Chapter Text
So… how did Yuya get in this situation again?
The last thing he remembered was grabbing Sora as he was enveloped in that strange light, landing in this… school.
And now?
He was locked in a fancy tower and didn’t know how to get out. In Duel Academy. Fusion. The school where the kids were committing genocide in XYZ- another dimension entirely.
“I’m gonna die…” Yuya whined, pacing in his room. It had only been a few hours, but boredom and worry was setting in.
It didn’t help the fact that everyone refused to talk to him, acting like he didn’t exist.
“You won’t die if you comply with the Professor’s orders~!,” a new voice purred, and Yuya whipped around-
To see himself at the door.
If he was a maniac, that is.
-_-
“Yoko, have you seen Yuya?” Zuzu asked, pushing open the door in a hurry. “Or Sora, for that matter?”
“Um… no dear, I thought-“ Yoko watched Zuzu’s anxious expression grow to outright dread.
“I haven’t seen them since the tournament. They just… disappeared.” Yoko sighed with a grim face. They both just stared at each other for a tense moment before Zuzu whisked out the door again, Yoko in hot pursuit.
“I’ll set up a search party. You and your friends go check the last place you saw them, alright?” She told her, muttering under her breath, “I’m not losing anyone else like this.”
Zuzu nodded and the duo split off in different directions. Zuzu ran straight for the duel field, calling the rest of her friends on the way. With any luck, that would be enough.
Once was random, twice was a coincidence.
Hopefully that was all it was.
They couldn’t let another Sakaki vanish; more than that, their friend.
-_-
“Why… Do you look like me?” Yuya wondered, scooting away subconsciously.
“Does it look like I know?” The other one asked, his voice dangerously sweet as he had a strange smile on his face. “No, I have a question for you, Yuya.”
This man knew his name. “Tell me your name first then.”
“… Yuri. Just Yuri. Now, how did you get here?”
“… Sora,” Yuya responded as he sat on the bed.
“Sora, huh…” Yuri thought for a moment, then focused on the tomato head. “Do you want a duel?”
“… what?” Yuya asked, confused. “Well, they took my-”
Just then, Yuri tossed his lookalike a familiar deck and duel disk, and after Yuya caught it, he checked it, realizing that it was his.
“I’m bored, and you’re interesting. Maybe I’ll tell you more about your situation? But either way… Let’s duel,” Yuri responded, obscuring the truth.
“… Fine, but don’t be sad when you lose!” Yuya agreed, then turned on his disk.
Little did he know that Yuri would be more than sad when he lost.
-_-
The frosty wind whipped against his face. Where he was, how he got there, he truly had no idea. All he knew was that he was going to track him down. He was going to kill him.
He was going to end the man who thought it a good idea to take Rin away from him.
In a burst of blinding light, he felt his duel runner hit the ground again; he suddenly found himself in a land unlike his own in every way. Green grass swayed in the wind, the clear night sky glinted with stars.
The kidnapper directly before him.
With one final attack, it would be over. Clear Wing Synchro Dragon reared back, a bright light forming from its mouth. His target could do nothing but stare as the finishing blow landed.
How much more pathetic could one get?
-_-
How did this happen?
Yuri didn’t expect to lose his duel. He never lost! He was unstoppable! He had to be! Or the professor would punish him.
But against this stranger… he did. He lost the duel. To this random kid sitting in a tower, weak enough to be captured by Sora’s hand.
“OH MY GOD ARE YOU OKAY?!” He shouted, running to his side as the cabbage haired boy collapsed.
“I… don’t know…” He admitted, trying to get up but falling again on his back, the pain growing from his heart.
“H-here, let me help you!” Yuya started and picked him up.
“I don’t need your help,” Yuri insisted, a snarl on his face, but was too weak to push away.
“Suuuure you-” Yuya started teasingly, but then the duo noticed Starving Venom glowing, and Yuri could hear his calls, his wants, his desires.
Might as well fulfill them.
“Yuya… was it?” Yuri asked, earning a nod from his lookalike. “Take… take him…” the cabbage haired boy takes out his prized possession with a bit of difficulty and holds it in front of Yuya.
“M-Me? Why?!”
“He… he wants you… and… you’re the first one to beat me… it’s fitting…” Yuri admitted, feeling slightly embarrassed. “Just… take care of him.”
After a bit of hesitation, Yuya nods and touches the card.
Then, everything goes white.
-_-
Yuto looked up to see someone in white towering over him. His face was obscured by his helmet, making the already hazy image even more difficult to comprehend, and Yuto wished he could feel brave enough to stand still and accept defeat. But he couldn’t. He was too afraid to remain, but still too weak to get up.
He was going to die a coward.
He closed his eyes and braced himself as best he could for the finishing blow. It should be soon now. He felt the blood rush to his head as this stranger picked him up by the shirt collar, and faintly heard the quiet, distorted voice screaming at him.
“Where is Rin?!”
Yuto knew he couldn’t have heard him correctly, but he couldn’t for the life of him understand what else he could have actually been saying. It didn’t make any sense, but he couldn’t hear it in any other way.
It didn’t matter, in any case. He didn’t have the strength to respond.
It took all he had to open his eyes, to try his best to stand defiantly and bravely against his own demise, just as he had for so long, just as his friends still had to. The stranger’s helmet was off.
Yuto’s blood ran cold with the sight. The sight of his own face staring back at him, twisted into pure rage and anguish and such a deep pain that Yuto couldn’t help but feel a stab of guilt, and more so pity.
But that wasn’t the worst part. No; if only it had been, Yuto might have felt able to reason with him, or to at least make peace with himself knowing he hadn’t been picked off by a mindless soldier.
But he couldn’t bring himself to do a thing, staring into bright, glowing white eyes. It was inhuman. Unnatural.
Moments later, the world sharply fell away, fading to white in the blink of an eye.
-_-
When Yuya woke up, he felt dizzy. Exhausted, like he dueled a thousand people at once and ran a marathon, which was weird, considering he only dueled one person- Yuri.
Wait, where was Yuri?
And more importantly, where is he now???
No longer in the tower, he’s sitting in a hospital bed, hooked up to multiple machines, the beeping agitating him. Taking off the plastic mask on his face, Yuya sat up and stretched his arms, trying to remember what happened after he won.
Yuri collapsed…
He helped Yuri up…
Yuri gave him Starving Venom…
And then… nothing.
He couldn’t remember falling asleep or getting moved here. But why?
“It seems you’re awake,” a cool, calculated voice droned, and Yuya jumped before looking to the left to see a man dressed in regal clothing.
“Uh… who’re you?” Yuya asked, feeling slightly terrified- like he messed up. but was it really his feelings?
“I am Leo Akaba, Professor of Duel Academy. And I would like to ask you a few questions.”
Wait, Leo Akaba?
President of Leo Corp?
Founder of Solid Vision?
… Declan’s Dad?
-_-
The world was painfully bright behind his eyes. Yugo slowly sat up, shielding his face with his arm to survey his surroundings. It was dawn; the vibrant red and orange of the sky starkly contrasted the soft greens and blues of nature and the lake. Nature. All around, it was vividly natural.
Where in the world was he?!
He jumped up, wincing at the stabbing pain in his head. His duel runner was intact, and it seemed like he mostly was too, but that kidnapper was nowhere to be found.
He must have done this.
Yugo picked his duel runner back up, placing his deck back into its slot just in case he needed to duel someone on the road, before realizing one of his cards was… glowing?
A growl sounded in the back of his mind — he knew even before he held the card up in front of his face. It was Clear Wing. But why…
It materialized beside him, glowing magnificently, looking off somewhere in the distance.
“What’s going on, girl?” Yugo asked. Barely a second later, he heard another roar. But this one was different — not like the roar of any monster he’d known before.
At least not one he’d known for very long.
Yugo whipped around frantically as a deep purple dragon appeared, its glowing yellow eyes locked onto Clear Wing. The monster that he had used. Strangely though, neither of them seemed… hostile. They actually both looked rather confused. Far from ready to tear each other apart, at the very least.
But if that dragon was there, then that meant…
What could have happened? What could have made someone just leave their ace monster like that? Even more absurd — he was on the brink of death. How could he have escaped?!
He tried to think through what happened. He had gone through the interdimensional portal, he was defeated, and-
No. He won. How then, could he remember so vividly the sight of Clear Wing attacking him , Dark Rebellion crying out in fear from the graveyard…
Ok, SOME ANSWERS WOULD BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. #1 how in the world did he know Dark Rebellion xyz Dragon’s name, #2, what even IS an xyz monster, and #3, INTERDIMENSIONAL PORTAL?! EX CUSE ME?!?! WHAT IS HAPPENING??
In the back of his mind, he felt fear and confusion dig into his bones and freeze his very blood. It wasn’t his own feelings though. It was akin to whenever Clear Wing felt something, but… this wasn’t her. He could still feel exactly what she was thinking, so how…
His own dread slowly took over, connecting some pieces, at least. This had something to do with Dark Rebellion. And that meant it had something to do with…
Of course. Rage and hatred flowed through his veins as he turned around to see… Well, on the bright side, let’s just say he couldn’t possibly get any more confused.
-_-
Yuya was seriously starting to get ticked off.
All Leo asked him about were these nonsensical questions- about someone named Zarc, his connection to Zarc (he had none, who even is Zarc?!), his thoughts on Ray, his friendship with Zuzu (does Zuzu have something to do with Ray?), if Standard knew about the impending invasion (how was he supposed to answer that?! Yuya himself only found out a few hours ago- or was it yesterday?), and what happened to Yuri.
“For the last time, sir , I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Yuya insisted, praying that he’d leave soon.
“Are you sure?” Leo asked again, and Yuya knew he would’ve punched this madman if he wasn’t so tired.
“YES! In fact, what’s going on?! Why’re you invading dimensions?! What do you want with Zuzu?! And frankly- WHO are Zarc and Ray?!” Yuya questioned, crossing his arms as he glared at the older one.
“That’s not for you to-”
“I won’t cooperate unless you answer my questions!” Yuya shouted, but something told him that Leo could force him to.
“… Very well. DOKTOR! Get this boy a wheelchair and take him to my office. No need for restraints,” the Professor ordered, and a weird old man appeared from behind the curtain, and Yuya decided he hated this one more- he looked like the type of dude to cut open living species and let them bleed out on the operation table.
He’s seen the Doktor do it before. But to whom?
-_-
“ALRIGHT, I NEED SOME ANSWERS, SO START TALKING!” Yugo screamed at him. Yuto, he realized. That was his name.
“You think I know any more than you?!” Yuto insisted, clearly angry, but refraining from shouting as Yugo was. “I don’t even know how I’m alive right now. Or why you wanted me dead.”
Just as he said that, it was as though a light bulb clicked on. That was… unnerving. If this connection of theirs truly was like their bonds with their monsters, then… they’d share memories. Thoughts. Yugo couldn’t hide anything from him. Though, look at the bright side! Yuto couldn’t keep secrets either.
“Look,” Yuto began, “I swear on my life that that wasn’t me. Yugo… There is so much going on here that you don’t understand. So much that I don’t even understand.”
“SPARE ME!” Yugo yelled, revving his duel runner. Yuto barely had time to process the motion before the bike shot forward so fast it was balancing on its back wheel for a moment before crashing into Yuto and…
Going straight through him.
“W-what the…” Yuto whispered in awe, slowly looking over his arms and torso. He should be in excruciating pain right now. He knew that, and yet…
“You… aren’t alive at all.”
-_-
Yup, Yuya definitely didn’t like the old man at all.
The entire time that it took for him to get to this office, the Doktor kept droning on and on about the ‘Utopia’ they were going to create, and the kid was considering just taking the wheelchair and running the scientist over with it. But eventually, they made it there, and the man left Yuya to Leo’s mercy.
“So, Yuya, tell me, how much do you know?” The Professor asked, and Yuya thought on how to reply.
“… All I know is that Fusion is creating a bunch of child soldiers to attack other dimensions, card innocents in hope that it will lead to a perfect Utopia,” he admitted, not wanting to lie.
He didn’t want to be beaten by Sanders or Viper again.
“… That’s what you’ve been told?”
“Yeah. But why? Why hurt others for this ‘perfect world’?”
“For Revival Zero to be successful, child.”
“Revival- what??”
Leo stared for a hard moment, then walked up to Yuya, who flinched instinctively, but realized the older one was just giving Yuya his hand.
Just like he did before .
After staring for a moment, the tomato head took it, deciding he had nothing to lose. Leo helped him get out of the wheelchair and led him to the chair on top of the stairs.
“Let me show you.”
And with that, the machine whirred to life, highlighted by green as Yuya stepped back, shocked.
“I will fuse the dimensions and create a perfect Utopia for everyone,” Leo told the younger child, reciting it from memory. “Don’t you want that? Maybe then you can find your father.”
Yuya stared at Leo, feeling strange. On one hand, he found it rather interesting. But then, he remembered Yuto and his friend, how… broken they were after XYZ was invaded. How messed up Sora was, and how Yuri was…
… Well, Yuri was something.
“… What do you want from me?” Yuya questioned, stepping back while trying to stay steady on his weary feet. Admittedly, his duel with the Fusion lookalike really tired him out.
“I want you to join me in completing Revival Zero.”
-_-
“…I suppose that makes me an… apparition.” Yuto began slowly. “Not very surprising under the particular circumstances, but…” his thoughts finished the sentence for Yugo without Yuto needing to vocalize it. Ghosts weren’t real. Yuto hadn’t believed in them, at least. Yugo, on the other hand, would never admit he believed in them. And he definitely wouldn’t admit that he was scared of them to some degree.
“You’re afraid of ghosts?” Yuto said bemusedly.
“NO.” Yugo insisted. “They’re not even real! How can I be scared of something that’s not real?!”
“You can’t be afraid of something that isn’t real and tangible?” Yuto asked, his tone remaining wholly neutral throughout. “So… the constant threat of the end of existence as you know it and the understanding that after some time, everything you are and will have ever done will be absolutely worthless is not frightening to you at all?”
Yugo didn’t know how to respond to that. He was probably just trying to mess with his head, but… alright, Yugo had to admit it was working some. That had never even occurred to him before.
“Okay, well…” he stammered. “I never said anything about tangerines! A-and what you said is technically ‘real.’ …So there!”
Yuto laughed slowly. Yugo certainly was… interesting, at least. Maybe, just maybe, they could find a way to get along.
“Well, if we share this ‘connection,’ akin to what we have with our duel monsters, then…” he started before Yugo finished the thought for him.
“I’m stuck with you. Great.”
“It could be worse.” Yuto grinned. “In any case, we should probably get to know how to work with each other, yes?”
-_-
“… I have to think about it,” Yuya replied, knowing the logical option was to say no, but had a feeling Leo would force him to comply if he did.
“… very well then,” Leo sighed, then nodded to the wheelchair. “I’ll take you back to your room.”
The way back was awkward, as students gawked at the strange duo, some wondering why he looked so much like Yuri. But eventually, they made it back to the tower, and Leo left him alone, making Yuya feel a bit better.
“No way am I gonna work with that jerk…” Yuya huffed, plopping down on the bed.
“The professor is not a jerk,” a familiar voice insisted, and Yuya rolled his eyes.
“Suuure he…” the tomato head froze and looked up…
To see Yuri.
Floating.
In the air.
“WHAT THE FUCK?!” He shouted, jumping in surprise.
“Chill out! Honestly, what did you do?! I can’t contact anything physical and I’m pretty sure only you can see me!”
“Huh? H-how?!”
“WHY WOULD I ASK YOU IF I KNEW WHY I’M A GHOST?!
“… uh… okay, let’s think. We had the duel, and it led to that flash of light…”
“What even was that? I thought it came from Venom… or was it from you?”
As if on cue, Yuya’s pendant started glowing, drawing their attention.
“What the…” Yuya started, but was entranced by the gem. Both him and Yuri touched it at the same time, and the world went white again.
-_-
“Oh, of COURSE your deck is made of ghosts too! Talk about irony!” Yugo practically howled with laughter as Yuto scowled at him. He’d been hoping that they’d be able to share information, strategies, or at least get to know each other and their playstyles better, but the beautifully caustic situation seemed to have just set in with his new companion. Not that he’d been paying any attention before, anyhow.
“They’re phantoms, not ghosts.” Yuto amended.
“Yeah, right. Phantoms, ghosts, spirits, what’s the difference?”
“Ghosts are exclusively seen in folklore, being the detached spirits of dead individuals who are unable to move on to the afterlife. Spirits are our souls, not necessarily separate from our bodies,” Yuto stated calmly. “And phantoms can be defined the same as a ghost, or they can be figments of one’s imagination. Something haunting you that never truly existed in the first place.”
“Are you saying you’re a hallucination?” Yugo asked immediately. Yuto figured that was pretty impressive, given his attention span. “Are you like- some sorta guy that I came up with in my head to deal with the fact that I probably just murdered- HEY! WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY ATTENTION SPAN?!”
Yuto laughed — really laughed, not out of satire or as an intimidation tactic or anything of the sort — for probably the first time in months, at least. Yugo would be difficult to deal with, but his hotheaded nature was… almost comforting, in a sense. It reminded him of…
“Who’s Shay?” Yugo interrupted. Again, just impeccable patience.
“An old friend.” The two sat in silence for a moment, Yugo rummaging through their shared memories to find exactly who this unfamiliar name was associated with.
“So… he’s here. ” Yugo said at last. “He’s still in this… ‘dimension,’ right? Shouldn’t we-“
Yuto nodded. Perhaps this shared thoughts thing wouldn’t be so bad. It made things more convenient, at least. It was settled then.
First things first, find Shay Obsidian.
-_-
When Yuya finally snapped back into consciousness, he saw his surroundings shrouded in darkness, only a single door in sight.
“Interesting, isn’t it?” Yuri asked from next to him, making the other one jump.
“Yeah…” upon closer inspection, Yuya saw vines decorating the frame, with chains intertwined with the greenery. “I think… we should go in.”
“Really? See a random door and go in?” Yuri asked, almost mockingly.
“What other choice do we have?” Yuya shot back, and Yuri became quiet.
“… very well. Lead the way.”
Yuya places a hand on the gold doorknob, but cant open it. “OH COME ON!”
“Out of the way,” Yuri grasps it, and everything turns golden until a scene forms- one that seems to be when the cabbage haired boy was young.
He looked to be 7-9, sitting on the beaches of Duel Academy, playing Duel Monsters on the picnic blanket with a Kuriboh haired boy as a group of people (Yuya thought one of the girls looked like Zuzu,) either watched or were doing something else.
“AND I WIN! MWAHAHAHA! TAKE THAT JADEN!” Yuri laughed jokingly as his friend pouted.
“No fair Yuri, you always win!” Jaden complained, crossing his arms and looking away with a huff.
“Maybe that means you need to get your game on?” An older boy offered before his friend scoffed.
“How’s that supposed to help with dueling Attie?” He asked mockingly, and Atticus glared at him.
“UNLIKE YOU ZANE I’M TRYING TO HELP!”
“Both of you idiots need to chill out,” a third one their age insisted, pushing them apart.
“Aw Yusuke, it was getting good~!” A kid with fiery red/orange hair complained as he helped Sora build a sandcastle, who looked to be 5-7 then.
“Sora…” Yuya whispered, but then noticed the real Yuri looked utterly confused.
“Who… who’s Jaden?” He wondered, his voice tiny and small.
“I’LL BEAT YOU NEXT TIME YURI, JUST WAIT AND SEE!” Jaden swore, tackling his friend in a hug.
“I’d like to see you try!”
At that, a single tear slid down the older one’s face, but for what reason, Yuri himself didn’t know.
All he knew was that someone erased this from his mind.
And he had a feeling on who it might be.
-_-
Yugo was an absolute pain. Yuto thought so, at least. For Yugo, Yuto was.
“For the last time , we’re never going to find each other if we’re both just wandering around!” Yuto insisted.
“I’M NOT JUST GONNA SIT AROUND AND WAIT FOR YOUR LITTLE BUDDY TO FIND US.” Yuto winced as Yugo yelled at him in response. So much for remaining discreet. “You can’t contact him since your duel disk literally doesn’t exist anymore, so he’s never gonna come - oh! Actually, on that note, you are DEAD. You don’t get a say in this!!”
“I’m also the only one that Shay and the other xyzians are going to recognize and trust. Unless you plan on stealing my identity, in which case, let’s be honest, nobody is going to believe I could lose so much of my IQ in such a short time.”
As the two continued to bicker, Dark Rebellion stared at them in disappointment, with Clear Wing watching uncomfortably, looking a bit embarrassed on Yugo’s behalf. She glanced apprehensively over at Dark Rebellion-
Only to realize he was flying off by himself. Great. Just great.
Clear Wing shifted to get closer to Yugo, still arguing with Yuto. She let out a little growl and nudged him with her nose, but he pushed her away.
“AND — not now Clear Wing — I TOLD you that I can handle them!! I mean, you could, and I beat you easily! So-“
She roared again, louder this time, but was simply ignored by Yugo. She tried poking him with her tail, only to be met by an agitated expression before he turned back to Yuto.
Fine then. Clear Wing decided. We’ll play your way.
She just stared, looking so done with all of his nonsense, until with no warning, she swept her tail under his legs, making him drop to the ground like a stone.
“WHAT- HEY!! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!”
Clear Wing gestured in the direction that Dark Rebellion flew off in, and Yuto was the first to notice. Yugo understood as soon as the thought formed, and rolled his eyes with a sigh.
“So… we gotta find him now, right?”
“ Yes.” Yuto affirmed. He shut his eyes for a moment, concentrating, before saying to Yugo, “He’s looking for Shay.”
“HA!” Yugo mocked. “Told ya!”
“…because he is a duel spirit and will not be seen by others.” Yuto added.
“Eh, whatever. Still gotta go look for him!~”
“Fine, yes.” Yuto finished. “We’ll find Dark Rebellion and, if we’re lucky, Shay will be there as well. We’ll catch two birds at once.”
“Uh… you mean kill two birds with one stone… right?” Yuto laughed.
“Sure. Tell that to Shay when you meet him.”
-_-
“Yuri… are you okay?” Yuya asked, reaching for his counterpart.
“I… I don’t know,” he admitted as the scene continued, with Yuri teasing Zuzu’s lookalike- apparently, her name’s Celina. “I… I know Zane. I know Dennis and Sora. But everyone else… the kid with glasses over there, this Atticus, Yusuke and Jaden… A-And everyone else… I don’t remember them… I can’t .”
Yuya stood still for a moment, trying to understand. Eventually, he gave up and decided to look around-
Only to see another door, embedded into a rocky wall, this time covered with more chains.
“Yuri, over there!” he pointed, and the cabbage head followed his finger, curious.
“Again…?” The duo went to the entryway, and the Fusionist touched the door handle again, opening it and walking in as Yuya followed.
This time, they were in a dorm room, spacious and luxurious. This time, Yuri was sitting on the bed next to the red/orange haired kid from before as Zane and a girl- one that was in the former memory, but Yuya didn’t know her name- paced back and forth.
“Something’s up,” Zane mutters, coming to a stop as Atticus and Yusuke enter, looking pensive. “Leo shows up, spins this tale about a ‘perfect world’- which sounds like bull, pays special attention to Celina and Jaden and then the latter goes missing?”
“It’s definitely off,” Yusuke agrees, crossing his arms. “And from what me and Atticus heard, he’s treating Celina like a princess.”
“He doesn’t really want a perfect world… does he, Dennis?” little Yuri asked, curling up a bit.
“I don’t think he does,” Dennis agreed, looping an arm around the younger child. “But we need to do something. Keep an eye out and see what he really wants of us.”
“Exactly what I was thinking,” the girl nodded, and they all shared a look.
“It’s settled then. We won’t swear allegiance until we know his true plan,” Zane confirmed, and the real Yuri had moved to stand right in front of him.
“Was the true plan… the reason you made them run?” he asked, though received no reply or acknowledgement, only for Zane to turn and leave with Atticus and Yusuke.
-_-
It’ll be fine , he said. I can be discreet , he said. Nobody’s even gonna see us, he said.
“YUYA!” Yelled a girl with bright pink hair, her expression a mix of relief and frustration. “Where have you been?!?!”
“Uh-“ Yugo stammered. “D-dueling.”
“Dueling?! You just got out of a big duel!”
“Oh- y-yeah! You know, gotta… test what I learned…?”
Zuzu crossed her arms, glaring sternly at him. She seemed… agitated, to say the least.
Perhaps you should tell her that you were learning synchro summoning, Yuto suggested. That way, you have an excuse for where you’ve been, and a logical explanation for why you are able to do it. Or, you know, you could just… tell her the truth.
Oh, I didn’t think of that! Yugo stepped back and took a breath to speak, but… wait. We already made it seem like we were him.
Yugo-
WE’RE IN TOO DEEP NOW MAN, WE GOTTA KEEP UP THE ACT-
“Yeah, um. Check this out!” Yugo held up a card — Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. “I’ve been practicing-“
Learning. Yuto amended.
“-Learnin’ some tricks!” Yugo finished quickly, looking proud as ever.
Smooth. Yuto told him sarcastically.
Shut up.
Zuzu continued glaring at him, and his face slowly fell to an obviously forced and uncomfortable smile.
… you’re an idiot. I just need you to know that. Yuto sighed. Just make up some excuse and get outta there.
“Oh, like you could do any better?!” Yugo cried.
“ What ?” Zuzu asked.
“Oh- uh… nothing, I just… gotta- you know… find the… the- the…. Bean man! Yeah, the strongest monster ever, you know. Heh, y-you know how it is!” Yugo stammered as best he could, inching away from her with every word. “Anyway, gotta go, bye!” He suddenly sprinted off in the opposite direction.
“ Exodia, the God cards, Blue Eyes White Dragon, and so, so many more… ” Yuto said wistfully, floating beside Yugo, “and your choice for the strongest monster is JERRY BEANS MAN?!” He roared.
“I TOLD YOU TO SHUT IT!!” Yugo screamed, winding around the corners of buildings, trying to stay in dark alleys. Yuto closed his eyes for a moment, then told him, again in his usual calm voice,
“They’re close. That way.” He pointed his finger out, and Yugo changed direction immediately. “We’ll be there before you know it.”
-_-
Yuri wasn’t sure if he should trust what he was seeing or what he was taught, but Yuya didn’t seem as lost as he was. “Yuri- the door!”
Strangely enough, when Zane closed the door, it morphed from wood to obsidian, the doorknob almost obscured by the links of metal.
“Guess it’s our next stop,” he mused, and grasped the handle as the chains melted into puddles and evaporated. When Yuri opened it, he was outside again, and quickly stepped through, Yuya on his heels.
“WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS FATHER?!” a stranger’s voice shouted with rage, and the counterparts turned around to see a boy screaming at Leo as Celina was dragged away, kicking and screaming.
“Declan?” Yuya wondered, clearly recognizing him.
“You know him?” Yuri asked, and the tomato head nodded.
“Yeah, but… how is he here?” Yuya mused, but his attention was taken by Leo’s reply.
“Simple Declan. I’m creating a perfect world for my family,” He responded, confusing his son.
“You’re planning genocide! How is that perfect?! And what do you want with Celina and this… Yuri person?!”
“You’ll see, trust me, but now, you are to head home…
And never return. ”
Leo slapped on some sort of device, pressing a button as Declan was enveloped by light.
“Okay, can I just say he sounds like he’s on crack?” Yuya interrupted, and Yuri scoffed.
“You’re not wrong… this is the first time I’ve heard about his family,” he admitted, tapping his foot as his eyes wandered to the shadows…
Where the younger version of him stood, covering his mouth with a look of anger on his face.
“He… hurt Celina… and has a son? Leo… what’re you planning?” his younger self wondered, and Yuri couldn’t help but share this feeling as Yuya put a hand on his shoulder.
Nothing seemed black and white anymore. But was it ever?
-_-
Yuto and Yugo were quick in finding their target.
Dark Rebellion was faster.
He was in the air, circling a decrepit building, a warehouse, perhaps, like a bird of prey — how ironic, Yuto thought. Yugo didn’t care to follow that train of thinking to its roots as he continued sprinting towards it, now in wide open, broad daylight.
As soon as Dark Rebellion noticed them, he dived to touch down. Seeming rather pleased himself, he nudged the duo towards the entryway, Clear Wing watching from behind.
“Alright, remember: discreet.” Yuto said. Yugo, thankfully, crept up quietly to the large wooden door, and-
“HEY! ANYBODY HOME?” Yugo shouted as he slammed the door open.
“Are you kidding me?!” Yuto yelled. “What part of ‘discreet’ do you not understand?!”
“ Look, I dunno what deceit means, but what could I have possibly done this time to make you so upset?!” Yugo cried back. Yuto just put his face in his palm.
What in the world am I going to do with you? He silently muttered.
Yugo huffed and began poking around the old building. There were old storage crates, but that was about it, and even those were infested with termites and maggots.
“This place is freaky. Definitely the kind of place where a ghost would hang out!” He joked, pointing his thumb at Yuto over his shoulder for a moment before turning back to see his unamused expression. “No? Nothing?”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“Fine, fine. Clearly that Shay guy isn’t here. Let’s just grab Dark Rebellion and get out-“
Before he could even finish his sentence, a shadowy figure pounced from the ceiling, knocking Yugo face down into the ground and holding the back of his head to prevent him from looking up.
“ And how, exactly , would you get access to Dark Rebellion?”
-_-
Yuya kept his hand on Yuri, trying to provide comfort as he looked for another door, finding one near the younger apparition.
At least, he thought it was the door.
All he could see was chains and locks- there wasn’t even a doorknob.
“Guess we have to go there, huh?” Yuya sighed, and Yuri huffed before touching the chains, watching them melt. He threw open the door, and the scene was dark and gloomy. Entering the memory, Yuya felt his heart stop.
Yuri, Dennis, the girl, Zane, Atticus and Yusuke were dueling a bunch of upperclassmen, all of them wearing masks that sent chills down the good natured kid’s spine. But Yuri’s eyes were locked on the cage that the kids were standing in front of protective of who was in there.
Jaden.
The kid Yuri seemed to be close with was wearing a thick collar, nearly thicker than his arm, and heavy manacles around his hands and feet, cuts and bruises all over as he wore a torn shirt and sweats. Unconscious, he barely stirs at the commotion, but his face is clenched in agony.
“Oh god…” Yuri and Yuya said in sync, then looked at each other in surprise, and back to the memory.
“Zane, what do we do?!” Dennis asked, and the oldest kid looked frantic.
“Tch… Dennis, take Yuri and run!” He ordered, kicking one of the advancers in the stomach.
“Wait, I don’t want to leave Jay-” the child started, reaching for his friend, but froze as someone interrupted him.
“You won’t get a chance,” Leo intervened, tossing some sort of smoke grenade as the villains put on gas masks. “Sweet dreams…”
“No- YURI!” Dennis shouts, reaching for the younger one, but is held back by soldiers.
Yuri stares, comprehending what he saw as the scene went dark, and Yuya expected another door…
But none appeared.
Just him, the darkness, and Yuri coming to terms with what he saw.
-_-
“You have an idea who I am, and you know about Dark Rebellion, which means you have some sort of connection to Yuto!” The stranger — from context clues, the two figured it was probably Shay — ground Yugo’s face further into the dirt. “So, fusionist, what exactly did you want to do to us? And why did you want Yuto’s dragon?!”
“Fusionist?! What does that even-“ Yugo paused as Yuto’s memories flooded back into his mind(or, more accurately, Yuto shoved them to the forefront). “Dude, I’m not one of those guys; I synchro summon. I didn’t even know fusion was a thing until- like- yesterday!”
“ Then where is Yuto?”
“Oh- uh… he’s with me. Sorta…” Yugo stuttered. “I mean… technically he’s here… I think. Unless I’m imagining him.”
“You’re not imagining me. ” Yuto said, blunt and annoyed.
“Then where? ” Shay insisted.
“Okay, so, don’t freak out-“
“That’s never a good way to start.” Shay growled.
“Uh- yeah, so… he’s kind of… w-what did you say Yuto? Apparatus?”
“Apparition. ” Yuto sighed.
“Apparition! Yes!” Yugo said immediately, far too cheerful given the situation. Yuto flinched on his behalf, knowing full well what Shay’s reaction was going to be. Yugo only had a fraction of a second to process before he was picked up and thrown halfway across the room, a loud bang sounding as he smacked hard against the metal wall.
“ WHAT? ” Shay screamed. “He’s dead?! Yuto never would have gone down so easily!”
“I mean- well- he’s still here, it’s just like- only I can see him-“ Yugo tried, though he could barely catch his breath. The world hadn’t even stopped spinning before he felt himself be grabbed by the shirt collar again and suspended in the air.
“ Don’t play games with me, fusion summoner. You’re the one that looks like him — you’re the one who took Lulu. ” Shay whispered bitterly, a sickeningly satisfied smile growing on his face.
“Yugo!” Yuto yelled. “Y-you need to do something!” He was afraid — Yugo had never known Yuto to be afraid of anything. Even in his own memories, he always stood against the danger brave and strong.
Until the moment that he died.
Yugo was going to die.
It was a horrible feeling; not something he could even fully comprehend. The sheer fact that Yuto was afraid would have been enough to make him sick to his stomach, but this…
Before he knew it, the grip on his shirt was gone. The wall against his back disappeared, the weight over his eyelids faded. It was as though he was asleep. This was what it felt like, then? He had to admit, it was… far from the worst feeling he’d ever had. He just let himself be still for a moment, before slowly opening his eyes…
And seeing a horrified expression on Shay’s face, with Yuto in Yugo’s place.
-_-
“... Jaden…” Yuri whispered, shutting his eyes tightly.
He remembered everything now.
Not just what Yuya had seen- much, much more than that.
He remembered meeting him for the first time- meeting all of those people at the picnic. He remembered the times he and Celina would sneak out, the lessons Zane would give him on dueling, teasing Chazz and Alexis, hanging out with Syrus and Jesse, all of it.
And Leo took it from him.
Leo took his childhood.
Leo took his family.
Leo took everything.
“Yuri?”
Ah, right. He wasn’t alone.
“What do you want, Yuya?”
“… do you wanna talk about what you saw?”
… Did he?
“… I don’t know.”
When he opened his eyes, Yuri realized they were back in the bedroom- no, the prison. Yuya was sitting on the bed, playing with his necklace, but still looking at Yuri.
“What happened to you wasn’t right or fair. I just want you to know… I’m here for you. I won’t let Leo or anyone else hurt you again.”
“… You don’t understand,” Yuri hissed, hugging himself. “How would you?! I hurt so many people, and didn’t regret it- I don’t know if I regret it now, I don’t know ANYTHING! I used to only care about winning but now…” the tears were flooding his face, and he curled himself into a ball, rocking himself as the cries died down to silent sobs. “A-And besides… who would even care about me?”
“I do. I swear on my life that I do.”
-_-
Shay could hardly believe his eyes. It had to be some sort of a trick — there was no way. He… he was there. He was alive, and he… he was…
An apparition. He said that he was an apparition. Was this, then, Yuto possessing whoever that other boy was? Or, more likely, it was a fusionist trick. Disguising technology, made to make him look exactly like Yuto.
“Shay, release me before I die a second time from lack of oxygen.”
Blunt, satirical, and unnaturally calm. Yep, this was Yuto alright.
Shay set him back on his feet and took a step back. Yuto’s hair and eyes had changed to match what he always looked like, though the outfit still matched what he had been wearing before.
“Y…Yuto?” Shay said quietly. “What happened…?”
“Well… this exact situation, actually.” Yuto huffed with a small smile. “Well meaning individual assumes I’m the fusion kidnapper and tries to kill me over it.”
“So-“
“I don’t know how, but I became some sort of ghost connected wholly to the one who killed me — his name is Yugo.” Yuto answered before Shay even asked. “He lost his friend Rin in the same way we lost Lulu.”
“And you’re just able to… switch control at will?” Shay continued.
“Apparently…” Yuto finished wistfully. “It’s rather intriguing, no? This is the first time this has happened.”
The two remained thinking in silence for a few moments. Well, Yuto tried to think. Unfortunately it could be rather difficult when one’s mental roommate was-
“DUDE, ARE YOU GONNA LET ME SAY ANYTHING?” Yugo yelled. “I HAVE QUESTIONS TOO, YA KNOW!”
“You may speak when we are certain Shay isn’t going to try to kill you. ” Yuto muttered. “You’re welcome.”
“Does anybody else know about this?” Shay said at last.
“No. One girl assumed I was a boy named Yuya — it seems likely that each dimension has its own ‘versions’ of us, in a sense.” Yuto told him. “Perhaps that is why we have become attached in this way.”
“And you didn’t tell her you weren’t this ‘Yuya’ character?”
“Well, someone was in full blown panic mode.” Yuto gave an amused smile while Yugo grumbled behind him about having been caught off guard.
“I have allies here. They’ll know more about this than we do.” Shay finished.
“Perfect. Let’s go find them then.”
-_-
Yuya never thought he would have a murder list, but alas, he just put Leo at the top of it.
But that didn’t matter right now. What did matter was the fact that Yuri was slowly breaking, and he couldn’t let that happen. Yuya had seen enough of Yuri to understand one thing- he was broken, probably manipulated and shattered by Leo after these memories were taken from him, and no one deserved that.
… well, maybe Leo did, but that wasn’t the point.
“… You don’t mean that. I-I mean, why would you? You don’t know what I’ve done…” his counterpart insisted, turning away from his other half.
“… I don’t. You’re right. But I’ve seen you for who you are, not for what Leo wants of you. I… I know sometimes, what you think the world is like is actually completely different,” at that, Yuya thought of his Dad, who believed only smiles were needed.
But sometimes, smiles hurt others too.
“Your dad… sounds nice…” Yuri spoke up, wiping his eyes.
“… he is. Good natured and funny. He just… didn’t know what was gonna happen down the road,” Yuya sighed, and Yuri looked at him this time, eyes red and puffy.
“Can you… show me some memories of him?” He asked, and Yuya thought about it before nodding.
He focused on all of his duels, the training he had with his dad, the games they would play and all of the fun the young boy would have with his old man, and it was clear Yuri felt it too.
“… He’s… interesting,” Yuri admitted, floating right in front of Yuya.
“Yeah, he is,” he laughed, then sighed as he thought about his family and friends back home, who didn’t even know about the war- so how would they know about where he was? “They must be worried about me…”
“… We’re getting out of here,” Yuri promised, ‘sitting’ next to his brother. “For your family and friends.”
“And for yours,” Yuya agreed, lacing hands with Yuri as he held his pendant. The other one looked surprised, but he smiled- a genuine, kind smile that seemed full of hope and appreciation- Yuya’s favorite kind of smile. The one he always drove to give to others, knowing that was the purest and truest form of entertainment
They would make it out of this hell together. That’s a promise.
-_-
Leo Corp. Of course
Shay claimed that Declan was no ally of his father, but warned against trusting him fully in the same breath. Apparently he’d taken over his father’s corporation when Leo disappeared, so he had access to powerful cards, duelists, technology — essentially anything they could need.
“I don’t like this guy.” Yugo complained. “Not one bit.”
“We haven’t even met him yet.” Yuto whispered to him as he followed behind Shay.
“People at the top never really want to help us commoners.” He grumbled quietly. Yuto looked at him out of the corner of his eye — his gestures seemed to suggest plain distrust, but underneath, through their bond, there was some sort of resentment, mixed with… pain. Sadness. “Shut up. It’s not like I ever trusted them.
“You wanted to.” Yuto noted.
“I was a stupid kid.” He insisted. “People like that can never be trusted. No matter how many promises they make.”
“Even if that were the case, he will still be useful to us.”
Yugo huffed and rolled his eyes, having no response to that argument. With that settled, they walked up to the building in silence.
It was time to meet the son of the madman who killed Yuto’s friends; who, albeit indirectly, killed Yuto himself.
It was time to speak to Declan Akaba.
-_-
“All right, if we’re to get out of here, we’ll need allies,” Yuri started, pacing in the air while Yuya doodled in a notebook, listening to his counterpart. “I think some of the prisoners would jump at the chance to get out of here- specifically Lulu and Rin.”
“The girls you kidnapped?” Yuya asked, earning a nod. “Got it. Do you know anyone from your past that’s a prisoner too?”
“Truth be told, no. I know Zane, Yusuke and Atticus ran off and started a three man resistance, and that Alexis started a rebel duel school, but that’s mainly it. I don’t know what happened to Syrus, Chazz, Jesse, Hasselberry, Axel or Bastion, though if I had to guess, they’re prisoners. Dennis and Sora have been brainwashed to believe this is good- at least, I think so.”
“Well that’s wonderful…” Yuya grumbled, writing down what Yuri said. “Is there any form of direct control Leo can have on a person? Like uh… decommission phrases?”
“I don’t think so, he never used one for me…” Yuri pondered, flipping onto his back as he tapped on his chin. “But forms of control… I might have an idea.”
“Do I wanna know it?”
“You’ll have to- and it might cost us any allies. Leo’s right hand is the Doktor, and rumor has it that he’s developed these… bugs that infect people’s minds, making them loyal to Leo.”
“That means we can’t have allies.”
“… shoot, you’re right.”
They sat in silence for a moment, Yuya going back to doodling while Yuri continues to stay afloat. After a moment though, Yuya had an idea.
“Yuri, can Zane, Atticus or Yusuke see spirits?”
Yuri looked interested and thought about it for a moment. “Zane and Atticus no… but I’m pretty sure Yusuke’s ace was practically his support animal. Why?”
Yuya smirked, pulling out a familiar dragon. “I may have an idea.”
-_-
Declan Akaba. His office was predictably neat, organized. The man himself had grey hair and glasses, but he held himself in a manner that implied he knew what he was doing. Overall, he seemed very-
“Awful.” Yugo interrupted. “He seems awful.”
“He hasn’t even said anything yet.” Yuto whispered back.
“Pardon?” Declan turned to Yuto with what looked to be a suspicious expression.
“Nothing sir.”
“Don’t call him sir-“ Yugo tried.
You’re not the one in control. Yuto shot back mentally. And if I recall correctly, ghosts don’t get a say.
“…of course.” Declan said slowly. Shay watched Yuto closely for a moment, which Yugo did not appreciate, before breaking the awful silence between the three.
“This is Yuto. He’s the one I told you about.” He told Declan.
“Yes, I see.” Declan stepped back to his desk and began typing something on the computer. “Tell me, Yuto — are you familiar with a boy by the name Yuya Sakaki?”
Yuya. That was the one that girl had mistaken him and Yugo for, meaning his suspicions were likely correct. One of ‘him’ for every dimension. And now this Akaba was catching onto the pattern, so it must be important somehow…
“Trick.” Yugo butted in. “Obviously just trying to gain something for himself.”
Yuto clenched his fists and glared at Yugo, who shrunk back uncomfortably upon being confronted. Shay watched him let out a small frustrated sigh as he closed his eyes.
“No sir; I have not met anyone by that name, but there was a girl who mistook me for him.”
“Indeed…” Declan trailed off. “And how much do you know about these other dimensions?”
“Well,” Yuto grinned, “it seems that there’s another ‘me’ in each, isn’t that right?” Declan smiled.
“You’re smarter than you look… Yuto, was it?” Yuto nodded. “Indeed. You and a girl. In this dimension, their names are Yuya and Zuzu. In others, I’m not so certain, but they are the only ones we believe truly have doppelgängers in these alternate dimensions, hence why my father seems to be taking such interest in you.”
Only two beings — one boy and one girl? Well, as for the boys, it’s obviously Yuto, Yugo, this Yuya character, and the fusion counterpart who kidnapped-
“ LULU !” Yuto shouted.
“RIN!” Yugo realized in unison.
Shay appeared just as taken aback as they were, but it was the only logical conclusion. If there were only two people with counterparts rather than everybody having a set, as Yuto had originally guessed, then those girls who were being kidnapped…
“They’ll be coming for you boys next, Yuto.” Declan told him. “I need you to work with me here.”
Yuto nodded slowly, with Yugo for once being too stunned to speak.
“Wonderful.” Declan continued. “Now, first order of business: why and how are you wearing a synchronian riding outfit?”
-_-
“This better work…” Yuri grumbled as Yuya summoned Starving Venom, who looked expectantly at his masters.
“It will, don’t worry! Venom, you remember Yusuke, right?” Yuya questioned the dragon, who looked excited and nodded. “Perfect! He’s probably on the mainland- can you go find him?” Another nod.
“Make sure to tell him everything- if we hide anything, it can cause issues down the road,” Yuri added, and Venom roared in understanding before flying at the window-
And getting stuck.
“REALLY VENOM?!” Yuri shouted, eye twitching.
“… oh god…” Yuya facepalmed, not expecting that.
After a bit of problem solving, Yuri and Yuya managed to pull the dragon out of the window, and Yuya placed the card on the windowsill before summoning Venom again, who appeared outside.
“Be careful, all right?” Yuya whispered, and the dragon roared again before flying at breakneck speeds.
“So… what’ll we do now?” Yuri asked, and Yuya smiled before placing his own dragon on the windowsill.
When the wingless dragon appeared, Yuya took a deep breath before starting. “I need you to find out as much as you can about this school- down to the last detail. Okay?”
Odd Eyes nodded, placing his muzzle on Yuya’s hand before jumping down (any normies might have thought it was an earthquake) and running off.
“That’s pretty clever,” the cabbage admitted as Yuya sat on the bed again.
“Thanks! Just thought we should have an undetectable spy, that’s all.”
“So now?”
“We wait until one of them comes back.”
-_-
“I got this one.” Yugo said bluntly as he began cracking his knuckles.
Yuto could hardly keep himself from yelling at him and only barely flinched as Yugo attempted to lunge at Declan. Thankfully, he was, of course, not in control, so he didn’t do any real damage.
“Is something the matter?” Declan asked Yuto.
“No sir, everything is alright.” Yuto explained softly. “It’s… a long story.”
“You’ve been to synchro, haven’t you?”
“Oh,” Yuto laughed quietly. “N-no. One of them came here. One of these ‘counterparts’ we were speaking of before.”
“And you felt the need to trick… who, exactly?”
“Um… heh, you see, that’s… that’s the funny part, actually.” Yuto said awkwardly. “We weren’t trying to trick anyone, this… is Yugo. Technically.” Declan raised an eyebrow. “Alright, so…”
“It was somebody else.” Shay broke in. “And then… he switched to look like you.”
“Yes.” Yuto affirmed. “I really don’t know what happened, but… I died, and… now I guess… I’m possessing this Yugo character?”
Declan and Shay stared at him, Declan in utter disbelief, before Shay exclaimed,
“ WHAT?! ”
“You knew this!” Yuto insisted.
“NO I DID NOT. ” Shay screamed back. “You were muttering something about an apparition and-“
“Yeah. Surprise Shay, apparition means ghost.”
“I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS-“
“Can we all just stop the shouting, please?!” Declan cried. “Yuto, explain exactly what happened.”
Yuto gave the basic rundown of mostly what happened. Yugo tried to prevent him from saying… quite a lot, in fact. Namely anything about their pasts.
“So, now…” Yuto finished. “Somehow, Yugo has switched to being the ‘ghost.’”
“Fascinating.” Declan murmured. He shut his eyes and contemplated the information before telling him, “I have been considering assembling a group of duelists to serve as a defense force against Leo Akaba.”
“Well, that would only be logical.” Yuto said slowly.
“Of course.” Declan agreed. “So, Yuto, would you like to join the lancers?”
-_-
Yusuke was pretty used to strange things happening. One, he could see duel spirits, and two, he ran away from a child cult 2 years ago.
But he wasn’t used to this level of strangeness.
“Hurry up man, Zane’s gonna have our heads if we’re late!” Atticus called, carrying supplies in a backpack slung over one shoulder.
“I know, I know!” Yusuke replied, running a bit faster to catch up as he adjusted his mask.
Soon, they slipped into a familiar warehouse filled with boxes, tech and supplies only occupied by one other person. “You two are late.”
“What, are you our dad?” Atticus shot back as he dumped the load on the floor and laid down on the floor. “I’m so tired…”
“Maybe if you didn’t get us nearly exposed you wouldn’t have to get tired so easily,” Yusuke huffed as he passed his bag to Zane, then sat on a box near the computers.
“Again Atticus? That’s it, no more supply runs for you,” Zane sighed as Atticus pouted.
“It was an accident…”
“For the 96th time?”
“HEY!”
As the two bickered, Yusuke listened idly, focusing on the grandfather clock they ‘bought’ a while ago, entranced by the swinging pendulum.
He didn't expect the loud crash outside.
Jumping, he realized Zane and Atticus didn’t notice the sound, so it had to be a spirit. Deciding to take his chances, he went outside…
And was tackled by a very excited Starving Venom Fusion Dragon.
“VENOM?!”
-_-
Shay had joined the lancers already, apparently.
Yuto agreed to join as well.
But apparently, sharing a body with him didn’t mean a certain someone felt obligated to technically join them. Even if he didn’t really have a choice.
Yuto didn’t care to tell any of the others about Yugo’s distrust of Declan, or anyone who worked for him, for that matter. Realistically, it just would have brought up unnecessary conflict, and plus, Yuto was in control — for now at least — so Yugo couldn’t go around causing any mischief anyway.
Declan gave him the rundown of what they knew as of yet. There was a new summoning mechanic, referred to as pendulum summoning. Why, Yuto wasn’t entirely certain, but it did seem rather interesting. More importantly, however, was how such a mechanic just ‘appeared’ as they said. It had something to do with Yuto and Yugo’s standard counterpart — that much Declan explained, but… there was so much about it that just didn’t make sense.
Yuto decided it would be best to just sit back and watch to see if there were any hints on how it truly worked internally — not just how to use it, but more so why it worked in the first place — much to Yugo’s dismay. And Shay’s. God, this was going to get annoying.
The rest of the lancers were already in place, aside from one rather important individual. The standardee counterpart was apparently missing, likely taken by a fusionist, given the context. It was definitely concerning, but… he was exactly that: a counterpart. He had to have something in common with his xyzian and synchronian sides, and that meant that he had to have something in him that would keep him alive (even if that was just blatant, oft-more-harm-than-good, unstoppable motivation like Yugo). Yuto had faith; he would be alright.
The next day, they would meet the rest of the lancers. They would decide how to take down Leo.
It was time to begin the interdimensional revolution.
-_-
“WHERE’S THE FIRE?!” Atticus shouted as he and Zane rushed out to see what must’ve been the strangest sight of their lives, considering they couldn’t see duel spirits.
“Chill out! It’s just Venom, Yuri’s dra…” Yusuke realized, but then Venom spoke up. Despite it being a bunch of growls and roars, he could still understand what the poisonous dragon was trying to say, and did his best to listen and understand, mouth hanging open by the end. “Oh my Ra…”
“What, what is it?” Atticus asked as Zane pulled out a metal bat, keeping his eyes on their surroundings.
“Yuri… he remembers, but…” Yusuke couldn’t bring himself to say it. “He’s… stuck inside someone else’s body?”
“Hold on, what?” Zane spoke up, confusion clear on his face.
“Uh, how do I say this? Apparently, he has a lookalike from Standard that he dueled and lost against, and he gave that look alike- Yuya, I think- Venom, and they both fainted. When Yuri woke up, he realized he was a…”
“Spirit…” Zane and Atticus finished, both seeming to understand.
“Yeah, and then… something happened, and now he remembers everything, and he needs our help for them to escape,” Yusuke finished, petting Venom’s muzzle in an attempt to comfort the agitated dragon.
“… We were planning to go back so we can rescue Jaden and head to Synchro…” Zane mused, then made up his mind. “Let’s do it, in 2 days from now, we’ll be… where is this Yuya person?”
“North Tower.”
“Very well. Venom, tell Yuya and Yuri we’ll meet them at the North Tower in 2 days time,” Zane rattled, looking in the opposite direction as Venom stares, confused with the teal man (as Yusuke resisted the urge to laugh).
“He’s got it Zane,” Yusuke managed as Venom roared in agreement, flying back to the ocean after nuzzling Yusuke one more time.
“ALL RIGHT, TIME TO SAVE YURI!” Atticus cheered, hugging Zane and Yusuke at the same time.
“And Jay,” Yusuke added.
“AND JAY!”
-_-
Yuto didn’t exactly know what he was expecting. Honestly, Yugo’s lack of intelligence must be getting to him, because he didn’t even consider that the girl who shared Lulu’s face would be a part of the lancers.
She just stared at him when he walked in, probably recognizing the outfit he wore, Yuto figured. This was going to end very badly if they didn’t say something.
Nice one Yugo.
“IT’S NOT MY FAULT!” Yugo screamed back. “WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE?!”
Explained that I’m not Yuya.
“WELL- SHUT IT.”
She still just stood frozen there, following with her eyes as Yuto walked into the room alongside Shay and Declan. Declan gestured in awkward silence for the group to introduce themselves.
There was a boy with orangey hair and blue eyes — Yuto remembered seeing him in xyz not long before the invasion started. Some sort of local magician.
Beside him stood… well…
“He’s a brick.” Yugo finished for him.
You don’t have to be so rude about it.
He was… yeah, essentially a brick, dressed in white and with black hair. Alongside him was essentially the opposite; very thin and… strangely, dressed like a ninja. The last boy was blond with a white outfit, potentially some kind of uniform, though obviously not one meant for the lancers, as he was the only one wearing it.
The counterpart girl was the first to break the silence.
“You’re not Yuya, are you?” She said flatly, more so a statement than a question. Before Yuto could think of what to say, she continued, “why did you lie to me?”
Yuto cringed and cast a dark glare at Yugo as the others watched him expectantly, and some angrily.
“First, that was not my intention, and second, it’s… a long story. I’m not sure how much of it you know, but that wasn’t me either.”
“I know you have the same face as Yuya, and Declan said there were others who looked the same as you two…” she said slowly, “but you’re also wearing the exact same outfit as the person I met.”
“Uh… yeah…”
“Lancers,” Declan bellowed before things could get all too awkward (though that ship had largely sailed for Yuto). “This is Yuto and Yugo.”
“…yeah, sir, I think you need to get your eyes checked.” Sylvio cut in. “That’s Shay. We-“
“You’ve met Shay before. He is not who I’m introducing.” Declan answered, annoyed. “ This, ” he gestured to Yuto, “is Yuto and Yugo.”
“…alright, I think you need to go to the doctor or something…” Sylvio muttered; whether it was genuine or satirical, nobody could really tell.
“I’ll attempt to explain it shortly.” Yuto told them. “We believe what happened was that I died, and since Yugo and I were in close enough proximity to one another, we ‘fused’ somehow, with only one of us being ‘in control’ at any given time.”
“So that ‘you’ I met earlier…” Lulu’s counterpart began. “That was Yugo.”
“Indeed.”
Sylvio glanced around the room, looking intently at everyone’s expressions in utter disbelief.
…
“SO ARE WE JUST GONNA GLOSS OVER THE FACT THAT HE IS LITERALLY A GHOST?! EXCUSE ME, WHAT THE FU-“
-_-
When Venom came back, he flew into the window. Again .
“Are you kidding me man?!” Yuya groaned as he and Yuri got him out and into the room, where he hid in a ball in embarrassment.
“Be nice Yuya- I can’t believe I’m saying that,” Yuri muttered before focusing on his dragon. “Are they coming?”
“Two days, young masters,” he growled, and the duo lit up.
“HELL YEAH!” Yuya cheered, jumping on the bed in excitement.
“Be careful Yuya- that thing might break,” Yuri scolded, and Yuya stopped with a pout.
“You’re no fun…” he complained, flopping into his back and taking off his necklace, watching the pendulum swing.
“Deal with it- also, where the hell is your dragon?” Yuri questioned.
“Dunno, but I think if he was in any danger, I would feel it,” Yuya told his counterpart, still focused on the crystal necklace.
“… Yuya?”
“Hm?”
“… I’m nervous? I think?”
Yuya passed, then put his necklace back on and got up. “Do you wanna talk about it?”
“No…”
“Hugs?”
Yuri looked confused. “What?”
“You want a hug?” He pats the spot next to him for emphasis. Hesitantly, Yuri sits down, nodding.
Without wasting a second, Yuya loops his arms around the cabbage’s shoulders, catching the latter off guard. After processing for a moment, Yuri relaxed and hugged Yuya back too, not able to remember the last time he felt so… calm.
Truth be told, he was doubting everything Yuya had told him so far, especially when he was so kind. No one had ever been like that- not since Jaden and the others. But this seemed to have changed his view on reality and their situation.
Maybe Yuya was right. Maybe he could change and be forgiven.
-_-
There were four dimensions — xyz, fusion, synchro, and standard. Fusion was the aggressor, and xyz was the first target, leaving standard and synchro as the next possible targets. Now that they surely knew standard had knowledge of the invasion, they’d likely have predicted that standard would be fortifying their defenses, so they had two options — strike standard while they tried to prepare, or take over synchro.
The latter seemed far more likely. Leo was Declan’s father. He knew how capable he was. There would be no harm in playing careful, taking synchro to weaken standard’s ability to make alliances, plus obtaining a bargaining chip in the process. That was exactly why the lancers had to get there first.
“Let ‘em take synchro.” Yugo muttered. “Place is all corrupted anyway.”
“Is that not your home?” Yuto asked slowly. “Why would you want it to fall? Doesn’t it have people you care about?”
“No.”
That was that, then. Yuto could see, via their bond, one person he truly cared for. Rin. The girl who was taken by their fusionist self. There was nothing there he cared about anymore. He would truly just let it fall, truly just wanted it to fall, wanted it to burn , if only to free himself from it. It was a miserable existence, Yuto could see that, but…
“No buts.”
“Think about it from a logical perspective then.” Yuto tried. “If they take over synchro, they’ll have more firepower, and access to synchro summoning, thus making them more powerful. Even without the sentimental aspect, it’s just objectively the best move.”
Yugo grumbled and glared but didn’t try to argue as Yuto lined up with the rest of the lancers. The standard counterpart girl — Zuzu, Yuto learned — was beside him. She seemed to be rather avoidant of him; whether it was because she was angry or mourning her own friend or whatever else, Yuto couldn’t tell. In any case, she was just as determined as the rest. With Yugo still agitated but not actively trying to sabotage anything at least, Yuto couldn’t say he’d ever be more ready.
It was time to go to the synchro dimension.
-_-