Warnings: Spoilers, minor swearing, lots o' dueling
Opening note: Thanks to all who reviewed! You're awesome! (More afterward ...)
7. Island of Destiny
"How could this happen?!" fretted Jaeger his office overlooking the stadium. "How could Dragan return and expose my secret to Jack?! Has he no idea how violent Jack can be?"
He paced back and forth endlessly, pausing to look out over the crowd and peer at the activities of Team 5D's before pacing even faster than before. "Who knows what he'll do if he loses? That is, after he comes in here and kills me!"
Meanwhile, Jack himself took a moment alone beneath the stadium to gather himself. He looked at his reflection in the men's room mirror.
He couldn't allow himself to forget who he was. Especially today. If he lost today, how would he ever be able to fight Yusei? Someday he needed to reach that goal. If he failed today, the climb to that goal would be even harder. The drive to feel worthy …
Hmph!
He gave his reflection a small smile and turned away. No need to worry because he was going to make Yusei wish he could duel the great Jack Atlas!
Or something …
He walked up to the pit area and walked over to the Wheel of Fortune, checking it over briefly.
As Jack prepared to take the track, the remainder of 5D's exchanged concerned looks before wishing him good luck with slightly forced smiles.
Yusei kept his hands on the Wheel of Fortune to prevent himself from giving Jack a huge hug before the duel.
That would be a cool move, Yusei!
He managed to give Jack's shoulder a manly slap as he wished him good luck. How Jack managed to look so cool and confident, he didn't know.
As he took the field, Jack muttered, "I will recover my pride!" Then he accelerated with a purpose and made the first turn just ahead of Dragan. Drawing his hand, he was shocked to discover that the cards he held were identical to those from his first duel with Dragan.
We'll see about this.
He summoned the same monster as he did in the previous duel, Top Runner, and challenged Dragan to settle things between them.
When Dragan responded with the same moves as their previous duel, Jack was pleased to see that they would indeed see about this. The duel played out identically to the last one up to the point where Dragan had failed to play his trap card.
This time, Dragan turned the card over. Jack was able to counter it, preventing the destruction of Red Demon's Dragon on that turn.
"Now our duel begins anew," he announced. "Our old quarrel is over."
"Very well," said Dragon complacently. The next turn, things turned as he managed to summon his god card, Thor.
The skies themselves seemed to respond to the card. Dark clouds rolled in and lightning bolts flashed around them as the seas parted to reveal the huge form of the monster.
Can this be this solid vision?
To Jack's dismay, Thor had the ability to negate and absorb the effect of a monster once per turn, which it used to destroy Red Demon's Dragon. Dragon smugly settled back, sure that he would win the match easily.
Jack felt the blow of Red Demon's Dragon's destruction resonate through his body and shook his head to clear it as he worked to control the Wheel of Fortune. The pain was … excruciating. He glanced ever so quickly over to the pit. How was Yusei or Crow going to take this? Crow especially. They were both so tiny, and Crow seemed so fragile, just like a real bird.
For now, though, he had to worry about his own situation.
I won't lose, even if my opponent is a god!
In the pit, Crow and Yusei looked on as Dragan played his next card. Yusei said "That card will allow Dragan to attack twice!"
When the first attack connected with Barrier Resonator, Jack's D-wheel was sent spinning by the impact.
"That's real damage that Jack took!" Yusei said, worried.
Crow was outraged. "What is this?!" he shouted. "They can't be allowed to get away with that sort of thing!"
Yusei glanced over toward Team Ragnarok's pit and noticed that they seemed a little surprised themselves. He shifted his attention immediately back to the field in time to see Dragon's second attack connect with Top Runner, taking Jack down to 900 points and leaving him behind in a cloud of dust and smoke.
Crow's hand gripped Yusei's arm. A loud murmur arose from the crowd amid widespread speculation that he must have crashed.
Finally Jack emerged from the smoke. "You've got to hit harder than that to knock Jack Atlas out!" they heard over the comm.
Yusei and Crow heaved a sigh of relief and Yusei thought he heard Crow mutter, "You idiot, don't make us worry like that!"
Jack then opened his cover card, which returned Barrier Resonator and Top Runner to the field and dealt their combined attack in damage to Dragan. Beginning his turn, he used Speed World 2's effect to further reduce Dragan's life points, then activated Descending Lost Star to recall Red Demon's Dragon to the field.
"What's he doing with all that?" asked Crow.
"Watch," said Yusei, his eyes glued on Jack.
Crow turned his full attention back to Jack and he saw it. Jack was … glowing? Yes! His whole body was glowing! Jack clutched at his chest, his heart, and said something about … his burning soul?
"Double tuning?" asked Crow. "So that's Scar Red Nova Dragon?!"
Aki, Ruka, and Rua, standing near Bruno's seat at the computer, were amazed as well.
A smile teased the corners of Yusei's lips. "Yes, that's the dragon he earned. Suddenly I'm feeling much better about this duel."
Over in Team Ragnarok's pit, Brave and Harald looked on.
"No wonder Dragan says this is the opponent he wants to beat," commented Harald. "He's much more formidable than I took him for."
"Don't tell me, you thought he was all mouth," said Brave. "In any case, he can certainly take a hit."
Harald shrugged slightly. "Have you found any information on that card?"
"Not a thing. It's not in the database."
"Can you sense its power? It's equivalent to a god's." Harald's brow creased. "This may be more difficult than we anticipated."
"I'll say. Look at that! It gained 500 points for every tuner in Jack's graveyard. It's up to 4500 points now."
"Don't worry, Dragan has an answer for it."
Sure enough, Dragan reduced Scar Red Nova Dragon's attack points by 2000 and ended the attack. He then activated Solemn Authority, protecting Thor from Scar Red Nova Dragon's effects.
"See, there's no way."
"I won't lose here!" Jack averred. "I'm going to fight on with the help of my friends!" His sign began glowing, the others glowing in answer.
He played Burning Reborn, tributing Scar Red Nova Dragon to return Red Demon's Dragon to the field. "Now," he said, "I'll activate Burning Reborn's effect by discarding a tuner to bring Scar Red Nova Dragon back stronger than ever!"
The attack brought Dragan's points to zero. Jack and Dragan rode back into the stadium together, Dragan congratulating Jack on a match well-fought.
"But you still won't beat the Polar gods," he said.
"How can you be so sure?"
"You'll see."
"What's that?" Jack asked as the rumble of far-off thunder sounded.
"You know what it is," Dragan said, heading toward the pit. "Oh, by the way, when the god resurrects, you're hit with 800 points of damage."
"Shit."
"Jack!"
Yusei was stunned by the turn of events. He'd just defeated Dragan and now that god, who'd been so hard to erase from the field, was back and Jack was down to 100 points … and looked beaten up.
He and Crow exchanged stunned looks, their rejoicing short-lived.
"And now, Team Ragnarok's second duelist, the trickster, Brave!" MC announced.
"Well, this is annoying," murmured Jack. Using Thor's effect, Brave reduced Scar Red Nova Dragon's points back to their normal 3500, but, since he had no cards in his graveyard, Thor's points were equal.
"This will take care of you!" Brave commented, attacking.
With the 800 points Jack was dealt upon Thor's resurrection, he was done.
Pulling into the pit, Jack handed his patch to Crow. "Careful, Crow," he said. "Those hits, that damage … it's real."
Jack joined Yusei and leaned back, crossing his arms. "Be especially careful when you get out there, Yusei. Those hits aren't easy to handle."
Yusei nodded. If Jack was feeling them, they must be tough. "Don't worry, Jack, Crow won't let Brave call out his god card … especially now that we know they can resurrect."
He looked over at Jack, looking calm and resolute. He knew that Jack must be in pain from the hits received, but he showed no sign of it.
"Jack …"
Jack looked over at Yusei, the sharpness of his violet gaze softening just a little.
"You were magnificent … as always. The hits … are you feeling all right?"
A glint of amusement filtered into Jack's eyes. "I'm fine, thanks, Yusei." The two turned their attention back to the duel.
"Jack?"
"Yeah?"
"After the duel? Lets … talk."
"Of course. After we win."
They watched Crow deal substantial damage on the first turn, only to see it all reversed. "Impressive," Yusei commented. "This guy looks to be just as tricky as Crow."
That was confirmed the next turn as Crow played a trap to return Thor to the player's hand—in this case, the extra deck—simultaneously increasing Crow's life points. Unfortunately, Brave was prepared for that as well, further reducing Crow's life points to 650.
"How can he see through all of Crow's moves? If Brave draws a speed spell next turn—!" Jack groused. "Come on, Crow!"
Yusei folded his arms and said nothing, concentrating all his hopes into Crow's next draw. Brave looked awfully pleased with himself, and why shouldn't he be? He must be positive of victory.
Jack and Yusei exchanged looks. There was something in the air. The next turn, Crow marshaled his forces, playing a barrage of cards to not only summon Black Feather Dragon without suffering the effects of Brave's god cards, but also regain life points to 1250. At last, Crow was able to reduce Brave's life points to 2950.
Brave went to work, summoning Loki at last. This was the moment Crow was waiting for. He activated Black Sonic to remove both Thor and Loki from play, but Loki negated the trap through its effect, bringing Crow's gambit to naught. With Crow short on options, attacks from both gods went through, leaving him with 50 points and no cards in his hand.
There was a general murmur of concern over Crow's physical well-being given his number of life points. Jack, meanwhile, was fuming. "Crow's not the sort of guy who would lose in this situation!" Suddenly, his mood changed and he pointed out toward the crowd. "Wait, look at that!" he shouted. "It's dangerous!"
Yusei looked and saw that Crow's kids had moved their sign to the railing, where one of the kids was standing on the others' shoulders to hold the sign where Crow could see it. Yusei started, ready to run, but in the nick of time, Trudge saved the child from tumbling over and falling onto the track.
Crow looked visibly relieved.
"I hope all that at least gives Crow some support!" Yusei said.
Using Speed World 2's effect, Crow paid counters to draw two cards, set two cards and ended his turn.
5D's held their collective breaths as Brave drew, waiting to see whether he drew the speed spell that would allow him to drain the remainder of Crow's life points.
"Not a speed spell," Yusei sighed as Brave added the card to his hand.
"Do you think he'll pay ten speed counters to destroy one of those face-down cards?" asked Jack softly.
"That would be the prudent thing to do," said Yusei, "especially since he can destroy the other with Loki's effect. It will leave Crow wide open."
And that is exactly what Brave did. He then attacked with Loki. Crow countered with Black Wing only to have it destroyed by Loki's effect, as expected.
Crow recalled Black Feather Dragon.
"Hey, thanks for destroying both those cover cards," said Crow. "Since you destroyed both my Black Wing cards, I can remove them from play to destroy Loki and inflict damage equal to its attack. I think that will do it."
However, Brave's cover card took Crow down as well, ending the match in a draw. Mutual destruction … and mutual respect.
Jack and Yusei hurried down to meet Crow for the exchange. Crow handed Yusei the 5D's patch, wishing him good luck and allowing Jack to help him off of his D-wheel. "It was like you said, those gods are brutal. I think I need my nap now," he said, collapsing into Jack's arms.
Yusei took the field, quickly catching up to Harald. "We've matched up, blow for blow," Harald said. "Fate will decide who fights Yliaster."
"I don't believe in fate, Harald. I believe in carving my own path. I believe in my friends."
I'm going to have to bolster my defense immediately, thought Yusei. He looked at hand and immediately summoned Cosmic Compass, using its effect to summon two compass tokens, then set two cards.
Yusei watched for Harald's draw, then played Monster Chain to negate one battle phase for each monster that Harald controls. "You now have to skip the next three battle phases," he said.
"We'll see," said Harald. He then proceeded to put together an impressive combo to summon Odin, the final god card of Team Ragnarok.
I'd freaking love this, Yusei thought, if the world weren't in the balance …
… and I weren't likely to crash after they all attack …
"Odin can negate the effects of cards upon gods," said Harald, "so your Monster Chain is in vain."
My shield! Yusei thought. I'm not going to have as much time to plan as I'd hoped.
"You can still surrender," Harald suggested. "Since this damage is real, I can't guarantee that you'll survive this."
"I can't surrender. You said it yourself. My father played a part in the destruction years ago and I feel a responsibility to protect this city. My father's soul is still a part of me. He told me that my time hadn't come yet. I can't just leave everything to fate."
They were traveling on the bridge now, speeding over the water, and Yusei looked up into the sky, noticing that the Final Moment was larger in the sky. For just a moment, he closed his eyes, begging for the strength to fight on. When he opened his eyes, he saw that his sign was glowing, and with that, he noticed four streaks of light flash across the water.
I feel it!
The boost! All of his friends, strengthening him. Ruka's kindness, Aki's hope, Crow's joy, Jack's unshakable confidence. He felt a warmth blaze across his back and knew that the sign of the Crimson Dragon had appeared there. Quickly, he summoned Stardust Dragon, then Savior Star Dragon. He set Wave Rebound, then played Stay Force, which allowed him to keep Savior Star Dragon on the field—at a price.
"Since I can't attack because of Monster Chain, I'm paying 1000 life points to keep Savior Star Dragon," he said. It was a risk, but he had to do it.
If Harald attacks, Wave Rebound will take these gods off the field, Yusei thought. However, Harald played Odin's Eye, which allowed him to look at Yusei's set card. Instead of attacking, he set a card. "Your turn."
Yusei decided to use Speed World 2's effect to draw a card, taking his speed counters down to zero. "I'm paying 1000 points to keep Savior Star Dragon and ending my turn," he said.
"I negate Monster Chain's effect," Harald said.
"That means …" Yusei said. "Very well, I activate Savior Star Dragon's effect. With its tribute, all your cards' effects are negated and they are sent to the graveyard, and, with Wave Rebound's effect, your gods cannot revive."
"Unfortunately for you, you sent my Gjallarhorn to the graveyard as well. Because of it, you cannot prevent my gods from reviving. However, on the third end phase, all three gods will be removed from play and you will receive damage equal to their combined attack."
10800 points! thought Yusei. Well, at least that gives me a defined schedule …
Meanwhile, Harald collected on the resurrection effects of his gods, inflicting 800 points of damage, recovering Odin's eye, and drawing a card. At last, Monster Chain's effect was over.
"I summon Stardust Phantom and end my turn."
"That's pretty thin," commented Harald. "I'm going to destroy that card using Speed World 2's effect."
"Using Stardust Phantom's effect, I'm calling Stardust Dragon from the graveyard. I'm removing Stardust Phantom from play so that Stardust Dragon can't be destroyed in battle by reducing both its attack and defense by 800 points."
Taking three attacks was painful, though.
"I'm calling Jörmungandr to your side of the field," Harald announced. Suddenly Yusei found himself surrounded by some sort of ourobouros. "If this monster changes position, you receive 3000 points damage. I'm also summoning Fenrir to your side of the field. This monster changes the positions of all monsters you control during the standby phase. Oh, by the way, any battle damage to this card applies to both players."
Well, if this isn't a puzzle …
But I have hope! "I activate the speed spell Hope for Escape," he said. "This allows me to pay 1000 life points to draw three cards." 200 points left, but it looks like I have an answer for that! "All right!" Quickly, he had played a combo that used Jörmungandr as material for his Accel Synchro along with Life Guardna, which brought him back to 1000 points.
"I activate the speed spell Star Force to remove Fenrir from play and increase the attack of Shooting Star Dragon by its attack." Drawing the top five cards of his deck, he drew three tuners, attacking once for each and reducing Harald's life points to 1900.
At last Yusei felt he was making some progress. However, Shooting Star Dragon's attack was back to 3300, and he'd soon be back to 200 life points with Thor's effect.
He set two cards face down. I'm trusting that Harald can't resist using his favorite cards, Yusei thought.
Harald summoned Odin's Eye, then tributed a monster to prevent it from negating the god's effects.
"I use Trick Mirror to copy the effect of Odin's Eye to negate the Polar gods' effects," said Yusei.
Harald attacked Shooting Star Dragon with Odin, but Yusei removed it from play.
"Now I play Zero Force," said Yusei. "That reduces the attack of all the Polar gods to zero!"
"This is …"
"Yes, Gjallarhorn activates at the end of the turn, removing all the gods from play—"
"—and inflicting their combined attack …"
"Zero."
The two watched as the gods disappeared and Shooting Star Dragon appeared.
"Shooting Star Dragon, direct attack, Shooting Sonic!"
It was all over.
As they drove back to the pit crew area, Harald said, "I hate to admit it, but my rune eye now acknowledges you as our comrades after all."
"I'm glad to hear it. Your support is important to us."
When they stopped, he was practically lifted from his D-wheel by Jack, who couldn't wait to congratulate him.
"Gently, Jack, you of all people should know what he's been through!" reminded Crow.
"But we won! This is very important! We have to win, no matter what!"
Yusei looked into Jack's eyes, absorbing the feeling there with all he had.
Let's talk …
But it was a lot bigger than the two of them, or 5D's …
"Jack's right. It's not just us. It's this city, it's Team Ragnarok … heck, just the fact that they're involved says that it's not just us. The entire world is depending on us to come through."
Author's notes:
Must ... post ... stop ... tweaking ...
Reviews: Wow, guys, it was almost like Christmas after the last chapter, I got several reviews! Thanks for spoiling me! :) Ithiltari and IHaveAMessedUpSenseOfHumor, thanks much, I'm trying really hard to keep it close to canon, so it's nice to know it's appreciated. MrMyshka, thanks again for the reminder of the "table" scene. That's one from the series that I thought was rather fascinating (I'm rather fond of it, too, I'll admit it) and I've often wondered if they put it in there expressly to push buttons. Finally, x0Francisco0x, not to worry relief from dueling is on the way, but unfortunately there is also more dueling coming, although most of it is not described in this level of detail ... praise the lord! ... Can I hear an "Amen"?
Well, yeah ... hope that wasn't too horrible! Writing dueling scenes is incredibly difficult, but that's where some of the character stuff takes place, so ... there you have it. I had to at least include the Jack/Dragan stuff to resolve Jack's issues, and once you do that, it just seems weird to sluff off the rest of the duel. Right? So, like I said, hope that wasn't too horrible. (And, sorry to say, way too much duel action coming up, we'll see how I can work through it ...)
Title: I suppose I should say why I called this "Island of Destiny," which seems a rather obscure reference to me. "Destiny" because of the predestined quality of the duel, of course. But the "island" comes from the idea that everything has changed because of the space/time waves except these two teams and the things that have happened within their lives. So, in this sense, that duel is an "island of destiny" in a changed river of space/time. In a larger sense, the 5D's/Ragnarok duel is an "island of destiny," or a predestined objective, at least for Harald. I still think it's kind of weird and obscure, but I couldn't think up a better title.
Well, really, this is a paraphrase of the duel, with a few extras and a couple of interludes tossed in. Hazzah! You'd think it would be easy to write, but no, actually the opposite.
Next chapter, a break from dueling! (Yay!):
"You think Bruno's still out helping the others?" asked Jack.
"If he isn't, I'm sure I can think of something that he can help me with," Yusei said, smiling. "Come hell or high water, I'm going to make this work. Let's get back. I'm dying to have the place to ourselves for a while."
"Has that ever happened?" Jack asked, taking a seat on the Wheel of Fortune and putting on his helmet.
"I don't know. If it has, it's been a long time."
Some fluff, some angst, see you next time ...
