The Last Adventure: A Meandering Middle

by Undead Apparition

Continuing from TLA: A Final Beginning. Following the revelation that Yliaster is undergoing a civil war, Yusei has allied himself with Nanashi in an effort to protect his friends. To gain support and resources, the rebellious faction intends to win the Legend of Duellist Kingdom Tournament. But this is just the beginning of their plans and there may be no stopping them all.

11. Turtle

"Remind me what I said." Lounging on a low sofa, Musume was uncomfortable with a cap on. There is something about being locked behind a mask for extended durations that most people find difficult. Even going back as little as the hat was like a big glove was crushing the top of her head. "Something about sleep."

"Sorry," Over in one corner, Yusei was going through a rigorous series of stretches as he tried to work knots out of his muscles. "I was stuck in a cupboard for four hours." Due to one of the endless conniving plots by his brother's, a thick duvet had been placed over the bedside table to stop them hearing his increasingly pained pleas for release. It was only after they had passed midnight and were all utterly exhausted that Crow realised half his bed was still on the floor and let Yusei free from his cage.

"Nobody forced you inside. You climbed in all by yourself." Idly picking at an array of fresh fruit, she had an aggravating knack of picking out irrefutable truths from an argument and using them to her advantage.

"Why are you still here?" At seven o'clock that morning, they had all received a message to head for the nearby Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. It had once been a small family affair but evolved into a large mega-stadium able to seat one-hundred-thousand people for the bigger events. Private observation booths hovered almost directly above the pitch on the east side and professional booths lined the west edge as various technicians dealt with endless technical problems.

There had been a public outcry when it emerged that one of four remaining teams had forfeited before the first Duel was even over. Worse, that they had been allowed to remain and watch from one of the private observation booths directly overlooking the field. As luck would have it, there was a long tradition dating all the way back to the original Duellist Kingdom of inviting along close friends and Musume had graced her way in on the goodwill of a certain ginger Duellist.

"Look on the bright side." Three rhino's and a bulldozer couldn't have moved Jack away from the sprawling table of food set across one side of the luxurious observation lounge. "There are more types of coffee here than Crow can count." With Crow having blended together any espresso he could find into one dangerous cup, that was more or less true. Strange colours kept flickering in and out of his vision from the massive caffeine intake and he would later swear he could 'hear the carpet'. For the safety of himself and the others, Luna was keeping him occupied in the corner by listening to endless lines of nonsensical facts from the twitching man.

"That doesn't mean you should only be having coffee." Medical science still remained baffled by the time Jack had healthily survived for two weeks on nothing but coffee, a pack of biscuits and one spoonful of sugar. "There is other food." 'Other food' included enough meals to feed five thousand people. There were cakes, sandwiches, varying choices of cereals, a toaster, six different types of bread and mountains of fruit, vegetables and meats. Musume actually had a brimming tureen all to herself, having eaten the plethora of cooked mushrooms that had been previously occupying it. There were probably equal spreads laid out on the next two booths as well. The power behind the tournament was pulling out all the stops.

"Only if you don't eat it all." Lifting the loading carving fork from the deep dish of food, she contemplated wiping it down his coat. "Did they manage to get past Snapper?"

They had been evaluating the performance of Team Turtle all night and were watching the end of their battle against Team Fury. It had been brutal. A Continuous Trap, Gravity Bind had stopped any monsters Level 4 or higher from attacking and a pair of Command Knights had drawn all attacks to themselves and prevented any as a result. Using the remaining three spaces, Snapper – the first and only member of Team Turtle to play – had summoned Stealth Bird, Swarm of Locusts and Swarm of Scarabs. They were all Level 3 monsters with the ability to set themselves once per turn. It was when they flipped back up that trouble began. Stealth Bird destroyed 1000 Life Points, Swarm of Locusts destroyed an opponents Spell or Trap and Swarm of Scarabs destroyed a monster. Bolstered by anti-destruction cards to keep all his cards safe, Snapper was able to quickly bring the match to an end with barely a scratch to himself.

"No." It hadn't been a Duel but a slaughter and Leo was worried. It still made sense for him to go first with his lower-level Morphtronic monsters evading the Gravity Bind and using their effects to great advantage but he remained nervous. "Snapper won it by himself." Of the three members – Snapper, Leatherback and Mata – Snapper was the one who had done most of the Duelling in the competition. Rumour said that Mata had only ever had to Duel less than ten times since founding Team Turtle but he never lost. Leatherback had a reputation for playing fairly but a tiny loss rate. For defensive players, they were the top dogs and rarely came away from any Duel without an unquestionable victory added to the already lengthy list.

"As I recall," Lowering the entire fork into her mouth and tearing the food off, it was clear that Musume had received her father's manners. "Next is the other semi-final Duel so they should have a chance to refresh. Oh, wait." Letting the implication sink in, she extracted an entire chicken bone from where it was poking her in the cheek. Snapper would be mentally drained from fighting three consecutive Duels and now had to go up against another three. It was an easy win.

"We should be getting down to the field then." Energised by the backhanded support, Leo was ready to go down and take on Snapper with one hand tied behind his back.

"Give me a minute." Draining the last cup of coffee, Jack had a tiny bulge growing in his stomach from the sheer intake of liquid. "I need to use the toilet."

"I'll walk with you." Able to recognise the jitters Leo was having – nervous and excited – Luna fell into the old role of trying to calm down her brother before he could explode. "So, what's the plan?" A steady thumping noise seemed to come from the end of the corridor as they waited for the elevator. "What if he uses Gravity Bind?"

"Morphtronic Magnen to absorb the ATK of my other monsters." Entering the box, he was answering the question on auto-pilot and able to focus all the better. "Morpthronic Engine for any Level 3 monster to boost its attack and overcome his defences." The doors opened to reveal a pair of grim guards.

"This way." Holding out a palm, he led them down the corridor as Luna turned to encourage her brother.

"You'll do fine." Following him until they reached the last stretch of corridor, she was quickly escorted back to the elevator as Jack strode in the opposite direction. "Good luck."

"Luck?" Pausing in the tunnel, he savoured the sweet scent of an imminent Duel. "We won't need luck." As he walked to the bench, Luna returned to the room and Leo strode across the pitch to meet Snapper, it was a foolish idea to turn down the wish. Good luck could always come in useful.

(Turn 1)

Snapper (1/3): LP: 4000 Hand:6 Field: None Graveyard: None

Leo (1/3): LP: 4000 Hand:5 Field: None Graveyard: None

Seeing somebody like Leo going up against him was enough to make Snapper's cold demeanour even more frosty. He was the strong first line of Team Turtle and usually able to win Duels even before Leatherback made it onto the field. Going up against the junior Duellist was making him out to be a joke.

"I set one monster, three cards and activate Scapegoat." Up in the box and down on the field, the members of Team 5D's frowned. This card hadn't shown up in any of the research they had previously done.

"Hey, you can't summon any monsters on the same turn you use Scapegoat!" Leo actually had the same card in his own hand but an even better plan already in motion.

"Read the fine print." Snapper sneered the words across the divide. "I can't summon any monsters. It says nothing about setting them." With four puffy balls of fur barricading him, the rules were definitely on his side.

"Are you sure?" Squinting across the divide, he seemed unusually suspicious of the strategy. "That doesn't really sound fair." Looking towards the officiator on the side of the field, he pressed the point. "Can he do that?" A stern nod forced the attention back on the Duel. "Wow, that's neat. Can you give me some tips after we're done here?"

"Make your move." A headache was already starting to brew inside Snapper's skull as he was forced to listen to the inferior Duellist prattle on.

(Turn 2)

Snapper (1/3): LP: 4000 Hand:1 Field: 5 Monster, 3 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 1 Spell/Trap

Leo (1/3): LP: 4000 Hand:6 Field: None Graveyard: None

"Do they have to be in that particular order?" Bobbing up and down in a serene fashion, the monsters proved to be a peaceful distraction from the shouting of the crowd. "I mean, can the pink and the blue one switch?" Casually summoning the Level 3 Morphtronic Scopen, Leo seemed absorbed in the cuddly little creatures protecting Snapper. "It would be really cool if you could switch them around a bit." Coolly activating Scopen's special effect, it summoned up the Level 4 Morphtronic Boomboxen as Snapper tried to crush his own face in frustration. "Do you do parties?" Slipping down a card, he smoothly continued towards his next move as the other man stood voluntarily blind.

"Shut up, shutup, SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!" Screaming into the wind, he almost missed the innocent synchro summon as Leo called up Power Tool Dragon. If the lights hadn't dazzled from beneath his hand, he might have missed the monster appearing.

"I activate Power Tool Dragon's special effect to add an equip spell to my hand!" Finally realising the trick that had been pulled, Snapper lunged for his own cards.

"I activate Nightmare Archfiends," Down on the bench, Jack hissed through his teeth. Scapegoat had been in Leo's Deck but Nightmare Archfiends was in his and it had a nasty effect. "By tributing a monster, it summons three 'Nightmare Archfiend Tokens' (L6/2000 ATK/2000 DEF) to your side of the field." That wasn't all it did. Each time one of those tokens was destroyed, Leo would lose 800 Life Points. "And because tokens have been summoned, I can activate Token Feastevil." A pun of 'festival', it was also a game over for Leo. Token Feastevil would destroy all tokens on the field and inflict 300 Life Points to Leo for each one. It was 2100 Life Points for the seven tokens and another 2400 Life Points from the effect of the three Nightmare Archfiend Tokens. In one turn, Snapper had completely wiped him out.

"That was fast." Blown off his feet by the resulting blast, Leo blearily picked up the card his Duel Disk had spat out for Power Tool Dragon. Dusting himself off, he waved to the booing, jeering and laughing crowds before heading back towards Jack and Leo with a heavy heart.

"Did you intentionally bait him?" Meeting halfway, Crow was coming down from his caffeine high but still slightly shaky.

"When he used Scapegoat, I realised they must have swapped Decks between matches." It was not a rule violation but some considered it underhand play. "So I tried to annoy him to gain as much time as possible." Passing over Power Tool Dragon, he also revealed the card he had managed to set just before losing.

"Good job." It was poor timing that had cut their youngest member but Crow was heading straight for vengeance.

(Turn 3)

Snapper (1/3): LP: 4000 Hand:1 Field: 1 Monster, 1 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 1 Monster, 3 Spell/Trap

Crow (2/3): LP: 4000 Hand:5 Field: 1 Monster, 1 Spell/Trap Graveyard: None

"You just hurt my friend." In accordance with the rules, the Duel continued with Crow instantly taking Leo's place and getting his own turn. "That was a really dumb move that you're going to regret."

"Is everyone on your team a moron?" Each active member doing a quick count, they independently agreed that about a third was. In ironic fashion, they each mentally picked out a different member.

"Says the guy who just destroyed all his defences and left me with a kick-ass monster." Growling in agreement, the massive machine edged closer as something sparked in Leo's swelling head.

"Jack, what's Pile Arm do?" Pressing a hand to the growing lump, he tried to identify the unfamiliar card clutched in his hand.

"Never heard of it." Taking a peek from the corner of his eye, he took the card and held it up in front of Leo's face for a clearer look. "Rocket Pilder. You should probably have your head looked at." It was a simple excuse for the cosmic signal that something was wrong.

"Yeah," Putting the card back into his Deck, they proved that humanity is as dumb as it is dull. "Maybe." Out on the field, Crow was making some moves of his own.

"I summon Blackwing – Shura the Blue Flame (L4/1800 ATK/1200 DEF)!" With wind smoothing down the sky-blue plume, Shura took up stance beside Power Tool Dragon. "Shura, show him what we're made off." Screeching across the field, one massive claw was pulled back.

"Ignorance is what you're made off." A swirling vortex opened up before Snapper and spat the Blackwing back out where it had started. "Negate Attack ends the battle phase before you can do any damage." Snapper was a smart one when he wasn't distracted. In a single turn, he had crushed one opponent and prepared to hold off another until his defences could be rebuilt.

"Just wait." Playing a pair of face-downs, Crow was relieved at being able to blow some tension on the match. Fighting for Leo was an acceptable excuse for venting his anger. "You've got one more turn, two at most." Picking two cards from his hand, he slid them into place as the crowd began laughing at how far the formerly great team had fallen.

(Turn 4)

Snapper (1/3): LP: 4000 Hand:2 Field: None Graveyard: 1 Monster, 4 Spell/Trap

Crow (2/3): LP: 4000 Hand:2 Field: 2 Monster, 3 Spell/Trap Graveyard: None

Snapper was far from an idiot. He knew that Crow would likely beat him in the next few turns and set about trying to restrict the movements of his enemies. "At the cost of 1000 Life Points, I activate Wave-Motion Cannon!" A steampunk looking artillery piece appeared behind him.

Up in the observation booth, the mood turned sour. Wave-Motion Cannon was a rare Spell that would gain a counter during each of the owner's Standby Phases. It wasn't going to do much damage to Crow but Jack might very well enter the Duel with a loaded gun glued to his head.

"Down Burst!" Crow had hoped to use it later but he knew as his friends what the other card could mean. "All your Spell and Trap cards return to face-down position." It was a minor victory at best.

"You really should have waited. I activate The Dark Door!" A continuous Spell, The Dark Door restricted each player to attacking with a single monster per Battle phase. If Crow had waited a few more moments, he would have won on his next turn.

"They're not using a Stall Deck." In their previous Duels, Team Turtle had made use of high-powered defences to simply outlast their opponents while they used the occasional Spell and Trap to whittle away at the Life Points. "It's a Burn Deck." Leo was actually outraged at being right. Burn Decks were near fatal in one-on-one Duels. They focused almost entirely on causing the maximum amount of damage in a single turn. There were dozens of variations and they were known to be fatal if the opponent was unprepared. If, for example, a team famous for using Stall Decks suddenly switched over to Burn Decks, the other team might as well give up and go home.

(Turn 5)

Snapper (1/3): LP: 3000 Hand:0 Field: 2 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 1 Monster, 4 Spell/Trap

Crow (2/3): LP: 4000 Hand:3 Field: 2 Monster, 2 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 1 Spell/Trap

Crow's Blackwing strategies were fairly straightforward – remove any obstacles and attack the opponent. If he was limited to a single monster a turn, it was going to be tricky to beat even Snapper. "Maybe I could do with a couple of extra cards – Cards for Black Feathers!" Discarding Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind, he suffered another bout of that strange phenomenon as he drew one of his cards. It was definitely his monster but it was unquestionably different at the same time. "I tribute Blackwing – Shura the Blue Flame to summon Blackwing – Sirocco the Dawn (L5/2000 ATK/900 DEF)." As the tall, dark and brooding monster appeared, he stealthily set a card. "Sirocco, take him down." Whatever was different about the card, it still worked exactly the same way.

"Is that it?" Even with half his Life Points gone, Snapper was still being overwhelmingly arrogant. "That's the best you can do. We've got this in the bag."

"You're also dressed the colour of mucus." Any woman with eyes or man with taste would be able to point out it was verdant but it got a laugh from the crowd anyway.

"It's called 'forest green'. Not mucus." Nobody but Jack and a dwindling handful of rich, white, old men could have trumped the superior snark in his voice.

"It's snot, is it?" Missing the pun, Snapper almost answered in the affirmative before the renewed laugh of the crowd warned him away.

(Turn 6)

Snapper (1/3): LP: 1000 Hand:1 Field: 2 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 1 Monster, 4 Spell/Trap

Crow (2/3): LP: 4000 Hand:1 Field: 2 Monster, 3 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 1 Monster, 2 Spell/Trap

For a dramatic last stand, Snapper went out with a whimper rather than a bang. "I set one monster." It was a devious creature he had placed. Not the stuff of legend but definitely enough to hold the line. "And activate Wave-Motion Cannon." Throwing away the last of his Life Points, Snapper felt safe in the knowledge he was leaving behind a power to bring down the last thing standing between his team and eternal glory. "Leatherback." Meeting his replacement halfway through the journey to the bench, he passed over the strong field of play. "Take them both down." With Snapper being replaced during his own turn, Team Turtle effectively got a do-over to improve their strategy with.

(Turn 7)

Leatherback (2/3): LP: 4000 Hand:5 Field: 1 Monster, 2 Spell/Trap Graveyard: None

Crow (2/3): LP: 4000 Hand:1 Field: 2 Monster, 3 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 1 Monster, 2 Spell/Trap

Standing in the booth, Musume had only started paying attention when Crow entered the field. "Snapper is the base," As she laid out the Turtle's plan, she muttered notes under her breath. "Maka likes to go for the big finish but only if Leatherback doesn't get there first." It was a ploy that perfectly mirrored the idea of Team 5D's but executed through years of gruelling training as opposed to the natural mesh her family had.

"This isn't going well." Gnawing at a thumb nail, Luna was evaluating the possibility of winning as constantly shrinking. While Crow would normally fly to victory in a single turn, he was being shackled to the ground. Worse, with Leatherback having effectively restarted the turn, Wave-Motion Cannon had gained a counter.

"I summon Mucus Yolk (L3/0 ATK/100 DEF)." An amoeba-looking red blob appeared to one side. "Don't make any egg jokes – they're not funny." Seeing Crow open his mouth for casual banter, Leatherback stopped the bad humour before it could begin. "By sending one monster from my hand to my Graveyard," Slipping a card into play, he threw out Different Dimension Dragon. "I can activate Double Attack to let a monster with less ATK than the discard monster attack twice." Oozing over the field, Mucus Yolk dribbled on his shoes slightly.

"Seriously?" Kicking the thing free, Crow tried to spot the point of being attacked twice by a 0 ATK monster.

"Seriously." This time, the blob hit him in the knees and did some damage. "Mucus Yolk gains 1000 ATK for every successful attack and can attack directly." Meaning Crow only had two turns at best to get rid of the creature. "I activate Toll, set one card and end my turn." Toll was a brutal Continuous Spell that forced each player to pay 500 Life Points for each attack. Coupled with The Dark Door, it limited Crow even further.

(Turn 8)

Leatherback (2/3): LP: 4000 Hand:0 Field: 2 Monster, 4 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 1 Monster, 1 Spell/Trap

Crow (2/3): LP: 3000 Hand:2 Field: 2 Monster, 3 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 1 Monster, 2 Spell/Trap

Looking at that new face-down, Crow felt his Duellist sense tingle. "Sirroco, squish that Mucus Yolk." Before the wings could even fully spread, a bellowing lion's roar split the air. "Threatening Roar?" A Trap that prevented any attacks for one turn, it also had the added side-effect of sealing Crow's fate.

"Sorry." Listening to the roars as they died away in muffled growls, Leatherback made it through the turn unscathed. "Nothing personal."

"You're a lot nicer than the last guy." All three of his face-downs were useless at this point. There wasn't anything he could do but add a pair of cards and consider the future.

"Snapper?" Watching Crow try to find an escape route and realise the impossible, it was clear Team Turtle were gaining a strong lead. "Yeah, he gets irritated quick. Leatherbacks though, we're a bit more flexible." Accepting the inevitable upcoming damage, Crow reluctantly finished his turn.

(Turn 9)

Leatherback (2/3): LP: 4000 Hand:1 Field: 2 Monster, 3 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 1 Monster, 2 Spell/Trap

Crow (2/3): LP: 2500 Hand:0 Field: 2 Monster, 5 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 1 Monster, 2 Spell/Trap

"Sorry about this." Admiring his draw, Leatherback was quick to slip it in before the balance of control could swing towards the other team. "I activate Mage Power." A rare Equip card, it increased the ATK and DEF of one monster for every Spell and Trap the owner controlled.

"It's fine." Watching the monster, now engorged to the size of a small bus, ooze across to him, Crow prepared for the sticky end. "But you can believe I'll be back soon. Blackback!" Pausing the monster in the midst of the attack, Crow was able to special summon a Blackwing monster from his graveyard with less than 2000 ATK. "You probably don't remember Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind (L3/1300 ATK/400 DEF) but he gave me a couple of cards a few turns back." It was always satisfying to pull tricks like that one. "Don't bother introducing yourself." Appearing in a flurry of wings, Gale dissolved into a group of rings as Crow flipped up his Urgent Tuning trap. "Because I'm forging a will of steel with the speed of light to craft a sublime form! Blackwing – Silverwind the Ascendant (L8/2800 ATK/2000 DEF)!" Dressed in ornate golden armour and flaring resplendent silver wings, the monster was also wielding a sword longer than it was tall – two stories tall.

"That was a nice move." Leatherback was similarly adjusted as Crow, treating the opponent with respect and a bit of humour. "Don't forget, Atlas still has to get through two of us."

"Somehow," Struggling to keep his neck above the slime coating around him, Crow smiled. "I don't think that will be a problem for him." Shaking free of the hologram, Crow began pulling the cards free from his Duel Disk as he walked to meet Jack.

"Good choice." It wouldn't be until after the competition was over that Crow would admit that he had chosen to steer away from Black-Winged Dragon for non-tactical reasons.

"Check the face-downs before you start." Nodding professionally at his brother, Crow walked to join Leo on the bench. "How many turns do you think he will take to beat Leatherback?"

"Less than four." Hedging his bet slightly, Leo watched his idol take up a stance with Power Tool Dragon on one side and Blackwing – Silverwind the Ascendant on the other.

(Turn 10)

Leatherback (2/3): LP: 3500 Hand:0 Field: 2 Monster, 4 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 1 Monster, 2 Spell/Trap

Jack (3/3): LP: 4000 Hand:5 Field: 2 Monster, 3 Spell/Trap Graveyard: None

"Nice trick." Mucus Yolk now had 4000 ATK and could attack directly, Jack was limited to one monster and forced to pay 500 Life Points for each attack. There was nothing else like starting a Duel with a disadvantage – all the better to prove his skill. "You'll be gone within two turns." Leatherback had seen eyes like that before, every time Mata went onto the field. A good team was like family but Mata could get seriously scary when he Duelled so Leatherback tried to limit those encounters. "Power Tool Dragon." Grinding into action, this was the first time that the monster had done anything since Leo summoned it on his one turn. "Target his face-down monster."

"Due to its effect." Watching the drill bounce off the blue card, a huddled velvet robe appeared on his side of the field. "Spirit Reaper cannot be destroyed in battle."

"No," Drawing back its massive sword, Silverwind seemed to sense what was coming. "But this feathered freak has the ability to destroy two monsters with equal or less DEF each turn." Swinging the sword in a mighty blow, it carved directly through both monsters and left Leatherback with only his ongoing Spells for what little protection they could provide. "For my move, I summon Dark Resonator (L3/1300 ATK/300 DEF)." Dinging its large tuning fork, the creature had the ability to survive one attack a turn. "Let's see what you can do."

(Turn 11)

Leatherback (2/3): LP: 3500 Hand:1 Field: 3 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 3 Monster, 3 Spell/Trap

Jack (3/3): LP: 3500 Hand:4 Field: 3 Monster, 3 Spell/Trap Graveyard: None

Picking up his card, Leatherback knew it was no use. Sebek's Blessing was a Quick-Play Spell that increased one player's Life Point by the amount a direct attack of their monster to the opponent. With no monsters, it was just clutter on the field to hinder Mata when he arrived. "I end my turn." As the crowd jeered their disapproval from the stands, Leatherback was fine to admit that he might lose. At least Wave-Motion Cannon had gained a third counter. On his next turn, it would be enough to take out the forgetful Jack.

(Turn 12)

Leatherback (2/3): LP: 3500 Hand:1 Field: 3 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 3 Monster, 3 Spell/Trap

Jack (3/3): LP: 3500 Hand:5 Field: 3 Monster, 3 Spell/Trap Graveyard: None

There had been a moment of concern that he might have to skip to the big surprise but something was smiling on Jack that day. It wasn't whoever had put the strange card in his Deck. Cursed Shield, an Equip Spell that weakened a monster by 500 ATK but inflicted damage to the other player when it was destroyed felt uncomfortably familiar in his hand. "Silverwind the Ascendant, strike him down!" Costing himself another 500 Life Points, Jack at least managed to take Leatherback all the way down to 700 Life Points in one turn.

"That was close." Behind Leatherback, the needles on Wave-Motion Cannon were hitting the ends of their dials. "But I still have 700 Life Points left."

"I have a friend." Reaching for a card, Jack carefully laid it into place. "Lives in a place called Crash Town." On the other side of the world, Kalin gave a grave smile at the flickering television in the packed bar. "Really fast draw. How about we have a race?" Settling into a slightly crouched posture, his spare hand dangled just beside the Duel Disk. "See who is faster."

(Turn 13)

Leatherback (2/3): LP: 700 Hand:2 Field: 3 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 3 Monster, 3 Spell/Trap

Jack (3/3): LP: 3000 Hand:4 Field: 3 Monster, 4 Spell/Trap Graveyard: None

Leatherback was quick to draw but Jack was already waiting for official confirmation of the current phase. "I activate Sneak Exploder." Over on the Team Turtle bench, Mata rose to his feet and slowly began heading towards the field. "For your standby phase," It was the quickest use he could put the card to. "It gets sent to the graveyard." It could only be activated when the opponent had no players. During their standby phase, it was sent to the graveyard and took 500 Life Points for each monster the controller had on their field. "That wasn't even close." Smiling coldly as Leatherback turned to leave, Jack eyed up his new opponent.

"Let's get going." Taking the three cards from Leatherback, Mata took up position on the other side of the field from Jack.

(Turn 14)

Mata (3/3): LP: 4000 Hand:5 Field: 3 Spell/Trap Graveyard: None

Jack (3/3): LP: 3000 Hand:5 Field: 3 Monster, 3 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 1 Spell/Trap

With an extra standby phase – courtesy of the change in players – Wave-Motion Cannon now had enough power to wipe out 5000 Life Points. Mata knew that Crow would have left something behind to save Jack and chose not to activate it at that moment. "I set two cards." Tugging at a monster, he casually summoned it in defence position. "And summon Magna Drago (L2/1400 ATK/600 DEF)." It was a small dragon curled up on his field but it had the added benefit of being a Tuner. Mata was up to something. "And end my turn." Words of Mata's hermit approach to Duelling had spread an air of mystery about his actions and the crowd wasn't sure to support his actions or be derisive of them. Most chose to focus on Jack instead. At least they knew where they stood on the blonde Duellist.

(Turn 15)

Mata (3/3): LP: 4000 Hand:2 Field: 1 Monster, 5 Spell/Trap Graveyard: None

Jack (3/3): LP: 3000 Hand:6 Field: 3 Monster, 3 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 1 Spell/Trap

"From my hand, I activate Double Summon." It had been a plan but now he had the right cards, it was a course of action. "I summon Battle Fader (L1/0 ATK/0 DEF)." A wildly swinging pendulum that had the ability to disrupt the game, the monster only occupied the space for a moment. "Let it fade away to leave behind Power Invader (L5/2200 ATK/0 DEF)." A hulking purple giant, nothing seemed able to excite the chill Mata. "Let's finish this with a bang," Around him, the two monsters dissolved and merged as a new outline was formed

"Something's not right." Seated as soon as Crow left the field, Musume still had the sharp gaze of a Duellist. "Mata's up to something."

"You shouldn't have done that to Leo," Solidity ran like a virus through the network of green lines. "It was a cruel trick to play" A gust of wind howled through the stadium and picked up the corners of his jacket. "So now I synchro summon" A howl echoed through the stadium and drowned out the cheering fans. "Red Dragon Archfiend (L8/3000 ATK/2500 DEF)!"

"Behold," Ghosting up from the other side of the field, a misty shape appeared. "Phantom Dragon (L8/2300 ATK/2200 DEF). Because you special summoned a monster, I can special summon mine at the expense of two monster zones." It was a shocking move. Technically, a synchro summon was a special summon but few people really remembered that little fact. "I activate Urgent Tuning." No good Duellist left their Deck without one. "To synchro summon Trident Dragion (L10/3000 ATK/2800 DEF)." Bellowing fire and smoke, the triple-headed dragon was as much a match to Red Dragon Archfiend as anything.

"Fine," Angry at maybe having to sacrifice something of his own, Jack was in a foul mood. "Red Dragon can take down that poser." Could, unless Mata activated Half or Nothing. Jack had the option of either not attacking or halving the ATK of each monster on his field. In the end, he let his turn pass without attacking or adding any more cards.

(Turn 16)

Mata (3/3): LP: 4000 Hand:3 Field: 1 Monster, 3 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 2 Monster, 2 Spell/Trap

Jack (3/3): LP: 3000 Hand:3 Field: 3 Monster, 3 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 2 Monster, 2 Spell/Trap

"You really gave a go of it." For the really attentive audience members, they had realised that Wave-Motion Cannon now stood at six counters. 6000 Life Points from Jack.

"Let me guess," Eyeing the massive weapon behind Mata, Jack had been fully aware of it for his entire stint on the field. "You're going to wipe me off the map with that thing."

"I wasn't going to use it last turn." Gracious in his surety of winning, Mata was willing to share his logic with the world. "Hogan probably left you something to counteract it. I needed something of my own. Wave-Motion Cannon," Those with binoculars could see the dials suddenly rotate back to their starting positions as a ball of tightly confined lightning formed in the depths of the mighty weapon. "End him." Observant members had kept track of the amount of damage Wave-Motion Cannon would do.

"I activate Chaos Life." Keen minds would identify the card Crow had left behind. Mata, in particular, had been awaiting it.

"Dark Bribe." A Counter Trap, it stopped the activation of any Spell or Trap and gave the opponent an extra card. "I told you." Watching the lightning blow across the field, Mata was insufferably smug. "I planned for this."

"So did Leo." When the electric cloud cleared, Jack was still standing. More than that, the counter declared him to have a whopping 9000 Life Points. "Damage Eraser." Filtering the last of the sparks, the Trap had been set all the way back in the second turn of the Duel by a sneaky hand. "When I would lose Life Points from a card effect, Damage Eraser turns that loss into a gain." Around the world, cheers rang Jack's name, Leo's name and a few even for Crow. Every inch of the city echoed with the cheers from the stadium as an obvious winner came to the forefront.

"I might not have beaten you," Mata's joy had turned to murderous rage at being outsmarted by the snivelling brat. "But I'm taking down that damn toy machine!" Sending Trident Dragion bellowing and belching towards Power Tool Dragon, Team Turtle still didn't grasp the teamwork that they were facing.

"Didn't you listen?" Flipping up the final card left behind, Jack felt a surge of savage familial anger. "Crow said you would regret hurting our friend. Blackwing – Bombardment!" Vanishing from inside the outfit, Blackwing – Silverwind the Ascendant left behind the golden armour and mighty sword behind for Power Tool Dragon to weld to itself. "By sacrificing one Blackwing monster, a synchro monster gains its ATK for the rest of the turn." Far from being destroyed, Power Tool Dragon cleaved the mighty monster directly down the middle with a single blow of the massive sword it had inherited. With the extra power boost, it was able to inflict substantial damage at the same time.

Enraged beyond words, the only move Mata had left was to empty his hand of the traps. One was Mirror Force and would obliterate those dragons for good when Jack attacked.

(Turn 17)

Mata (3/3): LP: 1400 Hand:0 Field: 5 Spell/Trap Graveyard: 3 Monster, 3 Spell/Trap

Jack (3/3): LP: 3000 Hand:5 Field: 2 Monster Graveyard: 3 Monster, 5 Spell/Trap

Look at this. Another card that wasn't in his Deck. Stop Defence. Where had it come from? Leo's head injury suddenly seemed a lot less like a convenient excuse. Still, he already had everything he needed to win. "This tournament began as something we were all doing together." Unlike Mata, Jack knew his real chances of winning. There was maybe one combination of cards that could stop him and the odds of Mata having all three were in the millions. "But then you hurt my friend. Crow and I, well, we didn't like that." After Leo had been kicked out on his first turn, they had forgotten about Yliaster and the tournament. It had become more personal. "It didn't even matter about who got to be the next King of Games." In the darkest moments of nights in the future, Jack would wake in chill sweats as he remembered how utterly sincere that had been. "You came after family." Holding a card that had been in his hand since stepping onto the field, he raised it up high. "I activate Scarlet Security!"

Up in the booth, the team began celebrating early. Despite her grumpy outside, Musume found herself crushed in Luna's embrace as Akiza and Yusei grabbed one another and began jumping into the air with sheer excitement. Kalin laughed from afar, fans cheered from down in the stands and their friends around the world burst out in celebrations as history was written and Red Dragon lifted both claws high about its curled horns.

"Because you failed to destroy Red Dragon Archfiend, it can now destroy all your Spell and Trap cards." Toll, The Dark Door, Mirror Force, Wall of Revealing Light and even an Astral Barrier were all wiped away. "You know, it would be wrong to take all the fun for myself." Jack couldn't call Leo up onto the pitch in person but he could do the next best thing. "Power Tool Dragon," Throwing out an arm, he let the monster stream past. "Finish him off." Pulling back the mighty blue scoop on its arm, the metal dragon smashed it directly into Mata.

Game Over

Winner: Team 5D's