This story was done in collaboration between me, Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and DaveMan1000 (both here and on DeviantART), and we own the OCs that are used in the story. AaronCottrell97 (known as stevecottrell on DeviantART) provided the Duel Layouts and additional ideas. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:
Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel
The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry
Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami
Gundam SEED characters, Orb, Blue Cosmos, M1 Astray, Strike Rouge, Murasame (c) Sunrise
Character of Lisa Drake (c) DaveMan1000
Character of David Xadashi (c) DaveMan1000
WARNING: Once again, this story is rated T for violence, some blood, suggestive themes, and some language. Reader discretion is advised.
WARNING 2: If you haven't read "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles Season 2", "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles Season 4", "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles (Pyramid of Light", "David Xadashi", "Lisa Drake", or "Team 4D's", you might want to do so before reading this story
Title: Protector of the Planet
Opening up within the New York City stadium, the Turbo Duel between James R. (LP: 2200) and David (LP: 2700) was ongoing.
"What an exciting match thus far!" The voice of the MC boomed, as the audience both watched and listened with excitement, "Both sides aren't showing one bit of mercy to the other! Who knows who will win this duel? For now, it's James's turn!"
Indeed so…
"It's my turn!" announced James R., drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn Three: James R. Hogan (LP: 2200)
Deck: 53
Current Hand (2): "Blackwing - Tornado the Reverse Wind" and "Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun"
Action Card: N/A
Suddenly…
"Hold it right there, Hogan-kun!" interrupted David, "As it's your turn now, the next effect of 'Double Tool C&D' begins!" As the effect got an explanation, James R. listened in slight concern, "During my opponent's turn: My opponent cannot target monsters other than the equipped monster for attacks," He kept grinning, "And there's a second effect I accidentally neglected to mention… At the end of the Damage Step, if the equipped monster battled an opponent's monster: I must destroy that opponent's monster!"
"Well, that's gonna be a big time problem for me," James R. told himself, just before looking at his drawn 'Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun' Monster Card, "Then again, maybe it won't be a problem…" He then took another card from his hand and placed it onto his Duel Runner, "I Summon 'Blackwing - Tornado the Reverse Wind'!"
Appearing onto the field was a 'Blackwing' monster dressed in a ninja's robes and surrounded by tornado winds (Level: 4/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1200).
"When this card is Normal Summoned while my opponent controls a Special Summoned monster: I can target 1 'Blackwing' Tuner in my GY; I cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck for the rest of this turn, except 'Blackwing' monsters, also I must Special Summon that monster, but negate its effects," continued James R., revealing his monster's only effect. From there, a card slid out from his GY as he grabbed and held it out, "And I believe this one will do nicely… Return to me, 'Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall'!"
Reappearing on the field was 'Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall' (Level: 1/ATK: 400/DEF: 600).
"The stage is set!" rejoiced James R., before making his remaining face-down card reappear on the field beside him (on his right), "But, first, I'll activate a Trap, 'Blackboost'!"
The Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself.
"'Blackboost'?" pondered David.
"If I control 2 or more 'Blackwing' monsters: I must draw 2 cards," James R. explained, drawing two more cards. He then saw that they were both 'Black Whirlwind' (Spell Card) and 'Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn' (Effect Monster Card) respectively, "Oh, yes! I'm loving both of these cards already!"
Although he could not see his opponent's face currently, David still wondered what cards were drawn—but he kept himself cool and tried not to jump to conclusions just yet. 'Blackwing - Tornado the Reverse Wind', meanwhile, flew into the sky while something started happening to 'Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall'.
"I tune Level 4 'Tornado the Reverse Wind' into Level 1 'Oroshi the Squall'!" The voice of James R. proclaimed, as the above scenario played out.
'Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall' flew upward and turned into a single Synchro Ring, which 'Blackwing - Tornado the Reverse Wind' flew into while turning into four orbs of light as a Summon Chant followed…
"Ebony gale, become the tailwind that ties our bonds!" chanted James R., as the symbols 4 + 1 = 5 were shown briefly just before the four orbs of light within the single Synchro Ring turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Take flight, 'Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm'!"
Appearing onto the field, as the Synchro Summon sequence ended, was a blue-colored 'Assault Blackwing' monster wearing armor (Level: 5/ATK: 1500/DEF: 2000).
"If this card is Synchro Summoned using a 'Blackwing' monster as material, it is treated as a Tuner while face-up on the field," said James R., explaining the first effect of his monster before taking a card ('Assault Blackwing - Sayo the Rain Hider') from his GY and readying it, "Furthermore, when 'Sohaya the Rain Storm' is Synchro Summoned: I can target 1 'Assault Blackwing' monster in my GY; I must Special Summon it!" He placed the card onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Runner, "Come, 'Sayo the Rain Hider'!"
Reappearing on the field was 'Assault Blackwing - Sayo the Rain Hider' (Level: 2/ATK: 200/DEF: 100). In the audience…
"So, some of James's Synchro Monsters can basically become Tuner monsters?" pondered Lisa.
"That's right," confirmed Ms. Simmons.
"You have to admit it, that's pretty helpful if you're trying to Synchro Summon high level monsters," added Juri.
"Which James is obviously aiming to do," concluded Mayura.
Back on the track…
"I tune Level 2 'Sayo the Rain Hider' into Level 5 'Sohaya the Rain Storm'!" announced James R., as 'Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm' and 'Assault Blackwing - Sayo the Rain Hider' took to the air, "Look out, Dave, because here I come with an ace monster!"
'Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm', now a Tuner monster, stood still as he turned into five Synchro Rings, which hovered over, lowered over, and overwhelmed 'Assault Blackwing - Sayo the Rain Hider' and turned him into two orbs of light as a second Summon Chant echoed throughout…
"Spread your ebony wings, and storm forth in tandem with the roaring thunder! A slash of lightning!" chanted James R., as the symbols 2 + 5 = 7 were shown briefly just before the two orbs of light within the five Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light. From there, he motioned his right arm about with determination, "Synchro Summon! Cascade, 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower'!"
Appearing out of the beam of light and onto the field, while swinging his sword briefly, was a rather mighty-looking humanoid bird-like swordsman (Level: 7/ATK: 2600/DEF: 2000).
"It's here!" cried the MC, "It's the first of James's three big headliners for his whole Deck!"
The crowd started cheering.
"Just like 'Sohaya the Rain Storm', 'Raikiri the Rain Shower' has the ability to become a Tuner monster if Synchro Summoned using a 'Blackwing' as Synchro Material," reminded James R., before taking a card ('Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun') from his hand and placing it onto his Duel Runner, "Next, if the only face-up monster I control is 1 'Blackwing' monster other than 'Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun', I can Special Summon this card (from my hand)."
Appearing onto the field was a humanoid bird wearing silver armor and wielding two kunai (Level: 3/ATK: 800/DEF: 1500).
"However," James R. went on, "my 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower' has an effect that will literally cut down on your field of cards, Dave!"
"What?!" gasped David.
"Yup! As of now, I'm gonna activate the second effect of 'Raikiri the Rain Shower'!" confirmed James R., "Once per turn: I can target cards my opponent controls, up to the number of 'Blackwing' monsters I control; I must destroy them. Currently, I control two 'Blackwings', and that means I can destroy two of your cards!"
'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower', with a gleam in his eyes, drew his sword again and swung it once to release a shockwave, striking and destroying both 'Morphtronic Radion' and 'Morphtronic Videon' (along with both the face-up 'Morphtronic Repair Unit' Spell Card and the face-up 'Double Tool C&D' Spell Card, seeing as their respective equipped monsters had left the field).
"Battle!" declared James R., entering the Battle Phase, "Sorry, Dave, but it looks like I'm about to win the duel right away!" He gave a command to one of his two monsters, "'Gladius the Midnight Sun', attack the opposing player directly!"
'Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun' obeyed, swooping in towards The Wild Card.
"Halt your onslaught, Hogan-kun!" interrupted David, before reaching over and pressing a button on the dashboard, "I activate a Trap Card!"
On cue, a Set card reappeared on the field, flipped face-up, and revealed itself to be…
"'Morphtronics, Scramble!'!" continued David, "When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack while I control no monsters: I must target the attacking monster; I must negate the attack, and if I do, Special Summon 1 'Morphtronic' monster from my hand."
'Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun' tried to attack The Wild Card by hurling both kunai, but a barrier formed around the Duel Runner and blocked the attack, doing no damage.
"Oh man!" complained James R., "That was too unexpected."
"That's quite unfortunate, Hogan-kun," remarked David, "Your first direct attack has backfired," He then took a card from his hand and placed it onto his Duel Runner, "From there, I'll Special Summon 'Morphtronic Staplen' in Defense Position!"
Appearing onto the field was a large stapler (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1000).
"My first attack might have backfired, but don't forget that I have another monster," James R. pointed out, "'Raikiri the Rain Shower', take out 'Morphtronic Staplen'!"
'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower' obeyed, lifting his blade to the sky as lightning struck it before slashing it across the field.
"Your monster's about to go bye-bye!" smirked James R..
"Wrong," denied David, "The Defense Position effect of 'Morphtronic Staplen' disagrees with you! This card cannot be destroyed by battle."
Jam,es R. blinked, "Wait, I can't destroy it?"
The lightning-based shockwave struck 'Morphtronic Staplen', but, as David mentioned, it was unfazed by the attack and remained standing.
"The attack failed!" realized James R. unhappily.
"That it has," acknowledged David, "However, that is not the worst part. You see, 'Morphtronic Staplen' has another part of that effect! After damage calculation, if this card was attacked: I must target 1 face-up Attack Position monster my opponent controls; I must change that target to Defense Position, and this card to Attack Position."
James R. watched as 'Morphtronic Staplen' turned into its robotic humanoid form (DEF: 1000 → ATK: 1400) and fired off several staples, causing 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower' to be forced into a more defensive battle stance (ATK: 2600 → DEF: 2000).
"Hogan-kun!" continued David, "Attacking with your weaker monster first to weed out my Trap Card wasn't the worst idea, but you'll have to come up with a much better strategy if you want to defeat me."
After a moment of silence, the look on James R.'s face went from a grimace to a far more pleasant one.
"Hey, my two attacks might have failed, but I'm still enjoying this duel immensely," he remarked with a big smile, "What I suggest is that you keep the ball rolling, eh?"
David, however, wasn't even sure if he was enjoying himself.
"Well? How about it?" pressed James R..
"The thing is, I'm not really sure if I am having fun," admitted David in a low, sad tone, "I'm not as easily entertained as you are, Hogan-kun—no offense," He then started to dwell more on it, "When was the last time I enjoyed dueling?"
He then had a flashback to when he had a surprise encounter with Thomas.
FLASHBACK
Various clips of Flashback David and Flashback Thomas dueling were shown.
"Oh, yes… It was when I was dueling against Billinton-san," narrated David.
Like so…
"And here shall be the beginning of my winning comeback!" announced Flashback David, sliding his newly drawn card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk, "I activate the Spell Card, 'Cross Draw of Destiny'!"
The mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field.
"Both players draw 1 card and reveal it: If either of those cards was a monster; each player must Special Summon their monster to their opponent's field in face-up Defense Position, and, if either player does this, the Summoning player(s) gains LP equal to the ATK of the monster they Summoned."
"Alright…" accepted Flashback Thomas, after a quick nod, "In that case, let's draw our cards!"
With that said, he and Flashback David both drew a card and held them out. These were the results:
-Flashback Thomas: 'Dark Burning Attack' (Spell Card)
-Flashback David: 'Monster Reborn' (Spell Card)
The next clip shown was Flashback David Synchro Summoning 'Life Stream Dragon' against Flashback Thomas…
"Billinton-san, by virtue of my deep-seated respect for you, I'm going to show you the true power of my 'Power Tool Dragon'!" began Flashback David, before the birthmark of the Crimson Dragon on his right forearm started glowing and reacting once more… "I tune Level 7 'Power Tool Dragon' into Level 1 'Morphtronic Lantron'!"
As expected, both 'Power Tool Dragon' and 'Morphtronic Lantron' rose into the forming fire-like energy in the sky, causing the symbols 7 + 1 = 8 to briefly appear. The fire-like energy soon morphed into the Crimson Dragon, and, as it flew through the sky, Flashback David began a Summon Chant…
"The courage and power to protect the future of the planet is a revolution!" chanted Flashback David, before his eyes started glowing all white, "Synchro Summon! Evolve, 'Life Stream Dragon'!"
The Crimson Dragon breathed out a large fireball, which dissolved back into 'Power Tool Dragon'. All of a sudden, its body armor started breaking away, giving the dragon a more flesh and blood-like appearance—although it retained the chisel-like weapon that 'Power Tool Dragon' had on its left arm. Now on the field, 'Life Stream Dragon' stretched its arms out and let loose a roar to signal its arrival (Level: 8/ATK: 2900/DEF: 2400). Soon, the Crimson Dragon let loose a final roar before fading away.
"So this is the power my Millennium Puzzle warned me about…" Flashback Thomas murmured, "This is 'Power Tool Dragon's' true form… And Dave is…"
"I activate 'Life Stream Dragon's' effect!" declared Flashback David, just as his LP instantly refilled (LP: 300 → 4000), "When this card is Synchro Summoned: I can make my LP become 4000."
"Impossible!" cried Flashback Thomas, "Your LP have returned to 4000!"
"Correct!" Flashback David grinned proudly, "I'm back to full power!" He then took and held out his final card, "And now, I'll equip 'Life Stream Dragon' with 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage'! I must equip only to a Level 8 or higher Dragon Synchro Monster. The equipped monster can attack all monsters my opponent controls, once each, during each Battle Phase, it must attack the monster with the highest ATK."
'Life Stream Dragon' began to glow in a white aura.
"In addition, my Equip Spell has another effect," continued Flashback David, "When it battles an opponent's monster, it gains ATK equal to half of its current ATK during damage calculation only."
That was a very bad thing for Flashback Thomas…
"And now, I will commence my attack!" declared Flashback David, entering the Battle Phase, "'Life Stream Dragon', your first target will be 'Dark Magician Girl'!"
'Life Stream Dragon' turned its attention to 'Dark Magician Girl'.
"Due to the effect of 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage', the equipped monster gains ATK equal to half of its current ATK during damage calculation only."
'Life Stream Dragon' got supercharged (ATK: 2900 → 4350).
"Life's Beauty Howl!" commanded Flashback David.
'Life Stream Dragon' obeyed, breathing an extremely powerful blast of golden energy at 'Dark Magician Girl', causing her to scream as the attack overwhelmed and destroyed her.
"'Dark Magician Girl'!" cried Flashback Thomas, shielding himself from the force of the attack (LP: 2250 → 900).
"My Battle Phase has not ended," Flashback David went on, "My next target is your 'Magician of Black Chaos'!" He then yelled his monster's attack name again… "Life's Beauty Howl!"
'Life Stream Dragon', growing stronger once again (ATK: 2900 → 4350) because of the 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage' Spell Card still being face-up on the field, breathed another golden energy blast. 'Magician of Black Chaos' tried to block it with his scepter, but could only cry out in agony as his weapon broke and he got vaporized from the superior attack, also causing Flashback Thomas to scream again as he took more damage (LP: 1900 → 350).
"Amazing!" breathed Flashback Emily, "So, this is the true power of Dave."
"Dave…might actually win this duel," commented Flashback Sean, "He might actually defeat the 'King of Games'!"
Back on the field, Flashback David was feeling rather excited.
"How exhilarating," he was saying, huffing and puffing with joy, "I have never felt so alive!"
"Well done, Dave, I'm deeply impressed," smiled Flashback Thomas.
"It was that duel and moment where I was filled with such adrenaline I couldn't even begin to describe and how alive it made me feel to be facing my idol," David went on, "But apart from that duel, was there any other duel before or after that I actively enjoyed?"
The next set of clips showed Flashback David facing Flashback Vincent in their very first duel at school and losing quite badly, winning in that school tournament, and finally earning the respect of his peers (or rather, in his eyes, his cards won the respect of his peers).
"Ever since I started playing Duel Monsters, my mind had been set on avenging my first humiliating loss against Vincent-kun and redeeming myself," remembered David, "But even after I finally defeated Vincent-kun in a rematch, nothing changed. Sure I got better and better, but no one except for my friends and family respected me for who I was outside of dueling and no one wanted to care about me personally. So the idea of me having fun in duels never really properly occurred to me. Have I really only ever had fun once in a duel?"
A quick clip of some advice being given by both Flashback Thomas and Flashback Emily was then shown.
"So, why do you wish to play Duel Monsters against different people if you don't want to befriend them?" asked Flashback Thomas.
Flashback David opened his mouth to answer, but honestly did not know how to answer the question.
"We understand how much it can hurt to be picked on," admitted Flashback Emily, "Years ago, I was bullied by two of our friends, and in turn, I became a bully myself because I was too scared to let people know what was going on. But, if either of us held on to your idea of avoiding everybody, we would have grown up bitter and resentful, never having any true happiness. Not every person you encounter is like the bullies who used to pick on you. You just need to give them a proper chance and get to know them."
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"Even after all this time has passed, do I 'still' not know what my reason for dueling is?" David asked himself, plagued with self-doubt.
In the stands…
"Dave looks as though he's in deep thought," commented Janice, "I hope he's okay."
"It appears as though Hogan-kun's words about having fun might have had an impact on David in a way," suggested Ren, while Futaba nodded in agreement.
Over with the Orb representatives, even Lisa, who was still mad at David, noticed that something was bothering her friend. Back on the track, James R., who was looking over his shoulder at David with a concerned look on his face, could see the same thing. It was then David, realizing that he couldn't waste anymore time dwelling on this, decided to just carry on with the duel.
"I'm fine now, Hogan-kun," The aqua blue-haired boy reassured.
"I'm glad to hear that," smiled James R., as he entered the End Phase, "And now, I'm ending my turn here!"
Both Blackbird and The Wild Card roared across the finish line as they started up another lap around the track.
"It's my turn," declared David, drawing another card, "Draw!"
Turn Four: David Xadashi (LP: 2700)
Deck: 51
Current Hand (1): "Morphtronic Remoten"
Action Card: N/A
His drawn card was a Monster Card called 'Morphtronic Remoten'.
"From my hand, I'll Summon the Tuner monster, 'Morphtronic Remoten', in Attack Position!"
Appearing onto the field was a high tech remote which morphed into a robot (Level: 3/ATK: 300/DEF: 1200).
"I activate 'Morphtronic Remoten's' Attack Position effect!" David went on, taking a card ('Morphtronic Vacuumen') that ejected from his GY before holding up and letting it fade away into oblivion, "Once per turn: I can target 1 'Morphtronic' monster in my GY; I must banish that target, and if I do, add 1 'Morphtronic' monster with the same Level as the target from my Deck to my hand!"
A card ('Morphtronic Smartfon') then slipped out of his Deck, which he took hold of and added to his hand.
"Here I go, Hogan-kun!" declared David, "I tune Level 4 'Morphtronic Staplen' into Level 3 'Morphtronic Remoten'!"
'Morphtronic Remoten' immediately turned itself into three Synchro Rings, which overwhelmed 'Morphtronic Staplen' and turned it into four orbs of light as David was heard performing a Summon Chant…
"Docking strength with courage to protect the world's peace!" chanted David, as the symbols 4 + 3 = 7 were shown briefly just before the four orbs of light within the trio of Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light and slammed down over The Wild Card, "Synchro Summon! Envoy of love and justice, 'Power Tool Dragon'!"
Appearing from the bursting beam of light and flying through the sky for a short period of time, was the mechanical dragon-like monster (Level: 7/ATK: 2300/DEF: 2500).
"It's here!" rejoiced Sean.
"Dave's ace monster!" added Janice.
"(お兄ちゃん!) O nīchan! (Big Brother!)" cheered Gabriella.
Both Ren and Futaba smiled over their son's successful Synchro Summon. Back on the track…
"'Power Tool Dragon'…" muttered James R., before grinning to himself, "Alright, Dave, bring it on."
Meanwhile, Lisa, watching the duel, briefly forgot about noticing that David was bothered about something and scowled in annoyance over seeing 'Power Tool Dragon' appear.
"Lisa?" peeped Asagi, noticing the agitated look on her friend's face.
"Huh?" blinked Lisa, losing her scowl as she looked towards her friend.
"What's up?" pondered Mayura, "When David Synchro Summoned his 'Power Tool Dragon', you looked like you were annoyed or indifferent towards seeing it."
"N-No I wasn't," denied Lisa, shaking her head, "I was…thinking about something else?"
Now that wasn't entirely true; Lisa had been thinking about the outburst she and David had not that long ago, but she still wasn't going to bring it up to her three best friends even if they begged her to tell them. Regardless, the Astray girls ultimately decided to not further press her on the question, and they resumed watching the duel. Back on the track…
"How is it that I still cannot enjoy myself when dueling?" David asked himself, again, mentally, "I'll have to ponder more on that later," He then continued with his turn, "I activate 'Power Tool Dragon's' first effect! Once per turn, during my Main Phase: I can add 1 random Equip Spell from my Deck to my hand. Power Search!"
His Deck immediately shuffled before ejecting a random card slightly at the top of the Deck, which the aqua blue-haired boy took. James R., meanwhile, noticed an Action Card up ahead, speeding up Blackbird to reach and pick it up.
"Alrighty, come to papa…" grunted James R., before picking up the Action Card, "Ah ha! Got it!"
David frowned, "Hogan-kun picked up an Action Card," he mumbled, before noticing he had gotten the 'Break! Draw!' Spell Card, "Hey, I got 'Break! Draw!'! It could be useful to me right now, but the issue is how I should proceed. 'Break! Draw!' will allow me to draw a card if I destroy a monster in battle, and, right now, 'Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun' is the weakest monster, so if I attack it with 'Power Tool Dragon', I will deal major damage. The issue with this, however, is that 'Gladius the Midnight Sun' can't be destroyed in battle once per turn, so 'Break! Draw!' wouldn't let me draw. So that leaves 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower' currently in Defense Position, which can be destroyed in battle, allowing me to reap the benefits of 'Break! Draw!'. While 'Raikiri the Rain Shower' is the biggest threat to me at the moment, what concerns me most of all is the Action Card that Hogan-kun just picked up. Will it be able to thwart my attack?"
James R., at the moment, just looked at his picked up Action Card and smiled to himself. At last, David made a decision; he couldn't hesitate at this time.
"Okay, let's give it a try," thought David, before speaking aloud, "I activate an Equip Spell, 'Break! Draw!'!"
'Power Tool Dragon', glowing white, felt itself gaining strength as it let out a roar.
"I must equip only to a Machine monster. When the equipped monster destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the GY: I must draw 1 card. I must destroy this card during my 3rd End Phase after activation," After explaining his card's effect, David entered the Battle Phase, "Battle! 'Power Tool Dragon' will strike down 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower'! Crafty Break!"
'Power Tool Dragon' obeyed, charging towards 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower' with its scoop bucket claw. To David's surprise, his monster was able to destroy the enemy monster without trouble, all without James R. making an effort to stop the attack.
"Heh! Well done, you've destroyed 'Raikiri the Rain Shower'!" praised James R..
"That… that I did!" David was saying mentally, stunned. Shaking his head, he drew a card, "From the effect of 'Break! Draw!', I draw a card when the equipped Machine monster destroys an opponent's monster successfully!"
Over with the smirking James R., he was not worried in the slightest; when the last attack came his way, he knew he could just activate his picked up Action Spell, 'Evasion', to negate the attack, but, in the end, he decided to let it come and take down his 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower'. After all, the brown-haired young man already had everything he needed to counterattack and pile on the pressure.
"I Set one card face-down and end my turn!" finished David, slotting his drawn card into his Duel Runner.
On the monitor of Blackbird, James R. saw the face-down card appear on a Spell & Trap Zone on David's field, but he remained undaunted by it.
"It's my turn!" declared James R., drawing a card.
Turn Five: James R. Hogan (LP: 2200)
Deck: 50
Current Hand (3): "Black Whirlwind", "Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn", and "Blackwing - Bombardment"
Action Card: "Evasion"
His hand now contained 'Black Whirlwind', 'Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn', and the drawn 'Blackwing - Bombardment'.
"Yes! This is all I need—well, sorta," James R. thought to himself, before taking and holding another card out before slotting it into his Duel Runner, "Continuous Spell, 'Black Whirlwind', activate!"
The mentioned Spell Card flipped face-up and revealed itself.
"When a 'Blackwing' monster is Normal Summoned to my field: I can add 1 'Blackwing' monster from my Deck to my hand with less ATK than that monster."
"Amazing!" narrated the MC, "That will allow James to effectively keep his hand refreshed should he Summon any new 'Blackwing' monsters!"
And that's exactly what he's going to do, like so…
"And now, I'll offer my 'Gladius the Midnight Sun' as a Tribute!" announced James R., removing the 'Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun' Monster Card from his Duel Runner and replacing it with another card ('Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn'), "From there, I'll Tribute Summon 'Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn'!"
'Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun' faded away in a blue streak, and appealing on the field in its place was a flying part human, part blue/black-feathered monster (Level: 5/ATK: 2000/DEF: 900).
"(くそー!) Kuso! (Damn!)" muttered David in Japanese, "Hogan-kun can now add another 'Blackwing' monster from his Deck to his hand."
He was right; James R. took a card ('Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind') from his Deck, looked at it, and readied it in between the middle and index fingers of his right hand.
"The 'Blackwing' card I've added is 'Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind'," explained James R., before placing the card onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Runner, "From there, I'll Special Summon 'Gale the Whirlwind'!"
Appearing onto the field was a bird-like 'Blackwing' with blue feathers on its body except for the green ones on its head (Level: 3/ATK: 1300/DEF: 400).
"If I control a 'Blackwing' monster other than 'Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind', I can Special Summon this card (from my hand)," said James R., before motioning his right hand towards the newly Special Summoned monster, "Next, I'll activate the special ability of 'Gale the Whirlwind'! Once per turn: I can target 1 face-up monster my opponent controls; that target's ATK/DEF become half its current ATK/DEF."
"Oh no!" cried David, watching as 'Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind' started flapping its wings and creating a powerful gust of wind, "'Power Tool Dragon'!"
The wind gust weakened 'Power Tool Dragon' considerably (ATK: 2300 → 1150/DEF: 2500 → 1250).
"But there's still more for me to show off!" warned James R., before pointing to 'Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn', "There's the second effect of 'Sirocco the Dawn'! Once per turn, during my Main Phase 1: I can target 1 'Blackwing' monster I control; until the end of this turn, it gains ATK equal to the total ATK of all 'Blackwing' monsters currently on the field, except itself. Monsters other than the targeted monster cannot attack during the turn I activate this effect. So now, I'll give 'Gale the Whirlwind' the ATK of 'Sirocco the Dawn'!"
From there, 'Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind' grew stronger (ATK: 1300 → 3300). Finally, the Battle Phase commenced…
"Go forth, 'Gale the Whirlwind'!" ordered James R., just as 'Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind' flew towards the weakened 'Power Tool Dragon', "Black Scratch!"
'Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind' obeyed, slashing towards 'Power Tool Dragon' and striking it.
"It's curtains for 'Power Tool Dragon', man!" taunted James R..
"Not yet, it's not!" cut in David, causing James R. to ease up. He then took one of his cards ('Break! Draw!') and held it out for a moment before sending it to the GY, "If 'Power Tool Dragon' would be destroyed while equipped with an Equip Spell(s), I can send 1 of those cards to the GY instead."
'Power Tool Dragon' was hit by 'Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind's' attack, but managed to shrug off the attack and send the enemy monster back onto James R.'s field. It was then David, who was glowing red, suffered major damage from the attack (LP: 2700 → 550).
"You saved your monster, but you're left with only 550 LP!" reminded James R..
"Yes, but now I'll return the favor!" retorted David, before making his face-down card reappear on the field in-front of The Wild Card, "Reverse card, open! 'Power Break', activate!"
The Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself.
"If I control a face-up 'Power Tool Dragon': I must return any Equip Cards on the field and/or in my GY to their owner's Deck, and if I do, inflict 500 damage to my opponent for each card returned."
"What?!" cried James R..
From there, three cards ('Morphtronic Repair Unit', 'Double Tool C&D', and 'Break! Draw!') emerged from David's GY, which the aqua blue-haired boy took, showed his opponent, and then shuffled back into his Deck.
"I'll send 'Morphtronic Repair Unit', 'Double Tool C&D', and 'Break! Draw!' each back into my Deck," said David, before pointing at his opponent, "By doing that, you're dealt 1500 damage!"
From there, a large beam of energy shot out from the face-up 'Power Break' Trap Card, striking Blackbird and causing it to spin out and James R. to cry out as he struggled to retain control of his Duel Runner (LP: 2200 → 700). Before long, The Wild Card was able to pass by Blackbird.
"Both duelists are down to their last LP!" yelled the MC, practically standing on his desk on his knees and left hand in anticipation, "Who knows who will emerge victorious at this rate!"
James R. managed to regain control of Blackbird, and, as he did, smiled about something.
"I may be down," he acknowledged, "but I still have my trump card waiting in the wings!"
"Trump card?" repeated David, before realizing what his opponent meant, "(ありえない!) Arienai! (Impossible!) You can't mean-!"
The audience also knew exactly what James R. was talking about, especially the representatives from Blue Cosmos…
"It's that one…" fumed Shani, since it was the same monster that took him out of the tournament.
And so, the final comeback commenced…
"I tune Level 5 'Sirocco the Dawn' into Level 3 'Gale the Whirlwind'!" commanded James R., now looking more eager than ever before.
From there, 'Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind' turned into three Synchro Rings which 'Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn' flew into, becoming five orbs of light as a Summon Chant from James R. was heard echoing throughout.
"Darkened whirlwind, reveal hidden wishes on your wings!" chanted James R., as the symbols 5 + 3 = 8 were shown briefly just before the five orbs of light within the trio of Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Soar, 'Black-Winged Dragon'!"
The beam of light exploded apart, and flying through the sky was the dragon with black feathers and bird-like characteristics (Level: 8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 1600).
"IT'S HERE! IT'S FINALLY HERE!" The voice of the MC whooped, as 'Black-Winged Dragon' was shown flying above Blackbird. He was now be seen standing on top of his desk in excitement, "The main ace monster of James Hogan, 'Black-Winged Dragon', has come out at last! The previous time he used it, it won him the duel against Shani Andras! Can he repeat the game-winning performance here, too?"
In the stands, many of the audience members were excited and admiring the newly Synchro Summoned 'Black-Winged Dragon' despite having seen it once before.
"That's the monster that defeated Shani!" squealed Asagi happily.
"It would seem James has regained his momentum," commented Mr. Kisaka.
Before Lisa could add to that, she felt the birthmark under her gloved right forearm beginning to glow. Not only that, the pink-haired girl also felt some pain coming from the reaction.
"Ugh! What the-?" groaned Lisa.
"Hey, Lisa, your birthmark!" gasped Juri, "Why's it-?"
"I… I don't know…" Lisa struggled to say, while removing her glove and revealing the birthmark of the Hand on her right forearm, "But…it seems to have something to do with…'Black-Winged Dragon' being…out!"
She wasn't the only one to feel the power of the Mark of the Dragon reacting to the appearance of 'Black-Winged Dragon' this time around; nearby, Matt, Michael, and Carlie each felt their own birthmarks (Matt: Head, Michael: Wings, Carlie: Foot) beginning to glow and react as well, while Zack was shown to be clutching the sides of his head while in slow growing pain.
"What's…happening!?" winced Carlie.
"I don't…know, but, for some reason, our birthmarks are reacting as though something big's on the…way!" answered Michael.
"Could it be from 'Black-Winged Dragon'?" theorized Matt, trying his hardest to resist grimacing, "Or maybe-?"
"It might be because James is trying to pressure Dave-boy into Summoning his own dragon," figured Discord, "That's my theory anyway."
"Y-You think?" Zack hissed in pain.
Back on the track, James R.'s birthmark of the dragon's Tail was glowing underneath his jacket's right sleeve, but despite wincing from the pain he was also managing to smile over how things were back in his favor.
"So, Dave, what do you think?" grinned James R., "Is this exhilarating or what?"
David, feeling the birthmark of the Heart glowing and reacting, said nothing as he grit his teeth over feeling the pain. James R., meanwhile, took one of the remaining cards from his hand and slotted it into his Duel Runner.
"I Set one card face-down and end my turn!" he finished, as a face-down card materialized on the field in-front of Blackbird before fading away for later use, "And as of this moment, the effect of 'Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind' ends."
'Power Tool Dragon' regained the stats it lost earlier (ATK: 1150 → 2300/DEF: 1250 → 2500).
"Hogan-kun's really pushing me hard," thought David, "He's an opponent I can't afford to play around with…" At last, he spoke aloud, "Hogan-kun, I won't lose to you!"
"Oh? You won't?" teased James R..
"I won't!" David declared with determination, "I'll show you that I have the power to take on a fellow Signer!" He then drew a card with a Destiny Draw, "It's my turn!"
Turn Six: David Xadashi (LP: 550)
Deck: 50
Current Hand (1): "Morphtronic Smartfon" and "Armored Back"
Action Card: N/A
His drawn card was the 'Armored Back' Trap Card, and the other remaining card in his hand was 'Morphtropnic Smartfon'. All he needed now was one more card…
"I activate 'Power Tool Dragon's' first effect again!" continued David, as his Deck shuffled once more, "Power Search!"
When the Deck finished shuffling, a card slipped out from the middle of it. Taking the card, David saw it was his 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage' Spell Card. Nodding, he continued with his turn…
"Next, I'll banish 'Morphtronic Videon' from my GY!" announced David, as a card ('Morphtronic Smartfon' ejected from his GY before fading away into oblivion. He then placed a card onto his Duel Runner, "By doing so, I'll Special Summon 'Morphtronic Smartfon' from my hand!"
Appearing onto the field was a smartphone which morphed into a robot (Level: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 100).
"Well now, that's interesting," mused James R..
"And there's more to come," reminded David, "I activate 'Morphtronic Smartfon's' Attack Position effect!" He pointed forth, just as an electronic die appeared on 'Morphtronic Smartfon's' screen and began rolling, "Once per turn: I can roll a six-sided die, excavate that many cards from the top of my Deck, add 1 excavated 'Morphtronic' card to my hand, also shuffle the rest back into the Deck."
It soon stopped at a three.
"A three!" rejoiced David, drawing the top three cards of his Deck and looking them over, "Now I can excavate the top three cards of my Deck!"
The cards were 'Morphtronic Boomboxen' (Effect Monster Card), 'Junk Box' (Spell Card), and 'Morphtronic Impact Return' (Trap Card). Noticing one of the cards, David took the one on the left ('Morphtronic Boomboxen') and held it out.
"I'll add 'Morphtronic Boomboxen' into my hand…" As David spoke, he added the card into his hand and sent the remaining two cards ('Junk Box' and 'Morphtronic Impact Return') back into his Deck, "…and then add the remaining cards back into my Deck!"
All of a sudden, dark clouds started to form and cover up the blue, sunny sky.
"What on Earth?" One woman in the audience flinched.
"Dark clouds?" A teenage boy added, "Will we be getting rain? But seconds ago, there wasn't a cloud in the sky."
On the podium…
"Hang on, everyone," advised the MC, before looking towards Lazar, "Hey, Lazar, could you close up the ceiling, please. We don't want everyone to get drenched from potential rain."
But Lazar, smirking and looking at the sky as though he was expecting something to happen up there, didn't bother moving a single muscle. Back on the track, David, with his birthmark glowing once again, was prepared to retake control of the duel.
"Hogan-kun, I'm going to win this duel!" he declared, before giving the command, "I tune Level 7 'Power Tool Dragon' into Level 1 'Morphtronic Smartfon'!"
Cue gasps from the audience (except for Sean, Janice, and Ren).
"Mommy, is this what's gonna help (お兄ちゃん) O nīchan (Big Brother) win?" wondered Gabriella, looking at Futaba.
"I wonder about that too, honey," acknowledged Futaba.
To make things more…interesting, a huge, fiery dragon (Crimson Dragon) started to descend from the dark clouds.
"Aaaah! What do we have here?!" howled the MC, having a mental flashback, "I think I might have seen this creature before!"
In the stands…
"I've…read about this being one time," gawked Ms. Simmons.
"The Crimson Dragon?" recoiled Zack, still clutching the sides of his throbbing head.
"Is this the Crimson Dragon?" demanded Lisa.
"What's going on?" came from Michael.
Back on the track, both 'Power Tool Dragon' and 'Morphtronic Smartfon' rose into the Crimson Dragon flying in the sky, causing the symbols 7 + 1 = 8 to briefly appear. James R., who had been smiling up to this point, was stunned over seeing the Crimson Dragon show up.
"I don't get it," The brown-haired young man mumbled to himself, "Why's the Crimson Dragon here?"
His answer was due to come…
"The courage and power to protect the future of the planet is a revolution!" chanted David, before his eyes started glowing all white, "Synchro Summon! Evolve, 'Life Stream Dragon'!"
The Crimson Dragon breathed out a large fireball, which dissolved back into 'Power Tool Dragon'. All of a sudden, its body armor started breaking away, giving the dragon a more flesh and blood-like appearance—although it retained the chisel-like weapon that 'Power Tool Dragon' had on its left arm. Now flying through the sky, 'Life Stream Dragon' stretched its arms out and let loose a roar to signal its arrival (Level: 8/ATK: 2900/DEF: 2400). Back in the stands, the sight of the new monster shocked everyone watching, before the shock wore off and turned into loud cheers and applause from a good number of people. Team 4D's, however, remained in their shocked state.
"Is that…?" began Carlie.
"…the final Signer Dragon?" added Michael.
"Unbelievable!" finished Discord.
Both Matt and Zack remained on the silent front, but it was clear they knew 'Life Stream Dragon' was the final of the six dragons. Over with the Orb representatives, Lisa's eyes widened when she saw the newly Synchro Summoned 'Life Stream Dragon'.
"No…friggin'…way!" Lisa stammered, before going through her thoughts, "I saw that dragon in my dream—err, I mean vision, or whatever—during that time! And Dave actually has it?! What kind of dream am I now hav-"
She then cried in agony out as her birthmark started glowing and reacting again, bringing the eyes of her two teachers and three friends towards her.
"Lisa, are you okay?!" asked Mr. Kisaka, worried for his student's health and safety.
"T-The pain…!" winced Lisa, clutching her right forearm once more, "I think it's…getting stronger!"
In the sky, the Crimson Dragon, after making 'Life Stream Dragon' appear, let out a loud roar at the audience. For some reason, it did not fade away once the Synchro Summon was complete.
(elsewhere…)
Inside his office at city hall, Rex, watching the duel on his television, was standing up with both hands slammed on his desk, and there was a big, almost evil-looking, smile on his face.
"It's finally here…" The gray-haired man whispered, "The legendary Crimson Dragon! The appearance of the six dragons in this tournament has brought you out in the opening! I have been waiting to see you for some time!"
(elsewhere…)
Before anyone knew what was going on with themselves, the six Marks of the Dragon (Head, Wings, Hand, Foot, Tail, and Heart) began glowing and reacting more strongly, bringing great pain to their owners, while the pain inside Zack's head intensified immensely. The audience, on the other hand, was still observing the Crimson Dragon flying in the sky above the stadium.
"What the hell's gonna happen, now?" One young man in the audience loudly wondered.
"Is this an apocalypse of some kind?" Another woman worried.
"Will this be the end of the world as we know it?" shivered Futaba, holding onto Gabriella protectively.
Nobody in the stadium knew what was to happen next. In fact, a deeply shocked Megan didn't even get Ken to cut the broadcast.
(elsewhere…)
Inside his office once again, Rex was still smiling gleefully over the Crimson Dragon finally appearing in-person so he could bear witness to it, since it meant the conditions were in order, and it was time for the truth to be shown to the chosen ones.
"When two Signers exerting their true powers fight one another," thought Rex, motioning both hands out with triumph, "the vision of the future will be shown. Now's the time to join all six divided powers together…"
(elsewhere…)
Within the skies of the New York City stadium, the Crimson Dragon let out a final roar before sweeping across the stadium and kicking up a huge amount of wind, causing screams and panic among the various spectators.
"H-Hey-!" cried James R., before he and David were swallowed up by the Crimson Dragon.
With the other members of Team 4D's in the stands, the respective glowing birthmarks shone so brightly that Matt, Michael, Carlie, and Zack were all whisked away. Back over with the Orb representatives, Lisa's own birthmark did the same thing with her—basically taking her away before she could say anything (likely vulgar) about it. From there, everything in the stadium faded away into light.
(elsewhere…)
"Lisa? Lisa, wake up," The voice of Carlie echoed calmly.
Lisa slowly opened her eyes and found herself floating in a ball of light through darkness.
"W-What the-?" gasped Lisa, before noticing Carlie looking at her, "C-Carlie?" She sat up while looking frantic, "Where are we? What's happened to us?"
"I don't know," replied Carlie, shaking her head, "When Dave Synchro Summoned 'Life Stream Dragon', the Crimson Dragon suddenly showed up. Our birthmarks reacted hard to it, and then *POOF!* we're suddenly taken away and taken to this place."
"Taken away, then brought here?" repeated Lisa, just before noticing the guys nearby. Angrily, she floated over and grabbed David by the jacket collar, pulling him closer, "David, you bastard! Thanks to you, we're all stuck in who knows where! Why the hell did you even bring that Crimson Dragon out in the first place?!"
"H-How is this 'my' fault?!" protested David, looking slightly nervous of the pink-haired girl's current display of temper, "Listen, I'm just as surprised about this as you are, Drake-san!"
Before Lisa could respond back with even more venom in her tone of voice, she felt a hand being placed on her shoulder—courtesy of Matt.
"He's telling the truth," said Matt sharply, "None of us ever suspected something like this would happen, and I don't think blaming Dave for where we are will fix it. In fact, I think it might be best for you to let go of him and calm down."
Still fuming, Lisa reluctantly let go of David and began looking around for any sign of light or people in the vast area. So far, she, David, James R., Zack, Matt, Michael, and Carlie were the only ones present in the seeming realm of darkness.
"So, what are we going to do, now?" pondered Lisa grumpily, "It looks like we're the only ones who are stuck here."
But the answer quickly came as the group of six duelists and temporary CEO of Industrial Illusions came upon a tall Incan pyramid. There, they saw lots of people gathered below the steps kneeling and bowing.
"Hey, down below! Are those people?" quizzed James R..
"Gee, what was your first clue?" deadpanned Zack.
As the group flew up the pyramid, they came across six priests standing at the top with their hands in the air.
"What now?" groaned Lisa.
Flying around carefully, David adjusted his glasses and gasped at something he saw about the six individuals standing at the very top of the Incan pyramid.
"Those priests… They also bear the birthmarks of the Crimson Dragon!" The aqua blue-haired boy proclaimed.
Indeed, the six priests all had the Mark of the Dragon on their respective right forearms. Both Matt and Michael, however, were stunned by what they and their friends were seeing.
"What in the-?!" flinched Matt, who started to remember this exact scene, "This is-!"
"Matt, you and I've seen this vision once before," recalled Michael, as faded stills of him and his best friend/rival having their first Turbo Duel were shown in the background, "It was when we were dueling each other in that San Francisco tournament almost five years ago!"
"Yeah, I remember it."
"Hold on! Fudo-san, Atlas-sama, you have both bear witness to this vision prior to this moment?" pressed David.
"Damn right, we did," confirmed Michael, before removing his glove and exposing the glowing birthmark (Wings) on his right forearm, "After Matt and I Synchro Summoned 'Stardust' and 'Red Daemon's', the Crimson Dragon suddenly showed up and gave us these birthmarks before taking us to this dimension to finish our duel."
As the conversation went on, Matt rolled up his jacket sleeve and removed his own glove and exposed his glowing birthmark (Head) on his right forearm as David and Lisa both listened with intrigue. Before long, the group had flown away from the Incan pyramid and towards a familiar-looking American city set during the night.
"Hey, we're approaching Hartford!" realized Lisa.
"That's the city you live in, right?" asked Zack.
Lisa nodded, "Got that right, Zack," she confirmed, "Maybe it means we're heading back to the real world?"
"Um… I hate to be the bearer of bad news…" gulped James R., getting Lisa's attention, "Lisa, you might want to take a look at something down below."
Lisa looked down at the city and gasped as she and her friends were witnessing a huge bolt of purple energy tearing through Hartford, causing her hometown to look more like a deserted mess than a proper American city.
"What the hell!" The pink-haired girl yelled out in horror, "What's happening to Hartford?!"
The purple energy down below continued to tear across buildings until it formed the geoglyph of a giant purple spider.
"That's…" whispered Carlie, staring hard at what was going on down below, "…a spider. There's a spider geoglyph in the middle of the city."
"Hartford is getting destroyed!" realized Matt, "Why are we being shown this?"
"I really don't know, but I also don't like the looks of it," shrugged Zack uneasily.
"Well I 'want' to know what's going on!" hollered Lisa, still shocked and horrified over seeing what was going on to her hometown.
Nobody else said anything, although someone eventually spoke up…
"I have an assumption if anyone's interested," figured David, bringing all eyes towards him, "Perhaps it's a vision…of the future?"
"The future?" whispered Lisa, before feeling her anger boiling over again, "So, what you're telling me is…I'm going to possibly lose my family, my friends, my hometown to something at some point or another?!"
David remained silent, being unsure on how to answer that question. Lisa, however, was expecting an answer, and when she did not get one it nearly led her to attacking the aqua blue-haired boy before she was stopped.
"Take it easy, Lisa," reassured Matt, trying to stop Lisa from going into an anger-induced attack. He then clenched his right hand into a fist with a determined look on his face, "We won't let anything happen to your friends, family, and hometown. I swear it!"
Lisa immediately calmed down a bit, just in time for her birthmark to begin glowing and reacting once again. The rest of the party (except Zack, whose powerful headache returned) then felt their own Marks of the Dragon beginning to glow and react. Before long, the whole dimension began to light up and overwhelm everyone and make everything fade to white.
(elsewhere…)
Lisa suddenly opened her eyes with a loud gasp. Huffing and puffing, she looked around the stadium and noticed that not only was the Crimson Dragon finally gone, but the three Astray girls and the two teachers were all looking at her.
"Lisa, are you alright?" asked Asagi worriedly.
"We thought you were in so much pain that you fainted," added Juri.
"Should we get you out of the stadium for a moment?" finished Mr. Kisaka.
"I-I'm fine, now," Lisa insisted, catching her breath before bringing her left hand to the side of her head, "I just blacked out for a moment and had the weirdest dream, that's all," But in her mind… "I only wish it 'was' a dream,"
"I just wonder what that was all about," mused Mayura, "When Dave Synchro Summoned 'Life Stream Dragon', we all saw a fiery dragon appear in the sky before it swooped into the stadium and faded away."
"It was the Crimson Dragon," answered Ms. Simmons, which brought the eyes of Mr. Kisaka, Asagi, Mayura, and Juri towards her, "I once read a few tales about that legendary being; it is an almighty cosmic entity made of pure sacred fire."
While that was going on, Matt, Michael, Carlie, and Zack were all back at their own seats as though they had just woken up from a dream or something like Lisa experienced, and Discord was happy to see they were safe and sound.
"Oh, thank God you four are okay," The creator of Duel Monsters said in deep relief, "What exactly happened?"
"Well, last time I checked, the Crimson Dragon showed up the second Dave Synchro Summoned 'Life Stream Dragon'," replied Zack sarcastically, "It whisked us away to an unknown dimension where we saw some crazy stuff happen."
"Crazy stuff?" repeated Discord curiously.
"We'll tell you about it later," offered Matt, before looking down at the track, "From the look of things, it looks like the duel is still ongoing, and David's Synchro Summoned 'Life Stream Dragon'—the final of the servants who serve the Crimson Dragon."
He was right; James R. (LP: 700), commanding 'Black-Winged Dragon', and David (LP: 550), commanding 'Life Stream Dragon', both were still riding their Duel Runners as they regained their senses.
"Man, what a rush…" groaned James R..
"That vision…" winced David, with his right hand pressed against his forehead.
Meanwhile, the MC, standing on the podium with the microphone still in his hands, was looking around the arena in complete confusion as to what just happened.
"H-Has anyone heard from the governor?!" he was saying, practically wailing in fact.
Lazar, who knew exactly what happened, said nothing out loud except for giggling darkly and beginning to back away until he was down off the podium before disappearing into the shadows. As the confusion went on, the MC soon got a call on his cellphone, which he immediately answered.
"H-Hello?" began the MC nervously.
"What's the matter?" The voice of Rex replied, who had seen what happened on his TV in his office, "The duel has not ended yet."
"But, s-sir, we've just experienced-!"
"It was a mere glitch in the Solid Vision," The gray-haired man's voice pointed out, which happened to be a lie (not that the MC knew that), "The technicians managed to take care of it. Now proceed with the duel! The tournament must go on to the very end. Am I clear on that?"
A few seconds later, the MC hung up after deciding to obey the orders of the governor—seeing as he didn't have much of a choice about it.
"M-My apologies, everyone!" apologized the MC, finally going back to commentary, "It would seem we suffered a very brief technical glitch in the Action Duel System. Fortunately, things with it have quickly been corrected, and so the Turbo Duel between James Hogan and David Xadashi will now continue uninterrupted!"
In the stands, a good majority of the people watching did believe the Crimson Dragon's appearance to be a glitch in the system. However, there was one humongous exception to that rule…
"A glitch, my foot," thought Azrael, frowning rather deeply, "What just happened was no glitch; it was a real dragon that appeared along with 'Life Stream Dragon', and it's one I want to know more about."
Over with Team 4D's…
"Guys?" Carlie spoke up, causing Matt, Michael, and Zack to look at her. She looked deeply troubled after witnessing such a vision, "I'm wondering something… Since we saw the destruction of Lisa's hometown in that dimension, is it possible that our own hometown will be wiped out in the future as well?"
Matt, Michael, and Zack each listened carefully to their friend's question before they looked back at the track.
"Unfortunately, Carlie, I haven't got an answer for that," sighed Matt, shaking his head.
"You can add me to that," put in Michael, "Who knows what else will happen in that future."
"Agreed," finished Zack, "Although I'll tell you one thing about it; it's a future that I truly hope does not come true."
NOTE: I had to go back and make an edit because there was an error in the layout in the final turns.