Previously: The Lancers have come together for their next mission: stopping the Link invasion. Though diplomacy or through war, the conflict between the five dimensions must be stopped. Mieru and Yuu want to help, but are they ready to enter the battlefield? Yuya and Yuzu are about to make sure.

Fun Fact: The last update was in February of 2018.


The walk down to the dueling arena seemed to take years. But once they reached the enormous, in-door stage surrounded by seats, the Lancers knew the trek was worth the wait. Featuring enough space for even the most ambitious of Action Duels, it would have been hard to keep your eyes on every possibility that would transpire before the audience's eyes. Luckily, large televisions sat above the stage, there to broadcast multiple choice angles and ensure that no one would miss a beat.

The rest of the Lancers sat in the front rows, watching the four duelists take to the stage. Yuu and Mieru stood to the audience's left, while Yuya and Yuzu stood to the right. Notably, those with sharp eyes would catch the latter two's hands intertwined.

Reiji spoke up from his seat. "As this will be a Tag Duel, you will follow some of the Tag Duel rules. You share a field with your partner, and you can use any cards they have placed on the field, or left in the Graveyard or the Banished Zone. Each pair will share 4000 LP."

The four nodded. Mieru also added, "So, I can defeat my darling without ever harming him. I just need to attack Yuzu's monsters and knock her out!"

"Precisely," Reiji answered as he pressed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "If thinking that helps you win, so be it."

"Then let's get started!"

"Yes, let's," Yuzu grumbled. "This duel's been a long time coming."

Yuya raised a fist to the air. "On the count of three!"

"THREE!" Yuzu and Mieru both declared.

"TWO!" declared the audience.

"ONE!" declared Yuu and Yuya.

"DUEL!"


"I'll go first!" Yuu declared. "By revealing 3 Spellbook Spell cards in my hand, I can Special Summon High Priestess of Prophecy from my hand."

The other team looked down at their Duel Disks. Three of Yuu's five cards were displayed. As promised, they were all Spell cards, and each of them depicted carious glowing, mysterious books. Looking back at the field, they would see the arrival of a pink-haired woman in white, holding a book under her armpit. (ATK 2500)

"Next, I summon Hermit of Prophecy."

Another monster took to the field. This time, the High Priestess was joined by an old, bearded man in purple robes. He wielded a staff adorned with a golden... thing. Images of unknown letters and runes floated around the staff, encircling the man. (ATK 1200)

"I activate Spellbook of Secrets!" Yuu continued. "I add a Spellbook card from my Deck to my hand. And each time a Spellbook Spell is activated, Hermit of Prophecy's level goes up by two, and its ATK by 300."

A card was ejected from Yuu's deck. While he left the Spellbook he played fall into the grave, he drew the card and added it to his hand. (Level: 3 5) (ATK 1200 1500)

"By banishing a Spellbook card from my Graveyard, I can activate Spellbook of Calling. It lets me Special Summon one level 4 or lower Spellcaster-Type monster from my deck, but it's banished during the End Phase."

A card was ejected from the middle of Yuu's deck. He drew it out and placed it on his Duel Disk's blade. This time, a robed woman holding two cups materialized onto the field. (ATK 1000) (Hermit: Level: 5 7, ATK 1500 1800)

"If I activated a Spellbook Spell this turn, I can Tribute this card to Special Summon a level 5 or higher LIGHT or DARK Spell card from my deck."

Goodbye, robed woman. She took a sip from the cup in her right hand, while her left hand let her other cup drop to the ground. Mist poured from the broth it dripped forth, enveloping the woman. It would soon fade away, revealing a second copy of the High Priestess. (ATK 2500)

"I overlay my Level 7 Hermit of Prophecy with one of my High Priestesses of Prophecy!"

And here it came, that familiar galactic swirl of light and stars. Black and yellow energy spun around a black vortex in the middle of the field. The overlayed monsters gave way to balls of light, which fell into the vortex's orbit and disappeared into the darkness. The vortex would explode into light and vanish, leaving a mysterious man in black robed in its place. This was the Rank 7 Xyz monster, Hierophant of Prophecy. (ATK 2800)

"And with that, I end my turn," Yuu said finally. "Mieru, on to you."

Mieru was coming into a good spot. Yuu had two cards in his hand, but left two powerful monsters on the field for Mieru. She didn't get to draw a card, but with the hand she was dealt with, she could foresee victory in her future.

"My turn!" the little girl declared. "I activate Prediction Ritual from my hand!"

"She's bringing out her ace monster already?!" Yuzu gasped.

"Be careful," Yuya advised his partner. "Tarotrei can flip your monsters face-down."

You looked to his partner and said, "You have my monsters."

To which Mieru nodded. "I tribute a monster in my hand, and High Priestess of Prophecy."

A circular, rune-covered pillar rose from the center of the stage. Balls of fire surrounded the top, and a rectangular coffin appeared at the center.

"Priestess of ancient times who foresees everything! With the ancient description, now, be revived!"

The fires surrounded the coffin, setting it ablaze. But at the coffin burned away, something rose from its ashes. A giant, feminine creature stood tall, enveloping the pillar within its dress and reaching up to the television screens above.

"Ritual Summon! Level 9, Prediction Princess Tarotrei!" (ATK 2700)

"OOOOOOH!" Sawatari declared from his seat. "Two boss monsters! Don't let her show you up, Yuu!"

"Me?" Yuya called out.

"No, not you! Yuu!"

"What? Me-"

"Not the time for a bit," Yuzu said to her partner. "Save the fun for our turns~"

"Oh, of course~"

Mieru, meanwhile, lifted a card up from her Graveyard. "During my End Phase, I can Special Summon a Flip monster from your hand or Graveyard in face-down Defense Position."

True to her word, for her final act of the turn, she placed a card onto the field. A face-down monster, with a minimum Level of 2. Despite summoning such a powerful monster this turn, her hand still held two cards, while her and Yuu shared an untouched 4000 LP.


For Yuzu, now the fun could truly begin! With an egao on her face, Yuzu was the first to draw a card from her deck. "My turn! I play the Continuous Spell, Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen! If I control no monsters, it lets me Special Summon a Fairy monster from my hand."

Come on out, Mozarta the Melodious Maestra! The woman in red spread her wings and flew from Valhalla's card frame. (ATK 2600)

"Once per turn, Mozarta lets me Special Summon a LIGHT Fairy monster from my ha-"

"Not so fast!" Mieru declared. She raised her palm to the sky, and her Tarotrei mimicked this movement. "Tarotrei changes Mozarta to face-down Defense position. Meaning you can't use its effect!"

Alas, the prodigy's first performance was cancelled at the last minute. The monster disappeared, leaving a face-down card and a creature in its stead. The creature was the- the thing that appears when a monster is set. The angry crystal ball in a spiked cage. You know what it looks like, it's weird.

Mieru made a playful wink. "I predict you'll have a harder time, now that your combo has been stopped."

"Only a minor set-back," Yuzu responded. "I summon Aria the Melodious Diva. And if I control a Melodious monster, I can Special Summon Sonata the Melodious Diva from my hand."

Two cards were placed on her Disk's blade, and two monsters rose to prominence. The stage now hosted two young monsters with songs in their hearts, floating on either side of Mozarta's set card. (ATK 1600) (ATK 1200)

"Forgive me, Yuya. I must use the Devil's wicked magic."

"I understand," Yuya sighed. "I'll back you up, no matter what you do."

Yuzu threw her hand up in the air. "The summoning conditions are two Fairy monsters. I set Aria and Sonata in the Link Markers!"

A square, surrounded by nine arrows pointing in different directions, appeared before Yuzu. Her monsters rose threw themselves into two of the arrows - the bottom left and bottom right, and the arrows lit up a soft red.

A beautiful hum filled the air. Decorating the field with its music notes and pink flower petals, a new monster appeared in Yuzu and Yuya's Extra Monster Zone, on the left.

"Play the music that brings harmony and love! Unite the choir and sing a song of victory! Link 2, Bloom Harmonist the Melodious Composer!"

The monster's puffy, flower petal-styled dress flowed down the monster's body, just as her soft, pink-orange hair flowed down to her waist. This beautiful monster maiden floated proudly before her summoner. (ATK 1000)

"Rituals aren't limited to the Extra Monster Zone like we are," Yuzu explained. "But Link monsters can't be put into Defense position, or flipped face-down!"

"And your 1000 ATK monster can stop us?" Yuu scoffed. "Hate to break it to you, but your monster isn't strong enough to defeat our monsters."

"Unless you want to do me a favor and attack my face-down?" Mieru proposed.

Yuzu wagged her finger and her opponents' ignorance. "When Bloom Harmonist is Link Summoned, I can discard a card and Special Summon 2 Melodius monsters with different levels from my Deck, in Defense position, to the zones its arrows point to."

One card was a small sacrifice for this play. For discarding one card, she was rewarded with tw monsters, Tamtam the Melodious Diva, and Shopina the Melodious Maestra. (DEF 2000) (DEF 1700)

"When Tamtam is Special Summoned while I have another Melodious monster, I can add Polymerization from my Deck or Graveyard from my hand!"

A card was ejected from the very top of Yuzu's deck, which she added to her hand. But she quickly pulled it back out and slammed it onto the field. "Fusion Substitute! I can Fusion Summon a monster using monsters on my field. Tamtam and Shopina, you're up!"

The orange and blue swirls of a Fusion Summon grabbed hold of the chosen monsters. They disappeared into its rotation, merging together with it to form something new.

"Angel's gong! Supreme genius! With the guidance of the baton, gather your power! Fusion Summon! "

Much like love, a pink flower bloomed on the battlefield. A young female monster rose from the blossoming bud and spread her arms out wide.

"Now come here to the stage! Sing the song of victory, Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir!"

(ATK 1000)

"Another weak monster?" Yuu mused. "It must have a good effect, if you used up so many cards just to bring it out."

"Never underestimate Yuzu and her cards!" Yuya said, egao-ing. "Show 'em, Yuzu!"

"When Tamtam is sent to the Graveyard as a Fusion Material for a Fusion Summon," Yuzu began. "I can make one Melodious monster I control it lose 500 ATK, then inflict 500 damage to your opponent."

(Yuu and Mieru: 4000 3500) (Bloom Diva ATK 1000 500)

"Battle! Bloom Diva attacks Tarotrei!" Yuzu declared.

The monster maestra floated upwards, looking to meet Tarotrei eye-to eye. While the latter's gaze was sinister, Bloom's bright blue eyes only showed determination and spirit. She reached out her hands and gently stroked the monster's face. And in that instant, Tarotrei was obliterated and turned into a sea of sparkles.

(Yuu and Mieru: 3500 1300)

Yuu's jaw dropped. "Bloom Diva's effect, right? It can't be destroyed in battle, and you don't take the damage from battles involving it."

"We do, instead," Mieru grumbled. "And then our monster is destroyed. How barbaric!"

Yuzu egao'd. "I set a card and end my turn. Now it's Yuya's turn to take the stage~"


"My turn!" Yuya announced. "Draw!"

It would be an easy win for Yuya: he could just attack Hierophant of Prophecy with Bloom Diva and hit them with burn damage. But where's the fun in that? Yuzu got to summon monsters, and he had his own strategies in mind.

Yuzu looked towards her darling partner. "Formation H?"

"Formation H," Yuya answered. "With my Scale 1 Purple Poison Magician, and my Scale 8 Black Fang Magician, I set the Pendulum Scales!"

Two pillars of blue light rose up from either side of Yuya and Yuzu. Two magician monsters, somehow familiar in appearance, flew up to the center of the pillars. Their Scale numbers appeared below them, and the sky above them grew heavy and dark with clouds.

"Pendulum Summon! The dragon with dichromatic eyes, the mole who stands by your side, and the girl who trumps her opponents!"

Lights raced down and struck the field, releasing three monsters. One was the large, fearsome dragon with dual-colored eyes. Another, a small girl in strange clothing, waving around a wand with her gloved hands. And the third, a pink mole who hid behind the pom-poms in her hands.

"Level 7, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Level 2, Performapal Trump Girl!"

(ATK 2500) (DEF 200) (DEF 1000)

"I activate Yuzu's face-down: Polymerization!"

Without even having to check, the boy tapped his Duel Disk's screen and let the card activate. True to his word, it was Polymerization. This time, the swirling colors chose to take the face-down Mozarta and Odd-Eyes into its mix.

"Angelic musical genius, become one with the dragon with dual-colored eyes, and give birth to a new power!"

Bow behold the new monster, now in the previously-free zone the Link monster pointed to. A red dragon with a sleek design and pupil-less eyes like the star-filled vastness of space. Metallic, wing-like ornaments decorated the sides of the dragon's face, and long, flowing indigo logs ran down its back like a mane. Its arms were longer and thinner, with Mozarta's red cuffs on its wrists. Gold musical notes of all kinds decorated its body, and two blade-like protrusions on its back chattered with the soft chimes of brass.

"Level 8! Dream-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

(ATK 2300)

"It's like their feelings for each other have taken a physical form!" Sawatari gasped from the audience.

"No, it's not!" Mieru screamed back. "It's not like that at all!"

"It's exactly like that!" Yuzu said proudly. "But we're not done!"

Yuya nodded. "Trump Girl's effect! When it's Pendulum Summoned, I can use it and another monster I control for a Fusion Summon!"

Time for the chorus! Trump Girl waved her wand, creating more swirls of color and light. It, along with Bloom Diva, where taken into its heart and merged together.

"Fusion Summon! Present yourself, Performapal Melodiouseal!"

While less dignified and mysterious than the dragon, this next monster was a sight to behold. A upside-down, star-patterned top-hat appeared on the field, and two angel wing-like flippers peered out from its hole. A seal - with a big blue nose, and a purple star painted around its right eye - jumped out and sat on the hat's rim. It had a bow on its head and a flowing dress made up of many different flower petals. Its starry eyes winked playfully at its opponent, and it coyly pressed a wing-flipper against its non-existent lips. (ATK 2300)

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Mieru murmured.

"Melodiouseal's effect!" Yuya announced. "My monsters, Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, gain 500 ATK and DEF!"

(Dream-Eyes ATK 2300 2800) (Bloom Harmonist ATK 1000 1500) (Melodiouseal 2200 2800)

"Cheermole's effect! When one of my monsters' ATK is higher than its original ATK, it gains an additional 1000 ATK!"

(Dream-Eyes ATK 2800 3800)

"Battle!" Yuya declared. "Dream-Eyes attacks Hierophant of Prophecy! Harmony Roar!"

The mighty dragon opened its mouth wide. A beam of bright blue-and-white light shot out from its mouth, an unending wave of power and destruction that would destroy everything in its path.

Yet as the beam ripped through the Hierophant of Prophecy, there was a sense of beauty. The beam made no violent blast or crashing noise, but a comforting choir. Like a thousand angels singing in unison, the melody went through the monster and reached Yuu's heart. It soothed him.

Yuu's eyes closed as he listened to the music. He should have panicked, or at least felt bad about his ace monster's destruction. But the music spoke to his heart and told him it was okay. It made him egao.

(Yuu and Mieru: 1300 300)

"Performapal Melodiouseal attacks your face-down!"

The seal jumped from the hat and seemed to "swim" in the air, making its way toward the other side of the field by waving its flippers and wiggling its tail. Once in range, the creature jumped high into the air, then ground-pounded the card to dust with the backside of its tail.

"My monster's effect!" Mieru announced. "Predic-"

"Dream-Eyes' effect!" Yuya retorted. "When a Fusion monster attacks, your card effects can't be activated."

Mieru's eyes widened in horror. The final card on her side of the field was destroyed and she was powerless to stop it. She and Yuu were hanging on by a thread, and there was one monster left that was poised to cut it. And of course, that monster just had to be...

Yuya and Yuzu pointed at their opponent and spoke in unison. "Bloom Harmonist attacks directly!"

"No!" Mieru screamed. "Nooooooooooooooooooo!"

(Yuu and Mieru: 300 0)


"If only I had a better starting hand," Mieru grumbled. "I was one card away from shutting them down. If I only drew it, or went second-"

Mieru sat on the floor, knocked down by the force of the duel's final attack. Yuya, Yuzu and Yuu each offered a hand to help her up, but she wasn't in the mood for help.

As more and more people gathered around her, she gazed into the crystal apple in her hands. Why hadn't she seen this coming? Even now, her darling was still an enigma to her. The only things she was sure about was his chivilarous, innocent nature... and his great dynamic with Yuzu.

"There wouldn't be a next time," said Reiji as he approached her. He also held out a hand for her to grab. This time, Mieru had enough of the hand-outs and let herself be pulled up.

"I'm sure you would have done better under different circumstances," Yuya told her. "But if we were at war? Any mistake could mean death."

Mieru gulped. "I mean... I almost never have a bad hand. And this hand was only bad because you guys were so..."

"You are a great duelist," Yuzu insisted. "But when you're out there, you put your life at risk."

"You need to go in, assuming your strategies will be countered," Reiji told her. "If yo duel even once, your reveal your deck and your enemies can use it against you."

"Sounds tough out there," Yuu said wistfully. "But I'm not giving up."

Reiji raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about this, Sakuragi? The next time you lose, the results will be worse. And we could be facing opponents far more powerful than anything we've seen before."

"I think you have a point, Reiji," Mieru confessed, tears welling in her eyes. "I just- I just wanted to help. But I don't think I can..."

"You can help by protecting our world!" Yuya proposed, which would be the only time 'Yuya"' and 'proposed' would be used together in the context of Mieru. "Stay back here, where you have back-up and won't be in the heart of the fight. Keep my mom and dad safe."

Mieru wiped away the tears from her eyes. She didn't answer right away, but she did give him a cautious nod. She wasn't sure if she wanted to risk her life like this, which frustrated her. She wanted to help. Not only help her darling, but all the people she'd come to care about.

Finally, she said, "I'll do my best. An- and I'm going to keep trying. Trying my best. I won't let you down, darling!"

"That's great!" Yuya exclaimed. "Just remember, I believe in you. We all do."

"Agreed," Yuzu said with a forced egao. "I have to admit, you had me nervous out there."

That brought an egao to Mieru's face. But now, she would turn her attention to her dueling partner. "What about Yuu?"

"I'm willing to take that risk this time," Yuu answered her. "I feel like my place is out there."

From the stands, Sawatary egao'd broadly. "Don't worry, Sakuragi. Neo New Hyperdimensional Sawatary will have your back."


Next time: Aoi Zaizen and the untold story of Shun Kurosaki.

A/N: Only two years late to upload. Sorry, guys. The last chapter was a joke, and I was planning on having the next chapter up within a couple of weeks. But then I fell into X-Men Hell and forgot about the fic. And then my old computer died and took all of my fanfic notes and drafts with it. And when I finally got back into the franchise, I had to re-learn everything and watch all of VRAINS to get a better perspective.

But I'm back now! Probably. We'll see. And to the person who was trying to petition Konami for an alternate ending to the ARC-V anime, I want to apologize. I didn't agree with it, but I felt like my answer was a little curt. I didn't mean it to be, but it's been bothering me for years now. If you're reading this, sorry.

Also, anyone reading Marvel books right now? X of Swords was fun. And I have a lot to say about Slott's take on Franklin Richards. Pro-tip: I hate it.