YuGiOh 5D's: Konami/Kazuki Takahashi
Blue lightning struct over the ruined wasteland known as Satellite, over the crater that was the original Ener-D Reactor. Under the giant well residents the long table where the Dark Signers conference. As of this moment only two of the Dark Signers reside; on one end of the table was Rex Goodwin's elder brother, Roman. A five-pronged, fully-lit candle rested on the table near him. On the father end of the table settled the herald of the Dark Signers, Gabriella Cheshire. Six cards were placed along the end of the table, all face-down. She has her arm propped against the chair's arm with her head resting in her open hand, staring in the darkness with a bored expression. It was not long until she saw one of the flames blown out of one of the candles by an invisible force.
"So I'm guessing Devack has failed," she sighed, "And to think he has more potential than that."
"No matter. Where one soldier falls, another may rise," Roman picked up the candle-holder and rose from his chair, "Time to pay our prisoners a little visit." Gabriella smirked.
The two walked down a stone hallway that reminice a bit of the Facility in New Domino, due to the fact that that it was lined with cells and windows without end. Eventually they stopped towards a door and unlocked it, revealing Greiger sitting on a plain cot on the wall. The South American Colossus looked up at them, the wary defeat of an actual cowed prisoner, "You can take care of Greiger; I'll take care of the other one," while Roman left with Greiger, Gabriella was all alone in the cell, if it was even empty at all. With a simple flick of her hand, she let the door close in behind her. From the corner of her eye she saw something that was hiding from behind where the door used to be before it closed; a yound woman pressed herself against the wall, hugging her folded legs on the floor.
"It's been a long time..., Xiki Nomura."
YuGiOh 5D's
Reverse of Arcadia
Ride 38: A Whale of a Ride
Part 1: Surpassed Boundary
Moments later, Roman had led Greiger to the catwalk with the glowing multicolored void underneath, "The moment you tried to take out Goodwin during the Fortune Cup, I knew I liked you," he said, "I couldn't let them send someone with your potential away to some maximum-security Facility. So I had you freed, and brought here, so you may come face-to-face with your true destiny!" he removed his hood, revealing his gruesome, devious facial features.
"What is all this?" Greiger wondered aloud as he looked down at the suwirling mass, nonplussed.
"We stand above the gateway to the Netherworld; the doorway to the shadows."
"And why have you brought me here?"
"To help you, Greiger. I brought you here to give you power like you've never known in your life. You're going to become a Dark Signer."
"Just what is that?"
"Tell me something, Greiger. Now that you've had some time to sit on it, have you 'forgiven' Goodwin? Have you found it in your heart to forgive him for what he did to your village?"
Greiger's face hardened at the mention of the name, "Are you kidding? I'm as angry as I was that day at the tournament! Maybe even more so!" he growled, "I will never forgive Goodwin for what he did!"
"Which is why you must become a Dark Signer," Roman walked onto one of the four catwalks that connected the platform in the middle, so Greiger was standng in the center, "Embrace your anger; you're going to need it."
Suddenly, a trapdoor suddenly gave beneath Greiger's feet, and he dropped into the malestrom below. As he fell, a long tendril quickly wrapped itself around his throat into a hangman's noose, suspending him there above the rainbow liquid.
"Your life as you know it is over, Greiger. The shadows of the Netherworld will consume the man you once were, sparing only your thirst for revenge! You will lose yourself and become your anger! This will give you the power to defeat Goodwin and his precious Crimson Dragon! Now, the path of vengeance begins, with the one who first stood in your way, the one who stopped you from destroying Goodwin while you had the chance, for your brother and sister, for your entire village, taken from you by the Crimson Dragon; you must finish what you started! And you must start with Yusei Fudo! Greiger, I give you new life... as a Dark Signer!" A pillar of energy surges up from the swirling void, around Greiger. Deep in the mist, he opens his eyes, shocked suddenly, as black as the night. Roman stood next to the drophole, laughing maniacly towards the darkness above.
Later...
The Blackbird duel-runner still lied in the street, abandoned. However, an old refrigerator standing on the side of the road nearby. Crow opened the fridge door, having been hidden inside. He was still wearing his helmet, and he rubbed his head and fell to his knees, then to the ground on his face. He struggled up on his hands to look around, "How did I end up here?" he groaned. He remembered diving into the refrigerator to escape the black fog. Crow got to his feet and pulled his runner up off the ground. He climbed on it before he falls over, and once in place, expertly pulled down the left-side armbar. He couldn't walk, but apparently he can ride. He toggled the right-side acceleration grip, and took off. As he rode down the street, he was struck by the silence and emptiness. Whatever he saw, were just shadows of what was once there. Any thought he had of a crowded town was only a vision, "Everyone's gone!" he whispered, then gasped, "Oh, no! I gotta check on my nest! I hope my friends're okay!" He turned around and zoomed back the other way, racing past empty buildings and through empty streets, to his hideout in the shadow of the Daedalus Bridge.
"If they're all missing as well, I don't know what I'll do!" Crow brakes hard outside his hideout and pulled back the curtains, "Anybody in here? Talk to me!" he called, "Come on, you guys, it's me, Crow! Stop messin' around and come out, no more hide-n'-seek!"
"Crow?" Crow found a couple of kids are peeking out of the doorway of the building next-door, "Is it really you?"
"We're all over here, Crow!"
Even a little girl was found looking down from the second story, along with a dog.
"Did you say Crow?"
"You're back!" They all ran toward him, laughing and cheering.
"There you are! Man, I was-" but as a girl jumped into Crow's arms she vanishes before reaching him; another did the same. One by one the rest disappeared. Crow was alone again. The children were only illusions, like the people in the street. Crow looked at his hands in horror. His nestlings were gone. The only thing left he could do is cry out to the infernos below, with no chance of hope.
Crow stood with his Blackbird at the tip of the unfinished bridge, when blue lightning rended the sky behind him. Crow looked back and saw the mark of the giant illuminate the sky, "The Dark Signers... They're gonna pay for this!" he got onto his runner and raced off the bridge, and into the street. A few minutes has passed while Crow rode through Satellite and then he noticed a rather large duel-runner. The outlaw Satellite ramped his duel-runner over some rubble, crashing down and skidding to a halt in way of the giant vehicle.
"Get outta my way!" its rider barked.
"Sorry, pal, but you're not goin' anywhere!" then Crow took a full look at the rider, "Hey wait, I know who you are..." the rider was indeed a colossal man wearing black pants and a leather chestplate. His long black hair spilled out of his cowskull helmet. Dark markings lined across his dark skin. The giant chopper he was riding was famous for its silver cowskull design, with a pair of spiked axels attatched to its back wheels, "You're Greiger. Hang on... You're a Dark Signer? Whadda you want?"
"I'm looking for Yusei."
"Yeah? Well you found *Crow*! And you're not goin' anywhere until we turbo-duel!"
"You're challenging me?" Greiger scoffed, "Get real; you're not a Signer."
"Listen, Greiger! The only thing that matters is you're a Dark Signer, and that means you're gonna pay for what you did! And the only currency I accept is bitter defeat!"
"What're you talking about? I didn't do anything."
"Don't try to play dumb with me! Your giant monster and your freaky dark fog have taken everyone from Satellite, including the orphans I was taking care of!" Crows anger continued to boil, "They were just innocent kids, man, they didn't do anything to you! But I guess that's how you guys operate. Well not anymore, pal, I'm gonna stop you!"
"...You speak to me of vengeance. I am on my own path to revenge, and it does not involve you. My fight is with Goodwin. But before I deal with him, I'm going to deal with that little puppet of his, Yusei Fudo!"
"Well I'm afraid I've got some bad news for ya, chump! If you wanna get to Yusei, you're gonna have to go through me!"
"You don't get it! You're not a Signer, you aren't worthy of a battle with me!"
"Y'know, I had a feeling you jerks wouldn't accept my challenge. So I got a little insurance," Crow held up a device that was counting down from five minutes. He slotted it into a spot next to his duel disk, "It's an electromagnetic pulse charge. When it goes off, that duel runner of yours is history. And if you think you can get away in time, you haven't seen me ride!"
Greiger again scoffed, "That's a bold move. Since you're so determined to destroy yourself, I guess I'll oblige you. Perhaps by dueling you, I can lure Yusei right into my hands!"
The two were later driving to a suitable battleground, "This is a real shadow duel, Crow. Once we start, there's no going back. And when the final card has been played, only one of us is walking away."
"Well? You Dark Signers took everything I had! I'm already at a point of no return."
"Very well."
"Oh, and one little thing! Let's do this for real. No autopilot, no restrictions. You ready?"
"I'll let my Speed World field-spell answer that for me!" Greiger said pressing a button on his runner.
"DUEL MODE ENGAGED. AUTO-PILOT DEACTIVATED."
Both runners' screens revealed the Speed World and shifted to duel-mode. The area around them tinted purple and blue-violet fires sprang up in a fish-like design, reflected against the overcasting sky.
Meanwhile, Yusei, along with Margaret, the twins and Trudge was on their way to the Giant Tower, until they saw the new geoglyph in the sky.
"Is that a whale?" Leo asked.
"I don't remember Mina mentioning any Dark Signers with a 'whale' mark!" Trudge said.
"That's 'cause there isn't one..." Yusei said, "unless they managed to turn someone new into a Dark Signer!"
"Something isn't right here," Luna gasped, "my mark isn't glowing!"
"That must mean that whoever's battling isn't a Signer, right?" Leo realized.
"I guess we'll have to go find out!" Margaret said; Yusei and Trudge accelerated to pick up the speed.
"Since we're freestylin' this turbo-duel, the duelist who gets to the first corner first decides who makes the first move," Crow said, "You ready?"
"I was born ready!" Greiger said, "How should we count down?"
"Here ya go, pal!" Crow detatched the 'electromagnetic device' from earlier and tosses it to the side on the ground, "Don't worry; that's just my alarm clock from my bedroom. How 'bout we kick off when that counter gets down to zero?"
Greiger nodded and smiled a bit, "You had me goin', there.
Crow: And I'll have you goin' second, once I get to the first turn first!"
They waited for a few more seconds until they heard a beeping sound signaling that the timer reached zero. The two runners then shot off. Crow revved his runner's engine and sped up, Greiger soon followed.
"LET'S DUEL!"
Crow: 4000 (0)
Greiger: 4000 (0)
'HIs runner has a lot more horsepower than mine. But I gotta remember, that it's not how fast you drive, but how skillfully you arrive!' Crow thought as he tapped the footpad and zooms onward.
"Whaddaya doing? D'you seriously think you can beat me around that first corner?" Greiger demanded, "Lemme show you what real speed looks like!"
"Ya call that fast?" on Crow's monitor, he can see Greiger pulling ahead of him. As they go around the curve, Greiger's runner skidded to the outside.
"I've got you beat, Crow!"
"Think again!"
Coming out of the turn, Crow puts on a burst of speed, and left Greiger far behind, "You wanted me to take the curve as fast as I could, didn't you!"
"Of course I did! With a big frame like that taking a curve at that speed? I knew you'd slide out to the edge and leave an opening for me! My runner's smaller, which lets me 'zig' when you 'zag'! Looks like I get the first move, Greiger!" this Crow began the duel, "And from my hand, I summon (1) Blackwing Shura the Blue Flame(4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1200)!" portal opened and a humanoid crow-like tengu with blue feathers on its head appeared on the field (ATK: 1800), "Next I place one card face-down and end my turn!" a reverse-card appeared before disappearing.
"It's my move!" Greiger announced as he started his turn, "First, I'm summoning Trap Reactor Y-FI from my hand!" a dark-green robot formed from a World War II fighter plane appeared (ATK: 800), "Next, I activate (5) Diving Exploder's(1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0) special-ability! When I discard this from my hand, then all monsters on the field have their battle-stats reversed! So it looks like that bird of yours is about to be grounded, Crow! I guess going first isn't all that it's cracked up to be, is it!" he cackled as a ghostly image of a mechanical claw appeared overhead holding a bomb, "I warned you, Crow; you can't possibly defeat a Dark Signer! Go, Diving Exploder!" It swooped up and dropped the explosive on Crow. The explosion itself caused much smoke, but both duelists zoom out of it unharmed.
Blackwing-Shura the Blue Flame: (ATK: 1200/DEF: 1800)
Trap Reactor Y-FI: (ATK: 1800/DEF: 800)
"And now, Trap Reactor Y-FI, attack! Treat Crow to a round of Double-R Cannon!" The robotic WWII plane hover over the blue feathered tengu and gunned it down with its machine guns destroying it into pixels.
Crow: 3400 (2)
Greiger: 4000 (2)
"Agh.. off to a wobbly start..." Indeed, Crow's runner was wobbling a bit and a bump in the rough ground sent it flying. Crow was now in midair, struggling to hang on.
He could see recent events right before his eyes, where he saw the orphans disappear right in front of him. He knew that if he loses now then he would never redeem himself for his failure to protect them. Unable to land on the road again, he fell off the narrow highway he was riding on...
Meanwhile, Yusei, Margaret, Trudge, and the Twins soon made it to the geoglyph and were driving beside the flames.
'Another shadow duel? But who's fighting?' Yusei wondered, before turning toward the others in the jeep, "You guys stay back, while I check things out! It's too dangerous!"
"No way, Yusei!" Margaret exclaimed, "We're not leaving you alone out there!"
"What if something happens?" Luna said with a worried expression, "We don't even know who this new Signer is! And what if they have another Earthbound Immortal!"
"Yeah! I thought we were like the Three Musketeers, not the Lone Ranger!" Leo added, "We won't let you go solo!"
Yusei nodded, "All right, Leo, but I'll go on ahead and scout out the duel."
"Just find a way to signal us as soon as you find something, okay?" Margaret asked.
Yusei agreed; and with that, he leaned to the side, merging toward the edge of the road. He twisted the acceleration handle and jumped the edge of the highway. Yusei landed and bounced on his back wheel and then forward onto his front, before landing solidly and riding onward, 'Time to see who's throwin' down.'
"No! I can't go down like this! I owe it to the kids!"
Crow opened his runner's wings, and shot the talon-like pedastal from below the bike into the side of the track from which he fell. Gliding with his wings he sailed in a wide arc upward, tethered by the cord between the stand/claw and the bottom of his runner, and back onto the track. The grappling stand ripped out of the track and retracted, bouncing Crow's runner one more time. He folded his wings back up and kept riding, Greiger some distance behind him.
'Not bad. But if Crow had any brains, he'd use those wings to fly away,' Greiger admitted, and then concluded his turn with a face-down card, "Hope your flight wasn't too scary! But then again why would it be, since you're a better pilot than duelist! Too bad those skills won't help you outmaneuver my next attack!"
'I sure hope he's wrong,' Crow thought, ''Cause it looks like Yusei wasn't kidding about these battles.'
Flashback...
"Crow, this isn't just another duel!" Yusei shook his head, irritated, "You face them, you play for keeps, and I'm not talkin' about your deck! They put up some kinda force field when they challenge you, and then no one leaves 'til the duel's over. All the battle damage is real. Even if you manage to win, you're still talkin' about a world of hurt. And if you lose? Well I don't even wanna think about that.
...End Flashback.
'Well then it's time I play for keeps, too! And that means I gotta figure out a way to take out Greiger and that runner of his a-sap! The Dark Signers took my family away, and now they're gonna pay for their misdeeds.' "I'm comin' at you with everything I got! So prepare yourself, Greiger, 'cause this bird's got some claws!" Crow then drew his next card, "First off, I'll be activating my speed-spell Angel Baton. And as long as I have 2 speed-counters, I get to draw 2 cards. Now let's see what I have in store for you!" he drew twice more and discarded one of them, "It's not lookin' good, Greiger. I summon my (2) Blackwing-Mistral the Silver Shield(2/ATK: 100/DEF: 1800) in DEF mode!" a blue feathered owl like bird with a silver helmet on its head and shield on its chest appeared (DEF: 1800), "And since I already have a Blackwing on my field, I can summon out Blackwing-Bora the Spear! And these birds-of-prey are about to pounce on you!" Crow's avian spearman appeared next to Mistral (ATK: 1700).
"Bring it on!" Greiger challenged, "I'll bring both those birds down to earth!"
"Not if I end this shadow-duel now! Blackwing Bora, take apart his Y FI!" Bora charged at the green plane robot and stabbed it with its huge spiral black lance, destroying it on impact. The explosions from Y-FI's wild blasts took a chunk out of the side of an adjacent building, which then fell down toward Greiger, kicking up a huge cloud of dust, "Nice knowin' ya!" however, Greiger's roar was heard as he burst out of the cloud, with Y-FI intact.
Crow: 3400 (3)
Greiger: 3100 (3)
"What? How come Greger's Y-FI is still running?" Crow questioned.
"That's because I activated this face-down card before you attacked: the trap card Fake Explosion," Greiger revealed his reverse-card, "So not only is my Y-FI still flying high, but I get to summon another monster, which will even up the playing field! And who better to call for backup than Summon Reactor SK!" the large, beige robot created from fighter-plane parts appeared, with propeller turbines for shoulders, eyes glowing through cockpit windows and landing gear for arms (ATK: 2000).
'Way to go, Crow,' the Satellite groaned, "not only didn't you take 'im out, but you let 'im expand his air-force! And as long as he's got Trap Reactor Y-FI and Summon Reactor SK on the field, you're only one attack away from being sent to the Netherworld! I just know he's holding on to Spell Reactor RE, and once all 3 are out there, in comes the big dog: Flying Fortress SKY FIRE! That bad boy almost took out Yusei in the tournament. Now it's gonna come after me!'
Meanwhile, Yusei was still riding down the track somewhere within the geoglyph, 'This duel must be around here somewhere. Unless... they're turbo-dueling! Guess I'm gonna have to track 'em down!' he kept riding, his new course of action clear. And before a minute has passed he sees a light up ahead, "There! It's them!"
"Why don't you finish your turn so I can end your misery! You will never beat me, Crow! Not with the dark power I- Huh?" Greiger's runner played a beeping porximity alarm, and broke off to look at it. A camera showed the track behind him, where another rider and runner were coming up on him fast.
Crow noticed it as well on his screen as well. The figures came up closer and it turned out to be Yusei, "Yusei's here!"
"But he won't be for long!" growled Greiger.
Yusei smiled as he rode up beside the duelists, "I'm so glad you're all right, Crow!" but then gasped as he saw the colossal duel-runner next to him, Greiger? Why are...? Wait! Are you the...?"
"Dark Signer? Yes! This was the only way to get revenge on Goodwin for what he did to me!" Greiger proclaimed, "He destroyed my family, Yusei! And if joining the Dark Signers is what it takes to make sure that man pays, then so be it!"
"Crow, you remember what happens in these shadow-duels; so please let me take your place," Yusei called, "This is my battle to fight."
"Forget it!" Crow snapped, "It was the Dark Signers who stole my family from me! They trusted me to look out for them. And when the Dark Signers' mist covered Satellite, I couldn't do anything! They're all gone and it's all my fault!"
Yusei gasped, "All of them? No!"
"Now d'you see why I gotta do this? I started this duel and I'm ending it."
"Listen!"
"To what! You're not talkin' me outta this, Yusei! Those kids were all I had; I owe them this much. And so much more. See, you don't know the truth about me. I never had a family. I never had to do chores or go to sleep early. Now I know that living without rules might sound like fun, but 'round here, it was dangerous. I learned that the only person I could depend on was me. And the world can be a lonely place when your only company is your shadow. A warm meal... a soft bed... these're the things I dreamed about. But becoming a professional duelist is what I hoped for the most! And so I tried to make my dream a reality. I figured if I could build a deck, I might win a few duels and *score* my way outta Satellite. So I hit the dump; it was the only place where a kid from the streets could hope to find a card or two. They weren't just cards, ya see? They were my ticket outta here! And right away I realized that it wasn't gonna be an easy trip. Then one day, I was wandering around town with my new card, until a bunch of bigger kids walked up to me and asked about my cards. I thought they'd take them away. But that's when I learned that your deck is like your soul, and no one would ever steal that. The cards I had were all based on birds; so obviously that gave me my name. Soon it stuck, and so did everything else I learned from them about dueling. Next thing I knew, I had friends. I had a family. I met you, Yusei, and Jack, and Magic. You weren't just my buddies, you were my siblings. Everything was taken from me, but dueling gave me a new beginning. And I wasn't about to let anyone else have to face their shadow as their only friend. I learned to fly, and it was up to me to teach others the same. I found kids that were like me; ones that had no family or didn't have anywhere to go but the streets of Satellite. I looked out for them, made sure they were safe, taught them how to duel; and together, we learned the most important lesson: when you have friends, you're never alone. They were my family, Yusei. And as much as you think that I saved them, it was them who saved me."
"But Crow... why risk everything?" Yusei asked.
"Because! They took them all away!" Crow cried, "The Dark Signers attacked us, using that cloud to steal the spirits of everyone! And what does Greiger do? He goes and joins them. As far as I'm concerned he's responsible! And now it's time for his punishment!"
"Are you done taking us on this trip down memory lane?" Greiger demanded as he drew his next card, "Because now it's my turn to send you on a trip to the Netherworld!"
"Stop it!" Yusei snapped, "Don't you get it, you're on the same side! You both lost your families and that's why you're dueling! You should be working together to get back what matters most, not tearing each other apart in a shadow-duel! Look, you told me what happened, Greiger. Goodwin's the one you want to make pay for this! You told me how he was the one who destroyed your village. So now what? You get your revenge by joining the Dark Signers and taking out Goodwin with the rest of humanity?"
"That's why I need to win this duel, Yusei!" Yusei said, "Greiger has to be stopped!"
"Not like this. Crow, this duel is all about revenge! That makes you as bad as him!"
"You dunno what you're talking about! This is something that I just have to do!"
"No it's not!"
"This is my battle, ya got that? If hate is what it takes to win it, then so be it! An' anyway, friend, we're talking about a shadow-duel, here. There's no stopping it!" Crow puts a forearm under his visor, wiping his eyes. He flung his arm back and tears flew from his hand, hitting Yusei's visor and sliding off with the wind.
"Crow..." Yusei realized that this was serious, "Then good luck! But remember this: hate won't bring your friends back!"
"We'll see."
"Let's end this once and for all!" Greiger toggleed the right-hand accelerator and the jet engines on the back of his runner kicked in, "Now I summon Spell Reactor RE to my field in ATK mode!" the red mechanical dragon with its rack of missiles appeared (ATK: 1200), "With it, I can activate the special-ability of Summon Reactor SK! So by sending it, Spell Reactor, and Trap Reactor to the graveyard, I get to summon out my favorite monster!" the three reactors gained a blinding coat of repectively yellow, red and green light.
"Oh no..." Yusei gasped, "that move nearly beat me before."
Greiger: I'm glad you haven't forgotten how close you came to losing to Flying Fortress SKY FIRE!" his Dark Signer markings glowed brightly as Greiger slapped the card onto his console, and the three glowing machines disintergrated, "But rest assured this time Crow won't be so lucky!" the remanants of all three reactors' abilities formed a towering, dark-green robot. Being made from the three original reactor monsters, it truly lived up to its name as the 'Flying Fortress' as it loomed over the Blackbird.
"That's not a monster," Crow gasped, "that's World War Four!"
"If you think it's scary now, just you wait! Because if I send a card to the graveyard at the end of my turn, I get to destroy any one of the cards on your field!" Greiger snarled, "And first up is your Silver Shield!" SKY FIRE machine-guned mistral into oblivion, "And now, for SKY FIRE's main attack; I target your Blackwing Spear! Let's lock n' load!" the fortress' shelled bombs spiraled around each other and smashed into Bora, causing a giant explosion.
Crow toggleed his right-grip, barely staying ahead of the force of the exerting whirlwinds, "Silver Shield's gone, but that doesn't stop his special ability from activating," the phantom of Mistral appeared and rammed itself against the chasing twisters, keeping them at bay until the winds finally subsided, "See, as soon as you took it out, all the damage I would've taken drops to zero!"
"You've just prolonged your pain," Greiger said, "Now which one of your little birds is going to swoop in and save you?"
Crow groaned exasperately, 'I wish I knew that myself. His SKY FIRE looks unstoppable. Not only can its special ability destroy any one of my cards, but if I take one direct hit from that metal monster, it's gonna be 'bye-bye blackbird'! If I wanna win this, I'd better do it fast! And that means it all comes down to this draw.' "Here we go!" Crow then started his turn and drew his next card, but he was not pleased with what he got, 'Not exactly what I was hopin' for, but maybe my deck's tryin' to tell me somethin'. If I can't 'stop' SKY FIRE's special ability, maybe I should just roll with it. As much as I hate to lose a monster, that may be just the thing that saves me!' "I play this in DEF mode: (3) Blackwing-Vayu the Emblem of Honor(1/ATK: 800/DEF: 0)!" a small blackbird with red crest feathers and wings crossing each other at its front appeared (DEF: 0).
"What a waste! I was hoping to destroy something of value this turn!" Greiger said, "Your Vayu is about as threatening as a rubber-duck! And I can't wait to hear the squeak it makes, once my SKY FIRE takes out it, and your life-points! It's been real, Crow!" SKY FIRE's bombs fell ontop of Vayu. The explosion rocked Crow forward so only his front wheel was near the ground, and he took flight again, flying forward top first. Crow landed on his front wheel, bounced, and at that point was flying toward the flaming wall.
Crow: 2600 (5)
Greiger: 3100 (5)
Crow pressed a button on a right-hand grip, and twisted a left-hand one to sit vertically. His runner's wings extended and gratet along the sides of the track, kicking up sparks. Crow jumped and landed back on the track, wincing, "Now that was a close one! Are you ready to take this duel up a notch?"
"Sure I am," Greiger said, "but your field's running on empty!"
"Well I'm about to fill 'er up, Greiger! I activate Vayu's special ability! So by removing my Vayu and another monster in my graveyard from the game, I'm now allowed to synchro-summon!"
"But your monsters are all in the graveyard!"
Crow scoffed, "Well then consider this a message from the Great Beyond. So listen up, I choose Blackwing-Elphin the Raven, and Vayu the Emblem of Honor!" ghostly images of Vayu and Elphin the Raven appeared from Crow's console and over his Blackbird. A glowing red crest projected from Vayu like a shadow. Vayu's one star and Elphin's six soon began the dance of a synchro-summon.
"Darkened gales, become the wings which will soar to the heavens! Synchro Summon!"
"One-on-one they weren't much of a match for you. But now they're hatching into a whole new bird of prey! I synchro-summon, (4) Blackwing Armor Master(7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 1500)!" a beam of light shot out of the ring and a man clad entirely in obsidian black armor appeared, decorated with crimson markings. Its face was masked behind a red jewel set into the beak of its bird-head shaped helmet and its clawed gauntlets clenched into fists, as wings of obsidian plate spread over out from behind it (ATK: 2500), "And as another bonus, 'pal', I get to summon a second Blackwing monster as long as there's already one on my field! This lucky bird is Blackwing-Gale the Whirlwind!" the black-feathered humanoid raven with a yellow face and green feathers on its head appeared next to Armor Master (ATK: 1300).
"You got two monsters for the price of nothing! Perhaps I did underestimate your little birds," Greiger said, "But you gotta realize that this duel isn't about believing in your deck. It's what I call a 'numbers game'. And after taking a look at your monsters' ATK points, I can see your strategy is for the birds!"
"Now! Blackwing Armor Master! Attack Flying Fortress SKY FIRE! Go, Black Hurricane!" Armor Master punched the robotic plane as a huge tailwind emerged from Armor Master's fist, but wasn't destroyed in the process.
"That's impossible, he should've been destroyed!" Greiger gasped.
"Hasn't anyone told ya, life's full of disappointments, Greiger!" Crow grinned, "And here's another, I don't take any damage!"
"Then why attack? It was all just a waste!"
As Armor Master pulled away, he left a gleaming black splinter sticking in SKY FIRE's main gun turret, "Look again! 'Cause my monster just made a bullseye!"
"Whadda you mean?"
"It's just part of Armor Master's special-ability; which he gets to keep since the tuner-monster Vayu is a V2 monster! See, he's got these nifty little things called wedge-counters, and I used one of 'em on your SKY FIRE. Now, for the rest of the turn, both your ATK and DEF points, are stuck at 0!" SKY FIRE starts to crack where the counter stuck (ATK: 0).
"My SKY FIRE!"
"Gale the Whirlwind, why don't you take advantage of the situation!" Gale attacked with a small hurricane beating from its wings. The impact created a chain of explosion throughout SKY FIRE's frame.
Greiger ducked as it exploded, but his runner was caught in it. It bucked up on its back wheels, spun around, got passed by Yusei, and finally ran into a pillar of a bridge over the road. Yusei rode out of the dust, and pulled even to Crow.
"You were right, Yusei," Crow stated, "I'm no better than a Dark Signer if I duel with hate in my heart!"
"I'm glad to see the Crow I know is back to being himself. Now let's-"
Both of them then heard the sound of a runner and out of the dust, Greiger's bike soared out and was giving chase.
"Talk about countin' your chickens before they hatch!" Crow groaned.
"You scratched my paint job, Crow!" Greiger roared, "You'll pay for that!"
"Well ya gotta catch me first! And since you lose a speed-counter for every 1000 points of damage, it looks like you may never cash in!"
Crow: 2600 (5)
Greiger: 1800 (4)
"And while you try and play catch-up with your little 'tricycle', I'll end my turn with a face-down! Now let's see what you got!" a reverse-card appeared beside Crow's runner before vanishing.
"Oh, you'll do more than see it! Don't forget that this shadow duel's full-contact! Just watch this!" Greiger started his next turn, "With SKY FIRE out of the way, my field's completely empty! Which means I can summon (7) Dark Tuner Doom Submarine(9/ATK: 0/DEF: 300)!" a submarine with mechanical arms appeared (ATK: 0).
"Nice move, but I think your submarine's ATK points got deep-sixed on the way up!" Crow wondered.
"Then it's a good thing it won't be out there all alone for long! I summon (6) Darksea Rescue(1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0) in ATK mode!" a lifeboat with ghost like goblins rowing with oars appeared (ATK: 0), "And now I dark-tune my Doom Submarine and my Darksea Rescue for a Dark Synchro-Summon!" The two hooded guys rowing the little rescue raft started to look scared as Dark Submarine detached its periscope tower and its many stars exploded from a small weight. They swirled around the rescue boat. They became outlines and the stars gouge and sink into them, altering their very atomic makeup.
"When the shadows are devoured by even darker shadows, the curtain pulls back and reveals, a world without light!"
The raft exploded, leaving only a circle of dark stars crackling in a crisscross of black electricity. They spun faster and faster, and from the center appeared a column of black. Stabs of purple light dropped from the sky in a circle that became a ring of streaming purple. Something began to appear out of the clouds.
"What is that thing?" Crow wondered.
"Your doom!" Greiger chuckled, "I summon the Dark-Synchro, (8) Dark Flat Top(-8/ATK: 0/DEF: 3000)!" it was a floating aircraft carrier appeared, about twice as big as Greiger's runner (ATK: 3000).
"Crow'll never sink that thing!" Yusei gasped.
"Well, it looks like this duel is just starting to get interesting!" Crow suddenly grinned, "I can't wait to see what happens next!"
DUEL-MON DATABASE
(1) Blackwing-Shura the Blue Flame
Stats: [Winged-Beast/Effect] LV4 ATK/1800 DEF/1200
Attribute: DARK
Effect: When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon 1 "Blackwing" monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck. That monster's effect (s) is negated.
(2) Blackwing-Mistral the Silver Shield
Stats: [Winged-Beast/Effect] LV2 ATK/100 DEF/1800
Attribute: DARK
Effect: If this card on the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, reduce the battle damage you take from the next attack this turn to 0.
(3) Blackwing-Vayu the Emblem of Honor
Stats: [Winged Beast/Effect] LV1 ATK/800 DEF/0
Attribute: DARK
Effect: If this card is face-up on the field, you cannot use it for a Synchro Summon. If this card is in your Graveyard, you can remove from play this card plus 1 non-Tuner "Blackwing" monster in your Graveyard, and Special Summon 1 "Blackwing" Synchro Monster from your Extra Deck whose Level equals the total Levels of the removed monsters. The effect(s) of that Synchro Monster is negated.
(4) Blackwing Armor Master
Stats: [Winged-Beast/Synchro/Effect] LV7 ATK/2500 DEF/2000
Attribute: DARK
Effect: 1 "Blackwing" Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, and you take no Battle Damage from battles involving this card. If this card attacks a monster, you can place 1 Wedge Counter on that monster at the end of the Damage Step (max. 1). You can remove all Wedge Counters from your opponent's monsters to reduce the ATK and DEF of each monster that had a Wedge Counter to 0, until the End Phase.
(5) Diving Exploder
Stats: [Machine/Effect] LV1 ATK/0 DEF/0
Attribute: DARK
Effect: You can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard to switch the ATK and DEF of all face-up monsters on the field, until the End Phase. If a monster is destroyed by battle this turn, the ATK and DEF of all affected monsters return to normal.
(6) Darksea Rescue
Stats: [Machine/Effect] LV1 ATK/0 DEF/0
Attribute: DARK
Effect: If this card is used for a Synchro Summon and sent to the Graveyard, the owner of this card draws 1 card.
(7) Dark Tuner-Doom Submarine
Stats: [Machine/Dark Tuner] LV9 ATK/0 DEF/300
Attribute: DARK
Effect: If this card is in your Graveyard and you control no monsters, you can Special Summon it. Each player can only use the effect of "Dark Tuner Doom Submarine" once per Duel. This card cannot be used as a Synchro Material Monster, except for the Synchro Summon of a Dark Synchro Monster.
(8) Dark Flat Top
Stats: [Machine/Dark Synchro/Effect] LV-8 ATK/0 DEF/3000
Attribute: DARK
Effect: 1 non-Tuner monster - 1 Dark Tuner monster
This card can only be Synchro Summoned by subtracting the Level of a Dark Tuner monster from the Level of 1 non-Tuner monster you control to equal the Level of this card. Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 "Flying Fortress SKY FIRE" from your Graveyard, ignoring the summoning conditions.
Yusei: "Here's a preview of the next YuGiOh 5D's. The battle between Crow and Greiger continued as his Aerial Assault devastates Crow's Blackwings. Can the tables turn before it's too late? Next time on Reverse of Arcadia: A Whale of a Ride: Part 2! Let's Rev it Up!"
DUEL-MON TRIVIA-
Hey duelists! Did you know:
As "Mistral the Silver Shield", a Mistral is a type of cold katabatic wind from central France and the Alps to Mediterranean.
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