//------------------------------// // Turn 30: Alpha Zealots Rise // Story: Yugioh EQG: Ω Zenith // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// In the meadow of the Duel Monster Spirit World, Sombra and Scarvolt simply stared at the forest that they had exited out of a short time ago. Scarvolt sighed, "I wonder what's taking him so long?" "We just have to be patient," Sombra told her. Scarvolt sighed again, "I'd be a lot happier if I knew what the heck Flash was even doing in there." "Whatever it takes to earn Flash Heart and the other's forgiveness. And no matter how long it takes, he'll do it." "But we're on a bit of a time crunch here," Scarvolt told him. "Every second we waste here, Zeronull and his lackeys have another second to do whatever the heck they're doing." Sombra couldn't help but sigh himself, "I know. But the plan won't work if we rush things. Fixing the damage done will take time. Time we might not have, but time none the less. We just have to hope Flash can pull this off, whatever it is he's doing." He glared at the forest, hoping his thoughts got through to the teen within it. "Stay strong Flash. I know things look difficult, but you can pull through. Don't let your negative emotions bog you down." For the first time in a long time, Flash felt truly happy. The reason was obvious. Despite still Duelling against his own deck, being used by a dark reflection of himself, he now had his ace monster back on his side of the field. Flash Heart Dragon X stood strong above him, standing besides a chained up Trail Blazer Dragon. Meanwhile, Shadow had Magna Chimp, Magna Pegasus and a dark reflection of Flash Heart. "Just because you got your favourite monster back, that doesn't mean this Duel is yours for the taking." He held up his Duel Disk, "I still command a vast army of vicious creatures that are ready to tear you a new one. And thanks to your little trick, I now have a very powerful monster who can't be destroyed or removed from the field by card effects. I think I'll call him...Dark Heart Dragon." Said dragon stared down at Flash and the monster it was mimicking, since it was slightly larger then Flash Heart. Flash smirked. "Firstly, you commanding your monsters is why you're gonna lose. You and your deck are suppose to be a team. That's something I forgot and that's what brought you into being. But now, I'm ready to earn their respect and forgiveness." "Like you can," Shadow chuckled. "Let's find out." Flash looked down at his hand and noticed one of his cards was called Blazing Revival, a Trap that could help him but also had some serious downsides. And while he trusted his Deck, even if it was actually his father's, he knew he had to wait for the right moment. "I set scale three Blazing Soul Golem and scale eight Blazing Soul Lancer into the Pendulum Scale!" The pillars of light appeared on either side of him before a pair of monsters flew up into them. One was a bulky humanoid made of rocks with cracks that had magma leaking out of it. The other was a knight in red armour whose arms ended in a pair of long cone-like lances. Once the two were high enough, the portal slowly began to form between them as Flash began to chant. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" The portal was completed, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened before a light and a fireball shot out of hit and struck the ground, exploding to reveal Flash's monsters. "Jurassic Raging Raptor!" (A2600/D2400/R4/P6) "And Blast Burn Dragon!" (A2300/D1800/L6/P2) "Now for Lancer's Pendulum Ability!" The knight raised its weapons as Trail Blazer began to glow. "I sacrifice a Fire monster on my field and in doing so, I can power up a Fire monster on my field by a thousand points until the End Phase." Trail Blazer exploded into flames, causing the Chains of Malice to fall to the ground and shatter, the fire shooting over to Blast Burn and surrounding it in an blazing aura that increased its power. (A3300/D1800/L6/P2) Shadow frowned. "You say you care about your monsters, but you're all so happy to sacrifice them when they become a hindrance." "It's called teamwork," Flash told him harshly. "Besides, I know Trail Blazer would rather be in the graveyard then trapped in your stupid chains. And his sacrifice will not be in vain." He pointed at Dark Heart Dragon as Blast Burn raised the cannons on its back. "ATTACK!" The dragon fired its cannons, hitting Dark Heart head on. It didn't destroy it, but it did deal Shadow some damage. "Augh!" Flash: 2500 Shadow: 900 "Now, Flash Heart, take out Magna Chimp!" The dragon's boosters exploded and caused it to shoot forward and sock Magna Chimp, destroying it. "Now, Jurassic Raging will attack Flash Wing!" The dragonoid dinosaur flew into the air before circling around and striking the pegasus with its tail. "I place two cards face down and end my turn." Blast Burn's ATK points returned to normal. "Then it's my turn!" Shadow drew his card and smiled, "and with it I'll play Spell Recovery. Now I simply banish the top card of my deck, then return a Spell in my graveyard to my hand." He drew his card, revealing Magna Fighter Gun Runner, which he placed in his pocket before taking out a card in his graveyard. No sooner had he done so, he quickly played it. "Now, I'll banish Magna Pegasus from my graveyard to activate Starburst Reload and draw four cards." He drew them and frowned, clearly not getting what he had wanted. 'He's after something,' Flash whispered. It was clear on his face he was trying to get to a certain card. 'But which one?' He asked as the portal formed. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened before a pair of lights shot down and exploded next to Dark Heart Dragon, revealing his monsters. "Shred'em up, Glow Claw Magna Chimp!" (A1800/D600/L4/P9) "Unleash your roar, Star Fang Magna Tiger!" (A2400/D2100/L7) "Next, I'll power him up using the Spell card Multiversal Spirit!" The ghostly image of Flash Dragon Accel appeared before exploding into light, which flew into Magna Tiger and powered it up. (A3200/D2100/L7) "Not good," Flash realised. "Now!" Magna Boar's ability powered Magna Chimp up, (A2300/D600/L4/P9) "I'll have Star Fang attack Jurassic Raging Raptor!" The humanoid tiger flew forward, ready to destroyed Flash's Xyz monster. 'Really not good,' Flash thought to himself. 'If it destroys my Raptor, Star Fang's ability will let it banish Flash Heart and I'll be in serious trouble.' He looked down at his face downs, knowing he didn't have a choice. "I activate my Trap!" It flipped up, "Shift!" Flash Heart and Jurassic Raging blurred out as the kept switching places, with Flash Heart eventually being the one to take the hit from Magna Tiger. Flash: 1800 Shadow: 900 Shadow growled. "Fine then. We'll do it the hard way. Magna Tiger's skill!" A portal appeared behind Blast Burn Dragon. "Whenever it destroys a monster, I can banish another monster on your field with less ATK points." Blast Burn Dragon was sucked into the portal, leaving Flash with only Jurassic Raging Raptor. And that wouldn't last long. "Dark Heart Dragon, ATTACK!" The larger robotic dragon shot forward and struck Jurassic Raging Raptor, destroying it and making Flash grunt. Flash: 1400 Shadow: 900 "Magna Chimp!" The robotic monkey charged forward, ready to end the Duel with a single slash of its claws. But both Flash and Shadow knew it wasn't going to end that way. "I activate my Trap!" Flash yelled as his card flipped up, "Defence Draw!" A shield appeared around Flash that blocked Magna Chimp's attack, leaving him safe and in the came as he drew his card. "At least that Trap's out of the way," Shadow smiled. "I end my turn by playing the Spell card, Malice Healing." All of his monsters suddenly quivered in pain as they glowed a dark light, that light flying off of them and into Shadow. "This card lets me gain five hundred life points for every monster on the field, though their ATK and DEF points drop to zero until the end phase. (A0/D0/L8) (A0/D0/L7) (A0/D0/L4/P9) Flash: 1400 Shadow: 2400 "Your go." "Then I'll draw!" Flash drew his card, then discarded one. "I activate the effect of Blazing Soul Healer." A women in fire-themed robes carrying steaming bottles of water appeared. "By discarding her during the Standby Phase, I gain a thousand Life Points." She uncorked the bottles, causing the steam to fly out and wrap around Flash. Flash: 2400 Shadow: 2400 Flash then looked down at the card he had drawn. He was surprised by the card but realised he couldn't use it yet. As this happened, the portal formed above him. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and a pair of lights shot and and struck the ground, exploding to reveal his monsters. "Shine your light of victory once again, Flash Heard Dragon X!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) "And Jurassic Raging Raptor!" (A2600/2400/R4/P6) "Flash Heart's skill!" A portal appeared behind Magna Chimp and sucked it inside. "Now, Jurassic Raging Raptor, take out his Magna Tiger!" The dinosaur flew up and then shot down, striking Magna Tiger and destroying it. Flash: 2400 Shadow: 2200 "I place one card face down and end my turn." Shadow reached for his deck, a smile on his face. "I can feel it." Flash wondered what he meant. "The card that will end you. I DRAW!" When he looked at the card he had gotten, he smiled before playing it. "With this, your fate is sealed. Your deck will never be yours again. I activate...QUANTUM NEXUS RITUAL!" Flash's eyes went wide before he looked up. Above Shadow, a giant magic circle appeared. Seconds later, Magna Chimp, Magna Pegasus, Spino Gear, Tempusidium, Neo Lightspeed Dragon and Magna Wolf appeared around the circle. One by one, they each morphed into a light that flew into the circle and made it glow and expand. "By sending banished monsters to the bottom of my deck, I can now warp space and time in order to give life to a whole new monster!" The circle reached its limit and began to firing bolts of blue lightning before completely exploding, the light becoming a single beam that struck the ground. "I RITUAL SUMMON!" From within the light, a monster Flash knew all to well appeared. Then the light began to fade, allowing it to be seen. "QUANTUM NEXUS DRAGON!" (A4000/D4000/L12/P0) "Oh no," Flash couldn't help but quiver where he stood. That was by far his most powerful card. Against that, Flash didn't stand a chance. "Flash," He looked up at Flash Heart as he stared down at him. "Stay strong. We can do this." Flash smiled and nodded back, seeing Quantum Nexus lift up its giant sword. "Bring it on!" "Oh, it's brought!" Shadow pointed at him. "Quantum Nexus Dragon, attack Flash Heart Dragon!" The giant dragon spread its wings and flew up, a green aura surrounding the blade of its weapon. It then flew forward and swung its giant sword downwards, while Flash Heart jumped forward. "Flash Heart!" The teen cried, fearing what might happen. Flash Heart raised its arms in an X formation, using them to block the sword. The impact caused a shockwave that made the entire ruin shake, as the green aura spread to Flash Heart. The shockwave struck Flash, causing him to grunt. Flash: 900 Shadow: 2200 Shadow smirked at this. "You remember Quantum Nexus's Pendulum Ability, right? Instead of destroying your monster, he places a Quantum Counter on it." The green light took shape of the magic circle, Flash feeling himself begin to sweat. "And now I end my turn, causing Quantum Nexus Dragon's other ability to kick in." He reached for his deck. "I banish the top ten cards of my deck and for every monster banished, a turn is skipped and we go straight into the battle phase. And don't forget, for every standby phase that passes, five hundred points are deducted from a monster with a Quantum Counter." "I know," Flash told him. "But I still have just as much chance as you do." "Oh please," Shadow almost laughed. "This game is mine and you know it. You may have gotten Flash Heart back, but the rest of these monsters are on my side." "I doubt that," Flash stated. "After what you've done to them. Made them suffer with all those Malice cards." Shadow growled. "Everything I am, I am because you made me." "I know," Flash nodded. "I accept that. But I won't accept what you're doing. And neither will the deck. I know they were angry and that anger gave birth to you, but I also know they won't let that anger overwhelm them. Because they have too much good in their hearts. No matter what, they won't let themselves be overtaken by all the hate and malice that make you up. That's why I'm not scared of you. I know how this will end." "With me winning!" Shadow yelled before he drew his ten cards, quickly throwing them into the air. The pair of them looked up as each card pointed face up, preventing them from being seen. But then one flipped around, revealing Mystical Space Typhoon. "Nothing." The second flipped over, showing itself as Reflection Guard. Shadow growled, but smirked when the third card showed Space-Warp Dragon. "Now I've got you," he told him as Flash Heart's armour appeared to slowly begin to rust.(A2000/D2000/L7/P4) "Come on," Flash whispered as the fourth card flipped over and revealed Soul Release. The next two flipped over, both showing Spell cards named Magna Guard and Pendulum Shift. But then the next card flipped over, revealing Aura Pulse Magna Rat. "Yes!" Flash smirked, while Flash Heart Dragon's armour rusted over even more then before. (A1500/D2000/L7/P4) "Come on," Shadow whispered. "Just one more." The next card flipped over, revealing Pendulum Blaster. "Come on." The next card revealed itself as Magna Guardian, Arma Excess. "This is it. This next card will grant me the win I need." The card slowly spun around, Shadow smiling while Flash looked nervous. And finally, the card completely flipped around to reveal...another Malice Spell card. "What!" He cried in shock as Quantum Nexus's effect occurred and they entered Flash's Battle Phase. "This can't be!" "It's over Shadow," he pointed at the lookalike. "You didn't respect your monsters and now they've payed you back for mistreating them. Something I swear I'll never do again." "That's not true," Shadow raised his Deck. "I still have the cards. That's proof the anger that created me still burns within them!" It was then that Shadow's Duel Disk began to glow, confusing him while Flash just smiled. And before either of them could say anything, the lights began to shoot off his Duel Disk and fly over to Flash's side of the field. One by one, all of Flash's monsters appeared around him. Each one had a smile on its face, causing Flash to smile as he felt the warmth and forgiveness coming off of them. Shadow, meanwhile, suddenly felt his own strength wane. With each passing second, the anger and betrayal that made up his form slowly began to vanish from him. "No," he whispered while falling to his knees. The last light shot off his Duel Disk, flying right over to Flash and coming to a stop right infront of him before it took shape and faded to reveal Vail Pixie. Flash and her stared at one another for a several seconds until tears appeared in her eyes. They were not tears of pain, but tears of joy. "Vail Pixie," he whispered. "I'm-" He didn't get to finish as Vail Pixie shot forward and hugged him, Flash being shocked for a second until he smiled and hugged her back. "I forgive you," she whispered before finally letting go and flying behind him as Flash focused back on Shadow. "This ends now. I activate my Trap!" His face down flipped up, "Blazing Revival! With this Trap, I can revive any number of monsters in my graveyard to my field. The only down side is that during my end phase, I take a thousand points of damage for each of them." "What?" Shadow looked back up. "You don't even have one thousand Life Points. If I stop you from winning, you'll lose." "That's a risk I'm willing to take," Flash told him. "Because I believe in my monsters. I trust them and I know that trust will be rewarded." With that, three flaming pillars exploded infront of him. The flames quickly faded, revealing Trail Blazer Dragon, Divine Sky Angel and Wild Rush Raptor. "None of those monsters can defeat Dark Heart Dragon or Quantum Nexus Dragon," Shadow told him. "They certainly can't deal me enough damage to end this Duel on this turn." He smiled, "you've lost." "You'd be right," Flash played a card. "If I didn't have this." The card appeared on the field, revealing a Quick-Play Card, "United Bonds!" All five of Flash's monster began to glow, scaring Shadow. "With this card, only one monster can attack. But that monsters gets eight hundred ATK points for every monster on the field, including itself." The light shot off them and flew into the air, the five quickly forming one orb of light that flew into Flash Heart. The dragon glowed as the rust vanished from its body, his power growing. (A5500/D2500/L7/P4) "That's not possible," Shadow shook his head. "How is this possible?" "Because I believe in these monsters!" Flash leapt up, flipping through the air before landing of Flash Heart's back. "And I believe in those around me, who believe in me. As long as that belief exists, there's nothing we can't do!" Shadow was about to respond, but then gasped when he saw something. Standing infront of their monsters were the ghostly images of Flash's family, standing firm and staring him down. The Duel Spirits did the same, clearly having made their choice. And at that moment, Flash Heart's boosters began to ignite. "It's over Shadow!" Flash told him as Flash Heart shot forward, fist pulled back as it rocketed towards its dark lookalike. "LET'S GO!" Flash Heart threw a punch and struck the copy in the chest, causing the Dark Heart Dragon to explode. As it did, Flash leapt forward through the shadows towards his opponent, in the same pre-punching pose Flash Heart had been in. And with a mighty roar, he threw his fist forward and socked Shadow right in the nose. "AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed at the top of his voice as he was thrown backwards, his Life Points dropping. Flash: 900 (Winner) Shadow: 0 Flash landed and fell to his knees, panting as he watched Shadow fall back. He then looked up at his Duel Monsters and saw some of them begin to vanish, that few being the ones that belonged to the rest of his family. All his monsters remained on the field, all appearing happy despite the fact that they lost. "Hahaa!" Vail Pixie cheered, "you did it!" She flew up and hugged him around the neck, Flash laughing back before hearing a moan coming from Shadow. Looking back at him, Flash saw small shining dots of light beginning to fly off of him. He stepped forward as Vail Pixie let him go, Shadow sitting up before looking up and Flash and seeing him approach. "Come to watch me vanish, have you?" He frowned, "don't think you'll get rid of me." "I know," Flash nodded. "You'll never be gone because you're a part of me. A part I didn't want to admit exists within me. My own darker self." Shadow seemed surprised by this admittance, something he clearly thought would never happen. "And it's because I denied you existed, that I couldn't control myself when I finally gave into you. I was a man who couldn't swim, dropped into an ocean." Shadow chuckled, "nice analogy." His chuckling suddenly stopped when he noticed Flash holding out a hand for him. "Well I'm not gonna deny you any more. I know who you are and you're me. So come on. I'm taking you with me, back to my world. You won't be hidden in the shadows of my mind any more. I promise." Shadow stared at him for several seconds, confused and bewildered, until he finally smiled and took Flash's hand. Flash pulled him up and as he did, Shadow began to glow. His skin turned lighter and his hair colour changed from black to blue. His clothes morphed so that they now resembled Flash's, making them now perfect duplicates. But Shadow didn't stop glowing, instead his body slowly began to fade into the dust lights that flew into Flash's body. With each second, he turned more and more transparent but didn't seem at all worried about it. "I'll be counting on you," Flash told him. "I know now that having darkness within me isn't a bad thing if I keep it balanced by the light. We've been fighting for control, when we should have been working together." "And now we will," were Shadow's last words before he completely vanished and was absorbed back into Flash's body. The teen continued to glow for several seconds, taking a deep breath while bathing in a new sense of clarity he hadn't known was possible before now. He finally opened his eyes and turned back to the monster, talking as he moved towards them. "I know you've forgiven me, but I just want to say sorry one last time. I'm sorry and I understand if you don't want to be in my deck any more." He noticed the monsters rolling their eyes, clearly sick of the number of apologise he had been giving them. "But if you still want to stay with me..." He raised his hand, "then I promise I'll never risk you like that again. So what do you say? Let's go home and take Zeronull down." The answer to his question came when most of his monsters started glowing, Flash Heart and Vail Pixie the only ones not. They then turned into lights that flew through the air and landed in Flash's hand, transforming into cards that slowly came together to make Flash's deck. Within a minute, the final light struck the deck and became a card before it faded. Once that happened, Flash brought his hand down and shuffled through the cards, smiling when he saw every one he had lost was back. Well, almost every one. "Alright," he turned to Flash Heart and Vail Pixie. "I guess it's time for me to head back home." The other two nodded, Flash Heart kneeling down while Vail Pixie hovered in place. "This is it. Once we're back, we'll be in for what might be the toughest battle we've ever been through." "No problem," Vail Pixie smiled. "Together, there's nothing that can stop us." They turned to Flash Heart and his response was to hold out a hand. Vail Pixie smiled and placed hers on it. "Come on, let's go save your girlfriend." Flash smiled back before slowly placing his hand on their. And as soon as he did, a bright light suddenly exploded around them. "WOW!" He cried, shutting his eyes. When the light finally faded, he opened his eyes and looked around to see he, Flash Heart and Vail Pixie were floating in a strange white void. Within said void, he got a strange feeling he recognised. "This is..." They looked around and gasped at the sight before them, "Harmonica." The shining angelic figure smiled down at the three. "Hello my children. I am glad to see you have managed to fix things up." "You were watching?" Flash asked. "Of course. I had hoped you would make amends and be able to come together once again. I feared the rift that had developed between you would never be repaired, but it seems I was worried for nothing. Now you can focus your attention on the true enemy." "Zeronull," Flash frowned while Harmonica sighed. "It sickens me to see the pain and suffering he and his followers have caused. I was a fool to think he would give up on his insane quest to destroy all life." "You thought he would?" Vail Pixie asked. "I had hoped he'd see the light. That is why I sealed him away instead of simply destroying him. But now I see that I was wrong. He will never give up on this foolish vendetta." "Then do something!" Flash told her. "If he was able to escape then maybe you can too." "He escaped through stealing another's body. I will not do such a barbaric thing." "So what are you gonna do?" Vail Pixie asked, only to see the angel smile down at them. "I may not be willing to take over another, but I see no problem with lending my power to those I know will use them for only good." The three were confused for a second before realising what she was getting at. "Us?" Flash asked, Harmonica nodding. "Are you sure?" "Oh yes. I've been watching you since the day you were born. You've proven yourself to be a truly good person. Though you have made many mistakes, you have learnt from them and grown as a person. I see no one more worthy of wielding my power to finally destroy Zeronull." She held out her hands as a golden orb formed between them. "A time may come when my power is needed to save your worlds from this evil. Though I can only bestow a small amount of my power into you safely, when the time comes to wield my full strength you will know what to do." "What?" Flash asked as the orb began to unleash a trio golden light strings that floated through the void. And one by one, they latched onto the three's chests and caused them glow the same golden colour. Flash suddenly felt a rush of power flow through him, causing him to take a deep breath as he turned to the others and saw they were glowing just like him. Then, a blue light appeared on each of them. It appeared on the front of Vail Pixie's dress, over the shield and lightning bolt symbol of Flash Heart and on the back of Flash's right hand. They glowed brightly before slowly taking shape and becoming a symbol that caused Flash to raise an eyebrow. It was a strange looking lower cased A, Flash's being surrounded by a while circle while the other two's was just it on its own. As soon as the symbols solidified, they unleashed a bright light that spread around the three of them and turned them into a trio of shining figures. The light soon vanished and revealed the three's new forms. Flash looked to his side and saw Vail Pixie's dress and hair were now pure white and she appeared to be a little bit taller. He then turned to Flash Heart and saw he looked very different. The formerly blue and black sections of his body were now pure white and the spikes on his shoulders, knees and head were longer. Flash looked himself over but didn't really notice any change, but then a stray strand of hair fell over his eyes and he saw it was white. This led to him pulling his hair forward and seeing it was now the same colour as Vail Pixie and Flash Heart's new looks. "Stand tall, Alpha Zealots. Protectors of life and creation. Only you have the power to stop Zeronull once and for all. But you cannot do it alone. Trust in those that stand besides them and you will discover the strength needed to defeat the evil one and his followers." "I will," Flash nodded as he and the others stopped glowing. The light was sucked into the marks given to them, Flash's hair even turning back to normal. "But Zeronull has all of Twilight's Duelling skill. Midnight will be a tough opponent to beat." "I understand that. But you can still defeat her. For even in the darkest of situations, when things look their bleakest, there is always hope as long as you never give up. For that is the most beautiful thing about life. No matter what the hardship. No matter what obstacles it must struggle through, it always finds a way to keep moving forward. Flash nodded, "you're right." Harmonica nodded back. "This world is filled with many amazing ways to grow stronger, each of them requiring many working together as one. The power to fuse into one, the ability to synchronise your powers together and even overlaying your strengths. The Pendulum Power I entrusted with Flash Heart to pass on was meant to help these abilities grow stronger. But in order to defeat Zeronull, it is time for the Pendulum to evolve." "Evolve?" Flash asked, "how?" "That is for you to discover. However, if the Pendulum could share its power with the others, it is possible they could share their power with the Pendulum." Flash wasn't sure what this meant, but something else caught his attention before he could ask. The world around him was growing brighter and brighter, making it harder for him to see. "Stay strong my children and together, there is nothing you cannot do." That was the last thing Flash heard Harmonica say before he was blinded by a brilliant light. Out in the meadow, Sombra and Scarvolt were surprised by a brilliant pillar of light that shot out of the forest and flew into the sky. "What is that?" Scarvolt asked in shock, the two standing up and staring at the pillar. Sombra wasn't sure. But as he stared at the light, he couldn't help but get an overwhelming sense of assuredness. "I think Flash succeeded in his task." Scarvolt turned to him in shock, then back at the pillar. "Now he has everything he needs to save his world from Zeronull." "And we'll keep doing everything required to stop him from this end." Sombra nodded in agreement, his eyes not leaving the pillar. "Good luck Flash. I fear this may be the toughest challenge you've faced yet." Scootaloo, Trail and Misty sat around the campfire as the sun was beginning to set. The three continued to sit there, waiting and hoping, only for a sound to catch their attention and make them look up and turn towards the entrance into the tomb. And in doing so, they spotted Flash stepping out the tunnel. The teen smiled as he looked around, spotting the setting sun and wondering how long he had been in the Duel Monster Spirit World. It barely felt like an hour, but it was long enough for evening to arrive in this world. Either time was slowed down there or the journey to and from that world took longer then he realised, plus however long he had spent in Harmonica's realm after he had passed out. "FLASH!" He turned towards his family and smiled seeing them rush towards them, the three stopping right infront of him and looking him over. "Are you alright?" Misty asked. "You didn't get hurt there, did you?" Flash shook his head. "That's good," Trail sighed in relief before looking serious again. "So, how'd it go?" Flash remained silent for a moment, the three dreading his answer, until he finally smiled and held up a deck of cards. They all gasped as Scootaloo took and cards and started cycling through them, smiling as they saw every card Flash had lost after his last Duel with Midnight. But that relief turned to confusion when they got to the last two cards, seeing they looked completely different to what they had once been. "What's this?" Scootaloo took the two cards and gave them a closer look, seeing they were the new forms of Flash Heart and Vail Pixie. "Flash Heart Dragon...A?" She looked at the other card, "Vail Pixie A?" She didn't understand the strange lower case As following their names, but her parents did. "Those aren't As," Trail took Flash Heart while Misty took Vail Pixie. "They're alpha symbols." The card shined in the setting sunlight, "Flash Heart Dragon...Alpha." "Vail Pixie Alpha," Misty read before turning to Flash. "What happened over there?" "It's a long story," Flash said as he took the cards back. When he did, the three of them couldn't help but notice a glow that seemed to appear around him as he held the cards. Despite never seeing anything like this before, they all knew what this meant. 'Well done Flash,' Misty smiled. 'I can see it plain as day. The bond shared between you and your monsters is greater then ever.' Flash then turned his focus on them, a serious look appearing on his face. "Right now, all that matters is getting back home and preparing to deal with Midnight and the Zealots." The others nodded in agreement, though they then frowned. "We'll have to wait until tomorrow to head back," Trail turned to the sun as it was almost completely set. "Driving at night's seriously dangerous." "And who knows how long it'll be until we get a flight back to the states," Misty placed her hand on her head. "By the time we get there, who knows what'll have happened." Scootaloo moaned while Flash just laughed, making the three turn to him. "We don't need a plane." He held up his Vail Pixie card, the others realising what he was talking about. And so they quickly began to pack up their camp and when everything was safely put away, they stood in a circle around the now put out campfire. "Ready?" Flash held out his card, Misty and Scootaloo grabbing hold of it. Flash was then surprised to see Trail do the same, the teen turning to him. "Really? I thought you had to protect the tomb." Trail smiled back. "I get the feeling this breech isn't gonna open again. Besides, I've been away from my family long enough." The others smiled back before focusing back down on the card. Flash then closed his eyes channelled the power he had been gifted by Harmonica, causing both his hand and the card to glow as the symbol appeared on his hand. His family all became shocked at the sight and looked up at him, seeing his hair turning white and sticking up as the light exploded off the card and wrapped around them. And in the blink of an eye, they vanished in a flash of bright light that illuminated the area before fading in a second. "Are you sure?" Cold asked Grand as they, Tempest, Fluttershy and Team Wonderbolt stood in a conference room in the Freeze Stadium. "I'm sure of it," Grand nodded. "It's honestly a pretty perfect place to hide. The ground work was already there, so it wouldn't take much to convert it to serve their needs." "They've been right under our noses this entire time," Rainbow growled as she punched her hand. "So when do we leave." "As soon as we have everything we need to storm the base," Cold assured her. "Tidal and the Dazzlings should be landing soon. I'll contact them so they can meet us there to help with the investigation." "But what if you're wrong?" Soarin asked. "What if there isn't a base there?" "Then our search gets narrowed down," Gilda told him. "Either way, it can't hurt to look." "It could hurt to look," Fluttershy gulped. "Especially if they've set this place to blow like the last few places." "That's why we've gotta be careful," Cold told them. But before he could say anything else, the door flew open and one of his employees rushed in. "Sir!" She cried, "there's...something happening outside!" This caught their attention and made them rush out the room, the lot fearing it may be the Zealots trying another attack thinking the Zenith Dragons were with them. But when they arrived at the entryway, they got the surprise of a lifetime when they saw who stepped through the doors. "FLASH!" His friends yelled seeing the teen, along with the rest of his family. Grand rushed over to pull his daughter and granddaughter into a hug, then turned towards his son-in-law. "Trail," he smiled. "Hey," Trail nodded back before holding out a hand. Grand took it and both pulled each other into a hug and pat on the back, Trail they pulling away and turning to Cold. "Nice work. I'm glad trusting you with Flash's training was the right call." Cold simply nodded in a stoic fashion before turning to Flash. He didn't even need to ask before Flash pulled out his deck, showing him the cards he had managed to get back. "Good," Cold smiled, "I'm glad you were able to get them back. You probably have much you want to tell us, but that'll have to wait." He turned his focus on the whole family. "I know you're all probably tired, but I'm sure you'll want to help us in our assault on what might be the last Zealot base." "Really?" Misty asked, "is it near here?" "You've been there," he replied. "I was surprised as you'll likely be. It's my brother's old base." This did shock the family, but they quickly shook it off and gained a serious look. "Then let's get going," Flash told him. "It's time to end Zeronull's little game, once and for all." The others nodded, all in total agreement. Across the country, Marble, Trixie and Skystar glared down at the building they planned to attack. They stood atop a mountain located about a mile or so away from the compound they now knew held the Zenith Dragons they needed. Standing between them and the final stages of their plan were three walls, multiple guards and several Duellists they would likely need to beat in order to achieve their prize. They then heard footsteps and turned to see Midnight stepping over to them, the thee quickly bowing as she looked down at the building. "You've all been given your assignment," she told them. They nodded back, "good. Then it's time to end this game, once and for all."