Chapter Text
OUR STORY THUS FAR…
A little over a month ago, Takahiro Giichi – CEO of Giichi Corp, headquartered in the technologically advanced megalopolis of Alba Litora – released a revolutionized version of the classic Duel Monsters card game known as the 'RPG Duel' format. It certainly was unique compared to the regular format, especially with the inclusion of Upgrade Monsters and their overall functions. At the same time, it was also unconventional, specifically with some of the exclusive Attributes, and the fact Spell and Trap Cards had those Attributes that were usually reserved for Monster Cards. As Giichi would eventually reveal to four duelists, the sole reason for his unconventional design choices was that when creating RPG Duels, he wanted to replicate the spirit battles that originated from Ancient Egypt.
But it wasn't just any four duelists he revealed this bit of trivial information to. Three of them happened to be Wielders: a group of heroes destined to save this world, along with eleven other worlds, from a force known only as 'Itzamna' – a force hellbent on eradicating life in all the known worlds, and starting fresh. According to Giichi, there were six Wielders, although only three of their identities were known to him. It was still plenty, as he evidently recruited them to inform them of their interdimensional journey ahead.
After the laydown of their task at hand, Mira was the first to volunteer. She – along with Kero, as per Mira's persuasion – traversed into the world of Royal Woods, where Mira had acquired the Core to be used by her assigned Iroa, Shai. She also activated a gateway located in Royal Woods, just as she was instructed to before her journey began. The indication of the gateway's activation was displayed on the diagram of the connected circles, right on the surface of the desk in Giichi's office. The gateway's activation was represented as a lavender symbol inside one of the circles – the symbol of a crude eye, the same symbol as the one engraved on Mira's crest.
"Excellent," Giichi said, closely observing the lavender symbol. "Mira has successfully activated the gateway in one of the worlds. But there are still ten more that need to be activated." Then he peered at the hexagonal crystal pattern, with the green crystal still unlit. "More importantly, I still need to uncover the identities of three more Wielders, and the sixth one hasn't been chosen as of yet! I don't know how long it'll take to uncover the identity of the Wielder of Wind, but time still grows short, especially since I've initiated the Wielders' main objective!"
He immediately recollected himself with a light sigh through his nostrils. "No, Giichi, calm yourself," he told himself. "What matters is that one of the gateways has been activated, and you're ready to send another Wielder to begin their journey. But with any luck, we may uncover more identities of the Wielders we seek, especially the Wielder of Wind. Only then will we be closer to our success in reconnecting these worlds!"
YU-GI-OH! CHRONIXII
LEVEL 2 START
LEVEL 2-1
A WIELDER REIGNITED
That same evening back at Royal Woods, Kero and the rest of the Loud children were huddled close to the window facing their house's front entrance. They were anxiously awaiting the return of Mira, the Loud parents, and most important, Lincoln and the rest of the Loud sisters.
"Mom and Dad sure sounded upset when they left," Lana said worriedly. "Do you think anything happened to Linky or the others?"
"I'm not sure – I sure hope not!" was Lola's fearful reply. "But what if anything happens to us while they're gone?"
"That seems very unlikely," Lisa stoically replied. "So far, there haven't been any traces of these so-called 'robot things.'"
"And even if there are," Kero pompously declared, pounding his chest, "I'll be sure to take 'em all on!"
"Boy, for someone who had to sit at the kiddie table with us, ya sure got spunk!" Lana complimented.
"Gee, thanks!" Kero beamed before his face dropped shortly after. "Hey, wait a minute…!"
"Look! They're back! They're back!" Lola shouted, pointing at three vehicles pulling up at the front entrance. They were, in the following order, the car owned by the Loud parents, Vanzilla, and the car driven by Bobby. Without wasting a second, Kero and the Loud children burst through the front door to greet their friends and relatives. But to their perplexity, only Mira, Lynn, the Loud parents, Ronnie Anne, and Bobby exited the vehicle, and a sadness seemed to hover over them.
This same sadness gradually hovered over Kero and the rest of the Loud children. "What's going on?" Lola uneasily asked. "Where are Lori and Leni? …And Luna and Luan?"
"And… where's Linky?" Lana frightfully asked.
The Loud parents said nothing, but beckoned to Kero and the children as they went inside. "Kids… sit down…" Lynn Sr. gloomily instructed. "We have some… news to tell you…" Though they were fearing the worst, the children obediently sat themselves on the family couch.
"Kids," Rita uncomfortably announced, choking back a bit, "your father and I don't know how to tell you this, but… Lincoln and the rest of your sisters… They're… They're gone…"
The remaining Loud children looked as if their hearts suddenly stopped, even the deadpan Lucy. "They're… gone?" Lucy said in no more than a whisper.
"But how did that happen?!" the frightful Kero whimpered. "Did they… Did they become the victims of 'Itzamna's Spirit Battle'?!"
"Crazier than that," was Ronnie Anne's reply. "The girls got sacrificed for a card, of all things…!"
Hearing this only increased the Loud children's horror and grief. "B-B-But what about Linky?" Lola tearfully struggled to ask.
"He's with the same freaks who attacked this town," Mira ominously explained. "But what became of him, I don't know."
The Loud children said nothing in response, but were unable to hold back their tears. Lana and Lola tearfully embraced each other. Seeing this, the now heartbroken Ronnie Anne once again buried her face into her older brother's shirt, and Lynn Jr. ran up to embrace her parents. Even Mira couldn't help but shed a tear as Kero timidly walked up to hug her.
"So… what happens now?" Lynn Jr. worriedly asked, her face still soaked with tears.
"I'm afraid Kero and I are gonna have to go now," Mira replied.
"So soon?!" the astonished father exclaimed. "But you two pretty much just got here!"
"And what about Lincoln and the rest of our daughters?!" added Rita.
"I know that we came to protect you from those robotic freaks," Mira reasoned, "but we're also here to activate 'gateways' in each of these worlds, and I already did for this one. But there are others that need to be activated, so we really should be on our way."
"But what if more of those 'robotic freaks' attack us?! What then?!" Lola argued.
"Don't worry," Lynn Jr. boldly declared. "If any more of those freaks attack us, I'll be sure to take 'em all on!"
"Not alone!" Ronnie Anne added, coming to Lynn's side. "I'll admit, I took out one of them with a lead pipe – but when it comes to actually dueling any more of 'em that come our way, I won't be one to back down from a challenge so easily!"
"Looks like you've got some protection, then!" Kero chirped.
"Alright, go if you must," Rita said before approaching Mira and placing her hands on her shoulders. "But please, promise me that you'll get the rest of our children back."
"I don't know how long it'll take or how easy it'll be," Mira promised, "but we will get them back, you can count on that." This brought some relief to the rest of the Loud family. To Kero, Mira added, "C'mon, Kero, let's go."
"Before you do," said Lisa, hopping off the couch, "I have a little present for you both." Heading over to Mira and Kero, she handed them their respective Disks. "Here you go, your Disks with the… special features installed in them."
"Your mother and I are still anxious to know what these 'special features' are," Lynn Sr. sternly spoke, crossing his arms.
"Oh, something us younger duelists would understand," was Lisa's excuse. Returning her attention to the two interdimensional travelers, she added, "Mira, Kero, good luck… and please, try to get our siblings back."
"We will," Mira said with a nod.
Afterwards, Mira and Kero took turns shaking the hands of Ronnie Anne, Bobby, and every member of the Loud household, save for Lily, not knowing if this would be the last time they would see any of them. But as Mira shook Lucy's hand, Mira quietly said to her: "Lucy… thank you for helping me acquire the Core for Shai."
"It was as the legend foretold," Lucy replied. "But if anything, I want to thank you for freeing me from Itzamna's influence." Mira smiled and nodded in response.
Once all the hands were shaken, Mira and Kero stepped outside, with everyone inside the house following them. After a final goodbye wave, Mira immediately activated her Disk, projecting its hot pink blade. Once Kero huddled close to Mira, a card materialized in Mira's hand, which she raised high in the sky. "I activate the Spell Card – CHRONIXII GATE!" she shouted, vigorously swiping the card through one of her blade's horizontal slots. Once the card required for their interdimensional journey was activated, both she and Kero immediately dissipated into light green pixels. After a brief blinding flash, they were gone.
"Do you really think they'll bring Linky and the rest of our sisters back to us?" Lana timidly asked her parents.
"Mira has helped us quite a bit since she and Kero first came here," was Rita's response. "So if she able to help us then, I'm sure she'll help us now."
"But will we ever see them again?" asked Lola.
"Not sure about that," the father replied. "But it's getting pretty late, so we should all go to bed now. Hopefully we'll all feel better in the morning."
"We should probably be going home, ourselves," Bobby said with a yawn. "See ya, Mr. and Mrs. Loud."
"Catch ya later!" Ronnie Anne said with a wave.
As Bobby and Ronnie Anne returned to their car to head home, the Louds retreated to the house to get ready for bed. But as she headed to her bedroom, Lisa thought, 'Mira, Kero, I'll be sure to keep in touch with you. And hopefully we'll be able to track down Lincoln and the rest of our sisters, and bring them back like you promised!'
The following morning back at Giichi Corp, Arthur and Marcy were in an office lounge partially converted into special living quarters. Arthur was sitting in a chair looking through the cards in his possession, while Marcy was lying in a beanbag chair and rapidly playing a handheld video game console. She was loudly spewing various sound effects as she played, much to Arthur's annoyance.
"Fellow duelist," Arthur said with a fake smile, trying his best to maintain his composure, "I respect your fascination for video games, especially the vintage ones, but must you make such noises as you're playing?"
"Oop! Sorry, Arthur," the blushing Marcy sheepishly spoke. "It's just that sometimes when I get in the zone, I just get a little carried away, y'know?" Not wanting to make a bad impression on the girl, Arthur only continued to smile falsely.
But no sooner had Marcy provided her excuse that Giichi emerged through the sliding doors. "Ah, young Wielders," he greeted them. "I see that you're doing well."
"You bet!" Marcy beamed. "That grilled salmon and miso was delish, and I can't believe you were able to acquire these vintage video games! I've been playing them nonstop!"
"Yes, I can confirm that…" Arthur grumbled.
"Unfortunately, neither of you will have time for gaming or any other relaxation at the moment," Giichi firmly announced. "Now that Mira has successfully activated one of the otherworldly gateways, it's time for one of you to begin your task of unifying the worlds!"
"As both Alba Litora's idol and one of your closest subordinates," Arthur proudly volunteered, "it would be an honor to be the next one to partake in this quest!"
"Actually," Giichi calmly corrected him, "I've already decided that Marcy shall be the one to go next."
"Me?!" Marcy excitedly gasped, placing her hands on her cheeks as her fully dilated pupils sparkled. Arthur's mouth hung agape in disbelief.
"Indeed," Giichi said with a nod. "Now please, come with me, so that your quest may begin!" He exited through the sliding doors, and Marcy gleefully skipped as she followed him. Arthur loyally followed as well, but discreetly grumbled all the while.
Once the three entered the laboratory, Giichi pressed the button on the desk's surface that opened the door to the secret passageway containing the green electrical orb. Afterwards, Giichi handed Marcy's Disk to her. "There you go, Marcy," Giichi said. "Here is your Disk, which has been upgraded to include the cards to assist you in the journey ahead. And before I forget, here are these, as well." He handed Marcy one of the black wristbands that would let her change her attire. After Marcy fastened it onto her wrist, Giichi poured a stream of synthetic crystals into the palms of her hands – the same crystals Giichi said would be used to exchange for any currency needed to purchase everyday essentials.
"Now, Marcy Wu," Giichi declared, "are you ready for your journey ahead? And you know exactly what to do?"
"You bet I do, Mr. Giichi!" Marcy beamed. "Let's do this!"
She was about to step foot into the corridor when she tripped on a ledge and fell flat on her face, but quickly recovered. "I'm okay!" she said, getting herself up before bravely stepping foot inside. Staring up at the orb, she thought with simultaneous worry and determination, 'Mira… I don't know where you are, or if I'll end up in the same world as you, but I hope you're alright! You and Kero have been so nice to me since we first met, so if we ever cross paths again, I'll be sure to repay your kindness!'
With this vow made, she projected her Disk's light blue blade, and a card materialized in her hand. "Here goes…" she said to herself, before raising the card high. "I activate the Spell Card – CHRONIXII GATE!"
She vigorously swiped the card through one of her blade's horizontal slots. Afterwards, the electrical orb intensified, and eventually unleashed a bolt that struck Marcy, making her dissipate into light green pixels. Once there was no further trace of her, Giichi pressed the same button on his desk's surface to close the door to the passageway.
"Giichi, are you DENSE?!" Arthur loudly complained the second the doorway was shut. "You're actually choosing that… that… that geeky klutz to be next in line for this journey over a professional like myself?!"
"Patience, Arthur," Giichi coolly replied, "your time will come, soon enough. And don't forget, this 'geeky klutz' just so happens to be a Wielder like you and Mira, so her role is essential for our objective. …Besides, you're expected to partake in a publicity duel before your 'hiatus.'"
Arthur fumed and crossed his arms, but knew that Giichi was right. But no sooner had Giichi finished his reasoning when Maxwell Davenport burst into the laboratory. "Mr. Giichi! Mr. Giichi!" he frantically called.
"Ugh, what is it now, Maxwell?!" his annoyed superior fumed.
"Mr. Giichi, one of the gateways has been activated!" Mr. Davenport urgently reported.
"Yes, we know, Davenport," the annoyed Arthur remarked, crossing his arms. "Giichi informed us that Mira had successfully activated a gateway in one of the other worlds!"
The sudden realization that Arthur was with Giichi made Mr. Davenport wildly flinch. "Arthur!" he wailed. "What are you doing in the presence of Mr. Giichi?! How dare you eavesdrop on vital information that's strictly confidential between me and Mr. Giichi!"
"Maxwell, control yourself!" Giichi scolded. "Arthur is as close to me as you are, so whatever news that's strictly confidential between you and me is perfectly fine for Arthur to know, as well!"
"You know, this almost makes me glad that you allowed Marcy to go instead of me," Arthur remarked.
Realizing his mistake, Mr. Davenport quickly recovered. "M-My apologies," he stammered. "I guess I was so excited about the news for Mr. Giichi, I hadn't realized that…"
"We can see that," said Arthur. "But like I was saying, Giichi already knows about one of the gateways being activated. …And you can thank Mira for that…" He muttered that last sentence under his breath.
"Well, I took a quick peek at the progress on that," Mr. Davenport explained, "and it looks like another gateway has been activated!"
Now it was Giichi's turn to be visibly surprised. "Another one has?!" he cried. "No, that can't be. I just sent Marcy out into one of the worlds – there's no way she could've activated a gateway so quickly!"
"See for yourself!" Mr. Davenport frightfully insisted. Giichi was still skeptical, but nevertheless pressed a button on his desk's surface to display the cross-like pattern. To his surprise, he saw that there was a second circle with a symbol inside, just as Mr. Davenport claimed. The symbol in question was outlined in red and was in the shape of a crude volcano. To Giichi, it could only be the work of one person.
"The Wielder of Fire!" Giichi breathlessly spoke. "But… how is that even possible?! I don't recall recruiting them or briefing them with our mission!"
"We-We don't know, Mr. Giichi!" Mr. Davenport squeaked.
"Shall I track them down and uncover their identity, Giichi?" Arthur proposed.
"No, Arthur, it's not yet your time," Giichi ordered. "You must get ready for your publicity duel before your 'hiatus.' Then you'll finally have more freedom to move." He took a closer look at the red symbol. "But how did the Wielder of Fire reach one of the worlds and activate its gateway so soon…?"
Giichi would eventually uncover the Wielder of Fire's identity. But as for how this seemingly unidentified Wielder traversed to one of the worlds and eventually activated its gateway, it all happened roughly around the same time Mira began her own journey.
This is the story of how it unfolded.
It all started three days ago outside the entrance to a hospital in Alba Litora, roughly a couple hours after Mira and Kero first began their interdimensional journey. It was the same hospital Mira was previously admitted to after her deadly duel against Ganymede. Now it was the same hospital Homanu was admitted to after his duel against Karamar that proved to be even more life-threatening by comparison.
At this very moment, Homanu slowly emerged out of the hospital's main entrance, evidently well enough to be released. Homanu was the duelist chosen as the Wielder of Fire, which he hadn't forgotten. But there was a lot on his mind as he slowly trudged through the streets – everything ranging from the Devil's Hand resurfacing to his duel against Karamar that nearly cost him his life. But what bothered him the most were all the criticisms that were basically the same: his refusal to use Upgrade Monsters. Those criticisms spoken by Karamar and Karim were especially troubling – one was used to call Homanu out, and the other seemed like a warning, as if Homanu had to use Upgrade Monsters if he were to save the world.
Just as Homanu sat down on a bench to try and self-reflect, a streak of crimson and light red pixels suddenly shot out of the Disk attached to his wrist. In a flash, the pixels transformed into his partner, Punkie. "'Ello, Homanu!" she energetically greeted her troubled human partner. She quickly noticed that they were out of the hospital. "Ayy, you're out of the hospital! Congrats, mate!" She playfully socked his shoulder.
"Thanks," Homanu glumly said, shying away from Punkie.
"Whoa, when'd you become a Debbie Downer all of a sudden?" Punkie asked. "Whatever happened to Mr. I'm-Gonna-Kick-The-Devil's-Hand's-Ass-And-Rescue-My-Friends!?" She wildly punched the air as she said this.
"I guess… I have a lot on my mind right now," Homanu said after breathing a heavy sigh.
No doubt Punkie felt sorry for her companion, but her optimism remained intact. "Hey, I know what'll cheer you up!" she said. "A video message from this 'Playmaker' dude!"
Homanu immediately became perplexed. "Huh? What're you talking about?" he asked.
"Well, you could say I was browsing through your Disk out of boredom while you were away," Punkie playfully explained. "I didn't mess with anything, but I did notice a video message from this 'Playmaker' bloke, and it looks like it came earlier today."
The name sounded familiar to Homanu. Then a jolt flashed through his brain as he remembered that this was the same 'Playmaker' who helped rescue Mira and Kero from the Devil's Hand! Upon this wild realization, he jumped out of his seat and ran to the first secluded area he could find. "Oy, Homanu!" Punkie called. "Where we goin'?!"
"I just remembered who this 'Playmaker' guy was," Homanu hastily explained. "And with the way he helped rescue my friends, it could be something important, so I gotta see what he has to say in private!"
Homanu eventually arrived at a forest-like area in the city's central park – the same place where Mira had her duel against Hawk, and Kero against Marcy. Fortunately for Homanu, there wasn't usually much activity in the park at this time of day, so no one would eavesdrop on him. Once he felt isolated enough, Homanu swiped through his Disk's touchscreen until he found the video message Playmaker left for him. Upon pressing his finger on the icon, a holographic projection of Playmaker's masked face was displayed above the touchscreen.
"Homanu Ishako," the projection spoke in his electronically altered voice, "you may not know me, but I am here to help you, like I did when I helped free your friends from the clutches of the Devil's Hand." Homanu hadn't forgotten, but said nothing as he waited for the voice to go on. "The information I am about to share with you is of vital importance – so listen carefully, because once this message is finished, it will automatically be deleted, and cannot be recovered by any means.
"I'm certain this is something you already know, but you have been chosen as one of the Wielders – a group of six heroes destined to save this world and other worlds in the known universe, all from the threat known only as 'Itzamna.' I've hacked into a database and discovered that your friend, Mira, is a Wielder, as well, and has thus been asked to save these worlds. But whose database I've hacked is uncertain, because there are a few encryptions that need to be bypassed, which even I might find to be difficult. However, based on the information I've gathered beforehand, I suspect that whoever is behind both recruiting the Wielders and unifying these worlds has a much more sinister purpose.
"I cannot go with you, nor can I make myself present all that often, because I fear the risk of revealing my true identity. That's why I've asked you, Homanu, to seek out your friend, Mira, and the rest of the Wielders, and warn them of the dangers ahead. Fortunately, I was able to generate copies of the two cards you'll need for your journey: 'CHRONIXII Gate', which is necessary for your interdimensional traveling; and 'Orbis Fusion', which will protect your Fusion Summoned monsters from the negative effects of Itzamna's powers. But even so, only the Iroa you possess can truly save these worlds.
"If what I was able to uncover is correct, once you enter these worlds, you'll need to activate a gateway that'll be located somewhere in each of these worlds. Only certain Wielders can activate these gateways, and it's uncertain which Wielder can activate the gateway in which world. However, a proper Wielder's Iroa should be able to detect it without any problem. And once the gateway's detected, it can only be activated by the crest inside your necklace. There may be instances where a gateway will require more than one proper Iroa to activate, but whether or not that's confirmed is uncertain at the moment. But what else is confirmed is the existence of special cores to be used only by your Iroa. Similar to the gateways that must be activated by your Iroa, these special cores can only be detected by your Pixel, and only they can extract them once the cores are found.
"This is all the information I am able to give to you. Now go, and seek out your friends – time is of the essence! Until we meet again." With those parting words, the projection of Playmaker's head instantaneously diminished.
Homanu didn't know what to make of what Playmaker said, but he knew that it was important, especially when it came to the safety of his friend Mira. Just for curiosity's sake, though, he skimmed through his card pool and saw the two unusual Spell Cards, just as Playmaker claimed would be added. "Wow, I guess this guy really is a hacker," Homanu remarked.
"But what about all that stuff about these 'other worlds' and 'interdimensional traveling' mumbo jumbo?" Punkie asked. "Are you really gonna buy all that?"
"I'm a bit confused about what's going on, myself," Homanu confessed. "But if this guy really thinks Mira could be in danger…" He gently punched a fist into his palm. "…then I'm gonna have to believe him."
And so, Homanu made his way out of the forest and closer to the open, where he could activate 'CHRONIXII Gate' and nobody would see him. Nobody, that is, except for Reggie and Yuri, who were running in the park, wearing their Disks. Reggie quickly noticed the standalone duelist. "Hold up," she said, stopping Yuri in his tracks, "is that Homanu over there?"
"Hey, yeah, it is!" Yuri said. "What's he doing out here?"
But Homanu didn't notice them as he projected his Disk's yellow-orange blade. "Wait, is Homanu about to have an RPG Duel?!" Yuri exclaimed. "But who could he be dueling when he's the only one there?!"
Reggie unleashed a gasp of excitement. "Hey, maybe it's some kind of new special feature that Giichi didn't tell us about!" she squealed. "We should find out what it is, quick!" Grabbing Yuri by the arm, she dragged him as she ran towards Homanu.
'Okay, here goes…!' Homanu thought as a card materialized in his hand. Raising the card high, he announced, "I activate the Spell Card – CHRONIXII GATE!" He vigorously swiped the card through one of his blade's horizontal slots.
"Hey, Homanu!" Reggie called. "Don't start without us!" Hearing her voice, Homanu turned and was startled to see that Reggie and Yuri were running towards him.
"No, wait!" Homanu loudly pleaded. But it was too late – Reggie and Yuri collided into Homanu, and the three duelists instantaneously dissipated into light green pixels. After a brief flash, they were nowhere to be seen.
The three duelists reemerged through the same cluster of green pixels they transformed into, and landed on some white sand, not too far from the outside of a beach house. It was still early evening, but Reggie was still awestruck by the scenery around her. "Whoa, everything looks so vast!" she breathlessly commented. "What kind of Terrain Field is this?"
"This isn't a Terrain Field," Homanu corrected her grimly. "This is… an entirely new world…!"
FEATURED CARD – LEVEL 2-1
CHRONIXII Gate
Spell Card
Twelve worlds were once one.
Six Wielders chosen to connect all.
Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! CHRONIXII…
Shortly after arriving in the world unfamiliar to them, Homanu, Reggie, and Yuri all get caught in cleverly laid rope traps! Fortunately, it doesn't take long for the trio to straighten things out with those responsible for setting those traps, and they all get well-acquainted. But things take a turn for the worse when a potential fallout leads to an RPG Duel between Yuri and Homanu! Homanu reluctantly accepts, but little does he know of the surprises that are in store for him! See what happens in Level 2-2: The Wielder, the Braggard, and the Runaway! RPG Duel, game start!