Disclaimer: The following piece is in no way a claim to ownership of the depicted characters. Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu-Gi-Oh R, Yu-Gi-Oh GX and Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's are owned by TV Tokyo, Konami Corporation and Kazuki Takahashi. This story as presented is strictly for entertainment purposes, both for its owner and readers.
Chapter 21 – What Secrets lay Hidden by the Past
Standing over the viewing screen of their lair, the trio of Jose, Placido and Lucciano watched with a grain of discontent as they watched the Magicians in the Dominion of Beasts, rallying like American Revolution Patriots and Empire Loyalists as they prepared for war. Knowing of the civil unrest, Placido had told the other two of this looming incident; and now they were prepared to watch it through to the end.
"This is precisely why bureaucracies do not function," Placido deduced, passing a judgment upon the uproarious world. "They learned of human government from Taiyou and remodeled their Empire after a human democratic government; ironically, it was so they could avoid conflict."
"And now doing so has led them to what some might say was an inevitable result," Lucciano chimed in, just as solemn. "It's so sad to think that so much tension could build up among the most peaceful of beings."
"This also poses a complication for our plans," Jose realized, informing the other two. "If they cannot achieve civility, then it does not bode well for us trying to make an ideal society. Unless they can achieve piece, there is no hope for humans becoming a neutral world."
"And what's worse," Placido pointed out, "should this conflict erupt into a full war, with more than just the Magicians involved, it could spill over into our world, causing enormous damage. We need to ensure that nothing of that nature occurs, or we have no chance of completing our project."
"This is Paradox's doing, that's for sure," Lucciano said bitterly. "He created this conflict, if not directly then through manipulation."
"For now, Paradox is less of a concern than the Signers," Placido reminded his female counterpart. "If our situation changes, we may even have to form an alliance with them."
Meanwhile, several stories below the ground and where the Infinity Trio were, Judai lay sprawled out, semiconscious and dazed. The green Infinity mark glowing on his forehead seemed to trap him there, leaving him unable to make any sort of motion or recognize his surroundings. Laying in his limp position, he simply remained like a statue while the above group were conversing.
Suddenly, without any sort of warning, the eyes of Judai burst back into life when his irises changed into the glowing golden eyes of the Supreme King, the energy surge causing the Infinity to shatter. With his mind free, Judai stood up and leaned back against the wall, using his enhanced vision to look around at his surroundings. Looking back to the opposite wall, his night vision allowed him to see the stone walls covered in glyphic symbols, one of which took him by surprise: the Crimson Dragons' Seal.
Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted when his cell phone started vibrating in its Duel Disc compartment. He wasted no time in pulling out the device and looking at the call display, revealing the caller as none other than mercenary Austin O'Brien. When Judai answered the phone, he heard on the other end, "Where are you Judai?"
"And good to speak to you as well O'Brien," Judai replied, listening carefully as O'Brien explained to him that the Professor had been attempting to contact him but had failed. "I never received any calls from him in reply," he then clarified. "Perhaps they've been intercepted, or somehow erased from the memory."
"Well, either way I have the information he discovered," O'Brien informed. "When he failed to reach you, he gave me his findings. As it turns out, there are no records of the Saviors among the stories from 5,000 years ago; however, there are older stories, dating from roughly 10,000 years ago."
"10,000 you say?" Judai inquired, somewhat curious as he remembered the incident many years ago with Dartz and the Doma Organization. "Tell me, are these recordings in the mythos of Atlantis?"
"Indeed they are. According to the stories, the Crimson Dragon was represented by a similar creature in those myths, which sent 5 Gods down from the heavens as its apostles to watch over humanity."
"And those apostles are the Saviors?"
"Not quite," O'Brien stated. "Apparently, the monsters were too powerful to grace the earth in their existing forms; they would cause natural disaster simply by coming near the earth. As such, portions of their souls were split from them and used to create avatars upon the earth."
"The Five Signer Dragons," Judai realized, saying his thought under his breath. "Thank you O'Brien; that's quite a bit of help to us."
"Where exactly are you?" O'Brien finally asked. "I heard about you splitting off from the group, and then nobody can tell me where you went."
"I'm in a very old building," Judai explained, "one with glyphs of the People of the Stars. I think… that this is the inside of the Sky Temple."
"Are you sure?"
"I couldn't be more certain."
"Then I will alert the others," O'Brien agreed. "I'll pass along your location, and tell them that you're safe and sound."
"Very well," Judai responded, "but don't rush them. I'm in no danger at this moment; I think Placido wants to keep me here, intact, as bait."
"Either way, we can't just leave you there," O'Brien reasoned. "I'll still inform them."
"Very well." With that the other end of the line went dead and the phone shut off, and so Judai put his phone back into his Duel Disc and returned to gazing upon the walls, observing all the glyphs.
In the Poppo Time area, the unconscious bodies of David and Reggie were laying inanimate upon a large bed, being held until they were to be removed in whatever way they decided. Watching them were Aki and Kiryu; with everyone who had gone elsewhere, they were the only adults left on the premises.
"What exactly do we intend to get out of them?" Kiryu asked impatiently, annoyed both at being stuck with the task and the presence of the two Yliaster members. "They're out cold and they're enemies; even if they wake up, which they might never do, they will be disinclined to help us."
"We can't simply dispose of them in this situation," Aki pointed out, not much more interested but certainly more sympathetic. "They're still humans, and they deserve to live."
"That doesn't mean we need to hold them," Kiryu objected, turning his back and making Aki do the same. "What is our next plan of attack anyway? With all Five Saviors awakened, doesn't that mean we're close to the end of the story?"
"Not yet," Aki responded, not noticing while David's eyes snapped open, then quickly looked around and closed them again. About a second later Reggie too opened her eyes, closing them right away, and then tapping David's hand with her fingers to let hum know. "Think you're cut out to watch these two by yourself? I need to use the toilet."
"I think I can manage," Kiryu said sarcastically, making both of them slime and chuckle slightly before Aki stepped out of the room. Kiryu then turned back around, and noticed that David's hand was in a slightly different position than before. Bending over to get a closer look, he was caught completely off-guard when David's fist shot up into Kiryu's face, knocking him back on the floor.
Without missing a beat, David and Reggie both snapped their eyes open and jumped up, the former grabbing the injured Kiryu and jamming him face-down into the pillows. Reggie then quietly started moving around, out of the room and looking around for Aki. In the hallway, she watched the underside of all the doors until she found one that was closed with the light on inside.
Having found the target, she then motioned to David to come over to where she was, which he did quickly and quietly. Reggie then stepped aside and let David stepped directly in front of the door, waiting with a malicious smile on his face. A few seconds later, the light was shut off and Aki opened the door from the other side, only for David to grab her and headlock her.
"Let go of me!" Aki yelled out, clawing at David for a few seconds. His response was to tighten his grip, which made Aki start gasping and quickly pass out. With Kiryu unconscious, David slung Aki over her shoulder and the two cohorts started running down the hallway and the stairs.
The two then quickly ran all the way to the garage door and through it, finding David's black D-Wheel and getting on it. Aki was placed on the back of the vehicle, behind Reggie, and the two Yliaster goons then grabbed and put on helmets. With that David started up his vehicle and gunned the motor, shooting through the closed corrugated door and out into the streets.
"Just wait until we get back to Placido with this girl," David finally said to Reggie, both of them sneering. "This will give us leverage over the Signers for sure."
"With their ranks dispersed, there's no way they can launch a united strike against us," Reggie pointed out in agreement as they turned off the main highway down some more covert roads. "They'll simply walk into the lion's jaws and be devoured."
All of a sudden, David's vision spanned back to the road in time to see a figure dart out into the side street they were currently on, forcing him to swerve to the side and brake the vehicle. "Hey, watch it!" he bellowed. "What do you think you're doing?" When he got a look at the figure, however, he was stunned.
Standing in the street, a malicious smile on his face, was Johan; but not as David had seen him. His eyes were once again orange, his clothes were the blue-strapped dark clothes that Yubel created for him, and the Duel Disc on his arm was the also the corrupted one. Not believing what they were seeing, Reggie asked, "Johan… Andersen?"
"Yes and no," Johan answered gravely, speaking in both Yubel's voice and his own at once. "The body is Johan, but I have taken up refuge in his body. You master took my Judai away, and now I want him back. But at this moment, I'll settle for the girl." With that Yubel-Johan pointed at Aki, signaling to both David and Reggie that he was serious about taking her.
"What makes you think we'll simply hand her over?" David asked defiantly. "How do you know we can't just take off and leave you in the dust?"
"Because doing so is not possible now," was the darkened answer. Not realizing what was meant by this, Reggie was caught off-guard when Aki suddenly jumped out from behind her, running quickly over to where Johan was.
"Did you think I'd be taken that easily?" Aki asked, bemused. "I saw you coming, and I decided to find a way to Judai, or at least somebody."
"Leaving now will do you no good," Yubel-Johan added, just before Johan's voice completely disappeared and Yubel continued with her own voice. Activating her Duel Disc, she added, "Dueling us, however, just might. If you win, I will go with you quietly; but when I win, I claim something from the both of you."
"Don't think I'm not involved in this Yubel," Aki sharply added, activating her own Duel Disc as David and Reggie stepped off the vehicle. "I want Judai back as much as you do, and I'm willing to work for it as well."
"Very well," David agreed, Reggie tossing him a second Duel Disc as the both loaded their Decks and activated them. "Let us begin."
"DUEL!" everyone then yelled, snapping up 5 cards as they did so.
Johan/Aki: LP 4000
David/Reggie: LP 4000
"I shall take the first turn," Yubel stated, reaching for her card. She then immediately switched to just Johan's voice and added, "Draw!" When the card was pulled, Johan added, "I Special Summon Torch Golem (ATK: 3000, LV: 8)." All of a sudden, a quick flash came off the card and two medium-sized, metal monsters with buzz saw heads, sharp claws and spikes appeared in front of Johan.
Second later, a monster easily three times as big appeared behind David, one that was identical apart from its size. "Torch Golem is Special Summoned by Special Summoning 2 Torch Tokens to my own field (ATK: 0, LV: 1) (ATK: 0, LV: 1)," Johan explained. Then, he reached for a second card and activated it. "Instant Magic: Torch Factory!"
All of a sudden the large monster behind David exploded, making him flinch before a new monster similar to the existing ones, but with brown metal, appeared on both fields. "I may destroy one Special Summoned Torch Golem to activate this card," Yubel explained. "Now, we both draw 2 cards and Special Summon a Torch Factory Token (ATK: 1000, LV: 3) (ATK: 1000, LV: 3)."
When both David and Johan pulled both their cards, Johan took them and an existing card in his hand, and quickly set them all. "I set 3 cards and end my turn."
"It's my turn," David declared. "Draw!"
"Trap Card Open!" Johan declared, snapping his fingers as the card flipped up. "If We Die, We Die Together!" Sneering, Johan quickly inserted his entire hand into his Cemetery and pulled 5 new cards; meanwhile, David showed signs of irritation, and he quickly reached for a card.
"Instant Magic: Trap Booster!" he yelled, holding up the card. "I discard one card, and activate a Trap Card from my hand. I discard The big SATURN and activate Call of the Living Dead!" As soon as he inserted the card and played his new one, David took his whole hand and inserted it into the Cemetery as well, drawing a fresh hand as he did so.
Johan/Aki: LP 3700
David/Reggie: LP 3500
"Next, due to Call of the Living Dead, be reborn: SATURN (ATK: 2800, LV: 8)!" In a massive burst of energy, David's metallic monster appeared on the field, larger than Johan's had been and certainly more powerful-looking. "Next, I shall use SATURN's effect: I discard one card and pay 1000 Life Points, and for this turn SATURN gains 1000 extra attack strength!"
Johan/Aki: LP 3700
David/Reggie: LP 2500
Discarding the card into the Cemetery, David watched as the parts of his monster shifted around as they did to form all the extra weapons that had been used against Yusei. "Now, SATURN (ATK: 3800), attack the Torch Token!"
"No!" Aki realized. "If this attack connects, we're doomed."
"Trap Card!" Johan declared. "Undying Class! I release the two Torch Tokens to Special Summon Torch Golem from my Cemetery (ATK: 3000, LV: 8)!" The two smaller versions of the metal monster then disappeared, being replaced suddenly by the larger version standing behind Johan.
"Then I'll attack the Factory Token!" David declared, all the weapons on the body of his massive monster firing off in the direction of that monster. Its form exploded on contact, and Johan held his ground despite the massive hit.
Johan/Aki: LP 900
David/Reggie: LP 2500
"Since I cannot defeat your Golem," David deduced, "I change my Token to Defence Position (DEF: 1000). Next, I set 2 cards."
"Trap Card Open: Synchro Gate!" Johan declared, the monster behind him suddenly disappearing.
"Then I end my turn, so SATURN returns to normal (ATK: 2800)," David snapped, very questioning of the move and irritated that he could have attacked for the win had he known.
"It's my turn!" Aki declared. "Draw!" The instant she picked up her card, the light on its form suddenly burst out and created a huge doorway carved in stone, with runic symbols on it. "Due to Synchro Gate, I Special Summon a Synchro Monster whose level is 1 Lower than the released monster. Come, Black Rose Dragon (ATK: 2400, LV: 7)!"
When the doors opened, through them appeared the form of the short dragon with red petal-like scales along its wings and torso, a long black neck and tail with red trim and thorns, several brambles between its short legs, and a train of red petals behind its head. The new creature then roared darkly, looking at both of the two enemies.
"Next, I activate the Magic Card, One for One!" Aki declared, taking a card from her hand and inserting it into the Cemetery slot. "Appear now, Salvation Dragon – Savior Dragon (ATK: 0, LV: 1)!" Aki then quickly pulled the card from her Deck and held it to the sky, causing said monster to appear just above them.
"Impossible!" Reggie yelled out, looking back at a smiling Aki while her Cemetery glowed and a card slid out.
"There's more," Aki added, holding up the card. "Because Dandelion went to the Cemetery, I Special Summon 1 Fluff Tokens (DEF: 0, LV: 1) (DEF: 0, LV: 1)." With that, on either side of the dragon emerged one of the small dandelion seeds with faces, crouching as Aki made her move. "Now, I'm Tuning my Level 1 Savior Dragon to my Level 7 Black Rose Dragon and my Level 1 Fluff Token!"
Shooting up into the air, the three monsters got far above the city before the small, red dragon grew larger, encompassing her dragon and her Token to change them into eight total white orbs. These then formed a row inside a green ring within the dragon, and then everything turned into light.
"A new sublime force warms the cold fames and sets the great flowers into bloom," Aki chanted, looking up at her monster while everyone else stared on in awe. "Rise up and cast out the darkness of the soul! Synchro Summon! Rise up, Savior Rose Dragon (ATK: 3700, LV: 9)!"
Out of the massive show of light there appeared a tall, thin dragon whose chest was a large rose, whose long torso and tail were fixed between two long, thorny legs. Its wings were composed of similar petals to the other dragon, set onto a thorny branch-like frame; and the back of its head had a large collection of petals like a ponytail.
"Once in one turn," Aki explained, pointing at David's massive monster, "I may negate the effect of an opponent's monster and declare a direct attack on its controller. Sublime Rose Counter!" Without warning a huge group of black rose-like vines shot up from the ground, wrapping David's monster in their form and almost completely obscured it, leaving David looking incredibly fearful.
"David, stop her!" Reggie instructed, her fears being met with a complete lack of reply from her partner.
"Go, Savior Rose Dragon, attack the player directly! Cold Burning Rose!" The massive monster then roared and let out a blast of crimson energy filled with rose petals, striking David square-on and knocking him and Reggie back several feet. There, they collapsed on the ground while the Solid Vision died down.
Johan/Aki: LP 900
David/Reggie: LP 0
However, before either Johan or Aki could approach them, they were surprised to see a beam of black energy come from the top of a building and strike both David and Reggie. It left them as soon as it had appeared; and when they looked up to the source, they saw that it was none other than the masked Paradox.
"Such a shame to see such potentially fruitful lives squandered on a pipe dream with delusions of grandeur," Paradox lamented, the other two looking back to David and Reggie and seeing them simply lying there. Johan then ran over to them and bent down, checking them for any signs of life.
"Their souls have been taken," he revealed, looking back up at Paradox with a complete look of disgust. Paradox then proceeded to jump off the edge of the building and land on his feet at the bottom, fifty feet lower and standing opposite Aki and Johan. "Why did you do this to them?"
"I wanted to see them stop struggling so hard," Paradox explained. "Placido has convinced them that they can make a difference in this world; but they're just like the rest of you bastard humans. They were filth, living destruction upon this land; their lives taken means many more saved.
"Bastard humans?" Johan questioned, Yubel's voice once again joining with his own and then replacing it. "Last I checked, you're a human as well Paradox."
"That is not entirely true anymore, Yubel," Paradox responded, knowing the source of the voice. Leaving it at that, he disappeared into a cloud of black smoke, leaving nothing behind but the shells of David and Reggie.
Yusei, Jack and Crow stood at Hell Kaiser's bedside while the unconscious man was receiving treatment for his injuries at Neo Domino Hospital. "How could this have happened?" Yusei pondered. "And why him? Why did Paradox target him?"
"I have no way of knowing that, nor do any of us yet," Jack observed. "They say he's going to be fine, but no one truly is until we find out what's really going on and how to stop it."
"Where did Placid find this Paradox guy anyway?" Crow questioned. "I've never seen anything like what's described, and it doesn't make sense that Placido simply came across him like we're being told."
"I don't think it's that simple," Yusei argued, causing Crow to look at him questioningly. "If Paradox were working for Placido, he would have been sent after us long before this point. With the amount of power Paradox seems to have, he'd be the best choice for defeating us."
"Then you're suggesting that Paradox is working on his own, independent of Placido?" Jack inquired.
"I am," Yusei responded. "It's the only thing that makes sense. How they do relate to each other is something I don't know, but I have a feeling we'll find out soon."
"You can find out a lot of things is you comply ask," a voice said from in the hallway, prompting the three people to turn around. There's they saw the form of a man with navy hair in a dark blue body suit and crimson goggles over his face. "Pardon my intrusion, but I know some things which may be of use to you."
"And you are…?" Jack inquired, not being trusting of someone who doesn't introduce themselves.
"I am simply known as Dark Glass," the figure responded. "I have come here because of Yusei Fudo, the winner of the Fortune Cup and defeater of the Dark Signers. You see, I know of the approaching battle, and as such you need to heed my words."
"I'm listening," Yusei responded, allowing Dark Glass to continue.
"The man you know as Paradox is in fact working towards the opposite goal of Placido. Placido actually seeks to create an ideal human society in which everyone is treated as equals; Paradox, on the other hand, seeks destruction."
"And how do you know this?" Crow asked, skeptical of such a statement.
"I simply know," Dark Glass answered. "But I cannot give you any more than that unless Yusei Fudo will duel me."
"You'll give us our answers if I defeat you?" Yusei asked, pulling his Deck from his pocket.
"The answers are yours whether you win or lose," Dark Glass corrected. "I simply want to test your mettle as a fighter."
"Very well."
***
A few minutes later, Yusei's D-Wheel and Dark Glass' long, teardrop-shaped D-Wheel were stationed outside the hospital, both riders on them and waiting to being their fight. Their helmets on, Yusei and Dark Glass both pressed buttons on their consoles and activated the Speed World 2 Field Magic. With that done, both trays folded out into Duel Mode and both players yelled,
"Speed World 2, set on! Riding Duel! Acceleration!" With that they both took off like a shot, blasting past the buildings at lightning pace as Jack and Crow followed on their own vehicles. With Yusei slightly out ahead, both players drew 5 cards.
Yusei: LP 4000
Dark Glass: LP 4000
"It's my turn," Yusei stated, quickly pulling his next card and reaching for one in his hand. "I Summon Defend Warrior (DEF: 1200, LV: 3)!" As he placed the card onto the tray, Yusei called up a dark brown warrior in armour that resembled shields on his forearms, shins and chest. "Next, I set 2 cards and end my turn."
"Is that what you call a turn?" Dark Glass inquired smugly. "I expected more!" Yusei then growled at this statement as Dark Glass reached for his Deck with his left hand, then he said, "It's my turn (Yusei: 1 SPC/Dark Glass/1 SPC)!" When he grabbed his card, he instantly slammed it onto the tray and yelled, "I Summon Tech Genus – Cyber Magician SC-01 (ATK: 0, LV: 1)!"
When the blue summon vortex opened, it revealed a squat magician in silvery armour and robes whose body was covered except for its face. "When this card is used to Synchro Summon a Tech Genus Monster, I may Tune it to one Tech Genus Monster from my hand. Thus, I Tune my Level 1 Cyber Magician to the Tech Genus – Warp Phoenix WB-04 in my hand!"
Appearing out of nowhere, Dark Glass' burning bionic bird spread its wings and the magician changed into a single white orb, becoming a green ring that surrounded the bird and moved to its centre. There, the monster changed into 4 white orbs and these fused into a column of light.
"Synchro Summon!" Dark Glass yelled, holding up a Synchro Monster. "Appear now, Tech Genus – Power Gladiator WAX-1000 (ATK: 2300, LV: 5)!" Out of the light then charged a massive green-armoured warrior with a segmented black shield and an axe-liker power weapon. This warrior then roared a battle cry at Yusei, making him look back with an impression of fear.
"Next, I draw one card due to Warp Phoenix's effect," Dark Glass informed, pulling another card from his Deck. "Furthermore, I activate the effect of Tech Genus – Portal Dragon, and Special Summon it because I Synchro Summoned a Tech Genus Monster (ATK: 0, LV: 1)!" Dark Glass then brought forth his longer serpent dragon, which twisted its body into a circle and created a glowing vortex.
"Due to this Tuner's effect, I Special Summon Tech Genus – Rush Rhino BW-04 from my hand (ATK: 1800, LV: 4)!" Dark Glass added, the vortex producing a rhino-like humanoid wearing silver armour as the dragon changed into a green ring. "Next, I Tune my Portal Dragon to my Level 4 Rush Rhino!" The rhino monster then charged through the green ring, changing into five white orbs and then disappearing into a column of light.
"Synchro Summon! Appear now, Tech Genus – Powered Phoenix BWX-1000 (ATK: 2100, LV: 5)!" From that light then spread the metal wings of Dark Glass' crane-like monster as it made its cry. "Due to this effect, both my monsters gain 500 ATK (ATK: 2800) (ATK: 2600). Battle!" Rushing forward, the warrior swung its axe-like weapon at Yusei's monster, at which time Yusei declared a counter-move.
"I activate the effect of Defend Warrior," Yusei explained. "In the turn this monster is attacked, its DEF is doubled for Damage Calculation (DEF: 2400)." Despite this increase in power, however, Yusei watched as his monster was sliced through; then, seemingly without warning, his Life Points took a hit and Yusei felt it.
Yusei: LP 3600
Dark Glass: LP 4000
"Power Gladiator inflicts Penetration Damage against an opponent's monster," Dark Glass informed. "However, you did spare yourself some damage with that move, so it wasn't a total waste."
"It still isn't," Yusei revealed, pointing as one of his cards appeared. "Trap Card Open: Code of Warrior! When a Soldier-Type Monster I control is destroyed, I Special Summon one with the same Level from the Deck. "Come, Mail Warrior (DEF: 1200, LV: 3)!" From the blue summon vortex then appeared a monster covered in chain mail with some pieces of plate mail, who took up a crouching position.
"I attack your monster with Powered Phoenix," Dark Glass instructed, causing his other monster to strike the opposing monster; however, the strike jumped off and the monster remained. "What's this?"
"Mail Warrior cannot be destroyed by battle with a monster of Level 4 or more," Yusei stated, "and it's also unaffected by Level 4 or higher monsters."
"Then I set 1 card and end my turn," Dark Glass stated, throwing his card down into the tray.
"Then it's my turn," Yusei stated, pulling his card (Yusei: 2 SPC/Dark Glass: 2 SPC). "I Summon Bri Synchron (ATL: 1500, LV: 4)!" With the monster on the tray, Yusei's monster appeared as the jet-like robot as Yusei said, "Now I tune my Level 4 Bri Synchron to my Level 3 Mail Warrior!"
The newer monster then changed into 4 white orbs that became green rings, surrounding the other monster and changing it into a column of light. "The clustering arms will become a bolt of lightning and crash upon the earth," Yusei chanted. "Become the path its light shines upon. Synchro Summon! Electrify, Lightning Warrior (ATK: 2400, LV: 7)!"
From his column of light Yusei called up a silver-armoured warrior with a red scarf and blonde hair, who made a battle cry as it looked on at Dark Glass. "Due to Bri Synchron's effect, Lightning Warrior gains 600 ATK (ATK: 3000) but its effect is negated this turn. Now, I attack Powered Phoenix with Lightning Warrior!"
"I don't think so Yusei!" Dark Glass defiantly rebuked, his D-Wheel all of a sudden starting to glow. A few seconds later, he accelerated past Yusei and went fast enough to disappear; his monsters ding the same thing. Continuing on, Yusei looked around for several seconds but did not see anything for almost a minute.
Just then though, Yusei felt a huge mass rush past him, and then he looked in time to see Dark Glass reappear, neither of his original monsters by his side. Instead, beside him could be seen a massive green-armoured monster with blade-like wings, a bladed machine gun hand, and a pair of jets with which to proper itself.
"During my opponent's turn," Dark Glass explained, "I may use a Synchro Monster and a Synchro Tuner Monster on my field to perform an Accel Synchro Summon; in this case, the Accel Synchro Monster known as Tech Genus – Blade Gunner MAXX-10000 (ATK: 3300, LV: 10)!"
"That much attack power?" Yusei questioned, looking back with an expression of defiance. "Then I set one card and end my turn. In the End Phase, Bri Synchron's effect disappears (ATK: 2400)."
"Then I draw (Yusei: 3 SPC/Dark Glass: 3 SPC)," Dark Glass declared, also pointing at Yusei's monster. "Now, I attack Lightning Warrior with Blade Gunner!"
"I activate my Trap Card," Yusei responded. "Wave Force! When a Synchro Monster is attacked, I destroy all of my opponent's Attack Position Monsters."
"Sorry to disappoint you," Dark Glass stated smugly, "but my Monster has an interesting effect. By discarding 1 card from my hand, I negate my opponent's card effect which affects this monster and destroy it!" Watching Yusei gasp, Dark Glass slid a card into the Cemetery and moments later Yusei's card shattered. "Battle!"
With that done, Dark Glass' monster shot forward, firing bullets from its gun which the warrior all dodged; however, soon the blade came crashing down and cleaved it in two, making it explode and Yusei swerve from the shockwave.
Yusei: LP 2700
Dark Glass: LP 4000
"I end my turn," Dark Glass said confidently, looking back at Yusei as he pulled a card from his Deck.
"It's my turn!" Yusei declared, pulling a card from his Deck and seeing a potential way out. "I Summon Tricler in Defence Position (DEF: 300, LV: 3)!" As he placed the card on the tray, he called up a small robotic monster whose frame included three very large wheels and a headlight for a face. "Next, I set one card and end my turn."
"I draw!" Dark Glass yelled (Yusei: 4 SPC/Dark Glass: 4 SPC). "I attack Tricler with Blade Gunner!" In a flash, Dark Glass' monster jumped forward and cleaved Yusei's monster in two, causing it to explode before a new monster appeared. This new monster had two bicycle-like wheels, handlebars on its arms, and headlights on its chest.
"When Tricler is destroyed in battle," Yusei explained, "I may Special Summon Bicler from my Deck in Defence Position (DEF: 200, LV: 2)."
"That makes no difference to me," Dark Glass declared. "Trap Card Open: Desperate Battle! If my opponent still controls a monster after Damage Calculation of a turn my monster attacked, I may lower its ATK by 1000 (ATK: 2300) and declare a second attack with said monster!"
This time, the monster swung into battle and quickly exploded the small monster; but this time, a small red robot with just one wheels and a pair of beady eyes appeared and turned blue. "Due to Bicler's effect, I Special Summon Uncycler in Defence Position (DEF: 100, LV: 1)."
"It still doesn't matter," Dark Glass stated. "I have this duel won. I activate the effect of Speed World 2: by removing 4 Speed Counters, I inflict 800 damage to my opponent for every Speed Spell in my hand!" Turning his hand around as all his Counters disappeared, Yusei saw among his cards 3 Speed Spells; but there was one among them that worried him.
Yusei: LP 300
Dark Glass: LP 4000
"But wait, there's more (Yusei: 2 SPC/Dark Glass: 0 SPC)," Dark Glass stated, holding up the card Yusei feared. "I activate Speed Spell – Over Boost, and give myself 4 new Speed Counters (Yusei: 4 SPC/Dark Glass: 4 SPC)!" As soon as he played the card, his engines roared to life and he took off like a shot, leaving Yusei even farther behind him. "Next, I activate Speed World 2's effect again!"
Yusei had absolutely no way to stop Dark Glass from using this next move; in a flash, his console exploded from the effect and it sent him careening into the side of a building, Dark Glass stopping somewhat farther ahead.
Yusei: LP 0
Dark Glass: LP 4000
"That's how a duelist who won the Fortune Cup performs?" Dark Glass questioned, getting off his D-Wheel and walking towards Yusei, who was still sitting in his seat. Moments later Jack and Crow pulled up to a stop behind Yusei, jumping off their vehicles and running up to him. "That was hardly a challenge."
"Your incredibly cheap monsters must have taken him by surprise," Jack said rudely, crossing his arms and showing no agreement with Dark Glass. "Either that, or Yusei had some incredibly bad draws."
"His strategy was all wrong for this," Crow realized, turning to Yusei. "That didn't seem like you at all; it seemed pretty… weak. Were your cards really that bad?"
"His heart wasn't in that duel," Dark Glass realized. "My guess is that whatever has happened recently has got him questioning his worth as a Duellist."
"It was my last duel," Yusei revealed, taking off his helmet. Hearing Jack and Crow gasp in confusion, he then followed up with, "The last time I duelled, it drove a wedge between me and Judai; right before he showed me just how little it means to be respectful in a Duel. Dark Glass," Yusei challenged, "you took us from the bedside of one of our closest friends on a riddle. You wasted our time with him… so I decided to waste yours."
"You threw the duel on purpose?" Jack questioned angrily. "Those sloppy plays… they were just to be rude to Dark Glass."
"Have I not proven my point?" Yusei asked of Jack, hostilely. "We need to act as quickly as we can in the fight against our enemies, and so we don't have time to waste on side trips with no real purpose!"
"This is exactly what I wanted to show you," Dark Glass stated calmly, getting the attention of everyone. "Yusei, you're angry over how events have transpired, causing harm between you and your friends; but you're letting that cloud your judgment. If you want to approach this task properly, you must keep a level head and fight back accordingly."
Yusei's stunned reaction to this question was incredibly marked, and seemed an overreaction to his friends. Seconds later, Yusei asked in a far more calm voice, "Approach it calmly? What have I been doing that's not calm?"
"What are you trying to pull?" Jack asked bitterly, grabbing Yusei by the collar. "You threw a duel to make a point to this guy!"
"I did what?" Yusei then asked in complete stunned-ness, causing jack to drop him back into his seat. "I don't remember throwing any duel; I don't even remember a duel taking place. I went from being outside the hospital to… being here."
"What the hell is going on?" Crow asked bitterly, his question answered seconds later by dark laughter. Looking up to one of the nearby rooftops, they saw the masked form of Paradox standing atop the building; then, seconds later. He was standing on the ground near them.
"You bastard!" Jack yelled. "You interfered with Yusei's duel, didn't you?"
"I forgot how riled you miserable humans become so easily," Paradox stated, his amused tone barely hiding his misanthropy. "You make this far too easy."
"Paradox, what do you want with us?" Dark Glass questioned, only to be met by a dark laugh from under the mask. "Answer me!"
"What I want… is to see this filthy species burn and fester like the plague it is!" Paradox yelled back darkly. "And very soon, I will accomplish that goal…" he added, just before disappearing into a new cloud of smoke.
"I apologize Yusei," Dark Glass suddenly stated, catching Yusei off-guard. "I should have realized somebody was interfering with the duel based on what was happening. We're owed a new duel."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Yusei asked, putting his helmet back on and starting his vehicle up again, taking it out from the wall. In response, Dark Glass walked back over to his own D-Wheel and got back on, and seconds later Jack and Crow did the same.
"This place… has such a complex history and legacy," Judai realized, reading the symbols that made up the walls and ceiling of the room he was in.
"Yes, it is indeed a very complex and intriguing culture," a dark voice responded to Judai's statement. Looking around, Judai saw no people in the room; but he felt like he knew the voice from somewhere.
"Who's there?"
"Come now Judai, I should hope I have not been forgotten after so little time," the voice answered. Seconds later, a black fog formed near the ground and started to produce a tall, black-cloaked figure with eyes glowing out from inside the hood. Reaching up with its hands, the figure pulled down the hood and revealed a face that made Judai gasp in disbelief.
Card of the Week – Dark Glass
Tech Genus – Blade Gunner MAXX-10000
Type: EARTH
Level: 10
Tribe(s): [Machine/Accel Synchro/Effect]
Effect: 1 Synchro Tuner + 1 Synchro Monster
CHAPTER: You can discard 1 card from your hand to negate the activation and effect of a Magic Card, Trap card or Effect Monster whose effect affects this card, and destroy it. During either player's turn, you can remove from that this card until the End Phase. If you do, this card gains 700 ATK when it returns to the field. When this card is destroyed, draw 2 cards. You cannot use them that turn.
ANIME: Not Fully Confirmed
ATK/ 3300
DEF/ 2200
*With action heating up on all sides, the coming chapters should be very, very intense. Review if you wish.*