Both Yumi and Aster watched the duel from farther inside the cave, standing where the light didn't quite reach.
"You sure he's a pro?" Yumi asked quietly. "He kinda feels… weak."
Aster frowned immediately.
He kept his eyes on the duel and let out a slow breath. "It can't be helped. Jaden Yuki is just much stronger than he, or I expected."
The duel had dragged on until the eighth turn, but not because Howard X Miller was putting up real resistance. The real reason was that Jaden didn't want it to end yet.
He'd deliberately slowed himself down, enjoying the back-and-forth, experimenting with plays, and letting the duel breathe. As a result, the situation had twisted into something risky.
Jaden's Deck counter ticked down to six cards.
"Spell card! Miracle Fusion!"
Jaden raised the card high, and a massive Fusion vortex opened behind him, wind rushing through the cave.
"This lets me Fusion Summon an Elemental HERO by banishing monsters from my field and Graveyard!"
One by one, HEROes and Warrior monsters rose from his Graveyard, lining up behind him before leaping into the swirling vortex.
"Wake Up Your Elemental HERO!"
Instead of a single figure stepping forward, a small formation of warriors emerged, standing shoulder to shoulder as one presence.
[Wake Up Your Elemental HERO, 2500 ATK]
"That card again..." Aster murmurs, a hint of annoyance can be heard in his tone.
"So you lost again, huh?" Yumi asks without hesitation, after all, he was the one who printed this card and gave it to Jaden.
So he knew about its effect, and judging by Aster's reaction, he could tell that Jaden had used this monster during their rematch duel.
Aster: "..."
Aster didn't respond. His expression darkened slightly as he chose to ignore the pink-haired nuisance beside him and focused back on the field.
"Wake Up Your Elemental HERO's effect!" Jaden called out. "This card gains 300 ATK for each Fusion Material!"
The warriors behind him stepped forward together, their presence stacking, their combined strength rising rapidly.
[Wake Up Your Elemental HERO, 2500 -> 7900 ATK]
"And it can attack up to the number of Fusion Monsters used as material!"
From the assembled group, familiar figures stood out, Flame Wingman, Glow Neos, Grandmerge, and Darkbright.
Meaning four attacks, which were more than enough to win him the duel.
"Go, my heroes!"
The group surged forward without hesitation, overwhelming the black-suited duelist in a straightforward, unceremonious finish.
As the duel ended, Aster turned and walked away without a word, leaving the cave.
Yumi stayed behind a little longer. He watched as Jaden stepped out of the cave, relaxed, smiling, seeing that there were no traps intended to end his Aibo's life.
Yumi faded away, and the memory flowed back into the real him in one smooth motion.
The real Yumi was sitting on the floor, his back resting against the side of the bed, close enough that he could reach out and touch Celina if he needed to. He didn't move when the information settled in, just exhaled quietly.
After all, Jaden is the main character.
Unless your name can spell JoJo, protagonists tend to survive once their series ends.
Celina was almost killed, all of this was because the butterfly effect caused by his existing and interacting with this world. Forcing the enemies to grow much stronger than the original work, and... become even deadlier.
From what he could see, Celina, although she lost her duel, the Light wasn't able to break through her resistance, so they tried to end her life.
That realization alone was enough for Yumi to stay put. He'd sent his clone out to move things along, but the real him stayed here, guarding her personally.
He'd already contacted Midori-sensei about Celina's condition and explained how he planned to deal with the current situation. She hadn't argued. In fact, she'd already noticed something was deeply wrong with the school, and Yumi's warning only confirmed it. She agreed to his plan and promised to keep watch on the Society of Light from her side.
...
Following closely beside Midori-sensei, Yumi watched as the Society of Light's influence grew to an absurd level.
They could directly charge into the Chancellor's office and use their superior numbers and power to make the Acting-Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor lower their heads without resistance, accepting them as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Hang on a minute!" Jaden's voice echoed from behind them, loud and casual as ever. Everyone turned to look, revealing three figures in Slifer Red jackets.
"I've got somewhere I wanna go too," Jaden said, smiling like this was just another normal day.
While Yumi turns back, realizing that there is only... the three of them wearing the Slifer Red uniform.
Which probably meant that... the other Slifer Red has transferred to the Society of Light, basically just Obelisk painted white.
"Let's decide the destination of the field trip with a duel," Jaden continued cheerfully.
Sartorius accepted, smiling serenely. He even invited Jaden to join the Society of Light if he lost.
But Yumi noticed something else.
Sartorius's eyes weren't really on Jaden.
They were on Slifer, standing quietly behind him.
With the Light already classifying things as, Yumi Uzushi = the Gentle Darkness.
Both Sartorius and the Light of Destruction have never once suspected this jellyfish-haired Slifer Red, who is extremely difficult to take down as a real threat.
From their view, Jaden Yuki was simply Yumi Uzushi's partner, his second in command.
Yumi swept his gaze across the students dressed in white. Familiar faces stared back: Chazz, Syrus, Hassleberry, Bastion, Alexis… and Rio.
His eyes lingered on Rio a moment longer.
Disappointment settled quietly. She has good combat ability, but her mind is too weak, easily manipulated, or brainwashed.
Rio didn't react upon seeing Yumi's disappointing gaze.
Soon enough, everyone moved toward the duel arena.
Jaden stepped forward to duel the so-called princess, who used a frog deck.
Meanwhile, back in the Slifer Red dorm, Yumi's phone rang.
He glanced at the screen, mildly surprised, before answering as he stepped out into the hallway.
"Hello."
"Slifer, we need to talk." The voice on the other end paused for a moment.
Yumi stopped walking.
Because the person on the line was currently standing a short distance away from the dorm.
"I'm here, Shark," Yumi replied calmly.
Reginald Kastle stood near the path leading away from Slifer Red, his phone still held to his ear. Beside him, Atticus Rhodes leaned against a railing with his arms crossed, his usual goofy smile completely absent.
Yumi hung up and gestured for them to follow.
The Slifer Red cafeteria was empty at this hour, quiet except for the hum of the lights. The three of them sat at a table near the back, the atmosphere heavy but not tense.
"Slifer…" Reginald started, then stopped.
He stared at the tabletop for a few seconds, jaw clenched, as if trying to force the words out.
"I wanna tell you about Celina."
Yumi didn't interrupt.
"She… she fell off the island cliff," Reginald continued, his voice low. "I've been searching for her ever since, and-"
"I found her." Yumi cut him off.
Reginald froze, and Atticus straightened immediately.
"You did?" Reginald looked up, shock plain on his face. There was relief there too, but also fear, like he was afraid to hope too much. "Is she…?"
"She's alive," Yumi said simply. "I found her, and she's resting in our room right now."
Both Reginald and Atticus let out breaths they'd clearly been holding for far too long.
"Thank God," Atticus muttered under his breath.
Yumi leaned back slightly, his gaze sharpening.
"Who did it?"
For a brief moment, neither of them answered.
Reginald bit his lower lip, fingers curling into a fist before he finally spoke.
"It was Rio."
Yumi's eyes flashed crimson for a split second.
"She's not normally like that," Reginald rushed to say, guilt and worry tangled in his voice. "I don't know what happened. After she started wearing all white and after joining the Society of Light, she changed. She's not the baby sister I know anymore."
His head lowered, shoulders tense, like he was bracing himself for judgment.
"She got brainwashed again," Yumi said flatly, his tone filled with disappointment.
Both boys looked up.
"There is no point feeling angry or sad about it; her action wasn't her own decision." Yumi continues.
Reginald's expression softened, the tension in his shoulders easing just a little.
"So does that mean my Alexis is also brainwashed!?" Atticus suddenly said, standing up so fast his chair scraped loudly against the floor.
His voice sounded more excited than it probably should have upon hearing that his sister was brainwashed.
The two stared at him.
"I don't know," Yumi replied dryly. "You tell me."
Atticus froze, then immediately realized how bad that sounded.
"…Yeah. That was dumb," he said, coughing awkwardly as he sat back down. "Sorry."
Reginald glanced between them before asking the real question.
"If you know they're brainwashed… do you know how to reverse it?"
He didn't sound doubtful, just desperate.
He would rather believe that his sweet, naive, innocent little sister was brainwashed and forced to try to kill her friend instead of doing it willingly.
Atticus also wants his sister back, not this cold, indifferent person she has become.
Yumi answered. "Beat them in a duel. Or force their memories and emotional connections to surface until they break free on their own."
As he spoke, his golden eyes glowed faintly, and the memory from his clone returned to him.
Jaden has won the duel and announces that the field trip will be to Domino City, the site of the Battle City tournament.
...
The next day, the students all went to Domino City as per Jaden's request to have the field trip there.
While they all went off the island for a few days, Yumi refused and decided to stay on the island, mostly because Celina was still injured and was currently under his care, and the second reason was that he just run errands in Domino City just a week ago.
After checking that the Light had really left the island, Yumi left his clone along with a few of his spirits to watch over Celina.
He even called Midori-sensei to keep an eye on her for him, as he had something to do. She agrees without hesitation, after all, Celina is still her student.
Yumi stares into the distance, watching the massive ship carrying the students shrink into the distance until it is nothing more than a speck on the horizon.
"Chaos." Yumi calls, and Contrast HERO Chaos appeared beside him.
"Locate and open a rift for me," Yumi said calmly. "Destination, Slifer the Sky Dragon's first appearance, or any other God Cards."
Hearing Yumi's orders, Chaos grew a bit uncomfortable since the task was somewhat difficult. How the hell does he suppose to know where that sky god would first appear?
Chaos sighed but didn't argue. He closed his eyes, the air around him warping as he searched through timelines, locations, and layered dimensions.
Originally, Yumi hadn't planned on getting involved with the Egyptian God Cards, but after seeing how far the Light is willing to go in his timeline.
He isn't going to play nice anymore.
"I've got it," Chaos said at last, opening his eyes.
He tore open a rift in space, the edges crackling faintly.
Locating Slifer the Sky Dragon turned out to be easier than expected. The God Cards carried far more power than normal Duel Monsters. It was like trying to hide a thunderstorm inside a closet.
Yumi let Dark Law pull his D-Wheel out from his shadow. The crimson bike slid smoothly into existence, settling beneath him.
He swung onto the seat and revved the engine. The wheel spun, the engine roared, as Yumi drove straight into the rift, vanishing as the distortion sealed shut behind him.
...
In another dimension.
"Master Dartz, we, the Doma, have obtained the Egyptian God Cards for you!"
Three figures clad in strange, ceremonial robes knelt on one knee before their leader. The one positioned in the center carefully held out three cards, the legendary Egyptian God Cards.
"Our only regret," he continued, lowering his head, "is that our follower activated the Seal of Orichalcos and still lost to the Nameless Pharaoh."
"It seems the Nameless Pharaoh's power is truly formidable," Dartz mused. His face remained hidden beneath his white cloak, his tone calm and detached. "But that matters little. What's important is that we now possess the Egyptian God Cards."
He accepted the cards and turned toward three massive stone serpents looming behind him. One by one, he placed the cards into their open mouths, the stone structures reacting faintly to the divine energy.
"The divine power of the Egyptian Gods should not be limited to restoring the Nameless Pharaoh's memories alone," Dartz declared. "Behold, my people's supreme deity. Accept the power of these three gods and descend upon this world through the Forbidden Gate!"
Standing atop the ceremonial platform, Dartz raised his arms and began chanting.
"Oh, exalted deity, I beseech you to descend upon this moment-augh!!"
Out of absolutely nowhere, a red D-Wheel burst into existence and slammed straight into him.
"Lord Dartz?!"
The three Doma members froze, still kneeling, staring in disbelief as their leader was abruptly flattened beneath the wheels of a speeding motorcycle.
"Oh, exalted deity of our-ugh!" Dartz tried to continue the chant, but the combined weight and momentum of the D-Wheel ended that attempt quickly. His voice cut off as he lost consciousness mid-incantation.
Silence followed.
"How dare you!" one of the Doma shouted, finally standing and pointing accusingly. "What have you done to Lord Dartz?!"
Yumi, seated comfortably on the D-Wheel, looked around at the serpents, the platform, and the unconscious cult leader beneath his bike.
"Some I'm in this arc," he muttered in a low voice.
Still, he reached down and snatched up the three Egyptian God Cards.
"I'll be taking these." he said, holding them up so everyone could see.
That was all the warning they got.
The three Doma members reacted instantly, but before any of them could move properly, Yumi revved the engine and shot straight toward the exit.
Inside the Doma base, he drove through it like he'd been there before. A few cultists tried to block his path, briefly. His Duel Spirits flickered into existence just long enough to knock them aside before vanishing again.
Yumi pulled hard on the brake and made a sharp ninety-degree turn, the D-Wheel skidding across the stone floor and leaving a dark scorch mark behind. The Earth manifested beside him for a split second, steadying the turn and preventing what would have been a very final crash.
He burst out into open air, sunlight hitting his face as the base fell behind him.
Without slowing down, Yumi continued across the small island.
Then he heard the sound of roaring engines behind him.
Tilting his head, Yumi spotted the three puppies of Doma, Alister, Valon, and Rafael, each riding their motorcycles hard as they tried to close the distance.
Fast, determined, and completely loyal.
From Yumi's memories, he knew all three of them had tragic pasts. What he found both tragic and a little funny was how cleanly Dartz had led them by the nose from the very beginning.
Alister believed Gozaburo Kaiba was responsible for his younger brother's death. The story went that Kaiba Corp supplied military weapons to two warring nations, and one of those weapons ended his brother's life.
Except it was Dartz. Disguised as Gozaburo Kaiba, pulling the strings, arranging the attack, and then stepping back to let hatred do the rest.
Valon's story wasn't any better.
An orphan who survived by fighting, with the only warmth in his life coming from a nun at a small church that took him in. Then one day, thugs showed up and burned the church down, claiming their boss had bought the place. The nun was believed to still be inside when the fire started.
Valon snapped. Beat the thugs half to death and got thrown into prison, or juvenile detention. The details didn't really matter.
That was when Dartz appeared, offering him a way out through the Seal of Orichalcos.
What Valon never knew was that the order to burn the church down came from Dartz himself.
And then there was Rafael.
Born into wealth, with a family that actually cared about him. His life ended the moment a luxury cruise went off course and sailed straight into a massive tidal wave. Everyone in his family died. He was the only survivor.
Years later, Dartz found him afterward. Took him to a graveyard. Made him dig until he unearthed the remains of his siblings, forcing him to face proof that his family was really gone.
Then, a Dark Guardian offered him the Seal of Orichalcos, and Rafael accepted without hesitation.
What no one bothered to tell him at that time was that the tidal wave wasn't an accident.
Dartz caused it.
Yumi glanced back again, watching the three riders pushing their engines harder, chasing him like loyal hounds.
Every part of their suffering, every tragedy, every loss, had been carefully arranged. Dartz created the pain, pointed them at a convenient enemy, then clipped a leash around their necks and called it salvation.
They thought their lives were ruined by fate. By war. By society.
But... It was actually me! Dartz!