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, Akatsuki (c) Sunrise
Character of Lisa Drake (c) DaveMan1000
Character of David Xadashi (c) DaveMan1000
Jak and Daxter characters, Spargus, Tough Puppy, Sand Shark, Dune Hopper, Gila Stomper, Slam Dozer, Heat Seeker, Dust Demon, Desert Screamer (c) Naughty Dog
Crash Bandicoot characters, Wumpa (c) Activision
Ratchet & Clank characters, Veldin, Sargasso, Shatterbomb (c) Insomniac
Sly Cooper characters (c) Sucker Punch
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
Title: Our Respective Battlefields
Opening up inside Asagi Caldwell's old dorm at Orb one morning, the door slowly opened up, revealing Lisa. She entered slowly and turned on the lights, looking around at the interior; the dressing table with the makeup she had borrowed months prior, the still open closet with the slightly disheveled contents, the neatly made bed where Asagi's Deck and Duel Disk laid on, and the bedside table with a framed photo standing on it. Walking over and picking up the photo frame, Lisa gazed at the picture downheartedly. It was a shot of her, Asagi, Juri, and Mayura on the day she first joined Orb when she was 15. All four of them were smiling joyfully. Lisa wiped a stray tear from her eyes and sat the frame back down. She took one last glance at the room before turning off the lights and stepping out, closing the door gently behind her.
(outside…)
In the hallway, Lisa looked back at the shut door for a moment without a word before…
"Lisa-chan!" The voice of David called out, causing Lisa to gasp and look nearby. He and Gabriella then walked into frame, "What were you doing in Asagi-san's dorm?"
"Oh, nothing, Dave," sighed Lisa.
As for Gabriella, David hadn't left her side since the previous incident with Familiar of Red Nova. Speaking of Gabriella, she was growing curious as to when she would see the Astray trio again, since she had taken a liking to them.
"Lisa-san, where are those nice friends of yours?" peeped Gabriella innocently, causing Lisa to stiffen up, "Will they be back at Orb soon?"
David frowned a little bit, remembering that he never told Gabriella that Asagi, Mayura, and Juri were killed in order to spare the young girl the shock and sadness of their unfortunate demise. He then noticed Lisa getting all tense, causing him to think he needed to speak up before Lisa said something she would probably regret.
"W-Well, Gabriella, Asagi-san and her friends won't be back for a little while," lied David, putting on a brave face.
"Why not?" blinked Gabriella.
David looked dismayed, "Because they were called to New York City for something very important," he went on, really hating to lie like this, "But don't worry, I know they will be back soon."
"Oh…" nodded Gabriella, believing what her older brother was telling her, "You're right, (お兄ちゃん.) O nīchan. (Big Brother.) They will come back soon," She (Gabriella) looked in the direction of Lisa, "Is (お兄ちゃん) O nīchan (Big Brother) right as always, Lisa-san?"
"Y-Yeah," Lisa added, trying to talk with as much conviction as she could, "They'll be…back before you even know it."
Gabriella seemed to accept the words from the pink-haired girl without question as Lisa smiled sadly, though Gabriella failed to notice the former's eyes beginning to water. Gabriella soon excused herself to return to the Xadashi-occupied dorm for something, leaving David alone with Lisa. Once Gabriella was out of sight, Lisa stopped smiling, collapsing onto her knees, and broke down into sobs. David gently brought her in for a hug, to which she threw her arms around him, burying her face in his neck.
"I'm sorry, Lisa-chan," apologized David softy, "I didn't want to tell her of what actually happened, as I fear she would not be able to comprehend it."
Lisa mumbled something, muffled through her crying. It sounded as though she were saying that she didn't blame David for keeping the truth from Gabriella. For a while, the two of them stayed in their embrace, with David doing his best to soothe the grieving Lisa. Once Lisa had calmed down enough, she slowly released her grip.
"Thanks for being there, Dave," she sniffled, "It helps…"
"I'm so sorry," David repeated himself, knowing how hard this had been for Lisa, "Those three didn't deserve their fate. And I promise you they 'will' be avenged."
"Damn right they will be," Lisa agreed, standing back up while looking determined, "The Dark Signers and their new leader will pay for everything they've done. Not just to me, but everyone," She clenched her right hand into a tight fist, "Whatever it takes, I will take them down once and for all!"
"You won't be alone," The voice of David assured, as he stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder, "We are in this together, you and I. I made a vow to protect those I love, and that includes you."
"Thanks," Lisa replied warmly, smiling again, "By the way, how are you coping with… 'you know'?"
David cringed slightly, knowing that Lisa was referring to that haunting duel with Vincent—before finally answering the best he could.
"It comes and goes… but the worst has passed," figured David.
Understanding what that meant, Lisa wordlessly gave him a light pat on the back, signifying her support.
"Come on, we'd best get to the Duel Arena," offered Lisa, "Me and Carlie have a duel together once Mike and James are done with theirs."
"Indeed, and I wish you luck," encouraged David, as they both proceeded to their destination.
"I don't need luck," Lisa commented, now sounding like her old self again, "Speaking of Mike and James I have a feeling I know how that duel's gonna play out…"
(elsewhere…)
Inside Orb's Duel Arena, at the same time, Matt, Ashima, Carlie, and Zack were watching as the platform lowered to the ground level while Michael stood triumphantly with his (Michael) arms folded and James R. simply fell onto his (James R.) hands and knees.
"Arrgh! I lost!" complained James R., all with an empty LP gauge (LP: 0).
DUEL RESULTS: Michael Atlas wins!
Matt and Carlie looked at each other as they overheard James R.'s rants.
"Even with 'Black-Winged Assault Dragon', I still can't defeat Mike!" The voice of James R. grumbled, "It's not fair!"
Carlie and Matt smiled at each other sheepishly, Ashima giggled slightly, and Zack closed his eyes and sighed.
"Hey, I made you that card to increase your strength as a duelist and be a match for the Dark Signers," reminded Zack, as James R. looked over, "I never said it would help you defeat Mike."
Michael, meanwhile, was looking at a card in his right hand—which was the new 'Red Supernova Dragon' Synchro Monster Card, his newest ace monster. Suddenly, it turned right back into the 'Red Nova Dragon' Synchro Monster Card.
"'Red Supernova Dragon'…" thought Michael.
A flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
During Flashback Michael's duel with Flashback Familiar of Red Nova…
"With these three Tuner monsters, Level 2 'Crimson Resonator', Level 1 'Barrier Resonator', and Level 1 'Mirror Resonator' triple tunes Level 8 'Scarred Dragon Archfiend'!" declared Flashback Michael.
"WHAT?!" screamed Flashback Familiar of Red Nova.
"TRIPLE TUNING?!" Flashback Matt, Flashback James R., Flashback Carlie, Flashback Lisa, and Flashback David all added in.
It was then the five remaining Signers felt and saw their own birthmarks (Flashback Matt: Dragon's Head, Flashback James R.: Dragon's Tail, Flashback Carlie: Dragon's Foot, Flashback Lisa: Dragon's Hand, Flashback David: Dragon's Heart) responding and glowing more strongly than ever before as the Crimson Dragon appeared above the platform and roared loudly.
"The Crimson Dragon!" realized Flashback Ms. Simmons.
"What's it doing here?" questioned Flashback Zack.
"Now this is a familiar picture," commented Flashback James R. in awe, as focus went towards Flashback Michael on the platform and the Crimson Dragon in the air, "This mirrors what happened when Mike fought Familiar of Red Nova the first time."
While that was going on, all three of Flashback Michael's Tuner monsters turned into four massive fiery Synchro Rings (two for 'Crimson Resonator', and one each for 'Barrier Resonator' and 'Mirror Resonator') as they hovered over, lowered, and surrounded 'Scarred Dragon Archfiend' in mid-air, giving it more and more power until it was burning like a meteor from space.
"Look at what's happening to 'Scarred Dragon Archfiend' and Mike!" observed Flashback Carlie.
"Is this the work of Atlas-sama's Burning Soul?" asked Flashback David.
"The one who has Burning Soul takes on the powers of the Crimson Dragon and brings forth a miracle!" remembered Flashback Matt, while, on the platform, Flashback Michael continued to grow more and more powerful from the flame aura, "But what we're seeing isn't anything like Burning Soul… It's got to be something even stronger!"
"Is everyone watching?!" roared Flashback Michael, with his eyes beginning to glow red before holding up his 'Red Nova Dragon' Synchro Monster Card—causing it, too, to gain a flaming aura all around, "Burn this image into your minds as I evolve my rugged soul to its highest level!"
At last, 'Scarred Dragon Archfiend' roared and started gaining more and more strength from the flames while trapped inside the sphere as a brand new Summon Chant ensued.
"The three sages welcome the King. The Red Star won't die, only the fool will be crushed!" chanted Flashback Michael, as the symbols 8 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 12 were shown for three seconds, "Savage soul, mark the time of the creation of the heavens and earth!" The sphere of fire finally exploded, with the crowd watching from down below and listening to his almost God-like tone, "Synchro Summon!" The silhouette of the new monster's claws were shown, followed by its glowing red eyes, "Come forth, my new power! 'Red Supernova Dragon'!"
In a fiery background, the full body of the new monster was revealed to be a bigger, even more powerful version of 'Red Nova Dragon' while parts of its body was constantly covered by crimson flames (Level: 12/ATK: 4000/DEF: 3000). Having been energized by the power of both the Crimson Dragon and Burning Soul, the 'Red Nova Dragon' Synchro Monster Card completely transformed into a whole new Monster Card known only as 'Red Supernova Dragon', complete with Level, ATK, DEF, Type, Attribute, and effects. Both 'Earthbound Servant Geo Grasha' and 'Red Supernova Dragon' were roughly the same size.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended, and in Michael's fingers was now his newest card, the 'Red Familiar' Monster Card.
"It was through triple tuning I mastered my power," thought Michael, "Is my sudden knowledge of it, along with double tuning, part of being the reincarnation of the Legendary Signer?" He pocketed the card, "Hmph! I guess I have you to thank for getting me to learn of my past."
It was then he and everyone else heard the nearby doors burst open, revealing David and Lisa as they rushed inside to meet up with the rest of their friends.
"Sorry we're late, everyone!" panted Lisa, "Dave and I just had an important discussion on our way here—nothing too serious mind you, but it was still needed."
"Actually, you're just in time," corrected Zack, as James R. walked over, "James just lost to Mike."
"Gee, thanks for your vote of confidence in me," grunted James R. sarcastically, before beginning to leave, "If anyone needs me, I'll be out getting a bite to eat."
Once he was gone…
"So, shall we get down to it?" offered Carlie.
"I'm all set to duel you, Carlie," replied Lisa, "Let's do it!"
When both females got onto their respective sides of the platform, Zack pressed a button on the console and the platform rose to maximum height as their own duel commenced.
(elsewhere…)
Somewhere between New Haven and Hartford, an NYPD police car was driving down the expressway towards its destination.
(inside…)
In the vehicle, Paul was the one driving while Maria was silent about how the governor could figure out the whole thing about the Dark Signers. It just didn't feel right to her. Her thoughts were soon interrupted when Paul began to chuckle quietly before suddenly laughing uproariously and surprised his assistant.
"Sir? May I ask what you find so amusing?" asked Maria.
"I'm sorry, but I just found us going to Hartford to find Matt and the others to be funny," assured Paul, smiling big, "Since, once upon a time, I would have been completely against helping Matt and his friends…" As he finished explaining his reason, Maria listened before smiling slightly herself, "…had you not talked some sense into me with both your fist and words."
"I guess you're right about that," admitted Maria, as a thought bubble formed above her.
Footage of what happened when Paul refused to assist the Signers defeat Sergey at Orb was shown and an angry Maria slapped him.
"What the hell do you think you're saying?!" yelled Vision Maria, "Do you not care for what happens to the innocent duelists and their teachers at that school?"
"W-Well…" stammered Paul, clutching his sore cheek.
"Furthermore, Paul, your petty grudge against Matt is completely unacceptable!" continued Vision Maria hotly, once again calling her boss by his real name, "So what if he defeated you in a duel and got you transferred all the way out to New York City? As he mentioned before, he was only defending a child you and your men tried arresting when he was framed for stealing an important computer chip," As she ranted, several faded stills of Vision Paul's various misadventures in trying to get Matt were superimposed over her and him, "Then when you encountered Matt again, you entered Governor Godwin's tournament out of a desire to avenge your bruised ego and render Matt a pariah in the world of dueling, running the risk of getting us both kicked off the force had Chief Waltfeld not kindly given us another chance when he found out. Finally, you arrested Matt, Michael, and James when they were framed for setting an antique shop on fire, plus locked away David and tried to capture Lisa and Carlie, again without checking a security camera and running the risk of allowing the true culprits to get away with their crime."
"But I… I…" Vision Paul tried protesting.
"But 'nothing'!" interrupted Vision Maria, "You claim you're just doing your duty, but, in reality, you're nothing more than an incompetent, selfish man who cares more about himself than the people he swore to protect!" She then got into her boss' face, "I don't know or care what it was in your past that made you like this today, but if you don't smarten up and start acting like a real police officer, then you're never going to be able to return to the San Francisco police force!" The black-haired young woman finally backed away as her fiery speech ended, "Can't you get that through your head?!"
The bubble popped.
"But since then, you've changed for the better," said Maria, "Even after one mere hiccup since then, you continued to improve your behavior and devotion to the job—and I'm proud of you for that."
"Hmhmhm… You're right about that," chuckled Paul, before looking serious, "Matt and the others have helped us before, now it's our turn to help them."
(outside…)
As the police car drove further down the expressway…
"The Signers are the only ones capable of stopping the Dark Signers from destroying the world," The voice of Paul pointed out, "We have to get to Orb as fast as we can."
Would those two reach Orb in time to deliver the information to the protagonists? Let's find that out.
(elsewhere…)
Back at Orb, James R. was inside a diner having a little lunch—okay, scratch 'little', he was having a big lunch, greatly annoyed over losing to Mike again.
"Ngh… What went wrong?" James R. questioned himself, looking through his Deck, "'Black-Winged Assault Dragon' should have given me the boost I needed!"
"Hey, I made you that card to increase your strength as a duelist and be a match for the Dark Signers," The voice of Zack echoed, making James R. more annoyed, "I never said it would help you defeat Mike."
James R. clutched the sides of his head and shook it with a frustrated yell, unaware he was attracting attention from nearby customers who were wondering what could be the matter. After calming down, James R. sat back down and sipped his milkshake a little before something else got his attention—the glowing birthmark on his right forearm.
"W-What? What's happening?" gasped James R..
(outside…)
He looked out the window in hopes of finding who was triggering the Mark of the Dragon.
(inside…)
Finding nothing, James R. tore away from the window with deep concern.
"I didn't find anything outside, yet my birthmark is reacting as though someone, like a Dark Signer, 'is' outside," thought James R., before talking aloud, "I have to see what's going on. Hey, waiter! Check, please!"
(outside…)
Back outside, James R. emerged from the diner a few minutes later. He started looking around in hopes of finding the person who was making his birthmark glow. All James R. could find was people walking around, vehicles driving along, and construction crews working on the damaged sections of the city after several incidents related to the Dark Signers. Pretty soon the birthmark stopped glowing as though whoever was out there was long gone.
"It stopped? What's going on?" grunted James R., "Am I worrying too much or is my mind playing tricks on me?"
Feeling as though it was his nerves getting the better of him, James R. decided to head back to Orb and join the others, hoping some video games would help take his mind off this. As James R. left the area, hiding behind the corner of a nearby building and in patches of darkness was Shani Andras, who giggled evilly over James R. becoming paranoid.
(elsewhere…)
James R. soon arrived back at Orb, where he found numerous students walking around the school grounds—including his friends, who had finished watching Lisa and Carlie duel.
"Welcome back, James," greeted Matt.
"So, how was Carlie and Lisa's duel?" pressed James R..
"Epic!" answered Lisa, doing a fist pump, "It was so epic that Carlie and I ended up in a DRAW!"
"You know, you might be exaggerating a little bit on the 'epic' part," stated Carlie dryly. Shaking her head, she looked at James R. and smiled, "But she is right, we ended up with a tie."
James R. sighed, at least being happy his friends had fun with their duel. Suddenly, all eyes were on the nearby parking lot when they heard a police siren.
"What the-?" gasped Lisa.
Pulling into the marking lot was a police car all the way from New York City, or, better yet, the NYPD.
"Isn't that-?" The voice of Ashima pondered.
"A police car from the NYPD? Yup, that's the one," The voice of Michael confirmed.
"That means-!" The voice of Matt realized.
The car doors opened, and emerging were Paul Truman and Maria Strienhart. The students, plus Team 6D's and their friends and allies, were surprised to see two members of the NYPD visiting once again.
"What's Officer Truman and his assistant doing here?" blinked James R..
"No clue, but we should go find out," suggested Zack.
The small group ran towards the police car in order to have a talk with Paul and Maria.
"Hello, everyone," nodded Maria, "We apologize for the unexpected visit, but we were ordered to come see you."
"If I were to guess what's going on, you two have some important news to share, right?" guessed Matt.
"We do, thanks to Governor Godwin," replied Paul, "Can you bring us to an area where we can let everyone know?"
"Right this way," offered Lisa, pulling Paul and Maria along.
"What do you suppose they have to tell us, Fudo-san?" David, looking at Matt, asked with curiosity.
"Only one way to find out," assumed Matt, "Come on."
And he and the rest of the group followed Lisa, Paul, and Maria towards the big building. However, what no one realized was that James R. had led Shani to the building—who was hiding behind a large tree as he poked his head out slightly while just showing his eye(s), and he decided to make a small trip to the docking bay…
(inside…)
Inside the gymnasium, everyone had gathered to listen to the story by Paul and Maria. Also present were Sherry, Shinji, Rin, Mr. Kisaka, Ms. Simmons, and Mr. Zimmerman.
"Alright, what do you two have?" began Matt, as Paul and Maria listened to him, "You said you have information about the Dark Signers."
"We do," acknowledged Paul, as he addressed everyone in the stands, "The governor has recently discovered, through unknown sources, the location of several towers in the states of New York and Connecticut."
"Towers?" repeated Lisa, "What are they supposed to do?"
"Those are controllers that were assigned codenames," explained Maria, reciting Rex's words, "They are Ccapac Apu, Ccarayhua, Aslla Piscu, Cusillu, and Chacu Challhua. In Quechuan, these mean 'Giant', 'Lizard', 'Hummingbird', 'Monkey', and 'Killer Whale'."
"Those are the birthmarks of the Dark Signers, are they not?" questioned Zack.
Paul and Maria nodded in confirmation.
"There's also Uru and Allqu, which are 'Spider' and 'Dog' respectively," remembered Matt thoughtfully, "They were the birthmarks of Rutger and Vincent—except only five towers are said to be built."
"I'm certain when you and David defeated those two Dark Signers, their towers were never completed," figured Paul.
"But there's one thing I don't understand," interrupted James R., as Zack and David briefly looked over, "How are the towers standing for Giant, Hummingbird, and Killer Whale able to be completed if Clotho, Orga, and Shani are already defeated?"
"I don't know, Hogan-kun, but it's a strange situation," admitted David.
"Unless…" froze Carlie, growing horrified, "…Orga, Clotho, and Shani aren't as defeated as we thought them to be."
"Are you sure?" demanded Sherry.
Carlie shuddered, "I don't know for certain, but it's a feeling in the pit of my stomach."
"Then…maybe I wasn't being paranoid during my lunch break," mumbled James R., "Maybe my birthmark was trying to warn me about a Dark Signer threat."
"If we don't seal the towers before too long, the whole world could be wiped out depending on what could happen regarding the power those towers might have," advised David firmly.
As everyone processed the information, no one noticed a little spider on the ceiling before lowering by a thread onto the back of Paul's neck, causing him to feel a slight tickle.
"Sir?" blinked Maria.
"Um…" Paul tried to say.
Suddenly, the gruff police officer stopped as everyone else was looking at him.
"Mr. Truman, are you alright?" worried Mr. Zimmerman.
Suddenly, the birthmark of the Monkey was glowing on the clothed right forearm of Paul Truman, causing Matt to gasp.
"Get away from him!" yelled Matt, grabbing Maria's hand and pulling her away.
"M-Matt?" stammered Maria, before noticing what was wrong with her boss, "P-Paul, w-what's-?"
"I'm impressed, Signers," sneered Paul (possessed), "You've figured out what we Dark Signers are going to do."
"You're Azrael, aren't you?!" accused Matt.
"Muruta Azrael?!" flinched Ms. Simmons.
"Yes," answered Paul (possessed), "But even though you figured out our plan, it's too late for you to do anything about it," As he spoke on, the rest of the group listened carefully, "Once the towers are fully powered up, every single human on this planet will suffer!"
"We will stop you!" vowed Matt.
"You Dark Signers won't get away with your plan!" added Michael.
"We'll defeat you and seal those controllers!" finished James R..
"Well, that's a laugh!" chortled Paul (possessed), "It looks like we're all going to have rematches with the rest of you Signers. And before any of you speak up, yes, I did bring my students back from the dead for one more duel, meaning…" He was now addressing Matt, Michael, and James R., "…your previous battle with them had been all for nothing!"
"Damn you…!" cursed Michael.
"And you… dear Lisa," Paul (possessed) went on, looking in the direction of Lisa, "I'm at the tower in the center of New York—the hideout of the Dark Signers!" As he taunted her further, she gritted her teeth in anger, "If you hate me so much and wish to discuss what happened to your pathetic friends, come and duel me in person—if you 'can', that is!"
"You don't get to bring them into this, you bastard!" snarled Lisa, "I'm coming for you, and you will 'not' be walking away!"
"Lisa…" soothed Rin.
"Hmhmhm… I look forward to your arrival," accepted Paul (possessed), "That is, if 'you're' the one who will be walking away."
"What do you mean?" frowned Mr. Kisaka.
"Your friend, James, did something really bad," revealed Paul (possessed), as James R. listened before gasping at the end, "In a fit of paranoia, he led Shani to your school to plant a bomb where plenty of people would not be expecting it!"
"A bomb?!" exclaimed Mr. Zimmerman, "Azrael, you bastard!"
Paul (possessed) chuckled before he closed his eyes and the little spider on the back of his neck fell off before dissolving on the ground. At first groggy, Paul opened his eyes to find everyone else staring at him.
"What's wrong, you guys?" wondered Paul.
"Matty, what are we going to do?" fretted Ashima.
"Evacuate the building! Get everyone out quickly," ordered Matt, "Mike, James, and I will search for the bomb," He then faced everyone else while he saw them hesitating, "That's an order, everyone! Hurry, please!"
After some initial hesitancy, everyone else nodded and started leaving the gymnasium.
(elsewhere…)
Within different hallways, every remaining student and teacher, including visitors in Ren, Futaba, Gabriella, and Ryuta, were leaving the building in a calm, organized manner.
(outside…)
Outside the school, everyone soon gathered in the parking lot, having fled the building just in the nick of time.
"Do you think Matt and the others will find the bomb?" pressed Rin.
"I sure hope so, Rin," sighed Ms. Simmons, with Ryuta in her arms, "Matt…"
(inside…)
Inside the docking bay, Mr. Murdoch and his crew had finished getting out. They didn't have time to move all of the M1 Astrays, including Fudo Go, Wheel of Fortune, and Blackbird out. He was just about to seal the door when Matt, Michael, and James R. showed up.
"Did you guys find the bomb yet?" urged Mr. Murdoch.
"No," denied Michael, "We're going to try this place next."
Mr. Murdoch nodded, "Okay, but please take care."
"Hey, careful is our middle name!" boasted James R., which earned him (James R.) an elbow to the side by Michael, "Ouch! N-Nevermind."
Once Mr. Murdoch was gone, the three strongest Signers started searching the area for the bomb, but weren't having much luck. Before long, James R. started to hear a ticking sound in a nearby crate.
"I think I might have found it," announced James R., getting the attention of Matt and Michael.
Opening the crate, James R. found the explosive device, carefully took it out, and placed it on the ground. The timer currently read '1:06', meaning they didn't have enough time to take it to another place to explode and cause less damage.
"Great, what the hell are we going to do now?" grumbled Michael.
"What choice do we have? We'll have to defuse it," answered Matt.
"Diffuse a bomb? Us? You're kidding, right?" pleaded James R., "Because this is probably serious tech, and Dave or Zack are the most experts at-"
"Well, they aren't here, are they?!" cut in Matt sharply, before getting onto a knee, armed with a screwdriver, and carefully taking off the top of the device, "Okay, let's see what we're working with."
Unscrewing a few bolts, Matt gently removed the core of the device and set it down on the ground, all the wires were shown connected to the shell.
"Can you disconnect the timer?" pressed Michael.
"Not a chance. It's wired to blow!" Matt replied, inspecting the device closely, "I'll have to pull the detonator," Now armed with a pair of wire cutters, he carefully inspected which wire to cut, "Got it," He nodded, "We need cut the blue wire first."
"Wait!" The voice of Michael interjected, causing Matt to look up. He looked like he was onto something, "No, cut the red wire!"
"Are you crazy?! It'll blow! Blue is the failsafe!" protested Matt.
"And that's what Azrael would 'want' us to think," insisted Michael, "Trust me."
"We're gonna be toast…" whimpered James R., who braced himself for the end.
Matt sweated nervously as he checked the timer, which had reached '0:17'. Knowing it was now or never, Matt used the wire cutters to snip the red wire. Luckily, the device didn't go off.
"Good call," sighed Matt, as he started cutting the other wires off. He eyed the blue wire, "Blue should be the next wire."
Once the blue wire was snippied, the timer ticked from '0:12' to '0:11' and to '0:10' before suddenly stopping and dying.
"S-See? No sweat," reassured Matt, before, all of a sudden, the device reactivated, "Huh?"
The timer was counting down from '0:10', which meant it was time to leave.
"Crap! The detonator's still going to blow!" winced Matt.
"RUN!" freaked out James R..
Matt quickly grabbed the bomb's shell, and he and the other two young men started to flee, just as the bomb ticked from three seconds, to two seconds, to one second, to time running out…
*BOOM!*
(outside…)
Outside the docking back, the explosion was powerful enough to throw Matt, Michael, and James R. through a window, shattering the glass as a series of explosions destroyed the secondary building as everyone else watched—Ashima, in particular, was scared over what happened.
"Oh my God!" The voice of Lisa cried out.
"Fortunately the evacuation was successful," The voice of David put in.
"What about Matt, Mike, and James? Were they-?" The voice of Carlie began to say.
"Over there!" interrupted Ashima, causing Carlie to look over. She clearly spotted Matt, Michael, and James R. laying on the ground with shards of glass all around them, "There they are!"
Everyone ran over to where the injured Matt Fudo, Michael Atlas, and James R. Hogan each laid.
"Matt! Matt, are you three okay?!" panicked Zack, kneeling down.
Luckily, Matt stirred a little bit before opening his eyes, signaling he was alive. Ashima was so relieved that she pushed Zack out of the way and held Matt in her arms while yelling and strongly (surprisingly) berating him.
"Matt, (आप कमबख्त गधे!) aap kamabakht gadhe! (strong cursing)" shouted Ashima in Hindi, crying, "We all thought you guys got killed in that explosion!"
"Atlas-sama, are you and Hogun-kun going to be alright?" asked David, as he and Lisa helped Michael back up.
"We'll…be okay," groaned Michael. "We couldn't stop the explosion… but at least it wasn't as big as it would've been…"
Everyone then looked at the destroyed docking bay, which had been reduced to rubble by the bomb's explosion—not helping the Duel Runners there also exploding and being destroyed, too.
"I don't believe it… The M1 Astrays there are completely gone," whispered Mr. Murdoch.
"Along with Fudo Go, Wheel of Fortune, and Blackbird," added James R..
"Damn the Dark Signers," muttered Michael, as the flames from the destroyed building raged on, "That was such a dirty trick on their part!"
"It will be a long and expensive job to rebuild this area and all of the destroyed M1 Astrays," mused Mr. Zimmerman, "But first, the Dark Signers need to be stopped before they cause any more damage and put more lives at risk."
There was a long silence in the area before James R., looking at Maria, spoke up
"Officer Strienhart, can I see those pictures, please?" requested James R..
"Hm? Oh, sure," accepted Maria, taking some photos out of her pocket. She handed them to James R., "Here you go."
As soon as the brown-haired young man finished looking over the photos of the towers and which parts of New York and Connecticut they would be found.
"Alright, the Dark Signers need to be taken down," assured James R., "We're going to find them and settle things for good."
"Good idea, James," rebutted Michael sarcastically, as James R. nodded before flinching over an insult, "I'm sure we'd love to do that right away—you dumbass!" He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed heavily in order to calm himself down, "In case you haven't noticed, our Duel Runners have been destroyed."
"Only mine, Carlie's Bloody Kiss, David's The Wild Card, and Lisa's Akatsuki remain intact since they weren't inside the docking bay," reminded Zack, before eyeing Ms. Simmons, Mr. Kisaka, Sherry, and Shinji, "And we can't forget the Duel Runners owned by some of the others here."
While that was going on, Matt was busy thinking about the Duel Runners owned by Orga (Calamity), Clotho (Raider), and Shani (Forbidden). He knew those three vehicles had speed and power—except for Calamity, who's bulk made it slower than the other two. With the loss of the three Duel Runners that could match them to an extent, they were going to need new ones that could hopefully be either equal or greater than the Duel Runners owned by the three Bio-CPU boys.
"This means James, Mike, and I will need new Duel Runners," stated Matt, as Michael and James R. both looked over, "Ones that can match the ones owned by Orga, Clotho, and Shani."
"I don't know, man," worried James R., "There's nothing that will replace Blackbird; I've had that Duel Runner ever since I became a Turbo duelist."
"Don't worry, James, I exactly know how you feel," comforted Lisa, "It's the same with me and my old Strike Rouge," Faded clips of her being defeated by Fake Michael and 'Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend' were superimposed over her, "Although I love my new Akatsuki, I still miss Strike Rouge when it was destroyed by that Mike-like robot back in New York City."
"Kojiro, can it be done?" pressed Ms. Simmons, looking at Mr. Murdoch.
"Well, I'm sure it could if there's enough materials and some surviving M1 Astrays," commented Mr. Murdoch, scratching his head.
All of a sudden, Rin and two other students in Grady and Gwen stepped forward.
"Mr. Murdoch, we wish to contribute our Duel Runners to the cause," offered Rin.
"Eh?" blinked James R..
"We owe the Signers our lives over them saving us," reminded Gwen.
"To that end, we want to help them out with ending the threat of the Dark Signers," finished Grady, "If it means giving up our own M1 Astrays for them to do it, so be it."
David also stepped forward, knowing his expertise in mechanicals would be of great help in the construction of new and improved Duel Runners.
"And I shall be willing to share the schematics I used in the creation of The Wild Card to aid you," promised David.
"You guys," uttered Michael, touched.
Mr. Murdoch smiled and accepted the offer before he and his crew gathered what materials and computers they had left and were intact from the bomb's explosion in order to bring them to an abandoned garage across the street for the work ahead.
(elsewhere…)
Inside the garage, the crew members dropped off the materials while waiting for Rin, Gwen, and Grady to bring their M1 Astrays into the area. Before long, the three Orb students arrived with their Duel Runners.
"Just in the nick of time," encouraged Mr. Murdoch, before rallying his fellow workers, "Alright, people, listen up! With what we have left, we will help Matt, Mike, and James turn those M1 Astrays into the ultimate Duel Runners like we did regarding Akatsuki—although for that one, we built it from scratch," He (Mr. Murdoch) faced Matt, "I hope you guys understand all of this work will take time to complete, which I know there's very little of."
"We'll make it work," promised Matt, before facing Rin, Gwen, and Grady, "Thanks, you three. We owe you for doing this for us."
"No thanks are necessary," insisted Grady, "Just stop those Dark Signers and fast."
"That is, once you complete your new Duel Runners," concluded Gwen.
From there, the three of them left the garage as the rest of Team 6D's, along with Ashima, walked inside.
"I'm ready," acknowledged David.
"In case you guys need a hand, we're also available," suggested Carlie.
"We appreciate it," nodded Matt, before he looked at James R. and Michael, "Let's get to work."
And the work finally commenced.
(elsewhere…)
Inside the hideout of the Dark Signers, Azrael was busy talking to the remaining members of the group, namely Orga, Clotho, Shani, and Misty—particularly the former three, who were currently shrouded in the darkness.
"The destruction of their Duel Runners has slowed the Signers down," Azrael was saying, "But it won't remain that way for too long," As he went on, the Biological CPU trio listened closely, "They will come for us at our appointed destinations. Do you three understand?"
Still wearing their dark cloaks and outfits from Blue Cosmos, Orga Sabnak, Clotho Buer, and Shani Andras stepped out of the shadows and revealed their new appearances. Frighteningly, they looked more like zombies than actual people—their skin was much paler and veinier, and even cracking in some places.
"Hmhmhm… You know, I think there are even more of them than last time," snickered Shani.
"Although, it's really not much fun fighting the small fry," huffed Orga.
"Who cares?" shrugged Clotho, "If I'm ordered to go out and attack, I'll do what I'm told."
All of a sudden, Azrael turned and sternly faced the three young men with one more thing to tell them.
"One thing I need to warn you about; this revival is a one and done deal," warned Azrael, folding his arms, "So this will be your last chance to defeat the Signers. If you three fail me again, then there will be no more chances. Do I make myself clear?"
The three Bio-CPU boys initially looked fearful of failing their headmaster for the last time, since if they did, they would remain deceased. At the same, they were determined to win against the Signers.
"Of course, Headmaster Azrael," obeyed Clotho, "I will personally give Matt Fudo a permanent Game Over."
"That damn James Hogan… I'll kill him," hissed Shani.
"I'll handle that 'Former King', Michael Atlas," offered Orga.
Azrael smirked, pleased that his students would personally handle the three strongest Signers while he dealt with that 'princess of Orb'. He then remembered that there was one more Dark Signer amongst the group and looked in the direction of Misty.
"I trust you'll personally take on Carlie Izayoi?" urged Azrael, "After all, you had her on the verge of defeat in your initial battle."
Misty didn't respond back; she took a picture of her younger brother out of her pocket and looked at it for what seemed like forever. She (Misty) knew that Carlie had to be made to pay for killing Toby, and she (Misty) would not rest in peace until she did just that. Azrael was very pleased that Misty was going to fight Carlie, the infamous 'Black Rose Witch', once more. His eyes narrowed as he remembered his initial encounter with Lisa a few years ago.
FLASHBACK
An argument between Flashback Azrael and Flashback Mr. Zimmerman was going on outside the main building.
"I've been patient, Patrick, but I'm growing tired of your attitude," growled Flashback Azrael, "You will either shut down Orb," He (Flashback Azrael) got up to Flashback Mr. Zimmerman's face, "or I will take this case all the way to the courts in New York City! As you can see, I happen to have a number of good lawyers who can and will argue about my case to the jury there and succeed."
Flashback Mr. Zimmerman growled right back, not about to back down from the cruelty of that man—no, that monster. He would never allow the Orb Duel School to shut down, not after he (Flashback Mr. Zimmerman) made a promise to Flashback Discord to try and keep it open for inspiring duelists and Turbo Duelists out there in the country and around the world. Eventually, somebody did try speaking up for him…
"WAIT!"
Flashback Azrael and Flashback Mr. Zimmerman both turned to the source of the voice in surprise.
"Who's there?" demanded Flashback Azrael, "Whoever spoke up, step forward!"
He then saw a 15-year old girl with pink hair walking out of the gathered crowd and up towards the two adults. Once she was close enough, the teenage girl shot Flashback Azrael a murderous look.
"I won't let you close down Orb!" declared Flashback Lisa, "And I won't let you ruin the promising careers of so many inspiring Turbo duelists here in the state of Connecticut!"
"Oh? And who might you be?" huffed Flashback Azrael, thinking that the girl was no threat to him.
"I'm Lisa Drake, asshat! I'm the newest student of Orb Duel!" answered Flashback Lisa boldly, "And you have certainly picked the wrong time to set foot in a place where you're not welcome! I'm gonna stop you from closing down this school and taking away the staff and teachers for your own selfish goals!"
Flashback Azrael almost laughed over the threat, "What? You say you'll stop me from closing down the Orb Duel School?" he chortled, "And how, pray tell, do you plan on doing that exactly?"
"I issue a challenge to your own school!" announced Flashback Lisa.
Cue a collective gasp from Flashback Mr. Zimmerman, Flashback Ms. Simmons, the teachers, and all of the Orb students—including the three Astray girls.
(new scene…)
During the battle between Flashback Shani and Flashback Lisa, 'Naturia Butterfly' flew into the air before turning into three Synchro Rings. 'Naturia Pumpkin' hovered upward and entered the trio of Synchro Rings, turning into orbs of light as Flashback Lisa commenced a Summon Chant…
"The holy light of protection, shine now and become eternal life!" chanted Flashback Lisa, as the symbols 4 + 3 = 7 were shown briefly before the four orbs within the trio of Synchro Rings turned into a beam of light. She then spread her right arm out in welcome, "Synchro Summon! A regal birth, 'Ancient Fairy Dragon'!"
Appearing from the beam of light and flying through the sky until it was above Flashback Lisa and her M1 Astray, was a long blue serpent-like dragon with an aqua-colored mane and fairy-like wings and armor on the torso (Level: 7/ATK: 2100/DEF: 3000).
"SHANIIIIIII!" screamed Flashback Azrael, in a mixture of rage, horror, and disbelief.
And now, it was time for the finisher…
"It looks like Orb is staying put, Shani!" announced Flashback Lisa, "You, your headmaster, and your two friends from Blue Cosmos will never try to get it shut down! Not now, not ever!" She then announced the attack name of her monster, just as 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' took to the skies and began to glow as brightly as the sun itself, "Eternal Sunshine!"
The rays from the attack were surprisingly intense, causing Flashback Shani to cry out and shield his eyes as his remaining LP finally dropped all the way to 0 (LP: 800 → 0). Over with the audience… It took a little bit of time to grasp that Flashback Lisa had won against a student of Blue Cosmos, but when the realization kicked in everyone slowly started clapping before becoming a full blown standing ovation (even many of the other Blue Cosmos students, with an exception to both Flashback Orga and Flashback Clotho, joined in the clapping). While Flashback Mr. Zimmerman and Flashback Ms. Simmons both clapped as well, Flashback Azrael most certainly did not…
"IMPOSSIBLE!" The ruthless, blonde-haired young man freaked out, standing up while clutching the sides of his head with his hands, "This wasn't supposed to have happened! Blue Cosmos is full of the best duelists in the whole state of New York!" Flashback Mr. Zimmerman and Flashback Ms. Simmons both listened to the rantings of a sore loser, "There's no way Shani could have lost to a rookie like that girl! She must have cheated, I just know it!"
"No amount of excuses in the world can save you now, Azrael," said Flashback Mr. Zimmerman firmly, "Lisa won this duel fair and square, and you know it. That means my school is here to stay."
Flashback Azrael seethed silently.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended as Azrael remembered his thoughts about Lisa after his school was humiliated by her.
"Lisa Drake will pay… I don't care how long it takes for us to meet again, she will pay for her intervention and the ruination of my Duel School!" thought Azrael, recalling his last words from that time. He then smiled to himself, "Yes, I remember saying those words… Anyway, I hope you show up here soon, Lisa… I will enjoy sending you to Hell with my Psychic monsters and superior strategies, and the war between light and darkness will end with the Dark Signers being victorious over the Signers."
(elsewhere…)
Before long, after about a week of very hard work, testing things out, some minor failures, and even pulling two all-nighters to get the job done, the new Duel Runners were complete as Matt, Michael, James R., Mr. Murdoch, and his crew all presented them to their friends in the abandoned garage.
"Ta-da!" declared Mr. Mordoch, removing the white tarp off the three Duel Runners, "Here they are!"
The three M1 Astrays had been turned into vastly improved versions of Fudo Go, Wheel of Fortune, and Blackbird. The first was painted white and blue, the second was painted various reds and violets, and the third almost resembled the late Blackbird with some differences.
"Matty, you guys did a splendid job," praised Ashima, "What do you call them?"
"A Gundam!" interjected Zack, talking about Matt's new Duel Runner. This earned him some weird stares from the rest of the group, "What? It's a guess on my part."
"Not quite. This Duel Runner is called Freedom," corrected Mr. Murdoch, before chuckling with amusement, "But I like Gundam. It sounds stronger," He then gazed at the reddish violet Duel Runner, "We've named Mike's Duel Runner Justice."
"Freedom and Justice… Those names go so well together," admired David.
"I'm guessing for his new Duel Runner, James kept the name 'Blackbird' out of memory for his old Duel Runner?" guessed Shinji.
"Not quite," The voice of James R. declined, making Shinji surprised. He then patted his new Duel Runner's front, "While reading up on what I was going to turn this M1 Astray into, I found a little something that fascinated me," He (James R.) took a magazine out, flipped through a few pages, and handed it to Shinji, "Here, take a look for yourself."
Shinji saw that the page contained a picture of an aerial support fighter from the military.
"I liked the look so much that I even named the Duel Runner after it," said James R. fondly, "I call it Skygrasper."
"Skygrasper… You know, that does have a nice ring to it," smiled Shinji.
"Oui," agreed Sherry in French.
Lisa whistled, "Boy, you guys did a masterful job on turning those Duel Runners into something to give the Dark Signers a run for their money."
"Fudo-san, Atlas-sama, and Hogan-kun will need the upgrades," remarked David, as he sat down at the nearby table and a small screen projected from his right gauntlet, showing the data on the three Duel Runners, "According to their stats, Freedom, Justice, and Skygrasper have double the speed and power that the older models had," He looked up as Lisa and Ms. Simmons walked over, "They know who they will be facing in battle, and that the opponents will be extremely dangerous."
Matt thought about Clotho, while Michael thought about Orga, and James R. thought about Shani—the three Biological CPUs who wield powerful Decks and ride equally dangerous Duel Runners in Raider, Calamity, and Forbidden. Speaking of Dark Signers, Zack had a thought about the one Carlie would be facing.
"Carlie, have you figured out how you'll…" Zack was saying, as Carlie looked over curiously, "…save Misty from the darkness?"
A solemn Carlie looked down, still having no answer on how to rescue Misty from control of the 'Earthbound Immortal' monster.
"If I may…" interjected Lisa, "You said Misty might have become brainwashed by 'Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua' when she got revived, right? Perhaps if you destroy it during a duel, Misty might be able to regain her senses and return to normal."
"It won't be easy to destroy an 'Earthbound Immortal'," remembered Carlie, "And even if I were to somehow beat it, I'm not even sure it will work."
"Izayoi-san…" fretted David.
"But I have to try," continued Carlie, looking and sounding determined to save Misty, "I'm willing to try just about anything to save someone who I call a friend from the darkness," She looked in Matt's direction, "Like how Matt saved me twice."
"When I destroyed Rutger's 'Uru' and Dave destroyed Vincent's 'Allqu', it should have returned the stolen souls of various people around the New England states," thought Matt, recalling the duels against Rutger and Vincent respectively, "We'll have to destroy the remaining 'Earthbound Immortals' during our battles in order to save the souls of those who were captured by the Dark Signers—and maybe revive those who died in the fighting."
(elsewhere…)
Early the next morning, everyone was up bright and early in order to go their separate ways to the appropriate location where a Dark Signer waited. Seeing them off in the parking lot were Mr. Zimmerman, Futaba, Ren, Gabriella, Ryuta, and almost all of the other Orb students. The group was split into the following numbers:
-Matt Fudo, Zack Ruaka, and Ashima Nilgiri: Outside New York City, where Clotho currently was.
-Michael Atlas: North New York near the border with Canada, where Orga was waiting.
-James R. Hogan, Erica Simmons, and Ledonir Kisaka: New Haven, where Shani was said to be.
-Carlie Izayoi, Paul Truman, and Maria Strienhart: Syracuse, where Misty awaited.
-Lisa Drake, David Xadashi, Sherry LeBlanc, and Shinji Weber: Outside Albany, where Azrael currently was.
"Erica, Ledonir, are you sure you two wish to go with them?" asked Mr. Zimmerman.
"It's something we need to do," insisted Mr. Kisaka.
"Please don't worry about us, Patrick," reassured Ms. Simmons, "Ledonir and I will come back to Orb alive," She then knelt down and embraced Ryuta, "Ryuta, I will return when this is all over. Daddy will look after you at home until then."
"Mommy…" whimpered Ryuta.
While David gave his farewell to his Mother, Father, and younger sister, Lisa was busy addressing Sherry and Shinji—but mainly the former.
"Sherry, are you and Shinji fine with coming with me and Dave to the tower where Azrael waits?" The pink-haired girl pondered.
"We are," confirmed Sherry.
A flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
During the duel between Flashback Elsworth and Flashback Rutger, the latter ordered a direct attack with 'Earthbound Immortal Uru' obeying and firing off a very powerful spider thread towards the defenseless Flashback Elsworth. Outside the geoglyph, Flashback Sherry was yelling and refusing to leave, but Flashback Shinji finally pulled her roughly enough to get her to budge, causing Flashback Sherry to break into tears as she and Flashback Shinji fled from the area,
"I have a score to settle with the Dark Signers for killing Elsworth," narrated Sherry, as Flashback Elsworth closed his eyes and accepted his incoming fate—just as a massive explosion ensued that destroyed a part of the airport and throwing her flashback self and Flashback Shinji forward, "Rutger might be gone now, but the pain will never go away until I personally beat in the face of the new leader of the group, no matter what happens to me."
When Flashback Sherry looked up, while on her hands and knees, her worst fears were confirmed… Not only was the geoglyph, Flashback Rutger, and 'Earthbound Immortal Uru' gone, but so was Flashback Elsworth… All that was left was a partially destroyed airport (with the potential of several casualties) and flames. Soon, Flashback Sherry and Flashback Shinji were back on their feet as they stared at the fire and destruction left behind. All the tearful-looking Flashback Sherry could do about it was fall to her hands and knees, bow her head, and break down sobbing uncontrollably for several seconds before looking up at the scene of destruction and (silently) screaming Flashback Elsworth's name from grief.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended, with fire burning in Sherry's eyes before she shut them and shedded a few tears.
"Sherry…" whispered Lisa, feeling sorry for Sherry before smiling, "Come on, we'll tackle Azrael together. You, me, and Shinji here will kick that bastard's sorry ass."
"Lisa…" Sherry whispered back, as she felt a hand being placed on her shoulder—which came from a grinning Shinji, "Shinji…" Feeling better, she managed to smile, "Oui, you are right, Lisa."
"And you can count me in, too," vowed Shinji.
Once David was done hugging Gabriella, he looked over to Lisa, Sherry, and Shinji, listening to their conversation.
"This could be our last stand…" thought David, hearing the deceased Vincent's laughter echo around the area, "Then so be it," He finally spoke up and walked over to Lisa, "Lisa-chan, no matter what, I'll fight by your side."
"Dave…" thought Lisa, before smiling and talking aloud, "Yeah, I know you will."
"Everyone, these will be our final battles," advised Matt, before punching his right fist forward, "Let's win them and come back here alive."
Everyone, including the people seeing them off, all cheered or yelled in response. At last, everyone boarded their Duel Runners (Paul and Maria climbed into their police car), revved them up, and roared out of the parking lot in different directions to begin the final search for the Dark Signers.
"Look out, Dark Signers, we're coming for you!" narrated Matt, as everything came to a frozen still, "Get ready to witness the power of Team 6D's in action!"
Hello, everyone! With a two month break and finally getting fresh ideas for how the remains of the story will be written, we present all of you a new chapter of this story to celebrate the beginning of the new year (well, sorta). I want you to be ready, seeing as the rematches with the Dark Signers will be starting up in the next chapter. Standby for plenty of intense dueling action, drama, and destruction of property.