Hyper Runners: Duel Legacy

All Characters © Respective creators
Elemental Knights & White Dragons © TheBlackCrow2

Chapter Twenty: The Six Elements, Part 1

Two days had passed over since the first round of the Ultimate Duel Tournament had concluded. And during that time, most of the participating duelists had been training to adapt with the next round's restrictions. The only exception was Marcus and his friends. After recovering from her duel with Kana, Hikari was sitting in her hospital bed, watching the beauty of nature outside her window. A sharp click from her door alerted the Gambler Duelist of a visitor and turned around as the door flew open. She couldn't resist smiling once Marcus Kiva entered her room with a bountiful bouquet of white daffodils.

"Back again, Marcus?" Hikari said jokingly.

"Yeah, I think it's starting to become a habit." Marcus laughed, holding out the flowers. "I took the liberty of purchasing these for you."

"Daffodils..." Hikari said happily as she accepted the gift. "They're my favorite. Thank you, Marcus." She shifted in her bed until she could reach the vase on the table next to her. "So, what happened after I passed out?"

"Ruki and Namura defeated a Sacred Beast and Rev nearly murdered his opponent." Marcus explained nonchalantly. "Amaya dropped out of the tournament before I could duel, so the eight of us are moving on to the next round."

"Eight?" Hikari questioned surprisingly. "But if Amaya dropped out, then there should be seven or nine duelists moving on to the next round. That's how the rules go, right?"

"Yeah, but something happened to Namura two nights ago." Marcus said seriously; Hikari gasped. "He managed to survive surgery, but the doctor said he'll be unconscious for a while now. He won't be able to wake up in time to start the next round of the tournament."

"Things just keep getting worse." Hikari commented. "And it always seems to be harming us."

"And to make things worse, I have to duel Kana with only level 6 monsters." Marcus sighed. "Man, things never seem to come easy."


Meanwhile, another event was taking place on the opposite end of New Domino Hospital. Namura Jones was lying motionlessly on his white-sheeted bed with a cloth covering his eyes and an oxygen mask covering his mouth. Ruki, who had been staying with her friend instead of training, was sleeping on the bedside table with her head in her arms. With both duelists out cold, no one noticed the door creak open with two familiar characters entering inside. Trace and Nami cautiously stepped across the room and loomed ominously over the unconscious duelist.

"This will get in the way." Trace stated as he removed the cloth over Namura's eyes. "Now, find out what he knows, Nami."

"Yes, sir." Nami nodded.

The Silent Duelist forced Namura's right eye open and she pushed away her green bangs, to reveal her hidden eye. When she opened her unseen optical, it was revealed to be pure white and missing its pupil. As their gazes connected, Nami found her mind drifted from her body and disappearing into Namura's memory. After much difficult searching, she found the image of a man wearing a black coat with the hood covering his face and the zipper stopping at his knee. Nami managed to catch the sight of the man's weapon, which he carried on his back, before being thrown back into reality.

"What did you see?" Trace questioned.

"You were right in thinking the Eternals were involved." Nami said, covering her mutated eye. "The one I saw in his memory was carrying a spiked claymore. That must have been No. VII of their order."

"The Eternals are deliberately interfering with the tournament." Trace said sagely. "That doesn't surprise me considering there are three Elementals in the line up. They would jump at the chance to collect us."

"What do you plan to do know?" Nami asked.

"I want you to report to the leader." Trace commanded as he turned to the doorway. "I have something else that needs to be taken care of."


Later that night, Marcus had left Hikari's room to let her sleep and shortly visited Namura's room. Just as the previous two days, he found Ruki sleeping on the table with a blanket draped over her shoulders – he decided not to disturb her. By the time had finally left the building, the stars in the night sky shined their brightest. Since the hospital was a little farther from the city for peaceful scenery, this was the only place when Marcus could possibly see them. He felt a sense of nostalgia, but had no idea where it came from. At that moment, his two most prominent Spirit Partners appeared at his side.

"They're so pretty." Amy said happily. "What do you think about when you see them, Marcus?"

"Something about the stars reminds me of something." Marcus said unknowingly. "Back when the Satellite was separated from the city, I would always look up to the stars before I fell asleep. They were the only thing that comforted me at night."

"Because of your parents." Yubel said lowly.

"What parents?" Marcus scowled. "What reason could they have to abandon me like that?"

"Perhaps I could shed some light."

Marcus jumped in pure fright and landed on his face. While comforting his sore nose, the Marked Duelist sat down and faced Trace, who had managed to sneak up behind him without alerting his presence. The silver-haired man offered his hand and assisted Marcus back to his feet.

"Trace, what are you doing here?" Marcus asked curiously. "I didn't expect to see you until tomorrow."

"Our sources informed us that Namura Jones was recently attacked." Trace said formally. "We also know that the attack is related to the assault Ignite made on you and Akira Seta. Not by the same person, but by one of his accomplices."

"Wait a minute?" Marcus said suspiciously. "How do you know about Ignite? Why did they attack Namura?"

"One of their men tried to take out Kai, but failed dismally." Trace explained. "You see, Ignite and his allies are part of an organization called the Eternals. They are a group of thirteen special individuals whose existence is significantly different from normal humans. We have reason to believe that they are interfering with the tournament."

"What for?" Marcus asked.

"Because of these." Trace said; he reached down his shirt and pulled out the emerald necklace. "This gem acts as a symbol for six special individuals called the Elementals. My gem represents the element of Wind and I already know that you and Akira both possess the elements of Water and Earth respectfully. We have reason to believe that they are targeting the Elementals."

"What makes you think I one of these Elemental thingies?" Marcus questioned.

"The gems can only be worn by those who are chosen to possess them." Trace stated, replacing his own necklace. "If you wear it, then you are the Elemental of Water. The only problem is that you don't have your Element Beast."

"Element Beast?" Marcus repeated confused.

"Just talking is becoming rather boring." Trace sighed. "So what do you say we have a duel while we continue this conversation?"

"Uh...sure." Marcus said hesitantly.

Though they had expected to battle in the Ultimate World Tournament, Trace and Marcus stood on opposite ends of the courtyard. It seems that the silver-haired man had been expecting this as he supplied two Duel Disks after Marcus realized he didn't bring his own. Both opponents placed their decks in the slots and activated their machines.

"Duel!" They shouted.

Trace (4000) – Marcus (4000)

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Marcus asked.

"You will know in a moment." Trace said certainly, drawing his sixth card. "To start this match, I summon Wurmple in defense mode."

A red worm with a yellow horn on its forehead and two on its read end appeared on the field (600/300).

"And then I play the Spell Card: Double Summon." Trace continued, playing the selected card. "With this I summoned a second Wurmple in defense mode." The second worm appeared. "And then I place two cards facedown and end my turn."

"My draw!" Marcus exclaimed, swiping his sixth card. "And now I play polymerization to fuse two monsters in my hand. And I'm combining Elemental Knight – Hydrus and Elemental Knight – Quake to summon Elemental Knight – Landslide!"

The images of the selected knights were temporarily played on the field before being absorbed into a spiraling vortex. And in their place was a seven-foot titan with a dirty-brown helmet with black straps across its masculine chest and a pair of ripped pants. The earthy behemoth lugged a powerful stone hammer over his shoulder (2100/1800).

"You summoned a fusion on your first turn." Trace said calmly. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me."

"Then let's see how you handle this!" Marcus grinned. "Elemental Knight – Landslide attack Wurmple with Fissure Hammer!"

The earth-wielding colossus stomped closer to the miniscule worm, raised his stone hammer over head. The Elemental Knight was preparing it finishing move before the silver-haired man cut the dramatics short.

"I activate my Trap Card: Assist!" Trace interjected, revealing a card of Pikachu standing next to an orange mouse taller than itself. "For one turn, I can add the attack and defense points of one monster from my hand to one of my monsters on the field. But in return, that monster must be sent to the graveyard." He showed his only card: a four-armed boulder beast. "And I send my Graveler to the graveyard and surrender its power to Wurmple."

Wurmple – (2400/3000)

Just as the knight's stone hammer was about to connect, the ghostly image of the deceased Graveler appeared and blocked the assault. Landslide was caught off guard by this sudden reaction, leaving him open as the living boulder tackled the knight in the chest. The Elemental Knight skidded backwards towards his master as the ghost of Graveler faded from sight.

Trace (4000) – Marcus (3100)

"Nice shot." Marcus said eagerly. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Let us continue." Trace said collectively, drawing his only card. "I must say, you are putting up an impressive fight. It doesn't surprise me that Perfect Chaos Dragon chose you to act as its vessel."

"Vessel?" Marcus repeated.

"But from Nami's observations, neither you nor Akira has unlocked your Elemental Powers." Trace smiled.

"Powers?" Marcus asked cluelessly. "We have power now? Is there anything else that you would like to tell me?"

"There's a reason we are called Elementals." Trace explained, putting the duel on hold for a moment. "You see, from the moment we were born, the Elemental Beasts chose us to carry its mastery over its specific element. In your case, Perfect Chaos Dragon has chosen you to control its power over the waters. Akira Seta has been chosen by the Gedo Mazo to harness its powers over the Earth."

"Then why haven't we been able to use them?" Marcus questioned.

"You have at one time, though not intentionally." Trace said coolly. "When you summoned Perfect Chaos Dragon to battle the Gedo Mazo, the instincts of your other half took over and brought their battle to reality. It was only unfortunate that it was the Gedo Maze you chose to face."

"Yeah." Marcus said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "I nearly lost my soul there."

"That's not what I meant." Trace stated, confusing the younger Elemental. "In ancient times, the Gedo Mazo and Perfect Chaos Dragon were mortal enemies. There tribes were at constant war with each other."

"Only, now you lost me." Marcus groaned.

"We'll continue in a moment." Trace said. "Now, I'll active the leveling effect of both my Wurmples."

"Leveling effect?" Marcus repeated confused.

"All the cards in my deck have the ability to evolve to stronger forms, similar to Level Monsters." Trace explained. "And now I remove my two Wurmples and summon Cascoon and Silcoon!"

The red worms raised their heads to the sky, releasing a thick stream of silky webs. The shower of threads reconstructed themselves into two spiked cocoons, each made from a different thread color. The purple cocoon was named Cascoon (0/2000) and the silver cocoon was called Silcoon (0/2000).

"And now I activate my facedown: Advanced Evolution." Trace continued, revealing the card of a purple clam transforming into a lavender oyster. "By sacrificing 500 life point for each monster, I can force my monsters to evolve further. So I sacrifice 1000 life points to summon Beautifly and Dustox!"

Both cocoons slowly ripped open with a chorus of audible cracks. Both containers were shattered momentarily and were replaced by two flying insects. The first was a black-bodied butterfly with rainbow-colored wings that doubled its body size and a curled feeler (1900/2200). The second was a purple-bodied moth with circle-patterned green wings and yellow compound eyes (2200/1900).

Trace (3000) – Marcus (3100)

"Now, Dustox, attack his night with Psybeam!" Trace commanded.

The moth insect flapped its tattered wings closer to the earth covered knight until it was close enough to attack. Much to the Marked Duelist's surprise, the miniscule insect released a powerful beam of psychic energy from its compound eyes. Elemental Knight –Landslide attempted to defend itself by raising its stone hammer, but the psychic beams curved around the weapon and pierce the knight's heart.

Trace (3000) – Marcus (3000)

"You activated my Trap Card: Heroes Signal!" Marcus exclaimed quickly. "When a monster is destroyed on my field, I can special summon one Elemental Hero from my deck. And now I summon Elemental Hero Clayman!"

The clay molded warrior appeared on the field, cross his arms (800/2000).

"If that's the case, I end my turn." Trace concluded.

"My move." Marcus said, drawing his third card. "Now I summon Amy Rose in attack mode!"

The pink hedgehog emerged onto the field, winking victoriously to the silver-haired man (1000/1000).

"And now I play the Spell Card: Monster Reborn." Marcus continued. "With this card, I can bring back one monster from the graveyard. And I summon Elemental Knight – Landslide." The masculine warrior reappeared on the field once again. "And here's the best part. For every Earth Attribute monster on the field, Landslide gains an additional 400 attack points."

Elemental Knight – Landslide – (2500/1800)

"Landslide, attack that winged pest with Fissure Hammer!" Marcus commanded.

This time, the Elemental Knight had no intention of repeating its previous mistake. The earth-wielding warrior stomped across the field until its shadow completely overwhelmed the flapping moth. Dustox stared nervously at his opponent and swiftly turned tail when realizing that it couldn't win. However, the earth titan brought his hammer down at lightning speed and crushed the miniscule insect, releasing a small cloud of golden dust.

Trace (2700) – Marcus (3000)

"All right, that's the way!" Marcus cheered. But then without warning, Landslide collapsed to his knees. "What the?! What happened?!"

"That is Dustox's special ability." Trace informed. "Whenever it is destroyed in battle, the monster that attacked loses half of its attack points. Right now, you knight is suffering from the effects of your mistake.

Elemental Knight – Landslide – (1250/1800).

"Heh! I place one card facedown and end my turn." Marcus concluded.

The Elemental of Water felt more relaxed in this duel than he had since losing his deck. For once, he wasn't fighting for his freedom, life, or the deck he sought to retrieve – He was just having fun. Even though they had only known each other for a short while, Marcus couldn't help seeing the silver-haired man as a strong and trusting mentor. The unknown duelist did give off a sense of peace, which was abnormal in the modern age. Speaking of whom, Trace seemed to notice Marcus' relaxed state and allowed himself to smile earnestly for the first time.

"He's finally learning to believe in me." Trace thought. "Now I have a chance to explain everything."

"Hey, it's your move." Marcus said impatiently.

"We'll get to that in a moment." Trace said persuasively. "But for right now, I think you're ready to know about the reason why I have decided to break the rules and explain myself to you. There are some things you need to know before you can continue the tournament."

"Like what?" Marcus asked curiously.

"It's time you knew the story of your destiny." Trace stated mystically. "You will learn the origin of the Elemental Beast and the secrets we have discovered of the Eternals. But to explain this story fully, we need to travel back in history to the origin of the Spirit World. Back...to the Original One."

Meanwhile, both duelists failed to notice the black cloaked figure standing on the roof of the hospital. The hood stilled covered her face, but the concealed member was easily identified by the bandages covering her left arm. She stared down at the two Elementals with intense interest until...

"Hey, out so soon." The unknown female turned and spotted her partner, Ignite, leaning against the rail. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed or something? You took a really heavy hit in your last mission."

"I'm fine." The female said coldly. "But right now, we need to focus on the Elementals. If everything goes according to plan, they won't fight for another three days after the second round. We might never get another chance to get them alone again."

"I know that." Ignite said nonchalantly. "I was just checking out the progress we've made around here. I've already analyzed the strategies of the Signers and sent all the information I collected to Glace. He'll be able to work out a system to defeat the Signers and then we can take their Marks of the Dragon. And after that's finished, we can continue our mission in the Duel Monster Spirit World."

"But we can't do anything without all six Elementals there." The female stated.

"That's why we can't dawdle." Ignite grimaced, pushing off the rail. "If they summon one of the Elemental Beasts, collect as much energy as possible. The energy I collected overflowed and vanished when they fused the two Elemental Beasts together. We need that energy if we are to continue our plan."

"Yes..." The female said lowly. "We can then begin Project: Rebirth."


The meeting of two chosen heroes leads to a forgotten legacy. What is the true history behind the Elementals and their beasts? What plans do the Eternals have for the Signers? What is Project: Rebirth? Find out on the next Hyper Runners!

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Duel Report:

Name: Advance Evolution

Type: Spell

Property: Quick-Play

Description: Player can offer 500 life points for each "Pokemon" monster that the player chooses to evolve. Secondary evolutions are not accepted.