This story was done in collaboration between me, Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and DaveMan1000 (both here and on DeviantART), and we own the OCs that are used in the story. AaronCottrell97 (known as stevecottrell on DeviantART) provided the Duel Layouts and additional ideas. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:
Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel
The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry
Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami
Gundam SEED characters, Orb, Blue Cosmos, M1 Astray, Strike Rouge, Murasame (c) Sunrise
Character of Lisa Drake (c) DaveMan1000
Character of David Xadashi (c) DaveMan1000
Jak and Daxter characters (c) Naughty Dog
Spyro characters, Avalar (c) Activision
WARNING: Once again, this story is rated T for violence, some blood, suggestive themes, and some language. Reader discretion is advised.
WARNING 2: If you haven't read "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles Season 2", "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles Season 4", "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles (Pyramid of Light", "David Xadashi", "Lisa Drake", or "Team 4D's", you might want to do so before reading this story
On a stage inside the Orb Duel School, five face-down cards were lined up on a large blackboard. On cue, David Xadashi and Lisa Drake both showed up and began speaking to the audience for only a brief amount of time.
"Hi, everyone!" greeted Lisa, as the audience cheered, "I guess it's time for another round of 'This week's noteworthy cards', am I right?"
"I believe the crowd agrees with you, Lisa-chan," nudged David, before he and Lisa held their arms out at the blackboard with the five cards (still showing their backing) lined up, "Here we go! Reverse card, open!"
The five face-down cards on the blackboard all automatically turned over and revealed themselves to be:
-'Red Wyvern' (Synchro Monster Card)
-'Landoise's Luminous Moss' (Spell Card)
-'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend' (Synchro Monster Card)
-'Naturia Barkion' (Synchro Monster Card)
-'Red Vanish' (Trap Card)
"Lisa-chan! Take a good look at that card!" gasped David in shock, staring at the middle card ('Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend'), "It looks just like Atlas-sama's ace card!"
"Yeah, I've never seen anything like it, before," agreed Lisa, before reading one of the card's effects, "Once per turn: You can destroy as many other Special Summoned monsters on the field as possible with ATK less than or equal to this card's, then inflict 500 damage to your opponent for each monster destroyed."
"What a monster it is…" admitted David, before he and Lisa turned to face the audience once more, "I bet you all can't wait to see what this card is fully capable of, right?"
"I know I can't wait to see it!" remarked Lisa, before grumbling something under her breath, "Even though it totally trashed my Strike Rouge…" She recovered quickly and started waving goodbye along with David, "Well, have a good night, everyone! Stay tuned for more segments hosted by David and myself!"
The audience cheered and clapped in response.
Title: Incandescent Scars
Opening up outside the NYPD headquarters on a fine Summer day, two days after the dreadful attack somewhere in the Bronx, an important conversation between Team 6D's, the police, and General Damas was going on.
"What's with the summon, sirs and ma'am?" The voice of James R. began.
(inside…)
Inside Sam's office, Matt and the likes stood on one side, while Sam, Paul, Maria, Jak, and General Damas stood on the other end. Before long, Paul reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a card he picked up at the scene of the crime and he threw it towards Michael, who caught the card skillfully and then started looking at it.
"This card…" murmured Michael, before looking up, "I know this one!" As all eyes came upon him, he looked up and, just as a large version of the 'King's Synchro' Trap Card loomed in the background, revealed what this was all about, "This is 'King's Synchro', one of my cards!"
"That's one of 'your' cards?!" exclaimed Lisa.
"Atlas-sama!" added David.
"However, take a good look at it" continued Michael, holding the 'King's Synchro' Trap Card out for a few seconds, "See the artwork?" He resumed staring long and hard at it, "This is an old copy of the card," Once more, he looked up while revealing something big, "I've recently acquired an updated version with a shiny artwork."
"That wasn't the only thing we've found," cut in Maria, holding up four photographs, "We also snapped these pictures of something else at the scene of the attack. I think…" She handed them to Carlie, "…you guys should recognize these."
The brown-haired young woman looked at the photographs carefully, and gasped when she finished studying what exactly was on them. Matt and everyone else on Team 6D's, when they saw how Carlie was reacting, knew that whatever was on the photographs, it was not going to be good.
"So… what are we working with?" asked James R. uneasily.
"I know these tire tracks," said Carlie seriously, handing the photographs to Matt, "They're the same ones left behind…by Wheel of Fortune."
Almost immediately, horrified gasps filled the room. Michael Atlas, the attacker?! But that couldn't be possible! Something that Sam was perfectly aware of.
"We believe someone is trying to frame you, Michael," affirmed Sam sternly, as Michael listened stoically, "We just don't know who the criminal could be—not yet, at least."
"We also believe he's trying to cause another statewide protest," mused Maria.
"Only much bigger than the one caused by Sergey's attack on Orb," frowned General Damas, "It could become one so big that not even 'The All-Star Squad' would be able to avert the crisis."
"Well, now that you brought this up, I might know who it might be," offered James R., before adding in as a quick joke, "Maybe the culprit is an anti-fan of Mike's?" Unfortunately, the joke didn't go over well with everyone else in the room, who simply glared at him to the point he could only smile sheepishly and shrug, "Tough room."
Lisa shook her head, "Dad, is there anything, and I do mean 'anything', we can use to find out who the attacker is!" she pleaded, looking towards Jak and grabbing onto his arms and shaking him slightly, "You know, surveillance footage and the likes!"
"Sorry, Lisa, but no can do," declined Jak, "There doesn't appear to be any available footage."
Lisa let go of her Father and cursed in dismay, while Matt only let out a disappointed sigh, realizing that this was going to be a tough case to solve.
(elsewhere…)
Inside the main lobby, Discord, Zack, Ashima, Sean, Janice, Asagi, Mayura, and Juri all were patiently waiting for the meeting to end. Pretty soon, their friends, accompanied by Paul, Maria, General Damas, and Jak, all showed up.
"Well?" pressed Sean.
"Did you guys learn anything?" put in Ashima.
"There's news, but it isn't going to be good," frowned Michael, "We have no idea who the attacker could be. There's no surveillance footage we can watch."
The announcement was met with some disappointed groans.
"How disappointing," sighed Discord.
"There's only one thing we know about what happened," interjected Jak, "The person is likely trying to start another statewide protest—only much bigger than last time."
"Bigger?" Janice repeated, before looking gloomy, "Oh dear…"
"Until we find the imposter, then defeat and bring him to justice, we will be remaining here in New York City for at least a couple of days," acknowledged Matt.
"I think that's a good idea!" interrupted Lisa, looking a little more cheerful than before, "Until the bad guy reappears, I can use this time to introduce you guys to the rest of 'The All-Star Squad'!"
"They're sorta like members of your family, right?" figured Mayura.
"Yup! As I said before, if you guys thought my Uncle Daxter and Aunt Tess both are colorful characters, wait until you meet everyone else!"
General Damas and Jak both looked at each other and grinned, knowing that the younger people were really going to like the headquarters and the high ranking members of the squad.
(elsewhere…)
Out in the waters between lower Manhattan and the island with the Statue of Liberty, a humongous ship shaped like an aircraft carrier rested.
(inside…)
Inside a large boat heading towards the carrier, General Damas folded his arms with an impressed smile on his face.
"So, what do you all think?" he asked proudly, "Impressive, is it not?"
"Whooooa!" James R., Sean, Janice, Asagi, and Juri all admired.
"Unbelievable!" yelled Discord, equally impressed.
"A carrier this size must have cost billions of dollars to construct!" gawked Ashima.
"Nah! The cost is nowhere near that amount," chuckled Jak, driving the boat, "And besides, if you think the outside is impressive, wait until you're inside our headquarters."
Mayura, Carlie, and David each looked at each other, wondering if the headquarters of 'The All-Star Squad' was as advanced on the inside as it was on the outside.
(outside…)
Before long, the boat arrived on the side of the carrier. Seconds later, a part of the carrier opened up like a hatch, allowing the much smaller vessel to enter.
(inside…)
Inside the headquarters of 'The All-Star Squad', the boat parked itself before a staircase was placed to allow the people to reach dry land. Stationed nearby to greet them were some men, and the first members of the approaching group they greeted were General Damas and Jak.
"Welcome back, sirs!" One man began, saluting.
"As you were," accepted General Damas, before looking back at the boat, "Well, don't just stand there, come on down!"
Matt, Discord, and everyone else walked down the staircase until they approached General Damas, Jak, and the other four men. The four men immediately saluted the new arrivals, which the group responded in kind. James R. then looked around the place and had to admit; the outside was nice, but the inside is even nicer.
"Boy, what a place!" The voice of James R. remarked, "I've never seen the inside of such a carrier before."
"The only other carrier that can match this one's size is the USS Enterprise," recalled Zack, "You know, the one that was used in World War II alongside USS Saratoga and USS Ranger."
"Too bad they were scrapped soon after the war ended," sighed Asagi, "They would have been great for the museums."
"Well, since we're here, let's give you all the grand tour," suggested Jak, "This place is big enough to hold up to four different sectors."
"Four sectors?" pondered Matt.
"That's correct, son," confirmed General Damas, "We'll start with the sector containing both the Haven and Veldin Units."
"Wonderful! Great!" agreed Discord pleasantly, "Lead the way, gentlemen!"
"Hold up," interrupted Michael firmly, "We'll get the tour and meet the other units later. Instead, take us to the unit that attacked member is part of."
"Oh, I see," realized Jak, nodding understandingly, "In that case, we'll bring you guys to the 'Mess Fort'. It's where members of 'The All-Star Squad' go to relax when they're off duty."
"That's right," nodded General Damas, "I believe Avalar Unit is there."
"Is that the unit your injured member is part of?" quizzed David.
The nods from General Damas and Jak both confirmed it.
(elsewhere…)
Inside the 'Mess Fort', which was where members of 'The All-Star Squad' went to relax if they were off duty. Different members of the Avalar Unit, two men and two women, were enjoying their break before they had to be called into action. The Avalar Unit were the primary treasure hunters of 'The All-Star Squad', and served as air and ground scouts. Pretty soon, General Damas, Jak, and the group arrived, getting the attention of a few members of Avalar Unit.
"Oh man…" admired James R., looking around.
"This is amazing," whistled Sean eagerly.
The members of Avalar Unit all gave a salute to their commanding officers. The first woman had long straight purple-black hair, jade-green eyes, and was wearing a ruby red tank top and black short shorts. The first man had gelled golden hair, orange-brown eyes. His attire consisted of a silvery-yellow top, light blue trousers, and a gold jacket encrusted with various small gems along the hem. The second man had messy bright orange hair with brown spots dotted all over, bright blue eyes, and wore a simple shirt and shorts with cheetah patterns. The second woman had more wild brown hair, blue eyes with purple eyeshadow, and was dressed in what looked like a sundress made of leaves, complete with leaf bracelets on both her wrists.
"General Damas, Major Jak!" The first woman greeted, "To what do we owe the pleasure of the visit, sir?"
"We have some visitors, First Lieutenant," responded General Damas, gesturing to the rest of the group.
"Hi," waved James R..
The woman looked serious, "I see," she replied, before turning to face the arrivals, "I am First Lieutenant Cynthia Malefor, but do call me Cynder if you want."
"Yo, Lisa!" The second man called out, upon noticing Lisa, "Glad you could make it!"
"What's happenin', Hunter?" Lisa waved back.
"We're all just on break until we're needed," commented Hunter, as he was named. He then turned his attention to the others, "I'm First Sergeant Hunter Cheatar; I'm so glad to meet the rest of you."
Matt approached and shook hands with Hunter.
"It's always nice to have visitors," The second woman stated as she stood up, "Corporal Elora Fauna. Pleasure to meet all of you."
"So, what brings all of you here?" questioned Cynthia.
"It's not for a tour, that's for sure," answered Michael, "We're here for some answers."
"Well, that depends on the questions you have, kid," smirked Hunter.
Michael scowled over being called a kid despite him being 20-years old (a young adult), but Carlie prevented him from likely saying something in response that would likely be very rude towards someone that important.
"It's regarding the member of this unit who was the victim of an attack the previous night," stated David.
As soon as those words left the aqua blue-haired boy's mouth, there was initially an uncomfortable silence from the members of the Avalar Unit since they were unsure on how their fellow comrade was doing after the attack. Eventually, someone did manage to speak up…
"I can answer that for you."
From there, the first man then approached the group, and extended a hand.
"Spark Draco, Chief Warrant Officer 2—everyone just calls me Sparx," said Sparx, as he was called, before shaking hands with Discord, "I'll tell you guys what I know."
"Please proceed," advised Discord.
"You see, it wasn't just any unit member who was attacked yesterday, it was our Captain; my brother, Spyro," Sparx admitted, clenching his right hand into a fist.
"Not Spyro…" whispered Lisa, stunned.
"Spyro?" blinked Carlie.
"His full name is Spiridon Draco," explained General Damas, "However, he prefers the name 'Spyro'. Still, of all our members to get attacked, it had to be him…"
"Dad, do you think Spyro will be alright?" Lisa pressed to Jak, "He won't die or anything, will he?"
"No way, Lisa! I'm totally certain he'll live," denied Jak, reassuring his daughter, "Unfortunately, he's still pretty banged up from the attack."
"Was the crash really that bad?" asked Cynthia sadly.
"You're damn right, it was," Jak frowned, folding his arms, "As tough as he is, even Spyro has his limits," He looked upward slightly, "Even if he's released from the hospital soon, he will likely be off the job for at least a while."
"Here's an idea," suggested Carlie, causing Jak, General Damas, and Cynthia each to look at her curiously, "Why don't we visit Spyro in the hospital he's staying at? Maybe he can tell us what he remembers from the attack."
"That's a good idea, young lady," smiled General Damas, "We leave immediately for the BronxCare Hospital Center Emergency Room."
(elsewhere…)
Inside the BronxCare Hospital Center Emergency Room, a man was currently resting in bed inside his room when a knock on the door came.
"Come in?" called the man.
The door opened, and a nurse walked inside before allowing the visitors inside. The injured man, by the name of Spyro, was surprised by the amount of people coming to see him, especially since many of them weren't part of 'The All-Star Squad'. But there was one person amongst the group he recognized without fail, and it was…
"Lisa!" gasped Spyro, "It's you!"
"Spyro!" exclaimed Lisa, running over, "You're okay!"
Spyro chuckled, "Boy, am I glad to see your face again," he greeted positively, "Although I wish it were under better circumstances."
"Same here," agreed Lisa, growing glum.
"We're all pleased you'll be making a full recovery," praised General Damas.
"That's how you roll, am I right?" grinned Jak.
"Sirs!" realized Spyro, managing to salute his commanding officer in addition to Jak. He then got curious about all the new faces in the room, "And…who are all of you?"
"Don't worry, they're all friends of mine!" Lisa pointed out cheerfully.
"My name is Matt Fudo, and I'm the leader of Team 6D's," began Matt, speaking up for the team before addressing the rest of Team 6D's (starting with Michael and ending with David), "Here we have Michael Atlas, Carlie Izayoi, James Hogan, and David Xadashi."
"I'm Zack Ruaka," introduced Zack, "I'm the current runner for Industrial Illusions, and here we have the last CEO, Discord J. Crawford."
"Temporarily retired CEO, that is!" corrected Discord, before introducing Ashima himself, "And here we have the love of Matty-boy's life, Ashima Nilgiri."
"(नमस्ते,) Namaste, (Greetings,)" Ashima said in Hindi.
"My two best friends," David added in, wrapping her arms around the shoulders of Sean and Janice, "Sean Smith and Janice Kings."
"Sir," greeted Sean nervously, while Janice just waved.
"I'm Asagi Caldwell, and these two are Mayura Labatt and Juri Wu Nien," finished Asagi, speaking up for herself and two best friends, "We've been friends with Lisa ever since she started attending Orb in order to become a duelist."
"It's great to meet you all," smiled Spyro, before he was forced to lay back down on the bed, "Ngh…"
"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, who was it that attacked you in the first place?" requested Matt.
Spyro closed his eyes and sighed, remembering the night and attack all too well. A flashback soon started up.
FLASHBACK
The night of the attack in the Bronx, Flashback Spyro, soaring over the city streets with a jetpack modeled like a pair of dragon wings, was on patrol in the streets of the Bronx.
"Well, it started when I was on night patrol," narrated Spyro, "It was just an ordinary night. There was no action, just a quiet, peaceful atmosphere, until…"
"Until what?" The voice of James R. interrupted.
"Shush!" The voice of Carlie scolded, "Please continue, sir."
Flashback Spyro then heard the distinct sound of a Duel Runner, which prompted him to glide down to the ground level. Upon touching down and folding in his wing-pack, he started to hear the sound get louder and louder. Suddenly, when he looked up, a familiar Duel Runner, known only as Wheel of Fortune, jumped off the top of a nearby building and landed beside the Spyro, just barely avoiding hitting him.
"What the-?!" yelled Flashback Spyro, before the rider sped off, "Oh no, you don't!"
Flashback Spyro then deployed his wings and blasted off after Wheel of Fortune. Quickly catching up, he slowed down to stay side-by-side with the Duel Runner.
"Nice moves you have there, buddy," Flashback Spyro commented, just as a purple dragon-like helmet, complete with yellow horns deployed from his armor and encased his head in its shell, "But I'm gonna have to ask you to stop before things get all 'fired up'."
The rider of Wheel of Fortune suddenly made his Duel Runner bash into Flashback Spyro, causing him to yell out while spinning around wildly before regaining control. Getting back into position, Spyro's helmet began to emanate a red glow from its horns.
"Just as I was about to torch the wheels with my armor's special flamethrower," Spyro went on, just as his flashback self suddenly looked surprised, "my assailant did something most unusual; he took a Duel Monsters card out, held it up, and made a gigantic demon-like dragon appear in the sky to attack me."
The mysterious rider of Wheel of Fortune then smiled darkly and pulled a Duel Monsters card out of his Duel Disk's Extra Deck Zone before holding it upward. From a burst of light, appearing in the sky with a loud roar was what appeared to be…
END FLASHBACK
The flashback was abruptly cut off.
"Impossible!" shouted Michael, angrily grabbing Spyro by the shirt collar and pulling him (Spyro) in closer, "Repeat that again! That just can't be true!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy there, pal!" protested General Damas, managing to separate Michael from the injured Spyro before turning to glare at the former, "What was that all about?"
"The monster Spyro mentioned during the attack…" uttered Michael, before taking a card out of his jacket pocket and looking at it carefully. The card happened to be the 'Red Dragon Archfiend' Synchro Monster Card, "It's 'Red Daemon's', a monster that only 'I' own!"
"HUH?!" Nearly the entire room gawked.
There was another uncomfortable silence from the group. Spyro, however, had more he wanted to say about the person who attacked him and used 'Red Dragon Archfiend'.
"Before I lost consciousness after crashing due to trying to get away from the blast of fire, I caught a glimpse of the man," recalled Spyro, as a thought bubble formed and a description of the attack was made, "He was wearing a white form-fitting motorcyclist suit with a similar design to the coat your friend is currently wearing, as well as a white helmet with a green visor and a purple peak."
The thought bubble popped, and Discord, Zack, Ashima, the three Astray girls, Sean, and Janice all gasped over the description.
"No!" cried Discord.
"It's not possible…" murmured Juri, before looking like she wanted to cry over being betrayed, "Mike," As she continued speaking, Michael grimly looked over and listened to the devastated words, "please tell me this isn't true!"
"You were the one who attacked Spyro?!" accused Ashima.
"We've already had this discussion at the police station," cut in Matt, "Mike being the attacker is an impossibility—he's been with all of us at Orb when that assault occurred."
"But, wait, if Mike's not the culprit, who could it be?" wondered Janice, "More than that… If we don't have any way of knowing when he will show up again, how can we even stop him?"
"Who knows?" sighed James R., folding his arms, "I guess the best thing for us to do is wait for the guy to make a move or something."
This left everyone else dismayed; if the attacker went into hiding, it would take who knows how long for him to reemerge.
"Why would some dude wanna impersonate and frame Mike?" thought Lisa, before casting a quick glance at the injured, bedridden Spyro, who was talking to General Damas and Jak. She narrowed her eyes, "Still… How dare the bastard attack members of 'The All-Star Squad' so cruelly and unprovokingly! When he does show himself, I'll get even with him for hurting my extended family!"
She clenched her right hand into a fist, shaking it in great anger. Seeing his new girlfriend's distress, David calmly wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Lisa turned to David, and seemed to calm down upon seeing the sympathy in his eyes, as she leaned her head against his shoulder.
"I'm so sorry, Lisa-chan," apologized David sincerely.
"It's alright, Dave… I'm fine…" Lisa reassured, as softly as she could.
David could tell she wasn't fine, as her tone of voice clearly betrayed her claim. Then he got an idea.
"I know this is a tough experience, but I believe I know just what to help you take your mind off it for the time being," David offered, "What would you say to a dinner date—just the two of us?"
"Dave?" peeped Lisa.
"That's a great idea, Dave," praised Sean, "Why don't you two go to the Jazz Jin? You haven't been there for your first date thanks to Vincent ruining it."
"That's perfect!" agreed Asagi.
"You two will love the Jazz Jin restaurant!" squealed Mayura, "The music, the food…"
"I know that, Mayura-san; remember, I made the suggestion previously," reminded David, before looking at Lisa, "So, how about it? Afterwards, we can go for a ride around Manhattan."
Lisa stared at David for what seemed like forever, before casting a look towards Asagi and Mayura, both of whom were practically pleading with their pink-haired friend to say yes to David's invitation of going to the Jazz Jin. At last she gave her answer…
"Some dinner at the Jazz Jin and a ride afterwards does sound like a good distraction," muttered Lisa, before closing her eyes and smiling, "I think I'll accept your idea, Dave."
Asagi and Mayura both cried out with delight, and David smiled back and winked at Lisa for making the right choice. While that was going on, Juri was having a discussion with Michael about the guy trying to frame him.
"Mike, can we all do it?" said Juri uneasily, "Can we stop the imposter and clear your name before it's too late?"
"I don't know," replied Michael, closing his eyes for a moment, "I honestly don't know."
"Mike…" worried Juri.
"However, I'm certain of one thing," The voice of Michael went on, causing Juri to instead look surprised. He now had his eyes open and a determined expression on his face, "The imposter will appear at some point to confront me, and I will be ready for when that time comes."
(elsewhere…)
Inside the dark hideout of the Dark Signers, Rutger was alone in the meeting room and observing two crystal globes. The one, in particular, he was watching was the scene at the BronxCare Hospital Center Emergency Room. A dark smile formed on Rutger's face as he listened to what the Signers and their allies were saying.
"Hmhmhm… Even if they are aware of this Turbo duelist being an imposter, it matters not," chuckled Rutger, watching the footage of Michael vowing to fight the imposter when the time came, "This is a Signer that I and the rest of the Dark Signers control—he will never be defeated!" His eyes shifted towards the second globe, showing Rex inside a limo, "Oh, but what do we have here?" The Dark Signer leader's smile grew eviler, "Rex, oh, Rex… what will you do? How will you contend with this latest mess in your state?"
And Rutger continued to stare at the second globe for what seemed like forever.
(elsewhere…)
Inside the limo, Rex was on his way to the city of Buffalo to help with a fundraiser started by one of his Democratic friends. To the surprise of no one, he was thinking about the recent savage attack on a member of 'The All-Star Squad' in New York City. He was also aware of Carlie's kidnapping, torture, and subsequent corruption by the Dark Signers. Lazar was also in the limo, accompanying his boss to Buffalo for the fundraiser since it was his duty as Rex's assistant.
"Governor Godwin, I know you're thinking all about the attack in New York City," guessed Lazar, before closing his eyes and massaging his left temple, "Such troubling times these are…"
"The Dark Signers are striking again," murmured Rex, "This time, they are using a Signer of their own."
"Eh?" pondered Lazar.
"The first time they attempted this, they kidnapped, tortured, and used Carlie as their personal tool," continued Rex, as faded stills of Matt dueling Carlie and Accel Synchro Summoning 'Stardust Warrior' were shown in the background, "But that plan failed in the end when Matt Fudo gained the power of 'Stardust Warrior'."
Lazar frowned, "Sir, with all due respect," he said, "How do you know the Dark Signers are directly behind this latest incident?"
Rex did not respond. Again, he seemed to know something about the Dark Signers, but he simply refused to tell anyone what he knew.
(outside…)
Outside the limo, it continued down the expressway outside Albany and all the way to Buffalo.
(elsewhere…)
Back in a street within New York City later in the evening, all was quiet—at least, until Strike Rouge and The Wild Card both zoomed by. Lisa and David, with the former wearing her Orb-based motorcyclist suit, were out for a ride after spending two hours at the Jazz Jin for a meal.
"Man, oh man, Dave, the Jazz Jin was great!" admitted Lisa, "The food there was excellent!"
"And don't forget the music, too," reminded David.
"Yeah, yeah, the music, too," Lisa agreed, not caring too much about the music, "And now, we can finish this outing off with a nice ride around Manhattan," As she and David stopped at a set of traffic lights, an idea came to her, "What do you say, Dave? Wanna have a race?"
"Sounds like a bad idea, Lisa-chan," declined David, "Traffic might be declining, but there are still plenty of people around who can accidentally get in the way."
Lisa smirked mischievously, "What's the matter, Dave?" she shot back, "Are you chicken?"
"Oh, peer pressure," remarked David, very unamused, "Just reduce yourself to a Neanderthal, why don't you?"
"I knew it! You're a great big chicken," sang Lisa.
David growled, "Don't you tempt me!"
"Chicken!" taunted Lisa.
"Stop it!" snapped David.
Lisa kept grinning, "Chicken!"
"I am not a chicken!" howled David, finally losing it and agreeing, "You're on!"
Lisa was pleased her teasing got to her boyfriend to agree. Once the light turned green, both Duel Runners roared to life and turned the corner onto the expressway. Due to some cars still being present, David and Lisa both drove very carefully to avoid accidental collisions. They actually were enjoying their little race—well, at least until they heard the sound of another Duel Runner.
"What?" wondered Lisa.
"Another Duel Runner?" added David.
Both teenagers looked over their shoulders, where they could see a very familiar Duel Runner coming up from behind.
"Wheel of Fortune?" gasped Lisa.
"What's Atlas-sama doing out here?" came from David, before looking at Lisa, "Do you think he's here to join our little race?"
Lisa did a shrugging-like gesture with her head, making it clear she had no clue what was going on. Before long, Wheel of Fortune managed to catch up to the two Duel Runners.
"Hey, Atlas-sama!" greeted David, "Are you here to-?"
Suddenly, the rider on fake Wheel of Fortune started bashing itself into The Wild Card in an attempt to make it crash. David cried out in surprise, just as his Duel Runner started spinning and falling behind while almost colliding with another car in the process.
"(くっそーーーーツ!) Kuso! (Dammit!)" hollered David in Japanese.
Thankfully, he regained control just in time. Up ahead, Lisa was watching with great concern for her new boyfriend before turning her anger towards the guy who tried making David crash—she thought it was Michael who did it. Stepping on the gas, Lisa managed to get Strike Rouge to catch up to fake Wheel of Fortune.
"Damn you, Mike!" cursed Lisa, soon driving beside fake Wheel of Fortune, "What the hell's your problem?! You just tried running Dave off the road!" She then noticed something was very off with 'Michael' (Fake Michael) and demanded an answer, "You're not Mike! Who are you, and what do you want?!"
Fake Michael was shown to be wearing the same motorcyclist outfit and helmet as the real Michael Atlas, plus riding the replica of Wheel of Fortune. However, the color scheme of the clothing and the Duel Runner were actually darker than the real Michael's outfit and Wheel of Fortune.
"You've finally appeared!" praised Fake Michael grandly, who even spoke with the exact same voice as the real Michael—if higher pitched in order to make him appear to snarl in almost of all of his sentences, "You've kept me waiting for so long!"
"Tell me who the hell you are!" growled Lisa.
"I am the King!" Fake Michael went on, still smiling, "I'm Michael Atlas!"
"Don't screw with me!" raged Lisa, "You can drop the act and tell me the reason are you're impersonating my friend!"
"It's not an act," insisted Fake Michael, "I've been looking for a challenger like you. How would you like the honor of battling the King?"
Lisa was about to fire off yet another hot retort when she stopped and realized that she wasn't going to get a proper answer, but instead was absolutely convinced this was an imposter of sorts, and he (Fake Michael) 'had' to be the guy who attacked Spyro and landed him in the hospital.
"What reason did you have for attacking 'The All-Star Squad' a few nights ago?" questioned Lisa harshly, "Why go after them? Was it to bring my friends and I here to New York City?!"
"Hmph! The pathetic man simply got in the way," said Fake Michael smugly, angering Lisa further with the excuse, "Any and all opponents I face must be crushed in the most 'entertaining' way possible, since that's my, the King's, dueling!"
Lisa gritted her teeth, "Unforgivable!" she uttered, enraged over her extended family getting attacked, "I won't forgive the likes of you! The challenge I accept!"
"The right decision," smiled Fake Michael, "I'll show you the King's duel!"
With the Turbo Duel agreed to…
"Field Spell, 'High Speed World', set on!" Lisa and Fake Michael announced at once, before they pressed a button on the dashboard of their respective Duel Runners.
On the monitors of Strike Rouge and fake Wheel of Fortune, a whole new Spell Card materialized and activated.
"Duel Mode, engaged," came a computerized voice aboard the two, respective Duel Runners, "Autopilot activated."
From there, both Duel Runners became surrounded by a purple dome as autopilot activated. Nearby, The Wild Card was slowly catching up to both players, and David was hoping that Lisa would be able to win against the guy trying to be Michael.
"Lisa-chan…" whispered David.
From there, the duel began…
"I go first," declared Fake Michael (LP: 4000), "The King always moves on ahead."
"Prepare yourself, faker!" spat Lisa (LP: 4000).
Soon, all three Duel Runners entered a tunnel, better known as the Battery Park Underpass. There were a few cars present, so Lisa had to drive very carefully, but Fake Michael simply rode alongside the walls and ceiling in an effort to show off his incredible skill as a Turbo duelist to the opponent and anyone who might be watching.
"It feels good to be chased," commented Fake Michael, "You can feel that you truly are the King."
"Tch! Just go already!" requested Lisa, not in the mood for small talk.
"Of course," accepted Fake Michael, before drawing a card, "It's my turn!"
Turn One: Fake Michael Atlas (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (3): "Mind Trust", "Red Vanish", "Red Resonator", "Red Mirror", "Red Sprinter", and "Red Gem"
Speed Counters: 0
His drawn card was a card Michael used a lot, a Trap Card called 'Red Gem'. He added the card into his hand—which contained 'Mind Trust', 'Red Vanish', 'Red Resonator', 'Red Mirror', and 'Red Sprinter'. They were all cards that the real Michael used in many of his duels. From there, he took another card ('Red Sprinter') from his hand, and readied it.
"This will be the King's first card!" began Fake Michael, placing the card onto his Duel Disk, "I Summon 'Red Sprinter'!"
Appearing onto the field was a demon-like horse with the flaming mane and tail (Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1200). Lisa seemed aghast when she saw that monster, since it was something the real Michael had in his Deck. Fortunately, she recovered enough to look into her hand and notice a card she was able to Special Summon.
"Nice try, bucko!" insulted Lisa, taking a card from her hand and readying it, "I activate the effect of 'Naturia Cosmobeet'!"
"Hm?" wondered Fake Michael.
"When my opponent Normal Summons/Sets a monster: I can Special Summon this card from my hand," explained Lisa, before placing her card onto her Duel Runner, "Come, 'Naturia Cosmobeet'!"
Appearing onto the field was the small, brownish, living beet-like monster (Level: 2/ATK: 1000/DEF: 700).
"Heh! A clown's opener!" Fake Michael dismissed, just before resuming his turn, "I activate 'Red Sprinter's' effect!" He took a card from his hand, readied it for a few seconds, and then placed it onto his Duel Disk, "When this card is Normal or Special Summoned while I control no other monsters: I can Special Summon 1 Level 3 or lower Fiend Tuner from my hand or GY."
Appearing onto the field was a familiar 'Resonator' monster with the flaming body (Level: 2/ATK: 600/DEF: 200).
"I Special Summon 'Red Resonator' from my hand!" The voice of Fake Michael declared, as the above scenario played out. He still wasn't done, "Then I'll activate the second effect of 'Red Resonator'!" From there, upon glowing a crimson red, his LP went straight up (LP: 4000 → 5700), "When this card is Special Summoned: I can target 1 face-up monster on the field; I must gain LP equal to its ATK."
"The imposter already has 5700 LP!" panicked David.
"Level 4 and Level 2… He must also be going to Synchro Summon!" realized Lisa.
As the three Duel Runners emerged from the tunnel, sure enough, something big was coming from Fake Michael, and it was a Synchro Summon…
"Level 2 'Red Resonator' tunes Level 4 'Red Sprinter'!" announced Fake Michael.
'Red Resonator' turned itself into two Synchro Rings, which 'Red Sprinter' leaped into before becoming four orbs of light as a familiar Summon Chant was heard throughout.
"The crimson souls shall become one. All shall tremble before the king's might!" chanted Fake Michael, as the symbols 4 + 2 = 6 were shown briefly just before the four orbs of light within the two Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Appear now, 'Red Wyvern'!"
Emerging from the beam of light and onto the field, was a large, brown dragon-like monster with the tips of both wings blazing like fire. Some parts of its body were colored red, and it had flaming-like hair (Level: 6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 2000).
"'Red Wyvern', is it?!" gawked David.
"I Set two cards on the field!" finished Fake Michael, swinging her right arm about and making two Set cards appear on the field in-front of fake Wheel of Fortune before they faded away for later use, "The King's turn has ended here!"
"Damn you!" Lisa said to herself, "Using my own friend's cards against me…!"
"It's your turn!" dared Fake Michael, looking over to his left, "Now, entertain the King!"
"Shut up!" screamed Lisa, "You're not the Goddamn King! You're somebody impersonating my friend, and I will personally take you down!" She drew a card, "It's my turn!"
Now that it was the second turn of the duel, both players gained a Speed Counter:
-Lisa: 0 → 1
-Fake Michael: 0 → 1
Turn Two: Lisa Drake (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (5): "Naturia Hydrangea", "Naturia Pumpkin", "Graceful Charity", "Naturia Pheromones"(!), and "Landoise's Luminous Moss"
Speed Counters: 1
Lisa's drawn card was the 'Landoise's Luminous Moss' Spell Card.
"Yes! I've drawn 'Landoise's Luminous Moss'!" thought Lisa, pleased, "If I use this card now, it will grant me a great advantage over 'Red Wyvern'!"
Fake Michael didn't react or anything; he just smiled and waited to see what his opponent would do.
"I'm gonna do it!" With that thought on hand, Lisa made a move, "I activate the Spell Card, 'Landoise's Luminous Moss'!" As she spoke on, the mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field, "If I control a face-up 'Naturia' monster: The opponent's Effect Monsters cannot activate their effects this turn."
"That's a great move, Lisa-chan!" encouraged David.
"You're too naive!" interrupted Fake Michael, which caused David to ease up "Did you believe I was unprepared for the possibility of you using something to negate 'Red Wyvern's' effect?"
"What?!" gasped Lisa.
"Counter Trap, open!" announced Fake Michael, as one of his two Set cards reappeared on the field beside fake Wheel of Fortune (on its left), flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "'Red Vanish'!"
"'Red Vanish'?!" wailed David.
"When a Spell/Trap Card is activated: I must negate the activation, and if I do, destroy it!" revealed Fake Michael, holding his right hand upward, "I negate and destroy Landoise's Luminous Moss'!"
"That card can only be activated if he controls 'Red' monsters, and 'Red Wyvern' 'is' a 'Red' monster!" remembered Lisa, watching as a blast of fire was unleashed from the face-up 'Red Vanish' Trap Card roasted her face-up 'Landoise's Luminous Moss' Spell Card, "My card!" She scowled and entered her thoughts, as a faded clip of the real Michael using the 'Red Vanish' Trap Card against her in their Turbo Duel was superimposed over her, "I guess I should have expected something like that, since Mike once used it against me," The clip ended, "But my turn is just getting started!"
"Interesting!" commented Fake Michael, "Then show me your real power!"
"Gladly!" accepted Lisa, making a Set card appear on the field as it faded away for later use, "First up, I'll Set one card!" She then held another card ('Graceful Charity') out for a few seconds before inserting it into her Duel Runner, "From my hand, I'll activate the Spell Card, 'Graceful Charity'!" The pink-haired girl drew three cards at the same time, "I must draw 3 cards," Two of the drawn cards ('Naturia Ladybug' and 'Ancient Radiance') were placed within the GY, "then discard 2 cards."
Lisa's hand now contained 'Naturia Hydrangea', 'Naturia Pumpkin', 'Naturia Pheromones', and 'Naturia Tulip', which was a good hand she would take full advantage of, starting now. Taking another card ('Naturia Pumpkin') from her hand, Lisa made another move.
"I Summon 'Naturia Pumpkin'!" she began, placing her card onto her Duel Runner.
Appearing onto the field was the cartoonish green pumpkin-like monster (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 800).
"When this card is Normal Summoned while my opponent controls a monster: I can Special Summon 1 'Naturia' monster from my hand," explained Lisa, before placing another card onto her Duel Runner, "I Special Summon 'Naturia Tulip'!"
Appearing onto the field was a small, red tulip-like monster (Level: 2/ATK: 600/DEF: 1500).
"Then I'll activate 'Naturia Hydrangea's' effect!" As Lisa spoke, she placed another card onto a Monster Zone on her Duel Runner. Appearing onto the field was a trio of flowers with cartoonish eyes (Level: 5/ATK: 1900/DEF: 2000), "During my turn, if the effect of a 'Naturia' monster was activated on my field, I can Special Summon this card (from my hand)."
"How will those trash monsters help you?" remarked Fake Michael.
"My Level 2 'Naturia Cosmobeet' tunes Level 4 'Naturia Pumpkin'!" Lisa went on, ignoring the insult towards her monsters.
'Naturia Cosmobeet' turned into two Synchro Rings, which hovered over, lowered, and overwhelmed 'Naturia Pumpkin' before turning it into four orbs of light as a Summon Chant from Lisa ensued throughout.
"Defenders of the winged earth, soar to heights and bestow grace to all who desire peace and harmony!" chanted Lisa, as the symbols 4 + 2 = 6 were shown briefly just before the four orbs of light within the two Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Come forth, 'Naturia Barkion'!"
Appearing onto the field, as the Synchro Summon sequence came to an end, was the cartoonish-looking dragon-like monster (Level: 6/ATK: 2500/DEF: 1800).
"Hmm…" mused Fake Michael, believing this might be fun.
"I'll then activate the second effect of 'Naturia Ladybug'!" declared Lisa, just as a card ('Naturia Ladybug') ejected from her GY, "When I Synchro Summon…" She took the card, held it up for several seconds, then placed it onto her Duel Runner, "…a 'Naturia' monster: I can Special Summon this card from my GY! Come, 'Naturia Ladybug'!"
Appearing onto the field was the familiar ladybug with cartoonish eyes (Level: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 100).
"'Naturia Ladybug's' second effect will be activated immediately!" Lisa proclaimed, just as 'Naturia Ladybug' turned itself into an orb of light before merging with 'Naturia Barkion', "During my Main Phase: I can Tribute this card, then target 1 'Naturia' monster I control; it gains 1000 ATK until the end of this turn."
'Naturia Barkion' grew stronger (ATK: 2500 → 3500). Fake Michael didn't react to that, and simply allowed the turn to proceed.
"My Level 2 'Naturia Tulip' tunes Level 5 'Naturia Hydrangea'!" continued Lisa.
'Naturia Tulip' turned into two Synchro Rings, which hovered over, lowered, and overwhelmed 'Naturia Hydrangea' before turning it into five orbs of light as another Summon Chant from Lisa followed.
"The holy light of protection, shine now and become eternal life!" chanted Lisa, as the symbols 5 + 2 = 7 were shown briefly just before the live orbs of light within the two Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! A regal birth, 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'!"
Appearing from the beam of light and flying through the sky, was the blue serpent-like dragon with the aqua-colored mane and fairy-like wings and armor on the torso (Level: 7/ATK: 2100/DEF: 3000).
"So that's 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'?" asked Fake Michael, seeming to be unimpressed, "It's not much of a Level 7 Synchro Monster with its low ATK."
"Is that so?" said Lisa ominously, which got Fake Michael's attention, "If that's what you think, I'll change your tune with this!" A card ('Ancient Radiance') ejected from her GY, "I activate the third effect of 'Ancient Radiance'!" She picked up the card and held it out until it dissolved into oblivion after just three seconds, "I can banish this card from my GY, then target 1 "Ancient Fairy Dragon" I control; I must switch its current ATK/DEF until the end of my opponent's next turn!"
Through that effect, 'Ancient Fairy Dragon's' stats both got switched (ATK: 2100 → 3000/DEF: 3000 → 2100).
"So, you now have two monsters with 3000 ATK or greater," grumbled Fake Michael, "However…" He smiled with malicious intent, "You've effectively played into my hands!" When Lisa looked up but did not respond, the imposter made a move, "I activate 'Red Wyvern's' monster effect!"
"Damn!" cried Lisa, "I forgot all about that!"
"Once per opponent's turn, if my opponent controls 2 or more monsters with higher ATK than this card (Quick Effect): I can target the 1 face-up monster my opponent controls that has the highest ATK (my choice, if tied); I must destroy that target!" explained Fake Michael. From there, he made fake Wheel of Fortune slide against the road ahead of him and held his right hand out, "I destroy 'Naturia Barkion'!"
'Red Wyvern' opened its mouth to charge a blast of fire.
"Hey, you're not the only one who can come prepared in a duel!" cut in Lisa.
"Huh?" pondered Fake Michael, easing up.
"I activate a Trap, 'Naturia Pheromones'!" announced Lisa, as her Set card from earlier in the turn flipped face-up and revealed itself, "When my opponent activates a monster effect that would target and destroy a 'Naturia' monster I control: I must negate the activation, then, the ATK of the activating monster becomes half its original ATK. If I control a 'Naturia' Synchro Monster, I can activate this card the turn it was Set."
The fire blast from 'Red Wyvern' was unleashed, but a barrier formed around 'Naturia Barkion' and protected it from destruction. From there, 'Red Wyvern's' ATK took a drop (ATK: 2400 → 1200).
"Good! Now your monster is weak enough to be destroyed!" Lisa acknowledged, pleased, before entering her Battle Phase, "Battle!" As she spoke on, 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' rose into the night sky, "My 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' will attack your 'Red Wyvern'!"
"But first, I'll activate the first effect of 'Red Mirror'!" Fake Michael interrupted, taking and holding a card ('Red Mirror') out. Seconds later, as he explained the effect, the 'Red Mirror' Effect Monster Card sank into the dark abyss (GY), whilst another card ('Red Sprinter') instead emerged in its place, "When an opponent's monster declares an attack: I can send this card from my hand to the GY, then target 1 FIRE Fiend monster in my GY, except 'Red Mirror'; I must add it to my hand," A card ('Red Sprinter') emerged from the GY and grabbed, "I take back…" He showed the card he retrieved, "…the 'Red Sprinter' I used as Synchro Material for 'Red Wyvern's' Synchro Summon!"
"That won't protect him nor 'Red Wyvern' from 'Ancient Fairy's' attack," reminded David.
However, Fake Michael was far from being done with preparing to protect his monster.
"Next, I'll activate a Trap, 'Red Gem'!" Fake Michael went on, as his second Set card reappeared on the field behind fake Wheel of Fortune, flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "'Red' monsters cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects until the end of this turn!"
A stack of red crystals appeared from the face-up 'Red Gem' Trap Card and onto the field.
"That's not gonna happen," dismissed Lisa, "I activate 'Naturia Barkion's' effect!" While speaking, two cards ejected from her GY before fading away into oblivion, and 'Naturia Barkion' flew over and ate up the red crystals and the face-up 'Red Gem' Trap Card, "When a Trap Card is activated (Quick Effect): I can banish 2 cards from my GY; I must negate the activation, and if I do, destroy that card. This card must be face-up on the field to activate and to resolve this effect!"
"(やった!) Yatta! (Hooray!)" cheered David in Japanese, "Now that guy's going to lose his monster and take huge damage!"
Rightfully so…
"Take this!" shouted Lisa, just as 'Ancient Fairy Dragon's' eyes started glowing a golden yellow (not of madness), "Eternal Sunshine!"
After charging up energy in her glowing wings, 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' let loose a bright blast of light. 'Red Wyvern' couldn't stand up to the attack and exploded from its destruction. The attack rocked fake Wheel of Fortune, but Fake Michael didn't flinch even as his LP took a drop (LP: 5700 → 3900).
"I'm not done!" boomed Lisa, "'Naturia Barkion', attack the opponent directly!"
'Naturia Barkion' obeyed, firing a powerful blast of energy towards the vulnerable fake Wheel of Fortune. Since he had nothing to defend himself with, Fake Michael took the full blow and allowed his LP to drop into the critical range (LP: 3900 → 400).
"The duel is far from over," David was telling himself, "However, Lisa-chan has gotten herself a big lead."
Back with Strike Rouge and fake Wheel of Fortune further up the track…
"Yo, douchebag!" called Lisa insultingly, "If you really think you're Mike, then why are you dueling so poorly at the moment?"
Fake Michael said nothing in response, but he clearly didn't look happy.
"Well?! Say something, why don't you!" The voice of Lisa barked out.
"Weak…" whispered Fake Michael coldly.
"Huh?" wondered Lisa.
"Weak… weak… too weak!" Fake Michael kept mumbling, before, while making fake Wheel of Fortune do a 180 as it now faced the opposition (despite still driving down the expressway), finally losing it, "You bitch…! Are you underestimating the King?!"
Lisa gasped in shock.
"With overwhelming strength, you fight!" ranted Fake Michael angrily, "Overwhelming the opponent with your strength is the King's strategy! For you being unable to understand that, means you're not worthy of fighting!"
Lisa tried her hardest to remain calm, but her thoughts were a whole different story…
"This guy… I…" said Lisa mentally. With those thoughts racing through her mind, she noticed that her right hand on the handle was beginning to shake, "Am I scared of him? Me?! But he isn't even the real Mike! He's an imposter! I just know it!"
Nearby, David watched Lisa with silent worry, wondering if Fake Michael was beginning to get to her or something. From there, Strike Rouge, fake Wheel of Fortune, and The Wild Card each roared further down the now cleared expressway.
"And now, I declare it!" laughed Fake Michael, holding his right hand out, "Next turn, you'll become overwhelmed by the King's true strength!"
"He's just saying that to make me lose focus," thought Lisa, "Well, unfortunately for him, I won't be fooled by his nonsense!" She cast a quick glance at the monitor to see her LP gauge was still full, "My LP are still full, and I control two powerful monsters in 'Ancient Fairy' and 'Naturia Barkion'. That means I can still win this duel—which I will on my next turn!" The pink-haired girl entered the End Phase, "I'll end my turn here, meaning the effect of 'Naturia Ladybug' ends!"
As the effect explanation was done, 'Naturia Barkion's' ATK returned to normal (ATK: 3500 → 2500). While turning fake Wheel of Fortune back around while still looking over his shoulder for a few more seconds, Fake Michael smirked to himself, seeing as this was going to be a very easy duelist to defeat—even if he had 400 LP left. Hell, he could win the Turbo Duel even if he had only a single LP left.
"It's my turn!" The imposter announced, drawing a card.
This caused both duelists to gain a Speed Counter:
-Lisa: 1 → 2
-Fake Michael: 1 → 2
Turn Three: Fake Michael Atlas (LP: 400)
Deck: 53
Current Hand (3): "Red Sprinter", "Mind Trust", and "Scarlet Security"
Speed Counters: 2
Fake Michael then saw that his drawn card was the 'Scarlet Security' Spell Card, added the card into his hand, and took another from there.
"I Summon 'Red Sprinter'!" continued Fake Michael, placing the card onto his Duel Disk.
Reappearing onto the field and running in-front of fake Wheel of Fortune, was the demon-like horse with the flaming mane and tail (Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1200).
"'Red Sprinter's' effect activates!" As he spoke, Fake Michael had taken another card ('Red Resonator') from his GY and readied it for a few seconds before placing it onto his Duel Disk, "When this card is Normal or Special Summoned while I control no other monsters: I can Special Summon 1 Level 3 or lower Fiend Tuner from my hand or GY!"
Reappearing on the field was 'Red Resonator' (Level: 2/ATK: 600/DEF: 200).
"I choose to Special Summon 'Red Resonator' from my GY!" The voice of Fake Michael proclaimed, as the above scenario played out, "Since this monster was Special Summoned, its effect activates again! This time, I'll target your 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' and gain LP based on its current ATK!"
Lisa scowled, watching as Fake Michael's LP recovered significantly (LP: 400 → 3400).
"Just like that, he recovered most of his LP from the damage I inflicted during my turn," Lisa thought to herself, "He might not be Mike, but he's still as good as the real thing—and that's not a good thing for me, at all!"
And it was far from being over…
"My Level 2 'Red Resonator' tunes…" declared Fake Michael, just as 'Red Resonator' hit the tuning fork with its baton, "…Level 4 'Red Sprinter'!"
The vibrations then turned 'Red Resonator' into two Synchro Rings, which 'Red Sprinter' jumped into and turned four orbs of light as another familiar Summon Chant was heard echoing by Fake Michael.
"Crimson Dragon, light up the path that calls upon the flaming demon!" chanted Fake Michael, as the symbols 4 + 2 = 6 were shown briefly just before the four orbs of light within the two Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Come forth, 'Red Rising Dragon'!"
Appearing from the beam of light and soon flying above fake Wheel of Fortune, was the smaller, weaker—but still powerful, version of 'Red Dragon Archfiend' (Level: 6/ATK: 2100/DEF: 1600).
"Yet another card Mike uses!" realized Lisa, before talking to herself once more, "Damn this guy… I guess he really does have the exact same Deck as Mike!"
"The first effect of 'Red Rising Dragon'!" explained Fake Michael, "When this card is Synchro Summoned: I can target 1 'Resonator' monster in my GY; I must Special Summon it. I cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck the turn I activate this effect, except DARK Dragon Synchro Monsters."
"What else is there for you to use?" pressed Lisa.
"There is plenty for me to use, see," Fake Michael replied smugly, "And besides, if the King had attacked with full strength from the beginning, it would be over in an instant!" He motioned his right hand outward in a 'come forth' gesture, "For you see, the King's duel must be for entertainment!" With that said, he took hold of a card ejected from his GY ('Red Resonator') and held it out, "Resurrect, 'Red Resonator'!"
Reappearing on the field (again) was 'Red Resonator' (Level: 2/ATK: 600/DEF: 200).
"You were a wonderful challenger," teased Fake Michael sarcastically, "You've entertained me very well, but now…"
"But now…what?" worried Lisa, wondering what was going to come next.
"Heh!" Fake Michael sneered, before pointing up towards the night sky (at the moon), filled with pride, "Now is when I end this charade! In fact, I'll have you watch the King's duel!" As the eagerness to win turned into an order for his monsters, 'Red Rising Dragon' continued flying through the night sky and was then joined by 'Red Resonator', "My Level 2 'Red Resonator' tunes Level 6 'Red Rising Dragon'!"
As the command was given, 'Red Resonator' again hit the tuning fork with its baton. The vibrations then turned the Tuner monster into two Synchro Rings, which 'Red Rising Dragon' soared into as its body became outlined. In addition, Fake Michael began an extremely powerful-sounding Summon Chant…
"The heaven and earth shall tremble before the king's might," chanted Fake Michael, as the lone monster in the pair of Synchro Rings turned into six orbs of light, "Let the power of the one and only supreme ruler be carved into your soul!"
The symbols 6 + 2 = 8 were shown briefly. Lisa, meanwhile, was aghast over what she was witnessing.
"Level 8?" whispered Lisa fearfully, hoping it wasn't close to being true, "C-Could it be-?!"
While watching, David was also hoping it wasn't what he was thinking it would be. Pretty soon, the orbs within the Synchro Rings turned into a beam of light and slammed down onto fake Wheel of Fortune on the expressway.
"Synchro Summon!" uttered Fake Michael, with his eyes glowing red and him smiling evilly, "The savage soul, 'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend'!"
The beam soon burst into flames, just as a new monster resembling 'Red Dragon Archfiend', except with battle scars, a bandaged right arm, and a damaged chest, emerged from the fiery pillar with a loud roar before it was shown flying above fake Wheel of Fortune (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500). Lisa and David both couldn't believe what they were bearing witness to; it was a completely new version of 'Red Dragon Archfiend', despite there being only a single 'Red Dragon Archfiend' Synchro Monster Card in existence!
"(不可能だよ!) Fukanōda yo! (This is impossible!)" whispered David in Japanese.
"I don't believe it!" Lisa thought to herself, "This has to be a bad dream, or some sort of sick joke being played on me!" She was gazing at the flying 'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend', "Nobody in this world has access to a 'Red Dragon Archfiend'—only Mike himself has that one-of-a-kind card in his Deck!"
Unfortunately, it was looking to be very true no matter how hard the both of them tried to deny the reality currently in-front of them.
"'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend's' first effect!" announced Fake Michael, "This card's name becomes 'Red Dragon Archfiend' while it is on the field or in the GY."
Lisa was too stunned to even speak up a response. Fake Michael then decided to put a further end to the charade and duel in the most 'entertaining' way possible.
"Next, I'll activate 'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend's' second effect!" The imposter went on, brutally, while 'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend' lit its right fist on fire, swung it about, and struck a pose until the explanation ended, "Once per turn: I can destroy as many other Special Summoned monsters on the field as possible with ATK less than or equal to this card's, then inflict 500 damage to my opponent for each monster destroyed!"
"Equal or less than 'Red Dragon Archfiend's' ATK?!" cried Lisa, as focus went towards 'Naturia Barkion' (ATK: 2500) and 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' (ATK: 3000), "Both my monsters HAVE equal or less ATK than it does!" She became extremely panicked, "And that means they will…!"
Sadly so…
"Absolute Power Flame!" The voice of Fake Michael roared.
As the effect name was bellowed, 'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend' went and held its flaming right fist out—which sent a wave of fire and burned both 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' and 'Naturia Barkion' alive and on contact, leaving Lisa's whole field completely empty as the fire died down and her LP dropped by 1000 as a result of having two of her Special Summoned monsters destroyed (LP: 4000 → 3000).
"There's no mistaking it!" mumbled Lisa, trying to shield herself from the smoke with her right arm, "This overwhelming power is…!"
It was then Fake Michael turned fake Wheel of Fortune turned towards his enemy (whilst still driving down the expressway ahead) once again, ready to put an end to the duel with one mighty direct attack. The sinister smile on the imposter's face seemed to really scare Lisa as she realized the horrifying truth about her opponent's strategy.
"He's been toying with me this whole time, just like how the real Mike does it to his opponents!" The pink-haired girl thought to herself, gripped by panic, "All along, I was way in over my head, and now I'm going to pay the price for it!"
"And now, I'll attack directly with 'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!" commanded Fake Michael, as his ace monster flew above fake Wheel of Fortune again and leaned its head back, "Scorching Crimson Hell Burning!"
'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend' obeyed the echoed command, breathing out a powerful jet of orange/red flames at the vulnerable Strike Rouge. Lisa, unable to do anything to evade the approaching attack, could only look on in sheer terror.
"Stop it," whispered Lisa, just before unleashing a huge scream as the fire attack collided with her, "STOP IT!"
*KABOOM!*
The powerful attack resulted in Strike Rouge exploding, which threw the screaming Lisa and her Duel Runner straight off the expressway into the air before falling and sinking into the East River. David was able to stop The Wild Card near where his girlfriend got blasted off.
"LISA-CHAN!" hollered David in horror.
Within the water, both Lisa and the utterly trashed Strike Rouge sank deeper and deeper with the former being completely stunned that she had been defeated by Fake Michael and 'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend'.
"For someone else to use a 'Red Dragon Archfiend'…" thought Lisa, with her eyes widened in pure shock as her LP gauge became fully depleted (LP: 3000 → 0), "Just who is that guy really…?"
DUEL RESULTS: Fake Michael Atlas wins!
David continued to look out into the water, before he saw Lisa finally emerge soaking wet yet alive. As David helped Lisa out of the river and onto dry land, they both heard evil laughter coming from nearby. They immediately looked over, and saw Fake Michael up ahead, having stopped fake Wheel of Fortune to laugh at the duo for even thinking of challenging him, the one, true King of duelists.
"A wolf who has lost its fangs…" Fake Michael was saying, as he made the faceplate of his helmet retract to show his horrified victims his full face and some of his hair, "Use those unbelieving eyes of yours to look! To look at the true face of Michael Atlas!"
The way Fake Michael looked, it was a complete, striking resemblance to the real Michael Atlas with the only minor differences being small, jagged red tattoos underlining each eye.
"(貴様!) Kisama! (You bastard!)" swore David in Japanese.
Fake Michael didn't know or care what the aqua blue-haired boy said to him; he just closed his eyes, smiled smugly, and looked away. Suddenly, 'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend' gazed down upon both David and Lisa and started charging up another Scorching Crimson Hell Burning.
"(これは本当に悪いです!) Kore wa hontōni waruidesu! (This is really bad!)" recoiled David in Japanese.
'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend' unleashed its powerful flame attack, striking the ground and leaving an explosion right in-front of David and Lisa and making them scream. When the smoke cleared away, the road was shown to still be intact, but, more importantly, fake Wheel of Fortune, Fake Michael, and especially 'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend' were long gone.
"They disappeared…" sighed David.
"My…Strike Rouge… I can't believe it's gone…" bemoaned Lisa weakly, briefly looking out into the East River where her destroyed Duel Runner now rested, "That bloodthirsty, inhuman son-of-a-!"
Before she could finish her sentence, the injuries overcame her and ended up falling unconscious in the arms of David, which left him to call an ambulance so she could be taken to the hospital and recover from the beating she sustained, all while thinking about how truly dangerous Fake Michael was—both as a duelist and as a criminal. What do you think the reaction from the others was going to be like? Stay tuned to find that out, along with an origin story.
After a little while with no new chapters being posted, another major story arc has officially begun—and it's a story arc I've been very, very excited to work on for some time! What a shocking ending, wouldn't you agree? Lisa losing another duel, along with her personal Duel Runner getting destroyed. Anyway, continue staying safe in these tiring times and stay tuned for the next chapter in early October.