Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V: The Fifth Factor(slow updates)

Chapter 19 - The Lone Warriors' Battlefield

"Ugh, this must be one of the few times in my life I'm not looking forward to Duel..."

Yukio groaned as he got up from his bed. It was the third day of the Friendship Cup, which meant he would definitely have to face someone since all four matches of the quarterfinals would take place today. Unfortunately, yesterday's shocking events had drained him of any sort of excitement at the prospect of facing another strong Duelist.

"Yuya losing his temper against Duel Chaser 227, Gongenzaka getting brutally defeated by Sergey and Dennis revealed to be a spy from Academia..." Yukio sighed as he recounted everything that had transpired so far. "Oh, and let's not forget that whoever loses in the Friendship Cup gets sent underground to work in waste disposal for the rest of their miserable lives. On the plus side, Gongenzaka seems to be alright and that's definetly some welcome news..."

Yukio grabbed a note from the top of the dresser near his bed. On it, a message was written from Tsukikage, who reassured Yukio that while Gongenzaka was somewhat injured, there was no danger to his life and he would make a speedy recovery. Yukio assumed Tsukikage had delivered this late at night while he was sleeping. Although he wished to ask for more details, the fact that Gongenzaka was safe was more than enough for now.

"In any case, the event is about to start." Yukio remarked. "Let's see what this day has in store for us..."

Upon opening the television, the familiar face of Melissa Claire appeared on the screen, her usual cheerful smile plastered on her face.

[The City is one! We are all friends!] Melissa exclaimed. [The third day of the Friendship Cup begins now! Today, we move on into the second round! From our remaining eight players, who will emerge as the best four and advance? The fated first match is—Hiiragi Yuzu versus Sergey Volkov!]

"Oh no." Yukio's face paled. "Not him. Of all the people participating, why did he have to be Yuzu's opponent?"

"Yuzu..." Yuya clenched his fists tightly. "Please be careful out there. If something happens to you, I..."

[Listen to these rousing cheers!] Melissa announced. [Oh, there she is! Her popularity is on the rise! First up, the cute and spectacular Entertainment Angel swoops down on the field! Yes, it's Hiiragi Yuzu-chan! She looks even better than in the first round! How cute, Yuzu-chan—ahem, I mean Hiiragi Yuzu.]

"Well, at least Yuzu has a die-hard fan in Melissa..." Yukio said as sweat formed on his brow. "Whatever happened to being impartial?"

[And here's her opponent, Sergey Volkov!] Melissa continued. [Although he was pressured by Gongenzaka yesterday, he was able to turn things around in the end and win spectacularly! Will the fearsome criminal, who once shook the City with his atrocious acts, emerge victorious as well today!? I, for one, hope he does not! If he harms the adorable Yuzu-chan, I won't forgive him!]

"Go for it, Yuzu!" Yugo cheered. "You can beat that creep no problem!"

[As we all know, the course was wrecked in the Duel between Kurosaki and Dennis yesterday.] Melissa stated. [Therefore, Riding Duels will take place outside of the Duel Palace from the second round onwards!]

Following Melissa's words, a number of large towers rose up from the sea, transforming into Duel Lanes that connected the Duel Palace with the City's lanes. Shortly afterwards, the Duel began, with Yuzu taking the first turn and summoning Canon, the Melodious Diva. In response, Sergey brought out Thorn Prisoner Van, a Monster with 0 attack points in attack mode.

"Thorn Prisoner...?" Yuya narrowed his eyes. "That's different compared to his last Deck. Moreover, its attack is 0. But if that's the case, it must have a strong effect to compensate for that. Be very careful while proceeding, Yuzu. He must have something planned..."