Chapter 23: A Day With A Friend

AN: Hey guys back with another chapter. This one took a tad longer than expected because I'm not particularly good when it comes to cute romance stuff so I apologize if it comes off as cheesy or straight up cringe-worthy. Also, hope you're ready for an appetizer for Julio's Xyz Based Deck. Why is it an appetizer? Well the duel itself is pretty short compared to most of my duels since I want to get this out but I enjoyed writing it. Anyways, let's get right into it.

Bold=Author
Italics=Thinking/Card Explanations
Regular=Speaking

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this fic except my OCs, the story behind it, and custom cards that appear in this fic. Everything else belongs to their respective creators and companies.

The Next Day

"Dark attack her directly!" Julio declared to Neptune.

"NO!" She cried out in despair. "T-This damage...It hurts." She said dramatically.

"...Geez, talk about being overdramatic." Noire said as Neptune hung her head in defeat after watching the two duel on the living room table with Julio sitting on the table and Neptune on the table using a book to prop up her cards and hide them from Julio. He was dressed in a pair of dark jeans with a redshirt. On the coat rack, he had a red hoodie and a pair of white shoes on the floor by the door.

"Still that was a pretty entertaining duel." IF commented from atop Julio's shoulder. She and Noire were the only ones watching the duel due to the others agreeing to go out with Vanessa. "She actually made him bring out Dark Rebellion."

"True. Then again I did so as well." Noire said with a smirk.

"Yeah, you two have actually been improving quite a bit." Julio commented leaning back against the. "Give you enough time and you could easily become pros." He glanced at his D-Tablet and saw it was a little past three. "By the way, we didn't think about when we should go huh?"

"Not really. Should we leave when they get back?" IF asked.

"Yeah, I'd say that's a good time to leave." Julio agreed. Noire and Neptune looked at the two with curious expressions.

"They seem pretty excited about this." Noire whispered.

"Yeah. I've been with Iffy to motorcycle places before and she always looked excited but she seems way more excited than usual." Neptune muttered to her. "It's kind of cute though."

"Anyways, maybe it'd be a good idea for you two to duel?" Julio suggested. "You guys haven't dueled in a while and you've both improved."

"I wouldn't mind that." Noire commented.

"Yeah, I'd love a rematch." Neptune said with a grin.

"And for a bit of added fun...I can give you your cards to use in your decks." Julio suggested.

"That'd be awesome!" Neptune exclaimed.

"But you only have one of that Share Crystal right?" Noire asked.

"Yes, but we can ask Kila to loan her copy." Julio said.

"Good point. Alright, we can figure out a time for this duel. The next couple of days won't work though." Noire said referring to Julio and IF going out today and the others having their qualifier duels.

"We can figure that out another time." Julio said when he heard the door unlock and in came his mother and sister with the spirits floating in after them with his mother carrying a couple of bags and his sister carrying some smaller ones. "Hey everybody. Anything else in the car?"

"No. Thank you for asking." Vanessa said smiling at him.

"Well since you guys are here we should get going." Julio said standing up with IF holding onto his shoulder.

"We?" Vanessa asked curious and Julio realized he hadn't told her where they were going.

"IF and I are going to a D-Wheel shop in town alone." Julio explained.

"Just the two of you?" Vanessa asked slightly worried.

"We'll be fine. I edited my deck a lot to work without the others." Julio said reassuring her.

"Alright, just be home before dinner." Vanessa said before giving him a mischievous smile. "Do be a gentleman on your date."

"Mom it's not a date." Julio said his cheeks a little red.

"I know sweetie." Vanessa said with a small chuckle before looking at IF who was also a bit red. "IF I do trust you'll keep him out of trouble?"

"Hey!" He protested getting laughs from everyone.

"I will don't worry." IF promised. "You're lucky it's me and not Neptune going."

"Hey!" Neptune complained pouting causing the others to laugh again.

"Alright, alright, let's get going." Julio said with a smile on his face and walked towards the door putting on his shoes and putting his hoodie on and IF quickly landing on his shoulders. "We'll be back before dark."

"You two enjoy yourselves." Vanessa said as the two exited the door and just before he shut the door they all called out.

"Have fun on your date." They called out to them and the two sighed as the door shut.

"Eh, whatever. Let's get going." Julio said and walked to his D-Wheel which he parked in the driveway. "A little teasing doesn't matter."

"Yeah, I'm used to it at this point." IF said. "Though getting that kind of teasing from your mom...Felt pretty different."

"Yeah, it was particularly embarrassing. Almost as if she was approving of us." Julio said embarrassed.

"You think she would?" IF asked.

"...Yeah she would." Julio admitted after some thought to her surprise. "You're responsible, smart, and can keep people in line which is something I kind of need at times." Julio admitted. "On top of that, you're really cute."

"O-Oh...T-Thank you." IF said turning her head to head so he couldn't see her blushing face and even a small smile. "W-Well, let's get going."

"Right." Julio said and sat on his D-Wheel switching it on before placing his helmet on while IF sat on his lap keeping a tight grip. "You hanging on?" Julio asked.

"Yep." IF said and he backed out of the driveway and drove off towards downtown.

Meanwhile

"My Lady it appears Shinku is driving off towards town." A woman spoke to Vernice who looked at her.

"Is he alone?" Vernice asked.

"No, he only has one spirit from what we can tell and it's not one of the CPUs." The woman said and Vernice sighed.

"Then there's no point in sending someone to attack him. The CPUs need to be there to attack and capture or we risk them finding a new duelist." Vernice muttered. "Trying to capture them while they're separated won't work either as we need to defeat him to obtain them...Sending a team to wait at the home while someone else defeats him won't work either...For some reason, a barrier of sorts is keeping us from getting near the home."

"Then nothing should be done?" The woman asked.

"Yes. merely observe him. He may get in a duel with someone else and we can see if he has anything new to show." Vernice ordered and the woman bowed before exiting Vernice's room.

Back With Julio and IF

"Wait, seriously?" IF asked laughing.

"I thought it'd taste like strawberries as it said on the bottle. It was very soapy." Julio said, shrugging and she laughed. "I was four!"

"I know, I know but it's funny." She said calming down and giving him a smile and Julio seeing an opportunity spoke up.

"...You're lucky you look cute when you laugh." Julio said and IF immediately blushed. This was something he tended to do lately. Whenever she'd start teasing him he'd find a way to mention she looked cute and she'd get flustered. Of course, he wasn't lying when he said it but he wondered why IF hadn't gotten used to it since he did it frequently. Maybe he could use their time alone together to ask her. As he contemplated the idea he realized they had arrived at the large building which read 'Revving It Up!' in bright neon colors. "Oh, we're here." He said, pulling into the parking lot where there were several D-Wheels. Almost immediately he noticed something off about a good amount of them, however. They were all the same black color with deep purple linings and they had a falcon painted on the side and it made him feel like he should know what it was. He was puzzled trying to figure it out before shrugging and powering off his D-Wheel and stowed away his helmet.

"There's a lot of D-Wheels here." IF commented floating onto his shoulder looking around and seeing many different ones with their own style to them.

"Well, this place from what I remember is the most popular place for D-Wheelers in the city. They showcase different D-Wheel designs, new engines, and all kinds of stuff we could want." Julio explained as they walked to the doors. "I've never actually been here though. I get what I need from another shop typically."

"So, this is your first time being here too?" IF asked.

"Yep. I'm pretty excited to check this out." Julio said and opened the door and the two blinked at the sight of it. It seemed like an expo with several D-Wheels on display with unique designs and in other places engines and various other parts on display along with a few places to buy cards most notably cards revolving around Riding Duels. In the very center of the very large store was a full-on track for D-Wheels though not particularly large. "Wow...This feels more like a big expo than a store."

"Yeah. People really love D-Wheels." IF said. "Not that I blame them. It's fun riding on one like a motorcycle but better."

"Yeah, I actually rode one before. Fun but just not as good as a D-Wheel." Julio said in a lower voice to avoid attention as they walked along looking at the various D-Wheels occasionally stopping and checking them out while listening to the people showing them off speak. While they listened to one Julio took a glance at IF who was paying very close attention to what they were saying, her eyes sparkling and he smiled at how cute the expression was.

"Man I really wanna ride one of these myself." IF said as they walked along checking out engines.

"Well, Neptune and the others are looking into ways to bring it into your world so I'm sure bringing in Riding Duels would be something they'd want to do as well. Plus Nepgear mentioned to me she took some blueprints of my D-Wheels engine for when they return." Julio said softly, taking glances to see if people were noticing. "It probably won't be long before you can ride one yourself."

"Good point. That's something to look forward to when we beat the enemy." IF said.

"Yeah...Hey...What happens when we win?" Julio asked.

"What do you mean?" IF asked.

"I mean...When we win and you go back to your world will we be able to see each other again?" Julio asked and IF fell silent pondering that.

"I don't know." She answered after a few seconds of thinking. "We should ask Histoire when we get the chance."

"Yeah, I haven't known you guys all that long but it's pretty hard to imagine things without you." Julio said.

"I agree. You guys are pretty fun to hang out with and are good friends." IF said smiling warmly and causing him to blush lightly. "What are you blushing for?"

"You um...Have a really nice smile." Julio admitted causing her to grow flustered but thankfully she was distracted when someone spoke up.

"Well, well, well it's been a good bit kid." Julio heard and stopped in his place recognizing the voice and turned around seeing a tall man with lightly tanned skin in his early 20's about 6'3 with a muscular build and dark purple hair and yellow eyes. He wore a deep purple leather jacket with a black falcon on the back and a black shirt. He wore black pants and matching biker boots. On his arm was a purple D-Tablet. Alongside him was another young man but he seemed to barely be twenty. He was 5'10 with a decently muscular build and had blonde hair with blue eyes and pale skin. He wore the same jacket and shirt along with a similar D-Tablet but he wore jeans and brown boots. He then realized why he recognized those D-Wheels. He tensed having an idea why he was here.

"Oliver...Adam." Julio said in a cautious tone. IF noticed how tense he was and gently placed a hand on his cheek from her place on his shoulder. He snuck a small glance that said 'I'm fine' to her and turned his attention quickly to them.

"Been good kid?" Oliver asked and Julio nodded.

"Yeah. I guess you've heard about what's going on with me." Julio said.

"Naturally. That article by that Jessica chick and the various videos of you dueling with those cards makes it hard not to overhear." Oliver answered.

"What do you want to duel? If so, I'm not really interested in dueling today so I'm gonna have to decline." Julio said and Adam snorted.

"What you scared about getting your butt kicked?" Adam asked and Julio shrugged.

"Not at all and get my butt kicked? You never know what can happen in a duel. After all remember how cocky you were when we dueled and how it ended for you." Julio pointed out and Adam scowled and made a move forward but Oliver stopped him with a glare.

"Cool it. He's right and you know it. I'm far from unbeatable." Oliver said and looked at Julio. "I'm not going to challenge you to a duel. I'm here to see if you've made a decision." Julio fell silent and thought for a bit before shaking his head and looking the man in the eyes.

"I can't. I've got enough things to worry about and joining you would add more than I need right now." Julio answered respectfully and Oliver nodded.

"Alright. I can understand that. If you ever change your mind you know where to find us." Oliver said and Julio nodded and Lance turned around and walked away to a large group of people all wearing the same jacket. Adam gave Julio a look and quickly followed his boss.

"Who are they?" IF asked as Julio relaxed.

"That guy was a leader of a gang known as the Falcon Raiders. The other was one of his higher-ranking members." Julio answered, turning around and walking away.

"How do they know you? And why'd he ask you about a decision?" IF asked already having an idea what it was about.

"About a few weeks before you guys showed up I got jumped by another gang called the Black Feather. There was about ten and they wanted to pressure me to join and were prepared to duel me to force me to join." Julio explained. "One or two I could've beaten as I'd run into them before and knew how tough their grunts were but ten? I would've been screwed but Lance and some of his members jumped in and saved me driving them back. After that, I hung out with them at times for a couple of weeks. Then a few days before you guys arrived I dueled and beat Adam which prompted Oliver to ask me if I wanted to join. I was unsure so I asked for some time to think about it and he agreed."

"Were you considering it?" IF asked and the teen was silent for a bit before answering.

"To be honest I almost made the decision to join them and was thinking about calling them at some point a day later Neptune showed up and with all the craziness I forgot to give them my answer. It wasn't until I saw him that I remembered the offer." Julio answered.

"So, why'd you refuse? You sound like you actually wanted to." IF asked.

"I'm in the middle of fighting against some enemy who wants me dead and wants to take over the world." Julio said. "Plus, my mom would murder me if she found out I joined a gang."

"She does seem like she would." IF said with a giggle.

"So, yeah I'm not joining." Julio said and paused before glancing at her. "By the way you're the only person I've told about this so can we just keep this between us?"

"Sure. You can trust me to be silent about this." IF said but glanced back towards the group. "Um aren't you afraid he'll try to convince you in other ways to join?"

"Nah. Oliver is a pretty cool guy. If you don't want to join he won't make you." Julio answered. "Anyways, we're here to have fun so let's start looking around again."

"Alright. Let's keep looking at some D-Wheels. I saw some really cool ones before they stopped us." IF said pointing towards the left.

"Alright, let's go." Julio said walking forward.

Meanwhile

"Are you sure bro?" A woman asked Oliver. She had pale skin and dark purple hair that fell to her waist and yellow eyes and had a slender build and stood at about 5'7. She wore the same jacket as the others but she wore a purple shirt and torn black jeans and regular black sneakers. She looked a couple of years younger than Oliver and bore a resemblance to the man. "You seemed like you really wanted him to join."

"Yes. If he doesn't wish to join then that's that. He's a good kid who was a bright future ahead of him as a duelist. He could easily make it big in the pros." Oliver answered.

"Fair point." The woman said nodding. "Still having someone as strong as him to help with the Black Feather would be helpful especially after they've started getting more aggressive."

"We don't need him." Adam said. "We've been doing just fine."

"We?" The woman said, glaring at him. "You haven't dueled against any of them and when you have the chance to help you leave it to other members." This caused the young man to glare at her.

"Hey watch what you say or-" Adam began but stopped when Oliver looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Or what?" He asked coldly and Adam began to sweat lightly. "Kana is right. Despite being my second in command you haven't been pulling your weight as of late not to mention your attitude has been unacceptable. The way you spoke to Julio and tried to provoke him being a good example on top of your bullying of newer members. Fix that attitude." Oliver said and Adam begrudgingly nodded and when Oliver looked away glared at the direction Julio and IF walked away.

One Hour Later

"That D-Wheel was so cool!" IF exclaimed her eyes sparkling after seeing a replica of a certain King's D-Wheel. "You said that a top tier duelist used it?"

"Yep. That was a replica Wheel of Fortune used by Jack Atlas himself. He was considered a top tier duelist, maintaining the title of King of Duelists for a long time on two separate occasions. The first time he lost it to Yusei Fudo who I told you guys about before. The second time he actually held it until he officially retired." Julio explained.

"He beat that Yusei guy for the title?" IF asked.

"No. Yusei gave it up undefeated and became a leading scientist instead of a pro duelist. Of course, he still dueled for fun and would enter small tournaments when he needed some time off. Plus many believe if he chose the life of a pro duelist he'd be the king instead of Jack." Julio explained. "There were rumors that he and jack still dueled every now and then as a way to keep in touch over the years."

"Those two sound like good friends." IF said.

"Yep they were. From what's said Jack was a complete jerk till Yusei beat him and he became a lot nicer though still kind of a jerk. Little fun fact about Jack...He was the one who created Double Tuning." Julio said.

"Isn't that what you said your sister uses and you're training to use?" IF asked.

"Yep." Julio said. "I'm not sure when she's gonna actually teach me how to do it though."

"She'll teach you eventually for sure. I mean she knows what you're going through right now so I'm sure she'll want to make sure you're strong enough to beat anybody who comes at you." IF said with confidence.

"Yeah, you're right." He said with a small smile she returned before he decided now was a good time. "Hey IF I wanna ask you something." Julio said.

"Sure go ahead." IF said.

"How come you haven't gotten used to it?" Julio asked and she was confused.

"Used to what?" She asked.

"When you tease me and I find a way to mention you're cute you get really flustered." Julio said, specifying what he meant. "I've done it for a while and several times a day. I thought you'd be able to shrug it off by now."

"Oh...Um...I'm not used to getting those kinds of compliments from a guy." IF answered. "My friends like Neptune and Compa do it all the time like you do but I've managed to get used to it as we've been through it a lot and that's just something girls do. With a guy though...It doesn't happen. Well, it does but it's almost always from a guy trying to get a little lucky and doesn't actually mean it."

"Why? I mean all teasing aside I do think you're really cute plus you're fun to be around." Julio said and she flushed again but composed herself.

"...It's just I don't go out for a night of fun by myself. I'm almost always at the Guild and I almost never stop to chat with others unless I already know them and when I'm not doing work I'm relaxing at home or hanging out with Compa and Neptune." IF explained. "When I do go out it's with the others and well...Nobody really notices me or they get a bit scared because I tend to come off as standoffish or a loner or intimidating unintentionally at times. People tend to flirt with Compa more often due to her being more eye-catching in ways I'm not and Neptune being the CPU naturally gets a lot of attention." IF said looking down and Julio couldn't help but feel bad at bringing this up. It was clearly a sensitive topic.

"So, when a guy calls you cute and compliments you and means it you get really flustered and you're unsure what to do?" Julio asked and she nodded.

"That's pretty much it...Doesn't help when said guy is pretty cute themselves." IF said giving him a small smile and this time it was his turn to blush when he got what she was hinting at.

"Thanks." Julio said embarrassed before speaking up. "Those guys are missing out. You're smart, funny, responsible, strong, and to top it off I think you're really pretty." He said deciding to choose another word than cute and it seemed to be quite effective because IF reddened more than before.

"Th-Thank you." She stammered out before taking a few seconds to calm herself and speaking again. "Thank you. It means a lot to hear that from you." He shrugged lightly in order to avoid knocking her off.

"Just saying what I think is true." He said before he felt his stomach growl and IF giggled.

"Feeling hungry?" IF asked.

"Yeah." Julio answered.

"Wanna go grab something?" IF suggested. "Dinner is still a while away so we can spend some more time in the city."

"Sure. I know a cafe nearby. I haven't been there in a while" Julio said and walked towards the entrance. Unbeknownst to him someone began to follow making sure to keep a good distance away.

Half an Hour Later

"This place looks nice." IF commented as he parked outside a small building with a large Kuriboh on it and a small apron wrapped around it's waist. It had a small sign by the door that read 'Kuriboh's Den' along with a small list of specials and small drawings of the iconic little monster and its various counterparts. "Kuriboh? Like that little fluff ball?"

"Yep." Julio said and opened the door causing a small bell to ring as he entered the cafe where there was a decent amount of people sitting at sleek wooden tables and matching chairs with small Kuriboh plushies. There was a good amount of people sitting around chatting and eating and drinking various foods and drinks. Julio walked to the counter and after about a minute of silently discussing what to get he walked up to the counter where a man was manning the register.

"Hello. What can I get you?" The man asked.

"Yes. I'll take a hot chocolate, a banana nut muffin, and a panini." Julio said. The two decided they'd share the hot chocolate and split the muffin while Julio ate the panini.

"Sure thing. I'll have that for you soon." He said writing it down along with Julio's name and walking over to the kitchen and placed the order on a counter that a kitchen staff grabbed. Julio looked around and spotted a table away from the other customers and sat down.

"How often have you been here?" IF asked.

"Quite a bit actually. I'd stop by here on my way home from school or if I wanted something nice to drink." Julio answered in a low voice to avoid attention. The two fell silent though it wasn't awkward. In fact they found it rather comfortable to be relaxing without worry and their company helped with that. After about ten minutes of waiting his name was called and he quickly walked over and got his order and walked back to the table and placed them down.

"Wow these smell really good." IF said referring to the hot chocolate and muffin. "That sandwich looks good too."

"They taste as good as they smell as well." Julio said slicing the muffin in half to share while checking to see if anybody was looking and upon seeing nobody watching the two began to eat with IF being careful to not draw attention as she ate her half and drank from the mug as Julio ate his sandwich.

"You weren't kidding this is really good." IF said with a smile as she ate more of her muffin.

"They have a lot more stuff here." Julio said, biting his sandwich. "We can come by another time in the future if you want."

"Looking forward to it." IF said dipping a chunk of the muffin into the hot chocolate. "We should bring the others here too."

"Maybe but it'd be a bit hard given how many of you are spirits." Julio pointed out. "We'd have to be careful especially since it could be an easy opening for an attack. I'd imagine the reason they're not making a move because it's just you and me."

"Yeah but we can't really let the risk of us being attacked interfere with enjoying our lives." IF said. "Not saying we shouldn't be ready for one but we shouldn't be afraid to enjoy ourselves."

"That's true. We can't let these guys bring us down." Julio said. "We'll just beat whoever they throw at us."

"Got that right." IF said with a grin as they continued to eat.

Meanwhile

"I think my deck's good to go." Kila said checking it over. She, the candidates, Dan, Lisa, and Hazel were sitting in her living room with several cards spread out neatly over the table. "Yep it's good. Got a balance to everything and I got 45 cards exactly."

"Same here." Dan said looking it over. "My deck's pretty much as good as it can get."

"Let me take a look at them." Hazel said and the two passed them over to her and after a quick look over she nodded. "Yep you guys are good. How's it going for you Lisa?"

"Better but man it reminds me how annoying building my deck is at times." Lisa muttered as she had a plethora of ways to build her deck.

"Yeah it doesn't look pleasant." Hazel said in sympathy looking at the dozens of cards Lisa had.

"Guess there's such a thing as too many options." Kila said looking at the cards. "Finding a balance must be tough."

"Eh, it's annoying but I can deal with it." Lisa said, shrugging. "I wonder what Julio's up to?"

"Maybe he's at the Duel Arena? He mentioned to me he built a more Xyz based version of his deck since he had the cards for it." Kila said. "Plus he said he added a few of his Phantom Knights to it." Dan and Hazel looked really interested at that while Lisa was confused before remembering.

"Oh, those. I vaguely remember him using them back then." Lisa said.

"Yeah, he stopped using them due to little support but he said that since his new deck had some options for Xyz Summoning he'd try a build of it out." Kila said.

"I'd be interested in seeing and dueling against it." Dan said with a grin.

"I wonder if there's more to it though." Nepgearl muttered.

"What do you mean?" Kila asked, confused.

"Well, if Julio loses to one of those guys he's at risk of dying and he loses our sisters right?" Nepgear said and they nodded. "Maybe he's looking into this in the event that happens and he survives the barrier so he can still be able to duel against them and save them?"

"That's...A really good observation." Kila muttered thinking about it before nodding. "Yeah, that's for sure the biggest reason."

"No if and buts about it." Dan said in agreement. "If he lost them he'd be more than determined to push forward and save them."

"I'd be shocked if he didn't try." Hazel said.

"Would he be able to though?" Lisa asked. "I mean I don't doubt this Xyz variant could be good but I doubt it'd match his other one. After all a lot of his best cards are based around the CPUs and some are specifically tied to their CPU forms."

"It won't matter to him. If he's still alive and can still duel he'll do all he can especially for people he cares about." Kila said and Lisa fell silent at that.

"...Do all he can for the people he cares about…" Lisa thought to herself and couldn't help but compare that to herself.

"And if he can't save them then we can step up." Uni said with a confident grin.

"Got that right. We'll save our sisters without failing." Ram said mirroring the confidence.

"Uh huh." Rom said a serious look on her face.

"We've done it before so there's no doubt we can do it again." Nepgear said.

"Yeah. If Julio won't be able to, we'll try as well." Kila said grinning at the four.

"Let's move on from this hypothetical discussion." Hazel said. "It's a bit hard to think about given what'd have to happen for it to occur."

"Yeah I agree." Lisa said breaking her silence. "I need to figure my deck out."

"Okay, we'll give you a hand." Dan said and the three scooched over to help her out.

Back With Julio and IF

"So, now what?" Julio asked as they exited the cafe after eating and paying.

"Hmm...Wanna just head to the park. I love going there." IF said as they arrived at his D-Wheel.

"Sure." Julio said. "We haven't been there in a while." Julio said getting on the D-Wheel and putting his helmet on and quickly driving off to the close-by park. Upon arriving he took his helmet off and placed it in the compartment before switching off his D-Wheel. He looked around and took in a breath enjoying the nice air. "So, wanna just walk around?"
"Yeah, sometimes it's nice to just enjoy a place like this." IF said and Julio nodded agreeing with her before walking down the path enjoying the nice weather and surroundings.

"You know I'm glad we agreed on going out. It's been fun and pretty relaxing." Julio said.

"Same here. I've had a good time on this 'date'." IF said jokingly causing him to chuckle.

"Yeah...You up to do this again another time?" Julio asked and IF smiled.

"Yeah. I'd like to do this again." IF said. "Not sure when but we should do this again."

"That's cute...You found yourself a girlfriend." Julio heard and spun around and was startled to see Adam glaring at him.

"What the fu-You can see her?" Julio asked and IF tensed.

"Yes. Be glad I decided to keep quiet about her. Though I do admit it's funny to see you have to find yourself a girlfriend that's both a spirit and even shorter then you are." Adam said with a smirk which caused Julio to scowl.

"Funny you're a lot bolder without Oliver around which is surprising because without him you're about as threatening as a Happy Lover." Julio said coldly causing the young man to glare at him. "Why are you here?"

"Simple. I'm here to kick your ass." Adam said, raising his left arm which held his D-Tablet.

"Sorry but I'm not in the mood. I was having a relaxing time until you rudely decided to interrupt like the ass hole you are." Julio said and turned around only for his D-Tablet to activate.

"Duel Mode on." It said and he was immediately confused.

"The hell?" Julio exclaimed.

"A little feature we got. If you joined you'd have it as well." Adam said as his own activated and Julio was confused.

"What? I know Lance wouldn't do something like this." Julio said, turning around.

"Not at first but recently things between us and the Black Feather have reached a pretty bad point so he had these installed so we can force away any Black Feather member who picks a fight but refuses to duel." Adam said. "The only way you get away is if we finish a duel."

"Fine." Julio said and he shuffled his deck before drawing his cards while Adam did the same. "You up for this IF?"

"Yeah. Let's kick this assholes' ass." IF said irritated to have their good time interrupted and Julio and Adam glared each other down before letting out a shout in unison.

"Duel!"

Julio LP: 4000 Hand: 5
Adam LP: 4000 Hand: 5
Turn 1
Julio's Turn

"I'll start this off." Julio said and looked at his hand. "I summon Maker Ubi to the field." Julio said, summoning the assassin.

Maker Ubi
ATK: 1600 DEF: 1350
Level: 4 Dark
Warrior/Effect

Julio Hand: 4

"Next I activate the effect of Maker Insomnia. Since I control Ubi I can Special Summon her! I'll do so in defense mode." Julio said, summoning the girl who looked around.

"Oh, man in a duel already?" She muttered. "I was just in one yesterday."

"He'll summon you as much as he requires." Ubi said, glaring at the girl who looked down and sighed.

Maker Insomnia
ATK: 1000 DEF: 1500
Level: 4 Dark
Warrior/Effect

Julio Hand: 3

"I set a card." Julio said, setting the card. "Via the effect of Insomnia I can activate one trap card the turn it was set. I activate the Guardraw I set which switches Ubi to defense and lets me draw a card." Julio said and a gold light surrounded Ubi and she shifted to a defensive stance and Julio drew his card.

Julio Hand: 3

"I set two and that's it." Julio said.

"What kind of deck does he use?" IF asked.

"An Xyz deck. You'll see in a bit." He said looking at Adam with a heavy glare.

Julio LP: 4000 Hand: 1 Set: 2
Adam LP: 4000 Hand: 5+1
Turn 2
Adam's Turn

"Pretty interesting opening round. I've heard about these cards of yours but it's another thing to see them in person. I draw!" He said, drawing his card. "I summon Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius!" He said summoning a mechanical bird with green and blue armor.

Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius
ATK: 1300 DEF: 1600
Level: 4 Dark
Winged Beast/Effect

Adam Hand: 5

"Since I Normal Summoned it I can special summon another Raidraptor from my hand as long as it's level four or lower. I summon Raidraptor - Napalm Dragonius." He said summoning a primarily silver bird. "Via its effect he burns you for 600! However, I can't activate the effect of monsters I control unless they're Raidraptors but given you know what my deck is it doesn't matter so scorch him!" He said and the bird let out a stream of flames that collided with Julio who used his arm to protect IF.

Raidrator - Napalm Dragonius
ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000
Level: 4 Dark
Winged Beast/Effect

Adam Hand: 4

Julio LP: 4000-600= 3400

"Next since I control a Raidraptor I can special summon Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius!" He said summoning a purple and blue bird.

Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius
ATK: 500 DEF: 1500
Level: 4 Dark
Winged Beast/Effect

Adam Hand: 3

"Wow he can summon monsters this easy?" IF asked impressed with the deck.

"Yeah, this deck can spam out Xyz monsters like no other." Julio said.

"Now using my three monsters I build the Overlay Network!" He shouted and the three monsters turned into three streaks of purple light that flew into the portal that opened in front of Adam. "I Xyz Summon Raidraptor - Rise Falcon!" He shouted and from the portal erupted an enormous mechanical falcon that let out a large screech as it floated above Adam with three large orbs rotating around it.

Raidraptor - Rise Falcon
ATK: 100 DEF: 2000
Rank: 4 Dark
Winged Beast/Xyz/Effect
OVU: 3

"Rise Falcon?" Julio muttered. "It can't do anything even with the attack boosting effect."

"Then why'd he summon it?" IF asked.

"I got an idea and it involves the biggest strength of this deck." Julio said.

"Got that right. I activate Rank-Up-Magic Skip Force!" Adam said playing a spell which showed two symbols crackling with electricity that if noticed was on Rise Falcon. "With this I target a Raidraptor Xyz Monster I control and then I special summon from my Extra Deck, a Raidraptor Xyz MOnster that's two ranks higher than the one on the field. This is of course treated as an Xyz Summon. I target Rise Falcon!" He said and Rise Falcon flew into the air erupting in flames. "I special summon Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon!" He said and from the flames emerged a mechanical bird of similar size but it was slender and lacked claws like the previous version and had four orbs rotating around it.

Adam Hand: 2

Rank-Up-Magic Skip Force

Spell/Normal

Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon
ATK: 2000 DEF: 3000
Rank: 6 Dark
Winged Beast/Xyz/Effect

OVU: 4

"Woah, he can rank up too?" IF asked.

"A lot more actually. The main power behind this deck is its ability to bust out high ranking Xyz monsters repeatedly and overwhelm your opponent." Julio said.

"I activate the effect of Revolution Falcom! Since I have a Raidraptor Xyz Monster as material it can destroy a monster you control! Destroy Ubi!" He shouted and the Falcon roared before it's wings opened up and sent a barrage of missiles that Ubi attempted to avoid but let out a scream as she was nailed by one and destroyed in the explosion causing Insomnia to squeak out in fear. "Also, you take damage equal to half of that monster's attack!" He said and Julio stumbled back as the explosion sent out shockwaves that buffeted him.

Julio LP: 3400-800= 2600

"Revolution Falcon attack Insomnia!" Adam said and the falcon sent out even more missiles causing the girl to look terrified..

"I activate my trap! Card Defense. I discard a card and negate that attack." Julio said and a wall of cards erupted and blocked the missiles causing Insomnia to sigh in relief. "Then I draw a card. Also, the card I discarded was Card of Compensation so I draw two more!"

Card Defense
Trap/Normal

Julio Set: 1

Card of Compensation
Spell/Normal

Julio Hand: 3

"I end my turn with two face downs." Adam said setting his cards.

Julio LP: 2600 Hand: 3+1 Set: 1
Adam LP: 4000 Hand: 0 Set: 2
Turn 3
Julio's Turn

"My turn. I draw!" Julio said, drawing his card. "I set a card and due to the effect of Insomnia activate it." Julio said. "I activate Pot of Greed!"

"No, you don't. I activate Raptor's Gust!" Adam said playing a trap that showed heavy winds and lightning swirling around the Raidraptor's symbol. "When I control a Raidraptor and you activate a spell or trap I can negate it!" He said and heavy winds blew the spell out of Julio's hand.

Julio Hand: 3

Adam Set: 1

Raptor's Gust
Trap/Counter

"Alright then. Guess I gotta improvise. I summon The Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves!" Julio said summoning a strange monster with two large gloves and a small body with blue flames spilling out of it.

Julio Hand: 2

The Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves
ATK: 1000 DEF: 500
Level: 3 Dark
Warrior/Effect

"Huh? I've never seen this before." IF said confused though she quickly remembered he had mentioned those cards before and Adam himself was also confused having never seen them.

"You'll be seeing more. Since I control a Phantom Knights monster I can special summon The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots!" Julio said summoning a similar monster to the other one but this one was a little bit bigger and wore a full-on outfit around its flaming body.

Julio Hand: 1

The Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves
ATK: 200 DEF: 1200
Level: 3 Dark
Warrior/Effect

"Now using these two I'll build the Overlay Network!" Julio declared and the portal opened in front of him which caused the two monsters to turn into purple streaks of light that flew into the portal. "Souls of knights who fell on the battlefield. Revive here and now, and become the light that breaks the darkness! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 3, The Phantom Knights of Break Sword!" Julio said and from the portal emerged a knight in dark armor wielding a large sword and riding a horse in silver armor. However, the knight was the same as his fellow Phantom Knights and was a flaming spirit inhabiting the armor. The knight rode around the field for a bit before stopping in front of Julio with two glowing orbs orbiting around it.

The Phantom Knights of Break Sword
ATK: 2000 DEF: 1000
Rank: 4 Dark
Warrior/Xyz/Effect
OVU: 2

"Woah he looks so cool." IF said in awe.

"Oh, he's very cool. Especially his effects." Julio said before looking over at Insomnia. "First there's the effect of Ragged Gloves! When he's used to Xyz summon a Dark Xyz monster it gains an effect! Upon Xyz Summon that monster gains 1000 ATK!" He said and a pair of gloves appeared on the Xyz Monster which caused his flames to burn brighter and hotter.

The Phantom Knights of Break Sword
ATK: 2000+1000= 3000.

"Hey, Insomnia?" Julio asked, looking at her.

"What?" She asked, looking at him.

"I'm sorry but I'm gonna have to uh destroy you." Julio said apologetically.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I activate Break Sword's effect! By removing an Overlay Unit I can target destroy one card I control along with one of yours! I destroy Insomnia and Revolution Falcon!" Julio said.

"Wait, hold on!" Insomnia exclaimed as the knight raised his sword which caused Insomnia to turn into a black streak of light that flew into its sword before it slammed its sword onto the ground sending a stream of flames that collided with Revolution Falcon who screamed as it was incinerated by the flames.

The Phantom Knights of Break Sword
OVU: 1

"Damn it!" Adam said but he wasn't worried. "I activate the effect of Fuzzy Lanius. Since it was sent to the graveyard I can add another from my deck to my hand." He said and the card ejected from his deck and he added it to his hand.

Adam Hand: 1

"Break Sword attack him directly!" Julio said and the knight charged forward his sword ready to swing.

"I activate my trap! Necro Raptor!" He shouted, playing a trap which showed a swarm of black birds surrounding a glowing light. "When I'd take damage from a direct attack I can target a Raidraptor monster in my graveyard and make that damage zero! I target Revolution Falcon!" He said and a blue barrier appeared blocking Break Sword's attack. "Then I can Special Summon that monster! Return Revolution Falcon!" He said and the monster appeared with a screech.

Adam Set: 0

Necro Raptor
Trap/Counter

"Darn. So close too." IF complained.

"Figured he'd have a back up. I end my turn there!" Julio said.

Julio LP: 1600 Hand: 1 Set: 1
Adam LP: 4000 Hand: 1+1
Turn 4
Adam's Turn

"I draw!" He said and drew his card which caused him to grin. "I summon Raidraptor - Necro Vulture!" He said and a purple and black bird appeared with a mechanical 'caw'. It had black shadows surrounding it and gave off a dark feeling.

Adam Hand: 1

Raidraptor - Necro Vulture
ATK: 1000 DEF: 1600
Level: 4 Dark
Winged Beast/Effect

"I activate its effect and tribute it to add a Rank-Up-Magic from my graveyard to my hand! I'll add Skip Force back to my hand!" He said and the monster disappeared into a large portal which caused the spell to eject from the grave. "Next I'll activate it!" He said which caused the falcon to roar as flames surrounded it and it shot high into the sky. "Via Skip Force's effect I'll special summon Raidraptor - Satellite Cannon Falcon!" He shouted and from the flames erupted another mechanical bird but this one was different. It had a primarily white body with red streaks of its wings and its body.

Raidraptor - Satellite Cannon Falcon
ATK: 3000 DEF: 2000
Rank: 8 Dark
Winged Beast/Xyz/Effect
OVU: 1

"Woah this one looks really cool." IF commented and Julio tensed.

"Satellite Cannon Falcon's effect! If this card is summoned using a Raidraptor Xyz Monster as material I can destroy all spells and traps you control. Also, you can't activate cards and effects in response!" He shouted and the monster let out a screech and sent several green lasers that collided with the field obliterating his face down causing Julio to scowl.

Julio Set: 0

"Next I activate Satellite Cannon Falcon's effect! By removing one Overlay Unit I can reduce the attack of a monster you control by 800 equal to the number of Raidraptors in my graveyard! I have six so that's 4800 lost!" He shouted and the falcon screeched before firing more green blasts that collided with Break Sword's horse to whine and collapse forward causing Break Sword to collapse onto the ground as the beams continued to rain on them.

Raidraptor - Satellite Cannon Falcon
OVU: 0

The Phantom Knights of Break Sword
ATK: 3000-4800= 0

"Hold on isn't that a bit much?!" IF exclaimed as the falcon continued to rain the lasers down onto Break Sword whose horse let out whines of pain.

"Stop it! Just attack him already like you're planning!" Julio exclaimed getting flashbacks to what had happened to Dark against Mason.

"Oh, shut the hell up! They're nothing more than tools to be used and discarded!" Adam shouted and this caused IF to glare at him as he was staring at her in particular but it was far from as intense as Julio's.

"The fuck did you just say?! They're not just tools! They have feelings and have trust in us!" Julio exploded.

"So what? I know about Duel Spirits but that's irrelevant! At the end of the day, they follow orders and are nothing to us! Satellite Cannon Falcon finish this loser off!" Adam declared and Satellite Cannon Falcon screeched before shooting off high into the air soaring higher and higher and even above the clouds.

"What the hell?! Is that thing going into space?!" IF exclaimed as the falcon stopped climbing now up into the atmosphere where it began to charge several green blasts in its small cannons and from the red points on its wings a large orange light erupted from them taking shape into the symbol of the Raidraptors. Its chest opened up and more green energy began to generate into another large cannon inside of it before it let out a screech and fired an enormous green blast that only grew when the smaller cannons fired and sent smaller blasts that caused it to grow larger. "Umm, that seems really dangerous!"

"This ends here Julio!" He said only for him to notice he wasn't flinching his face angry and determined.

"I activate the effect of Maker Insomnia in my graveyard! By banishing her and a Normal Trap in my graveyard I can activate that trap's effect! I activate the Defense Draw you just destroyed making the battle damage zero!" Julio said as the beam rained down and was blocked by an orange barrier that cracked but held off the blast until it dissipated. Upon the barrier's disappearance Break sword looked at Julio gratefully as he and his horse disappeared. "Then I draw a card." He said calmly, drawing his card.

Julio Hand: 2

Defense Draw
Trap/Normal

"Next I activate the effect of Break Sword! When he's destroyed I can special summon two Phantom Knights monsters that have the same level from my graveyard and increase their level by one! Return Silent Boots and Ragged Gloves!" he said and from the portal emerged the two monsters.

The Phantom Knights of Ragged Glove
Level: 3 to 4

The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots
Level: 3 to 4

"Tch. I end my turn there." Adam said tensing as he knew what he was coming.

Julio LP: 2600 Hand: 2+1
Adam LP: 4000 Hand: 1
Turn 6
Julio's Turn

"I draw!" Julio shouted and drew his card. "With my two monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" Julio shouted and the two monsters flew into the portal and lightning shot into it. "Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Julio said and from the portal emerged Dark who roared in anger. "Ready to make this asshole pay?"

"Anytime." He growled.

Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon
ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000
Rank: 4 Dark
Dragon/Xyz/Effect
OVU: 2

"Via Ragged Glove's effect Dark gains 1000 ATK!" Julio said ad Dark growled as a purple aura surrounded him.

Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon
ATK: 2500+1000= 3500

"Now I activate his effect I detach his Overlay Units and now I can cut the attack of a monster you control in half and add that attack to Dark!" He said and Dark roared before shooting up into the sky flying up until it reached where Satellite Cannon Falcom was and unfurled his wings and sent out streams of electricity and zapped the falcon who screeched in pain. "Treason Discharge!"

Raidraptor - Satellite Cannon Falcon
ATK: 3000/2= 1500

Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon
ATK: 3500+1500= 5000

"Woah." IF exclaimed in shock as she looked at Julio's D-Tablet which showed the image of Dark doing it.

"That's still not enough to finish me off!" Adam said, biting back his growing fear.

"You're right...Which is why I activate the effect of Silent Boots! By banishing it I can add a Phantom Knights spell or trap from my deck to my hand! I add The Phantom Knights' Rank-Up-Magic Launch!" Julio said as the card ejected from the deck and he added it to his hand.

Julio Hand: 3+1

"Oh no." Adam said and Julio gave him a cold smile which IF noticed was very similar to when Zarc was in control and she couldn't help but feel fear.

"Now I activate it!" Julio declared playing the spell. "With this I'll target Dark Rebellion and Rank him up!" Julio said and Dark roared as a purple sphere surrounded him. "From the depths of purgatory, dedicate to the unsinking souls your song of rebellion! Appear and echo forevermore!" Julio chanted and Dark roared and the purple sphere exploded. "Rank-Up Xyz Change! Appear, Rank 5! Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon!" Julio said and Dark roared now in his evolved state.

Julio Hand: 3

Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon
ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500
Rank: 5 Dark
Dragon/Xyz/Effect
OVU: 2

"Alright…" Julio said and looked down at his hand seeing a familiar Rank-Up-Spell. "This could really teach him a lesson." He thought to himself and was about to activate it when he noticed IF was looking rather scared and he quickly stopped realizing what he was about to do. "What the hell am I doing? There's no point in doing that." He thought to himself and shook his head clearing his thoughts. "I activate Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon's effect! By removing an Overlay Unit I can reduce the attack of a monster you control to zero and then increase Dark's attack equal to that monster's original attack! Requiem Salvation!" Julio said and Dark roared, sending out the black tendrils which bound the falcon who screeched as it began to fall back down to the Earth below.

Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon
OVU: 1

Raidraptor - Satellite Cannon Falcon
ATK: 1500-1500= 0

Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon
ATK: 3000+3000= 6000

"Dark attack and destroy Satellite Cannon Falcon! Requiescent Disaster Disobey!" Julio shouted and Dark roared shooting down and slamming its fangs into the falcon who screeched in pain as the two slammed into the ground between the two causing a massive shockwave that almost sent IF flying but Julio quickly grabbed her and held her as the shockwave stopped. Adam, on the other hand, was blown backward and onto his back.

Adam LP: 4000-6000= 0
Julio Wins

"You okay?" Julio asked IF as the damage dealt to the area disappeared and Dark faded away after letting out a triumphant roar.

"Yeah. are you okay? You're smile...It was like his." IF said and Julio winced figuring out who she was referring to.

"Sorry." He apologized before looking at Adam who was getting up. "Regret picking a fight?"

"Shut up!" He growled getting up and began to walk towards him when a voice spoke up.

"That's enough Adam." Julio heard and turned around seeing Oliver who looked angry and Adam froze.

"Oliver...I guess you saw that?" Julio asked.

"From the very beginning when he forced you to duel him despite me making adamantly clear that members can only use that feature when the Black Feather is being aggressive." Oliver said coldly. "Julio, could you leave? I need to have a word with him. Also, I'm sorry for his behavior"

"Go ahead. It's fine. Don't blame yourself because somebody else can't keep their temper in check." Julio said turning around and walking past him.

"Nice duel by the way. You've gotten a lot better." Oliver commented.

"Thanks." Julio said and he walked away quickly not wanting to hear what was going on between the two. He continued his speedy walk until he was a good distance away before slowing down and speaking to IF. "...I'm sorry about uhh losing it back there."

"It's okay it was just kind of hard seeing you all angry like that." IF said. "Though I can't blame you. He was basically torturing Break Sword."

"Still I should have kept my cool." Julio said. "I almost summoned Grim Requiem right there."

"I thought I saw that spell you use to summon him in your hand." IF said. "At least you realized it at the last second."

"...It's thanks to you." Julio admitted and she was confused. "Seeing you snapped me out of it back there. It reminded me to not lose control."

"Glad I was able to help you then." She said with a smile.

"Yeah, it's good you were here otherwise I'd have probably done worse." Julio said. "You up for spending a little more time here? That asshole kind of interfered in our good time."

"Sure. You can use this time to really calm down." IF said and Julio nodded as he still felt a tad upset. The two began to walk remaining silent as they did until IF spoke up.

"Hey Julio?" She said.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Thanks for agreeing to go out and do this. I know I said this before but this really has been a good time. Kind of makes me wish it was a date." IF admitted causing Julio to blush.

"Oh...Um...I don't know how to respond to that...Um thanks?" Julio said, confused causing her to laugh.

"It's meant to be a compliment so yes that is the right response." IF said.

"Oh, well then I guess if we ever decide to go an actual date I guess I'm gonna have to step it up a notch huh?" He said, giving her a smile.

"Maybe." She said returning it with her own smile. "Hmm...Dinner should be ready soon right?"

"Yeah. I guess it's time we head back." Julio said a little disappointed as he shifted direction towards his D-Wheel.

"Wait hold on." IF said and Julio paused curious when he felt something warm pressing against his cheek and a small smacking sound. "T-T-Thanks for keeping me from going flying back there." IF stammered out and he glanced towards her seeing her blushing face and after a bit put two and two together about what she did and he himself began to blush heavily.

"N-No problem." He said his face feeling like it was on fire. "S-S-She kissed me! On the cheek but she kissed me nonetheless! W-W-What do I do? Do I even do anything?!" Meanwhile, IF was in a bit of a panic.

"I just kissed him! What was I thinking?! H-Hold on it was just on the cheek! It's not like I kissed him on the lips! How would I even do that when I'm this small?! I can figure that out later...Wait why would I need to even figure that out?!" She thought to herself as Julio walked back towards the D-Wheel both of them freaking out.

Meanwhile

"Damn it all!" Adam shouted as he stomped through the park. "Damn you Shinku...Damn you, Oliver!" He snapped, no longer wearing the jacket and his D-Tablet gone. "How dare he just kick me out?! Over trying to teach that brat a lesson! I'll make both of them pay!"

"I'd like to see that." He heard and he spun around seeing Doku.

"Who the hell are you?!" He snapped.

"Someone who can help you get revenge on both of them." Doku said with a grin. "The name's Doku and I got an offer." He said and Adam looked at him with curiosity.

30 Minutes Later With Julio and IF

"Hey, we're back!" Julio called out taking off his jacket and his mom walked out of the kitchen.

"Welcome back. Did you two have fun?" She asked, giving them a mischievous smile.

"Yeah...It was a pretty nice time." IF said with a smile having gotten over her embarrassment a little.

"Did he behave?" Vanessa asked.

"Yes he did." IF said.

"Why are you acting like I'm a kid?!" Julio exclaimed causing the two to laugh.

"In all seriousness did anything happen?" Vanessa asked.

"A member of the Falcon Raiders challenged me to a duel. I beat him without any effort and his boss dealt with him. Apart from that we had a good time." Julio said.

"That's good. Dinner will be ready soon and the others are in Koneko's room." Vanessa said.

"Alright, I'll go with them. Again, thanks for the good time." IF said to Julio before floating off towards her room.

"Looking forward to next time." He said.

"Same here." She said going into the room.

"Next time?" Vaness asked, giving him a smirk.

"...I didn't say that." He said and quickly tried to escape but she gently grabbed his shoulder.

"Julio...Do you like this girl?" She asked seriously.

"Wouldn't be friends with her if I didn't." Julio answered.

"Not like that...Do you have any sort of feelings for this girl?" She asked and Julio fell silent and thought for a bit.

"I don't know. I've never felt that way for a girl before. I guess I'm a bit more attached to her than the others." Julio said with a frown as he tried to think a way to describe it.

"Think more on it sweetie. If you need to talk about it come to me and I'll give you the best advice I can." She said.

"Alright. I'm gonna head to my room and take a little nap." Julio muttered walking off to his room to rest after nearly losing it against Adam. "...How do I feel about her?" He wondered to himself as he opened the door to his room.

AN: This took longer than I wanted it to but my internet just died on me for a week so the amount of work I was able to get done on my stories was so damn low. But hey I got it done before two months passed at the least. I hope like the small glimpse of Julio's Xyz deck and hope you guys are looking forward to the next time he uses it. Also, if you're curious why I didn't use chants for when Adam summoned his monsters he simply doesn't respect them enough. Plus I have a better person to show off the power of Raidraptors in a true duel.

Anyways, let's get to the reviews.

Felipe1402XZA: Thanks for the review and pointing that out. I have no idea how the hell that happened.

keybladelight: Thanks for the review and you'll see what God card it is eventually.

Kamencolin: Thanks for the review. If Neptune was there I for sure would have put some. No, that Nepgear won't be involved at all. Maybe in my Different Lives story but for sure not the main one.

Fireking492: Thanks for the review and glad you enjoyed it.

Guest Quest: Thanks for the reviews.

1. That is indeed the case when it comes to gathering Share Energy. I actually did not consider the idea of them actually creating their own CPU. I'm definitely gonna think about that a lot.

2. The latter for sure.

3. Well that would definitely be cheating but Julio is an honorable duelist so he wouldn't accept that plus Julio himself is also aware what Lance's deck is so it wouldn't be of much help. I do have a chapter planned involving Neptune showing she isn't always a goofball and how far she's come in regards to becoming a duelist.

4. Pretty good idea. That'd be really far down the line so it'll be a while before that's actually a thing.

5. Hmm...That could be interesting. I'll think more on if I'd be willing to do that.

6. Thanks for all the custom cards, chants, and the deck revision. I'm looking forward to using them especially since I'll be using one of them pretty soon.

Alright, that's it so let's get into what I have planned.

The next chapter will feature the first of the three duels I have planned for Dan, Lisa, and Kila for their qualifiers although they won't be long as the decks I have them being put up against are the types who go in hard right from start. After that let's just say it's time for a new cast member.

Also, I'm working on a new chapter for my Different Lives story. You see I was looking into making a Fate/Yugioh crossover for a bit when deciding on my Fate fic with an entirely new cast of characters that I would eventually do a little crossover with my other Yugioh fic for a duel between protagonists until I settled on just going full Fate. I had a rough draft for cards for various Servants particularly the main one the protagonist was going to have and was basing them off Rituals for obvious reasons though I hadn't made any actual characters before I changed my mind and because I want to use these cards I've decided I will be making a special one-shot with my current group of characters filling in the roles. I don't know when I'll get it up but I'm gonna take my time with it since it has an overall darker tone I was gonna have for that fic.

Anyways, I got nothing else to say. Gotta get back to my other fics and get them done soon let's do the review thing.

Please leave a review or PM me with your thoughts, ideas, and favorite parts. If you have any deck suggestions that I should use in this story feel free to suggest it. Custom card ideas are also welcome and so are OCs. Any constructive criticism is appreciated but flames are not. Criticism is accepted but flames are not. Also, you guys can follow me on Twitter which is simply named SSJCFF for updates, heads up for the next chapter should be coming out or if there will be a delay. You can also send fanart and whatnot if you want.

Next Chapter Title: A Superheavy Defense!