Disclaimer: Minor Spelling, Grammar, and other mistakes may be present.
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[Standard Arc Opening Theme (Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V Opening 1: BELIEVE X BELIEVE)]
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Scale 08: The Path to Surpassing One's Limits (III)
[Duel!]
The Action Cards dispersed around the arena as the duel began.
Yuuji — LP: 4000
Reiji — LP: 4000
"Since I am dueling you to see your capabilities firsthand, you can take the first turn," Reiji suggested. "I expect you to duel me with your very best."
"That's fine with me. I'll show you exactly what I can do!" Yuuji announced. "My turn!"
[Turn 1: Yuuji] [H: 5]
Yuuji drew his first five cards and examined them closely.
Nice! Now this is the hand that I wanted to see! Yuuji smiled. Let's do this right!
"I activate the Spell Card Pot of Greed!" Yuuji started. "With this card, I can draw two more cards!"
Yuuji drew two cards and smiled.
"Okay, it's time. You wanted me at my best, so I'll show you just what I can do!" Yuuji declared as he revealed two cards in his hand. "I set the Pendulum Scale with the Scale 1 Antique Maker - Swinging Soul and the Scale 8 Antique Maker - Mira!"
Yuuji places his two cards on opposite ends of his duel blade, the word [PENDULUM] appeared in between in rainbow font as a magician in all white with a swinging pendulum in his hand and a woman in a black gown holding a pristine mirror rose into each of his Pendulum Scales. The numbers 1 and 8 appear on the zones in a strange, golden font as a giant silver pendulum swung in between them.
"Now I can summon monsters between Levels 2 through 7 all at the same time!" Yuuji announced. "However, I won't be Pendulum Summoning at this moment."
"He won't be Pendulum Summoning?" Yuya was confused. "Then why would he set up his Pendulum Scale?"
"He must have a plan," Gongenzaka replied. "We'll just have to wait and see."
Yuuji then looked at one of the cards that were in his hand. Polymerization.
If I remember from my duel with Sora correctly, all I need to do is activate this card and tribute two appropriate materials. Yuuji rehearsed in his mind. Okay…let's do this. My first Fusion Summon!
"I activate the Fusion Spell, Polymerization!" Yuuji declared. "From my hand, I fuse Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon together with Antique Ignition Pot!"
"Oh?" Reiji raised an eyebrow.
The two aforementioned monsters rise into the air, fusing together as Yuuji begins chanting.
"Blazing pot. Fuse together with the phantom dragon and give birth to a new power!" Yuuji chanted before clasping his hands together. "I Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 8! The golden dragon forged by the hammer of a god, Antique Golden Kaiju (Light/Dragon/Fusion/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 8)!"
A brilliant, serpentine dragon with a body of gold appeared on Yuuji's field.
"No way, that guy knows how to Fusion Summon?" Masumi's jaw dropped.
"You're amazing, Yuuji-senpai!" Ayu cheered.
"Ooh, that Fusion Summon is giving me the shivers!" Futoshi said while doing his signature dance.
"That's quite the impressive Fusion Summon there, Haruki," Reiji commented. "I wasn't aware that you were able to use this form of summoning."
"Oh, this is actually my first time ever doing it," Yuuji sheepishly admitted. "I was afraid for a moment that I would mess it up since I was only going off of what I knew from a duel against a Fusion User."
This fact shocked Reiji and the rest of LDS greatly.
"He was able to pick up a new summoning method by only seeing it once before?" Hokuto commented. "That guy, he's a monster."
"You're telling me," Yaiba frowned. "Even the most skilled duelist would need a few lessons from LDS before they're able to use Fusion. And this guy just did it without any help."
Yuya turned to Sora to ask him something.
"Hey Sora, did you help Yuuji at all with this?"
"Nope, not at all," Sora replied. "He never approached me about this."
Yuya was shocked by this. Just when he thought he could potentially close the gap between them, Yuuji widened the gap further.
"Just how much stronger could he become…?" Yuya muttered.
It's not that crazy though. Yuuji thought.
"If you're all done being shocked, I'll continue my turn now," Yuuji stated. "With my currently set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon!"
A portal appeared in the sky as a beam of energy shot out from it.
"Return from my Extra Deck, Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon (Dark/Dragon/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/LV: 7/SC: 4)!"
A large purple dragon with bone-like armor appeared on Yuuji field.
"Huh? But wasn't Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon just used as Fusion Material?" Hokuto wondered. "How is it back on his field?"
"Pendulum Monsters are sent to the Extra Deck when they are destroyed or tributed as material to summon another monster," Yuuji answered.
"I see," Reiji said while rubbing his chin. "That's a useful piece of information to know."
"Since it's the first turn of the duel, I can't attack, so…" A facedown appeared on Yuuji's field. "...I set one card and end my turn! It's your move, Akaba."
"Very well," Reiji said as he began his turn. "My turn! Draw!"
[Turn 2: Reiji] [H: 6]
"I'll start by activating the Continuous Spell, Dark Contract with the Gate!" Reiji began. "While this card remains activated on my field, during each of my Standby Phases, I receive 1000 points of damage."
"He's willingly taking damage to activate this effect," Yuzu gasped. "It must be powerful."
"Dark Contract with the Gate allows me to add 1 'D/D' Monster from my deck to my hand!" Reiji announced. "I choose to add D/D Berfomet to my hand!"
Reiji added a card to his hand.
"D/D?" Tatsuya asked aloud. "What's that?"
"Different Dimension," Sora answered. "I've heard of an archetype like this before, though this is the first time I will see it in action."
"Next, I activate another Continuous Spell! Dark Contract of the Swamp King!" Reiji declared. "Just like with my other Dark Contract, during each of my Standby Phases, I'll receive 1000 points of damage while this card remains on my field."
"Again? Now it's 2000 points of damage." Gongenzaka stated.
What is he planning? Yuuji wondered. It must be something big if he's willing to take that much damage.
"Since you've shown me a Fusion Summon, it's only right if I respond with my own," Reiji said as he fixed his glasses. "Dark Contract with the Swamp King allows me to Fusion Summon a 'D/D' Monster from my Extra Deck without the need for Polymerization!"
"What!?" This seemed to shock Sora, who then quickly turned away and muttered. "It seems like not all of the duelists here are bad after all…"
"From my hand, I fuse my D/D Necro Slime together with my D/D Berfomet!" Reiji declared as his two monsters rose into the air and fused together. "The scavenger of the dark night meets the one cursed as a fallen. Fuse together and give way to a new power! I Fusion Summon! Be born, Level 6! D/D/D Flame King Genghis (Fire/Fiend/Fusion/Effect/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1500/LV: 6)!"
A red-armored warrior with a giant red sword and shield appeared on the field.
"D/D/D? What does that mean?" Futoshi asked Sora.
"I…don't know. I've never seen it before." Sora said.
Shuzo frowned as he typed away on the monitor, searching through Reiji's dueling records, "I don't see anything in his dueling record about him being able to Fusion Summon. Could that mean that he was holding back even in his official duels? This could be bad."
"A Fusion Summon?" Yuuji was surprised for a second before smiling. "Of course you'd be able to do that."
"I'm not done yet, Haruki," Reiji stated. "I activate the Spell Card, Foolish Burial and use its effect to send 1 card from my deck to my graveyard."
Reiji picks out a card from his deck and sends it to his graveyard.
"I then activate D/D Necro Slime's graveyard effect. By banishing it along with another monster in my graveyard, I can perform another Fusion Summon using those banished monsters as materials. Once again, I fuse D/D Necro Slime together with D/D Berfomet!"
Another one!? Yuuji gasped.
The two aforementioned monsters rise into the air and fuse together as Reiji begins chanting.
"The cursed slime, and the fallen one. Awaken the sinister maiden who rests in the land of the forgotten!" Reiji chanted as he extended his arms outward, an intense expression appearing on his face. "I Fusion Summon! Be born, Level 7! D/D/D Oracle King d'Arc (Dark/Fiend/Fusion/Effect/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2000/LV: 7)!"
A feminine monster with a set of black wings, wearing silver armor and holding a blade appeared on the field.
"Incredible," Masumi said in awe. "Two Fusion Summons in quick succession of each other. Is this the power of a pro?"
"Genghis' effect now activates!" Reiji announced. "When a "D/D" monster is Special Summoned onto my field, I can Special Summon a "D/D" monster from my Graveyard. Arise, D/D Lilith (Dark/Fiend/Effect/ATK: 100/DEF: 2100/LV: 4)."
A humanoid monster with a rose plant aesthetic appeared.
"Next, I summon the Tuner Monster D/D Night Howling (Dark/Fiend/Tuner/Effect/ATK: 300/DEF: 600/LV: 3)." A floating mouth with razor sharp teeth appeared. "Now I tune my Level 3 D/D Night Howling to my Level 4 D/D Lilith!"
The two monsters turn into green energy rings and orbs respectively, the energy orbs phasing through the green energy rings as the duelist chanted.
"Howls that tear through the night. Gain the swiftness of a gale and become the cries of a newborn king!" Reiji chanted. "I Synchro Summon! Be born, Level 7! D/D/D Gust King Alexander (Wind/Fiend/Synchro/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/LV: 7)!"
An armored paladin with a green cape and a curved blade appeared on the field.
"Nice! Now a Synchro Summon too!" Yaiba cheered. "This win is guaranteed."
"First two Fusion Summons and now a Synchro Summon…" Yuuji grimaced. "This guy…he's definitely on a whole other level compared to everyone I've faced so far."
"Genghis' effect activates again, allowing me to summon D/D Lilith (ATK: 100/DEF: 2100/LV: 4) back to my field from my Graveyard in defense mode," The rose-themed monster appeared once again. "Lilith's effect then activates, allowing me to add D/D Night Howling back to my hand."
Reiji added the card back to his hand.
"Next, I activate Dark Contract with the Singing Waves," Reiji stated. "Just like my other Dark Contracts, during each of my Standby Phases, I receive 1000 points of damage. In exchange, Once Per Turn I can Special Summon a 'D/D' Monster from my hand and make its Level equal to that of another monster on my field. Return to my field, D/D Night Howling (ATK: 300/DEF: 600/LV: 3)!"
The floating mouth with razor sharp teeth appeared on his field once again.
(D/D Night Howling — LV: 3 → 4)
"Now he has two monsters of the same Level on the field," Hokuto commented. "That means…"
"Using my two Level 4 Monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" Reiji declared as his two monsters transform into beams of energy that are then absorbed into a galaxy vortex in front of him. A giant pillar of light shot out from its center as Reiji began chanting.
"In order to subjugate all that resides in this world, now, descend onto the peak of the world!" Reiji chanted. "I Xyz Summon! Be born, Rank 4! D/D/D Wave King Caesar (Water/Fiend/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1200/R: 4/OU: 2)!"
This time, a burly warrior in purple armor, with a giant claymore in its hand appeared.
"No way…" Yuzu muttered in awe.
"He just summoned…" Tatsuya began a sentence.
"...a monster from every Extra Deck Summoning method all in the same turn," Yuya completed the thought.
"..."
The whole atmosphere of the You Show group turned sour.
"Um…are we sure that Yuuji-senpai can win this?" Ayu wondered. "That guy's field is full of powerful monsters, while Yuuji only had Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon and a monster with no attack points."
"Don't say that. Yuuji can definitely win this," Yuzu said, though even she didn't seem to buy her own words. "Right?"
"I, the man Gongenzaka, still have faith in Yuuji," Gongenzaka said with similar unease. "However, it'll take a miracle to get him out of this situation."
The mood on the field wasn't much better.
I may have bit off more than I could chew once again. Yuuji began sweating with unease.
"Battle!" Reiji moved into his Battle Phase. "D/D/D Oracle King d'Arc attacks Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!"
The female monster leaps forward, using its blade to slice through Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon who roars in pain as it is destroyed.
"Dammit…Sorry, Odd-Eyes…" Yuuji cursed. But he couldn't mourn the destruction of his monster for long, as he played a card effect. "Antique Maker - Mira's Pendulum Effect activates! When I'm about to take damage from battle, I can negate that damage, then you take half the damage I would've taken! Pristine Reflection!"
Mira's mirror begins to glow as a beam of light is shot out from it, aiming directly towards Reiji. Reiji extends his arms outward, inviting the attack that hits him head on. However, instead of doing any damage, the attack results in Reiji gaining Life Points.
Reiji — LP: 4000 → 4150
"What?" Yuuji's eyes widened in shock. "How did you recover Life Points?"
"Oracle King d'Arc's effect," Reiji explained. "Whenever a player would take effect damage, I can activate Oracle King d'Arc's effect to instead allow me to gain Life Points equal to the total damage that effect would deal."
Yuuji's eyes widened.
This is bad. Yuuji thought. Bad. Bad. Bad! He recovers Life Points every time he takes effect damage!? Antique Golden Kaiju's effect literally does that whenever my opponent battles it!
To make things worse, neither Golden Kaiju nor Oracle King d'Arc's effects are once per turn. Which means that Reiji can attack with all of his monsters and just gain a large amount of Life Points for free.
The only saving grace is that I take no battle damage thanks to Golden Kaiju's effect. But being this behind in Life Points is basically a death sentence.
"D/D/D Wave King Caesar attacks Antique Golden Kaiju!" Reiji declared as his monster swung its great sword towards Golden Kaiju. However, the blade fails to connect as a transparent golden barrier formed around it, protecting the dragon from the attack.
"Antique Golden Kaiju cannot be destroyed by battle, and I take no battle damage in battles involving it," Yuuji stated. "However, whenever my opponent battles Golden Kaiju, they take effect damage equal to their attacking monster's ATK points."
"Thanks to Oracle King d'Arc's effect, I regain Life Points instead," Reiji stated as he extended his arms once again, being enveloped by a golden aura as he regained Life Points.
Reiji — LP: 4150 → 6550
"D/D/D Gust King Alexander now attacks Golden Kaiju!"
The warrior in white leaps forward, slamming its blade onto the shield that protected Golden Kaiju. Reiji extends his arms once again as his Life Points rose.
Reiji — LP: 6550 → 9050
"Finally, D/D/D Flame King Genghis attacks Golden Kaiju!"
Reiji's final monster attacks Golden Kaiju, resulting in Reiji gaining Life Points once again.
Reiji — LP: 9050 → 11050
"11050 Life Points!?" Futoshi turned blue with shock.
"I've never seen that many Life Points before," Yuzu gasped.
If things looked grim before, this situation looked impossible to come back from.
"It's settled, this duel is over," Sora commented as he bit down on his lollipop.
Akaba Himika smiled, "As expected from Reiji-san. A flawless victory. With this, Pendulum Summoning is as good as ours."
"With this, I end my turn," Reiji concluded. "This is quite the precarious situation you have found yourself in, Haruki Yuuji. Your monster's effect has ended up backing you into a corner."
"Yeah, I know that. Thanks for rubbing it in," Yuuji rolled his eyes before his set Trap Card flips face up. "Before your turn ends, I activate my Continuous Trap Card, Pendulum Trade! Then, I'll use its effect to Special Summon Antique Maker - Mira (Dark/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 2000/DEF: 100/LV: 5/SC: 8) from my Pendulum Zone to my field!"
A portal appears behind the maiden in black, which teleports it onto Yuuji's field.
"Antique Maker - Mira's effect now activates!" Yuuji announced. "When she is summoned onto my field, I can add 1 'Antique' Card from my deck to my hand! I add Antique Maker - Possession Jester to my hand!"
Yuuji adds the card to his hand.
"Oh, so you still plan on dueling?" Reiji wondered with intrigue.
"Well, duh," Yuuji replied. "I'm not going to give up just because one thing went wrong for me. As long as I still have Life Points, this duel isn't over!"
Reiji smiled, "Then show me, Haruki Yuuji. Show me just how far your resolve will take you."
"Oh, I will alright!" Yuuji declared. "My turn! Draw!"
[Turn 3: Yuuji] [H: 2]
Yuuji looked at the card he drew with a mixed expression.
Final Stand…the same card that won me the duel against Black Death.
By sacrificing his next two draw phases and discarding this card along with the rest of his hand, he could draw five cards from his deck. Something that could really benefit him in the short term.
But…if I were to do that, I risk the chance of losing if the cards I draw aren't useful or if I fail to win during this turn. The latter being extremely likely since this guy has over 11000 Life Points. There's nothing that I have access to currently that can take out that many Life Points at once.
It was too risky, especially since he didn't need to do that right now.
Yuuji shifted his attention to Antique Maker - Possession Jester. By using both its Pendulum and Monster Effect, he could get Revolution Commander out on his field.
Reiji has no trap cards on his field to protect his monsters. If I manage to destroy Oracle King d'Arc, I can use Antique Golden Kaiju's effect to deal big damage to Reiji.
But what if Reiji does have a way to protect his monsters?
Yuuji glanced at Wave King Caesar and Gust King Alexander. He still hasn't revealed their effects. One of them could totally have an effect that brings back Oracle King d'Arc even if I do manage to destroy it.
If that's the case, keeping Antique Golden Kaiju on the field at all was a no go. He should opt to use it as material to summon Revolution Commander instead.
Okay…I've been thinking too long. Let's see if this'll work.
"Using the Scale 1 Antique Maker - Swinging Soul already set in my Pendulum Zone and the Scale 8 Antique Maker - Possession Jester from my hand, I rebuild my Pendulum Scale!" Yuuji declared as a jester wearing a cloak, holding a wooden staff with a bell attached to it rose into an empty Pendulum Scale. "Now with my newly reformed Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon!"
A portal appeared in the sky as a beam of energy shoots out from it.
"Return from my Extra Deck, Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon (ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/LV: 7)!"
The purple dragon with bone-like armor appeared on Yuuji's field once again.
"Next, I activate Antique Maker - Possession Jester's Pendulum Effect!" Yuuji continued. "I can Special Summon it direction from my Pendulum Zone!"
The jester magician disappeared from its Pendulum Zone, appearing on Yuuji's main field.
[Antique Maker - Possession Jester (Dark/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000/LV: 5/SC: 8)]
"Now I activate Possession Jester's Effect!" Yuuji continued. "I can target 1 other monster on my field and make its Level equal to that of Possession Jester. I choose to target Golden Kaiju with this effect!"
(Antique Maker - Possession Jester — LV: 5)
(Antique Golden Kaiju — LV: 8 → 5)
"Now Yuuji has three Level 5 Monsters on his field," Yuya smiled. "That means he's going too…"
"I overlay my Level 5 Antique Golden Kaiju, Antique Maker - Possession Jester, and Antique Maker - Mira!" Yuuji declared that the aforementioned monsters are absorbed into a galaxy vortex. A pillar of light shot out from its center as Yuuji began chanting.
"The will of the oppressed who die on the battlefield burns bright. They wait for the one who guides the will of the fallen to victory! I Xyz Summon! Rise up, Rank 5! The courageous leader who fans the flames of rebellion, Antique Maker - Revolution Commander (Fire/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/R: 5/SC: 5/OU: 3)!"
A tall man with striking red hair and sharp, eagle-like eyes, cloaked in black with a matching mask covering his mouth appeared.
"An Xyz Summon?" Hokuto's jaw dropped. "This guy, he isn't giving up even when his opponent has such a lead in Life Points!?"
"I can honestly respect that," Yaiba nodded approvingly. "A duel doesn't end until someone's Life Points hit zero after all. As long as you have Life Points, there's always a chance for victory."
"That changes when you go against someone with 11000 Life Points though," Masumi commented. "You can't deal that much damage even if you do make use of this never give up mentality. It's impossible."
A Pendulum Xyz Monster? Reiji looked intrigued. Interesting...
"You seem really confident, I assume this monster has an effect that can help you in this scenario, right?" Reiji inquired.
"Why don't you see for yourself," Yuuji smiled. "I activate Revolution Commander's effect! By detaching one overlay unit, I can Special Summon 'Antique Dawning Blaze' from my deck!"
(Revolution Commander — OU: 3 → 2)
[Antique Dawning Blaze (Light/Fairy/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 5/SC: 7)]
A fiery sword with a golden hilt appeared on Yuuji's field.
"Next, by using Antique Dawning Blaze's effect, I can equip this monster to Revolution Commander!" Revolution Commander grabs onto the fire sword's hilt, soon being enveloped by the monster's flames as it powers up. "When a monster is equipped with Dawning Blaze, it gains 500 ATK for each monster on the field aside from itself. Since you have four monsters on your field while I have one other monster on mine, Revolution Commander gains 2500 ATK!"
(Revolution Commander — ATK: 2500 → 5000)
"Furthermore, Swinging Soul's Pendulum Effect activates!" Yuuji announced. "When a Pendulum Monster I control has its ATK increased by an effect, it gains an additional 800 ATK!"
The magician in white swings its pendulum as a purple aura soon surrounds Revolution Commander, increasing its attack even further.
(Revolution Commander — ATK: 5000 → 5800)
"5800 ATK!?" Himika was shocked. "To think he was able to create a monster this powerful!?"
"Alright, Yuuji! Show him just what you're made of!" Gongenzaka cheered.
"Battle!" Yuuji pumped his fist forward. "Revolution Commander attacks D/D/D Oracle King d'Arc! Blazing Revolution!"
Revolution Commander leaps forward, its blade igniting into even hotter flames as it slashes through Reiji's monster, destroying it and causing Reiji to wince.
Reiji — LP: 11050 → 8050
"My monster isn't done yet!" Yuuji announced. "While Antique Dawning Blaze is equipped to Revolution Commander, it can make a second attack during the Battle Phase!"
"What an absurd effect," Hokuto commented with sweat dripping down his face.
"Revolution Commander now attacks D/D/D Wave King Caesar! Blazing Revolution!"
Revolution Commander sets its sight on the large warrior, engaging in a clash with it for a few moments. In the end, Revolution Commander manages to overpower the Xyz Monster, destroying it. However, before it manages to destroy it, Wave King Caesar detaches one of its Overlay Units from itself to activate its effect.
(Wave King Ceasar — OU: 2 → 1)
Reiji — LP: 8050 → 4650
"Now Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon attacks D/D/D Flame King Genghis! Phantom Spiral Breath!" Yuuji commanded his dragon, who shot a breath of purple fire at the red warrior. The orbs on its body begin to glow as its effect activates. "Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon's effect now activates! When it deals battle damage, you receive an additional 600 points of damage for each Pendulum Monster on my field aside from itself. Since Revolution Commander is a Pendulum Monster, you take an additional 600 damage! Phantom Burst!"
Flame King Genghis is engulfed by the purple flames, which create a large explosion that covers the arena in dust. However, when the dust soon settles, Reiji field is once again filled with his monsters that were previously destroyed by Yuuji's barrage of attacks.
Reiji — LP: 4650 → 3550
"How?" Yuuji was surprised. "How did all of your monsters return?"
"D/D/D Wave King Ceaser's effect," Reiji explained. "I made sure to activate it before you destroyed it. During the end of the Battle Phase, I can Special Summon as many monsters that were destroyed this turn as possible. However, during my next Standby Phase, I receive 1000 Points of damage for each monster brought back by its effect."
"And thanks to Oracle King d'Arc's effect, you'll regain Life Points instead of losing them," Yuuji grimaced. "I was right to be wary about you having an effect that can bring back destroyed monsters."
"An extremely smart choice on your part," Reiji stated. "If you had kept Antique Golden Kaiju on your field, I could've used it to regain all the damage you've dealt to me this turn and then some."
He'll still regain a good amount of Life Points from his contracts though. Yuuji thought. Enough to erase the impact of the damage I dealt to him this turn.
"I end my turn," Yuuji concluded. There wasn't much else he could do in this situation.
"Then it's my turn. Draw!" Reiji drew a card.
[Turn 4: Reiji] [H: 1]
"During my Standby Phase, my card's effects now activate, dealing me 6000 points of damage in total," Reiji stated. "However, since Oracle King d'Arc is still on my field, I gain 6000 Life Points instead."
Reiji — LP: 3550 → 9550
"Aw man, there goes all of Yuuji-senpai's hard work," Ayu frowned.
"But now that he has Revolution Commander on his field, the state of the field has changed dramatically," Tatsuya assessed. "He now has an extremely powerful monster protecting him from damage. And on his next turn, Yuuji can wipe out even more of Reiji's Life Points with Revolution Commander."
"I activate Dark Contract with the Gate's effect, allowing me to add 1 D/D card to my hand," Reiji drew a card.
Reiji stopped playing for a moment, staring at the card he drew with intrigue for a moment before continuing.
"I set one card," Reiji placed a card facedown. "Next, I'll battle! D/D/D Oracle King d'Arc attacks Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!"
"Not so fast!" Yuuji cut in. "I activate Pendulum Trade's effect! This time, I place Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon from my field into my empty Pendulum Zone!"
A portal appeared under Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon, teleporting it into his only empty Pendulum Zone before Oracle King d'Arc's attack connected.
"..." Reiji remained silent for a moment. "There's nothing else I can do this turn. I end my turn."
"My turn! Draw!" Yuuji began his turn.
[Turn 5: Yuuji] [H: 2]
"I set one card facedown," Yuuji placed a facedown card. "Battle! Revolution Commander attacks Oracle King d'Arc! Blazing Revolution!"
Revolution Commander leaps forward, preparing to slice through Oracle King d'Arc with its fire sword.
"Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon's Pendulum Effect now activates!" Yuuji announced. "When a Pendulum Monster battles, it gains 1200 ATK until the end of the Battle Phase!"
(Revolution Commander — ATK: 5800 → 7000)
"Once again, Swinging Soul's Pendulum Effect activates, increasing Revolution Commander's ATK by another 800!"
(Revolution Commander — ATK: 7000 → 7800)
The flames surrounding Revolution Commander turn purple as it powers up.
"It's ATK points just keep getting more absurd each time," Yaiba commented in awe.
Reiji quickly reacts by hopping from island to island, grabbing an Action Card that was on one of the islands.
"I activate the Action Spell Miracle!" Reiji declared. "Targeting Oracle King d'Arc, this card can't be destroyed by battle, and battle damage I receive from this attack is halved!"
The attack connects, creating a heavy shockwave that almost blows Reiji away. However, a transparent shield appears around Oracle King d'Arc, protecting it from harm.
Reiji — LP: 9550 → 7050
"No matter! Revolution Commander has a second attack!" Yuuji announced. "Revolution Commander now attacks D/D/D Wave King Caesar! Blazing Revolution!"
This time, the attack connects before Reiji has the time to find another Action Card, destroying Caesar and leaving a heavy dent in Reiji's Life Points as he is sent flying from the shockwaves from the attack.
Reiji — LP: 7050 → 1650
"Reiji-san!" Akaba Himika cried out for her son, who managed to stand back up from the attack with only minor injuries.
"I'm fine, Mother," Reiji reassured her. "Don't worry about me."
"Reiji-san…" Himika still seemed worried. Her lurking worries were justified as Yuuji continued his turn.
"I activate Pendulum Trade's effect once again, Special Summoning Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon back onto my field!" Yuuji announced as his dragon returned to his field. "Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon now attacks D/D/D Flame King Genghis! Phantom Spiral Breath!"
Phantom Dragon shoots a breath of purple flames at Reiji's monster.
"Once again, Phantom Dragon's effect activates, dealing an extra 600 points of damage! Phantom Burst!"
The blast explodes, destroying Genghis and causing Reiji to wince from the shockwaves.
Reiji — LP: 1650 → 550
"With that, my battle ends. Along with my turn." Yuuji concluded.
(Revolution Commander — ATK: 7800 → 6600)
Reiji brushes the dust off his clothes as he fixes his glasses.
"An impressive display of power," Reiji stated. "If I hadn't managed to find that Action Card, I would've lost this duel by now."
Reiji's expression hardened.
"It appears that it's time for me to get serious," Reiji stated.
That shocked Yuuji to his core, "What do you mean, 'it's time to get serious?' Are you telling me that this whole time, you haven't been trying?"
"I wanted to test your abilities," Reiji adjusted his glasses. "To see if you were as strong as I expected. You've managed to greatly surpass my expectations, Haruki Yuuji. And because of that, it's only right that I respond back similarly. My turn! Draw!"
Reiji drew a card.
[Turn 6: Reiji] [H: 2]
"During my Standby Phase, thanks to Oracle King d'Arc's effect, I gain 3000 Life Points due to my Dark Contract's effects."
Reiji — LP: 550 → 3550
"So annoying!" Ayu whined. "He just needs to stay down and let Yuuji-senpai win!"
"Agreed," Futoshi nodded.
"Next, I activate Dark Contract with the Gate once again, allowing me to add another 'D/D' Monster from my deck to my hand!"
Reiji added a card to his hand. His set Trap Card then flips face-up.
"Now, I activate the Trap Card, D/D Redraw. By destroying all the cards on my field, I can draw 5 cards from my deck."
All of Reiji's monsters and Continuous Spells were destroyed as he drew five more cards from his deck.
"Destroying all the cards on your field?" Yuuji was surprised. "Why would you do something like that?"
"They've all served their purpose," Reiji stated in a calculated tone. "By discarding them, it grants me a chance to change my game plan going forward."
Reiji then revealed two cards from his hand. The words he uttered next shook Yuuji, Yuya, and the rest of You Show to their very core.
"Allow me to demonstrate!" Reiji declared. "With the Scale 1 D/D Savant Copernicus and the Scale 10 D/D Savant Kepler, I set the Pendulum Scale!"
[What!?] The You Show Duel School members exclaimed.
Behind Reiji, two monsters rose into their respective blue columns, with the numbers 1 and 10 appearing on each scale respectively in a strange golden font.
"Now I can summon monsters Level 2 through 9 simultaneously!" Reiji declared. "Grand power that shakes my very soul, arise within me and become a new light that rends the darkness. I Pendulum Summon! Come before me, my monsters!"
A portal appears between the two Pendulum Zones, as three beams of energy are shot out of it.
"Appear, my three copies of D/D/D Doom King Armageddon (Dark/Fiend/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 3000/DEF: 1000/LV: 8/SC: 4)!"
Three monsters with bodies made out of a giant diamond with a sphere of dark energy within their center appeared.
"..."
Everyone was stunned silent by what had just happened. Reiji…had just Pendulum Summoned? The idea of someone other than Yuya or Yuuji Pendulum Summoning was an idea that they all knew would happen someday…but, to think it would happen so soon.
Yuuji was the first to speak up, albeit barely, "H-How? How did you get those cards?"
"I hope you didn't think that Pendulum would be solely yours alone." Reiji smiled as he extended his arms outward. "Not when it could be used to bring a new evolution to dueling as we know it."
"Tch," Yuuji clicked his tongue.
"Battle!" Reiji moved into his Battle Phase. "D/D/D Doom King Armageddon attacks Revolution Commander! Doom Ray of Armageddon!"
Reiji's monster rises into the air, shooting a beam of dark energy at Revolution Commander, who leaps in the air in order to counter that attack.
"What? But if that attack connects, you'll lose?" Yuuji was shocked.
"I activate the Quick-Play-Spell Attack Down from my hand!" Reiji announced. "Lowering your monster's ATK by 2000!!"
(Revolution Commander — ATK: 6600 → 4600)
"But Revolution Commander's ATK is still higher than Doom King Armageddon!" Yuuji quickly regained his composure. "Destroy his monster! Blazing Revolution!"
Revolution Commander slices through the beam of dark energy, reaching Doom King Armageddon and slicing through it with its flame sword. Reiji winces from the shockwaves of the battle.
Reiji — LP: 3550 → 1950
(Doom King Armageddon — ATK: 3000 → 6000)
(Doom King Armageddon — ATK: 3000 → 6000)
However, as a result of the battle, Reiji's other two monster's ATK increase.
"Doom King Armageddon's effect activates!" Reiji announced. "Once per turn, when a monster is destroyed by battle or card effect; this monster gains ATK equal to the destroyed monster's original attack until the End Phase of this turn!"
Damnit. Yuuji grimaced. This is bad!
"The battle continues! Doom King Armageddon attacks Revolution Commander! Doom Ray of Armageddon!"
The second Doom King Armageddon rises into the air, shooting a dark beam of energy at Revolution Commander. However, unlike its predecessor, its attack succeeds, destroying Revolution Commander and sending Yuuji flying from the shockwaves. Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon runs towards Yuuji, catching him on its back before he ends up flying off the islands.
Yuuji — LP: 4000 → 2600
"And now for the third and final attack! Doom King Armageddon! Attack Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon and end this duel!" Reiji commanded his monster. "Doom Ray of Armageddon!"
"Not yet, bastard!" Yuuji countered. "I activate Pendulum Trade's effect, Special Summoning Antique Maker - Swinging Soul (Dark/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 100/DEF: 2000/LV: 3/SC: 1) to my field in defense mode!"
A portal appeared on Yuuji's field as Swinging Soul emerged from it.
"What's the point of doing that?" Masumi wondered. "Reiji can just choose to target Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon when he replays his attack."
"I activate my Trap Card, Pendulum Friends!" Yuuji followed up as his set card was flipped face-up. "When I only control Pendulum Monsters on my field and not in either of my Pendulum Zones, all Pendulum Monsters I control gain 500 ATK for each Pendulum Monster currently on my field until the End Phase!"
Yuuji hops off Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon as it and Antique Maker - Swinging Soul begin to dance together. Both of their ATK stats increase as a result.
(Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon — ATK: 2500 → 3500)
(Antique Maker - Swinging Soul — ATK: 100 → 1100)
Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon is soon engulfed by Doom King Armageddon's attack, destroying it and sending Yuuji tumbling across on the island he was on—his Life Points dropping.
Yuuji — LP: 2600 → 100
"I set two cards and end my turn," Reiji concluded with two facedowns.
(Doom King Armageddon — ATK: 6000 → 3000)
(Doom King Armageddon — ATK: 6000 → 3000)
(Antique Maker - Swinging Soul — ATK: 1100 → 100)
"Guh…" Yuuji struggled to stay on his feet until…
—Thud!
…he collapsed to the ground. His consciousness waning.
"Oh no, Yuuji!" Yuya cried out for his friend.
"What happened? Why did Yuuji-senpai suddenly fall?" Ayu asked with concern.
"It must be his injuries," Sora stated. "The ones he received mysteriously a few days ago."
"Oh no. He never went to the hospital to treat himself either." Yuzu's eyes widened in realization. "The injuries he had were serious as well."
"He needs to forfeit this duel," Gongenzaka stated. "As much as it pains me to say it, a man must know when he must fight and when he must rest…"
Yuuji couldn't hear the rest of his friend's conversation as he ended up blacking out.
<><><><><><><><><><><><>
Flashback…
Five Years Ago, The Outpost…
A young boy with striking silver hair could be seen walking through the streets of the rundown city, tears streaming down his eyes. Just a few days ago, he had lost his father in some sort of incident. He wasn't aware of the details since he wasn't there personally. He had only heard about his father's death from others who were there at the scene.
"Dad.*Sob* Why did you leave me?" The young Yuuji cried. "You promised *Sob* that you would *Sob* be there to watch me *Sob* become the greatest duelist there is."
He thought his father was invincible. He always seemed to be. Whether it was a duel or a fight, his father would always come out on top. His father had a major influence on Yuuji as he was growing up.
To have him taken away at such a young age, it was bound to leave a scar on the boy that could never be healed.
Yuuji walked past an alleyway, where a group of three thugs could be seen smoking and chatting. Upon noticing the weak and defenseless boy walk past them, the three of them share a look with each other.
"Easy prey," Thug 1 said.
"Look there, he has a complete deck and a duel disk," Thug 2 pointed out. "That's sure to go for a big buck around here."
"Then what are we waiting for," Thug 3 sneered. "Let's pay that little twerp a visit."
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to Yuuji, though that was probably due to his swirling emotions. If he was in his right state of a mind, he would've probably noticed the three thugs tailing behind him.
His fate was sealed when he turned into an alleyway. Unluckily for him, it was an alleyway that led straight to a dead end. The perfect opportunity for the three thugs to strike.
They cornered the young Yuuji, forcefully taking his duel disk and deck from him. When Yuuji tried to fight back for his stuff, Thug 1 responded by punching Yuuji in the face. The other two shortly followed, pushing the youth to the ground before stomping him out on the pavement.
"S-Stop!" Yuuji cried out in pain as the thugs continuously stomped him out, not planning on stopping anytime soon. Blood spilled from his mouth as he felt his life flash before his eyes after the beating. "P-Please!"
"Aw, would you look at that? The little twerp wants us to stop," Thug 2 mocked before kicking Yuuji's head in, making the youth fade in and out of consciousness. "How naive!"
Just as Thug 2 was about to kick Yuuji again…
"That's enough!"
…a feminine voice suddenly rang through the alleyway, along with the sounds of wheels spinning. A woman with long silver hair rode into the alleyway on some sort of motorcycle.
"Who the hell is this bi—?" Thug 3 wondered aloud before being kicked in the face by the woman.
"I don't want to hear it," The woman said as Thug 3 fell to the ground, being knocked unconscious instantly.
"What do you think you're doing!?" Thug 2 shouted at the woman.
"Bringing justice to this unlawful place," The woman stated. "Especially against bastards like you, who think wailing on a little kid is a good use of their time. It's just pathetic."
"Pathetic, huh?" A crazed smile formed on Thug 2's face as he pulled out a knife from his pocket. "I'll be sure to leave a mark on that pretty face of yours to make you pay for that comment!"
Thug 2 ran towards the woman, attempting to gouge her with his blade. However, in a swift motion, she parries the man's strike and lands a heavy punch to the man's gut, causing him to wheeze before falling to the ground.
—Thud!
Thug 1 was left in shock as both of his allies were knocked out in quick succession. Before he could do anything to fight against the woman, he shrieks in pain as he feels something hit in private hard, causing him to drop to the floor instantly from the pain and drop Yuuji's duel disk and deck on the ground.
The culprit of this was none other than Yuuji, who had used all of the strength he could muster to kick the man in the private as hard as he could.
The woman was surprised by the youth's action, but chuckled afterwards.
"Nice going, little guy," She praised him. "You really hit him where it hurt."
"Ah, t-thank you," Yuuji said with a faint blush.
"Aw, you're blushing. How cute~," The woman teased.
"..." Yuuji's whole face turned red as his brain failed to deliver a response. Instead, Yuuji just quietly picked up his duel disk and deck before walking away.
"Hey, wait. Where are you going?" The woman asked.
"I…don't know. Somewhere," Yuuji simply responded.
"Do you…uh…have a place to stay? Any caretakers?"
"Ye—no," Yuuji solemnly corrected himself after remembering the fact that his father is now dead.
The woman seemed to pick up on this before making a suggestion.
"I can tell you lost someone important to you recently," The woman solemnly smiled. "I can relate to that. I've lost a lot of things and people in my life. I'm sure of it. Though I can't really remember what the thing I lost was."
"..." Yuuji was a bit confused about what she meant.
"Oh sorry." She awkwardly waved her hands. "What I meant is that I can relate to how you're feeling. You must be feeling lost, right? Until you can find your own footing, I can give you a place to stay for a while."
"No thank you." Yuuji rejected the offer, causing the woman's jaw to drop.
"Huh? But why?"
"Stranger danger," Yuuji said as he made an "X" with his hands. "My dad always told me to stay away from weird strangers who try to take me with them."
"Oh. I guess he's right?" The woman sighed. "Oh well, I guess you won't be getting any help from me."
The woman began walking to her motorcycle, getting on it and preparing to ride off. However she stopped when she noticed the young Yuuji's stare. The youth was staring at her motorcycle with stars in his eyes.
"So cool. What is that?" Yuuji asked.
"Oh this? It's a Duel Runner. A vehicle from my hometown."
"A Duel Runner?" Yuuji tilted his head. "Is that something you can duel with?"
"It actually is."
Yuuji's eyes lit up for a moment before he began awkwardly asking something.
"Um…Miss. I…uh…take back what I said…before," Yuuji said while not even looking her in the eyes, his eyes locking onto her Duel Runner. "Can you…uh…take me with you?"
"..." The woman laughed at the youth's antics. "Sure. But before that, I want to know your name."
"Yuuji," The youth introduced himself. "Haruki Yuuji. And…uh…you, miss?"
"You can call me Tanako," The woman, now known as Tanako, replied. "Now get on. We have to leave before these guys wake up again."
"O-Okay!"
Yuuji got on the Tanako's Duel Runner, sitting right behind her.
"You better hold on tight, this baby of mine is quite fast."
Tanako revved up the engine of her Duel Runner before driving away from the scene with Yuuji.
A while later, the two find themselves in an old building. While the outside of the building looked like that of an abandoned complex, the inside of the place looked surprisingly livable, albeit small.
"Welcome to my abode," Tanako said as she pushed her Duel Runner into a corner. "Feel free to make yourself at home."
"Okay," Yuuji nodded as his eyes scoured the room with enthusiasm.
One thing that immediately piqued his interest was a Monster Card that was set alone on a table. He approached the card and picked it up to get a better look at it. It was a white monster card, something that Yuuji had only seen once in his life.
"Like what you see?" Tanako asked as she gently took the card from Yuuji's hand. "This right here is called a Synchro Monster."
"A Synchro Monster?"
"It's one of the three Extra Deck Summoning methods. You know about them right?"
"I've heard of them from my father," Yuuji replied. "But I've never seen them before."
"Hmm," Tanako began thinking for a few moments before an idea suddenly popped into her head. "Hey, I know. Since you have a deck and Duel Disk, why don't we have ourselves a little duel? That way, I'll be able to show you an authentic Synchro Summon."
"A duel!?" Yuuji's eyes lit up. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Yuuji quickly ran out of the house, with Tanako sighing briefly. A small smile creeped on her face.
"That kid…he forgot about what was troubling him almost instantly upon hearing the word duel," Tanako chuckled for a moment. She then went and grabbed her duel disk before joining Yuuji outside
Yuuji — LP: 400
Field:
[Antique Forgotten Mask (Light/Fairy/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 5)]
Tanako — LP: 4000
Field:
[Centur-Ion Primera (Light/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1600/LV: 4)]
[Centur-Ion Gargoyle II (Dark/Dragon/Effect/ATK: 2000/DEF: 3000/LV: 8)]
2 Set Trap Cards
It was currently Yuuji's turn.
"Battle!" Yuuji moved into his Battle Phase. "Antique Forgotten Mask attacks Centu-Ion Gargoyle!"
A spirit monster wearing an old, black mask began flying towards Tanako's monster.
"At this time, Forgotten Mask's effect activates!" Yuuji declared. "Our monster's ATK points are swapped!"
(Antique Forgotten Mask — ATK: 0 → 2000)
(Centur-Ion Gargoyle II — ATK: 2000 → 0)
"Quite an impressive effect you have there, Yuuji-kun," Tanako commented. "However, I have an answer to that! I activated my Trap Card, Battle Shield! For the rest of this Battle Phase, neither of our monsters can be destroyed!"
A barrier formed around Tanako's monsters, protecting them from harm.
"But you still take damage!" Yuuji declared.
Tanako winced a little from the shockwaves as her Life Points dropped.
Tanako — LP: 4000 → 2000
"I did it!" The young Yuuji cheered. "I managed to lower your Life Points!"
"Good job," Tanako clapped as she praised him. "I can hardly tell that I'm dueling a child. You've been taught well."
Yuuji smiled at the praise, "Thank you. I'll end my turn with one facedown."
A facedown card appeared on his field.
"My turn! Draw!" Tanako began her turn. "You've impressed me a lot in this duel. But I think it's time to wrap it up. Just like I promised, I'll show you a true, authentic Synchro Summon. The Level 4 Centur-Ion Primera tunes the Level 8 Centur-Ion Gargoyle II!"
The two aforementioned monsters transform into green rings and orbs respectively, lining up together as a pillar of green light shot through it.
"Machine engines burn bright! Command the brigade and eradicate your enemies before you!" Tanako chanted. "I Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 12! Centur-Ion Legatia (Light/Machine/Synchro/Effect/ATK: 3500/DEF: 2000/LV: 12)!"
A humanoid machine monster in white armor appeared on Tanako's field. Two floating constructs floated above each of the monster's shoulders, emitting flames that wrapped all around the monster's armor.
"...So pretty," Yuuji said in awe.
"Don't be too entranced now, Yuuji!" Tanako shouted. "Legatia's effect now activates! When it's Synchro Summoned onto my field, I can draw 1 card; then I can destroy the monster on your field that currently has the highest ATK. Since the only monster you control is Forgotten Mask, that monster is destroyed! Blazing Vortex!"
"What!?" Yuuji cried out in shock as his monster was engulfed in a flaming vortex, dispersing into particles as it was destroyed.
"Now it's time for the climax!" Tanako declared as she moved into her Battle Phase. "Legatia now attacks you directly! Hellfire Breaker!"
Tanako's monster erupts into flames, soaring towards Yuuji who tries to protect himself before the attack connects. However, before it does, Legatia stops. Instead of attacking Yuuji head on, the monster opts to end the duel by flicking the youth on the forehead.
Yuuji — LP: 400 → 0
Winner: Tanako
All of their cards disappear as the duel ends. Tanako approaches Yuuji, who was sobbing as he soothed his forehead.
"Hey, are you okay?" Tanako asked, a little concerned.
"Y-Yeah. It just hurts a little," Yuuji regained his composure. He was bummed out about the loss, but losing to something as cool as that Synchro Monster made up for it. "That Synchro Summon of yours was so cool, Tanako-san! I want to learn how to do it just like you."
"There's not really much of a point in me teaching you," Tanako stated, much to Yuuji's disappointment. "Especially if you don't have your own Synchro Monster."
"I do, look," Yuuji pulled out a Synchro Monster from his deck. Antique Guardian Statue. "So could you please teach me now?"
Tanako was a bit surprised by Yuuji suddenly revealing a Synchro Monster. She didn't think much of it though since this would make teaching him a lot easier.
"Okay, then. I'll teach you," Tanako agreed. "You'll become the greatest duelist to ever use Synchro Summoning when I'm done with you."
<><><><><><><><><><><><>
Yuuji woke up, his mind in a daze. He struggled back onto his feet as he finally began to digest what was happening.
"What happened?" Yuuji wondered.
He immediately noticed that he was still in the Different Dimension Action Field, which meant that he was likely still dueling against Reiji.
I must've blacked out for only a few seconds then. Yuuji guessed. Which is weird, since I had a whole flashback sequence about when I first met my teacher.
Tanako was the one who saved him when he was younger and practically raised him after his father passed away a few years ago. It was thanks to her teachings that led Yuuji to learning how to Synchro Summon, along with shaping him into the person he is today.
Enough with the reminiscing on the past. Yuuji shook his head. I need to focus on what is happening here in the present first.
He was losing. That much was obvious. Even with the help of his strongest monster, he still wasn't able to settle this duel thanks to how far behind Antique Golden Kaiju's effect set him back.
I only have two cards on my field. I could possibly place Swinging Soul into my Pendulum Scale, but I would need to draw a monster with a high Pendulum Scale in order to make use of it. The only card in my hand is Final Stand. And while this card will allow me to draw five new cards by discarding my whole hand, if the five cards I draw aren't able to get me a win, I'll definitely lose this duel.
Yuuji tried to clench his fist, but he couldn't as he felt his hands shaking violently.
What the hell? Why are my hands shaking?
Was he scared? Anxious? Why? Even in his duel against Black Death, he had never felt this nervous before.
Damnit. I wanted to protect You Show. That's why I've been playing it safe and not relying on luck to bail me out. Yuuji thought. But thanks to that, I managed to achieve the opposite and back myself into a corner.
…
—Smack!
Yuuji slapped himself in the face as hard as he could with his free hand, to the point of even leaving a slight red bruise on his cheek.
"What the hell am I doing?" Yuuji berated himself. "I got too caught up in the stakes that I forgot everything that I had learned."
Playing it safe like this, this wasn't how he dueled. Sure, he made safe plays sometimes, but he never relied on the safe plays to win his duels.
"Are you okay there, Haruki?" Reiji inquired. "If you aren't feeling well, we can call off this duel of ours."
"No. I don't plan on backing down," Yuuji said. "I still have a chance for victory."
"A slim chance," Reiji stated. "You've lost both of your strongest monsters, your Pendulum Scale has been broken, and you're down to only 100 Life Points. You would need a miracle to win from this position."
"Hah, I've been through worse scenarios than this," Yuuji smiled. "And besides, even if I have only 1 Life Point left, there's still a chance for victory!"
"Prove it to me then. Bring about that one-in-a-million miracle, Haruki Yuuji," Reiji said with a small smile. "Otherwise…this school of yours will be no more."
"Guide me to victory, my deck…" Yuuji muttered as his pendulum necklace began to glow. "My turn! Draw!"
[Turn 7: Yuuji] [H: 2]
[Current Theme Playing: Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V Sound Duel 1 - Swing! Pendulum of Souls]
Yuuji didn't even look at the card he drew. He knew that whatever it was, it wasn't the key that would let him win this.
"I activate the Spell Card, Final Stand!" Yuuji announced. "To activate this card, I must discard all other cards from my hand and forfeit my next two Draw Phases."
"Forfeiting his next two Draw Phases!?" Hokuto cried out in shock. "Has he gone mad!?"
"The bigger the sacrifice, the greater the return," Yuuji said. "Thanks to Final Stand's effect, I get to draw cards until I have five cards in my hand!"
"Oh?" Reiji raised an eyebrow.
Yuuji placed his hand over the top of his deck and took a deep breath.
"Everyone's hopes and dreams are riding on this duel. I can't let them down," Yuuji steeled his resolve. "With this draw, I'll pave a path to freedom! Draw!"
Yuuji drew his five cards. Upon looking at what he drew, he paused.
"Not a single Pendulum Monster?" Yuuji grimaced. "I guess lady luck is not on my side after all—"
—Badump!
Yuuji felt his chest skip a beat as the image of a new monster appeared in his mind.
This feeling…it's just like what I felt when I first summoned Revolution Commander. Yuuji smiled. It looks like lady luck hasn't given up on me this time either.
"I activate the Quick-Play-Spell, Trap Whirlwind!" Yuuji announced. "By tributing cards on my field, I can destroy an equal number of Trap Cards on your field! I tribute Antique Maker - Swinging Soul along my Continuous Trap Card in order to destroy both of your Trap Cards!"
A massive whirlwind roared through the arena, sweeping up Yuuji's two cards along with Reiji's two Trap Cards and destroying them all.
"Getting my two Trap Cards out of the way early, smart move," Reiji commented.
"I'm not done yet!" Yuuji declared. "I summon the Tuner Monster, Antique Maker - Tuning Witch (Dark/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect/ATK: 100/DEF: 300/LV: 1)!"
A female monster with long blonde hair, wearing a black witches cloak and holding a black staff with a yellow gemstone at its tip appeared.
"Tuning Witch's effect activates upon its summon. I take 100 points of damage for each Pendulum Monster on my field or in either of my Pendulum Zones!"
"100 points of damage?" Ayu was confused. "Doesn't that mean that he loses?"
"That's only if he has a Pendulum Monster on his field," Tatsuya replied. "He made sure to get Antique Maker - Swinging Soul off his field first before he summoned Tuning Witch, so he won't be taking any damage."
"Tuning Witch's other effect activates!" Yuuji continued. "After its summoning effect is activated, I can immediately Special Summon an Antique Monster directly from my hand! Appear, Antique Maker - Wrenchworker (Dark/Spellcaster/Effect/ATK: 300/DEF: 400/LV: 2)!"
A young man in apprentice clothing appeared.
"Now, when an 'Antique' Monster is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon Antique Tabletop (Light/Fairy/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 5) directly from my hand!"
A floating wooden table appeared.
"He summoned three monsters at once without the use of Pendulum Summoning," Hokuto was surprised.
"Not to mention, he also has a Tuner Monster on his field," Yaiba pointed out. "Judging from how he made use of the other two summoning methods, I think I know what's about to happen next."
"This is it, Reiji! My key to winning this duel!" Yuuji announced. "The Level 1 Antique Maker - Tuning Witch tunes the Level 2 Antique Maker - Wrenchworker and Level 5 Antique Tabletop!"
Tuning Witch twirls her staff, the gemstone at its tip glowing as it turns Wrenchworker and Antique Tabletop into green orbs. Tuning Witch herself transforms into a yellow ring which lines up together with the green orbs. A pillar of green light shot through the ring as Yuuji began chanting.
"Sonic gale winds that move at the speed of sound. Ride the speeding current as you pave a path to victory!" Yuuji chanted. "I Synchro Summon! Accelerate, Level 8! Antique Maker - Freedom Rider (Wind/Spellcaster/Synchro/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1500/LV: 8/SC: 1)!"
Driving across the air was a man riding a grey and green colored Duel Runner. He wore similarly colored gear. Freedom Rider had a wide smile on his face as he revved up the engines of its Duel Runner in anticipation.
"Alright, Yuuji!" Shuzo cheered. "Show him You Show's burning spirit!"
"You got this, Yuuji!" Yuya cheered him on as well.
"A Synchro Summon this late into the game," Hokuto was stunned.
"To think he still had a monster like this in the back," Masumi commented.
"Hmph, it's no issue," Himika scoffed. "That monster has a measly 2000 ATK points. It won't be doing anything to Reiji-san's Pendulum Monsters."
"Antique Maker - Freedom Rider's effect activates!" Yuuji declared. "When this monster is Synchro Summoned, I can destroy cards on your field equal to the number of 'Antique' Monsters used to Synchro Summon it to my field! I used three to summon Freedom Rider, which means I can destroy three cards on your field!"
"What!?" Himika cried out in shock.
"..." Even Reiji had a shocked expression on his face.
"I choose to destroy your two D/D/D Doom King Armageddons, along with the D/D Copernicus in your Pendulum Scale! Freedom Gale!"
Freedom Rider begins riding in circles at sonic speeds, creating a green tornado that threatens to suck Reiji's monsters into it.
"I activate the effect of D/D/D Launch in my graveyard!" Reiji announced. "By tributing a D/D/D Monster on my field, I can negate the activation of your monster's effect that targets a D/D/D Monster I control!"
One of Reiji's Doom King Armageddons floats towards the tornado. Once it made contact with it, Doom King Armageddon suddenly exploded, dispersing the tornado.
"Furthermore, since a monster on my field was destroyed by card effect, my final Doom King Armageddon gains ATK equal to my destroyed monster's ATK!"
(Doom King Armageddon — ATK: 3000 → 6000)
"I was worried for a moment," Himika smiled. "It seems that worry was unwarranted. This duel is settled now."
"Oh no…" Ayu said with worry. "Is this the end?"
"..." Yuzu remained silent, a guilty expression on her face. If only she hadn't lost that duel against Masumi.
"No, it's not," Yuya reassured. "Look at Yuuji's expression. He still hasn't given up."
Directing their attention back to the field, they were surprised to see that Yuuji still had a smile on his face.
"I now activate Freedom Rider's second effect!" Yuuji shouted. "By banishing an Antique Monster from my graveyard, Freedom Rider temporarily gains its effects, along with 1000 ATK! I banish Antique Golden Kaiju from my graveyard!"
Yuuji sends a card from his graveyard to his Banish Zone, as a green aura surrounds Freedom Rider and his Duel Runner.
(Freedom Rider — ATK: 2000 → 3000)
"Now here comes the climax! Battle!" Yuuji declared as he pumped his fist forward. "Freedom Rider attacks D/D/D Doom King Armageddon!"
Freedom Rider revs up its engine as it accelerates towards Reiji's monster at breakneck speeds.
"Is he insane!?" Hokuto cried out. "His monster has way less ATK points than Reiji's!"
"Have you even been focusing on the plays?" Masumi wondered. "His monster copied Antique Golden Kaiju's effects, which deal damage to his opponent equal to their monster's ATK points when it battles. If he attacks Reiji's monster now, he'll win!"
"I-Impossible…" Himika muttered in disbelief.
"Go, Freedom Rider! Hyperstream Rush!"
Reiji also had a shocked expression on his face for a moment before his mouth curled upwards into a smile.
"So this is the kind of duelist that you are, Haruki Yuuji…" Reiji said as he closed his eyes. "You've won this battle."
A barrier forms around Freedom Rider as it crashes into Doom King Armageddon, creating a shockwave that sends Reiji flying away—concluding the duel.
Reiji — LP: 2950 → 0
Winner: Yuuji
[BGM (Background Music) Ends Here.]
The Action Field dissipates as the two duelists return to the arena. Akaba Himika quickly rushed out of the spectator booth, quickly making her way to her son, who had just managed to stand up on his two feet.
"Reiji-san! Are you okay?" Himika asked.
"I'm okay, Mother," Reiji stated.
Himika breathed a sigh of relief, "Well, that's good." She then turned to Yuuji, who was surrounded by his You Show friends. "That boy. I didn't expect him of all people to defeat you."
"I honestly didn't expect to lose as well," Reiji admitted. "However, in a duel, not everything will always go according to plan."
With the You Show group…
"Yuuji! That was an incredibly hot-blooded duel!" Shuzo shouted with fire burning in his eyes. "That duel had me on the edge of my seat the entire time."
"Mhm," Tatsuya nodded. "I was worried a few times, but you managed to pull through even with the odds stacked against you."
"Yeah. Thanks to you, You Show has been saved," Yuya added.
"You stood strong and fought him like a true man," Gongenzaka commented. "I, the man Gongenzaka, approve."
"Haha, thanks guys," Yuuji smiled happily.
However, he soon stopped when he noticed Yuzu's expression.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Yuuji asked. "What's got you so down."
"I'm..." Yuzu bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Yuuji, Gongenzaka. If I hadn't completely flunked my duel against Masumi, you guys wouldn't have had to duel your hearts out to protect You Show."
"Yuzu…" Yuya muttered.
"Don't beat yourself up, Yuzu," Gongenzaka said with a smile. "You shouldn't feel guilty about this."
"Gongenzaka's right," Yuuji nodded. "You, me, and the rest of us. We all wanted to fight for the safety of You Show. And in the end, we've succeeded in defending this school."
"But…" Yuzu wanted to say something else, but decided to just keep quiet, not wanting to ruin the bubbly atmosphere. "Okay…"
—Clap! Clap! Clap!
Their attention shifted to Akaba Reiji, who was applauding as he approached Yuuji.
"Congratulations, Haruki Yuuji. You're the first person in a long time who has actually managed to defeat me. " Reiji congratulated him with his usual calm demeanor. "As promised, LDS won't bother you lot about this Sawatari Shingo matter anymore."
After he was done speaking, he turned around to leave. However, just before he did, Yuuji spoke.
"...Wait."
"Hm?" Reiji raised an eyebrow. "Is there something you wanted to ask me?"
"I just wanted to say thank you."
"Eh? Why would you be thanking him?" Futoshi wondered. "He threatened to take over You Show."
"Your little friend is right. There's nothing you should be thanking me for," Reiji said.
"There's two things that I can thank you for," Yuuji smiled. "The first is for keeping your word about leaving You Show alone after you lost. And the second is for pushing me to the brink in that duel of ours."
"Oh, well in that case, you're welcome," Reiji simply stated. "If that's all you wanted to say. I'll be going now."
"Just one more thing. The next time we duel, I want to duel you at your best. I can tell in that duel that you were treating it more like a test rather than an important duel. As a duelist, I can't accept a win unless I defeat my opponent at their very best."
"I'll think about it," Reiji replied before walking off. Akaba Himika and the three LDS students soon followed shortly behind. After they left, Yuuji breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness that's over with," Yuuji said. "That duel was exactly what I was looking for, but it made me tired as hell."
"You should go rest," Yuya suggested. "You deserve it anyway, after winning a duel against a pro."
"I'll do just that," Yuuji said before he began walking off. "I'll see you guys later, then. Take care."
After saying his goodbyes, Yuuji made his way back to his hotel. After placing his duel disk and deck on his countertop and changing into his night clothes, Yuuji threw himself onto his bed.
"I'm way too exhausted from today. I never knew that dueling could be that stressful," Yuuji remarked. "But at least I've managed to achieve my goal. There is a way for me to grow stronger."
By pushing himself to the brink and reconstructing himself, he managed to find the key to unlocking a new power for himself.
Yuuji let out a long yawn, tears forming in his tired eyes, "I'm too tired to think about this. Right now, I just want…to…sleep…"
Struggling to maintain his wake, Yuuji's eyes close as he falls into a deep sleep.
<><><><><><><><><><><><>
Meanwhile, LDS Tower…
Reiji is sitting in his office, staring at a list of all the current qualified participants for the Maiami Championships that will be happening around a week from now. Soon, he hears the door to his office open as Nakajima walks in, a serious expression plastered on his face.
"Ah, Nakajima," Reiji addressed him. "What brought you here on such short notice."
"Reiji-dono, I've come bearing bad news," Nakajima states as he digs into his suit's pocket, taking out a few cards. Reiji's eyes widen in surprise when he sees a familiar face imprinted onto one of the cards. "Just today, we received a report that Professor Marco, along with other personnel, were attacked today by a mysterious assailant. The only things left from the scenes were damaged buildings, along with these cards with the attacked personnel's faces."
Reiji tried to maintain his calm demeanor, succeeding mostly aside from him squeezing his palms a bit.
"What else do you know about the perpetrator," Reiji inquired.
"We noticed around the time of the attacks that there was a surge in Xyz Summoning Energy," Nakajima answered. "However, aside from that and the fact that this assailant can deal real damage to his surroundings through dueling, we know nothing."
Reiji fell into deep thought.
Could this incident be linked to the Sawatari Shingo Incident? Reiji wondered. There's too little information for us to go off of right now to know for sure.
"I want you to alert the security branch about his matter, along with the elites," Reiji stated. "Raise LDS's security and send out a search team to look for this mysterious assailant. The sooner we find him, the less casualties there will be on our side."
"Right away, Reiji-dono. I'll be taking my leave," Nakajima bowed before walking out the room, leaving Reiji alone with his thoughts. Once he was sure that there was nobody in sight, he let out a deep sigh and clutched his head with his hands.
"Damn," Reiji grit his teeth. "I can't let this war go on for long."
Luckily, the assailant seems to only be targeting LDS Members. But what would happen if they decided to go after innocent civilians. As the President of the Leo Corporation, he couldn't let that come to pass.
Father…I swear, I'll bring an end to this tyrannical war that you created. I'll open your eyes to all the pain that you've caused to us, along with the people of the five dimensions.
But for now, he would bide his time. Build up his forces along with finding strong duelists who could join his cause.
And then one day...
He'll take him down.
<><><><><><><><><><><><>
Elsewhere, Maiami City…
Yuto could be seen walking in an alleyway. He was currently staring at a wall, which had large claw markings engraved into it. The rest of the alleyway wasn't in a much better state, garbage bins were knocked down, with trash and other throwaway objects being scattered across the area. Walking further in, Yuto eventually stopped in his tracks as he noticed a card on the ground. Picking it up, he could see the horrified expression of an LDS Personnel printed onto the card.
"Looks like I'm too late again," Yuto frowned as he pocketed the card.
For the past few days, he had been trying to track down his friend Shun. However, it seems that Shun has caught onto this, as he had been purposely avoiding his detection, only leaving behind a path of carnage for Yuto to find.
"When will that guy learn that this isn't the right way to go about this," Yuto said. "This is the last thing the Ruri would want."
"I can't blame him for his actions though. I can see where he's coming from. If I was just a little more impulsive, I'd do the exact same thing."
Yuto quickly moved into a defensive stance upon hearing the voice. The source of the voice being a cloaked figure.
"Who's there?" He asked.
"It's me," The person said before removing their hoodie, revealing her face along with her long, dark blue hair.
"Rio!?" Yuto was shocked upon seeing a familiar face. "But how? I thought you were going to stay back home to look for your brother?"
"Shark's not there. I know he isn't," Rio solemnly said. "I've looked everywhere I could, but he was nowhere to be found."
"..." Yuto remained silent.
He knew what it meant, as much as he wished he didn't. The last time Rio saw him, he was protecting her from a powerful Academia Agent who single-handedly annihilated the Diamond Branch, the strongest branch of duelists from their school. Most likely, he had been carded, just like the rest of them.
"Anyway, enough about that," Rio quickly changed the subject. "What do you plan on doing about Shun? Are you just going to keep following him or what?"
"It's the only thing that I can do," Yuto said. "I have to find Shun and talk him out of this bloody path that he's walking down."
"I'll help you then," Rio said. "We can cover more ground that way."
Yuto was surprised by the suggestion, smiling gratefully, "Thanks, Rio."
"Don't sweat it, the Resistance needs to stick together after all," Rio smiled back.
<><><><><><><><><><><><>
A few hours later…
—Crackle!
Dusk soon arrived as a thunderstorm swept through Maiami City. Most of the residents have already made their way into safe shelter in order to avoid the storm. Shun stood on a rooftop, arms crossed as he stared daggers at LDS Tower, the current target for his rage.
"Just wait for me Ruri, I'll bring you back," Shun said with determination. "No matter the cost."
—Crackle!
Thunder flashed behind him, illuminating the area. When the light died down, Shun had disappeared.
<><><><><><><><><><><><>
Custom/Altered Cards:
Monster Cards:
Antique Ignition Pot
ATK: 0, DEF: 0, LV: 5
Light/Fairy/Effect
Monster Effect: If you would take effect damage: You can banish this card from your GY; your opponent also takes damage equal to the amount you take.
Antique Golden Kaiju
ATK: 0, DEF: 0, LV: 8
Light/Dragon/Fusion/Effect
1 Dragon Monster + 1 "Antique" Monsters
Monster Effect: This card cannot be destroyed by battle, and you take no battle damage from battles involving this card. If this card battles a monster: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's ATK.
Antique Maker - Possession Jester
ATK: 1000, DEF: 1000, LV: 5, SC: 8
Dark/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect
Pendulum Effect: Once per turn; Special Summon this card from your Pendulum Zone.
Monster Effect: Once per turn, target 1 monster on the field and make its Level equal to that of this card's Level.
Antique Maker - Tuning Witch
ATK: 100, DEF: 300, LV: 1
Dark/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect
Monster Effect: If this card is Summoned: Lose 100 Life Points for each Pendulum Monster you control on both your field and in your Pendulum Zones, then you can Special Summon 1 "Antique" monster from your hand.
Antique Maker - Wrenchworker
ATK: 300, DEF: 400, LV: 2
Dark/Spellcaster/Effect
Monster Effect: Once per turn: You can target one card on your field; increase or decrease its Level by 1.
Antique Maker - Freedom Rider
ATK: 2000, DEF: 1500, LV: 8, SC: 1
Wind/Spellcaster/Synchro/Pendulum/Effect
1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
Pendulum Effect: If a monster you control would have its effect negated by a card effect, you can discard 1 card; negate that effect instead. Once per turn: You can banish 1 Tuner monster and other cards from your field or Extra Deck whose total Levels equal this card's Level; Special Summon this card from your Pendulum Zone (this Special Summon is treated as a Synchro Summon).
Monster Effect: When this card is Synchro Summoned: Destroy cards on the field equal to the number of "Antique" monsters used for this card's Synchro Summon. Once per turn: You can banish 1 "Antique" monster from your GY; this card copies that monster's effects and gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase. If this card is destroyed, you can place it in your Pendulum Zone. If both Pendulum Zones are occupied, you can destroy both cards in your Pendulum Zones, then place this card in your Pendulum Zone.
Spell/Trap Cards:
Dark Contract with the Singing Waves
Continuous Spell
During each of your Standby Phases, take 1000 points of damage. Once per turn, Special Summon a 'D/D' Monster from your hand and make its Level equal to that of another monster on your field.
D/D Redraw
Normal Trap
Destroy all cards on your field, then draw five cards.
Attack Down
Quick-Play-Spell
When this card is activated, target one of your opponent's monsters; that monster loses 500 ATK for each monster in your graveyard.
Pendulum Friends
Normal Trap
If you control only Pendulum Monsters and have no cards in your Pendulum Zones: All Pendulum Monsters you control gain 500 ATK for each Pendulum Monster you control until the end of this turn.
Trap Whirlwind
Quick-Play-Spell
Tribute any number of cards from your field; destroy an equal amount of Spell/Trap Cards on your opponent's field.
D/D/D Launch
Normal Trap
Tribute 1 "D/D" or "D/D/D" monster you control; negate the activation of a monster effect. If this card is in your GY: Once per turn, you can Tribute 1 "D/D/D" monster you control; negate the activation of a monster effect that targets a "D/D/D" monster you control.