Now for the Conclusion of Yusei versus Rudger!

Crow and Midori found themselves in hallway scattered with debris and broken glass. Etsuo and Laura were not far behind them.

Midori walked carefully, trying not to step in the wrong place and scrape her foot. Yet, she felt the sting of broken glass press against her toes. It startled her and caused her to lose her balance in mid-step. Crow grabbed her around her waist and pulled her back so that she was on her feet again.

"It's ok. I've got you." Crow comforted her. Midori's face flushed red for a moment, but then she looked up when she heard Laura walk up behind them.

"Hey, look, an open door!" She pointed. Etsuo went ahead of them and peered inside to make sure it was safe.

He was surprised when he was greeted by a low, quiet voice.

"Who's there?"

Crow let go of Midori and came in after Etsuo.

"Hey…aren't you…?"

Goodwin was sitting amidst broken glass by a small, tattered wooden desk. He kept his mechanical arm as out of sight as he could manage. The director appeared almost expressionless.

"Well, if it isn't Director Goodwin." Laura raised an eyebrow as she and Midori followed inside.

Goodwin said nothing, but averted his gaze.

"I know most of you…but…"

"I'm a friend of Yusei's," Crow explained, "Why are you here?"

Goodwin let out a soft, but hollow laugh.

"I'm here to say Goodbye to my older brother."

They remembered that Rudger had told them that he and Rex were related. Midori stopped in the middle of the room. For a moment, her eyes became distant. Etsuo and Crow could tell right away that she was about to have a vision.

In Goodwin's other hand, he held a picture in a frame, one of himself and his brother as assistants to Yusei's father. Laura noticed among the glass another frame, this one a picture of Professor Fudo and what appeared to be his wife…and child.

"It's a picture of Yusei as a baby?" Laura thought aloud, carefully picking it up.

"That picture was taken not long before Zero Reverse," Midori said dreamily, the vision flying past her eyes like an old film.

"Yes, and so was the one I hold," Replied Goodwin, "Tell me, Oracle of Twilight, what is it you see? What moments from the past are you witnessing?"

Midori started whimpering.

"Midori, are you alright?" Etsuo rushed to his granddaughter's side.

"You're seeing it happen, aren't you? The events that lead to Zero Reverse?"

"It doesn't make sense…" Midori sobbed. Crow held her hand.

Goodwin looked on with apathy.

"Can she stop?"

"No," Goodwin replied, "Oracle, tell me what you see, please…Even if it doesn't make any sense."

Midori, as best she could, recounted the memories flashing past her.

…

Yusei struggled to get to his feet. Blood was slowly streaming down his face. Rudger smirked.

"You look just like your father, bleeding like that."

"You…" Yusei was in pain and couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence.

"Yusei…" It agonized Sidney that she was being held back, forced to watch Yusei suffer. She pleaded with Trudge to let her go.

"So, are you going to begin your turn?" Rudger interrupted. Now that he felt Yusei was at a dead end and his was going to finish him off, he was impatient to put this to an end.

Yusei carefully drew his card. This would be the last turn of Destiny Trigger's card effect. He revealed his card to Rudger.

"A Monster Card…It seems Fate does not see you so kindly."

As the Destiny Trigger exploded, Yusei's life points were cut in half, only a meager 50 points left. Rudger still had 1700 points.

"Yusei is almost out of points…" Leo worried.

His words expressed the concerns of everyone watching the duel. Sidney inhaled deeply.

Yusei kept his footing although he was shaking.

"Please don't give up…Whatever you do, Yusei."

Then, Yusei turned so that she couldn't see the bloody side of his face.

"I still have life points."

"That's right! Keep going!" Luna urged him.

"I summon Zero Gardna in defense mode!"

A blue, robotic creature appeared on the field, hovering above the bridge. It carried a massive steel oval around its neck and looked on at Earthbound Immortal Uru bravely.

(Zero Gardna is a level four Earth attributed Warrior type monster with no attack or defense points.)

Yusei set one facedown card and declared the end of his turn.

"You still have the will to fight…you have your father's persistence," Rudger was actually surprised, considering the rough shape that Yusei was now in, "I never would have guessed that the Signer I would face would be Professor Fudo's son…seventeen years ago. It truly must be the will of destiny."

"I don't believe you." Yusei argued.

"You are running out of life, and your soul will vanish into Momentum soon…However, I find you have earned the right to know the truth about your father and the true cause of Zero Reverse."

Yusei said nothing.

"Seventeen years ago, Hakase Fudo was considered if not THE leader than among the leaders in quantum physics. He discovered Planetary Particles…also known as Yusei Ryuushi."

"Planetary Particles?" Luna wondered aloud.

"What are those?" Leo was confused.

"They are like the planetary gears that connects particles to one another. He named his son after his discovery. He did not live to see how befitting the name was. He hoped, like the particles, that Yusei would connect people together…"

Sidney mentally paused a moment. Yusei was someone who brought people together. He was able to befriend the most unlikely people, even those who had initially wished him harm. It was Yusei who was there when Sidney first discovered her connection to the Crimson Dragon. He brought people together….

"Planetary Particles were essential to creating Momentum, which Hakase envisioned as a revolutionary non-polluting energy system."

"But it didn't turn out that way." Sidney concluded. Rudger glanced at her sideways.

"Until the day everything changed, we all had every reason to believe Momentum would change the world for the better. Hakase spoke of it and the possible world it would bring like a boy lost in a fantastical daydream. My brother Rex and I were also scientists. We greatly admired his work and were his assistants at the time."

He paused a moment.

"It started one time, when the three of us were doing research. My brother and I were nearby checking the data. Suddenly, Momentum began to emit a strange noise. We were all surprised by what was going on."

"The figures on the energy gauze screen were unusual…they were moving up rather quickly. It was later discovered that during every experiment, the city had experienced abnormal weather patterns.

I was shocked when Professor Fudo decided to stop the experiment. He explained it couldn't be helped. None of us were sure what caused the strange weather, but he was convinced there was a connection to Momentum."

"Strange weather patterns?" Sidney thought aloud.

Trudge scratched his head.

"I remember back then there was weird weather…but I guess nobody thought it was related."

…

In the meantime, Goodwin was explaining what Midori had seen to Crow, Laura, and Etsuo.

"I asked Professor Fudo about our ongoing research. He understood my point, but as long as safety was not a guarantee, we couldn't endanger the people in New Domino City.

I could see my brother's uneasiness, but he said nothing to me at the time."

Midori, still caught up in the vision, was relating to them what she was seeing. Crow held on to her hand.

"Rudger later found out that an area in Peru was experiencing weather disasters at the same as the experiments, but at a greater magnitude than New Domino City. Rudger flew there to investigate and went to the area where the Nazca Lines were…"

"That's right," Said Goodwin, "He had heard the legend of the gods who's ongoing battle unfolded every five thousand years. According to that legend, the Nazca Lines were the wicked gods…sealed away beneath the earth by the benevolent dragon god of the sky…It was said they would later awaken to challenge their old enemy for supremacy of the world."

"If someone had told me that anytime before Midori and I were captured…I would say…It all sounds like mythological hocus-pocus…but after seeing the Dark Signers, I guess it all fits." Etsuo shook his head.

"When my brother was there, he met a man from a group called Yliaster."

…

"This man approached me while I was examining debris surrounding the geoglyph of the spider. He called me Dr. Rudger and expressed disappointment in the halt to research on Momentum. I didn't trust him and asked how he knew," Rudger continued to explain to Yusei and the others,

"He wouldn't say who he was but said he understood that I would like to continue the research. He said it could be continued and Professor Fudo could be fired. At the time, I thought it was impossible.

He said there was possibly beyond the light of Momentum that was unimaginable.

He asked whether I wanted to see it, but I said nothing. He said his group thought of me as a genius who would write a new page in history, especially since I was already a chosen one. I had no idea what he meant."

He raised up his mechanical arm.

"When I had my real arm…it bore that mark of the Crimson Dragon's Head. I explained to the man that I had this mark from birth, and he told me I was chosen by destiny. I could not run from it."

Yusei stared blankly at Rudger's mechanical left arm. He had his doubts, but continued to listen.

"As he was about to leave, I stopped him and asked if all of this was related to the legend. He laughed and said to look with my own eyes. It was the will of Momentum's light. And then…he disappeared.

I returned to the research center and saw Momentum had begun to spin in reverse. Negative Energy poured from the machine and I became infused with it. But then…only then did I see that possibility. I saw Momentum's role to resurrect the ancient Immortals."

…

"My brother had been a genius from a young age…I was quite proud of him actually. But, he carried an unbelievable destiny on his shoulders."

"He was the one who made Zero Reverse happen." Laura concluded.

"Yes. Professor Fudo insisted that research on Momentum had to be stopped no matter what. An authority from New Domino and several underlings wished to capture him. He was cornered, and they told him he no longer had the authority to make that decision. He was already fired.

Many people had invested in Momentum, and a successor had been chosen to continue the research…it was my brother, Rudger.

He said Hakase didn't have the courage to see the truth. Hakase by that time had already built the controls and said Momentum wouldn't work without the seals.

Rudger already had them…four Synchro monsters. However, Professor swiped the cards from Rudger and fled. The guards fired and he was shot, causing him to drop one of the seals. But, he managed to get away, although he was injured and bleeding."

"Those seals were the dragon cards, weren't they?" Crow asked, remembering how the towers had been sealed so far by Luna and Yusei's cards.

"Yes. I found Professor Fudo and he gave the remaining seals to me and told me to stop Momentum. The cards he had were Black Rose Dragon, Red Dragon Archfiend, and Stardust Dragon…the one left behind was Ancient Fairy Dragon. Appropriate to the legend. I think."

"So, what happened next? I assume Professor Fudo got his son to safety."

"Correct. While he went to rescue his son, I went to look for my brother. I thought perhaps I could talk him out of it. But I was wrong.

When I got to the control room, Rudger threw me a glass capsule containing the arm that bore the Crimson Dragon's birthmark. I saw the blood and I felt sick. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and asked what happened.

He didn't explain but said that now that the negative energy of Momentum was flowing into the world, the Signers would soon appear. It didn't matter how long it took. He told me to gather them so they could defeat him. I asked him what he meant but he yelled at me to just do as he said. He then explained that he had two gods inside of him…and he wasn't strong enough to resist…and that he had chosen the path of the wicked god.

I didn't want to just leave my brother, but he fired at me and left me no other choice. I believe it was the last moment he was able to control himself.

And then…in that explosion…many lives were lost. Professor Fudo managed to get his son to an escape vessel in time but his own life was taken. The city and the Satellite were separated. I lost my brother and he was reborn as a Dark Signer."

"Not even the legendary man could stop the separation between the city and the Satellite…The one who jumped the Daedalus Bridge. I have never forgotten that dream…I want to reunite them as well."

Goodwin sighed.

"So you know that legend?"

"Yes," Crow replied, "My parents…Jack's parents…Yusei's parents…they were all lost. But, that legend was apart of what gave me hope, I didn't know the guy…but I believe in his dream."

"If you see Yusei, tell him I am waiting for him should he defeat my brother."

Goodwin went into a nearby room and locked the door behind him. Crow ran at the door and slammed on it.

"What do you mean? What's going on, here?"

There was no reply. Inside, Goodwin thought to himself. He understood that Yusei also wanted to reunite the city.

"We'd better find Yusei, then," Laura turned around quickly. Midori collapsed, the visions having overwhelmed her. As Crow ran to her, Etsuo picked her up and carried her on his back.

"It's ok, I've got her."

The four of them ran out of the room. The noticed a strange purple light and decided to follow it, hoping it would lead them to the others.

…

"So that's it, then? You're trying to play God?" Yusei wasn't sure if he believed what Rudger had just told him, "How many lives will you throw away before your satisfied?"

"By the time I was aware of my destiny, it was too late. I had chosen a heart of darkness, not having the will to resist… The world will be reborn soon…and that is the final answer to all of your questions."

Rudger then called for his turn. He immediately declared an attack with his Earthbound Immortal.

But, Zero Gardna burst and the threads were pushed back.

"By releasing my Gardna, all damage I take this turn becomes Zero," Yusei explained.

"I see, you are still fighting."

Rudger finished his turns with a facedown card. Everyone was worried now, but they had no option but to believe, or risk the thought of despair.

Yusei began his turn. All he did was set two of his own facedown cards, giving him three cards to defend himself. He worried about how Rudger would play his next turn. Playing defense was his best shot.

Rudger took his turn, smirking.

"I activate Earthbound Whirlwind! When I have an Earthbound Immortal on the field, I can destroy all spell and trap cards! Your last hope is crushed."

Yusei revealed one of his cards.

"I was hoping you'd play a card like that! I activate Starlight Road. When You try to destroy two or more cards of mine, I can negate that effect and special summon Stardust Dragon without following usual summoning conditions."

In a flurry of stardust, Yusei's mighty dragon appeared, growling at Earthbound Immortal Uru. Its golden eyes gleamed fearlessly.

(Reminder: Stardust Dragon is a level eight wind attributed Dragon type monster with 2500 attack points.)

"Quite late in the game to bring out your trump card, isn't it?"

"We'll see about that! I also activate the trap card Shooting Star. When I control a Stardust Dragon, I can destroy one card you control, and I think I'll target your Spider Web!"

Stardust Dragon began to glow. Rudger smirked.

"It's too easy. I'll counter with a trap called Nihility Hole!"

Rudger revealed his trap. Stardust Dragon stopped glowing, and Uru seemed to curl up in pain.

"By reducing my Earthbound Immortal's attack to nothing this turn, I can negate your Shooting Star."

Rudger growled. He couldn't make an attack with no power to back it. He was forced to end his turn.

"May this be your final move, Yusei."

"It will be," Yusei smiled when he drew his next card, but it quickly faded. He couldn't relax now. Not until Rudger was defeated.

Uru uncurled, returning to its original 3000 attack points.

"I activate a spell…Battle Waltz! It creates a token with the same characteristics as my Stardust Dragon!"

A similar dragon appeared on the field, but wasn't cloak in the same glorious light. He knew Uru couldn't be selected as an attack target.

"Waltz Token! Attack Rudger directly!"

The other dragon moved to attack, but Uru moved in to protect Rudger.

"Have you forgotten about my Roar of the Earthbound Deity? I'll destroy your token and end this!"

"No, I haven't. I'll use the effect of my Stardust Dragon to release it. I will negate the effect of your trap and destroy it!"

The card shattered and the dragon flew over Uru. His Stardust Dragon vanished from the field. As it did, Rudger had another trap waiting.

"You think you've finished me? I activate Glowing Image of the Guardian God! It allows me to change your attack target to my Earthbound Immortal!"

The spider caught the dragon and pulled it down. There was an explosion on impact. Rudger was certain the attack would end Yusei. But, when the smoke cleared, Yusei was still standing.

"Any damage I take from a battle involving my Waltz Token is reduced to Zero, and when it's destroyed, your monster loses power equal to its attack."

Uru writhed in pain, with only 500 attack points left.

"So many people have suffered because of Zero Reverse. And…it WAS my father's research to begin with… Jack and Crow…the three of us grew up without our parents. If it didn't happen, maybe our lives wouldn't be so absurd…

I wonder why my friends still see me as such when it was my father's research that caused all of this…I hope I can make it up to them…but perhaps it doesn't matter what happens to me."

Everyone was surprised but Yusei's sudden outpouring of emotions.

Suddenly, a voice rang out from below them.

"I'm sorry you feel that way! It must be tough to carry that around…"

Crow and the others appeared in a window just beneath Sidney, the twins, and Trudge.

Yusei turned to see Crow.

"I never thought you felt that way," Crow called to him, "I…I never thought of my life being the way it is because it was your dad's fault. I don't see why you should take responsibility for what happened.

You're my friend…Yusei. If Zero Reverse hadn't happened…well… it may not be true. Win for your friends, Yusei. Not because of any guilt that hangs over you."

Yusei understood, but was confused that he was accepted so easily.

"Crow is right," Sidney responded, "You shouldn't feel guilty for something your father was involved in."

Yusei paused.

"I don't rely on insanity, Rudger. Only my irreplaceable friends," Yusei then activated another trap. It was still the Battle Phase.

"With the effect of Stardust Flash, I can bring Stardust Dragon back for one more battle, and this time Uru can't stop it!"

Stardust Dragon emerged and rushed at Uru, its mouth gathering a great beam of light. Yusei declared his attack and the energy stream shot from his dragon's mouth and caused a great blast.

The blast enveloped Rudger and he couldn't help but let out a cry of was enough to strip Rudger of any remaining life points. With nothing left, Yusei emerged from the duel, injured but victorious.

When the vapors cleared, Ruder had collapsed to his knees. His body was turning gray. But, Yusei noticed he was laughing.

"Sorry. You may have won, Yusei. But, I can't allow you to leave!"

Thanks for all your support! Please be here for the next exciting episode! Your feedback is appreciated!