Me: Okay, looks like you guys are getting an update for this!
Sky: What about Crimson Feathers and Shimmer… and Blazing Shadows?
Me: Uh… I claim writer's block on the first and last options, and trying to figure out what to use on Shimmer.
Lucy: She's telling the truth…
Meri: *Pokes head in the door* Can I have Kitty back? I need to vent some energy.
Me: No, I told you your rights to Giratina have been revoked for three months. If you want to vent some energy, either write or try and solve some puzzles from The Azran Legacy.
Meri: Fine… writing it is…
Me: Okay, then I get to play my game. *Smiles, then frowns* Well, as soon as I get this chapter out… I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds, but I do own Sky, my OCs, and some of the plot. As a fair warning, a couple characters (by which I mean Z-ONE and Paradox) might seem like they're OOC during this, but you have to remember that this is an AU, so… Ah well, enjoy!
Chapter 56
I wake up to the sound of running electronics and feeling like I was hit by a truck, backed over by it, and then dropped off the top of a fifty-story building. Something cool is pressed up against the right side of my face and my hands. It's floor tile… I think. Painfully, I open one eye. Yep, it's floor tile, and I'm lying face-down on it.
I let out a groan as I manage to pull myself to a sitting position, leaning back against some metal object. My eyes are still shut, and I sit there for several minutes, breathing slowly and trying to remember what just happened.
Meklord Astro Dragon Misery. The dark purple, half-robot, half-dragon looms in the back of my memory, with Dusk attached to its chest.
Dusk and Jakob and the others are robots. The cause of a disease rendering their human bodies useless, and a memory transfer.
Crimson Star Prophecy. The card I shouldn't have drawn saved me, for one turn at least.
I defeated Dusk, without having to face her monster. The direct attack launched by Celestial Dragon-Quasar took away the rest of her Life Points, and severed her connection to her monster.
There was some sort of portal… and I fell into it. Yes, I remember now. I fell through the portal and ended up here… wherever 'here' is.
Another wave of pain rushes over me. I crack open my lips and whisper, "Dziedet…" Heal. The pain leaves instantly, replaced by exhaustion from using a spell. It takes me a few minutes before I can actually stand, and I can only do that by using the machine next to me as a prop.
'Wait a moment… this isn't just some machine,' I think. Painted black, the thing in front of me looks like the pod-things the Arcadia Movement had. It has a person in it. Not just any person, either. I take a step back, pressing a hand over my mouth to stop myself from screaming.
The person in the pod is me. Or, the future me, for that matter.
Still backing up, I hit something metal—another pod—and almost trip backwards over it. This one also has a person in it—Jakob.
I'm taller than the pods, so I can see around the room. There are more of them, all lined up in a neat little row. Still shocked, and yet curious at the same time, I look at the people held in the rest of the pods. Primo, some blonde guy I don't recognize, Bruno, Aurelia, Hana, Lest—wait a moment. I back up a little bit, and stare at the fifth pod I passed.
Other than having extremely pale skin, the unconscious man in the pod is an exact replica of Bruno. But how? Dusk never showed us anything about him. In fact, she kept mentioning Paradox, Antinomy, and Z-ONE, the only survivors that I haven't met. So… why would they have Bruno here?
"Don't touch that."
I spin around to see who spoke using a disguised voice. It's a man—I'm pretty sure it's a man—in white clothes with a dark-grey cape over his shoulders, orange gems set on the part of it that meets the collar of the man's shirt. His face is covered by a grey mask with a slit on the left side, almost like my brother's Criminal Mark, and a white helmet over his head, practically connected to the mask. There's a crack, though, between the mask and the helmet on the left side, wide enough for me to see that the man's left eye is a deep blue. Again, like Yusei's.
"Who are you?" I demand. "Where am I? And… and… why do you have my friend?" I gesture to the pod with Bruno in it.
"More than one question at once, as I expected." He makes a clicking noise with his tongue. "You are on the Ark Cradle."
"Not possible!" I exclaim. "It's in the future, isn't it? It's supposed to be trapped in the future, unless… Did my brother lose?"
"No, the Duel is still going on," the man before me replies. "Though it does not matter. The Circuit has gathered more than enough energy to be completed no matter who wins."
No words come out of my mouth. 'So, we fought for nothing?' I think.
"You are lucky to have survived falling through that portal," he continues. "Had it been anyone else, they would have died. It was not made for humans, only for the robots."
"Okay…" He must be talking about Dusk and the others. "Uhm… that answers one question…"
"Z-ONE."
"What?"
"My name. It's Z-ONE."
I blink, absorbing the information. Even with a disguised voice, this 'Z-ONE' doesn't sound convinced that that's his name. Since it's all he's given me, I'll have to accept it. "Fair enough. What about Bruno? Why is he here?"
"Ah yes, Bruno. The name Sector Security gave him after the result another of Primo's mistakes." Z-ONE chuckles. "That man in the pod is not Bruno, nor is the friend you've made actually named that. His name is actually Antinomy. In fact, the man you know as Bruno is just another of the robots."
I shake my head furiously. "No, no, Bruno isn't… he's not…"
"You don't have to believe it, but he truly is not from your time. The amnesia wasn't planned, mind you, but he still accomplished his goal. We sent him back in time to teach you and Yusei about the power of Accel Synchro; our last effort at a peaceful solution to avert this future…"
"Shut up!" I shout. "Bruno is Bruno, not Antinomy! He's my friend, not yours!"
For a moment, the man is silent. "I never claimed Antinomy was my friend," Z-ONE says. "At best, you could say that Dusk was. But not Antinomy, not him nor any of the others."
"What is that supposed to mean?" I ask.
"The others fight to change the future," he replies, "but my motivation is not that."
"Then… what is it?"
"Home," Z-ONE says. "I'll be able to get home when the Ark Cradle crashes into Neo Domino City."
'Okay, not what I was expecting. Where is his home, in that case?' Then I realize what he said. "You say 'when', but it really should be 'if'. I can vouch for my friends as well as myself—we won't let this happen without a fight."
My words seem to flip a switch in Z-ONE's attitude. Instead of being mostly cool and collected, he suddenly clenches both fists, and his lone blue eye glares at me. "Fools! You're all fools! Don't you know that selfless acts only bring pain to the ones you try to help? That the ones you leave behind are the ones who have to suffer?"
I don't say anything. I can't, because I have no idea what to say.
"Interfere with my plans and you'll all suffer the same fate!" Z-ONE shouts.
My head feels like it split open, and I suddenly have the sensation of falling. Falling through the sky, past some buildings, past a screaming Lazar on one of them, and the sight of the pavement coming so much closer. Failure and defeat fills my soul, but it doesn't feel like it belongs to me.
My perception changes, to where the emotions that fill me are fear and worry. This time I'm not falling; I'm flying instead, watching Yusei pitch head-first to the pavement. My own voice shouts his name, and I come mere inches from being able to catch him… but he hits the pavement, and flattens like a pancake.
That vision cuts out, and I'm gasping for breath. My face feels wet, and I realize I'm crying.
"Yes, your brother will die if he boards the Ark Cradle," Z-ONE says. "As will you and your friends."
"No…"
Another short silence, and Z-ONE turns around, starting to walk out of the room. "I have things to prepare for. Your Duel Runner is behind Dusk's capsule. You'll have to wait until the Circuit is completed to do anything, but once it works, you'll be able to go back to your city. You'll also be able to warn your brother—him and your friends."
With that he walks out the door, leaving me to my own thoughts.
XXX
I take the giant flash of light and lots of shaking as a fact that the Circuit was completed, and the Ark Cradle plunged back to my time. I can only hope that Yusei won the Duel, even if it doesn't make a difference. My mind still feels funky, so communicating via a mind-link isn't the best idea. I right my Duel Runner, and check everything. My computer is practically screaming low Ener-D readings, and I frown.
'Do not worry, little one. It will work,' Reshiram says. 'I will power your Duel Runner.'
I press the button to connect my computer to my phone, pull up my contacts, and press 'Yusei'. My screen fizzes to life, and my brother's worried face appears on the screen. "Sky?" he asks.
"Yeah, it's me." I smile, and then grimace. "So… you know about Ark Cradle…"
"I don't understand, I defeated Aporia… this should have been stopped…"
"Aporia?"
"Oh, you didn't see… Well, the three Emperors combined into one, named Aporia. It's a long story."
"Tell me later, then. What are you trying to do now?"
"I'm trying to find a way onto Ark Cradle. The Reactor on it is spinning in reverse, powered by four Planetary Gears. We need to stop the gears, and make the Reactor spin in the right direction, and that will stop its descent."
"Who are you talking to, Yusei?" Crow's voice echoes in the background.
"Sky," he replies.
The screen blurs as all of my friends try to cram into the display. They all ask if I'm okay, and I say that I am. I am, physically, so it has to be the truth, right? I shake my head. "Guys, this isn't the time. You… you need to work on evacuating Neo Domino, not trying to get on here."
"Out of the question," Yusei replies. "There isn't enough time for everyone to get out safely. Their only hope is if we stop it."
"No, you can't come on here Yusei. Please…"
"Did ya hit your head on something?" Crow asks. "Where's the Sky I know, because you sure aren't talking like her."
"I… I told you, I'm fine. You can't board the Ark Cradle, Yusei. None of you can."
"You're going to have to explain yourself, Sky. Unless you give a good enough reason—"
I cut Yusei off before he finishes his sentence. "I saw you die."
"—we're going to… wait, what?"
"I saw you die, Yusei… You… you'll die if you come here."
I end the call before he has any chance to argue. I know he'll come anyways; I know my brother. But my warning might make him cautious, at least. I sigh and lean back in my Duel Runner's seat. 'There are four Planetary Gears powering the Reactor on this. Maybe I could find one of them and… I don't know, stop it?'
Yeah, that's just what I'll do. I'll take down one of the Planetary Gears.
XXX
After wandering through over a dozen hallways, three dead ends, and at one point ending up back where I started, I find myself in an extremely large room with the light source coming from the floor. More specifically, it's coming from a giant gear that looks like it's surrounded in Ener-D. This must be the place. Now… how to stop it…
"I was hoping you'd be my opponent," an unfamiliar male voice says. "Looks like my wishes came true."
I recognize the man before me as the blonde guy from the one tank. The main difference is that this version of him has a jagged red eyepiece around his right eye, and layers of purple hair within the blonde. His gold eyes portray anger. The man is also wearing a sleeveless top—black on his sides and dark maroon along the front, with grey lines on it making it look a lot like a ribcage. His pants are black, and he has what looks like the lower half of a white trench coat over them.
"Who are you?" I ask.
"I am Paradox," the man replies, "and if you want to stop this Planetary Gear, you will have to defeat me in a Duel."
"Fair enough," I reply, detaching my Duel Disk from my Duel Runner. I strap on my Disk at the same time that I turn it on. "Let's do this thing!"
"Duel!"
Paradox's Life Points: 4000, Sky's Life Points: 4000
"You may go first," Paradox says, smiling.
"Fine then, I will! I draw!" I shout. I quickly examine my hand. "I'll start by Summoning the Tuner Celestial Synchron!"
Celestial Synchron ATK: 700, DEF: 1800, Level 3
A golden robot, whose body is shaped like a star, appears on my field.
"Using its effect, I Special Summon the Level 1 Celestial Squire!" I continue.
Celestial Squire ATK: 0, DEF: 1000, Level 1
A young boy carrying an excessive amount of armor and weapons appears next to the star-robot.
"Finally, because I control a face-up 'Celestial' monster, I can Special Summon Celestial Wizard from my hand!" I shout.
Celestial Wizard ATK: 1800, DEF: 1000, Level 4
This time, it's a young man who appears. He wears white robes with stars on them, and holds a wooden staff that glows faintly.
'I have a setup for Quasar, but I think a different monster should be used…' I think. "I Tune my Level 3 Celestial Synchron with my Level 1 Celestial Squire and Level 4 Celestial Wizard!" Three rings, four stars. "When the world falls into darkness, a hero shall emerge to restore the light! Synchro Summon! Bring forth hope, Celestial Warrior-Hikari!"
Celestial Warrior-Hikari ATK: 2700, DEF: 1000, Level 8
The column of light fades to reveal a woman in white armor. The armor has crystals set near the shoulders, wrists, and boots. Celestial Warrior-Hikari wields a long sword that glows a shade of yellow.
"Since it's the first turn, I'll end with one face-down," I say.
"An interesting start," my opponent notes. "It doesn't matter, though! It's my turn, I draw!" He pulls the card off his Deck and looks at it. A grin rises on his face. "I activate the Field Spell Malefic World!"
Everything around us turns into a strange galaxy-like area, with magenta as the main shading.
"Now that the stage is set, I can Summon the first of my 'Malefic' monsters!" Paradox declares. "I remove from play the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my Deck in order to Special Summon Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon ATK: 3000, DEF: 2500, Level 8
The monster that appears looks a lot like the classic, only this one has a black-and-white mask over its face, and its wings are black, lined with white.
"That's an… interesting twist to the classic Blue-Eyes," I say. "But… now I'm curious as to what that Field Spell of yours does."
"Think of it this way. My cards are a lot like the Earthbound Immortals—they require a Field Spell on the field and only one can be on the field at a time," Paradox says.
I flinch a little at him casually mentioning the beasts that nearly destroyed the world. He said it like they were just normal cards!
"Malefic World is a very special Field Spell. It allows more than one 'Malefic' monster to be on the field at a time, but I can only Special Summon one from my hand once a turn," Paradox continues explaining. "It has another effect, but it doesn't come into play until my next Draw Phase, so I'll share it then." He pauses to let this sink in. "Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Celestial Warrior-Hikari!"
The white dragon roars and blasts a straight line of pure energy at my female knight. 'Do I wait to use my Spell?' I think. 'No, he probably has a stronger monster and Hikari's ability will come in handy if I face it.' I press a button on my Duel Disk. "I activate my Quick-Play Spell Celestial Reflector! This negates your attack, since I control a 'Celestial' monster."
A thin wall of light appears around Hikari, deflecting the dragon's attack.
Paradox narrows his eyes. "Hmm… Fine, I end my turn with two face-downs."
"Then it's my turn!" I draw my card. "I activate my Equip Spell Celestic Battleaxe!" I shout. "I equip it to Hikari, and she gains 1000 ATK!"
Celestial Warrior-Hikari ATK: 2700 to 3700
My knight's sword vanishes, only to be replaced by a large, silver axe.
"Celestial Warrior-Hikari! Attack Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" I cry.
Hikari disappears for a moment, and reappears behind the white dragon. With a war cry, she slams her axe down on the dragon's neck, neatly decapitating it before it shatters. Several of the pieces strike Paradox, but he doesn't even flinch.
Paradox's Life Points: 3300
"I set a card and end my turn," I finish, smiling. It's not much, but I have an advantage now. I hope it stays this way… though it probably won't. After all, it's Paradox's Draw Phase now, and he did say that Malefic World's other effect would activate in it.
"Like I said, Malefic World's effect now activates! Instead of conducting a normal draw, I can add a 'Malefic' monster from my Deck to my hand," Paradox says, smiling. "I choose to add Malefic Cyber End Dragon." The card slides out of his Deck, and he shows it to me before announcing, "I remove from play the Cyber End Dragon from my Extra Deck to Special Summon Malefic Cyber End Dragon!"
Malefic Cyber End Dragon ATK: 4000, DEF: 2800, Level 10
Again, the monster that appears is almost the exact same as its normal counterpart. This dragon's wings are basically the same that Malefic Blue-Eyes has. The dragon's leftmost head has a white mask, while the rightmost has a black one, and the middle has a mixture of the two.
'…Yep, looks like I just lost field advantage. Does he know about my warrior's effect, though?'
"Malefic Cyber End Dragon, attack Celestial Warrior-Hikari!" Paradox shouts.
'Maybe not…'
All three of the mechanical dragon's heads let out a burst of blue fire at the exact same time. My warrior tries to protect herself with her axe, but the attacks easily plow through it. A wave of force from the explosion knocks me down, but I stand back up, brushing off the front of my shirt.
Sky's Life Points: 3700
"Big mistake, Paradox," I say. "When Celestial Warrior-Hikari battles, but is either destroyed or fails to destroy the other monster in battle—in this case, the first is true—she destroys the monster she battled with. Sorry, but your Malefic Cyber End Dragon is doomed."
A ghost version of my knight, wielding a sword again, appears on the field. She swings it, slicing the mechanical dragon in two. When it explodes, Hikari's ghost vanishes.
Paradox snarls a little. "Fine then, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Malefic Divide! This allows me to Special Summon a 'Malefic' monster from my Graveyard, but it is removed from play during my End Phase! I choose to revive Malefic Cyber End Dragon, and have it attack you directly!"
His mechanical dragon reappears on the field, and it starts another attack. I smile. "Not happening! I activate my Trap Cry of Stars!" I shout, revealing my face-down. "Because you're attacking me directly, I can negate the attack and Special Summon a 'Celestial' monster from my Graveyard, granting it 500 extra ATK and DEF. The only drawback is that the monster has to be Level 4 or lower, so I choose Celestial Wizard!"
Paradox's remaining dragon tries attacking, but a flash of light halts it. Then, my wizard reappears, his staff giving off a stronger glow than before.
Celestial Wizard ATK: 1800 to 2300, DEF: 1000 to 1500
"That's enough of your pesky combos!" Paradox shouts. "I haven't used my Normal Summon yet, so I bring out the Tuner Malefic Parallel Gear!"
Malefic Parallel Gear ATK: 0, DEF: 0, Level 2
A large dark-yellow gear appears next to my opponent. Its body, below the large gear, is a black cylinder, with two arm-like extensions attached. Smaller dark-yellow gears are placed in seemingly random places around the black metal.
'A Tuner…? If Synchro Monsters caused the future that he lived through, shouldn't he shun their use like the others did? Well, maybe not Hana, but still…' I think.
"Malefic Parallel Gear allows me to use another 'Malefic' monster in my hand as a Synchro Material Monster," he continues. Then, he reveals a monster that looks oddly like Stardust Dragon in his hand. "I Tune my Level 2 Malefic Parallel Gear with my Level 8 Malefic Stardust Dragon!" Two rings, eight stars. That confirms my suspicion, though… "Born from the threshold of the dimension of Darkness, time to lower the curtain of destruction on the stage that surpasses time and space! Synchro Summon! Malefic Paradox Dragon!"
Malefic Paradox Dragon ATK: 4000, DEF: 4000, Level 10
A black dragon with an extremely skinny body appears. Its head has a ring of spikes sticking out from behind it, and white lines segmenting its wings, body, and tail. The dragon stares at me with its red eyes, and it swishes its tail back and forth, ready for a fight.
"When Malefic Paradox Dragon is Synchro Summoned, I get to Special Summon a Synchro Monster from either player's Graveyard," Paradox continues. "Since your Celestial Warrior-Hikari is the only option, I choose her." He smiles as my former knight joins his side of the field. "Oh, Malefic Paradox Dragon has another very special ability, Sin Drain. Your monsters lose ATK equal to the total ATK of all other Synchro Monsters I control.
"What?" I gasp in surprise.
Celestial Wizard ATK: 2200 to 0
"I end my turn," Paradox says. "Good luck. I have yet to unveil my strongest monster."
'Wait, Malefic Paradox Dragon isn't his strongest?' I think. 'That complicates things… If only I could take out his Field Spell. That would level his monsters, right? He'd still have Hikari, but I can take out my own card easier than his dragon…'
To be continued…
Me: Done! *Whips out 3DS and turns it on*
Sky: …You aren't going to say anything about the chapter?
Me: If you have any questions, ask Joseph. *Starts playing Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy*
Joseph: Yay, I get a job! So, what d'you want to know?
Sky: What the heck is Z-ONE's problem in this?
Joseph: Uhm… You'll have to wait! We're still planning it over. Ooh, but his dislike of selfless acts comes from his sisters dying to protect him… so…
Sky: *Facepalm* Great, now I'm really worried about how far you're taking this.
Me: *Falls out of the chair* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
Sky: *Looks at Shimmering-Sky* Uh… should I be concerned?
Me: *Gets back on the chair, still laughing* L-Look at what Emmy called the main antagonist…
Sky: *Takes 3DS* "Descole? You don't mean Mr I-Like-to-Wreck-Things-with-Mechanical-Monsters-and-Dress-Up-Like-Posh-Ladies Descole?" *Laughs a little*
Me: I know, right? That's not even the best part! There's this one fight scene involving a police officer, five thugs with machine guns, a garbage can, and Emmy jumping off a roof! This game is awesome! …Which means, give it back. I have yet to beat it.
Sky: How far are you?
Me: I have three of the five Azran eggs. So, maybe halfway-ish? *Takes back the 3DS* Ahem, I'm probably going to start ignoring everything soon, so I'll ask for reviews as always! Please, leave one no matter how you feel about this story! I love feedback, whether it's positive or negative.