Yugioh 5D's: Konami/Kazuki Takahashi
Beta: Gammatron
Beyond an old gate, the fifth and final control tower stood erect. Inside, Misty held a locket with a picture in it. In that picture, her previous life politely, while the younger brother beside her sported a lively grin. As she looked at the picture in the locket, Misty sat worn and sad; though in her Dark Signer garbs, her eyes momentarily uncontaminated with dark matter, sobbing quietly, "Toby... I miss you..." she cried harder as she snapped the locket closed. She huddled with her knees to her chest at the base of the plinth as she continued to weep inside the tower.
Trudge and the twins' jeep and Yusei and Magic's runners went racing through the Satellite in the waning sunlight.
"The only control tower left is the one Akiza went to, right?" Leo asked.
"Yeah, but she needs to hurry!" Yusei said, "If she doesn't take it down before sunset, the gate to the netherworld will open!"
"I just hope Akiza's okay..." Magic muttered.
"Jason, wake up... Please wake up...!"
Jason awoken at the instant notice of Katherine's mewling voice. He sat up and found her sitting close to him. He tried to recollect what happened before he blacked out... What he remembered was he rescued Katherine from one of the Arcadia Movement. After that... "Just what happened while I was out?"
Katherine stared for a moment before turning away with a saddened expression, "It's... I couldn't see anything... There was this black fog. And after that all I heard was screaming and... It was Gabriella. She got her!" so it was true; Gabriella did come up and got rid of Careen.
"Where is she now..." he asked.
"...She...she told me to tell you before she left... She's waiting down there!" Katherine pointed towards the black crater carrying the original reactor. "She wants you to find her. I think she's waiting for you down there..."
Jason stood up and made it to the edge of the crater. From there he could see a bright light coming from the bottom. But the aura he felt from there gave him less than a good vibe. 'So this is where Gabriella's hiding... I go down there, and I could end this thing for good!' he seemed determined, but the pressure from the darkness around him and his mission seemed to have held him back. After all day of riding through Satellite, he was now staring down the lion's den. If the Dark Signer's he faced before were overwhelming, he could not even imagine what Gabriella was capable of...
But then he felt a warmth in his hand and looked back to see Katherine, who was squeezing his hand, while casting a stern glare at him, "Remember, I'll hate you forever if you don't get her back." with newly-gathered courage, Jason nodded and held onto her hand, as he lead her down into the crater...
YuGiOh 5D's
Reverse of Arcadia
Ride 53: Truth and Consequences
Part 1: Sorrowful Memories
The sun turned gold as it sank lower than the clouds that have obscured it through the dark day, as Mina and Akiza drove toward Akiza's reckoning.
"I've dueled Misty before," Akiza muttered, "She is not my biggest fan."
"What exactly happened to her brother?" Mina asked.
"I don't even know who he is."
"Maybe she's just got you confused with someone else."
"No... It's definitely me she's after. As for her brother, I don't know what I did, but I can't worry about it. All that matters is defeating Misty and sealing that control tower..."
They came to a halt outside an old wall, with an old-fashioned archway reminiscent of ancient middle-eastern architecture, "She's gotta be in there somewhere," Mina said as they climbed out of the jeep, "let's split up."
"If purple fire starts to surround you, you should, you know, run."
"Right..." Soon after them two separated into the amusement park, Mina wandered around, passing the remains of once-enjoyed rides, "Run-down carnivals are not right," she whispered to herself, "They're so creepy when they're empty!"
"You can say that again."
Mina turned to the source of the voice, startled, "Who is that?!"
There came a person in a grey trenchcoat, hat, and sunglasses. The figure spread his arms, indicating he meant no harm. He wore a duel-disk on his arm. "I didn't mean to startle you. I work for Director Goodwin," he addressed, "There's no time for me to explain things here, but I need you to come with me."
"Who are you?" Mina wondered aloud...
Yusei and Trudge halted next to Akiza and Mina's parked jeep.
"Well, it looks like they got here okay." Yusei said.
"What if they dueled already and Akiza lost?!" Leo asked, panicking.
"Leo!" Luna snapped.
"Come on, you guys!" Magic said, taking off her helmet, "It's time we go find Akiza!"
Meanwhile, as Akiza walked across the empty paths of the park, he spotted something sparkling in the corner of her eye. She turned back to that nearest corner and found three glowing lights below her level, taking a closer look to see them a three cards lying in the ground. When they lost their luminescence her eyes widened in shock while she picked up the cards. She looked them over again and wished she was dreaming. Those are indeed his cards. But what are they doing here? What would he be doing here...? "What have you done to him...?" Akiza picked up the pace and continued on; unbeknownst to her, under the the sights of a little black-and-green lizard...
...And under the watchful eye of Misty. "Glad you could make it, Black Rose. Come on in."
A twin set of doors swung open just as Akiza walked past them. She looked inside, finding the walls of the hallway were made of mirrors, all of them cracked and scarred. As Akiza peered through the door, Someone's reflection flits along the mirrored walls, laughing. Akiza gasped and hurried inside. But as soon as she walked past the doors the swung shut behind her. She spun back and pushed on the doors but to no avail; she was locked in.
"Don't bother trying to leave," Misty's voice echoed from all around.
Akiza gasped, "Misty?"
"It's just you and me, Black Rose! Welcome to my hall of mirrors!" The mirrors flashed, and Misty's face appeared on the farthest end of the hallway, "I was hoping we could reflect on the past." soon, Misty's face appeared on every mirror Akiza could see. She looked around, starting to worry...
He kept walking down the stairs, the only route he could find. Eventually he stopped on a cliff footing with a small post in front of him. There was an opening on the other side. He could see what looked like remnants of an old bridge dangling from it.
"It's about time you showed up," Gabriella giggled as she made herself shown from the other side, "For a while, I was getting a bit worried you'd be too scared... But the again, I would've left you without a choice, would I..." Jason only stood there and said nothing, "Hello? Aren't you going to respond with some short heart-felt speech that I'll just ignore anyway? This may be your last chance..."
"All I plan to do is get this over with," Jason said and activated his duel-disk, "The only person I'd rather talk to is the Gabriella I plan to get back."
"Oh, you wound me!" the Dark Signer sarcastically gasped, "You imply that I'm not the real Gabriella... The I suppose I'll just have to give you a bit of enlightenment..." a dark duel-disk appeared on her arm in a plume of black smoke. She then held up her dark Star Mark then flashed, "Ready when you are."
"LET'S DUEL!"
Gabriella: 8000
Jason: 8000
"I've been waiting a long time for this moment," Gabriella drew her sixth card, "And I'll set the stage with the Darkness Paradisio field-spell!" once the card entered the field slot, the entire area was then shrouded in a veil of darkness, "With that settled I think I'll activate the spell card known as Card Destruction! And you know what that does, don't you? Both of us have to discard our entire hand and draw the same number of cards," Gabriella redrew four cards while Jason redrew five, "And guess what, every time I discard, my field-spell creates a Soul Counter fore each card," four violet orbs appeared around Gabriella (CTR: 4), "Now I activate the effects of my Lustsworn Heralds of Wrath, Sloth, Envy and Lust! When they've been sent to the graveyard because of an effect, I can add Wrath Fragrance, Sloth Fragrance, Envy Fragrance and Lust Fragrance directly from my deck to my hand!" she showed the four said card before placing her into her hand, "Next, I activate the spell card Magical Stone Excavation! By discarding two more cards, I can return a spell card from my graveyard to my hand. And the cards I decided to discard are my Heralds of Gluttony and Wrath. So guess what; I can also add Gluttony Fragrance and Wrath Fragrance to my hand!" she then added the said cards from her deck, "And that means I get two more Soul Counters," two more orbs appeared (CTR: 6), "Now I summon (5D's)(4) Lustsworn Lucy(3/ATK: 700/DEF: 600) in ATK mode!" from the monster card a small girl wearing a white gothic lolita dress, with dark eyes and short black pigtails (ATK: 700), "Adorable, I know. But let's get back to the duel, shall we? I activate Card Destruction once more," both players redrew their hand.
Darkness Paradisio: (CTR: 12)
"She added in all those Fragrance cards just to throw them away?" Jason wondered to himself, "Just what is she planning?"
"With a new hand comes new options. Now I activate the equip-spell Ecstatic Incubation Chamber!" a large vessel appeared in the likeness of a golden larva shell, with seven pairs of wings along the side, "I can play this by choosing a level-3-or-lower Lustsworn monster on my field to occupy the chamber," the glass shield on the larva's underbelly to reveal a velvet cushioning, in which Lucy sat upon before the glass closed over her, "And now that my Lucy's as snug as a bug I can send the Pride Fragrance card from my hand to the graveyard, so my Ecstatic Incubation Chamber can finally activate!" when she discarded the said card, a red runic circle erected itself on the larva's forehead, as well as its eyes flashed the same color. Meanwhile, another orb appeared (CTR: 13), "Finally I place two cards face-down, and end my turn by playing this: the continuous-spell, Mirage of Nightmare!" two reverse-cards appeared with the spell card in play. "And before I forget, the effect of my Darkness Paradisio activates, giving me 300 points for each Soul Counter I've acquired so far. And since I have thirteen..."
Gabriella: 11900
Jason: 8000
"What are you waiting for? It's your move."
"Fine, then," Jason said as he drew his sixth card, 'With that monster in ATK mode and all those face-downs on play, it's clear she's baiting me. I'd better be careful.'
"Now to activate the special effect of my Mirage of Nightmare!" Gabriella interrupted, "From now on, during each of your standby-phases, I can draw until I hold four card in my hand!" she then drew two more cards, "You were about to make a move, weren't you? Don't let me stop you."
"I summon (6) The Immortal Bushi(3/ATK: 1200/DEF: 600) in DEF mode!" a balding, pale-skinned samurai warrior knelt down onto the field (DEF: 600), "Next I place 1 card face-down. That ends my turn."
"Playing it safe, are we?" Gabriella drew her next card, "I guess it's better to air on the side of caution. But you have to do better than that if you want to protect your life-points. And since it's the standby-phase, I can activate Mirage of Nightmare's other effect, which forces me to randomly discard the same number of cards from my hand!" Gabriella discarded two cards (CTR: 15), "And one of those cards happened to be a little something called (5) Lustsworn Bicorn(2/ATK: 900/DEF: 500)! And once it's sent to the graveyard because of an effect, I can choose another Lustsworn on my field! Not only does it get an extra attack; whenever it attacks a weaker monster in DEF mode, the difference in points is dealt directly to you as damage!" a phantom form of a super-deformed centaur with a black-coated lower body and a pair of halves of a long, large horn hovered over the larva before she disappeared. The larva hovered a little more into the air and unfurled its wings, "Oh, and I almost forgot to mention thing: whenever a Lustsworn monster within the chamber attacks, she gains 300 ATK points for each Fragrance card in my graveyard, during damage-calculation!" A small circle of a different color then appeared next to the point of each wing, a seventh, red one glowing back on its forehead (ATK: 2800).
'So that's why she got rid of those cards!' "Katherine, you might wanna get back." Jason warned and Katherine moved back onto the stairway.
"You made a very wise suggestion, Jason. 'Cause this is gonna hurt!" At that moment, seven fireballs of different colors shot our from those circles and crashed down around the swordsman. Jason shielded himself from the heat of the explosion. When he lowered his arm, the warrior was gone.
Gabriella: 11900
Jason: 5800
"But the fun's not over yet! Lucy's ready for another round! Attack!" the larva fired seven more fireballs which smashed into Jason, slamming him against the wall behind him.
Gabriella: 11900
Jason: 3000
"Jason!" Katherine cried.
"Stay back!" Jason groaned, and Katherine stayed at the stairs while Jason stood back up.
"I'm glad you have the strength to get back up after that thrashing you just took. After all, I plan to make this last," Gabriella said, "Now I place one card face-down and end my turn, which activates the special-ability of my Lustsworn Jar! This forces us to discard our entire hand so we can each draw four new cards!" Gabriella discarded her last card while Jason discarded four before refreshing their hands (CTR: 16), "And the other two card I discarded happened to be Lustsworn Nurturer and Lustsworn Witch. So not only do I gain 1000 more life-points, I get to destroy a card on your spell/trap zone!" the young witchling zapped Jason's face-down Limit Reverse before she and the small holstaurus vanished, "And don't forget the effect of my Darkness Paradisio! That means I get another huge increase in life-points!"
Gabriella: 17700
Jason: 5800
"Now go ahead and make you move. And make sure you make it worth my time."
Yusei and Magic continued searching for the park.
"Hey Akiza, where are you?!"
"Mina! Can you hear me?!"
Just then, the supports break on an old billboard on a building they were standing in front of; it was going to fall on them!"
"Look out!" Yusei grabbed Magic arm and pushed them both out of the way at the last moment before the board could crash on top of their heads. A man in a grey trenchcoat hurries over to him, the one who called out the alarm. "Hey, are you okay?"
Yusei stood up with Magic holding her arm, "I am, thanks to your heads-up! Who are you?"
"I'm from the Public Security Bureau; see?" The stranger took a wallet out of his pocket and flashed a badge for a moment, "Director Goodwin sent me here to find miss 'Akiza'."
"What does Goodwin want with Akiza?" Magic asked cynically.
"It's a need-to-know thing. And as of now, Goodwin doesn't think I need to know. You know how Goodwin is; talking all cryptic, keeping everyone in the dark."
"That's Goodwin," Yusei said, "Let's find Akiza."
"Prepare yourself. It's time for us to finish what we started before," the Dark Signer challenged; her face appeared in yet another mirror near Akiza, speaking in the former reflection's place, "I'm gonna make you feel the pain that I've been living with. I am gonna make you pay!"
"I know you have Rico somewhere..." Akiza finally gathered the courage to speak, "I want to know where you're keeping him!"
"You really do care, don't you?" Misty taunted, "Don't worry, he's safe and sound. The question is, for how long?"
"I swear, if anything happens to that boy-"
"You're in way more danger than he is!" Misty snapped, "There's no going back, Akiza. If you really want to save this little boy, so that you can play goody-two-shoes and seal the control-tower, then you are gonna have to make your way through my little maze."
"You don't scare me, Misty," Akiza brandished her duel-disk, "Bring it!"
"Let's duel!"
Akiza: 4000
Misty: 4000
"I'm going to enjoy sending you to the Netherworld! Let's do this! And since this is the Hall of Mirrors, I think I'll play the Mirror Labyrinth field-spell!" The bronze-framed, cracked, broken mirrors around them became cold walls of sapphire crystal, still framed with bronze but without a crack to be seen. The maze was open to the sky, the field spell's walls continuing past the walls of the maze and climb toward the dark clouds, "And with that activated, I think it's time to reminisce. Let's start by opening up to the first chapter of my Sad Story - Sorrowful Memories!" as the continuous-spell activated, the walls around them glowed, then faded. Akiza and the mirror on which Misty was reflected were standing in a vision...
Misty is visible in one corner of the room, fussing with something)
"Whoa! How did you-"
"Hey! You in here, sis?" Akiza turned to see a teenage boy in a blue school blazer throw open the doors of the room and ran in. "I'm back for the summer!" there was Misty, prior to being a Dark Signer, turning towards her brother running to her, "Check it out! I got you a birthday present!"
"Thanks, but, uh, my birthday was three months ago," Misty teased, "You know that, right?"
"Yeah, but I was away at school. So, I mean, better late than never, right?"
Misty looks at her present: a locket with a picture of mountains in it. "It's beautiful, Toby, thank you!" She slipped it over her head, and showed off how it fits around her neck, "I'll put a picture of you in it, and wear it everywhere I go!"
"Oh... so hey, guess what!" Toby said, "I was down by the pier, and I saw someone dueling, someone just like me!"
"You mean someone with your powers?" Misty gasped.
"She's, like, really awesome. Her name is Akiza!" In the meantime Akiza listened, completely stunned; Misty vindictively watches her face. "She's with this really cool group that calls themselves the Arcadia Movement!"
"I am not liking the sound of this." Misty warned.
"Why not? Why shouldn't I join up with people like me? People who'd understand and support me, as opposed to, like, mom and dad, who couldn't deal and just sent me away!"
" So that's him," Akiza murmured, "That's her little brother..."
Soon the vision disappeared, and the walls were once again blue crystal. "With Sorrowful Memories in play, if either one of us draws a monster card during our draw phase, we'll have to return the card to our deck and then re-shuffle the whole thing. In other words, half the cards in our deck is now sealed away like a bad memory!"
"What about the cards that we already have in our hands?" Akiza asked, "Do we keep those?"
"Yes, we do. But by summoning (*) Reptilianne Servant(1/ATK: 100/DEF: 100) in ATK mode, some are rendered useless," a large, black-with-red-striped snake with two arms appeared (ATK: 100), "You see, as long as Reptilianne Servant is around, neither one of us can summon a monster to our fields... Are you feeling helpless yet? Well, welcome to my world!"
"Glad to be here!" Akiza muttered as she drew her sixth card. Unfortunately, it was a monster card: Mystic Time Genie-Crackling Kirin.
"That's too bad. You'll have to tuck that little guy back into your deck and then shuffle up and forget about it!"
Akiza scowled and did so. Her deck shuffled automatically, "Guess I'll end my turn and place one card face-down." a reverse-card appeared.
"Then follow me, Akiza..." Misty vanished into the mirror, and her active spell card and Reptilianne Servant followed her, "...Deeper into the labyrinth."
Akiza, nonplussed, followed. Misty's laughter echoes back at her. As Akiza wandered deeper, Misty and her big snake appeared in the mirrors to either side, demons watching her pass...
Yusei, Magic and the agent continued to wander the amusement park.
"Are we sure Akiza can defeat this Dark Signer?" the stranger asked.
"Yeah..." Yusei stopped with Magic, "Have you ever seen her duel?"
"No. But I heard she was trained by the best."
"Are you talking about Sayer?" Magic emphasized the name in a low, angry snarl, "That guy was nothing but a snake!"
"You really think he's as bad as you said?"
"If you knew what he was really doing you wouldn't be asking that. He took me from my friends and family here because of what I have what he wanted!" Magic continued on walking, "And don't get me started on how he used Akiza!"
"...Hey!" the stranger pointed to a nearby building, "I saw some movement, in that window!"
Yusei and Magic ran over to the indicated building. Yusei threw open the door, which fell off its hinges, and ran inside with Magic following him.
"Akiza! Mina!" He looked down on a metal grating he was standing on. On the level below it was Mina, lying unconscious on the packed dirt floor, "Mina? Mina, what's going on!"
"Mina, can ya hear me!" A fireball flew out of nowhere. Magic and Yusei dodged before the fireball exploded on contact with the floor.
"What gives!" Yusei demanded.
The stranger with the trenchcoat is standing opposite them, holding a duel-disk, "You have a power that's far greater than you imagine! You don't need family, or friends to hold you down!"
"You did this?!" Magic gasped.
"The only person you need in your life is me!" he tossed a small vial of green liquid near Magic's feet. The glass broke and released a strange green gas that Magic gagged. Soon he felt herself go completely numb and dropped onto the floor.
"Magic!" Yusei cried and ran to her side. When he found her pulse he looked back angrily at the stranger, "What've you done?!"
"You won't be around to worry about that! I play, Psychic Sword!" He played a card, and a huge and very real-looking giant glowing sword appears in his hand.
"No way!" Yusei gasped.
"Yes way!" The man in the trenchcoat hefted the sword with both hands, and rushed towards Yusei.
"You're a psychic duelist?!"
"Yes!" Yusei blocked the sword on his duel disk, bracing it with his other hand on one knee. "And I can see that your future's gonna get cut short!"
"Who are you?!" Yusei grunted.
"I'm the last face you'll ever see." He snickered as he leaned in, pressing his advantage with the huge glowing blade, while Yusei fights to hold his ground, using his duel disk as a shield...
"Don't get lost, Akiza. "The image of Misty shimmered along the walls of the many off-branching corridors, as she lead Akiza deeper into the maze, followed by her slithering pet.
Akiza followed, her reflection glancing off the parallel corridors as well. 'What kind of mind games are you trying to play with me, Misty?' she came to another hallway's end, with two corridors branching off. Misty was facing her once more, looking at her from all directions; but as she stepped forward, it narrows to one, "It's my turn now," she said as she drew her next card, "And the memories just keep coming. I activate the next chapter in my Sad Story spell combo: Unwavering Truth!" The field changed again, and now, the scene they were standing in was...
"Hey... this is the... Arcadia Movement...!" they were standing in the empty space in the center of the building, and a few floors up, a younger Akiza can be seen walking along the gallery.
"Miss Akiza!" Akiza turned sharply, annoyed as Toby ran to her, "Hi, um, my name is Toby, and I, um, I saw you duel the other day-"
"And?!"
"And I sorta spoke to you afterwards. And uh, you mentioned the Arcadia Movement, so, uh..."
"Right, so you're here to see what we're all about," Akiza replied coldly, "Go bother Sayer, kid; he deals with all the newbies." Akiza turns and stalked away, with barely a glance backward. Toby looked a bit unnerved, but not dissuaded.
"I wasn't me back then..." Akiza said, "I didn't mean to be mean."
"That's not why I'm angry!" Misty snapped as the vision faded.
What, then?"
"In due time. But first, with Unwavering Truth in play, if either one of us draws a spell card during the draw-phase, then it's back-to-the-deck-and-reshuffle-time. So if you were planning on using spells... too bad!"
"I think I see where this is going," Akiza assumed, 'She's hoping to make it so that we can't summon any monsters or play any spells from our decks. But why would she risk backing herself into a corner as well?'
"Let's have fun. Reptilianne Servant, shatter her life-points!" Reptilianne Servant's mirror shimmered, and it sprang from it into the real world, and straight for Akiza in the form of streams of black energy. The mirrors around her shattered, showering her with broken glass.
Akiza: 3900
Misty: 4000
"Say, let's see how little Rico's doing..." Rico appeared in a mirror next to Akiza, who quickly went over towards it.
"Rico! Are you alright?!" Akiza asked worried, but like before, she could not hear what Rico had to say through the mirror, "Don't worry! I'm here for you; just hold on!"
He can't hear you, Akiza, no more than you can hear him! Which would be a good thing because..." Rico suddenly dropped to his knees. Akiza saw he was holding his right thigh and gasped; the surface of his knee turn grey, as if it was now rock, "I'm sure it would be irritating to hear him scream."
"What have you done to him?!" Akiza demanded.
"Rico is in my mercy now. So every time you lose life-points, Rico loses a little feeling in his body. The more points you use, the more of him turns to stone."
"Rico... No..." Akiza looked on in horror as Rico held onto his leg, his face showing he was fighting a losing battle against his pain, "He has nothing to do with this! It's me you want, not him!"
"It's true, you're the one I'm after. But you two seem so inseparable it just doesn't seem right to keep you two apart."
"But why him?!"
Misty smirked, "Why indeed..."
Flashback...
The first thing Rico saw when he woke up was himself. It took him a moment to register before the appearance of his own face scared him, as shown by his counterpart. When he process the fact that whatever he did was being copied, he looked upon the area he in. The walls he found around him under an orange-tinted sky were shiny and reflective, like mirrors. He looked at himself again and realized that he was looking at a reflection of himself. He looked around and found himself in a giant room full of mirrors. How on earth did he get here, he thought...
"I was wondering when you'd wake up, sleepyhead." Rico's eyes widened to the voice of someone, the last person he expected so soon. He then saw the Dark Signer, who revealed herself with a smile, upon one of the mirrors' surface. "I was hoping I could have some alone time with you before the main event; and don't worry about Divine. I made sure he won't be hurting anyone else," then he remembered, he was in a duel with Divine and won. But then he was blind-sighted and knocked unconscious. But wait, where's his... "Looking for this?" Misty pulled his stuffed toy from behind her, "Why don't you come and take it?" Rico stood up, but somehow was unable to bring his feet forward. Whom Rico was looking at was a Dark Signer. Trying to approach one was like sticking your hand into a snake pit. But this Dark Signer has the last thing his mother gave to him. Giving that up would be like turning his back on her. He couldn't do that. Without a second thought he tried to grab the toy back. But when he got too close his face met with a wall between them. The Misty in front of him was just a reflection; so he backed away.
"Please, give it back," Rico whimpered, "It's the only think I have left!"
"Yes, I can tell. I saw you with this the last time we met," Misty said, "I'm not here to hurt you. I just need someone to talk to for a while... So, mind telling me where you got this from?"
"My..." Rico went quiet for a moment before he lowered his head, "My momma. It's the only thing I have left of her..."
"You momma...? I'm surprised you still hold memories of you family. But are you sure its enough?"
"What are you talking about?" Rico wondered.
"...What if I said I could bring your momma back? Think about it: the Arcadia Movement is all but destroyed. I know someone who could bring those you care about back into the world of the living. She's also the one who gave me this Mark you see before you."
Rico then put the pieces together and thought back to his first duel in Satellite, "Are you talking about Gabriella?!"
Misty nodded, "Among the Dark Signer she's the one who brought us together. She gave us a new life to right the injustice done to us. I was wronged by the Arcadia Movement, and so was Kai. You remember him, don't you? You may have met earlier."
"I met him..."
"And the fact that you made it here means you've done away with him."
"Yes..."
"Then maybe you can give me a reason why I shouldn't feed you to my snake like I did with Divine."
"It wasn't my fault! Kai realized what he did was wrong! He wanted to surrender, but Gabriella did something to him, made him different!"
Of course! Gabriella must have enforced her will on Kai. She felt angered at how she treated her boyfriend like she did. "I see..."
"I did what I had to or else he would've killed me."
"Then back to the matter at hand. If you have the chance to get your mother back, would you?"
Misty waited for him to respond before she finally got an answer.
"...It doesn't matter how badly I want it, my momma's already gone. Even if you could bring her back she wouldn't want it like this."
Misty scowled, "But why do you still follow Akiza around? Is she some kind of substitute for your mother?"
"Don't say it like that!" Rico snapped, "I may like Akiza but that doesn't mean I would replace my own momma!"
"Then why do you bother with a person like that?! She has power used for nothing but destruction! She's a monster!"
"And what are you doing with your power?!"
"I use my power to take back what the Acadia stole from me! You know why i'm doing this!"
"You use a monster card that feeds of spirits! What if you took some bystander?! Are you saying you don't care who gets hurt?!"
"Are you saying I should? I'm not doing this to be a hero, Rico!" Misty snapped, "Maybe that's what you never understood! I don't know what's more pathetic: your typical child-like naivety or your inadequate sense of morality?! When you landed the finishing blow on Divine you had the opportunity to end him right there and then! And he almost killed you because you showed mercy to the one who killed your mother! You choose to put ridiculous comic-book ideal ahead of avenging your own mother! I would never allow morals cloud my judgement! When I defeated Divine, I did what you didn't have the heart to do; I took him into oblivion! I made sure he won't hurt anyone ever again!"
"...But it's not the same a making him see that what he did was wrong! He still might not have feel ashamed of hurting all those people," Rico said, "What you're doing is no different either! What's the point of finding your brother if there's no world to bring him back to?! There will be nothing left by a dark and evil wasteland if we let you Dark Signers do what you want! You'll be nothing more than someone who helped destroy the world!"
"You don't get it, do you...?" Misty said in disappointment, "You just don't get it..."
"And one more thing. Akiza isn't as bad as you think. If she says she doesn't know your brother, that he didn't hurt him, then I believe her! I knew her long enough to know that she never wanted to hurt people! And she'll never be alone! Not as long as she has me with her!"
"Well I'm about to show you just how lonely she'll be. Just wait; you're going to regret your decision." Misty's reflection then disappeared, leaving Rico all alone in the hall of mirrors.
...end flashback.
"Since he's put so much faith in you, I figured I'd put his so-called faith to the test," Misty chuckled, "Just look how scared you are when the worst is yet to come. Because the Mirror Labyrinth field-spell is in play, and because Reptilianne Servant is all by his level-4-or-lower-lonesome out there on the field, it can follow up that direct attack, with an encore! Reptilianne Servant, take a bite out of her life-points!" the serpent leap out of the mirror again and attacked Akiza like a stream of dark wind.
Akiza: 3800
Misty: 4000
"Poor little Rico, he doesn't look to well..." Misty adored how Akiza looked through the mirror, watching Rico in horror as more of his leg turned to stone, only imagining how the boy cried out as it but through his skin. "But don't worry; that's all for now. I don't wanna finish you off too quickly!" The Dark Signer then set a reverse-card onto her field, and Rico's mirror disappeared, "It's your move, Akiza!"
Yusei continued to keep this mysterious attacker at bay. He pushed against it, and shoved his assailant back. The man leap away, facing Yusei across the room, and his sword vanished. He reached for another card, slapping it onto his duel-disk, "This'll teach you!" he said as another fireball appeared. Yusei leap aside, already bracing for the next.
"What is your problem, buddy?!" Yusei demanded. "What do you want with Magic?!"
"Both her and Akiza belong to me!" the stranger said, "And I won't let you and your friends have them!"
"Oh, so you're their number-one fan! Why didn't ya say so?" Yusei said with sarcasm, "Well, I hate to break it to ya, but they're a little too busy to sign autographs right now!"
"Are you mocking me?!" the assailant snarled as he summoned another Psychic Sword and rushed towards Yusei, "Nobody mocks me!" he swung the sword down, and Yusei caught it on his duel-disk again. Yusei's attacker then swung under his guard and rammed the hilt of the sword right into Yusei's gut, hard. Yusei doubled over, holding his stomach, and his opponent kicked him back through an open piece of the floor. Yusei flew through the air and fell down to the floor next to Mina, landing flat on his back.
The stranger laughed and slammed the trapdoor shut, "These are two lovely who are destined for greatness. They can't be wasting her time with the likes of you," the man in the trenchcoat jumped back, and hurled another fireball at close range, setting the edge of the trapdoor's grating aflame and twisting and warping the metal, making it difficult to get it open again.
"Hey, Mina," Yusei shook Mina's shoulder. "you okay? Talk to me."
As Mina began to stir, streams of water started to gush into the lower level of the room. "Hope you can swim." the stranger laughed as he carried magic off and left Yusei trapped on the floor of a room filling up with water, with Mina still out cold...
Akiza's hand shook slightly as she looked into her hand. She could hardly focus knowing Rico was in danger. But she had to remember that he would be alright in the end, if she could win this duel, 'What am I supposed to do...? I can't summon a monster as long as Misty has Reptilianne Servant out. I've gotta get that snake off the field!' she drew her next card, "Alright, Misty. I'm placing this card face-down," a reverse-card appeared, "and that's the only move I'm making, for now."
"Well. Somebody drew a trap card, that's pretty fortunate, wouldn't you say?" Misty teased, "Follow me if you want the chance to play it," once again, she vanished into the mirror, her cards floating after her, rippling along the walls. Akiza steadily followed, until once again she found herself confronted with Misty glaring down at her from all sides. The other sides then blanked out, and she was facing the one reflection in front of her, "I have to warn you; the next part is pretty emotional. You see, every sad story needs a gut-wrenching climax, full of heartbreak and loss. So I'm activating the Sad Story-Atrocious Day spell card from my hand."
The walls glowed again; the scene they were standing in now was one of panic. Thick, black, thorny vines rended the concrete, as bystanders scattered and were thrown aside. Three more vines shot into the side of a building, holding fast and scattering debris. People cowered while others started to run.
"Remember when you lost control and tore up downtown Domino? Toby went to see you duel that day...
Masses flee the scene, while the boy Toby, who was being left behind, looks up at the chaos. And right before the flying rubble landed on top of him...
"And I never saw him again!"
Akiza remained stunned as the images faded away, "So you think that... there's no way...!" she whimpered desperately, "It can't be, it... There were no casualties that day! The investigation said-"
"Oh! Right! The investigation that was funded by kickbacks and bribes from the Arcadia Movement!" Misty hissed, "I'm sure there wasn't any cover-up there!"
"No! No way!"
"Accept it, along with the fact that from this moment on, my Sad Story spell-combo prevents us from drawing any new cards! Like someone who's lost someone they care about, and who can't find the strength to move forward without them. All we have now is what's in our hands, so show me, Black Rose, what're you holding in your hand!" Misty's face appeared in every mirror. The reflections snicker and laughed, smiling with sinister superiority. Akiza is surrounded like a mouse in the snake's mercy.
The reflections shifted here and there, while Akiza was on the verge of tears, "There wasn't a cover-up. And I didn't hurt your brother. I'm gonna show you the truth!" her one of her reverse-cards lift up, "And I'll start by activating Phantom Destruction! This trap takes a face-up card and flips it face-down!" Reptilianne Servant vanished from its mirror, and the glass shattered, blasting out at Akiza.
"Did you know Reptilianne Servant gets destroyed whenever it's the target of a spell or a trap?" Misty snarled, "Or is that just classic Akiza; you don't know or care who you hurt with your power!"
"I'm sorry about your brother, but what you're saying happened, didn't happen." Akiza tenaciously tried not to let the accusations get to her, although they were, "You're just believing what you want to believe, Misty. And that's because you're looking for someone to blame."
"You're the one in denial! You're lying to yourself!"
"No, I'm not!"
"And now the sad story ends with Sorrowful Chain!" as Misty's trap activated, the mirror walls once again vanished...
"Stop...!" the Signer pleaded, "I don't wanna see this anymore!"
Misty was driving along a dark road, late at night, in a convertible open to the wind. Tears fell from her eyes as she sobbed.
"I couldn't deal with losing my little brother," Misty explained, "I felt so helpless, and alone. And then..."
Deep in her sorrow, she did not notice an upcoming bend until it was too late...
Misty was rushed down the hallways of a hospital on a gurney, attended by two nurses and a doctor.
"That night, I was reborn as a Dark Signer... And it's all because of you!"
Trudge stopped walking when he noticed something by his shoe, "Looks like a Public Security Bureau I.D... What's it doing here?" he picked it up and flipped it open to see whose name was under it. What he saw surprised him, "That's Mina's I.D.! And that's a Jack Atlas sticker stuck on it!" he became furious seeing Jack's stern, cold expression stuck to the top flap of the wallet, "That's it, IT IS ON, JACK ATLAAAAS-!"
"Help! Someone help us!"
"Mina!" Trudge ran over to the direction of the voice and shoved the door aside, running inside. "I'm here, Mina!"
"Alright, my move," Jason drew his next card, 'I guess I should've expected this from her. I should be more careful from now on. But I also have to think about getting rid of that Lustsworn monster! If I don't get rid of it soon, then who knows how mich more damage she'll cause!' "I activate the special-ability of The Immortal Bushi! When I have no monsters on the field, and if the only monsters in my graveyard are warrior-type, then my Immortal Bushi returns from the graveyard!" the pale samurai warrior returned to the field (ATK: 1200), "Next, I activate the spell card known as Double Summon! This lets me summon a extra monster this turn! So first I summon Command Knight in ATK mode!" the female knight in red appeared next to the samurai (ATK: 1600), "And for my next monster, I play Comrade Swordsman of Landstar!" the small cartoon-like knight appeared (ATK: 500), "As for their special-abilities, Both Command Knight and Comrade Swordsman each give their warrior comrades 400 ATK points. So each warrior gets 800 points!"
The Immortal Bushi: (ATK: 2000)
Command Knight: (ATK: 2000)
Comrade Swordsman of Landstar: (ATK: 1300)
"If you're thinking about attacking with all those monsters, then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you! I activate the Threatening Roar trap card!" the larva emitted a massive shockwave that forced Jason's monsters onto their knees, "So no attacking for you this turn!"
"Then I'll have to rething my strategy..." Jason muttered, "I tune The Immortal Bushi with my Comrade Swordsman of Landstar to synchro-summon Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth!" the two monsters combined into the mechanical centaur-like knight (ATK: 2600), "And with my comrade sent to the graveyard, my warriors' ATK points rearrange.
Command Knight: (ATK: 1600)
Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth: (ATK: 3000)
"Lastly I place my last card face-down!" a reverse-card appeared, "And end my turn." 'At least I won't have to worry about my Command Knight being a target. And Gaia Knight's too powerful to be destroyed by that capsule..."
"That's a real shame..." Gabriella drew her next card, "I was hoping for a actual challenge. But I guess you're as predictable as they come. It seems I'll just have to reeducate you!" the shell over golden larva's underbelly that held Lustsworn Lucy began to glow brightly, "Remember my Lustsworn Lucy? Well, three turns has passed. And now to reveal my Lucy's true form!" large amounts of steam leaked from the chamber as it opened up. But instead of the small Lustsworn girl, another form stepped out. When the steam cleared there stood a young woman wearing a opened black victorian-style dress with white frills, pieced together with black leather at the chest and waist, and lower arms and legs, leaving the shoulders, stomach and thighs exposed. She held Gabriella's predatory glare with a pair of multicolored red/blue eyes, and her hairstyle dyed white on her left side and black on her right, while being worn in longer pigtails. She wore a pair of large wings on her back, black, leathery and bat-like on the left and white angel feathers on the right. Her right side of her face carried pin-stripping violet markings. On her chest etched glowing red marks representing the olympian symbol Och, "(5D's) Lustsworn Herald of Pride-Lucifer(8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2400); all grown up, ready and waiting!"
"So that's the Herald of Pride..." Jason wondered in awe.
"And with her out on my field, the curtains are about to rise on the beginning of the end! And it all starts with this: my continuous-trap card, Lilith Temptation!" One of Gabriella's reverse-cards opened, spilling out a multi-colored haze that spread throughout the field.
"What is this?!" Jason demanded, looking around.
"Oh, just a little something to help make things more interesting. See, by harnessing the power of all seven Fragrance cards in my graveyard, I can activate the power Lilith Temptation; a fragrance so powerful and potent, it can either give you your greatest of heart's desires," Gabriella laughed watching Jason covering his mouth, while Katherine stayed over the stairs far away from the fog. "You can hold your breath as long as you want, but it'll do you no good! once my Lilith Temptation Fragrance enters your system, you'll be caught in a paradise where you'll never want to leave! You'll be trap there until I say other wise. But my then, you'll be all mine..."
The mirrors around Akiza reflected different shades of her shock and bewilderment. She felt trapped, unable to turn away from the guilt and shame she is forced to face, "What if this is true? I can't believe that Sayer would lie to me, but if it's true... If I hurt her brother, who else could I have hurt!" Akiza stumbled backward and tripped on a pebble of mirror glass. Suddenly she was falling backward, onto a huge, razor-sharp shard of glass sticking up from the floor, ready to impale her.
As she flew backward, someone appeared out of nowhere and caught her, protecting her from the glass. "Pull yourself together!"
"Akiza looked up at him, bemused. "Who're you?"
"The only friend you'll ever need."
"Your voice..."
"It's me, Akiza." the stranger ripped off his hat and sunglasses, his hair wild and unkempt as it fell down over the right side of his face.
"Sayer! But...!" Akiza gasped as she thought back to when she saw Sayer fell down the Arcadia Movement facility, "But when the Arcadia building was destroyed, you... I thought you died!" Akiza nearly cried from happiness, "What happened? I mean... how are you here, right now? "
"Get back on your feet, Akiza." Sayer commanded.
"I can't do this."
"Listen, Akiza. When you first came to me, I could sense that your true power was too much for you to handle. Fearing that you'd tap into it before you were ready, and destroy yourself, I used my psychic abilities to seal it away, and bury it deep inside of you. But your true power can be awoken with one little sentence. Akiza, did you hear...?" Sayer leaned over, and whispers in her ear. "'The entrance to the Netherworld is on the Witch's Island.'"
At that moment, Akiza's eyes went wide, feeling a sudden surge of power. Wind swirled around her, out of control, and lift her to her feet as it rampaged through the room.
"That's it, Akiza! That's the spirit! That's my girl, right there!" Sayer stood, laughing. "Now duel this pathetic cretin, and show the world your real power!" Sayer flew the scene as a column of pure wind shot up around Akiza's feet and her hair flies from its restraints changing its color to her dark-blue hue. The Black Rose was once again release.
Trudge ran through the dark warehouse, out onto the grating. "I hear you, Mina! Where are you?!"
"Trudge! Down here!" The officer looked down and found Yusei and Mina treading water a few feet from the grating, "Open the hatch, quick!" Trudge started pulling on the edge, to no avail. He then looked around and found a nearby pole. He jammed it into a hole left by the twisted metal, and started trying to lever the gate open. "Any day now, Trudge!"
"Easy for you to say!" Trudge grunted.
"You've finally revealed your true self," Misty hissed, watching Akiza's hair being swept back from her face; there's a potent intensity in her eyes as she wielded the storm. "This!"
"Just make your move!" The Black Rose snapped. The wind abated, leaving Akiza's hair standing on end in all directions. The roller in her hair that usually limits her powers was nowhere in sight.
"I activate the Sorrowful Chain trap card!" Misty said, "Since Sad Story-Sorrowful Memories, Sad Story-Unwavering Truth, and Sad Story-Atrocious Day are all gathered on my field as well, my sad little story is now complete. And I now have the power to summon (*) Dragon Queen of Tragic Endings(6/ATK: 1900/DEF: 2600)!" The creature that rose was a brown, knobbly dragon. Her wings looked like wilted flower petals, and the ruffles around her middle and collarbone were a depressing mauve. She was like a draconic angel of death (ATK: 1900)
More shattering glass fell around Akiza, as she looked at Misty with a twisted, eerie glee through her long dark bangs, "Are you smiling, Akiza?" Misty asked, "Well you won't be after this next attack! Dragon Queen of Tragic Endings, blow away Akiza's life-points! Go, Tragedy Stream!" the Dragon Queen attacked with a huge gust of wind that broke around Akiza like she was standing in a barrier. The wind once again stretched Akiza's hair back from her face, as she glared through the storm with those unsettling eyes.
Akiza: 1900
Misty: 4000
"Say, let's see how Rico's doing..." Misty's reflection was replaced by Rico's image. The stone slowly spread through his lower body until it stopped just over her waste. "I wonder, what would happen if his lungs were to be turned to stone?"
"You ask as if I care," the Black Rose hissed. She watched as Rico raised his head, and gave a shocked expression when he saw her. He laid his hands against the window, muttering something as his eyes were ready to tear up, "If you're done then I'd like to continue," she turned her head away in disgust, without leaving her glare, "I can't stand his whimpering."
Misty's image flashed back, "And now, since you took battle-damage, one of Dragon Queen of Tragic Endings' special-abilities will be kicking in! You have to select a card in your hand and send it to your graveyard; time to wave bye-bye!"
"Yeah, fine, whatever! Take Hedge Guard!" Akiza discarded the monster card.
"And now, thanks to another one of Dragon Queen's abilities, I'm able to draw another card! Since this isn't the draw-phase, Sad Story has no effect, so I'll be hanging on to this one. I end my turn."
"My move, then," Akiza drew er next card, "Not that it matters what it is, since I've gotta shuffle it back into my deck; and honestly, not that I care either!" she puts it back into her deck and it shuffled, "After all, I'm about to summon (*) Witch of the Black Rose(4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1200) from my hand!" the monster summoned was a cute little mini-sorceress with thick purple hair and a black dress with dark mauve roses. She carried a little wooden staff with a blue crystal atop it, "And since this monster was successfully summoned, I'm able to draw another card from my deck! But if the card I draw is anything other than a monster card, Witch of the Black Rose is destroyed. But if it is a monster card, this isn't the draw-phase, so your Sad Story will have no effect. Two can play at *this* game, Misty!" Akiza drew her card and turned it over, "Got it! This is (*) Rose Fairy(3/ATK: 600/DEF: 1200)! And when Rose Fairy moves from my deck to my hand because of an effect, I can instantly summon it!" a small, pink-skinned fairy appeared (ATK: 600), "And now Witch of the Black Rose gives Rose Fairy a little tune-up!" Witch of the Black Rose leap upward and turned into a handful of stars, that then became green rings. Rose Fairy flew into the rings, and her outlines glowed yellow. Her
three stars aligned within the green rings, and formed a beam of violet light, while the Black Rose chanted:
"Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom!"
Her eyes became wild through her chaotic hair, "I'm done listening to you whine, Misty! This ends here! I synchro-summon... Black Rose Dragon!" the blue-scaled Black Rose Dragon took the field and spread its wings as a huge storm of wind roared around it. The hall of mirrors became nonexistent. The winds tore apart the building and blew the pieces away. Akiza and Misty now face each other across an expanse of packed dirt, surrounded by an ethereal dome of blue mirror from Misty's field-spell. Akiza's face was alight with power-madness. "You picked the wrong girl to hold a grudge against, Misty!"
In a building nearby, Sayer watched from a distance through a window overlooking the duel, while forgetting about the unconscious Margaret, who was lying slummed on the floor in a corner, "Good, Akiza. Destroy everyone in your way. And then soon, you and I are going to revive the Arcadia Movement, together!" he laughed as the two dragons roared above their masters, while the sun was halfway sunk below the horizon...
DUEL-MON DATABASE
(1) Reptilianne Servant
Stats: [Reptile/Effect] LV: 1 (ATK: 100/DEF: 100)
Attribute: DARK
Effect: Destroy this card if there are face-up monsters on the field other than this card. Destroy this card when it is targeted by the effect of a Spell orTrap Card. Neither player can Normal Summon a monster while this card is face-up on the field.
(2) Dragon Queen of Tragic Endings
Stats: [Dragon/Effect] LV: 6 (ATK: 1900/DEF: 2600)
Attribute: DARK
Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only beSpecial Summoned by controlling 3 or more face-up Continuous Spell Cards. When this attacking card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent, your opponent selects and sends 1 card from their hand to the Graveyard, and you draw 1 card. During your Standby Phase, if this card is in your Graveyard and was sent there from the field, you can send 1 face-up Continuous Spell Card you control to the Graveyard to Special Summon this card from the Graveyard.
(3) Witch of the Black Rose
Stats: [Spellcaster/Effect] LV: 4 (ATK: 1700/DEF: 1200)
Attribute: DARK
Effect: This card cannot be Special Summoned. When this card is Normal Summoned while you control no cards, draw 1 card and reveal it. If the card you drew is not a Monster Card, send it to the Graveyard and destroy this card.
(4) Lustsworn Lucy
Stats: [Fairy/Effect] LV: 3 (ATK: 700/DEF: 400)
Attribute: DARK
Effect: You can special-summon this card by discarding 1 card from your hand.
(5) Lustsworn Bicorn
Stats: [Beast-Warrior/Effect] LV: 2 (ATK: 900/DEF: 200)
Attribute: DARK
Effect: If this card is discarded by a card-effect, you can select 1 "Lustsworn" monster you control. That monster can attack twice this turn, and when it attacks a monster with lower DEF, inflict the difference as battle-damage.
(6) Then Immortal Bushi
Stats: [Warrior/Effect] LV: 3 (ATK: 1200/DEF: 600)
Attribute: DARK
Effect: While this card is face-up on the field, it cannot be Tributed, except for the Tribute Summon of a Warrior-Type monster. During your Standby Phase, if this card is in your Graveyard and all the monsters in your Graveyard are Warrior-Type: You can Special Summon this card from your Graveyard. You must also control no monsters to activate and to resolve this effect.
DUEL-MON TRIVIA
"Hey, Duelists! Did you know..."
"Bushi was a polite way of referring to a samurai from the elite."
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