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.

33. Somewhere over a Rainbow

Redux 58: Somewhere, over a Rainbow

Living had become wretched for James Brandt and Mrs Stonewell as of late. They spent four days going from featureless cell to featureless cell, with no word of sight of the outside world. But that all changed in the blink of an eye and a flicker of light. "Ah!" The 'prisoners' met two visitors. "Did you just.. teleport us?" One looked like the mothers son. The other looked like the fathers daughter. "I did? I.. didn't plan to, but it worked! Ooh.." The pendulum brought them both inside, just like Alice wanted. Though it happened sooner than she expected, and it made her feel a bit exhausted. "What on earth? A..lice?" It was safe to say, that James was a bit besides himself. "Dad!" But he was there, Alice couldn't believe it. "Eric? How did you get here? And why are you wearing clothes like that?" Mrs Stonewell could not begin to make sense of this either. "Ehr.." Luckily Stonewell was saved from having to give an awkward explanation by the alarm siren. "Alice. I think we should get out of here. Anywhere will do!" The fusion guild knew they were here now. "Y-yeah! Dad. Mrs Stonewell. Please stay close to me." There was no time explain. Alice took the crystal again.. "Okay? But wh.." And she made all four of them flash out of the room.

...

Uno's LP: 5000 ?'s LP: 7400

"Not a talker eh? I can live with that." The hooded woman before him must have been sent by the guilds. The evidence was circumstantial, but Uno's gutfeeling pushed his suspicion into the 'strongly possible' area. "But I am warning ya. You'd rather talk to me than to the guys in charge." Uno placed another pendulum in the zone that his Performapal Selshell Crab(7/500/2500) had vacated. "Performapal Swincobra!" It was a colorful snake (scale 2) on a swing. Thanks to its activation, Performapal Guitartle (scale 6) used his own power to draw a second card for Uno. "Your pendulum summon was nice. But I prefer my way, with lots of pendulums!" This turn he summoned three defending monsters from the extra deck; Performapal Fireflux(4/1200/1600), Parrotrio(3/500/500) and Timebreaker Magician (3/1400/0). "And now that I've done that, I can ask my pendulums for one final tribute! I activate Pendulum Storm!" The spell Uno activated set a storm off that was growing fast. "The storm will destroy any card in a pendulum zone, and then one more spell on the field!"

"Not going to happen." The woman flipped her trap card, which created a light blue quartz-like crystal. "Artificial Crystal Beast?" This continuous trap acted as a third Crystal Beast in the spell/trap zone. Which meant one thing. "Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins negates Pendulum Storm." As long as three Crystal Beasts were in the spell/trap zone, the Rainbow field spell could sacrifice one of those spell Crystals to negate Uno's spells. The Ruby crystal shattered and the storm of pendulums calmed down. Not only that, the Artificial Crystal powered up existing Crystal Beasts. Amethyst Cat(1700/900), Sapphire Pegasus(2300/1700), Topaz Tiger(2100/1500) and Amber Mammoth(2200/2100) all gained 500 attack and defense points.

Artificial Crystal Beast, Continuous Trap
You can control only 1 "Artificial Crystal Beast". 'Crystal Beast' monsters you control gain 500 ATK and DEF.
When this card is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, you can add 1 'Crystal Beast' card from your graveyard to your hand.

"Well. That ruined the act I had in mind." Timebreaker Magician could normally banish itself and another monster from the field for one turn; breaking time to send them both to the future. With Crystal Vanguard still in the pendulum zone however, Uno could not target Rainbow Dragon with any effects. "I'll just have to revise my script! Sellshell Crab, make Parrotrio stronger!" Uno activated Sellshell Crab's monster effect, which added 300 attackpoints to a pendulum monster like the parakeets(1400/500) for each performapal on the field. "Aaaaand." Uno took Timebreaker off the field, along Fireflux and his tuner Tuning Magician(1/0/0). "If you are who I think you are, you will appreciate this! I synchro summon Enlightenment Paladin!" Three and four stars merged with the Tuners one. "A Synchro Magician?" The appearance of the time-bending paladin(8/2500/2000) visibly shocked the opponent. "Yep! I.." Uno was about to explain its effect. "When.." But he momentarily lost focus, his head felt woozy. "Huh? What was that?" The moment passed, but it still concerned him. "Save that thought, Uno."

"Anyway! He can return one used-up spell to my hand!" Enlightenment Paladin swung his sword around to reverse the flow of magic. Pendulum Storm flew out of the graveyard and planted itself back in between Uno's fingers. "Let's try this again! I activate Pendulum Storm!" He stirred the winds back into action. Guitartle, Swincobra, Crystal Vanguard and Crystal Protector were all removed from their pendulum zones. The Rainbow Ruin was the final target of Pendulum Storm and crumbled to pieces inside the hurricane. "And now you can see my Paladin in battle! He attacks the Mammoth!" A swing with the sword and the orange mammoth broke. "Enlightenment Paladin inflicts effect damage too! One lifepoints per destroyed attackpoint!" The shattered crystals began to burn. "What?" 1700 attackpoints exploded right in her face, knocking the hood off. "Kgahhh!"

?'s LP: 5400

"What the.." Uno knew this face. "You're.. one of the guards." This woman with braided brown hair and olive complexion, she patrolled the lower floors. "No wonder no Templars came. You turned them off, didn't you? Wait.. are you even her?" He grew a suspicion as to why she was doing all of this. "Feh. You already know. So by all means keep talking." She was not going to do the explaining for him. "Okay. I am guessing you're just part of palace security in this world. But in the other timeline, you're one of the synchro guild.. the Circle. You synchronized your mind with your counterpart!" Whether she did it halfway or completely, he couldn't tell. If it was the former, than this woman did not even know her body was being borrowed by her dimensional counterpart. "Good guesses." She smirked briefly. "That still leaves one thing I dont get. Why does the Circle want my pendulum? Or any pendulum?" He asked. "Who knows." The woman shrugged. "I am pretty sure you do." Uno grunted. That womans foot was still putting pressure on his crystal. "Well you're not getting it either way! Parrotrio attacks Topaz Tiger!" The parakeets pecked the face of the white tiger(4/1600/1000), but were immediately counter-attacked and clawed to death.

Uno's LP: 4300

Now Parrotrio could summon a non-pendulum Performapal from Uno's deck. "I special summon Performapal Bowhopper!" The slingshooting grasshopper(4/1500/1000) appeared in defense mode. "Bowhopper sacrifices a Performapal!" The hermit crab scuttled on top of the insect and was catapulted away. "You take 100 points of damage for each of its levels!" The crabs shell landed on top of the woman, taking 500 lifepoints away. "Whatever your plans are, you can forget them!" He defiantly ended his turn.

Guard's LP: 4900

"Too bad you have no choice." The womans turn began and she immediately activated the effect of her Rainbow Dragon. "I absorb all crystals into the crystal god!" Amethyst Cat, Sapphire Pegasus and Topaz Tiger were sent to the graveyard. The dragon of seven crystals gained 1000 attackpoints for each sacrifice; three of the gems on his(7000/0) neck lit up. "And.. I activate Over the Rainbow!" Behind the dragon a seven-colored path arose. "During a turn in which I activated Rainbow Dragon's effect, I can special summon as many individual Crystal Beasts from my deck as possible!" Another Sapphire Pegasus(4/2300/1700), Topaz Tiger(4/2100/1700), Amber Mammoth(4/2200/2100) and Cobalt Eagle(4/1900/1300); all walked across the rainbow path to join their god in battle. She also activated a spell card, Advanced Dark. Now monsters could not use their effects when Rainbow Dragon declared an attack. "You should have made a better synchro monster, Lord Uno. Die, Enlightenment Paladin!" The dragon fired a blast of purple, blue and yellow from its mouth.

"White isn't good enough for you? Then I'll add some of my own colors!" Uno activated a quickplay spell. "Hippo Carnival! I summon the hippo tokens!" Three hippos(1/0/0) bounced across the field. "Those horrid things?" The woman was forced to attack the tokens first, during the turn they were summoned by that spell. Rainbow Dragons breath veered off to the side and blasted the orange hippo dancer. "Your continued mockery of this duel does you no favor." Angered, she sent Cobalt Eagle and Amber Mammoth out to slay the blue and yellow hippo tokens. "Your monsters shall still perish." Then Topaz Tiger activated its effect to increase its attackpoints by 400, making it Enlightenment Paladins equal. The tiger and synchro knight clashed claws with swords and cut each other to pieces. "All of them." Finally Sapphire Pegasus fired a beam of light from its horn that tore a hole through Performapal Bowhopper, killing it for good. "You are out of pendulum monsters, out of tricks. Your crystal is not going to help you now, lord Uno." The woman ended her turn.

"So you'd rather risk destroying it than let me have it? It's thanks to that thing that my friends can even be in this world. Isn't that what the Circle wanted, to find a way to save everyone?" If Uno could 'ferry' people from the doomed dimension to the other, with the crystal, it could save millions of lives. "Can you not count? There isn't enough room in the world for 14 billion people. Synchronization is the only way." She wasn't even hiding her true allegiance anymore. "I do not believe that. I already told your friends so... I suppose I'm preaching to a choir here." This wasn't the time to repeat himself. "That aside, you got one thing wrong." Uno drew his next card. "I am never out of pendulums! I set the scales of Performapal Turntoad and Lizardraw!" It was the moment for the green toad (scale 2) and the orange lizard (scale 6). "Even if it's not by my side, I can still use its power! Pendulum summon!" He summoned the pendulum Performapals from the extra deck; Parrotrio, Sellshell Crab, Fireflux and Swincobra(4/300/1800).

"What is this?" Most of the pendulums were summoned in defense mode.. except for Parrotrio. "Parrotrio is just a back-up. In case my main plan goes south. I admit that this is a long shot.." Uno activated Lizardraw's effect. "But I can draw one card since I have a performapal in the other pendulum zone!" The gentleman lizard destroyed itself in its own pendulum zone, and drew a spell card from the deck with its tail. "...Even better than I expected! I activate Performapal Dramatic Theater!" The shadows of Advanced Dark retreated slightly, as a circus tent formed around the two duelists in the garden. "All my monsters gain 200 attackpoints for each different type of monster I control!" Right now he controlled four types, meaning 800 attackpoints for the Fireflux insect(2000/1600), the winged beast Parrotrio(1300/500), the aqua Sellshell Crab(1300/2500) and the reptile Swincobra(1100/1800). "And as a free bonus. When I control four performapals with different types, I can special summon an Odd-Eyes monster from my deck!"

"So you're going to summon your Odd-Eyes Dragon is that it?" The woman sneered. "Nope. Left that with someone else!" Uno used the field spell on a different Odd-Eyes monster; Odd-Eyes Light Phoenix(5/1800/2000). "What?" The Phoenix was another winged beast, so it didn't even enable more attackboosts. "I don't understand where you're going with this." Even if Uno did summon his monsters in attack position, they couldn't take on all the Crystal Beasts. And Advanced Dark could negate damage during a Crystal Beast's battle anyway. "No? Maybe this will help! Turntoad's spell effect can switch the position and points of one face-up monster! I choose, Swincobra!" The toad flipped the snake into attack position, which caused that performapal(1800/300) to swap its attack for its defense and vice versa. Dramatic Theater reapplied its continuous boost to the Cobra(2600/300) afterwards. "Swincobra? No..you can't.." That was enough to clue her in. "Yup. Swincobra can attack directly!" Uno was going after her, not her monsters! "There is no way you have enough attackpoints to.."

"You sure about that?" Uno reactivated the effect of Sellshell Crab, and targeted Swincobra. "There are five Performapals on the field!" The swinging snake(4100/300) gained five powerboosts. "And Odd-Eyes Light Phoenix can tribute herself to add another 1000 attackpoints to a Performapal monster!" The phoenix burst into ashes, while its flames lingered and surrounded Performapal Swincobra(5100/300). "You bastard. You think you're going to win this way?" There was not a single thing her cards could do against an attack like this. So she had little alternative. "Attack me and your crystal will be dust!" She raised her foot. "What? No!" Uno's eyes widened. "Do you think I wont? If only we knew from the start what this thing could do. It is a danger to all of us; it caused this whole crisis to begin with! If we cannot use them, then we must.." She stomped down on the gem. "Destroy it!" The first impact caused no visible damage. "Aaah!" Yet Uno felt the pain as if it was his body being attacked. "Still intact? But I wont stop.." She raised her foot again. "We will not ever.." "STOP!" Uno entered the battle phase. Swincobra made its direct attack. "Too late, LORD.."

"Gwuh?" Before she could strike again, a bright flash engulfed her. "No. What is it doing?" The crystal was fighting back. "It.. it hurts! What are you .." She reached for her head. "Get it out! Get it out!" The light pained her long enough for Swincobra to make its swinging leap over the Crystal beasts and Rainbow Dragon, hitting her its heart-shaped tail. "You did thiiiis!"

Guard's LP: 0

The lightshow ended, and the woman was left there standing dazed and confused. "Wha-what happened? Why am I here? And..." She looked at herself and her black outfit as if she was looking at a stranger. "What are.. My dueldisk is.. Lord Fortuno? What happened?" She reacted even more distressed when she noticed Uno was standing in front of her. "You don't remember?" The woman shook her head. "What about the Circle?" Was it not her anymore, did the other mind leave? "I do not know what you mean, milord." She did not sound like she had a clue of what was going on. And Uno could tell when someone was being genuine. "Did I push her counterpart out by defeating her in a duel? Or was it the pendulum? And did I break the synchronization permanently, or temporarily?" If the pendulum could undo the union of minds, then it was no wonder the Circle and the Synchro guild were so affraid of it. "Miss. There's nothing to worry about. It's all.." Right now he only wanted to put her mind at ease, she was clearly out of sorts. "AHHH!"

Instead the Templar drone took care of her. "NO!" The machine's ray transformed her, and her card fell to the ground besides the crystal. "Uno! Have you been harmed!" At the same time Iria, Inquisitor Silver and Adamant rushed into the scene. "We got Alice's warning, and we came as quickly as possible." Iria explained. But Uno was not hearing her. "Why did you do that?" His focus on was the other Iria. "Why? Because she betrayed us and attacked you. Do I need more reasons?" Silver scoffed and tried to pick up the card. "No! She did not betray us!" Uno grabbed the card first. "Uno. What are you saying? Who was she?" Adamant asked. "She was just a guard, but she was possessed by a member of the Circle. Just like Doms bodyguard was. The woman herself was innocent. She did not deserve this! Where were you even going to take her?" He yelled at her. "Forgive me, my lord. But I have yet to see evidence of this 'Circle' existing. I was merely going to question her, like I do to all who appear guilty." She said with not hint of regret. "She wont know anything, Silver."

"He has a point. If the Circle has infiltrated the palace itself. It could explain why the Templars attacked Uno this morning, and why there were no Templars to monitor his room tonight." Iria tried to use logic to reason with her other half. "..I see one fact in that. This woman couldn't have been working alone. She couldn't direct Templars with her clearance level. Someone else is still working against us on the inside. I doubt it is any of you three. Still, if you want to change her back. It can only be done at the Monument. So you wont be doing her any good by keeping her." The Inquisitor stretched out her hand. "If I do that. I will also give you an order, as your Lord. Turn her back once you realize that she is innocent." Uno handed the woman her card. "As you wish, Lord." The Inquisitor scowled and left with the card.

"Do you trust her?" Adamant inquired the non-Inquisitor Silver. "I wish I could say yes." She rasped. Adamant then turned to the duelist. "Uno. We found something... that can also help that woman. There were gaps in the templar network, dates that correspond with the time of Master Dom's disappearance. I feel like Millennium knows more about him than they are telling us. Someone inside is keeping secrets, the Circle perhaps. The Inquisitor told us she would investigate the matter, but I do not know if she is part of the problem." Uno looked up at them. "What do you want to do?" He asked. Iria smirked in response. "To head to this 'Monument'. To see this sanctuary of immortality itself."

"Oh. That... wait back up a bit. You said you got Alice's warning? Then where is.." Uno's words were drowned out by a loud blast of energy. "We made it!" The crystal transported Alice, her father, Stonewell and his not-actual-mother back to the garden. "Alice?" Uno gasped. "Uno! Look! I saved them! I.." As excited as she was though, she lacked the strength to keep it up. She slumped to the ground and closed her eyes. "Alice?" James cried out. "Wait. I think she just exhausted herself." Uno guessed. It was the middle of the night, and she hadn't slept all this time. "Will someone please tell me what is going on?" A wildly frantic Mrs Stonewell shouted. "That would be helpful." Adamant said as he stared at Stonewell and James for answers. They had some experiences to share.

...

"We must have misheard. I almost thought you were telling me that our guests have gone missing." Dame took the news of James and Mrs Stonewells disappearance well. "That is funny, aha. So funny I might bust a gut! SO WHY AM I NOT LAUGHING, MC?" Phoebe clearly did not. "Yeah. Before you start throwing things, why not see 'how' it happened." Her accomplice in the shadows put up a screen with footage of their great escape. "The girl?!" Dame Phoebe saw Alice and Stonewell teleport in and out, taking the two prisoners with her. "She was using a pendulum we did not encounter yet. They were gone before I could adjust the barriers or send in any guards." MC zoomed in on the crystal in Alice's hand. "She has one too now?! What makes her so special?" The guildleader's left eye twitched. "Heh. Fine! If that's how they wants to play it.. then we'll cheat too!"

(To be Continued in Redux 057: Bird in her Hand)

New Cards used by Uno Nisell
Performapal Swincobra

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Pendulum Storm

Cards used by 'Circle' Member
Over the Rainbow
Advanced Dark

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Artificial Crystal Beast