"When I gave your Stardust Dragon back you really should have just taken it and ran back to the Satellite," Jack said. "But then you had to get cocky. You had to show that you could stand up to me, the Master of Faster."
"I'm going to do so much more than hold my own," Yūsei said lowly. "I summon Shield Warrior in defense mode! And I switch my Junk Warrior to defense mode as well!" The two monsters turned blue and took a defensive position. "And then I place one card face down and end my turn. Your move old buddy."
"Leaving your two monsters in defense mode? You gotta be more aggressive than that if you wanna win," Jack said. "But then, why am I even surprised? You never were one to fight. That was always her job."
"Well maybe if people didn't piss me off so often I wouldn't be the fighter!" Sakura shouted.
"Don't get pissed off so easily," Inner said.
"You're the reason why I get pissed so easily," Sakura growled. Jack smirked and switched from reverse to forward. He passed Yūsei and they glared at each other as they crossed paths. Jack turned around, staying behind Yūsei.
"You can't just cower and hide and get by. Haven't you learned that?" Jack asked. "Well here's your proof. Red Dragon Archfiend can destroy all of your monsters, even if they're in defense mode! So say goodbye to your little pals." Red Dragon roared and lifted his claws. They caught on fire and he used them to slash Yūsei's monsters, destroying them instantly.
"Aw, what's the matter Yūsei? Didn't you learn anything on the playground? After all the times those mean little bullies would attack you and your little gang of mechanic rejects?" Jack asked mockingly. "Now tell me, what happened when you fought back? That's right, all you got was a black eye!" He growled and gritted his teeth. "Didn't you run away from the Satellite to get even with me or something? Why are you running away like a coward? Maybe it's because you're still that same little kid on the playground that you were back then!"
"Jack Atlas! That is enough!" Sakura screamed at the duelist. She stood up and glared at him.
"Here we go," Inner said with a smirk. She straightened herself so she was standing. "Time for some fun."
"Did I strike a nerve?" Jack asked her. Sakura grit her teeth and glared at him.
"If you don't stop this nonsense right now I'll-"
"You'll what?" Jack asked, cutting her off. "You aren't going to lay a finger on me! You're terrified of even you're own shadow. What could you possibly do."
"That's enough," Sakura said. She bowed her head and her shoulders started shaking.
"Aw, did I make you cry?" Jack said teasingly.
"Leave her alone Jack," Yūsei told him. "She has nothing to do with this!"
"Then why is she here?" Jack asked. "Oh wait, I know the answer. She's only here because she latched onto you after I left. It can be a pain when she latches, but there are a few benefits, I will admit that."
"Shut up," Sakura said quietly. Despite that, both of the duelists seemed to here her.
"What was that?" Jack asked.
"I said, shut up!" Sakura screamed. She lifted her head up and the floors around her started to crack. But her face, she was livid. Her teeth were barred and her eyes were wide and filled with hate. But the thing that struck them the most was that there were tears on her face.
"Calm down!" Yūsei shouted at her. "Just try to relax and stay calm!"
"I think she's past that," Jack said with a smirk. "Look closer." Yūsei looked back at Sakura. His eyes widened when he saw a faint figure floating beside her and grinning maliciously.
"Oh, well isn't this an interesting development," Lazar said with a smile.
"She has psychic powers," Mina said in awe.
"It may very well be more than that," Goodwin said. His eyes focused on the figure beside her. The figment seemed to settle down and grabbed Sakura's attention, trying to calm her down.
"Should we have Sector Security send her here when they grab her and Yūsei?" Lazar asked.
"We shall just have to see," Goodwin said.
"I can't believe you would do that to her," Yūsei said with a sigh. "I thought we actually meant something to you, Jack. Or were you just pretending to be our friend?"
"How about we get back to the duel," Jack said. "I've had my fun with her, so now it's time to get back to you. Now, where were we? Oh I remember now. Since you don't have any monsters on the field, Stardust Dragon is free to attack you directly! Hope it doesn't hurt you too much." Jack said.
"Sure you don't," Yūsei muttered sarcastically. Stardust shot energy at Yūsei, draining his life points down to 500. Yūsei grit his teeth as he felt the attack. He could feel it down to his bones, it was very real, and it would only get worse. His runner swerved as he lost two speed counters.
He glanced back at Sakura who was trying to compose herself. He looked forward and frowned. He couldn't let her know what had happened. If she found out she was influencing the duel, things could get worse. But if she didn't calm down soon, he would feel a little more than a slight burning sensation.
"Jack, you sure do love to make my life difficult," he muttered under his breath.
"I bet when you came here you didn't even dream that the card you came to retrieve would be the one to defeat you," Jack said. "Really, you should have just stayed in that dump you called a home."
"Come on, you have to calm down," Inner said, placing her hands on Sakura's shoulders. She floated in front of her.
"Why? You normally encourage this," Sakura said. She fell to her knees.
"Because, we're hurting Yūsei," Inner told her. Sakura looked up in shock.
"We are?" she asked. Inner nodded.
"I know how much he means to you," Inner said. "The last attack really hurt him. And if Jack attacks him again that could be it."
"But that won't happen," Sakura said. "Yūsei is the best, he-he can't lose."
"And he won't," Inner assured her. "But only if you calm down. He's already strained from the last duel. He needs a break." Sakura nodded and took a few deep breaths. "Good, keep at it."
"What are you waiting for Yūsei?" Jack asked. "You haven't made a move in two laps. You do know that it's your turn, right? Thinking about giving up?" Jack asked.
"I wouldn't count on that if I were you," Yūsei told him. "I summon Sonic Chick in defense mode!" The small pink bird ran onto the field, turning blue instantly.
"Just like in grade school, you're still hanging out with chickens," Jack taunted.
"Well at least this chicken isn't gonna betray it's best friend and then run away in the middle of the night," Yūsei bit back. "Besides, this chicken is gonna stay with me for the long haul! I place one card face down and end my turn."
Jack smirked and revved his runner, catching up to Yūsei. "How do you think that this duel is gonna end? Be honest. Let's humor ourselves and say that you actually stand a chance at winning against me. And let's say you do somehow win, what then? What are you gonna do after that? You haven't thought this revenge fantasy of yours through have you?" Jack drew a card.
"Well I'll tell what's actually going to happen. Here's how this is gonna go down, so pay attention. I'm going to win this duel. After that I'm going to press a button on my runner and an entire security team will be here. And guess what happens next. You and Sakura get shipped off to the Facility," Jack said spitefully. "And speaking of my victory, Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Sonic Chick!"
Red Dragon roared and swung his claws at Sonic Chick. His claws were deflected though, not able to even touch a single feather on Sonic Chick.
"Oh right, Sonic Chick has that annoying little ability, but it doesn't matter," Jack said. "Thanks to my Red Dragon Archfiend's ability, I can get rid of any monsters that you have that are in defense mode. Didn't I just tell you that you need to get aggressive? How about I give you an example?" Fire surrounded Sonic Chick but it was just dispelled. Jack growled in irritation. "Always thinking, aren't you?"
"It's what I do best," Yūsei told him. "I'm sure you remember this classic move from when we used to play for fun." A trap card revealed itself.
"Oh yeah, your Remote Revenge trap card! I forgot you had that," Jack said with a slight smile.
"There's a lot that you've forgotten," Yūsei said. "How about I refresh your memory. First this card deflects your attack, but it's not finished there. After that it takes down all of your monsters in attack mode. And I believe both of your dragons fit the description." Sonic Chick lit on fire. The fire struck out, aiming for the two dragons.
"You've got a kink for revenge, don't you?" Jack asked with a smirk. "But your attack is going to fail miserably, just like your little revenge scheme on me. But I'm afraid Stardust is gonna take one for the team." Stardust flew in front of the attack, taking it. "If you play a card that can destroy all of my monsters Stardust can sacrifice itself to save everyone else. How does it feel knowing that you've destroyed your favorite beast?"
Stardust Dragon let out a roar as he slowly disappeared. "Too bad. Oh well, I guess it had to be like that if I wanted Red Dragon to stay, which I do. Yūsei, does this remind you of anything else? Think real hard. This is just like how I had to step on you in order to get out of the Satellite." Once Stardust was gone Jack placed down two cards. "I think I'll just revive my Stardust Dragon so that you can get another look at it." Stardust Dragon roared as he was summoned back to the field. "Look long and hard Yūsei, cause after tonight, you're never going to see him again." Yūsei growled as Stardust roared.
"Maybe you'll even get the chance to destroy him again," Jack said. "With friends like you, Yūsei, who needs enemies? And with both dragons on my field it looks like this battle has gone full circle, hasn't it?"
"Not quite Jack," Yūsei said with a smirk.
"Why is he smirking?" Inner asked.
"He's gonna win," Sakura said with a smile.
"I activate my trap card, Harmonia Mirror!" Yūsei said. The card revealed itself. A young woman appeared, holding a mirror. Stardust Dragon reflected in the mirror. "Check this out. Because you just used a method other than the regular synchro summon I can use Harmonia Mirror to get Stardust Dragon back on my side! Welcome back, old friend." Stardust disappeared and Jack tsked.
"You know that I don't really care, right?" Jack asked. "I was just using him to make this duel interesting."
"Well you sure accomplished that," Yūsei said. "Now, it's time to rev it up, with my Stardust Dragon!" Stardust appeared on Yūsei's side of the field, roaring confidently.
"He has Stardust back!" Sakura said excitedly.
"He actually did it," Inner said in awe.
"Not bad Yūsei, I will admit that," Jack said. "It seems that you have learned a thing or two since our days in the Satellite. So now it's Red Dragon Archfiend against Stardust Dragon, in a fight to the finish." The two dragons turned towards each other and roared.
"Looks like we'll finally get to see who's dragon is better," Jack said.
"Ugh, this is starting to sound like a contest of measuring d-"
"Don't say that!" Sakura scolded Inner.
"What? It's true," Inner said.
"And you'll finally get the chance to see the duelist I've become," Yūsei said. "Remember your little speech after you won our last duel? Back then I didn't want to admit it, but you were right. Those words stung, but they also taught me a valuable lesson."
"Oh really? And what was that?" Jack asked.
"In order to be the best duelist I can, I have to believe in the power of my deck! And ever since that day I've thought about our duel over and over again," Yūsei said. "I came up with new strategies and combinations that I would have never even thought about."
"Come on Yūsei, your actions will speak for themselves," Jack said. "Now let's see what your deck is capable."
"You got it," Yūsei said. "The sky is the limit, especially since I finally have Stardust Dragon on my field." The two dragons roared at each other once more.
"This Satellite doesn't know when to quit, does he?" Lazar asked. "Mr. Goodwin, I'd be happy to send in Security to end this duel right now."
"That won't be necessary," Goodwin said. Lazar nodded and looked back at the duel.
"Why is he laughing?" Sakura asked. Jack Atlas was laughing, and neither girls knew why.
"Maybe he's finally lost it," Inner suggested.
"So let me get this straight," Jack said, trying to stop laughing. "You think that just because Stardust is on your field, you actually have a chance at beating me? Well you won't. It wouldn't matter how many Stardust Dragons you have on your field you still wouldn't be able to defeat me. I'm the best, and you can't beat the best. Now bring it on."
"Alright, Yūsei's gonna win and that's that," Inner said. She glowed for a moment before smirking.
"What did you just do?" Sakura asked.
Yūsei was about to draw a card but stopped when he saw it glow. He took a deep breath and drew a card. He glanced at Jack and looked back at the card. "Thank you, I needed a little boost," he said under his breath.
"What was that?" Jack asked.
"Nothing," Yūsei said. "I play my speed spell Silver Contrails. And since Stardust Dragon is a wind attribute monster he gains 1000 attack points. Now Stardust, ice him!" Stardust growled and attacked Red Dragon. Yūsei gasped as he felt his arm throbbing in pain. Jack felt the same and grit his teeth.
"What...What is this? Why does my arm hurt so bad?" Yūsei hissed.
Inner choked back a scream. She gripped her chest and curled in on herself.
"Inner? What's wrong?" Sakura asked, worried.
"Can't you feel it?" Inner hissed. Her body twitched as she felt immense pain. She let out a silent scream and curled up tighter. The pain increased and Sakura lost her breath as she felt something tighten in her chest. She fell to her knees and gripped her shirt.
"What is this?" Sakura gasped out.
Jack breathed and recovered from the pain. "Nice try Yūsei, better luck next time!" Sonic Chick screamed as she was destroyed.
"What happened to Sonic Chick?" Yūsei gasped.
"You can thank my Synchro Deflector trap card for that," Jack said. "With this trap card I can deflect any attack on a synchro monster and redirect it to one of your monsters. The one that has the lowest attack points to be precise." Yūsei grit his teeth and growled lowly.
"And now that you've attacked, your Silver Contrails spell wears off, meaning Stardust Dragon's points return to normal," Jack said.
"It's still my turn Jack," Yūsei said. "And I'm far from done. I summon Ghost Gardna in defense mode!"
"Aw, that's cute, you're trying to protect your little dragon," Jack said.
"I place two cards face down and end my turn. It's your move," Yūsei said. He grunted as his arm pulsed in pain again.
"There's an incoming call, sir," Mina said.
"Put it on speaker," Goodwin ordered. Mina nodded and pressed the flashing button on the phone. A holographic screen appeared, showing a scientist.
"You may want to find a large object and hide beneath it," The scientist said.
"What on earth are you talking about?" Goodwin asked.
"There's a major power surge! Everything's out of control!" The scientist said urgently. "If things keep up as they are, things are gonna go crazy real quick!"
"Record all your findings, Zigzix" Goodwin ordered.
"Very well sir."
"It's time to end this, Yūsei," Jack said, drawing a card. He growled as he felt his arm pulse. He looked at his card and smirked. "I think Red Dragon Archfiend would like to attack Stardust Dragon himself. Go, tear him apart!" Red Dragon pulled his claws back, preparing to attack. Ghost Gardna flew in front of Stardust. "Hey, down in front!" Jack shouted.
"Ghost Gardna's special ability allows it to draw your monster's attention and become the focus of your attack," Yūsei explained. "So you won't be attacking Stardust this round. And since Ghost Gardna's been destroyed-"
"I know, I know," Jack said. "I remember Ghost Gardna from the Satellite. And here's where you tell me that this is the part when Ghost Gardna will lower Red Dragon's attack by 1000 until the end of this turn. Did you seriously think I didn't see this coming?"
"Well did you see this?" Yūsei asked, playing a card. "I activate Counter Attack Beacon trap card! And when your monster destroys one of mine. Then it gives one of my monsters a 500 attack point boost and forces that monster to attack even though it's not my turn."
"Interesting, so now Stardust has more attack than my dragon," Jack said.
"You got that right," Yūsei said. "Stardust Dragon, atta-ah!" Yūsei gasped as his arm throbbed in pain. "Attack!" He shouted, ignoring the pain.
"Not bad, but it's still not good enough," Jack said. "I activate the Prideful Roar trap card. For the low price of a mere 1000 life points I can give my Red Dragon 1300 attack points!" Jack's points lowered to 900 points. "Now, it's show time!" Red Dragon and Stardust blew out powerful attacks at each other. The attacks collided, battling against one another.
Yūsei grunted as his arm throbbed in pain. He pulled his arm away and panted, looking at it. Jack gasped as his arm throbbed as well. He let go of the handle and looked at it. Sakura curled closer to herself as her body began to ache and throb. Beside her Inner was writhing in pain. An angry red and black aura surrounded the dragons. Inner gasped as she was surrounded by the same aura.
"I-Inner," Sakura gasped.
The attacks finished off, with Stardust managing to stay in place. "What's going on?" Jack shouted. "Red Dragon's got more points than Stardust, how is he still on the field?" He looked over at Yūsei and saw Shield Warrior's card. "You can't play that card, I sent him to the graveyard!"
"But that's where his special ability activates," Yūsei said. "If I remove Shield Warrior from play he can save a monster from being destroyed! But don't worry, I still get hit with 300 points of damage." Yūsei said. His points reduced to 200. "And I'm pretty sure Prideful Roar is only good for one attack, so Red Dragon Archfiend returns to normal."
"Don't get cocky, this isn't over yet!" Jack said. "I play the speed spell-ah!" He gasped as his arm throbbed. He nearly dropped his card because of the pain.
"What is with this pain?" Yūsei grunted. He gasped as he noticed that his arm was glowing.
"Yūsei, are you doing this?" Jack shouted, looking at his arm. He could make out the winged mark on his arm.
"Not me," Yūsei said, tightening his hand into a fist. He hissed, trying to block the pain.
"Then is it her?" Jack asked, looking over at Sakura.
"I don't think so," Yūsei replied, seeing Sakura convulse in pain. "Otherwise she wouldn't be in pain as well!"
Sakura gasped and looked over at Inner. The figment was glowing bright red, and her eyes were glowing yellow. She slowly raised her arm. Her limb protested the movement, trying to shrink back from the pain. She reached out trying to grab Inner but her fingertips just passed right through her side. Her eyes widened as Inner disappeared. "I-Inner!" Sakura screamed. She weakly lifted her head, looking around in fright. She looked up and saw that the black and red aura started to come together, forming a stream.
Two golden eyes appeared towards the front. Wings sprouted from its back. A tail formed and swished back and forth. "A d-dragon?" Sakura gasped in confusion.
"What is this Yūsei? What are you trying to pull?" Jack shouted. The dragon roared. The three in the dome looked at the dragon in awe. Their eyes started to glow red, matching the dragon.
"I don't know what I'm looking at!" Zigzix shouted. "The core reactor is going crazy! Space and time are colliding like I've never seen! Atoms are smashing into each other, particles are colliding." Goodwin ignored Zigzax, smiling at the sight of the dragon. Finally, the moment he had been waiting for has arrived.
"I'm not trying to pull anything!" Yūsei shouted.
"Well then who's dragon is that?" Jack shouted. "I'll teach you to play tricks with me! I play a speed spell, End of Storm!"
"Jack! No! We gotta stop this!" Yūsei shouted.
"No way!" Jack shouted.
"Fine, have it your way!" Yūsei growled. "But I know we're going to regret this. I activate my trap card-!" He didn't even get to finish his sentence.A force collided with his and Jack's runners, making them swerve and roll back.
Lazar gasped as the power suddenly went out. "Who turned out the lights?" A few moments later the power came back. "Looks like we've switched over to the back up generator."
"We've lost all visuals, sir," Mina announced. Goodwin narrowed his eyes.
The mysterious dragon flew towards the sky and roared, spreading his wings. Sakura slowly stood up and looked over towards her friends. She saw Yūsei and Jack's runners tipped over, steam pouring out of them. She walked towards the edge of the platform and stumbled down. She groaned as she couldn't find the energy to push herself back up.
Near the runner Jack slowly stood up, gripping his arm. "What's was that?"
Yūsei grunted as his arm burned. He threw his head back, yelling out in pain. "It burns." He looked down at his arm and gasped when he saw the glowing mark. He took off his glove and pushed up his sleeve, looking at the face like mark on his arm.
"So it's not just me," Jack said. Yūsei looked over at the blond and saw that his arm was glowing as well. Jack had done the same as Yūsei, revealing the mark on his arm. His mark looked like wings.
"What's going on Jack?" Yūsei asked, slowly standing up. Jack blinked in shock, seeing Yūsei's arm. "Do you know what this is?" Jack silently stared at his friend. "You do, don't you?"
"First the energy was all over the place. It broke all the counters!" Zigzax said. "It went ballistic on itself. Then the particle rotator stopped spinning and well, that means it's broken."
"Do whatever you have to do get power back to the city," Goodwin ordered.
"What about Mr. Atlas?" Mina asked. Goodwin looked down at Lazar. The elf nodded and bowed.
"Jack, saying something man, what's going on?" Yūsei asked. The light on his arm slowly faded, revealing unmarked skin. Jack's mark actually stayed once the glowing stopped. Jack just stared at him. The area around them lit up and Yūsei grunted, shielding his eyes from the light.
"You are in violation of Code 36B, which states that no citizen of the Satellite may enter New Domino City. As such we are placing you under arrest, do not try to run, you're surrounded." Yūsei glared at them and looked at Jack.
"Wait a minute," Yūsei said. He looked around, trying to find a flash of pink. His eyes widened when he saw a few security officers surround Sakura. They pulled her arms behind her back and lifted her off the ground. The pinkette's head lolled forward. "...no..." He looked back at Security as they closed in on them. He didn't do anything as they pushed his arms behind his back and handcuffed him. He glared at Jack as he was taken away.