C'est LaVie

by Genma no Ou

Several Months after the Dark Signer Incident has ended, some new threats emerge which the Signers and the Academia's finest must respond to - some which will push them to the limits and behind. OC's and a Crossover with Tenebrius' Tensei series.

39. The Ultimate Wisel

Disclaimer: The following piece is in no way a claim to ownership of the depicted characters. Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu-Gi-Oh R, Yu-Gi-Oh GX and Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's are owned by TV Tokyo, Konami Corporation and Kazuki Takahashi. This story as presented is strictly for entertainment purposes, both for its owner and readers.

Chapter 39 – The Ultimate Wisel vs. Dragoequites

"What a twisted and sinister form for someone like Placido to take," Alessandro observed, actually looking upon their cohort upon their monitor with a look of disdain and disgust. "Why would he do such a thing?"

"That is the form which God has imbued him with for this battle," Lucciano deduced. "Poor, poor Placido; he's become so much a pawn in his own chess game that he even lets his body become a vessel for the Great God."

"This is the role Placido was born to fill," Jose responded to both of them. "Alessandro, Lucciano, I have known Placido for much longer than either of you; and I know that he wants, above all else, to repay God for being chosen to live on like this. Were he to abandon his duties short of anything, he could never forgive himself."

"Well, if he loses this duel to the two of them," Alessandro summarized, "God will never forgive him anyway. Especially if Placido is destroyed completely; which, considering their track record, is rather likely. Perhaps El Capitán has finally bitten off more than he can chew."

"Only time will tell now…" Lucciano concluded, not wanting to think about said consequences but also knowing what would happen if they came to pass.

With complete looks of disgust and terror upon their faces, both Judai and Yusei looked upon their opponent with wide, unbelieving eyes and paled, sickened expressions. Both of them had seen some rather disturbing sights before, but they all paled before the nightmarish form that Placido had just taken on.

The tubes jutting from the platform Placido's legs were fused into had embedded themselves in his upper back and shoulders, green circuit board patterns marking the point of contact and spreading out like cracks. His legs were completely lost in the metal housing that surrounded them, giving him the appearance of a mechanical centaur. As the journey ventured forward along the near-complete circuit, high above Neo Domino City and the Satellite, they began to wonder what they had truly stumbled upon.

With a rather sickening, repulsive sound of flesh, fluids and other strange noises, Placido's entire torso began to spin around counter-clockwise, stopping only once it was around 180 degrees. The end result was Placido's sneering, confident face, glowing eyes and all, staring back upon the two eye-to-eye with his D-Wheel still shooting forward.

"Now I shall make the both of you rue standing in my path," he told them darkly, his voice having become metallic and distorted. "I activate my Trap Card, Wise Fortune!" As the card suddenly spun around into view on his own right he explained, "When a Wise or Wisel Monster is summoned, this card sends my hand to the Graveyard." As he said this, however, he flexed his left hand open from a clenched fist, reminding them that his hand was at 0.

"Next, for every face-up Wisel or Wise Monster I control, I draw 1 card. And, as you well know, Machine Emperor Wisel 5 (ATK: 4500) is comprised of 5 monsters. Therefore, I reclaim a full new hand." Reaching for the Deck now jutting forward like a Duel Disc from his arm, he snapped up 5 cards in a single motion, handing them to his left side while Yusei turned his attention to his own hand.

"I place 1 card face-down and end my turn." Once the single card from his hand had been taken and placed into a slot, he looked up at the gigantic machine hovering over Placido's form, and donned a look of frustration and anguish. "I have nothing at the moment to stand up to that thing; I just hope Judai can offer some sort of countermeasure."

"It's my turn (Yusei: 2 SPC/Judai: 2 SPC/Placido: 2 SPC)," Placido then issued, snapping up yet a sixth card from his Deck. A Second later, he pointed his right hand, still clutching the card at a downward angle, towards Yusei and declared, "I attack Massive Warrior (ATK: 600, LV: 2) with Wisel!" Responding, jets on the rear of the gigantic machine's body ignited, shooting to straight towards the opposing monster with lightning speed.

When it was just above the foe, its entire left arm below the elbow, including its 5 imposing blades, burst into a brilliant green glow and swung itself down at the monster directly in front of it. The multi-limbed stone monster then moved its helicopter pad shield directly into the path of the arm; as a result, this was shattered completely and exploded, but the monster itself was left unharmed.

"You should know by now Placido," Yusei criticized his opponent, holding up the card while he described its effect. "Massive Warrior reduces all Battle Damage towards its controller to Zero; and in addition, it cannot be destroyed by battle once per turn."

"Oh, I was well aware of that Yusei," Placido responded, "which is why I still have one set card left. I activate the Permanent Trap Battle Return, and equip it to Wisel!" Suddenly and with glaring impact to Yusei, the form of the Trap Card from his Duel with Ghost appeared on Placido's left, before disappearing and changing into a white glow around the machine monster.

"With this, I can once per turn halve my monster's ATK (ATK: 2250) in order to have it make up for a battle where no monster was destroyed. Go, Wisel! Smash that monster to pieces!" Once again, the form of the glowing arm came straight at the monster; this time though, it shot through the chest of the monster, exploding it into granulated rubble. And after that, the arm struck Yusei's D-Wheel with a loud thud, making a small explosion and causing Yusei to shake on his footing.

"Yusei! Are you alright?" Judai asked in concern before turning his attention back to Placido. "What did you do? I'm guessing there are more effects to that monster than you let on."

"Very perceptive Judai," Placido responded. "Wisel Attack 5 gives Penetration Damage to the opponent, as well as Effect Damage equal to the ATK of a Monster that an Infinity Monster destroyed in battle. Therefore, Yusei received Massive Warrior's 600 Points of Damage.

Yusei: LP 3400

Judai: LP 4000

Placido: LP 6500

"Now that your wall of a monster is gone, your Life Points are next. I place 4 cards face-down and end my turn." Taking all but two of the cards in his hand, Placido filled the rest of his Magic and Trap Card Slots, leaving him a field literally filled with cards as his monster returned to its spot floating above him.

"It's my turn!" Judai yelled, reaching for his Deck and snapping one card up. "I draw (Yusei: 3 SPC/Judai: 3 SPC/Placido: 3 SPC), and I summon E-HERO Another Neos (ATK: 1900, LV: 4)!" Once the card was on the tray, it generated the form of a human-looking white warrior, almost a miniature of Judai's usual ace monster; and it took up a similar battle-read stance, with Judai ready to follow up.

"Once I destroy that Wisel Top 5, our Magic and Trap Cards will be unrestricted again," Judai realized. "Go, Another Neos! Attack Wisel Top 5!" The monster then jumped forward and up into the air towards the head of the gigantic white machine; but as soon as this occurred, the right arm of the monster blocked with its irregular-shaped shield, sending the monster flying back and a shockwave straight into Judai.

Yusei: LP 3400

Judai: LP 3100

Placido: LP 6500

"Wisel Guard Monsters have the ability to change attack targets to themselves," Yusei revealed, taking to Judai. "With such high DEF, there's going to be recoil damage from a reckless attack like that."

"And you're just now telling me this why?" Judai questioned, more than a little frustrated that his move was so easily countered. "Oh well; we'll still figure out a way to topple that monster. I set one card and end my turn."

"With this your combined Life Points are equal to mine," Placido reminded them. "You'll have to create a miracle to overcome my power; but with God on my side, that will not happen. I draw (Yusei: 4 SPC/Judai: 4 SPC/Placido: 4 SPC), and I attack Neos with my Wisel 5! Go!" Once again the monster jumped forwards and shot straight at the monster; but before it was within range, Judai flipped up a set card.

"Counter Trap: Attack Nullification!" Instantly the card appeared on a slanted plane in front of the monster, creating a vortex that absorbed the downward force of the swinging arm and simply reflected the monster away. "And don't even think about using the effect of Battle Return, seeing as the Battle Phase is over."

"That may be," Placido sneered. "But that's your one Trap Card for the turn. At least you made good use of it."

"And what about you?" Judai replied snidely. "Since you filled up all your Zones, you can't even play 1 card."

"Don't be insolent to me," Placido warned. "Or you'll be the first one I erase. Make your move, Yusei; and make it count."

"I intend to," Yusei told him. "It's my turn (Yusei: 5 SPC/Judai: 5 SPC/Placido: 5 SPC)," he revealed, snapping a card from his Deck all the way out before spinning it around. "I Summon Turbo Synchron (ATK: 100, LV: 1)." In an instant, the form of a small buggy-like green robot appeared on Yusei's field, angled downwards as it showed its its readiness for battle.

"This next Monster," Yusei declared, holding up the back of a card, "Can be Special Summoned during the turn I have Normal Summoned a Monster. Come, One-Shot Booster (ATK: 0, LV: 1)!" In an instant a new monster appeared; one whose body consisted of a yellow base with two long, booster-like arms and a top-like needle of a base.

"Get ready, Placido! I Tune my Level 1 Turbo Synchron to my Level 1 One-Shot Booster and Judai's Level 4 Another Neos!" Lowering a black screen over its eyes, the small monster transformed into a single green ring. The other two monsters then jumped through this, being reduced to glowing yellow outlines with 1 and 4 stars respectively. These stars then broke away and re-entered the rings as a 5-orb row, eventually fusing into a column of light.

"The clustering bonds will weave a greater force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Roar engines, Turbo Warrior (ATK: 2500, LV: 6)!" Arriving out from the light, the new monster took form; a red robot which resembled the body of a truck, with long booster-like legs, long taloned hands, and a head with a large, metal pompadour. Said Monster's eyes then lit up in a rapid fashion before the monster eventually took up a battle stance; at which time Placido's sneer turned into one of hateful arrogance.

"A mere Synchro Monster dares to appear before my Ultimate Machine Emperor?" he questioned, his voice dripping with venomous animosity as he looked at said monster. "I shall enjoy offering it as my sacrifice; and that shall be the case on my next turn. Your foolishness is a mere waste of my time."

"Before you start condescendingly picking apart my move Placido," Yusei responded strongly, "I shall remind you that I still have one Magic or Trap Card this turn. I activate Speed Spell – Speed Energy! With that, until this End Phase, my monster will gain 1000 ATK, 200 for each of my 5 Speed Counters (ATK: 3500)!"

"How utterly useless," Placido commented, sneering while he bared his teeth at Yusei. "But if you think I'm being simple, then show me what you're planning!"

"Sadly for you, Turbo Warrior cannot be targeted by a Level 6 or lower Monster; Wisel Infinity is Level 1 and its limbs and head Level 5! Thus, Wisel Guard 5 cannot target it to absorb the attack! Battle! I attack Wisel Top 5 with Turbo Warrior! Dash Claw!" Lighting 6the rockets making up its feet, said monster immediately shot forwards at the opposing monster's head; but once again, to Yusei's dismay, the right arm of the monster shot into the path of the monster, deflecting the shot instantly. "What the…?"

"You're an utterly hopeless case, Yusei," Placido declared harshly, his face twisting to create a series of veins that gave him an utterly insane appearance. "I knew after your experiences with Wisel that you would try and use a monster like Turbo Warrior, which my effects cannot target. Sadly, my moves are still high above you. Wisel Guard 5's effect is that no other monster I control may be targeted for an attack; and in addition, it can never be destroyed by battle!"

"IT WHAT?" Yusei yelled in complete and utter disbelief, his voice actually reaching the rare point of yelling. Falling back silent with a panting, gasping demeanour, he looked down and punched the top of his Duel Disc, stammering, "You mean to tell me that… that you planned for my entire strategy… How can that be…?"

"How high and mighty you truly sound," Placido responded, crossing his arms. "You believe because you're a Genius Style Duellist, or because you won the Fortune Cup Arc, or because you defeated my pawn Godwin, that you can overcome any obstacle in your oath. You're more arrogant than the people you claim to be above; and now that you've attained this echelon, you believe that by mere presence you can defeat anything."

"Stop with this bullshit!" Judai yelled, his face becoming rather infuriated as his tone became even harsher than Placido's. "Yusei, the two of us have everything to lose right now! We don't have time to spend screwing around; if we lose here, there is no second chance! You and I have both overcome some of the greatest opponent imaginable; now pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and we'll kick his ass!"

"It's not that simply Judai," Yusei responded, not noticing the tremor in his voice. "The Machine Emperor, Placido's Deck… they've been designed to completely override me! You have such an air of confidence; and you can afford to be, because you've never been stuck in this kind of mess. If I can't find a way to…"

"Just shut the fuck up and listen for a second!" Judai completely spat at Yusei, actually making Yusei shake as Judai's eyes began to glow in the green and orange tones of Yubel. "This guy's Deck isn't the problem; the problem is that you're going at this alone. People call me the Lone Wolf, but you insist on fighting by yourself and that's costing you! You and I are both here; and as long as I'm in this duel, I won't let you lose!"

"But… I…"

"No buts from this point forward," Judai sternly told him. "Put that shaky tone aside and go at him full force. I'm right behind you, so there's nothing to fear. You have legs; now get the fuck up and you them, and never look back!"

Turning back to face Paradox, Yusei closed his eyes for a second, before flashing his eyes open into a stern glare. "Placido, start counting your turns! I set one card and end my turn!" Once the card had been placed into his tray, Yusei thought in a more confident tone, "Judai's right; as long as he and I fight together, we can take this guy down. We have to take this guy down!"

"Let's go!" Placido yelled, unfolding his arms and reaching for his Deck to grab a card. "Draw (Yusei: 6 SPC/Judai: 6 SPC/Placido: 6 SPC)!" Pointing at Yusei's monster with the card in his hand he issued, "Thanks for pointing out that I cannot absorb your monster; I'll simply destroy it instead! Battle! I attack Turbo Warrior with Wisel! Take this!"

"Trap Card Open!" Yusei shouted, before Placido's monster had even started to move. "I activate Synchro Barrier! I release my Synchro Monster, and until the next End Phase I take to Battle Damage!" As soon as this was said, the form of the monster vanished into the air, the monster above Placido simply stopped moving; but instead of being angry, Placido simply sneered at him.

"Except that said card is only good against Battle Damage," he issued, spinning his entire hand around with the hand holding his card. "I activate Speed World 2's effect; by removing 4 Speed Counters (Yusei: 6 SPC/Judai: 6 SPC/Placido: 2 SPC), I inflict 800 damage to you for every Speed Spell in my hand. And sadly for you, all three are Speed Spells!"

"Oh no!" Judai yelled, seeing the cards Speed Spell – The End of Storm, Speed Spell – Speed Energy and Speed Spell – Draw Accel in Placido's hand. As four of the six lights around Placido's eye piece died out he said to himself, "If Yusei can't negate this effect, then he'll…" A second later, his fear was realized when a laser beam fired from the eye piece on his face, going straight through Yusei's chest and causing him to scream out in pain. "Yusei!"

Yusei: LP 1000

Judai: LP 3100

Placido: LP 6500

"His Life Points are down to a mere ¼ of their original value," he realized, before looking towards the chuckling Placido and giving him a death glare. "I'm gonna make you fucking pay for that, you scrap-metal piece of shit!"

"I'd like to see you try, Judai," Placido told him. "I'd love to hit you next turn; but I don't think you're even worth that. Your monsters are far too weak to stop Wisel in this battle; so I'll just pound you into the ground instead!"

"I won't let you do that," Yusei yelled, Judai's eyes finally fading back to his own chocolate brown eyes. "Judai, if you're going to protect me, then I'll defend you as well!"

"Enough of this sickening friendship prattling. If I had a stomach right now, I'd be sick to it; as would all of our spectators. The Gods have no taste for these disgusting and miserably human bonds you so fool-hardily cherish. I'll enjoy making you suffer, breaking you to pieces and listening to you scream for mercy! Mercy you shall! Never! RECEIVE!" Stopping for a second, Placido gripped his hand to tightly his pseudo-skin tore; then, he spat, "Make your move!"

"Then allow me to show you how we do things where I come from," Judai told him. "It's my turn (Yusei: 7 SPC/Judai: 7 SPC/Placido: 3 SPC)!" Seeing a card in his hand that he had no use for at that time, he hissed before turning to his field and saying, "I too activate an effect of Speed World 2. I give up all 7 Speed Counters (Yusei: 7 SPC/Judai: 0 SPC/Placido: 3 SPC), I draw one more card!"

"Drawing extra cards already?" Placido questioned. "Your Deck wasn't built for Riding Duels, I guess." Reaching for his Deck, Judai closed his eyes before gripping onto the top card of his Deck. Then, with a sudden motion, he pulled it from his Deck before putting it into play and yelling, "I Summon Card Gunner (DEF: 400, LV: 3)!" In front of Judai then emerged the small, multi-coloured form of the treaded and cannon-armed robot, turning blue as it took up a crouching position.

"I activate the effect of my Monster," Judai revealed. "By sending my top 3 cards to the Cemetery, Card Gunner gains 1500 ATK (ATK: 1900). Taking the top 3 cards of his Deck and flipping them over one by one, he sent Necro Gardna, E-HERO Necro Darkman, and Neo-Spacian Black Panther to the Cemetery, before he reached into his own hand. "I shall now set one card and end my turn."

"Judai's already sent Necro Gardna to the Cemetery," Yusei noted. "That means he can negate an opposing attack, and I can save my set card for later."

"Prepare for slaughter," Placido stated snidely. "I draw (Yusei: 8 SPC/Judai: 1 SPC/Placido: 4 SPC)!" Taking the card from his hand and simply placing it into his other one, he pointed at Judai's crouching monster and yelled, "Go Wisel! Eliminate that piece of scrap metal from this field!" Shooting right back at the metal monster, the green glow returned to its arm as it prepared to swing it down through the monster.

"Yusei!" Judai yelled, getting the attention of his partner. "Activate that set card of yours now!"

"What?" Yusei asked, completely stunned by this move. "But, you… that Necro Gardna…"

"Now isn't the time to be selfish!" Judai yelled. "Do it now! Trust me; it'll work out for the best!" Looking at his own field, Yusei stared for a long, hard second before he finally reached for the console to press the button.

"I activate my Trap Card, Guard Block!" Instantly, the form of the Trap Card emerged in front of Yusei, then slid over in front of Judai as he reached for his Deck. "Thanks to this card, Judai takes to Damage; and now I get to draw one card!" Spanning up his item instantly, Yusei watched as the arm of Placido's monster sliced straight through the monster; then, much to Placido's chagrin, Judai's Life Points avoided damage entirely.

"That may be so," he answered, "but Effect Damage is still on the docket! Since Card Gunner has 400 ATK, Wisel Attack 5 can still hit Judai for that damage! Take this, you loud-mouthed punk!" Instantly the green energy from the arm completely discharged into Judai's D-Wheel and body, giving him a shock that made him grunt but not anything that caused him any real discomfort.

Yusei: LP 1000

Judai: LP 2700

Placido: LP 6500

"I activate the effect of my Card Gunner," Judai revealed. "Since it was destroyed, I get to draw one card!" Once said card was into his grasp, he pointed to his other card and yelled, "Next, I activate my Trap Card, Hero Signal!"

"Damn it," Placido spat. "They've realized that combined they can activate 2 Magic or Trap Cards per turn; and now they're combining cards." As he saw this, a card slid from Judai's Deck and he grabbed it, holding it up before placing it into the tray.

"Come on, Bubbleman (ATK: 800, LV: 4)!" In an instant Judai's field had upon it the form of his classic blue warrior, his cape flapping wildly in the wind as they shot by. "Now, since I have only Bubbleman on the field, I get to draw 2 cards!" Snapping up the two additional cards from his Deck, Judai placed all three of his draws into his hand tray; meanwhile, Yusei gave a smug smile to Judai, which he reciprocated to Placido's chagrin.

"We've outplayed you this time," Yusei told him. "Because you attack destroyed its target, you can't use Battle Return to attack Bubbleman as well! We get to keep our monster." Then, turning back to Judai, he added, "This is why you wanted me to use my Trap Card." When Judai gave a quick thumb's up, Yusei replied by doing the same and issuing back to Placido, "Good luck taking us out as a team."

"I end my turn!" Placido said, complete infurtiated. "I could have damaged Judai further this turn; but with 3 Speed Spells in my hand, I can defeat Yusei in my next turn anyway. Without his partner, Judai will be alone and without the bonds that give him strength. Sorry boys, but your little card orgy is about to end prematurely."

"I draw (Yusei: 9 SPC/Judai: 2 SPC/Placido: 5 SPC)!" Yusei yelled dramatically, adding his card to his hand with lightning reflexes before slapping his previous draw onto the tray. "I Summon Hyper Synchron (ATK: 1600, LV: 4)!" In an instant Yusei's monster took on its form; the blue elf-eared machine, with its rear power tanks and its paneled chest, made Judai smile ecstatically, as he knew that the next move would allow.

"I Tune my Level 4 Hyper Synchron to my Level 4 Bubbleman!" Opening its chest, the blue robot released 4 white orbs before the machine itself exploded; these orbs then became a set of three green rings. A Moment later, Judai's warrior jumped up into them and took on the form of 4 white orbs, before all 8 completely fused into a single, large white orb.

"The Clustering wishes will now become a new shining star. Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Stardust Dragon (ATK: 2500, LV: 8)!" The single white orb then exploded open into the glowing form of a white dragon, its long, outstretched wings encompassing both Yusei and Judai. Then, as the dust settled, Yusei's monster took on its full form.

"Due to Hyper Synchron, Stardust gains 800 ATK (ATK: 3300); but that doesn't concern me right now. From my hand I activate a Speed Spell you might remember: Speed Spell – Synchro Slip! I exclude Stardust until Judai's Standby Phase, and then I draw 2 cards! Then, by removing 7 SPC (Yusei: 2 SPC/Judai: 2 SPC/Placido: 5 SPC), I draw one more card."

As he reached for his Deck and pulled three new cards, the form of Yusei's dragon dissolved into the white dist particles; then, Yusei look down at his hand and decided on his next move.

"I set 2 cards and end my turn," he finally stated, looking at Judai silently. "Judai, your Heroes are the perfect Levels for my Synchro Monsters; that's why I can duel with you. For you to duel with me, my Synchro Monsters need to work for your Fusion Strategy. Can you do that?"

"Enough of this! I draw (Yusei: 3 SPC/Judai: 3 SPC/Placido: 6 SPC)!" Yusei yelled in an incredibly loud tone, pointing his card right at Yusei. "Time to take you apart! Machine Emperor Wisel, direct attack!" Energizing its arm, the monster pointed at Yusei and prepared for his attack; then, in a swift motion, the monster shot straight at Yusei, causing him to grunt out in frustration…

In the centre of the WRGP Practice Zone, a man in a Crusades-era archer's outfit stood leaning against his D-Wheel, their green cloak and hood obscuring his face. After the Diablo Incident and the attack of the above Circuit, they and their D-Wheel were badly injured; but knowing the perils others faced, they still considered themselves lucky.

Turning their head over to one side, the figure's gaze found him the form of a tanned, black-haired individual who was just propping himself up from the ground. "Are you alright, Marc?" the cloaked figure asked him in English while the tanned man brought himself fully to his feet, trying to steady himself completely.

"I've been through worse tumbles than that and you know it, Arynis," Marc responded in English as well, his face reflecting his attitude of toughness while he got himself steady. "And I see you managed to get yourself standing without so much as scuffing your little costume. You know, if you wore something more your style, people would stop mistaking you for a man."

"Just as mouthy as I remember you," Arynis responded, taking down his hood to reveal the face of a young woman; one which clearly defined her gender as female. Her long blonde hair was set in a braided ponytail and her eyes a deep gold. Then, her gaze shifted to a figure in the distance, who he suddenly started running towards; and knowing what such as action meant, Marc got himself turned around and shot over with the man.

About one block from where they had been, the two Riders brought themselves to the form of a glossy-haired brunette woman with long brown hair, whose white riding outfit was torn and bloody and whose visor was shattered. Bending down to check on her, Arynis looked at her with a concerned face and asked, "Allana, est-ce que tu es bien? S'il te plait, me réponds!"

Reaching around and flipping herself onto her back, the woman managed to face up to the man and woman, and opened her emerald green eyes. Propping herself up onto sitting position, she then completely stood up, Arynis holding her up, and she told her, "Oui, je serai bien."

"We can't just sit here and do nothing," Marc told them both, getting their attention instantly. "If what Judai said is true, then these people are all still in jeopardy; we have to do what we can." Realizing the truth in what he said, the two individuals turned to him and nodded, signifying that they were going to do something.

"Be gone, Fudo Yusei!" Placido sneered, his monster shooting straight at Yusei to completely do him in; but before he could, Yusei held up a card from his hand.

"When my opponent declared a Direct Attack, I can Special Summon Junk Defender from my hand (DEF: 1800, LV: 3)!" Before Yusei then appeared the crouching form of a monster much like a set of arms with a face for a chest; these arms crossed as Placido looked on smugly. "Next, due to its effect, it gains 300 DEF (DEF: 2100)!"

"But even so," Placido yelled, "the Penetration Damage from that attack means your demise! Go, Wisel!" Yusei then watched as the monster swung its arm straight down at his monster; but before that happened, he revealed yet another card.

"I activate my D-2 Shield!" he yelled, his monster being surrounded by a yellow aura. "Due to this, my monster's DEF doubles for this turn (DEF: 4200), thus saving my life!" An instant later, the full force of the blast came down upon Yusei and his monster, exploding it completely and causing Yusei to take yet another large hit of damage.

Yusei: LP 500

Judai: LP 2700

Placido: LP 6500

"I activate D-2 Shield's second effect," Yusei revealed, once again reaching for his Deck. "Since the affected monster was destroyed, I may now draw one card from my Deck!" Once said card as in his hand, he looked down upon it and realized that he was completely exposed; if Judai couldn't save him, he was done for.

"And now, I remove 4 more Speed Counters from Speed World 2 (Yusei: 3 SPC/Judai: 3 SPC/Placido: 2 SPC), and wipe out the last of your Life Points. Take this, you flash-in-the-pan duellist!" Once again 4 of the orbs on Placido's eye piece disappeared and a laser beam fired from the eye; but as that happened, a cloaked figure appeared in front of Yusei and absorbed the laser blast before exploding. "That was…"

"I activate the effect of Damage Veiler from my hand," Judai revealed, holding up said card. "When an effect is activated to inflict 2000 or more damage to a player, by discarding this card, I negate said effect. Then, the affected player draws 1 card for every 1000 points of damage negated. That means Yusei draws 2 cards!" Nodding, Yusei pulled 2 more cards and added them to his hand, Placido growling from his effect being stopped to easily.

"I activate my Trap Card: Wise Shot! When one of my effects is negated by the effect of an opponent's card, I inflict 400 damage to the player responsible for every Wise or Wisel Monster I control! Suffer 2000 points in damage, Judai!" Sneering, Placido fired yet another laser beam from his eye, this one going straight through Judai's chest and causing him to gasp for breath, clutching his chest in pain.

Yusei: LP 500

Judai: LP 700

Placido: LP 6500

"Look at the both of you," Placido sneered. "Less Life Points between the two of you than 20% of my own Life Points; and less Damage than I can inflict in a single turn. It's obvious who the victor will be; so both of you may as well throw your Decks away and surrender. That way, maybe you will be spared from this demise!"

"I'd sooner drop dead than admit defeat to a piece of shit like you," Judai hissed. "I still have enough Life Points, and enough will to ride; and so does Yusei! Neither of us is willing to lose, and both of us are the best of our own generations of duellists. Together, we're going to send you to hell!"

"And how do you intend to do that?" Placido questioned. "You can't successfully attack and destroy any of my monsters by battle. Thanks to Wisel Carrier 5, my monsters are safe from destruction by effects as well. I can inflict Piercing and Burn Damage with every battle; and you only have 1 Magic or Trap Card each per turn. Coupled with your meagre Life Points, neither of you can survive for much longer."

"You should know by now," Judai told him, "that I'm too stubborn to give in to somebody like you. As long as you fight to keep me down, I'll fight harder to get back up!"

"I should have silenced you long ago," Placido admitted. "You're far too obnoxious for your own good. At least Yusei is smart enough to realize you cannot win. Just give up, and no more excuses. No more chatter. Just shut up and accept your damnation!"

"Like I'd ever do that!" Yusei yelled, surprising Placido and encouraging Judai. In a moment the Dragon's Head Birthmark on his arm lit up; and to match it, Judai's eyes lit up into Yubel's once again. "Our bonds are far stronger than your Wisel Monsters, or anything else you have in your Deck! We'll fight until the end!"

"Spare me any of this further dribble," Placido yelled angrily. "I'll simply have to pummel you both into oblivion! I set one card and end my turn!"

"Placido, it's time I showed you why I'm called "The Fusion Genius" in Professional Circles," Judai told him confidently, gripping at his Deck and grabbing a card. "I draw (Yusei: 4 SPC/Judai: 4 SPC/Placido: 3 SPC)!" As soon as he grabbed his card, a series of particles of light appeared and fused together, forming the body of the white dragon from the turn before (ATK: 2500, LV: 8).

"Trap Card Open!" Yusei yelled, showing off his only other set card. "I activate Star Burst!" With complete shock on Placido's face, Yusei's dragon rose into the air and he yelled, "With Stardust on my field, I select up to 3 opposing monsters whose power sums to Stardust's power or less, and negate their effects until the End Phase. I negate Wisel Guard, Top and Carrier 5!"

Once it was high above the opposing monster, the dragon fired three meteor-like bursts of energy straight at the three mentioned monsters, striking the head, arm and legs of the monsters dead on. Once it hit, a white foggy aura formed around the aforementioned 3 parts, causing them to spark with green energy.

"Thank you for that Yusei," Judai told him. "With that, I can use as many Spell Cards as I need. So let's go! I activate Speed Spell – Speed Fusion!" Once he had placed the card into the tray, Yusei took a card from his hand and held it up into the air, and he added, "I fuse Yusei's ace, Stardust Dragon, with my ace, E-HERO Neos!" Sure enough, the white warrior appeared from the card and shot into the air, stopping only when it was right in front of the monster's chest.

"What are you…?" Placido asked, for the first time in a while being quiet. In the air, the form of a vortex appeared in the black clouds, with lightning shooting down from this and striking the monsters. With them in an electrical field, they spiralled together; and in a few seconds, they formed a swirling blue and purple vortex.

"The soul of a warrior, given wings of a dragon and courage of a lion," Judai chanted, "shall descend upon the earth and rise as the force of justice! Become the path its light shines upon! Fusion Summon! Take up arms, Surging Dragon Knight – Dragoequites (ATK: 3200, LV: 10)!" With the chant done, the entire orb of energy burst into a gigantic humanoid form, which descended down over Judai and Yusei to face the opposing machine, which it was the same size as.

"That's…" Placido stammered out, seeing the monster as the energy fell away. Its two stiff, fan-like wings, long limbs with talons, and tail were all red and gave it a dragonic form; but its humanoid body was armoured in blue and bore white skin. Its face, a short dragonic one in white armour, completed the look with orange spikes; and a long, wide javelin with an equally long handle was in its hand, giving it a truly warrior-like look.

"Your monster can absorb only Synchro Monsters themselves," Judai pointed out. "But Fusion Monsters are completely safe; which means Stardust's soul; will now finally escape the clutches of your monster! And with Wisel Guard 5's effect gone, your monster is wide open! Battle!"

Pointing its staff straight at the head of the opposing monster, Placido hissed and turned to a card on his own field, yelling out, "Sorry to disappoint, but your monster is all a waste! I activate my Trap: Holy Barrier – Mirror Force! Say farewell to your monster!"

"You're getting sloppy," Judai sneered, making Placido gasp angrily as Judai reached into his hand. "I chain the Speed Spell – Swift Stream! Due to this effect, when I have 4 or more Speed Counters, I can discard 1 Monster to negate a Fusion Monster, destroying effect! I discard Neospacia Gunner!"

"What?" Placido asked suddenly, watching the card appear on Judai's field and shoot a bean of energy into Placido's trap, completely exploding it and leaving his monster defenceless.

"And next, half of the discarded monster's ATK is added to Dragoequites for this turn only! Gunner has 1800 ATK (ATK: 4100)! Spiral Javelin!" Jumping way up into the air, the monster's javelin blasted a long stream of white energy straight through the head of the monster, creating a perfect through-and-through strike that also hit Placido straight through the chest.

Yelling out in pain, Placido's entire body snapped around and his D-Wheel began to shake from side to side as his monster's head exploded into pieces, leaving nothing more than a smouldering wreck where its head had been. "With Wisel Top 5 gone, 1100 ATK also leaves your monster behind (ATK: 3400); and let's not forget that huge chunk of damage!"

Yusei: LP 500

Judai: LP 700

Placido: LP 3500

His body twitching in pain from the massive shot, Placido just barely managed to twist his body back around to face Judai and Yusei. With Judai's new monster settling back down above the two players, his angry face, now covered in small burns and scrapes from the blast, looked at them with deathly intent. "You'll fucking pay for that…"

"Will that be check or cash?" Judai responded smugly. "Oh wait I know; I'll just use my card. Three of them to be exact. I set three cards right now," he issued, placing all three onto the tray in a single sweep. "The tide has turned, Placido."

"What useless trash are you talking about?" Placido questioned. "Neither of you still have enough Life Points to survive; and even if you can play more cards, your effects all wear off now." After saying this, the white fog around the arm and legs of the monster vanished; and then the power of the Fusion Monster fell back away (ATK: 3200). "See that? You're still trapped!"

"We're nowhere near trapped," Yusei shot back. "Even if you think you can defeat us now, it's too late for you! Your Ultimate Wisel is powerful, but far from invincible. Even if I can't attack its other parts, or use card effects to destroy it, I can still put up a defence with Judai's new monster."

"It's not just my monster," Judai responded, getting Yusei to turn to him stunned. "The Material Monsters for this creature were our two aces, remember? This card symbolized the bonds that we share. That we all share. And that is why we will not fail!"

"What are you going on about now?" Placido responded. "The lot of you are nothing but characters in a twisted story designed to chronicle the missteps of a damned species. That Dragon Knight is nothing more than a plot device with which you can fight back; but it's to no avail. This story is already written, and no matter how hard you struggle you cannot escape Destiny's will."

"You're wrong!" Judai shot out. "As long as humans have free will, as long as we have bonds and believe in ourselves… as long as we have that, we will never fall to the likes of you!" Getting Placido to cringe at these words, he followed up with, "If this is a story already written by destiny, then the ending can never truly be written!"

"Judai is right!" Yusei added. "All humans write their own stories. If the ending is written in for one, then another can write a different ending. So until every ending is written, this story will continue on! And mark my words, together Judai and I will use our bonds to end this duel in our victory!"

"I'd like to see the two of you miserable anthropoid pieces of shit try!" Placido snapped, holding up his shaking right fist. "I have served God's will since long before any of you were born, since before even Jose, Lucciano and Alessandro came into being! If you say that stories all have their own endings, then allow me to show you the conclusion my story – and thus yours – will come to! I draw (Yusei: 5 SPC/Judai: 5 SPC/Placido: 4 SPC)!"

"We have to get them all out of here!" Kiryu yelled to Jack, Crow and Yugi, the only ones left of their group who were able to do so. With the Circuit overhead arcing and jolting, after having been ripped from the earth itself, Neo Domino City was being bombarded with bolts of energy.

"We allowed ourselves to be too easily distracted," Yugi self-chastised, reflecting on his massive blunder. Over and over he reviewed the facts, wondering how this had happened. The Alessandro that confronted them had been a fake, an X-Unit composed of Momentum energy and holding his form. Their interrupted duel ended in its destruction and assimilation; and shortly after that, his Duel Disc had gone dead.

"All those people…" Crow said hard-heartedly, think of the people from the WRGP Opening Trial who had crashed from the Diablo Incident. "If we can't save them, then there's nothing left to be done. They'll die!"

"They'll die anyway if Judai and Yusei can't defeat Placido," Jack reminded them, flashing back to when he saw the man last. "The power he has… taking out three of us in two turns, taking apart Dark Glass, who was strong enough to beat Yusei… can he truly create a miracle?"

"Not he; they," Yugi added. "I've seen Judai-kun and Yusei-kun duel, remember? I know they have what it takes!" Nodding, Jack and Crow realized that Yugi was right, as they expected; they needed to believe, as their friends did, that it could be done. Even with the storm above, even with this massive electrical light show… they knew they were in good hands.

"We won't get to them just with our D-Wheels," Jack realized, grabbing a card from his Deck and cueing Crow to do the same. "Take flight: Saviour Dragons!" In two bursts of light, the red and black four-winged dragons the two men possessed came into creation, taking them and their friends up to just below the energy streams and allotting them speeds above the supersonic levels.

"Hey, look over there!" Kiryu pointed off into the distance, seeing the equivalent light blue and red-and-black four-winged dragons off in the distance coming towards them. "Aki, the twins and Johan! They're coming to help us!" With a look of satisfaction on everyone's faces, they shot off across the city skies, the other two dragons seeing them and following suit at full speed. "I just hope that we can get these in time... before Placido's twisted game cost too many people too much..."

At Neo Domino City Hospital, Hell Kaiser and Asuka were up on the roof, looking upwards upon the glowing green Circuit which had completely eclipsed the city. The two of them had succeeded in securing many of the people inside; and now O'Brien and Kenzan were within the confines of the building as well, helping secure the areas with residual X-Units walking around.

"This is getting way too dangerous for comfort," Asuka reflected. "The duel up there, with Judai and Yusei… their lives are at risk. This is more intense than the Dark Games we saw before, perhaps more than the Dark Signers…"

"It's far worse than that, remember?" Hell Kaiser reminded her, pointing across the city at the green energy bolts shooting down from the Circuit and striking buildings. "That track Placido created is foreign to this world; it can't react properly with natural energy. Is this… the truly awesome power of Momentum?"

"The building is clear-saurus!" the voice of Kenzan suddenly yelled from behind the two, causing them to turn and see the mercenary pair standing at the ready, Gun Duel Discs mounted.

"Are you completely sure?" Asuka asked, getting a very quick nod from the two men.

"We checked every room, hallway, stairwell, everything," O'Brien assured. "Kaiser, you and Taiyo did a great job earlier; there wasn't a single X-Unit with full power. They must have gotten too weak to challenge you; but we took care of them right quick."

"Then we have to start the evacuation pronto," Hell Kaiser stated. "If this building falls under fire from the Circuit, then everyone inside is dead; and we cannot let that happen, no matter what happens to us!"

"Sir yes sir-saurus!" Kenzan yelled, he and O'Brien both arriving at attention and saluting as Hell Kaiser and Asuka ran towards then. "Now we'd better move-don; because we're almost out of time!" Turning, they both shot down the stairs and were followed by their partners, who immediately headed for the main patient wing on the floor.

"We managed to safely secure most of the patients in this wing," Asuka told them. "Did you guys managed to get the rest?"

"Sadly, negative," O'Brien informed, just as they got to the wing. "There were just too many; the next 4 floors down and completely filled."

"Then I'd better to this fast," Hell Kaiser responded, his eyes taking up the light blue glow of his Darkness form. In a few seconds a black fog completely covered the floors of the halls, seeping into the rooms and completely disappearing from view thereafter. When this was done, Hell Kaiser's eyes returned to their normal form, leaving no evidence that patients had been on that floor.

"You're storing them all in the World of Darkness-don?" Kenzan questioned, getting a very quick answer from Hell Kaiser.

"It's the only easily accessible place big enough for them all. Besides, in that state nobody will feel physical pain; and I can easily bring them back. Besides, it's better than letting them die…" Suddenly, the building shook violently, causing cracks to form along the ceilings and floor.

"We're running out of time," O'Brien stated. "We have to rescue everyone else, and we have to do it now!" With everyone in agreement, they pressed the button of the elevator, causing the doors to open and everyone to get in. Once they were, the doors closed; and just after that, the windows on the floor all shattered…

Card of the Week – Judai

Surging Dragon Knight – Dragoequites

WIND

Level: 10

Family(s): [Dragon/Fusion/Effect]

Effect: 1 Dragon-Type Synchro Monster + 1 Soldier-Type Monster

Chapter: This card can only be Special Summoned from the Extra Deck by Fusion Summon. Once per turn, during either player's turn, you can activate this card's effect by removing from play 1 Dragon-Type Synchro Monster in either player's Cemetery. Until the End Phase, this card on the field or in the Cemetery gains that monster's effect(s). Also, your opponent takes any damage you would have taken from a card effect.

OCG: This card can only be Special Summoned from the Extra Deck by Fusion Summon. Once per turn, you can activate this card's effect by selecting 1 Dragon-Type Synchro Monster in either player's Cemetery. Remove that monster from play, and until the End Phase, this card on the field is treated as having that monster's name and gains that monster's effect(s). Also, your opponent takes any damage you would have taken from a card effect.

ATK/ 3200

DEF/ 2000

*One Chapter left to go, and then we'll see what happens… Review if you wish*