A/N: It's back! I finally worked up the courage to actually do this and for once fulfilled a promise. Please read the author's note at the end for a more in depth explanation for this first chapter.

A boy of 14 years was traversing the empty corridors of his school, he couldn't believe how far he had come since he first arrived here seven years ago, it took him a long time but he had finally cast away that stupid philosophy of entertainment and smiles for everyone… No… Only the strong could smile as they crushed their opponents, his face twisted into a psychotic smirk as he thought back to when he first arrived here… How feeble he was and how that man saved him.

(Seven years ago)

"Huh?" A small seven year old boy with green and crimson hair wearing orange goggles with a blue star obscuring one lens on his head, an orange t-shirt with green cargo pants and red trainers looked confused to his surrounding area.

"Where am I?" He asked into the empty hallway in front of him, he was scared he didn't know where he was or where his parents were. Things were just getting stranger for him first his favourite card Odd-eyes Dragon had started to glow and then before he knew it he was transported to here with no sign of his parents.

He felt hopelessly trapped, lowering his goggles and burying his head in his hands

However, this stopped when someone came by and placed a firm hand on his head. Looking up he could see it was a man wearing a militaristic purple uniform, as his goggles were removed water gushed out and the man took a closer look at the young boy's face. His eyes widened slightly as he realised something 'It's no coincidence that he shares his face…This is his second part.' He thought quietly into himself, continuing to carefully study the boy's face.

With the water clearing out of his ruddy eyes, the boy was now able to get a closer look at the man in front of him, he wore a purple militaristic outfit with several black buttons, a purple cape with a black ending, and a pair of grey boots. He also has a black belt with a red line which both end in a button on the front, and what appeared to be red circular strings across his chest with a pair of black gloves on his hands.

"What is your name boy?" The man stared directly at the boy who in turn began to answer albeit with a twinge of fear in his voice "Y-Y-Yuya Sakaki-i-i Mr.…"

Sakaki…It couldn't be…Could it? The man was thinking tentatively about what to say next when Yuya's next question snapped him back to reality.

"Do you know where I'm and where my parents are?" The man took his time formulating his response.

When he did he tried his best to soften his expression, even though he knew just who this person was inside "For where you are Yuya, you are at Academia, for where your parents are I don't know." The last part of this sentence caused Yuya to start bawling, it was clear to man that Yuya really missed his home and parents, only action he could take was to comfort Yuya "My name is Leo Akaba but you can refer to me as the Professor." Leo placed a hand on Yuya's shoulder causing Yuya to look up to him with curiosity on his face, "Now then Yuya… A solider doesn't cry!" Yuya was shocked but this outburst caused him to hold back the tirade of tears that wanted to downpour onto the ground before him. "Yuya, come with me." Leo gestured Yuya to follow him down the corridor.

Yuya looked hesitantly into the darkness behind him and then looked towards the backlit professor. He responded shyly "Y-Y-yes Professor."

He really had no idea what was in store for him at that point.

(Six Years ago)

"Do it again!" Came the booming voice of a middle aged, fair-skinned man who had a large messy moustache and short black hair featuring two strands shaped like antennae. He was wearing a black military outfit with a red lining and cuffs over a close-collared white shirt that had a green pattern below the collar, giving the white beneath it the shape of battlements, he also had on a maroon belt with a gold-plated buckle. In his right hand was a red riding crop that was presently inches away from Yuya's face, causing fear to course throughout the eight year old's system.

"I-I'm s-sorry, I just tho…" He was instantly cut off by the resounding thwack of the crop against his thigh and by the blazing eyes of the instructor piercing directly into his soul.

The man, one of the most feared instructors in Academia went by the name of Sanders "You're lucky boy. If the Professor didn't think so highly of you then you'd be in deep trouble. Now! Get out of my sight! Before I make you."

As Sanders towered over Yuya further, the young duelist fell to the ground with the fear evident in his crimson eyes. He quickly scampered away on all fours which then turned into an out and out sprint throughout the halls of what had now become his home.

Once he was absolutely sure that no one was nearby, he collapsed into the wall and ran his sleeve over his eyes, mulling over the past year for him.

After the meeting with the Professor he discovered a few things about this place. 1) They appeared to specialise in Fusion Summoning and unlike back in his home they didn't seem to know any other methods. 2) This place, Academia, was more of a military work camp than it was an actual duel school and they certainly did not take kindly to Yuya's philosophy of entertainment, focusing instead on 'Victory above all else'. Finally, 3) Everyone thought him to be worthless, a piece of low ranking trash that was only hear because the Professor had taken pity on him. That insult from Sanders was just one of the many that had been hurled at him over the past year.

'Worthless… I'm worthless… I don't deserve to be here, I'm just wasting the others' time… I'll never be good enough to be what the Professor…' It seemed as if the insult had finally broken him down. What he saw as constant failures weighed heavily on his mind as he slid further down the wall and crouched into a ball.

The only thing he could will himself to do was not to cry. Oddly enough, the Professor's philosophy and his father's were in fact quite similar. Both preached that giving into your despair was the worst move you could make. If he couldn't do anything else right then he should at least prevent himself from failing his own father.

"Oi, you there." Another mortified look crossed Yuya's expression as that male voice reached his ears, he'd made sure he was the only one here so that could only mean that he was the person in question was referring to.

He tried his best to get up and run away, but for whatever reason, his legs refused to move and he remained glued to his original position. "At least look at me when I speak to you." A hand then made its way into Yuya's face. Unlike what he had expected this hand wasn't one of the teachers or one of those who had bullied him, in fact, he had never seen it or hard this person's voice before now.

"Rei, cut it out, he's not interested. He's too busy wallowing in his own despair, just leave him be." That was the voice of another male he didn't know but it sounded so much more familiar with its scathing tone and the sneer he could practically hear in the voice.

"Hey." There was the first voice again "Just ignore him. My name is Reisuke Hiyama but you can just call me Rei. Li-Li over there is just a bit annoyed that I'm not devoting all of my attention on him." The warmness in the male's voice couldn't be denied as he playfully teased the other one.

Feeling like he could, Yuya looked up and took in the other two people.

One of them, the one with his hand extended, Reisuke, was the taller and older of the two of them being about 5'7 and 11 respectively. His hair was predominantly black but there was a noticeable streak of white in it. Most of it was medium length and the white part was tied into a single braid that hovered above his right shoulder. The rest of it was slicked to the left and looked somewhat like a wing. His eyes were both red and had cat like pupils which gave Yuya the strangest sense of warmth whenever he looked into him. In terms of accessories he wore a singular golden earning his right ear. His clothing consisted of a black shirt with a blue jacket, which Yuya recognised to belong to the more elite Academia duelists. He also wore grey trousers which were tucked into grey boots. His duel disk was strapped to his right arm and was the standard Academia disk but in a matt black colour.

Looking just to the side of Reisuke, Yuya could see the other male who currently had his arms folded and a scowl on his face. The person whom Reisuke had referred to as Li-Li was a boy of about 10 years old and stood at about 5'5. He had long grey hair that was tied into a low ponytail resting on his left shoulder, he wore a blue shirt, a small red crystal earing in his left ear, a pair of black jeans secured by a grey belt, matt black boots with enough polish on them to let Yuya see his reflection even from how far apart they were, he too had his bleach white duel disk on his right arm and was carrying a black notebook in his left hand. "Yali's the name. Rei's a nuisance with names so don't even give him the light of day."

"Aww, come on Li-Li! Y'know you love it!" Reisuke said happily whilst Yali muttered something distinctly like 'Prick' under his breath.

The smile Reisuke had on his face remained Yuya an awful lot of home and of what he had aimed to do after starting his training. Make people smile.

"You mightn't know me, but I know you Yuya." Reisuke said, the joyful voice vanishing from his tone "We're in the same class after all."

"Oh…" Yuya mumbled. For some reason the Professor had placed him in the elite classes of the school but he had been too focused most of the time to let himself get to know people, after all, what was the point if they were just going to insult him and call him the Professor's pet?

When Reisuke looked over his shoulder, Yali sighed and approached Yuya, opening the notebook which was laden with entries about Yuya and as he flipped through multiple pages, the observations just kept coming "Look, I'm not the best at consoling people but what I do know is how people act. You want to get better? You want to impress the Professor?" Yuya nodded vigorously "Then work for it. You'll get nowhere if you sit here in your own sorrow, Academia has no need for the worthless but I can tell by the moves you make when dueling and your little tics that you are far better than that, I'm pretty sure you know that too."

Reisuke's hand had remained ever present in front of Yuya and he was inching closer to accepting it. "Yuya. You don't need to suffer in silence any longer, even if you don't talk to us ever again, we'll watch over you."

That was the kicker as he took Reisuke's hand.

(Current time)

It truly was incredible how much he changed from that snivelling little runt into the person he was today. Honestly if he could travel back in time he'd take Sanders' crop from out of his hand and use it on himself.

He was so much stronger now. He was untouchable, at the top of the hierarchy. Above the Slifer reds, ascendant above the Ra yellows, and certainly he relished the fact he could now quash the Obelisk Blues like the maggots they were.

Walking through the halls as they all grovelled at his might filled him with a rush far greater than his original pitiful entertainment couldn't even match his new and improved version now.

Yuya was snapped out of his reminiscing by a ringing on his duel disk which had changed from his days back home, his old disk had been taken off him soon after he started classes and was replaced by a special one issued and designed by the Professor himself, it was the standard Academia shield but this one was gold tinted with a red rim, when activated the a sword like blade with a red glow would appear. The caller ID brightened Yuya's dull day, it seemed as if the Professor had a special job for him. A massive grin was spread across his face as he made his way to his destiny.

(Leo's Throne Room)

"Ah Yuya you've arrived." Leo was sitting quietly in his throne going through his plans, legs crossed hand on forehead as he saw Yuya approach. "I take it that you got my message."

"I most certainly did Professor," Yuya had grown more smug and arrogant during the time he had spent at Academia "For what is this special mission?"

Leo looked over his favourite solider whose appearance had changed since they first met seven years ago, Yuya had taken to wearing a similarly styled uniform to the Professor it bore resemblance to a military officer's uniform of sorts it consisted of a red waistcoat, a two-part cape of red, a red abbreviated coat with thick cuffs and gold shoulder bands with an amber-coloured setting, fastened at the collar bone, and black trousers tucked into silver-tinted boots but he still retained the googles he had first worn upon his arrival.

Leo stood up from his throne and walked slowly over to Yuya placing a hand on Yuya's shoulder beginning to give the details "You are being sent to the XYZ dimension to recover a very important target to me." Yuya let out a sadistic grin as he heard the XYZ dimension mentioned…He enjoyed watching those XYZ scum squirm as he carded them, it was feelings like those which he now lived for. The Professor continued "I've already sent someone to scout the target just talk him to get the current location…You know what to do next." Yuya's grin widened, "I most certainly do Professor…"

Wearing a hooded cloak Yuya walked out of the room, he took a card out from his deck, "Malevolent flash…" and with that Yuya was on his way to the XYZ dimension.

There was silence for a while before Leo spoke again "You can come out now." He said bluntly as a figure emerged from behind his throne but still stayed shrouded in the darkness, the only visible part was the scar that ran down from his face to his shoulder.

"Ah, so you're finally going to let him loose? I thought it wouldn't be for a while yet before you put your plan into motion." Leo turned his head back at the figure not saying anything, he didn't need to as he was sure that they already knew his thoughts.

"He should be careful. Remember when you sent me there? They're not all helpless vermin."

"Yuya is more than capable of handling them." Leo replied still as calm as ever "As for your earlier request, I'm sure you're perfectly aware of the agreement you two made with me. One of you here, the other in the shadows. My answer is no."

The person growled, greatly disliking the fact his own agreement had backfired on him. "Alright, I accept your rejection. I'll take my leave now." With a sneer in his voice, the figure left the darkness and exited the room.

'I don't know why I bother, why does he need me anyway? He's made that painfully clear.'

(XYZ Dimension)

The XYZ dimension was once a place of peace and prosperity, kids dueling the arenas, people minding their own and families just going about their daily routines. The huge heart shaped tower helped to provide not only a sense of identity to its city's denizens but also the name. Heartland.

However, all that was to change.

It had started rather dramatically with a huge golem suddenly appearing out of nowhere and marching towards the city's walls. Then another followed behind. Then another. Then another.

Soon the walls were swarmed with these mechanical beasts, pounding away and busting through the barrier causing utter pandemonium in the city. Everyone fleeing the creeping purple flames that gouged the city's innards. That was when they saw them.

People wearing brazen blue militaristic uniforms with gold trims and yellow spiked shoulder pads marched in time with the golems. The only visible features of their faces being the sinister smirks they wore as the rest was covered by a three pronged silver mask, which held a different coloured gem in each of them.

It didn't take long for them to overrun the city and it soon fell to the invading Academia forces. However, the citizens weren't down and out. A small group of duelists joined together and formed a resistance to fight the invaders. Taking a red scarf as the symbol of their resistance.

It was in this context that a boy with curly bright red hair and oddly designed clothes was standing silently on top of a roof in the completely annihilated city watching the few remaining citizens collect water. "My patience only lasts so long," the red haired teen sighed "Where is he…?" He repeatedly tapped his foot showing clearly his irritation. At this point a blinding red flash appeared next to the boy causing him to scream comically and fall backwards. "AHH!" The person emerging from the flash deadpanned while looking directly at the red head who got up from the ground.

"Never do that again Yuya." He dusted himself off.

"Oh, don't worry about that Dennis, I won't be around here for long just show me my target and let me do the rest."

Dennis was intimidated by Yuya even under the cloak he was wearing which somewhat covered face he could feel the piercing glare of his crimson eyes. The same eyes that were once fall of joy now served as a grim reminder to Academia's ruthless regime.

"She's over there." Dennis waved towards a girl who had pink eyes, long dark purple hair which extended past her lower back even with it tied up in a bow-shaped style and has shorter, lilac side tails. She secured her hair with a wing-shaped barrette and wore a bracelet with a purple gem in the middle on her right arm. She seemed to know Dennis and happily waved back before continuing her journey to collect water for her comrades.

"Excellent." Yuya licked his lips, jumped down from the roof and with sadistic grin and all chased the girl into the ruins of this city, the girl was caught off guard from this hooded teen quickly approaching and ran away leaving behind the water she was collecting.

The chase continued deep into the ruins of the destroyed city until Yuya finally managed to corner the girl against the ruins of a house.

"Looks like you're out of room." Yuya's face became briefly visible to the girl as he grinned manically. The girl was taken back by the face staring back at her "Yuto?!" she asked shocked that Yuto would do something like this, she thought quickly about what to say next towards her 'childhood friend' and was about to speak when Yuya cut her off.

"I know nothing of this 'Yuto' person but what I do know is that you're coming back with me to Academia!" Yuya's smirk only got wider as he saw the girl strap her duel disk to her arm and ready it. "So you want to do things the hard way," Yuya readied his duel disk in conjunction with his statement "that's great! Because I do enjoy the hard way oh so much!"

"Duel!" Both Yuya and Ruri declared simultaneously.

Yuya's LP: 4000 Ruri's LP: 4000 Cards x5

Turn 1

"He who strikes first wins!" Yuya declared, signalling his intent to start the duel.

Ruri was bracing herself for the incoming fusion summoning onslaught that she had seen so many times before by the Obelisk force. She already had her plan formulated in her head and she was sure that she would be able to take this creep down.

However… Yuya didn't move. He simply stood, just staring at her. The same creepy grin adorning his features hadn't dropped at all and he hadn't even made the move to look at his cards.

"I end my turn." Yuya's declaration was definitely not what she was expecting and it was a huge shock to her system. "Go ahead, I want to see what you've got first, it wouldn't be much of a performance if it ended after the first act!"

Ruri gritted her teeth. If he thought he could just walk all over her, then he was dead wrong and she was just about to prove it.

Watching on in sheer terror from a dark alleyway was a young girl with blue eyes with short light-purple and lilac hair wearing a pair of glasses. She clutched the edges of her dress tightly. This was exactly why she had joined the resistance in the first place, to help those who couldn't fight against Academia. Yet, here she was, cowering in the face of adversity. To make matters worse this was her best friend, the guilt was eating her up inside. 'What are you doing, Sayaka! You coward!'

Just then a cold breath graced the back of neck as a pair of cat like eyes made themselves known. "Well, it looks like a little birdie has just found themselves in the lion's den." That voice had become burned into her mind as well as everyone else in the resistance.

It belonged to the Commandant of the Obelisk Force, the group who were the initial invaders of their dimension. The person presently behind her just so happened to be the highest ranking member of said organisation, answerable only to the Commander in Chief of all forces in the XYZ dimension. The weird thing was that while he wore the same uniform as many others in the Obelisk Force, he never was seen wearing the helmet or any form of facial covering, letting everyone in the resistance know exactly who he was.

Sayaka turned around with wobbly legs that felt like they could collapse at any second. The unadulterated horror coursed through her system as the Commandant reached out for her arm. Standing at 6'2, he was easily able to grab the smaller girl's arm and raised her above the ground "Don't think for a second that I don't know what you had planned. So let me take that to task since you weren't going to do it anytime soon." Swiftly, he yanked the disk clean off Sayaka's arm and pressed the video messaging feature.

Yet, despite all of his actions, Sayaka thought of him oddly. His face remained neutral and even his voice had stayed at the same level and Sayaka swore that she could've have seen something as much as a frown appear at one point.

Concurrent with the events deep in the ruins of Heartland At the resistance's base sitting at a table were two boys one with black spiky hair, purple bangs and steel grey eyes was talking to another boy who had blueish-black hair, light green bangs and golden eyes. They were talking about how to survive the latest round of Academia attacks and what the best counter measure would be.

"We should go and fight them straight out!" The blue haired teen slammed his fist down on the table causing the purple haired one to leap in surprise.

"Shun… Calm down you don't win wars by going headlong into battle thoughtlessly. There's a big difference between being brave and being reckless. We need to be cautious and conserve our manpower before the assault." Steel grey eyes meet golden ones in a meeting so intense that one could swear that sparks had actually flown between the two hardened gazes.

After a while, Shun finally cracked under the pressure and relented "Fine…You win Yuto…Will go with your plan…."

Leaning back in his chair, Yuto looked rather pleased with himself, but deep down he knew that even his plan would be a risky one. Academia was ruthless, no one would leave their grasp when captured. He could still think of the day he first saw someone get carded, he could still remember the smirking faces and the look of pure terror the carded individual was now cursed to forever wear.

However, before he could mull it over any further, a beeping sound reached his ears. Looking down he could see static on his duel disk, indicating someone was calling him. He half expected it to be some mundane status report from one of the scouts.

"Yuto! Shun! Help!" Shun lurched forward and What he did not expect and was rather stunned to see was Sayaka being suspended in the air and screaming at the top of her lungs into the duel disk. A million thoughts ran through both of their minds as to who was behind this.

That million turned into one when the captor turned the camera upon himself. Instantly the black and white haired male was recognisable to the pair, whose eyes began to burn with pure hatred. "Commandant Hiyama…!" Both growled gutturally.

Said Commandant smirked, maybe he had picked up a thing or two from him after all "I see you're already acquainted with me, Spectre and Sparrow. However, I do ask that you call me Rei."

"What have you done to Sayaka!?" Shun exclaimed at first but then at sudden epiphany hit him for six "Ruri!" Yuto too seemed to realise this fact. Sayaka had been the one sent with Ruri to assist her and the current state of Sayaka could only mean bad news.

"I'd save that anger if I were you, Sparrow. I'll show you where your sister is." Reisuke turned the disk, showing the scene of Ruri and Yuya's duel. "As of now, your sister is safe. But if you want to make sure of that you'll come here to save her, won't you?"

"Bastard! Give her back to us now!" Shun's anger was even beginning to permeate into Yuto, Ruri was his best friend after Shun and losing her was something he wouldn't take.

"I'm not the one in control of her fate, but I'll give you a chance." There was a brief respite as a message pinged onto Shun's duel disk "This is the current co-ordinates of our location, if come here you may very well be able to save her from her fate. Fly quickly, Sparrow." With that, the picture faded away and within seconds Yuto and Shun had bolted from the base towards the location of the co-ordinates Reisuke had given them.

Back at said location, Reisuke looked at Sayaka and discarded her duel disk with a smirk gracing his pale lips "Now, shall we see how this little game plays out?"

Turn 2

"My turn, Draw!" Ruri said drawing her card, as she looked at it her already formulated plan had gotten even stronger. She was certain that she would win now. "When I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia Turquoise Warbler from my Hand!" She said as she placed the card onto the blade of her duel disk, making a child in bird suit appear.

Lyrical Luscinia Turquoise Warbler, Level 1, Winged Beast, WIND, Effect (0/0)

"When she's Special Summoned, I can Special Summon another Lyrical Luscinia monster from my Hand!" She said taking another card in her hand, "I Summon Cobalt Sparrow!" She said, as another child appeared, this time is a brown sparrow suit.

Lyrical Luscinia Cobalt Sparrow, Level 1, Winged Beast, WIND, Effect (0/0)

"When she's Special Summoned, I can added a Winged Beast from my deck to my hand!" She said as a card was ejected from her Deck, which she grabbed, "When I control a Winged Beast, I can Special Summon Sapphire Swallow and another Level 1 Winged Beast, which will be another Cobalt Sparrow!" she said.

Lyrical Luscinia Cobalt Sparrow, Level 1, Winged Beast, WIND, Effect (0/0)

"Since another Cobalt Sparrow was Special Summoned, I can add another Winged Beast to my Hand!" she said as another card was ejected and added to her hand. "I now Normal Summon my third Cobalt Sparrow!" she said as the third and final copy of Cobalt Sparrow appeared.

Lyrical Luscinia Cobalt Sparrow, Level 1, Winged Beast, WIND, Effect (0/0)

"Oh my, five monsters in one turn." Reisuke said at the now smiling Sayaka "That certainly is an impressive feat. However, fate works in mysterious ways."

"Now using my 3 Level 1 Cobalt Sparrows, I build the Overlay Network!" Ruri shouted as the three monsters turned into green beams of energy, shot into the air, the sucked into the galaxy that appeared, which then released a light.

Yuya's face twisted into a psychotic expression, his smirk broadened "I see you're going to XYZ summon…Come on then, show me why the Professor wants you!" A crazed laugh shook the girl to her very core.

"Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight!" she said as a soft glow started to appear, "Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia Assembly Nightingale!"

As the galaxy like portal erupted, it made a rather mature looking woman appear on the field, the main colours for her were white, gold and blue and black, for her arms, she had feathers that fanned out that make them look like wings. Around her hips was a dress like cloth that was also feather like. For feet she had bird ones that has sharp talons on them. And on her head she had a headdress that looked like a bird, her skin was green in colour. Around her was 3 green orbs that satellite her body.

Lyrical Luscinia Assembly Nightingale: Rank: 1, Winger Beast, Xyz, Effect, WIND, (0/0) OVU's: 3

Yuya blinked then frowned "0 attack points? Is that it? I was hoping for something a little stronger…"

Ruri ignored him, continuing her turn with a relentless desire "Assembly Nightingale gains 100 attack points for each overlay unit she has!"

Assembly Nightingale's ATK: 0 – 300

"And I'm not done just yet! Using my remaining two monsters, I once more form the overlay network!" Once more the tow birds dissolved into green energy beams and headed to the swirling galaxy. "Xyz summon! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia Recite Starling!" Coming out of the galaxy was a purple skinned woman dressed in a sort of hybrid of black armour and feathers with golden talons on her hands and feet.

Lyrical Luscinia Recite Starling: Rank: 1, Winged Beast, Xyz, Effect, WIND, (0/0), OVU's: 2

"Recite Starling's effect! When she is summoned to the field, I can target one XYZ monster I control, that monster then gains 300 attack points for each overlay unit it has!"

Yuya's smirk got wider as a green aura engulfed Nightingale, strengthening the monster greatly "I see. However, your monster simply does not have enough attack points to even put a sizeable dent in my life points."

Assembly Nightingale's ATK: 300 – 900

"That's where you are wrong! Assembly Nightingale can attack you directly for as many overlay units she has! That means I get three attacks this turn!" Yuya's eyes widened, he hadn't expected one of these worthless wretches to pull out a move like that. Maybe that was why the Professor was chasing this girl.

"Attack! Nightingale!" The bird flew past and swiftly attacked Yuya with one of its talons, forcing hum back a couple of feet as his life points decreased.

Yuya's LP: 4000 – 3100

In the alleyway, Sayaka looked with hope glittering in her eyes 'You've got this Ruri! Show that guy what we in the resistance think of people like him!'

However, in her joy, she had forgotten about the Commandant lurking over her shoulder. Reisuke wasn't in the least bit pleased 'Arrogant. You're too arrogant. Maybe that'll serve as a wakeup call.' He thought back to when Yali, his best friend, had first returned from XYZ. Even now, he visibly cringed whenever he thought about the scar that now adorned Yali's features.

"Again!" Ruri declared as Nightingale swept back and tackled Yuya from behind, this time causing the male to lurch forward.

Yuya's LP: 3100 – 2200

"One last time!" The final strike landed dead centre on Yuya's chest and the resulting kick off had sent him careening backwards.

Yuya's LP: 2200 – 1300

"I set one card face down and end my turn!" The card materialized on the field as Ruri smiled triumphantly. She had this freak what where she wanted him and all she had to do was to survive this turn, her victory would then be assured.

Then, her hopes got even higher "Ruri!" That was her brother's voice! Sayaka must've notified the others about what had happened.

Meanwhile, Yuya had just about staggered up from the ground and was dusting off the dirt from his cloak. He had a deep scowl on his face "Tch. You people really are a troublesome bunch aren't you?" His scowl swiftly flipped and turned into the most malicious grin that Ruri had ever laid her eyes upon. "Such a shame that all that work will be worthless!"

Turn 3

"My turn! I draw!" Yuya's grin grew as he saw the card he drew "To start, I'll set three cards face down, now I activate Polymerization fusing together Performapal fugolem and Odd Eyes Dragon in my hand! Dragon with dichromatic eyes! Become one with the giant born from soil and revive as a new race!" Yuya furiously clapped his hands together, the grin stretching to astronomical proportions.

"Fusion Summon! Level 8! Performapal Gatling Ghoul!" The demented ghoul wearing a top hat and tuxedo wielding a massive Gatling gun appeared with Yuya grinning from ear to ear.

Performapal Gatling Ghoul, Level 8, Fiend, Fusion, DARK, Effect, (2900/900)

"Ghoul's effect now activates, when it is fusion summoned damage is dealt to the opponent equal to the number of cards on the field x200!"

Ruri took a step back against the wall of the house counting the amount of cards on the field as Ghoul's gun revved up, the realisation hit her like a truck as she realised just how much trouble she was in now, she realised what he was planning all along now. "There are seven cards on the field that means 1400 points of damage!" Yuya's chilling voice was quickly broken by the sound of Ghoul's gun firing and assaulting the Ruri viciously.

Ruri's LP: 4000 – 2600

It was just as she had slid down the wall, that Yuto and Shun had finally reached the duel. "Ruri!" Shun exclaimed, calling everyone's attention to their presence.

Looking at the duel disk Yuto and Shun had their worst fears confirmed, Ruri was dueling was the Professor's personal enforcer. To make matters worse, the Commandant of the Obelisk Force was hiding nearby, holding Sayaka as a hostage.

Unlike Yuto, Shun was far less hesitant to move as he raced forward. "Shun, wait!" However, it was too late to do anything as a black beam slinked its way out of the shadows and attached itself to Shun's duel disk, forcing it into the active mode.

"Damn!" Shun grunted as he tried in futility to free himself from the pull of the beam.

"I'm sure you know what that is, I don't see why you are even bothering." Reisuke droned, emerging from the shadows with Sayaka held limply in his left arm "You won't be moving anywhere until we have dueled."

Shun and Yuto growled, if the sight of the Commandant was enough to trigger them, hearing his voice was like having a furnace burning inside of them. Yuto turned his attention to the body of Sayaka in the male's hands "What have you done to her?!"

"She's sleeping." Reisuke placed a finger to his lips as he dropped the young girl to the ground "Try not to awake her with your troublesome whining."

Shun gave a guttural growl once more as he snapped his head to where Yuto was positioned "Yuto, go help Ruri. I'll deal with this bastard!"

However, before Yuto could set off, Reisuke spoke up again "Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you. My friend over there is almost finished and I wouldn't want to get in his way."

Back with Yuya and Ruri's duel, Yuya was indeed in the closing stages of his turn "I activate the spell Performapal Hurricane!" One of the cards Yuya had set face down to maximize the effect of Gatling Ghoul now flipped as said hurricane appeared as every piece of rubble around the two was picked up as Yuya explained the effect of the card, Yuto and Shun were alarmed as they saw and felt the hurricane as they tried to stand their ground.

"This spell card returns cards on the field to the hand equal to the number of performapals on the field, sadly I only control one but it is no matter as I return your Nightingale back to your extra deck!" The hurricane unleashed its full fury on Nightingale forcing it back into card form and returning it to the extra deck.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Yuya's sadistic grin and slitted pupils turned this innocent, fun loving statement into one of unspeakable malice. "I activate another face down spell Performapal Award Winning Act! With this card all performapals on my field are unaffected by Spell or Trap effects!"

"And the trio is complete by the Spell Performapal Character Rewrite! By paying half of my life points, I can have my Gatling Ghoul attack you directly, although he will be destroyed at the end of the turn and I take damage equal to its attack points. But I don't think that'll matter, will it…?

Ruri was in disbelief at her utter failure as she accepted her fate about to give in but just as she was about to surrender she heard her brother's voice shouting her name.

"RURI!" Yuto and Shun's collective shouts were soon drowned out by volleys of fire from Gatling Ghoul which were fired with such ferocity it flung Ruri back against the wall of the house knocking her out.

Ruri's LP: 2600 – 0

Yuya: Win!

A win icon briefly flashed on Yuya's duel disk as he made his way to the unconscious Ruri. "It's been a great show folks!" Yuya draped Ruri over his shoulder as he turned around to the duel's would be intruders "But now it's time for me to leave! Malevolent Flash!" Under the watching eyes of Yuto, Shun and Reisuke, Yuya disappeared, leaving behind no trace of him or Ruri ever being in the XYZ dimension. Yuto stood in shock, having noticed the face of the Academia duelist as he left, he could only mutter "His face…"

Meanwhile Shun was looking absolutely devastated, he knew he shouldn't have let her leave his sight for even a second. "Ruri…" He mumbled with his eyes wide and shaking.

"Can you still stand?" Reisuke's voice was like the light that lit up reality. Shun looked positively irate as he stormed up to his feet, his pupils so diluted that they were barely visible.

"You! Take me to her right now!" Shun jabbed his finger at the Commandant.

"Not everyone gets what they want right away, Sparrow. You're going to have to duel me for it." Reisuke smirked at Shun's irate expression, Yali was right when he said that these people were like a bunch of rabid dogs, and dogs that don't think are far easier to manipulate.

"You're on!" Shun then spoke to Yuto, not taking his eyes off of the taller male "Yuto, take Sayaka back to the base, I'll be done with this bastard soon enough." Yuto silently relented and soon left with Sayaka in hand.

"Now, shall we start?" Reisuke drawled, activating his duel disk, letting the white sword like blade eject out.

"Duel!" Both declared simultaneously.

Reisuke's LP: 4000 Shun's LP: 4000 Cards x5

Turn 1

"I'm going first." Reisuke declared, plucking a card from his hand "To start, I activate the Spell Card General's Decree!" The design of this card had the image of almost regal looking General with jewels and countless medals adorning its person, looking over a marching army of faceless soldiers "The effect of this card gives me the ability to add one level four or lower Commandant General from my deck to my hand." The chosen card didn't stay too long in Reisuke's hand as it was quickly placed on the blade of his duel disk "When I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Commandant General Blucher to the field!"

The new monster was one of a very clear aristocratic background, an elder looking male general with an old fashioned pointed helmet and bayonet laden riffle and piston by his side.

Commandant General Blucher: Level 4, Warrior, EARTH, Effect (1600/1200)

"If Blucher is summoned to the field when I control no other monsters, I get to summon one more copy of the monster from my deck." The second general made his appearance beside his counterpart, the two of them locking their riffles together.

"Next, I summon Commandant General Franco to the fray." This general was a far younger looking one, wearing an overly large red peak cap alongside a green uniform with a black fur coat fastened by a yellow lanyard.

Commandant General Franco: Level 2, Warrior, EARTH, Effect, (800/1200)

"When Franco is summoned to the field, I can pay 500 life points and add one Spell or Trap Card from my deck to my hand." The chosen card ejected itself from Reisuke's duel disk and he took it with no change from his neutral tone or expression.

Shun couldn't help but think about what the Commandant was going to do next 'Chances are one of the cards in his hand is Polymerization, those freaks probably run 30 copies of it. If he did have it though, then why has he summoned those monsters? Would it not be better for him to use it straight away?'

There was a slight twitch of Reisuke's lips as he read the quizzical expression of Shun "I set two cards face down and end my turn."

Reisuke's cards x1

'Yes, that's it.' Even if it wasn't a visible thing, to those who were close to Reisuke, the teen was growing ever more confident by the second upon seeing the confusion that was consuming Shun 'I think, therefore I am. If one doesn't know the cards their opponent holds then they assume the worst and lose concentration on the cards that really matter.'

Turn 2

"My turn, I draw!" Shun exclaimed, having recovered from his confusion, furiously swiping at the top card of his deck, creating a miniature hurricane.

"To start, I summon my Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius!" A green armoured falcon emerged out of a mini tornado.

Raidraptor – Vanishing Lanius: Level 4, Winged Beast, DARK, Effect (1300/1600)

"When Vanishing Lanius is summoned to field, I can summon one more copy of it from my hand to the field. I currently hold another two copies in my hand, I summon both of them to the field!" Two more falcons descended to the field, flanking the original on both sides.

"Now, I overlay my three Level 4 Vanishing Lanius!" The three falcons raced towards the galaxy which soon burst "Obscured Falcon, raise your claws sharpen by adversity, and spread your wings of rebellion!" He chanted as six red lights glowed from within a thundercloud "Come forth! Rank 4! Raidraptor – Rise Falcon!"

After the explosion of the galaxy, a bigger Raidraptor monster appeared, with two sets of wings with what appeared to be exhaust pipes for feathers, two clawed feet with a set of very sharp talons, it had two very small, very thin arms on its torso. On its head above its beak were six glowing red lights for eyes. It gave a screech as it appeared fully with 3 purple Overlay Units orbiting it.

Raidraptor Rise Falcon: Rank: 4, Winged Beast, Xyz, Effect, DARK, (100/2000) OVU's: 3

Mimicking Yuya's earlier disappointment, Reisuke frowned "Only 100 attack points. I gather that it has a strong effect though if that's the case. Although, a dog's bark is often worse than its bite." Shun growled and the smirk on the Commandant's face became more pronounced.

"Rise Falcon's effect! By using one overlay unit, it gains the attack points of every Special Summoned monster you control and can attack you for each of them!" One of the purple orbs was absorbed into the falcon's mechanical body as the bird soared high, catching fire as it ascended higher and higher "You control two monsters, combined their attack points total 3200, so Rise Falcon now has 3300 attack points!"

Rise Falcon's ATK: 100 – 3300

"Battle!" Shun launched into his next move with no hesitation "Rise Flacon! Attack both of his General Bluchers! Ravaging Rebellion!" The monster which had stopped climbing by this point now began to descend, it picked up even more speed, turning into a deadly flaming spiral. It soon struck into both elder generals, incinerating them instantly with their commander staggering backwards. However, the Falcon didn't return to his master just yet.

Reisuke's LP: 4000 – 600

"You Fusion scum think you can just waltz in here and take what you want." Shun said with his eyes bolted shut, then in a flash, the diluted pupils were once more visible, so narrow they were barely visible to the human eye "I'll take down every last one of you bastards! Rise Falcon!"

Reisuke's eyes widened as the Raidraptor monster dived towards him with its talons bared. He tried to dodge out of the way, but it was too late.

The outstretched talons slashed into the left side of the Commandant's face, gouging deep into the flesh and drawing significant amounts of blood. Reisuke had to use every ounce of his strength not to scream bloody murder as the blood seeped through the palm he placed over it. Most of his cards now laying sprawled across the ground too as a result of that attack.

"Gah! I activate the trap Command Chain!" He quickly released the pressure on his wound to activate on of his face downs. The card's art depicted an Emperor sat on a glistening jewel encrusted throne, to his side was the same general that had been in Reisuke's previous card whilst one more general was kneeling in front of the throne "I can only activate this card when my life points are below 1000. All monsters currently on the field are destroyed and we both take the same amount of damage!" God, how he hated to have to do this. He was being such a coward in running away from this battle, but the pain was getting unbearable. He know understood why Yali had been hollering for days on end when he was assaulted by the Resistance.

Out of the card, a torrent of gunfire blasted in the direction of Franco and Rise Falcon "The total attack points on this field is 4100! That's enough to put this duel to an end!" Both monsters perished under the hail of bullets, which struck Shun harder than Reisuke.

Shun's LP: 4000 – 0

Reisuke's LP: 600 – 0

Draw!

The Commandant breathed haggardly, his words descending into a pained, grabbled mess "Not… Done… Time… Yuya…"

An automated voice sounded from Reisuke's disk "Emergency Teleport activated!" The teen made no move to stop the blue light that engulfed him. His body vanishing from the XYZ dimension to the anger of Shun.

"Tch. Coward." The Raidraptor duelist looked towards the place Ruri had been just a few minutes ago "Don't worry, Ruri. I'll come after you and I'll make every last one of them pay. Including that bastard, Hiyama."

A/N 2: So that was the first chapter of the rewritten story. Now, I have kept some of the things from the first story that I thought were good but this is a far different chapter to the one I originally put out on August 15th 2017. Some of the changes are more obvious than others but some are slightly more subtle.

I'd really appreciate it if you voice your opinions on this new version and tell me what you think of it. At this point I'm willing to take anything.

I hope to see you again soon. See ya for now.