Disclaimer: Shocker, another non-TES story XP
“I’m begging you, Misaki!” Drake cried to the blue haired woman. His eyes were bloodshot from the tears that refused to stop leaking down his face. “Please, stop this. We can defeat ZONE together!”
The duel runners zoomed down the hardlight road, getting closer to its ever conclusion. Behind them was the quickly growing darkness. Misaki triggered the nearby star to supernova and collapse into a black hole with her Delta Accel Synchro Summon of WattDragon, The Thunder Overlord.
Now it was a race against time, one that was near the end.
“There is no other way, Drake!” she called out from ahead, turning her duel runner around. The wheel did not miss a beat spinning backward allowing the woman to look at her old friend. Her blue vizor obscured those red eyes that he loved staring into. “ZONE’s plan will come to fruition! New Domino City will be eradicated unless you stop him. And you have to duel your way through me!”
“So our time together meant nothing?” Drake’s grip tightened against his thrusters, knuckles turning white as the snow. Dragunity Paladin - Ascelon, Drake’s white armored, bipedal dragon, mimicked its master and ferociously gripped the greatsword in its hands. The dragon’s gold and white wings beat faster to stay close at his side. Misaki was silent now biting her lower lip. “Don’t I mean anything to you anymore?”
She turned around her voice now cold. “Yes. But we’re running out of time. One of us will continue while the other will be swallowed by darkness! Now shut up and duel!”
Drake’s heart sank and they all felt it. Both dragons on the field roared in defiance, bolts of electricity flying off one and feathers dropping off the other. He wanted to cry again, to cry for losing someone so close again. “Fine. My turn, I draw.” Only 1900 combined life points remained between the both of them, both decks low on cards. “I activate Ascelon’s ability once more to equip another Dragon from my graveyard and I pick Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!”
Ascelon swung its sword and tore a hole through reality and reached a white gauntleted clawed hand through and pulled out the target. The metal covered beast bellowed as the heavenly dragon landed on its back forcing it to carry him.
“Predictable Drake.” It’s one of the qualities I love about you…
“I know. And it also means he gains an additional 300 attack points, bringing him to a total of 3900!” With a sum of three dragons equipped, Ascelon was setup to be unstoppable. WattDragon, The Thunder Overlord only had 3700 but its effects were deadly. “I don’t want this!”
“We rarely have a choice, Drake. We make our own path through life but little do we realize that it is already predestined.”
“You know that isn’t true!”
“Yes it is. And to prove your foolhardy belief I activate my dragon’s ability! By discarding two cards from my hand I can destroy two cards on your side of the field! And I pick Red-Eyes and Darkspear!”
She didn't go after the facedown!
The blue and yellow volting dragon unfurled its large wingsm, releasing a discharge of lightning bolts in all directions. Two spun around each other like twin snakes and crashed against the paladin dragon’s shield and carrier. Both cried out in pain as their holograms shattered. The dragon’s attack then decreased down to 3300.
“You know I’m not finished. Everytime the ability succeeds in destroying a card, you take 300 points of damage!” With a thrust of her suited hand Misaki’s dragon followed her orders again unleashing a torrent of blue electricity from its maw, washing over Drake and his duel runner causing him to cry out in pain and nearly spin out of control.
He watched as his life points dropped from 1000 to 400 through eyes clouded with exhaustion, sweat, tears and blood.
“How can you hope to stand up to ZONE if you can’t stand up to me Drake? I want you to show me how you’ve overcome every obstacle thus far! Show me how you defeated Aporia in the World Racing Grand Prix Finals! Show me you can change the future!” Misaki’s voice became soft and disciplined again.
It’s one of the qualities I love about you… She was trying to push him to defeat her in this duel to the death. One of the most important duels in his life so far in his short nineteen years of life. Memories flashed at the worst time, making him doubt his skills. He remembered when they first met, calling him out due to what Toru told her of him, showed him the garage where their turbo dueling dreams eventually came true.
“That’s just like you, my lovely Buzzer, to motivate me when things look bleak. To push me and the trust in my deck to the limits.” He spotted a small grin form on her lips making his heart flutter. I’m getting to her. I can talk her down, I know I can! Before another word could be spoken he suddenly felt a sharp tug against his back wanting to pull him away.
The black hole!
How the hell could I forget about that?! Dammit…!
“You have only the rest of this turn to make something happen, Drake! Show me the power you gave off when you Accel Synchro Summoned Dragunity Paladin - Ascelon! Show me the power of the wind as only you can!”
Turning his weary sight to his hand only four cards remained: Speed Spell - Pot of Avarice, Speed Spell - Summon Speeder, Speed Spell - Cards of Consonance, and the one he just drew, Dragunity Legionnaire. I can make something happen with these, he looked behind him seeing only the dark, yawning and hungry maw of darkness closing in on them, but I need to do it quickly!
“Alright,” Drake coughed, swallowing the blood, his resolve now renewed thanks to hope, “I activate the Speed Spell - Pot of Avarice. By removing 2 of my counters I can select 5 monsters from my grave and return them to my deck which is then shuffled and I get to draw two more cards! And I pick Dragunity Dux, Corsesca, Militum, Phalanx, and finally Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!” Placing them in their old home it was quickly shuffled and his Speed Counters dropped from 12 to 10.
Even with the draws he didn’t have what he required. Drake cursed to himself when he received Phalanx and Corsesca. He needed Darkspear!
“With my cards now drawn I activate Cards of Consonance. By sending one dragon tuner with 1000 or less attack points from my hand to the grave I can draw two more cards!” Please, he begged, don’t fail me! Sending Phalanx back to the grave Drake drew and his heart leapt.
“Then show me, Drake!” Misaki called out, her eyes beaming behind that deep blue vizor having seen his reaction. “Let your mastery of the wind blow you ahead and slow your foes to a crawl!”
I love you so much, dammit! A shooting star blazed past casting a streak of white light in the vacuum of space, toying with the both of them with its promise of a wish that could never be. Why can’t I change the course of this duel?!
“I play Speed Spell - Speed Summoner! I can special summon one level 4 or lower monster from my hand on the downside that they cannot attack! I special summon Dragunity Darkspear!” The little dragon appeared as the card was set on the duel disk bursting to life from a gust of holographic wind. Its little red wings beat to keep it aloft as it gave off a roar. “Welcome back old friend.
“Then I summon Dragunity Legionnaire to join his fellow gladiators in this titanic battle!” The monster appeared in the same manner as Darkspear, the birdman stretching his wings and muscled arms with practiced ease. “Next I tune my level 3 Dragunity Darkspear with my level 3 Legionnaire!” The dragon crossed its arms and burst into three stars that began to soar overhead and burst into golden gateways allowing the winged beast to pass through. “Let the wind of the howling gale pierce through the leaves and trees! Let it cut away at the moss and reveal the path to your destiny!” A blinding pillar of light shined down on Legionnaire turning it into something new. “I Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana!”
With the breaking of the light a new creature now hovered where Legionnaire once was. On the back of a great orange dragon was one of the knights of the Dragunity, his spear held firm in his hand and wings poised. Four great wings beat as the green gem on the drake’s chest shined with an emerald fury.
So this is it, eh Drake? Misaki thought. I wish we had more time too.
“His special ability activates! When summoned from the gladiatorial ring he is allowed to pick a weapon of his choosing from my graveyard. And I pick Dragunity Aklys!” The head of the winged man’s weapon transformed as the red dragon known as Aklys’ body came to be. Its tail stuck into the halt of the spear the deadly point of its armored head pointed forward. “Then by sending it back to the grave I can double my knight’s attack points from 1900 to 3800!”
The orange knight and his dragon bellowed into open space and power filled its body. Both dragon and rider’s eyes fell onto the WattDragon.
“Aklys’ ability activates Misaki, but I know you know what it does…” The dragon’s transparent body flew from Vajrayana’s spear piercing through the Thunder Overlord and creating a cloud of dust.
“And you know WattDragon can survive an otherwise fatal attack, card effect or otherwise, by removing from play one Watt monster from my graveyard.” The dust settled to show how true her words were. The blue dragon outstretched its arms and wings and grunted. There was only two more in her graveyard, but that wouldn’t save her.
“Yes but that, unfortunately, won’t save your life points.” The pull of the black hole became stronger forcing Drake to fight even harder, sit up straighter. He didn’t want any of this, to lose either his life or the life of the woman he loved. Why was fate also taking people from him?
“Vajrayana, attack WattDragon, The Thunder Overlord!”
The dragon knight lunged towards the thunder dragon striking it across the chest leaving a deep scar. It cried out as the difference in attack power proved too much. Misaki grunted as her life points dropped from 900 to 800.
“I activate WattDragon’s ability to survive this battle at the cost of banishing a Watt monster from my graveyard but he loses 300 attack points as a repercussion.” Her monster stood valiantly stood taller than before as its power fell to 3400.
The difference between Drake’s and Misaki’s Life Points allowed both of them to speed side by side, both now facing the force of the ever growing black hole together.
“I activate my Trap, Strike Slash! With this my monster gains an attitional 700 attack points!” The armored drake intimidatingly cried out as its power increased to 4000, ready for battle. “Dragunity Paladin - Ascelon attacks your dragon with all the fury a dragunity gladiator can muster!” The greatsword wielding leviathan flew after his target bringing his weapon down with an almighty clang to shatter a concrete wall with ease. And still the beast stood. The same song and dance, one monster short and 300 less attack points.
Drake wavered. The command was on the tip of his tongue, to end this duel. To help Yusei, Jack, Crow, Toru and the others stop ZONE from destroying New Domino City with the Divine Temple. He wavered. He didn’t want to lose her.
“What are you waiting for? Do it!” Misaki ordered. His eyes were wet with tears again, she could see even from behind him. Her vision blurred. “Ascelon can attack additionally for every Dragunity equipped to him. Do it!
Drake swallowed the lump in his throat as the tears fell off his chin. “Ascelon... finish this duel with Raging Hurricane Slash!”
With a beat of its six mighty wing and gold wings, Ascelon charged for its target, its prey. Its sword became surrounded in a whirlwind, charging the weapon with a lethal torrent of wind. The dragon swung and slashed WattDragon across the chest. The beast grunted in pain as it could no longer hold together and was destroyed.
Misaki yelled in pain as her life points fell to zero. The woman looked up from her busted vizor and appeared the opposite of what Drake was expecting as she sped up next to him, steam pouring from the duel runner.
“You won. Now go! Hurry before you’re taken with me!”
“No!” he cried. “Not without you! We can leave together! Trust me!”
She shook her head. “Your constant willing to deny reality is astounding, Drake. I told you before this duel started, only one of us will be coming out of this alive.” A surge of weight expressed itself, nearly crushing her love’s weak body. “Now go!”
“Please!” Drake grunted at the exertion that was currently wreaking havoc across his body. He reached out a hand. “Don’t do this to me, Miskai, I’m begging you!” The pleading look in those brown eyes of his made her lips quiver, whether from fighting back tears or wanting to do desperately kiss him she didn’t even know. “Don’t die on me!”
That is where you’re wrong, Windy. The black hole grew larger and stronger. It all but consumed their vision when both looked back. She tore the mask away, dropping it on the hardlight road. “You won, you live.” With ease the turbo duelist placed the nose of her duel runner against the back of Drake’s to give him a push. “Go! Stop ZONE and save New Domino City! Save the world like I know you will!”
The telltale signs of Drake breaking the Accel Synchro barrier materialized. It was a spark at first but it swiftly grew to like a jet breaking the sound barrier on earth.
“What are you doing?! Misaki!” Drake cried in desperation. His voice was breaking with emotion and she knew it. “Misaki!!”
All she heard from him was the echo as he vanished into the Synchro zone.
“I love you too, Drake.” Misaki smiled as she spun out, spinning out of control towards her doom, her demise. She smiled as the memories with her friends played through from first meeting Toru near the Bootleg bar, meeting Drake some weeks later. Dueling their way across Crash Town, dueling their way into the WRGP. Their first kiss.
Misaki smiled as the black hole consumed her world, one last memory playing through her mind.
~****~
“...Come on, one more time. ...For me,” Misaki asked the naked Drake beside her.
“You just love to hear me say it, don’t you?” he asked with a goofy grin rubbing the back of his head. It was late at the time, nearing two in the morning. Their clothes were scattered across the apartment bedroom. Both of them were lying down and resting, whether for sleep to consume them or energy to return for round two they could decide later.
Her finger traced along his lips. “...I do. ...It makes me happy.” Her eyes shined with that red glow that drove him wild.
He leaned up and knowingly chuckled. “I know it does.”
Misaki gave a sly smirk and playfully pushed Drake to make him lie on his back. She then stretched her arms up, making her joints pop and pushing her breasts forward.
“Is that to encourage me?”
“...Maybe.”
Drake sighed and shook his head, the smile persisting. He ran a hand through her long blue hair, past her smooth shoulder and placed his hand over a bare breast. “Let the wind of the howling gale pierce through the clouds and trees. Let it cut away at the vines and reveal the path… to my heart.”
~***~
There was a loud screech as the tires came to a halt. In the cold recesses of the Planetary Gear Station Drake’s duel runner slid to a stop only for the machine to crash and slide sending a shower of sparks in all directions. It threw him from the seat in a violent motion, the rolling dislocating his shoulder.
Though it sent lightning up and down his arm, Drake paid no attention to the injury. With effort he pushed himself from the cold, hard floor and tore off his helmet, blood dripping from the cracked protective screen and his arm.
He stumbled and fell to his knees over and over again, not caring if he was causing more bruises and scrapes.
“Misaki! Misaki!!” Drake coughed up saliva mixed with phlegm and blood. “Misaki!”
He looked down and found the only material trace of her that was left. Mere feet away, how could he have missed it? Shakily he crept towards the pink heart necklace that was always around her neck.
Taking it into his hand words escaped him. A soundless sob left his body as he stared at the necklace and collapsed to his knees. Drake gripped the chipped piece not giving a damn that it sliced his thumb. The necklace became stained with tears as they fell like rain in a heavy storm. His life, his heart, was in pieces. It was enveloped by darkness, just like her.
“MISAKI!!!”
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TES/fallout related or not it was a joy to read