"Welcome Team 5D's."
My first time seeing Z-One, the fabled man inside of a machine, fills me with such confusion.
"Huh?" Z-One turns slightly as we reach the bottom of the trash heap that he stands on top of. I get my first good luck at him. I realise something. Z-One's mask resembles Yusei's helmet. The arch coming up over Z-One's head looks like the arch on Yusei's D-Wheel.
First of all, his aura is so similar to Yusei's that it creeps me out. Now this?
My gut instinct is pointing me towards a conclusion that I don't want to face.
"You finally showed yourself!" Jack shouts up at him. Despite the fact that Z-One has shown himself to me before, in a vision. A ghost. That's what he called me. What does he mean?
"I've seen your duels. Team 5D's, you fought well." Z-One rotates slowly as he talks. My eyes follow him carefully. I feel almost drawn to him in some strange way. "Sherry and Raiden, you joined them?"
"I won't look at my past anymore!" Sherry answers. "I'll only look towards the future!"
"The future is ours to decide, Z-One!" Raiden's voice rings in my ears. I have this strange unsettling feeling.
"For the sake of the future, we'll eliminate you!"
"We won't let you destroy Neo Domino City!"
"I promised Bruno that we would save the future!" Yusei is keeping his emotions under restraint. There's barely the slightest twinge of grief, so he's doing a good job.
"With Antinomy?" For as artificial as Z-One's voice is, there's still a weight to that name coming from him. "What do you think you can do? The Synchro Summon that you're using led the world to destruction. Yusei Fudo, if there was no Synchro Summoning, the Moment that your father invented wouldn't have gone out of control. Humanity wouldn't have perished." Thank you Z-One, for making my boyfriend's own issues worse. I'm gonna kick your ass myself if you continue. "Moment and Synchro Summoning led to a future of destruction and despair. In order to change that future, I caused the Zero Reverse to destroy Moment, which was the source of the problem. My plan that used Aporia and Antinomy is now about to be fulfilled. By dropping the Ark Cradle on Neo Domino City, both the City and Moment will be destroyed."
"That's why you erased Bruno's memories and sent him to us. You think you had the right to do that? Because of you, Bruno was…" Yusei's voice cracks. I put my hand on his arm as his fist clenches. The barrier keeping his aura calm and collected is starting to crack. Yusei points right at Z-One, throwing my hand from his arm. "I'll stop the Ark Cradle! We live in this City! Bruno lived in this City! We won't let you destroy it!"
"Fine." Z-One answers. "Then, defeat me in a duel. I am linked to the Sun Gear that powers the Ark Cradle. If you don't defeat me in a duel, the Sun Gear won't stop."
"I'll take you on, Z-One!" Yusei makes an effort to move forward. I pull his arm back. His head whips towards me. I just focus my eyes on some trash on the ground.
"I won't let you." I mutter.
"Yuuka," is all he says in response.
"Wait, Yusei Fudo." Sparks of electricity fly from another body at the top of the trash pile next to us.
"Aporia!" Yusei exclaims. I squint at the body. That's definitely Aporia, looking very much worse for wear.
"You're alive?" Jack asks. Bruno died so the Yusei Gear could be stopped, so I assumed Aporia would have the same fate. Apparently not.
"Z-One, I'll be your opponent." Aporia says, ignoring us completely.
"Why?" Rua cries.
"We survived together in the apocalyptic future, so it's my duty as his friend." He explains. "By dueling you, I discovered an answer. Why did I continue to live when I suffered so much despair? I lost my parents and my girlfriend, so I was alone in the world." I feel a pang of sadness at Aporia's words. It strikes very close to my heart. I don't understand why. It might be my fear of losing Yusei, but I'm not sure. "Even though I had suffered three despairs, I kept walking. That's because... Even though I suffered despair, I didn't lose hope. That's right. I was searching for hope. That's why I was able to keep walking. Because I believed that within despair, there was still hope! I realised that when I dueled you."
I gasp. It almost feels like a fire has been lit inside of me. I know what I can do now. My answer to this isn't dueling Z-One. It's how I've learned to deal with everything that comes my way. My answer to the gangs.
"Z-One," Aporia continues, interrupting my thoughts, "I want you to remember. Remember the hope you had for Team 5D's!"
Z-One once had hope for us? Now that I think about it, it sounds right. What made him lose hope, I wonder.
"In order to complete the Circuit and make the Ark Cradle appear, you sent me to Neo Domino City." Aporia points straight at Z-One. "In order to perfect the Circuit, you sent Antinomy to help Team 5D's grow. But why did you erase Antinomy's memories? Because it would hinder your plans. They've evolved so much that they're now trying to stop the Ark Cradle. Maybe this evolution is what you were hoping for!"
"Z-One wanted us to evolve?" I hear Crow ask.
"Team 5D's may be able to evolve far enough to change humanity's future." Aporia continues talking right to Z-One. "Since that's what you thought, you sent Antinomy to Yusei. You entrusted your final hope to humanity's potential! So why are you trying to kill them when they've evolved and can now be trusted with the future?" Aporia waits for Z-One to answer. There's a stagnant pause. It's clear that Z-One won't answer him. "Z-One!"
There's more silence. My stomach feels uneasy. It's more than just anxiety, it's almost like concern? I feel concerned for Z-One.
I want to Z-One to answer. Why has Z-One become this way? Where did he go wrong?
What did Z-One call me again? A ghost? Is this all related?
"Hope is an illusion."
I feel hurt by Z-One's words. We must have hope for the future. If not, how else will we carry on? I convince myself that I will be okay, that after all this, Yusei will hold me in his arms again. I know that it might not happen. But I have to believe. That alone is what will get me through this.
"But you held onto hope. I want you to remember that!" Electric sparks fly from Aporia as his arm moves. He nearly falls but he catches himself. I look down at my feet. I've taken a step on impulse, moving closer to Aporia. "Let's battle, Z-One!"
"Aporia!" Rua cries. "But your body is…" He flinches as Aporia's gaze settles on him.
"Kid, I saw hope in you. I learned that your growth and your bond with Team 5D's were the hope I was looking for. As long as there is hope, I can fight!" Aporia meets my eyes and I freeze. His words had weight to them, as if they were meant for me. That couldn't be possible, I remind myself. As much as Z-One makes it seem like there's a connection between us, it simply isn't possible.
"But-"
"Let him battle," I say, "This is what he wants." I hesitate slightly. I know full well that this might end badly. Actually, might is an understatement. As powerful as Aporia's aura is, it's nothing compared to Z-One's aura. It's almost as if you put another mechanical aura on top of Yusei's, which was already powerful enough to begin with. Being this close to Z-One is making me queasy. There's no telling how powerful Z-One actually is.
"You really want to battle me?" Z-One asks, his voice keeping the same monotone. "Then, it can't be helped. I will bury you first, Aporia." A line on his mask glows. It reminds me of Yusei's marker for a split second before it fades away. The earth starts to tremble beneath my feet. A giant pole rises from the ground and starts glowing. It shoots up from the ground into air, releasing a shockwave. I press my feet into the ground as the force of it blows me back. The poles change shape in the air. The ends of them morph into something resemble a hand, while the opposite ends hover just away from Z-One.
"What's happening?"
I duck as stone tablets fly over our heads, going towards a smaller machine in front of Z-One. The outer stone chips away to reveal giant cards underneath. They fly into the machine, now resembling a full deck holder.
"Is that Z-One's deck? It's huge!"
"Watch, Team 5D's," Aporia warns, "This is Z-One's power!" He stands ready, staring right at Z-One. I take a deep breath, trying to quell the anxiety.
"Duel!"
"I go first! My turn!" Aporia claims the first turn, "I summon Grand Core(ATK:0). I activate the Spell Card, Chaos Bloom, from my hand. When there are no cards with the same name in my graveyard, one monster with 1000-or-fewer attack points is destroyed. I destroy Grand Core! When an effect destroys Grand Core, from my deck, hand or graveyard, I can Special Summon Machine Emperor Granel Infinity(ATK:0), Granel Top(ATK:500), Granel Attack(ATK:1300), Granel Guard(DEF:1000) and Granel Carrier(ATK:700) from my deck or hand! Combine, Machine Emperor Granel Infinity! Machine Emperor Granel Infinity's attack points are equal to my life points(ATK:4000). I set one card and ends my turn."
"He managed to summon Granel on the first turn! With 4000 attack points too!"
"Machine Emperor Granel Infinity… Aporia, you know how strong I am," Z-One says, "Do you really think you can beat me with that weak card?" Granel, a weak card? Just how strong is Z-One really? "My turn. I draw. I summon Time Angel(ATK:0)."
"He said that Granel was a weak card, but he summoned a monster with 0 attack points?" Rua asks.
"The monsters with 0 attack points often have strong effects," I answer, "Every monster has its uses, after all." Wait. I sounded just like Yusei. Does that mean Z-One really is…
"Time Angel attacks Machine Emperor Granel Infinity." Z-One's attack breaks my chain of thought.
"Attacking with 0 attack points means he'll take 4000 points of damage and lose!"
"Take it on, Granel!" Aporia exclaims.
"From my hand, I activate the trap, Foolish Decision." Z-One interrupts.
"What!?" I hear Jack cry. "A trap from your hand? Without any requirements?"
"I take 0 battle damage," Z-One continues, "When Time Angel is destroyed in battle, all monsters on the field return to their owner's hands."
"Since he doesn't have Grand Core, summoning it again will take five turns," Yusei explains, "It's the same as sealing it away."
"I activate the trap, Magician's Adage, from my hand." Another trap? Surely that can't be allowed? "For every card that was returned to the hand, you take 300 points of damage." The line on Z-One's mask glows. "Since it was five cards, you take 1500 points of damage." A beam of light shoots out, throwing Aporia back into a pile of junk. An explosion ruptures, throwing Aporia to the side, leaving him at 2500 life points.
"Aporia!" Rua runs towards him. Aporia stands upright, putting his hand out, stopping Rua.
"It's fine. This amount of damage won't stop me from fighting," Aporia turns to look at Rua, "You gave me hope!" Rua gasps and mutters his name. He takes a few steps back as Aporia moves back to face Z-One.
"Hope…" Z-One mutters as his giant mechanical hands move to set a card, "I set one card and end my turn."
"My turn!" Aporia declares, "I summon Wise Core(ATK:0). I activate the Spell Card, Chaos Blast, from my hand. I send three cards in my deck to the graveyard to destroy one Level 4-or-below monster. I destroy Wise Core. When an effect destroys Wise Core, from my deck, hand or graveyard, I can Special Summon Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity Infinity(ATK:0), Wisel Infinity Top(ATK:500), Wisel Infinity Attack(ATK:1200), Wisel Infinity Guard(DEF:1200) and Wisel Infinity Carrier(ATK:800)! Combine, Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity Infinity(ATK:2500)! Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity Infinity attacks Z-One directly!"
"He can do it!" Rua exclaims.
"No," I say. Z-One cannot be stopped. He has become too powerful.
"I activate the trap, Empress's Staff, from my hand." Z-One interrupts.
"Another trap from his hand? That's not fair!" Crow cries.
"A trap card usually activates after it's set, but he can activate them from his hand." Yusei explains.
"We can't anticipate his strategy!" Jack grits his teeth. Whatever is giving Z-One his power is certainly something beyond our reach.
"When there are no monsters on my field, your monster's attack is negated and the Battle Phase ends. You also take 500 points of damage." A lightning strike leaves Aporia with 2000 life points.
"Aporia!" Rua exclaims as Aporia falls to the ground.
"Let's stop," Something resembling a sigh emits from Z-One, "There is no hope for the future. There is only despair. Aporia, you know that best. If we continue, it will only deepen your despair. You cannot defeat me."
I feel a pain in my heart. Why does Z-One feel this way? What could have possibly happened to him so that he has lost all hope?
"I'm not done," Aporia stands up on his feet, sparks flying from his android body, "The battle is only beginning. I set one card and end my turn."
"You still want to fight?" Z-One asks, "Then it can't be helped. I will show you true despair. My turn. I activate the Continuous Trap, Nonexistence. When there are no monsters on my field, I can summon a Level 10-or-above monster without tribute, and it will have 0 attack points. Appear, Metaion, the Timelord(ATK:0)." A monster resembling a metallic angel appears on the field. A chaotic face appears in the reflection on its armored chest plate.
"Metaion, the Timelord has appeared," Aporia explains, "It's your ace monster!"
"Metaion, the Timelord attacks Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity Infinity," Z-One points, "Metaion isn't destroyed, and battle damage becomes 0." Wisel Infinity counterattacks, throwing Metaion back onto Z-One's side of the field. "Since Metaion battled, after the end of the Battle Phase, all monsters on your field return to your hand, and you take 300 points for each one." Wisel Infinity's part separates before dissolving into white balls of light. They attack Aporia, send him flying onto the ground, leaving him with 500 life points.
"Since it can't be destroyed in battle, you can only destroy it with spells or traps." Crow explains, exhaling through his nose.
"No," Aporia says, still lying on the ground, "Metaion, the Timelord can't be destroyed."
"Then how!?" Aki gasps.
"Metaion, the Timelord is an omnipotent god," Z-One interrupts, "No one can defeat it."
"But I won't lose," Aporia gets back on his feet, "As long as I have hope! My turn! I summon Sky Core(ATK:0)!" He's going to summon Skiel next. Aporia is definitely up to something. He's summoned a different Machine Emperor every turn, only for that to go badly. "I activate the trap, Double Tribute. When I summon a monster, that monster and your monster are destroyed!" Red lightning strikes a green barrier around Metaion, but destroys Sky Core.
"Metaion, the Timelord can't be destroyed," Z-One explains, "So your goal is to destroy Sky Core."
"When an effect destroys Sky Core, from my deck, hand or graveyard, I can Summon Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity(ATK:0), Skiel Top(ATK:600), Skiel Attack(ATK:1000), Skiel Guard(DEF:300) and Skiel Carrier(ATK:400)! Combine, Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity!" Aporia declares, "Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity's attack and defense points are equal to the sum of its parts."
"He has successfully summoned Machine Emperors for three consecutive turns," Aki says, "It's impressive how masterfully he controls the Machine Emperors."
"But they can't destroy Metaion," I reply, "I wonder what he's planning."
"You still don't understand that summoning a Machine Emperor only deepens your despair." Something resembling a sigh emits from Z-One. I actually kind of… agree with Z-One. Aporia is using the very monsters that caused him despair.
"I won't despair because Team 5D's gave me hope," Aporia throws his arms out, "I activate the trap, High Rate Draw! All my monsters are destroyed, and I draw a card for every two destroyed monsters!" Skiel is destroyed in an instant. How could Aporia use the monsters that hurt him? How could he look at them, knowing they destroyed the world? If I were in his place, the very sight of them would make me sick. "Five cards formed Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity. Therefore, I draw two cards. I draw! I activate the spell, Future Destruction, from my hand. For every card in my hand, I send a card in my deck to the graveyard."
"What? Send a card to the grave for every card in his hand?" Jack echoes.
"How many cards are in Aporia's hand right now?" Rua asks, turning to look at Yusei.
"Twelve cards," Yusei answers after a beat of silence, "And there are also twelve cards in his deck."
"Only twelve? That means his deck is empty!" Rua exclaims.
"I'm going to destroy my deck!" Aporia shouts before turning to look at us, "Watch, Team 5D's. This is the hope you gave me."
"Why are you doing this?" Rua cries, "You're supposed to destroy your opponent's deck, right?"
"Yes," Aki answers, "If your opponent's deck has no cards, he can no longer draw. That's deck destruction."
"Why would he destroy his own deck?"
"It's an unthinkable strategy," Yusei starts, "But Aporia must be aiming for something. If Aporia intended to destroy his own deck from the start, then his battle strategy makes sense."
"What do you mean?" Rua keeps asking questions, I imagine his brain is working a mile a minute. Poor kid, he shouldn't have to deal with all this. He should really be far away, trying to escape this.
"Machine Emperors are Special Summoned from the deck in five parts. It's an excellent monster if you want to decrease the cards in your deck," Aki explains, "Aporia used Metaion, the Timelord's effect to return his Machine Emperors to his hand, increasing the number of cards i his hand. By doing so, he could use Future Destruction's effect to instantly decrease the number of cards in his deck."
"Aporia knew the Machine Emperors wouldn't work against Metaion, but that's why he still summoned Machine Emperor Granel Infinity and Wisel Infinity." Sherry chimes in. "But if he destroys his own deck and can no longer draw, he loses the duel. What's he planning to do with so much risk?"
"He's out of cards." Ruka says as Aporia discards his last card from his deck.
"Z-One, I'll show you a miracle!" Aporia points right a Z-One as he makes his declaration. "As long as there's hope, I can change the future! I activate the Spell Card, Afterglow!"
"Afterglow?" Z-One echoes.
"After it activates, this card is shuffled into my deck," Aporia explains, "If I draw Afterglow next turn, you take 4000 points of damage."
"I get it!" Rua exclaims. "Right now, Afterglow is the only card in Aporia's deck. Even if he shuffles his deck, he's guaranteed to draw Afterglow next turn."
"And its effect will immediately drop your points to 0." Aporia continues.
"And Aporia wins!" Rua cheers.
"But Aporia's field is empty," Sherry interjects, "If Z-One summons monster before Aporia's next turn, Aporia won't survive since he only has 500 life points left."
"Due to Metaion, the Timelord's effect, you can't summon a monster next turn." Something resembling a smile appears on Aporia's face. "And you can't defeat me with Metaion's 0 attack points."
"That means Aporia will definitely have another turn!" Ruka gasps. "And when he draws Afterglow, its effect will activate! Aporia is going to win!"
"Aporia knew Metaion couldn't be destroyed, so this was his goal from the start." Crow grins. "Only Aporia can duel like this because he knows Z-One's cards!"
"He emptied his deck to do this." Jack says. "This is truly a last stand!"
Everyone is so sure of Aporia's victory. I suppose it looks like a certainty now. But still, my instinct is telling me otherwise. Z-One could still flip the situation, and I think that he's going to. I shudder, looking towards Z-One. I could have sworn he was just looking at me. No. Why would Z-One even care to look at me?
"I end my turn!" Aporia declares. "When I have more than six cards in my hand during the End Phase, I discard additional cards to the graveyard. I discard five cards from my hand."
"I see," Z-One responds, "This is the strategy you're using against me."
"Z-One, I want you to remember." Aporia's voice starts to raise. "Since Yusei Fudo and Team 5D's have fully evolved, shouldn't we trust them? They are a miraculous team!"
"And the Spell Card, Afterglow, represents the hope that Team 5D's gave you?" Something resembling a cough emits from Z-One. "That means there truly is no hope for this world."
"What?" Aporia mutters.
"My turn," Z-One continues, "Metaion, the Timelord returns to my deck during my Standby Phase."
"Return to the deck during the Standby Phase?" Crow echoes.
"Now that Metaion's effect is gone, Z-One can summon a monster." Aki mumbles, holding her hand to her mouth.
"I activate the Continuous Trap, Nonexistance's effect," Z-One declares, "When there are no monsters on my field, I can summon a Level 10-or-above monster without tribute. But due to Nonexistence's effect, the monster's attack points become 0."
"Why would he activate that effect? If he summons a monster with at least 500 attack points, he wins." Ruka begins to speak, only to freeze as Z-One's gaze turns to us.
"I chose a monster with 0 attack points to leave a sliver of hope for Aporia." He explains in response.
"Leave me hope?" Aporia questions.
"I summon a second Timelord." Z-One keeps going, his giant mechanical arm beginning to move again.
"A second Timelord? Metaion isn't the only Timelord?"
"Timelords are born from nothingness, infinity and infinite light to rule life." Z-One explains. "The ten gods interact to become the omnipotent god. Metaion, the Timelord is only one of them."
"What?" Yusei mutters. "There are ten as strong as Metaion?"
"Appear, Lazion, the Timelord(ATK:0)." A giant card passes through the giant ring on Z-One's field, it appears in a burst of orange light. It resembles Metaion, definitely confirming that it is another Timelord. Its body looks like a sword, adorning with the same chestplate as Metaion. An older, wiser face is appearing in the reflection. "Timelords can't be destroyed in battle, nor by spells, traps or monster effects."
"This monsters also negates destruction!" Crow exclaims.
"Aporia, I'll make you remember that hope is nothing but an illusion." Z-One's mechanical hands move to point at Aporia. "Lazion, the Timelord attacks you directly."
"A monster with 0 attack points attacking directly?"
"When it attacks, all monsters on your field and the cards in your graveyard are shuffled into your deck." Z-One explains.
"What?" Aporia shouts.
"He has no monsters on his field, but he has 33 cards in the graveyard." Yusei interjects. My head whips around to look at him, my hair flying to my face. Z-One is going to win. There is no way Aporia could win now.
"Go, Lazion." Z-One points upwards as cards start moving into Aporia's deck. "When you draw, Lazion's effect deals you 1000 points of damage."
"1000 points?" Rua echoes.
"I end my turn," Z-One declares, "There are now 34 cards in your deck. If you draw Afterglow on your next turn, I will take 4000 points of damage and lose. But if you draw any other card, Lazion, the Timelord's effect activates. Since you only have 500 life points, you'll lose. Now, see for yourself if hope truly exists. What's wrong? Didn't you say that miracles can happen as long as there's hope?"
"Aporia…" I mutter. I wanted to believe that he could win, I did. But now, it's hopeless. A one in thirty four chance. I don't think the universe has been too generous to me before now, I find it hard to believe that it would suddenly change its mind.
"Everything in life has a small probability of success. That's why humans bet on that probability. I used to be like that. However, reality is cruel." A younger, more naive Z-One must have sounded like Yusei. Insisting that, because there's a small chance of success, that we must try.
"That's not true!" Aporia shouts back. "As long as there's hope, miracles will always occur. And I will grab that hope with my own hands. That's what I learned from Team 5D's!"
Aporia pauses and stands there, his hand resting on his deck. I press my hands together, almost like a prayer. I call out to whatever is out there, the Crimson Dragon, anything. Please let him win.
"I will draw Afterglow! My turn!"
"Did he draw it?" I hear Jack ask.
"Machine Emperor Granel Infinity…" Aporia answers.
"No…" Rua mutters. My hands fly up to my face.
"A miracle didn't occur." Z-One starts speaking. "This is reality. Aporia, you sufficiently fulfilled your role. Thanks to you, the Ark Cradle appeared in this world. Your role is over. Rest in peace." A strangled noise leaves Aporia's mouth. He was his friend. Z-One is killing his friend. My hands have started shaking again. I can't believe what I'm seeing. Aporia will die. "Lazion, the Timelord's effect activates. When you draw, you take 1000 points of damage."
A plume of fire materialises around Aporia. My hands move over my eyes, my fingers spread just enough that I can see. I see Aporia's hand reach for his friend.
"Z-One…" Aporia collapses on the spot. My legs start moving. My heart is beating a mile per minute. My chest is heaving. I don't know why Aporia has made me feel this way? He tried to kill us what I imagine is yesterday at this point.
Something inside me is reacting to his words. Hope is not lost. I can change Z-One's mind. We must believe in the very small chance that things will be okay. If not, we lose ourselves to our own despair. I must continue. I must save Yusei.
"Aporia!" Rua kneels down beside him, having reached him first. I take a spot next to him. My hand grazes Aporia's arm. I'm almost repelled by how deathly cold it was, but I stop myself.
"I'm sorry," Aporia speaks with a much quieter voice, "I wasn't able to defeat Z-One. You gave me hope, but I couldn't live up to it."
"That's not true," I answer, "You lived up to it! You gave us hope, Aporia."
"Gave you hope?" He echoes.
"Yeah." I continue. "It's true that the Timelords are invincible monsters that can't be destroyed. Now we know their effects, and that there are ten of them. But that's not all." Aporia's eyes widen very slightly. "You've proved to us that things can change, and people can too. Hope is not lost for Z-One. We can change his mind too. We can stop this. That's the hope you gave us!"
"The hope I gave you…"
"As long as there's that hope, we can fight!" I nod.
"I see," Aporia's eyes stare at the ceiling above us, "There's now hope for the future." His hands move to the remain of his duel disk at his side. It glows bright yellow before levitating. It shoots over to Yusei's D-Wheel, combining with it, causing the entire thing to burn blue.
"What?" My eyes return back to Aporia for a split second.
"Guide them." He mutters. "You're the only one who can, Yuuka Hattori." I open my mouth to ask what he meant. My gaze is whipped back to Yusei's D-Wheel which has spread giant red wings made of light. They flap for a few seconds before retreating.
"Yusei's D-Wheel has wings!" Rua exclaims.
"What just happened?" I ask again. As I turn to look at Aporia, his hand falls, smacking on the ground. The realisation hits me when I see that his eyes are closed. "Aporia…"
"Aporia!" I hear Rua cry. He repeats his name as sobs rack his body. I pull him close, trying not to cry myself. Everything is completely silent except for Rua's sobs. I rub his back in an attempt to calm down. He jolts from my arms suddenly, standing up again.
"Why!?" Rua shouts at Z-One. There are tears still in his eyes. He raises a clenched fist as he shakes through the unshed tears. "You didn't have to go this far! Aporia was your friend!"
"Friend?" Z-One repeats, "You seem to misunderstand. It had his memories, but that Aporia was a copy that I created. You influenced him and Antinomy too much because they spent too much time with you."
"Z-One!" Yusei's voice raises far beyond his normal tone. "Bruno and Aporia thought you were their true friend! And you're going to abandon them by calling them copies? Let's battle, Z-One!"
"No!" I shout, pushing myself back onto my feet. "I won't let you, Yusei. This fight is mine. Z-One-" I point right at him floating up above us, "I will be the one to fight you, not Yusei. You clearly have some form of shit with me, that I don't know about. So, come on! I will be your opponent."
Most of people call out my name in some form of shock. I ignore them. I feel Yusei's hand grab my arm, but I shake him off. I just stand there, staring at Z-One. I feel my aura flare a little. I take a deep breath and close my eyes.
"No." Z-One answers. "You have no right to be here in this plane of existence, Yuuka Hattori. I will not answer to a misguided ghost. Yusei Fudo will be my opponent."
"What does that mean? Misguided ghost?" I raise my voice even more.
"You already know the answer," is all he says is response. "There's very little time left. Yusei Fudo, this will be the final duel." Z-One directs his attention to Yusei. The shift in attention feels very jarring. I've lost the battle, and maybe the war. Z-One may never listen to me. All I can do is hope that Yusei will get through to him. Lines in the ceiling start glowing with Moment, shooting up the top of centre of the dome-shaped ceiling, joining in a circle. The roof begins to slowly vanish, starting in the centre.
"The roof is opening!"
Something starts to appear. There's something in the middle of a star shape, with the edges extending out of sight.
"There's something in the sky."
"That's Neo Domino City!"
A gasp racks my body. I suddenly feel very ill, knowing that I'm this high up and upside down.
"I see!" Jack exclaims. "The Ark Cradle itself has its own gravity!"
"It's already come this close." Yusei mutters beside me. Moment starts leaking from the ground, shooting light upwards- well, downwards to the City. Projections start appearing in the sky.
"I am Z-One," He states plainly, "The Ark Cradle will soon destroy Neo Domino City, and a new future will begin. You will be living witnesses. The sky will be the duel field. Come, Yusei Fudo. Aporia gave his power to that D-Wheel."
"If we don't defeat Z-One, we can't stop the Ark Cradle. Neo Domino City will be destroyed." Aki says somewhere behind me, so I turn to look at everyone else.
"If we don't defeat him, we can't win our future!" Crow pumps his fist.
"Yusei," Jack hands Red Daemon's Dragon to Yusei, "take this. My thoughts are with you. Beat Z-One! Win for our future!"
"Yusei!" Crow holds up Black Feather Dragon, "Don't forget my card."
"And mine." Aki presents Black Rose Dragon to Yusei, he takes Crow's card too.
"Use ours, too!" The twins hand Yusei Ancient Fairy Dragon, Power Tool Dragon and Rua's new card, Life Stream Dragon.
"Jack, Ruka, Rua, Aki, Crow." Yusei looks around at the rest of the Signers. "Thank you." Everyone's eyes turn to me. I take a deep breath. I know what they're expecting of me. I reach down to my deck holder.
"Yusei." I mutter, taking my Trishula card out. "You lent me Stardust once, so I suppose it's only fair."
"Thank you, Yuuka." He responds, his hand moves out to take the card. "I know what that card means to you." My eyes widen, retracting the card slightly. Yusei's right. He blinks at me, confused and wide eyed. This card means alot to me. Trishula is my go-to card when something goes wrong and I need to materialise a monster. Giving Trishula to Yusei means that I'm trusting him completely, saying that I won't need it. Do I trust him? Can I trust him? My hands start shaking.
"Yeah," I hand the card to him on impulse.
"Your thoughts are with me," Yusei turns to everyone else, "I will win for our future!" We fistbump as Team 5D's for the last time. Everyone walks Yusei to his D-Wheel and wish him the best. I stand a few steps away. This is happening, I remind myself. I've given Yusei Trishula, my only sure bet of saving him if something goes wrong. He's facing Z-One, something that will almost definitely end with him dying regardless of the outcome. I am helpless. I can't do anything anymore.
"Yuuka." Yusei calls out to me, everyone moves slightly so that I have a clear path to him. I cautiously step forward to meet him. Everyone steps further back, letting us have a moment together. "Don't worry." His hands cup my face. "Everything's going to be okay. We're going to stop this."
"I don't care about stopping the Ark Cradle." I manage to choke out, tears burning in my eyes. Yusei's grip loosens slightly as confusion seeps into his face. "I just want you to be safe. And I've fucked that up."
"Listen to me." Yusei's thumb brushes back the hair falling into my face. "No matter what happens, please be happy. I want you to live a long, happy life regardless of what the outcome of this duel is. Even if I don't make it, find someone else. Please." He pleads. "Just be happy, for my sake- no, for your sake."
"You're asking me to find someone else? Yusei. I can't live without you." I say the words slowly so they imprint themselves in Yusei's head. "If you die, I'm gonna throw myself into the Sound and you know that. Please, I'm begging you." Tears have started freely flowing down my face. "Please make it out alive. Don't sacrifice yourself if you don't have to. We can replace a City, but I can't replace you."
"Yuuka." His eyes are wide. I can almost see my words ringing in his ears. I just wish I could know what he's thinking. Have I changed his mind? Will he put his martyr issues aside and think about us for once? I don't want to say to convince him. So I kiss him. This could very well be our last kiss. It feels like it. There's a forcefulness that's never been there before. Like he's the only thing keeping me alive, and there's no way that I'm letting go. But I do. We're both panting slightly. He's a little flushed and wide eyed.
"I love you." I say, getting my breathing back to normal.
"I love you too." He meets my eyes, and I swear they were the most honest words the man has ever spoken. Like everything he's ever said has been a lie until now. "I promise you that we'll make it out alive."
"Good luck." I say, before taking a deep breath.
"Thank you." Yusei sits down on his D-Wheel and puts his helmet on.
"Yusei!" Jack calls out as everyone comes back up to us.
"We're counting on you!" Crow says, giving him a thumbs up.
"We believe in you." Aki pulls me into something of a side hug. She goes to meet my eyes, but I drop my gaze to the floor.
"Do your best!" The twins cheer slightly out of sync.
Yusei lowers the visor of his helmet and revs the engine. I feel my heart rise up into my throat. I think Yusei sees that. He grabs my left hand and kisses it. No, he's kissing my ring finger, I realise.
"I promise you that I'll make it out alive."
Yusei revs the engine for the final time and takes off. Yusei always keeps his word. I know this, but still. I can't help but feel like Yusei will break this promise.