Chapter 53; complex matters, Interpol interferes

Sonic closed the TV. Despair started filling his heart. He was watching the news trying to find a clue as to where Miles would head but instead saw an interview with Interpol agent Hoffman, who led the investigation about the rider of justice. He said that at the start of Miles' kill streak he saw it as nothing more than a nuisance but after the explosion at the factory back in Bucharest, he declared it was personal and that he would apprehend the rider himself. He also claimed that he knew the rider wasn't a psychopath but a vigilante. He said that his signature head crashing was nothing more than an effort to trick the police that he was a psychopath. Sonic realized in terror that he knew Miles would act calmly and with patience making him an easy target. Now that Interpol was on his trail it would be even harder to find Miles himself. As the duel king he wouldn't go unnoticed very easily. And if they somehow connected his search to the rider, agent Hoffman and his team would easily realize Miles' identity and seal his fate.

He felt relieved to have warned Silver to motivate all of their friends from the hunt of the god cards and have them standby checking about any criminal movement big enough to attract Miles' attention. Meanwhile the rest of the team from back home, Shadow, rouge, Storm also took action. Rouge would meet with the rest of the gang in order to help them and be sure her children would be safe. Storm and Shadow would travel everywhere the tracking team would lead them as a second Miles-chasing team. However he didn't warn anyone of Miles' new power. Cause he himself was also concerned. If Miles was able to tap into the lunar dragon's power once then he would probably be able to do it again. Sonic, as Jet stated, was technically a god, since he bore the spirit of the lunar dragon. And yet Miles had managed to result in a draw with him. If he really could go against Sonic, the others wouldn't stand a chance.

Tails at that moment brought him out of his thoughts.

"We got a message from Blaze. The covered story of a loose psychopathic killer in Berlin was just leaked. The police didn't want the people to panic and never told anyone. But now it is common knowledge. Furthermore a white duel runner was stopped earlier this morning on its way to Berlin and the driver was given a speeding ticket because the passenger wasn't wearing a helmet."

"It must be Miles" Sonic said "I don't know how he made such a mistake but now we know where he is headed."

Soon they were on their way to Berlin. Luke hacked into the police data to see the clues about the killer. He noticed that his victims had their arms crossed like they were just buried in a funeral. The team realized that this was probably the job of a professional and found out who the criminal was immediately. It was a former gravedigger named William Kramer who had just quit his job at a cemetery, claiming he couldn't stand the vibe any longer. He had a record of visiting a mental hospital claiming he heard the dead calling their loved ones to follow them to heaven. Of course his victims were relatives of several people he had buried. Now knowing where Miles would go, they started to prepare Sonic's deck for his next confrontation with Miles. Once they made it to Berlin however, when Knuckles went to see where the house of the killer was, he noticed the police was 10 times more active than it should have been. That meant the risk of Sonic chasing Miles and dueling him again was way too big. Instead Luke was chosen to go against Miles. Sonic informed them of mekk-knight black moon ultima's known abilities. Luke immediately started working on his deck with Evelyn and Aurora who used similar decks. Soon after Evelyn left to ask Sonic about whether Luke should run a specific card in his deck against Miles, so Aurora approached Luke.

"Hey Luke ummm.."

"Aurora please not now. We don't have time for your romance."

"No it's not that. It's just…"

Luke looked at her and realized she was serious.

"I'm scared. Miles is as powerful as my dad. And my dad is the duel king. Are you sure it's a good idea to go?"

"Don't worry rory. I will be fine. I have already calculated my formula for victory."

"Yeah but I'm not only worried about whether you bring back my brother. I'm worried about you too. What if Miles flips and hurts you?"

"Rory" he said holding her hands "thank you for your concern but I'm gonna beat Miles. Don't worry about me."

Aurora felt the confidence in his words and nodded.

Later that night the singed ones arrived at Kramer's house. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles entered and caught Kramer by surprise.

"Who are you people? What do you want?"

"William Kramer you are in danger."

"What are you talking about?"

"The rider of justice is after you."

"What?!" he said in shock.

"Listen. Come with us. Turn yourself in. The police will protect you."

"Wha- what do you mean turn myself in?"

"We know you are the serial killer the police is after. But what's important right now is that we keep you safe. So come with us now".

William thought of it for a second then nodded positively. Afterwards they walked out to get to their runners. However in the middle of the streets the sound of a gun firing was heard and William fell to the ground holding his belly and screaming in pain. Sonic Tails and Knuckles immediately took cover behind a car but before they realized where shot came from a duel runner came out of nowhere and run over William's head ending his life instantly. Sonic immediately dialed a number.

"What was that?!" Amy's voice was heard from the phone.

"A distraction. Marianna shot the guy so Miles could run over him! Send Luke after him! We'll catch Marianna!"

"Ok copy that!" Amy said and then turned to Luke who was riding Knuckles' duel runner and waiting close to Kramer's house.

"Go! Miles has killed Kramer! Catch him!"

"I'm off!" Luke said accelerating.

He immediately turned to the route where Kramer's house was and run by Sonic, Tails and Knuckles. Then he followed the sound of Miles' runner. Soon he saw it in front of him. Miles noticed him and accelerated as well. Luke soon realized that Miles wasn't driving as he used to. Soon enough the entered and alley where a stray dog jumped out of the way scared. Immediately Miles' runner slowed down and stopped. Luke also stopped in shock realizing they had been played by Miles again. in his current state he wouldn't stop for a stray dog.

"Of course. How could I not see it." He said looking at the rider who had his helmet on "How could you have been the one to shoot from such a distance Marianna. Only Miles could have pulled of such a feat."

"Hi Luke."

It was Marianna riding the runner. Miles had shot William and she run him over.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you hurting people?"

"I do it because it is the right thing."

"The right thing from your or Miles' point of view?"

"From our point of view."

"Marianna wake up! Miles is using you! I don't know if he likes you or not but he is clearly using you do his bidding! You just run over a human's head!"

Marianna released a tear but Luke didn't see it.

"No he would never do something like that! And I would never do what I do without my free will!"

"Come back to us Marianna. Interpol is on your trail. We need to go home and find an alibi. If the rider of justice stops here the case will freeze just like with the zodiac killer. It is the only way to help Miles."

"NO!"

"Marianna! If you truly care for him you have to do this!"

However he never got a reply. The alley was filled with light coming from a helicopter.

"This is Interpol! Dismount your runners and put your hands in the air!"

Luke realized that he had to choose between letting Marianna go in order to guarantee Miles' and her freedom or try to outmaneuver the police and catch her.

"Get out of here" he said while accelerating. Marianna also turned around and accelerated. Luke immediately used the nitro equipped to Knuckles' duel runner. The exhaust hose spit fire and drew the police's attention buying enough time for Marianna to escape. Luke raced through the city with Interpol on his trail. He went to the meeting point and Jet who took the runner and left while he descended to the sewers. The plan was that he would follow the pipes to the location where Amy and the others were waiting. However while he was walking he heard a voice to his right.

"Well, well, well."

Luke turned his head and saw the one person he didn't expect. Agent Hoffman himself! Thankfully he still wore his helmet for a scenario like this.

"Agent Hoffman".

"I take it you know what happens when you allow a serial killer like the rider of justice to escape".

"Yes."

"Then remove the helmet and put your hands in the air."

"I have a better idea. Let's duel with my freedom at stake."

"Please kid. That won't work like the movies. You won't just risk your freedom and I will accept out of honor. You should have something as precious as your freedom to give in case you lose."

"I have".

"Then let's hear it".

"I win, I'm free. I lose, you catch me and I reveal who the rider of justice is".

Hoffman's eyes widened.

"You know his identity?"

"Yes".

"Hmm. Alright kid you got yourself a deal."

"DUEL!"

"My turn!" Luke said "I summon lady debug in attack mode! Her effect activates! I add salamangreat gazelle from my deck to my hand! Now appear circuit of soul! I set the link marker with my lady debug! Link summon! Appear! Salamangreat veilynx! Now it's effect activates. I add salamangreat sanctuary from my deck to my hand!"

"Hold it! I activate effect veiler! Your veilynx is useless."

"How come Interpol uses a cheap card like effect veiler? I was expecting something like the trap infinite impermanence. But you allowed me to activate called by the grave! It banishes veiler and negates its effect!"

"Oh no!"

"Father I have inherited your burning soul. I will definitely win and keep Miles' secret safe" Luke thought as he continued his flaming combo.

"From my hand I discard salamangreat spinny to activate its effect. Veilynx attack points increase by 500. Then salamangreat gazelle's effect activates. Since a salamangreat was sent to the graveyard I use her ability to summon her directily to the field! Next I activate her second effect. Once per turn when she is summoned I can send a salamangreat card from my deck to my graveyard. I choose the counter trap salamangreat roar!"

"A counter trap in the graveyard? Kid you may be easier to catch than I thought. Counter traps don't work in the graveyard".

"Under normal conditions yes. However this deck is special. And you will see now what I mean agent Hoffman. I activate the field spell salamangreat sanctuary! Next I special summon spinny from the graveyard!"

"How?!"

"Spinny revives itself when I control a salamangreat monster except itself. However it has to be banished when it leaves the field. But I have another plan for it. I overlay my gazelle and my spinny! All powerful beast of fire emerge from you flaming slumber and stomp my opponents to the ground! Xyz summon! Appear! Salamangreat mirage stallio! Now I activate stallio's effect! By detatching one xyz material like salamangreat gazelle I can summon a salamagreat monster from my deck in defense mode! However this costs me to not activate any monster effects this turn other than fire type effects. Now come forth! Salamangreat jack jaguar! Now I set the link markers with veilynx and jack jaguar! Circuit combine! Link summon! Appear! Salamangreat sunlight wolf!"

"So you have summoned 2 weak monsters. Where will you go from here now?!"

"Never underestimate your opponent agent. They may have a power greater than your own! And I believe I do! After all my deck is salamanGREAT!"

"Arrogant huh? Let's see how much you speak when I arrest you!"

"Let's see you arrest me after this move! Sanctuary's effect activates! It's time for reincarnation link summon!"

"Say what?!" Agent Hoffman said shocked.

Meanwhile Sonic Tails and Knuckles were searching for the runner carrying Marianna, thinking she was Miles. However soon Tails came upon them and informed Sonic. Sonic immediately started chasing her but soon enough realized she was merely playing with him. Once they were back outside William's house he saw a figure jumping from the top of a building. The figure landed on the road and once Marianna drove next to him he jumped on. Sonic managed to see his son's face. They kept racing until Sonic caught up to them. He tried to crash their runner to get them to stop. But at that moment his mark started shining. Miles' eyes also became blue. Sonic looked at this shocked, fearing of what the lunar dragon had in mind for them. Soon his runner started accelerating even more overtaking Miles and Marianna. Sonic tried to stop it. Now a blue shine had started to cover the runner. He looked back and saw nothing. Only an eternal blue.

"What the heck is going on?! Where are you taking me?!" He screamed but the lunar dragon's mark kept shining and driving him to the unknown.

Marianna looked shocked at Miles whose eyes were still blue.

"Miles?! Miles?! Come on baby talk to me! Miles!"

Miles' eyes turned back to normal. He looked at her for a moment. She immediately kissed him in relief.

"What happened? Where is my father? Did we outrun him?"

"No. Something crazy happened. His runner was covered in a blue shine and disappeared. It looked like the time travel scene from back to the future movie but without the fire trails."

"Could that have been the dragon god he said he is the vessel of?"

"Probably. But why were your eyes blue?"

"I don't know. I felt weird. Like if someone was calling to me. I saw my black moon ultima in front of me momentarily and it turned into a giant blue dragon like figure."

"Well whatever it was, we should discuss this later. Interpol is on our trail. We have to hide."

"Ok baby move over I'm driving."

Back in the sewers Luke had the duel under control.

"Salamangreat sanctuary's effect lets me link summon a salamangreat link monster by using copy of it that's on the field instead of materials! Sunlight wolf! Be reborn through the power of fire! Reincarnation Link Summon! Appear again sunlight wolf!"

"Phew and there I thought you were making a big move. But you just replaced one sunlight wolf for another. You gained nothing off of it."

"Don't be so sure agent. When sunlight wolf is sent to the graveyard as the material for the summoning of a copy of itself it adds a salamangreat spell or trap from my graveyard to my hand! I choose my salamangreat roar!"

"Say what?!"

"And that was just the start! Salamangreat jack jaguar also has another effect! By returning another salamangreat monster from my graveyard to my deck or extra deck, like my dead sunlight wolf I can revive my jaguar under wolf's link marker! And when it is summoned I can activate the effect of wolf to add a salamangreat monster from my graveyard to my hand! I choose my gazelle! I now set 3 cards face down and end my turn! Now let's see you getting out of this agent Hoffman!"

"Very well. I draw! I summon SPYRAL drone in attack mode! I use its effect! I can rearrange the top 3 cards of your deck as I like!"

"No way! Go solemn strike! For 1500 LP" (Luke LP 6500) "I negate your monster's effect and smash it!"

"Then I use monster reborn to revive it!"

"Oh no you don't! I activate the effect of ghost belle and haunted mansion to negate monster reborn!"

"Darn you! You can't calculate everything kid! I activate the effect of my SPYRAL super agent! I choose the type of the top card in your deck. If I guess it right he jumps to the field!"

"Forget it! Go salamangreat roar! I negate the activation of your effect and smash it!"

"Darn! Fine then! I activate card destruction. I discard my hand and draw 2 new cards. So do you with your gazelle! Then I activate the effects of my 2 SPYRAL mission rescue traps in my graveyard! By banishing them my 2 monsters are revived! I use the effect of drone to rearrange the top card of your deck and put the one under it on top! Now appear circuit of mission! I link summon SPYRAL double helix! Helix's effect activates. I guess the type of the top card of your deck and if it's right I summon a SPYRAL monster from my deck! I say monster! After all I know it is ash blossom and joyous spring."

"I activate my final set card! Infinite impermanence! It negates Helix's effect!"

"Oh no!"

"That's how you negate an effect!"

"Damn it! Ok then! Helix destroy sunlight wolf!"

Helix attacked sunlight wold but veilynx appeared and was destroyed instead.

"What the heck?"

"Veilynx's effect was activated. By banishing itself it saves sunlight wolf from destruction".

"You still take damage!"

"100 points are nothing." (Luke LP 6400)

"I set one card and end my turn."

"My turn again then! Draw! I use stallio's effect again! by detaching spinny I can summon salamangreat fowl from my deck! Now I activate the spell cosmic cyclone to banish your set card!"

"NO! My storming mirror force!"

"Now I set the link markers with sunlight wolf, jack jaguar and fowl! Link summon! Arise! Borrelsword dragon!"

"Borrelsword dragon?! No way! only a few duelists possess that card!"

Luke cursed the fact that he forgot he shouldn't use borrelsword. But now it was too late.

"I'm ending this! Borrelsword! Attack double helix! At this moment he steals half the attack points of double helix!"

"AAAAAAH!" (Agent Hoffman LP 5000)

"Mirage stallio attack directily!"

"AAAAAAAAH!" (Agent Hoffman LP 3000)

"Borrelsword's effect activates! He switches my stallio to defense mode and attacks again. it's over!"

"NOOOOO!" (Agent Hoffman LP 0)

Hoffman waited for the smoke from the explosion borrelsword dragon's attack to clear, but when he could see again Luke was gone.

"You may have escaped today but I will catch you! You and the rider of justice! You hear me?!"

Luke could hear him. But he kept running. After a short run he made it to the sewer entrance of the location Amy was waiting. He got out. Amy immediately run to his side.

"Luke what happened?"

"I'm sorry. I was played by Miles. It was Marianna riding the runner."

"Where is she then?"

"I had to let her get away to lure agent Hoffman and the Interpol away from her."

Amy let a tear drop but immediately calmed.

"It's ok. You did the right thing. Keeping them safe for now is what we should do. Let's get back to the plane. Maybe Sonic will catch them."

"Yeah let's go".

When they returned however, Tails and Knuckles were at the plane informing the rest of the situation.

"What happened?" Amy asked them "where is Sonic? Did he catch Miles and Marianna?"

"No. they're gone. And so is Sonic!"

"What?!"

"We can't find him. His cell phone is offline and we can't feel him with our marks either!"

"But that's impossible!"

"That's what I'm saying!"

Amy felt she would crack. Now both her son and her husband were gone. However she decided to stay strong and lead the team until Sonic returned to them.

"Ok then. Until he is back I will make the decisions. For now we have to continue trying to track down the kids. Inform Blaze and Vector to check the borders of Germany 24 hours a day. We have to make sure they won't cross to another country. Also tell Silver, Espio and Zeena to keep us informed about criminals Miles could chase."

"And what about Sonic?!"

"Sonic will be ok. I'm sure!"

Tails looked at her and then dialed a number. Amy looked outside the window of the jet.

"Sonic please be back soon. I don't know for how long I can be strong."

Sonic was fighting with all his strength to stop the runner from continuing to speed up. Suddenly it stopped. He felt his spine touch the front part of his body. He closed his eyes for a few moments to relax. When he opened them though, he felt he was dreaming. All around him were flying vehicles. Some looked like duel runners on flight mode. The buildings were made of glass and were also huge. Sonic was filled with awe but also started to worry. There were no places like that on Earth. No city was that advanced.

At that moment he noticed a screen showing a parade. The leaders of the parade were holding a banner. On the banner was written a phrase that made Sonic feel like he would faint. He knew where he was or more accurately WHEN! He had no idea what surprises the lunar dragon had in store for him but there were surely bad ones. All these thoughts crossed his mind as he read the phrase

HAPPY 10TH DICTATOR SONIC DEATH ANNIVERSARY

Sonic's quest to save his son had now become a journey though time. A journey to the future he once saved.