Koros45 doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Chapter Twenty Eight: Break Away! Farewell to the Dominion of the Beasts
The castle was busy - it would be time for the feast in a few hours and repairs were still being made to the outside structure of the castle. In the meantime, Jounouchi was impressed with the modifications that Yusei had made to his duel disk, tossing it up and down to test the lighter weight of the device. Ruka watched him, the teal-haired teen making notes, pleased with the duel they'd had. She was confident her experiences around Jounouchi would give her a high grade in her class, but that was nothing to having met him in person. She made sure to take a picture of him, then one with them both in the shot to use as ammo for if Rua ever doubted her story.
Jounouchi made sure to make several goofy faces with her, making her take more pictures than she though she'd take. He even offered to summon some of his famous monsters to pose with them if her brother she mentioned claimed she used some photo manipulation to take the pictures in question. Naturally this meant they ended up posing with Flame Swordsman and Gearfried, though she had to remind him not to summon Red-Eyes as the dragon wouldn't fit comfortably in the room.
The castle folk were busy repairing the ramparts, as a Throwstone Unit traded their catapult for a ladder and began using mortar and brick to repair their walls. The repairs made the groups' access to the castle a bit cut off as they were confined to a few areas that weren't under construction or in the way of King and Queen's Knight's strategy meetings.
There was a bit of chatter as Seto and Kisara walked into the room, returning from Dragon Mountain. Isis joined the pair as they explained what had happened at the mountain.
Atem found Yusei was watching Ruka and Jounouchi from a distance, his face hiding whatever was going on in his head. The man from Satellite looked lost in thought.
"Yusei, with all that's been going on, we haven't had a chance to actually catch up." Atem said, sitting next to the other man.
"Oh. Atem. You're right. With all that's been going on-" Yusei started.
He paused as Jounouchi had said something that made Ruka start laughing.
"-Well, it's been rather chaotic." Yusei said. Atem agreed.
There was a tension in the air that Atem couldn't figure out, but he still let himself speak in spite of that.
"Yusei, I know that you may feel overwhelmed by all of this. But I want to thank you for bringing your team to my city's aid. Without your assistance, we'd have been overrun by that Earthbound God. Even Kisara couldn't take it down by herself."
Yusei turned to him and shook his head. "No, I should be thanking you, Atem. You were the one who saved me against Marik. I answered your call for help but you were the one who-" Atem felt a gnawing frustration prick him.
"Listen well, Yusei. That fiend only won any of his duels through trickery and psychological warfare. He didn't beat you. He stopped you from moving. There's a big difference between the two. If anything, I could only win with the field you set up for me." Atem said, trying his best not to take the point of the conversation away.
"Don't blame yourself for his cowardice, or his underhanded techniques. He's one of my enemies and you accepted his challenge all the same. I should've been the one to duel him from the start."
Yusei nodded silently and stopped. "You said he's gone now?"
"He vanished into the sand, as did Bakura. But I don't think we've seen the last of him. Marik warned me of such." Atem responded.
"And what of you, Yusei? Other than Marik, I would like to hear what is on your mind while we are still at this gathering." Atem asked.
"Well-" Yusei began, as now Ruka, Jounouchi, Mai and the Harpie Lady Sisters had all gathered to listen to his conversation with Atem.
"Forgive us for intruding." Ocupete said. "but your conversation seems important and you know our sharp hearing means we'd hear it."
"So it's more polite if we join you." Keraino said while Airo nodded.
"Plus this seems serious." Mai said.
Yusei looked around at the group before he continued.
"I learned a power called Clear Mind a few years ago. By purging all negative thoughts, and all distractions I could evolve Stardust Dragon into a stronger monster called Shooting Star Dragon through my own will. But now. . . I tried to use it again to travel back in Atem's afterlife and it didn't work. My mind was clear, but something was wrong."
The Jack walked into the room and went up to Yusei and the two bumped fists. "Yusei, I had a magnificent duel. It was almost on the level of one of ours'." Jack said as he sat next to Yusei and gave Atem, Ruka and the others a curt head nod.
Yusei grinned, shaking off his doubts momentarily to greet Jack. "Likewise, Jack. These duelists from the old days sure live up to their legends."
"I got the dragon scale and appeased Witch of the Black Forest. And Red Demon's – well you've seen his passengers." Jack said, nodded to Kisara and Seto.
Yusei grunted in agreement and Atem made sure to get the other man's attention. "So Yusei, something has prevented you from achieving this 'Clear Mind'?" He asked.
Yusei looked down and Atem could see a bit of worry in his eyes. Jack looked curious to Atem's question.
"Yeah, I guess so. I was thinking about how you needed my help, Atem. To get to your palace, I thought Clear Mind could get Team 5D's to where we needed to go. It worked as a way of transportation, but I must done something wrong, because I ended up in the wrong place."
Jack clarified. "Yusei's trick got Ruka and I to the city in danger. But he ended up somewhere else."
Yusei then continued. "That's right. Through Clear Mind, Ruka and Jack were able to travel far enough. They helped out the city. But I ran into a third opponent. That man, Marik."
Jounouchi and Mai both tensed at the name. "Marik?!" Jounouchi was too stunned to say anything else as that namedrop had blasted any vestiges of his humorous demeanor apart.
"Yes. He and I dueled, and Atem saved me. He took over my duel when Marik trapped me, and then we wound up in this world." Yusei felt weak to admit this, but doing so to his friends at least helped him project his thoughts.
Mai spoke up, sitting next to Jounouchi. "Wait, you dueled Marik? And you're still in one piece? That's – actually great to hear. Dueling him led me down a road of depression and later a lot of therapy." Mai said, and Jounouchi looked at her with sad eyes.
Airo spoke up given the lapse in conversation "But this 'Clear Mind' you mentioned? Will you need it for victory?"
Yusei paused, shifting so that he was sitting up straighter than before.
"No, but it would help quite a bit. I don't know how Jack felt when the Crimson Dragon – the source of our powers - left, but I always felt that the Crimson Dragon helped me achieve Clear Mind. Whenever I summoned Shooting Star Dragon, the Crimson Dragon was on my back, giving me power."
"So with these powers gone, you worry. That is natural. I do not blame you for such negative thoughts." Airo said.
Jack finally spoke up on the subject. "Well I was able to summon Scar-Red Nova Dragon using just my Burning Soul in our duel to decide our futures a few years ago, but after that I found it was extremely difficult to do so. Now I wish I'd kept trying at it – maybe Scar-Red Nova would still be mine otherwise." Jack made a fist for a second then resumed speaking.
"Still, I understand how you're feeling, Yusei. Losing a great power is not easy to come to grips with. Especially when it feels like it was so easy to reach it before. I did see Shooting Star Dragon floating above us when we traveled to the palace in that warp you created." Jack said. "Maybe that means it's still waiting for you." He said.
"Thanks for letting me know." Yusei said to Jack. "But regardless, I'm sure with everyone here we'll manage even without using Clear Mind or Burning Soul. Once we arrive at Neo Domino, we'll have a better plan of action. Though we'll need to think about if there's a way to re-seal Scar Red Nova." Yusei said, though he felt like that was a blanket statement. Jack nodded, holding out the blank card that Scar Red Nova Dragon's image used to adorn. Yusei did the same with his blank card – once used to conjure the form of Shooting Star Dragon.
"And speaking of that", Jack said, "what are we going to do with our guests when we arrive? They're not all going in your apartment, right?" he asked Yusei.
Yusei exhaled and looked to Atem. "When we get back, we'll need to register you to ensure you all can stay in the country. Unfortunately we're going to likely be reactive to whatever our enemies do first. I'm not sure what our next step is going to be." Yusei admitted.
Atem nodded. "I agree. At least Isis' visions could give us an edge in that regard." He said.
Then the group separated to unwind before the dinner. Mai and the Harpy Sisters took Ruka, Kisara, and Isis to freshen up while Jounouchi and Jack swapped stories waiting for them. Seto silently observed the pair, as he wasn't as vocal as the other two.
To break the earlier tension, Atem suggested the he and Yusei visit Freed. Yusei never met the warrior, and after seeing him for a few minutes, Atem decided it was best to leave the veteran general to recover from the vampire bite – Dian Keto told them that he'd be fine, but it still would take time to heal. The man's skin had recovered much of it's color, and he no longer shuddered between each breath. Knowing that it was the last time he'd see the general, Atem wished him well, praying that the blessings of the Ra be with him as he and Yusei departed the room to let Freed sleep.
The next hour, the sun had begun to set. Atem found himself amidst a large banquet dinner. He was in the middle a long table in the center of a dark, but heavily candle lit room and Yusei and Ruka sat on one side of him, and Isis on the other. Kisara and Seto sat to Isis' right, while Jack sat next to Ruka. Across from them sat Mai, Jounouchi, and the Harpie Sisters.
They all stopped to hear some pronouncements from King and Queen's Knight.
"Fine friends, we thank you for your help saving our comrade Freed and protecting our castle from Ha Des' dark forces. We hope that this meal will sustain you for the night and into the morning. And we'll also let you stay for some time if you desire it." He said as Silene nodded. The Harpie Queen had taken a seat of royalty at the card knight's private table, sitting across from Jack's Knight.
"Thank you, King." Silene said. "My Harpies and the other travelers are grateful for your generosity."
Then it was Queen's Knight's turn to speak up. "And we want to celebrate both the defeat of Ha Des, and the voyage of our travelers. May this night be a merry one!" She shouted to applause from knights and nobles alike. Glasses of wine were clinked and the festivities began.
/ / /
Jounouchi began eating some of the salad on his plate. It wasn't very filling, but he knew there was plenty of food to go around – and more to eat later. The harpies had a little difficulty holding the thin stems of the wine goblets and it was amusing watching them try to hold them with their talons.
"No dears, you hold it like this." Mai demonstrated, grabbing Ocupete's glass to steady it, then fumbling to warp the Harpie's talons around it. "Eh, I guess that having talons makes this harder." She admitted as Ocupete took the glass and drank the entire container of wine in one sitting.
"Not a problem anymore." The orange blond harpy said, setting the glass back on the table.
Jounouchi chuckled. "Yeah, but wait till all that wine hits you. You won't be able to fly straight."
"I'm excited to do more traveling, though as a duel spirit than in this body." Kisara said as she had finished her salad in record speed.
"Well I'm sure we'll manage." Seto said. "I look forward to seeing what the technology of the future has to offer us." He said. "And I wonder how we'll communicate at that point."
"Ask the Dark Magician." Airo said. "I'm sure he's used to that."
"You have a point." Seto said, looking to Kisara. "Eat up. That's probably all the food you'll be able to eat for a while."
The spirit of Blue-Eyes blinked before she gestured for one of the attendants to pile more food on her plate. A bird headed warrior – Hyabusa Knight – was happy to assist.
"Please. You all need to relax." Jack said with a glance to everyone there as he raised a glass of wine and took a deep sip from it. "They treat us like kings here, may as well appreciate it while we can."
Kisara looked famished as she eyed the huge portion of meat, potatoes, assorted fruit, and eggs on her plate. She grabbed her utensils, going to town on the plate of food. Seto pretended not to notice, and glared at anyone who was surprised by Kisara's appetite.
Jack quickly glanced away from Kisara and looked back to Atem. "See, Kisara's got the spirit. I'm going to get some more as well." The tall man held up a hand as another attendant – Nekogal #1 piled the same on his plate.
Yusei was content to do the same as a Swordsman of Landstar struggled to balance the platter of food on his round head, barely managing to keep the tray of food balanced as he loaded Yusei's plate with more food.
There was a bit of a silence quickly interrupted by Kisara letting out a sigh of victory as she'd finished the food on her plate in record speed. Then she looked to Seto's plate and pointed at his food, which he'd barely touched. Seto grunted and stacked his own almost full plate on her own and Kisara was back to eating. "No sense in wasting it." The high priest muttered.
"Kaibaman said that if Kisara travels to the world of the future, she'll do so as a Duel Spirit." Seto said to Atem once the Pharaoh had finished chewing. "So she wants to eat as much as she can right now."
"Wait, who is this Kaibaman you keep talking about? You need to tell me more about this Kaibaman!" Atem said.
Jack turned to Atem. "Basically imagine if Seto Kaiba put on a Blue-Eyes White Dragon helmet and started talking about how his dragons were connected to his own soul than you'd not be far off."
Atem sighed. "Actually that just sounds like something regular Kaiba would do as a publicity stunt." Atem said plainly. "So did this Kaibaman tell you anything else?" He asked, taking a bite of egg as he waited for Seto's answer.
Seto nodded. "He said that if I was to use this 'Kaiba's' deck, I'd have to find it for myself. So I believe Blue-Eyes still exists in this world of the future."
Jack spoke up "And Kaibaman also said that Seto would learn more about Kisara if he traveled to our world."
"Well this is good news then. We may learn a bit about the past if we travel to the future." Isis said and looked to Atem and Seto. "This will be very informative. I know we do this to stop the machinations of our foes, but I am looking forward to seeing how different this world is." She said.
Seto looked to her. "Isis, Kaibaman also said that Mahado can travel with us."
Isis stopped, dropping her fork on her plate and blinked. "Truly? He'll be with us after all?"
Kisara looked up from her plate and swallowed a bite of fruit before she spoke. "As a duel spirit. So he'd be with us, but not in a solid body. I will be the same way. Hence the appetite."
Isis looked to her plate. "I wonder if Mahado would like any of this? He's been at those ruins for a long time."
Atem shook his head. "We won't be there long enough for him to eat. And we'll skip breakfast. We're heading out at first light."
Airo looked to her two sisters and then spoke to the whole group.
"I must admit I'm nervous about what will happen once you all leave. I trust Mai and Jounouchi, but this much change is -" She trailed off. "When you leave it will be sad for a time." She said as she looked Yusei in the eye.
"As someone who has traveled through time and space a few times now, I understand how crazy changes like this can be. You say goodbye to people you might never see again." Yusei responded.
"You know you're going to the island again to return Silene to her daughter." He continued. "Then you'll figure it out with your sisters, Mai, and Jounouchi. After that, well, it's up to you."." Yusei finished and Mai nodded in encouragement.
Ruka looked up from her own plate as Jack spoke up.
"Like we said before, we'll need to get you guys to Security for living clearance." Jack said. "Then we'll worry about who goes where."
Ruka piped up. "Well that flat in the Tops was never formally sold. I can crash there and Isis can stay with us." She said.
Yusei blinked. "Well why didn't you just go there. It certainly beats my apartment."
Ruka smiled. "I wanted to see how you're holding up. Plus it feels like home. The flat in the Tops feels too disconnected if I'm there alone by myself."
Jack scoffed. "Well in that case, we've got space to spare. I can tolerate holding up one of you for the time being, but we'll worry about that when we're all there. Once all of Team 5D's is gathered we'll discuss the situation. For now, let's all get some sleep. I don't want anybody falling asleep when we're driving through subspace."
Seto gave a curt nod. "Alright then. We'll prepare soon."
Atem knew the day ahead would tire out all of them. He took it upon himself to say his goodbyes to the monsters that had served him so well in his deck, catching Celtic Guardian and Mystical Elf right as they were about to leave the great hall. Then he returned the deck of cards to Kings and Queen's Knight. He was confident those same cards would return to him in Team 5D's world given the proper time. Finally, he washed up and rested a heavy head on his bed, falling to sleep effortlessly.
/
King's Knight and Queen's Knight were in the main hall when they'd all gathered early the next morning.
"Heroes, we wish you a fond goodbye." Queen's Knight said.
"It seems you'll have special transportation to the ruins." King's Knight said.
"Special transportation?" Atem asked.
"Look outside." King's Knight said with a wry grin.
The group all moved out of the castle single file, gasping as outside of the castle, three Blue Eyes White Dragons rested on all fours, scales reflecting the dawn's first light.
From atop the middle dragon's head, Kaibaman smiled. "Pharaoh. And everyone. I will provide you with a fast and safe flight."
Atem gasped, but then chuckled. "So you're the Kaibaman I've heard so much about."
He approached the other man and Kaibaman's smile of pride was accompanied by a handshake as he descended the middle Blue-Eyes' neck to meet Atem.=.
"Pharaoh. Without you, this duel spirit may never have existed." Kaibaman said.
Keraino turned to Mai. "What in Hera's name is a Kaibaman?" She asked. Mai giggled at the honest question.
They all left as a big group, no one wanted to stay cooped up in the castle while their friends left. Even Harpie Queen followed silently on the morning winds. The three Blue-Eyes carried the walking members of the group while Yusei and Jack rode behind on their respective D-Wheels. Before they knew it, they'd all arrived.
"Now I wish you safe travels. I must return to the mountain now. I do not want anyone else seeing these dragons if I can help it." Kaibaman said, then waved farewell as he and his three dragons departed.
Then the group found themselves at the Summoning Gate once they'd walked past the row of dusty Ancient Gear monsters. Jounouchi and Mai helped Yusei and Jack push their D-Wheels to where the gate was located.
Ancient Fairy Dragon and the two magicians were waiting. Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl both looked tired, but triumphant as the gate churned, ready to be used.
Isis ran up to Mahado, pushing aside what aches she had from the journey to tell him the good news. Meanwhile Ruka ran to Ancient Fairy Dragon, giving it's snout a big hug.
"Dear Mahado, you'll be traveling with us as a Duel Spirit." Isis said, and he embraced her with a smile on his face.
"That brings me joy, Isis." Mahado said as they embraced. Then he looked to his king. "Pharaoh Atem, I'll serve you even in the world of the future."
Then he looked to Isis. "My only regret is that I'll be a card and you'll be with an actual body." Mahado said.
Kisara nodded to him. "I will be in the same situation, Dark Magician."
Mai frowned. "Well, before any of us lament loss of a physical body, let's take a group picture."
Mai pulled out a flip phone and looked to the group. "This thing's got a lot of empty space to fill up. And you'd be damned if I'm not putting this in a scrapbook somewhere whenever I return to my timeline."
Ruka gave her a wave and tossed Mai her holoscreen. "Take some for me too!" She said.
They all stood by the portal, the taller ones in the back, which really just resulted in Atem, Timaeus and Ruka in the front while the rest of the party formed a shell around them. Ancient Fairy Dragon was in the back, Ruka suggesting that her dragon be allowed in the photo.
Jack's Knight took the pictures to Mai and Ruka's instructions and Mai and Yusei tried not to get smothered by the clingy harpies. Silene watched at the top of the cavern with a bit of a bored smile – seeing them fumble around just for some pictures amused her.
Mai had Jack's Knight take a few pictures and was immeasurably pleased with the results on the small flip phone. For starters, the first few had been fairly candid, but they'd rapidly deteriorated as Jack and Jounouchi started squabbling over something petty in the middle of the photoshoot, and it showed as the third picture had Jounouchi trying to give Jack a noogie while the very next photo had Jack put the other blond in a full nelson.
As for the rest of the party, Mai had been stuck between Jounouchi and Airo, the eldest harpie sister trying to wrap one arm each around Mai and Yusei's waists while the two blond men struggled, the other three's reactions going from surprised, to frantic to disappointed as Jack and Jounouchi's meaningless squabble escalated.
Ruka remained picture perfect throughout the entire thing, which was a miracle considering everybody else had something go wrong. Atem's hair blew in his face as a flailing harpie wing from Keraino brushed it from her striking a pose. Isis and Mahado slipped, falling into Criteas and Hermos, the Atlantian Knights doing their best to catch the two. King and Queen's Knight remained stoic throughout the whole thing, which Mai figured was for the best. Once the pictures were taken, the groups settled into those leaving, and those staying behind.
Mai looked to the Harpie Sisters. "Well ladies, time for us to say goodbye to our friends. Yusei, Jack, Atem. That duel was quite the spectacle. Thanks for not making that game with Shiro a boys only event. And Ruka. You're a great duelist yourself. Try not to let that kid brother of yours show you up."
Yusei and Jack both nodded while Ruka gave Mai a small bow. Atem shook her hand. "Good to see you again Mai. And Jounouchi. Where I'll be, I'll read about both of your lives. I wish you both the best of happiness in life."
Mai nodded. "Same here. Show those people in the future how good of a duelist you are." She shook his hand firmly.
Jounouchi stepped forwards and gave Atem what started out as an elaborate handshake. "Atem! Buddy, I never thought I'd see you again!" Jounouchi said, turning the handshake into a big squeeze as he picked Atem up off the floor and started spinning around for a moment. Atem couldn't help but laugh at his friend's timeless enthusiasm.
Atem nodded once his excitable friend stopped flailing him around. The Pharaoh stood up and put a hand on Jounouchi's shoulder.
"Friends till the end, Jounouchi. And as it stands, even after that. I'll do my best to visit when the time comes." Atem said.
Jounouchi looked confused at first but then a light bulb turned on in his head. "Right! In my past but in your future! You're the reason I'm still here! Our friendship that transcends dimensions!"
Atem responded solemnly. "I'm glad of all my friends, I saw you here. I don't think that Anzu or Yugi would be able to part on such a short notice. Please give Yugi my regards when you see him again."Atem said, eyes closed for a moment as he felt sadness from having to leave one of his best friends for a second time.
Jounouchi gave a knowing nod to this. "I'm sure we'll see Yugi before we know it."
Then Atem looked to the Harpies. "And Harpie Lady Sisters. Although there was some miscommunication at first, thank you for keeping Yusei and Mai safe in their travels."
The harpies all curtsied as best they could. "Of course. We are glad to help. And wish you all well in your travels." Keraino said back to him.
Then it was Jounouchi's turn to say farewell to the newcomers.
"Jack, that tag turn we had was awesome! Seeing Red-Eyes, then Gilford next to your Red Demon's Dragon was great!" Jounouchi said, holding up his Red-Eyes Black Dragon card with a free hand, the earlier sprawl during the photo shoot suddenly amounting to nothing.
"Of course! I don't let any mere duelist borrow the power of my very soul!" Jack said, as he returned the favor showing Red Demon's Dragon and the two shared a fistbump and a grin.
"You've got the strength of someone who grew up having to fight for themselves!" Jack said. "I admit I'm impressed by both your legend and the deeds I've seen you do before my own eyes. You're the epitome of a true duelist! What I'd give to see you face Seto Kaiba myself."
Jounouchi beamed and pumped a fist in the air, showing a prominent chin for a moment. "Yeah! That's really motivational! And you too man! Those combos you did against Shiro were really something! I hope you get that crazy Burning Soul thing you mentioned back, but to be honest I can't imagine a stronger card than that Assault Mode of yours."
Then he turned to Yusei.
"And Yusei, thanks for saving our bacon in the last turn." Jounouchi said. "That last attack was really close."
Yusei shook his head. "Atem connected all of our bonds together. I just reminded Shiro we had some more attack power at our disposal than he thought at first."
Jack sighed. "Always the diplomat. You really pulled through there. Don't sell yourself short." He said as he put on his helmet.
"And I'm glad we had our big tag duel." Mai said to Yusei. "And I said it before, but make sure that Ruka's brother doesn't show her up." She whispered to him.
"Then we'd best be off." Atem said.
Yusei agreed and began to take a step towards his D-Wheel when he was suddenly embraced by all three of the harpies at the same time.
"Yusei, we'll miss you. It was fun making that fire with you, even if we did have to deal with the Amazons afterwards." Keraino said, and kissed him on the cheek.
Ocupete said far less, other than "Be safe." but nonetheless kissed him on the other cheek.
"Are you sure you don't want Aki's kiss right now?" Airo teased with a smile as her face was just a few inches from his own. "I saw that sunset you shared with her. One that you could've seen 5,000 years ago. It's the same color as the sunrise."
Yusei sighed and closed his eyes, staying as composed as he could within the confines of the triple hug – both Keraino and Ocupete had nuzzled their cheeks against his own giving him little room to move.
"You really are a swift robber if you saw all of that. But I'd know it wasn't her kiss." He said, finding himself a bit flustered between the three of them.
"Do you want one from me then?" She asked, raising an eyebrow amidst her sisters' giggles.
"What?" He asked back.
"Can I kiss you as myself? So that I can savor it even when you're gone?" She asked. "I want to remember the warmth of your skin on mine, my eyes reflected in yours – even the taste of your lips if you will-."
"For Ra's sake, just be done with it if you're going to wax poetic about it!" Seto blurted out.
"That's right! Get on with it! If you want to accomplish something, do not hesitate!" Jack added, giving Yusei a smirk.
Airo leaned in, touching his lips with her own. She savored the moment for a few seconds before she pulled back.
"Mmm. Thank you. Almost like kissing the wind itself." she said, pulling her body slightly back as she moved her face away from his a few inches as her sisters did the same.
"... I didn't expect you to go for my lips." Yusei said, glancing away from her now that he had the space to do so, hoping he wasn't blushing too hard as Jounouchi held up a silent thumbs up while both Mai and Jack tried not to laugh. Yusei found himself amused despite his own embarrassment as he'd noticed Mai was covering Ruka's eyes from the spectacle.
"This is not a final goodbye." Airo said. "Mai. . . "
"Right, right." Mai said, removing her hands from Ruka's eyes as she handed Airo a card.
Airo held it in front of Yusei. "This is my card – Harpie Lady. Mai has at least seven of them, so she agreed to let you hold onto it."
"He can't grab it while you three are smothering him." Ruka piped up.
Mai grinned. "All right ladies, let's take a step back."
The three complied, stepping back to stand by Mai while Yusei looked at the card in question.
"The first printing of Harpie Lady. This is a valuable card in my time. Are you sure, Mai?" He asked.
"Yusei, I have six other copies of it. In my world, it's uncommon but not super rare. It's fine." Mai said.
Jounouchi reached into his pocket and pulled out a card as well.
"And you ran into that Marik creep. You might need this if you cross his path again. I have a spare, so don't think you're taking away something valuable."
Yusei took the second card and put them both in his jacket pocket. "Thank you, all of you." he said to the two duelists and the three Harpies.
"And Atem, you need Red-Eyes for this trip?" Jounouchi asked, showing his ace card a second time.
Atem was startled. "Jounouchi, I –" He stopped for a moment, taken aback by his friend's offer.
"I can't take it again. When you dueled me after Battle City ended – when you beat me – you earned that card back." Atem said.
Jounouchi nodded. "Understood. Just wanted to ask for old time's sake."
Seto frowned. "This goodbye is dragging on. We should go." He said as he gave Kisara a quick embrace.
Jounouchi looked a bit peeved at first, but still composed himself. "Well Seto's got a point. And I hate long goodbyes. Try not to get trapped in an evil computer system. Or duel on a moving blimp. Or on top of a train or a plane. Or-"
Mai nudged him in the gut lightly and he stopped.
"What he's saying is be careful." Mai said.
Dark Magician Girl had been long silent, but spoke to everyone there.
"Atem, remember that I will be with you, should you call for me." She said, handing Atem a card with her likeness on it. "And as for everyone here, thank you again. I cannot imagine what chaos these dark forces would unleash if they remained in this world. And I wish that you all are able to stop them in the next world."
Mahado and Ancient Fairy Dragon both nodded to her before they vanished into Duel Monsters cards that Ruka and Atem quickly picked up.
The groups then parted ways, uncertainty hanging over both parties as Ruka, Atem, Seto, Isis, Kisara and Mahado all walked into the swirling gate, vanishing as quickly as they did so. Jack and Yusei were next, revving up the Yusei Go and Wheel of Fortune to slowly follow, disappearing into the swirling light.
…
So that's the latest chapter in the story. I'm hoping that it was good although it was mostly just hijinks and then saying goodbye. I re-wrote a bit of the dinner scene a lot and realized that there are a lot of times where I describe my characters eating, or mentioning food. I originally was going to have a breakfast scene as well but it felt like too much considering I'd already described the dinner.
I'm on holiday break so I'll try to crank out the next chapter sooner rather than later. I've already got the main parts written, but writing duels does take time. I've been re-reading the earlier chapters and have noticed some grammar and spelling errors that break the flow of the writing a bit. There were a few instances of 'Jou' that I missed and I mixed up some card names as well (for example Marik was supposed to use Reinforcements rather than Hidden Soldiers, and Yusei was supposed to use Shield Warrior against Misawa rather than Drill Warrior's effect which you can't use on your opponent's turn)
This site's editing feature isn't too helpful in this regard as I can only edit docx as far as I know. If anybody has any better fixes to this, please let me know.
With this chapter we'll bid a fond farewell (well hopefully it wasn't just a bunch of filler to you guys, I liked writing about it as it revived this fic from the year long slump I was in) to the Dominion of the Beasts.
Next chapter we'll see just how Atem and friends will react to the world of the future. Just what deck will Atem face next chapter as he sees what the world of 5D's has in store for him?
