Yugioh EQG: Ω Zenith

by Banshee531

Turn 29: Flash Verses Shadow, a Duel of Redemption

In the deserts of Egypt, Flash's family were waiting for Flash to return from the Duel Monster Spirit World.

They had left the tomb and moved their campsite closer to the entrance. Misty was busy cleaning their lunch dishes while Trail was busy building a fire in case Flash didn't return before nightfall. At the same time, Scootaloo was pacing back and forth infront of the entrance.

"You're gonna dig yourself a hole if you keep that up," Trail laughed while Scootaloo stopped walking and looked down to see she had walked a small trench in the sand.

"How can you be so calm?" She asked them. "Who knows what Flash could be facing right now. Harpie Ladies, dinosaurs, the freaking god cards for all we know. You've been there. You know what's waiting for him."

"Yes," Misty nodded, "but we managed to survive several years in that world. If we can, so can he."

Trail nodded, "we just have to have faith in him."

Scootaloo sighed and turned back to the tunnel leading to the tomb. She couldn't help but wonder what Flash had been doing the last six hours he had been gone. She had expected him to go there, gets his deck and be back in no time. How wrong she was.

"Please be okay Flash."

---

Meanwhile, in the Duel Monster Spirit World, Flash was Duelling against his dark counterpart. If he won, he would get his deck back. But if he lost, he would never get to see his monsters again.

"I'll take the first move!" Shadow drew his card and smiled. "And I'll start by setting the Pendulum Scale, with scale nine Glow Claw Magna Chimp and scale two Crystal Tusk Magna Boar!" The pillars of light appeared on either side of him before the two monsters flew up into them.

Flash's heart ached at the sight of the monsters as they appeared in the pillars before the portal began to form between them.

"Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" Shadow chanted, mocking Flash with the words he had first coined when he brought Pendulum Summoning into the limelight. He smirked as the portal finished forming and began to open. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened before a light shot out and struck the ground of the ruin, exploding to reveal Shadow's monster. "Spino-Gear Magna-Saur!" (A2100/D1500/L5)

"H'oh boy," Flash gulped seeing one of his best monsters already out.

"Ha," Shadow smirked, "not so confident about winning now, are we? I place two cards face down and end my turn." Flash took a deep breath as he looked down at his own deck. "Oh please," he looked up at Shadow. "Do you really think you can win? I mean, we all now the only reason you ever won before was because you had this overpowered deck. How do you think you can win without it?"

Flash frowned. "It's true that the deck's strong, but I know better then anyone that it's not unbeatable. I also know better then anyone, what weaknesses it has. So if anyone can beat it, it's me."

"We'll see."

"Oh," Flash reached for his deck, "we will. I draw!" He did so and nodded as a plan formed in his head. "I'll also set the Pendulum Scale, with scale nine Blazing Soul Priestess and scale two Blazing Soul Dragon, Blast Burn Dragon!"

Shadow was surprised when he saw the pillars of light appeared besides Flash before a pair of monsters flew up into them. One was a young women in a red dress with red hair that carried an obsidian staff and had horns coming out of her head, while the other was a red quadrupedal dragon with cannons instead of wings. "So your dear old daddy lent you his deck, did he?"

"Not just him," Flash explained as the portal formed. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" The portal formed and began to open, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

A light and a fireball shot out of the portal and struck the ground, revealing a pair of monsters. The first as a mainly black raptor with a red turtle shell-like construct on both its head and its back along with a fire on the tip of its tail. "Blazing Soul Raptor!" (A1000/D1000/L3)

"And Rush Raptor!" (A1200/D1400/L3)

"What?" Shadow asked, "Rush Raptor!?"

"A gift from my sister," Flash explained. "And that's not all she gave me. Blazing Soul Raptor's skill!" The little dinosaur swung its tail, unleashing flamed from it that formed a fireball. "When it's Special Summoned, I can take another one from my deck and summon it in DEF mode." The fireball exploded to reveal the identical raptor. "The down side is it's destroyed at the end of my turn and I can't Tribute Summon."

"So when why-" Shadow stopped when he realised, "don't tell me!"

"I now use these three monsters to build the Overlay Network!" The three monsters changed into lights, which shot into the air before flying into the black hole that had just formed. "Watch as the ancient powers of a Dinosaur are awakened!" The black hole exploded in light as a new monster appeared. "I XYZ SUMMON."

The light faded revealing Scootaloo's Xyz monster, Shadow's eyes growing wider and wider as it flew down to land infront of Flash. "Wild Rush Raptor." (A2000/D2000/R3)

Shadow quickly got over his shock and continued to smirk. "You think that'll be enough? Math never was your strong suit."

"And I guess memory isn't yours," Flash told him as Wild Rush let out a roar as an aura appeared around the dinosaur. (A2500/D2000/R3) "Since Rush Raptor is an Overlay Unit, Wild Rush gains five hundred points." Flash then discarded a card, "I activate Blast Burn Dragon's Pendulum Ability!" The dragon pointed its cannons at one of Shadow's face down before firing and destroying it, revealing Dimensional Prison.

"Ahh!" Shadow growled before Flash's Xyz monster flew up.

"Now, Wild Rush Raptor, attack!" The beast circled around before charging at Magna-Saur. "And with his skill, I remove an Overlay Unit to double the damage done!" The dinosaur bit into one of the light before crushing Spino-Gear underfoot, stray pieces of machinery flying at Shadow.

"AUGH!" He flinched.

Flash: 4000
Shadow: 3200

"Then, I'll use the Spell Eruption Reload to banish Burnout Dragon from my graveyard and draw six cards." He did so before placing two face down. "I end my turn."

Shadow took a deep breath as he stood tall and glared at Flash. "Alright, so you've got some skill despite not having this deck. But it still won't be enough." He reached for his deck and drew a card, then played the other one in his hand. "You're not the only one with a Reload card. I play Starburst Reload, to banish Magna-Saur and draw five cards!" He did so and smiled as the portal formed above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened before a pair of lights shot out and struck the ground, exploding to reveal Shadow's monsters. "Time to shine, Magna Caster Tempusidium!" (A1000/D1800/L4)

"Howl to the moon, Shining Fang Magna Wolf!" (A1500/D1200/L4) Flash frowned seeing another of his favourite monsters standing against him. "Next, I play Reverse Polarity. With this, I can swap the ATK of a monster on my field with a monster on yours." Tempusidium and Wild Rush Raptor glowed as their ATK points began to change so they were completely swapped. (A1000/D2000/R3) (A2500/D1800/L4) "Now, Magna Wolf, wipe out that furry gecko!" Magna Wolf charged as it began to glow. (A1600/D1200/L4) "It slashed at Wild Rush Raptor and destroyed it, Flash grunting.

Flash: 3400
Shadow: 3200

"Now, Tempusidium, GO!" The magician raised her staff, ready to hit him with time magic.

"Trap activate!" Flash cried as his face down flipped up, "Defence Draw!" A shield appeared around Flash that blocked the magician's attack, with Flash drawing a card as he did.

"Hmm," Shadow frowned as he placed another card face down. "You escaped this time, but don't think you can keep this up." Tempusidium and Magna Wolf's ATK points returned to normal.

"We'll see," Flash told him as he drew his own card. He saw it was his sister's Rank-Up-Magic, but it was useless since Wild Rush Raptor wasn't on the field. Luckily, he had other cards to use until he found a way to revive it. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened before a pair of fireballs and a light shot out and struck the ground, exploding to reveal Flash's monsters. "Blazing Soul Dragon, Magma Breath Dragon (A1800/D1500/L4)

"Blazing Soul Magician!" (A1400/D1200/L4)

"And Divine Sky Angel!" (A2300/D2600/L7)

"I should have known that would be in your deck," Shadow sighed.

"Well I'm sure you know what's coming next," Flash told him as Divine Sky Angel flew into the air. "ATTACK!" The angel pulled her bow back and aimed it at Tempusidium, then fired.

"I activate my face down," Shadow's card flipped up. "Lightspeed!" Tempusidium glowed as its power rose up. (A2000/D1800/L4) The arrow struck and exploded, making Shadow grunt.

Flash: 3400
Shadow: 2900

"And since you have another monster on your field, I can pay three hundred life points to let her attack again!"

Flash: 3100
Shadow: 2900

Shadow smirked as he watched the angel draw another arrow. "Really like hurting your monsters, don't you?" Flash frowned at this while Divine Sky Angel fired. "Don't worry. I at least care about them. Trap activate!" His other face down flipped up, "Brittle Shield!" Magna Wolf got into DEF mode as the arrow struck, destroying it.

"I'd hardly call letting it be destroy caring," Flash told him. "Now," he pointed as Shadow, "Magma Breath!" The dragon flew forward, ready to burn Shadow. But before it could.

"Magna Chimp!" In a flash, Shadow's Pendulum Monster appeared infront of him and blocked the dragon's attack. (A1800/D600/L4/P9) Both found themselves getting destroyed, Shadow moving both it and Magna Boar to his Extra Deck. "Did you forget about that ability?"

Flash said nothing and instead, turned to Magician. "Go!" The Blazing Soul monster pointed it staff at Shadow and shot a fireball.

"I activate Tempusidium's ability!" Shadow cried as he reached into his Duel Disk and removed the card, "I banish her to negate the battle damage." The magician appeared and waved her staff, causing the fireball to stop before flying back into Blazing Soul Magician's staff.

Flash sighed, "I place one card face down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn!" Shadow reached into his pocket and pulled out his Magna Caster. "I'm sure you remember Tempusidium's other little ability. Once, while she's banished, I can add a Spell in my graveyard to my hand instead of drawing." He took said card and instantly activated it, "Starburst Reload!"

Flash sighed as Shadow banished Magna Wolf before drawing four cards. And when his lookalike saw what he had gotten, a smile appeared on his face that Flash didn't like.

"Perfect. I now set scale one Magna Caster Ratio and scale eight Magna Caster Attriborn into the Pendulum Scale." The pillars appeared on either side of him before the magicians flew up, the portal appearing between them and growing bigger. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened before three lights shot out, hitting the ground and exploding to reveal Shadow's monsters. "Shred'em up, Glow Claw Magna Chimp!" (A1800/D600/L4/P9)

"Illuminate this battle field, Crystal Tusk Magna Boar!" (A1000/D1000/L3/P2)

The final monster was one that made Flash's eyes go wide, as the monster appearing in the light one he had hoped he would beat Shadow before he could summon it. The dragon that had always stood besides Flash and helped him win almost every Duel he had ever been in. His number one partner and friend. "Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon...X!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

"No," he whispered.

"Oh yes!" Shadow grinned. "And now for Flash Heart's skill!" A portal opened up below Blazing Soul Magician and sucked it down into the portal. "Next, I activate the Pendulum Ability of Ratio!" He drew three cards and frowned before placing it into his pocket. As he did, a monster appeared infront of Flash that made his heart stop.

"Vail Pixie," he whispered as the little fairy frowned down at him. But before he could say anything else, she exploded into light that flew into Flash Heart. (A2700/D2000/L7/P4)

"ATTACK!" Flash Heart shot towards Divine Sky Angel and punched her in the chest, destroying her and making Flash grunt.

Flash: 2700
Shadow: 2900

"Now, Magna Chimp!" The robotic monkey flew forward, its claws beginning to glow and blind Magma Breath. (A1400/D1500/L4) It slashed at Magma Breath and destroyed it.

Flash: 2300
Shadow: 2900

"Now Magna Boar, ATTACK!" The boar rushed forward, its tusks glowing as he prepared to tackle Flash. But before it could.

"I activate my Trap card!" His face down flipped up, "Beacon of Hope!" He reached for his deck. "If the card I draw is a monster, I can summon it." He drew his card and smiled, "oh yeah. I summon Blazing Soul Firefly!" An explosion of fire revealed the flaming insect, which appeared in a defensive position. (A900/D1400/L3) "And when Firefly's Special Summoned, I can summon any other copy of it in my Deck." His Deck slotted out two cards, which he placed on his Duel Disk. In another burst of fire, two more Fireflies appeared besides the original and all got into DEF mode.

Shadow sighed as Magna Boar jumped back, the lookalike glaring at the protective shield of Fireflies protecting Flash. "I place one card face down and end my turn." Flash Heart's ATK points returned to normal

"Then it's my turn," Flash drew and smirked. "Yes. I play the Spell card, Monster Reborn!" In a flash of light, Wild Rush Raptor appeared infront of him. (A2000/D2000/L3)

"Why would you summon that monster back? It's useless without its abilities."

"You wanna bet?" Flash asked before playing a card. "I activate Rank-Up-Magic, Jurassic Force!" Shadow's eyes went wide as Wild Rush transformed into a stream of light, which flew up into the air. "Now I can Rank up my Dinosaur-Type Xyz monster to create something even strong." A black hole opened up that the light flew into, Flash beginning to chant like his sister. "Let the primal instincts take over, and help you achieve power long since forgotten by history!" The black hole exploded. "RANK-UP XYZ EVOLUTION!"

The light faded, revealing Scootaloo's evolved Xyz monster. "Jurassic Raging Raptor!" (A2600/D2400/R4/P6) "Raptor's skill!" Flash reached for his deck. Since it was special summoned, I can look at the top three cards of my deck and add any dinosaur monsters amongst them to it as an Overlay Unit."

Shadow smirked. "I doubt there's any more dinosaurs in that deck."

"Time to find out," Flash told him before drawing his cards. And when he saw what he had gotten, he smiled. "Luck's on my side. I got another Blazing Soul Raptor." Shadow growled as what was likely the last dinosaur in Flash's deck appeared infront of Jurassic Raging before morphing into a light that flew around it. "Now," Flash pointed at Magna Boar, "ATTACK!" The dragon like dinosaur flew up, preparing to destroy the small robotic hog.

"I activate my Trap!" Shadow announced as his face down flipped up. "Interception!" Flash Heart flew infront of Magna Boar, as Jurassic Raging shot down.

Flash frowned but didn't let that stop him. "I activate Jurassic Raging Raptor's special ability." He beast bit into one of his Overlay Units before unleashing a powerful breath attack on Flash Heart. The breath struck and seemed to weaken the dragon. (A2100/D2000/L7/P4) Seconds later, the dragon dinosaur slashed at Flash Heart with its tail.

Shadow grunt as his monster was destroyed.

Flash: 2300
Shadow: 2400

Despite this, Shadow smiled. "You just can't help it, can you. You're even willing to destroy the monster you considered your number one, just so you can get its power back.

Flash frowned, "I don't enjoy this."

"Yet you do it anyway."

Flash continued to frown, not sure how to respond to that. "Because it has Wild Rush Raptor as an Overlay Unit, Jurassic Raging Raptor lets me draw cards equal to the Level of the monster it destroyed." He drew seven cards and instantly put down two of them. "I end my turn."

"Then it's my go," Shadow drew his card. When he saw what it was, a dark and twisted smile appeared on his face. At the same time, the portal began to form. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened before a light shot out and struck the ground, exploding to reveal Shadow's monster. "Shine your light of victory once again. Flash Heart Dragon X!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) "Flash Heart's skill!" One of Flash's Fireflies were sucked into a portal. "Next, I'll use Ratio's Pendulum Ability once again." He drew his three cards and selected on. "I banished Neo Lightspeed Dragon." The robo-wolf appeared infront of Flash Heart before exploding, the light flew into Flash Heart and powering it up. (A2900/D2000/L7/P4) "ATTACK!" The dragon shot forward and struck Jurassic Raging Raptor, destroying it

Flash: 2000
Shadow: 2400

"Magna Chimp!" The other beast flew forward and slashed at Flash's second Firefly, destroying it. "I place one card face down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn!" Flash drew his card and his eyes went wide when he saw what it was. "This might be just what I need," he smiled as the portal formed above him. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened before a light and a fireball shot out, hitting the ground and exploding to reveal a pair of monsters. "Jurassic Raging Raptor!" (A2600/D2400/R4/P6)

The second was a man in red armour, swinging a staff around that was on fire at both ends. "And Blazing Soul Knight, Gekaa!" (A1600/D1400/L4) "Then I activate the Pendulum Ability of Blazing Soul Priestess!" The women's hands glowed before she and Blast Burn Dragon exploded.

"What?" Shadow asked, "why would you do that?"

"Because now I tribute Gekaa, Firefly and Jurassic Raging Raptor!" The three monsters suddenly burst into flames which pulled together into a tornado of fire, as Flash began to chant. "With the flame of adventure burning in his soul, he will incinerate anything in his way to forge a path to the future!" A shadow appeared in the flames before they suddenly began to fade, revealing his father's ace monster in all its flaming glory. "Blazing Soul Dragon, Trail Blazer Dragon!" (A3000/D3000/L8)

"I should have known that was coming," Shadow growled as the dragon spread its wings.

"Trail Blazer's skill!" Flash cried. "Since he was summoned using three monsters, every other card on the field is destroyed and we take damage equal to the number of cards destroyed times two hundred." The dragon flapped its wings and unleashed a wave of fire, that destroyed Flash and Shadow's face downs along with Shadow's Pendulum Monsters and his monsters. The flames then flew towards them. But while they struck Shadow and burnt him, a force-field suddenly appeared around Flash and protected him.

Flash: 2000
Shadow: 1200

Shadow looked up at Flash and seemed confused, "why didn't you take any damage?" It was then he spotted something floating above Flash. Blazing Soul Priestess. "What?"

"It's her Pendulum Ability," Flash explained. "By destroying her and another monster in my Pendulum Zone, I'm completely immune the card effects this turn."

Shadow growled when he heard this, but then he smirked. "You must think you're pretty cleaver."

"Cleaver enough," Flash told him. "I'm just one attack away from winning this Duel."

"I don't think so," Shadow told him. As he said that, black chains shot out of the ground. Those chains wrapped around Trail Blazer Dragon and before Flash knew it, his father's best card was pulled to the ground and and tied up in a kneeling position. Everything but his neck, legs and the back of its head was covered in the black chains.

"What?" Flash looked Trail Blazer over, "what is this?" He turned back to Shadow and saw a Trap had appeared on his field, glowing the same dark colour as the chains. "I don't understand. That's...that's not a card my deck had."

"Of course," Shadow told him. "I created it myself. Using the dark emotions that sustain me, I created the Chains of Malice Trap card. A card that can only be activated when it's destroyed by a card effect. It returns that card to my field and then binds a monster on your field. That monster can't attack and is weakened by five hundred points during each of my Standby Phases. The best part. The monster equipped with this card can't be removed from the field, by battle or card effect."

"You...you're torturing it," Flash realised before glaring at him. "WHY!"

"I'm simply doing what you would do," Shadow told him. "Everything I am is simply what you and these cards are." Flash wanted to deny that, but how could he.

"Did I...do this?"

"Make your move," Shadow told him. Flash looked down at this hand and saw he had no other choice.

"I place three cards face down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Shadow drew his card. "And with that, Chains of Malice weakens your monster's ATK points by five hundred." Trail Blazer roared as the chains around its body tightened, making it cry out in pain.

"Trail Blazer!" Flash yelled, his heart aching at the sight of his father's monster being put through so much pain. (A2500/D3000/L8) Flash turned to glare at Shadow, who simply smiled as he played his next card.

"Then, I activate Ratio's ability from the Extra Deck." The card slotted out and he placed it into his pocket. "By banishing him, I can draw three new cards."

"Great," Flash sighed as Shadow drew them. And when he did, a dark smile crept onto his lips. "Now what?"

"I activate Pendulum Loader. Since my Pendulum Zones are both empty, this card lets me take two face up Pendulum Monsters from my Extra Deck and add them to my hand." The cards slotted out and in one swift motion, Shadow slapped them down on them Duel Disk! "You know what happens now!" The pillars of light appeared on either side of him before Magna Boar and Attriborn flew up into them. The portal slowly began to form above Shadow's head and grow larger. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened before a trio of lights shot out and struck the ground, exploding to reveal his monsters. "Sky high, Flash Wing Magna Pegasus." (A1400/D800/L4)

"Shred'em up, Glow Claw Magna Chimp!" (A1800/D600/L4/P9)

"Shine your light of victory once more, Flash Heart Dragon...X!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) "Since Chains of Malice protects your monster from being removed by card effects, I'll have to just use Flash Wing's ability." He pointed at one of Flash's cards and the teen was forced to get rid of it, leaving him with only one card. "Next, I activate the Spell card Strike of Malice."

"Another Malice card," Flash realised. It was only now he realised Pegasus and Chimp were in DEF mode. He then noticed a pained look appear on the three's faces, all of them looking like their entire bodies where burning with pain. "What are you doing to them!"

"Just watch," Shadow replied as their eyes turned purple.

Flash looked down at his Duel Disk and saw Pegasus and Chimp's ATK points drop, getting lower and lower until inevitably. (A0/D800/L4) (A0/D600/L4/P9) "Why?"

"Flash Heart Dragon, attack Trail Blazer!" He looked up and saw the dragon's thrusters explode and push Flash Heart forward, Flash looking up at Magna Boar as its Pendulum Ability activated and raised Flash Heart's power by five hundred points. (A3000/D2000/L7/P4) With that, Flash Heart threw a punch and struck Trail Blazer head on.

Trail Blazer roared in pain as it staggered back, but the Chains of Malice kept it from falling and pulled it back.

Flash: 1500
Shadow: 1200

Flash expected that to be it, but then Flash Heart spun around and struck Trail Blazer with its tail.

Flash: 1000
Shadow: 1200

"What?" Flash asked in shocked as Flash Heart spun around again and slammed its foot into Trail Blazer's chest. The wheel spun against the dragon, grinding into it and making it scream as the chains kept it from escaping. "STOP IT!"

Flash: 500
Shadow: 1200

Shadow laughed. "What's the matter, didn't like Strike of Malice's effect?" Flash shot Shadow a glare, clearly not happy with what he was seeing. "Oh don't get so high an mighty. All I'm doing is having them work together, since Pegasus and Chimp couldn't hurt your dragon."

"If you hadn't bound Trail Blazer, there wouldn't be an issue."

"But where's the fun of that?" Shadow asked, making Flash growl.

"I activate my Trap!" Flash yelled as his card flipped up, "Power Draw! Now I can draw cards equal to the number of monsters you have on the field." He then pointed to another card as it flipped up, "I'm also activating my Emergency Provisions!" Both Power Draw and his other face down disappeared, Flash glowing as his Life Points went up.

Flash: 2500
Shadow: 1200

Flash drew three cards. "And since one of the cards I got rid of Trap Sleuth, it's effect activates and I can add a Trap from my graveyard to my hand." He took said card and added it to his hand, letting Shadow finish his turn.

"I place two cards face down and end my turn." The purple colouring left Flash Heart and the other's eyes, but all three of them soon fell to the ground and knelt down in exhaustion as their ATK points returned to normal. She turned to Flash, a dark smile on his face. "You might think of me as a villain, but everything I've done came from you. If you had that Strike of Malice card in your deck, you know you'd use it."

"No," Flash shook his head, "not if it causes this!" Flash pointed to the exhausted monsters. "I may have made you, and I admit I've made mistakes in my time. But this is too much. I refuse to believe I would cause my monsters this much pain."

"Why?" Shadow asked. "You caused this much emotional pain, so why wouldn't you go beyond that and cause the same amount of physical pain?"

"I...I..." Flash shock his head and gave him a serious look, "I will never cause that much pain to my monsters. Not physical or emotional. I know what I did was wrong and I vow, on my life, I'll never let that temptation overcome me again." As he said this, Flash Heart looked up at him. If his face could be seen, a curious look would be visible.

"Sure you won't," Shadow told him. "Just make your move so I can end this Duel."

"This Duel's far from over," Flash told him. He looked down at his hand and despite the cards he had gotten, he didn't have anything that could help him right now. "Alright." He reached for his deck, taking a deep breath and hoping he got something that could help him turn things around. "I DRAW!" He took the card and looked down at it, his eyes going wide when he saw what card he had gotten, "this is..."

Shadow raised an eyebrow, wondering what card Flash had gotten.

Flash smirked before taking playing the card. "I summon Dark Portal Master." In a flash of dark light, a black figure appeared infront of him. It was made of black slime and had only a red crystal in its chest, with no other features appearing on it. (A500/D500/L1)

"What's that?" Shadow asked.

"A gift from a friend," Flash explained before he pointed at Shadow. "Dark Portal Master's skill! Select one monster on the field and if you agree, I can swap it with Dark Portal Master!"

"What?" Shadow watched as Dark Portal Master fired a red beam out of its chest gem, which created a black portal between the two of them. "Why would I swap one of my monsters with that thing?"

"Because if you do, Dark Portal Master gains that monster's ATK, DEF and Level. Plus, Dark Portal Master can't be destroyed by battle."

"So you want to take Flash Heart back?" Shadow asked, getting a nod from Flash. "You think I'd let you have him. You're nuts."

"it's not up to you," Flash told him. "You said it yourself that you only speak for the monsters. You don't make any decisions for them." He looked up at Flash Heart. "It's his decision whether or not to join me on my field."

Shadow frowned, "you have a point. But even so, there's still no way he'd agree." He stepped forward and turned back to Flash Heart. "I'm right, aren't I? I sense the anger still within you. The feelings of betrayal felt when he threw you away. There's no way you'll go to him."

Flash stared up at the dragon, seeing it simply staring back at him. "Flash Heart...I know I made a mistake. That is something I will never forgive myself for." He looked down at the ground, "and I don't expect you to forgive me either."

"Then why are you even trying to get him back to your side?"

"Because the bond we share is stronger then that anger!" Flash yelled to him, looking back up at the monster. "I'm not asking you to forgive me. I don't deserve your forgiveness. I'm just asking that you don't let your anger make you forget everything we've been through. The day we met. All the Duels we fought together. All the obstacles we overcame together. The Celestic Cup, Sombra, the Double X. Through it all we stood together and you can't deny the bond we shared because of it."

"A bond he chose to throw away," Shadow pointed out. "A bond that was destroyed because he chose to turn his back on you."

"I know that bond still exists," Flash told him. "Even if it's only a hair's width, it's still there. I can feel it. If I didn't, I wouldn't hate myself so much for what I did."

"Any old excuse," Shadow told him. "He says he feels bad, but he didn't seem to care when he used the Zenith Dragon. You saw what he did to Vail Pixie. She tried to help him and he pushed her away."

Flash looked down and sighed, not able to defend that part. He knew there was no way to earn their forgiveness. Even so, he still had to get the deck back. "It doesn't have to be me." Shadow raised an eyebrow at this, as Flash slowly lifted his head and looked up at Flash Heart. "I want nothing more then to have my deck and my friends back."

"Why?" Shadow asked, "so you can save your precious girlfriend. Are you gonna sacrifice them again to try and save her."

"No," Flash shook his head. "I do want to save her, not just because she's my girlfriend." He looked down again, his hand clutching his pants. "It's my fault she was taken over. I showed the Zealots how to get here. It was me who allowed them to start their plans. I was the one they were targeting and it was me Twilight was trying to protect when she got taken over. Everything that's happening is because of me. I'm the Pendulum Singularity, so it's my responsibility to try and make things right."

Shadow was still confused about what he had said earlier, while Flash looked back up at Flash Heart.

"I know you want to fight against Zeronull and stop whatever he has planned. And we all know your deck is probably the only thing that can stop him. But if you don't want to be with me, I won't force you." He looked down. "You can just give me your cards and I'll give them to someone else. Anyone who could possibly use you as well as me." An idea appeared in his head. "My dad was the one that brought you to my world before. He was your first user and he was the one the deck was first made for, so I'm sure he'd Duel with you all." Silence continued to fill the ruins as Flash's words sank it. "My mom made the cards, so maybe she could be the one. Or Cold or...anyone."

Shadow rolled his eyes, not expecting this to work. But then he sensed something in Flash Heart and looked up at him, seeing him tilt his head in a way that indicated indecision. Was he...considering this?

"If you want someone else to Duel with you, I understand. But if there's any part of you that's willing to try and move past what I did and stand with me again, even if it's just for one last Duel, please come back to me." Flash and the dragon remained eye locked, the dragon still considering Flash's proposal.

Shadow also stared at the dragon, wondering what it's decision would be?

Then, something appeared on the forefront of his mind. An image, a memory from Flash Heart's past.

That memory was of the day Flash was born and named after the monster infront of him. The image of Flash Heart holding a finger out to a baby who would reach out and grasped it in both its tiny hands. The memory then changed to show the day Flash first Duelled with Flash Heart and beat Garble, then showed many other images of the times the two worked together.

As he watched these images, something began to change within Shadow.

He felt the sense of anger that made up his form slowly begin to grow weaker and weaker, causing his entire body to shake. "No," he whispered, "it...can't be." It wasn't just Flash Heart's anger that was waning. And when he looked up, he saw Flash Heart moving towards the portal.

Flash's eyes went wide as he saw this, while Dark Portal Master began to fly towards the other side of the portal. "Flash Heart?" The dragon turned to him, "are you sure?" After a few seconds, the dragon did something surprising. He spoke.

"Do you truly regret what you did?"

"Of course," Flash nodded. "It's something that'll haunt me for the rest of my life."

"Maybe," Flash Heart replied, "but if you truly wish to earn forgiveness from us, you must first learn to forgive yourself."

"What?" Flash asked, "why would you want me to forgive myself? After what I did to you."

"Because you're right," Flash Heart told him. "Despite what you've done, I can't forget everything we've been through. No matter how hurt I feel about what you did, I cannot deny the joy and excitement I have had during our time together. Those many amazing memories easily outweigh that one moment of weakness, a moment I myself would have trouble deciding upon if I were in your shoes at the time." Flash couldn't help but look down and smile at those worlds. "But more then anything, I need you to forgive yourself because only then will you be able to Duel at your best and defeat Zeronull alongside us." Flash looked up in shock.

"What?"

"You have and always will be, our Duellist. No matter what happened. You are our Duellist, our leader and our friend. And in order to defeat Zeronull, you must be at your best. So as hard as it is, you must try to forgive yourself."

Flash let the words he had been told flew through his mind and his heart, which was beating heavily after what Flash Heart had just said. Eventually, he reached the part of those organs that were flinging on to the hatred and self-loathing he had for himself and, after a deep breath, mentally let it go and fade away.

Shadow's eyes went wide as he sensed the anger slowly recede from Flash. It wasn't gone, but it certainly wasn't as strong as it had been before. He then looked up at Flash Heart and saw it fly into the portal, while Dark Portal Master flew into the other side.

A light then made him looked down at his Duel Disk and see his Flash Heart Dragon card was glowing, the card then morphing into a light that shot off his Duel Disk and flew towards Flash. At the same time, Flash removed the Dark Portal Master card and threw it at Shadow.

His lookalike caught that card and placed it on his Duel Disk as the monsters appeared out the other side of the portal. Flash Heart flew over to Flash's side of the field and hovered over him. At the same time, a monster appeared and flew over to Shadow's field. It wasn't Dark Portal Master though, or at least it didn't look like him. Instead, this monster was a dark version of Flash Heart. Where Flash Heart was blue, this beast was black and was grey where Flash Heart was yellow and orange. (A3000/D2500/L8)

Flash looked up at his best monster and couldn't help but smile, happy to finally have him back on his side. He turned towards his lookalike as a serious expression adorned his face. "Hope you're ready," Flash told him. "Because the Real Duel starts now."

Author's Note:

Well that was...emotional. Hope you enjoyed it and I know the ending was probably a little cheesy. I wasn't really sure how to get Flash Heart to forgive Flash, so I hope this worked. Tell me what you think.

Comments

[Foxhelm]

Sometimes, we need a slice of cheese. Nice to the start of Flash and Flash Heart reconciliation. The Spirit of Anger (I am not calling him Shadow, to do so is call the Omega Zealots by the name of the people they process... oh wait the author does that too... with the only exception being Zeronull, witj Midnight Sparkle as the integration of that abomination and poor Twilight) comes of as utterly spiteful, but it is the incarnation of the accumalitive anger felt by Flash and the monsters of his deck.

[Godslittleprincess]

Okay. I was not expecting that. I don't know if you've seen A Knight's Tale, but I was expecting you to go the William loses the joust to prove his love to Jocelyn route. By the way, I haven't seen that movie either, but that part ended up getting spoiled for me. Don't ask. Anyway, I guess from a certain point of view, you did go that route since Flash was seriously considering handing his deck over to someone else if he won. Poor guy. Furthermore, having a Duelist throw a Duel would run counter to the driving philosophy behind Duel Monsters and could be interpreted as an insult, so maybe adapting that scene into this story probably wouldn't have been the best way to go.

One more thing, I know it might be another chapter before this Duel's over, but I think Flash and his monsters are going to need another serious heart-to-heart after it ends. I'm just saying that the kind of guilt Flash has been carrying for the last few chapters might need further processing, not a lot but a little more than what happened in this chapter.

Finally, I wonder how seeing Shadow's Malice cards in action affected Flash and his guilt. I mean, Shadow did say that they were a representation of Flash's betrayal, so surely, seeing the pain that those cards put his monsters through must have affected Flash in some way. 💡 Okay, I have an idea, but I'm not sure how well it will work with what you already have planned. I could tell you over a PM if you're interested.

[Banshee531]

10459788 Sure.

[MechaTomX]

This is 20% cooler

Is better than the duel of the pharaoh vs orichalcos yugi

[SuperSonicHeroes]

That was really sweet. Flash finally started to earn redemption for what he did, and he finally got his ace Flash Heart Dragon back. He might be in a bit of a tough spot right now, but with the two of them back it is only a matter of time before they turn things around. I like this duel so far and am excited to see how it ends.

Misty was busy cleaning their lunch dishes while Trail was busy building a fire encase Flash didn't return before nightfall.

in case

The down side is it's destroyed at the end of my turn and I can Tribute Summon.

I think you mean "can't".

Since Rush Raptor is an Overlay Unit, Wind Rush gains five hundred points.

Wild

His number on partner and friend.

one

Lucks on my side.

Luck's

Everything I am is simply what you and this cards am.

Kinda seems like you meant for "this" to be "these" and "am" to be "are".

Select one monster on the field and I you agree, I can swap it with Dark Portal Master!

if

The image of Flash Heart holding a finger out to a baby would reached out and grasped it in both its tiny hands.

It seems like "who" should be put between "baby" and "would", and "reached" should be changed to "reach".

[Contador818]

So the duel to get his deck back has begun. I have to say, it hurt having to see Flash go up against his own monsters, but it hurt even more to watch what Shadow put them through. I hope Flash can beat that spirit and claim victory over the darkness inside himself. But now that Flash Heart is back on his side, he just might have a chance.

[Foxhelm]

10459788

William loses the joust to prove his love to Jocelyn

Wait... what... I head my name... oh, Sir William Taylor... not me... um... DO A BARREL ROLE!

[Godslittleprincess]

10464986
I think you mean William Thatcher.

[Foxhelm]

10465106
I could have sworn his father's occupation was as a taylor.... well it's been years since I seen the film

[Foxhelm]

10459788

💡 Okay, I have an idea, but I'm not sure how well it will work with what you already have planned. I could tell you over a PM if you're interested.

Might I ask what that idea is?

[Godslittleprincess]

10468586
Banshee already shot it down. As I suspected, it didn't fit with his plans.

[Foxhelm]

10468599
I am still curious about it

[Foxhelm]

10468599
You could pm me if you want

[Godslittleprincess]

10468747
I'd really rather have Banshee's readers enjoy the story for what it is instead of discussing all the ways it could have been different.

[Foxhelm]

10468792
Which is why I suggest the PM, that way other readers can enjoy the story as is

[Godslittleprincess]

10468803
Foxhelm, you're one of his readers. Also, are you implying that you don't enjoy Banshee's stories as they are?

[Foxhelm]

10468808
I got a long list of issues that I have with his works as they are, that doesn't mean on the whole I don't enjoy them as is, and if you are trying to get me to stop asking about what your idea was, well here's a D&D reference you should get, you're rolling 1's on your persuasion checks.

[Godslittleprincess]

10468853
If you want to know so bad, I'll tell you after Flash resolves his issues with his deck.

[Foxhelm]

10468872
So you're under a timed NDA with Banshee over the idea you had?

[Godslittleprincess]

10468955
No, I just want to see how Banshee resolves Flash's issues before I go around telling other people how I would have done it. For all I know, what Banshee has planned could be better than what I had in mind.

[Foxhelm]

10469000
I Pinkie promise to not share

[Godslittleprincess]

10469594

[Foxhelm]

10469693
Are you suggesting that I should commit suicided?

[Godslittleprincess]

10469751
Okay, this conversation has gone on long enough, and I am putting my foot down. If you want to know so badly, I will tell you when I'm ready to tell you and no sooner.

[Foxhelm]

10469765
Are you ready, now?

[Godslittleprincess]

10469784
NO! If I was, I would have told you when you asked.

[Foxhelm]

10469798
So are you ready now?