"Of Memories and Bond" (story arc)

"Of Memories and Bond" is a major story arc in Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Clusters universe. It is the primary story arc concerning the happenings in the xM-ade and xM-dacs arms. The two protagonists of the arc are Yume and Yute, who both lead intricately intertwined lives.

World backdrop

Both worlds feature a certain style of technology pertaining to "psychic dueling". Most people in both worlds are not actually psychics; rather, the basis of the technology is powerful "psychic projection" implants fused with the employing duelists a la "wetware".

There are a few innate psychics with powers of various nature in these worlds, however. Some are akin to the "psychic duelists" in Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, for instance, while others, like Yume, have "psychoemotional" and "psychographic" powers. In a roundabout way, the "true psychics" do drive much of the story.

Chronological Synopsis
(Various of these events are shown during flashbacks, etc. For a synopsis episode by episode, see .)

A Walk Diverged
Yume

Before We Start
Yuta and Yume head their separate ways (Yume returning to the world she didn't know she had wandered away from). They meet on a few more occasions, under mental circumstances "the opposite but similar", with Yuta resolving to become a "perfect" duelist, and Yume resolving the opposite, reasoning that even if strong duelists were somehow necessary, there is no reason that Yume should have to be a strong duelist, because duelists like Yuta will pick up the slack. Yuta gives a lot of thought to the card that he had been given, and wonders if it is "viable", and researches who has played the card and what with, given its odd attributes. He is surprised to find out that he is actually the person who has introduced the card to his region's database. Perplexed, he wishes to find Yume again.

Perhaps because of this wish, the thought of Yuta pops into Yume's head, and she ventures to the same location (unbeknowst to her, in the separate world of Yuta), where she indeed finds him. Yuta asks her about that card, and she says that it's a well-known card where she comes from, and as she understands it has a reputation as a good card, she really doesn't know what Yuta is talking about. Perplexed, Yuta downloads her region's database and finds out that it is indeed apparently a much-used card, with synergy with a whole bunch of other cards from the odd region that Yume apparently hails from. (There are some cards that are common to both worlds, however, and some cards have different artworks or names, but the same effect. Some card also have different errata.) He is convinced, however, that if these cards were "truly top-tier" he would know about them; though they may have some synergy and may be able to pull off some combos, they are simply not as powerful or reliable as the cards in his metagame.

Yume says that he doesn't know what he is talking about. This incenses Yute, who says that he has seen Yume's deck and knows that he is definitely the better duelist, if not even a prodigy in general. Yume, meanwhile, will never amount to a serious duelist. Yume responds that she doesn't want to have anything to do with duelists, if they are all "touchy panty-twisted nerds like Yuta" save that "non-duelist nerds are actually good at an actual something". She begins to storm off, but Yuta yells midway that she should "take her trash-tier card back". She yells that he should learn a thing a or two about how anyone remotely good plays the game, and she completes her departure.

The rest of the day, and maybe even the next two days, Yute is still simmering mad, and refuses to duel. Then, however, he begins to feel a bit of remorse, and even says that even if the "" card that Yume gave him doesn't have a lot of synergy with most of the cards he has, he can still imagine situations where it'd be handier than other cards. He hopes to see Yume again, so he can apologize.

Yute ultimately maintains her anger longer than Yuta, though somehow she can feel his remorse as a sort of psychic "invitation" to go back. Her maintained anger is transmitted back to Yuta, which makes his remorse even greater. During this period of time, he doesn't not even care to duel, even as he is being insulted as a quitter who was is down and out after - and because of - his defeat. He begins revisiting the place where he met Yume, and for a first, a second, a couple more days, she does not show up.

Yume, meanwhile, argues with her actual psychic knowledge, reasoning that Yuta probably isn't sorry. But the thought that he may actually be gives her a bit of remorse, and she decides that "fine, if that dummy wants to apologize, it can't hurt me, and he can go on with his dumb life"; otherwise, well, he's just a dummy. She ventures into his world again, once more unbeknownst to her, through the means of her powers. She indeed finds him.

Yuta is very contrite. He says he has thought about it, and the card that he was given is a good card, and, as he is a good duelist with good cards to spare himself, he cannot let such a gift go without something in kind, and he insists that Yume take it. Yume accepts it with few words, and Yuta, in the spirit of contriteness, says that he will update her regional database with his cards, and vice versa. She doesn't say much during this period, but puts the cards he has giver her in her deckcase. The last of the few words she utters are "I have to go, it's getting late."

She departs, again, unbeknownst to her, into her regular, separate world. She is of the mind that the apology was nice, and duelists and Yuta are not that bad after all. Yuta, meanwhile, is thinking about the occasion when some of his peers again show up, jeering him as a quitter. His conscience finally assuaged, he begins to notice these insults, and they irritate him. He resumes dueling then and there, and from then on, his mind largely does not return to Yume. Yume, too, gives less and less thought to Yute, because of the events of daily life.

The Story Begins
A few years later is where episode 1 actively begins, all the previous stuff being shown in flashbacks down the line (the closer the events in the prologue to the present day, the earlier they are generally shown). Yuta closes out a duel with a win. He chats with a few people after the win, saving most of his words for _, somewhat of a friend and minor idol to him. _ says he'll be there for the match tomorrow, and is excited to see Yuta's performance there, but he will be even more excited to see how Yuta performs in the junior cup, as he is a favorite to be forwarded into Junior+. (This effectively means that Yuta will be recognized as an advanced duelist for his age group even among sports duelists.)

Events

The day of the match, Yuta gets early pressure with his ace monster. He gets a leg up on LP and card advantage with his ace monster. However, his opponent manages to "reverse" the fight as far as the field stands, taking out Yuta's ace monster, though still sitting at a disadvantage. Yuta muses as to his predicament ("zoning out" to the understanding of his opponent, who taunts him), knowing that a duel isn't necessarily about ace monsters, or even life points, though of course his deck is more concerned about life points than not. With the cards in his hand, his preliminary thinking is that his best bet is to make an extra deck play, one where he can set up the components for a bigger play later.

He goes through the mental catalogue of the cards in his extra deck, and then realizes that he has a rather unorthodox card in his hand extra deck that will put his opponent in a weird corner. Most of the components that allow it to be summoned are in his graveyard, and there are a few cards in his deck that if drawn will allow him to summon his chosen monster. He proceeds to draw that card.

Knowing his plan, Yuta executes, getting the required number of monsters on the field, and Xyz summoning. Yuta still has two cards in his hand, and his opponent (yelling out his thinking at all times) is of the assumption that Yuta will be bringing out a different of his ace monsters.

His opponent - and the crowd and announcer - are shocked at the monster he's brung out, as it's almost completely unknown. Yuta becomes a bit red-faced because of the ruckus. His opponent is incensed that Yuta has used a card not in the regional database (also thus a card whose effects he cannot scry), and claims that Yuta is "cheating" as a result. The announcer states that the card authorities have been contacted, and the card that Yuta is using appears to be in the universal database, and the person who appears to have registered it there is none other than Yuta a few years ago! "This is a sucker-punch of a play, Yuta has basically played a fanon card, a card only he knows what it does! This is like bringing a nuclear weapon to a game of bingo!"

_ is in the audience as promised, and shocked that Yuta has played such a card.

The duel commences, and Yuta's unorthodox strategy unfolds! His opponent unleashes a full-proof plan of destroying the monster Yuma summoned, and proceeds to do so. But Yuma wants it destroyed, and it was in fact his entire plan in summoning it. Its destruction forces Yuma to pay 2000 LP, leaving him with a sliver of LP--but he inflicts that much damage to his opponent!

The crowd roars, and, how fully out of the moment of the duel, Yuta is overwhelmed, but _ appears to helpfully lead him away from the scene. "Yuta... that was amazing! And that card... just where did you get that card!?"

Approximately at the same time (it is in fact slightly earlier, relative to when Yuta first played her card), Yume hears her name called, and opens her eyes. She is receiving concurrent diagnostics for psychic testing, and it is believed it is possible she has just experienced a "flutter" of some sort, whatever that means. Well, I felt a feeling of being overwhelmed, she says, except that it wasn't my feeling I was feeling. I felt like I was 3/4's of the way in someone's head, sticking slightly out of the top. Well that's... odd, the tester says. It was a huge jumble of emotions, really, she says, like when you have a plan and it's working, but the plan is just so strange and it's unheard of and it draws all the attention in the world.

Well, that kind of sounds like some duels I've had, says the awakener.

You got the card from a girl a few years ago, the idol/friend asks. Well, yeah, I guess. I hadn't thought about it in forever. I think she was new to town at the time. The card she gave me wasn't actually in my database, ... and yeah, I think I introduced it to the regional database, Yuta says. Yuta, to be clear, my father tells me that you actually introduced it into the world database--this is a completely foreign card. My father... my father wants to discuss this matter with you in more detail. Do you have any plans tomorrow night?

The person who had awoken Yume is talking to a shadowed figure. The shadowed figure says that this might be some evidence that he was right to have expectations for Yume. Meanwhile, Yume is walking with a diagnostician when suddenly Yuta's emotions following his duel overtake her. She stumbles a bit, and falls... when she comes to, she is told that she didn't in fact lose consciousness, but she wasn't responsive in any coherent way. It was the same feeling again, she tells the diagnostician, or, at least the feeling of mass unwanted attention was.

I'll take you to a room, the diagnostician says.

We'll hole you up in here for tonight, Yuta's friend/idol says. My dad is more interested than you know in hearing about this card and this girl and this, well, everything. But he's quite willing to wait until the morning.

In Yume's dream, she is, at first, aware that she is in an arena of some sorts. She hears a crowd, and makes out words. She is then "warped" to another perspective, and here a singular figure is prominent, and he is talking about "cheating". The perspective is then warped again, and the newly prominent figure says "a card he introduced to the database!" The camera then "swirls", and a monster is focused on...

In Yuta's dream (his sleeping having started perhaps a few hours later), there is a girl running away, but she seems familiar to him. He calls out "hey" and begins chase, but the camera grows fuzzy. An odd light sort of creeps in,

~Later enough

Yuta is asked if he has a girlfriend; he replies no, thinking the question a bit weird, and wondering why he was asked. He is in truth being asked in the spirit of chit-chat. The dialogue continues a bit, and Yuta is asked if anyone ever was really considered for the spot, or was it all just duel-duel-duel all the time.

"Termination of Employment"
Vengeance is a righteous emotion, he says.

There is no point to suffering, he says. What devastates but doesn't kill you doesn't leave you stronger, it leaves you empty. There was nothing good that came out of _ losing his brother, _ losing his son. In fact, the only reason _ can cope is because he has never had the feelings of a father, _ claims, and because his brother was new to him and he was young, young children being to deal with the pain of tragedy by not even understanding it.