7. Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V: A New Story of Pendulum (Fusion Arc)

Chapter 15 Roid vs. Helios

The forest path grew darker the closer they approached the cliffside. Dead branches reached out like crooked fingers, and the faint hum of waves echoed below. Sona, Sora, Sho, Edo, and Manjome walked in a slow line toward the long-abandoned structure that loomed before them — the Abandoned Dorm.

Sho's hands trembled as he clutched his Duel Disk. "A-Are you sure we're really going inside? This is the Abandoned Dorm..."

"Don't worry." Sora sighed, resting a lollipop between his teeth. "It won't be that scary. The whole story about this place being haunted was just a cover. The Doctor made it up... to hide his human experiments."

The others froze. Edo's fists tightened. "To think the Doctor would do something like that... and I trusted Academia..."

"It's not just you — we all did," Manjome said, his tone bitter. "And that's exactly why we're going to change things."

"You're right about that," Sona agreed, her eyes firm. The group pressed forward through the dust-filled corridors, each step echoing through the decaying halls. Cobwebs lined the ceiling; broken lights flickered faintly overhead.

When they entered the central chamber, they stopped. At the far end stood a stone coffin surrounded by worn symbols carved into the floor.

"What... is that?" Sora asked, his usual playful tone fading.

"It looks like... a coffin," Sona murmured, walking closer. She knelt and placed a hand on the cold lid. "Let's see what's inside."

The moment she lifted it, everyone gasped. Inside lay a preserved body wrapped in ancient fabric — its face unmistakable.

"Daidokuji-sensei?!" all five shouted in horror.

Manjome stepped back, shaking his head. "What's he doing here? And... how did he end up like this?"

"Don't tell me..." Sona whispered, her voice trembling. "It's another one of the Doctor's experiments."

"So, you're here." They spun around. A tall man stood at the entrance, his face hidden behind a dark mask. His voice was calm, unnervingly so. "Welcome to my laboratory."

Before any of them could react, movement stirred beside the coffin. Another figure stepped forward — Daidokuji himself, alive and standing.

"Daidokuji-sensei?!" Sora stammered. "But what about... this mummy here?"

The man smiled faintly, his expression strangely serene. "That was my flesh. It was destroyed a long time ago. With the power of alchemy, my soul now resides in this body."

A small meow echoed through the chamber as a familiar cat darted forward.

"Pharoh!" Sona exclaimed, kneeling to scoop the cat into her arms. Pharaoh purred softly, nuzzling against her. "Sorry that Serena isn't here," Sona said with a smile. "She'd be so happy to see you again."

"So you're just like Bruno, then?" Edo asked, his tone steady but wary. "Your soul has been transferred into a new body?"

Daidokuji nodded slowly. "I traveled across the world searching for the Philosopher's Stone. But the journey was long, and my body could no longer endure it. When my illness became fatal, I turned to alchemy. I entrusted my soul to a Homunculus — an artificial lifeform created through the fusion of life and matter."