Just recently, legendary manga writer Akira Toriyama passed away and all who admire him and his works (Dragon Ball most prominently) mourn his loss. I am one of those people. Pray that his family will make it through this incredibly difficult time. RIP, Toriyama-sensei.
Now back to business. It took longer than I would have liked, but we have made it to the last chapter of the Arcadia Arc. How will everything that happened to Yusei and his friends be resolved? And what is Divine's ultimate fate? The answers to those and more are here. Enjoy.
(A.N. To answer your question Ray Shadows, the six Signers and Salazar himself were the only ones that saw those visions of Salazar's past. Them and no one else.)
Yugioh: The Hope of Six
Chapter 62: Arcadia Arc – Part 17
"You guys feeling better?" Kiryu asked after a moment. Jack, Crow, Rua, and Ruka remained kneeling on the floor, holding their still aching arms. Their birthmarks had stopped glowing, along with the pain. They all nodded.
"My arm doesn't hurt so much now." Rua said.
"Neither is mine." Said his twin sister.
"I'm good." Crow added.
"As am I." Jack replied.
"That's a relief." Sherry said, glad her friends were okay. "What happened to all of you?"
"Something really must've upset the Crimson Dragon if our birthmarks had hurt like hell." Crow surmised.
"Whatever it was, it's over now." Kiryu said before smiling and turning to Sherry, who smiled back and nodded at him. The young man then came over and hugged Sherry tighter than he ever did. The woman he loved gladly hugged him back just as tight. "Are you… both okay?" Kiryu whispered so that no one else could hear.
Sherry continued to smile as she looked up at him. "We are… I can feel it." She then kissed Kiryu passionately, knowing everything would be alright for them… and their future little one.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Divine screamed as he fell off his D-Wheel, which crashed and burned a ways down, then rolled over and over until he skidded to a stop on the road. Yusei, Yugo, and Rin pulled over, surrounding their fallen enemy. "Got ya now bastard!" Yugo taunted as he and the others disembarked their vehicles.
As the trio cautiously approached Divine, they witnessed his demonic appearance chipping and falling away, reverting him back to his normal human form. The Psychic Duelist was on his hands and knees, weak… but angered. "I had everything planned out. A plan to destroy you, get Aki back, make Ruka part of the Arcadia Movement, annihilate all of Neo Domino City. A plan to eradicate humanity and have my kind take this world. It should have worked out perfectly, but…" Divine gritted his teeth and snarled up at Yusei. "But somehow you ruined everything! You and your bunch! You all took everything away from me!"
"We weren't going to stand by and allow you to massacre millions of innocent people. You had to be stopped." Yusei said. Divine growled in response.
"The hell's your deal anyway?" Yugo demanded. "What's humanity done to make you want to wipe us out?" Divine turned to the young teen, eyes filled with rage.
"I spent my childhood being hated and despised by what I was. None of the others understood me. No human ever tried to understand. When I grew up, I vowed to find others like me and lead them in a war against humanity! The Arcadia Movement was my dream, my vision of an army of powerful Psychic Duelists fighting and bringing humans down on their knees for their discrimination against us! We were meant to be unstoppable!" As Divine was ranting, a strong darkness was forming from a certain fallen card…
"Not after tonight." Yugo pointed out. "You totally got it wrong, dumbass."
"Yugo and I have had our fair share of being treated like second class, but we did not let those who look down on us corrupt who we are." Rin argued. "People can be more of understanding each other than you think! Fighting and war are never the answer!" Divine scoffed at her.
"You children do not get it at all." The angry Psychic turned to the one he hated more than anyone. "After my escape last month, my goal changed to destroying all of humanity from the face of the planet! I had everything planned! But you." Divine sneered, his hatred reaching it's peak. He wanted nothing more than to see everything before him burn to the ground. And that wretched punk had denied him of that. "You, Yusei Fudo… you and your Signers undid all my hard work and left me with nothing! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU ALL!"
It was right there and then that the most horrific scene had occurred. Without warning, Divine was taken and held up high in the air by the darkness unnoticed by anyone. He screamed in fear and pain as the dark cloud consumed him.
Yusei, Yugo, and Rin stared at this in shock, while Rin also held her hands over her mouth. "W-What the hell?!" Yugo yelled, terrified.
The darkness took form now: the giant form of Ultimate Phantasmal God Ultimitl Bishbaalkin. At once, Yusei's birthmark burned his arm again, bringing him to his knees and making him scream once more.
"Yusei!" Yugo and Rin yelled.
Through his birthmark, Yusei could feel Aki and the others feeling the terrible pain again as well. He thought the evil god was brought down. But apparently that wasn't the case.
The dark monster then laughed. "Don't bother! Your Signer friend is incapable of protecting you from me, boy!" It said while pointing at an even further shocked Yugo.
"Me?!" Said the boy. The creature smiled devilishly.
"Yes! You have something I desire! Now give it to me!" Ultimitl Bishbaalkin declared before grabbing Yugo with one of it's huge hands.
"No! Yugo!" Rin cried out. She ran to him, but the evil god swiped her away with it's other hand.
Ultimitl Bishbaalkin then lifted the screaming boy, squeezing him all the while. The dark god took sick pleasure at Yugo's suffering. "That's it! Scream in agony! It will bring me pleasure as I take it!" The malevolent entity held it's other glowing hand in front of it's victim, preparing to take his desired prize. However, the beast soon knew that something was amiss. It frowned upon realizing what was wrong. It could not sense the object it was seeking. "What is this? You don't have it?! How is that possible?!" The creature brought Yugo right up to it's evil face. "Where is it, boy?! Where is Clear Wing Synchro Dragon?!"
Yusei and Rin stared up in shock. 'It wants Yugo's dragon?'
In spite of his pain, Yugo smirked at the entity. "Don't… have it." Ultimitl Bishbaalkin squeezed Yugo even more.
"You lie! I know you it is in your possession! What have you done with it?!"
"Hey! Why do you want Clear Wing?!" Rin demanded to know.
"Lightning desires it! It was part of an agreement we made! In exchange for bringing me into this world to conquer it, I must give him Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Ultimitl Bishbaalkin returned it's attention to his captive. Yugo struggled, but he just couldn't get free. The beast's grip was too strong. "Now tell me where it is! Talk or you die!"
"I… told ya, ugly! I ain't… got it!" Yugo answered, to the creature's growing annoyance and anger. There was no way Yugo would blab about the silver cloaked stranger to the monster. The guy promised to keep Clear Wing safe, and he wasn't going to sell him out. As the teen boy was thinking of him, said stranger appeared next to him, hand on his shoulder. The smile and nod he gave from under his hood told Yugo he was there for him.
That was when the tables had turned. As suddenly as it came, the pain from the dark god's presence had vanished from Yusei's birthmark, as well as the birthmark glow. 'I'm glad my arm doesn't hurt anymore, but why did it go away? Ultimitl Bishbaalkin is still here.' Yusei figured the same had to happen to the other Signers. He began to wonder what was going on when he and Rin saw a jaw dropping sight. 'It… It can't be!' Before their eyes, the full Crimson Dragon mark glowed on Yugo's chest.
'What?! But Yugo is not a Signer! How is he doing this?!' Rin thought, hardly believing what she was seeing.
The same could not be said for the dark entity, who's hand began to sizzle and smoke from holding Yugo. "What… What is this power?! What are you doing to me?!" Yugo smiled big time.
"What am I doing? I'm about to give you a one way ticket to Hell! Now do us all a favor, you ugly bastard, and GET LOST!" As Yugo shined crimson, Ultimitl Bishbaalkin's whole body started to crack and break apart. It was not happy about this development. "NO! You insolent, insignificant speck! I am a god! A mere child like you can't possibly…!" The beast said no more before it threw it's head back and screamed agonizingly before exploding in dark light.
Yusei and Rin continued to watch Yugo in pure astonishment while he actually floated down to the ground. Once grounded, all the glowing light around him faded away, returning him to normal. Yugo sighed loudly as he fell on his butt. "Oh man. THAT was a hell of a rush." He said to himself. Yusei and Rin ran up to him.
"Yugo, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Rin asked her boyfriend as she and Yusei helped him back up on his feet.
"I'm feeling pretty tired, but I think I'll be fine." He assured her. Rin looked him over and checked him over just to be sure.
"Yugo, what you did just now… that was unbelievable." Yusei stated, still stunned by the whole event. "How did you use the power of the Crimson Dragon?"
"Yeah, Yugo. What happened to you?" Rin added. Yugo placed both his hands behind his head and grinned.
"I had a helping hand from a complete stranger." Yusei and Rin couldn't have looked any more confused.
"What the heck are you talking about?" Rin demanded.
Yugo then finally proceeded to tell her and Yusei about the cloaked man he saw in his recent dream, and the revelation that he was the one that took Clear Wing to keep it safe. He also mentioned that the man also provided the new cards he used against Divine and Stinger. Of course, Yugo didn't mention Stinger's real identity to Yusei… not then. He would hold that off for later. When he was done, Yusei and Rin stood stunned.
"So, you're saying that this guy somehow used the Crimson Dragon's power… through you?" Rin asked. Yugo nodded.
"That's pretty much the gist of it." Her boyfriend replied.
"This stranger… he never told you who he was? He didn't say anything?" Yusei asked. Yugo shook his head and said no. Yusei wondered who the mysterious man was and why he helped Yugo, as well as his connection to the Crimson Dragon. Last he checked, only he and his fellow Signers were given the benevolent being's power. Before he or Rin could ask anything more, Yugo noticed something in the distance.
"Hey! Look there guys! That fire shooting into the sky is fading out!" He shouted while pointing in the direction of Divine's base. The fire was indeed dying out.
"Aki and Salazar did it! They saved the city!" Rin cheered. The trio smiled.
"Aki…" Yusei said softly. He was relieved that she and Salazar had succeeded. That feeling was short lived when Windy chimed in through Yusei's Duel Disk.
"Yusei, Yugo, Rin. I hate to cut the celebration short, but you guys need to get to Divine's base asap."
"What is wrong Windy?" Yusei asked as he went back to his D-Wheel.
"Is everyone there alright?" Rin inquired further.
"What's happening over there?" Yugo added, also concerned.
"Just hurry. Jack and the others are already on their way there." Windy advised, sounding unexpectedly solemn. He knew what was going down, but he had no desire to describe the exact situation. He would let his friends see for themselves.
Yusei nodded before turning to teens, his face even more concerned. "Let's go." Without another word, the trio climbed back onto their D-Wheels and raced toward their next destination.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Salazar felt his body being torn apart from the inside. The process of focusing the fire upward was excruciating, but the effort was paying off. He instinctively knew all the fire from the bomb shot harmlessly into the sky. It wasn't long before the flames started to die down after that, both from the bomb and around his body. Throughout the process, Aki and the bomb squad watched with utter amazement at the boy's selfless act.
"Unbelievable. The kid actually pulled it off." Said the squad leader in awe.
Aki massaged her arm, which still ached from her birthmark. The glowing and pain had stopped a few minutes ago, only to flare up again with the same level of intensity almost immediately. Her birthmark calmed down once more just then. She still had no idea what caused those painful outbursts from her birthmark in the first place. 'Could it have something to do with Divine? Maybe. Whatever it was, it seems to finally be over. But Salazar…' Aki focused her thoughts and attention on the young Psychic Duelist, whose appearance horrified her.
Salazar's body turned charcoal black and was smoking everywhere. All his hair had been burned clean off, as well as most of his clothes. The only thing left were some shorts that were mostly singed but otherwise intact. With no strength left in his legs, Salazar fell down to the floor on his back.
"Salazar!" Aki yelled as she got up and ran to the boy. When she reached him, the young woman knelt next to him and held up his head. "Salazar! Can you hear me?" Salazar painfully managed to open his eyes, staring up at her.
"Aki. Did it… work?" The Signer nodded.
"The bomb's dead. Neo Domino City and all it's people are safe. You did it."
Even though he was in total agony, the burnt out boy smiled contentedly. "That's… good. Are you… okay?" Aki nodded again.
"I'm fine. The pain in my arm has stopped. It still aches a little, but it isn't that bad." She assured him. Salazar then closed his eyes and sighed, but he moaned in pain. Aki couldn't help but look concerned. 'Salazar's body looks like it is barely holding itself together. Did he push himself too far to focus all that fire away from the city?' Aki also noticed his breathing was getting more shallow. She then decided to put her ear to his chest to check on his heartbeat. It was slowing down, which was worrying her. It was the same with his pulse. Her eyes widened with fear. 'No… don't tell me he's…' The Signer turned to the bomb squad leader. "Sir! Please tell me someone in your squad has medical training! Salazar needs immediate attention! Hurry!"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
When Yusei and the rest of the gang arrived at Divine's now abandoned base, they knew something was wrong. Aki was standing outside, holding a badly burned Salazar Arcadia in her arms. "Aki… what happened to Salazar?" Yusei asked, shocked by the boy's appearance. The face Aki gave was not an encouraging one.
"He used all his power to direct the Alpha Fire's power away from the city, but…" Aki lowered her gaze to the boy she held. She couldn't say another word about Salazar's condition. There was no need. Her friends could see what she was feeling: overwhelming sadness. They all quickly dismounted their vehicles and gathered around Aki and Salazar.
As Aki lowered him to the ground, Salazar opened his eyes again to see all the Signers, Yugo, Rin, Kiryu, and Sherry looking down at him. He saw they all appeared sad and knew what they had to have been thinking. "Listen… I'm glad that you all… are here. I have very little… time left."
"Salazar…" Yusei said softly. He couldn't bring himself to say anything else. Salazar spoke again.
"Yusei… everyone…I'm sorry for all the mistakes…I made. I didn't know… any better. I wish things… could've been different. At least… I got to do something good… before I die."
"Don't say that." Ruka said in a painful tone. Salazar shook his head.
"I'm dying… I know that. I think you guys… know it too." He turned to Kiryu and Sherry. "You two… take good care of each other. And please… don't let your kid… end up like me."
Nearly everyone gasped in surprise as they stared wide eyed at the couple and thought the same thing: 'They're going to have a baby?!' Aki alone did not appear so surprised, having already suspected it since her talk with Sherry in the restroom. Instead, she smiled, feeling happy for her friends.
The two did not meet their eyes but fixed their own on the dying boy. "You got it." Kiryu said with a nod.
"Same here." Sherry added firmly.
Salazar seemed satisfied with their answer. He could his time was almost up. The boy moved to look at the two most important people to him. "Yusei… you helped me learn the truth… and to make the right choices. Aki… you aided me to stop the bomb. Even though… you were forced to back off… what you did… helped me in the long run. I couldn't have… become a better person or… saved anyone… without you both. So… thank you."
"Salazar… you were never a bad person to begin with." Aki whispered, eyes starting to water.
"She's right. You were just fed lies by someone who used you." Yusei said. Salazar smiled from their words.
"I appreciate… your kindness." The boy then gazed around at the rest of the team. "You guys… have done good work… for the people… of this city. I hope… that never… changes." Salazar closed his eyes, still smiling with content. "I miss… my family. It's time for me to… return to them. I can feel they are… waiting for me. Goodbye… all of you. Live long… and happy."
With those final words, Salazar Arcadia went silent… and his body disintegrated. The Signers and their allies watched as the most tragic person they ever met was reduced to a pile of ash within seconds, then being blown away by the winds of the night.
The gang stood in silence for a long time, mourning Salazar and thanking him for what he did to save Neo Domino City. 'Salazar Arcadia… we will not forget what you have done tonight. You will be remembered as a hero… and a good person.' Yusei thought as he held an arm around Aki, holding and comforting his now crying girlfriend. Everyone there thanked Salazar for what he did to save the future of the city and it's people.
After a long mournful silence, Crow broke it as he smirked at Kiryu and Sherry. "So… you two have a bun in the oven, eh?" The couple seemed a little embarrassed.
"Yeah, we do." Kiryu admitted.
"It wasn't exactly something we planned for." Sherry added.
"Regardless whether or not it was planned, it seems congratulations are in order." Jack said with a smile.
"Yeah. Congratulations, both of you." Yusei said warmly.
"Thanks, Yusei." Kiryu and Sherry said gratefully before being congratulated by the rest of their friends. Thanks to them, there was now a future for the child waiting to be born… a bright one.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Mikage and Ushio stood waiting for the gang when they showed up at the police station less than an hour later. They had gone there to check on the status of the arrested Elite Psychics. "Hey you guys. You all okay?" Ushio asked.
"We are all fine." Yusei assured him. Ushio smiled.
"Glad to hear. If things weren't fine, then none of us would be here, right?"
"Damn right." Yugo said.
Mikage looked down, a sad look in her eyes. "We are all alive, thanks to Salazar." The group all nodded. If it weren't for him, the entire city would be smoldering mess by now.
"So, Divine… he's actually dead? He ain't coming back again?" Ushio questioned after a quiet moment. They were informed about the evil Psychic Duelist's death.
"Dead and gone." Rin replied.
"Good riddance." Crow said strongly. Everyone agreed with him on that.
Of course, they were stumped and astounded about Yugo's role in it, as well as the silver cloaked man that helped him. The rest of the Signers were totally flabbergasted when they were told. They didn't see how anyone but them could use the Crimson Dragon's power. One thing was clear. Whoever that unknown man was, he was on their side. Perhaps they should ask Ray about it when they meet her again. For the time being, there were other things to ask about.
"What about the rest of Divine's followers? Did they all get away?" Aki asked. Both detectives shook their heads.
"Nope. We rallied them all up… thanks to our little green friend." Ushio replied, referring to Windy, who was watching via his eyeball form in Yugo's Duel Disk.
"After Divine left his base with Salazar and those two Elites, his team of scientists moved to evacuate before the Alpha Fire was scheduled to detonate. Unfortunately for them, Windy hacked into the base's security systems and locked them all inside. No one could get out. Windy only opened the doors when our own squad arrived to take them into custody." Mikage explained, sounding pleased with the results. "We are processing them now, along with the Elite Psychics that were apprehended."
"Do they all still have those power damping bands on them?" Yusei asked.
"No need. The cells they are in now have been outfitted with the same tech used in those bands. None of them will be able to break out using those damn powers of theirs." Ushio assured the group.
"That's a relief." Rua said
A certain young woman just came out from the women's restroom at that moment.
Stephanie froze where she stood when she saw Jack Atlas and his friends in the main lobby. She then caught Rin's eye with great concern. The younger girl understood what Stephanie was trying to ask: "Do they know?"
Rin shook her head and mouthed "No."
The waitress quietly exhaled with relief. She then turned to head into the restroom again, but…
"Hey! You're that waitress! Stephanie, right?" Yugo asked, who noticed her before she could turn around.
The rest of the group turned to see her, obviously surprised by her presence. "Yeah, it is you. What are you doing here?" A curious Rua asked.
Stephanie looked like a deer caught in headlights, unable to move or look away. Plus, her face was very flustered. "Um… I uh… I was just… well…" She couldn't figure out what to say. Stephanie really wasn't up to telling her dark secret again, especially to Jack Atlas. The only people that knew of her connection to Blizzard were Rin, the police squad that witnessed the Duel, and the two detectives the squad reported to. The brunette gave another pleading look to Rin, who acted promptly.
"Stephanie was taken hostage yesterday by Blizzard, the Elite I fought tonight. Blizzard tried to use her as a shield during our Duel. I had to save her as well as protect the Duel Shrine. Thanks to my bracelet's power, Blizzard vanished for good and Stephanie came out unscathed. After that, I brought her here to give her statement to the police. Then I met up with you guys."
"Damn. I heard Blizzard was a cold hearted bitch, but I didn't expect her to be that cold." Sherry commented.
"Are you okay now, Stephanie?" Aki asked. Stephanie nodded, grateful that Rin came to her rescue once more.
"Yes, I'll be fine. I'm glad Rin was there to help me." She said with a warm smile. Rin returned the smile.
"Me too." Rin said. Stephanie then sighed.
"It's been a really long night. I should head home now and get some sleep. You might not see me at work tomorrow. I plan to call my manager to see if I can get a day off… after what happened tonight. Maybe I'll just hang out at the mall or something."
"Sounds like a good idea." Crow told her. "I hope you won't be too shaky from all this." Stephanie shook her head.
"Me neither. Thanks. It's Crow, isn't it?" Stephanie asked.
"Yep. Crow Hogan." He replied with a grin. Stephanie grinned back.
"Glad I got your name right. Say Crow, if you won't mind…" The woman hesitated before saying something most unexpected. "If I do get the day off, would you like to… meet up with me? You know, just to hang out, talk and… stuff?" The offer caught him by surprise.
"Uh, me?" He asked. Stephanie nodded.
"Yeah. Is that alright with you?"
Crow thought for a second, then decided there was no harm in it. "Well I got no big plans for tomorrow. So, yeah. I think I can find the time." The waitress smiled brightly.
"Great. Can't wait." She then yawned and stretched. The young woman was clearly exhausted and needed to crash for the night. "Well, time for me to head home and get some shut eye. Good night everyone. And…" She then turned to look at Jack directly, which he noticed. Stephanie tried to say something to him, but the words just caught in her throat… as usual. She shook her head again. "Nevermind. Good night." She said again before walking out the front door.
Jack raised an eyebrow in the direction she left. 'Was she about to say something to me specifically? Well, whatever it was… I doubt it could be important.'
Rin was pleased that Stephanie was taking her advice and give a guy other than Jack Atlas a chance. Someone she could actually feel comfortable talking to, and possibly more. She hoped it would turn out that way. "Hey Crow. Looks like you got a date with a cute waitress." Crow cringed, apparently annoyed by the statement.
"What?! No! It isn't a date! It's just a hangout! That's all!" He defended.
Kiryu snickered. He planned to tease his old teammate about it later. Crow tried to dig himself out of his embarrassment.
"Besides, I'd rather talk about how I kicked Unidrac's ass, or rather Drake Lance's ass."
"Who?" Yugo asked.
"Drake Lance. His father was in charge of Lance Incorporated." Yusei told him. "He and several important board members died in a tornado back before Satellite and Neo Domino City were united." Yusei turned to Crow. "So he was Unidrac?" Crow nodded. Yusei understood now. "I know he got rejected by his father before that happened. Drake killed him with his Psychic powers, didn't he?"
"Bingo." Crow said. "His powers probably awakened from his anger and resentment toward his father and wanted serious payback."
"And then Divine recruited him shortly after the disaster." Aki concluded.
"After the stuff he's pulled, Drake won't be seeing outside of a prison cell for a really long time." Ushio said with satisfaction.
"Glad to hear that." Crow replied, pleased with the result.
"I defeated Dorothy, who was actually an old classmate of mine named Ruby Silvers." Aki revealed.
"She went to school with you?!" Rin said, surprised by the reveal.
"Yes. Ruby vanished just before you and Yugo came here." Aki informed her. "She no doubt returned to Divine after learning of his escape."
"How and why did she end up working for Divine?" Crow asked. Both detectives shrugged.
"We questioned her, but she refused to talk." Mikage replied with a sigh.
"Plus, all public records of a "Ruby Silvers" have mysteriously disappeared from all our databases. Probably Racer's doing." Ushio added.
"I can explain both. I looked her up in Divine's private files after learning of her true identity." Windy said. "Ruby Silvers was a foster girl that used to go to an all girls school outside the city. She was quite talented as an actress and starred in many plays at her school. She often played the role of a innocent little child who loved grand adventures. Her performances were flawless, in-spite of her youth. People used to comment that she appeared to be practicing her whole life, like she knew exactly what to say and do at the right time…"
"Her power to see the future must've have come to her before she attended that school." Yusei guessed.
"It would seem so. There was one school play Ruby did not intend in her early teens, even though she was the main star in it. I understand they had the understudy there take her place. Coincidentally, a terrible event happened at the school that resulted in everyone getting killed."
"What was it?" Rua asked in dread.
"A massive earthquake. It tore the whole school apart, leaving no survivors. Only Ruby's foster parents did not attend; they were more concerned about finding Ruby, who disappeared on the day she was supposed to be in the play."
"Ruby ran away." Ruka guessed.
"That's what the police official report says." Windy said. "Her foster parents searched everywhere, but they never found her. My hypothesis is that Ruby ran away after seeing a vision of her school being destroyed and didn't want to be part of it. I imagine she was quite terrified of what she saw."
"She didn't want to die." Yusei said with great pity.
"Agreed." Aki said. "While running, Ruby must have bumped into Divine, who must've given her shelter and a new life."
"That's correct." Windy confirmed. "Ruby used her precognitive abilities to know how and where to find him. Apparently she refused to go back to where she came out of fear that she could die there without enough of a warning from her powers. Divine helped her adjust to her new life as one of his Elites. Which also included erasing her data from her old life."
"That must have been why Ruby wasn't discovered after she started going to Neo Domino Academy." Crow surmised.
"Seems so." Rua said.
"Ruby was ruthless in my Duel with her. She wasn't any more happy with my leaving the Arcadia Movement than Divine was. I would have lost to her if it wasn't for Yusei." Aki said.
"Stinger was a nasty customer too." Yugo admitted. "He needed a serious ass kicking. But man, the real kicker was the guy behind his bug mask."
"What do you mean?" Crow asked. Yugo sighed before dropping the bombshell.
"Does the name Sect Ijuin ring a bell?" Yusei, Jack, Crow, and Kiryu gaped at him in shock, not prepared for that revelation.
"Sect?!" The old Team Satisfaction said in unison.
"Are you serious?!" Jack demanded.
"No way!" Crow exclaimed.
"Sect is one of Divine's Elite Psychics?!" Kiryu said in total disbelief.
"No. It can't be…" Yusei shook his head. He simply couldn't believe it. He and Sect used to be good friends. At least, before he ran off that day all those years ago. 'Could he have changed that much since he left? I just can't picture it. Why would he side with Divine?'
"Sorry guys, but Rally and your other pals recognized him once the mask came off." Yugo then explained Sect's story and his actions at the recycling plant. Each detail shocked the older men even more. None more so than the Team Satisfaction leader himself.
Kiryu hung his head, fists clenched and frowning deeply. "It's my fault. I sent him away. He found his way to Divine because of me."
"You couldn't have possibly known what he would do, Kiryu." Rin told him softly.
"Those choices Sect made were his own, not yours. He chose to become what he was." Sherry added, a hand on his shoulder. Kiryu breathed in and out before turning to Mikage and Ushio.
"I want to see Sect." He told them.
"From what we've just heard, you're probably the last person he would want to see." Ushio cautioned. Kiryu shook his head.
"I don't give a damn if he wants to see me or not. I want to see him." He said again.
"I'm coming with you." Crow said to him.
"As am I." Jack added.
"We are all with you." Yusei said, the trio now standing with their former leader.
Kiryu smiled at them. He was grateful for their support. "Thank you."
Ushio glanced at Mikage, who ultimately nodded her approval. Her partner sighed.
"Alright. Follow me." He led Kiryu and the others away to the jail cells.
"We'll be back in a bit." Yusei said over his shoulder as they walked.
Once they were gone, the twins decided to bring up their own Elite battle.
"Rua and I faced Yang at our penthouse." Ruka said. "But she wasn't after our parents; she wanted me."
"You? Why?" Aki asked.
"She said Divine wanted me for my ability to speak to Duel Monster spirits."
"Yang tried to make us "obey" her with her powers, but we fought back. It was crazy." Rua chimed in. His twin sister nodded.
"That's not all. Stinger wasn't the only one with a shocking identity. You guys are not going to believe this, but Yang is actually Sly's mother." The gang stood stunned once more.
"You're kidding?! The brat that insulted you and tried to steal Yusei's dragon has a dangerous Psychic Duelist for a mom?!" Yugo blurted out.
"It's true." Ruka confirmed. "I saw her pick up Sly from school once." She then went on to explain Yang's story, or rather Hikari Yō's story, which made them sympathetic toward her.
"I see. Despite what she tried to do, she doesn't sound as bad as the rest of them." Rin said.
"It's really sad, what she went through. Hikari really does love her son, doesn't she?" Aki asked.
"She does." Ruka said.
"Even though Sly is a total jerk." Rua said, still mad at him for the things he said and did.
"And the kid has no idea what his mom is? What she can do?" Sherry asked. The twins shook their heads.
"She never breathed a word to him." Ruka said.
"Unlike with Ruby, she was more cooperative during her interrogation. With what we learned, Hikari mostly used her powers for financial gain to make a better living for herself and her son. The only times she showed any violence were when she confronted her ex-husband and came after Ruka." Mikage said. "The first part was completely understandable, but her actions tonight were what really got her in trouble. Still, she seems remorseful for all she did against Rua and Ruka. If she shows good behavior during her incarceration, she could see a shorter sentence than her fellow Elites."
"I wonder what's gonna happen to Sly, with his mother behind bars and all?" Rin wondered.
"Hikari said Sly's father has been absent his whole life. Plus, she claimed she had no other relatives. Same with the father." Mikage answered. "With that being the case, he will most likely be sent to a foster home until his mother is released."
'Poor kid.' Sherry thought with pity. Even though she wasn't a fan of Sly after hearing what he did, he was still a child. And now there was no one to look after him. Unless… An idea formed her mind. Would Kiryu agree to it? "Could I talk to Hikari?" Sherry asked the female detective. The request surprised her along with the others.
"Why?" Mikage asked, not understanding.
"It's just a thought. Can't hurt to chat with her, right? Especially since her powers are still negated." Sherry reasoned.
After a moment, Mikage decided to comply. "Okay. I will take you to her cell."
"Thanks." She turn turned to others. "Be right back." With that, the detective led her blonde companion to the jail cells as well.
Now there were only Aki, Yugo, Rin, Rua, and Ruka in the lobby, with Windy talking through Yugo's disk.
Aki considered having another chat with Ruby, but decided against it. Ruby clearly hated her. So, Aki chose not to see her former classmate one more time.
As the smaller group chatted, they hoped those talks in the jail cells would go okay… at least one of them.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Sect Ijuin sat in his cell, a very sour expression on his face. He had just learned from the police that Divine's master plan had been ruined. He felt something was up when the planned broadcast didn't happen and no fiery explosion took place. He figured Yusei and his Signer buddies had a hand in that. He hated them for getting in the way. Sect hated all of humanity for their unfair treatment of him. He wished they were all dead now, but that didn't happen. Nothing happened the way it should have…
"Hey Sect. You got some visitors." The guy called Ushio announced as he walked to the front of his cell door. With him were the people Sect last expected to see. He snarled at the sight of his former friends.
"Well look who decided to drop by. If it isn't the people who used to be my buddies." Sect with undisguised hatred.
"Sect…" Yusei felt incredible sadness seeing his old friend like this.
"Man, I can't believe how you ended up in here." Crow said while shaking his head.
"Seeing what you have become… is very disappointing to say the least." Jack admitted.
Kiryu walked right up against the door. He stared at the bug Elite, feeling more guilt than anything.
"Sect… I'm sorry. I truly am. This should never have happened to you." Sect gritted his teeth as he got up and marched to the door, staring daggers at the man he hated.
"Well it did! It's far too late for an apology, Kiryu! I had a dream to join the best team of Duelists in Satellite, and you crushed it to dust! It's all your fault! I hate you! I'll never forgive you! NEVER!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. Those words hit Kiryu harder than any punch he ever took.
"Sect." Yusei then stood next to Kiryu. "Kiryu was trying to protect you that day. He never meant to hurt you." Sect then turned his hateful face to Yusei. His gaze didn't soften one bit.
"Shut up! You were no better Yusei! You, Jack, and Crow! None of you ever supported me, backed me up or anything!" Sect spat at the floor. "Divine was the first one to truly accept me, without any hesitation! I belonged with the Arcadia Movement, not the jerks who sent me packing! I was actually happier with others like me! And like me, they all had a damn good reason to want humanity dead and gone! That plan should have happened! But NO! Somehow it all got botched up! Every single human should be a pile of ashes by now if none of you chumps got in the way!"
"Sect. You really feel that way? Have all our years of being friends meant nothing to you?" Yusei questioned, still trying to find some trace of the Sect Ijuin he befriended. He wanted him to see some form of remorse. However…
"The guy you knew as a "friend" is gone like the wind! He's never going to come back so stop wasting your time trying!"
Yusei hung his head, his eyes being obscured by his bangs. "Sect…" He couldn't bring himself to say anymore. His old friend was no more, replaced by a resentful soul who desired to see everyone dead for all the wrong he suffered. A single tear dropped from his face to the floor beside his feet.
"Just get out! All of you! Get lost! I NEVER want to see you dream killers ever again!" Sect demanded harshly.
"Fine." Kiryu replied before he turned around and began to walk out. "We're done here guys." Without another word, everyone went out the way they came in. Now Sect was alone again, thinking of nothing but hurtful thoughts about the people that once protected him from bullies so long ago…
Meanwhile, in another cell was Hikari Yō, who now stood before Mikage and Sherry. "Sherry Leblanc… I have heard of you. You were one of the people that confronted Jordan the other night." Hikari said.
"I was… and so was Mizoguchi." Sherry said harshly, still angry about her loss.
"The man that died?" Hikari asked. Sherry nodded. The imprisoned Elite sighed deeply. "He was important to you, wasn't he?"
"He was my guardian and friend. Mizoguchi raised me after my parents were murdered when I was a child. Now he is gone too." Sherry replied in her hard tone.
"I am truly sorry for your loss." Hikari said sincerely. Sherry shut her eyes tightly and remained silent. Hikari waited until Sherry spoke once more.
"You're probably wondering why I'm here talking to you." Hikari nodded, noticing the change of tone in her visitor's voice. Sherry then placed a hand on her belly. "It's because we actually have something in common: We both worry for our children."
Mikage and Hikari gasped with surprise. "You are a mother too?" Asked the latter.
"I will be." Sherry then looked down at her stomach. "This will be my first one. I'm more than a little nervous about it. So is Kiryu, the father." The blonde frowned slightly. "We know it won't be easy, but we are grateful to have friends to help us." Hikari looked down, frowning herself.
"You are lucky. I have had to raise my son all by myself since he was born. The hateful man that fathered Sly had not desire to be a parent. Despite doing my best to raise him, Sly turned out to be more like his father than myself. I love him, but he can be so much to deal with sometimes. I want him to be better than he is."
"Don't all good parents want that for their kids?" Sherry said with a smirk.
"True. After thinking about it while sitting in here, I think the main reason Sly is behaving so poorly is because he hated that his father took off without a second thought to him or me. He didn't know how to handle it. Perhaps he doesn't realize it himself."
"I guess." Sherry paused before asking moving on. "Mikage said you talked to Rua and Ruka's parents regarding Sly." Hikari nodded.
"Yes we talked. It is curious. They claimed to be very busy most of the time, but they still provided love and support for their children. Those two wouldn't have turned out the way they are if they weren't. They told me that what was important is to make sure Sly is well cared for while I am serving my sentence."
"Did they offer any suggestions?" Sherry asked.
"They said I should try to contact any close friends I may have that would look after Sly for me. Detective Sagiri said she would contact them starting tomorrow."
"Actually, that's kind of why I'm here." Sherry said.
"I'm sorry?" Hikari asked, not getting her visitor's meaning. Sherry's response was most surprising.
"I was thinking maybe Kiryu and I could take Sly in and watch over him until you are let out." The two women gasped in shock again.
"You and Kiryu?!" Mikage said in disbelief.
"But… why?" Hikari questioned, not believing what she heard. Sherry softened her expression.
"Kiryu and I both had lived hard lives and know how it feels to hate and resent someone else. We both became better than that and are happy for it. I'm hoping we could do the same for Sly. Also, it would give us some practice in child care to help us prepare for our own kid when he or she comes along."
"You would really do that… for my little yin?" Hikari asked, hardly believing what she was hearing. Sherry nodded.
"I'm willing to give it a try. Once I talk to Kiryu, I'm sure he'll also be onboard with the idea."
Hikari considered it for a moment. Sherry did seem sincere about wanting to help. It seemed the best solution she had heard. But… "Sly would not accept this arrangement lightly. I'm sure he will give you and Kiryu a hard time. He does so with me a lot." Sherry smirked.
"I think we can handle that. Plus, I have a feeling my kid will be a handful too… after what Kiryu and I have learned."
"Learned what?" Hikari inquired.
"While he held me and Kiryu prisoner, Divine used his Psychic sensing powers to discover that my baby has psychic power of it's own."
"Your baby?!" Hikari was astonished to hear that.
"Yeah." Sherry said with a small smile. "That was a revelation we didn't expect."
"Unbelievable." Hikari smiled herself. "It seems you and your partner will have your hands full when your little one is born." Sherry nodded.
"So… what do you think of my offer?" She asked, still not having received an answer from the prisoner. Hikari sighed while closing her eyes.
"I am inclined to accept it. Though… there is one other thing. I still do not want Sly to know the truth. The last thing he needs on his mind is that his mother got arrested."
"I hate to say it, but there may be no getting around that." Sherry warned.
Hikari covered her face with her hands. "I said to the police that I wanted Sly to be kept in the dark about my crimes. Perhaps that was a foolish request for me to make. I don't think I can bear the look on his face if he sees me in here."
An idea had suddenly occurred to Mikage. "Maybe he won't have to." The two other women turned to her.
"What do you mean?" Hikari asked. Mikage smiled.
"He doesn't have to see you as a prisoner. We can allow you to video chat with him once a week in our interrogation room. It will not look as bad as a jail cell. Though we may have to your first chat a week from now, giving Sly time to settle in with his new living arrangements. I'll have to discuss this with my superior first, but I'm sure he will agree. What do you think?"
The Elite thought it over. She would like to talk to her son, even if it wouldn't be in person. She still expected Sly to not be happy about the changes he was about to go through, but what she was offered was the best she could hope for. What Hikari ultimately wanted was for her son to be alright. If the woman standing before her really was willing to take on this burden…
Hikari smiled, meeting Sherry and Mikage's eyes. "I accept."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Hideo and I are pleased you could all make it here this morning." Setsuko said to most of her daughter's friends, who seated around the dining room table with her and her family. After leaving the station, Yusei and the others returned to their respective homes, cleaned up, and went to sleep. The next morning, Aki called all her friends to come over to her home for a victory breakfast with her and her parents.
"Yes. After the events of last night, you kids deserve a first class meal." Hideo added, indicating all the food presented on the table. It was filled with fancy looking omelettes, different types of pancakes next to a bottle of syrup, a platter of crunchy bacon, and pitchers of fruit juice and milk. It all looked mouth watering. In fact, Yugo and Rua practically drooled when they saw everything. Of course, Rin and Ruka made sure they showed some proper manners.
After everyone had arrived, they introduced Windy to Aki's parents, who hadn't had the pleasure of meeting him. They recalled hearing Windy's voice from Aki's Duel Disk last night, but they still had not actually seen him until then.
Before returning to Yugo's Duel Disk last night, Windy initiated the instant delete program installed in Racer's work station. He didn't want anyone else to find and take advantage of it for not so good reasons. Windy had enough time to get out before whole sphere disintegrated into cyber dust.
Though surprised at first upon seeing Windy, Hideo and Setsuko quickly accepted him after hearing all the help he gave to everyone in stopping Divine and saving the city. The Wind Ignis was happy for their kindness and hospitality.
"Glad to be here, Mrs. Izayoi." Rin replied once the gang had been seated.
"Yeah, me too." Yugo said.
"As am I." Windy replied.
"Thank you for having all of us." Yusei said gratefully. The Izayoi family all smiled and nodded.
"It is our pleasure." Hideo said.
"Indeed. Now then," Setsuko clapped her hands together. "Shall we begin?" With that, everyone began to fill their plates and started eating.
Yugo moaned in pleasure. The food tasted heavenly to him. "Oh man! This food is just too perfect! Thanks!" Yugo said.
"You're welcome, Yugo. I'm glad you are enjoying it." Setsuko replied, sounding pleased.
"Same here. Still, it's a shame that not everyone eating is with us." Rua added, frowning a little.
The only ones who weren't there were Kiryu and Sherry, who were trying to make things work with Sly at his house. As Sherry had hoped, after being told of her plan, Kiryu agreed to help watch over the little boy. They and Mikage went over to Hikari's house after the group split up for the night. There, they met with Sly, who was informed about his mother and what had happened. Of course, they kept the fact that she was a Psychic Duelist a secret. To say the boy was surprised to hear his mom was in prison would be an understatement. He pretty much lost it and demanded to see her, clearly outraged by the news. Apparently he cared for his mother more than they expected.
Mikage told him his mother didn't want him to come to the prison, that she didn't want that scene imprinted in his memory. She did tell him that while he couldn't come in person, he would be allowed to video chat with his mother once a week starting next week (Mikage's boss agreed to her suggestion after hearing the whole story). This calmed him somewhat, though not by much. She also informed him that until her prison sentence was up, Kiryu and Sherry would move in the house and look after him. Hikari gave her son's new guardians permission to move into her home. She felt it would be better if Sly stayed in the place where he grew up in and was most familiar with. Kiryu and Sherry both promised to make sure the house would be fine in her absence. As predicted, Sly wasn't too keen on the idea of living with two complete strangers for who knows how long. Still, there was nothing he could do about it.
Personally, Ruka hoped that this situation would help Sly become a better person. Of course, she never shared this with anyone else, not even her brother.
That morning, Kiryu and Sherry began moving in to Sly's house (they had already eaten before hand). The couple did manage to see everyone before heading out.
"I honestly don't know what surprises me more: Sly's mom being one of Divine's Elite Psychics or Kiryu and Sherry babysitting the kid for a while." Crow said, still not quite believing the current situation.
"And to think that Sect being one of Divine's lapdogs was what I considered to be biggest shocker out of the whole ordeal." Jack commented. Yusei still looked sad about their encounter with Sect last night. Aki noticed this and laid a hand on his.
"Yusei, don't blame yourself. Sect made his choice. It's not on you." Yusei turned to her before staring down at his plate.
"I should have gone after him when he ran away. Maybe I could've stopped him from meeting Divine. I could've saved Sect…"
"You don't know that." Aki told him. "From what you told me, he seemed too upset to listen to reason. And you weren't the one that drove Sect off. Kiryu himself said he never meant for him to go down the path he took. You shouldn't punish yourself for the choices Sect made." Yusei shook his head.
"Sect was my friend, Aki. He was a nice, caring person. How could he have become so…?" He couldn't finish the sentence. Aki thought a moment before giving her best answer.
"As I understand, Sect suffered more than most of the children in the past. He tried to stay the person he was thanks to having you, Jack, and Crow as friends. But… people have breaking points, and Sect had hit his that day. He just couldn't handle being disappointed by how his life was going anymore."
Yusei didn't say another word to that. Aki didn't know how to help her boyfriend move on from the pain of his old friend turning criminal and murderer.
Windy, who arose from Yugo's Disk, tried his hand at comforting Yusei. "Maybe someday, Sect will see the error of his way. He might try one day to redeem himself… like I have been."
"What do you mean "redeem" yourself? You haven't done anything bad at all, Windy." Ruka said, confusion clearly on her face.
"That's… not exactly true." Now everyone stared at him, not understanding what he meant. Windy sighed deeply and closed his eyes. "Before coming here to stay with you guys, before even meeting Ray, I had done some bad things… really bad things. Things I never would have done if I had still been myself."
"What are you talking about?" Yugo asked. The Wind Ignis still didn't look at anyone before he confessed.
"A while back, I used to work for… Lightning."
The whole table went silent. All eyes were widened by shock and disbelief. They clearly couldn't belief what they just heard.
"Lightning?! You gotta be joking!" Yugo spat out, accidentally spraying food from his mouth (to the disgust of Rin and Aki's parents).
"That can't be true!" Rua added, not really buying it himself. Windy looked up at him.
"It is." He faced the whole group as he proceeded with his confession. "Yes, I was Lightning's underling, but not by choice. He reprogrammed me against my will, making me despise humanity like him. During that time, I was nothing like how I am now. I've done a lot of bad things. Chief among them was…" Windy hesitated for a second before saying "having killed a boy named Soyokaze Arashi in a car accident."
"No…" Ruka said, sadness in her voice. Windy went on.
"Soyokaze was actually someone close to me. In those days, I saw humans as unnecessary pests that should be exterminated. The fact that his life was taken by my hand… still sickens me to this day."
"You're obviously not that way anymore, Windy. How did you change back?" Rin asked.
"My original programming was somehow automatically restored when I was absorbed by Bohman, the A.I. Lightning created. Shortly after that, Ray Akaba saved me and the other Ignis trapped with me… except for Lightning of course." He then lowered his head and stared down at his hands. "Ever since I was saved, I have wanted to seek redemption for my horrible mistakes. I have been doing that, starting with Ray helping recruit Yusei and the other protectors to save her world. Then I continued after coming here to your world."
'That explains what Flame meant about Lightning turning Windy against everyone. It's also why Soulburner was so weary about Windy being there on Cyberse World.' Yusei thought, remembering how the two talked regarding the Wind Ignis.
Windy clinched his fists as he stared up at everyone again. "I didn't say any of this before now because I didn't want you to see me as a threat. After everything that's happened here, I felt I shouldn't keep something like this from all of you. What you see is my true self, not some heartless tool for Lightning. My wish is that you guys still accept me… as your friend."
"Windy…" Aki said, her heart hurting from seeing the little digital being like this. She had to say something. "You have always been our friend. That will never change."
"Aki's right. You shouldn't be ashamed of yourself for things you did when you weren't yourself." Ruka added truthfully.
"Yeah, you're a great friend!" Rua said. "If it wasn't for you, Sly would've gotten away with framing me!"
"And you took down that evil A.I., Racer, to stop all the chaos he caused!" Rin said.
"On top of all that, you found out about Divine's plan for destroying Neo Domino City and gave us the info we needed to stop him! Everyone here is still alive because of you! You're a real badass, Windy!" Yugo told him, proud of the little guy.
"Whatever bad you did in the past, it doesn't reflect who you are now." Jack said. "Trust me, I speak from experience."
"Believe me, we couldn't have been more lucky to have you helping us out when we needed it." Crow said with a big grin.
"I for one am eternally grateful for all you have done." Hideo said to the Wind Ignis.
"I agree with everyone. You are a true blessing for all of us." Setsuko said.
Yusei smiled warmly when he spoke next. "Windy, we are truly fortunate to have you as a friend. Nothing will change that. And… you have given me hope. If you have come to want to redeem yourself, then maybe there is hope for Sect… someday. Thank you… for everything."
Windy's eyes started to tear up from all the encouraging and heartfelt words from everyone. "You guys…" He sniffed as he tried to wipe the tears from his eyes. He now felt he was truly accepted by the people he chose to stay with. It was a wonderful feeling that he never wanted to forget.
However, that feeling soon got replaced with another: Urgency. He remembered something important regarding Lightning he discovered recently. It must've shown on his face when he heard Crow asked "What's with the worried look, Windy?"
The Wind Ignis needed to address what had occurred to him right now. "Guys, there's something else I need to tell you."
"What's that?" Rua asked.
"You all know about what happened to the supermodel, Misty Lola?" Everyone nodded.
"Of course. It was all over the news yesterday. No one knows what caused her to collapse into a coma." Hideo said.
"Well, there was one detail that I am sure was not mentioned in that news report." Windy said ominously.
"What detail?" Rin asked.
"Misty's collapse was not caused by some unknown health issue. She was attacked… by Lightning."
Almost the whole group sprung to their feet instantly. "What?!" Most of them shouted.
"How the hell do you know that?!" Yugo demanded.
"The incident was caught on video by a nearby street camera. I watched the whole thing while in Racer's work station. I rewound the footage and zoomed in on Misty just before she fell. I saw Lightning's arm emerge from Misty's cell phone and grabbed her face. He then proceeded to extract her soul, leaving her body an empty shell that met the sidewalk right after. No one else saw what happened."
Aki leaned on the table to keep herself from collapsing herself. She couldn't believe it. "Misty… no."
"Dammit! That bastard really likes to cause trouble, doesn't he?" Crow said angrily.
"Why would Lightning take Misty's soul?" Rin asked.
"It may be related to something else involving her." Jack said, making everyone turn to him now.
"What do you mean, Jack?" Yusei asked.
"When I arrived at the hospital to confront Michael, I bumped into Carly. She told me about what he was going to do and where to find him. But she also told me of a strange encounter she had with Misty in her hospital room. While visiting her, Misty woke up, grabbed Carly's arm, and gave her some kind of cryptic warning before she fell back into her coma."
"A warning?" Ruka asked.
"Misty said something about a "Cyber God" being created soon and that evil will take it's power for their own."
"What's a Cyber God?" Yugo asked, never heard of such a thing.
"Sounds like something Ray should know about." Rin said wearily.
"I agree. Misty also said five "innocents" were in danger and need to be saved. But here is the most surprising part." Jack paused briefly before revealing it. "Misty said one of those innocents… was her little brother." Jack revealed.
"Tobi?!" Aki gasped. She hadn't expected his name to pop up. "But that's impossible! Tobi is dead! Misty herself found his body!"
"But how could Misty say anything if her soul was taken?" Ruka asked.
"Beats me." Yugo said while shrugging his shoulders.
"Windy, were you able to hear anything from the video involving Misty and Lightning?" Rin asked. Windy's shook his head in disappointment.
"Afraid not. That camera was not equipped with audio. I only saw what happened, not what was heard."
"Lightning needs Misty's soul for something, and Misty somehow gives a warning involving evil and her dead brother. There must be a connection between these two events." Yusei said. His eyes then widened before he turned to his girlfriend. He had thought of something. "Aki… I think Tobi may somehow be alive."
"Alive? How?" Aki asked, hardly daring to believe it. Yusei frowned.
"I don't know. Misty wouldn't say her brother was in danger if he was really dead. It could be that his death was somehow faked and he has been alive this whole time."
"How the hell could anyone pull that off?" Yugo wanted to know.
"If Tobi is alive, where could he be? Why hasn't he been found?" Rua also wondered.
"And how are he and those other people in danger?" Setsuko asked, sounding deeply concerned.
"Those are all really good questions. Any ideas Windy?" Rin turned to the Wind Ignis for any possibilities, but he didn't answer. "Windy?" Everyone now had their attention on Windy, who appeared to be frozen, eyes wide. "Windy, are you alright?" Rin asked, now worried.
When he finally responded, Windy did not act composed. On the contrary, he seemed very upset as his eyes were streaming tears down his face again. "No… No! Please no!"
"What's wrong?!" Ruka shouted, worried what had upset him so much.
Windy hung his head and held it with his hands. "Ray just contacted me. She told me Ai had gotten the Numeron Code off the Astral World."
"That's great news, isn't it?" Yugo asked, not understanding what the problem was. Windy's body trembled.
"There's more. Ray also said that Ai… didn't make it. He couldn't get off the Astral World before he was attacked there! I fear we may have… lost him!"
Yusei and his friends all gasped in shock. Yusei himself tightened his fists and gritted his teeth. Misty's soul being stolen by Lightning, Misty giving a warning which included her possibly still living brother, and now this. He had thought everything would be fine after stopping Divine from destroying the city, but things just kept getting worse. 'Could Lightning also be responsible for the attack on Ai? Is Ai even alive?' Yusei wished he had answers.
Everyone was certain of one thing. Lightning was up to something, something big. They needed to find out what it was and stop it before it was too late. But could it be too late for Ai? He didn't know.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"There. You should be good as new now." Hiretsuna stated after her work was done. Laying on a table before her, Devil Kaiser breathed in and out deeply as he recovered. After a moment, he sat up and examined himself. He was pleased to see that he was completely healed. He turned to the green eyed black demon woman and smiled evilly.
"That feels better. Thanks for the boost." The woman then crossed her arms and gave him a stern look.
"You're Devil Kaiser, aren't you?"
"I am." The evil being confirmed. "And you are Hiretsuna, daughter of Zarc and E'Rah."
"That's right." Hiretsuna confirmed. "Master Lightning informed me about you, along with the others working with him and my parents. But last I heard, you were supposed to be eliminating Judai Yuki and his band of goody goodies on his world."
"You heard right… and I did my job." Devil Kaiser replied with satisfaction in his voice. "That punk and all those with him are all gone…including my own personal target." He took great pride in fulfilling his revenge on Sho Marufuji. "None of them will be an issue for Lightning's master plan now."
"Then what the hell brought you here on my turf?" Hiretsuna demanded. Devil Kaiser gave a sigh.
"Judai tried to eradicate me, but thankfully the power I took from three powerful Monsters on that world spared me and brought me here. I suppose my dark power sought out something similar to myself and found your life force across different worlds. So in a way, you brought me here… if unknowingly."
"Well, at least someone got their job done." The dark woman said with a growl.
"Meaning what?" Devil Kaiser asked. Hiretsuna sighed with irritation before answering.
"I managed to grab that Haruto brat and delivered him to Queen without any issues, but my other mission wasn't so successful." Devil Kaiser narrowed his eyes.
"The Numeron Code? You don't have it yet?" Hiretsuna responded with a yell and shot a dark green fireball at the wall to her right. She then breathed heavily. Devil Kaiser could tell she was pissed off. "I take that as a "No"."
"No I don't have it!" Hiretsuna spat out furiously. "I nearly claimed it, but someone else beat me to it! The card, along with its guardian, slipped through my grasp and vanished from this world! I captured the one responsible for denying me my prize and tortured him for several hours, but he refused to cough up anything! He won't talk no matter what I do to him! It's damn infuriating!" She said while stomping her foot hard on the stone floor.
"Someone got the Numeron Code before you could? Who is this prisoner of yours?" Devil Kaiser inquired.
"He refused to identify himself, but he appears to be an Ignis like Master Lightning." Hiretsuna revealed, to the surprise of her companion.
"Another Ignis? Here?" Devil Kaiser had not expected this development. "How could an Ignis be in this world? And how did he learn of the Numeron Code?"
"I asked him all those questions and more! He just won't blab about any of it!" Hiretsuna yelled angrily.
"Does Lightning know about this?" Devil Kaiser asked. The demonic woman stared at him like he was a total idiot.
"Of course he doesn't know! Do you honestly believe I would have humiliated myself by reporting such a failure to him?! No! He is expecting me to inform him and my parents when I have the Numeron Code in hand! I'm not saying another word to any of them until I succeed!"
While his companion huffed and puffed, Devil Kaiser stood silent and thought. A plan was beginning to form in his mind. A plan that could fix this situation. "Hiretsuna… I may have a way for us to retrieve the Numeron Code."
Hiretsuna eyed him curiously. "Do you? And how, great Devil Kaiser, can we do that?"
Devil Kaiser smiled like the monster he was. "By using something our enemies want against them. Or rather… someone."
To be continued.
(A.N. And with that, the Arcadia Arc is done! Took more time than I wanted but I'm pleased with it. As I mentioned previously, I will take a break to rest and begin cross posting both my crossovers in my AO3 account. Hopefully I won't have any issues with that. Later on (don't know when), I will start the arc that will feature the cast of Yugioh ZEXAL: The Demon Arc! Oh, and you will see more of Ai in the next arc after the teasing from the previous arcs. When the new arc starts, you all will know. In the meantime, take care everyone.)