Ride 10: Angel Baton
"Watch Izayoi's match for me. I'm going to stay with Bommer until I know he's alright." Yusei said. "I won't let Godwin have another person under his thumb if I can help it." he said, calling her room from the hospital's phone.
At Yusei's request from the hospital, Gally met his City friends in the rows of blue seats overlooking the tournament. The twins Rua and Ruka she'd already met, but the rest were new acquaintances. Their friend Tenpei, a boy with dark glasses, neat shoulder length brown hair, and a zigzagging bit of hair hanging from his forehead. And older man named Yanagi, with a leaning posture and thin arms, wearing a yellow robe and having a laid back smile despite the marker on his face. Finally the last member was a proud former pro duelist named Jin Himuro, teal hair jutting from his tanned head at four upward directions in four long spikes, the rest of his hair a short military buzz. He had two thin markers from his nose down to each mid-cheek. Gally wondered what the crime was to get two of those things, but didn't ask. The younger crowd was a bit intimidated by her body as they noticed her mechanical parts when she sat by them in the seats, but the older men didn't bat an eye.
"I mean this woman dueling next has Psychic powers. That's something I'm worried about considering what she did to her last opponent. Not some fancy prosthetic." Himuro said, looking at Gally's arm as she cupped her face in one of her hands.
"Hey, I don't see what the problem is!" Yanagi yelled. "Dueling is for everyone, no matter what powers they might have!"
Gally smiled and looked to Izayoi, the red clad woman standing still, face a cold expression as she regarded her opponent, who went by the Mad Profiler.
"That dragon of hers' is strong." Gally said and Ruka blinked.
"You saw it in the previous match?" She asked.
Gally shook her head. "No. At the Diamon Area." Gally said.
This made Rua and Tenpei sit up in interest. "You saw her there too?! That sure was scary!" Rua said.
Gally narrowed her eyes and looked to the woman. "She doesn't seem like she wants to be here."
"That's because she's a front for the Arcadia Movement." Himuro said. "A haven for Psychic Duelists all over the City.
"Arcadia Movement?" Gally asked.
"Yeah. Even with the underground rumors she's the Black Rose Witch of the underworld, she's a rallying cry for the movement. The best face that they've got – from what I hear she used to be the daughter of a senator." Himuro said.
Gally frowned. That was certainly suspicious.
"Hey, I forgot something. I'm going back to my room to get it." Gally said, standing up and smiling at the group. "You guys enjoy the duel, ok?" She asked.
/
Black Rose Dragon let out a roar as her master summoned her to the field, the audience screaming for the witch to be put to death as the duel raged on.
"The Black Rose Witch." Gally said, recognizing the dragon Izayoi had summoned.
"Yes. Miss Izayoi is a Psychic Duelist, and that is her alias in the underworld." Jaeger said. Despite the earlier run-in Gally had with Godwin, the Director allowed her to observe the duel if she agreed not to cause him any more trouble.
"What's so special about the Arcadia Movement?" Gally asked. Godwin looked over his shoulder at her. "They are a group believing to be the foundation of a new world. Their leader, Divine, is a fanatic who thinks himself a God."
"And she's his sword?" Gally asked, watching the woman below waver as the Profiler's monster blasted apart Black Rose Dragon with a laser beam.
"Yes. That's an apt description. But there's more." Godwin said. "Due to Izayoi's psychic power, we believe she is a Signer.
"Hmph, so your coveted chess piece is on someone else's board then?" Gally asked. Godwin narrowed his eye, nodding and turned back to the match.
"Trap card, Rose Curse!" Izayoi roared as a storm of razor-sharp petals blew through the arena, tearing away pieces of the stone dueling field that she and the Profiler were on. The man screamed as the crimson petals dealt actual damage, costing him more than just life-points as he fell to the ground.
The crowd booed her, in an uproar as the woman stood alone, her opponent carried away by the medical crew. Considering what happened a mere hour ago, Gally was sure that the world could be ending and Godwin's presence there would keep the audiences' bodies planted in their seats.
"Yusei, your duel is about to begin." Gally said, narrowing her eyes to Aki. The next match would begin in thirty minutes. "She's strong."
Jack looked over to her and was in thought. "Such an opponent is fitting for Yusei's next match! The winner will face the King!" Gally wanted to laugh but held it in. She didn't want to give Godwin another reason to blackmail her.
Then she looked down to the arena and had an idea.
/
Professor Akutsu was asleep at the switch as Gally entered the far more advanced Security lab, using the clearance code she'd scanned from Nova's own ID card.
She was in luck, as a green computer chip was hanging off of a lanyard on an empty desk, presumably Nova's.
Gally removed the chip from the string and inserted it into her own body – as there was a place in the Imaginos body for her to interact with other AI systems. As she'd suspected, Nova had created a back-up copy of his mind in case things went south.
"Gally, so good to hear from you!" Nova's voice said in her head. "I see you've found my copy on hand!" The man said. "So, how did I die this time?" he asked.
"Godwin tried to threaten you and you called his bluff by killing yourself when the cameras were switched off." Gally thought, looking around the room.
"Ah! Yes, that would do it, I'm afraid. I can't seem to help my flare for the dramatic. Well, as you've got the most recent memories of myself with you, I'm all yours to command now." The scientist said.
"You mean you'll help me completely now?" Gally asked.
"Yes. Consider it atonement all the bad karma I've caused you in the past decade, though I know it doesn't make up for Zapan or Ido's fate." Nova said matter-of-factually. "But know that I don't regret one moment of it!"
"You're going to help me now?" Gally asked.
"Yes. Though I'm sure Godwin won't be happy about it, but that's part of the fun!" Nova said.
"Ta-ta Professor Akutsu! Maybe in ten years, you'll be on my level! And I'll be seeing you on the other side, Gally" The man said with a laugh as Gally exited the building, back turned to the swirling light of the blazing reactor.
Then it was time for the plan to really kick in motion. For Gally that meant she would have to get home from a great surge of the Momentum energy. As Nova explained it, since the Imaginos body was such a huge influence of karma when united with her soul that meant that it would take that much more energy to send her back.
She decided it would be a problem for later and left the room, letting the other Professor sleep.
/
Aki exhaled and Divine removed a stray hair from her sleeve, smiling at her.
"Do your best, Aki." Divine had said to her with kindness in his eyes. She was determined to do just that as she walked down the hallway in a hurry to prepare for the next match with Yusei before she would face Jack.
Then she saw a piercing gaze, the dark haired woman standing with her arms crossed, cybernetics in full view, having shrugged the trench-coat back on her shoulders as though it were a cape. Aki stopped and turned to acknowledge the other. Beside the woman were others, three kids and two older men. But the woman's stare is what caught Aki's eye.
"You. From the Diamon Area." Aki said, stopping her stride to acknowledge the person.
"That's me." The other woman said with a grin, though her eyes were still as intense even as her glare softened a bit.
"Hmph. You're not a Duelist. Why are you even here?" Aki asked.
"I want to see your resolve. And why you fight." The cyborg said.
Aki turned away. "I fight because-" She began.
"Excuse us, Miss, but we're here for Aki." A tall man in a brown trench coat said. His hair was a dark red, the same as Izayoi's own, but the hand on her shoulder wasn't the touch of a family member. It was far too possessive to be that.
From what Godwin said, he had to be Divine.
"To think they have such great power and they waste it on a PR stunt like this!" Nova said in his brain chip. Gally sighed, thinking back to him. "Please, you'd be experimenting on their brains if you had half a chance!"
"Too true!" Nova said with a cackle and Gally tuned him out.
Yusei arrived shortly later, appearing from a rising elevator in a blast of smoke. Aki did the same and the two stared across the field as the pompadour styled announcer declared the duel had begun. Gally had returned to the observation booth with Jack, Godwin and Jaeger as they watched the game unfold.
AKI: 4000, YUSEI: 4000
"And there they go." Jaeger said with a grin as the first few turns passed without either player budging.
Then it happened on Aki's third turn.
"Advance Summon – Rose Tentacles!" Aki declared, the psychic playing her next card as a gigantic and monstrous rose with several thorny vines appeared beside her (6/2200/1200).
She then proceeded to destroy all of Yusei's monsters – his Turret Warrior as well as each of the small Ivy Tokens she'd summoned to his field. Yusei was not safe, as each attack caused Rose Tentacles to ensnare him with a vine, one around each leg, his right arm and then wrapping around his waist as they all lifted him into the air.
Gally sat up, ready to act and Godwin spoke up. "Please remain in your seat. I want to see how Yusei responds."
Then Rose Tentacles dropped him and Yusei barely had time to yell as he slammed into the ground with a cloud of dust.
Then he was back on his feet as his life-points fell drastically.
"My. . . turn." Yusei breathed out as he began. Yusei had to stall for a turn, Shield Warrior and two set cards giving him a meager defense as the Rose monster still was able to strike him with a tendril, knocking off some life-points as the two exchanged words.
"Rejection and anger... but there's one more emotion hidden." Yusei said.
"Izayoi Aki, you destroy. And you enjoy this power of destruction." he finished saying between deep breaths, resting from the fall he'd just taken.
"I … enjoy destruction?" Aki asked, repeating what Yusei said to her.
/
Junk Warrior moved to shatter Rose Tentacles as Yusei's Junk Attack card dealt Aki some damage. Still, that was only the beginning of Aki's duel.
Divine was pleased with the unfolding duel. As he'd explained to Aki, she'd beat Yusei, and then the puppet king of Godwin's before becoming the Duel Queen, using her pull to make the Arcadia Movement shine to all Psychic Duelists shunned by society.
Black Rose Dragon appeared again with a roar, restricting Junk Warrior and attempting to blast it apart, but Yusei was tenacious, using a card on his field and one from his Graveyard in tandem to protect his monster and his own life-points.
Then Divine took a step back as the next creature appeared – a dragon made out of the stars themselves – and Yusei's counterpart dragon to Aki's own if you believed in that dusty legend. Stardust Dragon appeared with a rasp, exchanging greetings with Black Rose Dragon as the two roared at one another.
Stardust blasted Black Rose Dragon apart, but it was a temporary measure – Aki's deck was designed to recycle her dragon and both of its punishing abilities to their maximum potential.
Then Aki pulled out her mask – the disguise Divine stated she didn't need anymore, and she put it on.
"Aki, you really are a naughty girl." Divine said as she affixed the mask to her face.
Then Divine smirked as Aki used another trap card, Black Rose Dragon returning with a blast of purple, its effect blowing debris and strong winds throughout the area before it would move to destroy the entire field.
/
Jack grabbed his forearm where his mark was and Gally noticed he was wincing in slight pain. And looking over the crowd, she could see Ruka was doing the same. The duel was still proceeding at a fast pace as Yusei opted to defend this time with Stardust Dragon rather than attack. Gally focused her hearing on what Yusei and Aki were saying – arguing over what their marks meant – Aki thought it branded them both outcasts to society while Yusei thought it meant they needed to think for themselves.
"Don't presume to know how I feel! Black Rose Dragon's effect activates! I'll destroy all the cards on the field! Black Rose Gale!" Aki yelled as the maelstrom of purple petals started to blow throughout the arena.
"I'll catch anything you dish out! Victim Sanctuary!" Yusei yelled out as he sent his dragon to the Graveyard.
Then it was decisive as Aki was open to attack Yusei directly, but one final trap from Yusei cost her the duel as Stardust Dragon re-appeared, sending a burst of wind at Aki's mask and shattering it.
"The winner is Fudo Yusei!" The announcer yelled as the crowd cheered more enthusiastically now for the man from the place they despised – for at least he wasn't a freak like she was.
Yusei looked shocked to hear those words as the man called Divine led Aki away from the duel area.
/
About five minutes after the match had ended, there was suddenly commotion as grunts could be heard outside. Two bodies fell to the floor as a serious looking Yusei entered the room, glaring at Godwin.
"Hey, you can't be in here!" A bulky man in a green security jacket said, grabbing Yusei.
"Miss Alita, please escort Officer Ushio out of the premises." Godwin said and for once Gally was happy to do what he wanted, pulling the larger man away from an annoyed looking Yusei and dragging him out of the room, the doors closing behind her with a definite hiss.
"You can't do this to me, girl! Do you know what he's put me through?" The officer yelled, pointing to a jagged scar on the side of his face.
"Well the city burned one of their own in his face permanently, so in a way you're even, Officer." Gally said, putting her back to the door so that Ushio couldn't enter.
"Why you! Where's your clearance!?" Ushio asked. Gally smiled and looked to the two bodies that were at her feet, professional security guards no doubt – and ones that Yusei had knocked out flat on the spot.
"Well it's here." She said, making a fist. "I decide whether you join these clowns taking a dirt-nap or not. If you have a post to get to, I'd recommend getting there." Gally said and the man left, restraining his anger as he stomped off.
It was a smart choice. Gally was going to say something else when the chip in her arm buzzed. Nova spoke to her.
"It's Akutsu messaging Godwin. According to his predictions, this next duel should be the strongest surge in Momentum!" Nova exclaimed.
Nova's hologram smiled. "Gally! That's your way home if the predicted levels are adequate! You just need to be on the track once those levels of Momentum peak!" Nova said, bowing before he vanished. Gally blinked and thought of what she still needed to do before she left the area.