A/N: It's a little early, but I had time to write this after finishing the Halloween chapter early. And since Yugo was winning the poll by a big margin, it seemed pretty obvious that he was going to win anyway.
Fun Fact: Sometimes, Yuri invites Serena over to play with the pets. But he and Serena often get into arguments when Serena defends the cats for attacking Yuri's plants.
Description: Someone from the Link Dimension decides to ruin everyone's day.
Yugo, Rin, Gongenzaka and En sat on a wooden bench, watching the train tracks before them. They were in the courtyard of the Sakaki-Akaba station; a train station in the rich part of town. The trains ran throughout the country, but also had their own trains that ran through the Dimension Highway, going to and from other dimensions.
If you guessed that they were going home, you'd be right. But if you guessed that they'd be going home soon, you'd be wrong. Because the train, like all the busses and planes of the world, was late.
Yugo, who sat in-between his friends, stretched out his and and leaned back in his seat. "Remind me why we don't just let Clear Wing take us home?"
"First off, stop asking us that every three minutes," Rin responded.
"Second, Clear Wing always seems to drop us off at the most inconvenient places," Gongenzaka answered.
"Pssssh," Yugo pssssh'd. "Clear Wing just takes us where we need to go."
"Yes, I'm sure we needed to be on Martha's roof," Gongenzaka said, rolling his eyes.
"The train is more fun, anyway," Rin said. "I've never been on one, and it seems really relaxing."
But you know what isn't relaxing? A man crashing through one of the station's second floor window. And unfortunately, a man just came crashing through one of the station's second floor windows.
The quartet immediately rose up from their seats and ran over to the man. He was on his back, groaning in pain. His body and the ground around him were littered with the window's shattered glass.
"Are you okay?" Rin asked him hastily. "Guys, we need to get him to the hospital!"
The man let out another loud groan. Then he pointed up to the window he fell from. Yugo looked up to the window. "Someone's up there?"
"Stop... him..." the man wheezed. "Stop him...!"
Yugo nodded to the man. He jumped up from his spot and started running towards the station, leaving the others to help the man up.
The man had fallen from the dimensional control room; a room made specifically for opening and closing paths to other dimensions, keeping track of customers and employees involved with this travel, and detecting any anomalies or problems associated with the traveling process.
The employee wasn't there anymore. Instead, the man who pushed him was. This man, dressed in a one-piece, dark green bodysuit, was running his hands over a control board. He was studying the buttons and switched, and the functions the labels promised.
"Come on..." the man said under his breath. "Where is it?"
He hurriedly moved over to a bulletin board and searched the papers on it. He only had so much time before he would be found out; he needed to be in and out before any more complications could arise. And having to push that guy out of a window was just another unplanned, unforeseen hiccup that was totally not his fault, but still took away more time off his clock.
He heard the door handle shake, trying to open the locked door. Someoneone was already coming for him.
"Freaking..." the man mumbled. "Why is it so hard to find-"
They were shaking the handle harder now. They were banging against the wooden door. He could even hear the person kicking and grunting.
From the corner of his eye, he could see a bright light flash on the other side of the door. And then a bright flash on this side of the door.
A young, tomato-haired boy was now in the room with him. He had his right arm lifted up in the air, and he was holding up a white card.
"Thanks, Clear Wing!" the boy said as he looked up to his card.
"Who the hell are you?" the man snapped.
"Who are the hell are you?" Yugo snapped back. "I'm the guy that's here to kick your ass for what you did."
The man narrowed his eyes. "Wait... I know you."
Yugo blinked. "What?"
"You. We're in this mess because of you."
The man's expression became angry. He took a step back from his opponent, then held his left arm before him. His Duel Disk - much smaller than any Yugo had scene before - activated, creating a pale green blade.
Yugo brought his hand down, then held up his own Disk. He placed Clear Wing in his Extra Dec compartment, then activated his Disk's blade.
"So, you want to do this the hard way?" Yugo said to him. "Fine by me!"
"I'm going to bring you down, asshole!" the man hissed.
Yugo's Duel Disk spoke: "FIELD FIELD: CROSSOVER, ACTIVATE."
"This is gonna be fun," Yugo said with an egao.
"I'm going to be a hero for bringing you down," the man said.
Yugo tilted his head. "What?"
"We're not going to let anyone get hurt by you, Zarc!"
Yugo's eyes softened. He took a step back, pressing his back against the door. It'd be a lie to say that he wasn't caught off-guard by that.
"Hey, I'm not Zarc!" Yugo protested.
"Shut up, kid!" the man barked. "Are you going to keep talking, or are you going to duel me?"
Yugo sighed. "Whatever, I don't think talking will do any good now."
He aimed his blade at his opponent. "We can talk after I win."
"DUEL!"
Action cards rained down from the ceiling. The man looked at the fall, clearly confused by the display. But he shook his head and decided to put that aside for now.
But Yugo was feeling good about this. Not only did he have the advantage of Action Duels, but this meant that Reiji finally succeeded in updating their Duel Disks to support Link Dimension fields.
"I'll go first," the man stated. "I summon Token Harvester Goblin."
The man placed a card on his blade. Before him materialized a bald, green-skinned goblin that was about half its size. It wore ragged clothes and held an empty wicker basket, but sported an egao on its face. (ATK 1400)
"The summoning conditions are one Token monster!" the man stated. "I use Token Harvester Goblin to Link Su-"
"But that's not a token!" Yugo groaned.
"It's a Token monster, and the summoning conditions are for a Token monster."
"But-"
"Tokens are different from tokens."
Yugo tilted his head. "I don't get it."
The man sighed. "Token is the name of the deck, which supports monsters with Token in their names."
Yugo's eyes widened, and he nodded to his opponent. "Ooh, ooooooooh. Ah, okay. Yeah, I get it now."
He didn't.
The man let out a long, exasperated sigh. "So, the summoning conditions are one Token monster. I use Token Harvester Goblin to Link Summon!"
A dark, metallic square frame appeared at the center of the field. On each corner and each side was an arrow, pointing outwards.
"I set Token Harvester Goblin in the Link Marker!"
The man's monster jumped onto the bottom-center arrow. The monster disappeared, and the arrow became red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1, Token Fiend."
The frame became a red light, and that light took the shape of a new form. When it faded, a bat-like humanoid with black fur took hovered at the center of the field. (ATK 600)
"I play the Spell card, Monster Reborn."
A portal opened up on the field, right behind Token Fiend. Token Harvester Goblin rose up and hid behind the Link monster. (ATK 1400)
"When Token Harvester Goblin is Special Summoned, I can banish it to Special Summon two Crop Tokens."
The goblin's egao faded as it started to crack. Its body shattered, and soccer ball-sized beets (one red and one orange) appeared on the field. (DEF 0)
The man pointed to the middle of the field, where Token Fiend was standing.
"The summoning conditions are at least two Token monsters!" he stated. "I use my Crop Tokens and Token Fiend."
The square appeared again, and the man's monsters disappeared into the bottom three arrows, highlighting them in red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3, Token Master!"
The square yadda yadda you now how this goes. Now there was a gray-skinned, silver-haired man with sharp ears. Most o his body was hidden in the black cape he wrapped around himself, but one could make out the top of his white dress shirt. (ATK 2300)
"Wow, that's impressive," Yugo said sarcastically.
"Do not mock me, Zarc!"
"Oi, don't tell me what I can or can't do!" Yugo barked.
The man held up his hand again. "Behold Token Master's power: I banish a Token monster from my Gravecard to create a Master Token by one of its link markers."
The a ghostly image of Token Fiend appeared behind Token Master, to its right. The image shattered into sparkles, and those sparkled reformed as a copy of Token Master's own, severed head. (DEF 0)
"When a Token is Special Summoned to my field, Token Fiend gains this effect: when it is used for a Link Summon, the Link Monster gains 500 ATK for every 'Token' monster on the field, other than itself."
(Token Master ATK 2300 → 2800)
The man held up a card, then set it in one of his Spell/Trap Zones. "I set a card and end my turn here."
He ended his turn with two monsters on his field, 2 cards in his hand, and 4000 Life Points. Not a bad start to the duel, though not a particularly explosive or memorable one, either.
Yugo held his hand on his deck. He wanted to draw, but he could feel the nagging presence of his brothers around him.
Okay, I think we can handle this guy, easy, Yuya told him. What kind of card do you want to draw?
I don't want help, Yugo told him.
But this guy could be dangerous, Yuto told him. We should sync up and start strong, or we risk letting him get ahead.
We'll be fine, Yugo insisted. If we want to show him that we're not a bad guy, let's try and keep this fair.
Understood, Yuya responded.
Yugo sighed, and he could feel his brothers retreat from the world around him.
In truth, he was bullshitting them. Now was not the time to worry them about Zarc, or... whatever that was last time. And he didn't want to risk syncing with them and having it happen again.
He drew a card and added it to his hand. His own cards, he thought, were enough to fight this guy.
"I'm surprised to see you in this form, Zarc," the man said to him.
Yugo grumbled, "Yeah, yeah, keep thinking I'm Zarc."
"You can't fool me. We all know how you changed shape."
"Whatever," Yugo answered, rolling his eyes. "I summon Speedroid Horse Stilts."
With the sound of galloping hooves, a horse-like machine materialized before Yugo, then threw its head back to let out a neigh. (ATK 1100)
"At least you're using friendlier monsters," the man said. "What's wrong, Zarc? Have you lost your edge?"
"You sure do talk a lot for someone who knows about Zarc," Yugo said tersely. "Why can't you cower in fear or avoid me, like half the kids at school?"
Yugo lifted up a card from his hand, revealing his Red-Eyed Dice to his opponent. "When Horse Stilts is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Speedroid monster from my hand."
Red-Eyed Dice materialized beside its horsey friend. (ATK 100) And then, as if predicting that Yugo would activate its effect, it leapt into the air and landed on its side, with the two-dotted side at the top. (LV 1 → 2)
"I tune my Level 4 Speedroid Horse Stilts with my Level 2 Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice!"
Tri-Eyed dice became three rings that danced around Horse Stilts. Horse Stilts gave way to three Level orbs. When all the material collided, they created a new light that lit up the field with the wonder of re-used summoning sequences.
"Synchro Summon!" Yugo cried out. "Level 6! Hi-Speedroid Kendama!"
The light unveiled a new monster: Hi-Speedroid Kendama galloped onto the field and floated before Yugo. (ATK 2200)
The monster was at the center of the field, to the left side of Token Fiend. Though both monsters primarily looked at the opposing duelists, they would look at each other from the corner of their eyes.
Yugo looked to his opponent. "Hey, do you recognize my monsters?"
He shook his head. "Can't say that I do. Why?"
"Interesting... So you know about Zarc's cards, but not mine."
The man raised an eyebrow. "You say that as though you and Zarc are different people."
"BECAUSE WE ARE!" Yugo yelled. "JEEZ, DON'T YOU GET IT?!"
"... You're lying. I know Zarc when I see him."
Yugo let out a sigh. And then he threw his back as hard as he could against the door, hoping in vain that the concussion he'd receive would override the painfulness of the conversation.
Spoiler alert: it didn't.
"Hi-Speedroid Kendama's effect," Yugo sighed again. "Once per turn, I can banish a Machine-Type monster from my Graveyard, and then inflict 500 damage to my opponent."
The image of Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice appeared before Kendama's sword. Kendama thrust forward and pierced the image through the chest, shattering it. (Filthy Links User: 4000 → 3500)
Yugo snorted as he looked at his Disk's screen. Reiji actually made it so the dude's display name was Filthy Links User? That was pretty boss.
"I activate the Spell, Blustering Winds!" Yugo went on. "Until the start of my next turn, Kendama gains 1000 ATK."
(ATK 2200 → 3200)
The man bit his lip. "How dare..."
"Battle! Hi-Speedroid Kendama attacks your Token Master!"
Kendama drew its sword, then turned around to face Token Master. Just as Token Master turned to react, Kendama stabbed the creature in its chest.
"Trap, activate!" the enemy duelist declared. "Damaged Reflection!"
The sword went right through the monster's body, with its tip peaking out from its back. Yet, even as Kendama pulled back its sword, the enemy did not die.
(Filthy Links User: 3500 → 3100)
"I can negate the destruction of any monster attacked," the Filthy Links User explained. "Then, I can Special Summon a Reflecting Token; it gains ATK equal to the damage I received."
Next to the Master Token was a new token. A round, silver mirror took to the field, and it was reflecting Hi-Speedroid Kendama in its glass. (ATK 400)
(Token Master ATK 2800 → 3300)
The filthy one grinned. "How's that, Zarc? It must infuriate you, knowing that you couldn't satisfy your bloodlust."
This guy gets me, Yuri commented.
Shut up, Yuri, Yugo told him. "I'll end my turn here, I guess."
Yugo ended his turn with three cards in his hand, Hi-Speedroid Kendama on his field, and 4000 Life Points. Not the field that most people would envy, but Yugo was satisfied with it.
With his next draw, the Filthy Links User now had three cards. And wouldn't you know it, the next card he drew would be perfect for the situation.
"I play the Spell, Sheepsgoat!" the man declared. "I can special summon up to three Goat Tokens to my field, but they cannot be used for a Link Summon this turn."
A face-up Quick-Play Spell appeared on his field. It depicted three fluffy, horned sheep-goat hybrids: one red, one white, and one yellow. The three sheep jumped out of the artwork and appeared on the field. (DEF 0)
Token Master: (3300 → 4800)
Yugo narrowed his eyes. I see where this is going.
"Battle! Token Master attacks Hi-Speedroid Kendama!"
His eyes started to scan the room, looking for an Action Card. Nothing on the floor, nothing notable behind F.L.U., though there was one by his foot... nothing notable on the bull-
The bulletin board! He could see the back of an Action Card amongst the papers and documents. He immediately dashed across the room and extended his right hand to grab the card.
A small, explosive force from behind him sent Yugo flying forward. He slammed into the bulletin board, and paper started to fall over him as he slid to the floor.
(Yugo: 4000 → 2400)
"Reflecting Token attacks you directly!" the man declared.
Yugo looked to the Action Card, which had fallen onto the floor and now rested beside him. He picked up the card and added it to his hand.
But as he looked at the flying head coming his way, he decided not to activate the card. He didn't want to be attacked, but he didn't want to waste his Action Card so easily.
Gotta think like Rin, was his reasoning. Don't be reckless, think ahead a bit more.
The head opened its mouth and sank its teeth into Yugo's blade. The Disk started to sparkle and crackle, and its light started to shine brighter.
(Yugo: 2400 → 2000)
When the light became unbearable, Master Token winced in pain. It backed off from the Duel Disk. Then it flew over to the Filthy Links User's side of the field and hid behind Token Master.
The man looked down at Yugo. "I end my turn here, Zarc."
The man's turn ended with him having two cards in his hand, and 3100 Life Points. With Token Master in his Extra Monster Zone, and his Main Zones filled with Tokens, he had a lot of protection from his opponent's wrath.
Okay, Yugo, our hero thought to himself. Time to rock this cuck.
With his next draw, he had four cards. But before he'd play any of them, he wanted to improve his field presence.
"If Hi-Speedroid Kendama is in my Graveyard while I control no cards, I can Special Summon it to the field!"
A portal opened up on the ground before Yugo. His monster rose up and joined Yugo on the field. (ATK 2200) Notably, according to Yugo's Duel Disk, it was now in one of Yugo's Main Monster Zones.
"By banishing Speedroid Horse Stilts from my Graveyard, I can send a WIND monster from my Deck to the Graveyard."
Deck spits out a card, Yugo grabs it and drops it in the Graveyard. It was a tale as old as time: a strategy that existed since the early days of Duel Monsters.
"I sent Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke," Yugo explained to his opponent. "And I can banish it from my Graveyard and Special Summon a Speedroid Tuner from my hand or Graveyard."
Yugo threw down a card onto his blade. Speedroid Dominobutterfly materialized by his side, then flew over to stand with Kendama. (ATK 100)
"Spell, activate! Pot of Acquisitiveness!"
A Quick-Play Spell materialized before Yugo. It depicted a black-gray pot with gold trimmings and a ruby near the top. Also, it had a disgusting human face.
"I can shuffle three banished monsters into their owners' decks, then draw a card."
The pot let out a deep, booming laugh. The cards of Speedroids Red-Eyed Dice, Den-Den Daiko Duke and Horse Stilts flew from the top of the pot and floated in front of Yugo.
Yugo grabbed the cards and brought them into his deck. His deck automatically shuffled itself, then spat out a card for him to draw.
Yugo egao'd. You were right, Yugo.
I though Pot of Acquisitiveness would help, Yuto responded. I've used it in my deck, too.
It just got me Monster Reborn, dude. Now I'm hella gonna win.
Yugo threw a hand up. "Now, I tune my Level 6 Hi-Speedroid Kendama with my Level 2 Speedroid Dominobutterfly!"
After a long, re-used summon sequence, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon was now in Yugo's Extra Monster Zone. (ATK 3000)
"Next, activate the Spell, Monster Reborn!"
A portal opened up behind Crystal Wing, and Hi-Speedroid Kendama made its glorious, second return to aid its master. (ATK 2200)
"Time to win!" Yugo declared. "Battle! Crystal Wing attacks-"
Wait, Yugo, said Yuto.
Eh? What?
"What's the hold-up, Zarc?" the Filthy Links User asked, filthily.
The man seemed to notice something by his foot. He bent down to pick up... Wait, was he picking up an Action Card?
Shit. I need to attack now, Yuto!
Link monsters don't have levels.
Yugo's eyes widened. What?
He looked down at his Duel Disk. Token Master's card lacked Level Stars. Or DEF stats. And the arrows that had appeared on the field matched the ones on the card.
If you attack Token Master, you can't activate Crystal Wing's effect, Yuto went on. You'd just destroy your own monster and lose Life Points.
Yugo smacked his palm against his forehead. Oh, shit-fuck. Thanks for the save, Yuto!
Crap, though. As he looked to his opponent, he could see that the Filthy Links User had already snatched up the Action Card. Judging by the surprised, but pleased look on his face, it was a good one.
Crap.
"Battle," Yugo stated. "Crystal Wing attacks your Reflecting Token!"
"Not so fast!" the man declared excitedly. "I activate this card, Evasion! Your attack is negated."
Yugo sighed. "Then I attack one of your goat things with Kendama."
Kendama galloped forward. Its sword pierced the body of one of the sheep-goats, shattering it. (Filthy Links User: 3100 → 900) (Token Master ATK 4800 → 4300)
Yugo sighed again. "And I'll end my turn here."
The man drew his next card, all while looking fairly confident in himself. His eyes were directly focused on Yugo's face, as if daring him to make a move against him.
Yugo just stared right back, his own face full of determination. He wasn't going to let this man intimidate him, or make him believe in Zarc.
"Can I ask you something, Zarc?" the man asked him.
"THE NAME IS YUGO, NOT ZARC!" Yugo barked.
"Okay... Fusion?"
Yugo turned around and grabbed into the bulletin board. Calling upon the pure, raw power of his anger, he was able to rip the board clean right off the wall.
"NOT YOU, TOO!" he screeched. "IT'S YUGO!"
He slammed the board into the ground, then gave it a good stomp. That was enough to create a crack in the middle of the board.
And then the board burst into flames. A surprised Yugo just sort... just sort of walked away from that and tried to pretend that didn't happen.
The Filthy Links User just watched this, mouth agape. His eyes followed Yugo until he returned to his spot by the door.
"What?" Yugo snapped. "What are you looking at?"
"You just..."
"Yeah, that happens sometimes," Yugo said defensively. "Ignore it, now."
The man gulped. Now the danger of Zarc was starting to sink in for him.
But he couldn't let his fear get to him. He shook his head and tried to let all those worried thoughts fall out. He had Zarc on the ropes, and he could bring him down. He could come home a hero and end the war before it started.
"Forget I said anything," the man said. "I summon a Token Harvester Goblin."
It took bravery to use the same monster, knowing that it didn't have much ATK. It also took almost no effort, because it meant that, should this ever be described to, or written for someone, they could simply re-use previous dialogue. So the man placed a card on his blade. Before him materialized a bald, green-skinned goblin that was about half its size. It wore ragged clothes and held an empty wicker basket, but sported an egao on its face. (ATK 1400)
"The summon conditions are at least three Token monsters!" F.L.U. announced. "I set Token Master, Master Token and Reflecting Token in the in the Link Marker!"
A metal square appeared at the center of the field again. The monsters that were called all jumped forward, tapping the bottom three arrows. The two arrows on the sides lit up, along with the arrow at the top side, closest to Yugo.
"Arise, arise, oh great overlord of the Token Empire! I call for your aid in bringing justice for your people! Link Summon!"
It was a scraggly, thin-limbed humanoid with gray skin. Its long white hair fell over its face, obscuring it entirely Only its glowing yellow eyes, and the gleam of its fangs could be seen. It wore a black tuxedo, though many parts were ripped or worn. It stood like a hunched-over rabbit on its hind legs, while its knuckles rested on the floor.. And its dark, feathered wings cast a heavy shadow over its body.
"Arise! Link 6, Token Overlord!" (ATK 3000)
The monster was breathing heavily. And it was staring at Yugo. Yugo couldn't help but feel unnerved by how the creature's eyes failed to blink or look away from him. The way it stared almost made him feel like it was hungry for his flesh or something.
Haha. But the monster wouldn't eat him, right? W-well, he wasn't the tastiest brother, anyway! That would be Yuri. So yeah, the monster would eat Yuri before him!
Oh wait. They shared a body. Still, the monster should eat Yuri.
The monster was beside Crystal Wing, who also seemed displeased by the monster staring at Yugo. It looked at the monster and let out a small, low roar, as it to warn it against attacking the boy.
"Token Overlord's effect!" the man explained. "It gains 500 ATK for every Token on the field, including itself."
For those having trouble keeping score at home, that meant Token Overlord gained 1500 ATK: 500 for itself, and 1000 for the two Goat Tokens. (ATK 3000 → 4500)
The man held up a Spell Card. "Next, I activate Token Thanksgiving. I can destroy all tokens on the field, then increase my Life Points by 800 for each one destroyed."
A Spell Card appeared on the field. It depicted goblins, not unlike Token Harvester Goblin, happily grabbing some of the many different tokens that floated around them.
One goblin stepped out of the artwork. They looked over the two Goat Tokens and reached out to grab one of them.
But while the tokens were being picked up, the Filthy Links User was looking around the room. He moved over to a control panel, searching for something.
The goblin scooped the first sheep-goat into its basket, then moved onto the second one. Once both little creatures were safely stored in its basket, they, the monster and the card faded into a sea of rainbow sparkles.
(Filthy Links User: 900 → 2500) (Token Overlord ATK 4500 → 3500)
The man dashed over to a wheeled chair in the corner. He touched the seat, then triumphantly lifted up an Action Card into the air.
"Overlord's effect!" the man declared. "Once per turn, when tokens are destroyed, I can banish my entire hand and Special Summon Overlord Tokens, equal to the number of cards I banished."
He kept his eyes firmly on Yugo as he walked towards the field. His right hand took all the cards it held and dropped them into his Duel Disk, one by one.
And just like that, three versions of Token Overlord's head appeared behind it. In unison, they briefly let out a horribly raspy, wheezing gasp, as if they were choking for air. (DEF 500)
(Token Overlord ATK 3500 → 5000)
"So, these are Action Duels," the man commented. "And everything is true."
Yugo took a step back. "So you know about Zarc and Action Duels?"
The man nodded. "We've seen you before, but we've never seen a true Action Duel before."
Yugo raised an eyebrow. He lowered his head and put his hand to his chin.
"I think..." he muttered. "I think I know what's going on, then..."
"What's going on, is that I'm going to defeat you!" the man declared. "My Token Overlord attacks Hi-Speedroid Kendama!"
Token Overlord lunged across the field. It jumped onto Kendama, knocking it to the ground. After throwing its head back, Overlord bared its fangs and but into Kendama's sword.
It pulled hard against the monster's body, making it squirm. Both Yugo and Crystal Wing looked at it nervously. They could only watch helplessly as the monster pulled at the sword and ripped it off of Kendama's body.
Yugo shook his head. No. No, he couldn't let this happen. He couldn't hear Kendama's cries for help like he could with the dragons. But he could just tell that the monster was suffering. And there was no way that he'd allow that.
"Action Card- Miracle!" Yugo declared. "My monster isn't destroyed in battle, and any battle damage I take is halved."
The Action Card appeared on the field before Yugo. Seeing the sight of this card seemed to repel Token Overlord, who bounced backward and returned to its side of the field.
(Yugo: 2000 → 600)
Yugo walked forward and reached out to Hi-Speedroid Kendama. His hand touched the side monster's head. It looked to Yugo with sad eyes.
"I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough," Yugo said to him. "But we're going to win this. I promise."
Kendama didn't move. But Yugo could tell that the monster was pleased with his words. Though at the same time, he could also sense the pain that prevented the monster from communicating more.
The Filthy Links User watched it all. His hands rested by his sides, and he found himself unable to move. He was paralyzed. Not by fear, but by confusion and apprehension.
This wasn't the Zarc he was expecting, or the Zarc he first saw. But then, who was he, if not Zarc? Was he Yuya Sakaki? Was he really Fusion?
He closed his eyes. "I end my turn here."
His field consisted of three token monsters and Token Overlord. His hand was empty, his Life Points were at 2500, and his mind was going cloudy with thoughts of doubt.
With Yugo's next draw, he now had four cards in his hand. And honestly, he was a little proud of himself for being so conservative with his cards this duel.
"With my Scale 3 Speedroid Passinglider, I set the Pendulum Scale!"
Yugo placed a card at the edge of his Disk's blade. Beside him, a column of light rose to the ceiling. Speedroid Passinglider was carried up through the column until it reached the ceiling, where it stayed. The number 3 appeared below its body.
"Once per turn, I can send a Speedroid Tuner from my hand or field to the Graveyard. Passinglider's Pendulum Scale's increased or decreased by that monster's Level, until the end of the turn."
Yugo pulled a copy of Speedroid Dominobutterfly from his hand and dropped it into his Disk's Graveyard slot. The number underneath Passinglider changed from a 3 to a 1.
Yugo lifted up another card from his hand. "I summon Speedroid Ohajikid!"
With the placement of another card, Yugo summoned forth a humanoid robot in cowboy gear. The monster was placed to the very edge of Yugo's left side of the field. (ATK 1000)
"When Ohajikid is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Tuner from either player's Graveyard," Yugo explained. "I can Special Summon it, then immediately Synchro Summon a WIND Synchro monster witht these two cards."
A portal opened up behind Crystal Wing. Speedroid Dominobutterfly rose from the ground and took its place on the field. (ATK 100)
Yugo threw up a hand. "I tune my Level 3 Speedroid Ohajikid with my Level 2 Speedroid Dominobutterfly!"
Their forms became the rings and stars of a Synchro Summon. They danced together and converged to create a new light of hope.
"Synchro Summon! Level 5, Wind Turbine!"
The monster was an industrial fan, trapped in a boxy frame. It had thin metal limbs, with three-fingered hands and two-toed feet. At the top was a small, bulbous orb, almost like a diminutive head for the creature. (ATK 1400)
The man looked to the Turbine. It was... it was summoned right at Token Overlord's Link Marker. So this guy knew about the rules of Link Summoning?
He looked back to the boy. "How did you know about-"
"We've been studying Link Summoning for a while," Yugo told him. "We don't know everything about them, but we have a pretty good idea on what they're like."
Reiji's been studying them, Yuri said. You didn't even know that Links didn't have Levels.
"FUCK YOU, YURI!"
The man took a step back. "H-hey, what the hell?"
Yuri tssk'd. Way to create an inter-dimensional incident, Yugo. For shame.
Yugo blushed. "Ehh.. Y-yeah, so..."
She shook his head furiously. Somehow, he hoped that shaking up his brain would somehow shake up Yuri, too. Kind of, like, swirl him around and teach him a lesson. But judging by Yuri's continuous, snarky scoffs and chuckles, it wasn't working.
Yuto, stop! Yuto said sternly. You're making us look bad!
Yugo already looks bad, Yuri commented.
"SHUT THE HELL UP, YURI!" Yugo screeched. "GO BACK TO EATING PLANTS!"
... Bitch. You said you'd never tell-
"I-what's going on?" the Filthy Links User asked.
"YURI EATS PLANTS! YURI EATS PLANTS!" Yugo howled. "HE ALSO STOLE MOM'S UNDERWEAR!"
"Jeez, this man's a lunatic..." F.L.U. said under his breath. "This is what Playmaker's been talking about?"
Well, Yugo and Yuto watch porn together.
Yuto wasn't visible. But you could just tell that that his face and indignant right then.
"YEAH, SO WHAT?!" Yugo barked back. "At least I don't leave my porn out on the table!"
How else would everybody know what I'd like for Christmas?
Shut up, everybody! Yuya roared.
At once, Yugo snapped at attention and stood up straight. Beside him, he could feel Yuri and Yuto also mimicking his pose. All three of them were surprised.
Yuya appeared before them, hands on his hips. He didn't look too happy.
Did you forget that we're in a duel right now? he asked them.
Sorry, the other three said in unison.
That's more like it, Yuya told them. Now, let's try and win this duel, okay? It's important.
Right. Sorry, Yuya.
Well, that was humiliating. Yugo looked to his opponent, who just looked very confused and displeased with the situation. Same, dude.
"Well... we, uh..."
This was awkward.
"Ignore all that," Yugo told him. "B-by sending a WIND monster from my deck to the Grave, I can reduce Wind Turbine's Level by that monster's own Level!"
Card: Ejected. Tri-Eyed Dice: Dropped. Graveyard: Filled. The perfect recipede for dialing back Wind Turbine's output and putting it on a lower setting. (LV 5 → 2)
Yugo could feel it. They could feel it. The adrenaline of the wind. Even when they weren't riding, the spiritual source of speed was flowing through their body. Yugo didn't want to synch up like this, but...
"W-we tune our Level 8 Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon with our Level 2 Wind Turbine!"
... but it felt so good. It felt safe, and it made him feel strong. Like they belonged together.
Yugo, Yuto and Yuri were bound together. They all sought escape from their embarrassment through dueling. Yuya was right, but they didn't want to think about that. They just wanted to think about one thing: Accel Synchro.
"Accel Synchro!" they declared. "Level 10, Clear Wing Accel Dragon!"
The two Synchro monsters have given way to a new, sleek dragon. Clear Wing Accel was the paragon of innovation, with a sleek body and brilliant, clear wings. And as it took center stage on the field, it spread its wings and let a radiant light pour down on their opponents. (ATK 3300)
The Filthy Links User balled his hands into fists and clenched his teeth. So far, the monster had nothing on Token Overlord. But with the power he could feel coming off of the dragon, and the feeling of dread he got from the boy, he wasn't in love with the situation.
He turned his back around and looking around his side of the room. Acton Card, Action Card, there had to be an Action Card here somewhere.
"Clear Wing Accel Dragon gains 500 ATK for every Synchro Monster in our Graveyards," Yugo explained. "Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon and Wind Turbine are the only Synchro monsters in our Graveyards."
(Clear Wing Accel Dragon ATK 3300 → 4300)
"That's not enough to beat Token Overlord," the man commented as he looked under the desk that held up a control panel.
"Not yet," Yugo said. "We activate the Field Spell, Rising Air Current."
Yugo's blade extended a slot out from undereatth Passinglider, big enough to fit a card. He placed his Field Spell on the slot.
A strong wind blustered from behind Yugo. It was a cold, strong breeze that seemed to lift Yugo's monsters a few feet higher. Now Kendama was able to rotate and move into a proper position.
(Hi-SpeedroidKendama ATK 2200 → 2700) (Clear Wing Accel Dragon ATK 4300 → 4800)
"Still not enough..." the other man mused.
"Not yet," Yugo said again.
Eyes on the prize. He'd been scanning the room ever since the start of this turn, looking for an Action Card. His brothers extended their gazes behind and either side of him, giving him a perfect field of vision.
Fusion, head's up, Yuri said.
Yugo looked up. There was a card at the top of the door, sitting underneath the door frame. he turned around, jumped forward, and grabbed the card with his fingers.
"Action Card- Great Wing. The ATK of one monster is increased by 1000."
(Clear Wing Accel Dragon ATK 4800 → 5800)
The threw a stack of papers off ot a table. To his dismay, an Action Card didn't fall from the papers.
"Hell..." he humbled.
He dove to the ground and started rifling through the papers. Maybe it was here, and he didn't see it. Maybe he could find one. The odds didn't look good, but he needed to find it, and he needed to try something, and he needed to keep himself from losing this turn, and he needed to beat Zarc, and he needed-
"Battle!" Yugo declared. "Crystal Wing Accel Dragon attacks Token Overlord."
No. No. The man threw his head up. Maybe there was a card stuck on the ceiling. he'd just need to climb up onto a table and grab it, or-
(Filthy Links User: 2500 → 1700)
No action cards on the ceiling. Maybe there was one on the control panels again. Or maybe he'd...
"Hi-Speedroid Kendama attacks your Overlord Token," the boy went on. "And when this monster attacks, it can inflict piercing damage."
The Filthy Links User looked back at the field. Kendama was moving towards him. No, towards the tokens. It was moving faster and faster, until it starting galloping towards them.
It was without a weapon, but it was still able to do damage. It ran right through a token and crashed into him.
(Filthy Links User: 1700 → 0)
The monsters faded into sparkles that scattered all over the room. And Yugo walked through those sparkles and approached his opponent, who was still on his hands and knees on the floor.
He looked up to Yugo. He fell back into a sitting position and put his right had to his Duel Disk. The screen lit up, and the guys fingers went to tapping.
"Don't get too close, kid," the man advised.
"You're not a bad duelist," Yugo said to the man. "It was kind of fun, dude."
Yugo extended a hand out to the man. The man just stared at it, wide-eyed and mouth hanging open.
"What..." the man mumbled.
"I didn't get your name," Yugo said to him.
The man didn't answer.
"Name's Yugo," he explained. "Not Fusion, not Zarc. Yugo."
The man looked down at his Duel Disk. "Flu."
"Eh? That's a weird name."
"I guess it is," the man said. He chuckled softly.
"Mind telling me why you're here?" Yugo asked him.
"Only if you promise not to destroy me."
Yugo but his other hand to his chin. "Hmm. You drive a hard bargain, but I think I can agree to that."
The man moved his hand away from his Duel Disk. But rather than taking Yugo's hand, he forced himself to stand up on his own, without the boy's help. A small act to show his distrust, to show that he wasn't so willing to trust in Yugo just yet.
"I'm here to destroy the portals between dimensions," Flu explained. "Hurry and talk; I set my Disk to warp me home in thirty seconds."
"But we Lancers could just use our Duel Disks to travel," Yugo told him. "What's the point?
"To cause some disarray for you guys. Make things difficult for you guys to communicate and coordinate, and unable to focus on attacking us."
Not entirely truthful, as the second part of the plan was to launch attacks while the other side was in shambles and trying to figure things out. But a little whitewashing of the truth wouldn't do any harm, would it?
"We're just doing what we can to keep you guys from striking first," Flu went on. "We saw Zarc; we can't let him get to us."
"I see."
Yugo closed his eyes. He could sense the fear the man held in his hearts, and how it could be heard in the tone of his voice. He could understand that fear of Zarc completely. Especially after everything that's happened, Yugo himself was a little afraid of Zarc. And he was Zarc's legacy.
"Honestly, I get scared of Zarc, too," Yugo said.
He egao'd though.
"But don't worry about him, okay? We stopped him before."
He could feel his brothers around him. They all put their hands on his shoulders to show their support and agreement.
"I promise, we'll do whatever I can to make sure he never hurts anyone again."
"... Link VRAINS," the man said slowly.
"What?"
He could hear a strange sound in the air, and light poured through his eyelids. But when Yugo opened his eyes, Flu was gone. He was alone in the room.
Link VRAINS? What does that mean? Will the Link Dimension stop attacking? Or was that a warning or something?
These were Yugo's thoughts as he exited the train station. He made his way over to his friends and his dog, who were eagerly waiting for him by the bench.
"What happened, Yugo?" Rin asked him.
"I got held up," Yugo said absently.
Rin frowned. "What happened? Are you okay."
"I'm fine," he told her. "Just thinking about stuff, you know?"
He looked around the station. A female employee was under the broken window, sweeping glass into a black dustpan.
"Where's the falling-out-of-the-window guy?" Yugo asked.
Rin egao'd proudly. "Well, the good news is that I apparently have healing powers now. I can repair physical wounds and heal them without leaving any scars?"
Yugo gasped. "That's so cool!"
"What she's not telling you, is that the man still went to the hospital," Gongenzaka said flatly.
"Haha, yeah!" Rin laughed nervously. "I said he had to go to the hospital just in case! Just to make sure, you know?"
"He refused to leave the scene, so Rin punched him and yelled at him for being reckless," Gongenzaka explained. "She ended up opening a wound, he started to bleed out, and an ambulance had to come and pick him up."
Rin was egao-ing, but sweating bullets now. "Haha! Gongenzaka, you old so-and-so! You didn't need to mention that part, silly!"
She threw her arm back to knee him in the stomach. But Gongenzaka didn't allow that: as soon as her elbow as close to him, he grabbed it and prevented it from making contact.
"I could do without the hitting," he said to her.
"...Sorry."
But luckily for Rin, she would be spared from any more awkwardness. (Aside from her imagining this moment years later and cringing.) The sound of an approaching train's chugging could be heard.
The group looked over at the tracks, watching as the train passed through a tunnel and came towards them. It slowed down and came to a screeching halt before the bench.
"... Wait," Yugo said. "I forgot my bike!"
Gongenzaka facepalmed.
"Don't worry, Yugo," Rin said. "It's going to be put in the train's bulky luggage section. All the info is written at the back of your ticket.
"Oh, thanks."
Yugo slouched and let out a relieved sigh. And then he straightened his back out and let out a gasp.
"Where's my ticket?!"
Rin sighed. She dug into her shorts pocket and presented something to Yugo.
"I have your ticket, you dip," she said. "I didn't want you to lose it, so I kept it with."
Yugo let out a relieved sigh. "Thanks for covering me, Rin."
The train doors opened. Yugo scooped up En and walked inside. Rin followed him, carrying her own bag of luggage. Gongenzaka covered the rear, carrying both his and Yugo's bags.
The trio of kids sat underneath a window, looking out at the station. While Rin got comfy in her seat, Gongenzaka had turned around to look out the window.
"... What is that orange light coming from the broken window?" he wondered. "And that... that isn't smoke, is it?"
Yugo would know what to say, if he had been listening. Instead, he was lost in his own little world, mulling over the event that unfolded that day.
It all comes back to Zarc. I'll have to tell Reiji about that when we get home. But then I'll have to tell Yuya, Yuri and Yuto, too...
He sighed.
Telling them's gonna suck hard. I wish I could just not tell them. Like, pretend it never happened.
As Yugo leaned back in his seat, he looked up to the ceiling of the train. It was clean and empty. He wished that his head could be so blank, empty of worrying thoughts.
We've been having so much fun. And I like syncing up with them. But they need to know why we can't do it anymore.
One hand tucked itself behind his neck, while another patted the dog on his lap. En seemed surprisingly relaxed about being on the train. It was probably comfier than riding in a bag.
I guess they'd understand, though. They're my bros.
He let out a heavy sigh, then looked to Rin. She had her hands folded over the backpack in her lap. She looked to him and gave him an egao; something that he was quick to return.
Telling them is the responsible thing to do. That's what Rin would do.
Yugo had a lot of stuff coming up now. He just knew that this was only the start of their problems. But as he looked to Rin, he could only feel serenity in his heart.
Rin rested her head against his shoulder. And Yugo leaned his head against hers. Both of them felt their eyes getting heavier. It was just so comforting for both of them to have each other, to relax in the other's company.
And soon, the sound of the train riding down the tracks put them both to sleep.
A/N: And thus, the fourth arc is concluded. I'll try and pump out some bonus chapters, which will hopefully include a Sawatari/Reiji story, a Yuri story, and a Rin story. The Halloween chapter will also be coming out soon.
Until next time, stay linked.