It's a sight to behold, really. Seeing Yusei's D-Wheel take flight using wings made of purely red light, magically gifted by the late Aporia. It's better not to ask questions, I've learned. Falling into a pit of Moment and waking up as, basically, a zombie hell bent on revenge, or flying D-Wheels. They don't hold up under scrutiny, and the less you ask, the better.
"Oh gods, he's going to die." I mutter under my breath as I pace in circles. "I should have listened to the other me. Why did I give him Trishula? I could used Trishula to stop him from being an idiot, but no. I just had to panic and give it to him."
"Shut up." Jack catches my arm as I walk passed him. He takes both of my arms, pinning them at my side. "There's nothing you can do now. If you keep pacing, you'll walk off the Ark Cradle and die. So, shut up and watch the duel."
"Jack!" Aki takes my arm, pulling me closer to her. She wraps her arms around me in a side hug.
"Come on now, just calm down. Yusei's got this." Crow says, doing the same which effectively pins me between the two of them. It's stopped my pacing at least. Too bad about my rampant anxiety.
"Yusei Fudo," Z-One begins, "you may think that you've opened the future with your own power, but you were always travelling on the path that I created. I'm like a god to you now." Z-One must be using something to project their voices, as I can hear him quite clearly.
"You're my god?" Yusei mutters in response, "I hardly think so."
"I caused the Zero Reverse to change the future," he continues, "And that greatly changed your lives. You became orphans and lived in the Satellite. You entered the WRGP and made huge, new strides. But that victory was only a step to call forth the Ark Cradle."
"Is he saying that he has controlled our entire lives?" Crow takes his arm off me to clench his fist, shaking up in the direction of Z-One.
"Do you understand that I'm your god?" Z-One booms with the authority of a god that he claims to be. "Since your god has chosen a path of destruction, you can't oppose it."
"Even if you did lay the path that we travelled, how we felt is still real!" Yusei shouts in response. Even though I can see his red D-Wheel flying in the sky, he still feels so far away. This could be how I remember Yusei. The thought suddenly sets in. I feel Aki grip me tighter. "So even if my opponent is a god, I will overcome you! I will open the future with my own hands! Here I go, Z-One!"
"Duel!" Z-One and Yusei chant together.
"I will go first. Witness the power of a god. My turn," Z-One declares, "I Special Summon Time Maiden(ATK:0). I can Special Summon it when there are no cards on my field. When I Tribute Summon a Fairy-Type Monster, this card counts as two monsters. I tribute Time Maiden to summon Metaion, the Timelord(ATK:0)."
"He already summoned a Timelord!" Jack exclaims.
"There it is..." I mutter under my breath. This is going to be a long duel, I can feel it. This isn't good for my, already, crippling anxiety.
"Now," Z-One cuts over my thoughts, "it's your turn. If you really have the power to change the future, then defeat me."
"I can't destroy a Timelord," Yusei says, "And if my monster battles Metaion, Metaion's effect returns the summoned monster to my hand, and I take damage. Z-One, for the future of Neo Domino City, I will win this duel and stop Ark Cradle! My turn!" Yusei begins his first turn. "I can Special Summon this card when you're the only one who has monsters. I Special Summon Double Delta Warrior(ATK:0)! I discard two cards from my hand to Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Big Eater(ATK:800)! When I have a Tuner, I can Special Summon Quillbolt Hedgehog from my graveyard(ATK:800)! Next, I summon Debris Dragon(ATK:1000)! When Debris Dragon is summoned, I can negate the effects of a monster in my graveyard with 500 or fewer attack points and Special Summon it! I Special Summon Clear Effector from my graveyard with 0 attack points(ATK:0)!"
"Incredible." Rua's mouth hangs open in awe. "He summoned five monsters with a one turn combo."
"Level 2 Big Eater tunes Level 6 Double Delta Warrior! Everyone gave me their power. I will use the power of our bond known as Synchro!"
"Go, Yusei! This is our bond!" Crow says, holding up his glowing Signer mark. He lets go of me again, as he's too wrapped up in the blinding red light of his mark.
"Darkened gales, become the wings that soar from resolved hope! Synchro Summon! Soar, Black Feather Dragon!" I swear Crow's mouth moves along as Yusei repeats his summon chant. "Take flight, Black Feather Dragon(ATK:2800)!"
"Then, Level 4 Debris Dragon tunes Level 2 Quillbolt Hedgehog and Level 2 Clear Effector!" Jack's mark suddenly lights up. I look back at Yusei in the sky through Z-One's projections. He really is something.
"Yusei, use my rugged soul!" Jack shouts up in the general direction of Yusei.
"The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Demon's Dragon(ATK:3000)!" Two Synchros in one turn, and both Level 8 at that. Jack and Crow have moved closer together, pumping their fists over Yusei summoning their monsters.
"Like I thought, the Crimson Dragon's minions appeared. But no matter how many powerful Synchro Monsters you summon, the situation doesn't change." Z-One finally comments.
"Metaion, the Timelord can't be destroyed in battle, and he doesn't take damage. And if it battles, every monster it battles returns to the hand." Aki explains. "And Yusei takes 300 points of damage for every monster. Even if Yusei attacks Metaion, that effect won't let him deal damage, and he also takes damage himself."
"What is he going to do?" Jack asks. "If my Red Daemon's Dragon doesn't attack, its effect destroys all his other monsters during the End Phase."
"If he doesn't battle, then my precious Black Feather Dragon will go to waste." Crow tuts at the thought.
"That must mean…" Jack and Crow give each other a knowing look. "He has a plan!"
"As long as I have Metaion, the Timelord, no matter how powerful your Synchro Monster, it's pointless to battle against it." Something resembling a chuckle emits from Z-One. Having a plan isn't good enough against Z-One. I know that.
How do I know that actually?
I've seen Z-One in action, but that doesn't make it a certainty. That thought adds to my crippling anxiety, so I put it on the pile of things to think about at two in the morning when I can't sleep.
"You think I don't know that?" There's a hint of pride in Yusei's voice. There's definitely a plan. There's always a plan when it comes to Yusei. "Besides, since I used Double Delta Warrior as Synchro Material, I'm not allowed to battle this turn. And when a Synchro Monster uses Clear Effector as Synchro Material, its effects are negated. So, Red Daemon's Dragon's effects are negated. That means even if I don't battle this turn, Black Feather Dragon remains on my field."
"Well done, Yusei!" Crow shouts up at him, as if he can hear him, quite happy at the thought of his dragon staying on the field.
"When Clear Effector is used to Synchro Summon, I draw one card from my deck! I set two cards and end my turn."
"Yusei, you really couldn't attack me?" Z-One asks with a strange tone to his voice.
"What?" Yusei mutters.
"I think you didn't want to attack me from the start."
"What does that mean?"
"My turn," Z-One continues the duel regardless. "Metaion, the Timelord returns to my deck during my Standby Phase. Yusei Fudo, this is what you were aiming for. I bet you think you know the Timelords' characteristics. That like Metaion, you think all Timelords return to the deck during the Standby Phase."
"Yeah, exactly!" Yusei answers.
"You are correct."
"Why are you revealing the Timelords' effects to me?" Yusei has a point. Z-One must not think Yusei is a threat. While I'd want to disagree, I think about all of the predictions of Yusei's death and I shut up.
"Because even if I reveal it, I have nothing to fear."
"What?"
"You're not going to attack," Z-One says, "You'll keep waiting for the summoned Timelords to return to my deck. You're hoping that there will be a turn when I don't have a Timelord in my hand. If that happens, my field will be empty. That's what you're aiming for. Do you think you can survive that many turns until that happens?"
"That's right." Yusei responds with absolute certainty. "And when it happens, I will attack you because you'll be defenseless!"
"Just like you, I used to believe in possibilities. That's why I tested various methods for saving this world. But they all failed and didn't work. That is destiny."
"I'm different than you!" Yusei shouts back.
"Oh?" is all Z-One says.
I freeze slightly. Aki, who has since let go of me, turns to look at me. His tone of voice… Z-One seems to be implying that everything isn't as it seems. He couldn't possibly mean that. Could he?
"No matter how many turns I have to wait, I won't give up as long as I have a chance!" Yusei declares, ignoring the possible hidden meaning behind Z-One's words. Or I just imagining things? Z-One couldn't possibly be Yusei, that's silly. Yusei would never try to destroy an entire City. At least the Yusei that I know. "In order to open the future with my own hands, I'll believe in the tiniest possibilities!"
"Believe in what's possible? How foolish." Z-One emits something like a scoff. "Didn't you learn anything from Aporia's defeat?" Yusei barely has enough time to mutter a simple what, before Z-One continues. "I activate the Continuous Trap, Nonexistence. When there's no monster on my field, I can summon a Level 10-or-above monster without tribute. However, that monster's attack points become 0. I summon Lazion, the Timelord(ATK:0). Lazion, the Timelord can't be destroyed, and all battle damage becomes 0. And when it battles, all monsters on your field and cards in your graveyard are shuffled into your deck. And when you draw, you take 1000 points of damage."
"That's the Timelord that defeated Aporia." I hear spoken under breath, but I'm not paying enough attention to it that I recognise who's saying it.
"Yusei Fudo, you don't have even the tiniest hope. Kneel before the power of a god. Lazion, the Timelord attacks Red Daemon's Dragon."
"I flip over my trap card, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Yusei interrupts as Lazion moves to attack. "This card activates when you attack! It negates your monster's attack! After it activates, this card is once again set!"
"Of course, if you negate the battle itself, then that effect doesn't activate!"
"Z-One, no matter how many times you attack, I won't fall!" Yusei shouts, the projections in the sky focus on his face. "We will open our destiny with our own hands!"
"Do you really think that you can win by just defending? I set one card and end my turn."
"My turn!" Yusei declares as he draws a card.
"I activate Lazion, the Timelord's effect. When you draw during the Draw Phase, you take 1000 points of damage." A plume of flames knock Yusei, sending him spiralling. My feet move forward as if I could catch him, but Aki holds my arm back. He's spinning out, flying in front of us.
"Yusei!" I call out as I hopelessly stand, watching him. He manages to get on track before he hits a building. The tail of flames behind his D-Wheel brushes off the concrete.
"I activate Speed Spell - Angel Baton!" Yusei continues as if nothing has happened. "When I have 2 or more Speed Counters, I draw two cards from my deck and send one card in my hand to the graveyard! I draw! Due to Angel Baton's effect, I send Regen Warrior to the graveyard! When Regen Warrior is sent from my hand to the graveyard, it's Special Summoned! Return, Regen Warrior(ATK:0)! I summon the Tuner Monster, Junk Synchron(ATK:1300)! Level 3 Junk Synchron tunes Level 4 Regen Warrior!" Aki's arm, the one she's still holding onto me with, starts to glow.
"Yusei, let's fight together." She mutters, holding her arm close to her chest. I close my eyes to stop the blinding light from hurting my eyes.
"Chilling flames engulf the entire world." Yusei begins the summon chant. Aki's lips move ever so slightly in tandem. I almost feel entranced. There's such a link between the Signers. Almost like they're all on the same neural network. I can't help but wonder what that's like. "Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon(ATK:2400)!"
"Incredible," I mutter. Aki snaps out of her little trance and stares right back at me. I shake my head, turning my focus back to the duel. "Yusei is." I see Aki nod from the corner of my vision.
"Go, Black Rose Gale!"
"Why is he destroying all his own monsters?" Aki turns to me and asks. She knows her own strategy the best, but this doesn't line up with it. In all fairness, she knows how to rock it.
"Lazion, the Timelord isn't destroyed," Z-One states, "But all your monsters and their protector, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow are gone. Your situation is getting worse."
"Are you sure about that?" Yusei has such a confident tone to his voice that in any other situation, I'm sure that I would be at least a little bit flustered.
"What?"
"Don't underestimate the power of our Synchro Monsters!" Yusei continues, snapping me out of a thought that I never imagined having today. "I flip over my trap card! Synchro Barrier Force! This card negates an effect that would destroy cards on the field!" The card begins to glow and absorbs all of the wind and petals caused by Black Rose Dragon. "And for every Synchro Monster on my field, you take 500 points of damage! Black Feather Dragon, Red Daemon's Dragon and Black Rose Dragon are on my field. My friends gave me these three Synchro Monsters! This is the power of the bond with my friends! Take 1500 points of damage, Z-One!" The ball of absorbed energy flies towards Z-One, sending him flying. He bounces off one hanging skyscraper into another skyscraper. I flinch and close my eyes. "I end my turn."
"Yeah!" Crow cheers. "He finally dealt damage!"
"Yusei was able to deal damage because he believes in Synchro Monsters and our bond."
"Everyone, Yusei will definitely win, right?"
I open my eyes and stare at the projections in the sky, waiting to Z-One to reappear. He finally appears, moving slowly from a group of particularly low-hanging buildings.
"Saviour?" He says. Just from that, I feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. "Yusei Fudo, you gave the people hope many times before."
"What do you mean?" Yusei asks, sounding as confused as I feel.
"In my future, your heroic tale was... inspiring." The projections in the sky focus on Z-One's mask. It's starting to chip from the damage he just took. Tiny shards start falling away at the cracks. There's a tease of dark, wrinkled skin underneath.
"My heroic tale?" Yusei echoes.
The cracks in the mask grow, joining together. Piece by piece, the left side of the mask falls away. I spot the yellow of a marker standing out against the dark skin.
No.
That can't be right.
"You're…"
"It's Yusei." I mutter. His eye. The same unmistakable shade of cobalt blue that I look at everyday. The exact tint of the skin. The limp black hair falling into his face.
There's no denying it.
Z-One is Yusei.
"Z-One, who are you?" Yusei's voice shakes, entirely unsure what to make of this.
"Hm, since you've seen my face, I should answer. Yusei Fudo, I am your future self."
No.
"What?"
It's impossible. Yusei would never… He's wrong. He's lying.
"In the future, humanity's yearning for evolution was insatiable, causing Moment to go out of control." Z-One explains. "That was the beginning of everything. Moment is an engine that reads people's desires. Evolution led to evil ideas, such as temptation and greed, taking over people's hearts, so Moment went out of control. It infected the worldwide network with a certain idea. That if nothing changes, the world will be destroyed. Humans are the cause, so they must be eliminated. In order to save that world from destruction, I led the people. You are me."
The mask. The shape of Yusei's helmet compared to Z-One's machine body. The reason why Z-One seems to know who I am. Their auras. Everything.
"This can't be right!"
"Yuuka, he can't be telling the truth." Jack turns to me, his brow completely furrowed. "You can read his aura, tell us he's a phony."
"No." I answer. I feel strange. My face is starting to heat up as well as my chest. "Their auras are the same. I knew that the first second I saw him in person. That can only mean one thing. Z-One is Yusei"
"Does that mean Yusei himself has come to destroy Neo Domino City?" Rua asks.
"No way!"
"You're saying that you're me? That's impossible."
Impossible.
"What I said was the truth. So, no matter what strategy you try, I already know it like the palm of my hand."
I shake my head as dark spots cloud my vision. My hands fly to my temples in an attempt to stop the searing pain.
I see the other version of Yusei sitting in the kitchen, looking over a Neo Domino that almost identical to ours. His longer hair in the back, in an oversized white t-shirt. I see him congratulating me after a duel. I see him reaching out for me, as fire consumes everything.
I see Aki with her bangs intact. Jack, Crow, Rua, Ruka. They're there. Not quite the same but they're still them.
I hear screams. I'm not sure if I'm actually hearing them, or if they're mine. I try to focus on the ground. I think I'm hunching over in an attempt to dull the pain in my head. I feel hands on my back, and muffled voices trying to calm me.
My hair starts growing at a rapid rate. It starts curling before my own eyes as it extends far past what it should be. My chest, no, every part of me feels on fire. The throbbing in my head is being overbearing. I try to move my hands in order to brace myself in case I faint again, but my hands are almost bound to my temples.
I blink to try and figure out if I'm in some trippy nightmare or not. I see Machine Emperor Granel fire an attack at me. I hear Yusei scream my name and I look up. My legs give out, and I nearly collapse on the floor. The concrete of the ground nearly cuts my hand, but my knee pads manage to take most of the fall.
"Yuuka..." I hear my name being called. My eyes go to my friends, but they're not looking at me. I follow their eyes, landing just a small distance in front of me. An almost spluttering sound comes from my mouth. My hand moves to wipe the small stream of blood coming from my nose on my sleeve.
The other Yuuka stands in front of me. No. She's not really there. She's vaguely see through, like a ghost.
"Yuuka, what's going on?" Crow's eyes move between me and the other Yuuka. I raise my hand to move my hair from my face. My hand jolt back when I feel the extra weight. My hair tumbles down to past my waist. What? I pinch the back of my hand and I wince at the slight pain. This is real. What is happening?
"Well, that's a difficult question." The other Yuuka answers. I feel everyone's eyes shift between her and me. I take a good look at her. Her long, sandy blonde hair falls past her waist. She's dressed head to toe in black, from her turtleneck to her skinny boots and knee-high boots. I notice the burn marks on her neck peeking past the high neckline. Her face looks like it has a few years over mine, maybe mid twenties.
If Z-One is really Yusei from the future, then she must be…
"I'm sorry that it's gotten this far." The other Yuuka stares right back at me. Impossible. Her eyes are wide, realising that I've figured out who she is. "I owe you an explanation for all of this."