Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V: Pendulum of Connections
is an Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V AU story, written by Imagine97.
Full Summary: What would happen if Yuya was more confident and skilled as a duelist? What if he had an older brother? What if Yuya had slightly different beliefs in dueling but the same intentions? Conflict never ends. Everyone is tied by bonds they don't know that exists which lead to two choices: Peace or Destruction.
This story contains examples of the following Tropes. Beware of Unmarked Spoilers:
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Yuya now has heterochromia, with one of his eyes being red and the other being green, while in canon they're both crimson.
- Adaptational Backstory Change: Yuya and Mikleo were both orphans struggling to get by on the streets until Yoko came along and adopted them into the Sakaki Family.
- Adaptational Badass: In canon, Yuya was an average Duelist who later learns the other Extra Deck Summoning methods throughout the anime. Here, it's revealed during his duel against Reiji in chapter 9 that he had already known Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Ritual Summoning prior to the discovery of Pendulum Summoning. Furthermore, he was able to duel Reiji to the point where the latter is forced to end their duel in a DRAWnote whereas he never came close to defeating the young CEO until the end of the series.
- Adaptational Early Appearance: Ruri and Rin are introduced far earlier than in the anime, somehow winding up in Standard before the Maiami Championship is in full swing.
- Adaptational Intelligence: Yuya is far from the Idiot Hero that he was in the anime, having already learned all known summoning methods long before he meets his counterparts.
- Age Lift: Yuya is sixteen instead of fourteen, along with some of the other characters aged up as well.
- Always Someone Better: How Yuya feels about his brother Mikleo.
- Big Brother Mentor: Mikleo Sakaki serves as this to his younger brother Yuya, having also been the one to teach him all known summoning methods. In turn, Yuya is also this to the You Show trio at times.
- Breaking Old Trends: At the start of the Maiami Championship Arc, the usual 4000 Life Point gauge for Duelists are raised to 8000 but the Action Cards are removed as a way for Duelists to rely on their own skills.
- Original Character: Aside from the fan-made cards, Mikleo Sakaki is exclusive to the fanfic.
- Parental Abandonment: Yuya and Mikleo's birth parents abandoned them for unexplained reasons, which eventually lead to them being adopted by Yuko and Yusho.
- Shared Unusual Trait: Yuya has heterochromatic eyes, with one eye red and the other eye green. This physical trait shows his connection to the Odd-Eyes.
- Took a Level in Badass: Yuya, in part due to Mikleo's presence.
- Unrelated in the Adaptation: Yuya is Yusho and Yoko's "adopted" son, with his older brother Mikleo being his only blood-relative.
- Willfully Weak: As revealed in the LDS vs. You Show duel between Yuya and Reiji, Yuya has been holding back the entire time. He's known how to use Fusion, Synchro and Xyz Summoning for a long time, but purposely held himself back because he wanted to enjoy tougher duels.
