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Part 5: Shadow of Infinity

Seated around a table and regrouped once more; Akita, Kyo, Hattori and Logan shared a beverage. Orange juice: good for a duelist's mind, and necessary fuel for the battles to come. They knew that they'd probably not be able to return to Tapipoca City once they left, but the blackness was moving slowly enough not to require immediate haste. Kyo shifted uncomfortably in his seat as the eyes of the other three duelists bore into his. Had they really chosen him for helping with this task, or was he a victim of unfortunate circumstance?

"So..." Kyo finally muttered. He pushed away his empty glass. "How long until you've finished the fourth bike?"

"A day, we'd say." Logan looked to Hattori, who nodded. "You're welcome to spend the night, we'll try have it as operational as possible in the morning."

"Alright." Kyo shrugged. He then looked to Akita, who by now was wearing much more casual clothing - jeans and a white vest top with a thin red tartan scarf. "How'd you find me in that arena, anyway?"

Akita looked up, giggling slightly. Her white hair hung over her hand, which supported her head as she read a book, which lay on the table. "I was in the audience, and my motorcycle was outside. As soon as you'd defeated your opponent, I saw the blackness..." Her eyes drifted away from Kyo's, back to the book. "... So I went outside, and I was planning to get away, but..." She lost her trail of speech.

"Alright." Kyo replied, slightly disconcerted by the fact that Akita never actually planned to save him in the first place, but that it had likely just been an afterthought. He rose from his chair, Akita's blurred eyes following him as he went. He stepped away, leaving the almost-bare dining-room to go up the stairs in the corridor. The walls of the building were whitewashed, but stains betrayed the mechanics' professions, as the only bathroom was upstairs. Therefore, often they tumbled or accidentally simply touched the walls and left their mark. The banister however, was painted black.

Once at the top, Kyo made a beeline for the bathroom, soaking his face in the sink and washing himself with products he'd never even heard of before. Half of them smelled wonderful, whilst the other half were questionable. This city... the vision... was truly a marmite place. The bowler hats he'd seen tipped in the street harked to the olden days of England, whilst the modern-day appearance wasn't a far cry from Japan, had it been whitewashed. As he left the bathroom, fully-clothed once more, and rounded the corner, he nearly bumped into Logan.

"You're blocking my way, sir." Kyo said, a slight joking edge to his voice as he attempted to portray the young-looking geek as an adult. The boy looked down, causing Kyo's eyesight to follow his. In Logan's outstretched hand was a deck.

"Will you duel with me before you go to bed?" He asked. Kyo groaned, shrugged, then agreed. Logan smiled as the two headed downstairs once more into the dining-room. As Hattori offered Kyo another glass of orange juice, he raised a hand in refusal as he'd just brushed his teeth. Logan took it instead, and his place on the other side of the table.

With the two seated, their game could begin. Akita's eyes stayed glued on the book, avoiding Kyo's gaze. Hattori continued preparing a midnight snack, but assured the group he would join in to watch later.

"Four thousand life each. A short game, please." Kyo muttered. Logan agreed.

GAME START

Going first, Kyo drew five cards. Summoning Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress (ATK: 1700) and setting a spell/trap, he ended his turn. Due to Lyla's effect, Kyo was forced to mill three cards: Judgment Dragon, Garoth and Ehren.

Drawing his six, Logan summoned D.D. Assaliant (ATK: 1700).

"I attack your Lyla!" He commanded, pushing the assassin forward. Kyo grit his teeth as both the monsters were sent to the graveyard. Then Logan set two spell/trap cards and declared the end of his turn. However, Kyo had other plans. He flipped his Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying Logan's Soul Taker.

"Soul Taker...?" Kyo asked, bemused. "Why would you even set that card?"

"A decoy." Logan shrugged. "Carry on with your turn."

Kyo drew a card. Quickly examining the small pile in his graveyard, he set one monster and ended his turn.

Logan drew his next card, with a slight smile. "This game isn't going to be much fun if you don't attack." And with that, set one monster in face-down defense and ended his turn.

"I could say the same for you..." Kyo muttered. He drew, then played Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid (ATK: 1200). "Attack his face-down monster!"

Logan flipped over Dekoichi, the Battlechanted Locomotive (DEF: 1000). Its effect allowed him to draw a card, which he did so with a smile when he saw what it was. Kyo then set one spell/trap, and ended his turn by milling Pot of Duality and Smashing Ground due to Aurkus' effect.

With his extra card, Logan then began his turn. He drew for his normal draw, adjusted his glasses, then summoned Drillroid (ATK: 1600). With a gesture, he commanded it to attack Aurkus, causing 400 points of damage to Kyo and setting him on 3600 life points. He then set two spell/trap cards (to make his total of spells/traps set, three) and ended his turn.

"Just what are you doing, with such a defensive strategy?" Kyo asked, bemused. By now, if his opponent didn't hold back, they'd probably be able to XYZ or Synchro summon, but no... There was something else. He drew a card.

"I have four Lightsworn with different names in my graveyard! Garoth, Ehren, Lyla, and Aurkus!" Kyo declared, "Therefore, I special summon Judgment Dragon!" He slapped the card down onto the field in front of him, causing Akita to look up from shock. She cast her eyes over the dragon, but did not move from propping open her book. Logan chuckled, then pointed to one of his spell/trap cards. He flipped it over. Kyo's worst nightmare. Bottomless Trap Hole. Sighing with exasperation, he removed the Judgment Dragon from play. However, he had another plan! With renewed vigor, he flip summoned Necro Guardna and immediately activated Torrential Tribute in response to his own flip summon. Raising an eyebrow as the Drillroid and Necro Guardna were sent to the graveyard, Logan quickly understood what was happening as Kyo looked though his graveyard and removed Necro Guardna and Lyla from play.

"Black Luster Soldier, Envoy of the Beginning!" Kyo declared, slamming the three-thousand attack monster onto the field. Its effect would either allow him to attack twice if it destroyed a monster in battle, or banish any one monster on the field that he so desired. However, since Logan had no monsters on the field, all he could do was attack once. And so it was this that he did, causing Logan to lose 3,000 life, setting him on 1,000. Then Kyo set one more monster.

"I see why you're one of the best now." Logan smiled, drawing a card. "But unfortunately, it looks like your luck's run out."

Akita looked up from her book again, apparently having grown disinterested from the summoning of Black Luster Soldier. She'd seen it all before. Hopes crushed. Dreams shattered. Lives destroyed. But nothing like what was about to happen. Why she came back... was about to be lost.

"I play Future Fusion!" Logan declared, sending seventeen monsters from his deck to the graveyard, including Cyber Dragon. Then he flipped over the trump card from his hand. "OVERLOAD FUSION!"

In total, twenty monsters were exiled, summoning the mighty... "CHIMERATECH OVERDRAGON!"

"N-no way..." Kyo stumbled back in his seat, and Akita gasped, drawing the attention of Hattori, who left his food preparation to witness the spectacle. "Sixteen thousand attack..."

"And that's not all!" Logan continued, flipping Rush Recklessly to give Chimeratech 700 more attack. Then he also flipped his third trump card - Limiter Removal. "Thirty-three thousand, four-hundred attack! And when it hits your Black Luster Soldier, that's thirty-thousand, four hundred damage!" He leapt up from his chair in glee. Kyo examined the field, a sweatdrop running down his forehead. He had no hand, nor any set spells or traps. If he'd not been so reckless with Necro Guardna, he could've stood a chance...

"Did Logan... just defeat a champion?" Hattori muttered. Akita's gaze met his. Mouth agape, she nodded.