YuGiOh 5D's: Konami/Kazuki Takahashi
The pale Satellite sun shone over the huge crater in the ground that was Dark Signers' Domain. Crow was standing on a nearby ledge made of a piece of the street that was scrunched back on itself. 'This crater must be where all the Dark Signers assemble. I better go get my duel runner.'
Elsewhere in the Satellite, a group of bystanders were gathered around a burning trash can, warming their hands or lounging on half-destroyed risers or steps on perpendicular walls of a building that was demolished down to just walls no more than six feet tall. A pair of them were dueling with cards on the ground.
"And, like, people were trapped in this freaky wall of purple mist." someone insisted as he placed a card onto the haphazard chalk Duel Field sketched out between him and his opponent.
"And then they all turned into this gigantic monster, right?" the opponent commented, activating a Trap Hole Trap Card.
"Yeah, I saw that happen, too!" the first person placed his monster into the Graveyard space.
"Ah, it had to have been a trick, fellas! Like one a' those, uh, 'octa-pul' illusions." a third man nearby said. "Stop whinin' like a bunch a' Kuribohs; I'm not worried about it."
"You should be worried about it."
Everyone turned or looked up; Crow was standing on the punched-out second floor of the building next to their hangout, looming over them. "Aw, yeah? And who're you?"
"Who am I?" he asked innocently, "Nobody. Just the guy who's totally gonna save your sorry satellite butts!" Crow jumped the wrecked building on his runner, soaring over all of their heads.
"Don't go near that hole in the Downtown District, it's too scary!" someone warned.
"You guys might wanna find your own hole to hide in for a little while," Crow said as he took off toward the crater. "'Cause things're about to get really crazy!"
YuGiOh: 5D's
Reverse of Arcadia
Ride 22: Surely, you Jest
A short while later, he pulled up his Runner near a gaping crater in the ground and dismounted.
"Not sure when Yusei's plannin' on bringin' the fight. Doesn't mean I gotta wait around, there's no reason I can't go on ahead and start dealin' some damage to those Dark Signers. Crow's House of Kick-Butt is officially open for business! Hm...?" Crow then spotted someone coming come the stairs, "And here comes our first customer." hr watched as someone came from the hole; he was under four feet tall. He had light-purple hair, wore a tall red blazer and had strange make-up on his face. That was the Vice-Director of Sector Security, Lazar. "That creepy little dude has 'Dark Signer' written all over 'im...!" Crow then broke from the group, and shifted his position, waiting for Lazar to walk into the right place…
Then suddenly the clown-like director found himself ensnared by rope! He struggled, but it was useless. Crow gave a laugh of triumph and jumped from a ledge above, pulling back the rope as he did to keep it tight. But when he landed and looked at what was on the other end of his rope, it was a cluster of metal poles sticking out of the ground. Lazar was nowhere in sight. "Okay, that's weird. I coulda sworn I had 'im!"
Laughter was then heard behind him, and turned to see a chuckling Lazar strolling out from behind a nearby chunk of rubble, "I'm afraid only the cat can play cat-and-mouse, little rat." the look of malicious mischief in his eyes was truly disturbing. He then turned and ran off with Crow following pursuit into a dark, broken-down warehouse. The pale sunlight shone through rips in the dilapidated ceiling. "I know you're in here," he called, "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"
He then heard the same familiar chuckle, and found Lazar descending from the ceiling into view, standing on a large metal hook. "Haven't you heard that it's dangerous around here?"
"There you are! Now stop playin' games!"
"You should turn around right now and scamper on home."
Crow chuckled. "Sounds to me like you're the one who's scared, Dark Signer."
"Oh, my. It seems we've some sort of misunderstanding." Lazar said to Crow before he reached the ground and jumped off his hook, You see, because of that unappealing mark on your face and because you were skulking about, I thought perhaps that you were a Dark Signer."
"Me?"
Lazar reaches the ground and jumped off his hook, flicks his wrist and a little holo-screen pops out of his right sleeve, bringing up Crow's profile, "Oh, I see. It says here that you're old friends with Yusei and Jack Atlas."
"Okay, I'll bite. Let's say you're not a Dark Signer. Then who are you?"
Lazar retracted the holo-screen back into his sleeve. "Pardon my manners, I should've properly introduced myself. My name is Lazar, and I work for the Public Security Bureau under Director Goodwin. I'm sort of his right hand."
"...Wait, you work for Goodwin?" crow gasped.
"I just said that. You're obviously in over your heads here. Now run along." he said as he walked away, but a grappling hook shot out and latched onto his Duel Disk. He glanced back to see Crow attaching the other end of the cord to his own Disk "I'm sorry, was I not clear?"
"If you really work for Goodwin, then why're you lurkin' around here?" Crow demanded, "What's goin' on with Yusei? Are he 'n' his crimson buddies gettin' ready to come here and take out the Dark Signers?"
"Those are need-to-know questions." Lazar retorted. "And a wretched little sewer rat like you doesn't need to know the answers."
"Y'know what I think, buddy? I think you're tryin' to trick me! You're a Dark Signer and I'm gonna prove it!"
"Oh, goodness. Why do I always have to deal with the dense ones? Okay look- what do I have to do to prove that I'm not a Dark Signer?"
Crow scoffed as he hooked the other end of the hook onto his own disk and activated it, "I'm not fallin' for any more a' your tricks! How 'bout I just duel the truth outta you?"
Lazar only chuckled as he activated his own disk. With the commencement of a duel, the dark warehouse was slightly illuminated by the holographic equipment, revealing walls of grey-brown rust.
Crow: 4000
Lazar: 4000
"I'm goin' first, creep!" Crow drew his sixth card, "I'm kickin' this thing off by summoning Blackwing - Bora the Spear in ATK mode!" the javelin-wielding avian appeared on his field (ATK: 1700).
Lazar looked over the holographic profile once again. "So according to your file here, your whole deck is built around Blackwings. Interesting."
And I plan on keepin' it that way! So I'm also summoning Gale the Whirlwind in attack mode!" the small avian tuner appeared next to Bora (ATK: 1300), "I was able to do that 'cause Bora the Spear lets me summon a second Blackwing to the field. You know how it is: birds of a feather flocking together and all that? Now I place one card face-down and end my turn!"
"My, my...you have a monster and a tuner monster on your field, but you're not going to synchro-summon?"
"Yep. I'm unpredictable like that!"
"I'm afraid that you're going to end up regretting your decision." the Vice-Director laughed, drawing his sixth card, "And I place three cards face-down," Lazar slotted each reverse-card with an extra flourish; "And with that, I end my turn."
"Really? You mean that's all you're gonna do?" Crow wondered, "Didja not have any monsters in your hand?"
"Maybe, maybe not." Lazar chuckled, "Now... I believe it's your turn, Crow."
"You tryin' to make this easy for me?" Crow derw, "I'm pretty sure that you're hopin' I'll start attacking. Hence those three face-down cards. Heck, I don't wanna disappoint ya, so... Blackwing - Bora the Spear, attack 'im directly!" the spear-holder dashed forward, spiraling with the javelin in hand.
"In that case, I activate my Imperial Manners trap." Lazar revealed one of his reverses, "I'm able to put this trap's perks to use when your monster declares an attack, and as long as I have no monsters on my field, then I can destroy every monster on your field in ATK mode!"
"You can what? You gotta be kidding me! Well then I activate the Urgent Tuning trap!" Crow flipped over his reverse-card, 'I wanted to save this bad boy for later, but activating it now is the only way I can stop 'im from destroying both a' my monsters!"
"Aha! That's why you didn't synchro-summon during your first turn, you were trying to hold out! However, I'm afraid you've wasted your surprise. Here's face-down number two: the Discord trap." the Vice-Director flipped over another reverse-card, this one being a permanent-trap. "This card's presence on the field means that neither one of us can synchro-summon; no exceptions, I'm afraid."
"Are you serious?"
"You cannot stop Imperial Manners, so... say bye-bye to your monsters!"
Crow groaned as both of his Blackwings shattered into pixels. "Yusei said you Dark Signers were sneaky, and boy, was he right!"
"Ugh, I already told you, I'm not a Dark Signer." Lazar complained. "My name is Lazar, and I work for Mister Goodwin."
"Riiiight. If you expect me to believe that and walk away, you got another thing comin'!" Crow announced as he placed a reverse face-down. "Your move, Dark Signer!"
"I don't get it. Why did a blathering buffoon like you honestly think he could come here and take on the power of the Dark Signers all by himself?"
"What'd you say? You're the 'blathering buffoon', you blathering buffoon, I can take all you Dark Signers on!"
"Just stop talking. Believe me, every time you open your mouth, you embarrass yourself."
"Then tell ya what, let's stop talking and keep dueling! I mean it, I'm done talkin' to you! No more talking! I'm gonna stop talking right now! No more talk!"
Lazar chuckled, "There's something likably amusing about you. Look, I'm simply trying to save you and your friends from humiliation. But if you wish, I'm happy to accomidate you." he then starting his next turn, "And now I shall summon (1) Jester Lord(1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0) to the field in ATK mode!" a tall, slender, fiendish figure appeared, wearing colorful attire and a colorful plaster mask.
Crow flabbergasted, "That's a monster?"
"A monster that's going to attack you directly."
"You know that that thing has no attack points, right? What on Earth were you thinking?"
"Just one thing: when Jester Lord is the only monster on the field, it gains 1000 ATK points for every spell and trap card that is on the field."
"It does what?"
"Currently, there are three spell and trap cards on the field. Therefore, Jester Lord's ATK points are 3000." the jester giggled as he juggled three flaming balls in his hands (ATK: 3000).
"Whoa, that's a lotta points!" Crow gasped, "Not too bad! But don't think I'm gonna sit here and take it! I'm activating my Dust Tornado trap card! With this humdinger I can demolish your Discord trap!" he revealed his reversed card. 'By getting rid of two trap cards, I can lower Jester's ATK points to a thousand. I'll still take damage, but with that Discord trap gone, I'll be able to synchro-summon on my next turn!"
"Before you get ahead of yourself, please allow me to activate the Imperial Custom trap card, which saves all continuous-traps on my field from being destroyed. So it looks like my Jester will only be losing 1000 ATK points." one of the balls Jester Lord was juggling then vanished (ATK: 2000), "Now, Jester Lord, attack him directly!" the fiendish fool hits Crow with the two fireballs, which dissipated as they hit.
Crow: 2000
Lazar: 4000
But regardless of the situation, Crow broke a chuckle, "I admit, that was good. But I came here to help Yusei take you Dark Signers out, so don't think for a second that I'm even close to backing down."
"If you're so convinced that I'm a Dark Signer, why don't you push me to my limits by forcing me into a corner, where I'll have to rely on my 'dark-and-mysterious' powers?"
"Ha! Funny you should say that, pal, 'cause that's exactly what I'm about to do! So get ready to come face-to-face with your breaking point! So're you ever gonna summon a real monster? Or are you gonna keep me laughin', with all a' your clowns?"
Lezar laughed, "Haven't you heard the saying that he who laughs last, always laughs best?"
"Didn't know you Dark Signers laughed!"
"For the last time, Satellite, I'm not a Dark Signer!" the Vice-Director exclaimed, "My (2) Jester Confit's(1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0) too baroque to be part of such an evil organization." another clown-like monster appeared, his neck and wrists covered by yellow ruffs. He was balancing on a rubber ball, chuckling to himself. However, according to Jester Lord's ability, his delicate power dissipated at the presence of another monster on the field other than himself.
Jester Lord: (ATK: 0/DEF: 0)
"Whoa. Now that's an outfit." Crow grimaced in disgust, "Ugh! It's like my 5th birthday party all over again! And your clowns got no ATK points; they couldn't pop a balloon animal! Even Jester Lord can't attack since he lost his special-ability! For your sake, I hope these guys have more firepower than a bottle a' seltzer!"
"You'll have to wait to find out." Lazar stated as he concluded by setting a reverse-card.
"Well I don't think you're gonna be around to play that card. Because I've got tricks of my own!"
"I know you do; I've got 'em right here." Lazar snapped the little holo-screen out of his sleeve again. "After all, I have your whole dueling history before me.
"Well predict this!" Crow drew his next card until...
"I'm afraid I already have; I activate Late Penalty!" yet another continuous-trap was revealed, "With this fancy trap, if your're without monsters on during your standby-phase, you can't initiate battle that turn. Even if you do summon a monster, you won't be able to use it. Looks like the little 'birthday boy' isn't gonna get any presents this round!"
"What? That's exactly the kinda lowdown trick that someone like you would use! Dark Signer!"
"Again with the Signers?" Lazar groaned, annoyed, "Ugh, do I look that intimidating?" the Vice-Director could not help but laugh without restraint, his two jesters joining the merriment.
'I'm really startin' to get sick a' this guy.'
As Lazar looked over Crow's profile, he came across a certain trap card: as Gale the Whirlwind flying off from its nest with a Graverobber trap in its talon. 'According to Crow's dueling record, it looks like he'll try to play the trap card Fake Feather. If he does, he'll be able to activate any trap that's in my graveyard. Not an appealing thought. Maybe if I were to-'
"Hey! Mister delay-a-game!" Crow interrupted, "You wanna pay attention and get back to the duel? 'Cause unless you're texting an update that says I'm gonna win, how about ya put the whacked-out cell phone down, Lazar? And anyway, it's still my move! I summon Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn, in ATK mode!" the masked black-feathered avian appeared (ATK: 2000).
'What a perfect monster for this bird-brain.' Lazar smirked.
"And as much as I would like to wipe that smirk off your face, Lazar, your trap card skipped over my battle-phase this turn," a reverse-card appeared, "so I guess you'll have to settle for a face-down!"
"Oh, whatever will I do." Lazar joked.
"Just lose! 'Cause I'm playin' this quick-play! Reload lets me re-draw my hand." Crow placed his hand back into his deck, and watched it automatically shuffle before drawing the same number, "Now let's see your precious profile predict the future."
"And predict the future it shall. It knows your every move before you can even think it."
"We'll just see! I got a new hand!" Crow sets another reverse, "But I think I'll end my turn with a face-down; and if you knew what I had planned, you'd take the first Dark Signer Express back to whatever rock you crawled out from! Hahahahaha!"
''Dark Signer Express'?' Lazar wondered, 'What a simpleton. I think it's time I put an end to this.' "I use the special ability of my Jester Confit."
"What?"
"During the end of your turn, we each pick one monster and send them back to our hands. Such a shame you only have one to choose from." both Confit and Sirocco both vanished back into their masters' hand.
"No! How can I fight a duel when you keep taking away all a' my monsters! Stop this clowning around already!" Crow exclaimed in horror, "Oh no! Now Jester's the only monster left, which means that his special ability is gonna activate!"
"And I'm sure you'll recall what that means for his ATK points, don't you, Crow! Adding your two face-downs and my three traps, we've got a total of five spell or trap cards on the field. We multiply that number by 1000 to get Jester Lord's new and improved ATK points!" five fireballs now juggled in Jester Lord's hands (ATK: 5000).
"Aaagh! We're through! No! It's over! And it's all my fault! I'm the worst duelist in the world! No! The universe!"
"Well if you continue to go on cackling like this, I'll have no choice but to tell Sector Security to permanently place you in a cage, where a chicken like you will feel right at home!
"It's all my fault!... No more double-cheeseburgers!"
"Stop whining, I can't even hear myself duel!" Lazar groaned.
"The Dark Signers won!...No more turbo-dueling!...should've done my homework!..."
"For the last time, I'm not a Dark Signer. But you might think I'm worse after I send you back to the Facility. That statement finally caught Crow's attention, "All you Satellites are the same. Your little underground duels, illegal decks; no wonder Security has a file on you a thousand gigs deep. The more they know, the more I know. Now let's just see what other tricks you might have up your sleeve. Now then, what does this Satellite have in the works?" Lazar once again took out the profile, back to Crow's trap, "Euh, would you mind giving me a quick second here?"
'Why is this thing still saying he's going to use his Fake Feather trap?' Lazar wondered, 'This can't be accurate! That trap requires his Sirocco to be in his hand. So why did he bother summoning it originally? Unless, the intel's correct and he did place his Fake Feather down first... No, I'm giving him too much credit. After playing his Reload spell he would've placed his Fake Feather down second. And now that I know where it is, he's finished!'
"I activate the Card of Distrain spell card," Lazar placed the spell onto his duel-disk, "If you have two or more face-down cards on the field, I get to choose one and freeze it, meaning it's off-limits all round!" he chuckled, "And guess what... I know where Fake Feather's hiding!" Lazar's spell card fired a beam and froze the second face-down Crow played, "And now with that trap 'trapped'... Jester Lord's safe to attack you directly!" on its master's command, the Terrible Trickster launched all five fireballs at his target, "Goodbye, Crow!"
Perhaps Crow was not prepared for this after all. Sure, he is good with his cards but with his opponent limiting his plays it is almost impossible to make a strategy. How could Crow parry with these circumstances?
...Oh, who am I for doubting? "Don't think so!" Crow grinned, "I activate Fake Feather!"
"It can't be!" gasped Lazar.
"You don't think all that sobbing was real, do ya? It's a trick I picked up in the streets to get someone just like you overconfident! Don't feel bad; if it's any consolation I've beaten duelers way better than you!" the Blackwing Duelist, discarded Sirocco the Dawn from his hand, "Now one a' the traps in your graveyard becomes property of yours truly! And I'm thinkin' Imperial Manners is the perfect fit; if one of your monsters attacks when I got no guys on my field to protect me, well then...all of your monsters on the field are destroyed!" and with that, the Horrible Harlequin was no more. "Don't you know that real men duel their opponents with decks and skill? Not with some cheap, petty profile, come on, Lazar! I figured you Dark Signers would know that dueling's about heart and soul, not a circuit board!"
"You think you are just so smart!" Lazar snapped, "Doing all the things you've been doing; pretending to be afraid of clowns; letting your own monsters vanish!"
"Well, to be honest, clowns used to freak me out; but not anymore!"
"Good for you." mocked Lazar, "I'm just so 'pleased' you were able to overcome the trauma of your 5th birthday party."
"Speakin' a' which, you ever think about gettin' a clown gig yourself? With that makeup and hair, you could pull it off."
"While I don't want to interrupt your stand-up routine, there's something you really ought to know. You see, my spell has a little thing I like to call an 'insurance policy'! If you happen to activate the card that I didn't pick, guess what? You're out 800 life-points!" the Vice-Director laughed as Crow got zapped.
Crow: 1200
Lazar: 4000
"And now...here's one more shocking surprise, Crow!" he then re-summoned Jester Confit back onto the field (ATK: 0).
"Why'dja bring him back?" Crow wondered.
"You see, if I special-summon Jester Confit, any monster you summon goes back to your hand at the end of your turn. And next, I'll activate this: the equip-spell, Spirit Burner!" Lazar played the spell and equipped it onto Jester Confit, "With this card in play, not only does my Jester switch to DEF mode, but it also returns to my hand at the end of your turn. But when *that* happens, you lose 600 points. This duel is over, Crow, know why? Because there's nothing you can do. Thanks to my Late Penalty trap card, if you summon a monster you won't be able to attack with it. Even when you can, Jester Confit will send it back to your hand. Also my Imperial Customs and Discord put your options somewhere between zero and nil. I told you: he who laughs last, laughs best, and guess what...?"
"Um, you're gonna lose, pal." Crow grinned, "See, my field's not empty; I'm sure you recall that little trap a' mine you froze last round? Now that card's all thawed out. Let's see what it is, now, shall we?" he then started his turn, drawing his last card, "I activate my facedown: Trap Stun! And with this bad boy in play, I can force all of your traps to take the round off, Lazar."
"Wait! You can't!" Lazar begged as all three of the Vice Director's continuous-traps were then petrified, crusted over with stone.
"Looks like you're not so tough without your three traps out there, are you? Synchro-summons, special attacks, now I can do it all without you getting in my way, Lazar! I play (3) Blackwing-Blizzard the Far North(2/ATK: 1300/DEF: 0)!" Crow summoned a new Blackwing onto his field; a relatively small white bird, graceful yet cartoony (ATK: 1300). He raised his duel disk like an arm for a hawk to land on, and Blizzard perches on it, "And, once it's summoned, I get a bonus! If there's another Blackwing in my graveyard, then I get to summon 'im to my field in DEF mode! So one more time, here's Blackwing - Bora the Spear!" Blizzard pecked at the graveyard slot, and awoken Bora, who now stood in DEF position. "How 'bout now we try a little tunin' fun? Blizzard the Far North, join forces with Blackwing - Bora the Spear!" the small flock of Blackwings soared into the air; Blizzard dissipated into three frosty synchro-gates, and Bora releasing his flesh and feathers into four stars. The two combined as Crow chanted:
"Pitch-dark power, lodge in its great wings and stir up the divine winds!Synchro-Summon!"
At last the stars exploded into a torrent of light, "If you Dark Signers have never seen a Blackwing synchro-summon, here's a little airmail message you'll never forget-"
"I'M NOT A DARK SIGNER!"
"Oh yeah? Well tell my new monster! Gust fiercely, (4) Blackwing Armed Wing(6/ATK: 2300/DEF: 1000)!" the new synchro-monster became a warrior avian in bronze armor as well a new bladed wings. A crown of orange feathers flowed from his masked visor. Gray feathers clothed over his chest-plate and braces. The new Blackwing cocked a hunting rifle with attached bayonet as he softly landed on solid ground (ATK: 2300).
The Synchro Summon faded as the new Synchro Monster descended, a thinner, less-armored version of Armor Master, with a mane of crimson feathers crowning his head, grey feathers adorning his shoulders between his chest-plate and bracers. Armed Wing gave a piercing shriek as he cocked the hunting rifle with attached bayonet he gripped in his hands, landing before Crow neatly (ATK: 2300).
"Fine, so you summoned a big monster. It'll take more than that! You still can't touch me!" Lazar said, "Jester's in DEF mode, which means your damage won't go through!"
"Um, I hate to put a damper on things, but whenever my Armed Wing attacks? He gains an extra 500 points, and can slice right through your big D."
Blackwing Armed Wing: (ATK: 2800)
"You can't!"
"Armed Wing, attack Jester Confit!" the Armored Avian spread his steel wings and made a dash at Jaster Confit. He spiraled in mid-air as he hit the clown with a barrage of blasts from his riffle, before turning his gun around to use the other end to slash at Lazar, cried out in both pain and surprise.
Crow: 1200
Lazar: 1200
"Well, looks like we're all tied up, aren't we?"
"I hope you know what this means... It's time that I bring out the big guns." the Vice Director glared back at Crow, his face twisted and deranged And send in the clowns!" but hiswords were cut off as an earthquake began, shaking the building and all around…
"What's that? An earthquake?" Crow gasped.
"No! It's...it's the Dark Signers, Crow!"
"Wait, so you're not one a' them?"
"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Lazar wailed.
Both: "WWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH"
The ground continued to shake. In the crater at the heart of the Satellite, a multitude of purple lights became visible, then exploding a column of purple light, erupting a flow of wicked radiance. The light widened, silhouetting everything in sight.
"Whoa! What's happenin'?" Crow wondered in bewilderment, "D'you think it's the Dark Signers?"
"I'm not planning on staying around so I can find out!" Lazar exclaimed, pulling his deck and cards from his disk before simply slipping it off of his arm and sprinting away. "Have fun, Crow! It's been... Bye!"
"You can't just run away!"Crow shouted after him, "We're in the middle of a duel!"
"Fine! You win, congratulations! I'll send you a gift basket!" Lazar shouted.
"You know that's not how it works, you little clown-faced cheater!" Crow barked, retracting the grappling hook and hurling it at Lazar as he sprinted after him. It struck the clown-faced man, but didn't even slow him down.
"Some things are more important than dueling, like my life!" Lazar raised a hand and a yellow thing extended from his sleeve. Crow stopped and stared as the balloon Lazar had concealed up his sleeve inflates, flying Lezar away. "It's been a pleasure, but I wouldn't hold my breath for that rematch! Bu-bye!"
"What's your hurry?" Crow demanded, "Whaddaya see? Get back down here an' duel me!"
As the ground shook again, and a veil of black smoke began to spread from the crater, enveloping the warehouse and headed straight for him "Uh-oh. Wait for me!" Crow ran and jumped onto his runner, snapping his duel disk into place. Dust exploded from beneath his wheels as he took off, the fog not far behind. Crow glanced back over his shoulder to see the darkness creeping over just as quickly.
The fog continued to lurk across the Satellite, its residents walking from their homes to see its wonder, unaware of what fate befell them as it veiled everything in shadow; even the sun's rays unable to penetrate its thick gloom.
"Come on! Just a little faster...!" Crow shot across the wasteland as fast as his duel-runner could take him, but to no avail as the fog was ht on his heels and gaining... "I can't catch a break! First it was clowns, now it's CLOUDS!" in fact, those were his final words before the dark veil devoured him, runner and all...
The day went by really quickly and as the sun sets over the city horizon. Akiza, Rico, and Yusei were watching this spectacular marvel from the balcony.
"I never paid much attention to sunsets," Akiza admitted, "and now this could be the last one we see."
"It could... but now we're a part of a team." Yusei said, "And we're all gonna defeat the darkness."
"Yeah... I almost feel bad for those Dark Signers. They don't know what's coming."
Magic and the twins were watching the sunset from behind a nearby window, enchanted as well.
Meanwhile, Jason was lying on a small grassy hill close to the mansion, when Kenichi stopped by.
"Hey, Jason, mind if I join?"
"Help yourself."
Kenichi sat next to his Signer friend. After a moment of silence, he spoke up, "Y'know, you really surprised us earlier when you told up...well, you know."
"It came as a shock for me too when I first found out." Jason said, sighing, "In fact, it feels like yesterday we first met right before the Fortune Cup."
Flashback...
"Hey-hey, baby!" they heard a voice coming from somewhere near the benches. There they saw a man about the same age as Jason. He wore a red jacket with black padding on the shoulders and elbows over a black shirt. He also had black knee-pads on his jeans and wore dark-grey boots. His hair was fiery-red with yellow bangs. "I saw you at practice. You were like a lightning bolt back there!"
Jason and co. walked towards the person, "You saw that?" Jason asked.
"Yeah! I was talking to that judge over there. But, uh, you really thinking about running in that Fortune Cup?"
"Um, yeah!"
The man reach into his jacket and pulled out something Jason has already: a Fortune Cup invitation, "Welcome to the club! This came by the mail sometime last week! I was preparing for it ever since! What say we go for a little turbo duel, you versus me?"
"You and me, turbo duel?" Jason wondered aloud.
"Oh you have to do it!" Katherine chirped as she tugged Jason's jean jacket.
"I think that's just perfect," Gabriella agreed, "A duel against another competitor will help you lots in tomorrow's contest."
"You think I can really do this?"
"Sure you can," Rico said, "Don't you remembered a few day ago when you beat me with only a structure deck? You have the skills, Jason. You can do it!"
Hearing Rico's words suddenly filled Jason's heart with determination. He was right, Jason does have the skills. So he decided to go with the flow, "Alright, where should we meet?"
"Right here, right now!" the man said, "We're dueling at the highway!"
I summon Genex Controller in ATK mode!" Jason's robotic tuner appeared(1400), "And now, I tune my Doctor with my Controller to synchro-summon, Windmill Genex!" Controller turned into three synchro-gates and Doctor became four stars as Jason chanted:
"Divested stars form a drifting soul! Become the winds that will guide him on his forgotten journey! Synchro-Summon! Windmill Genex(2000/1600), Accelerate!"
A new Genex synchro-monster appeared. It was like a giant fan with long arms and stumpy legs. "And check this out: he gains 300 ATK points for each card set in the spell-and-trap card zone!"
Windmill Genex: (ATK: 2300)
"This is not good..."
"No, it isn't! Now Windmill Genex, end this! Go, Windfarm Whirlwind!" on Jason's command, Windmill propelled its giant fan in rapid speeds that it created a giant tornado that rushed forward and slammed his opponent.
Jason: 600 (3)
Opponent: 0 (3)
After the duel, Jason and his opponent met up with everyone else at the gate.
"Holy cow! I almost had you back there, didn't I?" the man exclaimed.
"I'm just glad I could be your opponent." Jason took out his hand and the man shook it, "But still, I didn't get your name."
"Oh, right! Name's Kenichi Matsuda; but you can call me Ken."
"Mine's Jason Hutchins."
...End Flashback.
"Those were some good times, huh?" Ken said.
"Yeah..." Jason then sat up, "Kenichi, are you sure you want to come? It won't be like the Fortune Cup, you know."
"I know! But it's not like I can't hold my own! I'm not gonna just sit back and let you guys have all the fun!" Kenichi grinned, "And one other thing; soon as we're off I'm gonna show him that you need guts to duel; not some fancy glowing mark!"
Jason laughed a bit as he stood up, and lend a hand to Ken, "Then it's good to have you on board. Just let me know when you needed help."
"You got it!" Kenichi then took Jason's hand.
Meanwhile, Jack was lazing on the roof watching the sunset, painted clouds and looking at Carly's smashed glasses again. 'Carly... I'm gonna find you!'
"Jack?" he craned his neck to look without sitting up and saw Mina climbed up a ladder to him, "What're you doing all the way up here?"
"Is it too much to ask for some alone time?" Jack asked annoyed.
Mina then spotted the object in Jack's hand, "Carly's glasses..."
"What's the matter? Can't I have someone to duel for?"
"Jack, sorry! But you won't believe what's happening!"
"Believe what, Mina?"
"What's happening in the Satellite...!"
Soon, everyone was at the Sector Security HQ and what they saw on the big screen was a large dome of black clouds that engulfed most of Satellite. It also showed images of the Satellite but with no people there.
"Everyone seems to have vanished." Akiza gasped.
"What happened to Satellite?" Luna asked.
"It looks like it turned into a ghost town!" Leo added.
"There's no doubt about it; this is the Dark Signers' handiwork." Jason deducted, "But what exactly happened?"
"It's a mystery to all of us;" Mina said, "If I guessed, some sort of mystical barrier that came from somewhere underground."
"Can we fly in?" Yusei asked.
"I think so, but it's dangerous. Scans don't penetrate, and...we could lose our bit feed any second." as if on cue, the screens all showed static.
"Well I've heard enough; I'm going right now." Jack exclaimed, "That sure beats sitting here doing nothing, you hear me?"
"Of course. I'll call the helicopter, but Jack, we have no idea what's waiting for you over there."
Bright in the morning, the group stood with Mina and Goodwin on top of the Security building, staring out towards the barely-visible Satellite on the horizon.
"Well, this is it." Luna sighed.
"Uh-huh." Leo replied, still a bit nervous.
"Jack, can I ask you a question?" Mina asked.
"I'd prefer not." Jack stated matter-of-factually, keeping his gaze fixed on his home.
"But we all know that the Dark Signers love revenge and anger."
"Your point being...? That they might be able to use that against me?" he asked, "Carly's out there somewhere, I just know it." at that, Mina remembered him looking down at Carly's glasses. "And I'm gonna get 'er back; even if it means taking out every Dark Signer that dares get in my way!" Mina was silent, miserable; she couldn't bring herself to argue with Jack, even to keep him safe.
"Let's stay on task, gentlemen." Goodwin announced, "You need to get to the original Ener-D Reactor in the Satellite."
"Original what, now?" Aiza asked.
"What's it do?" Leo asked.
"It's the source of the negative energy that caused this dark smoke to appear. And in a twist of fate, the project itself was created by the forerunners of Yusei and Margaret." Everyone but Jack had their eyes wide.
"You mean as in our Yusei?" Akiza asked.
"Are you for real?" Luna asked.
"Yeah, are you?" Leo asked.
"Yes, and this is an opportunity for them to heal the mistakes of the past; and now all of you have the chance to make things right again. You must beat the Dark Signers and find the Reactor. Then, if you're able, activate it in reverse. Hopefully this will create a surge of positive energy, and imprison the Shadow Army again!" Goodwin said as an aircraft began to descend on the helipad. "I've arranged for special transportation to the Satellite Sector. I believe you already know the pilots." as soon as the chopper landed, the pilots came out of it before saluting.
"Officer Trudge, ready as ordered, sir." Officer Trudge announced.
"We're fully fueled and ready for take-off!" Officer Justine Altman added.
"That's excellent." Goodwin said.
"Hope ya packed some peanuts!" Yusei joked. It's Trudge, after all; of course Yusei's going to bait him.
"Wait, how many pilots does it take to work a helicopter?" Jason asked innocently.
"I'm supposed to fly you?" Altman shrieked, "I can't believe I had to skip a vacation for this!"
"Goodwin, what is it with you and these guys?" Trudge roared, "You want 'em in jail, you want 'em out! Now you're giving them a first-class ride! Well, you can forget it-"
"Officer Trudge, nice to meet you." Mina stepped forward, at her sweetest. Trudge sprung to another salute, recomposing himself.
"Oh, Mina! It's so good to see you too! Did you get the flowers I sent you?"
"Of course I did. You should probably know that I'm flying, too."
Trudge blushed, "You are?"
"Well I ain't! So count me out!" Justine began to walk away until David stopped her. "Outta the way!"
"I'm afraid you're going to have to follow through getting us to Satellite safely." David stated with full earnest.
"Says who?"
David smirked a bit before reaching into his blazer, and presenting a shiny object right at Justine's line or sight; it was a Security badge. "Says Guardian Security."
The officer cringed for a bit, knowing she has no authority over the military "Alright, fine..."
"Thought so." David said as he put the badge away.
In the meantime, Mina turned to the group, "We're good to go. Now let's board up."
"I can't believe I have to fly economy..." Jack grumbled.
"At least we got two pilots," Ken joked, "I mean with Trudge and Altman sharing half a brain-stem, we're gonna need as much escort as possible."
"It's too early for jokes, Kenichi," David retorted, "You're not that funny anyway."
"Hey!"
The group started to walk away until Yusei stopped to look at Goodwin.
"Wait a minute." Yusei said.
"What, d'you get airsick?" Leo asked.
"Before we go any further, I need you to promise me something."
"What is it?" Goodwin asked.
"If we're successful and save the world, you need to finish that bridge connecting the Satellite and the City. People have a right to be free; and I won't go unless you agree." Everyone just looked at him.
"It might not even be possible to do what you ask, Yusei."
"And why's that?"
"For years, the people of the Satellite and the City lived far apart. It's a way of life everyone accepts. Change takes time."
"Then I guess you'll have to find a seventh Signer, 'cause unless you promise to do it, then you're one deck short."
Goodwin looked at him for a while, before nodding, "Very well. I'll build the bridge." Yusei nods; the bargain has been sealed. Just then, the sun cleared the horizon, lighting Yusei's poker-face with sunlight.
"Let's move it, pretty-boy, there's no time to waste!" Trudge called out. Without another look back, the group walked toward the aircraft.
Goodwin watched as the helicopter lifted off the helipad and went towards the helicopter. 'The fate of the world is in your hands! And Yusei, do not doubt yourself!'
"You've got some well-wishers starboard side." Trudge announced at the controls. The passengers looked out at the window to see Dexter, Yanagi, and Tanner at the port waving goodbye.
"Leo! Luna!" Dexter cried.
"Good luck! Kick some Dark Signer deck!" Yanagi cheered.
"We will!" Leo called.
"We'll be back soon you guys!" Luna called as well.
"You'll do great!" Dexter cheered.
"We're all counting on you!" Yanagi added.
"We'll keep the Jacuzzi warm!" Tanner added as well.
"Don't touch my stuff!" Leo called back.
"Goodbye!" Luna said in the same tone.
As Yusei sat there, he clenched his fist. 'I promise it won't be goodbye forever! 'Cause I'm gonna do everything I can to beat these Dark Signers!'
DUEL-MON DATABASE
(1) Jester Lord
Stats: [Spellcaster/Effect] Level 1 ATK/ 0 DEF/ 0
Attribute: DARK
Description: While this card is the only monster on the field, it gains 1000 ATK for each card in the Spell & Trap Card Zones.
(2) Jester Confit
Stats: [Spellcaster/Effect] Level 1 ATK/ 0 DEF/ 0
Attribute: DARK
Description: You can Special Summon this card from your hand in face-up Attack Position. If you do, return this card and 1 face-up monster your opponent controls to the hand during the End Phase of your opponent's next turn. You can only control 1 face-up "Jester Confit"
(3) Blackwing-Blizzard the Far North
Stats: [Winged-Beast/Effect] Level 3 ATK/1300 DEF/0
Attribute: DARK
Description: This card cannot be Special Summoned. When this card is Normal Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Blackwing" monster from your Graveyard in face-up Defense Position.
(4) Blackwing Armed Wing
Stats: [Winged-Beast/Synchro/Effect] Level 2 ATK/2300 DEF/1000
Attribute: DARK
Description: 1 "Blackwing" Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters
If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, it gains 500 ATK during the Damage Step only. During battle between this attacking card and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower then the ATK of this card, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent.
Magic: "Hey! It's me, Margaret! I am so excited to be back at my old stomping grounds! I just wished it was on better situations than this! Just wait 'till those Dark Signers get what's comming to them! Right, Silent Magician? Next time on Reverse of Arcadia: Mark of the Spider! Time to make some magic!"
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