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

Chapter 38 Fusion Duel

The afternoon sun beat down on the parking lot, the echoes of the tournament crowd rumbling from the nearby stadium. Yuni came to a halt, Katrina already waiting for her at the edge of the lot, Duel Disk at the ready.

"So you managed to pull only two away?" Katrina asked, steady but wary.

"Yes," Yuni replied. "The other two are with Reiji. Brother is watching through LDS, so they'll be handled."

Their pursuers slowed, boots scraping against the concrete as they stopped just a few steps away. Yuni's eyes sharpened.

"Enough hiding," she said firmly. "If you've come this far, then show yourselves—who are you?"

The taller figure answered not with words but with action, ripping off her cloak and letting it fall to the ground. The other followed suit, the sunlight revealing their faces in full.

Katrina's jaw dropped as her gaze snapped between the stranger and her sister. "She... she really looks just like you, sister!"

Yuni's expression remained calm, though her grip on her Duel Disk tightened. "I know. Brother warned me of this possibility."

The girl stepped forward, her eyes fixed on Yuni. "Then it's true. You must be Sakaki Yuni—the one Reisho spoke of."

"So you know Reisho," Yuni replied coldly. "We may share a face, but I'll ask plainly—who are you, and why have you come here?"

The boy at her side answered instead. "If you're afraid we've come for a fight, set that aside. That isn't why we're here."

Katrina frowned, distrust still etched across her face. "And why should we believe that?"

Finally, the girl placed a hand against her chest. "My name is Sona Shiunin. And yes—Sora Shiunin, who crossed into this dimension days ago, is my elder brother."

This time it wasn't the name that shook Yuni and Katrina—it was the reality. To see her standing here so soon after Sora's incursion, to face someone who bore Yuni's exact face—it rattled even Yuni's composure for a moment.

Rumi's voice echoed inside her. "So that bastard's words were true. But to meet her this quickly... it feels wrong."

Zarine's voice followed with a heavy sigh. "To see my Fusion Fragment standing here before us—it's unsettling. Sona, is this truly the reason you came?"

Sona stepped forward, her cloak gone, her voice steady but carrying a trace of weariness. "This is my partner, Satoshi. We've been together for some time. Back in the Fusion Dimension, we met Akaba Reisho. He told us that if we ever crossed into Standard, we should seek someone named Sakaki Yuni—because she could help us escape Academia."

Yuni blinked, her composure slipping for the first time. "Escape...? You expect me to believe that?"

Satoshi's gaze hardened. "Not everyone bends to the Professor's will. Some of us can't stomach what Academia has become. But leaving isn't easy. This dimension is the only path we have left—our last chance to break free from that prison."

Yuni and Katrina exchanged looks, unease flickering in their eyes. Katrina frowned. "How do we know this isn't another trick? People from Academia always talk smoothly until they stab you in the back when you lower your guard."

Sona let out a slow sigh, frustration breaking through her calm mask. "I should have expected that. So many of Academia's students have been twisted into thinking the Xyz Dimension is nothing but a hunting ground. It disgusts me. And what's worse... is seeing my own brother fall into that darkness."

Satoshi's eyes suddenly narrowed as he turned toward Katrina. His voice sharpened. "Wait. I've seen you before... You're the Vampire of Heartland!"

Yuni snapped her head toward her sister. "The Vampire of Heartland? Katrina—what is that supposed to mean?"