Something Famished

"My turn." Crow began, adding one more card to his hand.

Silver: 4000 Crow: 4000

"I summon Blackwing - Bora the Spear!"

A spear wielding winged-beast appeared, it stood beside the more powerful Armor Master, cocking its feather covered head. (4/1700/800)

"Blackwing Armor Master, attack Giganticastle!" Crow ordered.

"I counter with Draining Shield!"

The armored winged-beast flew towards the much larger Giganticastle, but before his fist strike it it was stopped by an invisible barrier, after which Silver shone with a bright aura as his Life Points increased.

Silver: 4000 - 6500 Crow: 4000

"Draining Shield negates your attack and increases my Life Points by the Attack Points of your monster." Silver explained.

Crow smiled. "I end my turn."

"Silver manages to survive Crow's turn unscathed, how will his turn go now?!" The MC said, providing a not-so-needed summary of Crow's turn.

"My turn." Silver drew, making his hand consist of three cards. "I tribute Giganticastle to summon Great Maju Garzett."

Crow was somewhat suprised seeing his opponent get rid of his level nine Synchro monster so easily, now that he thought of it a level nine synchro summon wasn't so easy for most duelists to begin with. '… this guy …'

Giganticastle disappeared and the monster that appeared in its place, while not as large as the former, was much more imposing. It possesed odd blue skin, two horns protruded from the top of its head and tufts of hair from below its shoulder guards, it stood with its arms folded, its eyes staring and its alien-like mouth in an uncomprehendible state. (6/0 - 5800/0)

"Crap!" Crow cursed.

"Great Maju Garzett's attack points are equal to double the original Attack Points of the monster tributed to summon him, Giganticastle's original Attack Points were 2900 … hence the 5800." Silver explained. "Now, Great Maju Garzett will attack Bora the Spear."

"With his monster's overwhelming power Silver aims to take Crow out in one strike!"

"Not so fast pal," Crow pushed a button on his Duel Disk. "I activate Icarus Attack! By tributing Bora the Spear I can destroy your Maju Garzett and your face-down card." The spear wielding monster disappeared.

"I'll chain my face-down card." Silver stated, and like Crow's his reversed card flipped up, his was green rather than Crow's red. "I activate the Quickplay Spell Card: My Body As A Shield, by paying 1500 Life Points I can negate Icarus Attack and destroy it.

Silver: 6500 - 5000 Crow: 4000

The chain resolved, culminating in Crow's Trap Card's destruction and a loss of Bora the spear, despite this Crow didn't seem bothered. "Now that Bora, the original attack target, is gone a replay is triggered, you can either attack Armor Master or not." He smirked.

"I'll attack Armor Master." Silver replied. "Then I activate Forbidden Chalice, your monster's effect is negated and in return it gets a 400 Attack Points boost."

Crow's smile vanished at that point, a frown replacing it as Armor Master gained power. (7/2500 - 2900/1500)

The more-than-capable fiend lunged at the flying warrior, with suprising power he jumped, easily reaching Armor Master and delivering a powerful punch right to its face.


"… snow?" Yusei turned around instinctively, half expecting the sight before him. The corridor was gone, he didn't seem to be in the building or Neo domino anymore.

It was a vast expanse of thick snow covered land. The sky was overcast, not a ray of sunlight permeated the dense clouds above, and as far as he could see there wasn't a single object. He decided to explore, there wasn't anything he could do besides that.

'It's just like that time in the stadium …' he mused, cluching his sides. As though his nerves had been numb a second ago, a sudden cold feeling enveloped him. Walking was made difficult by the snow, and as his feet were touching the ground the snow was halfway to his knees, his breathing was laboured as a result.

Back at Yusei's place of work Aki had gotten directed to his office and had begun making her way there, as she walked through the corridors she found herself wishing she wore thicker clothing, the building felt rather cold.


Crow could only watch, mouth agape as his Armor Master shattered upon coming in contact with the ground.

Silver: 5000 Crow: 4000 - 1100

"Amazing! Silver has turned the table around with his behemoth of a monster!" The MC bellowed. "Almost a 4000 Life Points difference exists between our two competitors now, how will Crow react!"

"I set a card face-down and end my turn." Silver stated. Crow grit his teeth in annoyance as the reversed card appeared.

"My turn, draw." Crow took a deep breath, managing a smile afterwards. "I'll have to admit, you got me, I didn't expect such a brutal respond."

"Thank you?" Silver said, uncertain as to why his opponent was praising him.

"Don't expect me to back down though, I'll match your backlash with a bit of mine." Crow said. Against a monster with 5800 Attack Points, he had to admit, mounting a comeback was difficult. His deck was more focused on quickly pumping out monsters with decent strength than it was on powering them up to monstrous levels.

With Sirocco he could achieve such a feat, but his current hand didn't allow for that, he only had one plan with which he could get rid of Great Maju Garzett. "I activate Black Whirlwind!"

Crow's signature Continuous Spell Card appeared, Silver frowning as he saw it.

"I summon Blackwing - Calima the Haze."

A peculiar looking bird appeared, it was shrouded in some kind of mist but its pink feathered body was still visible. (4/600/1800)

"Using Black Whirlwind's effect, I can add a Blackwing monster with less Attack Points than Calima's to my hand." Crow added his chosen card to his hand. "I choose the tuner monster: Oroshi the Squall, and since I control a different Blackwing monster, his effect allows me to special-summon him."

More a traditional bird than the rest, the new Blackwing monster appeared flying beside Calima, its blue eyed staring at the opposing creature. Most of its feathers were black, its beak was a light-brown colour as was its feet. (1/400/600)

"Now I tune Oroshi the Squall to Calima."

Oroshi transformed into a single green ring Camila flew into. The pink feathered bird turned into four stars.

"Synchro summon! Blackwing - Gram the Shining Star!"

Silver armour gleamed as the Synchro monster emerged from the light. Like Armor Master, Gram was humanoid in build but his armour allowed his avian traits more visibility. Brandishing a silver katana with inscriptions in gold, two large wings protruded from Gram's back, keeping him airborne with the aid of four smaller wings, one protruding from on each arm and ankle. (5/2200/1500)

"Both Jin and Gram's effects activate," Crow continued. "Jin, when sent to the graveyard for a Synchro Summon allows me to switch the battle position of a monster on the field."

Predictably Great Maju Garzett took a defensive stance, the ever inscrutable Silver not moving at all as this occured.

"Gram's effect allows me to special-summon a non-tuner Blackwing monster from my hand." Crow paused for a while. "I'll summon Fane the Steel Chain."

A humanoid Blackwing monster garbed in clothes that wouldn't feel out of place in feudal Japan appeared, it was much smaller compared to the Synchro monster. (2/500/800)

"Fane the Steel Chain, attack Great Maju Garzett!"

The immense power the fiend held mattered little as the smaller winged-beast lunged at him, against its nonexistent Defense Points, Fane the Steel Chain couldn't have an easier battle, he shattered instantly as the Blackwing struck him.

"Gram will attack you directly!"

The armoured winged-beast slashed Silver swiftly, seemingly aiming to split the masked duelist into two symmetrical halves.

"I activate Defense Draw." Silver said, his lone reversed card flipping up. "This reduces the damage to zero and allows me to draw one card."

"I end my turn with a face-down card." Crow stated, a reversed card appearing before him.

"Crow has regained control of this duel, managing to get rid of Silver's behemoth!" The MC bellowed. "Great Maju Garzett has proven to be a formidable monster, also causing problems for Silver's previous opponents."

"My turn, draw." Silver said.

'He has two cards in his hand, he doesn't have so many options.' Crow thought.

"I set a monster and end my turn." Silver said after a while.

Crow's eyes lit up. 'This is my chance!'


Yusei was tired and exhausted, he was sure he would be sweating profusely had it not been for the extremely cold weather. He had been walking foward for more than thirty minutes now, he was sure of the time because he had sung an entire album, an entire album! And not one shred of change had he seen in the landscape, only the same expanse of snow.

He looked up slowly, still no rays of light penetrated the clouds, things were looking bleak. He had no idea how he got there, all he did was turn at the end of the corridor. So far, there was no magical gate to take him back, no villain to laugh in his face and claim superiority, no otherwordly being to welcome him, no reason whatsoever for his being there.

The cold was starting to get to him, he was sure if he stayed there any longer he could die. His mind went back to the thing that happened in the stadium, unlike that experience which only elicited emotional response, he seemed to actually be in another world, his nervous system actually worked and he could touch the snow in which he walked.

Yusei felt a cold feeling on his nose. 'Snow, perhaps.' The truth was far worse, however, and Yusei found himself shouting for help as sleet began falling. "Help!"


"Yusei?" Aki muttered.

Forty-five minutes she had spent waiting for the scientist to return from wherever he went, and she was frustrated. Irritated and annoyed she decided to go find him herself. She left a note informing him she was in the building and telling him to call her in the case that while she was gone he actually returned.

Unbeknowst to her, she began treading the same path Yusei formerly followed. As she arrived at the end of the corridor she turned … and met herself with yet another corridor. Sighing, she continued her searching, making sure not to disturb the other scientists who would obviously be doing research of their own.


"I summon Blackwing Zephyros the Elite!"

Like its name suggested, what was perhaps the most battle ready of the non-synchro Blackwing monsters appeared. Sporting golden gaunlets and boots on its hands and feet the new winged-beast was garbed in suitable battle garment. The feathers on its head were blue in colour while its wing feathers were black and blue at the ends. (4/1600/1000)

"Black Whirlwind effect activates, I'll use its effect to add Breeze the Zephyr to my hand." Crow began. "I'll use Breeze's effect, which allows me to special-summon him when he's added to my hand by a card effect."

A winged-beast with amber coloured feathers appeared, unlike the rest of Blackwings on the field its build wasn't humanoid, it looked more like a normal bird. (3/1100/300)

"Now I'll tune Breeze to Zephyros the Elite."

Breeze transformed into three green rings, Zephyros flew into the center of the rings and transformed into four stars right before a beam of light shot through the rings.

"Synchro summon! Blackwing Armor Master!"

Crow smirked as the armoured Blackwing appeared, its eyes gleaming dangerously. (7/2500/1500)

"Didn't think I only had one copy did you?" Crow taunted. "I activate Zephyros the Elite's effect, once per duel, by returning a face-up card I control to my hand, I can special summon him from the graveyard."

Crow's Continuous Spell Card returned to his hand and the gaunlet wearing Blackwing reappeared. (4/1600/1000)

Silver: 5000 Crow: 1100 - 700

"I lose 400 Life Points after using Zephyros' effect, but that doesn't matter now, next I'll activate Black Whirlwind." Crow said as the holographic renderation of the Continuous Spell Card reappeared.

"Crow has increased the Life Points Gap to 4300, but now he has an army of monsters with sufficient power to end the duel now!" The MC said. "But does Silver have a trick up his sleeve?!"

"Zephyros the Elite, attack his reversed monster!"

Crow groaned loudly as the reversed monster was revealed to be a certain yellow chick he had seen before.

"Cheepcheepcheep's effect activates," Silver said as the chick was destroyed. "I can now special-summon a level five or higher tuner monster from my deck, I'll choose Genomox Fighter."

A beastly humanoid garbed in advanced armor appeared, its antennae perking up as though percieving something. (6/2200/1100)

"Armor Master, attack!"

Armored fist smashed into the psychic type monsters gut, destroying it, it fufilled its role was however, as its master would survive to see another turn.

Silver: 5000 - 4700 Crow: 700

"Gram the Shining Star will attack you directly!" Crow declared and the Blackwing obliged, finally able to damage the ever evasive masked duelist.

Silver: 4700 - 2500 Crow: 700

"I switch Fane the Steel Chain to defense position, that ends my turn." Crow stated, the winged-beast in feudal era clothes taking a defense stance.

"My turn." Silver said, drawing a card.

"Silver's on the ropes now, against Crow's current line-up of Blackwings, things are not looking so bright for him."

"I activate Pot of Dichotomy." A bizarre looking jar appeared before the masked duelist as the Spell Card was played. "This card allows me to shuffle three monsters of different types into my deck, then draw two cards. I'll shuffle the Psychic-type Genomix Fighter, Warrior-type Marmitting Captain and Winged-beast-type Cheepcheepcheep."

Silver shuffled the aforementioned cards into his deck, drawing two cards, making for a total of three cards in his hand. "You realize you can use the destiny draw, right?"

Crow was rather surprised at the question, he had almost forgotten about it, but that was besides the point, why would Silver remind him? "Yes, why do you ask?"

"No reason." Silver answered dismissively. "I end my turn."

"Silver ends his turn with his field bare, could this be him accepting defeat?!" The MC bellowed in disbelief.

Crow narrowed his eyes, the common reason for a bare field would be because one wanted to use Gorz the Emissary of Darkness, but since Armor Master could end the duel with a single attack that didn't seem like a feasible plan. Stalling was another reason though, but the question concerning the destiny draw nagged at Crow.

"My turn, draw." He decided against the destiny draw. "Blackwing Armor Master, attack him directly!"

It seemed as though the attack would go through, Armor Master got dangerously close to Silver but the appearance of a small pendulum shaped fiend stopped it. (1/0/0)

"I activate Battle Fader's effect, when you declare a direct attack, I can special-summon it and end the battle phase afterwards." Silver stated.

Crow grit his teeth in annoyance, Jack used that card too. Realizing he couldn't end the duel that turn, Crow paused to think, looking down at his reversed card. 'Fake feather, I could copy Draining Shield with it … but just to be safe …'

"I switch Zephyros to defense position and set a card face-down, turn end!" A reversed card appeared as the gauntlet wearing Blackwing knelt defensively.

"My turn, draw." Silver added a card to his hand. "I summon Masked Chameleon."

A bizarre looking chameleon appeared next to the small fiend, its long red tongue stuck out of its mouth, swishing about as its blue eyes scanned the area. (4/1600/1100)

'A tuner monster.' Crow noted.

"Masked Chameleon's effect activates, upon normal summoning him I can special-summon in defense position a monster from my graveyard which possesses 0 Defense Points." Silver continued. "I only have one, Great Maju Garzett."

The fiend which once terrorized Crow reappeared, though now it possessed no power whatsoever. (6/0/0)

"I tune Masked Chameleon to Great Maju Garzett and Battle Fader."

"Level 11?!" Crow blurted.

Masked Chameleon transformed into four green rings which both fiends flew into, a beam of light shot through the center of the rings.

"Synchro summon, Star Eater!"

Large red wings flapped as the light dissipated, revealing a large red dragon easily as big as Giganticastle was. The dragon let out a loud roar as its serpentine body slithered around. (11/3200/2800)

"Ooh! Silver has brought out a synchro monster he has yet to use! Boasting 3200 Attack Points, could it spell Crow's doom?!" The MC screamed.

Crow found himself surprised again at the sight of another of Silver's synchro monsters, his deck was turning out to be peculiar.

"Star Eater, attack Gram and end this duel!" Silver said, his voice, for once, not being its usual dreary tone.

"I activate Black Sonic!" Crow countered, his reversed card flipping up. "I can activate this when you attack a Blackwing monster I control, it banishes all attack position monsters you control." However, Crow frowned as the red dragon let loose a blast of fire from its maw, unpertubed by the Trap Card.

Silver explained. "When Star Eater attacks, it's unaffected by other cards effect until the end of the damage step."

Crow recoiled at this revelation. "You got me …" he sighed.

The flame washed over the silver armored Blackwing, incinerating it along with the rest of Crow's Life Points.

Silver: 2500 Crow: 700 - 0

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the winner of this duel, and the finalist is the masked marauder, Silver!"

"You got me." Crow repeated.

"Good game." Silver stated.

Jack huffed, he had seen enough. Silver's deck didn't follow any glaring themes in terms of monsters, the focus was on high level synchro summoning in the 8 to 11, maybe 12, levels. Jack had to admit it was smart of him to conceal Star Eater, but Jack had seen that so it had lost its edge, and unlike Crow, Jack had raw power to match Silver's so there was no deck advantage present.

While Jack prepared himself for a final match he was yet to qualify for, Jun got ready for her big match. 'Finally…'


Yusei's eyes opened slowly, everything looked blurry, where was he? He winced in pain as he attempted to sit up, only to have someone push him down gently.

"Yusei, relax."

There were two people looking down at him, one had brown hair, the other's was red, Aki perhaps? "W-what … happened?" He weakly said.

"You fell." Aki - he assumed - replied.

"I-I … fell?" He repeated slowly. His head was throbbing painfully, he couldn't remember anything. How he got here, how he fell, where he fell, were all lost on him.

"Mr Fudo, you need to rest." A male voice said. Not having the energy to oppose, Yusei complied, yawning drowsily.

"Doctor, will he be okay?" Aki asked, visibly worried.

"Apart from the concussion he should be fine." The brown haired man in the white cost replied. "No need to get too worked up."

"Are you sure?"

"We'll run some tests on him, but I think its safe to relax now, he's okay." The doctor affirmed.

Being a medical student herself Aki knew that much, but frantic as she was, she couldn't trust any of her inferences, all she knew was that she found Yusei lying at the bottom of the staircase, unconscious. She had alerted the others in the building and Yusei had been taken to the hospital, thankfully he was okay.

She looked down at him, even while he slept he still had the same stoic expression he was known for, as if it would kill him to smile once in a while. She left the room to give him time to rest, she would visit him later.

"Aki!"

"Crow?!" A shocked Aki asked. "Don't you have a match right now?"

"Nah, it's over, I heard that Yusei got sent to the hospital, what happened?"

"I'm not sure exactly, but he seems to have fallen down some stairs."

"Is he okay?"

"Yes." She replied. "The doctor said he was only concussed, he's sleeping right now."

Sighing in relief, Crow began walking out the hospital with Aki. "How did the duel against Silver go?" Aki asked.

"Good, I lost."

"What? Really?" Aki blurted out rather loudly, luckily they were already out the hospital.

"Yeah, he pulled one heck of a powerful red dragon out of his hat." Crow smiled.

"Wow." Aki voiced her disbelief, she had always expected Crow and Jack to meet up in the final. "So Jack is dueling right now, aren't you going to watch?"

"I will, just wanted to make sure Yusei was alright first." Crow replied. "I don't think Jack even needs us to cheer him on, he's been on his A-game recently. Besides one upset victory is enough for today, a second would just be absurd."