Alex woke up in a dark room lit by candles. He tried to move, but found that his ankles and wrists were bound with what looked like spider silk.
?: Ah, you're awake.
Alex turned in the direction the voice came from.
Alex: Who's there?
A man wearing a black robe with red stripes walked into the light.
?: Hello there, my name is Roman.
Alex: What do you want with me?
Roman: To put it simply, I want for you to join us.
Alex: And who is "us"?
In response to his question, two other men wearing robes similar to Roman's, but with yellow and blue stripes instead of red walked into the light.
Roman: Who we are is of little concern. It's our goal that should interest you.
Alex: And what is your goal?
Roman: To rebuild the world in our image.
Alex: And what does that mean?
Blue: Man, does this kid ever stop asking questions?
Yellow: Be patient, Kalin. The boy deserves to know why we've brought him here.
Kalin: Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Devack.
Roman: To answer your question, we will usher in an age of darkness that will last until the end of time.
Alex: So why do you want me?
Roman: You were born with the power of darkness inside of you, and it's a great power indeed.
Alex: I don't know what you're talking about.
Roman: You cannot deceive us. We've watched your duels, and we know you hold the power of the Gentle Darkness.
Alex: That doesn't mean I'm going to help you. My friends are surely looking for me as we speak, as well as Sector Security, and when they find us, you're going to go to the facility for a long time.
Roman: Except they're looking in the wrong place. We're not in the city, we're in the Satellite.
Alex: Even if we aren't in the city, I still have friends who can find me.
Roman: We're well aware of your spirit companions. Those threads holding you restrain your power, keeping them from detecting you or you from using your powers.
Alex: I still won't help you. My power is part of a balance between the light and dark. I won't use it to help you destroy the world.
Roman: I'm afraid the choice isn't yours.
Just then, Alex felt something bite him on the back of his neck. Moments after he's bitten, his mind clouded over, and he couldn't think properly. Then, a mark just like the one that appeared over him at the arena appeared on his arm as his eyes glazed over.
Roman: Are you ready to help us Alex?
Alex: Yes Roman.
Roman: Good. I think it's time you paid a visit to your old friend Yusei.
Alex: Yes Roman.
A few hours later, at Blister's place
Most everyone was asleep, except for Yusei, who was looking at the picture Yanagi had drawn earlier of the symbol of the Crimson Dragon. He turned and walked to the window, gazing out at the other buildings. Suddenly, his mark started glowing.
Yusei: My mark's never felt like this before. It feels like it's trying to warn me about something.
He looked down at the street and saw someone standing there wearing a cloak. But what really caught Yusei's attention was the glowing spider mark on the person's arm. Yusei rushed down to the street, but by the time he got there, the person was running off.
Yusei: Hey you!
He chased the person to a parking garage, where they stopped running and turned to face him. Now that Yusei could get a better look at them, he realized this person must be a child.
Yusei: Who are you? And why do you have that mark on your arm?
?: If you wanna find out, you'll have to duel me.
Yusei: Why am I not surprised? Alright then, if it's a duel you want, it's a duel you'll get.
Both: Let's duel!
?: 4000 LP
Yusei: 4000 LP
As soon as the duel started, a ring of purple energy surrounded the both of them.
Yusei: What's going on?
?: I'm afraid neither of us can leave this ring until one of us wins the duel. I summon Blizzard Lizard in defense mode.
Level 3/Water/Beast
ATK 600/DEF 1800
?: I place 2 cards face-down and end my turn.
Yusei: It's my turn, I draw. I play the spell card Tuning. Now I can add a tuner monster from my deck to my hand, as long as I get rid of cards from my deck equal to that monster's level. And since Junk Synchron is level 3, I send three cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard. And now I play Junk Synchron in attack mode.
Level 3/Dark/Warrior
ATK 1300/DEF 500
Yusei: Now I activate his special ability. When Junk Synchron is normal summoned, I can bring back a monster from my graveyard, as long as it's level 2 or lower, so I summon Speed Warrior in defense mode.
Level 2/Wind/Warrior
ATK 900/DEF 400
Yusei: And now I tune my monsters together in order to synchro summon Junk Warrior!
Level 5/Dark/Warrior
ATK 2300/DEF 1300
Yusei: Now attack his monster with Scrap Fist!
Junk Warrior punched Blizzard Lizard, destroying it.
?: I activate the effect of Blizzard Lizard, plus one of my face-down cards, the trap Broken Blocker. Now, since you destroyed my monster, not only do you take 300 points of damage, but I get to summon two more Blizzard Lizards from my deck.
A gust of wind mixed with shards of ice blew in Yusei's direction, tearing small holes in his shirt.
Yusei: 3700
Yusei: Didn't see that coming. It's just like when Alex and Akiza duel.
?: And now I play the trap Miracle's Wake, which will let me bring back the monster you destroyed.
Yusei: I place two cards face-down and end my turn.
?: I draw. And now I sacrifice two of my Blizzard Lizards to summon my Dark Tuner Catastrogue.
Level 8/Dark/Fiend
ATK & DEF 0
?: And now Catastrogue dark tunes with Blizzard Lizard. You see Yusei, unlike your synchro summons, dark synchros subtract the level of the Dark Tuner from the other monster, creating a monster with a negative level. So, I summon the negative level 5 Frozen Fitzgerald!
Level -5/WATER/Fiend
ATK & DEF 2500
Yusei: Just who are you?
?: Well, I guess it's no wonder you don't recognize me. I guess I may as well show you who I am.
Yusei: Wait, don't recognize him? So he's someone I know?
The boy lowered his hood to reveal his identity, and Yusei couldn't believe who it was.
Yusei: Alex? Is that really you?
Alex: That's right.
Yusei: Alex, what happened to you? Where have you been?
Alex: Continue the duel and I'll tell you everything.
Yusei: Fine, make your move Alex.
Alex: If you insist. Due to Catastrouge's effect, since he was used as material to summon a Dark Synchro monster, I can destroy any card on your field, and I choose your Junk Warrior.
A purple beam of light came out of his graveyard, hitting Junk Warrior square in the chest, destroying him.
Yusei: My Junk Warrior!
Alex: And now Frozen Fitzgerald attacks you directly!
Yusei: I play my face-down card!
Except nothing happened. He looked down and saw that his cards were covered in ice.
Yusei: What's wrong with my cards?
Alex: It's Frozen Fitzgerald's special ability. When he attacks, you can't use any spells or traps until after the battle is over.
Shards of ice struck Yusei, knocking him back against the energy ring.
Yusei: 1200
Yusei: Why are you doing this Alex?
Alex: I'm simply doing as the Dark Signers have told me. Soon the light will be swallowed by the darkness.
Yusei: I don't know what's gotten into you, but I know that I'm going to beat some sense into you.
Alex: I end my turn.
Yusei: I draw. And I activate the trap Descending Lost Star. With it, I can bring Junk Warrior back from my graveyard, as long as I make his defense 0 and reduce his level by 1.
Alex: Trying to hide, Yusei?
Yusei: Who said I was hiding? I'm just trading Junk Warrior in for a monster with a little more firepower, like my Turret Warrior.
Level 5/Earth/Warrior
ATK 1200/DEF 2000
Alex: I never took you for a comedian Yusei.
Yusei: Well, let's see you laugh at this. Due to Turret Warrior's special ability, he gains attack points equal to Junk Warrior's attack points.
Turret Warrior: 1200-3500
Yusei: Turret Warrior, attack Frozen Fitzgerald!
His monster locked its cannons on Frozen Fitzgerald before it opened fire, destroying the monster in one shot.
Alex: 3000 LP
Alex: Not bad Yusei, but I'll do you one better. Due to my monster's special ability, if he's destroyed in battle, he gets to come back to the field in defense mode. And that's not all: at the end of the battle phase, the monster that was responsible for his destruction gets destroyed.
Frozen Fitzgerald reappeared and launched ice shards at Turret Warrior, destroying it.
Yusei: I play the spell card One for One, so by sending a monster from my hand to the graveyard, I can summon a level 1 monster from my hand or deck, like my Sonic Chick.
Level 1/Earth/Winged-Beast
ATK&DEF 300
Yusei: I end my turn.
Alex: Then it's my turn. I switch Frozen Fitzgerald to attack mode and equip him with the spell Drain Strike. Now if he attacks a monster in defense mode, half the difference between his attack and your monster's defense is dealt to you as damage, while the other half is added to my life points. Now, attack his Sonic Chick.
Yusei: 100
Alex: 4100
Yusei: Due to Sonic Chick's effect, it can't be destroyed in battle with monsters that have 1900 or more attack points.
Alex: Maybe, but you only have 100 life points, while I have more than when we started the duel. Just give up Yusei, you can't beat me.
Yusei: You should know I don't give up Alex. I didn't give up on you during the Fortune Cup, and I'm not going to give up on you now.
Alex: Wait, the Fortune Cup? What's he talking about?
The memory of Yusei saving him in the tournament flashed through his mind.
Alex: That's right. Yusei's my friend, but then, why am I doing this?
?: It's your duty to defeat the Signer.
Alex: I... end my turn.
Yusei: It's my move. I play the tuner monster Nitro Synchron.
Level 2/Fire/Machine
ATK 300/DEF 100
Yusei: And now I play the trap card Give and Take. With it, I can summon a monster from my graveyard to your field in defense mode, and then I can add its level onto one of my monsters.
Alex: What good will that do you?
Yusei: You're about to find out. I summon Max Warrior to your field, and then increase the level of Sonic Chick by 4, making it a level 5.
Max Warrior
Level 4/Wind/Warrior
ATK 1800/DEF 800
Alex: What are you up to?
Yusei: You're about to find out, I tune level 2 Nitro Synchron with level 5 Sonic Chick, in order to summon Nitro Warrior!
Level 7/Fire/Warrior
ATK 2800/DEF 1800
Yusei: And due to Nitro Synchron's effect, since I used him to summon my Nitro Warrior, I can draw 1 card from my deck. Please let me draw the card I need.
He closed his eyes and drew his card before looking at it.
Yusei: I play the equip spell Junk Barrage. Now if my Nitro Warrior destroys one of your monsters in battle, you take damage equal to half your destroyed monster's attack points.
Alex: So I'll take a little over 1500 damage. I'll still have life points, and due to Frozen Fitzgerald's effect, your Nitro Warrior will be destroyed at the end of the battle phase, and you'll lose.
Yusei: I wouldn't be so sure Alex.
Alex: And why is that?.
Yusei: Because due to Nitro Warrior's special ability, since I used a spell card this turn, he gets 1000 more attack points during his next battle.
Nitro Warrior: 2800-3800
Yusei: Now attack Frozen Fitzgerald with Dynamite Crunch!
Nitro Warrior wrapped his fist in green energy and delivered a punch to Frozen Fitzgerald, destroying it.
Alex: 2800 LP
Yusei: And due to Junk Barrage's effect, you now take damage equal to half of Frozen Fitzgerald's attack points.
Alex: 1550 LP
Alex: That's still not enough to win Yusei. Now Frozen Fitzgerald will revive, and your Nitro Warrior will be destroyed as soon as your battle phase ends!
Yusei: My battle phase isn't over yet. I activate Nitro Warrior's other special ability! Since he destroyed a monster in battle, one of your monsters is changed to attack mode, and he can then attack it, so Max Warrior is changed to attack mode.
Alex: But that means that.
Yusei: That I win. Nitro Warrior, attack!.
Alex: 550 LP
Yusei: And now Junk Barrage's effect activates, so you take another 900 points of damage.
Alex: 0 LP
Winner: Yusei
The ring of energy disappeared and Alex collapsed. When he hit the ground, the mark on his arm disappeared. Yusei ran over to Alex and propped him up.
Yusei: Alex, wake up.
Alex slowly opened his eyes.
Alex: Yusei, is that you? Where are we?
Yusei: You mean you don't remember our duel?
Alex: Our duel at the Fortune Cup?
Yusei: No, we were dueling just a minute ago. Don't you remember?
Alex: No. What happened to me?
Yusei: You disappeared from the stadium yesterday. Everyone's been worried about you.
Alex: I can't remember much of anything.
Yusei: It's okay. Alex, let me look at the deck you have.
Alex realized he had a duel disk on his arm and pulled out the deck that was in it and handed it to Yusei. As he handed it to Yusei, a purple mist seeped out of the deck, scaring them both a bit. After the mist disappeared, Yusei looked through the deck, but didn't find the Dark Tuner or the Dark Synchro Alex used.
Yusei: Alex, try and think. What do you remember?
Alex: A few small pieces. I woke up in a dark room, and a man named Roman started talking to me. He wanted me to join him, I refused, and then it felt like something bit me. After that, I don't remember anything.
Yusei noticed that Alex looked like he was about to pass out.
Yusei: You alright Alex?
Alex: I'm just really tired.
Yusei: Why don't you try and rest. Don't worry, I won't leave your side.
Alex: Okay.
Yusei picked him up and began walking back to Blister's place. As he was walking, he started thinking about everything Alex told him.
Yusei: Who is this Roman guy Alex told me about? Why did that mark suddenly disappear from Alex's arm, and why doesn't he remember anything? For now, I'd better get him to Blister's. I should call his parents and let them know I found him, and I should let Goodwin know about it so he can call off the search for him.
Meanwhile, back at the Dark Signer's lair, one of the legs on Roman's mark had returned.
Kalin: It looks like the boy failed.
Devack: Yes, it seems that Yusei is more skilled than we had thought.
Roman: Yes, but this was merely a test. While it is unfortunate we lost the boy, I am sure we will reclaim him with time.
Meanwhile, it was the morning and Yusei had gotten back to Blister's apartment and was still carrying Alex in his arms.
Tanner: Where'd you go last night? I was worried about you.
Yusei: I found Alex last night.
Tanner: Where'd you find him?
Yusei: Actually, he found me. He was standing in the middle of the street last night, and lured me away so he could duel me.
Tanner: Why'd he do that?
Yusei: That's the thing, he doesn't remember. He was under the control of a group called the Dark Singers. When I beat him, he snapped out of it, but he couldn't remember what happened to him other than a few pieces.
Tanner: So what now?
Yusei: Take Alex and lay him down so he can rest. He passed out shortly after our duel ended. I'm gonna call his parents and let them know he's okay.
Tanner: Alright, I'll make sure everyone lets him sleep.
Yusei picked up a phone and called Jaden.
Alexis: Hello?
Yusei: Alexis, it's me. I found Alex, he's here resting. Don't worry, we're in a safe place, but I need to talk to Jaden.
Alexis: Okay, I'll go get him.
The line went quiet for a minute before Jaden picked up the phone.
Jaden: Yusei?
Yusei: Yeah, it's me.
Jaden: Have you really found Alex?
Yusei: Yeah, he's okay, but he's asleep right now. When I found him, he was being controlled by a group called the Dark Signers. When I beat him, he came to his senses, but he said he didn't remember much of what happened to him.
Jaden: I see. Where are you now?
Yusei: I can't disclose the location over the phone, someone might be listening in on us. Just know that he's safe and I won't let him out of my sight. I'm going to call Goodwin and let him know we found him.
Jaden: Okay, but be careful.
Yusei hung up and called Goodwin next.
Goodwin: Yusei, what do you need?
Yusei: Goodwin, we found Alex. He was under the control of a group called the Dark Signers, but he snapped out of it once he lost the duel. He doesn't remember much of what happened, but he said he remembers a man named Roman.
Goodwin: Where is he now?
Yusei: He's here with me and my friends. He's not injured, but he's sleeping right now. I think it would be better to keep him here for now so that we can keep an eye on him and keep him away from the Dark Signers.
Goodwin: I understand. When Alex awakens, see if he remembers anything else that can help us determine the location of the Dark Signers.
Yusei: Alright. I'll let you know if he remembers anything.
Hey everyone. So Alex is back with Yusei and the gang. What will Alex remember when he awakens? Stay tuned to find out. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in the next one.