hanoi stuff is done,” Twilight suggested.
“I don’t know…we’ll see,” Yusaku nonanswered.
“That probably means never, kid,” Ai bluntly stated.
“Actually, it wasn’t an answer at all. But, for now, maybe you can tell me more about these Knights and the digital network?” Twilight suggested.
“Well…okay,” Yusaku grudgingly agreed, still not liking the idea of getting Twilight involved.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And so, while it took some time, the trio told Twilight all that she needed to know about Den City, Link Vrains and the Knights of Hanoi. This included the fact that the city and a few others had what was referred to in some of her books as an online server that basically was like those magic comics that Twilight heard about that allowed you to enter an entirely different world. While here, you could meet up with friends and partake in what were called Duels. From what Twilight heard, they essentially were a card game from unknown circumstances that allowed you to face off with monster cards aided by spells and traps. One side would win when the other side’s Life Points, of LP for short, were drained to zero. Twilight heard from Spike that something similar to this was about to become more common in their world, though she couldn’t fully remember in what way. As for the Knights of Hanoi, all she got other than that they were villainous hackers was that they wanted to get rid of Ai for unclear reasons for being an ai and would stop at nothing to get him.
“So…I guess that means you are up to date right now,” Ai said, exhausted at having to have done a lot of the talking and began to lazily sleep. “Nighty night.”
“Fascinating…I always was a mare of science back where I came from, but I never knew things could be so advanced for real. It just seemed like fiction…AMAZING! Wait until I tell the others what I went through! Spike will be so jealous when he hears what I’ve been through!” Twilight gushed.
“Maybe…but if I were you I’d keep all this stuff on the down low. You hear me?” Kolter warned.
“Yeah…I get it. The last thing we need is ourselves or anyone else getting hurt because we know too much. But…lying to my friends…,” Twilight wondered with uncertainty. Wanting to not dwell on this, Twilight asked, “So, what should we do first?”
“Well, for starters you may want to go over to a local card store and purchase yourself some cards to construct a Deck. It will only be a matter of time before the Knights go after you and it would be best if you knew how to defend yourself in a Duel,” Yusaku answered. “Still…if you really are from another world, you may not have the needed currency and we may not have too much on us…”
“And I doubt that my connections to Princess Celestia will help out too much out here, will they?” Twilight said sadly, not liking being a burden.
“Probably not…wait, princess?! You know a princess?!” Kolter was shocked as Twilight nodded. “Well…things are seeming even more unbelievable now…”
“Still…I have heard that gold is a desired metal in most books I’ve read about other places. Do you think it will be the same here?” Twilight asked.
“I suppose so. Why? You ripped off a bank or something?” Ai asked, having woken up partway into the conversation.
“Well…I just have a few bits with me that I almost forgot about…,” Twilight said with a blush as she got out a handful of gold coins, shocking the trio. “Let me guess…it’s not a lot is it?”
“Actually…,” Yusaku said.
“So yeah…maybe we can exchange them for some money after all…,” Kolter said awkwardly.
“Yeah! With these and some guidance from yours truly, we’re bound to be able to make some progress on this whole finding your friends and stopping the Hanoi thing! Let’s get shopping! You may not have Cyberse cards, but we can get you pretty good cards at least!” Ai cheered.
“We’ll go soon…,” Kolter said warily.
“Okay? Why not now? Will they not accept my currency in exchange? Are there not good stores for cards in Den City? Am I not going to learn to Duel in time?!” Twilight cried out anxiously.
“No! None of that!” Kolter answered warmly. “It’s just…,” Kolter said as he pointed to the screen nearby.
“Wait…what is going on here folks? We were in the middle of a smashing match between the Gore and…some freaky fish guy…when all of a sudden who shows up but a Knight of Hanoi!” The announcer cried out as a strange man with a silver mask arrived riding a massive dragon. Cracking Dragon.
“Alright, Playmaker! I’m giving you one chance! Come on out with your Ignis and no one gets hurt! Refuse and…well…you don’t wanna know what will happen!” The Knight warned.
“Great! They sent out a welcome committee to find me,” Ai snarked. “What do we do now?”
At this point, Yusaku started to go inside of a backroom inside of the food truck.
“So…I take it that you are going to accept this guy’s challenge then?” Twilight asked.
“Of course. For three reasons. One, I need to learn more about why I was put through the Lost Incident. Second, I cannot allow the Knights of Hanoi to hurt innocent people in order to draw me out. And third, I must get revenge for all the horrors they put me and everyone else through over a decade ago!” Yusaku answered.
“Wait…revenge? Lost Incident? Uh…,” Twilight was starting to get nervous and confused for the time being. Still she couldn’t deny that he did want to keep the innocent safe. She just wished she could do so with Yusaku. However, with no Duel Disk or Deck, there wasn’t much that could be done. 
So she just watched as Yusaku went into the back room, hearing him yell out, “It’s time to Link into the Vrains!”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Well, well, well. I hoped it wouldn’t have to come to this, but it looks like I have no other choice! I wonder how many people will be able to run away in time to avoid my dragon’s attack!” The Knight cruely joked.
“You won’t get the chance to find out!” Yusaku, or rather Playmaker, challenged as he appeared on the scene on top of a nearby building. The crowd near the screen in the real world cheered upon seeing the hero of Link Vrains appear. “I’ll give you one chance. Give up now and let me know what I want to know. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee that the Duel we have won’t hurt!”
“Really? That’s the best you could come up with?” Ai teased.
“You have a better retort?” Playmaker asked back.
“I don’t, but I have an idea. Give up your Ignis like I said! Otherwise, there’s no telling what we’ll be willing to do to get rid of it!” The Knight warned.
“What do you plan if we don’t stand down?” Playmaker bravely asked.
“I dunno. But I heard it won’t be good for many people,” The Knight said with a wicked smirk.
“Well, the answer is no…!” Playmaker began.
“Oh! Let me guess! It’s because you don’t wanna see me hurt?” Ai gleefully asked.
“Because I have too much at stake for me and for others to not win, Ai!” Yusaku finished.
“...You could, I dunno, act like you care…,” Ai sighed.
“Well then. Looks like it’s time for us to have a little Duel then!” The Knight said as he leapt off of Cracking Dragon and onto a Duel Board.
“So it does…,” Playmaker said as he jumped onto his board effortlessly, following after the Knight.
“It’s time to Speed Duel!” Both Duelists cried out as their Life Points hit 4000.

	Playmaker 4000 LP


	Knight of Hanoi 4000 LP

“Looks like I’m going to get a sneak preview of what one of these Duels is!” Twilight said as she got out a pen and paper from Yusaku’s backpack, watching the Duel from the nearby screen. “So…how good of a Duelist is Yusaku?”
“From what I’ve seen, he’s one of the best. He even beat the Hanoi’s leader at one point,” Kolter answered confidently.
“Really? Wow…he’s that good?” Twilight muttered to herself.
“I’ll make the first move!” The Knight of Hanoi drew his hand, a sadistic and greedy expression forming on his face upon seeing what he had drawn. “I couldn’t have drawn a better hand!”
“Please tell me he’s bluffing, Playmaker.” Ai pleaded with Playmaker.
“Judging by his face, I’d say he did draw a great hand. But we’ll still win anyway,” Playmaker responded with little emotion like always.
“Yeah…I mean, it’s not like this square could have drawn a hand better than ours! It’ll be a piece of cake! Especially with me here to help you!” Ai overconfidently boasted.
“You help me how?” Playmaker questioned the egotistical ai.
“Enough of your bromance with the Ignis! Remember, we’re here to Duel! First, I play the spell Pot of Greed in order to draw two cards! Now…since I control no monsters, the same boat you are in, I can now special summon two Hack Worms from my hand! (x2 Hack Worm 400 Attack LVL 1) Next up, I summon out another mighty beast! Say hello to my Jack Wyvern! (Jack Wyvern 1800 Attack LVL 4)”
“Seriously? Just those three wimps many of you Hanoi geeks already use? I really was worried over nothing! We can Link Summon a much stronger monster and beat them with ease!” Ai boasted.
“Summon a better monster than mine? Please! I’m far from done! It’s time I show off what the Hanoi can do, especially with my new trump card! I create my circuit! The summoning requirements are at least two monsters! I Link Summon! Arise! Hack Spider!” The Knight cried out as the three smaller monsters became arrows that hit a board of pointers, hitting the points on the bottom. For a moment, not much happened. However, soon a massive silver mechanical spider leg with green energy coming out of it came up out of a portal. Soon, another leg appeared out of the portal, followed by more legs. Eventually when eight legs popped out of portal, they pulled out a ovalish mechanical body that had piercing green eyes and a massive mouth filled with grinding gears for teeth. (Hack Spider 0 Attack Link-3 ↙⬇↘)
“Aw, glitch! He did summon a powerful monster after a- wait? That runt? He may be big, but he has zero attack points! Ha! I was worried for nothing! Playmaker, we can beat this Hanoi with ease!” Ai boasted.
“It having zero Attack Points is what is worrying me, Ai. I doubt that he would have summoned such a weak appearing card without a reason for doing so,” Playmaker warned.
“I agree with Playmaker. I don’t know much about this game, but I don’t think he would waste so many monsters for one without a benefit,” Twilight greed. 
“Ignis, your bromance partner is right! See, Hack Spider gains 800 Attack Points for every monster used for his Link Summon!” (Hack Spider 0->2400 Attack) The Knight revealed.
“Uh…see, Playmaker? I knew that there must have been more to that Knight’s plan! What would you do without me?” Ai bluffed, not looking straight at Playmaker.
“I’d be much less annoyed?” Playmaker asked with annoyance. “Still…2400 Attack Points isn’t that big of a hurdle to overcome.”
“You may think that now, but just you wait! I play the spell card Monster Reborn! It will allow me to bring on back my Jack Wyvern in attack mode, next to the bottom left Link arrow of Hack Spider! (Jack Wyvern 1800 Attack LVL 4) Then, I play my Hack Spider’s special ability! When I summon a monster next to his Link arrow, I can inflict 1000 damage for each monster! Go! Techno Venom!” The Knight cried out as a green energy poison shot was sent out and hit Playmaker (Playmaker-3000 LP). “Then…since I control a Hack monster, I can now Special 
Summon Hack Fly from my hand next to the bottom right Link! Say hello! (Hack Fly 600 Defense LVL 1/A silver fly with green energy wings and power lines running across it.) Now, I’ll use my Spider’s effect once more in order to bring more pain for you! Now take 2000 Life Points of damage, you dumb kid! (Playmaker-1000 LP) And with that, I end my turn! So, you think you stand a chance against me still, kid? I honestly struggle to understand how you’ve been able to defeat so many opponents before me if it took zero effort in order to reduce you to only 1000 LP! You’re a wimp! An idiot! And I’ll make Varis very happy when we finally wipe you and your Ignis off the face of the Earth!” The Knight mocked.
“This looks bad, Kolter! Yus-er-Playmaker is down to only 1000 LP and he hasn’t even taken a turn yet! If this keeps up, there’s now way that he’ll win!” Twilight cried out in worry. “We have to do something, fast!”
“Actually, Twilight, maybe we shouldn’t worry yet,” Kolter said confidently.
“Huh?”
“It’s true Playmaker is down to only a 1000 LP, but he’s been in worse scrapes than this! Besides, Playmaker still has his skill that can turn things around,” Kolter reassured.
“Skill?” Twilight was confused.
“I’ll be honest with you, Playmaker. We may not stand too much of a chance right now with your current hand and Extra Deck. Chances are, you’ll most likely lose! But there is still a chance for you to turn this Duel in our favor and get out unscathed,” Ai said.
“You may not be entirely accurate, Ai, but I agree with one thing. I can turn this Duel around in one way!” Playmaker said as a purple and blue Storm appeared nearby.
“Looks like we have a Data Storm!” Ai guessed cheerfully.
“Correct! Now…go Storm Access!” Playmaker cried out as he entered the storm and reached for a card. “When I have 1000 LP or less, I can use this skill to draw a Link monster and add it straight to my Extra Deck!” Playmaker began to struggle, but he soon was able to grab a card and get out of the storm unscathed.
“Wait…Storm Access? How did? Oh right…In Speed Duels, you can use a Skill! I really shoulda remembered that before coming here!” The Knight facepalmed.
“See? This is what happens when you don’t prepare ahead of time!” Twilight said calmly with a hint of pride.
“Now…I’ll discard my Dotscaper in order to Special Summon my Bitrooper(Bitrooper 1500 Attack LVL 4). Next, I Normal Summon my Cyberse Gadget (Cyberse Gadget 1400 Attack LVL 4). Then, since I summoned Cyberse Gadget, I can now summon a Level 2 or lower monster from the graveyard! Come on out, Dotscaper (Dotscaper 2100 Defense LVL 1)! Now, I’ll generate my circuit! Link Arrows authorized! The summoning requirements is a grand total of three monsters! Link the circuit! I Link Summon! Arise! Powercode Talker! (Powercode Talker 2300 Attack Link-3 ↙⬅➡)”
“That guy looks tough! Well…it doesn’t matter! My monster is still stronger! I’m going to win!” The Knight cried out!
“I wouldn’t be so sure! First, due to the effect of my Cyberse Gadget, I can now summon a Gadget Token next to Powercode Talker’s bottom left Link (Gadget Token 0 Attack LVL 2). Once per turn, my Powercode Talker can negate a monster’s effect! So, say goodbye to Hack Spider’s Attack Points! (Hack Spider 0 Attack Link-3 ↙⬇↘).” Playmaker cried out as the Knight lost all his monster’s power.
“N-No! This can’t be! Grrr! Well, at least I can survive this turn and be able to continue the Duel!” The Knight calmed down from his fear and anger.
“Actually…it is over! I play my Powercode Talker’s other effect! Now, by tributing a monster next to Powercode Talker’s Link, I can double his power for the rest of the turn! (Powercode Talker 2300->4600 Attack Link-3 ↙⬅➡) Now, Powercode Talker, let’s end this Duel! Attack! (Knight of Hanoi-0 LP)!” Playmaker cried out as the Knight was knocked off his board and onto the ground.
“And in a shocking come from behind victory, Playmaker has won!” The announcer cheered along with many other passerbys.
“Playmaker did it! He did it! He won!” Twilight ecstatically cried out.
“I never had any doubts!” Kolter said.
“Now…let’s go and question him, Ai!” Playmaker ordered.
“That’s just what I was thinking!” Ai lied. “But…I think you may be too late on that.” Ai pointed over to the Knight, who had faded out of existence in a cloud of smoke.
“Well…looks like we’re back to square one, Ai,” Playmaker shook his head.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some time later, Yusaku had come out of the mini room of the hotdog truck looking fairly exhausted from having battled the Knight of Hanoi.
“Yusaku! Are you okay?” Twilight asked with worry.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine, Twilight! No need to worry about me!” Ai half-snarked.
“Oh…sorry, Ai. I just thought that since Yusaku was the one to Duel that he would be more drained,” Twilight apologized.
“Him, exhausted? When I’m the one who helped guide him to victory?” Ai boasted.
“Well…, looks like Rainbow has a virtual younger brother then,” Twilight snarked.
“Rainbow who?” Ai asked.
“Let’s go back to these Knights of Hanoi. Why are they doing all that they do, again?” Twilight asked.
“Varis said that he is trying to save the world from ai’s. But…I don’t see how they are threatening enough to be worth going after. I mean, Ai is more of a nuisance than a threat,” Yusaku bluntly said.
“You couldn’t be nicer?” Ai snarked.
“So, that’s why they’re doing all this?” Twilight asked.
“What do you mean?” Kolter asked.
“It’s simple. These Knights seem to be under the impression that Ai here is evil. Maybe if we show he isn’t, they’ll leave us all alone,” Twilight said, trying to be optimistic.
“I don’t think it’ll be that simple,” Kolter noted.
“Yeah…Varis seemed to be obsessed with his hate for ai’s. For now, we just need to fight and hope we can bring peace to me, and to Link Vrains,” Yusaku noted.
“Easier said than done…So, should we go and get me a Deck now or…?” Twilight suggested.
“We’ll get you a Deck tomorrow. For now, we should just rest,” Kolter said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	In another location…
Leo Akaba was sitting on his throne, deep in the bowels of his fortress on Academy Island. Here, he was waiting for his fellow scientists to give him the rundown on what the strange power signal was.
It had been many years since he had left his home in the Standard Dimension, while gone he had thought often of his wife and young son. At times he missed them, hoping they were doing fine in his absence. But…he couldn’t return. Not yet. Not until he saved her…
“Professor?” An old gravely voice asked as Leo Akaba looked up and saw that his second in command, the Doktor, had arrived. 
“So, have our brilliant minds figured out what the source of the strange energy pulse is yet?” Leo Akaba got right to the point.
“Well, you see, it’s a very curious thing. As you know, there are many foreign worlds that are separate from the four dimensions we and all those poor pathetic vermin live in. Most of them are too far away for us to have considered being of note. However…,” The Doktor began.
“However?” Leo Akaba said in a way that made the Doktor nervous.
“Well, you see, some of these worlds have, for some reason, started to become linked to our four Dimensions recently. Not only that, but both such dimensions have a similar life reading to the specimens we have been looking for. In other words…,” The Doktor confessed.
“Ray has another missing piece we need to be concerned with. But…how? There should only be four different pieces that we need to look for to unite our worlds! Not six!” Leo Akaba firmly said. “But…it’s nothing we can’t prepare for. Doktor? Call Yuri and Dennis over here. Let them know that we have more work for them.”
“Y-Yes sir,” The Doktor said with a bow as he turned to leave. However, before leaving, he added, “Oh, and by the way, the dimensions also have strange forms of energy coming from them. They aren’t like Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz. What they are is…”
“Unknown? Well, looks like we have further information to collect. Let’s see what new power these new dimensions hold,” Leo Akaba said as the Doktor left, leaving the Professor to wonder over what in the world these new powers were.
> New Friends and Foes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Long ago, when the pyramids were still young, the Egyptian Kings played a game of great and terrible power. But these Shadow Games erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the entire world. Until a brave and powerful pharaoh locked the magic away, imprisoning it within the mystical Millennium Items. Now, five thousand years later, a boy named Yugi unlocks the secret of the Millennium Puzzle. He is infused with ancient magical energies, for destiny has chosen him to defend the world from the return of the Shadow Games, just as the brave Pharaoh did five thousand years ago.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Paradise City, around the same time…
Rainbow Dash was currently unconscious on the sidewalk, not very far from Paradise Prep School. She had been there for some time and a crowd had managed to gather not far from where she was. Many of them were students, as school had just gotten out.
“So…, do you think she’s dead, Kit?” One teenager with purple hair asked bluntly.
“Uh…I don’t think so, Dipper. I mean, she looks like she’s still breathing,” Another teen with brown hair and holding a wooden sword responded.
“Yeah. Fair enough. I wonder if she’s a bum or something,” the teen, named Dipper, rudely remarked.
“It doesn’t matter who she is, guys. All that matters is that she is causing a big fuss here and taking up time we could be using to train at the Leo Institute. Still, is she okay?” A third tan skinned girl asked with some concern. She then crouched down next to Rainbow and shook her for a moment. “Come on, wake up!” The girl called out as Rainbow began to stir.
“Five more minutes, mom! I was just having the best dream,” Rainbow sleepily grumbled as she opened her eyes and saw the trio of teens and a bunch of other people. “What the…? What kind of creatures are you supposed to be? You obviously aren’t ponies,” Rainbow was confused as she tried to spread her wings and fly. However, much to her confusion and shock, she was unable to fly. “What the…? Why can’t I feel my wings?!”
“Well, first of all you insane weirdo, we are all humans,” Dipper rudely responded.
“Yeah! Second, ponies? You must be an obsessive little girl who loves ponies to think the way you just did,” Kit agreed.
“Hey! I’m not a little girl! I’m a pegasus, you jerks!” Rainbow yelled as she sat up, with the whole crowd looking at her in confusion.
“Uh…yep. You two are right. She is insane. Lady, you’re not a pegasus. You’re a human just like us,” The girl, named Julia, bluntly said.
“Uh, no. I may not feel my wings right now, but I am definitely a pe-,” Rainbow looked at what used to be her hooves, and saw that she now had hands. She gave a scared gasp as she looked over the rest of her body and saw that these people were right. She was no longer a pegasus. She was a human. She gave a scared scream, even if she wouldn’t admit it was fear. The group looked on in concern and confusion, except for the three teens up front who were annoyed. “So…I’m no longer a pegasus…but how?”
“How are we still having this conversation? I’m not sure. Look, we’ll let the doctors deal with this insanity,” Julia said as she began to leave.
“Hey! You jerks can’t just leave me right now!” Rainbow yelled.
“Uh, yes we can!” Kit rejected helping her.
“Uh huh. We have Duel school to go to,” Dipper agreed.
As some of the crowd began to leave, Rainbow groaned to herself. She may not be the thinking type like Twilight was, but she had a few big questions she needed to have answered. First, why was she human and without her wings? Second, where did she end up? And third, why was she here? As she noticed that most of the crowd was either gone or recording her, she looked to see if her friends were anywhere nearby, human or not. However, sadly for her, they weren’t. Fortunately, she noticed that there was a girl with pink hair and wearing a school uniform still looking on in sympathy.
“Uh…are you okay?” The teen girl asked.
“Uh, no! I’m not okay! I’m separated from my friends, I’m in an unfamiliar land, I’m no longer a pegasus, and I have no wings!” Rainbow yelled, much to the discomfort of the girl. Before Rainbow could respond, the girl got out a fan and hit her with it. “Ow! What was that for?!”
“Sorry, but I was just trying to help and you jumped down my throat! Maybe you should be less hostile towards someone trying to help you,” The girl warned.
Rainbow looked ready to yell…only to realize she was right. “I’m sorry. It’s just…I’m lost and don’t know where I am.”
“It’s okay…and maybe me hitting you with the fan was a bit much…,” The girl admitted.
“You think?” Rainbow asked. “So, have you seen anyone else that is acting like they aren’t human like me?”
“Uh, no? Also are you sure you’re okay mentally? Pegasi aren’t real, miss…,” The girl asked.
“Rainbow Dash is my name. And you?” Rainbow introduced herself.
“I’m Zuzu. Zuzu Boyle,” The girl did the same.
“Look, you may not believe me, but where I come from I am a pegasus. Also, have you really not seen anyone else like me?” Rainbow asked somberly.
“No. Sorry. If it’ll make you feel better, maybe you can come with me. I was heading over to the You Show Duel School to practice my Dueling with Yuya and Gong. Maybe together we can help you out,” Zuzu suggested.
“No thanks. Also, Duel?” Rainbow was confused.
“Yeah. You know, with cards? Duel Monsters?” Zuzu asked Rainbow, trying to get the girl to understand what she was saying as she looked puzzled. “The game created by Maximillion Pegasus?”
“Sorry, but I haven’t played the game before. It sounds like an uncool nerd or kid’s game, not a game for adults or even teenagers like me,” Rainbow said bluntly.
“Actually, the game has found an audience with people of all ages, Rainbow. You don’t have to feel weird about watching or even playing the game,” Zuzu said. “Heck, you may even want to join our school. My dad and I would sure be happy to have another student.”
“School? Sorry, but I’ll pass. I’d rather not waste time on a game that I have to spend hours of my life learning to play. So, sorry, but no. Look, I’m gonna go look around for my friends. The sooner I find them, the sooner I can figure out why we’re here and what’s going on. I won’t leave my friends to be lost in such a weird place all alone,” Rainbow declined.
“Okay…I can always give you a hand with your search,” Zuzu suggested.
“Sure. Where should we look first?” Rainbow asked.
“We can start by taking a quick look around Paradise Prep School. If your friends are teenagers like us, we should have a decent chance finding them there,” Zuzu suggested.
“As much as I’d rather not go to egghead central…sure. Let’s go give the place a good look,” Rainbow agreed as the two teens left to look around the school.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sadly, the duo were unable to find anyone that fit Rainbow’s descriptions in appearance or personality at the Prep School.
“Seriously?! Where are Twilight and the others? You’d think that it would be easy to find them in a school when there aren’t many po-er-people and when they aren’t wearing the school uniform!” Rainbow groaned.
“Yeah…I shoulda figured that this was unlikely to work out from the get go,” Zuzu shook her head at the fact that their search didn’t work out. “I guess they aren’t here. You think they could have left?”
“I guess so. Let’s go look elsewhere…,” Rainbow was about to give up the current search when she suddenly heard a voice come from outside of the school.
“Hey Joey! Earth to Joey! Hey, are you in there? It's your turn,” a boy with red, yellow, and black hair told his friend in regards to a card game they were playing. Rainbow was quick to look out the window and see this, shocked to see that there was a strange non-human creature near where the multi-colored haired kid was standing.
“Unreal! He has a golem-like creature with him?! That’s amazing!” Rainbow cheered.
“Actually, the term for that is a monster. See, those two guys are Dueling right now,” Zuzu explained.
“But…then why does he…?” Rainbow was confused.
“See, in a Duel, you can have a Duel Disk that can summon many monsters near you when you play them to your side of the field,” Zuzu explained.
“Well…looks like that one guy isn’t doing so well. He has no monsters,” Rainbow noted, and she was right. There were no cards on Joey’s side while his friend had a card called Alpha the Magnet Warrior on his side. 
“Ummm…,” Joey looked over his hand as he thought over his move.
“Oh, isn't he cute when he's thinking?” Another boy teased Joey.
“Is it anywhere near as cool as it looks, though?” Rainbow wondered. “Er…it looks a little awesome. So…can the monsters fight then?” Rainbow asked.
“Kinda? You can, under normal circumstances, only fight once a turn and only during your turn. Plus, without an Action Field, the monsters are just holograms that phase right through you,” Zuzu explained.
“Well…if this is your egghead game, then…I’ll admit it doesn’t look too bad so far…,” Rainbow said, not wanting to admit she was wrong. 
Meanwhile, back with Yugi and company…
“Hey Tristan, Yuugi here's teaching me how to play Duel Monsters,” Joey told his friend.
“Drooling monsters?” Tristan asked in confusion.
“Duel Monsters, you nimrod,” Joey chided his pal that teased him earlier.
“Sheesh,” Tristan huffed.
“Well…I guess we should go back to looking for my friends?” Rainbow noted as she pushed against the window and accidentally pushed it open, falling over through it as she did so. “Aw, my back!” Unfortunately for the brash girl, she managed to get the attention of the group of friends. “Uh…oops?”
“Sorry! For the interruption, you guys! We were just about to leave!” Zuzu apologized with a bow.
“Oh, hey there! How is it going?” Yugi, the boy with the weird hair, greeted, not at all bothered by the two new arrivals.
“I don’t know?” Rainbow was confused.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you two. What are your names?” Tea asked.
“I’m Rainbow Dash. Back home, I’m the fastest and most awesomest pegasus ever! Though, here I’m just a bot as awesome human. And the girl with me is named Zuzu Boyle. We’ll get out of your hair now. But…before we go, have you seen any girls named Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, or Fluttershy here at all?” Rainbow asked. “Oh! Or a boy named Spike?”
“Uh…nope, sorry! You may wanna try a different part of the city!” Tristan responded.
“Aw! But I already checked this school! And the city is looking so huge that we may be looking forever!” Rainbow complained. “Well…I guess I’ll get going then. Have fun with…whatever this nerd game is.”
“Uh…Duel Monsters isn’t a nerd game! It just so happens to becoming a massive hit with almost anyone of any age. You should try it once we’re done with our Duel!” Yugi said.
“Okay…fine. I’ll bite. How does this game work…?” Rainbow offered as she asked for their names.
“I’m Téa. And these are my friends Yugi, Joey, and Tirstan. It’s nice to meet you Miss Rainbow Dash,” Tea introduced herself and her friends.
“So…the game?” Rainbow asked.
“Oh, right! You see, these two have been at it for hours. Joey's starting to get the hang of the game, but Yugi's like an expert at the game!” Tea began.
“Well…maybe Joey can still win! I mean, I’ve won a few sports without knowing the rules much before,” Rainbow said.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Rainbow! Okay Yugi. It's time to duel,” Joey cried out.
“See, each card has an attack number and a defense number. They also have a level that helps to determine if the can be summoned without Tribute or not. The monster cards battle each other during the battle phase, and the monsters with the higher points win! You must battle in order to reduce the opposing player’s Life Points. Spells and Traps can be used to support the monsters in a variety of ways. The first player to eliminate the other player's Life Points wins the duel,” Tea explained.
“I guess…that sounds kinda cool. Zuzu said they were holograms. What biz is that?” Rainbow asked with excitement.
“See, even though these monsters are only illusions, they can still appear thanks to the Kaiba Corp Duel Disk,” Yugi explained.
“Though, with an Arc System from the Leo Institute, you can also interact with the monsters like they were real,” Zuzu added on.
“So we can fight with them! Awesome! Where do we get this system?” Rainbow asked excitedly.
“Uh…sadly, only Duel Schools have such a system. Duel Disks currently lack Arc Systems,” Yugi broke the bad news.
“Okay. Well…maybe the Duel will still be interesting?” Rainbow asked, not quite believing what she was saying.

Joey-500 LP


Yugi-2700 LP

“It will be! I play the spell card Flame Sword Revival! With it, I can summon my most powerful monsta, Flame Swordsman, from my Extra Deck (1800 Attack)! Now, attack and wipe out his Alpha the Magnet Warrior (Yugi-2300 LP). Pretty good move, huh Yugi?” Joey asked, hoping he impressed his pal.
“Yup! Pretty good move, but not good enough. I now play the spell card Monster Reborn! With it, I can revive a monster from my Graveyard. And I choose Obnoxious Celtic Guardian(1400 Attack)! Next, I’ll release my mighty warrior in order to Tribute Summon Dark Magician Girl(2000 Attack)!” Yugi summoned one of his favorite monsters.
“Well…I guess she looks pretty-uh pretty cool!” Rainbow said with a blush.
“Not bad, Yuge. But I’ll still have some Life Points left,” Joey pointed out.
“Not after this you won’t! Next, I’ll play the spell card Magic Formula! With it, I’ll increase my Magician’s power by 500 points (2000->2500 Attack)! Now, Dark Magician Girl, wipe out Joey’s monster! Dark Burning Attack!” Yugi cried out as Joey lose his remaining Life Points.
“What?! Thanks a lot. A card that powerful totally wipes me out,” Joey grumbled.
“Wait. That’s it? That’s all this game is? Kinda boring if you ask me,” Rainbow grumbled, partly lying.
“Well…give it a try or two. I trust you’ll have a good time,” Yugi suggested.
“Yeah! I didn’t immediately love this game,” Tea agreed.
“I do have to say, you stink at this game, Joey,” Tristan teased as Joey looked ready to hit him.
“I can’t really judge myself as I’m new to the game, but judging by the remaining points on this…thingy,” Rainbow said as she pointed to a Life Point counter on the disk. “I’d say you did poorly as well.”
“What is this? Roast Joey day?!” Joey grumbled.
Yugi laughs good-naturedly before saying, “You did fine, Joey. I just have better cards. See, my Grandpa owns a game shop and I get all my best cards from him.”
“Oh, really?” Zuzu was interested.
You do? So…does that give you an advantage over the competition then?” Rainbow asked.
“Well…a little. But really, my Deck is pretty basic compared to some of the pros. My Deck doesn’t even have Synchro or Xyz monsters,” Yugi admitted.
“Really? But doesn’t your Grandpa have some cool cards or something?” Rainbow asked.
“My Grandpa doesn’t have a lot of those types of cards and the ones he does have don’t suit me very well, so…,” Yugi noted.
“Wait…you know the other summoning methods?! Are you in the Leo Institute or something?” Zuzu asked the first part in awe and the latter more begrudging.
“Well…my grandpa has a lot of older and rarer cards, but honestly I don’t go to a Duel School. Also, while I’m aware of the summoning methods, I haven’t ever done them,” Yugi admitted.
“Well…maybe you’d consider going to our Duel School then, Yugi?” Zuzu suggested.
“I suppose so…which school is it?” Tea asked.
“It’s the You Show School. What we lack in numbers we’ve been able to make up for with guts,” Zuzu said a tagline for the school.
“Well…we can at least go and give it a try. But first, I’d like to go and visit my grandpa at our game shop.
“Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!” Joey cheered.
“Maybe while we’re there I can ask my grandpa if we can see his rarest card,” Yugi suggested as the group left.
“Rare card? Could they have found the card that I've been searching for?” A man with brown hair wondered, having watched the duel from afar, though he wasn’t impressed with either duelist.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Grandpa? I'm home,” Yugi greeted his grandfather as everyone got inside.
“And I see you've brought company. A lot of it, in fact,” Solomon noted happily.
“Yep! We just met earlier today and when we’re done, we plan on going to my dad’s Duel School,” Zuzu said.
“Anyways…we’re here on important business. Have you seen anyone named Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Spike, Fluttershy around here?” Rainbow asked, hoping that he would say yes.
Sadly, he responded, “No. I haven’t. Are they friends of yours?”
“Yes, they are! I may not have known one of them for long now, but we’re still getting fairly close. For now, though, what games you got here?” Rainbow asked.
“Mostly some smaller games and some Duel Monsters cards,” Solomon asked.
“Well, you certainly appear to have plenty of rare and powerful cards…,” Zuzu noted.
“I agree! The points on many of these cards are insane! I’ll buy some when I get more money,” Joey agreed.
“It may take some time for that,” Tristan grumbled.
“What was that?!” Joey yelled.
“Nothing!” Tristan lied.
“You certainly have some kind and colorful new friends, Yugi,” Solomon noted.
“Yep. But…to be honest, we’re not just here to look at some cards. Gramps, could you show my friends your awesome, super rare card?” Yugi asked.
“Rare card? My special card? Hmmm…,” Solomon considered.
“Come on! We wanna see it! It must be a good one if Yugi believes it to be special!” Rainbow agreed.
“Please! Please!” Yugi begged.
“Pretty please?” Joey asked.
“Hmmm... Hah hah! How could I refuse? You kids are in for a treat. I don't take this card out too often. Ready? Here it is,” Solomon said as he got out and showed a card that had 3000 Attack Points without being an Extra Deck monster. “The Blue-Eyes White Dragon, so rare, so powerful, I never let it leave my hands.”
“Awesome!” Joey cheered.
“I have to say it looks cool,” Rainbow noted.
“Wait…you have a Blue Eyes?!” Zuzu was shocked and in awe.
Suddenly, Tristan snatches the BEWD out of Solomon's hands. “It doesn't look all that special to me…”
“Ahh! This card is priceless. There are only four of them in all the world,” Solomon pleaded as he tried to take the card back.
“Really? That rare?” Rainbow asked.
“Uh huh! Only one other person has the other three cards,” Yugi confirmed.
“Yeah…and it’s rumored the guy sold his soul to do so,” Zuzu noted.
“Speaking of priceless, I'm ready to trade!” Joey cheered.
“Not for this card,” Solomon denied as he finally got the card back.
“Huh? Nah, I didn't mean that card. I meant, show me some other cool cards to get me started,” Joey corrected.
“Yeah! Do you have any powerful cards? Or maybe another copy of that Dark Magician Girl?” Rainbow asked.
“Why? You found her pretty?” Tristan teased.
“Uh…no! I just thought she was very awesome and rare is all!” Rainbow denied.
“Don’t worry! We won’t judge you for liking girls, Rainbow. Also…we do happen to have one extra copy you can have if you want it…,” Tea reassured.
“Well…sure! She’s sure to be an awesome card to own for myself! If only I could also have myself that Blue Eyes card as well,” Rainbow said.
“Speaking of which…who does own the other three copies of the card anyhow?” Joey asked.
“You see, the guy who owns them is…,” Zuzu began.
Suddenly, the door opens with the man from earlier standing inside the entrance.
“Who’s that guy?” Rainbow asked.
“Another customer maybe?” Tristan suggested.
“Hello, can I help you?” Solomon asked.
“Huh?” Tea asked as she looked over to see the man in the entrance.
“If you can't, it certainly wouldn't surprise me,” The man snarked.
“Seto Kaiba!” Yugi was shocked.
“Kaiba?!” Joey asked.
“Who’s that guy?” Rainbow asked.
“Seto Kaiba is a top level champ at the game of Duel Monsters,” Yugi said.
“He also happens to own the other three copies of the Blue Eyes White Dragon,” Zuzu answered.
“Wait. He does?!” Rainbow was shocked. “That. Sounds. Awesome! We get to meet the man with the other three copies of a rare and cool card…not that I care!”
“I guess you don’t,” Tristan snarked. “But…what is Kaiba doing here? Doesn't he have a big fancy company to run?”
“Simple. Not that it's any of your business, but I came to see the card,” Kaiba answered.
Joey, meanwhile, smiles and steps forward. “Hey, are you into Duel Monsters too? This is perfect. Maybe we could all duel together sometime.”
“Yeah! That would be fun! We can possibly even have a mini tournament!...If this game is actually fun…Anyways, it’s nice to meet you,” Rainbow greeted.
Seto finally walks into the shop. “Me? Duel you? I'd have more of a challenge playing solitaire. I don’t care for meeting a bunch of clowns like you.”
“What?!” Joey yelled.
“Yeah! What did you say?!” Rainbow agreed.
“Simply put, you mutts are way out of your league. I am the number one ranked duelist in the country, and the favorite to win the Duel Monsters championship in the upcoming tournament. I’ll even beat the current champ, the Sledgehammer. Hah, you two wouldn't last two minutes in a duel against me,” Kaiba grinned jerkishly.
Joey clenches his fist. “Ooh, I'm shaking. Maybe you'd like to settle this with fists instead of cards.”
“Agreed! You’ll pay for disrespecting me and my friends!” Rainbow yelled as she began to rush towards Kaiba. However, Tristan and Zuzu held back Rainbow and Yugi and Tea, Joey.
“Whoa! Take it easy, Joey,” Yugi tried to calm his friend down.
“Yeah! We can’t stoop down to his level…even if he is being a jerk!” Zuzu agreed.
“But Yugi, Kaiba's asking for it,” Joey said.
“Can’t we just hit him once?” Rainbow asked.
“No! We aren’t gonna hit him!” Tea scolded.
“Fine! Be a stick in the mud like Applejack!” Rainbow yelled.
“Now does this shop have any worthwhile cards or not?” Kaiba asked as he catches sight of the BEWD, and lurches forward. “Can it be? The Blue-Eyes White Dragon in a dump like this? It is. The card I've been searching for.”
“But why? Don’t ya already have three copies of da card?” Joey asked.
“Yeah! Don’t be greedy like Rarity can be!” Rainbow agreed. “You can just be happy with three of the card. What, do you wanna play with four?”
“That wouldn’t really work out…,” Zuzu acknowledged.
“You see, you can only have a maximum of three of a certain card in your deck at once,” Yugi explained.
“Maybe he wants a collection of all of them?” Tea suggested.
“Makes sense…,” Tristan said.
Solomon, meanwhile, covers the BEWD, “Well, enough window shopping. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
Seto growls, lifts his briefcase onto the counter and opens it, showing many cards of various types.
“Huh? Oooh,” Solomon looks on in awe.
“Listen to me, old man. Gimme your Blue-Eyes White Dragon card and I'll trade you all of these,” Seto made a proposition.
“Whoa!” Everyone was impressed.
“Makes sense to me. Could even help out your shop,” Zuzu said.
“Just wish it didn’t have ta go to such a jerk,” Joey grumbled.
“I agree,” Rainbow said.
“Ahh, nice. But no thanks,” Solomon politely declined.
“Huh?!” Everyone was shocked.
“Nngh. Fine. If you won't trade, maybe you'll sell it. Name your price. I can pay anything you ask,” Kaiba demanded.
“I'm sure you could. But this card is worth more than you could ever offer. Not because of its power or because it's so rare, but because of what it means to me. This card was given to me by a dear friend and so I treasure this card as I do that friend. So parting with it is completely out of the question,” Solomon explained.
“Sounds very touching…,” Zuzu said as she fought tears.
“Well…looks like dat jerk won’t be getting his way!” Joey said.
“Yeah!” Rainbow said as she held out her hand as a fist and fistbumped awkwardly with Joey. 
“No!” Kaiba yelled.
Yugi then said, “You'd feel the same even if it were a common card, right Grandpa?”
“Exactly. You see, this precious card has bonded with my heart,” Solomon agreed.
“Fine! I've heard enough of your nonsense,” Kaiba yelled as he closes his briefcase and walks away. “Senile old fool.”
“Yeah? And good riddance!” Rainbow yelled. 
“So…now that that’s over, any other cards you’d like to see?” Solomon asked as he began to put away his Blue Eyes.
“Well… I’ll give them a look later. Right now, I need to go back to looking for my friends. Zuzu? Can we go see your friends now?” Rainbow asked.
“Um.., sure? I thought you’d like a bit more of a look seeing as how you’re beginning to like this game,” Zuzu noted.
“Yeah….it’s growing on me, but I don’t wanna give up on finding my friends. I don’t wanna leave them hanging,” Rainbow explained.
“Looks like you really care about your pals….Okay! Let’s go see the others and we can all look!” Zuzu decided.
“Hey! Don’t forget about us! You wanted ta show us to yer school, right?” Joey reminded.
“Um, yes?” Zuzu asked.
“Well, we don’t wanna just stay here and not help out our friends when they need us,” Yugi said.
“Wait…friends already? But we just met,” Zuzu was confused.
“Well, the way I see it, games are a way for people to make friends with each other. So, we’ve begun to become friends,” Yugi explained. “Isn’t that right guys?”
“Of course!” Tristan agreed.
“Any friend of Yugi’s is a friend of ours!” Tea agreed.
“Thanks! So, let’s get going!” Rainbow cheered.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, inside of Kaiba’s car…
“Heart of the cards. Ridiculous. Cards are all about power. And one way or another, his Blue-Eyes White Dragon card... will be mine,” Kaiba said to himself ominously.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Where do you think we ended up, Spike. Do you think we’re in Manehattan? Or Canterlot? Oh! Maybe we are near a more nature based part of the city. After all, the water nearby looks pretty,” Pinkie Pie answered, trying to be peppy.
“I don’t think we’re Manehatten or Canterlot. I wonder where we are,” Spike wondered.
Seeing a woman walk by, Pinkie Pie decided to ask her, “Hello there! If you don’t mind telling me, where exactly are we at?”
“I assume you guys are new here? Well then, we’re in Paradise City in front of the duel school that used to be taught by Yusho Sakaki before he disappeared. Now, please leave me alone. I have places to go and people to see,” The woman said as she left.
“Yusho Sakaki? Who do you think that is?” Pinkie wondered.
“I don’t know. Maybe we can find out more if we go inside,” Spike suggested. 
“Okie Dokie Lokie! The sooner we begin our search, the sooner we can find everyone! It’s like a big game of hide and seek!” Pinkie cheered.
“Okay…? I must say, you’re taking this whole being in a new world and being human very well,” Spike noticed.
“Well…duh! We’re someplace new and all! It’d be weird to not accept this, right?” Pinkie asked.
“Uh…I guess. It’s weird, but I can manage for now,” Spike said.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upon getting inside, the duo noticed a woman standing next to a boy with blue hair. Curious as to what they were looking at, the duo looked through the glass and saw that two boys were dueling, a tall and bulky, through muscle, boy in white and a boy decked out in red and green that had left the visible point of view.
“No way! Spike! That game we’re into is in this world! And we’re witnessing a Duel right now! So, who is winning?” Pinkie Pie asked curiously.
“Pinkie! We don’t have time to watch the duel! We need to find out where everyone else is!” Spike scolded the girl.
“Sorry. But you know we should still talk to these people after the duel. Maybe they can help us,” Pinkie suggested.
Finally, the blue haired boy turned around and saw that three strangers were present. “Oh! What are you two doing here? You watching Yuya duel too?”
“Yuya?” The two asked the boy.
“Yeah. He’s the one with green hair riding on a Hip Hippo. Man, even when he doesn’t win, his duels are so fun! You know, this school is supposed to turn out duelists that go on to entertain the crowd, and Yuya sure sure can do that!” The boy explained.
“Entertaining the crowd while you duel? Sounds like my kind of duel!” Pinkie Pie was happy to hear this news. “Can we join this school, please?!”
“Hold on, Pinkie! We need to find our friends first. So kid, have you seen anyone by the name of Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, or Fluttershy?” Spike asked the boy.
“I’m afraid not. Sorry. So, are you here to watch or to join the duel school? Oh, the name’s Tate by the way,” The boy, named Tate said.
“My name’s Spike and the random girl is named Pinkie Pie,” Spike introduced herself.
“Well, I might join this school,” Pinkie Pie said. “So, do you think we should ask the two guys when they are done dueling?”
“I don’t know. Maybe?” Spike was uncertain what to do next.
Meanwhile, with Yuya and his opponent…
“It’s time for Gong’s two sword swingin’, Superheavy Samurais to say buh-bye and hit the road!” The fourteen-year-old named Gong said as he tributed his two monsters. “Now Gong can bring out the biggest, baddest Samurai of ‘em all: Superheavy Samurai BIG Benkei (Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei 3500 Defense LVL 8)! Alright Yuya, enough ridin’ around, it’s time to take center stage and show Gong what you’re made of!”
“It’s show time! Ladies, Gentlemen and Gong, how ‘bout I kick off this round’s entertainment with some carnival craving hippos! Get hopping hippos!” Yuya, who was around the same age as Gong, played, summoning three tokens to his field while riding on Hip Hippo.
“Well, at least he seems confident in their ability to help?” Spike awkwardly commented. “Maybe he plans to stop attacks with them?” 
“I think it’s a jazzing good time!” Pinkie Pie was amazed.
“Hey! What’s with all that shaking? We’re not dancing, we’re dueling!” Gong yelled out.
“Quit goofing around, Yuya!” Zuzu yelled as she entered the school, watching the duel from afar. “You do remember that while you should entertain the audience that we still need to Duel and not just put on a show!”
“On the bright side, he seems to be enjoying himself?” Yugi offered.
“Yeah…I guess…not the way I’d love to enjoy it though,” Rainbow grumbled.
“You mean by watching monsters fight it out?...Wait? Dashie!” Pinkie cried out as she tackle hugged the rainbow haired girl tightly. “I was beginning to think we’d never find you and that you’d forget us and that we’d-.”
“Okay, okay, pinks! It’s fine. We’re here and ready to look for everyone else!” Rainbow reassured.
“Well…it looks like you got us a big search party…somehow? Where’d you find them?” Spike asked as Rainbow broke out of Pinkie’s grip.
“They apparently are teens that love to Duel, kinda like you two,” Rainbow answered.
“And when we’re done lookin’, we plan on joining this here school!” Joey said.
“But first…Yuya! Once again, get back into the Duel if you’re gonna finish! We can’t waste any more time!” Zuzu yelled.
“Zuzu’s right, you know Yuya! Dueling may be fun, but we also need to remember the game!” A red haired grade school girl reminded as she hit the console in front of her. Suddenly, the device began to short circuit, having broken as a result of the hit.
“What’s going on, Allie?” A much older man asked as he entered the control room.
“Oh, just had a wee mishap,” Allie said.
“I told you and all of our few students to treat this equipment with TLC!” The man reminded her. “Our duel school depends on this ARC system!”
“You hippos sure know how to have a good time!” Yuya said before the japanese duel field disappeared and he fell out of the sky and onto the floor, much to the discomfort of the ones watching.
“Yuya… What do you have to say for yourself?” Zuzu demanded an explanation. In response, Yuya made a funny face. “Figures.”
“What do you think that technology does?” Spike wondered.
“I don’t know, but I am really interested in learning more!” Pinkie Pie was excited as she ran towards the main room of the school.
“Pinkie Pie, wait!” Rainbow yelled as she and Spike ran after her.
“Um, Yuge? Should we follow them?” Joey asked.
“I think we should,” Yugi agreed as he and his friends followed after the trio.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Our duel school is going down the tubes! We can’t teach Action Dueling without our ARC system!” The principal wailed. “Soon all our You Show students will turn into no-shows! At times like this I wish I were principal of a cooking school.”
“Aw, don’t worry. I think that you’ll still have some students if you plan on making others happy,” Pinkie Pie consoled.
Everyone was shocked to see the trio having entered the main room of the school. “Um, who are you three?” The principal asked. 
“Oh, I’m Pinkie Pie and these are my friends Rainbow Dash and Spike. We’d like to join your school in you don’t mind,” Pinkie Pie said.
“Well, I’m afraid you’ll have to look elsewhere.”
“Dad…Why not accept them? We’ve always been looking for new students after all,” Zuzu reminded.
“Yeah…normally I’d accept them, but without our Arc System our School will tank in no time!” Zuzu’s dad explained miserably.
“To be fair, we can be students without said system. We can have a great time and have fun!” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully.
“As good as your enthusiasm is, I don’t think it’ll be so easy to solve that problem,” Tea said as she and her friends entered the room.
“I may not know much about Dueling, but even I know that without an Arc System a Duel school won’t last long,” Tristan pointed out.
“You keep on mentioning this Arc System. What is that?” Spike asked.
“I think Zuzu mentioned it earlier. I think it allows monsters to become real,” Rainbow offered.
“Correct. Our machine may have been running on fumes for the last three years, but we’ve done our best to make it work. I don’t know how we’ll make our school work without it…,” Zuzu said somberly.
Yuya then put his goggles over his eyes and said, disappointed, “I was just getting to my most duel-taining moves when the system went down.”
“I know! Your dueling was spectacular!” Pinkie Pie agreed.
“Heh. Thanks!” Yuya said with a smile.
“Your duel-taining distracted Allie, Yuya. You and this Pinkie girl need to take life more seriously!” Zuzu yelled as she tried to slap Yuya, who ran to escape the blow only to bump into Gong. 
“Is that you, Gong?” Yuya asked. “Or did someone just put a boulder in here?”
“Why do you have to turn everything into a joke, Yuya?” Gong asked his friend. 
“Well, there’s nothing wrong with giving the fans a good laugh,” Yuya answered.
“I agree! Guess we have some things in common,” Pinkie Pie said.
“I know! Thanks, Pinkie! See? Why can’t you guys be more accepting like her?” Yuya asked the others.
“Maybe because something bad happened due to your attitude. No offense, but you two need to take things more seriously,” Spike responded.
“The boy is right, Yuya. When fans watch your duels, they’re not laughing with you, they’re all laughing at you! When your daddy was on the field he had all the fans smiling. He made duel-taining entertaining,” Gong explained as he motioned over to a few photos of an older man in red. “Your duels are usually just embarrassing!”
“So, that’s Yusho I take it?” Rainbow asked out of curiosity. 
“Correct. I never met him personally, but I do know that he was a Dueling pioneer,” Yugi answered.
“Hey! Just because he wants people to smile doesn’t mean Yuya’s duels are embarrassing!” Pinkie Pie countered.
“I don’t know. Maybe he could be a tad more serious. Maybe then he can make people smile a little better,” Rainbow Dash suggested.
“Well, if you ask me, my dad’s last duel was pretty embarrassing, too!” Yuya joked.
“Yuya!” Both Gong and Zuzu countered.
“Relax!” Yuya responded.
Just then. A man in a yellow and black outfit entered the room and said, “Afternoon all. I do hope I’m not intruding!”
“Who are you?” The principal asked, confused as to who the man was.
“Yeah, and what’s with the mustache?” Rainbow asked, looking ready to counter if he turned out to be a jerk.
“I’m Nico Smiley, dueling manager and promoter. Currently I represent the reigning Action Duel Champion, the Sledgehammer!” Nico explained.
“Not the Sledgehammer!” Yuya was shocked.
“So, the Sledgehammer is the guy to beat, huh?” Rainbow Dash wondered.
“Rainbow! I know we’re visiting, but maybe we shouldn’t interfere in these guy’s business,” Spike whispered.
“Anyways, The Sledgehammer is hosting a fan appreciation day at the Leo Institute and as part of the festivities he’s issuing a one-on-one dueling challenge to Yuya,” Nico explained.
“You’re inviting me to duel the Sledgehammer?” Yuya asked for clarity.
“I’m not inviting you to duel his grandma! Seriously, though, it’s your chance to make up for your father’s disappearing act. You remember what happened don’t you?” Nico reminded.
“This crowd’s boiling over and I don’t blame them! Our Action Duel Championship was supposed to get underway an hour ago, but Yusho Sakaki still hasn’t shown up to defend his title,” The announcer said.
“Sakaki has chickened out!” The Sledgehammer yelled out.
In response, the whole crowd was booing Yusho’s name, believing him to be a coward.
“My dad’s no chicken! Let me duel the Sledgehammer ‘til my dad shows up! I’m not scared, duel me instead!” A younger Yuya yelled.
“So, Yusho just disappeared never to be seen again? Wow, that’s rough,” Rainbow admitted, wondering how she would have felt if one of her parents had just disappeared and was mocked for it.
“Are you sure he didn’t disappear for another reason?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“Well, you’ll be glad to hear that you’re old enough to get your wish, Yuya! We’ll publicize it as the duel of the decade! ‘The son of Yusho Sakaki tried to clear up his father’s name!’” Nico finished as Yuya looked like he was contemplating the challenge.
“Forget it! I will never let Yuya take part in this match,” The principal declined.
“Why not? It’s what all the dueling fans want to see, plus it’ll mean tons of free publicity for your dueling school,” Nico countered.
“I won’t let Yuya be humiliated! The boy’s suffered enough since his father disappeared. Get out of here, Nico!” The principal demanded.
“Oh hey, I understand, Boyle! It’s a real shame though, ‘cause if you had agreed, the Leo Corp would’ve donated the newest Augmented Reality Combat system to your dueling school for no charge. As in free,” Nico played his trump card.
The principal was quick to change his tune. “You’ve got a deal!” 
Suddenly, Zuzu hit her father, the principal on the head with a fan. “You just said you’d never let Yuya duel the Sledgehammer!” Zuzu reminded.
“But for the good of the school…,” The dad tried to counter.
“What about for the good of Yuya?” Zuzu reminded. 
“Yeah, we gotta have Yuya’s back!” Gong agreed.
“I’d say we let Yuya decide. After all, it’s his duel and maybe he can make up for what happened before, if he wants to that is,” Rainbow Dash suggested.
“Rainbow has a point. Let’s see if Yuya wants to Duel,” Yugi agreed.
“Well, I’d ask him but- he ran out while we were talking,” Zuzu said.
“Just like his old man!” Nico commented.
“Maybe he needs some cheering up. Here, let me go looking for him!” Pinkie Pie said as she left the building. 
“Should we join her?” Tea asked.
“How about no for now?” Zuzu responded. “So…how are you all?”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After some searching, Pinkie Pie found Yuya sitting on a bar on a bridge looking at the stadium as he moved his pendulum necklace back and forth. 
“You know, you really worried everyone for a moment there. I bet you’re thinking of the duel with that mean old Sledgehammer right now. You know, you don’t have to duel him if you don’t want to. However, just know that whatever you choose your friends will be behind you,” Pinkie Pie comforted.
Yuya finally responded. “I don’t know what to do. On the one hand, I can finally make up for my father disappearing against the Sledgehammer. However, can I do this? I don’t know if I’ll be able to win or not.”
“Well, maybe we can find out together. Even if you lose you can still give a good performance and make others happy. Even if the crowd doesn’t like you at first, you can change their minds with your amazing dueling, right?” Pinkie Pie suggested. 
“You know, you sound just like my dad,” Yuya said with a smile. “You see, when I was younger he told me ‘Try to laugh when you feel like crying. And when things get tough, respond with a smile. It will give you the strength to keep moving forward! It’s kinda like a pendulum. If the pendulum swings one way, you know it will swing the other way, too, like in a duel! The key to dueling is to believe in your deck and yourself. When you’re falling behind, you can always make things swing your way again, so don’t worry about anything. Just try and enjoy the ride.’”
“Wow. Your dad has some great advice! I’d like to meet him someday,” Pinkie Pie said, impressed.
“Thanks. You know what? You, and my dad, are right. I can win if I just believe in myself and have fun!”
“I’m glad I was able to help out. I look forward to seeing your fun and amazing duel!” Pinkie Pie said as she returned to the Duel School to tell the others the news.
> City Woes and the Mysterious Ignis
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Den City…
A white skinned and brown haired teenage girl was pacing back and forth in her bedroom, somewhat uneasy as she went over her thoughts.
Recently, the girl had been dealing with a lot of different things. For starters, she had been put into a coma by the Knights of Hanoi. This coma lasted for only a few days, but it still had a huge effect on her life. Not only was she heavily restricted in what she could do now, to the point where she could rarely leave her house, but she wasn’t even allowed to go into Link Vrains. One of her escapes from her issues in life was taken away from her. The one time she was able to go there, she also learned that the elusive Playmaker was also someone who suffered greatly and was looking for a way to find closure. She could understand him greatly, not having had the best life either. She just wished there was something she could do to help him out. But that wasn’t even the worst of it.
You see, the girl, known as Skye Zaizen, had very little family left in her life and lacked deep friendships. Her loving mother and father had been taken away from her when she was only six years old. Ever since then, she was raised by her older step-brother Akira Zaizen. He did everything he could in order to provide for them both and she even remembered recently hearing that he would have been broken if she ever disappeared. The problem was, he wasn’t really around all that much due to his job at Sol Tech, which she understood. He was just doing his best to give them a good life. But she still wished there was some opportunity to spend time together, seeing as how they really only had each other at this point. Being alone was a lot to bear, with no one left to spend time with. It hurt seeing her brother get overly protective and limit her so much that she couldn’t do anything at all.
“Ah! This is getting boring!” Skye yelled. “There must be something that Akira will allow me to do here. I could just reread the latest Dueling tip book…or…Akira said I couldn’t go into Link Vrains, but he never said I couldn’t watch it!” Skye realized as she opened up her phone and went to a news feed.
“And once again, Playmaker has proven himself to be the hero of Link Vrains. Not only has he fought another Knight of Hanoi and won, but he also saved many people from deletion! Is there anything he can’t do?” The announcer asked.
“I guess he can’t move on from trauma,” Skye sadly noted. She was just about to shut off her phone when suddenly…she felt something. She didn’t know what it was, to be fully honest. For the longest time, she was able to sense things from within Link Vrains, but they usually were small and ignorable. And when she did try to see what the feeling was she didn’t find much. But what she did know was that something was telling her to go to Link Vrains now. “But…should I go? After all…I’d be disobeying Akira again…breaking his trust…but this could be something important! I’m sorry, Akira!” Skye cried out as she looked for the house robot before placing her Deck into her Duel Disk. “It’s time to Link into the Vrains!” Skye pushed a button on her Duel Disk. In an instant, the girl’s mind was suddenly beginning to be warped into the cyberspace known to many as Link Vrains. “I just hope this isn’t over nothing…”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skye was flying around on her Blue Angel wings, looking for whatever the source of her weird feeling was. In order to avoid detection, she tried to keep to the shadows as much as possible. This seemed to work, as she didn’t end up seeing or hearing other citizens or fans notice her or ask for a Duel. “So far so good,” Skye sighed in relief, still not fully liking what she was doing, but wanting to find closure in what was going on. Besides, maybe she could wind up helping someone in danger. That would be nice.
It was at this point that Skye found herself in an alley in the middle of Link Vrains. She suddenly felt yet another strange feeling. This time, it was incredibly strong. Skye took this to mean that she was getting close to the source of the sixth sense. She decided to take a quick look around outside the alley to make sure no one else was nearby. She popped her head out of the alley to look…only to hear a strange female voice from behind her.
“A-Are you okay?” The voice asked, scaring Skye as she jumped out of the alley. Thankfully for Skye, it didn’t look like anyone had seen her, so she slipped back into the alley.
“Okay, buddy! I don’t appreciate the scare! You could have gotten me caught by Akira! And I don’t need him having another heart attack over my safety!” Skye warned.
“Sorry! I didn’t intend to scare you, miss!” The voice apologized.
Skye’s pouted for a moment before thinking it over. Not long after, her anger began to cool as she responded, “That’s okay. I probably could have been nicer. And to answer your first question, I’m doing…not the best. But don’t tell anyone else about that. I don’t want my fans to worry.”
“Sure thing miss,” The voice said.
“So…who are you supposed to be anyway?” Skye asked as she began to look around.
At first, she didn’t see anything, though she soon heard the voice say, “Um…I’m down here, miss.” Skye looked down and saw a blueish creature that was incredibly small and looked a lot like Ai. She was multiple shades of blue, light cyan for her body and code lines of a darker blue. She also had small pigtail-like things near the side of her head and had pink eyes. Strangely, even though she spoke to her, like Ai, the creature had no mouth.
“Oh…there you are. If you don’t mind me asking, what are you supposed to be and why do you look like Ai?” Skye asked.
“Ai? Who is…? I’m not sure who that is, but if you must know about me, I’m a very unique AI called an Ignis. And the others…,” The AI struggled thinking for a moment.
“But wait…Ignis? And others? If you don’t mind, can you please explain to me who you are and what you mean?” Luz asked.
“Well…,” The AI began, only to be interrupted.
“Well, well, well. Look who we have here! Looks like the world famous Blue Angel has made it to my neck of the woods!” A cruel voice said as both Skye and the AI turned from their conversation and saw an overweight but intimidating man in leather clothes standing over them. 
“Um…hello? Look, I’m sorry for trespassing, but I didn’t know this was a sector that belonged to someone else. I’d rather avoid a fight, so the two of us will just leave and get out of your…hair?” Skye asked, her confidence lowering a bit as she noticed the man looked unmoved. If anything, he was ecstatic to see an intruder.
“Oh, you’re not gettin’ out of here so easily, girly! I don’t take kindly to intruders, no matter the reason. But…I’d be willing to let you go if you’d give up all the cards in yer deck to me. I mean, with a champ Deck like yours in my hands, I’d be world famous in no time!” The man sneered.
“No way, man! I mean, this Deck is one I’ve put my heart and soul into over the span of many years! I’m not going to give it up to you just like that!” Skye rejected. “Now, if you’ll excuse us…” Skye dismissed the man as she grabbed the AI and began to fly away…only to be grabbed by the ankle before she could get away.
“No one says no ta me, girly! Ya know what happens to the few who even try ta attempt to do that?!” The man growled.
“I…dunno?” The blue AI asked.
“They…wait. What in da world is you?” The man was confused.
“I’m an Ignis. I happen to be an advanced AI, one of six, …and that’s about all I remember…,” The AI struggled before sadly admitting the latter part.
“Wait. You don’t know who you are?” Skye asked sadly.
“No…I don’t even remember my name…,” The AI noted sadly.
“Aw, how sad!” The man sarcastically said.
“Y-You're mocking us, sir,” The AI bluntly said. “Please don’t do that.”
“Well, ya make it too easy! But…I think youse just gave me an idea. I’ll let the girl go without a beatin’ and card stealin’ if she gives the blue Ignis thingy up to me! Something this rare outta be worth something somewhere!” The man propositioned.
“B-But…You can’t just take-,” Skye yelled, looking ready to throw down if need be, though she was a bit nervous.
“Blue Angel, he’s lying about letting you go,” The AI suddenly said.
“W-Wait. He is?” Skye asked.
“O-Of course not! The thing is lying to make me look worse than I am!” The man yelled.
“He lied again just now,” The AI responded.
“How did you guess that?” Skye asked.
“It wasn’t a guess, Skye. I just remembered that I have a unique power, unique to me. I can tell when someone is lying or hiding something. I bet the man here would still hurt you even if you did give me up!” The AI warned.
“Wait…you know my real name? How?” Skye was confused. “Oh…you know because of your power, right?”
“Yes,” The AI confirmed.
“Well, I’m sick and tired of playing games with ya both, Blue Lucy and Blue thing! I don’t care about youse bringing me down! Give me yer stuff now, or else-,” The man was suddenly interrupted by Skye.
“Then allow me to make a proposition. We’ll have a Duel. I win, you let us go! I lose and you get my cards! But…don’t expect to beat me so easily!” Skye proposed, trying to hide her fear in this situation.
“Deal! But, don’t expect ta win! I’m the best there is in da world! I bet I’ll even beat dat Playmaker guy someday!” The man said.
“You do know that win or lose that he’ll not accept your deal for real, right?” The AI asked.
“True…but listen, I have a plan. Just give me a minute,” Skye whispered.
“Alright den…Let’s Duel!”

Blue Angel 4000 LP


Dusk 4000 LP

“I’ll make the first move! I play my spell card Pot of Greed in order to draw two cards! Next, I summon  Trickstar Candina in Attack mode (Trickstar Candina 1800 Attack LVL 4). I’ll use her effect in order to add a Trickstar to my hand. So…say hello to Trickstar Lilybell! And…since she was added to my hand outside a draw, I can now Special Summon her Trickstar Lilybell 800 Attack LVL 2)!”
“You have what you need in order to perform a Link Summon,” The blue AI noted.
“Yeah…but I have something else in mind. I now return both Lilybell and Candina to my hand in order to Special Summon two Trickstar Lycoris(x2 Trickstar Lycoris 1600 Attack LVL 3)! Finally, I place two cards facedown and end my turn!” Skye ended her move.
“Really? Dat’s yer big move? Summonin’ two turkey broads I could easily steamroll? Yer Igna thing was right! Ya sholda Link Summoned!” Dusk mocked. “Now…it’s my turn! I draw!” The man sneered.
“But…since you did, you take 200 damage for drawing a card and since I control two Lycoris, you get to take 400 damage (Dusk-3600 LP)!”
“So what? Dat was nothin’! With my current hand, I’ll win!” The man yelled.
“Well then…I’ll just need to win before you can use those cards! I play my trap Trickstar Reincarnation! With it, you now must banish your hand and draw until you have the same amount you banished!” Skye announced as the man groaned before doing just that. “But…since you drew, you now must take 1200 damage twice! (Dusk-1200 LP) Oh, but that’s not all! I play my other facedown! A second copy of said trap card! So, banish and discard six cards and take a total of 2400 damage again!” Skye cried out as she depleted her opponent’s LP to zero, her opponent being knocked over. Quickly, before he could get back up, Skye grabbed the AI and flew away, logging them both out shortly after.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After returning home, Skye panted from exhaustion. “Phew! Well…that could have gone a lot worse! At least we’re safe!”
“Correct, Skye. Hopefully we don’t have to deal with that man again,” The AI noted, popping out of Skye’s Duel Disk.
“Yeah…though seeing as how things go, that may happen at one point. So…you can’t remember certain things?” Skye asked the big question. “We were kinda interrupted back there.”
“Well…you see, I remember some things about myself. For instance, like I said earlier, I remember that I happen to be what is called an Ignis. They were created to help humanity with their future problems and someday even succeed them,” The AI answered.
“Sounds interesting. So, if you live in the Cyberse, how’d you end up here and how are you related to Playmaker’s Ignis, Ai?” Skye questioned. “Remember anything about that?”
“I-I don’t…I’m sorry,” The blue AI apologized.
“Oh…,” Skye sighed.
“Hey, it’s okay. It’s not your fault I lost my memories, Skye,” The blue AI reassured.
“I know. I just wish there was more I could do. I mean, I always want to see the best in others for the most part. Sure, there are people that are horrible like that one guy, but most people are at least somewhat good. I wanna give some of that goodness back to the world. I just…wish I knew how,” Skye confessed.
“Well…perhaps given time you can find an answer,” The blue AI suggested.
“Maybe,” Skye said with a yawn. “Look, I’m feeling kinda tired right now. Maybe we can talk more tomorrow when I’ve gotten some rest, Aqua.”
The blue Ignis asked, “Aqua?”
“Well…we gotta have some name for you, right? It would be rude not to give you one. Whadda ya say?” Skye asked.
“Aqua…it’s nice,” Aqua agreed to her new name.
“Well, goodnight!” Skye began to fall asleep on the couch, the new friend giving a figurative smile at having made an ally in this world. 
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That evening, in Neo Domino City…
Applejack found herself in a luxurious park, something that gave her a sense of awe…for a moment.
“This is all so strange. One minute Ahm with ma friends in Ponyville’s park having’ fun, the next ah find myself waking up in a strange place in a new form with work duds on me,” Applejack noted to herself, wearing cowboy boots, denim shorts, a white shirt, both with yellow trimmings, and her signature cowboy hat. “Ah need ta find the others soon. The last thing ah need is for any of us ta get hurt or end up in trouble due to a misunderstanding. Ah should probably start by askin’ around…,” Applejack looked around for anyone she could ask for help. Unfortunately, not many people seemed to be at the park at the moment. Still, she wasn’t one to give up easily, so she walked around the park, calling out for someone who could give her a hand.
Eventually, however, she found her assistance. 
“Leo? Are you really sure that looking around the park this late in the evening is a good idea? What if we get hurt?” A girl with green hair and with pigtails, red shoes, white shorts, red long sleeved shirt with gold trimmings, and pink overshirt asked her older twin brother.
“Aw, come on, Luna! Where is your sense of adventure? We’ll be fine! I mean, how many crooks could we seriously run into being in the park anyway?” Leo pointed out, him wearing similar clothes as his sister, though blue instead of red and pink and with his shirt short sleeved.
“Uh…hello? Can you two kids give me a hoof here, please?” Applejack questioned the two kids, who were shocked to see the teen.
“Whoa! Who are you?” Leo was in awe at the stranger. 
“Ma name’s Applejack. Ahm kinda a stranger to this place. I have a few questions and Ah’d like some answers if y’all can give em,” Applejack asked.
“Sure! What do you need answered?” Leo asked without hesitation. However, his sister was quick to grab his hand and pull him aside.
“Look, as much as I’d love to help this lady out, it may not be the best idea to jump into a conversation with a stranger, Leo…For all we know they could be a killer or kidnapper!” Luna warned.
“But Luna…she looks lost…like she has amnesia and needs help remembering something!” Leo pleaded.
Luna was about to retort, but upon looking at Applejack again, she realized her brother was right. The girl did appear to be in need of help, and they couldn’t just ignore her. Besides, seeing as how they were the only ones present, it was unlikely she would hurt them. If she wanted to she would have done so already. After a sigh, Luna agreed, “Okay…we can talk. So, what are your questions for us miss…?”
“Applejack is ma name. And yers?” Applejack asked.
“My name is Luna and the boy who wanted to help right away and was a bit too trusting is named Leo,” Luna answered.
“Hey!” Leo was annoyed for a moment. “So, the questions?”
“Right. I wanted ta know if y’all can tell me where we are, what species we are, and if y’all have seen anybody named Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, or Fluttershy?” Applejack asked.
The two kids looked confused for a minute before Luna finally responded, “You may be right, Leo. She may have memory problems.”
“Uh…I don’t. See, Ah come from a faraway place that you may or may not have heard of. There, I’m an earth pony that owns an apple farm and…y’all think ahm insane, aren’t you?” Applejack asked the last part upon seeing the weirded out faces of Leo and Luna. However, after a moment, Leo responded.
“Sounds cool! So, what is it like being a pony turned human?” Leo asked, trying to accept this weird information.
“It took a while to get used ta walkin’ right, but Ah’ll manage,” Applejack answered.
“So…yeah. We want to be of help, but are you sure you didn’t get hit on the head and need to go to a hospital?” Luna questioned.
“No! Ahm fine! Now, can ya please just answer ma questions?” Applejack asked, a little annoyed.
“Well…we live in one of the world’s largest cities in Neo Domino City. Like was said earlier, we are humans. And…as for seeing your friends, no. I’m sorry, but we haven’t seen them. Do you need help finding them?” Luna asked the last part sympathetically.
“No…ahm fine. Thanks fer the help. And…sorry if what ah said sounded crazy. Ah guess ma life story is hard ta believe,” Applejack admitted, not noticing that there was a tanner man in brown boots, black pants, black shirt with red symbol on it, red helmet, and blue jacket watching them from afar on a motorcycle-like vehicle.
“It’s…fine. Though you may want to be careful who you tell your story to, miss. Not everyone is going to be kind to you over it,” Luna warned.
“Well, it’s not like ah can just lie!” Applejack countered.
“Maybe not…but you can omit it when asking for help,” Leo suggested.
“Omit? Is that really…?” Applejack was uncertain.
“Well, if it isn’t the twins Leo and Luna!” A fancily dressed man said as he approached the two kids. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“Nice to see you again, too Mr. Black!” Leo chipperly said.
“So…taking a late evening stroll?” Luna aksed.
“Yes, and I was going to go get myself a luxurious cake from…,” The man stopped upon seeing Applejack. “Who is this barbarian with you?” The man rudely asked.
“Oh, she’s a new friend we just made. She needs some he-,” Leo began only to be interrupted.
“A friend my monocle! She must be planning to rob you…while trespassing in our lovely park to boot!” The man yelled.
“No, really! She just needs some help to find her friends!” Luna tried to stop the man…only to see he was already on his cell phone..
“Hello? Sector Security? We have an intruder in our lovely park! Order as many of your men to arrest her as possible! We can’t have her coming back to rob us of everything we worked for!” The man yelled into the phone.
“You know, Applejack? It may be time for you to run!” Luna warned.
“If you don’t, you’ll end up in the Facility! And only bad people should end up there!” Leo agreed.
“What is that place? And why should ah be worried? Ah mean, ah can just correct this misunderstanding when the cops or whoever these Sector Security people are show up and…,” Applejack noted before a motorcycle-like vehicle showed up, with the man watching them on it.
“I’m afraid that it won’t be that simple, miss Applejack,” The man warned.
“Wha? Who are y’all?” Applejack asked.
“The name’s Yusei Fudo, and I’m here to help. Just get on the Duel Runner now!” The man said.
“Something about this feels wrong. How can I trust y’all aren’t a crook yerself?” Applejack asked.
“I agree with Applejack. You could just be planning to hurt her for all we know,” Luna warned.
“I understand the cause for doubt. But if she doesn’t come with me she’ll be doing time in the Facility for doing nothing wrong,” Yusei said.
“Well…we don’t wanna see her arrested unfairly, Luna…,” Leo started to agree.
“We’re running out of time. Are you coming with me?” Yusei asked Applejack.
“Ah…ah will…,” Applejack agreed as she sat right behind Yusei on the red bike, putting on a second helmet she was handed.
“Then let’s rev it up!” Yusei cried out as he hit the gas on the Duel Runner, sending the duo blasting off, leaving Leo and Luna to be waving goodbye as Applejack left with Yusei.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applejack was doing her best to remain calm and hold on to Yusei as they sped down a highway, not wanting to fall off the bike at the speed they were going. Still, she was confused as to why this man was helping her after just meeting. So, she decided to ask, “So, Yusei…can y’all explain ta me why y’all are giving me a hoof? It’s nice and all. But we just met.”
“It’s just…I don’t like seeing innocent people hurt for no reason,” Yusei answered.
“Whadda ya mean?” Applejack asked.
“Applejack, how much do you know about Neo Domino City?” Yusei asked, having picked up on her being new here.
“Well…ah don’t know much yet…though seeing how it looks it looks nice. Though somepony like Rarity is more likely ta appreciate it,” Applejack answered.
“Maybe from a first impression it looks nice,” Yusei admitted, causing Applejack some confusion. “Simply put, in this city, there are two different ways of living. You either are born a Topsider and are rich, with everything you could ever hope for and dream of up here…Or you are most people that live down there…,” Yusei motioned to the ground level, which Applejack hadn’t gotten a chance to see yet. Though, upon looking, she saw that there was many buildings below them, all filthy and damaged looking, with several people down there, many with ragged or damaged clothing on.
“Ah may not be one ta focus on visual junk, but yeah…looks a bit like it may not be good…,'' Applejack admitted.
“Of course it isn’t. Millions of what the Tops call Commons live down there. We barely are able to even get enough to survive. While the Tops have more than enough, but most are unwilling to help those they see as beneath them…,” Yusei explained.
“Well…that Leo and Luna seemed nice. They were willin’ ta help me out,” Applejack noted.
“Yeah…not every Topsider is bad. But many of them can be very greedy and selfish, not caring that many innocents, especially children, are suffering down in the lower pits of the city,” Yusei answered. “And then there’s Jack…”
“Jack? Jack who?” Applejack questioned.
“It’s…nothing for you to worry about right now,” Yusei said. “We need to find you a place to hide for now. The question is wh-.”
“Halt! This is Sector Security! Come to a complete stop right now, or else you will be arrested with the intruder, Runner Boy!” A man yelled out.
“Looks like we may be in more trouble than I thought…Not unexpected, though, seeing as how the man called for Sector Security,” Yusei noted. “Look, we’re not stopping! We left the park we were in, so there’s no need to come after us any more!”
“So you say…look, there’s only one possible out in this situation here!” The man warned.
“So, what do we do?” Applejack asked.
“We do what we are forced to do in this situation. We Duel…,” Yusei answered. 
“Right you are, punk! I pay the field spell Speed World Neo!” The officer cried out.
“Uh…I have a question…,” Applejack began.
“Duel mode engaged. Auto Pilot Activated,” A screen on the Duel Runners said.
“We’ll see what kind of Duelist you are. Are you trustworthy or not?” Yusei asked.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” The man was in disbelief.
“Sector Security is usually not to be trusted. You oppress the weak and don’t care who you hurt. But…as a Duelist, I’m willing to trust everyone and give themselves a chance. So, officer, let’s get this Duel on!” Yusei yelled.
Suddenly, a computer voice began to announce, “A Turbo Duel is about to commence. A Turbo Duel is about to commence. All vehicles please vacate to a non-Dueling area” Many people, Common and Tops alike, looked on in interest.
“Uh, what is a Duel supposed ta be?!” Applejack was confused.
“You don’t know?” Yusei asked, looking at Applejack who shook her head. “Well, you see…”
“We don't have time for that nonsense! Right now, all you need to know is that you’re gonna lose and head to the Facility, and it’s all because of Officer Tetsu Trudge!” The officer yelled. 
Suddenly, a helicopter nearby flew right up to the two runners.
“Land sakes! What on earth is that?” Applejack asked.
“What this is is a Duel! Melissa Trails is on the scene ta give all that are in our glorious city a chance to see this exciting chase, with a Duel attached! Now…let’s see. The Duel hasn’t begun yet, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any excitement in the air. The question of the day is who will win? The long arm of the law or the runners up front?” Melissa asked.

“Fine! It will be even more fun to win knowing my victory has been broadcasted for all to see! Anyways, it’s time we begin! Now…” The officer said.
“Let’s Duel!” Both Duelists cried out.

Yusei Fudo-4000 LP


Tetsu Trudge-4000 LP

	“Sir, we seem to have a Duel that is about to begin in Combat Lane Sigma Alpha 2. In fact, the news seems to have been alerted as well. What should we do?” A woman asked a man in purple clothes in Sector Security Headquarters.
	“It’s simple. Allow the Duel to go on. I mean, we might as well give the Topsiders some entertainment for right now. Their lives can be so dull without some action,” The man responded.
“Of course, I’ll be the one making the first move, you piece of trash! To begin, I’ll summon my Assault Dog in Attack Mode (Assault Dog 1200 Attack LVL 4)! I’ll also play two facedowns and end my turn,” Trudge ended his move.
“Not much of a move he made. Then again ah can’t really judge the move very well. Whadda you think?” Applejack asked.
“He’s up to something. Most Sector Security officers perform a Synchro Summon on turn one. But he didn’t. Either he drew a bad hand or he has counters set up to stop my moves. I can’t underestimate him. Let’s go! My turn! And…I summon to my field Speed Warrior(Speed Warrior Attack 900 LVL 2)!” Now then…I’ll play two facedowns of my own and attack your Assault Dog!” Yusei cried out.
“Uh…weird move to pull, given how the runner’s monster is so weak,” Melissa noted.
“Ha! Good luck with that attack attempt, fool! You must have gotten a concussion to believe your puny monster can beat man’s best friend!” Trudge laughed to himself….before he saw Speed Warrior’s points change (Speed Warrior Attack 900->1800). “What in the…? But how did…?”
“You see, on the turn that Speed Warrior is Normal Summoned, his Attack Points are doubled! Now then…Speed Warrior, attack with Hyper Sonic Slash (Trudge-3400 LP)!” Yusei cried out.
“Ha! That move hardly slowed me down, Common trash! Watch as I activate Assault Dog’s effect! Since he was destroyed in battle, I can now summon up to two more of him from my Deck (Assault Dog Attack 1200 LVL 4 x2)” Trudge countered.
“Uh…is that bad that he just summoned more dogs?” Applejack asked.
“Yes, it is. I see now…you plan on performing a Synchro Summon next turn by ensuring at least one of your Assault Dogs survives…Well I’ll just have to ensure that doesn’t happen! I play the effect of the quick play spell Multi-Slash! Since a Level 2 or lower monster destroyed a monster on the field and you still control at least one monster, Speed Warrior can now attack all monsters on the field once each! Plus, his attack gain will now last until my next turn! Speed Warrior! Strike them down once more with Hyper Sonic Slash (Trudge-2200 LP).”
“Whoa nelly! Y’all managed to deal more damage than a bull in a rodeo!” Applejack was impressed.
“Also, since you lost more than 1000 LP this turn, I am also allowed to draw a card and, if it’s a spell or trap, set it to my field,” Yusei drew his card and set it. “And with that, I end my turn. Your move, Trudge,” Yusei ended his move.
“Amazing! This here buckaroo not only stopped an early Synchro Summon, but he also managed to almost half the copper’s Life Points!” Melissa was amazed.
“Well, well. Looks like our little friend here is a bit more skilled than I pegged him for. But no matter,” Roget noted.
“Sir? What do you plan to do with them now? You know, in case they escape?” One woman asked.
“For now, we’ll give them a fair chance to Duel the officer…But raise the number of Sector Security in the surrounding area and prepare for any potential escape, regardless of the Duel result. We can’t have those that fight our authority just get away,” The man answered.
	“Yes, Chief Roget,” The woman responded.
“Grrr! You may have gotten an early lead, but I plan on turning things around very quickly! I draw!” Trudge drew as he grew a massive grin. “Perfect! I play my facedown Call of the Haunted! With it, I can now bring back my Assault Dog!” 
“Not so fast! I play my facedown spell Mystical Space Typhoon! With this card, I will now be able to destroy a spell or trap card on either side of the field! Say goodbye to Call of the Haunted, Trudge!” Yusei countered.
“Well, I’ll be! The crook managed ta counter Security’s move just like that! Ah wonder what’s next,” Melissa wondered.
“Yusei? Ah notice y’all look concerned. What ya thinking?” Applejack asked.
“It’s Trudge. Normally, losing the ability to pull out a Synchro Monster would be seen as a big deal. However…he seems unphased. That can only mean one thing…,” Yusei warned.
“He has another plan!” Applejack realized.
“Oh course I do, cowgirl! I play the spell card Double Summon! With it, I can now Normal Summon twice this turn! So, first of all, say hello to my mighty Search Striker(Search Striker Attack 1600 LVL 4)! And joining him on Duty is Jutte Fighter(Jutte Fighter Attack 700 LVL 2)! And now…I’ll tune my Jutte Fighter with Search Striker! I Synchro Summon Goyo Predator (Goyo Predator Attack 2400 LVL 6)!” Trudge cried out with a grin.
“Well ah’ll be! Sector Security’s good ol’ boy is doing the city proud by summonin’ an amazin’ Synchro monster out ta counter the runner’s own card! What will this mean?” Melissa asked.
“I believe…it’s time we bring this Duel to overtime! Goyo Predator, wipe out that pathetic Speed Warrior!” Trudge cried out.
“He’s not pathetic, nor is he being wiped out! I play my trap card Scrap Iron Scarecrow to block your attack!” Yusei yelled out.
“Thanks…you just wasted yer trap because I play Wiretap! When this card is played, I can negate your trap’s activation and return it to your Deck! So much for that card saving your hide!” Trudge mocked as Yusei groaned, his monster being destroyed (Yusei-3400 LP). Oh, but don’t worry, kid! Your monster ain’t done with work just yet! Due to Goyo Predator’s ability, I can now revive your Speed Warrior to my side of the field (Speed Warrior Attack 900 LVL 2)! Now to hit em’ again! Speed Warrior, wipe out his Life Points with a direct attack!” Trudge cried out.
“He does realize that yer not gonna lose from this, right?” Applejack questioned.
“That may be, but he still seems confident in being able to hurt us, Applejack. It may be best to play it safe! I play the trap Defense Draw! With it, I can reduce the damage I take from an attack to zero and then draw a card!” Yusei drew his card. 
“Grrr! You may have saved yourself a few Life Points, but that doesn't mean you're out of the woods yet! I’ll end you next turn you roaches…that’s a promise!” Trudge cried out.
“Hey! We ain’t roaches, ya sad excuse fer justice!” Applejack yelled out.
“How am I sad? I’m just keeping the city of Neo Domino City safe from the roaches that leach off of the good people of this city!” Trudge countered.
“Seriously? Yer good?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.
“Applejack here has a point. Rather than treating people well, you treat anyone you see as beneath you like they’re trash. And your Dueling is no different! So far, you see all the cards I’ve played as worthless!” Yusei said.
“It’s because they are! And now that my turn is over, we aren’t far away from proving this as such!” Trudge countered.
“No…no card is worthless, as I’ll soon prove! I draw! But…for now I’ll set one monster and two facedowns and end my turn,” Yusei ended his move. “Enjoy your final turn of this Duel.”
“Seriously? For all your bragging, all you got is what’s likely to be a weak card and some facedowns? Well, it’s time I show what a real move is! I draw! I start by playing the spell Card of Demise! With it, I can now draw until my hand holds five cards, though I’ll have to discard my hand in five turn’s time. Of course, I plan to end things this turn!” Trudge explained as he drew a hand, looking giddy at what he drew. “If you knew the monster I just drew, you’d be quaking and shivering like the rat you are! But first…I play the spell Pot of Greed in order to draw two cards! Next, I’ll release your, or more accurately, my Speed Warrior in order to Tribute Summon Handcuffs Dragon (Handcuffs Dragon Attack 1800 LVL 5)!”
“Ya know, fer a monster he claims ta be fear worthy, ah don’t see it,” Applejack noted.
“Chances are that isn’t the card he meant,” Yusei noted.
“You’re right! Now to summon one of Sector Security’s biggest guns! I discard Level 4 Samurai Sword Baron, Level 3 Tactical Espionage Expert, and Level 3 Sasumata Gardna in order to Special Summon my Montage Dragon (Montage Dragon Attack 3000 LVL 8)!” Trudge cried out. 
“Amazing! We are seein’ an amazing sight before us! Montage Dragon is a special card that gains power based on the levels of the monsters discarded for his summon. 300 points per level,” Melissa explained.
“The lady is right, rat! And since my monsters had a combined level of 10, my dragon has a total of 3000 points! So, what was that about this being my last turn? Well, to be fair, you were right! For me, that is true! Between my three monsters, I’ll be able to deal more than enough damage to win! Handcuffs Dragon, wipe out that worthless facedown monster!” Trudge cried out.
“Got any plans ta put a stop to his attack, Yusei?” Applejack asked.
“Of course! My facedown monster is Shield Wing (Shield Wing Defense 900 LVL 2)! And with his ability, twice per turn he can’t be destroyed by battle! So…looks like I’ll be sticking around for another turn!” Yusei revealed as a green bird appeared, absorbing the blow from Handcuffs Dragon.
“You know, you’re being very annoying right now, kid! But…you said that I need to attack you only twice more in order to destroy your monster, right? That’ll be a snap with my greatest treasures! Goyo Predator, attack that pathetic bird!” Trudge sneered as the bird survived yet another blow. “Now, Montage Dragon, end that pathetic bird once and for all!” Montage Dragon sent out an energy stream that proceeded to wipe out the bird at last.
“I must admit. I thought for certain that the runner’s goose was cooked, but he managed to survive three attacks from high level monsters!” Melissa admitted.
“You may say it’s impressive, but I’m afraid that doesn’t make it so,” Roget noted confidently.
“So, Trudge, any more moves you’d like to make?” Yusei asked.
“Grrr! I’ll admit, you did better than I assumed, Common, but you won’t be coming out of here with a victory. I’ll just end you on my next turn. But…I can still deal you damage now! I play the quick play spell Montage Stream! With it, if a Level 5 or higher monster destroys your monster in battle, it can attack once more! Montage Dragon, attack the Common directly (Yusei-400 LP)! And with that I end my turn. Next turn, you’re finished!”
“Y’all realize we’re in quite a pickle right now, right? I may not know much about this game, but I can tell that the lower yer points, the closer you are to losing,” Applejack noted.
“True…but if I draw the card I need, we still have a chance of avoiding the Facility. I draw!” Yusei drew his card smirking upon seeing his draw. “Just what I needed! I summon the Tuner Monster Junk Synchron (Junk Synchron Attack 1300 LVL 3)! And when this card is successfully summoned, he can bring along a Level 2 or lower monster from ym graveyard in defense mode by negating his abilities! So, say hello again to Speed Warrior (Speed Warrior Defense 400 LVL 2)! Now…I tune my Junk Synchron with my Speed Warrior! From two come one, and from one will come great power! Watch as they merge their might, combine their courage! To Synchro Summon, Junk Warrior (Junk Warrior Attack 2300 LVL 5)!”  Yusei summoned his main monster.
Trudge looked in shock before beginning to laugh. You seriously believe you accomplished anything here, Common? All you managed to do is waste time you could have spent getting used to your new home in the Facility!” Trudge mocked.
“Well then, it’s a good thing this isn’t the end of my turn! I play the trap card Graceful Revival! With it, I can bring back a Level 2 or lower monster from my Graveyard in Attack mode! Say hello one more time to Speed Warrior (Speed Warrior Attack 900 LVL 2)!” Yusei summoned.
“And that move should scare me why?” Trudge asked.
“It should worry you because of Junk Warrior’s ability! When a Level 2 or lower monster is on the field, Junk Warrior gains power equal to their power (Junk Warrior 2300->3200 Attack)!” Yusei explained.
“Wha! That card is now stronger than my Montage Dragon! Still, I can easily wipe out your Speed Warrior on my next turn! Nice try, Common, but you messed up!” Trudge sneered.
“Then it’s a good thing my turn isn’t over yet! Junk Warrior, attack Handcuffs Dragon! Scrap Fist! (Trudge-800 LP) And just like that…this Duel is about to be over,” Yusei said cryptically.
“Yeah, it will be…for me!” Trudge snickered as Handcuffs Dragon locked onto Junk Warrior (Junk Warrior 1400 Attack). “You idiot! Even a noob Common would know that you should have not attacked Handcuffs Dragon! You could have wiped out Goyo Predator or even Montage Dragon, but instead you made things even worse for you! Heck, you may have done better saving your spell card from earlier for this turn!”
“Ah hate ta admit it, but he has a point,” Applejack noted.
“No…we’ll be fine. I play my other facedown card Equip Shot! With it, I can take an equip card on my monster and move it to another monster…like Montage Dragon (Junk Warrior 1400->3200 Attack/Montage Dragon 3000->1200 Attack)!” Yusei revealed his plan.
“Wh…wha?! You can’t use my own monster against me!” Trudge yelled.
“Says the cop who stole from his opponent earlier on!” Applejack reminded his hypocrisy.
“Now…Junk Warrior, end this! Scrap Fist!” Yusei cried out as his opponent’s Life Points hit zero. “Now, Trudge, we’ll be getting on our way…”
“No, you won’t, ya filthy Common! The last thing you and your girlfriend are doing is escaping!” Trudge said as his Duel Runner broke down from losing.
“What does he mean by…oh no…,” Applejack realized as she saw a whole bunch of Sector Security appear on the road ahead of them. “Any ideas on how we can escape?” Applejack asked.
“I have a way…,” Yusei said as he summoned Junk Warrior and proceeded to use him to lift the runner over the heads of Security.
“Can you explain ta me what is going on?!” Applejack was shocked.
“What in the…?! How did?!” The Security goons were at a loss.
	“He has an Arc System?! But how?! Only we at Security have that!” Roget was outraged.
	“Roget, sir? What should we do about the escapees?” A woman asked.
	“Put the city on alert until further notice. The last thing we need is for trash to get away with defiling the record of our city’s Security forces. And bring in that useless Security goon. He has a lot of work to do to make up for his failure,” Roget said dismissively.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A little bit later, in the middle of the night…
“So, where in Sam Hill are we goin’ ta go, Yusei? Also…what in the world was that flyin’ move with no wings?!” Applejack yelled.
“The latter? When I made my Duel Runner, I ended up reverse engineering parts of it based on Security’s Runners. They have something in them called an Arc System. With it, you can create real monsters in and out of Duels. Still…mine is still in the prototype stage. It can only last for a short while right now,” Yusei explained. “As for the latter…I think I should take us to an old friend…”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back at Duel Academy…
“Any progress in learning more about those different dimensions yet, Doktor?” Leo Akaba asked.
“Well…not at the moment. Per your orders, Dennis has already left for the new Dimension and will begin looking for the bracelet girl as soon as possible. Yuri will follow after shortly. Still…it may take a long time for us to find her without any leads. The Arc Area Project may fall behind schedule at this rate,” The Doktor noted.
“So…if I understand correctly, we need to find a way to speed things up?” Leo Akaba asked menacingly.
“Y-Yes? But…how we can speed things along is a separate matter. We just found out about this place and from what we know of the other dimensions, there are millions, even billions to search through! We’ll be stuck for weeks, even months finding her!” The Doktor noted. Suddenly, a message began to appear on a screen in front of Leo Akaba.
“Doktor? What is this? Who is trying to message us?” Leo asked.
“Uh…don’t look at me sir. I didn’t ask for anyone,” The Doktor shook his head. 
“I guess there’s only one way to find out,” Leo Akaba cautiously noted, ready to stop the message or fight back if need be.
With the push of a button, the screen showed what appeared to be a stone cave. There was also a figure that couldn’t be explained on the other end. “So…my friend. Mind telling me who you are? My servors told me that a strange phenomenon of an energy source had entered the digital network. However, I never would have guessed it would be a human so…weird-looking.”
“Insult aside, who are you?” Leo demanded.
“Relax, my friend. Contrary to that negative remark, I mean you no harm…at the moment. See, I am currently looking for a method to make the world a better place for all. I have created a few programs that will make things go swimmingly. However, if I understand correctly, you have some forms of technology that I don’t possess, and vice versa,” The figure noted.
“So…you suggest a trade? Thanks, but no thanks. I’m confident that my forces will be more than equipped to deal with any potential threats to our plans. Now, I suggest you leave,” Leo Akaba demanded.
“But…what if I were to help you find that one girl you are looking for?” The figure asked, causing Leo shock.
“H-How did?” Leo Akaba asked.
“When I sensed the energy, I also found a few files, including a secret file regarding some girls with the same face. See, I know where a girl that looks similar to the description is located. But since you already said no I could just…,” The figure said with a smirk.
“Wait! Go on…,” Leo Akaba said, ready to make a deal with the figure, though not without some backup plans in place in case things went wrong.
> Class is in Session
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Sir, I picked up an unusual summoning signal from the city’s coastal zone. The reading is off the charts,” One man said to his bosses in the room.
“Analysis, quick!” A man in charge, named Claude, said.
“I have the results, sir. If the wave patterns are correct, then someone is using pendulum energy,” A woman revealed.
“Pendulum energy?” The man was curious.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“The kid summoned three monsters at once,” The Sledgehammer was shocked. “I should be the one flexing my dueling muscles in front of this crowd. I can’t believe a puny guy like him can pull such a powerful maneuver. It must be a trick.”
“I’m stunned, too, but if his move wasn’t legit, the judged would have intervened,” Nico Smiley said on the duel disk’s intercom feature.
“Where did he learn this Pendulum Summoning?” 
Meanwhile, Yuya had gotten on the back of his Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (2500 Attack). “Whip Snake, it’s time for you to whip into action. By activating its special ability, it can switch the attack and defense points of your Battleguard King (1100 Attack)!” Battleguard King fell to the ground and put down the Sledgehammer. 
“That Snake weakened my only monster!” The Sledgehammer was shocked.
“Oh yeah! And now my Sword Fish will wear him down some more. Using its special ability, my Performapal can slice and dice your King’s attack points by 600 (500 Attack)!”
“Whoa! Things are looking bad for the champ. This boy won’t stop hammering the Hammer!” Nico Smiley announced.
“Now for the big finish. Get set, Odd-Eyes. Time to power up and attack,” Yuya said as the orbs on his monster glowed up.
“Your attack is about to be extinguished. I play the trap Battleguard Howling. Now your Odd-Eyes must retreat to your hand. But before it disappears, you will take all its attack points as damage!” Sledgehammer played.
“This is looking bad! I thought that this Pendulum whatever would turn this duel around, but maybe the Sledgehammer is too powerful after all, right Spike?” Rainbow asked Spike, only to see that he was focused on the duel. “Spike?” 
“I don’t know why, but I have a strange feeling with that dragon out there. It’s power is affecting me, even from the stands,” Spike said.
“Aw man! First Pinkie Pie and now you? Am I the only one that feels alright?” Rainbow Dash wondered in concern and confusion.
“Timegazer Magician,  you’ve mastered the deepest secrets of space and time. Use your powers to help protect me from the past. Check this everybody. Timegazer Magician’s Pendulum ability can rewrite history. So, Sledgehammer, your trap has been trumped. Infinity Gear Reverse,” Yuya played to negate and reset the trap.
“I better move it or lose it,” The Sledgehammer ran and grabbed an Action Spell. “I’m activating an Action Spell card.”
“We’ve reached the grand finale, Stargazer Magician. Let’s end this duel with a trick fans will never forget. Watch in wonder as Stargazer uses his Pendulum ability. When there’s a Pendulum monster battling, Stargazer can stop spell cards from activating. Halting Horoscope.”
Suddenly, Sledgehammer’s Action Spell was left useless and set. “That move leaves me wide open!”
“Everything is set now, Odd-Eyes. Let’s give The Sledgehammer a blazing send-off. Spiral Flame Strike!”
“Nice try, but that attack couldn’t even toast a marshmallow.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to turn up the heat. Since Battleguard King is a Level-five-or-above monster, Odd-Eyes’ special ability deals double the damage. That’s a wrap!” Yuya explained as his monster wiped out all of The Sledgehammer’s life points. “Odd-Eyes, that was perfect. Good job.”
“So, the boy won the match. Good for him. Maybe he could be of help for us,” The green haired girl said as she walked away.
Back in the arena, everyone was in shock, uncertain how to react to that final turn. 
“He won?” Zuzu was surprised.
“Uh-huh,” Gong agreed, similarly surprised.
“I have to admit it looked touch and go there, but he did it! He avenged his father and is recognized as a great Duelist. Congratulations,” Rainbow said, trying to be supportive.
“Oh, yeah! Yuya makin’ it look easy!” Skip cheered with tears in his eyes. “You showed ‘em how it’s done!”
Suddenly, Yuya and Pinkie Pie went back to normal, as if the last few minutes didn’t happen.
“What’s going on?” Yuya wondered as he looked around and saw his opponent on the floor. “Hey, what happened to The Sledgehammer?”
“You defeated him!” His mother called out from the crowd.
“Yeah! You used some Pendulum thing to summon multiple monsters at once and trounced his Battleguard King with a impressive combo!” Rainbow Dash called out.
“Really? That happened? Aw, and I wanted to see that for myself too!” Pinkie Pie was disappointed.
“Wait. You don’t remember what just occurred? You were talking all weird like you were one with him!” Spike explained.
“I did?” Pinkie innocently asked as her friends all fell over.
“Anyway, your dad would be so proud,” Yoko said as his friends looked supportive. “Good work, Yuya. You dueled like a champion.” 
“You were unbelievable” Zuzu cheered.
“Even Gong was impressed,” Gong commented.
“He’s our star pupil!” Skip cheered.
As for the rest of the crowd, they all started to cheer on Yuya for his victory and his Pendulum summoning.
“No one walks over the Sledgehammer and gets away with it!” The Sledgehammer yelled as Nico Smiley walked on the champ and headed to Yuya.
“Wow, just listen to that ovation! Kudos to you, Yuya. You have to let us all in on your secret. Give us the lowdown on that amazing new summoning technique you unveiled in today’s duel,” Nico said.
“Huh? New summoning what? Oh, Rainbow did say something about using it to summon a bunch of monsters at once,” Yuya was confused only to realize what just happened.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, at the Leo Institute…
A sixteen year old named Declan Akaba with a long red scarf entered his office.
“Good news sir. We just I.D.’d the kid in question. His name is Yuya Sakaki. 14 years I have his win-loss record. Nothing special,” Claude informed him.
“His record is 50-50 at best. Where does Yuya train?” Declan asked.
“All his training was through one institution. A place called the Yusho Duel School.”
“I’ve heard that name before. Yusho Sakaki! That was his school.”
“Precisely. This young hotshot is Sakaki’s son. Apparently he’s trying to follow in his father's footsteps.”
“Yusho Sakaki vanished three years ago and now his son is suddenly using a radical new method of summoning? There’s more here than meets the eye. Prepare a background report on this kid. Leave nothing out. Any facts that may relate to Pendulum Summoning, no matter how small, should be reported to me immediately,” Declan told Claude.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The You Show Duel School had a line of new potential students in line leading to the outside of the school, all wanting to learn more about Pendulum Summoning.
“Meine Gute! Look at all the new kids applying to You Show,” A young boy named Frederick was amazed.
“They must have our school confused with another school,” Ally, a red haired girl commented.
“The Yusho Duel School is highly selective, but if you fill out this form, I can almost guarantee you’ll get in!” Zuzu was telling the crowd inside of the school, who were all excited.
Frederick and Ally took the elevator inside and greeted Zuzu. “What’s up, Zuzu!”
“Oh hi, Ally. Hey there, Frederick. Did you guys come out to help me?” Zuzu asked.
“Principal Boyle asked for volunteers in our class. Since we are the only two, he “Volunteered” us,” Frederick explained.
“Where is the principal?” Ally asked.
“The new arc system just arrived. We got it free thanks to Yuya’s duel. It’s the latest model and my dad wanted to unpack it personally. I think he wants to adopt the machine into our family,” Zuzu explained.
“Yuya saved our school. Now everyone wants to study here,” Ally said.
“They’re excited to duel like Yuya. When he did that pendulum thingy, I jumped out of my seat and started dancing!” Frederick said excitedly. 
“Hey, Zuzu!” Rainbow said as she, Spike and Pinkie Pie got into the school. “So, I take it that the Pendulum summoning is causing a massive turnaround for your school.
“Yeah! If this keeps up, your school will be successful in no time!” Spike said.
“So, can the three of us join too?” Pinkie Pie asked with a pleading expression. “Pendulum Summoning or not, I just want to learn how to entertain duelists while I duel!”
“Uh, sure! Just get into line and you’ll be given the form to fill out,” Zuzu said as the three were about to head outside only to be interrupted by a kid asking…
“You teach all the students here how to Pendulum Summon, right?”
“Yes, it’s part of the curriculum, if you’re enrolled in the school. Now who’s first in line?” The potential students all started to swarm, all wanting to learn Pendulum Summoning. “One at a time, please. Line up and I’ll get to you. Oh, great. I’m supposed to be in today’s demo duel,  but at his rate, there’s no way I’ll be ready.”
“Hey, we can try and help enroll the students if you’d like,” Spike suggested.
“Yeah! Consider it our first act as students at this school,” Pinkie Pie said.
“Thanks, but I don’t know. Are you aware how to handle this paperwork?” Zuzu asked.
“Please! I deal with harder work than this for breakfast!” Spike said.
“Thanks, but I’m not sure if I can ask that of you guys,” Zuzu said.
“Problem solved, Zuzu. Gong doesn’t want you to worry, so Gong’ll take over for you in the duel,” Gong, who had just arrived, suggested.
“Oh, no you won’t!” Frederick countered.
“Zuzu’s the best duelist here, so she should be in the spotlight,” Ally agreed.
“Who does he think he is? He doesn’t even go here. You're bad for business. Step outside,” Frederick said as he and Ally pushed Gong out.
“But Gong wants to stay!” Gong pleaded.
“We and your other friends have got you covered here, Zuzu. You better go get prepped for your duel,” Ally said.
“Thanks you guys. You’re in charge,” Zuzu said as she was about to leave to prep for the duel only to see the familiar Tate. “I’ve seen you around here before. You want to enroll?” Zuzu asked as Tate gave her a smile.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Here at the Yusho Duel School we continue a proud tradition of Action Dueling. Our training will produce a duelist who mixes the zeal of a competitor with the crowd-pleasing instincts of an entertainer! The legacy of that great dueling legend--,” Skip was saying as some boys were talking to each other.
“Who cares about this stuff?” One of them asked.
“Yeah, I just wanna learn how to Pendulum Summon,” his friend agreed.
“Friends and fans, gather ‘round!” Yuya yelled out as the crowd found Yuya in the room where virtual duel fields were formed. “Welcome, one and all, to the Yuya Spectacular!”
“What?!” Zuzu yelled as she hit him on the head with her fan. “This isn’t all about you! I happen to be dueling in this match, too!”
“Who is that girl?” One girl demanded.
“I can’t believe she interrupted Yuya like that,” Her friend agreed.
“Go away!” Both girls yelled.
Most everyone present agreed with the girls, not being happy that Zuzu was getting in the way of them learning Pendulum Summoning, much to Zuzu’s anger.
“All right, then. You wanna treat me like a villain? Then that’s exactly what I’ll be! Yuya, I can see being in the limelight has already soured your ego. But soon you’ll be singing a different tune after I own this duel,” Zuzu said, much to Yuya’s confusion. “You need to say something back to me,” Zuzu whispered.
“Whoa! You must be The Sledgehammer’s sidekick!” Yuya responded, awkwardly trying to keep the show going.
“The Sledgehammer’s sidekick?” Zuzu was confused.
“I recognize you now, Gavel Girl! I’ll use my pendulum power to whoop you, too!” Yuya said.
“Listen to them, They’re fired up,” Frederick said.
“I guess so, though their material could be a little bit better,” Rainbow Dash commented.
“Aw, come on! Considering that they’re saying this off the top of their head, I’d say they’re doing rather well,” Pinkie Pie responded.
“Quick, Gong, boot up the ARC system so they can start dueling,” Ally said.
“I can’t believe that a heavy-weight like Gong is taking orders from a half-pint,” Gong said as he started up the ARC system.
“We’re going to duel on the field spell Plain Plain!” Zuzu announced as the computer generated the field.
“This new Augmented Reality Combat system really is top of the line. Check out how realistic that stream and those fish look. After this duel’s done, I’m grabbing my trunks and taking a dip!” Skip was amazed.
Both Yuya and Zuzu prepped their duel disks, ready to duel.
“Augmented Reality Combat System is set!” Yuya yelled out.
“Duelists prepare for battle!” Zuzu also yelled.
“Only one will rule the duel…”
“...in the ultimate fusion of Monsters and mayhem!”
“The action begins…now!” Yuya snapped.
“Let’s duel!” Both Yuya and Zuzu yelled out.
“I’m up first. I’ll start off by summoning Performapal Hip Hippo(800 Attack),” Yuya began.
“That Hippo’s happening,” One spectator said.
“Yeah, once Yuya gets him hoofing away, the dude’s a high-speed heavyweight,” his friend agreed.
“Let’s go!” Yuya yelled as he hopped onto his hippo and took off. 
“You’re not gonna get far. It’s my turn! Hyah! I summon Aria the Melodious Diva (1600 Attack). Aria, attack! Bring Yuya’s Hippo to a halt. Piercing Note!” Zuzu commanded.
Thankfully for Yuya, he found an Action Spell, Evasion, and played it. “Let’s rock and roll.”
As the crowd cheered, Zuzu said, “You think you’ve escaped, but Aria can still belt out some damage. Since her attack failed, she can use her special ability to reduce your life points by 800. Resonating Wave!”

Yuya


3200


Zuzu


4000

Zuzu laughed evilly as she said, “That will teach you not to turn your back on me, you wimpy wannabe. Now get up and face the music.” She then said seriously, “Get up, Yuya. You can rest later. Everybody’s waiting and watching to see you Pendulum Summon. Don’t leave them hanging.”
“Work your magic, Yuya!” Frederick yelled out.
“It’s Pendulum time!” Ally yelled out.
Suddenly, the crowd started to cheer out, “Pendulum!”
“See? I told you. They’re getting impatient,” Zuzu said.
“I’m on it! No sweat!” Yuya changed his tune. “It’s time to swing into action!”
“Yuya, if you’re waiting for applause, you might be here awhile,” Zuzu commented.
“Right. Here goes. Now I draw!” Yuya yelled as he drew Timegazer Magician. “Excellent. My duel with the Sledgehammer’s a blur, but luckily Gong gave me the play-by-play. I’ll just do what I did then.” “First, I’ll use my monsters Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon(4) and Timegazer Magician(8) to set the Pendulum Scale. I’m good to go.”
“Yeah! Crank up the Pendulum power!” Skip cheered as the group continued to cheer, “Pendulum!”
“Aw man! Now I get to see what this Pendulum Summoning thing is all about!” Pinkie Pie cried out.
Meanwhile, the green haired girl from back at the arena told her friend with dark purple hair, “See, Ruri, this kid may be the answer to all of our problems.”
“And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. It’s time to Pendulum Summon and swing into action!” Yuya cried out, only for his Duel Disk to get an "Error message". Everyone was wondering why the Pendulum Summon didn’t work, as Yuya was trying to get it to work. “What the… Where are they? Hey, Sword Fish and Whip Snake, get out here right now!” Yuya kept trying to place his cards on his duel disk, only to keep getting an error message. “Why am I getting an error message? I used my Pendulum Cards the same way last time.”
“Pendulum Cards? What are they?” Some kids asked each other.
“What did I do wrong? I’ve got to think back. If I’m, remembering right, it was just after Sledgehammer destroyed Odd-Eyes, and I was on the brink of losing. It seemed like I didn’t have a chance. That must be it. I was in major trouble and that’s when I was suddenly able to Pendulum Summon. It’ll only work when I’m in a jam!” Yuya thought to himself and then said aloud, “I’m ending my turn now. All right, Zuzu, come at me!”
“You want me to attack?” Zuzu was confused. 
“That’s right. Throw everything you got my way,” Yuya confirmed.
“If that’s what Yuya wants, then make him happy! Quick! Fire things up!” Skip cried out.
“Huh? If you say so. I’ll start my turn now! Whenever there’s a Melodious monster taking center stage on my field, I can summon one of the greatest singers that’s ever dueled. That’s your cue, Sonata the Melodious Diva (1200 Attack). Now I’ll tribute this duet and combine their melodies to summon a whole new monster. She’ll blow you away with her musical talent, Mozarta the Melodious Maestra (2600 Attack)! To start her concert, she’ll perform her special ability. By hitting the perfect note, I’m able to summon a Melodious Diva that’s Level-four-or-below! Take a bow, Aria the Melodious Diva (1600 Attack). Her harmonies will overwhelm your Hippo. Aria, sing a tune that will floor Yuya’s monster.”
Aria attacked and destroyed Hip Hippo, reducing Yuya’s Life Points to 2400. “Nice tune,” Yuya complemented.
“Now pull out your Pendulum cards to pick up the beat,” Skip encouraged the cheering crowd.
“Now hit me with a high note,” Yuya said.
“That’s exactly what I had in mind! Mozarta, bring down the house with your most powerful strain! Graceful Wave!” Zuzu commanded.
“Awesome. Okay, it’s make or break. It’s the perfect time to Pendulum Summon!” Yuya cried out as he tried to summon his monsters again, only for him to get another Error message. In an instant, Yuya was knocked into the wall as his Life Points hit zero and the arena returned to normal. Everyone was confused as to how Yuya couldn’t Pendulum Summon and how he lost.
“How could he lose?” Rainbow Dash was confused.
“Maybe he didn’t have the right conditions for such a summon?” Spike suggested.
“He placed the cards in the same place as before. What did he do wrong?” Rainbow wondered.
Meanwhile, Zuzu was angry at Yuya. “If that was your idea of a gag--,” Zuzu growled.
“I wasn’t joking around, honestly!” Yuya defended.
“You better not be lying,” Zuzu responded.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Excuse me. I’m really confused,” One guy asked.
“Uh-huh, what is it?” Yuya asked unenthusiastically.
“During your duel you said something about a Pendulum Card,” the guy was curious.
“Pendulum Card?” Zuzu was similarly curious.
“Well, actually, I’m not sure what they’re officially called. That’s just the name I made up for them,” Yuya explained.
“Can I see one?” Zuzu asked.
“Sure,” Yuya agreed as the two compared the cards in their decks.
“I never saw anything like that before,” a woman said.
“Yuya says you can’t Pendulum Summon unless you have on of those cards,” another boy said.
“That sounds fishy. What if all this Pendulum stuff is not actually real?”
“You’re right! Maybe he hacked into the ARC system before dueling Sledgehammer. I bet that’s how he was able to summon three monsters at once,” another boy accused.
“He doesn’t have the skill to beat Sledgehammer, so he had to cheat,” A girl said.
“Looks like our hero is really a zero,” her friend agreed as the massive crowd started to leave.
“Hey, guys, wait!” Yuya yelled. Meanwhile, Skip was trying and failing to keep the crowd from leaving. Saddened by causing possible success for the school to leave, Yuya sadly put on his goggles.
Zuzu noticed this and tried to comfort Yuya, “Yuya, hold on.”
Suddenly, a boy said, “Those kids were wrong! You’re no cheater, Yuya.” Turning around, Yuya saw that Tate was still there, along with the green-haired girl and their purple haired friend. “You’re the greatest duelist any of us ever saw. You didn’t need tricks to beat The Sledgehammer. You won fair and square. Tell them all your Pendulum Summon was real.”
“I agree. Your Pendulum Summon wasn’t fake. I believe that you can bring dueling to new heights with this Pendulum Summon of yours. You just need to not give up on it,” The green-haired girl agreed.
Gong then said, “Yuya, you should stand up and defend yourself instead of making your biggest fan and this new face do all the work for you.”
“My biggest fan?” Yuya was confused.
“And one of your only ones, apparently,” Zuzu said. 
“Yeah! Tate has been coming here to see you duel for some time now!” Rainbow Dash agreed.
“Yeah! He may not have had the courage to tell you until now, but he still looks up to you a lot. In fact, you can say that we are also your fans, Yuya!” Pinkie Pie agreed.
“Really?” Yuya was touched.
“Yeah! He had fun watching you play around, but your duel against the Sledgehammer turned him into a true believer!” Ally explained.
“When you were dueling, it was like magic,” Tate said in awe. “You and your monsters pulled thousands of fans together! I wanna do the same thing someday. I’ll learn to duel just like you.”
“Me too! If you need help relearning Pendulum Summoning, I can help! I also gained these Pendulum Cards that you have so we can learn how they work together!” Pinkie Pie yelled.
“Why not? The two of us could also be of help to you,” Ruri agreed, only to be given a weird look by everyone present as they took a closer look at her. Ruri didn't quite understand the reason for the looks until she looked at Zuzu. "Is there any reason-,"
"That this girl looks just like me?" Both Zuzu and Ruri asked each other. "Weird."
After a moment of silence, everyone decided to continue their conversation.
“It’s the greatest feeling in the world to make people so happy, and now I’m about to walk away from it forever, especially once I’ve gained some fans that believe in me. I don’t know. I’d like to keep dueling…” Yuya said uncertainly.
“Then pick up your deck and prove to everybody that what happened in the duel wasn’t a fluke,” Gong said.
“You think I can?” Yuya asked.
“Gong knows you can. You owe it to Tate and the others.”
“We can all have fun trying to make it work, I mean once you all enroll,” Ally said.
“Our open house may not have worked as expected, but we still got a few new students to come here,” Frederick said.
“Wait, new students? Where?!” Skip was excited as he ran over to the group of new students.
“By the way, what are your names anyway?” Yuya asked Ruri and the green-haired kid.
“My name is L-Ruri. Ruri Kurosaki,” Ruri said.
“As for me, I don’t feel comfortable giving out my real name, but you can call me Rua,” The girl answered.
At this, Yuya removed his goggles. “I guess as a dueltainer I can’t let my fans down. Hey, everyone! With your help I’m gonna master Pendulum Summoning! Let’s go!”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, another young teen was talking to someone on the phone while throwing darts at a board. “So you want me to take his Pendulum cards? All of them right?”
“That is correct. How you go about the task is your business. But keep my name out of it. Once you have acquired the Pendulum cards, we will exchange them for the rare cards that you requested,” A man named Claude said on the other line.
“It’s a deal,” The teen said with a grin.
> Pendulum Summoning Finally Works
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over the next few days, the group did what they could in order to try and get Yuya and Pinkie Pie to Pendulum Summon once more. 
After the 245th failed attempt to do a Pendulum Summon, Pinkie Pie was still looking to try and get Pendulum Summoning to work, even though most of the group, except for her, Rua, Spike, Gong, and Yuya had either fallen asleep or gone home at this point.
“Come on everybody! We can still get a Pendulum Summon out before the night is over! We can do this!” Pinkie Pie tried to encourage.
“Look, Pinkie Pie, can we please get some sleep first? I don’t think we’ll figure it out tonight, as disappointing as that is,” Rua pointed out.
“Yeah. I’ve won some duels even without a successful Pendulum Summon, but I’m getting tired. Maybe we should head out while the others head home,” Spike said with a yawn.
“I hate to agree with Rua, but I agree that maybe we should take a bit of a break,” Yuya said. “Maybe after a quick rest we’ll figure this Pendulum Summoning thing out.”
“Don’t worry, Yuya and Pinkie! Gong believes that the two of you will be able to get this Pendulum Summoning thing down soon enough,” Gong encouraged.
“Thanks, Gong! We’ll get this thing down in a jiffy! So, who wants to duel me next?” Pinkie Pie asked.
Everyone looked at her in surprise. While they were still willing to figure out Pendulum Summoning, they all wanted to take a break from dueling. After a minute of silence, Rua finally decided, “Well, fine. I haven’t dueled at all during all of your attempts. I guess I can give it a try. Be warned, though. I’m a pretty tough Duelist.”
“Well, don’t worry. Win or lose, as long as we have fun and get closer to understanding Pendulum Summoning, we should do fine. Hey, seeing as how Rua hasn’t dueled yet, maybe we should make this an Action Duel! What do you say, Rua?” Pinkie Pie asked the green haired kid. After a moment of thinking, Rua nodded her head, much to Pinkie’s excitement, as a tabletop Action Field formed in the Duel School’s Duel Arena, courtesy of Spike. “Whoa. This is so cool! We’re all teeny tiny!”
“I’m glad you like it. Now then, let’s duel! I’ll go first. I summon out Morphtronic Boomboxen to the field in Attack Mode (1200)!” Rua summoned.
“Whoa. I’ve never seen that monster before. Where do you think that Rua got that card from?” Yuya asked Spike.
“I don’t know. To be honest, between the green hair and the card, I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before. Hey, Rua! Are you sure we’ve never met?” Spike asked.
“I don’t believe we have. Now then, I’ll then play two facedowns and end my turn,” Rua played.
Pinkie Pie began to look around at the field some more. “So, where do you think that the Action Cards are at? Oh, do you think that there is one underneath this giant pencil?” Pinkie Pie asked excitedly. “Oh, never mind. I draw! I summon out Performapal Silver Claw in Attack Mode (1800)!” Pinkie Pie followed up by getting onto the wolf’s back as she rode across the field.“Now, let’s get this battle going! Silver Claw, strike at Boomboxen with style!”
“I’m afraid that won’t happen. I play the trap card Morphtronic Mega Map! With it, every time a monster on my field changes its battle mode, I get to place a Morph Counter on my trap. For each counter that is on it, all my Morphtronic monsters will gain 300 attack points. But I won’t stop there. I also play Morphtransition! With it, I can block your attack and switch my Boomboxen to Defense Mode,” Rua stopped the attack. “And, thanks to my trap, my monster will gain 300 attack points (1500 Attack).”
“Wow! Pinkie Pie the up and coming dueltainer has her work cut out for her, but hopefully she can turn this duel around and win the duel and the crowd!” Pinkie Pie said, confusing the group. “Now, I’ll use Stargazer Magician(1) and Timegazer Magician(8) to set the Pendulum Scale and end my turn. Your move, Rua!” To everyone’s shock, this time the two magicians made an appearance in blue towers with numbers one and eight on them.
“Hm. Very well, it’s my turn again. I summon the Tuner Monster Morphtronic Scopen (800 to 1100 Attack)! Next, I switch my Boomboxen to attack mode, which will gain me another Morph Counter. Not only that, but both of my monsters will gain another 300 attack points (1400 Attack-Scopen) (1800 Attack-Boomboxen)!” Rua played.
“Whoa! Rua wasn’t kidding around when he said that he was a great duelist! Looks like Pinkie Pie may be in trouble,” Yuya said, concerned for Pinkie and amazed by Rua’s skills.
“I know! She really knows how to make use of her Morphtronic cards,” Spike agreed.
“So, Pinkie, are you sure about challenging me yet? I wasn’t kidding when I said I was a great duelist,” Rua said.
“Are you kidding? This duel has been very fun! You remind me of a friend of mine based on your cards! I really can’t wait to see what you have planned next!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
“Really? Well I better not disappoint then. I activate Scopen’s ability to special summon a Morphtronic monster from my hand. In exchange, it will be destroyed at the end of my turn. So, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to show you what I’m made of. I special summon Morphtronic Videon (1000 to 1600 Attack) tune my Scopen with my Videon in order to Synchro Summon one of my best cards! Come on out, Morphing Power Tool Dragon (2300 Attack)!” Summoned to Rua’s field was a monster that looked a lot like Power Tool Dragon. The only difference being that it had some black orbs with red lights on them surrounding the machine dragon.
“Wait. A Synchro Summon?! Where did Rua learn that?!” Yuya was shocked.
“Gong doesn’t know, but what Gong can say is that Miss Pie may be in trouble now,” Gong was wary.
“Wow! What a neat looking dragon you have there!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
“Um, Pinkie? I think you may be better off being more worried about this,” Spike warned.
“Spike is right, Pinkie Pie. I’d be more worried if I were you. I activate my Morphing Power Tool Dragon’s special ability! With it, I can select one equip spell card from my deck and add it to my hand. Now, I’ll activate the card I added. Double Tool C&D! With it, I can equip this card to either a Morphtronic Monster or Power Tool Dragon. Since my Morphing Power Tool Dragon is treated as regular old Power Tool Dragon, I’ll equip it onto Morphing Power Tool Dragon, which will give my monster an extra 1000 attack points (3300 Attack)!” Rua played.
“Aw man! Now Rua has a monster that is stronger than Pinkie’s Silver Claw!” Yuya was worried.
“Don’t think that this turn is over yet. I activate Morphing Power Tool Dragon’s other ability. Now I can place a Morph Counter on a card on the field that has an effect related to it. Now, with a third Morph Counter on the field, my Boomboxen will get a power boost (2100 Attack)!” Rua yelled out. 
“Geez! I knew that Morphtronics could be strong, but this is like on a whole new level! I love it!” Pinkie Pie was impressed.
“Well, if you are impressed now, well then you’ll be even more so once I have my Morphing Power Tool Dragon attack your Performapal Silver Claw! Crafty Break!” Rua cried out as their Morphing Power Tool Dragon destroyed Silver Claw, dealing 1500 points of damage. “This duel is about to end, Pinkie Pie because my Morphtronic Boomboxen is allowed to attack twice while in attack mode! Go! Attack Pinkie Pie’s Life Points directly!”
“Well, I might as well look for an Action Card while I still can,” Pinkie Pie said as she looked across the Action Field for a card. She did eventually find the Action Spell Miracle only for the card to give her Duel Disk an “Error” message as she did so. In a last ditch effort to remain in the duel, she said, “Alright! I’ll take this chance to Pendulum Summon out my deck, and Yuya’s, top performer Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!” However, instead of said dragon making an appearance, another “Error” message appeared on her Duel Disk. With no other move to make, Pinkie Pie was attacked directly twice, losing her the duel. As the Action Field faded away, Spike approached her.
“Uh, Pinkie? You do know that Pendulum Summoning shouldn’t be able to work on your opponent’s turn, right?” Spike asked, confused as to the actions of her random friend.
“Sorry! I just thought that maybe it could work on either turn if the scales matched up. Oh, by the way Rua, thanks for the amazing duel!” Pinkie Pie complimented her friend.
“Um, thanks. By the way, what did you mean by scales?” Rua asked Pinkie.
“Well, I figured that maybe the reason a Pendulum Summon is able to happen is because the levels of the summoned monsters is in between the two scales. For instance, with scales one and eight, you can summon between levels two and seven. What do you think?” Pinkie Pie explained her mindset.
“Pinkie that’s… Actually pretty sound logic. Maybe I should give it a try,” Yuya decided. “Here goes! I’ll use Stargazer Magician(1) and Timegazer Magician(8) to set the Pendulum Scale,” just like when Pinkie Pie did it, the two magicians appeared. “My monsters are ready to swing into action! Snap to it, Whip Snake (1700 Attack). Slice and dice, Sword Fish (600 Attack). Turn up the heat, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (2500 Attack).”
Gong, meanwhile, sounded like he was unhappy. Instead, he was crying tears of joy. “Yuya! You guys were finally able to Pendulum Summon. Gong can’t believe you insisted we duel all night for days and then pulled that awesome move against him! You failed 246 times, but you pulled it off. Gong’s so proud of you both. Gong needs to sleep.”
“I can’t believe I did it. I never thought things would swing my way again. But thanks to Pinkie, Gong, and everyone else, I’ve done it,” Yuya thought to himself.
“Well, it looks like we now know the trick to Pendulum Summoning. We just need to have monsters with levels between the two Pendulum Monster’s Scales and once per turn, we can perform a Pendulum Summon!” Spike realized.
“Of course! We just need to pay attention to the scales!” Pinkie Pie agreed.
“Well, looks like you guys finally figured out how to make Pendulum Summoning work. Congratulations. Now, I think Ruri and I should get going. It’s very late and we need to get at least a little sleep,” Rua congratulated the group as they shook Ruri awake. Upon waking her, she was quick to follow Rua out of the Duel School.
“So, do you agree now that it was a good idea to find out about this Pendulum Summoning business?” Rua asked Ruri.
“I guess so. Remember, I wasn’t really awake to see it and only have your guy’s word that it is effective. However, I suppose that it may be what we need to proceed with our plans,” Ruri said.
“Yeah. Soon enough the two of us and Rin will not only be able to avenge those we’ve lost, but be able to save all of our worlds from certain destruction. Isn’t that right, Lulu?” Rua asked Ruri.
“You bet, Luna,” Ruri agreed.
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“Now, Shooting Star Dragon (3300 Attack)! Attack and destroy all of the opposing Double Ancient Gear Hunting Hounds (1400 Attack)!” Twilight cried out as her dragon was able to attack five times due to its special ability.
“Now, Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning (3000 Attack)! Strike down Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound (1800 Attack)!” Starlight yelled as her monster attacked and destroyed the opposing Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound. “Now, thanks to my soldier’s special ability, my monster is allowed to attack a second time this turn since he destroyed a monster. So, attack him directly!”
“I Xyz summon Performage Trapeze Magician (2500 Attack)! I now activate his special ability! By using one Overlay Unit, I can have my monster attack twice this turn! Now attack their Ancient Gear Hunting Hound followed by a direct attack!” Trixie commanded.
All together, the trio had managed to defeat all of the opposing students that the bald man had summoned. He didn’t show much of a immediate reaction to the three’s dueling skills. However, after every normal student was defeated, he began to clap. “Well done. You’ve proven yourselves to be incredible duelists. Not even Obelisk Force could have done it better. You may be of help to our cause.”
“And that cause would be?” Starlight asked, uncertain as to whether or not it was a cause worth helping towards.
“I’ve already said. But I guess I can repeat myself. We here at Duel Academy are here to bring the four dimensions, those being Standard, Xyz, Synchro, and this dimension, Fusion, together in order to form one supreme world. The worlds as they are are currently flawed and broken. We are fixing things so that we can all live a complete and happy existence. Hopefully, together we can reach this great and noble dream,” The bald man explained.
“Wow. That sounds like a good cause to work towards, at least it sounds that way. What do you want us to do?” Twilight asked, deciding to trust this man in spite of her better judgement.
“It’s simple. We just need for you three to go with Sora and keep an eye out for anything special or interesting of note about the Standard dimension that we at Duel Academy should know. Oh, and don’t reveal that there are other dimensions or the specifics of what we are trying to do. At least, not yet.”
Starlight and Twilight, while uncertain as to whether or not they should trust this man, decided to agree with what he said. After all, it would be wise not to incur the wrath of this man and the students of Duel Academy. As for Trixie, she sighed in boredom. “Listen, whatever your name is, we were not brought here to waste time just watching people live their lives, as interesting as they could be. Why can’t we have a more important task?” Trixie demanded.
“My name is Leo Akaba, and you three better listen to me and go with Sora on his mission,” The bald man, named Leo Akaba, commanded. 
“Y-Yes sir!” Twilight and Starlight reluctantly agreed. 
“Perfect. Now, Sora is to leave in half an hour. You best be ready before then,” Leo said. “Good luck. And hopefully you’ll find something interesting for us.”
As the trio was dismissed, Twilight and Starlight were discussing their thoughts on this mission, not noticing that Trixie had wandered off. “So, what do you make of this Leo Akaba character? Do you think we should trust him?” Twilight asked the reformation master Starlight.
“I’m not sure. I don’t think he’s lying, but he doesn’t seem to be telling the truth either. There may be some details that he’s leaving out that may be important,” Starlight answered.
“Should we question him about their objectives?” Twilight asked.
“I don’t know if that would be a good idea. But seeing as how we are to simply watch what happens, I don’t believe that this Leo Akaba has too bad of intentions. And, even if he does, we can just convince him to change for the better, right?” Starlight offered.
“Not a bad idea, Starlight,” Twilight said. After this, they decided to just hang out for the time being while they waited for Trixie to return, not knowing for certain where she could have gone.
After the half-hour was up, Leo Akaba called the trio back into the room, though Trixie still wasn’t back yet.
“So, are you and your friends ready to help Sora on his mission yet, Twilight?” Leo asked the pair. “And where is that other friend of yours? It’s hard for me to forget her seeing as how she looks just like-,”
“I’m here! Trixie is here and is ready to show those chumps in the Standard Dimension a thing or two about dueling!” The figure, who looked like Trixie, said as she approached Twilight and Starlight.
“Trixie! Thank goodness! Where were you? We’ve been waiting for you so we can head out on our mission!” Starlight chastised her friend. 
“So, how do we get to the Standard Dimension anyway?” Trixie asked.
“Really? Wow you guys really are not from here. I just need to put in the coordinates to the Standard Dimension and there we go! We’ll be there in a snap!” Sora explained.
“Well, we’ll see you guys later! Next stop, the Standard Dimension!” Trixie said as the group of four had teleported away to the Standard Dimension. 
While Leo Akaba paid little mind to Trixie looking like her, he may have wanted to, seeing as how their resemblance wasn’t coincidental and that the Trixie that left wasn’t the same that came in.
> Trade Bait Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Aw man! Why do we have to wait for Yuya and Zuzu to go to the Duel School?” Rainbow Dash complained, annoyed that she had to wait to see what the school had in store for them. “I mean, from where we are from we are usually done with school by the time we’re teens.”
“Um, Rainbow Dash…,” Spike tried to warn the brash woman not to say too much about where they are from.
“Where are you guys from? From what I can tell it is good to get some extra learning in your head so that you are more prepared for being on your own in adulthood,” Ruri noted.
“Oh, we…,” Pinkie Pie started only for Spike to cover her mouth before she could reveal where they were from.
“Well, that doesn’t really matter, does it?” Spike asked a bit nervously.
“I guess not, but I’d rather know for certain,” Allie answered.
“Well, you see…,” Spike tried to think of an explanation before Pinkie Pie interrupted.
“We come from a dimension where we’re talking ponies but we’ve been to this dimension and learned how to duel at a few points in history and have saved the world multiple times both in this world and our own!” Pinkie Pie explained at a fast pace, much to the shock and confusion of everyone present.
“Really?” Tate asked, not seeming to believe the story.
“Come on, you guys, maybe they’re not entirely lying. After all, I’ve experienced some weird things in the past,” Ruri tried to defend.
“Yeah, but nothing like different dimensions and talking ponies,” Frederick whispered to Tate and Allie.
“Hold on, you guys. I think I see Yuya and Zuzu!” Spike said as he noticed the pair leave the school.
“Congratulations, Yuya. Your obsession with Pendulum Summoning just reached an all-time low,” Zuzu chastised. “You’ll have to show up to our next math class with a paper bag on your head.”
“A paper bag. That’s not a bad idea. I’d get some huge laughs,” Yuya joked.
“I think you’ve gotten enough laughs in school,” Zuzu said, only for both to notice Frederick, Allie, Tate, Ruri, Rainbow, Spike, and Pinkie.
“Hurray for Yuya!” The three kids cheered. 
“What’s up, you guys?” Yuya asked curiously.
“Gong told us you finally Pendulum Summoned again,” Frederick answered.
“Is it really true?” Tate asked.
“You bet!” Yuya said.
“Not only that, but we figured out how to do it! We just need to set the scales and we can summon monsters whose levels are between the scales!” Pinkie Pie said.
“Really? It’s that simple?” Allie was excited.
“You better believe it! Pinkie and Yuya will excite the dueling world by being able to perform this Pendulum Summoning!” Rainbow Dash yelled.
“You’d think that she learned how to do it,” Spike snarked, which annoyed Rainbow Dash.
“Well, talking about how Pendulum Summoning is done is one thing. How about we head to the duel school and we’ll show you guys,” Yuya said.
“That sounds good to me,” Ruri agreed. “I’ve heard some impressive things from Rua and I’d like to see this Pendulum Summoning for myself.”
Everyone else seemed to agree to this and they decided to go to the duel school. However, much to the group’s confusion, three darts with a plastic sticky end hit Yuya right in the middle of his face.
“Triple bull’s-eye!” Zuzu was in awe at the accuracy of the thrower.
“Impressed? I assure you, that was mere child’s play. I could have done it blind-folded,” The thrower, a young man with brown and yellow hair, bragged.
“Uh, who are you?” Yuya asked.
“Me? Merely one of your biggest fans,” The thrower said as he grabbed Yuya’s hand and shook it. “To be precise, the name’s Sylvio. It’s an honor.”
“Oh, hi,” Yuya awkwardly accepted the praise.
“I caught your duel against the Sledgehammer on TV. You were tres magnifique!” Sylvio praised. “Oh, allow me,” Sylvio said as he plucked off the darts on Yuya’s face. “Your new Pendulum Summoning technique took my breath away. And those cards you used- sorry, what do you call them, Yuya, hmm?”
“You mean my Pendulum Cards?” Yuya asked.
“Precisely. I’d be interested in learning how you acquired them. Only a duelist of the highest caliber could possibly possess such rare cards,” Sylvio said.
“There’s no need to pump up his ego,” Zuzu countered. “It’s already ready to burst as it is.”
“Hey, Sylvio? I know you think that Yuya’s a great duelist, but you’ll see that I’m also great! I was able to defeat many an opponent on my own!” Rainbow Dash bragged.
“Yes, yes. You’re special. Now, back to Yuya,” Sylvio said, much to the annoyance of Rainbow Dash. “Seriously, you’re a sensational duelist, Yuya.”
“Um, yeah, so maybe we should get going soon?” Spike suggested. He didn’t know why, but there was something that he considered untrustworthy about this Sylvio character.
“I agree with your dragon friend. This Sylvio just screams slimy weasel to me,” Yubel said to Rainbow Dash.
“Yeah! No offense, but Yubel thinks that you’re just trying to use Yuya for his cards,” Rainbow agreed with Spike, in part because of Yubel and in part because of Sylvio’s earlier brushing her off.
“Um, who is Yubel?” Sylvio questioned rudely.
“Oh, they’re…,” Pinkie began only to be interrupted by Spike covering her mouth again. 
“I don’t really know what to say either way, but Yuya, remember your promise to Tate and the others. You’re showing everyone how Pendulum Summoning works in person,” Zuzu reminded Yuya.
Yuya went from sucking in the praise to remembering his earlier promise. “That’s right, I almost forgot!”
“Yeah! I have a friend that also would like to see the Pendulum Summon,” Ruri commented.
“If you’re planning to demonstrate your Pendulum technique, Yuya, then I have access to a most ideal venue. An hour from now you could showcase your talents at the Leo Institute. You’ll take center stage on their center court,” Sylvio said.
Yuya was shocked to hear this. “I thought that was for Leo students only.”
“He can’t duel there!” Zuzu protested.
“I’ve already reserved the space. I happen to be one of the school’s top students. My father is also expected to be the city’s next mayor, so I definitely have influence with the school’s higher-ups,” Sylvio explained.
“Letting Yuya duel there is an amazing honor!” Tate was excited.
“Can we come along?” Allie asked.
“Pretty please? We’ll be your best friends,” Frederick pleaded.
Zuzu, meanwhile, wasn’t so comfortable sucking up to Sylvio. “I don’t see why Yuya can’t do his demo at our school.”
“Come on, Zuzu! Sylvio is just being nice! We shouldn’t be rude and say no!” Pinkie Pie said.
“Well, even if you aren’t going I will. I’d rather be able to do something if this Sylvio really is a jerk,” Rainbow Dash said.
“I agree with Pinkie Pie. It shall be a new experience. Plus I heard the Leo Institute has a great snack bar!” Frederick said. 
“Yeah! Let’s go!” Tate, Allie, and Pinkie Pie agreed.
“Fine then, but I’m coming along, too,” Zuzu finally reluctantly agreed. “As the only loyal student from You Show, I think I’d better check out our competitor. But first, I’ll go pick up this friend of Ruri’s. What is her name?”
“Her name is Rin, and she should be waiting in front of the Yusho school,” Ruri answered.
“Well, you’re all more than welcome to join us,” Sylvio said. “And now, au revoir!” At this, Sylvio walked off, with the others going past him with varying levels of trust. Sylvio, meanwhile, went behind the group and mimicked throwing a dart. “It’s all going according to plan.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zuzu arrived at the Yusho school not that long after leaving the high school. It didn’t take her long in order to find this Rin girl, in part because she had green hair like Rua and in part because she had a similar face to Ruri and herself, much to her shock.
“Wait hold on! Why do you resemble me?! It was already a shock to see Ruri resemble me, but you too?! Is this just some coincidence or are you trying to pull some kind of sick joke?!” Zuzu demanded.
“No, I’m not joking or faking or anything! I’d like to ask why you look like me and Ruri, whoever you are!” The girl, who Zuzu assumed to be Rin, countered. However after a moment, Rin’s face went from one of anger and confusion to one of realization. “Wait, you’re the Zuzu that Ruri called and told me about, aren’t you?”
“Um, yes. I’m here to take you to the Leo Institute so we can see Yuya and Pinkie Pie Pendulum Summon,” Zuzu answered, more calmly but still confused. “You ready to go?”
“Yes, I am. Let’s get going,” Rin said as she and Zuzu began to walk. “So, I’ve heard some strange yet promising things about this Pendulum Summoning that your boyfriend was able to invent. I, unfortunately, was at work and thus missed the duel against the Sledgehammer. So, is it true? That Pendulum Summoning is the next big thing in the world of Duel Monsters?”
“First of all, Yuya is not my boyfriend,” Zuzu bluntly said with a blush on her face, ready to get out her fan and whack Rin if she continued down this line of speaking.
“Oh, sorry. I just assumed because you remind me of my relationship with my best friend Yugo. He can have a big mouth and can act rashly. He annoys me to no end, but I still love him. Who knows, maybe someday we can be more than just friends,” Rin explained.
“That sounds… sweet. As for Pendulum Summoning, I can say that it really is an impressive form of summoning. I just wish that I could do it myself. Unfortunately, you need to have Pendulum cards in order to do so and Yuya and Pinkie Pie are the only people with these cards,” Zuzu said with a small frown.
“Well, don’t worry. Maybe soon someone will make some Pendulum cards and you will be able to pull off a Pendulum Summon,” Rin tried to cheer up Zuzu.
“Thanks, Rin. Looks like we’re almost at the Leo Institute. I guess you can see this Pendulum Summon for yourself soon enough.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“On behalf of my fellow students, welcome to the Leo Institute of Dueling,” Sylvio said as Tate, Allie, Pinkie Pie and Frederick looked excited upon seeing how grand the institute was on the inside, while Lulu, Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Yuya were more confused. Still, they figured it was hard to blame the kids for their excitement, seeing as how the institute had many accommodations for the students, all of whom seemed to enjoy themselves. “As you probably know, the Institute is managed by the Leo Corporation. They’ve spared no expense to turn our school into one of the world’s top dueling institutions. Yes, we have only the best.”
“This place produced lots of champions,” Tate informed his friends.
“I know. That’s why they’re the top of the top,” Frederick agreed.
“I heard that they have the best equipment here, too,” Allie commented.
“Wow. Sounds like this Leo Institute is a big name school,” Spike was impressed in spite of himself.
“True, but we’re even better than this school, Spike,” Rainbow Dash whispered to Spike.
“Our faculty always says that if you want to achieve excellence, you must surround yourself with excellence,” Sylvio said.
“It’s just like at You Show, but we surround ourselves with mediocrity,” Allie commented, though Lulu was uncertain how to feel about this.
“I’ve heard that You Show’s an okay school,” Sylvio commented, though he gave a disgusted look when no one was looking, which Rainbow Dash noticed.
“Hey! I saw that!” Rainbow protested.
“Oh, sorry about that. I just ate some bad curry earlier,” Sylvio apologized. “Just make sure you don’t make the same mistake again.”
“Yeah, Dashie! I know you don’t want to trust Sylvio and all, but maybe you should at least give him the benefit of the doubt!” Pinkie Pie called out her friend.
“Fine. I’ll at least try to be nice to him,” Rainbow grumbled reluctantly.
“I have to admit this place has a lot of things our school can’t offer,” Yuya said as he looked at a list of classes. “Their classes are unbelievable. You can learn Xyz Summoning, Synchro Summoning-- Whoa! They even teach Fusion Summoning.” At this, four young adults and teens, one male holding a sucker and the other three females with weird looking hair, stopped and looked back at Yuya for a few seconds. Before starting to walk away. Yuya noticed them, however, and wasn’t sure what to make of these people. However, before he could be left wondering Lulu interrupted his thinking. 
“Um, Yuya? Sylvio found the dueling court for us,” Lulu called out.
“Yeah! The center dueling zone is this way,” Sylvio said, pointing to the left.
Meanwhile, Spike, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie were shocked, having seen the group and realized that they were familiar to them.
“Twilight? Is that really her?” Spike asked the other two, nearly in tears of joy at having seen his sister.
“I think so. You guys go check and make sure it is her. I’ll watch Sylvio and make sure that he doesn’t pull anything funny,” Rainbow Dash suggested.
“Wait, Rainbow Dash, do you mean something funny haha or funny weird?” Pinkie Pie asked to be sure.
“The weird sort of funny,” Rainbow confirmed. “Now, get going.”
And so, the group headed into the dueling zone, with the three kids looking amazed at what they saw.
“Unglaublich!” Frederick yelled, amazed. “This is the coolest dueling zone I ever saw!”
Suddenly, three young teens around Sylvio’s age approached the group. “Hey!” One of them greeted.
“These gents have also become big fans of yours. They’re curious about the cards you use to Pendulum Summon. You wouldn’t mind letting them have a look, would you?” Sylvio asked politely.
“Show them my cards?” Yuya asked uncertainly.
“Red flag,” Rainbow whispered as she tried to enter the Duel Field, only for a staff member to prevent her from getting in.
“No need to worry, they’re best buds with me,” Sylvio reassured.
“Do you think we should trust them, Yuya? After all, something feels off about this situation,” Lulu asked.
“I...um...I...um,” Yuya was conflicted.
“Come on, Yuya! Even if you give the cards to us, you can simply take them back even if we are jerks. Isn't that right, Ruri?” Sylvio asked.
At this, Lulu started to lose her faith in this young man. Sylvio was clearly only interested in Yuya for his cards and nothing else. And, if her hunch was right, they planned on stealing them! “Yuya…”
“Don’t do it!” Rainbow Dash tried to call out, also knowing where this was going.
“Well, okay,” Yuya reluctantly agreed as he got out Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician from his pocket. “Here they--,” At this, Sylvio snatched both of the cards.
“See?” Sylvio said as he showed the cards to his friends.
“Amazing!” One of the friends yelled.
“That’s radical!” Another guy yelled.
“So, I can Pendulum Summon with these cards?” the third friend asked. At this, the three friends got excited and started to grab the cards only for Sylvio to take them back.
“Gentlemen, please. You can’t have these Pendulum cards, they aren’t yours…” Sylvio said with a manic grin as he looked at Yuya. “They’re mine. I’m adding them to my rare card collection!”
“Huh?!” Yuya was shocked.
“I knew there was something off about you!” Lulu yelled. “Give those cards back right now!”
“Yeah! Or else you’ll have to answer to me!” Rainbow Dash yelled from the outside of the arena as she prepared her duel disk.
“No. These cards now belong to me. I happen to prefer rare cards. In my opinion, they’re the only cards that are worth collecting. Yuya, your cards are so unique that I simply can’t resist them,” Sylvio explained. “Still, there is another reason I invited you here. Naturally, I need to learn how to use these cards. You still want Yuya to show you how to Pendulum Summon, right?” Sylvio asked his friends, who all confirmed that they wanted to see a Pendulum Summon. “That’s why I reserved the main Duel Zone for our showdown,” Sylvio put on and prepared his duel disk.
“Well, you’re gonna have to call and cancel,” Yuya refused.
“Agreed. The only place you’ll be seeing a Pendulum Summon is from inside a detention room once we tell the staff about what you’ve done!” Rainbow Dash threatened.
“Excuse me? After I went to all this trouble? You better snap to it,” Sylvio said as he grabbed Yuya’s goggles and snapped them against Yuya’s face. “I don’t wanna get rough so I suggest you get your head in the game and your deck in order. Oh, and somebody do tell the rainbow haired tomboy that the staff here will answer to me before her.”
Suddenly, Sylvio’s duel disk beeped, with Claude being on the other line. “Dueling wasn’t part of the plan. You were ordered to retrieve the cards and bring them to us immediately.”
Sylvio scoffed at this. “That was your plan. But my priorities are a little different, understand? I plan to keep these rare cards for myself.”
“Do not try to defy us!” Claude yelled. “Report to us immediately with the cards-,”
“No, let him be,” Declan shot out as he entered the observation room.
“Mr. President.”
“Do not interfere with Sylvio.”
“Now, let’s get on with it,” Sylvio said, snapping as he did so. In an instant, the three kids were grabbed by Sylvio’s friends.
“Wait. You’re now taking the others captive too?!” Lulu snarled angrily. 
“Yeah! Sylvio, tell them to let my friends go!” Yuya demanded.
“Don’t worry. Your friends are perfectly safe-- at least they are for the moment, until our duel gets underway,” Sylvio said with a sneer.
“What do you mean?” Yuya and Lulu demanded as Sylvio’s friends held the three kids hostage on a white marked part of the Action Field.
“You’ll see. By the way, I have something for you,” Sylvio said as he got a stack of cards out of his jacket and threw them to the ground. “I’m offering these in exchange for your Pendulum cards. I knew you’d like them, Yuya, because they’re worthless, like you!” Sylvio proceeded to laugh like a madman at his own comment.
“No card’s worthless,” Yuya commented sadly, yet determined.
“Yuya’s right. Any card can be useful if you use them right!” Lulu also disagreed with Sylvio. 
“I speak from experience. I know people that would disagree massively with your statement and prove you wrong all at once!” Rainbow Dash called out.
“Yeah. But this isn’t exactly a fair trade,” Yuya said as he picked up and looked over the cards. 
“Yeah! I’d like to make a suggestion,” Lulu said.
“So, Sakaki’s gal pal wants to butt into our business. Very well. What do you want?” Sylvio asked.
“Duel me in addition to Yuya! If you don’t want to play fair in this situation, then why should we not work together to make things more fair?” Lulu suggested.
“Hmm. I would like to embarrass more than one Duelist. Very well, you have a deal. I’ll even let you go first,” Sylvio agreed.
“Ruri…,” Yuya tried to not get Lulu involved.
“Trust me, Yuya. I know what I’m doing,” Lulu reassured.
Meanwhile with Claude and Declan...
“Are you sure about this, sir?” Claude asked Declan in the surveillance room.
“I am. Allow him to proceed,” Declan answered.
“Now I’ll select an Action Field. Let’s hope your pals aren’t scared of heights, because my choice of field will take them all sky high! I choose Prison Tower of Darkville!” Sylvio announced as the Action Field formed. A dark and massive city formed with a bridge at the center of the field, with the trio of Allie, Tate, and Frederick being trapped at the top of a tower bridge. “It would be a waste to have a Prison Tower without prisoners, don’t you think?”
Meanwhile, Yuya jumped from rooftop to rooftop in order to try and get to his friends, but to no avail. “Hang on, guys! Don’t panic! I’ll get you down!”
“Don’t worry! I’ll deal with Sylvio while you focus on saving the others,” Lulu suggested.
“Right!” Yuya agreed.
“Okay, Sylvio, I’ll go first! I start by summoning Lyrilusc-Turquoise Warbler (100 Attack)! I was able to special summon her because I control no monsters. Next, I’ll special summon Lyrilusc-Sapphire Swallow (100 Attack) thanks to her ability and also summon Lyrilusc-Cobalt Sparrow(0 Attack)! Now, I’ll use these three to build the Overlay Network! I Xyz summon Lyrilusc-Assembled Nightingale (0 Attack->600 Attack)!” Lulu played. “Thanks to my Nightingale’s effect, my monster gains 200 attack points for every Overlay Unit she has! I place two cards facedown and end my turn.”
Sylvio was shocked at the move, before proceeding to laugh at how Lulu was only able to summon a weak monster. “Seriously? You claim that you are capable of defeating me yet you play a weak monster, even if it is an Xyz monster?! Beating you will be no effort. However, before I defeat you, I think I’ll go and get the secrets of Pendulum Summoning from Yuya.” At this, Sylvio ran to look for Yuya while Lulu tried to chase after him.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pinkie Pie and Spike looked around to see if they could find Twilight, Starlight, and “Trixie.” They spent a good few minutes looking before they finally found the group, and indeed Twilight, Starlight, and “Trixie” were indeed present. 
Pinkie Pie jumped and enveloped the trio in a hug. “Twilight! Starlight! Trixie! It’s so good to see you guys!”
“We’ve missed you all a lot,” Spike said as he hugged Twilight.
“We’ve missed you guys too. So, what brings you to the Leo Corporation anyway?” Twilight asked the duo as they broke up their hug, with “Trixie” looking annoyed.
“Oh, we’re here to see a friend of ours pull off a Pendulum Summon in front of his friends,” Spike answered. “What are you guys doing here?”
Twilight’s smile disappeared at this, being sad that she had to lie to two of her friends about what she and the others were doing here. “Well, you see…”
“We were looking here to see if we could find you guys. After all, where best to find strong Duelists like you guys than at a duel school?” Starlight improvised a lie as Twilight mouthed a thank you.
“Well, if you think this school is the best, then you should definitely see the You Show school. It teaches one how to be a dueltainer!” Pinkie Pie yelled excitedly, much to the annoyance of many Leo students.
“Really? Well, maybe you can show us the school as soon as we’re done here,” Twilight suggested.
“Hold on. What makes the two of you certain that You Show is where to be? There are other schools, you know. Also, what is a Pendulum Summon?” Sora finally asked, having kept out of this conversation up until now.
“Trixie agrees with Sora! Tell us what we want to know now!” “Trixie” yelled threateningly.
“Um, Trixie, are you okay? You seem to be more irritable than normal,” Starlight asked in concern.
“Irritable is an understatement,” Spike whispered to himself.
“Oh, a Pendulum Summon is a new summoning method that allows one to summon multiple higher level monsters at once!” Pinkie Pie explained.
“Interesting. Mind if we duel so I can see it for myself?” Sora asked like an excited kid.
“Sure! I’d like to have a nice duel!” Pinkie agreed.
“Hold on, Sora. Trixie would like to duel against the bubbly one. Besides, Trixie would like to get back at her for her earlier death grip,``''Trixie” said as she prepared her duel disk.
“Wait, you mean a hug?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“Hold on, Trixie! I want to be the one to challenge this Pinkie Pie! Why can’t you just stay out of my way?!” Sora demanded.
“Look, just let me challenge her and Trixie will be willing to buy you another of those “lollipops,”” “Trixie” suggested.
“Well, that sounds sweet. Okay, but you’ll have to buy me multiple candies later,” Sora finally agreed.
“Alright then, let’s duel!” Pinkie Pie called out.
“I’ll go first. I summon my Lunalight Blue Cat to the field in attack mode (1600 Attack)! Then, I’ll place a card facedown and end my turn,``''Trixie” played.
“Wait! Lunalight? But, Trixie, you don’t have that in your deck!” Starlight yelled out.
“I agree! I should have realized sooner, but you aren’t really Trixie, are you? Who are you really?” Twilight demanded.
“Hm. So you guys aren’t quite as dim as Trixie claimed you’d be. Very well then, my name is Celina, and I’m the best duelist to have come out of my school. Trixie agreed to swap places with me and agreed to let me come in her place. She said she wanted to check out our school,” The Trixie double, named Celina, revealed.
“So, Trixie is back at your home then? Well, why did you come with us on this mission?” Starlight asked.
“Simple. I want to prove myself to my classmates and the Professor. And, coming here will hopefully help me with that. Now, if you are all done getting in my way, I have a duel to win,” Celina said.
“Um, can someone please explain to me what this Celina girl is talking about?” Spike asked the others.
“I’m afraid I can’t, Spike,” Twilight said apologetically. 
“Well, either way, let’s make this duel a fun one! I draw! I’ll use Stargazer Magician(1) and Timegazer(8) Magician in order to set the Pendulum Scale! We’ll be having a blast starting now! I can summon monsters from between levels 2 through 7 all at once! Now, come on out Performapal Sword Fish(600 Defense) and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (2500 Attack)!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
“Whoa! What is this? Is this Pendulum Summoning?” Twilight asked, amazed and shocked all at once.
“Yes, it is. You see, by placing scales between certain numbers, you can summon monsters whose levels are between the scale numbers once per turn,” Spike explained.
“I-I don’t believe it,” Twilight muttered.
“Believe it Twilight! Now, once per turn, I can have Performapal Sword Fish lower a monster’s attack and defense by 600 until the end phase. So, go ahead and lower Blue Cat’s points by 600, buddy! Nice! Now, I’ll have Odd-Eyes attack your Blue Cat! Spiral Flame Strike!” Pinkie Pie yelled out.
“Not so fast! I play the trap card Lunalight Barrier. With it, in exchange for my monster’s attack points going to zero, I can equip this card to my Blue Cat and prevent her from being destroyed in battle! (Celina-1500 LP)”
“Wow! That was impressive there, Cece! You should really be carefully there, seeing as how you’re low on Life Points. I’ll end my turn with a facedown,” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully.
“Very well. It’s my move! I summon out Lunalight White Rabbit. With her ability, I can return a spell or trap on the field to the owner’s hand. So say goodbye to your trap card! Now, I play the spell Polymerization! With it, I’ll fuse the reflexes of a fierce feline with the magical tricks of a hopping rabbit in order to create a new lunar legend! Emerge, Lunalight Cat Dancer (2400 Attack)!”
“A fusion summon on the second turn? Impressive,” Spike was impressed.
“If you think that was impressive then you’ve seen nothing yet! I play the spell Lunalight Perfume! With it, I can revive a Lunalight monster from my graveyard, and I choose Lunalight Blue Cat! Next, I activate my monster’s special ability! When Blue Cat is revived from the graveyard, I can double the attack points of another Lunalight monster for one turn, and I choose Cat Dancer (4800 Attack)!”
“Yikes! Looks like Pinkie Pie will be saying goodbye to Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!” Spike yelled, getting worried.
“Hold on. Remember that Pinkie still has full Life Points. Even if she loses her monster, she’ll still remain in this duel and hopefully turn things around,” Twilight pointed out.
“I’d rather you not underestimate me, Twilight. I activate Lunalight Cat Dancer’s special ability! With it, I can sacrifice a monster on my field to allow Cat Dancer to attack all monsters twice! Now, Cat Dancer, attack that Dragon and end this duel! (Pinkie Pie-0 LP) Like there was ever any doubt I would win? You did passably, but not good enough. If you ever want to stand a chance against me, you better start improving while you can,” Celina said.
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“None of this is really real, right?” Frederick asked, trying to calm his fears.
“The ARC system here is fully interactive, so if we fall, it will feel real enough,” Tate answered, confirming his friend’s fears.
“I think it’s better if we don’t test it out!” Frederick said.
“I’m coming guys!” Yuya called out as he noticed Sylvio and stopped.
“You want to save your friends? Then give me what I want. Duel me now. Just like your friend is,” Sylvio said.
“Leave him alone! This is our duel, not his!” Lulu yelled out.
“This is his duel! After all, he wants to save his friends and I want to learn to Pendulum Summon! We both have something to gain here,” Sylvio countered.
“All right then,” Yuya agreed bitterly as he got out his Duel Disk and activated it, putting Block Spider into his deck before shuffling.
“We’re going to duel until I learn what I need to. And after that, I’ll crush you both!” Sylvio cried out.
“Now, you’re gonna show us how to Pendulum Summon!” One of Sylvio’s friends yelled.
“Sylvio already snagged your precious Pendulum cards,” Another friend said.
“And next he’s gonna pick your puny brain!” His third friend yelled as all three of them posed.
“He's right. I plan on becoming a Pendulum Master, and you’ll be my teacher, Yuya!” Sylvio demanded as Yuya was entered into the duel.
“Battle royal mode engaged,” A computer said.
“All right, it’s show time!” Yuya yelled as he ran past Sylvio and up some stairs up to the rooftops. “Performapal Whip Snake, whip into shape (1700 Attack)! Quick-- let’s swing into action!” Yuya swung from one rooftop to another by using Whip Snake as a rope. “Your move, Sylvio.”
“Run, twerp,” Sylvio said as he drew his card.
“I won’t let you stop him!” Lulu yelled as she tried to confront Sylvio.
“Please! You may be a part of this duel, but I have business with Yuya!” Sylvio reminded as he looked over his hand and noticed that Timegazer Magician was in it. “Perfect.” Sylvio was ready to play Timegazer until he was interrupted by Declan.
“No. It’s not time for that card yet,” Declan commanded.
“Listen, I don’t know who you are, but don’t interfere!” Sylvio yelled. 
“You will obey me,” Declan demanded.
“Wait. Who are you talking to?” Lulu wondered, having heard Sylvio’s conversation with Declan.
“Even if I knew I wouldn’t tell you. Still, no matter. I’ll save this monster for the final blow. Instead I’ll pick something to give my game a little lift,” Sylvio said as he switched cards. “Lightning Hoverboard (1400 Attack)!” Sylvio jumped onto Lightning Hoverboard and chased after Yuya, leaving Lulu to grab onto her Nightingale’s legs and chase after him. Soon, both caught up to Yuya. “You aren’t going to save your friends this way, Yuya. In fact, you’re only going to get them into deeper danger.”
“He’s going to save them! Besides, your monster is weaker than Yuya’s! You don’t stand a chance!” Lulu reminded.
Yuya swung up onto a lower part of the bridge as he was looking for an Action Card. “Gotta be here someplace. I knew it-- an Action Card!” Yuya ran for the card that he had noticed. However, upon grabbing it, he noticed that it was a trap. “It’s a trap!” 
Suddenly, Sylvio appeared on Yuya’s Duel Disk communication feature. “Indeed it is, and it just snared you. Rack ‘em up, Break Shot!” Sylvio yelled as many giant pool balls rolled across the bridge and into Yuya. Yuya ended up on top of one of the balls while Whip Snake was flattened. “Tough break for you. That trap just squashed 900 attack points out of your snake (800 Attack). Mm-mm, mmm… That’s a newbie mistake. Whenever you pick up an Action Card there’s always an element of risk. And you’re not out of trouble yet.”
“What? What do you mean?” Yuya asked as he rolled across the bridge.
“I’ll give you one clue. That ball you’re on doesn’t have any brakes, and you could use some right now,” Sylvio joked.
Yuya realized too late that he was going to ram into the tower wall. Upon hitting the wall, the tower where Tate, Allie, and Frederick were on fell over, with the three kids holding on for dear life not to fall off.
“They need help!” Yuya yelled.
“I know. But you’ve got your own problems, namely… my Lightning Hoverboard! It’s gonna light up your snake! Shock it to him!” Sylvio yelled.
“Hold on! I activate my trap card Waboku! With it, I can prevent the destruction of Yuya’s monster and reduce the damage to zero,” Lulu countered Sylvio’s attack.
“Nice try, Ruri, but no dice! I activate Lightning Hoverboard’s special ability! With it, I can negate a trap card and destroy it once per battle phase! Then you take 800 points of damage! (Lulu-3200 LP)” Sylvio stopped the trap.
“How can you sleep at night when you willingly harm innocent people?” Lulu demanded to know in response to Sylvio's callousness. 
“Hey, it’s not like they’re going to die,” Sylvio responded as his monster’s attack continued.
“I can’t outrun ‘em. Great an Action Card!” Yuya was relieved to see another Action Card, only to realize that it was another trap. “Oh no, not again.”
“Nice work! You found another treacherous trap-- Jump Shot! Hey Whip Snake, catch!” Sylvio joked as Whip Snake was flattened by another pool ball. Whip Snake’s attack points lowered to 400 and then he was destroyed by Lightning Hoverboard (Yuya-3000 LP). “Better luck next duel. Come on. You’d better get on “the ball,” Yuya and Ruri, before you find yourself under it. I place one card facedown and end my turn.” Much to both Duelist’s horror, the ball rose into the air before falling and breaking the bridge apart, with the three kids being even more scared.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At this point, Zuzu and Rin arrived at the Leo Institute. 
“So, what do you think that Sylvio guy was up to? It seems weird that someone we don’t even know would be willing to take us into their school like this. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just being irrational and jealous. What do you think, Rin?” Zuzu asked Rin’s opinion.
“I’m not sure. I’ve met people that pretend to be nice only to take advantage of others' kindness for their own gain. I believe that he is likely tricking the others. However, we can always stop them if too much trouble occurs,” Rin explained. 
“Then we should find the Action Field as soon as possible so that no one gets hurt!” Zuzu yelled. “The only question is where is it?” Zuzu and Luna looked around to try and find the Action Field. After a few minutes of searching, the duo ran into a woman with tanish skin and dressed in yellow and blue who was looking over her deck.
“Excuse me. We’re looking for our friends and we are in need of some assistance. Do you know where the Action Field is?” Zuzu politely asked the woman.
“It’s up ahead and to the right. You can’t miss it,” The woman bluntly answered.
“Thanks,” Rin said. “We appreciate it.”
“Yeah, whatever,” The woman grumbled as she went back to looking over her deck.
After a minute of searching, they noticed that the Action Field was active and that their friends were in trouble.
“I knew it! That Sylvio guy was just trying to mess with us!” Zuzu yelled, ready to get out her fan.
“Why are Tate, Allie, and Frederick stuck on top of that tower like that?! We need to save them! Before they fall off and die!” Rin yelled.
“Right!” Zuzu agreed. 	As they began to try and enter the arena, the duo was stopped by another woman that looked like them, Celina.
“Wait, what?! I thought it was a lot to know that Trixie looked like me, but seriously?! Two more lookalikes?! What are you both doing here?!” Celina demanded.
“Listen, whoever you are, we don’t know what is happening any more than you do. We’d rather just go and help our friends before they get hurt!” Zuzu yelled as she headed for the duel arena.
“Lies! You must know what is going on! How about this? We’ll duel right here and now, just like how I dueled that Pinkie Pie girl. After the duel, you can do whatever it was you are doing, but if I win you better explain to me the truth!” Celina gave the ultimatum.
“Zuzu…,” Rin was uncertain as to what to say as she didn’t want to insult the lookalike, but also was unhappy with how she was getting in their way.
“You’re on!” Zuzu agreed as she prepped her duel disk.
“I’ll just look at the duel from here. Nobody, acknowledge me or anything,” Sora said as he stood next to Rainbow Dash, who was standing at the seating for the duel arena, with the others following suit.
“Um, who are you?” Rainbow asked.
“Name’s Sora. I’m going to watch the duel between Cece and the girl with a similar bracelet while also seeing the other duel in the arena. What about you?” Sora asked.
“I’m here to make sure my friends remain safe! And, unfortunately, I’ve been forced to the sidelines and unable to help them!” Rainbow yelled.
“Come on! It can’t be that bad, Dashie!” Pinkie yelled.
“Pinkie… our friends are being held at the top of an unstable tower. I’d say they are in trouble,” Rainbow bitterly noted.
No one knew what to say, being too horrified knowing that their friends and potential friends could die and there was nothing they could do about it.
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“I should take those whiners down, but I won’t-- not yet. That tower will stand till Yuya teaches me to Pendulum Summon,” Sylvio said.
At this, Yuya climbed back up to the pillar he was holding on to, noticing that his friends were holding on tight to remain on the tower. “I have to find a way to help them.”
“Then show me how to Pendulum Summon. And if you do, I may save your friends,” Sylvio repeated his ultimatum. 
“I can save them!” Yuya yelled.
“Yeah! We can! I activate my facedown trap Xyz Layerer! With it, I can add another Overlay Unit onto my Lyrilusc-Assembled Nightingale (800 Attack)! Now, I’ll have her attack you directly, Sylvio! (Sylvio-3200 LP),” Lulu played.
“You’ll pay for that attack, soon enough," Sylvio growled.
"Well, not anytime soon! Especially with my Nightingale's ability! With it, I can have her attack you directly multiple times, equal to her number of Overlay Units!" Lulu explained.
"What?!" Sylvio was angry and shocked.
"That's right! Now, take on another attack from my Assembled Nightingale!" Lulu cried out.
"Not so fast! I play my trap Striker Defender! If I control a monster and you attack me directly, I can negate any attack from your attacking monster and put an end to your battle phase. Even better, you can't attack again until this card leaves the field," Sylvio said with a grin.
"I-I end my turn," Lulu said.
"You have managed to deal me some damage. But, no matter. Yuya, it’s your turn. And another opportunity to teach me to Pendulum Summon is coming up,” Sylvio said.
“I’ll save them myself! I can’t get to them by foot, do it’s time to H-two-go with Performapal Skeeter Skimmer (500 Attack)! I’ll get there as fast as I can, guys,” Yuya said as he jumped on top of Skeeter Skimmer and moved across the water.
“I’ve toyed with this twerp for long enough. No more Mr. Nice Guy,” Sylvio said as he motioned throwing a dart. “Since he won’t cooperate, I’ll set him in my sights. You’re sunk, Yuya.” At this, Sylvio drew a card. 
“You have drawn well, Sylvio,” Declan said.
“Ooh, must be my lucky day. I don’t need this Lightning Hoverboard anymore. I’ll tribute it so that I can activate the spell Tribute Trade. I can add a monster to my hand as long as it’s one level higher than the monster I just tributed. Stargazer Magician, I hope you’re ready to work some magic,” Sylvio said aloud.
“He’s using my Pendulum card?” Yuya was shocked.
“I see that finally got your attention. You know what’s coming next, of course.”
“You need two cards to pull off a Pendulum Summon, Sylvio.”
At this, Sylvio chuckled.
“I guess the creep has the other card, huh?” Lulu asked.
“Correct, young lady. I’ve planned ahead thanks to my little friend. I’ve had Timegazer from the start of the duel, in fact! So, you refused to show me how to Pendulum Summon, but so what? If someone as lame as you can do it, anyone can pull it off,” Sylvio said as he laughed aloud. “And I bet I’ll do it so much better.”
“The first step is to set the Pendulum Cards. Do exactly as you’re told. You will start with Scale One Stargazer Magician,” Declan commanded.
“If you insist. For my first move, I select Scale One Stargazer Magician,” Sylvio said.
“Can he really do it? I thought Pinkie Pie and I were the only ones,” Yuya said, starting to get worried.
“You will also use your Scale Eight Timegazer Magician,” Declan continued. 
“And my Scale Eight Timegazer Magician,” Sylvio said, repeating what Declan said.
“And next, I’ll set the Pendulum Scale,” Both Declan and Sylvio said at once as Sylvio placed the two cards on his duel disk and the magicians appeared. “Pendulum Summon!”
“Monsters emerge! Allow me to introduce Power Dart Striker (LV 5/1800 Attack), along with its colleague, Rocket Dart Striker (LV 6/1900 Attack), and the most powerful of my trio, Ultimate Dart Striker (LV 7/ 2400 Attack)!” Sylvio yelled out before he started laughing. “Incredible! I actually did it, on my first try. Oh, thank you for the cards, Yuya. Now I truly am a Pendulum Master.”
“No way. It worked,” Yuya was shocked.
“I can’t believe it. He actually got it to work,” Lulu was similarly surprised.
“Well done, Sylvio. Now, take aim and strike Yuya down,” Declan said.
> Trade Bait Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I’ll take the first turn! I summon Aria the Melodious Diva (1600 Attack)! I place one card facedown and end my turn. You go, now,” Zuzu played.
“So, I take it that Zuzu uses a musician based deck?” Starlight asked the others.
“Yeah, and she’s very good. She defeated Yuya and me multiple times!” Pinkie Pie cheerfully complimented.
“True. But she had the benefit of not having to deal with Pendulum Summoning during those duels,” Spike reminded.
“Also, this Celina girl knows what she’s doing. Pinkie Pie may not look it, but she’s a talented duelist. For her to lose to this Celina girl means big trouble,” Twilight warned.
“Come on! Zuzu can still win this! She’ll pull out a victory against her yet, you’ll see!” Rin yelled encouragingly.
“Um, who are you?” Starlight asked, not quite knowing who this girl was.
“Oh, I’m a friend of Rua’s. I’m here to see your pal’s Pendulum Summon,” Rin answered.
“Well, okay,” Spike awkwardly accepted.
“Very well. It’s my turn now! I play the spell card Double Summon in order to normal summon twice this turn. I summon Lunalight Blue Cat(1600 Attack) and Lunalight Purple Butterfly(1000 Attack)! Now, I’ll have my Blue Cat attack and destroy your Aria!” Celina yelled.
“I’m afraid that you’ve miscalculated. Both our monsters have the same number of attack points. They’ll just destroy each other.”
“I’m aware of that. This allows for me to leave you with a clear field and attack you directly! Go, Lunalight Purple Butterfly!” Celina yelled out. (Zuzu-3000 LP) “Now, I place one card facedown and end my turn. Your move, my copy.”
“Well, looks like I pegged this girl right. There really is no chance of her winning against Celina,” Sora said to himself.
“What do you mean by that?” Starlight and Rin demanded.
“Well, you see, where I come from Celina is a very talented Duelist. In fact, I doubt very many people would stand a chance against her, not even your friend,” Sora explained.
“Looks like I was right. There is little chance of this Zuzu winning,” Twilight said sadly.
“We’ll just see about that. Zuzu can win this!” Rainbow Dash said.
“Yeah! The duel is still early! Zuzu can still pull out a win!” Rin cheered.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“It worked?” Yuya was shocked to see that someone other than him could Pendulum Summon.
“I got three monsters, just like that! Pendulum Summoning is sweet!” Sylvio said as he laughed maniacally. “I’ve become the most powerful duelist in the world!”
“No you’re not! That honor would go to Shay or Yuto!” Lulu countered, blushing as she said Yuto’s name.
“Will you be quiet?! Anyway, now that I can Pendulum Summon on my own, I think I’ll use that power to finish you both off! You’ll both make easy targets for my Dart Strikers! Power Dart Striker, I’ll let you do the honors! Blast Yuya’s Skeeter Skimmer out of the water!” Sylvio commanded.
“Skeeter Skimmer, let’s move it!” Yuya cried out as his monster tried to avoid Sylvio’s onslaught. Eventually, he saw an Action Card. However, remembering what happened the last times he grabbed one on this field, he decided against it. 
“Good move, Yuya. We don’t know how dangerous that card could have been,” Lulu said.
“Well, I see you finally managed to learn something after all, Sakaki. But there’s nothing you can do to save yourself,” Sylvio pointed out.
“My Skeeter Skimmer’s schemier than you think! By switching to defense mode, it can deflect your Darts so they miss their mark (1600 Defense)!” Yuya played.
“Perfect! Yuya was able to avoid Sylvio’s attack!” Lulu cheered.
“That bug’s really starting to bug me! Good thing, I have two more Dart Strikers eager for target practice! Rocket Dart Striker, fire when ready! Torpedo that Skeeter Skimmer!” Yuya’s Skeeter Skimmer was destroyed by the attack, in spite of Yuya’s attempts to avoid it. Yuya yelled as he fell into the water, while Sylvio laughed. “I just sunk your bug boat, twerp! And now, Ultimate Dart Striker will sink you. Ultimate Dart Striker, attack Yuya directly! Dart Destruction!” Yuya was blasted out of the water by Sylvio’s attack (Yuya-600 LP). Meanwhile, the bridge got even more unstable, with Frederick barely being able to hold on. “I’ll end my turn now. Then I’ll give you one last chance to beg me for mercy. It’s the only possible way you can save yourself and your friends.”
“Don’t listen to him, Yuya! Let’s go on and find a way to win this duel,” Lulu said, trying to help.
“I can’t trust that creep to free the others! But how am I supposed to put up a fight, when Sylvio’s holding my go-to cards? I wish my Dad were here to help me come up with an answer!” Yuya thought.
“Try to laugh when you feel like crying. And when things get tough… respond with a smile. It will give you the strength to keep moving forward!”
Yuya started to get back up, laughing as he did so. “You’re about to lose and your laughing? I guess it makes sense ‘cause your dueling has been pretty hysterical. So far, you and Ruri have been dueling pretty poorly,” Sylvio mocked.
“I’m not gonna let this guy rock my confidence!” “It’s showtime!” Yuya was prepared to make his move.
“Hold on, Yuya! Remember that I have to make a move first. I draw! I play the spell card Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two cards,” Lulu yelled as she drew a spell card called Lyrilusc Burst. “Lyrilusc Burst can allow me to increase my monster’s attack points by 1000 for every Overlay Unit she has. However, I can’t do anything until Sylvio’s trap is destroyed. But my trap card on the other hand...” Lulu thought before saying, “I end my turn with a facedown.”
“Hm! Couldn’t make much of a move, could you!?” Sylvio mocked.
“Hey! That card could prove to be your undoing for all you know!” Rainbow Dash yelled from the sidelines.
“Grr. Will you be quiet, loser? I am in the middle of dominating this duel here!” Sylvio yelled as Rainbow stuck out her tongue in anger.
“I draw!” Yuya drew the card Block Spider. “I summon the web weaving Block Spider (0 Attack)!”
“That eight legged loser is as pathetic and weak as you are. If you’re trying to intimidate me, you failed miserably. Go ahead and attack me,” Sylvio joked with a small laugh. 
“In a few seconds, you’re gonna regret you ever gave me this card, Sylvio,” Yuya said back.
“That was one of my cards? I don’t even remember having it in my deck,” Sylvio said.
“Block Spider can spin a protective web that’ll shield any monsters I have from being attacked!”
“That might be useful if you actually had any other monsters on your field… but it’s all alone.”
“Not for long! First, I have to switch Block Spider into defense mode (100 Defense)! That’ll let me activate my spell Mimiclay! A famous magician conjured up Mimiclay so he could make exact replicas of anything he desired! As a spell card, it can morph itself into any monster on the field… and not just in appearance, it also gains the same abilities of the monster it copies!”
“So you’re going to replicate one of my Dart monsters, is that it?”
“Sorry, but you’re a bit off the mark. I’m using Mimiclay to duplicate… the monster on my field!”
“Block Spider?!”
“That’s right, Sylvio! And here’s another shocker! The newly copied monster is automatically summoned to my field (0 Defense).”
“So now you have two worthless web weaving weaklings instead of just one.”
“No… Block Spider’s a lot tougher than you think! When there’s two of them they can do this… Block Lock! Now your three Dart Strikers aren’t able to attack me!”
“Looks like this Yuya guy is better than I initially gave credit. He may be able to turn this duel around,” Sora thought.
“How could I let those lousy cards ground my monsters!” Sylvio growled.
“Hey, it serves you right for all that you’ve done, Sylvio!” Rainbow Dash yelled out.
“Will you be quiet?! I need to concentrate!” Sylvio yelled, getting annoyed with Rainbow’s yelling.
“He may think these cards are useless, but I know they’ll come through for me.” Yuya thought. “I’ll place one card facedown and end my turn. It’s your move!”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“You’re tough, Celina, but I’ll find a way to make this duel swing my way! My turn! I play the spell card Monster Reborn! With it, I can revive a monster from either of our graveyards. I choose to revive Aria the Melodious Diva(1600 Attack)! Next, since I control a Melodious monster, I can special summon Sonata the Melodious Diva in attack mode (1200 Attack)!” Zuzu cried out.
“Hmm. So, you aren’t that bad for a copy of mine. However, don’t believe that you can win so easily with monsters like those!” Celina pointed out.
“Maybe you’ll change your mind when you see Sonata’s special ability! When she is special summoned, she can increase the attack of all Melodious monsters by 500 (Aria-2100 Attack) (Sonata-1700 Attack)!”
“You know, Cece, as surprising as it will be to say this, I think you might be in a bit of trouble right now,” Sora commented, his attention split between both duels going on. “I’ll watch with anticipation how you turn this around.”
“See? I told you that Zuzu was good! She’s going to win this duel and make a spectacle at the same time!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
“Agreed! Celina will need a bigtime monster to win at this point!” Rin agreed.
“I wouldn’t count your chickens before they hatch you two…,” Starlight warned.
“Yeah. The duel is still far from over after all,” Spike agreed.
Celina grumbled to herself in response to Sora’s comment. “Now, Aria the Melodious Diva, attack and destroy her Lunalight Purple Butterfly! (Celina-2900 LP)” Zuzu cried out.
“I play my trap card Lunalight Reincarnation Dance! Since you destroyed my monster, I can add up to two Lunalight monsters from my deck to my hand! I choose Lunalight White Rabbit and another Lunalight Blue Cat!”
“Since my monsters are stronger than yours, I can easily defeat them on my next turn! Now, Sonata the Melodious Diva, attack Celina directly! (Celina-1200 LP) I end my turn. You won’t be keeping us from our friends much longer! So, what do you have to say, Celina?”
“I say that this duel is just about over. I draw! I play the spell card Polymerization! This will allow for me to fuse together my Lunalight White Rabbit and Lunalight Blue Cat!”
“Wait! Fusion Summon?!” Zuzu was shocked.
“Oh yeah! Celina’s a Fusion summoner! I probably should have mentioned that before you ran into the duel,” Pinkie Pie nervously noted with a nervous chuckle.
“You think?” Spike and Twilight grumbled.
“By combining the fierce reflexes of a feline with the agility of a leaping rabbit, I can create a new lunar legend! Now emerge! Lunalight Cat Dancer (2400 Attack)! I summon out another copy of Lunalight Purple Butterfly (1000 Attack)! Now, I’ll play my Cat Dancer’s special ability! By sacrificing my Purple Butterfly, I can allow for my Lunalight Cat Dancer to attack all monsters you control twice this turn!” Celina explained.
“This is going to hurt,” Zuzu commented.
“We’ll see. I now have my Cat Dancer attack and destroy your Sonata the Melodious Diva!”
“If all these attacks go through then Zuzu’s toast!” Twilight said fearfully.
“Come on! There has to be something that Zuzu can do to turn this duel around! Right guys?” Spike asked, only to see that Starlight and Twilight looked sadly.
“I play my trap card Gift of the Mystical Elf! Now I gain Life Points equal to the amount of monsters we both control multiplied by 300! (Zuzu-3900 LP)”
“You may have given yourself more Life Points, but that doesn’t mean this turn will go by that much differently! My attacks on your Sonata resume! (Zuzu-2500 LP). Now, with your Sonata destroyed, your Aria loses 500 Attack Points (Aria-1600 Attack)! Now I’ll attack your Aria twice! (Zuzu-900 LP) I place one card facedown and end my turn. I’m almost through with this duel, my copy. You’re about to see the full power of my lunar deck!”
“Maybe there is nothing I can do. After all, she has a very powerful fusion monster out on the field and I have no cards on mine,” Zuzu thought, starting to give up on defeating Celina and saving her friends.
“Don’t give up, Zuzu! She may have the advantage now, but you can still turn this duel around!” Rin tried to encourage.
“Rin is right! You can’t give up this duel now! A duel is never truly over until the last card is played! Keep it up!” Rainbow Dash agreed.
“Rin and Rainbow Dash are right! I can’t give up! I can turn this duel my way once more. I draw!” Zuzu yelled, her three monster cards glowing strangely. 
“What’s going on?” Celina demanded.
“I don’t know, but whatever it is you may be in trouble Cece,” Sora said.
“Could it be…” Twilight wondered.
“More Pendulum cards?” Spike wondered.
“Well, either way it looks like Zuzu may have reason to be happy,” Pinkie Pie said.
Zuzu’s three monster cards, Adante the Melodious Sorceress(Fairy/Level 7/Light/2000 Attack/800 Defense/Scale 1), Vibrato the Melodious Sorceress(Fairy/Level 4/Light/1300 Attack/1300 Defense/Scale 9), and Mozarta the Melodious Pendulum Maestra(Scale 5) were now Pendulum cards. “Wait. Since when do I have Pendulum cards?!” Zuzu was shocked, yet happy by this development. “I… have Pendulum cards. Looks like this duel will swing my way once again! I’ll use Scale 1 Adante and Scale 9 Vibrato to set the Pendulum Scale! My monsters are ready to swing into action! Now come on out Mozarta the Melodious Pendulum Maestra(2600 Attack)!”
“Wait! A Pendulum Summon?!” Rin, Rainbow Dash, Starlight, Twilight, Spike, Sora, and Celina were shocked to see this move. Pinkie Pie, meanwhile, looked unfazed by the move.
“Right! I can now attack your Lunalight Cat Dancer with Mozarta! And check this out! According to my card’s effect, Adante can increase a Melodious monster’s attack by 1000 when it attacks a monster with 2000 or more attack points! (3600 Attack)”
“This isn’t over yet! I play the trap card Mirror Force! With it, I can destroy all attack position monsters my opponent controls when they declare an attack! Say goodbye to Mozarta!” Celina cried out.
“That’s what you think! I activate the ability of Vibrato to negate and destroy one trap or spell card that is played during the battle phase, though only once per turn!” Zuzu countered. “Now finish this, Mozarta!” (Celina-0 LP) 
“Great, Zuzu, you won!” Pinkie Pie congratulated.
“Thanks. So, now that you’ve lost can we go now? Our friends are in need of assistance,” Zuzu pointed out.
“Fine. But tell me this. Why do you look just like me, my copy?” Celina asked Zuzu.
“To be honest, I have no idea,” Zuzu said as she ran for the duel entrance.
“I don’t know either, if I’m being honest. It looks like we may have some important role that we don’t know of or something,” Rin said.
“From the looks of it, you may not be able to enter this duel. After all, from what I’ve heard, you normally can’t enter an Action Field while a duel is in action,” Sora said.
“So what? We’re just supposed to wait and let Ruri and Yuya save our friends on their own?!” Twilight demanded.
“From the looks of it, yes,” Celina said, looking genuinely conflicted. “I’m sorry I kept you from entering in time.”
“Hey, it’s okay. After all, the duel began before you got here. We would have missed our chance to enter even if we weren’t interrupted,” Spike consoled.
“I just hope that the others will be safe,” Starlight wished.
Zuzu looked over at her friends who were in trouble. “Yuya, Ruri. Everyone, please be careful.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sylvio angrily growled. “Now I draw!” Sylvio was mad at the card he drew until Declan contacted Sylvio again. 
“According to my analysis, those two Magicians are currently Spell Cards. That may be the trick you need right now,” Declan said.
“They’re spells? They’re not monsters right now?” Sylvio asked, only for his mood to lighten and for him to laugh. “Pendulum Cards are almost as amazing as I am! I’ll use the spell Cricket Close to close out your strategy! It lets me negate the effects of one of your cards. As long as I negate two spells on my field.”
“But all you currently control is a trap card in your spell and trap card zones,” Lulu pointed out.
“Ruri is right! Better double-check your field, Sylvio. You don’t have the two spell cards you need!’ Yuya said.
“Or so  you think. My friend gave me a helpful hint. Clearly, you both haven’t understood the true potential of the Pendulum cards you “traded” away! My Magicians are treated as spell cards! Stargazer and Timegazer’s effects are negated so that cricket Close can spin into action!” At Sylvio’s words, both magicians were painfully stripped of their power and returned to being just cards. “I’ll use its power to deform your pliable pal back into a dumpy lump!”
“My Mimiclay!” Yuya was shocked.
“Aw, come on!” Rainbow Dash yelled in fury.
“Since it’s lost its effect, your Mimiclay gets sent to the graveyard! Without Mimiclay, your Block Spider is once again exposed as a third-rate monster. It’s a perfect match for you, since you’re a third-rate duelist! I finish you both and your monsters easily now!” Sylvio mocked.
“Don’t count us out yet!” Lulu yelled.
“Ruri’s right! I activate the spell Draw Muscle! It helps me muscle up a monster! Since my Block Spider has less than 1,000 defense points, I can draw one card from my deck! If I draw a monster card, I can add its defense points to strengthen my Spider’s shield! Everything depends on this draw… and I can’t hold back!” Yuya drew, seeing that he drew Performapal Kaleidoscorp. “Excellent. This might sting a little. I just drew Kaleidoscorp! It has 2300 defense points and thanks to Draw Muscle I can add those points on to my Block Spider (2400 Defense)!”
“Luck sure is on your side… but I’ll still find a way to take your Block Spider apart!” Sylvio grumbled.
“Go ahead and try! Draw Muscle has another effect that makes my Spider indestructible. So it’s safe and sound!”
“You’re trying to make me look like a fool, aren’t you?” Sylvio grumbled, only for his frown to turn into a smile. “But there’s only one fool on this field and it isn’t me.” Sylvio proceeded to laugh. “With my superior grasp of dueling, I knew you’d make a last-ditch move to save yourself. So I held back to test your defenses. Now that I’ve exposed your strategy, I can increase my onslaught accordingly!”
“What is that weasel up to?” Lulu wondered bitterly.
“I don’t know, but I doubt it’s anything good,” Twilight whispered to herself.
“I tribute Power Dart Striker and Rocket Dart Striker, which will allow me to crank up the firepower of Ultimate Dart Striker! It was already the most destructive dart dealer ever devised, but thanks to Power Dart’s special ability, Ultimate Dart Striker gains another 600 attack points (3000 Attack)! But Ultimate Dart Striker also benefits from Rocket Dart’s special ability! When it attacks a monster in defense mode, and Ultimate Striker’s attack points outweigh that monster's defense points, then the difference hits you as damage! Ultimate Dart Striker, zero in on Block Spider! Bull’s-eye Blast! You’re going out with a bang, Yuya, and your little girlfriend won’t be that far behind you!”
The flurry of missiles proceeded to knock down the three kids from their place on top of the tower due to the explosion. “Ruri, do you have anything to stop this attack or at least save the others?” Yuya asked, concerned for his friends.
“I do. It’s time to swing into action! I activate my trap Empty Fishing! It cuts the damage Yuya takes in half, so he’s still alive. But that’s not all! Two cards on the field that lost their effects are added to the hand of whoever I choose until their next End Phase!” Lulu played.
“But which two cards had their effects negated?” Sylvio was confused before he realized in shock, “My Magicians!”
“Not yours! Those Magicians belong to me! Timegazer and Stargazer, welcome back to Team Yuya!” As Yuya said this, Frederick, Allie, and Tate were falling to their doom. “My friends are in trouble! Catch them!” At this, the two magicians worked together to catch the trio and gently place them on the ground where Yuya and Lulu were. “Thanks you guys. Awesome work!” The two magicians bowed before they disappeared and the cards landed in Yuya’s hand.
“Wait! How did you, a clueless loser, like you pull that move off?” Sylvio demanded.
“It’s a little something called teamwork and putting faith into your cards,” Lulu answered.
“Well, this move will make you think twice about ever doing that again. Believing in your cards. Ha! I activate Ultimate Dart Striker’s special ability! I can summon all the Dart monsters I tributed! That’s more I like it,” Sylvio said with a grin.
“He brought his whole team back!” Tate said.
“You did get your friends down, but that’s nothing compared to how badly I’ll take you down!” Sylvio yelled.
“Sorry to cut it so close, but at least you’re okay,” Yuya said to the others.
“You timed it perfectly!” Tate responded.
“Now you can focus on beating that creep! I’ll pass this turn! It’s your move, Yuya!” Lulu said as she looked at the card she drew was Mystical Space Typhoon.
“I’ll do my best, yeah!” Yuya yelled as he drew Performapal Turn Toad. “It’s time to call on my cast of monsters! Get ready guys! We’re going lights out!” At this. All of the lights around the city went out.
“I don’t get it,” Sylvio said, confused.
“Don’t worry!” Frederick called out. “You’ll get it Sylvio.”
“Yeah and a lot sooner than you think!” Tate added on.
“Yeah! Do it! Pendulum Summon!” Sora called from his place on the sidelines, becoming more interested in this duel by the minute.
“Show him you mean business, Yuya!” Zuzu cheered.
“You got this! Just go in for the winning move!” Rainbow dash cheered.
“It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for! It’s time to swing into action and Pendulum Summon! Along with my fabulous monsters, I proudly present a very special performance! You’ll all recognize the first members of our cast, a pair of Pendulum wonder-workers…” Yuya started his routine.
“Here comes Timegazer!” Tate said, pumped up.
“And Stargazer!” Allie cheered.
“Correct! I’ll use Stargazer Magician(1) and Timegazer Magician(8) to set the Pendulum Scale! I’m taking control of this duel starting now! All right! I’m allowed to summon monsters from Level two through seven all at the same time! Swing far, Pendulum! Carve the arc of victory! My monsters are ready… to swing into action! Jump to it, Performapal Turn Toad (0 Attack)! Sting your way to victory, Performapal Kaleidoscorp (100 Attack)! Turn up the heat, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (2500 Attack)!” Yuya Pendulum Summoned.
“All right Yuya!” The three teens cheered.
“Now, you can go on the attack!” Lulu yelled out.
“Attack with those losers? Kaleidoscorp has 100 attack points. And that ridiculous Toad doesn’t have any! Challenging me with those chumps is an insult! At least Ruri’s Xyz monster had an interesting effect!” Sylvio mocked the idea of being attacked this turn.
“I trust that Yuya will have a counter for this,” Twilight said.
“They may not look like much, but these monsters have hidden talents, just like Ruri’s monster! You think we’re just a bunch of pushovers, but we’re about to prove you wrong, Sylvio. We’re not only gonna win this duel, we’re gonna do it with style! Kaleidoscorp, time to unleash some razzle-dazzle! Kaleido-light!” Yuya argued, as his monster had a beam of light come out of his stinger and hit Ultimate Dart Striker.
“What are you doing to my monster?” Sylvio asked, confused and a little worried.
“Kaleidoscorp’s special ability activates if you have monsters that were Pendulum Summoned. Luckily you Pendulum summoned Ultimate Dart Striker. So what happens next is all thanks to you!”
“What does that mean?”
“You’ll find out soon. Next, I have to select one of my Pendulum Monsters… Odd-Eyes!” Yuya selected his favorite monster as Odd-Eyes began to glow as well as Sylvio’s three monsters who has lights hit Odd-Eyes. “In a flash, Kaleidoscorp’s special ability turns Odd-Eyes into a triple threat!” At this, a red and blue Odd-Eyes formed next to the original. “It gives my Dragon the power to attack each of your monsters once!” The two copies flew around the city beautifully. “Now I’ll show you something even more eye catching… Odd-Eyes in battle! Go! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon get set to strike! Take out Ultimate Dart Striker! It’s quiz time! Quick, who can tell me Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon’s special ability?”
“That’s easy! Whenever it attacks a monster that’s Level five or above, the damage gets doubled!” Tate explained as the three kids looked on, amazed.
“Correct! And all that damage is heading one way… Heading your way, Sylvio!” Yuya yelled.
“Can we talk this over?” Sylvio nervously asked as the red Odd-Eyes copy destroyed Ultimate Dart Striker and knocked Sylvio into the water (Sylvio-3000 LP).
“Nice to see our act is making a splash! Time for an encore! Take out Rocket Dart Striker! And once again the damage is doubled!” Yuya explained as Sylvio panted after getting out of the water. Sylvio tried to run away from the attack only to be knocked over by the attack (Sylvio-1800 LP). “And now the grand finale, attack Power Dart Striker! Spiral Flame Strike! Who wants to see more double damage!”
“We do!” The others yelled.
“Well I don’t! I’m outta here!” Sylvio yelled as he tried to run. (Sylvio-400 LP) Sylvio got back up as he said, “Yuya, you managed to throw everything you have at me, but unfortunately for you… I’m still standing!”
“Guys… I don’t think Yuya has what it takes to win this,” Frederick brought up his worries.
“Relax, Frederick. If Yuya is as good as I think he is, he’ll have a way to win this duel,” Lulu comforted.
“Yeah! I bet whatever he has planned will be a real show stopper!” Tate agreed.
“You show them, Yuya!” Zuzu called out from the sidelines.
“Go for it, Yuya!” Allie cheered.
“Thanks, guys, but before I continue, let me introduce two important performers… Performapal Turn Toad and Block Spider!” Yuya said as his monsters drifted to him.
“They’re unimportant, not to mention completely powerless and ready to be squashed!” Sylvio pointed out.
“I’ve got to admit, Turn Toad and Block Spider aren’t too terrifying… if I leave them as they are. I just have to turn things around. And that’s where Turn Toad comes in! You ready to flip out? Then jump to it! May I present, the amazing Turn Toad trickeroo (0->1200 Attack).”
“How did your Block Spider suddenly gain so many attack points?”
“Turn Toad’s ability switched Block Spider to attack mode then gave it an attack point boost that equals half its defense points!” Yuya explained as Sylvio looked scared.
“But that isn’t fair!”
“You’ve got 400 Life Points and Block Spider has 1200 Attack points. So, can anyone here tell me how many points Sylvio will have left if Block Spider attacks him now? Feel free to chime in, guys!”
“He’ll have zero points!” Everyone on the sidelines cried out.
“Okay, let’s see if your math is correct! Get set Block Spider… Attack Sylvio directly!” Yuya cried out. (Sylvio-0 LP) 
“Way to go, Yuya!” Zuzu called out happily as the duel field started to disappear, Sylvio was on all fours as his friends were standing around him as Sylvio got up.
“I must admit, I was worried about you for a minute there. But you managed to pull off an impressive victory all the same!” Rainbow cheered, much to Sylvio’s anger.
“You won the duel, but you’re losing your Pendulum cards!” Sylvio commanded his friends to help him do just that.
“Hold on!” Yuya prepared to counter. However, before the group could steal Yuya’s cards, Zuzu, Sora, Rin, and the others rushed in and knocked the group to the floor.
“Let that be a lesson! Yuya rules and bullies drool!” Sora yelled.
“Um who are you?” Yuya asked.
“Apparently, his name is Sora and I’m guessing he’s on our side in spite of his friend stopping us from helping you,” Zuzu said.
“Yeah! And I’m someone who was amped by your sweet skills!” Sora answered.
“I have to agree. You may not be the strongest duelist I’ve ever seen, but your duel was like one I’ve never seen before,” Twilight said.
“So, who are these two?” Tate asked Twilight and Starlight.
“Oh, these are our friends Twilight and Starlight! They are among the strongest magic users where we come from!” Pinkie Pie said before anyone could stop her.
“So, do you study here at the Leo Institute?” Lulu asked, with Celina being shocked at another woman looking like her, but Sora motioned her to stop so she decided to not say anything for now.
“I was considering it, but the moves of you and your friend changed my mind. I’m making you and Zuzu my duel gurus!” Sora answered, much to the shock of everyone present.
“You want me to teach you dueling?” Yuya asked, confused.
“And me too?” Zuzu was also confused.
“Yup! If I’m gonna bear down and learn to duel I wanna have fun! Your duel wasn’t the most impressive I ever saw, but it was the most duel-taining!” Sora said.
“It was impressive how you two helped us take down those guys,” Zuzu pointed out.
“Oh, I just caught them by surprise. Nice to meet you guys,” Sora said as he held out his hand.
“Sure. Nice to meet you too!” Yuya agreed as he shook Sora’s hand.
“Don’t just lay there!” Claude yelled to Sylvio and his friends. “Get up and take his Pendulum Cards!”
“No. Leave it be,” Declan said coolly.
“But, Mr. President!”
“Those young men and ladies are starting to intrigue me. Yuya Sakaki, Zuzu Boyle, Ruri Kurosaki, Pinkie Pie, and Sora. There may be more to them than I expected.”
> Creepy Crawly
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not long after the incident at the Leo Institute, Pinkie Pie and her friends split into groups of two in order to try and help the You Show school find more students for the school. However, in spite of the draw of now understanding Pendulum Summoning, just about everyone wanted little to do with the school. While some were polite about it, many were jerks when they declined.
“I can’t believe that these jerks are still refusing to go to the You Show School!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “People should be more than happy to learn there!”
“I know. What is keeping them from learning about dueltaining and Pendulum Summoning? I mean, Yusho was the best duelist around before he vanished. People should be more grateful for what he was able to accomplish. I know I am,” Zuzu said, whispering the last part to herself.
“What was that? I couldn’t hear you over all the hustle and bustle,” Pinkie Pie asked, wanting to know what her friend said.
“Oh, nothing!”
“Oh, okay. I wish that I could show what dueltaining skills I’ve picked up from you guys so far in a duel,” Pinkie Pie wished.
“Really, Pinkie? Look, I know proving what you’ve learned is important but right now we need to find some students to help Zuzu’s dad teach,” Rainbow Dash reminded the random girl.
“Oh, right. Sorry about that. Hey, maybe we could have a bake sale or something to help draw in students. I mean, everyone loves treats! I can say that there are likely to be plenty of people that would be dying to try what I could make!” Pinkie Pie suggested.
“I’m not sure, you guys. But thanks for all the help. Maybe we can try again tomorrow after school is over,” Zuzu said, feeling a bit down even though she tried to hide it.
“Hey, don’t feel down, coach! I’m sure you and everyone else will find more students soon enough! In the meantime, why don’t you turn that frown upside down and teach me some things!” The trio turned around to see the source of the voice, which turned out to be Sora who was eating a chocolate bar.
“Oh, I remember you! You’re that blue haired kid from the Leo Institute that loves candy,” Rainbow Dash realized.
“Yeah! You helped us take down Sylvio and his meanies that tried to steal Yuya’s cards!” Pinkie Pie remembered.
“Right. Look, Sora. Now isn’t the time to have me teach you. I’m in the middle of something right now. Can you please come back later?” Zuzu asked.
“Aw, come on! You have a potential student when you’re looking for them and you’re turning me down? Please teach me! I promise to be a good student!” Sora pleaded.
“Well…,” Zuzu was starting to consider accepting him. On one hand, he was being a bit of a pest over the past few days. On the other hand, they were looking for students and she didn’t want to turn down someone who was willing to learn.
Before Zuzu could answer, a mean kid around her age bumped into Pinkie Pie and knocked her down. “Sorry!” The teen sarcastically chirped out with a grin.
“Hey! You bumped into her on purpose, you jerk!” Rainbow Dash yelled angrily as she ran after the teen.
“Rainbow, wait up!” Pinkie Pie yelled, not wanting to cause trouble.
“Seriously, girls? You’re making things more complicated than they should be!” Zuzu called out as she followed the duo, with Sora running after them.
Eventually, Rainbow saw that the teen ran into a building with a garden out front. There were a variety of different vegetables being grown out front from tomatoes to cucumbers. A sign showed that the name of this school was Haga’s School for Gardening and Dueling. 
Pinkie Pie finally caught up with Rainbow, with Zuzu and Sora being not too far behind.
“Dashie, you shouldn’t just rush off on anyone that isn’t the nicest. You could have just ignored the guy and moved on,” Pinkie Pie pointed out.
“The girl is right, Rainbow. We should just get going before we cause a scene,” Zuzu agreed.
“Well… alright. We should just get going,” Rainbow agreed a bit reluctantly.
Before they could leave, the door to the school opened with the same rude teen being on the other side. “Welcome to my mother’s duel school! I hope you found the view outside to your liking. I apologize for the way in which I lead you here. Why don’t you four come in and relax? Oh, where are my manners? The name’s Weevil Underwood. What are your names?”
“Oh, my name is Pinkie Pie. The girl to my right is Rainbow Dash, the girl to my left is Zuzu, and the boy is named Sora. Anyway, we’d love to come on in, right guys?” Pinkie Pie asked the others, only to see that none of the others were exactly trusting Weevil. “Hold on one second. Guys, aren’t we going to come on in? It would be rude to just say no.”
“I know, but Pinkie, remember what happened with Sylvio. He pretended to be nice in order to steal Yuya’s cards and endanger lives!” Rainbow explained.
“I agree. We don’t know if we can trust Weevil. For all we know he could be another Sylvio,” Zuzu said.
“Yeah! I can read people fairly well, and I can tell that this guy reads sleeze all over him,” Sora pointed out.
“I know! But that doesn’t mean we should trust no one! Look, you don’t have to come with me. I can just go with Weevil on my own,” Pinkie suggested.
“Are you kidding? I would never leave my friends hanging! I’m going to!” Rainbow Dash declined Pinkie’s request.
“Same here! If Weevil is a threat, it would be better to be able to do something to stop him!” Zuzu agreed with Rainbow Dash.
“Well, I guess it would be good to check in on competitors,” Sora decided.
“Well, okay!” Pinkie cheered as she turned to Weevil. “Weevil, you have yourself a deal!”
“Perfect! Let’s go on in and  have some snacks! I’ve got worms and dirt with milk,” Weevil said.
“Uh, no thanks. That doesn’t sound tasty,” Zuzu declined.
“Um, Zuzu, worms and dirt is just gummi worms in chocolate pudding with cookie crumbles,” Pinkie Pie said.
“Oh, I think that sounds good! I’ll take four!” Sora yelled.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And so, in spite of their better judgement, the group entered the surprisingly cosy school in order to have snacks and talk with Weevil.
“Wow! This worms and dirt is really good! Whoever made it should be proud!” Sora cheered.
“You’re welcome! I’ve made it myself. You see, as a plant and insect lover, I love to interact with them so very much. It gives me great joy in order to do so. Still, I have very few friends in my life. I have plenty of classmates, but no friends outside of Rex, and he’s from another school,” Weevil explained with a genuine frown.
“Hey, I bet you’ll have friends of your own in no time! You just need to talk with others and get to know them! With all the students that share your interests, you’re bound to find a friend in your school!” Pinkie Pie said.
“Maybe…,” Weevil said as his frown changed into a sadistic smirk. “Or maybe I just need to have the right cards!” At this, Weevil tried to snatch Pinkie’s deck.
“I knew you were fishy!” Rainbow yelled.
“Yeah! How dare you make us feel sorry for you!” Zuzu yelled too.
“Hey, it’s not like I was lying! I do plan on making some friends once I get your cards, Pinkie. People from all over will respect and love me for having some of the only Pendulum cards in the world! So, what price will you accept for them?” Weevil asked.
“How about nothing? You can’t have Pinkie’s cards or Zuzu’s cards! All you’ll be getting is a lesson on losing from my coach!” Sora countered.
“So, Zuzu has some Pendulum cards too? Well, well, well. How about we settle everything in a duel? I’ll challenge Pinkie Pie here to a duel. If you win I’ll drop trying to get your guys' cards. If I win, I get all of your Pendulum cards! So, do we have a deal?” Weevil asked.
“No deal! You’re not going to get away with this, you slimy weasel!” Rainbow yelled.
“Yeah! Pinkie would never risk us losing and disgracing the Yusho legacy, right?!” Zuzu exclaimed.
“You’ve got a deal! Hopefully you’ll see that dueling for fun is better than dueling for power!” Pinkie said as she prepared her duel disk.
“All you’ll get is a cold slap of reality! After all, dueling for anything but winning is foolish!” Weevil yelled as he also prepared his duel disk.
“Duel!” Both duelists yelled.
“I’ll go first! I play the powerful creepy crawly known as Chainsaw Insect (2400 Attack)! I’ll then play the spell Insect Barrier! With it, you can’t attack with an insect monster! Next, I play Graceful Charity in order to draw three cards and discard two. Then, I activate Monster Reborn in order to revive Metal Armored Bug (2800 Attack)! I then play one card facedown and end my turn!” Weevil played.
“This is an obvious trap, Pinkie! Weevil probably plans on changing your monster’s type with that trap in order to stop you from attacking!” Zuzu warned.
“Yeah! You better have a card that can stop that combo from activating!” Sora yelled out.
“Hey, don’t worry! I have a plan! I’ll use Stargazer Magician(1) and Timegazer Magician(8) to set the Pendulum Scale! We’ll be having a blast starting now! I can summon monsters from between levels 2 through 7 all at once! Now, come on out Performapal Whip Snake (1700 Attack), Performapal Elephammer (2600 Attack), and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (2500 Attack)!” Pinkie Pie played.
“Incredible! Pinkie may not be my coaches, but she can still duel like a pro!” Sora was amazed at the Pendulum Summon.
“It all depends on if she can muster up an effective offense! I play my trap DNA Surgery! With it, I can make all monsters out Insect monsters! Now, you can’t attack me and I can freely attack you once I get out more powerful monsters!” Weevil said with a grin.
“Oh no! I knew he had a way of stopping attacks! Now Pinkie can’t harm Weevil and you both will lose your Pendulum cards!” Rainbow Dash was concerned.
“Pinkie still has a card in her hand. She can still turn this around,” Zuzu reminded Rainbow.
“Yeah right! I’ll be able to summon out my best monsters and win this duel and there is nothing Miss Pie can do about it!” Weevil jeered.
“Well, that sounds like someone that isn’t having enough fun! Let’s go! I play Pot of Greed in order to draw two cards. Then, I play the spell card Giant Trunade in order to return all spell and trap cards to their owner’s hands! So, your mean old combo won’t be doing anything to hurt me and my monster’s attacks,” Pinkie Pie played.
“I can’t believe that Pinkie was able to counter Weevil’s strategy! Now she can go on the offensive!” Rainbow cheered.
“Yeah, but she better do it fast! Otherwise, Weevil will set up his combo again next turn,” Zuzu reminded them.
“Don’t worry! By the time I end this turn, I’ll be able to make Weevil smile for sure! I play the spell card Blustering Winds! With it, I’ll increase Odd-Eye’s power by 1000 (3500 Attack)! Now I’ll play the effect of Whip Snake! Until the turn is over, your Chainsaw Insect’s attack and defense points will be swapped (0 Attack)!” Pinkie played.
“Grr! This can’t be happening! I was supposed to be the winner, not you!” Weevil was enraged.
“Don’t worry! You’ll be feeling better once I finish my combo! Now, Elephammer, attack his Chainsaw Insect! (Weevil-1400 LP) Next, Odd-Eyes will wipe out Metal Armored Bug and deal double damage! (Weevil-0 LP) Well, looks like we win this duel Weevil. So, did you enjoy yourself?” Pinkie asked.
“Of course not! I lost! I’ll never get to own and play with my own Pendulum cards! And I’ll never have friends that will look up to me and do what I say!” Weevil raged.
“I hate to break it to ya, but those aren’t friends Weevil,” Rainbow pointed out.
“Yeah! Real friends will love to be around you and vise versa. They’ll be willing to do a lot for each other. There’s a give and take, not just taking. You know, Weevil. It’s still not too late for us to be friends. So, what do you say? Do you want to be our friend?” Pinkie Pie offered.
Weevil looked at Pinkie for a good minute, thinking the offer over. Pinkie was standing there with a smile on her face, hoping that the same would happen to Weevil soon enough. However, just as Weevil held out his hand, he slapped Pinkie’s hand before saying, “I’ll never be your friend! Not after you just embarrassed me like you did! Now get out of here before I get the police involved, understand?!”
“B-But…,” Pinkie Pie stuttered sadly.
“Come on, Pinkie. Let’s go before Weevil gets us into trouble,” Zuzu said as the group left, with Pinkie giving one more sad look before they left.
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By the time the group made it back to You Show, they saw that it was getting late so everyone decided to get home, with Pinkie Pie and her friends staying at the You show School for the time being. It took some time, but everyone was able to get some sleep. Everyone except Pinkie Pie. She still couldn’t get over how Weevil had coldy rebuffed their friendship. She wished that Twilight could have been there in order to help. Maybe then Weevil would have understood what she was trying to do.
As Pinkie was trying and failing to get some sleep, she heard some noise in the Duel Arena. Upon getting into the room, she noticed that Zuzu was still there, thinking by the looks of it.
“Hey, Zuzu,” Pinkie Pie said, shocking Zuzu as she thought everyone else was asleep.
“Oh, Pinkie. What are you still doing up?” Zuzu asked.
“I’ve been thinking about what happened with Weevil. You see, where I’m from I’m able to make just about anyone happy and smile. It’s what I’m best at and try to do with my life. But Weevil… he was just plain mean! He wouldn’t even try to become our friend even when I was willing to be his friend! What did I do wrong?” Pinkie Pie was confused.
“You did nothing wrong. I understand that you want to make everyone happy through your dueling. So does Yuya and so do I, believe it or not. I’ve looked up to Yusho and his ability to make just about everyone happy with his dueling. And, even though I wasn’t thinking too hard about it, so does Yuya. But… the truth is… not everyone will accept your friendship and be nice by dueltaining. Some people will always be jerks no matter what you do,” Zuzu explained.
“I know that. I just thought I could make a change for the better. That maybe I could stop hostility and cruelty with my words and actions,” Pinkie said sadly.
“And you can! Just… not with everyone. Sir has always been able to make others happy and I can see that you and Yuya have the gift to do the same. I wish I could make others happy as easily as you two can,” Zuzu said sadly.
“Zuzu…,” Pinkie tried to say.
“Well, it’s getting late. I should head back home. Good luck , Pinkie,” Zuzu said as she walked out, leaving Pinkie as conflicted going out as she did going in.
> Gems and Dragon Wings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, Spike was starting to feel a little bit bored and restless, not having dueled at all since they helped Pinkie and Yuya. He was pacing back and forth and even when he was standing still he was tapping his foot. Rainbow Dash was in a similar boat, wanting to get in a victory sooner rather than later. She wanted to fly, but being human prevented her from doing so. She debated going back to Equestria, but decided not to abandon her friends. Both restless duelists sighed, with both of them noticing the other’s reaction.
“So, I take it you wanna have a duel too?” Rainbow Dash asked Spike.
“Yeah. I don’t care if I win or lose. I just want to feel useful, and seeing as how there is no paperwork to do or villainous threats to stop, dueling is the next best thing,” Spike explained.
At this, Yuya, Zuzu, and the others entered the Duel School, all looking happy and ready to duel. “Well, looks like our prayers have been answered! Hey guys! You wanna have a duel with me and Spike here?” Rainbow Dash asked the group.
“Uh, no thanks. We’re just here for learning today, not to duel. But maybe tomorrow,” Zuzu apologized.
“Why the long faces, you guys? You guys look to be restless right now,” Lulu asked in concern.
“I dunno. I’m just looking for a good duel is all. I haven’t had a duel that has satisfied my itch for quite some time, and I can’t take it anymore,” Rainbow Dash explained.
“Well, maybe we can have an exciting match later tomorrow, Rainbow. But for now we need to go to the most boring part of duel school. The classroom section,” Yuya said, only to be hit by Zuzu’s fan for unintentionally badmouthing her dad. “Sorry!”
“Wait. There’s a classroom section?!” Twilight, who was standing on the sidelines with Yuya and the others this whole time, grew excited at the idea of learning more from the duel school.
“Um, yes there is. Like Yuya said, it’s not the most interesting part seeing as how we know most of what is taught, but it helps to be given a reminder,” Allie explained.
“You know, you and Spike can always duel each other if you are really that bored,” Starlight reminded the duo.
“I guess so. But I wanted to face an opponent I haven’t dueled a thousand times before. Spike’s a great duelist and all, but I’ve memorized just about all his combos to the point that I could duel him in my sleep,” Rainbow responded.
“Hey! I could win against you, you know!” Spike countered as he and Rainbow gave each other looks.
“Well, if you both want to duel that badly, you could just go to another duel school and duel the students there,” Tate suggested.
“Wait. But what about this school? Wouldn’t it be traitorous to duel elsewhere?” Rainbow asked, not wanting to betray her friends.
“Not at all!” Frederick answered.
“Yeah! It would be fine. After all, how else would you be able to enter the Arc League Championship?” Tate asked.
“Um, what is that tournament about?” Spike asked.
“You see, you enter by having dueled at least 50 times in official matches. If your win rate is at least 60%, you’re able to enter and compete for the top spot in your age division. In spite of your older age, you’d probably be entered into the Junior Arc League,” Tate explained.
“Really? Well, it would be good to take part in and win a tournament for a change. I’m sold!” Rainbow Dash liked the sounds of this tournament.
“Wait, though. We may not be able to participate in this tournament, Rainbow,” Spike pointed out.
“Yeah. We need 50 duels, which we may not be able to get in time,” Twilight reminded the duo.
“Well, not to worry! You can also enter the league by winning six matches in a row without losing,” Lulu said, having read up on the rules of the tournament. 
“Well then! We just need to find ourselves some duelists and we’re golden! What do you guys say? Wanna enter the Arc League Championship?” Rainbow asked her friends.
“Sure! It would be nice to not have to worry about the fate of everything in a dueling tournament for a change,” Twilight agreed.
“I guess I can give the tournament a shot. After all, I’ve enjoyed dueling from what I’ve played and seen,” Starlight also agreed.
“Great! What about you, Pinkie? You wanna duel?” To the surprise of everyone, Pinkie didn’t respond. In fact, she was fast asleep, having not slept the previous night due to her conflicting thoughts. “Well, we can get a yes from her once we get back,” Rainbow said. “Come on you guys! Let’s go find some opponents!”
“Uh, maybe later. I wanna see what the classroom section is like,” Twilight declined politely.
“Same here. I don’t feel up to dueling today,” Starlight also declined the offer.
“Well, I guess it’s just the two of us, Rainbow Dash,” Spike realized.
“Yeah! Let’s get ourselves ready for the tournament!” Rainbow cheered as the duo left to find some opponents.
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“I tune Junk Synchron with my Speed Warrior in order to Synchro Summon Junk Warrior (2300 Attack)!” Junk Warrior was summoned onto Rainbow Dash’s field alongside Rainbow’s Kuriboh and Quillbolt Hedgehog, releasing some power from his fist with a punch. Rainbow also had 2200 Life Points and one facedown while her opponent had 1500 LP and controlled Zaborg the Thunder Monarch(2400 Attack)!
“Wow! You can Synchro Summon? What school did you come from?” The female student Rainbow was dueling asked.
“Oh, I come from You Show. It’s a much better school than many give it credit. As I’ll prove now! Junk Warrior gains attack points based on the level 2 or lower monsters on my field. I’ll also play the trap card Graceful Revival in order to bring back my Speed Warrior!” Rainbow cried out as she threw her hand into the air. Junk Warrior absorbed energy from all three of the lower leveled monsters. (4300 Attack) “Now that the stage has been set, I’ll attack your Zaborg with Junk Warrior! Scrap Fist!” Junk Warrior flew into the air before rushing into Zaborg with his yellow glowing right fist, punching his way through Zaborg and reducing the girl’s Life Points to zero. “Well, looks like I won! That was a great duel. Maybe I’ll see you in the Arc League Championship.”
“Um, thanks. Good luck with getting your other five wins,” The girl wished Rainbow well.
“You’re welcome! Don’t worry, though. With my skill, I’m likely to pull out five more wins for sure!” Rainbow boasted as she and Spike started to walk out of the duel school in order to find a duelist for Spike to face, not wanting to trouble the girl with another duel. “So, what did you think of my duel with Scarlet? It was pretty awesome that I was able to win without summoning my Red Dragon Archfiend!” 
“You did pretty well, Rainbow. Still, you didn’t do the best seeing as how you lose nearly half your Life Points,” Spike joked.
“Hey! I’m rusty! Give me a break! Still, Scarlet was a tough opponent. Looks like we might be facing some pretty powerful opponents at the championship,” Rainbow Dash said.
“You’re right. We may not be able to qualify if everyone is this tough,” Spike responded.
“Don’t worry Spike! We’re some of the best duelists out there! We’re going to get into the Championship for sure!” Rainbow tried to console Spike.
“Thanks. So, who do you think I should face?” Spike asked, uncertain as to who he could win against.
“Hey, how about that girl?” Rainbow asked, pointing to a tan girl dressed in yellow and blue. “Hey, over here!” Rainbow called out to the girl. “Wanna have a duel?”
The girl turned to the duo, looking a bit annoyed. “Look, you two may have the wrong girl in mind. I’m one of the best duelists that the Leo Institute has to offer! The chances of you winning are pretty slim! Go find someone else to bother with a duel request.”
“The Leo Institute, huh? Well, Spike, looks like you’ll really get to prove your duel skills now! What do you think? Wanna have a duel against her?” Rainbow asked Spike.
“You do realize that she isn’t interested in dueling us, right? Besides, she may be too tough to win against,” Spike pointed out.
“You’re just being modest, Spike. You can totally beat her in a duel,” Rainbow tried to encourage him.
“Actually, your friend is right rainbow girl. The chances of winning against someone like me is very slim,” The tan girl warned.
“Um…,” Spike nervously buffered, thinking about what to do. However, after a moment of thinking, Spike decided to trust Rainbow that he could win. “You know what, I want to duel against you… what was your name?”
“The name is Julia Crystal. And, you know what? I’ll duel against you. After all, I could use another victory,” The tan girl agreed.
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The trio went into the Leo Institute’s dueling arena in order to have their match.
“So, wanna back out, or are you serious about dueling against me?” Julia asked to be sure.
“Of course! I can’t just be afraid to duel against tough opponents. I’ll trust in Rainbow’s faith in me and in my own deck,” Spike refused to back down.
“Very well then,” Julia said as her deck shuffled.
“Let’s duel!” Both duelists cried out as a gem mine action field was generated.
“I’ll start things off by summoning Gem-Knight Lapis(1200 Attack)! I’ll also place one card facedown and end my turn. It’s your move,” Julia simply played.
“Go for it, Spike! You’ve got this!” Rainbow cheered on Spike.
“She played a very simple move for just her first turn. Is she just acting tough or does she have something up her sleeve?” Spike thought. “I’ll just have to see for myself. I summon Luster Dragon in attack mode (1900 Attack)! Then, I’ll play the spell card Double Summon in order to be able to normal summon once more! I summon Lancer Lindwurm also in attack mode (1800 Attack)!” Spike played. At this, Julia ran in order to look for an Action Spell. 
“She’s looking for an Action Spell, Spike, stop her!” Rainbow cried out.
“Well, how about I just attack before she gets a spell! Luster Dragon, attack Julia’s Gem-Knight Lapis!” Spike commanded nervously as Luster Dragon shot out a silver breath blast.
However, before the attack could strike, Julia found an Action Spell and activated it. “I play the Action Spell Miracle in order to prevent my monster from being destroyed and halving the damage I will take!” The breath attack shrinked, hitting Lapis and going through to hit Julia lightly (Julia-3650 LP). “You may want to be more careful, seeing as how you wasted one of your attacks being nervous and direct like you were.”
“Spike, sorry about the bad move on my part. Just focus on stopping Julia from getting another Action Spell!” Rainbow Dash apologized.
“Okay! Now, Lancer Lindwurm, you attack Julia’s Lapis!” Spike noticed that Julia wasn’t looking for an Action Spell this time, causing both Spike and Rainbow to be a bit concerned as to why she wasn’t looking for one. Lancer Lindwurm flew up to Lapis, slicing her in two with his lance. (Julia-3050 LP) 
“Thanks for that. Now I activate the trap card Call of the Haunted! With it, I can revive my Gem-Knight Lapis in attack mode (1200 Attack)! You see? You were out of your depth to challenge me to a duel! You’re going to lose on my next turn and that will mean another victory for me!” Julia gloated.
“Hey! Can you stop being mean?! Spike just wanted to duel someone!” Rainbow Dash yelled.
“I’m just being honest here. Your little friend won’t last much longer!” Julia countered.
“No! I will not let myself be defeated by you! You may have the advantage now, but you won’t have it forever! I’ll find some way to achieve victory in this duel! I place two cards facedown and end my turn!” Spike played.
“Very well. Time to finish this duel. I summon out Gem-Knight Lazuli (600 Attack)! Next, I play the spell card Gem-Knight Fusion! With it, I’ll fuse together my two monsters in order to fusion summon Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli (2400 Attack)! But that’s not all! I activate Lazuli’s ability. Since she was sent to the graveyard by a card effect I can add Lapis to my hand from the graveyard!” Julia played.
“Is that all, Julia? Can you just attack and be done with your turn?” Rainbow Dash asked, annoyed.
“Not quite. I now activate the effect of Gem-Knight Fusion! By banishing Gem-Knight Lazuli, I can add this card to my hand! And now I’ll activate the spell again! I’ll fuse Gem-Knight’s Lapis, Alexandrite, and Sapphire in my hand together in order to Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Master Diamond (2900=>3200 Attack)!” Julia summoned her main monster triumphantly.
“Whoa! Those monsters look tough!” Spike was shocked to see the monster duo present on Julia’s field.
“You’ll be even more amazed once you see their effects. I activate Lady Lapis Lazuli’s ability! By sending another copy of her from my Extra Deck to the graveyard, I can inflict damage equal to half her attack points plus 100 for every Special Summoned monster we control from the Extra Deck! Feel the burn!” Spike tried to look for an Action Card to stop the damage only to have a blue energy orb thrown at him (Spike-2600 LP). “Next, I’ll activate Master Diamond’s special ability, banishing Lady Lapis Lazuli from my graveyard to give Master Diamond her abilities and name! Then, I’ll activate the ability of Master Diamond! By banishing my third and final Lady Lapis Lazuli, I can inflict damage equal to half of Master Diamond’s attack points plus 200! This duel will be over soon!” Julia cried out. (Master Diamond-3300 Attack)
“Not if I can help it! I play the trap card Reflect Barrier! With it, I can inflict the damage I would have taken to your Life Points instead!” (Julia- 1200 LP)
“What?! Well then. If I can’t finish the duel this turn, then I’ll at least crush your chances of winning! Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli, attack Spike’s Lancer Lindwurm (Spike-2000 LP)!” Lancer Lindwurm was destroyed by a blue energy orb that was thrown at him. “I’m not finished yet! Master Diamond, slice through his Luster Dragon (Spike- 600 LP)!” Master Diamond sliced through Luster Dragon with his sword. “And with that, I end my turn. You see? You were out of your depth when you and your friend chose to challenge me to a duel. Now, prepare to lose. Hopefully, I can give you a non-humiliating end.”
“Don’t listen to her, Spike! You can still win this duel if you believe in yourself and your deck! You can do this!” Rainbow Dash encouraged.
Spike suddenly felt a strange pulsing sensation coursing through his body. It happened again and again as his vision started to become more blurry. Eventually, his eyes turned bright red, purple wings came out of his back, and his deck and hand glowed as he finally spoke, “It’s my turn and time to crush you all at the same time! I activate my trap card Retrieval Change! With it, I can return any monsters that were destroyed by battle last turn and add them to my hand, so long as their total combined attack points are less than 4000!” Spike added Luster Dragon and Lancer Lindwurm from his graveyard back to his hand! Next, I’ll use Scale 2 Ruby Dragon and Scale 8 Luster Dragon #2 to set the Pendulum Scale! Your destruction will begin right now! Monsters emerge! Say hello again to Luster Dragon and Lancer Lindwurm!” 
“Whoa! Now Spike can Pendulum Summon?! What is going on here?! Why does Spike look so scary? And why do I get the feeling I won’t get any answers for this?” Rainbow asked herself, confused.
“Now, I’ll overlay Level 4 Luster Dragon and Lancer Lindwurm in order to build the Overlay Network! Cloaked in shadows and relentless in its objective, I call upon the most dangerous of dragons! Now emerge, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (2500 Attack)!” Spike summoned his main monster.
Suddenly, Julia began to clap. “Nice going there, but maybe not good enough. Your dragon is still no match for my Master Diamond. I can still finish you off next turn. Good effort and congratulations, but not quite good enough.”
“Not after you see his dragon’s ability,” Rainbow Dash nervously pointed out.
“She’s right you know! I activate my dragon’s ability! By removing an overlay unit, I can cut your Master Diamond’s power in half and add it onto my Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (4150 Attack)! You picked a fight you could never win, fool! Now I’ll have my dragon attack your Gem-Knight Master Diamond! Maulign Mandible Charge!” Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon rushed into Master Diamond and Julia with his powerful jaws, knocking Julia off her feet as her Life Points hit zero.
“Looks like Spike won… I guess,” Rainbow Dash nervously applauded, unsure how to feel about Spike’s change in attitude.
All of a sudden, Spike’s eyes returned to their normal green and he looked confused upon seeing Julia on the ground. “Um, Rainbow Dash? What happened? Is the duel over?” Spike asked, confused and concerned for Julia.
“Y-Yeah. You won with your Xyz Dragon and acted all ferocious. You even grew wings and pulled off a Pendulum Summon, strangely enough,” Rainbow Dash revealed.
“I-I did? Well, I guess I won so, come on. Let’s get out of here,” Spike said as he and Rainbow started to leave.
“Hold on one second!” Julia yelled as she got up. “What in the world was that? How did you pull off a Pendulum Summon? Why did you become more vicious?”
“Honestly, we don't know ourselves. Sorry for losing control like I did. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Spike apologized. And with that, Spike and Rainbow Dash left the Leo Institute to return for You Show, uncertain as to what was the cause for Spike’s transformation.
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“Wait. Hold on. So, you’re telling us that Spike turned all dark and scary during a duel and was capable of Pendulum Summoning?” Twilight asked as she and their other Equestrian friends listened in, confused and concerned for their friend.
“Yes. Yes he did. It was like me with the Supreme King powers at first. Spike didn’t even remember doing what he did. Isn’t that right, Spike?” Rainbow Dash said.
“Yep. Do you think it may be a dragon thing or something? After all, I grew wings temporarily,” Spike suggested.
“If that was the case, then it still wouldn’t explain the Pendulum Summon,” Starlight reminded them.
“Yeah! Yuya, Zuzu, and me didn’t turn all nasty when we dueled. We kicked butt, sure, but never tried to be jerks to each other,” Pinkie Pie said.
“That’s true. Maybe Spike should stop dueling for now until we find out more about what is causing things,” Twilight suggested.
“But Twilight...  I still wanna duel. How can I enter the tournament if I can’t duel?” Spike criticized.
“I’m afraid you’ll just have to make do until we learn more. I’m sorry, Spike, but this is for everyone’s safety. After all, the last thing we want to do is make our being from another dimension common knowledge to this world,” Twilight apologized.
“Well, okay. I guess I can stop dueling for now,” Spike agreed.
“Thanks for understanding, Spike. It’s getting late. I say we should all head to bed for now,” Twilight suggested as everyone nodded off to bed, though Twilight and the others still couldn’t understand what the cause of Spike’s transformation was.
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“So, ready to begin searching for Lulu?” A cloaked figure with a triangular golden key asked their friend.
“I am. After all, Lulu is a capable duelist as well as a friend. It would be foolish to at least not try to find her before we return home,” another invisible voice responded.
“Well then. Tomorrow, we’ll begin our search. We’ll find our friend and bring her back to Yuto and Shay. Let our mission begin, Astral.”
> Toying Around Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I’ll use Adante the Melodious Sorceress(1) and Vibrato the Melodious Sorceress(9) to set the Pendulum Scale! My monsters are ready to swing into action! Now come out and perform a masterful melody, Mozarta the Melodious Maestra(2600 Attack)! Now, attack and destroy my opponent’s Luster Dragon #2(2400 Attack)! And check this out! Adante can increase my Maestra’s power by 1000 since it’s battling a monster with 2000 or more Attack points(3600 Attack)! Now win this duel with your magic (Opponent’s LP-0)!”
“We have a winner! This duel goes to Yuya and Zuzu! To think that once they learned how to Pendulum Summon, they would take the Pro Circuit by storm and get to the top of the dueling world!” Nico Smiley announced to a roaring crowd, which included all of their friends.
“I knew some day we’d reach the top together Zuzu! I bet we’ve done my dad proud with our impressive Dueltaining!” Yuya said to his dueling partner, now girlfriend, as he kissed Zuzu on the cheek. Zuzu blushed in response to Yuya’s kiss, feeling warm at the contact. 
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Sora ran toward the two of them and gave them a big hug. “That was some impressive dueling, you guys! I knew that it was a good idea to choose you both as my teachers! So, when will you teach me? I mean, we have to have our first lesson.”
“Um, Sora?” Zuzu was confused at his sudden intrusion, only for the confusion to continue as the ground beneath her broke and she fell into the abyss along with Yuya and Sora.
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Zuzu woke up in her nightgown, having fallen on the floor of her room in her sleep, explaining why she fell in her dream.
“Aw man! I finally manage to do my school and Yusho proud and it was a dream?! It was such a good dream too,” Zuzu said to herself aloud. “I wonder why I was partnered with Yuya, though? I mean, we both want similar goals and have dealt with a lot of the same pressures, but why as a team? I guess I can’t complain, but why?” Zuzu wondered, confused as to why she imagined them as boyfriend and girlfriend. The thought, however, made her blush. “Well, maybe some day soon we’ll end up together and be able to throw the dueling world by storm for real. After all, we both can Pendulum Summon, though then again so can Pinkie Pie and Spike from what I’ve heard. As for Sora, I have to say I’m flattered that he wants to learn from Yuya and me. However, I don’t know whether I want to be a teacher. Well, maybe I can think more at breakfast.”
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“Good morning, dad. How is it going?” Zuzu asked her father after she got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. Her dad wasn’t that good of a cook, but he still did try to make a good breakfast each morning.
“It’s great to see you, Zuzu. Actually, I have a little surprise for you,” Skip Boyle said.
“Really? What is it?” Zuzu asked curiously.
“Do we really have to play frivolous games here, sir?” A familiar female voice asked Skip.
“Wait a minute. Celina? What are you doing here?!” Zuzu demanded, confused and shocked to see the young woman was sitting at the breakfast table. 
“Sora suggested I try and hang out with you. He wanted me to convince you to try and teach him stuff. I don’t take orders, but I didn’t have much to do so I figured I’d bite. Then, your father saw me outside and invited me in where I explained…,” Celina explained only for Skip to interrupt her.
“She revealed that she didn’t have anywhere to stay! So, I decided to allow her to stay here with us for the time being!” Skip announced as he placed some burnt waffles onto the table.
“Wait, what?!” Zuzu was surprised by the development.
“Since I don’t know where else to stay other than on the street I reluctantly decided to agree. Just don’t get in my way and things will be fine,” Celina said.
“Well, for the time being, you want some of my waffles?” Skip offered as he motioned to the waffles.
“What are waffles?” Celina asked, having never had the dish before in her life.
“Seriously? Where have you been staying? Have you lived on the streets or something?” Skip asked, concerned for the young lady.
“No, I haven’t. I just haven’t had these “waffles” before. Are they any good?” Celina asked.
“Good? Well, not these all that much, but they are at least edible with syrup. I can call Yuya’s mom to make some better waffles that you can eat later,” Zuzu whispered to the woman.
“Um, okay?” Celina accepted the offer, though she wasn’t sure if that was a good idea. “So, what is syrup?” At this, Zuzu facepalmed, knowing that there may be quite a bit to explain to the young woman with mysterious origins.
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Yuya, meanwhile, had also gotten dressed and was ready for breakfast before school. “Man, that blue haired pest Sora’s even bugging me in my dreams now. First he pops onto the scene with Zuzu, Luna, and the others to help floor Sylvio and his goons, and then he announces he’s gonna become my student?” 
Suddenly, Yuya was interrupted from his thoughts by the barking of a dog. When he turned, he saw a brown and white dog along with a white cat with a pink tie walking up to him. “En and Core. Hi,” Yuya said as he picked up the dog, En. “Look at you. When Mom first found you, you were small enough to hold in one hand. But it looks like you’ve been spending plenty of quality time chomping and chewing at your food bowl, haven’t you, pal?” En barked as Yuya laughed. He was interrupted by the meowing of Core. “Good morning, Core.”
Before Yuya could continue, he heard his mom say, “You certainly are hungry, my little friend. There’s plenty more where that came from.”
Yuya slid down the pole located next to his room before asking, “Did you let another stray in the house, Mom?”
“Yeah, me!” Sora cheerfully responded, being the “stray” in question. Yuya, meanwhile, fell to the floor comically.
“What are you doing here?” Yuya asked.
“I noticed him wandering around the neighborhood, the poor boy. I had no choice but to offer him breakfast, of course, since he looked so hungry,” Yuya’s mom answered.
“You should’ve given him food to go,” Yuya bitterly responded.
“He’s welcome here. Sora’s your student, isn’t he?”
“No!” Yuya yelled aloud, before saying more calmly, “Well, you’re not. You have had a bad habit of turning up when you’re not wanted, which happens to be all the time.”
“That’s rude. I can see you didn’t learn manners from your sister here,” Sora said.
“His sister?” Yoko was confused at the remark.
“Uh, have I made a mistake? Sorry. I figured you had to be Coach Y’s sister since you look so incredibly young and beautiful,” Sora apologized while also complimenting Yoko.
Yoko seemed to be pleased by the compliment. “Oh! Well well, what a perceptive young man, and completely charming, too.” Yoko grabbed Yuya’s pancakes and gave them to Sora. “I bet you’re still hungry. Can I get you more syrup?”
“Those are my pancakes!” Yuya complained.
“Yes, please, if you don’t mind,” Sora accepted.
“Why don’t I make waffles, too? After all, Zuzu called and said to make some for this Celina, so why not?” Yoko offered.
“With scrambled eggs and French toast?”
“Coming right up!”
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“So, are you ready for work, Lulu?” Luna asked as she put on Lulu’s bracelet. In order to throw attention off of her, and also as a sign of friendship between the two, Luna has started to wear Lulu’s bracelet.
“I guess so. I was just thinking…,” Lulu began.
“You were worried about stopping Duel Academy, weren’t you?” Luna finished the thought.
“Kinda. I was also worried about Shay, Yuto, and the others. What if they were carded or worse?” Lulu asked, worried.
“I don’t know what happened, but I do know that one way or another we’ll crush Duel Academy and Sector Security or die trying,” Luna darkly stated.
“Look, I know that both groups are horrible and did horrible things to us, but maybe destroying both groups isn’t the answer. I agree that we need to do something, but maybe we should focus on finding more help before we do something rash,” Lulu explained her thoughts.
“Well, fine. How about this? While you work at your job and Rin at hers, I’ll go out and find some more Duelists to help us fight back,” Luna planned. “Does that sound good to you?”
“Sure. Just try and be calmer, okay? I don’t like seeing you be so vengeful,” Lulu said.
“Don’t worry. I’ll try to remain calm. I’m just… worried about us. Especially after everything that has happened,” Luna said.
“Well, see you at You Show,” Lulu said goodbye.
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“So, Sora did show up at your house today after all,” Zuzu said to Yuya after seeing how annoyed he was looking. The two of them, Twilight, and Celina were walking to school.
“Yeah. He wants to make me teach him how to duel,” Yuya answered.
“I understand. He has been very persistent in asking the both of us to help him. I hope we can get him to simmer down soon,” Zuzu said. 
“I understand. It is a new experience to have to teach a student. I mean, learning the best way to teach Starlight took a lot of time and outside help to do so,” Twilight admitted.
“So, what did you do?” Yuya asked, hoping to get some advice for how to deal with Sora.
“I learned to give them their own space to learn for themselves and not control everything they learn,” Twilight answered.
“Anyways, Celina, how are the waffles?” Are they any good?”
“They’re…,” Celina began to answer roughly before she was interrupted by Sora.
“Coaches!” Sora cheerfully greeted the two.
“So, you’re following us?” Zuzu asked.
“Yeah!” Sora answered.
“Look, while you seem nice enough we’ve both had enough of your pestering! So, please, just go away!” Yuya yelled.
“I can’t, because we have to have our first lesson. I’m ready to get started whenever you two say,” Sora said.
“Can you learn on your own? You know, you don’t have to learn everything from us,” Yuya offered.
“Yeah. While you can get help learning from these two, you can also learn at your own pace,” Twilight suggested.
“Thanks, but I wanna learn from my two coaches right now,” Sora said.
“What will it take you to give us a break?!” Yuya was getting annoyed.
“Can you please just leave us alone for now?” Zuzu asked, noticing that Yuya was looking annoyed. 
“Come on, you guys! You’ve got to teach me! When I saw Yuya duel Sylvio and Zuzu defeat Celina I could tell that you both were the greatest duelists ever, especially after your incredible Pendulum Summons! I wanna learn to Pendulum Summon, too,” Sora said.
“So, that’s why you’re obsessed,” Celina realized.
“Sorry to burst your bubble, but you can’t because you don’t have any Pendulum Cards,” Yuya bluntly pointed out.
“Oh, can’t you both teach me anyway?” Sora pleaded.
“Maybe we can try to get a lesson in after school, but for now just leave us be,” Zuzu suggested.
“Well, okay. I guess I can wait for later, you two love birds,” Sora said.
“We’re not love birds!” Both Yuya and Zuzu exclaimed. 
“Yeah! Zuzu isn’t my girlfriend! And I don’t see why I should consider her to be my girlfriend!” Yuya yelled, which angered Zuzu to the point that she used her fan to hit Yuya.
“How dare he insinuate I’m bad-tempered and hard to get along with?” Zuzu grumbled as she walked away.
“I think she likes you, Coach Y,” Sora commented to Yuya.
“Well, Sora, I guess we should be going. By the way, Yuya? Can you give a message to Zuzu when she’s calmer? It’s about the waffles your mom made,” Celina asked as she tried to drag a protesting Sora.
“Really? What is it?” Yuya agreed, curiously.
“They… were nice,” Celina said meekly before leaving.
“So, what was that all about?” Twilight asked Yuya.
“I have no idea,” Yuya said with a shrug.
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“I wonder if anybody can Pendulum Summon as long as they have the right cards. Sylvio didn't seem to have any problem when we dueled.” Yuya thought.
	“I don’t know why I could start Pendulum Summoning. Do I have some special connection to Yuya or something? I mean, we are close friends but so were Spike and Pinkie Pie...” Zuzu wondered, also conflicted.
Meanwhile, Sora was spying on the duo from a tree, upside down. “My coaches both seem worried about something. I better find a way to turn their frowns upside down.”
And so Sora did. Throughout the day, he followed them both around, and tried to act happy and cheerful. He interrupted just about everything they tried to do from gym, to lunch, to class itself. In fact, he even interrupted Yuya when he was in the bathroom and had Celina interrupt Zuzu when she was taking a shower, to which Zuzu hit the girl with her fan.
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“Sora was just trying to cheer us up, Yuya. As annoying as he was being you could at least tell that he was well intentioned. Why are you so down in the dumps anyway?” Zuzu asked as she, Yuya, Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Rainbow Dash were walking to You Show.
“Well, I’m not the only one,” Yuya responded. “Besides, I don’t know why I feel down.”
“Touche. Well, you don’t take anything too seriously, Yuya, so why take your miserable mood so seriously?” Zuzu asked. 
“Zuzu’s right. Life is too short to worry all the time. It took forever for Twilight to learn that,” Spike said.
Yeah! I don’t see why you can’t just teach Sora some stuff. After all, the sooner you teach him the sooner he’ll leave you both be,” Rainbow Dash said, trying to sound like she knew what she was saying.
“That’s a good idea, Rainbow Dash! I don’t know why you flunked out of school with advice like that,” Pinkie Pie cheerfully said, much to Rainbow’s annoyance.
“Anyways, Sora isn’t really hurting anyone. So what if he is annoying? He just wants to learn and get better. Why don’t you give him a try?” Spike asked.
“No thanks. I’d rather duel like an office worker than agree to take him in! Look, it’s not just that he’s annoying. It’s also that I don’t know if I can pull off being a teacher. After all, I barely understand this teaching stuff and I might mess this up. I guess I’m just not as good as my dad was,” Yuya confessed, with the others giving him sympathetic looks, especially Zuzu.
“Yuya…,” Zuzu muttered.
“Take it from someone who had to teach before. This gig isn’t that bad. Just do it in your own way,” Rainbow Dash suggested.
“I don’t know…,” Yuya had his doubts.
“Hey, know what would really cheer us up? A duel to beat back the blues.”
“You know what? You’re right, Zuzu! I can’t let doom and gloom bring me down.”
“Then let the battle begin,” Zuzu responded.
“Hery, if you guys don’t mind, I’d like to go look for Rua. Ruri said she’d be around the city today and I want to make sure she gets to You Show alright,” Rainbow Dash said as she left to look for Luna.
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Luna walked throughout Paradise City, looking for signs of any duelist that could be of potential help in the fights that she, Rin, and Lulu had to fight. After a few hours of looking, she had no luck. Just as she was about to give up, she saw a cloaked duelist hiding in an alley. Realizing that they could be a potential threat, Luna followed after the figure.
Eventually, Luna cornered the figure. She couldn’t tell anything about the figure from their appearance. They were completely covered from head to toe in their cloak. She couldn’t even tell if the figure was a boy or a girl.
“Hey, you! Who are you and what are you doing here?!” Luna demanded.
“I can ask you the same thing. Who are you? And… why do you have that bracelet?!” The figure demanded back. 
“I don’t have to tell you that! Also, how do you know about this bracelet?”
“I know about it just like I know about Lulu! So, tell me! Where is she?! Talk, now!” 
“How about this? We’ll have a duel, and the loser will tell the winner what they are doing here! Agreed?” Luna suggested.
“Agreed! Let’s duel! I’ll go first! I… um? I… um?” The figure looked nervous as they looked over their hand. “Astral, what do I do?” The figure whispered. Suddenly, a white energy being entered the picture.
“You can start by summoning a monster, remember? There are a few different ways you can handle this. You can either summon your magician in attack mode or summon your golem in defense mode. Honestly, even he had more of an understanding of dueling than this,” Astral muttered the last part under his breath.
 “Hey! I’m still learning, you know! And I do know how to duel, so don’t act like I have no idea! Anyways, I summon to the field Gagaga Magician (1500 Attack)! Next, I’ll play the spell card Wonder Wand and equip it to my magician! With this spell card, I can increase my magician’s power by 500 Attack points (2000 Attack)! I place one card facedown and end my turn,” The figure played.
“That’s one strange monster you just summoned. And one weird white guy. However, I’ll still find a way past it. I draw!” Luna drew.
“Hey, Rua! There you are! It took me a while, but I finally found you after asking… and why are you dueling a cloaked figure?” Rainbow Dash asked confused.
“It’s nothing! I just ran into them and I’ll make sure they go away!” Luna answered vaguely. 
“Come on! We’re friends here, aren’t we? You can trust me! If this is really important and this person isn’t that good, I’ll let you stay and fight. But you don’t have to do this alone. I never leave my friends hanging. So, please. Tell me who this is and why they’re important,” Rainbow Dash pleaded.
“They’re… they’re from the Fusion Dimension trying to capture Ruri, or Lulu as she’s really called. I’m trying to stop them from doing that!” Luna confessed.
“She’s lying to you! I’m here from the Xyz Dimension to save Lulu from her! And Yugo as well!” The figure countered.
“Wait. There’s a Fusion Dimension?! And an Xyz Dimension?! Where are they?! And why are you jumping between them?!” Rainbow Dash was confused.
“We’re merely trying to fix things in our homes. The Fusion Dimension has ruined everything. They attacked the Xyz Dimension and reduced their numbers drastically,” Luna explained.
“That’s the first true thing you’ve said so far!” The figure argued.
“So, please, Rainbow. Help us to fix things in our homes,” Luna offered her hand to the rainbow haired woman. After a moment of hesitation, Rainbow accepted it.
“We’ll make sure the Fusion Dimension pay for what they’ve done!” Rainbow agreed.
“Perfect! I can handle myself for now though. Let us continue this duel. I summon Armored White Bear (1800 Attack)! Next, I’ll play Pixie Cyclone! With it, I can destroy a spell or trap card my opponent controls not only that, but I can increase the attack on a monster by 1000 for the rest of this turn (2800 Attack)! Now, attack and destroy that magician!” Luna declared as the bear rushed to slice the magician.
“I play the trap card Bye Bye Damage! With it, I can prevent my monster from being destroyed and deal you double the damage I would have taken!”
“Good try. But by banishing Pixie Cyclone from my graveyard I can negate the effect of a spell or trap card and destroy it! Now, the battle resumes! (Figure-2700 LP) So, impressed with the best of what the Synchro dimension has to offer? Well, you’ll soon see that I’m even tougher than you were expecting! I place one card facedown and end my turn. Your move.”
“Well, you certainly are a much better duelist than I expected you to be. You’re not wrong about that. Right, Astral?”
“I must say that there is something odd about this girl. Perhaps she isn’t an enemy,” A white creature that only the figure, Rainbow, and Luna could see said.
“You may have a point, Astral. But we don’t know if that is the case or not. So, are you connected to Yugo like I guessed?” The figure asked.
“Who is Yugo? And who is this Astral that is with you?” Luna asked.
“I guess not. Wait. You can see him?!”
“Of course! I can see a lot of different things, including Duel Monster spirits.”
“Yeah, and she’s not the only one. I can see spirits and also that Astral fellow you’re talking to,” Rainbow said.
“So, these women are special. Not many can see the spirits of the cards,” Astral pointed out.
“Well, looks like just another thing to ask her about once we win. It’s my turn! I know what to do now! I play the spell card Monster Reborn in order to bring back Gagaga Magician! Next, I summon Gogogo Golem(1800 Attack)! Now, I’ll use both of these monsters in order to build the Overlay Network! I Xyz summon Number 39: Utopia(2500 Attack)!”
“Wait! Number? What is that? Why do you have an Xyz monster?” Rainbow asked.
“Are you a spy?!” Luna demanded.
“I seriously doubt that she is an enemy of our home, judging by how she’s acting,” Astral said to the figure.
“Maybe. I want to trust her. But she has Lulu. We can’t just blindly trust her, not after what Vector has done,” The figure responded.
“Very well then. Let’s finish this duel,” Luna agreed.
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“All right, who’s ready to duel?” Yuya asked once he got into You Show. “The one and only Yuya Sakaki has arrived to take center stage with Zuzu Boyle!”
“Ah, what’s up, coaches?” Sora cheerfully asked, being present in the school along with Celina, causing Yuya to fall over.
“Wait, what are you doing here?” Yuya asked.
“Well, I did promise a lesson after school,” Zuzu reminded Yuya. “Oh, Celina, how are you doing? Sorry for hitting you with my fan earlier. Are you feeling better?”
“Peachy,” Celina grumbled, still not happy with what happened earlier.
“Yeah! And so he came to meet you both for his first lesson,” Frederick said.
“It’s rude to keep your students waiting, you guys,” Allie agreed.
“I have to agree with them here. I don’t think you should keep him waiting much longer,” Starlight commented.
“But I didn’t…,” Yuya tried to say only to be dragged back on his feet by Skip.
“Yuya, Zuzu, I’m so proud you both chose to entertain your first pupil here, and I’m even prouder that he’ll be enrolling in our school. Right? No pressure!” Skip said.
“Listen to me!” Yuya yelled as he pushed back Skip. “He’s not my student! Zuzu may have agreed to teach him, but not me!”
“Yuya… Can’t you at least try and be sa teacher? It could be fun,” Pinkie Pie cheerfully tried to convince Yuya.
“I…,” Yuya didn’t know how to respond.
“Come on, what are we waiting for, coaches?” Sora asked. “We all gotta tackle out first lesson, right? Then let’s get to it! I want to learn how to Pendulum Summon from the two best people there are! I’m counting on you both to turn me into a dueltaining whiz kid.”
“How many times do I have to say no before you stop asking?” Yuya asked Sora.
“Yuya… I know you don’t want to teach him but maybe we should at least try to be nice,” Zuzu argued.
“Yeah! He is just a kid, after all,” Spike agreed with Zuzu.
“Hm. I’m not sure. Look, you guys, I’ll make you a deal. Just duel me this once and I’ll never bother you again,” Sora pleaded.
“That sounds like a fair deal to me,” Allie said.
“I guess it is. What about you Yuya?” Zuzu asked her friend.
“Well…,” Yuya began to think it over.
“You can’t turn him down, Yuya,” Frederick said.
“Come on, Yuya, just say yes. After all, we’re only agreeing to one simple duel,” Zuzu pointed out as Yuya looked shocked.
“Yuya, if you turn down this poor kid it will bring dishonor to the reputation of the You Show Duel School, not to mention we’d have to give back his tuition money,” Skip said.
“Please, Coach Y. Let’s duel. Pretty please,” Sora pleaded with a cute look on his face.
“Look, you can just duel Zuzu because you can ask me a million times and I’ll still tell you no,” Yuya blunty rejected, only for Sora to make a cuter face as he pleaded for Yuya to say yes. “Except for this one time only. But listen. If Zuzu and I win you have to promise you’ll stop following us around everywhere, and you won’t ask us to teach you or call us Coach, agreed?”
“Yuya…,” Zuzu was uncertain as to how to feel about this, but ultimately accepted the terms of the duel.
“That sounds like a bit of a big ask, Yuya,” Twilight noted.
“Yes. But if I win, I’ll be your student and I can call you Coach, plus I can follow you guys around as much as I want,” Sora gave his terms.
Both Yuya and Zuzu agreed to these terms as the trio entered the duel field, ready to duel.
“And so begins an epic showdown between our resident Pendulum experts and their wannabe student,” Skip announced.
“Wow, this is really happening!” An excited Sora said, looking pumped up.
“Now, let’s get ready to duel!” Skip yelled as he pushed a button that made a wild west field. “Our cardslingers will clash in the Wildest West!”
Sora, however, looked less than impressed with the Action field that Skip had selected. “Don’t you have a cooler field?” Sora asked. “This one’s kind of weak.” Skip looked shocked to hear that his field selection wasn’t appreciated by Sora. “Use some imagination. I want to duel Yuya and Zuzu somewhere sweeter than this.”
“Uh, let me think. Okay, go!” Skip selected another field that was made up of sweets.
“Whoa,” Yuya was surprised.
“Yeah, I know. Maybe Sora will be happy with this field,” Zuzu commented.
“Wow! Yum! That’s more like it!” Sora was amazed by the field. “Now this field’s a treat! It’s awesome! You're the best!”
“How cute!” Skip was charmed by Sora’s cuteness.
“Give me a break,” Yuya sighed. All three duelists then prepared their duel disks for the duel.
“And now, get set for a duel of delicious delights,” Zuzu said.
“It’s teachers against student, ha ha!” Tate said.
“This battle will have you rolling with excitement,” Frederick continued.
“Because only one side will rule this sweet treat of a duel,” Allie finished.
“The action begins… Now!” All three duelists yelled out.
“Seriously? Is there any reason that you all gave such a weird description for the duel?” Celina asked as she shook her head.
“It’s called being theatrical and entertaining for the audience, Celina. Duels should be about entertaining the audience,” Zuzu answered.
“Duels are about winning, not entertaining people,” Celina pointed out.
“Hey! Don’t say that! It’s not like dueling is a war or anything!” Pinkie Pie argued.
“If only you knew…,” Celina whispered.
“Well, watch this duel and see if you change your mind,” Yuya said. “So, Sora, how should we have this duel go?”
“We’ll all have 4000 Life Points. You both will go before me and won’t be able to attack on your first turns. You okay with that, you guys?” Sora asked.
“Sure thing! I’ll go first. I’ll get things started by summoning my Performapal Hip Hippo(800 Attack). What do you say we hoof it into high gear, Hip Hippo? See you, Sora!” At this, Yuya got onto his Hippo’s back and begun to ride around the field.
“Not if I see you first,” Sora responded.
“Well then, I suppose that it is my turn then. I summon to my field Barcarolle the Melodious Diva(Light/Fairy/Level 4/1500 Attack/1200 Defense/Scale 2)! So, Sora? Are you impressed with our dueling yet?” Zuzu asked.
“I suppose so. I draw!” 
“So, what kind of deck do you think Sora has to use?” Twilight asked Starlight.
“I’m not sure. But I have a feeling he won’t be easy to win against,” Starlight said.
Sora noticed that he drew Toy Vendor. “One of the cards I drew was the spell Toy Vendor and I’m gonna activate it right now! This toy’s fun-tastic, because it lets me send a card from my hand to the graveyard and then I can draw another card from my deck. Uh, this card is yucky,” Sora complained as he placed a spell into the graveyard Now if I draw a monster card that’s Level 4 or below I’m allowed to summon it, but if it’s not I’ll have to toss it into my graveyard.” Sora managed to draw a monster. “Look, it’s Fluffal Bear (1200 Attack)! Come on and join the party, Fluffal Bear! And I’m inviting your friend Fluffal Leo to join us, too (1600 Attack)!”
“That kid may look like he’s all fun and games, but by the way he plays I can tell he’s not toying around,” Skip pointed out.
“I know, dad, he doesn’t duel like a newbie. He has some experience under his belt already,” Zuzu pointed out. “I must say though that his monsters are very cute! I wonder how dangerous they are though.”
“Seriously? You can find them cute after the duel. Right now we need to focus!” Yuya reminded Zuzu.
“Sorry we’re late you guys. Oh, looks like a duel is underway. Who is dueling?” Lulu asked the others as she and Rin entered.
“I don’t know, but it looks like it may be a bit of a doozy,” Rin said.
“Yuya and Zuzu are dueling that young teenager, Sora. He has some very cute monsters out!” Allie answered.
“Really now? So, how long do you think the kid will last against two opponents?” Rin asked Lulu.
“He could last long depending on his skill level. As for you, you aren’t wrong but… Yuya! Look out!” Lulu called out, worried about Yuya as he was running to a pond of sweet fluid.
“Huh? This is not going to be sweet!” Yuya yelled as he and Hip Hippo ran into the fluid only to climb out.
“Get in the game, Coach!” Sora cried out. “Your Barcarolle is history, Zuzu, because my Fluffal Leo is prepping to pounce,” Sora yelled.
“Aw man! This is going to suck!” Zuzu yelled.
“I know! Just kidding. I’m gonna use the Action Spell Evasion to tame your Leo, protecting Zuzu from your attack!” Yuya played.
“Hey! Doding my attack isn’t fair!” Sora complained.
“You don’t just expect me to just let you destroy our monsters, do you?” Yuya reminded Sora.
“This wouldn't be happening back at home,” Rin commented.
“Excuse me, but where’s home?” Spike asked Rin.
“I’ll tell you guys later,” Rin awkwardly answered. “I must say, though. Yuya may be a clown, but he knows what he is doing. Just like Yugo.”
“I guess we won’t be getting an answer then?” Spike asked.
“Where did he get an Action card?” Frederick asked. 
“I know. I didn’t see Yuya pick one up anywhere. Unless…,” Lulu wondered.
“He picked it up when he fell in that goop,” Tate realized.
“I get it!” Zuzu realized as she rushed into the giant cake, much to the confusion of the others. She popped up on top of the dessert. 
“While you were dessert diving, Zuzu, my Fluffal Bear was getting prepped to hunt down Yuya’s hippo!” Sora pointed out.
“Well, nice try, but Yuya’s hippo isn’t going anywhere! I play the Action Spell I found Candy Shower!” Zuzu yelled. 
Candy fell to the ground from the sky. “Wow! What a sugary surprise,” Sora was amazed. However, he turned annoyed very quickly and began stomping upon seeing Fluffal Bear eat the candy. “You should be attacking Yuya’s hippo, not that candy (800 Defense)!” 
“The sweetest part of that Action Spell is that it switched Fluffal Bear into defense mode,” Zuzu explained the card’s effect.
“I guess I’ll end my turn then. If you guys can find Action cards then I can, too!” Sora said.
“We’ll see about that,” Yuya responded as he followed Sora and drew his card. He was confused to see Sora reaching for an action card on top of a cookie house while standing on top of his stacked monsters, complaining all the while. 
“Wow. He’s acting like a silly little kid,” Celina rolled her eyes.
“Almost got it…,” Sora reached for an Action spell only for it to blow away and for Yuya to catch it. “Hey that was mine!”
“You wanted a dueling demo and that’s what you’re getting. And next I’ll show you something really amazing. I’ll use Stargazer Magician(1) and Timegazer Magician(8) to set the Pendulum Scale. I’m taking control of this duel starting now! I’m allowed to summon monsters from Level 2 through Level 7 all at the same time! Swing far, Pendulum. Carve the arc of victory!” Yuya yelled as Sora looked on, amazed. “My monsters are ready to swing into action! H-2-Go, Skeeter Skimmer (500 Attack). Slice and dice, Sword Fish (600 Attack). It’s time to turn up the heat, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (2500 Attack)!”
“Wow! That’s amazing, Coach Y!” Sora yelled, impressed by the Pendulum Summon.
“Wait until you see what I’ve got in store for you next. Check out my Sword Fish’s special ability. Once per turn, my Performapal can zero in on one of your monsters and then slice and dice its attack points by 600,” Yuya said as he lowered Fluffal Leo’s attack points(1000 Attack). “But I’m not done. I’ll also use the Action Card I snatched from you. It’ll give you the biggest sugar crash, because now my Odd-Eyes gets a 700-point power boost (3200 Attack). It’s on! Odd-Eyes is primed to take down your fragile feline. Okay, get set to strike! Ready? It’s time to finish off that furball! Here’s a lesson you won’t forget, Sora. Odd-Eyes isn’t toying around. Spiral Flame Strike (Sora-1800 LP)!” Sora was knocked off the roof and into some marshmallows, finding two Action cards close by.
“Yuya’s taking this duel to the next level,” Skip said, impressed. “It’s got me all fired up!”
“That sent a shiver down my spine-- huh?” Frederick realized something. “Hey, wait, something isn’t adding up right. I thought Odd-Eyes was supposed to deal double damage to opponents.”
“I think I can explain. You see, the effect only works on higher Level monsters,” Lulu reminded Frederick.
“Yeah! Only if the monster is Level 5 or higher,” Tate agreed.
“Then he would have won in one move,” Twilight noted.
“Oh right! I got so caught up in the excitement of the duel that I totally forgot,” Frederick said.
“It’s your turn now, Zuzu. Of course my Action Spell’s effect wears off now, so Odd-Eye’s attack points are going back to normal,” Yuya said.
“Finally! Time to show you my skills, Sora! I’ll use Adante the Melodious Sorceress(1) and Vibrato the Melodious Sorceress(9) to set the Pendulum Scale! My monster is ready to swing into action! Now come out and perform a masterful melody, Mozarta the Melodious Pendulum Maestra(2600 Attack)! Now check this out, Sora! Barcarolle the Melodious Diva can inflict piercing damage when they attack a defense position monster! Now, take aim and attack Sora’s Fluffal Bear!”
“I play the Action Spell Ultra Miracle! With it, I can keep a monster I control from being destroyed until my next Standby Phase! And I choose Fluffal Bear! Don’t worry, though, I still take the damage from your monster’s attack (Sora-1100 LP)! I place one card facedown and end my turn. Your move, Sora,” Zuzu played.
“My my. Looks like Sora has lost his touch. From what I’ve heard he should be so much better than this,” Celina commented.
“Um, guys? Maybe you should go easier on the poor kid,” Skip suggested.
“I’m sorry. Yuya, maybe we should be more careful,” Zuzu said.
“But remember, he wanted to duel us for real,” Yuya defended. 
“True, but hurting him in the process won’t help either,” Starlight reminded.
Suddenly, Sora started to laugh to himself as he got back up. “Thanks, you guys. Now that I felt the full force of one of your guy’s Pendulum monsters, I’m even more determined to become your guy’s student. My draw! I think my deck is trying to send me a message. It’s telling me that it’s time to get serious.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Yuya asked.
“Are you saying that you haven’t been serious until now?” Zuzu also asked.
“Maybe or maybe not. Let’s see. If I send a card to the graveyard, I can play with my Toy Vendor again. I can’t wait to see what card it’s gonna be. Go! Cool, these Edge Imp Sabres are going to cut you both down to size,” Sora said as the ball containing Edge Imp Sabres came out of Toy Vendor, which was a pair of sinister scissors looking ready to slice the opponents in half. “Monsters don’t get more cutting-edge than Edge Imp Sabres (1200 Attack). Then I’ll use a spell. It’s a card called Polymeri-something or other.”
“Wait! What card?!” Lulu was shocked and uncomfortable.
“Um, are you okay, Ruri?” Rin asked in concern.
“You mean Polymerization?” Yuya was also shocked. 
“Yeah! This awesome spell lets me fuse together my Edge Imp Sabres and my Fluffal Bear. Edge of sharpness and fury of bear When the two come together, you had better beware! Fusion Summon!” Sora said.
“What does he mean by that?” Allie asked.
“He’s Fusion Summoning. By playing a fusion spell like Polymerization, you can combine multiple monsters together into a stronger one,” Lulu said, no joy in her tone.
“Hey, are you okay?” Tate asked Lulu, who just ignored him.
“I don’t know,” Rin answered, looking concerned for her friend.
“Here it comes, the most unbearable monster you’ve ever seen: Frightfur Bear (2200 Attack)!” Sora summoned his monster.
“Well, that bear doesn’t look so cuddly anymore,” Zuzu was concerned for her and Yuya.
“Thanks, coaches. I learned a lot from you today, but now it’s my turn to teach you guys a lesson or two,” Sora said as both duelists stared down the massive beast.
> Toying Around Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“This field sure is sweet, you guys, but not as sweet as my victory’s going to taste,” Sora said.
“We’ll see about that, Sora, because with my monsters ready to perform, you’re gonna end up leaving this duel with a bad taste in your mouth,” Yuya responded.
“Yuya, maybe you should reel it back a bit,” Zuzu said.
“Zuzu has a point. Sora is just a kid and you shouldn’t be too harsh on him,” Twilight said.
“Well, to be fair, the two of them shouldn’t just let Sora win,” Spike reminded Twilight.
“Yeah! I wanna see what moves these guys can pull against each other!” Pinkie Pie agreed.
“Not a chance, Yuya! Your guys’ monsters are gonna get cut down to size by my Frightfur Bear!” Sora yelled.
“That kid’s a cutie on the outside, but on the inside he’s all fight, plus he knows the secret to an incredible form of summoning,” Skip said.
“Yeah. He can Fusion Summon,” Lulu muttered.
“Ruri, calm down. This isn’t the same guy who is responsible for hurting you or your friends and family,” Rin tried to soothe her friend as she placed a hand on Lulu’s shoulder, but to no avail.
“Wait. Someone attacked Ruri before?” Starlight asked, shocked to hear this news.
“Yeah, it’s a long story. We’ll tell you some other time,” Rin said as Lulu looked on.
“Word around town is that the Leo Institute has begun teaching that form. Is Sora already enrolled and taking classes there?” Skip asked Zuzu from the sidelines.
“He was planning to go there, but he saw our duels and changed his mind,” Zuzu explained.
“Now I can really take it to you, coaches! My first goal will be to slow you down by giving your Hippo the heave-ho! Frightfur Bear, give Yuya and his Hippo your Pummeling Paw (Yuya-2600 LP).” Yuya and his Hippo were knocked into the pond. 
“Yuya! Are you okay?” Zuzu cried out in concern. Fortunately, Yuya rose to the surface and climbed out, much to the relief of those watching. However, Frightfur Bear towered over Yuya.
“Next I’m activating Frightfur Bear’s special ability. My Bear can equip itself with whatever monster it just destroyed,” Sora played.
“How does that work?” Yuya demanded.
“We’ll show you,” Sora said as his monster picked up Hip Hippo. “Don’t feel bad, Coach Y, because my Frightfur Bear will put its attack points to good use. Down the hatch!” At this, much to everyone’s shock and horror, Frightfur Bear sliced Hip Hippo into two and devoured it (3000 Attack). “Your hippo really hit the spot. Its added attack power will help my monster bear down on you with grizzly force. However, things aren’t over yet. I play the Action Spell Wonder Chance! With it, I can attack a second time this turn while negating any additional effects until the battle is over. So, Coach Z, how would you like to face my Frightfur Bear’s fury now? Attack Barcarolle with Pummeling Paw (Zuzu-2700 LP)! I play my Bear’s ability again to absorb and slice up your Diva!”
“Not quite. I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy my monster as an equip card, so your Bear won’t be gaining any more power!” Zuzu countered.
“Maybe, but my monster is still stronger than anything you have on the field coaches. And it will get even stronger when they’re destroyed next turn. So, coaches, I know I have a lot to learn, but what do you think of my dueling so far? I’ll let you guys take over after playing two facedowns. Don’t take it easy on me,” Sora ended his turn.
“I really hope they don’t! I wanna see more entertainment dueling from Yuya and Zuzu!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
“I won’t, trust me! Your monster’s a lot more dangerous than I thought, but my deck packs a punch too, Sora. We have friends that will help us knock the stuffing out of that Bear, don’t we, Odd-Eyes? Performapal Sword Fish will prove it with its special ability. Once every turn, it can cut your monster down to size by 600 attack points (2400 Attack),” Yuya played as Sword Fish multiplied and sliced at Frightfur Bear’s feet.
“Yuya’s move pulled the stuffing out of that bear and shrank it down at the same time!” Tate said.
“Now he has to attack while it is weak,” Frederick responded.
“Looks like it. But remember, Sora still has two facedowns. He can still get out of this jam,” Spike reminded.
“You’re right, Spike. This can be anyone’s game,” Twilight agreed.
“So, Lulu, what do you think of the duel so far? Isn’t it cool?” Allie asked Lulu.
Lulu was silent for a moment before saying, “They stand no chance. They’re gonna lose. And then they’ll…”
“They’ll what?” Allie asked, being concerned for Lulu.
“Yeah. What can happen? This is just a fun little duel after all,” Pinkie Pie was confused.
“Listen Odd-Eyes, if we wanna beat that Frightfur Bear then we’ll have to stay sharp,” Yuya said as he attacked.
“Ha! I’m ready for your attack. I play my trap Punch-in-the-Box, which sends one of your monsters that didn’t attack to the graveyard. Then Odd-Eyes loses attack points equal to that monster’s attack or defense points, plus your attack is negated!” Sora played.
“Nice try! But my Timegazer Magician can trump your trap with his Pendulum ability. Timegazer has mastered the deepest secrets of space and time. Its power can protect me from the past and rewrite history. Infinity Gear Reverse!”
“Looks like Yuya had a viable counter to Sora’s trap!” Pinkie Pie was getting hyped up.
“Maybe, but…,” Starlight began only to be interrupted by Sora.
“Fantastic! Pendulum power is so amazing, it even controls time. That ability would come in super handy if you went to school and then realized too late that you’d forgotten to bring your homework to class. I can’t wait to see what you come up with to stop my other trap card. Okay, let’s see what we can spring on you next. It’s another Punch-in-the-Box trap card.”
“Seriously? The same trap twice in a row?”
“This is bad. Timegazer can only use his ability one a turn, so he’s helpless to stop it this time,” Zuzu muttered.
“Gotta send a card to the graveyard now. Guess I’ll send Skeeter Skimmer. Now I can negate Odd-Eyes’s attack. Plus I can draw on Skeeter Skimmer’s defense points to weaken your Dragon by that amount. Odd-Eyes will lose 1600 attack points (900 Attack). Better luck next time!”
“I’m switching my Sword Fish into defense mode (600 Defense),” Yuya played.
“You made up your mind to play it safe, didn’t you Coach Y? Bummerville-- I thought this duel would be a blast, but it’s turned into a dud. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were scared of losing to me,” Sora said.
“Hey! This duel is amazing so far!” Pinkie Pie countered.
“I’m ending my turn, but that doesn’t mean I’m scared of you,” Yuya said.
“You should be, since Frightfur Bear’s attack points can rise back to where they were before Sword Fish weakened it (3000 Attack).”
“If I don’t do something this could be game over for us. I draw! I’ll have my Mozarta the Melodious Maestra attack your Frightfur Bear!” Zuzu played.
“Not gonna happen! I play my trap Punch-in-the Box to stop your attack!” Sora countered. 
“Sorry, but I’m afraid it won’t work! I play the ability of my Vibrato to negate and destroy your trap card! Say goodbye!” Zuzu countered back.
“Very well then. I know what comes next,” Sora commented.
“Really? You know that Adante will cause my monster to gain 1000 attack points (3600 Attack)? Why play your trap then?”
“Simple. Because I wanted to smoke out your Sorceress's ability! I activate the effect of Ultra Miracle from my graveyard! With it, by banishing it from my graveyard, I can protect my monster from being destroyed by one attack, though I still take damage (Sora-500 LP)! So, got anything else?” Sora asked.
“I’ll just play a facedown for now,” Zuzu said.
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“I play the spell card Pot of Greed in order to draw two cards! Next, I play the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon in order to destroy your set card!” The figure played as Luna grew annoyed that her trap card, Mirror Force, was destroyed. “Well, looks like you don’t stand a chance against me now. Utopia, attack with Rising Sun Slash! But, that attack won’t last for long as I use Utopia’s ability. By using one Overlay Unit, I can negate an attack by either duelist.”
“But why negate your attack? What would you have to gain from it?” Luna was confused.
“I have to agree! You have nothing to gain other than to lose the effect for later. You can now only negate one attack!” Rainbow agreed.
“You’ll see soon enough,” Astral answered.
“Now I activate the quick play spell card Double or Nothing! With it, if a monster had their attack negated, I can double their attack power and attack once more!” The figure played.
“I get it. You plan on dealing even more damage by increasing your monster’s power,” Luna guessed.
“Not only that, but now if I try to counter attack, you can use your monster’s other Overlay Unit to stop the attack and then find a way to counter on the next turn,” Rainbow Dash also guessed.
“Wow, these girls are very smart when it comes to dueling,” Astral was impressed.
“Maybe, but that won’t be enough to win her this duel. Now, Utopia! Hit her Bear with Rising Sun Slash (Luna-800 LP)! Looks like this duel is just about over. I place one card facedown and end my turn. Soon, we’ll get the information we need and, on top of that, there will be one less Fusion Supporter out there,” The figure said with bitterness in their voice.
“Hey! Luna is not a Fusion Supporter! And what do you mean by that? Do you plan on harming Luna after the duel?” Rainbow demanded.
“You’ll both see soon enough,” The figure cryptically answered.
“Like that will ever happen! I draw! I play the spell card Double Summon, which will allow me to Normal Summon twice this turn! I summon Pixie Elephant to the field (1000 Attack/1000 Defense/Level 3/Light/Fairy/Tuner)! I’ll also summon my pal Regulus to the field too (1700 Attack)! I’ll also play the field spell Utopic Forest! I’ll now tune my Pixie Elephant with my Regulus in order to Synchro Summon Ancient Fairy Utopic Dragon (2100 Attack)!” Luna summoned her ace monster, petting it as she did so.
“Not a bad monster, but I’m afraid that you’ll have to try harder next time. After all, their attack power is still less than that of my Utopia,” The figure said.
“Luna, I have to agree. Unless you have a plan to make your dragon stronger or something…,” Rainbow asked.
“I wouldn’t be so sure we should judge their abilities just yet. After all, they must have a reason for summoning that dragon,” Astral warned.
“Your friend is right. You see, when Ancient Fairy Utopic Dragon is on the field, she gains 1000 Attack Points if there is a field spell on the field (3100 Attack)! Not only that, but thanks to Utopic Forest, once per turn I can double the attack power of a monster on the field if my Life Points are lower than my opponents (6200 Attack),” Luna played, turning the odds in her favor.
“It doesn’t matter how strong your monster is. After all, I can just negate the attack and then try to counter on my next turn,” The figure said, getting a little nervous.
“There won’t be a next turn! I activate Pixie Elephant’s special ability! By banishing him from my graveyard, I can negate the effects of a monster on my opponent’s field until the end phase if they were summoned from the Extra Deck!” Luna yelled furiously.
“See? You might be in trouble yet. After all, unless you play your facedown card you will lose. And, even then, you wouldn't win the duel if you did play it,” Astral pointed out.
“I know, but… Lulu,” The figure said sadly.
“This is the end of the line! I attack with Ancient Fairy Utopic Dragon!” Luna cried out in anger.
“Hold on! I play my facedown card Contagion of Madness! Now, since I was about to take battle damage, you also take the same damage that I was going to take! Meaning this duel ends in a draw!” The figure said as both they and Luna’s Life Points were reduced to zero. “This isn’t over! Sooner or later we will get Lulu away from you!” The figure said as they began to leave. Luna and Rainbow tried to chase after them, only to lose them not that long after.
“Who was that, anyway?” Luna wondered as she walked away to head to You Show.
“I’m not quite sure, but hopefully we can be ready for them the next time they try and harm Lulu. So, what is going on with this conflict between the dimensions, anyway?” Rainbow curiously asked.
“Well, you see, Lulu is from the Xyz Dimension, and her home is being attacked by warriors from the Fusion Dimension. They are using their powers to destroy Heartland and trap the souls of all people, even non-Duelists, into cards. It’s a face worse than death. As for Rin, she comes from the Synchro Dimension. Both Rin and Lulu were captured by some creep called Yuri and they were taken to the Fusion Dimension’s base of Duel Academy,” Luna explained.
“Sounds like something from a comic or horror movie. So, how did they get out of Duel Academy?” Rainbow asked.
“Well, you see, my Utopic Dragon warped me to Duel Academy right where Lulu was and after defeating the woman guarding her, I was able to save her as well as rescue Rin before my dragon warped us here in the Standard Dimension,” Luna answered.
“Wow. That’s some story. I wonder what Duel Academy wants Lulu and Rin for? So, do you want me and my friends to help you fight back against these Fusion guys?” Rainbow asked.
Luna looked surprised to be asked this but ultimately accepted, “Sure. We were looking for help. But maybe we should look for more help before we go into a suicide mission.”
“Got it,” Rainbow said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“My turn again. It’s time for my big finish. Bring on the Toy Parade. This spell is spectacular! It’s going to help me march towards victory, because for every monster that Frightfur Bear has equipped, it’s allowed to use its Pulverizing Paw and attack one time,” Sora explained.
“You’re kidding!” Yuya was shocked. “Right now, Sora’s Frightfur Bear is allowed to attack one time since it gulped down my Hip Hippo. But you and I  know it’s not gonna stop there, will it, Sora?”
“Of course it won’t! I’ll keep on attacking,” Sora said.
“This is bad! Sora can keep attacking for each monster it devours. Not only that, it will be able to attack Yuya directly if it gains enough attacks, which it will!” Lulu was horrified.
“Correct! Also, I’ll banish Wonder Chance from my graveyard. Wonder Chance will allow me another direct attack this turn and can also prevent you from drawing a card at the Draw Phase or attacking directly for one turn, meaning that I’ll attack them directly and then win the duel!” Sora revealed.
“Well, looks like Sora hasn’t lost his touch. He’ll win this duel for sure now!” Celina said.
“Whoa! I wonder how these guys will react. Will they still be able to defeat Sora or not?” Pinkie Pie wondered.
“I don’t know. Zuzu and Yuya still have a facedown each and there are Action Cards…,” Starlight reminded everyone.
“I’ll start off by knocking your Odd-Eyes out of the duel,” Sora said.
“If I don’t think of something fast, Sora and that Bear are gonna wipe out our whole field and then come after us. There’s not much time. If I let him knock out Odd-Eyes things will spiral out of control. I have to rescue Odd-Eyes now or my monsters and Zuzu’s are all going down. I only have one chance,” Yuya ran for an Action card on a green and brown candy cane.
“Hey, I know what you’re up to,” Sora said as he jumped onto his Frightfur Bear.
“Pick up the pace, Odd-Eyes!” Yuya yelled as he jumped onto Odd-Eyes and raced for the Action Card. Sora, however, leaped and reached the card before Yuya and then jumped from perch to perch on the lollipops until he landed on his monster’s paw.
“Whoa! How did Sora gain agility like that? Unless, did he come from…,” Lulu muttered.
“Maybe. But if he did we can still put a stop to him,” Rin tried to comfort Lulu.
“Yeah, I know! That little acrobat must have springs in his legs!” Skip was amazed by Sora’s skills.
“Whoa! Sora is very athletic for a kid,” Spike was impressed with Sora’s athletic prowess.
“You’ll have to be a lot quicker than that if you wanna snag an Action Card before I do. That’s why I took out Hip Hippo first, because I knew it would slow you down,” Sora revealed.
“You had this all planned out from the start, didn’t you?” Yuya asked, realizing what Sora had done.
“Wow! Sora could rival Twilight with how he is able to think ahead,” Spike was amazed.
“You wouldn’t want me to make it easy for you, would you, Coach Y?” Sora asked as he jumped down on the ground from his Frightfur Bear. “Hope not ‘cause my Frightfur Bear’s about to track down and destroy your Odd-Eyes.”
“No it won’t! I activate a trap-- Command Performance. Whenever there’s a Performapal on my field, this card switches your monster into defense mode,” Yuya played.
“Sounds like a good move to make, Yuya,” Zuzu complimented.
“Yes! The two of them can still turn this duel around!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
“Yeah, but remember that Sora still has an Action Card,” Twilight warned.
“Oh, right,” Pinkie Pie realized.
“This is the perfect time to use an Action Card,” Sora said with a smile. “I’m activating my spell, Candy Coat.” Yuya and Zuzu gave looks of shock and horror in response to Sora’s move. “Thanks to the sweet power of this spell, my Bear is protected from any trap or spell effects for this turn. And it shades my Bear from being destroyed. It’s lucky I grabbed this card first. If I hadn’t, you could’ve used it to save your Odd-Eyes and foil my strategy.”
“So close!” Yuya miserably grumbled, with Zuzu looking on in concern.
“Oh, well, Frightfur Bear, finish your attack,” Sora commanded as his bear punched Odd-Eyes and knocked Yuya off and onto the ground. Odd-Eyes, meanwhile, was knocked into the syruppy goop pond (Yuya-500 LP).
“I’ve lost Odd-Eyes!” Yuya yelled in horror.
“His dragon’s gone?” Allie asked in shock with the other kids.
Yuya, meanwhile, just stared horrified at the pond where Odd-Eyes had been not five seconds ago. Yuya began to cry, much to the concern of Allie and Zuzu, putting his goggles over his eyes as he did so. “I’m sorry, Odd-Eyes, I tried to save you, but I failed.”
“Cheer up! It’s not over yet! You still have a few life points left, Coach Y,” Sora encouraged.
“Yes, but they won’t be enough. None of us likes getting beaten, of course, but Yuya will just have to find a way to deal with it,” Skip Boyle said.
“Dad, that’s not why he’s upset. Don’t you understand that Yuya feels a special bond with Odd-Eyes, just like me with Mozarta? That dragon stands for everything he loves about our Pendulum cards,” Zuzu called out, explaining  Yuya’s mindset.
“Hey, are you okay Yuya?” Pinkie Pie called out to Yuya.
“I doubt it. He’s about to lose to…,” Lulu began to say only for Rin to interrupt.
“Listen. Even if he is one of them I doubt that he’s here to hurt us yet. Even if he is, we can just fight back. After all, we’re very strong duelists,” Rin tried to comfort.
“What are you talking about?” Starlight asked the pair.
“Yeah! Sora is just a fan. He isn’t going to hurt us,” Pinkie Pie argued.
“Yeah! He’s just a kid after all,” Spike agreed.
“I can tell Yuya’s really not taking this well,” Tate commented to Frederick.
“Come on, Yuya! You got to stand up and take center stage!” Frederick called out in support.
“Yeah! Zuzu and Yuya can still win this duel, right Ruri?” Allie asked, only to see that Lulu was still scarred by Frightfur Bear for reasons she didn’t know.
“Coach Y knows that there’s nothing he can do to stop me now. My Bear’s gonna keep using his monsters against him and then he and Coach Z are gonna lose! Come on, Frightfur Bear! Equip yourself with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon,” Sora said as one arm moved to grab Odd-Eyes.
Yuya, meanwhile, was on his knees still feeling miserable when he grabbed his Pendulum necklace.
“Come on Yuya! I know that you’re upset over losing Odd-Eyes, but you can’t just give up! You can feel better if you just remember what your dad told us that one time when you lost your necklace!” Zuzu tried to cheer up her friend.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	A younger Yuya and Zuzu were looking around to see if they could find Yuya’s missing necklace. However, they currently had no luck, something that upset both of them. Yuya due to losing the necklace and Zuzu for failing to be of help.
	“Where could it be?” Yuya cried sadly.
	“I don’t know,” Zuzu sadly muttered as she closed her eyes.
	“Something wrong, you two?” Yusho asked the duo.
	Yuya and Zuzu both looked happy to see Yusho before remembering they were sad. “Dad! I lost my necklace and I can’t find it anywhere,” Yuya explained.
	“We’ve looked everywhere we could, but no luck. I feel terrible for not being of any help,” Zuzu admitted sadly.
	“I see, well, I’d be upset too in either of your situations, but, in a situation like this, hanging your head and crying isn’t the answer,” Yusho began to give his advice. “Hey, listen to me carefully Yuya. If you really want to find what you’ve lost, then you’ve got to hold your head up. Stay positive and good things will happen. As for you, Zuzu. Not being to help your friends can be a big bummer, but like I told Yuya, being positive may be more helpful for the both of you than focusing on your misery.” 
	“Thanks for the advice sir, but-,” Zuzu thanked only to look over at the still miserable Yuya.
	“It’s hopeless!” Yuya cried sadly.
	“Come on, give it a try,” Yusho encouraged.
	Yuya decided to stop crying for a moment and take his dad’s advice. In a moment, he saw his necklace was hanging in the nearby tree. “Dad, Zuzu, I found it!”
	“See, it worked, didn’t it, Yuya?” Yusho asked his son as he nodded. 
	Zuzu, meanwhile, looked happy to see that her friend was now cheered up. Yusho was right, maintaining a happy mood was much better than stewing in misery. She couldn’t help but feel a lot happier herself.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	“I haven’t forgotten, Dad. ‘Stay positive and good things will happen.’” Yuya began to smile and laugh, much to the confusion of everyone except for Zuzu and Pinkie Pie, who looked happy to see their friend smiling. “Dad knew what he was talking about. If I just worry about what I lost, I’ll miss the fun that’s right in front of me. I have to hold my head high and enjoy the ride while it lasts. No matter how things turn out, at least I’ll have a good time, and so will my fans,” Yuya thought to himself as he removed his goggles from over his eyes. Yuya looked up to see his Pendulum from in between his two magicians. Also, his Extra Deck was glowing on his Duel Disk screen. “What’s going on? My Extra Deck! I’m sure I didn’t have any cards there before, but then why’s the tab flashing? Only one way to find out.” Yuya said as his finger lingered over the button before pressing it. The Extra Deck glowed as he opened it, seeing a familiar card in his Extra Deck. Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. “Keep searching all you want Sora, but your Bear’s gonna keep coming up empty-handed!”
“Huh? Why’s that?” Sora asked, confused. “Where did your Odd-Eyes disappear to?”
“When Odd-Eyes was destroyed, it didn’t end up in the graveyard. It’s with me, here in my extra deck!” Yuya revealed, much to everyone else’s shock.
“In your extra deck?” Zuzu asked, in awe at how complex Pendulum Summoning is.
“Whoa! I didn’t expect for that to happen. Am I hearing things correctly Spike?” Twilight asked her brother.
“No, you’re not,” Spike said.
“Well, that’s some bad news for me,” Sora muttered before he began to laugh, much to everyone’s confusion. “That’s so cool, coach. So, a destroyed Pendulum monster, instead of going to the graveyard, ends up in your extra deck? I never would’ve guessed that. Pendulum monsters are totally amazing! Since Odd-Eyes isn’t in the graveyard, I can’t equip it to my bear, which means it can’t attack you both. I can’t end this duel now! Turn over. Coach Y, it’s your move. But remember that you can’t finish the duel this turn.”
“Well, I play the trap card Melodious Provisions! With it, we each draw one card from our decks,” Zuzu played.
“Thanks, Zuzu,” Yuya thanked his friend.
“Looks as if Yuya may have a shot of turning this duel around, thanks to Zuzu,” Starlight said.
“Alright! Make your move a fun one Coach Y!” Sora cried out.
“All right! Then brace yourself for a battle that’s gonna blow you away. You see, Zuzu’s trap couldn’t have helped me to draw a better card. Attention! I’d like to direct your attention to my two magicians, Stargazer and Timegazer. Before your very eyes, I’ll use them to set the Pendulum Scale. Presto! I can now summon monsters from level two through level seven all at the same time. Swing far, Pendulum! Carve the arc of victory! Pendulum Summon! And now, I’d like to introduce a Pendulum monster who you never met before. Performapal Cheer Mole (600 Attack)!” Cheer Mole meekly appeared before burying herself under ground. “But wait! That’s not all! I’m also bringing back a crowd fave, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (2500 Attack)!”
Most everyone was amazed by the summon of the dragon, including Sora. The only acceptions were Celina, who was looking a bit interested but bored, and Lulu, who was looking scared. Celina noticed this and asked her, “Hey, are you okay there Ruri? Something looks off about you.”
“Be quiet, Celina. Please!” Lulu warned, looking deeply upset, much to Celina’s confusion. 
“Ruri, what’s wrong? Celina was just trying to help,” Spike asked, surprised by how Lulu brushed off Celina.
“I just knew Yuya would figure out a way for his Odd-Eyes to get in the spotlight again,” Tate said, not noticing Lulu’s fear.
“So, no matter how many times Yuya’s opponents destroy it, Odd-Eyes won’t be sent to the graveyard. And Yuya can summon it back over and over and over again. Pendulum Power! It’s got me more excited than ever! I’m totally fired up!” Skip cheered, with Celina about to slap him for being annoying, but stopping at the last moment.
“Odd-Eyes is set, and so it our supporting cast. And now, friends, without further ado, let’s get on with the duel. Our lead act is Performapal Sword Fish, who will show off its ability by slashing the attack points of your Frightfur Bear by 600! Guys! Can you help me out with some basic arithmetic? 3000 minus 600,” Yuya said.
“2400!” The three kids answered.
“Odd-Eyes is now a hundred points stronger than Frightfur Bear. It can send that Bear back to the toy store,” Zuzu cheered.
“Correct!” Yuya confirmed.
“Hold on! If you destroy Frightfur Bear, I’ll still only take a hundred points of damage. And, since you both can’t attack me directly I still have a chance at winning this duel,” Sora reminded the duo. “That’s not enough to knock me out of the duel.” 
“Oh no! Looks like Yuya and Zuzu could still be knocked out of this match,” Pinkie Pie was a bit worried.
“I wouldn’t worry Pinkie Pie. After all, with my “Mole Move” it will be,” Yuya responded.
“Huh?” Sora was confused.
“And now, Performapal Cheer Mole will perform her special ability. Oh, come on, it’s no time to be shy. I’ve got spirit, yes I do! I’ve got spirit, how ‘bout you?” Cheer Mole cheered on her partner as she jumped out of the cake ground. “Cheer Mole strengthens Sword Fish’s special ability so that instead of sword Fish lowering Frightfur Bear’s attack points by 600, it lowers it by 1600 (1400 Attack)!”
“Way to go, Yuya!” Zuzu cheered on Yuya’s winning move.
Yuya blushed for a moment at this before saying to Sora, “You wanted this to be fun, so how do you like this? Since Frightfur Bear is level five or higher, Odd-Eyes can use its special ability to double the damage you take. Now, the grand finale! So, get ready! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, get set to strike and make this the most sensational finish ever. Spiral Flame Strike!” Yuya cried out as his dragon shot a blast at Frightfur Bear, with the blast knocking Sora into a pile of ice cream as his Life Points hit zero.
“That’s a wrap!” Both Yuya and Zuzu said in unison. The kids cheered on the duo for their victory as the Action Field faded away. Both of them noticed Sora sitting on the ground on the other side of the arena.
After thinking for a moment, the duo decided to walk up to Sora with Zuzu holding out her hand to help Sora up as Yuya said, “Sora, I think you may be the most clever opponent we’ve ever faced.”
“Uh hu! You may be even more clever than Twilight is!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
“Well, let’s not get carried away here,” Twilight nervously said.
“Yeah! It’s clear you don’t need any coaching from us. Thanks for an amazing duel,” Zuzu agreed as Sora started to laugh and get up without Zuzu’s help.
“What a blast! That duel totally rocked! Thank you Yuya and Zuzu!” Sora thanked the duo.
“Wait, Yuya? You’re not calling me “coach” anymore?” Yuya asked Sora.
“Well, you guys don’t want me to be your student. So, instead, I’ll become your guy’s best friend. And of course that means we’ll be hanging together all the time. And so will Cece!” Sora said.
“Now hold on!” Celina yelled, not happy with the proposition of spending extra time with the group.
Looking at Yuya, Zuzu could tell that he also wasn’t completely on board with the idea yet. “Look, maybe we should-.”
“That was an awesome duel between you three! Since Sora here is now all your best bud, I’m gonna discount your tuition. You are enrolling in the You Show School, aren’t you? “ Skip asked Sora.
“You bet! After today’s duel, I wouldn’t sign up at the Leo Institute for anything,” Sora confirmed.
“Yes! Another new student, which means maybe I can pay this month’s electric bill,” Skip cheered as he ran off. “I’ll get the signup forms!”
“Not only that, but we’ll get ourselves some new friends!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
“Weren’t we already friends?” Spike asked.
“Hold on. If you never studied at the Leo Institute, then where did you learn to Fusion Summon?” Yuya asked.
“I’ll tell you guys where. He learned from-,” Lulu began to say only for Sora to interrupt.
“Where I come from, Fusion Summoning is really common. Everybody uses it,” Sora answered a bit vaguely.
“Wait, you’re not from here?” Zuzu was shocked to hear.
“So, then, like, where did you grow up?” Yuya asked, also confused.
“Oh, I’m too hungry to talk about it right now. Let’s go to your house for dinner, okay, pal?” Sora asked.
“Look, I’m not sure this whole friendship thing is a good idea,” Yuya was wary to trust Sora with how obnoxious he was being.
Sora grabbed onto Yuya’s shoulder before saying, “And afterwards, wanna watch a movie?”
Yuya looked ready to burst in anger and annoyance, much to the amusement of everyone but Lulu. Before much else could come of this, Luna and Rainbow Dash entered the duel school and watched the scene in confusion.
“So, what just happened?” Luna asked the others.
“Yeah. It looks like Yuya is very annoyed with that Sora kid,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Well, Sora is trying to be all buddy buddy with Yuya, though Yuya isn’t in a chipper mood about it,” Zuzu answered, resisting the urge to laugh. 
“Really now? Well, looks like I missed quite a bit. Hey, Ruri, what’s going on with you?” Luna asked Lulu who looked better than she was before but still looked shaken.
“Hey, Rua, Can I talk to you for a moment?” Lulu asked as she pushed Luna aside.
“Wait, hold up! What’s going on here?” Luna demanded, looked confused yet concerned.
“Yeah! I know that these Fusion guys are total creeps, but the one we faced is long gone!” Rainbow Dash whispered loudly, much to Lulu’s fear.
“Wait. Rainbow Dash knows?!” Lulu was shocked and scared.
“Yeah. I don’t know if we should trust her with something this big,” Rin said as she entered the conversation.
“Look, I promise to make sure she remains quiet until we find more help,” Luna promised.
“Hold on! Why can’t I tell my friends about all this craziness?” Rainbow Dash argued.
“I just don’t want to endanger any innocent people. So, what were you trying to say, Lulu?” Luna asked.
“Listen, I know I may sound paranoid, but I think that Sora and Celina from the Fusion Dimension,” Lulu confessed.
Luna started to look as if a fire was ignited in her soul. “So, I wasn’t the only one who ran into a Fusion bastard today. I ran into someone who was trying to locate and capture you. So, what do you think they’re doing here?”
“I don’t know what Sora is here for. Perhaps he’s here with Celina in order to be scouts for an invasion of this dimension. I don’t want a repeat of what happened to my home,” Lulu confessed.
“So, what do you think we should do? Attack them and take them out while we still can?” Luna asked Lulu.
“I wouldn’t be against that plan,” Rin commented.
“Me neither,” Rainbow Dash agreed.
“Actually, maybe we should just keep an eye on him for now. Maybe we can get his help if we can convince him that Duel Academy is bad,” Lulu suggested.
“Yeah, and Sector Security will stop arresting innocents. Look, we can play your way for now, but if Sora doesn’t change I say we use him to learn more about Duel Academy,” Luna proposed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“So, you found someone who knows where Lulu is?” A mysterious man asked the figure from earlier.
“Yes, but I don’t believe that they’re connected to Yugo. To be honest, I don’t know if they even are a part of Duel Academy,” The figure confessed.
“I don’t think they are either. If they were trying to harm Lulu, then they wouldn’t have hesitated to harm her by this point and wouldn’t have been making excuses. Still, we won’t know for certain unless we find Lulu herself and have her explain everything,” Astral answered.
“So, I take it that Astral was talking just now. What did he have to say?” The teenage male asked the figure.
“He believes that this person we ran into isn’t working for Duel Academy either,” The figure answered.
“Did you get the girl’s name? Maybe we can find and save Lulu before Duel Academy finds her again,” The male asked, hoping that they can find Lulu and keep her safe.
“Her name is apparently Luna. Unfortunately, I don’t think she’s a big enough person that we can easily find her. What should we do?” The figure asked the male.
“I think we should investigate this Leo Institute. They could be connected to Duel Academy seeing how they have Leo Akaba’s name in it,” The male suggested.
“Got it! We just need to find a student and see what they know!” The figure said.
“I’ll handle this myself. You and Shay should stand down for the time being, got it?” The male gave his plan.
“Um, okay? Good luck, Yuto,” The figure wished him luck.
“Stay strong, Tori,” Yuto wished his friend and teammate luck.
> Mr. Mystery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just like Yuto told Tori, he was watching the Leo Institute like a hawk, thinking of many plans to find out more about their enemies and where Lulu was. He took a moment to glance at the Leo Institute pin, thinking of how all their plans rested on this one lead.
Meanwhile, inside of the Leo Institute, Sylvio was testing out his new deck against one of his pals. “And now to break the ice and any chance you have at winning this duel, Mobius the Frost Monarch, put the freeze on Power Dart Striker!” Mobius created icicles in his hands and used them to slice at his pal’s Life Points, reducing them to zero.
“Nice play,” Another pal commented as Sylvio smirked in triumph.
“It’s not fair! Your cards are so much better than mine!” One of Sylvio’s friends complained about his loss. 
“No, you weren’t defeated by the cards in my deck… You were defeated by… Everyone,” Sylvio said as he snapped.
“Sylvio,” The boy’s friends all said at once as they posed.
“That’s me. That’s not to say I don’t have sweet cards… I do, but what’s even sweeter are my skills! Skills that pay the bills! And that give the thrills! So let’s give it up for…,” Sylvio said while posing, with him snapping his fingers at the end.
“Sylvio!” The teen’s friends gleefully said while posing.
“That’s me! Now, some may say that I have a really big ego. Well…,” Sylvio began.
“He sure does!” His friends answered.
“But my dueling talents are even bigger! So one more time with feeling! Go!” Sylvio said with a snap.
“Sylvio!” The trio sang.
“It sure is true! And is there anyone out there that can beat me?” Sylvio boasted.
“Yuya Sakaki,” One of Sylvio’s friends muttered.
“Yeah, he sure does act like him now,” Another friend said in response to Sylvio’s theatrics while describing himself.
At this, Sylvio grew annoyed. “What do you mean Yuya Sakaki?!” Sylvio demanded.
“All we mean, Sylvio, is that he did beat you in your last match…,” One friend explained to Sylvio.
“It’s because he had better cards, that’s why! His deck was stacked against me from the get go, I didn’t stand a chance! Not only that, but he had help from that one girl, Ruru or whatever she was called!” Sylvio made an excuse for his loss.
“What?” One friend was shocked.
“Yeah, don’t you remember?” Another friend asked.
“Before the duel, you took Yuya’s Pendulum cards and gave him a deck full of duds! Besides that, that girl friend of his didn’t impact the duel much aside from one play!” The third friend reminded Sylvio.
“Oh, forget about that! I’ve changed my game. Mark my words… Yuya is all washed up!” Sylvio growled.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, Yuya and his friends were washing their faces with sinks. “Refreshing,” Yuya said as he washed his face.
“Better than a marmalata bath!” Frederick said.
“Sometimes I really wonder about you, Frederick,” Sora marveled.
“Uh, Yuya? You think maybe we can head off now? I mean how long does it take to freshen up?” Zuzu asked her friend.
“I agree. We should be improving our duel skills rather than wasting hours of our lives just cleaning our faces,” Celina agreed.
“Yeah, you guys. We kind of are wasting our time here,” Rainbow Dash agreed.
“Same here. We could be finding more opponents to face for the Arc League Championships,” Spike reminded only to see Twilight give him a look. “Which I won’t currently be taking part in.”
“I understand, but we can wait a while longer,” Yuya responded.
“We’ve been here an hour!” Zuzu complained.
“I know it guys, but the smell of success doesn’t come off that easily,” Yuya said.
“I agree with Yuya here! Just because you don’t like washing Dashie doesn’t mean you should be a party pooper,” Pinkie Pie said.
“Got that right… ‘cause this is really starting to stink,” Zuzu muttered.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Later that evening, Zuzu, Celina, Spike, and Allie were walking down the road to return to You Show with a bag full of ice cream in tow.
“Do me a favor, Allie… The next time I have a craving for ice cream, remind me not to share it with everyone,” Zuzu said, annoyed that she had to get so much ice cream, but still willing to help her friends. 
“I’m more worried about sharing Frederick’s favorite flavor… Seriously, pralines and currywurst?” Allie asked.
“I don’t get why we are bothering doing this for everyone. They can get their own “ice cream,” Celina grumbled, having only gone along to do some scouting.
“Well, when you care about someone, you’re willing to do something nice for them,” Zuzu explained. “It’s a very simple concept, I don’t get how you don’t get it.”
“Same here. I do things for Twilight and the others all the time. Sometimes because I have to but mostly because I want to make them happy,” Spike agreed.
Celina was about to ask what they meant, only for Zuzu to stop upon hearing talking. 
“What is it?” Allie asked.
Zuzu shushed Allie as she heard talking from one of Sylvio’s friends. “I mean losing like that to a You Show student isn’t something you get over too easily. I’ve never seen Sylvio so fired up!”
Another of his friends replied, “You know it. When he gets his hands on Yuya it’s not gonna be pretty.”
“Oh, it’s gonna be pretty all right-- pretty devastating for Yuya!”
“I guess when you put it that way!” The duo laughed. “Of course, it could get pretty devastating for us, too, if we’re any later delivering Sylvio’s pie.” At this, the two pals of Sylvio ran off.
“This is bad!” Zuzu yelled as she ran to follow the duo.
“I know! We should stop these guys before they end up hurting your comrade,” Celina also ran to follow.
“Weird way to talk about a friend, but agreed,” Spike agreed as he rushed to keep up.
“Hey! Wait for me!” Allie ran to follow Zuzu, Spike, and Celina.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the docks, Yuto was getting another look at the Leo Institute from atop a warehouse, which just so happened to house Sylvio and his third friend. Meanwhile, the other two friends arrived with Sylvio’s pie. “Sorry we’re late. It won’t happen again.”
“Better not!” Sylvio huffed, annoyed.
“Let us make it up to you. How about we feed you personally. Or maybe chew your food for you?” One of the two asked Sylvio.
Meanwhile, outside the warehouse Zuzu, Spike, Celina, and Allie were around a corner with Zuzu ready to enter.
“What are we doing here, Zuzu? Shouldn’t we go and warn Yuya?” Allie asked Zuzu.
“In his and Ruri’s duel with Sylvio, Yuya and Ruri gave it their all to help our friends. Now’s my chance to return the favor,” Zuzu thought to herself. “This could get dicey, Allie. Head on back to You Show.”
“Wait but... ,” Allie tried to say only for Zuzu to run to the warehouse’s door.
“Need some assistance, Zuzu?” Celina asked Zuzu and Spike as she followed after them.
“So, you do care,” Spike said. “Here I thought you were a steel wall emotionally.”
“Not really. I just need to make sure that Sora’s ally doesn’t meet an unfortunate end,” Celina explained.
“Right…,” Zuzu awkwardly accepted.
“Well, at least we have some extra help,” Spike tried to look on the bright side.
Yuto, hearing the noise, turned to look and saw Zuzu and Celina, believing that they were Lulu. “What are you doing here? Better yet, which one of them is you?”
Back inside the warehouse, just as Sylvio was about to eat his pie, he was interrupted when he took a bite as Zuzu said, “Chew on this… I heard what you were planning!” One of Sylvio’s pals gave Sylvio a water bottle to get down the bite of pie he was choking on. “How you’re looking to get some payback on Yuya. Well, I’m not gonna let you!”
“Yeah! Duel me if you are looking to get some payback!” Celina yelled.
“Celina, let me duel,” Zuzu whispered.
“Fine. But if you lose, let me take over,” Celina reluctantly agreed.
“You know I can also be of help,” Spike awkwardly commented as he was being forgotten.
Sylvio gagged as he caught his breath before asking, “Can you at least let me eat my pie?”
“Seriously. Sylvio, you call that eating? Maybe you should try getting some in your mouth,” Spike riffed.
“Huh?” Sylvio asked.
“He has a point,” One pal said as he handed Sylvio a handkerchief. Sylvio cleaned his face before making another theatrical pose. 
“All right then… What is it you were having such a hissy fit about?” Sylvio asked.
“You can forget your plans with Yuya and Ruri!” Zuzu yelled.
“You’re in no position to give-,” Sylvio said only to be interrupted.
`	“Duel me right here, right now instead!” Zuzu demanded.
“You can’t be serious-,” Sylvio rebutted.
“What’s wrong? Afraid you’ll rack up another loss?”
“Will you please let me speak?”
“Actions speak louder than words! So what’s it gonna be? We on? Or are you too chicken?” Zuzu demand.
“I’m not chicken,” Sylvio growled.
“Mmm-mmm, no, you’re right, you’re not. Know why? Because that would be insulting to a chicken,” Zuzu mocked as she bucked like a chicken.
“You’re on, Zuzu,” Sylvio agreed bitterly. At this, one of the three pals shut the door of the warehouse behind Zuzu to trap her in. “Aw, what’s wrong? You look scared.  Now which of us is chicken?”
“If we’re going strictly by appearances, then it’s still you, ‘cause, I’ve seen your bird brain abilities in action against Yuya and Ruri.”
“We’ll see who’s crying fowl when this is over! Now, let’s get dueling,” Sylvio said as he placed his duel disk on his arm. 
“Um, guys?” Spike tried to get the other’s attention as he noticed someone about to interfere.
Suddenly, one of Sylvio’s pals screamed out as he was pushed down by someone. As Sylvio and Zuzu turned to see the culprit, it turned out to be Yuto, wearing goggles and a scarf over his face. “Aw man. Now what?”
“Hope I’m not interrupting,” Yuto said.
“And… you are?” Celina asked the teen.
“Someone on a very special mission,” Yuto vaguely answered as he looked to the pin on Sylvio’s shirt. “A mission that I will complete no matter what.”
“What mission? Finding opponents for the Junior Arc League?” Spike asked curiously.
“Yeah, that’s great and all… But can’t you see we’re in the middle of something?” Sylvio pointed out. “We’re about to duel!”
“Yes, we are!” Yuto exclaimed as he prepped his different looking duel disk.
“Never seen a duel disk like that…,” Sylvio marveled.
“Me either. Could he be from…,” Celina wondered to herself.
“Okay, so then I guess you’ll be dueling for Zuzu and her overconfident friend?” Sylvio guessed.
“He most certainly will not be! This is my battle to fight and I fully plan on fighting it--,” Zuzu proclaimed as she prepared to place her duel disk on her arm, only for Yuto to stop her.
“I’ve already put you through enough,” Yuto said, much to the female duo’s confusion.
“So, Zuzu? How do you know this guy?” Spike asked.
“I don’t know him, Spike. Why is he here and what does he want?” Zuzu quietly wondered.
“Alrighty then. Let’s do this, Mr. Mystery. But once I win, you gotta remove that mask,” Sylvio said as Yuto remained silent. “I’ll just go ahead and take your brooding silence as a yes. Now then, ready or not… let's duel!”
“I’ll go first,” Yuto decided.
“By all means,” Sylvio confidently said.
“I place all five cards in my hand facedown,” Yuto said as he set his entire hand, much to the shock of Zuzu, Celina, and Sylvio. “I end my turn.”
“Really? That was it?” Celina wondered what Yuto was planning.
“Yeah! No offense, but that wasn’t the best move. Do you run Trap Monsters or something?” Spike wondered.
Sylvio was just standing there, shuddering in shock until he began to laugh. “I love it, you show up all cool and mysterious and then play a lame move like that?”
“He couldn’t even summon a single monster!” A pal agreed with Sylvio.
“I mean, seriously, no wonder this punk’s wearing a mask! He’s too embarrassed to show his face! C’mon, admit it, that’s the reason!” Sylvio teased.
“Guess you’ll have to beat me to find out,” Yuto responded calmly.
“Fine,” Sylvio said.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, back at You Show… 
Allie had just arrived calling out, “Yuya! Ruri!” Only to fall into Lulu’s arms as the ice cream landed with the boys aside from Yuya who had turned his attention to Allie.
“What’s the big hurry, Allie?” Yuya asked the young girl.
“Is there anything wrong?” Lulu asked politely.
“Yes! I had to get to you quick, there’s big trouble!” Allie warned the duo.
“I’ll say, the ice cream’s melted,” Frederick moaned.
“No prob. Anyone got a straw?” Sora asked the others.
“No, not really,” Starlight answered.
“I can drink the ice cream without it,” Pinkie Pie commented before turning her attention back to Allie.
“Trouble?” Lulu was suspicious.
“What kind of trouble, Allie? Where’s Zuzu?” Yuya asked.
“She went after Sylvio… She went to duel him to protect you!” Allie cried, confessing what happened to both teens to their shared concern.
“This is bad! Last time we saw Sylvio he was willing to harm others to reach his goals,” Rainbow Dash reminded everyone.
“Yeah! And that was when he had no beef with us. Imagine what he’d be willing to do now that we’ve got him angry,” Twilight pointed out. 
“You guys are right! How about I go with Yuya and Ruri as backup? You guys stay here and keep everyone else safe,” Pinkie Pie suggested.
“Uh?” Twilight and the others were surprised by how serious Pinkie Pie was being.
“What? I can’t be worried about the others?” Pinkie Pie asked with her normal innocence. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Next time, you may want to consider adding monsters to your deck,” Celina criticized Yuto, with him realizing that this wasn’t Lulu. Then again, the other girl could be her. “Then again… one of those facedowns may turn the tide.”
“It’s time to show you how it’s done… I draw! First, I think I’ll take advantage of your facedown cards… After all, since you have two or more cards in your Spell and Trap Card 
Zone, I can summon this chillin’ villain straight from my hand! Introducing Escher the Frost Vassal (800 Attack)! But I’m not done. Now I’ll tribute Escher for this cool customer! Make way for Mobius the Frost Monarch (2400 Attack)!” Sylvio played.
“All right! The duel just started and Sylvio’s already got a big time monster out!” One pal cheered.
“With a big time ability! You see, when Mobius is successfully summoned, I can select up to two spell and trap cards on the field and freeze them out!” Sylvio explained as his monster created a blizzard that destroyed two spells. “And unfortunately for you, I’m just getting started because next… I activate the spell Tribute Carnival! Now, since I’ve already successfully executed a Tribute Summon, I can Tribute Summon once again!”
“And here I always thought that carnivals were supposed to be fun…..” Zuzu commented.
“What’s a carnival?” Celina asked curiously.
“Wow. How sheltered are you, Celina?” Spike asked.
“It’s a place for fun. At least normally. As for this one, I gotta bad feeling about what’s coming next…,” Zuzu was getting worried.
“And you ought to! But please don’t just take my word for it… See for yourself. I tribute Mobius the Frost Monarch. And with it’s sacrifice, rise Mobius the Mega Monarch (2800 Attack)! I know what you’re thinking… Shouldn’t I have had to tribute summon two monsters to bring out someone as powerful and majestic as Mega Monarch? Nope, because since my Frost Monarch was tribute summoned himself… He was able to handle the job all by his lonesome. And it’s only going to be getting worse for you because now Mobius the Mega Monarch’s special ability activates! When he’s successfully summoned, I get to select up to three spell and trap cards on the field and then destroy them!” Sylvio played.
“Nice! Hurry up though! Those cards you’re gonna destroy… They could still activate!” One pal yelled out.
“Actually that’s the best part. You see, since I tributed a Water Attribute monster to summon Mega Monarch, those cards on the field… Can’t do a thing! That is, except get snow blown to bits!” Sylvio explained as a blizzard destroyed Yuto's remaining set cards.
“Brr! That was one cold blizzard!” Spike said as he tried to warm up.
At this point, Zuzu realized something. “Hey… You have a point Spike. I can actually feel the cold… But that can’t be. Unless the action in this duel is a lot more real than I thought.”
“Well, where I come from the duels are real like this one,” Celina confessed.
“Really? How so?” Zuzu wondered.
“Hey, no more comments from the peanut gallery! I’m trying and succeeding to win!” Sylvio yelled as Spike, Zuzu, and Celina gave him glares. “Anyways, having second thoughts about this duel now, Mr. Mystery? You have no facedowns on the field and no monsters to protect your precious life points. In the future, maybe you should let Zuzu fight her own battles,” Sylvio mocked smugly.
“Look, as much as I hate to agree with Sylvio, he happens to have a point here. Why don’t you just let me take over the-,” Zuzu suggested, only for Yuto to give her a look, much to Zuzu’s shock and confusion.
“What about me? Why don’t you let me duel?” Celina impatiently demanded. “After all, I could finish the duel in one move if I’m being perfectly honest.
“I hate to interrupt your guy’s little moment, But we’re in the middle of a duel if you recall? And it was just getting good. Mobius! Attack Mr. Mystery directly! Maybe then he’ll see my point!” Sylvio cried out as his monster’s spikes grew.
“I activate the spell card The Phantom Knights of Shadow Veil from my graveyard!” Yuto cried out.
“He did what?” Sylvio’s friends all asked in confusion.
“What? How did he do that?” One friend asked.
“Yeah. if a card’s in the graveyard you can’t use it unless-,” Sylvio began to explain.
“Unless you trigger that card’s effect like you just did by declaring a direct attack. Now since I have three of these cards in my graveyard, I can summon three monsters to the field!” Yuto explained as he summoned the three spells as monsters (LV 4/300 Defense).
“I think maybe we underestimated this guy,” One of Sylvio’s pals commented.
“I don’t know what’s more mysterious, who the man behind the mask is or the way that he duels,” Zuzu wondered.
“I know. Is he getting himself ready for…,” Celina wondered.
“So he does rely a lot on spells and traps! I was right!” Spike cheered. “And now maybe this guy can turn the tide!”
“Fine. So you’ve got three monsters on the field but it doesn’t change a single thing! You wanna know why? Because they’re not going to be there for very long! Mobius the Mega Monarch, Attack that first Shadow Veil! Sleet Spike Smash!” Sylvio played.
“When Shadow Veil is destroyed, it is banished instead of placed in the graveyard,” Yuto explained.
“And that’s what’s gonna happen to ‘em all! In due time, of course. But for now, I’ll throw a facedown. And end my turn. You survived this round, but you won’t survive this next one,” Sylvio said.
“That’s right, you tell him, Sylvio!” One pal cheered.
“I won’t need to, I’m ending this now,” Yuto factually stated.
“Say what?” Sylvio growled.
“If you don’t believe me, just watch! And watch closely because there are better ways to learn the truth about someone than by simply seeing their face. You can learn quite a bit more by seeing the passion of their play,” Yuto said.
“Passion of their play?” Sylvio questioned.
“What a complete loser!” One pal mocked.
“That guy is too much,” The second pal mocked.
“I mean, seriously, who talks like that?” The third one questioned.
“Someone who understands dueling in a way you all never will. Someone who duels for more than just themselves,” Yuto responded as Celina, Spike, and Zuzu looked confused. “I overlay my two Level 4 Phantom Knights in order to build the Overlay Network!”
“It can’t be!” Sylvio yelled, shocked.
“What is it?” Zuzu questioned.
“An Xyz monster,” Celina bitterly muttered.
“It is like me. Cloaked in shadows and relentless in its objective. Only, its objective is to destroy! I Xyz Summon… Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (2500 Attack)!” Yuto cried out.
“Wait, what?!” Spike yelled out in shock, not believing what he was seeing or hearing.
“I can’t believe what I’m seeing!” Zuzu was shocked to see an Xyz monster in person.
“I can. So, this guy is an Xyz user. Likely from the Xyz Dimension,” Celina whispered the last part to herself.
“I don’t get it! How do you have Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon?! I’m the only one with a copy of that card!” Spike yelled, catching Yuto off guard for a second before trying to, at least externally, ignore the comment and return to the duel.
“Wait. What do you mean Spike?” Zuzu was confused to hear that this card was in the deck of one of her friends.
At this, Sylvio started to clap sarcastically. “Very interesting, Mr. Mystery, but this changes nothing. You see, a monster is only as powerful as its attack points say it is. So you do the math. Your Rebellion Dragon has just 2,500 and my monster, Mobius the Mega Monarch has 2,800! Your Rebellion Dragon is outmatched! Your Xyz Summon was a waste of time,” Sylvio said as he played with his hair. “Your Dragon’s about to get the royal treatment!”
“And your time is running out, Sylvio, because you’re wrong. An Xyz Monster’s true power doesn’t reside in its attack points but in something else…,” Yuto began.
“You know, this guy is right. At least, knowing what I know about this card,” Spike muttered.
“Fine, then, I’ll go on and take the bait. Where is its power?” Sylvio asked confidently.
“In it’s Overlay Units! By using one, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon’s special ability activates! Now until the end of this turn, the attack points of one monster on your field are cut in half!” Yuto began to explain as energy surrounded and bound Mobius. “And then Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon gains that amount in its attack points (1400 Attack) (3900 Attack).”
“Oh no! Now Mobius the Mega Monarch is the one who’s outmatched!” One pal yelled out.
“Indeed, he is,” Celina snarled.
“And Sylvio can’t believe it!” Zuzu yelled.
“I can’t believe it!” a shocked and scared Sylvio yelled out.
“Believe it. And I’m not done. I now use the remaining Overlay Unit and activate Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon’s special ability once again! Go Rebellion Dragon! (700 Attack) (4600 Attack)”
“4600 attack points?” Zuzu was still in awe.
“I still can’t believe this!” Sylvio fearfully yelled.
“See, Sylvio? This duel is about to end in your defeat! As weird as this situation is!” Spike cried out.
“And now, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon will attack Mobius the Mega Monarch! Go Mauling Mandible Charge!” Yuto cried out as his dragon used the blades on his chin to slice Mega Monarch. The attack proceeded to cause a lot of damage as it shook the entire warehouse and knocked back Sylvio. Yuto protectively placed himself in front of  Zuzu as a rock hit and damaged his goggles (Sylvio-100 LP).
“Whoa! Is it just me or did that Dragon’s attack kinda feel like it really just happened?” One pal asked.
“Yeah, like it was an Action duel but there’s no ARC system here!” Another pal said.
“What is this? Who are you?” Sylvio nervously yet angrily asked Yuto.
“I’ll be the one asking the questions now. This badge is from the Leo Institute, is it not?” Yuto began to explain as he held out the LID badge. “What’s your connection to Duel Academy?”
“Wait, Duel academy? You mean like the one on Academy Island?” Spike asked.
“Where is that?” Zuzu asked, confused.
“Seriously?! How do you not know this?!” Spike yelled out.
“Duel Academy? Sorry, you lost me,” Sylvio answered bluntly. Meanwhile, Celina looked on in disgust as she accepted that this guy was a part of the Xyz remnants she has heard about.
“Don’t play dumb,” Yuto countered.
“I’m not playing! Everyone who enrolls in the Leo Institute has a badge like that! As for Duel Academy, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Is that a place? A thing? What?” Sylvio explained.
“Well, sooner or later, you both will feel the wrath of the best the Fusion dimension has to offer,” Celina whispered to herself as she clenched her fists.
“You’re of no use to me,” Yuto decided, seeing this path as a dead end as he began to walk away.
Suddenly, Sylvio smiled wickedly. “Nice try, but this duel’s not over yet! I play a trap! Ice Rage! And this ought to make you angry, ‘cause now the monster that destroyed my Water monster in battle goes bye-bye! And then you take damage to your life points equal to that monster’s attack points!” Everyone was shocked by Sylvio’s move. “They say that your greatest strength can sometimes be your greatest weakness, and in this case I’d say they’re right because the numbers don’t lie!” Sylvio proceeded to laugh. “4600! That’s the amount of damage you’ll be taking to your life points!”
“No. It won’t be,” Yuto cooly responded.
“What?” Sylvio asked, frustrated at the implication.
“I activate the spell Phantom Spear from my graveyard. Since you activated a trap card, by banishing Phantom Spear, your trap activation is negated and the trap destroyed! And then, you take 100 points of damage.”
Sylvio, realizing he was about to lose, cowardly freaked out and begged for mercy. “Wait, time out, hold on a sec, can’t we talk about this? Maybe negotiate a truce?”
“No. You wanted to finish the duel, so I’m finishing it,” Yuto said as the spear pinned Sylvio to the wall by his coat, leaving him unharmed as Sylvio was scared for his life. Then, the spear and Yuto’s dragon disappeared. “And since you still seem to be blind as to who I am…” Yuto said as he took off his mask. To everyone’s shock, the teen looked just like Yuya.
“Yuya?” Zuzu asked.
“Wait. So Yuya is from the Xyz Dimension? But then why didn’t he use Xyz monsters yet?” Celina whispered in thought.
“He looks kinda different, though,” Spike noted.
“Huh? I think I need to sit down,” Sylvio said as he fell to the ground.
“Uh, that’s falling down. Way down,” One of Sylvio’s pals said as two of them helped Sylvio up.
“And now we need to fall back. Way back!” Another of the pals said as the trio, still lifting Sylvio, ran away from the scene.
“Yuya, I don’t understand… how’d you get here so fast? And why… are you all dressed up in this disguise?” Suddenly, Zuzu and Celina’s bracelets glowed and, in an instant, Yuto vanished without a trace. “Yuya? Hello? Where’d you go?”
“That’s strange. My bracelet hasn’t ever glowed before. What is the meaning of this?” Celina demanded.
“I don’t know. Mine’s never glowed before either,” Zuzu admitted.
Suddenly, the duo heard Yuya’s voice. “Zuzu! Celina!” At this, Pinkie Pie, Yuya and Lulu had arrived to the scene.
“There you guys are! Are you both okay?” Lulu asked the duo.
“Yeah we are. Thanks to Yuya! You were here, Yuya,” Zuzu answered.
“And you used my card, too!” Spike yelled out.
“What do you mean here?” Yuya asked, confused. “Here when?”
“And what card are you talking about? Yuya was with us both this whole time,” Pinkie Pie corrected.
“First my bracelet glows again and then Zuzu and Celina seem to have seen Yuya? Could it be… Yuri has found me and is here to take me back to Duel Academy?!” Lulu thought, scared at the idea.
“So strange… Was that Yuya? I just… Don’t know…,” Zuzu said to herself.
“You feeling okay, Zuzu? Maybe you oughta get some fresh air. It kinda smells like smoke in here. Of course, that’s still an improvement over the smell of Frederick’s pralines and currywurst ice cream! Ew-Yuck!” Yuya said as Zuzu was thinking about her, Spike’s, and Celina’s encounter with Yuto.
> The Heart of the Cards (Meanwhile Part 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Long ago, when the pyramids were still young, the Egyptian Kings played a game of great and terrible power. But these Shadow Games erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the entire world. Until a brave and powerful pharaoh locked the magic away, imprisoning it within the mystical Millennium Items. Now, five thousand years later, a boy named Yuugi unlocks the secret of the Millennium Puzzle. He is infused with ancient magical energies, for destiny has chosen him to defend the world from the return of the Shadow Games, just as the brave Pharaoh did five thousand years ago.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At a high school in Neo Domino City two weeks earlier…
“Hey Joey! Earth to Joey! Hey, are you in there? It's your turn,” Yugi politely tried to bring his friend back to their duel that was taking place outside, duel disks on their wrists.
“Ummm…,” Joey was uncertainly thinking as he looked over the field. Joey had only 200 Life Points remaining and controlled no cards while Yugi still had 3000 Life Points and controlled Alpha the Magnet Warrior in Attack Mode(1400 Attack)
“Oh, isn't he cute when he's thinking?” Tristan teased his friend, much to Joey’s annoyance.
“Hey Tristan, Yugi here's teaching me how to play Duel Monsters. I’ve heard of it before, but I’ve never played,” Joey explained.
“Drooling monsters?” Tristan asked, confused as to what the game was as well.
“Duel Monsters, you nimrod,” Joey countered, trying to get back at Tristan’s teasing.
“Sheesh,” Tristan muttered.
“They've been at it for hours. Joey's starting to get the hang of the game, but Yugi's like an expert,” Tea explained, amazed at this game.

Meanwhile, not the far away…
“Whoa! That sure was a rough entry to the Duel Monsters World. But, it should be fun to see the others again and be able to duel without the fate of the world at stake again right girls?” Fluttershy asked, only to realize that, to her horror, the others were absent. “Girls?! Where are you?! Okay, calm down Fluttershy,” She said with a deep breath. “If this is anything like what happened with the 5ds gang, we should be able to locate each other and reunite. The only question is where am I?” Suddenly, Fluttershy heard some talking nearby. “Huh? Who is that?”

“Okay Yugi. It's time to duel,” Joey cried out. “I summon Axe Raider to the field in Attack Mode (1700 Attack)!”
“See, each card has an attack number and a defense number. The first player to eliminate the other player's life points wins the duel,” Tea continued to explain the game to Tristan.

“Oh, thank goodness! Some people that can tell me where I am!” Fluttershy said as she approached the chain fence separating her from the students. “Okay, you can talk to them Fluttershy. Just go in and ask. They may not be happy having their duel interrupted, but I’m sure that they’ll understand when I explain things. Wait a second isn’t that… Joey Wheeler?! What is he doing at this school?! And… it’s Yugi Muto too?! Hold on… take deep breaths Fluttershy. Still, something is going on here seeing as how they both look so young compared to how they looked back at Duel Academy. I wonder… did I go back in time?! Or is something else going on seeing as how their Duel Disks look so strange?”

“I’ll now attack your Alpha with Axe Raider! (Yugi-2700 LP) Pretty good move, huh Yugi? I’ll now end my turn there,” Joey played.
“Yup! Pretty good move, but not good enough,” Yugi said as he began his turn. “I play the spell card Dark Magic Veil! Now, by paying 1000 LP, I can special summon a Dark-Attribute Spellcaster from my graveyard or hand! (Yugi-1700 LP) I now Special Summon Dark Magician Girl (2000 Attack)! Now, attack Joey’s Axe Raider with Dark Burning Attack!” (Joey-0 LP)
“What?! Thanks a lot. A card that powerful totally wipes me out,” Joey complained as Dark Magician Girl’s hologram disappeared from the field.
“Whoa, you stink at this game, Joey,” Tristan teased.
Yugi laughs good-naturedly. “You did fine, Joey. I just have better cards. See, my Grandpa owns a game shop and I get all my best cards from him. I also stay at his Duel School after school.”
“Your own game shop and Duel school hybrid? What're we waiting for? Let's go!” Joey was excited.
“Okay, maybe I could even get my Grandpa to show us this super rare card he's got,” Yugi said as the group started to leave campus.
“Rare card? Could they have found the card that I've been searching for?” A man with brown hair wondered, having watched the duel from afar, though he wasn’t impressed with either duelist.
However, before they left, Fluttershy approached the group of friends.
“Hey there! How is it going?” Yugi kindly asked Fluttershy, much to the confusion of the friends.
“Do you think she’s a student here?” Tristan asked.
“Or a teacher. She may be a bit short, but she’s definitely a young adult,” Tea observed.
“Oh, sorry to just approach you guys. You see, I’m a bit shy. Not as much as I used to be, but still… My name is Fluttershy,” The pink haired girl kindly introduced herself.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Yugi Muto and these are my friends Joey Wheeler, Tea Gardner, and Tristan Taylor. So, what brings you here?” Yugi introduced his friends in return.
“I was just wondering where I was and what year this was,” Fluttershy cut to the chase only to mentally facepalm at her blunt and strange question.
“Any reason for the year?” Joey asked, confused.
“Or the location? Seriously, how can she not know where we are?” Tristan whispered to the others.
“Hey, don’t be rude!” Tea butted in. “I’m sorry about my friend. You see, we are right out front of the Toriyama High School in Neo Domino City. As for the year, it is currently April 3rd, 2222.”
“Yikes! So, this is the future then?” Fluttershy asked, much to the group’s confusion. “Oh, you see, I come from another dimension and have traveled here with my friends a few times at different time periods in order to keep this world and many others safe.”
At this, the group of four looked on in shock and confusion, not knowing what to make of this news.
“You’re joking, right?” Joey asked.
“Yeah. Maybe she’s just getting confused with a dream she’s been having,” Tea suggested.
“Maybe we should walk away slowly,” Tristan suggested, only to be given a look by the others. Still they did start to think this line of thinking could be valid.
“Look, I know this sounds crazy, but I’m telling the truth. I can prove it. Joey Wheeler, you have a younger sister named Serenity Wheeler that you haven’t been able to spend as much time with and Yugi Muto has an ancient spirit living inside of the Millenium Puzzle. Please believe me,” Fluttershy pleaded with them.
“Wait. How did you know about my sister?!” Joey was shocked.
“I know because from where I’m from, your adventures are years away from when I’ve heard of them,” Fluttershy answered.
“Maybe she is telling the truth,” Tea realized.
“Okay, so she’s only half crazy. I mean, Yugi’s necklace is just that. A necklace,” Tristan said.
At this, Yugi stepped forward, starting to believe that Fluttershy was telling the truth after all. “She’s right. You see, for some time now I’ve known that there is a spirit living inside of my puzzle that helps me and you guys out whenever we really need it. I’m sorry for not telling you guys sooner.”
“Wait. You really do have a spirit living in your puzzle?!” Joey was shocked.
“It makes sense. One time when I was about to be taken advantage of by some sleazebag, Yugi stepped in to stop him only to be knocked aside. However, he soon got up and there was something off about him. Maybe the spirit helped us out then,” Tea realized what had happened.
“Speaking of, that bully Trudge also got taken down by a somewhat off Yugi. So, Yugi, looks like we have another friend in our group,” Joey said.
“Wait. You’re not mad?” Yugi asked in surprise.
“Of course not! Even if the spirit did do a lot of brave things, that didn’t stop you from helping us out then, even when we didn’t do the same for you,” Tristan reassured.
“Spirit or no spirit, we’ll remain friends, Yugi,” Tea agreed.
“Aw, this is so sweet!” Fluttershy said with tears in her eyes, which brought everyone’s attention back to her.
“So, you’re from another world then? Sorry for not believing you,” Joey apologized.
“It’s okay. It was a big ask for you guys to trust a random stranger,” Fluttershy forgave the friends quickly. 
“So, is the world in jeopardy or something, seeing as how you helped save the world way back?” Tristan questioned.
“Actually, I came with some friends in order to visit some friends from a different time period. My friends are named Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Spike, Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, and Rainbow Dash. Have you seen anyone around here by those names?” Fluttershy asked.
“I’m afraid not. Sorry,” Tea apologized.
“That’s disappointing, but I guess I can find a way to reunite with them. I’ll leave you to go back to what you were doing now,” Fluttershy said as she began to walk away. However, Yugi placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Hey! Why don’t you stay with me and my family until you find your friends? I have plenty of space at my home,” Yugi kindly offered.
“Really? Thanks so much!” Fluttershy said.
“And you’re in for a treat! Yuge’s grandfather is not only a Duel School owner but he also has a rare card!” Joey said as the group began to walk towards the Game Shop/Duel School again.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Turtle Game Shop…
“Grandpa? I'm home,” Yugi greeted his grandfather/teacher.
“And I see you've brought company,” Solomon noted upon seeing Yugi’s friends and Fluttershy.
“Sure did! I also made a new friend named Fluttershy! She’ll be staying with us for a while, if that’s okay,” Yugi said, hoping he would say yes.
“I guess she needs a place to stay?” When Yugi nodded, Solomon said with a smile, “Sure. We make enough to support another person for now.”
“Thank you so much! If you want, I can help out at the Duel School and Game Shop. I know a lot when it comes to dueling. Oh, and animals too,” Fluttershy thanked the grandpa.
“Why thank you! I can use some extra help for the time being!” Solomon accepted the help. To be honest, he would have agreed to her staying even without the help, but he decided to let her help seeing as how he realized she wanted to help regardless of the situation.
“So, gramps, could you show my friends your awesome, super rare card?” Yugi asked hopefully.
“Rare card? My special card? Hmmm…,” Solomon wondered if he should do so.
“Please! Please!” Yugi pleaded.
“Pretty please?” Joey also pleaded.
“Hmmm... Hah hah! How could I refuse? You kids are in for a treat. I don't take this card out too often. Ready? Here it is,” Solomon said as he got out his rare card. “The Blue-Eyes White Dragon, so rare, so powerful, I never let it leave my hands.”
“Awesome!” Joey was impressed with the card.
Tristan snatches the BEWD out of Solomon's hands. “It doesn't look all that special to me…”
“Ahh! This card is priceless. There are only four of them in all the world,” Solomon cried out in worry as he grabbed it back.
“Wait. You have a Blue Eyes card?! I thought that Seto Kaiba was the only one to own the card!” Fluttershy was shocked at the sight of the card.
“What do you mean? Is this another time related thing?” Tea asked, confused.
“Kinda. Seto Kaiba, the head of Kaiba Corp for some time, owns three different Blue Eyes White Dragons. I forgot that there was apparently another priceless card out there,” Fluttershy explained. 
“Speaking of priceless, I'm ready to trade!” Joey said.
“Not for this card,” Solomon denied.
“Huh? Nah, I didn't mean that card. I meant, show me some other cool cards to get me started,” Joey changed his mind, not wanting to get into trouble with a potential teacher.
“Actually, Fluttershy, Kaiba is the current-,” Tristan began only to stop when the door to the Card Store and Duel school opened, entering the man from earlier.
“Hello, can I help you?” Solomon asks the young man.
“Huh?” Tea was confused.
“If you can't, it certainly wouldn't surprise me,” The man rudely comments.
“Seto Kaiba!” Yugi realizes who the man is.
“Kaiba?!” Joey is shocked to see Kaiba here with them.
“Wow! I didn't think I’d be seeing him again,” Fluttershy was amazed.
“Doesn't he have a big fancy company to run? What's he doing down here?” Tristan is confused.
“Not that it's any of your business, but I came to see the card,” Kaiba reveals his reason for being here.
Joey, happy to see another duelist, smiles and steps forward. “Hey, are you into Duel Monsters too? This is perfect. Maybe we could all duel together sometime.”
“I agree! It’s been a while since I’ve had a friendly duel. It would be nice to go up against such a legendary opponent,” Fluttershy suggested.
Seto walks forward into the store and rudely comments, “Me? Duel you clowns? I'd have more of a challenge playing solitaire.”
“What?” Joey is outraged and confused.
“I am the number one ranked duelist in the country, now that the Sledgehammer has been dethroned by that dumb kid. I’m also the favorite to win the Duel Monsters championship. Hah, you wouldn't last two minutes in a duel against me. That also goes for the girl. She’s too nice to become much more than a minor leaguer,” Seto harshly mocks Joey and Fluttershy.
“Hey! That wasn’t very nice!” Fluttershy yelled at Kaiba, unhappy with his rudeness.
“And see? I was right about you,” Kaiba commented.
Joey clenches his fist before grumbling, “Ooh, I'm shaking. Maybe you'd like to settle this with fists instead of cards.”
“Whoa! Take it easy, Joey,” Yugi tries to calm down his friend.
“But Yugi, Kaiba's asking for it,” Joey counters, wanting to make Kaiba pay for his rudeness.
“Look, I agree that Kaiba is being very mean, but fighting him won’t help. Trust me, I know from seeing how my friends dealt with their problems,” Fluttershy agreed with Yugi.
“Now does this shop have any worthwhile cards or not?” Kaiba wonders as he catches sight of the BEWD and lurches forward. “Can it be? The Blue-Eyes White Dragon in a dump like this? It is. The card I've been searching for.”
“But why? Don’t you already have all three of the other Blue-Eyes?” Yugi asked, confused.
“Yes, I do. But I have my reasons for wanting the fourth one too, little kid,” Kaiba rudely responded.
Solomon covers the BEWD. “Well, enough window shopping. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
Seto, not wanting to give up on this, growls and lifts his briefcase onto the counter and opens it, showing a large amount of rare cards.
“Huh? Oooh,” Solomon is impressed with seeing the other cards.
“Listen to me, old man. Gimme your Blue-Eyes White Dragon card and I'll trade you all of these,” Kaiba gives an ultimatum.
“Whoa!” Yugi and his friends are impressed and amazed with the sight of the cards.
“Ahh, nice. But no thanks,” Solomon declines.
“Huh?!” The others are shocked at the refusal.
Kaiba was not happy with this answer. Still, not wanting to give up, he said, “Nngh. Fine. If you won't trade, maybe you'll sell it. Name your price. I can pay anything you ask.”
“I'm sure you could. But this card is worth more than you could ever offer. Not because of its power or because it's so rare, but because of what it means to me. This card was given to me by a dear friend and so I treasure this card as I do that friend. So parting with it is completely out of the question,” Solomon politely declines the offer.
“No!” Kaiba yells, outraged.
“You'd feel the same even if it were a common card, right Grandpa?” Yugi asks kindly.
“Exactly. You see, this precious card has bonded with my heart,” Solomon explains.
“Fine! I've heard enough of your nonsense,” Kaiba yells as he closes briefcase and walks away. “Senile old fool.”
“Thank goodness that guy finally left! So, about this Duel School stuff…” Joey began.
“You want to learn more about Duel Monsters I take it?” Solomon asked.
“Of course! I’ve just learned about this game and I already know I have a lot to learn before I can make it big! So, please, will you teach me?” Joey pleaded.
“I don’t know. The curriculum isn’t really for the faint of heart,” Solomon said. “But… I guess I can teach you and your friends if they’d be okay with it.”
“Really? Us too?” Tea was confused and surprised.
“Of course! While the curriculum may not be for all, the dueling skills and know-how I can teach is available for all! Just be wary that the classes aren’t easy,” Solomon answered.
“I am a bit interested in the idea of this game. And it would be a good way to spend time with my friends. I’m in!” Tea decided.
“I think I’ll give it a shot too. What about you, Fluttershy? You in?” Tristan asked the kind girl.
“Actually… You see, where I’m from I’m actually a very powerful Duelist. Maybe I can help teach,” Fluttershy suggested.
“You sure you don’t want to learn more?” Solomon asked Fluttershy.
“Well, maybe I can learn while teaching too,” Fluttershy suggested.
“Alright then. So, is everyone ready?” Solomon asked the teens.
“Yes sir!” Tea, Yugi, Tristan, and Joey agreed, ready for lessons.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inside of the limo being driven by Kaiba’s chauffeur. 
“Heart of the cards. Ridiculous. Cards are all about power. And one way or another, his Blue-Eyes White Dragon card... will be mine,” Kaiba decided, not willing to give up.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Gentlemen, there's a little something I'd like you to pick up for me at the Game Shop,” Kaiba told his lackeys. 
“Gladly, Master Kaiba,” One lackey agreed with a bow.
Inside of the Game Shop. Solomon is standing in front of the counter…
“Good morning,” Solomon greets the potential customers as he turns around. “Hmm?”
One of Kaiba’s lackeys steps forward. “My master, Seto Kaiba, challenges you to a duel. You may come with us now.”
“And if I were to decline?” Solomon asks.
The lackey’s glasses glint ominously. “I'm afraid I must... insist,” The lackey says as he and his partner look ready to punch Solomon if he refuses.
“Hey, Solomon, I finished cleaning the back room. What do you want me to do now?” Fluttershy asked only to look worried upon seeing the goons ready to fight. “You need help, Mr. Muto?”
“No, I think I can handle this on my own. Young Kaiba doesn't understand. But I'll teach him a lesson about the heart of the cards,” Solomon decides, seeing as how he doesn’t have a choice, but wanting to help Kaiba become a better person. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Man, I hope he has some cool cards today,” Joey said.
“Me too! I know the lessons may be rough, but I think you guys will see the results very soon!” Yugi agreed.
“Yeah! I may be more of a dancer than a duelist, but I can do a bit of dueling too!” Tea yelled happily.
Eventually, the group all entered the Card Store, with everyone ready for the lessons for the day.
“Okay Gramps, I'm back to get more cards,” Joey said, only to see that Solomon wasn’t there. “Hey, hey Gramps!”
“Grandpa, Fluttershy I'm home,” Yugi called up the stairs, hoping that his grandfather was upstairs and safe.
“Maybe he... went out?” Tea suggested, trying to calm the group’s worried thoughts.
“Maybe. But why would he leave the door unlocked? Better yet, where did Fluttershy go” Joey asked, making the group realize something was wrong.
At this moment, a phone rings which Yugi picks up. “Hello. Game Shop.”
“Ahh, Yugi. Perfect,” Kaiba smugly responds on the other line.
“Kaiba?!” Yugi is shocked and worried upon hearing his voice.
“Your grandfather's here visiting. The pushover of a girl is here too. But neither of them are feeling well. Why don't you come by my office and pick them up,” Kaiba coldly responds.
“Kaiba! What've you done, Kaiba?!” Yugi cried out, though Kaiba dropped the call.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the KaibaCorp building…
Yugi, Téa, Joey, and Tristan run out of an elevator close to the top floor.
“Grandpa! Grandpa. A-are you okay?” Yugi cries out upon seeing his grandfather knocked onto the floor, with Fluttershy trying to help him up.
Solomon props himself up on his elbows. “Yugi. I failed. I wanted to teach that boy Kaiba a lesson about the heart of the cards, but I lost,” Solomon groans as he struggles to get up.
“Grandpa!” Yugi cries out in concern.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of much help. I figured that I could help your Grandpa keep the card and defeat Kaiba, but I was wrong,” Fluttershy apologized.
“How's the old man feeling, hmmm?”  Kaiba rudely mocks Yugi’s grandpa.
“Kaiba, you sleeze. What've you done to him?” Joey demands.
“We had a duel, that's all. An Action Duel. With each of us putting up our most valuable card as the prize. But I guess playing against a champion like myself was just too much stimulation for the old fool. Then again, he could hardly move enough to get any Action Cards to stop me and my Blue-Eyes,” Kaiba explains.
Téa points at Seto and says, “Kaiba, you should be ashamed of yourself.”
“It was fair,” Kaiba coldly defends, holding up the BEWD. “And look at the sweet prize I won.” To everyone’s shock and horror, Kaiba begins tearing up Solomon’s Blue-Eyes.
“Grandpa's most treasured card!” Yugi cried out in horror and concern.
“Why?! Why do such a thing to Mr. Muto’s rare card?! You could have just kept it if you wanted it that bad!” Fluttershy scolded.
“See? You really are pathetic both on and off the field. Yes, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon is a rare and powerful card and this one will never be used against me,” Kaiba reveals his reason for getting the fourth Blue-Eyes.
“Ahh, my Blue-Eyes White Dragon. My treasure,” Solomon cries out.
“Grandpa! Hold on,” Yugi says, concerned for his grandpa. He looks up at Seto, demanding, “How could you do such a thing?”
“Yugi. Please! I want for you to duel Kaiba, Yugi. Maybe you can succeed where I failed. Use the deck you got from me. Teach him respect. Teach Kaiba respect for the heart of the cards, Yugi,” Solomon pleads to Yugi.
“But Grandpa, you need help. I've got to get you to a doctor,” Yugi reminds his grandfather.
“That sounds like an excuse. Your friends can care for your grandfather while you and I duel.... unless you're afraid?” Kaiba taunts.
“Take him, Yugi!” Joey agrees to the duel.
“Huh?” Yugi turns back to friends, who all look supportive.
“We can take care of your grandpa while you take care of creepy Kaiba. Teach that rich, spoiled brat what a real duel's all about,” Joey says supportively.
“For your grandpa, Yugi,” Tea agrees.
“I don't know…” Yugi is uncertain.
“Trust me, you're like the best player I've ever seen, and you've got the Millennium Puzzle. You can do this Yugi! I know you can!” Joey cheers on.
“We all do,” Tea agrees.
“From what I’ve seen, you appear to be a great Duelist. Go ahead and prove to Kaiba that respecting the cards and their spirits will do more for you than treating them like tools,” Fluttershy said. “In fact, I’ll stay behind and cheer you on! I want to see you take on Kaiba and prove to him just that.”
Yugi nods and reaches for his deck. “Okay, Grandpa. I'll do it.”
“I know you will, my boy,” Solomon says faithfully.
Téa whips out black marker. “Everyone, put your hands together and I'll mark us with a special sign.” Tea draws a smiley face on their combined hands.
“What gives, Téa?” Joey asks, confused.
Téa explains, “It's a symbol of our friendship so when Yugi's dueling, no matter how tough it gets, he'll know that he's not alone, we're all right there with him.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Outside of the KaibaCorp building, an ambulance pulls up and Tea, Joey, and Tristan rush Solomon out to it.
“Joey, Tristan and I will take Yugi's grandpa to the hospital. Why don't you get back in there and cheer Yugi on?” Tea suggests.
“Okay, take good care of him, Téa,” Joey agrees as he runs back in.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inside of a dueling arena with an ARC System…
“I designed this virtual stadium myself, with the help of the Leo Institute. Impressive, hmmm? I think you'll agree, it adds a bit more life to the game. And, to make things even more interesting, the duel will be broadcast worldwide. We each begin with four thousand life points, the first player to hit zero loses. Are you ready to play, runt?” Kaiba asks rudely.
“You could try to be a bit nicer, Kaiba,” Fluttershy called out, though Seto ignored her.
Suddenly, Yugi’s Millenium Puzzle glows and, in an instant, Yugi appears to grow a few feet. “Alright, Kaiba! It’s time to duel! You may think you have the advantage, but I’ll see to it that you learn to respect your cards!”
“What the-?” Kaiba is confused at the change in size and voice of Yugi, but ultimately chooses to ignore it. “Go ahead and use your cheap tricks to psyche me out. They won’t save you from my three Blue-Eye’s wrath. Now, Mokuba, choose an appropriate Action Field for me and the wannabe hero. Anything will do!”
“Okay! Looks like Castle of Dreams will do the job! Let’s go!” Mokuba cries out as he presses the button to change the field to the inside of a castle, with bright lights shining down on the duo.
“Isn’t this field lovely, Yugi? You know, my reign over Action Duels may not have been long so far, but it will continue to be glorious, starting with this match! I’ll go first. I summon to the field X-Head Cannon (1800 Attack)! Also, I’ll throw a card facedown for later. It’s your move. Make it, if you’re not afraid to run home to mommy!” Kaiba mocked.
“Kaiba, one thing you’ll learn from this duel is that you shouldn’t underestimate your opponent. I’ll show you right now! My turn! I summon out Breaker the Magical Warrior (1600=>1900 Attack)! Upon being summoned, Breaker gains a Spell Counter that increases his power by 300 points! Now, my mighty magician, attack Kaiba’s X-Head Cannon!” ‘Yugi’ calls out as Breaker prepares to slice X-Head Cannon.
Kaiba proceeds to grin in response to this. “You’ve fallen right into my trap, Yugi! I play my facedown Negate Attack! With it, I can stop your attack and put an end to your Battle Phase!”
“Oh no!” ‘Yugi’ cries out in worry.
“Oh yes! You know, you could have destroyed my facedown with Breaker’s ability. Then again, seeing as how X-Head Cannon has 1800 Attack Points and your Breaker would have lost his edge in power, I’d say you would have been up a creek regardless of whatever pathetic move you would have made!” Kaiba mocked.
“Maybe, but remember Kaiba. This duel has just begun. I can still turn things around!” ‘Yugi’ reminds Kaiba.
“Oh, I’m shaking! Maybe this move won’t be a failure. But I doubt it.”
“I place one card facedown and end my turn. Make your move, Kaiba,” ‘Yugi’ ends his turn.
“I will, Yugi! I now summon my Y-Dragon Head to the field (1500 Attack)! Next, I’ll equip my Y-Dragon Head onto X-Head Cannon (1800=>2200 Attack), increasing my Cannon’s offense power by a grand total of 400 points!” Kaiba played.
“Oh no! Now my Warrior has fewer points than your monster’s!” ‘Yugi’ cried out in worry.
“That’s right! Now I’ll attack and wipe out your pathetic monster!”
“I play my trap Magic Cylinder! With it, your attack is blocked and you take damage equal to said monster’s power! You shouldn’t have rushed into battle so recklessly, Kaiba. And now, you’ll pay for it,” ‘Yugi’ countered.
I play the quickplay spell card Blue Eyes Barrier! With it, I can block your trap’s effect and end the battle at the cost of 800 Life Points (Kaiba-3200 LP). Not only that, I can summon a Blue Eyes White Dragon (3000 Attack) from my hand, though he can’t attack this turn. See, you runt? You don’t stand a chance against me! If you want, you can surrender now and save yourself the embarrassment of losing to the best of the best,” Kaiba gloated.
“A Blue Eyes already? What do we…,” ‘Yugi’ was getting concerned.
“Don’t listen to him, Yugi! You can still win this! Remember, the duel has just began! Even with Kaiba’s Blue Eyes, you can find a way to counter!” Fluttershy cried out in support.
“Hmm, go ahead and give out your cheesy friendship speech. It won’t help your friend to defeat me,” Kaiba rudely commented.
Before Fluttershy could come up with a response, Joey had arrived right next to her. “Phew! Looks like I made it in time to see the butt-kicking. So, how’s the duel going?”
“I’m afraid that so far Kaiba’s in the lead. Still Yugi can find a way to turn the duel around. At least, I hope,” Fluttershy said.
“Kaiba, you may have the advantage right now, but you’ll see that I’ll soon find a way to turn the tide. I draw! Now, I play the spell card Dark Magician Navigation (A card with both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl finding their way out of a maze.) Now, by sacrificing my Breaker the Magical Warrior, I can special summon from my hand or deck my Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl at the cost of 800 Life Points (Yugi-3200 LP)! So, now come to my side Dark Magician (2500 Attack) and his disciple, the Dark Magician Girl (2000 Attack)!” ‘Yugi’ summoned his two aces to the field at once.
“Whoa! That sure was impressive, Yuge! Now go ahead and kick this guys butt!” Joey cheered on his friend.
“I’m afraid that your friend is mistaken. My Blue Eyes’ attack is much higher than either of your magicians. I’ll admit, it’s impressive that you’ve managed to obtain such rare cards for your deck, but you can’t win against me with them alone,” Kaiba reminded.
“Seto is right! You are way out of your league, kid,” Mokuba agreed.
“Maybe not now, but with the right combination, any card can be helpful. I play two copies of the spell card Dark Magical Wand(A golden version of Dark Magician’s wand is on the card). I can equip them to my two magicians and increase their attack powers by 1000 each(2500=>3500 Attack)(2000=>3000 Attack)!” ‘Yugi’ played.
“Oh no! My monsters don’t stand a chance against yours! I gotta do something and fast!” Seto Kaiba realized as he was quick to run and look for an Action Card.
“I don’t get it. Why is Kaiba running away?” Fluttershy was confused.
“I don’t believe he’s running. I think that he’s looking for an Action Card,” Joey realized.
“I’m afraid you can’t outrun my monsters’s attacks, Kaiba! Now, Dark Magician Girl, strike at Kaiba’s X-Head Cannon! Dark Burning Attack!” ‘Yugi’ yelled out, with Dark Magician Girl’s attack hitting just before Kaiba could grab an Action Card at the doors to a dungeon.
“Due to Y-Dragon Head’s effect, my X-Head Cannon isn’t destroyed by that battle,” Kaiba said.
“But you still lose Life Points,” ‘Yugi’ reminded. (Kaiba-2400 LP). “Now, Dark Magician, take out Kaiba’s X-Head Cannon! Dark Magic Attack!” Before the blast from Dark Magician’s sceptre could hit X-Head Cannon, Kaiba smirked.
“I play the Action Spell Evasion in order to cancel out your attack! You honestly thought that I wouldn’t use the Action Cards this field provided? What a pathetic old fool,” Kaiba responded.
At this, ‘Yugi’ ran to look for an Action Card, finding one near a grate with flames coming from beneath it. He grabbed it and activated it, “I play the Action Spell No Action! With it, your Action Spell Evasion is negated and destroyed!”
“Oh no! Now nothing can be done to defend my Life Points!” Kaiba seethed as he took major damage (Kaiba-700 LP). 
“So, Kaiba, do you still believe that you’ll pull out the victory in this duel?” ‘Yugi’ asked the billionaire.
“Of course I do. I’ll admit, you may have gotten yourself the lead now, but that is about to change. You may think that your magicians overpower my dragon, but that won’t last forever. I play the effect of Blue Eyes Barrier from my graveyard. By banishing it when I take more than 1500 points of damage, I can call upon another of my ultimate beasts from my deck! Rise and take flight, Blue Eyes White Dragon(3000 Attack)!” Kaiba cried out. At this, ‘Yugi’ just growled. “What’s wrong? You and your friends are not going to say a line about skipping in the sunshine?”
“That jerk Kaiba better stop with all the bravado. I mean, Yugi’s the one that is about to win!” Joey yelled out.
“I don’t know, Joey. Remember, Kaiba still has two copies of his Blue Eyes on the field,” Fluttershy was more wary.
“Anything else, Yugi?” Kaiba asked.
“Kaiba, I end my turn right here with a facedown,” ‘Yugi’ said as he set a card.
“Finally, now that you’ve ended your turn, I can end this duel!” Kaiba cried out with a massive cruel grin as he found an Action Card near a suit of armor and picked it up. “First, I play the spell Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two cards! Then I play the Action Spell Fairy Twinkle! As lame as the name is, I can assure you that its effect is anything but! With it, I can give up the ability to Normal Summon this turn and also send any destroyed monster ths turn to the hand in exchange for the ability to Special Summon a monster of any level from my hand!”
“This sounds bad!” Fluttershy cried out.
“Now, come to me, my third and final Blue Eyes White Dragon!” Kaiba cried out as his third mighty beast arrived on the field (3000 Attack).
“This can’t be good! Kaiba has all three of his Blue Eyes White Dragons now! If he doesn't do something, Yugi is gonna lose just like I did!” Fluttershy was scared and sad for her friend.
“Yugi still has a chance, though. Remember, with that equip spell, Dark Magician is still stronger than his dragons,” Joey pointed out.
“You may think that kid, but not for long! I play the spell card Heavy Storm! With it, I can destroy all spell and trap cards on the field. So say goodbye to your equip spells and facedown card!” ‘Yugi’ looked displeased to see all three cards of his be destroyed, including his set card Mirror Force.
“Oh no! Now I have nothing left to defend my Life Points from Kaiba’s assault!” ‘Yugi’ cried out.
“How right you are! Time to put an end to this duel! I attack your Dark Magician with my Blue Eyes! Go, White Lightning (Yugi-2700 LP)! Ready for more? Go, Blue Eyes number two! Destroy that Dark Magician Girl with White Lightning!”
Thankfully, Yugi was able to find an Action Card near the window very high up. “I play the Action Spell Miracle! With it, I can protect my Dark Magician Girl from being destroyed and halving the damage dealt by your attack!” Yugi did his best to remain standing in response to the high amount of push back from the attack (Yugi-2200 LP). “I will still remain in this duel past this turn, Kaiba.”
“Maybe. I’ll admit you’ve put up a good fight, but in the end you’re as weak as a Kuriboh’s attack power when it comes to duels! Time to return you to the minor leagues, Yugi! And I’ll start with my third attack! Go, White Lightning!” Yugi was pushed onto his back by the third attack, which destroyed Dark Magician Girl (Yugi-1200 LP). “And with that, I end my turn. So, Little Yugi? Do you regret going up against a pro like me? Face it! This duel was a lost cause for you from the get-go! If I were you, I’d just surrender now to avoid embarrassment!”
“No, Kaiba! You may think that you’re winning now, but as long as I believe in the Heart of the Cards, I will win!” ‘Yugi’ cried out.
“Please! The Heart of the Cards is just some fairy tale that weak duelists use to sound stronger and less embarrassing than they are. Go ahead and draw your last pathetic card, Yugi. Play whatever you wish. It won’t make a difference,” Kaiba said mockingly.
“Very well. I DRAW!!!” ‘Yugi’ yelled out as his Millenium Puzzle glowed, changing the card he drew and the ones in his hand into Pendulum Cards, just like Yuya’s. “What is this? How did my cards…?”
“Is there a problem, Yuge?” Joey cried out from the sidelines. 
“No, there isn’t. I’ll use Scale 2 Buster Blader and Scale 8 Kuriboh in order to set the Pendulum Scale! I’ll be showing off the Heart of the Cards starting now! Witness the power of my monsters, as they enter the action! Go, Dark Pendulum Magician(2500 Attack) and Dark Magician Pendulum Girl(2000 Attack)!” Yugi said with a serious expression.
“Wait a second. Did Yuge just pull off a Pendulum Summon?! With Pendulum Cards?! But how?! From what I’ve heard, only that one kid from Paradise City has them!” Joey was shocked.
“What’s a Pendulum Summon?” Fluttershy questioned.
“Apparently, it’s a summoning method that allows you to summon multiple higher level cards from your hand. Still, where did they come from?” Joey was interested.
“I don’t care where they came from! All I know is that either way, you are going to lose, Yugi!” Kaiba cried out.
“We’ll see! I play my Buster Blader’s Pendulum Effect! With it, I can raise the power of my Dark Pendulum Magician by that of another monster on my field until the End Phase. So, Dark Pendulum Magician gains the attack power of Dark Magician Pendulum Girl! Not only that, but he can attack all monsters you control once each. In exchange, no other monsters can attack. (4500 Attack) Now, Dark Pendulum Magician, Attack with Dark Magic Attack (Kaiba-0 LP)! So, it looks like I won after all.” ‘Yugi’ said to Kaiba as the castle field disappeared and the room returned to a flat field.
“How can this be? I had my three Blue Eyes White Dragons and a bunch of other powerful cards. I couldn’t have lost!” Kaiba yelled out.
“Kaiba, you don’t understand that dueling for power alone won’t get you far. I won because I had the Heart of the Cards and the love of my friends on my side. Maybe this duel will open your mind. Mind Crush!” ‘Yugi’ cried out. In an instant, Kaiba fell to the floor unconscious.
“Congratulations! You won, Yugi! Or, is this the spirit?” Fluttershy asked.
“Aw, it doesn’t matter. Either way, you managed to pull out a win! I do gotta say, though. If Pendulum Cards keep coming out like this, they’ll lose all importance and just be regular cards,” Joey said.
“Maybe, Joey, but that isn’t what matters right now. Even when Pendulum Cards become more widespread that won’t diminish their effectiveness, especially as long as there are duelists that put their faith in the cards,” The spirit responded. “Also, Fluttershy, I am the spirit of the Millenium Puzzle. If you want to know my name, I go by the name Yami.”
“Okay then. I gotta say, after that duel your grandfather would be very proud of you,” Fluttershy said, with the grandfather waking up content around the same time.
“So, Yami Yugi, you gotta tell us where you got those Pendulum Cards,” Joey said with an ecstatic expression.
“To be honest, I’m not entirely sure where I got them. I just know that the Millenium Puzzle responded to my desire to defeat Kaiba and then I had them,” Yami Yugi explained.
“Well, we should be getting back to see your grandpa and the others. They’ll want to hear the good news,” Fluttershy said.
“Alright! Let’s get going!” Joey yelled out.
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“So, Declan, I hear that you want to make Pendulum cards just like the ones that Yuya boy has, right? Well, fortunately for you, I may be able to make some of your cards and many others into Pendulum Cards given time,” A man with silver hair said on one line of the phone.
“Perfect. When should they be ready?” Declan asked.
“Just give me a week or two to figure out this Pendulum business and together we can get this done. And the world will be a whole lot safer. Farewell for now, Declan,” The silver haired man said as he hung up the phone. “Given time, my Millenium Eye will be more than capable of keeping our dimension safe.”
“Mr. Pegasus, we’ve just got word of a video that broadcast across Japan. Seto Kaiba has lost to someone called Yugi Muto,” An employee of Pegasus said.
“So he did? Interesting…,” Pegasus said, intrigued.