The Rise and Fall of History II: Opposing the Present

by Medigo

The world of dueling has reached its climax. Many stories have been told through these cards, and the final story brought everyone together. People are united and yet, an unknown world suffers in their shadow. The fallen one returns in the midst of their peace, pursued and still a stranger to those around. There is not much time to save both his home and his friends.

3. Second Chance at First Impressions

Redux 088: Second Chance at First Impressions

"Are they actually dueling?" Iria couldn't believe what she was hearing and seeing. They hadn't been here for more than ten minutes. And while they were inside the study trying to get crucial data from the net, Uno was drawn into a duel with their host. "Duels matter to these people, perhaps even moreso than to the people of our world." Adamant was not surprised. "Is this because they would have had the same prophecy?" Iria asked him, with a clear harshness to her words. "You are still a doubter. Is it truly that hard to include the forces of destiny, with all that you have witnessed?" It would take an iron will for anyone in their position to not believe in the magical. "It's not the subject matter that makes me question the story. It's the voice. We may be forced to work together for now, but that does not mean I can trust you.. Adamant." She would not forget how he seemingly betrayed them before, all for a ruse that he did not warn anyone about in advance. And then there was a whole grocery list of dubious acts that he performed in the name of his XYZ-guild.

"I often get that kind of resistance. People do not see me as a man who would listen to prophecies and gods. Regardless, we can both at least agree that neither of us wants our world to be in danger. Yes?" No matter what they or any other guild believed, their world was clearly in danger. With Walter distracted, he felt he could discuss such things openly. "That would be like agreeing that the world is round. Tch.. how much longer will it take to get what you want?" Adamant had been sitting behind the computer for half an hour now. She was getting anxious. "I cannot say. When our guild first crossed into this dimension, we left a few men behind to gather resources. I can't seem to get in contact with them now, yet their accounts are still accessible to me. I've transferred Credits and data, I just want to make one last attempt at communication." He resumed typing. "I need to be careful not to reveal my presence on their network. Trust me on this, I do not want to be here any longer than we need to." Adamant shared her feelings of discomfort. "That I can agree with." Iria glared at the living room once more. That duel had better not take too long.

...

Uno's LP: 4800 Walters LP: 6600

"Off we go!" Uno waved his hand across his field, placing two cards down on either side. "I've set my scales, Performapal SelshellCrab and Dragon Pulse Magician!" His two pendulum monsters took their place in the pendulum zones; a hermit crab in a green egg-covered shell (scale 2) and a red-braided magician (scale 1) in the other. "Oho. Aren't you mixing up your scales?" Walter noted that the higher scale was placed before the lower scale mage. Uno could not Uno pendulum summon anything with those scales anyway. "You might think that. Wait til you see.." Uno placed a field spell down. "Sky Iris! This spell can destroy one of my cards each turn, to bring in a new Odd-Eyes card! I will destroy Dragon Pulse Magician." An eye-shaped portal of light opened up above Uno. It sucked in Dragon Pulse Magician, sending the destroyed pendulum monster to the extra deck. "I add Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn and set it down where my Magician used to be!" A green unicorn took the red zone. Its scale of 8 suited the field far better. "Now..I will pendulum summon my monsters, two from my extra deck and one from my hand!"

Three energy blasts flew down between the pillars of red and blue light; they materialized as Performapal Silver Claw(4/1800/700), Dragon Pulse Magician(4/1800/900) and a dapper purple lizard(4/1600/1200) with a mechanical visor on its snout. "This is Performapal Bot-Eyes Lizard! He can take the name of one Odd-Eyes monster in my deck each turn!" The Lizard discarded the original Odd-Eyes Dragon from the deck, and assumed its full name. Odd-Eyes Dragon was a card Uno almost forgot. But thanks to the cardmaker, Dom, he had another copy of it. "Ah there we are." Walter beamed with delight as he saw all these creatures. "Yes. And I am going to go all out, Walter." Uno entered the battle phase. "Oh please. Do not hold back on my behalf." The man chuckled. "The thought didn't cross my mind! Dragon Pulse, destroy White Tiger Summoner!" The dragon magician used her double-sided blade to cut down the white-haired spellcaster(3/1400/2000). With the Summoner no longer on the field, Walters monsters like Flash Knight(2100/900) and Arnis the Empowered Warrior(4/2000/1500) lost their 100-attackpoint boost.

Walters LP: 6200

"Two to go! Silver Claw, you're up next!" The attacking wolf used its effect to add 300 attackpoints to itself(4/2100/700) and other Performapals for this battle phase. The vermillion warrior fell prey to its shining claws. "Very nice! But when Arnis is is destroyed by an attacking monster: I can summon one Spellcaster with 1500 or less ATK from my deck! I choose the Golden Dragon Summoner." The old man special summoned a pale wizard(3/1000/1000) in gold and black. It(1300/1300) immediately gained new attackpoints from Walters Empowerment spell. "I see. Well I saved the best for last.. I am talking of course... about my Odd-Eyesified Lizard!" Bot-Eyes(4/1900/1200) fired away with a blast shaped like a dragon. "The spell effect of Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn can give the original attackpoints of another Performapal on the field to an Odd-Eyes monster that attacks!" The power of Silver Claw was transferred from the beast to the lizard(3700/1200); doubling the size of its fireblast. The flames surrounded and consumed Flash Knight with haste.

Walters LP: 4500

"Hm-hmm. Going for the big hitter eh." Walter coughed. This virtual smoke was just as exasperating as the real thing. "Yeah well. Gotta have some flash with the substance." Uno was out of cards to use, so he ended his turn. "That is true, but.. I remember when dueling used to be simpler. I could keep up with my son in those days. Do you kids know what it was like, before they created the pendulum cards?" The man asked, getting nostalgic rather suddenly. "Of course.." Uno replied quickly, though he was hoping Walter would continue anyway. "Ehr.. I don't." Eric apparently picked up on Uno's appetite for information. "Ah.. I don't even know if you can imagine it. How old are you?" He asked. "Almost seventeen." Eric swore. "Old enough to not even have experienced it. It was a quieter time back then, for more than just duelists. Borders existed and games could still be games. Then the Union came, and joined the lands." Walter moaned. "Joined?" Eric remembered enough of topography class to know that this did not fit. "The course of history.. was altered." Uno muttered. But who could have done such a thing? Or rather, was this the 'normal' path for history to take?

"But enough daydreaming from an old man. I bet you're itching to move on, so I shall be quick about it." Walter cracked his knuckles and drew the next card from his deck. "Terratiger the Empowered Warrior is what I will summon this turn." He discarded another normal monster to activate Empowerment. The continuous spell special summoned an 'empowered' Empowered Warrior(4/2100/1500) in armor that had the colors and appearance of a white tiger. "And.. I will take back the monsters I threw away." Walter activate the spell, Dark Factory of Mass Reproduction. With it he could recycle two normal monsters from the graveyard. "Dragong, Mandragon." The two monsters he added to his hand were Pendulum monsters. "!?" Uno watched as Walter placed them in the pendulum zones of Erics dueldisk; a dragonshaped Mandolin cursed by Mandragora roots (scale 7) and a metallic green dragon with a Gong on its belly (scale 2). They had no effects at all, not even as spells. "Yes..I know how to pendulum summon too, Uno."

"But first." Walter raised a finger. "I will use the final ability of my spell. Empowerment banishes four warrior or spellcasters from the graveyard to add an Aether monster to my hand." Walter removed three summoners (Red Sparrow, White Tiger, Green Turtle) along with Hydrotortoise the Empowered Warrior. The card Walter took from the deck was called Aether the Empowering Dragon. "Now I'll pendulum summon too; Aether and Flash Knight!" The golden knight(4/2100/900) returned from the extra deck, and with it came a golden scaled dragon(6/2600/1600). "I am affraid my pendulum summoned Empowering Dragon returns one card to a player hand!" Aether unleashed a burst of bright lightrays and enveloped Dragon Pulse Magician. When Uno could see again, the card was back in his hand. "Oh and Golden Dragon Summoner can tribute one monster to return another monster! Hoho!" The Golden mage sacrificed himself and targeted Performapal Silver Claw. Uno had to put that monster back in his hand as well. "That is how I do it.. Attack now!" Terratiger made the first blow, tearing Bot-Eyes Lizard up with his talons.

Uno's LP: 4300

And now, with his field empty of monsters and two big threats still closing in, Uno found his thoughts slow to a crawl. The moment was brief, but powerful. "!" One second later he snapped back to reality. "I can activate Performapal Sellshellcrab's effect! With my Performapal defeated in battle, the crab will summon a new Performapal or Odd-Eyes from my pendulum zone!" Uno took the Hermit crab and special summoned it(5/500/2500) in defense mode. "I choose this guy!" Its defense was too much for Flash Knight, so Aether would have to attack it. The golden dragon roared and flew towards the Hermit Crab, who flinched and hid inside its shell-home. One swipe with the tail smashed the Performapal to pieces; shell and all. "Thank goodness. For a second there I was worried that you were forgetting your own cards." Walter took it with stride and ordered Flash Knight to make a direct attack, nearly halving Uno's lifepoints with one sword-swing. "No such bad luck, Walter." Sellshell Crab had saved him from losing all his lifepoints at least.

Uno's LP: 2200

But that was what Uno had wanted, at first. This guy was so nice to him that he considered letting Walter win. That was why he went easy on him in the last turn.. So what changed his mind? "He wouldn't have fallen for it anyway. But why didn't I want to lose? Is it something to do with.. this world?" If only he could remember. "I wouldn't mind losing, I am just an old man after all." Walter spoke like he read his mind. Whatever he saw, he passed the turn back to Uno. "Hmm." Uno drew Performapal Turn Toad. He normal summoned the green toad(2/0/800) wordlessly, and destroyed it to re-activate Sky Iris. This turn Sky Iris added the true Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon to Uno's hand. "Uno, is something wrong?" Eric could tell that the duelist had his mind elsewhere, since he was so quiet. "I was just wondering.. What would be so bad about losing?"

"Uno, Eric." At that point Adamant came into the room, with a visibly impatient Iria behind him. "It's time to go... Where is Alice?" He inquired as calmly as was possible. "Oh. She's sleeping. Should I get her? I'll go get her." Eric rushed out of the living room. "So soon? Uh.. did the emergency services arrive already?" Uno 'asked' as he followed their gaze. The two kept staring at the windows. "I am afraid so. You have to quit the duel." Iria managed to play along, but she sounded very insistent. "What's the hurry? Surely you have a few minutes to wrap things up here." Walter likely noticed the shifting mood. That did not stop him from acting like his usual self. "I do not think you could end before then anyway." He added somberly. "What is that supposed to mean?" Iria let out a hiss. "Oh. I think I know." Uno checked his own dueldisk. "I have to finish the duel." The device refused to disconnect, it only accepted a surrender. "A fight here is a fight to the end." Adamant muttered to himself. Somehow those words rang familiar to Uno.

"Still, I gotta cut this short Walter. Sorry. Best I can do is.. giving you an amazing finale!" Uno placed Dragon Pulse Magician in the blue pendulum zone, pairing its scale with Odd-Eyes Unicorns. "Pendulum summon!" Between the two scales Uno could special summon the Performapals Turn Toad and Sellshell Crab from his extra deck along with Silver Claw and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon(7/2500/2000) from his hand. "I activate the monster effect of Sell Shell Crab this time! For each Performapal monster on my field, it makes 300 attackpoints and gives them all to one pendulum monster!" Thanks to his three performers, Pendulum Dragon(3400/2000) gained three attackboosts. "And here it is, my final attack! Odd-Eyes Dragon targets Aether the Empowering Dragon!" Uno's great red monster stomped across the room. "And I will use Odd-Eyes Unicorn again as he goes!" With the Unicorns spell-effect, Performapal Silver Claws attackpoints were added to the attacking Odd-Eyes(5200/2000). With one strong push, it crushed the golden Aether. "Any battle damage Odd-Eyes Pendulumn Dragon inflicts, is doubled!" With that single blow, Uno delivered 5200 points of battle damage to his opponent. Walter had run out.

Walters LP: 0

"That was quite the sight for these eyes." Walter put on his best smile, and deactivated his dueldisk and placed it on the table. "I can see that I never really stood a chance, not with my outdated pendulums. Tell me, where did you even get such wondrous things? The name Odd-Eyes rings somewhat familiar." He kept his eyes on the dragon even as its hologram de-materialized. "He's stalling.." Iria muttered under her breath. "Huh? What's that?" Walters hearing was not that bad apparently. "You know what you are doing. We need to go now, Uno!" Iria turned a bit more hostile as she moved towards the front door. "Is something the matter? Please, tell me. I do not know what is going on." Walter still pleaded ignorance. "Ehgh. I think you're telling the truth about that. But when she says something, she usually means it. I had fun Walter, but this is probably goodbye." Adamant and Iria were both standing near the windows now., Uno wished he knew what was getting these two so rattled. "We are too late." Whatever it was, Adamant could identity it with his own eyes now. It was outside.

"Ah!" It was one of those grey dots from the sky, one of the drones. It hovered above the house, not even ten feet away. "This is what I was afraid of." Adamant's disk had picked up an incoming energy source. This was its owner.

"A Templar? Here?" The sight of this object was enough to break Walters composure. One look and he staggered back. "Templar? That's what it's called?" Uno let the question out before he knew it. It looked familiar, yet he had no idea what it was supposed to do or why it would be here. "You..you don't know?! How couldn't you?" Walter stared in disbelief at the duelists. "Did you call this here?" Iria inquired again. "He couldn't have, right?" Uno immediately defended him. He had been with Walter all this time. "It can't be here for me.. I did nothing. Then.. it's here for you? No.. I am sorry. I didn't know. You have to.. run. We have to.." The old man was still too numbed with fear to properly respond to their confusion. "The Templars. A series of all-terrain defensive drones that come equipped with a highly advanced dueling patterns, drawn from real dueling records. They secure the Union in every region." Fortunately Adamant was on hand with the necessary exposition, thanks to the data he had collected from the network. "Dueling..machines?" To Iria the idea sounded almost.. logical.

"Uno, wait!" Adamant tried to stop Uno, but he was running on impulses now. "I will take care of this!" Uno rushed out the front door and confronted the drone. Up close he could tell it looked like a bigger sharper dueldisk. A dueldisk that could move by itself. "Hey! I don't know why you came here, but if you came for me. Here I am! You can leave everyone else be!" The last thing he wanted was to cause trouble for someone as nice as Walter. "TEMPLAR SERIES M CODE 31178282 REPORTING. INVESTIGATING A DISRUPTION. THE SOURCE LOCATED." The Templar did not seem to be the conversational type, in spite of its loud synthesized voice. It only regarded Uno with a quick scan. "UNKNOWN DISK SYSTEMS LOCATED." Then it proceeded to scan the rest of the house. "It wasn't sent here. It came on its own. Damn it. Did I mess up with that duel? I thought it would be safe if I stayed offline. Damn, damn." He felt like kicking himself. This was his own world and he still was utterly new to everyone and everything going on. He should have anticipated this, he should have seen this coming.

"Out of the way, Uno!" Now Iria and Adamant barged out of the building. Iria had her dueldisk out and used that to create a barrier around the drone. "This should.." It quickly dawned on her that the Templar would not let itself be contained. "CONTAINMENT FIELD DETECTED. RESPONDING." It only required one scan and one burst of electricity to break through. "My turn." Adamant had a better solution. He placed a card on his disk and summoned a Raidraptor Rise Falcon card. It solidified and flew towards the enemy. "SOLID VISION CONSTRUST DETECTED. RESPONDING." To counter that, the machine placed a card of its own in a transparent slot on its body. A monster was summoned, a white unicorn with golden manes and a flowing red cape. "A duel monster!" Adamant grunted. The Unicorn challenged the Falcon and destroyed it with a single effective strike. "DUELISTS PRESENT. SCANNING. ONE IDENTITY FOUND: SILVER. TWO IDENTITIES UNKNOWN."

"It knows me?" That carried a lot of implications. "But not me?" Uno was astonished, he expected to be recognized here at least by someone. He didn't mind if it was a machine! "They know the name of each duelist registered to the network. It is simply possible you never registered, Uno. More to the point, it does not recognize me. Because I have no counterpart in this timeline." Adamant reshuffled his deck and drew five cards. "Templar! I will be your opponent! You cannot refuse me!" Indeed the machine could not. In a matter of seconds it had prepared its own deck. "Uno. Iria. I know what's in store for us, my guild has seen these before. This thing hunts unknown duelists and will not leave until its defeated. It can fight as many of us as it wants. So.. leave this to me." He took his turn first. "Have you dueled one of these before then?" Iria immediately inquired. "... This.. will be the first time." He answered flatly.

"Duel!"

(To be Continued in Redux 087: Overcast Skies)

New Cards used by Uno
Performapal SelshellCrab
Performapal BotEyes Lizard

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Sky Iris

New Cards used by Walter
Golden Dragon Summoner
Terratiger, the Empowered Warrior
Mandragon
Dragong
Aether, the Empowering Dragon

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Dark Factory of Mass Production