Chapter 34: 'Sad Story-Sorrowful Memories'!
The sun sets over the choppy waters around the Satellite, as a speedboat that bobs like a dolphin approaches. The person driving the speedboat is in a gray trench coat, hat and sunglasses, and he looks serious.
Beyond an old gate, the fourth and final control tower stands.
Inside. Misty's holding a locket with a picture in it. In the picture, she's smiling, politely, while the younger boy beside her sports a lively grin. Misty looks worn and sad, her eyes are clear and her scleras are white. "Toby… Toby..." Misty thinks to herself, sobbing quietly. She cries harder, and snaps the locket closed. Misty's huddled with her knees to her chest at the base of the plinth inside the tower, weeping.
Ushio and the kids' jeep, with Aurora riding with them, and Sakura's D-Wheel, with Grim safely secured to it and his specially built-in platform, as he lays down on it, go off a jump and fly about ten feet before landing with a bounce or two, racing through the Satellite in the waning sunlight.
"Aki headed towards the final tower." Lua says.
"There is only one seal left! However, if we don't seal it by sunset, we can't close the gates to the underworld." Says Sakura. "Aki…" Sakura thinks to herself.
The sun turns gold as it sinks lower than the clouds that have obscured it through the dark day, as Minako, Kakyuu, Hotaru, Jace, who's napping, and Aki drive toward her reckoning. "Misty talked to me before." Aki says.
Flashback. "Yes. You made me and my younger brother feel hopeless. You killed my brother!" Says Misty. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "Is that true?" Minako asks. "I don't remember." Says Aki. "Maybe there's a misunderstanding." Kakyuu says. "No." Says Aki. Minako and Kakyuu look at her, surprised by her certainty. Hotaru's watching and listening, quietly. "Her anger isn't an act. But in order to help Sakura, I have to finish things with Dark Signer Misty." Aki says. Hotaru lowers her gaze, as she fidgets with the hem of her skirt, nervously.
They come to a halt outside an old wall, with an old-fashioned archway reminiscent of ancient Roman or maybe Gothic architecture. "We have to find Misty quickly." Says Minako. They climb out of the jeep. "We don't know when the geoglyph will appear, so be careful." Aki says, would-be cheerfully. "Right." Says Minako.
Inside this abandoned amusement park, Aki passes statues of big, cartoony creatures, lining the awnings and rooftops along the path through the front gate.
Ahead, through the gate, the ruins of the amusement park are bare of any bright colors that might once have made the place look cheerful instead of funeral. Among the shadows of towers and the outline of a run-down roller coaster, stands the control tower.
Sakura and Ushio halt on either side of Aki, Hotaru, Kakyuu and Minako's parked jeep.
"They must already be inside." Sakura says.
"But it doesn't look like the duel has started yet." Says Lua.
Sakura takes off her helmet. "Let's split up and look for them." Sakura says.
Minako, carrying a sleeping Jace in her arms, and Kakyuu are wandering around near the edge of a huge, deep drained swimming pool and the remains of an ancient log ride. "It's depressing when there's no one at an amusement park." Says Minako.
"You're right."
Minako and Kakyuu turn, startled. "Who is it?" Kakyuu asks.
The figure in the gray trench coat spreads his arms, indicating he isn't attacking them. He wears a duel disk on his arm. It was he who just spoke, and he continues to address Minako and Kakyuu. "Please calm down. I'm not a bad guy. Director Godwin ordered me to come here."
"The Director?" Asks Minako. "Wait, my father sent you?" Kakyuu asks.
Elsewhere, Ushio stops jogging near a big, stopped clock. "Minako! Kakyuu!" Says Ushio, shouting.
Luca, Lua, Subaru and Velvet are standing on a stilled merry-go-round, looking around. "Aki! Kakyuu!" Lua says, yelling. "Minako! Hotaru!" Says Luca, calling out. "Jace!" Velvet says, shouting. "Where are you?" Asks Subaru, yelling.
"Lua! Luca! Subaru! Velvet!" Hotaru says. She walks up to them.
"Hotaru!" Says Luca. She, Velvet, Subaru and Lua sprint over to Hotaru, stopping to stand before her. "Where's Aki, Minako, Jace and Kakyuu?" Lua asks. "I don't know. We split up to try and find Misty. I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary, though." Says Hotaru.
Aki's reflected in the eye of a little black and green lizard, as she walks through the empty paths of the park.
Misty sees her. "You finally came, Aki Izayoi." Misty thinks to herself.
As Aki walks past a double-door, it opens for her. She stops walking, and peers inside, each door is a cracked mirror, with shards already fallen out of the edges. The handles and frames of the door are brass. Through the doors, the walls of the hallway are made of mirrors, too, all of them cracked and scarred. As Aki peers through the door.
Misty's reflection flits along the mirrored walls, laughing.
Aki gasps, and hurries forward, into the maze. "Wait!" Aki says. The doors swing shut behind her. Aki looks back with a cry, she's trapped. She runs back and pushes on the doors, to no avail, she's locked in.
Aki hears Misty's voice echo back to her. "Black Rose Witch." Says Misty.
"Ah? Misty?" Aki asks.
"We can finally settle things." Says Misty. The mirrors flash, and her face appears on one of them, it's either ingenious placement of mirrors, or, more likely, it's magic, that she can appear to be anywhere in this maze. "Today, I will get revenge for me and my brother!" Misty says. Another flash, and her face is on every mirror Aki can see.
She looks around, starting to worry. "Uh!" Says Aki.
"Ahahahaha, ahahahaha." Misty laughs.
"Aki, where are you? Hotaru!" Sakura says.
"Mama!" Says Jace.
Sakura turns to him, as he runs to her. "Jace?" Sakura asks. She kneels and Jace runs into her arms, with tears in his eyes. Sakura just embraces him close to herself, brushing at his hair, lightly. Just then, the supports on an old billboard or sign on a building she, Jace, Grim and Aurora are standing in front of break, it's going to fall on them.
"Watch out!"
"Hm?!" Asks Sakura. She dodges out of the way at the last moment, pulling off a rather impressive sort of back flip to land balanced on one knee, while still holding Jace close to her chest. Grim and Aurora were both able to move out of the way in time, too, coming to stand at either side of Sakura.
The man in the gray trench coat hurries over to her, it was he who called out the alarm. "Are you okay?" Sakura stands up, holding Jace in her arms, while Grim and Aurora move closer to her and get in front of her, being protective of their mistress and her son. "Thanks to you, I'm fine. Who are you?" Sakura asks. The stranger takes a wallet out of his pocket. "I'm from the Public Maintenance Department. Director Godwin ordered me to come here." "Godwin? I appreciate the sentiment, but this place is dangerous." Says Sakura. "I'm aware of that. The Director told me the whole situation. For the good of the City, Aki must win." "I understand. Let's find Aki." Sakura says.
Aki faces the mirror at the end of the hallway, in which Misty stands holding a duel disk.
"Let's begin the duel." Says Misty. Her face appears in another mirror, this one continues speaking, while the first stays silent. Okay, it's magic, not freakishly sophisticated use of mirrors. "And I'll take my time explaining what you did to my brother. You can't escape. If you want to seal the Ccarayhua Tower, you have to escape from this labyrinth. I know I'll have a fun duel against you. Hehahahaha." Misty says.
Aki brandishes her duel disk and it activates. "Fine. I accept the duel!" Says Aki.
"Duel!" Both Aki and Misty says. They each start with 4000 life points.
In the fading light of the sunset, the abandoned park's hall of mirrors looms.
Inside it, the duel begins.
The Misty at the end of the hall, holding the duel disk, speaks. "My turn. I draw. I activate the Field Spell 'Mirror Labyrinth' from my hand!" Says Misty.
The bronze-framed, cracked, broken mirrors around them become cold walls of sapphire crystal, still framed with bronze but without a crack to be seen. The maze is open to the sky, the field spell's walls continue past the walls of the maze and climb toward the dark clouds.
"I'll show you your crime. I activate the Continuous Spell 'Sad Story-Sorrowful Memories' from my hand!" Misty says. She plays a spell card, and the walls around them glow, then fade.
Aki and the mirror, on which Misty is reflected, are standing in a vision.
Misty's visible in one corner of the room, fussing with something.
"What's this?" Asks Aki.
"Sister!"
Aki turns.
And a teenage boy in a blue school blazer throws open the doors of the room and runs in. This is the boy from Misty's locket. "Sister! Haha!" "Toby." Misty says. "Here's your birthday present." Says Toby. "Thank you, Toby. Can I open it?" Misty asks. "Yeah. Look!" Says Toby. Misty looks at her present, it's the locket she was looking at earlier, with a picture of mountains in it. "It's beautiful. Thank you. I'll put your photo inside and treasure it." Misty says. She slips it over her head and shows off how it fits around her neck. "By the way, I met someone who has the same power as me." Says Toby. "Same power as you?" Misty asks. "That's right. Her name is Aki Izayoi." Says Toby.
Aki listens, completely stunned.
Misty watches her face, vindictively.
"Even among Arcadia Movement, she's the most skilled." Toby says. "Arcadia Movement?" Asks Misty. "Don't get the wrong idea! That place isn't what you think it is! I want to use my power to help everyone." Toby says.
"He's Misty's younger brother." Aki thinks to herself.
As Misty speaks, the vision disappears, and the walls are once again blue crystal. "Due to 'Sorrowful Memories's' effect, if we draw a monster card during the Draw Phase, that card returns to the deck and is shuffled. A third of our cards are now sealed away." Says Misty.
"But that doesn't affect cards that are already in our hands, right?" Aki asks.
"Exactly. I summon Reptilianne Servant!" Says Misty.
Reptilianne Servant has 100 attack points and is a Level 1 monster. "As long as Reptilianne Servant is on the field, both players can't summon monsters. Isn't it wonderful? I end my turn." Misty says.
"My turn!" Says Aki. She draws, it's Evil Thorn. "A monster card." Aki says.
"Too bad. Due to 'Sorrowful Memories's' effect, you can't draw monsters." Says Misty.
Aki scowls and discards it. Her deck shuffles, automatically. "I set one card and end my turn." Aki says.
"Follow me deeper into the labyrinth." Says Misty. She vanishes into the mirror, and her active spell card and Reptilianne Servant follow her, turning to Aki's left.
Aki, nonplussed, follows.
Misty's voice echoes back at her. "Ahahahahaha! Hahahaha!" Misty laughs.
As Aki wanders deeper, she and her big snake appear in the mirrors to either side, demons watching her pass.
Sakura, carrying Jace in her arms, Grim, Aurora and the stranger in the trench coat are wandering beneath the same abandoned log ride Minako and Kakyuu found earlier. Her new ally stops walking. "What? Can Aki defeat someone like that?"
Sakura stops walking and turns around, Grim and Aurora come to stop at either side of her and gaze back at him, they don't trust this guy around their mistress. "She will win. I believe in Aki." Sakura says.
"You trust Aki."
"Of course. Because she's a friend." Says Sakura. She turns away.
Beneath the sunglasses, the stranger's face is hard to read, but he doesn't look happy. Then, suddenly, he points. "Hey!"
"What is it?" Sakura asks.
"I saw someone over there."
"What?" Asks Sakura. She runs over to the indicated building, with Grim and Aurora keeping pace at her heels, throws open the door, which falls off its hinges, and runs inside. "Aki! Hotaru! Minako! Huh?" Sakura asks. She looks down, she's standing on a metal grating.
On the level below are Minako and Kakyuu, lying unconscious on the packed dirt floor.
"Minako! Kakyuu! What happened, Minako? Kakyuu? I shall save you right away!" Says Sakura. She places Jace on Aurora's back.
A fireball flies out of nowhere.
Sakura dodges, flipping through the air and landing on one knee, ready for a fight. Grim runs over to her and puts himself in front of her, his teeth bared and snarling at the stranger.
Aurora's keeping her distance, with Jace riding on her back, fur puffed up and teeth bared.
"What?" Sakura asks.
The stranger with the trench coat is standing opposite of her. "A friend? I knew you would interfere with my plans."
"You did this?" Asks Sakura.
"If you want to know, then attack me with all your might. 'Psychic Sword'!" He plays a card, and a huge and very real-looking giant glowing sword appears in his hand.
"You're… " Sakura says.
The man in the trench coat hefts the sword with both hands, and rushes her.
"You're a psychic duelist?" Asks Sakura. She blocks the sword on her duel disk, bracing it with her other hand. "Heheheheheheheh." He leans in, pressing his advantage with the huge glowing blade, while Sakura fights to hold her ground, using her duel disk as a shield.
The image of Misty shimmers along the walls of the many off-branching corridors, as she leads Aki deeper into the maze, followed by her slithering pet.
She follows, her reflection glancing off the parallel corridors, as well. Aki comes to another hallway's end, with two corridors branching off.
Misty is facing her once more, this is where the duel will continue. Her face is looking at Aki from all directions, but as she steps forward, it narrows to one. Reptilianne Servant is in a mirror next to Misty, and 'Sorrowful Memories' is hovering before her mirror. "My turn. I draw. Now watch what happened next. I activate the Continuous Spell 'Sad Story-Unwavering Truth'!" Misty says.
The field changes again, and now, the scene they're standing in is…
"This place is… Arcadia Movement!" Says Aki, trembling.
They're standing in the empty space in the center of the building, and a few floors up.
A younger Aki can be seen walking along the gallery.
Toby runs up to her. "Miss Izayoi!" Toby says. The Aki in the vision turns sharply, annoyed. She looks much younger in her red school uniform. "My name is Toby. Aren't you Aki Izayoi?" The Aki in the vision reacts defensively, as though expecting to be censured or criticized. "Yes." Says Aki. "I want to be just like you, Aki. What do I have to do to be just like you?" Toby asks. "Divine will teach you. Just do everything Divine says." Says Aki, coldly. In the vision, she turns and stalks away, with barely a glance backward.
Toby looks a bit unnerved, but not dissuaded.
"That young boy was your brother?" Aki asks.
"Toby." Says Misty.
The vision fades, and they return to the labyrinth.
"Toby." Aki says.
"Due to 'Unwavering Truth's' effect, if we draw a spell card during the Draw Phase, that card returns to the deck and is shuffled. In other words…" Says Misty.
"Spell cards have also been sealed away." Aki says. "She won't let me use monsters or spells. She's cornering me. But Misty is also in the same situation." Aki thinks to herself.
"Here I go! Reptilianne Servant attacks you directly!" Says Misty.
Reptilianne Servant's mirror shimmers, and it springs from it into the real world, and straight for Aki in the form of streams of black energy. The mirrors around her shatter, showering her with broken glass. Parts of Aki's face, her eyes, her nose, her mouth, reflect and refract off the shards, as they fly through the air. She's down to 3900 life points.
Sakura continues to keep this mysterious attacker at bay, using her duel disk as a shield. She pushes against it and shoves her assailant back.
The man in the trench coat leaps away, facing Sakura across the room, and his sword vanishes. He reaches for another card, slapping it onto his duel disk. "'Hinotama'!"
Another fireball appears and Sakura leaps aside, already bracing for the next. "Who are you? Do you work for the Dark Signers?" Sakura asks.
"Aki is mine! She doesn't need friends!"
"Don't you know that if Aki doesn't win by sunset, this world is going to be destroyed?" Asks Sakura.
"That doesn't matter to me!" He summons another sword and rushes Sakura. He swings the sword down and she catches it on her duel disk again. Sakura's attacker then swings under her guard and rams the hilt of the sword right into her abdomen, hard. Her eyes and gradation start flaring, while her scleras fade to black, with glowing red veins across her eyes, the hit she took has awakened the Crimson Dragon that resides within her, the shriek of the beast sneaks out of her mouth for a minute. Sakura doubles over, holding at her stomach, and her opponent back-kicks her through an open piece of the floor.
She flies through the air and falls down to the floor next to Minako and Kakyuu. Sakura lands flat on her back and it sounds like it really hurts.
The stranger laughs and slams the trapdoor shut.
"Ugh." Sakura says. The Crimson Dragon's shriek manages to sneak out again, it's not very happy right now.
Grim then runs straight for the stranger and lunges at him, biting down on his arm, not letting go. The stranger activates his powers and with them, sends him down to the ground, with a lot of force behind it.
"Grim!" Says Sakura, concerned.
Grim's down on the ground, breathing, but barely moving, he's hurt.
"Aurora, run! Get Jace to safety!" Sakura says.
Aurora, following her mistress's orders, flees, with Jace riding on her back.
"Ahahahaha. Aki will only shine in a world that I desire." The man in the trench coat jumps back and hurls another fireball, this one, at close range, sets the edge of the trapdoor's grating aflame, twisting and warping the metal. It'll be difficult to get it open again.
Sakura, Minako and Kakyuu are trapped beneath it. She shakes Minako's shoulder. "Are you alright, Minako?" Asks Sakura, her voice menacing and echoic. Minako's beginning to stir. Sakura then touches Kakyuu's shoulder, shaking it. "Kakyuu!" Sakura says. Kakyuu stirs a bit.
But the stranger in the trench coat isn't done with them yet. "Ha ha ha ha ha!"
Streams of water start to gush into the lower level of the room. Soon, Sakura, Minako and Kakyuu could drown, unable to climb or swim above the water level as it rises.
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" He turns and leaves.
"We're in trouble!" Says Sakura. She kneels on the floor of a room filling up with water, and Minako and Kakyuu are still out cold.
"My turn isn't over yet. Due to 'Mirror Labyrinth's' effect, when neither player has a Level Five-or-above monster and there's only one Level Four-or-below monster, that monster can attack again during the Battle Phase! Level One Reptilianne Servant is the only monster on the field. Therefore, it can attack you directly again!" Misty says.
Reptilianne Servant attacks Aki again, leaving her with 3800 life points.
"I won't defeat you quickly. I set one card. I end my turn." Says Misty.
Aki looks at her hand, an unknown trap, Hedge Guard, Witch of the Black Rose and the spell 'Seed of Deception'. "Hmph. If I draw a spell or monster card, it returns to my deck. Reptilianne Servant is another problem. I have to do something about that monster." Aki thinks to herself. "My turn. I draw!" Aki says. Her draw is a trap, 'Illusion Destruction'. "I set one card. I end my turn." Says Aki.
"You're lucky. You drew a trap card. Come with me." Misty says. Once again, she vanishes into the mirror, her cards floating after her, and ripples along the walls.
Aki steadily follows, until once again she finds herself confronted with Misty glaring down at her from all sides. The other sides blank, and she's facing just one mirror of her.
"My turn. I draw. I'll show you that day again. I activate 'Sad Story-Atrocious Day' from my hand." Says Misty.
The walls glow again, the scene they're standing in now is one of panic. Thick, black, thorny vines rend the concrete, as bystanders scatter and are thrown aside. Three more vines shoot into the side of a building, holding fast and scattering debris. People around it cower or start running.
"When you lost control and destroyed the Daimon Area, you killed Toby." Misty says.
In the vision, masses flee the scene. Toby, running behind, looks up at the chaos, crying out, as falling rubble crushes him.
And the walls fade, they're back in the maze of mirrors.
Aki is stunned. "There were no casualties from that duel. What you're saying didn't happen!" Says Aki, desperately.
"Arcadia Movement is the type that covers up harmful information, isn't it?" Misty asks.
"It can't be…" Says Aki.
"Due to 'Atrocious Day's' effect, if we draw a trap card during the Draw Phase, that card returns to the deck and is shuffled. You and I can no longer draw anything. Not monsters, spells nor traps. I'll make you taste Toby's pain." Misty says. Her face appears in every mirror. The Misty's snicker and laugh, smiling with sinister superiority.
Aki is surrounded, with no way out.
Misty laughs, as the mirrors that hold her face surround her, shifting here and there. "Hahahaha! Ahahahahaha!" Misty laughs.
Aki is on the verge of tears. "What you're saying didn't happen… It's all a trick! I activate the trap 'Illusion Destruction'! One face up card on the field is flipped face down." Says Aki.
Reptilianne Servant vanishes from its mirror and the glass shatters, blasting out at her.
Misty snarls, foiled and not happy about it. "Ugh! Reptilianne Servant is destroyed when it's the target of a spell or a trap." Misty says.
Aki tenaciously tries to reason with her and speak of this fairly. "Toby and I may have talked, but I don't know anything about him. I also don't know if he was killed in that accident!" Says Aki.
"So you're saying that you killed him without your knowledge? Do you think that makes it okay?" Misty asks.
"No!" Says Aki.
"I activate the trap card 'Bad End-Sorrowful Chain'!" Misty says.
The mirrored walls vanish, and Misty is at Toby's deathbed, clutching at the sheets that cover his deceased body. "Toby…" Says Misty, crying.
Above them hangs a huge vision of her locket, with the picture of her and Toby.
"I don't know anything!" Aki says.
"Sorrow leads to more sorrow." Says Misty.
Flashback. Misty drives along a dark road, late at night, in a convertible open to the wind. Her eyes look vacant and hazy. "I couldn't bear living in a world without Toby." Misty says, in voice-over. "Aaaaaaah!" She drives her car through the safety rail and off a cliff.
Change flashback. Red emergency lights atop an ambulance, and Misty is rushed down the hallways of a hospital on a gurney, attended by two nurses and a doctor. "You also killed me!" Says Misty, in voice-over. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "Aahh!" Aki screams.
Water keeps pouring into the building, it's up to Sakura, Minako and Kakyuu's chests. Sakura seems to be helping both Minako and Kakyuu stay standing. "Anyone! Save me, Master Atlas!" Minako says, calling out.
Outside. Ushio stops walking, noticing something by his shoe. "This is a Public Maintenance Department ID." Ushio thinks to himself. He picks it up. "Why is this here?" Ushio thinks to himself. He flips open the badge, it's very official-looking, and the picture on the badge is Minako's. The little sticker of Jack's face is stuck to the top flap of the wallet. "Haah! It's Minako's! And she put a Jack sticker on it!" Ushio thinks to himself. "Dohhgghhaaaagh! I won't forgive you, Jack Atlas!" Says Ushio.
He suddenly gets kicked in the shin, and lets out a huge yelp, as he jumps up and down on one foot while holding at the one that was just kicked. Ushio squints open an eye.
Jace is standing there, with his fists clenched at his sides, and Aurora at his back. "Hey! You're Atlas' brat!" Ushio says. "Don't talk bad about my papa!" Says Jace, angrily. He definitely looks like Jack when he's mad. Ushio notices this. "Yup! You're his boy, all right!" Ushio says.
"Save me, Master Atlas!" Says Minako, in the background.
Ushio looks around.
"Minako!" Ushio says. He runs over to the door in the wall and shoves it aside, running inside.
Aurora, having taken Jace back onto her back, follows after him. "Minako!" Says Ushio.
The mirrors around Aki reflect different shades of her shock and bewilderment. "I can't fight. It's natural that Misty would hate me. Toby and Misty died because of me!" Aki says. She stumbles backward and trips on a pebble of mirror glass. Suddenly, Aki's falling backward, onto a huge, razor-sharp shard of glass sticking up from the floor, ready to impale her.
As she flies backward, the stranger in the trench coat runs forward out of nowhere and catches her, protecting her from the glass. He sinks to one knee, propping Aki up with the arm that caught her. "Pull yourself together, Aki!" Aki looks up at him, bemused. "Who are you?" Asks Aki. "I'm your ally." "Ally?" Aki asks. "It's me, Aki." Divine rips off his hat and mask. His hair is wild and unkempt, and it falls down over his right eye and cheek, the parts of it that Aki can see through the hair look badly scarred.
Flashback. The top floors of the Arcadia building above Aki are full of smoke, debris, and shadows.
Divine plummets out of the smoke, and keeps falling.
Aki watches, in horror, as he plunges into the shadowy smoke below. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. Aki is nearly crying from happiness, everything's going to be okay. "Divine! You're alive?" Asks Aki. "Now fight, Aki." Divine says. "I can't fight." Says Aki. "Of course you can. Your latent powers were too strong, so I sealed them away without your knowledge. I'll now remove that seal and unleash your true power." Divine says. He leans over and whispers in her ear. "I'll wake them with these words, 'the entrance to the underworld is on the witch's island.'" Says Divine, whispering. "Ugh!" Aki says. Her eyes go wide, she's feeling a sudden surge of power. Wind swirls around Aki, out of control, and lifts her to her feet, as it rampages through the room. Divine stands up, laughing. "Ahahahaha! That's good! Now defeat her! Your true power is much stronger than the Dark Signers!" Says Divine. He flees the scene.
As a column of pure wind shoots up around Aki's feet and her hair flies from its restraints, she is beyond powerful.
Ushio runs through the dark warehouse, out onto the grating. "Minako!" Ushio says.
"Ushio, down here!" Says Sakura.
Ushio looks up, then down.
Sakura, Minako and Kakyuu are treading water, a few feet from the grating. "Officer Ushio!" Kakyuu says.
Ushio can hardly believe his eyes. "Huh?!" Asks Ushio.
"Open the hatch!" Sakura says.
Ushio starts pulling on the edge, to no avail. He stops, turns, runs and grabs a nearby pole. Ushio jams it into a hole left by the twisted metal and starts trying to lever the gate open.
"You finally showed your true self." Says Misty.
Aki's hair is swept back from her face, she squints a bit in the raging wind, and there's a potent intensity in her eyes, as she wields the storm. "I am the Black Rose Witch. You will be the one who vanishes from this world." Aki says. The wind abates, leaving her hair standing on end in all directions. The roller in Aki's hair that usually limits her powers is nowhere in sight, it probably just got blasted about twenty feet into the air.
"'Bad End-Sorrowful Chain's' effect. When the three Sad Story cards, 'Sorrowful Memories', 'Unwavering Truth' and 'Atrocious Day' are on my field, I can Special Summon Dragon Queen of Tragic Endings!" Says Misty.
Dragon Queen of Tragic Endings has 1900 attack points and is a Level 6 monster. The Dragon Queen is a brown, knobbly dragon. Her wings look like dead, wilted or burnt flower petals, and the ruffles around her middle and collarbone are a depressing mauve. She is a draconic angel of death.
More shattering glass falls around Aki, as she looks at Misty with a kind of twisted, eerie glee through her long bangs.
"I don't like you. I'll change your expression into pain! Dragon Queen of Tragic Endings attacks you directly! Tragedy Stream!" Misty says.
Dragon Queen attacks with a huge gust of wind that breaks around Aki, like she's standing in a bubble. The wind once again stretches her hair back from her face, as she glares through the storm with those unsettling eyes. Now Aki's down to 1900 life points.
"When you take battle damage from this monster's attack, you must select one card in your hand and send it to the graveyard." Says Misty.
"I send Hedge Guard to the graveyard." Aki says. She discards it.
"Due to Dragon Queen of Tragic Endings effect, I draw one card. Since this isn't the Draw Phase, Sad Story doesn't affect me. I end my turn." Says Misty.
"My turn. I draw!" Aki says. Her draw is Violet Witch. "Due to 'Sorrowful Memories's' effect, I return the monster card to my deck." Says Aki. She puts it back into her deck and it shuffles. "Then I summon Witch of the Black Rose from my hand." Aki says.
Witch of the Black Rose has 1700 attack points and is a Level 4 monster. She is a cute little mini-sorceress with thick purple hair and a black dress with dark mauve roses. She carries a little wooden staff with a blue crystal atop it. "When this card is successfully summoned, I draw one card from my deck. If the card I draw isn't a monster card, this card is destroyed. If I draw when it's not the Draw Phase, Sad Story's effect doesn't affect me. That's what you said." Says Aki. She draws and flips the card, it's Rose Fairy. "I drew it. When a card effect adds Rose Fairy from my deck to my hand, I can Special Summon it!" Aki says.
Rose Fairy has 600 attack points and is a Level 3 monster. "Witch of the Black Rose tunes Rose Fairy!" Aki says. Witch of the Black Rose leaps upward and turns into a handful of stars that then become green rings. Rose Fairy flies into the rings and her outlines glow yellow. "The cold flame envelops the entire world. Black flower, bloom!" Says Aki. Rose Fairy's three stars align within the green rings and form a beam of violet light. Aki's eyes are wild through her chaotic hair. "Synchro Summon! Appear, Black Rose Dragon!" Aki says.
Black Rose Dragon takes the field and spreads its wings, a huge storm of wind roars around it. Black Rose Dragon has 2400 attack points and is a Level 7 monster.
Across the park. Both sets of young twins and Hotaru see a localized tornado shoot up a few buildings over. "Huh?!" Both Subaru and Velvet ask. "That's..." Says Lua. "Something that doesn't seem right." Hotaru says.
Down in the warehouse. Sakura, Minako, Kakyuu and Ushio are a bit busy to notice.
Sakura, Minako and Kakyuu are fighting to stay above the water.
While Ushio keeps straining on his makeshift pry-bar. "Damn!" Says Ushio.
The hall of mirrors is gone. The winds tore apart the building and blew the pieces away. Aki and Misty now face each other across an expanse of packed dirt, surrounded by an ethereal dome of blue mirror from the latter's field spell.
Aki's face is alight with the power-craziness, from the look on her face, she's going to enjoy the rest of this duel and it's not going to take long.
In a building nearby, in a window overlooking the duel. Divine's watching from a distance. "That's right, Aki. Eliminate everyone in our way. You and I are going to revive Arcadia Movement!" Divine thinks to himself. "Hahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahaha!" Divine laughs.
Aki and Misty face each other with glares, as their dragons roar above them. At the latter's back is the control tower and at the former's is Divine's window.
Beyond the tower, the sun is halfway sunk below the horizon.