Disclaimer: Minor spelling, grammar, and other mistakes may be present.
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(A/N: Since I'm Bored, here's the anime opening for the Standard Dimension Arc. Minor Spoilers ahead, though a lot of it is more faint hints at what is to come, and may or may not be true.)
(A/N II: Characters you the reader would already know from the series or mentioned prior to this chapter will be referred to by their name.)
Standard Arc Opening Theme (Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V Opening 1: BELIEVE X BELIEVE):
Birību × Birību biri-biri-biri Badīzu!
(A screen is split into two sides, one half red and one-half green. Yuuji is shown on the green side with a serious expression, while Yuya is shown on the red side with a smile. The screen then splits into six, with four other pictures of Yuya appearing. The colors for each extra Yuya are yellow, pink, blue, and purple. The logo for the series then appears on top of them during the instrumental.)
Yū! Kachi make janai saikyō no Kādo
(Yuuji is seen with a confident smirk on his face, spinning around as he activates his duel disk.)
Yū! Supīdo zenkai harahara On za gēmu
(He then places two cards on his duel blade, with spawn the word [PENDULUM] in rainbow font between them as two Pendulum Zone appear behind him.)
Dan-Dan-Dan-Dan Dan! Dan! Dan! Dan! Dan-Dan-Dan-Dan Dan! Dan! Dan! Dan!
(The scene shifts rapidly. One screen showing Shizuka and Yuga, who are sitting together at a cafe. Another shows Yuzu, who slams her paper fan into Shuzo's head. The next screen that shows up is Gongenzaka carrying the younger You Show Students on his back as they try to reach a cat that was stuck under a tree. Then the screen shifts to Yuto walking in one direction before splitting to show Shun walking the opposite way.)
Yureru ma ma ma Maindo Tamashī no pendyuramu kyūkyoku no konfyūjon
(The next scene splits into two, as Yuuji and Yuya both simultaneously Pendulum Summoning.)
Shōdō ga Gotto itto gotto itto
(A tall man with long, dark green hair is seen smirking, revealing his teeth which were all sharp and pointy.)
Shōbu wa gachi gachi honki reboryūshon
(Sora is seen smiling for a moment. Then seen shifts to an abandoned harbor, with Yuuji standing in front of the tall, dark green-haired man mention earlier.)
(Jasuto burēkin' za wōru... x2)
(Yuuji and the man both activate their duel disk, as they look at each other with serious expressions on their faces.)
Raido on nau!
(The two draw their cards as their duel begins.)
Birību × Birību Eburibadi gōin' kabe wo tsukiyabure!
(Yuuji summons Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon and Revolution Commander, who clash with a massive machine Gundam. The clash creates a giant explosion that obscures the screen.)
Yua gona bīto itto bīto! Mugendai no fyūchā mayoi wa buttobase!
(The scene shifts to a duel between Yuya and Yuuji. With Yuya having a spotlight over him as he speaks which causes Yuuji to sweat drop.)
Meiku itto Meiku itto yūki dashite (Bureiku itto nau)
(The scene shifts to an alleyway at night, with Reiji and Shun standing face to face. Shun having a serious, hateful expression while Reiji's was more of a calculated calm.)
Steppu aheddo! Fumidase yo (Du itto nau)
(The scene shifts to another part of the city, where a girl with spikey dark blue hair with lighter bangs is seen walking through the dazzling streets of a city, a resolved expression on her face.)
Otanoshimi wa kore kara da!
(The scene shifts to Yuuji and Yuya, who happily eat food on a bench. In the background, Yuto could be seen leaning on a tree, while Yuga sat on the ground eating cotton candy.)
So daremo ga Birībā!
(The screen filters to grey as an image of a younger Yuuji sitting on a Duel Runner, with a taller woman with grey hair smiling behind him.)
Birību × Birību biri-biri-biri Badīzu!
(In a dark void, the camera zooms in on Yuuji, who has a serious expression on his face. But when he noticed the camera looking at him, he smiles, as the screen cuts to black.)
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Scale 03: Battle of Pendulums
The next day…
Yuuji could be seen standing outside of the You Show Duel School once again.
I can't believe I decided to do this.
He's never taught someone else before, so he wasn't really sure about how to go about this.
"I'll just try to teach him in a similar manner to my mentor," Yuuji decided. "It worked for me, so maybe it'll work for him too."
Yuuji approached the entrance of the school, ringing the doorbell. A few moments later, the pink-haired girl from yesterday opened it.
"It's you," Yuzu's eyes widened. "You actually came back?"
"Um, yeah," Yuuji looked a little hurt about her surprise. "I made a promise to Yuya, and I'm not the type of man who would go against my word."
"I guess that's a good point," Yuzu responded. She stepped aside, opening the door, "Come in," She ushered him inside.
The young woman lead him towards the living area, where Yuya, along with Gongenzaka and the younger You Show were staying. Yuya perked up upon seeing him, standing up and rushing over to him.
"You actually came!" Yuya exclaimed with a happy look.
"Not you too," Yuuji sighed. "I told you that I would come tomorrow, remember?"
"Yeah, I know that," Yuya replied. "But I couldn't help but be little worried."
"He's still a little traumatized from the time when a few kids pulled a prank on him," Yuzu explained. "They acted like they felt bad for Yuya after his father disappeared and said that they would be willing to listen to his story without judgement. After Yuya vented to them about his struggles, they just laughed in his face and told him to grow up."
"That's...incredibly cruel," Yuuji looked saddened at what he had just heard.
"I know," Yuzu frowned and shook her head.
"Yuzu, you don't have to tell him that!" Yuya's face flushed red with embarrassment.
"Well, since I'm here now, let's get started," Yuuji decided to change the subject. "It's not too complicated, but it'll take a bit to explain everything I know to you. Also, quick question. Do you guys have a chalkboard around here?"
"We do," Yuzu nodded. "I'll go get it now."
Yuzu leaves the room. A few moments later, she returns with a green chalkboard on wheels, handing it over to Yuuji who brings it to the back of the room. He grabs a piece of chalk, drawing a surprisingly good sketch of a duel blade.
"Alright. As I'm sure you already know, to Pendulum Summon, you must first place two Pendulum Cards on opposite ends of your duel blade," Yuuji drew two cards on each end of the duel blade sketch. "This is a process I dub as, 'setting the Pendulum Scale', which is a term both you and I said when we first Pendulum Summoned," Yuuji then wrote the numbers 1 and 8 respectively on both of the cards. "What you didn't know during that exhibition duel you had with Yuzu yesterday was this. When performing a Pendulum Summoning, you must take into account your Scale Numbers."
"Scale Number?" Yuya raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Each Pendulum Card has a set Scale Number," Yuuji elaborated. "For example, your Stargazer Magician has a Scale Number of 1, while your Timegazer Magician has a Scale Number of 8, as shown in the sketch here," Yuuji tapped the chalk on the chalkboard. "When Pendulum Summoning, you can only Pendulum Summon monsters whose Levels are between the two Scale Numbers of your Pendulum Scale."
"I think I get it," Tatsuya put a hand on his chin as he began elaborating his thoughts. "So, if your two Scale Numbers were 4 and 8 like what Yuya had in his duel against Yuzu, he is only allowed to Pendulum Summon Level 5, 6, and 7 monsters."
Yuuji snapped his fingers at Tatsuya and smiled.
"That's correct! You caught on quickly," Yuuji praised the blue-haired youth before turning over to Yuya. "Performapal Sword Fish and Performapal Whip Snake were Level 2 and 4 monsters respectively, so they couldn't have been Pendulum Summoned."
"So that's why it didn't work," Yuya's eyes widened in surprised.
"That's the most important fact that you need to know about Pendulum Summoning. If you can't master making use of your Scale Numbers correctly, you won't be able to use Pendulum Summoning to its full potential," Yuuji stated. "Aside from that fact, there are a few other traits of Pendulum Cards. Each Pendulum Monster has a regular Monster Effect and a Pendulum Effect that only applies while they are placed in your Pendulum Scale, Pendulum Monsters are sent to the Extra Deck face-up when they're are destroyed, not the graveyard, and you can Pendulum Summon face-up Pendulum Monsters in your Extra Deck every turn as long as their Levels are within your two Scale Numbers—"
Yuuji paused as he noticed Yuya's face turn read, steam flowing out of his ear as the young man's brain struggled to process all of this information.
"This...is way more complicated that I thought," Yuya commented.
"Yeah, but you have to know all of it," Yuuji with a frown.
However, an idea sudden popped up in Yuuji's mind.
"I got it, the best way to ingrain this into your mind is with a duel."
"A duel?" Yuya was surprised by the suggestion.
"Yeah, it's the more fun option," Yuuji smiled. "Don't worry too much about the smaller details. As long as you know the basics, everything else will follow."
"Alright," Yuya stood up. He had a determined look on his face as he nodded at Yuuji. "You're on!"
A few minutes later, Yuuji and Yuya could be seen in the arena, each of them prepping for their upcoming match. Yuuji could be seen moving his body around, getting himself loose. Yuya on the other hand was more focused on fixing up his deck before eventually finishing up and placing the deck into his duel disk.
"Okay, I'm ready," Yuya smiled before turning over to his opponent. "What about you, Yuuji?"
"I'm ready when you are," Yuya responded as he finished stretching. He then turned up to Shuzo, who was managing the Real Solid Vision, "Yo, Principal! We're ready down here when you are!"
"Right!" Shuzo nodded as he began fiddling with the machine. "Action Field On! Crystal Mirrorland!"
The Real Solid Vision Machine began whirring as the arena around the boys was transformed into a void world, with multiple floating islands of various sizes made of mirrors. Giant crystals protruded from the ground throughout the main island, where the two were standing.
What a nice place… Yuuji thought as he admired his surroundings. I feel right at home here.
"Good luck, Yuya!" Yuzu cheered for her friend from the spectator booth.
"Don't get nervous, Yuya! You'll get it this time!" Gongenzaka cheered.
"Yeah, you got this Yuya-oniichan!" Ayu cheered.
"Show him what you're made of!" Tatsuya cheered.
"Pendulum, Pendulum, Pendulum!" Futoshi began chanting as he did his little dance.
"Thank you, guys!" Yuya smiled as he waved back at his friends.
"Everything's set up, so let's do this!" Yuuji declared before he began chanting. "Duelist locked in battle!"
"Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!" Yuya chanted.
"They storm through this field!" Yuuji chanted.
"Behold!" Yuya chanted. "This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!"
[Action—!] The three You Show youths shouted.
[Duel!] Everyone present shouted as the duel began.
Yuuji — LP: 4000
Yuya — LP: 4000
"You can have the first turn," Yuuji offered as he drew his first five cards. "I want to see what you can do."
"Right. And I don't plan to disappoint!" Yuya announced as he drew his five cards.
[Turn 1: Yuya] [H: 5]
Yuya smiled when he saw the cards he drew.
"Let's do this, partners," Yuya said before turning serious as he revealed two cards in his hand. "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician!"
Yuya placed the two cards on opposite ends of his duel blade, the word [PENDULUM] appearing in rainbow font as two magicians, one in black and one in white, rose into each of his Pendulum Zones. The numbers 1 and 8 appear on their respective Pendulum Zones as a giant swinging Pendulum swung right above him.
"Now I can summon monsters Levels 2 through 7 all at the same time!" Yuya announced. "Swing, Pendulum of Souls! Draw an arc of light across the ether, and give way to a path full of fun and smiles! I Pendulum Summon! Come out, my monsters!"
The giant Pendulum in the sky draws a portal, with two beams of energy shooting out of it.
"Whip to it, Performapal Whip Snake (Earth/Reptile/Effect/ATK: 1700/DEF: 900/LV: 4)!" A purple cobra with a top hat appeared.
"Come out, the star of the show! Wondrous and beautiful dichromatic eyes! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (Dark/Dragon/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/LV: 7/SC: 4)!"
A giant, bipedal red dragon with dual-colored eyes, with many pretty orbs scattered around its giant, pale colored horns appeared.
"He did it, Yuya Pendulum Summoned!" Tatsuya exclaimed.
"What a shiver-tastic duel!" Futoshi did a little dance.
"Good job, Yuya!" Yuzu cheered for her friend.
"Looks like you managed to get it down, good job," Yuuji praised him.
"Thanks," Yuya smiled from the praise. "I set a card and end my turn."
Yuya then hopped on Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.
"Let's go partner," Yuya ushered his dragon to start moving.
Yuuji silently watched them before smiling.
"Now the time has come, the first battle between Pendulum Users! My turn! Draw!" Yuuji announced as he drew a card.
[Turn 2: Yuuji] [H: 6]
Yuuji revealed a card in his hand.
"I summon the Tuner Monster, Antique Resonance Mirror (Light/Fairy/Tuner/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 2)!"
A pristine-looking mirror appeared on Yuuji's field.
"Antique Resonance Mirror's effect activates! When it is Normal Summoned onto my field, I can Special Summon an Antique Monster from my deck to my field. Appear now, Antique Maker - Mira (Dark/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 2000/DEF: 100/LV: 5/SC: 8)!"
A maiden dressed in all black, holding a mirror in her hands appeared.
"Now Antique Maker - Mira's effect activates!" Yuuji declared. "It allows me to add an Antique Monster from my deck to my hand!" Yuuji added a card to his hand. He then took out two cards from his hand and revealed them. "Now, I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 3 Antique Journal and Scale 6 Antique Compass!"
Yuuji placed the two cards on opposite ends of his duel blade. The word [PENDULUM] appears in between in rainbow font as his two monsters rise into each of his Pendulum Zones. The numbers 3 and 6 appear in a strange, golden font as a giant silver Pendulum swung above it all.
"Now I can summon monsters Levels 4 and 5 all at the same time!" Yuuji announced. "Shine, Pendulum of Destiny! Draw an arc across the ether, and reflect onto a path to victory! Pendulum Summon!"
The giant pendulum draws a portal in the sky, with two pillars of energy falling out of it.
"From my hand, Antique Maker - Edison (Dark/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 1300/DEF: 1200/LV: 5/SC: 2) and Antique Forgotten Mask (Light/Fairy/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 5)!"
A well-dressed man holding a light bulb in his hand and a floating spirit wearing a weeping mask appeared on Yuuji's field.
"Edison's effect activates, when he is summoned, I can target 1 monster on your field and destroy it! Say goodbye to your Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"
"I won't let you!" Yuya shouted as he leaped off Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. He then proceeds to hop from crystal to crystal to an Action Card that he had spotted earlier, picking it up and immediately activating it.
"I activate the Action Spell Rapid Reflection!" Yuya announced. "When this spell is activated, I can negate an effect that targets a monster I control and bounce that effect back to you!"
"What!?" Yuuji exclaimed.
"Using your monster's effect, I choose to destroy your Antique Maker - Mira!" Yuya announced as he jumped off the floating platform that he was on, free falling for a few moments before landing on his feet as Yuuji's monster was destroyed by the effect.
"Damn," Yuuji cursed. "I should've known that it wouldn't be that easy."
Oh well, I have other ways to destroy it anyway. Yuuji thought.
"Battle!" Yuuji moved into his Battle Phase. "Forgotten Mask attacks Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"
"What? But it has zero ATK?" Ayu tilted her head confused. "Why would he do that?"
"He must have a plan," Gongezaka stated. "From what I, the man Gongenzaka, can tell about him from our duel yesterday, Yuuji isn't the type of guy to make reckless moves without one."
"At this time, Forgotten Mask's effect activates!" Yuuji declared. "When it battles, the ATK of both of our monsters are swapped temporarily until the End Phase!"
"Huh!?" Yuya cried out.
(Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon — ATK: 2500 → 0)
(Antique Forgotten Mask — ATK: 0 → 2500)
"I can't let that go through…" Yuya muttered. "I activate my set Trap Card, Wall of Disruption! For the rest of this turn, if a monster my opponent controls battles, it loses 800 ATK for each monster they currently control!"
"I control three, so that means my monsters lose 2400 ATK…" Yuuji frowned.
(Antique Forgotten Mask — ATK: 2500 → 100)
(Antique Maker - Edison — ATK: 1300 → 0)
"It still doesn't protect your Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuuji declared. "Go and destroy him, Forgotten Mask!"
The spirit wraps its body around Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon, creating an explosion that destroys it. Yuya winces from the shockwaves as his Life Points are hit.
Yuya — LP: 4000 → 3900
"I set two cards and end my turn," Yuuji concluded with two face-downs.
(Antique Forgotten Mask — ATK: 100 → 0)
(Antique Maker - Edison — ATK: 0 → 1300)
"Then it's my turn! Draw!" Yuya drew a card as his turn began.
[Turn 3: Yuya] [H: 1]
Yuya's pendulum necklace begins to glow as he then extended his hand into the air. At the same time, a portal appeared above him, with a beam of energy shooting out of it.
"With my currently set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon!" Yuya took out a card from his Extra Deck. "Return from my Extra Deck and dazzle the crowd, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/LV: 7)!"
The red dragon with dual-colored eyes appeared once again.
Yuya then hopped on Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon once again, the two of them running off, hopping from island to island to search for an Action Card. Yuuji catches onto this, running off as he does the same. A few moments later, the two find Action Cards at the same time, with Yuya smiling as he then continues his turn.
"Just what I needed! Battle!" Yuya shouted. "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon attacks Antique Forgotten Mask!"
Huh? Why is he attacking that instead of Antique Resonance Mirror? Yuuji wondered.
"Did you forget about Forgotten Mask's effect?" Yuuji frowned. "It swaps ATK points with your attacking monster!"
(Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon — ATK: 2500 → 0)
(Antique Forgotten Mask — ATK: 0 → 2500)
"I didn't," Yuya smiled. "I activate Action Spell, Reversion! During the Damage Step, I can swap the ATK points of two monsters on the field until the End Phase. I choose to swap Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Antique Forgotten Mask's ATK back!"
"Naive! I picked up my own Action Spell too!" Yuuji shouted as he played his Action Spell. "I activate the Action Spell, No Action! With it, I can negate the activation of your Action Spell!"
"You're the one that's naive! You said you watched over my duel with Strong Ishijima, yet you forgot about Stargazer Magician's Pendulum Effect!" Yuya announced. "Once per turn, when my opponent activates a Spell Card when a Pendulum Monster battles, I can negate the activation and set that card face-down on your field!"
"Tch, I forgot about that," Yuuji clicked his tongue as he's forced to set his Action Spell.
His and Yuya's monster's ATK points are then swapped.
(Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon — ATK: 0 → 2500)
(Antique Forgotten Mask — ATK: 2500 → 0)
"Now go, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Forgotten Mask! Spiral Flame Strike!"
Yuya dragon shoots a breath of spiral flame at the spirit.
"And now for the finale!" Yuya pointed towards his dragon with a smile. "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's effect activates! When it battles a Level 5 or higher monster, it deals double the damage! Reaction Force!"
"Double!?" Yuuji's jaw dropped. "That'll wipe out all of my Life Points."
"Doesn't that mean Yuya just wins?" Yuzu wondered. "From what I remember from his duel against Ishijima, Timegazer Magician can negate the activation of a Trap Card."
"We'll have to wait and see," Gongenzaka replied.
"Like hell I'll lose when the duel has only just begun…" Yuuji muttered. "I activate my Counter Trap, Emergency Antique Reinforcements! With it, I can prevent the destruction of Antique Monsters I can control, as well as reduce all damage I receive in battles involving Antique Monsters to zero!"
"Timegazer Magician's Pendulum Effect activates! Once per turn, when my opponent activates a Trap Card when a Pendulum Monster battles, I can negate the activation of that Trap Card, and set it back down face-down!"
The trap card is flipped back face-down again. However, at the same time, Yuuji's other Trap Card is flipped face-up.
"I activate my Continuous Trap, Halve Attack!" Yuuji announced. "While this card remains on my field, all battle damage I receive is halved!"
Forgotten Mask is engulfed by the dragon's attack, which created an explosion that sends Yuuji flying. Before he could fall into the void, Yuuji catches himself on a crystal island, pulling himself onto it to save himself.
Yuuji — LP: 4000 → 1500
That was close. Yuuji let out a breath of relief.
"Performapal Whip Snake attacks Antique Resonance Mirror!" Yuya shouts as his snake wraps around the floating mirror, squeezing down and shattering it.
Yuuji — LP: 1500 → 650
"I end my turn," Yuya concluded his turn.
"Yeesh, you didn't hold back," Yuuji commented as he stretched his arms. "I almost got one-turn killed there."
"But I fell short before I could finish the job…" Yuya bitterly smiled. "I really thought I had you there."
"This duel has been just as fun as I had thought it would be," Yuuji smiled. "But I think it's time to ramp things up a bit."
Yuuji then put his hand over the top of his deck as he resolutely looked at Yuya
"I'm pulling out all the stops this turn!" Yuuji declared. "My turn! Draw!"
Yuuji's deck glowed as he drew a card.
[Turn 4: Yuuji] [H: 1]
"So, you want to fight him too, huh?" Yuuji smiled when he saw what he drew. "Let's do this then, partner," Yuuji nodded to the card as he continued his turn. "I activate Antique Compass' Pendulum Effect. Once per turn, I can Special Summon an Antique Monster from my hand or graveyard! Return to my field, Antique Forgotten Mask (ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 5)!"
The spirit with the weeping mask appeared on the field once again.
"With my currently set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon!" Yuuji announced as a portal appeared above him, with a beam of energy shooting out from it. "Return from my Extra Deck, Antique Maker - Mira (ATK: 2000/DEF: 100/LV: 5)!"
A maiden in all black holding a mirror in her hands appeared.
"Antique Maker - Mira's effect activates upon her summon, allowing me to add an Antique Monster to my hand!" Yuuji added a card to his hand. "Now, I overlay my Level 5 Antique Maker - Edison, Antique Maker - Mira, and Antique Forgotten Mask!"
A galaxy vortex appeared in front of Yuuji, with his three declared monsters turning into energies that were then absorbed into the vortex. A large pillar of light shot out from the vortex's center as he began chanting.
"The will of the oppressed who die on the battlefield burns bright," Yuuji chanted. "They wait for the one who guides the will of the fallen to victory! I Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 5! Rise up, courageous leader who fans the flames of rebellion, Antique Maker - Revolution Commander (Fire/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/R: 5/SC: 5/OU: 3)!"
A tall, red-haired man with eagle eyes, wearing a black cloak with a black mask which covered his mouth appeared.
"There it is, the Xyz Monster he used to defeat Gongenzaka…" Yuya muttered.
"Antique Journal's Pendulum Effect activates, allowing me to Special Summon it onto my field in defense mode (Light/Fairy/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 4/SC: 3)!" An old floating journal appeared. "Then, I set the Scale 4 Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon into my Pendulum Scale!"
A purple dragon with bone armor rose into the empty Pendulum Zone.
"Antique Journal's other effect activates, allowing me to Special Summon a monster from one of my Pendulum Zone with its effects negated!" Yuuji announced as the old book begins to grow in size, a portal forming on its pages and under Phantom Dragon. "Come forth, the dragon born in the heart of phantoms, Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon (Dark/Dragon/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/LV: 7/SC: 4)!"
The purple dragon emerges from the portal onto Yuuji's field.
[Gah!] The two lookalike youths clutch their chest for a moment upon the arrival of Yuuji's dragon. Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon begin roaring at each other.
What the hell…is this feeling? Yuuji wondered. It's as if the two dragons are calling out for each other.
It didn't feel that bad though, only feeling a little off. He just chalked it up to some weird shenanigans with these new cards that he has.
"Revolution Commander's effect activates!" Yuuji announced. "By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can Special Summon Antique Dawning Blaze (Light/Fairy/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 5/SC: 7)!"
(Revolution Commander — OU: 3 → 2)
A fiery blade with a golden hilt appeared.
"I equip Dawning Blaze to Revolution Commander, increasing its ATK by 500 for each Monster on both of our fields!" Yuuji shouts. "Since there are 4 monsters total, Revolution Commander gains 2000 ATK!"
Revolution Commander grabs the fiery sword, whose flames begins increasing in size as it powered up Revolution Commander.
(Revolution Commander — ATK: 2500 → 4500)
"Here we come, Yuya!" Yuuji shouted as he pumped his fist forward. "Battle! Revolution Commander attacks Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Blazing Revolution!"
The warrior leaps forward, threatening to slash through Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.
"Not so fast!" Yuya shouted as he revealed a card in his hand. "Performapal Hyper Emu effect activates! When a Pendulum Monster is targeted by an attack, I can Special Summon this monster from my hand in defense mode!"
Yuya placed the card onto his duel disk as a colorful emu with stars all throughout its body, wearing a colorful suit and tie appeared.
[Performapal Hyper Emu (Wind/Winged-Beast/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 300/DEF: 2200/LV: 6/SC: 3)]
"How does that help?" Tatsuya wondered. "Revolution Commander can attack twice thanks to its effect, and Yuuji can just choose to attack Yuya's other monsters."
"A great question," Yuya smiled at Tatsuya. "However, Performapal Hyper Emu has a very special effect!" Yuya announced. "I can tribute it in order to take control of one of my opponent's monsters! I'll be taking your Revolution Commander if you don't mind, Yuuji."
"Say what!?" Yuuji's jaw dropped as Revolution Commander stops its attack right before slicing through Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. A bright pink aura then surrounded the Xyz Monster as it began moving towards Yuya's field.
"Nice going, Yuya!" Gongenzaka pumped his fist.
That's bad. Yuuji frowned. But I can't let that stop me.
"My Battle Phase still continues!" Yuuji declared. "Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon attacks Performapal Whip Snake! Phantom Spiral Breath!"
Phantom Dragon shoots a breath of purple flames at Yuya's monster, which shrieks in surprise before being destroyed. Yuya winces a bit from the shockwaves of the attack.
Yuya — LP: 3900 → 3100
There's not really much I can do. Yuuji frowned. I'm going to need to find an Action Card.
Yuuji hopped onto Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon.
"I end my turn," Yuuji concluded before turning to his dragon. "Let's go, Phantom Dragon."
Phantom Dragon roars as it begins running forward. At the same time, Yuya hops onto Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.
"Two can play that game!" Yuya shouted. "My turn! Draw!"
Yuya and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon began searching for Action Cards as well as his turn began.
[Turn 5: Yuya] [H: 1]
"With my currently set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon!" Yuya announced as a portal appeared in the sky, with two beams of energy shooting out from it. "Welcome back to the stage, Performapal Hyper Emu (ATK: 300/DEF: 2200/LV: 6)! And from my hand, Performapal Silver Claw (Dark/Beast/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 1800/DEF: 700/LV: 4/SC: 5)!"
The colorful emu and a grey wolf with a blue collar appeared on Yuya's field.
"I activate Hyper Emu's effect! By tributing it, I can take control of a monster on your field. Welcome to my field, Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!"
"Damn…" Yuuji cursed as he leaps off Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon, which had a pink aura surround it as it was dragged to Yuya's field. The silver-haired young man quickly hops across a few platforms, landing on a larger island to snag an Action Spell that was on the ground. He then immediately played it.
"I activate the Action Spell Punishing Grip!" Yuuji shouts. "With it, I can negate the effects of a card on my opponent's field! I choose to negate the effects of Timegazer Magician!"
"Timegazer Magician?" Yuzu was confused. "Why wouldn't he negate the effects of Revolution Commander instead? Doesn't it inflict piercing damage? He'll lose."
"He definitely has a plan," Gongenzaka stated. "We'll have to wait and see."
The area suddenly turned dark, as a spotlight suddenly appeared around Yuya.
How the hell is he doing that? Yuuji wondered with a dumbfounded look on his face.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Yuya outstretched his arms. "The climax of this duel is finally upon us, brought to you by me, Sakaki Yuya! With my opponent's monster taking the center stage!" Yuya announced. "Battle! Antique Maker - Revolution Commander attacks Antique Journal! And at this time, Revolution Commander's effect activates! By detaching an overlay unit from it, it can inflict piercing damage! Blazing Revolution!"
(Revolution Commander — OU: 2 → 1)
The warrior leaps forward, the flames on its blade burning brighter as it swung its sword down on Antique Journal. However, much to Yuya's surprise, Yuuji smiled.
"Don't count me out just yet, Yuya! I'm the one who'll decide when this duel ends!" Yuuji declared. "I activate my Counter Trap, Emergency Antique Reinforcements! With it, I can prevent the destruction of 'Antique' Monsters I control, as well as reduce all damage I receive in battles involving 'Antique' Monsters to zero!"
"What!?" Yuya cried out.
"I forgot about that," Tatsuya's eyes widened. "Timegazer and Stargazer Magician's effects set the Spell/Trap cards they negated back onto the field, meaning that they can be activated again later on. And since Timegazer Magician has its effects negated, Yuya can't stop Yuuji from activating his Trap Card this time!"
A barrier formed around Yuuji's monster, protecting both it and Yuuji from harm's way.
"So, you had an out to that too," Yuya smiled. "I end my turn."
As he ended his turn, Yuya then noticed an Action Card nearby, hopping and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon towards the island it was on, picking up the Action Card.
"My turn! Draw!" At the same time, Yuuji drew a card as his turn began.
[Turn 6: Yuuji] [H: 1]
I may have been able to survive this turn, but that still doesn't change the fact that Yuya is currently in the driver's seat. Yuuji thought. Now I have to deal with Yuya without my most powerful monsters.
Yuuji took a look at the card that he drew. It was a Quick-Play Spell.
I have Antique Maker - Mira and Antique Forgotten Mask in my graveyard. Though, I doubt that Forgotten Mask will be able to do anything, since Yuya can still use Stargazer Magician's Pendulum Effect in tandem with an Action Card to lock me out of doing anything.
Quite the foolproof plan, taking his strongest monsters and locking him from using his Spell/Trap Cards. Yuya took his advice and went the extra mile with it.
Just like I wanted. Yuuji smirked. Now I can really push through my limits here.
Right here, without any weird power bailing him out. He'll win this!
[Current Theme Playing: Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V Sound Duel 1 OST 14 - A Battle That Cannot be Lost]
"I activate Antique Compass' effect!" Yuuji announced. "With it, I can Special Summon an Antique Monster from my hand or graveyard. Return to my field, Antique Maker - Mira (ATK: 2000/DEF: 100/LV: 5)!"
A maiden in all black holding a mirror in her hand appeared.
"Mira's effect activates, upon its summon I can add an Antique Monster from my deck to my hand!" Yuuji added a card to his hand. "Now, I activate Antique Maker - Swinging Soul's effect, allowing me to Special Summon it when I control an 'Antique' Monster!"
A white magician holding a swinging pendulum in its hands appeared. A faint blue aura could be seen surrounding the monster.
[Antique Maker - Swinging Soul (Dark/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 100/DEF: 2000/LV: 3/SC: 1)]
"Swinging Soul's effect activates!" Yuuji announced as the magician began swinging the pendulum necklace in its hand back and forth. "Once per turn, I can swap the ATK and DEF of a monster on my opponent's field. I choose to target Performapal Silver Claw with this effect!"
(Performapal Silver Claw — ATK: 1800 → 700, DEF: 700 → 1800)
"Next, I activate Antique Journal's effect, allowing me to Special Summon Antique Compass (Light/Fairy/Tuner/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 3/SC: 6) to my field!"
The pristine compass emerges from a portal that formed on the pages of Antique Journal.
"Now, I tune the Level 3 Antique Compass to the Level 4 Antique Journal!" Yuuji announced as his monsters transformed into green rings and orbs respectively, lining up in a line as he began chanting. "Item of old lost through time. Bring about your legacy! I Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 7! The forbidden wand of calamity! Antique Burdened Staff (Light/Fairy/Synchro/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 7)!"
An old, floating, used up wand appeared on Yuuji's field.
"A Synchro Summon!?" Yuzu exclaimed.
"But why is it so weak? It has no ATK." Ayu wondered.
"It must have an effect that can help him here," Tatsuya guessed.
"Burdened Staff's effect activates!" Yuuji declared. "I can equip it to a monster my opponent controls and take control of it. However, during the End Phase, this card is destroyed, and that monster returns to my opponent's field. I choose to take back control of Antique Maker - Revolution Commander!"
"No way!" Yuya was shocked as the withered staff began to glow purple, shooting an energy beam at Revolution Commander which eventuallys wraps around it and drags it back to Yuuji's field.
"Now for the climax! Battle!" Yuuji immediately moved into his Battle Phase as he pumped his fist forward. "Revolution Commander attacks Silver Claw! Blazing Revolution!"
"Not so fast! I activate the Action Spell, Evasion!" Yuya activates an Action Spell he had picked up earlier. "With it, I can negate the attack of your monster!"
"I activate my set Action Spell, No Action to negate that effect!" Yuuji counters.
"Stargazer Magician Pendulum Effect negates that effect!" Yuya countered back.
Stargazer Magician uses its power to set Yuuji's Action Card down on his field once again, allowing Silver Claw to dodge Revolution Commander's attack.
"I hope you didn't forget that Revolution Commander can attack twice, right?" Yuuji smiled. "Revolution Commander attacks Silver Claw once again!
"Of course not," Yuya smiled back as he used Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon as a lift to reach an Action Card he spotted above him on an island. "I activate the Action Spell, Mirror Match! When my opponent declares an attack on my monster, I can make our monster's ATK points match temporarily!"
(Revolution Commander — ATK: 4500)
(Performapal Silver Claw — ATK: 700 → 4500)
"This is it, once Revolution Commander is destroyed, Yuya will be able to win on his next turn!" Ayu cheered.
"Sorry, but this is where this duel ends!" Yuuji declared as he revealed a card in his hand. "I activate my Quick-Play-Spell, Damage Launch! By tributing a monster I can control, I can deal damage to my opponent equal to the total ATK points of that monster! I choose to tribute Revolution Commander!"
"Revolution Commander has 4500 ATK…" Yuya's eyes widened. "That means…"
"That's right, you take 4500 points of damage!" Yuuji announced as a mystery box appeared in front of him, with Revolution Commander hopping inside of it. The box begins to shake for a moment before a blast of energy is shot out from an opening towards Yuya, which hits him directly and reduces his Life Points to zero.
Yuya — LP: 3100 → 0
Winner: Yuuji
[BGM (Background Music) Ends Here.]
The Action Field disperses, the crystal islands turning into glowing particles which faded into nothing, returning the two boys back into the arena.
"Dammit, I lost," Yuya sighed while sitting on the ground. "I really thought I had it in the bag."
"You almost did," Yuuji replied. "You surpassed my expectations and then some."
"But I still fell short in the end…" Yuya melancholically said.
"..." Yuuji frowned for a moment before realizing something. "You may be more like me than I thought before."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You hate losing, right?" Yuuji asked. "Me too. It's the thing I hate the most, yet it happens to me more often than winning does."
Yuya was in disbelief, "I couldn't even imagine you losing. You're way too good at dueling to be losing that much."
"Thanks for the compliment, but I'm pretty sure my win rate is even worse than yours," Yuuji replied. "Before I received these Pendulum Cards, it was typical for me to lose at least three duels in a row before I could even get a single win."
Yuya was shocked by this.
"I've always received comments from people, telling me to give up and that with a deck like mine, I would never be able to achieve my naive goal of becoming the strongest," Yuuji continued. "But I never gave up. I kept throwing myself at my opponents, learning everything I can about dueling, from different summoning methods to other smaller intricacies."
Yuuji then sighed.
"But, even with a good understanding of dueling, when you don't have a good deck, you will lose. A lot."
"Then why didn't you use a stronger deck?" Yuzu asked as the rest of the group entered the room.
"My father gave me this deck," Yuuji answered. "A bit before he passed away. I promised him that I would become the greatest duelist there is with it. That's why I push through even when I keep getting knocked back down."
"I, the man Gongenzaka, whole-heartedly agree," Gongenzaka smiled as pumped his fist. "A real man pushes through adversity, even when the going gets tough."
Yuuji smiled at that before turning back to Yuya, extending his hand out to him, "Anyway, what I was trying to say is that you shouldn't let a loss get you down. It's only a steppingstone towards your goal of becoming someone who can entertain the crowd just like your father."
"You're right," Yuya nodded with a smile as he accepted Yuuji's hand, standing back up. "Next time, I'll show you a dazzling duel that you'll never forget. And I'll actually come out on top this time."
"Looking forward to it," Yuuji nodded
"Yuya! Yuuji! That was an amazingly hot-blooded duel!" Shuzo shouted as he jumped to hug the two of them, however fell face first onto the ground as the two of them stepped out of the way. Shuzo just got right back up, turning his attention to Yuuji. "You should really join our school as a student…no, as a teacher!"
"No thanks," Yuuji declined. "While I do support Yuya in his goal, I don't really vibe with the whole entertaining crowd business. I just duel for my own enjoyment."
"Aw, come on! You would fit right in here!" Shuzo pleaded. "Everyone would be happy to have you here."
"Mhm," Yuzu nodded. "I thought you were just some mean jerk in the beginning, but I can see that you're just a big softy at heart."
"A-A softy?" Yuuji blushed with embarrassment. "I'm not soft at all!"
"Oh really~." Yuzu teased. "Why did you help Yuya then?"
"That was just because I wanted a rival who could use Pendulum Summoning," Yuuji crossed his arms and looked away. "I would've done that with anyone if they had the cards instead of Yuya."
"Liar," Yuzu bluntly said, surprising Yuuji. "You can't just say that after lore dropping about your past like that to cheer Yuya up. Some selfish jerk wouldn't do that."
"..." Yuuji was silent for a moment before replying. "Okay, sure. I may be a little nice. But that still doesn't mean that I'll join your school."
"Please," Ayu pleaded. "You're really cool, mister."
"Yeah, I want to learn how to duel just like you!" Futoshi said. "Just thinking about it gives me the shivers."
"You could really help us out a lot if you're here," Tatsuya added.
"Yeah," Yuzu agreed. "You could teach us a lot more than this clingy father of mine," Yuzu said as she pointed at Shuzo.
"Hey!" Shuzo shouted.
"U-Um…" Yuuji struggled to say something.
[Please!] The four moved closer with pleading looks.
This isn't fair, it's like four against one! Yuuji thought.
"...F-Fine, but give me some personal space first," Yuuji finally agreed.
"Wahoo! Thank you, Yuuji!" Futoshi cheered.
"Alright!" Shuzo exclaimed as his eyes lit on fire. "Now that we have two Pendulum Users at our school. The You Show Duel School will be unstoppable!"
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A few days later…
That was how it started. Somehow, his trip to Maiami City resulted in him becoming a Student/Teacher on his third day there. Though he had to admit that it wasn't that bad.
"It's a nice change of pace," Yuuji said as he walked at a moderate pace. "How long has it been since I last joined a school? Five years, right?"
There wasn't much a low-funded school like You Show could teach him, but that was fine with him. He wasn't there to learn, he was there to help out his new acquaintances, no, he could probably call them friends at this point. It's been a few days. While he wasn't really a fan of entertainment dueling, it wouldn't hurt to at least try it right? It's not like it was much different from how he was dueling, the only difference being that the focus was also on entertaining the crowd, not just himself.
Yuuji walked past an alleyway, stopping in his tracks when he felt a threatening presence watching him. When he checked the source, he noticed a tall youth around his age, with long dark green, rough-looking hair. The young man was wearing a worn-out cloak which covered the the bottom half of his body completely.
The two of them make eye contact.
"What are you looking at?" The youth scoffed. "I got no time for a lowlife like you."
"Lowlife?" A tick mark formed on Yuuji's head. "Says the shady bastard spending his day staring at people from the darkness of an alleyway."
"Oh? So you got a mouth on you, huh?" The youth sneered, revealing his sharp teeth. "You must be looking for a fight?"
"What a baseless assumption," Yuuji rolled his eyes before noticing a duel disk on the left arm of the duelist. He was surprised when he noticed that it was a different shade from the norm. "Are you a duelist?" Yuuji suddenly asked.
The tall youth seemed to come to a similar conclusion looking at Yuuji's left arm.
"Yeah," The youth nodded before smirking. "Don't tell me you plan on dueling me? You stand a better chance fighting me with your fists than your deck."
"I probably do," Yuuji replied. "But I'd rather duel you. I wouldn't want to put somebody in the hospital during my first week here."
"Confident, are we? Fine with me," The youth agreed to duel. "Where do you want to take this?"
"There's an abandoned harbor nearby. We can take it there," Yuuji suggested.
"Nice and quiet, just the way I like it," The youth stuck his tongue out. "The perfect place to hide a body."
Don't like the sound of that. Yuuji frowned. He decided to ignore the red flag for now though since they were already on their way.
The two arrive at the harbor, with each of them taking post on opposite sides of an open area.
"May I know the name of my opponent?" Yuuji inquired.
"You can call me Ryouga," Ryouga introduced himself. "You better remember it, since it's the last thing you'll be hearing."
"A threat, I'm so scared~." Yuuji mocked before pointing at Ryouga. "I'm Haruki Yuuji. You're going to remember it, since I'm going to give you a beating that you'll never forget."
The two activate their duel disks simultaneously. Nearby, a lavender-haired youth wearing punk-styled clothes and a mask sat on top of a warehouse building, observing the current events unfolding.
[Duel!] The two shout in unison.
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Custom/Altered Cards:
Monster Cards -
Timegazer Magician
ATK: 1200, DEF: 600, LV: 3, SC: 8
Pendulum Effect: Once per turn, during either player's Battle Step in which a Pendulum Monster you control battles, when a Trap Card is activated: You can negate the activation, then Set that card face-down instead of sending it to the Graveyard, and if you do, it cannot be activated for the rest of this turn.
Monster Effect: Once per turn, during either player's turn, when a Spell/Trap effect that targets a card(s) in the Pendulum Zone is activated: You can negate that effect.
Performapal Hyper Emu
ATK: 300, DEF: 2200, LV: 6, SC: 3
Wind/Winged-Beast/Pendulum/Effect
Pendulum Effect: (Quick Effect): You can tribute both monsters in your Pendulum Zones, then target 1 monster your opponent controls; take control of it.
Monster Effect: (Quick Effect): If a Pendulum Monster you control is targeted for an attack, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. (Quick Effect): You can tribute this card, then target 1 monster your opponent controls; take control of it. You can only activate each effect of "Performapal Hyper Emu" once per turn.
Antique Burdened Staff
ATK: 0, DEF: 0, LV: 7
Light/Fairy/Synchro/Effect
1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner Monsters
Monster Effect: You can equip this card to a monster on your opponent's field; take control of it. During the End Phase, destroy this card, then; return the monster this card was equipped to back to their field.
Spell/Trap Cards -
Rapid Reflection
Action Spell
When an effect that targets a monster you control is activated: Negate that effect, then apply the same effect, targeting 1 card your opponent controls instead.
Reversion
Action Spell
During the Damage Step: Swap the ATK of both battling monsters until the End Phase.
Punishing Grip
Action Spell
Target 1 card on your opponent's field; negate its effects.
Emergency Antique Reinforcements
Counter Trap
Can be activated when a "Antique" Monster would be destroyed by battle or card effect. For the rest of this turn, "Antique" Monsters cannot be destroyed, and all damage you take in battles involving "Antique" Monsters is reduced to zero.
Mirror Match
Action Spell
When your opponent declares an attack on a monster you control: During the Damage Step, make your monster's ATK equal to the attacking monster's ATK.
Damage Launch
Quick-Play-Spell
Tribute 1 monster you control; inflict damage to your opponent equal to the Tributed monster's current ATK.
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