Victories
"Ah!" Mateo grunted as his arm bumped against the door.
"Be careful, Mateo!" Luna scolded. "The doctor was reluctant to let you leave so soon, considering you spent four hours hanging by that arm."
"I need to find Shiho. We can't allow him to complete his plans."
"We know. Jack and Akiza are looking around the warehouse with Trudge for clues." Yusei replied. "Leo and Crow went back to that back alleyway where you saw him before and see if they can find anything there."
"Good." Mateo groaned as he sat on the couch. "We've got a big problem. Can you get everyone on the phone for me?"
"Yeah, I'm on it."
"You should have finished him while you had the chance!" Adachi shouted. "Can you imagine what strength the Darkness would've had if we'd pulled Mateo Yurigaya, the Signer of Unification into our group?"
"It wasn't your choice to make, Adachi. It was mine. And wouldn't you rather we draw Mateo in when he's at his strongest? I'd rather crush him when he can truly fight back." Shiho replied angrily. "Remember, I'm the 'Signer of Unification' for us. I have the dark miasma, and I originally had the power to corrupt Signers to our cause, including you. You only have this ability because of me!"
"Be that as it may!" Adachi sighed. "The other Signers will be looking for us now. We'll have to be careful. If your dragon hadn't have retaliated at Mateo like that, you would have been defeated. And we can't afford to let that happen. We must gather the Others."
"Then let's go. There's a lot of scum in the un-renovated areas of the Satellite district. Maybe we'll find something there."
"Sounds like a plan. Let's go."
"Okay, I've got Jack and Akiza." Yusei put his phone on speaker and set it on the coffee table.
"And I've got Leo and Crow." Luna did the same.
"Thanks, guys. Okay. Well, if it wasn't already obvious, you guys have to be careful." Mateo stated. "There's more to Shiho than we thought."
"What do you mean?" Akiza asked through Yusei's phone.
"Shiho's got this power. Adachi called it a 'dark miasma.' It gives Shiho the power to do real damage while dueling, and…" Mateo gulped, "…it also gives him the power to corrupt Signers."
"Corrupt Signers?" Luna asked, and looked to Yusei. Yusei watched Mateo sternly.
"Don't worry, it requires someone to lose."
"When we found you, you certainly didn't look like you won." Jack replied. "How do we know you aren't corrupted?"
"If I had lost, I would be dead."
"What?"
"I didn't tell you? The Crimson Dragon wanted me because I was strong. If I were to lose… It wouldn't have any use for me anymore. It'll kill me."
"There's no way that's true!" Luna put her hand over her mouth. "The Crimson Dragon would never kill someone, would it, Yusei?"
"I don't know. I don't know the conditions behind Mateo's Mark of the Dragon." Yusei replied. "But I don't believe it would kill someone just because their Life Points reached zero."
"Believe me, that's what will happen if I lose. A lifetime of bad omens and nightmares doesn't exactly paint a nice picture about what will happen if I lose. So I'm safe from corruption, because I'll just die instead."
"Well, that's morbid."
"Leo!" Luna shouted.
"There's more."
"More?" Everyone asked.
"They serve something."
"Yeah, the Dark Signers. We've fought them before, and we won."
"No, Jack. Not the Dark Signers, luckily. But this might be even worse."
"Worse? How could it be worse?" Leo asked.
"An Azure Dragon."
"You… You're joking, right?" Crow asked, however Mateo said nothing. "I'll take your silence as a no."
"It's an entity with power that rivals the Crimson Dragon. The way Adachi talked about it, it made it seem like we've got an even deeper rivalry than the Earthbound Immortals." Mateo explained. "When a Signer is corrupted, I can only assume that it weakens the Crimson Dragon and powers up the Azure Dragon, and, of course, by extension, the Darkness."
"So what do you want us to do, then?" Akiza asked.
"If you see Shiho or Adachi, or, hell, you encounter one of those Azure Signers, don't duel them unless you know for a fact that you can win." Mateo answered. "Otherwise, you might be corrupted, and it will just give Shiho and the Azure Dragon even more power."
"Will do, Mateo." Jack replied. "And hey, that corrupted thing…"
"Don't worry about it." Mateo replied.
"Don't go out and try to do anything stupid. You're on the mend." Akiza demanded.
"I'll keep an eye on him, Akiza." Luna answered. "Don't worry."
"Yusei, if you want, you can go look, too. We'll need all the help we can get."
"You're probably right. Get some rest. I'll check up on your two later." Yusei put on his coat and headed for the door. "And keep out of trouble."
"Will do." Mateo replied. Yusei nodded, and left.
"I hear youse looking for some kind of 'Azure Signer!'" Darren shouted as he walked over to the waiting Shiho and Adachi.
"That's right, Darren. Where are they?" Adachi replied. Darren chuckled.
"Youse know that don't come cheap, don'tcha?"
"Name your price." Shiho blurted.
"Heh. Well, it ain't cheap."
"Hold on a moment." Adachi pulled Shiho aside. "What are you doing?"
"He wants payment."
"We don't need to give him payment." Adachi replied. "This isn't a ransom situation or deal we have to make. These are our fellow Signers."
"That doesn't mean we have to transform into people like him in the process."
"You're already on the fast track to that." Adachi stated, bluntly. "You're less of a lawman now than you were three weeks ago."
"I suppose…"
"You suppose? Oh, I'm sorry, is this all too much? I thought you had the dark miasma?"
"Shut up!" Shiho shouted. He turned to Darren. "Give us the information, or else!"
"Or else what?" Darren snickered as three other men stepped out of the shadows of the alleyway. They all had Duel Disks, just like Darren, as well as claws attached to cables, just like Mateo used to challenge Shiho to a duel.
"What do we have here, a little gang?" Adachi laughed. "I see you've got some disk breakers, too. Don't you think that four against one is a little unfair?"
"You can join, too, princess." One of Darren's boys growled.
"Oh, I meant that you'd need more guys. But if you insist." Adachi and Shiho held up their Duel Disks as the claws attached to their Duel Disks. The gang snickered.
"Let's duel!" All six duelists shouted.
Shiho: 4000 LP
Adachi: 4000 LP
Darren: 4000 LP
Bro 1: 4000 LP
Bro 2: 4000 LP
Bro 3: 4000 LP
"You two can make the first move!"
"Then I draw!" Shiho shouted as he drew a card from his deck. "I summon the Azurian Bailiff in attack mode! I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn!"
"Next, it's my turn!" Adachi drew a card. "I summon Nightridge Chevalier! And with this facedown card, my turn will be over!"
"Now, it's our turn! I summon Amplification Cannoneer in Defense mode! On the turn that this card is summoned, a card effect that deals effect damage will deal twice the damage!" Darren called as he pulled another card from his hand. "So I activate Ookazi, and with my Amplicifation Cannoneer, the eight hundred damage is amplified to sixteen hundred, directed straight at you, Hatazo!"
"Agh!"
Adachi: 4000 LP-2400 LP
"Next, it's my turn! And I summon an Amplification Cannoneer, and play the Ookazi spell card!" One of Darren's boys shouted. "Directed at Hatazo!"
"Aagh!"
Adachi: 2400 LP-800 LP
"Next up, it's my turn!" The second of Darren's boys drew a card from his deck. "And I summon an Amplification Cannoneer! By adding the Ookazi spell card, I can hit Bengo for sixteen hundred damage!"
"Whoa!"
Shiho: 4000 LP-2400 LP
"I draw, and summon an Amplification Cannoneer! Next, I activate Ookazi and hit Shiho for double its usual damage!"
"Ack!"
Shiho: 2400 LP-800 LP
"My turn, again!" Shiho drew a card. "I summon Azurian Clerk, and then I activate Right to an Attorney! By switching my Bailiff into defense mode, I can special summon Azurian Paralegal from my deck! Once my Bailiff is in defense mode, I can change the battle positions of all monsters on the field, switching all of your Amplification Cannoneers into attack mode!"
"What?"
"No way!"
"My turn! I activate Additional Infantry! This spell card allows me to make an additional normal summon this turn as long as the monster is a Nightridge monster!" Adachi called as the card activated. So I'll be summoning my Majestic Dragon, and then I'll tribute my Nightridge Chevalier for my Nightridge Executioner! Luckily for you, my Chavelier's effect would require me to pay the last of my Life Points, so I won't be using that effect. But I can use Shiho's level two Azurian Clerk to tune my level six Nightridge Executioner! As metal clashes against metal, and brother kills brother, this mighty being descends from the mighty heavens, ready to reap those who lose the mighty war! Synchro Summon!"
The Azurian Clerk flew up and vanished, leaving behind its two level stars. The Executioner threw its humungous axe into the air and jumped up in the opposite direction, as the Clerk created glowing Synchro rings around the Executioner. The six level stars of the monster within floated out, causing the Executioner to vanish. The stars aligned themselves in a straight line as a green light pierced them, expanding to the innermost edge of the Synchro Rings. "Descend, mighty Legion Armor Dragon!"
Adachi's Signer dragon roared as it exploded to the field, causing Darren and his boys to take a step backwards. Next, the axe from the Executioner smashed down on one of the Amplification Cannoneers, causing it to explode. "What the… What was that?"
"When my Nightridge Executioner leaves the field, one monster you control gets destroyed."
"I thought you couldn't use your monster's effects because you didn't have enough Life Points yet!"
"You fool! That was only my Nightridge Chevalier! But I have another plan for this turn!" Adachi pointed to his Majestic Dragon. "I tune my level one Majestic Dragon to my level eight Legion Armor Dragon and Shiho's level one Azurian Paralegal! From the fields of battle, this being waits, ready to explode forth in order to take on all those who cannot fathom its true strength!
"Synchro Summon!" Majestic Dragon flew into the air and span once on its axis before sending off a pick wave of light as it extended its wings and grew in size. Legion Armor Dragon roared as it, and Shiho's Paralegal flew up and passed into Majestic Dragon. The nine level stars of the monsters inside launched out and aligned themselves in a straight line from head to tail within the dragon, before a green light pierced through the level stars and the dragon, before enveloping the field. "The might to face all on, the Majestic Armor Dragon!"
"Majestic Armor… Dragon?" Darren asked, fear in his voice.
"That's right! And I'm adding the trap card, Overwhelming Determination! When I target a monster with this card, if he attacks, and the opponent controls a monster in attack mode, I can attack again!" Adachi's monster roared again as it powered up from the Overwhelming Determination. "Darren. One of your boys control no monsters. Which means my attack target will be him! Majestic Armor Dragon! Attack with Armor Crash!"
"What? Whoaaaaaaaaaa!"
Boy 3: 4000 LP-0 LP
"And since your boys all have a monster in attack mode, I can target one of them for another attack!" Adachi pointed at one of Darren's boys. "Majestic Armor Dragon! Use Armor Crash to destroy his Amplification Cannoneer!"
Majestic Armor Dragon roared, flew up, and then descended down on one of the Amplification Cannoneers, obliterating it. "Your monster's one hundred attack is crushed by monster's forty-one hundred attack!"
"Aaaaaagh!"
Boy 2: 4000 LP-0 LP
"Joke's on you! Your monster can't attack any of my other boys' monsters, meaning you can't defeat us before we burn you!"
"That's where you're wrong!" Shiho countered. "I activate my facedown trap card, Search and Seizure! By changing my Bailiff's battle position, I can select one normal Trap card in the graveyard and use its effect as my own! And I'm choosing Adachi's Overwhelming Determination! Because the Majestic Armor Dragon attacked and there's still a monster on your side of the field in attack mode, our monster can attack again!"
"Now go, Majestic Armor Dragon! Armor Crash attack!"
"Noooooooo!" One of Darren's boys screamed as his Life Points blasted to zero, causing his Duel Disk to explode like Darren's first two boys.
Boy 1: 4000 LP-0 LP
"And finally, I activate my other facedown trap card, Search and Seizure!" Shiho's Bailiff changed its battle position again as his trap card snatched Overwhelming Determination from Adachi's graveyard again.
"Heh. Joke's on youse guys!" Darren shouted. "Because your Bailiff changed battle positions, all monsters on the field change their Battle Positions!"
"Only on my turn, Darren." Shiho replied with a smirk. "Now our Majestic Armor Dragon can attack a fourth time!"
"That's right! Now go, Majestic Armor Dragon! Armor Crash attack!" Majestic Armor Dragon blasted through the Amplification Cannoneer, and smashed directly into Darren, blasting him back and into the wall.
"Aaagh!"
Darren: 4000 LP-0 LP
As the holograms faded away, Darren's Duel Disk exploded, cards flying in all directions. Shiho and Adachi ripped the claws off simultaneously, and walked over to where Darren was lying on the ground, traumatized by the power of Shiho and Adachi. "Where's the Azure Signer, Darren?"
"Youse… Youse guys are crazy!"
"Where's the Azure Signer, Darren!" Adachi picked him up and slammed him against the wall, holding his collar with one hand and his other hand, clenched in a fist, prepared to punch.
"He doesn't live in the city. He runs a farm between here and Satisfaction Town." Darren blurted.
"If he lives so far out of the city, how do you know him?"
"He came to the city not that long ago, looking for a bit of help with some stumps on his property." Darren answered. "I gave him a hand. It was where I met my boys, here. "
"Show us."
"He won't take kindly to people showing up unexpected."
"Just show us. Now!" Shiho screamed. Darren held up his hands defenseively, and leaned over to pick up his cards.
"Let's go, then."