ACT III ACCEPTANCE
I don't sleep. I cling to Yusei like I'm going to lose him. No, I am going to lose him. Yusei Fudo is doomed to die. I came to that realisation at around three in the morning. I was just watching his chest rise and fall, and then it hit me. All those strange images that I saw in my dreams. They only point to one thing. Something will fall from the sky, hitting the ocean. The resulting waves will drown the City, taking my friends with it. Yusei Fudo will die, alongside his D-Wheel. I've come to accept this as fact.
The alarm on my phone rings, stirring Yusei from his peaceful sleep. He holds me tighter as the light, airy music plays.
"You have to get up." I whisper. He ignores me, pushing my head under his. "Today's the big day."
"Can't it wait?" He mumbles. "I'm busy."
"Busy?" An airy laugh escapes my mouth. I can't tell how much of it is forced.
"Yes, I want to cuddle my girlfriend in peace."
"Turn that alarm off." Crow bangs his fist on the bedroom door.
"Too bad." I say, my hand weaving its way into his hair. I make no effort to get up myself. "If it will make you get up, I'm wearing shorts and thigh high socks with my pit crew jacket."
"Right, I'm up." I move so I free up his arm. He sits up, brushing the hair back off his forehead. I snake my arms around his waist, hugging him. I haven't told him about what I saw. He's stressed out enough as it is. It wouldn't be fair, I told myself. He has enough weight on his shoulders as it is. He grabs his riding shirt and looks back at me. "As much as I love this, I need to put my shirt on."
"Fine." I get up, grabbing my clothes for the day. I wanted matching outfits for the pit crew. I managed to find nice magenta and black jackets in the men's section, to which I added our logo. As well as a plain yellow and white t-shirt to go underneath it. Unfortunately, they didn't have a small enough size for the twins, so I had to make some for them by hand. I pair the half uniform with denim shorts, black thigh high socks and my usual lace up brown boots. I thought I might as well give Yusei something nice to look at, y'know, since he's going to be stressed with the pressure of leading the team and coming up with strategies.
"How have you never worn that before?" Yusei asks me as I come back into the room from the bathroom. I've put my hair in some sort of half-up style. My hair is slowly creeping down further away from my collarbone, I really need to get it trimmed.
"You like it?" I give him a little spin.
"Yeah, I think it's great. Definitely accentuates your assets." He nods, smiling.
"I think you mean my assets." I laugh.
"That's what I said." I raise an eyebrow at him, and shake my head.
"Come on." He steps forward to kiss me. "They're going to start complaining." He kisses me again. I start smiling. "But you're making a very convincing argument." This time, he raises an eyebrow at me before I kiss him.
"The first-ever World Riding Duel Grand Prix finally begins!" The MC's voice fills the stadium. We walk out into the stadium, heading towards the pit at the centre. "Neo Domino City is more excited than during the Fortune Cup! To commemorate this first tournament, it's taking place at Moment's birthplace!" The cheers are almost deafening. "Block A preliminaries will be held at the Memorial Circuit, the site of the Fortune Cup." If possible, the crowd seems bigger than the one at the Fortune Cup. "The first match is incredible for the preliminaries! Team Unicorn conquered the Atlantis Cup! The three members are Breo, Andore and Jean! Facing them are Fortune Cup winner Yusei Fudo, former King Jack Atlas and Aki Izayoi! They are Team 5D's! Two tournament favourites clash on the first day! Who would have expected this?"
We walk to our section at the pit. Bruno moves to the computers and starts typing. Yusei watches over his shoulders, making comments. Aki stares at the crowd.
"Are you nervous?" I ask her. She's rubbing her fingers over the leather of her glove and her riding suit.
"I'm not going to lie, I am." She sighs.
"You'll be fine." I smile. "They didn't heckle you when they said your name, so that's always a good start."
"I suppose that's true."
"Andore is going first." Rua says as he runs up to Yusei.
"Yusei, you're going first, right?" Ruka asks.
"No. Jack is first, Aki is second and I'm last." Yusei explains.
"Yusei, you're not first?" Ruka's eyebrows furrow slightly.
"I thought you were going to settle things from practice." Rua pouts.
"It's strategy." Jack answers.
"Yusei's our ace-in-the-hole in case things go very wrong." I say.
"Only Jack's deck has the power to face Andore's power deck." Bruno explains.
"Hmm, I'll use my Red Daemon's Dragon to destroy that weak power deck!" Jack pumps his fist, self assured as always. We walk the Wheel of Fortune to the starting line. Jack sits in it, waiting to start.
"What do you want?" Crow scowls as Jean from Team Unicorn walks up to us.
"Don't misunderstand." Jean has this slimy smile that gives me the shivers. "I only came to say hello. Too bad about the injury." I don't trust him.
"But Team 5D's is still powerful without me!" Crow says.
"I know. We think you're our greatest rivals in this tournament." He tilts his head slightly. "It's finally time to settle things."
"Yeah, let's both give it our all today." Yusei smiles right back at him.
"Of course, but the battle has already begun." Jean's face contorts slightly, and it clicks in my head.
"What's up with him?" Crow pouts. "He's cool-headed today! He's totally different than before."
"They finally realised how powerful we are." Jack scoffs. "But as long as Jack Atlas is the first wheeler, everyone knows who'll win!"
"Jack." I whisper, so low that no one else can hear me. "Be careful out there. I think Andore used a different deck when he dueled Yusei. Don't bet on him using a power deck. If anything, I'd bet on an anti-power deck." I glance over at Team Unicorn. I meet Andore's eyes. There's a glimpse of panic in his eyes, he turns quickly to Jean.
"I'll beat them regardless." Jack hums. I sigh and we walk back into the pit. I stand between Yusei and Aki. I have a bad feeling about this.
"It's almost time for this featured battle!" The MC's voice booms over the sound system. "The crews have returned to their pits, so the duel is about to begin!"
"It's finally starting." Aki smiles.
"Yeah, this is the first step towards our dream." Yusei responds.
"I was looking forward to battling you." Jack points to Andore. "We'll determine whose power deck is stronger!" Is he pretending to not know what I just told him? Or is he ignoring my advice completely? Honestly, both are equally likely at this stage.
"Speed World 2, set!"
"Riding Duel! Acceleration!" The MC's voice shouts, hurting my ears a little. "Both start simultaneously!"
"When it comes to acceleration, I can't lose!" Incredibly, I can still hear Jack's voice over the roar of the engine. Not surprising at all, considering we're talking about Jack Atlas of all people. Andore uses boosters to shoot ahead of Jack. "What?"
"That's…" There's a panic tone to Bruno's voice.
"Overboost System!" Yusei exclaims. I look at him confused. "Basically, he accelerates very quickly now, but as a cost, his overall speed later on is lower."
"So he desperately wants to go first? This is what I'm hearing." Yusei nods, confirming my suspicions.
"If you want to go first that badly, I'll let you!" Jack scoffs.
"We now know who goes first and who goes second! Start the duel!" The MC cheers.
"Duel!" Andore and Jack chant simultaneously, starting the duel.
"My turn!" Andore claims the first turn. "I summon the Tuner Monster Uni-Horned Familiar(DEF:1000)! I remove a spell card in my hand from play to Special Summon Monoceros(DEF:1000)! I can Special Summon Monoceros from my hand when I remove a Spell card in my hand from play."
"He's already planning to Synchro Summon!" Jack comments.
"I set two cards and end my turn." Andore smirks, causing gasps to erupt in the pit.
"Strange." Yusei looks at me.
"What's wrong, Yusei?" Rua asks.
"Why didn't he Synchro Summon?" Yusei ponders. It clicks in my head.
"If he's worried about Jack's attack power, he would want two monsters in defense position." Bruno suggests an answer.
"You're wrong. We know for a fact that he's not." If he put up that good of a fight against Yusei, he has no reason to be afraid of Jack.
"But he Special Summoned Monoceros. If he Synchro Summons using Monoceros with a Beast-Type monster as material, he can resurrect the Beast-Type Tuner Monster." Yusei explains. "Even if he Synchro Summoned, he would still have two monsters on his field. In fact, his defense would be stronger if he Synchro Summoned."
"I see. So why didn't he?" Crow turns around in the chair to look at Yusei.
"My guess is that he knows Jack will try to summon Red Daemon's Dragon, so he's going to use its effect against him." I pout.
"I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about this duel." Yusei sighs.
"Here I go! I'll show you my power! My turn!" Jack starts his turn as their Speed Counters increase for the first turn. "I can Special Summon this card from my hand when monsters are only on your side of the field. Appear, Vice Dragon(ATK:2000)! But when I use this effect to Special Summon it, its attack and defense points are halved(ATK:2000-1000)! Then, I summon Dark Resonator(ATK:1300)! Level 3 Dark Resonator tunes Level 5 Vice Dragon! The pulse of the King now forms a line here! Witness the power of the rumbling heavens! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Daemon's Dragon(ATK:3000)!"
"Jack Atlas already summoned Red Daemon's Dragon!" The MC screams. "Show us the overwhelming power that we saw during the Fortune Cup!"
"When Red Daemon's Dragon attacks a monster in defense position, all your monsters in defense position are destroyed!" Jack declares. "No matter how many defending monsters you have, it's pointless against Red Daemon's Dragon! Go, Red Daemon's Dragon! Absolute Powerforce!"
"I activate Uni-Horned Familiar's effect!" Andore smirks. "When Uni-Horned Familiar is attacked while in defense position, I can remove a monster on my field from play to remove Uni-Horned Familiar from play!"
"What?" Jack exclaims, knowing he's been baiting into a trap.
"His field is now wide open!" Crow's eyes light up. It's not that simple.
"I see! He's trying to trap me!" Jack's eyes widen. "Since the situation has changed, I stop Red Daemon's Dragon's attack!"
"Too bad, but that's not possible. Due to Uni-Horned Familiar's effect, you can't stop your attack!" There it is. "Come, Red Daemon's Dragon! Jack Atlas, taste your own power! I activate the trap, Different Dimension Barrier - Lost Force! When my monster leaves the field outside of battle, your monster's attack deflects back at you!"
"Jack!" Crow exclaims as Jack drops to 1000 life points in an instant.
"How dare you!" Jack shouts back at Andore.
"Whoa! Jack Atlas was countered and took a whopping 3000 points of damage!" The MC screams once again over the sound system.
"I set three cards and end my turn!"
"My turn!" Andore starts his turn again. "Uni-Horned Familiar, whose effect removed it from play, returns! Appear, Uni-Horned Familiar(DEF:1000)! I can't Normal Summon D.D. Unicorn Knight, but I can Special Summon it by resurrecting Monoceros that was removed from play. Resurrect, Monoceros(DEF:1000)! Appear, D.D. Unicorn Knight(ATK:1800)! Level 2 Uni-Horned Familiar tunes Level 3 Monoceros! Soaring thunder, merge with the ferocious wind to emerge from the world of illusions! Synchro Summon! Neigh, Thunder Unicorn(ATK:2200)!" Just as I thought, leaving those monsters was bait for an attack from Red Daemon's.
"Thunder Unicorn has 2200 attack points! It's weaker than my Red Daemon's Dragon!" Jack scoffs.
"Once per turn, your monster loses 500 attack points for every monster that isn't Thunder Unicorn on my field." Andore explains.
"But, I'll still have 2500 attack points. Red Daemon's Dragon won't lose to the likes of you!" I'm tempted to climb onto the track and beat some sense into Jack. Monsters have effects that do things, a surprising concept, I know.
"You forgot about this effect!" Andore smirks. "I activate Monoceros's effect from the graveyard. When Monoceros and a Beast-Type Tuner Monster are used to Synchro Summon, the Tuner Monster resurrects! Resurrect, Uni-Horned Familiar(DEF:1000)! There are now two non-Thunder Unicorn monsters on my field. Red Daemon's Dragon's attack points decrease to 2000(ATK:3000-2000)!"
"What?" Jack exclaims, as if he didn't expect this.
"Go, Thunder Unicorn! Thunder Spear!" Andore declares. Red Daemon's is destroyed and Jack's life points fall to 800.
"How could Red Daemon's Dragon be destroyed so easily?" Jack's eyes widen. I just sigh.
"Yusei, look at this!" Bruno shouts over to us as the computer omits an error message.
"What is it?" Yusei goes over to him.
"Something entered the air intake. Should he make a pit stop?" Bruno asks. "It'll mean we have less Speed Counters than them."
"Safety first." Yusei nods. "Jack should make a pit stop."
"I set one card and end my turn." Andore smirks.
"Enough with your stupid tricks! You'll stop stealing my power when I acquire power that you can't steal!" Jack in his rage drives right by our sign for a pit stop. "Unbelievable! You want me to make a pit stop now? You must be kidding! I'm continuing this duel! My turn!" Jack shouts.
"Ah, Jack is continuing the duel!" Did we really expect anything else from Jack though?
"I summon Mad Archfiend(ATK:1800)!" Jack continues. "Then, I activate the trap, Powerful Rebirth! I Special Summon a Level 4-or-below monster from my graveyard and equip it with this card. The equipped monster gains 100 attack and defense points and one Level. I Special Summon Dark Resonator from my graveyard(ATK:1300-1400/LV:3-4)! I activate another trap! Rage Resynchro! By sending Synchro Material Monsters to the graveyard, I can Special Summon its Synchro Monster from the graveyard with 500 additional attack points! Level 4 Dark Resonator tunes Level 4 Mad Archfiend by sending them to the graveyard! The pulse of the King now forms a line here! Witness the power of the rumbling heavens! Synchro Summon! Resurrect, Red Daemon's Dragon(ATK:3000-3500)!"
"3500 attack points?" Andore exclaims.
"Go, Red Daemon's Dragon! Absolute Powerforce!" Jack screams.
"I activate the trap, Dimension Trap! By removing a monster on my field and a trap card in my graveyard from play, I can activate that trap's effect!" Andore declares. "I remove Uni-Horned Familiar and Different Dimension Barrier - Lost Force from play! Lost Force's effect is now on my field! Lost Force negates your attack, and you take damage equal to its attack points!"
"This is bad! Stop the attack, Jack!" Yusei shouts from the pit.
"If you take this, you'll lose!" Crow grits his teeth.
"If you think you can stop my attack, then try!" Jack smirks. "I activate the trap, Overpower! This card negates and destroys the card that tries to stop a monster's attack! Go, Red Daemon's Dragon! Absolute Powerforce!" This reduces to Andore's life points to 2700.
"He survived this turn." Crow sighs.
"We've overlooked something that's strategically important." Yusei mutters.
"What do you mean, Yusei?" Aki turns to him, confused.
"His deck isn't a power deck. It's a deck that counteracts Jack's power deck." Bruno confirms my thoughts.
"That means back then…" Crow's words trail off before he starts shouting. "The deck he used wasn't his real deck?"
"We completely feel for their trick." Yusei admits, as if I hadn't already said this.
"What do you mean, Yusei?" Ruka asks.
"It wasn't a coincidence that they challenged us during practice." Yusei covers his mouth with his hand. I had never thought about that.
"What? He deliberately fell in front of me?" Crow raises his eyebrows.
"Yes, to give us the wrong idea." Yusei explains.
"Give us the wrong idea?" Crow echoes.
"They wanted us to think that Andore would go first and use a power deck." I explain. "They anticipated that we'd choose Jack as ours to fight power with power."
"I see!" Bruno exclaims. "Team Unicorn did whatever it took to go first so that they could set a trap against a power deck."
"Team Unicorn has predicted everything that's happened so far?" Aki mutters. My eyes meet Jean's. They know that we've figured out, but that doesn't bother them. It's too late, in their eyes, for us to do anything now. I know Yusei's mind is already spinning to come up with a strategy.
"Jack, that was impressive. You counterattacked from that situation. But with your simple-minded dueling style, you can't win the WRGP." Andore's voice is dripping with confidence. I want to wipe that smirk off his face.
"Be quiet!" Jack hums. "I don't need you to lecture me about dueling!"
"I expected that attack." I sigh. This Andore guy is too much. "Thanks to you, the battle is over. I activate the trap card, Parallel Selection! When a Synchro Monster is destroyed, I can add one card that was removed from play to my hand. I'm bringing back Speed Spell - End of the Storm."
"This is bad!" Yusei exclaims.
"My turn!" Andore declares, their Speed Counters reaching four. "I activate Speed World 2's effect! By removing four Speed Counters, you take 800 points of damage for every Speed Spell in my hand! You lose, Jack Atlas." Andore's Speed Counters jump back to 0 as Jack's life points hit 0. Jack spins out. I hear something catch. Jack flies from his D-Wheel as it crashes.
"Unbelievable! Jack Atlas crashed!" The MC's voice booms. I'm frozen.
"Damn!" Crow curses, slamming his fist on the table.
"There really was a malfunction with the D-Wheel!" Bruno exclaims as Yusei runs to the track.
"Yusei…" Rua mumbles.
"Jack!" I hear Yusei shout as he steps on the track.
"Stay back!" Jack yells back at him as he tries to get up slowly. "Did you forget the race rules?" Blood drips down from his face. "If anyone touches a D-Wheeler during the race, we'll be disqualified!" He manages to get onto his knees. He points at the pit. "Return to your position!"
"Jack…" Yusei mumbles as he returns to my side.
"Oh my!" The MC shouts as Jack starts pushing his D-Wheel upright. "Jack Atlas has started lifting up his D-Wheel!" He starts wheeling it back. "Jack Atlas's D-Wheel isn't working!" Andore makes a lap around him again. Here we go, the countdown to our doom. "He's pushing his D-Wheel so that they can get to their second wheeler, Aki Izayoi! Jack Atlas keeps pushing his D-Wheel with determination! But now he's facing a huge problem!"
"It's going to be close." Yusei mutters.
"What?" Rua asks.
"According to the WRGP rules, the opposing team gains a Speed Counter for every lap you fall behind." Bruno explains. "Team Unicorn has the maximum 12 Speed Counters. After that, our Speed Counters decrease."
"But we only have 4!" Rua exclaims. "What happens if it reaches 0?"
"When we have 0 Speed Counters, we're disqualified." Yusei sighs. The twins cry out. I close my eyes. There's nothing we can do, we can only stand here, waiting.
"Team 5D's will lose in just four laps!" Jack is nearly at the crossover point. Rua, Crow and I run out to the line.
"Jack, do your best!" Rua shouts.
"Show your guts!" Crow shakes his good fist in the air. I look back towards Aki. She gets her D-Wheel onto the line. She hugs me before getting on her D-Wheel.
"He's coming!" Jack crawls ever closer to the line. "Only one lap left! Can Jack Atlas pass the baton to the second wheeler?" I spot Yusei hand Aki a card. She flips it over so I can't see it. She gasps. A strategy, he answers. Could it be? Jack screams as he pushes the Wheel of Fortune over the crossover line. He rips the team logo sticker off his arm, falling to his knees. Aki puts out her hand, taking the sticker and putting it on. "He's coming! It's the final corner!" Aki sets off.
"Do your best!" I shout after her. Yusei and I catch Jack before he falls further. We have his arms around our shoulders. We're the closest in height so it's easier on Jack this way.
"What close timing! If Aki Izayoi gives up the lead on the first corner, Team 5D's loses!" I bit my lip as Andore and Aki turn the corner. Aki appears on the monitor with 4000 life points and 1 Speed Counter. I sigh in relief. "They survived! Team 5D's survived! The second wheeler Aki Izayoi's battle now begins!"
"Well done, Izayoi. Yusei, I leave the rest to you." Jack mutters before passing out.
"Please take care of Jack!" Yusei shouts over to the staff, who are coming with a stretcher. Carly, Mikage and the waitress from the cafe that Jack goes to hijack the stretcher.
"Please take Jack to the medical office." We hand Jack over to them. We move back into the pit. I wrap my arms around Yusei's waist in an effort to keep myself grounded. We're at the first change of team members and it's already this dramatic.
"Duel!" Andore and Aki chant, starting their part of the duel.
"My turn!" Aki claims the first turn. "I summon Phoenixian Seed(ATK:800)! By sending Phoenixian to the graveyard, I can Special Summon Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis from my hand(ATK:2200)! Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis attacks D.D. Unicorn Knight! Flame Petal!" Andore's life points drop to 2300. "Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis's effect activates. This card is destroyed when it attacks you, and you take 800 points of damage. Scatter Flame!" Aki immediately causes more damage, leaving Andore at 1500.
"Not bad!" Andore smirks. "I set one card and end my turn."
"During this End Phase, I can resurrect Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis by removing one Plant-Type Monster in my graveyard from play!" Aki declares. "Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis resurrects(DEF:0)!"
"You did it, Aki!" Crow smiles as the crowd cheers.
"You're doing well, Aki!" Rua pumps his fist.
"My turn!" Andore starts his turn. "I activate Speed Spell - Dash Pilfer! When I have 4 or more Speed Counters, Dash Pilfer lets me gain control of one of your monsters in defense position." Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis appears on his field. "Then, I summon Unibird(ATK:100)! I activate Unibird's effect! I remove this card and a monster on my field from play. I Special Summon a Synchro Monster from my graveyard with an equal or lower Level! I Special Summon Thunder Unicorn from my graveyard(ATK:2200)! Thunder Unicorn, attack Aki Izayoi directly! Thunder Spear!" Aki's life points fall to 1800 in one foul swoop. "I set one card and end my turn."
"Aki is at a disadvantage." Ruka comments. If Andore used his Speed Counters, he could a lot closer to defeating Aki right now. He sees Yusei as that much of a threat.
"Is there anything she can do, Yusei?" Rua asks.
"There is. I gave Aki a secret plan before she started." A card.
"What secret plan?" Crow turns around in the chair.
"Watch and learn." Yusei looks to me and smiles. Wait, my eyes widen. He's pulled this strategy before with me.
"My turn!" Aki starts her turn, her Speed Counters now at 4. "I summon Witch of the Black Rose from my hand(ATK:1700)! By summoning Witch of the Black Rose, I can draw another card from my deck! I drew Rose Fairy. When a monster effect adds this card to my hand from my deck, I can Special Summon it(ATK:600)! I activate Speed Spell - Angel Baton! When I have 2-or-more Speed Counters, I draw two cards from my deck and discard one card. I discard Glow-Up Bulb from my hand to the graveyard! Level 4 Witch of the Black Rose tunes Level 3 Rose Fairy! Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch black flower set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear, Black Rose Dragon(ATK:2400)!"
"Aki's Izayoi's ace monster, Black Rose Dragon, has appeared!" Andore smirks.
"I activate the trap card, Star Siphon." Aki continues. "When a Synchro Monster is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a Siphon Token and switch their Levels." Black Rose Dragon's Level becomes 1, as the Siphon Token's becomes 7. "I send the top card in my deck to the graveyard to resurrect Glow-Up Bulb(ATK:100)! Level 1 Glow-Up Bulb tunes Level 7 Siphon Token! Clustering wishes form a new shining star."
"What?"
"No way!"
"This is…"
"Become the path that lights the way! Synchro Summon! Soar, Stardust Dragon(ATK:2500)!" I smirk, knowing I was right. Yusei let me use Stardust Dragon when we were fighting the Cardinal Dragons. A definite power play that worked in our favour.
"What?" Andore exclaims.
"Yusei, as long as I have you power, I have nothing to fear!" Aki smiles. "Go, Black Rose Dragon! Black Rose Flare!" Andore' life points fall to 1300.
"Go, Aki!" I cheer.
"Stardust Dragon!" Aki tries to begin her next attack, but she is interrupted.
"Too bad, but the Battle Phase is already over." Andore explains. "I activated the trap card, Dimension Equilibrium. When a monster is destroyed in battle, I can remove the attacking monster from play to resurrect the destroyed monster(ATK:2200)! Next, the Battle Phase ends."
"What a terrifying effect!" Aki mutters as the crowd cheers. "I set two cards and end my turn."
"My turn!" Andore starts his turn again. "I activate Speed Spell - Speed Energy! When I have 2 or more Speed Counters, my monster gains 200 attack points for each Speed Counter. I have 12 Speed Counters! Therefore, Thunder Unicorn gains 2400 attack points(ATK:2200-4600)!"
"4600 attack points?" There's clear panic in Aki's voice.
"Go, Thunder Unicorn! Thunder Spear!" Andore declares.
"I activate the trap, Half Counter! With Half Counter, Stardust Dragon gains half of Thunder Unicorn's original attack points(ATK:2500-3600)!" I sigh. Aki manages to hang on with 800 life points.
"Aki!" Rua shouts.
"She has 800 life points left." Bruno says.
"He has all of his Speed Counters! He also has Speed Spells!" Crow exclaims. Aki managed to hang on but it wasn't enough. Yusei moves to get ready, not before kissing me on the cheek.
"I activate Speed World 2's effect!" Andore flicks his wrist. "By removing 4 Speed Counters, you take 800 points of damage for every Speed Spell in my hand!"
"I activate the trap, Wicked Rebirth!" Aki interrupts. "I pay 800 life points to Special Summon a Synchro Monster without its effect from my graveyard! Return to the field, Stardust Dragon(ATK:2500)!" Aki uses the last of her life points to revive Stardust.
"What an ending! Aki Izayoi destroyed herself and has to leave the course!" The MC's voice booms. Yusei's already waiting at the crossover for Aki.
"I'm sorry, Yusei. I couldn't do anything." She looks down at her hands, ashamed.
"That's not true." Rua says, taking her cards and walking back over to Yusei.
"Rua is right. You managed to save Stardust." I take the team logo off her arm, and place it on Yusei's.
"I understand your passion." Yusei says, resting his hand on the cards Rua had placed in. "Leave the rest to me." He drives off then.
"Aki." I mumble as I spot the tears dripping onto her clenched fist.
"Hey." Crow pats her shoulder with his good hand, he then points to the crowd. "Look."
"Aki! Well done!" Her dad shouts while waving a giant banner bearing the name Izayoi.
"Aki, you were cool!" Her mother cheers. The crowd suddenly erupts in applause. A smile breaks out on Aki's face.
"But what a situation! Who could've expected this?" All of a sudden I feel queasy. "We expected a close battle, but Team Unicorn has an overwhelming lead!" I feel bile rising to my throat. "In order for Team 5D's to make a comeback, the last wheeler, Yusei Fudo, has to defeat three opponents!"
I run from the pit, passing Aki pushing her D-Wheel back. My feet lead me back into the corridors. I stop in the common area behind the stands. I stop to catch my breath. I resist the urge to vomit. The overwhelming aura draws me. I start walking. I walk through another corridor, reaching the stands. I walk down a few steps. All noise has been muffled. Raiden Kimura is here. In this stadium, right here, right now. His aura sweeps away, almost like in the breeze, passing right through me. I run back, following it. My chest feels like it's on fire. It's faint, but there's a tinge of Yusei's aura in there too. That soothing sensation amidst the burning. And suddenly, it just stops. His aura disappears, like in a vacuum, like it was never there. I grasp for air. It feels like something irreplaceable has been ripped out of my chest. I fall to my knees and start coughing. Everything starts fading together. Raiden's aura is completely gone. The burning sensation that normally comes with his aura is gone too. Black spots appear in my vision. I spot staff running towards me. I slump against the wall, then fall to the floor. My world turns black.
The eyes of that strange robot stay in my mind. Why do its gaze seem so familiar? Bruno called it a he. Could that machine that appeared before us in that strange place be human? I'm in that place. A vast empty plain of pure white. I feel the burning sensation of Raiden's aura. The machine appears before me. I reach out for it.
I blink awake, staring at a white ceiling. Oh yeah, I fainted in the middle of the stadium. I sit up, looking around the medical centre of the stadium.
"You're awake then?" I freeze.
"What are you doing here?" I grit my teeth.
"I'm your brother. I see you being brought here, of course I'm going to be here."
"Yeah, but you betrayed me remember?" My eyebrows furrow. "What if I don't want you here?"
"Hey Kaoru, I-" My glare is enough to make Takumi shut up.
"What's he doing here?"
"That doesn't matter." He tries to answer.
"Here I got you some water, cause you fainted." Takumi tries to hand me the water bottle in his hands.
"I don't want it."
"Yuuka." Kaoru speaks through gritted teeth.
"He could have poisoned it for all I know."
"He wouldn't poison it." Kaoru tries to explain.
"Dude, the bottle is still sealed." Takumi huffs, putting the bottle beside me on the bed.
"Still don't trust him." I look away from them, crossing my arms. "If you're not with me, you're against me and all that."
"Team 5D's duel just ended." Takumi says. "Thought you'd like to know." I say nothing. "Yusei manage to defeat all three wheelers on his own. I'd say it was impressive if your brother hadn't already done that today." I stay silent. "Aren't you proud of him?"
"Leave her alone, Takumi." Emiko walks into the infirmary, Anako trailing behind her. "Can't you see that she looks uncomfortable?"
"She always look like that." Takumi raises an eyebrow while frowning.
"No, I know Yuuka, and that's not her normal face." Emiko moves closer to Takumi who steps back, despite the very large height difference between them. "You're up to something, I know it." She brings up her finger up, as if to point at him but missing his face by a lot.
"Kaoru's face makes that obvious." Anako stares over my head at Kaoru on the other side of me.
"You keep that Team Liberation thing from me." Emiko turns her anger on Kaoru. Her face turning more red by the second. "And now this?"
"It's nothing." Kaoru says, clearly lying.
"Where's Jack?" I ask, ignoring the drama going on around me. "He should have been here."
"He left a few minutes before you woke up. He knows you're here so I suspect someone will come for you." Kaoru answers me.
It's then that Kaoru gets the message. He shuts up for a few minutes, then telling Takumi to do the same. Emiko just stares at Kaoru, saying nothing. I almost feel sorry for Kaoru, dealing with Emiko's quiet anger. Anako keeps whispering to Emiko in an attempt to calm her down. I admit it's funny to see Takumi so scared by someone at least thirty centimeters smaller than him. A member of staff comes over to ask me a few questions. They figure out that I just fainted, and that I'm free to go, with the usual advice to rest and drink lots of fluids.
"Why did you faint anyway?" Kaoru glances at me from the side of his eyes.
"Just as said, I haven't eaten today."
"That's a lie." He sneers.
"You wouldn't know that already?" Yusei walks into the room. "You read her thoughts often enough."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kaoru sneers back.
"The only reason you're here in the first place is because you read her thoughts." Yusei looks rather pissed off. Kaoru doesn't say anything back. Jack must have mentioned that Kaoru and Takumi were here. The guys know what happened between us, only because I got in the door of the garage and burst into tears. "You have a lot of nerve showing your face after what you did." Kaoru's eyes widen. "Come on, Yuuka, we're leaving." Yusei turns around and starts to walk away. I get up, sighing.
"You better watch out, Fudo." Takumi says. "Team Delta's going to destroy you in the finals. You're not the only person to defeat an entire team by themselves." He tries taunting Yusei, but it doesn't work.
"Then, I guess we'll just defeat you too." I'm actually taken aback by how casually Yusei says this as he walks out the door. Both Kaoru and Takumi just stand there, eyes wide. In that moment, I felt so blessed to have Yusei Fudo as my boyfriend.