It was the next morning after Alex's duel with Trudge. Alex was talking with everyone over what had happened since he got back. "Well, we took shifts watching over you while you slept," Tanner informed. "Luna took more shifts than everyone," Leo added. "Leo!" Luna exclaimed as she hit her brother in the arm while her face turned red. If she had been looking at Alex, she might have noticed the momentary blush on his face.
"In any case, while you were still asleep, Yusei called your parents and Goodwin. They know you're back and safe here with us, but for the sake of everyone's safety, they don't know our exact location," Tanner continued. "So what do we do now?" Alex asked. "That's a good question, and I wish I had an answer for it, but right now, we hardly know anything," Yusei admitted.
"Yusei, maybe we should go talk to Goodwin. It seems like he's the only one who knows what's going on," Alex pointed out. "But it's not safe for you out there. What if the Dark Signers come after you both again?" Luna asked. "Luna's right, you guys could be in serious danger if you left," Leo added.
"We have to. The people of the Satellite are in danger, and I have to help them," Yusei responded. "And until we get rid of the Dark Signers, we're all in danger. But we won't be able to do anything to stop them if we don't know what we're dealing with. Goodwin is the only one who has any answers," Alex pointed out.
"And besides, I've been thinking that we should talk to Goodwin, and have already made arrangements for some backup," Yusei informed. "What do you mean by backup?" Alex asked. After he asked his question, the sound of police sirens could be heard outside the building. Alex and Yusei went to the window and saw several cars from Sector Security outside the building.
"Looks like our ride's here," Yusei said nonchalantly. "You called Sector Security for an escort?" Tanner asked. "Yep. Come on Alex," Yusei said as he began walking to the door, Alex following behind him. Before they left the room, they were stopped by Luna. "Just promise you'll both be careful," she said, not wanting to see either of them get hurt.
"We will, I promise," Yusei assured while Alex nodded his head in agreement. In a couple minutes, Yusei and Alex reached the ground floor and met up with Sector Security, including Trudge. "You back in your right mind?" Alex asked. "Yes. I'm sorry about last night, I wasn't in control," Trudge apologized.
A few minutes later, they arrived at an incomplete bridge that faced the Satellite and Yusei and Alex got out before walking up to Goodwin. "Alright Goodwin, it's time you tell us what's going on, starting with this," Yusei said as he rolled up his sleeve to reveal his Signer Mark.
"That is the Mark of the Crimson Dragon. It belongs to those who protect our world from the darkness," Goodwin explained. "Oh, is that all? Then why did it choose me?" Yusei asked. "Because you are strong and selfless, Yusei. The dragon knew you would not run from a challenge, or from the darkness that is coming," Goodwin explained.
"And this darkness is dangerous. It will take on many forms. Maybe a stranger, or a friend, but you will know for they will have the mark of the shadows," he continued. "You mean the Dark Signers! Alex was under their control just the other day and we dueled, and Alex had a glowing spider on his arm," Yusei informed.
"Then the first battle of this war has already been won. Just as you were chosen to protect the light, they choose to protect the dark," Goodwin explained. "So that's why they want my power? To further their goal?" Alex asked. "Indeed. Alex, you hold the power of the Gentle Darkness, a power that rivals that of the Dark Signers, and that is why they will stop at nothing to turn you to their side," Goodwin confirmed.
"But when did all of this start Goodwin?" Yusei asked. "Perhaps we should go back to the beginning thousands of years ago, when the war began," Goodwin offered. "Now we're getting somewhere," Yusei responded. "There were 2 great armies, one of shadow and one of light," Goodwin said as he gazed out over Satellite.
"They battled across the face of the Earth, nearly destroying the whole planet. The army of light wasn't an army of men and steel, but of dragons. Five powerful creatures that have sworn to protect the Earth at all costs. They fought the army of shadows, comprised of other creatures, unknown, except for the scars they left on the soil," he continued.
"The Earthbound Immortals," Alex stated, to which Goodwin nodded. "Alex, how do you know about this?" Yusei asked. "I've read about this before, and heard about it from some of my duel spirits, but it's better if you hear the story from Goodwin. The information I found about the legend was incomplete," Alex admitted.
"Every 5000 years, the war begins again. The last time, the armies had gathered for one final battle. The dragons knew they didn't have the individual strength to win, so they combined their power into a single force, the Crimson Dragon. The creatures of the shadows fought fiercely, but they were no match for the dragons' combined might. Eventually the army of shadows was defeated, but not destroyed. Instead its essence was trapped deep beneath the Earth, taking a prisoner with them, the Ancient Fairy Dragon," Goodwin recounted.
"So what happened from there?" Yusei asked. "The creatures of shadow were imprisoned within the Nazca Lines, but the dragons knew that one day, they might return. And so they sacrificed themselves, instilling the power of the 5 dragons in generation after generation of humans, hoping the Crimson Dragon could be summoned again," Goodwin answered before he turned to face Yusei.
"You have the spirit of a dragon in you Yusei, just as the Dark Signers are possessed by the growing power of the army of shadows," he continued. "But how? And why now?" Yusei asked. "It was something we couldn't possibly predict would happen. Tell me, have you ever heard of the Ener-D Reactor?" Goodwin asked.
"You mean the energy source that powers New Domino?" Yusei asked in turn. "It was built to absorb the positive energy created by dueling, but to create a better future, we had to take risks in the past. Years ago, a prototype was built. It was kept deep underground under the slums of the Satellite. Our goal was to gather energy created through the competition of dueling and use it as a positive force. Imagine, powering all of New Domino City with just a pack of cards," Goodwin said.
"So what went wrong?" Alex asked. "The first Ener-D Reactor had a meltdown. Negative energy erupted and split New Domino City in two. Everything above the reactor was infused with negative energy, and became a barren wasteland of depression. It became the Satellite. But the troubles didn't end there. The burst of negative energy was so strong, the surface of the Earth trembled, and something deep beneath it was awoken," Goodwin explained.
"The Earthbound Immortals," Yusei guessed, which Goodwin nodded in confirmation. "They fed on the negative energy, growing in power until now, when they were strong enough to continue their war. We can't let that happen. I know this must all come as a shock, but I promise you that my grief is even worse than you can imagine. After all, I was in favor of its creation," Goodwin said, a tinge of sorrow in his voice.
"I thought it would help people, but lo and behold the power of this reactor has sparked a war between the Signers and the forces of darkness. But I know how to end it, and I'm going to need your help, the both of you. The Fortune Cup entries weren't selected randomly. I had suspicions on who the Signers were and held the tournament to confirm my suspicions," he continued.
"But then why was I invited? I'm not a Signer," Alex brought up. "No, you are not a Signer, but you will still prove to be crucial in the war. I knew the Dark Signers would seek you out, so I invited you to the tournament so I could test your strength, and to try and determine which side of the war you would stand on," Goodwin admitted.
"There's something else Goodwin. You said there were 5 Signers, but we only have 4," Yusei pointed out. "I'm working on that Yusei, but I am certain they will make themselves known. For now, we need to get you both to the Satellite," Goodwin responded as a helicopter landed near them and the hatch opened up, revealing Alex and Yusei's duel runners. Alex and Yusei boarded the helicopter and it made its way to the Satellite.
10 minutes later, Yusei and Alex had mounted their duel runners inside the helicopter. "You ready Alex?" Yusei asked. "Yeah. I'm not gonna let them destroy the world, and I'm gonna pay them back for making me their mindless servant," Alex responded. "I understand you want payback, but you need to keep a level head," Yusei advised.
Before Alex could respond, they were interrupted by a voice on the speakers. "Opening the cargo hatch. Prepare for drop in t minus 10 seconds and counting," the pilot said. Alex and Yusei started their duel runners and prepared for the drop. "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, cargo deployed," the pilot said before Yusei and Alex backed out of the helicopter, dropping to the ground in a junkyard.
"Nice landing," a man's voice said. Alex and Yusei looked in the direction the voice came from and saw someone with spiky orange hair sitting on top of a pile of garbage on a duel runner. "Crow?" Yusei asked. "You got a lotta nerve coming back here," Crow responded.