Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds: The Judgement of the World

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

A/N: Back when I came up with this plot it was meant to be a virus... then Covid happened, so I'm adjusting this arc to say 'poison' instead.. If you were wondering.. just a heads up.

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Neither Dragons knew anything about 'Crash Town', so when they arrived they were unsure of what to expect from such a place. All they had was the shadows that stretched out from the town to meet them, as the pair rode up on while the sun was igniting the eastern sky.

"Rugged clothes, just that touch of danger... This is like being home when we were kids huh, Jack?" Crow noted through his tired gaze. Leather vests and pants, boots and that sense of danger, it was hard, even in his sleep deprived state, to not feel that they drove onto a Hollywood movie set.

"Yeah, given that this place is mostly abandoned by the government as a failure. They probably were in a similar state," Jack agreed as he looked about for whatever would serve as a watering hole. Coming here was one thing, finding where that bastard was hold up? Was another.

"You think they would use a Japanese name or a American Western one for the local bar?" Crow asked as he pulled up to the side of the road. There was interestingly enough only a few stares for the pair's arrival. More over, people were openly wearing guns. Which was a full stop for Crow.

"Never watched those types of movies so I guess we ask," Jack grumbled out his confession as he finally got off the back of the Blackbird. The pain from such an endurance ride reminding him keenly why Wheel was built to be more a throne for its seat. It also brought to mind the unwelcomed realization that they couldn't keep pushing themselves.

Pure pride was keeping them on their feet, but they needed rest. Isao was bound to want some time wasting duel to hold them here longer than necessary. So they needed to be sharp for the duels because the odds up them being slap stupid tired and still taking on his group was bad.

"Crash in Crash Town, heh," Crow chuckled to himself at the word play as he tried to discern bar names.

"Oi! You there... Where's the nearest motel?" Jack imperiously demanded of a woman walking by. Lavender colored, and ankle length, the dress was probably intended to look Western, but only after having gone through several fashion designers by the looks of it. In her arms was a bag with presumably groceries. But if she was alarmed at being addressed so by a random teen in a scuffed up white riding suit, she didn't show it.

She sized them up though. Unlike the traditional startled reactions that would be received in Neo Domino, she seemed fairly relaxed. Judging them with a semi trained eye, probably taking in the signs of exhaustion and damaged clothes. Deciding to answer she jutted out her chin towards the other side of the road. "Over there, you're near by actually, been on the road a while weren't you?"

"Yes," Jack answered before buttoning up his lips.

"Thanks sister!" Crow called out in answer, his voice carrying a slight elated tone, hinting at delirium.

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"Everything is clear, your shift is over, so you have a good day Kiryu," a balding old man called out behind the front desk. A squat old man, with eyes lost behind round glasses, and a judging frown seemingly carved into his face.

Kyosuke nodded, and turned to walk down the hallway that would lead to his own room when a surprising voice blurted out his name. "Kiryu?! The hell you doing here?!"

For one painstaking moment he found himself thinking 'I've gone mad, just keep walking'... only for his boss to call out.

"Friends of yours, Kiryu?"

Unstuck from his half step stance, Kiryu turned to see if he truly had lost his mind. When standing just inside the doorway of the Sunset inn was Crow and Jack.

The guys looked like hell, both were covered in dust from long riding. But Jack's white riding suit was the bigger tell. It wasn't just grayed out by dust, there were random rips and tears all along it, and his legs were stained vivid muddy browns. They didn't just 'come' out of nowhere, they appeared like they had traveled through a gang war.

"What are you doing here?"

While at the same time the pair tried to process through their exhausted mines that in the middle of an out of place Western town, they found Kiryu.

'I kinda thought he opted to stay dead like the Godwins.' Jack found himself musing as he gave Kiryu a once over. Even as Kiryu did the same for the pair.

He was dressed in much the same way as the other locals, but Jack's tired gaze still managed to catch sight of a small name tag pinned to the shirt he was wearing. A Dark Signer, working at a themed motel? Was that possible? 'I mean, Carly and Misty both came back and went back to work, I suppose he could to.'

"Looking for a bastard named Isao," Crow answered, his tone still exhausted to the point of sounding drunk.

"No bags, something tells me this trip was unexpected.." Kiryu noted earning a nod.

"We weren't planning on staying long, but we need a nap. We don't have time for much else," Crow admitted as he walked over. His steps slightly swaying and his gaze was almost glassy.

For anyone with an ounce of common sense and self awareness, it was those tell tale signs that Crow was about to collapse, and Jack wouldn't be much further behind.

"Hey grandpa, I'll hide them in my room. Don't need them scaring customers," Kiryu called over before gesturing to the pair.

"Eh... Point taken," the old man agreed before adding, "But if they can afford a room!"

Kiryu merely gave a back hand wave as the two walked towards him, 'I don't deserve to be in charge of these two... so where's Yusei?' The long wooden hallway, with their pictures of the area prior Zero Reverse were hung along the walls. Soon giving way to the outside world. With the rows of rooms spanning forward on his left, the world to his right.

"How did you end up here?" Jack asked, his voice didn't carry his normal lofty weight. Instead it bore this type of desperation, that if he stopped having something to focus on, he would pass out.

"Not a whole lot of jobs for a marked coward. Gramps took me in, gave me room and a job." Kiryu replied with a slight shrug, "Didn't have the courage to go away, but my crimes make me unsuited for just about everything here. I have to start from the ground up if I want even a roof over my head," he finished as he looked down at the world. Fear kept him from going on straight into natural death, and now he could only look on in envy of all the people who had their normal jobs and lives. Even if they were wearing American Western clothes, they were seemingly happy. "But what about you guys, its gotta be serious for you to show up like this."

"... Yusei's dying."

Kiryu tripped over his own feet, tumbling forward and had he not grabbed onto the handrail he probably would have face planted then and there. Instead he caught himself so he could retain some dignity as he turned to look at his former fellow gang members. Faces pinched with anguish and exhaustion, had they not been so tired they might have not said it at all.

Only by being drunk off their asses with exhaustion had let that much slip out, or be expressed so naked on their faces. While Kiryu felt his stomach plummet into his leather boots. "This 'Isao' person?'"

"Yeah, son of a bitch infected Yusei with a type of poison, and gave us a message that he was out here with the cure." Crow began, his voice was strained and as ever with Crow, more ripe with emotion. "But we're not here to get the cure. We don't have enough time to get back with it even if we kept going. So we're going to kick that bastards ass until his breath smells like our boots."

Suddenly the trip to his room felt as though it would be a day long affair in and of itself as Kiryu tried to process what Crow was saying. "You can stay in my room, take that nap you both obviously need, I can ride with Crow to find..." Kiryu began.

"Can't, he got my Ride wrecked, I rode here on the back of Crow's," Jack explained, exhaustion born subdued tones at war with The King Jack Atlas pride born fury.

"Ok, I can wait until you've had some rest."

Kiryu could see his room, and pulled out the key from his back pocket as he walked ahead, glancing behind once in a while. Needing to make sure the pair were still awake and following him. A small prayer of gratitude was all he could give as they walked. Had they been earlier he would have still been working the red eye shift. Now he could at least get them to his room, grab some food and be ready when they woke up.

'Isao', the name meant nothing to him, it wasn't a business in the area that he knew of. A name alone wouldn't get him much, unless maybe if he went to the saloon. But the rumor mill wouldn't get swinging until evening. 'I got a couple of cups ramen...' He thought to himself as he finally opened the door.

"Come in, there's two beds as is standard, so you guys can crash, I'll get you something to eat for when you wake up." Kiryu offered while flipping on the light to the room. It was one of those standard motel rooms. Twin beds, wallpaper that was only slightly peeling but meant to look like wooden wall. There was no true kitchen, just a television across from the beds resting on a long dresser, a closet for clothes. Counter space and small fridge in the area that led to the bathroom. But it was four walls that kept the weather out and him dry. Nothing elaborate but it was 'home' and he had lived worse back on Satellite.

The pair walked stiffly into the room, mostly in a daze as Crow literally dropped face first onto the closest bed he came to.

"Wake us in an hour..." Jack instructed as he moved further into the room before following Crow's example into the second bed.

Kiryu watched the pair as he shut the door absently. He walked towards the small fridge and began doing a small count of inventory. There was one cup left, and he could no longer put off shopping. Glancing at the electronic clock resting next to the bed, he tallied up the time and shopping time.

'I can get there and back on foot, and I could use something to do...'

Now with a weight different than lack of sleep, Kiryu stepped back out of his room and back into the morning light. Once more greeted by the out of place landscape of Crash Town. A collaboration between Industrial Illusions, Hollywood, and a bit of the Japanese governments' attempt at covering scars. Japan by default did not originally have anything that could be liken to a 'desert' in the way that America had the Midwest.

Originally.

Zero Reverse changed that, abruptly, and suddenly Japan's beautiful greenery was scared with a scab that never went away. Whatever reason, whatever purpose, Zero Reverse permanently sucked the vitality out of this landscape. No indigenous trees or plants grew in the area, and for a time no one wanted to live here either.

Then came Industrial Illusions and an inspired idea.

Make a town to the theme of the old American films!

But in the way that themed restaurants didn't last, so to was the interest in such a town. Even with the improved wealth that came from not spending on electricity or gas. There was only going to be so many people willing to drive out to the middle of nowhere to see a themed town.

Resulting in this East meets West style blend of American Western appearance, and modern Japanese lifestyle. As the bust of a whole town began to bubble up, the residents just abandoned the 'old west' ascetic where it suited them. While the buildings were Old West in construction, even the casual clothes worn by the residents were. The food returned to true Japanese, and if anyone claimed it wasn't 'authentic' well, how did a bunch of Italians know what the Old West was like either?

There 'was' a reason why it was called 'Spaghetti Westerns'.

Nothing like walking into what, from the outside, appeared to be a local tavern, only to find a decent Sushi restaurant. Which was the first and last time Gramps had been drunk enough to take Kiryu there. Or here, the General store, Kiryu may have come from the streets but he was pretty confident that refrigeration was fairly modern compared to the time period of the 'Old West'.

'Someone got to Yusei? How? Why?' He found himself pondering as he walked along the rows of food. Looking for the supplies he lived off of due to the living space. 'If there's not enough time to save him though. Why come here? Why would they leave his side?' Kiryu wondered as he filled up his basket.

There was no one to call and try to get more information out of back in Neo Domino either. What with his limited contact list and his 'history'. He could faintly recall that two of his 'teammates' became friends and one was smitten by Jack. But that was a 'lot' of hoops to jump with little chance of payout before the guys woke up.

And yet...

'Crow rode his BlackBird here, he should still have his address book on it right? I can check the call list and see who he called. That might give me someone to call instead of just sitting around,' he thought as he absentmindly made his purchases. 'Will be easy really if Crow is as Crow was and willing to forget to change that code...'

A nice direction to take mentally really, since pondering who Yusei pissed off 'this' badly was pointless. The guy wasn't one to pick fights or start them if he could avoid it or if given a good reason. So until the guys woke up, Kiryu was just going to have to get snoopy.

Which was incredibly helpful...

Because when he reached the Blackbird, the most recent numbers had been to Martha, and a call to Carly.

"Do... I know you?" Carly asked, her expression one of concern and confusion all around her glasses.

'Misty had the right idea about making Carly take them off,' he thought while shaking his head. "No, but I'm old friends with Jack, Yusei and Crow. Jack and Crow just got here and I was wondering if you knew what brought them here... Are you ok?" His voice trailed off as he watched tears start to roll down her cheeks...

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'Yusei got a woman, and she came with baggage.' Kiryu thought as he stared out into the world from outside his door. But now, thanks to Carly, he was up to date on why the guys were here and who the hell this 'Isao' was. 'At the same time she sounds like a piece of work. I never would have thought quiet Yusei would like a noise maker.'

But Isao gave them some type of clear direction, which was the one thing that Carly 'didn't' know off the top of her head. More over, there 'had' been only one D-Wheel, proving that the pair hadn't lied because of Kiryu's past. There was no way for him to go along and help. 'Most I can do is set them up with rooms for when they make this return trip back.'

Nothing like waiting.

Watching the sun rising into the sky.

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Ryu walked along the hallway towards his class when a small group of slightly younger students caught his attention. Mostly it was the hair, that shade of hair and those styles being worn, calling to mind the kids that came to see his father. While among the milling crowd of kids he caught only the briefest of glimpses of Ruka's face.

'Did something happen?'