The days passed quietly at Duel Academy.
Thanks to Yumi's Kuriboh surveillance network, the island stayed relatively peaceful, at least on the surface.
But beneath that calm, the next Shadow Rider had already made their move.
Yumi found the culprit easily: the leader of the Black Scorpion Grave-Robber Squad, who had infiltrated the island disguised as a professional police inspector, conveniently "invited" by Lyman Banner himself.
Of course, Yumi already knew Banner was an imposter.
So the fact that the Black Scorpion crew managed to slip through security wasn't exactly shocking.
Still, there was a more pressing matter right now.
"So, how are we splitting this?" Yumi asked, eyeing the Shadow Charm Pendant lying on the table before them. The once-broken relic had fully reformed, both halves fused together into a single pendant again.
Celina leaned closer, the crimson gem glinting faintly in the dim light. "Maybe we just crack it again and each take half?" she suggested, only half-joking.
Yumi gave her a deadpan look. "Pretty sure that's not how magical artifacts work."
She crossed her arms. "Then come up with something better. You already admitted this thing can start Shadow Games and block dark magic. I'm not letting you hog it."
After her relentless pestering failed, she turned to stepping and pinning him down under her foot and body weight. Forcing Yumi to finally confess to what the Pendant was capable of.
It allowed the user to initiate Shadow Games, where the loser gets their soul sealed inside a card. Other powers include teleporting the owner and others over not-so-long distances, forming energy spheres to trap people, and forming a solid platform out of energy for standing on, demonstrated by Nightshroud himself.
And the ability to protect its owner and others against the dark magic of other Shadow Charms.
The issue is, she doesn't know how to use these powers, while Yumi could, since he actually has experience in using Spirit Energy. So, for him to figure this out is only a matter of which buttons activate which abilities.
But she wanted the Pendant's passive effect of protection against the dark magic of other Shadow Charms. As a key holder, it's her responsibility to Duel the Shadow Rider, and in case they pull some dirty trick on her, she would have a safeguard to protect herself.
Yumi, however, just wanted the short-distance teleportation and platform creation ability.
Protection? He didn't really need it; the other Shadow Riders were probably more terrified of him than he was of them, especially after the final boss of GX personally gave him his name tag.
He tapped the pendant with a finger, muttering, "If we split it again, I'm not sure the protection would still work. I know the full pendant has that passive effect, but half…?"
Celina frowned. "Then we can't split it, can we?"
She didn't wait for his answer. With one smooth motion, she slipped the pendant's string over her neck. The gem settled neatly against her collarbone, glowing faintly.
"You can have it once this is over," she said firmly. "You can control Duel Spirits like it's nothing. I can't. So I need this, at least until the Shadow Riders are gone."
Yumi studied her for a moment, then shrugged. "Fair enough."
He couldn't argue with her on this one, while he wanted the Pendant's abilities to play around with, she actually needed it to avoid being cheated on during a life-and-death duel.
Then, sudden knocks echoed through their door.
Both Yumi and Celina exchanged a glance before heading to open it.
Outside stood an odd group: Jaden, Chazz, Alexis, Lyman, Pharaoh, and a strange-looking man with a special eyepatch.
Celina's eyes immediately fell on the cat, Pharaoh, who was trying to hide behind Lyman's legs. Meanwhile, Yumi's gaze was fixed on the eyepatch man, sharp and unblinking. The inspector visibly flinched under his stare.
"Celina, what did I say about scaring Pharaoh?" Lyman chided lightly, noticing his cat was trying to hide from her. His tone was mild, but his attention shifted when he realized even the inspector he had invited was trying to use him as a shield, hiding behind him.
Lyman coughed. "Anyway, this is Inspector Magure, the police officer sent to help strengthen the island's security and keep the Spirit Keys safe."
Behind his calm voice, Lyman's mind was racing. Through his closed eyelids, he watched Yumi carefully.
From what he has gathered, the one with the most potential on the Island is Yumi Uzushi, who has mastered the use of Alchemy and even shows a level of surpassing him in some aspects of the craft. But this talent is also the reason why he is the biggest threat to Lyman's plan of achieving immortality.
Which is why he tends to intervene if Yumi decides to step in now.
But seeing the pinkhead didn't show any reaction or was just letting things go, Lyman also decided not to do anything.
He relaxed slightly, though his heart did not.
"I see…" Celina muttered absently, her eyes still fixed on Pharaoh. Her fingers crept forward, inching toward the cat. Lyman smacked Celina's hands away from Pharaoh.
Trying to ignore the rising awkwardness, Inspector Magure cleared his throat. "Well then, as I have said to the others, I believe it's unsafe for you all to carry your Spirit Keys around. It'd be better if you hide them somewhere secure." He avoided looking directly at Yumi, whose expression had turned faintly amused.
"I already hid mine," Alexis said.
"Same here," Chazz added, arms crossed.
Then, without hesitation, Jaden took off his Spirit Key and tossed it to Yumi."AIBO, hold this for me," he said with that same carefree grin.
Everyone froze.
"Jaden?" Alexis blinked. "Are you sure that's-"
"I believe in AIBO's strength," Jaden said confidently. "With him holding it, no one could take it."
Both Lyman and Magure's faces darkened immediately.
What Jaden said wasn't false either, through all the Seven Shadow Riders, the only one who might have a chance in defeating Yumi is Amnael, Lyman's alius when he is a Shadow Rider.
But now isn't the time to reveal himself; Lyman only knows that Yumi is really strong, not how strong.
If he gambled now and failed, wouldn't that mean all his effort would go to waste?
"I see," Celina said suddenly, nodding to herself. She took off her own Spirit Key and looped it around Yumi's neck beside Jaden's. "Hold this for me too."
Both Lyman and Magure's faces grew even darker.
Two of the seven Spirit Keys were taken. To keep the other five keys safe, they were suggested to be hidden away so they won't be stolen. After being hidden, the Black Scorpion would later steal the keys while they weren't on the body of the key holder anymore.
That is the original plan.
But now… the two keys were in the possession of the Darkness himself. The enemy of both good and evil.
Even if the Black Scorpion squad tried to rob him in his sleep, his Duel Spirits would probably tear them apart before they got close.
"I… don't think it's wise to entrust all that responsibility to one person," Lyman finally said, trying to keep his voice steady.
Yumi just smiled lazily. "Don't worry, Professor. After a while, I'll give them back."
Giving the Spirit Keys to Yumi would make stealing them even harder than stealing them directly from the bodies of the other key holders.
Unable to convince him, Lyman and Magure headed to meet Zane and convince him to hide the key.
"Hold this for me." Zane, without hesitation, agreed and handed his key to Momoyo, who was nearby.
Lyman: "..."
While Magure didn't seem too worried, the only reason he didn't look worried was that he didn't know anything about Momoyo's reputation.
While Lyman felt an instant headache coming on.
He knew Momoyo's reputation, the type of duelist who never lets her opponent breathe, who makes every duel a drawn-out punishment.
Even if you beat her, she'd find a way to make you suffer until the very end.
A true nether player.
And just as Yumi had predicted, later that night, Chazz and Alexis's Spirit Keys were stolen, while the keys belonging to Zane, Jaden, and Celina remained completely untouched.
Exactly according to expectation.
What made things truly entertaining was what happened.
One of the Black Scorpions, Gorg the Strong, a tall, tan, bald man built like a brick wall, decided to try his luck by going to rob Momoyo directly.
Before he could even touch her key, she caught him in the act… and then proceeded to beat the absolute hell out of him.
"Nice," Yumi murmured, watching the entire thing through the grainy recording projected by his Kuribangboo.
Desperate, Gorg tried to escape by reverting to his Spirit Form, hoping she couldn't hit what wasn't physical.
But thanks to Yumi's help, his sister has learn how to cover part of her body with her Duel Spirit, letting her grab him in Spirit Form and continue to beat him up.
Momoyo had once been terrified of ghosts because she couldn't touch them.
Now, ghosts were terrified of her.
Meanwhile, Chazz, who had recently awakened the ability to see and interact with Duel Spirits, managed to identify who stole their keys.
Small fries like the Black Scorpions can be taken down by Chazz without suffering any loss or injury in the original work.
Meaning that if he came to beat them up, the Spirit Energy gain would've been negligible.
So, leaving cannon fodder to cannon fodder is perfectly reasonable.
With that, Yumi lay back down on his bed and continued to be lazy.
Outside, near the Slifer Red dorm, Chazz suddenly sneezed mid-duel against Don Zaloog, the real identity of "Inspector Magure."
"O-oi, Boss! You okay? You didn't catch a cold, did you?" Ojama Yellow fluttered nervously around him.
"I'm fine," Chazz muttered, rubbing his nose. "Some bastard must be talking bad about me."
...
A few more days passed without incident.
Inside the Slifer Red dorm, Alexis sat cross-legged on Celina's bed, looking visibly frustrated, while Rio perched beside her.
"My brother won't talk to me at all," Alexis complained, sighing.
"Really?" Celina raised an eyebrow, dangling her legs off the edge of the second bunk of the triple-bunk bed.
"Well, not exactly…" Alexis admitted. "He just refuses to tell me what happened. He vanished for two years, and now he won't tell me anything."
"I think you should give him some time," Rio said softly. "Two years missing… anyone would come back a little different."
"Yeah, from what I heard, he is terrified of Yumi." Celina added with a smirk.
Yumi: "?"
Sitting on his desk across the room, Yumi froze mid-shuffle while working on a new deck. He was confused upon hearing Celina's words.
He saved Atticus; shouldn't that make him grateful?
Just then, Effect Veiler materialized beside him, gently tapping his shoulder before pointing toward the window.
"Hm?"
Yumi followed her gesture, merging his sight with hers. His pupils shimmered faintly, and he saw Atticus was crouched in a bush outside, holding binoculars, watching his room like a nervous wildlife researcher.
"Huh?" Yumi stood up and decided to go check out why Atticus was spying on him.
Standing outside the door, Reginald, who was eavesdropping and staying nearby to protect his little sister from Yumi, flinched, hearing footsteps approaching.
He leapt off the rail, crashing into the nearest bush in a loud thud.
Yumi just stared at the shaking shrub for a moment.
"…Right."
Turning away, he walked toward where Atticus had been, only to find the man already gone, just footprints and crushed grass left behind.
He sighed, about to head back inside when something in the distance caught his eye.
Hovering near the lighthouse, a massive golden ship floated above the ocean. It gleamed like a miniature sun, its hull radiating divine light before dimming again.
"Raye," Yumi said calmly, eyes narrowing.
Raye appeared beside him, her long pale hair flowing in the night breeze.
"They've been taken," she said quietly.
Yumi didn't need to ask who. He already knew.
After the Don Zaloog incident, he and Momoyo had returned the Spirit Keys to their owners, and this moment matched perfectly with what he remembered from the original anime.
The resurrected Pharaoh Abidos III, the next Shadow Rider, had arrived.
"Guess I can have some fun," Yumi muttered, a lazy grin tugging at his lips.
He reached into his pocket and drew two cards from his deck. "Become one, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon and The Claw of Hermos!"
The two dragons appeared behind him, roaring loudly before their forms merged, twisting and reforming into a sleek cyan-blue motorcycle, its front shaped like Galaxy-Eyes' head and wings extending along its frame.
Although Yumi can't afford the busted anime version of the Legendary Dragons, nothing is stopping him from creating new Fusion monsters for those cards to be used on.
He swung his leg over the bike as Raye hopped on behind him, gripping his shoulder. With a flick of his wrist, the engine roared to life, a photon flare igniting from the boosters.
The wheels spun, glowing brighter and brighter until they lifted from the ground.
With a flash of blue light, Yumi shot forward, streaking across the night sky toward the golden ship that hovered above Duel Academy.
On the ships, Jaden, Syrus, Chazz, Zane, Alexis, Rio, and Celina all woke up, finding themselves hundreds of meters in the air, now all standing in some kind of floating golden ship.
There, they discovered that the one who brought them onto the ship was Abidos III, one of the Shadow Riders, and he brought them all up here to take their Spirit Keys all at once.
The other all visibly got tense, recognizing him through their history lesson. Abidos III was known to be a god-like legendary duelist who had gone undefeated throughout his life.
"I shall grant you the chance to leave your keys and ru-"
He never finished that sentence.
A blinding flash tore through the air, followed by the screech of a roaring engine.
A cyan wheel of light crashed straight into his face.
Abidos went flying backward, slamming into a group of his own soldiers, scattering them like bowling pins.
Everyone: "..."
The undead scrambled to lift their fallen king.
"L-Lord Pharaoh!!" one shouted.
Abidos rose with a furious growl, his mask cracked, and his ornate robe torn and smoking.
"Who dares!?"
Then came a voice, light, amused, and utterly infuriating to an ancient god-king.
"Sorry. Air traffic's been a nightmare lately."
On where Abidos once stood, Yumi leaned casually on his glowing blue bike, its photon wheels pulsing, the energy trail cutting across the clouds like comet fire.
"AIBO!!" "Yumi!"
The others shouted, relief flooding their faces.
Yumi raised a hand in greeting, grinning. "Yo. Didn't expect you all to ditch me and go on a vacation in a luxury golden spaceship."
"Insolence!" one of the undead priests bellowed. "You dare strike the Pharaoh? Guards! Attack!"
The horde of undead soldiers charged forward, weapons raised.
Yumi didn't even flinch.
"Guess I'll need a little crowd control."
A shadow rose in front of him.
The deck shook as The Tyrant Neptune emerged, towering, reptilian, and armed with a massive, crescent-bladed scythe. It landed with a thunderous crash, glaring down at the undead army with glowing yellow eyes.
With a single swing, the scythe carved through the soldiers like paper.
A decent part of the army vanished in one sweeping arc, dissolving into motes of spirit energy.
The Tyrant Neptune stood tall on all four of its reptile legs, its hand holding its massive scythe, resting it on its shoulder.
The Tyrant Neptune, showing its sharp aligator fangs, daring any of the undead to come forth and meet its blade.
Unlike Yumi's other Duel Spirits, which received special treatment and the full trust of the master, The Tyrant Neptune has to work its way up the ladder and earn Yumi's trust; then, maybe it will get a promotion and even get to level up.
"Such a powerful Spirit..." Abidos III murmurs, not realizing that the Tyrant Neptune is actually one of the weaker monsters in Yumi's deck.
"I heard you are pretty strong." Yumi said, stepping off his bike. His expression was relaxed, but his eyes were sharp now.
He lifted his Duel Disk, its core lighting up.
"How about a duel?"
Abidos III somewhat hesitated, as his instinct was telling him danger; while he was thinking about it, Yumi suddenly continued.
"Or… is the Legendary Pharaoh, the so-called God of Duelists, scared?" Yumi said in a mocking tone, causing Abidos III to get angry.
"Impudent mortal!" Abidos roared, slamming his golden Duel Disk into place. "I, Abidos the Third, accept your challenge!"
The undead soldiers didn't dare to object to their king's decision, while the other watching were already somewhat familiar with the Kawakami's sibling tactic of baiting people into dueling them.
So no one said a thing.
"Duel!" x2
[Yumi, LP 4000]
[Abidos III, LP 4000]