Chapter 28: Clash At Crash Town: Part 2

Another duel at sundown in Crash Town.

Lawton has 4000 lifepoints.

Skylara 4000.

And Kalin 0.

"Alright, my draw. First, I shall send one monster card to the grave so that I can summon the tuner monster Hot Dog from my hand." Skylara says. Hot Dog has 700 attack points and is a level 5 monster. "Now, since a tuner monster is on my field, I can summon from my grave Wrecking Ball." Says Skylara. Wrecking Ball has 800 attack points and is a level 2 monster. "However, he's only playing a small part in something much bigger. Because next I'm going to tune level-five Hot Dog with Wrecking Ball, to create a new and even more menacing monster. I'm synchro-summoning, Sunburn." Skylara says. Sunburn has 2800 attack points and is a level 7 monster. "And now, this phoenix-dragon hybrid is going to do what he does best… and that is wage war… with Gatling Ogre!" Says Skylara.

Sunburn destroys Gatling Ogre, swamping Lawton with a storm of dust and smoke. "Uugghh!"

"Yes. That time the firepower was on our side." Kalin says.

"And there is even more firepower to come. Because now, since Sunburn destroyed your monster, he can switch another one of your monsters from defense mode to attack mode." Says Skylara. Sunburn's claw glows and hits one of the Ambush Tokens with a blast of fire.

Ambush Tokens' attack points are 100. Lawton growls under his breath.

"And the best part? He now gets to attack again." Skylara says.

Sunburn knocks the Ambush Token into next week, it explodes in a puff of flame and Lawton's lifepoints plummet to 1300.

"However, I'm not done yet. Tuned Magician is now going to bring her brand of justice to Ambush Token." Says Skylara.

Another Ambush Token, this one in defense mode, is destroyed. Lawton has two left.

"I shall then end my turn with two face downs. It is your move, Lawton. Time to see how tough you are now that you have been disarmed." Skylara says.

"Well done, Skylara. Somehow, you've made this duel up-for-grabs again with just one turn." Says Kalin.

"Wrong!" Lawton says.

"Huh?" Asks both Skylara and Kalin.

"The one and only thing that you've made, is me mad! My turn, and I play the spell, 'Card of Burial Magic'! Now, by removing three spell cards in my graveyard from play, I can draw two cards from my deck. Next, I'll release two Ambush Tokens on my field, to summon Blaster Ogre!" Lawton says. Blaster Ogre has 3000 attack points and is a level 7 monster. Lawton's new monster is a skeletally-thin ogre in military costume, with a gun about twice as absurdly long as he is tall. He hefts it, menacingly, aiming it over one shoulder.

"Did he say Blaster Ogre?" Asks Kalin.

"Oh well, so much for thinking we disarmed him." Skylara says.

"Got that right, 'cause thanks to Blaster Ogre's ability, the monster on your field in attack mode that has the most attack points is automatically destroyed, and then you get hit with half that monster's attack points! Hmhm! 'Course, due to your Infernity Zero's ability, you won't even lose when you have zero lifepoints. But, you will gain one doom counter for every five hundred points a' damage you take, and when you have three of those counters, then it's lights-out!" Says Lawton.

Kalin faces him down, steadily, the one doom counter he has already smoldering at his shoulder.

"Now, then, Blaster Ogre! It's time to take down Kalin." Lawton says. He pantomimes with his hands, as though holding Blaster Ogre's weapon himself. "Go!" Says Lawton.

The Ogre fires and Kalin braces, Infernity Archfiend is destroyed and then he looks up. The shell from the blast hangs in the air above him, ominously, ready to strike.

"That Archfiend had eighteen-hundred attack points! Half a' that is nine hundred! What's it all add up to? A whole mess a' super high-caliber hurt!" Lawton says.

The shell plummets toward Kalin, about to hit. The shell from the attack bullets toward Kalin and strikes him squarely in the back. "Nnnuggh!" Kalin gets knocked off his feet and then lands again, bracing his stance. Kalin falls to a crouch, knees shaking, but won't go down.

"Kalin." Says Skylara.

Kalin gets to his feet again, teeth clenched, his doom counter increases to 2.

"That's two doom counters! Just one more, and it'll be the end a' the road for you! And since I can use my Ogre's ability twice, that end is here." Lawton says.

"What?" Asks Kalin. He glares, bitterly, he's cornered and he knows it.

"Ha ha ha ha. He's ready to blast all over again, and that leaves you with nothing but trouble. Go!" Lawton says. He pantomimes the big gun again, as his Ogre attacks.

"I reveal my trap card, 'Skill Twist'." Says Skylara.

The shell from Ogre's gun veers away from Kalin and strikes Sunburn instead.

"No!" Lawton says, disbelieving.

"Skylara?!" Asks Kalin.

Skylara stands strong, as her lifepoints decrease to 2600. "'Skill Twist' lets me redirect a monster's ability to another monster on the field." Skylara says.

"So, you took the hit?" Asks Kalin, stunned.

"We are teammates. And that is what teammates do." Skylara says.

"Yeah? Not for long, you're not! Ya lost fourteen-hundred lifepoints with that trap, meaning you're going to be gone in one more round!" Says Lawton.

"Hm." Kalin says.

"I'll toss one face down and end my turn." Says Lawton.

"One more round, huh? What makes you so certain that you'll be here by then? It's my turn now. And from my hand, I activate the spell card 'Blaster Cartridge'. I must now send four cards in my deck..." Kalin says.

Lawton is suddenly paying attention.

"...To the grave." Says Kalin.

Lawton has spotted the top card of the stack he is sending to his graveyard, Infernity Doomslinger. "That card he's sending away is Infernity Doomslinger!" Lawton thinks to himself.

"Next, I draw one card. Then, I take the spell card 'Blaster Cartridge' and place it at the top of my deck. When I draw this card again, I send it to my graveyard." Kalin says.

"I've seen this before." Lawton thinks to himself.

Flashback. "I'm gonna draw the top card on my deck, and if this card ends up being a monster card, you'll get slammed with forty-eight-hundred points of damage. And I'm afraid that's going to be all she wrote for you, Lawton. However, if this card isn't a monster card, then I take four thousand points of damage, which would slap me with three doom counters required to finish me off." Says Kalin. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "Infernity Doomslinger is a monster with a roulette ability. If Kalin uses it, he'll have to draw a card. Then depending on what card is drawn, an effect'll take place. But the thing is, I know what card he has on the top of his deck! It's a spell card, which means the moment he uses Doomslinger, he's gonna be outta this duel! Which means, I've got to figure out a way to get 'im to use that Doomslinger of his!" Lawton thinks to himself.

The quiet moment holds, the sun is a third of the way below the horizon.

"Kalin, the key to winning this duel is going to be taking down Lawton's Blaster Ogre." Skylara says, aside to Kalin.

"I couldn't agree more. Which is why I'm summoning, Infernity Randomizer!" Says Kalin. Infernity Randomizer has 900 attack points, 0 defense points and is a level 1 monster. "But he won't be staying for long, because I'm tuning him with the level-two Infernity Beetles, and the level-three Infernity Beast. Watch, as the sinister spirits that inhabit each of these creatures combine into one! Watch, as I summon forth the Infernity Doom Dragon!" Kalin says.

"At last, Kalin's synchro monster." Skylara thinks to herself.

"That thing sure is big." Says Lawton.

Infernity Doom Dragon is a level-eight dragon-type monster, with three thousand attack points and twenty-four hundred defense points.

"You may think you got me, but my Ogre is still more macho in the attack point department than that busted-lookin' beast is." Lawton says.

"True, but whoever said that this fight was going to come down to attack points? You see, with Doom Dragon, when I have zero cards in my hand, one of your monsters is destroyed, and then you take damage equal to half that monster's attack points." Says Kalin.

"Say what?" Lawton asks.

"Say goodbye to your precious Blaster Ogre, that is what." Says Skylara.

"Go, Doom Dragon! Infernal Flame Blast!" Kalin says.

"I play my trap card, 'Metal Coat'! I equip this coat onto one monster on my field, and then that monster can't get destroyed by card effects!" Says Lawton. The blast bounces off.

"My dragon can't attack on the turn when he uses his ability. So, I'll stop there." Kalin says, frustrated.

"Stop there? What happened to the tough-guy who said I wouldn't be makin' it to another round! Guess your bark is worse than your bite, just like your Doom Dragon! What a waste of a turn! Ehahahahaha!" Says Lawton.

"Our turn isn't over." Skylara says.

"Huh?" Asks Lawton.

Skylara's eyes suddenly shift to red. "Now, I'm up and your Ogre is going down." Skylara says, her voice slightly echoic and menacing.

The red bandannas are watching, anxiously. "That Skylara girl said she's gonna take down Lawton's Ogre! Guess we're about to see how." The speaker shares a nervous glance with the guy next to him.

"It is my turn now. I summon the tuner monster Solitaire Magician." Says Skylara. Solitaire Magician has 1600 attack points and is a level 4 monster. "Now, level-four Solitaire Magician tunes with level-four Tuned Magician. Out of two will come one and out of one will come great cosmic might. Take flight, Cynder the Black Dragon!" Skylara says. Cynder the Black Dragon has 2900 attack points and is a level 8 monster. "And now, since Solitaire Magician was sent to the graveyard for a synchro-summoning, her special ability activates. An ability that negates Cynder the Black Dragon's effect, but gives her six hundred extra attack points until this turn's end phase." Says Skylara.

"But then…" Lawton says.

"Then she has more points than your Blaster Ogre!" Says Kalin.

"Now go, Cynder the Black Dragon! Attack that Ogre!" Skylara says. Cynder unleashes a firestorm of darkness.

"I don't think so! By sending the 'Metal Coat' that's equipped to Blaster Ogre to the grave, my monster can't be destroyed by your attack!" Says Lawton.

Cynder's attack shatters apart in midair. "Ugh. In that case, I activate the trap 'Synchro Blast' and since a synchro monster just attacked, it can now blast you with a whopping five hundred points of damage." Skylara says.

Lawton's points decrease to 800. "Then we've reached the turn's end phase and your dragon's points, return to normal." Says Lawton.

"What is your point?" Skylara asks.

"Ehahahaha! My point is, ya couldn't take out my Ogre again!" Says Lawton.

"That may be so, Lawton. However, what matters is the stage has been set." Skylara says.

"For what?" Asks Lawton.

"For you being defeated this next turn." Skylara says.

"Rrrghh!" Lawton growls under his breath.

A whip snaps on the ground.

The holograms evaporate from the field.

Skylara, who's eyes are still red, glances over at Kalin out of the corner of her eye and he returns the look.

Behind them, the red bandannas who were spectating have shock blasters aimed at their backs.

"Huh?!" Asks both West and Niko.

Barb snaps the whip again and coils it in both hands. "No one's gonna see anything! 'Cause this duel is over." Barb says.

"Barbara, what gives?" Asks Lawton, for once entirely bereft of arrogance.

"I'll tell you what! Since there's a chance you could lose this, we'll just stop." Barb says.

The creepy little fellow who drives the cart speaks with a thick, nasally accent. "Way, too want to stop ze duel mi-match? But that goes against the town rules!"

Several red bandannas are crowding around the coffin cart, each pointing a shock blaster at the drivers.

"I think you're forgetting something? Lawton runs this town so he makes the rules! Which means, if he's so inclined, he can break them, too." Says Barb.

Skylara and Kalin don't move, each one has about five guys pointing shock blasters at them.

Barb smiles over at Lawton, smugly. "So there." Barb says.

Lawton is staring at her, still ambivalent.

"Barbara." Says Skylara, trying to reason with her.

Barb cuts her off by waving her whip over toward the kids. "It's over, you two. Now, surrender and prepare to meet your fate." Barb says.

"Hm?" Skylara says. Her already red eyes begin flaring crimson and the red gradation portion of her hair has started glowing crimson red, as well.

Barb brandishes her whip above her head, ready to crack it down. "If not, bad things will happen to these kids!" Says Barb.

"Don't listen!" West says. "Forget us!" Says Niko.

"No, you wouldn't dare!" Kalin says.

"Hmm." Says Barb.

The red bandannas look toward her, nervously.

"I would." Barb says. She smirks and cracks the whip at the children's feet. They flinch, frightened.

"Stop it!" Says Kalin. He reaches for his duel disk, ready to take it off and throw it down.

"No, don't!" Niko says.

Kalin stops.

"There are more important things than me and my brother, Kalin! Like this duel! So, keep fighting! We're counting on you, the whole town is counting on you to prove there's still hope for us all!" Says Niko.

Kalin gasps.

Niko's eyes are filling with tears and one trickles down her cheek. "You don't have to be the villain of this town, you can be the one who saves us all!" Niko says.

Kalin stares at her, then looks down, thoughtfully.

"That's pure nonsense!" Says Barb. She raises the whip, ready to lash at the kids again, and stops, one of the red bandannas is now pointing at her, point-blank. He pulls off his bandanna. "No, she's right! We've been under Lawton's thumb for long enough!" "Yeah, and if Kalin can win this, then just maybe..." He takes off his scarf next, as he continues to speak. "Things will change! This duel's gotta go on, so we can at least find out!"

"You're right. Good point." Kalin says. He looks down at his duel disk. "Okay, then. It's game on!" Says Kalin.

"Big-time!" Skylara says.

The other spectators remove their bandannas and lower their blasters, solemnly. Barb snarls, icily. "You'll pay for questioning Lawton's authority." Says Barb.

Two shock blasts ring out. "You can say that again." Lawton says.

The guy who was restraining Barb and the guy next to him are crackling with the shock blasts. They slump to the ground, neutralized. Barb lowers her whip, stunned.

Lawton has drawn his shock blaster and it's still crackling.

Barb straightens up, regaining her sass. "You tell 'em!" Says Barb.

Skylara's eyes and red gradation portion of her hair soon go dim, and her eyes return to their normal emerald green hue. "Wait, what are you doing?" Skylara asks. "So what, are you just gonna shock-blast everyone? I thought you were a duelist!" Says Kalin.

Lawton turns, his shock blaster still pointed over his shoulder. "I'm many things." Lawton says, nastily.

"You punk!" Says Kalin. "What now?" Skylara asks.

"I'll tell you what now. Now, I re-establish my control over these people by making a show of some real force. And I think I'll make that show, on you two!" Says Lawton.

Kalin grimaces, this is looking bad. Kalin then moves closer to Skylara and puts himself in front of her, as if he's a human shield. "Kalin...?" Skylara asks. Kalin looks over his shoulder at her. "I won't let him do anything to either of you." Says Kalin. He quickly glances down at Skylara's stomach and then back up at her, looking her in the eyes. Skylara gasps, slightly, he means what he's saying.

Then a card flies out of nowhere and strikes Lawton's blaster out of his hand. The blaster clatters to the ground, the card sticking sharply in the earth beyond it, the card is Blackwing-Gale the Whirlwind.

Skylara and Kalin gasp, and look over their shoulders.

On a rooftop above them to the west stands Crow, arms folded. "Looks like I got here just in the nick of time!" Crow says.

"It's Crow!" Says Kalin.

Crow smiles a bit. "Mm. That's right. I took a ride to look for Skylara. Howdy, bud!" Crow says.

Barb knows she's cornered and cuts the ropes binding the kids to the post, dragging them away, her whip at the ready. "Kalin!" Says Niko. "Help, she's got us!" West says.

"Why you!" Says Kalin. He starts forward.

"Stop! Don't come any closer or else!" Barb says. She tightens her grip. "No, stop!" Says Niko.

Kalin holds his ground, powerless.

Then the whip suddenly flies into the air and Barb finds herself shoved to the ground. Jack is standing over her, looking scornful. "I only lay a hand on a woman, if she lays hers on a child!" Jack says.

"Jack, too?!" Asks Kalin.

Barb backs up, but bumps into someone else's legs. Barb looks up and Yusei is standing there, with his arms folded across his chest. "Hm. Skylara, the next time ya step out, maybe leave a note. You'll be easier to find." Yusei says.

"I shall keep that in mind, Yusei." Says Skylara. "Amazing! The Enforcers are all together again!" Kalin says.

Crow, Jack and Yusei now stand with him and Skylara, and the four Enforcers, all grown up and together again at last, make an impressive sight.

"Look, sis! Those five look unstoppable! This is awesome." Says West.

"Rrrrggghh." Barb walks over to stand with Lawton.

Everyone turns at a loud noise from the edge of town and looks out toward the mountain.

"Oh yeah, we took the liberty of calling in a few reinforcements." Jack says, in voice-over. Under the haze of dust, several Security cars are grouped around a new hole in the side of the mountain. More than several, a good many, and a few trucks, and maybe twenty or thirty officers milling about. "And listen up, kids. They found your dad. He's a little banged-up, but he'll be fine." Says Jack, in voice-over. Miners are being escorted out and guards in red bandannas are being led away with bound wrists. Trudge, clearly in charge of the whole operation, turns and looks out toward the town with a satisfied smile. "Huh." Trudge says.

"You rat!" Says Lawton. He goes for a little mechanism on his belt, pulls it out, flicks it open and presses a button on top.

The front of the flower shop on the corner explodes, dramatically.

More buildings around town start exploding, the whole town was rigged for demolition.

Yusei, Skylara, Jack, Crow and Kalin wince and cough from the smoke.

"You didn't think I'd go down without a fight, didja?!" Lawton asks. Every inch of the streets is filled with thick smoke. Barely visible through the haze, Lawton's huge duel runner is taking off. "I'm outta here! See yuh! Hahahahaha!" Says Lawton. And he is riding away, out of the smoke, across the prairie. The sun at his right is halfway down.

Yusei, Skylara, Jack and Crow cough from the smoke.

Kalin coughs, too, huddling together with West and Niko. "Kids! Are you okay?!" Kalin asks. "Yeah." Says Niko. "Think so." West says. "Lawton! Huh?" Asks Kalin. Through the smoke, he spots Skylara's runner lying on the ground, still where her precipitous entrance before the duel left it.

"Hm? Kalin, take my duel runner." Skylara says.

Kalin turns, is she sure?

"Finish this once and for all. I believe in you, we all do." Says Skylara. She gives Kalin a wink and a smile.

Kalin smiles, cunningly. "Heh! Thanks, Skylara! He's all mine!" Kalin says.

Skylara's shiny black runner peels out into the desert after Lawton, toward the dark hills.

Lawton glances back, surprised to find he's not alone.

Kalin gains on him on Skylara's comparatively small runner, both silhouetted against the dying red sun. Kalin cuts through a dip and uses the slope as a ramp to jump above Lawton, he leaps off and tackles Lawton to the ground.

They roll over and over until Kalin pins Lawton to the ground, gasping for breath. "Going somewhere?" Asks Kalin. "Lemme guess, Kalin. You wanna finish the duel." Lawton says. "You bet, Lawton! More than anything I do! But, even though that may be, I'm not going to." Says Kalin. "W-why not?" Lawton asks. "'Cause I realized something watching you back at the town. You didn't have the heart of a duelist. Ya see, you're nothing but a bully. So, you don't get to go down on the duel field! You go down here, as a coward!" Says Kalin.

A hammer pounds a nail into fresh wood. Under the bright midday sun, the whole town is a cheerful construction site. Trudge stands in the center of town, confidently, watching a pair of his officers escort Barb and Lawton into a Security van. "Watch it!" Lawton says. "Hey, don't I get a phone call?!" Asks Barb. The two officers close the back doors to the truck and it drives away.

A couple of the guys recognized from the duel, the ones who were the first to take off their bandannas, approach Trudge. "Look, we're really sorry about what we did. Please, Sir. Don't take us away to the Facility." "Relax. I'm not takin' anyone else anywhere. Ya see, this town needs people to help rebuild. That will be your rehabilitation." Trudge says. The crowd of former bandannas disperses, relieved. "Happy to oblige!" "You got it, Sir!" "We're on the job!"

Trudge looks out toward the water tower at the edge of town, serenely.

Skylara, Yusei, Jack and Crow's runners are parked near the water tower, and the four are speaking with Kalin, West and Niko nearby. "So is it true, Kalin? Your staying?" Asks Skylara. Her long black coat is now unzipped, how she usually wears it. "That's right. I wanna help this town reach its full potential and make sure these two are okay until their dad fully recovers." Kalin says. "Thank you, Kalin." Says Niko. "Yeah, you're awesome!" West says. Skylara smiles at the kids, then looks up when Kalin addresses her. "Skylara, I know you and I never saw eye to eye at first. You and I despised one another and I'm truly sorry about that whole incident that went down between us. I should've tried reasoning with you, when I used violence instead. I hope I have made up for that. You made all of this possible. Thank you. You were right, the darkness has left me." Says Kalin. He offers a hand. "Kalin." Skylara says. She clasps the offered hand, gladly. They stand together at the brink of a new beginning. "I dunno, I kinda like to think that I made some of it possible, too." Says Crow, ruefully. "Oh, come on. If anyone deserves credit, it's me. Did you see how I rescued those kids? I should get a medal!" Jack says. Kalin smiles a bit and gives the other three Enforcers a thumbs-up. All three return it.

And soon all four runners are racing away into the desert.

West and Niko run a few steps after them, waving happily. "'Bye, guys!" Says both West and Niko.

Kalin walks over to join the kids, all three are standing well outside town now. Together, they turn to look back at the little town beneath the mountain, Kalin with a hand on each kid's shoulder. Kalin smiles, reflectively, and closes his eyes. "The darkness has left me, and been replaced by light. And now, the same holds true for this town." Kalin thinks to himself.

The Signers Shall Return