Hey guys, so after over a month I finally managed to get some time to write another chapter! Unfortunately this might become commonplace for a little while but I will continue to write this fic so new chapters will be posted eventaully. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter and let me know if you've got anything you want to see happen or which to discuss with me!
Chapter 14 – Clash of Rebellions
Within half an hour of Darrien sending out the call, Duel Academy was surrounded on all sides by helicopters, ships, both air and sea transports, as well as other various vehicles. Tanion helped Elise and Darrien take Jorann's now unconscious body to the medical helicopter that had landed just outside the Academy, while at the same time, he spotted Felirae exiting another helicopter, surrounded by a personal vanguard. The fact that he himself was present sent a shiver down Tanion's spine. Even he knew that this was not going to end well.
As they handed Jorann over to the medics in the helicopter, Felirae's guard moved into a defensive line wedged between the Academy and the two helicopters, duel disks at the ready. Felirae himself was walking briskly towards them, he faced masked with frustration. However, the thing that bothered Tanion the most was that Felirae wore a duel disk on his arm. It was clear that he hadn't come here to negotiate.
"Where is Yusei Fudo?" Felirae demanded.
"He's inside the building somewhere," Elise answered. "What do you plan on doing, Felirae?"
"Putting an end to this idiotic plan of his," the Resistance leader answered. "Tanion, Elise, Darrien. You three come with me. This place is surrounded and my men are already combing the island for any possible escape routes or hideouts. We put a stop to this today."
"You aren't intending to duel Yusei, are you?" Darrien asked worriedly.
"As foolish as he can be sometimes, Jorann was right. This is the only way. Yusei won't stop unless he is beaten," Felirae said. "He's a man driven by loss and grief for those he couldn't save. Now he needs someone to save him."
"Felirae, I hate to say it, but you can't defeat him," Elise admitted. "He took Jorann out in one turn. There's just no way…"
"There's always a way," Felirae said. "Now let's move. We have to find him."
"Find who?"
The voice boomed out from the entrance to Duel Academy. Felirae turned to answer the call, and much to his surprise, found Yusei standing at the entrance, his men also with their duel disks at the ready. Felirae's mouth scowled at the sight, and he angrily pushed his way through his men so that he was facing Yusei, their men eyeing each other off from their battle lines with deep mistrust.
"You have a lot of nerve, sealing away the island like this," Yusei said warningly. "The other rebellions may not look too kindly on you for this."
"I don't care what they think," Felirae muttered. "I cannot allow you to go through with this, Yusei. If you do this, your dooming the rest of us to our fate. We don't stand a chance without the Synchro Summon, and if you go through with Theta, we will lose that power. You'll all die."
"The last man to challenge me believed the same," Yusei said. "His convictions were not enough. Theta will work. It is the only way to stop The Grand Order. Cut off its head, and the body will die. We will have a chance."
"And you will all be dead," Felirae scowled. "There has to be another way."
"Believe me, there isn't," Yusei said, slightly quieter than before, with a pang of sadness in his voice. "But unless you have something to say, get off my island. You are not welcome here."
"No," Felirae said. "Yusei, I challenge you to a duel. If I win, you will scrap Operation Theta."
"And if I win, you will leave and not interfere with Theta," Yusei demanded.
"You won't win," Felirae muttered, readying his duel disk.
"Elise, wait!"
Darrien's cry broke the tension between the two leaders. Everyone turned to see what was happening, and as they did, Elise pushed her way through Felirae's men and stood by his side, a look of grim determination spread over her face.
"Elise, what are you doing?" Felirae asked.
"I saw what he did to Jorann," she answered furiously. "You can't beat him alone, and I can't just stand by and watch while he takes out another one of my comrades."
"We will duel him together then," Felirae said in agreement.
Yusei's face suddenly became serious. "I'll just have to beat you both then."
DUEL!
"I'll take the first turn," Felirae said.
"Hey, Darrien. How good of a duelist is Felirae?" Tanion asked as they watched from the sidelines.
"I've only ever seen him duel once," Darrien replied. "Needless to say, there's a reason why he's our leader."
"I set one monster face down, and then set one card," Felirae continued. "Turn over."
Tanion jaw dropped. "That's it?!" he gasped. "What kind of a play is that?"
"In a tag duel like this, neither Felirae nor Elise can attack on the first turn," Darrien said. "He's doing prep work, and getting ready to strike when it next becomes his turn. More to the point, he's preparing for the onslaught that Yusei will bring."
Yusei – 4000 LP
Elise – 4000 LP
Felirae – 4000 LP
"Felirae, you're being too cautious, as usual," Elise muttered. "If we're to stand any chance again him, we have to go on the offensive."
"It's too early," Felirae said back. "Bide your time."
Elise huffed. "It's my turn," she said, drawing. "I too, will set one monster face down, and set one card face down. Turn over."
"She's dueling completely differently than when she duelled me," Tanion noted.
"She could afford to lose then, so she tried to make sure the duel went quickly," Darrien said. "This duel, though… this is something she can't afford to lose. It's a matter of life or death, for everyone involved. Even if she doesn't agree with Felirae's tactics, she knows it's the right move to make."
"But is it? I'm not entirely convinced."
"Guess we will find out."
Yusei – 4000 LP
Elise – 4000 LP
Felirae – 4000 LP
"I do not wish to enact Theta. You know that don't you?" Yusei asked them. "It was always intended as a last resort. Something to put into action in case we were ever on the brink of losing everything."
"What's your point?" Felirae demanded.
"Look around you, Felirae," Yusei said. "The world has torn itself apart. There are only little pockets of resistance left. We've all lost so much. Family, friends, people we've loved and cared about… and for what? There's so little left of the past. If we continue to conduct ourselves as we have, sooner or later the Grand Order will find and eradicate us. If we are to stand any chance of winning, we have to strike at them, where it'll hurt the most. Even if we die, it's a sacrifice I am willing to make if it means the people still fighting the Order will have a chance of getting their old lives back."
"I won't let you get yourself killed," Felirae said through gritted teeth. "You were already dead to us, Yusei, and now we have you back. We can use that fact alone as a means of fighting back. You don't need to sacrifice yourself like this."
"It's the only way," Yusei muttered. "And right now I'll prove it to you, by defeating you both in this duel. My turn!"
"Please stay safe, Elise," Darrien whispered.
"Since I control no monsters, I can special summon this card from my hand. Come forth, Junk Forward! (Lvl:3/ATK:900/DEF:1500)," Yusei began. "Next, I discard Level Eater in order to special summon Quickdraw Synchron! (Lvl:5/ATK:700/DEF:1400). And then, by removing one level from Quickdraw, I return Level Eater (Lvl:1/ATK:600/DEF:0) to the field!"
"Don't tell me he's going for Blazar again?" Darrien asked, gulping in fear.
"No,' Tanion said. "This is a different play. Similar cards, but a different strategy. I saw it all the time back home."
"I tune my now Level 4 Quickdraw Synchron to my Level 1 Level Eater and Level 3 Junk Forward!" Yusei proclaimed. "Gathering fighting souls will awaken the raging wicked god! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Level 8! Junk Destroyer! (ATK:2600/DEF:2500)."
"What is that?" Darrien gasped.
Tanion's grip tightened. "A monster that will mean the end for one of them."
"Junk Destroyer's effect activates!" Yusei said. "When it is Synchro Summoned, I can destroy cards on the field up to the number of non-Tuners used for its summon. Therefore, I destroy the two cards on Elise's field. Obliterate, Junk Destroyer!"
Elise could only watch as her cards were wiped from the field, the shockwaves from Junk Destroyer's blast threatening to blow them away. It wasn't even an attack, and yet Tanion could feel his very soul being shaken. Yusei is simply on another level, he thought to himself fearfully. These two have no hope against him.
"Are you okay, Elise?" Felirae asked.
"I'm fine," she muttered. "Keep your guard up. He hasn't even normal summoned yet."
"Well spotted, Elise," Yusei commented. "Now, I normal summon Junk Synchron! (Lvl:3/ATK:1300/DEF:500). And then, I activate the effect of Junk Servant in my hand. Since I control a 'Junk' monster, I can special summon it. Appear now, Junk Servant! (Lvl:4/ATK:1500/DEF:1000)."
"Elise is wide open," Darrien noted sadly. "If he attacks now, she's done."
"I get the feeling he isn't done yet," Tanion said. "Attacking now wouldn't suit Yusei. He's still got something planned."
"I tune my Level 4 Junk Servant to my Level 3 Junk Synchron!" Yusei said, just as Tanion had thought. "Gathering roars turn into an echoing arrow which tears through the sky! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Level 7! Junk Archer! (ATK:2300/DEF:2000)."
"I get it now," Tanion said. "He's going to damage both of them. But that doesn't make sense. Unless…"
"Unless he still isn't done," Darrien finished. "I knew Yusei was strong but this is… how did he get to be so powerful?"
"I activate the effect of Junk Archer, and banish your monster until the end of this turn," Yusei said, and Felirae's face down monster disappeared from the field. "Now, I activate the effect of Level Eater once more. By lowering Destroyer's level to 6, I summon it back in attack position. Appear now, Level Eater! (Lvl:1/ATK:600)."
"Why would he do that?" Darrien wondered aloud. "To get in another 600 damage? But why?"
"He still has one card left in his hand," Tanion said. "He's not done. Either Felirae or Elise, however, is finished."
"I activate the spell card Battle Tuned!" Yusei said. "I banish Junk Synchron from my graveyard, and give it's 1300 ATK to Junk Archer, raising its attack to 3600!"
"Oh, no…" Tanion whispered.
"Battle! This is for interrupting on our duel, Elise," Yusei said. "You will come to learn not to interfere with business that isn't yours. Junk Archer, Level Eater, attack Elise directly!"
"Elise!" Darrien screamed, rushing toward her.
Tanion could only watch, his feet unable to move, as the arrow flew from Junk Archer's bow, a rain of stardust and energy wrapping around it as it flew towards its target. Elise simply closed her eyes and waited, accepting her loss. once the dust had settled, Darrien was already there, holding the battered but conscious Elise in his arms.
"How could you do this to your own comrades?" he screamed, tears streaming down his face.
"She chose to interfere in business between Felirae and myself, and she paid the price," Yusei replied indifferently.
"Darrien, it's alright, I'm just a bit banged up," Elise said, forcing herself to sit although Tanion could see she was in pain.
"Where are you hurt?" Darrien asked.
"I'll be fine," Elise said softly. "Felirae, this one's on you now."
"I'll take care of it," he replied.
"Elise, I promise you, I'll get stronger," Darrien murmured. "Next time, I'll be there with you. Helping you."
"Don't worry about it, Darrien," Elise said calmingly.
"I'm sorry, it's just after what happened to Jorann, I…"
"Let's get out of the way," Elise said. "We've done what we can."
Yusei smirked softly as they left. "It seems the bond your comrades share is strong."
"We have absolute faith in each other," Felirae replied. "It's what you taught us all, remember?"
"I do," Yusei said, nodding. "But there's one thing I've learned from this war. Sometimes, bonds aren't enough. The battle continues. Junk Destroyer, attack Felirae directly!"
Felirae gasped as the blow hit, the damage threatening to knock him off his feet. Tanion was impressed by the fact that he was able to stand up to such a blow, but it was obvious that it had taken its toll. Felirae was gasped for air, as if he had been punched in the gut. The situation seemed helpless.
"I end my turn," Yusei said. "At this point, the monster banished by Junk Archer's effect returns to the field. If you still think you can stop me, go ahead and try."
Yusei – 4000 LP
Elise – 0 LP
Felirae – 1400 LP
"I will defeat you, Yusei Fudo," Felirae said defiantly. "Elise took the blow for me, and now it's my turn to pay her back for the strength she showed! My turn!"
"How are you doing?" Tanion asked Elise as he found them behind Felirae's men.
"Sore, but alive," she said. "I did all I could anyway."
"Felirae's still in the duel because of you," Tanion reminded her. "Do you really think he can beat Yusei?"
"Felirae is on par with Jorann," Elise managed to say. "If there's anyone who can defeat Yusei here, it's him."
"I activate the spell card Magician Unison!" Felirae said. "I send my face down Dimension Magician and the Fusion Magician in my hand to the graveyard in order to perform a Fusion Summon!"
"Here he goes," Darrien muttered. "We are about to find out just how strong Yusei really is."
"Oh great light in the sky, bestow upon us your heavenly blessing and let me wield your awesome might! Fusion Summon! Appear before us now, Level 8! Darkuran, Magician Manipulator of Light! (ATK:2700/DEF:2300)."
"There's one,' Elise said with a smirk.
"Fusion Magician's monster effect activates!" Felirae said. "Since it was sent to the grave for a Fusion Summon, I can add one Polymerisation from my deck to my hand, and since Magician Unison is always treated as Polymerisation, I choose to add that instead."
"What makes Magician Unison better than normal Polymerisation?" Tanion asked them.
"Monsters summoned using that card cannot be destroyed by battle on the turn they're summoned," Darrien said. "It's extra insurance."
"Next, Darkuran's monster effect activates!" Felirae said. "I banish the top three cards of your deck face down! Get rid of them, Yusei."
"Is your goal deck destruction?" Yusei asked as he complied.
"Simply getting rid of potential combo pieces," Felirae answered. "Next, I summon Necromantic Magician to my field (Lvl:4/ATK:1600/DEF:1300) and activate its effect! I pay 600 LP and banish the top card of your deck face down in order to revive Dimension Magician once more! (ATK:0/DEF:2100)."
"Another Fusion Summon?" Tanion asked.
"It's his signature move," Elise answered, nodding.
"And now, I activate Magician Unison once again!" Felirae proclaimed. "Darkness of the night, become one with those that would wield power and give them the strength to crush all before them! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 9! Litamus, Magician Manipulator of Darkness! (ATK:900/DEF:3250)."
"Summoning in defence position?" Yusei asked. "Do you intend to destroy both my monsters with just Darkuran?"
Felirae grinned slightly. "Litamus' monster effect activates!" he said. "Since he was Fusion Summoned, I destroy Junk Archer, and give half of its ATK to Darkuran, raising it to 4500!"
"He's about to damage Yusei," Tanion realised. "Even Jorann couldn't do that and I couldn't touch Jorann either… Felirae is strong."
"He's our leader for a reason," Darrien said. "I believe in him. He can beat Yusei."
"Battle! Darkuran, attack Junk Destroyer! Light Nova!"
Tanion had to shy away as the light from Darkuran's staff grew brighter and brighter, eventually covering the entire area in light. Once it had subsided, Junk Destroyer was gone, and Yusei's field was wide open. Has Felirae really got the upper hand on Yusei? he thought in disbelief.
"I'm not done yet, Yusei," Felirae said. "I now activate the trap card, Conjunction of Light and Darkness! Since both Litamus and Darkuran are on the field, during your next Standby Phase, you have a choice. Discard up to two cards from your hand, or take 2000 damage. The choice is yours."
"There isn't one," Tanion noted. "If Yusei discards, he will have no cards in his field on in his hand. He will have nothing to work with. He needs the cards he will draw."
"But that'll leave him at 100 LP," Darrien said.
"If he doesn't do something, Felirae will simply attack with both Darkuran and Litamus anyway," Elise said. "If Yusei doesn't draw the card he needs this turn, Felirae wins."
"Unbelievable," Tanion muttered.
Much like him, murmurs were beginning to spread amongst the soldiers on either side of the battlefield. Like Tanion, they knew just how strong Yusei was, and so the situation at hand seemed almost too ridiculous to be true.
"I end my turn," Felirae said powerfully. "Now, take your last move, Yusei."
Yusei – 2100 LP
Elise – 0 LP
Felirae – 800 LP
"My turn," Yusei said too calmly as he drew. "I choose to take the 2000 damage."
"Was the card you drew worth it?" Felirae asked.
"Your strategy of banishing cards face-down to disrupt plays is a sound one," Yusei said. "However, it has meant that I have drawn the exact card I needed to win."
Felirae's eyes widened. "That's not possible," he said defiantly. "You can't beat my twin magicians with only one card!"
"I summon Synchron Explorer! (Lvl:2/ATK:0/DEF:700)," Yusei said. "Thanks to its effect, I can revive one 'Synchron' monster from my graveyard. Appear once again, Quickdraw Synchron! (Lvl:5/ATK:700/DEF:1400)."
"Of course you managed to pull the one card you needed," Felirae said bitterly. "But no matter what you do, you can't beat both of my magicians!"
"No, he can," Tanion realised dejectedly. "This is the end."
"I tune my Level 2 Synchron Explorer to my Level 5 Quickdraw Synchron!" Yusei said with conviction. "Gathering feelings will now become a new force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Level 7! Nitro Warrior! (ATK:2800/DEF:1800)."
"I-impossible…" Felirae stammered.
"Battle! Nitro Warrior, attack Darkuran with your burning fists!"
Felirae could only watch as one of his mightiest monster was destroyed in a single blow. His arms were already lowered in defeat as he realised he had lost. What happened next was simply a formality.
"Nitro Warrior's monster effect activates," Yusei said coolly, noticing Felirae's body language. "I switch Litamus to attack position in order to attack again. This is the end, Felirae."
"Just do it."
Nitro Warrior fist came hammering down upon Litamus, but the blow seemed far weaker than any of the other's thrown in the duel. With Felirae resigned to defeat, Yusei no longer had any need to put his heart into it, and his monster had responded in turn. As Nitro Warrior, vanished from the field, Felirae seemed to psyche himself up and turned to his men.
"Tell our men surrounding the island to move out," he said grimly. "Take Jorann and Elise to the medical wing in Stromberg Castle immediately."
"We're just leaving?" Tanion said in bewilderment. "After all that, we're just going to let them go through with Theta?"
"We don't have the strength to, Tanion," Felirae said in return. "If you want to try and stop him be my guest. But he's too strong for any of us to stop."
"You are the one from Eden, aren't you?" Yusei asked suddenly.
"I… yes, I am."
"Stay close to Jorann," Yusei said. "He will need you in the days to come."
"What do you mean?"
Yusei simply smiled wryly. "Let's move out men. We've got to continue our preparations."
After they had gone inside Duel Academy once again, Tanion turned to Felirae. "What do we do now?"
"Now we figure out how to sort out this mess," he said frustratingly. "Maybe we can call the other resistance groups, get them to give us a hand in trying to resolve this diplomatically. But without the other two of the Three, there's no way to defeat him in a duel. We just aren't strong enough."
"So they are really going through with Theta?"
Felirae nodded. "We have to prepare for the aftermath, because there's nothing stopping Theta from going ahead."