The three Emperors were watching the Signers utilizing their illegal technology. They had holo-screens for Luna, and Akiza despite the two girls not living with the others. The addition of the bugs Lazar had planted meant they didn't have to exert more power than was necessary for visual and audio of their prey.
"This is taking too long," Placido pouted, clenching his fists.
"We must be patient," Joel said, glaring at Placido. "Your plan is risky. It would be better to wait for the W.R.G.P. Then once all the Circuits are complete, the power enveloping this world will be unleashed."
"But will things really go so easily?" Placido said. "Don't tell me you've forgotten the Crimson Dragon. Goodwin's plans failed because of her. As long as she and the Signers are free to do as they please, our plans will never proceed as scheduled."
Luciano rolled his eyes. "What's your point? You've already made your precious robot army."
"Let me defeat Yusei Fudo. I'll defeat him and steal Stardust Dragon. If even one card is stolen, the Crimson Dragon can't interfere."
"Why does it have to be Yusei?" Luciano sneered. "Your Ghost robot couldn't even defeat him, so what makes you think you can?"
"What did you say?" Placido growled, leaning forward in his throne.
But Luciano wasn't paying attention to him anymore. He was looking up at their holo-screens. The largest one depicted another meteor crashing down to Earth. "It's here! It's my tablet! I've been waiting for you! Now Placido won't be the only one who gets to have fun!"
/
Everyone outdoors saw the meteor fall. It soared over the city, and crashed into the mountainous outskirts.
/
Crow pulled up to the garage, stripping off his work uniform. "Guys, did you hear?!"
The twins and Akiza were over after school as usual. Jack had decided to take a nap, and Bruno was checking the drive containing their program for any potential viruses. Lise was drawing and trying to stay awake, while Yusei tinkered with his runner.
"What? A huge meteorite?" Yusei gasped once Crow explained.
"Yeah," Crow said. "Apparently it's making a big stink, from what I heard."
"So, that shaking a while ago was a meteorite, huh?" Leo said.
Akiza frowned. "Didn't Ghost appear right after a meteorite crashed the last time?"
"Yeah," Crow nodded.
"Let's go check it out," Lise suggested.
"Hopefully it won't be quite as ominous," Luna said, though her nervous giggle indicated she didn't really believe it.
/
When they arrived, a huge crowd had already amassed at the base of the mountain where the meteorite had landed. Police held people back. More scavenged the scene itself. Even from this distance, it was clear to see the meteorite had cleaved the mountain in half.
"Oh no," Crow cringed at the sight of the crowd. "I hope this isn't…"
"It's exactly what it looks like," Carly came stomping angrily from the front of the crowd. "Everything beyond this point is off limits." She threw her pen and paper to the ground. "Every time there's a great scoop I can't even get close!"
"What about the meteorite?"
"Security took it away a while ago," Carly hmphed, crossing her arms.
"Damn, that bites," Crow face palmed. They were too late.
"Aw, that sucks," Leo agreed. "We can't even see the site?"
"Oh, hi Carly!" Lise waved.
Carly smiled at her friend. "Hi! Good to see you back in the city!"
Yusei was suddenly struck with an idea. "Well," he glanced at Lise from the corners of his eyes. "We can't see the site, but maybe…"
Lise curled her lip as she mulled it over. "I'd need a lot of altitude, so I doubt I'll be able to see much."
"Anything is better than nothing!" Carly gushed. She gasped dramatically, and reached into her bag. She handed Lise her camera. "Here! Take photos! You use this little toggle to zoom in."
"All right, I'll give it a shot," Lise smiled slightly at her pun. She slung the camera over her shoulder. "I'll find a good spot to take off and meet you back by our runners in 20 minutes." She turned and ran into the trees.
Twenty minutes later, Lise landed a short distance from their runners.
Carly was the first person to reach her. Her grey eyes were bright with excitement. "Show me! Show me! Show me!"
"There's wasn't much to see," Lise said. The others crowded around behind her to see too. Lise knelt a little so the twins had a decent view.
"the mountain is definitely busted," Crow joked.
"But look at this," Carly pointed at the actual indent the meteorite had made. "It looks like they're filling it in."
"Weird," Akiza commented, her brow furrowed. "But what kind of meteor makes a perfect rectangle shape? And why does Security wanna cover it up?"
Carly looked so happy she could have burst with excitement. "It's a scoop, and you can bet I'm gonna get to the bottom of it!"
"Just be careful. Last time a so-called meteorite fell, the Ghost robot began to appear," Yusei said.
"I will!" Carly called as she ran off.
/
"Good morning!" All the children in Ms. Bartlett's duel academy class chanted the next day.
She smiled at her students. "Today, I'll be introducing a new friend. Please come in."
A boy walked into the classroom. He must have been waiting in the hallway. His features were elfish in a mischievous kind of way. His eyes were a pale green, and his long, reddish hair was plated over his shoulder.
"This is Luciano, our new transfer student."
"I'm Luciano," he smiled politely and bowed to the class. "Pleased to meet you."
Leo looked around in complete disbelief. A lot of the girls had dreamy looks on their faces, and even some of the boys. Leo leaned his chin into his hand, his dismal mood just growing worse.
Luciano's eyes settled on Luna, and he smiled wider.
Taken aback, Luna smiled and her cheeks flushed light pink.
"Everyone is familiar with the Juvenile Grand Prix that takes place at the Duel Academia East Branch?" Ms. Bartlett asked.
"It's the tournament that's tough to even enter, right?" Bob raised his hand.
"Yes, and Luciano won that tournament."
"Huh?" Patty gasped. "He won it?!"
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask Luciano. I'm sure it will help your studies."
"He seems really nice, doesn't he?" Luna whispered excitedly to her brother. Her cheeks were still pink.
"You really think so?" Leo raised an eyebrow at his sister. No way he won. He was just lucky, that's all. I could beat him no problem.
/
Leo exclaimed in fear. He wasn't doing so well in duel in P.E. In fact, he was losing again.
Luciano, his opponent, smiled. "Gear, Golem the Mobile Fortress attacks Morphtronic Videon!"
Leo fell to the ground in defeat. The last of his lifepoints were gone.
"Luciano wins!" Ms. Bartlett announced.
"Nice combo!" Patty cheered.
Bob grinned, clenching his fists. "That's a veteran champion for you! Leo isn't even on the same level!"
Luciano shrugged. "It's no big deal."
"Well then," Ms. Bartlett said. "Next up is Luna and Bob. Swap places with Leo and Luciano."
"Okay."
"Great job, Luciano," Luna said as she passed him.
"Good luck, Luna," he replied.
"Oh, thank you! Make sure to watch my duel!" Luna grinned, and scurried to her position.
Luciano smirked to himself. Of course I will, little Signer. Show me your power.
"Okay, begin!"
"Duel!"
"My turn," Luna declared. "I summon Sunlight Unicorn. I place two cards facedown and end my turn."
"Here goes! My turn!"
/
On the way back to their usual classroom, Luciano stopped Luna.
"Oh Luciano!" Luna's face felt warm, and she hoped she wasn't blushing too much.
"What happened in your duel just now?"
Luna was taken aback. He looked so angry.
"With your skills, it shouldn't have taken you more than a minute to beat someone like that!"
"Wait!"
"Are you not feeling well or something?"
Luna waved her hands frantically. "That's not it! Those were my skills!"
"But…"
"We can talk about it later. We should really catch up to the rest of the class!" Luna said, and dashed off.
Luciano glowered at Luna's back. "She's hiding her true identity as a Signer here, is she? Guess I'll need to go with Plan B."
/
Luna and Leo had run straight to Zora's after school. Leo with less enthusiasm than usual.
When they arrived, the twins found Yusei and Lise brandishing swords in the courtyard. At first they were worried, but judging by how both teens were smiling, they weren't trying to kill each other.
Yusei slashed at Lise first, who countered, and aimed for his throat. Yusei had to quickly meet her sword and sidestep to avoid getting skewered. Lise stepped into his space, knocking him off balance with her shoulder. He stumbled, but got his balance back quickly enough to stop Lise's stab to his stomach. Lise brought her sword up to stop Yusei from slashing her collarbone, and kicked him backwards. This time Yusei fell to the ground, and lost his sword. He put his hands up in surrender when the tip of Lise's sword fell above his chest.
Lise smiled, and sheathed her blade. She held out her hand, and helped Yusei back to his feet. "You're getting better. Your reflexes have definitely improved."
"Thanks," Yusei smiled a little, but his smile grew when he saw the twins over Lise's shoulder. "Let's take a break. The twins are here."
Lise turned and waved. "Hi guys!" She went to grab Yusei's fallen sword, and sheathed it.
"Cool! Where'd you get those?" Leo stared at the swords.
"Special order from Yaretzi," Lise said. She sat down next to Yusei on the edge of the fountain. "But I doubt that's why you're here."
Luna sat down on the ground across from them and immediately launched into telling all about Luciano. Leo's expression fell, but he grudgingly sat beside his sister. Lise and Yusei listened as they drank from their water bottles and cooled down.
"And he's just so cool! He executed that combo so perfectly!" Luna squealed.
"Sounds like you like him a lot," Yusei said.
"Yeah, he's really nice too," Luna grinned.
Leo rolled his eyes. "He's not that great."
"What makes you say that?" Lise raised an eyebrow.
Leo stood up, and grabbed his backpack. "Nothing. I've got homework. I'm going home." He started walking out of Fountain Plaza.
"What's up with him?" Yusei frowned, gesturing to Leo as the small boy left.
Luna waved her hand dismissively. "He's just mad cuz Luciano won their duel. He'll get over it."
"I dunno," Lise said, her lip curled a little bit. "Leo seems more depressed than usual after a loss."
"He could be jealous," Yusei suggested.
Luna frowned, and tapped her chin. "I didn't even think about that. I'll go talk to him. I've got homework anyway." She grabbed her backpack and rushed off after her brother. "See you guys later!" she waved.
/
"Good morning! Good morning!" the twins greeted their classmates the next morning. Leo was in a much better mood too.
"Luna!" Luciano called out to her. He was waving at the school's entrance. Obviously, he'd been waiting for her. "Good morning!"
"Oh, Luciano!" Luna blinked at him, and then glanced at her brother.
"I've been waiting for you. I want to talk to you about something," Luciano said.
"To me?" the twins paused in front of him.
Luciano nodded. "Do you have time after school?"
"Nope," Leo immediately answered. "Never, absolutely not."
Luciano ignored him. "Would you like to come over to my house?"
"Um, what for?" Luna could practically feel sparks flying off of Leo's glare.
"I want to show you something. I can't say what here, but you'll see when you come over."
"I said no," Leo growled, getting between him and Luna. "We have plans after school, so we'll be busy!"
Luciano glared at Leo. "I'm talking to your sister, not you."
"We're twins!" Leo yelled at him, losing his temper. "That means we're a package deal! If I can't come, then neither can she! Let's go, Luna." He grabbed his sister's hand and pulled her away from Luciano.
"Hey, don't pull so hard!" Luna complained. She turned and waved apologetically at Luciano as Leo dragged her away. "Sorry, Luciano!"
"Why do you hate him so much?" Luna demanded, once they were walking to their classroom.
"Like I told you last night, I don't hate him," Leo snapped. "Just leave me alone."
Fortunately, the rest of their school day passed smoothly. Girls and boys were still swooning over Luciano, but at least none of Leo's friends talked about him.
Leo and Bob were walking back from a bathroom break when Ms. Bartlett stopped them.
"Leo, I was wondering if you'd mind staying late today. There's something I'd like to discuss with you," she said.
"Oh, uh okay," Leo said.
"I appreciate it," Ms. Bartlett said. She didn't say anything else as she walked away. Strangely, she walked into an empty hallway and transformed back into Luciano! He snickered to himself. Fool.
/
With the school day over, Luna said good bye to Bob and Patty. She began her walk, alone, back home.
A large black limo pulled up beside her. The back window rolled down. "Hey there, Luna!" Luciano greeted brightly.
"Luciano?!" Luna gasped. "That's one fancy car!"
Luciano merely smiled pleasantly up at her. "You're not with Leo, are you? Want a ride?"
"But…" Luna hesitated.
"We can go to my house," Luciano pressed. "I still really want to show you something."
"Well…okay," Luna gave in. Her desire to be closer to her crush outweighed her brother's jealousy. She slid into the seat beside Luciano with a smile.
/
Leo sat impatiently at his desk. School had been out for at least a half an hour, and he was getting impatient. Where was Ms. Bartlett? "What could she be doing?" he wondered aloud, slumping against his desk.
Ms. Bartlett walked by the open classroom door holding a clipboard. "Huh? Leo, what're you still doing here?"
"Oh, professor!" Leo sat up attentively.
"What are you still doing here? You should have gone home a long time ago!" She walked away, feeling bewildered.
"HUH?!"
/
Luciano's driver took them through the main gates. Luna watched all the perfectly shorn hedgery of the courtyard go by in amazement. The yard was huge, the house was huge, even the fountain in the middle of the courtyard was huge!
"Your house is amazing! It's like a palace!"
"You could say that," Luciano said with a shrug.
A man with grey hair, and dressed in a grey suit greeted them in the entry room with a bow. "Welcome back, young master."
Luna waved, suddenly feeling very underdressed in her school uniform. "I'm just visiting."
"Welcome, young miss."
Luciano smirked. "Placido, tea and sweets for our guests."
"Without delay, sir."
/
Leo ran at full speed through the city. Luciano had definitely taken his sister. He could feel it. After getting some helpful confirmation from Bob and Patty, who had seen Luna and Luciano driving off together, he wasn't any happier to know his hunch was correct.
He caught his breath at the gate of Luciano's mansion. "This must be the place. In that case…" he grasped the bars of the gate and started climbing.
Placido watched Leo climb over the gate from the security room. "Looks like we have one more guest…"
Leo hopped from bush to tree to shrub, trying to stay out of sight. So far he didn't see any sign of his sister. Then he caught a glimpse of Luciano over a hedge.
Luna, and even Leo, watched in awe as Luciano did skateboard tricks on his own personal skating ramp.
"How amazing!" Luna gushed. Her green eyes followed Luciano's every move as he soared through the air.
Luciano came to a stop in front of Luna. He stepped off the board, and handed it to Luna. "Now you try!"
"Oh no, I couldn't! I'd be terrible!" Luna said.
"I've got plenty of these. I want you to have one."
"What?" Luna's eyes widened.
"Yes, it's my gift to you. Please, take it."
"Thank you!" Luna accepted the board, and was surprised to find it was lighter than she'd expected. "But, why me?"
"I want to duel you using these duel boards," Luciano grinned. "An actual Turbo Duel."
"A Turbo Duel?"
Even that got Leo's attention. "You can use those to Turbo Duel?" he whispered.
Luciano nodded, and showed Luna how to work the board. "By inserting this cord here, and connecting this plug here to your duel disk, you can use the board to Turbo Duel!"
"Awesome!"
"Here, I'll teach you how to ride it."
"Okay."
Leo frowned and used the cover of the hedge to make his escape. Placido, due to his height, was able to spot the boy's green ponytail sticking just over the hedge as he passed.
"W-Whoa!" Luna's legs shook as he tried to maintain her balance.
"That's right! You've got it! Look forward more!" Luciano called to her. "Don't focus so much on your legs!"
"I've brought refreshments," Placido announced blandly.
"Thank you," Luciano smirked. "Where's our other guest?"
"I believe he left."
"I see. All according to plan," Luciano snickered. "Sorry about making you do all this butler stuff."
Placido frowned, and directed his gaze at Luna. "No need to apologize. I wanted to see one of the Signers myself."
"That so?"
/
Leo crashed through the garage like a small hurricane. Jack, Bruno, Crow, Yusei, and Lise all looked up in surprise.
"OkaysothenewguyatschoolbroughtLunatohishouseandIfollowedthemandthentherewasthishugehouseandIwatchedthemplayingonthisboardthingyand-"
"Whoa, whoa! Leo slow down," Crow cut him off, spreading his hands palm down. "Take it from the top, but slower."
Leo tried, he really did, but he couldn't sit still or talk slow enough for his friends to figure out what he was saying. "Um, could I draw it?"
"Yes!" Lise got up and wheeled over their large whiteboard. She cleared off most of their diagrams, and handed Leo a large black marker. "Take it away."
"Okay, so it's called a Duel Board," Leo explained as he hastily sketched an excellent likeness of what he'd seen. "You link up your duel disk here," he pointed to where the cord connected the two devices.
"Excellent work, Leo," Lise nodded her approval, and Leo beamed.
"Now I get it," Jack said. "With that, you could have a simplistic version of a Turbo Duel. Clever."
"Whattaya think, Yusei?" Leo turned, wide-eyed to his friend.
Yusei had been quiet until then. "Well, in theory, it's pretty simple, so I could probably build one out of some spare parts, but I dunno." Turbo Duels could be dangerous. He didn't like the idea of his extremely young friend getting into a more serious Turbo Duel.
"Please!" Leo begged. His big, green eyes were full of determination. "I really wanna beat Luciano! He's such a jerk, and I just feel like I can't do anything about it! C'mon, Yusei, can you?! C'mon, can you? PLEASE!"
"Okay," Yusei gave in.
"Yes!" Leo cheered.
"But only, if you promise to be careful. That means a helmet, kneepads, and elbow pads."
"Deal!" Leo grinned.
Jack snorted. "You sound like a doting father."
"Shut up, Jack."
/
"Thank you for today," Luna said. She held her new duel board right outside her apartment. Placido had driven them over.
Luciano smirked up at her. "No problem. I'll wait for you again tomorrow."
"Okay," Luna nodded. "Oh, can Leo come too?"
"Leo?" Luciano raised an eyebrow.
"Leo's been saying he's wanted to Turbo Duel since forever. I'm sure he'd love the Duel Board too!"
"Of course," Luciano smiled slyly. "I'll see you later. Take care!" He rolled up the window, and Placido pulled out.
"Bye!" Luna waved until she couldn't see Luciano's car anymore.
She let herself into the penthouse. "I'm home! Leo! Leo?!" Luna looked around, but the place was empty. "Guess he's not home yet?"
/
Yusei had immediately got to work on Leo's duel board. He'd cut the largest piece, and attached the wheels. He took a break with Leo to measure his feet for the foot guards, while Lise painted the details Leo's preferred shade of blue. She also kept Yusei company late into the night as he programmed the Duel Board. Leo had fallen asleep hours ago, and Yusei had given him his jacket as a blanket.
/
Luna sat up from the couch. She'd been watching TV as she waited for her brother. She must have fallen asleep. "Leo? He didn't come home last night…"
/
Leo had thanked Yusei and Lise a thousand times the next morning. They had purple crescents under their eyes, and communicated very little until Bruno made breakfast, but they assured him it was no problem. Bruno had also insisted Leo eat something before he went out to test his new Duel Board. Impatiently, Leo had done so, and run out the door brandishing the Duel Board like Christmas day had been made for years.
Leo found a road that was under construction, but since it was Sunday the crew most likely had the day off. It was a great place to practice. As promised, he donned kneepads, elbow pads, and the helmet.
The Duel Board was perfect. It zoomed around smoothly, so long as Leo kept his balance. But every time he fell, Leo got right back up again. The thought of Luciano laughing at him falling on his butt, again, kept him at it.
"No way I'm giving in."
Just when Leo had finally managed to glide through a curve without falling, he spotted his sister on the road. She was in identical gear, but with pink colors instead of blue. She held her own board to her chest.
Leo braked to a stop in front of her. "Luna, what're you doing here?"
"I went by the garage, and the guys said you'd probably be here."
"Shouldn't you be going to Luciano's house again," Leo scowled.
Luna nodded, and kicked at the asphalt. "I'm sorry I went without you. You still wanna beat Luciano, right?"
"Yeah."
"I'll cheer you on," Luna smiled. "Let's practice together."
Leo grinned. "All right!"
"Whoo hoo!" The twins cheered, loving the wind in their faces, and playing together again.
They passed under a bridge in their fun. Leo glanced back, and then did a double take. Someone was standing on top of the bridge, and staring right at them.
"Who is that?"
The mysterious boy jumped off the bridge, and onto a duel board himself. Leo had to lean backwards to avoid getting landed on. He completely lost his balance and fell onto the road.
"Leo!"
The boy sneered and pulled out ahead of Luna. "I have no need for him. I only have need for you. No more waiting; we duel now!" He whipped out his flashy duel disk.
Luna's automatically engaged as well. "Huh? Whoa!" She managed to keep her balance, but the board wasn't responding to her anymore. "It's moving on its own!"
"Follow me!"
"Leo!"
"Luna!" Leo cried. He leapt back to his feet, and zoomed after them. "You're not getting away with my sister!"
"Fine!" the boy grinned. "I'll take you both on! I set Speed World 2!"
"A duel is starting. A duel is starting," the computerized voice that relegated the city's turbo duels announced. The mysterious boy lead the twins towards the computer's selected lane. A mysterious white light surrounded all three children, in the shape of an infinity sign.
"What should we do, Leo? I've never Turbo Dueled before!"
"Don't worry! We can do this together! Just like how we beat Devack!"
Luna nodded. Her brother always knew how to make her feel better.
"Let's duel!"
Mysterious boy: 4000
Luna: 4000
Leo: 4000
"You start! Bring it on!"
"Then I draw," Luna said. "I summon Rose Bird and end my turn!"
(Rose Bird: Atk: 1800 Def: 1600)
"Eighteen hundred attack? Then it's my turn! I summon Absurd Stealer from my hand!"
(Absurd Stealer: Atk: 100 Def: 0)
"When this card is successfully summoned, it reduces an opponent's monster's attack points to zero! Then it makes its attack power equal to that monster's defense points until the end phase! Absurd Stealer attacks Rose Bird!"
Mysterious boy: 4000
Luna: 2500
Leo: 4000
Luna winced as the force of the attack washed over her. The blow was so strong she was thrown into the sky!
"Luna!"
"Huh?" Both boys watched in awe as Luna seemed to magically stop in midair, and land back on the track unharmed.
"Thank you, Regulus!" Luna called out to thin air. The duel spirit had saved her.
The boy sneered at the twins. "Whattaya think? In this duel, you'll be able to actually feel the damage!"
"The damage is real?!" Leo gasped.
Luna winced as her mark suddenly burst into light. Their situation must have been bad for the power of the Crimson Dragon to have to protect them."
/
Back at the garage, the Signers all exchanged knowing looks.
"Whoa!" Bruno looked up. "Why is everybody glowing?!"
"Luna's in trouble," Lise said gravely. She snatched up her helmet and her phone. "I'll call Akiza and meet you guys there."
/
Luna wasn't giving up yet. "Rose Bird's effect activates! When its destroyed in battle, I can special summon two plant type Tuner monsters from my deck! I special summon Nettles and Spore in defense mode!"
(Nettles: Atk: 1200 Def: 400)
(Spore: Atk: 400 Def: 800)
"I place three cards face down to end my turn," the boy said.
"How dare you hurt my sister?!" Leo growled. "I'm going to defeat you! My turn! I summon Morphtronic Datatron! Datatron attacks Absurd Stealer!"
"Gotcha now!"
"What?"
"I activate Exus Summon! It returns an attack targeted monster to my hand, and special summons a monster from my hand with lower attack points! I special summon Sky Core!"
(Sky Core: Atk: 0 Def: 0)
"An attack power of zero?" Leo frowned. That didn't make any sense to him.
"Next, I activate Torrential Tribute! When a monster is summoned, it destroys all monsters on the field!"
Luna frowned in confusion too. "Even his own monsters? Why would he do that?"
"When Sky Core is destroyed by a card effect, it destroys all monsters on my field, and from my deck, hand, or graveyard, special summons Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity, Skiel Top, Skiel Attack, Skiel Guard, and Skiel Carrier!"
"Five monsters at once?!"
"Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity's effect activates!" At the boy's words, the five monsters combined into one large, flying beast. On its chest, it had the same nebulous star in an infinity symbol as the monster Ghost had wielded.
(Machine Emperor Skiel: Atk: 2200 Def: 2200)
"It's huge!" Leo breathed.
(Hey guys! Lisiechan here! So yeah...it's been a while since I've regularly updated this fic... I lost motivation and there was a lot of depression and anxiety swirling since February so... yeah... I'm using this fic and Nanowrimo to get back into the swing of writing for myself, because that's why I started writing this fic in the first place. I doubt I'll reach 50,000 words just writing this fic alone, but I'd appreciate any support! Leave a review, leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!)