"Okay, ladies and gents," Fury decided, because apparently there were a horde more monsters that were dealing with the dragons swarming the face of the building. "What can you tell me?"
"They're over there," Diana pointed down towards the Bowery, where a bolt of lightning punctuated her point. "Rick mentioned that Thor was handling the problem, but... why here?"
"Bad news," Tony broke in, the Iron Man's computerised clarity at odds. "Pepper just called. Stark Tower is being broken into at the same time. Bruce is running himself ragged trying to contain the dragons with minimal property damage and casualties."
"Two places at once?" Fury echoed.
"Flunkies," Diana wrinkled her nose. "There's more than one faction of Psychic Duelists that won't mind attacking the Arcadia Movement. And apparently this one is too dumb to live."
"He's going for the power source," Yusei spoke, eyes wide.
Aki cursed under her breath. "Of course. Where else?"
"We need to get to Stark Tower," Steve broke in. "Erm, could you-"
"The Movement's Psychics have been trained," Diana answered. "Unlike these people who are obviously slinging pure power without control, I do teach economy of energy. We will outlast them. Yusei, Aki, please navigate the Avengers to Stark Tower. Director Fury, I will require your assistance."
Yusei looked back from where he had smashed his umbrella over the head of a particularly disgusting dragon. "Excuse me?"
"They are civilians!" Fury hotly protested. "And how the hell did you assemble a civilian armed force, dammit!"
"With all respect, Director, shut up." Diana pointed at him. "Captain?"
"Clint and Natasha can't fly," was Steve's automatic response. "It'll take a bit to move across Manhattan-"
A vine snapped at his feet as the Black Rose Dragon spread its wings.
Clint whistled. "Dibs on the dragon."
A tempest starts when Thor takes to the skies, Mjollnir extended and flying beside the Black Rose Dragon. It sounded awfully like laughter and screaming.
"The Valkyries will have a fine harvest this battle," Thor remarked loudly. "And a fine steed you have, Eyes of Hawk and Black Widow."
The Black Rose Dragon was actually much smaller than its petal-size suggested. Clint and Natasha were straddling its back, Aki closest to its neck, and Tony had a grip with Steve and Yusei on either arm, and was cracking too many 'one on each arm' jokes to be entirely comfortable.
"Okay, Stane is most likely going to use the arc reactor and its high-energy density to reach for the Earthbound Gods." Yusei was saying. "It's... well, I need you to take it at face value for the moment, but apparently there's another dimension where Duel Monsters are real. That is, everything. And that's where Stane might reach. If the Earthbound God is summoned here, it's going to require sacrifices, lots of sacrifices, and they're going to be the souls of New York's people. Roughly eight million."
"So we gotta stop Stane again before the big bad god comes," Tony's disgust and hate was unable to be filtered out. "Maybe we could introduce him to Bruce's green friend."
"That might be difficult," was the mild reply.
"I seem to have left my quarry still mobile," Thor boomed. "Will our allies manage?"
"With Fury? They'll be able to kick the ass out of anything," Tony snickered as they neared the Stark Tower and an explosion rang out. There were monsters about, skeletal and lethal.
"Zombies," Yusei observed. "Or Undead, as we call them in Japan."
Shadows were draining from the skeletal beasts, blue-rainbow light winking out of empty skulls. One by one, the zombie monsters collapsed in a cloud of dust and violet as the Avengers approached.
"Um... that would be a good thing, right?" Steve asked, as they landed. Please tell me I'm right? Please?
"No." Yusei's voice was flat. "They're being sacrificed."
An ogre in a blue chef's outfit appeared, sizzling shadows in his skillet as rough laughter filled the room. He flourished a spatula with a fanged smile, flipping a giant shadowy patty that grew and floated and gathered lettuce, tomatoes, and a bloody bun about itself.
"Hamburger Recipe?" Aki groaned once the Black Rose descended and the three hurriedly dismounted. "Used to summon..."
The ogre vanished with a tip of his puffy hat. The blood-smeared bun sprouted fangs, and the snarling creation bounced towards them. Clint automatically nocked an arrow and fired.
"Hungry Burger." Yusei finished. "Oh, my."
Tony looked down just in time to see a man-sized, toothy burger bouncing on the roof of his building. "Never mind why! A man-eating hamburger? What kind of a sick game is this? And where the hell is Stane?"
"Right here."
Tony staggered slightly under the assault from the dragon's full-body slam. Astride it, Stane cackled. "Hello, Tony. Yes, I was dead. I got better. Now I'm repaying the favour with interest. But first..." Raising a hand, more dragons swarmed the Avengers and Aki, the Black Rose Dragon keening with rage and shock.
As the fighters were occupied, Yusei stared into the face of the golden dragon. "Felgrand Dragon. Eight-star, Light Attribute, Dragon-Type. Twenty-eight hundred attack, twenty-six hundred defence. For just me?"
Stane chuckled. "Let's face it, I have no way around a straight Duel with you. The Earthbound Gods spoke of you, you know. The Signer who proved that bonds would defy the will of destiny. I didn't know, or care, I just agreed." he shrugged. "Eat or be eaten, I always said. You know, I honestly thought that either Atlas or Hogan would have gone for help. I didn't expect you."
"I've been out of the pro scenes for a while," was the dry reply. "You're going to kill me, aren't you?"
"I'm dead," Stane shrugged, grinning. "This power, it's miraculous. Certainly better than Tony's little armour, anyway. Even if I don't believe in magic... well, resurrection makes people into believers." Waving a hand at the horde of dragons, which Clint and Natasha were shooting, Thor and Steve were smashing through, and Tony was being surrounded by, the resurrected man grinned. "The world is my oyster, and I'm going to take it all."
Golden fire gathered in the dragon's maw as it screamed, and Yusei dodged the blast.
"Get away from my husband, bastard."
There was a scream of rage, even more potent as the Avengers and the dragons seemed to evade. Red wings flared, Black Rose Dragon arriving in a storm of petals, like some horror ever seen or even dreamed of in his blackest nightmares, like watching an earthquake or staring into an oncoming hurricane. All were frozen in fear and awe by the unimaginable destructive potential and the prospect of certain death in the face of the dragon. Petals flew and slit, and where they touched the dragons died and wilted as if in the face of some plague of judgement. Glass, brick, mortar and concrete shattered in the oncoming storm, and even Captain America's shield was scored through.
"Mother of God," Clint swore as the Avengers moved to place themselves behind Steve and Thor.
"No, it is a natural storm," Thor bellowed. Downstairs, the Hulk's bellow raged. "A storm that brings destruction.
A thud echoed as Steve realised that Yusei had been blown to impact against his shield.
"Black Rose Dragon's effect," the scientist rasped. In both hands, he was clinging to Tony suit of armour. "When Synchro summoned, the controller may choose to destroy all cards on the field."
"Translation!" Tony yelled.
"This tower. Stane. The dragons. Maybe most of the city. Aki. Us. All destroyed." Yusei flatly replied. "Aki can do it. In Duel Monsters, we call effects like this field nukes."
"Okay. That sums everything up." Tony nodded. "Now would be the time to play some handy-dandy card to save our lives."
Violet erupted in light, a glitter of gold and diamond-blue and crystalline wings. A dragon shaped from the purest of crystals soared free, white fire building in its jaws before it was swallowed and ripped apart by the storm.
"Hyozanryu," Yusei observed. "Doubtless, monsters cannot protect from the Black Rose Dragon's wrath. But..."
"What's that?" Tony muttered as Yusei hurriedly unpacked a device fished from his lab coat.
"Aki is still using her DuelDisk," Yusei answered. "If I can find her DuelDisk, I can challenge it. Even if her powers can be manifested outside of a Duel, it still has to obey the rules of Duel Monsters, meaning that I can counter it."
The device beeped. "Got it," Yusei sounded relieved. "Starlight Road."
Somewhere in the distance, part of him tried to believe this was impossible. In the game, Stardust was a Synchro monster, an eight-star at that. In the game, he would need to offer eight levels of monsters, including tuner monster, to call it out.
This was not a game. And the cards had failed him.
It was slow, at first. Glitter that rained from the sky as Thor called lightning, stardust that mixed with the black petals, a shower of black and white that slowed and died as the winds calmed. Overcast clouds gave the skies over the Stark Tower an aura of shrouded shadow, lit by hope and wishes.
Stane cackled madly, fiery lava roared, searing at the Black Rose, such that he never noticed it.
"Starlight Road can also special summon from the Extra Deck Stardust Dragon," Yusei finished quietly as it streaked across the lightning-split sky, light made flesh and scales and silver-white wings. Rage and love and fierce joy in power echoed as it flew, a single round at the apex of the Stark Tower before it slowed, gracefully settling.
"Wow," Clint spoke.
For a moment the black and the white dragon twined their necks and nuzzled, pulling close in an affectionate embrace. Then the two reptilian faces moved to Stane.
The former businessman did not look good. His clothes were shredded, and he was bleeding from several cuts. There was the sudden fear, the recognition of what was coming in his eyes.
"It breaks something inside you." Aki distantly echoed. "Deciding your life is worth more than theirs. Choosing to kill them, rather than let them kill you. Choosing to win, whatever the cost. But I won't lift a hand, except to leave you here, at the mercy of the Avengers. And they are going to avenge all the casualties you caused. You placed my son in mortal peril, be glad that you'll live. Not for long, but you will."
"No..." feebly the man tried to run.
The black robe Stane had on gave no protection against the thorns of Black Rose, and they sheared through it like cardboard. From all directions, thorns struck dozens of times in only a few seconds, splashing scarlet blood into the air, flaying the skin alive.
Stane's arm began to blacken and crumble, the man watching in horror and pain before he clawed his way to Yusei, reaching for the throat-
Bang.
Coulson's expression was grim as he held the smoking gun that just spattered the remains of Stane's head out. "You. Do not touch. My agents."
Clint stared. "I... oh my god, Coulson's alive." Then he fainted.
It was a few days after the aftermath, that Fury slapped up the newspaper photograph.
"Dragons," he spat. "Dragons outside the tower. And apparently Stardust Dragon is known worldwide, along with its black angry reptilian sibling." Located in the middle of LaGuardia Airport, Fury's rage went unnoticed in the middle of airport life.
Yusei merely took it, to give to his son. "Well, all's well that ends well."
"Quit quoting Shakespeare at me," Fury scowled.
Aki shook her head. Diana merely laughed. Setsuka was politely condescending in her looks towards Philip Coulson.
"Well, we will leave," Yusei nodded, standing as the boarding call echoed. "Until the next time, Director."
"Right..." Fury drawled as the Fudo family left first. "You're staying, are you?"
Diana smiled. It was a small, secret one.
"We could use a magician," Fury doggedly continued. Setsuka dropped a piece of the puzzle. "Someone who has some practical knowledge."
Still no reaction.
"I have records, Diana."
"My name was changed," she answered. "I have taken on a new identity. You can't find me in Japan." Diana stood. "If it be worth stooping for, there it lies in your eye. If not, be it his that finds it. Come along, Setsuka. We've blown up New York long enough."
So saying, mother and daughter headed for the boarding gates, leaving Fury staring. After a while, the SHIELD director swore and left.
If only he had looked back, he would have seen the poster for the Arcadia Movement fluttering somewhere.
