I don't own ARC-V, but I DO own this story! Enjoy!
Aren couldn't help but smile inwardly at the events of the duel transpiring below him. One day had passed since his victory over Aiko, and Shark and Rio had handily won their matches. Over the course of the day, the Xyz troupe had watched a variety of duels, taking special note of Yuya Sakaki's duel against Sylvio.
At the present moment, the War Eagle and the Kastle twins were watching the last stages of Shay's duel against Sora Perse of You Show. From the moment that the Action Field appeared Aren knew that Declan Akaba was putting his hand on the driver's seat, rigging the random generator to select a Field Spell entitled "Neo Heartland City." When the field had loaded up, everyone but the Xyzians in the arena were in absolute awe of the beautiful city. Within the hearts of the Obsidians and the Kastles however, there was nothing but sadness and a steadily growing hatred.
The duel had started peacefully enough, but as Shay's Raidraptors continued to destroy Sora's Frightfur Fusion Monsters, the latter became increasingly frustrated. Of course, the Xyzians knew exactly what Shay was doing, attempting to punish Sora for the actions of his colleagues at Duel Academy in the Fusion Dimension.
One thing that Aren took special note of was the Standard Dimension residents' reactions to Shay's utilization of Rank-Up-Magic cards. It was painfully obvious to the middle Obsidian child that the concept of Rank-Up was completely absent from this dimension. Aren snorted at the Standard Dimension's clear lack of understanding about the true potential of Xyz Summoning.
[Moments Ago]
Shay leapt from building to building as he fell to the ground off his destroyed Raidraptor Rise Falcon, who had just been blasted apart by Sora's Frightfur Sheep (LEVEL 5, DARK, 2000/2000)
SORA LP: 2300
SHAY LP: 3100-900=2200
"You think you outsmarted me just because your Frightfur Sheep destroyed my monster?" asked Shay mockingly, dusting dirt off of his shoulders as he finished skidding to a safe halt. "Well, think again because you can't take down my birds that easily."
"What does that mean?" replied Sora.
"It means I'm playing my facedown, the Quick-Play Spell: Rank-Up-Magic Raptor's Force!" answered Shay, a Spell Card displaying the Raidraptor logo surrounded by a purplish-black light, materialized in front of his outstretched hand. "I Special Summon the destroyed Rise Falcon from my Graveyard!" Raidraptor Rise Falcon rose from a purple swirling portal in the ground. (RANK 4, DARK, 100/2000)
"Then I use as Material to Summon a more powerful Raidraptor Xyz Monster that's one rank higher!" shouted Shay. Rise Falcon transformed into a linear purple light that shot into the dark clouds high above, which began crackling with lightning.
"More powerful?!" yelled Sora in disbelief.
"Terror of the skies! Predator of blazing, raging force! With wings that slash and talons that tear, descend from the sky! Go, Rank Up Xyz Evolution!" chanted Shay, slamming a card on his blue Duel Disk blade. A massive bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and from it emerged a mechanized bird encased in blood red armor, shrieking a blood-curdling cry as a single purple orb cycled around its body. "Rank 5! Raidraptor Blaze Falcon!" (RANK 5, DARK, 1000/2000, OVU: 1)
"Wha-wha-what in the world?!" shouted the announcer, Nico Smiley in awe. "Shay's Rise Falcon not only returned to the field but has now evolved into a completely different monster! One whose rank is HIGHER than the former!"
Sora stared at the monster in surprise, but his open mouth turned into a smirk. "That's pretty incredible, Shay." Sora took out a new lollipop and began sucking on it. "For someone that's all doom and gloom, you sure know how to put on an awesome performance! Look at the crowd, we have them in the palms of our hands! They all love this show, and as much as I hate to admit it, I'm loving your moves too!" The smirk soon developed a sinister undertone as Sora's voice became more and more menacing.
"The spotlight's on you now buddy!" added Sora, his eyes narrowing wildly. "So go ahead and entertain us!"
"I don't think you're going to find your face unceremoniously being introduced to the dirt, "entertaining."" replied Shay ominously.
[End Flashback]
"I'll place one card face down and end my turn." said Shay, a single card materializing on his field.
Currently:
SHAY LP: 2200; FIELD: Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon (RANK 5, DARK, 1000/2000, OVU: 0) + Set Card
SORA LP: 1300; FIELD: Empty
"I'm almost through with you. Don't worry though, the worst is still to come!" continued the eldest Obsidian, closing his eyes, angering Sora. "Now you know what it's like to be helpless like we were. Helpless as you and your Fusion friends launched a surprise attack on our home. The difference between us and you though? We always found a way to fight back, even when the odds were stacked against us."
Aren clenched his fists, as he recalled watching so many of his friends be turned into cards in front of his eyes, the intense fire burning so many buildings to the ground, the cries of the helpless and terrified echoing throughout the war-torn streets.
"Make him suffer Shay." muttered Aren. "Make him feel pain even worse than we did." As the middle Obsidian child said this, the spirit of Crush Claw Ritual Dragon laid a claw on the War Eagle's shoulder, comforting the scarred teen.
'YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH MUCH SUFFERING YOUNG ONE.' thought Crush Claw sadly, using his powers to peer into Aren's mind and see his memories. 'BUT ONE DAY YOU WILL BE FREE AND YOUR TRUE ABILITIES WILL LINK WITH YOU ONCE AGAIN.'
"Heheha!" laughed Sora maniacally. "You think I'm through?! You think I'm one bit worried about losing to you?! If you do, you're a bigger sucker than you thought I were." Sora took a large pink lollipop, and instead of sucking on it, bit right through it, pieces crunching in his mouth. "Poor Shay, still thinking you have a chance to win! Well time for a reality check, you are going to lose! It's the one thing you're good at, isn't that right Shay?! You were no match for us when we began our hunting game and you're no match for me now!"
Rio and Shark silently cursed the You Show student, allowing the rage they had held inside to pour out like the floodgates on a dam. As they did, no one noticed a small blue light emanating from their decks.
"Let's play Shay!" shouted Sora, drawing a card. "I activate the Spell, Frightfur Fusion! With it, by banishing my Frightfurs Bear, Leo, and Sheep from my Graveyard, I can Fusion Summon a brand new Frightfur Monster!" The spirits of Sora's three fallen Fusion Monsters appeared above him, before dissolving all at once. Their essence turned into colored streams of light that began mixing with each other. "Fury of bear, king of the jungle, sheep of chains! When these three join together, victory shall be attained! I FUSION SUMMON!" Appearing on Sora's field was a truly disgusting amalgamation resembling a jack-in-the-box, with its three heads resembling a bear, a kitten, and a deceased wolf, each with various tools and weapons sticking out of them. "Appear, my mighty mechanized mashup, Frightfur Chimera!" (LEVEL 8, DARK, 2800/2000)
Shay merely looked at the new Fusion Monster passively, not caring much about the nightmarish behemoth.
"Ready?!" exclaimed Sora evilly. "Frightfur Chimera, take out Raidraptor Blaze Falcon!" The bear head shot a rocket out of its mouth, easily causing Shay's Xyz Monster to explode, but the eldest Obsidian safely ran out of the way that the explosion caused.
SHAY LP: 2200 - 1800 = 400
"And at this moment Frightfur Chimera's effect activates. Since it destroyed a Monster in battle and sent it to the Graveyard, that Monster is Special Summoned onto my field!" said Sora maliciously, Blaze Falcon, rising on his field in Attack position. "In addition, for every Monster that I gain control of by its effect, Chimera gains 300 more Attack points!" (Frightfur Chimera ATK: 2800 + 300 = 3100)
"Not good," said Shark. "Now Shay has no Monsters on his field to protect him."
"And Sora can use Blaze Falcon to attack and take out the last of Shay's Life Points." added Rio.
"Not going to happen. The conditions for Shay's victory have been set up now." countered Aren, staring at Shay's face down.
"Weaklings like you just can't win." said Sora to Shay. "That's why you're so much fun to hunt down and destroy! Always were, always will be…finishing you off with your own Monster seems so poetic, and oh so sweet! Your own Monster will end this duel for me!"
"No it won't." muttered Shay, to Sora's confusion. "When you're forced to be a Duelist fighting for his very life and freedom, you learn to adapt, to prepare for any worst-case situation. You even learn what to do when one of your comrades is taken by the enemy."
Glancing over to where the You Show crew was sitting, Aren saw Zuzu Boyle gasp slightly at the statement, and it was at that moment that the War Eagle knew that she knew exactly what Shay was talking about.
"And there's one unbreakable rule!" added Shay. "We don't ever leave anyone behind.
We get our comrades back, and that is what I will do here and now by activating my Spell, Rank-Up-Magic - Revolution Force!" Shay's facedown card flipped up, revealing the Raidraptor logo surrounded by shining lights. "I gain control over one Xyz Monster on your field!" Sora gasped in shock as Blaze Falcon returned to Shay's field. (Chimera ATK: 3100 - 300 = 2800)
"Then I use it as Material to Xyz Summon a Raidraptor that's one rank higher!" Blaze Falcon became enveloped in crimson fire, much to Sora's anguish, its form morphing into one of a fully mechanized black falcon. "Fiercest falcon! Set your wings ablaze and lock your gaze upon our ill-fated foe! Go, Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Emerge, Raidraptor Revolution Falcon!" (RANK 6, DARK, 2000/3000, OVU: 1)
"And there it is," whisted Shark. "This duel is now over without a doubt."
Sora stared in awe at the new Monster, but slowly began to chuckle maniacally. "Heh...heh heh. Nice try pal," taunted the Fusion duelist, "but I can see right through your little bluff. Your Revolution Falcon has only got 2000 attack points! It's no match for my Frightfur Chimera and its 2800 attack points! You can't destroy it!"
"Just watch me." retorted Shay venomously, his eyes burning even harder, to which Sora instinctively took a step back.
After a moment to gather himself, Sora began laughing again. "Another bluff? Seriously? You can talk all you want but you're not walking away with a victory!"
"SORA!" called out a voice not too far away from the onlooking Xyzians. Aren glanced downwards to see the You Show troupe sitting on the level directly below him, and he wondered how he had failed to notice one familiar Dueltainer in particular for the entirety of the duel, despite him keeping an eye on them every couple of moments. None other than Yuya Sakaki was leaning over the edge of the guard rail, his hands white from clenching the metal so hard. "He's dangerous! Just please walk away!"
"I activate Revolution Falcon's effect!" called out Shay, raising his hand. "Because I Summoned this monster by Ranking-Up a Raidraptor Xyz Monster, I gain the power to destroy one Special Summoned monster on your field, Sora! So not only is your Frightfur Chimera blasted away, but your Life Points now take damage equal to half of your destroyed monster's attack points!"
"No way!" shouted Sora in horror.
"What a terrifying effect! It doesn't even need to use an Overlay Unit to activate it!" shouted Nico Smiley over the loudspeaker.
"Now Revolution Falcon, GO!" ordered Shay. Revolution Falcon soared at the command, its wings extending and opening upwards to reveal dozens of missile ports. "Now is the time to avenge those who have fallen! Torch the enemy! Blitzing Bombardment!" Dozens of missiles dropped straight down onto Neo Heartland City, explosions fireballing into the sky throughout the field. Frightfur Chimera let out an ethereal roar as it was burned by the flames and was destroyed in a flash of yellow sparkles.
As the explosions continued to rain down, Sora was running across the field in search of an Action Card to protect himself with. Finally spotting one, he dove towards it, grasping it in his fist. Skidding to a halt, he prepared to slot the card into his Duel Disk to activate it, when a shadow suddenly blocked the light of the fire. Sora looked up slowly to see a massive building falling down straight towards him. The Fusion Duelist did nothing but stare in fear, not even attempting to try and save himself.
In a massive plume of gray smoke, the building hit the ground with earth-shaking force, sending a massive wind gust upwards to the fans in the stands.
"SORA!" screamed Yuya in terror, not knowing what had happened to his classmate. Aren simply looked on indifferently, knowing exactly what had happened. His prediction came true as all at once, the fire, the wind, the smoke, and the dirt disappeared as the Action Field dispersed, showing Sora Perse lying facedown on the stadium floor, absolutely broken.
SORA LP: 1300 - 1400 = 0
WINNER: SHAY
Nico Smiley, who had hidden himself behind his podium to avoid the sight, peeked his head out, surveying the sight before him. He jumped as a loud ringing sound blasted from directly above him on the stadium's big screen. The screen now displayed a close shot of Shay's face, the text "WINNER" in big red letters directly below him.
"We have a winner!" announced Nico shakily. "This duel goes to Shay Obsidian of the Leo Institute!"
The crowd stared in absolute silence. Everyone in the arena had been struck quiet by what they had just witnessed.
"That was satisfying." commented Rio casually. Her brother nodded in agreement. Aren merely stood quietly, gazing at Sora's broken form on the arena floor.
"Are you doing alright Aren?" asked the spirit of Soarnight Sniper. Aren glanced out of the corner of his eye at his ace monster, whose spectral body leaned against the wall of the stadium. "That had to provide you with some form of comfort, right?"
'Some.' thought back the War Eagle. 'But seeing this duel made me think back to the good old days...I wonder what Sensei Yusho would say about how we're dueling now.'
"You already know the answer to that question." replied Soarnight. "So why did you bother to ask?"
Aren didn't reply, instead watching his elder brother walk toward Sora, who was still lying on the floor unmoving. Shay raised his Duel Disk, pointing its carding function at the Fusion Duelist, when he suddenly stopped. Aren figured that Declan had started talking to Shay, persuading him not to turn Sora into a card so that they could learn about Duel Academy's secrets. After a moment, Shay turned away from Sora, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the silent arena.
"...Wait…" muttered a hoarse voice. Shay turned to see Sora slowly struggle onto his elbows and knees, covered in bruises, his eyes glassy and unfocused. "I can't lose...not to an...X-Xyz Summoner...there's no...way you could...de-defeat me!"
Shay studied the anguished face of the Fusion Dimension Duelist. As if out of pity, Shay simply turned around and continued walking toward the arena floor exit.
"Stop!" shouted Sora, his voice growing even shakier, his hand outstretched towards the Xyzian. "G-Get back h-here! I want...a re-rematch!" At that last word Sora's eyes rolled backward into his head and he collapsed in a heap once more.
"Let's go." said Aren to the Kastle siblings. As the three walked out of the arena, they could hear the cries of Yuya Sakaki begging to be let into the arena floor to help his friend.
[That Night]
Aren walked around the uppermost levels of the Leo Institute Tower. From hacking the building's security feed, he had watched the delegation from You Show visit Sora, who was undergoing treatment by Leo staff some twenty levels below him. He and his allies had already been ordered by Declan not to approach him, so he resorted to this method to keep tabs on his enemy.
Now his attention was currently on Yuya Sakaki, whom, along with the girl Zuzu and a large fellow whom the Obsidian recognized from the tournament as Gong Strong, a personal friend of the other two Duelists, were discussing the match between Shay and Sora at the entrance to the tower.
"What's your opinion on all of this?" questioned Yuya. "Shay Obsidian is the one responsible for the attacks on the Leo Institute staff, but now he's done a complete 180 and is now working with them?"
"I don't understand it either." added Zuzu. "One day he's being tracked down by Julia for attacking her Fusion instructor, and the next their teammates and are all buddy-buddy?"
"That's crazy," commented Gong, "and Gong don't like crazy."
Aren mentally facepalmed at the way Gong talked - what self-respecting individual referred to themself in the third-person on a regular basis?
"That's not even the craziest thing." chimed in Zuzu. "A friend of Shay's told me that one of their friends was taken by their enemies!"
"But how is attacking a Duel School supposed to accomplish anything? What good will that do in rescuing a friend?" asked Yuya.
"I'm not sure," interrupted Zuzu, "but this friend, Yuto, is strange in and of himself. Whenever I'm around him, my bracelet suddenly glows and when it stops, he's gone and you're there Yuya!"
"So this guy you've been saying looks just like me keeps disappearing whenever I get close to you two?" inquired Yuya.
"Well that doesn't fill us in on what's going on." said Gong. "Anything else Yuto told you stick out?"
"Well...he told me that Fusion Summoning doesn't suit me." said Zuzu. "But then when I met him again, he said that if I was using it to help my friends, then it was alright. Couple that with him being Shay's friend and how Shay was reacting to all of Sora's Fusion Summons…"
"So Fusion Summoning is the method their enemies use?" theorized Yuya. "So if Shay went all nuts in that duel, it must be because he thinks Sora is an enemy, because he plays with Polymerization!"
"And he's not the only one who went bonkers in their first-round duel." added in Gong. "Remember that one guy yesterday who used Xyz Summoning and then Ritual Summoned? Aren? His last name was Obsidian too!"
"That guy dueled against Sora too!" said Zuzu. "Sora lost and was really upset about it. It was as if losing to someone who used Xyz was absolutely unthinkable!"
"You guys don't think…" started Yuya hesitantly, "that Sora is a bad guy, right?"
"Has Sora ever mentioned where he learned how to Fusion Summon?" asked Gong.
"He said that where he comes from everyone can Fusion Summon normally." replied Zuzu. "...Now that I think about it why didn't I ask more about that? I've never even heard of a place like that even existing!"
"If Shay, Yuto, and this Aren guy are all allies, and they think Sora is mixed up in all of this, they all must be connected to each other somehow." said Yuya.
"Who is this friend that they're trying to save anyway?" asked Gong.
"From what Yuto told me," said Zuzu, "her name is Lulu, and she's Shay's sister!"
"So they're trying to save this Lulu girl, Shay and probably Aren's sister?" asked Gong.
"Yeah, that's right." confirmed Zuzu.
"If that's the case then those three aren't going to stop." said Yuya worriedly. "They'll keep going after Sora until the ends of the earth if they want to save her. They won't stop until they know that she's safe."
All of a sudden alarms blared and lights flashed, enveloping Aren's body in a crimson glow. The War Eagle shut off the feed and ran in the direction of Declan's observation room.
"Send out the search team! Sora Perse has escaped from the tower!" shouted a voice in the distance, the middle Obsidian teen recognizing it as Claude Nakajima, Declan's "wingman," as Shark had dubbed him.
"This can't be good…" muttered Aren.
{Next Chapter: Destiny in Motion}
Aren arrives at the observation room just in time to see Yuto dueling against Sora Perse AND Yuya Sakaki! And at the moment when Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon and Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon both appear on the battlefield, Crush Claw Ritual Dragon senses the power of Synchro arriving in the Standard Dimension. Who exactly is the Duelist from the Synchro Dimension and who is the girl riding with him?
A.N. Hello everyone, it's been a hot second! I needed time to figure out exactly how I wanted the story to progress from this point on specifically, and I finally came up with something concrete. Also, since the previous update I discovered and became a superfan of the amazing series, My Hero Academia! It's such an amazing show. Anyways, look forward to the next chapter, where one of my personal favorite characters from ARC-V finally has his first true appearance...with a MASSIVE twist!