Episode 61 is now here. Please read the end notes for some important info. from the author.
The duel still seemed in Carly's favor with the Dark Signer having 3600 life points. Jack was scraping by with only 800. But, with Change Destiny now activated, there was a chance to recover, and perhaps get through to the good person Carly was underneath. He still held out her glasses, trying to remind her of that person.
"I refuse to accept this," She hissed, "I know you would want this world of hell I offer. I will not listen to these lies of yours."
She tried to outride Jack on her Duel Runner, but even with his injuries he kept his pace the best he could. It was not long before he was right behind her again.
"Do not persist, Jack! I came back as a Dark Signer for you! I came back to create a world where we could be together. This is my wish, my fate."
"You're wrong, Carly. You've never been so wrong. Would you listen to yourself?"
Carly growled at Jack's retort.
"Listen, you were the one who told me to stop feeling sorry for myself after I lost to Yusei in the Fortune Cup," Jack replied, "You even came up to me the night Goodwin announced my engagement to Sidney and asked if this was what really the path I would take to become king again, do you remember?"
Carly gave no response.
"You told me that night that I was chasing a part of my life that was dead and buried. You asked why I didn't choose to start a new chapter in my life and live as the King Jack Atlas that I could be and that so many people had come to admire. Well, you were right. I was caught up in my jealousy and I let my pride take me down the path of ruin. I wasn't true to myself. You were the one who made me realize that, Carly. If only I has listened to you sooner…after all, I didn't forget those words."
He looked back to his Trap Card, reminded that the duel was not yet over.
"Now that Change Destiny has activated, you have one of two choices, Carly. You can gain life points equal to half of the attack of your Fortune Lady Earth, which is 1400. Or…you can inflict that same amount as damage to mine. This is, as I said, a choice you must make."
Jack knew well in his head that he was making a gutsy move. The logical move would be for Carly to inflict damage to his life points and win the duel, as the amount of damage would be greater than what life he had left. Anyone could see that. However, he was banking on something he had not thought to put much faith in until now. The heart Carly still had within in her, or so he hoped.
"What are you playing at, Jack? I can easily end you right here! You're so stupid…stopping my attack when you're just going to lose anyway. How can you be so calm when defeat is staring at you with its gaping maw?," Carly glared at him with annoyance.
"I'm trying to show you that you're in control of your own fate, Carly. Not someone else or any unseen force of destiny. I believe in you now, as I should have from the beginning… now, make a choice for yourself, not some predetermined bullshit!"
Carly scoffed.
"You are acting as if a choice exists where there is none. But, regardless, you will be mine very soon Jack, as I have already made my choice, I will chose the effect that…"
Suddenly, she stopped in midsentence, as though her lips were sealed shut. The Dark Signer turned her gaze, only to see Jack's eyes boring into hers. Suddenly, her eyes flashed, the whites of her eyes temporarily taking on a normal tone before returning to their darkened state. Her mind was immediately flooded with the few memories she had of Jack, not only the arguments and the heartbreak, but the teamwork, the support, and all the good things she could possibly think of. What was this swarm of madness that had overcome her? Or was it perhaps…a swarm of sanity?
"I will…choose… the effect that…"
Her voice became the timid, hesitant one that Jack had remembered of the Carly he knew. She closed her eyes, only to open them again, her eyes once again flashing normal colors instead of the blackened dusk of a Dark Signer.
"…the effect that…restores my life points."
Suddenly a wave of golden light washed over her as her life points climb up to 5000. Jack stepped on the accelerator of his Duel Runner. He pulled up alongside her, never taking his eyes away from hers.
"Carly…are you ready to be yourself again?"
Tears began streaking down her face, and it was then then that he was sure that he was speaking to Carly as she truly way.
"I'm so sorry, Jack…I'm so sorry, I never wanted any of this, you're right, I don't…"
She was trying to keep herself from sobbing, causing something to tug at Jack in his mind.
"It's not your fault. I know you're not the type of person who hurts others, more than most."
Through her tearstained face, Carly managed a smile, and Jack looked up at her, hopeful that this battle was finally coming to an end. However, his hopes were dashed when a violet light started to emit from the Hummingbird birthmark on her arm.
Carly instantly shrieked in pain, her face twisted in agony.
"Carly! Are you alright?"
"Her wish is irrelevant," an ominous voice boomed, seemingly from nowhere, its words echoing across the terrain, "Carly belongs to us. She is a Dark Signer, and the fate of a Dark Signer is to fight the Signers and destroy them."
A large, heavy black shadow formed above Carly, like a wash of black ink pouring over her. Jack's expression turned to that of rage and dismay.
"You! You did this to Carly, you bastard!"
"Dark Signer!," The voice cut through the air like a knife, "You WILL bury this chosen of the Crimson Dragon."
"No…I won't…"
"It is not your choice, and you have no power to resist. You belong to us."
The cloud of black started to rush into Carly's ears and mouth, her eyes beginning to glow with the same light as her Dark Signer birthmark. When it disappeared completely, Carly grinned at Jack wickedly, her eyes brightly aglow.
"Now, let us continue without pointless interruption," She spoke with the disembodied voice echoing her words. The one dueling Jack now was not her at all, but the true force of evil Jack had to contend with. And it now held Carly's mind and spirit hostage while using her body as its tool to carry out the dark purpose of the Earthbound Immortals."
And so, the duel continued, it still being the turn of Carly, or the thing that was now controlling her physical form. A card was picked from her hand.
"I activate the Speed Spell, Curse of Fate! Beware this, Signer," Spoke the possessed Carly, "In exchange for two or more speed counters, I may place two curse counters on one of my monsters. In exchange for not attacking, I may remove one of these counters to inflict half of my monster's attack points to you as damage. However, I have already attacked so I may not use the effect immediately. Make your last pathetic move."
The turn was ended by placing two cards face down. The evil that took hold of Carly laughed at Jack mockingly and sneered at him.
"You will be crushed by the one you love. You cannot escape this fate."
"I will win, and I will make you pay for using Carly for your ends! I will not forgive the Earthbound Immortals for making Carly a Dark Signer, and for trying to destroy everything! If you want to fight me, then fine. But you will be the one who is buried. Right back in the hole in the earth you dragged yourself out of!"
It was Jack's turn again, and he had only three Speed Counters while 'Carly' had five. He drew a card to begin his turn, determined to bring this insanity to its deserving grave.
"I'll start things off by summoning Vice Dragon in attack mode via its special ability. Since you are the only one with a monster on the field, I can summon my dragon without a tribute even though it's over level four."
A muscular green dragon appeared on the field in a beam of light, growling at Carly's Fortune Lady.
(Vice Dragon is a level five Dragon type monster with 2000 attack and 2400 defense points.)
"However, the attack power of my dragon is halved if I summon him in this way," Jack added. Carly noted the monster's attack points drop to 1000.
"Next, I'll summon Dark Resonator, a tuner monster. And, with that, I'll immediately tune my monsters together for a synchro summon."
(Dark Resonator is a level three dark attributed Fiend type tuner monster with 1300 attack and 200 defense points.)
Before his monster could fully appear on the field, a circle of light appeared, making the monster's form look white. A pair of red eyes glared at Carly as Vice Dragon was sucked into the circle of light. The light turned into a beam and a draconic form began to replace the ones of the two monsters that had been there before.
"Come forth, my soul, Red Dragon Archfiend!"
His ace monster appeared, a horned, demonic dragon. Its red and black body rippled with muscle and power, and its golden eyes gleamed in the light of the violet flames surrounding the two duelists. It roared triumphantly as Jack's signer mark began to glow with an intense red light. 'Carly' smirked, knowing that this was the form of the Signer's dragon.
(Red Dragon Archfiend is a level eight dragon type monster with 3000 attack and 2000 defense points. It is a synchro monster.)
"Your dragon, your symbol as a signer, has come to join us. Good, I have been waiting to fell your beast since the beginning of this game."
A Trap card was then revealed.
"I activate the card, Class Change, which increase the level of a monster on the field by one. I will use it to increase the level of my Fortune Lady, this allowing her attack power to exceed that of your Red Dragon Archfiend."
Jack remembered that with a Fortune Lady, their level determines their power. Fortune Lady Earth's attack power increased to 3200 points, and a fierce look appeared in her eyes. However, there was one part of the effect he had not quite remembered.
"Oh, and that level increase results in 400 points of damage to you. Have fun."
Jack howled in pain as his life points dropped to a sliver of 400. He could hear the possessed laughter of his opponent.
"Hanging on by only a thread. I am certain you will be finished on my next turn."
Jack did his best to keep himself going.
"I assure you that won't happen."
He then revealed a face down card of his own.
"I'm going to activate my Speed Spell, Half Seize, which I can play now that I have three speed counters. What it does is that your monster's attack points are cut in half, and I get to add the amount to my life points. Maybe you shouldn't count me out just yet."
Fortune Lady Earth shrieked, and she seemed drained of her energy. Her attack went down to 1600, a clear indicator of its weakened state. Jack felt a restorative feeling as he saw those points put into his life points, the number climbing up to 2000.
The possessed Carly grimaced, fuming at how the Signer had managed to pull himself from the Trap that had been set. With her monster now weaker that Red Dragon Archfiend, it was clear what Jack would do next. He declared his monster's attack, and in a burst of flame and ripping claws, Fortune Lady Earth was gone. The Dark Signer let out a cry as her life points were dropped to 3600, and she also lost a speed counter in the process for taking more than 1000 points of damage.
The Dark Signer began to lose control of her Duel Runner, and the vehicle slammed into the flames of the geoglyph. She shrieked, and Jack eyes widened, wondering if the real Carly was feeling just as much pain as the evil that was possessing her.
"Carly!"
At first, he received no response.
"Carly! Answer me! Are you alright?"
He heard a groan of pain, but when Carly looked back up he saw that her eyes were still emitting that light of the evil that was controlling her. She briefly glared at Jack before hitting the accelerator of her Runner to put some distance between the two of them.
"Wait! Carly!"
She completely ignored him, moving to activate a Trap Card.
"I counter with Fortune Inherit. When a Fortune Lady of mine is destroyed, I can have two Fortune Lady's take her place on my next turn."
The card faded. Jack shook his head before setting a card of his own face down.
At this rate, it didn't seem like he was going to win Carly back from the Dark Signers. He then mentally slapped himself. And with an attitude like that, he told himself, he might as well seal his own fate here and now. And there was no way he was going to do that.
It was Carly's turn, and now their speed counters were nearly even, Carly having five while Jack had four. Following the effect of the Trap she played earlier, she summoned two Fortune Ladies, declaring their names as they were summoned to the field.
"Fortune Lady Wind and Water, come to my aid!"
Two similar looking Fortune Ladies of green and blue color scheme appeared on the field, with the same style of outfit and weaponry as the previous monsters. Their hair billowed in the breeze, looking like a cascade of water of air currents.
(Fortune Lady Wind is a level three Wind attribute Spellcaster type, while Fortune Lady Water is a Water attribute Spellcaster type. Both have non initial attack and defense points.)
Going with similar effects as the Fortune Ladies before, each monster gained 300 attack and defense points per level they had, giving Fortune Lady Wind 900 points in both stats and Fortune Lady Water 1200 points in each stat.
"I activate the secondary effect of Fortune Lady Water, which allows me to draw cards for each Fortune Lady on my field. That's two cards."
She did so, and a wicked grin appeared on her face.
"You shall become my sacrifice, Jack… for now you shall tremble beneath the might of a God. My Earthbound Immortal Aslla Piscu!"
A giant heart of stone appeared in the air above them, beating as the bodies of the Fortune Ladies turned black and crumbled to dust. White lights began to shine all around the heart and the earth shook beneath them.
"Now, let the door to the Underworld open! Come forth, my Earthbound Immortal!"
Jack remembered what was said before, and he guessed the lights around the forming monstrosity were the souls of captured people being used to fuel the beast. Out of the ground, a twisted, bird like creature with orange lines crossing its body emerged. It flapped its skeletal wings, letting out a blood curdling cry. It was absolutely massive, towering over everything in sight.
(Earthbound Immortal Aslla Piscu is a level ten Winged Beast type monster with 2500 attack and defense points.)
Jack wondered if the real Carly felt what was happening was her fault. It wasn't, he told himself. And if she didn't know that, well, as soon as everything was over he'd tell her a thousand time over. It was the fault of the Earthbound Immortals, and it finally took form, and now was the time to fight or die. And he kept telling himself he and his Red Dragon Archfiend could not fail. It wasn't an option.
However, knowing the effects of an Earthbound Immortal from previous experience, he knew just was about to happen next. Earthbound Immortals could make direct attacks, and most monsters could not stand in their way. And so, that is what the possessed Carly set out to do.
"Now, Jack! Receive the judgment of a God!"
"I will die before I lose this duel, before I lose you to this madness!," He retorted, finding that this was not yet the end.
"I activate the effect of Battle Fader! When you attack, I can special summon this monster from my hand and automatically end the Battle Phase, thus cancelling your attack."
The Earthbound Immortal stood still, and a small ball of light revealed of curious monster with a body like the hands of a clock, and round eyes peeking out from its metal body.
(Battle Fader is a level one monster with no attack or defense points.)
Carly leered over at the little monster, muttering that Jack was only delaying his fate. She set a card face down before turning things over to Jack for his turn. However, before Jack even turned to draw his card to begin his turn, he looked at her with a somber expression.
"Carly… listen. Before any of this happened, I was a very selfish man. Even after this started, I was selfish. I betrayed my friends and I exploited others for power and personal gain. And I didn't care what anyone thought," He started to speak, saying what was on his mind, "But, you taught me that that's not the kind of life I should lead. I remember running into you that one day, when we fought together against those possessed by the Dark Signers. I remember that you wanted to help me get back on my feet, encouraged me. And then, when Goodwin announced I was engaged to Sidney, you were the one who confronted me first about it, knowing that nothing was as it seemed.
You told me that someone who had lost their way could be redeemed by compassion and someone who cared for them. I didn't believe that back then. But, if it's only my heart that can save you…"
He put a hand on his chest over his heart. Carly seemed unphased, but perhaps somewhere inside of herself, she was listening.
"Then I will give all of my heart that I might save you. Because… Because…"
He paused.
"Because I've never felt this way about anyone else. I don't know any other way to say it…but because of you…because of what you did and who you really are…I love you, Carly."
Suddenly, Jack could feel his entire body brimming with energy, some sort of force pooling into him. A few moments later, his Signer mark faded from his arm. He wondered what was going on, only to feel the energy surging towards his back. In a flash of red light, the full mark of the Crimson Dragon appeared on his back. The possessed Carly glared at him.
He felt the support of all the people he had hurt, the people who were meant to be his friends. Yusei, Luna, Akiza, and Sidney…Their power was now granted to him in this one moment, this moment that he might save the person who taught him to rise above the sins of his past. He looked down at his deck and his eyes widened. The top card was shining brightly like it had been hit with starlight. He quickly checked the speed counters he and Carly had, noting that they were still fairly close, though up one counter each from before.
And so, he drew the shining card from his deck, knowing that this was his moment of truth. He looked at the card in his hand, and noted the name on the card.
"Savior Dragon…"
"Jack!"
He heard Carly's voice, but when he looked back to Carly her mouth was not moving. He felt a sudden twitch of pain that caused him to close his eyes. But, when he did, he saw a vision of Carly as she had been before she became a Dark Signer. And it was this Carly that was speaking to him.
"Jack… please…End this."
"Carly…no, don't talk like that, there has to be another way."
"But, Jack, I don't want to hurt anyone anymore."
"But none of this is your fault!," Jack retorted to the vision. Carly nodded.
"I know. But, please, do this for me. I don't want this thing controlling me anymore…I want the freedom to choose my own destiny."
Jack shook his head.
"This is stupid. What if defeating you means you're gone forever?"
He briefly felt the touch of her hand on his own within the vision.
"Jack, listen to me. Understand me, this is what I want. I don't want this monster to be the end of me. You have to destroy it…you have to defeat me. I don't know what will happen… but…this is what I ask of you. Will you do this for me, Jack?"
Jack sorrowfully nodded, coming to terms with what he was seeing and hearing in his mind, not quite sure of his was the real Carly talking to him or if he was hallucinating.
"If this is your wish, I will do as you ask, Carly."
He opened his eyes slowly, briefly looking over at the possessed Carly before executing his turn. A brief image of a dragon flashed across his mind, and he knew what would decide the end of this duel.
"I summon Savior Dragon, a tuner monster, in attack mode!"
A light colored, archaic dragon appeared on the field, wrapping its body around Red Dragon Archfiend's hand. Their bodies turned white and soon then disappeared into a cloud of light. Battle Fade soon joined them.
"Now, I will tune all of my monsters together to summon…"
The name of the monster flashed in his mind.
"Savior Demon Dragon!"
A dragon similar to Red Dragon Archfiend appeared on the field, with awe-inspiring wings and a long, sinuous body. It was monstrous in size, though not nearly as big as the Earthbound Immortal. But, size was not the deciding factor in this duel.
(Savior Demon Dragon is a Dragon type synchro monster with 4000 attack and 3000 defense points.)
"Savior Demon Dragon is specially built to take on an Earthbound Immortal," Jack explained, reading off the effect of the monster, "It negates the effect of Aslla Piscu and gains its attack points for the turn."
His possessed opponent looked utterly stunned as the Earthbound Immortal gave an ear-shattering scream. The dragon became cloaked in white light, and its attack was elevated to a staggering 6500 points. Aslla Piscu's wings drooped and dark energy was seeping out of it, a sign that the dragon was more than a match for the so-called God.
It would all be over in a single attack. However, Jack intended that Carly would not have to go down alone. The card he placed was a Trap card known as Shock Wave, and with its effect, his dragon would be sacrificed to deliver the killing blow to both of them. Perhaps it was what he deserved after everything that had happened. And he didn't know if he could make it up to Carly another way. But, if he had to grant her wish, perhaps he could at least go with her, wherever it was she would go.
When he looked back up to Carly, he was shocked to see her eyes return to normal. Carly shook her head as she revealed the Trap card she had laid down last turn.
"I activate Earthbound Release," she declared in a tearful voice, "When you summon a level six or higher monster to the field, I can release my Earthbound Immortal to inflict damage to you and Savior Demon Dragon will be destroyed."
Jack quickly looked at his cards, and then at his Savior Demon Dragon, and realized she was walking into a suicidal move.
"Carly! Wait! There's another part to the effect of Savior Demon Dragon. If you target it with a destroy effect, the card is negated and destroyed! And then you take damage equal to Savior Demon Dragon's attack…which means…"
"Which means this will finally be over, and you will be safe, Jack. This is the choice is I make."
"Carly, no!" Jack tried to plead with her, but she had made up her mind. In her moment of clarity, she was determined to take her fate into her own hands. The cards was played, and the Earthbound Immortal crumbled into the shadows, only mists of energy remained. A wave of energy came at Savior Demon Dragon, only to be deflected by a barrier of light. It bounced back at Carly, smashing into her Duel Runner and throwing her off the vehicle. The flaming geoglyph disappeared as her Runner blinked with her final life point count before giving out: zero.
Jack stopped and jumped off of his D-Wheel running towards where Carly had fallen. An image of her as she was before flashed across his mind, showing him another vision as he kept running towards where she fell. The Carly in the vision was holding a deck of cards, and drew a card from the top.
"This is what I really wanted for you, Jack, the fate I wished for," he heard her voice echoing in his head. Was this another hallucination? He saw the card that she turned over had a picture of himself, surrounded by children and fans. He looked proud but had his hands extended in a kind gesture.
"I wanted you to be a true king: beloved by your people, and full of nobility and strength. I wanted you to heal and become something greater than what you were."
The vision faded, and he found himself standing directly over Carly. He knelt down, picking her up and cradling her in his arms. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at him weakly.
"Jack…Oh, Jack…"
"Carly, it's over."
"Yes, Jack, I can feel… the evil is gone, but…I am bound to it…so… until this nightmare is over…I must go with it…" She murmured. He felt her body grow lighter, and a thin outline of lavender light curved around her body.
"No, Carly, don't go, please…"
She cupped his cheek and stroked it lovingly.
"Jack, I love you. Don't give up on this, okay? Everyone needs you. I…need you."
Starting from her feet, her body began to disintegrate into particles of light. Jack leaned down and kissed her forehead, before her hand pulled down his face to kiss her lips. In a few seconds, he felt nothing, and saw that her body was gone, and a stream of light floated into the air, whisked away by the wind.
…
End of Episode 61: Jack Vs Carly concluded.
Author's Discussion- Very Important-Please Read:
Well, here we are dear readers. It's been almost a year since I updated this fanfiction. And we are very very close to the end. However, there are some problems. First off, I haven't updated in a year, and part of this is because I have lost the motivation to continue with the story. Part of this is due to other projects I am currently working on, a change in interests, and the fact that my need to attend to reality has greatly increased.
I am very happy that I got this far in the story, and I appreciate all the reviews I have gotten, as well as loyal followers and favorites. I've even come to appreciate the more harsh reviews. All of it made this story able to get where it is today. I promised to finish this, but as I said, there are some issues. Another problem is that I've been writing out the duels as they occurred in the show, turn for turn. The dialogue is my own, but the duels themselves are not. This process is extremely time consuming and exhausting, especially with being so close to the end of the story.
I made a goal with myself that I would finish the story by the end of this summer of 2013(I put August 27th, my birthday, as a deadline). However, unless I can do something different with the coming chapters, this is very unlikely to happen. And, I made a deal that if I did not finish by the appointed time, I would write a detailed summary of what was intended to happen from the point I last wrote to the end of the story, which would be the end of the Dark Signer Arc.
I am willing to write out the duel between Misty and Aki, because I feel they both should be given equal time as the others have. However, if it is insisted that I write out the entire final duel, then I must simply say this cannot be done.
I am willing to make a compromise of sorts, but it will require that I break canon quite a bit in order to do so. Instead of a duel, I propose the final battle be a fight between the final Earthbound God and all of the Signer Dragons. As in an actual fight. The basic result will be the same, but there will be fewer monsters to deal with, no spells or traps, and no life points to keep track of. This will make my job much easier.
I know, I know, it's lazy writing on my part. But, this is what I plan to do so that finishing the story by the appointed deadline will be a possibility. And this story, after 60+ chapters and 4 years, does deserve an ending of some sort. I will keep my promise if the deadline isn't met, but I am hoping it will not have to come to that. Your feedback is very important to me so please let me know your thoughts on this issue.
With Best Regards, AvatarofBahamut