Greetings, community. After several years of lurking in Fanfiction, I finally decided to try my hand at writing a story as an experiment. I chose Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V because its plot is quite intriguing in my opinion. Since I'm a complete amateur, any advice will be appreciated. And now, on with the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V, its characters or any of its releated materials. I only own my OCs and the original cards that appear in this fanfic.

Chapter 1: A New Arrival

The end of the world.

That's the only way he could describe the scene unfolding before his eyes. Ruined buildings, fires raging on uncontrollably and people fleeing in terror from God knows whatever horrendous calamity had inflicted such devastation upon the once proud city. The thick clouds of smoke rising up and the cries of the fleeing civilians only added to this dystopic vision's horror.

Suddenly, an inhuman roar was heard in the distance. Turning his head towards the direction the howl was heard, his heart almost froze in terror at the sight he beheld.

A colossal dragon shrouded in darkness was hovering over a wrecked tower. Following his thunderous roar, the behemoth unleashed a powerful energy blast from its mouth, wiping out another section of the city in an instant. Although terrified by this destructive display of power, he also felt somewhat attracted to it for some odd reason, wanting to observe it from even closer.

As if some higher force responded to his desire, he suddenly found himself on top of the tower as well, hovering across the dragon—and really wished he hadn't. From up close, the dragon was even more massive and imposing, reinforcing the feeling that he was a mere ant in front of this demonic creature. He wanted to run away, preferably as far as possible from this dragon as he could, but he was immobilized, his body frozen in place.

Just as he wondered whether his life would end here as an appetizer for the dragon, the monster suddenly turned its head back towards the tower. Curious about it, he also turned there and was shocked at what he saw.

A person was standing there resolutely, looking like they intended to challenge the dragon, a foolish notion in all aspects in his opinion. However, that person, who appeared to be female, although her face was obscured, didn't seem intent to budge from her spot.

For some reason, the sight of the girl standing up against the dragon brought a pang of pain in his heart. He didn't know why he felt so strongly about this scene, but something within him was seemingly resonating with it.

At that moment, four cards appeared above the girl and a vortex of energy swirled around her, eventually forming four bracelets on her hand. The bracelets let out a stream of multi-colored lights that almost blinded him, with the dragon next to him also letting out an outraged howl of pain.

[Damn you! You accursed bastard!]

He was quite shocked to realize that the voice came from the dragon. Upon paying closer attention to it, he noticed that a shadowy bulge in the shape of a human was protruding from the beast's chest. Did a human somehow merge with that beast? Although it sounded like a ridiculous notion, he somehow felt that was the case.

[Unforgivable! You're unforgivable! We will—become oneeeeeee!]

And then, the dragon seemingly split apart, accompanied by a thunderous explosion that quickly engulfed him in its wake, the last thing he managed to hear being a man's mournful cries.

"Gah!"

The young man sitting in the back seat of a bus woke up with a start, earning him curious stares from a few passengers, who quickly lost interest however and returned back to whatever they were previously doing.

"That dream again, huh…?"

Turning towards the window, he peered at his reflection as if seeking for answers there. Returning his troubled look was the image of a fourteen-year-old boy, his somewhat spiky hair colored silver with green highlights. However, his most eye-catching feature was his heterochromia, with his right eye being blue and his left being a bright red. He was clad in a blue and white jacket with orange borders, a black undershirt, black pants and brown shoes.

After staring at his reflection for a while, the young man let out a sigh. It had been several days since he had first begun seeing these strange images in his sleep and it was starting to annoy him. Not only did they keep repeating with even greater clarity than before, they made absolutely no sense! If there was something he definitely knew about himself, it was that his imagination was horribly lacking. There was no way his brain could cook up such complex scenes out of the blue. And there was also the fact that these images were oddly familiar for some reason…

"If I believed in reincarnation, I'd say this was something that happened in my past life like that whack-job who insisted he was an Egyptian Pharaoh in his past life." The young man said with a slight chuckle to himself.

[Attention all passengers. We will be arriving shortly at Maiami City. I repeat, we will be arriving shortly at Maiami City. All passengers heading for Maiami City, please prepare to disembark.]

The announcement from the bus's intercom interrupted his train of thought.

"That's me, I guess."

The young man placed his rucksack on his back and waited patiently for the bus to stop. True enough, after a few minutes, the bus came to a halt and passengers began heading towards the exit, with him following suit.

Waiting for them at the bus's door was a security officer who was verifying their identification. Overkill in his opinion, but the city probably didn't want to take any chances with the Maiami Championship approaching and all that.

When his turn came, he merely presented his ID card at the officer.

"Let's see here… Tachibana Yukio, age 14, unaffiliated with any Duel School… What's your purpose for visiting Maiami City?"

"I was invited to participate in the Maiami Championship."

Yukio responded, prompting the officer to look at him with some admiration in his eyes.

"Even though you haven't enrolled in any Duel School, you were still offered an invitation to the Maiami Championship? You must be quite the exceptional Duelist to have caught the eye of the Leo Corporation bigshots. I'm pretty sure Duel Schools will be tripping over each other to get you to join them once news of this gets out, especially if you perform well."

Yeah, right. With my track record, I'll be lucky if they don't chase me out of the city instead.

Yukio inwardly snorted in derision. The fact that he hadn't joined any sort of official Duel Institution wasn't exactly by choice. With all the trouble he had got into in the past, no self-respecting Duel School who could perform at least a rudimentary background check on potential students would even consider extending an invitation to him. No one would want a blemish on their record by associating with a criminal element like him after all.

However, Yukio expressed none of these thoughts to the officer and merely scratched his head with a fake expression of embarrassment.

"In any case, everything seems to check out. Let me welcome you to Maiami City, and wish you the best of luck in the Championship. I'll root for you as well, so do your best!"

The man had such a jovial attitude that Yukio couldn't help but let out an honest smile.

"Thank you very much for your support."

After that small exchange, Yukio left the station behind and began an aimless walk around the city. Although he could head for the accommodations provided to him by the Leo Corporation for the duration of his stay in Maiami City, Yukio figured a nice stroll might help him clear his head a bit.

True to its reputation as one of the most highly advanced cities in the country, Maiami City's central roads gave off a sense of beauty and order one would be hard-pressed to find in other similar cities. The two rivers that crossed the city also contributed to this idyllic atmosphere. Looking around a bit, Yukio easily spotted the Maiami Stadium, where the upcoming Championship would take place.

A while later, Yukio found himself in front of the city's most distinguished landmark, a large tower which contained both the headquarters of the Leo Corporation and the Leo Duel School, or LDS for short, the most prestigious Duel School in the world. Since several students could be seen flocking outside at the moment, Yukio safely assumed that classes were over for the day.

A sense of unease crept up inside Yukio at the sight of the tower, which reminded him that the fact he had been invited to participate in the Maiami Championship was nothing less than bizarre. He was admittedly a skilled Duelist, whose win rate was about 80 percent, making him an ideal participant in that regard. However, there was no way Akaba Reiji, host of the tournament and head of the Leo Corporation, wasn't fully aware of every detail surrounding his past. So then why? Why did he invite him to the tournament even though his presence there could prove disrupting?

I wonder if it's because of these strange cards I obtained…

Yukio pulled out one of his monster cards. While half of it was colored orange like an Effect Monster, the other half was colored green like a Spell Card. Furthermore, two jewels colored red and blue with numbers underneath them were prominent in the sides of the card.

That made two strange occurrences happening to him over the past days. First, it was the bizarre dreams, and then it was the sudden transformation of some of his cards. The details were a bit blurry, but he was certain the cards changed while he was watching a duel between the Duel Champion, Strong Ishijima, and some fellow named Sakaki Yuya, the son of the famous Dueltainer, Sakaki Yusho. If he recalled correctly, this Yuya kid had seized victory by utilizing an unheard before method of summoning, Pendulum Summon, to overpower Strong Ishijima.

Is it possible that the same power has been granted to me?

Certainly, the cards looked quite similar to the ones Sakaki Yuya had used. Unfortunately, he hadn't had the chance to test them in a duel so far to confirm their power. And what a shame that was, since he had thought up of quite a few nice combos with them. Oh well, he'd get his chance soon enough.

Regardless, since he had never used them so far, it was highly unlikely that Leo Corporation knew about the fact he possessed Pendulum cards. Of course, this meant that some other purpose was behind his participation, but he couldn't for the life of him fathom Akaba Reiji's reasons.

Oh well, no use worrying about things outside of my control. When something happens, I'll deal with it.

Suddenly, Yukio clutched his chest as he experienced a stab of pain. As if driven by some instinct, he rushed towards an alleyway next to LDS, only to find…absolutely nothing there.

"What the Hell, man…? Now, you're chasing after ghosts, too? Get your act together…"

Slapping his cheeks, Yukio resumed his walk, unaware that a masked man had been standing there only seconds ago…

The sun was slowly setting as Yukio made his way to the harbor. The sight of the sea always had a calming effect on his mood, which had become pretty sour due to all the conspiracy theories he had been cooking up about his participation in the tournament all afternoon. It was probably about time to call it a day and get some rest.

—At least that was the plan until he noticed a pink-haired girl heading towards one of the warehouses with a determined expression on her face. Upon taking a closer look, he couldn't help but feel that there was something familiar about this girl. So, before he could question himself as to what exactly he was doing, he found himself discreetly following after her.

If someone sees me right now, I'll definitely be labeled as a stalker! And there's nothing I can say in my defense since I'm totally stalking her!

Despite that very logical statement, Yukio still pursued the girl and saw her entering one of the warehouses. Soon afterwards, raised voices could be heard from inside, prompting Yukio to rush towards the aforementioned warehouse, only to see the girl in question glaring at four boys inside, all dressed in LDS's school uniform. One of them, a boy with brown and blond hair glared back at the girl with a furious expression.

"You… I'll make you regret not knowing your place!"

The boy placed a Duel Disk on his hand, but at that moment—

"Hold your horses!"

—Yukio kicked the door open and stepped inside, prompting every person in the room to turn to him with astonished expressions.

"Huh? Who the Hell are you!?"

Instead of answering the blond-haired boy, Yukio shook his head in disappointment.

"Four guys ganging up on a single girl… What has the world come to? Or do the proud Duelists of LDS only know how to resort to underhanded methods in order to defeat their opponents? Well, I guess it's to be expected from pampered Duelists with sub-par skills like you people."

Needless to say, the blond-haired boy was outraged at this.

"What did you say!? Do you even know who you're antagonizing, you lowlife!? I'm the great Sawatari Shingo, LDS's finest duelist!"

Yukio turned to the girl with a curious expression, pointing at Sawatari.

"Should I know this guy? Is he famous or something?"

"Famous for being a total loser." The pink-haired girl responded, prompting a tick mark to appear on Sawatari's head. "But more importantly, this is my Duel! I don't need help from random strangers butting in out of the blue!"

"I'm Tachibana Yukio." Yukio said with a pleasant smile. "What's your name, miss?"

"Hiiragi Yuzu. But I still—"

"Well, Yuzu-san," Yukio interrupted her, "since we're not random strangers anymore, you can allow me to duel this buffoon in your place, right? I would hate to see a pretty flower such as yourself get damaged."

Yuzu blushed a bit at that statement while Sawatari snorted in scorn.

"Well, look at Mister Casanova go. Who do you think you are, some sort of knight who came to rescue his princess?"

"Me, a knight?" Yukio pointed at himself after placing his Duel Disk on his right hand. "Nah, I'm more like the scoundrel who's come to stir up some chaos! So, shall we duel already or are you just going to keep standing there looking like a complete dork?"

"Running off that foul mouth of yours non-stop… Very well! It's a good opportunity to test out my new Deck. I'll show you the difference in our skills and have you beg for mercy afterwards!"

"What a coincidence. I was planning to do the same!"

[Duel!]

The two of them shouted in unison upon activating their Duel Disks.

Yukio – LP: 4000

Sawatari – LP: 4000

"I'll take the first turn." Yukio declared. "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Next, I Set a monster in face-down position, and then I place two cards face-down. Turn end."

Sawatari snorted at that.

"You talked pretty big before, but what's up with that pathetic opening move? If that's all you've got, this Duel is going to be a walk in the park for the great New Sawatari!"

Geez, it's just the first turn and the guy's acting like he's won the Duel already. And what's up with that 'New Sawatari' thing?

Yukio couldn't help but feel that the LDS student he was facing was probably quite the arrogant windbag. If so, that Duel would be even easier than he thought.

"Now sit back and observe how a real pro fights." Sawatari declared confidently. "It's my turn! Draw!"

Sawatari grinned upon checking out his hand.

"Since my opponent has two face-down cards, I can Special Summon Escher the Frost Vassal (Water/Aqua/Effect/ATK: 800/DEF: 1000/ LV: 3) from my hand."

A warrior with ice armor appeared, sitting cross-legged.

"Now, I release Escher to Advance Summon Mobius, the Frost Monarch (Water/Aqua/Effect/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1000/LV: 6) in attack mode!"

Escher disappeared as a towering warrior with pure white armor took its place.

"Mobius' effect activates!" Sawatari declared gleefully. "When this card is Advanced Summoned, I can destroy up to two Spell or Trap Cards on the field, which means that your face-downs are done for! Go, Mobius! Freeze Burst!"

A raging snowstorm was suddenly conjured on the field, blowing away Yukio's face-down cards.

"However, don't get complacent. We're just getting started here. I activate the Spell Card, Advance Carnival from my hand. If I Advanced Summoned this turn, this card allows me to Advance Summon once more! I release Mobius to bring forth Mobius, the Mega Monarch (Water/Aqua/Effect/ATK: 2800/DEF: 1000/LV: 8)!"

Mobius disappeared and was replaced with an even bulkier version of himself. However, Yukio was unfazed by this sight, retaining his calm composure.

"Normally, I would need two tributes to summon Mobius, the Mega Monarch." Sawatari explained. "However, I can Advance Summon it by tributing one other Advanced Summoned Monster. And now, it's time for battle! Mobius, rip to shreds his last pathetic line of defense! Imperial Charge!"

Several large ice spikes suddenly grew from Mobius' armor as it rushed forward, impaling Yukio's face-down Monster, which was revealed to be a small child dressed as a mage holding a miniature wand and book.

"I activate the effect of Initiate Magician (Dark/Spellcaster/Effect/ATK: 1000, DEF: 600/ LV: 2)." Yukio stated. "When this card is sent to the Graveyard, I can add one "Magician" Monster from my Deck to my hand. I choose Dragonpit Magician."

"Then, I place one card face-down and end my turn." Sawatari announced before turning to his underlings. "What do you think of my perfect dueling, everyone?"

"As expected of our Sawatari-san, the ace of LDS!"

"You're in tip-top shape as always!"

"This snot-nosed brat doesn't stand a chance against you!"

Next to Yukio, Yuzu looked like she wanted to throw up at this display of unfounded confidence and vanity, a sentiment that was mirrored by Yukio. It looked like Sawatari Shingo had a rather unhealthy amount of pride in himself. The instant dislike he had felt towards that guy was only increasing with every nonsense he and the peanut gallery spouted.

"And what about you, amateur-kun? Did you get a good feel of my abilities? Have you finally understood with whom you're messing with? If you sincerely prostrate before me and apologize, I'll treat this whole incident as water under the bridge and let you go without any further fuss. What do you say?"

"…It appears I should indeed apologize. You're not a third-rate duelist as I initially believed."

Yukio's unexpected statement prompted Yuzu to look at him in shock and Sawatari's underlings to snicker. Meanwhile, Sawatari was extending his chest, proud as a peacock.

"Yes, yes, that's right. Keep it coming."

"You're actually a seventh-rate Duelist at best. I grossly overestimated your abilities."

"That's right and don't you-wait, what did you say!?"

"I'm saying that if you're supposed to be the ace of LDS, their standards must be abysmally low." Yukio elaborated. "Even a monkey can duel better than you."

This comment prompted Yuzu to chuckle, while Sawatari looked like he was about to explode from his anger.

"You little… You dare further insult the great Sawatari Shingo even though I graciously offered to forgive you!? Very well, I'll make sure to crush you with my flawless dueling and leave you writhing in the ground like a worm!"

"The only one who's getting crushed is you." Yukio declared. "My turn! Draw! I activate the effect of Revival Zero from my Graveyard. By banishing it, I can add one Ritual Monster or Ritual Spell Card from my Deck or Graveyard to my hand. I choose Karma Manifestation from my Deck."

"Ritual?" Sawatari sneered. "You actually use that outdated form of summoning? I guess I was right when I pegged you for a total beginner. Nowadays, summoning has evolved way past such obsolete methods."

Instead of answering, Yukio smirked. So Sawatari Shingo wanted to see a brand-new form of summoning? Well, who was he to go against his wishes? Plus, it was a golden opportunity to test out his new cards in an actual Duel.

"If that's the case, you're going to love this then. With the Scale 1 Dragonpulse Magician and the Scale 8 Iris Magician, I Set the Pendulum Scale!"

Yukio placed his two cards in the Pendulum Zones, causing the word 'Pendulum' to appear on his Duel Disk as two pillars of light emerged on both his sides, with Dragonpulse Magician and Iris Magician rising up from within them until the eventually came to a stop, with their respective Scale appearing underneath them in glowing numbers.

"With this, I can summon Monsters with Levels 2 through 7 simultaneously! Guided by destiny's hand, cross the walls of space and time and manifest a new possibility! Pendulum Summon! Appear now, my Monsters!"

A large gate appeared between the pillars of light, with a light emerging out of it and solidifying into the form of a Monster.

"First up, it's Dragonpit Magician (Water/Spellcaster/Pendulum/ATK: 900/DEF: 2700/LV: 7/ SC: 8). Then, I Normal Summon Null Magician (Dark/Spellcaster/Effect/ATK: 800/DEF: 300/LV: 1)."

Two magicians appeared on the field, the first dressed in an intricate navy blue robe and holding a thick wand with a circle formed by scales orbiting its edge, and the second wearing a crimson robe and bearing two wands with the slashed zero symbol on their edges.

"No way… Pendulum Summon!?"

"He's got cards that are similar to that Sakaki Yuya's ones!?"

"Oh crap, if that's the case, Sawatari-san's in trouble!"

Needless to say, Sawatari's goons were shocked at the sudden appearance of Pendulum Summoning out of nowhere. Meanwhile, Yuzu was gazing at Yukio with an astonished expression.

"Just like Yuya…you also have these Pendulum cards? How's this possible? Where did you get them?"

"I'd love to answer that, but you'd probably think I'm crazy so I won't bother." Yukio responded.

"Calm down, everyone." Sawatari addressed his underlings, trying really hard to appear calm despite being shaken by the unexpected appearance of Pendulum Cards. "Even if he can use the same cheat as Sakaki Yuya, he's still no match for me. I mean, look at his monsters! He only summoned two of them with incredibly low attacks. They don't stand a chance against Mobius's attack of 2800!"

"Alright, first of all, cheat?" Yukio said. "As you can see, my Duel Disk is recognizing this summoning method as proper and legal. And second…when you're dealing with magicians, things aren't always as they appear to be."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're about to find out. I activate the Ritual Spell Card Karma Manifestation from my hand. This allows me to Ritual Summon any "Ritual Dragon" Monster as long as I can offer the appropriate tribute. Since the Monster I intend to summon is Level 8, the Monsters currently on my field are more than enough to serve as its tribute."

Following Yukio's words, a large stone altar surrounded by three dragon statues appeared on the field. The two magicians turned into particles and were absorbed by the right-most statue, which let out a brilliant light that engulfed the field.

"What the hell is that!?" Sawatari cried out in alarm.

"Ruthless dragon who dwells within the threads of destiny! With the ancient ritual, be revived in this battlefield and eliminate all those who defy you! Ritual Summon! Appear now, Level 8! Chaos Karma Ritual Dragon (Dark/Dragon/Ritual/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2000/LV: 8)!"

A large, bipedal dragon with blue-colored armor and silver-colored wings appeared on the field, letting loose a thunderous roar, which caused Sawatari's underlings to hide behind several crates in terror, much to Yukio's amusement.

"He used a Pendulum Summon to fuel a Ritual Summon…" Yuzu stared in wonder at the sight unfolding before her. "Pendulum Ritual… I never thought such a thing was possible…"

Sweat formed on Yukio's forehead. The way she said this made him seem like he had made some sort of ground-breaking discovery. Using his Pendulum Summon in order to gather materials necessary for any other form of summon was a possibility that had occurred to him almost immediately after figuring out how Pendulum Summoning worked. It was the logical next step for him. But it seemed like her friend, Sakaki Yuya, hadn't arrived at that step yet.

Suddenly, Sawatari clapped.

"Yes, that's a very impressive monster you've got there, you third-rate Duelist. However, in case you haven't noticed, its attack is equal to my Mobius, meaning that the Ritual Monster you worked so hard to get out is completely useless. Attack and both our Monsters will be destroyed, leaving you wide open on my next turn."

Yukio could swear he heard a growl of indignation from the dragon at Sawatari's boasting. It was something that happened quite often to him, being able to somehow sense Duel Monsters' feelings and emotions as preposterous as that sounded. This sensation was intensified even further whenever he dueled in Real Solid Vision systems, making him wonder sometimes if he was going insane.

His mental state aside, Yukio was quite livid with rage inside even though he appeared to be perfectly calm outside. Chaos Karma Ritual Dragon was the first card he ever got and held great sentimental value for him. Sawatari could insult him all he wanted, but he'd be damned if he allowed the little prick to insult Chaos Karma and not receive punishment.

"You know, Sawatari, you should stop making baseless assumptions. It just makes you look even more stupid in the long run."

"What was that!?"

"I activate Chaos Karma Ritual Dragon's effect! Once per turn, I can target one Level 5 or higher Monster my opponent controls and destroy it! Go, Chaos Karma! Tear Mobius to shreds! Atropos Slash!"

The dragon's claws elongated at Yukio's command. Then, with a slashing motion, Mobius was ripped to pieces.

"My Mobius!" Sawatari cried out.

"That's not all. When Chaos Karma Ritual Dragon destroys a Monster through its effect, half its attack or defense, whichever is higher, is inflicted to you as damage. Mobius' attack was 2800; therefore, you take 1400 damage."

The elongated claws of the dragon shot forward, striking Sawatari's body.

"Guwaaaaaa!" Sawatari cried out.

Sawatari – LP: 4000→2600

"But, I now activate my Trap Card, Emperor's Buster!" Sawatari declared. "When a Monarch monster on my side of the field is destroyed, I can destroy one of your Monsters! So say goodbye to your dragon!"

"I don't think so." Yukio responded in return. "I banish Tense Great Shield from my Graveyard to activate its effect. By halving Chaos Karma's attack (ATK: 2800→1400) until the End Phase, it cannot be destroyed by card effects for this turn. Now, Chaos Karma Ritual Dragon, attack Sawatari directly! Samsara Breath!"

The dragon opened his maw and unleashed a torrent of azure flames towards Sawatari, who emerged from the conflagration with his clothes smoking. Chaos Karma let out a satisfied snort at this.

Sawatari – LP: 2600→1200

"Oh my, you aren't looking so well there, LDS's ace-san." Yukio commented with a mocking tone. "Finally feeling the heat a bit, aren't we?"

"Hah! I'll praise you for inflicting some damage on me, but no matter what you do, the outcome of this match won't change. Victory is still going to be mine!"

Good God, that guy's so full of himself. Yukio thought in exasperation.

"Whatever. Turn end. At this moment, Tense Great Shield's effect ends, returning Chaos Karma's attack to normal (ATK: 1400→2800)."

"Then, it's my turn! Draw! I activate from my hand the Spell Card Succession of the Monarchs. With this, I can banish one Monarch monster from my Graveyard to special summon another Monarch with the same level. I banish Mobius to Special Summon Thestalos, the Firestorm Monarch (Fire/Pyro/Effect/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1000/LV: 6)!"

A large warrior with a red-colored armor appeared on Sawatari's field.

"Thanks to Succession of the Monarchs, Thestalos's effect is negated, but he gains 1000 extra attack points (ATK: 2400→3400)! Now he's more than a match for your dragon! Go, Thestalos! Erase that flying lizard! Flame Saber!"

Thestalos conjured a large broadsword made of flames and swung it down at Chaos Karma, bisecting it and causing a large explosion.

"Tch. I activate the effect of Null Magician in my Graveyard. By banishing it, I can reduce one instance of damage to 0."

I'm sorry, Chaos Karma. Yukio inwardly apologized to his dragon. However, I'll make sure to avenge your loss.

"I end my turn with this." Sawatari declared confidently. "You're as stubborn as a cockroach. No matter, you may have avoided receiving damage, but your field is wide open and you have no cards on your hand, while I have my 3400 attack Thestalos. Don't you think it's about time you yield to my perfect dueling and acknowledge your loss?"

"Are you still on about that, Sawatari?" Yukio shook his head in exasperation. Then, his gaze hardened, causing everyone to flinch from the pressure he was exuding. "Here's a lesson for you, brat. As long as your opponent even has a single life point left, the match is not decided. Now, as for payment for this lesson…I think I'll settle for the remainder of your life points."

"N-Nonsense! You're just bluffing!"

"I guess we'll find out soon enough, won't we? My turn! Draw! I activate the Spell Card Magic Reconstruction. By banishing one Spell Card from my Graveyard, I can copy its effects. The one I choose is Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards!"

Yukio smiled upon seeing what he had drawn. Perfect.

"Using my already set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon Dragonpit Magician from my Extra Deck and Dharma-Eye Magician (Light/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 2000/DEF: 2500/LV: 7/SC: 2) from my hand."

Dragonpit Magician emerged once more from the Pendulum Scale alongside a new magician dressed in gold and black robes with an oversized cylinder at the edge of his wand.

"Wasn't Dragonpit Magician tributed earlier?"

"Yeah, so how did it revive from the Extra Deck?"

"Don't tell me…Pendulum Monsters actually go the Extra Deck upon destruction!? How's that possible!?"

"To think that cowardly Pendulum Summoning had such tricks up its sleeve…" Sawatari commented in irritation.

The only spectator unsurprised by this was Yuzu, who was already aware of this special property available to Pendulum Monsters thanks to Yuya's duel with Sora.

"Now then, a little quiz for the self-proclaimed LDS ace." Yukio stated in a playful tone. "Since I have two monsters with the same Level on my side of the field, what will be my next move~?"

Sawatari seemed confused at first, but then a look of shock crossed his face as he came to a sudden realization.

"Two Level 7 monsters… It can't be…Xyz Summon!?"

"Ding-ding! Correct! And as a reward, you get to be defeated by one of my most magnificent dragons! I Overlay my Level 7 Dragonpit Magician and Dharma-Eye Magician!"

Following Yukio's declaration, the two Magicians turned into light and entered into a galaxy-like portal, much to the astonishment of everyone present.

"Dragon born from pitch-black darkness and obscured by the stars' radiance! Become the avatar of wrath and let your furious cry resonate across the cosmos! Xyz Summon! Appear now, Rank 7! Dark Anthelion Dragon (Dark/Dragon/Xyz/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500/R: 7/SC: 10/OU: 2)!"

From within a column of lightning, a black dragon with several white armor parts and glowing orbs on it emerged, two glowing spheres of light orbiting it. The dragon eyed Sawatari with a hungry look, as if looking forward to consume the Duelist. Yukio had every intention to let it do so.

"A Special Summon directly from the Extra Deck…"

"And an Xyz Summon to boot…"

"Only the top students at LDS choose to take the Xyz course. How does a punk like him know how to Xyz Summon…?"

"Pendulum, Ritual and now Xyz…" Yuzu murmured, looking amazed at the sight. "To have mastered all these summoning methods, just how skilled are you, Yukio-san?"

"Don't make me laugh." Sawatari said with a dismissive attitude. "I'll praise you for executing an Xyz Summon, but even if that new dragon of yours has 3000 attack, it's no match for my Thestalos's 3400 attack!"

"Conceited as always I see." Yukio let out another sigh. "No choice then, I'll beat it into your skull, your true standing that is! I activate Dark Anthelion Dragon's effect! By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can halve your monster's attack until the End Phase!"

"What did you say!?" Sawatari yelled in surprise.

"Go, Dark Anthelion! Absorb Eclipse!"

In response to Yukio's command, one of the glowing orbs of light orbiting Dark Anthelion disappeared. Following that, the dragon's wings spread open and tendrils of darkness erupted from them, binding Thestalos.

(Thestalos ATK: 3400→1700)

"Furthermore, Dark Anthelion's attack increases by the amount of attack your monster lost (Dark Anthelion ATK: 3000→4700), and my Life Points increase by the same amount as well."

Yukio – LP: 4000→5700

"Now, the finale!" Yukio declared while pointing at Sawatari. "Dark Anthelion, attack his Thestalos and finish this!"

"Not so fast!" Sawatari yelled. "When a Monarch monster on my side of the field is targeted for an attack, I can banish Emperor's Buster from my Graveyard to destroy the attacking Monster and inflict its attack as damage to you! This match is mine!"

"Nice going, Sawatari-san!" One of his lackeys cheered. "Show that arrogant brat what happens to idiots who mess with you!"

"If this effect resolves, you'll take huge damage and Sawatari will easily finish you off next turn!" Yuzu cried out in alarm. "Do something, Yukio-san!"

However, Yukio seemed completely relaxed if his smile was anything to go by.

"No need to worry, Yuzu-san. Didn't you hear what I said earlier? This is the finale of our little performance."

Yukio then turned to Sawatari.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Sawatari, but Dark Anthelion cannot be destroyed the turn it activated its effect. Your last resort has failed."

"Ehhhhhhhhh!? This cannot be!" Sawatari yelled with a comical look.

"My attack continues! Dark Anthelion Dragon, eliminate Thestalos! Dawn of the Dark!"

The dragon was surrounded by an aura of darkness, which converged in front of its maw and was unleashed in the form of pitch-black stream that blasted Thestalos. The ensuing explosion blasted Sawatari back, with the Duelist letting out a shrill shriek not unlike that of a girl's upon crashing on the wall.

Sawatari – LP: 1200→0

Yukio: WIN

"Sawatari-san!"

While the trio of underlings surrounded their fallen boss, Yuzu approached Yukio.

"That was some pretty top-notch dueling back there, Yukio-san." She commented.

"Thank you. Although with such an amateurish opponent, anyone can seem like a pro in comparison."

"Heh, I guess that's true." Yuzu said with a chuckle. Then, her brow suddenly furrowed as she began examining Yukio's face. "Hey, now that I look at you closely…your face resembles Yuya's a bit. If it weren't for your heterochromia, I would have sworn you were twins or something…"

Yukio found that a bit odd, but before they could delve more deeply into that matter, Sawatari's groans as he slowly got up got their attention.

"I can't believe it… Even with my new, all-powerful Deck, I, New Sawatari, lost to some no-name, third-rate Duelist? What sick joke is this!?"

It looks like he's still singing the same tune as before. Yukio thought in exasperation.

"A word of advice for you, Sawatari." Yukio spoke, causing Sawatari and his goons to turn towards him. "Your tactics were painfully obvious during the course of our Duel, making it easy for me to anticipate your moves. I suggest you refine them and tone down that overconfidence of yours a bit or else you will never be able to stand up to a skilled opponent."

Before Sawatari could responded in any manner, one of his underlings stepped forward and glared at Yukio.

"Don't get a big head just because you somehow got lucky enough to defeat Sawatari-san, punk!"

"That's right!" Another underling cut in. "Also, you insulted our school and we just can't let that pass!"

"That's why, you'll be dueling us now!"

The trio of LDS students pulled out their Duel Disks.

"OK then, Round 2 it is then!" Yukio said with apparent excitement. "In that case, I'll wipe the floor with all three of you at the same time."

"Let me join in as well, Yukio-san." Yuzu declared resolutely. "I'm the one who picked up a fight with them in the first place, so I should Duel them as well."

"Suit yourself. The more the merrier."

However, just as the Duel was about to start—

"Wait."

—a person suddenly appeared at the warehouse entrance. The new arrival was dressed in a punk-style outfit, with a dull green formal shirt, dark blue tie and a red scarf on his neck, as well as a black cape-like garment with ripped sleeves and edges plus dark blue pants and black boot-like shoes. His hair was colored black in the back and purple in the front, while his face was hidden behind googles and a mask.

At the sight of him, Yukio felt like his heart was constricted for some reason. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, Dark Anthelion was letting out a soft glow.

Without another word, the masked stranger stepped in front of Yukio and Yuzu and activated his Duel Disk. Yukio noted that the intruder's Duel Disk was unlike anything he had ever seen before, much to his surprise.

"What? Are you their friend or something?"

In response to Underling A (as Yukio decided to call Sawatari's flunkies), the masked Duelist—said absolutely nothing.

Is he supposed to be the strong, silent type? Yukio wondered. Whatever the case, these three's challenge had been directed to him and he wasn't about to let anyone else butt in.

"Hey, masked weirdo." Yukio addressed the intruder. "I don't know what your business is with these guys, but kindly wait for your turn. We're in the middle of something here."

The unknown Duelist made no indication that he had heard Yukio's words at first, but eventually spoke.

"…I have something important to ask of these people. Please, don't interfere."

Yukio usually wasn't one for fulfilling requests from total strangers, but something in that fellow's tone convinced him to back down here.

"Well, considering that I also willfully barged in on Yuzu-san's Duel, I can't really complain now. Knock yourself out."

"…Thank you."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Yuzu complained with a scowl. "That makes two random strangers getting in the way of my Duels now, and I won't stand for it!"

Before Yukio could say anything, the masked Duelist turned to her and grabbed her hand gently.

"Please, stay back. I don't want you to get hurt anymore."

"E-Eh?"

Needless to say, Yuzu turned as red as a tomato, while Sawatari's goons broke into laughter.

"It looks like we have another wannabe knight in our midst!" Underling B commented gleefully.

"No matter, let's get rid of him quickly. Then, we can focus on making that Tachibana Yukio pay." Underling C stated.

All four Duelists activated their Duel Disks.

[Duel!]

Masked Duelist – LP: 4000

Underling A – LP: 4000

Underling B – LP: 4000

Underling C – LP: 4000

"I'll take the first turn!" Underling A declared. "I activate the Spell Card Level Down. By discarding one card from my hand, I can now reduce the Level of all Monsters on my hand by 2. That means this Level 5 Monster on my hand can be summoned without a tribute since it's now Level 3. Come, Power Darts Shooter (Earth/Machine/Effect/ATK: 1800/ DEF: 700/ LV: 5→3)!"

A robot with orange armor and an oversized armament filled with darts equipped on its right hand appeared on the field.

"I place one card face-down and end my turn, with Power Darts Shooter's Level returning to normal (3→5)."

"My turn!" Underling B declared. "Draw! I activate the Spell Card Level Succession. This enables me to target one monster on the field and Special Summon one Monster which is one Level higher than the target. In exchange, I cannot Normal Summon this turn. I target the Level 5 Power Darts Shooter to summon Rocket Darts Shooter (Earth/Machine/Effect/ATK: 1900/ DEF: 100/ LV: 6)!"

Another robot with pink-colored armor and an oversized armament filled with darts equipped on its right hand appeared, making Yukio wonder what the deal with all the dart monsters was. Were all of Sawatari's flunkies running Decks with the same archetype?

"Since we're in Battle Royal Mode, no player can attack on the first turn, so I'll settle for placing one card face-down and end my turn."

"Then, it's my turn!" Underling C shouted. "Draw! I also activate Level Succession and target Rocket Darts Shooter. This allows me to Special Summon Ultimate Darts Shooter (Earth/Machine/Effect/ATK: 2400/DEF: 300/LV: 7)!"

Yet another robotic warrior with blue-colored armor similar to the previous ones appeared on the field.

"Furthermore, I activate the Continuous Spell Card Machine Fortification. This enables all Machine-type Monsters on the field to gain 300 attack for every Machine-type Monster on the field. Since there are three Machine-type Monsters, they gain 900 extra attack each (Power Darts Shooter ATK: 1800→2700, Rocket Darts Shooter ATK: 1900→2800, Ultimate Darts Shooter ATK: 2400→3300)!"

Yukio was sure something was up. How was it possible that all of Sawatari's flunkies had a copy of Level Succession in their hands and each of them had a Monster with exactly one Level higher than the previous one, allowing them to pull off their combo flawlessly? Were these lowlifes cheating? Quite possible, but since he had no proof, he couldn't say anything. Next to him, Yuzu was looking at the unfolding Duel with evident concern.

"I place a card face-down and end my turn." Underling C stated. "Now, it's your turn, knight-kun."

"My turn." The masked Duelist announced. "Draw."

After checking the cards on his hand, he remarked with apparent disappointment.

"So weak…"

"What's the matter, knight-kun?" Underling A sneered. "Did you have a bad draw? If that's the case, too bad for you. When our next turn comes, we'll pulverize you mercilessly!"

"That's wrong. I wasn't talking about my cards. I was referring to you three."

Sawatari's cronies were stunned by the abrupt announcement, while the masked Duelist forged on undaunted.

"I can feel neither the sharpness of a blade nor the power of a bullet from your Dueling. In other words, you're too soft and naïve. The same thing goes for that fellow who lost the earlier Duel."

"What did you say!?" Sawatari shouted in indignation. "Those guys are one thing, but I won't allow you to mock my Dueling! You three, hurry up and finish him so that I can get a turn as well! I'll show him his place!"

Yukio couldn't help but be a bit impressed with Sawatari's perseverance. He got his butt kicked not even five minutes ago, yet here he was now, ready to challenge another Duelist.

"There's also one more thing you're mistaken about."

The masked Duelist stated, looking like he hadn't paid the least bit of attention to Sawatari's words.

"There won't be a next turn for you three."

"Hah, are you saying you'll somehow finish all three of us in this turn?" Underling A said in a mocking tone. "There's a limit to how conceited you can be! I activate my Trap Card, Explosive Darts! During either player's End Phase, I can tribute one Darts Monster I control and inflict half its attack as damage to my opponent!"

"I also activate my own Trap, Explosive Darts!" Underling B declared. "Now I can also tribute a Darts Monster and inflict half its attack to you as damage!"

"And don't forget about me!" Underling C grinned maliciously. "I also activate Explosive Darts! Now, when your End Phase comes, you'll take a grand total of 4400 damage! How's that, knight-kun!?"

OK, Yukio was now certain that these bastards were cheating. The earlier combo might have been excused as extremely good luck, but all of them having the same Trap on their hands as well was practically impossible. What a sorry excuse for Duelists this pathetic bunch was.

However, the masked Duelist looked completely unfazed as he made his move.

"I summon Phantom Knights Ragged Glove (Dark/Warrior/Effect/ATK: 1000/DEF: 500/LV: 3) in attack mode. Then, since I control a Phantom Knights monster, I can Special Summon Phantom Knights Silent Boots (Dark/Warrior/Effect/ATK: 200/DEF: 1200/LV: 3) from my hand."

Two eerie monsters resembling ghosts appeared on the masked Duelist's field.

"Next, I activate the Spell Card Phantom Knights' Promotion. This increases the Level of all Phantom Knights monsters on the field by one (Ragged Glove LV: 3→4, Silent Boots LV: 3→4). I Overlay my now Level 4 Ragged Glove and Silent Boots!"

Like before, the two monsters turned into light and sank inside a galaxy-like portal.

"He can also Xyz Summon!?" Sawatari yelled in surprise.

"Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs!" The masked Duelist chanted. "Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (Dark/Dragon/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/R: 4/OU: 2)!"

Accompanied by flashes of lightning, a pitch-black dragon appeared on the field, two Overlay Units orbiting it. At the sight of this dragon, Yukio felt a chill go down his spine. That beast…was exuding a deep, terrible anger, looking like it wished for nothing more than to tear everything down with its claws and fangs. He had never felt anything like that before and it honestly made him afraid.

"Since Dark Rebellion was Xyz Summoned by using Phantom Knights Ragged Glove as an Xyz Material, it gains 1000 attack (Dark Rebellion ATK: 2500→3500)." The masked Duelist declared. "Now, I activate Dark Rebellion's effect. By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can halve the attack of one of your Level 5 or higher monsters until the End Phase and my monster gains attack equal to the lost amount."

"Stealing a monster's attack and adding it to its own…" Sawatari wondered. "Oi, isn't that the same as Tachibana Yukio's dragon!? As I thought, are you guys comrades or something!?"

Isn't that a pretty big leap of logic, Sawatari? Yukio inwardly wondered. Just because our monsters have similar effects it means we're comrades? Get real.

"I target Ultimate Darts Shooter. Go, Dark Rebellion! Treason Discharge!"

The moveable pars of Dark Rebellion's wings opened and streams of lightning were unleashed towards Ultimate Darts Shooter, constricting it.

(Ultimate Darts Shooter ATK: 3300→1650, Dark Rebellion ATK: 3500→5150)

"I use my remaining Overlay Unit to once more activate my dragon's effect and target Rocket Darts Shooter. One more time, Dark Rebellion! Treason Discharge!"

Following its master's command, the dragon unleashed another stream of lightning, binding Rocket Darts Shooter this time.

(Rocket Darts Shooter ATK: 2800→1400, Dark Rebellion ATK: 5150→6550)

"W-Well, that's an impressive amount of attack there." Underling A said while struggling to keep a confident expression. "However, it still can't attack since it's your first turn, making it a mere paper tiger."

"I activate the Spell Card Phantom Knights' Retribution from my hand." The masked Duelist stated. "By sending one Phantom Knights monster from my Deck to the Graveyard, I can target one Dark monster I control. Then, that monster's attack is dealt as damage to my opponents!"

[What did you say!?]

Sawatari's flunkies were all shocked by this. Meanwhile, Yukio whistled. The masked Duelist was correct in his assessment; there would be no next turn. And to think that he pulled off a one-turn-three-kill so easily made him nothing sort of amazing in Yukio's eyes.

"Go, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" The masked Duelist shouted. "Finish them off! Lighting Disobey of Retribution!"

Dark Rebellion howled loudly as it was surrounded by a storm of lightning. Much to Yukio's shock, the stray bolts were actually inflicting damage on the warehouse.

"What the Hell is this!?" Sawatari cried out. "We're not dueling in a Real Solid Vision system, so why are the surroundings taking damage!?"

Before anyone could offer a response to Sawatari's very logical question, the lightning storm exploded outwards, sending the three LDS students, Sawatari and Yukio flying, while the masked Duelist rushed to cover a frozen Yuzu, a stray shard hitting his googles in the process.

Underling A – LP: 4000→0

Underling B – LP: 4000→0

Underling C – LP: 4000→0

Masked Duelist: WIN

"Ow… What the Hell was that…?"

Yukio groggily got up, still feeling somewhat dizzy from the unnatural blast. Taking a quick look around, he noticed that the warehouse was a total mess, small embers flicking everywhere. Thankfully, Yuzu seemed unharmed, and Sawatari's goons were…well, not unharmed, but definitely alive and moving at least.

Meanwhile, the masked Duelist had approached Sawatari, who had slammed into a wall for the second time this day. Poor guy just couldn't catch a break today.

"S-Stay away from me!" Sawatari cried out with evident fear in his voice. "Don't you know who I am!? I'm the great Sawatari Shingo, and my papa is going to be the next mayor of Maiami City! If you so much as harm a single hair on my head, he—"

Sawatari's next words were interrupted when a deformed spear materialized next to the masked Duelist and slammed next to Sawatari's torso, causing him to cry out in alarm.

"I will only ask this once so you'd better answer me properly." The masked Duelist spoke in a menacing tone and took out some sort of badge. "This is from LDS, right?"

"Y-yeah, that's right…"

Sawatari said with a whimper, his former high-and-mighty attitude gone. But Yukio thought that after being almost skewered by a spear, everyone would lose their bravado.

"What's the connection between LDS and Academia?"

"A-Academia? What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me!"

The masked Duelist shouted, prompting Sawatari to flinch.

"I'm not! Everyone from LDS has a badge like this! I don't know anything about any Academia or whatever! Believe me!"

"I see…" The masked Duelist said with a sigh. "Then, we're done here."

At that moment, the stranger removed both his damaged googles and his mask. The illumination from the residual flames was more than enough to allow Yukio to properly see his face. Although he didn't remind him of anyone he knew, that apparently wasn't the case for the rest of the on-lookers.

"Yuya!"

Yuzu cried out in surprise.

"So…it was you…Sakaki Yuya…"

Sawatari muttered so before passing out, forcing his flunkies to carry him while they limped outside as fast as they could, swearing revenge. Yukio ignored them in favor of focusing on the unknown Duelist's face. From what little he had seen of Sakaki Yuya's face in television, it was true that this person was similar to him, and by extension Yukio, but one would be hard-pressed to call them completely identical. But apparently, Yuzu was in too much shock to notice the differences between them as she slowly approached the Duelist.

"Yuya…is that really you? Why are you dressed like that?"

Before the mysterious boy could say anything, Yuzu's bracelet shone intensely. When the light died down, the Duelist was nowhere to be found, much to Yukio's shock.

"…If this is a magic trick, it sure is the most realistic one I have ever seen so far…" Yukio commented upon witnessing this vanishing act.

Meanwhile, Yuzu was busy looking around in bewilderment and calling out Yuya's name. At that moment, a voice from outside also frantically called Yuzu's name.

Following that, a young boy about Yukio's age stepped inside the warehouse. The new arrival had dual-colored green and crimson hair of average length and crimson eyes. He was dressed in a simple orange t-shirt, green pants and magenta shoes, as well as crimson wristbands. He also wore a gold and red lined white school jacket over his shoulders like a cape and a pair of googles on his head. Judging from the televised Duel between him and Strong Ishijima, this was probably the genuine Sakaki Yuya, which begged the question…who was the boy who disappeared moments ago?

"Yuzu!" Yuya said with evident relief. "I finally found you! Are you OK?"

"Yuya… Is that truly you, Yuya?"

"Huh? What are you talking about? Of course I'm me. More importantly, what happened here? Why is this place burning?"

Upon looking around, Yuya spotted Yukio, who also had a troubled expression on his face due to the events that had just transpired.

"Ah, I didn't notice you standing there before." Yuya addressed Yukio with some suspicion and hostility. "Who are you? Are you with Sawatari and his group?"

"Don't be rude, Yuya." Yuzu addressed her friend. "This person helped me out by dealing with Sawatari."

"Oh, is that so? Thank you then. What's your name?"

"I am Tachibana Yukio." Yukio introduced himself. "And you are Sakaki Yuya-kun, I presume?"

"Yuya is just fine, Yukio-san."

"Then, feel free to just call me Yukio as well."

"Very well. Now, can one of you explain to me what just happened here and why Yuzu looks so freaked-out?"

"How about we leave this for tomorrow, Yuya?" Yukio suggested. "I'm currently too mind-blown by everything that just happened to explain things properly. Plus, it's getting late. You had better escort Yuzu-san home."

Yuya considered that for a moment and nodded in assent. Then, he handed Yukio a paper.

"This is the address of You Show Duel School, the prep Duel School Yuzu and I attend." Yuya explained. "If you have time tomorrow, stop by so we can properly thank you."

"Alright. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then, Yuya, Yuzu-san."

And with that, Yukio took his leave, eager to return to his lodging before anything else strange happened to him. One weird incident was more than enough for him, thank you very much.

Of course, little did he know that tonight's events were only the prelude of much bigger things to come…

Meanwhile, in an unknown location…

"President, an urgent report has just come in."

A man with black hair and blue glasses hurriedly approached the office where a bespectacled young man with grey hair and pale skin was sitting. That young man was Akaba Reiji, president of the Leo Corporation and one of the strongest Duelists in the world.

"What is it, Nakajima?"

"We've detected two different Duels where the energy used for summoning far surpassed the usual parameters."

"Hoh? What kind of summoning methods were they?"

"One of them was Xyz, but the other…"

Here, Nakajima hesitated for a moment.

"What about the other?" Reiji urged him on.

"Well, actually, the Duelist in question used three different summoning methods in their Duel, all of them possessing abnormal power. They were Ritual, Xyz…and Pendulum, President."

Reiji cocked his eyebrow in surprise at this.

"Pendulum, you say? Was it Sakaki Yuya? No, that's probably unlikely since there has been no report of him using Ritual and Xyz. So, it's a different Duelist then?"

"That seems to be the case." Nakajima confirmed his superior's suspicion. "The report indicates that the Pendulum Summoning was of a different wavelength, but equal power to that of Sakaki Yuya's."

"I see. Can we identify these Duelists?"

"Regarding the Duelist who used multiple summoning methods, his Duel Disk was connected to the Global Duel Database. I've already asked the specialists to look into it so we should have a name shortly. Since the same doesn't appear to hold true for the Xyz user, we currently have no means available to elucidate his identity."

"No matter. I'm more interested in the new Pendulum user for the moment." Suddenly, the computer in Reiji's office lit up. "Speak of the devil. Let's see with whom we're dealing with."

After reading the sent file for a few seconds, Reiji chuckled.

"President?"

"Fate sure works in mysterious ways, Nakajima." Reiji said with a small smile. "Here, take a look."

Nakajima did as was asked and was surprised by what he saw.

"Tachibana Yukio? Isn't he the boy you invited to participate in the Maiami Championship?"

"Indeed. I thought his past experience might prove useful to us in the future, which is why I decided to scout him. However, to think that he's also a Pendulum user, that was quite unexpected to say the least."

"But, President, there's also the fact that the readings regarding his summoning energy were off the charts." Nakajima pointed out. "If that's the case—"

"—he might be an Academia agent, right?" Reiji finished his subordinate's words. "True, there's also that possibility. I wouldn't put it past that man to have dispatched one or two rats in order to spy on us."

"Then, should we bring him here for questioning?" Nakajima suggested.

"No, we will simply quietly observe him for now. We wouldn't want to scare off a potential ally after all. Time will tell if he will become a valuable asset for our future goals—"

Reiji paused shortly while he straightened his glasses, a sharp glint on his eyes as he stared intently on Yukio's picture.

"—or an enemy that must be eliminated."

Card Corner

Initiate Magician

ATK: 1000, DEF: 600, LV: 2

Dark/Spellcaster/Effect

Monster Effect: If this card is sent to the Graveyard, you can add 1 "Magician" Pendulum Monster from your Deck to your hand.

Null Magician

ATK: 800, DEF: 300, LV: 1

Dark/Spellcaster/Effect

Monster Effect: You can banish this card from your hand or Graveyard; reduce an instance of damage to 0.

Chaos Karma Ritual Dragon

ATK: 2800, DEF: 2000, LV: 8

Dark/Dragon/Ritual/Effect

Monster Effect: You can Ritual Summon this card with "Karma Manifestation". Once per turn, select one of your opponent's level 5 or higher monsters. Destroy it and inflict half its ATK or DEF (whichever is higher) as damage to your opponent.

Dark Anthelion Dragon

ATK: 3000, DEF: 2500, R: 7, SC: 10

Dark/Dragon/Pendulum/Xyz/Effect

2 Level 7 Monsters

Pendulum Effect: Once per turn, if you have no cards in your other Pendulum Zone; you can place 1 Pendulum Monster from your Deck in your Pendulum Zone. If you have 2 Level 7 Monsters on the field, you can special summon this card from your Pendulum Zone, then attach these monsters to it as Xyz Materials.

Monster Effect: Once per turn, during either player's turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to decrease the ATK of an opponent's monster by half and increase this card's ATK by the same amount until the end of this turn, and also gain that same amount of Life Points. This card cannot be destroyed the turn you activated this effect. When this card is destroyed, you can place it in your Pendulum Zone.

Revival Zero

Ritual Spell Card

You can banish this card from your Graveyard; add 1 Ritual Monster or Ritual Spell Card from your Deck or Graveyard to your hand (remaining effect pending).

Karma Manifestation

Ritual Spell Card

This card can be used to Ritual Summon any "Ritual Dragon" monster. You must also tribute monsters whose level is equal to or exceeds their level. You can also use Pendulum Monsters from your Extra Deck as tribute, but they are banished instead of being sent to the Graveyard. If a Ritual Monster on the field is destroyed, you can return this card to your hand.

Magic Reconstruction

Normal Spell Card

Target 1 Normal Spell Card in your Graveyard; banish it and this card gains its effects.

Succession of the Monarchs

Normal Spell Card

You can banish one Monarch monster from your Graveyard; Special Summon a Monarch monster with the same Level from your hand, but its effect is negated and it gains 1000 ATK.

Level Succession

Normal Spell Card

Target one monster with a Level; Special Summon one monster from your hand whose Level is higher than the targeted monster's. You cannot Normal Summon the turn you activated this card.

Machine Fortification

Continuous Spell Card

All Machine-type Monsters on the field gain 300 ATK for every Machine-type Monster on the field.

Phantom Knights' Promotion

Normal Spell Card

Increase the Level of all Phantom Knights monsters on your side of the field by one.

Phantom Knights' Retribution

Normal Spell Card

Target 1 Dark monster on your side of the field. Send one Phantom Knights monster from your Deck to the Graveyard and inflict the targeted monster's ATK as damage to your opponent.

Tense Great Shield

Normal Trap Card

Target one monster on the field; it cannot be destroyed by battle this turn. You can banish this card from your Graveyard to target one monster on the field; it cannot be destroyed by card effects this turn, but its ATK is halved.

Emperor's Buster

Normal Trap Card

If a Monarch monster on your side of the field is destroyed, you activate this card and destroy one of the opponent's monsters. If this card is in your Graveyard while a Monarch monster is targeted for an attack, you can banish it; destroy the attacking monster and inflict its ATK as damage to your opponent.

Explosive Darts

Continuous Trap Card

During either player's End Phase, you can tribute one Darts monster you control; inflict half its ATK as damage to your opponent.

Well, that was Chapter 1. The OC here uses a "Magician" Deck, which will include cards of my own creation along with the Magician Pendulum Monsters that appear in the TCG, but not the anime, along with the manga counterparts of the Four Dimension Dragons and the made-up Chaos Karma Ritual Dragon. Cards used in Duels will mostly have their anime effects, while cards that only appear in the TCG will retain their own effects unless specified otherwise. On the subject of pairings, I'm leaning towards OC x Serena, but that might change in the process.

Since I'm extremely busy this time around, it might be a while before Chapter 2 comes out. Rest assured that I will do my best to write it as quickly as possible though. In the meantime, please read and review. Constructive criticism is appreciated, but not flames, because that's seriously annoying. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Until next time!

Edit: It appears I made a mistake regarding Yukio's first Pendulum Summon. Null Magician is Level 1, so it cannot be summoned through the Pendulum Scale. I rectified it and took the chance to correct some other small mistakes as well.