# The Council Chamber
"What a coincidence," the Chairman said, with a light laugh. "We had already discussed this very matter with Akaba Reiji about Friendship Cup."
Roget's brow creased.
"The Friendship Cup?" Murmures rippled through whole group.
"All of you will enter it," Reiji said. "To demonstrate your worth as duel warriors, in a form this world trusts."
"We have to compete too?" Tokumatsu asked, dazed.
"There are no exceptions."
"Unbelievable." Sweat rolled on his forehead. "I've only ever heard about that tournament. The greatest one in the City."
"Personally, I would also want to see you participate," the Chairman said, "because you're the reason it exists, Chojiro Tokumatsu."
"...Me?"
"Ten years ago, when Security took you to the Facility, the biggest figure of Commons, the last of their restraint shattered, and their pent-up anger erupted. The Commons didn't just stay quiet. They rose — all youths and adults. Every district, every D-Wheel, all at once.
"It couldn't be ignored, and it couldn't be crushed cleanly either. That was also the reason Duel chasers were formed. But the harder we pushed back, the harder they pushed. The Friendship Cup was built to give that anger somewhere to go instead."
Something in Tokumatsu's face cracked open — pride first, quick and startled, at the thought that his name had meant that much to that many people. Then, just as fast, something colder replaced it.
"You're telling me people fought in the streets over me...? And your answer was a tournament?"
"It kept people alive who might not have stayed that way otherwise." The old female member said, not unkindly, adjusting her women's rebon hat.
"But... I was a symbol...?"
"Friendship Cup wasn't just the way to let Commons release their anger." Chairman chuckled. "It was also to show harmony between Tops and Commons. A event where both can resonate with eachother. The winner will be crowned King by both the Tops and the Commons, becoming the symbol of friendship and unity that binds them together.
"Just like how Jack Atlas is right now."
Crow cut in, sharp. "King of both my ass! You expect us Commons to believe that? I refuse to be part of this crap and entertainment for you people, participating is out of question."
Shinji tried to talk him down. Damon and Tony added their voices too, playing the part good friends were supposed to play — though Shinji's face carried none of the warmth that role usually came with.
"H-hold on," Tokumatsu said, puzzled, for the part of him that still wanted to hear his own name cheered for something. "I never said I wouldn't fight."
Sawatari exclaimed in excitement. "Fabulous! We'll show both Tops and Commons our entertainment dueling and win their trust in one shot, Yuya!"
"And I can finally keep my promise to my men." Tokumatsu added behind them.
"But we still don't know anything about Yuzu." Yuya asked, concerned.
"Yuzu? The girl with pink hair?" Roget's smile sharpened. "So she's your friend after all."
"How do you know her? Don't tell me—"
"She isn't at the Facility, if that's your worry. She has entered in the Friendship Cup herself."
The relief hit Yuya first, but confusion also followed.
"Entered? But why would she?"
"You call her your friend and yet you don't know?" Roget's amusement deepened. "If you want to see her, compete. Though you should know — the boy who looks like you has also entered."
"That must be him," Dennis murmured. "The one from the Facility."
Yuya's hands curled — not anger, something closer to helplessness.
"That's enough for today," the members said. "If everyone agrees, the matter is settled."
"We agree," Roget said. "Though I'd like to propose one addition, if the Council will permit it."
The members exchanged a glance.
"Let this boy," he pointed at Yuya, "open the tournament. Let him be the competitor in ceremonial duel against Jack Atlas."
"Why him?" The man in gray asked.
"Because it costs us nothing yet benefits everyone. A stranger wielding an unfamiliar summoning method, granted the honor of facing the King—the spectacle alone will dominate public conversation. It will remind every citizen why the King's throne is worth defending.
"Besides, he appears to be the most proficient in these unfamiliar summoning methods. A diamond must be polished to reveal its true brilliance."
That landed. The council members exchanged a different look this time.
"A fascinating use of the ceremonial duel." The tall member agreed, pleased. "Correct, Chairman?"
"Yes. I see no issue with it. Akaba Reiji?"
"None," Reiji said evenly. For just a breath, his eyes cut toward Roget — guarded.
"Then it's settled." Council declared.
White-uniformed men filed in — tall hats, tinted glasses — and began steering everyone toward the doors with just enough physical insistence to make clear it wasn't a suggestion.
"Where are you taking them?" Yuya asked.
"Don't worry. Why would we bring all of you here if we had ill intentions?" The man in gray said. "They're our guests. Heroes, as far as this city is concerned — so long as they keep winning."
Nobody in the chamber seemed to understand how much that sentence worked in one direction only?
As the group was led out, voices rose behind them. "Yuzu might watch, show her you're fine!" "Crush that traitor Jack Atlas!" "Show this dimension that we Lancers are strongest!"
The chamber felt hollow once the noise faded down.
"You'll be shown to your room as well," the tall member told Yuya. "Six days until the Cup begins. Prepare however you like."
Two more escorts arrived for him. Yuya hesitated, glancing back — Reiji unreadable, Ryo watching with something unspoken behind his eyes, Riley small and half-hidden at Reiji's side, squeezing his stuffed toy hard.
"We'll stay with the Council," Reiji said. "To finish the details."
"And to remain useful to them," Ryo thought, the words bitter even silently.
Yuya wanted to say something that made the goodbye feel less permanent. "Riley, I'm glad you're safe."
Riley's chin wobbled before he managed a nod, with bright smile.
The door shut behind Yuya, and it felt heavier than a door should.
"Was that wise?" The man in gray asked. "Not telling them what losing costs, even once?"
"They don't need to carry that yet," Reiji said, adjusting his glasses.
"It's your call. It works in our favor either way."
Riley hugged the toy tighter.
"The matches are drawn at random," the man in yellow added. "That won't be a problem?"
"No. Whatever falls, falls."
# Roget
"Are you certain about letting this happen, sir?" The officer behind Roget asked, uniform marked with high rank . "We had the yellow ribbon girl and the blond one both, the moment we caught them dueling. We could've ended this before the Council ever got involved."
Roget sighed. "It wouldn't mattered. According to Duel chaser 176, the Celina girl was talking about recruiting strong Duelists from the City. Although that also became their reason of capturing, capturing all of them was important. But now they all are saved and will participate in Friendship Cup."
He leaned back in chair.
"But that matters a sliver to me. Security has already taken care of unneeded participates and Duelists with potential from this tournament. Only those we approve of will be allowed to compete."
"But even if those kids perform well, all will happen to the losers, they will be sent to the underground working. That is our benefit. No matter how strong they may be, a lose is inevitable."
"Certainly, but that doesn't mean all worries are gone..." Roget's expression hardened. "I truly can't understand why those old folks are backing a group of mere children so strongly. But their support doesn't guarantee they'll allow us to send the defeated Duelists underground. And that is precisely what concerns me."
Security officer tried to look at Roget's expression. "You don't seem worried the Council might interfere again."
"They can order whatever they like from their chamber." Roget's hand swept across the chessboard, scattering the pieces without a glance. "I decide what happens. Security runs the City. Security assigns the jobs. Security decides which of these children meets a wall early—and which ones makes it through." He allowed himself a thin smile. "The Council can issue all the orders it wants, they still need me to enforce them."
"That's not the same as controlling the outcome entirely, sir."
"No, it isn't." He rested his fingures against his chair's arm. "If I push too hard, they'll notice, and then I lose the leverage I actually have. Besides, it doesn't matter how well these kids do," Roget bend his neck behind. "We already have our winner."
A tall, broad figure stood there, unmoving, one side of his face glowing faintly red.
# The Suites — Celina
Celina didn't so much as glance at the room's luxury. Furniture, scent, the soft light — none of it registered as anything worth noticing.
"Yuzu is out there," she sat on the edge of the bed. "I don't know what she's had to endure since we parted ways. And the Lancers... are still not even halfway where we should be."
Her worst worries weren't she would lose. She wouldn't allow it to think that way. Her troubles were more deeper.
"I won't let anything like what happened to the Xyz Dimension happen again. Not to the people I've come to know... and not to those I haven't even met yet."
Her voice hardened.
"Never again."
# Suite — Razz
Razz threw himself across the bed with a delighted groan. "This is paradise! I take back every complaint I ever made about here — no offense to the man, obviously."
He rolled onto his back, arms spread wide. "You know, back home, a room like this would take three generations of good harvests. There is still Xyz and Fusion Dimension left, I wonder I will found gold ther—"
He stopped mid-sentence, eyes narrowing at the ceiling.
The grin never leaving his face. "You don't roll out such room for people you're worried about. You roll out for people you want comfortable enough to stop asking questions."
"Anyway!" He said out loud, cheerfully, to nobody. "Best nap of my life, incoming."
He didn't nap. He lay very still instead, staring at the ceiling for a long time.
# Suite — Vance
Vance stood at the glass wall, watching the moon climb over the skyline, working the problem the way he worked every problem — piece by piece.
"Friendship Cup, huh? This is gonna be tough."
"If the matching is genuinely random, that's the best case," he murmured. "But a rigged draw doesn't need to look rigged. It just needs to put our weakest match-ups first, before any of us learns the opponents well enough to adjust." He exhaled slowly. "Which means the real danger isn't the strongest opponent in the field. It's whoever fights first, blind, with no data."
He release a sigh.
"Number of participants also matters. Besides, we have to win at least, perform well, even if we are strong the opponent can be stronger and more strategic, not everyone in Lancers are tactical thinker either. Being strong wouldn't matter at end if the execution is flawless."
He dropped on the soft bed, face facing bedsheets.
"Guess it is up to Fate and time... how does Ryo-san and Reiji face such unpredictable things so calmly?"
# Suite — Yume
Yume stood in front of the mirror, holding his deck like it might answer a question he hadn't fully asked yet.
"Shun already thinks I'm hiding something. Some of the others aren't far behind him."
He turned the top card over slowly, running the motion he always ran before a match — not memorizing the card so much as memorizing the "feeling" of. He'd done it before, though he still didn't know if it was a habit from before, or one he'd only just built out of necessity. "If I won, that's all the proof they'll need. Not that I'm dangerous. Just that I'm nothing. Some kid who showed up, got lucky twice, and folded the moment it mattered."
He closed his eyes and ran the next three turns in his head — draw, field, response — the way he always did, letting the shape of a duel exist somewhere before duel starts.
"Then I won't let it be that," he said quietly, to the mirror, to no one. "Not this time."
# Late Night — Yugo's Garage
Mechanical clatter echoed through the garage as Yugo worked past midnight, fine-tuning the D-Wheel with no sign of fatigue on his face at all.
The old wooden door creaked open. Yuzu stood there, hair mussed, clearly dragged out of sleep. "Yugo? It's the middle of the night. What did you need to talk about?"
"Ah, good, you're up." He glanced at the tournament poster on the wall, then back at her. "I was giving maintenance to D-Wheel for the Friendship Cup."
She followed his gaze to the poster. "That's what this is about? Why does it matter this much to you?"
"Me and Rin promised each other we'd win it. Same way Jack did." His smile become serious. "He started as just another one of many Commons kid. Duel after duel, he won and won and became king. That's why I want to compete and win this Friendship Cup. To fullfill our promise."
He added last part in his thoughts. "That's all I can do right now... To fulfil the promise."
"So he's someone you look up to."
"Something like that... Anyway, that's not why I woke you for."
"You couldn't have told me tomorrow? We already have plenty to do."
"Didn't need to wait." His grin turned sharp. "I already put your name in Friendship Cup. No need to thank me."
Yuzu went very still. "You did what?!"
"Figured it beats standing in a crowded stadium yelling warnings. This way you will have people's attention. Better than sticking poster everywhere and people looking at you like you are some weird person."
"You didn't ask me. Yugo, I don't even know how to ride a D-Wheel! I don't have one in the first place!"
Yugo's confidence didn't waver.
"They'll give you a D-Wheel for matches only. I could teach you if that helps." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I just figured, more people watching means more people who might actually listen when you warn them. That's all I was thinking."
Yuzu stared at him a long moment, some of the anger draining out of her as she recognized the shape of what he'd actually meant underneath the recklessness of how he'd done it.
"Geez. No way... ...Fine. But you're teaching me. I'm not walking into that arena without knowing anything."
Yugo gave a thumbs up.
# A Tower Above the City
Dark clouds swallowed the last of the moon, obscuring the remaining light, as a figure stepped out onto the City's tallest tower, cloak snapping in the cold wind, hood low over face. A single red flash coming out from the right side of face.
"He wasn't supposed to be here at all." The voice was quiet, almost fond. "Things are getting intresting. The Xyz counterpart was meant to be aligned. The way the pattern runs. And yet here he is. How will that kid win duels without that counterpart's help..."
A low, amused laugh.
"If the thread breaks this early, in a world this far from where it usually breaks — Is this butterfly effect? It's not time travel though — I wonder what else has already started coming loose without anyone noticing."
As the clouds drifted, allowing light to fall again, the figure had disappeared.
# The Day of the Ceremonial Duel
The tunnel walls shook with the crowd's noise long before Yuya reached the light at the end of it. He closed his eyes once, just once, and let his father's voice settle over the nerves instead of the tension.
"Smile, Yuya. That's the true meaning of a Duel. When you smile, everyone else can smile too. That's when the show truly shines."
"Here he comes!" Melissa's voice rang out over the stadium. "Today's opening challenger, Sakaki Yuya!"
His D-Wheel jumped into the stadium.
Across the arena, atop a D-Wheel that gleamed like it had never once lost, Jack Atlas didn't smile, didn't wave. He took a detour of whole stadium, hollering to the crowd.