Chapter 21: Mark Of The Monkey: Part 1
The Mark of the Spider has burned a scar into the dusty, quiet landscape of the Satellite. Somewhere near the middle, the five Signers and their friends face off against the five Dark Signers.
"Alright, Dark Signers. This is it. It is time to pay for what you have done." Sakura says. Grim's standing at her side, between her and Jack, prepared to attack if necessary.
"Well, before you try and cash out. I have something the little girl might be looking for." Says Devack. He holds up a card.
"Huh! That's Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Luna says.
"I believe this card should be in your deck. Now, if you want to get this card back, you'll have to come battle me. And in case you're wondering who I am, my name's Devack." Devack rolls up his sleeve. "And I bear the Mark of the Monkey." Says Devack.
Luna stares back up at him, resolutely. Akiza has the same expression on her face as she gazes up at Misty, and Yusei as he watches Kalin, and Sakura as she glares up at Roman. Grim's blazing red eyes are fixed on Roman, his teeth bared and his fur standing on edge.
"Huhahahahaha! Fate has finally brought us together. Signer and Dark Signer. Let us meet tomorrow at the Four Stars of Destiny. The end will be decided there." Roman says. As one, the Dark Signers turn and leave. As Carly turns away.
Jack glimpses her face and gasps, in absolute shock. "Whoa, where do you think you are going?! Don't you walk away from me, Father!" Says Sakura. She runs after them, with Grim keeping pace at her heels.
Yusei reaches out a hand. "Sakura, wait!" Yusei says.
Jack runs after them, too.
John, Mitch and Taka, flanked by Minako and Blister, are crying. "Come back!" Says Minako.
Sakura and Grim are now surrounded by only mist, down some empty alley in the Satellite. "Hey! Come on! Let's do this right here, right now!" Sakura says.
Roman's voice can be heard somewhere in the mist, but she is alone, with the exception of Grim. "Mmhehehehahahaha! Don't be so impatient, Sakura! We can't battle here, we're not supposed to!" Says Roman.
"What do you mean we're not supposed to? It sounds to me like you are scared, scared to duel against your own daughter!" Sakura says.
"So, you have accepted it as the truth then?! Don't be a fool like your half-brother! Just come to the Four Stars of Destiny, we'll be waiting!" Says Roman.
Sakura is looking around. "I'm done playing your little games! Get out here! Get out here and duel me!" Sakura says, shouting to the sky.
Jack's running headlong into the mist. "Hey! You!" Says Jack.
Carly stops and turns, with a gasp.
"Yeah, you! Why d'you look so familiar?!" Jack asks.
Carly backs up a step and tries to run away, but he tries to grab her by the shoulder and instead pulls off her hood. Even the back of Carly's head is distinctive. Jack gasps, in shock and horror. "I don't, I don't believe it! Carly? Is that you?" Asks Jack. As Carly turns her head, her eyes appear normal, she blinks and they become dark again. Carly's manner is regretful, mournfully dramatic and condemned. "Yes." Carly says. "What's going on here! You can't really be a Dark Signer?" Asks Jack. Carly turns and walks away, pulling up her hood. Carly looks back at him one more time. "If it's answers that you want, you'll have to come find me, tomorrow. 'Til then, Jack." Carly says. As she walks away, tears sparkle in the air in her wake, and her hood billows behind her. Carly walks and then runs away.
Leaving Jack standing in the mist, staring after her.
Sakura and Grim are still walking through the mist. Sakura suddenly stops, sensing something. Grim comes to a halt at her side, he can sense something, too.
Sakura and Grim are soon surrounded by familiar figures, all five Dark Signers have approached them. They all keep their distance though, except for Roman, who steps out of the shadows. Grim moves to stand in front of Sakura and encircles his unnaturally long tail around her, getting into a defensive stance, with his teeth bared and snarling at Roman. "I had a feeling you were all still here. So, what are you waiting for?" Asks Sakura. "Don't you worry yourself. We have no desire to settle things by taking you out. But, you don't have to fear us." Roman says. "Well, considering I don't fear any of you. I guess, we are on the same page." Says Sakura. "I have a proposition for you." Roman says. "Proposition?" Asks Sakura. "Yes, would you consider joining us? The Dark Signers." Roman says. "Why would I do that? In case you haven't noticed, I bear the Mark of a Signer, not a Dark Signer." Says Sakura.
Devack steps up next, she turns to face him. Grim doesn't change his position, but his attention has now been turned to Devack, his fur standing on edge and teeth exposed. "That may be so, but a Signer can be turned into a Dark Signer. It's not an easy thing to accomplish and it's never been done before, but it is possible to turn you from a Signer into a Dark Signer. If you wish, that is." Devack says. "If you are asking me to turn on the others, then I refuse. They may be just Signers to the rest of you, but to me that is not all they are. I shall not deceive my friends and my brother." Says Sakura.
Kalin then steps up next, she turns to face him. Grim changes his focus to Kalin, snarling at him. "Sakura, don't you understand? You're meant to be with us, not those pathetic weaklings that were chosen to be Signers. If you choose to fight alongside them, then you'll surely fall alongside them." Kalin says. "You speak quite highly of yourself. Although, I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Kalin." Says Sakura. "Allow me to ask you this. Why do you think you are able to feel our presence and why you were given abilities that deal with darkness and shadows?" Devack asks. "My dragon is Cynder the Black Dragon. The Guardian of the Underworld. I don't entirely understand my abilities myself. However, as long as I'm able to control my abilities. That should be enough." Says Sakura. "How deceptive of you. You're so mislead. You're my one and only child, my daughter. Because I'm your father and that I'm a Dark Signer. I'm afraid that makes you half-Signer and half-Dark Signer." Roman says. Sakura gasps, it's hard for her to hear. "No, that can't be true." Says Sakura, defiantly. "But, I'm afraid it's the truth. You can deny it all you want, but you can't run away from what you truly are." Roman says. He tries to place one of his hands on Sakura's shoulder, but at the slightest touch, the Crimson Dragon awakens inside her.
As soon as that happens, the other four Signers run up from different directions and join Sakura and Grim, facing their particular opponent for the battle to come, everyone's basically glaring at their respective rivals. The five Signers are all back-to-back with each other. Roman pulls his hand away and steps back, the other Dark Signers do, too.
Sakura then opens her eyes, her irises are glowing in crimson red light, while her sclera's have turned black, with glowing red veins across her eyes. The highlights in her hair are also flaring in crimson red light, brightly.
"Hm, so it's true. The Crimson Dragon has chosen you as its host. It's already become one with you. Ever since you were born, it's lied dormant within you. So much power you possess within you. My own daughter, my flesh and blood." Says Roman.
"You may be my father. However, that does not make me your puppet. Now, take your Dark Signers and leave." Sakura says, echoic and menacingly.
Lightning clashes and it begins raining.
The five Dark Signers then take their leave and disappear into the mist.
Sakura's irises soon return to their natural shade of red, her sclera's revert back to white, and the glowing red veins disperse from across her eyes. The highlights in her hair have also gone dim, shifting back to their normal shade of red. The five Signers relax themselves, but they can all feel the pressure on their shoulders.
At Martha's house, the mood is grim. The boys are still crying. "I'm so sorry, Dr. Schmidt! All of this, it's all because of me!" Says Taka. They're in the dining room, and the windows have been cleaned up since earlier. In fact, they're as good as new. Jack's sitting at the dining table, which is de-extended after dinner earlier, apart from the group. Sakura is leaning against the end of the table, standing near Jack, with Grim lying on the floor at her feet. Blister's leaning against the wall on the side Jack's sitting, and in front of him are Trudge, Minako, Yusei and Akiza. The twins and Hotaru are standing at the foot of the table, shamefaced, and the five little kids are standing in front of everyone else, crying before the doctor who helped Martha patch up Yusei and helped with the deep lacerations Sakura sustained. "And Martha? She's really, gone?" Dr. Schmidt asks. Trudge falls to his knees. "I'm afraid so! I was with her, I should've been able to save her!" Says Trudge.
Flashback to the moment when Martha pushed Taka forward into Trudge's arms, then slid away before he could pull her up too. "But, I wasn't able to grab hold of her in time." Trudge says, in voice-over.
Martha fell backward to the edge of the roof, off the edge, fell almost gently through the air, glowing blue. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "It's all my fault!" Says Trudge. Taka and one of the other boys are instantly at each of his shoulders, encouraging him. "It's not your fault! I-it's my fault!" "No it's not, it's my fault for trying to help Yusei!" Taka says. The remaining boy stands away from Trudge, crying. "No, it's my fault for not saying don't go!" He holds up his head and wails. Everyone is silent. Trudge is sitting on the floor on his hands and knees, and the boys are grouped around him, all four of them crying. Jack stands up and pounds his fist on the table, fed up. "That's enough! Knock it off, you dolts! Stop trying to take credit for everything!" Says Jack. "What he means is, your not the ones to blame." Sakura says. The boys stop crying and listen. "This is all the Dark Signers' doing. They've taken Martha and my friends." Says Yusei.
Flashback. Yusei runs over to Rally, limp in Sakura's arms. "We're not gonna sit around and blame ourselves for things the bad guys did." Yusei says, in voice-over. Rally evaporates into shadows in Sakura's arms, smiling up at Yusei, serenely. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "But, I'll tell you what we are gonna do about it. We're gonna defeat the Dark Signers and get everyone back!" Says Yusei. Trudge and the five kids turn to him and gasp. Jack looks at Yusei, frowning. Sakura's expression is closed. Akiza seems uncertain. The twins and Hotaru are listening, intently. Hotaru and Luna seem a bit worried. "Wait one moment. Are you really saying that you can bring everyone back?" Dr. Schmidt asks. Yusei nods. "That's right." Says Yusei. "How is that possible?" Dr. Schmidt asks. Yusei then looks over at Sakura, who's actually behind him, still leaning against the table. "You want to take it from here, sis?" Asks Yusei. "Everything that has happened so far, both here and in New Domino City, has been the work of an evil power, Dr. Schmidt." Sakura says.
Series of flashbacks. Kalin's Giant Sign carves line after fiery line through the piles of debris, and the entire mark shines on the landscape. "The destruction of the two cities, the mystical symbols appearing, the…" Says Sakura, in voice-over.
The stones on the side of the crater-well suddenly see way too much light and then shadowy fog, and a massive column of violet fire shoots into the air, then spreads into a beam of light. Smoky shadow-fog rolls over the landscape of the Satellite. "…crazy lights suddenly erupting from the depths of the earth. The mysterious fog that came out of nowhere and covered everything." Sakura says, in voice-over.
People in the Satellite streets back away, tentatively, but not fast enough to escape, and disappear into the mist. "The Dark Signers caused it all. They are using the energy of the people taken to gain more power." Says Sakura, in voice-over. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "So, if you defeat the Dark Signers, everything goes back to normal?" Dr. Schmidt asks. "Yes." Says Sakura. "You can really get Martha back? And everyone else?" Taka asks. Sakura stops leaning against the table and walks over to them. "Yes. We really can. Guys." Says Sakura. She puts a hand each on John and Mitch's shoulders. "My friends, my brother and I are going to fix everything, I promise. However, right now you have to stay positive, you need to be brave and help take care of everyone that is still here." Sakura says.
A little bit later. The kids and Hotaru are standing around Schmidt, at the door to the dining room. Sakura is standing on the other side of the doorway. "We have to head out soon. However, I promise we shall be back. Thank you for everything." Says Sakura. "Of course. We're counting on you. Please, be careful." Dr. Schmidt says. Sakura nods and ruffles one of the boys' hair. "Try to get some sleep, you guys. Alright?" Asks Sakura. "We'll try!" "Good night, Sakura!" Taka says. Sakura closes the door, pausing a little to watch Dr. Schmidt, Hotaru and the kids walk away, and turns back into the dining room, not meeting anyone's eyes.
"So. That was quite the promise you made out there. We defeat the Dark Signers, and then everyone who disappeared will just magically reappear." Says Jack. Minako looks worried. "Ah." Minako says. Blister seems suspicious. Sakura still won't look at anyone. "You don't know that's true." Says Jack, accusingly. "I know." Sakura says. "So why lie?!" Asks Jack. "We expect you to tell the truth!" Trudge says, angrily. "Look, that is something I just need to believe." Says Sakura, vehemently. Jack clenches his teeth and sits down, hard, pounding his fist on the table. Trudge grabs Sakura by her coat, possibly forgetting who he's addressing. "What about the kids? Your sister? They deserve better than that, don't they?! Unless of course, Roman, or your dad, finally got to you!" Trudge says. Grim, who's gotten up by now, growls at him, prepared to pounce on him if necessary. Leo grabs Trudge's wrist. "Hey, come on, everyone's upset! Sakura's just trying to give us a little hope!" Says Leo. "Ugh!" Trudge says. He lets go of Sakura and turns away, overcome with emotion. "Stupid hope!" Says Trudge. Grim walks past him and over to Sakura, and sits down beside her. Akiza and Minako are facing the wall. Akiza then looks over her shoulder. "I'm with Sakura. If we're gonna win this, we have to believe that we can protect the people still here, and bring everyone else back." Akiza says. "This from the girl who terrified everyone around her with her anger management issues!" Says Jack, bitterly. "Yeah, and you know what? No one believed I could change! No one believed except Sakura, and she fought for me!" Akiza says. She's standing strong and is the center of attention. "So, if she says that we have the power to bring everyone back, then I believe her!" Says Akiza. "It doesn't really matter what you believe." Minako says. "Whadda you mean?" Asks Trudge. "No matter what you think'll happen afterward, you have to reverse the Reactor." Minako says. Sakura nods. "Exactly. As much as I hate this man, even more so now knowing that he's my uncle, we have to do what Goodwin told us to do." Says Sakura. Yusei then puts one of his hands on one of her shoulders and nods, basically telling her that he's with her on this. The twins nod. Jack looks at Sakura, out of the corner of his eye, then straight ahead. "Fine. Let's go be heroes." Jack says, cranky and cynically. "I have a question. That Roman guy said they'd be waiting at the 'Four Stars of Destiny'. Does anyone know what those are?" Asks Blister. "My guess is that he's referring to the four control units that were built to maintain the original Reactor." Minako says. "Well, aren't you smart." Says Blister, snidely. "According to the reports, they were the first part of the system to break when the Reactor reacted. During development, each individual control unit went by a codename." Minako says.
As she speaks, cut-scene to a control panel with four indicator lights beside images well recognized as the card pics on the Earthbound Immortals. They light up one by one as Minako names them. "Ccapac Apu, Ccarayhua, Aslla Piscu and Cusillu. In the Qechua language, they mean, the Giant, the Lizard, the Hummingbird and the Monkey." Says Minako, in voice-over. Each has a corresponding Nazca formation that appears as she names each creature. A carving of a giant, a lizard Nazca line with a road built right through its back legs, a hummingbird Nazca line, and a monkey Nazca line with other terrain lines cutting through its arms and the curl of its tail. The vision ends.
Back to the present. "Those're the Nazca lines that disappeared!" Akiza says. "Isn't there a spider, too? What about that?" Asks Luna.
Spider Nazca line, then it fades into the first Reactor in its former glory, a spinning centrifuge of rainbow light. "The spider's Uru, which was the codename for the Reactor itself. In order to reverse the Reactor and stop the flow of negative energy, you have to go to each of those control units and turn them on." Minako says, in voice-over. The vision ends.
Back to the present. "That Roman guy is the Spider, right? Does that mean he's the boss?" Asks Akiza. Sakura nods, in her form of answering her question, not at all surprised at that possibility. "How're they supposed to turn on these control unit thingamajigs?" Blister asks. "The dragon cards in your decks. Those were the cards that were used to power up each of the control units. So, Luna? It's very important that you get the Ancient Fairy Dragon back from Devack." Says Minako. "How do you know all of this, Minako?" Sakura asks. "Because Professor Fudo entrusted those cards to Director Goodwin." Says Minako. "My dad had those cards?! Whoa, hang on a sec! So, Roman was lying about my dad looking the other way?!" Yusei asks. "Apparently, my father may have gotten possibly a little jealous of your father's achievement." Says Sakura. "Well, talk about past paternity rivalry between us." Yusei says. "I guess you can say that, Yusei." Says Sakura.
Flashback, the Security headquarters in Domino City. "Why did Professor Fudo have all the control cards? Is he the one who shut down the units and caused the Reactor to malfunction?" Minako asks.
Goodwin's looking out the window, and seems solemn and somber. "No. Just the opposite. He tried to save them. He did everything he could to stop the Reactor from going wild. During those final moments, he managed to get the cards, and then hand them off to me." Says Goodwin. He looks at Minako from across a desk. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "Is that all, Minako? Did Goodwin say anything else about my dad?" Yusei asks. "No, that's it. He just said that your father gave 'im the cards." Says Minako. "So if Goodwin had those cards, how did everyone else end up with 'em?" Blister asks.
Flashback. Goodwin looks even paler than usual. "I guess you could say that I decided to release the cards into the wild. I wanted to test the powers of destiny. I wanted to see if they would travel from duelist to duelist." Says Goodwin. He has been standing at the window, and as he speaks, he can still see Stardust, Archfiend, Cynder and Black Rose fly off into the sky, borne by the wind. Goodwin turns back to Minako. "Don't you see? I figured if destiny really was at work, then it would eventually put those cards into the hands of the Signers. And sure enough, the very cards used to power the original Reactor's control unit so many years ago? Guess who has them now. Jack Atlas, Sakura Kuraitaiyono, Yusei Fudo, and Akiza Izinski. Destiny really is guiding us. The Signers will be the ones to reverse the flow of negative energy. They will go to Satellite, and they will battle the Dark Signers." Goodwin says, intensely and slightly fanatically.
As he speaks, he sees a vision of Jack, Sakura, Yusei and Akiza heroically standing opposite the five Dark Signers, who loom over them atop a pile of trash. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. Yusei stares at his Stardust Dragon card, Sakura glances at her Cynder the Black Dragon card, Jack glares down at his Red Dragon Archfiend card and Akiza looks at her Black Rose Dragon card. "Well, since Goodwin seems to know so much about destiny, he must know how this whole thing is gonna turn out, right?" Asks Jack, tetchy. "It doesn't work like that. He doesn't know the future. There's no telling what will happen. But, Goodwin is done playing his part. The baton has been passed. The rest is up to you. All of you, the fate of the world has been put into your hands." Minako says, solemnly. The Signers are silent, each feeling the weight of the world placed on his or her shoulders. Yusei, Jack, Sakura and Akiza return their particular dragon cards into their respective decks. Sakura then glances over at the door behind herself. "I know your there, Hotaru." Says Sakura.
Hotaru, who's been standing on the other side of the door, opens it and stands there in the doorway.
"Hotaru? How long have you been standing there?" Yusei asks.
Hotaru looks down at the floor and holds at one of her arms, nervously. "I... I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to eavesdrop. But..." Says Hotaru. She steps up further into the room, stopping to stand before Sakura and Yusei. Hotaru then looks up at her two older half-siblings, looking them in the eyes, violet eyes meeting red eyes and royal blue eyes, respectfully. "I want to go with you." Hotaru says. "But, Hotaru. Its not safe out there." Says Yusei. "And we can't guarantee your safety if you go with us." Sakura says. "I know. But, I don't want to lose you two again..." Says Hotaru, on the verge of tears. Yusei moves to reach for her. "Hotaru..." Yusei says. Hotaru moves just out of his reach. "No, you don't understand. Neither of you do. I've been alone for two years." Says Hotaru. She looks up at Sakura. "For two years, I didn't know what happened to you. All I knew was that you were gone and I didn't know if you were ever going to come back." Hotaru says. She then looks up at Yusei. "And after she went missing, you were barely around." Says Hotaru. She lowers her face, looking down at the floor. "After two years, I finally got my family back. I can't lose you two again. So please, take me with you." Hotaru says. Sakura and Yusei exchange glances, red eyes meeting royal blue eyes. "What do you think, sis?" Asks Yusei. "I honestly don't know." Sakura says. Hotaru still won't look up at them, as she fidgets with her fingers, nervously. "I know I'm not special like you two or have ever been as strong as either of you. But, those Dark Signers took Martha, Rally and many others. They can't be allowed to take anyone else. I'm aware of the risks going out there with you. But please, I can't just stay here and wait, hoping that everything will be okay. I'd be so worried, I couldn't take it. Not just about you two, but all of you." Says Hotaru. Sakura places one of her hands under her chin and lifts up her face, having her look up at her, meeting her sister's gaze. "Your more special than you give yourself credit for, Hotaru." Sakura says. She takes her hand away. Yusei then places one of his hands on one of Hotaru's shoulders, making her look up at him, meeting her brother's gaze. "And you're a lot stronger than you realize. Yeah, you're still battling a constant illness that keeps you more or less bedridden on a daily basis." Says Yusei. "And yes, Yusei and I left you feeling rather lonesome these past two years." Sakura says. "But, you've grown stronger as a person." Says Yusei. Sakura nods, subtly. "That is all anyone can do, is be the best person they can be." Sakura says. Hotaru smiles, shyly. "So, does that mean I can go?" Asks Hotaru. Sakura and Yusei exchange glances with each other and seem to come to an agreement, nodding in unison. Hotaru runs over to Sakura and Yusei, embracing them both. "Thank you." Hotaru says. Yusei and Sakura return the hug, holding her close to themselves.
A short while later. Minako unrolls a map of Satellite on the table. Four red stars mark out a quadrilateral around the crater. "Here's the location of the four control stations. Giant, Hummingbird, Lizard and Monkey." Says Minako. She points to the four stars that seem to form a diamond. If they assume the map is oriented North-South, Giant is the East point, Hummingbird is the West, Lizard is the South and Monkey is the North. "They're pretty spread out." Minako says. "What's the plan? Hit all these units up one by one?" Asks Trudge. "That would be a huge waste of time! Besides, a duel is one-on-one, we're gonna hafta split up and go solo." Jack says. He bares his Sign. "Five Signers, four control stations, and one leader! It's a no-brainer! Who knows, maybe this is more of Goodwin's 'destiny' at work." Says Jack. "We were just starting to become a real team!" Luna says. "We are still a team, Luna. All of us. Even if we are apart, we are still fighting for the same thing." Says Sakura. "I guess you're right." Luna says. "Who's going where?" Asks Trudge.
Yusei looks off into the distance, and sees Kalin and the carved Giant. "I'm pretty sure that the Mark of the Giant is Kalin's, so I'll go there. He an' I have business." Yusei says.
Akiza, similarly, is juxtaposed with Misty and the Lizard Nazca line. "The Lizard is Misty's Mark, I'll head over to that station." Says Akiza.
Luna is thinking of the Monkey geoglyph, and the Dark Signer who bears its Mark. "Devack is the Monkey, and, I have to get Ancient Fairy Dragon. So, I'm gonna go take him on." Luna says.
Leo breaks into the dramatic moment. "And I'm gonna go so I can root for ya!" Says Leo.
Sakura, similarly thinks of the Spider Mark and Roman. "Roman's Mark is the Spider, which makes him the leader. So, he's probably cowering in his little crater. So, I shall go to duel him. Him and I have some father-daughter issues to discuss." Sakura says.
"So the Hummingbird must be..." Says Jack. Carly's voice echoes in his ears, as he thinks of the Hummingbird design. "If it's answers that you want, you'll have to come find me, tomorrow." "...That other girl." Jack says.
Trudge suddenly turns to the twins. "You kids want a ride to your battle in a Sector patrol car?" Asks Trudge. Luna nods. "Hm." Luna says. Minako then turns to Akiza. "And if it's okay, I'll go with you, Akiza." Says Minako. Akiza shrugs. "Sure." Akiza says. Hotaru approaches Sakura and Yusei. "What about me? Who am I going with?" Asks Hotaru. Sakura suddenly turns to Akiza, who catches her glance and nods, in acknowledgment. Sakura then turns to Hotaru. "You shall go with Akiza and Minako. Understood?" Sakura asks. "Yes." Says Hotaru. Akiza walks up to her, Sakura and Yusei. "Don't worry." Akiza says. She places one of her hands on Hotaru's shoulder, gingerly. "You'll be safe with me, Hotaru." Says Akiza. She smiles at Hotaru, warmheartedly. Hotaru returns the smile, shyly. "Okay." Hotaru says. "Thanks, Akiza." Says Yusei. "Yes, we really appreciate it." Sakura says. "Of course." Says Akiza. "Guess I'm stuck at home again watching the kids. I hope you all have fun saving the world." Blister says. "We shall." Says Sakura, seriously.
And the heroes are assembled, Yusei, Hotaru, Akiza, Minako, Trudge, Luna, Leo, Sakura, with Grim standing at her side, and Jack. "Okay, tomorrow we save our homes!" Yusei says.
On a rickety bridge in the not-yet-light predawn hours. This bridge isn't the one crossed to reach Crow's nest, it's a different one. Large wooden boards are laid across the wire skeleton of the bridge, two bumpy paths, not bridge slats.
At the near side of the bridge, where two jeeps, Yusei on his runner on the left side, Sakura on hers on the right, with Grim lying down on his specially built-in platform, his harness is already fastened around him, while the chain is hooked up to his collar, which is hidden underneath his long, black fur, secured safely to both the platform and runner, and Jack on his on the right of her, are prepared to set off, their headlights valiantly pressing forward into the darkness. "This is it, you guys. Are you ready, Luna?" Asks Sakura. The jeep nearest to her contains Trudge and the twins. "Yup!" Luna says. "Hey, I'm ready, too!" Says Leo. Sakura smiles. "Good luck." Sakura says. "Come on, Sakura. We've got duels to duel. Give us a rousing speech and let's be gone!" Says Jack, teasing with her. "Alright, guys. The Dark Signers are powerful, and right now we are the only thing standing in their way. If you should find yourself up against a wall, just think of the rest of us, think of your friends. We are all in this, and even when we are apart, we are together. Now, let's go show these creeps how us Signers do things!" Sakura says. She takes off and goes right.
Yusei revs up and takes off, turning left.
Jack looks at the two cars over his shoulder. "An' if any of you loses your duel, you'll have to answer to me!" Says Jack. He takes off and turns right, but not as immediate as Sakura's.
The two cars leave at the same time. Trudge and the twins take an even more immediate left than Yusei's, while Akiza, Hotaru and Minako go straight.
Jack, riding alone, is preoccupied. "I'm coming to help you, Carly." Jack thinks to himself.
Flashback to the end of the hospital duel, when Jack swayed on his feet, exhausted from dueling for real with a broken arm and little strength. Sakura and Carly caught Jack before he fell. "'Cause when I was hurt, you took care of me, and when I was down, you picked me up." Jack thinks to himself, in voice-over. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "Now, it's my chance to return the favor!" Jack thinks to himself. He races ahead.
The eyes of a raven on top of a junk pile glow the red of a Mark of the Dragon. Beside this pile of junk, and others like it, drive Trudge and the twins. The dark buildings loom above them. Leo watches them. Luna startles him by putting a hand on his shoulder. "Hey." Luna says. "Uh?! Waaaa-aaa-aaaa-aaa-aaaaaah!" Says Leo, screaming. Luna ducks away, scared. "Don't scare me like that, Luna!" Leo says. "You scare me when you scream like that." Says Luna. "Ugh, sorry, but I'm all wound up and those're the creepiest birds I've ever seen!" Leo says. Luna is suddenly worried. "This is wrong. You shouldn't've come with me, Leo." Says Luna. "Eh." Leo says. He then starts being falsely cheery. "Nah, don't worry about me, I'm just pretending to be scared so that you don't have to be scared! Yeah, that's it! I'm just pretending! See, check it out!" Says Leo. Trudge is driving, quietly, and 'huh's when he pulls out his duel disk, what the heck? "Ta-da!" Leo says. "And what's the point of you wearing a duel disk?" Asks Luna. "Heheheh! I'm gettin' ready! Okay, you Dark Signers, come on and get some!" Leo says. "I'm the one who's gonna be dueling, not you." Says Luna. "Heheheh. Not too bright, is he?" Trudge asks.
Suddenly, Luna is surrounded by white light and hears a twinkling shriek.
"Haahh." Says Luna. "Something wrong?" Leo asks. "What was that screaming just now?" Asks Luna. "What screaming? I didn't hear anything!" Leo says. Luna closes her eyes and puts her hands to her ears, trying to hear it again. "I figured, but I just thought that you might've heard it since it was like so loud and powerful and everything. I think someone from the Spirit World is calling out to me or something." Says Luna. "Who does it sound like, is it Ancient Fairy Dragon?" Leo asks. "Hey, what's with all this Spirit World talk?" Asks Trudge. "Luna can talk to duel monster spirits from the Spirit World." Leo says. "Wha!" Says Trudge. He then has a smug. "How stupid d'you think I am?" Trudge asks. "No! It's really true!" Says Leo. "Right, of course, and my sister can fly. She's got magic wings made of gold!" Trudge says, syrupy and sarcastically. Leo grumbles. "Rrgm. Jerk. Luna can talk to spirits, you're just jealous 'cause you're a boring ordinary guy with no special powers!" Says Leo.
Meanwhile, Luna has her hands over her ears, trying to hear the Spirit World. The air in front of her starts to glow, and she hears a coo. "Huh?" Luna asks. Kuribon, hovering in the air before her, coos imperatively, its eyes concerned. "Kuribon, what's wrong?" Asks Luna. Kuribon bounces violently up and down, the problem is serious and urgent. "Ohh! Something bad's happening in the Spirit World, isn't it?!" Luna asks.
To Trudge, it appears that she is talking to thin air. "Hm? Who're you talking to?" Trudge thinks to himself. "Be right there." Says Luna. She closes her eyes, holds up her head and starts to glow. "Huh?!" Both Trudge and Leo ask. The light from Luna paints the landscape white, blinding them. A thin column of multi-colored pastel light shoots into the sky with an eerie whistling sound.
Halfway across the Satellite, Sakura notices the light. "Hm?" Sakura thinks to herself. She brakes sideways. "That is coming from the direction Luna went!" Sakura thinks to herself.
"Awaaaaaaaaah!" Leo screams. Trudge is trying valiantly to keep the car on the road when he counts a huge beam of blinding light as one of his passengers. It dissipates, and the car comes to a halt.
"Ugh! What're you kids doing back there?!" Asks Trudge. Leo's still bracing himself. The seatbelt beside him is empty. Luna has disappeared. "Uwaaagh, uh! Ah! Aaah?!" Leo asks. "What's going on?!" Asks Trudge. "It's Luna, she's gone!" Leo says. "What?!" Asks Trudge. "That big bright light just now, I think it took her away!" Leo says. "Oh, right, let me guess, she was transported to the Spirit World." Says Trudge. "Exactly!" Leo says. "Nuh-uh! That's not possible." Says Trudge, quietly and clipped. "It is so!" Leo says. Trudge climbs out of the car and starts looking around. "She wasn't beamed anywhere! Come on, let's look for her." Says Trudge.
"Don't waste your time." Leo says, snapping.
"Hey! Luna!" Says Trudge, calling out.
"Man, grownups never listen! But if she is wandering out here all alone, that wouldn't be good!" Leo says.
"Luna! Where are you?!" Asks Trudge.
"Luna! You're not here, right?! If you are here say something!" Leo says.
Trudge climbs a mound of garbage and looks around. "Luna! Agh! You gotta be kidding me!" Says Trudge, grumbling.
Leo runs. "Hey Luna, come out! Lu-na! Hey! Luna!" Leo says. He rounds a corner and abruptly stops, amazed at something in front of him. "Wow!" Says Leo. He's standing within view of a large mechanical device, a spire like the one at the bottom of the crater, with four prongs on top, like an antenna. "That thing's pretty big!" Leo says. He stands only half as tall as the base of the thing, it's maybe five times his height. "There it is, the Mark of the Monkey." Says Leo. There's ancient Latin-American designs carved around the base of the structure, centerpieced with a monkey. "This must be the control thing Minako was talking about. Hey, Dark Signer monkey guy! Are you in there?! Hel-lo, I'm ready to duel!" Leo says.
"I've been waiting for you, Signer." Says Devack.
Purple fire erupts from the ground behind the mechanism, and spreads, drawing a tail with three coils of parallel lines. The Mark of the Monkey appears on the landscape of the Satellite and reflects against the clouds.
In the other car. Akiza and Hotaru look up. "Check it out, the Monkey symbol! Luna's duel must be starting!" Akiza says.
In the distance. Jack has stopped his runner and climbed off, standing beside it and staring out at the Monkey. "The final round has begun." Jack thinks to himself.
Meanwhile, Yusei has stopped his runner, too, and stays astride it. "I hope Luna has what it takes to go through with this. She's just a kid and also the youngest of us Signers." Yusei thinks to himself.
"So, if I'm in the middle of this monkey barrier that means…" Says Leo.
Devack appears behind him. "Who are you?" Devack asks.
"Ah!" Says Leo.
"What's going on?! You're not a Signer, what're you doing here?!" Devack asks.
Leo sighs, and turns tough. "I'm gonna duel you! That is if you think you're strong enough to take me on!" Says Leo.
Trudge runs up a pile of debris and comes into view, outside the symbol. "Leo!" Trudge says.
"Is this some kind of joke?! Where's the little girl?! Why isn't she here?! I told her to come!" Says Devack.
"Yeah, well, she's busy! You're gonna hafta duel me instead, mister! I may not be a Signer, but that doesn't mean that I can't rock a deck! Now, come on!" Leo says. He activates his duel disk. "Let's see what you're made of!" Says Leo.
"I applaud your enthusiasm. I really do. But I'm afraid that you simply do not have the power to match me, boy!" Devack says.
"You don't know that!" Says Leo.
"If you insist on being destroyed, so be it!" Devack says.
"Let's duel!" Says both Devack and Leo.
"Leo! Get outta there, don't be a fool!" Trudge says.
Sakura pulls up at the bottom of his vantage point on her runner.
"Huh? Sakura! What're you doing here?" Asks Trudge.
Sakura takes off her helmet, climbs off of her runner and joins him. Grim stands up, the chain hooked up to his collar and the harness fastened around him both detach, and he steps off of his specially built-in platform, following after Sakura. "I turned around when I saw that pillar of light. Besides, my father can wait. What is going on?" Sakura asks. Trudge then takes a hold of her hand and helps her up to where he is, Grim stops to stand at her side. "Well first, Luna disappeared to who knows where." Says Trudge. "She what? She must have gone to the Spirit World for some reason." Sakura says. "Ugh, great, now you're babbling about Spirit World and fairy tales?!" Asks Trudge. Sakura releases his hand. "It isn't a fairy tale, it is real! Luna must have gone to rescue Ancient Fairy Dragon." Sakura says. "Ancient what?!" Asks Trudge. "I shall explain later, right now we have to stop this duel. Hey, Devack! That kid isn't a Signer, you can't duel him!" Sakura says.
"I warned him, and once a shadow duel begins, it cannot be stopped. Not until somebody wins, that is!" Says Devack.
"Rrrgh." Sakura growls under her breath.
"Let's get this battle going! It's my turn! I draw! Awesome! I summon Morphtronic Magnen in defense mode!" Leo says. Morphtronic Magnen has 800 attack points, 800 defense points, is a level 3 monster and is an earth type monster. "With Morphtronic Magnen in play, you can't attack any other monster on my field! Now, I'm placing one card face down and ending my turn!" Says Leo. "By laying my 'Morphtransition' trap card face down, I can trigger its effect and negate any attack my Morphtronic monsters might take. And then if I'm able to summon another Morphtronic Magnen on my next turn, I'll create a magnetic lock that'll stop him from attacking completely!" Leo thinks to himself.
"Leo, stop this! You have to find a way to get out of this duel!" Sakura says.
"No way! Don't you get it? If I defeat Devack, Luna won't have to duel 'im!" Says Leo.
"Heheheheheheheh." Devack laughs.
"Leo." Sakura says. "All we can do now is hope he can beat this guy." Says Trudge.
Meanwhile, in a glade in the Spirit World. It's the same as the last time Luna arrived there, with the one difference that this forest is nowhere near approaching sunny. It's misty and gloomy with fog. Luna wakes up on the ground. "Ugh." Luna says. "The Spirit World. I made it back." Luna thinks to herself. She sits up, a bit wearied or aching from the transfer. "That light must've brought me here." Luna thinks to herself. Kuribon appears beside her head, cooing loudly. "Oh, hey, Kuribon! Huh?!" Asks Luna. She looks, and Ancient Fairy Dragon's mountain is peeking above the trees nearby. "The mountain where Ancient Fairy Dragon was sealed away! Was she the one I heard screaming out before?" Luna thinks to herself.
"It's my turn, boy! I draw! And I summon Magician Ape in attack mode!" Devack says. Magician Ape has 800 attack points, 1200 defense points, is a level 3 monster and is a dark type monster.
When Magician Ape is in attack mode, you can gain control of one of your opponent's monsters by sending one card in your hand to the graveyard.
"I usually hate magical primates, but since this thing's too weak to destroy my Magnen, I don't mind it too much. Just as long as I don't have to worry about any special abilities or anything." Leo thinks to himself.
"I now activate Magician Ape's special ability. Which means that once a turn, if I take one card from my hand and send it to my graveyard, Magician Ape is able to take control of one of your monsters!" Says Devack.
"Huh?" Leo asks.
Magician Ape zaps Magnen and it comes over to Devack's field. "And with that out of the way, Magician Ape attacks you directly!" Says Devack.
"Aa-agh-ohh-ogh!"
"Leo!" Both Trudge and Sakura say.
"Haa-aaa-agh!" Leo's lifepoints get zapped down to 3200.
Leo's screams echo in the Spirit World. Luna stops walking and looks around. "Ohh! That sounded like Leo just now! You don't think he's dueling, do you, Kuribon?!" Asks Luna.
Leo's on his knees, still wincing. "Man. That really smarted. That was worse than when I dueled Sayer!" Leo thinks to himself.
"Now you know the true power of a shadow duel. Don't worry, I will try to send you to the netherworld with as little pain as possible! That is the only mercy I can spare you!" Devack says.
"Luna!" Leo thinks to himself.
"Leo!" Luna thinks to herself.
Sakura and Trudge are watching, tensely. Leo's in danger and there's nothing they can do to help him. "Rrrgh." Trudge growls under his breath.
Devack watches his small opponent, dispassionately. "Mmmm." Says Devack.
Leo's determined to fight to the end. "Uuugghh." Leo says.