"I can't believe this…"
Kaiba scowled as he examined the Duel Disk system he had taken from the strange vehicle. The technology that made it up was beyond anything he had ever seen before. What was even weirder was the fact that he had no doubt that it was Kaiba Corp. technology. Their company was first-class and no other competitors had been able to challenge it in terms of power, wealth, or technical advancement. Knowing that someone, somewhere, had developed a Duel Disk with HIS technology without HIS permission under his nose bothered him greatly. That meant there might've been a spy among his workforce.
Even more disturbing was the ride itself. He had been toying around with an idea that one could participate in duels on the go. It would allow customers to have fun while going to wherever they were headed. He had not mentioned this idea to anyone, not even Mokuba. Such an idea was a bit foolish, but it held promise if he found out how to make it work properly. Apparently, someone did find out a way and that strange motorbike was the product of it.
The entire vehicle was a Duel Disk system in and of itself. It was the embodiment of what a "riding duel" would be like. It did everything: showing monster holograms, Magic cards, and Trap cards while also keeping track of Life Points. The attachable Duel Disk was able to function by itself even when disconnected from the motorbike. The most interesting thing about the new system was the introduction of "Speed World 2", allowing only "Speed Spell" cards to be used. Kaiba was uncertain as to what this new "riding duel" would look like, but whoever designed it was a genius.
He smirked to himself. If this was a prototype someone had been modifying, then it sucked to be them. It had fallen into his hands now and was now his property. If he could take the vehicle apart and got down to the very basics, he could introduce a whole new type of dueling to the world. All he'd need to do is come up with a decent name for it.
Turbo Dueling. That sounded good.
"Seto!"
He turned his head, finding Mokuba running up to him in a hurry. He seemed to be bothered by something.
"What is it, Mokuba?"
"You gotta see this!"
"Did you find one of the Egyptian God cards?"
"No, but this is just as important!" Makuba replied. "Someone's using cards that aren't in the database, but the system is reading them as legitimate."
"What!?"
That got his attention immediately. He followed after his brother to the main computer room where his employees had been tracking all the duels that had been happening in Domino thus far. He looked up at the big screen, narrowing his eyes at what he saw. The woman from the Egyptian exhibit was dueling a complete stranger. He turned to her opponent, raising an eyebrow at the monster he had played on the field.
Why was the monster card white? As far as he knew, there was no white color coding for monsters. Was the man working for Pegasus? Was he introducing a new line of monsters through the Battle City Tournament? Kaiba wouldn't have put it past the slimeball to do something like that.
"Do you have any information on this guy?" Kaiba demanded.
"Unfortunately, no," one of the females answered. "He showed up in the system the day before the Tournament began."
"Someone hacked him in," Kaiba deduced. "I'm not surprised. It seems everyone wanted to enter, despite the ratings I gave them."
"Should I bust him?" asked Mokuba.
Kaiba smirked. "No. Let him have his little victories for now. I want to see exactly what these new monsters are like in the finals, if he can make it that far."
Jack Atlas. A complete enigma that Kaiba was more than willing to uncover. If Atlas posed an actual challenge, all the more fun for him. He wanted to defeat the best of the best so he could prove once and for all that he was the greatest duelist in the world. Atlas would fall by the end of the tournament, just like Yugi would. Nothing would stop him from claiming what was rightfully his.
"And now my Mad Archfiend will attack you directly!"
The monster attacked Jack's opponent, reducing his Life Points to zero. The angry duelist let out an aggravated yell as he plopped to the ground in defeat. He looked peeved and reluctant to give up both his Locator Card and his rarest monster. Jack frowned before he walked over to his opponent, holding out his hand. A bit shocked, the stranger took his hand and was helped off the ground.
"Don't worry about giving me your rarest card," Jack said. "You can keep it."
"Huh!? But the rules state—"
"I don't care what the rules say. I refuse to take any card from its respective duelist. It's akin to taking a part of their soul away from them."
The guy stared at Jack in complete disbelief. Jack had meant every word he said. The incident with Stardust Dragon was still fresh in his mind, even though it had happened a long time ago. He had learned his lesson that day when Yusei defeated him in the Fortune Cup.
"You know what, blondie? You're alright," the duelist said, offering up his Locator Card. "I hope you make it to the finals."
"Count on it," Jack answered, smirking as he added the card to the rest he had already won.
Four Locator Cards down and only two more to go. Jack nearly wanted to scoff at the duelists he had faced so far. All his opponents had been ridiculously easy to beat; too easy for his liking. Where was the challenge? Sure he had an edge over other duelists due to his deck having cards that had yet to be developed at this point in time, but new cards did not always mean certain victory. These duelists were supposed to be the best of the best to date, all ranked by the Kaiba Corporation. If things continued the way they were, he'd have his six Locator Cards before lunch today.
"I wonder how the others are doing…" he wondered aloud. He then shook his head. "What am I saying? This has already happened. Of course they'll win and be at the finals."
"Or will they?"
Jack stiffened at the feminine voice questioning him. He swiftly turned around, finding a woman wearing a sleeveless cream-colored dress and a matching waist-length veil. Her cold blue eyes seemed to pierce deep into his soul. He felt as if she knew he wasn't supposed to be here; like she could tell there was more to him that met the eye.
"You seem awfully confident in your friends," she commented, her intense stare never wavering.
"They're not…friends, per say. More like acquaintances."
"Ah, yes. That is true. You only met them just yesterday. They don't carry the same importance as your 'brothers', do they?"
Jack narrowed his eyes. "How do you know about my brothers? Actually, scratch that! How the hell do you know anything about what happened yesterday?"
"I have seen it in your heart."
"Huh!?"
She traced the eye symbol on her necklace. "I would have thought you would be used to such strange events by now, Jack Atlas."
"Alright, crazy lady. You have my attention now," Jack growled. "So tell me, what is it that you want?"
"I want you to duel me," she answered. "If you defeat me, I'll tell you what I know and give you both Locator Cards that I own. That would guarantee your visit to the finals."
"And if I lose?"
"Then the four Locator Cards you have will be mine."
"Not much of a fair deal."
"The future is a whirlwind of uncertainty. Your very presence in this time is shifting history. It is a fair deal if the timeline will be corrected when you leave. You need to return from whence you came immediately."
"Not gonna happen," Jack replied. "I don't know why I'm here, but I know it's for a reason. The only way to figure it out is if I duel; and that's only because the Crimson Dragon ain't much for words."
"It's time to duel, Jack Atlas. Show me why they call you 'King'."
Ishizu: 4000
Jack: 4000
"I'll start," Jack announced as he drew his card. "And I summon Power Breaker to the field." A strangely dressed, taupe-skinned creature appeared on the field, brandishing its claws for battle. (1900/0) "That'll be it for now."
"Interesting," Ishizu said. "I place this monster in Defense Mode. Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."
"Not another idiot who only plays defense…" Jack sighed. "I summon Lancer Archfiend in Attack Mode." A skull-masked humanoid with sharp lances in place of its arms appeared beside Power Breaker. (1600/1400) "Now, Lancer Archfiend, attack her facedown monster!"
The fiend rushed forward, stabbing its right lance deep into the facedown card. Zolga appeared for a brief moment before shattering into pieces. "Since Lancer Archfiend's attack points are higher than your monster's defense points, the difference is dealt as piercing damage to you."
Ishizu: 3600
"And now my Power Breaker can attack you directly!" shouted Jack as his monster charged at Ishizu, slashing at her Life Points.
Ishizu: 1700
"You certainly show no mercy," Ishizu commented, wincing a bit after the last attack. "Of course, since your Power Breaker attacked, he's forced into Defense Mode now."
"I know that," huffed the Signer. "I place one card facedown and that'll be all."
"Indeed. I summon Mudora in Attack Mode!" A man clad in an Egyptian mask, wielding a sword appeared on the field. (1500/1800) "Now I activate my facedown; the Magic card: Cestus of Dagla! And I will equip it to Mudora to increase his attack points by five hundred." (2200/1800)
"Hold on! That's two hundred points more than it should be!"
"Thanks to my Zolga that you so effortlessly destroyed, Mudora's ability activates. He gains two hundred extra attack points for each Fairy-Type monster in my Graveyard. Now Mudora, destroy his Lancer Archfiend!"
Mudora charged forward, cleanly slicing Lancer Archfiend in half. Jack scoffed, feeling foolish for overlooking such a simple ability. That meant the more monsters he destroyed, the stronger Mudora would become. Not only would that happen, but thanks to Cestus of Dagla, any damage he took would be converted into Life Points for her.
Ishizu: 2300
Jack: 3400
"I place one card facedown and end my turn."
"You had one good move and that's all you're going to get," Jack taunted as he drew his next card. "Unfortunately for you, I'm ending this duel right now."
Ishizu narrowed her eyes. "And how do you plan to do that?"
"I'll show you," Jack answered. "And it starts when I summon this: Influence Dragon!" A humanoid dragon stretched out its wings as it showed up beside Power Breaker. (300/900) "With Influence Dragon on the field, I can now do a special type of summoning."
Ishizu was curious, yet apprehensive. On one hand, it was a surprise tactic that he could use against anyone who dared to challenge him. On the other, it was the thrill of facing the unexpected that made her heart pound in her chest. That was the kind of enjoyment Duel Monsters was supposed to incur; not the fear and torment that evil and selfish men brought with them. She watched as Influence Dragon turned into three green circles, Power Breaker turning into four bright lights that entered those circles.
"With Influence Dragon's special ability, I can change Power Breaker's Typing to Dragon-Type this turn. That allows me to tune my level three Influence Dragon with my level four Power Breaker, so they can become something more powerful. I synchro summon Exploder Dragonwing!"
A pale purple dragon with a thick bulk and thin limbs formed from the bright lights. It let out a roar, causing both Ishizu and Mudora flinch from the sheer power it exhibited. The dragon floated lower toward the ground, eyeing Mudora as its new prey.
"I activate my Spell card: Stamping Destruction. If I control a Dragon-Type monster, I can use this Spell card to destroy one of your Spell or Trap cards and deal five hundred points of damage directly to you." Ishizu's facedown, Mirror Force, shattered instantly.
Ishizu: 1800
"Attack her Mudora!" Jack commanded the dragon as it prepared for its assault. The beast breathed a huge fireball at Mudora, destroying him easily. "Activate your special ability! Inflict Mudora's attack points into her Life Points!"
Ishizu: 0
Ishizu stared in shock as the massive dragon shot a blast of fire at her, effectively costing her the Duel. Exploder Dragonwing disappeared and Jack looked pleased with his victory. She smiled, seeing that he had no trace of blind arrogance that she thought he would have. He was a lot like Kaiba, but Jack had a heart and treated his cards with the respect they deserved. Jack walked over to Ishizu.
"Alright, lady. Start talking," he ordered, suspicion in his eyes. "How do you know about me?"
She touched her necklace again. "I can see glimpses of the future thanks to this: my Millennium Necklace. Based upon what I was able to witness, it told me that our future is grim. I saw glimpses of you and several others in that future; the ones who could change its gruesome fate with the help of that red dragon."
"The Crimson Dragon," Jack replied. "It's the reason I got dropped off here."
"You actually believe me?"
"I've dealt with the undead. Seeing into the future isn't bad compared to half the crap I've seen."
Ishizu smirked before her composure returned. "Care to explain what the Crimson Dragon is?"
"Not sure how to explain that mumbo jumbo very well, but basically there are powers even older than ancient Egypt. The Crimson Dragon is some sort of cosmic force and that's all I know."
"I see…and why did the Crimson Dragon send you here?"
"Again, I'm still trying to figure that out. All I know is that some nutjob fire demon wanted revenge and the dragon sent me here to protect me from it."
"A fire demon?"
"That's a long story I really don't want to tell right now," Jack said. "Anyway, does that answer your questions?"
"Not yet. Just one more," Ishizu responded. "Do you have a monster that can rival the Egyptian Gods?"
"Um…Maybe?"
"Then show it to me."
Jack fished into his pocket where he kept his Synchro monsters. He searched through the small pack, spotting the reason he ended up in this world. He pulled out Red Nova Dragon and showed it to Ishizu. She felt a chill go down her spine, feeling a malevolent force poke at her mind from the card.
"I sense a great evil inside that card…"
"No joke. I nearly got killed because of it, but the blasted freak inside isn't going to break out as long as the Crimson Dragon exists."
"It is indeed powerful, rivaling that of the Egyptian Gods. Just be careful and do not solely rely on it."
"Don't worry. I got a slew of other monsters I can count on."
"You are truly an interesting individual," Ishizu noted, pleased with the Signer. "Perhaps it was fate that brought you here and you are destined to fulfill an important role that even I cannot foresee."
"It wouldn't be the first time that has happened," Jack muttered. "Alright, a deal's a deal. Hand over those Locator Cards."
"As you wish. I also wish for you to take my rarest card."
"Keep it."
Ishizu's gaze hardened. "Please take it. I feel that it may prove to be of use to you."
"Not sure when I'd ever need Exchange of the Spirit, but if you insist."
Jack looked down at his prizes, feeling excited now that he finally had all the Locator Cards he needed to participate in the finals. It also meant he probably beat Mai Valentine's little challenge. He could hardly wait to see the look on her face when she learned that this "newbie" had made it to the finals. He almost wished he had a camera just for that moment.
"Jack Atlas," Ishizu said, bringing Jack back to reality. "I wish you luck. And please…do not take the other competitors lightly. Otherwise, you may end up losing more than just the Duel."
Jack nodded. "I understand."
"I trust that you will do the right thing. This is just the beginning of the calamity that is sure to come."
"So someone has to save the world. I've heard that before."
"Jack, please. Evil has already infiltrated this tournament through the Rare Hunters and I sense another evil far more dangerous lurking in the shadows."
"And I have a bad feeling that I already know who it is."
"Are you crazy!?"
She smirked at the pathetic loser, grabbing hold of his shirt and bringing him dangerously close to her face. Bonz felt sweat bead down his head as he stared at her toothy grin.
"Alright, dipshit. Cough up your Locator Cards so I don't have to put you six-feet under with all your zombie buddies."
"No need to be so violent!" he fearfully said, offering up the three cards he and his gang had scared off of wannabe duelists.
"Good boy," said the flaming-haired female with the creepy glowing golden eyes.
She could feel thrill and bloodlust coursing through the vessel's body. This pathetic tournament was the perfect opportunity to track down that wretched Signer and take back Red Nova Dragon. Despite the setback, the Crimson Dragon couldn't keep the fire demon from tracking down Jack Atlas forever. This was the past. None of the chosen Signers existed, which meant that there was no one other than Jack capable of stopping the release of Red Nova. She twirled her Trident Dragion between two fingers as she hungrily eyed Domino City.
"Pray to the Egyptian Gods that those hooded freaks get to you before I do, Jack Atlas. Because when I'm through with you, you're going to wish your mind was sent to the Shadow Realm."
Not dead yet. Though my muse has been quite dead for this story for a long time. Thankfully, I got some motivation back since I watched some of my favorite Yugioh episodes. Hopefully you guys like this chapter (and hopefully the next update won't be a year from now).
EDIT: I had to change the duel a bit because I'm an idiot and didn't fully read the fine print of "Exploder Dragonwing". It can only be summoned with Dragon-Type non-Tuner monsters. Thank you gojirason for pointing that out for me, otherwise I would never have noticed. :D