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.

14. The Road less Traveled

Redux 77: The Road less Traveled

After the turn of the century, the new unified world celebrated their progress in various ways with various creations. An underground railroad system, built to connect all major cities, was one of those creations. Those paths were guarded like any other. Yet the maps taken from the XYZ-base revealed exploits in the network. There was a whole web of older tunnels, left behind when former locales were wiped off the face of the earth to make room for the new Control City. To get to this underground maze, one would need to sneak into the existing subway system at night when transport was at a standstill.

"Ehr heya! I'm back. Hope you weren't too worried about Uno or me!" So for now the gang returned to the academy, where Alice stumbled into Zenshin once again. "Hello there ms. Alice. I take it you managed to find your friend?" It sounded like he hadn't heard anything about Uno since she last saw him. That was good news. "Yeah. He.. uhm.. had to leave suddenly to help a friend." She told him and he seemingly took it at face-value. "I see. Well if he is still up for it, he can always take the trial tomorrow." It was too late in the day now to reschedule. "I'll tell him that! Also, duelists can rest here can't they?" She asked. "Of course. There's a dorm in the south wing. We have plenty of rooms available this season, you will just need to sign for it at the register." The master helpfully explained. "Thanks." The new student bowed her head. "Oh you don't have to do that every time." He laughed. "I'll try to remember next time. Well, gotta go!" And with that, she was gone.

"Kay. It seems nobody's looking for you. If we wanted to, we could take our trials tomorrow. And we can sleep there if we want to." Alice reported once she rejoined the others at the van. "That wont be necessary. You already got us into the network." Adamant stated. He did not feel the urge to take the trial himself. "Aww. But we got you the fake ID and everything." She sulked. "And there'd be no point in me or Iria taking that test either. They already have a Stonewell and Silver in their system. Eh Iria?" Eric chuckled. But the disciple stayed bitterly quiet. "... Well. Guess most of us are sleeping in the van." He let out a moan. Three days without a comfortable bed was getting to his body. "Sorry, Eric. But if all things go well, that will change soon." Uno stated confidence. Though he lost the duel to the Inquisitor, that woman in purple gave him new energy to go forward. He wanted to see her.

"Why are we even considering this?" Iria said abruptly. "Those people are not going to take us in as friends. You even called them the enemy, Adamant!" She didn't agree with their optimism. "Our present situation forces us to, disciple. We invite danger the longer we stay here. Whatever we may think of Millennium and whoever really controls it, the world will be in a far worse situation if the fusion guild or the Circle takes over." Whoever attacked his guild, Adamant did not want to wait around to find out. "Ms. Silver.. are you worried about her?" Alice made a cautious guess as to what was upsetting her. "She's not you, Iria. Who knows what changed her." Uno added. "What is your point? She still works for Millennium, they are the ones who let her do her job this way!" Inquisitor Silver was the face of the Union, and the disciple was disgusted by that face. "That is why we need to confront her and her superiors. We need to make them see where we came from through you. They have to be warned. If anybody does not want to go, they can stay. But at 3 AM this night, I will head into the underground. Alone, if I have to."

Adamant gave everyone time to think. Time which Uno and Alice spent in her room in the academy. "Did you find her yet?" Time which Uno spent searching for this mystery girl on the network, while Alice zapped the channels to see all kinds of films and TV-shows the other world never heard off. "None. Then again I don't have a lot to go on." Online search results were less than illuminating. The word 'UNO' only took him to clubs or stores. This world had no 'first duelist' novels. "Who do you think she is... your sister.. your girlfriend?" While Alice only saw that girl once, she was already fantasizing about her true nature. "I don't think so." Uno didn't feel about her that way, he couldn't explain why. "Ugh. Enough about that." He closed the laptop. "I forgot to ask all about you. How did your duel go? And when did you learn that trick with your dueldisk?" That trick with the holographic Nekroz saved his life. "I used Adamants dueldisk. He showed me how to do it while we were looking for you, how to direct the monsters and stuff. I didn't ask, but he insisted I had to learn to defend myself." She was glad now that he did. "And the duel went okay too. I think.. I can play again, without being scared. And I still want to help Adamant." She said with a little smile. "Of course.. I feel the same."

Over in the van, Adamant was finally sleeping. "Wish I could do that." Eric saw him close his eyes and that was all it took. "How could I turn out like.. like that." Iria would have liked to nap on command too, to avoid being stuck with her thoughts. "Hey. I was surprised by my other half too.. Okay, he didn't turn out to be as.. unpleasant.. What I mean is that Uno is right, you're way different from her. Sure you can be intimidating too, but when I saw you duel I wanted to be more like you. I can't say the same for her!" Eric practically unloaded a speech on her before he thought any better of it. "Ehr..." Her silent expression didn't make clear if he had to regret his words. "I appreciate that."But she eventually responded, albeit flatly. "I just have to wonder what made her that way. Or what made me this way? Which is the natural state?" She could think of reasons, but she didn't want to bring up her past. In the end there was probably only one answer. "Dom." She whispered. If anyone could help her find him, it would be Millennium. In any case, that was a concern for tomorrow.

...

A handful of hours later, the gang woke up and reconvened outside the academy. "We are all decided?" Adamant asked. "As if any of us would say no." Uno spoke for them all. "Good." Nothing more needed to be said. They drove off in the van, using Tory's tracking device to stay out of range of the Templars. Soon they arrived at the subway station which would lead into the underground. Only there was a problem. "A guard?" Across the hall, in front of the escalators, was a man with a dueldisk. "Nightwatchers.. saw it coming." Uno shook his head. "We can't let anyone know what we're doing. We have to deal with him without getting the templars attention." A duel of any kind would immediately raise alarm. "If I can get my barrier up, it should cut off all communications." Iria had one idea. "But we need to get close to him without alerting him." One dueldisk could not cast a wide enough forcefield. "Hmm.. I have an idea that just might work." Uno snapped his fingers.

"Lady Silver?"

The crazy plan was thus, have Iria confuse the guard long enough for her to get near him and then spring her trap on him. "What is your name and scale, duelist?" Iria, despite her reservations, acted the part well enough. She imitated Silver's more impassioned accent and had her hair untied. "Scale 8 duelist, Flake , madam. Might I ask the reason for your visit?" It wasn't flawless. 'Flake', a young blackhaired man with dreadlocked hair, could not help but notice the discrepancies like her missing eyepatch and a greyer uniform. "I was in pursuit of a criminal as he was trying to leave the city." Still, it worked long enough. By the time he started really questioning her, she was already too close. "Wait.. where are you Templar units?" And that moment had come. "!?" He reacted as quickly as her. She activated her dueldisk and raised a barruer. He grabbed his dueldisk and connected it to the wall. "I knew it!" He turned the disk on, and sent a pulse through the wire. "Tch." The next second a steel plate door came down and cut off entrance to the station. "You're not the Inquisitor!" Then Flake attempted to send a duel invite to the woman. Only to find another challenger. "When did you...?"

It was Eric, wearing the mask Stonewell left behind. "If he duels you, he can take down the forcefield. So he will have to go through me first!" Eric jumped in as soon as he saw things go south. The others he told to stay back. "Ah. You're of the resistance. Now it makes sense." Flake said with a very dry voice. "Yeah and you're with Millennium! I guess I gotta take you down to make that gate go up!" Eric drew five cards so he could hurry this along. "Ho. I am not with millennium itself, I took this position so I could be. That does not mean you should under-estimate me. I notice your barrier is jamming my communications. But my superiors call in for updates every hour. So you have about.. 32 minutes to defeat me and make it through." Flake spoke calmly as he drew his five cards. "Then you will have to finish this in half that time." Iria told Eric. He at least had the first turn. "I know, I know!" Eric placed a monster and a trap. "End turn!"

Eric's LP: 8000 Flake's LP: 8000

"Unfortunately, I can not stall for time. The dueldisk would make me forfeit if I did." Flake's turn began with him activating a field spell. "Yosen Training Grounds. Now whenever a Yosenju is summoned, a counter is added to my field spell." A shinto shrine complete with gate arose behind the stern duelist. "Yosenju? What's that?" It didn't even sound like english to Eric. "You will see them. The youngest of three, Yosenju Kama3!" A silverhaired humanoid weasel(4/1500/800) in bandages and clothes jumped down the steps of the shrine. "When one of the Kama brothers is normal summoned, another Yosenju is immediately normal summoned! Yosenju Tsujik!" Kama3 started a small twister with his hand. The whirlwind was then cut in half by a ferret/human samurai(4/1000/1000). Two candles of the Yosen shrine were lit; representing two Yosen counters. "Tsujik may add 1000 attackpoints to any Yosenju." The samurai targeted himself(2000/1000) for this effect, making his sword glow with green energy. "Attack, Kama3!" The weasel-warrior shredded Erics face-down Tour Bus to Forbidden Realms(3/600/1000) with his daggers. "Attack, Tsujik!" Then Tsujik slashed his sword across Erics chest.

Eric's LP: 6000

"Yeah I see the Yosenju now." At least this guy wasn't using solid holograms. "But hey, you flipped my Forbidden Bus. Its flip effect will give me a fire-type fiend, heheh." Eric added his favorite Infernoid to his hand; Attondel. "You weren't the only one to gain something. When Kama3 watches another Yosenju damage lifepoints, he will draw one Yosenju card from my deck." Flake used Kama3's effect to place Yosenju Kama2 into his hands. "I set two cards in the spell/trap zone and end my turn." As he did, another storm hit the field. "Now what?" It turned out to be a favorable wind, as Kama3 and Tsujik were blown back into Flake's hand. "The Yosenju return to their master during the endphase of a turn in which they were normal summoned." Flake explained. "Ohoho! I like the sound of that!" Eric had his chance now. He activated his set continuous trap. "Void Launch! It'll toss two Infernoids to my graveyard during my standby phases!" Eric discarded two random demons, fodder for the one in his hand. "I banish two Infernoids to special summon Infernoid Adramelech!" The murderous and corrupted Attondel sundemon(8/2800/0) was back to terrorize the living. "Direct attack!"

"Eric wait!" Iria shouted. While she advocated haste, she did not want him to act without thinking. "Your ally must have a very easygoing life, to be so straightforward." Flake responded by discarding Yosenju Tsujik from his hand to activating an effect. "The mountain spirit, Yosenju Ojam! When I am attacked directly, I can summon it from my hand!" A featureless shadow(0/0) loomed over the shrine, with glowing eyes and big hands. "What? In attack mode?" Eric smelled a trap, but kept Attondel going anyway. "Ho.. When Oyam battles a face-up monster, his power rises to match its opponent." The mountain spirit(2800/0) grew even more. "!? Then they will.." Yosenju Ojam and the Infernoid crashed into each other, blowing themselves into pieces. "Destroy each other. But when Oyam is destroyed in battle." Flake pulled a card from his deck. "A Yosenju card is added to my hand! I choose Yosenju Kama1!" Now he had all three brothers. "This is an issue. That field spell of his has three counters now." Iria saw the third candle light up after Oyam's summoning. "Fine, I end my turn!" Eric cursed. What could the field spell do?

"And I start mine. I remove three Yosen counters from the Yosen Training Grounds." They found out now. "To add a Yosenju from the deck to my hand!" Flake grabbed a second copy of Yosenju Tsujik. "Remember that all three brothers have the ability to add one more normal summon. I normal summon the youngest!" Yosenju Kama3 returned to the training ground. "Then I summon the second, Yosenju Kama2!" His effect was followed by the arrival of an older samurai weasel(4/1800/200) in tight blue robes. "And the oldest, Yosenju Kama1!" Third, a silverhaired humanoid weasel(4/1600/500) in a looser purple kimono appeared using Kama2's effect. Kama3's extra normal summon was claimed by the new Yosenju Tsujik(4/1000/1000). In turn the shine lit four of its candles again. "Now, Kama1 may return one face-up card to a players hand, if another Yosenju is on the field. I return Void Launch." The weasel-warrior wrapped Erics trap up and shattered it. "Tch. No better choice eh?" Eric took it back. "Tsujik will then reuse his ability on Kama2." The white Yosenju granted the power of his blade to the sword of the second brother(4/2800/200). "And now, a familiar attack." Kama3 had the initiative. He rolled towards Erics side and pushed the knife into the set monster.

"?" Only to have the knife spring back on a soft flexible surface. "Ha. Not that familiar, is it? Say hi to Dinosewing!" Eric revealed a stuffed sauropod demon(4/0/0). "This guy cannot be killed by attacks. And if he is attacked from now on, he gets 1000 attackpoints!" That meant Flake woulnd't get his free hits so easily. Not all of them at least. "Then it is time to reveal the power of the second brother!" Yosenju Kama2 jumped up high. "Kama2 may attack directly, by cutting the damage of his attacks in half!" The samurai made one swing with his sword, which created a blast of wind. "Damn." Another chunk of Erics lifepoints were snatched away. "So Kama3 is gonna.." Right on schedule, the youngest brother used the damage to place a Yosenju card in Flake's hand; Yosenju Oyam. "This is taking too long." Iria groaned as this turn ended the same way as the last one. Flake passed the turn to Eric, while the normal summoned Kamataichi brothers and Tsujik all returned to his hand. "That is how it shall be, until time runs out for either of us."

Eric's LP: 4600

"I don't know why you gotta be such a pain. We both want the same thing, dont we? To get into the city. I just have a quicker course!" Eric was fed up with this guy. "My turn. I activate Pot of Desires! I banish ten cards to draw two!" Erics pot spell banished the top ten cards of his deck face-down. In return he drew a spell and a trap. "You would banish a quarter of your deck just to get an edge?" Flake was bewildered by his recklessness. "What can I say? My deck is not a well-oiled machine like yours. I have like 60 cards in here, I can lose a few gears! I activate another spell, Burial from A Different Dimension, to return two banished monsters to the graveyard!" Eric could not re-bury the ten face-down cards, as he did not know which ones were monsters. "Then I banish them again, to summon Adramelech from my graveyard!" Instead he targeted the two banished Infernoids, just so Attondel could banish them again and revive itself. "And I activate another spell, Back-Up Rider, and give my demon 1500 attackpoints until the endphase!" Red lightning struck the Infernal one, and covered It(4300/0) in a fiery aura. "Direct attack!"

"Yet we haven't gone anywhere." Flake responded by activating his second Yosenju Oyam card. He discarded Yosenju Tsujik from his hand to special summon the mountain spirit in defense mode. "Are we? I learn from my mistakes, Flake!" Though Oyam increased its size, the Yosenju(2800/2800) failed to reach Attondel's height. "Oyam only copies the original attackpoints of the attacking monster! Adramelech still has his boost from Back-Up Rider!" Infernoid Attondel flew into the mountain spirit and burst through its body like a lightning bolt. "I realized that. Why else would I summon it in defense position?" Flake still made use of his monsters death effect by adding a Yosenju card, Yosenju Shinchu R, to his hand. "Yeah I saw. But did you see that my demon gets a second attack when he kills a monster!" Attondel circled back towards the duelist himself. "Direct attack!" The crackling demon swiped at Flake, halving his lifepoints with one swing. "Look who has the lead now!" Eric bragged to Iria. "Don't slow down now." She grumbled. "Yeah okay." He placed two trap cards down and ended his turn.

Flake's LP: 3700

"Ho.. You think we want the same thing?" Flake breathed in and shook his head. "Do you know what you will find in the City? I do.." He drew a card. "Oh Yeah? What's that?" Eric grew curious. "Immortality." Flake answered him unreservedly. "Immortality?" Iria winced. "I took this position to elevate my own standing, not for unsightly reasons. When a duelist reaches the tip of the Scale.. everything he is will be submitted to Millennium. Those Templars you see, where do you think they take their memories and thought patterns from? From duelists who have been integrated into the system, their souls forever guarded in Millenniums sanctuary; The Monument. That is why I want to go the city." Flake clenched his hand. "And I am too close to fail now. I reactivate Yosen Training Grounds! I add Yosenju Shinchu L to my hand!"" He removed three of the five Yosen counters the field spell collected so far. "Pendulums?" Iria spotted the blue border on these new monsters. "I set the scales, Yosenju Shinchu R and L!" Pendulum monsters, Flake had them too. "Let's see your end through, my nameless friend! So that I can move on!"

(To be Continued in Redux 076: Caution to the Wind)

New Cards used by Eric Stonewell
Dinosewing

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Pot of Desires
Back-Up Rider

Cards used by Flake
Yosenju Kama 3
Yosenju Tsujik
Tosenju Oyam
Yosenju Kama 2
Yosenju Kama 1
Yosenju Shinchu R
Yosenju Shinchu L

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Yosen Training Grounds