Yu-Gi-Oh!: Death Race 5D's:
Chapter 10:
Stage 3: Part 2: Stardust Phantom vs Red Demon
A/N: Here it is, chapter 10! The one where you've all (most of you, I'm assuming) been waiting for! The final showdown between Jack and Yusei; Mano ey Mano, one on one! However, before we can get to the duel, there will be a short interlude leading up to it. Fair warning, this will likely be a lengthy chapter. A large part of it is mainly duel, and then what follows afterwards. I'm not sure how many words there will be, but I'm expecting it to be anywhere from 10 - 15K+. So strap in, as we are leading up to the epilogue of Death Race 5D's!
As the final day of the last duel of the Death Race approached, all of the male prisoners within Satellite's Facility were huddled up together in the Facility's Prison Yard, staring up at the man that had organized this little "get together"; Rex Goodwin, warden and officiater of this prison, and brother to the recently late Roman Goodwin. Uncommonly and suspiciously without his "jester in crime", the clown midget, Lazar. What none of the prisoners had suspected, but only a few speculated, was that at this very moment, Lazar and his two "lapdogs" that always followed the snivelling coward, were sabotaging Yusei's or as many of the occupants of the prison only knew of his stage name - the infamous, Phantom's duel runner; by attaching and arming a small explosive device hidden underneath the underside of the vehicle's frame.
Goodwin always had a contingency in case his initial plans never came to fruition. At this very moment, was one of those plans being enacted. The last remaining Goodwin knew that his threats and his "promises" to one, Yusei Fudo weren't taken lightly, and the young man continued to thin out the older gentleman's patience. This act was a contingent to his original plan; which was to have Jack Atlas - his stage name, Red Demon - remove Yusei, permanently. He had hoped that Jack would deliver on his end of the deal before the final race, but despite his threats to endanger the livelihood of Jack's lover - Carly Carmine - the Red Demon seemed to be set on crushing his rival in the last race of the season.
What he was doing at the moment was to delay Yusei and his crew long enough to allow Lazar and his men time to set up the bomb, set to kill Yusei and Akiza should Jack fail in his mission. The Goodwin patriarch had little doubt in his mind that Yusei was able to charm Akiza into giving him vital information regarding her captivity and the longstanding illegal actions that Yliaster has been a part of and has covered up over the years. She was a loose end that had to be pulled, and once he was finished with her, just as he had promised her all that time ago, her parents would be his next targets.
While Goodwin addressed the crowd of prisoners of why he had gathered them together, and was giving this absurd notion, that these prisoners, these "men, worst of the worst, rapists, murderers, sons and fathers were his heroes" despite not too long ago had said that they were unfit to live in the public of society. He went on to saying that tonight may be the first time in the Facility's history of when a participant could become the first man to win 5 Death Races and earn his freedom. This caught the attention of the final two contestants of the dangerous game; Jack Atlas and Yusei Fudo.
However, the both of them knew the real truth. That despite all of his false promises, there was one undeniable truth; no one was going to win 5 races. No one was going to win and earn their freedom. They were all going to remain here, rot in the grip of Goodwin's corruption, and he would continue this, until the day of his death. They would remain here, on this unforgivable, forsaken island, trapped within these walls, awaiting their final judgement. In here, Goodwin was - is - judge, jury and executioner. There was no escaping his wrath. But unfortunately for the Goodwin Head, that was all about to come crashing down.
When Goodwin received word from Lazar that everything had been completed to the letter, he sent the prisoners back to their normal duties, while the two remaining contestants would use this time to polish up on their duelling strategies, decks, and improve the performance on their runners, the inevitable clash between Jack and Yusei fast approached.
Standing in his cell, wearing full Phantom gear, with the exception of the gray and white mask, Yusei didn't have to wait much longer as Akiza had entered. Turning around, the young 28 year old, took a good, last, longing look to his partner. Whether this foolhardy plan of his - as she so eloquently called it - worked or not, this would be the last time that they would see each other, for a number of months if it worked, or never again if they failed. Staring into Yusei's intense gaze, the redhead suddenly felt self conscious, looking away in embarrassment, with her cheeks flushed a deep pink. In a meek tone, she proclaimed, "Yusei… you're making me blush…"
Flashing a grin, that looked a lot like a smug smirk, Yusei took two small strides towards the 26 year old, redheaded beauty. Placing one of his gloved hands on her waist, and the forfinger and thumb of his other beneath her chin; he tilted her face to look him in the eye. The close proximity to Yusei's intense stare caused the petite redhead's legs to go weak, and if it wasn't for the strong hand gripping her waist, she would've fallen into him. Despite their current circumstances, she didn't mind that train of thought. In the last few days' hours that she had come to know the man in front of her, she had trusted him with all of her most closely guarded secrets, rather than the group of men that she had been a team member of for a few years.
She didn't understand why, at first. Realistically, this sort of thing only happened in cheesy romance films and in fairy tales. She hadn't known the man longer than a week, but as they both relayed to the other after the previous round, it felt as though she had known him for most of her life; as if she had known him since childhood. Beyond his physically attractive good looks, she was drawn to him because of his kindness and honesty. True, they had hit a rough patch in the beginning, but after telling each of other of their reasons for being here, and their trust, they had immediately warmed up to the other. She knew it was far too soon to be in love with the man. That would come in time, but she knew with 110% certainty that her feelings were beyond friendship, and she knew with just as much certainty that he felt the same for her. Which made the realization that this would be the last they meet all that more harder for the both of them.
Watching the gears turn in her head, Yusei spoke up before she had the chance to say what she wanted; "I know. Trust me when I say, it isn't easy for me either, but we both know that unless we do something, none of us are getting out of here. It's not ideal, but it's the only plan we got. If we make it out alive, and we do get to see each other again, you can tear me a new one as soon as you feel like it." Akiza giggled and was thankful for Yusei's attempt at lightening the depressing mood that seemed to have settled between them. Continuing with his light hearted joke, she replied, "I'll hold you to that."
Her reward for her efforts was a smile, and this time she had no doubts that it was real and genuine. Seeing him like this made her want to throw caution to the wind, and claim his mouth with her own, but she had to steel herself. If she had done so, she wouldn't be able to follow up on the plan. It would be too much for her to handle should Yusei die if she had kissed him; she had never felt this way towards another man before, and while she was sure that it was possible for her to learn to trust another man again, she didn't want that man to not be Yusei. Seeing her struggle made Yusei's heart ache. She had already suffered more than most people go through in a lifetime, and she didn't deserve any of it, nor did she deserve to be punished now. Gently, Yusei pulled her into a warming embrace that she immediately reciprocated. The thoughtfulness of his gesture warmed her heart and helped her calm her nerves. After a moment's passing, they separated, however, still within each other's reach.
After separating, Yusei's expression hardened, and she knew the time for being close had passed, and the time to get serious was now. Eventually, the two let go of one another, and without so much as saying a word, Yusei placed the hauntingly accursed helmet-mask upon his face, and left his cell, with Akiza following closely behind.
Yusei made himself known as he stepped out of the tunnel, whereas Akiza went in a different direction, already heading towards the pits, where the rest of Yusei's team - Crow, Kalin, Bruno and Yanagi - were waiting for him. As soon as he stepped into the hallway of this section of the prison, every inmate in their cells chanted his name in unison as he was escorted to the track not by Lazar, but by the clown's guards. However, Yusei drowned out everyone and all the noise they were making, focusing on the task at hand. Recalling his talk with Jack, he remembered that they both had to put on a show, using their full strength, as to not to give Goodwin or any other guard, especially, Lazar the incentive that they were working together. If they slipped up for even a moment, than they were as good as dead before they got started. Steeling himself, Yusei was already being unshackled by the time he had his head in the game.
Looking towards his teammates, each of them gave them their support as he sat himself into the now very familiar Duel Runner. He could feel Akiza slide in beside him, and her hands clutch to him, silently giving him her own non-verbal support. Looking over to his right, he could see Jack, not ten feet from him, giving him an unperceivable nod in his direction, letting Yusei know that he was just as ready as he was. With everything going to plan so far, he returned his attention to the track ahead, and awaited for the countdown to end. Not much later, the sound for the duelists to start sounded off, and immediately, both duelists blasted off.
As was normal, the first duelist to make the first turn on the track is rewarded the first move of the duel. However, much like the second stage of the Death Race, the sword and shield pads, as well as the Death Heads are activated during the first lap. Seeing a Shield come up, Akiza directed Yusei to its destination. Though Yusei was ahead of Jack and crossed over the pad, just before Yusei could grab it, the pad's green glow, indicating it was active, shut off, and then as Yusei passed over it, it was lit up again as Jack crossed over it.
Back at the pits, Yusei's team was dumbfounded. How the hell did Jack get the Shield, if Yusei was out in front? It was Yanagi that gave the clear indication that Goodwin was making it especially hard; "Seems like our esteemed warden is making it that much harder for our guy to win." Kalin instantly recognized what the old man was saying; "Damn, he's not going to make this the least bit easy." Bruno's eyes lit up in anger at the sudden action having realized what was going on, as did Crow's once he caught on as well.
Over towards Yusei and Jack's positions, both Yusei and Akiza knew what had happened as soon as it occurred. Goodwin deactivated the Shield just before Yusei could grab it, and then reactivated it in order for Jack to gain an unfair advantage early on in the duel. As soon as Jack crossed over, a card popped out of his deck, a Speed Spell; one that would give Jack an extra boost. "Looks like I got luck on my side! I activate the Speed Spell - Overboost!" That wasn't good, the first turn on the track was fast approaching, and with a card like Overboost, Jack would have no problem, gaining the first turn. "In case you've forgotten-!" Yusei interjected before Jack could continue; "No I haven't. With Overboost, you gain six additional SPCs during your turn, but at the end phase, you're reduced to one."
Grinning triumphantly, Jack replied, "Too right, mate! And with it, you'll be eating my contrails!" Placing the green Spell Card into the S/T Zone, Jack's SPCs jumped from 0 to 6, just as Yusei and Jack knew they would. Suddenly, the thrusters at the rear of the Phoenix Whirlwind burst to life, as Jack skyrocketed towards the turn, leaving Yusei and Akiza in the dust.
Turn 1
Jack: LP:4000, SPC:6, Hand:6 cards, Field:0 cards, Graveyard:0 cards
Yusei:LP:4000, SPC:0, Hand:5 cards, Field:0 cards, Graveyard:0 cards
It took several minutes for Yusei to reach Jack, but by that point the latter was already far ahead from the former. As the tall, blonde drew from the top of his deck, his mind reeled at the recent turn of events. Yusei was a good meter and a half in front of Jack. Whereas the Phoenix Whirlwind was built mainly towards horsepower, Phan - no, Yusei's Black Chariot was built more towards speed and acceleration, giving him the upperhand. Yusei should've had more than enough time to grab the Shield before him, and yet, it deactivated before Yusei crossed over it. Jack much like Yusei and his team knew, that Goodwin was giving Jack an unfair advantage, sending him unwanted aid. Unfortunately, if Jack didn't use this to his advantage immediately, Goodwin would know something was up, so begrudgingly, he swallowed his pride, and made use of the card he needed.
Now that he was looking at the cards in hand, Jack knew that he could make Yusei's life even more hell for the time being. Not being given much of choice in the matter, Jack swiftly summoned his strongest and most powerful monster. "Hah! This just keeps getting better! Since I control no monsters on my field, I can Special Summon, Solar Wind Jammer straight from my hand!" From a blue portal appearing on the right of Jack's field, a purple, futuristic, pirate ship with sails on the top and underside of the structure sailed onto the field in defense position. It looked like something out of the Disney movie, Treasure Planet. It was a LIGHT Attribute, Level 5, Machine/Effect-Type Monster, with 800 ATK and 2400 DEF. However, as soon as it was summoned, its stats were cut in half; now sporting a mere 400 ATK and 1200 DEF.
By this point, Yusei already knew what was coming. Jack's deck was an odd combination of mostly level 5 and level 3 monsters, and some sparse level 4 monsters, with few monsters of levels 1, 2, and 6. Almost all of his higher leveled monsters had the ability to Special Summon themselves from his hand, at a cost, that wasn't much of one, since he could always Normal Summon a Tuner monster of the appropriate level. And since Solar Wind Jammer was a level 5, Yusei knew that his next monster was without a shadow of a doubt a level 3. "When Solar Wind Jammer is summoned in this matter, its original ATK and DEF are halved. In addition, during each of my next Standby Phases, this monsters level is increased by 1. But that hardly matters because it won't be staying for long! Next for my Normal Summon, I bring forth, Flare Resonator!"
Just like before, a blue portal appeared on Jack's field, and this time, a cousin of the infamous Resonator family appeared. Dressed in a similar manner to Dark Resonator, his fiery cousin looked like a twin, the only differences were color of his robes, and the small raging flame on its back. Besides that, it looked identical to his dark twin. Flare Resonator was a FIRE Attribute, Level 3, Fiend/Tuner-Effect Type Monster with 300 ATK and 1300 DEF; the reversed stats to Dark Resonator's own.
Unfortunately for Yusei, it was only going to get much more worse from here on out. Flare Resonator appeared to be weak, even compared to Resonator standards, but as Yusei knows from experience and use, every card has its worth, and shouldn't be based on stats alone. "Now, to Synchro Summon! I tune the Level 3 Flare Resonator and the Level 5 Solar Wind Jammer, to Synchro Summon a Level 8 Synchro Monster!"
Then, in a flash of light, Solar Wind Jammer and Flare Resonator were synchronized together through the process of Synchro Summoning, as Jack chanted; "The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! Level 8! My very soul, Red Dragon Archfiend!"
Bursting onto the seen in a fury of flames and hellfire, Jack's signature and favorite monster released a battle cry, the very ground itself shaking from the sheer power of the demonic dragon. Just as it descended and its pronged feet touched the asphalt of the track, a burning, red fiery aura engulfed Jack's Dragon, increasing its already staggering 3000 ATK to an incredible 3300 ATK. All of those in attendance, with the exception of Yusei were in awe of the creature, as Jack proclaimed his monster's sudden boost in power. "Thanks to the power of Flare Resonator, when it's used for a Synchro Summon, that monster's ATK is increased by 300!"
As if to demonstrate, Red Dragon Archfiend roared into the sky releasing a devastating inferno from its maw. Despite the distance between them, Yusei and Akiza could still feel the heat from the blaze. Smirking, Jack took two more cards in hand, and set them face-down, in two of his five unoccupied card zones, then ended his turn. "I think that's enough show and tell for now, so I'll be ending it with a two cards face-down! Your move!"
As Jack's turn took to a close, the after effect of Overboost kicked in, dropping Jack's SPCs from 6 to 1. However, as Yusei drew his card, and proclaimed his turn, Jack's SPCs went back up to 2, whereas Yusei's was only at 1, due to the rule of Turbo Duels: during each Standby Phase after the first turn, each duelists' SPCs increase by 1, unless there's a card and/or effect of an active card that says otherwise.
Turn 2
Jack:LP:4000, SPC:2, Hand:2 cards, Field:1 Monster and 2 Set S/T cards, Graveyard:2 Monster cards
Yusei:LP:4000, SPC:1, Hand:6 cards, Field:0 cards, Graveyard:0 cards
Analyzing the situation, Yusei wasn't having a good start. First off, Goodwin was being a cunt. Purposefully deactivating a Shield pad to give Jack the advantage in taking the first turn, then Jack summons his Red Dragon Archfiend - unsurprisingly with an additional power boost to boot. However as Yusei drew his next card, things might have started looking like they could be turned around. "Impressive move, Jack, but you're not the only one with a couple of tricks up your sleeve!"
Jack's raised brow and silence was all the confirmation Yusei needed to continue his turn. "First, I'll use a Speed Spell of my own! I activate Speed Spell - Count Up! With it, I can increase the number of SPCs I have by 1 for each card in my hand I discard, but I'll only need to do it once!" Sending the designated card to his Graveyard, Yusei's SPCs went from 1 to 2. Jack leered his eyes knowingly at Yusei. He was planning something…
Continuing with his turn, Yusei began again; "Next, I activate the Speed Spell - Angel Baton! Since I have at least 2 SPCs, I get to draw two cards, then I must discard one!" Drawing his next two cards, Yusei grinned behind the mask. "Perfect!" Grabbing a card from his hand, Yusei announced, "Now, I'll Normal Summon a Tuner Monster of my own; come forth, Hyper Synchron!" From a blue portal on Yusei's left, a blue and gold mechanically, armored machine with exhaust pipes attached to its back, and red eyes hidden beneath a face-mask, jumped from the portal, ready to do battle. It was a LIGHT Attribute, Level 4, Machine/Tuner-Effect Type Monster, with 1600 ATK and 800 DEF.
It was then that Jack caught onto Yusei's plan, and he didn't like where it was going. Hyper Synchron had the ability to increase the power of a Dragon Synchro Monster by 800 ATK points. Since Yusei's only Dragon Synchro Monster was Stardust Dragon, it proved to be a resourceful counter to Jack's own monster. Because Stardust Dragon has 2500 ATK combined with Hyper Synchron's effect, it would boost Stardust's power to become equal to his Red Dragon Archfiend's. Plus, a monster Synchro Summoned by Hyper Synchron also couldn't be destroyed in battle, if the two Dragons were to clash, Yusei's would be the one to survive. The only drawback to Hyper Synchron was that after two turns, that monster is banished from the field.
"Based on that knowing look of yours, you're aware of what my monster is capable of! But that's the least of your problems. Since I control a Tuner on my field, that card I discarded was none other than Quillbolt Hedgehog! Come back!" Another blue portal opened, this time to Yusei's right, as an orange hedgehog will bolts attached to its back jumped forth from the field, and took a defensive stance, indicated from its normal color turning blue. The little guy was an EARTH Attribute, Level 2, Machine-Effect Type Monster, with 800 ATK and DEF.
Immediately afterwards, Yusei took another card from his hand, and slammed it in between his other monsters. "But I'm far from done, Jack! When a monster from my Graveyard is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon another monster from my hand; meet, Doppelwarrior!" A third portal opened up, revealing a man in what looked to be black and grey combat gear, with a tan, shreaded cloth wrapped around his neck, and a futuristic weapon - probably a laser of some sort - wielded in his hands.
As was before, Jack's patience was waning thin, as Yusei seemed to be taking his sweet time during his turn. "God damn it, quit dicking around and make your move already!" Yeah, patience wasn't his strong suit. Smirking behind the mask, Yusei replied, "It's your funeral, "King". I tune my Level 4 Hyper Synchron, with the Level 2 Quillbolt Hedgehog and the Level 2 Doppelwarrior, to Synchro Summon a Level 8 Synchro Monster!"
Just like Jack's monsters, Yusei's were caught in the synchronization process, as the latter began chanting; "Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Level 8! Take Flight, Stardust Dragon!"
As the light faded, Stardust descended from above, as the audience in the pits and those in the prison, as well as the people watching the stream online, watching at home, were once again in awe of the regal, angelic dragon; a stark contrast to Jack's dark, demonic dragon. Watching as it continued to descend, Jack only had a single thought in mind, "Here it is…"
Like before, Yusei's dragon untangled its wings, legs and tail from its position, releasing a battle cry of its own, as Hyper Synchron's effect took hold, a blue aura, with a tint of gold shrouding Yusei's dragon as its power became equal to that of Jack's own dragon. However, just as Stardust settled into position, Doppelwarrior's effect activated. Just then, Yusei's monster field replenished back to 3 when two, smaller, mini Doppel Tokens were summoned alongside the regal dragon. "Forgot to mention, when Doppelwarrior is used for a Synchro Summon, two Doppel Tokens take his place!" Both of the Tokens were of a DARK Attribute, Level 1, with 400 ATK and DEF; half the level and stats of the previous Doppelwarrior.
"Now, let's get on with the main event! Stardust Dragon, attack Jack's Red Dragon Archfiend! Cosmic Flare!" The gathering of the silver, glittering starlight in Stardust's mouth was just about to be released, when a card on Jack's field, was flipped up. "I had hoped to use this later, but it looks like I don't have a choice! Activate, Half or Nothing!"
Suddenly, a large man clad in armor, stood between the two dragons as a mediator of sorts, caring two weapons, one in each hand; a golden, dual bladed, ornamental axe in the creature's right, and an old, battered, single bladed, war axe in his left. Yusei grunted in disapproval, already privy to the card's power. "Hmph, sorry, Phantom, but did you really believe I'd let you take down my Red Dragon Archfiend so easily?" Waiting for a reply, Yusei announced; "No, but it was worth a shot." Grinning, Jack responded, "Well, at least you're honest about it. But it doesn't matter now. You have a choice to make, Phantom! You can either, halve the ATK of all monsters on your field, or you can end the battle phase right now! Make your choice!"
Yusei had already made his choice before Jack finished his thought. "I choose to end the battle phase!" Immediately afterwards, the old, war axe disappeared, as the gold ornamental axe shined brightly, before the massive creature, slammed it into the ground. A wave of golden light enveloped Yusei's monsters, calming them before, he disappeared back into the ground below. Not having many options left, Yusei took hold of two cards in his hand, and set them face-down. Silently passing his turn over back to the so called "King".
Turn 3
Jack: LP:4000, SPC:3, Hand:3 cards, Field:1 Monster and 1 Set S/T card, Graveyard:2 Monsters and 1 Trap card
Yusei: LP:4000, SPC:3, Hand:0 cards, Field:1 Monster, 2 Tokens and 2 Set S/T cards, Graveyard:2 Monsters and 2 Spell cards, Banished:1 Monster
After coming back around and entering the second lap of the final Death Race, Jack knew he had to pick things up, and take it up to eleven. Jack and Yusei promised a show, and damn it, they were going to deliver. Because of Yusei's Tuner, Jack couldn't get rid of Stardust Dragon for the moment; however, Yusei's Tokens weren't as lucky. Due to Doppelwarrior's effect, the Tokens Yusei summoned must be placed in attack position, and with only a mere 400 ATK each, they weren't much to deal with. However, just to be on the safe side; "Before I make my move, I summon Power Supplier in attack position!"
Summoned next to Jack's demonic dragon, was a witch-like monster, wearing a spellcaster's robes, with some kind of energy fuel tank on its back, with a hose attached to it. Just as it was summoned, it suddenly, unceremoniously stabbed the hose into Red Dragon Archfiend's clawed arm. Roaring in pain, a sudden burst of energy flowed from the tank and into Jack's dragon, increasing the dragon's size and muscle mass; it's ATK increasing further from 3300 to 3700 ATK. It was then that Yusei realized Jack's new monster's ability. Power Supplier was an EARTH Attribute, Level 2, Spellcaster-Effect Type, with 400 ATK and DEF.
"Thanks to the boost of my monster, as long as it remains face-up on my field, I can further increase the ATK of one monster I control by 400 points, once per turn! And while I'd love nothing more than to pummel your Stardust Dragon, due to your Synchron's effect, he can't be destroyed in battle! However, your pathetic Doppel Tokens don't stand a shadow of a chance against my beast! Go, Scorching Crimson Hellfire!"
The burning fire, pooling together into Jack's dragon's maw, was just to about to unleash its inferno from its teethed caged, until Yusei abruptly stopped it with a trap of his own. "Not going to happen! I activate my trap card; Shooting Star! When I control a face-up Stardust Monster, I can destroy a card on my opponent's field, and I choose your Red Dragon Archfiend!" Jack gaped at the knowledge, but before he could come up with a retort, just like the name suggests, Stardust Dragon flew into Red Dragon Archfiend's field of vision just like a shooting star, and rammed its clawed hand into the demonic dragon's chest cavity, with its hand reappearing at the backside of Jack's dragon; right where its heart used to exist.
Yusei's dragon snarled in Red Dragon Archfiend's face as the lights of said dragon's eyes faded into darkness. Wrenching its clawed, bloody hand from Jack's demonic dragon's chest, a silver, glittering energy, reminiscent of starlight, formed in Stardust Dragon's other clawed hand, and pushed it into the gaping hole in the demonic dragon's chest, where its heart had once beat, and pumped with blood. Red Dragon Archfiend's black and red scaly skin, became stark white, as starlight began emitting from within its eye sockets and maw, before it dissolved into nothing right before Jack's very eyes.
First, Jack was speechless. Then he was angry. Finally, he was pissed. "WHAT the FUCK have YOU DONE?!" Jack's face was beet red, pulsating with an uncontainable amount of rage and hatred. Yusei just smirked behind the mask, and chuckled at Jack's expressions. That seemed to piss off the self proclaimed "King of the Track" even further. "Y-YOU, little-! I'LL BURY YOU! You've seem to forgotten I still have a card left on my field, well get a taste of this! I activate the trap; KIng's Fury*! YOU'RE in for it now, PUNK!"
Just as before, this was one card Yusei hadn't heard of. The King archetype definitely seemed to fit someone like Jack, relying on overwhelming brute force and power to crush an opponent. However, Jack, as far as Yusei had seen, only seemed to employ the archetype's support of Trap cards. Whatever the case or reason for that may be, didn't matter as Jack was about to unleash his full ferocity upon Yusei.
"With this card's effect, I'm going to unleash all the hell you deserve! When a Red Dragon Archfiend Synchro monster is destroyed, either by battle or card effect, I can banish a Tuner monster from my hand, along with the destroyed Red Dragon Archfiend from my graveyard, then Special Summon another Red Dragon Archfiend Synchro Monster from my Extra Deck, and the best part is that this Special Summon is treated as a Synchro Summon!"
Yusei gaped at the revealed effects of the trap card, while he knew there were other evolved forms for both Stardust Dragon and Red Dragon Archfiend, but he never believed that Jack would have them at his disposal. Now he was going to get a first hand experience, up close and personal. Jack began chanting as a monster from Jack's hand, which appeared to be some sort of another Resonator monster, and Red Dragon Archfiend from his Graveyard were enveloped in the light of the Synchro Summoning method; "Let the peaks roar! Split the mountains and come forth! Along with the flames of the Earth! Quake before the KIng! Synchro Summon! Level 10! Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Bane!"
When the light disappeared, the ground beneath the two duelists runners did, actually quake. Cracks appeared in the road, as molten lava spouts burst forth from beneath the Earth. Eventually, all of the tremors and raging flames pooled together into a single location, as the evolved and much more powerful of Red Dragon Archfiend literally exploded onto the scene. The creature that stood before Yusei was unlike anything he had seen before. Its armor was covered in demonic, curved horns and spikes, but as it grew larger in size, it looked more lean. The black scales had morphed into a violet-purple, as the red orange bled together into scarlet and crimson. The most striking feature of this new behemoth were the elongated arm blades attached to the wristguards of the demonic dragon. Then, there was its 3500 ATK to deal with, and unfortunately for Yusei, it was still Jack's Battle Phase.
"I'd tell you the effects of my monster, but considering I can't do much with them at the moment, instead, I'll just attack! Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Bane, attack the Doppel Token on the right! Hellfire's Bane!" Rearing its claws back, the elongated, serrated blades on the dragon's wrist guards were engulfed in red, orange and violet flames. Then, Bane unleashed its attack by swinging its arms wide, crossing them over his chest, sending the blazing scissor straight towards one of Yusei's Tokens. "Shit! I can't wait any longer, I have to use my set card!" Reaching forward, Yusei flipped his second card face-up. "I didn't want to have use this until later, but you didn't give me much of a heads up. I activate my face-down; Jump Guard!"
Jack's was confused by this turn of events. He had never heard of such a card before, and was therefore clueless to how it functioned. But before he had a chance, they were coming up to the part of the track where the weakened structure was present. "Thanks to the effect of Jump Guard, when a card on the field is removed from the field due to a card effect, I take no damage this turn!" Jack was stunned into silence, as Yusei literally jumped over his dragon's attack. And due to the close proximity that Yusei and Jack were to the structurally weak wall, the attack smashed right into that section of the wall, exploding upon impact, and crumbling that part of the wall into dust.
Inside the prison's towering structure and inside Goodwin's office, both Lazar and Goodwin were shellshocked. Due to the reality altering/creation chips within the duel disks and duel runners of all the participants in the Death Race, all cards and their effects and attacks are as real as flesh and bone. Because of that, and the description of Jump Guard, Yusei's runner quite literally jumped over Jack's attack that slammed right into the reinforced wall. No one expected anyone to be so daring and so stupid to try to make an attempt of an escape, and because of his own arrogance and pride, Goodwin never fixed the wall.
It wasn't until the dust settled and the camera feed was clear, did Goodwin realize his mistake. Yusei and Jack were escaping! Pounding his fist into the table, Goodwin let out all of his anger and his emotions he had been keeping under wraps since Roman's death. "SON OF A BITCH!" Tossing aside all of the folders on the desk onto the floor, his poor desk was the blunt instrument of his abuse, as he gripped the side of it in a vice, and flipped it over on its backside. Lazar was still shocked still, that he hadn't registered Goodwin's outrage until the man was red in the face, screaming at Lazar to get the choppers, gunners, everyone on their payroll to hunt them down, and to have someone shut down their disks and runners reality chips.
Backed further into the corner, Lazar desperately nodded his head, and ran out of his boss's room, with a radio in his hand, yelling and screaming into it to follow Goodwin's orders to the absolute. However, whereas, the guards, Lazar and Goodwin were freaking out, everyone else within the prison were cheering, whooping, and chanting Jack and Yusei's stage names, some of them even referring to adding "Stardust" to Phantom's name, in some kind of mock-prison type honor thing for Stardust Dragon. Crow, Kalin, Yanagi and Bruno were grinning from ear to ear at the turn of events, but now wasn't the time to celebrate; they still needed to work on getting the remaining evidence of Goodwin's corruption and deception, and now that he's distracted, he won't be missing those files anytime soon.
Contacting Jack on his private channel, Yusei spoke to his adversary and partner in crime; "We gave that prick a good show, eh?" Jack laughed, actually laughed on his end, and spoke into the mic not long after; "Damn right we did. But we're not out of the woods yet. I hope that brainiac of yours is as smart as you claim him to be; otherwise, this little stunt will be over before the real fun begins." Akiza, giddy with excitement, peered over Yusei's shoulders to see what Jack was speaking about, and what she saw left her speechless. Goodwin had a whole fucking garrison of prison guards, dressed head to toe in full riot gear, and armed with .50 caliber machine guns, and sentries, with additional firepower aided with Choppers equipped with RPGs.
Sensing Akiza's inner doubt and her open fear, Yusei, turned his head just enough, so she could look at him in the eye. Turning her head down towards Yusei's direction, her breath caught in her throat. It was the same intense gaze she saw earlier when inside his cell. Gulping her initial fear and doubt, she nodded her head. There was no need for words, she trusted Yusei to see them through explicitly. With a nod of recognition, Yusei turned back towards the road to see Goodwin's men prepare themselves to rip through Jack and himself like a blade through butter. Yusei closed his eyes, and silently said, "Please… let this work!" Reopening his eyes, Yusei thrusted his hand forward, and shouted for his Stardust Dragon to take command. "Blast through their defenses! Cosmic Flare!"
Everyone watched as Yusei's dragon began gathering the familiar starlight energy forming in the maw of the regal dragon. Goodwin's men were laughing at the display. They figured that with the chips supposedly deactivated, Yusei and Jack's cards were mere holograms. It wasn't until they could feel the ground shake beneath the power of the blast that they figured wrong. Diving almost too late, Goodwin's men bailed as fast as they could, when the beam of pure cosmic energy completely destroyed their defenses.
Goodwin was almost at the point of pulling his silver-grey hair out from the roots. How did this happen!? Nothing was going according to his plan. Clearly, he had underestimated Yusei's tenacity. Just when he thought it wouldn't get worse, he didn't notice it until Lazar had pointed it out to him; "Um, sir… I don't wish to cause you anymore unnecessary discomfort, but what about the reviewers? They're all watching this go live. And I'm not just talking about the prisoners here, what about the people at home, or in the city? They're watching this all unfold. We're at…. Holy shit! 900 million viewers!" Wrenching his hands away from his face, he realized his annoying, clown, man servant was correct. "GOD DAMNIT! SHUT IT DOWN! SHUT IT ALL DOWN, NOW!"
Quickly Lazar had himself and the techs shut down all camera feeds and streaming worldwide, so that only Goodwin and himself were watching the events unfold. They were watching all right, just as soon as Jack's Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Bane smashed through a checkpoint. The duo along with Akiza - Yusei's navigator - were now just short of a quarter of a mile from the mainland, smashing and clearing through checkpoint after checkpoint. And that was the last straw. Goodwin couldn't take this anymore. Snatching the remote detonator away from Lazar, Goodwin spoke in an almost deranged and maddening tone, "Okay, cocksucker… Fuck with me, and we'll see who shits on the sidewalk!" Flipping the switch, the troublesome twosome waited a few minutes for the bomb to go off, but nothing happened. Screaming, again, Goodwin chucked the detonator at the window as hard as he could, not remembering that the windows were made to withstand armor-piercing rounds, the device bounced off and hit Lazar right in the middle of his forehead, knocking the dwarf clown out.
Back on the tracks, Yusei's team of Crow, Bruno, Kalin and Yanagi sat around a tire, with the detonator hidden inside with the light on, indicating it should've gone off, but fortunately for Yusei and the rest of them for that matter, Bruno spotted it, and disabled it before the start of the race. Amusingly, Bruno spoke up first this time around, cheeringly and drawing out, "Someone must be reaally mad right about now." The others exploded into laughter, as Yanagi reached down to pick up his radio, contacting Yusei on his private channel, "Coast is clear, Sonny, ride out into the moonlight. Send me a postcard will ya? They still make them right?"
After smashing through the last checkpoint, Yusei along with Akiza, and Jack had finally reached the mainland. Though they were able to escape capture from Goodwin's ground forces, they were still being tailed by his men in the air. Recognizing the area, Yusei led Jack and Akiza to an old abandoned railway station that they could use as a hideout for a short time before they went with the rest of their plan. Taking a breather for a moment, Yusei instructed Jack to hide away his runner for the time being. No one knew of this place, but Yusei, who used it as a kind of practice/training run during his days as a Turbo Duelist, and relayed this information to Jack who seemed pleasantly surprised. Knowing that his runner was safe for the time being, Jack left on foot, leaving Yusei and Akiza to carry out the rest of the plan.
Taking off the Phantom Helmet/Face Mask, Yusei saw Akiza staring into his eyes, giving him a knowing look; it's time. "Akiza…. I - You know I would never willingly put you in danger. If you're not up for this, I could-!" Akiza interrupted him, by grabbing a hold of his face, and plunging her lips on his own. At first, Yusei was tense, stunned by her action, but immediately after the initial shock passed, Yusei relaxed into her embrace, and reciprocated it, fully. Pulling her into himself, he opened his mouth slightly, and brushed his tongue against her lips, which she gladly accepted. Sucking and pulling on his tongue with her own, she let out an involuntary moan of excitement and arousal. When the need of air became too great to ignore for much longer, Yusei sucked and bit on her lower lip, slipping it between his teeth before letting go, causing her to bite her own lip down, to stifle another moan from escaping, or she was sure Jack could hear her cries from the outside.
With their foreheads pressed together after their exchange of the tongues ended, Akiza spoke up first. "I - uh, I've been wanting to do that for a while now." This seemed to have surprised Yusei, based on his reaction. He then asked, "For how long?" Akiza blushed from embarrassment, but didn't falter her gaze, and replied, "Ever since I told you about my past." Yusei was further surprised by this revelation, and managed to speak, "Really?" Not trusting her voice, Akiza merely nodded. Standing this close to him, after that kiss, Akiza just wanted to push him down onto the floor, and have her way with him, knowing that he wouldn't have had a problem with it, but now wasn't the time.
Taking a minute to calm her raging hormones that threatened to break free from her mental shackles, she reigned them in once more, but when she looked back into Yusei's stunning blue orbs, she could see that his pupils were dilated, and there was hunger, a hunger for her in them. Gulping, she mentally shook her head to fight off her growing arousal; there would be time for that later, when everything was finished. Looking back again, she saw the same struggle in Yusei's eyes, and knew he too was fighting off his own arousal towards her.
Separating from his embrace, Akiza explained her actions from earlier; "About the kiss, Yusei… You don't have to apologize, or have to try to protect me. I made the decision, and I know what I have to do. I can tell you're worried about me, and I'm still a little worried too, but I - we've come too far to back away now. When this is all over, I'll come find you; I promise." Yusei was just about to say something when Jack interjected from outside; "Hey! You two done snogging one another like teenagers, yet!? The choppers are making another pass, and they'll know something's up! If we're going to leave, we best do it now, while we still have a chance!"
That brought the both of them out of their stupor, but Yusei was still holding Akiza to him. There was so much he wanted to say to her, but he didn't have enough time to tell her everything, so he settled for now; "Akiza, there's a lot I want to tell you, mainly what's between us" - gesturing to the both of them; Akiza acknowledged with a nod, letting Yusei continue; "I still don't really know what's going on, or what's happening, but I'm not oblivious. I realize I have feelings for you that's far more than just friendship. I've only had one other serious relationship with another woman, and I want this to be real, to be serious with you, and if I have to wait for that chance, so be it."
Yusei's words brought tears to the corners of her eyes, but Akiza couldn't get emotional right now, not with everything riding on their next move. So, pushing her tears down, she reciprocated Yusei's confession with a chaste kiss, on the mouth, before pulling away. With one last look back at Yusei, he watched as she put on his mask, and willed her dormant psychic powers to life; putting on the illusion that she was Phantom. Yusei took one last look at her before running out of the back, and meeting up with Jack, as they both hopped up onto a passing train car, and watched from the sidelines as Akiza was pretty good driver herself, leading the choppers away from them, before she was cornered. They watched as she surrendered, and men in full riot gear roped down from the choppers, handcuffing her (not realizing that the Phantom they were arresting was actually Akiza in disguise), and roping her back up with them before flying back to Satellite.
Seeing the apprehension in Yusei's face, Jack put a firm, but oddly enough, gentle hand on the younger man's shoulder to get his attention. "Don't worry about her mate, she's a tough gal. Honestly, I never gave her much credit, but after watching that, she has my respect. She'll be fine. Let's just hope that your friends took care of everything else on the inside." Thanking Jack for his words of encouragement, Yusei took a moment before asking what Jack's plans were; "So, Jack, what do you have planned for next?"
Taking in Yusei's question, he took only a moment before responding; "What I'd like to do, is go to the Women's Facility in Satellite and get my… friend out, but that would be suicide, at the moment. So, I guess I'll just lay low, then when all this blows over, I'll go find her. What about you, mate?" Knowing what he meant by the way he had said friend, a part of Yusei wanted to tease Jack, but decided against it; now wasn't really the time, so instead, he pulled out the torn photograph of his adopted twin brother and sister - Leo and Luna - before giving an answer. "I'm going to find them, and bring them home. Speaking of a place to lay low, I think I may have a solution."
After receiving word from his men, that Phantom had been captured, Lazar relayed this information to Goodwin. His boss visibly relaxed into his chair. As the clown midget set up a box on his boss's desk, what appeared to be a gift, sent from an anonymous fan of the so called "sport" of Death Race. Taking a sip of some wine, Goodwin was already, carefully opening the package, when Lazar said suddenly, "You win again, Master Goodwin, sir. People are already sending in gifts." Smiling at his subordinate, Goodwin replied, still opening the package, "I thought you would've known by now, Lazar. I always win." Finishing with the wrappings, the Goodwin patriarch tossed them aside before lifting up the top of the box off. Whatever laid inside, was wrapped up in more wrappings, while there was a note, with a short little message that said; "I know that you'll love this"! It was signed with four letters, B, C, K and Y. Lifting a brow at the odd signature, Goodwin pulled open the remaining wrappings before his eyes set on a familiar device.
Before either Goodwin or Lazar could even react, the bomb went off. A loud explosion rocked the tallest part of the structure, causing large pieces of debris to be flung into the rain, and rain down all over the track below. The entire prison quaked as the explosion rattled the structure. Prisoners were awoken from the noise, guards running, and yelling, "Get to Goodwin's office, NOW!" rang throughout the halls of the facility. Inside the Workshop, Yanagi was grinning from ear to ear as he tossed the detonator of the device into a trash compactor, erasing all evidence of the crime. With one last look at the now pulverized remains of the device, Yanagi said; "I love this game…"
In the early hours of the morning, Officer Tetsu Trudge was sitting at his desk, filling out reports, with his thoughts once again going over every detail of the case involving Yusei Fudo. It had been 6 months since his trial and only just a few days time in the Satellite Facility. No matter how hard Trudge tried to sway his thoughts back to the beautiful Head of Security: Mina Simington, his thoughts would always take him back to the man in question. The case we was wrapped up in didn't make sense to the veteran police officer.
He had his fair share of troubles with Yusei Fudo, but the man was never violent before; he had never committed or even attempted of a murder. Which adds even more doubt that he had killed his foster mother. Trudge never knew the late Martha personally, but he had always heard of her good graces, and the one time they did speak regarding Yusei's punishment after spending his time in New Domino's Correctional Facility for the events of his accident from a year prior, had shown Trudge that she loved Yusei as if she was his own mother. The circumstances of her murder matched Yusei's story perfectly; too perfect Trudge had thought, but there was no evidence to the contrary.
As Trudge was finishing his last report of the day, technically, early morning of the next, his computer came to life, when a notification beeped onto the screen. Curious, Trudge clicked on the notification box, and what he saw next, nearly knocked him out of his seat. An anonymous sender had sent controversial and incriminating evidence to one, Rex Goodwin. After regaining the color to his face and his composure; Trudge read every file that was sent to him with thorough detail. At first, he thought this was a joke, some sad and cruel attempt at a sick prank, but the further Trudge read, the more his curiosity peaked, and the more everything started falling into place. The Senator's silence his daughter's disappearance, to her crime of killing Sayer (it was actually a matter in self defense, not cold blooded murder), to Sayer's own forgotten crimes of missing children, and dead bodies. Then, there was the fact that in recent years, Sayer became close friends with his prior opponents Yliaster. Finally, Trudge came upon all the confirmation he needed to expose Goodwin; Yusei's framed murder.
Quickly snatching his badge, gun and gear, he sent an immediate e-mail to his chain of command, and notified Ms. Simington of what was happening. An hour or two later, the entire Sector Security Force was on their way to Satellite's Maximum Security Prison Facility.
A/N: And that's all for Death Race 5D's, everyone! Well, the main story portion of it anyway. There's still the epilogue, and I also might throw in one more chapter, one that would see the last of Yusei and Jack's duel. It was interrupted with no clear winner, after all, and I can't just let the readers figure it out. I know some of you would want to see a rematch between the two. I also hinted at Akiza's skills as a more than average driver, so there might also be a chapter, or part of one where Yusei duels her as well.
The only made up card in this chapter has an effect similar to that of King's Synchro and King's Consonance; where the user could banish a Synchro Monster with a Tuner and create an entirely new and different monster. I know I didn't show off more of Yusei's evolved forms of Stardust Dragon, and that's because almost all of them involve a way of Accel Synchro Summoning, with the exception of Majestic Star Dragon, but still falls in between the lines of a kind of "magical" evolution, that didn't seem to fit into the "realism" of the story that I, hopefully, brought to life.
My original plan was to have Yusei and Jack's duel to continue on the way to New Domino's mainland, with Yusei defeating Jack with Draco-Equiste. Speaking of Yusei's monsters, in the 20th Anniversary Pack (that as far as I know, it hasn't been released anywhere, but in Japan), there's a new Synchro Monster of Yusei's that looks like a transformed version of a very noticeable red duel runner, and you can check out the cards in the card galleries, if you're curiosity has been peaked. Read and review; I like to hear from my readers, and if you have any questions, or just want to talk, or whatever else, you can PM me. Till next time, peace! PS: This wasn't as long as I thought it would've been!