Yu-Gi-Oh! 5 Deluxe Dragons
Disclaimer: This one doesn't own the Yugioh series.
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Chapter 14 –Spiriting Away
"Spirited away?"
"Yeah, it's something that's been going around. People have been disappearing in the forests according to kids."
Here we have a regular midday scene back at the home of Yusei, Jack, and Crow. Both members of the household who have jobs are in the garage/basement discussing topics. At the moment, this one is about ghosts.
"So, does it have anything to do with Ghost?" asks Yusei with a slight bit of urgency.
Crow swallows the sandwich he's been eating mid-conversation. "Nah, you're overthinking it. It's probably just one of those urban legends kids make up all the time. But, it does have an interesting story behind it."
Though his interest drops, Yusei's curiosity peaks at what the story can be about. "A long time ago, a rich family lived in the forest. The family had a pair of sick siblings, and while the brother devotedly nursed his sister, he died before her. And then, as if chasing him, she passed on as well."
After that, Crow goes off to work. Left alone for the time, Yusei gets back to work on the engine. All the while, he thinks about the spirited-away rumor. It's a little hard to focus on, because the concept itself is obscure, but with all that's been happening around Neo Domino in the last few months, he can buy this.
Still, it has nothing to do with them at the moment. If there's no connection to Ghost, then he doesn't need to jump into it. He has to work on the engine for their new D-Wheels.
"YUSEI!" The door bursts open and in steps Teppei.
"Teppei? What's wrong?"
"It's Luca! She's…" He panics, hyperventilating while trying to keep calm.
"Calm down," says Yusei as he drops what he's doing to go to him, taking a knee before the child. "What happened?"
"She… we were out in the forest looking into this local legend…"
Flashback…
An hour earlier, Teppei, Lua, and Luca are out in the forest.
"Are we getting close?" Teppei asks as he brushes by a leaning branch.
Lua nervously moves in closer. "I don't know about this…"
"What's wrong, Lua? Chicken?"
"N-No!" Lua shouts as he recovers enough bravery at Teppei's response. "It's just, Luca is! We shouldn't be bringing her into this!"
"I'm actually fine," says the girl with a completely straight face. "I'm curious about this whole spirited-away rumor too. Maybe this is Duel Spirit related."
"R-Right!"
With that, the trio makes their way further in.
After a bit, Teppei hears a noise coming from the bushes. He and Lua hold each other in fear as the ruffling gets louder. Then, it pops out; a rabbit.
As it scurries away, the boys sigh in relief. Teppei says, "Phew. That was close."
"Yeah. I was worried for nothing. You alright, Luca?" Lua turns back to his sister.
And sees nothing and no one there.
"Luca?"
End…
"Wait… she was spirited away?" asks Yusei after listening to Teppei's story.
Before the boy can answer, he goes to the Yusei Go and takes off.
Meanwhile, in the forest, Luca stumbles through the forest. After tripping over a vine, she falls to the ground and hits her face against a rock. Whatever trance she has been under, she pulls herself up rubbing her head.
"What the?" Luca looks at her surroundings while trying to remember how she got into this. It then clicks. "That's right. I was with Lua and Teppei when I heard a voice… and then it just went black…"
She rubs her forehead, taking out a napkin to cover the cut that has appeared. Seeing an opening, she sneaks through the trees. There, she spots a mansion laying like it belongs there. "Maybe I can go in."
Luca dashes for the entrance. Strangely, it opens up all by itself. She walks inside and looks around, seeing the inside of the building is pristine. "What is this place? Do people live here?"
Thinking about an idea of what it could mean, she turns around to exit the home. The doors quickly shut, trapping her inside. "Oh, no. Why did I do this…"
She attempts to open it, but it fails to even budge. She continues for a few seconds before giving up, looking around for another exit. 'I can't believe it, but now I'm scared. Lua…'
Nearing the windows, she checks them only to discover they won't open either. So, she goes to the stairs thinking they will. As she nears them though, she hears the sound of crying. Curiouser and curiouser, she tiptoes up the steps.
"Hello?"
Her call goes unanswered despite her repeating it a second time. On the second floor, she spots a broken door. Approaching it, she puts her ear to it listening for the voice again.
"Big brother, where are you?" She hears it this time.
"Hello?" She opens the door to see who is inside. All she finds is a bed with towering rims and a veil covering everything.
The crying is still present, but Luca still sees no one around. So by logic, she approaches the bed and opens the veil. There, to her surprise, she sees no one inside. Instead, it is a doll. A doll in a yellow dress is resting there as if it was real.
Is this the source of the voice? No, that makes no sense. Dolls can't talk. Then again, Luca has seen stranger things so this shouldn't be anywhere near odd. Sadly, her setting has left her in a precarious scare, and since someone was calling out she knows she isn't alone.
That's when her eyes pick up a faint image of someone in the corner. 'Oh, don't be like those videos Teppei showed us.' She gets closer to the corner, seeing it as a little girl crying with her back turned.
Luca reaches out to touch her shoulder. "Excuse me, are you okay?"
"Where are you, big brother…" the girl whispers, before suddenly getting up to face the guest. The translucent child spots Luca and gasps. "Who are you!?"
"Don't worry. I mean you no harm," Luca says with her hands raised. Getting a better look, Luca can see that she is a ghost. Hoping this doesn't offend, she asks, "Are you a spirit?"
"A… a spirit?"
Suddenly, the lights in the room dim out. Luca is soon thrust out of the room. She rolls until making it to the stairs and falling down the stairs painfully.
Upon recovering, she gets up rubbing her left arm. Up above, she spots the person responsible for her injury. He is a child no older than her, staring down upon her, chalk blue hair and cyan eyes staring at the girl.
"You! You're an evil person, aren't you?!" he declares, gliding down the stairs toward Luca. He isn't running down them fast either; he's literally floating over each step and sliding down.
"W-What?! No! I'm-"
"Of course, you are! Only a bad person would have a reason to come here! Stay away from my sister!" The kid's eyes billow with a dark aura. "I'll handle you like the rest of them!"
Scared, Luca shields herself. Her mark shines in the process, protecting her from whatever just tried to touch her. This shocks the boy, who narrows his eyes. "So, you're not an ordinary villain."
He stabs his left arm out, and a Duel Disk forms from it. Luca quickly digs into her bag to grab her own and attach it. "I guess I have to do this."
DUEL
Michel: 4000
Luca: 4000
"I'll start this." Michel draws the first card before revealing it. "I play the Circle of Life."
Michel's card puts a circle of runs around himself and Luca. It also affects the mansion. "Circle of Life prevents either player from activating Magic Cards during the turn unless they discard one."
Michel takes one card and discards it, before activating another Continuous spell. Another rune forms around the circle. "Circle of Terror prevents either player from summoning a monster unless they discard another monster."
"Dang it…" says Luca as she looks at the card. This means she can't do anything without losing two cards.
"And, the card I discarded was Mirror Prison. This card in the graveyard prevents any player from attacking unless they tribute a monster. But this effect doesn't apply to Zombie or Machine monsters."
Luca scuffs at that. Lua should have dueled him. "And now, for Circle of Terror's effect, I'll discard Sleeping Beauty." As he discards his card, his graveyard glows. "With Sleeping Beauty in the grave, all Zombie monsters in my hand lose a level."
Appearing as the last card in his hand is a tiny little spirit flying down to the center of the circle. "Hollow Spirit!"
Hollow Spirit: 1200/1000 (5)
"Once per turn, Hollow Spirit can deal 800 points of damage." The spirit unleashes its power upon Luca, who cries out in pain.
Luca: 3200
She stumbles a bit. 'That felt real. Like my soul was being pulled out.'
"And with that, I end my turn."
Outside…
Lua continues looking for his sister. Now. Earlier, he's been running away from snakes after failing to do so.
"Luca, I'll find you…" he says to himself as he races through the forest, spotting an opening up ahead. He spots the mansion Luca is inside not far from where he's been traveling and heads there. Hopefully, he can find someone who can help.
Lua approaches the house, but something repels him. Shocked, he gets up wondering what that was. That's when his Signer mark glows. Suspicious, he stares at the building and sees inside through the veiled windows. His powers give him a better view of the inside, where he spots Luca dueling against Michel.
"Luca!"
Back inside, Luca holds her stomach while trying to regain composure. "I'll draw…"
Her eyes glance up at the stairs, where a little girl is watching them. Luca hears her voice calling out: "Please. Save my brother."
Coming to a realization, Luca understands this is why she is here; that girl's voice is the same one she heard when she blacked out. She called her here to save her brother. And she shall.
"I'll discard a Magic Card to activate Spirit Charmers." Luca ditches her card to activate her spell. "I'll discard one card to add Unpossessed and the Familiar-Possessed Lyna to my hand."
She reveals her two cards. "I'll then set two cards facedown and one monster facedown. Then, I end my turn."
Luca sighs before turning to Michel. Since it isn't a summon, she's okay for now.
"Draw." Michel looks at his card. "I'll use Hollow Spirit's effect."
Once more, Luca cries out in pain as she's hit hard.
Luca: 2400
Biting down on her teeth, Luca presses a button. "Reverse card open; Fairy Wind!" A powerful storm blows across the field. "This trap card destroys all face-up Magic and Trap cards on the field! And we both take 300 for each!"
"What?!" Michel shields his eyes as his circles are destroyed.
Michel: 3400
Luca: 1800
Outside…
Lua continues to bust into the door until he hears a D-Wheel engine. Turning back he spots Yusei sliding to a halt in front of the house. "Yusei!"
"Lua! Where's Luca?"
"She's inside! But I can't break it open!"
At that moment, the Circle of Terror has lost its power. Without it, the aura around the house disappears.
Seeing an opportunity, Yusei shouts, "Lua, move," before driving ahead.
Lua gets out of the way, allowing his wheel to burst open the door. Inside he lands in a slide, where both Yusei and Lua spot Luca in her duel.
"Yusei! Lua!" Luca says in joy.
"More intruders!" Michel shouts in anger. "Get lost! None of you are touching my sister!"
Luca watches as Michel's aura deforms, making him look more monstrous in response. Yusei stares at the boy, realizing there is more weight to Crow's story of them being children abandoned in the woods.
"Turn end!"
"Draw!" Luca looks at her hand, nodding at seeing the card she needed for this situation. "I'll flip over my facedown monster." The card flips up, and it shows itself as Lyna the Familiar-Possessed.
Lyna: 1850/1500 (4)
"I'll summon Night's End Sorcerer!" Slowly descending from the skies is a new monster, a sorcerer wielding a powerful lunar scythe. His bunny ears and cloak blow in the wind.
Night's End Sorcerer: 1300/400 (2) Tuner
"And now, I'll tune my two monsters together!" Night's End slashes the skies twice, his scythe carving the space to conjure two Synchro Rings. Lyna flies up passing through the rings. "Allow magic from the afterlife to come forth and guide all to serenity; Synchro Summon!"
The light of Synchro fades, as a being forms. This sorcerer of white is a far more powerful version of the Night's End Sorcerer from before, older even. The full moon shines behind him as he floats down. "Appear in a wave, Night's End Administrator!"
NEA: 2300/1400 (6)
"Whoa!" Lua mutters seeing the card appear.
"Night's End allows me to banish one card from your graveyard, like your Mirror Prison." End Administrator holds a hand up, conjuring the spell card from Michel's graveyard. "Now I don't have to release a monster to attack!"
Twin streams of energy form in the Spellcaster's hand before it fires at Hollow Spirit. The attack destroys it and also causes Michel to cry out.
Michel: 2300
"Damn it… damn it, damn it, damn it…" growls Michel, his aura getting worse. His eyes go white and soulless.
Hollow Spirit rises from the floor before it turns into a terrifying spirit. It's more akin to a demonic ghost. "When Hollow Spirit is destroyed, I can summon Hollow Ghost!"
The monster snarls at Luca, its red eyes on her and then Lua. As he cries and hides behind Yusei, Luca looks at her hand. "I'll end my turn."
Michel screams in an unholy rage before drawing. Yusei sees it, realizing something. "Now I see. This is the source of those disappearances."
"Hollow Ghost, attack!" The vengeful spirit strikes the Administrator, shattering him. Seconds before the attack hits, Luca has pressed a button.
Luca: 1500
"And, Hollow Ghost deals 600 damage whenever a card goes to your graveyard." Luca cries out as she gets drained by the ghost.
Luca: 900
"Luca!" Lua shouts in worry.
Seeing her opportunity, Luca holds a hand out. "Unpossessed's effect activates." Her trap card, having been activated prior to the destruction of her Administer, causes her deck to open up. "I'll special summon Hiita the Familiar-Possessed from my deck!"
In a powerful haze, Hiita appears before Luca. "And, Night's End Administrator's effect; when destroyed, I can special summon a Spellcaster from my graveyard!"
From her graveyard appears her earlier Tuner, Night's End Sorcerer. "When special summoned, Night's End banishes two cards from your graveyard!" He raises his hand and conjures Hollow Spirit and Sleeping Beauty, before crushing them.
Hollow Ghost shrieks before it falls to the floor in weakness. Michel growls in anger. "When Hollow Spirit is removed from the graveyard, Hollow Ghost's attack reaches zero."
"Then it's time I ended this. It's my turn!" Luca draws her card. "Hiita, attack Hollow Ghost!"
Flames billow around Hiita as the fire charmer holds her hand out. She draws a magic circle in the air before aiming her scepter at its center. "Thanks to Unpossessed, all Familiar-Possessed monsters gain 800 atk during damage calculations." She then shouts, firing a wildfire tsunami upon Hollow Ghost. As it is incinerated, Michel falls into pain.
Michel:0000
As the fire torches him, Luca's Dragon mark glows. Thanks to the power of it, the dark aura around Michel disappears. Michel drops down to his knees.
The duel monsters disappear. Luca approaches Michel. "Are you okay?"
"No… I failed…" Michel cries. "I can't protect Claire… I can't-"
"Michel!" calls out the girl's voice. Everyone looks at the little girl descending the stairs.
"Claire?"
"Michel, please don't hurt these people." Claire appears by his side before placing a hand on his shoulder. "I called her over."
"What?" Michel is surprised by this.
"Michel, we're dead. You're not protecting me; you're cursing people." Claire turns to Luca. "I've been hoping to reach someone who can hear me, but you were the first one."
"It's… it's no problem."
"We're… dead?" Michel checks his translucent skin.
"You got sick and died while trying to provide for me, and I died shortly after. But you never stopped, and you became cursed." Claire takes his hands. "We're free now though. Our time is over."
"Claire… I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you…"
She hugs him. "You did more than enough."
Lua and Luca look at the siblings, feeling for their brother-sister affection. Michel is just like Lua a bit.
Michel turns to Luca, saying, "Thank you. I'm afraid I've been doing something horrible…"
The siblings then take hands before floating away. They fly off before completely vanishing. As they do, the building they're in fades away in light. Luca, Lua, and Yusei now stand together in the ruins of the building, along with several other people.
"Eh? Who are they?" asks Lua in surprise.
"They must be the people that were spirited away," Yusei says as he recalls the story.
After that, everyone parts ways and returns to the city. Most of them have no idea why they ended up there or what happened, but it's best that they don't. As for Lua and Luca, they're home going over certain things.
"EHHHHHH!?" Lua shouts in shock. "You're going to be a priestess?!"
"Mhm," she replies. "I've been wondering this whole time what my calling would be. And it turns out, that was it."
Luca looks out at the night skies. "There are plenty of souls out there like Michel and Claire in trouble. If I can help them, then I want to."
"Ugh. I was hoping you'd join me in the pro leagues! We might end up having to separate for a long time."
"Isn't that okay?" Luca responds, causing her brother to look in shock. "Lua, once we grow up, we're going to have to go our separate ways. You can't protect me forever, and I don't need you to anymore. Michel ended up like that because he had nothing and no one except Claire. You need to live your own life, and so do I."
A solemn look forms on Luca's face as she thinks about them. "We shouldn't have to chain each other down."
Lua bites his inner lip. Maybe he is just overreacting because of what happened today. Having her disappear like that is a scary thing he hopes to never see again. Maybe he should let go and follow his goals more.
"You know what, you're right. I shouldn't be like that." Lua turns to his cards.
"So then, you'll take up Marufuji's offer and train under him?"
"You know what? I will! He'll teach me all I need to about dueling with Machines!"
The twins look at one another, before doing a double high-five.
…
The days will go on from here, as Lua and Luca work harder for their future. That only leaves one person somewhat directionless. But first, there's a bigger problem.
…
"You lost your job again?!" Crow shouts, almost tired of this joke at this point.
Jack sits in the garage with an uncaring expression. "Be glad I gave it three days. That was far more than it was worth."
"I'm getting sick of this. At this point, you might as well become a bounty hunter."
That somehow sparks Jack. "You think I'm only worth being a damn bounty hunter?!"
"Why not? You got zero advanced education, no concept of financial saving, and your only skills are Duel Monster related and fighting."
"Quit acting like you're in a bigger boat!"
"Honestly, it's a wonder how you got to live so long before you became King. At least Yusei has some other stuff he can fall back on."
"Well, sorry I wasn't the son of a quantum physics professor!" Jack turns away in anger, before looking around. "Speaking of whom, where is Yusei?"
"Oh, he had a job. Left about an hour ago. Speaking of which, I better get back to deliveries."
At that moment, their phone rings. Even though it's killing the awful silence, Crow goes over to answer. "Moshi mosh."
"Yusei has been kidnapped."
Lightz: Woo! The next chapter shall follow that. Actually, let's map out the next three chapters.
15 - Arrival of The Rose Knight
16 - WRGP Party
17 - T.G.R.I.