It was with a lot of stress that we walked onto the track the next day, and I noticed out of the corner of my eye that all three members of Team Catastrophe tensed up when they saw Crow.
...Who immediately started walking toward them. My arm shot out, and grabbed his left, "Don't. It will shock them more when they figure out for themselves that we know."
Nodding, he let out a deep breath, "Fine. But I will get revenge for everyone that they have hurt."
He got on his runner, and Hermann from Catastrophe pulled up next to him. I wrung my hands together as the countdown started, "I hope he can keep dueling long enough to get his revenge. He'll be pissed if you or I do it."
Jack chuckled roughly, "You worry too much Yusei. He won't let pain slow him down."
The light turned green, and they both shot forward. Crow started gaining, and then slowed down. I turned to glance at Jack, "Well, it literally looks like you were wrong."
Wringing my hands together, I watched as Crow slowly gained until he finally pulled even with Hermann. Before relief could even register, gasps filled the pit as Hermann's runner swerved sharply, slamming repeatedly into the side of the Blackbird.
But my heartbeat could be heard in my ears when I saw Hermann's arm shoot out and punch Crow's injured shoulder, "I'm going to scream in a pillow for a second. I can't watch this."
Jack handed me a pillow, and I hid in the back of our pit where the other team wouldn't see me.
"Hermann of Team Catastrophe gets the first turn, and the duel begins!"
Of course he does, he hit my brother and I would beat him to a pulp if it wasn't illegal.
He spoke with way too much confidence, "I summon Hook the Hidden Knight, place a facedown and end my turn."
Hook the Hidden Knight-1600
Crow's voice was cracking as he forced his words out, "When only my opponent has monsters on his field, I can summon Blackwing-Sirocco the Dawn in attack mode."
Blackwing-Sirocco the Dawn-2000
"Attack!"
Composing myself, I dropped the pillow and walked back, "Okay everyone, keep an eye out, because this is how Andore crashed."
Hermann smirked, "I activate Hook the Hidden Knight's ability. When he is attacked in attack mode, both monsters are switched to defense mode. Then when he switches to defense mode, you take 800 points of damage."
Hook the Hidden Knight-0
Blackwing-Sirocco the Dawn-900
Life Points Crow=3200
Crow started to swerve the second that he got hit, but I could see his eyes darting around trying to find what made him crash.
The shadows around his back wheel started to shift, and formed into a coherent shape. A shape which looked exactly like a hook.
Through the intercom we heard Crow swear, "Not another demon card!"
Crow swerved away from it, and stabilized his runner. Hermann looked beyond mad, but all I could focus on was what we'd just seen, "It's just like Crimson Mefist. Let's just hope that it doesn't have any other effects."
Despite the distance, Crow's pain washed over me as he spit out his words, "I place four facedowns and end my turn."
Hermann didn't seem to realise that we knew about his monster's ability, because his voice was very calm despite Crow avoiding the attack, "I switch Hook the Hidden Knight to attack mode, and also summon Dark the Hidden Knight. Dark the Hidden Knight can attack directly."
Hook the Hidden Knight-1600
Dark the Hidden Knight-800
"Dark, attack Crow directly!"
Crow didn't even bother to pretend to be hit by the illusion.
Life Points Crow=2400
"Now Hook the Hidden Knight attacks Sirocco the Dawn!"
As the attack was declared, Crow looked at his back wheel. Almost immediately the hook returned, and he swerved away from it. He never even glanced up as his Blackwing shattered.
Hermann placed a facedown while glaring at my brother, and Crow slowly drew his next card. I stepped back from the computers and took a deep breath, "Tell Crow to come in for a pit stop. He needs ice on that shoulder now or he'll be useless."
Leo nodded and ran to the edge with the plaque thing. As he stretched it out, Jack half stood up and hollered, "Crow, let me take them on!"
The black helmet shook back and forth, "I'll come in the second that thing is gone!"
Jack slammed his hand down as he retook his seat, and Crow continued, "I activate the trap Blackback, which special summons a Blackwing monster from my graveyard with 2000 or less attack points. I choose Sirocco."
Blackwing-Sirocco the Dawn-2000
"Then I use Gale the Whirlwind's effect from my hand. If I have another Blackwing on my field, he can be special summoned."
Blackwing-Gale the Whirlwind-1300
"When he is on the field, once per turn a monster gets both its attack and defense points cut in half. I choose the monster that you seem desperate to keep on the field!"
Hook the Hidden Knight-800
"Then I attack him using Gale!"
Hermann looked way too eager, "Then I activate his effect. Both monsters get switched into defense mode, and you take 800 points of damage!"
Hook the Hidden Knight-0
Blackwing-Gale the Whirlwind-400
Life Points Crow=1600
As the hook came up, Crow left the ground. It was a simple jump for him, but I was more focused on what the jump did to his shoulder.
Luna grabbed my hand, "Why did he do that?"
"It's now in defense mode. That means that it's defenseless unless the other monster has some ability."
Crow smirked, "Sirocco now attacks Hook the Hidden Knight."
"Dark the Hidden Knight's ability activates. If a monster is attacked while in defense mode, I can sacrifice him in order to switch it to attack mode."
Hook the Hidden Knight-800
The tone of his voice was grating on the nerves, "And now I use Hook the Hidden Knight's effect."
Hook the Hidden Knight-0
Blackwing-Sirocco the Dawn-900
Crow flew into the air, and the hook actually followed him. It stretched out of the ground, slowly revealing a copy of the monster that swiped at Crow before disappearing back into the ground. Shouts of horror spread through the stadium, and Crow landed with a thud.
Life Points Crow=800
His voice was sharper, and cracking on every single word, "I activate the effect of my Blackwing-Etesian of Two Swords from my hand. I send it to the graveyard when a Blackwing fails to destroy a monster in battle, and you take that monster's attack points as damage."
Life Points Hermann=2000
"Then I activate Urgent Tuning. With this I can Synchro summon during the battle phase."
One of Hermann's cards flipped up, "I activate Continuous Trap-Shadow Concealing Darkness. All of my monsters cannot be destroyed in battle while in defense mode."
"My dragon is still coming out. Come forth, Blackwing Dragon!"
Blackwing Dragon-1600
Both of the twins looked at me in confusion, while Luna voice their opinion, "Yusei, why would he put his best monster in defense mode? Wouldn't it be better to put it in attack mode?"
I shrugged, "Crow has his reasons. I don't know exactly what cards he has available right now, so I can't honestly answer."
Every word that came out of Crow's mouth was less potent and more strained, "I activate Defender's Intersect. During the battle phase, both players must negate the special effect of a monster in defense mode, and those two monsters then switch to attack mode and fight."
Hook-The Hidden Blade-800
Blackwing Dragon-2800
Hermann's eyes turned into saucers, "2800 attack points?"
Jack chuckled as he adjusted his dueling gauntlet, "Hermann only has 2000 life points left. This isn't going to end well for him."
Blackwing Dragon's wings darkened as it charged up its blast, which shattered Hook into a million pieces. A card flipped up on Hermann's field as his life points rapidly disappeared.
Life Points Hermann=0
"I activate the trap Revival Knight. At the end of the turn, a Knight that was destroyed this turn comes back to the field. You'll learn to never underestimate those who control a Shadow Card!"
Hook-The Hidden Knight-800
A shadow shot out from its feet toward Crow, and formed into a cohesive mass.
Crow glared as one of his cards flipped up, "That thing is going to be gone. I activate Gravity Collapse, which activates when you try to summon a monster. By sending a Synchro to the graveyard, I can negate the summon of a monster with an equal or lesser amount of attack point, and that monster is destroyed."
Blackwing Dragon exploded, taking the shadow of the monster with it. Hook went right after as Jack muttered under his breath so many obscenities that Dad ended up covering his mouth up.
Crow drifted into the pit, and Jack raced me over to him as Birdbrain caught his breath, "I hit my limit ten minutes ago. There's no way I can duel any more of them."
Jack grabbed the badge from Crow's arm and ran off while I crouched next to him, "We noticed. But at least you got your revenge."
His next sentence was so quiet I barely heard it, "No one will hurt Aki if I can prevent it."
I pulled him off his runner and walked him back to the others, forcing him into a seat, "Soon as this duel is done, you are going right to the doctor."
Dad walked up with ice, "Hold this on your shoulder, and I don't want any excuses."
My eyes drifted to the duel of Jack versus Nicolas, where it looked like Jack was chewing out our opponent. A giggle slipped out of my mouth, "Dad, look at Jack."
"I seriously can't tell what age he is."
Shaking my head, I covered my mouth, "Neither can I."
Nicolas placed only a single facedown before ending his turn, and my humor evaporated as I muttered to myself, "What are you planning?"
Jack continued his trend of drawing his cards dramatically, "I send Dread Dragon from my hand to the graveyard to special summon Power Giant. His special ability lets him be special summoned when I send a level 4 or below monster to the graveyard, and his level drops by the same amount. He is now a level 4."
Power Giant-2200
"Attack Nicolas directly!"
Nicolas laughed as his card flipped up, "I activate Doom Ray. If I get directly attacked by a monster, both of us take 800 points of damage per card in my hand."
My heart skipped a beat, "That's exactly 4000 points of damage. Is he insane?"
"So you got off thinking that you were lucky that our only Shadow Card was destroyed? Well, you're wrong. And this one is going to make sure that you never duel again."
Dad's hands forced me to sit down as the bomb exploded, sending gray smoke swirling around them.
Jack grimaced as skulls started to fly around in the smoke, "I activate Power Giant's ability. Whenever he attacks, I don't take damage for that turn."
Life Points Nicolas=0
My heart resumed its normal pattern, and Crow gripped my hand as a blue orb of light surrounded Jack just before Nicolas' runner exploded. Both of them disappeared from sight as smoke covered a massive section of the track.
Jack shot out from the smoke carrying Nicolas, sliding to a stop not far from where Nicolas' front tire landed.
As he put the man gently on the ground, the announcer's voice blared out, "Since Team Catastrophe's Nicolas' runner is in no shape to make it back to the pit, they are eliminated. Team 5Ds wins by default!"
Crow hugged my with his good arm, "We go to the finals!"
"And I got a chance to stay in the pit. Good work."
Both of us watched as Jack spat out some words to Nicolas before returning to the pit.
A/N: Thanks to Daniel Kazami for reviewing on the original version of this chapter!
