Disclaimer: I do not own any Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 25: Moment of Truth
We returned to Martha's house after our interaction with the Dark Signers after my and Roman's Shadow Duel. Roman instructed the Signers to Duel his comrades by the Four Stars of Destiny tomorrow. Yusei and Jack ran after the Dark Signers to face them right away, but Yusei lost sight of them. Jack later came back with a stunned expression. I had a feeling he found out that Carly was one of the Dark Signers and, potentially, his destined opponent. Devack had personally "invited" Luna to Duel him if she wanted to get the card of Ancient Fairy Dragon from him.
We were greeted by Dr. Schmidt who came over to Martha's house to look after Julia and Miku due to Blister's request when he, Mina, Leo, and Luna left the house to join us by the Shadow Duel.
I felt a bit overwhelmed after the Shadow Duel, so I sat down by the table a bit far away from the others. My heart was still pounding fast in my chest when I thought about the last moment of the Shadow Duel. It was so hard for me to…to do what I did to Rally. I ended up sending him back to the Shadows instead of saving him. I didn't want to do it, but he begged me to defeat him so the Signers and I could have another chance vanquishing the Dark Signers and save everyone who became sacrifices for the Earthbound Immortals.
Dr. Schmidt made a quick check-up on Takuya, Jun, and Micchan in the dining room where we were staying to talk about the upcoming Shadow Duels. "The boys aren't injured", the doctor concluded.
Martha sighed in relief. "Thank goodness." She then glared at the young trio as she put her hands on the hips. "You three almost gave me a heart attack! Never do something so foolish again, especially when it's about adult matters! You are now grounded for a whole week!"
"We're sorry, Martha…", Jun said with tears in his eyes.
"I'm the one who dragged Jun and Micchan into this", Takuya confessed while still crying. "I should be the one getting grounded, not them."
"No, Takuya", Micchan shook his head. "Jun and I went with you to help cheer on Estelle. We should get punished too."
I rested my elbows on the table and had my hands intertwined in the air, so I rested my forehead against the back of my hands while I listened at the voices in the background. I could sense some eyes were staring at me, but I wasn't in the mood to look up and face my friends. I was still trying to comprehend everything that happened moments ago.
"I'm not angry as long as you know what you did was wrong", Martha told the boys. "Now, go with Dr. Schmidt and he will tuck you in and read a bedtime story so you can have pleasant dreams."
I opened my eyes and looked down to my right when I felt a small hand tug my jacket. Julia stared at me with big and worried eyes. "Are you okay, Estelle? You look so sad."
I gave her a tiny smile before I patted her head. "I'm fine, Julia. Now, let's go to bed and listen to the bedtime story, and don't worry about anything. Okay?"
Julia didn't look so convinced, but she turned around and walked out of the dining room with Miku who waited for her by the threshold. Once Dr. Schmidt and the orphans went upstairs, Martha closed the door to give us some privacy.
"Not to pick on you, Estelle, but you don't look fine", Leo spoke up.
I exhaled softly through my mouth as I rested my intertwined hands on the table. "It's just… I'm exhausted after this Shadow Duel. I wanted to save Rally, but…"
"But if you didn't defeat him, you would've lost and become the Dark Signers' Priestess", Aki pointed out.
"Yeah…", Yusei added. "It hurts my soul that we couldn't save him, but he knew what was coming. We are New Domino City and Satellite's last hope to stop the Earthbound Immortals, so we should do our best to defeat them to avenge everyone who got sacrificed."
I nodded apathetically before I heard a pair of heavy footsteps approach me. I looked up to my right and got greeted by a fuming Jack. "But now, I've got some questions for you, woman!" he spoke in a harsh voice as he grabbed my right arm and forced me up of the chair.
"Jack!" Yusei called in surprise.
"Jack Atlas, I thought I raised you to treat girls with respect!" Martha told him in a strict voice.
"I don't care about that right now! I want some answer from her!" Jack retorted harshly while glaring at me. "Estelle, you've got two copies of Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which was Kaiba's signature Monster, but you can't have them because they disappeared with him! You have a Level 11 Synchro Monster that no one's ever heard about! Those cards are literally non-existent, just as that Synchro version of Blue-Eyes White Dragon you used at the Fortune Cup! And last, the Five-Headed Dragon you summoned on your last turn is only a rumored Duel Monster!" His anger caused him to slightly squeeze my arm. "Why do you have those cards?!"
"Jack is right", Mina spoke up. "I made some research on our way back to the house." We turned to her as she activated a digital holographic notebook. "It's been confirmed that Kaiba Seto mysteriously disappeared after testing a new invention more than thirty years ago. He never had a partner, so he couldn't possibly have an heir. His little brother, Kaiba Mokuba, who's in charge of KaibaCorp, has never had a partner as well. There are no reports of Kaiba Mokuba possessing any Synchro Monsters that are related to Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Another report says Five-Headed Dragon was a Duel Monster originally created for a video game Kaiba Seto designed, but it was never made into a card. Lastly, there is no information about Level 11 Synchro Monsters, so they aren't supposed to exist."
The information about my cards caught everyone's attention. Now that I heard this from Mina, I guess it was time for me to come out and tell my friends the truth.
"If you let go of me, Jack, I will tell you guys everything", I replied.
Jack's irritated expression softened slightly before he let go of my forearm and turned away with his arms crossed. I rubbed the sore part that he managed to squeeze for a moment as the others sat down by the table, waiting for me to start talking. I returned to my seat as I collected my thoughts and formed my sentences of how I should come forward with the truth.
"I wanted to keep this quiet, but I guess some things aren't meant to be kept hidden for a long time", I began.
"Quit stalling and start talking, woman!" Jack said harshly while he sat on my left.
I flinched slightly by the sudden outburst, but I calmed down after I took a deep breath. "I haven't exactly been honest, especially towards you, Yusei." I made a brief eye contact with him as he sat on my right. "I never once suffered from amnesia when we first met."
Yusei had his poker face and his lips were in a thin line. "I suspected that for a while. You're also not originally from Satellite or from the City, right?" I nodded as answer. "Then why did it seem like you knew some things way ahead? Can you predict the future?"
"Kinda", I replied as I took another deep breath. "You see… I come from a different dimension where your world is a fictional cartoon."
The group grew silent after my confession before Trudge reacted first of everyone as he literally jumped up from his seat. "What are you saying, woman?! How can we be fictional characters when we're pretty much alive?! What kind of wacko-pills are you on?!"
"Trudge, sit down!" Mina scolded him. "This must be really tough for Estelle and you're not making it better!"
"It's okay, Mina", I told her. "I expected some kind of explosive reaction from certain people."
Trudge muttered something underneath his breath before he settled down on the chair.
"So, if you're from a different dimension, how did you get to our world?" Leo wondered.
"The Crimson Dragon brought me here", I replied. "I was on my way to a game center when he made me lose consciousness and transported me to Satellite, where I was later found by Rally and Blitz."
"That sounds pretty cliché if you ask me", Blister commented. "Did the Crimson Dragon randomly choose you?"
"No", I shook my head. "He chose me because I had the potential to become the Crimson Star Priestess, and he blessed me with the Mark of the Crimson Star."
"If we're fictional characters in your dimension, does this mean there is a show about us?" Aki asked.
"Yes", I replied. "The story is pretty much the same we've been going through so far; it's a lot about you Signers and the Crimson Dragon stopping the Dark Signers."
"And what about the cards?" Jack asked impatiently. "How'd you get them?!"
"In my world, Duel Monsters is nothing but a simple card game. We currently don't have the technology to create Duel Disks or game mats that can project holograms of Duel Monsters and other special effects. As for the cards I have, they are more common than you can imagine. There are many copies of Blue-Eyes White Dragon that almost anyone can get, so it's not exactly a rare card. Same goes with Five-Headed Dragon, Star Eater, and the Signer Dragons. I've got copies of each of your main dragons back in my world."
"I've got another question", Mina spoke up as she opened her digital notebook again to check something. "When you and Yusei were arrested, Sector Security found your ID, but it said you were born in 1997, which is illogical. It's 2030 right now and you look like you're in your early twenties."
"In my world, the year was 2019 when I was transported to your dimension. I'm twenty-two years old, so I assure you; I am not an old lady wearing a disguise."
"You look good for being an old lady", Leo joked with a laugh in his voice.
"Leo!" Luna called before slapping the back of her brother's head. "Don't joke around! This is serious!"
"Ow! Chill, Luna! I'm just trying to bring the mood up a bit", Leo whined as he rubbed the sore spot on his head.
I waited for the others to comprehend the information and ask me some questions. Yusei was the first one to break the silence. "Will the people, who were absorbed by the Earthbound Immortals, come back once we defeat the Dark Signers?"
"Yes, they will", I answered.
Everyone snapped their heads up by the revelation.
"Really?" Martha asked hopefully. "Crow, Rally, and the others will come back?"
"Yes, and the Dark Signers will also return to their normal selves afterwards", I confirmed, but I got questionable looks. "The Dark Signers are more or less corrupted by the Earthbound Immortals. All of them were once vulnerable due to their negative emotions of seeking revenge, and the Immortals lured them by giving them powers so they would be able to get the revenge they seek just before…they passed away. Much of that was confirmed when you Dueled Kalin and Misty, right, Yusei and Aki?"
"Yeah, now that you mention it", Yusei nodded. "Kalin said he wanted to hurt me because I 'betrayed' him and is, therefore, seeking revenge."
"Same with Misty", Aki mumbled as she looked down at her intertwined hands. "She wanted to know what happened to her little brother, who was a fan of mine. I didn't know him, but Misty insisted that I was the one who lured him to join the Arcadia Movement… But I can't believe Misty passed away."
Jack growled underneath his breath, but he never said a word. I had a feeling he was trying to figure out why Carly wanted revenge and why she accepted the power of the Earthbound Immortals. And maybe the thoughts of her dying shook him up a bit.
"Do you happen to know who the fifth Signer is, Estelle?" Yusei questioned.
"Yes, I do", I nodded.
"Who is it?" Aki asked.
"All I can say it's someone we know and they will show up in due time", I replied.
"Can't you give us a name?" Luna asked.
I shook my head. "Some things are better not to know beforehand."
"Why do I feel like it's something bad?" Leo mumbled nervously.
"This is a very complicated situation", Martha said. "But this should bring us hope that everything will return to normal once you guys defeat the Dark Signers."
"That's right", I nodded. "As long as we believe and keep holding onto the little hope we have left."
"It doesn't really matter what you believe", Mina spoke up.
"What do you mean?" Trudge asked.
"No matter what you think what'll happen afterwards, you have to reverse the Reactor", Mina explained.
"Exactly", Yusei nodded. "We have to do what Goodwin told us to do."
"I have a question", Blister raised his hand. "That Roman-guy said they'll be waiting at the Four Stars of Destiny. Does anyone know what those are?"
"My guess is that he's referring to the four control units that were built to maintain the original Reactor", Mina replied. "According to the reports, they were the first part of the system to break when the Reactor had the meltdown. During development, each individual control unit went by a codename; Ccapac Apu, Ccarayhua, Aslla piscu, Cusillu. In the casual language, they mean; the Giant, the Lizard, the Hummingbird, and the Monkey."
"Those are the Nazca Lines that disappeared!" Aki pointed out.
"Isn't there a spider too? What about that?" Luna asked.
"The Spider is Uru, which was the codename for the Reactor itself", Mina explained. "In order to reverse the Reactor and stop the flow of Negative Energy, you have to go to each of those control units and turn them on."
"Roman represents the Spider, right?" Aki asked as she looked at me. "Does that mean he's the boss?"
"You could say that", I replied.
"How are you supposed to turn on these control units?" Blister wondered.
"The dragon cards in the Signers' Decks", Mina replied as she turned to Luna. "Those were the cards that were used to power up each of the control units. So, Luna, it's very important that you get Ancient Fairy Dragon back from Devack."
"How do you know all of this?" Yusei asked.
"Because Dr. Fudo entrusted those cards to Director Goodwin."
The woman told us what she heard from Director Goodwin himself sometime before my friends and I headed to Satellite, so she could fill the questioning gaps about the original Ener-D Reactor. And when the question came about how the Signer Dragons' cards ended up in Yusei, Jack, and Aki's hands, Mina said Goodwin let the cards go with the wind and let the destiny choose who could become a potential Signer that could stop the Dark Signers in the future.
"Well, since Goodwin seems to know so much about destiny, he must know how this whole thing's gonna turn out, right?" Jack commented sarcastically after Mina was done with the tale.
"It doesn't work like that", Mina shook her head. "He doesn't know the future. There's no telling what will happen, but Goodwin is done playing his part. The baton has been passed. The rest is up to you. All of you. The fate of the world has been put into your hands. Martha, can you get a map of Satellite for me?"
"Of course", Martha nodded.
The head of the orphanage walked out of the dining room and returned with a rolled paper sheet. Mina accepted it and rolled it open on the dining table. She got a red marker from Blister and drew four X's on the map to show the location of the four control units.
"Here's the location of the control stations", Mina confirmed as she pointed at each X. "Giant, Hummingbird, Lizard, and Monkey. As you can see, they're pretty spread out."
"What's the plan? Head all to these units one by one?" Trudge asked.
"That'd be a huge waste of time!" Jack argued. "Besides, a Duel is one-on-one. We're gonna have to split up and go solo." He pulled up the sleeve of his jacket, revealing his Mark. "Four Signers, four control stations… It's a no-brainer! Who knows; maybe this is more of Goodwin's destiny work."
"We were just starting to become a real team", Luna said softly.
"We're still a team, Luna", Yusei assured her. "All of us. Even if we're apart, we're still fighting for the same thing."
"I guess you're right", Luna nodded.
"Who's going where?" Trudge asked.
"I'm pretty sure that the Mark of the Giant is Kalin, so I'll go there", Yusei stated.
"The Lizard is Misty's Mark", Aki said. "I'll head over to that station."
"Devack is the Monkey and… I have to get Ancient Fairy Dragon, so I'm gonna take him on", Luna said.
"And I'm gonna go, so I can root for ya!" Leo assured his sister with a smile.
"So the Hummingbird must be…", Jack began slowly. "…that other girl."
"You kids want to ride to your battle in a Sector patrol car?" Trudge asked the twins.
Luna nodded, accepting the offer. "Yes please!"
"And if it's okay, I'll go with you, Aki", Mina told the Rose Maiden.
"Sure", Aki nodded.
"What about Estelle? Isn't she supposed to Duel Spider-Roman again?" Blister questioned.
"I believe he will try and Duel me again, but for now let us concentrate on the control units", I replied. "If Roman makes an appearance and challenges me, we'll take it from there."
"So will you stay in my house and wait for him here or will you go with the kids?" Martha asked.
I turned to Luna's group. "I'll stick to Leo, Luna, and Trudge, if that's okay with you guys."
"Of course it's okay!" Leo grinned. "The more who can cheer on Luna the better!"
"Mina and I'll head to the Sector Security HQ here in Satellite with the helipad to get two patrol cars", Trudge informed us. "We'll be back in the morning."
"Make sure you all rest and have a clear head for tomorrow", Mina nodded. "The fate of the world is now resting in your hands."
Yusei nodded, "Alright! Tomorrow, we'll save the world!"
XXXXXXXXXX
I had a hard time sleeping that night. I was mainly worried that something would go wrong and things could take a bad turn, especially for my friends, but I had to believe in them. They were much stronger than they believed in themselves.
My main concern was Roman. Something told me in the back of my head that he was hiding some tricks if we were to Duel again; tricks that I couldn't predict because they hadn't been added in the anime.
Mina and Trudge returned to Martha's house in the morning with two patrol cars and ate breakfast with us. Once we finished eating, we grabbed our Duel Disks and headed to B.A.D. I sat next to Trudge in the front seats of the patrol car while Leo and Luna sat in the back. Aki sat next to Mina in the other patrol car while Yusei and Jack drove their Duel Runners. Jack had changed into his riding suit which had been packed in one of his Duel Runner's compartments. He said he always had an extra riding suit if there was a sudden challenge.
We made it safely past the massive ravine of B.A.D. on a bridge made of junk and strong metal sheets. We stopped briefly at the other side of the ravine to prepare ourselves to head to the control units.
"This is it, you guys", Yusei spoke up as he stood next to Trudge's patrol car. "Are you ready, Luna?"
"Yup!" Luna nodded.
"Hey, I'm ready too!" Leo called.
"So am I", I told Yusei.
The raven-haired Signer gave us a tiny smile. "Good luck!"
"C'mon, Yusei, we've got Duels to Duel! Give us a rousing speech and let's be gone!" Jack called impatiently.
"Alright, guys. The Dark Signers are powerful and, right now, we're the only things standing in their way!" Yusei began his speech. "If you should find yourselves up against a wall, just think of the rest of us! Think of your friends! We're all in this! And even when we're apart, we're together!"
I stood up from my seat and held onto the front of the patrol car to also give a slight cheer and raise the morale. "Everyone… For the future!" I raised a fist up in the air.
"For the future!" the others followed my lead and punched the air with their fists.
"Now, let's go show the Dark Signers how us Signers do things!" Yusei added before he drove off, heading to his assigned control unit.
"And if any of you loses your Duel, you'll have to answer to me!" Jack warned us before he took off as well.
"Be careful, Aki and Mina!" I called to the women in the other patrol car as I sat down on my seat.
"You too, guys!" Aki replied.
"Look after the twins and Estelle, Trudge!" Mina told the Sector Security officer. "I'm counting on you!"
"Don't worry, Mina! It's my duty to protect the citizens of New Domino City and Satellite!" Trudge replied with a bright blush on his cheeks.
With that said, the two patrol cars drove off in two different directions.
This was it. It was time for the final Duels with the Dark Signers.