Me: Woot, Blue Sky is getting an update!
Sky: And within a decent amount of time, too!
Me: *Nods* I know, right? …Too bad that might not happen again.
Sky: Why?
Me: Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy comes out on Friday. Once I get it, it will probably be the only thing I do for a week. Or several days. However long it takes me to beat it.
Sky: *Sigh* Why am I not surprised?
Me: Because you know me too well… Anyways, I'll get to the chapter now. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds, but I do own my OCs. Enjoy?
Chapter 55
Yusei rides out and catches up to us, a look of pure confusion written on his face.
'Dusk's monster froze time,' I think to him. 'At least, to everyone except us. We kept Dueling, and Crow managed to negate her monster's effects before losing. Also, the Spell she has out prevents us from gaining Speed Counters or using Speed World 2. That answer your questions?'
'Yeah.' He offers me a half-smile.
"I assume Sky just caught you up on what happened?" Dusk asks Yusei. "In that case, let the Duel continue!"
"That makes it my turn!" I shout, drawing my card. I'll have to ignore what happened to Crow for the moment… Looking at my card, I smile. It's not a monster, but the Speed Spell I just drew will definitely help keep my dragon safe from Granel. The only problem is if he can negate it… I think playing defensive might be the best idea. "I Summon Celestial Defender in Defense Mode!"
Celestial Defender ATK: 500, DEF: 2000, Level 4
A man in large, clearly heavy, white armor appears on my field. He holds a large shield in front of him. The shield has a star on the front, and it glows a little. My monster turns blue, showing him being in Defense Mode.
I continue, "Then I activate Xerneas, Restorer of Life's ability! By skipping my Battle Phase, I can Special Summon a monster from anyone's Graveyard in Defense Mode! I choose… Blackwing-Gale the Whirlwind which resides in Yusei's Graveyard!"
"I counter with the effect of Granel Guard 3," Jakob says. "Once a turn, it can negate the activation of an Effect Monster's ability."
The robot's left arm shoots out a beam that causes my deer to return to his normal position. I scowl a little, because had that effect worked, I could have gotten rid of Primal Dialga and Meklord Emperor Granel Infinity. "Fine, I switch Celestial Dragon-Quasar and Xerneas, Restorer of Life to Defense Mode. I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn."
"Your efforts are foolish, Fudos. We know your Decks inside and out, and we can counter anything either of you throw at us," Jakob says. "Whereas you know little of ours! It's my turn, I draw!"
'He's right, you know,' Yusei's voice echos in my head. 'They should know our cards, if they are who they claim to be.'
'Yeah, I know. But I think they might be lying. We know Jakob and Primo can fuse with their Duel Runners, something that humans can't do, even if they say they're from the future.'
'That is something I've been meaning to ask about,' Yusei replies. 'Should we ask now?'
'No, I think we should wait. Dusk might have something up her sleeve when it comes to this.'
"I release Granel Attack in order to Special Summon Granel Attack 3!" the elder Duelist declares, snapping our attention back to the Duel.
Granel Attack 3 ATK: 1800, DEF: 0, Level 3
The left arm morphs slightly, to make the end of its arm, where the cannon is, appear like a mouth. It also gains more segmented plates.
"Meklord Emperor Granel Infinity, attack Xerneas, Restorer of Life!"
The robot turns around abruptly, launching a beam of energy at my, I mean Shoshan's, monster.
"Not so fast! I activate the Continuous Trap Fairy Aura!" I shout. A barrier appears around Xerneas, taking the damage from the attack. "As long as Xerneas, Restorer of Life is out, all LIGHT monsters gain 1000 ATK and DEF! Also, the turn this card is activated, my monsters can't be destroyed in battle!"
Celestial Dragon-Quasar ATK: 3000 to 4000, DEF: 2000 to 3000; Xerneas, Restorer of Life ATK: 4000 to 5000, DEF: 4000 to 5000; Celestial Defender ATK: 500 to 1500, DEF: 2000 to 3000
I let out a small sigh of relief. I don't want Xerneas being destroyed. Thank goodness I drew that card last turn; thank goodness Shoshan gave it to me in the first place.
"Yes, that card protects your monsters, but what about Yusei's?" Jakob asks.
I blink, raising an eyebrow. "No, but you already used your attack…"
He smiles, "Granel Attack 3 has the ability to allow a Synchro Monster equipped to Meklord Emperor Granel battle, regardless of it being in my Spell and Trap Card Zone. Also, piercing damage is inflicted during these battles, in exchange for not letting that Synchro Monster attack directly." Done explaining his card, Jakob points at the transparent pink bird. "I use Blackwing Tamer-Hawk Joe to attack Blackwing-Calima the Haze!"
Neither of us have anything to stop the attack, so the bird-man is ejected from the orange robot's chest compartment and, by the power of the tentacles of light, is forced to punch the ghost-bird into oblivion. When the small bird shatters, the explosion sends Yusei slightly off-course. He quickly rights himself, though.
Yusei's Life Points: 3200
With the attack done, the light-tentacles retract, pulling Hawk Joe back into the robot.
"That ends my turn," Jakob says.
"Finally, it's my turn!" Yusei draws his card, looking at it.
'You have a plan, Yusei?' I think.
'Maybe. If only we could get rid of Temporal Collapse…'
I stare at the card in question. 'If only we could make it go face-down, and follow through with a card that destroys it…'
'That's it!'
"I activate my Trap Down Burst, left behind by Crow!" Yusei shouts, revealing his face-down card. "This sets all Spell and Trap Cards currently face-up on the field!"
"I beg to differ, Yusei," Dusk says. "When it is my opponent's turn, and they activate a Trap Card, I can activate a Trap called The Fool's Ransom from my hand! First off, it negates the effects of your Trap."
Yusei says nothing, but I can feel that he's a bit angry that his strategy was put to a halt.
"The second effect is that I'm allowed to add a card from my Deck to my hand," Dusk says. A card slides out of her Deck, into her hand. She grins slightly, but other than that, her face remains emotionless. "That's all the Trap does. You may continue your turn."
"…Then I Summon Max Warrior in Attack Mode!" my brother announces.
Max Warrior ATK: 1800, DEF: 800, Level 4
A monster with dark orange-brown arms and legs, and metal spikes protruding from his shoulders appears in front of Yusei. The monster holds a two-pronged lance.
"Max Warrior, attack Primal Dialga!" Yusei shouts, pointing at the monster that is now only a shell of what it had been.
Max Warrior jumps up, spinning his lance before going to strike.
"Wrong again, Brother," Dusk smirks. "I activate the effect of the Fallen Star Guardian in my hand. By discarding him, I can prevent my monster from being destroyed in battle and I take no Battle Damage this turn."
A man with cracked and muddy dark-grey armor appears, holding a shield in front of him. The shield takes the lance's strike, and the man vanishes.
I clench my fist. The way the word 'brother' came out of her mouth feels unnatural to me, yet she said it like it was normal for her. Yusei is my brother not hers. Yet we are one and the same, so… Why does time travel have to be so complicated?
"After he attacks, Max Warrior is switched into Defense Mode, and his power is cut in half," Yusei says. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."
Max Warrior ATK: 1800 to 900, DEF: 800 to 400, Level 4 to 2
Instead of taking her turn, Dusk cackles maniacally. "That has got to be the most pathetic first turn you've ever done, Yusei! Have you finally decided that Synchro Summoning is the wrong way to go?"
"I don't believe in that future of yours, Dusk!" Yusei retorts. "No one can know exactly what the future holds! You may take my lack of Synchro Summoning as a sign of my defeat, but… the truth is I didn't draw a Tuner."
"It's still a sign!" Dusk hisses. "Your Deck has so many Tuners, there's only a slim chance something like this could happen! This is a sign—you might be in this Duel with conviction, but your Deck isn't! And if your cards don't want to listen…" She smiles, "You stand no chance! It's my… turn!"
As my future self draws her card, a shiver runs up my spine. I'm nervous about what Dusk has in store now… The last time a shiver ran up my spine in a Duel was when Kalin added Earthbound Immortal Uru to his hand per Hundred-Eyes Dragon's effect. This can't mean anything good…
More evil laughter comes from my future self; so much that even Jakob seems a little worried. "You… have no idea what's coming!" Dusk shouts. "My Deck fights with every ounce of spirit it has, and I now have the two cards I need to seal my victory! But first, I need the final piece of the puzzle… I activate the last Trap I own that can be activated from the hand, The Hierophant's Vision!"
Someone dressed in black robes, lined with gold and dark purple, appears at the center of the field. A hood is pulled over their head, so I can't tell if the figure is a man or a woman. The person holds a staff over their head.
Dusk stares at the hologram and yells, "The amount of Life Points I pay are 3300!"
The cloaked figure nods, and a bolt of lighting from the end of the staff strikes Dusk. She takes it without so much as a grunt of pain. After the burst of electricity, the figure vanishes, but a golden orb remains in their place.
Dusk's Life Points: 1100
"Wondering why I did that?" Dusk asks. "The Hierophant's Vision allows me to pay any number of Life Points I choose to. In exchange, everyone is forced to Special Summon a monster with ATK or DEF equal to that amount from either their Deck or Extra Deck, if they have one."
'3300?' I think. 'I don't have one… but who does? …Wait a minute, Shooting Star Dragon has 3300 ATK!' I glare at Dusk, "I don't know why, but is that your goal?" I ask. "To make Yusei bring out his Accel Synchro?"
Dusk merely smiles in return, as Shooting Star Dragon flies out of the golden orb. The orb then disappears, as the silver dragon is apparently the only one among all of the cards the four of us have that has that exact ATK.
Shooting Star Dragon ATK: 3300, DEF: 2500, Level 10
Normally I'd be glad to see Yusei's dragon, but this reeks of a trap, and so I'm more worried that glad.
"Any monster Summoned by my Trap has its effect negated," Dusk continues, still smiling.
"Shooting Star Dragon, Celestial Dragon-Quasar, Meklord Emperor Granel, and Primal Dialga… Dusk, you can't possibly be planning to bring out that monster, are you?" Jakob asks, worry laced in his voice.
"I am and I will!" Dusk replies. "I activate the Speed Spell-Overspeed Fusion!" A swirling vortex of blackness appears above us. "I remove all 12 Speed Counters and now… you know how Super Polymerization allows a Fusion Summon with monsters on both sides of the field? Overspeed Fusion does just that!"
Dusk S.C. 0
"No way…" I mumble.
"Shooting Star Dragon, Celestial Dragon-Quasar, Meklord Emperor Granel, and Primal Dialga are the Fusion Material Monsters!" Dusk shouts. "Born from the emptiness of hope long since destroyed, descend from the heavens and entrap all in endless despair! Fusion Summon! Meklord Astro Dragon Misery!"
The four monsters named are absorbed into the black spiral, with the remaining pieces of Granel shattering. Moments later, the spiral explodes, and I shield my eyes. When I look back, I gasp in horror. Dusk's new monster retains a chest compartment like Granel and the fin-like crest that Primal Dialga had, only around its neck. The rest of the creature looks more dragon-like, with the wings similar to Shooting Star Dragon's, only metallic. Its head looks like a standard dragon's head, covered with metal plates. The creature's entire body is a dark shade of purple.
Meklord Astro Dragon Misery ATK: 8000, DEF: 8000, Level 12
For a moment, I have no idea where Dusk is—she and her Duel Runner are gone—and then I see. At the center of the dragon's chest compartment, thick cables have extended, all holding Dusk up. Her Duel Disk has turned into one like the Emperors of Yliaster have—that is, the green light.
"What… what are you…?" I ask slowly. "You aren't… neither of you are human, are you?"
"I was waiting for you to ask!" Dusk shouts. "The answer to your question is that we aren't human anymore."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Yusei returns.
"It means exactly what you think it does," my so-called future self replies. She closes her eyes, and a tear falls down her face. "We aren't humans anymore; just mechanical parts with human memories inside."
"Then your future is a lie!" I shout.
Her eyes snap back open, filled with rage. "No, the future we showed you isn't a lie. We lived through it! We tried to stop it! But even the inability to age couldn't stop us from catching a virus…"
Meklord Astro Dragon Misery roars, and once again, I'm in that empty whiteness, with a scene playing out below.
XXX
"M-Meema, I-I'm wowwied 'bout Lestew and Hana," the four-year-old girl whimpers.
Sky wraps a comforting arm around her daughter. "They'll be fine, Aurelia. Just a little stomach bug." But in truth, she can't even convince herself that nothing is wrong. A simple stomach bug doesn't last for over a week. A simple stomach bug doesn't make someone cough up blood.
The scene flashes forward, to a tearful Sky being comforted by someone in stark white clothes, and who is wearing a mask. "I don't understand… why did it have to strike them first…? Aurelia… Lester… Hana… and they might never wake up again…" She clenches a fist and hits the wall next to the two. "And all of the others are showing the beginning signs of it."
"…"
"Why now, Z-ONE? Why did it have to strike when we're so close to being able to fix everything?" Sky shakes her head. "Maybe our efforts really are f-futile…"
"No, they aren't," the man in white says, though his voice is disguised. "We can't let this stop us. There is always a way; we just need to find it."
"…But what will that way cost us?" Sky asks. "The lives of the others? I wish there was something we could do to reverse the effects of this wretched disease…"
The room stays silent for a moment. "Perhaps… we can't reverse the effects… but we can take their memories. Find a host and put them in it."
"You mean, robots?" The woman shakes her head. "I can't believe it's come to this, then…"
Once again, the scene skips, to where a deathly pale Sky is lying, half-conscious, inside of a capsule not unlike the ones at the Arcadia Movement. The man in white—Z-ONE—sits next to her, holding her hand.
"You're… going to have to… finish the designs without me…" Sky mumbles.
"Sky, don't, please don't go to sleep. I can't… I can't finish the designs without you. I… c-can't… I can't lose you again! Not like this!"
"A…gain…?" Sky coughs several times.
"F-Forgive me, I didn't…" Z-ONE's shoulder sag. "I'll finish the designs. I'll make sure that you all come back."
"Again… ah, that explains…" And then she suddenly stops talking, her mouth stuck in a half-smile, and eyes sealed shut.
XXX
"…You see, the disease rendered us not much more useful than the future Yusei; trapped in comas we had no hope of waking up from," Dusk says. "Transferring our memories like this was the only way we could keep fighting. It is one of the reasons we want to change the past so badly, because if we succeed… we'll be human again."
"No, you'll cease to exist," I say. "By changing the past, you've altered the future that you're from, and so you simply won't exist."
"Yes, we're well aware of that," Jakob says.
"If it means sacrificing myself to allow some version of me to live on in the near future, then so be it!" Dusk adds. "Not just her, but everyone!"
"…There's one hole in your plan," Yusei says. "Sky and I aren't going to sit by and let you change the past by destroying Neo Domino City. You're going to have to get rid of us first, and that would mean that you really would cease to exist, Dusk—you and any other version of you. That means Aurelia would never exist and… and Hana wouldn't either, because of me."
"We're aware of that too!" Dusk retorts. "You've only seen fractions of what we've lived through, and not even the full extent of all the emotions we've felt during them! I can't speak for any of the others, but my life has been full of hurt, and I'll gladly give my life if it means others don't have to suffer through it!"
"I second that statement," Jakob says.
'They're so confident it sickens me,' I think. 'I can't believe that Dusk, that I, would be able to go through with this… this plan of theirs. No matter what the backstory is.'
We're back at the Combat Lane now, the three of us on Duel Runners and Dusk attached to her dragon. "Meklord Astro Dragon Misery cannot attack on the turn it is Summoned; however, I can activate its effect! It can absorb a Synchro Monster from anywhere—the field, the Graveyard, even being removed from play—except from the Extra Deck. Misery then gains its ATK, and also any abilities that monster might have. For the moment, Red Nova Dragon seems to be the best option!"
Tentacles of light shoot from the mechanical dragon's chest compartment, into a cloud of shadows that appears in the sky. When they retract, the black-and-red dragon is struggling against them, but can't break free and is pulled into the chest compartment.
Meklord Astro Dragon Misery ATK: 8000 to 12500
"Oh, but the effect gets even better! When this effect is used, I can destroy a monster on the field whose ATK is lower than the ATK of the Synchro Monster just absorbed!" Dusk exclaims. "Black-Winged Dragon, you fit the bill! Desperation Wave!"
Misery flaps its wings, and a sonic wave strikes the black-feathered dragon square in the chest. Black-Winged Dragon lets out a cry of anguish and shatters into a million pieces.
"Nothing good lasts forever! Not bonds, not hope, not light! They only leave heartbreak, despair, and darkness in their wake!" Dusk screams. "This is the symbol of humanity's downfall! Meklord Astro Dragon Misery is going to complete the Circuit, and usher in a new era! One where we can make the light last longer! On my next turn, one of you is going to lose. So, make it count! Turn… end!"
I draw my card without saying anything. My thoughts are swirling around too much for me to say much. She said that Crow was going to lose, and he did at the exact same time she said it would. Misery's effects haven't even fully been revealed. With a deep breath, I look at my card. And nearly choke in surprise. Instead, I cough a few times, trying to cover it up.
"You alright?" Yusei asks, worried a little.
"I'm fine," I reply. I look back at the card. Maybe it's not the one I wanted, but it'll certainly do, as long as everything goes the way I need it to… "I set a card face-down and end my turn."
"One face-down, huh?" Dusk taunts. "I hope Yusei can do better than that!"
"I doubt it," Jakob comments. "Not while your dragon is on the field. It's my turn, I draw!" He draws his card, and the edges of his mouth curl up slightly. "I set a card face-down and end my turn."
'Hypocrites!' I think. 'If all I do is set a card, it's a bad move. But if that's all he does, she doesn't even bat an eye!'
"Enough with predicting our defeat!" Yusei shouts. "You don't know how this Duel is going to turn out, so stop bragging like you know everything! It… It's my turn!" He draws his card. "I Summon Shield Wing in Defense Mode and end my turn…"
Shield Wing ATK: 0, DEF: 900, Level 2
Dusk shakes her head. "Oh Yusei, that wasn't much better than Sky's turn. Although, I guess it doesn't matter because Sky is the one who loses during my turn." She snickers, "It's my turn!" Not even looking at her new card, she bellows, "Meklord Astro Dragon Misery, attack Xerneas, Restorer of Life! Illusory Death!"
This time, the mechanical dragon roars and shoots a wide laser of purple light straight at my majestic deer. The laser shatters Xerneas and, as I look back, takes out a section of the combat lane as well. If it wasn't already, this Duel just became a matter of life or death. I hope that the end is life…
"Misery's other effect now activates!" Dusk cries. "When it destroys a monster in battle, my opponent takes damage equal to that monster's ATK!"
"What?" I shout. There's no way my Life Points can withstand damage of that amount. I don't have any cards to counter the damage, either… I have to take it… 'But then the card I drew can help… somehow…'
"Sky! No!" Yusei shouts.
The dragon shoots another laser, this time at me instead of a monster. I close my eyes and grit my teeth. Everything suddenly bursts into searing pain, like I was just thrown into a fire. I can't hold in the scream of anguish, even though I want to. 'Bear the pain, Sky. Bear the pain. If you let it get to you, that card will be useless…'
Sky's Life Points: 0
When I open my eyes, I can see that I'm somehow still riding alongside the other three Duelists, Dusk and Jakob looking at me with annoyance and Yusei with relief. 'Now!' "I activate my Trap Crimson Star Prophecy!" I declare, revealing my face-down.
"Impossible!" Dusk shouts. "There's no way you should have that card! It's… it's not possible!"
"Well you'd better look again, because I'm sure as heck using it Dusk!" I retort. I quickly explain the effects of the card to Jakob and Yusei (the former was also confused. For claiming to know my Deck, he must not have as well as he thought). That I get one more turn, that if I get their Life Points to zero during it, I win. But that's not my goal. My goal is to get Dusk out of the picture, and to give Yusei the chance to beat Jakob.
"It's my turn!" I declare, drawing my card. I smile, because it's the perfect one for a time like this. "I activate my Trap Call of the Haunted and bring back Celestial Dragon-Quasar!" I start. After my dragon reappears, I continue by declaring, "Now I follow through with the Speed Spell-Celestial Shockwave! I remove 4 Speed Counters to let Quasar attack you directly this turn!"
Sky S.C. 8
"No!" Dusk shouts.
"Yes!" Yusei yells, even louder.
"Celestial Dragon-Quasar! Attack Dusk directly with Quasar Flash!" I shout.
'Anything to put an end to that hideous creature,' my dragon replies. 'Even if I don't get to face it directly.' She pulls her head back, flaps her purple wings, and a burst of silver fire flies from her mouth, striking the still-screaming Dusk head-on. The attack forcibly detaches her from her dragon, and she falls. Into the ocean.
Dusk's Life Points: 0
Her dragon, on the other hand, doesn't just vanish. It falls apart, piece by piece, slowly vanishing into a portal on the ground.
I don't realize that the portal isn't actually the hologram to the Graveyard until I'm riding over it… and falling into it. The brightness of the portal becomes too much, and before I have time to string a complete thought line together—like where I'm going or how Yusei is going to react or if he's also fallen through—everything turns black.
To be continued…
Me: …Yep, another cliffhanger. Sorry, but it's how it happens.
Sky: I hate these cliffhangers. I expect them to come, and I still hate them.
Me: Same here… *Sigh* I hope people like this chapter… *Grin* …Because the next chapter transitions to and will most likely start the Ark Cradle arc.
Sky: Great… I'm extremely worried about that…
Me: Again, same here. My muses are and have been excited about writing it since starting Blue Sky, which means there's going to be a lot of weird and/or evil plot twists coming.
Sky: Evil as in character death, or evil as in, not deaths but torture?
Lucy: Both! You should've paid closer attention to what Z-ONE said in the one scene this chapter! Oh, I can't wait to write my version of his backstory… *Dreamy look in eyes*
Shade: You mean our version. You aren't the only one who works on this stuff.
Lucy: Whatever, Mr. Grumpypants.
Me: Lucy, you're acting really childish right now… Stop before you make Shade mad. *Ducks and narrowly dodges a thrown fireball* Okay, too late for that…
Shade *Lights another fireball* I AM NOT GRUMPY! I'M TIRED OF YOU TRYING TO TAKE ALL THE CREDIT! *Charges after Lucy*
Me: Great, looks like I have another situation to deal with… Uhm, please review! I'd like to hear what you thought of this chapter!