Bloom of the Black Rose
"This is the place, Yusei." Blister said.
After Yusei's confrontation with Trudge, as well as the sudden invitation delivered by Lazar, Yusei followed Blister to a place where he could stay. Eventually, both of them arrived at some kind of steel garage. Blister slid the door up.
"You'll be safe here until the Fortune Cup. Not quite five-star but it's got all the creature comforts you would expect from this part of town." He commented as he turned the lights on while Yusei took his duel runner inside. It was a dingy looking room, the only furniture being a battered sofa and a table. "Cockroaches, mice, stray cats..."
"Thanks, I think..." Yusei said.
"I decorated the place myself." Blister said sarcastically before showing him some concern. "Now get some rest. You still haven't recovered from that fall you took. And if you plan on dueling and winning the Fortune Cup, you'll need a clear head."
"I'll rest, Blister, when my friends are safe." Yusei replied.
"I hear you, Yusei, but you're no good to anybody if you don't have all your strength." Blister said as Yusei went outside for a bit air.
"Don't worry, I heal real quick." Yusei looked up to the Security Maintenance Bureau building. 'And I'm gonna show Goodwin just how good I feel.'
Next morning
"Ngh..." Someone was groaning, lying on a bed. That someone was Cody. Eventually, he opened his eyes. "W-what happened? Where am I?" He sat up and saw that he was inside a bedroom of sorts. He got off the bed and noticed his t-shirt with the yin and yang symbol exposed, meaning his hoodie was missing. He walked over to a nearby window. He looked and got a great view of the city. The sight made him assure that he was somewhere in a high building.
He was so focused on the view, he didn't hear the door open.
"Oh! You're awake." The voice was female, and had a soft and melodic sound to it.
Cody gasped and turned around instantly. The person he came face-to-face with was a tall, elegant woman with long black hair and light-blue eyes. She was wearing a green dress under a white jacket, with an emerald sash tied around her waist.
"I was wondering when you would wake up." She said.
Cody stared at the woman quietly for a moment before he widened his eyes, seemingly recognizing her. "... Misty."
The woman gave him a warm smile. "It's been a long time, Cody."
Meanwhile, at Leo and Luna's place.
"He's gone! No! No! No, no, no, no, no, NOOOO!" Leo, clad in a blue pajamas, screamed as he dashed around in the living room, trying desperately to find someone.
"Did the Tooth Fairy forget you again?" Luna asked, rubbing her eyes as she came down the stairs. She was wearing a pajamas similar to Leo's, except it was pink instead of blue. She was also wearing a matching night cap.
"Luna!" Leo rushed over to her. "He took his runner and left!"
"Well, did he leave a note or something?"
"No!"
"Huh?" It was then Luna noticed the two duel disks Yusei worked on last night. As she walked over to them, Leo ran around the living room like crazy.
"This is all your fault! You should have been nicer! He was going to teach me to be the best duelist ever!"
"Will you calm down? Look at these." Luna said as she picked up the pink one.
"What did he do to them?" Leo rushed over and picked up the blue one before strapping it on his arm. "It fits now! So how does it look, Luna?"
"Pretty good. Now, I just wish we knew who he was so we could thank him."
"Well, it's his own fault for not telling us his name. I mean, he had amnesia. We helped him. If he wanted to thank us, he would have stayed."
"I guess so, but why no goodbye?" Luna wondered. "Maybe he wanders the streets and helps out struggling duelists. Kind of like a knight in shining armor, but with a deck."
"A knight? Sounds more like a superhero, and his name's some big secret."
Suddenly, there was a beep from a nearby video screen. Leo turned it on, allowing it to display the image of a brown-haired boy, wearing square glasses and a red bowtie. "What up, my main man?"
"Dexter, get this! Some guy..."
"Pause!" The boy named Dexter interrupted him. "There's no time for that! I got us a lead!"
"A lead?" Leo looked confused.
"Duh! The Black Rose!"
"Come on, Dex! The Black Rose is just an urban legend."
"You miss me, Dexter?" Luna asked sweetly.
"Uh, no. Listen, the Black Rose is no legend. She's the most amazing duelist ever. Her cards come alive. I know where she is, and I rebuilt my deck to take her on." Dexter held up his cards so Leo and Luna could see them.
"So, where is she, Dexter?" Leo asked.
"I was scanning some blogs earlier this morning, and check this out: There's a rumor going around saying she's gonna pop up at the street duels today!"
"Then let's go!" Leo flashed his duel disk.
Dexter widened his eyes and adjusted his glasses when he saw it. "Leo, how come your duel disk isn't falling off anymore?"
"Right! So, this superhero stops by and..."
"He's not a superhero, Dexter, he's a knight." Luna interrupted.
"What are you two talking about? Who fixed up your duel disk?"
"Okay, so this guy's duel runner is red and real..." Leo started to say...
"Leo," But Luna interrupted him again as she huddled in front of him, out of Dexter's view. "Until we know more about this guy, maybe we should keep this between us." She whispered.
"Okay, good point." Leo agreed.
"Hey, what's going on?" Dexter wondered.
"Uh, nothing! We were just discussing how much we really like your new bowtie! Listen, we gotta go now. See ya!" At that, Luna switched off the video screen. She then turned to her twin brother. "Listen, this is our secret."
Leo nodded before glancing at his duel disk. "Luna, do you think Mr. Amnesia Man flies or has a jet pack?"
Back with Cody
"Whoa..." Cody muttered as he looked around in Misty's apartment. It was lit by a dazzling chandelier and everything seemed to sparkle. The room was spacious and had an elegant atmosphere to it. "So this is where you live-ah!" He was interrupted by Misty, who suddenly hugged him from behind. "Misty?"
"I'm so glad..." She muttered. "I'm so glad to see you again. You've been missing for so long, that I started to think I've lost you forever..." A small tear escaped from her left eye. "Do you have any idea how much I missed you?"
Cody looked over his shoulder. "... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry."
Misty let go. "But tell me, where have you been all these years? What happened to you?"
Cody lowered his head, seemingly hesitant. But... he decided that she deserved to know. He turned around to face her. "I've been... through a lot since we last met. It's a really long story. It was-ugh!" Whatever he tried to say next was cut short as he felt a little weak and fell down to one knee.
"Easy!" Misty quickly kneeled down and put her hands on his shoulders. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." He muttered. "Just a little exhausted from earlier."
Misty helped him up before guiding him to a sofa. "Here, take it easy. I'll go and make us some tea."
Cody nodded and sat down as Misty left him alone.
Meanwhile
Yusei was working on his duel runner at Blister's garage. He hung his jacket before he got to work. As he was tinkering with his ride, Blister was sitting on the sofa, drinking a mug of coffee.
"So what exactly did that purple-haired freak say to you about dueling in the Fortune Cup?" He asked. Yusei wasn't answering for a moment. "Well?"
"... It's not what he said, but what he showed me." Yusei pulled the envelope he received from his jacket and tossed it over to Blister.
He caught it and put his mug aside before opening it. And when he did, he found the invitation inside... along with the photograph of Rally, Nervin, Blitz and Tank. "So these are your friends, huh?"
"Yeah, and if I don't show up to the Fortune Cup, Goodwin said they'd pay the price."
"Sounds like something Goodwin would do. If it's not a bribe, it's a threat. Your friends are in the Satellite?"
"They are."
"Oh man." Blister gave the picture another glance, before an idea crossed his mind. "Listen, I wanna help."
"Hm?" Yusei paused and turned to him.
"I'll check on them and make sure nothing bad happens." Blister stood up and began to walk away.
"You can get to the Satellite?" Yusei asked, surprised.
"I can get anywhere, Yusei." Blister replied as he was about to leave. "Now, don't worry. You'll be back with your buds in no time."
'That's if Goodwin ever lets me see them again.' Yusei thought.
Meanwhile, in a certain penthouse, Goodwin was looking out the window, looking at the entirety of New Domino City. "How's your training coming for the Fortune Cup?" He asked, not taking his eyes away from the sight.
The person he was talking to was none other than Jack, who was sitting a couch, while Mina poured a cup of tea for him. "If you mean sitting on the couch, just great!" Jack replied sarcastically.
"Well, you might want to change your attitude." Goodwin turned around and approached him. "I invited an additional contestant this year. Someone you know."
"Who?"
"Your friend from the Satellite, Yusei Fudo."
Now that got Jack's attention. "He'll be there? I like."
"I'm glad. I hoped it would motivate you. Well, I should probably let you get back to your, uh... training regiment. I'll show myself out." Goodwin walked to the exit. "And Jack, make sure you win this time, okay?" And with that, he was gone.
"Do you have any idea what this means, Mina?" Jack asked as he picked up the tea cup.
"Um..." Mina wasn't sure how to respond.
"I can finally take on Yusei again."
"And that's a good thing, isn't it?"
"It's so much more than that. It's a chance." Jack replied before taking a sip.
"A chance for what, Mr. Atlas?"
"A chance to redeem myself." After putting the cup back on the table, Jack drew a card from his deck and looked at it. It was Stardust Dragon. "I underestimated Yusei in our last match, but this time I'll prove to him I'm the best!" He then stood up and started to walk away.
"What? Like right now?"
"I'm just going to go and even up the playing field so that Yusei definitely shows up. And if I'm right about this..." He paused as he turned to Mina with a small grin. "The Crimson Dragon... just might show up at the Fortune Cup as well."
Back with Cody
Cody took a sip from his tea cup. Misty was sitting right next to him. "Are you feeling better now?" Misty asked.
"Yeah." Cody nodded.
"Then, can you tell me what happened?"
Cody took a deep breath before speaking up. "Okay. As you know, my parents were killed a long time ago. The culprits were after me as well. Somehow, I was able to get away from them, and... I found myself in the Satellite."
Misty's eyes widened. "The Satellite? How did you manage to get there?"
Cody frowned. "I actually don't know. I just ended up there for some reason. I woke up in that place, having amnesia."
"Amnesia?"
"That's right. I woke up there, with no idea of who I was, or where I came from. My past was nothing like a fog to me. Honestly, I was afraid at the time."
Misty gave him a concerned look. "It must have been horrible."
"Well, it was a rough place to live in. But luckily, I made some friends there. It was thanks to them I was able to survive." Cody smiled fondly for a moment before looking serious. "But then one day, I accidentally found something that was in my possession the entire time without realizing it. A recorded message from my mom and dad. The situation turned out to be so serious that they prepared a secret message for me."
Misty was silent as she listened to him.
"Apparently, someone's been after their company and wanted to get rid of them so they could seize control of it. Therefore, my parents tried to find out who and why, so they could tell me, using recorded messages they hid all over the city. With some help from my friends, I was able to return to New Domino City and find those messages."
"Have you found out who's behind this?" Misty asked.
"Yes." Cody narrowed his eyes, staring at his tea cup. "His name is Mason Morningstar."
Misty widened her eyes again. "The CEO of Morningstar Foundation?!"
"The one and only. He used to work together with my parents. That is... until he decided to use their company to produce war machines!" Cody almost clenched his hands around his tea cup in anger. "My parents even found out that he designed a few things to give Sector Security a military upgrade."
Misty gasped. "Making war machines for Sector Security? Why on earth would Morningstar Foundation do that?"
"I don't know. That's what I've been trying to find out. Of course, it hasn't been easy. While searching for my parents' clues, I've been encountering plenty of enemies. I even faced a couple of duelists who, for some crazy reason, were able to cause real damage."
"Real damage?" Misty repeated.
"Yeah, it was like the attacks they made were real. They even managed to damage a few areas around us. I don't know why."
Misty narrowed her eyes, instinctively hardening her grip on her own cup. "That sounds like... psychic duelists."
Cody blinked and turned to her. "Psychic duelists?"
Misty nodded. "A psychic duelist is someone with special powers. They're capable to summon real monsters and cause real damage. There's an organization that is said to train those with psychic powers. They call themselves the Arcadia Movement."
"The Arcadia Movement." Cody repeated as he looked thoughtful. 'Come to think of it, when I first met Mimi, she was chased by the man in trench coat, and he could cause real damage. Even the flames that came out of his cards were real. Could he be from the Arcadia Movement? Is Mimi from the same place...'
"About those psychic duelists you faced," Misty spoke up, getting his attention. "Were they working for the Morningstar Foundation?"
Cody thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I don't think so. At least none of them demanded any information from me. I don't think they have anything to do with them."
"Okay, just wondering. So, about Morningstar Foundation, why are they chasing you?"
"Because apparently, Mason is after some kind of secret. Something that my parents used to work on. But the problem is I have no idea what it is. If there's something I'm supposed to know, then I certainly forgot about it." Cody sighed. "The only way to find out what it is, is to find Sonia, who's keeping the final message."
"Sonia? The maid who used to work for your family?" Misty asked. "I haven't seen her since the day your parents passed away and you vanished."
"So you don't know where she is?"
Misty shook her head. "No, I don't. I'm sorry."
"I see."
Misty stared at him for a moment before asking. "So you really didn't remember anything about your past?"
"No, it was hardly anything I could remember."
Mindy put her own hands together. "Not even about me?"
Cody glanced at her for a moment before looking down. "Nothing really."
That made Misty look down with sad eyes.
"That is until recently." Cody continued, getting her attention. "There was this dream that I've been having for a while. It always started with me sitting alone in the park. And then, I was approached by a girl. Probably you." He then frowned. "But before I could get a look at her face, I found myself in a dark place, hearing the sound of a gun and screaming. I think that awful part has something to do with what happened to my parents." He closed his eyes really hard.
He then felt something touch his right hand. He opened his eyes and saw Misty's hand placed on it. He turned and saw the sad look in her eyes. "What happened to your parents was really terrible. No one deserves that. I'm sorry about your loss, Cody."
Cody smiled a bit. "Thanks." Both of them went silent for a moment, though it felt like a long while. "So, about that part with the girl approaching me. Do you know anything about it?"
Misty smiled fondly. "Of course I do. Why wouldn't I? That was the day you and I first met..."
Flashback
"I came to the park because I decided to play there." A younger Misty showed up in the park, with a small smile on her face.
"Huh?" Her eyes then landed on a certain someone sitting on one of the swings.
"It was then I saw you sitting all alone while the other kids were playing, paying no attention to you. I didn't really like it that no one was playing with you, so I decided to talk to you."
Misty walked over to Cody. "Hey there."
Cody lifted his head up slowly and met her gaze. "Huh?" He blinked.
Misty smiled to him. "My name is Misty. What's yours?"
Cody looked away shyly but answered anyway. "...Cody Cooper."
"Cody." Misty repeated as she nodded. "That's a cute name."
Cody blushed at that.
Misty sat down on the swing next to him. "So why are you sitting here all alone?"
Cody looked down to the ground. "My mom and dad are busy with work, so I'm all alone."
"What are they working on?"
"They're building machines and stuff. They even make duel runners."
"Really? That's amazing." Misty said with a smile, which was then replaced by a concerned look. "So, you don't have anyone to play with?"
"No." Cody replied, still staring at the ground.
Misty smiled again as she got off of her swing and then grabbed his arm, getting his attention. "Then how about we play together?"
"Huh?" Cody looked surprised. "You want to play with me?"
"Of course. It's more fun to play with someone."
Cody stared at her for a moment before smiling and nodded.
Flashback end
"And we've been friends ever since." Misty finished.
"So that's how it went, huh?" Cody said, smiling a bit.
Misty gave him a curious look. "So, you started to remember me because of that dream?"
"Well, it wasn't just that dream. I was able to remember some other things. And it was Eric that made it possible."
"Eric?" Misty perked a bit. "So you ran into your cousin. That's great. I can imagine how happy he must have been to see you again."
Cody nodded. "Yeah."
"So, how's he doing?" Misty asked. That caused Cody to look away with an uneasy look. That made her concerned. "What is it?"
"About that, there's something I need to ask you first. How did I end up here?"
Misty frowned. "Well, I was taking a walk in the city, when I found you in an alley unconscious. So I brought you here."
"I see." Cody looked down to the floor. "Well the last thing I remember was that secretary from Morningstar Foundation. She was trying to make me tell her about my parents' secrets, but I refused, so she knocked me out."
"So how did you manage to escape?"
"I don't know. Like I said, that was the last thing I remember. When I woke up, I found myself here." Cody started to look worried. "The reason I ran into her was that me, Eric, and a few others were walking together, trying to find Sonia. But before we knew it, we got ambushed by the Morningstar Foundation."
Misty gasped. "Oh my..."
"For some unknown reason, I might have gotten away, but..." Cody clenched his hands. "The others... they must be held captive by them. They might be in danger!" He then stood up. "I must find them!"
Misty chose that moment to grab his arm. "Hold on! If what you're saying is true, then you can't do this without help. Let me come with you."
Cody shook his head. "I can't risk it, Misty."
"Cody, listen..."
"No, you listen!" Cody interrupted. "I appreciate it, but I can't let you put yourself in danger. I don't want to lose you!" He shook a little while Misty loosened her grip a bit. "I already lost my parents. And if I don't do something, I might lose my friends as well. I can't lose anyone else I love. I have to do this alone. I can't let anyone else getting hurt or worse because of me."
Misty lowered her head. "I understand how you feel, Cody. Believe me. When you vanished, I was really heartbroken. You've been missing for so long, I couldn't live one single day fully without thinking about you. So I truly understand." She then looked up. "But you can't always do things on your own. Who knows how many people of the Morningstar Foundation are chasing you?"
"Maybe, but still, I have to find the others. And I have no time to lose. I'm sorry, Misty, but I must go."
Misty stared at him for a moment before sighing. "I understand." She then stood up and walked over to a desk where some clothing was placed on top. She took it and brought it to him. It was his hoodie. "Then you'll need this."
"Thanks." Cody said as he took it. But just as he was about to leave, Misty pulled him into a hug again, making him blush.
"Just promise me to be careful. Please? I don't want to lose you again."
After getting over his shock, Cody returned her hug. "I'll be fine. I promise." They stood there for a moment before they pulled away from each other. "I'll see you again." At that, he left the exit.
Misty stood there in place, looking concerned. "... Good luck."
"Stop here." The voice of a man said, making a taxicab stop at Blister's garage.
"Ugh, my back!" Another voice groaned as two figures stepped out of the cab before it took off. Those two people were none other than Tanner and Yanagi.
Yusei was inside, working on his duel runner. Music was playing from a laptop he had connected to his duel runner.
Blister led Tanner and Yanagi inside, and as soon as they showed up, Yusei revved his runner's engine, causing to let out such a loud noise that the three of them covered their ears. "Agh! Turn that off!" Blister shouted.
"I can't hear you!" Yusei replied, focusing on his runner.
Yanagi ran over to Yusei and jumped in front of him. "Yusei, it's me! Yanagi!" When he saw the old man, he turned off the engine and music.
"Yuse, nice play." Tanner said.
"You're out?" Yusei asked, not expecting to see those two here.
"And it's all thanks to you." Blister replied.
"When you out-dueled Chief Armstrong, we didn't just get early release, we got way early release." Yanagi explained. "So we headed right over to this um... this interesting..."
"This place is a dump!" Tanner said bluntly. "Why don't you get a throw-rug and work some feng shui in here?"
"Tanner, you said you'd be nice." Yanagi scolded.
"That was nice. I'm liking the duel runner though." Tanner commented, eyeing on Yusei's duel runner. "Twin exhaust, turbo rotor, holo-display, and your own deck. Bet you wish you had that back in the Facility. What do you say you let me take it for a little ride and see what she's got? I'll bring it back with a full charge and not one scratch."
"Yeah right. You mean like your last runner?" Yanagi asked sarcastically as Tanner pulled out his deck.
"How about we duel? I win, I take her for a quick spin, okay?"
"Ah! I gotta see this!" The old man exclaimed in joy.
Yusei nodded with a small smirk.
Meanwhile with Cody
"I must find them!" He muttered as he ran through the city. "Hold on, guys, I'm coming!"
He turned left, entering an alleyway. He reached the other side rather quickly.
"What the...?!"
And halted abruptly when he ran into a group of black suited men.
"There he is! Get him!" One of them ordered.
Cody ran away instantly, with the black suits right behind him. "Not again!" He muttered. He ran as fast he could, trying to get away. He turned right, heading into another alleyway...
"Damn!" He cursed when he ran into a dead end.
"He's trapped!"
he turned around to face the black suits, who blocked the only way out.
"Now you're coming with us." One of them said.
Cody glared and took a fighting position. "Alright, bring it on."
The black suited men moved in to apprehend him...
"Agh!"
Until one of them suddenly got knocked out. "Huh?" The others turned around just in time to get hit by baseball bats and metal pipes.
"Huh?" Cody blinked at this.
All of the black suits were now lying on the ground. And then, a new group stepped forward, carrying the bats and metal pipes. There were four individuals wearing leather jackets, and had their faces covered by caps and bandanas.
Cody started to glare at them, getting ready to fight.
"Chill out, kid." A new voice spoke up. The street punks stepped aside, allowing a fifth person approach him. A certain black-haired man with his jacket unzipped, revealing a fiery skull on his t-shirt. "Looks like you've been through some crazy stuff."
Cody's eyes widened. "Kai?"
Back with Yusei and the others.
Deciding to take the duel outside, Yusei and Tanner went to an old square yard where they could face off. While they got ready, Blister and Yanagi stood near a wall and watched.
"So, what's your story?" Yanagi asked Blister. "I bet you didn't know I'm a famous explorer who's gone around the world collecting the most amazing cards ever made."
"But Tanner said, um... that your deck's just a joke." Blister said, shocking the old man.
"He what?! He did not! Just take a look for yourself." Yanagi pulled out his deck and eagerly showed it to him. "I've got Crystal Skull, Ashoka Pillar..."
"Okay, Grandpa." Blister turned to Yusie and Tanner. 'Where did you find these guys, Yusei? The ex-champ you met in the Facility. You went from foe to friend in one duel. Then there's old Grandpa, and he thinks you're tied to some ancient prophecy about the end of the world. You're one of a kind, that's for sure.'
"Let's duel!" Both duelists said...
But before they could begin, there was a sudden roar of a duel runner engine. And to their surprise, Jack showed up on his duel runner and swerved into the yard, getting between the two duelists.
"Hey, Jack..." Yusei simply greeted.
"Uh-oh." Tanner said.
The King got off his duel runner and took off his helmet to face Yusei. The two guys who used to be friends were staring at each other.
"Uh-oh. Why is Jack Atlas here?" Yanagi asked.
"Lessons?" Blister guessed.
"Careful..." Jack glared at them, making them shut up. His eyes then landed on Tanner.
"It's been a long time, Atlas. What's up?"
"My career, thank you." Jack retorted, turning to Yusei.
Tanner was about to jump on him, but Yusei gave him a look that told him to stand down. He then focused on the King. "What brings you here, Jack?"
Jack simply pulled out a card from his jacket. Yusei widened his eyes when it was revealed as Stardust Dragon.
'"I wonder if that's an ancient relic.' Yanagi thought when he saw it.
"I heard you'll be at the Fortune Cup." Jack said.
"Word gets around fast." Yusei replied.
"I got a deal for you, Yusei, for your Stardust Dragon."
"Hmm..." Yusei stared him quietly.
"You add it to your deck. Win, and then you can keep the card. I win, I get it, and then you and me are straight, right?"
Yusei narrowed his eyes. "Straight? What about my friends?"
"What?" Jack looked confused. "What are you talking about?"
Yusei pulled out something from his own jacket. The photograph of his friends. "Your purple-haired pal Lazar stopped by, and if I don't duel, they pay."
"What?" That certainly surprised the King.
"Surprised, Jack?. Well don't be, I know Goodwin's behind all of this. And I guarantee he's gonna regret putting this Satellite's friends in harm's way."
"Well then you'll definitely need your Stardust Dragon now, won't you?" Jack tossed the card to Yusei. "And just so we're clear, I don't know anything about this threat, got it? I duel for me. Goodwin's got his own agenda." He then mounted his runner and put on his helmet. "So I guess I'll see you... at the Fortune Cup then. And Yusei, you had better bring your A-game with you."
"... I will."
And with that, Jack took off, leaving Yusei, Tanner, Blister and Yanagi alone.
Yanagi sighed in relief before rushing over to Yusei. "I have to see that card!" Yusei held up the card for him to see. "It's true! That's Stardust Dragon! It's amazing! This is big stuff. You are a Signer."
"..."
"Don't you see? With that card, you made the Crimson Dragon appear."
"But Jack was there too."
"Then that must mean you're both Signers! You two are connected."
'But what does it all mean?' Yusei thought.
Meanwhile, Jack was on the highway, in deep thought. 'So Yusei's got a new crew. Not much of a trader. He probably still thinks that Stardust Dragon is just a rare card with a pretty pick. This game isn't about cards anymore, Yusei. It's not about records or speed or anything. It's about the end of the world, and you can bet I'm gonna be the one to make sure it doesn't happen.'
Meanwhile.
Deep below his mansion, Rex Goodwin stood in front of the stairway of the Crimson Dragon, alongside his assistant, Lazar.
"Even now, the Dragon Star's power grows. It knows our quest to gather all the Signers is on the verge of success." He turned to a group of cloaked people that stood behind him. "You are my loyal servants of Iliaster. Your mission is to expose those people who posses the Mark of the Dragon. You must push them to their limits, exhaust their skills, stir their emotions. Now go, and do not fail me." They all bowed to him. As they left, Goodwin glanced up at the red star. "Soon all the pieces will be in place once again, and your power shall rule the world!"
"No way! For real?" Kai asked, surprised. After he and his gang saved Cody from the black suits, the two of them left the place while Kai's goons tied them up. After a while, the two of them came to a square with several duel arenas carved out in the center. And then, Cody told him everything he'd been through since they last met.
"It's true." Cody confirmed.
"Man, that's crazy. A big company coming after you so they could get their hands on whatever your folks had? And just when I thought it couldn't get crazier." Kai then frowned. "And you say that Morningstar Foundation kidnapped your friends?"
"That's right. I must find them, and fast."
"I hear ya, but you gotta be crazy if you're gonna do this alone." Kai pointed his right thumb towards himself. "You really need backup."
"But Kai..."
"No buts! We're talking about a serious company here. You'll need all the help you can get. I'll even bring my whole gang with me if that's what it takes."
Cody lowered his head. "I don't know..."
BOOM!
Both of them jumped at that.
"What was that?"
"Look!" Kai pointed to a direction. There was some smoke coming from a couple of blocks away. "Something up over there."
"Come on!" Cody began to run, with Kai right behind him. As they got closer to the area, Cody started to feel slight pain in his right arm. "Why does my arm hurt so suddenly?"
"LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!"
The two of them were surprised to see a bunch of guys running away in the opposite direction.
"I wonder what's gotten them so freaked out." Kai commented.
"Whoa!" Cody exclaimed as he stopped all of a sudden. Kai did the same and was shocked by what they saw. An entire area that looked ruined. Like the place was bombarded or something. "Huh?" It was then Cody saw a figure standing a good distance from them. Whoever this person was, they were wearing a black cloak and a white mask that concealed their face, with a few long bangs of dark burgundy hair sticking out. They also appeared to be wielding a duel disk. It had pink, purple and red trim with purple jewels. "Who is that?"
Kai started to get nervous. "Oh boy. If that's who I think it is, then we're in big trouble!"
"You know who this person is?" Cody asked him.
"A duelist who is rumored to bring her cards alive and cause some havoc. She calls herself... the Black Rose."
"Black Rose." Cody repeated before turning to the cloaked figure. 'So she's another one of those psychic duelists Misty talked about.' He then approached her.
"Cody, what are you doing?" Kai questioned.
"You!" Cody called out to her. "Black Rose, right? Are you the one causing all of this? If so, then you have to stop, right now!"
"... What makes you think you can make me?" She asked with venom in her voice.
"If you won't do it willingly, then I'll take you down! I don't care if you're a psychic duelist or whatever, I won't let you get away with this. So bring it on!" Cody activated his duel disk and drew his opening hand.
"Dude, you really are crazy." Kai said, thinking Cody lost his mind.
The Black Rose held up her duel disk. "Your funeral." She then drew her opening hand.
"Let's duel!"
Cody: 4000
Black Rose: 4000
"I'll go first!" The Black Rose drew. "And I summon Violet Witch in defense mode." A woman with long black hair, pointy ears and pale skin appeared. She was clad in a violet cloak with four giant leaves spilled over her shoulder and wielded a double-sided golden staff. (ATK: 1100 DEF: 1200 LV: 4) "I place two cards facedown and end my turn." Two cards appeared near her feet.
"My turn!" Cody drew. "I summon Lucky Pied Piper in attack mode!" The flute-using fairy appeared. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 500 LV: 4) "Then I activate the spell card, Unleash Your Power! This card lets me turn my Gemini monster into an effect monster and have it gain its effects." The fairy glowed with a white aura. "Now attack her Violet Witch!" The fairy played the flute and released a sound wave that destroyed the witch.
"You just triggered my Violet Witch's special ability." The Black Rose announced. "When she's destroyed in battle, I can add a plant type monster with up to 1500 defense points from my deck to my hand." She fanned her deck out and took the card she wanted. After inserting the deck into her duel disk, it shuffled automatically.
"My Piper has a special ability as well." Cody replied. "Since he just destroyed your monster and sent it to the graveyard, I can now draw one card from my deck." He then drew. He looked over his hand before inserting a card into his duel disk. "I'll end my turn with one facedown. And that leads to the second effect of Unleash Your Power! During the end phase, all monsters affected by it are forced into facedown position." At that, the fairy was replaced by a facedown card.
"That's all?" Black Rose asked before beginning her turn. "That's nothing compared to what I'm gonna play, thanks to Violet Witch. It's a monster called Phoenixian Seed!" A small flame erupted from the ground, from which a giant seed emerged. It had a few red leaves on top and one single eye. (ATK: 800 DEF: 0 LV: 2) "And by planting this seed in the graveyard, it'll grow into Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis!" The seed was consumed into flames before it started to grow. Eventually, it bloomed into a large slender plant in the shape of a bird. It had fern-like wings, crimson leaves that formed its tail and a red bulb that formed its head. (ATK: 2200 DEF: 0 LV: 8)
"That's not good." Kai commented.
"Don't worry, that plant won't be here for long... thanks to my trap card!" Cody's facedown card flipped up. "Void Trap Hole! Since you special summoned a monster with over 2000 attack points, I can use this card to negate its effects and destroy it!" A hole of a dark void opened up in the ground, and the big plant was sucked into it.
"Nice!" Kai grinned.
"Now what will-huh?" Cody began to say before the ground underneath him began to glow. And then...
BOOM!
"Aaaah!" Cody cried out as an explosion knocked him down. He grunted as he was trying to get up.
"Negate its effects?" Black Rose mused. "Please! My Amaryllis has effects that your trap can't stop. For example, after it's destroyed and sent to the graveyard, you take 800 points of damage."
Cody: 4000-3200
"And now for its second effect..." Black Rose took Phoenixian Seed from her graveyard slot. "During the end phase of my turn, I can remove a plant type monster from play and then summon it back to the field in defense mode." Cracks were formed on the ground as the big plant appeared again. (ATK: 2200 DEF: 0 LV: 8)
Cody managed to get up on his feet. "This was more painful than I thought."
"You okay?" Kai asked.
"I'll be fine." Cody drew. "First I'll flip summon my Lucky Pied Piper." The monster card flipped up and revealed the fairy. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 500 LV: 4) "Then I'll summon Evocator Chevalier in attack mode!" The red armored warrior appeared, his sharp sword ready. (ATK: 1900 DEF: 900 LV: 4) "Then I activate the spell card, Double Summon! This lets me normal summon one extra time. So I'll gemini summon my Chevalier!" The warrior glowed with a white aura. "Then I'll equip him with the spell card, Synchro Boost!" The named spell card appeared behind the warrior. "This lets me increase my monster's level by 1 and its attack points by 500." (ATK: 1900-2400 LV: 4-5) "And then I activate my Chevalier's ability! By sending a face-up equip spell I control to the graveyard, he can destroy one of your cards. So there goes one of your facedown cards!" The spell card was absorbed into the warrior's sword before he swung it, sending an arc of energy that destroyed on the Black Rose's facedown cards. (ATK. 2400-1900 LV: 5-4)
"You'll regret that." She muttered.
"Now I attack! Lucky Pied Piper, destroy Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis!" The fairy played his flute, releasing another sound wave that destroyed the big plant.
"You realize that you just triggered its ability again, don't you? You take another 800 points of damage!" Another explosion occurred, sending Cody back.
Cody: 3200-2400
Cody coughed. "I-I can take it! Anyway, I'll attack you directly with Evocator Chevalier!" The warrior dashed forward and struck the Black Rose with his sword.
Black Rose: 4000-2100
"That ends my turn." Cody concluded.
"My turn." Black Rose drew her next card and looked at it. "First I activate the trap card, Ivy Shackles!" Her facedown card flipped up. At that moment, green vines grew out of the ground wrapped themselves around Cody's monsters.
"What is this?!" Cody exclaimed.
"With my Ivy Shackles, your monsters become plant type monsters, and they'll be like that during my turns only." Black Rose explained. She then held up a spell card. "Which works well with my Fragrance Storm card. With this, I can destroy 1 plant type monster on the field, like your Chevalier." The warrior shattered into pixels. "After that, I get to draw a card, and if it happens to be a plant type monster, I can draw one more card." Black Rose drew a card and looked at it. "It looks like it is a plant type. Rose Fairy. So thanks to her, I draw again." She drew again. "And speaking of Rose Fairy, after she's been moved from my deck to my hand because of an effect, I can summon her to the field." A small pink fairy with a red rose as hair appeared. (ATK: 600 DEF: 1200 LV: 3) "And then I'll summon the tuner monster Copy Plant!" A gnarled, twisted mass of roots with two bitter green eyes appeared. (ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1)
"A tuner monster?" Cody widened his eyes.
"Oh boy." Kai muttered nervously.
"Due to its special ability, it can copy the level of any other plant type monster on field. And thanks to Ivy Shackles, that includes your Piper!" At that, the plant monster rearranged its roots so it took the form of Cody's fairy. And in a glow of light, it took in all of its details. (LV: 1-4) "And with that, my Copy Plant's gonna give Rose Fairy a tune up!" Copy plant turned into four rings of light. Rose fairy took flight before the rings surrounded her, making her body turn transparent and revealed three stars that lined up and created a pillar of fiery purple light that hit the ground behind the Black Rose. "I synchro summon... Black Rose Dragon!"
Cody could only watch as the entire place started to shake. And then, writhing thorny vines erupted from the ground and reached far as they tore everything in their path.
"Whoa!" Kai jumped out of the way when some debris fell towards him.
The light finally died down and revealed the synchro monster. It was a giant red and black dragon, around the the same size as Stardust Dragon and Red Dragon Archfiend. Its body was black and serpentine, scales separated into segmented ridges of armored flesh. Its wings were formed of blood-red rose petals, and the same petals wrapped around its midriff where wings met body. Its head was thorn-shaped, with blazing crimson eyes and a fearsome maw. A majestic plume of rose petals crowned its skull, and hind legs with crimson talons. It howled as its thorny vines lashed insanely. (ATK. 2400 DEF: 1800 LV: 7)
Cody looked shocked. "Unbelievable. That dragon looks-agh!" He suddenly felt intense pain in his right arm. "This pain again. What's going on." He pulled up his sleeve and gasped when he saw the flame-like mark glowing. "T-this is..."
A while earlier
"I'll see you at the docks." Blister called back as the door was shut behind him. Smiling, he walked down the streets and into a square where Yusei and the others watched a duel going on. "Yusei! Good news. I found a workboat that'll take me to the Satellite tonight."
"A workboat?" Yanagi questioned. "Don't those things just carry trash and disease?"
"If you're lucky. This ain't some pleasure trip, it's to check on Yusei's friends. They may be in trouble, Grandpa. See, Yusei's got much bigger things to worry about."
"Like the Fortune Cup?" Tanner shrugged. "Hey, our boy will clean them up."
"There's a lot more at stake here than just the tournament, Bolt." Blister retorted. "Goodwin and Atlas forced Yusei to duel. If they're involved, something bad's going on."
"Like the end of the world." Yanagi said with a concerned voice. "Everyone in New Domino; marker or not, Satellite and citizen. All our fates are tied to the Signers. To Yusei."
Yusei pulled out his invitation from his jacket and looked at it. Blister placed a hand on his shoulder, getting his attention. "Not sure I believe that, but just in case, why don't you win for the sake of all of humanity, okay?"
"Sure." Yusei replied with a small smile.
"Mister."
Yusei followed the young voice and saw Leo, along with Dexter, approaching a man.
"Hey, Mister. Have you seen the Black Rose?" Leo asked.
"Nah, don't you know she don't exist? Maybe she's dueling one of your imaginary friends." The man waved him off and walked away.
"Maybe she doesn't exist, Dex."
"Well, I know the blogs don't lie. She'll be here, I just know it." Dexter insisted.
"You sure?" Leo looked skeptical. "Does anyone knows who she really is?"
"Well, she better show up, cause my deck is ready for her."
"Well Dex, we've looked for the Black Rose all day. Maybe we should go home."
Dexter gave Leo a look of disbelief. "Go home? The Black Rose is the greatest duelist ever! They say her cards make real monsters, her spells are like real spells, and her traps are like-"
"Let me guess: real traps?"
Dexter sniffled. "I you don't want to help me, then fine. But I'm staying right here, got that?"
"Don't cry, Dexter. I'll stay." Leo teased.
"I DON'T CRY!"
"Leo, what's up?"
Leo saw Yusei and got excited as he rushed over to him. "Look! Over here! Dexter look! It's the superhero who fixed me and my sister's duel disks!"
"He's a superhero? Ugh..." Dexter was not convinced, but followed Leo anyway.
"So what's up?" Leo greeted.
"What are you doing here, Leo?" Yusei questioned. "This is a dangerous place for little kids. Where's your sister?"
"She didn't want to come."
When Dexter caught up with Leo, he noticed the marker on Yusei's face and gasped. He then whispered to his friend. "Leo, I don't think this guy's a superhero. Check his face."
"That's his secret identity." Leo told him.
"What are you doing here?" Yanagi asked with a big grin, leaning closer to the small boys, scaring Dexter.
"We've been looking around for the Black Rose." Leo replied.
"He helped me get my memory back." Yusei explained. "He's cool."
"Yes, I'm cool!" Leo smiled before he pushed friend a bit forward. "And this guy's my best friend Dexter."
"Um, hello." Dexter greeted nervously.
"That guy's the best. He's got this combo that's like 'Whoa!'. You should definitely duel him!"
"Uh... maybe some other time." Dexter replied before looking down, noticing the invitation in Yusei's hand. "Look at that!"
Leo noticed too and grinned. "Hey, that's an invitation to duel at the Fortune Cup! You'll be there too?"
"Uh-huh." Yusei replied.
"I get to duel you~! I get to duel you~!" Leo sang joyfully before pointing at Yusei with a determined look. "But this time, you're going down too!" He then turned to Dexter. "Maybe if I win, he'll make me his sidekick like in all of those comic books. Cool, huh?"
"Yeah!" Dexter nodded.
At that moment, Yusei suddenly felt pain in his right arm, which he clutched at before falling down to one knee.
"It's okay, I'll let you win." Leo said, not understanding Yusei's state.
"What's wrong?" Yanagi asked worriedly.
"It hurts just like before." Yusei muttered.
"Before?" Tanner repeated.
"When it first appeared... The Crimson Dragon..."
And then, They all noticed a pillar of fiery purple light from a distance. And then it started to shake everywhere like an earthquake. People started to run away in fear from the commotion.
"Let's get out of here!"
"It's the Black Rose!"
While all the other people kept running, Yusei and the others turned to the direction the pillar of light erupted from. And when they did, they saw a bunch of thorny vines appear.
"B-B-Black Rose?" Yanagi stuttered in fear.
"She's just a myth." Blister commented.
"Oh yeah?" Tanner retorted.
"There's a reasonable explanation here." Blister countered.
As they watched the thorns destroying the nearby buildings, they heard a roar.
"What is that?" Yusei wondered before wincing again because of the pain he felt. He the pulled the sleeve of his jacket, revealing the same glowing mark that appeared when he dueled Jack. "My mark!"
"Oh my." Yanagi gaped.
"That's no tattoo." Tanner commented.
"You're right, Tanner. It is the Mark of the Dragon!"
Leo saw the mark and stared at it with a look of disbelief in his teary eyes. "... Mark of the Dragon." He mumbled as remembered something... similar to this.
Yusei decided it was time to act. So he stood up and ran towards the area where the vines came from.
"Wait!" Leo called out. "Come back! It's too dangerous, even for a superhero!"
But Yusei ignored him and kept running. After a short while, Yusei stopped when he saw someone down to one knee, clutching his right arm. And he recognized him. "Cody?!"
"Huh?" Kai turned to him, surprised to see someone else here.
Cody looked over his shoulder. "Yusei?"
Yusei then noticed the big dragon on the opposite side of the dueling field. He also noticed the cloaked figure standing in front of it. "Black Rose?"
"I think, but be careful." Leo started to move forward, but Yusei kept him back.
All the others arrived as well and saw Cody's opponent. "Okay, so she's not made-up." Blister commented. "Now what. Grandpa?"
"I don't know." Yanagi replied nervously.
"Ngh." Cody grunted as he stared at his glowing mark.
Black Rose noticed and gasped. "Your arm! You also have a mark!" She hissed.
"Huh?" Yusei turned to Cody, and noticed the red glowing coming from him. "He does!"
"What?!" Yanagi exclaimed. "You mean he's got a mark too?!"
"This just gets weirder and weirder." Tanner muttered.
Cody looked up and faced the Black Rose. "What do you mean 'You also have a mark'? You have a mark just like this? What does it mean...?"
"Shut up!" The Black Rose snapped. "I will crush you! Feel the fury of my Black Rose Dragon! Black Rose Flare!" The dragon pulled its head back before spitting out a stream of purple flames mixed with rose petals that engulfed Lucky Pied Piper. And then, it engulfed Cody.
"AAAAAAHHH!"
And it was really painful as he was left with a bunch of burn marks.
Cody: 2400-1500
"Cody!" Yusei called out.
"Is he alright?" Leo asked worriedly.
"Man, that was brutal." Blister said.
Cody panted as he tried to keep himself standing. Meanwhile, Black Rose took Copy Plant from her graveyard slot.
"And now that that's over, I remove another plant type monster in order to bring back Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis." The big bird-like plant appeared again. (ATK: 2200 DEF: 0 LV: 8)
"M-my turn." Cody grunted and drew. "I play a facedown monster in defense mode." A facedown monster card appeared. "Then I'll end my turn with two facedowns." Two more cards appeared.
"That won't help you." Black Rose drew. "First I'll switch my Amaryllis to attack mode." The plant rose up. "Then I activate Black Rose Dragon's special ability. By removing a plant type monster in my graveyard from play, I can force your monster into attack mode and reduce its attack points to 0."
Everyone gasped.
"Oh no! That means her next attack can wipe him out!" Kai pointed out.
"So I'll remove Rose Fairy to reveal your facedown monster!" The spirit of Rose Fairy appeared right before Black Rose Dragon chomped on it, shattering it into pixels. And then, it struck Cody's facedown monster card with one of its vines, making it flip up and reveal a certain Egyptian jar. (ATK: 600-0 DEF: 300 LV: 2)
"You revealed Cobra Jar. And thanks to its flip effect, I get to summon a Poisonous Snake Token to the field." A green cobra crawled out of the jar and came down on the ground right next to it. (ATK: 1200 DEF: 1200 LV: 3)
"Not that it will save your life points. Black Rose Dragon, attack!" The dragon spat out another stream of flames.
"Activate trap! Defense Draw!" One of Cody's facedown cards flipped up. "Thanks to this, the battle damage from this attack is reduced to 0." While the flames destroyed the jar, the trap card acted as a shield and protected Cody. "And after that, I get to draw one card." He drew.
"I'm just getting started! Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis, destroy his Poisonous Snake Token!" The flower charged forward and destroyed the cobra by simply head-butting it.
"When my Poisonous Snake Token is destroyed in battle, you take 500 points of damage." Cody said before the Black Rose grunted when a red aura enveloped her.
Black Rose: 2100-1600
"You will take much more than that!" The Black Rose spat. "You see, after my Amaryllis attacks, it's automatically destroyed. And you know what that means, don't you?" The plant exploded and knocked Cody back. He fell backwards and hit his head on a part of the ground that was cracked open and fell unconscious.
Cody: 1500-0700
"Oh no! Cody!" Yusei called out and was about to rush over to him.
"Don't you dare get any closer!" The Black Rose warned him. "Unless you want to get crushed as well!"
Yusei glared at her.
"Get back, Yusei! It's too dangerous!" Blister called out.
"But we can't leave Cody here. He's my friend. We have to..." Yusei began to say, but stopped when a shockwave emanated from Cody's body.
"Whoa! What was that?!" Kai exclaimed.
Everyone got their answer as Cody started to get up again. His eyes were still closed. But then, when he opened them... they were glowing blue and had a cold look. "You..." He said with an ominous tone.
Which made the Black Rose to take a step back by instinct.
"You think you can hurt me and get away with it?" Cody was now standing on his feet. "Then let me show you what real pain feels!"
The Black Rose started to get nervous.
Yusei looked at his friend in shock. 'What on earth is wrong with him all of a sudden?'
"My turn!" Cody drew. "First I play my trap card, Call of the Haunted." His facedown card flipped up. "Now I can summon a monster back from my graveyard. And I choose Evocator Chevalier!" The trap card glowed brightly before ground in front of it cracked up. And then, the red warrior jumped up, causing some fragments of the ground fly all over the place.
"What the..?!" Tanner muttered as he covered himself with his right arm when some of it fell down on him. "How did he do that?"
"Hey, Yusei?" Blister asked slowly. "Has this friend of yours always been like that?"
Yusei shook his head. "No. I've never seen him like this."
The red warrior landed on Cody's field. (ATK: 1900 DEF: 900 LV: 4) "Then I'll summon Attack Gainer in attack mode!" The familiar green-armored figure appeared. (ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1) "Then I activate Harmonic Waves!" A spell card appeared and released some yellow energy that entered Attack Gainer's body. "Thanks to this, I can change a monster on the field into a level 4 monster." (LV: 1-4) "And now it's time for a tune-up!" Attack Gainer turned into four stars, and then into rings of green light. "Now watch as I'm calling forth the creature that harnesses the power of Gemini monsters..." The rings surrounded the red warrior, whose body became transparent and revealed 4 stars that lined up and created a beam of light. "I synchro summon Black Brutdrago!" The light died down, and revealed the armored, black-scaled dragon that let out a mighty roar that pushed the Black Rose back. (ATK: 3000 DEF: 2600 LV: 8)
'What power! It feels as real as my own cards.' The Black Rose thought.
"Agh!" At that moment, Yusei's mark glowed brighter and hurt his arm even more.
"Ngh!" The same thing appeared to happen to the Black Rose.
"Ugh!" And even Cody. "Why... why would it... gah!" He clenched his head as his glowing eyes flickered a bit. "No! I won't go back now! Not by a long shot!" He then glared at his opponent. "I activate Attack Gainer's ability! Since it was used as a synchro material, your monster loses 1000 attack points."
The Black Rose gasped and turned to her dragon. It groaned as a red aura enveloped it. (ATK: 2400-1400)
"Now let's finish this! Black Brutdrago, destroy Black Rose Dragon with Brutal Fireball!" The black dragon spat a big fireball.
Black Rose Dragon retaliated and spat out a stream of purple flames. The moment the two attacks collided, all three marks glowed yet even brighter.
"Aaaah!" Cody screamed in pain, clenching his head again. He grunted before his eyes snapped open. And this time, they were normal again. "Wh-what? What happened?" He then looked up and gasped. "Black Brutdrago?! Where did it come from? I don't remember summoning it!"
Before anyone else could say anything, Black Brutdrago's fireball pushed through the purple flames and obliterated Black Rose Dragon. It was followed up by an explosion that sent everyone flying.
"AAAAAAH!" Including the Black Rose, who cried out when she took damage.
Black Rose: 1600-0000
The entire place was covered in a big dust cloud. It took a while before it dissipated.
Yusei coughed a little as he recovered. "Is everyone alright?"
"I think so." Tanner muttered as he got up.
"Ow! My back!" Yanagi whined as he got up.
"Cody!"
Yusei and the others turned to Kai, who was kneeling down next to Cody who was knocked down.
"Come on, man. Wake up!" He urged.
"Mmm." Cody moaned as he stirred. "What?" He blinked. "What happened?"
"You tell me. That last attack was crazy!" Kai commented. "How did you do that?"
Cody looked concerned. "I... I don't know. I blacked out for a second, and when I came to, I found my Black Brutdrago on the field."
"Seriously?" Kai gave him an incredulous look.
"Are you alright, Cody?" Yusei rushed over to them.
"I'm fine. Don't worry." Cody then looked around the area. "Where's the Black Rose?"
The others looked around as well. They couldn't find the cloaked duelist anywhere.
"She's gone." Tanner said.
"Do you think she ran away after the explosion?" Blister wondered.
"We found her. We found the Black Rose." Dexter said, as he and Leo held each other, looking both amazed and horrified at the same time.
"That was so awesome." Leo added.
Blister turned to Cody. "The Black Rose said you also had a mark. What did she mean by that?"
Cody looked at his right arm and to his surprise, it was gone. Yusei looked at his own arm, and couldn't see his mark either.
"Where'd they go?" Leo asked, after he and Dexter found the strength to get up.
"Vanished! Like magic!" Yanagi exclaimed.
"I know." Yusei replied. "I have to find this Black Rose." That earned him surprised looks from the others. "After all, guys... I need to find out some answers."
From a short distance, Lazar was watching the gang from the top of one of the buildings. 'And you'll get them in due time.' He chuckled.
Later that night.
The Black Rose ran into an alleyway and leaned against the wall, a little bruised from her duel. 'Those marks. Why did they have one? But more importantly, the one I dueled has the same power as me. Just who is he?' She pulled off her mask and panted heavily.
Meanwhile, in Mason's office.
"And you're saying he blew up the exit?" Mason asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes sir." Veronica replied, her head lowered.
The CEO of Morningstar Foundation narrowed his eyes. "Whatever the case, he escaped again. I may have been patience for the past 10 years, trying to get my hands of Cedric and Sandra's secret creation. The secret that they undoubtedly entrusted to their son. But if this keeps up, I'll never get it!" He then slammed his right fist on his desk. "I won't tolerate any more mistakes from now on!"
Veronica smirked. "Don't worry, sir. I'm sure you'll get what you want this time."
"And what makes you say that, Veronica?"
The secretary brought a laptop, which she turned on before holding it up for him, showing a footage of Jeremy, Mimi and Eric, unconscious and tied up. "Since our latest attempt to get the Cooper family's secret didn't work so well, I figured we should try a... different approach."
At that, Mason smirked.
And that should do it. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and had a Happy Valentine's Day.
Until next time.