Episode 3: To the Future


At A.I. Restaurant

"Come in!"

"Glad to meet you, Atachi-san."

"Good morning, Asana. And you too, Gakuto."

"Good morning to you too, Atachi-san."

"I truly trust you both, but just to be sure... Please fill out the papers~"

"Once again, thanks for letting us use the Goha Stadium. Very appreciated of you."

"Today will be fun." Asana comments.

"All the elementary schools will be Dueling altogether for the graduation day. Never have I seen such a major metamorphosis like this before." Mimi is intrigued. "By the way... Do you want more gifts? I mean... You contributed to the survival of Dueling, and we are indefinitely indebted. On the behalf of Goha Corporation, I truly don't know if we have done enough to compensate for your efforts."

"There's no need Atachi-san. Your gratitude is more than enough."

"I guess. About Yuga, maybe we should have somewhat of a..." Mimi lowers her tone. She pulls out a tissue before continuing. "Let's sort out a date for that. Shall we...?"

"I..." Asana responds, "It's Yuga. He will be... He will... Yuga..."

Gakuto looks at a depressed Mimi and a flustered Asana. He himself doesn't know what to say either, nor he has enough certainty to say that Yuga still survives. Still, he has to say something to ease out the dark mood. "Yuga may not be here, but his spirit may still wander around. That's what I believe. Surely Yuga would shed a tear or two also if he sees your face, Asana."

"Well..." Asana lets out a sigh to vent out her sadness. "Let's get the papers done, Gakuto."

"I am sad too. But it is what it is." Gakuto says.

An hour and a half later, the graduation ceremony of all elementary schools has begun. In Goha 7th, Gakuto is reading his speech. This year, there is a student that has brought upon a huge impact in the school. He may not be the most academic, nor the most athletic. He also doesn't have a big background, nor comes from a prestigious family; nonetheless, he manages to push himself forward and leaves a big impact in the community. His name is Ohdo Yuga – a boy that believes in the road of smiles. He is the biggest rule-breaker Goha 7th has had ever-to-date; he usually does things in his own way regardless of others' scolding. It is until one day – the birth of Rush Duel, when his brilliance shines the best. Under Rush Duel, Yuga's ideals are finally fleshed out to everyone, and many starts to respect Yuga more. Goha 7th becomes more and more well-known because of Yuga's success. Gakuto, and everyone in the school, is proud of Yuga's heroic act and bravery – he may not be here for the ceremony, but he still deserves an award for the most influential student in Goha 7th.

"What a boy you are, Yuga." Tiger compliments Yuga after hearing Gakuto's speech.

"Next year, we will be in the same class. Happy, Luke?" Romin cheerfully talks to Luke.

"I guess..."

As the ceremony concludes, everyone sings out the anthem of Goha 7th...

"And with this, our ceremony has come to an end."

Suddenly, the lights flicker. It turns on once again, but Gakuto is in his Gakuting form.

"HEY-HEY-HEY EVERYBODY!"

"Here we go again..." Romin sighs in exasperation.

"Oh dear, what'cha got today?" Ranze asks Rinnosuke.

"Oh yeah, we got'cha fam. Today there's a tour-tour-na-na-ment for EVERYBODY!"

"FYI, waitin' for ya is fun, joy and intensity. No more chillin', it's time to D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D Duel!"

Everyone stands up with their fists raised up. Hype~!

At Goha Stadium

NOTE: In this tournament, two random schools will be grouped together under one big team. The winner of each team will move on to the single-elimination bracket of 4, and whoever stands out on top will be crowned the victor. There are 7 schools, so a lottery will decide which team will face with themselves only.

"Let's see..." Mimi opens out the envelope. "Goha 7th Elementary School!"

"So, among all of us, only 1 can advance. Interesting." Tiger tells Asana, "It would be fun if we can fight today."

"I would be happy to face anyone today. Let's have some fun, everyone!"

Tiger gives out a thumbs up, "Let's see if either of us makes it, Romin."

"Let's fight, Luke." Romin hugs Luke by his shoulder.

"I suppose."

"Luke seems a bit cold today." Gakuto thought to himself.

Goha 7th displays their power.

"Smash them all in one note! Esperaid!"

"This is my resolve. Checkmate!" Gakuto attacks with Kimeruler.

"In one breath... Ensembullfighter! Ensemble Strike of Eradicative Supremacy - Straight Pierce!"

Romin, Gakuto and Tiger quickly defeat their opponents.

"How is Luke doing?"

"He is about to Duel Yoshio."

Luke faces off against Yoshio.

"Hurray! I get to fight my idol today! Mom, look~!"

"Do your best, Yoshio-chan!"

"Let's Duel." Luke challenges Yoshio in a pessimistic tone.

"Doesn't seem to get hyped up, apparently."

"At least he is still undefeated. It's just... Something is kinda off with Luke, Tiger-san."

"RUSH DUEL!"

"I go first." Yoshio starts his turn by activating Apocalypse – Beast Gear World. He smirks, before donning in his Good Max outfit, "Open the daor from the apocalyptic Hell. I activate this Field Spell!" A new environment surrounds both fighters. Ruins of buildings appear as a wolf riding a motor emerges, "I Summon Beast Gear Moto Wolf. Turn ends."

"Draw. I send Clear Ice to activate Ship of Sevens Treasures. I draw one. I activate Mountain, then send it to the Graveyard to activate Dragon Surpassing the Heavenly Heights." Luke Special Summons a Dragon monster from his hand, "If you touch this guy, you'll get burned. He's way too cold. Burn, blue flames of ice! Ancient Arise Dragon!"

"Amazing!" Yoshio is impressed.

"I Summon Dragon Bat, then I send the top card of my Deck to the grave to activate Ancient Arise's effect. It gains 600 ATK, then I can shuffle Clear Ice and Burning Blaze into the Deck to destroy your monster!"

"Don't forget Beast Gear World! Your Dragons will just struggle!"

"With this dragon's authority I activate the Spell Card – Dragon's Inferno!"

"No!" Yoshio is nervous as his world is burned under the cold flame of Ancient Arise.

"Ancient Arise! Dragon Bat! Direct attack!"

"Gahhhhhh!"

"Yoshio-chan..." Mimi cries, seeing his son's defeat. Nonetheless, she still has to do the role of a commentator. "That's a quick W for the #1 Duelist in Goha 7th!"

The timer buzzes. "Oh-oh! Time is up! And the winner of the Goha 7th's block is... Kamijo Tatsuhisa – none other than our "Luke"!" The crowd cheers for Luke. People in Goha 7th do expect the result, but they still have fun Dueling each other before everyone moves on to their middle school life.

"C-o-n-g-r-a-t-s~!"

Luke glances at Romin's shiny eyes, but he quickly walks away. "I will go home."

"W-W-WHAT!?" Gakuto freaks out.

"Patience... Patience... Patience..." Tiger holds her breath from giving Luke a lesson.

Romin changes her attitude. "What did you say... Stupid-gears?!" Romin's eyes turn red.

"I'm leaving. Nothing is fun here."

"LUKE!" Romin furiously chases after Luke.

Suddenly... A figure storms from above the roof.

"Flying down from a sky of darkness is a messenger of ruin. Goha Yuga!"

"You little...!" Tiger angrily lashes out over the intruder.

"Perfect timing. There is a break between each bracket. Let's settle this!"

Security guards try to bring Yuga out of the podium, but Mimi intervenes.

"He is permitted to stay during this break. Let him enter."

"Move out of my way!" Yuga walks towards Luke. "As I expected, you passed through the first bracket with ease. However, can you say you have done the best you could during the Duels?"

Luke answers to Yuga, "Like it matters. I win and don't lose. That's simple."

"Is it?"

"Get out of here."

"Were your opponents a bit too easy for your strength?"

Luke's expression changes. He sweats.

"Duel me, Luke." Yuga raises his Duel Disk.

"Before that, you little mutt..." Romin holds Yuga in his collar, "Take off that cursed card of yours!"

"Monster Reborn, I see..." Yuga takes out his copy of that card.

"Everything is good. Let's Duel, Swirly."

"Today will be the day of your rebirth! RUSH DUEL!"

"I go first. I Set a monster and 2 cards face-down. Turn ends."

"My turn. Draw! I pay 1000 LP to activated Enraged Scale Liberation." Yuga sends the top 5 card of his Deck to the Graveyard. "I shuffle Predator Gunleon to activate Mimicking Camouflage Sword. Reveal your hand, Luke!"

"Tch..." Luke reveals 7 Chance, Dragias and...

"I send Sevens Road Magician from your hand to the Graveyard! I activate Silent Doom to revive Mechaleon, then Tributes for Hot Flameleon. Because I have lower LP than yours, I pay 600 LP to revive Armored Lizard. Then, by sending all my monsters to the Graveyard, I activate Heavenly Revelation. From my Graveyard... Expose all the fester, decay and death! It will all become my food, my strength! Come out, Ecdysis Caliguleon!"

"So that's your ace, Swirly."

"Let the rebirth begin..." Yuga reveals Monster Reborn in his hand!

"Monster Reborn!?"

"But Romin-kun asked Swirly to take that out!"

"Hmph."

Last night, at Sixross

"Swirl, swirl..." Yuga sneaks into Yuo's circus room. "There should be something I'm looking for. Swirl!"

Yuga discovers a painting machine, "Yuo usually uses this to mask his puppets for his shows. If I do this... Swirl, swirl, swirl..."

Present

"So the one Romin took from you..." Gakuto rubs the card with his handkerchief, revealing a faint image of Princessleon beneath. "You tricked us!"

"Sorry, but it is what it is. No more games."

The dark aura covers the entire stadium. "I Special Summon Sevens Road Magician in your Graveyard!"

"Sevens... Road!"

"I sent the top card of my Deck to the grave. Elemental Road!" Sevens Road rises to 3900 ATK. "Ecdysis Caliguleon also gains 100 ATK for every card in my grave. Also, Heavenly Revelation gives it 300 more ATK." Ecdysis Caliguleon's ATK becomes 3600. "Battle! Ecdysis Caliguleon attacks the face-down monster. Desire of Darkness!"

"Trap, activate! 7 Chance. I draw 3." Luke draws Metagias, The Power-Up and Dragon Encounter.

"Quite unlucky, huh. Continue the attack!" Dragolite is destroyed.

"But thanks to this, I can activate Vengeful Dragon's Counterattack! I destroy... I destroy..."

"Will you destroy Ecdysis Caliguleon, or..."

Luke points his finger at the enormous reptile. "I destroy Caliguleon."

"So you can't destroy Sevens Road. This might be a waste of time for both of us."

"Swirly..."

"Sevens Road... Attack Luke directly. Sevens Magic!"

Sevens Road launches its sword towards Luke. "Let the suffering be sealed into light and the salvation rise from darkness. Rebirth!"

The attack lands. Luke lays down, remembering his last moments with Sevens Road... and Yuga:

"I sacrifice two monsters to Tribute Summon." Yuga throws his card to Luke, telling The Lukeman to bring Luke back to his friends.

"Yuga, what're you doing?! Our duel isn't over yet! No, is he trying to run since he knows he'll lose—"

"No matter if walls, mountains, or planets block my way. I'll carve open a road through it all and press onward."

"Yuga, what are you...?"

"Look at the card, Luke!"

"Th—This... Yuga, you!"

"Let's go, Sevens Road Magician..."

"I end my turn."

"Luke! Wake up! Stand up! Rise up! Whatever! Please!"

"I just let him relive his life once again. His memories should stay intact, if only..."

"Hey, you damn mutt. What if Luke can't wake up?" Romin furiously asks.

"Depends. The effect of Monster Reborn is at its strongest if the victim is at their weakest emotional state. There might be a chance—"

Tiger cannot hold her anger any further. She approaches Yuga with her bassoon. "If my bro-gears doesn't wake up, you know where you will be tomorrow, right?!"

"Sure. It's better if you and Romin don't have to take care of that shell of a person."

"Romin Punch!" Romin delivers a blow in Yuga's guts. "Within the next 7 seconds, if Luke doesn't wake up, I will make sure you spend the rest of your life in a bed. Got it!"

"Fine. Go ahead." Yuga coldly challenges Tiger and Romin.

"7...6...5...4...3...2...1..." Romin and Tiger stares at Yuga's eyes at the final count.

"Urghhh..." Luke wakes up from the effect of Monster Reborn.

"Luke!"

"Are you okay?" Gakuto holds Luke up.

"I'm... alright."

"I failed to erase his fighting spirit." Yuga smiles.

"It's my turn. Correct?" Yuga nods. "My turn. Draw. Spell Card, Pot of Greed. I draw 2 cards."

"Your current hand cannot defeat Sevens Road. And you only have 100 LP left. It's up to whatever you draw next."

"I draw." Luke draws Miragias, 7 Shift. "This will work! I send Metagias to the grave in order to activate 7 Shift. Burn up this coldhearted world with your blazing flames! Super dragon of super phantoms! Super-Super Special Summon! Super-super-super... come on out! Illusion Strike Dragon Miragias!"

"This is Luke's winning move!"

"I send Dragias to the grave to use the effect of Miragias. I reduce Sevens Road by 1500 ATK. Then, by shuffling Dragolite, Metagias, Dragias into the Deck, I activate The Power-Up. Miragias gains 500 ATK!"

"With this, bro-gias can defeat that bastard!"

"Go, go, Luke!"

"Wait... Can Luke...?"

Luke looks at Sevens Road. Miragias has enough ATK to defeat Sevens Road, but there is currently something grim in Luke's heart.

"What's wrong? Scared to attack?"

"I want to talk to Sevens Road first."

"Monster Reborn gives you a chance to reflect on your past memories. I'm sure you also relive the painful farewell with Yuga. Though, you are indeed not being bound by the shackles of guilt and laid down forever. I'm curious to see your next move, Luke."

Luke closes his eyes. "Sevens Road. Can you hear me? If you can, I want to tell you this. You are a special monster in my eyes. You carve open a road through all kinds of hurdles. No matter if you fail, you always bounce back and return at a greater height. It's always a pleasure to combat with you, and we certainly have a fun time together. If your master ever returns, please tell him..."

"Are you okay, Luke?" (Romin already snapped out of her Berserk Mode.)

Luke breathes heavily. He lets out a sigh. "Here I go, Swirly!"

"Bring it on!"

"Miragias. Attack Sevens Road! Dark Blast of Explosive Supremacy!"

Miragias strikes its dark energy into Sevens Road, defeating it and Yuga. "Gahhhhhh!" Yuga is blown by the lethal damage.

"LUKE!" Romin is enthusiastically happy over Luke's victory.

"Well, congrats for finishing me off." Yuga stands up. "How do you feel?"

Luke avoids Yuga, "Let's go, Romin. Head off to the balcony."

"Sure, sure~"

"Thanks for helping Luke, Swirly." Gakuto thanks Yuga.

"If that's what you think, go ahead. Goodbye, till our roads cross." Yuga walks out the podium.

"Luke is still wishy-washy. At least he gets knocked a sense or two in his head now. Time to watch Asacchi, Gakuto."

Outside Goha Stadium, the Goha Siblings are also watching the tournament.

"Sheesh. He actually did it."

"Maybe Monster Reborn has its positive, Yujin-nee-san, Yuo-nee-san."

"Hmph. What if Luke didn't wake up? Besides, it seems like he is still a wimpy guy."

"Yuga!" Yuro notices Yuga walking out.

"I guess you strike a home run into Luke's heart. Well done!" Yuka pats Yuga's head.

"All I do is giving him a closure. Nothing too much."

"As promised, we will allow you to keep Monster Reborn. However! If you cause even just one problem using that card, we have every rights to punish you!" Proprietress points at Yuga.

"I understand. Let's watch the tournament together."

Two years later...

Luke is on the bicycle with Gakuto and Romin. They are chasing towards the Mutsuba Proto-Spaceship RUSH near the Goha Harbor.

"And of course, I won that tournament! Now, it's time to show my true strength!"

"Here it is!" Gakuto sees the spaceship arriving.

Mutsuba Proto-Spaceship RUSH lands on the ocean. Water splashes around the bay as the ship slowly opens its entrance.

"Hop down, Luke!" Romin points at the spaceship, "This is your chance!"

A familiar figure appears. He seems to be at a similar height as Luke. From the top of the spaceship, he lands a spectacular jump to the ground, looking at his rival. Luke approaches him. He throws a card that he has been holding for two years. The one facing in front of Luke catches the card. Both raise their Duel Disk under the shape of a stylized "7". The smokes caused by the landing evaporates, revealing the face of a friend...

"RUSH DUEL!"