Episode 21

"Beyond the Pendulum" (ペンデュラムのその先に Pendyuramu no Sono Saki ni), known as "Beyond Belief" in the Dub version, is the twenty-first episode of the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V anime.

Yūya's got two straight wins in his attempt to officially qualify for the Junior Youth Championship, but he still remains annoyed about Pendulum Summoning. The fact Reiji could also Pendulum Summon still bothers him. And despite Reiji raising the possibility of Pendulum Summoning evolving even further, he still hasn’t figured out how to do that or what Reiji even meant.

Meanwhile, Masumi continues to frantically search for the culprit behind the attacks on members of LDS, and ends up Dueling against Yuzu and Sora who are the middle of Special Fusion Summoning Training. However, Masumi's aim is to have the mysterious Black Masked Man appear…

Summary
In a simulation at Leo Corporation, Reiji steps forwards. The reflections of "DD Magical Savant Galilei" and "DD Magical Savant Kepler," now with altered effects, gleam in his glasses, and using the Scale 1 "Galilei" and the Scale 10 "Kepler," he Sets the Pendulum Scale. Both monsters, now with glowing red eyes, arise in the columns of light beside Reiji, who chants, "Great power which shakes my very soul! Arise within me and give birth to a new light that rends the darkness! Pendulum Summon! Come before me, my monster servants!" The Summon portal opens, and as the purple mass of light surges forth, Reiji chants, "The three transcendental deities who rule over all kings, DDD Death Great King Hell Armageddon!" as he calls forth all three copies. A technician confirms the Summon, and another states that the energy levels are stable. The lead technician is pleased, if it can stabilize at this stage. The monsters hang in the air without any troubles as Reiji imagines himself facing Yūya Sakaki and "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon," and he muses his rival's name. He reaches for the last card in his hand, only to be stopped by Nakajima, who points out that they've successfully cleared the day's benchmarks. Reiji heaves a sigh of relief.

Later, Nakajima congratulates Reiji, as now they're one step closer to creating their own Leo Corporation Pendulum Cards. Reiji points out that they are still incomplete; their energy output is still less than that of those used by Yūya, thus as they are now, they're far from usable in the tournament. Nakajima apologizes, vowing to make them usable. Reiji agrees that that is the deadline. They cannot underestimate their opponents in Maiami City, no matter where they might come from.

In You Show Duel School, Yūya is sitting in the Duel Field, watched by the kids. Ayu notes that he's been sitting there for a while, and Tatsuya points out that Yūya seemed so happy yesterday talking about how he only has two matches to win to qualify for the tournament. Futoshi suggests that Yūya's brain might be shivered out from all the quizzes. Yūya is remembering his conversation with Nico Smiley, who congratulated him on his second victory. Yūya thanked him, but pointed out that Nico didn't seem happy, but Nico reassures him that he is happy: Yūya learned proper hospitality from the Cooking Duel, and that Duels are a communication tool through the Quiz Duel, racking up successive wins on top of that. But being happy is Yūya's job, and while it's a good start, it's only been within Nico's expectations. As entertaining people comes first for a pro, Yūya has to surprise and steal the hearts of his audience, all the while earning applause. Being able to surpass the audience's imaginations is the mark of a pro. In the present, Yūya growls in frustration admitting that what Nico said is true: when his father first took to the skies in an Action Duel, it was often said that the crowd had their hearts stolen too. Then he remembers what Reiji told him about his father, and he thinks that Reiji surprised him too, able to use Fusion Summons, Synchro Summons, and Xyz Summons one after the other, and even Pendulum Summoning. And he also claimed to see further possibilities of evolution in Pendulum Summoning. He takes off his pendant and swings it in the air, musing on the possibility, asking why he can't see it. He gets up and runs out of the Duel Field, to the kids' surprise. Shūzō Hīragi is drawing cards from a dispenser, up to 383. Yūya runs in, asking his principal what he should do so that he can see it, and Shūzō replies that the road is long, but he shouldn't give up, he should go one step further, and keep taking steps down the path. Yūya protests that he doesn't know which path to take, so he can't go forward, so what should he do to see what path he should take? Shūzō replies that he can't see it either, despite being together for so long - he can't see his beloved daughter's heart at all, and he bursts into tears, much to Yūya's confusion. The kids note that Yuzu hasn't been coming to Duel School recently, and she's at Sora's fifth match.

Sora's opponent has just completed his turn, and he dramatically tells Sora to face him. Sora appreciatively praises the kabuki Duelist, as he might even give Yūya's Entertainment Dueling a run for its money. Yuzu tells him to hurry it up, as he's going to end it on this turn. Sora reluctantly agrees, noting that Yuzu's been excited recently, and he draws "Edge Imp Scissors". He points out that he's been showing Yuzu his cards so far, so what should he do next? Yuzu replies that it's obvious: he should use the "Fusion" in his hand to fuse "Edge Imp Scissors" with the "Furnimal Bear" that's also in his hand. Sora agrees, commenting that it looks like she's got it down. He activates the card, and Yuzu mimics his movements and words, as they fuse "Edge Imp Scissors" and "Furnimal Bear." They chant, "Claws of the demon and fangs of the beast! Within a vortex of mystery, become one and reveal to us your new form! Fusion Summon! Appear before us, horrifying beast that shreds all! Death-Toy Scissors Bear!" They attack directly, wiping the other Duelist out, and as he hits the wall and slides down on it, he declares it to be a splendid view. The stagehands draw the curtains across as Sora's WIN portrait pops up. Sora comments that the fifth one was a pushover too, but he's glad that Yuzu is learning Fusion, so it's all good. Yuzu vows not to think of unnecessary things anymore; she has to completely master Fusion Summoning for the Junior Youth Championship, in order to defeat Masumi Kōtsu.

At LDS, Yaiba asks Masumi if she's going to go out searching again today. Masumi replies that of course she is, she has to find that black masked man and ask him about Professor Marco. Yaiba asks if she's sure that he's the culprit, and Hokuto asks if she has seen him use Xyz. Masumi points out that that's why she needs to find him and see if he uses Xyz for herself before heading out. Yaiba comments that she's stubborn, and Hokuto warns him not to let Masumi hear him say that or she'll send him flying. Yaiba admits that Masumi is right; if they don't find the culprit fast, the situation is only going to get worse. Hokuto admits that he heard rumors about some rumors about LDS top team members getting taken out too, and Yaiba muses that the culprit might show up before them soon. Suddenly Gongenzaka approaches Yaiba, brimming with apparent rage. Yaiba unlimbers his wooden katana, angrily asking if Gongenzaka wants to face him again. Instead, Gongenzaka's knees crash to the ground, and he explains that he has a request for a fellow man. Yaiba is, if anything, even more surprised by this, gabbling in shock.

In the alleyway where the LDS top-team were attacked, Masumi crawls under the keep-out tape and begins looking for clues. Her search is fruitless until a falling stone catches her attention, and she sees the claw marks of the monster that attacked the top-team members still scarring the overpass. Someone yells at Masumi, asking what she's doing there, and she flees in terror, wondering if Professor Marco was attacked by that kind of monster.

Yuzu and Sora walk through the harbor, Yuzu claiming that she would have ended Sora's Duel a turn earlier; since his opponent's monster only had 1500 ATK, instead of Summoning "Furnimal Bear", he could have Summoned the 1600 ATK "Furnimal Lio". Sora replies that he knows, but wanted to show Yuzu Fusion Summoning again, since it seemed like she didn't get it last time after all. Yuzu claims that she's got Fusion Summoning down, and she's practiced enough too. All that's left is to demonstrate her skills in a real match. Sora notes her confidence, and agrees, having been wanting another Duel for a while. As Yuzu tells him that he's on, Masumi approaches them. Masumi asks them if they know what's been happening in Maiami City. There have been repeated assault incidents by a mysterious Duelist, and all of the victims have been connected to LDS. But no-one can say for sure, because everyone who was attacked has disappeared, including Professor Marco and the LDS top-team members. She begs Yuzu to tell her where she can find the black-masked Duelist. Yuzu remembers her last meeting with the Duelist, and Masumi believes that if she had caught him then, she might have been able to prevent the following incidents, all because Yuzu let him get away. Yuzu protests that she doesn't know anything, and Masumi calls her a liar. The kind and gentle Professor Marco has disappeared, and he might be suffering somewhere. That's why Masumi has to find him as soon as possible. She yells at Yuzu to hurry up and tell her where the Duelist is. Yuzu again denies knowing anything, and Masumi asks why she was with him at the scene of the first incident. When Yuzu doesn't reply, Masumi tells her that she'll force the answer out of her as a Duelist, unholstering her Duel Disk. Sora comments that an LDS Fusion user should be no threat to Yuzu and she could take Masumi out in a jiff. Yuzu is shocked, asking if Sora's saying that she should accept Masumi's challenge. Sora points out that Yuzu's been saying for a while that she's had enough practice and been wanting to polish her skills in a proper match. Masumi asks who's going to be taken out in a jiff, did Sora forget how badly Yuzu lost to her? Sora replies that Yuzu is on a different level from back then; she understands now that LDS Fusion Summons aren't actually a threat. Incensed, as she view Sora's words as an insult to Professor Marco, the one who taught her Fusion Summoning, Masumi challenges Sora instead. Sora protests that she shouldn't, as she'll just hurt her confidence even more. Masumi yells at him to shut up, as LDS is the strongest, and she'll make sure Sora doesn't forget it.

"You're LDS?" a voice asks her.

Everyone reacts in shock as Shun rushes forwards, pushing Yuzu aside and causing her to drop her Duel Disk and her cards, which spill over the ground. Activating his Duel Disk, Shun tells Masumi that if she's LDS, then he'll be her opponent. Sora frowns as Shun advances, and Masumi backs away, asking if Shun is the culprit of the repeated assault incidents. Shun simply tells her to come, and Duel him. The masked Duelist leaps over a container, yelling at Shun to stop being so reckless, grabbing his arm. Shun yells his comrade's name - Yūto. Yūto removes his mask and he protests that he told Shun before that this isn't their battlefield and that these people aren't their enemies. Shun yanks down his scarf, retorting that this is his battlefield. In order to get Ruri back, he has to do this, and if Yūto tries to get in his way, he'll defeat him too. Masumi contacts Yaiba and Hokuto for aid, and as everyone else turns to look at her, Yuzu protests that they don't know if Shun is the culprit yet. Seeing her for the first time, Shun gasps, calling her "Ruri" and wondering what she's doing here. Removing his dark glasses, he asks if she managed to get away on her own, but as he presses her with questions, Yūto punches him in the solar plexus, immobilizing him. He tells Shun that Yuzu is not Ruri before Shun passes out. Yūto puts him over his shoulder as Masumi asks Hokuto to send as many people as they can.

In the city, Hokuto reassures Masumi that Yaiba is on it now. Yaiba explains to an LDS official that the culprit is in the South Warehouse District. Yūya, meanwhile, is reading a Dueling magazine in the street, musing that even Yuzu is trying to learn Fusion Summoning from Sora, so what should he do? He throws his arms up and collides with Hokuto in a crash. Hokuto tells him to be more careful before both parties recognize one another. Yūya asks why they want him to apologize when they ran into him, and Hokuto retorts that Yūya should also learn to be more aware of his surroundings. Yaiba breaks them up, and Yūya asks what happened. Yaiba explains that they found the culprit of the repeated assault incidents, the mysterious Duelist. Yūto picks up Yuzu's "Fusion" card, and he comments that it doesn't suit her. Sora replies that that's too bad, but he doesn't like hearing that about presents that he gives to people though. He wouldn't mind showing Yūto just how amazing that card is though. Yuzu angrily tells them to cut it out, getting between them. The group suddenly hear Hokuto calling Masumi's name as he, Yaiba and Yūya run up. With Yūya in close proximity to Yūto, Yuzu's bracelet lights up and both Yūto and Shun are warped away before they others arrive. They ask Masumi where the culprit is, and she gasps that he disappeared. Yūya asks Yuzu if she's okay, but Yuzu is in shock, stating that he disappeared again, and these people kept saying that she is and is not Ruri. Yūya asks what Yuzu is talking about, and Yuzu buries her head in her hands; she doesn't know, she doesn't know what's going on anymore, or why her bracelet shines and they disappear when Yūya comes near. Yūya notices Yuzu's cards on the ground, and he picks them up for her, wondering why they're all thrown on the ground like this. He hands them back to Yuzu as LDS arrive, Masumi running towards them and apologizing profusely. Sora comments that they should leave, and he gently guides Yuzu away, commenting that Yūya should hurry up too.

Before Yūya can leave, Yaiba comments that he heard that Yūya needs two more wins to enter the Junior Maiami Championship, and wishes him good luck, though he comments that it might be impossible for Yūya. Yūya tries to asks how Yaiba knows above his wins and why he's saying that, but Yaiba runs off. Looking around for Yuzu and Sora, Yūya spies Yuzu's "Fusion" card that Yūto dropped, and he picks it up.

Sora Shiun'in vs. Unknown Duelist
Duel is shown from an unspecified turn. Sora's opponent controls no cards and has 400 Life Points.

Sora's turn

Sora draws "Edge Imp Scissors". He then activates "Fusion", fusing "Edge Imp Scissors" and "Furnimal Bear" to Fusion Summon "Death-Toy Scissors Bear" (CG Star 6/2200/1800) in Attack Position. "Death-Toy Scissors Bear" attacks directly (Opponent: 400 → 0).

List of Featured Cards
The following cards appeared in this episode. Cards in italics debuted here.

List of Featured Characters

 * Yūya Sakaki
 * Futoshi Harada
 * Ayu Ayukawa
 * Tatsuya Yamashiro
 * Nico Smiley
 * Shūzō Hīragi
 * Unknown Duelist
 * Sora Shiun'in
 * Yuzu Hīragi
 * Yaiba Tōdō
 * Masumi Kōtsu
 * Hokuto Shijima
 * Noboru Gongenzaka
 * Marco
 * Shun Kurosaki
 * Yūto