# Chapter 64: Yuzu's Whereabouts
"Are they calling for me?" Yuya asked in confusion, slowly waking up on Gongenzaka's back.
"Who else?" Sawatari said from the side. "This time, you completely stole the show."
"Oh, right, what happened to those invaders?" Yuya asked hurriedly, his head clearing a bit as he suddenly remembered the aggressors from the Fusion Dimension.
"Weren't all those invaders repelled by you?" Sawatari said, puzzled.
"I repelled those invaders?" Yuya looked confused. In his memory, after being pushed to the brink by that Obelisk Force soldier, his head suddenly started aching intensely. He couldn't remember anything that happened after that.
Just then, the large screen in the center of the stadium began replaying scenes of Yuya's frenzied rampage on the battlefield.
"This... I did this?" Yuya stared blankly at his own raging figure on the screen as it violently slaughtered everything in its path, murmuring in disbelief.
"Everyone! Let us offer our most profound respect to the heroes who protected our city!" the Announcer Uncle said passionately, and the audience chimed in with enthusiastic cheers at the perfect moment.
The survivors of the great battle were all enjoying the cheers, but one person didn't feel the same.
"No, no, my dueling shouldn't be like this..." Amidst the cheering crowd, Yuya murmured to himself with his head bowed.
However, Yūga Hōzumi and Shun Kurosaki, who weren't part of the celebration, witnessed everything as Yūga Hōzumi brought Serena over to regroup.
"What's wrong with him?" Shun Kurosaki couldn't help but ask. "Is he unhappy because the enemy escaped?"
"You're overthinking it. This guy's probably possessed," Yūga Hōzumi said, shaking his head. "Let's go. We need to find Reiji Akaba. We have to borrow his dimension transfer device to get back."
...
"Oh, right, Yuzu! Where's Yuzu?" In the center of the crowd, Yuya scanned the people present and suddenly realized Yuzu was missing. A sense of foreboding immediately rose in his heart.
Yuya Sakaki ran like a madman toward the competitor's passageway, wanting to find Reiji Akaba and get a clear explanation.
"Hey! Yuya!" Gongenzaka and the others saw this and hurriedly followed.
When Yūga Hōzumi arrived at the surveillance room, Reiji Akaba was already waiting there with a small boy beside him. Several boxes bearing the Leo Duel School logo were placed on the floor.
"Here are 15,000 cards. Do you need to count them?" Reiji Akaba asked as Yūga Hōzumi's group arrived, gesturing toward the boxes on the ground.
"No need. I trust the credibility of the President of the Leo Duel School," Yūga Hōzumi said. "However, we'll have to rely on you for our return trip."
"That is a small favor. We can deal with it after today's matters are concluded. However, before that, let's discuss a formal alliance," Reiji Akaba said, waving his hand and pulling up a recording from the tournament.
The recording showed the confrontation between Yuri and Yugo, as well as the scene where Yuzu's bracelet glowed before she and Yugo vanished.
Just then, Yuya Sakaki burst in, followed by his group of friends.
"Reiji Akaba! What was this whole battle royale about?" Yuya Sakaki demanded furiously. "Why was the usual Top 16 elimination tournament changed to a free-for-all on the streets?"
"Because our Standard Dimension must select an army to counter the invaders," Reiji Akaba said calmly.
"An army?" Yuya was stunned.
"The Academy from the Fusion Dimension has launched a war against the other dimensions, and we must have the power to fight them. Furthermore, I received advance notice that the Fusion Dimension would invade on that day. Therefore, I specifically changed the Top 16 tournament to a massive battle royale on the streets. Besides wanting to use your strength to counter the invaders, it was also to select an elite unit to oppose the Academy's army—the Lancers," Reiji Akaba explained, adjusting his glasses.
"So you already knew what would happen today?" Yuya asked through gritted teeth. "Why didn't you cancel the tournament?"
"And let those invaders attack civilians on the streets of Maiami City? Just like what happened in Heartland City," Shun Kurosaki said coldly from the side.
"For this operation, I expanded this Leo Duel School stadium two months in advance so it could accommodate all the citizens of the Maiami City area. I also gave out free tickets on the day of the tournament. The purpose was to clear out Maiami City to serve as a battlefield where you could fight without restraint, without having to worry about the civilians behind you," Reiji Akaba said.
"And all of you, in this war, have demonstrated the strength of warriors capable of fighting the Academy Army—the strength of the Lancers."
"Don't be ridiculous! For something like this, my friends were turned into cards! Even Yuzu... even Yuzu is..." Yuya's voice choked as he spoke.
"I empathize with what happened to your friends, but this is war," Yuto said slowly from the side.
"War..." Yuya fell silent.
"Besides, it seems your little girlfriend isn't dead," Yūga Hōzumi said, pointing at the screen.
At his words, Yuya looked up at the screen, just as the footage showed Yuzu vanishing with Yugo.
"Two more people who look just like me..." Yuya said in disbelief. "Yuzu vanished with that blue-haired guy?"
"As you said, their faces are practically identical to yours. And considering we have Yuto from the XYZ Dimension, and we can confirm the purple-haired one is an invader from the Fusion Dimension, we can infer where the blue-haired one is from," Yūga Hōzumi said.
"The only dimension not yet touched by the Academy, and also the Lancers' next target—the Synchro Dimension," Reiji Akaba said from the side.
"So that means Yuzu is okay?" Yuya asked.
"You're going to the Synchro Dimension?" Shun Kurosaki frowned.
"Just as you from the XYZ Dimension came seeking an ally, the Synchro Dimension can also become our ally," Reiji Akaba said.
"I thought you were preparing to go to war with the Academy directly," Yūga Hōzumi said.
"I only fight battles I can win. The enemy are well-trained soldiers, and our current strength doesn't support a direct war with them," Reiji Akaba said calmly.
"Also, I hope you will join the Lancers." Reiji Akaba looked at Yūga Hōzumi. "After all, the newly-formed Lancers are still too inexperienced and need the guidance of veterans like yourselves."
Yūga Hōzumi understood. No wonder Reiji Akaba was being so agreeable; this was what he was waiting for.
But after some thought, Yūga Hōzumi still planned to refuse. The Main Base in the Orion District was waiting for him. What was the point of coming to find allies only to get himself tied down?
But before Yūga Hōzumi could speak, two masked men dressed as ninjas walked in, carrying two large boxes.
"I know Heartland City can't do without you right now, but I don't need all of you to join. Just having one of you stay will suffice. As a token of my gratitude, here are two small card-making machines. I hope they can help you," Reiji Akaba said calmly.
Yūga Hōzumi: ...
(end of chapter)