I feel like kicking myself for updating my story later and later. I need to figure out a schedule to get chapters out sooner like I used to. I'm gonna work on that. Still, despite life keeping on hitting me, I'm not giving up on my story. Not by a long shot. Here's the next chapter and Duel to prove it! I'm sure it'll blow you away! Haha. (A.N. My apologies as well for my mistake when Unidrac Summons the Monsters he needs for his Synchro Summon. That should be fixed now.)
Yugioh: The Hope of Six
Chapter 55: Arcadia Arc – Part 10
"Sly's mom?! Seriously?!" The shocked Rua moved to stand next to his sister for a better look. "How do you even know it's her?"
"I've seen her before." Ruka said, thinking back to the day when she first glimpsed the woman she knew to be Sly's mother…
Flashback:
It was at the end of the day and everyone was leaving their classrooms. Rua had just gone to the bathroom and Ruka stood outside waiting for him to finish up. She saw Sly passing by in the hallway. As usual, he was alone. Ruka was about to get his attention when someone else beat her to it.
"Sly! How's my little yin, today?" From the other end of the hall came a white blond woman in a mostly white suit. Sly groaned when the woman quickly caught up to him and gave him a hug.
"Mom! Stop, you're embarrassing me!" He protested. His mom only smiled, ignoring his words.
"So that's Sly's mom?" Ruka asked herself, seeing that the woman appeared kind and friendly.
"What are you even doing here?" Sly asked as his mother released him. The woman sighed at her little boy.
"I thought it would be nice if I picked you up from school, go to the park to play for an hour or so and have a nice dinner later at a restaurant of your choice."
"Why do all of that?" Sly asked, sounding confused.
"Because I love you, silly. Is it wrong for a mother to have a fun day with her son?" Sly's mom asked in a cheerful manner.
Sly didn't seem interested. "I'd rather head home and just be alone." He muttered to himself. Unfortunately, his mother heard him and spoke more sternly.
"I, Hikari Yō, your mother, refuse to let my only son isolate himself. We are going to spend some quality mother and son time together. Is that understood?" Sly sighed himself.
"Understood, Mom." He said with reluctance. Hikari nodded approvingly.
"That's better. Now then, let's be on our way." With that, Sly and his mother walked away.
Ruka sighed. She hoped that one day, Sly could be better than that. "He doesn't want to even spend time with his own mother. Why is he like that?" She wondered, pitying the boy. "Maybe I can try to help him out by being more of a friend him. At least his mother seems really nice." It was then that Rua finally exited bathroom and told Ruka they better get going if they were going to meet up with Yusei and everyone. His sister nodded as the twins left school…
Flashback End
"Oh yeah, I remember you telling me that." Rua said after Ruka finished explaining. "But man, I never imagined that jerk's mother had worked for Divine."
"Neither had I." Ruka agreed. She wondered if Sly himself knew about this. Probably not.
Just then, the twins heard their front door burst open. They looked to see the squad of police officers assigned there rushing in. "Stay back!" The female lead officer ordered. As the twins backed away, the officers cuffed Yang and placed a metal band on her head. The kids knew it was one of those new devices that suppressed a Psychic Duelist's powers, making them easier to handle. Through the ruckus, Yang finally stirred and found herself at the mercy of the police.
"Wh-What? No!" She initially tried to struggle, but she was held firmly in place by the two officers holding each of her arms.
"Yang of the Arcadia Movement, you are under arrest for assault and attempted kidnapping!" The lead officer said before she read the Elite her Miranda rights and informing her about the head band that canceled out her powers (which greatly shocked her). "Have you anything to say before we head down to the station for processing?"
Yang looked over at Ruka and Rua, the former giving her a look of pity and sadness. The woman hung her head, clearly ashamed she had failed her mission. She definitely gave off the look of someone completely and utterly defeated. What's more, she lost control of herself during the Duel. That had never happened before. She usually kept herself calm and collected, but a few minutes ago… she snapped. How did that occur? She felt like the darkness that she usually kept away somehow came rushing in and took over.
Whatever the cause, Yang had screwed up tremendously and let down her master. Worse yet, if she ended up going to prison, what would happen to her son? After his father left, Sly had no other family beside her. Would he end up in foster care? He had been a handful already and she was the only one that could keep the darkness in his heart from taking over, like his father did. Yang was so lost. "I…" She started, but was interrupted…
"Wait! Can I talk to her for a minute?" Ruka said abruptly, surprising everyone.
"Ruka! What are you doing?" Rua asked, totally confused.
"Look, young lady. This is a dangerous criminal who was clearly trying to take you against your will. It might not be wise to speak with her, even with her powers negated." The lead officer said.
"I know, but I feel I need to do this. Please." The girl begged. The officer still seemed reluctant to comply to Ruka's request. She looked over at a very distressed Yang, then back at the insistent little girl. Maybe it was the pleading look from an innocent child, but something about the kid made the older woman give in.
"Alright, but don't get too close." The lead officer strongly advised.
Ruka nodded, thanking her before focusing all her attention on her defeated enemy. "Listen. I… I know who you are. Your real name is Hikari Yō. Your son is Sly, who goes to school with me and my brother." Yang gasped, more shocked than ever.
"H-How…?!" She stammered.
"I was there that day you came to pick up Sly from school. You just never noticed me nearby." Ruka told her. "When I first saw you, I thought you seemed like a good mom who truly loved her son. Aren't you?"
Yang didn't say anything right away. She just kept her gaze to the ground. The Elite now felt foolish that the girl she was ordered to bring to Master Divine knew her real identity. In a low voice, she replied, "I love my little yin more than anything, even the Arcadia Movement. Sly means the world to me. Even though he doesn't always behave like he should, it doesn't change a thing. I will always love him, no matter what." Yang then closed her eyes, which started to tear up. Her voice then cracked when she spoke again. "If anything happens to me, what would become of him? He'll have no one…"
"What about his father?" Ruka asked. Yang shook her head.
"His name was Kurayami, and he… did not care for anyone other than himself." Yang said with great sadness. "He left me before Sly was even born, and wanted nothing to do with either one of us."
"Why?" Ruka asked, wanting to know more. Yang sighed.
"He was the exact opposite of me: He was the black to my white, the dark to my light, the yin… to my yang." The woman paused before continuing. "I had been working as a part time maid to make ends meat. I was struggling, but I somehow managed to do okay. The two of us met one night when I was young and foolish. Kurayami seemed nice and rather charming at first. After a few dates, he said he loved me and that we should get married. I was so in love with him that I accepted without hesitation. We got married soon after that. The night we shared then was… memorable." Yang said in a delicate tone. She sighed sadly. "I thought things would only get better from then on. Only, it didn't." Yang said.
"What happened?" Rua asked, now curious to learn more.
"A couple of days after our wedding, Kurayami started to change. He became less kind and charming and more moody and distant. Kurayami sometimes went out for hours to spend time with his guy friends, but hardly any time for me. He even didn't want us to be seen in public together anymore. I was certainly not happy with the change in his behavior. I questioned him why he was acting differently, but he just avoided the subject altogether. He just insisted that I'd "respect his personal space" as he called it. I still loved him, though, so I put up with it. A few weeks later, I learned that I was pregnant." She sighed again. "It was a very difficult time for me. He was out for one of his guy nights. I decided I couldn't wait and went out to tell him about the baby. I wished I had not…"
"Why not?" Ruka questioned.
Yang shut her eyes tight and gritted her teeth. "I learned a cruel truth about the man I married. That night, I spotted Kurayami at the diner where we first met… not with other guys, but with another woman."
"Oh no…" Rua said, not liking where this was going. Nor did Ruka. Yang went on.
"He was smiling, laughing, even flirting with that girl. Just like he did with me." The pain she felt that day was evident in her voice. "I was shocked, heartbroken, and devastated. I thought he actually loved me. In actuality, he had just used me. I angrily confronted him in front of his new date. I told him about our unborn child and that he had a responsibility to it and me. Do you know what he did then?" Yang asked.
"What did he do?" Ruka asked, almost afraid to know.
"He pretended he didn't know me!" Yang answered furiously. "He kept insisting to the other woman that I was a total stranger that he never saw, or been in bed with, in his life! I held a hand over my heart while pointing at his date, upset for what he did to me! I had never met a man so despicable and heartless! In my anger, I told that woman she should believe me and leave him before he hurts her too! And guess what…" Yang said in a hushed tone. "She did!"
"That's when your Psychic powers awakened." Ruka surmised. Yang nodded.
"It was the first time I ever used my power. Before my eyes, I saw that woman slap Kurayami hard across his face and kneed him in the groin before storming away, outraged with how he mistreated me. In his pain, Kurayami turned to me, now furious himself for how I ruined his "fun" as he called it. He called me names that I'd rather not say for your young ears. Kurayami then said he wanted nothing to do with me anymore, or our child, before he painfully strutted away… but not before I "convinced" him to sign our divorce papers later on. Right afterward, he took off. That was the last time I ever saw that wretched man."
'Yang…' Ruka thought, truly sad for the woman that tried to take her.
Yang then looked at her handcuffed hands. "I hardly believed it. I didn't realize what I had actually become until much later, when I first met Master Divine. He came to me one day, several years later. Sly was very young at the time, and I was still struggling to support us both. I continued working as a maid, which didn't pay much. I had one unique benefit, though. Over time, I came to learn and master my power to bend people's emotions. I used it when I felt I needed some extra money or time off for Sly's sake. Of course, I still had to be careful to not rouse suspicion." Yang remembered the times she had to put her powers to use to help make her and her son's lives more bearable. "When Master Divine arrived on my doorstep, he explained himself and the purpose of the Arcadia Movement. After he went over the true origin of my abilities, he offered me a deal. If I joined his organization and kept it a secret from Sly, he promised he would use his resources to procure me a better job than my previous one. Alone, desperate, and raising a son that was already a handful, I accepted. My life had changed for the better. Thanks to Master Divine, I now own a small cleaning business that made plenty of income to more than pay the bills. With the money I saved up, I moved the two of us out of the apartment and into our current house. Things actually started to improve, until..." Yang hung her head once more. "I was home watching a movie with Sly when I heard about the Arcadia Movement's collapse on the news. I was devastated, not knowing if Master Divine or anyone else had survived. Of course, I still kept my life as a Psychic Duelist a secret from my son. I was fortunate to not be there when it happened. Otherwise, Sly would have become an orphan."
Ruka felt very sorry for the woman. Perhaps it was her recent talk with Rua, but now she could see that Yang may not be as evil as everyone assumed. Still, the dark outburst she had during the Duel remained fresh in her mind. She started to have a theory about that after hearing the Elite's story. "Yang, I need to know something. Have you ever used your powers on Sly?" Ruka questioned.
Yang flinched upon hearing the question. She hesitated before giving an answer. "There were times, many times, that Sly would misbehave. He would act out for some reason or refuse to spend time with me all together. In those instances, I would "calm" him with my power. It usually worked. However, the effects were only temporary. After a little while he would go back to acting more like his non-caring, irresponsible father. Then the process would start over again. The last time I used my power was to pacify him when he came home from your pool party. He was more upset than I had ever seen him."
"Sly told you what he did there?" Rua asked, sounding slightly angry himself. Yang then turned to Rua.
"He explained that he failed to win a card he wanted because you beat him in a Duel." Rua snorted.
"There was more to it than that. Before the Duel, he tried to steal that certain card and insulted Ruka." He revealed. Yang was stunned by this.
"He did?" She turned back to Ruka. "Sly never mentioned that to me."
"Well, Sly also tried to frame Rua before he was proven to be the liar himself." Ruka told her. Yang shook her head.
"I truly had no idea. I told him to tell me everything when I used my powers on him. How could he keep that from me?" She questioned herself.
"Maybe Sly started to build up a resistance to your powers." Ruka guessed. "But more importantly, I think it was you trying to make him behave better that caused you to lose control earlier."
"I do not understand what you mean." Yang said, not getting the picture.
"Whenever you influenced Sly's behavior, I believe you actually took some of the darkness in Sly's heart and it began to build up inside yours. You just said you have changed Sly's behavior many times. You must have had a lot of his darkness stored up in your heart that it couldn't be contained during a very stressful time, like when I countered you in our Duel."
This possibility had never occurred to Yang before. Could the little girl be right? Could the darkness in her own son's heart be so volatile and potent that it would actually affect her? It sort of made sense.
"If that is the case, then I ought to be even more ashamed of myself. I should have realized my mistake. Instead of influencing him to be better, it was the other way around. The darkness within my son instead caused me to be out of control. I should have just talked to him like a normal parent instead of trying to change him into someone he wasn't." Yang looked Ruka right in the eye for a moment before looking down again. "Sly… What is going to happen to him? He can't lose me. But I also don't want him to grow up to be how his father was."
"Maybe you can talk to our parents." Ruka said as she glanced over at her brother, who was surprised even more by what he heard.
"Your parents?" Yang asked. Ruka nodded.
"Yeah. They are very good people and I'm sure they can give you great parenting advice. I can have a friend I know arrange for them to talk to you while you're at the police station. Maybe we can all come up with a solution regarding you and Sly."
The head police officer seemed very hesitant of the idea. "Hold on one second. That may not be a wise idea." Ruka turned to her.
"I know you're concerned for me and my parents' safety, but it will be fine as long as Yang still has her powers suppressed. Also," Ruka then looked back at Yang. "I truly believe she wants what's best for her son. Don't you?"
Yang was stunned by Ruka's words. 'Ruka… she's actually wanting to help me fix things with my son? After what I tried to do to her and her brother?' Yang considered everything she heard and came to understand. If that child really wanted to help her…
"Yes. I would do anything for my little yin." Yang answered honestly before turning to the head police woman. "I promise, you will have my full cooperation. I will not try to cause any trouble while in your custody. All I ask is that Sly not find out about the events of tonight. I do not want him to look at me and see me as a failure. If you keep your word, I will keep mine."
The lead officer appeared to be thinking this proposal over. After a long moment, she came to a decision. "Alright. We won't breath a word of this to your son." This relieved Yang immensely. "Now then, are you ready to come down to the station?" The Elite Psychic nodded.
"Yes. I am ready." With that, the head officer ordered her squad to take Yang away down to their van parked below.
"You two better come along as well if your parents are will be joining us." Said the lead officer.
"Got it." Rua said energetically, pleased that things worked out surprisingly well. As they all walked to the elevator, he turned to his sister. "Man Ruka, I can't believe you got Yang to cooperate like that. You're really amazing." Ruka smiled from her brother's praise.
"Thanks. So are you. You helped me find the strength to resist Yang's powers so I could win the Duel. I'm glad to have a brother like you." Rua chuckled as the twins headed out, while also wondering how the others were doing with their Elites…
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Here it is… my target for annihilation."
Shortly before midnight, the house where Martha and the Satellite orphans stayed was about to receive a most uninvited guest. The tall dark cloaked man wearing a yellow dragon mask stood not far from the front entrance and scoped the place out. It didn't appear so special. All it seemed to be for him was someplace to blow away… literally. He snorted at the sight of the dragon statue made of scrap metal. He knew full well what that particular Monster was and who it belonged to.
"You care so much about the trash living here, don't you Yusei Fudo?" The figure asked rhetorically. "Trash like them deserve to die, and they will get just the kind of death coming for them. Hahaha…"
"The hell you will!" A defiant voice shouted behind him, startling the cloaked figure.
"What the?! Who…?!" To his surprise, a very familiar young man came around the corner of the house and walked around until he stood directly between it and the stranger. "Crow Hogan?!" Crow smirked.
"Damn right! I was getting bored waiting for the Elite Psychic that planned to demolish this place! Well, it ain't gonna happen, Unidrac!" The cloaked, masked man gasped in shock.
"Wait! How did you…?!" Crow chuckled.
"I have good friends with reliable intel. Simple as that." Crow then turned serious. "Listen up, bastard! You're not touching that home or the people inside! I'm not letting you! No way, no how!" He strongly declared as he strapped on and activated his Duel Disk.
Inside the building, Martha, her staff, and the children they looked after peered through the windows to see Crow preparing to take on Unidrac. "Big brother Crow will beat that guy and save us! Right Martha?" One of the kids asked. Martha nodded back.
"Of course he will, little one." She said with utmost confidence.
Unidrac growled. "You think you can stop me? A powerful Elite Psychic Duelist like me?! How arrogant! My power will knock you off your feet and land you in a grave!" The two Duelists faced one another as their battle started.
"DUEL!"
(Crow: 4000) (Unidrac: 4000)
"I'll go first! My turn! Draw!" Unidrac declared, making the first move. "By discarding Dragunity Remus from my hand, I can use it's Effect to add a Field Magic card called "Dragon Ravine" from my Deck to my hand! Now I activate it!" Both Duelists were now surrounded by numerous giant ravines under a bright sun.
"And that does what?" Crow asked.
"By discarding a card from my hand, I can activate one of Dragon Ravine's Effects! I'll use the one that sends a Dragon Monster from my Deck to the Graveyard, such as Dragunity Arms – Gram!" Unidrac said to him. "Next, I Summon Dragunity Dux!" (WIND; Level 4; ATK: 1500; DEF: 1000) A man wearing a pale white and gold tunic and metallic wings appeared. "Dux's Monster Effect! When it is Normal Summoned, I can Equip it with a Level 3 or lower Dragon "Dragunity" Monster from my Graveyard! I'm choosing the Dragunity Corsesca I just discarded!" A light pink and black dragon appeared and attached itself behind Dux. "For the finishing touch, Dux gains 200 Attack Points for each "Dragunity" card I control! Corsesca fits that description!" Unidrac's Monster gave off a grey glow as it powered up.
(Dragunity Dux's ATK: 1500 + 200 = 1700)
"I'm not shaking in my boots." Crow informed his enemy. Unidrac snorted.
"Before long, your boots will come flying off when I knock you off your feet in defeat! I Set a card facedown and end my turn. Now try to get to me, Signer!" The Elite taunted.
Crow smirked. "I'll do more than try, pal! My turn! Draw!" He had just the plan to do that. "I Summon Black Feather – Suthri the Illusory Spark!" (DARK; Level 4; ATK: 1400; DEF: 1400) A black and purple humanoid bird wearing a white mask and holding a pistol in each hand emerged before it's master. "When Suthri is Normal Summoned, I can add a card from my Deck to my hand that mentions "Black-Feather Dragon" except another copy of Suthri! I'm taking Black Feather – Twin Shadow!"
"No card can help you against me!" Unidrac boasted overconfidently.
"Disagree with you big time on that, but we'll get to that later! Now I discard Chinook the Snowstrike to send either a "Black Feather" Synchro Monster or "Black-Feather Dragon" to have one of your Monsters lose 700 Attack Points and it's Effects negated! I'm sending Black Feather – Arms Wing from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard to nerf your Dragunity Dux big time!" Crow declared as Unidrac's Monster lost it's boost and some of it's original Attack Power.
(1700 – 200 = 1500; 1500 – 700 = 800)
(Dragunity Dux's ATK: 1700 - 800 = 900)
"Hey!" Unidrac shouted angrily. "No weakening my Monsters!"
"I don't take orders from guys whose ass I'm trying to kick! Battle! Black Feather – Suthri the Illusory Spark, attack Dragunity Dux!" With a dark blast from each of the bird humanoid's pistols, the metal winged man was obliterated.
(1400 - 900 = 500)
(Unidrac: 4000 - 500 = 3500)
"Alright big brother Crow!" A young boy cheered from inside the orphanage. Martha smiled with him.
"You destroyed my opening Monster! That was not cool!" Unidrac shouted. Crow couldn't care less about what the jackass thought.
"What's not cool is you planning to destroy the orphanage and endangering everyone inside! I'll stop you from doing that! I Set 1 card facedown and end my turn." Unidrac growled, but then chuckled a second later. "What's so funny?" Crow asked.
"You, defending those worthless little twerps. It's so pathetic. Orphans are at the bottom barrel of society. They should not even be given a second thought. No kid without a family should even exist cause of the blights they are. That's why they have to go, hence me choosing to flatten this place for Master Divine." Unidrac said with both pride in his assignment and disdain for the children. His words outraged Crow.
"Bastard! How dare you?! What the hell have you got against orphans?!" He demanded heatedly. Unidrac refused to give an answer regarding that.
"None of your bee's wax, bird brain! But since you actually give a damn about those brats, I'll make sure you join them in the afterlife! My turn! Draw!" The Psychic Duelist felt like laughing with the plan he just came up with. "Guess what? I've got a really cool way to beat your ass!"
'Why doesn't the guy just shut his trap already?' Crow thought in annoyance. "Whatever. I'll still be standing here waiting to kick you in the nuts when you're done." He actually said with a shrug. His nonchalant response got the reaction he expected from the hot head.
"You little piece of crap! Don't look down on me like I'm nothing!" As he yelled back, a strong gust of wind came out of nowhere that nearly knocked Crow off his feet. "I am far above you and everyone else here, and I will prove it here and now! By banishing 2 Dragon and/or Winged Beast Monsters from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon a certain Monster from my hand or Graveyard! I banish Dragunity Remus and Dragunity Corsesca, both Dragons, to bring forth from my Graveyard the powerful, the unbeatable, Dragunity Arms – Gram!" (WIND; Level 10; ATK: 2900; DEF: 2200) Erupting from the ground was a huge red dragon outfitted in gold and green armor holding a long sword with a green hand guard with the tip of the blade bent inward.
"That's one of the cards he sent to his Graveyard. Is that his Ace?" Crow wondered.
"Next I play Dragon Mastery! This Continuous Magic card allows me to Equip a Dragon "Dragunity" Monster from my hand to a Monster I control once per turn! I'm Equipping Gram with Dragunity Pilum!" A green dragon wearing sleeveless armor and a metal horn grabbed onto the bigger dragon. "Now the other Effect of Dragon Mastery! It gives 500 Attack Points to each Monster I control that is Equipped with 1 or more "Dragunity" Monsters! My big strong Gram just got even stronger!" Unidrac's dragon roared while glowing red, it's power having just increased.
(Dragunity Arms - Gram's ATK: 2900 + 500 = 3400)
"Is Big Brother Crow in trouble?" A little girl asked fearfully.
"No way. Crow's not gonna lose. You'll see." Said the confident boy from before. The girl nodded while she watched, though she still felt like Crow could be in hot water.
"I play Dragon Draw to draw 3 more cards because I control a "Dragunity" Monster!" He was more than pleased with what he drew. "Now I Normal Summon Dragunity Senate!" (WIND; Level 4; ATK: 1800; DEF: 1600) A white winged man man in formal robes with a bird's head and holding a golden staff materialized next to Unidrac's dragon. "Senate's Monster Effect! Once per turn, I can discard a "Dragunity" card to Equip Senate with a Dragon "Dragunity" Tuner Monster from my Deck. However, after that, for the rest of the turn I can only Special Summon Dragon Monsters from my Extra Deck! I discard Dragunity – Legion to Equip Senate with Dragunity Aklys!" A smaller armored red dragon emerged and latched itself onto Unidrac's second creature. "And just like with Gram, my new Monster also gets a boost from Dragon Mastery!" The bird warrior also glowed red from it's power up.
(Dragunity Senate's ATK: 1800 + 500 = 2300)
"This starting to look like a problem." Crow muttered.
"I activate another of Gram's Monster Effects! Once per turn, I can lower a face-up Monster's Attack Points by 1000 for each Equip card I control and negate it's Effects! I'm targeting your trashy bird man, and since I have 2 Equip cards, Suthri's Attack Points go down by 2000! But wait, your Monster has less than that, which means it's Attack Power drops all the way to nothing! Hahaha!" Unidrac laughed condescendingly as Crow's only Monster was left with 0 Attack Points.
"Now its a problem." Crow admitted as he started to sweat a little.
"Oh no." The girl said shakily. Unidrac laughed some more at seeing his opponent growing nervous.
"Look at you, so confident earlier but now you're shaking from head to toe! You know you're going to lose, and you can't do a damn thing about it! Now let's see…" Unidrac tilted his head, apparently trying to make a choice. "I have two ways I can finish you off. But which one? Which order should my Monsters attack? I'll still win either way, but which order would suit me more? Hmmm?"
Crow knew this looked bad, but he couldn't just give up. He had to find some way out of this and save Martha, the kids, and the orphanage itself. What couldhe do? Maybe he could get him pissed enough to make a mistake? "You know, it doesn't really matter what you do, I'm still not gonna lose to a pompous moron like you."
Unidrac snarled. "Why you. You're that eager for a severe beating, are you? Very well, I'll have my stronger Monster attack first… but not atyour Monster."
"What?" Crow asked.
"The Monster Equipped with Dragunity Pilum can attack directly!" Unidrac revealed. "But by using that Effect, the battle damage to you will be cut in half! Still, that won't matter! You're still gonna lose in the end! Now stand right there as I fulfill your last request! Battle! Dragunity Arms – Gram! Direct Attack! Dragonic Sword of Unity!" The big red dragon flapped it's wings and soared over Suthri toward it's true target. Crow screamed in pain from the slash of Gram's big sword as he fell to the ground hard.
(3400 / 2 = 1700)
(Crow: 4000 - 1700 = 2300)
"Big Brother Crow!" The kids all shouted in anguish. Martha grimaced from witnessing her former foster child to suffer a terrible blow.
"Damn…" Crow muttered, holding on to his chest… which was slashed but not bleeding. If he hadn't moved just enough at the last second, his wound could've been much worse. He struggled to get up again, but he was just able to. Unidrac seemed to revel in the Signer's suffering.
"Hurt like hell, didn't it? Well, it's not over just yet! But it will with this next attack! Dragunity Senate, attack Black Feather – Suthri the Illusory Spark! Staff of Unity!" The smaller Monster raised it's staff and it started to glow. "Time for you to fall with your last Monster, Crow Hogan of the Signers!" Unidrac laughed again, so sure of his victory that he was unprepared for an extremely unlikely turn of events…
"I'm not falling!" Crow retorted to the surprise of his opponent. "When a "Black-Feather" Monster I control attacks or is attacked, I can discard Black Feather – Qalut the Moon Shadow during the Damage Step to raise that Monster's Attack Points by 1400 until the End Phase!"
"What did you say?!" As Unidrac shouted this, Suthri's Attack Points went back up to 1400 before being destroyed in battle.
(2300 - 1400 = 900)
(Crow: 2300 - 900 = 1400)
It was Crow's turn to laugh. "Ha! Told ya I'm not going down! This bird is still flying high!"
"He didn't lose!" One of the other orphans said, with everyone else sighing in relief.
Unidrac fumed and shook with fury, and unleashed another burst of wind. "You tricked me?! You underhanded, putrid punk! I'll get you for that! But first, my Gram has one more Effect to use! When my opponent's Monster is destroyed by battle or card effect, I can Equip that Monster to Gram! Your Suthri has become a part of my dragon now!" Crow watched as his Monster reappeared and attached itself to Unidrac's dragon. "With that, I end my turn."
'Aki wasn't kidding about his short temper, or his wind powers. Still, it caused him to make a sloppy move.' If Crow hadn't insulted Unidrac the way he did, he would've been toast. Now he just needed a way to turn this Duel around. Another thing bothered him. Unidrac made it clear he despised orphans and wanted them erased from existence. Why? What was his deal with them? 'The answer may lie in whoever is behind that mask.' Crow concluded. In the end though, it didn't really matter. His goal was to stop Unidrac from carrying out his mission, and that was what he was going to do. "Doesn't matter how much hot air you blow out, I'm still not losing to someone like you! My turn! Draw! I play Treasure Cards of Black Feathers, which lets me discard a "Black Feather" Monster, like Black Feather – Bora the Sharp, to draw 2 more cards!" Crow smiled with all the cards now in his hand. 'Hell yeah! These will definitely help me out big time!'
"Whatever plan you're concocting in that feather headed brain of yours, it will fail! My powerful dragons will trample your filthy birds into the dirt and burying them, just as I will bury you!" Unidrac declared pompously. Crow narrowed his eyes at him.
"Dude, just shut the hell up." Crow told him, having grown tired of his arrogance. 'The prick talks like a total rich snob who thinks he's better than everyone else. People who don't come from the same world as him, like all the common people, he sees are beneath him…' A thought had just occurred to Crow. 'I wonder…' He had an idea of Unidrac's true identity, and if he was right then it was more important than ever that Crow had to win the Duel. "I'll next play Black Feather Burst to destroy a card on my opponent's Field and send a "Black Feather" Monster, Black Feather – Blast the Black Spear from my Deck to the Graveyard! I'm destroying the Monster you just took away!" Unidrac didn't seem too bothered by Crow destroying his own Monster while dumping another.
"It makes no difference. Gram's Attack Points won't go down while he still has at least one Equip card, thanks to Dragon Mastery!" Unidrac pointed out.
"I know, but I needed Suthri in my Graveyard for my plan!" Crow told his opponent. "Moving on! I discard Black Feather – Shamal the Sandstorm to place a Continuous Magic card face-up in my Magic and Trap Zone called Black Feather Whirlwind! It'll come in handy before long! Next, Trap card open, Black Feather – Twin Shadow! By shuffling a Tuner "Black Feather" Monster and a non-Tuner "Black Feather" Monster that are banished and/or in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon a "Black Feather" Synchro Monster or my Ace Monster from my Extra Deck whose Level equals the total Levels of those 2 Monsters! I'm shuffling my Level 4 Blast the Black Spear and my Level 4 Tuner Shamal the Sandstorm to my Deck! Soar, Black-Feather Dragon!" (DARK; Level 8; ATK: 2800; DEF: 1600) Crow's black dragon with a crow like face materialized before it's master.
"Look! Crow's Black-Feather Dragon!" Said another boy orphan excitedly. "He's gonna win this for sure!"
"Yeah!" The other kids agreed, big smiles on their faces. Martha smiled from the kids' faith in Crow, along with her own.
"Big whoop!" Unidrac scoffed. "So you got your Signer Dragon out to fight! It is no match for Gram!"
"I'm not done yet!" Crow retorted. "Since a DARK Synchro Monster was just Special Summoned from my Extra Deck, I can use one of the Effects of Black Feather Whirlwind! Once per turn, I can choose a "Black Feather" Monster or "Black-Feather Dragon" that is either banished or in my Graveyard with less Attack Points than the Summoned Monster and Special Summon it! I'm reviving my Suthri the Illusory Spark!" Crow's first Monster returned and now stood next to Black-Feather Dragon. "After that, I Normal Summon Black Feather – Auster the Sound Wind!" (DARK; Level 4; ATK: 1300; DEF: 0) A yellow bird with red, white, and pink wings appeared next.
'What is that dirty bird up to?' Unidrac wondered.
"I activate Suthri's main Monster Effect! Once per turn, I can Sacrifice another Monster I control, like my Auster the South Wind, to Special Summon a Illusory Spark Token!" (DARK; Level 2; ATK: 700; DEF: 700) A mini version of Suthri took the place of Auster. "This Token is also treated as a Tuner Monster! Because I Summoned this Token, I take 700 points of damage! Or I would, if not for Black-Feather Dragon's own Effect! Whenever I take damage from a direct attack or card effect, that damage gets negated and my Ace gets a Black Feather Counter and loses 700 Attack Points! Damage Drain!" A small black energy bolt meant to hit Crow struck Black-Feather Dragon instead.
(Black-Feather Dragon's ATK: 2800 - 700 = 2100)
"Weakening your best Monster is such a dumb move! You should focus on the opposite, like I have!" Unidrac taunted. Crow ignored him.
'Okay, time to break out one of my new big bad birds.' He thought while smiling inwardly. He used some cards given to him by Reiji during the war against his father. He didn't need a couple of new heavy hitters then, but he sure as hell needed them now. He was looking forward to using them to kick that Elite Psychic's ass. "Feast your eyes on this Unidrac! I am Tuning my Level 4 Suthri the Illusory Spark with my Level 2 Illusory Spark Token! Demon bird of the black winds! Flap your wings to pave the way to strike from afar! Synchro Summon! Fly High! Synchro Tuner! Black Feather – Boreas the Demonic Wind!" (DARK; Level 6; ATK: 2400; DEF: 1200) A black armored, orange feathered metallic winged warrior appeared wielding two scythes connected by a chain.
"Synchro Tuner?" Unidrac said, actually surprised that Crow had a Monster like that.
"Since Boreas has been Synchro Summoned, I can send a "Black Feather" Monster from my Deck to the Graveyard and change my Synchro Tuner's Level the same as that Monster's! I've picked Black Feather - Foehn the Iron Chain, a Level 2 Monster! With that, Boreas is now a Level 2 Monster!" Crow declared as his new Monster's Level dropped to 2. "Now I banish Black Feather – Bora the Sharp from my Graveyard to activate it's Effect! This turn, I can have a face-up Monster on my Field unable to be destroyed by battle and I take no damage from that battle! I pick Black-Feather Dragon!"
"What's the point of doing that?" Unidrac asked. Crow only smirked, which annoyed the Elite.
Now everything was set for Crow's counterattack, and he didn't waste any time getting down to it. "Alrighty, I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some more action! Battle! Black Feather – Boreas the Demonic Wind, attack Dragunity Senate! Black Scythe!" Crow's Synchro Tuner flew up and soared straight at Unidrac's weaker Monster, slashing it apart viciously with it's deadly weapons.
(2400 - 2300 = 100)
(Unidrac: 3500 - 100 = 3400)
"Tch!" Unidrac grunted.
"If that didn't annoy you, then this definitely will! Boreas' other Monster Effect activates! Once per turn, when it destroys a Monster in battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I can banish a "Black-Feather" Monster from my Graveyard or face-up on the Field, except the destroyed Monster, and Special Summon the destroyed Monster to my Field in Defense Mode! I'm banishing Foehn the Iron Chain to take your Dragunity Senate!" Crow then snickered form the not happy look from his opponent as Senate was reborn on Crow's Field. "Doesn't feel good does it, having your own Monster used against you?"
"I wouldn't gloat if I were you." Unidrac told him. "My Dragunity Aklys has his own Effect, and you just foolishly triggered it! When it goes to the Graveyard while Equipped to a Monster, I can destroy a card on your Field! Say goodbye to your Black-Feather Dragon!" A ghostly version of Aklys appeared and flew toward Crow's Ace.
"I don't think so! You also triggered an Effect from my own card, specifically my Black Feather Whirlwind!"
"What?!" Unidrac shouted in disbelief.
"Once per turn, if a DARK Monster I control would be destroyed by battle or card effect, I can instead remove a Black Feather Counter on my Field! Luckily, I have one to save my Black-Feather Dragon!" A black dome covered the bird dragon just before Aklys could disintegrate it. "Also, since my Counter is gone, Black-Feather Dragon's Attack Power returns to normal!" Crow declared as his Ace regained it's original 2800 Attack Points.
"Yeah! Crow saved his Ace Monster!" The kids praised Crow once more.
"Using my own tactics against me like that?! I am really beginning to despise you, Crow Hogan!" Unidrac said with menace, along with another warning gust of wind.
"Oh believe me, I'm just getting started! Now it's my Ace's turn! Black-Feather Dragon, attack Dragunity Arms – Gram! Noble Stream!" The signature attack of Crow's dragon, a black and red energy beam firing from it's mouth, headed right for Gram.
"Idiot! Your dragon may have it's full power again, but it is still weaker! It cannot win!" Unidrac stated as the red dragon blocked the beam with a swipe of it's big sword.
"Remember, do to banishing Bora the Sharp, Black-Feather Dragon is not destroyed and I take no damage!" Crow reminded him.
"I know that! That was a pointless stupid attack that did nothing for you!" His condescension became confusion as Crow smiled triumphantly. "What's with that dumb grin?"
"It's the look of a guy who just outsmarted you!"
"Huh?" Then Unidrac saw that his dragon was starting to form cracks throughout it's body. "What is this?! What is happening to Gram?!"
"Banishing Bora did one more thing for me! After damage calculation, the Monster that battled the selected Monster is destroyed!" Crow revealed to his opponent's shock.
"No!" Unidrac could do nothing as his dragon cracked everywhere before it exploded into pieces.
"Big Brother Crow took down both of the bad guy's Monsters!" Said the first orphan boy. Martha nodded again.
Unidrac was now shaking with fury. "Why… you…"
Crow smiled big time. "You just hate it when things don't go your way, do you Drake?"
Unidrac froze. Did he hear what he thought he heard? Surely not. But then…
"You're Drake Lance, heir to Lance Incorporated. That is who you are behind that mask, isn't it?" Crow asked. He got his confirmation when he heard Unidrac gasp and heard a very shaky response.
"H-How? How did you…?"
"Figure out your real name?" Crow finished the question confidently. "I heard the stories during the old days when Satellite and Neo Domino City were still separated. Your father, Edward Lance, was among the people in the city that actually wanted to improve the lives of everyone on the other side. Lance Incorporated, your family's company, was in charge of several building constructions. Your father attempted to use the company's resources to build a better home for the orphans in Satellite. But you, Edward's right hand man as well as his son, didn't get his charitable nature from him, did you? Instead, you wanted to completely demolish the orphanage altogether, leaving those kids with no chance for a future. You didn't care about them at all. Disgusted by your heartless nature, he kicked you out and disowned you from the family. Not long afterward, your father died in an "tornado" that seemingly came out of nowhere and destroyed the company building. Not one soul survived." Crow glared at his opponent. "As for you, you completely vanished. No one had seen hide or hair of you since… probably because of that damn mask of yours. I'm willing to bet you used your Psychic powers to pull that off without being noticed. Tell me… am I getting close?"
Unidrac didn't say a word. Crow clinched his fists and noticed his Birthmark glow. The Crimson Dragon responded to his feelings, and through it's power he felt the emotions of his fellow Signers. He felt their own struggles and their will to see justice done. He would do that as well.
"Guess I hit the bull right between the eyes, then. Your father wanted to help those less fortunate than himself, and you murdered him for it! How pathetic! But enough of the past… let's see about getting your butt kicked in the present!" Crow gave his adversary a hard stare. "Your Monsters are gone, but I'm still not through! I have something even better! I'll show you right now! I am Tuning my Level 8 Black-Feather Dragon with my now Level 2 Black Feather – Boreas the Demonic Wind! Darkened Gales! Manifest your noble pride on your wings! Synchro Summon! Be unleashed! BLACKFEATHER ASSAULT DRAGON!" (DARK; Level 10; ATK: 3200; DEF: 2800) Crow's new Monster was a bigger version of his previous dragon with it's main now having the same orange color as it's master's hair. Also it's tail feathers now had orange stripes with a purple mark at the ends of each one.
"Blackfeather… Assault Dragon?!" The kids exclaimed in surprise. None of them new their hero had such a Monster.
'His dragon evolved?!' Unidrac thought incredulously.
"I'm almost done! I Equip my new dragon with Noble Name Tag! The Monster Equipped with this has it name changed to "Black-Feather Dragon"! It may not seem all that important, but you're see otherwise! For my last move, I banish Black Feather – Auster the South Wind to place Black Feather Counters on "Black-Feather Dragon", which I now technically have, for each card you control! You got 3 cards left so my Monster gets 3 Counters! And with that… I end my turn."
Unidrac stood silent for a long moment. When he finally responded… it literally nearly sent Crow flying. The wind blowing around him was so strong that everything threatened to be torn off and carried away. The only reason Crow stay rooted to the ground was because his Birthmark formed a protective shield around him, blocking the winds.
Unidrac's mask was blown off by the vicious gust, revealing a young man's face with long, dark red hair and grey eyes. With every word he spoke, he showed pure, unrestrained anger and malice. "I HATED MY FATHER! I HATED THAT HE TOOK AWAY WHAT WAS MEANT TO BE MINE! I HATE ALL THE WORTHLESS DREGS, LIKE THOSE CRAPPY ORPHANS, THAT HAVE NO BUSINESS BREATHING THE SAME AIR AS "PROPER" PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF! AND I HATE PEOPLE LIKE YOU THAT TRY TO GET IN MY WAY! MY FATHER GOT WHAT HE DESERVED, AND YOU WILL SOON JOIN HIM AND ALL THOSE THAT WRONGED ME! MY TURN! DRAW!"
"Crap! Here we go!" Crow cursed with rise in intensity of Unidrac's wind.
"Everyone! Get down now!" Martha shouted before forcing the kids away from the windows just before they shattered. She and all the staff kept the the children away from the chaos happening outside.
Crow turned to the orphanage's occupants with alarm. If he didn't end this soon, they'll all die and everything will be destroyed. He couldn't allow that. Unidrac got his attention once more as he began his next turn.
"The cards I have will annihilate you! I activate my facedown Quick-Play Magic card, Dragunity Whirlwind! When only my opponent controls a Monster, I can Special Summon a "Dragunity" Tuner Monster and a Winged Beast "Dragunity" Monster from my Deck but with their Effects negated! I Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Dragunity Guisarme (WIND; Level 3; ATK: 600; DEF: 1600) and Dragunity Substitute Soldier!" (WIND; Level 7; ATK: 2000; DEF: 1200) The Tuner was a small green dragon with with darker green armor and had a blade tip on its head. The other Monster was another bird warrior but wearing grey armor and gauntlets.
"Is he preparing for his own Synchro Summon?!" Crow asked himself as he struggled to resist the fierce winds continually bombarding him.
"There's more! Since you control a Monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, Dragunity Whirlwind will let me automatically Synchro Summon a Dragon Synchro Monster using only "Dragunity" Monsters that I control! I have just the dragon to rip yours apart! I am Tuning my Level 7 Substitute Soldier with my Level 3 Dragunity Guisarme! Strongest Dragon of the Winds! Flap your mighty wings to lay siege everywhere! Synchro Summon! Appear! Dragunity Knight – Areadbhair!" (WIND; Level 10; ATK: 3300; DEF: 3200) A silver blue dragon rivaling the size of Crow's Monster materialized to do battle. It had multiple wings and carried a knight on its head.
"I ain't too worried!" Crow shouted.
"How about this?! I Equip Areadbhair with Dragunity Divine Lance! The "Dragunity" Monster Equipped with this card is unaffected by Trap card effects and gains Attack Points equal to it's Level times 100! My Synchro Monster is Level 10, so it's power goes up by 1000!" A gold lance seemingly made up of several dragons appeared on the beast's forehead before making the latter stronger.
(10 x 100 = 1000)
(Dragunity Knight - Areadbhair's ATK: 3300 + 1000 = 4300)
"Still not worried!" Crow taunted, infuriating Unidrac more.
"Annoying bird bastard! Dragunity Divine Lance has another Effect! Once per turn, I can Equip a Dragon "Dragunity" Tuner Monster from my Deck to the Monster Equipped with this card! I'm Equipping Areadbhair with Dragunity Brandistock!" A little light blue dragon attached itself to the bigger dragon's neck. "Now not only will Areadbhair gain 500 more Attack Points from Dragon Mastery's Effect, but it can also attack a second time during each Battle Phase thanks to being Equipped with Brandistock!" Unidrac revealed with maddening glee.
(Dragunity Knight - Areadbhair's ATK: 4300 + 500 = 4800)
'Great, this means of both of his attacks get through… I'm finished!' Crow thought, now worried. But not too worried…
"Let my payback commence! Battle! Dragunity Knight – Areadbhair, attack Dragunity Senate! Unity Annihilation!" A golden blast from the dragon's mouth struck his stolen Monster and left no trace of it's destruction. Being destroyed in Defense Mode, Crow took no damage. "My Monster is now free from your filthy clutches, and I will keep it that way! When Areadbhair destroys a Monster in battle, the destroyed Monster gets banished after damage calculation!" Crow smirked.
"Blackfeather Assault Dragon's Monster Effect also activates! Each time my opponent activates a Monster Effect and then resolves, my dragon gets a Black Feather Counter and you take 700 points of damage!" Unidrac scoffed.
"No it won't! Areadbhair counters your Monster's Effect with another! Once per turn, when my opponent activates his own Monster Effect, I can banish a "Dragunity" Monster from my Graveyard to negate the Effect and banish that Monster! I banish my Dragunity Aklys to get rid of your butt ugly Blackfeather Assault Dragon! I finally got you Signer! It is over! Hahahaha!"
"Wrong again dumbass!" Crow retorted, shutting up his enemy. "The Effect of Noble Name Tag makes the Equipped Monster unaffected by Monster Effects! So, nothing happens to my dragon while you still take the damage!" He said as a section of one of Blackfeather Assault Dragon's wings turns red and black, just like it's origami counterpart.
"What?!" Unidrac shouted before being struck by a black arrow shaped like a feather.
(Unidrac: 3400 - 700 = 2700)
"That was just for your Monster's first Effect! Since you just used a second Effect, even though that Effect never touched it, Blackfeather Assault Dragon gains another Black Feather Counter and your Life Points go down another 700!" Crow stated before the process repeated itself and Unidrac took more damage.
(Unidrac: 2700 - 700 = 2000)
"Ugh! Damn you! I've had enough of your trickery! I'll remove your dragon the old fashioned way then! Areadbhair, attack…!"
"I activate Blackfeather Assault Dragon's most powerful Effect!" Crow countered.
"Another Effect!?" Unidrac said in frustrated annoyance.
"During my opponent's turn, when it has 4 or more Black Feather Counters, I can Sacrifice Blackfeather Assault Dragon to destroy all cards on the Field!"
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" Unidrac demanded, not believing what he just heard. 'That moron is destroying his own cards as well as mine?!'
"I'm wiping the Field clean! Black Explosion!" Blackfeather Assault Dragon turned itself into an orb of dark red before it let out a powerful black energy burst. Every single card that the energy touched was instantly vaporized. The blackness dissipated seconds later, it revealed the Dueling Field was back to normal. Unidrac was most upset.
"Damn! I swear to you Signer, on my next turn I will strike you down where you stand! I end my turn!"
"I highly doubt that." Crow said, prepared for his next move. "My turn! Draw!" Crow smiled widely. "I activate Black Reborn! If the Monsters I used to Summon a certain Synchro Monster and the Synchro Monster itself are all in my Graveyard, I can banish the former two to Special Summon that Synchro Monster! I banish Black-Feather Dragon and Black Feather – Boreas the Demonic Wind to revive my latest Monster! Come back, Blackfeather Assault Dragon!" Crow's upgraded dragon returned, as powerful as ever.
"No! NO! THIS CAN'T BE WHAT I THINK IT MEANS!" Unidrac, or rather Drake Lance, stepped back a step and trembled with fear as overwhelming as his overconfidence in himself. Crow showed no sympathy for him after everything.
"Oh it is, scum bucket! This is for all the pain, destruction, death you caused and tried to do tonight! Take it! Battle! Blackfeather Assault Dragon! Direct Attack! Noble Breaker!" An black and orange blast flew out of the dragon's mouth and impacted it's master's enemy in the chest, knocking him down in defeat.
(Unidrac: 0)
At the same time, he dangerous winds that had been blowing for quite a few minutes finally stopped and all was quiet and peaceful again. Martha, her staff, and the children noticed this too and peered carefully out the shattered windows to see what had happened. They saw Crow still standing while his opponent was down on his back, and he wasn't getting back up. They all knew what that meant.
"Big brother Crow beat him! He saved us!" The kids all cheered for Crow's victory. Martha felt their joy and relief as well.
Just then, the police officers that were hiding nearby moved out and apprehended Drake before he could recover. With his powers suppressed by the dampening device on his head, the defeated and disgraced Elite Psychic could do nothing but yell and scream all sorts of profanities.
As he was taken away, Crow stared back at his defeated opponent with disdain and a final message. "Humph. You may have a lot of wind, but you're the one that got blown down in the end. No heartless bastards like you will EVER mess with the orphans under the watch of Crow the Bullet!"
To be continued.