Chapter Text
-V-
The second day of the Maiami Championship had only just begun, and yet, a bunch of stuff had already gone down.
In the early hours of the day, Ankokuji Gen had attempted to sabotage Gongenzaka, but thankfully, Yuya had been able to retrieve the sash and get it to Gong in time before the match. Then finally, it had been Yuya’s turn to shine.
Strangely enough, he hadn’t been particularly nervous about it. No, if anything, then Yuya had been excited about facing Sawatari again – wanting to duel him fair and square this time around.
Because Sawatari had clearly attempted to reinvent himself since last time. Oh sure, he still persisted in accusing Yuya – for stealing ‘his’ Pendulum cards, for the attack on him and his father and all that – even though Sawatari had been guilty of the first and Yuya hadn’t been responsible for the latter.
In any case, Yuya hadn’t been overly fazed by Sawatari managing his own Pendulum Summons. In fact, he’d long reconciled with the thought of eventually facing other Pendulum users. No, he might even have been a bit excited at the opportunity to experience that – and to provide maximal entertainment for the audience, of course.
Pendulum Fusion had been a big hit, and by the end of the Duel, Sawatari had gracefully accepted his defeat and the audience had been cheering for the both of them.
And yeah, when Sawatari had hinted at future Duels, Yuya hadn’t seen any reason to deny him. Because sure, the guy might not have been the nicest to him initially, but maybe in time, they could become friends, or at the very least good-natured rivals. Oh sure, Yuya already had Gong and Yuzu and the rest at You Show, but⸺
It didn’t hurt to expand one’s horizons, and duelling Sawatari had been decidedly entertaining, not just for him but for the audience as well.
And, speaking of entertainment, there was what had followed; Judai duelling Sasaki Ryouhei. And it had certainly been a spectacle, and the audience had enjoyed every minute of it. Midway through, someone had begun chanting and others had quickly followed suit. By the end of it all, Judai – in his special getup – had flashed a smile and his usual salute, which had immediately made the audience go crazy.
Yuya hadn’t really felt envious though, not even when the crowds had called for the ‘Masked Hero’. No, if anything, then Yuya had been immensely proud of him, because throughout the Duel, Judai had honoured the principles of Entertainment Duelling without necessarily compromising his own, providing maximal entertainment. Knowing Judai’s skill, he could’ve no doubt crushed his opponent several turns prior, although him not doing so had also been entirely in character.
Because Judai was only ruthless when he was angry, and Yuya had rarely seen him Duel in such an emotional state. No, even back then, when Judai had first come around, he had rarely duelled in anger. He had seen no reason to prove his strength to anyone – not to Yuya’s tormentors or to anyone else – and he had also never used duelling as a tool for fighting; not within Yuya’s line of sight, at least.
As for what Judai had been doing out of sight, that was another matter altogether. Like yeah, Yuya was pretty sure that Judai hadn’t been doing anything nefarious behind the scenes. However, Yuya knew for a fact that Judai had definitely done something, considering Ankokuji Gen’s earlier reaction to his presence.
Yuya wasn’t mad about it though, and looking at the other now, he vividly recalled that time when he’d come home from school and met him for the first time. Neither had really known what to make of the other, but in time, Yuya had found that he didn’t really mind the disruption. Because having Judai around had been better than the emptiness – the gaping hole left behind by Yuya’s father.
At times, Yuya wondered what life would’ve been like if his mother hadn’t brought home a stranger and insisted that he should stick around ‘for now’. Maybe it wouldn’t have been all that different, but⸺
Gong and Yuzu would’ve still been there for him, sure, as well as his mother and the people at You Show, but⸺
“Freaking finally!” Sora shouted, dashing off as the next Duel was announced. “I’m gonna kick so much ass!”
Hearing this, Yuya couldn’t help but smile. Because upon witnessing Judai’s ‘Transformation Summoning’ for the first time, Sora had been over the moon, excited to the point of jumping up and down in his seat.
Yuzu had also been quite excited, if a bit annoyed when she had learned the rest of them had known about Judai’s new style and Deck already.
Sora had probably felt something similar, but for now, he was much too excited about being next in line to bother with anything else – and while Yuya was happy about Sora getting into the spirit, that happiness quickly morphed into a sense of unease as he remembered who would be the other’s opponent.
Down below, the ‘Dark Duellist’ – Yuto – was already making his way to the platform to the excited cheers of the audience. There were other cheers as well, from parts of You Show that were excited about finally seeing Sora in action – and Yuzu had been among them, right up until she’d caught sight of Sora’s opponent.
“Yuya,” she said, grabbing hold of his sleeve while lowering her voice to an urgent whisper. “Isn’t that⸺?”
Yuya nodded but said no more as the Action Field activated down below, revealing a futuristic-looking cityscape. It wasn’t among the standard ones, that was for sure – and Nico Smiley quickly introduced it as ‘Heartland’.
The word meant little to Yuya, but considering how Judai and Johan both reacted, it had to hold some significance, quite possibly even⸺
“That Reiji guy, he really went there,” Judai mumbled, facepalming.
Johan in turn said nothing, but going by the look on his face, he definitely shared Judai’s sentiments.
“That must Yuto’s hometown then,” Yuya’s mother suddenly said, and Yuya, suspicions now confirmed, looked back towards the Field, where Sora had just attempted to start up the traditional Action Duel chant, but the Dark Duellist – Yuto – wasn’t having any of it.
“Hey,” Sora said. “You suck at reading the atmosphere! Take the hint already!”
Sora⸺
Yuto ⸺
The latter was standing eerily still, and with the mask and goggles in place, it was hard to determine his exact expression. There was definite tension in his frame though, and after what seemed like an eternity, Yuto finally spoke.
“I take the first turn,” he said.
He then proceeded to Summon and Special Summon Phantom Knights Dusty Robe and Phantom Knights Silent Boots, Overlaying them to Summon Phantom Knights Break Sword.
Over in the commentator’s booth, Nico Smiley enthusiastically commented on the Masked Duellist’s quick and aggressive approach, XYZ Summoning a monster with 2000 ATK from the get-go.
The audience in turn was abuzz with excitement, eager to see what came next. But it wasn’t like that for everyone; Yuya for one felt slightly ill, and Yuzu apparently felt it too.
As for Judai and Johan, Yuya didn’t really have to look, because their expressions hadn’t really changed since the announcement of that particular Action Field.
Sora meanwhile didn’t seem daunted – no, his grin was entirely too wide for that. “Heeeh, XYZ huh? Guess I lucked out. Draw!”
He drew a card, then cackled. “Yes! I activate Polymerization to Fusion Summon Frightfur Bear!”
As the Monster appeared, Nico Smiley excitedly commented on Sora managing to Summon a Level 6 Fusion Monster with 2200 ATK in his very first turn
The audience didn’t cheer though. In fact, they seemed a bit taken aback or even scared by the sight.
“It’s time to take out the trash!” Sora announced, directing his Monster. “Frightfur Bear, attack Break Sword!”
-V-
With Break Sword destroyed, Yuto’s LP dropped down to 3800. The Dark Duellist didn’t seem fazed though, using Break Sword’s Effect to Special Summon the Monsters attached as its Overlay Units, returning Dusty Robe and Silent Boots to the Field and raising them both to Level 4.
Sora meanwhile activated the Effect of Frightfur Bear, equipping it with Break Sword, increasing its ATK to 4200. The whole process – with Frightfur Bear effectively gobbling up Break Sword – did not come as a shock to Yuya nor to anyone that had seen Frightfur Bear in action before. The same honestly couldn’t be said for the rest of them.
Sora clearly didn’t seem to care though – he was much too busy taunting his opponent to even consider the feelings of the audience. “Go ahead and XYZ Summon something again, trash! Frightfur Bear will just devour it again!”
This wasn’t right, Yuya thought. Duels were supposed to make people happy – they were supposed to bring smiles to people’s faces, not scare people or hurt people! But⸺
In this Duel, only Sora was smiling and laughing rather maniacally at that, and no matter how it progressed or ended, it was just wrong-wrong-wrong!
Yuto wasn’t a bad guy though – Yuya might not have spent a lot of time with him, but according to what he had seen for himself and heard from others, Yuto was a good person.
But what about Sora?
Admittedly, Yuya might’ve thought of him as a bit of an annoyance at first, but that didn’t change the fact that Sora had actively helped them out – he’d given Yuya good tips on Fusion Summoning and taken Yuzu under his wing. Like sure, he had a definite bias against XYZ and all, but that in itself didn’t mean that Sora was a bad guy. But⸺
“Draw!” Yuto glanced at the card, then quickly came to a decision. “I Set a card. Next, I Overlay Dusty Robes and Silent Boots and XYZ Summon Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon!”
Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon, 2500 ATK, against Frightfur Bear’s 4200 ATK. It obviously wouldn’t work, but as it quickly turned out, Yuto wasn’t done by a long mile. He detached one Overlay Unit to activate its Effect, Treason Discharge, allowing him to halve the ATK of a Monster at Level 5 or above, adding the ATK to Dark Rebellion for the rest of the turn, making it soar to 4600.
At this, there was a buzz throughout the arena, with Nico Smiley talking excitedly about the Duel unfolding down below.
Those partaking in it didn’t seem to pay him any mind though – him or anyone else for that matter. Instead, Yuto ordered Dark Rebellion to attack and destroy Frightfur Bear, and given its reduced ATK, Sora’s LP was brought down to 1500. Then, finally, Yuto set a card, announcing the end of his turn.
It was easy to tell that Sora was shocked at recent developments. He recovered fairly quickly though, hiding his shock and mounting frustration behind a very sharp grin.
“Heh,” he said. “For being XYZ trash, you’re surprisingly capable. Now, it’s my turn! Draw!”
-V-
The Duel progressed further.
And then⸺
And then⸺
And then⸺
The words exchanged.
“You lot were laughing as you hunted down my comrades,” Yuto said, his voice carefully controlled but undeniably angry.
“It’s just a game!” Sora laughed; it wasn’t a very nice laugh. “How can I take it seriously? It’s the same for my comrades! We hunt you down because we enjoy it! I mean, you’re nothing but prey in our hunting game!”
Sora, hunting people for sport. Yuya felt sick at the thought.
“What are they talking about?” Yuzu asked, but before Yuya could say anything, Yuto had spoken up once more.
“What happened to the prisoners?”
Prisoners. Yuya could feel his pulse picking up; it was already elevated.
“Prisoners?” Sora repeated, frowning momentarily before shrugging and grinning, looking positively deranged. “No clue. Last time I checked, we didn’t capture anyone. Because everyone got turned into cards!”
Yuya felt his heart skip a beat. Then it picked up pace again, starting to race. And it hurt, it⸺
“I’m the top-ranking student of Academia’s Advanced Placement Class!” Sora bragged, out loud for anyone to hear. “I was selected for this special mission!”
Had he forgotten about the people in the stands? Had he⸺ Ugh.
“Yuya?!”
Yuzu’s voice, concerned.
“Yuya?!”
Other voices, equally alarmed.
Yuya couldn’t do much though, and very little to reassure them. His body felt hot, like it was burning up on the inside. What was this feeling? What⸺?
Down below, there was a roar; Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon.
Something was happening. Something was happening, but what⸺ Ugh.
Vaguely, Yuya picked up on more voices and something going on below. However, most of it was drowned out by the sound of his racing heart. Yuya could still sense it though; travelling through the air like vibrations.
And then⸺
And then⸺
Then suddenly, Yuya could see and breathe again, and he instinctively looked in direction of the Field. People were holding him – Yuzu, his mother – but they too seemed distracted by what was going on down below. Or rather, what had apparently just taken place.
The Action Field had just about faded away. But strangely enough, the arena was almost completely silent. Shock, confusion, dismay⸺
“Wait...” Sora. “This Duel isn’t over yet... No way I could’ve ever lost to some XYZ trash like you!”
But the Duel was over. The Duel was⸺
Then, a horrified whisper to his right; Ayu. “What would’ve happened if the rubble had hit him head on...?”
Another whisper, equally horrified; Futoshi. “If Judai-bro hadn’t⸺”
Judai?
Judai was down there; he was back to wearing his usual red jacket and⸺
He was down in the Field in the dissipating smoke, Duel Disk glowing eerily while Sora only just barely managed to tear himself loose from the grip of Elemental Hero Neos; which had most likely swooped in right in time to save Sora from whatever had just occurred – some type of Solid Vision malfunction?
“Why did you interfere?” Yuto asked, mask and goggles still in place. “In the end, are you siding with him, Yuki Judai?”
His voice carried over the stadium, not because it was loud but because of the microphones down on the Field.
“What on earth is going on?!” Yuzu whispered, and Yuya would very much like an answer to that himself.
However, just as Judai seemed about to respond, something made him pause.
Moments thereafter, a bright flash temporarily blinded them all. It was a bright light and a roar – one from a huge white dragon and the other from… a weird-looking motorcycle?
And this was about as much as Yuya had time to process before he once again felt the return of that searing and suffocating pressure. Anger? No, this was⸺
Yuya heard Yuto’s voice again, as clearly as if the other had spoken right next to him. “You.”
It was but a single word, but it was uttered in such a way that Yuya definitely felt it – the cold rage – almost as if it had been his own, and he lifted his gaze just enough to stare at the newcomer – the motorcycle rider – and his hands immediately tightened into fists. By now, the dragon had vanished, and the helmet-wearing intruder seemed momentarily taken aback by the surroundings before his gaze suddenly landed on Yuto.
“Ah!” the newcomer exclaimed. “Finally found you!”
In response, Yuto quickly readied his stance.
“I’ve got a score to settle with you!” the intruder announced. “This time around, I’ll be sure to kick your ass!”
“I won’t fall to a minion of the Fusion dimension!” Yuto snapped, all while the audience looked on. Many were exchanging glances, whispers, and the part of Yuya that wasn’t seething from a rage not his own was horrified that no one had seen it fit to do anything yet. What were they⸺?
Then a hand landed on his shoulder, and Yuya found that he could finally breathe again. Looking up, he saw Johan, but the other wasn’t looking at him. The other’s eyes were on the Field, and in his hand – in the one that wasn’t resting on Yuya’s shoulder – there was⸺
“My bracelet!” Yuzu gasped, instinctively reaching for it, and then⸺
Another flash of light followed, and the noise of the audience surged. But all that faded into the background when Yuya picked up on a word, just a single word; a name.
“Judai.”
And his eyes immediately snapped back towards the field, widening in horror at the sight.
Because Yuto, Sora, the intruder, and Judai – they were all gone.
-V-