"Yusei, I always did enjoy dueling you. We've been battling with these monsters in our decks since we were kids. And this, old friend, is gonna be a trip down memory lane." Jack said.
"Here's to history." Yusei slapped a card down on his duel disk. "I summon Quillbolt Hedgehog in defense mode!"
(Quillbolt Hedgehog: ATK: 800 DEF: 800)
A brown hedgehog with nuts and bolts sticking out of its back appeared on the field. The monster turned blue for defense mode.
"Well, now isn't that a blast from the past!" Jack's speed counters increased to one, and so did Yusei's. "As is this; my Mad Archfiend!"
A warrior with a skull in a mouth for a stomach, with a red-hooded face and bones on its shoulders was summoned.
(Mad Archfiend: ATK: 1800 DEF: 0)
"This is just like old times. Just 200 miles per hour faster! Now Mad Archfiend, stick it to that Quillbolt!" At Jack's words, Mad Archfiend chewed up the skull in its stomach and spat it out at Quillbolt, sending it straight to the graveyard. "Things seem to have started the way our last duel ended, with you losing precious life points!"
Yusei: 3000ack: 4000
Yusei's speed counters dropped back down to zero. "You'll regret doing that, Jack!"
"Yusei, the only thing I'm gonna regret is that this duel isn't being broadcast to the millions of fans around the globe who cheer for me night after night! They've earned the right to witness my greatest challenge ever, and my greatest victory! You do realize that you're gonna end up losing this battle tonight, don't you?" Jack announced haughtily.
"You just keep talking Jack."
/
"There's no need for you to be concerned, Mr. Goodwin. This Satellite, he is nothing! I'll have him arrested and that will put an end to all of this silliness once and for all. And then, we can ship this Yusei off to the facility where he won't cause any more problems." Lazar proposed, smiling wickedly at the monitor. "Just say the word and my men will stop this."
"Let them have their fun for a little longer."
/
Yusei's Speed Counters increased to one and Jack's to two. "I'm up to speed! And now I can summon Junk Synchron to the field in attack mode!" The familiar orange tuner popped onto the field.
Jack smiled condescendingly.
"Remember when I said you'd regret taking out my Quillbolt? Well here's why: thanks to my Junk Synchron's special ability, I can bring it back to the field."
"Big deal, Yusei, you need to do better!" Jack downplayed Yusei's move.
Yusei scowled, "And I will! I tune my Junk Synchron with Quillbolt Hedgehog to Synchro Summon Junk Warrior!"
Junk Synchron turned into three green loops while Quillbolt transformed into two stars. Junk Warrior, a fifth level monster, hit the field full throttle!
"LETS REV IT UP!"
"If that's the best you've got, you're in trouble!"
"I think the only thing in trouble right now is your Mad Archfiend! Junk Warrior, send him to the scrap heap!"
Junk Warrior's eyes glowed red, and he swung his arm to gear up for a punch that sent Mad Archfiend packing.
Yusei: 3000
Jack: 3500
"It's my turn now!" Jack drew his card. "I summon Twin Shield Defender in defense mode!"
A monster with half shields for hands appeared on Jack's field.
(Twin Shield Defender: ATK: 700 DEF: 1600)
"Plus I'll throw down a little face down for later."
Yusei looked at his display on the monitor. I don't like this at all. It's not like Jack to toy around. He usually cuts right to the chase. What are you planning?
"You thinking of giving up already? You can if you like." Jack suggested mockingly.
Yusei's response was to draw a card. "I summon Speed Warrior! And now his 900 attack points are added to Junk Warrior's, but you know that already don't you, Jack? It's the same combo I used back in the Satellite to get security off your back. If it weren't for me and my Junk Warrior, you might still be rotting in the Facility." Junk Warrior's attack points rose from 2300 to 3200. "And now, due to my Speed Warrior's special ability, his attack points are double! So say goodbye to your Twin Shield Defender!"
Speed Warrior moved in to kick the shield monster into the graveyard, and the monster was destroyed with a groan. The only problem was that there seemed to be a small purple cloud left behind from the monster previously destroyed.
"And you can say goodbye to half of your Junk Warrior's attack points now! See, by destroying my Twin Shield Defender, you activated its special ability! Bet you're glad Sector Security wasn't as prepared as I am when you stepped in to cover for me!" Jack explained as Junk Warrior's attack points dropped.
"Really? Because you just left yourself wide open for an attack!" Yusei pointed out. Just as long as that card stays face down… "I've been waiting to do this since our last duel, Jack! Junk Warrior, attack him directly!"
Yusei: 3000
Jack: 1900
Jack's speed counters were reduced down to three instead of four. "Remember how you said you saved me, Yusei?"
"Yes?"
"Well the whole thing was a set up to get me closer to your runner, and that dragon card of yours was an added bonus!" Jack revealed.
"They say the truth will set you free, but in this case it's gonna cost ya! And by activating my Space Gate trap card you're never going to get you're precious Stardust Dragon back!" Jack guaranteed. "You see with this card, for every time you attack me I got a gate counter and thanks to you, I'm already up to two!"
"I guess I don't have any other option but to lay down a face down."
"And now your warrior's attack points return to normal."
/
"See? It's only a matter time before Jack wins, Mr. Goodwin." Lazar said, confident in Jack's skills.
"This contest is far from over, sir." Mina disagreed.
"Do you actually think this Satellite has a chance at winning? Because so far this pathetic example of a duelist has done only what Jack has let him do." Lazar laughed with just as much malevolence as his smile.
'Don't underestimate this boy, Jack…' Goodwin thought.
/
Jack snickered, sure of victory. "Come on, Yusei! You're gonna have to take off your training wheels if you wanna keep up with me!" Jack was dueling backwards and up-side-down on the arena walls. "At least this way I can see you!"
"Just make your move already!"
"Eager for me to end this, are you? When I'm through with you, you're gonna wish you never left the Satellite!" Jack spun back around and rode on the track again. "I play my speed spell Speed Fusion! Here comes a recipe for defeat!"
Two monsters resembling rocks were sent to Jack's grave. Big Piece Golem and Medium Piece Golem mixed together to create a much larger rock monster. "Say hello to Multiple Piece Golem!"
(Multiple Piece Golem: ATK: 2600 DEF: 1300)
"Golem, send his Speed Warrior in for a permanent pit stop!"
Speed Warrior didn't stand a chance as the Golem's entire hand squished the monster.
"In that case, I activate my Defense Draw trap card! And with it in play, all the damage you cooked up with your little Golem recipe go to zero, and I get to draw a card!" Yusei countered.
"Oh, but Yusei, this is when things get interesting! By using my Golem's special ability I can break him down to summon out the two fusion monsters that are in my graveyard."
(Big Piece Golem: ATK: 2100 DEF: 0000)
(Medium Piece Golem: ATK: 1600 DEF: 0000)
"And now I can activate Medium Piece Golem's special ability, which allows me to summon Small Piece Golem to the field!"
The smallest of the three rock people appears from the link of the other two rocks.
(Small Piece Golem: ATK: 1100 DEF: 0000)
"That's quite the rock collection."
"Well, Yusei, you know I've always believed in the saying 'the more the merrier.'" Jack activated a card on his duel disk. "And if you think it's crowded now, wait till I summon my tuner monster Dark Resonator!"
(Dark Resonator: ATK: 1300 DEF: 0300)
"Now I tune Dark Resonator with Big Piece Golem to Synchro Summon my most powerful beast! Now feel the power of my Red Dragon Archfiend!"
The gray and red dragon from Jack's duel with Hunter spread its wings gallantly on the field.
(Red Dragon Archfiend: ATK: 3000 DEF: 2000)
"I wanted my dragon to defeat you, but then I thought of a more fitting conclusion! So by sending my Space Gate to my graveyard, I can bring a new monster to the field to make our little trip down memory lane that much more memorable! I summon Sinister Sprocket! He looks small, but he's got friends, big friends." The small top-shaped monster wrapped its chord around the two remaining monsters and prepared for a tune up.
(Sinister Sprocket: ATK: 400 DEF: 0)
"Watch as my Sinister Sprocket tunes with my Medium and Big Piece Golem to Synchro Summon your destruction! He look familiar? He should, after all this is your Stardust Dragon!" Jack cried.
The white and blue dragon opened its wings and shimmered in the night.
(Stardust Dragon: ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000)
"It's been much too long." Yusei commented forlornly at the sight of his beast.
/
Mina was dumbfounded. "Two dragons?"
"That is why Mr. Atlas is our champion, Ms. Simington. He would never lose to someone from the Satellite Sector like this Yusei Fudo. If you're not going to say anything useful then the least you could do is get us some nonfat extra hot lattes." Lazar suggested snootily.
"Hmm." Mina glared in his direction and returned her attention to the duel.
"Temper, temper."
"Silence you two; this is just getting interesting. Now let's see if Jack can finish this off," Goodwin reprimanded.
/
Jack chuckled just as pleasantly as Lazar had laughed. "You wanted Stardust Dragon so bad, well here it is! It's just like they always say; 'be careful what you wish for!' When I offered to give you back your precious Stardust Dragon, you should've just taken it and run back home to the Satellite. But no, you just had to prove that you could hold your own with the Master of Faster!"
"I'm gonna do more than hold my own, Jack." Yusei declared. "It's my turn! I summon Shield Warrior to the field in defense mode!" A monster wearing a clothed helmet and armor stepped onto the field. He rested on his knee in defense position with his shield and spear up to protect himself as well as Yusei's life points.
(Shield Warrior: ATK: 800 DEF: 1600)
"And next, I'll also switch my Junk Warrior into defense mode. With that done, I'm placing one card face down. It's your move."
"Leaving both monsters in defense mode? You gotta get aggressive if you wanna win. But then again, I shouldn't be surprised; you never were much of a fighter!" Jack smirked while Yusei scowled angrily. Jack spun so Yusei faced him.
"Haven't you learned, Yusei? You can't just cower and hide, and hope to survive. And here's proof; Red Dragon Archfiend can wipe out all your monsters in defense mode! So say goodbye to your little friend!"
Jack's dragon's orange eyes glowed ferociously and he sunk his flaming claws into Junk Warrior. Like Jack had explained, that meant Shield Warrior bit the dust too.
"Seriously, Yusei, didn't you learn anything back in the schoolyard? Didn't you sneak out of the Satellite to get even with me? I mean, if you came here to throw down or whatever, why are you acting like that scared kid from the playground?"
"Well, now that you've got no monsters on your field, Stardust Dragon can swoop right in and attack you directly! Hope this doesn't hurt too much!" Jack cried, entirely unconcerned.
Yusei: 0500
Jack: 1900
"So, the monster that used to be yours, the one you came here to get back from me, is now the one taking you down. I'm sure if you ever thought this would've happened, you never would've crawled out of that dump you call home!" Jack mocked.
/
"I summon Sonic Chick in defense mode!" Yusei's pink little bird with a green collar, bell, and red boots emerged and raced beside Yusei.
"Just like back at school, you waste all your time hanging out with chickens!" Jack scoffed.
"Well at least I know this 'chicken' isn't going to double cross his best friend, and then scurry away in the middle of the night. In fact, this 'chicken' is sticking around for the long haul. Now I place a card face down; you're up!"
/
Jack accelerated and approached Yusei from behind. "Let me ask you something, Yusei, how do you think this duel of ours is gonna end? Let's kid ourselves and say that you actually have a chance at beating me. And let's say you somehow manage to win, then what are ya gonna do? You really haven't thought through your little revenge fantasy through, have you? Well let me tell you what is gonna happen. You're gonna lose this duel, and then I'm gonna press a little button on my runner, at which point an entire security team will catch you and ship you off to the facility. And speaking of you losing, Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Sonic Chick!"
Archfiend's fiery claws attempted to destroy Sonic Chick, but Sonic Chick's ability made it so a monster with 1900 attack points or more couldn't destroy it.
"Too bad your little chickadee's special ability will be trumped by the power of my Red Dragon Archfiend! Remember, it can wipe the field clean of any monsters you have in defense mode! I told you, Yusei, you gotta get aggressive!" Jack reminded him.
A half circle of fire appeared around Sonic Chick, and just as spontaneously vanished.
/
"What just happened? That chicken was supposed to get fried!" Lazar questioned, clearly astonished.
/
"Always thinkin' aren't ya, Yusei?"
"It's what I do best! I'm just surprised you didn't remember this classic from back when we dueled for fun!"
Jack leaned backward, realizing what just happened. "Oh yeah, your Remote Revenge trap card! I forgot you had that!"
"It seems there's a lot you forgot about, Jack, so here's a little refresher course on what this trap can do. First it deflects your attack, but that deflection is just the beginning. Once it does that, it destroys every monster on your field in attack mode, and aren't both your dragons in attack mode?" Yusei asked sarcastically. "So how's that for getting aggressive?"
A cannon of flame encircled Sonic Chick before shooting towards Jack.
"You have a thing for revenge, don't you? Too bad for you, just like your attempt to get revenge on me, this attack is gonna fail miserably!" Jack stated, leaning forward a little with an enormous smirk on his face. "Because Stardust Dragon's taking one for the team! That's one of Stardust Dragon's special abilities, don't you remember? How's it feel knowing you destroyed your favorite beast?" Jack taunted. Stardust swooped in front of Archfiend, shielding it with its wings from the fire blast, and disappeared slowly into the graveyard. "So much for Stardust Dragon, but I guess he had to go down like that in order for Red Dragon Archfiend to stay on the field. Hey, does that remind you of another situation, Yusei? And with that done, I think I'll bring back my Stardust Dragon so you can get another peek at it for old times' sake. Now take a long hard look, Yusei, cuz after this duel, you're never gonna see it again!" Stardust reappeared on Jack's field.
Yusei smiled shrewdly. "I activate my trap card Harmonia Mirror! Because you just summoned Stardust Dragon to your field, using a method other than the usual Synchro Summon, I can use the power of Harmonia Mirror to get Stardust fighting on my side instead! Welcome back, old friend!"
"That's no biggie, it's like I said earlier; I don't need it. I was merely using it to try and make this duel more interesting!" Jack brushed off his slightly wounded ego.
"Well ya did, Jack, and now I'm gonna rev things up with MY Stardust Dragon!" A yellow star shone on Yusei's field and exploded to reveal Stardust Dragon.
"Maybe you have learned a thing or two since our days together in the Satellite." Jack admitted. "So now we've got Red Dragon Archfiend versus Stardust Dragon in a fight to the finish! Looks like we finally get the chance to see whose dragon is mightier, Yusei!"
"And you'll finally get the chance to see the duelist that I've become. Remember that talk you gave after you beat me in our last duel? Well I didn't want to admit it, but you were right that day. Those words hurt, but they taught me a valuable lesson." Yusei reflected.
"Oh really, Yusei? And what did they teach you?"
"That in order to be the best I could be, I have to believe in the power of every card in my deck. And ever since that day, I've thought about that duel we had over and over again, trying to implement new strategies and combinations that I would've never thought possible."
"Well, Yusei, actions speak louder than words, so let's just see what that deck of yours is capable of!"
"You got it Jack! And with Stardust Dragon on my field, the sky's the limit!" Yusei yelled as the two dragons roared at each other.
Jack chuckled to himself. "You'll never defeat me no matter how many Stardust Dragons you have on your field. Got that?"
Yusei began his turn. "I activate my Speed Spell Silver Contrails! Now, because Stardust is a Wind monster, he gets a power boost! Stardust, ice his Red Dragon Archfiend: go, Cosmic Flare!"
Suddenly, pain split through both the duelists' arms. They both grunted in surprise.
/
Wenslow lifted his head up to the sky. He had been flying around the Kaiba Dome watching the duel the whole time.
Rose and Sara also felt a incredible power.
The Ener-D reactor a few rooms adjacent to where Goodwin, Mikage, and Lazar resided was overloading. The scientists in charge of the reactor looked on in wonder and fear. The head scientist, known as Zigzix, was going bat-shit crazy.
"Amazing, incredible, fantastic!"
/
"Sorry, Yusei, better luck next time!" Jack said with a smile, fighting the pain in his arm to continue the duel. "Archfiend's still here!"
In a shower of golden chips Sonic Chick was destroyed. "What happened to Sonic Chick?"
"My Synchro Deflector trap card happened." Jack explained. "With this trap card I can reflect an attack against a synchro monster, and then use the energy to vaporize the monster on your field with the fewest attack points! And now that you attacked, the effect of your Silver Contrails speed spell wears off. Which means, you're Stardust Dragon loses its precious power boost."
"But it's still my turn, Jack, and I'm far from done. So next, from my hand I summon Ghost Gardna in defense mode!"
A monster resembling a white teardrop with bulky arms and mask is summoned.
(Ghost Gardna: ATK: 0 DEF: 1900)
"Trying to protect your little dragon are ya?"
"I place two cards face down. Your move, Jack!" Yusei's arm throbbed again, but he ignored it.
/
"Incoming call, sir." Mina pointed to the blinking phone.
"Put it on speaker," Goodwin ordered, and Mina did as she was told.
A holo display of Zigzix appeared. "You might want to find a large solid object, and then duck behind it!"
"What are you talking about?"
"A major power surge; it's out of control! If this keeps up, things are going to get crazy!"
"Record all your findings." Goodwin didn't even bat an eye at the potential danger.
"As you wish, sir." Zigzix bowed and hung up.
/
"Time to end this, Yusei." Jack declared. His arm burned and he clenched his teeth with the effort to keep going. "I think Red Dragon Archfiend wants to attack Stardust Dragon!" As if the dragon agreed, it reared its head and growled defiantly. "Let's go; Red Dragon Archfiend, tear that Stardust Dragon apart! Go scorching crimson flare!"
Instead of attacking Stardust, Ghost Gardna intercepted the attack.
"Ghost Gardna's special ability allows him to draw your monster's attention, and become the target of your attack. So Red Dragon Archfiend won't be attacking Stardust this time around! And after it gets destroyed-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I've watched you use Ghost Guardna plenty of times back in the Satellite. This is the part where you tell me how when Ghost Guardna gets destroyed, it can lower the attack points of one of its opponent's monsters by 1000 until the end of the turn. Did you seriously think I didn't know that was coming?"
"Well did you know this was coming?" Yusei activated a card. "I play my trap card; Counter Attack Beacon! And it activates when one of your monsters attacks one of mine and manages to destroy it in battle. Once this trap card activates, it not only gives one of my monsters 500 more attack points, it forces that same monster to attack even though it's not my turn!
"Very interesting, so now Stardust has more attack points then my dragon."
"That's right Jack. Can you see where this is going? Stardust Dragon atta-aaaaghh!" Yusei and Jack's arms pulsed with agony. "Attack!"
"Not bad, Yusei, but not bad is not good enough! Not while I've got the Prideful Roar trap card! For the low cost of 1000 life points, I can give red Dragon Archfiend 1300 more attack points!"
Red Dragon Archfiend spat fire while Stardust shot a ray of cosmos. The two attacks combined and formed a ring of white burning light.
/
The Ener-D reactor crackled with electricity. The entire thing looked like it could blow at any second.
/
"What's going on? That attack should've destroyed Stardust Dragon! Red Dragon Archfiend had more attack points; its more powerful!" Jack complained. "Shield Warrior? You can't play that card! I sent that to your graveyard!"
"Which is just where his special ability can activate! All I gotta do is remove him from play, and then I can use its power to save a monster from being destroyed! But don't worry Jack, you're dragon's attack still hits me for 300 life points!"
Yusei: 200
Jack: 900
"And I'm pretty sure Prideful Roar's effect wears off after an attack. So Red Dragon Archfiend is back to its original power level!"
"I can still finish you with a speed spe- Agh!" Jack cried. His arm stung. "Not again!"
Yusei did the same. His arm riddled with discomfort. "Why does my arm hurt so much? Whoa, what the, why is it glowing?"
"Hey Yusei, are you doing this?" Jack asked.
/
A red wall of energy emerged between the two dragons. The head of a beast extended.
"What is that?" Yusei's mouth was wide open.
"What kind of trick is this, Yusei? What're you trying to pull?" Jack accused stupidly, but continued to anxiously drive.
Goodwin smiled a greedy smile. Incredible!
The dragon's cry boomed through the air. A mini cyclone whipped up in the stadium.
"I don't know what I'm looking at! The core reactor's going crazy! See, space and time are moving in directions I never thought possible! Atoms are smashing into each other! And the particles are colliding at an unstable pace!" Zigzix bellowed in one breath.
/
"Whose dragon is that?" Jack stared with fear.
"Are you really that stupid, Jack? Nobody summoned that dragon."
Jack shook his head. "I'll teach you to play tricks with me! I activate End of the Storm!"
"What are you thinking? We gotta stop!"
"No way, Yusei!"
"All right, fine, but I think we're gonna regret this. I activate my trap card-" before Yusei could finish, the cyclone knocked them to the side.
/
The Ener-D reactor had reached its limit. Everything had overheated and power in the city flickered off.
"Ahhh! Who turned out the lights?" Lazar joked.
The lights flip back on next second.
"Oh, looks like we've switched to the backup generator." Lazar sounded disappointed.
/
Still in the arena, the dragon coiled its body. The dragon headed directly upward and spread its wings. Impressive sight it was; a giant red dragon with wings the length of the entire stadium. As quickly as the dragon arrived, it faded away into red dust.
Both Yusei and Jack's duel runners emitted smoke. A tall crater now divided the two from each other.
Jack stood up and observed the damage. His right arm glowed with wings.
Yusei grimaced with pain. "It burns!" He pulled off his glove and rolled back his coat sleeve. The mark scorched bright red on his arm. "Where did this come from?"
"It's not just me?" Jack realized.
"Jack, what's going on?" Yusei rose, and held his right arm with the left. For a moment, the old friends looked at each other with the same fear, looking for an explanation to comfort them.
Jack didn't answer. He couldn't.
"Jack, say something! What's going on?" Yusei's mark faded away, like it was never there. Jack's mark stopped glowing, but remained.
Rose and Sara had left the Kaiba Dome. The twins knew who the winner was.
Wenslow lifted himself off the ground by flapping his wings and flew away.
A spotlight blinded Yusei. He put an arm up to shield his eyes.
"You are in violation of code 36B, which states that no residents of Satellite may enter New Domino City. By order of the Social Maintenance Department, we are placing you under arrest. Do not try to run, we have you surrounded." A policeman announced out of the hundred officers surrounding Yusei.
'Oh man, there's no way out. And even if I did manage to get away, I still don't know what's going on!'