//------------------------------// // Chapter 31: The Search // Story: Dueling is Magic! Many Futures // by Wolfgang //------------------------------// Dueling is Magic! Many Futures Chapter 31 The Search /*********************\ Yeager’s walk took him to many places in the building. At each one, he visited with the people, hoping to lift their spirits, and his own. Though he still felt down about his loss to Jack, it wasn’t this defeat that was dampening his mood, and he knew it. It was Jack’s departure. They’d always seemed to annoy each other, but Yeager still considered Jack a friend ever since Yliaster’s plot had been thwarted nearly four years ago. Jack had been acting unusually abrasive since his own defeat at Crow’s hands, and it had gotten worse ever since. Yeager knew that the two were connected, but it seemed unlikely that Jack would act so rashly after such a defeat. Yeager turned a corner and came across Rainbow Dash. She was walking along, looking as down as he was. “Rainbow Dash?” he said. “You seem troubled.” “Huh?” Dash said, looking up. “Oh, hi. Yeah, just feeling kinda low since Jack left.” “We’re all feeling it, Rainbow,” Yeager said. “It just doesn’t make any sense, though!” said Dash. “He’s a good guy! Why would he act like this?” “I suspect it has to do with his duel against Crow,” said Yeager, “But we have no way of knowing what happened. I don’t believe that it was just the defeat that triggered Jack’s behavior, as he’s lost many times in the past. It must have been something that occurred during the duel.” “During the... hey, I just thought of something,” said Rainbow Dash. “The last time Yusei was in Equestria, there was a lot of weird stuff happening. We should go find Twilight, though. She’ll remember some of it better than me.” “Very well,” said Yeager. ***** “Twilight? You in here?” called Rainbow Dash. “In the back!” Twilight shouted. Yeager walked toward the back of the storage room with Rainbow Dash gliding beside him. They found Twilight and Spike examining a single book. Twilight nodded and Spike turned the page. “Still can’t use magic, huh?” said Dash. “No. It’s not as bad, but my head still throbs whenever I try,” Twilight said. “What can I do for you two?” “Rainbow Dash believes you might be able to provide some insight into Jack’s recent actions,” Yeager said. “I believe that something happened during the duel that caused him to act like this, rather than the defeat itself.” “Yeager might be right,” said Rainbow Dash. “You remember when Yusei dueled Paradox and he summoned that humongous Synchro Monster? What was it called... ‘Malefic Something Dragon’...” “‘Malefic Singularity Dragon’?” Twilight said. “Yeah, that!” said Rainbow. “When Paradox played it, he was already merged with that big gold dragon of his-” “‘Malefic Truth Dragon’,” Twilight interjected. “That too,” said Dash. “Anyway, when he Synchro Summoned ‘Singularity Dragon’, he became merged with it too, but it turned his hair and clothes all dark and stuff. Then we found out that he had that card because of Nightshroud.” “Forgive me, but who or what is ‘Nightshroud’?” Yeager asked. “Guess you don’t know,” said Twilight. “Nightshroud was the threat that brought Yusei to our world in the first place.” “I thought that threat was Paradox,” said Yeager. Twilight shook her head. “That was the second time.” “How many times has Yusei visited your dimension?” Yeager asked. “Just twice,” said Spike. “The first time, the Crimson Dragon brought him so he could save us all from Nightshroud. The second time was when he rode through a rip to Equestria to fight Paradox.” “That doesn’t fully explain what Nightshroud is,” said Yeager. “We’re still not completely sure ourselves,” said Twilight. “What we do know is that it’s from this dimension, and that it was defeated by a human named Jaden Yuki. Yusei said he met him in the past when he traveled through time to fight Paradox and recover his stolen ‘Stardust Dragon’.” “Jaden Yuki... I believe I’ve heard that name before,” said Yeager. “Yes, he’s regarded as a legendary duelist in our history. He saved his school, the Duel Academy, on many occasions, though the details have always been a bit fuzzy.” “Anyway,” said Rainbow Dash, “Nightshroud also helped me duel against Paradox, but he turned my cards dark. Something felt off about it the entire time until I summoned ‘Rainbow Dragon’. Even though I lost, it still made everything clear.” “What are you saying, Rainbow Dash?” asked Yeager. “I’m saying that Crow might have played some dark card against Jack, and that’s what’s making him act like a foal,” Dash said. “Think about it! You guys suddenly can’t watch duels anymore, and Crow shows up with a bunch of Dark Troopers. He’s gotta be on the wrong side of the war.” “That would make quite a lot of sense,” said Yeager, “but we must find Jack to confirm it.” “We should organize some search parties,” said Twilight. “I’m good at organization. I’ll need a map of Neo Domino City and a list of available personnel. Um... if you’ll trust me, that is.” “On the condition that you answer one question,” said Yeager. “Why didn’t you tell me about Nightshroud?” “I didn’t think it was relevant,” Twilight answered with a shrug. “We beat the thing twice already. It didn’t come up again in our world or this one until Spike found out about what happened to it in the past.” “That’s fair, I suppose. Very well. Come with me. We’ll give you the map and personnel list. I expect to have search parties organized and ready to go by tomorrow.” “Not a problem for me, Yeager.” Yeager nodded, then turned to leave the room. “Oh, and one more thing, Twilight,” he said over his shoulder. “When this is over, I want to hear everything that all seven of you know about Nightshroud.” “Yes, sir,” said Twilight. ***** Twilight had spent most of the night organizing the search parties, and presented them to Yeager. He read through each list and made only a few adjustments of his own before he approved. The day after, each group was lined up outside the base. Yeager stood at the top of the steps that lead to the door. “Three days have passed since Jack left us,” Yeager said. “The mission I am sending you on is search and possible rescue. You are to locate Jack Atlas. We believe something may have happened to him during his duel with Crow that has made him irrational and distrusting. It’s likely he cannot be reasoned with, so a duel may be necessary to bring him back. However, do not engage him without help. Only the strongest among you should attempt to duel him. “Now, if there are no questions, begin the mission,” said Yeager. “Find Jack. Bring him home.” “Yes, sir!” came the collective response. Everyone began moving toward the garage. Several minutes later, jeeps and D-Wheels emerged from the underground and left through the base’s gate. The last to leave was Kazama's group. However, he wasn't accompanied by humans. Instead, Pinkie Pie and Spike rode with him, both of them in the back seat. “So, where’s Twilight sending us again?” asked Spike. “We’re going to search around KaibaCorp. Tower,” Kazama said. “This is going to be a dangerous mission, though, so stealth will be key.” “You heard him, Pinkie,” said Spike with a sly grin. Pinkie just stared out the window. “Pinkie Pie?” Spike repeated. “Huh?” she said. “Oh, yeah, stealth. Gotcha.” “You okay back there?” Kazama asked. “I’m fine,” said Pinkie. “Just... I kinda feel bad about Jack going missing. I guess I should've just let him leave the party.” “Come on, Pinkie, don’t be like that,” said Spike. “Jack’s the one who acted like a jerk, not you. Let’s just find him and bring him back before something bad happens to him, okay?” “Yeah, I guess,” Pinkie sighed. ***** Kazama did not park their vehicle anywhere near KaibaCorp. Tower. Instead, he hid it in the shadow of an overpass. “The last thing we want,” he said to Pinkie and Spike, “is for the enemy to see us coming.” Pinkie and Spike nodded, then followed as quickly and quietly as could behind him. They stopped from time to time, pressed up against walls as small platoons of black D-Wheels raced through the streets. Dark Troopers on patrol. They only moved when Kazama told them to move. It took almost thirty minutes before they reached the front walk of the building. There was very little cover left for them when they got there. “I’ll go on ahead,” said Pinkie. “I’m a master of stealth.” “It’s true,” said Spike. “I lost count of how many times she’s just shown up next to someone a long time ago. Not a word until she’s right there.” “I’ll scout ahead and see what’s what inside,” Pinkie continued. “I’ll come back for you two if the situation’s good. If I’m not back in ten minutes, get out of here.” “Pinkie, we won’t leave you behind,” said Kazama. “Twilight would never forgive me if either of you got lost. No buts either.” Pinkie had started to object, but decided against it and just nodded. “Alright,” she said. “Then in that case, ten minutes and it’s your call, Kazama. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Then she dashed off. Spike and Kazama waited only a few minutes before she returned. “We’re clear!” she said. “Come on!” “That was fast,” said Kazama as he picked up Spike and ran behind Pinkie Pie. “Well, it took longer than I expected,” said Pinkie. “I had to distract a whole bunch of Dark Troopers inside, but I got them away from the door real sneaky-like.” “How’d you-” Spike started to ask. “Muffin button,” Pinkie said. “Huh?” said Kazama. “What?” said Pinkie. Spike and Kazama just looked at each other and shrugged. The automatic doors slid open as Pinkie and Kazama ran through them. But then they stopped short. “Greetings,” said Aporia. His arms were crossed in front of his chest. “Pinkie, I thought you said you distracted the guards!” said Kazama. “I did!” said Pinkie. “I didn’t think Aporia would show up!” “You’re not familiar with the concept of a security camera, are you?” asked Aporia. Pinkie shook her head. “Then I suppose you can’t be blamed for this. So I am willing to let all three of you walk out of here untouched, on one condition.” “And that is?” Kazama asked. “Tell me why you are here.” The three of them exchanged looks. Spike sighed. “We’re looking for Jack Atlas,” said the dragon. He squirmed and dropped from Kazama’s arm, landing deftly on his feet. “He went nuts and ran off somewhere. We figured he might come here to fight the Black King.” “Your initial suspicions were correct,” Aporia said. “I’m feeling particularly generous, so I will give you a few breadcrumbs to follow. When Jack arrived, he was confronted with himself and everything he believed in. He’s gone back to the Satellite sector. There’s an old, abandoned theater there. In his early days, that was his palace, his throne room. You will find him there.” “How do we know this isn’t a trap?” Pinkie asked with narrowed eyes. “You don’t,” Aporia said. “But it’s your only lead at the moment, so you might as well investigate. Besides, it’s the only way you will leave here unscathed.” Kazama, Pinkie and Spike exchanged looks again. They looked back at Aporia once more, then turned and left the building as fast as they could. ***** It took almost an hour to make it to Satellite. It took another hour to find the abandoned theater Aporia had mentioned. The sun had moved to the west horizon, but it wasn’t quite ready to set. Kazama, Spike and Pinkie Pie walked up the steps to the abandoned theater. Many of the buildings in this area were still in heavy disrepair. The place was gloomy. Kazama pulled a flashlight from his belt and pushed a button on it, turning it on. The dark hallways were illuminated with a wide beam of light. “Stay close to me,” said Kazama. “There could be Dark Troopers everywhere in here. Or worse.” “Worse?” gulped Spike. “What could be worse than Dark Troopers?” asked Pinkie. “Jack Atlas,” Kazama answered. Pinkie gulped. The three of them moved forward. /*********************\ Next time on Dueling is Magic! Many Futures Kazama, Spike and Pinkie delve deeper into the old theater, eventually finding Jack’s throne room. But Jack is different. He claims that he is the King of Satellite, soon to be King of Neo Domino City. Kazama tries to get him to come back, but Jack doesn’t listen and instead challenges them to a duel. Kazama and Spike strap up to fight against Jack, but something is wrong in this duel... Chapter 32 Jewel of the Mad King /*********************\ Featured Card Speed Spell - End of the Storm SPELL Normal Spell Card If you have 10 or more Speed Counters: Destroy all monsters on the field and inflict 300 damage to each player for each of their destroyed monsters that were sent to the Graveyard.