Heading back into the academy, Yumi quietly walked through the dimly lit hallway, the only sounds accompanying him being his own footsteps echoing through the silent building.
Most of the students had already gathered together in the main arena, leaving this part of the academy almost completely deserted.
After walking for several minutes, he finally stopped in front of the room he had been looking for.
Pushing the door open, his golden eyes immediately landed on the small doll resting peacefully inside a glass display case.
A faint smile appeared on his face. He slipped both hands into his pockets before casually walking over.
"How've you been, Alice?"
The moment those words left his mouth, the doll's glassy eyes slowly shifted toward him.
Golden particles began to gather around the tiny body, gently lifting it into the air before expanding outward.
Within seconds, the doll transformed into the familiar figure of a young girl.
"Long time no see, Yumi." Alice greeted him with a small smile of her own. "I'm surprised you actually came back."
"So am I." Yumi chuckled. "Didn't think I'd be visiting under circumstances like these."
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
The room fell quiet again.
Looking at Alice, Yumi couldn't help but feel a little impressed. She was honestly one of the biggest hidden talents on this island.
Despite spending almost her entire existence trapped inside a doll's body and never receiving any proper dueling experience like everyone else at Duel Academy, she had still managed to use an outdated, mediocre deck surprisingly well.
That alone was enough for Yumi to recognize her talent.
Alice wasn't a bad duelist. Quite the opposite. She was a natural.
After exchanging a few more words, Yumi slowly began explaining everything that had happened.
How Duel Academy had been dragged into another dimension, countless Duel Monster Spirits were attacking the school, and that everyone was now trapped inside the Spirit World.
Alice quietly listened from beginning to end without interrupting him once.
When he finally finished, she remained silent for several seconds before looking directly into his eyes.
"I appreciate everything you've done to protect everyone." Her voice remained calm.
"But..." She tilted her head slightly. "Why should I help those fake duelists?"
There wasn't any anger in her voice.
Only genuine confusion.
Yumi understood exactly what she meant. Many of the students here loved talking about Duel Monsters.
Loved showing off rare cards.
Loved boasting about powerful decks.
Yet very few of them actually treated their cards with care like they were living beings.
To Alice... Those people weren't true duelists.
Yumi smiled helplessly. "I'm not asking you to forgive them."
Alice blinked.
"And I'm definitely not forcing you."
He continued, his gaze shifting toward the window outside.
"But not everyone here is like that."
His voice became softer.
"There are genuinely kind people." He looked toward the hallway outside. "Ms. Dorothy."
Alice's expression immediately softened ever so slightly.
"The old lady who always greets you every morning. The same one who cleans your display case. The one who talks to you even though she knows you can't answer."
Alice quietly lowered her gaze.
Of course she remembered. Every morning, without fail. Ms. Dorothy would carefully wipe away the dust from the display case before smiling warmly at the doll inside.
Sometimes she'd even talk about her day. Sometimes she'd simply wish her a good morning. She never expected a reply.
Yet she still did it anyway.
Seeing the slight change in Alice's expression, Yumi continued.
"There's nothing wrong with reaching out to protect people who don't have the strength to protect themselves."
Alice remained silent.
The room became quiet once more.
After nearly half a minute...
She suddenly puffed out her cheeks.
"No fair!" She pointed accusingly at Yumi. You planned this from the beginning, didn't you!?"
Yumi simply smiled. "Am I wrong?"
Alice opened her mouth, then closed it again.
"No." She looked away with an annoyed huff. "...That's what makes this unfair."
Yumi simply smiled as Alice crossed both arms.
"You really know how to corner people."
She kicked lightly at the floor before letting out a long sigh.
"Fine." She turned back toward him. "I'll help."
Her cheeks puffed out slightly again.
"But only because I'm protecting Ms. Dorothy. And maybe... Some of the other innocent people."
Yumi couldn't help but laugh.
"The tsundere act really doesn't suit you."
"W-What tsundere!?" Alice immediately protested.
Without saying anything else, Yumi simply reached forward and placed a hand on top of her head.
"H-Hey?"
Golden light gathered around his fingertips. Using Alchemy, he began altering Alice's spiritual body.
After all...
Walking around with what looked like a living gothic lolita doll in the shape of a small child would probably raise more than a few questions.
The golden light slowly reshaped her appearance.
Her body became taller. Her features matured slightly. Her clothes also shifted while still preserving the elegant doll-like feeling she naturally possessed.
When the light faded, Alice looked almost identical to Alice Kuonji from Mahoutsukai no Yoru.
Although she still retained that delicate, doll-like beauty, standing at only around 152 centimeters tall, she now looked much closer to a quiet teenage girl than a child.
Alice blinked several times before looking down at her own hands.
"It feels..." She slowly clenched and unclenched her fingers. "...Different."
"You'll attract less attention like this." Yumi smiled. "It'll make moving around the academy much easier."
Alice nodded before quietly accepting and getting used to her new appearance. He then gave her a Shaddoll deck before letting her merge into his shadow so she could practice with it.
...
After leaving Alice to familiarize herself with her new form, Yumi continued to walk around Duel Academy. The cool night wind swept across the sand, carrying with it an eerie silence that contrasted sharply with the chaos from earlier.
As he walked, one of the Kuriboh quickly walked up to him and let out a string of 'Kuri Kuri'.
"Oh?" A faint smile appeared on Yumi's face. "You guys found someone interesting."
Without wasting another second, he headed toward the academy entrance. Slifer the Sky Dragon remained wrapped protectively around the massive building, its enormous crimson body serving as an unbreakable wall.
Yumi climbed onto his D-Wheel. The crimson motorcycle roared to life, its engine echoing across the empty desert as it shot forward, leaving a long trail across the white sand while racing beneath the moonlit sky.
Several minutes later, the D-Wheel gradually slowed before coming to a stop.
Yumi's golden eyes looked ahead.
Standing silently in the middle of the desert was a lone figure wearing a long Slifer Red coat. His short brown hair swayed gently in the night breeze, yet the lifeless look in his dull brown eyes made him resemble a puppet more than a person.
Yumi cut the engine. The sudden silence between them felt almost suffocating.
"So this is where you've been hiding."
Surrounding the two of them were seven towering stone pillars standing in a massive circle, each covered in ancient markings that had long since weathered away.
This was the location of the Spirit Gates. The place is where the Three Sacred Beasts are currently being sealed.
Yumi looked forward, smiling lightly.
"To think I'd find you here, Koyo Hibiki."
His tone carried a hint of amusement, as though he had stumbled across an old acquaintance rather than someone clearly waiting for him.
Koyo didn't answer immediately; his empty eyes simply stared at Yumi without blinking.
"Yumi Uzushi..." His voice slowly echoed through the desert.
Except, it wasn't entirely his voice. Another deeper, distorted voice overlapped with it, carrying a sinister malice that made the surrounding air feel noticeably heavier.
"Hand over... The Tyrant Neptune..."
Yumi raised an eyebrow.
"Why should I?"
He casually stepped off the D-Wheel, his boots sinking slightly into the soft sand as he landed. The two of them now stood facing one another beneath the moonlight.
Yumi's golden eyes calmly met the possessed duelist's lifeless gaze.
He tilted his head slightly before grinning.
"Besides..." He spread his hands. "You don't even have the guts to show your real face. So what exactly gives you the confidence to make demands, Big Lobster?"
The desert suddenly became silent.
Even the wind seemed to stop for a brief moment. The distorted expression on Koyo's face visibly twitched.
"Big..." The malicious aura surrounding him began to surge. "Lobster...?"
A vein bulged across his forehead.
"YOU DARE MOCK ME, MORTAL!?"
The distorted roar shook the surrounding dunes, sending sand flying into the air as dark Spirit Energy erupted around Koyo like black flames.
Yumi merely shrugged.
"What? You look like a big black lobster; you acted like one, so you are one."
The dark aura around Koyo exploded even further.
"I AM TRAGOEDIA!!"
Yumi instantly fired back. "You don't look that different from where I'm standing at."
For several long seconds, neither side spoke.
Finally, Koyo slowly raised his trembling hand. Not because he was afraid. More because he was trying very hard not to lose control.
"I WILL MAKE YOU REGRET THOSE WORDS!"
"We'll see."
Yumi answered with the same relaxed smile.
He raised his left arm, and with a series of mechanical clicks, his Duel Disk unfolded into place.
Without taking his eyes off Koyo, he reached behind his back, pulled out his deck, and smoothly inserted it into the Duel Disk.
"If you want Neptune that badly..." Yumi's confident grin slowly returned. "Come and get it."
Across from him, Koyo's Duel Disk activated as well, dark, ominous energy flowing across its surface while the darkness surrounding him continued to leak into the air.
The possessed duelist glared at Yumi with undisguised hatred.
"Very well... I shall crush you and claim everything that belongs to you."
Yumi simply pointed toward him.
"Save the speech when you win. If you can."
The two Duel Disks hummed simultaneously as they locked onto one another.
"DUEL!!"
[Yumi, LP 4000]
[Koyo, LP 4000]
"I'll go first... Draw!"
Koyo drew the first card of the duel, his dull eyes briefly scanning it before a sinister smile slowly spread across his face.
"I activate the Spell Card, Reinforcement of the Army!"
A holographic spell card unfolded beside him, releasing a burst of light.
"This lets me add one Level 4 or lower Warrior monster from my Deck to my hand."
He pulled out his Deck, quickly searched through it, and confidently revealed the chosen card.
"I'll add Elemental HERO Woodsman."
After shuffling his Deck, he slid the searched card into his hand before immediately following up with another play.
"Next, I activate the Spell Card, Polymerization!"
A familiar fusion vortex opened above the battlefield as the magic circle spun rapidly.
"I fuse Elemental HERO Woodsman and Elemental HERO Ocean from my hand!"
The two HEROes materialized before him.
Woodsman stood tall while Ocean calmly folded his arms. Without hesitation, both heroes leaped into the swirling vortex together as brilliant blue light erupted across the battlefield.
"Fusion Summon!"
The vortex exploded outward.
"Appear! Elemental HERO Terra Firma!"
A massive armored HERO descended onto the field with a heavy impact. Its body resembled polished white stone reinforced with thick armor plating, a crimson gemstone embedded in the center of its chest while its yellow eyes glowed brightly.
The ground trembled slightly as the giant HERO stood protectively before Koyo.
[Elemental HERO Terra Firma, 2500 ATK]
Koyo immediately continued. "I activate another Spell Card, Fusion Birth!"
Another spell circle expanded beneath his feet.
"I send the top five cards of my Deck to the Graveyard, then if the required Fusion Materials are among them, I can immediately perform a Fusion Summon using those monsters!"
Five cards shot out from the top of his Deck one after another. Without even looking at them, Koyo sent all five directly to his Graveyard.
A moment later, two monsters emerged from the holographic Graveyard.
The elegant Elemental HERO Lady Heat stepped forward, flames dancing around her body, while beside her appeared the towering alien warrior, The Grand Jupiter, its emerald armor gleaming beneath the moonlight.
The two monsters exchanged a glance before simultaneously jumping into the newly formed Fusion vortex.
The swirling energy darkened.
Instead of shining with heroic light, black shadows poured from the center of the vortex.
"Fusion Summon!"
The darkness exploded outward.
"Come forth... Elemental HERO Escuridao!"
A pitch-black warrior slowly stepped out of the shadows.
Unlike the noble appearance of most HERO monsters, Escuridao looked far more sinister. Its entire body was covered in jagged black armor that seemed to flow like liquid darkness, while four blade-like tendrils extended from its back, writhing as though they were alive.
As soon as it appeared, the surrounding darkness intensified.
Escuridao slowly raised one of its claw arms toward Yumi.
[Elemental HERO Escuridao, 2500 -> 2800 ATK]
The two stood side by side, giving off completely opposite auras while silently guarding their Master.
Seeing his field already established on the very first turn, Koyo finally looked back at Yumi.
"I set two cards face-down."
The last two cards in his hand slid into his Duel Disk. Two face-down cards materialized behind Terra Firma and Escuridao, completing his opening field.
Koyo slowly lowered his arm.
"My turn is over."
"Draw!"
Yumi drew his card, his golden eyes briefly scanning the cards in his hand before a confident smile appeared on his face.
He immediately placed a card onto his Duel Disk.
"I activate the Spell, Fusion Deployment! By revealing a Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck, I can Special Summon one of its Fusion Materials from my hand or Deck."
A hologram of a card appeared before him.
"I reveal Elemental HERO Electrum!"
The image of Electrum flashed before fading away as a summoning circle formed on Yumi's field.
"Come on out, Elemental HERO Bubbleman!"
Countless bubbles floated into the air before bursting one after another. From within them, the familiar blue-armored HERO landed gracefully on the field, his long cape fluttering behind him.
[Elemental HERO Bubbleman, 800 ATK]
"Bubbleman's effect activates! When he is Summoned and is the only card on my field." Yumi declared. "I get to draw two cards."
He drew two more cards, quickly glancing through them.
"I activate the Spell, Hero Mask! I target Bubbleman, then send one HERO monster from my Deck or hand to the Graveyard. Until the End Phase, Bubbleman's name becomes the name of the monster I send."
His Deck automatically shuffled before a single card slid out.
"I'll send Elemental HERO Avian to the Graveyard."
A transparent image of Avian appeared behind Bubbleman before dissolving into countless feathers of light.
Yumi slid another card onto his Duel Disk.
"I activate Double Fusion! By paying 500 Life Points, I can perform two Fusion Summons this turn!"
[Yumi, LP 4000 -> 3500]
"I fuse the Avian currently treated as being on my field together with Elemental HERO Burstinatrix from my hand!"
Burstinatrix appeared beside Bubbleman, flames dancing around her body. The two HEROes exchanged a glance before leaping together into the swirling fusion vortex.
"Fusion Summon!"
A pillar of fire erupted from the vortex.
"Come forth, Elemental HERO Burst Wingman!"
The muscular HERO descended from the flames, his emerald-crimson body gleaming in the moonlight as blazing crimson wings spread proudly behind his back.
[Elemental HERO Burst Wingman, 2100 ATK]
Yumi didn't stop there; he raised another card.
"I fuse Burst Wingman with Elemental HERO Sparkman!"
Sparkman materialized beside Burst Wingman, electricity crackling across his armor.
The two HEROes jumped into the fusion vortex together. A brilliant white light illuminated the entire battlefield.
"Fusion Summon!"
The light exploded outward.
"Appear! Elemental HERO Shining Blaze Wingman!"
A majestic white-armored HERO slowly stepped out of the light, brilliant white flames spreading from his back while the futuristic visor covering his face reflected the moonlight.
[Elemental HERO Shining Blaze Wingman, 2500 ATK]
"Shining Blaze Wingman's effect!" Ghostly silhouettes of HERO monsters began appearing one after another behind Yumi. "He gains 300 ATK for every Elemental HERO in my Graveyard!"
White glowing energy flowed into Shining Blaze Wingman's body.
[Elemental HERO Shining Blaze Wingman, 2500 -> 4000 ATK]
Yumi pointed forward. "Battle! Shining Blaze Wingman, attack Terra Firma!"
The white-winged HERO shot into the sky, blazing wings leaving trails of brilliant fire behind him as he dived toward Terra Firma.
"Shining Impact!"
Just before the attack connected.
"I activate my Quick-Play Spell!" Koyo calmly raised his hand. "De-Fusion!"
One of his face-down cards flipped open. The spell's power enveloped Shining Blaze Wingman.
"I separate your Fusion Monster."
The brilliant HERO immediately broke apart into two body of light. The fusion unraveled, as Burst Wingman landed on one side, and Sparkman landed beside him.
[Elemental HERO Burst Wingman, 2100 ATK]
[Elemental HERO Sparkman, 1600 ATK]
Yumi didn't pause. "I activate Burst Wingman's effect!"
Flames erupted from Burst Wingman's wings before flowing directly into Sparkman.
"I target Sparkman! He gains 1000 ATK until the end of this turn!"
Sparkman's entire body became wrapped in blazing fire as electricity and flames merged together.
[Elemental HERO Sparkman, 1600 -> 2600 ATK]
"Go! Sparkman, attack Terra Firma!"
Sparkman lunged forward, lightning gathering around his fist before erupting into a brilliant electric blast aimed straight at Terra Firma.
Koyo remained completely calm.
"Trap Card activate." His remaining face-down card flipped open. "Element Counter!"
A wall of radiant elemental energy appeared before Terra Firma.
"When one of my Elemental HERO monsters becomes the target of an attack, I negate that attack."
The glowing barrier expanded blocking the electrical blast.
"And then you take 500 damage for every Elemental HERO in my Graveyard."
Yumi couldn't help widening his eyes.
Even as a HERO player himself, he couldn't remember Elemental HEROes having support this ridiculous.
Five hundred damage per HERO?
With how easily HERO decks filled the Graveyard... It won't even take long to fill a graveyard with eight different HEROes to deal a full 4000 points of damage.
The elemental barrier exploded.
A massive shockwave engulfed Sparkman before continuing straight toward Yumi. Heat and sand crashed into him, forcing him to raise both arms to shield himself.
[Yumi, LP 3500 -> 2000]
When the explosion settled, Sparkman simply got back up, brushed the sand off his armor before looking back at Yumi. Then, he confidently gave his Master a thumbs-up.
Yumi couldn't help smiling. "Glad you're still motivated."
He immediately revealed another card.
"Quick-Play Spell, Mask Change!"
Bright golden light swallowed Sparkman whole. Then his body began to crack, revealing the warrior's true form beneath.
"Henshin! Masked HERO Koga!"
Golden armor materialized from the light. The warrior landed lightly on the battlefield, his blue eyes glowing beneath his mask while the twin blades mounted on his wrists extended with a metallic snap.
[Masked HERO Koga, 2500]
"Koga gains 500 ATK for every monster you control."
Koyo currently controlled Terra Firma and Escuridao. Golden energy gathered around Koga.
[Masked HERO Koga, 2500 -> 3500 ATK]
"Koga's effect!" A card slid out from Yumi's Graveyard. "By banishing one HERO from my Graveyard, I can reduce a monster's ATK by the ATK of the banished HERO until the end of this turn."
Yumi removed Sparkman from play.
Golden chains wrapped themselves around Terra Firma.
The giant HERO groaned as his strength rapidly drained away.
[Elemental HERO Terra Firma, 2500 -> 900 ATK]
"Koga! Attack Escuridao!" Yumi thrust his hand forward.
"Shining Crash!"
Koga vanished. In the next instant, he appeared directly in front of Escuridao.
His twin blades flashed. A brilliant cross-shaped slash carved through the dark HERO before Koga gracefully leaped backward.
Escuridao exploded into countless fragments of darkness.
[Koyo, LP 4000 -> 3300]
With only one monster remaining on Koyo's field, Koga's attack naturally dropped.
[Masked HERO Koga, 3500 -> 3000 ATK]
Yumi didn't waste the opportunity.
"Burst Wingman! Finish Terra Firma!"
Burst Wingman spread his blazing wings before launching himself forward like a flaming comet.
"Burst Impact!"
His burning kick struck Terra Firma square in the chest. The weakened HERO couldn't withstand the attack. His body shattered apart in a fiery explosion.
Burst Wingman flipped backward through the blast before landing smoothly beside Koga.
[Koyo, LP 3300 -> 2100]
Yumi looked at the two remaining cards in his hand before sliding both into his Duel Disk.
"I set two cards face-down."
Two face-down cards materialized behind Burst Wingman and Koga.
"Turn end."