Chapter 17: Two on One, Dream Redone

"Yusei… what the hell happened to you?" I ask quietly, looking down at the prone, injured form of my friend from the Satellite.

He lays beneath a blanket on the single couch in the entryway of Leo and Luna's home, eyes shut tight and drawing slow breaths as the morning sun washes over him. I've been at his side all night, only Shapeshift to keep me company—and he hasn't been too helpful.

He was a mess when I brought him in, covered in cuts and bruises, possibly with some sort of sprain or something at that, and his Duel Runner was in quite a state as well. I wasn't sure what else to do with him aside from hauling him up to Leo and Luna's floor and laying him down; after all, with how Sector Security treats Satellites, could I count on New Domino's doctors to show him any better kindness?

I turn my head to look out through the glass doors; in the shade of the elevator housing, I see the red form of Yusei's Duel Runner leaned up against the building. I brought that up, too, after hearing Sector Security sirens off in the distance somewhere.

The night passed by slow and worrisome, always keeping me nervous whenever he seemed to stop breathing for a moment. Sleep eluded me, both from a combination of the previous day's events—namely, the enormous dragon and the mark that burned on my arm and the mysterious "her" that Shapeshift had mentioned as we stared out at the sky—and the constant possibility that the Securities might show up and bust us all for aiding a potential criminal.

A loud yawn from off to one side alerts me to the presence of Leo. "Morning, Ben," he yawns again, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Grandpa B up yet?"

He looks absolutely tiny as he steps into the room, almost like a doll dressed in a loose pale blue t-shirt and black shorts. His hair is still in that big, bouncy ponytail, though it's a bit messier than normal; does he sleep with it tied like that?

I shrug as he walks by, his big eyes still half-lidded from tiredness. "I haven't seen him. He and the tortoise are probably still asleep," I reply absently.

Of course, I haven't exactly been looking for them, but no doubt they'd be rather curious about the stranger on the couch… of whom Leo has just taken notice of, his eyes popping open wide with shock. "H-hey, Ben, who's this guy?"

Damn… I probably should have spent time thinking up an explanation for this… I chastise myself, looking over to the sleeping form of Yusei.

What, 'this is my friend from the Satellite, he was outside sleeping in the trash and I think he's a wanted criminal' isn't a good explanation? Shapeshift snickers back, his voice oozing with sarcasm.

No, why didn't I think of that? I snark. But there really isn't a good way to explain why some random guy is asleep on your couch, all banged up, now is there?

And that's why I'm glad you're the one with the body, Boss. You get to make up all the stupid excuses.

A lot of help you were… "Well… you see, uh…"

As I try to think, my eyes dart around the room like a pair of nervous butterflies, looking everywhere but at Leo and Yusei. Something in here has to give me an idea… any idea at all, just something to tell Leo to get him off my back…

Bingo. Outside the window, I catch a glimpse of Yusei's Duel Runner propped up against the elevator housing, covered in a long shadow cast by the rising sun.

"This is my friend Yusei, he helped me build my Duel Runner," I begin my explanation, slowly starting to become a bit disappointed as I realize how close to the truth this actually is. I was kind of hoping for some outlandish lie. "Well, I was outside last night and heard this noise from down on the ground level. I went down to investigate, and… he crashed. So, I brought him up and laid him down, and I've been kind of doctoring him as best I can."

Boss, that was the truth! If you're gonna complain about not having an explanation, at least think up a stupid one instead of the actual truth! Shapeshift complains.

I'm starting to wonder if you're actually a good influence or not, Morphy.

However, it seems that the part of my story that Leo really zeroes in on is… "Ben, you have a Duel Runner? Where is it? Can I see it?! Can I ride it?!" he asks, suddenly in front of me and bouncing on his feet like a child-sized rabbit. Every trace of sleep seems to have gone from his body.

"Well, er, no. I had one, but it's… not really with me anymore," I reply sheepishly, taking a step back and avoiding his gaze once more. That excitement was so adorable, I don't want to see the disappointment seep in.

"What do you mean? Did you lose it?" he asks, tilting his head.

"Kind of. Not really. It was… destroyed, I guess, is a better word for it," I say, cringing at the thought of the machine that my friends from the Satellite helped so painstakingly to build up being smashed to bits by the flood of garbage that filled the tunnel seconds after I made my escape from the Pipeline.

"How did it get destroyed?"

"…So, what do you think Bastion's making for breakfast?" I change the subject. I still don't know how they would react upon finding out I came from the Satellite, and was, for all intents and purposes, a criminal up until Bastion came and got me.

"I don't know. Something with tacos, probably," Leo says, seemingly ignorant, or just not caring, about my abrupt switch. "Do you think your friend is gonna be up soon?"

I look down at Yusei again. "I don't know. I hope."

What would I tell Rally if something happened to Yusei, and I couldn't help him? I think.

Just as I say that, I hear a soft, ragged grunt elicit from Yusei's mouth—the first sign of life I've heard from him all night. Quickly I get down to my knees and start listening. "Leo, go get Bastion. Just in case I need his help with anything," I say, partially hoping to get the boy out of my hair.

"On it!" Leo says. "I'll be back soon, Ben!"

He darts from the room, quick as if he were on a Duel Runner.

"Yusei. Yusei, can you hear me?" I ask, tapping my friend's chest softly, trying to find some sort of response. He groans again, a bit stronger this time. My heart soars, and then falls dead; how am I gonna tell him that I let my Duel Runner get destroyed?

Just as I'm debating myself about putting a pillow over his face for the sake of avoiding that conversation, I notice his eyes slowly starting to flutter open. The two sapphires finally become fully visible, except for a few rapid bouts of blinking as his eyes adjust to the light again.

"Yusei, you're awake!" I say, smiling with relief.

He looks at me for a moment. Then another moment. And then a third.

His eyes bare no hint of recognition in them. I can't help but imagine this is how I looked at Bastion the first time we met after seventy years. Grimacing inwards, I recognize potential signs of the same affliction I've been struck with.

"You… don't know who I am, do you?" I ask with a defeated sigh. Secretly, I'm a little glad I won't have to worry about telling him what happened to my Duel Runner, but then there's a little part that's not particularly keen on handling someone who knows nothing about themselves.

Another moment passes, and he shakes his head. His voice is weak as he speaks, and it makes me weak to hear it; "Who… are you? Who am I?"

Bastion's voice breaks in from behind us, "Another amnesiac? This is getting out of hand, now there are two of them!"

Ask if you can hear the sound, of my voice through the cold hard ground,

Our first sight is a shot of the Satellite and the City, a diagonal slash dividing the two. Ben and Bastion appear, Ben in the Satellite, Bastion in the City; they face away from one another, facing to the left and right respectively. They reach their hands in front of them, grasping for something off-screen, and close their eyes. The screen is constantly flashing black, and after their eyes shut the screen stops flashing and becomes solid black.

I lost it while searching for you, I screamed into the dark,

We open back up on a shot of Ben's eyes opening, before zooming out to find him overlooking the City at night, the lights of the buildings shining like thousands of tiny stars. He's all alone, until Shapeshift appears behind him, with several other Heroes joining in further behind.

If the world we're living in, has a single soul that you love,

Cut to Bastion's house, the living room. The old man and Dr. Pepper sit next to one another on a couch, a photo album propped open before them. We pan over the various pictures, most of the faces obscured by well-placed glare from lights—until coming to a stop on an image of Ben and Bastion in their younger years, dressed in Ra Yellow uniforms with their arms tossed around one another, both grinning.

If it holds a shred of meaning, well, then it's worth every fight!

A wrinkled hand glides across the photo, before the book is shut. We zoom up on Bastion's face, and for the briefest of moments, he appears youthful again, a flash of determination in his eyes.

And when all that we know comes to push and shove,

The other characters begin to appear in quick succession, appearing in various poses with their Signer dragons beside or behind them as we begin to pan across the sky. Starting with Yusei and Stardust Dragon, we go next to Jack and Red Dragon Archfiend,

Then we will pierce the heavens!

Next are Leo and Luna sharing the screen, Power Tool Dragon and Ancient Fairy Dragon behind them. Next is Akiza, her face obscured by her Black Rose Witch mask, Black Rose Dragon roaring and spreading thousands of red petals behind her.

The colors we see are new to you and me when we see the sky—

The Dragon Star shines brightly in center frame now, red and pulsating. Clouds swirl around it, gray and purple and black, before a sudden burst of red from the star blows them all away. The camera slams downward to see Rally staring up at the sky, and smiling.

As we began to run,

Jump cut to Ben and Bastion in a Duel Runner, the old man sitting in a side car as they rocket toward the camera, both of them grinning maniacally.

So we can finally feel the sun,

We zoom out a bit to find ourselves in the Kaiba Dome, with Goodwin watching on from his booth with his back turned.

Finally, you and I feel so alive, I feel your beating heart!

We now see Yusei and Jack riding alongside one another, Stardust and Red Dragon locked in combat as the pair speeds out of frame.

If you believe in me, we'll find where we were meant to be—

Ben and Akiza in a ground duel appears next, Elemental Hero Shapeshift somersaulting and cartwheeling around the field as Black Rose Dragon attempts to slash at him with its vines. Ben and Akiza's eyes meet, and the rage in Akiza's eyes softens a bit.

Now who cares about tomorrow, if today we are free?

Leo and Luna walk beside Bastion now, wandering through his immense garden. The old man says something, causing Leo to start laughing as Luna smiles brightly. She looks off to the side and sees Kuribon bouncing along with them.

My answer is always "Yes,"

The cast now stands assembled in front of Bastion's mansion in a freeze frame, centered around Ben; Bastion is to his immediate right, Akiza to his left, Yusei to Bastion's right, Jack to Akiza's left and so on. Rally, Leo and Luna are chasing Dr. Pepper in front, and over Rally's head Ben's face is just barely visible.

That I will always be with you.

One final cut puts our focus back on the old photo of Bastion and Ben. This time, however, it's elderly Bastion and Ben standing together, still smiling as bright as ever.

After sending a very tired-looking Ben to bed, Bastion has taken up the watch over Yusei, sitting down on a tiny, three-legged wooden stool and staring down the teenager as he eats a plate of eggs quietly. Leo and Luna stand behind their "Grandpa B," Leo on one side and Luna on the other.

As Yusei finishes up his plate and sets it down on the small table that had been placed in front of him, Bastion sighs with dismay. "I've got nothing," he says disappointedly. "I suppose I shouldn't have sent Ben off to bed yet, at least not before he told me something I could use to try and jog his memory."

"You said my name is… Yusei, right?" the teen asks uncertainly, fixing Bastion with a sapphire stare.

"That's right. Or, that's what Leo here has told me, at least," Bastion replies, placing a hand on Luna's shoulder.

"Grandpa B, I'm Luna," she points out, looking down at her grandfather-figure.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry. You're usually on the other side," Bastion replies absently, before switching his hand to Leo's shoulder. "Anyway, this is Leo. He's the one who told me your name, after I sent Ben off to bed."

As Yusei looks at Bastion, his gaze travels… slightly upwards, before his eyes widen a little in what may be recognition, or something similar. "What are those…?" he asks, standing up from the couch and beginning to walk toward the right side of the room.

"Hmm?" Bastion turns his head to look.

"Oh! My Jack Atlas stuff!" Leo bursts out, rushing over to Yusei's side. "Sorry! I forgot to move it all to my room before you guys showed up, sorry Grandpa B…"

Bastion had a known dislike for the so-called "King," occasionally wishing he himself had gone into pro-dueling in order to smash that pompous boy into the ground, but… as Yusei looks at the posters and models that Leo had left out, an idea comes to mind. "No, no, it's alright Leo. Go ahead and tell our new friend about him."

Leo blinks at his surrogate grandpa several times in confusion. "Uh…" He doesn't like it very much when Grandpa B throws curveballs like this. Finally shaking his head to snap himself out of it, he grabs Yusei by the arm and pulls him over to the table.

Reaching out, Yusei picks up one of the models. At first, it appears to simply be a white circle, though as he looks closer at it he sees a sort of triangular… thing jut from the front of it. The interior of this circle appears to have a man seated in it, dressed in a high-collared riding outfit.

"H-hey, be careful with that one! That was a birthday present," Leo explains, placing his hands underneath the model to make sure Yusei couldn't drop it. "That's Jack Atlas's Duel Runner! Pretty cool, huh?"

"Jack… Atlas…" Yusei repeats, staring down at the little man figurine in the model.

Suddenly, Leo gets an idea, his eyes going wide as he looks over to Bastion. "Grandpa B, do you think that Jack Atlas might have something to do with Yusei?!"

Smiling, Bastion replies, "Why no, Leo, I hadn't. How brilliant of you!"

Leo grins proudly, unaware or uncaring of the light sarcasm in Bastion's voice.

"I… think you're right, Leo," Yusei says, gingerly placing the model back on the table with its brothers. "Something is drawing me to him, but I don't know what it is, or why."

"Maybe you're a fan, too?" Leo suggests, folding his arms behind his head. "I mean, he is the best Turbo Duelist in the world, after all!"

Luna chimes in then, looking out the doors at the elevator housing, her green eyes homing in on the red Duel Runner. "Maybe you were hoping to duel him, Yusei? According to Ben, you're a Turbo Duelist too."

"Why would he say that?" Yusei asks curiously, turning to Luna.

"Well, as my young ward put it, you helped him build his own Duel Runner, and then that machine out there is yours too, apparently," Bastion replies, gesturing in the general direction.

"Let's take a look!" Leo suggests, darting ahead toward the door, his oversized Duel Disk flailing up and down on his swinging arm.

"Leo, wait—" Luna complains too late; her brother is already outside. She sighs, and looks to Yusei. "I'm sorry about him…"

"It's alright," Yusei says with a small, still slightly confused smile. He turns and walks out after Leo, followed by Bastion and Luna.

"You don't always have to apologize for your brother, Luna. He might not always have the best ideas, but he really does have the best intentions in mind," Bastion tells her quietly as they step outside, raising a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sunlight. "Maybe he's a little over-excited, but wouldn't you think a familiar object would jog our guest's memory a bit?"

When my eyes open next, I find myself standing outside the tall fencing of a mansion on a hill, a veritable forest of trees and bushes obscuring from sight anything beyond the very top of said hill.

Yet again, I realize that I am in the body of myself as a child, likely seven or eight. Just like that last time… I think, staring up at the beautiful house peaking down at me through the treetops.

My thoughts continue on until they dredge up the memory of the faceless girl, the Nightmare, as Magure called her. Knots form in my stomach, though as if compelled my small hands reach out and grab hold of the fencing, and slowly I begin pulling myself up. The bars are cold to the touch, dark gray iron that feels smooth as my hands cling tightly to them.

I remember the point of my coming here in the first place—the baseball. The memory is fresher now, Bastion and I had been playing baseball with some of the neighbor boys, and he hit the ball so hard that it flew out of our makeshift playing field and into this family's property.

Somehow, I was the only one who volunteered to go after it. Even Bastion had been hesitant to go in for it, though he at least agreed to wait for me while the others ran off.

And so it was my job to head in there, alone, and hunt down the baseball in that jungle of trees and bushes.

I'm at the top of the fence now, swinging my legs over; first right, then left, now sitting on the fence, before finally pushing off and landing on the ground below with a light, "Oof," as my knees dig into the dirt a little.

The knots that built up at the memory of the Nightmare start to loosen a little at the sound of birds singing overhead; as I recall, that dream had been completely silent, aside from the noises that I made wading through the brush. Sunlight seeps through gaps in the trees, lighting up my way a little bit as I slowly begin making my way into the woods.

"W-wait, Yusei! You can't go yet!" Leo pleads, grabbing onto the man's arm as he tries to mount his Duel Runner. "Your memories aren't back!"

"I appreciate the sentiment, Leo, but I don't think I'll find them here," Yusei replies, lifting up his helmet and staring at his reflection in the visor.

"One last idea! One more thing!" Leo begs, before raising his Duel Disk. It slides down on his arm a bit, but Leo makes no notice of it. "A duel! You and me, versus Grandpa B and Ben!"

"A duel?" Yusei asks curiously, looking down at his own Duel Disk and the deck inside. "…That might not be such a bad idea after all. I don't exactly have any other leads, aside from Jack Atlas…"

"It's settled then!" Leo shouts, pulling Yusei away from the Duel Runner and causing him to drop the helmet, which lands on the seat with almost perfect precision. He starts running around the pool towards Grandpa B, calling his name. "Grandpa B, go wake up Ben! Me and Yusei are going to duel you guys!"

"Is that so?" Bastion says, amused. "Well, I'm afraid it'll be you two against me. I'm the only one here who knows how that boy gets when he hasn't had enough sleep, after all."

"Angry?"

"Oh, much worse than angry. At his old school, he once dueled three boys at once and wiped the floor with them because they woke him up before his alarm," Bastion comments, though he waves his hand as if this information were inconsequential. "I hope that you two can handle an old man like me. I don't plan on going easy on you."

Leo grins. "Don't worry, Grandpa B! We'll handle you without a problem—give us your best!"

"My best, eh? Are you sure?" the old man smirks. His hands go to the khaki vest that he wears over his black polo shirt and opens it up, revealing six slots sewn into each side, twelve in total, each slot containing a separate deck. Closing the left side, he reaches into a pocket on the right and withdraws a deck. "I'm not quite sure that my best would be appropriate to use on the two of you—but this one is no slouch either."

An aura seems to overcome Leo at that moment. From his spot several feet away, Bastion gives off the illusion that he has grown to a monstrous size, though in reality he's still the same old man, just standing up a bit straighter than usual. Lightning seems to strike and crackle behind him, and as the imaginary flash lights up his eyes, Leo begins to regret his wording.

"Prepare yourselves boys—prepare to be washed away!" Grandpa B declares, laughing proudly as if he were some kind of maniac.

Yusei looks down at Leo. Leo looks back up at him sheepishly. "I probably shouldn't have told him that."

The baseball sits in the crook of a tree, wedged between a thick branch and the trunk and almost hidden behind a dense clump of bright green leaves. For a moment I nearly pass by it, thinking of it as little more than an egg or something at first, before something compels me to go back and look at it.

"There you are," I mutter, my voice sounding younger than my seventeen years would suggest. Of course it would—I'm eight, after all. I pad over to the tree and try to make a grab at the ball, hopping and flailing my arms in an attempt to free it from its rest. "Get down here. I wanna go home!"

Sighing in defeat, I look at the round trunk and try to find some sort of handhold, knowing now that I will have to climb if I wish to retrieve the item. Finally I spot a hole in the wood, and use it to slowly pull myself off the ground.

"Ha… ha… B… better thank me… when I get back!" I pant, the words slipping from my mouth without me intending to say them. I assume this is probably what I said during this particular struggle with nature. "There we go!"

Hoisting myself up onto the branch, my hand closes around the baseball and I throw my arms in the air and cheer loudly.

Moments later, however, I find myself wondering if that was the right thing to do. Quietly, a young girl's voice calls out from somewhere down below, "Is someone there?"

From my perch on the tree branch I can see the top of a yellow head wandering through the brush. The knots in my stomach tighten again, clenching as if being pulled taut, before I remember that the last time, she hadn't spoke.

And just like that, my seat slips out from under me, and clutching the ball to my chest I fall to the ground with a thud, landing hard on my side. As my eyes open, I find myself looking up at the young girl in the white dress—the Nightmare, except this time, she has a face. A cute face.

Her green eyes meet mine, and my heart skips a beat.

Yusei and Leo: 2400 LP / Bastion: 4000 LP

"Though Brinegir's ATK returns to 1000 at the end of this turn, I'm sure he's done more than enough damage to you to put you two on the run!" Bastion laughs, a good deal of youth lacing his voice as he smirks across the playing field at the two youngsters before him.

"I've never seen Grandpa B so worked up…" Leo mutters, his eyes staring nervously at the creature of water that glares back at them.

A massive snake, formed half of water and half of ice, sits coiled in front of Bastion, towering high over any of them, almost halfway up Leo and Luna's home. Long, sharp spikes of ice jut out from its head and run down its back like spines, the pointed tips glistening in the bright sunlight. Beneath its icy armor, its underbelly rushes like a waterfall, water cascading along its body with a quiet roar as pair of eyes as deep and blue as the ocean watch the pair of young duelists as if they are its prey. (Brinegir: Level 7, WATER, Sea Serpent-type; 1000 ATK / 2600 DEF)

"What are we going to do, Yusei?" Leo asks quietly.

"Yes, Yusei, what are you going to do?" Bastion mocks. "I end my turn here, so please, wow me!"

"I draw!" Yusei says, refusing to respond to the taunts. "I know you'll help us—Speed Warrior!"

Clad in a suit of grayish armor and a black jumpsuit underneath, the Warrior-type monster known as Speed Warrior leaps onto the field, the wheels attached to its boots screeching as it moves to a halt instead of Yusei and Leo, crouched low with one leg straight out in front of Leo. The monster's eyes are obscured behind a set of opaque blue goggles, but it stares up at Brinegir with a baleful aura. (Speed Warrior: Level 2, WIND, Warrior-type; 900 ATK / 400 DEF)

"Oh my. Is that your best, Yusei? Perhaps a math lesson is in order," Bastion teases.

"I'm starting to understand why Ben gets annoyed by him so much," Luna comments to Dr. Pepper, while the two sit on the sidelines in the shade.

If she could have heard him, she would have gotten a response of, "Sister, you don't know the half of it."

"I activate the effect of Speed Warrior—just like your Brinegir, his ATK can be increased too! During the Battle Phase of the turn Speed Warrior was Normal Summoned, his ATK is doubled!" Yusei declares.

Pressing a yellow button on his chest, Speed Warrior grunts loudly as his armor begins to hum, almost like the revving of an engine. (Speed Warrior: 1800 ATK)

"Which is more than enough to put your monster down! Go, Speed Warrior, Hyper Sonic Slash!"

From his crouch, Speed Warrior lunges forward, moving like a roller skater as he darts across the field in the direction of Brinegir. Leaping into the air and raising a leg high over his head, he prepares to bring his foot down in a powerful heel kick.

But then—Bastion begins smiling even wider. "Is that what you think, Yusei? I'm almost tempted to let this go through, but I haven't decided whether or not I want to win yet."

"What do you mean?" Yusei demands, feeling a steady increase in annoyance toward the elderly man. He can't remember ever meeting someone so infuriating.

"I activate my Trap Card, Sea Stealth Attack!"

"I'm Alexis," the girl tells me as she places a small bandage on my scraped knee. "I live up there on the hill."

"I'm Ben," I reply.

The smile that she gives me is… dazzling, to say the least. "I know… you've been in here before," she replies, a little shyly. "You lose your baseball a lot, don't you?"

I chuckle sheepishly in response, looking away from her smile with a tinge of red painting my cheeks. "I don't lose it… I'm just the one that always winds up going to get it," I explain. "What are you doing out here?"

"It's my house, why shouldn't I go where I want?" she responds playfully.

"…Yes, but—"

"Young Mistress!" comes a voice, cutting through the trees and soon accompanied by the rustling of footsteps through the brush and the snapping of twigs underfoot. A man in a deep red suit and black shoes, with short gray hair and a pair of glasses and a permanently sour expression on his face appears soon after, panting. "Young Mistress, you must stop running off like that! Why I—"

His eyes settle on me, narrowing in suspicion. "—I see. So this is why you took off as such, Young Mistress. Lost your ball again, have you, boy?"

I shrink under his glare, unable to form proper words. Why is he so upset with me?

Making no signs as to whether he is satisfied or not by my lack of answer, he sniffs haughtily. "Well, I believe that as the Young Mistress's butler, it is my duty to see any visitors off. I trust you recall the way back to the fence?"

"Adler, please! He's not doing anything wrong!" Alexis insists, rather angrily.

"Perhaps we should take him to see your father, then? I shudder to think what he would say about a trespasser!" the butler responds.

Yusei and Leo: 1000 LP / Bastion: 4000 LP

"We're completely outmatched," Leo laments, looking back at the set of monsters that stand guard over his surrogate grandfather.

In the ruins of the sunken city that seem to have overtaken the modern setting of New Domino, two more serpents, larger and fiercer than Brinegir could have hoped to be, have taken up residence. They seem to be evolved, or possibly devolved forms of the previous monster, the icy spikes gone and now made up entirely of rushing water. Two pairs of glowing red eyes glare out at the pair, though they make no sign of intent to attack… yet. (Water Dragon: Level 8, WATER, Sea Serpent-type; 2800 ATK / 2600 DEF)

The old man's assault had been relentless. First Brinegir was brought out by the effect of a Mother Grizzly, its effect had targeted a WATER monster in Bastion's Graveyard—which was a third copy of Water Dragon, ironically, increasing its ATK to nearly 4000. It sent Junk Warrior back to the scrap heap, before returning to its original ATK of 1000.

While Yusei planned to stage a counterattack with Speed Warrior, the set Trap of Sea Stealth Attack brought A Legendary Ocean onto the field, and made it so that any monster who battled a Level 5 or higher WATER monster that Bastion controlled was destroyed immediately. Leo tried fighting back with his own Morphtronics, but quickly understood that the best he could do was defend.

Grandpa B wasn't pulling his punches today. Again and again the waves of water crashed down on the pair of younger duelists as the tide that was Bastion Misawa surged forth to try and sweep them away, but still they held on.

"Could you imagine how this would be if Ben was on his side?" Leo asks Yusei quietly.

"No."

"…Right. You've never dueled Ben."

"Coming up with a final gambit, gentlemen? I'm afraid that you've got no hope—simply pass the turn over to me, and we'll end this here and now!"

Leo sighs. "I'm sorry, Yusei," he whispers. "I end my turn."

As it turns out, Alexis's father was significantly more receptive to a 'trespasser' after finding out that he was simply a child looking for a lost ball. As Alexis and I stood out in the hall, listening to him berate Adler, we couldn't help but share a quiet laugh.

The sun is setting now as she walks with me down the path to the gates. Her father trails along behind, smiling down at us. "Next time, Ben, please feel free to use the call box! We'll send someone nicer along to help you look," he says, waving. He doesn't follow us the rest of the way.

"Your dad is really nice," I say to Alexis as we continue toward the exit.

"He is… what's your dad like?" she asks.

I falter a little, not expecting such a question. There are times when I often ask myself that, but immediately… Bastion's father comes to mind. "He's nice too. A great cook, and loves baseball. He taught me how to pitch," I say. "Oh, and he really likes tacos."

She giggles, the sweet sound making me blush again.

The walk is over too soon, the gates opened slightly to allow me to slip through. I don't overstay my welcome, moving on to the other side where an excited Bastion waits for me. "What took you so long, Ben? Dad's gonna have dinner ready."

"Are you two brothers?" Alexis asks curiously.

He and I look between one another, and laugh slightly. "Kind of. Closer than brothers, really," I say.

"Best friends to the very end," confirms B.

"I wish I had a friendship like that," Alexis says softly. "Hey, Ben… you'll come visit me again, won't you?"

The smile I give her is wide, and hopefully every bit as dazzling as what she gave me. "Count on it."

Bastion and I turn around to walk away.

"B… I think I'm gonna marry her some day," I say, despite not even knowing the slightest bit about marriage, aside from Bastion's parents' relationship. Though… I can see myself getting behind something like that with her.

And like that, we walk off into the setting sun.

And though our hero doesn't know it… Alexis heard him whisper that to his best friend. She carried that promise with her, for a long, long time after.

Yusei and Leo: 100 LP / Bastion: 0 LP

"I… I won?" Leo asks, disbelief etched in his small features. "I won? I won! I beat Grandpa B!"

Luna, just as stunned as her brother, looks over to Dr. Pepper. "What… just happened?"

As the forms of Morphtronic Boarden and a heavily-equipped Videon disappear, Yusei turns and smiles at the small boy. "Great job, Leo! I knew that we'd win this."

Bastion starts clapping proudly. "That's my boy, Leo. And you, too, Yusei. Excellent teamwork." A smirk crosses his face again. "However, don't expect to get so lucky a second time. There's eleven other decks you haven't seen, each worse than the last."

"Oh, I don't know about that," a voice from the doorway remarks. "Seemed pretty easy the last time I beat you."

There stands Ben, a smirk on his face, his hair a dishevelled mess, and about three hours of sleep under his belt. He looks a little refreshed, but he yawns into his fist as he stands there, leaning against the doorframe.

"As I recall, Ben, our last duel was inconclusive," Bastion pointed out.

"Ben…" Yusei says.

All attention flips over to Yusei, his eyes blinking rapidly with recognition. Ben once more sees this as a potential sign of amnesia—albeit amnesia being reversed. He smiles. "Hey Yusei. Was wondering when you'd show up."

AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE CALLING IT! How was it, folks, worth the wait? I'm so, so, so, SO sorry for how long it took to get this out, life has just been an absolute mess ever since we moved back to Texas. I hope the chapter wasn't too confusing to follow, I wanted to try experimenting a little with the style hopping around a bit between plots rather than just having it be all in one section for each.

So, who called that reveal? I'm sure as soon as Bastion showed up, you probably did in all honesty, but humor me and pretend it's unexpected. We got to see what the memory Ben had a look at in Chapter 15 was really like, without the Nightmare setting in and requiring Dr. Pepper to rescue him.

And that duel, Bastion vs. Leo and Yusei… well, it probably wasn't very actiony, and I do apologize for that, but I stick by this choice. I don't want to give away all of Bastion's dueling skills yet—he's got a big hero moment coming on soon!

Anyway, I won't keep you around too much longer this time, which I'm pretty sure I say every time—and I hope that will placate you all for a bit! Expect a new chapter within the month, I think. We're about to get into the Fortune Cup stuff, which means we'll be seeing our love interest very soon!

One final question before I go: who would you folks rather see make an appearance, a descendant of Aster or a descendant of Zane? Leave your answer in the review (or I might just make a poll, depending on how things go), because that will be directly influencing the next OC joining our cast!

Anyway, as always…

Take care, brrrrush yo hair, I'll see ya when I see ya… PEACE!

~Chase

P.S., This chapter will bring this story to over 100k words! Thank you guys all so much for the support!