Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds
Waking the Beasts
By Lucky_Ladybug
Notes: The characters are not mine and the story is! This is an idea I've had for quite some time, and after brainstorming with several wonderful people in the YGO Big Bang Discord, I am going to try it out. The thing that fascinates me the most is that the basis for this story is a canon verse—Radley owns Hamon in the game Over the Nexus. Now, of course, the games are not anime canon, but we never see his anime deck, and I am just beyond thrilled with the concept of him owning such a powerful card in the anime. Of course, however, that requires some work to make it fit anime canon. This is what I've come up with. Most was already my concept from earlier stories, with further info on the Sacred Beasts in GX supplied by people at the Discord, especially Lovelace. As to why Pegasus is involved: he's a logical choice, I'm one of those who believes 5Ds takes place around 30 years after DM due to Ushio's presence, and we only know Pegasus is dead by the WRGP, apparently, not when it happened, so he could be alive at this point. (I headcanon that death gets reversed anyway after Iliaster messes with time.) I anticipate many parallels with the Waking the Dragons arc of YGO Classic. Radley is, as always, a nice guy, which I feel is also supported by canon and may really be what was intended, in anime verse especially.
Chapter One
Maximillion Pegasus didn't typically receive phone calls in the middle of the night. On the rare occasions he did, most of the time he directed his servants to handle it. When he received a call this night, however, Croquet reluctantly entered his room after a soft knock. "Sir?"
Pegasus stirred, most displeased by the interruption. "Do you know what time of night it is, Croquet?" he groused.
"I'm sorry, Sir. He said it was urgent and you would want to be woke up." Croquet indicated the phone on the nightstand, its ringer set to Off.
Pegasus sat up, still annoyed by the unwelcome end to his sleep. "'He'?"
"Chancellor Sheppard from Duel Academy, Sir," Croquet explained.
"Why doesn't he go bother Kaiba-Boy?" Pegasus frowned.
"He said you would be more likely to believe him, Mr. Pegasus," Croquet replied.
A long, exaggerated sigh. "Oh, very well." Still annoyed, Pegasus lifted the receiver. "Hello? I do hope you have a good reason for disturbing me in the middle of the night, Chancellor. I still require my beauty sleep, you know!"
He could only frown deeply as Chancellor Sheppard's panicked voice became audible.
"Do calm down," Pegasus chided. "What on Earth is it you're trying to tell me? . . . The Sacred Beasts have awakened, you say? You think it's because of the rise of these new villains? . . . And you're worried the Beasts may call out to the Dark Signers. I see."
He fell silent as he pondered this problem. Chancellor Sheppard had been right to call him. The Sacred Beasts were dangerous cards. Like their more well-known counterparts, the Egyptian God Cards, they could only be wielded by those of strong heart and soul. Only then would their deadly habit of feeding upon other monster spirits cease. That very habit could make them valuable to the Dark Signers, who powered their monsters by human sacrifice. It wasn't impossible to believe that the Dark Signers might seek such cards for themselves. And if their appearance on the scene had truly been the factor in awakening the Sacred Beasts, it also wasn't impossible to believe that the Beasts might desire to be with them. That, of course, could not be allowed.
He came back to the present as Chancellor Sheppard demanded another question. "Do I have a solution?" He leaned back with a frown. "Not precisely, I must confess. However, since the Sacred Beasts seem to have no interest in going back to sleep, perhaps we should find them something constructive to do, hmm? Some skilled Duelists to look after them might make them quiet down. . . . No, I don't think we should bother the Signers. That would lead the Dark Signers right to them, would it not? We must find others, Duelists just as strong, but not so much in the public eye. I'll have my men start looking immediately, and may I recommend that you ask Kaiba-Boy to look as well? We need to hide these cards, and fast!"
He hung up and leaned forward, still frowning as he contemplated the problem. "Strong Duelists," he muttered. "Hmm. . . ."
His gaze fell on a valuable Crystal Beast card laying on his nightstand. He had recently reprinted the cards in a limited run and Industrial Illusions had run a promotion with this card as the prize. One lucky young man had just won said contest and Pegasus was planning to deliver the card in person.
The Crystal Beasts were strong cards too. Not just anyone could handle their overwhelming power and determined personalities. Perhaps . . . if he tested this young man and found him capable of handling them, he could also see if there was any chance he could also control a Sacred Beast.
It was worth a try, at least. They needed a swift solution; the Dark Signers were gaining power fast. For them to gain the Sacred Beasts too would be disastrous.
Sometimes it was strange and eerie, thinking on how much had happened ever since he had been inspired by the carvings in Egypt to make their ancient game of Duel Monsters a reality. The world had been endangered so many times and so many heroes had stepped up to save it. First there had been Yugi and his group, and then Jaden and his friends. Now Yusei Fudo was leading the Signers in their long-foretold battle against the Dark Signers. And it seemed that Pegasus was going to have to spearhead a search for yet more new heroes.
At least he had a name in mind. He would have Croquet look up everything he could find on this person. Hopefully the young man would be suitable.
xxxx
Radley Ramon of Crash Town, USA tiredly sighed as he slumped forward on the couch, staring at the Duel Gun he had placed on his coffee table. It had been another defeat, another Duelist dragged off to his rival Malcolm's mine, and he was growing more and more weary every time it happened. He couldn't prove Malcolm's men tortured their miners, but the rumors were always circulating and he grew more and more concerned by them. If they were true, so many people were hurt and dying and Radley would consider it at least partially his fault for not being able to stop it.
He ran a hand over the back of his head, resting it on his neck. What could he do? The whole reason the sunset duel system had started was because Malcolm had been terrorizing the town and kidnapping the kids and Radley had agreed to the duels as the lesser of evils. If he tried to stop the duels and just give Malcolm the town, he knew it would fall. Malcolm was a terrible businessman and human being. He would have the town decimated in no time flat. Radley and the Bunch were all that was holding him back. They couldn't fail. But this constant war was not solving the problem and it was draining Radley the longer it went on and as Malcolm continued his winning streak. Outwardly he had to keep appearing to have hope so as not to discourage his friends and the townspeople, but in private the heavy burdens and responsibilities often got to him.
The last thing he expected that evening was a knock on his front door. And more than that, he expected even less to see that Maximillion Pegasus was the source of said knock. He could only stop and stare. Was this some sort of joke with a Pegasus imposter? Maybe it was Malcolm's newest Crewmember initiation trick.
"Radley-Boy!" Pegasus greeted as he stepped into the well-furnished living room. "A little birdie told me that you are the winner of Industrial Illusions' Crystal Beast contest!"
Radley blinked in surprise, still staring. "Um . . . yeah," he admitted. The Crew surely didn't know about the contest, so . . . did that really mean this was the real Pegasus? "I was told I'd won, but . . . they didn't mention a visit from you was part of the prize, Sir. . . ."
"It wasn't!" Pegasus said grandly. "I just decided on the spur of the moment to include such a visit in your prize package!" He held out Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle. "Of course you realize that these are rare and valuable cards, Radley-Boy? They haven't been released in over twenty years!"
"Yes, I know. I'll take good care of them." Radley reached for the card in its protective sleeve and just held it, gazing at it in awe. This was the final one he needed; his set was now complete. "Thank you. . . ."
"Only one person has ever been able to actually control their awesome power in a duel," Pegasus continued. "Out of utter curiosity, will you show me how you handle them?"
Radley looked up with a start. "Really?! You want to duel me, Sir?!"
"Indeed!" Pegasus took out a first edition Duel Disk. "I much prefer Kaiba-Boy's holographic dueling fields, but I can't deny these are more portable."
Radley walked over and picked up his Duel Gun. He was still in a daze; this just didn't seem real. How could he be about to duel the creator of Duel Monsters? Why on Earth would Pegasus take time out of his busy schedule to deliver a contest prize in person when that was not a publicized part of the event? It definitely wasn't being publicized now; no reporters and no cameramen had followed Pegasus inside, only his bodyguard Croquet.
Well . . . no matter the reason for this experience of a lifetime, Radley would do his best to give Pegasus a good show. He knew how to use the Crystal Beasts and had been building a deck around them. This was the perfect time to bring it out. He slipped Ruby Carbuncle into his deck before coming back to the middle of the floor.
"I'm ready, Sir," he said.
"Good!" Pegasus held up the arm with the Duel Disk. "Then shall we?"
Radley nodded. "Let's Duel."
Radley gave it his all in that duel. He had loaded his deck with monster, spell, and trap destruction cards meant to cripple the opponent's deck while he built up his Crystal Beast forces. Unlike some of the nightmarish incidents he had heard about in the past, the cards obeyed him and did exactly as he told them to. When he pulled out his trump card, Crystal Abundance, and wiped Pegasus's dueling field clean, the man looked heartily impressed and triumphant as Radley brought out his army of Crystal Beasts to take a large chunk out of Pegasus's lifepoints.
"You clearly know what you're doing, Radley-Boy," he praised. "And the Crystal Beasts respect you as their master! That is a feat only achieved once before in the dueling world!"
"I know," Radley said with a modest smile. "I've watched Jesse Anderson's duels."
"And learned a great deal!" Pegasus suddenly took a card out of his pocket. "I should like to see how you would handle this card if it was added to your deck."
Stunned, Radley walked across the playing field to retrieve the card from him. "Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder?" he read in amazement. "I've never seen this card before. But . . . it looks a lot like The Winged Dragon of Ra."
Pegasus clapped his hands. "There, I knew you were the type who would be familiar with the Egyptian God Cards! I'm sure you can also see how this card would be beneficial to your dueling strategies."
Radley read over the text. "It's summoned by sacrificing three Continuous Spell Cards? That's perfect!" He looked up. "But a card like this must be incredibly powerful. I'm sure it doesn't look like Ra for no reason. Why would you give this to me?"
"Just show me how you would play it," Pegasus replied. He drew a card of his own and took out one of Radley's monsters, sending it to the Spell and Trap Zone.
The duel proceeded for several more turns. Radley brought out Burden of the Mighty to reduce the attack points of Pegasus's monsters. When he drew a second Burden of the Mighty, he sacrificed them and his Crystal Beast to summon Hamon. The beast rose up in its holographic state with a mighty cry, spreading its skeletal wings wide.
Pegasus watched, enraptured. "It's not draining the monsters' life forces on the field," he breathed. "Your heart is strong enough to control it!"
Radley stared at him. "What are you talking about, Mr. Pegasus?!"
"This card is one of the Sacred Beasts," Pegasus explained. "They were created as counterparts to the Egyptian God Cards. One of their most notorious abilities is that of draining the life forces of the other monsters on the field. But they are not growing weaker! Hamon is responding to your heart and is instead feasting on the incredible energy being generated from our duel!" He gestured wildly. "Now, command Hamon to finish me off!"
Still reeling, Radley did as instructed and had Hamon attack Pegasus's lone monster. The immense attack difference took him down almost to zero, and Hamon's special ability of delivering 1000 lifepoints of damage for every monster destroyed took care of the rest. Pegasus was defeated.
He drew a deep breath, clearly exhilarated by the intense duel. "Yes," he said. "You will do fine, Radley-Boy. Just fine."
"Fine for what?!" Radley demanded. "What's going on?!"
Pegasus sobered. "I'm sure you've seen the news lately about the Dark Signers?"
"Yeah." Radley frowned. "They've been terrorizing the City, but they haven't come here even though we're close by."
A nod. "They may seek the Sacred Beasts. Normally these cards slumber underneath the original Duel Academy, but recently they have awakened and will not be still. I and Chancellor Sheppard of that first Duel Academy are afraid they may call out to the Dark Signers, desiring to join them and wreak havoc across the world. I hoped that by finding them new owners worthy of them, they might calm down and be content in their new lives." He looked firmly into Radley's eyes. "You, Radley-Boy, are worthy of being one of these chosen people. I want you to take Hamon and keep it safe from the Dark Signers."
"Me?!" Radley was again stunned. "But I'm no one important. . . ."
"That's exactly the point!" Pegasus exclaimed. "You are a highly talented Duelist, one Hamon respects, but you do not command outside recognition. The Dark Signers don't know you; they have no reason to target you. Hamon should be safe with you."
"Hmm." Radley fell silent, considering this. It was an immense responsibility to be entrusted with. And this was a powerful card. Was there any chance it might be able to help him in his current situation?
"Would I never be able to duel with it myself?" he asked at last.
"Ah, that is a good question, Radley-Boy," Pegasus said. "Of course the whole point is that we don't want to attract the attention of the Dark Signers, so if you use it, you may draw them to you. However, with the Beasts having awakened, they may not be content if you don't duel. Perhaps, if you could duel without any danger of the Dark Signers finding out, it would be a good thing."
"And how would I be able to do that?" Radley eyed the card with suspicion.
"Oh . . . if anyone you used it on wouldn't be able to talk about it later, for instance," Pegasus said with a wicked smile.
Radley was not impressed. "So the rumors about your gallows sense of humor were right," he remarked.
"I am truly serious, however," Pegasus insisted. "If you happen to need to use the card—and believe me, I am not in the dark about how important Duel Monsters often is to the future of the world!—I'm sure you can find a way."
"You're putting even more trust in me if you think I might actually need to use the card," Radley pointed out. "You're taking a pretty big risk."
"Oh, I don't think I am, Radley-Boy," Pegasus replied. "I researched all about you before I came out here. And I do mean all about you, unhappy home life all the way up to becoming a mentor to fellow outcasts."
"You've been busy." Radley folded his arms. "I don't even use my family name anymore."
"Did you really think I, of all people, wouldn't recognize the former heir to one of the best American wineries still in existence?" Pegasus answered.
Radley's eyes flickered ". . . Well, when you put it that way." Everyone of course knew of Pegasus's penchant for wine.
"Now you're locked in quite a battle over the future of this town's valuable mine," Pegasus mused. "Wouldn't you jump at any chance to get your rival out of the way?"
"He'd be more likely to jump at any chance," Radley retorted. "I've got limits to what I'd be willing to do."
"Which is exactly why I chose you instead of him!" Pegasus declared. "I still have two other Sacred Beasts to place and I most certainly won't be giving him one!"
"Have you got any idea who will get them?" Radley wondered.
"Not yet," Pegasus said. "And I hadn't intended on any of the holders knowing about each other, for safety reasons. Unless you perhaps have a suggestion?"
"Maybe," Radley said. "But I'd have to see the other cards first."
"Of course." Pegasus took two more cards out of his coat pocket and held them out, not intending to let them go.
Radley did not attempt to take them, but merely read the text on them. "This one, Uria, might work in my friend Scotch's deck," he said. "He uses some Continuous Traps."
"Ah, think well, Radley-Boy," Pegasus said. "Do you truly believe he has a heart strong enough to wield such a beast?"
"Yes," Radley replied without hesitation. "He's the best Duelist in the Bunch, next to me. If we run out of hired decks, the Bunch themselves will have to start dueling Malcolm's men. Scotch would be first in line." And he dreaded that, just in case Scotch would lose.
"A strong deck doesn't necessarily make for a strong heart," Pegasus cautioned.
"Scotch's heart couldn't be stronger," Radley insisted.
"I'm willing to consider him as an option," Pegasus said. "And Raviel? Do you have any suggestions for him?"
"Not right now," Radley admitted. "None of my Duelists run Fiend decks."
"Hmm. Then I will test Scotch and keep searching for the perfect Duelist to look after Raviel," Pegasus said.
"What's with their names, anyway?" Radley wondered. "They're named for Christian archangels."
"That is a mystery, isn't it?!" Pegasus exclaimed. "Honestly, very little is known about the Sacred Beasts at all. Perhaps someday we will know more, but right now the most vital thing is to keep the Dark Signers from learning where they are."
Radley nodded. "I'll do my best," he said. "And I know Scotch will too, if he's chosen."
"You don't think he might be tempted to use such a powerful card in public, no matter the consequences?" Pegasus asked.
"Not when he knows I recommended him," Radley said. "He'll do anything for me."
Something flickered in Pegasus's eye. "It is a rare gift to have such a person," he said.
Radley had to smile a bit. "It really is."
He sobered again almost immediately. "What if the Dark Signers find us, though?" he demanded. "Will these cards be enough to protect us against them?"
Pegasus sighed. "I must admit, I don't know how they'd hold up against the Earthbound Immortals. That's why your top priority must be just to keep these cards safe."
Radley folded his arms. "I don't want to volunteer my friends for something dangerous when we've already got plenty of trouble as it is."
"If the Dark Signers achieve their goals, Radley-Boy, that will affect the entire world, including this little town of yours," Pegasus said.
Radley frowned. That was certainly, logically true, but he still disliked this more and more as he thought about it.
"You recommended Scotch to me, so I should like to test his skills," Pegasus said. "It is imperative that I find hiding places for these cards immediately. If Scotch is of age, he should be able to speak for himself on what he wishes to do."
"He's of age," Radley agreed. "And he will do anything to please me. I know he'd be honored to have this kind of responsibility." He sighed, looking down at Hamon. "I just hope this isn't a mistake."