Turn 28: Flash Heart Genesis
Flash had experienced many strange things since he first took possession of his deck.
Had someone told him he would one day do any of the insane things he had done since returning to the world of Duelling, he would have phoned the police to arrest them of insanity.
But nothing, absolutely nothing, felt stranger then what he was doing right now.
Travelling through a portal to another world. Not just seeing the place in a dream or projecting his spirit there, but actually travelling to another world in both body and soul. But despite the insanity of it all, Flash was still nervous.
He wondered what would happen when he arrived there? What would his monsters think when they saw him? Would they accept his apology and agree to join him once again? "Ah man," he tried to steady his heart as he noticed the end of the tunnel. "This is it." He closed his eyes, "I hope you're ready everyone." With that, he finally reached the end of the tunnel and felt the light of it wash over him.
And as that light faded, he suddenly felt a wind blowing in his face. A strong wind and nothing but wind, including the ground.
"Huh?" Flash opened his eyes and looked down, his eyes going wide when he realised there was nothing under him for about fifty feet. "Oh no," was all he got to say before gravity took its hold on him and he began to fall towards the ground. "AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed as he fell towards the ground, spinning and rolling in the air as his hands flailed around. "THIS IS GONNA HURT!" He screamed seconds before he crashed into the ground, kicking up a large cloud of dust.
When the cloud began to fade, Flash was revealed laying face down with his arms and legs spread out. "I was right," he slowly moaned before rolling over and looking up at the sky. He stayed there for a minute or so to let the pain wash away, the realisation slowly sinking in. "I'm here."
He sat up and looked around, seeing he was sitting in a field of some kind with a few rocks of varying sizes scattered around it. A mountain was a distance off in one directions while a forest wasn't too far off in another. A large structure of some kind could be seen in another direction, though it was probably ten miles or so from him. But he was there.
This wasn't just a dream and he wasn't there in only spirit. He was actually there, in the flesh.
He sat back and stared at the sky. "I can't believe it. I'm actually here." He clutched the grass in his hand, the feel just like it was in his world. "The world where I was born. I'm actually here."
"And we'd certainly like to know why you're here." Flash shot up and turned towards the voice, his eyes going wide when he saw who it was.
"Sombra." The former villain turned Duel Monster stood atop one of the nearby rocks, arms folded as he stared at the teen. Someone else stepped out from behind the rock, that someone being a person he knew. "Scarvolt." The Tempest Liberator frowned as she looked at him, but slowly stepped over and held out a hand.
"You've got some explaining to do."
Flash sighed as he took the hand and was pulled up to his feet, Scarvolt leading him over to the rock as Sombra jumped down. The three sat against the rock, the Duel Spirits focusing on Flash and waiting for him to explain. "I came to try and get my deck back."
"After you lost it using a Zenith Dragon," Sombra finished. Flash turned to him in shock. "Your monsters explained what happened."
"You've seen them." He stood up and turned to them. "Where are they? You've gotta take me to them. I have to see them."
"I'm not sure it's such a good idea for you to see them right now," Scarvolt told him. "What you did-"
"I know what I did," Flash told her. "That's why I came here." He took a deep breath, "I came to apologise. To tell them I'm sorry for what I did. But to do that, I have to see them." He looked back at them. "So please tell me where they are." Sombra and Scarvolt didn't reply, both looking down at the ground.
This caused Flash to sigh as he stepped over to the two and sat back on the rock. "So what's been happening here? I'm guessing Draconequus and the other Zealots my friends sent back have been causing issues?"
Sombra nodded. "They're preparing for something. We're not sure what, but we do know it's connected to what's happening in your world. Now that Zeronull has been reborn in a flesh and blood body, they're preparing to enter the final stage of their plan."
"But we're not gonna let that happen," Scarvolt told him. "Our forces are working to take them down before they can pull it off. It hasn't been easy, but we've been able to keep them from gaining too much ground."
"That's good," Flash nodded. "But the real battle's happening in my world. With Zeronull dominating Twilight, the Zealots won't stop."
"It's worse then you think," Sombra told him. "We've done some research and we've found that if Twilight manages to awaken the full power of Zeronull, then Zeronull himself will be able to take physical form in your world." He turned to Flash. "A time may come where we might have to do something similar to beat him."
"What do you mean?" Flash asked him, "are you planning to Soulink with someone?"
"No," Sombra shook his head. "A Soulink wouldn't enable us to show our true strength. What we need to do is descend into your world, similarly to how the monsters were able to travel through the Shadow Gate. But that method isn't possible. Even if it was, it would risk other deranged Duel Monsters coming to your world and starting the whole problem over again."
"So what are you gonna do?" Flash asked.
Scarvolt explained. "In order to fight against the power of an outer god, we need another outer god's power." Flash looked at her confused. "It's hard to explain. Just know that it's complex method that can only be done using a human as a conduit and requires an unbreakable bond to exist between the human and the Duel Monster."
"Wow," Flash whispered, "who are the ones you're planning on doing it with?"
Sombra sighed. "Originally, it was going to be you and Flash Heart." The teen's eyes went wide. "But with everything that's happened, that might not be possible any more."
Flash sighed, "I'm sorry. I let my fear get the better of me and let that blind me from realising the mistake I was making."
"I can understand that," Sombra nodded. "Don't forget who you're talking too."
"So what now?" Flash asked them, to which Sombra got up and took a few steps forward.
"Are you serious about wanting to apologise to them?"
Flash stood up quickly, "Of course. I travelled to another dimension in order to say that. How much more serious do I have to be?" Sombra remained silent for a moment before glancing back at him.
"Follow me." With that, he turned to walk off. Scarvolt got up and followed him, Flash remaining where he was for a moment before finally getting up and rushing after them. When he caught up, the three trekked across the valley until they reached the forest. Sombra lead the two of them into it and they spent several minutes wandering through until they finally arrived at the location. "There it is."
Flash moved between them and looked at what they were staring at, seeing it was several large rocks positioned in a way that they formed a natural cave. He stepped up closer and looked inside the cave, the faint light of the sun allowing him to see that the rocks were hiding a staircase leading down into the ground.
The teen turned to Sombra, who nodded back before walking away with Scarvolt. "Where are you going?" He asked as he watched them leave. "Aren't you coming?"
"No," Sombra called back before glancing over at him, "this is none of our business. What happens down there is between you and them."
"Just do what ya'h gotta do," Scarvolt told him. "After that...we'll have to wait and see."
Flash let out a sigh before he looked back into the cave, the darkness filling it causing a sensation of dread to run up his spine. But he wouldn't let that stop him and with a deep breath, he stole his nerve and began to descend into the darkness.
Ten steps in, the sunlight no longer filled the passageway and Flash had to be careful not to trip or miss a step.
After a few minutes, he finally reached the bottom of the staircase and found himself inside a small tunnel with a light at the end of it. And so, he stepped towards it and was almost blinded when he stepped into the light.
His eyes soon adjusted and he found himself in a spot he knew better then any other place. The ruins that had been his parents home during their time in the Duel Monster Spirit World. The place he was born and where he had awakened some of the strongest monsters in his deck...former deck.
"Long time no see," he said as he stepped further and further into trench that housed the ancient ruins. As he did so, he couldn't help but feel he was being watched. And that was because he was.
A pair of eyes were staring at Flash from behind one of the remaining pillars, being bright red with a look of anger burning in the iris. The owner quickly stepped into the shadows and moved around as Flash got closer and closer to the statue in the far end.
Flash stared up at the dilapidated statue and let the familiarity wash over him, but that good feeling soon vanished when he realised the ruins were missing something important. His friends.
Sombra had told him his Duel Monsters would be waiting for him down here, but they were nowhere in sight. Had he been lying, or had they chosen to leave before the three of them got there. "Guys!" Flash called out to them, "can you hear me?" There was no answer. "Flash Heart? Vail Pixie? Solaris? Lunara...Anybody." Still, there was no reply. "Please, please let me see you. I just...I just want to say I'm sorry." The trench remained silent aside form the mild echo created by him.
Flash continued to stand there and wait for an answer, but none came.
"Please. Zeronull's been reborn into my world and taken Twilight over." He sighed, "why am I even telling you this. You already know. You were there." He continued to look around. "If this...Midnight, isn't stopped then both our worlds could end up being destroyed. And I know you don't want that to happened." He caught his breath and waited for a response. "You all know better then anyone that the deck with the best chances of beating Midnight and freeing Twilight is one with you guys in it."
Behind the leg of the statue, the red eyed watcher stared at Flash as he continued his speech.
"I know what I did was wrong, I'm not denying that. But please, lend me your power once again. It's the only way we can stop Zeronull. So I'm asking you, begging you. Lend me your power once again?" Finishing his speech, Flash remained silents and waited to see if his monsters would respond. And he soon got his answer, but not from who he had been expecting.
"You've got some nerve, asking that after what you did."
Flash spun around and finally locked eyes with the one who had been spying on him, the red eyes glaring at him from within the shadows of the statue. Flash didn't know who this person was, but he knew for sure that it wasn't one of his monsters. He got into a defensive stance and glared at them. "Who are you?"
The figure chuckled. "What, don't recognise your own voice?" Flash raised an eyebrow at this. "I guess that's understandable. I've given myself a makeover since the last time we spoke to one another." The figure slowly stepped out of the darkness and allowed Flash to get a better look at him, the teen's eyes slowly drawing wider and wider at the sight.
"You...you're...you're." He finally took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second before opening them again, the image he was seeing confirmed not to have been at trick of the light. It was really him. "Shadow."
The near perfect replica of Flash stood between the legs of the statue and glared down at him, looking just like he had looked in the Celestic Cup. With darker orange skin, red eyes and black hair with red streaks. Even his clothes were the same. The only difference between him now and back then, was his hair. Like the real Flash, his had been cut shorter.
The two lookalikes stared at each other, both letting what they were feeling wash over them. "Well," Shadow asked, "aren't you gonna ask. You're clearly wondering what's going on?"
"How are you here?" Flash glared at him, "I destroyed you."
"I'm not who you think I am," Shadow explained as he stepped over to the edge of the statue's plinth and sitting down. "Do you remember during the Celestic Cup, when you ended up Duelling Garble and his group of cheating stooges?"
"How can I forget," Flash mumbled.
"And do you remember what happened at the end of the Duel? What you did in order to actually beat the lot of them?" Flash looked down and thought back to that time, reliving the moment he had cracked and let his anger get the better of him.
"I forced Chaos Command Dragon to awaken and the rage we both felt then gave life too-" He stopped, his eyes slowly going wide as he looked up at his double. "You...you're-"
"That same spirit," Flash smiled. "That's right."
"But...you disappeared."
"I was created from your heart. I'm apart of you. You can't get rid of me. I'm apart of you. Or at least, I was apart of you until you did what you did."
"The Zenith Dragon," Flash whispered.
"Bingo bango bongo, give the man a prize." Flash glared at Shadow. "When you used the Zenith Dragon, the hurt and pain the monsters you betrayed radiating out of them began to come together. Chaos Command Dragon was amongst them and through the connection I shared with both of you, I was revived." He then stood up. "But this time, I'm made of more them just two being's emotions. I'm fuelled by the anger, betrayal and pain of every monster you turned your back on. Now I'm more then just a spirit that lies dormant within you. I had enough power to fully realise myself into a completely physical form. I'm practically a Duel Spirit."
"So why do you look like that?" Flash asked, gesturing to his form.
"Oh," Shadow looked himself over with a smile, "don't you like it? I had hoped I could do more, but I didn't have as much control as I wish I could have." He then shot Flash a glare, "I mean, who'd want to look like a backstabber like you." Flash looked down and frowned. "So in the short about of time I had before my physical form solidified, I changed myself to look as different from you as possible."
"So you decided to make yourself look like a deranged Duelling robot?"
"Like I said, I didn't have as much control as I'd have liked. This was the best I could do. And hey, getting mistaken for that Shadow guy's still better than getting mistaken for you." Flash had to admit, that hurt. "Now, do you mind explaining what the heck you're doing here?" He turned away from Flash. "In case you haven't noticed, we're a little busy dealing with this mess you caused."
"I caused?" Flash rushed up to the statue and pulled himself up onto the plinth.
"Of course," Shadow turned back to him. "Don't forget, I was a part of you. I have all your memories. Including the ones where you let the Zealots enter your world and cause everything that's happening."
"Then you know why I'm here," Flash told him.
"Of course I do. I heard your little heartfelt speech. Doesn't mean I understand why you decided to come here and say all that stuff. You clearly showed how much you care about the monsters you used to have serving you."
"What?" Flash looked shocked by this statement, "of course I care about my monsters. And I never treated them like servants. We were partners. A team. FRIENDS!"
"Friends?" Shadow started laughing at that statement, "don't make me laugh. They were never your friends."
"What would you know?"
"More then you," Shadow spat back. "Don't forget, I'm also connected to the monsters you had in your deck." He tabbed his head. "Every memory they ever had, it's all stored up here. And with all this knowledge in my head, I can tell you you don't know jack about Flash Heart or any or the other monsters. So forgive me if I'm wrong, but I always assumed friends actually knew things about one another."
Flash just stood there, unsure how to argue against logic like that. "I...I..."
"Did you know Magna Wolf was the runt of the litter?" Shadow asked, "do you know why Solaris chose to learn the fire magic he wields? What about Lunara?" Flash just stared at the ground. "What about Flash Heart?" Flash looked up, surprise on his face. "The monster you had the greatest connection with, do you know anything about him? Where he came from or why he chose to fight against the Doom-Vaders when they first attacked." Flash just looked towards the ground, unable to say anything as he let the realisation sink in.
He really didn't know anything about his monsters. He knew nothing about them personally. Was Shadow right? Were they really not friends.
"Maybe it's time you learnt some history." Shadow snapped his fingers and before Flash could ask what was happening, the statue began to descend into the underground chambers. "Now you'll understand how little you knew about the monster you would consider your best friend. And then you'll see why you never deserved to wield their power to begin with." Flash watched as they moved past the chamber he had first met Destiny Bound within, then Chaos Command's chamber and finally Quantum Nexus's chamber.
Once they past that, Flash prepared himself. He knew what was coming next.
Finally, the elevator arrived at a passageway and came to a stop. Seconds later, the passageway was illuminated by torches that lined the walls. They eventually lead to a large wooden door that Flash and Shadow made their way towards. When they arrived at the base of the door, Shadow turned to his lookalike.
"This is it," he told Flash. "Behind these doors are the secrets to everything you need to know about Flash Heart. Are you absolutely sure you want to know what's behind here? You might end up hating yourself."
Flash didn't reply, instead stepping forward and pushing at the doors with everything he had. For a few seconds they wouldn't budge, but then Shadow pushed as well and they finally gave way and opened enough for the two to step through.
The chamber was dark, too dark for Flash to see, but after a few seconds it was filled with light. The source, a strange looking crystal that was sticking out of the ground in the center of the room. It filled the place with light and allowed him to see it was a dome shaped chamber with multiple squares lining the wall.
Flash looked around in confusion until he saw something that almost gave him a heart attack, "raaah!" He staggered backwards and fell onto his butt, his eyes never leaving the sight infront of him. "Zeronull." It was Zeronull, though once his brain caught up with him he realised it was merely a carving of Zeronull that was filling one of the squares on the wall.
"Relax," Shadow told him before he moved over and leaned against the wall, "it's just a drawing."
Flash sighed before standing up, "why is he even here? I thought this was supposed to be about Flash Heart's past."
"It is," Shadow replied before getting up and moving towards one of the squares. Flash followed him as they looked down at the square, seeing it was completely blank. "Long ago, there was nothing. No earth. No Duel Spirit realm. No nothing. No universe." She moved over to the next square, which showed a dragon. "But then, the Numeron Dragon came into existence. It's unclear how he came into existence, but just be glad he was." Flash gave him a 'seriously', look as he continued. "Feeling lonely, the dragon created the rest of the universe before going to sleep. And in doing so, he subconsciously created two new life forms." He stepped over to an image showing not just Zeronull, but also another more female looking figure. "You know who these are?"
"Zeronull and Harmonica," Flash realised.
"That's right," Shadow continued the story while pointing at the pictures portraying the events he was describing. "Harmonica saw beauty in the world created by the Numeron Dragon, loving nothing more then the many types of life that came into being during that time. But Zeronull saw this life differently. He saw it as a mistake. A disease that should never have infected the universe. Even his own life was sickening to him. So he vowed to destroy it."
The next few images portrayed something Flash already knew about, the creation of the Zenith Dragons.
"Zeronull created six powerful, though mindless, creatures that he intended to use to destroy the world. But Harmonica, whose love for this world's life continued to grow, granted them the power to protect themselves against the army of evil. Eventually, Zeronull and Harmonica were both sealed away and the Zenith Dragons sent to a world their powers could not be used...until now."
"I already know all this," Flash told him while thinking back to what Discord had told him back at Void. "What does this have to do with Flash Heart?"
Shadow smirked before moving over to the crystal in the center of the room and placing his hand on it. When he did, a bright flash of light exploded out of it that blinded Flash. When it faded, Flash opened his eyes and found himself with Shadow in a black void. Said void had only one thing within it, a reddish-black orb of light.
"Zeronull was trapped and could do nothing to enact his plans of destruction. But then he realised that if he couldn't destroy the world, he could create something that could?" Flash raised an eyebrow before looking up at the sphere, seeing something appear from out of the orb.
That something was another, smaller, orb of dark energy. It then started to grow and change shape, taking a form Flash recognised. "Is that..." He got his answer when the energy faded to reveal a monster he knew all too well. "Tyrant Reaper Dragon." More orbs appeared out of the large one, each taking shape and form before fading to reveal the rest of the monsters Sombra had used to try and destroy the world. "Zeronull created the Doom-Vaders?"
"That's right," Shadow nodded. "The seal used was only meant to hold Zeronull. Even though they were made by Zeronull, the Doom-Vaders were able to escape and travel to this world."
Flash couldn't believe what he was hearing. He remembered back to the day he battled Sombra and the vision he saw back then. At the time, he had been curious about the one who created the Doom-Vaders but since then it had drifted from his head. Now he knew the truth.
"Wait," Flash looked up as the pieces fell into place. He turned to Shadow, "are you trying to tell me what I think you're trying to tell me." Shadow just smiled as the world around them changed to show another void, this one not so dark.
Instead, it was bright and appearing to be filled with light. Looking this void, Flash's gaze fell on another figure. The same one he had seen in the stone chamber. "Harmonica," he whispered. The figure before him was floating in a golden orb, looking like an angel with six shining wings.
He watched as she brought her hands together and created a small orb of light, which flew out of the bigger orb and floated around it. Inside the orb, a small creature appeared.
Flash's heart beat heavily as he recognised the creature, through it was very different from what he knew.
It looked like Flash Heart Dragon, but it was almost the same size as Vail Pixie. His armour wasn't as defined, lacking many of the features. And his face was the most different of all, having an actual face with normal eyes and a mouth.
The tiny dragon appeared to be asleep, bathing in the warm glow of its creator's light.
"Harmonica could sense Zeronull's intentions, so she created her own disciple. A single being to which she entrusted her powers into and sent out into the world in order to protect it from Zeronull's horde."
"Wait," Flash thought back to when Zeronull tried to take him over. Back then, Flash Heart had somehow appeared and protected him from being Dominated. That was something even Draconequus had found strange. His memory then flashed back to after he lost to Midnight. He would be dead right now if Flash Heart hadn't appeared and protected him, something he guessed no ordinary monster would be able to do. "He was able to protect me from Zeronull's power because he was created by Harmonica."
"Exactly," Shadow nodded. "You had in your possession the single greatest weapon against Zeronull's power and you chose the throw it away." Flash prepared to counter that, but another flash of light transported them to a stone trench, as a portal of light opened up above it.
From that portal, the young Flash Heart Dragon descended into the world.
"He appeared much sooner then the Doom-Vaders, so he had time to grow stronger. And in that time, he found those willing to stand beside him and fight against the enemy." The image infront of him changes several times, each time showing Flash Heart talking to one of the monsters that once made up Flash's Deck.
Solaris, Lunara, Magna Wolf, Lucidum, Starbreak, Gladio, Volt-Edge, Arma and so many more. The last image showed Flash Heart flying through the air close to the ground, only to stop when he heard a voice.
"Wait!" He did so and turned, he and the two teens seeing Vail Pixie flying towards them. "I wanna help," she told him.
"I don't know," the young Flash Heart told her. His voice was very child-like. "It'll be dangerous."
"I don't care," Vail Pixie told him. "I wanna protect my home." She and Flash Heart stared at each other for a moment until the dragon finally sighed.
"Alright," he turned to fly away, "but you'll have to work hard and get strong. If we have to protect you, it might put the rest of us in danger."
"I'll be strong," Vail Pixie flew up next to him. "I promise."
"And they did," Shadow narrated. "The army came together and over the years, formed a strong connection with one another. Flash Heart had been imbued with a strange ability. The power to manipulate time and space, a power he passed on to several of his teammates. The power that your father would come to dub, the Pendulum power." Flash couldn't believe what he was hearing, the scene changing to show they were back in the trench.
The young Flash Heart stood in the center of the trench. Then, the trench around them slowly began to change. Pillars appeared, along with sections of the wall that were dug out to make rooms and the statue of a dragon slowly materialised. At the same time, Flash Heart began to glow before he started growing and changing shape until the light finally faded to show the dragon Flash knew all too well.
"With all these allies and the powers he was able to pass on to them, it's no wonder the Doom-Vaders were defeated." The scene changed again to show the image Flash had seen last year, showing the battle between Flash Heart's army and the Doom-Vaders. And just like last time, the same result was shown. "All seemed peaceful," Shadow continued. "But Zeronull wasn't done."
The scene changed again, returning them to the void with Zeronull within it.
Flash looked up at him and saw the outer god create another orb, which flew out and took shape before fading to reveal another monster Flash knew. Draconequus. "He created Draconequus and gave him a mission. To find and a way to free Zeronull and find the Zenith Dragons. And Draconequus did so, finding the ones who would come to be known as the Omega Zealots and discovering the Zenith Dragons had been sent to the world that was directly connected to this world. Ours."
Flash frowned, the pieces of this puzzle finally coming together.
"Meanwhile, the Doom-Vaders began to try and escape their own captivity. And since they couldn't create others to do it, they had to find someone willing. That's where you come into the picture." The scene began to flicker through hundreds of scenes a second, showing the entire adventure Flash had gone on. From the day he found his deck to the day he defeated Sombra, all flying by in less then a minute. "And of course, you know what happened when you defeated Sombra."
The scene changed to show the two worlds with the Shadow Gate infront of earth, seconds before multiple light shot off the Duel Monster Spirit World and flew towards the planet. Flash sighed. "I showed the world how to summon the monsters to this world, letting them arrive here."
"And that allowed Draconequus and his followers to come and find bodies to Dominate, allowing them to start their plans." In a flash of light, they were back in the chamber and Shadow was frowning at them. "You were born in this world, giving you a connection to it. And by the bond you forged with the monsters of your deck, you were able to acquire powers similar to the Pendulum. The ability to manipulate time and space, connecting the two worlds and allowing them to interact."
Shadow began to make his way towards the door, with Flash following after him. They made their way into the hallway and headed for the lift.
"But that wasn't enough for you. You got scared of losing your precious little girlfriend and decided you'd spend the rest of your life without the monsters that have saved your life countless times more then her."
"That's not true!" Flash told him as they stepped onto the elevator and it began to lift up. "I...I was just scared alright. Scared of losing her and what Zeronull would do with her. Zeronull won't stop while he's controlling her. Unless she's free, both our worlds are constantly in danger."
"That still doesn't make what you did right," Shadow told him.
"I'm not saying it does," Flash told him before letting out an exasperated sigh. "You know, I don't care what you think. I didn't come to all this way to apologise to you."
"Well since my very being is comprised of the monster's emotions, me forgiving you is the only way to prove they forgive you."
"I don't believe that for a second," Flash told him as the elevator arrived back at the ruins and came to a stop.
Shadow was about to retort, but then stopped and looked up before smiling. "Alright, then why don't you tell them yourself." Flash raised an eyebrow until he looked up, his eyes going wide when he saw what Shadow had and gasped.
Standing on either edge for the trench, looking down at them, were Flash's monsters. Each and every one of them. Magna Wolf, Solaris, Lunara and so many more. The only ones not there were most of his Extra Deck monsters, though he spotted Reality Buster and Flashback further back, and both Flash Heart and Vail Pixie
"Guys!" Flash jumped off the plinth and rushed to the center of the ruins, spinning around and catching sight of them all. "It's so good to see you." But then he noticed the frowns upon many of their faces, none appearing to be happy about this being there. "Guys." A bright light then caught his attention and made him look back at the statue, the light quickly dying down and revealing Flash Heart hovering infront of it. Hiding behind his booster was Vail Pixie, the little fairy not looking happy as she tried to keep out of his sight.
It was here that Flash realised Shadow had been telling the truth. They didn't want to see them.
Flash's gaze slowly shifted towards the one monster he thought would always have his back, no matter what. But when his eyes connected with Flash Heart's he could feel it. Despite not having a visible expression, Flash could tell his former partner was feeling the same thing the rest of his monsters were feeling. Anger, hurt and betrayal.
"I'm sorry," Flash looked down. "I'm so sorry." His legs began to grow weak and eventually, he fell to his knees. "I made a mistake and shouldn't even be trying to earn your forgiveness, but I need your help." He looked up at them. "I know you want to stop Zeronull and the only way to do that is by coming back to my world and giving me your cards again." He stood back up. "Midnight Sparkle needs to be stopped and you know more then anyone that you guys are probably the only ones that can do that." He looked back up at his monsters, determination burning in his eyes. "So please, lend my your power once again."
The ruins went silent as Flash waited for a response, hoping that they would forgive him and lend him their power. But the result was very different.
"Typical!" Shadow cried as he jumped down off the statue and stepped closer, looking up at the monsters surrounding them. "See. He just expects you to forgive and forget what he did to you and go crawling back to him. Letting him control you again and likely just risk you again later. Maybe this time he won't just put your cards on the line, but your very spirits themselves."
"That's not true!" Flash told him. "I admit I let my fear get the better of me before, but I won't let that happen again!"
Shadow pointed at them. "There was a time you and the monsters believed you'd never do it in the first place. What's to say it won't happen again?" Flash didn't have a response to this, just looking down for a moment before looking up at Flash Heart.
"Please. There has to be something I can do to prove how sorry I am. I'll do anything."
Shadow huffed with a smirk before his eyes went wide, the Flash lookalike staring up at the monsters. "Really?" They all nodded and he nodded back before turning towards Flash. "Very well then. Prove yourself."
"How?" Flash asked.
"What is the one thing Cold Steel always told you?" Flash raised an eyebrow until he realised what he meant.
"In the heat of battle, a Duellist's true nature is revealed."
"Exactly," Shadow raised his left arm as all the monsters started glowing and one by one, they transformed into lights and flew towards him. They struck his arm and formed a construct around it until the light finally faded, revealing he was now wearing a black Duel Disk with a red blade. "So prove you've changed. Defeat me and your deck and you can have it back. Fail...and you'll never see these monsters again."
Flash suddenly felt very conflicted. He didn't want to Duel against his own deck, but he didn't have any other choice if he wanted his deck back.
The teen reached into his pocket and pulled out his Duel Disk, attaching it to his arm. He then reached into his other pocket and took out the cards Trail, Misty, Scootaloo and Cold had given him. He might not be Duelling with his own deck, but with these cards he at least stood a chance.
He inserted the cards as both Duel Disks activated, the two similar looking humanoids staring one another down as they cried the same words. "DUEL!"
Flash: 4000
Shadow: 4000
The fate of two worlds might rest of the outcome of this Duel. If Flash couldn't win, Zeronull might never be stopped and the destruction of both worlds would be inevitable. No matter what, Flash had to win.
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I think I know how Flash will win the duel. Calling it here. Link Summon. I want that to happen.
10448944 That's not happening in this series.
10448945
Come on, Banshee531. You can do it.
10448946 No, Link Summoning ruins the Pendulum Dynamic.
Oh yeah i waited for this moment, Flash against his own monsters is like Yugi facing the Egipitian Gods and the Dark Magicians or Yuma Vs Astral because Yuma fight with the Utopias
10448949
It supports Pendulum Summoning from the Extra Deck in the new formats.
Not too sure how to feel about Flash's foe being Shadow, maybe a more sad than angry Flash Heart?
Kind of figured that Flash Heart was made by Harmonia, kind of obvious (albeit the lesser interesting choice for the source his abilities)
Although Flash did a much needed slap in the face about how little he knows about his deck.
Although there is a fundamental and critical flaw in Shadow's offer, he can't speak for the duel spirits. He really doesn't have that authority and they aren't bound to his word, so they could choose to return to Flash if Flash loses (or choose to not should Flash wins)... yeah I am having issues with the logic of this deal... but over all a great setup for Flash almost literally facing his demons.
Let's see how this plays out...
Why do I get the feeling that just as Shadow is abou to deliver the final blow, Vail Pixie (the spirit) will take the hit...
10448974 But he is speaking fot him. It was Flash Heart that came up with the idea for the Duel and the stakes.
10448977
That's not what I read
So we finally reach the duel spirit world. But it is not the reunion I was hoping for at all.
Didn’t expect Flash’s dark side to show up again, but somehow I know I should’ve expected it. And now he’s gonna be using Flash’s own deck against him. This will be a difficult game, not just strategically, but emotionally as well.
One more thing- I FREAKING KNEW IT!!! I KNEW ZERONULL WAS THE ONE THAT CREATED THE DOOM-VADERS! It’s all coming together now! But I guess we’ll have to wait until next week to see where the story takes that.
This was cool. The Spirit of Hatred from Shadow Gates returns, now looking like Shadow and powered by the feelings of Flash's entire deck instead of just one card. This is going to be a tough duel, Flash facing his own deck using the cards given to him by his friends and family.
I like Flash Heart's backstory here, how he was created by Harmonica and led the others into battle. I kinda want to learn more of the backstories of the other monsters too after we got a brief hint at them from "Shadow", though I know that is probably unlikely at this point. Also, it is confirmed that Zeronull created the Doom-Vaders. I remember like Flash I wondered what made them years ago, but it wandered to the back of my mind when it wasn't brought up again. It doesn't feel like this revelation eased the guilt Flash felt from using the Shadow Gate against Sombra though. He blames himself for the Zealots managing to get to Earth, even though if he did nothing the Doom-Vaders would have arrived and Zeronull would have won anyway. Zeronull has been behind everything up to this point, and it is his fault this is happening, not Flash's.
phoned
to
Capitalize "of".
"guy's" and "than"
In case
You forgot the beginning quotation marks.
beside
others
I feel like you forgot to add "more" between "countless" and "times".
Nice lore for Flash's deck. Now we'll have him use his father's cards against them to see if he can win their trust again.
Something about this setup feels wrong.
Now that I think about it, Flash has always had a drive to win even before he got his deck. Usually, that ends up working in his and his deck's favor, but that ended up working against him last time. I think Flash's real test is whether his drive to win is stronger than his desire to fix the bond with his cards. Am I right? 
On a different note, "Let It Go" from Frozen started playing on my Pandora just as I finished reading this, and this chapter made me realize that from a certain point of view, the song really is about Elsa giving up on life.
I was watching this a few minutes ago, and it made me think of this chapter:
So Flash will be using a new deck against his own deck. I, for one, thought he would use Shadow's Deck, as he is dueling against him.
10449661 Why? He's not really facing Shadow. He's facing a spirit that looks like him. And he didn't even know he was facing Shadow, so why would he have his deck on hand. Even if the idea's interesting, it would make no sense.