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

Chapter 35 Seek the Truth

The halls of Academia were quiet, lined with steel beams and harsh white light. A girl in an Osiris Red uniform walked briskly down the corridor, her violet hair swaying against her shoulders. She slowed as she spotted two figures standing further ahead—Sona Shunin, in her officer's purple uniform, speaking with a boy in Ra Yellow.

"I see... so you're going to the Standard Dimension tomorrow," the boy said, his dark raven hair falling into his eyes. His expression was tense, concern written across his features.

"Yes, Satoshi," Sona replied with her usual composure, though her eyes betrayed a flicker of weight. "The Professor has ordered it. My brother was sent back by the Xyz users. Now... I've been chosen to take his place."

The air shifted behind them.

"Then take me with you."

Both Sona and Satoshi turned sharply. A girl stepped from the shadows, her uniform crisp, her blue eyes set with determination. The resemblance was undeniable—her face was a mirror of Yuzu, of Ruri, of Rin.

"Serena?" Satoshi's voice broke in surprise. "What are you talking about? And more importantly—what are you even doing here?"

"I want to go to Standard." Serena's voice was firm, almost desperate. "Please—take me with you."

Sona's brows furrowed. "Serena, you know the Professor's orders. You're forbidden to leave this place. He'll never permit it."

"I don't care!" Serena snapped back, her fists clenching at her sides. "If I defeat the Xyz Duelists myself, the Professor will acknowledge my strength. He'll let me fight on the front lines!"

Sona exhaled heavily, her shoulders sinking. She and Serena... they had been best friends once. Alongside Yuri, they were the orphans who had grown up within Academia's walls, bound by hardship and rivalry. She and Yuri rose as the strongest, though it had cost them their connection with most of their peers—peers who feared their intensity and skill.

But things had changed. Ever since Leo Akaba had taken over as Professor, everything had turned darker. Sona had been sent to the Xyz Dimension herself and seen firsthand what they were doing there. At first, she thought it was a noble mission—to conquer, to expand. But when she watched her classmates chase down defenseless citizens, showing no mercy, hunting them like prey, her stomach twisted. That wasn't dueling. That was slaughter.

When she returned, she had tried to persuade her friends to open their eyes. Some had already vanished—either carded, or fled. Others, including her brother, reveled in the cruelty, embracing it. And Satoshi... he had nearly been lost, until she defeated him in a duel and shattered the control wrapped around his heart. He owed her his life, and from then on, they secretly worked together—crafting false cards, small acts of rebellion beneath the Professor's gaze.

Yet there were scars. She had been ordered to capture Ruri. Yuri had been sent after Rin. She had hated it, every moment, but had no choice. Even Yuri, she suspected, despised the task... but his aura was different now, darker, as if the shadows had already swallowed him. And Serena—sweet, proud Serena—had been left oblivious. The Professor had erased her memories of their childhood days together. To Serena, the bonds they once shared no longer existed.

"Serena..." Sona began, trying to find the words. "You don't understand what you're asking. Out there, it isn't a stage for you to prove yourself. It's—"

But before she could finish, a heavy tread echoed from the side corridor. A tall figure stepped into view, his uniform marked with rank, one eye hidden beneath a cruel scar.

"Captain Barret?" Satoshi stiffened, his voice tinged with fear.

Serena braced herself, eyes flashing. "Are you going to stop me too?"