Yugioh EQG: XX

by Banshee531


Turn 51: The Storm's End

"GOOOO!" The robotic dragon threw a punch towards Storm King, who raised its staff to protect itself. And as the two connected, a mighty flash of light filled the arena and blinded everyone. The only ones who could see were Flash and Tempest, thus they were the only ones who watched Storm King's staff shatter as Flash Heart slammed his fist into the satyr's chest and broke through the armour.

The monster unleashed a mighty roar as it exploded, the force of the explosion sending Tempest flying backwards as she let out a scream.

Flash: 200 (Winner)
Tempest 0

The light of the explosion mixed with the already existing light, finally causing Flash to close his eyes as he felt everything around him disappear. The sound of the crowd and the pressure under his feet vanished, making him open his eyes and looked around to find he was back in the void.

He looked around and saw the Tempest avatar standing infront of a screen, with a light string connecting her to the real Tempest, who was still tied up. "Tempest!" He floated over to the real one, only to feel something coming at him. "WOW!" He barely managed to evade a clawed hand as it swung close too him, looking over to see Storm King glaring at him. "Let her go!"

"Never!" Storm King growled, only to flinch as a cracking sound filled the air. They both glanced over at Tempest and saw the chains she was wrapped in were beginning to crack.

Storm King growled, whilst Flash pulled out a card. "Come to me!" In a flash of light, Scarvolt appeared beside him and drew her sword in preparation of battle.

"It's over Dominator!" Scarvolt told him. "Release your hold on Tempest."

"I will not!" Storm King growled. "I still have a mission to accomplish." More cracking filled the air, as the chains holding Tempest continued to crack.

"The Soulink is breaking. Your compatibility with Tempest was the bare minimum needed to form the link. This one Duel was enough to break it."

"No!" Storm King flew forwards, swinging its staff towards her. Scarvolt barely managed to block it with her sword, the two pushing at one another as Flash flew over to Tempest.

"Hold on Tempest." He began to pull at the chains, which slowly began to grow looser. As he did, he heard a moaning sound and looked up to see Tempest's eyes opening.

"Scar....volt."

"Stay with me!" Flash begged her, continuing to pull at the chain and managing to finally break one. "We're getting you out of here!" But as he began pulling at the next chain, a loud cry of pain made them both turn to see Scarvolt be knocked backwards by Storm King.

"No," Tempest whispered. As she could do was watch Storm King pointed its staff at Scarvolt and unleashed a burst of lightning, which struck the Tempest Rogue and wrapped around her as she was electrocuted.

Scarvolt cried out in pain as she tried to break free, but was unable to do so as Storm King smiled. "Once you're gone, nothing will stop me from keeping this body and reviving my lord."

Scarvolt stopped struggling as her body went limp, able to do nothing but turn to look at Tempest. And as the two stared at one another, they both felt something click within them. "No," Scarvolt started pulling against the electric bonds, "I...won't let you have her."

"I won't let you destroy her," Tempest pulled against the chains. It was then that the two of them started glowing a golden light, which surprised both Flash and Storm King. Storm King saw his attack was no longer hurting Scarvolt, the light around her shielding her from the lightning. Meanwhile, Flash watched as the light around Tempest caused the chains to begin melting.

As the light grew brighter and brighter, the two spoke in perfect unison. "WE WON'T LET YOU CONTROL US ANYMORE!" With that, the light exploded off of them and completely destroyed their bindings.

Flash and Storm King both shielded their eyes from the light, which eventually died down. When they opened their eyes, they both saw Tempest was freed from her restraints and Scarvolt had floated over to her. Only now, the Tempest Rogue looked different.

The armour around her chest, arms and boots were now bright gold, and her cloak now had gold trim around the edge of the hood and running down the seams. She was now carrying a pair of golden bladed shortswords and her mask was also golden.

Storm King just stared at them, only to suddenly feel a shot of pain rush through his body. "What...have you done."

"We have liberated ourselves from you," Scarvolt told him. "The infection that is your spirit is no longer welcome here." Storm King growled and tried to rush forward, but his body suddenly gave out and he fell to his knees.

He looked down at his hands and saw them beginning to fade away, the others watching as the same thing happened to the rest of his body. All he could do was sit there as he grew fainter and fainter, turning to glare at them all. "This isn't...over. I may have been beaten, but I am not alone." Only his head now remained, which was disappearing with each passing second. "My lord will be revived, the zealots will make sure of it. And when he is, I'll make sure none of you are saved by him. Enjoy your time on this doomed rock while you can, because soon Zeronull will rise and everything you know will be lost."

With that, he completely vanished. His staff fell to the floor and turned to dust, disintegrating as the string of light that had connected the satyr to the avatar was retracted into the body. And as soon as it did, the body went limp.

Tempest suddenly found herself being pulled towards her body, her ghostly form phasing into it and disappearing. The body opened its eyes before gasping for air, feeling herself finally back in control after over a year of being a prisoner.

She then began to sway until she fell back, only to fell something catch her.

She looked around and saw Scarvolt was the one holding her, the two smiling at one another before shifting into a hug. "Scarvolt!"

"Oh, Tempest," the Duel Spirit held her tight. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," Tempest pulled back and looked sad. "I'm sorry I was so weak. If I had been stronger, he wouldn't have gotten hold of-"

"No!" Scarvolt gave her a stern look, "this isn't your fault. Never think that." She pulled her into another hug, the two holding onto one another as Flash watched with a smile on his face. He then felt the world around him fade. And before he could call out to them, a bright flash made him shield his eyes.

Then, as Flash opened his eyes, he looked around to see that he was now back in the stadium.

Realising what had just happened, he looked down at his Duel Disk and saw the point total. Tempest's Life Points...were zero. He'd done it, he'd beaten her.

Celestia: AT LAST! At last the big moment has arrived.

Luna: The Double X Tournament is over. The winner...FLASH SENTRY!

The entire stadium broke out into a brilliant round of applause, not a single seat occupied as the audience all stood up to cheer for the tournament winners. Flash couldn't believe his ears as he looked around, smiling a brilliant smile at the many people in the stands. And they weren't the only ones celebrating, as all over the country fans of the team were cheering. Pinkie was crying out in joy as she hugged Maud, whilst Grand just smiled with pride at his grandson's achievements. Even the Dazzlings were impressed by the team's feat, as the Celestic Sisters continued to speak.

Celestia: They've overcome tremendous battles

Luna: They've defeated many challenges along the way.

Celestia: Ladies and gentlemen, are new champions. Flash Sentry, Sunburst and Spike. Better known as...

Both: TEAM V-FIGHTERS!

"FLASH!" The teen turned to see his friends rushing towards him, Sunburst appearing to have forgotten about his injuries as they reached him. "We did it!" Sunburst yelled out, actually leaping at Flash and throwing his arms around him. "We won!" But in doing so, he knocked Flash off balance and the two began to trip over. Spike attempted to save them, but he was pulled along with them and the three fell into a dogpile of the floor. They didn't care, because they'd just won.

Meanwhile, Tempest sat herself up and moaned whilst holding her head. She then looked around and appeared to be in shock, quickly pulling off her glove and seeing the mark on her hand burn away. "I...I'm free." She turned to look over at team V-Fighters and smiled, tears appearing in her eyes.

She began to walk over to them, tossing her glove onto the ground as she did.

"You had me on the edge of my seat," she heard Spike tell Flash.

"It was so tense," Sunburst said. "I could barely watch."

Flash smirked, "cut it out. I won, didn't I?" It was then that they noticed Tempest approaching, Spike and Sunburst both looking worried whilst Flash looked down at her hand. When he saw the mark was gone, he smiled and looked up into her eyes. "It's you, isn't it. The real you I mean."

Tempest smiled back and nodded. "Yes," her hand was placed over her chest, "my torment is finally over thanks to you." She reached out her hand, "thank you. And I hope that one day, we can have a real Duel."

Flash smiled back before reaching out and grasping her hand, the two shaking it. "No problem. I look forward to it." He then remembered something and reached into his jacket pocket. "Oh yeah," he took out a card and held it out. "Here. I think Scarvolt would want you to have this."

Tempest took the card and saw it was Scarvolt, in her new Liberator form. Seeing her partner looking so powerful made her smile, her tears increasing as she held the card close to her heart. "Thank you. Thank you for everything." The V-Fighters could only smile, the rest of their friends doing the same.

Everything seemed like a blur after that. Cold and the Celestic Sisters came out to present them with their trophy and plaques stating they'd won, as photographers and journalists took photos and asked them questions. Later, the team met up with their friends and were given another round of congratulations.

Twilight gave Flash the best kiss they'd ever shared, whilst Spike was hugged by almost every single girl he was friends with. But no one was more happy then Sunburst, who burst into tears when he and Starlight met and hugged. Years of separation and heartache were forgotten, as the two of them embraced one another.

Afterwards, they all went out and celebrated the boy's victory along with their triumph over two of the Dominators. They all knew that afterwards, they had a lot to do.


One week later...

The week following the Double X's end was filled with just as much hype as the ones leading up to it. All over town, young teens were picking up a deck for the first time and learning the rules. Having seen the many amazing Duels during the tournament, they were eager to one day be apart of something like that.

"That final was unbelievable," a teenager said. He and his friend were currently in a convenience store, both reading a magazine that had several articles about the Double X. Team V-Fighters pictures were on the cover, and there were several interviews with them and other high ranking teams that had taken place.

His friend smiled as he turned to him. "Hey, why don't we try our luck and enter the Double X ourselves next year."

On a bench outside the store, a bunch of young kids were having a sitdown Duel. "Here I go," one of them said as he placed an Enemy Controller card on the field. "I play Sunburst Gate."

His opponent smiled as he placed two non-Pendulum Monsters in his Pendulum Zone. "I Pendulum Summon." Obviously they didn't know how to actually play, but they were having fun and that was the whole point. "I'm gonna be the next champion!"


Back at Freeze Stadium, Shining and Cadance were sitting down for their lunch break. As they did, they heard a bunch of young Duellists talking.

"Pendulum Summoning has gotta be the best style ever," one of them told their friends.

"No way," a girl replied. "Synchro Summoning's the best."

"Fusion Summoning!" One of the other kids yelled.

The husband and wife both smiled at this sight, happy new Duellists were being inspired to learn how to play the game. "I love the excitement that builds up in the air before a tournament," Shining said. "But this is pretty special too. Everyone's so upbeat, with new goals and great energy."

Cadance nodded whilst thinking back to the mountain of paperwork that was covering her desk. "And with all the applications we've been receiving for the upcoming tournaments and special events, no doubt the next generation of Duellists are gonna be as good, if not better, then the current generation."

Shining smirked. "Though they're not gonna stand a chance against Flurry once she starts Duelling." Cadance smiled bad at him, agreeing wholeheartedly before finishing the last few bites of her lunch. "Well, we'd better get back to work. The future's not gonna arrive if we don't do everything in our power to help it." Shining nodded and finished off his lunch. Together, the two returned to their work to help bring about the next generation of Duellists.

As they got back to work, Team Crusaders were currently hard at work. They were training for next years Double X, which they had every intention of winning.

"Attack!" Scootaloo cried as her monster shot across the holo-table and destroyed her opponent's, wiping out the last of their life points, "Yes!"

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle both smiled, as they continued with their own Duels. "There's no way we're missing out next year," Applebloom said as her Synchro Pendulum Monsters attacked.

"We're going all the way to the top!" Sweetie agreed as she summoned her Fusion Monster.

The three then said in unison, "TEAM CRUSADERS IS GONNA BE THE BEST!"


As team Crusaders worked to be next years Double X Champions, this years Double X Champions were currently facing off against one of their biggest opponents.

"I challenge you!" A ten-year-old cried out, holding his deck up to signal his readiness to Duel. Team V-Fighters were currently in the park, smiling as the group of children were grouped up around them.

"Sure," Flash said, "I'm ready to throw down."

Spike smirked, "you really think you can take me?"

Sunburst rubbed the back of his head, looking embarrassed. "Sorry, but not today. I have somewhere I need to be." This made the little kids all awe and pout, looking upset as Sunburst pushed his way through the lot of them. He then turned back to his teammates. "I'll see you guys later."

Flash and Spike both nodded, "try not to be late. Cold won't be happy if you are."

"We won't be," he assured them before heading off. Once he was, the two turned back to the young kids.

"Alright," Flash pulled out his Duel Disk, "who's up first?"

"And who wants to take me on?" Spike asked, doing the same things.


Once in Cloudsdale, team Wonderbolts was in a meeting with Spitfire.

"I just got back from a meeting with the board," the principal told them. "They found your third-place ranking...acceptable." The three all sighed in relief. "Infact, our school's received a lot of good promotion due to this and several students have come to me with inquiries about possibly joining your team. It seems we may be sending several teams into the tournament next year."

"That's awesome!" Rainbow said. "The more teams we enter, the better chance we'll have at winning next year."

"That's the plan," Spitfire told them. "You three have made this school proud."

"Thank you, ma'am," Soarin bowed. "And thank you for letting us compete. I feel I've grown a lot stronger in doing so, and I know that strength will help me in next year's soccer league." Spitfire smirked and nodded, dismissing the three.

Once they were back in the halls, Gilda turned to the two of them. "I gotta admit, that tournament was pretty epic. Thanks for letting me be apart of it."

"No problem," Rainbow told her. "So, you guys hear from any of the scouts yet? With how awesome you guys did in the final round, you'll probably be beating off sponsors with a stick."

"I haven't heard anything," Soarin said.

"Me neither," Gilda told them. "But it's early days. Those lamos are probably watching our Duels over and over again. They'd be idiots not to try and pick us." With that, she headed off down the hallway.

Soarin turned to Rainbow, "you heading off soon?"

"Yeah?" Rainbow nodded, "I'm meeting up with the others. You sure you don't wanna come? You're apart of this now."

"Nah," he said, "I'll hold down the fort here. Just tell me if you learn anything new."

"Will do," Rainbow headed off. She then stopped, "hey Soarin."

He turned towards her, "yeah?"

Rainbow glanced back and smiled at him, "you were the best partner I could ever ask for." This made Soarin go wide-eyed hearing this. "I know I might not have said it during the tournament, but you were amazing through the whole thing. And...I'm sorry about what I said during your Duel with Applejack. I was just...trying to keep you from getting cocky."

"Yeah," Soarin said, "I figured that. You were right. I probably would have gotten too big for my boots if I hadn't lost to Applejack then. And that might have destroyed me if I'd lost after it. You really helped me then. So thanks."

Rainbow smirked back, "no problem." She gave him a thumbs up. "I mean it. You're an amazing Duelist and I'm glad we got to fight together. Hopefully, next year we can go all the way to the top."

Soarin nodded, "you've got my support...captain." The two continued to smile at one another for several seconds until they finally looked away, both heading down the corridor in different directions. What they didn't know, was that the other was completely red in the face. No doubt the Double X had brought them close together, and that bond would continue to grow strong as they worked to achieve their goals. Together, as a team.


Over by the river, Twilight, Fluttershy and Tidal were watching as the boats float by.

Twilight sighed as the wind blew passed her, "such a nice breeze. Kind of reminds me of the one I felt at the top of the Eiffel Tower." As she said that, the memory of when she went there with Moondancer appeared in the front of her mind. But now, that memory did not invoke pain like it had before. Now, it just made her smile as she remembered what an amazing person she was.

Fluttershy and Tidal saw this and both smiled, happy Twilight had finally overcome her grief.

"It's been a long ride," Tidal said. "But in the end, I think it was worth it." He turned to the girls, "you've all grown a lot in the tournament. You've gone from a group of fair maidens into a trio of strong ladies that could take anything the world throws at them."

Twilight and Fluttershy both smiled, agreeing wholeheartedly. Twilight turned to look back at the river, remembering her Duel with Flash and what she'd realised during it. "I've decided, I want to help spread the word of how much fun Duelling can be." She stood up, "I'm gonna dedicate my life to making sure no one grows up without knowing how amazing this game is."

Both Tidal and Fluttershy smiled as the pink-haired girl said, "I think that's a wonderful way to live."

"Si," Tidal agreed, "I'm sure Moondancer would be proud to hear you say that."

Twilight smiled at them, agreeing with that. She knew this was what she wanted to do with her life, help spread the bonds of friendship that this game forged to the whole world. She then looked up at the sky, "watch me Moondancer. I'm going to help create a perfect world."


Over at Freeze Industries, Sunset and Cold were in his office.

The man placed a piece of paper on the table towards her, the girl taking it to look over. "What's this?"

Cold smiled as he replied, "a list of sponsors looking to fund your professional career." This made Sunset's eyes go wide as she looked down to see how many there were.

"No way. All of them?" Cold just nodded, making Sunset almost start to hyperventilate. "I don't believe it."

"I don't see why you're so surprised. Even though you lost, your performance in the finals was something quite spectacular. Any sponsor would be mad not to want to fund you."

This made Sunset smile. "Thanks, Cold."

"No need to thank me. You did this all on your own. You've really grown into an independent young woman. I'm proud of you." Sunset blushed as she once again looked down at the list of names and phone numbers. She was so glad Twilight had asked her to join her team and enter the Double X. Now she could help show the world how amazing the game she loved was. And the best part, she'd never have to touch another piece of sushi again.


In another part of the city, Sunburst walked down the road until he found the spot he was looking for.

And there, sitting on a bench, was the one he was here to meet. Starlight heard the footsteps and turned to see him, smiling as she shuffled over to give him room to sit down. "Hey," he sat next to her, "so how have you been doing?"

"Okay," Starlight replied whilst looking down at the ground. Sunburst mentally kicked himself at how brash he was, but had no idea how to really talk to her. It had been easy when they were in a big group, but alone it just felt...awkward. "So," he turned to her, "how's it feel to finally be the big Duelling hotshot everyone back home always thought you'd be."

Sunburst smirked, "I'm already feeling exhausted. My mom's been working nonstop, trying to get me on a bunch of different talk shows and endorsement deals." This made Starlight break out into laughter, wiping away a tear as she did so.

"Well, it can't be any worse than what my dad did when I finally got home. He wrapped me up in my old blanky and gave me a super tight hug." Her tears of laughter suddenly changed to different tears, as she began to cling to herself. "To think, I actually missed when he did that whilst I was..."

Sunburst turned to give her a reassuring look, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. It's over now. You can get on with your life and never have to worry about any of that ever again."

Starlight turned to smile at him and nodded, then stood up. "You're right. And there's one thing I've been wanting to do since you freed me." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her Duel Disk, holding it up for him to see. "You may have beaten the avatar that was controlling me, but you didn't beat me. Time to show you what my deck can do when its real owner is using it."

Sunburst smiled and stood up, pulling out his own Duel Disk. They headed over to a more open spot, shuffling one another's decks as they prepared to face off. "So what are you planning on doing now?"

Starlight hummed as she thought about it. "I'm not sure yet. I'm still serious about one day standing at the top of the Duelling world, but there's something else I need to do before then."

"Oh yeah?" Starlight nodded back.

"A Dominator stole a year of my life and I don't know who they were and why they did it. I want to find out, even if it takes years to do so." She saw Sunburst frowning at this, obviously thinking she shouldn't try and push herself like that. "I have to do this or I'll never be able to move on from it."

Sunburst nodded. "I understand. Then I'll help you. No matter what, we'll do it together." This made Starlight smile as they gave back each other's decks and activated their Duel Disks.

"DUEL!"


Later that day, as the sun began to set, Flash and Spike arrived at Freeze Stadium.

Heading inside, they spotted most of their friends sitting around a large table and went to join them. "Hey," Flash waved as they arrived, "we the last ones here?"

"No," Rarity replied, "Sunburst and Starlight aren't here yet. Neither is Cold, Sunset or Tempest."

Spike moaned, "I told him not to be late."

"Ain't nothing we can do about it now," Applejack told him. "Just have to sit and wait for them."

"Eyup,"

"I'm sure they won't be too long," Twilight explained as Flash sat down next to her. And just like that, the sound of footsteps made them turn to see Sunburst and Starlight walk up to them.

"Hey," he waved at them.

"Good to see you all," Starlight did the same. And as they sat down, Cold and Sunset arrived as well and sat down. Now there was only one chair left, with its intended inhabitance not there yet.

That person was outside, staring up at the large building infront of her. She looked very nervous, but took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing," she headed inside as saw the others all waiting for her. "Hello," she said as she sat down with them, "it's good to see you all."

"It's good to see you too," Flash replied with a smirk. "Well...the real you anyway." This made Tempest frown, the others all thinking it over.

"It's kind of weird," Rainbow said. "Even though we've met a bunch of times, this is the first time we're really talking to you."

"Not really," Tempest replied. "Over the last week, several memories that the avatar had formed during its time controlling me have returned to me. I remember many of the Duels it had against you and several conversations it'd had with you all. So really, I know you all quite well."

"It's the same with me," Starlight agreed. "Not everything's come back to me, but a lot of very recent memories are beginning to surface."

"Makes sense," Misty told them. "The avatars were connected to you, and now that it no longer exists the memories it made had to go somewhere. You'll probably find more memories returning with time."

Tempest frowned. "Honestly, I'd be happy if a few of them never return. The less I remember about what I did whilst Dominated, the better. Even so, I know those memories could be important to help finding out what Storm King and his comrades were trying to do." She then stood up, surprising everyone, and bowed. "I want to take this opportunity to apologie for everything I put you through."

"Same here," Starlight stood up and did the same. "I'm so sorry."

Sunburst frowned, "you don't need to do that."

"He's right," Cold agreed. "You two were just another victim of the Dominate. This wasn't your fault."

Tempest shook her head. "I have to accept some blame. Storm King Dominator was only able to take control of me because I was weak-minded." She reached up and touched the scar on her face. "I let the pain of my past weaken my spirit, which gave him the opening he needed to Dominate me."

Starlight nodded. "I can't even remember which Duel Monster Dominated me. It seems it was trying to prevent me from knowing anything about it, as if it knew I'd one day manage to escape its clutches and wanted to make sure I couldn't give you any useful information."

"Well it's not like we're completely in the dark," Cold told them. "Flash has already told us about what Storm King had told the two of you during the Duel."

"Yes," Tempest nodded, "Storm King wasn't even the highest player in this game."

"So who was?" Sweetie asked.

"We're not sure," Flash replied. "That's something Storm King kept to himself. But whoever they were, they were strong. I doubt just any Duel Monster has the power to put a stone statue back together and revert it back to flesh."

Tempest nodded in agreement. "They also gave Storm King the Staff of Sacanus, which gave him the ability to Dominate monsters more easily and steal the powers of his comrades. With that, they sent Storm King into this world to fulfil an important mission. The first was to find a suitable vessel for one of his allies and Dominate them, which lead him to find Marble Pie and bring Gaia-Maiden into this world."

Everyone frowned hearing this, knowing just how terrible Pinkie and Maud must be feeling right now.

"Once that was taken care of, Storm King handed the rest of the cards needed to bring their comrades into this world. I believe that is what Marble's been doing since the end of the Double X."

"Do you maybe know which Duel monsters they are?" Sunset asked her.

Twilight nodded. "If we know which ones we're up against, we might be able to find the Duellists that are the best vessels for them and stop it from happening."

Tempest shook her head. "Unfortunately, that's one of the memories I've yet to regain." Everyone sighed at this, as the young woman continued. "All I remember is that Storm King had four cards in his possession, one of which was Gaia-Maiden."

"So that leaves three more," Sunburst caught on.

Tempest nodded. "Plus, Storm King and Starlight's Dominator weren't the only ones who arrived here during the Shadow Gate incident. I believe there was at least one other Dominator that's been here since then, likely setting up their operations."

"What about Heath?" Spike asked. "Or...you know, Flaming Emperor Hellfire."

Tempest shook her head. "Believe it or not, Hellfire wasn't a true Dominator. His Soullink was one formed the right way, with his host's agreement. However, I get the feeling we may not have seen the last of him. The same as with Marble Pie."

Shining turned to Misty, "didn't you say Grand's been trying to track her down?"

Misty nodded, "yes. He's with Pinkie and Maud, travelling the country following leads that could help them find her. And every spare minute, he's helping them train to become strong. Hopefully, when they find Marble, they'll be able to beat the Dominator out of her."

"Here's hoping."

Cold turned back to Tempest. "So Storm King's first mission, to bring one of his comrades here, was accomplished. So why did he remain in the Double X?"

Tempest frowned, "I'm not sure yet. But it must have something to do with the outer god he and the others worship."

"Who is this god?" Fluttershy asked, a little afraid to learn the answer.

Flash was the one to reply. "Omega Deity of Destruction, Zeronull."

Misty frowned, "I spent many years studying the Duel Monster's history and legends. I've never found anything related to this Zeronull, through my best guess is that it's a monster on the Level of Exodia or the Egyptian Gods. It's likely a very powerful monster, who was likely sealed away to prevent it from causing trouble."

Flash nodded as he remembered what Storm King had told them. "He said that by awakening Zeronull, they could create a world without conflict or strife. But to do it, it would need to destroy our world and trap us all in an eternal dream."

Everyone shivered hearing him say those words. "Having to live in a fake world forever," Twilight whispered. "it almost sounds...like a fairy tale."

"That's probably why they want to do it," Cadance realised. "If the Dominators here are like Storm King, who suffered through much misfortune, then it's likely living in a dream world would be seen as preferable."

"Yeah," Spike suddenly thought back to his Duel against Starlight when she was possed. "I think the monsters possessing Starlight was like that." He explained his vision to them, making them realise they were right.

"Hellfire showed me something similar," Twilight agreed. "I think he was in some kind of battle, which ended with him as the only survivor. That's why he came here, to escape the constant battles that take place in that world."

Starlight looked down at the table. "I guess that no matter which world you're in, pain and loss is something that's inevitable."

"But that doesn't mean you should just give up on that world," Flash said as he stood up and caught everyone's attention. "I know this world isn't perfect, but that doesn't give anyone the right to destroy it. Even if we got to live in a dream world where everything's just how we want it, because there's one thing this world has that it won't. Friends."

Everyone smiled, agreeing wholeheartedly. There was no way they'd be willing to live in a dream world, not if it meant they'd never get to see their friends again. Because without friends, what was the point of it all.

"Well said," Cold agreed. He turned back to Tempest. "So they think this god can help create a perfect world for them, but how do they intend to do it. If this Zeronull guy really is sealed away, it can't be much help to them."

Tempest frowned at this, "I've been giving this a lot of thought. Based on the memories I've managed to gain, I think I know why they entered the Double X." Her expression suddenly became very serious. "Their goal...was to find a Duellist they believed would be strong enough to act as a vessel for Zeronull." This statement made everyone at the table go wide-eyed. "By Dominating a human, Zeronull can be freed from its imprisonment and fulfil its goals."

"That's horrible," Cadance said.

"Geez," Rainbow said, "we take down one bad guy and a whole bunch of new ones suddenly show up. Aren't we ever gonna get a rest."

Flash heard this and thought back to what he had thought about during his Duel against Tempest. "Whoever they are, I'll take them on. After all, I made a promise." He smirked. "I'm gonna make a world where Duel Monsters and humans can live together as friends. Not just during Duels, or through points like the Shadow Gate. I'm gonna create a link between our worlds that'll mean we can all live as one."

Everyone smiled at this, liking the sound of it. If anyone could do it, they knew Flash could. They all had their own hopes and dreams to strive for and no matter what, they would keep pushing to achieve them. No matter who or what tried to prevent them from doing that.


In another part of the world, on a clifftop, stood a lone mansion.

In that mansion, Heath Burns was currently walking through the hallways. He had a fiery look of determination on his face, as he calmly walked through the giant house. "Hey!" He stopped, then blinked his eyes. In doing so, he suddenly found himself in the void of his mind and back in his true form. Hellfire turned towards the source of the voice, the real Heath Burns. "Let's not do this," he told the demon. "It isn't good. You weren't like this back when I was first attracted to you. You stood firm in any situation. You were strong, you were bold, you were...so cool. That's why I-"

"Will you shut up?" Hellfire told him before leaving the mind-space. Back in Heath's body, he continued walking until he reached a large door.

Pushing it open, he smirked as he looked inside the darkened room. "Hey there. I've decided to join you in that proposal of yours." He stepped into the darkened room, spotting a large throne-like chair in the centre of it. "This world of theirs...is going to fall apart."

At that moment, the sound of a loud cackling could be heard before the entire room lit up and the one sitting in the throne was revealed. He appeared to be a middle-aged man with grey skin, with black hair that ran down his back like a ponytail. He had large white eyebrows and a white goatee, was wearing a reddish-brown long coat and had pants that were light brown on one side and dark brown on the other.

The man in the throne stopped cackling as he looked Heath over. "I welcome you, Flaming Emperor Hellfire." He stood up as the floor beneath the throne receded before the hole closed up. "I'm certain our lord with be pleased with this." In that moment, holographic images of several faces appeared in the air. Flash, Twilight, Spike, Sunburst, Gilda and Soarin's images floated infront of them. "Storm King may have been vanquished, but he managed to complete his mission. Project Omega Zenith can finally enter its next phase."

In that moment, doors off to the side of the room opened before five figures stepped into it.

Marble Pie, Guto and Trixie were among them, with the final two being a pair of women of differing ages. The older woman was middleaged, with light pink skin and hair that phased from light to dark purple. She was wearing a dress that matched her hair colour, along with a pair of light blue fingerless evening gloves that went all the way up to her shoulder. Meanwhile, the younger of the two was a teenager with yellow skin with light blue hair. She wore a pink beach vest and pink shorts, along with a pair of blue fingerless gloves.

Trixie had also changed her appearance, now wearing a light blue turtle-necked sweater with an open back and a dark blue skirt. She also wore a pair of light blue boots and white socks, along with a pair of white fingerless gloves.

The six of them arrived in the centre of the room with the man, who held up six cards. "With these, everything shall be returned to its true state." The man's face went almost hysteric, "silence world. Let chaos rain and all things be lost!"

The Double X had finally come to an end with the danger Storm King possed eliminated. But now, a new threat has arisen. What will the future hold for our heroes? Harmony...or destruction?