Ride 7: Angel and Demon

"Come now, this should be easy to do! Why haven't you found a way to weaponize Solid Vision yet?" Nova asked as Professor Akutsu looked at him with surprise.

"Why would we ever need to do that, Director?" The man asked, putting a hand to his chin, the hum of the Momentum Reactor audible as he thought about it.

"Oh come now! A woman walks among you who can do that with just her mind! She makes the effects of cards she plays real!" Nova said, spreading out his hands. "And there's not even any research done on arriving at that same result?" He asked and the other Professor shook his head.

"That's too unethical, Professor Nova." Akutsu said and Nova laughed for a long time. "Unethical-! Tell that to the people who died in that – oh what did you name it again? - Zero Reverse?" Nova finished.

The other Professor was quiet, still believing that Nova used to work on the staff of that division. Nova supposed he'd gotten lucky putting such a blatant lie on his ID. All the witnesses to say he didn't work there were dead.

"Unethical?" Nova repeated. "Well what about entertaining? Imagine having to avoid the attacks of monsters, even if you still could survive with life-points? It would certainly make for a greater spectacle."

Akutsu frowned and shrugged. "Riding Duels are entertaining enough without the constant threat of death – besides there are enough crash junkies out there without this added flair."

Nova smiled. "Well this here might just change your tune, Professor."

"In any case, everyone is now here." Godwin said, gesturing with an arm as Gally and Jack walked in the room, looking to Godwin and Nova.

"I wondered why you went out of your way to contact both Jeager and made your way in here, but now I see why, Professor Nova." Godwin said, gesturing to Gally.

"If any of the City's bureaucrats found her, she'd be a lab experiment." Godwin said and Gally coughed. He didn't know how right he was based on her personal history.

"Right. And Momentum can provide us a way home – providing you let us use it." Nova said.

Godwin smiled, closing his eyes. "Jeager mentioned an offer. Now tell me what, pray tell, could you offer us?"

/

Jack frowned as a module was attached to his Duel Disk. "I don't like this." He said and Godwin smiled looking down from an observation booth.

"Well at the very least it will give us a chance to combat The Arcadia Movement if it comes to that." Godwin said and Jack exhaled.

"Dueling has always been a ritual between two souls! Turning it into a mere weapon cheapens it's purpose!" Jack responded, mounting the Wheel of Fortune and rocketing out into the empty stadium.

"Yes, but in this day and age, you can't be too careful. Professor Nova has a point – this tournament may not gather all the Signers together as I desire." Godwin said. "And with the threats the Signers are supposed to combat returning, it may be needed for that purpose."

"More than just the Arcadia Movement then I assume." Jack said and kicked the engine into overdrive to drown out Godwin's idealistic vision. For now he could at least enjoy the struggle that would occur now, saving the ethical debate that would no doubt ensue for the politicians to deal with.

"Ready when you are, Gally!" Jack yelled.

"On your right, Jack!" Gally yelled, wearing a purple helmet with an open comm to Jack's D-Wheel's monitor as her body skated down the tracks. The Imaginos body let her change the structure of her feet into motorized skates not unlike ones that her old Motorball body had, and the shell of her cyborg body into a harder purple plating in the event of a crash.

The cyborg skated next to Jack and the man smiled. "Are you sure you want to face my full power?" he asked, looking down at her from his ridiculous circular and single-wheeled bike.

"Isn't that supposed to be my line?" Gally grinned, hoping she didn't look too eager to kick whatever monster Jack summoned to a pulp.

Then the two were off, shooting down the track. The battle began as Jack boosted ahead and drew a card, giving him six.

"Very well! We begin! I discard my Dark Resonator for Power Giant!" Jack said.

In front of him, a bulky creature made of square blocks appeared, irregular translucent rocks growing out of it's kneecaps and shoulders It towered over Gally as it hovered about a foot off the track, slowly moving behind Jack (6 → 3/2200/0).

"Now I set this and we'll have ourselves a battle! Show me how you do things in your world!" Jack yelled as a set card appeared on his field. He still wasn't used to the lack of a turn system in this simulation but he wanted to see what Gally would do now.

She looked up at Power Giant and grinned, turning to skate up the slanted translucent edge of the D-Wheel track, ramping off of it and into the air.

Power Giant slowly turned, but by the time it was looking at her, she'd struck, kicking it in the head and conjuring a Damascus Blade from her elbow and using the weapon to slash at the rock monster's chest. She didn't expect it to do much damage – and she was right about that – but it gave her leverage as the blade stuck and she punched with her other hand, making an audible crack in the monster's chest.

"That's it, Gally!" Nova's voice cried out in her helmet comm as she struck it again, twisting her fist to widen the hole and igniting her plasma fingers inside of it.

Power Giant roared and exploded, shattering into light from the attack.

"You got anything faster than that?" Gally asked and Jack looked to his hand, frowning as he'd lost some life-points (4000 → 3700).

"How about multiple opponents?" He declared. "To me, Mad Demon! Vice Berserker! And Medium Piece Golem!"

Jack played three monsters from his hand– bypassing the normal rules of the game to do so as two fiendish creatures, Mad Demon (4/1800/0), Vice Berserker (4/1000/1000) and another, smaller and more basic looking rock monster, Medium Piece Golem (4/1600/0) appeared in front of Jack.

"Now attack en masse!" Jack yelled, holding out his hand.

Gally could see it now. When he was on the D-Wheel, as ridiculous as it was, he was in control. The TV star persona was still there, but the core of Jack's character – a solitary fighter who knew he was strong – was now the one she faced. She could see the shadow of Jashugan in Jacks' gaze – now far from that distant image of a Yugo running away from a broken town – but a champion who knew he was destined for great things.

Mad Demon was first to attack, chewing up a skull in the center of it's body with it's fanged stomach and spitting a stream of bones at her from it's chest region. Gally could outmaneuver them easily enough, but Vice Berserker and Medium Piece Golem were ready for her. Still, with her experiences in the Motorball champions' league, this was a cakewalk. She veered to the right, the bones missing entirely as Jack's Berserker approached. She spun around, reversing the traction of her skates to punch it in the face, shattering apart the lanky fiend.

Next was Medium Piece Golem, the Rock monster leaping in front of her and headbutting her. It was dense enough to hurt even with her helmet on. Gally yelled and spun, using the Damascus Blade she'd used to attack Power Giant to cleave the smaller rock beast in half, the halves falling on the track before they shattered. Jack grimaced as he took a bit more damage (3700 → 2800).

Then more shards of bone came her way. Gally grimaced and sped up, trying to get free enough to attack Mad Demon at close range when something large, white, and circular slammed into her side. She yelled and fell down on the track, rolling on her side a few times to recover and get back on her feet, regaining momentum. When she looked up, she was shocked. Jack was driving on very edge of the canopy, driving upside-down and backwards as he laughed down at her.

"In this game, I'm not just a king that observes his pawns! I'm one who leads them in the field of battle to make sure they are victorious!" Jack said with a smirk, extending out a hand of his white riding suit.

Gally chuckled, impressed that he himself had attacked her despite his human limitations. "incredible. That D-Wheel of yours is designed for something like that. But now that you've attacked me yourself, will you be upset if I return the favor?" She asked.

"No! Come at me with full force, if you can!" Jack said theatrically as he turned around instantly, sloping back down the track until his wheel was on the ground once again. It was practically a seamless movement – Jack had mastered such a machine to the highest level that was possible for him, it seemed.

"Bear your fangs at the King!" He challenged as Gally followed.

"Alright then!" Gally said, racing down the slope herself and building up speed.

"Now I'll use this trap card – Powerful Rebirth!" Jack suddenly declared as a white blast of energy appeared beside him. "Revive, Dark Resonator!" The King declared. Then a small robed imp carrying a mallet and tuning fork appeared beside him and her, giggling as Jack's trap powered it up (3 → 4/1300 → 1400/300 → 400).

"Something like that won't stand a chance against my Panzer Kunst!" Gally said with a yell, leaping from the track and grabbed onto Dark Resonator, stabbing it with her Damascus blade and spinning around to slam it into the ground and off of her sword as her momentum carried her back on the track. The imp simply chuckled and then vanished into four rings of light that flew by Gally as Jack held out a white card.

"It won't need to stand a chance if I do this!" Jack yelled and then began to chant.

"The Ruler's Heartbeats will now file through here! Bear witness to a power which will shake all of creation!"

"Oh no!"

Gally thought, her large eyes widening. "The same kind of Summon as Yusei's Junk Warrior!?"Gally grit her teeth as she increased her velocity, drifting from one edge of the track's half-pipe ring to the other, trying to gain enough momentum to attack Jack directly and disable his craft with a well-timed stab.

She almost made it, four green stars from the fading body of Mad Demon flying past her to intersect through the four tuning rings.

"Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Demon's Dragon!" Jack yelled, as his two monsters on the field vanished.

A pillar of green shot past her, almost bowling her over, and Gally backed down as the colossal dragon appeared from the summon with a roar. It's bulky black hide was accented with a crimson pattern on it's chest, and the same crimson on the underside of it's neck, tail, and limbs. It flew on two strong black wings with red membrane on the inside and roared, the three yellow-white horns resembling a demonic crown of sorts as it looked to her with narrow yellow eyes. (8/3000/2000).

"Now feel Red Demon's crimson-iron blow! Absolute Power Force!" Jack roared, spinning his craft again so he could see his monster attack while he accelerated, and swinging his hand back for emphasis.

The fist of Red Demon's ignited in a blazing swath, the dragon slamming it down upon the track. Being much smaller than the creature, Gally had no choice but to dodge. She evaded the fist but the shockwave was another thing all together – an explosion that sent her reeling. Gally recovered enough to re-focus on Jack, ensuring she'd have a window to plan another attack.

"Keep her on her feet, Red Demons!" Jack commanded, still driving backwards and now upside-down again as his gaze taunted her. "Scorching Crimson Hell Flare!"

Fire built up in the monster's mouth and Gally wanted to complain at how versatile the creature she was fighting was. A spiral of fire blasted out of it's mouth and she had to skate on the lip of the ring again, finding herself eye level with Jack as she avoided the flames by using the momentum she'd built up to stick to the top of the track.

Then she realized that sooner or later, she'd have to fight the dragon itself to even touch Jack. The red and black creature was nothing if not devoted to it's master – placing itself in between Jack and herself. Gally leapt off the lip of the arena, soaring through the air with a yell and slashing through the membrane of a wing. She ended up landing behind the dragon and skating away from Jack's path as she had gotten the monsters' attention. It roared in pain and anger from her strike, causing it to lose some balance as it corrected it's flight pattern.

"Not finished yet, Red Demon's! Demon Meteor!" Jack yelled.

Gally cursed. "How many attacks does that damn thing have!?"

The next was as described, a meteor that the dragon summoned just by pointing it's clawed hand towards her, a small burning rock falling from the sky to where she was skating. This time Gally stopped and cut her speed completely and reversing the traction of her wheels, letting the attack hit where she would be if she'd still been accelerating forwards, dust and debris flying from the impact.

Then she was in the clear. Gally focused everything into her skates again moving forwards, avoiding more fire from the dragon's mouth as she built up momentum, then she spun around and readied her fist. The dragon was close, and at the moment attacking it head-on was the best strategy – if she could beat this monster, she was certain she would win.

"Absolute Power Force!" Jack yelled a second time.

"Herzta Heion!"Gally countered as Red Demon's burning fist connected with her own vibrating fist charged with plasma.

The resulting explosion from the colliding forces sent her flying, her right arm blown clean off from the elbow up as she crashed against the outer barrier of the track, grunting as her helmet helped cancel most of the impact. As for Red Demon's the dragon recoiled a chipped and smoking fist, burned and twisted fingers completely caved in and warped from the cyborg's punch.

The dragon roared in both pain and pride as it was still able to stay upright and Gally heard Nova's voice on the other end of her intercom.

"Gally, that's a lot of power for the device to process. I didn't design this system to deal with monsters of this size. We'll have to stop the demonstration for now." Nova said.

Gally exhaled in disappointment she couldn't continue the fight with such a creature, but also with the smallest tinge of relief. Considering the last run-in with a dragon she'd had, Gally didn't want to take her chances if things could get this dicey from a friendly match.

"A splendid match. Now I hope the two of you understand each others' power. The two of you performed excellently. Now let's return before either of you inflict any permanent damage on the other." Godwin's voice said.

Jack looked disappointed as well, but complied and stopped his D-Wheel in front of Gally as she stood up. Then the injured Red Demon's Dragon vanished as Jack removed the card from his Duel Disk.

"I didn't see it at first, but now I can see how you're called the King." Gally admitted to him with a smile. "I hope Yusei wins the main tournament so I can see your rematch." She said as she stood up and Jack frowned.

"Yusei will face me again. I didn't give him Stardust Dragon just so he'd lose to some nobody." The blond man said. "Now do we need to recover your arm?" He asked, glancing to the charred limb smoking in the middle of the wrecked track.

/

The healing process was more painless than Gally thought as Nova injected her with the restorer robots he'd had in reserve, the charred and broken arm re-configuring with the rest of her body as the Imaginos did most of the work. Gally sat beside Jack, the two of them relaxing from the earlier bout while the ground crew did their best to repair the stadium for the tournament.

"Now that Yusei has Stardust Dragon again, what reason would he have to stay in the City?" Gally asked.

Jack scoffed. "He and I both want a rematch." Jack said, taking a sip of his coffee. "And what about you? Why so much interest in the City? And in my dead friendship with Yusei?" Jack asked her.

"Well it's a similar situation to the place I came from back home." Gally said. "A big power gap between the rich and poor. And a close friend who wanted to go to a city in the clouds. He never made it, but you and Yusei both did. I want to see what you both choose to do with that dream now that you're here."

"Hmph! Didn't I already make my choice?" Jack asked, exhaling.

"Well earlier today, you chose to return Yusei's card. I think that may have gone a further distance than you realize." Gally said with a grin, thinking of Rally and the rest of Yusei's friends when they talked about seeing him summon the card.

"And what about Yusei? What do you think he'll do now that he's in the City?" Jack asked.

Gally shrugged. "I don't know. I don't see him as the kind of person to turn away from his friends. But at the same time he wants to settle things with you. He'll give it all he has when the time comes. And even if this tournament didn't happen, you'd still want to settle things with him. This Fortune Cup is just a way for you and Godwin to both get what you want."

Jack frowned. "Godwin's planning something." The man pulled back his sleeve to reveal a red mark on his right arm, resembling a pair of wings. "And I'm part of it somehow."

Gally blinked at the mark. "What's that?"

Jack shrugged. "I don't know. It's a birthmark I've had my whole life. But now it's acting strange. When I dueled Yusei last, this mark started glowing. And so did Yusei's."

"He's got one of those too?" Gally asked. Jack nodded.

"Godwin thinks we're some kind of ancient warriors that get reincarnated every five-thousand years. I don't really see why that's so important, but that's why he's hosting this tournament." Jack said.

Gally frowned. "Who's all going to be at this tournament?" She asked.

Jack pressed a button and behind her, a number of contestant appeared, Yusei among them.
"So out of these people Godwin wants to gather the rest of these 'Signers'? " Gally asked. Jack nodded.

Gally smiled. "Then if I can't compete in the tournament myself, I'll do something else. I have an idea." She said, looking at Nova who looked back with a nervous look on his face.