Me: Hey, look! Blue Sky update!
Lucy: You're welcome!
Aurelia: You didn't wite this chapter!
Shade: *Appears* Correct, I wrote the majority of the Duel.
Lucy: Yes, but I'm the one that put in the bits of drama.
Shade: Of which there isn't very much, Lucy.
Me: Will you two shut up? All that matters is that the chapter is done, alright?
Lucy: *Pouts a little* Fine.
Shade: Alright. *Vanishes*
Me: *Facepalm* Sometimes I wonder why I need all five of them… Anywho, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds, but I do own my OCs. Enjoy!
Chapter 54
Now Jakob rides in front of everyone, announcing his turn and drawing a card.
Sky S.C. 10, Jakob S.C. 5, Crow S.C. 11, Dusk S.C. 11
I brace myself for Meklord Emperor Granel trying to absorb either Celestial Dragon-Quasar or Black-Winged Dragon. The robot is already powerful enough; a boost from a Synchro Monster would mean more difficulty in defeating that creature.
"Hmm… I will start by replacing the piece destroyed during Crow's last turn," Jakob says. "I Summon Granel Carrier 3 in Defense Mode!"
Granel Carrier 3 ATK: 1000, DEF: 1000, Level 3
An orange mechanical half-sphere appears on the field. It splits apart, connected by a thick metal rod, and attaches itself to the bottom of Granel's torso. The difference between this version and the one destroyed previously is that the new version has two cannons situated on its front.
"Now, Meklord Emperor Granel Infinity, attack Black-Winged Dragon!"
'What, not absorbing either of our Synchros?' I think in shock as the orange robot shoots a stream of energy at the black dragon. 'Even so… Crow better have something up his sleeve.' Why else would he have Summoned his dragon in Attack Mode?
He certainly does, because my orange-haired friend grins and says, "Thanks for falling into my trap, Jakob! Because I control a face-up 'Blackwing' monster, I can activate the Trap Black Sonic! Now all of your monsters in Attack Mode are removed from play!"
"Hmm…" Jakob narrows his eyes at the Trap.
"Last I checked, Granel Top, Granel Attack, and Meklord Emperor Granel were all in Attack Mode," Crow says. "And that means your strategy is going down the drain!"
Blackwing-Gladius the Midnight Sun gains an eerie glow from the Trap, and upon extending one of his blades at the robot, a spiral of black energy strikes the three pieces of the orange robot. Its head, chest, and left arm vanish into a black vortex. The remaining arm and its legs both shatter.
"When Meklord Emperor Granel is removed from the field, all monsters I control are destroyed," Jakob explains. "Hmm. Interesting…"
Dusk huffs in annoyance, and some unspoken conversation happens between the two. I can only guess what they're talking about…
"I set a card face-down and end my turn," Jakob finishes.
"Not so tough now, are you?" Crow asks. "It's my turn, I draw!"
Sky S.C. 11, Jakob S.C. 6, Crow S.C. 12, Dusk S.C. 12
"Huh… I activate the effect of Speed World 2 and remove 7 Speed Counters to draw a card!" Crow starts.
Crow S.C. 5
After this draw, my friend smiles again, and adds the card to his hand. "I switch Blackwing-Gladius the Midnight Sun into Attack Mode, and I'll have both of my monsters attack you directly, Jakob!"
The warrior-bird strikes with his two blades. Then, the dragon's wings turn black with red highlights, and a sphere of crackling black and red energy appears in front of his claw-legs. With a roar, Black-Winged Dragon lets loose the energy at Jakob. The Emperor swivels a little from the impact, but is otherwise unfazed.
Jakob's Life Points: 8400
"Now I set a card face-down and end my turn," Crow says smugly.
"Impressive, but your luck won't last forever," Dusk says, drawing her card. Then she smiles. "In fact, it will end here!"
Sky S.C. 12, Jakob S.C. 7, Crow S.C. 6, Dusk S.C. 12
"I activate my Continuous Speed Spell-Temporal Collapse!" she shouts.
It feels like something socks me in the chest, and all breath I had in me is suddenly knocked out. Before my very eyes, my surroundings are turning grey. I blink several times, and manage to catch my breath again, thinking that it was because of a lack of air. Nope, everything is still grey. Everything, that is, except Dusk, Jakob, Crow, and their Duel Runners. We're still moving, but everything else is frozen in place.
I go to ask what this is, but a giant tower made of blue stone appears above us and crumbles into pieces. It vanishes, leaving behind a monster that looks familiar, and yet at the same time it doesn't. The monster looks like Dialga, Ruler of Time, and yet… its skin is a darker blue, and the lines on its body are yellow-orange instead of light blue.
Primal Dialga ATK: 3000, DEF: 1900, Level 8
"This is the power of my despair!" Dusk shouts. "With Temporal Collapse on the field, no one can gain Speed Counters, and the effects of Speed World 2 are negated," she says. "When activated, Temporal Collapse Special Summons Primal Dialga from my Deck. Oh, and I'm sure you're all wondering why everything else is frozen? As long as Primal Dialga is on the field, time will stay frozen!"
"You… your monster can freeze time?" I ask, staring at the corrupted Dialga. I've never heard of a monster that could do this before; flatout manipulating the timestream. Even the normal version of Dialga can't do this…
"Oh, it can alright!" Dusk replies with glee. "Also, your teammates in the pit? Yeah, they're frozen too. Not even the Crimson Dragon can stand up to a deity older than it." She pauses for a moment, thinking over something. "A corrupted deity, but older nonetheless."
'A deity older than the Crimson Dragon?' I think. 'Reshiram, is that even possible?'
'Yes, those from other dimensions,' she replies. 'In fact, I am one of them. I did not realize that the others had followed me here, other than my direct enemy, Kyurem, Xerneas, and… his enemy.'
'Okay, I think this involves a longer backstory than I need right now, so just tell me later, alright?' I think.
'I will wait, little one. If you need my assistance in the Duel, do not hesitate to call on me.' With that, the dragon stops speaking to me.
I stare at the blue deer with multi-colored horns that resides on my field. 'Hmm… you are another ancient deity, aren't you, Xerneas?' I think.
The deer gives a short nod, but doesn't speak.
'Well then, I'm glad to have your help.'
"I activate the effect of Primal Dialga!" my future self declares. "Once a turn, I can destroy and remove from play a card on the field! Absolute Rewind!"
The diamond at the center of Primal Dialga's chest glows a brighter yellow-orange, and the fin-like structure along its back glows red. The creature roars, and a sphere of blue energy appears around Blackwing-Gladius the Midnight Sun. The sphere shatters into pieces along with the warrior-bird.
'That effect is… almost too powerful,' I think grimly. 'But why didn't she destroy my dragon? Then she could have pulled off a direct attack on me, right? Also, Celestial Dragon-Quasar ties Primal Dialga when it comes to strength, but Blackwing-Gladius the Midnight Sun was weaker; heck, Black-Winged Dragon would've made more sense… Hmm… Just what are you planning, Dusk?'
"On the turn I use this effect, I cannot declare an attack, but that will be fine with me. I set a card face-down and end my turn," Dusk finishes.
"Fine then, it's my turn!" I shout, drawing my card. The fact that the Speed Counters don't change bothers me a little, but at least I have the max and can still use my Speed Spells. I look at the rest of my hand. Nothing to get rid of that Primal Dialga right now. Later, possibly. For the moment, though, I can bring Jakob down to size. "I Summon Celestial Knight-Mercury!"
Celestial Knight-Mercury ATK: 1500 to 2200, DEF: 1000, Level 3
A knight in bright red-orange armor appears on my side of the field.
"Now, both of my monsters, attack Jakob directly!" I declare, pointing at my opponent.
My knight lands his attack—a quick jab with a glowing dagger—but as my dragon prepares a blast, Dusk declares, "I activate the Trap Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! You know what it does, so I won't bother to explain it."
I flinch as my dragon's fire bounces harmlessly off of the scarecrow made of junk metal. She's clearly trying to prove the point that she's from the future…
Jakob's Life Points: 6200
"Tch, I'll end my turn with a face-down," I say, sliding the card into my Duel Disk.
"It is my turn!" Jakob declares, drawing his card. He looks at it for a moment. "I activate the Speed Spell-Mechanical Dimension! As I have 5 Speed Counters, the effect of my Spell returns all three of the monsters you removed from play to my field, in Defense Mode!"
"What?!" Crow shouts.
The black vortex reappears above us, and the head, chest, and left arm of the robot reappear on the field, and the pieces reconnect. Then, the half-robot holds its only arm in front of it protectively, and turns blue. Despite missing two pieces, the robot still boasts 6200 DEF—a lot more than Crow or I can handle right now.
"That shall be the end of my turn," Jakob says.
"If I took that robot down once, I'll do it again!" Crow declares. "It's my turn, I draw!" He looks at his card. "I activate the Quick-Play Speed Spell-Mystical Space Typhoon! By removing two of my Speed Counters, I destroy your Divergence Trap!"
A powerful tornado tears apart the face-up Trap.
"Then I activate my Trap Blackback! This lets me Special Summon Blackwing-Gale the Whirlwind from my Graveyard, in exchange for not Normal Summoning this turn," he continues. "But who needs a Normal Summon when you're playing with my Blackwings? I Special Summon Blackwing-Bora the Spear!"
Blackwing-Bora the Spear ATK: 1700, DEF: 800, Level 4
A large bird with black wings appears. The feathers around his head are pinkish-orange. The bird holds a large, drill-like spear.
"I activate the effect of Gale the Whirlwind, and I cut the power of… Primal Dialga in half," Crow says, pointing at the dinosaur.
The storm of black feathers appears again, weighing down Primal Dialga.
Primal Dialga ATK: 3000 to 1500, DEF: 1900 to 950
"I Tune my Level 3 Blackwing-Gale the Whirlwind to my Level 4 Blackwing-Bora the Spear!" Crow shouts. Three rings, four stars. "Darkened gales, become the wings which will soar to the heavens! Synchro Summon! Blackwing Armor Master!"
Blackwing Armor Master ATK: 2500, DEF: 1500, Level 7
A tall bird-man with black armor covering most of his body—including his wings—appears in a flash of light. The helmet he has on prevents anyone from seeing his face, which is covered by a dark red sphere. Orange lines decorate the armor on his torso and wings.
"Now, Blackwing Armor Master! Attack Meklord Emperor Granel Infinity!" Crow orders.
I'm about to ask Crow why he's doing such a ridiculous move when I remember Armor Master's effect. It seems Dusk knows what it is as well, because she activates Scrap-Iron Scarecrow again. The bird-man's attempt at flying into the robot is halted by the rickety scarecrow.
Crow retains his grin, however, and instead points at the dark-blue sauropod. "Then Black-Winged Dragon, attack Primal Dialga! Noble Stream!"
Once again, the dragon's feathers turn black with red highlights, and the sphere of electrified energy appears once more. It barrels towards Primal Dialga, but Dusk merely shakes her head. "My monster and my Spell are inexorably linked; as long as one remains on the field, the other cannot be destroyed!"
My friend scowls, and quickly regains his normal composure. "You still take the damage, though!"
"That is also where you are wrong," my future self declares, revealing a Trap. "I activate the Trap Barrier of Roses, left by Hana! By removing from play the Princess of Roses in my Graveyard, I can negate all damage from this attack to zero."
A ghost of the aforementioned princess appears in front of Dusk. She holds her staff high, and it creates a barrier of black rose petals. The petals take the damage from Black-Winged Dragon's attack.
'All that work, and he has nothing to show for it…' I think. 'Well, other than a weakened Primal Dialga, but still… Granel boasts all of its power, Primal Dialga is still on the field—and can still use its effect, for that matter—and both Dusk and Jakob have the same amount of Life Points they had at the start of his turn…'
As it turns out, Crow isn't done yet. "You might think that by freezing my buddies in time has us separated completely, but you're dead wrong, Dusk! I activate the only face-down Jack left me, a Trap known as Synchro Impulse! Now, I destroy a Synchro Monster I control, and in exchange I get to Special Summon another from my Extra Deck whose Level and Type are the same! I destroy Blackwing Armor Master and… the monster I Summon from my Extra Deck is Blackwing Tamer-Hawk Joe!"
Blackwing Tamer-Hawk Joe ATK: 2600, DEF: 2000, Level 7
The monster that appears is a lot more humanoid than his other bird-human fusions. He is muscular, with golden-orange armor covering his arms and shoulders. His skin is tan, contrasting the armor he wears. Covering his legs is something like a skirt. But, like all of the other Blackwings, Hawk Joe has his own bird-like characteristics: two large wings consisting of black feathers, and one hand with talons instead of fingers.
I stare at the new monster in surprise. I've never seen Crow use it before. Is it new, or does he just not use it? Either way, it catches Dusk by surprise, who frowns upon seeing it and mutters something.
"That's not all, Hawk Joe has an awesome ability to let me bring a Level 5 or higher 'Blackwing' monster back from my Graveyard once a turn!" Crow shouts with glee. "Return, Blackwing Armor Master!"
Blackwing Tamer-Hawk Joe lets out a strange call, and Blackwing Armor Master reappears next to him in a burst of light.
"That's all I've got," Crow says. "Your move, Dusk."
"It is indeed!" She draws her card, looks at it, and adds it to her hand. "Primal Dialga's effect activates! This time, I destroy… Blackwing Tamer-Hawk Joe. Absolute Rewind!"
The blue sphere appears again, only this time, the monster trapped inside lets out a different strange call. In a flash of light, Blackwing Armor Master takes Hawk Joe's place in the bubble as it shatters.
"Oh yeah, I probably should've mentioned that Blackwing Tamer-Hawk Joe lets me redirect a card effect or attack to another 'Blackwing' monster I control," Crow says, grinning.
"Smile while you can, Crow Hogan. On my next turn, you will lose," she says ominously. "I set a card face-down and end my turn."
"It's my… turn!" I announce, drawing my card. I narrow my eyes at Dusk's face-down cards. One of those has to be important, if I go by her comment that Crow will lose. Maybe even her newest face-down card is important… "I Summon Celestial Squire in Defense Mode!"
Celestial Squire ATK: 0, DEF: 1000, Level 1
A young boy struggling to carry a large amount of spare swords and armor appears on my field. He sets the stack of objects down and cowers behind them. The weapons and the boy turn blue.
"I activate Celestial Squire's ability," I say. "By releasing him while I control another face-up 'Celestial' monster, I can destroy up to two face-down Spell or Trap Cards on the field. I choose the ones on the far left and the far right."
The boy takes two swords off his pile of belongings and throws them blindly in Dusk's direction. The face-down cards shatter—both Traps that I don't recognize, one that Hana left and the one Dusk set last round. Then he simply vanishes.
"Celestial Dragon-Quasar!" I shout. "Attack Primal Dialga with Quasar Flash!"
"Have you forgotten my Scrap-Iron Scarecrow?" Dusk asks.
"No, but apparently I forgot about Quasar's ability," I counter, mentally facepalming at my idiot mistake for not using her effect earlier. "I can negate your Trap's effect and destroy it. Go, Starlight Whirlwind!"
"I cannot believe you forgot my ability, Mistress Sky," my dragon scolds. "No matter, I will gladly use my powers to turn this Duel around!" With that, she flaps her wings, sending a glittering tornado of lights into Scrap-Iron Scarecrow.
"Oh! When this effect is used, I can destroy a face-up Spell Card," I continue. "While Temporal Collapse is apparently off-limits… Sky Core is not." I almost forgot about that effect as well. Geez, and when my every move counts towards the fate of Neo Domino, Satellite, and possibly the world? How can I forget my favorite card's abilities?
The lights turn around, slamming into the Sky Core being treated as a Spell Card. It shatters instantly.
"Well, Quasar? You can't destroy Primal Dialga because of its effect, but you can seriously cripple Dusk's Life Points!" I say. "Finish your attack!"
The burst of silver fire passes through the blue dinosaur harmlessly, but when it strikes Dusk, it sends her Duel Runner spinning momentarily. She falls behind all of us, but quickly catches up. I swear I see a spark of electricity travel across her skin, but it vanishes as soon as I notice it, so I pass it off as nothing.
Dusk's Life Points: 400
"Now, Xerneas! Your turn to attack!" I declare. Again, I scold myself, because I could've just attacked with Xerneas in the first place and kicked Dusk out of the Duel. My scolding quickly comes to a halt, though.
"I activate the Trap Draining Shield!" Dusk declares, activating one of her face-down cards. "You've already used Quasar's ability, so you can't stop this! I get to negate Xerneas, Restorer of Life's ability and gain his ATK as Life Points as a result! What luck!"
The deer's attack, a beam of white light that appeared directly above Primal Dialga, hits a shimmering barrier that appears. The barrier turns into a light-green sphere of energy after absorbing the hit, and enters Dusk's body.
Dusk's Life Points: 5900
'Blast it… she's even more likely to fulfill what she said now…' I think. "I set a card face-down and… I end my turn."
"It's my turn, then," Jakob says. "I switch Meklord Emperor Granel into Attack Mode, but leave my other two monsters in Defense Mode." Likely in an attempt to not fall into a similar situation again. "Then I Summon Granel Guard 3 in Defense Mode as well."
Granel Guard 3 ATK: 800, DEF: 2000, Level 3
The robot returns to its normal orange coloring, and its right arm reappears and attaches itself to the empty socket.
"Now, Meklord Emperor Granel Infinity attacks your pesky Blackwing Tamer-Hawk Joe," he declares, pointing at the monster. "Without another 'Blackwing' monster on the field, your creature doesn't stand a chance!"
I refuse to watch Crow's monster take the hit, or the damage it does to my friend. I can still hear everything, namely Crow's scream of anguish… and the sound of a Duel Runner crashing.
Crow's Life Points: 400
I snap my eyes back open and slam the brakes. My body protests the sudden lack of speed, but I force my head to turn in the direction of where Crow is. Thankfully, he's pulling himself and his Runner off of the highway. He gives me a thumbs-up. "No need to worry; I've still got Life Points so I'm still in this fight!"
"Yes, but for how long?" Dusk asks, chuckling.
"Huh, definitely longer than your next turn," he retorts, getting back on his Runner and taking off before the rest of us do.
I shake my head a little and get going again. I think her pulling off a victory against Crow is going to be much easier now that he only has 400 Life Points left… Still, there's always hope, and all of my friends are freakishly good at beating the odds.
"Good, the Duel continues," Jakob notes. "The effect of Granel Attack activates! When a 'Meklord Emperor' I control destroys a Synchro Monster in battle, Granel Attack allows me to equip that monster to a face-up 'Meklord Emperor' I control!"
The robot's left arm shoots off a beam of light, opening a portal to the Graveyard. Then, tentacles of light shoot out from its chest compartment, travelling into the portal and dragging out Blackwing Tamer-Hawk Joe. Upon capturing the bird-man, the tentacles force it into the seemingly endless void that is Granel's chest.
Meklord Emperor Granel Infinity ATK: 6200 to 8800
"Equipping them from the Graveyard?! That's just not fair," Crow mumbles.
"Fair," Jakob repeats. "Haven't you learned by now that not everything is fair?"
"Calm down Jakob," Dusk says, anticipating some sort of blow-up. "Remember the plan…"
The elderly man glares at my future self for a moment before giving up and simply saying, "I'll let you off this time, Hogan. Turn end."
Crow says nothing as he draws his card. While he doesn't make any sort of face at the card, I can just tell it isn't one he wants. "I Summon Blackwing-Calima the Haze in Defense Mode, and I switch Black-Winged Dragon into Defense Mode as well… that ends my turn."
Blackwing-Calima the Haze ATK: 600, DEF: 1800, Level 4
Unlike Crow's other monsters, this one doesn't even have one black feather on her entire body. All of her feathers are a deep pink. The entire bird is transparent; exactly like her name would suggest.
Dusk tsks a little. "I gave you a turn, Crow. You aren't getting another. It's my turn, I draw!" She doesn't even look at her card. "From my hand, I activate the Trap The Hanged Man's Release!"
"Hold on a moment, that's illegal!" I shout.
"Not when it's my turn and I have fewer Life Points than my opponent," Dusk says, smiling. "In a Battle Royale like this, having fewer than just one of you works, and look at Jakob's Life Points? Despite your efforts, they're higher than mine."
I bite the inside of my lip, not liking this loophole in the card's effect. "What… what does your card do?"
"It's simple, really. The player with the lowest amount of Life Points flips a coin," she explains. "If the coin lands on heads, then their Life Points are doubled. If it is tails, however… they lose."
"So I don't have a choice in this?" Crow asks.
"Flip your coin," Dusk says.
"Fine!" My friend scowls, and presses the button on his Duel Disk that flips a coin.
In the middle of the four of us, a giant grey coin appears. It flips in the air… lands… and explodes after I barely register the fact that it landed on tails. I lose sight of Crow as the space between us fills with black smoke.
Crow's Life Points: 0
"Crow!" I shout.
The smoke clears, and my friend is barely able to stay upright on his Duel Runner. His visor is cracked, several cuts streaking blood across his face, and his clothes are definitely torn.
But there is one card face-up on the field that wasn't there before the coin exploded. "I play… the Trap… Black-Winged Arrow… This ne-negates Primal Dialga's effects because I have… four 'Blackwing' monsters with different names in my Graveyard…"
A single, razor-sharp black feather appears in front of Crow. It streaks across the sky, piercing the diamond on Primal Dialga's chest. The blue creature roars in anguish, because time returns to its normal flow the moment the feather hits it.
"There… now Yusei has… something…" Crow mumbles before returning to his team's pit.
To be continued…
Me: …Well, this turned out to be more Duel over story than I expected it to. Also making obscure references to existing cards seemed to be a thing…
Sky: Like what?
Me: Mechanical Dimension is a less destructive, Machine-Type version of Dimension Voyage, Synchro Impulse is a non-effect-negating version of Shadow Impulse… Oh, and The Hanged Man's Release is similar to the Trap Cards Z-ONE used in the anime (because they're based on tarot cards like the Arcana Force archetype)… Lots of fun, just like the next chapter will be…
Sky: Fun as in, we'll laugh or fun as in, evil.
Meri: Evil, of course! What else would we be doing?
Me: Meri's right. Just know that neither Fallen Nova Dragon nor Primal Dialga come even close to being Dusk's best card.
Sky: *Sigh* Just don't leave us hanging for a month…
Me: I can't help it! My muses have a thing with this story. Write a chapter, get writer's block for a week to a month. Write another chapter, more writer's block. For some reason, Crimson Feathers is a whole lot easier to write.
Lucy: Don't forget Shimmer!
Me: *Nods and shrugs* Yeah, but Shimmer is a pure humor fanfic, and can't really compare to Crimson Feathers or Blue Sky…
Rudolph: Arf! Arf!
Me: I know, I know. Thanks to anyone who has reviewed this story in the past! Please, leave a review on this chapter! I'd love to hear what you guys think about the Duel thus far, and any room for improvement! Tell me, please!