"Hey Josh! I've found something!" I look up from the trash heap I'd been pawing through, and see Dan waving his arms in the air trying to get my attention. "Come on! You're gonna love this!" I sigh and get up, dusting off my knees. "What could possibly be so great-?" I say as I walk over and my voice catches in my throat. "No way…. They couldn't be that stupid!" I say running over as fast as I can. I don't believe my eyes. Sitting in front of me is the remains of an old D-Wheel frame, almost completely intact. Of course it had already been stripped for parts, but the fact that the frame was all in one piece was amazing in and of itself. "Looks like Lady Luck is finally smiling upon us huh man?!" Dan says, clapping me on the shoulder. "Yeah, but who are you gonna get to ride it? I know you sure as hell can't ride for shit." I say looking over at him. Dan gives me a knowing look and his signature, devilish grin. "No. No, no no no no no no no no. I am not doing that again! Especially not after what happened to the others!"

That was six months ago. And things were different then. But now? Now I ride to save the ones closest to me. I'm riding for New domino City! Now before I get ahead of myself, I should introduce myself. My name is Joshua Maverick. And this is the story of how me and my friends managed to save the world from certain destruction. But I suppose I should explain a few things first. It's been 10 years since Yusei led the signers in the battle against the dark signers. In that time, the world has found peace once more, and more people than ever flocked to the turbo circuits just to try and catch a glimpse of their heroes. But something happened that no one, not even Yusei Fudo, could have ever predicted. The Dark Signers reincarnated 5 thousand years too early. The new Dark Signers were ruthless and hunted down the old Signers, defeating them and taking their Signer Dragons as trophies. The only survivors were Jack, Yusei, and Akiza. In light of the new threat, the Crimson Dragon once more returned to this world and chose a new generation of Signers, tasking the Old Signers with seeking out and training the new generation. When Jack and Yusei found me, I was barely surviving day to day, fighting in a underground dueling ring to make ends meet. They took me in, and showed me how to use my power, they even taught me how to Turbo Duel. If it weren't for them, I'd still be there now. But just when they thought they were safe, a Dark Signer showed up and challenged them. They were both wiped out in a matter of minutes. I barely managed to escape before he caught me, forcing me to flee deeper into the B.A.D. Area, all the way to the site of the old Ener-D reactor. After that, things went from bad to worse. The Dark Signers essentially took over the entire city, holding everyone hostage until they could find the signers and eliminate them. Thanks to some of my old buddies, I was able to hide out and keep my head low, waiting for the right time to come out of hiding, but a few days ago, my best friend Dan went missing and I received an ominous message saying to come to New Domino City if I ever wanted to see him again. And yeah, that's pretty much everything that you need to know for now, so I guess you're up to speed.

But anyway, back to the present. I managed to make my way into the city, avoiding Sector Security the entire time, but I have no idea what to do next. The note only said to come to New Domino City, it never told me where to go next! I had arrived in the middle of the night, so there weren't all that many people around at least. I sigh in frustration as I park my D-Wheel in an alleyway, making sure to lock it's controls so that only my duel disk could activate it. "Damn it, this is such a pain in the ass! I need to find a place to hideout while I'm here." I shove my duel disk into my travel bag and peek around the corner, making sure the coast is clear before I exit the alley. "Fuck, I don't even know where I'm going. If only I had a map or something." I say to myself. As I round the corner, I run face first into a girl who just so happened to walking around the corner just as I was. "Owwwwww!" She moans, sitting up. "What was that for?" I rub my forehead and sit up as well. "What do you mean what was that for, you ran into me!" I say, leaning over and grabbing my duel disk, which had fallen out in the collision. "I ran into you?! Oh please, you couldn't see ten feet in front of you if your eyes were taped open!" She stands up, brushing herself off. "What's your problem anyway?" She asks, glaring down at me. "What's my problem?! I'm not the one with a problem here! You're the one making a big deal out of nothing!" I say as I stand up. "Whatever, I don't have time for this. I need to get home." She walks off, turning down the alley I just came from. "This is why I don't like the city folks, so damn disrespectful." I say, about to walk away. Suddenly, I hear a scream ring out from behind me. Trusting my instincts, I turn back and round the corner, where I see the girl I ran into moments ago being held in the air by her throat by a tall man clad in a black robe. "Be quiet girly, or you'll suffer some more! We know you have it, so give it up already, and I may let you go!" I sigh as I walk towards the scene, wondering to myself why these sort of things always happen to me. "Excuse me, but I don't think that's any way to treat a lady, even one as rude as her." I remark as I step into the light provided by the streetlamp. The man turns to look at me, his face hidden in shadow. "Just who the hell are you? Ah, it doesn't matter. Beat it kid, before I beat some sense into you." He threatens. "Oh, I'm so scared of the man who's showing off his strength by beating up a small, defenseless little girl. I'm shaking in my non-existent boots." I reply in a mocking tone. "Why you little-! That's it, the girl comes second then! First I'm going to have to teach you to mind your own business it seems!" He says, pulling his arm out from underneath his robe, revealing a duel disk. He throws the girl against the wall, and she curls up into a ball upon impact, presumably unconscious. "Bring it on tough guy!" I say activating my own duel disk, as it whirs to life. "Let's duel!" We say in unison.

"This won't be your average run of the mill duel kid, this is going to be a Shadow Duel! The robed man shouts as he throws his arm up into the air, making a fist. Purple fire springs to life, creating a circle around us. At that moment, the mark on my left arm begins to burn painfully, but I keep the glowing covered with my jacket. "First of all, I'm not a kid, I'm 20 years old. Second of all, real scary, with your purple fire there. What, was the red fire from hell already reserved for someone else?" I say with a smirk. "Joke all you want brat, but as it is, you're in a dangerous situation. Because if you lose this duel, you lose your soul as well! AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAA!" He laughs maniacally. I raise my eyebrow in skepticism. "Really? That's it? For a second there I thought you were gonna say something actually intimidating like, If you lose this duel, the girl will die!" He stares at me for a moment. "Are you mocking me?" He growls with growing anger. "Ding ding ding, give the man a silver dollar so he can go buy some clothes that don't look like they're ripped off a cultist's dead body!" I say laughing. "Losing your soul is a very serious matter, definitely not something you should take lightly!" He shouts at me, in complete and utter frustration with me. "Sure, not like anyone has ever recovered from having their soul taken before. Don't you remember what happened with the dark signers 10 years ago pal? They sacrificed souls to revive their Earthbound Immortals, but all those people came right back once they were defeated. It's really over rated at this point." I say nonchalantly. "To hell with this, Let's get this started already! I'll take the first turn! From my hand I summon Lancer Lindwurm in attack position! (Atk: 1800, Def: 1200) I now set 3 cards face down and end my turn!"

I let out a sigh of disappointment as he ends his turn. Truth be told, I'd been hoping for more of a challenge. "Guess that means it's my turn then. I draw! From my hand, I normal summon Junk Changer! (Atk: 1500, Def: 900) His effect now activates! When Junk Changer is normal or special summoned, I can increase or reduce the level of one 'Junk' monster I control by 1! I increase Junk Changer's level to 4! Next from my hand I special summon Junk Servant in defense mode! (Atk: 1500, Def: 1000) When I control a 'Junk' monster, I'm allowed to special summon him from my hand! I now tune together my level 4 Junk Changer and level 4 Junk Servant to Synchro Summon!" I close my eyes for a moment, my mind drifting back through memories of when Jack and Yusei found me, all beat up, covered in dirt and blood. I remember how they accepted me as if I were their long lost brother, treating me with kindness when all I had known before was hardship. With these cards they gave me, I wasn't going to let myself lose until I had avenged them by defeating the Dark Signers! "Clustering stars shatter into a million dreams of innocent souls! Appear now to protect what is right, and destroy all that is wrong with the power of the falling star! SYNCHRO SUMMON! TAKE FLIGHT, STARDUST DRAGON!" A burst of bright white light fills the field as Stardust flies out of the ground, giving a tremendous roar of power as he settles back onto the field. "Impossible! That card should be in the possession of the master! HOW DID YOU COME BY THAT CARD?!" The robed man shouts, very clearly enraged by the sight in front of him. In response, I pull back my jacket's sleeve, revealing the glowing mark of the dragon's head on my arm. "I am Joshua Maverick, one of the New Signers! When this duel is over, I'll send you back to your masters so that you can tell them just one thing: That I am coming for them, and there is nothing they can do to stop me. Now Battle! Stardust Dragon, attack Lancer Lindwurm!" Stardust flies forward, extending it's claws as it prepared to strike. "Not so fast, I activate the trap card Negate Attack! This stops your attack and ends the battle phase for this turn!" I grunt in annoyance. "I set 2 cards face down and end my turn!"

"Then it's my turn now signer scum! I draw! I activate the trap card Dragon's Rebirth! When this card is activated, I can banish 1 dragon type monster I control, and special summon another from my hand or graveyard! So using its effect, I banish Lancer Lindwurm, and special summon Tyrant Dragon from my hand in attack mode! (Atk: 2900, Def: 2500) Now to battle, Tyrant Dragon attacks Stardust Dragon!" The two dragons roar in unison as they barrel towards each other, clashing in midair. "I activate my quick play spell Cosmic Flare! Any monster that battles a 'Stardust' monster I control is shuffled back into the deck at the beginning of the damage step, meaning that Stardust Dragon lives to fight another day!" Stardust Dragon roars in triumph as the Tyrant Dragon fades from the field. "Damn it! I end my turn!"

"Then it's my turn now! Draw! From my hand I activate the Spell card Tuning! This allows me to add 1 'Synchron' tuner from my deck to my hand, then send the top card of my deck to the graveyard! I add Junk Synchron to my hand!" I look down to see what card got sent to my graveyard, and I can't help myself as a smile worms it's way onto my face. Jack and Yusei must be looking out for me, wherever they were now. "I normal summon Junk Synchron from my hand! (Atk: 1300, Def: 500) His effect activates! When Junk Synchron is normal summoned, I can target 1 level 2 or lower monster in my graveyard and special summon it in defense mode, but it's effects are negated! I special summon Speed Warrior from my graveyard in defense mode! (Atk: 900, Def: 400) Now using my level 3 Junk Synchron and my level 2 Speed Warrior, I Synchro Summon once more! Appear Level 5, Junk Warrior!" (Atk: 2300, Def: 1300) With only 1 card left on his field, and Stardust Dragon on mine, I'm confident I can win this right now. "Battle! Junk Warrior, attack him directly! SCRAP FIST!" The robed man bursts out laughing. "You fool! I won't die so easily! I activate my trap card Sakuretsu Armor! I target the attacking monster and destroy it!" I smirk in amusement. "Not so fast, I activate Stardust Dragon's effect! When a card I control would be destroyed, I can negate that cards destruction by tributing Stardust Dragon!" Stardust lets out a sorrowful cry as it disappears in a cloud of glittering dust. "Now take Junk Warriors attack head on you coward!" (Robed man LP: 1700) The robed man cries out in pain as Junk Warrior's fist slams into him, flinging him backwards against the wall of flames, which was surprisingly solid and kept him inside. "With that I end my turn, and because I used Stardust Dragon's effect, he returns to my field at the end of the turn!" With another, much smaller burst of light, Stardust Dragon returns to my field with a proud cry.

The robed man struggles to his feet as he prepares to draw a card. "Master, give me your strength to defeat this foolish mortal!" For a few moments, nothing is done. We simply stand there, the sounds of the fire burning and crackling around us filling the empty space with sound. Then out of nowhere, purple mist begins to gather at the robed man's feet, slowly rising up and engulfing him. The man flails around in panic, crying out for help from his master, but the purple mist proceeds unhindered, until it has entered every crevice of the man's body. The robed man falls silent, then begins to laugh again, but his voice sounds different. "Well, well, well, I guess if you want something done right, YOU HAVE TO DO IT YOURSELF!" The man looks up at me, and through the shadows that hide his face, I see two glowing purple eyes staring back at me. "Hello there signer! I see you got my little invitation! And here I was beginning to think you didn't care about this poor young man at all. Ah, but here you are nonetheless, about to lose your soul as a sacrifice to the King of the Underworld, just like all the rest of your friends!" The man laughs maniacally, his voice coming out high pitched and annoying. "Keep talking you piece of trash, when I finish up here I'm coming to find you and get my friends back!" I say, gritting my teeth. "Awww, what's the matter? Did the little signer get angry because I kidnapped his little friends? How sad!" The man says giggling uncontrollably. "Just make your move already so I can end this facade you bastard!" I seriously just want to go over there and punch him in the face. "Ah ah ah, patience, I want to savor this moment! But then again, there is no point in delaying the inevitable. If you wish to die sooner rather than later, I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO ARRANGE THAT! I DRAW! I set 3 cards and end my turn! Attack me at your own risk you foolish mortal!" He laughs again.

I clench my fist as I force myself to try and stay calm. I can't afford to let his words get under my skin. "It's my move creep, I draw!" I look down at my hand in dismay, seeing only 2 low level monsters and 1 spell card that was useless in this situation. I had no choice but to try and attack, and simply hope that he was bluffing. But something deep down inside me told me that he wasn't. "It's time to battle! Stardust Dragon, Attack him Directly and end this duel! COSMIC FLARE!" Stardust begins charging up energy in it's mouth before releasing it all in a single destructive stream. "Now you've gone and done it! I activate my trap card, Dimensional Prison! When my opponent declares an attack, I can target your monster and banish it!" He screeches in delight. "What?! NO, STARDUST!" I look up in horror as I see Stardust disappearing in another cloud of glittering stardust. I look back at my opponent, my vision turning red. "Junk Warrior, attack him directly! SCRAP FIST!" The robed man only laughs harder. "You never learn! I activate the trap card Dimension Wall! Now you'll take the damage instead of me!" He shouts with glee. I scream in pain as Junk Warrior turns around and punches me instead, knocking me backwards into the wall of purple fire. (Josh's LP: 1700) I feel my back begin to burn as soon as I touch the flames, but the feeling soon fades as I fall back to the ground. The robed man screeches with laughter, clutching at his sides as though he were in pain from laughing so much. "Had enough yet little boy? Or are you gonna man up and try again so that your soul will be an even more delicious sacrifice to our king?!" He asks, before going back to his 'evil laugh'. I lay there on the ground for a moment, tears welling up in the corners of my eyes, as a sense of hopelessness sinks in. Who was I kidding? I was barely an adult, trying to take on the most powerful beings in the known world! Had I really expected to win against them? As these thoughts floated through my mind, I realized something else. The girl. If I failed here, who knows what they would do to her. I wasn't about to stand by and let an innocent person get dragged into this vendetta of mine and get hurt as a result of it. I forced myself to my knees before slowly standing back up, gasping for breath. "It's….not….over yet." I gasp, clutching my side in pain. "Ohhh, I just love it when they put up a fight! This might just be fun after all!" The robed man squeals with joy. "I end my turn" I say, preparing myself for whatever comes next.

"My turn then! DRAAAAAAAAW!" He sings it as though it were an opera. "From my hand, I normal summon Blizzard Dragon! (Atk: 1800, Def: 1000) Next I activate the effect of Destrudo the Lost Dragon's Frisson from my hand! When this card is in my hand or graveyard, I can pay half my life points and target 1 level 6 or lower dragon type monster I control, and special summon this card by reducing it's level by the same amount as the targeted monster! (Robed man LP: 850) I target my Blizzard Dragon and lower Destrudo's level by 4, making it into a level 3! (Atk: 1000, Def: 3000) Now it's my turn to have some fun with you signer! I tune together my Level 3 Destrudo the Lost Dragon's Frisson with my Level 4 Blizzard Dragon to Synchro Summon! Appear Level 7, Exploder Dragonwing! (Atk: 2400, Def: 1600) Now to end this duel and offer up your soul to our king! Battle! Exploder Dragonwing attacks Junk Warrior and activates its effect! When it battles a monster whose attack points are equal to its own, or lower, it can immediately destroy that monster and inflict damage to you equal to that monster's attack points! Now prepare to die signer trash!" He screeches with laughter as his dragon flies towards my monster, preparing to deliver the final blow. "Not so fast creep, I still have 1 card left on my field to save me! Trap card open! Scrap Iron Scarecrow! When a monster my opponent controls declares an attack, I can target that monster and negate the attack! Then I set this card back on the field instead of sending it to the graveyard!" His exploder dragonwing begins to lose momentum and turns back around, landing in front of it's master again. "NO! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DIE! DIEEEE! YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO LIVE!" The robed man says, stamping his foot angrily. "Just die already!" I grin in satisfaction at seeing my once so cocky and confident opponent now losing his cool. "No thanks, I've got things that I still need to do in this world, people to avenge, a world to save, you know, the important stuff." He glares at me in obvious anger. "In that case I end my turn! Not as if you can do anything about your fate as it is anyway! All you've done is prolong the inevitable!"

"It's my turn now, and this draw will decide it all! I draw!" I look down at the card and see my Dark Resonator staring back at me. "Jack….Yusei….Watch me. This is my first step towards avenging you and saving the world." I look back at my opponent, feeling a fire burn through my soul hotter than the flames that surrounded me. "From my hand I normal summon Dark Resonator! (Atk: 1300, Def: 300) Now I tune together my Level 3 Dark Resonator with my Level 5 Junk Warrior to Synchro Summon once more! The heart of the king lives on in the soul of the Red Demon! Come forth and shake the heavens with your awesome power! RED DRAGON ARCHFIEND!" A pillar of fire erupts in the center of the field, two gleaming red eyes shining through the flames, before a sudden gust of wind disperses the flames, my new dragon roaring with power and rage. (Atk: 3000, Def: 2000) The mark on my arm begins to glow even brighter than before, increasing the pain from the burning sensation with it, but I push through it. "With the power of two of the strongest signers, I will defeat you here and now! From my hand I activate the spell card, Stamping Destruction! When I control a Dragon type monster, I can destroy a Spell/Trap card my opponent controls, and inflict 500 points of damage!" Red Dragon Archfiend extends its claws then strikes the ground, lines of red shooting out towards my opponent's only remaining face down card, making quick work of it. (Robed Man LP: 350) "It's time to battle! Red Dragon Archfiend, Attack Exploder Dragonwing! ABSOLUTE POWER FORCE!" Red Dragon Archfiends fist becomes encased in a dark red blaze, as he lets loose a terrifying roar and flies forward, slamming into Exploder Dragonwing, smashing it to pieces in the process. "No! Grrrrr, damn you signer! I'll get you for this! Mark my words, I won't forget this defeat! I will make you suffer for all eternity for this!" He screams, as his life points drop to zero. (Robed Man LP: 0)

"Finally, that's over and done with." I say with satisfaction. The robed man lies motionless on the ground in front of me, his body slowly withering away. As soon as his life points dropped to zero, the purple flames had vanished, leaving me once more in the dark. "I should probably get out of here before Sector Security arrives, no way someone didn't hear all that screaming and laughter, not to mention the Dragon's roars." I say to myself out loud. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a flicker of movement, and I remember the girl. "Ah shit!" I say rushing over to her, crouching down next to her. "Hey, Hey! Are you alright?" I ask, shaking her gently in an attempt to get her to wake up. Her eyes flutter for a moment, before opening slowly.

Her eyes were unfocused, as if looking at something distant. She looks around, her eyes eventually wandering over to me, upon which they immediately sharpen and a moment later I feel a stinging pain on the side of my face. "Get away from me you creep!" She says with a terrified look on her face as she recoils from my touch. I massage the spot where she slapped me, giving her an annoyed look. "Really? This is the thanks I get after saving you from that guy? Talk about ungrateful, you city people really are the worst aren't you?" Her eyes narrow at that comment. "Excuse me?! At least I'm not the one going around insulting people based on where they were born!" She says with a huff. Sensing that this was getting us nowhere, I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, doing my best to put on a friendly face. "Look, we started off on the wrong foot, why don't we start over?" I extend my arm, offering her my hand. "My name is Joshua, what's yours?" I say smiling. The girl looks down at my hand warily, then looks back up at me, her body relaxing a little bit at the realization that I don't intend to hurt her. She reaches out and takes my hand. "Audrey, my name is Audrey." She says looking me dead in the eye.

Suddenly the mark on my arm begins to burn again, the pain even more intense than during my duel earlier. Audrey let's out a small gasp as she retracts her hand and clutches at her arm as well. For a moment, I think that my eyes are simply playing tricks on me, but the pain in my arm indicates otherwise. Even though she tries her hardest to cover it up, through her fingers I'm able to see bits of red light shining through. "Damn it, not again! You, what did you just do to me?!" She looks at me accusingly. "Me?! I didn't do anything! If anyone should be asking that question, it should be me!" I say revealing the bright red, glowing mark of the dragon's head on my arm. Her eyes widen in surprise, and slowly, she removes her hand, revealing the mark of the dragon's claw on her arm. "So…." I say, trying to break the awkward silence. "How long have you had that?" I say in a joking manner, pointing at the mark on her arm. Out of habit, she quickly tries to cover it up again. "Not long, it appeared a few months ago. I was at school when it happened, scared the hell out of my teacher's, nearly called my foster mother right then and there." She replies, looking extremely uncomfortable. Her eyes shift over to my mark, and I make no effort to hide it. "And you? When did you get yours?" She asks cautiously. "I was dueling in an underground dueling ring, just trying to make ends meet, and just as my opponent was about to finish me off, a bright red light flashed in front of me, and everything went still. Next thing I know, I have this glowing red mark on my arm that hurt so bad I felt like I was gonna throw up from the pain. I ended up passing out shortly after, and was rushed to what passes for a hospital in The Satellite." For the first time since we met, I think we understood each other, each of us having experienced something similar to the other's unfortunate situation.

Minutes pass, as we stand there in silent understanding. I use the opportunity to study her a little. She wore a school uniform, one of the really fancy ones from the big shot duel academies, and in my unbiased opinion, it looked good on her. Even if the skirt was a little short. Her hair was a pale red, but her eyes were the color of emeralds. She was slightly shorter than me, so I guessed that she was probably only a little younger than me. Seeing as I'm 20 years old, and most duel academy's graduate their students around the age of 19, it was safe to assume that she was probably in her final year of school. Finally Audrey breaks the silence. "So, you mentioned The Satellite? I'll go ahead and venture a guess that's where you're from right?" I nod my head, confirming what she had just guessed at. "If that's the case, then why try and get into the city? I've heard rumors that The Satellite was a safe haven for the people who wanted to get away from the Dark Signers. So why leave it?" She asks curiously. I look away for a moment, not really sure about where to look right now. "The Satellite is anything but safe. It's true the Dark Signers don't have as much control over it as they do here in the city, but they still control it nonetheless. I've been in hiding for the past year, and probably still would be if they hadn't forced me to come out." Out of the corner of my eye, I see her give me a confused look. I let out a small sigh. "A few days ago, one of my friends went missing. It's not really uncommon for people to go missing in The Satellite anymore, so I didn't think much of it at first. Then a few days after he disappeared, I received an anonymous letter, stating that he was being held by the Dark Signers as a hostage, and that if I wanted to save him I needed to go to New Domino City." I explain to her. She nods in understanding. "I see, so you're here looking for your friend then? What does he look like, maybe I can help?" She offers. "He's about 6'1, so he's rather hard to miss. He's got black hair with a purple streak going straight down the middle and blue eyes, and he has a yellow scar in the shape of a bolt of lightning on his right cheek." I say. "You're right, that is pretty hard to miss. Sorry to say it, but I haven't seen anyone around here recently who would fit that description. I can try asking a few of my friends from school to keep an eye out for him, but other than that I'm not sure I can do anything else without making it obvious what I'm doing." She says.

"That's more than enough. Well, I should probably get going. There's a lot of ground to cover here in the city, and time is of the essence." I say, turning to leave. I freeze a moment later as I hear sirens approaching and remember that Sector Security was supposed to have been on their way. "Shit, it's security!" I swear as I make a run for my D-wheel. "Come on, we don't have a lot of time, we've gotta get out of here!" I say, tossing Audrey a helmet. She catches it, surprised but she nods in compliance and climbs on behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist. I start the engine and rev it up a bit before pulling away from the alley at blinding speeds as we began our desperate escape from Security.

To be continued...