//------------------------------// // Turn 14: Feathers Dyed Black // Story: Crossover Into Chaos // by dabestgamer //------------------------------// “Crow, what are you doing?” Yusei asked, surprised. He tried to see past the visor on Crow’s helmet and into his eyes, but the darkness covered the latter’s face. “My job. That’s what I’m doing. You’re coming with me,” Crow answered. Yusei scoffed. “Yusei… isn’t he your friend…?” Twilight whispered. “Yeah, but… something’s not right,” he answered. “What do you mean?” “I’ll say it one more time. You’re under arrest. Get off your Runner and come along quietly,” Crow demanded. “Don’t try anything funny. That means you, too, Blister.” “What are you talking about? I’m not doing anything,” Blister responded, slowly getting off his Runner. “Blister…?” Yusei glanced at him curiously. “Get ready to move,” Blister whispered. “What?” “Enough stalling. Get off your Runner and step away from them!” Crow demanded once more. “You’ve changed quite a bit, Crow,” Blister commented, holding a small device with several keys behind his back. “I’ve never seen you so serious about your job. Even going against your own best friend.” Crow paused for a moment. “My job needs to be done. Nothing else matters.” “Nothing else matters? Points for dedication… but I’m afraid… you won’t be arresting them today.” Yusei watched as Blister pushed a key on the device. The place began to shake violently. “What is this?” an officer asked. “Blister, what’s happening?” Yusei questioned. “Go!” “But what about you?” Twilight asked. “No time! Go!” “Got it,” Yusei nodded and drove off in the opposite direction Sector Security had entered, the tunnel crumbling behind him. The officers coughed as the dust cleared. “Hey, they blocked their escape!” an officer shouted. “Then go back through the entrance and track him from there,” Crow commanded. As he turned away, he felt a cuff grab his left arm. “What?” The cuff on his arm was attached to a wire that connected him to a similar cuff on Blister’s own left arm. “You’re not going anywhere just yet,” Blister stated. “This wire… So that’s how it is, huh? Everyone else, locate Yusei and take him to HQ.” “But sir, what about you?” an officer asked. “I’ve got some business here to finish.” “Sir…!” “Find him and arrest him. And bring in the alien. That’s final.” “…Yes, sir.” The squad boarded their Runners and drove off. “I can’t believe we just left him behind!” Twilight exclaimed, clinging to Yusei’s back as he darted down the tunnel. “And he let us!” Twilight looked back over the cart of supplies towards the rubble. “To buy us some time,” Yusei said. “What?” “Hopefully, he’ll distract them long enough for us to get out of New Domino City.” “Do you think we can? What about the rest of your friends that are still here?” “One thing at a time. First, let’s focus on avoiding Sector Security and trust that Blister will, too.” “Got it.” “So what makes you think you can beat me?” Crow asked. As their Decks were shuffled by their Duel Disks, he and Blister stared at each other. “I don’t,” Blister answered. “But I won’t stand by and simply let you betray your friend.” “Buying time for Yusei?” Crow drew five cards from his Deck. “More like… bringing you to your senses.” Blister drew five cards from his own Deck as well. “There’s nothing wrong with me… and if you plan to stop me… I’d love to see you try.” “With pleasure.” DUEL! Blister (LP 4000) VS Crow (LP 4000) “I’ll go first,” Crow declared, drawing a sixth card. “I activate the Continuous Spell Black Whirlwind. Then I Summon Blackwing – Bora the Spear!” Blackwing – Bora the Spear LV: 4 ATK: 1700 “At this moment, the effect of Black Whirlwind activates. When a “Blackwing” monster is Normal Summoned, I can add another “Blackwing” monster from my Deck to my hand with equal or less ATK. I’ll add Blackwing – Breeze the Zephyr to my hand… triggering its effect! When it’s added to my hand by a card effect, I can Special Summon it.” Blackwing – Breeze the Zephyr LV: 3 ATK: 1100 “And it’s a Tuner Monster…” Blister observed. “I tune Level 3 Breeze the Zephyr with Level 4 Bora the Spear.” 3 + 4 = 7 “Darkened gales, become the wings which will soar to heavens! Synchro Summon! Blackwing Armor Master!” Blackwing Armor Master LV: 7 ATK: 2500 “I’ll Set one card face-down and end my turn.” “A Synchro Summon on the first turn… that’s just like you, Crow. It’s my turn,” Blister stated, drawing a card. “I haven’t Dueled in so long… not since… that incident…” he thought, glancing at the drawn card. “Staring at that card won’t win you the Duel.” “I activate the Continuous Spell Machina Armored Unit. Then I Summon Machina Soldier.” A mechanical warrior appeared next to Blister. Machina Soldier LV: 4 ATK: 1600 “Machina Soldier’s effect activates! When it’s Normal Summoned when I control no other monsters, I can Special Summon another “Machina” monster from my hand. Appear now, Machina Fortress!” Machina Fortress LV: 7 ATK: 2500 “Battle! Machina Fortress, attack Armor Master!” The two monsters clashed. “Hoping for a tie?” Crow said. “Armor Master can’t be destroyed by battle!” Crow’s winged beast smashed its fist into Blister’s machine, destroying it. “That’s fine by me,” Blister smiled. “What?” “I activate the effects of Machina Fortress and Machina Armored Unit! When a Machine-Type monster I control is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon another Machine-Type monster from my Deck with the same Attribute and less ATK from my Deck! Come, Machina Defender!” Machina Defender LV: 4 ATK: 1200 “Fortress’s effect! When it’s destroyed by battle, one of your cards is destroyed!” An explosion occurred where Crow’s monster was. “Machina Defender, direct attack!” The machine lunged forward as the smoke cleared and struck Crow. Crow LP: 4000 – 1200 = 2800 “Next, Machina Soldier!” Blister’s second machine slashed at Crow. Crow LP: 2800 – 1600 = 1200 “I’ll Set two cards face-down and end my turn.” “My turn,” Crow stated. “I activate the Trap Feather Reversal. During my Main Phase, since I have at least three DARK Winged Beast-Type monsters in my Graveyard, I can destroy a face-up Spell or Trap Card on both of our fields and gain 1000 Life Points. I’ll destroy Black Whirlwind and Armored Unit!” Blister scoffed as the two Spells shattered. Crow LP: 1200 + 1000 = 2200 “Next, I draw one card. Then, since I control no cards, I can Special Summon Blackwing – Gust the Backblast!” Blackwing – Gust the Backblast LV: 2 DEF: 1400 “Since I control a “Blackwing” monster, I can Special Summon Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind from my hand!” Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind LV: 3 ATK: 1300 “I now activate the effect of Gale the Whirlwind! Once per turn, one of your monster’s ATK and DEF are halved!” Crow’s winged creature flapped its wings, causing a cyclone to strike one of Blister’s machines. Machina Soldier LV: 4 ATK: 1600 / 2 = 800 “I now tune Level 3 Gale the Whirlwind with Level 2 Gust the Backblast!” 3 + 2 = 5 “Darkened gusts, let allies heed your call to battle! Synchro Summon! Blackwing - Gram the Shining Star!” Blackwing – Gram the Shining Star LV: 5 ATK: 2200 “A new Blackwing?” Blister mumbled, as the newly Summoned monster with silver armor descended in front of Crow. “I activate the effect of Gram the Shining Star. When it’s Synchro Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or below non-Tuner “Blackwing” monster from my hand with its effect negated. Come, Blackwing – Fane the Steel Chain!” Blackwing – Fane the Steel Chain LV: 2 ATK: 500 “Then I Normal Summon the Tuner Monster Blackwing – Blizzard the Far North!” Blackwing – Blizzard the Far North LV: 2 ATK: 1300 “Blizzard the Far North’s effect! I Special Summon a Level 4 or below “Blackwing” monster from my Graveyard! Revive, Bora the Spear!” Blackwing – Bora the Spear LV: 4 DEF: 800 “I tune Level 2 Blizzard the Far North with Level 2 Fane the Steel Chain and Level 4 Bora the Spear!” 2 + 2 + 4 = 8 “Gust fiercely, storm! Gain the will of steel and the speed of light to sublime your form! Synchro Summon! Blackwing – Silverwind the Ascendant!” Blackwing – Silverwind the Ascendant LV: 8 ATK: 2800 “Two Synchro Summons in one turn?!” Blister exclaimed. “Gram the Shining Star, attack Machina Defender!” Crow commanded, his armored creature charging towards Blister’s. “I won’t let you! I activate the Quick-Play Spell Book of Moon and the Trap Waboku! Waboku’s effect… this turn, my monsters cannot be destroyed by battle and I take no Battle Damage. Then Book of Moon flips a monster on the field face-down. Machina Defender!” Crow’s monster’s target disappeared into a face-down card, only to reveal itself once more. Machina Defender LV: 4 DEF: 1800 Blister’s machine endured the attack. “Machina Defender’s Flip Effect activates!” Blister continued. “I can add Commander Covington from my Deck to my hand!” “I end my turn,” Crow concluded. “Not bad.” “My turn,” Blister declared, drawing a card then grabbing a different card from his hand. “Aero, my old friend… this is for you…” Crow stared at his opponent patiently. “I Summon Machina Sniper!” Machina Sniper LV: 4 ATK: 1800 “With your help… I’ll bring Crow back to his senses,” Blister thought. “By discarding Machine-Type monsters from my hand whose total Level is 8 or higher, I can Special Summon Machina Fortress from my hand or Graveyard. I discard the Level 8 Machina Cannon. Now revive, Machina Fortress!” Machina Fortress LV: 7 ATK: 2500 “Not that troublesome machine again,” Crow mumbled. “Machina Fortress, attack Silverwind the Ascendant!” Blister commanded, his machine charging forward at its target only to get slashed and destroyed. 2800 – 2500 = 300 Blister LP: 4000 – 300 = 3700 “Machina Fortress’s effect activates! I destroy Silverwind!” Another explosion, vanquishing Silverwind. “However, you still Gram to deal with,” Crow stated. Blackwing – Gram the Shining Star LV: 5 ATK: 2200 Blister scoffed. “Machina Sniper’s effect prevents you from attacking other “Machina” monsters I control. I’ll Set two cards face-down and switch Machina Soldier to Defense Position.” Machina Soldier LV: 4 DEF: 750 “I end my turn. Tell me something, Crow.” “What do you want?” Crow asked. “What are you gaining from this? From arresting your best friend?” Crow remained silent. “Answer me, Crow! I’m sure those orphans back at Martha’s wouldn’t appreciate this!” Silence. “Nothing…? I was sure that would cause a reaction from him…” Blister thought. “My turn,” Crow stated. “Crow!” “I activate the Trap Card Blackback. During my turn, I can Special Summon a “Blackwing” monster from my Graveyard with 2000 or less ATK. However, this turn, I cannot Normal Summon. Return to the field, Gale the Whirlwind!” Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind LV: 3 ATK: 1300 “Gale’s effect activates! One of your monster’s ATK and DEF are halved!” Another gust blew through the tunnel. Machina Sniper LV: 4 ATK: 1800 / 2 = 900 “I tune Level 3 Gale the Whirlwind with Level 5 Gram the Shining Star!” 3 + 5 = 8 “Darkened squalls, become the wings that soar from resolved hope! Synchro Summon! Soar, Black-Winged Dragon!” Black-Winged Dragon LV: 8 ATK: 2800 “It’s here…” Blister mumbled. “Crow’s ace monster… but a Synchro Summon now? It’d make more sense not to in order to destroy more of my monsters…” “Black-Winged Dragon… attack Machina Sniper!” Crow commanded, his dragon launching a blast from its mouth. “Noble Stream!” “I activate the Trap Dimensional Prison! When your monster attacks, this card banishes it!” “Just as I thought.” “What?” “From my hand, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Feather Force! Since I only control a face-up DARK monster, I can banish two DARK Winged Beast-Type monsters from my Graveyard. This turn, my monster is unaffected by all other effects, then, since you have at least three face-up monsters, I can draw two cards and all of your Defense Position monsters are switched to Attack Position.” “What an effect… I wasn’t expecting him to Summon Gale or use that card…” Machina Defender LV: 4 ATK: 1200 Machina Soldier LV: 4 ATK: 800 The blast struck Blister’s monster. 2800 – 900 = 1900 Blister LP: 3700 – 1900 = 1800 “I’ll Set one card face-down and end my turn,” Crow concluded. “Crow… why won’t you answer?” Blister asked. “I don’t need to.” “What?” “What my aim is… does not concern you.” “Then I’ll beat some sense into you. It’s my turn!” Blister glanced at the drawn card. “This should do it…” Crow looked on in anticipation. “First, I activate the Continuous Trap Call of the Haunted! This lets me Special Summon a monster from my Graveyard in Attack Position! Come back, Machina Sniper!” Machina Sniper LV: 4 ATK: 1600 “I Summon Commander Covington!” Commander Covington LV: 4 ATK: 1000 “That monster…” Crow mumbled. “That’s right. This turn… I’ll defeat you.” “We’ll see.” “I activate Commander Covington’s effect! I send Machina Soldier, Machina Defender, and… Machina Sniper to the Graveyard!” The memory of an old friend flashed before Blister’s eyes as the three machines rose into the air and separated into parts before combining into one. “Appear now, Machina Force!” Machina Force LV: 10 ATK: 4600 The combined machine landed next to Blister. “4600 ATK?!” Crow exclaimed. “Battle! Machina Force! Attack Black-Winged Dragon!” The giant machine charged forward as Blister grabbed the last card in his hand. “At this moment, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Limiter Removal! This doubles the ATK of all of my face-up Machine-Type monsters!” Commander Covington LV: 4 ATK: 1000 * 2 = 2000 Machina Force LV: 10 ATK: 4600 * 2 = 9200 “This will end it,” Blister confidently stated. “Really now? I don’t think so,” Crow rebutted, grabbing the remaining card in his hand. “What?” “From my hand, I activate Dark Wing Minmugh’s monster effect!” As he sent the card to his Graveyard, a small hummingbird appeared in front of Machina Force and Black-Winged Dragon. The machine struck the small bird, causing an explosion. Blister glanced at the field as the smoke cleared, noticing that neither monster was destroyed. Crow LP: 2200 “What happened?” Blister asked. “By sending Dark Wing Minmugh to the Graveyard, a monster on my field cannot be destroyed by battle this turn, and I take no Battle Damage from battles involving it,” Crow grinned. “No way…” “So what will you do? At the end of your turn, Limiter Removal will destroy all of the Machine-Type monsters it affected.” Blister scoffed. “Machina Force’s effect! I can send it to the Graveyard to bring back the monsters used to Summon it! Machina Soldier!” Machina Soldier LV: 4 DEF: 1500 “Machina Defender!” Machina Defender LV: 4 DEF: 1800 “And lastly… Machina Sniper!” Machina Sniper LV: 4 DEF: 800 “And now Commander Covington’s effect! By sending these three monsters to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon another Machina Force from my Deck!” Machina Force LV: 10 ATK: 4600 “During the End Phase, Commander Covington will be destroyed.” Blister’s monster shattered into pieces. “I end my turn.” “Not bad… you removed the Machina Force affected by Limiter Removal from the field… and Summoned a new one that wasn’t… therefore, it wouldn’t be destroyed in the End Phase…” Crow commented. “However… that’s not enough. This Duel is mine.” “You haven’t won yet.” “It’s my turn. I activate the Trap Card Down Ripple! This card… by banishing three DARK Winged Beast-Type monsters from my Graveyard, one monster you control loses half its ATK and all of my monsters gain 1500 ATK!” “What the?!” Machina Force LV: 10 ATK: 4600 / 2 = 2300 Black-Winged Dragon LV: 8 ATK: 2800 + 1500 = 4300 “No way… it can’t be…” Blister mumbled. “Black-Winged Dragon… destroy Machina Force!” Crow commanded. “Noble Stream!” His dragon fired a blast at the machine, demolishing it and causing another explosion. 4300 – 2300 = 2000 Blister LP: 1800 – 2000 = 0 A surge of electricity shot down the wire towards Blister, sabotaging his Duel Disk, while the cuff on Crow’s arm opened. Blister fell to his knees as his victorious opponent approached. “Looks like you win,” he grinned as Crow handcuffed him. “Officer Hogan, report. What’s your status?” a voice called through Crow’s headset. “Lieutenant Callos?” Crow answered. “I lost your signal for some time. Something must’ve jammed it where you were.” “Sector Security is still in pursuit of the culprit and the alien. It appears the source of the signal jam was emitted from a Duel Disk owned by Blister… however… at the end of our Duel, it was destroyed, stopping the signal jam as well. Evidently, he was an accomplice in the culprit’s escape.” “I see. Report to HQ.” “But what about…” “You’ll be back on this soon enough. There’s something I need you to do before you resume pursuit. The others will track him in the meantime. I’ll send officers to your location to apprehend the accomplice. If he’s as elusive as you say he is, you will be the only one who can catch him.” “Understood. Officer Hogan out.” Crow turned towards Blister. “Looks like you managed to buy time for Yusei after all, but it won’t be long before he goes down as well.” “You of all people should know that he’s not so easily caught,” Blister said, with a smug expression. “He won’t escape,” Crow said. Yusei grunted, grasping his arm where his Signer mark was, as he continued down the tunnel. “What’s wrong, Yusei?” Twilight asked. “My mark… it’s the second time today. Something’s not right. I’ve never felt pain like this before.” “Maybe… it has to do with Crow?” “Huh?” “Just a thought… but you and he are both Signers right?” “Yeah.” “You mentioned before that you can sense when others are in trouble… maybe you’re sensing something else from him? You did say something about him was off.” “No doubt about that… which means… I’ll have to face him, sooner or later.” “First, humans attacked Ponyville… then I get sent here… two, maybe three now, of your friends have gone missing… the police looking for us… plans about a ‘Collective Mind Fluid’… these pains that you feel… and your friend, Crow, acting strange and coming after us…?” Twilight placed her hooves on her forehead, struggling to think. “There’s got to be a connection somewhere…” “You’re right about that.” “Huh?” Twilight held onto Yusei again as he drove. “All these events… it’s definitely not a coincidence. Right now, the only real clue we have is that fluid.” “Right… if only I knew what it was, exactly…” “I have a strong feeling we’re about to find out soon.”