Wowza.
This one story spent months in purgatory. This version is completely different from the first draft I made a year. It hasn't even related to Star Rail initially or have any returning characters from the prior Yu-Gi-Oh! But after some thinking, editing, and looking up many, many decklists on ygoprodeck, I think finally managed to land on a concept that I really liked in concept and when writing it.
So anyways, did anybody know that before the original Yu-Gi-Oh! was a horror manga?
"No, wait– GAAAH!"
An explosion rocked the Xianzhou's Exalting Sanctum. Multiple men in a white uniforms and gray masks cried out in pain, sending cards flying all over the floor. Their masks cracked as they slammed into multiple walls, each groaning in pain as the dust settled. The few that remained stood up as quickly as they could, activating devices strapped to their arms, each one emitting a holographic blade in front of them.
Standing against them was a man in a blue jacket and a black shirt, sitting on a red motorcycle with white markings. He had spiky black hair with gold highlights, currently covered by a red helmet with dark blue eyes peeking through the visor. Hovering behind the man was a large, white-scaled dragon with wide, torn wings.
"Why you…" The cloaked figure in the very back cursed. He swept his hand forward, pointing his finger at the dragon-wielding. "Stop him, no matter what!" The cloaked men nodded and each drew five cards.
The expression of the riding man changed to a smirk as he revved up his bike. The dragon behind him roared as a stream of white energy began charging up in its mouth.
Caelus groaned as Qingque slammed another celestial jade tile on the table, knocking all his pieces onto the floor. Beside them, March and Tingyun clapped politely, though the former had a slightly more annoyed look than latter.
"That's another win for me!" Qingque exclaimed, taking a celebratory sip of her tea. "That's gotta be like the sixth win in a row, right?"
"It's only been four, Qingque," Tingyun politely corrected. Still, Caelus let out a louder groan. Tingyun giggled at the sound and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Oh, don't worry so much about it, dear benefactor! I'm sure you will be able to best her… someday…"
"The first time I win, I'm gonna be a dusty skeleton and she's only gonna be a bit taller," Caelus groused, crossing his arms over his shoulder and pouting. Qingque smirked at his comment, and she puffed out her chest slightly.
"That's right! After all, I already have decades of experience with Celestial Jade!" She said haughtily, drawing an eye roll from March.
"Can we please play something? I'm getting tired of you walking all over Caelus every single match," March said in a bored voice.
"Hey!" Caelus pouted.
"You're right, this is getting boring," Qingque agreed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Winning is fun and all, but the sweet taste of victory becomes less tasty with each outstanding, one-sided win."
"I'm right here you know!"
"Oh, don't worry too much about it, benefactor. If it's any consolation, I doubt your companion would be able to make any significant moves for victory," Tingyun said, her green eyes glancing mischievously towards March. She huffed and looked to the side. They could hear the quiet, droning sound of starskiffs from where they sat in Central Starskiff Haven.
"I could totally win a game of celestial jade! I just… need to figure out the rules first!" March said, getting a scoff from Qingque. Tingyun's ears twitched.
"Yeah right! You don't even have half the skills that I do!" Qingque said defiantly, pressing her thumb into her chest.
As the two girls argued Tingyun looked around, confused. It sounded like something… an engine, perhaps. The foxian shrugged the thought away and checked her jade abacus. "Oh, Qingque? Our lunch break ends in only a few minutes."
"Ugh, don't remind me!" The smaller woman groaned, collecting her the celestial jade pieces. "You guys are leaving the Luofu now that the entire mess with the Phantylia is done now, right?" She asked.
"Yup! We're going to be leaving tomorrow in the afternoon, so we'll be able to hang out one last time before we leave!" March chirped. Caelus nodded, but he still looked rather glum.
"That sounds lovely!" Tingyun exclaimed, trying to ignore the sounds of an engine slowly getting louder and louder. "And benefactors… No, March and Caelus. Thank you both so much. Not only for what you've done for the Xianzhou, but also for what you've done for me as well. I doubt I would have survived had you not come to my aid."
"You don't have to thank us. We were glad to help," Caelus said, his slow frown turning into a charming smile. As the group stood up, the engine sounds ringing in Tingyun's ear was getting louder and closer. Still, Tingyun decided to wrap her arms around Caelus'. March frowned as the foxian woman gave Caelus a flirty smile.
"Oh, but there has to be some way I can thank you…" Tingyun said slowly, her voice almost a purr. Caelus' face started turning a slight shade of red and he started tripping over his words.
By now, the engine was too loud to ignore. Tingyun pulled Caelus back, just as a red motorcycle drove past them. March, Qingque, and the other bystanders on the street yelped at both the sound and sudden appearance of the bike.
"I suppose that makes us even, no?" Tingyun giggled, helping Caelus up to his feet.
"Sure, why not," He said quietly, before turning back to where the bike zoomed off. "What's up with the bike? Doesn't the Xianzhou use starskiffs for transportation? Qingque… Uh… you doing okay?" He waved a hand in front of Qingque, but her widened eyes didn't seem to see him. He's pretty sure a fly could walk into her slackened jaw with how still she was.
"Holy crap…! That was a D-Wheel!" Qingque suddenly exclaimed, untying her jade abacus from her hair and frantically typing something into it.
"A D-Wheel…?" Caelus asked with a raised brow.
"They are a type of motorcycle first invented on the planet Horakhty. They're used to participate in Riding Duels, which is a different format than one currently used in Duel Monsters," Tingyun explained. "You don't know what Duel Monsters is either, do you?"
Caelus shook his head. "Enlightenment me, o' wise one," He said with a slight bow. Tingyun slapped him gently with a smile on her face.
"It's a game from Horakhty," March explained, making Tingyun cross her arms in annoyance. "It's the most popular game on the planet, in fact. For one month every year, Horakhty invites people from all over the cosmos to participate in a variety of different tournaments, ranging from video games, card games, board games, and even other competitions like sports and dog training. And on the last week of the event, the entire planet goes to one single stadium called the Kaiba Dome, in order to hold one large tournament for Duel Monsters. Whoever wins in that tournament is crowned the King of Games of not just the planet, but the entire universe!"
"That… seems like a lot for just one card game…" Caelus commented.
"Believe me, it is. I've had tea with the president of Kaiba Corp once. He's a brilliant boy, but an arrogant one as well. He's given me many, many headaches in that one meeting alone…" Tingyun groused, messaging her temples as though the mere thought of that meeting caused a migraine. "However, one thing I can say in defense of the grandiose presentation–aside from it being the most important game in Horakhty culture–is that the game of Duel Monsters is truly a sight to behold. It's much more exciting than just slapping pieces of cardboard on a playmat."
"I knew it! I knew that D-Wheel looked familiar!" Qingque suddenly spoke up. She moved between the group and presented her jade abacus, the bird shaped device producing a holographic screen from the eyes. "That's not just any D-Wheel! It belongs to Yusei Fudo! Jack Atlas' longtime rival, and the 250th champion of the Fortune Cup!" She exclaimed.
"Really? What's a guy like him doing on the Xianzhou?" March asked.
"I dunno, but look at the guy he's dueling! It's a Knight of Hanoi!" Qingque all but shouted, prompting a small group of Xianzhou natives to crowd around the screen.
"Wait… what's going on? Is he gonna challenge the Knight guy to a game?" Caelus, feeling himself being squished by all sides from too many bodies. Another foxian to his left shushed him as the video feed on Qingque's jade abacus began.
Yusei revved his D-Wheel and tugged on the handle, making his vehicle jump over the bridge onto the shipping containers of the Cloudford. The Knight of Hanoi on his hoverboard looked behind him and gasped upon seeing Yusei speeding up to him.
"Why you…" The Knight growled. He made a sharp turn to the left and traveled over a large gap to another side of Cloudford. When the Knight of Hanoi looked behind him, he expected to see Yusei falling to his doom. However, Yusei only twisted the handles of the D-Wheel and increased his vehicle's speed. He made the jump with ease, and continued chasing after the Knight of Hanoi, making every single sharp turn that the knight used to shake them off.
"You're not getting away that easily," Yusei said. He tapped a button on the console of his D-Wheel. In an instant, a holographic blade appeared in front of him, black in color and with a bright yellow border. The Knight of Hanoi growled and activated his own Duel Disk.
"So be it, champion. I'll be the one to take that crown away from you!" The cloaked man exclaimed, both characters drawing 5 cards.
Yusei Fudo (8000 LP) vs Knight of Hanoi (8000 LP)
DUEL!
"I'll start this off by activating the card Hand Destruction! We both discard two cards and draw two afterwards!" The Knight exclaimed. Yusei did not respond, and both players did as the card instructed. "Since you control no monsters, I can summon Hack Worm from my hand!" The Knight slapped a card onto his Duel Disk. Beside him, a blue portal opened up to allow a brown mechanical creature with green lights (400 ATK, Lv 1).
"Next, I summon Jack Wyvern from my hand!" The Knight continued. A serpentine, mechanical, and dragon-like monster appeared next to Hack Worm, which was blue in color and had green orbs in its four wings (1800 ATK, Lv 4). "I activate Jack Wyvern's effect. By banishing itself and Hack Worm, I can summon one Dark monster from my graveyard!" Yusei's eyes narrowed as the monsters disappeared from the Knight of Hanoi's field, opening a dark purple portal in the sky.
"I summon Level 8, Cracking Dragon!" The cloaked man exclaimed. A large, mechanical dragon made out of black metal burst free from the portal, its body glowing with green lights and the orbs in the spikes surrounding its torso pulsating with energy (3000 ATK, Lv 8). "I set one card and end my turn."
"It's my turn! I draw!" Yusei exclaimed. He looked at his card and slid it into his hand. "Jet Synchron's effect activates! By discarding one card from my hand, I can summon it from my graveyard!" Yusei exclaimed. The same dark portal that summoned Cracking Dragon appeared, allowing a small mechanical turbine with arms, legs, and a face to appear next to Yusei's D-Wheel (500 ATK / Lv 1).
"Cracking Dragon's effect activates! When you summon a monster, I can make that monster lose ATK equal to its Level x200, then make you take damage equal to the amount!" The Knight of Hanoi interrupted. "Your monster has 1 Level, so it loses 200 ATK and you take 200 damage!" Cracking Dragon opened its mouth and fired a small beam of energy, knocking Jet Synchron onto the floor. The residual energy shocked Yusei's D-Wheel, causing him to lose his balance slightly (500 ATK ⇒ 300 ATK, 8000 LP ⇒ 7800 LP). "This ability isn't once per turn. Each time you summon a monster, I can activate Cracking Dragon's effect and deal you damage!"
Yusei narrowed his eyes after steadying his D-Wheel. "Since I control a tuner monster, I can summon Boost Warrior from my hand!" Another monster appeared next to Yusei, this time a muscled man wearing purple armor and wild red hair. (300 ATK ⇒ 100 ATK / Lv 1 7800 LP ⇒ 7600 LP).
"I tune Level 1 Jet Synchron with Level 1 Boost Warrior! I Synchro Summon Level 2! Formula Synchron!" Jet Synchron's turbine started spinning rapidly, until the monster transformed into a single green ring. Boost Warrior then started shining, transforming into one green star that flew into the ring. The star turned into a single beam of light that encompassed the ring, which combined to form into a racecar with legs, arms and a head (200 ATK ⇒ 0 ATK / Lv 2, 7600 LP ⇒ 7400 LP).
"When Formula Synchron is summoned, I can draw one card," Yusei said before continuing his combo. "I summon Junk Synchron! When Junk Synchron is normal summoned, I can bring back one Level 2 or lower monster from my graveyard! Appear, Junk Converter!" Next to Formula Synchron, a small orange warrior appeared (1300 ATK ⇒ 700 ATK / Lv 3, 7400 LP ⇒ 6800 LP). Junk Synchron waved its hand and created a dark portal, allowing a smaller humanoid monster made out of old CRT TV parts to appear next to the tuner monster (400 ATK ⇒ 0 ATK / Lv 2, 6800 LP ⇒ 6400 LP). "Now, I tune Level 3 Junk Synchron with Level 2 Junk Converter! I Synchro Summon Level 5! Junk Warrior!"
Like the monsters before it, Junk Synchron transformed into a series of three rings, while Junk Converter turned into 2 stars. Light engulfed the rings and stars, leaving behind a bright blue mechanical warrior appeared, flying right next to Yusei as they raced around the Cloudford (2300 ATK ⇒ 1300 ATK / Lv 5, 6400 LP ⇒ 5400 LP).
"Junk Converter's effect activates! When it's used for a Synchro Summon, I can revive one tuner monster from my graveyard! Return, Junk Synchron!" The orange warrior appeared next to Junk Warrior, both of them striking poses as they chased after the Knight of Hanoi and the mechanical dragon (1300 ATK ⇒ 700 ATK / Lv 3, 5400 LP ⇒ 4800 LP). "Again! I tune Level 3 Junk Synchron with Level 5 Junk Warrior! I Synchro Summon Level 8, Junk Destroyer!" The green light faded, transforming into a mechanical monster with black armor and four bladed appendages on its back. Junk Destroyer roared as it placed itself next to Yusei (2600 ATK ⇒ 1000 ATK / Lv 8, 4800 LP ⇒ 3200 LP). "Furthermore, since Junk Destroyer was summoned using 1 non-tuner monster, I can target your set card and destroy it!"
"I activate my set card, Limiter Removal! Cracking Dragon's attack is doubled until the end of the turn, at which point Cracking Dragon will be destroyed," The Knight of Hanoi said with a smirk. "Not that it will matter. With how much you're summoning, you'll defeat yourself before that happens!" As Junk Destroyer fired a salvo of missiles at the set card, Cracking Dragon roared into the air, the green orbs in its body turning bright red to the point where the outer shell of the monster was beginning to melt (3000 ATK ⇒ 6000 ATK).
"I activate the spell card Necroid Synchro!" Yusei said, undeterred by all the damage he took. "By banishing Junk Synchro and Junk Warrior from my graveyard, I can Synchro Summon one Stardust Synchro Monster from my extra deck!"
"Again? Very well, I'll enjoy sending you to an early grave!" The Knight of Hanoi exclaimed. Yusei said nothing as his two monsters appeared above him as ghostly visions.
"I tune Level 3 Junk Synchron with Level 5 Junk Warrior! Appear, Level 8! Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon!" Yusei exclaimed.
The Knight of Hanoi grunted as the green light cast a shadow on the Cloudford, the light somehow brighter than any of the other Synchro Summons Yusei had performed. As the light faded, a new monster appeared on the field. A large dragon with white scales and large, torn wings, covered in blinding red aura emerged. The monster let out a draconic, somewhat angelic roar as it flew over Yusei's D-Wheel (2500 ATK, Lv 8) . "When Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon is summoned, I can special summon a Level 2 or lower tuner monster from my graveyard!"
"Cracking Dragon's effect activates! When you summon a monster–!" The Knight of Hanoi began, only to be interrupted by Yusei.
"Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon's effect activates! Once per turn, I can tribute this monster in order to special summon Stardust Dragon from my Extra Deck! Then, I can immediately Synchro Summon 1 monster, using Stardust Dragon as Synchro Material!" Yusei exclaimed.
He revved his D-Wheel, pushing his vehicle to go even faster. His monster kept pace with him, even as Accel Synchro increased his vehicle's speed. The Knight of Hanoi grunted and lowered his hoverboard, weaving in between the shipping containers to try and shake Yusei off. When he turned to look around, the Knight of Hanoi grinned when he couldn't find tailing him.
Dreams crystallize to open a new door of evolution. Become the path that lights the way!
"Accel Synchro! Appear, Level 10! Shooting Star Dragon!"
Yusei suddenly reappeared in front of the Knight of Hanoi, with a new dragon flying beside him. It was white and sleek. The monster's arms were tucked into its sides, and its large white wings were spread out like a glider. Shooting Star Dragon made a sharp cry as it flew like a jet, above Yusei and in between Formula Synchron and Junk Destroyer (200 ATK / Lv 2).
✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪
[Shooting Star Dragon]
[3300 ATK / 2500 DEF]
"Wait, how!? Cracking Dragon's effect should've activated! And your Formula Synchron should be in the graveyard right now!" The Knight exclaimed. Yusei only smirked at his remark.
"Wrong. Any monster summoned with Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon's effect is unaffected by your activated card effects until the end of turn. Furthermore, Cracking Dragon can only activate its effect when one monster is summoned. I summoned multiple monsters at once; first Stardust Dragon, then Shooting Star Dragon, and finally, my Formula Synchron through Accel Synchro's first effect were all summoned during the chain. In other words, your Cracking Dragon missed the timing on its effect."
"Why you…! It doesn't matter! My Cracking Dragon is still stronger than your dragon! You cannot defeat me!"
"You're wrong, again," Yusei said coolly. He raised his hand into the air and pointed his finger at the cloaked man. "So long as you use your cards for evil and destruction, you can never hope to win!" He exclaimed, his duel disk speeding up once more time as Formula Synchron transformed into a pair of rings once more.
"I tune Level 2 Formula Synchron with Level 8 Junk Destroyer! My final Accel Synchro! Come forth, Satellite Warrior!" Yusei shouted with all his heart. Like before, he disappeared, but this time, he reappeared next to the Knight of Hanoi, accompanied by a large and gold humanoid robot with large, wing-like protrusions jutting out of its back, which were made out of solar panels (2500 ATK / Lv 10).
"Have you gone mad? Cracking Dragon's effect activates!" The Knight of Hanoi exclaimed, the monstrous, overclocked machine opening its mouth to attack.
"When Satellite Warrior is Synchro Summoned, I can target a number of cards on the field–up to the number of Synchro Monsters in my graveyard–and destroy them. I have Formula Synchron, Stardust Dragon, and Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon in my graveyard, but I'll only destroy two monsters: your Cracking Dragon, and my Satellite Warrior!"
"You what!?" The knight exclaimed. Satellite Warrior howled and lunged at Cracking Dragon. The overclocked machine fired a massive laser of energy that went straight through Satellite Warrior's stomach. However, Satellite Warrior continued to push forward, and strike Cracking Dragon in the face, causing both monsters to explode.
"When Satellite Warrior is destroyed, I can summon up to three Synchron, Warrior, and/or Stardust from my graveyard! Return to me, Stardust Dragon! Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon!" The purple graveyard portal appeared, two white and aerodynamic dragons appeared: the first one covered in a red stream of energy, while the other had large leathery and slightly torn wings (2500 ATK / Lv 8, 2500 ATK / Lv 8).
"Wait, no no no NO!" The Knight of Hanoi screamed.
"Battle! Shooting Star Dragon, Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon, and Stardust Dragon attack you directly! Triple Shooting Star Scream!"
Accel Synchro and Stardust both reared their long necks back as streams of white energy began building up in their mouths. As they fired, Shooting Star Dragon moved in between the two blasts and started spinning like a corkscrew, drawing in the attacks and covering itself in its devolved forms' energy. Shooting Star Dragon shot forward, moving faster than light as it slammed its nose into the Knight of Hanoi, completely destroying his hoverboard and knocking him over the edge of the Cloudford.
"GRAAAAAAAGH!"
(8000 LP ⇒ 4700 LP ⇒ 2200 LP ⇒ 0 LP)
GAME!
Before the Knight of Hanoi could fall into the abyss, Shooting Star Dragon quickly shot out its hand and grabbed the cloaked man by the waist. Yusei slid to a stop as the dragon dropped the Knight in front of him. The Knight of Hanoi looked, whimpering and cringing as Yusei stood in front of him, his eyes boring into the man's mask.
"You have a lot of explaining to do…" Yusei said ominously. The Knight of Hanoi gulped.
"That was AWESOME!" Qingque shouted into the sky. Most of the crowd cheered alongside her as the video feed shut off.
"My ears…" Tingyun whined. The crowd had gotten significantly bigger as the duel dragged on, to the point where the small group of people watching turned into a large crowd, each one pushing forward to look at Qingque's tiny screen.
"My everything…" Caelus groaned, his body squished between multiple other people.
"Hey… aren't you guys supposed to be at work right now…?" March pointed out. As soon as the words left her mouth, more than half of the crowd blinked in unison. A moment later, most of the people scattered.
"I'm not sure what those guys are worried about," Qingque said, trying her jade abacus back onto her hair. "I'll just tell my boss that traffic was a nightmare. Problem solved!" However, Tingyun grabbed onto Qingque's wrist and started dragging her away.
"Huh!? Wait! Please, just five more minutes! I have so many things that I could be doing but don't want to! Have mercy!" Qingque cried, and her cries went ignored by the foxian woman.
"I'm terribly sorry for keeping you here for a few minutes longer. Hopeful, the duel at least kept you entertained?" Tingyun said, waving goodbye as she dragged Qingque away.
"We don't work the same commission!" The smaller woman protested. Caelus chuckled awkwardly at the sight, while March placed a hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing. Her phone buzzed, and she reached into her pocket to see who had texted her.
"C'mon, Mr. Yang's cutting off our ice cream privileges if we stay here any longer," March told him.
"Huh? Right, let's head back to the express," Caelus nodded, following March as they walked away. As they moved, Caelus placed his hand on his chin and thought back to the duel. Tingyun made it seem like Horakhty was pretty far away from Luofu.
"What's a guy like Yusei doing here…? And what about the Knights of Hanoi? What's their deal?" Caelus wondered as the two teleported back to the Astral Express.
Yukong sighed as another large pile of papers was placed on her desk. Her amethyst-colored eyes glanced at the papers briefly before she let out a groan. It seems that today will be another long day in the office…
"Madam Yukong?" The woman's ear twitched as the young woman walked into her office, holding a tablet in her hand. "We found something that we believe might interest you." She handed the tablet to Yukong and played the video file. Her eyes widened as she saw the duel between the Knight of Hanoi and the champion of the Fortune Cup.
"Yusei…" Yukong whispered, her eyes narrowing as he summoned Shooting Star Dragon. She suddenly stood up, surprising her subordinate as she walked towards a small safe tucked in the corner of the room.
"M-madam Yukong?" The younger woman asked again as Yuking punched in a code and took out a Duel Monsters' deck.
"I'll be going out for a few minutes," Yukong said with a smile. "I have an... old friend that I need to catch up with."
STARDUST DRAGON (YUSEI)
Wind / Preservation
Faction: Horakhty
Character Introduction: An orphan that originally lived in the slums of Neo Domino City. He rose to prominence during the 250th Fortune Cup after defeating his longtime rival and childhood friend, Jack Atlas.
VA: Greg Abbey (Same voice as in Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds.)
HP: 992
ATK: 573
DEF: 674
SPD: 125
BASIC ATK - Shooting Sonic [Single Target]: Deals Wind DMG equal to 50% of Stardust Dragon's ATK to a single enemy.
SKILL - Victim's Sanctuary [Enhance]: Has a 55% chance of taunting each enemy and increases all allies' DMG Reduction by 25% for two turns. If an ally would be afflicted with a debuff: it is transferred to Stardust Dragon instead. At the start of Yusei's turn, after "Victim's Sanctuary" was used: remove all debuffs applied to Stardust Dragon before DoT is applied.
ULTIMATE - Clustering Wishes form the Shining Star [AoE]: Deals Wind DMG equal to 140% of Stardust Dragon's to all enemies and grants one stack of "Starlight Road" to all allies. When an ally with "Starlight Road" receives a killing blow: all damage they would've taken is transferred to Stardust Dragon instead, consuming one stack of Starlight Road. If Stardust Dragon is defeated: remove all stacks of Starlight Road on the field (if any); each stack of Starlight Road removed heals 12% of Stardust Dragon's Max HP plus 200. This effect of "Cluster Wishes form the Shining Star" can only be used once per battle.
TALENT - Final Cross [Enhance]: When an ally below 10% of their Max HP attacks an enemy and inflicts Weakness Break: that ally can perform one follow-up attack that inflicts Elemental DMG equal to 50% of their ATK. If that ally is Stardust Dragon: you can target one defeated ally; increase Stardust Dragon's ATK by 50% of that ally's ATK until the end of the turn.
TECHNIQUE - Stardust Re-Spark [Enhance]: Immediately attacks the enemy. Upon entering battle: all allies gain one "Junk Counter" for three turns. When an enemy would deal a killing blow: consume the attacked ally's Junk Counter and remove all Junk Counter's on the field; negate the attack, then the ally with highest attack gains one stack "Synchro Connection" for every Junk Counter that was consumed for one turn. Each stack of Synchro Connection grants ATK equal to 15% of that allies' ATK.