#Yuko Adonis
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Yu-Gi-Oh: Renegade
Chapter 5:
Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh: Renegade:
' "In 3 months, I will be holding a Derby Duel Tournament. It is open to all who wish to compete." Leon Dracnus announced on live TV.
"Look, everyone deserves to play the game they love without facing prejudice, without consequences… This baby," Yuko gently patted the broken down Phoenix Whirlwind, "is the key to jump starting that change. But, I'm gonna need you guys behind me on this."
"There'll never be a time you can't count on me." Adom replied.
"Good luck, Yuko, my girl." Pops told her before Yuko raced out of the garage and away from her chosen family.
"Remove your helmet and deactivate the gear, reject. I know you're a duelist, and one from the Jade Phoenix Duel Gang judging by the symbol on your back."
"You have Derby Duel gear yourself, right, Takano? Duel me. If I win, I go about my business and you act like nothing happened."
"And why should I listen to what a reject like you asks of me?"
"Winning against me means you could get redemption from the big man topside. See, you're right in assuming I'm a duelist, I'm the leader of the Jade Phoenix gang, their best duelist."
"You're on, Birdie. You're in for one heck of a match, I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, kid! Wait, that Duel Disk... Where did that come from?!" Yuko felt a smirk cross her face at the Chaser's shock of the tech she'd built herself.
"I built it into my gear!"
What have I gotten myself into? She thought nervously as a countdown began to the beginning of the duel.'
With the Duel World spell activated, the world around them had changed giving it a bluish hue. "Ready... Set... Duel!" The computer counted down. Both duelists took off, their Life Point counters set to 4000 Life Points. Wait, are my eyes playing tricks on me? Why are my Life Points only at 4000? Yuko thought, her brow furrowing.
"In case you aren't familiar with Derby Duel combat, allow me to explain the rules. In Derby Duels, our decks are cut down to 40 cards each and our Life Points are only set to 4000 points. Unlike Turbo Duels back in the old days, we're allowed to use normal spells, but we do have hurdles that make things harder. For one thing, in the actual arena, if you knock your opponent out of bounds, they automatically lose. The first two to take that first turn are the first duelists to begin dueling. If one of the duelists in focus gets knocked out, either by a duelist or an obstacle, either the duelist that butted them out or the duelist closest to the remaining duelist takes over the duel. Much like Turbo Duels, though, if you hit zero while Derby Dueling, your wheels will lock up and you'll be forced to wipe out." Takano explained.
"In other words, you wanna be the last duelist standing." Yuko summed up.
"Too bad it won't be you, Birdie." Takano smirked.
"We'll see about that, Takano." Yuko glared.
"Ready... Set... Duel!" The computer counted off, the two taking off as soon as the countdown hit the go mark.
Yuko- 4000 Takano- 4000
"Ladies first, reject." Takano smirked. Yuko rolled her eyes as she drew. A frown crossed her face. Mystical Space Typhoon, Spell Shattering Arrow, Shield Crush, Blast Magician, Monster Reborn and Unexpected Dai... Not too much to work with defense wise, but one monster's better than nothing but spells the first draw... Yuko thought. "What's the matter, giving up already?" Yuko scoffed at Takano's taunt.
"You wish! I'll kick this off by activating Unexpected Dai from my hand! Since I have no monsters on the field, I'm allowed to Special Summon a Level Four or below Monster from my deck, as long as it doesn't have any effects... So, Flamvell Guard, take to the field in defense mode!" The metallic dragon roared to life, flames coming off its body as it curled up in defense mode (ATK/ 100 DEF/ 2000). "Next, I summon Blast Magician in attack mode!" Blast Magician spun his staff, taking his place next to Flamvell Guard and standing at the ready, his eyes trained on the enemy (ATK/ 1400 DEF/1700). I'll end my turn there for now. Your move, Takano."
Yuko- 4000 Takano- 4000
"My turn! I draw!" Takano observed the cards in his hand before smirking a bit. "First, I'll summon Honest in attack mode!" An angel looking monster took to the field on Takano's side of the field, his wings unfurled and his eyes glaring fiercely (ATK/ 1100 DEF/ 1900). "Now, since I'm not dumb enough to attack you with a monster that has less attack power than Blast Magician, I'll end my turn with a facedown."
"Wow, who knew you guys were actually smart? It's my turn now!" Yuko remarked, but before she could take her turn, she noticed something hurtling her way. She moved to the side, dodging it by a hair. Takano laughed at her.
"I told you there were hurtles... From here on out on every other turn, the Duel World field spell automatically throws obstacles our way. In an arena, it would have obstacles set up, but this isn't your typical arena." Takano revealed.
"You were hoping I'd get knocked down by one of those, didn't you?!" Yuko accused.
"Don't accuse me of such a ridiculous thing, girl, now take your turn or I'll take it as a surrender!" Takano threatened.
Yuko- 4000 Takano- 4000
"I draw!" Yuko kept a steady pace as she looked at the cards in her hand. While she'd gotten one spell card out of the way, she still had her original four, plus her trap card: Trap Jammer. Least he won't be able to do anything to me with a Trap Card this upcoming turn... Yuko thought. "Blast Magician, let's leave a scorch mark! Attack Honest!"
"You won't be able to touch him, Birdie! I activate the trap card, Compulsory Evacuation Device! This card allows me to target one monster and return it to the owner's hand, and I choose my Honest!" Takano smirked.
"I guess your dueling skills are rustier than you thought, because all that does is switch Blast Magician's target from your monster to you directly!" Yuko called out his mistake as his monster returned to his hand and Blast Magician turned his attention on Takano. His eyes grew wide.
"Wait, wait, wait!" He shouted but it was too late, Blast Magician closed in on Takano and sliced through the Ex Chaser with his scepter. Takano stumbled due to the damage he took, but managed to get his footing back. Yuko smirked.
"I'll end my turn by throwing down a facedown. Your move, Takano." Yuko smirked.
Yuko- 4000 Takano- 2600
"You snot-nosed, insignificant little- AH!" Distracted by his need to insult Yuko, he was tripped up by an obstacle thrown his way, the teenager snickering as he barely managed to stay on his feet. "What?! You cheater! You did that on purpose!"
"You forgot one of the rules: Since it's just the two of us dueling and we're outside the normal arena, any time one of us takes direct damage, we have to avoid an obstacle at the end of the turn." Yuko reminded him, smirking. Takano growled in response.
"I draw!" Takano drew a card, but the look he gained on his face made Yuko uneasy. What is he planning? She thought as she kept pace with the ex Chaser. "I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level Four! (Atk/1600 Def/1000)" Yuko's face paled as she came face to face with her own brother's dragon. There were 3 dragons with the same name: Level Four, Level Six and Level 8. Liam's entire deck had gone missing, and it chilled Yuko's blood to know that the dragons that her brother had once held dear were now on the hands of someone like Takano. Takano, meanwhile, smirked. "What's the matter, little duelist?! Dragon got your tongue?!" Takano cackled. Yuko glared.
"Take your turn, snake!" Yuko yelled.
"As you wish! Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level Four, destroy her Blast Magician!" Takano announced the attack. The dragon roared and did as it was told, making Yuko cry out in pain as 400 life points were taken from her, her magician destroyed. "Now, his special effect activates! When I destroy a monster this turn, I'm allowed to send him to the graveyard and Special Summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 6 from my hand or deck!" He laughed as the level four dragon disappeared, it's Level 6 version taking its place. It roared, Yuko recognizing the pain it was in. Don't worry, I'll find a way to get you guys away from him... I promise! She thought, hoping the dragon could hear her. "I end my turn due to Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level Four's effect!"
Yuko- 3600 Takano- 2600
"Then, it's my move now!" Yuko shouted before she dodged the hurtle coming her way and drawing her next card. Keeper of Dragon Magic! Yuko thought, smiling a bit before schooling her features. "I summon Keeper of Dragon Magic in attack mode! (Atk/1800 Def/1300)" She watched as the dragon armored magician burst to life, facing Takano and the level 6 dragon.
"What is it with you and Spellcasters! You know that magician's far too weak to beat my dragon!" Takano called out.
"I know, I'm not attacking with him!" Yuko called out. "I activate his effect! By discarding Spell Shattering Arrow, I can draw Polymerization from my deck to my hand. But, that's not all! By revealing a fusion monster from my deck, I can special summon one of the materials needed to summon it in defense position! So, Luster Dragon, join us on the battlefield as I reveal First of Dragons!" She showed the fusion card as she summoned Luster Dragon (Atk/1900 Def/1600) in defense position. "Now that the effect is complete, I activate Polymerization from my hand, fusing my Flamvell Dragon and Luster Dragon together to Fusion Summon First of Dragons in attack mode! (Atk/2700 Def/2000)". First of Dragons roared to life, his grey scales glistening in the street lamp light and his tail hitting the ground as he roared. Yuko smirked. "Now, First of Dragons, attack Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 6!" Yuko ordered the attack, and watched as a black lightning ball left her dragon and hit her brother's dragon, destroying it and knocking Takano's life points down another 400 life points. Takano cried out in pain and once again struggled to maintain his balance as Yuko took the lead, easily turning around to face Takano and skate backwards. The ex Chaser growled and the smirk on her face. "Now, Keeper of Dragon Magic, it's your turn, attack Takano directly!" She extended her hand, making Takano's eyes widen as the Spellcaster attacked, knocking his Life Points down another 1800 points and causing Takano to falter once more." I set two cards facedown and end my turn!"
Yuko- 3600 Takano-800
"You no good reject! You'll be locked up for sure! I draw!" Takano barely avoided another obstacle before drawing his next card, and a flash of red caught Yuko's attention. The Dragon Kings were nearby...
"Says the guy about to lose this duel! Make your last turn count, Takano!" Yuko fired back. Takano suddenly started laughing.
"I plan to! I use the effect of Monster Reborn to bring my Black Flame Dragon Level 6 back from the Graveyard! Next, I summon my Honest back to the field! But, instead of attacking, I'll set one card facedown and end my turn!" Wait, why isn't he attacking? Yuko thought. It didn't make any sense...
Yuko- 3600 Takano-800
"I draw!" Yuko announced her turn as she drew a card. "I summon Dark Blade in attack mode! (Atk/ 1800 Def/1500)" She smirked behind her helmet. "Dark Blade, attack and destroy his Honest!"
"Not so fast, I activate the trap card Rising Energy! By discarding my Two Headed Dragon, I can give my Honest an additional 1500 attack points! (Atk 1100+ 1500= 2600)."
"Nice try, but you forget about my facedown! Trap Jammer! Using this trap, I can negate and destroy Rising Energy!"
"WHAT?!" Takano exclaimed in horror as he watched his trap crumble and shatter.
"And that means Dark Blade is clear to keep his attack going!" Yuko exclaimed. Dark Blade's sword slashes through the angel, making it give a cry as it shattered and Takano yell in pain as he took the 700 point damage. He stumbled, barely managing to catch his balance for the final time. "First of Dragons, let's finish him off once and for all! Attack his Black Flame Dragon and end this duel! Black Lightning Attack!" She yelled out, the dragon roaring as it fired off another ball of black lightning, once again destroying the Black Flame Dragon. Takano cried out as the last damage of the Derby Duel rendered him down to zero, taking his last 100 Life Points and making him finally fall as Yuko came to a stop, standing tall.
Yuko- 3600 Takano- 0
"Should have attacked while you had the chance." Yuko snarled. "Now, you're going to give me my brother's dragons back right now. All three of them. It's the rules of a Derby Duel. Any rare cards the losing duelist has go to the winner." Takano growled, the snarl eventually growing so loud it eventually became a roar of rage!
"NEVER, I'M TAKING YOU IN!" Takano yelled in anger, but before he could lay a hand on Yuko, a punch came from over the female's left shoulder. When Yuko turned her head, she had to admit that she was surprised to see Kai Cunningham behind her, along with the other members of the Dragon Kings.
"Not in our turf. She beat you fair and square, and you had some of the rarest dragons in the game since the creation of the Blue Eyes. You don't deserve to be a duelist." Kai threatened, scooping up the cards Yuko had requested from the deck and glaring at him. Yuko tensed, ready for a fight if that's what it came down to. "Relax, Adonis, and take off your helmet already, Yang wants to see you." Yuko hesitated for a minute. "Look, idiot, you want your brother's dragons back or not?" He questioned. Yuko pressed a button on the side of her helmet that made the skates and her helmet collapse, allowing her to walk freely. Kai placed the dragons in her hand before leading the way toward the Dragon Kings' hideout. Yuko placed the dragons in her deck, smiling when she heard their spirits purring on happiness. Once inside the hideout, Yuko saw that it was a den, filled with members of the Dragon Kings either training or cooking a hearty meal, the smell of which made Yuko's stomach rumble. "Being this close to an entrance of Cypher City has its perks." Kai told her as he held her to the center of the den. "We also have informants all over Cypher City, they keep us updated if anyone even murmurs about an attack on the Underground." The closer they got to the center of the den, the warmer it became. Yuko noticed many of the members of the rival duel gang stopping to stare at her. Kai glared at them once they reached a door, making all of them head back to their stations. "Yang's through here." Kai opened the door for her, letting her go through.
"Thanks." Yuko spoke. "For the backup back there and bringing me here."
"Just following Boss's orders." Kai replied before closing the door behind her. When Yuko turned her back to the now closed door, she found a haven of an office. Books of Duel Monsters history lines the shelves, titles listing the pat Kings of Games, their rivals and the history of the fame itself. A picture frame sat center stage in the middle of it all, a picture of a young girl with snow white hair and sapphire blue eyes next to a younger and much happier Yang.
"My younger sister." Yang clarified from the desk in the center of the room before Yuko could ask, not glancing up from whatever he was working on. "The last time Cypher City tried a raid, my sister was coming up the stairs and was killed. We were able to fortify the passageway to not allow anyone but residents of the Underground in, but the update came too late to save her. Her name was Kisa, and no, I don't want to talk about her other than to make you understand why I don't mention her." Upon closer inspection, Yuko noticed a locket around both siblings neck in the picture, a locket that still hung around Yang's neck now despite the pain it must have brought him to remember his sister.
"We're similar that way, I guess." Yuko responded, remembering her own grief as Liam's face flashed in her mind. She heard Yang's chair scrape against the floor before the sound of his boots marked him drawing closer to her.
"Sometimes I wonder if you're just as crazy as your brother. Risking your neck to go up top, all to take part in some tournament that'll just be another blip in the history of Duel Monsters and end with your death." Yang told her, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I have to. Especially considering I have the chance to kickstart the chance for people to be able to duel freely." Yuko replied, facing her rival. He easily towered over her, his ruby red streaked, jet black hair hung in his face, his hazel eyes regarding her.
"You know they'll be able to keep track of you with your prosthetic, Yuko. You're not an idiot, don't do this over one stupid tournament."
"The gang and I thought of that, Raven was able to hack the systems so my ID shows as someone else rather than who I am, and it's also why my hair and eyes are a different color. I'm two steps ahead of you, as usual." Yuko turned to leave but found her arm in Yang's grasp.
"Yuko, please. One leader to another, don't go up there. You'll get caught, tortured and killed and your friends will be left down here alone." Yang reminded her of the punishments that waited for her if she were caught.
"And you know why I have to do this. Any day now, a piece of vital information could slip past your informants, Dracnus could lead an army down here and then Duel Monsters would be destroyed forever. That risk is why I have to fight back for us, because no one else will." She argued. Yang stared at her.
"I still think it's a stupid idea... But, nothing I say or do is going to change your mind, I've seen that look enough times to know. You die up there, I'll kill you." Yang let go, leading her to a bookcase that swung open when he pulled on a book titled An Incomplete History of Underground City and other Adrenaline Junkies. Yuko gave Yang a deadpan look.
"Cliche much?" She asked.
"Hey, it hides it better than an out of place stone tablet that's impossible to move." Yang replied. Yuko passed him to climb up the steps when a thought crossed her mind and she stopped, facing Yang.
"If something happens to me up there, will you make sure my gang stays safe?" She asked. Yang nodded.
"You have my word." He swore.
"Thanks... For everything." A smile crossed her face before she ascended the steps without looking back, the secret door swinging closed behind her. Her boots smacked against the cement stairs as she climbed higher and higher until she reached a heavy metal door. She touched the center of it, causing it to slide upward. Once she exited the staircase, the door slammed shut behind her. She was in someplace that looked like a normal apartment. It was abandoned, covered in dust and most of the furniture covered with a white cloth. Where she had just come from was behind a dusty old bookcase. Really? Just when I thought that guy couldn't be more cliche? She thought, shaking her head as she looked around. Since the applications didn't open back up again until the morning, Yuko set to work sorting out the apartment, dusting and cleaning until it looked almost like a new apartment. Once she finished, she looked out the window she had just finished dusting watching the stars glimmer in the sky above her. She gave a small smile, taking the stars as a sign of what she hoped would be a bright and peaceful future to come
But only time would tell for sure.
(Taglist: @kitsunephantom09 @iheartbarbie)
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🍕Updated Next-gen Character Name List🍕
Timm+Quinn:
Lynn💘
Liamm🎵
Duke gotcha+Shannon:
Raymond📰
Sarah🔎
Joy+Moe:
Jamie🐦
Maya💮
Roy+Olivia:
Rolland📋
Hollie🍍
Hank+Kayla:
Dannah🚨
Safiyah💅
Cameo+Cherissa:
Sandy🍉 (previously known as Cairo)
Cori+Robby:
Russell🎣
Coralina🎏
Ember+Hacky Zack:
Burnett🚒
Axel👔
Zack🚧
Vesta✳️ (previously known as Ambar)
~~~
Romanos🇮🇹:
Guy Mortadello+Bruna Romano:
Marianna🚔
Gavin🍷
Clover+Carlo Romano+Koilee:
Kōi🐠
Lotta🍜
Bento🎸
Ginevra🥁
Gino Romano+Okalani:
Georgina🍳
Kalea👑
~~~
Mindy+Whiff:
Rebecco💄(also known as Becky)
Iggy+Sasha:
Haley🔬
Taylor+Peggy:
Stella📷
Marty+Rita:
Matilda🏈
Arthur📽️
Brody+Skyler:
Brandon📚
Abel🎨
Cielo🖌️
Emmlette+Kingsley:
Anastasia🎬
Kellen📹
Sarge fan+Radlynn:
Randall🍠
Sweety🎮
Radha🌟 (Adopted,Failed Offspring Harvest Experiment of Radley Madish)
Alberto+Penny:
Pilar🏵️
Benny🎤
Houton⚽️
Noemi🌼
Scarlett+Rudy:
Adonis♦️
Kore♥️
Cooper+Prudence:
Carrie🐈
Brooklynn🐕
Greg+Yippy:
Courtney🌻
Lily🐞
Johnny+Boomer:
Bloom🍀
Arán🌰
Autumn🍁
Chuck+Nevada:
Helena💐
Fawn💍
Snow❄️
Utah+Gremmie:
Caspian🐚
Genaya🌠
Hugo+Janana:
Tanner🎼
Maggie+Mitch:
Magnolia💼
Gunther🌮
Mousse+Sienna:
Gelatta🍦
Syrup🍮
Julep+Deano:
Tulip🌷
Leandro💉
Willow+James:
Jhonnen🛵
Whitney👻
Jenni🔧
Kenji+Zoe:
Eijirou👾
Amanda🦋
Scooter+Austin:
Roopert🌟
Audrey🛍️ (changed from Adrianna)
Connor×Wylan B:
Iza-B🎋 (adopted)
Deckard 🎧 (adopted)
Cassidy🥇(adopted)
Whippa+Georgito
Créme🍬
Graham📋
Drakson+Kasey O:
Kate🥋
Diego💌
Pinch+Bertha:
Paula⚾️
Abraham🏋️
"Ace"⭐ (real name is Jack, changed from "Jack Derby" due to the nickname not making sense)
Rico+Rhonda:
Roberto🏺
Jazz🏆
Xolo+Sprinks the Clown:
Xefferson🤹
Xandra+Rollie:
Xanna💥
Romeo⚗️
Professor Fitz+Edna:
🍀Jerry & Betsy☘️ (Clones)
LePete+Tohru:
Petra☀️
Koko🥊 (previously known as Kumako)
Ryu🎐
Haru🕹️
Cletus🐰
Pablo🪴
Pally+Trishna🍊:
Nina🍊 (adopted)
Nick🛶
Michael💙
Wendy:
Wendyl🔩
Índigo+NuMarcus:
Magenta👗
NuMabel
Cecilia:
Josefina🎒 (surrogate kid)
Allan+Akari:
Allison💰 (In custody of Allan)
Kuro🍋 (In custody of Akari)
Allan+Ivy
Eva🛩️ (child from second marriage)
JoJo+Louie:
Johann✒️
Lauren🥘
Mayor Mallow:
Molly💎
Crystal:
Shard🃏
Fila-sophie📚
Luau Lepunch+Betty Pecan:
Toasty Coconut🍨 (Scoopian+LePunch Hybrid,Looks More like Betty)
Gala Donut🍩 (adopted Scoopian Child)
Shelly Coir🌴 (Scoopian+LePunch Hybrid, looks more like Luau)
4th of July Scoopian:
Stardust🎆
Rocky Road:
Terrance Milch🍡
Jill Berry+Chip Mcmint:
Cranberry Jelly💝
Bianco Ciocco🍫
Sue x Mary:
Susan☎️ (adopted)
Sarge×Radley Madish:
Onnelious & Brown (Adopted/Used to be Two of Sarge's youngest soldiers)
💜Pines and Payne💙 (Mutated+Adopted Pinacoolada Twins)
Annana💛(Mutated+Adopted Bananapants Daughter)
Radetta💗(Sucessful Offspring Harvest Experiment)
Mr. Sherbet
Tiger Dail🐯
Tomatoe Lady:🍅
Campari🥫
Foodini:
Gabriel🎩
Ripley+Chase
Rodrigo🤓
Stephen🐍
Sprout:
Horia🥕
Skip+Daniela:
Railey🛎️
Kahuna+Makaila:
Koa🏄♂️
Big Pauly:
🧂Salt & Pepper🧂
Gabitha:
Tessa🐔
Bonnie & Yalanda:
Klaus💤 (Adopted grandson/apprentice)
Liezel+Kaleb
Scoops🍦
Hector🐻
Treble+Perri:
Damon⚙️
Geezer📻
Budwin+Lisa
Bucky💭
Zandro👾
Boopsy
Barnum 🪆 (Son)
~~~~~~~~~
Possible new Nextgens:
Simone:
Shira🎥
Didar:
Noah🎙
Yuko:
Ichika
Chester
Gordon ⛺
Petrona
Roman
~~~~
Roger GearSpeed🏁 (Real Name: ???)
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on nights such as these
Yuuri knows how all this will end. Victor – beautiful, beloved Victor – will complete his divine task and return to his crystal slumber, while he will die a wretched, goddamned human, alone and forever tainted by history as the one who dared love a l'Cie.
He doesn’t let that stop him.
In which Victor is cursed, Yuuri is human, and they both fall in love just the same. [Loosely based on the mythos of Final Fantasy XIII.]
.
.
Yuuri is drawn the most to the statue’s bright, blue eyes – the most beautiful he has ever seen.
He is transfixed on the spot as he looks up in wonder at the unusual monument, the figure of a beautiful, naked man with long, flowing hair, raising his hands to the sky. Surrounded by overgrown foliage, the man-sculpture looks even more enrapturing than Adonis himself, the soft moonlight casting an ethereal glow to its crystalline form. It is truly a mystery why such a thing of beauty is left here to waste away in a dark, abandoned forest.
The young boy focuses once more on the statue’s eyes. They seem to catch a flicker of light, and he thinks he sees a flash of loneliness in them. A gentle wind blows from the north, carrying with it shrill, worried voices calling out his name.
Yuuri gives the statue one last, lingering gaze, a mix of admiration, longing and something vague clouding his childlike thoughts. The voices calling for him grow louder and nearer, and he blinks back tears before finally trudging on the worn path from which he came.
He thinks he hears his name being echoed from behind, a soft, gentle whisper in the air.
He cries the whole way back.
.
He barely makes the last airship, and he cannot contain his overflowing relief as he sinks into his seat. The young man is too winded from running across end-to-end terminals to care about his sweat staining the cheap upholstery.
Yuuri Katsuki, Atlas University’s newest class valedictorian at twenty-three, almost didn’t make it to his interview for a boring desk job at the Civil Service Department. Now there’s a funny story he could tell the kids someday - plus the importance of punctuality, and all that jazz.
An in-flight service crew member approaches him not long after he’s settled in. He places orders for mineral water and a bowl of katsudon.
Yuuri hooks his chin over the ledge, absently observing the moonlight filtering through the sea of clouds below them. This kind of scenery is very much his aesthetic, and is one of the reasons why he prefers to fly at night. (That, and it’s relatively cheaper.)
He is reminded of that night many years ago, when he saw a l'Cie in crystal stasis up close for the first time in his life.
((Yuko cries immediately when he finally meets up with them. Minako-sensei and Takeshi berate him relentlessly soon after. "What if you got attacked by the forest Cie'th?!"
He does not tell them about the beautiful man-sculpture by the lake.))
Yuuri frowns as the fleeting thought leaves his mind. He knows better now; l'Cie are humans chosen by the gods, bound to live an eternity of loyal servitude in exchange for immortality and otherworldly power. L'Cie who accomplish their divine tasks or Focuses are rewarded with indefinite rest, turned into ornate crystal statues until the gods require their services once more. Those who fail, on the other hand, become mindless monsters called Cie'th, cursed to forever wander the barren lands to prey and be preyed on by the living.
No one understands how and why this phenomenon happens, but everyone agrees that it is better to die than to be branded a l'Cie.
The Sanctum, too, does not look kindly upon l'Cie, if the state-sponsored executions and mass purges are of any indication. Yuuri makes a mental note of this, reminding himself to be cautious if he wants to remain on the government’s good side.
He banishes thoughts of the lifeless, crystalline visage from his mind, the beautiful but soulless blue eyes that, even now, haunt his dream at night.
He falls asleep to the silent whirring of the basement engines and a gentle voice whispering his name. Good night, Yuuri, it says. You’ll be fine tomorrow.
.
Tomorrow never comes, however.
Yuuri attempts to break the thick glass window with a piece of rubble. A terrorist had apparently sneaked into the engine room, revealing themselves only now in the middle of the night to assassinate a high-profile Cabinet Minister who is also on this flight.
He vaguely recalls hearing a loud, strangled cry some distance away, plus gunshots and a neck snapping in half.
Everyone around him is dead, as well.
Terrified, he frantically hits the jagged stone repeatedly on the barrier, praying with every forceful strike for the glass to finally break. He doesn’t want to be here, bloodied and ashen-faced and crying and soon dead.
Another explosion goes off, the shockwave blowing him away and sending him crashing into the disordered seats. Immediately, Yuuri scrambles up on his knees and runs away as far as his exhausted legs and hyperventilating lungs could take him.
He ends up in the tail-end cabin of the airship, crying in earnest while curled up in a fetal position behind one of the short couches. This isn't supposed to happen, this isn’t real, thisisntreal thisisntreal thisisntreal–
A hand suddenly comes down on his shoulder, effectively cutting off his panicked, obsessive mantra. “There you are, Yuuri! Are you okay?”
He instinctively looks up into the eyes of his savior – beautiful and haunting and a bright, bright blue.
Long, glowing, silver hair. Flawless, pale skin and a perfectly-chiseled face. Heart-shaped lips that are pursed in a questioning manner, waiting for his response.
Yuuri is unable to back away, completely paralyzed with fear. He spots the l'Cie brand on the man’s left chest, partially hidden by a half-buttoned, bloodied, gray jumpsuit that is a little too loose on his tall, slender frame.
He is the most beautiful person Yuuri has ever seen.
The l'Cie frowns, his eyes furrowed in mild annoyance. “We should get out of here, Yuuri,” he says evenly. “The PSICOM are coming any minute now.”
Yuuri realizes he’s going to die, either way.
He numbly takes the hand offered to him.
((The burning airship explodes behind them as they leap off the viewing deck.))
.
"How do you know my name?"
The l'Cie stops walking at the sudden question. Until then, he had not responded to anything Yuuri asked -- who are you, what the hell is going on, what do you want with me, why did you save my life.
The l'Cie faces him serenely, and Yuuri is reminded of the beautiful sculpture that has enraptured him many, many years ago, on a night just like this.
"I heard voices from far away," he says with a smile. "They called for you. They called you Yuuri."
Yuuri's breath hitches at the way his name is uttered -- carefully, reverently, as if in prayer.
It is his own, after all.
"That's me," he concurs. "I'm Yuuri Katsuki. What's your name?"
A flicker of light is reflected in those bright, blue eyes, and it is as if he suddenly comes back to life all over again. "It's Viktor," he finally answers, as the wind blows and blue rose petals dance. "Viktor Nikiforov."
.
(("Yuuri, I need your help."))
.
Maybe life as a fugitive isn't so bad, Yuuri thinks to himself as he heats up the gruel from last night's dinner, watching the city unrest from the safety of their rundown apartment. He no longer has to think about reputation and taxes and responsibilities to the state. He is practically being pampered and taken care of by this beautiful, otherworldly man, who always goes the extra mile to make him feel special. And he's glad he took Home Ec classes seriously back then, because Viktor loves to eat, and Yuuri loves the way his eyes light up and his mouth widens into that heart-shaped smile as he squeals "Vkusno!" with every bite.
In a nutshell, Viktor runs all the errands, while Yuuri keeps house. It's as simple as it gets.
Except that it isn't, really.
It has been three months since the two have gone into hiding together, yet Yuuri doesn't have the slightest idea of exactly what it is Viktor needs from him. Was he a hostage? Not a chance; the Sanctum has already declared him a wanted criminal for aligning himself and conspiring with a l'Cie. There are even charges of terrorism and murder, on top of the public witch hunts and the rising bounty on his and Viktor's heads.
A suitable "companion", perhaps? That, too, was out. Viktor has not expressed any intentions towards him so far, and he doesn't seem like the type of person who would. Maybe having lived for more than five hundred years now has all but erased his humanity.
Viktor, who wears his heart on his sleeve and tells a million stories about his dog, is not human.
Yuuri has not forgotten that, but decides that he doesn't care. To him, Viktor is Viktor, and no one (or nothing) else. It's the only thing that matters.
There is a knock on the door, and his eyes lighten up as he welcomes his roommate home.
He is greeted with a blunt force to his head and a gun to his temple.
((The Sanctum has not forgotten, either.))
.
He wakes up in a small room, chained, wet and shivering. It is not his first time to pass out, Yuuri eventually recalls, as a gloved hand grabs him by his hair and submerges his head in freezing water. On instinct, he struggles against his torturer, the cold liquid going into his lungs even more as he tries his damnedest to breathe.
His agony is abruptly relieved as he is lifted out and above the ground, and he desperately kicks his shackled feet as he gasps for precious air.
"Where's the l'Cie?" the PSICOM officer asks, his deep, monotone voice partially muffled by his white helmet.
"I... don't.. know..." Yuuri manages to huff out in between painful coughs. He wonders if Viktor has returned home yet, and hopes for both their sakes that he hasn't.
A tinkling, feminine laugh sounds from behind him. "You're not being very helpful, you know," its owner playfully tuts, and he can hear heavy steps from heeled military boots inching towards him. "How many times have you said that again?"
Yuuri barely processes the question, his head feeling light and his vision swimming from the lack of oxygen, but still. "Lost count..." he croaks weakly. "But I'll say it again... for as long as you want." He reinforces his fragile bravado with every word, managing a weak, lopsided smirk at the woman.
"This is getting us nowhere," the male officer comments, his hold on Yuuri slightly loosening. "Maybe he really doesn't know."
The woman sighs in disappointment, and from the periphery of his vision, he sees her rummaging through a bag tied to the thick, iron bars. "We've been at this for a full day, and he still won't talk. No sightings of the l'Cie, either." She walks over to them once more, and Yuuri notices the dark red hair peeking through her uniform helmet. "It's a shame, really; seems like he's left you behind."
No no no, that's not true --
He tenses up as he feels a single baton poke at his side, the female officer's deep, menacing voice ringing in his ear. "For the last time, Yuuri Katsuki, where is he?"
Yuuri's eyes widen in fear. He wants to cry, to get out, to scream for help. For Viktor.
But he can't. His voice catches in his throat the moment he opens his mouth, and he can't.
He grits his teeth hard instead, and makes up his mind.
"I don't know," Yuuri says for the last time, and he screams in pain as electricity suddenly courses through his soaked body like a worn lightning rod.
He thinks he sees hell freeze over in a fraction of a second before he blacks out.
.
Yuuri is genuinely surprised that he's still alive.
For a while, he is afraid to open his eyes. He doesn't want to see where his two captors have brought him. He feels a gentle hand on his shoulder, causing him to recoil back in terror and shakily turn over while curled up on himself.
Viktor's voice coaxes him back into reality, every repetition of his name like a balm to his shocked soul.
Yuuri eventually relaxes, slowly cracking an eye open, then the other. He is met with the l'Cie's ocean-blue eyes, illumined with the sea-green glow from a Curaga spell. He feels the pain eventually wash away, and tears form in his eyes -- his ordeal has finally ended.
Viktor cries, too, and envelops him in a bone-crushing hug. "Oh, Yuuri... Thank the gods you're finally awake..."
They stay silent in each other's arms the whole night, in a mix of tears and feelings and words yet unsaid.
.
(("Viktor, we need to talk."))
.
The next leg of their journey brings them to a lush, open meadow directly above ground. There are some monsters and a handful of Cie'th, which Viktor makes quick work of. Soon, they are biting into juicy, roasted meat and succulent fruit, and Yuuri swears it's the best dinner they've had since their escape from the sky-city.
"Nothing really beats all-natural scenery," Viktor happily remarks in between bites of food, a trail of clear juice dribbling down his chin. "I mean, the sky-city is nice and modern and all, but it's different from home."
Yuuri laughs and hands the other man a thin cloth to wipe his mouth with. "So you've always lived like this five hundred years ago?" He snickers at the thought of Viktor in primitive animal hides and loinskins, a funny image when contrasted to his current fashionista look. He looks just as good -- no, maybe even better -- with short hair.
The l'Cie's right eyebrow shoots up as he guesses what Yuuri's thinking, and he automatically waves his hand in defense. "No, no, of course not! We also had buildings and toilets and cars and buses! Our phones and computers aren't nearly as advanced as yours, though."
Yuuri's mouth widens into a big 'O', and he almost drops his own piece of meat. "Wait, if what you're saying is true, then how did all that," and he gestures his other hand around the open expanse of sheer nature, "become this?"
"Everyone abandoned this place," Viktor says matter-of-factly, pointedly looking at Yuuri like he's seen and heard it all. "Mother Nature simply took everything back, and things returned to the way they were."
An awkward silence momentarily fills the air, prompting Yuuri to change the subject. "... Tell me other interesting things about your world."
Viktor purses his lips in thought, then his eyes sparkle and his lips form that ridiculous heart-shaped smile again. "I used to be a figure skater!"
"Figure... skate?" Yuuri is understandably confused; he's never heard of such a sport.
"Yup, a figure skater!" Viktor beams, raising up a wide-open hand. "I was a five-time World Champion, too!"
"W-Wait, I still don't get it!" Yuuri fumbles over his words, Viktor's excited explanations flying over his head too fast. Fortunately, the l'Cie seems to notice this, quietly trailing off and instead taking both Yuuri's hands into his own.
"I guess I'm not explaining myself well, huh," Viktor muses. "Yura always did say I was never a good teacher."
Yuuri senses a pang of sadness at the mention of this Yura's name, so he does not probe any further. Before long, Viktor returns to his usual disposition and pulls them both up, leading them away from the clearing. "Shiva!" he playfully calls out.
A few moments later, a beautiful, blue-skinned female eidolon materializes before them, and kneels at Viktor's feet. He promptly lets go of Yuuri's hands and proceeds to carry on a one-sided conversation with the familiar. Yuuri chuckles to himself as he listens to Viktor's constant shift in tone throughout the conversation, ranging from teasing to annoyance to whining to excitement, all while gesticulating widely with his arms the way only he could.
Finally, Viktor returns to Yuuri's side, a triumphant smile on his face. "I got Shiva to make us a temporary ice rink! I'll teach you how to ice skate!"
"Whaaat?!" Yuuri almost all but screeched, but is soon left speechless as he watches Shiva circle a large expanse of land, adding layer upon layer of ice on the grassy ground. The end result is a large, ovoid area covered with a thick sheet of smooth ice.
Yuuri steps forward and almost trips. Looking down at his feet, he finds sharp blades frozen in place to the soles of his shoes. He whips his head back up to Viktor, who is now seated on a nearby fallen log, lacing up a pair of unusual boots with the same kind of blades underneath.
"Ahh, sorry about that," he apologizes sheepishly, "but it'll hold, I promise."
They soon take to the ice, Viktor guiding Yuuri along while he wobbles on his makeshift skates. He doesn't let go the whole time as they slowly glide on the frozen surface, rounding the corner for another lap.
"Yuuri, try bending your knees forward like this," Viktor instructs. "Put a little more distance between your feet. You'll balance yourself better that way."
Yuuri does as he's told, and he finds that his footing is now more stable. He grins in delight, and Viktor returns it with a proud smile of his own. They each let a hand go, and start skating faster across the ice side by side, Viktor's free laugh ringing in his ears.
It is another thing Yuuri commits to memory, adding it to the list of things he loves about Viktor --- his eyes, his hair, his face, his smile, his voice, his laugh.
His soft lips, as they press ever-so-gently on Yuuri's own.
They melt into each other's embrace at the center of the enchanted ice, thin snowflakes falling all around them beneath a clear, night sky, and Yuuri realizes that he's in love.
.
The derelict Great Library has an old, bulky mainframe that contains the largest database about the world before it was destroyed more than five hundred years ago.
It is also broken at the moment, but Yuuri sees it as more of a challenge, if nothing else.
His portable tablet is plugged into an adapter, which, in turn, is connected to the main monitor. The computer is displaying less error messages now, if Viktor's translations of the system texts are of any indication.
He hasn't expected the l'Cie to know that he'd majored in information technology in college, and that the job he'd applied for was as technical support for the Sanctum's master server.
"L'Cie in crystal stasis are aware of everything," Viktor says nonchalantly. "We're not nearly as omniscient as the gods, but it's close enough."
Yuuri cocks his head to the side expectantly, prompting Viktor for more proof, to which the latter gleefully obliges. "Your friends, Yuko and Takeshi, got married a month before you left. She's expecting triplets, by the way."
"Wow!" Yuuri exclaims, not knowing if the astonishment stems from the surprise news or from the fact that Viktor does know (almost) everything. The l'Cie winks back playfully in response, causing him to flush quicker than ever, feeling hot in certain areas more than others.
"... So, you know," he eventually manages to get out. "How I've always felt... when I was younger."
There goes that beautiful, hearty laugh again. "If I didn't know, I wouldn't have come find you all these months ago, now, would I?"
Yuuri has nothing to say against that.
"But I'm not in crystal stasis now," Viktor continues on, inching closer to Yuuri on all fours. He notices the mark of the l'Cie peeking out of the other man's loose shirt. The change in color has already progressed two-thirds through.
They don't have enough time -- they never did. (Who is Yuuri kidding?)
"-- Is there something you'd like to tell me?"
Why are you wasting time (on me), what is your Focus, go finish the damned thing or you'll turn into a Cie'th, don't die, don't leave me, I lov--
"Nothing in particular," Yuuri finally says, turning back to the ancient computer screen and inputting some more commands. "We need to finish this before sunrise."
"Right you are," Viktor murmurs, and the matter is dropped. He continues reciting translations to Yuuri, the remnants of a rueful smile lingering on his lips.
.
They reach Viktor's old hometown after a few weeks, following the coordinates provided by the old database. The whole place has been frozen over, including the giant wave that threatened to crash into it.
It is eerily beautiful and haunting, and it causes Viktor to all but break down on the spot.
Yuuri holds on to Viktor's trembling fist, but the l'Cie pulls away, downcast. "I need to be alone for a while... Please."
He watches Viktor's retreating back in silence, the frigid wind blowing through those short, silver locks. It hurts him very, very much.
Left with nothing else to do, Yuuri aimlessly wanders around the ghost town, kicking away the snow and small chunks of ice to read the street signs -- they're all in the old language, anyway, so it's pointless, really. (At least, he can periodically mark his way like this and not get lost later.)
He stops at a sparsely-decorated bridge and observes the frozen river underneath. He blinks away a sudden ideation of a bus crossing it, shielding his running form from the rising sun. And Viktor would be on the other side, waving at him to "come here faster".
A life where Viktor isn't a l'Cie, and they lead normal lives. Do ice skating. Live happily together.
Yuuri's heart breaks at the thought.
He knows how all this will end. Viktor -- beautiful, beloved Viktor -- will complete his divine task and return to his crystal slumber, while he will die a wretched, goddamned human, alone and forever tainted by history as the one who dared love a l'Cie.
A gust of cold wind blows from the north, carrying with it quiet, heart-wrenching, anguished sobs, filled with loneliness and bitterness and regret. Yuuri breaks into a run, searching for the familiar voice that cried for him from far, far away.
He finds Viktor standing before a large edifice encased in ice, his eyes glazed over and devoid of light. A swell of waves frozen in time bursts out from the building's entrance, at the center of which is a young boy with blond, chin-length hair and emerald-green eyes dressed in a shimmering white leotard. His last expression is frozen in one of pure terror, as his outstretched hand grasps nothing but thin air.
The horrifying image, the opposite of Viktor's own while in stasis, is burned in Yuuri's mind, and he is suddenly made aware of the painful burden the l'Cie has had to carry for the past five hundred years, ever-growing in his heart and granting his mind no rest, all while his body is trapped in cold, unfeeling crystal.
Yuuri embraces Viktor, letting his hot tears seep through the other man's clothing. Viktor soon keels over, burying his face in Yuuri's neck as he sobs violently. "Yura... Yakov... The whole town... Because of me..."
"It's all right," Yuuri answers, slowly rubbing circles onto Viktor's back.
"I never wanted to be a l'Cie!" Viktor shouts, his whole body shaking in anger and frustration. "I don't want this... I want to die..."
"Mm." Viktor, of all people, is truly the most qualified to say that. Yuuri cannot even begin to fathom how much weight those words really carry.
"I want to be with you forever."
Yuuri's hand stills at the revelation. All the wishful thinking comes back in a sudden rush, overwhelming his heart with feelings of part sadness and part joy. And though it is very selfish of him, he lets out a staggered breath in relief, letting out the rising tension forming from within.
"I will be right here."
Forever, too, let the gods be damned.
.
((They make love that night beneath thin, scratchy sheets, sharing the little warmth that remained between their tangled legs and beating hearts. And Yuuri vows, no matter what, to stay by Viktor's side and never leave.))
.
"Tell me about your Focus."
Viktor sits up with a start, as if it were the last thing he expected Yuuri to say while in bed. They have been avoiding this matter for weeks, now, finding it easier to fall back into routine -- Viktor hunting, Yuuri cooking, and them both fucking at night.
They measure time in moments now, in funny, domestic gaffes and stories about each other's lives. Yuuri talks about the hot springs from his hometown and his friends from college, while Viktor opens up about his past life as a champion figure skater -- his overbearing coach, his rinkmates and competitors, and Yuri Plisetsky.
(("The gods had chosen Yura. I had to protect him."
"For what it's worth, I'm glad you're a l'Cie. It led me to you."))
They both know it won't last forever, so they treasure each day as it comes.
"What did you see?" Yuuri rephrases his question, turning to look Viktor in the eye. He traces the l'Cie brand on his lover's chest with trepidation, all but a fifth of it already transformed in color.
Viktor considers Yuuri's words, seemingly lost in thought as he absently draws figure eights on the other man's naked thigh. His eyes glisten with tears, which he quickly blinks back before they could even fall.
"Hellfire," he eventually begins, and Yuuri props himself up, listening in earnest. "Everything up in flames. A creature roaring in the distance. Yet..." He pauses, trying to make sense of his own words.
Yuuri leans in closer, the worry lingering in his eyes as he hangs on to every word.
"... Oddly, I felt happy," Viktor continues, feeling conflicted himself. "Like it was the best thing that could ever happen. And it terrified me." He draws his human lover close and buries his head into the crook of the other man's neck. "So I ran away."
Yuuri laughs emptily, despite himself. "And took me with you."
"That I did," Viktor agrees with a chuckle. He brings his lips close to Yuuri's ear. "You're the only one who matters now. No one else."
Yuuri turns redder than the fresh meat they'd had for dinner, despite the fact that they have just finished doing more sinful things prior to this conversation. It is unfair how this beautiful, otherworldly man still manages to do things to him, even after already having seduced him completely, in body, mind, and soul.
Well, that's one serious moment ruined; he might as well.
He hungrily tackles Viktor with a deep kiss in response, and things devolve from there.
((They will talk in the morning; Yuuri will make sure of that.))
.
Viktor doesn't wake up the next morning.
Yuuri tries his hardest not to panic, wiping a cold towel onto the l'Cie's burning forehead with one hand while holding down his convulsing form with the other. Only a tenth of the brand has not progressed yet, and even that fraction is steadily diminishing by the hour.
At some point, he frantically calls out to Shiva for help. A blue aura envelops Viktor in response, slightly lowering his body temperature to a more manageable level. Even then, it does not stop the brand from advancing to its final stage, and Yuuri gasps when he sees that only the pointed embellishments of the l'Cie mark are left untouched.
It is not the first time he has felt powerless, but this time, it strikes him so much, and he wails.
"Gods, please! Don't take Viktor away from me!" Yuuri screams loudly in between violent hiccups and nerve-wracking sobs. "He's suffered long enough! He doesn't deserve this!"
And then, "I'll do anything you ask of me! I'll be a l'Cie in his place! So please let him live!"
All at once, Viktor's mark shines a blinding, bright blue, enveloping Yuuri's whole being until he could see no more. He is consumed by a sea of fire, stretching across the whole town, rapidly melting the ice and incinerating everything in the pure, red flames.
Yuuri opens his eyes and finds himself unhurt. He immediately looks around for Viktor, panicking when his lover is nowhere to be found. A loud, feral roar rings throughout the entire area, and a great beast with two long horns descends before him.
Bracing himself, he makes his way to the creature, the sea of fire parting with each step. He looks it straight in the eye. "Where is Viktor?" Yuuri demands.
"He is not here," comes the solemn, gravelly response. "You shall not pass."
Yuuri's fist shakes in anger, his teeth clenched so hard it bleeds from the corner of his mouth. He raises his head and stares the creature down. "Let me go through."
The beast roars in his face and breathes out fire. Yuuri does not flinch.
"I love Viktor," he declares. "I promised to stay by his side and never leave. Nothing and no one will stop me from going to him." His eyes narrow, and he spits out the last words. "Not even you, Ifrit."
The eidolon slams its fist into the ground, and pillars of lava rise up in succession. Some stray drops of hot liquid fly into Yuuri's face, body, arms and legs, and he winces in pain, but remains undaunted. He goes even closer, his goal in plain sight amidst the hurling rocks and dazzling flames.
As he does, Yuuri raises his voice once more, shouting with finality. "I am your master. Submit to me at once!"
His command is punctuated by the same burst of molten rock and fire, and a single word enters his mind: Hellfire.
The sea of flames burn brighter than ever, until it turns white-hot and Yuuri no longer feels anything but the searing pain of a l'Cie brand marking itself on his back.
A barrage of disjointed visions assault his mind in quick succession, but he is able to understand everything all at once.
It is the story of Viktor's past.
.
((Viktor is horrified upon seeing the accursed mark on Yuri's forearm, the brand almost completely consumed. "Why do you have this?"
Yuri brusquely slaps Viktor's hand away, unrolling back the sleeves of his one-piece costume. "Things happened, okay?" he says through clenched teeth. "Don't pry, old man. And don't tell anyone."
Viktor quickly falls into step behind his junior. "What is your Focus, Yura?"
"Like hell I'd know!" Yuri snaps, angrily stomping his right skate onto the matted ground. "Just go away already. You're distracting me."
The young skater stalks off towards the rink, muttering something incomprehensible. Viktor thinks he hears a choked sob before the door is slammed shut.))
.
((He shouldn't have left Yuri alone.
Viktor is filled with dread as the live feed from the rink shows Yuri clutching his head in pain in the middle of his short program, the commentators and reporters a cacophony of confused shouting as they wonder what in the world just happened. Yakov, too, is beside himself with worry.
I'm sorry, Yura, he thinks, not bothering to finish lacing up his skates, going straight to the kiss-and-cry instead.))
.
((It all goes to hell soon after.
The dike walling off the ocean from their below-sea level town has broken, and water is flowing in fast. Ironically, it's the skating rink that is submerged first.
Yuri is still unconscious in Yakov's arms, while Lilia and Georgi part the panicking spectators to escort them out. And it works really well, once they see the telltale beam of light penetrating the white of his costume sleeve.
Viktor meets them at the lobby, checking on the young boy's brand panickedly. Almost the whole mark has already been colored in.
He is too late.))
.
((Viktor holds onto Yuri for dear life, and prays like he's never prayed before.
"Yuri is still young. He doesn't deserve this... I'll take his place, so let him live!..."
Really, he doesn't know what he's wishing for. But it works, and now all he sees is an icy wasteland. The beautiful, blue-skinned eidolon taunts him, for lack of a better word, and all he can do is beg for everything to be over.))
.
(("Everything" soon comes to an end with the blink of an eye.
He wakes up to a dead, frozen town, "Diamond Dust" on his lips and everyone else's blood on his hands.
It is Yuri's face that seals the deal, forever frozen in time as he shouts for Viktor to not do this.
He is terrified, so he runs away, not to return for another five hundred years.))
.
((The gods finally take pity on him after more than a century of flitting between l'Cie and crystal, wandering and killing and fending for himself. He slumbers in the middle of an abandoned forest, and there he waits for a miracle, his tired hands reaching for the sky.
It comes nearly four hundred years later, in the form of Yuuri.))
.
"He was not weak," Yuuri murmurs, kneeling before Viktor's still form, the whole town burnt away around them beyond recognition. He clasps both cold hands into his own, reciting the incantation of a Cure spell. A gentle, green light bathes Viktor's hands, soon extending to the rest of his body. His erratic breathing soon evens out, his cheeks and lips now less pale.
"You've been fighting alone all these years," Yuuri whispers, finally coming undone, letting his tears fall onto Viktor's hands. "It's all right, I'm here."
"I love you so much."
Viktor slowly comes back to life. Bright, blue eyes gaze into serene, brown ones, and he raises his hand to cradle Yuuri's cheek, delivering his happiest, most beautiful smile in more than five hundred years.
"My Yuuri," he begins, and it floods his whole being with overflowing warmth, "I could ask for nothing more."
They share a tender kiss in an expanse of ash and rubble, two beings cursed to live forever with powers they never wanted, not knowing what future awaits them in a cruel world that abhors their existence.
But maybe eternity isn't such a bad thing, when spent in the arms of the one you love.
"I love you," Viktor says, his hands freezing in place around Yuuri's torso as shards of crystal form around them. Yuuri doesn't move away, playfully bumping against his lover's forehead with his own. Their crystalline forms share an expression of pure bliss, their eyes shining with boundless love, unadulterated joy and the promise of forever.
It is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever seen.
#victuuriweek#day five#crossover#victuuri#tw: violence#tw: character death#yuri!!! on ice#final fantasy xiii#fabula nova crystallis#katsuki yuuri#victor nikiforov#l'cie#eidolon#shiva#ifrit
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Yu-Gi-Oh: Renegade
Chapter 4:
A few days after Yuko first found the damaged Phoenix Whirlwind, the members of the Jade Phoenix Duel Gang were gathered in Yuko's garage. "All right, Yue, give us the details. What're we talking in terms of damage?" Raven asked, using Yuko's nickname as she regarded her best friend.
"To be frank, it's worse than it looks. The engine alone poses the biggest problem." Yuko pulled up a blueprint of the engine, causing Raven to stand a little straighter along with the boys.
"Is that..." Adom started to ask, the unfinished question being answered with a simple nod.
"A planetary particle engine, the very same engine that Yusei Fudo built before the Grand Prix. From what it looks like, Yusei installed this engine into Jack's Duel Runner some time ago. Obviously, it was something that Dracnus didn't like due to how much damage was done to the engine alone."
"Of course he didn't like that somebody could keep up with his Chaser idiots. They use the very same engine in their Runners..." Adom pointed out.
"Knowing Dracnus, he probably found a way to steal the programming from Yusei so he could duplicate it." Jacob added.
"So, the real question becomes how do we one up a program that Yusei Fudo himself designed?" Isaac asked.
"I'm not sure..." Yuko answered. "If I can get my hands on one of those engines and study the way it's built, I might be able to find a way to upgrade it so it makes our Runners even faster than the Chasers."
"But, the only way to do that is to infiltrate Cypher City, risk getting arrested by the Chasers and enduring unspeakable torment just for being from Underground City. You know Dracnus would do anything to find out the location of the secret entrances to get here. If he found this place, he and the Chasers would have a heyday burning our homes to the ground... Besides, getting one of those engines is not gonna be easy. It's gonna cost a fortune just to get your hands on one of those." Adom told Yuko.
"I know, I know." Yuko responded, running a hand through her silver hair. However, before she could say anything more, Holden came running downstairs with Alita right behind him, both of them scampering up to Yuko.
"Yuko, you gotta see this!" Holden exclaimed, both he and Alita tugging on Yuko's arms to lead her upstairs.
"Okay, okay, you guys, I'm coming." Yuko told them, following the two kids to her shop. When the group reached her shop, Alita pointed to the TV just as an announcement was airing.
"My fellow citizens of Cypher City, it is I, Leon Dracnus..." The man on the TV introduced himself. His eyes were chartreuse, holding a look of kindness that only people from Underground City could see through. His hair was midnight black, streaks of yellow, purple and maroon running through it like his hair stylist had just splattered his hair with paint trying to make a masterpiece. Covering the remainder of his face was a half black, half white mask, his body dressed in a business suit that looked as nice as he pretended to be.
"Looking as dignified as a murderous tyrant can." Jacob mumbled sarcastically, earning a snicker from the friends that had heard his smart aleck remark.
"In 3 months, I will be holding a Derby Duel Tournament. The winner of the upcoming tournament will not only be crowned as Duel Monsters royalty, but also win a cash prize of 10 million yen and the opportunity to live in the High Ends of Cypher City. The Derby Duel Tournament is open to all who wish to compete. All applications are due by the end of the second month, so sign up soon. Anyone late to enter will be disqualified."
"Okay, did anybody else think he sounded like Seto Kaiba with that last statement?" Isaac asked. But, two of his friends weren't listening to him. Yuko looked in thought while Adom was staring at her like he knew what she was thinking.
"Yuko, whatever you're thinking, it's a bad idea." Adom's sentence brought the girl's attention to her friend. Raven, Isaac and Jacob all turned their attention to the duo.
"How is it a bad idea? The money alone would be more than enough to fix up the Phoenix Whirlwind like new, let alone get a planetary particle engine..."
"You know why. They hate people like us, you think even one person up there cares about what happens to us 'Junkies'? We're street rats, the only joy they'd get from watching someone like us duel topside is watching us be defeated and thrown into the Facility afterward. Just going up there alone, you have the Chasers to worry about... Plus once you're topside, Dracnus can use your prosthetic to track you anywhere. Yuko, I'm begging you, don't do it... Don't you remember what happened last time?" Adom pointed out, causing Yuko to touch her mechanical arm subconsciously.
"How could I forget? But that was a different time, Adom. You have to admit that if I could enter and win it, the chance of kick starting change is worth the risk."
"That's where you're wrong, Yuko. We already lost your brother, the risk of losing you too isn't worth it..."
"So, what're you saying? That you'd rather nothing change? You'd rather I just stand by and do nothing while innocent lives are put in danger every single day? If Dracnus remains in charge of Cypher City, he'll eventually have the Chasers keep taking innocent lives until he annihilates every last duelist, including us. Maybe you can sit on the sidelines and watch him do whatever he wants, but I can't anymore. I'd rather fight for what little I have than wait for my demise by his hand just for the sake of just surviving." Yuko argued. Just as Adom opened his mouth to argue back, Raven spoke up.
"If we disguise you, you could get in without suspicion." She told Yuko.
"That's what I was thinking." Yuko replied, affirming what Raven had originally thought. She softly sighed as she turned back to Adom. "Look, everyone deserves to play the game they love without facing prejudice, without consequences… This baby," She gently patted the broken down Phoenix Whirlwind, "is the key to jump starting that change. But, I'm gonna need you guys behind me on this." Holden and Alita both immediately gave her a hug to show their support, beaming up at her and making her laugh. "Of course." Raven was next, standing next to her friend. Jacob followed Raven, Isaac looking at Yuko with a furrowed brow. "I have a bad feeling about this, Yuko, but I believe in you, so... I'm with you." Isaac said to her.
"Isaac, you always have a bad feeling." Jacob told him, but Yuko was hardly listening. She was looking at Adom.
"Adom?" Yuko questioned, her voice soft in tone. Adom noticed the look on Yuko's face as she stared at him and sighed heavily.
"I swear, if you get killed up there, I'll bring you back from the dead just to kill you myself." Adom told her, earning a laugh from the others.
"So, I can count on you then?" Yuko asked.
"Yue, there'll never be a time you can't." Adom answered honestly, earning a smile from Yuko.
"That just leaves the question of how you get topside without getting spotted by the Chasers patrolling around here." Raven turned to Yuko, voicing the thought on everyone's minds.
"I'd say use Daedalus Bridge, but since Dracnus destroyed it, that's out of the question." Jacob said.
"How did Yusei get to New Domino from Satellite again?" Isaac asked.
"Wasn't it the trash chute?" Raven countered.
"If I remember correctly, yeah. The day he got out of Satellite, they'd shut it down to check the compressor pumps… He got through the maintenance hatch that automatically opened up, but it's only open for 3 minutes and Yusei barely made it with his Runner." Yuko responded to Raven's questions.
"Damn, you know your stuff." Raven commented.
"It's Duel Monsters History, how could she not?" Adom asked. It fell quiet for a good minute.
"What about going through one of the secret entrances from here to Cypher City? A door in is also a way out, right?" Holden asked, his voice holding out hope as he spoke what was on his mind.
"You know what, little man, that's not a bad idea." Yuko answered, ruffling Holden's dark hair.
"Yeah, not a bad idea if the only door leading directly into Cypher City wasn't halfway across Underground City in Dragon King territory." Adom brought up.
"I can handle the Dragon Kings, Adom." Yuko deadpanned.
"All of them at once, though?" Isaac questioned, looking a little too unsure.
"Isaac, don't worry so much, I'll be fine." Yuko reassured him, though the look on his face told her that he wasn't quite convinced of it.
"You do realize that you're gonna need Derby Gear, right? You can't go topside to participate in a Derby Duel Tournament without proper gear." Raven pointed out.
"I know." Yuko paused for a moment to pull up blueprints for the Derby Gear Raven was talking about. "That's why I was working on this."
"Now I know why it took you so long to develop your Duel Disk... You keep bouncing back and forth between design ideas. You have a serious problem with that ADHD brain of yours, you know that?" Jacob commented, getting an unimpressed look from Yuko. Jacob was referring to Yuko's habit of working on one idea before getting a different idea and switching gears to the newer idea. Was it weird considering Yuko hated leaving anything unfinished? Possibly, but the Jade Phoenix crew just saw it as part of who Yuko was. She wouldn't be herself without that one specific fluke.
"How close is the gear to being done?" Adom asked.
"All I need are a couple more parts. It'll only take me another day or two." Yuko answered.
"That is, if you don't get distracted with a different idea altogether." Jacob remarked, earning a glare from Yuko. "I mean, am I wrong?"
"In the meantime, we can also look for parts that we can scrounge around from down here in order to get in a good enough condition to where we can test it after getting the engine in." Raven pointed out.
"Good idea." Yuko replied.
"We'll help too!" Holden shouted, Alita giggling as she copied Holden's gesture of enthusiasm, making everyone laugh. For once, in that dingy little shop on the west side of the Underground City, things were starting to look up....
Yuko knew it wouldn't have been an easy feat to juggle taking care of Holden and Alita, running her shop and collecting the parts she needed, and quite frankly, after nearly two months had passed, she still hadn't known how she'd managed to do it. True to her word, Yuko had finished the Derby Gear, albeit with the set back on fixing the Phoenix Whirlwind with a few modifications to make it truly her own... The old Phoenix Whirlwind was no longer the mono-wheeled, iconic white Duel Runner it had been for Jack. While still white for the moment, the Duel Runner was now a bi-wheeler, the framing having been opened up and let out, and Yuko had found evidence of the procedure they had finished on it having happened in reverse some years ago. She didn't think anything of it at the time, not knowing what she'd been so close to uncovering, but merely refurbished the old frame with some help from her friends. The tires they had chosen for the moment were patched, but since it didn't have a working engine yet, it didn't really matter. "Looking good, Yue." Pops complimented as he hobbled down the stairs, being helped by Raven as the two children Yuko had been looking after led the way, rushing to her side.
"Yeah, well, it's not done yet." Yuko replied as she stood, using the rag in her back pocket to wipe her hands clean of the oil. She stumbled back a bit as the kids tackled her into a hug, making her laugh as she hugged them back.
"It's gonna be so awesome, and we get to ride with you on it first, right, Yuko?" Holden asked, bouncing in excitement.
"Of course, you guys helped get the parts I needed, after all." Yuko promised, making the two kids cheer. She smiled at the kids, but glanced over to see the way Pops smiled warmly, as if he was remembering someone near and dear to his heart. Yuko felt a pang of alarm when he teared up, though the smile on his face still remained. "Pops? You okay?" She asked the green eyed, elderly male. Pops sniffled, wiping his tears as he nodded.
"I'm all right, dear, I promise. You just remind me so much of someone I used to know… I miss them." Pops replied.
"Aw, Pops…" Yuko trailed off, hugging the old man with Holden and Alita right behind her. Pops chuckled as he held the three kids close to him. Later that night, Yuko finished putting on her Derby Gear, knowing it wouldn't be easy getting through Dragon King Territory without being spotted. Her silver hair had been dyed jade green, and her eyes were now silver due to contact lenses. As she put on her helmet, Raven spoke.
"All right, now that I've hacked the ID chip in your prosthetic so your name now is Andra Tanuki, a mysterious duelist from the slums of Cypher City. You remember the plan for getting up top?" She asked. Yuko nodded in reply.
"Stick to the shadows, and if I get seen, duel my way out." She echoed the plan, putting on the bracelet with some help from Holden. He beamed at her as she ruffled his hair in thanks, the female taking a deep breath as she rolled around the garage for a minute to get used to the wheels on her feet, Alita sitting on the couch as she watched the older female move around the room.
"This won't be easy, but if all goes well, the entrance'll spit you out right in the center of Cypher City, it'll be in an old abandoned building you can take refuge in." Isaac told her.
"She knows." Adom put in.
"It won't be easy to stay out of sight of the Dragon Kings, though."
"She knows!" Raven echoed her friend's prior statement.
"Chasers'll be on your butt faster than anyone else, and since they can cause the same shocks Dracnus does topside, it's best to just avoid them..."
"She knows!" Jacob, Raven and Adom all shouted at their worry-wort friend, who was ever the pessimist.
"Yue's the smartest and the toughest, if anyone can do it, she can!" Holden told Isaac.
"I'm certainly gonna do my best, little man." Yuko told him before glancing at Adom.
"Just be careful, Yue." Adom responded to the look she was giving him. She nodded in reply, determined to get topside.
"It's go-time." Jacob called to his friends, all of whom stopped what they were doing. Yuko's pacing around the garage stopped as the garage door eased open with a clanging sound. She took a deep breath, getting into a ready position, her eyes narrowing into a focused glare.
"Good luck, Yuko, my girl." Pops encouraged her.
"Kick their butts for us, Yue." Yuko smiled at her friends before lowering the visor and speeding out the garage door, her feet moving in a rhythm she knew she'd get used to eventually. Despite having her little shop on the west side of Underground City, she knew every inch of the town she grew up in, including where the Dragon King's territory began and ended. Except for the sound of the wheels on her feet rolling, it was eerily quiet... Too quiet... A look around told her some of the residents of Underground were peeking out their windows, their eyes following her as she skated past. Maybe one of these days, they won't have to live in fear anymore... But, it'll take some work to actually get there... Yuko thought, looking away from them.
"YOU THERE!" Shoot, she'd been found... She glanced behind her and sure enough, one of the Chasers' Duel Runners was right on her tail. The Duel Runner in question was an off-white color, biwheeled like most Duel Runners, but it had a sinister design, the color of it the same black as the darker half of Dracnus' mask. "HEY, STOP, WHAT'RE YOU DOING HERE?!"
"You really expect me to answer that?!" Yuko asked, blinking when her voice sounded different than when her visor was up. She didn't remember putting a voice synthesizer in... Did one of the boys do that?
"You little punk!" The Chaser shouted back, giving chase as Yuko led them through the city. I didn't expect them to be on me this fast... This might not end well... She thought, parkouring over obstacles to hopefully lose the pursuer behind her. But, every step of the way, the Chaser was right behind her. Eventually, Yuko found herself in a dead end, forced to come to a stop. She grit her teeth before turning around to find the Chaser closing off the only way she could escape. The Chaser removed his helmet, revealing a scarred face with a menacing grin. Her pursuer was none other than Ritsu Takano, one of the ex-Chasers that had been kicked out of Cypher City just 5 years prior. The main reason there were Chasers patrolling Underground City to begin with was because of him. Takano had hazel eyes that held an unnatural bloodlust, his hair crimson red and more wild than his topside days. He had several scars over his face, but the most prominent was one that ran along the left side of his face, a scar that began at the left side of his hairline to his jaw. "Remove your helmet and deactivate the gear, reject. I know you're a duelist, and one from the Jade Phoenix Duel Gang judging by the symbol on your back."
"First off, reject? That's rich coming from someone kicked out of Cypher City for lackluster dueling. Second, you act like you have the authority to make me do anything." Yuko responded, seeing a figure move out of the corner of her eye. One of the Dragon Kings' scouts had spotted what was going down.
"Either way, you're not going anywhere, so you might as well remove that helmet and come with me."
"There's no point."
"Huh?"
"You have Derby Duel gear yourself, right, Takano? Duel me. If I win, I go about my business and you act like nothing happened."
"And why should I listen to what a reject like you asks of me? What's in it for me? I can just electrocute you with your prosthetic arm until you're knocked unconscious and drag you in."
"You could... But, winning against me means you could get redemption from the big man topside. See, you're right in assuming I'm a duelist, I'm the leader of the Jade Phoenix gang, their best duelist. You win against me and I'll tell them you caught me dueling, I tried to flee the scene and you caught me. Something like that ought to get you back in the Chaser ranks, right?" Yuko told him. He listened before a grin crossed his face.
"You're on, Birdie. You're in for one heck of a match, I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, kid!" Takano laughed manically, dismounting from his Runner and putting his helmet back on. His fingers grazed a button and Yuko watched as his body was covered with Duel Derby tech that was built into every Chaser's helmet. Yuko glared in determination as she activated her Duel Disk, putting her deck in place. "That Duel Disk... Where did that come from?!" Yuko felt a smirk cross her face at the Chaser's shock of the tech she'd built herself.
"I built it into my gear! Pretty resourceful for a reject, huh?" Yuko smirked. A growl was the only response from Takano as they lined up just outside the dead ended alleyway Yuko had just been cornered in. Yuko swallowed, her nerves creeping up on her as Takano set the stage with the Duel World field spell. What have I gotten myself into? She thought as a countdown began to the beginning of the duel.
-To Be Continued-
Taglist: @kitsunephantom09 @euphorical-angel
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Yu-Gi-Oh!: Renegade
Chapter One:
Our story begins in the year 2109, 30 years after Dracnus' rise to power in 2079. Across from a thriving but tightly controlled Cypher City, was the desolate Junkyard. Ruins of Old Satelite, remnants of a near century old past, still stood. Some of the ruins held hidden entrances to Underground City. The door to one such entrance, hidden in a small, abandoned one story house that stood in ruins under the what remained of the old Daedalus Bridge, slid open as a shadowed figure stepped through. The figure's hood covered their head, their chin down to keep their face hidden away from those who could possibly see them, a messenger bag draped across their body. Feet clad in silver buckled, black combat boots stepped out into the light, the shadow's black gloved hand coming up to shield their eyes as they lifted their head. The sunlight shone through storm clouds that were beginning to form, warming the the shadow's body.
The figure took in a deep breath of the air around them before removing their hood, revealing their delicate face to the sunlight, and the jacket around their body, tying the article of clothing around their slim waist and revealing the outfit underneath. Anyone who looked at the figure could tell it was female, the jacket that was currently tied snug around her waist being too big for her. The young girl closed her jade flecked-sapphire blue eyes for a moment as she took in the sun's warmth, raising a flesh arm and a black glove covered arm out to each side as she tipped her head back.
Her silver hair fell backward to gather behind her shoulders, the length long enough to reach the small of her back and glinting in the light as it moved with the gentle autumn breeze that passed through. Normally covered by her hair, an 11 year old scar ran across her left eye, a reminder of the accident that had taken her left arm. The young woman wore a short sleeved, black top that hung off her right shoulder, the left sleeve not being long enough to cover a small area of the robotic prosthetic that had replaced her missing arm, the metal glistening in the light with her hair. On the lower half were dark jeans, the bottom of which cut off in the same place her boots began.
Exhaling deeply, the female reopened her eyes, pulling a black hair tie off her right wrist and finger combing her hair with her nails as she gathered it in one hand before tying her hair back, beginning to carefully navigate around the rusted parts of Duel Runners, Duel Disks and old scrap metal alike. Her sapphire eyes scanned the area around her, carefully examining for any parts that could be retrieved and repaired. As a citizen of Underground City, she was responsible for repairing prosthetics, helping those who needed her most. In fact, it wasn't unusual for her to be scowering the Junkyard for any salvageable parts.
This day, however, there were specific parts she was looking for. She carefully stepped into a clear spot, squatting down to pick up a part, examining it. 'Looks good so far.... Little bit of rust and it’s a bit broken, but thankfully, it's nothing I can't fix.' The young woman thought as she placed the part in her bag before continuing her search. As she gathered parts, her mind wandered, a small smile appearing on her face as she remembered the first time she watched a Turbo Duel....
At the time, she was a mere 3-year-old, getting startled out of of a nap by the sound of engines revving in a video playing on something nearby her. She slowly slid off the bed she was sleeping on and waddled toward the sound. She found her older brother, who had been 10 at the time, studying a video. "Liiia, wha you doing?" She asked him, rubbing her eyes with one hand while dragging a security blanket behind her with the other. Liam, her older brother, smiled down at her. He had their father's dark hair, jet black as coal, but they both had their mother's jade flecked sapphire blue eyes.
"Come over here and I'll show you, baby bird." He spoke, holding out his hands for her. She reached up for him and he picked her up, making her giggle as he tickled her sides a bit, setting her down on his lap before her eyes caught sight of what was on the screen in front of her.
"I summon Junk Synchron!" One of the duelists in the video shouted.
"Whas that?" She'd asked him.
"This is a Turbo Duel. See, these duelists have these special motorcycles called Duel Runners, and they use them to race around an arena to duel. That one," He pointed to the one on the red Duel Runner. "Is Yusei Fudo."
"Yuusay!" She giggled, copying her brother.
"Yep, that's right. And that," He pointed to the duelist on the white Duel Runner. "Is Jack Atlas."
"Jack." She repeated, watching the Duel with wide eyes while her older brother took notes for his class. Suddenly, the picture on the video went black. "Where they go?" She asked.
"Nobody knows what happened between what you saw and what happened just now... All we know is that Yusei was declared the winner when the picture came back." Liam told her.
"Oh... Liiia, can I duel too someday?" She asked, being pulled into a hug by her older brother.
"Maybe one day, little Phoenix." Liam told her as her little arms wrapped around him. "Maybe one day."
'I wish you were here, Liam...' She thought, bringing herself out of the bittersweet memories of a once happy past as she raised her metal arm. Taking off her glove for a moment, her slender fingers pressed a couple buttons on her robotic arm to pull up a holographic screen. She swiped to the right a couple times before zooming in a bit on the blueprint she was looking for, looking over her design and crossing off the parts she needed as she found them. Years of studying previous blueprints from Duel Disks led to the young girl creating her own, making adjustments and upgrading the design to give it a more modern, unique touch. She continued navigating the Junkyard, picking up the parts she saw that either were intact or easily fixable. Once the building process was complete for her Duel Disk, the next part was the testing phase. If this prototype passed the test, it would revolutionize Duel Monsters forever...
'One day at a time, Yuko Adonis.' Yuko shook her head, clearing the building excitement from her mind. 'Don't count your chickens before they hatch...' Just as she picked up the last part she needed and crossed it off her list, she was blinded by the sunlight reflecting off something. Blinking rapidly, she adjusted her position to get a better look at what was causing it. Something white was poking out of one of the piles of scrap metal. 'What the deck is that? ' Yuko asked herself, raising an eyebrow before she carefully trecked toward it. Once she reached the object, she carefully removed as much of the debris from on top of it as she could, surprised by what she found, but knowing she should have expected it...
It was torn apart, the dueling system itself trashed, some parts were missing while others were either broken or rusted beyond repair, and the tires looked a little low on air, but there was no doubt that what Yuko was looking at had once been the Phoenix Whirlwind, the Duel Runner of the former King of Turbo Duels himself... Jack Atlas. Yuko knelt beside it, running her hand along the Runner. She could practically feel the duels it had been through, could hear Jack's voice pumping up the crowds as he ran laps around the old Kaiba Dome back in his day...
'This doesn't belong here... Not really...' Yuko examined the Duel Runner a bit closer. It would take some effort, but it was possible to get it to her garage. There, she could examine the complete damage and determine whether or not she could actually fix it. Making up her mind, Yuko cleared the scrap metal from around the tire, grabbed the handle bars and began pushing the Duel Runner toward the doorway to Underground City. Could she fix it? Her usual answer to that question would have been an immediate yes, however, this was the one thing she wasn't so sure she could fix, but she sure was going to try.
No way could she give up on a piece of Duel Monsters history...
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Yu-Gi-Oh!: Renegade
Chapter Two: Dragon vs Phoenix Part 1-
Just as Yuko reached her garage in Underground City, the metal door to it slid open, a small figure bursting out. "Yuko's back!" The shout of a tiny but loud voice rang out, the small figure bolting towards her. Yuko couldn't help but smile as she moved the kickstand down with her foot, setting the old Duel Runner down and bending down, extending her arms just in time to catch the child in front of her. Giggles left the child's mouth as Yuko gave the young one a big hug before smiling down at the six year old in her arms.
The child was one that Yuko had known since the youngster was a baby, having been raised by the same foster mother. The child's name was Holden, a young boy left on the steps of their foster mother's home with a right arm missing. Thanks to Yuko's older brother, Holden had a metal arm in place of his missing limb, however it did have a tendency to act up from time to time. Since Yuko had first held the little boy, they'd grown attached to each other, so much so that Holden was practically Yuko's little brother. Big green eyes met her own, shinning in happiness with the biggest smile. Holden's small head was covered by dark brown hair that hung in his eyes, and Yuko was reminded that at some point she needed to take him to get his hair at least trimmed out of his little face. There was a bandage over the bridge of his little nose, as well as one on his left cheek, a reminder of just how clumsy the poor kid really was.
If Yuko had been paying attention, she would have seen the rest of her chosen family running out to join them. "Big sister, did you get all the parts you needed to finish your project?" Holden asked, practically bouncing in Yuko's arms with excitement. Yuko nodded in response with a smile and gently patted the Duel Runner beside her with her gloved hand. "That's not the only thing I found." She told the young boy, turning his attention to it. Holden's little jaw dropped, making Yuko laugh as the boy gaped in awe at what he was seeing.
"Is that the Phoenix Whirlwind?" Yuko turned her attention to a girl around her age. Since no one knew her true name, she had been called Raven as a joke and it had stuck with her. What gave her the nickname was her raven-black hair, the girl's eyes a warm, dark chocolate brown. In response to her friend's question, Yuko nodded. "They got him... I was hoping the rumors about Jack Atlas getting caught by the Chasers were wrong but..." Raven cut herself off, not wanting to finish the horrifying sentence in front of Holden, who was innocently blinking at her.
"Of course they got Jack Atlas. They got Yusei, and Yusei was the champ of Turbo Duels back in his day." One of her other friends, this time a male, piped up. He had a slim, but athletic build, short jet black hair, his eyes being a striking crimson red that could be warm with kindness or ablaze with hatred depending on who you were.
"But, Adom, what if Jack was able to get away and crashed his Duel Runner so they would never find him?" Holden asked before looking up at Yuko with his big green eyes, a determination there that caused a smile to come to Yuko's face. "It's possible, isn't it, Big Sis?" Yuko nodded in confirmation.
"It's possible all right, Holden." Yuko replied before noticing the look on Adom's face. "What? He's got a point." Yuko shrugged at him.
"Even if Jack managed to away from the Chasers, -and that's a very big if- he's more than likely dead by now or a really, really old man. But, we'll argue about that more later. Let's get this inside before Chaser Rejects see it." Raven put in, Yuko standing to full height as she, Raven and Adom worked together to wheel the old, broken down Duel Runner into the garage. Hilariously, little Holden marched in front of them, acting like the little leader of a marching band. Yuko's shoulders shook in laughter as she pushed the Duel Runner, eventually getting it inside where the rest of her friends were waiting for her. Her other two friends were both male, muscular in stature, and both tall. One had piercing cobalt blue eyes with dark red hair that made him stand out like a sore thumb, meanwhile the other had golden blond hair and dark chocolate brown eyes. The boys watched as Holden led the way into the garage with the older three teenagers behind him. As Holden raced off to grab Yuko's tool box, the two boys closed the metal garage door, the outside of which had been spray painted with a jade green phoenix rising from the ashes, the symbol of the 5 friends....
"Any luck on finding the parts you needed?" The blond, Jacob, asked Yuko. Yuko nodded in response.
"I have all the parts I need to finish it today." She answered him, putting the kick stand on the Duel Runner down and letting the old Duel Runner rest as she began walking over to her work desk in one of the corners.
"Will it work?" The redhead, Isaac, asked her, a brow raising.
"I'm hoping it will. If it does, this'll change dueling as we know it." Yuko answered as she removed her messenger bag from her shoulders.
"It'll definitely work, Big Sis!" Holden excitedly told her as he came back into the room, setting Yuko's tool box down on the work table next to her. Yuko smiled down at him in thanks and ruffled his hair, making him grin.
"How was business while I was away?" Yuko asked. Being the main prosthetic mechanic in Underground City meant that Yuko had her own shop, the base where every and all repairs and replacements took place.... Part of which was the garage they were currently in.
"Only a couple people came in, mostly the old geezers again... All they really needed was the joints on their prosthetics oiled... Is it me, or is DracTech's prosthetic quality going downhill?" Jacob asked. Yuko shrugged.
"That or they're just giving us the ones that barely work." Yuko answered as she opened a drawer, pulling out the unfinished Duel Disk and setting it on the desk in front of her.
"Figures. In the past month alone, business has been extremely busy when you're here." Isacc reminded her as she pulled out the parts she had gathered and began fixing the ones that needed minor repairs before the parts were put in the Duel Disk.
"Something shady's going on, and I don't like it." Raven added, keeping an eye on Holden as the boy pulled up a chair next to Yuko to watch her work.
"It's Dracnus, of course something shady's going on." Adom pointed out. "The guy might as well be a coin, there's two sides to him."
"A face that he shows to the people of Cypher City, and then there's his true face... I still can't believe he manipulated people into thinking that the destruction of Daedalus Bridge was caused by Duelists." Isaac told them.
"Anything to avoid blame being put on himself. If he had to, he'd blame everyone that worked for him before he took the fall. Dracnus is a coward." Jacob replied, crossing his arms over his chest.
"One of these days, we'll show everyone the truth." Raven put in.
"That won't be enough." Yuko spoke up, having stayed silent until that point. "If we expose what he did to everyone without taking him down first, we run the risk of him covering it up and labeling it as propaganda."
"Propaganda? Yuko, we're not in a war." Adom told her.
"Not yet, we're not." Yuko stopped what she was doing to look at Adom for a moment.
"Look around, you two. We may not be locked in a war with Cypher City, but we are fighting our own war down here... Ever since Chasers started losing Derby Duels and retreating down here, Duel Gangs started resurfacing and taking over Underground City. It's been an all out war between Duel Gangs ever since the first five came down here about 15 years ago." Isaac added in.
"It hasn't been much of a war nowadays. Ever since the Dragon Kings first showed up in Underground City, they've taken over almost all of it, taking down the rival gangs along the way." Raven's brows furrowed as she spoke, reminding everyone of the tyrant Duel Gang that ruled the streets for years.
"For sure... The Dragon Kings are getting stronger, and it doesn't help that they're the Duel Gang that normally recruits the recent ex-Chasers. Besides, they're upholding the same rules Dracnus and the Chasers enforce topside." Jacob added in. "They take away and destroy any Duel Disk they find, and any duelist that loses against them loses their deck."
"Which is why the design I created for this Duel Disk is so crucial." Yuko said, having resumed her work while the others were talking, not looking up from her work as she talked. "If it works, this prototype'll make it easier on us duelists to hide in plain sight."
"Yeah... If it works." Isaac retorted.
"Don't be so negative!" Everybody turned to look at Holden, seeing a little scowl on his face. "It's gonna work, I just know it!" His little arms quickly moved up and down, the force causing the chair to tip backwards a bit. Yuko quickly put her hand behind Holden's chair, catching it with one hand before it could hit the ground and returning it to the correct position.
"I hope you're right, little man. It'd be a step towards reviving Duel Monsters for the people if this is complete." Jacob told him, everyone stopping as they heard the last part click into place. Holden's green eyes widened in excitement, looking up at Yuko. Yuko placed the bottom cover on.
"Speaking of which, time to test it." Yuko replied as she rose to her feet again, clipping the brand new Duel Disk to her gloved arm.
"Moment of truth." Raven added, crossing her fingers. Yuko nodded in reply and tapped the engraving of a phoenix on the underside of the Duel Disk. Just as she had hoped, the Duel Disk's nanotechnology activated, transforming from a Duel Disk into a small, silver ID bracelet with the engraving of a phoenix rising from the ashes. All the teenagers except for Yuko went wide eyed, meanwhile Holden could barely contain his excitement.
"It works, it works!" Holden exclaimed excitedly, jumping down from the chair and jumping up and down in excitement.
"The transition part at least... That was a lot smoother than I thought it'd be." Yuko told him.
"Looks like you programmed it just right... You still gotta test it in a Duel though, don't you?" Raven asked. Yuko nodded in reply.
"Yeah, but that'll be later on... Right now, I gotta get up to the shop before more people come in." Yuko replied as she cleaned up the spare parts. Just as she reached for her tools, a little bell went off, letting Yuko know that someone was in the shop and waiting to be helped. "Shoot... You see?" Yuko asked her friends before turning to put away her tools... Only to find little Holden already ahead of her, smiling up at her for a second. Yuko smiled down at him. "What would I do without you, little man?" She asked him, rufflinng his hair a bit before working together with him to put away the rest of the tools. Once they were picked up, Yuko grabbed her tool box and went up the stairs to put it back in it's proper place. "Be right with you!" She called to the customer, almost stopping in her tracks when she heard a familiar chuckle.
"No need to rush, Yuko. You know I don't mind waitin' for you." The old man's voice was deeper than anybody would have remembered him, his once blue-green hair had gone completely gray, but it was still pulled back in the high ponytail with the shoulder length side bangs it had been in when he was a boy, his green eyes still twinkling with the mischief of his childhood years. Yuko smiled as soon as she saw him, moving around the counter to embrace the old man.
"It's good to see you, Pops." She told him, feeling him hug her back. The old man before her was only known as Pops, the nickname he often told the duelists he mentored to call him. His real name, he kept secret, though no one was sure why. "So, how are you doing? Everything okay?" Yuko asked.
"Whelp, I'm 110 years old, and I'm feeling pretty dang good." Pops grinned before a cough racked him, making Yuko's brow furrow in worry. "Heh, that is... As good as an old man my age can feel, anyway." Pops replied. "I just came by to check on you and your friends."
"We're doing just fine, Pops, don't you worry." Yuko smiled slightly.
"Aw, come on now, you know this old man can't help it. You six are like the sons and daughters I never had. Hey now, I gotta ask you, Yuko... How's that new Duel Disk design coming along?" Pops asked, dropping his voice to a whisper and leaning in close to Yuko so she could hear him. Pops had known about Yuko's Duel Disk design since day one, and regularly checked up on it's progress, whether it was a quick drop by like that day or if he came in for a service to one of the prosthetics he had. It was a secret he took great joy in knowing. Yuko replied with a smile, showing him the ID bracelet on her left wrist. Pops' green eyes went wide, lit up with excitement. "Is that..." He started to ask. Yuko nodded, her smile growing. "I can't wait to see it in action, my girl."
"Hopefully it'll actually work during a duel." Yuko sweatdropped nervously, rubbing the back of her neck with a hand.
"It will, I know it." Pops told her, making her smile.
"There's something I wanna show you, Pops, something I found in the Junkyard while getting the last parts for my Duel Disk." Yuko told him. Pops tipped his head to one side curiously, seeing Yuko's friends walk into the shop from the back out of the corner of his eye.
"What is it?" He asked.
"If you wanna show him, we'll watch the shop until you get back, Yuko." Isaac told her. Yuko nodded in thanks and smiled at Pops.
"How about I show you right now?" Yuko asked him, Pops chuckling and going down to the garage with her. Yuko slowly descended down the steps, helping Pops down as well. When Pops stepped down the last step, he looked up to thank Yuko, but his words stopped dead in his throat with what he saw. Noticing Pops' silence, Yuko turned a worried glance to Pops. "Pops?" She asked, watching as the old man walked over to the old Duel Runner, feeling like the young man he was the last time he saw the Phoenix Whirlwind in action. He gingerly placed a shaking hand on the Duel Runner's side.
"It's been 99 years, 4 months and 27 days since the last time I saw this old girl..." He spoke, his voice shaking. Yuko approached Pops, gently placing a hand over his shoulder.
"This is my next task to complete, Pops... Restoring her. Hopefully, one day I can use her to get the people of Underground City reunited with the people of Cypher City." Yuko told him. She felt Pops place a shaky hand over hers as he turned to her.
"I hope I'm still around when it's finished, Yuko. If I'm being completely honest, this Duel Runner is the only thing left that still reminds me of the good times with my friends... and my sister." Pops told her.
"Your sister?" Yuko asked. Pops nodded.
"My younger twin... We were separated when the Hunt was ordered. If I had to guess where she might be, I'd guess the Duel Spirit world, but I'm not certain." Pops told her, gently squeezing her hand.
"You must miss her." Yuko replied. Pops nodded in reply.
"More than you know, my girl... More than you know." Pops answered before looking at the Duel Runner again. "Have you run a diagnostic yet?" Pops asked. Yuko shook her head.
"I gotta run the shop before I can do anything with it." Yuko told him honestly, causing Pops to raise an eyebrow. Yuko blinked at the sudden shift in behavior. "What?"
"Have you been pulling all nighters again, young lady?" Pops asked, his voice getting a little stern which made Yuko blink and look sheepish.
"In order to finish anything I start around here, I don't really have a choice. Especially recently, it's been so busy..."
"That's no excuse for not getting enough rest, Yuko Adonis. My word, you remind me of someone I used to know. Always wanting to do things himself until it landed him in a hospital bed over and over. That'll be you if you don't get enough rest." He scolded her.
"I'll get some rest tonight, Pops, I promise!" Yuko told him. Pops deadpanned.
"Everytime I scold you about it, you say that. You never seem to follow through." Pops replied.
"You know me, Pops, I don't like leaving anything unfinished." Yuko responded, blinking when Pops raised an eyebrow at her.
"Swear to me on your brother's grave that you'll get some sleep tonight." Pops told her, making her flinch. "You know your brother would force you to go to bed if he were here, no matter how stubborn you can get." Yuko sighed in defeat.
"Fine, Pops. I promise on my brother's grave that I'll get some sleep tonight." Yuko promised. Pops smiled.
"Good." He replied before going back upstairs with Yuko.
Just as Yuko came back upstairs with Pops, the door to the store opened, a little girl bursting through. She looked only a couple years younger than Holden, 3 at the youngest, with the biggest brown eyes and sapphire blue hair in tangles. The little girl hid behind Holden, her little face pale on fear and her entire body violently shaking. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, take it easy, little one. You're safe." Isaac tried calming her down, but she only hid behind Holden more. The door burst open again, this time a group of 5 young men entering the shop. All of them were as muscular as Isaac and Jacob, a bit taller with varying colored short hair and different eye colors. But, each of them had a taunting smirk on their face, a tattoo of a roaring dragon on their left arms.
"The Dragon Kings." Adom growled out. Yuko's jade flecked sapphire eyes turned as cold as ice as they narrowed into a threatening glare.
"Holden, take her downstairs and stay there until one of us comes and gets you." Yuko ordered Holden. Holden nodded and gently took the little girl's hand, reassuring her as they walked down the stairs together. Once the kids were downstairs, Yuko parkoured over the counter. "You boys better explain what you're doing in Jade Phoenix territory." She snarled, a threat in her tone.
"We don't want any trouble, just the kid that ran in here." The leader smirked, his hazel eyes showing an overconfidence that was often the downfall of many rivals of the Legendary Duelists.
"You mean the little girl that's scared half to death?" Jacob asked.
"She's got a Duel Monsters deck, morons." One of the thugs told them.
"You know the rules, no one's allowed to have a deck but us." A second one told them, walking toward Yuko to push past her. Yuko punched him in the gut. When he bent over to hold his stomach, she kicked him across the face, causing him to go crashing into his buddies.
"Too bad. You want the kid, you go through me. If I win, you get out of my turf and never show your ugly mugs around here again." Yuko barked.
"That so? What's in it for me if I win?" The leader snarled back.
"This becomes your turf. You'll have all of Underground City to yourselves... We're the only Duel Gang left standing in your way, right?" Yuko asked. The leader smirked.
"Oh no, I want something more than control over the last bit of Underground City that's left... I hear you have a rare card by the name of Phoenix Mage." With his words, Adom's eyes widened while Yuko's narrowed. "If I win, I gain control of your turf and your card." The leader smirked. "I'll even put up my most rare card as an ante, just to make things even. If I somehow lose the Duel, it's all yours. It's just too bad Phoenix Mage is the only card you have. According to the rules, you can't have a deck, let alone a Duel Disk." In response, Yuko held up her entire deck, making the eyes of the 5 members of the Dragon Kings widen.
"As you boys know all too well..." Yuko pressed the phoenix engraving on her ID bracelet, the nanotechnology once again activating and transforming from a bracelet into the Duel Disk Yuko had designed and built herself. "Rules were made to be broken." Yuko told them as she put her deck in place, all of the cards being shuffled. "If you boys want a Duel, let's head outside so I can use you for practice." The leader glared at her.
"Practice? You'll be sorry!" The leader stormed out of the shop, Yuko behind him.
"Be careful, Yuko." Pops warned her. Yuko merely smiled at the old man before glaring at her opponent.
"Kick her butt, Yang!" One of the boys cheered for his friend, the other three following suit.
"Age before beauty." Yuko taunted, causing her friends to snigger. The leader glared at her.
Yuko Adonis: 8000 Cornelius Yang: 8000
"I'll wipe that stupid smirk off your face starting now! I'll kick things off by setting a card and ending my turn with a facedown."
Yuko Adonis: 8000 Cornelius Yang: 8000
"With that, it's my turn. I draw!" Yuko drew a card and looked at her hand. 'All right, not a bad hand to start off with: Amazoness Chain Master, Shield Crush, Amazoness Sage, United We Stand, Swift Scarecrow, and The Warrior Returning Alive.' Yuko thought. "All right, I'll start by summoning Amazoness Sage in attack mode! Next, I'll activate the spell card Shield Crush, which destroys any defense position monster of my choosing, and I choose your facedown monster!" Yang grimmaced as his monster was destroyed, glaring at her. "Next, I'll equip my Amazoness Sage with United We Stand, which gives my Sage an additional 800 attack and defense points for every faceup monster I control (2200 attack points/ 1500 defense points). Now, I'll attack you directly with Amazoness Sage!"
"Not so fast! I activate the trap card, Negate Attack! This stops your attack dead in it's tracks." Yang smirked.
"Don't think this is the end of the Duel, Yang. I end my turn with a facedown." Yuko replied.
"I thought so, I draw!" Yang exclaimed, drawing a card.
Yuko Adonis: 8000 Cornelius Yang: 8000
"I summon Archfiend Soldier in attack mode!" Yang shouted.
"1900 attack points?" Jacob gulped.
"Yep, and that's not all! I equip my Archfiend Soldier with the Sword of Deep-Seated, giving my Archfiend an additional 500 attack and defense points!" Yang shouted. "Now that I have everything I need to destroy you... Archfiend Soldier, attack Amazoness Sage!" Yang commanded.
"You've got her now! With 2400 attack points, Archfiend Soldier easily overpowers her Amazoness Sage!" His friends cheered.
"You mean he would have.... If I didn't activate the special ability of Swift Scarecrow from my hand. By discarding it to the Graveyard, I can negate your attack, and end your Battle Phase." Yuko replied. Yang growled.
"I end my turn, but don't think you're going to win this." Yang told her.
"Then it's my move now! I draw!" Yuko drew another card, a smile coming to her face when she saw the card she drew. "I summon Amazoness Chain Master in attack mode, and since I summoned her successfully, my Amazoness Sage gains an additional 800 attack and defense points." Yang's eyes widened as Amazoness Sage's attack and defense points rose from 2200 attack points and 1500 defense points to 3000 attack points and 2300 defense points.
"3000 attack points?!" Yang exclaimed.
"Wow, I'm surprised you can do math that fast. But, I'm not done, because now I'm activating the spell card Black Pendant from my hand, which allows the monster I equip it to an additional 500 attack points, and I'm equipping it to my Amazoness Chain Master!" Yuko smirked.
"That means Amazoness Chain Master now has 2000 attack points!" Isaac exclaimed. Yang's face paled.
"Now, I attack your Archfiend Soldier with my Amazoness Sage!" Yuko exclaimed. Yang grunted as he took 600 points in damage. He growled. "Oh, I'm not done yet, Yang. I still have one more attack to make. Amazoness Chain Master, your turn! Attack Yang directly!" Yuko exclaimed, Yang exclaiming in pain as he lost 2000 more life points. Yuko smirked. "And with that, I end my turn. Let's see what you've got for me this turn."
Yuko Adnois: 8000 Cornelius Yang: 5400
"I draw!" Yang drew a card, looking at it. He smirked before his eyes turned to Yuko. "I activate the spell card, Mind Control! With this, I take control of your Amazoness Sage! It's just too bad I can't attack or tribute her." Yang laughed, the spell card activating and switching Amazoness Sage to Yang's side of the field.
"Even if you could, she loses 800 attack and defense points due to her being the only card on your side of the field." Yuko pointed out.
"She won't be for long. I summon my level 4 monster, Dragon Hunter!" Yang told her. "And with 2200 attack points, this is gonna hurt... Dragon Hunter, take out her Amazoness Chain Master!" A grunt left Yuko as she lost 200 Life Points.
"You better be ready to pay the price for that move, because now I'm activating Black Pendant's second ability. When it's destroyed, you lose 500 Life Points!" Yuko yelled.
"What?!" Yang asked, his voice going up a pitch before he lost 500 Life Points. He growled. "I end my turn, and Amazoness Sage returns to you due to the effect of Mind Control."
Yuko Adonis: 7800 Cornelius Yang: 4900
"Then it's my turn! I draw!" Yuko shouted as she drew a card. She smiled when she saw the card she had drawn and looked up at Yang. "Before I do anything more, I'll activate my facedown card: The Warrior Returning Alive. With this card, I'm allowed to bring a Warrior- type monster back from the Graveyard and add it to my hand, and thanks to you, there's only one Warrior Type monster! Return to my hand Amazoness Chain Master!" Yuko shouted, the card returning to her hand. "Now, I summon Amazoness Swords Woman in attack mode, and due to my United We Stand spell card still equipped to Amazoness Sage, her attack returns to 3000, her defense rising to 2300."
"Uh-oh..." All of Yang's friends said at the same time.
"Uh-oh is right! Amazoness Sage, you're up first! Attack Yang's Dragon Hunter!" Yuko yelled. Yang groaned in pain as he lost 800 Life Points. "Now, Amazoness Swords Woman, your turn! Attack Yang directly!" Yang cried out as he lost 1500 more Life Points. He growled.
"You're gonna pay for that!" Yang yelled.
"From where I'm standing, you're the one about to pay! You're about to pay for picking on a toddler! You've got 2600 Life Points left, whatever you're about to do during this move, I'd make it count if I were you! If I happen to summon something strong next turn, your goose is as good as cooked!" Yuko yelled.
Yuko Adonis: 7800 Cornelius Yang: 2600
"I draw!" Yang drew, a smirk crossing his face when he saw the card before he started laughing. "This duel's gonna end real soon, but I'll just end my turn with a facedown! You're up, Birdie!"
Yuko Adonis: 7800 Cornelius Yang: 2600
"My move then! I draw!" Yuko yelled. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw Phoenix Mage. 'What the? Why now?' She thought before shaking it off. "I summon Amazoness Chain Master to the field, which increases my Amazoness Sage's attack points to 3800 due to the effect of United We Stand. Now, I attack you directly with Amazoness Sage! Amazoness Sage, time to end this!" Yuko yelled, getting thrown off when Yang started laughing.
"That's what I was hoping you'd do! I activate the Trap Card: Mirror Cylinder! This handy little trap takes your attack and directs it back at you, destroying all your monsters along the way and inflicting damage equal to the combined attack points! Say goodbye to 6800 of your Life Points, Yuko!" Yang laughed as the trap activated, inflicting the damage. Yuko cried out as she was thrown backward by the force of the attack, hitting the ground hard with a groan.
"Yuko!" Raven cried.
"She's only got 1000 Life Points left!" Jacob shouted, his eyes wide.
"I can't watch!" Isaac replied, covering his face with his hands.
"Quitting on your friend already?" Pops asked, directing the other's attention to him. For a majority of the Duel, he'd been silent, smiling with Yuko's moves, but chose now to speak up. "You forget that I'm not the only one who taught her how to Duel. You remember her older brother Liam? That young man never gave up until the final Life Point was lost, and Yuko's no different. Have more faith in her. She may have lost a good chunk of her Life Points, but this isn't over." Pops told them, scolding them slightly.
"You've got a point, Pops...." Adom trailed off. "Liam was one heck of a duelist, and he was able to pass some of his tricks onto Yuko before he passed away. Yuko's got just as much determination as he did, if not more..." Pops nodded.
"All she has to do is believe in her deck." Pops replied. 'Let's just hope it'll be enough...' He thought.
Yuko Adonis: 1000 Cornelius Yang: 2600
To Be Continued.....
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Yu-Gi-Oh!: Renegade
Chapter 3- Dragon vs. Phoenix Part 2:
Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh!: Renegade:
"I summon Amazoness Chain Master to the field, which increases my Amazoness Sage's attack points to 3800 due to the effect of United We Stand. Now, I attack you directly with Amazoness Sage! Amazoness Sage, time to end this!"
"I activate the Trap Card: Mirror Cylinder! This handy little trap takes your attack and directs it back at you, destroying all your monsters along the way and inflicting damage equal to the combined attack points! Say goodbye to 6800 of your Life Points, Yuko!" Yuko cried out as she was thrown backward by the force of the attack, hitting the ground hard with a groan.
"Yuko!" Her friends cried simultaneously.
"She's only got 1000 Life Points left!" Jacob yelled with wide eyes.
"I can't watch this!" Isaac added, covering his eyes.
"Have more faith in her. She may have lost a good chunk of her Life Points, but this isn't over." Pops told them. "All she has to do is believe in her deck."
Yuko Adonis: 1000 Cornelius Yang: 2600
“How does it feel, Yuko? How does it feel to be on the brink of losing?” Yang taunted.
“This duel isn’t over yet. You still have 1000 of my Life Points to knock out, and I don’t plan on letting you do it... You're just lucky I can't do anything more right now. I end my turn.” Yuko replied. With a smirk, Yang drew.
“Either way, it's my turn now! I summon Protector With Eyes of Blue. I may not have the Blue Eyes White Dragon in my deck, but with 800 attack points, that's not gonna stop me from bringing you to my mercy! Protector With Eyes of Blue, attack Yuko directly!" Yuko grunted in pain as she was attacked, taking 800 points of damage. Yang laughed.
"You have 200 Life Points left, Yuko! Use your next turn wisely! If you don't draw a monster now, this duel is over on my next turn! I end my turn for now." Yang smirked as he ended his turn.
Yuko Adonis: 200 Cornelius Yang: 2600
"Don't count me out just yet, Yang! My turn!" Yuko shouted, grabbing the top card of her deck with her eyes closed. 'It all comes down to this one last draw.... Heart of the Cards, don't fail me now!' Yuko thought. "I draw!" She drew the card and opened her eyes, flipping the card so it's face was toward her. She cracked a smile.
"Uh-oh, she smiled!" One of Yang's friends shouted.
"What's she plannin'?!" A second one asked, sounding a little panicked.
"You're about to find out... I summon Blazing Phoenix in attack mode!" Yuko summoned the card currently in her hand, hearing her friends cheer. It wasn't that strong of a monster, only having 1500 attack points, but it was still a good card. "And because I was able to summon it, I now get to special summon a level 4 monster from my deck, and the card I choose is my Phoenix Warrior!"
"Yang, this ain't looking too good!" The third one shouted.
"Shut up, I can see that!" Yang shouted back in reply.
"Yeah, well I bet you never saw this coming! My Phoenix Warrior has a special ability that allows me to Special Summon one more monster from my deck to the field as long as the monster I choose has 1500 defense points or less, so say hello to Flame Champion! But sadly, my Phoenix Warrior and Blazing Phoenix won't be around for long, because now I'm tuning my Phoenix Warrior with my Blazing Phoenix..."
"OH, NO!" Yang yelled in fear.
"Here it comes!" Jacob exclaimed in excitement.
"I Synchro Summon... Phoenix Mage!" Yuko shouted as her ace appeared on the field, spinning her staff and striking a battle pose, a smirk on her face. "But, I'm far from done... See, due to my Blazing Phoenix's special ability, my Phoenix Mage gets a 500 attack bonus this turn only. Not only that, but due to my Phoenix Mage's ability, all Fire Type monsters I have on my side of the field gain an additional 500 attack points. Which means my Flame Champion now has 2400 attack points while my Phoenix Mage has..."
"3500 attack points?!" Yang shrieked.
"That's right!" Yuko exclaimed. "Flame Champion, take out his Protector With Eyes of Blue first with Flame Strike!" Flame Champion obeyed Yuko's order, attacking Yang's only monster left. Yang's face went pale, realizing he had only 1000 Life Points left, and a 3500 attack point monster was staring right at him. "Let this be a lesson, Yang, next time you wanna push around little kids on my turf, you're gonna pay the price! Phoenix Mage, finish him off with Phoenix Scepter Blast!" Phoenix Mage smirked before attacking Yang directly, knocking him backwards with a strong blow, his Life Points hitting zero as he landed.
Yuko Adonis: 200 Cornelius Yang: 0
"Yuko won! She won!" Her friends cheered, whooping and hollering as Yuko walked toward Yang, who was in a state of shock.
"I lost.... How could I lose?" Yang trailed off.
"Good game. You had me on the ropes for a while there, but I hope you learned your lesson... Don't ever mess with anyone around here ever again." Yuko told him sternly. "Now get off my turf before I kick your butt again." The boys went running, all except Yang.
"Hang on a second, you may have won by the skin of your teeth, but a deal's a deal. You get to keep my rarest card." Yang told her, taking out a Synchro Monster from his deck, handing it to Yuko. Yuko's eyes widened a bit when she saw it before looking at Yang.
"How did you get this?" Yuko asked.
"My grandfather was one of the original Chasers... He was the one who got Akiza. Black Rose was passed down to my Dad and then it was passed down to me when I joined the Chasers..."
"So, hunting down duelists runs in the family?" Yuko asked, bitterness in the edge of her tone.
"Hey, it's not like that, Chasers have no choice but to listen to him now... Ever since one of the Chasers spared the sister of a duelist from the Underground around 11 years ago, he's been making death threats to any Chaser that shows mercy to a duelist... Especially their family." Yang told her. "See you next time, Yuko... I'll be waiting for our rematch." Yang told her before walking off, leaving the teenager standing still, in shock of what she had been informed of.
"You won, Yuko!" Jacob exclaimed.
"Congratulations, Yuko." Pops smiled.
"Yeah, but look what he had." Yuko showed them the card Yang had given her... Black Rose Dragon. Everyone's jaws dropped in shock except Pops, who's eyes widened in a shocked recognition.
"That's Akiza Izinski's ace!" Adom exclaimed, voicing Pops' thoughts.
"Holy crud..." Isaac trailed off.
"They got her too..." Jacob breathed, running a hand through his hair.
"Were you really expecting her to get away?" Adom asked.
"No, I wasn't, I just... I'd hoped that there was a possible way that she could have gotten away." Jacob answered, shifting a bit sheepishly as he spoke.
"That accounts for every Signer being caught... Except Leo and Luna." Yuko realized.
"No, Luna was caught... Wasn't she?" Jacob asked.
"No... It couldn't be... Luna had to have escaped..." Pops trailed off, though he didn't look too convinced of it himself.
"We'll figure that out later, right now, we have that little kid to worry about." Yuko answered before leading the way back into the shop and down the stairs, Adom being the one to help Pops down the stairs. "Holden, it's safe now, you guys can come out." Yuko called for the young boy. Holden peeked out from a well hidden area of the garage, the little girl waddling right behind him as he ran up to Yuko.
"Are they gone? Did you kick their butts?" Holden asked as Jacob leaned against the wall and Pops, Adom and Isaac all sat down in a chair. Yuko nodded.
"They're gone, kiddo. I beat their leader in a duel, and look what I won." Yuko showed him the Black Rose Dragon, the boy's eyes lighting up in wonder as Yuko noticed the little girl come out slightly to look at the dragon card, seeming just as amazed as Holden.
"Wow, it's so beautiful... I hope we can see her in action someday." Holden told her. Yuko smiled.
"One day, you will, I promise...." Yuko told the little boy before putting Black Rose Dragon in her deck and ruffling Holden's hair. "Now, how about this one? Do we know her name?" She asked, kneeling down to the little one's height, only for the little girl to hide behind Holden again. Holdeen shook his head, his hair swaying back and forth with the quick motion.
"I've tried asking her, and she hasn't answered me.... She just keeps making these weird hand motions and tapping her lips." Holden answered, his little shoulders going up and then back down again in a hopeless shrug, though Jacob straightened when he heard Holden's answer.
"Hand motions?" Jacob asked.
"JSL?" Adom guessed.
"That's possible." Yuko replied before looking at the little girl, who was busy trying to hide behind Holden. Yuko smiled. "Can you hear my voice?" Yuko asked as she signed her words in JSL, thankful of the times her foster mother had made her perfect the sign language. Everyone watched as the little girl peeked out from behind Holden, staying hidden while her big brown eyes stayed trained on Yuko. Yuko smiled a little. The little girl was coming out of her shell a little. "You don't have to be afraid of me, I won't hurt you, I promise." Yuko signed each word she said. "My name's Yuko. Is it okay if I know your name?" The little girl came out just enough to show her hands.
'"My name is Alita."' The little one signed. Yuko smiled.
"That's a very pretty name, Alita. Can you hear my voice at all?" Yuko signed as she asked, her compliment making the little girl blush. In response, the little one nodded.
' "My voice just doesn't work, so I can't talk." ' Alita signed in response.
"That explains why she was using sign language." Adom replied, having known enough JSL to know what Alita had just said. "Her vocal chords must have been damaged when she was a baby."
"Poor thing." Pops commented before everybody froze when Alita winced, grabbing her arm. Yuko gently touched the little one's shoulder.
"Are you okay?" Yuko signed as she talked again. Alita's eyes were filled with tears of pain and she shook her head, pointing to her arm. Yuko noticed that it was a prosthetic arm... But it was extremely damaged to the point where it was giving off electric currents every few minutes and hurting the little girl. "Is it okay if I take a look at it?" Yuko asked, watching as Alita's eyes widened in fear as she hid behind Holden again, shaking. Holden looked up at Yuko worriedly, his little brow furrowed. He looked as worried about Alita as Yuko was currently feeling. Yuko placed a comforting hand on Holden's head before taking her glove off her left arm.
"Yuko, what're you doing?" Isaac asked, but found himself ignored by the young woman, watching as the little girl peeked out to look at Yuko. Her eyes stayed wide, however, the fear that had previously been in them was long gone. Amazement shone through as Alita reached her flesh hand toward Yuko's robotic one before she hesitated, looking at Yuko for permission as her little eyebrows furrowed. Yuko nodded.
"It's okay, Alita. You can touch it if you want." She told her. Alita's little hand soon touched Yuko's robotic one, following each gear and crevice as she seemed to be memorizing the pattern on Yuko's prosthetic hand. Yuko smiled, knowing that this had been what the little girl needed to be at ease... To know someone was just like her... "Alita." Yuko directed the little girl's attention to her after a moment. "Is it okay if I look at your prosthetic arm now? I can fix it if you want me to." She asked. The little girl froze for a second before shaking off her fear and nodding, a brave look on the little one's face. Yuko smiled before she looked at Holden. "Can you go get my tools for me?" Yuko asked. Holden nodded and raced upstairs with Isaac and Jacob following him to help him get the toolbox down. Meanwhile, Yuko got Alita comfortable, using her robotic arm to scan Alita's prosthetic to see what the problem was.
"What's going on with her arm?" Adom asked her, Pops keeping the little one entertained.
"Well, you remember that network Dracnus connected the DracTech prosthetics to in order to keep tabs on everyone in Cypher City? There's a part in each of them that allows an electric current to kick in everytime Dracnus wants to deal that person punishment." Yuko told him.
"I thought Dracnus couldn't do that to our prosthetics from down here, the signal can't reach Underground City." Adom replied.
"You're right, it can't... But for some reason, that part in Alita's is broken so that the electric current goes off every few minutes. It's not a strong enough charge to stop her heart, mind you, but it is strong enough to hurt her." Yuko responded as Holden came back with her tools. "I'm going to fix it so it stops hurting her altogether." Holden put her tools next to her.
"Here you go." Holden told her.
"Thanks, little man. You're the best." Yuko smiled, ruffling his hair again.
"Holden, where the heck are Isaac and Jacob?" Adom asked.
"After they helped me get Yuko's toolbox down, they went into the shop to "hold the fort down".... Whatever that means." Adom answered, using air quotes and causing Yuko to have to hold back her giggles. There was something about the look on the six-year-old's face as he used air quotes that struck Yuko as absolutely hilarious. After a deep breath to still her laughter, Yuko focused on fixing the part on Alita's arm that was bothering her, speaking to Alita to keep her distracted from what was going on.
"Alita, how old are you?" Yuko asked. The little girl held up her flesh hand, showing four fingers. "Four?" Alita nodded in confirmation. "That's super cool."
"Yeah, you're like... One year away from being old enough to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels for the first time. It's super scary at first, but I promise it's a ton of fun once you get the hang of it." Holden excitedly told Alita, a smile crossing the girl's face. Yuko chuckled a bit and let Holden tell Alita all the perks of being 5 years old while Yuko fixed Alita's robotic arm.
A few hours later, Yuko was looking over the blueprints of the Phoenix Whirlwind's original designs as she waited for the diagnostics to finish. 'How can I rebuild this so it's my own?' She thought, her arms crossed over her chest. She tapped her foot a couple times before glancing over at the pullout bed. Fast asleep, with her robotic arm fixed and her tummy full of good food, was Alita. A small smile crossed Yuko's face before a soft beeping indicated that the diagnostics were finished. Her brow furrowed and her smile dropped when she saw just how much damage had been done. 'I was afraid this was gonna happen, those stupid Chasers made sure Jack could never duel again on this thing.... Hell, would Yusei even know how to fix this?' She thought with an eyebrow raised before setting to work. After a while, her vision got blurry from looking at the blueprints too long, causing a frustrated sigh to leave Yuko's lips as she closed down the screen and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Pops was right, I really oughta get more sleep..." Yuko trailed off under her breath, though it pained her a bit to admit it. She slipped off her boots, sliding into bed as an exhausted sigh left her lips. Her emerald flecked sapphire eyes drooped, her hair falling in her face like a curtain as her eyes finally closed. 'I'll jump on repairs early tomorrow... For now, though, Pops is right. I need rest....'
While she slept, Yuko was unaware of the chaos that was about to unfold... Unaware of the growing threat on the surface...
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