The Nutty Buddy is back with another exciting chapter of Chaos Unleashed. The last part of this chapter took way too long to finish, but I got her done! And I'm proud to have collected my 300th review in this story. Thank you all for your support! Now then, let's get on with the story, shall we?
Mika: The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Yugioh, Yugioh GX, Yugioh 5D's, Yugioh Zexal, and Yugioh Arc-V are all owned by Konami, 4Kids Entertainment, Toei Animation, and Kazuki Takahashi. Please support the official release!
Chapter 31: A New Synchro Summon?!
A rat scampered along the ground, hot on the trail of a snack. Its tiny mind didn't register the danger as the firewalls sprang up a few meters away, as it had found the object of its desires; a discarded can of cheese whiz that still had some of the gooey material leaking out. The rat was licking eagerly at the can when the hum of engines finally got its attention. It perked up, ears twitching as the hum got louder. With a squeak of fear, the rat scampered off as two Duel Runners came roaring down the street, one black and silver and the other a deep red. Yusei was impressed with this new woman's riding skills, as she maneuvered through the streets of the Satellite with an ease born of professional Turbo Duelist. Still, keeping up with her was not proving to be too much of a problem.
"Who are you?" Yusei called to the woman on the universal Duel Runner frequency. Turbo Duels were hard to pull off if one's communcations weren't working, as with wind rushing past and the roar of the engines they were loud to begin with. Thus every Runner had a frequency that anyone could hop onto and communicate with their fellow Riders. It was the only way Yusei had been able to communicate with Greiger during the Fortune Cup, and right now it was the only way he could communicate with his latest opponent from the Chaos Movement. They were traveling too fast for him to hear much over the roar of the wind. "Why are you doing this?"
There was a long pause before the woman answered. She seemed to be focusing on leading him through some course of hers at max speed as they wove through the city streets, avoiding pedestrians and the occasional other Runner. Finally, the comm crackled in Yusei's earn and the woman's stern voice greeted him. "My reasons are my own, Yusei Fudo. What matters now is that we Duel." She swerved to cut off Yusei's attempt to pass her, not even looking back. "And trust me Fudo, you would be foolish to underestimate me."
"At this point, I don't think that's going to be a problem," Yusei grumbled. "So what do I call you?"
"Setting the Field Spell Speed World 2!" the woman announced, ignoring Yusei's question.
"Speed World 2," Yusei repeated. This was the same Speed World just used against Jack. He knew about the first ability of that card, but he had a hunch that there were more abilities than simply dealing damage. "You're on!"
One hand was on the controls of her Runner, the other clasping the locket around her neck as the woman glanced skywards reverently. "Brother…"
"Brother?" Yusei repeated. "Don't tell me you have a similar story to Misty."
The woman let out a half-choked laugh. "Don't compare me to that bimbo of a Dark Signer. She let her loss of her brother consume her in a mindless quest for revenge. I may have lost my brother, but I Duel to honor his memory. If you must know my name Fudo, I am called Mika, and I will not be letting you have the luxury of using the autopilot in this duel! Now Yusei, come at me!"
"Duel mode engaged," Yusei's Runner intoned at him. "Autopilot disabled." Yusei frowned at that. But he had to defeat her, as he didn't see any other way to get at the Master.
"Duel!" both Duelists shouted as they drew five cards.
Mika LP: 4000 Yusei LP: 4000
Satellite High Rise
"Looks like they're about to get started," Crow said as the display on his Runner lit up. Keying in a few swift strokes, he sent the transmission to Akiza's car and Jack's Runner. Kaiba had retreated to the convertible to think about his recent Duel with Jack, but as soon as this next Duel came on, his attention was drawn to this new Duel.
'According to Luna, Jack and Yusei are the two best Duelists from this era,' he thought to himself. 'And I've seen the best Jack has to offer. Now then Yusei, let's see what you're made of. I want to see what you're like when your back's against the wall, not like when you were being tested by that wannabe gladiator yesterday.' He started when Leo popped up under his arm, eager to see the screen.
"I always love watching Yusei Duel!" he said excitedly. Luna watched Kaiba, concerned about his reaction to Leo barging into his space. The Kaibacorp executive seemed to sense her gaze, glancing back at her and noting the anxious look on her face. With a sigh, the first Blue-Eyes Duelist simply crossed his arms, allowing Leo a little more room to watch the Duel play out on the screen. It wasn't entirely Luna's glance that told Kaiba to shift ever so slightly, as Leo's excitement reminded Kaiba of Mokuba whenever he knew that Seto was Dueling. Obviously Leo looked up to Yusei as such a figure, and Kaiba was not going to be that guy right now.
Yami watched the beginning of the Duel unfold on Jack's screen, next to Atlas himself and Akiza. He was very interested in watching Yusei Duel again. Not only did he want to see more of Yusei's strategies, but he was eager to see more of these Turbo Duels. They brought a new aspect to Dueling that really tested one's spirit as a Duelist. Perhaps he might attempt to learn such a Duel when they didn't have the Chaos Movement breathing down their necks. "Yusei looks ready for anything."
"He better be," Jack scoffed. He was still irritated at the results of his Duel with Kaiba, but that matter was going to have to be put on hold for the moment. As much as his pride hated that he didn't get a win, even he, Jack Atlas, wasn't stubborn enough to let that thwart their mission. "I don't like what these Chaos Movement people are pulling with this XYZ Summon business."
"It seems to be similar to your Synchro Summoning," Yami noted, recalling Jack's Turbo Duel. "Except instead of adding up the monster's levels, these XYZ monsters need at least two monsters of the same level."
Jack paused, thinking back to both his Duel with Draco and to what Akiza had told him and Yusei the previous night after escaping the maze. "I think you're right Yugi." His eyes lit up. "We may have just solved the mystery of the XYZ Summon!"
"We should warn Yusei," Yami said quickly. Jack nodded, pressing several buttons on his Runner to enable communication with Yusei.
Turbo Track
"And I'll take the first move," Mika announced, drawing a card as she zipped around the first curve. "First I'll start by Summoning Geargiano MK-II to the field in Attack mode!" A small yellow, blue and red cartoon-like gear appeared next to her Runner, swinging its arms around as it motored along next to Mika.
Geargiano MK-II: Atk 1000, Def 500, LV 3
"And thanks to his special ability, I can Special Summon another Geargia monster from my hand in Defense mode," Mika continued, "Geargiano MK-III!" Another cartoon-like gear appeared, this one with a darker blue color scheme as well as green red and yellow making up this colorful gear.
Geargiano MK-III: Atk 1000, Def 1000, LV 3
"Now Geargiano MK-III's special ability activates and allows me to Special Summon another Geargia monster in Defense mode!" Mika announced.
"Another one?" Yusei was impressed with her swarming ability. "But none of them are Tuner monsters."
"I don't need Tuner monsters," Mika shot back, "Just Geargiano from my hand in Defense mode!" A small, silver cartoon gear with red and green gears turning within appeared next to the other two Geargianos on the field.
Geargiano: Atk 500, Def 1000, LV 3
"She hasn't brought out a Tuner monster," Yusei said to himself. "And she can't attack on the first turn, so maybe I can take out those low level monsters with my own swarm."
The comm crackled to life in Yusei's helmet and the image of Jack and Yami appeared on Yusei's viewscreen. "Yusei, we figured out the secret behind that crazy XYZ Summoning," Jack said urgently. The Head Signer was very intrigued by his friend's statement.
"They use monsters of the same level!" Yami explained. "That's why she's Summoned all those Level 3 monsters!"
"She's preparing to XYZ Summon?" Yusei asked, glancing at the field. Yugi's statement seemed logical enough, now that he thought about it, but all the XYZ Monsters he had heard about and seen had been Summoned using powerful monsters. "But what could she do with 3 Level 3 Monsters?"
"Watch closely Yusei," Mika said, cutting off Yusei's ruminations. "For this is the Master's power that he has given me. A power from the future."
"The future?" The Head Signer repeated, "You can't mean?"
"I now use my three Machine monsters to create the Overlay Network!" Mika announced, holding her hand up. The three Geargianos turned into balls of silver light that flew into the air, coming together above Mika's Runner and creating what looked to be a miniature galaxy that swirled hypnotically in the sky. "Separate, these machines are weak, but combined together, they become a fearsome engine that will bring about your destruction! I XYZ Summon Geargiagear Gigant XG!" The mini-galaxy exploded outwards in a burst of blinding light, power emanating from the spiral. When the lights faded, Yusei beheld this new monster, which indeed looked like the three Geargianos had merged together into one mighty being. This gadget behemoth was not like the cute little gadgets that had been used to Summon this creature, however colorful it was like the tributes. With a gear-shaped gun in hand and a gear-shaped shield, this new monster took up a ready position above Mika's Runner, three blue orbs of energy orbiting around its body.
Geargiagear Gigant XG: Atk 2500, Def 1300, Rank 3
"While I may not be able to attack on the first turn, I still have more than enough to stop you in your tracks," Mika declared. "I place two cards facedown and end my turn."
Yusei stared at this new monster for a moment longer. "So that's how it's done…"
Mika's voice was cold. "You going to stare at my monster all day or are you going to Duel? Don't tell me the power of the XYZ Summon has stopped the great Yusei Fudo in his tracks."
'If it's a Duel she wants, it's a Duel she's gonna get,' Yusei thought to himself. 'I don't know what special powers this monster has, but I'm sure it can be taken down.'
Satellite High Rise
"Look at the size of that thing!" Leo shouted. "This XYZ Summon stuff is crazy!"
"Let's see what Yusei has to counter this," Kaiba said, glancing at the young boy. "What's Yusei's strongest monster? Is it that Nitro Warrior he used against that crazy gladiator yesterday?"
Leo snorted at that. "Naah, Nitro Warrior is tough, but it's his Stardust Dragon that Yusei relies on the most!"
Kaiba nodded. 'Stardust Dragon, eh?' he thought. 'It's about time I get to see the ace dragon of this group. Let's see how it compares to my own dragons.'
Dani was watching with Crow on the Blackbird's screen. While they had split up into their mini-groups to watch the Duel on the various screens, the entire gang was still pretty close to one another, so she had heard Yami Yugi's warning about the XYZ Summon. Watching this new machine flying above that Runner, she could almost feel the power coming from this card. "XYZ Summons… It seems so weird, and yet after hearing what Yugi said, it somehow makes sense."
"It's like the counterpart to Synchro Summons," Crow agreed, glancing at her. "I wonder when those things will pop up in the future."
The female Blue-Eyes Duelist shrugged. "Hopefully in a long time from now. I've had enough of XYZ Summonings for one lifetime."
Turbo Track
"It's my turn!" Yusei shouted as he drew a card.
Speed Counters: 1
"I'll take the opportunity to activate my Trap card," Mika countered, "The Rise of the Machines!" The Trap opened up, revealing several machines crawling out of the ground.
"What does that do?" Yusei asked cautiously.
"Nothing for the moment," the dark female Duelist answered coldly. "But it's power will be revealed in due time."
"Lovely," Yusei said, a hint of sarcasm in that tone. "Then I'll start by activating the special ability of my Unknown Synchron from my hand. Since you have monsters on the field and I don't, I can Special Summon it from my hand!" A small little machine sphere appeared, a single camera lens surveying the battlefield.
Unknown Synchron: Atk 0, Def 0, LV 1
"Then I'll release my Unknown Synchron in order to Tribute Summon my Salvage Warrior!" Yusei continued. The Unknown Synchron turned into a rainbow colored portal, through which flew a blue-skinned warrior with an orange vest, green pants, and twin chains extending from his back.
Salvage Warrior: Atk 1900, Def 1600, LV 5
"And since I successfully Summoned him, I'm allowed to Special Summon a Tuner monster from my hand or Graveyard. In this case, I'm calling Junk Synchron from my hand!" Yusei played the card on his Runner, allowing the orange Tuner monster to appear next to Salvage Warrior.
Junk Synchron: Atk 1300, Def 5, LV 3
"Now then, I'm Tuning my Level five Salvage Warrior with my Level three Junk Synchron!" Yusei announced. Junk Synchron pulled the motor cord at his side, revving up the engines on his back before the Tuner turned into three bright stars. Those stars expanded into three green rings which Salvage Warrior flew into, dissolving into five more stars.
Chaos Movement HQ
"It's about time someone forced Yusei to his Stardust Dragon," the Master commented dryly as he watched the Duel on his monitor. "I mean, really Julius, surely you could have done better in that coliseum I set up for you. No matter though, for this Dragon will be key to putting an end to Yusei once and for all. You get that Matthias? You force Yusei to his Stardust Dragon in your upcoming Duel and he will perish. Either you or Bario, for that matter, I don't care which. I have foreseen it."
"Understood Master," the rich baritone voice of Matthias responded through the speakers. The Master always loved seeing his cyborg's frustration at not being allowed into his inner sanctum. He knew that Matthias was itching to learn more about the man he was protecting, which was why he loved keeping Matthias in the dark.
"Don't you worry my dear metal man," the Master said reassuringly. "Once Yusei is dead, you shall have all the time in the world to get to know me better, if you know what I mean. HehehehehehehehahahahahaHAHAHAHAHA!"
Turbo Track
"Clustering wishes will become a new shining star!" Yusei chanted as the Synchro Summon continued. "Become the path its light shines upon!" The five stars from Salvage Warrior erupted into a brilliant white light. "Synchro Summon! Take flight Stardust Dragon!" With a scattering of stardust, Yusei's ace monster appeared from the light, announcing his presence with a roar as they turned onto the highway, out of the cramped city streets.
Stardust Dragon: Atk 2500, Def 2000, LV 8
"Welcome to the game Stardust," Mika said, smirking ever so slightly. "I look forward to taking you down."
Satellite High Rise
"Aww yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Crow said excitedly, "He's already got Stardust out!" He glanced at Dani, who seemed enraptured by Yusei's ace monster. He found it cute how captivated she was by Stardust Dragon.
"I've seen a lot of dragons before, but never one as beautiful as that," she said quietly after a long hard look at this incredible dragon. She pulled out her Blue-Eyes White Dragon, looking from her legendary dragon to the Stardust Dragon. "Incredible…" The reverence in her tone was nearly tangible.
Crow chuckled. He'd seen this reaction from nearly everyone who witnessed this dragon for the first time. While Dani's reaction was no different to many of the others, for whatever reason, perhaps due to his feelings, he found her reaction particularly amusing. "You and your dragons."
"Ahhh shaddup," Dani snapped back at him as she put her Blue-Eyes away. The moment over, they both turned back to the screen to watch the Duel.
Satellite Highway
"I place two cards facedown and end my turn," Yusei finished.
"Looks like you had nothing to power up Stardust," Mika noted. "Which is fine by me. The effect of my Trap card now activates. Since you Summoned a Machine type monster during your turn, your Unknown Synchron, I get to draw one card from my Deck." She drew that card and smirked back at Yusei. "My hand will never be empty now with this trap! Now for my draw!"
Speed Counters: 2
"And I'm going to Summon Genex Neutron from my hand!" Mika announced. A large black and red machine appeared, a lone yellow eye glaring out at Yusei.
Genex Neutron: Atk 1800, Def 1200, LV 4
"I'll end my turn there," Mika said simply. "And thanks to Genex Neutron's special ability, I get to add a Machine-type Tuner monster to my hand, a monster like my Black Salvo!" She pulled that monster out of her Deck before continuing. "And thanks to Rise of the Machines, I get to draw another card from my Deck.
"Looks like I'm up then," Yusei said as he drew a card. 'That Trap of hers keeps her hand full. I'm going to have to get rid of it if I want to keep up with her.'
Speed Counters: 3
"I activate the Trap Meteor Wave!" Yusei announced. "Now for this one turn, my Synchro Monster gains 300 Attack points." A red glow manifested around Stardust Dragon as the power of the Trap was absorbed into the dragon.
Stardust Dragon Atk: 2800
"Do you think that will be enough?" Mika challenged. She was prepared to take on anything Yusei would throw at her this turn and still keep her new XYZ monster on the field. A part of her wondered what event in the future was going to happen that created this unusual method of Summoning a monster, though that part of her remained detached from the Duel and she didn't dwell on that thought for long. There was no point in questioning the power that the Master had brought to this time period.
"Let's find out," Yusei shot back. "Stardust Dragon, attack that XYZ Monster! Go Shooting Sonic!" Yusei's favorite monster roared as it gathered silvery energy in its mouth.
"I play a Trap!" Mika countered, "Reinforced Steel! This prevents all Machine type monsters from being destroyed by battle or by card effects for the remainder of the turn!" A silvery sheen came over Geargiagear Gigant XG as Stardust unleashed its blast of cosmic energy, which splashed over the Machine type XYZ Monster. It was blown backwards by the blast, but remained on the battlefield. Mika growled as some of the splash damage washed over her.
Mika LP: 3700
Yusei frowned at that. She was protecting that monster, but for what? It wasn't stronger than his Stardust, even when it's Attack points return to normal. No point in letting up. "Fine. I'll summon Ghost Gardna to the field in Defense mode." A small ghostly white monster that resembled a guardian totem appeared next to Stardust, holding its wing like arms up in a guard position.
Ghost Gardna: Atk 0, Def 1900, LV 4
"I place one card facedown and end my turn," Yusei finished.
Stardust Dragon: Atk 2500
"Then it's my turn!" Mika said as she drew a card.
Speed Counters: 4
"And as tempting as it is to use Speed World 2's effect," Mika began, noting the wince on Yusei's face as he thought about the potential damage he could take. "I'll save these Speed Counters for later. Instead, I'll Summon Black Salvo to the field in Attack mode!" A black bomb with a devilish face appeared, the fuse lit but not traveling downwards just yet.
Black Salvo: Atk 100, Def 1100, LV 3
Satellite High Rise
"That can't be good," Crow said, a hint of worry in his tone. "She's ready for a Synchro Summon!"
"What machine Synchro monsters are out there?" Dani asked, sharing a glance with Crow.
The Blackwing Duelist shrugged. "Let's just hope Yusei can take on whatever's coming."
Satellite Highway
"Now to Tune my Level four Genex Neutron with my Level three Black Salvo!" Mika began. The fuse on Black Salvo disappeared into the monster before it exploded, leaving behind three silver stars. They expanded out into green rings that surrounded Genex Neutron, which dissolved into four more stars. Mika began to chant. "From unknown metals in the stars above, crafted by minds this world has never seen, the ultimate weapon comes down from the heavens to spell your doom! I Synchro Summon the Dark Strike Fighter!" The stars erupted into a brilliant silver light above her Runner, a light that quickly faded to reveal a blue and orange futuristic jet fighter flying overhead, engines roaring with power. Yusei watched as the fighter transformed into a humanoid form, soaring next to the XYZ monster.
Dark Strike Fighter: Atk 2600, Def 1800, LV 7
"Now it's time," the dark woman declared, "Dark Strike Fighter, take out his Stardust Dragon! Go! Attack with your Hyper Sonic Boomburst!" The transforming robot's arms transformed into twin cannons, deep blue energy growing within the cannon. Ghost Gardna began to fly towards Stardust Dragon.
"Ghost Gardna is going to take that attack," Yusei explained. "So my Stardust Dragon is safe from your attack!"
"I don't think so," Mika countered. "I activate the special ability of my Geargiagear Gigant XG! Now by removing an Overlay Unit from my monster in order to negate any ability of the face-up card you have on the field until the end of the Battle Phase!" One of the blue orbs that had been orbiting the XYZ monster was absorbed into Geagiagear Gigant's gear gun. It didn't stay there for long, as the gear-like monster fired a beam of dark blue energy at Ghost Gardna, freezing the little monster in place.
"What?" The Head Signer was powerless as he watched the blast from Dark Strike Fighter consume Stardust Dragon, power washing over him and inflaming the nerves in his body, even for a mere one hundred points of damage.
Yusei LP: 3900
Satellite High Rise
"Oh no! Yusei!" Leo shouted. "What's he going to do without Stardust Dragon?!"
"Come on Yusei," Luna said quietly.
Kaiba was skeptical. "You tell me that Yusei is your best Duelist, but he hasn't exactly impressed me. Jack summoned a better dragon than Yusei."
"Red Dragon Archfiend may be more powerful initially, yeah, but Yusei and Stardust are one of the best teams out there!" Leo shot back, "You'll see!"
Kaiba rolled his eyes. If this Yusei was as good as they claimed, then he was going to pull some sort of trick that would turn this situation around just like Yugi. He paused as he thought about it more. First Jack had several similarities with himself, now he was seeing similarities with Yugi and Yusei. Kaiba glanced at Dani and Crow. He was now certain that Crow would be getting along just famously with that fool Wheeler. Dani didn't quite fit the bill of that one girl that was hopelessly following Yugi around. Then again, there was that Valentine woman that Wheeler had somehow won over. He respected Valentine and her skills as a Duelist. It took skill to make it to the final eight of Battle City. But clearly Valentine needed better taste in men if the rumors of her fling with Wheeler were true.
While Kaiba was making connections between past and present peoples, Yami and Jack observed this Duel's unfortunate turn of events. "Yusei better start taking this seriously," Jack said, "This Mika person isn't letting up at all."
The Pharaoh nodded. "And it starts with getting Stardust Dragon back from the Grave."
Satellite Highway
Mika's voice was cold and merciless. "Geargiagear Gigant XG, attack his Ghost Gardna now and wipe the field of his pathetic monster!" The XYZ Machine took aim with his gear blaster once more, firing a brilliant blue beam that obliterated Ghost Gardna. A red aura suddenly appeared around the Dark Strike Fighter.
Yusei grinned, despite the situation he was in. "When you destroyed Ghost Gardna, you activated his special ability and he removes one thousand Attack points from a monster on your side of the field."
"You wouldn't dare!" Mika shouted, but her favorite monster slumped noticeably as his power dropped.
Dark Strike Fighter: Atk 1600
"I place a card facedown and end my turn," the gothic woman said, glaring back at Yusei briefly.
"And I'll play a Trap, Miracle's Wake!" Yusei shot back. "This'll wake up a monster that was destroyed during this turn. Come on back Stardust Dragon!" With another cosmic explosion of stardust, the Stardust Dragon emerged from the Trap card in all of its glory.
Stardust Dragon: Atk 2500, Def 2000, LV 8
"I look forward to crushing it once more," Mika said simply, placing two fingers on the top of her Deck. "I'll place a card facedown and end my turn, which means since I summoned a total of two Machine monsters this turn, I can draw two cards from my Deck thanks to Rise of the Machines." Smooth as silk, she drew the aforementioned cards without any more fanfare.
"My turn then!" Yusei began as he drew a card.
Speed Counters: 5
"And I'll Summon Second Booster to the field," the Head Signer said. A dark blue jet appeared above his Runner, a red eye on the underside of the cockpit glaring out at the battlefield. Mika smirked at the new Machine type monster
Second Booster: Atk 1000, Def 500, LV 3
Yusei grinned. "He won't be around for long though, because I'm releasing Second Booster to activate his special ability." Second Booster dissolved into a blue aura that was absorbed into Stardust Dragon, which growled at the sudden burst of energy. "Now until the End Phase of this turn, my Stardust Dragon gets 1500 more Attack points!"
Stardust Dragon: Atk 4000
"And I'll have him use them to attack that Dark Strike Fighter of yours," Yusei said as he thrust his hand into the air, pointing at the Synchro Monster. "Go Stardust! Attack with Cosmic Flare!" Stardust roared and fired another silver beam of energy at the orange and blue transformer.
"I play my Trap," Mika countered quickly, the cursed set of armor appearing in the air above her Runner. "Attack Guidance Armor now redirects your attack to my Geargiagear Gigant XG!" The Attack Guidance Armor attached itself to the XYZ Monster and Stardust Dragons' blast curved away from Mika's ace monster, destroying the XYZ Machine with each. Mika let out a gasp of pain as the cosmic energy from Stardust Dragon's attack washed over her Runner.
Mika LP: 2200
Satellite High Rise
"Now why would she save the monster with lower Attack points?" Jack wondered aloud, narrowing his eyes as he watched Stardust Dragon's attack finish.
"Apparently she trusts the Dark Strike Fighter more than she does her XYZ monster," Yami said, a frown on his face as he tried to figure out her strategy. "Perhaps she has some card that can boost Dark Strike Fighter's Attack."
"It better be one helluva power boost," Jack noted, "And Yusei had better keep up the pressure before she can use that power boost."
Satellite Highway
"I place one card facedown and end my turn," Yusei finished grimly. "Now Stardust Dragon's Attack returns to normal." The blue aura that had surrounded Stardust Dragon faded.
Stardust Dragon Atk: 2500
'Time to see why she saved the weaker of her two Machines,' Yusei thought to himself grimly.
"Since you summoned a Machine type monster, I get to draw another card," Mika said, a hint of triumph in her voice. "And now for my normal draw!" She plucked two cards out from her Deck as she said this.
Speed Counters: 6
"From my Hand, I Summon the Gold Gadget!" Mika announced. A small golden machine shaped like a gear appeared, stubby golden arms and legs sprouting from his body.
Gold Gadget: Atk 1700, Def 800, LV 4
"And since I successfully Summoned that Machine," the dark woman continued. "I can Special Summon a level four or lower Machine monster from my Hand! I Special Summon Silver Gadget!"
The Gold Gadget thrust his hands out, creating a portal through which came a gadget monster nearly identical to its golden counterpart, except that every part of its body gleamed with the silver metal it had been forged from.
Silver Gadget: Atk 1500, Def 1000, LV 4
"And Silver Gadget has the same ability as my Gold Gadget!" Mika added. "I Special Summon Mono Synchron!" The Silver Gadget mimicked the actions of the Gold Gadget, creating another portal which allowed a small green and yellow humanoid machine with a bright red 1 on its face and 1 stamps for hands to fly through.
Mono Synchron: Atk 0, Def 0, LV 1
Satellite High Rise
"Synchron?!" Crow exclaimed, "A Tuner monster!"
"But what can she Synchro Summon with it?" Dani asked, glancing curiously at the screen. "Doesn't Mono Synchron reduce all the monsters it Tunes with to level one?"
Crow thought about it for a moment, then brightened up. "You're right!" His face quickly changed to confusion. "But then why would she summon it then?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," the female Blue-Eyes Duelist shrugged.
Satellite Highway
"Now I'll activate Mono Synchron's special ability and reduce the level of my Gold Gadget to one," Mika continued. Mono Synchron's arms began to glow as it stamped the Gold Gadget, a red one now emblazoned on its side.
Gold Gadget LV: 1
"And now I'll Tune the level one Gold Gadget with my level one Mono Synchro!" the Chaos Movement minion shouted. Mono Synchron dissolved into a single star that expanded out into a green ring. Gold Gadget leaped into the ring, turning into a lone star within the solitary ring.
"A level two Synchro?" Yusei exclaimed, "What could it be?"
"Behold as both power and speed surge towards each other and collide to create pure might!" Mika chanted as the light within the ring flared up. "Behold the Synchro Tuner, Formula Synchron!" The light faded and revealed a humanoid multicolored racecar, revving its motor.
Formula Synchron: Atk 200, Def 1500, LV 2
"Synchro…Tuner?" Yusei repeated quizzically. He was riding alongside Mika and glanced over at her. His eyes widened as he realized that her eyes were closed. "What are you up to?"
Mika reached up and grasped a small silver locket around her neck. "Brother…" With her closed eyes, it looked like there was a dark void underneath her helmet. With a roar of the engines, the black and silver Duel Runner suddenly accelerated away from Yusei.
"What's going on?" Yusei shouted as streaks of pink energy suddenly seemed to materialize around the front of Mika's Runner.
"Clear Mind!" the dark woman suddenly shouted. The streaks of energy began to intensify around her Runner. "I Tune level seven Dark Strike Fighter with my level two Formula Synchron!"
Satellite High Rise
"What is she doing?!" Akiza asked the question that was on everyone's minds.
"I take it this isn't your normal Synchro Summon," Kaiba stated bluntly.
"This is too cool!" Leo shouted. A glare from his sister caused him to amend his original statement. "I mean, this is not good for Yusei."
Satellite Highway
Yusei could only watch as his foe streaked away from him, beginning her summon chant. "Now let the ultimate weapon be altered, wrought by the powers of speed and might, cloaked in the shadows but bathed by the light! Soar to the heavens and let the powers of chaos transform you! GO ACCEL SYNCHRO!" With a flash of light, she disappeared.
Yusei blinked several times, unsure of what he had just witnessed. "What just happened?!" He toggled the controls on his Runner, allowing him to communicate with everyone back on the high rise. The black and silver flames that made up the Turbo lane were still burning brightly, so this Duel wasn't over. Not yet. "Can any of you guys see where she went?"
"We can't see a thing!" Crow's worried voice came back through the speakers. "The screen's gone white!"
"Are you alright Yusei?" Akiza asked, fear evident in her voice.
"I'm fine," the Head Signer replied, glancing around nervously. "But she's gone!"
"Gone?!" Jack repeated, ire in his tone at the lack of a clear answer. "So you won?"
"I don't think so," Yusei began. He was going to elaborate when a shock wave caught him from behind, getting a yelp of surprise from him as he fought to retain control of his Runner. The Head Signer glanced back and saw a brilliant gold and purple portal behind him. "What?!"
The arrival of Mika through the portal halted any further conversation. "Arise, the Chaos Strike Fighter!" Mika shouted as her new Accel Synchro monster flew through the portal. The color scheme of this monster certainly fit the name, a deep blue base with golden highlights and purple stripes along the side. The jet frame was sleeker than that of the Dark Strike Fighter, but where there had been missile launchers and other conventional weaponry, this new fighter sported laser cannons, proton torpedoes, and what looked to be a uni-beam on its underside, a rainbow glow of chaotic energy pulsing ominously within. With a sudden click, the wings of the Strike Fighter separated outwards, looking an awful lot like an X-Wing from the old Star Wars movies.
Chaos Strike Fighter: Atk 3400, Def 2600, LV 9
To say that Yusei was surprised would be an understatement. "What in the world is that?!" he asked as Mika drove past with her new monster
"This is the power the Master has given me," Mika declared, "The power of the Accel Synchro!" Chaos Strike Fighter punctuated that statement by transforming into its humanoid form, the mere transformation buffeting the track with a wave of pure power.
"Accel Synchro?" Yusei repeated, curiosity undercutting the wonder in his tone.
Satellite High Rise
"Come on you stupid machine, work!" Crow shouted at his Runner, slapping the hood of the Blackbird in an effort to use the old fashioned method of troubleshooting a computer.
The screen blinked a couple of times before it began to display the Duel once again. "It's back!" Dani called to Crow, who scrambled over the hood to continue watching the Duel. "And it's not looking too good."
The Blackwing Duelist let out a low whistle when he saw this new monster of Mika's. "You weren't kidding. What is that thing?"
"I have no idea," came the simple response. Dani shared a concerned glance with Crow. "But whatever it is, it sure as hell doesn't look friendly."
Satellite Highway
"This is a power given to a select few," Mika explained, pride in her tone. "You yourself would have attained this power had the Master decided not to take you down."
"Me?" Yusei's mind was buzzing with that revelation. This Accel Synchro was some great power, and she was now claiming that he was going that have that power someday? What scenario could possibly happen that was going to need him acquiring this great power?
"But the future is always changing," Mika continued. "Although yours is going to be cut short soon. I activate my Chaos Strike Fighter's special ability! By sacrificing a Machine type monster on my field once per turn, I'm allowed to deal 400 points of damage per level of the sacrificed monster. Since my Silver Gadget is a level four monster, you're going to be taking 1600 points of damage! Go Chaos Blast!" Before Yusei could react, the Silver Gadget was absorbed into the Chaos Strike Fighter's chest. With a metallic grunt, the Accel Synchro monster doubled over, a dark aura flaring around its body until the Chaos Strike Fighter thrust his chest forward, a beam of golden and purple energy surging forth from the glowing reactor on its chest. The beam swept over Yusei's Runner, igniting the pain receptors in his body. It took every ounce of willpower Yusei had not to yell, though his groans as he fought through the pain were still broadcasted to his friends.
Yusei LP: 2300
"Hang in there Yusei!" came Leo's and Luna's scared voices in the Head Signer's helmet. He looked up as Mika zoomed ahead of him.
Mika wasn't going to give him a chance to recover. "Now Chaos Strike Fighter will attack Stardust Dragon! Go Chaos Torpedoes!" The Accel Synchro monster transformed back into jet form, soaring into the skies in preparation to strike. The shriek of the engines echoed across the skies, an ominous sound for all those who opposed it.
Yusei knew he couldn't afford to let Stardust get destroyed again. "I activate my Trap, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! Now your attack is negated and I get to set this card facedown once again!" The Scrap-Iron Scarecrow appeared just in time, as several missiles came screaming down from the heavens. The Trap intercepted all the missiles, rocking the road with the powerful explosions.
Mika scowled back at him as her Chaos Strike Fighter descended from the clouds and transformed into its humanoid form once again. She plucked a card out of her large hand played it. "I activate the Speed Spell-Wheelie Breaker! Since I have 6 or more Speed Counters, I can destroy one of your monsters!" With that, she spun her Runner around and charged towards Yusei. "And I think you know the monster I'm destroying."
"Not if I can help it," Yusei countered. "I play my Stardust Dragon's special ability! Now by releasing my dragon, I can negate your effect! It's a little something I like to call Victim's Sanctuary!" His Stardust Dragon began to glow bright white, a wave of power released from it as it turned into stardust. That shockwave flipped Mika's Runner back around, forcing her to adjust accordingly and continue on her original path. With a last flicker of light, the remains of Stardust Dragon blew away in the wind. Mika smirked.
Satellite High Rise
"An ability that negates destruction of cards through self-sacrifice," Kaiba noted, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "Why am I not surprised?"
"That's what makes Yusei special," Luna said quietly. "He's always putting himself on the line to protect this city."
Kaiba nodded as he opened his eyes again, watching the Duel like a hawk. "A noble trait. While I can respect that, he's left himself wide open because of it, and I think this Mika person was counting on him using Stardust's ability."
Leo gaped at the Kaibacorp executive. "What?!"
Satellite Highway
"I knew you would do that," Mika said triumphantly. It was a cold triumph, one that sent a shiver down Yusei's spine. "Now I activate the Speed Spell- Overboost and gain four more Speed Counters until the End Phase of the turn!" With a roar of power, her Runner surged forward.
Mika Speed Counters: 10
"What's she going to do with all that power?!" Yusei asked to nobody in particular.
"Next, I activate the effect of Speed World 2!" Mika announced. "By removing 10 Speed Counters, I can destroy any card on the field!"
Mika Speed Counters: 0
The surprised just kept on coming for Yusei. "You're using Speed World?!"
"This is the ultimate power of Speed World," Mika shot back. "Now watch as I blow away your Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" She skillfully maneuvered her Runner over to Yusei, allowing the exhaust pipes on her Runner to release a stream of silver fire that destroyed Yusei's Trap.
Yusei shielded himself from the flames, a grimace on his face. "So that's Speed World's power." He glanced down at his Runner's screen. At the start of the Duel, he'd set his Runner to scan that card, to see what other hidden powers it held. Now, in the bottom left corner of the screen, it was alerting him that its scan was complete. "Let's see what other power's you're holding," he murmured to himself, pulling up the results.
"With that done, I'll end my turn," Mika said. "Which means thanks to Overboost's effect, would mean my Speed Counters normally fall to one. However, since I have no Speed Counters, it'll rise to one instead."
Mika Speed Counters: 1
"And not only that, but since Machine monsters were Summoned this turn, I get to draw however many cards from my Deck as there were Machines Summoned," Mika continued, "But since the total amount of cards I've drawn thanks to this card is now greater than six, Rise of the Machines is destroyed." Her Trap card shattered as Mika looked at the cards in her hand. "And since I have more than six cards in my hand, I must discard until I have six. So I'll finish by discarding two cards to the Graveyard."
Satellite High Rise
"So she took advantage of the fact that Yusei had to sacrifice Stardust Dragon to save itself in order to get rid of Scrap-Iron Scarecrow," the Pharaoh noted. "She's definitely not playing around. Not like some of the other Duelists we've seen."
Jack nodded. "And she might just do that again next turn in order to set up a direct attack now that Scrap-Iron Scarecrow is gone. Yusei really needs to be careful in how he plays it next turn."
Satellite Highway
Yusei grinned. He knew how he could use Speed World 2 as well. "That's just fine Mika. First things first, Stardust Dragon's ability activates and returns it to the field!" With a flash of light and blue, the Head Signer's favorite dragon rose up and began to fly alongside his Runner once more. "It's my turn!" Yusei shouted as he drew a card from his Deck, knowing what he had to do.
Yusei Speed Counters: 7 Mika Speed Counters: 2
"And first I'm activating the Summon Speeder Speed Spell!" the Head Signer declared, "Which lets me Special Summon a level four or lower monster from my hand! So now I summon my Shield Warrior to the field in Defense mode!" A man in grey armor holding a medium sized black shield and wielding a halberd pike appeared, twirling his pike a few times before holding the shield up, pike in the ready position.
Shield Warrior: Atk 800, Def 1600, LV 3
"And next I summon the Tuner monster Drill Synchron!" Yusei continued. A small orange machine ball appeared, sporting treads, twin blue drills, and a golden drill on its forehead.
Drill Synchron: Atk 800, Def 300, LV 3
"Now I'll Tune my level three Shield Warrior with my level three Drill Synchron!" Yusei pointed a finger towards the sky as the Synchro Summon began. Drill Synchron turned into three stars that expanded out into three green rings. "Clustering forces become the lance which pierces the earth!" Shield Warrior leaped into the three rings and dissolved into three more stars. "Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon!" A brilliant green light appeared within the rings. Yusei clenched his hand into a fist as the monster appeared. "Make it shatter Drill Warrior!" A large brown warrior appeared, wielding a massive drill on his right arm.
Drill Warrior: Atk 2400, Def 2000, LV 6
The Head Signer grinned as he made his next move. "And now I'll activate his special ability, one which allows him to grind past even the greatest garrisons of defense! By halving the Attack points of my Drill Warrior, he can now attack you directly!"
"Cute," Mika said, though the tone of her voice said that she thought it was anything but. Drill Warrior began to take aim with his drill bit arm.
Drill Warrior: Atk 1200
"Now attack with your Giga Drill Breaker!" Yusei commanded. Drill Warrior fired his weapon, the drill burrowing into the ground. There was a pause as both Duelists curved around the corner in the track, accelerating out of the turn expertly. With a rumble, Drill Warrior's attack exploded out of the ground and struck Mika on the shoulder, spinning her Runner around multiple times before she regained control.
Mika LP: 1000
Mika turned and glared at Yusei. She didn't enjoy the pain. No sane person would enjoy pain, and she was far from some of the more…mentally unstable people the Master employed. However, as much as she hated to admit it, she was enjoying this Duel. They may have been on opposite sides in this battle, but Mika found herself gaining some grudging respect for Yusei's skills as a Duelist. She may have unleashed all her power against him, but he was standing resolute, something that no one else had been able to do bar one, and he had truly pulled off a miracle, even if she couldn't pull off the Accel Synchro on the ground. Still, though she may have a newfound respect for Yusei, but a Duel was a Duel and she had to finish him off. "Yusei, you can struggle all you want, but you can't defeat me! By weakening your monster to strike at me, you've now given me the opening I need to finish you off!"
"I don't think so," Yusei countered. "I play Drill Warrior's second ability! By sending my A/D Changer to the Graveyard, I can remove my Drill Warrior from play until my next Standby Phase!" With a flash of light, the Synchro Warrior vanished. "And with that, I'll end my turn with a facedown." He had to get through this round and get Drill Warrior back to the field, although he half expected Mika to come up with some sort of counter to it.
"You had your chance Yusei," Mika said as she drew a card. "But you're through!"
Mika Speed Counters: 3 Yusei Speed Counters: 8
"Because I'm going to Summon the Tin Goldfish to the field in Defense mode," Mika began, triumph in her tone. True to its name, a metal bright orange fish appeared on the field, blue mini tail wiggling excitedly.
Tin Goldfish: Atk 800, Def 2000, LV 4
"And since I successfully Summoned this Machine, I get to Summon another Level four monster from my hand. I Special Summon the Biofalcon to the field in Defense mode!" A cybernetically enhanced falcon appeared next to the Tin Goldfish, holding its wings in front of itself protectively. Bits of flesh poked out here and there from this mostly metal bird.
Biofalcon: Atk 1700, Def 1000, LV 4
"First I'll activate my Chaos Strike Fighter's special ability," the Chaos Movement minion continued. "By tributing my Tin Goldfish, I'm able to deal another 1600 points of damage directly to your Life Points! Go Chaos Blast!" The Machine monster disappeared into the Accel Synchro monster's chest and Yusei braced himself as the Chaos Strike Fighter prepared his unibeam once again.
"This is gonna hurt," he said as Mika's ace monster fired the swirling gold and purple blast. Yusei let out a cry of pain as he took the chaotic attack.
Yusei LP: 900
"Now for my attack!" Mika's voice was cold as she gave the command. "Chaos Strike Fighter, strike down that Stardust Dragon with the Strike of Absolute Chaos!" Her ultimate Machine monster held out his hands, purple and golden energy swirling about it before shaping into wicked blades around its metallic fists. With the creation of its attack done, it flew towards Stardust, who roared at it in response. "Now perish with your favorite monster!"
Satellite High Rise
"Come on Yusei! Do something!" Akiza practically shouted, the concern in her voice border lining on panic.
"You can do it!" Leo cheered. -
"Looks like Yusei has a plan," Kaiba noted, "Depending on what his facedown cards are, he'll probably pull through."
"Since when did you become the optimist?" Leo asked, gaping at him.
"I am a Duelist," the Kaibacorp executive shot back. "And I have seen plenty of Duels. Yusei here is one of the few people I've seen who I can call a true Duelist. And therefore, I just know that he will pull through. Somehow, someway, I just know. It's just like how Yugi always finds a way to slip past my attacks. No matter what I do, Yugi manages to survive. Like it or not, I can tell just by watching this Duel that Yusei and Yugi have a lot in common, and if he's anything like Yugi, then I just know that Yusei will survive and win this."
"Seto," Luna began quietly, but Kaiba interrupted her.
"So he better not lose," he finished, watching the attack commence. "Because I wish to test my own skills as a Duelist against him when this is all over, much like I did against that buffoon Jack Atlas."
Akiza frowned at him. "You want to Duel Yusei?"
"Must you repeat everything I say? Just watch the damn Duel."
Satellite Highway
"I don't think so," Yusei countered. "I play the ability of my Shield Warrior, which will save Stardust Dragon from your attack by removing it from play!" The ghostly image of Shield Warrior appeared in front of Yusei's Ace monster, deflecting the Chaos Strike Fighter's slash. Unfortunately, that deflection was headed straight towards the Head Signer.
"You fool!" Mika shouted, grinning in triumph, "You may have saved your dragon, but your Life Points are still obliterated!"
"Not if I play my Defense Draw Trap card!" Yusei shot back, the Trap flipping face up. "Now I block any damage coming my way and I get to draw one card from my Deck!" The image of a card appeared in front of Yusei, deflecting Chaos Strike Fighter's slash into the ground beside Yusei's red Runner. The chaotic energy dug into the ground, carving a jagged trench in the road before the Accel Synchro monster cut off his attack. Yusei glanced back at the new cut in the road before it was left behind.
Mika growled audibly, loud enough for it to get caught on her helmet mike. "Well played Yusei. You get one more turn. Best make it count. I placed one card facedown and end my turn."
Yusei cracked a smile as he drew a card. "I'll make it count all right."
Yusei Speed Counters: 9 Mika Speed Counters: 4
"Since the effect of my Drill Warrior was activated last turn, he now returns to my field in my Standby Phase," Yusei told Mika. With a rumble in the earth, Drill Warrior came flying out of the ground, ready for action.
Drill Warrior: Atk 2400, Def 2000, LV 6
"Now Drill Warrior, activate your special ability!" Yusei commanded. "By halving his attack points, he can go right around your Chaos Strike Fighter and finish off your Life Points!" Drill Warrior took aim with his drill bit once again.
Drill Warrior: Atk 1200
"Not this time Yusei," Mika shot back. "I'm not falling for the same play twice. I activate my Chaos Strike Fighter's second ability, which allows me to negate your attack by removing my Fighter from play!" The Chaos Strike Fighter shot a beam from its hand that froze Drill Warrior in its tracks before it faded from sight. Drill Warrior remained frozen in midair above Yusei's Runner, unable to move or attack.
Satellite High Rise
"So that's why she kept that monster on the field in Defense mode," Jack noted, indicating the Biofalcon in between Yusei's monsters and Mika. "She knew that Drill Warrior was coming back, so she left a monster to defend her Life Points from Stardust."
"Which means that Yusei needs to hold on, because I'm certain she's bringing that Chaos Strike Fighter back somehow," Yami added, a grim undertone in his voice. "So he'll need something to guard against such Burn damage next turn. I have faith that Yusei will pull through."
Satellite Highway
Yusei paused as he noticed that the long Turbo Duel had taken them quite a ways away from his friends. They were about to pass by the Daedalus Bridge and subsequently Crow's little Nest. The road would curve around shortly to make its way around the Satellite once more, provided Mika didn't lead him to the exit towards the recently completed Daedalus Bridge. Luckily, Mika didn't take the exit towards the bridge and instead continued along the main loop around the Satellite. With that bit of navigational knowledge in mind, Yusei continued his turn.
"You may have stopped my Drill Warrior's attack, but I still have Stardust Dragon's attack," he said. "Go Stardust Dragon! Take out that Biofalcon with Shooting Sonic!" It was over in a flash, a blast of quicksilver energy that destroyed the cybernetic falcon without any hassle.
"Since you destroyed my Biofalcon, you activated his special ability, allowing me to add a Machine type monster with 1000 or less Defense points from my Deck to my hand," Mika said as the remains of the Biofalcon gathered around her Deck, causing it to glow silver temporality. "A Machine like my Green Gadget. And just so you know Yusei, my Chaos Strike Fighter returns to the field at the End Phase of this turn since I removed it from play via his special ability." She pointed back at him, a cold glare the only indication of emotion he got from her. "I'll finish you off next turn!"
Yusei frowned. He knew that she was going to keep tributing monsters to hammer away at his Life Points, and she would no doubt have a way to keep some defensive wall out to prevent Stardust from getting to her Life Points. Unless…it was risky, but he had to try. "Then I better brace myself for the assault. I'm activating the effect of Speed World 2! Now by removing seven Speed Counters, I can draw one card from my Deck!"
Yusei Speed Counters: 2
"Clever," Mika conceded, a frigid smirk on her face. "Looks like your Runner finally finished reading all of Speed World 2's abilities."
"That's right," Yusei agreed, "And it just gave me a card that'll help me win this! I Summon my Healing Wave Generator in Defense mode!" A machine in the shape of a mirror appeared and began to glow.
Healing Wave Generator: Atk 800, Def 1600, LV 4
"And I'll activate his special ability," the Head Signer continued. "Once per turn, I can select another monster on my field and gain Life Points equal to its level times 100. So I choose my Stardust Dragon as the target of my Healing Wave Generator and gain 800 Life Points!" The Generator shined its light on him, healing a few of the wounds he had taken during this Turbo Duel.
Yusei LP: 1700
"Then I'll end my turn with two facedowns," Yusei finished, placing the last two cards in his hand on the field. "It's your move."
"And so it is," Mika said solemnly, drawing a card.
Yusei Speed Counters: 3 Mika Speed Counters: 5
"You're lucky I don't have any Speed Spells in my hand," Mika said, a hint of regret in her tone. That regret quickly turned into resolve. "But I do have this! My Green Gadget!" Like the Gold Gadget and Silver Gadgets that had appeared before it, a green machine monster shaped like another gear formed on the field. It didn't have the same radiance of the Gadgets that had appeared before it, but it remained a threat nonetheless. "Thanks to Green Gadget's special ability, I can add a Red Gadget from my Deck to my hand."
Green Gadget: Atk 1400, Def 600, LV 4
"And I'll activate Chaos Strike Fighter's special ability!" she continued, "By sacrificing my Green Gadget, I can deal another 1600 points of damage to you! Go Chaos Blast!" Like before, the Gadget monster was absorbed into the Chaos Strike Fighter and once more the Accel Synchro monster fired a beam from the unibeam on its chest, engulfing Yusei in the blast. A cold smirk came onto Mika's face as she heard the Head Signer cry out in pain.
Yusei LP: 100
"Next I play my Trap card, Time Machine," the dark woman continued, not giving Yusei any time to recover. "Which'll resurrect a Machine I sent to the Grave this turn, my Green Gadget in particular."
Yusei glanced up as her as the Machine monster appeared on the field again. He had definitely felt that last blast and was hanging on for dear life. These kinds of Shadow Duels were really draining to both the mind and body, and this one was no exception. Still, this move puzzled him. "Why'd you bring it back?"
"Because while I can only use Chaos Strike Fighter's ability once per turn, it's always best to have a backup plan in case one of those facedowns stops my Chaos Strike Fighter's attack," Mika explained coldly as she spun her Runner around to face Yusei. "Now Chaos Strike Fighter, attack Stardust Dragon and end this Duel! Go Chaos Slash!" The Accel Synchro monster held out both hands, a golden blade of energy extending from his right hand and a dark purple blade from the left, before charging.
Satellite High Rise
"Come on Yusei!" Leo shouted.
"You've got to hang on!" Luna added.
"Please Yusei, do something!" Akiza said quietly, folding her hands together in an attempt to keep them from grabbing at her hair as she stressed over Yusei's predicament.
Satellite Highway
"I activate my Trap, Synchro Barrier," Yusei announced as the Chaos Strike Fighter slashed down at his dragon. "Now by sacrificing a Synchro monster like my Drill Warrior, I'll take no battle damage if one of my monsters is destroyed in battle!" He winced as Stardust Dragon was cleaved into two by the purple blade of Chaos Strike Fighter, but Drill Warrior rushed over and split into six green rings, much like those that were seen in a Synchro Summon, intercepting the shards of damage that were flying Yusei's way thanks to the attack of Chaos Strike Fighter. "I'm sorry Stardust…"
"That's nothing compared to what I have planned for you!" Mika growled, pressing the Trap button on her Runner. "I activate the Trap Battle Return! By cutting the Attack points of my Chaos Strike Fighter in half, I can attack again!"
Chaos Strike Fighter: Atk 1700
"But what will that accomplish?" Yusei asked. He realized the implications of what it meant a split second later. "You can't mean-"
"Your Trap stops battle damage once per turn," Mika stated, the frigid aura in her tone absolutely chilling. "But you had to sacrifice Drill Warrior to do it. While it means Green Gadget can't attack your weakened Drill Warrior, with Battle Return, now I can pave the path for my Green Gadget to attack you directly! So go Chaos Strike Fighter, attack that Healing Wave Generator!" The Accel Synchro monster spun from the remains of the Stardust Dragon and slashed with his golden blade, slicing the Healing Wave Generator into quarters before the remains exploded.
Satellite High Rise
"That was his last monster!" Jack exclaimed, pounding the side of his Duel Runner in frustration. "Come on Yusei, that last facedown has to be a game changer, like Cosmic Blast or something!"
"This is it," Yami said simply, "Come on Yusei, I have faith in you!" No more words were said. This was the defining moment of the Duel.
Chaos Movement HQ
The Master learned in, intrigued. "Oooo, little Miss Mika, what have we here? You've certainly exceeded my expectations. I knew the Chaos Strike Fighter I gave you was going to push Yusei to his limits, but could you possibly actually pull it off?" He chuckled darkly. "But perhaps, even if Yusei squirms out of this one, you might have other uses to me, with a bit of modifications of course. Hehehehehehehehehe."
Satellite Highway
Mika smirked one last time at Yusei before giving her final command. "Now my Green Gadget, attack Yusei directly and end this Duel!" Pounding its small fists together, the small Machine type monster flew towards the Head Signer, rearing its right fist back to punch.
Yusei met her gaze evenly, which caused her cold smirk to turn into a frown faster than one could say Shooting Sonic. "I'm not going anywhere, Mika. I have to put a stop to you and your Chaos Movement before you hurt anyone else."
"And what do you have to stop me?" Mika asked, just the slightest hint of trepidation in her voice.
"This!" Yusei answered, finally activating his Trap card. "My Trap, Harmony Crystal! Now by removing a monster and a Synchro monster in my Graveyard from play, I can bring back one Synchro monster from my Graveyard! So now Drill Warrior and Shield Warrior, make way for the return of Stardust Dragon!"
"Stardust is back?!" Mika exclaimed in surprise as Yusei's ace monster once again appeared in an explosion of literal stardust. "Then I'll cancel the attack of my Green Gadget!" The little monster darted to the side and avoided the lashing tail of Stardust, retreating to Mika's side of the field. "My Life Points are safe!"
A blue aura appeared around Stardust Dragon as Yusei continued his move. "I don't think so," the Head Signer said, "I activate the secondary effect of Harmony Crystal. Now you take damage equal to half of Stardust Dragon's attack points! Go Stardust Dragon, attack with Cosmic Flare!"
"No way!" Mika shouted, unable to do anything but watch in despair as Stardust Dragon fired a beam of silvery energy that passed through her Chaos Strike Fighter like it was nothing. She didn't scream as the energy washed over her. She only had one emotion on her mind as the Duel ended. Sadness. "I've failed you Brother. I couldn't save the world to help the Master…"
Mika LP: 0
"I'm sorry," she said as her Runner's Turbo Duel override shut down her engines in a burst of steam.
Chaos Movement HQ
"Such a pity," the Master said, shaking his head in mock despair. "And you were doing so well too. Oh well, everything is proceeding as planned. Now little miss Mika, it's time for your punishment." He thrust his hands out towards the screen, his mismatched colored eyes glowing with the power of true Chaos. Dark powers began to flow, guided by the Master as he dealt out his punishment for failure. "You have served your purpose in keeping Yusei on the path to his doom. But perhaps, once I've done modding you, I'll find some other way for you to serve me."
Satellite Highway
Mika had swerved wildly once Stardust attacked. Yusei had tried to help her stay upright, but she had spurned his advances, her hands flying over the controls to do something. She had wiped out not too long after, and there was a ding on Yusei's Runner, but the Head Signer ignored it, more concerned for what was happening to Mika. Sure, she had been his foe, but she had been an honorable foe.
"Are you alright?!" Yusei asked as he parked next to her fallen Runner, running over to her collapsed form.
Mika was breathing heavily, sparks coursing over her frame. She could feel the power of the Master going to work on her, and she had a sinking feeling about what she was about to become. She didn't have much time. "Shut up and listen to me Fudo. I am not long for this world."
Yusei was stunned. "What?!"
Mika winced as more sparks coursed over her body. It had begun. "I've sent you a data package. You deserve to face the Master at least once. That way you can know the true power that you were up against and you will know just how futile your struggle against the Chaos Movement is." She winced again as the sparks intensified, crying out in pain.
"But we can help you!" Yusei countered.
Mika chuckled darkly. "You are an amazing mechanic, from what I hear Fudo, but no one can help me. I have no choice but to bear this path of suffering I set myself upon." She held up her hand, gazing at it as if she were seeing it for the last time.
"I don't understand," Yusei said before he followed her gaze downwards before he gasped. Her hand was no longer of flesh and blood, but steel and wires. All down her body, a similar transformation had occurred throughout her lower body. It dawned on Yusei that she was becoming identical to the machines she held so dear.
Mika took several deep breaths as the changes accelerated. These were likely going to be her last breaths of air. "So Yusei, will you be so accepting of your death at the hands of the Master as I am? Or will you perhaps go into the grave fighting til the bitter end? But make your peace soon, Fudo, for the Master is eagerly awaiting you to approach your demise." She winced once more, taking one last breath before her torso became completely mechanized. "You can't outrun the Master." She locked eyes with Yusei. "So prepare yourself for oblivion." With that, Mika collapsed, her head hitting the ground with a dull clang.
Yusei felt her metal form, feeling what had just been flesh and blood not too long ago, but it was nothing but cold metal. "First Hueso, now Mika, I think I'm seeing a pattern here." He walked back to his Runner, suppressing a shudder. This wasn't like fighting the Dark Signers, where they were returned to the purgatory they had been resurrected from, able to return to the land of the living no matter which side had won. But here, against the Chaos Movement, the Master was warping his own followers into some twisted version of the key element of their own Deck, with no way of knowing if they could be saved from their torturous fate. That was plain wrong. Yusei hardened his resolve to take down the Master, as a man that cruel just had to be stopped.
"I'm coming for you Master," Yusei vowed, "And I promise it won't be pretty for you."
Chaos Movement HQ
"I'd like to see you try," the Master said with a chuckle as his fingers flew over the keyboard of his personal computer. He was beginning to input programming into his new Mika bot. "Because as I see the future now, you won't be getting past my defenses. HehehehehehahahahAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
More ominous foreshadowing. And yeah, there's a theme to the defeats of the Chaos Movement now, those that the Master has deemed unworthy. And it's only going to get worse from here. Dun dun dunnnnnnn! I had fun making this Turbo Duel, I just hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. There are a couple of cards that you aren't going to find anywhere online but here, like Chaos Strike Fighter and Rise of the Machines and Reinforced Steel, but that's what artistic liberty is for. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
Now then, the question for the chapter. I'm sure you all are going to enjoy this news; I do indeed plan on making a sequel to Chaos Unleashed. It's still in the early foundation stage, hell, I don't even have a name for it yet. Maybe something like Yugioh: Chaos Incarnate or something. But anyways, the reason why I mention it is that I plan on reuniting not only Yusei and Yugi, but this will be a true crossover involving both Jaden and Yuma as well. What about ARC-V you ask? Well, I'm honestly not sure. Don't get me wrong, it's been an outstanding addition to the Yugioh franchise. Yuya is a very interesting character. However, with all the dimensional shenanigans, I'm not even sure ARC-V is even in the same universe as the first four series. So for now, it's just a crossover with the first four protagonists. Which leads me to the question: Which supporting characters from GX and Zexal do you think would be best to accompany their respective… "leaders" for this crossover? It's going to be one crowded environment, truth be told, so I cannot bring along everybody. So let's keep the groups from Zexal and GX to, say, around 5-6 people max. I mean, just look at how crowded GX was during its peak. But I'm beginning to study those two series, in order to be able to write those characters appropriately, so let me know what youse guys think. Which characters from GX and Zexal should join Jaden and Yuma in the future sequel to Chaos Unleashed?
No Guest Reviews this chapter. Weird. Oh well.
Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Reviews are always welcome, as is any and all respectful criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve and I like hearing your thoughts about the chapter.
Follow me on twitter, at nuttybuddy792 for more nutty shenanigans. I appreciate every follow and fave that I get.
One final thing. I've been getting a few PMs asking about fanart for this series. I am not going to squash the creative spirit. You artists have my full blessing to create fanart of my story, under two conditions; the first being that you give proper credit to me for this story, and second that you drop a link to your artwork, either through a PM or on twitter, so that I can see your rendition of my world. I will happily promote your artwork if you do so.
Until the next chapter my friends!
From your Nutty Buddy,
The Eagle Nut