Chapter 5: Blackened Wings of Stardust

Yuya spent most of the next day trying to find out about this underground, but it was spent to no avail. All he got was confirmation that someone was always outside his door when he heard a slight shuffle following one of his many attempts to get information. "Yuya, you know this is pointless," Yuto pointed out, "They haven't responded yet, and it has been almost a day of this. You should be preparing for the next round. Thanks to Declan, we know that our next opponent is either Sylvio or that Yugo guy, so we should very much be prepared to take on a friend as much as someone new."

"But Yuto, we already know how Sylvio duels, and I doubt that Yugo's style will take long to learn, and I want to know about that underground place!" Yuya argued,

"I know. I do as well, however, we will have time for that after the tournament. We especially need to prepare for that Ren. We likely will face him, so we need a way over his dragon soon."

"Yeah. It is a whole beast that I'm not looking forward to facing."

"Then let us get some rest. Who knows, they might have a duel for us tomorrow."

"Yeah. But I do have a question for you, Yuto."

"What is it?"

"Do you think it is possible to beat him? And I mean outright. I'm sure there are a few Actions cards that could help, like that one that Jack Atlas used against us."

"Well, it certainly is possible. Nobody is unbeatable. However, we don't want to rely on an Action card to win us the duel, especially given that I believe that they are decided when we pick them up."

"You're right," Yuya sighed, "Night Yuto."

"Goodnight Yuya." Yuto smiled, the setting sun peacefully gleaming through the gaps in the curtains, slightly masking the slight glow coming from Yuya's deck case.

The next morning the Friendship cup was underway once more. The first duel was Sylvio vs Yugo. The one who looked so much like them, and the duel, hard-fought as it was, rather decisively went to Yugo. When Yugo summoned his Clear Wing Synchro Dragon however, it felt like something was triggered in Yuya and Yuto. It felt like they were on the field dueling. Dark Rebellion and Odd-Eyes had also been glowing at this point, which Yuto suggested was part of the reason. As they settled back down, the next duel was announced: Yusei vs Crow. Yuya, based on how Yusei had reacted back when they were in the High Council's chamber a hundred-odd floors below, could tell they were good mates, but didn't know how the duel would go.

As the two friends pulled up to the line, Crow called over to Yusei, "Hey old friend, how about we duel like in the old days?"

"So no Action cards? Fine by me." Yusei noted, and soon they had both taken off, Crow rounding the bend first.

Yusei: 4000 LP

Crow: 4000 LP

Turn 1: Crow

"Alright I'll start things off by summoning my Blackwing – Gofu the Vague Shadow! I can do this since I control no monsters! Gofu also allows me to summon 2 tokens!" Crow's bird appeared, making a little squawk before settling, and then calling out two shades that just sat on the field.

Blackwing – Gofu the Vague Shadow: Level 5, Tuner, 0 ATK

Vague Shadow Token: Level 1, 0 ATK (x2)

"Now by paying half my life points, I activate Extra-Foolish Burial to send my Assault Blackwing – Raikiri the Rain Shower to the graveyard from my extra deck!" Yellow lightning arced along Crow's body, causing his duel runner to sway, and a card from his extra deck entered the graveyard portal.

Crow: 4000 LP - 2000 LP

"Gofu can be used to Synchro summon a monster in my graveyard, so I will tune level 5 Gofu with my 2 level one tokens! This will allow me to synchro summon Raikiri from my graveyard!" Gofu squawked again, this time turning into 5 rings that then proceeded to turn the tokens into little stars. A beam of white light appeared, from which Crow's ace appeared, slashing its katana, and yelling at the sky.

Blackwing – Raikiri the Rain Shower: Level 7, 2600 ATK

"Impressive Crow, but I don't think it will last long." Yusei taunted,

"Oh yeah? Well have a go at it! I play 2 face downs and end my turn!" Crow replied.

Turn 2: Yusei

"I now draw and summon my Junk Forward in defence mode! I can do this as I control no monsters!" the scout appeared on Yusei's field, seemingly hiding from Raikiri, which amused a few kids in the audience.

Junk Forward: Level 3, 1500 DEF

"I now discard my Junk Connector and Quickdraw Synchron to add my Junk Synchron to my hand, who I then normal summon, and its ability revives my Connector!"

Junk Synchron: Level 3, Tuner, 1300 ATK

Junk Connector: Level 2, 0 DEF

"I now activate my Level Adjuster spell card, allowing me to pay 500 Life points to increase Junk Connector's level by 1!" As with Crow, yellow electricity, albeit of a lower voltage trickled over Yusei as his Connector got stronger.

Yusei: 4000 LP - 3500 LP

Junk Connector: Level 2 - Level 3

"Level 3 Junk Synchron now tunes my Level 3 Junk Forward and Level 3 Junk Connector! When 3 piles of junk come together, gaze in awe at the power it can truly generate! I Synchro Summon! Level 9 Junk Lord!" A new monster appeared, seemingly made of a mash of assorted junk types, but it still looked rather regal for a sentient junk pile.

Junk Lord: Level 9, 3000 ATK

"By banishing a 'Junk' monster from my graveyard, my lord inflicts you with damage equal to half its attack or defence points, whichever is higher, then I can normal summon a 'Junk' monster from my graveyard in addition to my normal summon this turn! I banish Junk Forward to revive Junk Synchron who drags Junk Connector back into the fight! Scrap Iron Call!" A light appeared in the graveyard portal on the field, and out of it shot a white bolt of energy, bringing Crow's life points down again, and then Yusei's two other 'Junk' monsters reappeared.

Crow: 2000 LP - 1250 LP

Junk Synchron: Level 3, Tuner, 1300 ATK

Junk Connector: Level 2, 0 ATK

"I now tune my level 3 Synchron to my level 2 Connector! I Synchro Summon level 5, Junk Warrior!" Again, Yusei's monsters tuned, this time a monster wearing a scarf and with a double golden blade on its shoulders appeared.

Junk Warrior: Level 5, 2300 ATK

"Now go Junk Lord! Attack with Scrap Iron Fist!" Yusei called,

"Not so fast, my Blade Shade trap will put a stop to this! By targeting my Raikiri, I can negate the attack and deal you 500 damage!" Crow countered,

Yusei grit his teeth as a blast came back at him, his attack stopped.

Yusei: 3500 LP - 3000 LP

"I play a face down and end my turn."

Turn 3: Crow

"I draw and now I summon my Blackwing – Jetstream the Blue Sky!" a small bird with red plumage on its underside swooped down, settling near Raikiri.

Blackwing – Jetstream the Blue Sky: Level 1, 100 ATK

"I now activate Raikiri's special ability, which destroys two of your cards! I destroy your Lord and Warrior! Galeforce Slash!" As Raikiri's blade hit Yusei's monsters, they immediately evaporated, leaving nothing behind. "I now tune my Raikiri and Jetstream!"

"How?" Yusei questioned, "You have no tuners!"

"Ah, that's the thing," Crow answered, "When Raikiri is Synchro Summoned, it is treated as a tuner! Now come together the bird of the clear blue and the raging shower of rain! I synchro summon level 8! Assault Blackwing – Oshiaki the Rainstorm!" When Crow's newest synchro monster emerged, it flashed two blades, ready for combat.

Assault Blackwing – Oshiaki the Rainstorm: Level 8, 1500 ATK

"Why did you give up your Raikiri for a monster with almost half as many attack points? I was already going to survive the turn; do you just want to rub it in?" Yusei taunted,

"Actually, if I have guessed correctly, that face down is your Scrap Iron Scarecrow, so this was the right move, as Oshiaki can attack twice! Go Double Storm Slash!" Crow's monster charged at Yusei, who immediately activated his face down, which Crow had guessed right, to intercept an attack. It still wasn't enough though, as a blade hit his duel runner, sending Yusei spinning.

Yusei: 3000 LP - 1500 LP

"I now end my turn!" Crow called

Turn 4: Yusei

"I draw! Since I have no trap cards in my graveyard, I can activate my Dragon's Call of Destiny from my hand!" A trap card appeared face up on the field, showing Yusei's Stardust Dragon and another, red dragon clashing. "We now must send all the cards on our field and in our hands to the graveyard, although we will be able to summon any 'Dragon' monster from our extra deck, ignoring summoning conditions. I send my Scarecrow and the last card in my hand to summon my Stardust Dragon!"

"I do the same, but summon my Black Winged Dragon instead!" The two dragons flew out of both player's extra decks, appearing on the field after clashing twice.

Stardust Dragon: Level 8, 2500 ATK

Black Winged Dragon: Level 8, 2800 ATK

"Now by banishing my trap, I can set both our life points to 100, but I must skip my next turn!" Yellow electricity arced out once more, this time setting both duellists to the lowest life points reasonably possible.

Yusei: 1500 LP - 100 LP

Crow: 1250 LP - 100 LP

"Next by banishing my Junk Adjuster from my graveyard, I can reduce Stardust's attack to 0, and then your dragon gains the following effect: At the start of the damage step, if this card battles: destroy the opposing monster!" The crowd gasped, but not all for the same reason.

Stardust Dragon: 2500 ATK - 0 ATK

"My Stardust attacks and since at the start of the damage step your monster activates an effect that would destroy my dragon, I can tribute it to negate and destroy your card! Stardust Flash!" Stardust opened its wings before quickly disappearing, followed by Black Winged Dragon. "I then end my turn, and Stardust returns to my field." Yusei's dragon re-emerged from the graveyard, looking more magnificent than ever.

Stardust Dragon: Level 8, 2500 ATK

Turn 5: Crow

"I draw and I activate a spell card called Blackwing Rebirth! This spell allows me to summon any monster from my graveyard, but it cannot attack this turn, also it is treated as a 'Blackwing' while face-up on the field! So rise once more my Black Winged Dragon!" Now it was Crow's monster's turn to reappear, majestically swooping before unfurling its blade-sharp wings.

(Blackwing) Black Winged Dragon: Level 8, 2800 ATK

"I now end my turn!"

Turn 6: Yusei

"My turn is skipped due to my trap's effect, so go take another turn Crow." Yusei called,

"With pleasure!" Crow replied.

Turn 7: Crow

"I draw and attack you with Black Winged Dragon! Blade-Sharp Strike!" Crow's monster swooped in, readying its talons to end the duel, but Yusei grinned at this.

"My banished Junk Adjuster's special ability activates!" he declared,

"What?" Crow exclaimed,

"I can now banish as many 'Junk' monsters from my graveyard as I wish, then one 'Junk' or 'Stardust' monster I control gains 100 ATK points for each! By banishing my Junk Forward, Synchron, Connector and Warrior, my dragon gains 400 ATK points!" Yusei's dragon roared as it got more powerful, readying a counter strike, "Stardust Burst!"

Crow's dragon was soon engulfed in the brilliant light, and as he was deprived of his last few life points, his also smiled at his friend's skill.

Crow: 100 LP - 0 LP

Yusei Wins!

As the two friends rode back into the garages, they shook hands, both rather happy about the result. For both of them it was good to see their old friend not having lost any skill. Yuya had seen this exchange up in his room, but he couldn't help but be apprehensive. If what he had interpreted from what had been said was correct, the loser of a duel was sent to some underground place. Yuya didn't particularly like that thought, mostly because a few of his friends had already lost, which might mean that they were in this underground doing who knows what? Yuya did also note that there weren't many duels left in the first round. If he had done his math correctly, there were 3 duels left, but that led him to a startling confrontation: there was no combination of duels were there weren't two Lancers duelling each other and Zuzu wasn't likely to duel one. There were only two duellists that Yuya didn't know left, a man named Damon, who was captured along with them, and a man who looks more like a beast called Sergey, who apparently has a nickname of 'The Duellist Destroyer'.

Yuya's jaw dropped with horror when the next duel was announced and decided not long after, when Sergey demolished Damon. Nowhere near the level of Ren vs Gong, but it was still very brutal. Yuya now had 3 things to worry about; first there was the matter of Ren and his Xyz Dragons, next there was this Sergey who was the second most brutal duellist, having seemingly destroyed Damon's duel runner beyond repair, and last but most certainly at the top of Yuya's fears, there was now guaranteed to be a Lancer vs Lancer duel with Zuzu duelling the other. It wasn't long later when the second last duel of the first round was announced: Zuzu vs Celina.

Custom Cards:

Level Adjuster

Spell

Increase one monster you control's level by one by paying 500 LP

Blackwing Rebirth

Spell

Target one DARK Winged-Beast or DARK Dragon monster in your GY: Special Summon it, and if you do, it is treated as a 'Blackwing' monster. The monster summoned through this effect can't attack this turn.

Dragon's Call of Destiny

Trap

Both players send all cards in their hand and field to the GY, then both players special summon one 'Dragon' monster from their extra deck ignoring its summoning conditions. You can banish this card from your GY: Set both players LP to 100. You can activate this card from your hand if you have no traps in your GY. You can only activate each effect of 'Dragon's Call of Destiny' once per turn.

Junk Adjuster

EARTH

Level 1

Machine, Effect

This card cannot be Normal Summoned/Set, nor Special Summoned. You can banish this card from the GY and target two monsters on the field, one you control and one your opponent controls: the original attack of the monster you control becomes 0, and the monster your opponent controls gains the following effect:

If this card battles: Destroy your opponent's monster.

Once while this card is banished; you can banish any number of 'Junk' monsters from your GY then target one 'Junk' or 'Stardust' monster you control: That monster gains 100 ATK for each banished card until the end of the turn. You can only use one effect of 'Junk Adjuster' per turn, and only once that turn.

0 ATK/0 DEF

Junk Lord

EARTH

Level 9

Machine, Synchro, Effect

1 'Junk' Tuner + 2 'Junk' non-Tuner monsters

This card must be Synchro Summoned and cannot be summoned by other ways. Once per turn: you can banish one 'Junk' monster from your GY; Inflict damage to your opponent equal to half that monsters ATK or DEF, whichever is higher. The turn you activate this effect you can also Normal Summon one 'Junk' monster from your GY in addition to your normal summon this turn.

3000 ATK/2000 DEF

Assault Blackwing – Oshiaki the Rainstorm

DARK

Level 8

Winged-Beast, Synchro, Effect

1 'Blackwing' Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters

This synchro summoned card can attack twice during each battle phase. If this card destroys an opponent's defence position monster by battle, you can inflict 1500 damage to your opponent, after damage calculation. If this card is synchro summoned using an 'Assault Blackwing' tuner monster, except one treated as a tuner by its own effect, this card is treated as a tuner.

1500 ATK/2000 DEF

Next Chapter Preview: Its time for Celina vs Zuzu! Who will win as these two duelists clash for one of the last spots in the next round? As Celina's Lunalight monsters do battle with Zuzu's Melodious monsters, Yuya and Yuto desperately try to get some attention towards the newly feared underground facility that some of their closest friends are apparently now sitting in.

And that's a wrap to Yusei vs Crow! I hope you guys liked how the duel went, and as always, I welcome feedback. Now, about the new Blackwing Crow whipped out, I named it based on just a random thought I had that I though sounded cool. Turns out it is an actual Japanese word, which according to Google Translate, and before anyone says anything, I do know that Google Translate isn't the best, roughly translates to 'push autumn', which feels surprisingly fitting for an Assault Blackwing. Again, all feedback is welcome, and we are reaching the final stretches of the first round of the Friendship Cup! As said last chapter, expect there to perhaps be one or two duels in the second round before the Synchro Arc finishes and the next starts.

Also, one last note, I am pleased to announce that we hit 1300 views! I thank every single one of you readers for taking some time out of your day to read my little story, and I can't wait to see the heights that this story may hopefully reach.

Thank you all for tuning in every week so far, and I'll see you in the next one – NightWingBOI