Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V: The Six Dimensions

by BlaiseCandell

Before the invasion of the Xyz Dimension, scans done by the Fusion Dimension reveal two more dimensions. The Ritual Dimension, and the Link Dimension. Within those two dimensions, Chiaki, Yuji, Miharu and Yuno have their lives turned upside down, and are tossed into a vicious war. Also, why are there five people with the same faces as them? (M for discussions of trauma.)

79. Unwilling King

Starting Notes:

Welcome back! The chapter is fun, I enjoyed writing it, and I'm genuinely really proud of it :) Let's go!

---

Chapter 79: Unwilling King

He could bring this whole city down with him. He could do it right now. He still had the dimensional transporter that he'd been working on, after all. He'd had his failsafe card that opened any cell in the city and gave him access to all of it, even now.

He could use it to destroy everything.

He absolutely could.

If he couldn't win, he might as well bring the whole world down with him, right now, make them regret threatening him—

He found himself standing in front of the transporter, eventually.

His hand hovered over the lever.

He wanted to do that. If he couldn't have it, he would rather destroy it all—

Like a child throwing a fit, really.

And yet…

'I will betray you. Because I want to save you.'

'I will not run away. I will betray you, father. I will hand this over to the Lancers, and they will come directly to you. Because I do think that you've—we've done something terrible here. I do think that you deserve to be punished. But you will also live.'

Roget clutched the table.

Kill the whole city, along with himself.

He should do it. He would have done it.

So why wasn't he doing it right now? The things that he'd wanted for this city, the power and control that he'd craved—this city was power and control! If it would slip from his grasp, he would rather destroy it with his own hands. The future that he'd dreamed of was nothing but ash now.

And his past…

How could he ever crawl on his hands and knees back to that past, if everyone knew how pathetically he had failed? He had left home vowing to be better than all of them, especially…

He thought about his older sister—preferred by everyone, so much better—he grew up under her shadow, and she was an adult before he was even through with school. He thought about his brother, also always perfect, and he wanted to pull his hair out from his skull.

He wanted to be someone that wasn't defined in comparison to someone else.

He'd thought he'd succeeded. He had not.

And the worst part was being mocked by that girl. She only resembled that woman in terms of features—the same hair and eyes—but there was something cheerful to her, something far brighter than his sister.

It made her even more insufferable, because at the very least, his sister hadn't been kind or happy, so she had at the very least not been perfect.

Roget's hand moved to the lever again. He stopped again.

What on earth was wrong with him?

Could he not even do this right?

He hated her, the voice in his head right now, speaking like a conscience. Why had she only spoken words to haunt him? What a disgustingly traitorous girl.

"I love you, father."

"There is good in me. I want to be good."

He pressed buttons on the screen, pulling up a menu. He quickly adjusted numbers.

… it seems that I've been defeated by the people that I looked down upon.

I supported a regime that ostracised and suppressed others. I made use of people. I did one of the most horrific things possible to the mind of a madman. I made use of lives like fodder. I used emotions against people, I lied and indirectly killed so many people.

He laughed to himself.

I don't regret any of it. Not a fucking thing. None of these people matter.

His hand pressed against the lever, about to pull it—

"What are you doing?"

Roget spun around.

Standing there, quietly watching him, was Miharu Kogami.

If plans had worked, this girl would be dueling for him right now, along with that obscenely cheerful best friend of hers. He still didn't know why his inventions had failed specifically on them, when he needed them to work the most.

But still, when she looked at him…

There was no loathing in her eyes.

That made Roget even more furious.

Do you see me as so pathetic that I do not even deserve your hatred?

Or are you just so naively kind that you can't bring yourself to hate me?

"What do you think I'm doing?" He snarled.

"I looked through your files," Miharu said. "Is that the dimensional transporter prototype?"

… right. He forgot that he was talking to the one Lancer who might actually understand what he'd been doing.

"From the glimpses I could catch, you were scaling down that machine," Miharu said. "Your understanding of code and programming is…" She seemed reluctant to say it. "... excellent. Why do you use it for things like this?"

"Are you really naive enough to ask me that question?" Roget sneered. "Power is power, Miharu Kogami. Just because you, with all your skill and talent refuse to seize power… it does not mean that power is any less valuable. If you wanted to, if you stopped being such a support player, could you not seize the Lancers from Reiji Akaba? You are a far more approachable face, just as formidably skilled in different aspects as him."

"I am not fit to be a leader, nor have I ever entertained thoughts of becoming one." Miharu's gaze drifted to the lever. "... I don't know what you want. But please step away from the lever."

Roget leaned back against the console. He felt wilder—after all, nothing he said would matter after this. "Why should I?" He asked. "Why don't you have a talk with me, Anesidora?"

Miharu visibly flinched.

"Ah, so I got the project name right. Academia has access to all of your little secrets, Miharu Kogami." Roget grinned savagely—only the intent to hurt in his expression. "You only adopted that name after you were 'saved', weren't you? For all that you assert that you're different now, you still reacted the same way to the electric shocks from my chip. You still lashed out like you did back then."

"... I'm not trying to argue," Miharu said. "I assumed that you came here to destroy everything. But… if you scaled it down… what exactly are you trying to destroy?"

Roget smirked. "Why don't you see for yourself?" He yanked on the lever.

And behind him, the generator started to glow.

Roget turned towards it—away from that girl.

"This building, Security, the reminder of the power I've lost," he sneered. "Why don't I destroy it all? This generator will tear open a dimensional portal through summoning energy—I've been gathering it for a while. When that happens, the portal will suck in everything that is near it. But there is no set direction for the energy to carry us to. So anything that goes through that void will leave this dimension, without entering another one."

"... that's suicide," Miharu said. "You're here… you're here to kill yourself?"

"You can still run," Roget said—not mercy, but mockery. What could she do to stop it?

I have nothing left. Nowhere that I can flee to.

I may as well go out the same way I lived.

The generator exploded. A rift formed right there—already beginning to tug at the rubble. It was a contained explosion, but the glowing rift…

Roget smirked at it.

I will not rot away in a cell.

I will not let you be proud to have captured me.

I would rather die.

The rift pulled at him—pulling him over the railing head-first—

She grabbed onto his leg.

Roget whirled around to stare at her in disbelief.

Miharu was clinging onto the nearby table, while pulling on him—her grip was weak, she was weak, but she was holding on.

Why?

Why?

Why was she trying to save him? There was no use to it! He wasn't fighting the pull at all—she was trying to save two people at once, when she could run!

"Because," Miharu said, and Roget realised that he'd been speaking aloud, "I can't just watch someone die in front of me. Not after… not even you."

"You're so naive!" He shouted.

"Who is it?" Miharu said—even while facing certain death, her gaze was still piercing. With those weak arms, she clung on for dear life. "You were originally going to kill everyone in this city, weren't you? What made you stop? Who made you stop?"

"I love you, father."

Roget wanted to vomit. "No one made me stop!" He shouted. "Let go of me! I am your enemy!"

Miharu didn't let go.

Fine.

Fine.

Roget knew what to do—what terrible thing he could do, in that moment.

He could break this girl down completely, until she let go of him herself.

"You know what?" Roget laughed—madness in his voice. "Did you hear that Sergey Volkov is dead?" Miharu's eyes widened. "No matter what, when this war is over—you can't redeem everyone. You can't save everyone. You will have to watch people die over and over again—and you will never be able to do what's right!"

As she was reeling in shock, he kicked away her arm, and the tug of the rift pulled him forward. He grabbed onto the railing just so that he could turn around to stare at her. He grinned from ear to ear, eyes bugging out.

"No matter what," he goaded, "you can't save everyone. And I certainly don't care if it breaks you to watch me die. In fact, you'll probably watch more and more people die over and over again—you're useless when it comes to protecting people, because you're just a weak girl!"

The tug was far stronger now. Miharu was gripping onto the table, barely able to stop herself from being pulled towards the rift too—let alone save him.

"But if you're going to bear witness to my death, why don't you tell that monstrous girl something for me?" He grinned, all teeth. "Throughout all of this, I don't regret any of my crimes at all. I just wish I'd gotten away with them. Tell her this. The one thing that I regret throughout all of this… is that I took her in back then. I should have let her be, and once I finally had control over Sergey Volkov, I should have let him feast on her flesh. She never deserved to be one of mine."

Miharu looked like she was about to say something.

Roget let go.

As he turned towards the gaping maw of the rift—

He could only laugh.

That was enough, now.

As he entered the rift, it felt like his very skin was being torn off his flesh—

And then, nothingness.

---

By the time that the rift finally closed, Miharu was barely able to stand up. Her arms and legs were weak with the effort of holding on.

… for better or for worse, she had shut her eyes at the moment that Roget had gone through the rift. The sound of something ripping apart had still assaulted her ears though—her ears were ringing now.

She exhaled. Her hair was a mess—the braid at the back of her hair had completely come undone.

She stared at the broken generator.

"You can't save everyone."

She had thought… she had thought that she could still make up for her past. For that time in that cage of white walls, and the time after that…

Roget had hurt so many people. He was unforgivable. If… if a person that could stick purely to logic would think about it, they would reason that putting her own life in danger to save a man who would only sabotage their goals was foolish. That she had done all that she could do, that she had nothing to be guilty about.

Sometimes, Miharu really wished that she could be that person.

All life had value, didn't it?...

She wanted to believe that.

She wanted to…

Miharu raised a hand to her eyes.

You can't save everyone.

I know that. I'm not nearly strong enough for that.

Any logical person would be able to move on from this easily.

Any emotional person would still shed a tear if they saw a person die in front of them.

If Miharu couldn't do either, was she a person at all?

… she just had to keep going. Never mind that her mind was frozen in that single moment when a person's life had slipped from her hands. Never mind that she was shaking.

Focus.

She walked to the console. She hadn't had the chance to get into this room yet.

She couldn't focus on code right now.

She took out her laptop. Unsteadily, she brushed her fingers over the keys, running a command to download and screen any files left in the console for viruses. She put her laptop down on the console, and she sat down in front of it, her hands still shaking.

Again.

Again.

Again—

She had to snap out of it. Letting herself collapse here wouldn't work.

Rather…

She thought about Yugo, all of a sudden. Of him cheering her up while she was stuck in the cell, all on her own.

She… didn't have to deal with this alone right now.

Everyone was watching the Friendship Cup though, weren't they? But…

Could she ask?

She opened up the chat function. She quickly timed out Yugo from the chat—just so that she wouldn't distract him before such an important duel.

The worried responses simultaneously made her feel worse and yet comforted her.

Right. She just had to keep going. No matter what.

---

There was a bit of a break before the finals. Yugo, with more energy than ever, was practically bouncing around the room.

He couldn't wait!

He couldn't wait he couldn't wait he couldn't wait—

"Are you ready, Yugo?"

Yugo turned to Arisu, grinning and nodding. "I am," he said. "You'll cheer me on, won't you?"

"What if I cheered Jack on?" Arisu said offhandedly. Yugo shot her a betrayed look, and she chuckled. "Of course I'm cheering you on, little brother. I know how much this means to you. Go get him, yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Yugo grinned. "Do you know where everyone else is?"

"Hmm." For a moment, Arisu's expression changed—but she didn't say anything more. "Most of them are still watching and waiting for you and Jack."

"Hah, okay!"

Arisu patted his shoulder. "Stand up and go already. Jack is waiting for you."

---

The crowd was loud. Yugo rode out, ending up next to Jack, in front of the starting line.

The pressure of the cheers…

All eyes on him.

He spread out his arms.

Yes.

He'd always wanted this.

"You know, they call you the Master of Faster," Yugo said cheerfully. "But my monsters are Speedroids, after all—let's see if I can outspeed you!"

"... out of everyone in this city, I perhaps most wanted to face you," Jack said. "You defeated Roget, and before that, you also defeated Kyosuke Kiryu. You have gone above and beyond—and more than that, you…" He smirked to himself. "Remind me a little of myself. We do have the same origin, after all—I'm just older than you. Let's see if you can surpass me."

"Hell yeah! Let's get going!"

Above, Melissa Claire spoke up. "It's the finals of our Friendship Cup!" She declared. "We have all gone through a lot to get here—to survive, to keep going despite all of the tragedies in our city! But now, here, we can take a moment to celebrate the strength of our own people! This match starts on the count of three! Call it out with me, people of the City!"

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

Louder, and louder—

The sound of wind like a sharp whistle in his ear.

They took off.

Yugo recklessly drove and drove—and at the last moment, before the corner—

He barely took the lead.

He drove forward and forward.

And as he took the first corner, he laughed.

In this, at least, for the briefest of moments—he had outsped Jack Atlas.

[DUEL!]

Yugo Kirijo: 4000LP

Jack Atlas: 4000LP

[Turn 1: Yugo] [H:5]

However, immediately afterwards, Jack overtook him—right in front of him on the road.

Yugo didn't let himself feel disappointed.

It's a hint at what's to come. I know I'm not yet as strong as this man—

But if there's even a one in a million chance that I can defeat him, then I'll grasp onto that chance, no matter what!

"Here we go, Jack!" He declared loudly. "Since I control no cards, I can activate the Spell Card, Speedraw! I'll draw two cards, and then send a "Speedroid" monster from my hand to the graveyard." He quickly cycled out the cards in his hand. "Since I control no monsters, I will Special Summon Speedroid Terrortop from my hand!" The series of spiked red tops appeared, spinning through the air in a deadly line.

[Speedroid Terrortop (3*/1200/600/WIND/Machine/Effect)]

"With Terrortop's effect, I will add a "Speedroid" monster from my deck to my hand! And I'll then Normal Summon Speedroid Fuki-Modoshi Piper!" The clay doll in the green hat appeared, blowing out some music—as though to belatedly herald the start of the duel.

[Speedroid Fuki-Modoshi Piper (4*/1000/1000/WIND/Machine/Tuner/Effect)]

"Fuki-Modoshi Piper's effect! Since I control one other WIND monster, I can excavate the top card of my deck and add it to my hand!" It was a pretty standard first turn for Yugo—Terrortop and Fuki-Modoshi Piper, not losing any card advantage in the slightest. He swiped up the top card of his deck, grinning widely. "And I'll tune the Level 4 Fuki-Modoshi Piper to the Level 3 Speedroid Terrortop! Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" His ace took flight, wings glimmering with light.

[Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (7*/2500/2000/WIND/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

Because of course it was Clear Wing. In each and every single one of Yugo's dreams, Clear Wing was the one standing beside him, facing down the King of the City. Yugo shot Clear Wing a grin—the dragon roared pridefully, flying in a loop in the air, zooming straight past the stands—calling up a sharp gust of wind.

"That dragon is your ace, isn't it?" Jack said, his head held high as he turned back to look at Yugo out of the corner of his eye. "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. A dragon of wind and light."

"And speed," Yugo added with a confident look on his face. "You won't find many monsters faster than my Clear Wing!"

"... it's a rather magnificent dragon," Jack agreed. Clear Wing roared loudly again. "Let's see what it can do for you against my Scarlight then."

Yugo lifted up two cards in his hand—against the King, defending was extremely difficult, because of, well… everything. Yugo wasn't nearly meticulous to go through all of the ways through which Jack made life hard for his opponents. Thus, he couldn't afford to save his cards at all.

"I'll set two cards and end my turn!"

[Turn 2: Jack] [H:6]

"Draw!" Jack declared, his voice booming through the stadium. "I will Normal Summon Red Resonator from my hand!" The grinning fiend with a body made of flames appeared, swinging a golden tuning fork and a red staff with a red orb on top of it through the air.

[Red Resonator (2*/600/200/FIRE/Fiend/Tuner/Effect)]

"When Red Resonator is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster from my hand. Come—Bone Archfiend!" The skeletal demon appeared, its disjointed fingers clicking into place with a sharp cracking noise.

[Bone Archfiend (4*/1800/0/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

Level 2, Level 4…

That probably meant that a certain dragon was coming out, right? True to what Yugo was thinking, Jack clenched a fist and raised it in the air.

"I'll tune the Level 2 Red Resonator to the Level 4 Bone Archfiend. Flames that burst out of purgatory, set the world alight with your blazing nobility! Synchro Summon! Level 6! Red Rising Dragon!" Jack's most common set-up monster appeared, the smaller red dragon letting out a growl, puffing out a bit of flame from its maw.

[Red Rising Dragon (6*/2100/1600/DARK/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

"When Red Rising Dragon is Synchro Summoned, I can Special Summon a "Resonator" monster from the graveyard!" Jack declared imperiously. "Return from the graveyard! Red Resonator!" The small red fiend reappeared on the field. "I will activate Red Resonator's effect. Since it was Special Summoned, I can target a monster on the field and gain life points equal to its attack points! I will target Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

Yugo didn't activate Clear Wing's effect—after all, it was pretty obvious what Jack was about to summon next. So he watched the red glow envelop Jack, strengthening him and raising his life points.

Jack: 4000 + 2500 = 6500LP

"Let's not waste any time—my dragon against yours, that's the match that the crowd wants to see!" Jack raised his voice; the crowd shouted their approval. "I will now tune the Level 2 Red Resonator to the Level 6 Red Rising Dragon! The heaven and earth shall tremble before the king's might. Let the power of the one and only supreme ruler be carved into your soul! Synchro Summon! The savage soul, Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!" The large, red dragon appeared, letting out a ferocious sound of challenge.

[Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend (8*/3000/2500/DARK/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

Yugo felt his heart beating even faster.

He had waited so long to meet this person in battle. This man and this dragon, who he had watched racing on the tracks for so long.

This was a dream. This was reality.

"Continuous Spell, Crimson Gaia!" Jack declared. The deadly Spell from earlier—the one that had given Yuya so much trouble. "Once per turn, I can add a card that specifically lists "Red Dragon Archfiend" in its card text from my deck to my hand!" He picked up a card. "I'll then send a card from my hand to the graveyard to Special Summon Bone Archfiend from the graveyard."

The skeletal demon reappeared on the field with a strange, rattling sound.

"Vision Resonator's effect. Since it was sent to the graveyard, I will add a Spell or Trap that lists "Red Dragon Archfiend" in its card text from my deck to my hand!" Jack picked up the card. "Since there is a Synchro Monster on the field, I can Special Summon Synkron Resonator from my hand!" The small demon in a dark blue cloak appeared, yellow and green twisted into a sculpture above its head that dangled like a headdress.

[Synkron Resonator (1*/100/100/DARK/Fiend/Tuner/Effect)]

"I will activate the effect of Bone Archfiend! By sending a Fiend Tuner from my deck to the graveyard, I will increase Synkron Resonator's Level by 1!"

So, was Jack setting up for that strong monster? Scar-Red Nova Dragon?

[Synkron Resonator: 1* + 1* = 2*]

"I'll tune the Level 2 Synkron Resonator to the Level 4 Bone Archfiend! Ruby jewel that lies within the kingly domain! Synchro Summon! Level 6! Red Resonator Dragon!" The red, demonic dragon landed next to Scarlight with a roar.

[Red Resonator Dragon (6*/1600/2100/DARK/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

"When Red Resonator Dragon is Synchro Summoned, I can add a "Resonator" card or a card that lists "Red Dragon Archfiend" in its card text from my deck to my hand! Meanwhile, Synkron Resonator lets me add a "Resonator" monster from my graveyard to my hand." Jack picked up the two cards, going back to five cards in hand. "Battle Phase! Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend attacks Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! Absolute Powerflame!"

Intentionally not activating Scarlight's effect, so that Yugo would have to keep it in mind the whole time… and not using Crimson Gaia's effect to flip Clear Wing facedown, so that the attack would actually deal damage.

It was a pity, then!

"Continuous Trap, Burning Sonic!" Yugo declared. "I will target Clear Wing and negate the attack—and Clear Wing gains 500 attack points!" Flames swirled around Clear Wing, boosting its strength—Jack arched an eyebrow.

[Clear Wing Synchro Dragon: 2500 + 500 = 3000ATK]

"You're choosing to defend with flames?" He said. "Interesting… I will set a card and end my turn!"

Alright. That set card was likely rather deadly… not to mention that Crimson Gaia itself was a pain.

Still, Yugo knew just how he wanted to deal with that!

[Turn 3: Yugo] [H:4]

"Draw!" He called out. "I'll activate the Spell Card, Magic Planter! I'll send Burning Sonic to the graveyard and draw two cards!" The flames vanished from the field, returning Clear Wing to its original attack points.

[Clear Wing Synchro Dragon: 3000 - 500 = 2500ATK]

He glanced at the cards that he'd drawn. He'd gotten two of them at once, huh?

"I'll set the Scale 1 Speedroid Marble Machine and the Scale 6 Speedroid Hexasaucer in the Pendulum Scales!" The two pillars of light shot up around him. He still wasn't over how cool they looked—he'd always liked watching Yuya's Pendulum Summons, he'd had fun dueling against Sawatari, and now he had Pendulum Monsters of his own! This was great! "Spell Card, Speed Recovery. I'll target a "Speedroid" monster in my graveyard and Special Summon it! Return back, Speedroid Terrortop!" The set of red and black tops reappeared on the field. "With Terrortop's effect, I'll add a "Speedroid" monster from my deck to my hand. Now, with my current Pendulum Scale, I can Pendulum Summon monsters from Level 2 to Level 5! Swing, pendulum! Pendulum Summon!"

He placed down both cards in his hand.

"Come! Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke!" The blond, punk-esque doll appeared, spinning a staff through the air, as it let out a rattling sound.

[Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke (3*/1000/1000/WIND/Machine/Tuner/Effect)]

"And then, Speedroid Dominobutterfly!" The small mechanical fly appeared, its wings made of white and black dominos, covered in spots.

[Speedroid Dominobutterfly (2*/S8/100/300/WIND/Machine/Pendulum/Tuner/Effect)]

"I'll banish Speedroid Fuki-Modoshi Piper from the graveyard and target Terrortop!" Yugo declared. "I'll lower its Level by 2!" A green glow appeared around Terrortop, as the transparent spirit of Fuki-Modoshi Piper appeared behind it. Three stars spun around, before combining into one.

[Speedroid Terrortop: 3* - 2* = 1*]

"I'll tune the Level 2 Speedroid Dominobutterfly to the Level 1 Speedroid Terrortop!" Yugo declared, grinning widely.

"A Pendulum Tuner monster?" Jack said. "Interesting."

This was the first time that he would be directly Synchro Summoning this monster. So he had to come up with a good summoning chant for it, right?

"Fire off bullets at fast velocity, and lend me a hand in launching a fierce offensive! Synchro Summon! Level 3! Hi-Speedroid Cork Shooter!" The large but thin cannon-like monster appeared, several corks floating around it and linked to the gun by thin yellow lines of electricity, like wires. Popping sounds filled the air as corks littered around them, scattering along the track. Both Jack and Yugo rode over them, and they didn't lose their balance.

[Hi-Speedroid Cork Shooter (3*/500/1000/WIND/Machine/Synchro/Tuner/Effect)]

"Hi-Speedroid Cork Shooter's effect. When Synchro Summoned, I can use one of two effects!" The other effect wasn't applicable though, so it was just one. "I'll add a "Speedroid" Spell or Trap from my deck to my hand!" Yugo picked up the card. Grinning, he gestured forward. "I can't Special Summon monsters on the turn that I activate this effect, except WIND monsters. But that's not a big deal to me! Tuning the Level 3 Hi-Speedroid Cork Shooter to the Level 7 Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

He hadn't used it against Rin because it was suboptimal then. However, now…

Now, he couldn't hold anything back, against such a difficult foe. He had to put in his hundred percent—every single part of his arsenal.

If he could slow down Jack here…

"Two Synchro Monsters as Synchro Material," Jack said. "So you learned it too?"

"Rin learned it first," Yugo said, giving her the credit—after all, without seeing that stunning Accel Synchro Summon from her, he would never have hoped and dreamed of a monster like this. "But yes. This is the monster that helped me—helped us defeat Roget! Crystalline wings glimmer with dispersed light! Dragon as fast as the speed of light, strike our foes down with the boldness of your prismatic glare, and silence evil by taking control of the storm! Accel Synchro Summon! Level 10! Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" The bright blue and white dragon appeared, green crystals shimmering on its wings and body. Light scattered around it. As it swirled its striped tail through the air, winds were called up around them.

Yugo… didn't feel anything sinister from it. Nothing cold.

Just elegance—and promise.

[Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (10*/3000/2500/WIND/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

"A majestic dragon," Jack said. "Accel Synchro… I never learned it myself, since I was always more focused on my own Double Tuning."

"Why not use both? Arisu does."

"Yes, your prodigy of a sister." Jack shook his head. "It's simple preference—while Accel Synchro monsters are strong, they require far more steps than my Double Tuning. And my deck is far more optimised for that as well."

"True! But I can't help it—both methods are just so cool!" Yugo grinned. "I'll tribute Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke to Normal Summon Speedroid Passinglider!" A white plane-like monster appeared—a small robot was in the pilot's seat, thin mechanical arms operating the controls. There were some darker blue accents on the plane. Small bolts of lightning exploded all around it.

The final of his four Pendulum Monsters.

[Speedroid Passinglider (5*/S3/2200/2000/WIND/Machine/Pendulum/Effect)]

"When Speedroid Passinglider is Normal or Special Summoned, I can target a Level 4 or lower "Speedroid" monster in my graveyard, and then I can Special Summon it back to my field! Return to the field, Speedroid Terrortop!" He grinned. "Open, circuit of optimistic futures and dreams! Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two WIND monsters! I will set Speedroid Passinglider and Speedroid Terrortop in the Link Markers! Missile that flies through the air and opens the path to my dreams! Crash forth! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 2! Hi-Speedroid Rubber Band Shooter!" His Link Monster appeared in his Extra Monster Zone.

[Hi-Speedroid Rubber Band Shooter (L2/1000/WIND/Machine/Link/Effect/↙, ↘)]

He really had to hand it to Miharu—Rubber Band Shooter alone was one of the best support monsters that he'd ever had. He had pretty much gotten used to summoning it at this point—though it was still a bit odd to not have to worry about the Levels of the monsters that he was using as material.

"Rubber Band Shooter's effect. I'll banish the Level 6 Hi-Speedroid Kendama from my Extra Deck and reveal the Level 3 Speedroid CarTurbo and the Level 3 Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice from my deck, whose total Levels equal Kendama's Level!" He held out the two cards. Above him, the holograms of two unknown cards spun around, rapidly exchanging positions. "And then, you randomly pick one of them for me to add to my hand! The other one is sent to the graveyard. So, left or right?"

"Left," Jack said, without a moment's hesitation.

"Whoa, you're quick!"

"What need is there to hesitate? I do not know which card I'm picking. I will simply trust my intuition and the result."

… man, Jack was always so cool.

Yugo dropped one of the cards in the graveyard, and then picked up the other

"And I'm not done yet!" Yugo called out. "Spell Card, Speedroid Wheel! I'll discard a card and roll a dice! Then, I can Special Summon up to two "Speedroid" monsters from my deck with a total Level equal to the number that I rolled, but their effects are negated! However, if I can't summon anything, I lose life points equal to the result times 500!"

Not that it was possible—Yugo could easily summon monsters with any of the current Level combinations.

The dice rolled. It spun around… and then it landed on a '5'.

"Come! Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice! Speedroid Horse Stilts!" In front of him, the two familiar monsters appeared. One of them was the golden dice, spinning around rapidly—the other, the mechanical white and green hobby horse, galloping on its thin stilt-like legs. Blue flames swirled around behind it, forming a trail as it sped along the road.

[Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice (1*/100/100/WIND/Machine/Tuner/Effect)]

[Speedroid Horse Stilts (4*/1100/1100/WIND/Machine/Effect)]

Yugo had never owned a toy like that. To be honest, the fact that his entire deck was based around toys… while he still thought that they were the coolest monsters ever, it did bother him when people tried to call it childish.

Because what parts of that could be called 'childish', when he didn't associate them with childhood?

Martha had done her best, and they'd certainly had games—Yugo had never been alone in the orphanage, and even if they didn't have any physical possessions to use for toys, they still had each other.

But a part of Yugo had always wanted them. Just as something his own—a dream, make-believe.

He'd told Rin once. Rin had folded her arms and said: "If you really want them, Yugo, then why don't we make them?"

So they'd scrounged around in the garage, finding some old bamboo poles. Some torn fabric. It felt like a waste—after all, their ultimate dream was still their D-Wheel, and they could be focusing on materials for that. But in the end, when they looked at their rough, patchwork creation, Yugo couldn't help but grin.

(It had been ruined immediately, the first time that it rained. Yugo still thought that it was worth it, to have that small moment.)

"I'll tune the Level 1 Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice to the Level 4 Speedroid Horse Stilts!" Yugo declared. "Lively soul of swordplay. Synchro Summon! Come, Level 5! Hi-Speedroid Chanbara!" The red and green sword monster appeared, ready for battle—yet another part of his arsenal, to be wielded against Jack.

[Hi-Speedroid Chanbara (5*/2000/1000/WIND/Machine/Synchro/Effect)]

"I'll banish Speedroid CarTurbo from the graveyard, along with another WIND monster—Hi-Speedroid Cork Shooter!" A bright glow surrounded all three monsters on his field. "With CarTurbo's effect, all WIND monsters I control gain 800 attack points!"

[Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon: 3000 + 800 = 3800ATK]

[Hi-Speedroid Rubber Band Shooter: 1000 + 800 = 1800ATK]

[Hi-Speedroid Chanbara: 2000 + 800 = 2800ATK]

"Let's do this!" Yugo declared. "Battle Phase!"

"Continuous Trap, Red Screen," Jack said—having not been perturbed by Yugo's continuous Synchro Summons at all. "My opponent cannot declare attacks while I control this card."

"When my opponent activates a Spell or Trap card, or a Spell or Trap effect, I can activate the effect of Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Yugo countered. "I can negate the activation of that card and destroy it! Dichroic Scattering Mirror!"

Red Screen burst into glittering red shards of light that scattered around them.

Yugo saw Jack's eyes widen slightly—and then, a nod.

He couldn't waste this opportunity. This was likely the only shot that he had at taking out Scarlight quickly. He also had to make sure to destroy Scarlight after Red Resonator Dragon, so that Crimson Gaia wouldn't activate. He at least had to try to make sure that Jack wasn't gaining that much card advantage.

"Battle Phase!" He declared. "Hi-Speedroid Chanbara attacks Red Resonator Dragon! And when Chanbara battles, it permanently gains 200 attack points!" The sword monster charged forward—cutting straight through Red Resonator Dragon.

[Hi-Speedroid Chanbara: 2800 + 200 = 3000ATK]

Jack: 6500 - 1400 = 5100LP

"And Chanbara can declare two attacks each turn!" Yugo reminded. "Hi-Speedroid Chanbara attacks Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!" Yet again, Chanbara dashed forward.

"I will activate the effect of Red Resonator Dragon in the graveyard," Jack said. "I will banish it to negate that attack and Special Summon two "Resonator" monsters from my deck in Defense Position!"

"I'll activate the effect of Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Yugo declared—his grin brighter than ever. "Guess what? Crystal Clear Wing is the one monster of mine that overcomes my weaknesses! When a monster effect is activated, it becomes unaffected by all your monsters' activated effects, and it gains attack points equal to the attack points of the monster whose effect was activated! This lasts until the End Phase! Refraction Mirror Armour!"

[Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon: 3800 + 1600 = 5400ATK]

Of course, it didn't actually negate the effect, but still, it put him in good shape to take out Scarlight with Crystal Clear Wing, since Jack had already run through two effects to negate attacks—he couldn't have that many ways of protecting Scarlight right now, right?

"Red Resonator Dragon's effect resolves," Jack declared. "Come from the deck—Soul Resonator! Clock Resonator!" First, the fiery demon with a collar of green leaf-like structures appeared—then, a small demon in a blue robe, with a large clock behind it.

[Soul Resonator (3*/500/200/FIRE/Fiend/Tuner/Effect)]

[Clock Resonator (3*/1200/600/EARTH/Fiend/Tuner/Effect)]

"When Soul Resonator is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add a Level 4 or lower Fiend monster from my deck to my hand." Jack picked up yet another card.

Well, if the attack had been negated, all that Yugo could do was try again.

First, though…

"Rubber Band Shooter will attack Soul Resonator!" Yugo declared. The rocket fired off a shot—with an explosion, the small Tuner monster was destroyed. "And now, Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! Spread your wings and take flight! My dragon will attack Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend! Heavensgate Gale Strike!"

"... unless your dragon has a third negation effect, my dragon should survive," Jack said—it was a little tongue in cheek, for all that he still had a stoic expression. "I'll activate the effect of Brutal Red in my hand. By discarding it when Scarlight would be destroyed, this turn, it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, and it gains 1000 attack points!"

"... okay," Yugo said impishly. "But if that activates when it's about to be destroyed, you still take the full battle damage!"

Jack held up a hand to shield himself—Scarlight survived the attack with a triumphant roar.

Jack: 5100 - 2400 = 2700LP

Afterwards, it then gained 1000 attack points with Brutal Red's effect.

[Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend: 3000 + 1000 = 4000ATK]

It didn't matter though, since Yugo had no more attacks left that turn.

"I'll end my turn," Yugo said. Both Scarlight and Crystal Clear Wing's attack points returned back to normal. Still, even if Jack used Scarlight's effect next turn, Crystal Clear Wing would survive anyway.

[Turn 4: Jack] [H:6]

"Draw!" Jack declared. "I'll activate the Spell Card, Red Dragon Vase. Since I control "Red Dragon Archfiend", I can draw two cards!"

Yugo didn't use Crystal Clear Wing's effect on that—

After all, there was a very important target that he was saving it for.

"I will activate the effect of Crimson Gaia!"

Right there.

"I'll use the effect of Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Yugo declared. "I'll negate the activation of that effect and destroy that card! Dichroic Scattering Mirror!"

Crimson Gaia burst into fragments too. Good.

That way, he wouldn't be caught in the vicious cycle of Crimson Gaia and Red Zone like Yuya. (With those two on the field, it became basically impossible to get rid of Scarlight.)

"I thought so," Jack said. "Well done. I will activate the effect of Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend! I will destroy all Special Summoned Effect Monsters on the field with equal or lower attack points to Scarlight!"

"I'll use the effect of Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! Refraction Mirror Armour!" The dragon glowed, once again protecting itself.

[Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon: 3000 + 3000 = 6000ATK]

However, Chanbara and Rubber Band Shooter were both destroyed—Clock Resonator remained on the field, oddly.

Yugo: 4000 - 500 x 2 = 3000LP

"Once per turn, if Clock Resonator is in face-up Defense Position, it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects," Jack explained.

"Oh," Yugo said. He shook his head. "Chanbara's effect! I will add a banished "Speedroid" card to my hand!" He quickly picked up another card.

"I will activate the Spell Card, Scarlet Security! Since I control "Red Dragon Archfiend", I can destroy all Spells and Traps you control!"

Yugo's set card was destroyed, along with his Pendulum Scales—much to his dismay.

"Spell Card, Resonator Command. I will discard a "Resonator" monster to add a Level 4 or lower Fiend monster from my deck to my hand. Then I'll discard a card from my hand to Special Summon Bone Archfiend from my graveyard again!" The skeletal monster reappeared on the field. "And I'll use Bone Archfiend's effect. I will send another Fiend Tuner from my deck to the graveyard—and this time, I will decrease Clock Resonator's Level by 1!"

[Clock Resonator: 3* - 1* = 2*]

"Then, since there is a Level 5 or higher DARK monster on the field, I can Special Summon Vision Resonator from my hand!" The fiend in dark robes with a red eye on them appeared.

[Vision Resonator (2*/400/400/DARK/Fiend/Tuner/Effect)]

Two Level 2 Tuners…

"Wait, you're bringing that card out immediately?"

"No reason to wait. I'll tune the Level 2 Vision Resonator and the Level 2 Clock Resonator to the Level 8 Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend! The King and the Devil, here and now shall become as one. Savage soul! Lift up the very cries of Creation itself! Synchro Summon! Level 12! Come forth, Scar-Red Nova Dragon!" Jack's strongest monster appeared with a ferocious roar, flames bursting forth and burning around them, on the railings of the track.

[Scar-Red Nova Dragon (12*/3500/3000/DARK/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

"Vision Resonator's effect. I assume you know the drill by now." Jack added another card to his hand. "I have seven Tuner monsters in my graveyard. Scar-Red Nova Dragon gains 500 attack points for each one."

So that was…

Seven thousand attack points?

[Scar-Red Nova Dragon: 3500 + 500 x 7 = 7000ATK]

"You exceeded Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's attack points…"

"That monster can't be destroyed by card effects, since it becomes unaffected by my card effects," Jack said. "And besides, that would be a disservice to you. I will defeat your monster with pure strength—by exceeding your monster's attack points now!" He raised a fist, revealing another card in his hand. "I will Normal Summon Crimson Resonator." Another one of the fiery Resonators appeared on the field, whips of flame lashing sharply through the air.

[Crimson Resonator (2*/800/300/DARK/Fiend/Tuner/Effect)]

"Since the only other monster I control is a DARK Dragon Synchro Monster, I can use the effect of Crimson Resonator. I will Special Summon two more "Resonator" monsters from my deck! Come—Flare Resonator! Barrier Resonator!" The fiend with an orange banner around its neck appeared, a flame pattern on it. Meanwhile, next to it was another Resonator, with two bright antennas on its back, glowing golden, lightning crackling around it.

[Flare Resonator (3*/300/1300/FIRE/Fiend/Tuner/Effect)]

[Barrier Resonator (1*/300/800/LIGHT/Fiend/Tuner/Effect)]

"Then, with Wandering King Wildwind's effect, since I control a Fiend Tuner with less than 1500 attack points, I can Special Summon it from my hand!" The beastly warrior in a leafy green cape appeared—filling up all the Main Monster Zones on Jack's field.

[Wandering King Wildwind (4*/1700/1300/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"You're still going to Synchro Summon?" Yugo exclaimed.

"You pulled off three Synchro Summons and a Link Summon last turn," Jack said. "Should I not respond in kind? I'll tune the Level 2 Crimson Resonator to the Level 4 Wandering King Wildwind! I will Synchro Summon another copy of Red Resonator Dragon!" The smaller red dragon from before appeared again. "And I will add another "Resonator" card or a card that lists "Red Dragon Archfiend" in its card text from my deck to my hand!" He swiped up yet another card from his deck. "I'll then tune the Level 3 Flare Resonator to the Level 6 Red Resonator Dragon!"

Level 9! Then that was…

"Demon King unleashed from the darkness of the abyss! Let your rage explode with the power of my very soul! Synchro Summon! Level 9! Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss!" The dark, demonic-looking dragon appeared, a sharp contrast to Scar-Red Nova Dragon's bright, blazing red body and aura.

[Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss (9*/3200/2500/DARK/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

… this was troublesome. Yugo grinned to himself, though there was a certain level of dismay to it.

"While Flare Resonator would give the monster that used it as Synchro Material 300 attack points, that doesn't matter to me right now."

"Why?"

"I still have one more Tuner," Jack said. "Finally, I will tune the Level 1 Barrier Resonator to the Level 9 Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss! Let the peaks roar! Split the mountains and come forth, along with the flames of the earth! Synchro Summon! Level 10! Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Bane!" The new dragon was also dark red in colour, but it also had some silver-grey, sharp spikes on its wings, along with curved, demonic horns on top of its head. Orange gem-like structures covered its hide and scales.

[Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Bane (10*/3500/3000/DARK/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

"Since I control a Synchro Monster, I can Special Summon Creation Resonator from my hand!" The silver and blue fiend with a bright neon blue fan at the back of its body appeared.

[Creation Resonator (3*/800/600/WIND/Fiend/Tuner/Effect)]

"I'll activate the effect of Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Bane. I'll tribute a monster to Special Summon a "Red Dragon Archfiend" monster from my graveyard! I'll tribute Creation Resonator! Come back! Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss!" The previous Synchro Monster appeared.

All three red dragons took to the sky—towering over Yugo, casting a dark shadow over the track. Many of the audience members were cheering—having three of Scarlight's evolutions on the field at the same time? It was a rare sight. Honestly, Yugo would be absolutely hyped about it too if he was in the audience—he would be cheering Jack's name the whole time.

But…

Of course, he still felt the same way, even as Jack's opponent—hyped up, excited, awaiting the next move.

His single dragon floated on the field—waiting, still defending him.

"Don't forget, I just sent four more Tuners to the graveyard."

[Scar-Red Nova Dragon: 7000 + 500 x 4 = 9000ATK]

If that attack hit… Yugo would lose.

"Battle Phase! Scar-Red Nova Dragon attacks Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! Burning Soul!"

Yugo breathed out.

Let's keep things simple.

There's no need to talk about trickery when dueling someone as direct as me!

"I'll banish Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice from my graveyard and negate the attack!" Yugo called out.

"While I control a Level 10 or higher DARK Dragon Synchro Monster, I can banish the Trap Card, Time to Stand Up, from my graveyard. I can negate that effect, and a Synchro Monster I control gains 2000 attack points!"

And he decided the target only after the effect resolved.

Then, if he couldn't negate it…

"I'll banish Speedroid Otedama from the graveyard, along with another WIND monster, like Rubber Band Shooter, to activate its effect!" He picked up the card. "I can increase the attack points of a monster I control by 1000 for each Special Summoned monster the opponent controls until the End Phase!"

[Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon: 6000 + 1000 x 3 = 9000ATK]

"Simply trying to survive?" Jack said, arching an eyebrow. "Very well. I will use Time to Stand Up's effects on Scar-Red Nova Dragon! It gains 2000 attack points!"

[Scar-Red Nova Dragon: 9000 + 2000 = 11000ATK]

The two dragons dashed at each other—white against red, winds and flames. However, in the end, Scar-Red Nova Dragon grabbed Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, smashing the dragon directly into the ground—

And yet, it wasn't destroyed.

The damage washed over Yugo, who held onto his D-Wheel as the flames scattered around him.

Yugo: 3000 - 2000 = 1000LP

"Why wasn't it destroyed?" Jack asked.

"I banished the same Trap that you destroyed earlier from the graveyard," Yugo said, referring to the set card that had been destroyed. "Speedroid Swift Escape. So, since my Crystal Clear Wing wasn't destroyed… you can't attack with either of your monsters, right?"

"... very well. Let's see how you do next turn then. I'll activate the Spell Card, Graceful Charity. I'll draw three cards and discard two. Then, I'll set a card and end my turn."

Yugo breathed out sharply in relief.

He'd escaped by the skin of his teeth. In fact, to someone else, his desperate attempts to survive that turn might have seemed like flailing—maybe someone who was more arrogant might see it as disgraceful.

But as long as he survived to have another turn, to continue fighting…

Who cared how disgraceful he looked? Who cared if it looked like he was desperate, like he was fighting for his life?

He had been looked down upon for so many years—he was very thick-skinned by now.

And as long as he could, he would keep on flailing!

[Turn 5: Yugo] [H:2]

"Draw," Yugo said.

Another hit from Scarlight, if it came back, would probably finish him off. Come to think of it, all of the different dragons that Jack had would probably finish him off too.

What a mess…

"I'll banish Speed Recovery to add a "Speedroid" monster from my graveyard to my hand." He picked up 'that' monster. "I'll then activate the Spell Card, Graceful Charity, too! I will draw three cards and discard two! Then, I'll Normal Summon Speedroid Horse Stilts!" The white and green horse from earlier appeared on the field, letting out a loud neigh. "Horse Stilts' effect. I will Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Speedroid" monster from my hand! Come—Speedroid Fuki-Modoshi Piper!" The white clay doll with a green hat appeared on the field again. "Then, since I control two other WIND monsters, I can excavate the top two cards of my deck and add a card from among them to my hand!"

He glanced through both cards, picking up one of them and shuffling the other into the deck.

"I'll tune the Level 4 Speedroid Fuki-Modoshi Piper to the Level 4 Speedroid Horse Stilts! Metal dragon with the power of the shining, free winds, take flight with the ideals of those who wish to rise! Synchro Summon! Level 8! Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake!" The blue and silver metallic dragon appeared on the field.

[Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake (8*/3000/2800/WIND/Machine/Synchro/Effect)]

"Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake's effect!" Yugo declared. "When Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake is Synchro Summoned, I can either destroy all other cards on the field, or I can negate the effects of all cards my opponent controls! I'll choose…"

The truth was, Jack Atlas used Scar-Red Nova Dragon as a monster with high attack points—as such, Yugo had no clue what its effects actually were. However, he did know that Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss negated the effects of a face-up card on the field.

I need to make Jack Atlas think that he has to respond to Kitedrake, no matter what.

"I'll choose to permanently negate the effects of all cards you control! Leisure Hurricane!"

Yugo watched Jack—he saw the other man make his decision quickly, as though there was nothing to negate.

"I will chain the effect of Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss," Jack decided. "I will target Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake and negate its effects this turn!" Crimson flames emerged around Kitedrake.

"Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect!" Yugo declared. "Refraction Mirror Armour!"

His dragon's attack points shot up immediately, even as it was immediately rendered immune to any of Jack's activated monster effects.

[Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon: 3000 + 3200 = 6200ATK]

However, Jack's dragon still managed to use its effect, cutting off Kitedrake's effect.

But that was fine.

"Thanks, Kitedrake," Yugo said, grinning. "I couldn't do this without you!" He revealed a card in his hand. "Spell Card, Shock Surprise! I'll banish two "Speedroid" monsters from the graveyard—Red-Eyed Dice and Horse Stilts—to target that many cards on the field and destroy them! I'll destroy Scar-Red Nova Dragon and Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Bane!"

A sharp shockwave hit the field, hitting both of Jack's dragons.

"I will banish Soul Resonator from the graveyard to protect cards I control from destruction by a card effect," Jack said.

… sure. That also had to be removed from the graveyard anyway.

"I'll banish Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke from the graveyard to Special Summon a "Speedroid" Tuner from the graveyard. Come back—Speedroid Gum Prize!" Yugo brought back one of the cards that he had just discarded—a small white robot.

[Speedroid Gum Prize (1*/0/800/WIND/Machine/Tuner/Effect)]

"I'll tune the Level 1 Speedroid Gum Prize to the Level 8 Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake! Let the winds fuel your trek, and take the form of the beast that travels faster than light! Synchro Summon! Level 9! Stellar Wind Wolfrayet!" The large blue wolf with red spikes on its back appeared on the field.

[Stellar Wind Wolfrayet (9*/2500/0/WIND/Beast/Synchro/Effect)]

"I'll activate the effect of Speedroid Gum Prize! I'll send the top card of my deck to the graveyard, and if it's a "Speedroid" monster, the Synchro Monster that used it as Synchro Material gains 1000 attack points!" He picked up the top card of his deck.

… please.

He flipped it over—and grinned. He showed it to Jack.

"It's a "Speedroid" monster, alright! So Wolfrayet gains 1000 attack points!"

[Stellar Wind Wolfrayet: 2500 + 1000 = 3500ATK]

"And Wolfrayet gains 300 attack points, since another monster's effect was activated!"

[Stellar Wind Wolfrayet: 3500 + 300 = 3800ATK]

Just one more…

"I'll Special Summon Speedroid Taketomborg from my hand, since I control a WIND monster!" The blue and gold robot appeared, spinning around.

[Speedroid Taketomborg (3*/600/1200/WIND/Machine/Effect)]

"And then, I will activate Taketomborg's effect! I'll tribute it and Special Summon a "Speedroid" Tuner monster from my deck! Come, Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice!" The spinning blue glass dice appeared, the red eye on the front seeming to glow dimly.

[Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice (3*/300/1500/WIND/Machine/Tuner/Effect)]

"Wolfrayet gains 300 more attack points, since I activated another monster effect!"

[Stellar Wind Wolfrayet: 3800 + 300 = 4100ATK]

"And while Wolfrayet's attack points are higher than 4000, I can shuffle it and all monsters you control into the deck!"

Jack's eyes widened. That much was a sign to Yugo.

It was likely that Scar-Red Nova Dragon had its own protection, its own ways of keeping itself on the field. But it was impossible for it to be invincible.

Yugo had counted on that.

Most monsters protected themselves from destruction. Some, though it was more rare, protected themselves from being banished—with a sister like Kaname Mizuchi, Yugo was at least aware of that much. Targeting immunity was also somewhat common on the strongest monsters.

But Wolfrayet's ability circumvented all that. There was no way to escape it unless a monster was completely immune to effects, or unless a monster could negate an effect.

That was why Kitedrake was so important. By using an effect that forced Jack Atlas to negate it, no matter what—and even if he hadn't, Abyss would have been cut off from activating its effects too by Kitedrake—he had forced Jack into a state where there was almost nothing he could do to stop this.

Almost.

Yugo looked at Jack, noticing that the blond man didn't reach for his set card.

So that card couldn't do anything against Wolfrayet either? Great!

Yugo raised a fist in the air.

"Do it, Wolfrayet!" He declared. "Starwind Eclipse!"

And with a loud howl, Wolfrayet seemed to fold in on itself—

And the field that had seemed so doomed, which had clearly revealed itself to be deadly—Yugo had not forgotten the monster with eleven thousand attack points from earlier—

That field, Jack Atlas's destructive and impenetrable, tyrannical dragons all collapsed under the currents of the wind, swept away.

Yugo let out a whooping sound. He heard some comments as he drove by—snippets that faded in and out of hearing.

"—did you see that—"

"—three at once—"

"—powerful—"

"—no one has beaten Scar-Red Nova—"

Yugo basked in it—the feeling of being recognised, and the feeling of accomplishment. He had done something that a younger version of himself would have thought was impossible—he had broken Jack Atlas's field.

"Am I the first one?" He asked.

"To defeat Scar-Red Nova Dragon?" Jack was smiling now too—something appreciative, perhaps even proud. "Yes, you are."

"You're not upset?"

"Of seeing true strength in another? Naturally not." Jack turned his head back, looking forward. "Well, Yugo? What's your next move?"

… if Jack was still so confident that he could survive, then it had to be the set card, right? But he still had Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, so it didn't matter what Jack was using.

And yes, Jack still had the second copy of Red Resonator Dragon in the graveyard, but it didn't matter, because that monster's effect only worked if Yugo attacked a monster that Jack controlled. Not Jack himself.

The uncontrollable smile tugged at Yugo's lips.

He could win. He could do this.

"Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon attacks directly!" He declared. "Heavensgate Gale Strike!"

"I will activate the effect of Red Feather in my hand," Jack said, and Yugo's eyes widened. His defense wasn't the set card? "If my opponent declares a direct attack, I can Special Summon it from my hand, and it cannot be destroyed by battle until my next End Phase!" A fiery red bird appeared in front of him, folding its wings around itself as a shield.

[Red Feather (3*/1400/1000/FIRE/Fiend/Effect)]

"... in that case, I'll have to pause my attack." Yugo grimaced. "I'll end my turn."

All that effort to wipe away all of Jack's dragons, the largest threats that he'd ever faced, only to be stopped by a small bird of fire.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Jack said. "We in the City tend to miss things because we focus on only one side. You see the strongest monsters as the only threat, and forget what might lurk behind them. We see only the brightest stars or the darkest pits, and we fail to accept any part of the world that does not exist in black and white. Or, if we escape that black and white idea of power, we end up stuck in indistinguishable grey, unable to escape the feeling that nothing will change."

The city stirred—crowds that had already been forced into uncomfortable reflection far too many times, but had to confront themselves again.

"Tell me, Yugo Kirijo," Jack said imperiously. "When you look at this city and this match, what do you see?"

"... I think I'm going to disappoint you," Yugo said. "But to me, you're my dream." He clenched a fist, smiling. "I can't focus on anything right now except the match itself. So there might be lessons, there might be stuff that others are learning… but to me, it's just a dream. And I just want to fight as much as I can, until I win—or until I can't fight anymore."

"Hah. And that's fine."

Huh? He hadn't disappointed Jack with that?

Jack raised a fist. "I do believe that you may be the challenger that I've been waiting for. Yes, you are strong—but I think that we in the city have a lesson to learn, and it's that strength is not all that matters. We have long clouded our understanding of power and strength with these polluted ideas of black and white. But strength is not something that can be defined so easily—nor should it define us. That is the path of tyranny—and it is a path that I will never allow this city to walk again."

---

Up in the area where administrative matters for the Friendship Cup were handled, Arisu watched the screen. Her grip around the cup in her hands was so tight that it felt like her nails were going numb—as she turned her head, there was something quietly contemplative to her expression.

"What's on your mind?" Carly asked, having been there to help to settle things.

"… I was just thinking that he's surprisingly idealistic after all."

"Well, it is Jack. There's nothing wrong with ideals though!"

"There isn't anything wrong with them," Arisu agreed. "But he… just then, he actually gave me hope." She chuckled. "He's a good man. I didn't think so back then, but now, I feel that way."

---

"So, against you, I would like to exist not as your dream, but as simply another opponent. We are both duelists that duel with the fervour of our burning souls, Yugo—there is no need to place me on a pedestal."

"Maybe if I beat you, I'll stop," Yugo said. "But for now… I still just admire you!"

Jack sighed, but there was something indulgent in his eyes. "Fine," he said. "It's my turn."

He now had a set card on the field and Red Feather, though he had nothing else. Meanwhile, Yugo still had Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon on the field.

[Turn 6: Jack] [H:1]

"Draw. I will banish Wandering King Wildwind from my graveyard to add a Fiend Tuner with 1500 attack points from my deck to my hand." Jack picked up another card. "And by banishing Red Rising Dragon from the graveyard, I can Special Summon two Level 1 "Resonator" monsters from the graveyard! Return! Synkron Resonator! Barrier Resonator!" Two small Fiend monsters appeared on the field. "I'll then activate the effect of Bone Archfiend! I'll send another copy of Vision Resonator from my hand to the graveyard to Special Summon it!"

Now, Jack's field had gone back to four monsters.

"Since Vision Resonator was sent to the graveyard, I can add another Spell or Trap that lists "Red Dragon Archfiend" in its card text from my deck to my hand." Jack picked up the card. "Spell Card, Monster Reborn. Return to the field, Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!"

"I'll use Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect to negate it! Dichroic Scattering Mirror!"

The card shattered. Jack did not seem to care.

"But that is the only negation that you have," he said. "I will activate the effect of Bone Archfiend. I will send another Fiend Tuner from my deck to the graveyard and increase Red Feather's Level by 1!" The bird of flames let out an approving cry.

[Red Feather: 3* + 1* = 4*]

"I'll tune the Level 1 Synkron Resonator to the Level 4 Red Feather! Dark dragon that descends on the field, let the power of creation and life infuse the darkness! Synchro Summon! Level 5! Samsara, Dragon of Rebirth!" A black and white dragon appeared, with a red light shining from the middle of its chest, the pale scales reflecting the red light and taking on a darker tinge.

[Samsara, Dragon of Rebirth (5*/100/2600/DARK/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

"Synkron Resonator's effect. I'll add a "Resonator" monster from my graveyard to my hand. Then, Red Feather's effect! By banishing it from the graveyard, I can Special Summon a "Red" or "Resonator" monster from the graveyard!"

Red…

"Return to the field!" Jack declared. "Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!"

Jack's dragon reappeared with a ferocious roar.

"Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend's effect! I will destroy all Special Summoned Effect Monsters on the graveyard and inflict 500 damage to you for each! Absolute Powerflame!"

Even if Crystal Clear Wing rendered itself immune to the effect, Jack would still be able to destroy his other monsters. The ensuing damage would be enough to finish Yugo off…

"I'll banish Breakthrough Skill from the graveyard!" He declared. "I'll target Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend and negate its effects until the End Phase!" With that, he quickly cut off Scarlight's explosive flames.

"I see. That's disappointing, though not altogether unexpected." Jack put down the card in his hand. "Spell Card, Red Dragon Vase! I will draw two cards, since I control "Red Dragon Archfiend"!"

Yugo held his breath as Jack drew the cards—

And as the corner of Jack's lips curved up, felt anticipation building up within him.

"Allow me to show you something else," Jack said. He flipped up his set card. "Trap Card. Assault Mode Activate!"

"Assault Mode?" Yugo repeated. "What's… that?"

"Let me show you. I'll tribute Scarlight. And now, I can Special Summon a "/Assault Mode" monster from my deck whose name includes the tributed monster's name! And since Scarlight's name becomes "Red Dragon Archfiend" on the field…"

The dragon shot up, flying through a portal of light.

"I can Special Summon this monster from the deck! Burst through your limits and return in a new form! Red Dragon Archfiend/Assault Mode!"

The dragon that returned still had rich red scales, but its wings were no longer red—instead, they were coal black. Many other parts of the dragon's body also appeared darker—like a shadow had been wrapped around it. However, with its dark yet majestic appearance, there was no cause for doubt.

This was still another powerful form of Jack's ace.

[Red Dragon Archfiend/Assault Mode (10*/3500/2500/DARK/Dragon/Effect)]

"And now, I will banish Double Resonator from the graveyard. I'll target Bone Archfiend—and this turn, it is treated as a Tuner monster!"

A Tuner monster…

Wait, two Tuners again? Then that meant…

"I will tune the Level 4 Bone Archfiend and the Level 1 Barrier Resonator to the Level 5 Samsara, Dragon of Rebirth! Ruler and Devil, they cross now and here! Touch the soul of the Crimson Dragon, and raise up the cry of creation! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 10! Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend!" Scarlight's first evolved form appeared on the field, a whirlwind stirring up around it—cinders drifting through the air.

[Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend (10*/3500/3000/DARK/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

So, was Jack going to use Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend's effect, and banish something from the graveyard to protect the Assault Mode monster?

"Continuous Spell, Red Reject." Jack played the final card in his hand. "And now, I'll move to my Battle Phase!"

"Huh?" Yugo gasped.

"I know that you were intentionally holding back on using Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect until you could gain as many attack points as possible from it," Jack said. "So you were waiting for me to use the effect of one of my stronger monsters. But… I'm not giving you that chance. Like I said earlier, your monster can only be defeated through battle—and that is what I will do. Red Dragon Archfiend/Assault Mode attacks Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

"I'll banish Tri-Eyed Dice from the graveyard to negate the attack!" Yugo said, quickly removing his second copy of Tri-Eyed Dice from the graveyard.

"Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend attacks Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! Infernal Crimson Hell Tide!"

Yugo grimaced.

He had no way of defending against that…

The crimson flames burned away his monster, and swallowed him as well.

Yugo: 1000 - 500 = 500LP

"When Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon is sent to the graveyard, I can add a WIND monster from my deck to my hand!" Yugo declared. Even as the flames died down.

"Very well," Jack said. "I will end my turn. Show me how you will recover from this."

[Turn 7: Yugo] [H:2]

"Draw!" Yugo declared. His field was empty now, but…

Well. There was a reason that he'd added this card to his hand on the last turn.

"I'll activate the effect of Wind Witch - Ice Bell!" He declared. Jack raised an eyebrow. "Since I control no monsters, I can Special Summon her from my deck, along with a "Wind Witch" monster from my deck! I'll Special Summon Wind Witch - Glass Bell!"

This is Rin's blessing to me. I could have brought out another copy of Terrortop and Taketomborg instead for the same result, but…

In front of him, Ice Bell and Glass Bell appeared—Rin's most commonly used monsters.

[Wind Witch - Ice Bell (3*/1000/1000/WIND/Spellcaster/Effect)]

[Wind Witch - Glass Bell (4*/1500/1500/WIND/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect)]

"I'll activate Ice Bell's effect! I'll inflict 500 damage to you! And Glass Bell's effect lets me add a "Wind Witch" monster from my deck to my hand!" Ice Bell sent out a blast of wind towards Jack.

Jack: 2700 - 500 = 2200LP

Good. Any amount of damage would help at this point...

"I'll activate the effect of Wind Witch - Snow Bell!" Yugo declared. "Since I control two or more WIND monsters, I can Special Summon her from my hand!" The pure white bell with gold and light blue designs appeared, floating next to the two young witches.

[Wind Witch - Snow Bell (1*/100/100/WIND/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect)]

One copy of Ice Bell, one copy of Glass Bell, one copy of Snow Bell. And of course…

"I'll tune the Level 4 Wind Witch - Glass Bell to the Level 3 Wind Witch - Ice Bell!" Yugo declared. He immediately began to recite the summoning chant—he knew it well, after all. "Midwinter wind. Make ice and snow my power and blow through! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 7! Wind Witch - Winter Bell!" Rin's ace appeared on the field, snowflakes drifting around her—

A cold gale that whipped through his hair.

[Wind Witch - Winter Bell (7*/2400/2000/WIND/Spellcaster/Synchro/Effect)]

"Winter Bell's effect!" Yugo declared—he might as well use it. "I can target a "Wind Witch" monster in my graveyard and inflict 200 damage to you times its Level! I'll target Glass Bell! Hypothermic Subzero!" The ice shot forward at Jack, a sharp chill that filled the air.

Yugo was fine with the cold—he preferred it over the heat.

In the cold, it always meant that Rin was there too.

Jack: 2200 - 200 x 4 = 1400LP

"I'll tune the Level 1 Wind Witch - Snow Bell to the Level 7 Wind Witch - Winter Bell!" Yugo declared. "Shine the wings that store the holy light, and strike down your enemies with its radiance! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 8, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!" Clear Wing's first evolution—the dragon with wings of crystalline white—descended on the field.

[Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon (8*/3000/2500/WIND/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

"Battle Phase!" Yugo declared. No set cards. He didn't remember any of Jack's Tuners that could negate attacks from the graveyard… and even though there was that one card, Red Resonator Dragon, it was a monster effect.

Yugo knew Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend's effect, but he didn't know the other dragon's effect. In that case, the safer option was…

"Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon attacks Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend! Crystallos Edge of Gale!"

Please, Crystal Wing.

Together…

Can we win against him together?

"I will activate the effect of Red Reject," Jack said—bursting Yugo's bubble. "When a "Red Dragon Archfiend" monster I control is targeted for an attack, once per turn—I can banish that targeted monster and negate the attack!"

Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend burst into flames that engulfed the entire field—forcing Crystal Wing back.

"Then, I can destroy the attacking monster!"

"Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon cannot be destroyed by card effects, since Snow Bell was used as material for its Synchro Summon!" Yugo declared. Crystal Wing let out a roar—a sharp chill filled the air, as the flames did nothing to it.

And with Crystal Wing's effect, it would be hard to destroy it through battle too.

Rin's monster, protecting his monster from destruction.

So he would be able to wait until the next turn.

"During the End Phase of the turn that I activated this effect of Red Reject, I can Special Summon "Red Dragon Archfiend" from the graveyard! Return to the field, Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!"

Jack's ace reappeared—with its ever defiant roar.

[Turn 8: Jack] [H:1]

"Draw," Jack said. Despite the fact that he only had a single card in hand… he didn't seem fazed.

On the contrary… he still seemed confident.

"You are thinking right now that since I can't destroy it with card effects, your monster can negate monster effects and it gains attack points when battling… there's nothing that I can do to defeat it, correct?" Jack raised his head. "Let me show you then—my determination. I will activate the Spell Card, Resonator Call. I will add a "Resonator" monster from my deck to my hand. I will then activate the effect of Bone Archfiend in the graveyard."

The card that Jack had added to his hand was probably Vision Resonator. So in that case, letting him send it to the graveyard was just a free search…

"I'll negate that effect with Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon's effect! Dichroic Refraction!"

"... I see," Jack said.

He smiled.

"It seems that this time… I win." He revealed the card in his hand. "I will Normal Summon Chain Resonator!" A demon with bright red orbs for eyes appeared, a black chain floating through the air behind it.

[Chain Resonator (1*/100/100/DARK/Fiend/Tuner/Effect)]

Chain Resonator… in that case, if Yugo hadn't negated the effect, it would have made no difference.

So Jack had baited him, through Yugo's knowledge of those effects?

"When Chain Resonator is Normal Summoned while there is a Synchro Monster on the field, I can Special Summon a "Resonator" monster from my deck, except Chain Resonator itself! Come! Rising Resonator!"

A new Tuner monster appeared on the field—similar in appearance to all of the Resonator monsters, but with a saffron yellow and crimson red colour scheme. Its eyes were a peculiar, bright yellow. It swung a tuning fork through the air—leaving white-grey ash trailing behind it.

[Rising Resonator (1*/500/800/DARK/Fiend/Tuner/Effect)]

"Rising… Resonator?"

"When Rising Resonator is Normal or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a banished DARK Dragon Synchro Monster to my field in Defense Position—but its effects are negated, and it cannot change battle position!" Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend reappeared on the field with a roar.

In that case… the only reason that Jack had brought it out was to use it as Synchro Material.

"Are you bringing out Scar-Red Nova Dragon again?" Yugo said.

"Scar-Red Nova Dragon won't help me to defeat your monster," Jack said. He smirked. "And besides, it needs specifically "Red Dragon Archfiend" as material, which Tyrant does not count as. No. This is something else. It is the monster that I only just attained, after my experiences a week ago, after fighting in the terrible chaos that enveloped this city. Scar-Red Nova Dragon is perhaps the most heroic form of my dragon. But chaos and darkness are inherent to war."

He gestured forward.

"And this dragon is the darkness of war that I will unleash on anyone that dares to come near this city with the thoughts of destruction. I will tune the Level 1 Rising Resonator and the Level 1 Chain Resonator to the Level 10 Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend!"

The three monsters shot up. Red clouds gathered around ominously above Jack.

"Great red dragon, crimson beast that rises from the rivers of lava," Jack chanted. "Aloof God of Destruction! Descend from your sacred realm and bring about the end! With your kingly aura, cause your enemies to despair and flee from that which you must protect! Double Tuning! Synchro Summon!"

From the dark clouds, a dragon descended. Its body was perhaps far more fiendish than any of the other dragons that Jack had summoned so far—the one that matched up best to the title of 'archfiend'. Its body had turned primarily black, but long, red-hot spikes could be seen around its body, going from orange to yellow, like molten metal. Red gems were prominently embedded in parts of its body—one in its chest, one on its forehead, some attached to its forearms. It had four arms—two lower arms with long claws, and then, two that were attached to its bright red wings. Black spikes segmented the wings—and yet, the arms that were attached to the wings ended in unmistakably human limbs—thin, human fingers. Thick, bright red horns curved downwards from the sides of its face. Red lines covered its body and tail. Around it, flames burst forth.

"Level 12!" Jack announced, and when the dragon roared, it was deafening—Yugo thought that he might be able to hear it from every part of the city, no matter how far away he was. "Demonic dragon tyrant—Hot Red Dragon Archfiend King Calamity!"

[Hot Red Dragon Archfiend King Calamity (12*/4000/3500/DARK/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

Yugo held on tightly to his D-Wheel to stop himself from falling—the shockwaves were shaking the entire track. Even so, he stared at the dragon.

Jack had said that this monster was the side that he would show to those who dared to attack the city again, right?

Then…

Why was it that this dragon, of all of them… was the only one that truly held the title of 'King' in name?

"When Hot Red Dragon Archfiend King Calamity is Synchro Summoned, I can activate its effect," Jack said. "For the rest of this turn, my opponent cannot activate cards or effects on the field! And my opponent cannot respond to this effect with their cards or effects!"

Cannot… activate?

In that case, Crystal Wing's effect…

"Correct," Jack said, reading his expression. "Even though Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon's effect is mandatory, it is still considered an effect that you activate. Thus—your Crystal Wing is no longer able to defend itself! Nor can you use anything else to defend yourself!" He raised a fist, holding it outwards—and then he opened his hand, fingers splayed out in a display of raw confidence. "Do it, King Calamity! Crimon Suppression Force of Calamity!"

Fire spread out around them—so bright that Yugo had to shield his eyes. Crystal Wing let out a defiant roar—but even it was helpless to stop King Calamity's effect from resolving.

"You truly are an exceptional talent, Yugo," Jack praised. "To think that the only way that I could properly defeat you was through sealing off every move that you could make… but this is it." He turned his head—looking at Yugo head-on. Not looking down on him, but seeing him directly as an opponent. "Attack Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon and end this! Crimson Absolute Break!"

The dragon roared in answer, diving forward. Crystal Wing defiantly moved forward, summoning up winds—standing up even in the face of an impossible dragon.

The heat was unbearable.

Yugo looked at the warring dragons.

"Someday, I want to duel like him! I want to make it to the end of the Friendship Cup!"

He grinned.

"It's okay, Crystal Wing," he said. His dragon turned back to look at him.

Yugo raised a hand. "We lose… this time," he said. "But not next time."

Crystal Wing dodged another blast of wind—and then, it flew next to Yugo, bumping its head against his hand—a silent agreement.

And as the flames consumed both of them—

They accepted their loss together—the two of them.

Yugo: 500 - 1000 = 0LP

Winner: Jack Atlas!

When their D-Wheels came to a stop, Yugo pulled off his helmet.

"You're grinning rather widely for someone who just lost," Jack said, walking over to him.

"... you know, Jack," Yugo said, "I want to win against you. But I also want to see you always getting stronger!" He grinned. "So no. I'm disappointed that I didn't win—but I'm also so happy to see you with an even stronger stronger monster than before."

"... you really are exceptional."

Jack held out a hand. Yugo reached out to shake it—but Jack clasped his hand and raised both of their hands in the air—to the roaring crowds.

"Everyone," he called out. "I may continue to be King—but let us give a round of applause for this young man! Someday—he may grow strong enough to be your next king!"

And suddenly, they were surrounded by applause.

"Bask in it," Jack said. "Those are for you."

The crowd's voices were growing louder and louder.

"Yugo! Yugo! Yugo!"

"Yugo! Yugo! Yugo!"

"Yugo! Yugo! Yugo! Yugo!"

"Z—! Z—! Z—!"

Yugo blinked.

… that recognition…

It was something that he didn't think he'd ever grow tired of.

"Thank you, Jack," he said. "I'm glad that you exist." Because they had all needed someone to look up to—someone that they could trust to be in the right.

Jack Atlas was not perfect. But he was one of the reasons that Yugo could come this far.

He grinned.

"That's why I absolutely will defeat you next time. No matter what."

Jack looked at him—smiling proudly, as always.

"If you do that," he said, "I'll be comfortable leaving this city in your hands, Yugo Kirijo. But you still need more experience first."

Yes.

Yugo would defeat Academia. He'd go through every dimension and figure out his own path to becoming stronger, to defeating his opponents…

And the next time that they stood here again…

It would be him that stood at the end.

He believed in that, as much as he believed in himself.

---

The news about Roget was a really, really shitty ending to the day. It didn't completely ruin his mood—it would be hard for anything to do that right now—but still…

It was hard to think that Roget had been a person who was alive just a few hours ago, and now wasn't.

Most of the Lancers managed to move on from the news—they were moving out tomorrow, after all. They didn't have time to contemplate it—and furthermore, it was easy to tell themselves that Roget had just been a terrible person anyway. Yuno was sticking close to Miharu—clearly terrified by the idea that he might have lost her again. Arisu was talking to Jack quietly in the corner.

"For once, you're not smiling your head off," Rin said. She sat down next to him.

"I just… can't believe it's over, you know? I hated that man for so long." One of the few people in this city that he could say that he hated. But even then, the grisly way that he'd already died…

Even Yugo was a bit shaken.

For someone that actually cared about Roget, then…

"I'm worried for her too."

"... I'm surprised that you're becoming more considerate," Rin said. "But you still have the right to be happy, idiot. Come on. Let's go ride around the city and clear our minds a bit."

… well. That sounded like it would definitely cheer him up.

And Kaname had left, gesturing that he didn't need to follow her.

"Guess we're sleeping late before we leave. Let's go!" Yugo ran out—Rin followed him.

On their last night here, they had to enjoy themselves, at least—in their homeland! Who knew how long it would take before they could come back?

---

The destroyed remains of the room that had housed the power generator greeted her as she entered through the door. Kaname looked at all of it.

There was so much blood. So much of it. The room reeked.

"I will make my final decision," Roget said. "And it will have nothing to do with you."

She should have gotten the officers to check him more. Maybe then—maybe then they might have found that keycard that he'd hidden on his own body. They had checked, but clearly not discreetly enough. Maybe she could have searched the building more, figured out what was going on, destroyed the machine before he could use it…

"You're not at fault, you know."

Kaname turned her head. Mion was there—had she followed Kaname all the way here? Why? It wasn't like they were that close—Kaname hadn't even gotten to know most of the Lancers personally yet.

"I know what you're thinking," Mion said. "I thought that way too. But it's no one's fault except his own, that he made such a terrible choice. You didn't manage to stop him—but you couldn't have, anyway. You would only be delaying it."

Kaname turned back to the debris. She pressed the keys on the keyboard—the robotic voice that left the duel disk carried none of the conflict that she was feeling. "I wanted him to be a better person. I wanted to wait for him to get better—I wanted to help him. I would have done my best to help him be good."

"That makes you a pretty good person, you know." Mion walked over. Kaname turned away—trying to hide her face, despite the fact that the mask had already hidden her well enough. "I'm sorry for your loss. Both of them."

She'd lost two fathers in the course of a week. Of course.

… and she couldn't help but feel that it was the consequence of her own decision to betray them. She did think that she had done the right thing—and that was why it hurt so much. Had she been the one that had killed both of them by wanting to be a better person?

Had she been the one that was foolish in thinking that she would have a better ending through this?

"Oh," Mion said, still looking at her. Kaname realised, with some embarrassment, that her eyes were wet. "Can I, uh…" She reached out with her arms.

Kaname nodded. Mion hugged her—just once, quickly, gentle sympathy.

When Mion drew back, Kaname typed in a few more words.

"How do I…" She hesitated, fingers tensing up. "Get over it? I shouldn't mourn them, right?"

"I still mourn my mother sometimes," Mion said. "I don't think that it ever stops. It just shows that they were important to you. It shows that you have a heart." She gently patted Kaname's shoulder. "It'll always be painful… but it won't always be this painful. I promise."

Kaname nodded, wrapping her arms around herself.

"And coming to look at it yourself…" Mion shook her head. "Don't hurt yourself like this, Mizuchi. If looking back hurts, don't force yourself to look back. Find a goal to move forward for, instead."

Kaname looked at her, tilting her head. She typed in a question. "What is your goal?"

"Mine?" Mion looked up contemplatively. "At first, it was just to survive. I didn't need to make anything of myself, but… the only way that I could make it hurt less was to do my best to survive. Now… I just want to see more of the world. Every world."

Kaname looked down.

A goal that could help her look forward…

She had one.

After all… she was already on her way to doing that.

She would never forgive Roget or Sergey, no matter what…

But if she fought Academia and sought to defeat them, part of it was for them…

That would be for her alone to know.

"You're alright now?" Mion asked. Kaname nodded. The auburn-haired girl cracked a smile. "That's good. Let's head back then—we should get a good rest."

---

OC Cards:

Red Resonator Dragon

(6*/1600/2100/DARK/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)

1+ Fiend Tuners + 1 non-Tuner monster

This card cannot be destroyed by the effects of cards in your possession. If this card is Synchro Summoned: You can add 1 "Resonator" card or 1 card that mentions "Red Dragon Archfiend" in its card text from your Deck to your hand. (Quick Effect) If a monster your opponent controls attacks a monster you control: You can banish this card from your GY; negate that attack, and if you do, Special Summon 2 "Resonator" monsters from your Deck in Defense Position. You can only activate each effect of "Red Resonator Dragon" once per turn.

Speedroid Otedama

(2*/500/1000/WIND/Machine/Effect)

If you control a WIND monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can add 1 "Speedroid" card from your GY to your hand, also you cannot Special Summon monsters for the rest of this turn, except WIND monsters. You can only Special Summon "Speedroid Otedama(s)" once per turn. (Quick Effect) During either player's Battle Phase: You can banish this card and 1 other WIND monster from the GY; until the end of this turn, 1 monster you control gains 1000 ATK for each Special Summoned monster your opponent controls.

Trivia: While I created Otedama a long time in the past, I never actually debuted it in a fic. It's named after the Japanese otedama, aka bean bags that people juggle. I mainly created it because at the time, Speedroids didn't have any Level 2 monsters (aka pre-Marble Machine), and I also had a Level 3 Synchro Tuner that I needed Yugo to be capable of summoning. Still, it works in that context.

Speedroid Swift Escape

(Trap)

When an opponent's monster declares an attack: You can banish 2 WIND monsters from your GY; negate that attack and end the Battle Phase, and if you do, roll a six-sided die, then Special Summon, from your GY or banished cards, 1 or 2 "Speedroid" monsters whose total Levels equal the result, but their ATK and DEF become 0. If you do not Special Summon, you lose LP equal to the result x 500. If a WIND Synchro Monster(s) you control would be destroyed by battle or card effect: You can banish this card from your GY instead.

Red Feather

(3*/1400/1000/FIRE/Fiend/Effect)

If your opponent's monster declares a direct attack: You can Special Summon this card from your hand, and if you do, it cannot be destroyed by battle until your next End Phase. You can banish this card from your GY; target 1 "Resonator" or "Red" monster in your GY, and if you do, Special Summon it to the field. You can only activate each effect of "Red Feather" once per turn.

Red Reject

(Spell/Continuous)

Monsters you control cannot be destroyed by the effect of "Red Dragon Archfiend" monsters you control. Once per turn, if a "Red Dragon Archfiend" monster you control is targeted for an attack: You can negate that attack, and if you do, banish that monster you control, then you can destroy the attacking monster. During the End Phase of the turn you activated this effect: You can Special Summon 1 "Red Dragon Archfiend" from your GY.

Rising Resonator

(1*/500/800/DARK/Fiend/Tuner/Effect)

If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can target 1 banished DARK Dragon Synchro Monster; Special Summon it to your field in Defense Position, but its effects are negated, and it cannot change its battle position. If this card is sent to the GY as Synchro Material: You can add 1 Spell/Trap that lists "Red Dragon Archfiend" in its card text from your GY to your hand. You can only activate each effect of "Rising Resonator" once per turn.

---

Different Card Effects from TCG:

Speedraw - Anime-only card.

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon - Anime effect.

Burning Sonic - Anime-only card.

Brutal Red - Anime-only card.

Red Dragon Vase - Anime effect.

Creation Resonator - Anime-only effect.

---

End Notes:

Miharu trauma levels: +1!

Me: *finishes writing the entire Jack vs Yugo duel, very proud of it*

Konami: *leaks a new extender for Jack*

Kaname support is also great :)

Jack was actually supposed to use Samsara against Kisara back in Chapter 61 for symbolic purposes, but I think I ended up cutting it because that duel was already stuffed full of symbolism. In my brain, it's always been a possible option for him though. As for Assault Mode Activate, I really wanted to cameo it somewhere, but base RDA without it is already so strong that I never had a justification to let Jack use it. So it showing up here is less because it was the optimal choice, but rather, because I wanted it :)

Red Nova Dragon and King Calamity are essentially counterparts to each other—so it makes no sense why one is so much stronger than the other, lmao.

And yes, Yugo loses. Yes, I will confirm that this is not the last time we see Jack in this fic. :) But yes, the power curve meant that it would always end up this way. Plus, the city needs a leader that has proven himself to be strong, in order to unite them all—and Yugo winning here would take down some of Jack's legitimacy. :) Also, now Yugo has something to aim for when he goes home, too! Which is something that I find pretty important—I want all of the characters to have something that they can get by winning in the war, other than simply 'defeating Academia'.

But yes, Roget's death. I always intended for him to die by his own arrogance and his own hands—hubris and narcissism, as it were. Still, it did make me a little sad to write it, just because of Miharu and Kaname's eventual reactions to it, for all that I personally hate my version of him in this fic. I always feel bad for making my characters go through bad things.

A lot of you said that Roget was too self-important to do something like this… but it's because of his self-importance that he would rather destroy everything than live knowing about how badly he lost.

I also intentionally omitted any gory descriptions of what happened, because… well, that's not the point of the chapter. I'm sure whatever you imagined is nowhere near as horrible as what I originally wrote, but it didn't quite fit the 'feeling' of the scene that I was going for, so I cut it.

Next chapter is pretty short, I think, since it just covers the final night that the Lancers spend in the Synchro Dimension. Maybe. We'll see how it goes. Chapter 81 will take far longer though. I'm looking forward to writing both! :) And I'm optimistic on getting them out before the anniversary, maybe.

Review responses!

To Bryz0n, glad that you enjoyed the comparison! Reiji and Ryoken really do share a lot in common. And technically, Yuya has four monsters that represent the other archetypes! Silver Selkie represents Marincess too—I've been planning for him to get them for a while.

To TheRealD3lph0xL0v3r, yeah, I definitely wanted to give Yuya character development in the arc, even though he wasn't going to become the King like canon.

To naminexriku2468, you… kind of got your wish? :) Roget was never going to get a good ending in this fic.

To kikuruhime, hope you enjoyed Jack vs Yugo! I definitely enjoyed writing it.

To CruelDiamond422, canon has long since been tossed in a blender :) Silenforc is really cool and I'm a fan, but I have no current plans for it in the story. Deck changes are a pretty serious thing, and the only ones that have happened in the fic were already planned from the start :) I might cameo them in Ritual? We'll see how it goes.

To Ben23ten, well… Roget didn't escape, technically. Yugo and Jack dueling was always the intention—it was what I wanted to happen in canon, or even in the final arc of canon. And you at least got a good guess on what happened :)

To phantomdragons, haha, thanks! I'm very surprised about that as well. Your analysis is pretty much exactly the reason that caused me to initially let Jack win in the first place. Writing Miharu's scenes and backstory cause me to break my own heart on a weekly basis. :) I'm fine.

To MochiYoshi, honestly, go for it! We could always use more YGO fics. I had a similar experience with some of my IRL friends when I was teaching them YGO, actually—set up a 'campaign' where they were SIed into Arc-V and had to duel using randomly preassigned starter decks and would get more cards over time.

To Unlucky-Fausto, Reiji actually does trust his Lancers more here—and consequently, they trust him more. The characters are all getting there, especially if you compare them now to their first duels in the fic :)

To cardfan135, nice guess! And well, Roget definitely managed to get to Miharu again. :) Unfortunate.

To T.V. 2000, I'll take down the questions! Glad that you enjoyed—I always do the best that I can when I'm writing each chapter :D

QOTC: What events do you think the next chapter is going to cover? I will admit that it's probably going to be one of the chapters that I enjoy writing the most! :3

Obligatory reminder on Q&A, by Chapter 81! Feel free to send me more—I already have like fifty, but the last Q&A chapter was really fun to write, so I don't mind making it longer.