Chapter 26: A Whale Of A Ride: Part 2
Trudge's jeep and Sakura, on her runner, with Grim standing on his specially built-in platform, secured to it by the harness that's fastened around him and to the runner by the chain that's hooked up to his collar, are racing along a highway near the edge of the Sign. Purple flames drift up below them.
"Another shadow duel? But, who is fighting?" Sakura thinks to herself. "You guys stay back, while I check things out! It is too dangerous!" Sakura says.
"No way!" Says Trudge. "We can't leave you, Sakura! What if something happens?! We don't even know who this new Dark Signer is! And what if they have another Earthbound Immortal?!" Luna asks. "Yeah! I thought we were like the Three Musketeers, not the Lone Ranger! We won't let you go solo!" Says Leo.
Sakura nods. "Alright, Leo. However, I shall go on ahead and scout out the duel. Check you guys later." Sakura says. With that, she leans to the side, merging toward the edge of the road. "Grim, down." Says Sakura. Grim obeys and lowers himself down to the platform, tucking his unnaturally long tail close to himself. Sakura twists the acceleration handle and jumps the edge of the highway.
Trudge and the twins are aghast.
Sakura lands, bouncing on her back wheel and then forward onto her front, before landing solidly and riding onward, determinedly. "Time to see whose throwing down." Sakura thinks to herself.
Meanwhile, Crow's still in free fall on his runner. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" Crow screams.
Flashback, to the moment Crow realized his nestlings were gone. "There you are!" Crow says. But his arms are empty, and the kids running toward him are vanishing. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "No! I can't go down like this! I owe it to the kids!" Says Crow. He opens his runner's wings, and shoots the mechanism. Gliding with his wings, Crow sails in a wide arc upward, tethered by the cord between the stand/claw and the bottom of his runner, and back onto the track. The grappling stand rips out of the track and retracts, bouncing Crow's runner one more time. Crow folds his wings back up and keeps riding.
Greiger's some distance behind him. "Not bad. But if Crow had any brains, he'd use those wings to fly away." Greiger thinks to himself. "Hope your flight wasn't too scary! But then again why would it be, since you're a better pilot than duelist! Too bad those skills won't help you outmaneuver my next attack!" Greiger says.
"I sure hope he's wrong. 'Cause it looks like Yusei wasn't kidding about these battles." Crow thinks to himself.
Flashback. "Crow, this isn't just another duel. You face them, you play for keeps, and I'm not talkin' about your deck." Says Yusei. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "Well then, it's time I play for keeps, too! And that means, I gotta figure out a way to take out Greiger and that runner of his a-sap!" Crow thinks to himself.
In his mind's eye, he sees the kids.
"Dark Signers took my family away, and now they're gonna pay for their misdeeds." Crow thinks to himself. "I'm comin' at you with everything I got! So prepare yourself, Greiger! 'Cause this bird's got some claws!" Crow says. He draws, Blackwing-Bora the Spear. "First off, I'll be activating my 'Speed Spell-Angel Baton'. And as long as I have two speed counters, I get to draw two cards. Now let's see what I have in store for you! Hmph. It's not lookin' good, Greiger. I discard one card to summon my Blackwing-Mistral the Silver Shield in defense mode!" Says Crow. Blackwing-Mistral the Silver Shield has 100 attack points, 1800 defense points and is a level 2 monster. "And since I already have a Blackwing on my field, I can summon out, Blackwing-Bora the Spear! And these birds of prey are about to pounce on you!" Crow says. Blackwing-Bora the Spear has 1700 attack points, 800 defense points, is a level 4 monster and is an earth type monster.
"Bring it on! I'll bring both those birds down to Earth!" Says Greiger.
"Not if I end this shadow-duel now! Blackwing-Bora, take apart his Y FI!" Crow says.
Bora attacks, and the explosions from Y FI's wild blasts take a chunk out of the side of an adjacent building, which then falls down toward Greiger. "Daaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Says Greiger, screaming. It falls on top of him, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
"Nice knowin' ya!" Crow says.
Then Greiger roars out of the cloud on his runner, his lifepoints dropping to 3100.
"What?! How did Greiger only lose a few of his points?!" Crow thinks to himself. "Huh?! His Y FI's still running?!" Asks Crow.
"It is, and better than ever, I'm afraid! You see, before you attacked, I activated this! The trap card 'Fake Explosion'. So not only is my Y FI still flying high, but I get to summon another monster, which will even up the playing field! And who better to call for backup than Summon Reactor•SK!" Greiger says. Summon Reactor•SK has 2000 attack points.
"Way to go, Crow! Not only didn't you take 'im out, but you let 'im expand his air force! And as long as he's got Trap Reactor•Y FI and Summon Reactor on the field, you're only one attack away from being sent to the netherworld! I just know he's holding on to Spell Reactor•RE, and once all three are out there, in comes the big dog, Flying Fortress SKY FIRE! That bad boy almost took out Yusei in the tournament." He thinks to himself. "Now it's gonna come after me!" Says Crow.
Meanwhile, Sakura rides down the track somewhere within the Sign. "This duel must be around here somewhere. Unless, they are turbo-dueling! Guess I'm going to have to track them down!" Sakura thinks to herself. She keeps riding, her new course of action clear, and before a minute has passed, she sees a light up ahead. "Huh?! There! It is them!" Sakura thinks to herself.
"Why don't you finish your turn so I can end your misery! You will never beat me, Crow! Not with the dark power I, huh?" Greiger asks. His runner beeps, and he breaks off to look at it. A camera shows the track behind him, where another rider and runner are coming up on him fast. The beep must've been some kind of proximity alarm.
"Huh?" Asks Crow.
He looks back, it's Sakura. "Sakura's here!" Crow says.
"But she won't be for long!" Says Greiger.
Sakura is smiling, as she rides up beside the duelists. "I'm so glad that your alright, Crow!" Sakura says. Grim barks, as if in agreement. Then, she looks over at Crow's opponent, no more smile. "Greiger?! Why are you?! Wait! Are you the...?" Asks Sakura.
"Dark Signer? Yes! This was the only way to get revenge on Goodwin for what he did to me! He destroyed my family, Sakura! And if joining the Dark Signers is what it takes to make sure that man pays, then so be it!" Greiger says.
Grim's blazing red eyes are now fixed on Greiger, as his fur starts standing on edge. "Crow, you remember what happens in these shadow-duels. So please, let me take your place. This is my battle to fight." Says Sakura.
"Rrrgh! Forget it! It was the Dark Signers who stole my family from me!" Crow says.
"Hm?" Asks Sakura.
"They trusted me to look out for them. And when the Dark Signers' mist covered Satellite, I couldn't do anything! They're all gone and it's all my fault!" Crow says.
"What?!" Asks Sakura.
Flashback. She remembers the smiles of the little kids, who gathered around her when she visited Crow's hideout, back when she had no scars at all. "All of them?! No!" Sakura says, in voice-over. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "Now d'you see why I gotta do this? I started this duel and I'm ending it." Says Crow.
"Listen!" Sakura says.
"To what?! You're not talkin' me outta this, Sakura! Those kids were all I had, I owe them this much. And so much more. See, you don't know the truth about me." Says Crow.
Flashback. Crow as a little kid, seven-years-old, stands alone on a beach of the Satellite, his the only footprints in the sand, staring out at the City. He bears no tracking dye. "I never had a family. I never had to do chores or go to sleep early. Now, I know that living without rules might sound like fun. But 'round here, it was dangerous. I learned that the only person I could depend on was me. And the world can be a lonely place when your only company is your shadow." Crow says, in voice-over. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. Greiger's listening, silently.
"A warm meal, a soft bed, these're the things I dreamed about. But, becoming a professional duelist is what I hoped for the most!" Says Crow.
Flashback. Trash flows past on a conveyor belt at a dump somewhere in the Satellite. "And so, I tried to make my dream a reality. I figured if I could build a deck, I might win a few duels and score my way outta Satellite. So I hit the dump, it was the only place where a kid from the streets could hope to find a card or two." Crow says, in voice-over.
Little Crow walks among the piles of trash, and gasps with delight, runs over to one of them and crouches down, he found one. Little Crow picks it up, brushes it off and then searches the ground nearby for more. "They weren't just cards, ya see? They were my ticket outta here! And right away I realized that it wasn't gonna be an easy trip." Says Crow, in voice-over
Sometime later. Little Crow walks down the street, a card held up in each hand, wide-eyed and innocent.
Then, some big guy approaches him, towering over him and casting a shadow over him. "So kid, you got some cards there, thanks." He takes them from him, causing little Crow to fall over and scuff up his elbow a little bit. "Hey, those are mine." Little Crow says. "What are you gonna do about it, shrimpy?" Little Crow's eyes are tearing up and close to running down his cheeks.
"Hey, leave him alone!"
The bully turns and little Crow looks himself.
Standing there is Sakura as a little kid, eight-years-old. Even back then, she still has that dark edge to her. Her wavy, raven black, red highlighted hair, which is partially done up into twin tails, while the rest falls completely loose down the back, falls just past her shoulders, no scar on her in sight. Her red eyes as determined and fierce just like they are present wise. Grim, who's no where near his current size, only reaching up to Sakura's ribcage, is standing beside her. Regardless of his size, Grim still looks pretty supernatural-looking.
Little Crow runs over to little Sakura and Grim, hiding behind them.
"What do you want, girlie? You wanna get what he got to?"
"How about I duel you instead?" Asks little Sakura. She activates her duel disk, a smaller version of the one she uses now.
"You'll regret challenging me, girlie."
"You don't have to do this, ya know." Little Crow says. He's still hiding behind little Sakura and Grim, but he's now keeping his distance a little bit.
"I know." Says little Sakura. It only takes one card to take him out. "I summon, Cynder the Black Dragon!" Little Sakura says.
Cynder still looks the same, nothings changed of her, same structure and size. Cynder towers over little Sakura, Grim and little Crow. "Cynder, teach this bully a thing or two about messing with innocent kids. Teach him, with Dark Shadow Flame!" Says little Sakura. Cynder's powerful fire attack shakes the ground, making little Crow and the bully lose their balance, she stands her ground. Cynder's attack stops, and the bully is freaking out, crying like a little girl. Cynder vanishes and goes back to little Sakura's deck.
"Maybe next time, you shall think twice before messing with innocent kids that are younger and smaller than you." Little Sakura says.
The bully approaches her, but she quickly punches him right in the nose, causing his nose to bleed and she also manages to back-kick him right in the side of the head. When she did that, little Sakura was able to get a hold of little Crow's two cards that he stole from him. "Grim, sick him." Says little Sakura. Grim snarls, baring his teeth and runs straight for him.
The bully then runs off, crying and whimpering like a little girl.
Grim halts and turns back to little Sakura, walking up to stand before her. "Good boy, Grim." Little Sakura says. She hugs Grim close to herself, burying her face and fingers into his messy, black fur.
Little Crow walks up to little Sakura and Grim, slowly, sort of scared to approach them. "Um, hi." Says little Crow. Little Sakura then stops hugging Grim and turns to face him. Little Crow looks down at the two duel cards in her hand. Little Sakura extends her arm out, with the cards in her hand. "Here, take them." Little Sakura says. Crow hesitates a little bit, but removes them from her hand, gently. "Are you alright, kid?" Asks little Sakura. Little Crow nods, innocently. Little Sakura smiles, innocently. "That is good." Little Sakura says. She then starts walking away, with Grim following at her heels, heading off somewhere.
"Huh?" Asks little Crow.
Little Sakura looks over her shoulder, looking towards him, determined to get him to follow her.
Little Crow takes a few small steps towards her.
Little Sakura has her little smile again and runs off, with Grim running after her.
"Wait!" Little Crow says. He runs after little Sakura and Grim, keeping his distance though, still a little scared of them.
Little Sakura and Grim run further into town, little Crow following after them, catching up to them. Little Sakura suddenly stops and little Crow then collides into her, making them both fall to the ground. Little Sakura's laughing, this must have been her more joyful days. "Oh, I'm sorry." Says little Crow. "For what? That was fun." Little Sakura says. She stands up and helps little Crow up. Grim comes to stand at little Sakura's side. Little Crow looks at his two cards again, grateful for little Sakura's help getting them back.
"Whatcha got there?" Little Crow looks up from his two cards. Little Sakura, Grim and little Crow are surrounded by six kids, all in their elevens and twelves. This doesn't look good. Little Sakura steps in front of little Crow, he stays behind her, not again. "J-just some cards I found." Says little Crow. "Whaddaya think you are, some kinda duelist?" "I wanna be." Little Crow says.
Pause.
The kids laugh, and suddenly look a lot friendlier. Little Sakura's laughing, as well, as if she was in on this. Little Sakura then steps aside, knowing there's no real trouble. "That's cool! We're learnin' to throw down, too. She's the best young duelist there is around here and she's never once lost a duel. So, we've been learning to duel from her. If you want anyone to teach you how to duel, she's the one to learn from."
Sometime later, a couple of this group of kids duel table-style on the sidewalk between doorsteps, with little Crow, little Sakura, with Grim standing between them, and the other four standing around as spectators. "You were there, I thought they'd take my cards. But, that's when I learned from you that your deck is like your soul, and no one would ever steal that." Says Crow, in voice-over.
Little Crow's still looking at the two cards he found in the dump, and another of the kids looks over his shoulder, points to one of them, and remarks... "Sweet card! Its Vayu, a bird. They say your first card, can predict your future. Maybe you'll fly outta here someday, kid!" "Yeah!" Little Crow says. "Just take some of us, too! Whaddaya say, Crow?" "The name stuck, and so did everything else I learned from you about dueling. Next thing I knew, I had friends. And you were the first friend I ever made, someone who actually understood what I went through." Says Crow, in voice-over. "So, what's your name?" Little Crow asks. "It is Sakura." Grim suddenly jumps up on little Crow, knocking him over to the ground. "And that's Grim. Sorry, that's just his way of saying hello." Says little Sakura. Little Crow laughs, awkwardly. "Well, it's nice to meet you too, Grim." Little Crow says. Grim licks his face. "Eck!" Says little Crow. Grim gets off of him and moves to sit down at little Sakura's side. Little Crow then sits up and wipes the dog slobber off of his face with his arm.
More and more kids of similar ages appear around little Crow, and finally little Sakura and Grim appear again, with two others well recognized, Jack and Yusei as little kids. Little Jack is nine-years-old, while little Yusei is the same age as little Sakura, eight-years-old. Absolutely adorable, too. Little Jack stands at one side of little Sakura and little Yusei the other, with Grim standing between the two young half-twins. "I had a family. I met you, Sakura. Yusei and Jack, too. You weren't just my buddies, you were like my sister and they were like my brothers. Everything was taken from me, but dueling gave me a new beginning. And I wasn't about to let anyone else have to face their shadow as their only friend." Says Crow, in voice-over.
Little Crow cries with joy, as he jumps into little Sakura's arms, hugging her, with little Jack and little Yusei hugging them, too. Group hug. The flashback ends.
Fade back to Crow himself, grim under his helmet. "I learned to fly, and it was up to me to teach others the same. I found kids that were like me, ones that had no family or didn't have anywhere to go but the streets of Satellite." Crow says.
As he speaks, he now has all his marks and he's with his nestlings, little Crow, little Yusei, little Sakura and little Jack laughing together, and little Crow standing on a beach all alone. "I looked out for them, made sure they were safe, taught them how to duel, and together, we learned the most important lesson. When you have friends, you're never alone. They were my family, Sakura." Says Crow, in voice-over. The vision ends.
Back to the present. "And as much as you think that I saved them, it was them who saved me." Crow says.
"But Crow, why risk everything?" Asks Sakura.
"'Cause! They took them all away!" Crow says.
Flashback/vision, as the dark cloud approaches, the five nestlings stand in the street outside Crow's hideout, too trusting and curious to run for cover, and watch it approach. "The Dark Signers attacked us, using that cloud to steal the spirits of everyone! And what does Greiger do? He goes and joins them." Says Crow, in voice-over. The flashback/vision ends.
Back to the present. "As far as I'm concerned, he's responsible! And now, it's time for his punishment!" Crow says.
"Are you done taking us on this trip down memory lane? Because now, it's my turn to send you on a trip to the netherworld!" Says Greiger.
"Stop it!" Sakura says.
"Huh?" Asks Greiger.
"Don't you get it, you are on the same side! You both lost your families and that is why you are dueling! You should be working together to get back what matters most, not tearing each other apart in a shadow duel! Look, you told Yusei and I what happened, Greiger. Goodwin's the one you want to make pay for this!" Sakura says.
Flashback. Greiger, 'Skylar' and Yusei talk the night before the former and latter's duel on the twins' patio. "You told us how he was the one who destroyed your village. So, now what? You get your revenge by joining the Dark Signers and taking out Goodwin with the rest of humanity?!" Asks Sakura, in voice-over. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "That's why I need to win this duel, Sakura! Greiger has to be stopped!" Crow says.
"Not like this. Crow, this duel is all about revenge! That makes you as bad as him!" Says Sakura.
"You dunno what you're talking about! Rrrgh! This is something that I just have to do!" Crow says.
"No, it isn't!" Says Sakura.
"This is my battle, ya got that?! If hate is what it takes to win it, then so be it! An' anyway, friend, we're talking about a shadow duel, here." Crow says. He puts a forearm to his visor, wiping his eyes. "There's no stopping it. Ugh!" Says Crow. He flings his arm backward and tears fly from his hand, hitting Sakura's visor and sliding off with the wind.
Sakura gasps. This is serious. "Crow." Sakura thinks to herself. "Then, good luck! However, remember this, hate won't bring your friends back!" Sakura says.
"We'll see." Says Crow.
"Let's end this once and for all!" Greiger says. He toggles the right-hand accelerator and the jet engines on the back of his runner kick in.
"Bring it on!" Says Crow.
And the duel is ready to continue, both players bent on vengeance.
"It's my turn, and this is gonna be the last turn I need! Now, I summon Spell Reactor•RE to my field in attack mode!" Greiger says. Spell Reactor•RE has 1200 attack points, 900 defense points, is a level 3 monster and a dark type. "With it, I can activate the special ability of Summon Reactor•SK! So by sending it, Spell Reactor, and Trap Reactor to the graveyard, I get to summon out my favorite monster!" Says Greiger.
"Oh no, that move nearly beat Yusei before." Sakura says.
"I'm glad you haven't forgotten how close your half-twin brother came to losing to Flying Fortress SKY FIRE! But rest assured, this time Crow won't be so lucky! Ehuhuhuhuheheheheh!" Says Greiger.
Flying Fortress SKY FIRE is a level-eight machine-type monster with three thousand attack points and twenty-five-hundred defense points.
"That's not a monster, that's World War Four!" Crow says.
"If you think its scary now, just you wait! Because if I send a card to the graveyard at the end of my turn, I get to destroy any one of the cards on your field!" Says Greiger.
"Ugh." Crow says.
"And first up is your Silver Shield!" Says Greiger. SKY FIRE machine-guns mistral into oblivion. "And now, for SKY FIRE's main attack, I target your Blackwing-Spear! Let's lock n' load!" Greiger says.
"Blackwing, no!" Says Crow. He toggles his right-grip, barely staying ahead of the force of the explosion. "Silver Shield's gone, but, that doesn't stop his special ability from activating. See, as soon as you took it out, all the damage I would've taken drops to zero!" Crow says. He's safe from the blast.
Sakura, still following behind, breathes a sigh of relief.
"You've just prolonged your pain. Now, which one of your little birds is going to swoop in and save you?" Asks Greiger.
"Rrrggh!" Crow growls under his breath. "I wish I knew that myself. His SKY FIRE looks unstoppable. Not only can its special ability destroy any one a' my cards, but if I take one direct hit from that metal monster, it's gonna be 'bye bye blackbird'! If I wanna win this, I'd better do it fast! And that means it all comes down to this draw." Crow thinks to himself. "Here we go!" Crow says. He drew Gale the Whirlwind. "Another Blackwing. Not exactly what I was hopin' for, but maybe my deck's tryin' to tell me somethin'. If I can't stop SKY FIRE's special ability, maybe I should just roll with it. S'much as I hate to lose a monster, that may be just the thing that saves me!" Crow thinks to himself. "I play this in defense mode, Blackwing-Vayu the Emblem of Honor!" Says Crow. Blackwing-Vayu the Emblem of Honor has 800 attack points, 0 defense points, is a level 1 monster and is a dark type.
"What a waste! I was hoping to destroy something of value this turn! Your Blackwing-Vayu is about as threatening as a rubber duck! And I can't wait to hear the squeak it makes, once my SKY FIRE takes out it, and your lifepoints! It's been real, Crow!" Greiger says.
SKY FIRE bombs Vayu and Crow. The explosion rocks Crow forward so only his front wheel is near the ground, and he takes flight again, flying forward top first. "Waaaaaaa-gh!" Says Crow. He lands on his front wheel, bounces, and at this point is flying toward the flaming wall.
"Watch out!" Sakura says.
Crow presses a button on a right-hand grip, and twists a left-hand one to sit vertically. Crow's runner's wings extend and grate along the sides of the track, kicking up sparks. Crow jumps and lands back on the track, wincing. Crow's lifepoints are down to 2600. "Now that was a close one!" Says Crow.
"And if it gets any closer, I'm afraid Crow might not be around for a victory lap!" Sakura thinks to herself.
"Are you ready to take this duel up a notch?!" Crow asks.
"Sure I am, but your field's running on empty!" Says Greiger.
"Well, I'm about to fill 'er up, Greiger! I activate Vayu's special ability! So by removing my Blackwing-Vayu and another monster in my graveyard from the game, I'm now allowed to synchro-summon!" Crow says.
"But, your monsters are all in the graveyard!" Says Greiger.
"Huh? Well then, consider this a message from the Great Beyond. So listen up, I choose Blackwing-Elphin the Raven, and Vayu the Emblem of Honor!" Crow says. Blackwing-Elphin the Raven has 2200 attack points, 1200 defense points and is a level 6 monster. A glowing red symbol projects from Vayu like a shadow. Vayu's one star and Elphin's six begin the dance of a synchro-summon. "One-on-one they weren't much of a match for you. But now, they're hatching into a whole new bird of prey! I synchro-summon, Blackwing Armor Master!" Says Crow. Blackwing Armor Master has 2500 attack points. "And as another bonus, pal, I get to summon a second Blackwing monster as long as there's already one on my field! This lucky bird is Blackwing-Gale the Whirlwind!" Crow says. Blackwing-Gale the Whirlwind has 1300 attack points, 400 defense points, is a level 3 monster and is a dark type monster.
"You got two monsters for the price of nothing! Perhaps, I did underestimate your little birds. But, you gotta realize that this duel isn't about believing in your deck. It's what I call a 'numbers game', and after taking a look at your monsters' attack points, I can see your strategy is for the birds!" Says Greiger.
"Now! Blackwing Armor Master! Attack Flying Fortress SKY FIRE!" Crow says.
"Is this some sort of joke? Just look at their points! Your Blackwing doesn't have a chance against my Flying Fortress!" Says Greiger.
"We'll see! Now, attack with Black Hurricane!" Crow says.
"Why did Crow attack with that?! Now he shall lose for sure!" Sakura thinks to herself.
The wind clears, Armor Master is still standing, fist-to-front with SKY FIRE.
"That's impossible, he should've been destroyed!" Says Greiger.
"Hasn't anyone told ya, life's full a' disappointments, Greiger! And here's another, I don't take any damage!" Crow says.
"Then, why attack? It was all just a waste!" Says Greiger.
As Armor Master pulls away, he leaves a black splinter sticking in SKY FIRE's main gun turret. It gleams.
"Look again! 'Cause my monster just made a bullseye!" Crow says.
"Whaddayou mean?!" Asks Greiger.
"It's just part of Armor Master's special ability. See, he's got these nifty little things called arrowhead counters, and I used one of 'em on your SKY FIRE." Crow says.
SKY FIRE starts to crack where the counter stuck.
"Now, for the rest of the turn, both your attack and defense points are stuck at zero!" Says Crow.
"My SKY FIRE!" Greiger says.
"Blackwing Whirlwind, why don't you take advantage of the situation!" Says Crow. Gale attacks, and SKY FIRE starts exploding, blasted out of the sky.
"Noooooooooo!" Greiger says. He ducks as it explodes, but his runner is caught in it. It bucks up on its back wheels, spins and donuts, gets passed by Sakura, and finally runs into a pillar of a bridge over the road.
Sakura rides out of the dust, looking back over her shoulder. "Greiger!" Says Sakura. She pulls even with Crow.
"You were right, Sakura! I'm no better than a Dark Signer if I duel with hate in my heart!" Crow says.
"I'm glad to see the Crow that I know is back to being himself. Now let's, huh?" Asks Sakura.
Greiger comes hurtling out of the mist, airborne.
Sakura and Crow gasp.
"Talk about countin' your chickens before they hatch!" Crow says.
"You scratched my paint job, Crow! You'll pay for that!" Says Greiger. His lifepoints 1800.
"Well, ya gotta catch me first! And since you lose a speed counter for every thousand points of damage, it looks like you may never cash in! An' while you try an' play catch-up with your little tricycle, I'll end my turn with a face down! Now, let's see what you got!" Crow says.
"Oh, you'll do more than see it! Don't forget that this shadow duel's full-contact! Just watch this! With SKY FIRE out of the way, my field's completely empty! Which means, I can summon Dark Tuner Doom Submarine!" Says Greiger. He takes it from his graveyard and holds it up, his cheek marker glows purple. "Like your birds, he was stuck in the graveyard, but now he's ready to surface!" Greiger says. Dark Tuner Doom Submarine has 0 attack points, 300 defense points, is a level 9 monster and is a dark type monster.
"Nice move, but I think your submarine's attack points got deep-sixed on the way up!" Says Crow.
"Then, it's a good thing it won't be out there all alone for long! I summon, Darksea Rescue in attack mode!" Greiger says. Darksea Rescue has 0 attack points, 0 defense points, is a level 1 monster and is a dark type monster. "And now, I dark-tune my Doom Submarine and my Darksea Rescue in order to synchro-summon Dark Flat Top!" Says Greiger. The two hooded guys rowing the little rescue raft start to look scared, Dark Submarine detaches its periscope tower and its many stars explode from a small bomb or weight. They swirl around the rescue boat, and you've really got to feel sorry for the guys rowing it. They become outlines and the stars gouge and sink into them, altering their very atomic makeup. "When the shadows are devoured by even darker shadows, the curtain pulls back and reveals, a world without light!" Greiger says. The raft explodes, leaving only a circle of dark stars crackling in a crisscross of black electricity. They spin faster and faster, and from the center appears a column of black. Stabs of purple light drop from the sky in a circle that becomes a ring of streaming purple. Something begins to appear out of the clouds.
"What is that thing?!" Asks Crow.
"Heheheheheheh! Your doom!" Greiger says. It's a floating aircraft carrier about half as big as his runner. Dark Flat Top has 3000 attack points.
"Crow will never sink that thing!" Sakura thinks to herself.
"Well, it looks like this duel is just starting to get interesting! I can't wait to see what happens next!" Says Crow.