Chapter 38: Signs Of Doom: Part 3
Racing along a fiery track several dozen feet in the air over New Domino City.
In front is Jack, with 2500 lifepoints and nothing on the field.
A few feet behind is Yusei, with Junk Archer on the field and 4000 lifepoints.
And sort of riding between the two is Sakura, with Whirlwind on the field and 4000 lifepoints. Grim's lying behind her on the runner, protectively.
On the other side of the glowing geoglyph is Crow, on the ground with one lifepoint, watching his runner screen, quietly.
And looming above them all is Goodwin, high atop the stair of the Crimson Dragon with Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca at his back and Sun Dragon Inti at his left hand. Goodwin has 7900 lifepoints and an evil laugh to boot. "Hahahahahahahaha! Hm!" Goodwin laughs. He's just noticed that the King of the Netherworld is sending out another flock of nasty little slime birds to harry the Signers.
As they swoop down toward the duel field, Black Rose Dragon intervenes.
"Attack, Black Rose Dragon!" Akiza says.
Black Rose Dragon lets loose a stream of purple fire that vaporizes every little bird it touches.
Ancient Fairy Dragon is soaring in to join her.
"You too, Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Says Luna.
Ancient Fairy Dragon glows with blinding prismatic light, obliterating every vicious slime bird in the vicinity.
Meanwhile. The King of the Netherworld is still approaching.
"Don't you see? You can fend off those minions all you want, but the King of the Netherworld will still arrive here at this ancient temple, and know that when he does, the world as you know it will be gone!" Goodwin says.
"Not if we win this match!" Says Yusei.
"Yeah, that's right! So quit your blabbin' and let's finish this!" Jack says.
"I'm on it!" Says Yusei.
Sakura has placed down a face down and has tossed the baton to him.
Yusei sort of passed his turn by placing a face down.
Jack, Sakura and Yusei zoom around another corner of the design.
"My turn!" Goodwin says.
"Jack's field is empty. That means Goodwin's gonna be aiming for him!" Yusei thinks to himself.
"I reveal my trap card 'Fiendish Chain'! This negates Sun Dragon Inti's special ability, and makes it so it can't attack or be sacrificed!" Says Jack.
"Yes! Now that Sun Dragon won't be able to attack Jack's lifepoints! But, wait!" Sakura says, under her breath.
Her, Yusei and Jack race around another curve.
Goodwin ever-presently looms above. "Oh, little Jack. So much to learn! This is what happens when you give up your loner ways, as you put it, you make careless mistakes. And now you'll pay for them, and pay dearly! Of course, the irony in all of this is that even though you've committed yourself to your friends, you'll be paying this price all alone! Do you know what I speak of? I'm speaking of the moment you face your doom!" Says Goodwin.
"That isn't good..." Sakura says.
"And that very moment is now at hand, Jack! Sorry, but your 'so-called' friends can't save you! Because I activate Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca's ability! Now, I skip my battle phase and your lifepoints fall to one!" Says Goodwin.
Jack, Yusei and Sakura all grit their teeth, there's nothing they can do to stop it.
"Unleash your fury, Rasca!" Goodwin says.
It does, raining down a cloud of fire on Jack, but he's still okay and riding.
"Ugh! Oh, no. If I have one thousand or less lifepoints, 'Fiendish Chain' gets destroyed!" Says Jack.
Inti breaks the chains around it.
"Yes, that's right, Jack! And that means, my Sun Dragon Inti, is free! And the King of the Netherworld is that much closer to laying waste to this wretched world!" Goodwin says.
Indeed, the disgusting behemoth has reached the shore.
The populace flees, in terror. "Quick, run for it! Aaahh!"
The thing opens its mouth and emanates a big wave of fire, vaporizing slime birds, as it travels toward the duel. Black Rose Dragon and Ancient Fairy Dragon dodge to the side.
"Our dragons are helpless against him!" Says Luna. "He's too strong!" Akiza says. "Huh?!" Asks both Trudge and Minako.
Yusei, Sakura and Jack are riding through a world of fire.
"Hu-aaagh!" Yusei hangs on.
"Uaaaggghhh!" But Jack, weakened from the blast that reduced his lifepoints to one, spins out and crashes to the ground, skidding along the track on his side.
"Jack, no!" Sakura says. She's getting worse and worse the longer the Crimson Dragon is out of her.
"Do you see, Jack? All your friends, useless! You're done-for!" Says Goodwin.
"I may be, but that's why the bond we share is so important! Because our cause continues to live on!" Jack says. He skids into the side of the track and hits the wall. Jack's runner flips over and he's flung off of it. Phoenix Whirlwind keeps scraping along the ground and Jack bounces after it, end over end, until he lands hard on the ground and rolls to a stop.
Yusei slows as he rides by, but has to keep going. "Oh no, Jack!" Says Yusei.
Sakura's sort of further ahead of Yusei.
Jack lifts his head, weakly, to look at his runner and the face down cards he left behind. "Yusei... Sakura… I can't... continue! But, that doesn't mean that I'm kept out of this duel! Know that I'll be there if you need me, old friends!" Jack says.
Crow, fallen where he crashed, is doing much the same thing, keeping an eye on the final card he left behind for either Yusei or Sakura to use. "And that goes for me, too, Sakura, Yusei. The two of us may be down for the count, but if either of you two find yourselves in a jam, just think of us." Says Crow.
"You can do it, Yusei, Sakura!" Leo says. "We believe in you!" Says Trudge. "I've always believed in you two, big sister and big brother!" Hotaru says.
"Do you see, Goodwin? We are still strong!" Says Sakura, despite her words, she's sounding a lot weaker now than she was a few minutes ago. Sakura's clutching at her chest, just over her heart, she's hurting a lot more than she's letting out, she won't make it much longer without the Crimson Dragon. Grim looks up at her, he can sense her distress.
"Please! You're still trying to act like you're all in this together? All right, then, prove it! I place one card face down, and end my turn. Now, let's see how strong you are!" Goodwin says.
Sakura tries, but her body's starting to shut down.
Yusei can even see it. Yusei then rides up next to Sakura. "Can you keep goin', sis?" Asks Yusei.
"I have to, as much as my body is telling me to stop, whatever heart and soul I have left that is mine is telling me to continue until… the end." Sakura says.
"I can't let you do that. Please, listen to me for once in your life! Sakura, look at me!" Says Yusei.
Sakura manages to at least glance up at him, but not a lot of strength to look at him directly in the eyes, even her red orbs are showing what her body and voice have already proven, she's not going to make it much longer.
"You have been getting weaker every passing second of this duel since the Crimson Dragon was taken from you, and now it's finally getting to you. I know it is, 'cause I can see it." Yusei says.
"So what is it you are really saying, Yusei? To give up this duel and let you go solo? Jack and Crow may not be entirely out, but who do you think Goodwin's going to go after if you go alone?" Asks Sakura.
"I won't be alone and you know that. Just please let me take your turn for you, that's all I'm asking. I'll duel for the both of us." Yusei says.
Sakura looks away from him and looks down. "I'm sorry, but not this time, Yusei." Says Sakura.
"Sakura, please don't." Yusei says.
"My draw! First, I shall activate Whirlwind's special ability! Now, once per turn, I can remove one monster from play! And this turn, I choose to remove Sun Dragon Inti!" Says Sakura.
"A fine plan, if only I didn't have this, the trap 'Passion of Vai Mahse'! It negates your Unicorn-Dragon's ability, and then destroys her outright!" Goodwin says.
"Hmph. Then I guess, I will just have to summon Terrafin in defense mode!" Says Sakura. Terrafin has 1600 defense points. "Then, I shall throw one card face down and end my turn!" Sakura says.
"That's your proof? Of the power of friendship? One monster cowering on his knee in defense mode?" Asks Goodwin.
"Rrgh." Sakura growls under her breath.
"Oh, poor Sakura, you disappoint me so! And besides, it's pointless to defend, especially against my Earthbound Immortal! But don't take my word for it, I'll show you! My draw! And my turn to show you what real power is!" Goodwin says.
Neither Jack nor Crow, each watching from the spot where he crashed, likes the sound of that.
"First, I activate Rasca's special ability! Now by skipping my battle phase, your lifepoints are lowered to one!" Says Goodwin.
"Huh...?" Sakura asks.
"Strike with all your might, Rasca!" Says Goodwin.
"No!" Yusei says. Jack contacts him through his runner screen. "Yusei, you have to end this. Sakura can't keep going like this, she's getting worse and worse." Says Jack, via-screen.
Crow enters the conversation, too. "Jack's right. You have to get Sakura to stop, before it's too late." Crow says, via-screen. "But, all three of us know her better than anyone else. We know how she is, you both know she's not going to quit." Says Yusei. "Then, you're going to have to show her how much she means to you." Jack says, via-screen. "He's right. You can't just tell her, you have to show her. That's what she's always done for all three of us." Says Crow, via-screen. "And now is your chance to do so." Jack says, via-screen. They then break off communication.
Yusei knows what he must do, he rides up exactly right on the side of Sakura's runner. Yusei then puts himself in front of Sakura, almost like a human shield, and wraps his arms around her, his hands fisted ready for the impact.
Rasca blasts Yusei, the attack creates a cloud of smoke and no one can see if he's okay.
"Oh-no!" Says Jack.
"Yusei!" Crow says.
Sakura rides herself and Yusei out of the cloud, as his lifepoints drop to 1 and his speed counters to 9. Sakura's still standing, while Yusei lies almost motionless in front of her. Yusei's head is lying in one of Sakura's arms and the rest of his body is lying in her lap. "Brother…" Says Sakura.
"Ha ha hahahahaha! Now the three of them have but three lifepoints! If you're smart Sakura, you'll beg me for mercy! Ha hahahahahaha!" Goodwin says.
Sakura keeps riding, her eyes hidden by her helmet and she does not answer.
"What are you waiting for? Start groveling." Says Goodwin.
"No chance. I'm still planning to win this!" Sakura says.
"Huh?!" Asks Goodwin.
Sakura lifts her head and faces him. "He may only have one lifepoint left, but he can still ride his runner and that means he can still duel!" Sakura says. Yusei gets himself up and gets astride his own runner.
"And now, he gets the rest of my lifepoints to replace all that he's lost, which leaves me with one lifepoint." Says Sakura.
Yusei's lifepoints go all the way back up to 4000.
While Sakura gets one lifepoint. Sakura falls forward over the top of her runner, the runner starts to swerve a little bit.
Yusei's still right beside Sakura, placing one of his hands on her shoulder. "Sakura." Yusei says.
"Yusei, I give you permission to take my place in this duel. I can't ignore the pain any longer." Says Sakura.
Yusei then moves his hand on top of hers. "Like I said before, I'm not doing this alone. 'Cause you're ridin' with me the rest of the way." Yusei says.
"Sorry, Yusei... However, you wanted to take my place. Now... go show Goodwin what your made of." Says Sakura. She uses the last possible strength she has left and summons forth one of her portals and rides into it. The portal soon closes up behind Sakura as she rides in and she, Grim and her runner are gone.
The portal suddenly appears near Jack. Sakura, Grim and her runner soon come crashing out of the portal. Sakura and Grim are flung from the runner before it collides into Jack's. As soon as Sakura and Grim hit the ground, halfway beside Jack, the portal closes up.
Jack then crawls over to Sakura and kneels over her, protectively. Jack lifts Sakura up, carefully, and holds her against his chest, having her head nuzzled into his shoulder and lying sideways in his lap. "Her breathing's starting to slow down. Please just hang in there, Sakura. I already lost you once, I'm not going to lose you again." Jack thinks to himself. "Jack… If the Crimson Dragon doesn't return to me soon... I'm not going to make it..." Sakura says, weakly. "Stay strong, Sakura. I'm not going anywhere." Says Jack.
Grim soon walks over to him and Sakura, staggering quite a bit, and lays up beside his mistress, who hugs his head close to herself with one of her arms.
"She just doesn't know when to give up!" Goodwin says.
Yusei draws. "Ya got that right! My turn! And first, I'll activate 'Angel Baton' from my hand! And since I have two or more speed counters, I get to draw two cards from my deck. Now, I pick one to keep and one to send to my graveyard. Next, I'll sacrifice Whirlwind in order to summon the tuner monster Debris Dragon!" Says Yusei. Debris Dragon has 1000 attack points, 2000 defense points, is a level 4 monster and is a wind type monster. "And since Debris Dragon was called out, I'm allowed to bring back a monster from my graveyard, as long as it has five hundred or less attack points! So I bring you back, Sonic Chick!" Yusei says. Sonic Chick has 300 attack points, 300 defense points, is a level 1 monster and is an earth type monster. "And now, I tune my level-four Debris Dragon with level-one Sonic Chick and level-three Terrafin, to synchro-summon, Stardust Dragon! Let's rev it up!" Says Yusei. Stardust Dragon has 2500 attack points.
"That beast doesn't have enough attack points to make any difference." Goodwin says.
"Wrong! Like I said, this beast is like the bond we share. And speaking of bonds, you're going to see how powerful of a bond my half-twin and I share. When Stardust Dragon is out, I can bring out another synchro monster without synchro-summoning. I'm bringing out, Cynder the Black Dragon!" Says Yusei. Cynder the Black Dragon has 2800 attack points.
"Even she doesn't have enough attack points to do anything." Goodwin says.
"Wrong again! When these two are out at the same time, they can use any trap in play!" Says Yusei.
"Wait, what do you mean?!" Goodwin asks.
"I mean, I'm using the effect of the trap Crow left behind, 'Blackwing Anchor'!" Says Yusei.
Crow lifts his head from the ground to get a better view of his runner screen, his grin is triumphant.
"Now, by sending 'Blackwing Anchor' to the graveyard, both Stardust Dragon and Cynder the Black Dragon's attack points increase by twenty-five-hundred for this turn!" Yusei says.
"What?!" Asks Goodwin.
"That's why Crow released Blackwing Armor Master with his last move." Yusei says.
Flashback. Crow activates 'Blackwing Anchor' and Armor Master gets sucked into it. "Not for himself, but for the team!" Says Yusei, in voice-over. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "And now, since Stardust Dragon is stronger than ever before, I'll have him attack Sun Dragon Inti!" Yusei says.
Blackwing Armor Master is visible in the fire of Stardust's attack. Inti explodes, spectacularly.
Goodwin shields his face from the bright light. Goodwin's down to 5900 lifepoints. "Fool! Any monster that destroys Inti is also destroyed!" Says Goodwin.
A ghost of Inti appears where the monster floated and sends forth a red blast of light.
"And then, you take damage equal to your monster's attack points!" Goodwin says.
"Actually, Goodwin! That's exactly where you're wrong! Thanks to Stardust Dragon's special ability, if I release 'im then Inti's effect is negated! It's a little something I like to call, Victim's Sanctuary!" Says Yusei.
Stardust disappears and takes Inti's blast with it.
"That's all well and good, Yusei. But, have you forgotten? Whenever Sun Dragon Inti is destroyed, I'm then allowed to resurrect his counterpart from my graveyard. Come forth, Moon Dragon Quilla!" Goodwin says.
"Not this time, Goodwin!" Says Yusei.
"Ugh!" Goodwin says.
One of Jack's face downs activates. Jack lifts his head to look at it and smiles.
"Wait, is that Jack's card?!" Asks Goodwin.
"Toldja, Goodwin!" Crow says.
"Our bond is powerful!" Says Jack.
"Thanks to Jack, I now play the trap, 'Conquest of the Supreme Ruler'! Now by sending this card to the graveyard, you're no longer allowed to summon Moon Dragon Quilla!" Yusei says.
"No, but…" Says Goodwin.
"But nothing! And now since I'm ending my turn, Stardust Dragon resurrects from my graveyard! Welcome back, friend! Goodwin, we all warned you about the power of the bond between us all! Now, perhaps you'll finally believe us!" Yusei says.
"No, I refuse! There's no such thing as people sharing a bond." Says Goodwin. He then starts wavering. "Maybe once I thought that there could be, but now I know better and the only thing I believe in is the power of my two Marks!" Goodwin says.
"That isn't true! I know your still connected to my father!" Says Sakura, starting to get more weakness in her voice.
"What?" Goodwin asks.
"That is why you built that bridge, because he trusted you and you wanted to fulfill his dreams!" Says Sakura.
Flashback. A lone, red runner zooms up the Daedalus Bridge over the sparkling blue water. At last seeing the bridge-building Stranger's face, it's a younger Rex Goodwin, looking resolute, hopeful and despairing, as though shooting for something he fears he'll never reach. His dark gray hair, darker and shorter than it is now, but longer and lighter than it was before Zero Reverse, flies in the wind from a ponytail at the back of his helmet. "Maybe you failed! However, I know that there is still that dream in you! I know you two still share that bond!" Sakura says, in voice-over. Rex leaps from the end of the bridge, and reaches a gloved hand imploringly to the sun, high above. "Roman!" Rex thinks to himself. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "And you get more strength and power from him than with those two Marks!" Says Sakura.
"Rrgh, no, it's not true! You're lying! Trying to confuse me so Yusei can win!" Goodwin says.
The King of the Netherworld is still walking, making its way through the City step by step.
"But, it won't work! The King of the Netherworld approaches! And you three only have one lifepoint left each to stop him from destroying this miserable world, and leaving me all-powerful! You're doooomed!" Says Goodwin.
Yusei rounds corner after corner of the glowing track, faster and faster in a dizzying zigzag, Stardust and Cynder gliding above him.
"Ride as fast as you can, Yusei! There is no escaping your fate! You, your sister and all your friends shall be sent to the Netherworld! It's my turn now! And your turn, Yusei, to lose! Earthbound Immortal, attack Yusei directly! With it your turn to have one lifepoint left, now may be a good time to say goodbye. Unleash your fury, Rasca!" Goodwin says.
Rasca swoops down on Yusei, Stardust and Cynder, soon it fills the entire sky. Yusei faces it down, unwavering, ready to go down fighting.
"Yusei!" Says Jack.
"Huh?" Yusei asks.
"Quickly, my card! Use it right now!" Says Jack.
"That's right, you threw a face down during your last turn, didn't you?!" Yusei asks.
Jack grins.
"Again, Goodwin, the strength of our bond is proven! And now, I activate the trap 'Scrub Raid'! This allows me to put an end to this turn's battle phase, simply by sending a card on my field to the graveyard! Which means, your Earthbound Immortal can't attack!" Says Yusei. He's covered with a shimmering, dome-like shield.
Rasca retreats.
When the shimmery substance clears, Yusei faces Goodwin again, defiant. "Rrgh!" Yusei growls under his breath.
Goodwin recoils, then lashes out again. "Ugh! In that case, I activate, the trap 'Meteor Flare'! Now by sending two cards in my hand to the graveyard, you're dealt two thousand points of damage!" Goodwin says.
"Wrong, 'cause I activate 'Joint Future'! With this, I send one card in my hand to the graveyard and your trap's effect is negated!" Says Yusei.
"Maybe, but 'Meteor Flare' still gets sent to the graveyard, which means, since it's still the draw phase of my turn, I'm allowed to add it right back to my hand!" Goodwin says.
"'Fraid not, Goodwin! Any card whose effect is negated by 'Joint Future', is returned to the deck which is then shuffled!" Says Yusei.
"What?! Ugh." Goodwin says. His graveyard slot spits 'Meteor Flare' out and he has no choice but to place it on top of his deck and let it auto-shuffle. "Urgh. I end my turn." Says Goodwin.
Yusei's riding toward the Stair.
"Don't you see? Again and again, the power of friendship triumphs. Now, let the power of your brotherly bond triumph, as well!" Sakura says.
"Be quiet! The bond I shared with my brother is long gone!" Says Goodwin.
"Your wrong! There are certain bonds that last for eternity." Sakura says.
Flashback/Vision. The picture Crow found in the Reactor Complex, of a happy family of four, two parents and two babies. The dad is Professor Alexander Fudo, with one arm holding baby Sakura, who's hugging puppy Grim close to herself, while his other arm is around the shoulder of Detective Keiko Fudo, who's smiling and cradling baby Yusei in her arms. Baby Yusei smiles up at them, reaching up to play with her necklace. "Believe me. I know..." Says Sakura, in voice-over. Alexander's smiling down at his son and step-daughter. The flashback/vision ends.
Back to the present. "And I know that you do, as well, Goodwin! After all, your brother trusted you to do the right thing. Trust like that may be easy to ignore, but not to forget! Go on, Goodwin, and take a look deep down into your heart. I'm telling you my father is still there, you just have to listen to him!" Sakura says.
Suddenly, everything around Goodwin vanishes and he sees a ghost of Roman, eighteen years younger, in his Reactor lab coat, standing beside him. "Huh?" Asks Goodwin. He's still dark-eyed, bare-chested and covered with sinister markings, looking up at Roman, and only then can he be seen how lost and afraid he is, and how bereft. "My brother..." Goodwin says. The ghostly Roman looks down at him, his eyes sad. "Oh, Rex..." Says Roman. He shakes his head, in disappointment. Goodwin gasps, nothing could ache more than having let down his big brother. The vision evaporates, as though it never were.
Goodwin raises a hand, as though to grab Roman's hand or lab coat and beg him to stay. "Wait, Roman...!" Goodwin says.
Suddenly, the top card of Yusei's deck glows gold. "Ugh! Is that?!" Asks Yusei.
The Seal of the Crimson Dragon vanishes from Goodwin's chest. "Ough! What?!" Goodwin asks.
"Our Marks!" Says Luna. "They're back!" Akiza says.
Jack raises his head and takes a look at his glowing right arm, that's lying against Sakura's waist. His Mark, too, has returned. "The Mark of the Crimson Dragon!" Says Jack. Sakura is staring at her own returned Mark, amazed. The additional markings and symbolic designs along Sakura's body have also returned, and her irises and highlights start flaring in crimson red light, while her sclera's fade to black, with glowing red veins across her eyes. "It is giving us power like never before!" Sakura says. Her arm glows even brighter, hiding the Mark from view, the light bursts like a bubble, and a new Mark has replaced it, the Mark of the Crimson Dragon's Head. "The Mark of the Dragon's Head is with me?!" Asks Sakura. "However, this was originally my father's Mark. Perhaps, I did inherit something from him, after all." Sakura thinks to herself.
Yusei looks down at his returned Mark, too. Yusei's Mark starts doing the same as Sakura's did. A new Mark has replaced it, the Mark of the Crimson Dragon's Left Wing, the Mark that used to be on Sakura's arm. "Sakura's Mark of the Dragon's Left Wing is now mine?! Then, what happens with my original Mark?!" Yusei asks.
Down on the track. Red sparkles are falling onto Crow's right arm, like stardust. Crow props himself up on his left elbow and watches his arm glow, unable to believe his eyes. "Huh? What in the world?!" Asks Crow. The glow solidifies into the Mark of the Dragon's Tail, the Mark that used to be on Yusei's arm. Crow's the new sixth Signer.
"No fair! I was the chosen one! I had the markings of both the Light and the Darkness!" Goodwin says.
Sakura looks back up at him. "Perhaps, and yet beneath them, the Crimson Dragon saw that you still honor your brother's memory! So now, the Crimson Dragon is a part of me once again where it rightfully belongs!" Says Sakura. The Seal of the Crimson Dragon is once again glowing on her abdomen, through her shirt.
The other five Signers are all ready to fight. "Sakura!" Yusei, Akiza, Crow, Jack and Luna says.
Sakura rises up to her feet. "You guys all know what to do! Only, we are finishing this together as one!" Says Sakura, her voice menacing and echoic. Grim gets up to his feet and stands at her side.
Down below. Akiza and Luna start to have a red glow around them. "Sakura needs us." Luna says. "Yup, and we're going to go and help our friend." Says Akiza. They both close their eyes and they drift away.
Down on the track. Crow has a red glow around himself, too. "I hear ya Sakura, and now to repay you, my friend." Crow thinks to himself. He closes his eyes and vanishes.
Yusei, still riding on the track, feels the same thing and glows. "Sis." Yusei thinks to himself. He then closes his eyes and disappears off of his runner.
Jack and Sakura start to glow, as well, only they don't vanish like the others did.
Then for once, Sakura's trying to tap into the ultimate power that the Crimson Dragon bestowed her with, instead of using its heart of power. The symbol on Sakura's forehead starts glowing even more brightly than it has before. Only Sakura can't release her ultimate power alone and it's getting too powerful to control. It almost sends Sakura flying back, but she catches her balance.
Sakura suddenly feels someone's gloved hand on her right hand and an arm wrapped around her shoulder-blades, so this person's other hand is touching her left shoulder, making the front of his body against her right side.
Sakura then opens her eyes and looks to her right, when she does it's Jack that's helping her. Jack looks down at Sakura, letting her know he's with her on this. They then look away from each other and glare up at Goodwin. Jack helps out by bringing out his own power to balance out Sakura's power a little more, which makes the symbolic designs burned into her right shoulder-blade glow even brighter, she's receiving the power that he was bestowed with.
Then Crow, Yusei, Akiza and Luna all appear next to each other. They then all together walk over to Sakura and Jack.
Yusei walks over to the other side of Sakura, opposite of Jack, and places his hand on her left hand. Yusei brings out his own power that he was bestowed with and balances out Sakura's even more, which makes the symbolic designs that are etched into her left shoulder-blade shine very brightly.
Crow then places his hand on Sakura's right hand, only not touching Jack's at all, his new powers that he was recently bestowed with helps out even more, making the additional designs that are burned into the rest of her back light up even brighter.
Akiza soon does the same and places her hand on Sakura's left hand, not touching Yusei's hand at all. Akiza's power that she was bestowed with balances it out more, and makes the additional markings that are etched down Sakura's legs flare a lot brighter.
Luna, being both the youngest and the smallest Signer, manages to wrap her arms around Sakura's waist, having her forehead against the Seal of the Crimson Dragon on her abdomen. Luna's power, that she was bestowed with, completely balances out Sakura's, which makes the additional markings that are burned into her arms glow brighter than they were originally. Sakura's eyes and highlights are flaring very brightly, as well. Sakura then absorbs all of the power that she received into herself, she's fighting to keep it all under control and closes her eyes so she can focus. "All of you get back!" Sakura says, her voice even more menacing and echoic than ever before.
The other five Signers all do as she says and step a few feet away from her.
"Grim, I could use your aid." Sakura thinks to herself, speaking telepathically to Grim. Grim shifts his stance a bit and encircles his unnaturally long tail around her until it loops around her right forearm, ending at her hand. Grim soon has a glowing red surge of power surrounding him. Then, with a lot of force behind it, Sakura unleashes all the power that she had received from the other five Signers, including her own, and it envelops her and Grim in a bright flash of crimson red.
The other five Signers shield their eyes from the brightness and when it finally dims down, they all look up and gasp at what they see, in awe. "Sakura!" Says Yusei, Jack, Crow, Luna and Akiza, in bewilderment.
Sakura and Grim are enveloped in crimson red flames, even her hair, which now flows completely loose, free of its partial twin tails, is flaming in crimson red. Sakura then opens her flaring crimson red eyes, that are now filled with a new purpose. "Yusei, it is now time you finished this. I shall give you the power you need. Now, finish this and save our homes!" Sakura says, even her voice seems to carry that new found purpose.
Yusei nods, stepping up in front of her, Grim and the other four Signers, a red stream of power hitting him between the shoulder-blades, only not hurting him at all, and bathing him in a glowing red light.
The other four Signers all have glowing red outlines around them, too.
Yusei's deck appears in front of him. Yusei draws. "You did your part, Goodwin! And now, I'll do mine! My turn!" Says Yusei. He glances at his card, it's Majestic Dragon. "First, since Stardust Dragon is on my field, I'm allowed to summon the Stardust Xiaolong that's sleeping in my graveyard!" Yusei says. Stardust Xiaolong has 100 attack points. "And then, I summon Majestic Dragon!" Says Yusei. Majestic Dragon has 0 attack points.
"Not that! No!" Goodwin says.
"Next, I tune level-one Majestic Dragon with level-eight Stardust Dragon, and level-one Stardust Xiaolong!" Says Yusei.
A shadow looms over Trudge, Minako, Hotaru and Leo, and they turn around. The King of the Netherworld is way too close for comfort. "Whatever it is that Yusei's doin', he'd better do it quick!" Trudge says.
Meanwhile. Yusei's in the middle of a synchro-summon. Yusei's monsters are all outlines and green rings. "I harness all the power of the stars! I channel all the might of the dragons! I synchro-summon, the Majestic Star Dragon!" Says Yusei. Majestic Star Dragon is a creature of magnificence, crystalline and radiating shimmering prismatic light. It glides on its four fan-like wings, gracefully, and faces the King of the Netherworld.
Majestic Star Dragon is a level-ten dragon-type monster with thirty-eight hundred attack points and three thousand defense points.
"And now, I'll use his ability! It negates the power of your Immortal!" Yusei says.
"What?!" Asks Goodwin.
"And then, I reveal my trap card 'Synchro Baton'! Thanks to this, for every synchro monster that's in our graveyards, I can increase the attack points of one synchro monster on my field by six hundred. So since there are four synchro monsters in our graves, Majestic Star Dragon gains twenty-four-hundred attack points! And he gains the distinction of being the toughest monster on the field!" Yusei says. Majestic Star is now 6200 attack points strong and shining with even more inner light. "Now, my dragon gets some help from Stardust Dragon! Help me out with this guys!" Says Yusei.
"Red Dragon Archfiend!" Jack says. "Black Rose Dragon!" Says Akiza. "Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Luna says. "Cynder the Black Dragon!" Says Sakura.
All five dragons appear to help, all five roaring and shrieking their fury.
"You know what that means, Earthbound Immortal Rasca is goin' down! Go Majestic Star Dragon, Star Shine Shred!" Yusei says.
Majestic Star attacks, flying so fast it becomes a dart of light slicing through the air, with the power of the five dragons at its wingtips, Yusei's about to hit Rasca full blast.
"I've lost...! It's over...!" Says Goodwin.
Majestic Star Dragon plunges straight through the heart of the Condor Immortal and soars out its back. Rasca caws and cries as it bleeds first turquoise light, then red-violet shadows.
"Aaaaaauuuooh!" Goodwin's lifepoints fall to zero.
Majestic Star Dragon soars out into open air and turns about. The other five dragons follow alongside.
"Now, set your sights on the King of the Netherworld!" Yusei says.
Crow, Akiza and Luna then vanish and return to where they originally were.
Jack, Sakura and Yusei stay where they are. The red stream of power now vanishes and backfires, striking Sakura straight through her heart, causing her to react and her eyes suddenly go blank, as she collapses backwards into Jack's arms. The crimson red flames then go out, leaving her not at all singed nor taking any of her knee-length tresses. Grim suddenly starts coughing blood up, like a fountain, and collapses to the ground, due to his link to Sakura. "Grim!" Says Jack. He then kneels and sets Sakura down, she's bleeding out from the hit she took. Jack places his hands over the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Sakura already has blood running down the side of her mouth. "Sakura, don't you dare die on me!" Says Jack. He's just noticed something different about Sakura's hair, it still remains raven black, with red highlights, until it reaches just past her shoulder-blades and then gradates to red from there all the way down to her knees. Jack then returns his focus on the task at hand, saving Sakura's life. "Stay with me, Sakura! Please, just hang in there!" Jack says.
Majestic Star bullets toward the slimy monstrosity and seems to become the heart, the center, of the Crimson Dragon itself.
The Signers and their friends hold their breath.
The King of the Netherworld roars, generating a fireball and blasts forth a stream of flame, the Crimson Dragon, Majestic Star as its heart, cuts right through it, soaring straight for its source, into the mouth of the King of the Netherworld.
Yusei's standing in a void filled with stars when he opens his eyes. He looks around and nearby, he can see the former Dark Signers, Kalin, Misty, Greiger and Devack, floating in the ether, each lying unconscious, worn and exhausted. "Kalin! Greiger!" Says Yusei. He looks straight ahead.
Goodwin, once more benign in his nondescript light gray suit, is standing opposite of him. Goodwin looks sadder, but wiser, than before, his pale gray eyes are forlorn. "Goodwin? Is it really you?" Yusei asks. Goodwin doesn't answer, but looks to his own right side.
Roman, in his Reactor lab coat, young and confident, appears beside him. "Not just me. Hello, brother." Says Goodwin. Roman turns to him looking slightly cross and they both have the same pale gray eyes. Goodwin smiles, feebly, he understands what's important to him now. "I'm so happy to see you again. It feels as though it's been an eternity." Goodwin says. Roman's expression softens and he smiles. "Indeed." Says Roman. Both turn to face Yusei again. "You know, Sakura was right, Yusei. Deep down inside, I was still honoring my brother's memory." Goodwin says. "Where are we?" Asks Yusei. "In between the Light and the Darkness, Yusei. A place of peace. And it's all thanks to you. The bonds we form really are all that matter in life." Goodwin says. Yusei's silent. Goodwin closes his eyes, for a moment, then speaks to Yusei once again, gazing over at the sleeping Dark Signers. "Yusei, take care of them. Their place is back on Earth." Says Goodwin. He turns to Roman. "Now if you'll excuse us, my brother Roman and I, have some catching up to do." Goodwin says. Roman nods, smiling faintly. A bright light shines at their backs and both look at it. "Shall we? And Yusei, tell Sakura I'm sorry for what I've done. That I should've been looking out for her, but she already has her guardian angels and that's the ones who care for her the most, Crow, Jack and you. I'm glad that she inherited my Mark of the Dragon and I truly do love her, she's my beloved daughter. I hope she realizes that one day, if she hasn't already." Says Roman. The light swirls in on itself and becomes a sort of portal or glowing bubble. The two Goodwin brothers walk into the light, side by side.
"But, wait! Ugh!" Yusei says. The light grows too bright and he shields his eyes.
The brothers march ahead, never flinching from the brightness. As they disappear from view, the light shines brighter.
And the Crimson Dragon, with Majestic Star as its heart and Yusei as the heart of Majestic Star, bursts out the other side of the King of the Netherworld, Yusei shouting the battle cry of a headlong charge. "Aaaaa-aaaaa-aaaaa-aaaaaaagh!" Majestic Star Dragon turns about and fans its wings, ready to attack again. The King of the Netherworld tilts its head back and emits a column of golden light from its mouth. The light is disintegrating it from the inside and lighting the sky of the whole city, turning everything yellow. "What's happening?!" Asks Yusei. In the yellow light, the smiling faces of the two Goodwin brothers can be seen.
The Stair of the Crimson Dragon evaporates and so does the Mark of the Condor.
Crow and his runner suddenly have nothing to stand on. "Aah!" Crow says.
Nor do Jack, Sakura, Grim and their runners. "Ugh!" Says Jack.
"Ah!" Akiza, Luna and Leo says. "Sakura! Yusei!" Says Hotaru. "Oh no, Jack!" Minako says. "And Crow!" Says Trudge. "Wait, its okay!" Leo says.
Majestic Star Dragon swoops through the air, skimming the water and catching Crow just before he hits the surface, along with his runner. The Dragon performs an elegant roll and turn, and gracefully catches Jack, Sakura, Grim and their runners. The yellow light pops suddenly, like the entire city was in a bubble of light and rains down as golden glitter.
"They're safe!" Says Minako. "Yeah, and check it out." Akiza says. The spectators watch, as Majestic Star Dragon soars high above them, gracefully. The twins wave. "Everything's going back to normal!" Says Trudge. "Amazing! It's as though Yusei's Majestic Star Dragon is reversing all the damage that the King of the Netherworld did!" Akiza says.
It's also raining golden sparkles on the Kaibadome and the Daedalus Bridge in the Satellite.
"Oh, it's all so pretty! Guess there's only one little thing that remains." Says Luna. "What?" Akiza asks.
Majestic Star Dragon soars off into the sunrise.
"Uh, where's the Majestic Star Dragon taking Jack, Crow, Sakura and Yusei?" Asks Luna.
A traffic signal changes and a crowd of pedestrians cross a street somewhere in New Domino City, oblivious to how nearly their world was destroyed. Cars line up at intersections and people roam the sidewalks. It's another ordinary, peaceful day in the City.
At an outdoor cafe. Luna, Leo, Minako, Hotaru and Akiza are sitting around a table. Akiza shows the others a postcard. The picture is Misty modeling, debonair in front of the Eiffel Tower. "Check it out, guys. I got a postcard in the mail from Misty the other day. As usual, she's busy as ever." Akiza says. Minako laughs. "Oh, and I meant to tell you I heard from Greiger and Kalin! They say hi." Says Luna. She then laughs. "It sounds like they're having a great time!" Luna says. "Anyone hear from Yusei, Sakura, Jack or Crow?" Asks Leo.
They hear a runner engine and both twins look at the street. Trudge rides up on his Security runner. "No, and I've looked everywhere for them." Trudge says.
"What?!" The little old man standing around the cafe was actually Carly in a disguise. She throws it off. She's back to wacky glasses and camera, in full story-getting mode. "How can I write my story if they're not around?! All of this Signer stuff is my ticket to a Peabody!" Says Carly.
Trudge walks over to the table, taking off his helmet. "Why don't you just interview yourself? You were there, too." Trudge says. "I'll tell ya why, it's because I don't remember one second outta the whole thing!" Says Carly. The pen in her hand snaps and the pad of paper in her other hand crumples. "Some kinda magic-memory-brainwash, I guess. It's-so-frustrating!" Carly says. She throws the broken pen and crumpled pad over her shoulders. Akiza laughs, nervously, and leans her chin on her hands. "Eheheh. On the bright side, at least you have your brain back and you're not prancing around as a scary Dark Signer." Says Akiza. Carly is biting a handkerchief, completely distraught and hysterical. "I was a Dark Signer?!" Carly asks, whimpering.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Satellite, in some vacant building. Jack and Crow walk into one of the empty rooms of this building. "Hey, Yusei." Says Crow.
Yusei, who's sitting on a stool, turns to look over his shoulder at him and Jack. "Hey guys." Yusei says.
Crow and Jack walk further into the room to stand at his back. "How's she doin'?" Asks Crow. Yusei turns back to his half-twin, who's lying in the only bed in this room, as she sleeps. Sakura has bandages wrapped securely around her chest to her waist, but she is breathing and very much alive after taking that hit to her heart. Grim's lying on the floor at the foot of the bed, asleep, he's breathing and, like his mistress, he's still alive. "She's going to be okay. You heard what Dr. Schmidt said, this one was a really close call. I should've been able to do something sooner." Yusei says. "Yusei, you can't keep blamin' yourself for this. What happened to her was no ones fault, man." Says Crow. "Crow's right. It was just a freak accident and it happened so fast that none of us had time to react quickly enough. Sakura surely wouldn't want you blaming yourself for what happened." Jack says. "You need a break, dude. Let one of us take over here and get some fresh air. We all care about her and love her, in our own ways, Yusei. She's my best friend." Says Crow. "She's the love of my life." Jack says. "And she's my sister." Says Yusei. Jack steps up. "I'll take over here. You two go out and go riding or something." Jack says. Yusei stands up. "Okay." Says Yusei. He places one of his hands on top of one of Sakura's, gives it a slight squeeze, and then heads for the door.
Crow walks out after Yusei.
Jack then sits on the side of the bed and seems to sulk a bit. "If anyone's to blame, it's me. I was right there and I couldn't do anything about it." Jack thinks to himself, feeling guilty.
"It was no ones fault, Jack."
Jack's eyes widen at that moment, he then looks back at Sakura, who has woken up. "Sakura, you're okay." Jack says. Sakura reaches up to touch his face. "It was just too much power for me to handle and it backfired on me." Says Sakura. Jack leans over her a bit and touches her face, gently caressing her. "No, there's no need to explain what happened. We've been so worried about you. There wasn't a whole lot of time to react and you wouldn't have made the trip to Martha's. So, we decided to hunker down here and then Crow went to Martha's to bring Dr. Schmidt here. When they finally got here, it was pretty close and we all feared that we were going to lose you this time. But, Dr. Schmidt told us that the blast just missed your heart by a few inches. He said any closer and you would've died in an instant. He also said that you'd be recovering for at least six months or maybe even longer." Jack says. "Jack, I'm healing as we speak. I can't fully speed up the healing process. However, I'm healing, more or less." Says Sakura. "You never cease to amaze me." Jack says.
The water sparkles, blue and clear, in the sunlight. "I know the others must be worried." Says Crow. He and Yusei are standing at the edge of the cement-block waterfront of the Satellite. A gentle breeze is blowing and the sky above is clear blue with white, fluffy clouds. Both of them look proud and refreshed. "But, I have a feeling they'll understand. Don'tcha think?" Crow asks. "Oh, yeah." Says Yusei. "I mean, just look at it." Crow says.
Jack and Sakura, with Grim walking alongside her, walk out from the vacant building the four of them have been staying. Sakura has now regained her top, her detached sleeves and her long coat, and her hair's also been done back up into signature hairstyle. Jack's holding Sakura close to himself, helping her to stay on her feet. "Hm. Makes what we went through all worth it." Says Jack. "Sure does. Finally, Satellite and the City are one in the same." Sakura says. Grim barks, as if in agreement.
Crow and Yusei turn back and face Jack, Sakura and Grim. "Sakura!" Says both Yusei and Crow. They run over to her, Grim and Jack. Yusei and Sakura hug first, and then her and Crow do. Jack then wraps his arms around Sakura's waist from behind. "I'm just so glad that you're okay, sis." Yusei says. Grim jumps up on him, who pets him. "Yea, glad to have you back too, boy." Says Yusei. Grim gets off of him and walks back over to Sakura, sitting down beside her, who strokes his head, petting him. "We all are. You gave us quite a scare." Crow says. "Well, I guess I was fortunate enough to have such good caretakers. I see you three kept yourselves rather busy in the meantime." Says Sakura. The four are standing in the shadow of a mighty bridge.
The Daedalus Bridge has been left untouched and the new bridge splits to go around it. The new bridge can hold several lanes of traffic and looks just like a piece of modern, futuristic New Domino City.
"Well done, guys." Sakura says. "Thanks, sis." Says Yusei. "Yeah. One man can't build a bridge, but a team of friends sure can." Crow says. "Right. And our work isn't done yet. There are plenty more bridges out there that need building." Says Jack. "In that case, what are we waiting for?" Sakura asks. She turns herself around, now facing Jack, his arms still wrapped around her waist. Jack leans in and kisses Sakura, who returns it back to him.
Crow and Yusei aren't surprised one bit. They both look at each other. "It's about time them two got back together. Don't ya think, Yusei?" Asks Crow. "Yeah, ya got that right." Yusei says. While he and Crow were busy chatting.
Jack and Sakura ended up walking past them. Sakura sits astride her runner and starts it up, scaring both Crow and Yusei.
"Let's rev it up, guys! And let's do it together!" Says Sakura. She then presses a few buttons on her runner, the hatch opens up on the right side of it and Grim's specially built-in platform descends and adjusts to the right amount of size to accommodate him. Grim steps onto the platform and lies down on it, then the harness fastens around him and the chain hooks up to his collar, which is hidden underneath his long, dark fur, securing him safely to the platform and runner itself.
The four of them are the first to cross the brand-new bridge, at top speed on their runners, racing alongside the Daedalus Bridge. Each one looks serene, content, excited and hopeful. As they zoom forward into the sunlight, Yusei races ahead a bit. "Yeah!" Yusei says, cheering. The four runners race past the end of the Daedalus Bridge and onto the main stretch of their creation, across the sparkling water toward the City.
The Signers Shall Return