It was not an unforeseeable result but the closeness had made it thrilling to everyone. Shaking hands respectfully, Yusei and Crow slowly walked back to the observation booth in grim silence. Losing the King of Games title had been difficult for Crow but Yusei had been the one to crush that dream and felt equally bitter about it.
"That was fun." Circling his face and pointing to the screens outside, Crow ducked by security on fame as Yusei simply flashed the lanyard from his pocket.
"That turn when you had me on the ropes?" Hearing the sound of a distraction behind them, the two brothers instantly ducked into rooms on either side of the corridor as security tackled an ambitious photographer and his sidekick in their attempt to barrel down the guarded corridor. After several tense seconds, they continued on their way as if nothing had happened. "I was really worried that you might beat me."
"I thought the same thing as Ackah." Scrap-Iron Scarecrow was one of the most useful cards Yusei had in his Deck and had helped him out of more tight spots than either could count. "Good bluff."
"Why do you think I kept my eyes closed?" It wasn't to help focus himself but because he knew Crow could have picked out the deception in his gaze. Hiking up the stairs, they puffed slightly near the top of the tenth flight. With elevators rigged with easily hackable cameras, they were taking the exercise to avoid any early photos being leaked. Both were healthy men but ten floors was still ten floors. Flashing their lanyards at the guards outside the door, they were allowed to enter the hallway and continue towards the room.
"Who do you think is going to win?" It was a tense question. Back when they had been Leo's age, the three brother's had been on the top of the Duellist world. Leo might have been on their level then but Jack had even more time to grow over the years.
"Ten on Leo?" Most gamblers tended to bet with money or property. Some Duellists tended to deal with cards instead. When it came to the band of brothers, they also accepted small favours into the mix to produce a nice pick-and-choose dynamic.
"Three on Jack." Pausing outside the door, Yusei gave a low whistle to indicate his disbelief. "Five? Five on Jack." There was being nice and then there was actively betting against a friend which Crow was dangerously close to doing.
"Five." Shaking his head, Yusei reached for the handle. "Unbelievable." Opening the door into the room, he ushered his brother in first as a human shield. Even though his own Duel was minutes away, it was inevitable that Leo would ambush the first body through the door and Luna would be right by his side. Jack would brood over his cups of coffee which left only one other person in the room.
"Congratulations." Reaching up, she wrapped both arms around his neck and pulled him in close where he could whisper in her ear.
"How about that cabin in Germany?" Pecking him on the cheek where nobody would see, she made sure to step on his toes at the same time as she moved away.
"That was still too close for comfort." Sneaking around the twins, she gave Crow a much briefer embrace. "Looks like Crow's almost caught up to you."
"Maybe next time." Clapping Leo on one shoulder, he glared across the room at Jack. "When Leo's got the title." Setting down the cup and saucer, the tallest figure in the room looked down on them from on far. "What's the matter? Chicken?"
"I can guarantee it won't be as close as yours." Inflating himself slightly with a deep breath, some deeply-embedded techniques kicked into action. "Leo and I are on an entirely different level to the pair of you." It was a cruel compliment. Crow couldn't retaliate without insulting Leo but they all knew Jack was really only speaking about himself. "Let's go." Striding into the lift, he at least waited for his opponent to join him before pressing the button for the bottom floor.
"Wow, if I could tell the old me that I would be Duelling you, I might have died from happiness." Even at a young and healthy age, the news might have very well have given him heart failure. "Hey, wait up." Coming back to his surroundings, Leo chased Jack down the tunnel. "I mean, I know I probably won't win but it's going to be fun all the same. How about a handshake for luck?" Stopping just out of sight of the crowds, Jack looked down at the extended hand with all the comfort of a live grenade.
"You're a good Duellist." Turning without shaking his hand, Jack walked to his place on the field. "But this is going to be over faster than the last Duel." It was far from the brotherly act the pair in the observation booth had put on. If Jack was to go at Leo with his full power from the very start, they could very easily end up scraping parts of the young man's ambition off the wall unless he was able to make a strong stand from the first turn.
(Turn 1)
Leo: LP: 4000 Hand:6 Field: None Graveyard: None
Jack: LP: 4000 Hand:5 Field: None Graveyard: None
"I summon Morptronic Clocken (L2/600 ATK/1100 DEF) in defence mode." Hiding behind the mechanical form of a clock, his mechanical monster had a useful ability. "By the effect of Clocken, I add one Morph Counter to it."
"While in attack mode, each Morph Counter gives Clocken an extra 500 ATK." Other than the famous Speed World variants, counters were uncommon among most Duel Monster cards and often needed a quick explanation. "Of course, Clocken can also be sacrificed to inflict a thousand points of damage to the opponent for each Morph Counter. What a start!" Ending the turn with a single set card, Leo was already becoming known as the plucky underdog to take Crow's old social stance for even daring to face up to Jack on an even field.
(Turn 2)
Leo: LP: 4000 Hand:4 Field: 1 Monster, 1 Spell/Trap Graveyard: None
Jack: LP: 4000 Hand:6 Field: None Graveyard: None
It really wasn't Leo's fault but standing between Jack and Yusei was a sure way to anger the tall champion. "Twin-Sword Marauder (L4/1600 ATK/1000 DEF)." Sparing the syllables, he sent the dual-wielding warrior to strike down Clocken.
"Wow, nobody is pulling their punches in these Duels!" Stabbing both swords through the monster, Jack's warrior carried the attack through to stab Leo in the chest slightly as well. "Due to the effect of Twin-Sword Marauder, it can both inflict piercing damage and attack again once per turn." It wasn't exactly what Leo had been expecting but Jack had a Power Deck – he was almost certainly going to summon another monster and attack again either way.
"Morphtronics, Scramble!" Appearing from thin air, Morphtronic Celfon blocked the attack and managed to end the battle phase before Leo could suffer another dip in Life Points.
"When suffering a direct attack, Morphtronic Scramble instantly ends the battle phase." Ackah was quick to explain the Trap to viewers around the world. "It then allows Leo to summon up a Morphtronic from his hand!" Dropping a pair of cards, Jack also dropped another couple of notches of patience as Ackah delivered the final piece of information. "And with his turn coming, Leo can use the effect of Celfon to special summon another Morphtronic monster from his Deck. What a move!"
(Turn 3)
Leo: LP: 3500 Hand:4 Field: 2 Monster Graveyard: 1 Spell/Trap
Jack: LP: 4000 Hand:3 Field: 1 Monster, 2 Spell/Trap Graveyard: None
"Time to use a lifeline and phone a friend." Beeping and whirring, the telephone handset unfolded itself and began dialling. "With the special effect of Celfon, I can now summon up a Morphtronic monster from the number of cards from my Deck that Celfon dials." Hitting a solid three, Leo slipped out the cards and examined the choices. Vacuumen would have been extremely useful against Jack's more powerful monsters but had only its special ability to defend with. His other monster was much more useful. "I summon Morphtronic Radion (L4/1000 ATK/900 DEF)." In true Morphtronic tradition, Radion had differing abilities depending on its stance. Defence mode granted all of Leo's Morphtronic monsters an extra 1000 DEF. Attack position boosted them with an extra 800 ATK. "For my normal summon, I think it's time to change the channel with Morphtronic Remoten (L3/800 ATK/1200 DEF)."
"It looks like the Morphtronic Man is going to take a strong lead over the Turbo King." With his first monster powering them both up, Leo was quick to unfold a one-two combo with the machines, knocking Jack down to a lower level than Leo. "Were those two face-downs just for show or does Jack have a plan in the works?"
"Docking strength with courage to showcase the next generation!" Merging Remoten and Radion, the disjointed pace had allowed him to destroy an extra 100 Life Points. "Power Tool Dragon (L7/2300 ATK/2500 DEF)!" A part of him really wanted to see if he could bring out Life Stream Dragon but they had agreed not to go beyond the levels they normally used for competitions. "With the effect of my Power Tool Dragon, I can add one random Equip spell from my Deck to my hand. And the card is," Letting his Duel Disk select a card, he instantly put it into play. "Break! Draw!" Though the Spell relied upon Power Tool Dragon to destroy a monster to activate, the effect of Power Tool let it survive an attack by sacrificing an Equip Spell. With that and Celfon still in play, Leo thought himself ready for anything as he added an extra card to the mix.
"Did you see that? Taking down a monster, inflicting the maximum amount of damage and then summoning Power Tool Dragon!" Guzzling water between appearances, Ackah was finding this Duel more stressful than the last. At least Crow and Yusei had been on comparable levels. Watching Leo fight Jack was almost exactly like a lion fighting a dragon. Interesting but certainly one-sided. "Let's hear it for Leo!" With the crowds roaring about his shoulders and a childhood hero facing him down in the Duel of the decade, Leo was happier than he had ever been.
(Turn 4)
Leo: LP: 3500 Hand:2 Field: 2 Monster, 2 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 2 Monster
Jack: LP: 2200 Hand:4 Field: 2 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 1 Monster
"You had your chance." A dramatic breath of wind blew Jack's coat around him as he stood with an almost empty field. "It's my time now." It was a feat of brilliance that Leo had managed to make it even this far. In calmer times, Jack could even admit the brilliance of his young opponent. But it was a candle to the inferno of his power. "I special summon Vice Dragon (L5/2000 ATK/2400 DEF)." Spreading both wings, the creature seemed to shrink in size as it came onto the field.
"Due to the effect of Vice Dragon, it can be special summoned when the opponent has a monster and the summoner has none at the cost of halving the original ATK and DEF." Seismologists detected the faintest of trembles, lost amidst the roar of the crowds and drumbeats of their feet. Up in the booth, something stirred deep inside Musume. It could feel the old chamber, the last place it had been chained. Not entirely captured but still on such a tight chain. Almost preferable to the current container were it not for the chance of a body and total victory.
"For my normal summon, I chose the Level 3 Tuner, Dark Resonator." Smashing a tuning fork, the flowing black cloak buried it tightly into the ground and dissolved into a circling trio of rings. "You're just getting in my way." It was a low point, his normally rigorous self-control slipping far away again. "Let's move him aside, Red Dragon Archfiend!" Cracking forth from the ground, it billowed up in a stink of cooking stone and raw power and Musume had to resist the urge to claw apart the walls in response to the danger inside her. She had only created a way to avoid choosing one side or the other of the conflict for a short-lived suicide plan. Now she was having to suppress the wild impulses with sheer will alone. "From my hand, I activate Red Dragon Vase. Because I have Red Dragon Archfiend, I can draw two cards." What appeared in his hand were the best cards he could have asked for. "It's time you saw the difference in our power." That look on his face was the sort that had preceded countless victories. 'Countless' unless you were Leo and had watched everything Jack had ever been in.
"Morphtronic Bind!" Throwing up the Trap, Leo walked right into the one Jack had set for him. It wasn't his fault. Jack was just far better at playing psychological games than Leo was at seeing them. "All of yours monster Level 4 or above cannot attack or change their battle positions."
"Through the effect of my monster." A giant jaw erupted from the ground directly underneath the new card and Leo stumbled back with a yell of surprise. "I can destroy a Continuous Trap to special summon Trap Eater (L4/1900 ATK/1600 DEF)." From where Leo was standing, there was still a chance to survive. Power Tool Dragon would be able to survive by sacrificing Break! Draw! and there were plenty of other Equip cards he could use to gain an advantage on the next turn. "From my hand, I activate Double Summon." Everything was in the name. "And I now summon Strong Wind Dragon (L6/2400 ATK/1000 DEF)." Appearing in a gust of wind, Leo was just lucky that the tribute hadn't been a dragon-type monster. Strong Wind Dragon had an effect which absorbed half the ATK of a dragon-type tribute.
"What's this? Is Jack about to strike back and even the playing field?" But Leo knew better. There was nobody as inherently obsessed with the various structures of Jack's Deck as he was. It wasn't the current state of play he had to worry about. If Jack was making a strong move now, it would be because there was going to be an even bigger follow-up.
"Let's tie up that dragon with some Fiendish Chains!" It was a powerful Trap that would negate the effect of one monster on the field and allow him to remove Power Tool Dragon from play easily. But then Leo realised that it would mean less total damage and he became very concerned because Jack would never pass up the opportunity to inflict the extra damage. "Watch out for blistering because here comes a Burning Strike!" That was the real move. The three brothers each had their own particular skill. Crow leant slightly towards swarming the field with special summons, Yusei shifted through Synchro monsters like it was as natural as breathing and Jack found his true calling in raw power. Each with a particular talent but all three were master strategists. "Take down that toy dragon."
Therapists opinions aside, Jack's family could clearly see he was backsliding into his anger. Musume was only a step away from writhing on the floor in agony at the ongoing attempt for something inside to get out. It had not been this way for as long as she could remember. Red Nova wanted back out and it finally had another way over trying to take control of her body. If this attempt failed, it would be weak for a while and she could sleep without hearing the constant screams. If it came much closer to succeeding, she would drive a knife into her brain and hope the supernatural fallout didn't level more than the city.
"That might only be 100 Life Points but the best is yet to come." Watching from up in the box, Ackah felt genuinely saddened to watch Red Dragon Archfiend pulverise straight through Morphtronic Clock. Empowered by Burning Strike, it could inflict piercing damage equal to the difference between the 3000 ATK and the tiny 100 DEF. "It looks like this is the end for Leo. There isn't a single card in his Deck that can overcome this situation." Up in the booth, the five watching members acted with one mind. Forcing the pain inside her under control, Musume was able to operate normally for a short period of time and she used every second of it to the fullest. Sensing the opportune moment, the dark finger spilt the last of the popcorn for the birds, grabbed a padded piece of luggage and began sprinting across the roof.
(Turn 5)
Leo: LP: 500 Hand:3 Field: 1 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 4 Monster
Jack: LP: 2200 Hand:4 Field: 2 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 1 Monster
There wasn't even a card in his hand that could do anything for this situation. His set card had been designed to power up a now absent Power Tool Dragon. The cards in his hand were also useless – Morphtronic Cord and Power-Up Adaptor. Only his newest addition could provide any use. "I activate Magical Mallet!" It was a risky move but his only one. Magical Mallet allowed him to shuffle his entire hand – including the card itself – into his Deck and replace each card with a new draw. What he picked out was nothing spectacular but he could see a way forward.
"There isn't any way for you to win." With two dragons flanking him, it was impossible to think of Jack as anything other than the rightful victor. "Accept it."
"Sorry, can we come in?" Barely audible over the triumphant cheers of the crowd at the imminent win they saw, Jack and Leo's eyes turned towards the small official box that their friends should have been in. "You probably shouldn't do that." Turning to face the sound booth on the other edge of the stadium, they saw a minor scuffle going on behind the glass. Words were picked up by Ackah's microphone as he watched Crow choke out one lumbering guard as Musume simply lifted the other in one hand to convey the message that getting in the way was not a smart move.
"Bernard Ackah." Somewhere in the stadium, a camera managed to focus on the first actual meeting between legendary MC Bernard Ackah and the legendary Yusei Fudo. "Yusei Fudo. I'm so happy to finally meet you." Appearing at both his shoulders, the beautiful, smiling faces of Luna and Akiza were enough to stop him calling for more security. "Is it alright if we borrow your microphone for a moment?" With everybody straining to hear the words, it was would only make the inevitable easier.
Looking around at the groups of friends, thinking about his contract and the team of security guards that could come crashing down any minute to clear away the entire mess, Ackah made his decision. "Everybody, LISTEN!" Echoing around the world, the words brought entire streets of traffic to a halt. "It's a grim situation for the Morphtronic Man with Jack Atlas having summoned two of his most powerful dragons to wipe him out. But he doesn't stand alone, for his friends have something to say!" Feeling the roar of the ground make the thick windows shake in their frames, he joyfully held the microphone out for Luna to speak into.
"Don't give up now. This is everything you've been racing towards!" Almost rudely shoved aside by Akiza, the redhead was quick to bring out her own words of encouragement.
"Everyone's cheering you both on. Show them what you can do!" Sliding between the two, Crow leant into the tiny sphere of sound.
"Take him down!" With the three stooges down and Musume standing resolutely in the corner, it fell to Yusei to deliver the final words.
"Leo?" Down on the pitch, they could see the seriousness of his face. "You're facing one of the best Duellists who has ever lived. He has won more Duels than most people have ever played. Jack Atlas was the King of Turbo Duels and the toughest opponent I have ever faced. But I remember a young boy who once managed to get me caught in a stalemate." It had been an interesting trap when he first encountered the pair of Morphtronic Magnen's to block his attacks. "That kid could stump me for a few minutes. With ten years of hard work and growth? Maybe, just maybe, that talented young man can stand on the same level as Jack Atlas." Applause, whistles and cheers drowned out the world as it cheered on the young Duellist.
From across the field, Jack carefully evaluated his opponent for the first time. Until then, Leo had just been an obstacle in his way. Now he was recognised as an opponent worthy of being wary of. "Show me what you can do." It was far from the epic words of encouragement his rival had given but they meant even more. With the tiny avenue of escape closed to it, Red Nova slunk back to the endless battle in Musume's soul as she was finally able to enjoy the Duel for the simple fun it was meant to be.
Licking his lips, Leo wondered exactly how wise his plan was. It might end his career to put up too much of a fight as the far junior Duellist but Leo was going to at least spend this one moment equal with his idol. "I summon Morphtronic Staplen (L4/1400 ATK/1000 DEF)." Unfolding from the office stationery, the monster seemed weak even in comparison to the average monster and existed far below Red Dragon Archfiend. But Leo wasn't planning on a straight fight. "From my field, I activate Megamorph." It was an Equip Spell that doubled the original ATK of the monster it was equipped with if the controller had less Life Points than the opponent and halved the ATK if they didn't. They each had a copy and knew the ins and outs of the possible ways to use the card – including to cripple the opponent, which Leo wasn't doing.
"What are you up to?" Jack was smart enough to know when something was afoot. Something that was about to turn the situation around.
"In addition to Megamorph." It was a risky card that he had started adding to his Deck after the incidents on Ark Cradle. If he was ever pushed all the way back to the wall, Leo planned to go down fighting. "I activate Morphtronic Rusty Engine." Attaching itself to the centre of the robot, the engine gave a choking roar as the monster screeched in pain with no obvious outward signs of change. "Staplen, attack Red Dragon Archfiend!" Laughter began sounding around the stadium for a moment until the cameras focused on Jack's not-laughing face. He looked something closer to sickly as Ackah hurried out an explanation.
"Due to the effect of Megamorph, the original ATK of Staplen is doubled, still not enough to defeat Red Dragon Archfiend." On the field, Staplen wrapped itself tightly about Red Dragon's resisting limbs. "But when the monster is destroyed, Morphtronic Rusty Engine inflicts the original ATK as damage to both players." Exerting the full scorching might of its limbs, the dragon tore the restraints to tangled shards of metal in the air as the meaning sunk in. "Doubled by Megamorph, that makes it for an entire loss of 2800 Life Points – to both players!" There were no words to what went through Luna's mind. She was immensely proud of her brother and deeply worried for how this would affect his future as the shards of metal in the air turned and directed themselves towards the two players with the sounds of every bet in the stadium going up in flames.
Game Over
Result: Draw
All around the stadium and across the city, nobody spoke. An entire planet held breath as it waited for Jack to break the stillness. "Ha." Watching their monsters fade away, a single chuckle slipped from his lips. "Ha. Haha." Taking a deep breath in, humility and humour overcame him and the Duellist burst out laughing as he led applause at the audacious move.
This time, Musume voluntarily hugged Luna, Crow and Ackah pounded each other's backs as their excited laughter echoed across the globe. Akiza flung her arms around Yusei's neck as he swung her around in a tight circle. During one revolution, he thought he spotted a dark figure placing something on the floor by the doorway. On the next, it was stooped in a low bow and by the time he had enough control over the movement to stop, it was gone again and there was a solid wooden box beside the door. Down on the pitch, Jack and Leo were quickly escorted into the tunnels and hurried towards the booth as audience members jumped the barriers and began flooding the field.
"Hang on," Unable to stop the large grin from spreading across her face, Akiza kept one arm wrapped around Yusei as she tried to stop feeling dizzy. "Wait a second." It was too big an idea to grasp at once as a storm of guards deserted their posts to form a barrier around all entrances to the floor. It was something to be said for the group that they had been cheering on Leo's spiritual victory more than they had the real implications of it.
"Ackah, you sly dog." With the microphone turned off, Jack's reputation remained as urbane as ever. "Thank you for letting my friends speak." Walking across the room, he shoved Crow to one side and extended a hand to the MC. "I almost lost my way there." Ackah finally shook the hand of the man he had been narrating since his first professional Duel with a smile broader than his drooping pompadour was long.
"You okay?" Gripping Leo by both shoulders, Crow couldn't see any signs of sentience in his eyes. "Leo, speak to me!" Wrapping an arm around the young man's shoulders he tilted him back dramatically and covered his headband with the back of his left hand. "Alas, his mind has been crushed. We shall remember him fondly." Leo's mind wasn't broken but stuck like a track on a record. Like Akiza, he was grappling at the truth. Reaching past the pair, Yusei grabbed the stocky wooden box that had been left behind by the shadowy figure and carried the gurgling contents over to a chair in the celebrating room as they all sensed something important in the offing.
"What's that?" With Akiza placing a hand on his shoulder as the group carefully lent over the box, Yusei slid open the panel to reveal a pitted bottle that looked centuries old. Tucked between the neck of the bottle and the theatrical straw was a ting tag on the artificially aged string. On one side was a carefully drawn word in Japanese. Congratulations. On the other side was a phrase that hit Yusei like a blow to the gut. Endless streams of trivial information had been absorbed by his brain to keep various important people entertained and one of them was appropriately bubbling to the top of his mind.
"Champagne." Brushing a speck of dust from the glass, he reverently lifted the glass from the box like a monk with a sacred relic. "A 1907 Heidsieck Monopole Diamant Bleu." Hurrying to a corner of the room, Ackah retrieved a handful of flutes from a tray. It had originally been planned for the technical crews to have a quiet celebration after the tournament with much, much cheaper champagne. "A shipment sank in 1916 on the way to Tsar Nicholas II. Two-hundred bottles were recovered intact in 1998." Reality seemed a minor distraction to Yusei as he unravelled the entire history. After being sunk by a German U-boat, the Swedish freighter Jönköping had sunk 63 meters into the chilling waters and miraculously ended up at the perfect conditions to store the surviving bottles. Six atmospheres of pressure and near-freezing temperatures, shielded from light and undisturbed for decades until they were found by some lucky divers. "I heard only three bottles were left, in the possession of some collector. The market value is estimated at five-billion US dollars." The team crunched the numbers and came up with remarkable plans for the money. "Each." Fame and glory were all well and good but money is money and - even split seven ways - the contents of the bottle were a lot.
"I say we sell it." Crow didn't often like Jack's ideas but this one had merit. "Estimated at five means we can let it go for seven." Seven billion dollars disappearing in a second sounded an awful lot like a gentle pop.
"Who's up for a drink?" Incredulous eyes turned to see Yusei pouring the gently bubbling liquid into tall flutes that Ackah was quickly handing out. Holding the flutes in their hands, there was a slight tang of brine, oranges, lemon and caramelised banana. "Ackah, join us." Noting the lack of glass for himself, Yusei was firm with the tournament MC.
"Unfortunately, my duties call." Even being invited to attend was enough for the old gentleman. His part was played, his turn done. It had been fun but he knew where he stood and it wasn't as part of the celebrations. It was going to locate the nearest person who could professionally handle a camera before they stopped celebrating Leo and actually realised the full impact of his actions. Exiting into the hallway, he was careful to turn the lights on and leave the door open.
"Musume?" Holding a flute in either hand, Akiza was slowly becoming more adjusted to the young woman on the other side of her from Yusei.
"Thanks." Pattering out a mental command, she managed to convince the nanotechnology thriving through her body not to instantly purge the toxin from her system like it normally did. Out in the hallway, footsteps began sprinting towards the room as the seconds trickled by before the big realisation that was already haunting Jack hit the rest of the group.
"To Leo," Raising his glass to the young man, Yusei kept his tone suitably grave through the beaming smile on his face. "Welcome to the big leagues." Skidding to a halt in the doorway, one of the camera operators had stopped trying to describe the difference between film and photography when Ackah had explained the vital urgency for anyone with steady hands and an understanding of lighting to be in the announcer's booth in the next few seconds.
"Sorry," Fiddling with the settings, she cheated slightly and set them all to automatic as an auburn ponytail draped itself over one shoulder. "Photographer." Paused with their hands still in the air, the group burst out laughing at the moment of tension. They had almost expected Yliaster to try something crazy in an attempt to throw the tournament at the last minute. Catching that moment in eternity, the button on the camera started taking a pounding as the group fanned out slightly to let her get a better view of the proceedings.
"To the King of Games." Jack froze the group with the simple toast. Since he and Leo had ended in a draw, it meant they were in equal setting with Crow. "Yusei." Raising his flute a bit higher, humility kept him from throttling his brother in anger. If he had played his Duel against Leo instead of just trying to rush to Yusei, it might have ended differently. Yusei gave a gracious, some might say noble, inclination of his head in recognition of how hard it must have been for Jack as he raised his own glass.
"To Yugi and Jaden." For a brief moment, it was evident to Akiza that Yusei wasn't seeing the room he was in. As the light flashed again, Jack's words really sunk in and the group dissolved into another round of laughing cheers as the Pegasus Trinidad Tournament finally came to an unforeseeable, conclusive end.
More chapters should be along shortly-ish.