It was the final entry to the biggest and most secretive tournament ever constructed. With uncanny insight and impossible foresight, the deceased creator of Duel Monsters had crafted an impossibly intricate competition. Every member still left was praying, planning, preparing for the penultimate stage. It was first come, first served scenario and only the best of the best had even a chance at becoming the third King of Games.
"Hold on," Having spent all Sunday preparing themselves for Riding in the Battle City, Crow only now took the opportunity to raise a question. "I thought there was only one King of Games – Yugi Mutou."
"There were two." Leo had possibly eaten a Duel Monsters encyclopedia but he hadn't fully studied the history as thoroughly as Yusei. "Yugi was the first King of Games even though he spent about half his time in academia. A lot of people thought Seto Kaiba would be the second King of Games but he only made World Champion." It was strange. How he could talk about 'Yugi' but it was always 'Seto Kaiba'. And though most people would gladly be World Champion, it was like being the head of religion. People respected you but they always had more reverence for the next tier up.
"So who was the second?" Jack was equally nonplussed. Studying had always been more his brothers' area than his own.
"Jaden Yuki." Barely a decade after the original model, some history books referred to him as the 'Uncrowned King'. "Jaden won a few tournaments and championships but not on the same scale as Yugi. Mostly, he helped the little guy and did a lot more work behind the scenes. Out of the blue one day, Yugi declared Jaden worthy of being the next King of Games." After their brief encounter, he had read up on his distant friends. It was at times harrowing and at others utterly joyful. "After several years doing his own thing, Jaden took up a teaching post at Duel Academy. They both had professional rivalries who could have taken the title but they never found somebody they felt could carry the mantle after them." With a start, he wondered if either had been involved in organising the Pegasus Trinidad Tournament. Their way of finding a suitable continuance to their legacy.
"Are we sure this is the best idea?" For a previously staunch defender of the plan, Jack was unsure now that theory had been perfected to practice. Especially as he tried to adjust his jacket.
"You said it yourself." Tugging the fabric straight, Yusei tried to settle on the Runner a bit more comfortably. "Nobody will see it coming."
"When I said that," Letting Leo pull him off to one side, Jack tried to find a way to argue his point without recanting his earlier position. "I was talking about Crow in a dress." There wasn't a brutal fight as Crow had already won the argument by agreeing with Jack's argument until it was too late. They also didn't all need to go out and he still needed time to adjust.
"Think of it this way," Settling onto his own mode of transport, Leo squeaked in delight slightly. "If we win, you get all the glory. If we lose, you still get to look good." It was the sort of situation that Jack liked.
"I still don't get why you have to use my Runner." Trying to adjust to the different seat, Yusei was embedded firmly in the middle of mono-wheel Runner as Leo enjoyed the feel of Crow's Blackbird.
"Because if Leo goes out in mine, he'll get almost as much attention as I will in yours." Smoothing out the argument relied upon him subtly implying to Jack that Yusei thought his brother was the better Duellist. "And you already have plenty of enemies looking for you." Their brilliantly simple plan was to use the Wheel of Fortune and Blackbird as bait to draw in any Duellists looking to take on a big name and then crush them with different tactics. Real psychological stuff. "We want to bring out some professionals, not Yliaster. As long as they don't think I'm in the competition today, we should be okay."
"Remember." Setting a restraining hand on each Runner, Crow stopped them from moving off. "Even if you get us through to the next round, another team can still knock us out. As soon as either one of you wins a Duel, both of you get back here as fast as you can."
"But why does Yusei have to wear my jacket?" It had been a struggle to not feel like he was drowning in the fabric. Jack would normally only wear it on his Duel Runner if he was going to a prior engagement.
"Oh that," Swaddled in the fabric, he wore it like an oversized robe. "Crow just wanted to see if we could get away with it." Waving Leo out ahead of him, Yusei pulled off before Jack could fully process the notion.
"Your idea?" Standing at the bottom of the ramp, they listened to the drone of solitary engines in the empty city. "Not bad." On most other days, he would have launched the first punch. Years of therapy and Crow's near-death in the Duel meant he was willing to give a pass. "You do realise he looks ridiculous in it?"
"Of course." Smiling that smile only brothers knew, Crow looked sideways at Jack. "Why do you think I asked him to wear it?" Looking down at his brother, Jack felt a slight chill. Crow's criminal duplicity truly knew no bounds.
"Should we stick together?" Knowing the answer, Leo also remembered his place as the junior member on the team as the pair headed down the road.
"It's your choice." Riding alongside his young friend, Yusei lowered the safety blanket he had always tried to keep in place between the twins and the dangers around them. Days were left on his clock and he wanted Leo to be as ready as possible for the world after he was gone.
"Let's split up." Cruising down roads beside his mentor was a dream come true but Leo was making the smart decision. "Cover more ground, find more Duellists." Glancing at his partner, Yusei smiled and waved as he turned off down a road without warning. It was brief and light, the way that all Turbo Duellists parted ways when they had to follow different roads. But all roads are connected and he seemed unable to escape the embrace of his friends even if he had wanted to.
Phone in pocket, the console directly in front of his face lit up as Akiza called from back at the hotel. A momentary wobble as he figured out how to accept the call later and he the line was sent to his borrowed helmet.
"Yusei?" Sounding mildly confused over the connection, he lowered his speed down the road to hear her properly.
"What's up?" Riding around the town in search of an opponent was helping to clear his head but there was always time for his friends.
"I just had a strange call from Haruka." Pulling to a halt at a junction, Yusei debated his options. Left towards the inevitable melee of other Duellists or right towards the Naval Academy.
"Haruka?" It wasn't that he didn't remember the oft-nervous young nurse but he wouldn't have expected to be hearing from her while he was away. "What did she want?"
"She said somebody at the Naval Academy was looking for you." Unfamiliar with the computer on Jack's Runner, it took several seconds for him to pull up a map. There was a small naval training station on the north coast of the town. Only a handful of actual officers, mostly recruits undergoing various levels of training on actual seas.
"How does she know even know there's an academy in Annapolis?" It wasn't difficult to run an internet search but trying to find a random building in a city on the far side of the planet usually involved some pre-existing knowledge.
"Have you ever talked with Haruka?" It was not an easy task. Haruka was nice but shy as they came. She stumbled, corrected herself, apologised for nothing at all. A good person, a great nurse and a really terrible conversationalist. "It took ten minutes just to get that much from her." Yusei bit his tongue to stop from dropping a caustic comment. Yliaster could have laid out their entire plan for the next three days and Haruka would barely be able to keep five minutes ahead.
"I'll check it out." A very wise human once said the most elementary and valuable statement in science, the beginning of wisdom, is 'I do not know.' Yusei was a scientist who did not know who – or what – was waiting for him at the military base but he would find out.
Each team was being especially careful entering the final stages of the tournament. A single loss would mean losing any chance of their team becoming the next Kings of Games. They were only sending out their best Duellist and trying not to get caught up in any unnecessary Duels. Not for the first time, Leo wondered why he had been selected to go out. Crow had faster summons, Jack with more powerful monsters and both far more experience than he. Probably they just wanted a break and for the slacker of the team to pull his weight. It wouldn't bother Leo if that was how they saw him. The three brothers were his heroes and he would have followed them into a burning building.
There were two ways the rest of the competitors would be taking the situation – face a strong opponent now so they wouldn't be faced later or face a weak opponent now to get through to the next round. Of course, the remaining teams had already managed to make it this far and 'weak' would be a relative term. Each and every one of them would be at least pro-level and maybe even on par with Jack and Yusei. Team 5D's had agreed simply to find an opponent, Duel them as best they could and then slip back to the hotel before another team could take away their chances at the next round.
Hearing an engine approaching from behind, Leo slowed down and checked the rear cameras to see if it was a Runner he recognised. Blasting out from one side, he swerved to avoid a collision as a familiar style of grey Runner took up his left flank. Trying to take the next road on the left, another Runner headed off the idea and joined the other two in forming a box around him.
"Nice day for it." Heart pounding and sweating palms, he examined them carefully for a way out. Yliaster would have sent their best this time around. Four pro-level Duellists intent on taking him down. Everything he had been looking for in this competition. Just with the added spice of risking his life as a fourth rider took place just ahead of him. "Hey, look!" Pulling the oldest prank in the playbook – one learned from countless deceptions by Luna – he pointed directly ahead of the group to nothing at all. Picking the slowest reactor, he dabbed the brakes and slid to the right, dipping between the narrow gap between two vehicles and shooting down a road before they could even blink.
The Blackbird wasn't just in another league to his normal Runner but an entire other planet altogether. It seemed to duck and weave at his slightest command, responding more to his thoughts than his directions. Slipping between the Yliaster Runners, he knew it was likely they were running on at least marginally inferior rides. If he could just keep on pressing his advantage, he could evade the four foes trying to chase him. Elude that group but not the other one.
Another team of charcoal grey Runners would appear in front of him, blocking the road from further progression. At this point, Yusei would do something smart, Jack would pummel straight through and Crow would leap over them with the tiny jet on the back of his Runner. Trying not to draw any extra attention, Leo slowly reached for the controls.
"Don't do that." Approaching from behind, the other quartet cut off any retreat.
"You're not Crow Hogan." Sitting at the front of the group ahead of him, one Agent spoke up as the apparent leader. Female, visibly identical to the others. Yliaster didn't really go for individuality.
"Nope. I'm Leo, the Morphtronic Man." It was his unofficial title but certainly going to make the rounds after the Pegasus Trinidad.
"Yet you ride the Blackbird. Why?" Leaning forward, Leo spread his arms out to the side passively as he slowly touched an elbow to the screen.
"To lure out dupes like you." Special systems menu, alternate riding ability. It was difficult to do but he was taking it one step at a time.
"Carry a message to him." Narrowing her eyes at the tiny arm movements, she coasted closer. "Your previous encounter was not intended to take such a course. There were strict orders that were disobeyed." Stopping some feet away, she turned her Duel Runner broadside. "At this range, that little stunt would kill me. Is that your intention?" Stopping his movements, Leo tried to think of another way out. There was a narrow alley to one side of the street. From their perspectives, neither group could see it.
"That's it? I deliver an apology and we go our separate ways?" Waving a hand at the other seven Runners, the group quickly dispersed back through the streets.
"An apology and a warning – it wasn't you that sent those traitors to the Shadows." Edging her wheels to point in the opposite direction of his, she stared out from behind a tinted visor. "So if our leader is willing to do that to loyal followers, what can pests like you expect?" With those chilling words, she raised a farewell hand. "We also have no orders regarding you. Think of it a gift to make up for the inconvenience." Driving past, she vanished into the streets behind him and left Leo just sitting in the road. He could fool himself that the trembling in his hand was from adrenaline, that the cold in his spine was the thrill of the chase but it was a lie. Leo was ready to fight Yliaster at any time but to be so blatantly outnumbered and overlooked was a shaming experience.
Parked against the wall and at risk from being shot by trigger-happy naval officers, Hunter Pace was leaning against the wall and smoking a rare cigarette. It was incredibly difficult to buy actual cigarettes but America was the land of the black market and he knew a guy. Few people could stand the smell of nicotine but he was inhaling the deathstick like it was the last one on the planet. A rare treat before the big event.
"About time you got here." Leaning away from the bricks, he raised a finger in the direction of the gate guard and ignored the warning tap on a pistol. "I'm gonna want you to pay the phone bills." Dropping the butt on the road, Hunter ground it beneath his left heel and kicked it into a storm drain.
"What phone bill?" Sliding off his Runner, Yusei tucked his helmet under one arm and smoothed back his hair. Hunter stopped for a second in surprise as he recognised the unexpected face.
"Well, first I had to call a directory in Japan." It was said as if everything was perfectly normal and he wasn't facing down one World Champion dressed as another. "Then I called the New Domino hospital who told me to call some fancy bigwig science thing." Hopefully, the SRC, unless another impressive science institute was hiding in the city. "After about ten minutes on hold, the computer managed to put me through to some angry man." Stopping a few feet away, even Hunter looked haunted over the phone from the detailed conversation with Din. "After that, a nurse who promised to pass a message along to Izinski for me." Meaning Haruka. Which lead to the real question.
"And why were you trying to call Akiza?" For the first time, Hunter frowned.
"She's on your team, isn't she?" Covering his face with one gloved hand, Yusei hid behind the smell of warm cloth as he wondered how weird his luck could get.
"Not this time. She didn't qualify to compete." Catching up, Hunter became even more confused. "She's just been following the competition."
"Well, I only wanted her to send Atlas my way. Looks like I hit the lottery." He was pleased, looking Yusei up and down like a prize cut of meat.
"I would have thought you wanted Jack." They were entering the negotiating phase, carefully moving in probing conversational circles.
"Normally. But when the only Duellist to consistently beat him is fair game?" Lifting his glasses, he displayed greedy eyes. "That would be even better." Shifting back onto his Runner, he waited for his opponent to bury himself back into position. "When you're ready," Revving his engine as Yusei folded the rolls of fabric, Hunter decided to overcome his irritation with anger. "I'll take the first turn." By the time Yusei managed to get himself back into driving form, Hunter was idling in the distance with twinges of embarrassment at getting such a lead.
(Turn 1)
Hunter: LP: 4000 SC:1 Hand:6 Field: None Graveyard: None
Yusei: LP: 4000 SC:1 Hand:5 Field: None Graveyard: None
Seeing the cards he had drawn, Hunter Pace felt a tiny twinge of familiarity as they stared up at him. Untamed driving on strange town roads left him little time to focus on it before he had to take a corner and focus on other matters. "I summon Burning Skull Head (L3/1000 ATK/800 DEF)!" Giggling manically, a grinning skull floated alongside the pair. "Three cards end my turn." Chasing Hunter through the streets, Yusei was sidelined by a blow of recognition at his hand. Something like this had happened long before when Jack Duelled Dragan but it had been a unique experience, designed by either the Crimson Dragon, Aesir of some mix of the two.
This was something different. Possibly just a freak event, a billions to one chance. Probably – and the irony was not lost on him about the odds of a probability on a probability – something else out there was messing with his life.
(Turn 2)
Hunter: LP: 4000 SC:2 Hand:2 Field: 1 Monster, 3 Spell/Trap Graveyard: None
Yusei: LP: 4000 SC:2 Hand:6 Field: None Graveyard: None
Last time around, they had followed the same moves to the same conclusion. Maybe it would happen again, if nothing interfered. "I summon Speed Warrior (L2/900 ATK/400 DEF)." Staking alongside him, Yusei wondered if this was where Musume had taken inspiration for her Duel Skates from. "On the turn I summon Speed Warrior, I can double its attack points during the battle phase." Lengthening the stride, his machine rocketed across the road to smash the skull to pieces with one fell swoop.
"I activate Zero Guard." Sacrificing his monsters attack points to keep it on the field, Hunter took the full brunt of the attack on himself. "Because I took damage, I can activate Doom Accelerator!" Recognising the outdated card, Yusei finally let go of any hopes this was just an ongoing random event. Doom Accelerator was a trap card dating back to the first Speed World Field Spell, out of action for almost ten years. It had been replaced by an almost identical card and nobody used the original. Not unless strings were being pulled. "For every 500 Life Points you took, I gain a Speed Counter."
"Set two cards." Giving in to the inevitable, Yusei slipped a pair of Traps down as they continued through the town.
(Turn 3)
Hunter: LP: 2200 SC:6 Hand:3 Field: 1 Monster, 1 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 2 Spell/Trap
Yusei: LP: 4000 SC:3 Hand:3 Field: 1 Monster, 2 Spell/Trap Graveyard: None
Drawing another card, Hunter felt the momentary tingle of recognition fade away as something suppressed the emotion. "I activate Speed Spell – Summon Speedster." Acting under a tampered will, he carefully selected a card from the holder on his wrist. "Appear, Skull Base!" A lowly Level 3 monster, it was from the dull design of a skeleton that had was buried to the misplaced elbows in a two-handled vase.
"Because you activated a Speed Spell," Flipping up his own trap, Yusei felt the giant wheel buck beneath him slightly and surge ahead. "Slipstream." Only able to be activated when the opponent had more Speed Counters, it would make Yusei's the same as Hunter's on the next turn. If Yusei had somebody to bet with, he would put that number at six.
"Nice trick, but I have one better." Burning up his monsters, Hunter followed the script exactly. "Sacrificing my Burning Skull Head and Skull Base, I can summon Skull Flame (L8/2600 ATK/2000 DEF)." Shrouded in flame and dressed like some high priest of an archaic religion, the monster hovered between them. "Since I tributed Skull Base, I can draw an extra card." Seeing the trap, he actually cracked a slight grin. "Skull Flame, smite his Speed Warrior." Beckoning with his claws, the monster spewed flames across the road until Speed Warrior slipped and shattered in the lava. Rocked by the damage, Yusei span out for a moment and wondered exactly how Jack managed to control the vehicle so perfectly. "For my final act, I activate the continuous Trap, Speed Booster."
During his own turn, Hunter could take 100 Life Points from Yusei for every Speed Counter he had more than his opponent. In Yusei's turn, he could cancel attacks based on the same method. Despite the danger, Yusei was starting to enjoy the Duel. It was a simple battle, between two Duellists with no ulterior motives. Maybe not the most relaxing activity but the perfect outlet for his pent-up emotions. Yusei was actually relieved to watch his Life Points drop down.
(Turn 4)
Hunter: LP: 2200 SC:7 Hand:1 Field: 1 Monster, 1 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 2 Spell/Trap
Yusei: LP: 4000 SC:4 Hand:4 Field: 2 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 1 Monster
Getting a nice Speed Counter boost from the effect of his Slipstream trap, Yusei drew his card and didn't even have to look to check. "You got a speed boost, maybe I should get one. Trap card, Acceleration Zone!" Because Yusei had gained extra Speed Counters, Hunter could get five for himself. Noting that Hunter's Speed Counters were already maxed out, Yusei wondered if his opponent would change his tactics or even notice.
"You got a Speed Spell – Summon Speedster?" Drawing a card, he slipped it into place as he parodied Hunter's posturing. "Maybe I should get my one and a Quillbolt Hedgehog (L2/800 ATK/800 DEF) as well!" Snuffling around on the air beside him, the tiny creature had been a founding member of his Deck. Maybe it was good that it would be there in the end. "For my main summon, I chose Junk Synchron (L3/1300 ATK/500 DEF)." Revving the engine, his old primary Tuner monster joined the mix and pulled his ripcord to really amp up the power. "Thanks to its special ability, I can special summon a familiar monster from my graveyard. Welcome back, Speed Warrior." With three monsters on the field, it was time for the next step. "Take a base model of Junk Synchron and add some parts from Speed Warrior to make," Green lines, shining silver stars and a mysterious force re-enacting the Duel perfectly lead to the appearance of an old friend, punching the air in joy at being free again. "Junk Warrior (L5/2300 ATK/1300 DEF)."
"It's been a while since I've seen such a broken down monster." Baiting him into a trap, Hunter had no way of knowing that Yusei was already expecting the moves in his next turn. "Does it even have an ability?"
"Every Level 2 monster on my field plays a part and shares their Attack Points with him." Boosting from 2300 ATK to a powerful 3100, he pondered challenging the natural order. But that wasn't how it was supposed to go. "Junk Warrior, make your move." As before, Speed Booster was able to cut the attack short and bring his turn to an end after an extra set card.
(Turn 5)
Hunter: LP: 2200 SC:12 Hand:2 Field: 1 Monster, 1 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 2 Spell/Trap
Yusei: LP: 4000 SC:8 Hand:0 Field: 2 Monster, 2 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 2 Monster
"Looks like I've topped up. Speed Spell – Acceleration Draw!" Driving at top speeds, there were few corners they could still take safely and the Duel was running out of city to move about in as Hunter drew two cards. "Perfect. Speed Spell – End of the Storm!" Whirling around them, a dark wind tore apart the three monsters and steal away 300 Life Points from either controller for each monster.
"Not a bad setup. What's the punchline?" Keeping his engine in check, they were heading back towards the sea now as Yusei waited for the inevitable.
"By removing a Skull Flame from my graveyard from play, I can special summon the flaming king of the road," Shrieking from the great beyond, the fiery head appeared in the air, dissolving into a flaming inferno that unleashed a galloping centaur. "Speed King Skull Flame (L10/3000 ATK/2300 DEF)." Whatever he was meant to be seeing had to happen soon. This time last time, it had nearly been over. Hunter attack, Yusei blocked with the Scrap-Iron Scarecrow he had dropped last turn. "Fine, block my attack. But Speed King can still deal four-hundred damage to your Life Points for the Skull Flame still in my graveyard."
With only 400 Life Points left, this was the turning point for Yusei's win. He had summoned Nitro Warrior and placed his own monster on Hunter's field to secure a win. At least, he had done last time. But history is a funny thing. It always seems to be changing.
(Turn 6)
Hunter: LP: 2200 SC:12 Hand:1 Field: 1 Monster, 1 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 2 Spell/Trap
Yusei: LP: 4000 SC:9 Hand:1 Field: 2 Monster, 2 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 2 Monster
"I activate Speed Spell – Shift Down." Dropping six Speed Counters to pick up an extra two cards, Yusei froze in the explicable change of circumstances. Originally, he had special summoned Quillbolt Hedgehog using its effect, then used his set Give and Take to move Junk Synchron to Hunter's field and promote Quillbolt to Level 5. Summoning Nitro Synchron, he then tuned for Nitro Warrior, used an extra draw from the effect of Nitro Synchron and played Speed Spell – Gap in the Storm to counter Hunter's Speed Booster. But he didn't have Nitro Synchron this time around.
"What's wrong?" Sensing the hesitation, Hunter was professionally curious by events. Yusei had clearly been building towards something but it wasn't coming. "Didn't you have a big play?" One problem with the 'big play' – somebody was changing the rules.
"Junk Giant?" Scanning the text, he tried to make sense of the familiar monster he had never seen. Level 6, 2000 ATK and 2400 DEF. A special ability to be special summoned if the opponent had a monster above Level 4. Not enough to beat Hunter it could maybe buy him a turn. His other card could prove equally useful. Junk Changer, a Level 3 Tuner that could change its Level by one if he had another 'Junk' monster on the field. Together, they could easily get him a better monster.
"Because you have a Level 10 monster on your side of the field, I get to special summon this guy." Hoping reality would remain stable enough for them to finish, he slammed the card down. "Come forth, Junk Giant!" Built like a spherical golem and powered by two giant drills on the back, it was a behemoth of a monster. "For my normal summon, I choose the Level 3 Junk Changer." An angry bin that seemed to have grown blocky limbs, the two monsters seemed battle-worn and enduring.
"What, your entire Deck turn to junk?" Clearly feeling something was amiss now, Hunter was starting to break free of whatever spell he was under. But his words had a sharper effect.
It was one thing to encounter the odd card that didn't belong. Maybe it had been added without thinking, maybe somebody had slipped it in without being noticed. Yet as Yusei called up the Extra Deck on his screen, he knew it was much worse than that. His plan had been to summon back Quillbolt Hedgehog using its effect, lower Junk Change to Level 2 and synchro summon Armory Arm to boost Junk Giant's attack point to equal Speed King Skull Flame.
Armoury Arm was gone. Road Warrior, Turbo Warrior, Drill Warrior. Only Stardust Dragon was still around but the card seemed different somehow. All the other monsters had been replaced with achingly familiar cards he had never seen before. Gravity Warrior, Lightning Warrior, Scar Warrior. Flicking through them, Yusei tried to compile a strategy as best he could. There was a card that could certainly help. It was a shameful way to win but there was no telling what dangers could evolve the longer they were in this Duel.
"From my graveyard, I activate the effect of Quillbolt Hedgehog." Already without his usual Extra Deck, Yusei was relieved that his graveyard was still the same. "Now I tune the Level 3 Junk Changer with the Level 2 Quillbolt Hedgehog," Worried that it would all shift again, Yusei hurried through the moves. "To bring forth a brand new addition to my Deck. Appear, Catapult Warrior (L5/2000 ATK/1500 DEF)!" Based around the same spherical design at the centre of Junk Giant, Catapult Warrior's arms were draped in two lengthy sling-shot pads right off an aircraft carrier.
"Nice try but they both fall far short of my monster." Hunter wasn't an idiot. He knew something was afoot.
"I activate the effect of Catapult Warrior." Retracting all four limbs into itself, Junk Giant became a ball the size of a small building with two drills pointing straight forward in a menacing fashion. "By tributing a monster, I can inflict that monsters attack points as damage." Grabbing the sphere in one massive fist, Catapult Warrior loaded in onto his right launcher and took careful aim. "Diving Catapult!" Twin drills burrowed into Hunter, making him bellow in pain and take a road down towards the open ocean.
"So what?" Gaining full control of his Runner, Hunter steadied himself and prepared to destroy Yusei in his next turn. "I still have 200 Life Points left."
"And I still have a monster." Removing his launchers, the monster gravely placed them both on the floor and embedded a foot in each one. "Catapult Warrior, take him down." Edging into a stance not unlike that of a ski jumper, the force of the launch was enough to turn the azure plated creature into a missile with both hands forming the tip that broke through Speed King Skull Flame and stole away the last of Hunter's Life Points as they came to a halt beside the sea.
(Game Over)
Winner: Yusei Fudo
"That was close." Slowing to a halt on a corner called Tolly Point a short distance from a beach, Hunter stopped his bike and practically fell from his seat. "You almost had me."
"Nah, we both knew how this was going to end." With the Duel over, the mysterious force that had compelled them to redo the events was gone. "Just like last time." Back to being himself, even Hunter was able to recognise something was up. "If I don't even have a chance against you, it's going to be a long time until I can take down Atlas."
"I thought you said beating me would be better than him?" Snarling up at him, Hunter Pace seemed even angrier than before but sad too. Battling the wrong Duellist had been uplifting but he had been looking for a more deadly fight.
"What can I say? He's my white whale." Stepping off his Runner, Yusei stood over the fallen man. "Do you know what that's like? To want something so much that it always seems in your grasp but never quite?"
"Yeah," Blotting out the sun with a hand, Yusei reached down to hold out a hand. To be an inch from such life but able to only slowly die away? That was a feeling he knew intimately. "I actually do." Slapping the hand away, Hunter rose to his feet by himself and glared out at his opponent with tempered anger. "It was a good Duel."
"I never stood a chance." Peeling off his glasses, he tapped Yusei in the chest with a wire arm. "You're a good Duellist, probably going to win this competition easy." Holding out a hand, he waited for Yusei to take it before closing his grip and shaking once.
"It might sound harsh but I couldn't have done it without you." Breaking the grip, Hunter passed over his tournament identification card before pride could overcome him.
"It's Mukuro." Dropping the hand, he tightly folded his arms and resumed his glare. "Enjo Mukuro. Hunter Pace is just my professional name." Keeping his glasses in one tightly controlled fist, he stopped himself from crushing them into dust.
"Mukuro." Better enjoying the taste of the new name, Yusei smiled and nodded familiarly. "Without you and Akiza, I might not have been able to get my team through to the next round. I have you both to thank for that." History would remember those words. Walking back to sit in his Runner, Yusei toyed with the plastic slip between his fingers. Without Hunter – without Enjo – reaching out to Akiza and she to him, they might not have found a way forward in the tournament. "Hey, Enjo!" Glancing over one shoulder, the older Duellist seemed close to burning out after so many years on the circuits. "Next time you see this Runner," Tapping the magnificent tire that surrounded him, Yusei injected several notes of fight into his tone. "It's going to be because Jack Atlas will be coming to settle this debt. And he'll keep coming," Yusei would make sure of it, even if it had to be a deathbed promise. "As many times as it takes until you're both satisfied."
"If you lose this competition?" Straddling his own Runner, Mukuro raised a dismissive hand. "It just means beating Atlas will that much sweeter." Squealing around in smoke and burning tires, he slapped Yusei's hand as they both rode off in separate directions.
"Did we do it?" After a quick call to Leo to fall back to the hotel, Yusei had joined the rest of the group in the twins' room and was struggling out of the coat. For a genius with multiple physics degrees, the act of removing the piles of fabric was proving to be quite a challenge.
"Looks like it." Having enjoyed a relaxing spa trip on advice from hotel management, Crow was seated in the desk chair with green slime slathered over his face as Akiza and Luna had somehow coerced Jack into letting them paint his toenails. "Check it out." Waiving the television remote like a wand, he conjured up the tournament information that seemed to be broadcasting on every channel. Four names were proudly displayed on the screen in a bracket tournament scheme that left runner-up competitors foaming at the mouth. "They did it by who won first. Team Fury got the first kill and Team Turtle was only a few minutes behind."
"We think Yliaster helped them." Balanced on the edge of Luna's bed with a foot stretching across the gap into each of the lady's laps, he was controlling violent urges by repeatedly crushing a pillow in his fist. After this little episode, his therapists would either be getting a large pay rise or fired. Probably both. "They won too fast otherwise."
"I've heard of those guys." Having removed the blue riding jacket, Leo was watching his sister perform a pedicure with fascination. "Fury does power Decks but Turtle likes to go with defensive strategies. They're both pretty good." Hearing a knock at the door, Yusei gave up his struggle with the coat and looked through the peephole.
"Open the door." Looking beside herself with joy, Musume raised a hand and gave three very deliberate knocks. "Or do you want me to tell all the news crew which room you're staying in?" Looking around the room, the team held a mental vote that resonated through their tense silence. It could also be felt on the other side of the door. "Seriously?"
"Let her in." With his head tilted back in the chair, Crow was the picture of pampered relaxation. "Know thy enemy and all that." On the left side of the muted screen, Team Fury and Team Turtle would be facing off first to decide the Yliaster faction of the final. Their opponent was on the right.
"About time." Stopping in the open doorway, she observed how Yusei was fairly swaddled by Jack's jacket. "I am not even going to ask." Squeezing into the room, she nestled against the curtains as both teams sized one another up. Even with Enjo Mukuro actively hunting them down, Team 5D's had barely scraped into the final slot, directly below a certain Team Meian. "You cut it a bit close. I was worried you might have overslept." Seeing Crow dozing in the chair, she became even more pointedly disinterested in the room. "Is that a face mask?"
"You should really try one." Jack's attempt to sound insulting was mildly marred by having his toenails painted. "Get rid of a few of those anger lines."
"Shush." Grabbing a pair of scissors, Akiza carefully trimmed a protruding piece of keratin with surgical skill. "Hypocrite."
"I guess congratulations are in order." Trying to sound cheerful, Leo was actually disappointed. He had been literally metres from an opponent when Yusei had called him off. It was upsetting to be so close to showing up Yliaster's lowly evaluation of his abilities. "On getting to the finals."
"Eh." Brushing aside the intellectual effort of the first challenge, the mental and physical endurance of the second round and the skill required for the first part of the third round, Musume ignored the congratulations. "I'd happily wipe the floor with the four of you any day."
"You'll only be Duelling one person." With his feet on lockdown, Jack had spent the bulk of his time carefully reading the rules for maybe the first time in his life. "It has to be a fair fight. If one team has two players, the other team can only use two players. And we'll be sending out our best." Jack flinched and surrendered his attempt to sound heroic as Luna began painting his smallest nail a shade of rose, tickling the sensitive skin between his toes as she did.
"Well, I'm sure Crow would happily be up for the challenge if he had the chance." Having made her decision long before entering the room, she managed to anger generations of Duellists with just a handful of syllables. "I'm forfeiting the tournament." Crammed into the tiny room, the collective might of Team 5D's stared at Musume in confusion. It had sounded like she had made it all the way to the finals of the biggest Duelling tournament ever devised only to drop out at the eleventh hour. "I mean it," Spreading her arms, she sounded utterly sincere about her choice. "This is as far as I go."
"You're a good Duellist." Swirling around in the chair, Crow met her gaze with every half revolution. "I give you a fighting chance against the other three." Grabbing the back of the chair, Musume stopped the ginger in his tracks before he could get dizzy.
"For you guys, it's been eight years." Releasing her grip left slight tears in the material of the chair from her enhanced strength. "Only a few weeks for me. I've taken you all on before and we know who the winner is." Growling on the bed but unable to move with both feet out of his control, Jack managed not to kill anybody in rage. His therapists had to be miracle workers in disguise to tame such savage anger. Sensing the tension, nobody else threw fuel to the fire.
"Next time." Raising a fist over one shoulder, Crow waited for her to gently tap it. "Bring your real Deck. Those other ones weren't all that good."
"Hey," Grabbing the fist, she tapped it against his own head. "Those were designed specifically to take you all on and I came really close to winning." Letting go of the instrument, she rapped their knuckles together. "Next time, I hope we can have an honest Duel. No Yliaster, no end of the world. You, me, a big stack of cards." Nodding to the rest of the group, she leant back against the wall. "You can use this extra time to come up with a plan against whoever you have to face."
"Next time." Smiling at his once-daughter, Crow finally looked fully recovered from his ordeal in the Shadow Duel.
"Hangon," Mashing the words together, Leo's one-track mind had skipped over the emotional parts of the conversation and home in on the gleaming nuggets that meant the most to him. "Ifyou'redroppingout,"
"Forfeiting." Dropping out meant a replacement could be selected from the runner-ups. If she forfeit just before the match, Team 5D's received an automatic victory. This was what Leo's million-mile-a-minute mind was trying to tell him. "Fourth place finalist, down in the history books."
"Doesn't that mean that we instantly go to the finals?" Pulling the rest of the team into his own peculiar mindset, they slowly grappled with the knowledge. Silver medals with lifting a finger, legendary status after just one duel. Fame, wealth, fame, power, more fame.
"Everybody stay calm." Keeping a serene expression on his face, Jack pulled his feet free and set them on the creamy carpet. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves." It was not usually him calling for calm but he was genuinely worried – thanks in part to little biology knowledge – that his head might literally explode if his blood pressure rose too fast.
"Yeah," Sitting upright, Crow wiped the green goo from his face with a hotel hand-towel and seemed in the grips of rapture. "We still have to beat a team that probably had Shadow Cards." Even the memory of last encounter wasn't enough to slow the feeling inside him.
"It could be either of them." With two very different teams and now way of knowing which would win, Yusei understood that any time spent planning for the one would fall apart if the other went through. "We should probably try and make a plan."
"I think I'm going to be throw up." It hadn't happened since he was a child but being so overly-excited had the potential to churn Leo's stomach.
"Don't be silly." Slowly rising to their feet, Akiza and Luna could actually taste the excitement in the room. "There's not enough time for that. You're going to the finals."
"We're going to win!" More a spiritual 'we' than practical, Luna's shout unleashed a way of cheering and hugging the likes of which only came about during the best of times. Crow leapt out of his chair and embraced Jack, Jack put aside their eternal rivalry and hugged him back. Leo and Luna did a little dance, Akiza found herself caught in a swirling squeeze as she grabbed Yusei around his chest and he spun them both around on the spot. Over on the outskirts of the excitement, Musume tilted her head back and roared with laughter.
"Hey!" Stopping before the hug could become a choke-hold, Crow slipped across the room as Jack found himself suddenly worrying about the state of his toenails after the antics. "Thanks." Wrapping one arm over her left shoulder and another under the right, both arms ensnared Musume in the first genuinely joyful embrace she had felt in years.
"Any time." Careful to not break his bones, she patted him on the back a few times. All at once, it became too much. A gurgle from somewhere inside was the final warning and Leo sprinted for the bathroom as Jack swept Luna up in a crazed dance and Yusei finally tripped on the long jacket, tumbling to the ground with Akiza awkwardly falling atop him.
"So what happens now?" Untangling themselves from various other members, the group managed to regain some modicum of normal behaviour through their almost insane grins. Jack's face, in particular, was starting to hurt. The muscles he needed to smile hadn't seen so much use in months. "If you're forfeiting?" As a Duellist, he saw it as a weakness to not even attempt to fight. As a person, he just barely understood her mindset.
"A bracket tournament was meant to take place over the next two days." Slightly flustered from the display of emotion, Musume pulled her long sleeves back to dangle over her hands. "As soon as I formally give notice, they'll bump you up. This can probably be over by tomorrow." It sounded too good to be true, there had to be a catch. "Of course, this means none of us can leave our hotel rooms until the preliminary rounds finish tomorrow." On the face of it, hiding out didn't seem so bad. The hotel staff were taking the confidentiality of the tournament seriously, room service was on speed dial and plenty of time to prepare. Once you got past the problem of facilities and started realising that it meant thirty-six hours with Jack and Crow locked in a room together with nowhere else to go, problems started arising.
"What order shall we go in?" Staring at the roster on the television, they tried to figure out strategies and counter-strategies for the Duel as their opponents undoubtedly did the same elsewhere. A quick call to the fawning manager had granted them a computer, printer and enough paper to make ten thousand paper cranes. Yusei had vetoed the idea of trying to get the wishes and instead begun printing off as much information on Team Fury and Team Kame. Much of their imprisonment was being spent trying to plan for either facing either team. A solid strategy was already in place for the power Decks of Team Fury but they were struggling slightly with Team Turtle and the first round was set to take place the next morning. As expected, all four teams had gone to ground and the rest of the competitors were fighting for final ranks in the background.
"I vote we put Crow in a dress and make him go twice." Jack was reclining on his bed and enjoying the slow build towards the final match. "Then we put him in a leotard for a third turn." They were all splayed around the room in various states of undress. Nobody was willing to go near a window and risk being seen and the extraction fan in the bathroom could only do so much for the building smell.
"He can probably pull it off." Examining a list drew up some fairly bleak conclusions. Team Turtle were all defensive players. They built up a strong defence and then started throwing out damage from Spells, Traps and monster effects. "Just shove a cushion under his bonnet to give him a hump and make them think he's a little old lady for the first run." Yusei realised the problem at hand and came up with a simple plan. Both Team Turtle and Team Fury only had three players. One member of their team would have to sit this final round out. "Leo, what do you think?"
Checking over the available information, Leo tried to think on an equal level to his friends. "Team Turtle likes to summon monsters fast and create an almost unbeatable barrier." Picking up a sheet of known Spells and Traps, he quickly catalogued them and their effects. "Mata, their leader, likes to destroy any monsters as well. He'll probably be the last opponent." Sucked into the information, he could have missed a conga line going past the window. "Our best chance is for Crow to go before Jack. Blackwings can swarm the field and leave behind some tributes for Jack. Red Dragon Archfiend can take down a lot of their monsters at once so they'll probably be expecting it first."
"So won't they be expecting us to send him in second as a trap?" Shifting Leo from the junior to intermediate leagues in his mind, Jack was begrudgingly impressed by the young prodigy.
"We can't afford to think like that, trying to counter a counter to a counter." Slipping through his own cards, Leo weighed the power of his own Deck against the tactics of the other team. "It's best just to go off what we know and make a strategy first. If there are any surprises, we can adapt later."
"When this is all over," Pulling a battered business card from his wallet, Crow held it out to the younger man. "Give my manager a call." It was the first time Leo had been taken seriously and dealt with on a professional level by the team.
"Get them to give me a call." Tapping idly on the desk, Yusei was smiling slightly. "I'll give him Jack's vote of confidence."
"You do that," The blonde growled. "I'll make sure to wipe the floor with Leo a few times." It was his own way of showing rivalry but it slightly unnerved Leo.
"One more thing." Reclining in the chair, Yusei folded both hands behind his head. "I'm going to sit this one out. I got the last round, you guys get this one?" It was not a question aimed at Leo but to his brothers. Maybe it was acceptable to take a turn out of rotation. But with Yliaster probably controlling the other team, it was really a question of if they both felt he was capable of taking Yusei's place. Not just now but after he was gone as well.
"Sure." Blowing off the pressure, Jack continued his low tone. "It would be good to have somebody who isn't as rusty as you."
"Whoa, steady on now." Taking the moral high ground, Crow stood up to his brother. "I'm sure there's a little old lady somewhere who can take his place if Leo doesn't want it." They continued to banter for a few minutes until Leo finally accepted the role and they could all calm down again. Letting his gaze shift to the list of known cards, something triggered in Yusei's mind as the insults bounced off indifference.
"Have any of you noticed anything weird with your Decks recently?" In the sudden celebration at being shot into the finals, Yusei had overlooked the strange circumstances of his Duel with Hunter
"Weird as in?" Recognising the serious question beneath the light tones, the Blackwing Duellist was suddenly on the alert.
"Remember my first Duel with Hunter?" Reaching over to the Duel Disk on the desk, Yusei pulled out his Deck as his brothers shared a glance. They remembered the rough course of the Duel but it had been before they even knew about being Signers. Not a particularly important chapter in their history. Spreading his cards out over the wooden desk, Yusei looked for any signs of the changes again. "Leo, can you remind the two blockheads?" Giving a perfect recital of the Duel, Leo was at serious risk of being pressured into brain scans to find out how his brain remembered Duels so perfectly.
"Let me guess, you beat him again?" Crow had seen him Duel several times over the years and – though he admitted Enjo was about as strong as he was – knew Yusei was a few rungs higher on the ladder.
"My Duel with him yesterday was exactly the same. Right up to the last turn." Finding nothing, Yusei picked out the cards that had helped him the first time around. "All my Synchro monsters were gone. Those two cards I originally drew?" Holding up Graceful Revival and Nitro Synchron, he quickly threw them back into the pile. "Gone. Instead, I got something called Junk Giant and Junk Changer and Jack, if you make a pun, I will lose it." Sensing the severity of the situation, Jack closed his mouth again. "My Extra Deck wasn't what it normally is, all the monsters were switched around. Stuff like Scar Warrior and Lightning Warrior. Ever heard of either of those?" Even walking prodigy Leo had no idea.
"There was a moment, during my Duel against Team Wrecker." Trying to be helpful, Crow just added another layer to the mystery. "I drew a Blackwing card I didn't recognise. It fit with my Deck so I just assumed it was a new card I hadn't used before." Having just taken down a monster as powerful as an Egyptian god, it had understandably not been high on his list of priorities.
"Could it be Yliaster?" Unshaken by the strange change in circumstances, Jack simply flopped about on the bed.
"Not unless they got hold of our Decks first." It was possible that their Decks or Runners had been tampered with but the strange phenomenon was too much to pin on them without extra-normal help. "Besides, an exact copy of my first Duel with Hunter? That has to mean something."
"Maybe the Crimson Dragon was trying to send you a message!" Brain still thinking in tactics, Leo was overlooking the obvious solution.
"Our only connection to the Crimson Dragon is sitting next door swapping bets on us." When they had left the room, the three ladies had been placing wagers on the various aspects of their upcoming Duel. Crow, for one, was upset to be missing out on the criminal action. "If it really wanted to send a message, Musume could just poke her head around the door and tell us." It was a bit more complicated than that but the core message was essentially correct. If their former benefactor really wanted to tell them something, she would get the broad strokes.
"Do you think it will happen again?" Still immersed in tactical thinking, Leo was concerned that no amount of strategy could overcome having their cards randomly switching out for mysterious members.
"Maybe." Shuffling his cards and pulling them back out, Yusei kept expecting to find new additions. "It's only happened a couple of times though. At this rate, we shouldn't have anything to worry about." That was only if the rate didn't suddenly shoot up. Worse, it could start spreading to other Duellists. They had absolutely no idea about what was happening.
A knock at the door interrupted their doomsday musings. Acting in coordinated chaos, three of their members dove for cover as Leo covered himself up to the neck in a robe and wrapped his hair in a towel. "Who is it?" Relying on the chain to stop the door opening too far, he peeked out through the narrow. With only his perfectly clean-shaven face showing, Leo could fool all but the closest of friends into believing he was his sister in a spare room for at least a full minute.
"That's your idea of a disguise?" With silver nanites oozing from her pores to hide her face, Musume had decided against giving herself some superficial burns just to walk to the next room in case it attracted too much attention. Because a shining silver mask was so unobtrusive.
"Can you wait a second?" Pulling himself out from the narrow space behind the safety board, Crow carefully lowered his bed back into place. Even if somebody had burst into the room with a camera, he would have been completely invisible as opposed to Jack's attempt to cling to near bathroom wall to avoid immediate detection.
Waiting until the others were at least better clothed, Leo opened the door to let her in. "Wait," Exerting some inner control, she slowly retracted the material back inside herself. "Where's Yusei?"
"Help?" In his haste to find somewhere unobtrusive to hide, Yusei had somehow folded himself into a roomy beside table cupboard between the two beds. Straightening his hairband in amazement, Crow admired the tangle of limbs as all three peered into the cupboard with various levels of amusement.
"How have you even done that?" A leg was bent up around his head, his left arm was wrapped around his back and stuck in place while his neck was slowly breaking as the confines forced it down uncomfortably close to his stomach.
"Yoga." After spending the first few months of sleepless nights gaining cramp in his legs from too much time sitting down, he took up various physical activities to keep himself limber. Yoga proved to be the perfect balance between movement and exertion. "Can somebody get me out?" Carefully reaching down, Jack closed and locked the door over increasingly loud objections.
"What's up?" Dragging the chair over, Crow dropped Leo on it and it in front of the cabinet. It wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that Yusei had picked up enough tricks to escape from the box.
"Have you guys been locked in here all day?" Sleep would be a brief affair. Nerves were always high right before the last round of a big tournament and there had never been one as big as the Pegasus Trinidad. They were making the most of their time by continuing to prepare. Any celebrations would take place after the event, not before.
"We're coming up with strategies for Team Fury and Kame." It was slated to be an epic Duel between the groups but there was already more money going on Fury for the strength of their Power Decks. "What about you?"
"Keeping my nose clean, on the straight and narrow, flying right." Pulling wide-eyed innocence, it was easy to fall for the trick if you didn't know how duplicitous she was. "Also some minor sniffing around. I've been looking up the history of the guys you might be fighting. Nothing really stands out yet but I'll keep digging." Even if she spent all night, she probably wouldn't find anything. Yliaster was too careful to leave any trail that could implicate people they associated with. "I was just stopping by to see if you needed anything? I've got some extra cards you're welcome too." It was a tantalising thought. She surely had at least a few cards that weren't even in the design stage at that moment in time.
"No." Forcing himself away from the temptation, Crow spoke for the entire team – especially the one currently crushed in the cupboard. "We're fine with our Decks as they are." Steel beams could probably have melted under the intensity of the glares he received. Both teammates had come to the same conclusion but still hated him for turning down the invitation. "Thanks anyway." Looking him over with a cool eye, she nodded in understanding. Musume might be willing to undertake whatever measures she deemed necessary but the pride they held as Duellists was impressive indeed.
"Okay. Just make sure to get plenty of rest. You're going to need it."