Chapter 6: Kindred Spirits

0:359:18:24:47

"With the first Duel complete, we will now determine the participants for the next match," Dunia announced, picking up the sandstone die. The heavy object changed in her dark hands, shedding sand that blew out in all directions, until the die had only ten sides. Instead of being numbered to ten, however, the die's highest number was still twelve, with six and eleven being absent. Once this was done, Dunia threw the rock again, and it rolled to a stop at the number nine. "The first Duelist will be number nine: Maya!" The olive-skinned woman nodded and stepped to one side of the plaza, just where Lea had stood. Dunia summoned the die to her hands and rolled it yet again, this time yielding the number one. "Maya's opponent will be contestant number one: Blockhead!" From the crowd stepped a tall figure wearing a red shirt, blue pants, and brown shoes. His skin was a bright yellow, and his head was perfectly spherical, resembling a smiley face. He had no ears, and two short black hairs stuck out from the place on his head where one might have a cowlick in their hair. Following him was an obese old man with shaggy white hair and a bulbous nose. He wore a white undershirt, black shorts, and sandals. Most notable about the man was the fact that he was sitting in a floating armchair. The strange piece of furniture seemed to gravitate toward the smiley-faced figure, following him silently a foot or so above the ground.

"What's with that guy?" Maya asked Kaje, who had found his way to the side of the plaza near her.

"The walking Rollback face, or the old guy in the chair?" asked Kaje in return.

"Yes," answered Maya with a shrug. "Also, what's a Rollback face?"

"Long story."

"Let the Duel begin!" Dunia ordered.

"Hold it!" shouted a voice from behind the crowd. The group parted, and a tall woman with auburn hair walked through. "I believe this is where I come in."

"What on Ketto Sekai is going on?" wondered Dylan.

"Oh, I was holding a spot for my friend," Maya explained, taking off her Duel Disk and handing it to the red-haired woman. "This is Clarissa. She always has to work late at the card shop, so I entered the Desolas tournament in her place."

"Is that legal?" Koukin inquired, giving Dunia a quizzical look. The dark-skinned woman merely shrugged as Clarissa took Maya's spot on the battlefield.

"Like I said," the officiator continued. "Let the Duel begin!" At her words, Clarissa's Duel Disk, a purple instrument with a claw emblazoned in silver, and the yellow-skinned Duelist's Disk, which was yellow with a blue symbol depicting some sort of kitchen utensil, activated, and the Life Point counters were set.

"I'm the number-one guy!" the strange person shouted happily, drawing his first six cards.

"You're not even going to offer me the first move?" wondered Clarissa suspiciously.

"Don't waste your time, kid," the old man warned in a deep, grouchy voice. "Blockhead doesn't give a damn about anyone; not even himself."

"That hardly seems like a fair statement," said Maya disbelievingly.

"Oh, yeah?" challenged the old man. "You just watch. Let him take his turn, and you watch, missy!"

"First of all, don't call me 'missy'," Maya requested. "Secondly, fine. Let's see what Blockhead's got. You go, Clarissa!"

"Hello, Happy Hobo!" called Blockhead, placing a card on his Duel Disk the wrong way. A bald man with thick eyebrows and unkempt facial hair fell from the card's enlarged hologram, wearing tattered clothes. A Defense Point counter appeared above his head, reading 1400.

"You can't Normal Summon monsters in Defense Mode!" Dylan protested.

"It seems to be part of that card's effect," pointed out Koukin as he played thoughtfully with a strand of his hair. "There aren't too many cards that do that, and I'm wondering why a card would have higher Attack Points than Defense Points if it's summoned in Defense Mode."

"Now we have to find The Weevil!" Blockhead continued.

"The Weevil?" asked Clarissa.

"Don't even start," warned the old man in the chair. "Just don't give him a chance!"

"The Weevil," Blockhead confirmed, slapping down another card and bringing forth a short round man with skinny limbs, bulging, half-closed eyes, and gray skin. The man made an unintelligible sound as his Attack Points display appeared, showing 1500. "Now, tribute must be paid for the King of Toilet Town!" There was a flash of rainbow light, and the two homeless people merged into one, becoming a version of the Happy Hobo with green skin, red eyebrows and facial hair, and dressed in black pants and a blue polo shirt over a white long-sleeved shirt.

"This guy again…" grumbled the old man, burying his face in his palms as the new monster's Attack Points readout popped up, reading 650. "Listen, Hobo here gets 300 Attack Points for each card in Blockhead's Graveyard, and at the end of each of your turns, you get 100 Life Points for each card you've got in your Graveyard."

"Why play a monster like that on the first turn?" Maya wondered. "Is Blockhead really as stupid as that guy says?"

"Then I'll place two cards face-down and initiate my End Phase," concluded Blockhead.

"The hell?" demanded Clarissa, drawing her sixth card absentmindedly.

"Talk about an idiot savant," Kaje mused. "Makes the mind wonder whether or not the guy knows what he's doing."

"I'm wondering just who that guy in the chair is," said Zero. "Why exactly doesn't he just get out of the chair and walk away, if Blockhead's so annoying?"

"Because I'm stuck!" the man raged. "Normally, I'm stuck in this moron's head! I'm supposed to be his conscience, but he never listens to me, and makes my life a living hell."

"So you somehow appeared outside of his mind when you came to Duelia?" asked Koukin.

"Whether it's a trick of this world or some unholy miracle of his bizarre mind, I'll never know," the conscience sighed. "Either way, I'm physically bound to this chair, and this chair's bound to Blockhead."

"Interesting," noted Koukin.

"Yeah, it's real interesting," retorted the conscience. "So interesting, it makes me want to kill myself and everyone around me!"

"Talk about anger issues…" Clarissa observed as she drew her sixth card. "I summon Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus, in Attack Mode!" The white winged stallion burst forth in a flash of blue light, tossing its head and neighing as its Attack Points display appeared, showing 1800.

"Whoa…" murmured Kaje.

"Uh, Kaje?" Koukin said, waving his hand in front of his large friend's face. "You still with us, good buddy?"

"She uses Crystal Beasts, too," Kaje continued.

"I think he's a little lovestruck," joked Zero.

"That, or he's getting flashbacks to the other night," Dylan suggested.

"Thanks to Sapphire's effect, I can place a Crystal Beast into my Spell and Trap Card Zone," continued Clarissa. "I select Topaz Tiger." A shining yellow gem floated from the redhead's Duel Disk and settled behind Sapphire Pegasus. "Next, I'll equip my Pegasus with the Crystal Release Spell Card!" Seven brilliant-cut jewels circled Sapphire Pegasus, surrounding it with a golden glow as its Attack Points rose to 2600.

"Yep. Definitely flashbacks," confirmed Koukin after snapping his fingers at Kaje a few times.

"Now, Sapphire Pegasus, take out that hobo!" Clarissa commanded. The superpowered steed flapped its wings and rushed forward, skewering the King of Toilet Town and taking Blockhead's Life Points down to 6050. "I set a card face-down and end my turn," Clarissa finished.

"Field Trip?" asked Blockhead.

"Um, what?" Clarissa asked in return, becoming more and more confused.

"Field Trip!" the yellow-skinned Duelist shouted, flipping up his other face-down card. "It's time for A Day at the Park!" The plaza wavered and gave way to a verdant park, complete with benches, flowerbeds, trees, and a hot dog vendor.

"Oh, great…" muttered the conscience.

"What?" Clarissa asked worriedly. "What's going on?"

"Just get out now," the conscience commanded, shaking his shaggy head. "You don't want to see what happens, unless you don't mind, y'know, not being able to play the game."

"I'm sure it can't be that bad," Clarissa assured him.

"Oh, it is," corrected the old man. "Take from the guy who lives in this guy's head. Just save yourself a crapload of trouble, okay?"

"Sure thing, mister," agreed the redhead. "I activate the Crystal Raigeki Trap Card! This will let me send my Topaz gem to the Graveyard and destroy A Day at the Park." The yellow jewel began to spark with energy before exploding hugely and incinerating all of the park scenery. Once all of it was gone, Blockhead gasped, his face bearing an expression of hurt.

"You…!" he said, shaking his fist at his opponent.

"If it's as bad as your conscience says it is, I had to destroy it," said Clarissa apologetically. "It's your move."

"I activate the Spell Card 'Proving the Pet Truth'!" Blockhead announced angrily. A window appeared in front of him, as did a turtle. The yellow-skinned being picked up the turtle and threw it through the window, shattering it and sending holographic glass shards everywhere. Before the turtle passed through the wooden window frame, however, it disappeared completely.

"Why would you do that?" shrieked Maya, covering her ears to shield them from the loud sound.

"It wasn't me!" Blockhead protested.

"We all just watched you do it," insisted Clarissa. "If it wasn't you, who was it?"

"It was the turtle. Again!" the smiley-face vied. "It was the turtle again!"

"There was no turtle," said Dylan, looking around. "You just busted a floating window." To this, Blockhead responded by shaking his head emphatically.

"I will shee-ow you!" he replied decisively. "I will prove the pet truth to you in the next two turns!"

"Whatever," dismissed Clarissa. "Can I take my turn now, or are you going to make another move?"

"Mmmm, nope," Blockhead said. "Your turn yet!"

"Good, then I'll draw and activate the Crystal Tree Spell Card!" The barren tree popped up in front of Clarissa. "Then I'll activate the Crystal Blessing Spell Card, allowing me to return my Topaz Tiger to the Spell and Trap Card Zone." The roundish topaz gem reappeared, and the Crystal Tree grew a shimmering lemon on one of its branches. "Next, I'll send my Tree to the Graveyard to place Amber Mammoth in its place." The tree dropped its fruit, withered, and disappeared. The lemon sank into the ground, and an orange gem rose up from where it landed. "With two gems in my back row, I can activate the Crystal Promise Spell Card and bring forth Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle!" With an avian screech and a flash of bluish-purple light, a huge bird of prey flew from its card and hovered next to Sapphire Pegasus, flapping its bejeweled wings. "To finish my turn off, I'll have Sapphire and Cobalt attack you directly!" Both monsters flew up and charged, twisting around each other's flight paths to form a helix of blue and purple light that hit Blockhead and knocked his Life Points down to 2050. "Your move."

"Wow," Kaje managed to mutter.

"She's certainly taken a very aggressive take on the Crystal Beasts," observed Koukin. "Kaje normally fills up his back row with the weaker Crystal Beasts, while summoning the stronger ones, but Clarissa's pulling the strongest ones out and gearing up for an all-out assault."

"Not to mention she's making a joke of this Blockhead guy," Zero pointed out. "Kinda makes you wonder why his conscience was as worried as he was."

"You'll see," responded the conscience with a scowl.

"I activate Feeding the Birds!" Blockhead proclaimed excitedly after he had drawn his card. "I pick that, that, that, that, and that!" As he said this, Blockhead pointed to each card Clarissa controlled. One of his face-down cards flipped up, and a pile of rocks appeared. Five cards fell out of the yellow-skinned Duelist's Deck onto the pile, which shrank until it was comprised of only five rocks. Blockhead scooped them up and threw them at the gems and monsters on Clarissa's side of the field, and each of them shattered. Pegasus and Eagle turned to their gem form and remained on the field, however.

"Thanks to… whatever that was, my Crystal Release was destroyed," dictated Clarissa. "When it's destroyed, I can take a Crystal Beast from my Deck and place it on my field in gem form. This time, I'll pick Amethyst Cat." A rhombus-shaped purple jewel floated out of Clarissa's Duel Disk and settled next to the other stones. "Proceed."

"Proceed with the procedure, Mr. Producer!" babbled Blockhead as his Life Points fell to 1025.

"By the way, it's your turn again," the conscience interpreted. "He can only activate Feeding the Birds during his Standby Phase, and it ends his turn, as well as cutting his Life Points in half. Not to mention that for each card he destroys, a card goes from his Deck to the Graveyard."

"Oh, okay," Clarissa confirmed, drawing her next card. "I summon Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise, in Attack Mode." The green ambphibian lumbered forward, the spires of stone on its shell swaying with each slow step. "Now, my Tortoise, attack!" Emerald Tortoise withdrew into its shell and began spinning at Blockhead, but the smiley-face's face-down card flipped face-up, revealing a basket filled with bread, a videotape, and a toaster oven.

"Here's a gift basket!" Blockhead offered. "Or maybe a phone call? Or perhaps a gift basket?" Emerald Tortoise froze in place, emerged from its shell, and walked back to its spot as Blockhead drew his next card.

"What just happened?" wondered Dylan, rubbing his eyes.

"'Or a Phone Call…?' is a Trap Card that ends the opponent's turn," explained the conscience.

"That seems pretty unfair," observed Clarissa. "Does it have a cost?"

"Nope!" Blockhead answered as his Life Points dropped to 512. "Now that it's my turn, I can banish the evil Broken Clamps from my Graveyard to summon The Turtle!" From his Duel Disk, a collection of items flew out. One of them, a pair of clamps that was badly mangled, disappeared. The other items; a metal bowl, a broken window crank from a car, a hammer, a screwdriver, a wrench, and a crowbar, assembled themselves on the field. An Attack Points display appeared above it, showing 2500.

"That's. Not. A turtle!" bellowed the conscience. "That's just a collection of junk from your Graveyard that might vaguely resemble a turtle to someone with dementia or a history of chronic mental retardation!"

"Actually, I can kinda see the resemblance," Koukin said. "The crank is the head, the bowl is the shell, and the tools make the legs."

"No," the conscience breathed. "Not you, too! You seem like such a sensible young man."

"I am," Koukin replied. "One who can make sense of modern-day sculpture."

"My turtle's better than yours!" gloated Blockhead. "Now I end my turn!"

"You summoned that monster, and you're not even going to attack with it?" asked Clarissa, but her Duel Disk had already shut down, the displays had already disappeared, and the holograms faded.

"What the Binacle?!" Dylan demanded.

"He proved the pet truth," pointed out the conscience with a shrug. "He controlled The Turtle during his third End Phase after he activated that damn Spell Card, which means he wins the Duel automatically."

"That's… But… Why…?" Maya stammered, her face turning red with anger.

"It's okay," Clarissa assured her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "At least there's a losers' bracket, so I can still win some extra Accolades."

"Quite true," Dunia agreed. "That said, let us waste no time in continuing on to the third Duel. This match will pit Dylan against Yuma."

"Oh, yeah!" shouted a scratchy voice from inside the crowd. Out stepped a teenage boy with black hair that stood up in points at the sides of his head. From his forehead swept red hair in two horn shapes. Beside the boy floated a humanoid figure made of blue light with calm yellow eyes. "Get set to get Decked, Dylan, 'cause I'm feelin' the flow!"

"Oh, God…" groaned Dylan, stepping forward.

"Yuma, do not rush into this Duel too hastily," the blue being said evenly. "Remember that Duelists from many other worlds have entered this tournament, each with strange new cards and strategies. It is more important than ever that you approach each new challenge cautiously."

"Ah, relax, Astral!" Yuma replied with a grin. "When has being careful done me any more good than just going for it and high-fiving the sky?"

"Sad as it is to say, you are right," admitted Astral with a sigh. "At least watch his moves closely, so you don't run into any traps, please."

"I just wish the guys had come along to watch this," Yuma lamented briefly. "Even Shark decided not to stick around after the opening ceremony, and I have no idea where he went."

"Are we gonna Duel, or not?" insisted Dylan.

"He is quite right," Dunia agreed. "Enough chit-chat!"

"Let's Duel!" both participants shouted as their Duel Disks whirred to life. Yuma's was silver with a black insignia that resembled a number sign.

"I'll take the first move," Dylan said, drawing his cards. "I'll set a monster face-down, and two Spell or Trap Cards face-down, and that'll do it."

"He certainly is not giving you any chances to observe his strategy," pointed out Astral. "Approach with caution, Yuma."

"I've got your careful right here!" Yuma answered confidently, drawing his sixth card. "I summon Gagaga Magician!" As the card hit the field, a silver-haired man appeared, swinging a steel chain. A blue conical cap sat on his head, and the lower half of his face was obscured by a black mask. The man wore brown leather armor over a blue trenchcoat and black jumpsuit, and his Attack Point readout showed 1500. "Now, I'll activate Gagaga Magician's special ability! Once per turn, I can change his Level to anything between 1 and 8, so I'll make him a Level 6 monster!" Four red spheres with stars on them rotated around the magician, who used his chain to strike two of them and split them in two. "Since I control a Gagaga monster, I can also summon Gagaga Child from my hand, and his Level will become the same as the one I control. Come on out, Gagaga Child!" A red-haired boy wearing a white shirt, blue shorts, and red sneakers, with a hat the same color as Gagaga Magician's jumped out of his card, his blue cape flowing behind him, and his red tie flapping up and hitting him comically in the face. The kid brandished the ice cream bar he held like a weapon as the six spheres surrounding Gagaga Magician expanded their orbit to encompass the new addition to Yuma's field.

"A good play, Yuma," Astral coached him. "Do not get too ambitious during your first turn, though."

"Don't worry, Astral," assured Yuma. "Since I used Gagaga Child's effect to Special Summon it, I'm not allowed to take my Battle Phase this turn, so I won't be running into any traps! I won't waste this play, though! I overlay Level 6 Gagaga Magician and Gagaga Child to build the overlay network!" Each of Yuma's monsters became a ball of purple light that swirled up into a burst of light. "I Xyz Summon a monster who can take out even the mightiest of foes with a single punch! Join the fight, Gauntlet Launcher!" From the burst of light, a warrior in a suit of plated red armor jumped onto the field. An Attack Point display appeared above his head, reading 2400.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you had this planned out," Astral joked. "Well done."

"Can't say I'm a fan of blue aliens, but he's right," said Dylan. "That's a pretty impressive monster."

"You can see me?" Astral replied, his eyes showing a slight sign of shock.

"Well, yeah," confirmed Koukin. "You're floating right there. Kinda hard to miss an effeminate blue alien who doesn't walk on the ground."

"What he said," Dylan said hurriedly. "And like I said, cool monster. Good thing you can't attack."

"I don't need to!" replied Yuma. "By using one of Guantlet Launcher's Overlay Units, I can pick one of your monsters and destroy it! Go, Gauntlet Launcher! Rocket Punch!" One of the purple spheres swirling around Gauntlet Launcher flew into the right fist of the red-clad man, and the appendage fired immediately at Dylan's monster.

"Not happening!" Dylan countered. "I activate the Divine Wrath Trap Card! By discarding one card from my hand, I can negate your monster's effect and destroy it." As the card flipped up, there was a flash of golden light, and a giant hand lowered from the sky, intercepting the rocket-propelled gauntlet and setting it down next to its owner, where it exploded.

"Ah, bummer!" shouted Yuma disappointedly. "Well, nothing to do but keep moving forward. I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Goodra, Goodra…" Dylan said as he drew his next card. "I Flip Summon my Delta Flyer!" The monster card flipped up, revealing a small brown dragon standing on two legs, with white insect-like wings that appeared much too big for it. Its Attack Point display read 1500. "Next, I'll summon on out my Alexandrite Dragon!" A jeweled white dragon burst forth from its card, sporting an Attack Point readout of 2000. "Thanks to my Delta Flyer's effect, I can raise the Level of another monster I control by 1 once per turn. Do your thing, Delta Flyer!" The brown dragon took off, buzzing around Alexandrite Dragon until there was a white blur around it. When Delta Flyer came to rest, Alexandrite Dragon looked bigger, and its gemstones glowed with an inner light.

"Why would you use an effect to make the Levels of your monsters more different?" wondered Yuma. "Wouldn't you rather raise Delta Flyer's Level, or lower Alexandrite Dragon's?"

"He is not planning to Xyz Summon, Yuma," Astral warned. "Be ready."

"Might want to listen to your friend," Dylan advised. "Now, I tune my Level 3 Delta Flyer with my Level 5 Alexandrite Dragon!" Delta Flyer became three balls of green light, and Alexandrite Dragon dissolved into fives spheres of yellow light. All of them swirled together and became a mass of green light that began to take shape. "I Synchro Summon Stardust Dragon!" The mass of light took the form of a slender silver dragon with huge angel wings, sporting 2500 Attack Points.

"Synchro what?" asked Yuma frantically.

"Synchro Summon," Astral explained. "It's a form of Special Summon that was used before your time, and is done with a Tuner Monster. Synchro Monsters are very powerful, so be careful."

"Don't worry, Astral!" assured Yuma. "I've got this!"

"I'll bet you do," Dylan said with a smirk. "But you won't once I attack your Life Points directly! Cosmic Flare!" Stardust Dragon flew up and flapped its mighty wings, sending a stream of starlight toward Yuma and taking his Life Points down to 5500.

"I activate the Trap Card 'Heartfelt Appeal'!" announced Yuma. "When I take Battle Damage, I can take control of the monster you control with the highest Defense Points!"

"No, you don't!" Dylan objected. "I activate Seven Tools of the Bandit! By paying 1000 Life Points, I can negate the activation of your Trap Card!" Dylan's Life Points dropped to 7000, and Yuma's card shattered. "Now that that's done, I'll set another card face-down and end my turn."

"Man, to think I thought I wouldn't be running into any traps!" complained Yuma. "This guy's one tricky Duelist."

"Do not despair, Yuma," Astral assured him. "I am sure that you can find a way around his Trap Cards."

"His dragon's what I'm more worried about," Yuma said, drawing his next card. "I've got the perfect play to get rid of it, though! I summon Goblindbergh, in Attack Mode!" As Yuma laid the card down, a small cartoony red plane flew out of it, its orange propeller making a buzzing sound, and the tiny green goblin pilot adjusting his little goggles. "And thanks to Goblindbergh's effect, I can call out another Level 4 monster when he's Normal Summoned! Here comes Ganbara Knight!" From his card jumped a man in brown and gold armor, with silver decorating the helm, shoulders, and codpiece. He held two cyan square-shields, each with gold trim and emblazoned with a silver crest over a dark green H. "Now, with Level 4 Ganbara Knight and Goblindbergh, I can build the overlay network once more!" Goblindbergh became a ball of brown light, and Ganbara Knight transformed into one of yellow as they swirled up to form a big yellow nova of pixels. "I Xyz Summon Heroic Champion – Excalibur!" A man in red mechanical-looking armor dropped from the yellow burst, the gold and silver highlights flashing as he brandished his giant silver sword, gripping the gold handle tightly. His Attack Point readout showed 2000.

"Gonna suicide?" Dylan mocked.

"Nope!" answered Yuma proudly. "By removing both of his overlay units, Excalibur can double his original attack points until the end of your next turn!" The two balls of light orbiting Excalibur swirled into his sword, which grew until it split into two as the warrior's Attack Points rose to 4000. "Now, attack with Double Shock Sword Slash!" Excalibur crossed his swords and unleashed an X-shaped energy wave that rushed toward Stardust Dragon.

"I activate the Trap Card 'Dimensional Prison'!" Dylan announced, flipping up his face-down card. "Now your attacking monster will be banished to another dimension, where there is no escape!" A black rift opened in front of the silver dragon, swallowing Excalibur and leaving no trace.

"Aww, maaaan!" despaired Yuma. "I've got no choice but to end my turn…"

"This opponent is quite crafty," Astral observed. "It would appear as though he has no shortage of tricks up his sleeve."

"No, duh!" Yuma raged.

"Hey, don't yell at him because of your own recklessness," rebuked Kaje. "I used to be like you: always attacking with no heed for what my opponent could have in store. I learned pretty quickly to plan around the tricks and traps my opponent could have, especially after meeting Dylan and Koukin."

"Yeah, and now I'll show you how he learned!" Dylan said, drawing his next card. "I summon Evilswarm Thunderbird, in Attack Mode!" A pudgy black bird hopped from the card, flapping its fiery blue wings as its Attack Point display of 1650 popped up above its head. "Stardust Dragon, attack with Cosmic Flare!" The angelic dragon spread its wings and fired the stream of starlight at Yuma, but the attack collided with a reflective wall and was sent back at Dylan.

"You won't be dealing any more damage after my Mirror Force Trap Card is done with you!" Yuma cheered.

"Sorry, but that's not happening," countered Dylan. "I activate Stardust Dragon's special ability! By sacrificing himself, he can stop any effect that would destroy cards on the field!" Stardust Dragon became a swirling mass of sparkling energy that encompassed the reflective wall, shattering it. "Now my Thunderbird can attack with no consequence!" The black bird waved its four tendrils menacingly, stretching them and wrapping them around Yuma. The boy gave a cry of pain as the tendrils electrified, taking his Life Points down to 3850. "Now that it's my end phase, Stardust Dragon is Special Summoned from the Graveyard. Come back to me, Stardust Dragon!" In a rush of silver wind, the angelic dragon reappeared and gave a roar. "Go ahead and take your turn, Yuma."

"This is so not good…" groaned Yuma, drawing his next card. "I set a monster face-down and end my turn."

"Fine by me," Dylan said with a nod. "Now, Evilswarm Thunderbird, attack his face-down monster!" Again, the tendrils were stretched forward, grasping the image of the card on Yuma's field and forcing it to flip over. Underneath was a humanoid rock creature with a brown torso, green limbs, and gray extremities. The tendrils wrapped around the monster's limbs, delivering a powerful electric shock, but Yuma's monster stood its ground.

"Haha!" cheered the spiky-haired boy. "Since my Gogogo Golem's in Defense Mode, it can't be destroyed in battle once per turn. Nice try!"

"Huh… that's a thing," Dylan admitted. "Stardust Dragon, take out his Gogogo Golem with Cosmic Flare!" Stardust gave a mighty beat of its wings and sent a stream of silver wind at Gogogo Golem, enveloping it in energy and causing it to shatter. "I'll finish my turn with a face-down card."

"My turn!" Yuma said emphatically. "I… draw!" After looking at his card, a huge grin spread across his face.

"Do it, Yuma!" encouraged Astral excitedly.

"Sure thing, pal!" Yuma agreed. "I activate the Spell Card 'Gagagarevenge'! This card allows me to bring a Gagaga monster back from my Graveyard and equip it with this card, so come on back, Gagaga Magician!" A dark swirl appeared in front of it, and through it, Gagaga Magician leapt forth, brandishing his chain fiercely. "Now that I've got Gagaga Magician out, I'll summon Gagaga Girl!" A blonde girl in a blue knee-length kimono and matching conical hat jumped from her card in Yuma's hand and stood close to Gagaga Magician. "Since she's on the field with Gagaga Magician, I can change her Level to be the same as his!" With a swing of his chain, Gagaga Magician materialized four red spheres with stars on them, which began to orbit him and Gagaga Girl. As they did, the pink ruffles on her shoulders and wrists became pink armor plating, and the orange flower-petal skirt became metallic and sharp. "Now, I'll overlay Level 4 Gagaga Magician and Gagaga Girl to build the overlay network!" Each monster became a ball of purple light, and the two swirled up together in a helix that reached up into the sky, ending in a spiral galaxy pattern.

"That is a lot of Xyz Summoning," commented Maya. "I haven't seen this much overlaying since that guy with the striped shirt came into town with his Deck of butterflies and Rank-Up Magic."

"That guy was flippin' obsessed," Clarissa agreed.

"I Xyz Summon Number 39: Utopia!" announced Yuma proudly as the galaxy's center opened. From it descended a warrior in gold and silver armor with whitish-silver wings. As his Attack Point readout appeared, showing 2500, he held out his hand, and in it appeared a huge black sword with a silver edge.

"Impressive, but not enough to beat Stardust Dragon," said Dylan matter-of-factly.

"Not yet, anyway!" Yuma continued. "When Gagaga Girl is used as an overlay unit with another Gagaga monster, I can choose a Special Summoned monster you control and reduce its Attack Points to 0!"

"Aw, shit!" said Dylan, his eyes widening. "My Stardust Dragon is so Special Summoned!"

"Good play, Yuma," Astral complimented. "Since Gagaga Girl's effect does not destroy monsters, Stardust Dragon cannot negate the effect."

"That's the plan!" agreed Yuma. "Go, Cell Phone Subtraction!" Utopia raised his sword and swung it horizontally, sending a series of thin energy waves at Stardust Dragon, whose Attack Point counter ticked down to 0. "Now, the effect of Gagagarevenge activates! When the monster it brought back is used to Xyz Summon, the monster it was used to make gains 300 Attack Points!" Utopia held up his sword, and it gained a wicked serrated edge as his Attack Points rose to 2800. "Utopia, attack Stardust Dragon with Rising Sun Slash!" Utopia jumped up and glided forward, raising his sword up and swinging it down to cleave Stardust Dragon in two. The Synchro Monster disappeared in a burst of pixels, and Dylan's Life Points fell to 4200. As the cluster of pixels cleared, however, a spiny purple dragon with a long tail stood in Stardust's place, reared up on its hind legs as its Attack Point counter appeared, reading 2200.

"I would not have expected anything like this creature to be heralded by a monster like Stardust Dragon," wondered Astral. "What is it?"

"Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon, bitch!" announced Dylan triumphantly. "I can Special Summon it whenever you destroy one of my monsters, so thanks for that."

"No problem, I guess…" Yuma grumbled. "I end my turn." Without hesitation, Dylan drew his next card.

"Oh, this is very good!" he crowed. "I sacrifice my Evilswarm Thunderbird to summon Prime-Material Dragon!" In a golden burst of light, the black bird was gone, and in its place stood a slender golden dragon with six thin wings and 2400 Attack Points. "Now, I'll activate my face-down card, Dragon's Mirror!"

"A Normal Spell Card?" gasped Yuma. "That face-down was a bluff?"

"A bluff you didn't take," Astral reminded him. "For once, your recklessness has been to your advantage."

"With Dragon's Mirror, I can remove from play the monsters I need for a Fusion Monster in my Extra Deck to summon that monster," explained Dylan. "So, I'll remove from play Delta Flyer, Alexandrite Dragon, Stardust Dragon, Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon, and Prime-Material Dragon!" The five dragons flew above Dylan's head in a circle, at the center of which opened a black rift that proceeded to swallow the creatures surrounding it.

"What monster could he be summoning that needs five Fusion Materials?" queried Astral calmly.

"Dunno, but I'm freakin' out!" Yuma jabbered, his body trembling.

"Now, rise, terror of the dragons!" commanded Dylan as a form began to emerge from the rift. "Overpower my enemies, and strike fear into the hearts of all who would face you! Serve me, Five-Headed Dragon!" The form that descended from the rift took shape as a bipedal dragon with five heads; one made of fire, one belonging to a sea serpent, a black head with red eyes, a spiky earth-colored head, and one that looked mechanical. As the rift closed behind the giant monster, its Attack Point display appeared, showing 5000.

"Th-that thing's huge!" Yuma cried, shrinking back from the battlefield.

"Do not worry, Yuma," Astral assured him. "You can survive this."

"Right!" agreed Yuma.

"Five-Headed Dragon, attack Utopia!" Dylan ordered. The five heads lined themselves up and fired a stream of attacks of varying elements at Yuma's monster.

"Utopia, stop that attack!" pleaded Yuma frantically. "By using one overlay unit, he can negate it. Go, Lightwing Shield!" The wings on Utopia's armor absorbed one of the two lights orbiting the monster, becoming a round silver shield that stopped the elemental onslaught.

"You're lucky you've got that Xyz Monster," Dylan said. "I end my turn."

"That was close!" panted Yuma, wiping sweat from his brow and drawing his next card. "Oh, yeah! I've got an idea! Utopia, attack Five-Headed Dragon!"

"What?!" Dylan sputtered. "You're a madman!"

"No, I'm not!" Yuma countered as Utopia rushed forward with his sword ready. "I'm using his other overlay unit to negate his own attack!" The other orbiting light again turned Utopia's wings into a silver shield, which stopped the warrior's sword from making contact. "And now that his attack's been negated, I can activate Double or Nothing!" Utopia gripped his sword with both hands, and it split into two identical swords, and his Attack Points jumped to 5600.

"What's going on?!" demanded Dylan.

"It's the effect of Double or Nothing!" explained Yuma excitedly. "When a monster's attack is negated, I can use this Spell Card to double that monster's Attack Points and attack again. Utopia, take out Five-Headed Dragon with Rising Sun Twin Slash!" Utopia rushed forward, crossing his swords and unleashing an attack that sliced all of Dylan's monster's heads clean off. Dylan reeled from the blow as his Life Points went down to 3600.

"Well…" Dylan breathed. "At least your monster's out of overlay units."

"Not for long," Yuma warned as Utopia's sword and Attack Points returned to normal. "Ready, Astral?"

"Yes," replied Astral solemnly.

"Go, Chaos Xyz Evolution!" Yuma and Astral said in unison. Utopia became a big sphere of yellow light and flew up into a spiral galaxy that appeared in the sky. Once the light had been swallowed, the galaxy exploded, revealing a new form of Utopia. This form held two swords and was clad in darker armor. The wings had also become mechanical arms that held interlocking swords. Above its head appeared an Attack Points display that read 2500. "Arise, Chaos Number 39: Utopia Ray!"

"A Chaos Number card, huh?" marveled Koukin. "Is Yuma and Astral's world the place where they originated?"

"Maybe that's just where they're really special," Zero offered with a shrug. "You can just pull 'em from packs in Ketto Sekai."

"They are the most powerful force in my world," informed Astral, almost indignantly. "Unfortunately, we are unable to show you Utopia Ray's true power, but as long as Yuma is feeling the flow, I believe we can succeed."

"I guess we'll see," Dylan continued, drawing his next card. "All right, then. You've done some fancy Xyz Summoning this Duel, and its got me wanting to, so I summon Tour Guide from the Underworld!" A bus with black demon's wings rolled out of the card Dylan laid down, its doors opening to allow a pink-haired girl in a blue smock and matching slacks. Over one shoulder swung a black bag with a skull and crossbones on it, a matching tag was pinned to her chest, and a black hat with an emblem made of two bones sat atop her head. "When she's Normal Summoned, she brings a Level 3 Fiend-type monster from my Deck with her, so here's Possessed Dark Soul!" The black bus pulled up again, and a burst of red fire spilled from its door. The fire swirled around before taking a humanoid shape. "Now, I overlay Level 3 Tour Guide and Possessed Dark Soul to build the overlay network!" Both monsters became purple balls of light and swirled up together before creating a burst of red light. "I Xyz Summon Wind-Up Zenmaines!" A V-shaped robot floated down, bringing with it two disembodied crab-like claws and a Defense Point counter that showed 2100. "That's all for now. Your turn, Yuma."

"Okay, gotta make this count!" Yuma encouraged himself. "I draw!" He looked briefly at the card, then began to cheer and hop up and down. "All right! From my hand, I activate the effect of Zeal Weapon – Lightning Blade!" A bolt of lightning cracked across the sky, striking Utopia Ray and materializing as a silver sword with a tiger-striped handle.

"With this armament, Utopia Ray gains 1200 Attack Points!" Astral explained as the Chaos Number touched the Lightning Blade with both of his swords, causing all three to combine into a massive blade and Utopia Ray's Attack Points to roll up to 3700.

"Utopia Ray, attack Wind-Up Zenmaines!" Yuma commanded. "Rising Sun Chaos Lightning Strike!" Yuma's monster raised his weapon and swung it down, causing a huge lightning bolt to fall from the sky toward Dylan's monster. The bolt made contact, causing an explosion of pixels. "Yeah! Take that, Dylan!"

"Hn," replied Dylan simply as the explosion cleared, revealing that Zenmaines was still standing, albeit minus one claw. "When Zenmaines is about to be destroyed, I can use one overlay unit to stop its destruction. Is that all you've got?"

"I guess so…" Yuma said dejectedly. "I end my turn."

"Now, since you've entered your End Phase, Zenmaines' second effect activates!" announced Dylan. "At the end of a turn where it prevented its own destruction, Zenmaines can destroy a card you control, so say good-bye to Utopia Ray!" From what seemed like nowhere, the missing claw came rushing back, like a sentient boomerang with a grudge, its sights set on Yuma's monster. As the sharp pincer approached, Utopia Ray held up his sword and blocked the blow. The silver weapon, however, did not survive, and returned to being the monster's original twin blades.

"Nice try!" Yuma cheered. "When Utopia Ray's equipped with Lightning Blade, the blade'll take the hit and be destroyed instead!"

"Well, that's useful," Dylan noted, drawing his next card. "Unfortunately for you, that leaves it vulnerable, and my Deck is pretty good with destroying stuff. Observe! With Evilswarm Thunderbird, Five-Headed Dragon, and the detached Tour Guide from the Underworld in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon this monster from my hand, so I'll summon my D.A.D.!"

"Your… dad?" Clarissa questioned, scratching her head as a saurian-looking black dragon lumbered forth from its card, the blades that covered its body clattering as it moved. Its Attack Points display read 2800.

"Yeah, my Dark Armed Dragon," explained Dylan. "I can only summon it if I have exactly three Dark monsters in my Graveyard. Thanks to Dragon's Mirror, all the rest of the monsters in my Graveyard were banished."

"Astral?" asked Yuma timidly.

"Yes, Yuma."

"I think we're gonna lose."

"That would seem quite likely. Since you summoned a Number, I am afraid this could be the end for me, my friend."

"Don't talk like that, Astral!" Yuma begged of his companion. "Maybe Dylan's not after the Number cards! Maybe you'll be safe!"

"It is too late to do anything more than hope," said Astral, his eyes closing sadly. "It has been an honor Dueling alongside you, Yuma."

"Now, I'll switch my Wind-Up Zenmaines to Attack Mode," continued Dylan. Zenmaines shifted to its remaining claw to its front, as if wielding it like a weapon. Its Defense Points readout changed to Attack Points, the total being 1500. "It's time for Dark Armed Dragon's effect! I can banish one of the Dark monsters in my Graveyard to destroy one card you control. So, by banishing Five-Headed Dragon, I'll destroy Chaos Number 39!" A mass of black energy emitted from the Graveyard slot of Dylan's Duel Disk, surrounding Dark Armed Dragon and taking the shape of four phantom heads. The heads reared back and fired a giant beam of darkness that swallowed Utopia Ray, and it was gone.

"That's it," Koukin said definitively. "Yuma put up one hell of a fight, but it's hard to overcome Dylan's arsenal of Trap Cards and boss monsters."

"Especially for someone who doesn't focus much on destruction and taking the offensive," agreed Kaje.

"Dark Armed Dragon and Wind-Up Zenmaines, attack Yuma directly for the win!" Dark Armed Dragon rolled into a ball studded by sharp blades, barreling forward, while Zenmaines spun its remaining claw until it was cloaked in fire before sending it in Yuma's direction.

"Astraaaaaal!" screamed Yuma as both attacks hit, sending Yuma's Life Points straight to zero. When the smoke and holograms faded, Yuma and Astral both lay on the floor of the plaza, obviously in shock.

"A-Astral?" Yuma asked weakly.

"I am still here, Yuma," informed the blue alien calmly.

"But how?" wondered the spiky-haired boy wondrously. "I summoned a Number and lost."

"I am not sure, but I suspect that this world has something to do with it," Astral theorized. "After all, Utopia was destroyed by a non-Number monster, which is not possible in our world."

"The rules of Duelia are weird," commented Zero. "People have multiple copies of monsters that are legendary in other worlds, time paradoxes don't seem to make everything go 'splodey…"

"Besides, why look a gift horse in the mouth?" Dylan asked the pair. "You guys get to stay together. That's a pretty good deal, right?"

"Yeah, I guess it is!" agreed Yuma, getting to his feet.

"You guess?" Astral demanded, his voice betraying a hint of humor. Everyone began to laugh as Yuma's face contorted, clearly flustered, but the moment was not given much time to last before Dunia cleared her throat.

"If you are done carrying on like children—"

"I am a child!" Yuma interrupted. "I'm, like, thirteen!"

"—we can continue with the tournament as planned," the dark-skinned woman continued, as if she had not been cut off. "The next Duel will pit Koukin against Serena." As Yuma scrambled to get out of the way, Dylan stepped back to let Koukin through, while a girl with dark-blue hair dressed in black wearing a skull necklace took Yuma's place. On each sleeve were red orbs with black ribbons hanging from them, and her pants were decorated with a red zigzag pattern. Her Duel Disk was a stark contrast to her attire; a white instrument with a yellow sword marking its front.

"I'm going to eat your Life Points like the head of a raw chicken," she said with a mischievous grin.

"You're weird," Koukin replied, clearly a little put-off.

"I'm not weird," argued the girl. "I'm just better than you."

"Is it getting stuffy in here?" Koukin asked, waving his giant paper fan on himself. "I think your ego's making it hard to breathe."

"Let's Duel!" they shouted in unison as their Duel Disks activated and the Life Point counters were set.

0:359:16:57:38

My apologies for taking so long with this update. Because of my desire to finish the Desolas Cup in a timely manner, I've decided to have two to three Duels per chapter, which can get a little difficult when you require descriptions for all the monsters and stuff. Speaking of which, infinite thanks to LordKoukin and darknessDemon for helping with that, and also thanks to LordKoukin for helping me create Blockhead's Deck.