Yu-Gi-Oh! 5 Deluxe Dragons
Disclaimer: This one doesn't own the Yugioh series.
Review Reply – Wow. A lot this time.
Jack: Could be.
Stardust009: It did suck that after all of that development, Jack didn't make a move. She's the reason he's a better man.
Yusei doesn't need a dark arc. But he DOES get a chance to see what might have been.
The others do get their chance to shine, but I doubt we're getting more of the Satellite gang. There wouldn't be as much to add for them.
Almaster2021: Stardust009, is that you?
Guest: I feel making them the Underdogs would be disingenuous to their accomplishments prior. But I will assure you, Aki will have more Riding Duels. And none of them will be insta-losses like in canon.
Chapter 20 – Return to Darkness
Footsteps splash against puddles. A man wearing a black and yellow hood saunters through the darkness. He growls as he stops before the area where Goodman's residence once stood. Laughter escapes his clenched teeth.
"It is time for our assault." He raises his right hand up, along with the others behind him.
…
School ends uneventfully for Luca and Lua.
The former is in the bathroom looking at a mirror. She pulls off the wrappings left around her face, exposing her healed cut. After that duel, she was grateful that nothing was left, just a tiny line. It will be the only physical proof that Luciano was there and attacked them.
Despite this, Luca is still determined to go with what she wants to do.
"Luca."
Luca smiles recognizing the voice as she appears on the other side of the mirror. "Ancient Fairy Dragon!"
But, seeing her face, the little girl can tell there's something bothering her. "Luca, I need you to be careful."
"Careful?" She thinks back. "You mean-"
"When you see that again, you will know the Spirit World will be in trouble again." The dragon disappears, leaving her with not but that warning.
She'll have to work on what that means. But until she can deal with it, Luca will have to tell Lua. Eventually.
Leaving the bathroom, she meets up with her brother. "Thanks for waiting!"
"No problem!" Lua and Luca leave the school, ready to head home.
"Are you sure you don't want to hang out at Yusei's today?"
"What, and get in their way with remaking their engine?"
It's a sad truth; with the engine program stolen, and lost in the explosion of that factory, Yusei, Jack, and Crow are back at the heart of their problem. They still require a program, so all Yusei can do is start from scratch and work on it again with Bruno. Hopefully, this time, they can cut the time down.
"And I doubt Yusei will want to bother with us when they're busy."
"You can always hang out with Jack and Crow," Luca suggests before putting on outside shoes and strapping on the Duelboards.
Ready to go, the twins make their way across the streets stylishly. While mobile, Lua asks, "How are your studies going, anyway?"
"Pretty good. Although, I'm a little too young to enter." She chuckles a little, focusing ahead while talking more about the process.
Lua drowns them out as he looks at her face, or more specifically, where she bled that day. It clenches his heart as he remembers what Luciano did to her. As much as it hurts, he also feels that it was his fault. If only he remembered what those things did, he could have warned Luca.
The two of them soon reach their home in Tops, before going in after detaching their Duelboards. So into talking with one another, the twins fail to notice the luxurious car by the garage. If they had, they would have been more cautious upon opening the front door.
"Lua. Luca. Nice to see you're back."
The twins flinch in shock. Standing inside the living room with a newspaper article shown on his PDA is their father, Leonite von Schroeder. His vibrant, maroon hair slicked back as a generic businessman shines under the bright light as he glares at them with golden eyes.
"H-Hey, Dad," speaks Lua, his earlier, usual energy somehow drained. "I wasn't expecting you to appear today."
"My meeting got canceled at the last second so I decided to come home. It's fine every now and then; too bad your mother couldn't join us." Leonite pockets the electronic after turning it off, making his way to the table.
Luca lifts onto her toes to see what he's going for, gasping.
"Lua, I've noticed your grades are improving. I guess it's good you're taking this seriously," he says while picking up some papers.
"Uh, thanks."
"Luca, I'm disappointed in you." He shows her the fliers he found in her room featuring her plans to be a shrine maiden.
"It's just what I want."
"You shouldn't focus your attention on something so baseless." Leonite gives her a dark look.
"But, it's what I want."
"Spirits and gods are problems you shouldn't look into. You're just children." Leonite then turns around to go into his room. "Entering a career you'll regret later on will be a foolish mistake."
"Dad, there's nothing wrong with what she-"
"And Lua," he resumes, golden eyes on him now, "I would figure you would be protecting her from such delusions. Becoming a professional duelist is a lofty ambition, but at least it still has a place in the world."
He leaves entering his bedroom, the same one they once let Yanagi sleep in. But, he doesn't need to know that. Lua sighs while looking at his sister, thinking back to what his old man said. Is it okay for them to separate?
Luca does not mind her father's disapproval; it's nothing new to her. But, seeing him again after her little bout with Luciano reminds her of when they faced the Dark Signers. She recalls what Demak told her, that her father was the reason he became a Dark Signer. And now here he is discouraging her from being a shrine maiden.
'But why? He's never cared about my interests before. What is his problem with the spiritual?' Luca narrows her eyes while watching her father.
While staring, she feels something strange in her heart. She sees within her mind the geoglyphs again, a warning. 'Again… I want to find out.'
Meanwhile…
Over at Yusei's house, he and Bruno are hard at work typing. They only have so much time left to build a newer, better program. Yusei is far more determined than ever after the warning from Jaeger since he's pretty sure he knows the organization behind the theft.
And Jack and Crow? They are upstairs on the couch isolated again. It's not as bad as before, since they're on better terms with Bruno. But they still miss being with Yusei.
"So, this is your plan for those Anti-Synchro cards?" Jack asks as he stares down at Crow's field.
"Yeah! Pretty smart, eh?"
"That's only good for one turn. What about the next?"
"I'm here!" The two look over by the steps as Aki in her high school uniform comes up.
"Oh. You showed up," Jack says in a statement tone. "Sorry, but Yusei's busy today again."
Her eyes narrow. "I'm aware." She places her back down next to the couch before sighing. "I guess if it gets that engine ready, it's fine."
While looking around in an attempt to kill the awkward silence, Aki spots their cards laid out on the table. "What's this?"
"Our strategies for countering those Machine Emperors. This genius play is mine," Crow points to his Black Feather cards spread out, "while that simplistic display is Jack's."
"Simple is fine! It works a lot better than using bricks you don't want to see until the last second!"
Aki eyes their cards, nodding as she contemplates how they work. "Hmm. Have you thought about what to do if they can find a means of countering it?"
"Counter?" She then points at his monster.
"This monster is strong, but that alone won't help if they can redirect your attack. It'd be better if you found an effect to capitalize on your Synchro effects on that turn."
Crow stares down at his cards, wondering how that can work.
"And Jack… this is no different than your usual setup," she says, pointing out his problem.
"Why fix what ain't broke?"
"Their decks rely on Synchro Spam. Simply protecting Red Daemon's Dragon won't be enough if they have something stronger."
At that, the former king is stumped visibly. "That's… that's not true."
Crow is still impressed. "You've really been studying, huh?"
"I have to if I'm to catch up with you three." While that's also true, in her heart, Aki only has one target in mind.
"It'd be more believable if you spent time with us." Jack's statement catches her off guard.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"No, he's right. It's kind of weird seeing you stick around. I mean, you usually only come over for Yusei."
"That's… true." Aki tilts her head to the side with a nod. "It's just…"
She takes a seat next to them. "We don't have much in common. Luca and Lua are one thing, but I barely know you two. Only what Divine said about you, Jack."
"What did he say about me?"
"That you're just a puppet." He glares at her in anger, causing Crow to laugh. "Divine only spoke about standing against Yliaster."
Crow gets curious there. "Huh. It seems rather interesting that he knows some much about Yliaster…"
Tomorrow…
On the next day, Leonite leaves for work. With him gone, Luca enters his bedroom. She goes to his desk and looks at a couple of papers. "Nothing."
Luca goes to his bed, noting a used pair of underwear. "Ew! Dad! So that's where Lua gets his sloppiness from!" She turns from it and catches it in the corner of her eye. Underneath the dresser is a little notebook small enough to fit in a pocket. She grabs the book and pulls, but there's too much weight.
"Drat. I wish I was a boy sometimes." She looks out the door to see her brother finally eating the breakfast that was prepared. "Lua!"
"What is it, Luca? I'm about to eat!"
"You can eat later. I need you right now!" She pulls him into their father's room, much to his fear.
"Geh! We're not allowed to be here."
"Come on, Lua. Of all the times you rebel and do what you want, now is the time you chicken out?"
"Well, why do you want to do this in the first place?"
"Don't you remember what Demak said? That dad was the one who made him a Dark Signer in the first place? And now he's-"
"Now he doesn't want you to be a shrine maiden," he finishes, before shrugging at it. "That doesn't mean anything. He always hated us liking things that he thought were pointless. And while that's pretty shitty, it's nothing new."
"Lua, language. I also saw something." Luca gets a more serious look. "For a bit, I've been seeing these visions… visions about the geoglyphs of the Earthbound Gods."
Now Lua pays more attention. "You… you did?!"
"I don't know what they mean, but last night, I saw one while looking at Dad. It can't be a coincidence. So I need your help to find out."
Lua tilts his head thinking about that, before nodding. She then leads him inside of their old man's bedroom. She pushes against the dresser with all of her might, Lua helping as well. The two of them work hard, lightening the load on the book. Luca's foot then stretches out and drags the book from underneath.
With that over, the two breathe in relief as Luca picks the book up. She opens it up and reads, Lua asking, "What's this old book?"
"It's a journal… dating back before we were born…" She continues to read. "We searched for the entrance to the world beyond, to seal off control for only the privileged. All that stands in the way of humanity's future will be banished."
"That sounds creepy."
"This is the achievement of the Spirit Hunters of Yliaster…"
"Yliaster?!" Lua shouts suddenly. Honestly, Luca wants to shout too. Why does their father have a journal about Yliaster?
"What have I said about coming into my room?!" The twins have an almost heart attack seeing the appearance of their father stepping into the bedroom. Leonite stares at the item she has and snatches it from her fingers. "I need to invest in a safe."
"Father! Why do you have a book about Yliaster?" Luca asks desperately.
Now it's his turn to look surprised. But, if they know that name, they must know more. "Yliaster is the first order to appear in the chaos of the old world. They're an organization that controls the top branch of the world… But, how do you know that name?"
"Because Goodwin told us!" Lua shouts, pulling his sleeve to reveal the Signer mark on his arm.
Leonite holds his chest as if suffering from a heart attack.
"Lua! We weren't supposed to show him!"
"Luca, show him." He turns to Luca, who also exposes her mark out of reluctance, and the shock hurts Leonite more. "No. This can't be!"
"Yes, Dad. We're Signers."
He steps back in shock. All of this information sinks in, and burns his heart. He falls on his behind. "No…"
"Dad, are you working for Yliaster?" asks Lua as he goes to him.
His hands clench tightly into fists. "Lua, Luca, stay out of this. Yliaster is bigger than you think!"
Leonite picks himself up and leaves the room. As his children call out to him, he exits in a hurry. The children watch from above as he enters his car and is driven away.
With everything they've learned, Lua and Luca have several questions about their father. It worries the twins, so deeply.
Later…
At school, the twins are with their friends finishing the cookie cutter go-ons that is Duel Academia. Luca holds her books close while looking around for someone. With what she's learned, this is the only thing she can do. She needs to talk to someone.
"Aki-san!" Luca approaches the redhead teen down the hall.
Aki turns around in surprise, asking, "What's wrong, Luca?"
"I need a favor from you." Luca looks around to check if someone is eavesdropping. "Lua and I need a place to stay."
Aki immediately catches the sense of urgency hidden in her words. Not just for how close the two are, but because she understands that. Being a Psychic duelist comes with that experience. "Got it."
Meanwhile, with Lua, he's busy with his lessons. "Evolution Burst!"
His Cyber Dragon fires a blue flame, incinerating the monster target. "Yes! I did it!"
His teacher moves forward on his automatic wheelchair, eyes staring with approval. "Good work. You might be ready for the next step of the Cyber Style."
"Phew." Lua shuffles his cards back into his deck. "Thank you."
Marufuji narrows his eyes as he examines Lua's attitude. He's being rather different, distracted. Well, he's a kid so that's normal, but it's more than usual. "Lua, what's wrong?"
"I'm fine! Nothing's wrong! Kids like us don't have that much going on-"
"Lua…" Marufuji moves closer to him. "What's going on?"
Sighing, Lua takes a seat on the gym floor. He's not too sure if he can tell him all of this, since Yliaster is a problem only the Signers can handle, but there is one thing he can talk to him about. Maybe he can relay some advice to fix his dilemma.
"Alright, I do… it's my sister." Lua hugs his knees to his chest. "Ever since I was little, Luca hasn't gone out much since she's frail. I've always had to look after her, even now, because my dad always wanted me to. He said that it was my job as the big brother."
"Mhm…" Marufuji nods his head while listening. It's very familiar.
"But we're gonna get older, and we're gonna go to different places. I won't be there for her forever, and I'm a little scared. I don't know if she'll be alright without me."
"Skiel Infinity, direct attack!" The machine bird aims Luca, before blasting her with its impressive cannon.
"LUCA!" As she's hit, a barrier forms before her, formed by Eria and Kuribon. They hold out just long enough, before being blasted away. Luca takes the remains of the blast, being sent flying painfully off her skateboard.
She rolls along the round, hitting her face and breaking her lens. Lua slides to a stop. "Luca!"
The girl slumps up, holding her bleeding face and left eye socket.
It has been a fear creeping up on him for a good amount of time.
"Yes, that is something all true older brothers fear." Marufuji looks down upon Lua as he speaks his mind. "It reminds me of how I was with my brother Sho."
Intrigued by this knowledge, Lua looks up asking, "You have a brother?"
"Of course. Is it that weird to think about your teachers having siblings or similar problems like your own?"
"Actually, I don't think about what teachers are like at all. For a while, I thought you guys went to sleep behind the desks when school was over." Lua and Ryo share a laugh at that.
"Sho was like you; he wasn't good at dueling, but he loved it. As an older brother, I tried to steer him in the right direction by teaching him patience and planning. But it backfired, and he only got worse as time went on. By the time he entered Duel Academia, I was on my way out the door, so I couldn't help any more than I already tried." Ryo looks up at the ceiling, gazing back into his chain of memories.
"How… did he get better?"
"His friends." Ryo smirks, thinking about the friends Sho made that would become his own. "He met a fiery upstart named Judai Yuuki and learned through watching him. The less he got away from me, the better he became as a duelist. By his third year, he had surpassed me and succeeded the Cyber Style you're now learning."
"Whoa…" This blows Lua's mind. Also, if he recalls, that last name sounds familiar. "Is Yuuki the same as-"
"That's her husband. Been engaged since their first year." He chuckles at that. "But, you understand what I was saying, right?"
The blank look on his face says no. "Luca needs to go out on her own, find her own path. It may be a risk, but hovering over her will only stunt her growth."
Ryo adjusts his chair to drive away. "Loom over that thought for a bit. Afterward, I'll show you something useful."
Elsewhere…
The three emperors of Yliaster are together overseeing the Circuit. Placido is less interested in that and something he's working on his own screen. Luciano peers over, so the older emperor shuffles to block his sight.
"Oh, come on! I wanna know what you're up to!"
"It's a secret!"
Jose remains uncaring. He has a feel for what Placido's plan B is, but as long as it works in their favor he doesn't mind. That's when a computer screen forms over him.
"Sir, we have a visitor insisting on meeting with you."
"Turn them away."
"He's very persistent. Says he's Leonite Titania." That catches his attention, as well as Luciano's.
"Titania? Oh! The twerps!" Luciano cackles before suggesting to let him on.
"I have a feeling I know what this is about." Jose patches the screen to show Leonite.
The father of the Signers's face appears on the monitor. His earlier anger is there, but it looks more contained. "Three Emperors, I have something to implore."
Jose narrows when he feels the urgency in his voice, like a volatile rocket about to explode. So, he will simply say what is necessary. "Are you here because you found out about your children being Signers?"
Leonite sighs, looking down for a brief minute. "Of course, you knew." He then corrects himself, asking, "Why wasn't I informed?"
"You were a potential liability," Jose states sternly. "Rex Goodwin was sent to handle the Dark Signers his brother unleashed ahead of schedule, and it was fine that only a few members involved were in the know."
He narrows his eye upon the squirming father. "We didn't need another traitor we would have to dispose of down the road."
Luciano steps in, cackling as he is wont to. "That's right! We've got enough on our hands with that jerk who just broke out of prison and our own plans. Besides, isn't it more YOUR fault for not getting more involved in your kids in the first place?"
"You don't get to tell me how to raise my children!"
"Huh?!" Luciano's tone changes quickly. "That's a big attitude change you got there against your superior for telling the truth. Didn't you learn your lesson when your sister disappeared?"
"Let it go…" Jose declares, crossing his arms over his chest. "We have our goals, and you have your orders. Go and find the Spirit Hunters that went rogue."
The screen cuts out.
Aki's Place…
After school finally concludes, Lua and Luca are together with Aki entering her monolithic home. The twins remove their shoes by the door and look around, the sole male guest in audible awe.
"Whoa! We've never been to your house before, but it's actually nice!" Lua says as he looks around skyward.
"Why wouldn't it?" Aki asks him, playfully acting offended. "My father's the governor after all."
"Yeah, but our house is just an apartment. This can fit in both Yanagi, Yusei, and everyone. We might as well just live here."
"I don't know if my father would approve of that," she replies, sheepishly blushing at the idea of living with you now.
"Aki, I really appreciate this," says Luca as she approaches her. "I hope we don't impose."
"If you don't feel safe at home, I won't say no to letting you stay." Aki smiles sadly while going up the stairs. Despite how much she wants them to be safe, Aki needs to let her parents know. They can understand, but it's something she must tell. It's only polite to ask. "You two make yourselves comfortable. I'm going to talk to my parents."
After explaining the situation to her parents, who were rather understanding considering the situation they dealt with, the twins were granted stay. Eventually, they will have to return for clothes, but it's something they will need to pull off sneaking. Right now, they're away from their father and safe.
This safety will last all the way to dinner. As they eat the swordfish cooked by their chefs, Mrs. Izayoi says, "It's so nice to have guests over. I think this is the first time you've had friends visit, Aki."
"Why's that?" Lua asks, playing with the fish. He doesn't like seafood.
"Let's not go into the obvious, Lua," Luca mutters.
"It's a shame your father couldn't be here."
Aki shakes her head while smiling. "It's okay, mom. I'm not eight years old anymore."
Lua and Luca watch as mother and daughter converse. It's far healthier than what they're used to; at least her parents are around when they need them most. Even when the world was at stake, theirs never left a phone call.
The peace is silenced by the noise of the real world when someone rings the bell. Curious, Izayoi gets up to see who it is. After a bit of silence, they hear her say, "You? I'm sorry, but you're not allowed in."
"I know they're here!" That stops the heartbeats of the children for a bit. Lua and Luca get up and go to the door to make sure the source of the voice is not who they feel it is. Aki follows in protection.
"GAH!" The twins hold one another in shock at the arrival of their father.
"Lua, Luca, you must come home right away." Aki stands in front of the children in protection.
"They don't want to. Leave now!"
"I wasn't talking to you-" Her mother steps in, side by side with her daughter.
"You heard my daughter. Now leave."
"Wait! This is something we have to talk about!"
Lua peers from behind Aki. "Father, you're working for Yliaster! There's not much to talk about!"
While the mother is unaware of that name or the importance of it, Aki immediately goes on edge. Since she didn't hear about why they left, she didn't ask and waited for them to tell her. And now, it makes sense why they want to leave.
Leonite looks down in sadness. "Lua, Luca, you have to understand. It is impossible to get anywhere without someone above looking out for you. When I joined, I didn't know what I was getting into. And now, I've dove too deep to come out."
"Does mom know?" asks Luca this time.
A dark look forms over his sight. "How do you think I got involved?" Both of his children gasp. "If I had known what would happen, Luna and I never would have gotten involved…"
"Luna?" That name sticks with them, even as the door behind Leonite opens up.
As the door bursts, darkness floods the entire building, swallowing the light into its evil snarl. Leonite and the others fall, footsteps pounding the floor accompanied by a snicker. Looking back, the group takes note of the person.
He is a hooded individual with dark skin covered by the black shadows draped over him. With every step he makes, every shard of glass he breaks, the people within the mansion become aware of the stakes. A hand rakes the hood behind his head, exposing his cleanly shaved skull.
"How nice to have you all here."
Aki, Leonite, Lua, and Luca all gasp at the sight of the man. It's someone they never expected to see again.
"Demak!"
...
"Jack, Jack, Jack!" Carly follows Jack into the night after another failed attempt at working.
"Leave me be, Carly." He storms off proudly.
She sighs. "Jack, you need to show a little humility." As she follows, Carly doesn't notice the shadow behind her.
"I don't bend. I don't butt kiss. That's not how Jack Atlas performs." He hears a thud behind him, and the man stops. "Carly?"
He spots her on the floor unconscious, her camera and cards spread across the concrete. "Carly!"
Lightz: Not a lot in this chapter, but just enough to get the next started.