7. Yu-Gi-Oh ARC-V A New Story of Pendulum (Standard Arc)

Chapter 12 At One with the Sword

"Do you think you'll be winning the last one with ease?"

A boy stepped forward, his torn-sleeved tan jacket lined with orange swaying with each step. His dark blue shirt and pants made the LDS badge on his collar stand out all the more, and his burnt-orange shoes scraped lightly against the floor as he stopped before the You Show group.

Katrina frowned. "And who are you?"

"I'm LDS' Synchro Course's Yaiba Todo." His voice carried confidence as he glanced across the students. "Which one of you is my opponent?"

"Even though You Show already has two wins," Katrina said cautiously, "we still need one more for victory to be guaranteed."

"Then the man Gongenzaka would like to duel!" Gongenzaka declared, puffing out his chest. "You Show is on the line, but I am an outsider—successor of the Gongenzaka Dojo!" He turned to Sora, his eyes blazing. "Sora, listen! This is a do-or-die situation! You must win!"

"I don't like this uncomfortable atmosphere." Sora sucked on his lollipop and waved lazily. "You can have the next duel if you want, Gon-chan."

"Gon-chan? So I'm allowed to duel?" Gongenzaka blinked in surprise.

"What do you guys think?" Ryu asked the others.

"I don't feel like facing them," Ron said, shrugging. "So I'll pass."

"Me neither," Jean added.

"If Gongenzaka wants to do it, then there's no reason not to," Katrina agreed.

Yuya and Yuni exchanged a glance, surprised but ultimately supportive.

"We're counting on you, Gongenzaka," Yuya said with a smile. "You're my best friend. I can entrust this match to you."

"Same here," Yuni nodded.

"Yuya... Yuni..." Gongenzaka's eyes welled with passion. He clenched his fists and flames roared around him. "All right! Leave this to me! I'll win in the name of Gongenzaka Dojo's Steadfast Dueling!"

"Hey!" Yaiba tapped his foot impatiently, his wooden katana resting on his shoulder. "How long are you going to keep me waiting? Or are you forfeiting out of fear? Well?"

"How inexcusable to treat the man Gongenzaka as a coward!" Gongenzaka roared, strapping on his Duel Disk. "I'm your opponent!"

Yaiba smirked, lifting his katana. "If you think I'll be well-mannered like the other two, you're in for a world of hurt. Unlike them, I was trained by both Vice Presidents of LDS."

Vivian narrowed her eyes. That's right... Brother and Sister taught Synchro and Ritual together, rather than separating them like Fusion and Xyz...

Hokuto clenched his fists. "How dare he act like we're weak..."

Masumi sighed. "Annoying as it is, we can't argue—we lost. But the Vice Presidents warned us about our opponents. Yaiba may have picked the one he considers the easiest."

In the operating booth, Shuzo slammed a button, his face fierce. "The opponent is Yaiba Todo. 'Yaiba' means blade or sword! Then I choose this! Action Field on! Field Magic: Sword Cemetery!"

The field shifted into a wasteland of broken blades and rotting trees, the ground littered with rusting weapons. Gongenzaka stood tall upon a low rise, wind whipping his headband.

"Gongenzaka!" Shuzo bellowed. "Bury Yaiba in this Sword Cemetery!"

Yaiba smirked faintly, recognizing the terrain as one of his specialties—but unlike Hokuto or Masumi, he gave nothing away.