Greetings fellow fanfiction lovers!

I have wanted to do this story for a really long time, but procrastination and writers block kept this story from ever developing, but now I am ready to bring this project of mine to life. As you have probably guessed from the summary, the main pairing of this story will be DurbexRio, so if you ship those two, or if you just want to read a good Zexal story, then this might very well be the fic for you. If you despise the pairing or you hate Yu-gi-oh, then why are you here?

Another thing I want to point out is that you guys won't have to wait until after the World Duel Carnival part of the story to see your favorite Barians. I plan to introduce them VERY early and they will actually be participating in the WDC, taking a more active role in hunting the Numbers.

One more thing, since this is my very first fanfiction, I know that I am bound to make a mistake at some point, but if you do happen to point out something that you believe I am doing wrong, or you just don't like my story for one reason or another, I encourage you to tell me why, but PLEASE be constructive and respectful with your criticism.

With that being said, Let's get this fanfiction started! Enjoy!

Chapter 1: When the Shark Falls, the Ice Queen Rises

Heartland City General Hospital went hand in hand with bad memories for sixteen year old Rio Kamishiro. It was the place where her parents died after a horrific car crash ended their lives, and today, it was the place where she wept for her critically injured brother, Ryoga "Shark" Kamishiro, whose broken body lay motionless on the hospital bed, covered in bandages to conceal the second and third degree burns scattered across his body. Regret flowed through the heart of the weeping blue-nette from her failure to stop her brother from going to that warehouse. If she had known that something was suspicious when an invitation to duel randomly appeared in the mail that fateful day, or if she had followed her brother to that God-forsaken warehouse where Shark was supposed to meet his mysterious opponent, then her brother would not be...

Like this...

Rio looked down at the mummified form of her brother.

"Ryoga", she whispered. "Who would do such a thing to you?" She knew there was no point in asking since Shark's mouth covered with an oxygen mask, preventing him from talking properly, but to her surprise, she did get a response in the form of Shark's quivering hand, which started to make motions as if he was trying to draw the letters of a name. His finger drew the letter I in the air, followed by the letter V, and then he proceeded to hold up four fingers before his hand went limp again and he drifted back into unconsciousness.

Rio was very confused, but then she started to put two and two together and piece together the mysterious message. "I V and 4" she muttered, and then she gasped "IV DID THIS!" Rio was shocked by the epiphany. The Professional Duelist loved by countless men and women alike? It couldn't be! However, there were rumors of IV's rather questionable actions in his dueling career in the form of "fan service", but she never thought he would try to outright murder someone, much less her own brother!

Rio swallowed the lump in her throat and dried off the tears in her blood shot eyes. She was done crying. Tears were not going to help her brother. Action would! She swore with every fiber of her being that one day she would find that bastard and make him suffer for what he did.

"IV", she uttered his name with as much venom and spite that she could muster, "If you are out there, then hear these words! You WILL pay for what you did to my brother!

"YOU WILL PAY!

Rio made that vow six months ago, but so far she failed to follow through with it. With no way to reach IV, she had no choice but to continue her life as a normal teenage girl living in Heartland City, but she would bide her time. The moment she saw a chance at revenge, she would take it.

For other students at Heartland Academy, it was just another normal day at school. For Rio on the other hand, it was another frustrating day that her goal went unaccomplished. To make things even more frustrating, IV had rubbed salt on Shark's burn wounds by winning tournament after tournament in the pro leagues, including the National Duel Circuit. She raged at the thought. That should have been Shark winning the circuit, not the bastard who burned him. Perhaps that was IV's motive. Perhaps he knew just how much of a threat Shark was to his chances of winning the tournament, so he decided to eliminate the competition before the pro leagues even began.

What a dirty tactic, and the only thing worse than his unrightfully earned glory was the number of people who worshipped him, particularly among the population of girls around Rio's age. Every single time IV so much as took a breath, they would talk, chatter, and gossip nonstop about how great he was like a flock of clucking hens. Rio raged again. If only they knew the truth, and what's worse, she even tried telling them the truth, and they all thought she was crazy.

"Damn you IV", Rio thought. "You deserve to rot for what you've done! Damn you straight to HELL!"

"Rio! Hey Rio!"

Rio turned towards the sound of the voice, and she saw a rather chubby looking teenager approach her. Black hair curled upwards and a baseball cap adorned his head along with an orange T-shirt and overalls covering his large body. His name was Tetsuo Takeda, and Rio was all too familiar of his obvious crush on her.

A boy crushing over her was nothing new to Rio. Hell, she had to deal with dozens of them ever since she went through puberty. Many of them were pigs, only caring about the womanly figure that she had developed, and they would often be on the receiving end of the Ice Queen's wrath if they persisted. Tetsuo was one of the few exceptions, although she still wasn't interested in him in any form of romantic way, but she still appreciated his kindness. For the most part he meant well, despite his obvious desires, and he even bothered to be one of the few who supported her during the first few weeks after her brother's hospitalization when she was at her lowest low.

Tetsuo had just finished his exam in Professor Ukyo's class and was 99% sure that he failed, but the good news was that class was over and now he could blow off some steam by giving Yuma another duel where it would be the 8th? 9th? 10th time in a row that he would kick his scrawny butt across Heartland City? He was just about to leave to go find Yuma when he noticed HER. There, just on the other side of the hall was the most beautiful girl that he had ever seen. Hair as blue as the ocean, eyes a radiant magenta, and a face that would make an angel jealous, but much to his shock, he noticed that those eyes of hers were bloodshot, and her makeup was running, as if she had been crying. Deciding to play the Good Samaritan, he approached her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, "Are you ok?"

"I-It's Nothing", she stuttered. "Please just leave me alone".

"It definitely doesn't look like nothing! Now I understand if you don't want to talk about it now, but talking to someone always helps, so if you ever want to talk, I will be willing to listen. I'm sorry for bothering you". Tetsuo was just about to walk away when the girl suddenly stopped him.

"Have you heard of the pro duelist known as IV?"

"Yeah, who hasn't?" Tetsuo responded.

The girl tightened her hands into fists, anger taking command of her next choice of words.

"My brother is in the hospital because of him. My friends, or rather ex-friends, said I was crazy for claiming such a thing, that my brother deserved to be in the hospital because I dared say something bad about their so called "idol", but I know the truth about him, I know what he did. My brother told me himself before he fell into a coma.

Tetsuo's expression changed into an angry frown. "Damn…I….I'm sorry. I always had a feeling that there was something off about that guy. I heard rumors about his "fan service", but I never thought it would go that far. If I ever meet that guy he is going to wish he has never been born".

She looked at him with an icy glare, "You're just saying that to make me feel better. Now tell me what you really think. Tell me I'm crazy".

"No! I mean it!" Tetsuo exclaimed. "I mean I understand that it's hard to believe sense you have no proof, but if you heard it straight from your bro's mouth, then how could it not be true?"

Her icy glare receded into a much calmer expression. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."

"No problem". He extended his hand. "I'm Tetsuo by the way. Tetsuo Takeda".

She took his hand and shook it genuinely, "Rio Kamishiro", and for the first time since the dreaded fire, Rio smiled a genuine smile.

After that, Rio was able to recover slowly but surely from her depressed state, even though icy winds of vengeance still billowed within her heart. She lost some friends that day, but she also made a new one.

"So...Rio...How ya doing?" Tetsuo asked nervously.

"I'm doing a lot better." replied Rio, although her cheerful tone was somewhat false due to what was on her mind a few minutes ago, but she still tried to be nice as to keep her friend at ease. "Still haven't found any lead on IV, any evidence I could use to prove his guilt in what he did, nor have I found any opportunity to go after him, but on the bright side, Ryoga has mostly recovered. Most of his burns are healed, and the doctor said he might be able to be out of the hospital in another month, maybe even a few weeks if we are lucky."

"Really? That's great news!" Tetsuo cheered. He then paused, wanting to choose his words carefully. "Say, Rio, I was kinda wondering…..well…."

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeees?", said Rio with a sly look on her face, knowing full well what he was going to ask.

"C'mon Tetsuo. Quit chickening out and ask her" The boy thought to himself.

"Will you go out with me?!" Tetsuo practically forced that last sentence out of his mouth and mentally cursed to himself that it might have come off as desperate begging.

Rio sighed. She knew this would come up at some point. "Tetsuo, I like you, but not in that way. I appreciate all you have done for me, but with all that has been going on; I just don't think a relationship would be best. We can still be friends, right?"

Testuo frowned, but then decided to suck it up. He felt the painful sting of rejection, but at least she let him down gently.

"Well, if I can't get a date, then how about a duel? I would love to have a chance to melt the Ice Queen!"

Rio's lips twisted back into her sly grin. "Well let me tell you something buster. You'll be bowing down to this Ice Queen when I ice you!" She said playfully. "You got yourself a duel. Say four o'clock after school?"

"Alright! It's a date!" Tetsuo yelled in excitement, punching his fist into the air for emphasis.

"AHEM!"

"Right! Sorry! Not a date! Not a date! I meant to say it's a duel!"

"Right" Rio muttered sarcastically. "Suuuuuuuuuuure you did".

It was four thirty already, and Rio was impatiently waiting on the school grounds for Tetsuo to arrive, but even after half an hour there was still no sign of them.

"Good Lord". She fumed. "Doesn't he know how rude it is to keep a lady waiting? I am so giving him a piece of my mind when he gets here!"

At least she would not be completely bored while waiting for her opponent, for she had her duel gazer on to observe another duel taking place between two of her other friends, a scrawny looking boy with short, spiky black hair that had two red streaks in the front, and a young girl with green hair tied back in a bun. These two individuals were Yuma Tsukumo and Kotori Mizuki.

Yuma, in Rio's eyes, was the class goofball. He was always setting extremely high expectations for himself, and then constantly making a fool of himself when these extraordinary feats he attempted to do proved too much for him, be it trying to swim the entire length of the school swimming pool without taking a breath or trying to beat the record of the high jump, and believing that his signature motto, "Kattobingu", was all he needed to accomplish his goals. To put it bluntly, he was all heart and no brain. Nevertheless, Rio still considered him to be her friend, since she respected him for his kindness the infinite amounts of determination and confidence he displayed.

Kotori Mizuki was a different matter entirely. Ever since Rio befriended Yuma, she noticed that Kotori was always there to watch his duels and cheer him on, yet despite having a duel gazer, she never dueled herself.

One day, Rio pulled her over to ask why, and she revealed just how under confident she was in her dueling abilities, and the reason she would watch all of Yuma's duels was because she greatly admired how much spirit he had, and she secretly wished that she had the confidence that Yuma had. As Rio noticed a blush appear on Kotori's cheeks as she explained herself, it became clear to her that Kotori definitely liked Yuma as more than a friend. Deciding to play matchmaker, she took it upon herself to get Kotori to come out of her shell and strap on a deck and duel disk herself, helping her build a winged-beast deck similar to her own, but gravitating toward the wind attribute as opposed to the ice birds that Rio liked to use. It suited her, for Kotori's name did mean "Bird of Luck" after all. Now, Rio beamed with pride as she watched just how far her student had come, for Kotori was not only dueling with sheer confidence, but she was actually beating Yuma.

Current Status of Duel:

Kotori: 2500 Lifepoints

Yuma: 2000 Lifepoints

Kotori's Field:

Sacred Crane: Level 4/LIGHT/Winged-Beast/1600 ATK/400 DEF

Tornado Bird: Level 4/WIND/Winged-Beast/1100 ATK/400 DEF

Yuma's Field:

Gagaga Magician (Equipped with Wonder Wand): Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/2000 ATK (Originally 1500)/1000 DEF

Kotori's Turn:

"Well Yuma, It's been fun, but now it's time to end this duel!" the greenette announced as she made her move. "With these 2 level 4 monsters, I shall construct the overlay network!" Yuma knew what was coming next. He had seen that portal open in the ground all too often. He could only watch as Sacred Crane and Tornado Bird transformed into small glowing balls of light and enter the portal.

"XYZ SUMMON!" "DESCEND FROM THE SKIES CASTEL THE AVIAN SKYBLASTER!"

Out of the portal rose a tall and intimidating looking half human half bird creature with large purple wings and an owl-like face. It was dressed in a blue 18th century musketeer outfit and it carried a large military musket rifle. It let out a screech before pointing its gun at Yuma.

Castel the Avian Skyblaster: Rank 4/WIND/Winged-Beast/Xyz/2000 ATK/1500 DEF

"HA! Looks like you're wrong, Kotori!" Yuma boasted. "Your Xyz Monster still isn't strong enough to take down Gagaga Magician. If they battle, they'll just kill each other and I won't take any damage.

"I'm not going to attack Gagaga Magician." Kotori explained to him "I'm going to use his effect to get rid of him! By detaching both of its overlay units, your monster is shuffled back into your deck! Say goodbye to Gagaga Magician!"

Castel then proceeded to beat its mighty wings, whipping up a powerful gust. It blew the storm winds towards the wizard who was blown off his feet before transforming back into a card, which placed itself on top of Yuma's deck.

"NO! MY MAGICIAN! Yuma cried out in panic. "Now I'm wide open!"

"Right you are Yuma! Go Castel! Attack his lifepoints directly! AVIAN ARTILLERY! FIRE!"

The birdman fired out an explosive shot from its rifle, sending it toward Yuma at lightning speed. The bullet struck Yuma point blank, and his lifepoints dropped to zero.

Yuma; 2000 – 2000 = 0 (LOSE)

WINNER: Kotori

"I can't believe it…..I…..won?" Kotori was in shock, but then her shock turned to bliss as she jumped for joy at her very first victory. "I WON! I WON!"

Yuma got back up and ran back over to Kotori.

"That was an amazing duel Kotori! You really did a number on me! I knew! I knew you had it in you to be this great a duelist!"

"You…You really mean that Yuma?" asked Kotori, a blush developing on her face.

"Of course I mean it Kotori!" replied the hyperactive boy. "You were amazing out there! You ARE amazing!"

"Yuma…" Kotori whispered, desperate to hide her tomato colored cheeks from him.

Rio could only laugh at this development as she approached the two duelists. "You have done well little bird, and now you've spread your wings and become a big strong eagle! Your training is complete". She complemented in a tone of voice that mimicked an old man, giving Kotori a mock bow.

"Now all we have to do is find where Tetsuo has gone off to. I swear, if he keeps me waiting for one more second I am going to do something nasty to him!"

Rio made no secret as to how annoyed she was at Tetsuo's absence, but then Yuma spoke up.

"Tetsuo?" he questioned her. "Well now that you mentioned it, someone challenged Tetsuo shortly before you got here. Some big muscular guy with dreadlocks said that anyone who could beat him would get this super rare card, and Tetsuo kinda volunteered. He left with him and some other guy into that alleyway over there."

"Well why didn't you mention this before... Wait..." Rio paused for a moment, her face turning pale with fear. "Muscular? Dreadlocks? Alleyway? Rare Card?" There was only one person she knew who matched a description and modus operandi like that. "Yuma..." she trembled. "Was this particular man accompanied by another guy with short black hair, dressed in white?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

Rio's expression instantly turned to one of panic. "We have to go after them NOW! Those two are dangerous, Very Dangerous! Their names are Rikuo and Kaio Fukuma, better known as Scorch and Chills. They run an underground duel gang called The Pack, and they hunt down other duelists to steal their decks, and sometimes they take more than just your cards. If Tetsuo is dueling them, then he is in more trouble than you can imagine."

Yuma raised an eyebrow in confusion. "And you know this, how?"

Rio sighed, "Because they tried to recruit my brother into their little gang not too long ago. He refused. Thank God. But they do not like being rejected".

"Well we can't just stand here!" Kotori yelled. "We have to help him!"

The three friends nodded in agreement and proceeded to race through the alleyways as fast as they possibly could. Sure enough, after what seemed like an eternity of running, they found Tetsuo, and it was just like Rio feared. He was dueling, and it did not look good for him. They hid behind the corner of the alley so they could continue to watch the duel without being spotted.

Current Status of Duel:

Scorch: 3300 Lifepoints

Tetsuo: 2500 Lifepoints

Scorch's Field:

Evolzar Laggia: Rank 4/FIRE/Dragon/Xyz/2400 ATK/2000 DEF

Evolzar Dolkka: Rank 4/FIRE/Dragon/Xyz/2300 ATK/1700 DEF

Tetsuo's Field:

Tin Archduke: Rank 4/EARTH/Machine/Xyz/2200 ATK/1200 DEF

One set card in the Spell/Trap Zone

Scorch's Turn:

"It's over fatass!" Scorch taunted. "Evolzar Dolkka! Attack that scrap heap of a monster!"

"It ain't over yet!" shouted Tetsuo. "I activate Mirror Force! This nasty trap of mine will make both your dinosaurs go extinct! It destroys all your attack position monsters!

"HA! What a joke!" Scorch laughed. "I activate Laggia's effect! By detaching both of its overlay units, I can negate your trap and destroy it!" The Green Dragon devoured both of its overlay units in its powerful jaws and then unleashed a jet of fire on Tetsuo's trap card, which exploded, leaving Tetsuo and his Archduke defenseless.

"As I was saying," said Scorch in a mocking tone, "Evolzar Dolkka! Attack Tin Archduke! PREHISTORIC PUMMEL!" The White Skeletal Dragon's bony fist became engulfed in flames and it let loose a mighty punch, tearing a hole out the back of Tin Archduke and causing it to explode.

Tetsuo: 2500 - 100 = 2400

"And now it's time for you to get BURNED! Laggia! Finish him off! MESOZOIC METEOR!" The Green Dragon unleashed a large ball of flame which exploded on contact with Tetsuo, sending him flying and hitting the wall of the alley. Scorch watched as his opponent crashed into the wall he smiled in sadistic pleasure of Tetsuo's pain..

Tetsuo: 2400 - 2400 = 0 (LOSE)

WINNER: Scorch

"Damn it." Tetsuo muttered. "I lost".

"AWWW YEAH! The Pack strikes again!" Chills cheered, now sporting an equally sadistic smile as he walked towards Tetsuo with an open palm. "And now fatass, cough em up. The Pack never leaves without claiming a prize! Hand over your deck or else!"

"Hey! We never agreed to that! You just said the loser gives up one card!" protested Tetsuo.

"Sorry Dawg, but my brother and I are feeling a bit greedy today, so if you won't hand it over, we'll just take it by force!"

Scorch lunged at Tetsuo like a tiger pouncing on its prey, and he landed a battering ram of a punch into his gut, knocking the wind out of him. He then finished with another punch straight into his face, sending Tetsuo flying backwards, his cards scattering across the ground. Tetsuo clutched his left cheek in agony, knowing full well that he had a black eye from that last hit.

Scorch proceeded to shuffle through Tetsuo's cards.

"Hmph! Just a bunch of junk if you ask me, although that Xyz Monster might be worth something on the card market. What do you think bro?"

Chills snorted with disdain. "I say we just take the Xyz Monster and torch the rest".

"Good idea!" Scorch laughed as he took a cigarette lighter out of his pocket preparing to set Tetuso's cards on fire. "Sorry Chubby, but we need to demonstrate why this world has no place for weak duelists like you! Now say goodbye to your cards!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it! Put my friend's deck down NOW!" The two thugs turned to the source of the noise and saw Yuma standing directly in front of them in a fighting stance with an angry look on his face. Despite his posture, Yuma didn't look the least bit intimidating to either of them.

Scorch chuckled darkly. "You lost, kid? Or are you looking to pick a fight with The Pack?"

The dreadlocked thug's taunting only made Yuma angrier. "Tetsuo is my friend! I'm not going to just sit by and let you hurt him! Kattobingu Daze Ore!" Yuma charged towards Scorch only to be knocked off his feet by a sweeping kick to his ankle. Scorch laughed as Yuma fell to the ground.

"You got guts kid, but once the pack claims a prize, we don't give it up, especially not to scrawny little punks like you!" His eyes then darted down to a rather odd looking pendant upon Yuma's neck. He grinned. "Interesting piece of jewelry you got there. Hope you don't mind if I take it off your hands." He then snatched the pendant off of Yuma's neck and then threw him back down to the ground.

"What do you think bro?" Scorch asked, showing the pendant to Chills, "This thing worth anything? We might be able to get a couple of big ones selling this if its solid gold".

"Nah", Chills responded. "It can't be gold. It's probably some cheap trinket he got at the carnival for next to nothing after he couldn't win the crane game".

Yuma was incredibly distraught seeing his most prized possession in the hands of the two thugs. "Not my key! Not the Emperor's Key! Give that back! That was my dad's!"

Scorch gave Yuma a look of blatantly false regret. "Aw my bad kid. I didn't know it was your old man's. I'll give it back". His arm moved towards Yuma making it look like he was going to give the key back, but then, to Yuma's horror, he snapped the key in two with his thumb. "Oops", he said mockingly, laughing as the 2 pieces of Yuma's greatest treasure fell to the ground.

Yuma was on the verge of tears as his trembling hands picked up the two pieces of his father's legacy. "My key..." he whimpered. "My key..."

From their hiding place, where the two women had remained hidden during the confrontation, Kotori developed an equally sad look on her face. She knew just how important that key was to Yuma. It was what his father, Kazuma Tsukumo, gave to him shortly before he and Yuma's mother, Mirai Tsukumo, mysteriously went missing. More importantly, it symbolized the power behind the Kattobingu spirit that allowed Yuma to give 500% effort in everything with the belief that he could accomplish anything.

Rio however, saw red. "That tears it". She stormed out of the alley towards the two thugs. "Hey Jackasses! Remember me?"

Chills grinned a sinister sneer. "Well if it ain't Shark's little sister? How's your bro doing? Oh wait that's right! Little Sharky got sizzled! Guess you could call that karma for not accepting our offer to join the pack. Then again, maybe you could join us. What do you say girl? We could get to know each other a little better if you know what I mean."

Rio was very much disgusted by his words, especially that last statement, but she wasn't going to back down. She had dealt with people like them many times before, and she knew how to play their game. She put on her all too familiar sly grin and walked towards Chills.

"Hmmm, sounds tempting". She said playfully "You know what I say to that Chilly?" her voice turned into a rather seductive purr. "You really wanna know?"

Chills' wolf-like grin grew even bigger. "Sure thing babe. What you gonna say?"

"GO JUMP OFF A BRIDGE! I'd rather eat my cards than go out with you! I'm here to get Tetsuo's deck back, and I'm not leaving until you hand them over!"

The brothers both frowned, anger coursing through their veins. Nobody insulted them like that and got away with it, especially some chick with an attitude. Scorch approached Rio, getting dangerously close to her.

"So, you're friends with fatass are you? Well I got news for you. When the pack claims a prize, we don't give it up that easily, so what are you going to do about it, Bitch!"

"BITCH? Oh he did not just call me that." Rio fumed with rage. "How about this? We duel! If I win, you give back Tetsuo's deck, no ifs, ands, or buts!"

Chills' wolf grin returned to his face. "Oh I like the sound of that, but let's sweeten the deal a bit. If we win, you have to hand over your brother's deck. He's not going to need it anymore the way he is now, AND you have to join our little crew. Don't worry; we'll make you feel nice and comfortable with us. Now the real question is: Who's it going to be? Do you want to get burned by my bro, or iced by yours truly?"

Tetsuo, who up until this point had been busy trying to find a way to stop the swelling in his black eye, but failing miserably, heard what had just transpired and immediately protested just how adamantly against Rio's decision he was.

"Rio, No! You don't have to risk your brother's deck for mine! I can get some new cards! Just call this whole thing off!"

"You don't have to worry about a thing Tetsuo because Rio will not be doing this alone", said a new voice. Everyone turned to see that Yuma was back on his feet with Kotori helping him up, one half of the Emperor's Key in her hand and the other in Yuma's

"My key may be broken, but my fighting spirit will never die. Knock me down and I will just get back up again! Threaten my friends however, and you will wish you have never been born! This duel will be a tag duel, the two of us against the two of you, and I will wager my deck as well!"

"HA! AGREED!" Scorch exclaimed with predatory excitement. "Now we'll get two decks in one duel! What do you think Chills? You up for a little tag duel?"

"I'm always ready for a tag duel bro!" said Chills, his own growing adrenaline rush matching his brother's. "Let's show these fools that anyone who messes with the pack ends up in one place and one place only: 6 FEET UNDER!"

The brothers proceeded to activate their Duel Disks and Duel Gazers while Yuma and Rio did the same. Tetsuo and Kotori also turned on their Duel Gazers as they could only watch and pray to whatever higher power willing to listen that Yuma and Rio would win.

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Yuma: 4000

Rio: 4000

Scorch: 4000

Chills: 4000

DUEL!

Author's Notes:

Yeah I know, first chapter of the fanfiction and I already end it on a cliffhanger.

As you probably noticed, I am using the Japanese names of the characters, but there are no kuns, chans or other Japanese honorifics or words that one would typically find in an anime fanfiction. The reason being is that I am terrible at writing in that style. I could either try to write the story that way and make lots of mistakes, or I could do it my way and have the story flow better. The one obvious exception to this rule is using the Dub names of Rikuo and Kaio. I made a bit of a compromise by having their Japanese names be their real names, and their Dub names are the nicknames that they use. It's not uncommon for gang leaders to go by nicknames.

Next Chapter will be the duel, and Astral and the Numbers will be showing up. Judging by their opponents, I think you guys know which Numbers Yuma will be dealing with first instead of Number 17: Leviathan Dragon.

Rio will also be getting a Number of her own next chapter. (No, it is not Number 17). Whoever guesses correctly which Number it's going to be gets a free cookie! (Hint: It is a Number from the Manga.)

So, what did you think of the first chapter? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Whatever your opinion is, leave a review and let me know!

Until next time, this is Nox Descious signing out!