Part 1: Chapter 3 - We Are Gods
It was night when Ruri and Rin entered the Synchro Dimension, but the brightly-lit city was far from peaceful: massed convoys of Security in armored prison transports and packs of Duel Chasers riding on specialized D-wheelers flooded the streets and highways, rounding up entire apartment blocks of delinquent and innocent commons alike. Panicked screams filled the air, as one by one, any resistors were quickly dispatched by waves of Goyo monsters.
In other words, it hadn't been a convenient time for the two Dark Signers.
"Is it always this bad!?" Ruri asked Rin, as they quickly leaped onto another dark rooftop to avoid detection. Rin ducked her head as a swarm of Stygian Security monsters flew past them, sweeping the area with small Solid Vision flashlights.
"I've honestly never seen the city this crazy!" Rin replied, surveying the area as a large helicopter roared by. "Even when the commons rioted after Chojiro's arrest back when I was four, I don't remember things getting this out of hand! It's like Security's become a full-fledged army!"
She looked back at Ruri with a worried expression on her face. "Could Academia have already started its invasion? Is that why things are so… so…?"
Ruri looked around at the surrounding chaos and shook her head. "No," she replied kneeling back down, "I don't know what happened here, but believe me, if Academia was invading… not even half of this city would be standing."
Ruri made a brief sweep of the area to see if the coast was clear.
"We should get going." She commanded, taking Rin by the hand.
"Wait!" her friend replied, pulling back from her grip.
"What is it?" Ruri asked, making another quick sweep to make sure they hadn't been spotted.
"We look just like criminals with all… this." Rin explained, indicating their black clothing and facial markings. "If Security sees us, they'll probably arrest us on sight. Then we'll pull out our Duel Disks, they'll pull out theirs, and then…"
She pulled a card from her deck and examined it with a worried look on her face. "…I just… I'm just worried about them, that's all."
Ruri nodded her head, understanding. "You don't want to hurt them like you did with the Obelisk Force."
Rin nodded back, putting her card away. "I don't know if it will really change whether or not Security chases us down the moment they see us, but let's at least change back to our regular clothing, just in case."
"It sounds wise to me," Ruri replied, stroking her chin, "at the very least, we won't be sticking out like an eye-sore with these glowing marks." She looked back at Rin, "Has your god shown you how to disguise yourself?" She asked.
Rin closed her eyes and scrunched up her face. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and nodded.
"Let's do it then." said Ruri, gathering her powers.
Gradually, each girls markings started to dim and sink into their skin until they were completely out of sight. Their black sclera cleared away until their eyes were as white as they had been in their previous life. Their Duel Disks vanished and their black clothing warped until Rin was clad in her original white riding outfit with pink shoulder pads, a pair of short pink shorts, and white knee-high boots; Ruri was covered in the plain, yellow dress she had worn before the invasion of her homeland.
"What do you think?" Ruri asked her friend, glancing down at her dress, "Too much?"
Rin examined her clothing. "You definitely look foreign." she said, frowning at the fine material, "You should probably make it look a bit more worn and ragged… unless you're trying to look like one of the Tops."
Ruri sighed. Closing her eyes, she began using her powers to make adjustments to her clothing, adding some badly-sown patches to random places and making the bottom of her dress muddy, torn, and ragged like Yuto's cape. Rin gave Ruri the thumbs up, making her smile in return, before the two continued on their way.
"Is there a safe place where we can rest for a bit?" Ruri asked, ducking into another shadowy space as a Security D-Wheeler zoomed by on the street below.
Rin smiled. "Just beyond that Laundromat over there," she showed Ruri, pointing with her finger, "there's an abandoned auto-repair shop where Yugo and I used to make and test our D-Wheeler. I furnished it with some nice decorations and we lived there from time to time… like it was our own club-house.
Who knows," she continued, combing her hair with her fingers, "maybe Yugo's inside there right now."
Ruri smirked knowingly, giving a subtle wink. "Ahhhh…so that's why you wanted to transform."
Rin blushed, but didn't say anything, so Ruri decided to stop teasing her. "I'm sure he'll be overjoyed to see you again," she told her, giving her a gentle side hug.
Rin looked down at her right arm and started rubbing the area where her mark had been. After a moment, she sighed before saying, "Let's go."
Effortlessly leaping across rooftops in single bounds, they quickly made it to the roof of the dilapidated auto-repair shop before hiding in the shadows of a rotten sign. Ruri looked around the parking lot to make sure nobody was hiding from their sight.
"We should probably check to see if somebody's inside before we go in." She told Rin.
Rin stepped out onto the center of the roof with a grin. "Here," she told Ruri, "Watch this. I learned something new while I was figuring out how to transform."
Ruri watched as Rin laid flat until her face was pressed against the grimy roof. Glowing with a faint, green light, her head suddenly sunk into the ground, passing through the roof like she was a ghost while her upper body held her on top.
After some time, Rin withdrew her head from the roof and stopped glowing.
"It's clear." she said, brushing the dust off herself.
Ruri raised an eyebrow in amazement. "I didn't even know we could do that! I'm going to have to start exploring more of my powers."
"Whoever this spirit is…" Rin explained, feeling her right arm, "…he's actually pretty helpful when I try talking with him."
"It's a he?" Ruri asked, not recalling ever feeling that kind of connection with her own god.
"Well… that's how he sounds whenever we speak with each other." Rin replied, looking a little worried. "I guess what I'm saying is pretty weird." She muttered.
Ruri shook her head and patted Rin on the back. "I don't know what's weird or normal for us anymore. But I am glad you're mastering your abilities. I've just never been too aware of the spirit inside of me, let alone spoken with it."
"Haven't you?" Rin asked in surprise. "Ever since I began using my powers, he's been on my mind all the time. I keep getting these flashes of feelings and vague memories, and when I try speaking with him, words come to my head… words that aren't mine." She grimaced, "I… I guess I really have gone nuts."
Hoping to comfort her, Ruri pulled Rin into a hug, which surprised the girl.
"Always with the hugs?" Rin asked sounding a little annoyed, "You're starting to remind me of Yugo when he gets excited."
Ruri smiled, "You should have seen me with Shun and Yuto. I was always just the annoying little ball of sunshine that would pull them into every photo they didn't want to take."
She sighed, thinking of those distant memories. "Rin," she continued, "you're the most reasonable person I know. No matter what happens to us, I'll always be with you, no matter what crazy abilities you develop."
Rin hugged Ruri back as a small tear trickled down her cheek. Breaking away, she smiled before wiping off her eye.
"The door to this place is probably locked," she said, straightening out her hair, "how about I show you that crazy ability again." she offered, holding out her hand.
"Oh!" Ruri exclaimed looking back at Rin with confusion while grabbing her hand, "So… uhm… do I just…?"
"Brace yourself!" Rin cautioned as she and Ruri began glowing with a faint, green light.
Instantly, the two girls phased through the roof in a matter of seconds, Rin quickly letting go of Ruri's hand as they hit the concrete floor with a solid thud. Ruri pulled herself off the floor, brushing thick, grey dust from herself.
"I am never getting used to that." She remarked, shaking out her long hair.
"Let me get you something for that." Rin offered, noticing Ruri trying to wipe off her thick layers of dust.
Poking under several rickety workbenches and a few rusted cars, she eventually stopped at a table where a pair of faded, dirty, green and yellow towels laid. Brushing herself off with the yellow one, she handed the cleaner green one to Ruri.
"Consolation prizes for participating at regionals." Rin explained with a chuckle. "Just some of the many little things Yugo and I would win. I swear, by the time we were done, we'd each gathered enough towels for each kid at the orphanage to use… with a few to spare. We used these two to clean the D-Wheeler, but they should still be good."
"Thank you," Ruri murmured, appreciating the gesture. Avoiding the grease spots, she managed to use the clean parts of the towel to wipe herself relatively clean.
"So…" Rin asked, settling on a work bench, "…what's the plan now?"
Ruri set aside the towel.
"Honestly…I was thinking of finding a place to rest for the night before we made plans in the morning, but now that I'm here, I don't feel the least bit tired…" she rubbed her neck, "…or thirsty… or hungry for that matter."
Rin rubbed her belly. "I know what you mean. I'm not a big eater, but after all that's happened to us today, I'd normally want a little something… just to relax a little. But now…" she flexed her arms, "…now it just feels like everything's… stopped."
She shrugged her shoulders and looked back at Ruri as if hoping for an explanation. Ruri looked down on the ground and contemplated things for a moment.
"We changed when we were brought back." she muttered, thinking out loud. "It must have been necessary to resurrect us." she felt her chest, "No heartbeat." She murmured, folding her arms forlornly.
"So… what are you saying?" Rin asked, "Are we pretty much just… zombies?"
Ruri held her hands in her head, tears streaming down her eyes. She understood what Rin was saying… she may have been resurrected, but she wasn't really alive. Her skin was hard and cold like a statue, and she couldn't remember feeling any bodily sensations such as the need to itch, sleepiness, wanting to yawn, sneezing, or even blinking since she had awoken. If what she had done to Rin was anything like what Yuu had done to her, it meant Rin was a reanimated corpse as well… just like herself!
"No!" she gasped, madly shaking her head, "No…no, no…no, no…no, NO!"
She collapsed on the ground, shaking her head with grief. "What have I done to you Rin!?" she cried, regret washing over her. "I've turned you into a monster against your will!"
Rin rushed over to Ruri's side and held her gently in her arms.
"That's enough of that now!" Rin scolded, sounding like a mother while Ruri continued to weep. "You didn't just pull me from the grave after the Obelisk Force killed us. I made the choice to return to you after I died."
She looked at her right arm, gazing at where the mark had been.
"I accept this." She thought to herself as she gently patted Ruri on the back. "So don't go beating yourself up over saving me." she continued, "You said you'd always be by my side no matter how weird I got. Well… the same goes for me. Even if you start craving brains and the blood of virgin maidens, I'll be there to set you strait and give you one of your annoying hugs before you go completely nuts."
Ruri let out an involuntary laugh as she imagined Rin pulling her away on a leash while she snapped at some imaginary people like a cartoon monster.
Ruri dried out her eyes, "But I thought you were nuts." She laughed, hugging Rin back.
"Well…" Rin sighed, patting her friend in the back, "…I guess we'll have to take turns running the asylum."
They let themselves laugh, feeling a heavy weight lift from their shoulders as they purged their negative emotions and took comfort in the knowledge that they were together. Ruri got up from the ground and stood at her full height, looking calm and proud before glanced at her tattered clothing and shaking her head.
"Why should we fear what we've become?" she asked, eyes glowing with a soft, red light. "Why not let the world accept what we are."
She stretched out her arms and closed her eyes as an indoor wind gently swirled around her in a darkening shadow. When the shadow faded and the wind dissipated, Ruri stepped towards Rin, clad in her black robes and cape with white trimmings, a pair of black-and-white moccasins folded over her feet, and an elegant white and black duel disk strapped to her left arm. White markings burned on her back and face while her eyes blazed with a lurid, red light against the backdrop of coal-black sclera. With a smile, she extended her hand toward Rin, offering to pick her up from the ground.
Rin took Ruri's hand and lifted herself from the ground. As she did, she transformed back into her Dark Signer form, bearing the green marks of the lightning bolts on her face, and glowing, green mark of the whale on her right arm. Her eyes blackened and began glowing with a faint, golden light, and her clothing shifted to become the black, green trimmed top, short skirt, hood, and pair of knee-high boots she had worn during her duel.
Smiling at one another, the two embraced once more before parting, Ruri standing tall and erect like a confident god, while Rin gazed back at her in awe.
"Since we have no need of sleep," Ruri began in an authoritative voice. "We will put our plans in motion immediately."
"I am at your side Ruri," Rin replied, taking a step forward, "just tell me how I can help you."
Ruri smiled. "Academia will try to recover us and our other counterparts, but they will fail. My source tells me that both of our counterparts are held in a place called The Duel Palace. Do you know of this place?"
Rin's eyes got wide. "Oh gosh yes!" she replied with amazement, "Yugo and I always dreamed of going there and participating in the Friendship Cup. Actually…" she thought, "…they'd be holding the Friendship Cup right now." She hung her head, "I was planning on applying this year with Yugo."
Ruri nodded sympathetically. "You will have your reunion with Yugo. But I have to ask you not to reveal us now. If we're going to succeed, we're going to need to be swift and silent. Stay out of everyone's sight and gather information on our counterparts in The Duel Palace."
She folded her arms, "I have no doubt that Academia will try and capture our counterpart from Standard. If we can convince her to join us, we should be able to protect her and we will be one step closer to achieving our goals. As for the counterpart from Fusion…" Ruri scowled, "If the professor let her come here, it either means she will be trying to capture the Standard counterpart or she is on other Academia business. Either way doesn't look too good. We may have to eliminate her if she doesn't abandon Academia and choose to become a Dark Signer."
"I can definitely gather information on them," Rin agreed, "but why is it so important they join us? I mean... other than for the fact that we'll be keeping them out of the professor's hands, I don't see why we have to turn them into Dark Signers as well."
"I don't know why…" Ruri explained, "…but it seems like we were designed to be together. Just being with you in Academia, I felt more complete than I was before. The professor knew that he could unlock some great power if he gathered us all together. Just imagine what we could do if we could gather that same power together and use it against Academia? Converting them into Dark Signers will enable us to crush Academia and free the dimensions from their rule."
"Makes sense," Rin agreed, "but how do we convert them?"
"Leave that to me." Ruri advised, "I just need you to gather as much information on them as possible and keep any potential threats away from them."
"Sounds easy enough." said Rin, folding her arms, "What will you be doing?"
"I need to learn what is going on in this dimension." Ruri replied. "Especially, if Academia has already infiltrated this dimension like they did when they sent Dennis to my home."
"Which they probably have, considering our dear Fusion sister is here." Rin sighed.
"Exactly." Ruri agreed. "I need to look into this dimension's power structure, who our potential allies are, and which factions will stand against us."
"I'd suggest going to the Executive Council building and the Public Security HQ." Rin suggested, "I'll point you in their direction once we begin. They're both pretty big, so you shouldn't miss them; plus, you'll be able to get a pretty good idea of what's going on."
"Thank you Rin." Ruri replied.
"So what's our next move once we've gathered our counterparts?" Rin asked, looking eager to begin.
Ruri smiled, eyes and marks glowing a little brighter. "I plan to do far more than just topple Academia to the ground."
"Which, in and of itself, is a pretty noble goal." Rin interrupted.
Ruri bobbed her head in agreement. "Yes," she continued, "but even if we burn the professor's empire to cinders, we will still be leaving the other dimensions to deal with the scars Academia has inflicted upon them." she spread out her arms and started to glow like an angel.
"We will heal this universe." she said, resuming her speech, "With the powers we have been given, I will purify all iniquity from each dimension and build a paradise in its place. There will be no wars, no famines, no Tops or Commons, no divisions or animosities of any kind." She put her hand on Rin's shoulder, "You shall be one of my queens, Rin, a queen that will lead the Synchro dimension on the path to salvation."
Rin was taken aback. "Wow…" she said, eyes widening, "…that's… that's a lot to take in." she looked into the distance, "You make us sound like gods."
Ruri looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought.
"Yes…" she murmured, "…yes… I like the sound of that. It is absolutely true. We are gods and saviors, destined to bring peace and happiness to all humanity." She closed her eyes, "We will create a literal heaven… one that will last for all eternity."
She opened her eyes and smiled at Rin.
"But before we begin, I will need your help with one small thing."
"What is it?" Rin asked, snapping to attention.
"You have shown me a great mastery over your powers when you connected with your inner-spirit." She knelt at Rin's feet, "If I am going to truly unlock our full potential, I need you to be my master now and teach me how to access my divine abilities."
Rin smirked, folding her arms. "Well I guess if you're a god now, and I'm your master… what does that make me?"
"A sassy punk." Ruri quipped, glad she could still tease Rin like normal.
"Remember your place zombie girl." Rin snorted, putting her hood over her face before assuming a serious expression. "Are you ready?" she asked.
"Show me how it's done." Ruri asked with a respectful bow.
Rin closed her eyes. "Just concentrate on your mark," she explained, "feel the energy flow from your mark and into your body."
Ruri closed her eyes and began focusing on the large, white, heron mark blazing with light on her back. She felt raw power surge from the mark and flow into her veins like life-giving blood. Rather than just feeling like a glowing tattoo, her mark felt woven into her very being, her very soul, as she lost herself in blissful feelings of pleasure, power, and vigor.
"Next," Rin advised, "picture yourself facing your mark and just… speak to it like you would a person, but in your mind."
Still enwrapped in the blissful emotion of feeling at one with her mark, Ruri complied, and respectfully addressed her mark with her thoughts, picturing herself as if she was speaking to a living heron, rather than a primitive drawing.
"My god," she prayed, "I wish to know thee as Rin has come to know her god that I may be an instrument of salvation in thine hands. I desire to drive the evil forces back from this universe and build a heavenly realm for the righteous in heart to inherit for all eternity!"
Ruri felt a response come to her as a mature, female voice called back, "We already know each other. Thy will is mine as my will is thine. Whatsoever thou desirest shall be my desire. Thine enemies shalt be mine enemies and thy friends shalt be my friends."
Ruri gasped in amazement as she felt her thoughts align with the speaker. As her eyes and marks glowed with blinding white light, she began speaking out loud.
"Thou art one with me and I am one with thee!" she proclaimed with a god-like reverb, "Our destiny is set forth! Our plans cannot be thwarted! Take the deck we have been given, embrace our powers, spread our wings, and fly!"
At this declaration, Ruri felt the wings of her heron mark expand from her lower back until a pair of white heron-wings made of pure light sprouted from her back as she glowed like a supernova. Jumping back, Rin yelped in amazement, gawking at her friend's transformation.
"Wings!" she cried, "I wasn't expecting that!"
Ruri dimmed her light and smiled back at Rin. "That's not all I can do."
Before Rin could react, Ruri instantly disappeared and then reappeared behind Rin, before flapping her wings, flying above Rin, alternating between turning herself transparent and opaque, and gracefully landing on top of an old car before retracting her wings till they became four pairs of simple white lines on her heron mark.
She smiled at Rin who just shook her head, looking dumbfounded.
"Sheesh…" she said, "…why don't you just shoot lasers from your eyes and walk on water while you're at it?"
Ruri chuckled, "All in good time. Thank you for helping me figure this out… master." she finished with a smile and a bow.
"I'm definitely not the master here." Rin sighed, "But at least you haven't figured out how to pass through objects yet."
Ruri examined her hand and tried to phase it through the roof of a car without success.
"I think our powers are unique from each other." she concluded after a few tries. "Which is good for us. We'll be able to use all kinds of different abilities against Academia once we gain full mastery of our powers. Now then…" she continued, taking Rin's hand, "… If you could use that power again."
Rin complied by gripping Ruri's hand until they both began glowing a faint green. Spreading her wings, Ruri flew through the ceiling before gently letting go of Rin's hand and landing on the roof.
"Shall we go?" Rin asked turning to face the distant Duel Palace.
"Just point me to the Executive Council building and Public Security HQ." Ruri commanded.
Rin pointed out a massive, ornate building and colossal tower in the distance before asking Ruri one last question. "So… should I just report my findings to you here once I'm done?"
Ruri tapped her forehead. "I think we should both share mental links with each other. Hopefully we can just communicate with each other back-to-back without having to leave our missions. See if you can communicate with me now, like you do with your god."
Rin scrunched up her face and closed her eyes. After half a minute, she opened her eyes and looked at Ruri before Ruri heard Rin's thoughts ask, "Can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear." Ruri thought back with a smile.
"Sorry it took me so long," Rin apologized, "I didn't like getting one-upped by you so I spent a bit of time figuring out a new power." She grinned, "Race you to the other side of the city and back!" she challenged, before zipping away in a flash of green light, running at superhuman speeds.
Ruri shook her head, hoping Rin wouldn't go too crazy with her abilities. Turning herself transparent, Ruri spread her wings and took off.
…
It felt almost like racing on the D-wheeler again as Rin sped through the busy streets of the city and defied the laws of gravity by racing up the sides of buildings. Feeling the wind in her hair, she cleared her mind and let herself become one with speed, just like she did when she dueled.
Coming across a body of water, she leaned in and pumped her legs even harder, racing across the sea as she left a fine spray of mist behind herself.
"You're going to alert everyone in the Synchro dimension to our presence if you haven't already by now." Rin heard Ruri warn her. "Slow down, think a bit, and try to approach things more stealthily."
"No such thing as slowing down in the Synchro dimension!" Rin thought back, pumping her legs even harder, "Besides… I'm good at staying cool and thinking things through while doing a riding duel. Otherwise Yugo and I probably wouldn't have even qualified for regionals, much less win a consolation prize."
"Just please…" Ruri thought back, "…this is all very important. Be careful."
Rin felt a little guilty.
"All right." She thought back before slowing down and grabbing onto one of the support structures beneath the arena. Climbing up the support structure, she quietly made her way to the top of the stadium, only to gasp in shock when she saw the stadium not only completely empty of spectators, but in utter ruins. Crews of construction workers attempted to clear away rubble and spread a massive tarp over the destruction while a lone blimp slowly flew away while showing looped highlights of the previous duel.
"What happened here!?" Rin heard Ruri gasp.
"One second… let me check." Rin replied, looking up at the blimp.
On the screen, the blimp displayed images of a large, robotic, falcon mowing down an army of clown-like monsters in a furious bombing run, while one of the duelists somehow managed to continuously evade damage as he activated various card effects and even picked up and activated strange cards suspended in bubbles from off the track.
"IS THAT!?" Ruri exclaimed.
Rin ran to the other side of the Duel Palace to get a closer look at the blimp. Above the video, a caption read, "Round 1 Final: Shun vs. Dennis."
"It can't be!" Ruri gasped. "What is Dennis doing here!? WHAT IS MY BROHTER DOING HERE!?"
Rin was just as stunned as Ruri. Together, they watched as Shun managed to destroy each one of Dennis's monsters before Shun activated a trap card, forcing Dennis to reveal a Fusion card in his hand.
Rin could hear Ruri growling with anger.
"Boku no turn…" she heard Dennis whisper with a malevolent expression on his face, "DRAW!" he yanked a card from his deck and gazed at the card, closing his eyes as if in resignation.
"I activate the magic card," he began, throwing down the card, "Antique Gear Chaos Fusion!"
"So you're finally showing who you really are." Rin heard Ruri hiss. "If you hurt my brother, there will be no hell deep enough for you!"
"I send this fusion to the graveyard," Dennis continued, "and banish Xyz monsters in my graveyard equal to the number of Fusion Summon materials I need!"
Pictures of four holographic Xyz monsters briefly appeared before bearing ripped apart in a swirling vortex as they were each banished from the graveyard.
"Next, I negate the effects and summon conditions of the Fusion material monsters in my deck and Extra Deck, and special summon…" his face twisted into a mad expression as he began listing fusion materials, "…Antique Gear Hound Dog, Double Bite Hound Dog, Triple Bite Hound Dog, Ultimate Hound Dog! I special summon all four Antique Gear monsters!" he declared, slapping down four cards as an army of robotic hound monstrosities swarmed his field and let out a deafening chorus of furious roars.
But Dennis was not finished. "I fuse all four Antique Gears." He declared as the four robotic hounds rose into the air and swirled into a Fusion Portal in a swirl of red, yellow, green, and blue while he began his fusion chant.
"Mechanized hound dogs that inherit the ancient soul, merge those ten heads, unleash chaos, and become tremendous strength! YUUGO SHOKAN!" he screamed as he yanked a card from his extra deck and slammed it onto his D-wheeler in pure rage. "Come forth! Level 10! Antique Gear Chaos Giant!"
Rin and Ruri gasped as an enormous machine that looked like it was made of a conglomeration of roaring, robotic hound heads loomed over the Duel Palace, glaring at Shun and his relatively miniscule monster with a single, massive robotic eye. Members of the audience in the video hugged each other with fear as the intimidating machine let out a deep, prolonged growl.
Dennis seemed to enjoy the terror he was causing. After effortlessly countering the effects of two of Shun's face-down traps, Dennis smiled like a sadist before he ordered his monolithic monster to viciously beat Shun's falcon to death, tearing off one of its robotic wings and throwing it directly at Shun's bike while the automaton recklessly tore chunks from the Duel Palace stadium,
"NO!" Ruri gasped as Rin backed away from the horrific sight.
Suddenly, from the smoke, Shun's bike sped on as his life points were reduced to 200.
"How did he do that?" Rin asked, not seeing the math add up.
Ruri sighed in relief. "My brother's countermeasure, Raidraptor Last Strix." She explained as the screen showed a small, robotic owl appear on Shun's field.
Dennis sneered at Shun's comeback before ordering his Chaos Giant to destroy Last Strix with a nonchalant tap of one of its massive robotic arms.
In the face of Dennis's taunting, Shun stayed resolute, proclaiming that he would never be taken down no matter how much he was cornered.
"You're lucky to have him as a brother." Rin told Ruri, admiring Shun's courage.
"He's the greatest person I know." Ruri replied. "But even I never imagined he would come all the way here to fight Academia."
Dennis sneered back at Shun.
"What an admirable spirit." he declared, "You learned that at the pro duelist training school, right?"
"Why do you know about that?" Shun asked, a shocked expression coming over his face.
"I know a lot about you." Dennis smirked. "Should I share a bit of valuable information? This is from my time in Heartland…"
Rin listened as Dennis related his tale of finding Ruri in Heartland City and green-lighting the invasion of Xyz before helping Yuri track Ruri down so she could be captured.
Even though Rin couldn't feel Ruri's emotions, she could sense great pain from her friend.
"So the invasion of Heartland…" Ruri cried, "… all that pain… all that destruction… because of me?"
"It's not your fault." Rin soothed, "How can you be guilty of anything when all you did was exist?"
Silence.
"It's Academia's fault!" Rin exclaimed in another effort to calm her down, "Everything… everything that happened to your home is because of Academia. You are not the one to blame!"
"If Shun does not kill Dennis at the end of this duel…" Ruri whispered, "… I will!"
They watched the blimp together as Shun managed to make a miraculous comeback, top-decking a copy of Rank-Up-Magic Soul Shave Force and using it to summon his Raidraptor Revolution Falcon from the graveyard before using it as a material to Xyz Summon Raidraptor Satellite Cannon Falcon.
In a series of cannon blows, Satellite Cannon Falcon used its ability to whittle away at Chaos Giant's massive attack power with a series of cannon blasts while Shun listed Academia's crimes. From her thoughts, Rin heard Ruri join her brother.
"For our friends who were hunted in cold blood and sealed in graveyards called cards," she chanted, "for stealing my future away when you betrayed me after I called you my friend, for ending the dreams of my best friend Yuto, feel our pain and burn in the fires of your own war!"
Rin watched in awe and fear as Shun's monster ascended to space before obliterating Dennis's mechanized giant with a single, massive laser blast from orbit. As Chaos Giant exploded into tiny shards of scrap metal, Dennis was violently thrown from his bike before landing in a broken heap while humbly acknowledging Shun's victory.
Rin heard Ruri sigh.
"I've seen enough." Ruri muttered, traces of anguish lingering in her voice. "I'm ending this. One way or another, I'll punish Academia for what it's done!"
A tear trickled from Rin's cheek.
"I wish I could truly understand your pain." she whispered to Rin, "Even with all the oppression Yugo and I received from the Tops… there's just nothing that can compare with what you've faced."
"If I could have one wish fulfilled," Ruri replied, "it's that you NEVER have to suffer what I have suffered!"
Rin sighed and looked up to the top of a massive sky-platform where the penthouse suit for Friendship Cup duelists loomed over the stadium.
"Your brother's fighting for you." Rin whispered to Ruri as she sped toward the penthouse, "I'm sure he'll be overjoyed to see you again."
"Don't show yourself to him." Rin heard Ruri sigh, "We just can't… I just can't… I can't…"
"I understand." Rin replied as she ran straight up the side of the sky platform. Evading small squadrons of Security officers, she raced up the side of the penthouse to the very top, phasing through the glass once she reached a hallway with rows of locked suits. Passing her head through each door to take a glance at the rooms, she skimmed through several rooms before stopping when she came across a room that had a boy that looked just like Yugo inside of it.
The boy was standing at the window overlooking the Duel Palace. Rin quietly held her breath as she gave the boy a quick scan to see if it was really him. Noticing how different his clothes were, and certain that Yugo would not make such a drastic fashion change, she quickly withdrew her head from the door before she was spotted.
"Someone who looks just like Yugo is here." she told Ruri.
"Yuto?" Ruri asked.
"Hopefully." Rin replied, scanning a few more rooms. "He didn't have Yuri's cape so I'm hoping Yuto made it here with your brother."
"I…" Ruri stuttered, "… I don't know what to think. If they both came here from the Xyz dimension… were they looking for me?"
"It could just be someone from Standard for all we know." Rin mused, "But Yuto makes the most sense for right now. I guess we'll have to see him duel."
"Yes…" Ruri thought, "…I will watch the duelists at the Duel Stadium tomorrow. Keep up with your search. You're doing very well."
"How about you?" Rin asked. "What have you found out?"
"What do you know about Jean Michael Roger?" Ruri questioned.
"Just that he's the chief of Security… why do you ask?" Rin replied, phasing into a broom cupboard to avoid a passing night guard.
"He's more than that." Ruri sighed, "It seems like Academia already planted one of their agents in the Synchro Dimension's elite circle."
"No way!" Rin gasped.
"I'm sorry to say it, but it looks like we might have to fight Security after all." Ruri mused as Rin resumed her search. "We probably should have disabled the security cameras." Ruri muttered, as Rin sped through another hallway.
"It shouldn't really matter so long as I'm not seen by anyone." Rin assured her friend, pulling her hood over her head more tightly. "They'll think it's a glitch in the feed or a hologram when they see a girl with superhuman speed phasing through walls like a ghost."
"It'll definitely make an interesting news story." Ruri thought back as her friend came across a room where a girl that looked just like her was sleeping. "Check her deck." Ruri advised. "Let's see which dimension she's from."
Rin picked up her deck from a nightstand and began examining the contents.
"Let's see…" she mumbled to Ruri, "Melodious… melodious… ah ha!"
"What is it?" Ruri asked.
"A Fusion card." Rin replied, placing the deck in its original position. "We have our Fusion girl."
"We'll have to keep a close eye on her." Ruri sighed as Rin noted the color of the girl's clothing. "After seeing what Dennis did, I really don't want to ally with her but… well… we need them."
Rin nodded her head before leaving the room and racing off to the other rooms. Eventually, she came across another sleeping girl with her same face.
"There's the one from Standard," Ruri noted, looking through Rin's eyes. "What are you doing Rin?" she asked as Rin approached the girl.
"I'm just curious about something." she replied, taking the girl's deck from a nightstand and skimming through the contents. "Uh oh!" she exclaimed.
"What is it?" Ruri asked.
"She's also got Fusion." Rin replied, "Things might have just got a bit more complicated."
Ruri sighed. "I'll watch both of them. Either way, we'll give them both a chance to join us willingly before we take other measures. What are you doing now?" she asked Rin, as Rin zoomed down the hallway, checking a few more rooms.
"I need to see something." she replied. Combing through the endless rows of doors, she finally came to a stop when she saw a boy in a white riding outfit noisily snoring on his bed without even covering himself with any sheets.
"Rin…" Ruri cautioned, as she watched Rin enter the room and approach the boy. "…you can't go to him now. We can't be seen."
Rin continued to approach him.
"Look!" Ruri shouted back to her, trying to reason with her, "I know he's important to you, but our mission is too important! I promise you, you'll be reunited with him, but not yet! It's too risky!"
"You'd do the same thing." Rin thought back, ignoring Ruri as she continued her lecture. When it was clear Rin was not going to listen, Ruri eventually gave up and Rin knelt at Yugo's bedside.
"Honestly…" she thought, pulling a soft blanket over Yugo while he continued to snore. "…you are such an idiot sometimes."
She smiled at Yugo before carefully brushing a lock of hair from his eye. "I've missed you so much!" she whispered, feeling tears well up in her eyes.
She wanted to wake Yugo up, to speak to him, to tell him she was alright, just be with him again… and not like a creepy stalker. But she was afraid.
She walked to a full-body mirror in the corner and looked at herself.
There was no denying it. She was a lot different from the orphan girl that had been Yugo's friend, and it was not just her physical appearance. Her expression had hardened under the stress of fear, pain, and anger she had endured in prison. She looked stern and vengeful, adjectives which neither she nor Yugo ever would have used to describe her in the past.
Would Yugo accept what she had become? She asked herself. Or would he be frightened of her? She thought of her duel against the Obelisk guards. "Oh yeah Yugo," she pretended to say to him, "I just killed six people after I came back from the dead… nothing much."
She thought of the guards turning to black ash as she maliciously destroyed every one of them.
"Did I really do that!?" she asked herself, horrified as the reality of her actions sunk in.
She shook her head, trying to make sense of it.
"It was self-defense." she told herself. "They were gonna do who-knows-what to me and Ruri… I had no choice!" she concluded, trying to justify her acts.
She recalled bearing down on the Obelisk guards as she ruthlessly mauled them with her monsters. She had felt thrilled. She had felt good. It was like experiencing a drug rush as she drew on her powers and unleashed them upon her murderers.
Rin felt horrified. She hadn't just been defending herself. She had enjoyed every second of humiliating them, of taunting them, of watching them scream in horror as she tore them to pieces. What kind of person had she become?
Rin almost jumped when she suddenly heard Yugo stir in his bed. Holding deathly still, she waited till he shifted his sleeping his position, holding the blanket she had put over him up to his face.
Rin decided to leave something for Yugo before she left.
Taking a pen and paper from a desk, she wrote a simple note which she placed next to Yugo's deck on his nightstand.
"I'm here. -Rin-" it said.
