Code 1: The Workshop
The heat wave had lasted almost two weeks and Yusei couldn't be happier about the mild temperatures that came with the summer rain. He could finally walk around with his jacked and gloves on without getting a heat stroke. Taking a stroll through the city felt nice. He considered it a stroll although he had a clear destination in mind. Crow had made quite a bit of cash from his recent deliveries and although Jack's talents mostly included spending said money, he had brought in some valuable information yesterday. According to someone he knew who knew someone who knew someone, whatever, there was a small workshop in the outskirts offering all-round services and spare parts for D-Wheels and all to an affordable price. With the WRPG closing in there were quite a few things Yusei wanted and desperately needed to work on. He would start with his own Duel Runner and transfer all transformations to the other two's D-Wheels once it worked. Using Crow's money he at last was able to try the modifications he had already planned out on his own D-Wheel for now.
Lifting his gaze it just so happened that the young man's eyes found their way to one of the big tournament's posters. Confidently, he smiled to himself at the sight of the colourful advertisement on the monochrome concrete wall. They could do it, no doubt. They would build the fastest D-Wheel the world had ever seen.
Focusing back on the road ahead Yusei made his way down the street, a list of all the parts he needed in his pocket. He had been warned not to expect too much of the workshop, since they also offered many other services around duelling and motorbikes. Also, they definitely didn't belong to the upper class, but it was a secret tip among the lower class duellists.
A single drop of rain landed on the ex-satellite's cheek. It reminded him that going with his D-Wheel might have been the better option considering he needed to carry everything back to their place. Still, for some reason it felt good catching fresh air, walking through the streets and letting his mind wander off. The sound of the raindrops splashing against the walls and windows was calming, almost nostalgic. It reminded him of the days he spent at Martha's as a kid, just watching out of the window and dreaming of a life as duelist, not letting Crow's and Jack's friendly dispute get to him.
It didn't take him long to find the workshop, it looked just as described. The buildings in this area weren't as tall as in the centre of the city, still this one stood out. It was small, only a few stories high. The lowest level consisted of one big, scratched shop window. The concrete walls looked a little shabby, but the matte glass door was clean. Big golden letters on the shop window declared without controversy that this indeed was the right place. Yusei ignored the boxes of junk right beside the door and entered. A small bell above the glass door chimed. Immediately, a tall man with broad shoulders and short blonde stubbles on top of head sprinted across the corner. A wide grin spread across his edged face. Happily he chanted, "Welcome to Oscar's workshop! I'm Oscar, owner of this little baby. How can I help you, young man?"
Yusei slowly crossed the tiny hall to get to the shop counter. Two machines, mostly likely exhibits, stood at the middle, metal shining like they had been polished mere minutes before. A few scuffed but comfortable looking armchairs lines the right side of the room, backs turned to the glass of the shop window. An elderly man sat there, looking quite peacefully with his magazine, not giving away if he even registered Yusei's arrival. Finishing his observation he turned to the owner on the other side of the counter.
"I'm looking for some spare parts for my D-Wheel," he informed him. Oscar nodded.
"You came to the right place. Just a moment, I'll get you one of our experts." The man didn't even wait for Yusei to react, he vanished in the back of the shop. Silence found its way around the small hall, only broken by metal being milled, nails being banged and people shouting incomprehensible words trying to drown out the noise. After a minute or two Yusei got a little impatient. He turned his head to the opposite wall, taking a closer look at the various blueprints hanging there. They preoccupied his mind enough, he didn't register the head popping up on the other side of the shop counter. A soft 'scuse me drove his attention back to the newly arrived person. A girl with a bright orange fluffy pigtail cleared her throat. She didn't seem to mind the black motor oil smeared all over her face, instead just asked him "What can I do for you?"
"You're the D-Wheel expert?" Yusei wanted to know. The girl narrowed her eyes.
"Yeah, one of them. Girls can do that." She lifted her chin and bore him with a challenging look in her eyes. Yusei began waving his hands at once in defence. "That's not what I -"
A wide grin spread across the girl's face. "Don't worry, I'm just messing with you. What do you need?" Although reassuring him she wouldn't take it personally, she still eyed him suspiciously. After a short pause Yusei decided to ignore it and just handed her his list, "Do you have any of these?"
Upon receiving the list, the girl scratched her chin, slowly nodding. "Commutator and laminations: check. For the rotor, which size would it be?"
"A33," he replied. The girl nodded again. "We should have some of those. But I'm not so sure about the shock absorber parts, I think we just sold the last ones... Let me check and make yourself comfortable, it will take a few minutes. If anyone shows up, tell them Claire is handling things. That's me, by the way. And you would be...?"
"Fudo Yusei."
"Well, I'll be right back, Fudo-san." She waved at him before disappearing around the same corner as Oscar a few minutes before. Yusei turned his attention back to the blueprints, examining them more closely. He took a good look at all of them but got caught on a D-Wheel. It was a standard hybrid model, not much different from his own, custom built duel runner. He began inspecting the design a little closer, as the old man rose from his arm chair right beside Yusei.
"A duellist?" he guessed. Yusei eyed him warily but nodded. Something about this man struck him unusual. He decided to let it slide for the moment, since he somehow reminded him of Yanagi.
"Let's have a duel!" the old man exclaimed a little too excited. The challenge caught him completely off guard. It was a very obvious request, considering his previous question and yet not what Yusei had expected. He wasn't sure how to react at first. Of course he would never turn down a duel, however, he didn't have time for this. He needed to get to work as soon as possible if he wanted to finish his D-Wheel in time. Which was also the reason he kind of forgot his duel disk at home. His decks were safely strapped to his belt but they weren't much of use unless the old man insisted on duelling the old way. Yusei was on the verge of explaining the situation when someone came to his aid, "Cut it out, gramps! Didn't I tell you to stop harassing our customers?"
The old man pouted in disappointment. He scowled at the girl named Claire who's return had had been undetected. She simply shook her head and heaved a big box on top of the counter. She began lining up different things while Yusei assured the old man he wouldn't forget about the challenge before joining her. He found almost all the things he had asked for neatly arranged in the exact order of his list. With a motion of her hands Claire demanded him to take a closer look, so Yusei did.
"I'm sorry about the shock absorber, we only have one left and it's broken, Oscar won't let me give it away, not even for free. We already ordered a new load yesterday, though. If you're lucky it should be in by the end of the week. Is everything else to your satisfaction, Fudo-san?"
Yusei wasn't used being addressed so politely. He finished examining the pieces and approved with a nod. "That will do. How much is it?" As it turned out, Yusei was grateful Oscar's workshop was out of shock absorbers. Crow's money was just enough to pay for the few parts lying in front of him. Even so he didn't dare to complain, he got what he needed. Stuff he would have to pay twice or three times as much for in another workshop he had found a few days ago. Also, his old absorber wasn't fully worn down yet, so this was the least of his problems at the moment. With some effort he could just build another one from junk as he did before. With these thoughts in mind he grabbed the box which was heavier than expected and left the shop, pleased about the fact he was finally able to get to work.
Yusei had long left the shop but Claire still stared at the glass door, waiting for the bell above to stop ringing. The old man back in his armchair watched her in amusement, a mischievous grin on his face. It took the girl a while to register his stare. "That was Fudo Yusei, Satellite's rising star, wasn't it, Usaku-san?"
The old man just giggled. "Claire-chan, shouldn't you get to work again?"
Claire banged her hand on the wooden counter. "Do you even know who he is?! He beat the shit out of the King, Jack Atlas! He's probably the best duelist in town! I just sold some of our junk to one of my idols! Let me enjoy the moment."
Old Usaku's giggles only intensified. "Didn't know you wanted to be a duelist again."
"I don't! Sit down and shut up, you useless old fart. I'm going back to work." Claire snorted and whirled around. She wasn't in the mood for Usaku's craziness at the moment, she already was way behind with her work.
"And by the way," she heard him shout from behind, "you got dirt all over your face!"
"WHY DID'T YOU TELL ME SOONER YOU LIL' DIPSHIT?!"
A/N: Shoutout to wikipedia, I have no idea what I'm doing. I need advice on constructing decks and writing intense duels... I'm a terrible duellist.