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

Jak and Daxter characters (c) Naughty Dog

Spyro characters, Avalar (c) Activision

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

On a stage inside the Orb Duel School, five face-down cards were lined up on a large blackboard. On cue, David Xadashi and Lisa Drake both showed up and began speaking to the audience for only a brief amount of time.

"Wassup, everyone!" greeted Lisa, "Dave and I have got a nice surprise for all of you for this segment of 'This week's noteworthy cards'!"

"That we most certainly do, Lisa-chan!" agreed David, before he and Lisa held their arms out at the blackboard with the five cards (still showing their backing) lined up, "And now, to present the cards in-question!"

The five face-down cards on the blackboard all automatically turned over and revealed themselves to be:
-'Stardust Dragon' (Synchro Monster Card)
-'Crimson Fire' (Trap Card)
-'Hyper Synchron' (Tuner Monster Card)
-'Final Attack' (Spell Card)
-'Red Dragon Archfiend' (Synchro Monster Card)

"One of Fudo-san's cards is here!" gasped David in shock, staring at the middle card ('Hyper Synchron'), "Take a look at it, Lisa-chan!"

"Apparently, when this is used as material for the Synchro Summon of a Dragon Synchro Monster," explained Lisa, "the monster in-question gains 800 ATK and an immunity to destruction by battle—oh, and it will be banished during the second Standby Phase afterward."

"Oh boy, being banished is not a whole lot of fun…" murmured David, before he and Lisa turned to face the audience once more, "I must say, Fudo-san and Atlas-sama both definitely have some great cards, wouldn't you all agree?"

"Their battle is gonna be absolutely epic!" added Lisa, before she and David started waving goodbye, "Well, I'm sure you all know the story by now, but, as ever, have a good night, everyone!"

The audience cheered and clapped in response.

Title: Lonely King Michael Atlas

Opening up inside a room within North General Hospital, Lisa sat in bed while David sat in a nearby chair as everyone else either stood or stood. It had been about two hours since David and Lisa got attacked by what appeared to be an impersonator of Michael. Lisa tried battling him in a Turbo Duel, but was brutally defeated and blasted into the East River for her troubles. The room was very quiet due to the news David had given the rest of the group about Fake Michael, but it didn't stay quiet for much longer when David grew angry and frustrated with himself.

"(ちきしょうっ!) Chikushō! (Damn it all!)" cursed David in Japanese, slamming his right fist against the wall while looking ashamed, "(みんな,) Min'na, (Everyone,) this is all my fault…"

"Huh?" Sean, Janice, and James R. each wondered.

"Dave-boy, what makes you say that?" asked Discord calmly.

"It was due to my lack of action that Lisa-chan was injured," continued David, blaming himself for the state Lisa ended up in, "How can I refer to myself as a righteous boyfriend if I cannot protect her?"

"Dave…" murmured Lisa, not wanting David to act like this, "Come on, it's not your fault. If anything, it's the fault of that jackass who looks exactly like Mike."

"But you know something, the way Lisa described the guy…" mused James R., before looking at Carlie, "Carlie, you remember that kind of personality, right?"

"Don't need to remind me; I haven't forgotten about it—not at all," confirmed Carlie.

"The way you both are talking, you seem to know something the rest of us don't," remarked David, once he took notice of the discussion, "Come on, Hogan-kun and Izayoi-san, tell us what you're thinking!"

"I'll tell you, instead," The voice of Michael interrupted, getting the aqua blue-haired boy's attention. He closed his eyes for a moment, "The way that guy was acting was exactly the way I acted many years ago. Back when I was champion, before Matt defeated me in a Turbo Duel, I was an arrogant, cold-hearted person."

"You, Atlas-sama?!" gasped David.

"That can't be true!" objected Juri.

Unfortunately, the looks on the respective faces of the founding members of Team 6D's, Zack, and Discord all said otherwise. There was a short pause in the discussion as the rest of the group processed what they just heard. Eventually, the conversation resumed.

"Back when Zack, James, Carlie, and I were adopted by Discord," explained Michael, remembering the past, "we were raised to become some of the country's best duelists—with an exception to Zack."

"I wasn't all that interested in playing the game, so I was raised to instead become Industrial Illusions' heir," added Zack, causing David to raise an eyebrow with fascination, "Hey, just because I learned so much about the game doesn't mean I 'like' to play it."

"Out of James, Carlie, and Mike, the last was the most talented in dueling," cut in Discord, approaching and standing behind the trio, "He duels by mixing strategy with pure power in order to overwhelm his opponents, with his ace monster being 'Red Dragon Archfiend'."

"Mm!" nodded Michael, before taking out his Deck and looking at it, "It was thanks to this Deck I became the best duelist in all of North America after winning a major tournament and defeating its reigning champion," He looked up from remembering the past, "As a result, I received many challenges from other people who wanted to take my title, but they stood little to no chance against me."

"And back when the Duel Runners were still new, I even made Mike the spokesperson for the first line-up of them," Discord pointed out, before cheerfully holding up a picture of Wheel of Fortune, "The first one ever developed? Wheel of Fortune!"

"Unfortunately," Michael recalled, growing somewhat somber, "the newfound fame quickly got to me, and, without realizing it until the end, I grew increasingly arrogant, cruel, and many other unflattering terms as time went on," Faded stills of his past self were superimposed over him as he explained things further, "My only goal in a duel was to entertain the crowd and crush my opponents without mercy, sometimes even giving the opponents a fighting chance only to crush their hopes at the last second."

Nobody else knew what to say about what they were slowly learning about Michael Atlas.

"Thanks to me defeating Mike in a Turbo Duel and the others giving him a stern talking to, he learned the error of his ways," reassured Matt, "He then slowly, but surely, changed himself for the better."

"Based on what Lisa told us about the lookalike, this is likely what Mike could have become had he not changed and left us all behind," figured Zack, before casting glances at Michael and the bed-ridden Lisa, "A bloodthirsty, combat-loving lunatic."

"How exactly did it all go down?" asked Asagi, "I'd like to hear the whole story."

"Well, it's a pretty long one," admitted Matt, scratching the side of his head.

"We're all not going anywhere anytime soon," insisted Ashima.

"So, out with it!" requested Sean.

Matt nodded, "Alright, I'll tell you guys the story," he accepted, recalling everything, "I guess it all started after I defeated Carlie in that Duel Monsters tournament years ago. It was when I met her, James, and the likes."

A very long flashback ensued.

FLASHBACK

In one of the big stadiums, a 15-year old Matt Fudo had just defeated 14-year old Carlie Izayoi after an intense battle between 'Black Rose Dragon' and 'Stardust Dragon'. Discord was currently leading away a tearful-looking Carlie, who deeply regretted her violent actions towards Matt during their duel.

"Carlie Izayoi…" muttered Matt.

"AND IT'S OVER!" The voice of the MC announced, getting Matt's attention as he was then shown standing on his little table in excitement, "The winner of this intense, but also exciting and unforgettable, duel is Matt Fudo!"

The crowd started cheering over the dirty blonde-haired boy's victory over the 'Black Rose Witch' as Matt silently looked around. He could see, in the stands, his friends all looking really happy for his win and relieved he survived such destructive dueling.

"As the winner of this duel, he will go on to face the King of duelists, Michael Atlas, for the championship crown!" The voice of the MC went on, just before he was shown walking towards Matt, "So, tell us, how do you feel about this golden opportunity?"

"Err… well…" started Matt.

"But now," interrupted the MC, much to Matt's slight annoyance, "can we have the King down here to deliver a few words to our lucky winner here?"

In the stands, 15-year old Michael Atlas stood up from his seat and started making his way down, while both 14-year old James R. Hogan and 16-year old Zack Ruaka both watched. Before long, Michael arrived on the dueling stage where both Matt and the MC waited.

"King, is there anything you'd like to tell our lucky winner?" pressed the MC, offering the microphone to Michael.

"Hmph! Of course! There are a couple of words I'd like to say," scoffed Michael, taking the microphone and began addressing Matt, "Since you're the winner of this duel, I praise you for a job well done. However…" He pointed at Matt aggressively, "This will be where your tournament days will end! You and I will duel it out in none other than a Turbo Duel!"

Cue some excited gasps from the audience, and the MC looked like he would blow a gasket from excitement, seeing as while he enjoyed commentating on normal duels, he especially enjoyed commentating on Turbo Duels—especially if Michael Atlas was involved in one. Matt, however, was shocked by the declaration.

"A Turbo Duel?!" he exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" smirked Michael, "Are you suddenly getting cold feet over facing the King?"

"It's not that!" denied Matt hotly, "It's just I've never rode a Duel Runner before—let alone a motorcycle!"

"Oh?" taunted Michael, finding that confession to be amusing, "Then you'd better learn to ride one before our duel. Come early into the new year, you will lose everything to me!"

The crowd immediately resumed their cheering, while Matt cast an unsettled glance towards Michael, who took in the cheers from his adoring fans.

(elsewhere…)

Later outside a hotel Matt and his friends were staying at (all expenses paid), some voices were heard coming from inside the building.

"This is crazy!" A female voice was heard complaining, "Who does the King think he is, enforcing a Turbo Duel when you don't even know how to ride a Duel Runner?!"

"It sure is crazy, Jocelyne," A male voice agreed.

(inside…)

Inside one room, Matt laid on top of a bed, while everyone else either stood or was shown sitting on chairs. There were three other teenage boys and two teenage girls in the room with Matt. The first boy, 15-year old Kai, had short gray hair. The second boy, 17-year old Chris, had spiky brown hair and some facial hair growing in. The first girl, 16-year old Jocelyne, had short, light blonde hair. The third boy, 14-year old Jackson, had medium-length blue hair. And the final girl, 15-year old Miharu, had medium-length reddish pink hair.

"The CEO of Industrial Illusions Discord J. Crawford was kind enough to lend me a Duel Runner," commented Matt, "But still, I don't have a ton of time to learn how to ride one before my duel with the King in January."

"Don't sweat it," encouraged Kai, "We know you'll be ready for that duel. You know why? Because we're gonna help you."

"Help me?" repeated Matt.

"We're gonna teach you how to ride a Duel Runner," continued Kai, "Sure we can't ride one, but how hard can it be?"

"Those are words you could end up regretting to say, man," warned Chris.

"Whatever," Kai dismissed, before brushing his hands together, "Listen, I wanna help Matt because we're friends," He looked around the room at everyone else, "How about you guys?"

"I know I'm in," grinned Jackson.

"Me too," put in Miharu.

"Heck, I'll do anything to aid a friend," acknowledged Jocelyne, before realizing that one member of the team hasn't said a word, "Chris?" She could see that Chris still had his arms folded and looking stern, "Aren't you going to help Matt learn how to ride a Duel Runner, too?"

After a moment of silence from Chris, he closed his eyes for a moment, let out a sigh, opened his eyes, and smiled slightly while nodding. This caused Jackson and Jocelyne both to cheer, while Matt felt very grateful for his friends offering to help teach him to ride a Duel Runner.

(montage)

Before long, Matt and his friends were outside learning how to ride, drive, and duel using a Duel Runner. The first time was an epic fail on the part of Matt, since the second he tried drawing a card while seemingly getting the hang of it, he toggled over.

"Ouch…" groaned Matt, as Kai and Jackson both helped him up, "This is gonna be harder than I thought."

"Way to state the obvious," said Kai sarcastically.

Some of the other members like Jocelyne and Chris gave it a try, only for them to end up in the same state as Matt. Kai fared slightly better, but ended up crashing (not nearly as badly), too. By the end of the first day, Matt, Kai, Chris, and Jocelyne were all bruised and scraped as they relaxed inside the hotel's lobby.

"Day one of riding a Duel Runner… It was a bust," grumbled Chris.

"You're telling me," agreed Jocelyne, before wincing as Miharu placed some band-aids on her (Jocelyne) slightly scratched face, "Ohhh…"

Matt frowned in discouragement, beginning to wonder if he would ever be ready for his Turbo Duel with Michael. Despite the bad first day, Kai grinned and punched his friend's shoulder, letting him know (without words) that things would get better with some time. Sure enough, as the Christmas holidays and New Years passed, Matt was slowly starting to get better at riding a Duel Runner and dueling at the same time. Like when he tried dueling Kai…

"I Summon 'Speed Warrior'!" announced Matt, placing his card onto his Duel Runner.

Appearing onto the field was a humanoid-like monster wearing a gray space-like suit with goggles and a breathing mask over his face (Level: 2/ATK: 900/DEF: 400). From the sidelines, Jackson, Chris, Miharu, and Jocelyne all clapped over the successful Summon without toppling over. Kai, who was standing and using his Duel Disk, smiled with approval.

(end montage)

Before long, the night before the big duel, Matt was having dinner with his friends inside a restaurant.

"You've really gotten better," admired Jackson.

"I couldn't have done it without you guys," smiled Matt, before eating some of his stew, "Once we're done with dinner, I'll be returning to my room to look over my Deck and then get some sleep."

"Getting to bed early, are we?" joked Kai.

"His Turbo Duel with the King is tomorrow morning," reminded Miharu, "He needs to be up and at the stadium with the Duel Runner and his Deck for 8:00 am."

"The duel is at 10:00 am," recalled Chris.

"Well, suit yourself," Kai shrugged, "I guess that leaves the rest of us to hang out," In his mind, there was something else he was thinking about, "In order to surprise you, that is."

Jocelyne and Miharu winked at each other, appearing as though they knew what Kai was thinking. It was the same with Chris and Jackson, as well. Matt, unaware of what's being planned, simply kept eating his dinner.

(elsewhere…)

Before long, Matt had returned to the hotel and was inside his room making modifications to his Deck before collapsing onto his bed and falling asleep. The night carried on with him remaining in the dark as to what his group of friends were planning. Eventually, the sun started coming up while the alarm clock struck 7:00 and started ringing. In the bed, Matt stirred as he heard the ringing and woke up. Silently, he reached over and turned off the alarm, got out of the bed, and got ready to enter the bathroom to take a shower.

(elsewhere…)

Inside the steaming bathroom minutes later, Matt was in the middle of taking a hot shower.

"My duel with the King begins today," he thought to himself, "I watched one of his exhibition duels and I know how powerful he is. As good as I am, is it going to be enough to win? I guess I'll find that out when our duel does begin."

(outside…)

Later as Matt emerged from the room, dressed, he immediately encountered Miharu, who was looking very bright and cheerful.

"Sleep well?" asked Miharu.

"I guess," sighed Matt, before holding up his Deck, "I have my Deck, so let's go meet up with the others and head to the stadium."

"Before we leave, could you come with me?" requested Miharu.

Matt grew curious as to what his friend had in mind, but decided to find out what she wanted to show him. He started to follow, but was then met with being handed a blindfold.

"Before we go, please put this on," giggled Miharu.

"Okay then…" Matt accepted uneasily.

(outside…)

Outside the hotel, Miharu, holding her blindfolded friend's hand, was leading Matt out through the main entrance way.

"What is it you wanna show me?" questioned Matt, "You know we all have to be at the stadium for 8:00."

"We'll be there with plenty of time to spare," said Miharu, rolling her eyes, "Just keep coming this way."

She led her friend all the way to the back of the hotel, where Kai and the others were waiting. As soon as Jocelyne saw Matt blindfolded, she couldn't help but giggle on how surprised he was going to be once the blindfold came off.

"A little more, a little more…" insisted Miharu, still leading Matt before… "Stop!" She became giddy, "Now, take off your blindfold."

Glad this was over, Matt did as he was told. Once the blindfold was removed, he saw what appeared to be the Duel Runner Discord given him—except now it looked far more cool-looking and was complete with a new red and white paint job. Matt was speechless by what his friends did for him.

"How… What…" stammered Matt.

"Like it?" teased Kai, "Consider this a late Christmas gift from all of us. You see, when you retired for the night, we all banded together to secretly upgrade the Duel Runner into something we think will be able to match the King's Duel Runner."

"Wheel of Fortune," put in Jackson.

"That Duel Runner has both speed and power," commented Jocelyne, "There are rumors that it was the very first Duel Runner Industrial Illusions ever developed."

"Well, now it will have a rival," reassured Chris, patting the side of the newly upgraded Duel Runner, "We dub this Duel Runner, Fudo Go!" He looked at Matt and smiled sheepishly, "I just hope you don't mind it being slightly named after your last name, Matt."

Matt just smiled big, feeling very touched by what his friends did for him.

END FLASHBACK

The flashback briefly ended.

"What a sweet thing for your old friends to do for you," admired Ashima.

"So that's how you first got your Duel Runner, Fudo Go," added Janice.

"Yup," confirmed Matt, before recalling a few more memories of his old friends, "They were the best friends I could ever ask for. We were all orphans who grew up together on the streets of Vancouver while living with the other orphans and our foster parents in Caridad and Haruma."

"Whatever happened to them, Matt?" wondered Sean.

"Well, a few of them like Kai and Miharu still live in Vancouver to this very day," mused Matt, "The others like Jocelyne, Chris, and Jackson have eventually moved on to other cities in Canada as they grew up," The Astray trio, Sean, Janice, David, and Lisa all listened to the little story, "I've never forgotten about them, and usually either sent them an email or have a video chat…" He looked slightly upward at ceiling, "…at least once a month, sometimes twice."

"Fudo-san…" whispered David.

From there, the flashback resumed.

FLASHBACK

At last, the group proceeded to the big stadium for the final battle of the whole tournament. The stands were jam-packed with people wanting to see Michael duel and defend his crown again. Also present were Carlie Izayoi, James R. Hogan, Zack Ruaka, and Discord J. Crawford.

"Boy, oh boy, I just love these kinds of duels!" rejoiced Discord, "I sure am glad I thought of them," His eyes sparkled, "Card games on motorcycles! What a great idea!"

"I don't know about that," mumbled James R., placing both hands behind his head, "We all know these kinds of duels are just to inflate Mike's ever growing ego. Still… as good as I believe that Matt guy is, I don't think he's gonna last very long."

"Let's not get that far ahead," suggested Zack, getting James R.'s attention, "Remember his duel with Carlie before Christmas? He has access to a dragon similar to the ones you guys have."

"You mean 'Stardust Dragon'?" pondered Carlie, "Are you saying it's like my 'Black Rose Dragon' and James's 'Black-Winged Dragon'?"

Zack nodded, "And it seems similar to Mike's 'Red Dragon Archfiend'," he continued, "Something tells me they are connected in some way. How? I'm unsure."

James R., Carlie, and Discord each remained on the silent front from a statement like that.

(elsewhere…)

Outside a stadium garage, Matt was outside making a few final modifications to his Deck. Currently, Kai and Miharu went to get some lemonade from the nearby stands, while Chris, Jocelyne, and Jackson each were at their seats in the stands.

"Oi, Matt Fudo!" The voice of Michael called out.

This caused Matt to look up and, to his surprise, see the current champion of North America standing nearby, glaring coldly at him.

"You're Mike," realized Matt.

Michael grinned, "I see you've made a few upgrades to your new Duel Runner," he teased, "It definitely looks like an improvement over the older model."

"What do you want?" frowned Matt, not in the mood for taunts like that.

"I'm aware you have something very valuable," said Michael, "A card almost similar to mine."

Matt blinked, but then realized what his soon-to-be opponent was talking about; he took a card out of his Deck and held it out. It was the 'Stardust Dragon' Synchro Monster Card, which caused Michael to instead turn from a taunting grin into a malicious smile as he pulled a card out of his white motorcyclist suit and held it out, revealing it to be the 'Red Dragon Archfiend' Synchro Monster Card.

"That's…'Red Dragon Archfiend'," spluttered Matt, "You've used it in that exhibition duel!"

"Your 'Stardust Dragon'…" Michael uttered with unsatisfied greed, "I want it."

"What?!" exclaimed Matt, "What makes you think I'll give this card to you?"

"Not wanting to part ways with your best card?" huffed Michael, "Fine, why don't we make a friendly little wager for our duel?"

"Huh?"

"If you win the duel, the title of champion will be all yours," The lime green-haired boy explained, before a sinister gleam shined in his eyes, "But if I win…" A stunned Matt listened carefully to the final words, "Your 'Stardust Dragon' becomes mine, which, while fighting alongside 'Red Daemon's', will truly make me the King of all Kings!"

Matt's eyes widened.

"And besides, you would become champion anyway if you defeat me," ranted Michael proudly, "But that will never happen since even you can't ever beat someone like me!" He then turned around, "As King, I always get what I want—no matter the cost."

And the 'King' walked away to get himself ready for the duel, satisfied with what he just did, while Matt was left so speechless that he was not able to protest the so-called wager. As Michael left, Kai and Miharu both arrived with some lemonade and popcorn. They were a little worried when they saw the brief little encounter Matt had with the champion.

"Why was…the King here?" dreaded Miharu.

"Let's just say I now really have to win this duel," answered Matt grimly, "If I don't win," He cast a glance down at his 'Stardust Dragon' Synchro Monster Card, "I can say goodbye to 'Stardust Dragon'."

(elsewhere…)

Inside the stadium, it was time for the big duel to commence. The crowd cheered as Fudo Go and Wheel of Fortune lined up at the starting line. Fangirls in the stands and cheerleaders were all shown rooting for Michael (as usual). Michael smirked to himself, determined to entertain his fans like he always did.

"Challenger, I hope you've prepared your Deck well," Michael said to Matt, "Otherwise, you'll disappoint me when I smash you like a bug in our match."

"Don't worry about that, I won't disappoint you in the slightest," retorted Matt hotly, "You'll be more disappointed when I defeat you!"

Michael narrowed his eyes. So, this fool believes he can win? Well, those words will be eaten once the duel begins.

"This is it, everyone!" announced the MC, "The final battle of this tournament! Finalist Matt Fudo will be facing the champion, Michael Atlas, in a title match!" He then issued a command to both duelists on the track, "For this special duel, on the request of Discord J. Crawford, the player who goes first is allowed to draw a card! Duelists, prepare to duel!"

With that said, Matt and Michael pressed a button on the dashboard of their respective Duel Runners.

"Duel Mode, engaged," came a computerized voice aboard the two, respective Duel Runners, "Autopilot activated."

"As we often know, the first duelist to complete one lap around the track will be awarded the first turn!" The voice of the MC went on, before the countdown began, "And now, it's time! Turbo Duel! Acceleration!"

The countdown ended, and Fudo Go and Wheel of Fortune both tore across the track. As upgraded as Fudo Go was, Wheel of Fortune still had the overall edge in overall speed and power, so it easily won Michael the race.

"Challenger, you can have the first turn!" dared Michael.

"Oh?! What's this? The King won the race, but is allowing the challenger to go first?" gawked the MC, as both Duel Runners continued down the track and even moving along the walls evenly, "What could he be thinking? No matter, let the duel commence!"

Matt frowned with suspicion, but complied with the request to go first.

"It's my turn!" began Matt, drawing a card.

Turn One: Matt Fudo (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Synchro Blast", "Junk Synchron", "Descending Lost Star", "Crossline Counter", "Shining Silver Force", and "Shield Wing"

His drawn card was a Monster Card called 'Shield Wing', which he placed onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Runner (sideways) without hesitation.

"I Summon 'Shield Wing' in Defense Position!" Matt went on.

Appearing onto the field was a green bird-like creature with shields on its wings (Level: 2/ATK: 0/DEF: 900).

"I Set two cards face-down…" As Matt spoke, he made two face-down cards appear on the field in-front of Fudo Go as they faded away for later use, "…and end my turn!"

Michael was not impressed. In the stands, James R., Carlie, Zack, and Discord were all having a discussion about Matt and Michael.

"You know, it's probably a longshot, but I hope that Matt guy wins," admitted James R..

"Same here," agreed Carlie, "Mike might be our friend, but his attitude has been getting steadily worse after almost every duel he won."

Zack and Discord both were the only ones to remain silent on who they would support in the duel. Back on the track, the duel went into its second turn.

"It's my turn!" shouted Michael, drawing a card.

Turn Two: Michael Atlas (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Dark Tinker", "Powerful Rebirth", "Twin-Sword Marauder", "Fiend Cannon", "Tuner's Mind", and "The End of the Storm"

His drawn card was a Spell Card called 'The End of the Storm', which was added into his hand before another card was taken.

"I Summon 'Twin-Sword Marauder' in Attack Position!" continued Michael, placing his card onto his Duel Disk.

Appearing on the field was a human male wielding twin swords (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1000).

"Battle!" announced Michael, holding out his right hand while entering the Battle Phase, "'Twin-Sword Marauder', attack 'Shield Wing'!" As 'Twin-Sword Marauder' charged into battle, he revealed his monster's second effect, "If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, I must inflict piercing battle damage!"

'Twin-Sword Marauder' raised a sword and struck the defending 'Shield Wing', causing Matt to glow red and take damage from the attack (LP: 4000 → 3300).

"I figure you would Summon a defender monster by going first!" scolded Michael, "Dueling like the King means always being a step ahead of your opponent!"

"However, 'Shield Wing' also has an effect!" replied Matt, "Twice per turn, this card cannot be destroyed by battle."

"You're a fool!" snapped Michael, being keenly aware of how 'Shield Wing' worked, "The first effect of 'Twin-Sword Marauder' activates!" While explaining the effect, 'Twin-Sword Marauder' looked as though he was going to attack again, "Once per Battle Phase, if this card attacks a Defense Position monster, it can make a second attack in a row."

"What?!" gasped Matt.

"A King amongst Kings such as myself is always 'two' steps ahead!" boasted Michael, before giving the order, "Go!" While 'Twin-Sword Marauder' jumped into battle again, he announced the monster's attack name, "Double Assault!"

'Twin-Sword Marauder' struck 'Shield Wing' with the other sword, causing Matt to glow red again and take more damage (LP: 3300 → 2600). Michael, pleased he dealt some big damage on the first turn, looked at his hand, which contained 'Dark Tinker', 'Powerful Rebirth', 'Fiend Cannon', 'Tuner's Mind', and 'The End of the Storm'.

"This card…" thought Michael, staring at the final card ('The End of the Storm'), "This will be the card to lead you to your defeat, Matt," He then took a card ('Powerful Rebirth') from his hand and readied it before inserting it into his Duel Disk, "I Set one card face-down and end my turn!"

In the stands…

"Damn! Our friend has already lost 1400 LP!" complained Kai, "It's like the King allowed Matt the first turn on purpose!"

"But he hasn't given up yet!" reminded Jocelyne.

"C'mon, Matt!" encouraged Jackson loudly.

Back on the track…

"It's my turn!" declared Matt, drawing a card.

Turn Three: Matt Fudo (LP: 2600)
Deck: 53
Current Hand (4): "Junk Synchron", "Crossline Counter", "Shining Silver Force", and "Meteor Stream"

His drawn card was a Trap Card called 'Meteor Stream'.

"'Meteor Stream'… Will I need to use this card at some point?" thought Matt, before adding it into his hand, taking another card ('Junk Synchron') out, and playing it, "I Summon 'Junk Synchron'!"

Appearing onto the field was a robotic monster with an engine on his back (Level: 3/ATK: 1300/DEF: 500). He was soon joined by 'Shield Wing'.

"I tune Level 2 'Shield Wing' into Level 3 'Junk Synchron'!" proclaimed Matt.

On cue, 'Junk Synchron' pulled a cord on his armor, causing his motor backpack to start revving as his whole body started glowing a golden yellow. From there, the golden 'Junk Synchron' turned into three Synchro Rings which 'Shield Wing' dove into. As its body was outlined, it turned into two orbs of light as Matt was heard performing a Summon Chant.

"Gathering stars will call upon a new force! Become the path its light shines upon!" chanted Matt, as the symbols 2 + 3 = 5 were seen for a short period of time just before the two orbs of light in the trio of Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Show yourself, 'Junk Warrior'!"

As the beam of light disbursed, a purple robot-like warrior appeared onto the field before jumping into the sky and posing with a loud shout (Level: 5/ATK: 2300/DEF: 1300).

"Next, I'll activate a Continuous Trap, 'Synchro Blast'!" Matt went on, as one of his Set cards reappeared on the field beside Fudo Go (on its right), flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "Once per turn, when a Synchro Monster I control attacks an opponent's monster: I must inflict 500 damage to my opponent!"

From there, as the Battle Phase began, 'Junk Warrior' started firing up his jetpacks before diving through the area towards 'Twin-Sword Marauder'.

"Scrap Fist!" The voice of Matt commanded.

'Junk Warrior' obeyed, raising his right fist back before throwing an energized punch with a loud yell. Poor 'Twin-Sword Marauder' stood no chance against the attack, being destroyed on contact with the fist. Some shards of the destroyed monster soared past the annoyed-looking Michael as he sustained damage from the attack (LP: 4000 → 3300).

"Now you must accept an attack from 'Synchro Blast'!" reminded Matt, as his face-up Synchro Blast' Trap Card activated, "Fire!"

A large yellow beam fired, striking Wheel of Fortune and making Michael take more damage (LP: 3300 → 2800).

"That was a good one," admitted Michael, unconcerned, "Right now, you and I are about even in LP. However…" He drew a card, "It's my turn!"

Turn Four: Michael Atlas (LP: 2800)
Deck: 53
Current Hand (5): "Dark Tinker", "Fiend Cannon", "Tuner's Mind", "The End of the Storm", and "Tuner Capture"

His drawn card was a Trap Card called 'Tuner Capture'. Michael smirked to himself, knowing that his draws were spot on (as always).

"I Summon 'Dark Tinker'!" began Michael.

Appearing onto the field was a six-legged black spider armed with various tools (Level: 3/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1300).

"A Tuner monster…" mumbled Matt.

"Too bad he doesn't have any other monsters out," dismissed Kai.

However…

"Continuous Trap, 'Powerful Rebirth', activate!" proclaimed Michael, as his Set card reappeared on the field in-front of Wheel of Fortune, flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "I must activate this card by targeting 1 Level 4 or lower monster in my GY; I must Special Summon that target. I must increase its Level by 1 and ATK/DEF by 100," He gave the command, "Resurrect, 'Twin-Sword Marauder'!"

Reappearing on the field was 'Twin-Sword Marauder', now slightly stronger than from before (Level: 5/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1100).

"Oh no, that makes eight in total!" cried Miharu.

"That means the King's ace monster, 'Red Dragon Archfiend', is coming!" acknowledged Jackson.

"Commoners, etch this into your minds!" hollered Michael, "The three-steps-ahead dueling of the King of Kings!" As the command was given, 'Dark Tinker' turned into three Synchro Rings, "I tune Level 5 'Twin-Sword Marauder' into Level 3 'Dark Tinker'!"

'Twin-Sword Marauder' soared into the three Synchro Rings, turning into five orbs of light along with a Summon Chant being echoed throughout.

"The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power!" chanted Michael, as the symbols 5 + 3 = 8 were shown briefly just before the five orbs of light within the three Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon!" Several shadowed, scary features started to show themselves from the light bright, "My very soul, 'Red Dragon Archfiend'!"

Out of the massive beam of light and flying above Wheel of Fortune, was a fiendish-looking dragon with two (three?) curved horns, black and red skin, sharp claws, sharp teeth, and two large, demonic-looking red wings sticking out of its back (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2000). The audience watched in complete awe, while Discord, James R., Carlie, Zack, Kai, Jocelyne, Miharu, Chris, and Jackson all were shocked.

"Back then, in order to walk down the path of the King, to crawl out from the depths of society, I studied extremely hard," thought Michael, as faded stills of his younger self winning against the previous champion were superimposed over him, "I ultimately defeated the previous champion and became the strongest duelist in North America… However… I'll never become the greatest duelist on the planet without earning 'Stardust Dragon'!" He spoke aloud, "Listen up, Matt! As I told you before, you can't win against me!" Matt listened to the threatening words towards him (Matt), "When this Turbo Duel is over, 'Stardust' will be all mine and I will continue rising to a greater height as King!"

END FLASHBACK

The flashback ended once again, and the glaring eyes of Lisa, David, Sean, Janice, Ashima (even her), Asagi, Mayura, and Juri (especially her) were all on Michael, upset they were learning for the first time just how truly bad of a person he used to be.

"You never told any of us about that, Mike," accused Ashima.

"You actually wanted to take 'Stardust Dragon' away from Matt?!" berated Janice.

"Atlas-sama, why?!" cried David.

"You really were a terrible person!" exclaimed Sean.

Michael said nothing as more and more questions and accusations were being thrown his way, but he was clearly ashamed because he knew his new friends were right about him being horrible back in the day and made no effort to deny or dispute any of their claims. Meanwhile, Matt, James R., Carlie, Zack, and Discord all were thankfully far more sympathetic towards their friend.

"Just let me continue telling the story," offered Matt, trying to calm everyone else down, "You'll see that Mike did ultimately learn the error of his ways."

That seemed to do the trick, and allowed Matt to sigh with relief as the flashback resumed.

FLASHBACK

As Matt's duel with Michael continued, the former still controlled 'Junk Warrior' (Level: 5/ATK: 2300/DEF: 1300), and the latter had just Synchro Summoned 'Red Dragon Archfiend' (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2000) by tuning 'Twin-Sword Marauder' with 'Dark Tinker'.

"I activate the effect of 'Dark Tinker'!" declared Michael, drawing a card, "When this card is sent from the field to the GY: I must draw 1 card," He then made Wheel of Fortune do a 180 as it now faced the opposition (despite still driving down the track), "Matt! Only I rule the duel! As the one true King!"

As the form of bragging proceeded, 'Red Dragon Archfiend' stood tall as it flew into the sky and the Battle Phase commenced.

"Kneel before your King!" The voice of Michael thundered on, as 'Red Dragon Archfiend' lit its right claw on fire, soared into combat, and threw a fiery punch at the enemy monster, "Absolute Powerforce!"

'Junk Warrior' raised his right fist back before trying to retaliate by, with a loud yell, using Scrap Fist, but his attack ended up viciously deflected; he then got hit by Absolute Powerforce and ended up destroyed.

"Can the Satellite Shooting Star, Matt Fudo, catch up?!" The voice of the MC howled, as 'Red Dragon Archfiend' kept its flaming claw inches away from Fudo Go, "Or will this be his final lap?!"

Shards from what was left of 'Junk Warrior' soared past Matt as he grimaced and took major damage from the resulting battle (LP: 2600 → 1900).

"See that, Matt!?" roared Michael, still facing Fudo Go (and Matt), "Before the King, the reasons of the weak hold no water!" He then turned Wheel of Fortune back around while still looking over his shoulder with a very cold look on his face, before taking three cards from his hand, "The only two syllables that will be left behind after this duel will be 'defeat'!"

He then slotted all three cards into his Duel Disk at the same time, causing three Set cards to materialize on the speeding field around Wheel of Fortune before fading away for later use.

"I Set three cards face-down and end my turn!" finished Michael.

In the stands, as he, James R., Carlie, and Zack all watched the two Duel Runners race past the finish line and begin another lap, Discord had a thought about Michael's strategy from the very start of the duel.

"Mike must have gathered the key cards he needed for 'Red Daemon's' Summon from his opening hand," The creator of Duel Monsters figured, getting the attention of James R. and Carlie, "But he let Matty-boy go first because he wanted to first toy with him and deal as much damage as possible."

Nothing else was said by either James R., Carlie, or Zack. Back on the track, Matt began his next turn.

"It's my turn!" he announced, drawing a card.

Turn Five: Matt Fudo (LP: 1900)
Deck: 52
Current Hand (4): "Crossline Counter", "Shining Silver Force", "Meteor Stream", and "Hyper Synchron"

His drawn card was a Monster Card called 'Hyper Synchron'. Knowing what to do, he made a move.

"I activate a Trap, 'Descending Lost Star'!" began Matt, as his second and last Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself, "I must target 1 Synchro Monster in my GY; I must Special Summon that target in Defense Position, but negate its effects, its Level is reduced by 1, its DEF becomes 0, also its battle position cannot be changed," While speaking on, reappearing on the field was a heavily nerfed 'Junk Warrior' (Level: 4/ATK: 2300/DEF: 0), "Resurrect, 'Junk Warrior'!"

"'Junk Warrior'?" frowned Michael.

"Then, from my hand, I'll Summon the Tuner monster, 'Hyper Synchron'!" concluded Matt, placing one more card onto his Duel Runner.

Appearing onto the field was a blue and yellow-colored robot (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 800).

"I tune Level 4 'Junk Warrior' into Level 4 'Hyper Synchron'!"

Obeying the command to tune, 'Hyper Synchron' released four orbs of light from its chest before shattering into shards of glass. In the stands…

"Four and four equals-!" started Chris.

"Eight!" Jocelyne, Miharu, and Jackson each cheered.

Back on the field, 'Junk Warrior' soared into the four Synchro Rings, turning into four orbs of light as a heroic-sounding Summon Chant from Matt was heard.

"Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon!" chanted Matt, as the symbols 4 + 4 = 8 were shown briefly just before the four orbs of light within the four Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Take flight, 'Stardust Dragon'!"

As the beam of light burst apart, a large, lean-looking dragon with white/silver scales and two majestic-looking wings sticking out of its back took to the skies and made some specks of stardust rain upon the field harmlessly (Level: 8/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000). Rather than look afraid of it, Michael simply snickered quietly to himself for a few seconds before bursting into louder, fairly evil laughter.

"So, you've finally arrived, 'Stardust'!" boomed Michael proudly, "Now I can proceed to defeat you…" He pointed upward into the sky at 'Stardust Dragon', "…and take away your power for my own use!"

'Red Dragon Archfiend' unleashed a mighty roar upon the arrival of its fellow dragon and opponent, while 'Stardust Dragon' returned the roar, accepting the challenge without fear or hesitation. Matt, meanwhile, was about to fire off a retort when he felt a stinging pulse on his clothed right forearm. Upon looking down at it, he didn't see anything wrong with his arm. Recovering, Matt resumed his turn, full of confidence now that he had his ace monster on the field.

"'Hyper Synchron's' effect!" declared Matt, just as the spirit of 'Hyper Synchron' appeared on the field and became one with 'Stardust Dragon', "A Dragon Synchro Monster that was Synchro Summoned using this card on the field as Synchro Material gains these effects."

These were the added effects written on the Monster Card in-question:
-"This card cannot be destroyed by battle!"
-"This card gains 800 ATK!"
-"During your second Standby Phase after this turn, I must banish this face-up card!"

When the explanation ended, 'Stardust Dragon' roared and gained strength (ATK: 2500 → 3300).

"Hmph!" grinned Michael, before losing said grin and speaking aloud, "I activate 'Tuner Capture'!"

His first Set card reappeared on the field behind Wheel of Fortune, flipped face-up, and revealed itself, just as 'Hyper Synchron' emerged from the face-up card onto the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 800).

"What?!" gasped Matt.

"When my opponent Synchro Summons a monster: I must target 1 Tuner in my opponent's GY that was used for that Synchro Summon; I must Special Summon it," explained Michael, "Since you've Summoned 'Stardust', your 'Hyper Synchron' is now serving me!"

"Oh my!" The voice of the MC cried out, as the audience continued to watch, "The King has taken Matt's monster for his very own!"

Not about to let his opponent gain the upper hand any further, Matt entered his Battle Phase and tried to take 'Red Dragon Archfiend' down as quickly as possible.

"Go, 'Stardust Dragon'!" commanded Matt, as 'Stardust Dragon' opened its mouth, "Attack 'Red Dragon Archfiend'!"

"I, the King, already know what you have planned!" bragged Michael, as he made his second Set card reappear on the field behind Wheel of Fortune, flipped it face-up, and revealed it, "I activate a Trap, 'Tuner's Mind'!" As the explanation proceeded, 'Red Dragon Archfiend' started glowing blue before it came apart and became both 'Twin-Sword Marauder' (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1000) and 'Dark Tinker' (Level: 3/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1300) respectively, "When a Synchro Monster I control is targeted for an attack: I must return it to the Extra Deck, then, if all the Synchro Materials used in that monster's Synchro Summon are in my GY, I can Special Summon them!"

"If I leave 'Twin-Sword Marauder' there," thought Matt, "Mike will tune it with 'Hyper Synchron' and bring 'Red Dragon Archfiend' back with stronger stats," He narrowed his eyes, "In that case…" A command was issued to 'Stardust Dragon' as it opened its mouth, "'Stardust Dragon', attack 'Twin-Sword Marauder'! Roar! Cosmic Flare!"

'Stardust Dragon' obeyed, charging and firing off a blast of stardust-like fire from its mouth towards 'Twin-Sword Marauder'. As the attack got closer, 'Dark Tinker' suddenly got in the way and took it instead.

"What?!" blinked Matt.

"As I've said before… I already know all of your plans," sneered Michael, even as shards from his destroyed 'Dark Tinker' soared past him, "More to the point, there's a part of my Trap Card you don't seem to know about," He then went over what else his 'Tuner's Mind' Trap Card did, "The Tuner Special Summoned by this effect becomes the new attack target."

"Grr… The continuous effect of 'Synchro Blast' activates!" countered Matt.

The face-up 'Synchro Blast' Trap Card fired another large beam, striking Wheel of Fortune and dealing Michael another 500 damage (LP: 2800 → 2300).

"Once per turn, when a Synchro Monster I control attacks an opponent's monster: I must inflict 500 damage to my opponent!" Matt reminded briefly.

"That attack didn't hurt me in the slightest!" dismissed Michael, before drawing another card, "When 'Dark Tinker' is sent from the field to the GY: I must draw 1 card."

"I end my turn," finished Matt.

After the stadium came to a hush, it was time for Michael to keep up the momentum against his opponent.

"It's my turn!" cried Michael, drawing another card.

Turn Six: Michael Atlas (LP: 2300)
Deck: 50
Current Hand (4): "The End of the Storm", "Vice Dragon", "Sneak Exploder", and "Crimson Fire"

Upon seeing his drawn 'Crimson Fire' Trap Card…

"I tune Level 4 'Twin-Sword Marauder' into Level 4 'Hyper Synchron'!" declared Michael.

Like it did once before, 'Hyper Synchron' released four orbs of light from its chest before shattering into shards of glass. The orbs became four large Synchro Rings, which 'Twin-Sword Marauder' soared into before turning into four more orbs of light as an all-too familiar Summon Chant soon began.

"The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power!" chanted Michael, as the symbols 4 + 4 = 8 were shown very briefly. From there, the four orbs of light within the four Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light as familiar claws appeared from it and a small, evil smile appeared on his face, "Synchro Summon! My very soul, 'Red Dragon Archfiend'!"

Reappearing in the sky was the demon-like dragon (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2000). The spirit of 'Hyper Synchron' then merged with it.

"Behold its valiant form!" boomed Michael. He then made Wheel of Fortune do a 180 as it now faced the opposition (despite still driving down the track), "This is the mightiest of all my servants, who walks on the path of the King alongside me!"

'Red Dragon Archfiend' stood tall as it flew into the sky. Before anything else could happen, Michael felt something underneath his clothed right forearm, causing him some pain.

"Ngh! What the hell is this-?!" hissed Michael, before shaking off the pain and continuing with his turn. As he explained what 'Hyper Synchron' did, 'Red Dragon Archfiend' glowed red and grew stronger (ATK: 3000 → 3800), "By using 'Hyper Synchron' as its material, the ATK of 'Red Daemon's', a Dragon Synchro Monster, increases by 800!"

"Here he comes…" thought Matt.

"Take this!" roared Michael, while 'Red Dragon Archfiend' reared its head back while charging fire in its mouth, "Blazing Crimson Hell Flare!"

'Red Dragon Archfiend' obeyed, firing its blast of flame towards Flashback Matt's 'Stardust Dragon'. The attack did hit, but 'Stardust Dragon' was able to withstand and shrug it off with its arms.

"By using 'Hyper Synchron' as its material, a Dragon Synchro Monster like 'Stardust Dragon' cannot be destroyed by battle!" explained Matt, revealing another added effect while taking battle damage (LP: 1900 → 1400).

"I know that!" retorted Michael hotly, before making his Set card reappear on the field beside him (on his right), "I activate a Trap, 'Fiend Cannon'!"

The Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself. From there, the 'Fiend Cannon' Trap Card turned around and fired a beam, striking Fudo Go and Matt.

"When a monster my opponent controls is attacked and not destroyed by battle: I must inflict 500 damage to my opponent!" The voice of Michael explained roughly, while Matt grimaced from the attack as he took more damage (LP: 1400 → 900). He then made his Wheel of Fortune turn back around and move down the track normally, "This is how the King duels, Matt! As long as I'm being chased, you're no match for me! In fact-"

He stopped when the extreme pain in his right forearm returned. This time, however, Matt started to feel the exact same pain in his own right forearm.

"Not again!" winced Michael.

"What in the world is with this throbbing pain?" Matt groaned, but then, to his shock, some red glow was coming onto his forearm, "W-What is this…?"

Not only was the red glowing showing up on the dirty blonde-haired boy's right forearm, the same was happening to Michael, too.

"What in…blazes?!" he snarled in pain

"My… my arm!" gasped Matt.

Before either two duelists knew it, two different-shaped glowing birthmarks were being imprinted (or, to put it bluntly, burnt) onto Matt (Dragon's Head) and Michael's (Dragon's Wings) respective right forearms. Not only that, a stream of fire erupted in the middle of the track and in-between 'Stardust Dragon' and 'Red Dragon Archfiend'. The fire soon became…a gigantic dragon, who let out a loud roar. The crowd watching the duel was aghast by what they're seeing.

"What is that?!" demanded Michael, shocked.

What was it, indeed.

END FLASHBACK

The flashback ended again.

"That was the Crimson Dragon," remembered James R., before casting a glance at Carlie, Zack, and Discord, "You three remember seeing it in the duel, right?"

"A really dumb question since we've just talked about it, but yes, obviously," deadpanned Zack.

"It was a really shocking moment seeing as we had no idea at the time what it even was," admitted Carlie.

The flashback resumed.

FLASHBACK

The Crimson Dragon continued flying between 'Stardust Dragon' and 'Red Dragon Archfiend'. On the podium, the MC believed he was seeing very strange things.

"Are my eyes seeing things!?" he worried.

Likewise, the audience was both confused and aghast.

"What is that thing?!" panicked Jackson.

"When did that monster get Summoned?" came from Kai.

Back on the track, even though he was initially shocked by the Crimson Dragon's appearance, Michael now was outright excited by it despite having no idea what it even was.

"So, you're a God of sorts?!" laughed Michael in delight, "You've chosen the perfect opportunity to appear! You're witnessing the ultimate duel between the King and a commoner!"

"Mike, this is getting dangerous!" warned Matt, pulling up, "If we continue any more with this duel, there's no telling what will happen!"

"Afraid are we, Matt!?" Michael scoffed harshly, "He who trembles at the fear laid before them doesn't deserve to be a duelist! Even if all of creation shatters to pieces, I will continue with this duel!"

"Mike…!" muttered Matt.

Within the skies of the Duel 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.

"What the-?!" cried Michael, before he and Matt were swallowed up by the Crimson Dragon.

When that was done, the Crimson Dragon let out a roar and took off into the darkened sky, spreading its wings out.

END FLASHBACK

The flashback ended for now.

"Given those conditions, I can safely assume what occurred next," guessed David, before casting a glance towards Matt and Michael as they listened, "You both ended up in the same area where we, Lisa-chan, Izayoi-san, Zack-senpai, and Hogan-kun…" He nodded, "…all ended up when 'Life Stream Dragon' and 'Black-Winged Dragon' began to clash?"

"Damn right," confirmed Michael.

"It was where we finished our duel," added Matt.

The flashback resumed.

FLASHBACK

Within what appeared to be like outer space, Matt and Michael, still riding their Duel Runners (Matt: Fudo Go, Michael: Wheel of Fortune), found themselves riding along a golden path or something, and they still had 'Stardust Dragon' (Matt) and 'Red Dragon Archfiend' (Michael) by their respective sides.

"Where are we?" quizzed Matt.

"What is this?" added Michael, looking around.

Pretty soon, they both came across a tall Incan pyramid. There, they saw lots of people gathered below the steps kneeling and bowing.

"Is that…?" began Michael.

"…an Incan pyramid?" finished Matt.

As the two competitors flew up the pyramid on their Duel Runners, they came across six priests standing at the top with their hands in the air. To the surprise of Matt and Michael respectively, they could see the six priests all had the Mark of the Dragon on their respective right forearms—specifically the Dragon's Foot (Carlie) and Dragon's Tail (James R.).

"Those people…have the same birthmarks that Carlie and James have!" realized Michael.

"What?" demanded Matt.

"However, I don't recognize the birthmarks the other four people have," Michael admitted, "They're all completely new to me."

"But what on Earth does this all mean?" pressed Matt, "How are we going to get out of here?"

"Matt, let's proceed with the duel!" interrupted Michael.

Matt gawked, "What?!"

"Even if the end of this duel carries the both of us into Hell," insisted Michael stubbornly, "I will defeat you and your 'Stardust Dragon'!"

"Mike!" yelled Matt.

"Don't you see?!" Michael went on, "Our duel has transported us here! So, the only way to get out of here is to finish said duel!" To prove that, he pulled on ahead, then took two cards from his hand and slotted them into his Duel Disk, "I Set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

Two face-down cards appeared on the field in-front of Wheel of Fortune before fading away for later use. As both Wheel of Fortune and Fudo Go both drove further down the trail of light, Matt was very displeased over how stubborn Michael was behaving, but knew he (Michael) had a good point. The only way back is to settle the duel, and that's what the dirty blonde-haired boy was going to do.

"It's my turn!" declared Matt, drawing a card.

Turn Seven: Matt Fudo (LP: 900)
Deck: 51
Current Hand (4): "Crossline Counter", "Shining Silver Force", "Meteor Stream", and "Silver Contrails"

Without wasting a second…

"I activate the Spell Card, 'Silver Contrails'!" began Matt, slotting the drawn card into his Duel Runner and causing the mentioned Spell Card to materialize face-up on the field beside him (on his right). The card quickly turned into a tornado and rose until it overwhelmed 'Stardust Dragon', "I must target 1 WIND Synchro Monster I control; it gains 1000 ATK during the Battle Phase of this turn."

'Stardust Dragon' grew stronger again (ATK: 3300 → 4300).

"Now 'Stardust' is stronger than 'Red Daemon's'!" reminded Matt, before swinging his right arm and entering his Battle Phase, "'Stardust Dragon'!" From there, his ace monster started charging its attack, "Roar! Cosmic Flare!"

'Stardust Dragon' obeyed, firing off a white blast, striking 'Red Dragon Archfiend' but not destroying it. Michael, glowing purple, cried out as he rocked about and his LP took a decent hit (LP: 2300 → 1800).

"What is this pain I'm feeling?" thought Michael, "An actual impulse just ran through my entire body!" A terrifying, yet exciting, realization hit him, "So…this battle has truly become reality!"

"Next, the effect of my Continuous Trap, 'Synchro Blast', activates!" announced Matt, as his face-up 'Synchro Blast' Trap Card reappeared on the field beside Fudo Go (on its right).

The face-up 'Synchro Blast' Trap Card activated and fired another large beam, striking Wheel of Fortune and dealing Michael another 500 damage as he growled in pain (LP: 1800 → 1300).

"By using 'Hyper Synchron' as its material, a Dragon Synchro Monster like 'Red Daemon's' cannot be destroyed by battle," reminded Michael, going over his monster's added effect, "'Stardust' also shares this effect—it's now a true battle between you and I for the title of King!"

Matt silently listened before looking at his hand, which contained 'Crossline Counter', 'Shining Silver Force', and 'Meteor Stream'. Knowing those cards would need to be used, he took hold of and readied them.

"I Set three cards face-down and end my turn!" finished Matt, slotting the cards into his Duel Runner at the same time.

On the monitor of Wheel of Fortune, the opponent's Spell & Trap Zones now had three Set cards, compliments of Matt.

"Three face-down cards," thought Michael, with narrowed eyes, "Is he making his move!?"

He took the time to stare at what remaining cards were in his hand. He started to realize what Matt was aiming for and saw a game-winning combo using his 'The End of the Storm' Spell Card, Matt's 'Stardust Dragon', the Set 'Sneak Exploder' Trap Card, Matt's Set 'Meteor Stream' Trap Card, and finally both 'Red Dragon Archfiend' and the Set 'Crimson Fire' Trap Card. Now more determined than ever to win the duel and prove that he really was the King of Duelists, his (possibly final?) turn began.

"It's my turn!" roared Michael, drawing a card.

Turn Eight: Michael Atlas (LP: 1300)
Deck: 49
Current Hand (3): "The End of the Storm", "Vice Dragon", "Big Piece Golem"

From there, he made Wheel of Fortune do a 180 as it now faced the opposition (despite still driving down the track).

"'Red Daemon's', attack 'Stardust Dragon'!" commanded Michael, while 'Red Dragon Archfiend' stood tall as it flew into the sky, "Absolute Powerforce!"

'Red Dragon Archfiend' obeyed, lit its right claw on fire, soared into combat, and threw a fiery punch at the enemy monster. 'Stardust Dragon' got hit, but was not destroyed. Matt started glowing purple as he also yelled in pain while losing some LP (LP: 900 → 400).

"My soul, 'Red Daemon's' will never lose to the likes of you and 'Stardust'!" thought Michael bitterly.

"What was with that impulse just now!?" grimaced Matt.

"As I told you, this is a true battle between you and I for the title of King," answered Michael, "If we lower our guard, it'll be our souls that will shatter when this duel is over!"

Matt didn't like the sound of that; but he was still in the battle, and he was going to take advantage of it.

"I activate a Trap, 'Crossline Counter'!" proclaimed Matt, as his first Set card reappeared on the field beside him (on his right), flipped face-up, and revealed itself. As he explained the card's effect, 'Stardust Dragon' found itself absorbing a magical cross-like thing before the symbols 500 x 2 = 1000 were shown for two second as it grew stronger (ATK: 3300 → 4300), "During my opponent's turn, when I take battle damage: I must target 1 monster I control; it gains ATK equal to twice the battle damage I took, also the opponent's monster must attack the monster targeted by this effect, if able!"

"Heh! That's more like it!" grinned Michael.

And the Battle Phase resumed…

"'Stardust Dragon'!" commanded Matt, as 'Stardust Dragon', still in the sky, opened its mouth to charge an attack, "Roar! Cosmic Flare!"

'Stardust Dragon' obeyed, firing off another white blast, striking 'Red Dragon Archfiend' as it tried defending itself from the attack. Although 'Red Dragon Archfiend' was not destroyed thanks to the inherited effect of 'Hyper Synchron', Michael, glowing purple, once again cried out as his LP took another hit (LP: 1300 → 800).

"Mike!" called Matt.

"You should worry about yourself rather than me!" demanded Michael sharply. Growing dangerously enraged and desperate, he gripped onto the handles of Wheel of Fortune and sped up the Duel Runner considerably to the point of getting far away from Fudo Go, "I refuse to lose to anybody! I'm the King, and the King should never lose a duel of any kind!"

"Mike…" murmured Matt.

"Matt, I'm going to finish this duel with a card I've been saving since the very start of our duel!" With that said, Michael used his right hand to take hold of a card ('The End of the Storm') from his (what else?) hand, show it off for a moment, and then slot it into his Duel Disk, "I activate the Spell Card, 'The End of the Storm'!"

The mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field beside Wheel of Fortune (on its left), before letting loose a massive windstorm of sorts with the full intention of destroying every monster on the field no matter who's side they were on.

"I must destroy all monsters on the field, then inflict 300 damage to each player for each of their destroyed monsters!" explained Michael, "This will be the card to settle things between us!"

"With each of us having one monster, we will both take 300 damage," thought Matt, "But that card won't work so long as I have access to 'Stardust's' abilities…" He finally held his right hand into the sky, "As of now, I'll activate 'Stardust Dragon's' first effect!" As the effect explanation proceeded, 'Stardust Dragon' let out a roar before glowing white and dissolving into specks of stardust, "When a card or effect is activated that would destroy a card(s) on the field (Quick Effect): I can Tribute this card; I must negate the activation, and if I do, destroy it!"

"That's right! You have no other choice, Matt!" accepted Michael, actually taking the loss of his card rather well, "However, even if the full effect of 'The End of the Storm' went through, your LP wouldn't have fallen to 0!" From there, he watched as the face-up 'The End of the Storm' Spell Card shattered into shards of glass, but was far from finished—in fact, his true plan for victory was ready to be triggered, "Since you no longer control any monsters, this card will definitely finish you off… I activate a Continuous Trap, 'Sneak Exploder'!"

The second Set card appeared on the field in-front of Wheel of Fortune, flipped face-up, and revealed itself.

"During my opponent's next Standby Phase: I must send this card to the GY, and if I do, inflict 500 damage to my opponent for each monster I control!" The voice of Michael explained, while Matt listened, "That means once you've drawn a card and your Standby Phase begins, I will win the duel and get access to your 'Stardust Dragon', Matt!"

Matt was worried; this meant he would lose the duel as soon as his turn even began. However, he was only worried for a second before realizing there was still time to prevent that loss from ever happening.

"'Stardust Dragon's' second effect!" announced Matt, just as 'Stardust Dragon' reappeared on the field (Level: 8/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000), "During the End Phase, if this effect was activated this turn (and was not negated): I can Special Summon this card from my GY," He then made his second Set card reappear on the field beside him (on his right), flipped it face-up, and revealed what it was, "I activate a Trap, 'Meteor Stream'! When a monster is Special Summoned during the turn it was sent from the field to the GY as a Tribute: I must inflict 1000 damage to my opponent!"

'Stardust Dragon' let out another roar before flying higher into the sky and flapping its wings, sending several balls of fire raining down towards the field around Wheel of Fortune in an attempt to finish Michael off.

"This is the moment I've been waiting for!" shouted Michael, catching Matt off-guard, "This victory alone will prove once and for all that I am indeed the one, true King of Turbo duelists!" He then made his final Set card reappear on the field behind Wheel of Fortune, had it flipped face-up, and revealed "Counter Trap, 'Crimson Fire', activate!" The fireballs were being absorbed by 'Red Dragon Archfiend', who had gotten in the way of them in order to protect its master from any harm, "When my opponent activates a Spell/Trap Card that would inflict damage to me, while I control a 'Red Dragon Archfiend': My opponent takes twice the effect damage I would have taken, instead!"

Matt's eyes widened.

"Go, 'Red Daemon's'!" ordered Michael, as 'Red Dragon Archfiend' charged up fire in its mouth, "Blazing Crimson Hell Flare!"

The mighty flame attack was fired off towards a defenseless Fudo Go.

"Farewell, Matt!" called Michael, with utter contempt in his tone.

But just when it looked like Matt would be defeated by the 'Crimson Fire' Trap Card, he made a final move of his own…

"Counter Trap, 'Shining Silver Force', activate!" declared Matt, as his final Set card reappeared on the field beside him (on his left). A barrier then surrounded him and prevented Blazing Crimson Hell Flare from connecting, "When my opponent activates a Trap Card that would inflict damage to me: I must negate the activation, and if I do, destroy it," While he (Matt) spoke on, Michael watched helplessly as both of his (Michael) face-up Spell/Trap Cards shattered into shards of glass, "then destroy all face-up Spells/Traps my opponent controls."

"Damn you and your shrewd tricks!" cursed Michael.

Before long, Fudo Go was able to catch up to Wheel of Fortune until they were driving side-by-side.

"Mike, this will be the final turn!" warned Matt.

"Right," Michael dismissed sneeringly, "But 'Stardust' only has an ATK of 2500! That's not enough to fight and destroy 'Red Daemon's', who still has an ATK of 3800!"

Fudo Go then passed Wheel of Fortune as Matt prepared to draw his last card, hoping to end the duel on this turn.

"It's my turn!" cried Matt, drawing his card with a Destiny Draw.

Turn Nine: Matt Fudo (LP: 400)
Deck: 50
Current Hand (1): "Final Attack"

Upon seeing his drawn 'Final Attack' Spell Card…

"Spell Card, 'Final Attack'!" began Matt, placing his drawn card onto his Duel Runner.

The mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the speeding field in-front of Fudo Go.

"I must target 1 face-up monster I control; I must make the ATK of that monster I control become double its current ATK, but it cannot attack directly, and is destroyed during the End Phase of this turn."

Glowing all white, 'Stardust Dragon's' ATK doubled in strength (ATK: 2500 → 5000).

"An ATK of 5000?!" cringed Michael.

'Red Dragon Archfiend', still flying above Wheel of Fortune, merely growled in response (ATK: 3800).

"This is the final move!" proclaimed Matt, entering the Battle Phase while the new Mark of the Dragon on his right forearm started glowing, "No one will ever beat our bonds! 'Stardust Dragon'!"

'Stardust Dragon' let loose a roar, which signaled it was going to attack and finish Michael off.

"Roar! Cosmic Flare!" The voice of Matt commanded with force.

The signature move from the majestic-looking dragon was unleashed; not once, not twice, but THREE times! 'Red Dragon Archfiend' and Wheel of Fortune were both hit. While 'Red Dragon Archfiend' was not destroyed, Michael screamed in dread as his remaining LP finally ran out (LP: 800 → 0).

DUEL RESULTS: Matt Fudo wins!

From there, Michael and Matt both found themselves back in the San Francisco race track with Fudo Go and Wheel of Fortune both coming to a complete stop. Matt was huffing and puffing from the intense duel, while Michael was looking beyond stunned over his first actual loss in a duel. Meanwhile, both 'Stardust Dragon' and 'Red Dragon Archfiend' were shown to have turned into statues while fighting each other up close, but they ended up crumbling to dust since the duel was finally over. The audience, on the other hand, was confused beyond belief.

"Wha-What the heck happened?!" wailed Kai.

"As the ace monsters of Matt and Mike duked it out, a humongous dragon made of fire showed up," put in Jocelyne, "But then my eyes totally caught a heap load of light!"

"Aaah!" cried Miharu, pointing nearby while getting the attention of everyone else, "You guys, look there!"

The scoreboard listed the LP scores as followed:
-Matt Fudo: 400 LP
-Michael Atlas: 0 LP

"Mike's LP…are 0," whispered Jackson.

The rest of the group gasped, which meant one thing… Nearby, Discord, Carlie, Zack, and James R. all were left wondering what just happened, too, but the first thing they noticed on the scoreboard was that Michael's LP was completely depleted, meaning he officially lost the Turbo Duel.

"Mike lost…!" uttered Zack.

Meanwhile, back on the track, Matt got off Fudo Go, removed his helmet, and then raced over to see if his opponent was alright.

"Hey, are you okay?!" called Matt.

"Impossible…" stammered Michael, filled with nothing but absolute shame over being defeated, "For me, the King, to suffer defeat…"

After a briefly beat…

"I know this may sound preposterous, but I somehow knew what you were going for in order to win," frowned Matt, calmly speaking nothing but the truth, "You gave into your selfish pride of trying to be King."

Michael gritted his teeth in anger, but his eyes widened as he suddenly had quick, mental flashbacks to his time as the champion. For the first time ever, he started to see clearly and remember all of the genuinely horrible things he said and did towards his previous challengers, some of whom were genuine fans before he left them hurt. Before long, his anger faded away and was replaced by remorse, disgrace, and disgust towards nobody but himself.

"A defeat…because of being the King?" mumbled Michael.

On the podium, the MC was just as surprised and confused as the audience was.

"W-W-What happened here?!" yelled the MC, before looking up at the scoreboard and seeing what everyone else was seeing, "This can't be! The King's LP are-!" Now realizing that Michael had lost the duel, he announced the final results, "It's finally over! We finally have an outcome! The winner is Yamato Fudo!" The crowd started cheering over the results being announced, while the monitor went from showing the LP scores to showing a picture of Matt along with a full name of 'Yamato Fudo', "Our previous King, Michael Atlas, just had his undefeated tale broken, and we're now seeing the birth of a new King, right here! And the name of that new King is Yamato Fudo! The new King is Yamato Fudo! This is the birth of our Satellite-native King!"

"Matt won! He's the new champion!" whooped Miharu.

"He finally achieved his longtime dream!" acknowledged Chris.

Jocelyne started crying out of happiness, while Jackson and Kai both just clapped on. Back on the track, Matt simply looked around at the people cheering his name. Also in the stands, Discord, Zack, Carlie, and James R. all were shown clapping over Matt winning the duel, but also wondered how Michael was taking the loss—likely not that well.

(elsewhere…)

An hour later, Matt was standing on a large stage as Discord J. Crawford presented to him a large trophy with a check of $3 million inside.

"That was splendid dueling, Matty-boy," praised Discord, "You must be very proud of your accomplishment."

"Thank you, Mr. Crawford," said Matt, taking the trophy.

"Oh, just call me Discord, almost everyone else does," chortled Discord, "But I should tell you that since you defeated Michael Atlas in an official duel, it means you've become the best duelist…" Matt listened to the words of praise aimed at him, "…in all of North America!"

"I'm now the best in all of…North America?" pondered Matt, looking a little unsettled, "Man, that's heavy stuff."

While the conversation ensued, Carlie, Zack, and James R. each watched, but then they realized that Michael was missing and left to go find him. Meanwhile, Kai and the others watched the full conversation from off-stage, but they couldn't hear what was being said.

"What do you think the creator of Duel Monsters is telling him?" wondered Jackson.

Kai shrugged, "Beats me."

"He's probably just telling Matt how good of a duelist he is if he was able to dethrone the current King," figured Miharu.

"Maybe," frowned Chris, before noticing something, "H-Hey! Here comes Matt, now!"

Yup, Matt was shown walking off the stage and approaching his friends. Once he was close enough, both Miharu and Jocelyne both tackled him into a hug.

"You were totally awesome out there, Matt!" encouraged Miharu.

"We knew you could win!" added Jocelyne.

"I got to say, there were times during the duel where I thought you were gonna lose to the King," admitted Chris, shaking hands with Matt, "But, boy, was I wrong!"

"Everyone…" smiled Matt, happy his friends were with him all the way through. He then lost his smile and became deeply saddened with what he had to tell them, "I'm sorry."

"Eh? What are you sorry for, Matt?" quizzed Jackson.

"It's just I… I won't be going home to Vancouver with you guys," answered Matt.

"WHAT?!" Kai and the likes cried out.

"On the stage, while Discord gave me the prize money and trophy, he told me I found my calling card, and he wants to help me grow into an even stronger duelist," continued Matt, before looking nearby at Discord on the stage, "He's going to adopt me into his growing family."

"Matt, you…" murmured Kai.

"You're really leaving us?" Miharu asked tearfully.

Matt gave a sad nod of confirmation. To be honest, he didn't want to leave his friends, but this was an opportunity that would never be offered to him again. Maybe, one day, he would see them again. After the long silence, a new response to the news was made…

"I guess this really is your calling card," admitted Jackson with a sigh, but then managed to smile, "But you know what? I think it's for the best."

"Jackson?" cut in Jocelyne.

"You've always been the best duelist I ever got to know," Jackson insisted, still smiling, "By living with Discord J. Crawford, you'll definitely become stronger than you already are—maybe even the strongest duelist on the planet!" He gave his friend a thumbs up, "I wanna see that happen!"

"Jackson…" whispered Matt, before closing his eyes and smiling softly, "Thanks," He then turned to Kai and handed him the check with the prize money, "Here, Kai, this is for you and the others."

"Matt?" gasped Kai, "You're giving the prize money to us?"

"You all need it more than I do," reassured Matt, "With this money, you guys, plus Caridad, Haruma, and everyone else can begin a whole new life in Vancouver."

"Matt…" uttered Kai, before smiling back, "Thanks so much, man. This means a lot to us."

"We'll really miss you," agreed Jocelyne, nearly crying again. She then went and kissed Matt on the cheek, "I mean it, too."

Miharu then sadly kissed Matt on the cheek as well, while Chris, Kai, and Jackson shook hands with and/or high-fived him. Now, you're probably left wondering where Michael was, and where James R., Carlie, and Zack disappeared to during the ceremony. Why don't we find that out?

(elsewhere…)

Inside a stadium garage, a depressed Michael was shown looking over each card of his Deck, wondering where he went wrong in his dueling. His Deck and strategy both were absolutely perfect and flawless in every single way, yet he still lost to Matt. However, the loss and hard words from his victorious opponent also opened his eyes to what he really was; a selfish, egotistical individual who had hurt many people throughout his time as champion. As upset as he was over losing, this realization upset him much more.

"What kind of person am I?" thought Michael, turning to stare out of the garage, "Due to my loss, I have absolutely nothing… and no amount of money will change that," He placed his Deck back into his Duel Disk, grabbed his helmet, and put it on, "The best thing for me to do is go out and find my true path… Besides, I'm sure nobody will miss a washed up has-been like me."

Before Michael could climb aboard Wheel of Fortune and drive off, he heard some voices calling out to him…

"Mike! Mike, are you in there?" The voice of Zack echoed.

Michael looked nearby, noticing Zack, Carlie, and James R. each coming inside the garage.

"What are you three doing here?" said Michael solemnly.

"We've been looking all over for you, man," replied James R., "You missed out on the award ceremony."

"I had no right to be there, James," refused Michael.

"Huh?" blinked James R..

"Why not?" added Zack, "Don't tell me it's because you lost the duel."

"No, God no," Michael rebutted, walking away from Wheel of Fortune, "It's something else entirely… It's because Matt opened my eyes."

"Opened your eyes?" James R. repeated.

"Take a good look at me; tell me what you guys see?" pressed Michael, removing his helmet, "Huh?! Who the hell am I!?"

"Mike…" muttered Carlie.

"I'm also no longer King," Michael went on, "I lost everything I was before. The people will never see me as the same person I once was… If you ask me, I think it would be better off if they never saw me again for a really long time," As he (Michael) went on, Zack looked surprised by such a statement, "And that includes you guys."

Growing angry with Michael's wangst-like attitude over being defeated, Zack clenched his right hand into a fist, yelled out in frustration, and did something he thought he would never, ever do; he went and slugged Michael across the face, throwing him into the wall.

"You Grade A dumbass!" shouted Zack, "So you wanna know from us what you are? Fine, we'll tell you!"

"A coward, that's what you are!" added James R. harshly, as Michael listened to the scolding, "You're trying to run away from your problems instead of manning up and facing them head-on!"

Michael gritted his teeth over being called a coward, but made no real effort to respond back.

"Where has the old Michael Atlas gone?" demanded Zack, "You know, the one who isn't afraid to do something extremely dangerous or even face people who are freakin' scary?"

"Please listen to me very carefully, Mike," soothed Carlie, as she walked over and helped her friend back to his feet, "Despite how much of a jerk you've been towards nearly everyone else while you were the champion over the years, we still think of you not only as our friend forever…" Initially scowling, Michael slowly soften up as he listened to the rest of her little speech, "…but also as our brother, and that will never change—no matter what."

"After all, we four have grown up together," reminded James R., "Ever since we met at the orphanage and got adopted by Discord."

Michael was shocked when he heard those kind, truthful words said to him.

"The Michael Atlas that was in our lives since he became champion has died in his battle with Matt," The voice of Carlie continued, before she held out her right hand again, "Now it's time for the real Michael Atlas to remerge. Plus, it'd help you in becoming a much better King, right? Now, what do you say? How about starting your life over as our true friend again?"

Michael was genuinely touched that despite how huge of a jerk he'd been and had steadily been getting worse over the years, his friends still never gave up on him and remained hopeful he would eventually change himself for the better. At long last, a small, genuine smile appeared on his face.

"You're right, Carlie," admitted Michael, "I won't be led astray anymore. I'll press forward on my own path—the path to correcting my mistakes and becoming a True Duelist everyone will love."

"Mike!" cheered James R..

"About damn time!" came from Zack.

Carlie smiled big, knowing that her words had gotten the real Michael Atlas to finally reappear after all those years, ready to make it up to everyone he insulted and hurt.

END FLASHBACK

The flashback finally came to an end—for real, this time.

"I've never forgotten what kind of person I used to be," confessed Michael, "If Matt hadn't defeated me, I likely would have gone further down a dark path until it was too late to turn back from."

There was a long silence.

"Though I am curious, Atlas-sama," David spoke up, "You speak of straying away from a path of violence, pride, and supremacy, yet I have witnessed firsthand notable instances of such behavior since our first encounter."

"That is true, Dave, but there's a key difference between back then and now," said Michael knowingly, "Today, I only act that way towards the people who truly deserve it."

"Wait, what do you mean by those who truly deserve it?" repeated Ashima.

"He's got a point about that," insisted Discord, "A very good number of Mike's later challengers were truly arrogant and definitely needed a harsh lesson taught to them."

As everyone else looked at each other regarding what they finished learning about Michael, Juri turned away and started blushing as she realized something.

"I believe he's changed…" Juri was telling herself, "During our Turbo Duel, Mike didn't look down upon me, nor did he act so cruel or treat me with contempt."

Sadly…

"Hey, Juri?" The voice of Lisa interrupted, causing Juri to yelp and look over in embarrassment. She had an extremely deadpan look on her face, "You know we all can still hear you, right?"

A flustered Juri simply whimpered, while Asagi and Mayura both giggled in amusement.

"Anyway, Juri does make a good observation," continued Lisa, "And besides, that wasn't all he did in Godwin's tournament. Mike complimented and was impressed with me during our own match. Heck, he even willingly gave me his spot in the tournament finals after I lost the duel."

"Yeah, he did," recalled Sean, "Just as Matt gave up his tournament position to Dave."

"I guess that means…Mike has changed for the better," admitted Janice.

"Mm!" agreed Ashima.

"I concur," David finally admitted.

Michael smiled slightly, glad he was left off the hook by his new friends. But the pleasant atmosphere came crashing down when there was a knock on the door.

"Who could that be?" wondered Mayura.

"It might be the nurse coming to see how Lisa's doing," shrugged Asagi.

"Come in!" Lisa called out.

The door opened, but it wasn't the nurse who came inside the room; instead, it was Paul and Maria. Both of them didn't look happy, at all—not because of the group in particular, but because they had some important news to share with them.

"Officer Truman! Officer Strienhart!" realized Matt, "What's going on?"

"We apologize for the intrusion, but we bring some bad news," sighed Paul.

"Great, now what?" thought Lisa, dreading the impending news.

"That Mike-lookalike has attacked another member of 'The All-Star Squad'," growled Maria, pulling out a few pictures taken by one civilian, "Unfortunately… some innocent bystanders got caught in the crossfire, this time," She closed her eyes in sadness, "Most of the bystanders…didn't make it."

As expected, Lisa didn't like the news one bit. It only became worse when she took the pictures and saw what happened, throwing them away when it became too much for her to take in. The single worst thing about it, however, was she failed to defeat Fake Michael in a Turbo Duel and got put into the same state that Spyro and whoever else was attacked ended up in. Ashima, feeling terrible for Lisa, walked over and held the pink-haired girl close as she (Lisa) sobbed. Paul and Maria were left wondering what was going on.

"Lisa-chan and I encountered whoever is trying to frame Atlas-sama while out exploring the city," explained David, "But…" He then looked at the extremely upset-looking Lisa, "When she engaged the imposter in battle, she was easily defeated and thrown into the East River along with her Duel Runner."

"And…ended up here, right?" finished Paul, gravely.

"Correct…" David answered solemnly.

Nothing more was said by anybody in the hospital room.

(elsewhere…)

Somewhere in the streets of Queens in the dead of the night, fake Wheel of Fortune, ridden by Fake Michael, was driving onto the nearest expressway. Lately, Fake Michael had been dissatisfied by the recent 'challengers' who tried facing him in a duel. As he went on his way, memories of his supposed 'betrayal' of Discord and his old friends/adopted siblings in favor of leaving and obtaining more power were shown in the background. As those memories ended, Fake Michael closed his eyes and scoffed over suddenly 'remembering' them, those fools who stood in his way in becoming the single greatest duelist in the whole world.

"Friends? Pah!" grumbled Fake Michael, before opening his eyes, "Such things are unnecessary for a King! They only slow you down and make you seem weak!" He suddenly had a very sinister glare in his eyes as he, in his POV drove off for Manhattan once again, "Somewhere, out there, is the perfect challenger waiting for me! I will find and win that challenge, therefore cementing myself as the one, true King!"

And fake Wheel of Fortune took off towards the destination. Would anyone be able to defeat this imposter and stop him before it was too late? Or would he remain on a blood-filled rampage until he became satisfied with his actions—if ever? Stay tuned to find that out.

The backstory on how Matt and Michael both became Signers, along with the latter's past self undergoing some serious character development into becoming his current self, has finally been explored. Oh, and John Wilkins? The story arc I was talking about is this current one, the Fake Michael saga. And one more thing, both Spyro and Cynder are not in this story; these are OCs named after them, similar to a few other OCs.