Chapter 29: Broken Bonds.

Previously…

"Yuma, Astral, all of you get going now." Drake ordered. A duel anchor was linked to his duel disk stretching across the impossible pit that amassing dragon of Drakes had somehow created.

"We...We can't just leave you here…" Tori protested beside him.

"Tori's right! We can-" Yuma tried to agree before being interrupted.

"I'll be fine, its just one duel and I will be right behind you. Now get going."

"He's right Yuma, and your friends may still be in need of medical attention." Astral persuaded his friend. There was nothing they could do here.

Yuma looked at them, Cathy seemed fine and energetic but Caswell looked exhausted being supported by Tori, he was carrying Flip himself, and Bronk… what had they done to him? He looked like he was one step from the grave.

"…Fine, but you better promise not to lose." Yuma conceded.

"Always, I have a Duel Carnival Championship to win still don't I?" Drakes confident grin reassured Yuma's fears.

The seven of them continued down the road at their best pace. It was hard going, not only did Yuma have to carry Flip but he and Cathy had to support Bronk as well, he seemed almost lifeless as if he wasn't even there with them, large black bags hung under his eyes. He didn't even speak a word or cry out when they tripped and fell in a heap.

What had those jerks of New Order done to him?

By now it was late, the sun was slowly setting and this business area seemed so deserted, with everyone having returned to their home long ago.

Yuma kept moving, Drake said to get to a place with lots of people and they also needed to get his friends to a hospital or something. Yuma tried to contact someone, anyone with his Duel Gazers communicator but had no luck, all he got was static.

"I think if we cut through this alley we can then reach a mainline monorail after going through a construction site." Caswell helpfully said while examining his data pad. Fortunately they had only been kidnapped and not robbed as well.

Although none of them had a network signal Caswell had download the latest Heartland City map applications at the start of the World Duel Carnival so his directions should be accurate and he had been guiding the groups flight.

"Lets move then." Yuma said. Even though a construction site sounded dangerous they didn't have the time for longer detour. At the monorail station they would be able to use the public phones to call for help, or even head to the Heartland city hospital directly.

Unknown to all of them they were watched at a distance by a shadowy figure accompanied by several drone units.

---

In New Orders Headquarters the Silver General Hal was furious.

"What is she doing?!" he screamed with no care for where he was or who he was with as he watched one of several monitors.

"First she pulls back the remaining troops and now? Does she really think I wouldn't know that's she's hold back!"

He was watching the duel between Wyvern and Drake in exasperation. He knew, he KNEW, this was her way of getting back at him. While she certainly wasn't going easy on her opponent, Hal knew that she was also far from giving her best performance.

Why? Because if she did take this Drake Atlas down then as the commander of the operation Hal too would receive some of the credit for her actions. That spiteful woman! Since taking Drake down was not the objective of the mission, it mattered little to her if Drake won or lost so long as she did not play the Seal. It did not matter to her if she gave her all or not, but it made him look bad.

"If you didn't teaser her so, she might have been more willing to help you… or perhaps not." Came the calm voice of the Orichalcos King.

Hal felt a shiver down his spine as he remembered just how he had been acting in front of his lord. It was not secret among New Order that Wyvern was one of the Kings favourites. He valued her Shadow magic almost as much as Tempests Alchemy.

Observing Yuma and his friends entering an empty construction on the second monitor, Hal activated his communicator. It was time to spring the trap.

"Do it now!"

Hal couldn't afford for anything else to go wrong, or the one losing his soul might be him.

---

"What's going on here!?"

"Why is there a wall!?"

"Caswell where are we!?"

Yuma and his friends had found themselves hitting a dead end. A solid concreate wall in front of them with nowhere to go but back. Caswell was in hysterics as he tried to find out what had gone wrong.

"I don't understand, it's not on the map at all! This doesn't make sense?" he cried.

"You're here, because I wanted you here." An unfamiliar flat voice echoed above them.

Above them, atop of part of the steel skeleton of the buildings unfinished girders, a golden robed man came into view, his face shrouded by the shadows of his long hood. Around him flew several advanced flying drones, their bodies shaped like a large ring studded with ruby crystal sensors which supported the propeller engine in the centre. Looking around the group could see that several more of these drones seemed to be surrounding them high in the sky.

"Wha…What do you mean?" Caswell stammered.

In response the robed figure lifted a computerized gauntlet and typed in a series of commands. Caswell's pad began to beep and its display screen began to show new and different map images one after another before it showed the Seal of Orichalcos and then overloaded, a small explosion later and the screen when dead.

In truth ever since they had left Drake, the group had been following a false map and had been herded here like sheep.

"So you're with New Order too then?" Yuma questioned as he stood forward. He wouldn't let this guy lay a finger on his friends, no matter who he was.

"Affirmative." Replied the robed figure who was in fact Proteus, New Orders Gold General.

"So what? You here to duel? Bring it! I'm not afraid of you, lets Jet!"

"I am not your opponent. He is." Proteus stated.

"Arrgh… Yu..ma…Argh" Tori weakly cried out.

"Tori!"

Turning around Yuma was shock at what he was seeing, at the sight of his best friend Bronk having Tori in a powerful grip slowly crushing her neck in a choke hold.

"What are you doing!?" Caswell shrieked.

"Let her go Bronk! Are you crazy!" demanded Cathy.

Yuma's friends tried to approach the pair but stopped as Bronk threatened them by increasing the pressure on Tori's neck causing her to gasp out. Unable to breath and helpless to resist against his superior strength.

"Bronk…"

"Yuma be careful!" Astral warned.

"…Duel me Yuma…" Bronk said, his voice cold and his eyes holding a hint of madness.

"What...what have you done to him!?!?" Yuma demanded of the robed man. Even a fool would be able to figure out that New Order was somehow responsible for this sinister turn of events.

"Nothing personally, you can thank Silver for this. Now complete your mission." Said Proteus, speaking the last as a command to Bronk.

In truth Proteus found Hals methods, excessive and wasteful, fuelled by his ego. Proteus had long ago abandoned most of his human emotion, favouring the cold hard logic and reason of machines over such chaotic and destructive feelings.

But he still had a sense of admiration for the Silver Generals methods.

In order to ensure the capture of the Original Number, the emissary of Astral World, a lot of effort had been made for this plan. First they had targeted the Original Number's host, Yuma's, closest friend and kidnaped him.

Using hostage negotiation with the family as a cover they had kept this fact from city security and the boy's friends for the past few days while Hal had worked his own brand of expertise to break down the boy's identity through the use of physiological tactics, drug therapy and a little magic. Then he had been rebuilt into a loyal and obedient tool of New Order while refining the child's duelling skills and deck for the task at hand. For this moment.

"…Duel me Yuma…" Bronk demand once more, the threat to Tori should Yuma refuse was loud and clear.

"But…"

"Yuma we have no choice, we must duel him." Astral said.

"Your right… Fine, lets duel!"

The two friends engaged their Duel Disks and Duel Gazers as Proteus, and through the monitoring drones, Hal and the Orichalcos King, looked on.

[Turn 1 - Bronk LP:4000 Hand:5, Yuma LP:4000 Hand 5]

Although he loosened his grip slightly Bronk still kept a hold on Tori with his arm around her neck as the duel started, she was his shield and insurance that Yuma wouldn't back out of the duel.

"My move… I draw. I summon <Yellow Gadget>, when this card is summoned I add a <Green Gadget> to my hand." Bronk's voice was cold and hard, lacking all emotion.

[Yellow Gadget – Lv4 ATK:1200/DEF:1200]

The yellow robotic warrior with what seemed like a large gear split in half on its back materialised on the field, its mono eye fixed on Yuma. Yuma didn't recognise this monster, Bronk had never used such a card in his deck before.

"I activate… the spell <Machine Assembly Line>, this continuous spell increases all my machines ATK by 200."

Behind Bronk rose a collection of automated production line machines, a robotic arm picking up a powerpack from a bin and attaching it to Bronk's monster.

[Yellow Gadget – ATK:1200 > 1400]

A cruel smile appeared on Bronk's lips and a hint of excitement seemed to creep into his voice.

"I set a face down card. Next I play <The Seal of Orichalcos>!" Bronk cried as he pushed Tori away from himself. Her purpose was done and there was no escape for Yuma now.

Yuma was shocked as the mystical green Seal spread across the field, he knew what the Seal represented, what it meant. About its cruel powers that it would steal the soul of the loser of the duel. How had this happened? Why had this happened? It felt like the world he knew was going mad! Bronk was his best friend! So why?!

Astral cried out in pain as the power of the Seal blasted him, and Tori, outside its area of coverage. Small currents of green lightning illuminating his figure for everyone to see as he lay helpless on the floor.

"No! it can't be true! Why are you doing this… Bronk!"

The mark of the Seal formed on Bronk's forehead, its wicked glow a match for the madness in his eyes. And a similar mark appeared on his monsters head turning its eye red and infusing it with an addition 500 ATK.

[Yellow Gadget – ATK:1400 > 1900]

Bronk ignored Yuma's question. It did not matter, nothing mattered to him now. Nothing save his mission and the glory of the Great Beast, the triumph of New Order. And for that he would claim his former friends soul.

"Turn end."

[Turn 2 - Yuma LP:4000 Hand 5, Bronk LP:4000 Hand:3]

"I…I draw."

His thoughts were racing all over the place, but he needed to get a grip and duel for both their sakes.

*SLAP*

Giving himself a hard slap to his face he tried to clear his head. He didn't know how, but he had to find a way to save the both of them. But it would be hard without Astral who seemed to be out cold. Yuma tried to recall the information Drake had shared with him about the Seal. But not only did he need to find a way to keep both their souls, he also needed to find a way to bring Bronk back to his senses. Maybe he could bash some sense back into that hard head of his.

"I summon <Gogogo Golem>"

[Gogogo Golem – Lv4 ATK:1800/DEF:1500]

"But that's not all, I will trade in my golem for new shine gold version, here comes <Gogogo Golem – Golden Form>. Its attack is double my original golems, making it 3600!"

[Gogogo Golem – Golden Form – Lv4 ATK:3600/DEF:1500]

Gogogo Golems rough grey and blue armour shifted and expanded as it transmuted into golden metal plates, a brilliant red core was exposed at its chest as its form becoming taller and sleeker compared to its original blocky body.

"Now attack Yellow Gadget my Golden Golem!"

[GGGF ATK:3600 > YG ATK:1900 - Bronk LP > 3150 (1700/2 = 850)]

Yuma's monster smashed down with its golden fists, blasting Yellow Gadget into scrap metal and sending a shockwave right into Bronk.

"Wake up Bronk! This isn't you! You aren't a part of New Order. We need to stop this duel before its too late!" Yuma pleaded.

"Its already too late, and your wrong. New Order is everything to me and I will prove it when I offer up your soul and the Original Number."

"Bronk… I won't give up! Because of my golems effect you only take half the battle damage you normally would take."

The machines behind Bronk began to whine and whirl as a giant magnet picked up the remains of his Gadget and dumped them into an open feed. A gauge on that machine moved up two positions.

"When a face up machine monster I control is destroyed I add two junk counters to my Machine Assembly Line" Bronk explained.

[Machine Assembly Line – Junk counters: 0 > 2]

"I set a card and end my turn"

[Turn 3 - Bronk LP:3150 Hand:3, Yuma LP:4000 Hand 3]

"I draw. I summon <Green Gadget> to the back row, its effect lets me add <Red Gadget> to my hand."

[Green Gadget – Lv4 ATK:1400>2100/DEF:600]

With the power of the Seal Bronk now had ability to summon his monsters to a second back row, and so long as a monster existed on his front row Yuma wouldn't be able to attack his back row monsters.

The green robot with several large gears on its shoulders and back entered the field and was infused with the seals power as his assembly line inserted a powerpack, but as Bronk went to add the Red Gadget from his deck to his hand Yuma's Golden golem fired off a red light from its core at Bronk's deck.

"My Golems effect activates once per turn when a monster you control activates its effect, by dropping my own monster ATK by 1500 your effect is negated." He explained.

[Gogogo Golem – Golden Form – ATK:3600 > 2100]

"I play <Iron Call> to return Yellow Gadget from the graveyard."

[Yellow Gadget – Lv4 ATK:1200 > 1900/DEF:1200]

Bronk's monster returned to the field on his back row, but due to his spell cards his monsters effects were negated, preventing Bronk from adding another Green Gadget to his hand.

"I activate my facedown, <Powerhold the Moving Battery> this trap becomes a monster on the front row then I can equip it with my <Gold Gadget> from my deck. When summoned this way my Powerhold gains ATK equal to twice the attack of the monster I just equipped to it, as well as a 500-point power boost from the Seal of Orichalcos and 200 from my Machine Assembly Line."

[Gold Gadget – Lv4 ATK:1700/DEF:800]

[Powerhold the Moving Battery – L4 ATK:0 > 4100/DEF:2000]

Bronks trap transformed itself into a giant black and silver robot with a massive cannon built into its right shoulder that took to the field. His Gold Gadget monster appeared and converted itself into a round golden gear inserting itself into Powerhold's central chest cavity as the machine assembly line inserted a powerpack into its back and the Seal appeared on its head filling its cyclops like eye with red light.

"Powerhold! Attack Yuma's Gogogo Golem with Power Cannon!"