Chapter 1: A New Threat: Part 1
Space. The sun comes into view over the new moon and shines toward the Earth. As the shine moves toward the Earth, a rectangular object flies past, on its way to plunge into the atmosphere and become a strangely-shaped meteorite. It burns in the atmosphere, plunging straight downward, glowing with heat, but not melting or changing its rectangular shape. The stone appears sort of marbled.
A shining yellow infinity symbol glows in the darkness, rotates vertically to a figure-eight, and then...
Fades into a landscape view of what must be one of many new bridges crisscrossing New Domino's ocean expanse. This one is center pieced with a large golden arch shaped like an upside-down teardrop, such that when it reflects on the water before it, it creates an infinity symbol. "It had been six months since our battle with the Dark Signers, and in that time, New Domino City had received..." Sakura thinks to herself, in voice-over.
Construction cranes work on buildings, with facades of crisp new cement. If this area was once Satellite, you can barely tell. There's another new road, with curved sides perfect for duel runners, arcing up past it. "...A bit of a facelift. The divide between City and Satellite was no more, and even more importantly, so was the tension between the two people from each of those districts." Sakura thinks to herself, in voice-over.
New Domino's freeways are prolific, but also beautiful. They cross each other and cross the sparkling ocean in every direction, with a steady stream, but not a flood, of vehicles. "For the first time in a long time, the future was finally beginning to look up..." Sakura thinks to herself, in voice-over. She's riding on one of these highways, the shimmering sea on her right side, expression intense, determined. "If only I had known the horror of what was to come. We saved the world once before, only now I wonder if our decks are strong enough to withstand this mysterious new threat." Sakura thinks to herself, in voice-over.
In the Security building in Domino, with the big satellite dish on top. Lazar's in a small, plain room, that might be his own office. Lazar's pacing, frantically. "I can't stand the pressure! It's too much to take!" Lazar thinks to himself. He slams his hands down on the tiny desk before continuing to pace back and forth, rapidly. "I'm going to crack! After all, it's not every day you meet your new boss, the boss of the whole city! The new Director! Ugh!" Lazar thinks to himself. The phone on the desk rings. Lazar picks up the handset. "I told you, no calls!" Lazar says, angrily.
The caller is wearing a light gray uniform, clearly he works for the City. "Actually, you said no calls except for emergencies, and we have one! A meteor has struck the city!" "You call that an emergency?!" Asks Lazar, angrily, via-phone. The terrified subordinate springs to a salute.
Then Lazar actually absorbs what he said. "Hmm? Wait, a meteor? Oh, dear! Now that's what I call an emergency!" Lazar says.
A huge black monolith stands unsupported. The sun glares over the edge of it, illuminating the opposite side of it while casting this side into shadow. If anything is inscribed into or upon it, it can't be seen. Four individuals are standing before it. Three of them are wearing white robes and head cloths. One of them is being covered in gold, with a hood over this persons head, shadowing the upper half of this persons face.
The first of them to speak is of late teenage age and thin, of medium build. Under his white hood, which has decorative gray lightning bolts, that point backwards, like horns, he's pale, his left eye is red and he has a gray, metallic eyepiece replacing his right eye. Underneath his left eye, he has a scar that runs down his cheek. He's dressed in gray, metallic armor, the major portion of which forms a large hoop-like collar around his neck, that connects to encircle a large green gem on his chest, giving its Infinity-themed look. A piece of armor runs down his back, too. The armor pieces around his waist holds up a white, train-like cloak, that covers his legs. Underneath his armor, he's wearing a white, turtle-neck bodysuit, with a black stripe that runs down the center. He also wears white, thigh-high boots, as well as arm length black and white sleeves, that are adorned with red gems at the wrist and upper arm. "Excellent. It has arrived in one piece."
They're standing in a crater created by the impact that appears to be maybe fifty feet in diameter and ten feet deep at its center.
The shortest and youngest of them is the next to speak. Under his white hood, he's pale, his right eye is green and he has a gray, metallic eyepiece replacing his left eye, that swivels with the appearance of a chameleon's eye. Unique to him though is in addition to white, he also wears blue and green, most notably blue in-line skates as oppose to shoes or boots. His most unique attribute to his appearance though is a bar, that floats around him at his shoulders, which he wears underneath his white cloak, and it crosses in front of him to form the appearance of an infinity symbol. "Yes, and already left quite the impression, I'd say! Hehehmhmhm!" "Well, what else would you expect? It's my card." "That it is. So I guess you'll be first?"
The third of the four to speak is the oldest, as well as the largest of all four of them, in both height and mass. Under his white hood, he has wrinkled skin, most notably under his eyes, and a long, father-time style gray beard, that reaches all the way down to his waist. In addition to the beard, he has an overgrown right eyebrow that covers his right eye, and his left eye is yellow. He also has a gray patch, with an infinity symbol on his face, but unlike the other two, his patch covers his nose and mouth, similar to a gas mask, which muffles his voice. His color variation other than the white is a dark, golden orange, as seen on his pants, front, and the shoulder pads that pin his cloak. He also wears black gloves, metal arm bands and black boots. His pants, which are golden orange and white, are loose around his feet. The white cloak that he wears covers a white armor shell over his chest, back, and shoulders, which on the front bears an infinity symbol. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Remember, there's a plan, and we must follow it." "Of course I remember. I came up with it. And it's perfect. I've arranged it so that no one can stand in our way. Uh!" Says the one of late teenage age.
Sirens can be heard. "Mm?" The oldest one asks. The one in gold smiles. "Hmm."
Several Security vans pull up at the edge of the crater. Lazar's the first out of one, while his troops are unloading. "Hey! Who are you four?! What're you doing here?! I order you to vacate these premises now!" Says Lazar.
"And I order you to watch your tongue, worm!" The one in gold says, now being revealed as a woman, revealing only her body structure. Underneath her hood, the upper half of her face is shadowed up, but what can be seen is she has orange lipstick on and she's wearing a gold choker. She's dressed in a golden fuku, that seems to resemble armor more than the traditional sailor fuku, with matching, knee-high, heeled boots. Along with her choker, she also wears gold bracelets, with a purple gem on the left one and a green gem on the right one, a gold belt, and a brooch, with a large garnet and small, golden triangles around it, making it reminiscent to the sun. Her height appears to be 5'4", her weight seems to be 124lbs and her bust size looks to be a 34DD.
The one of late teenage age turns. "My friend, all is fine. There's no cause for alarm." Says the one of late teenage age, addressing Lazar. "No cause?! Just who do you think you're talking to?! Ah!" Lazar says. He stops short when the one in gold points a sharp sword right between his eyes, an inch from his face, swiftly. "Now, now. Is this really how you want to start things off, with your new Directors?" Asks the one in gold. When she speaks, her voice sounds very familiar to Lazar, but he's more preoccupied with the sword pointed at his nose to think of who though. "New Directors? You mean?" Lazar asks. "Yes." Says the one of late teenage age, backing up the one in gold's words. "You see, the four of us will be sharing the job. Ahahahahahuhuhuh." The youngest one says. "The four of you! Oh my word! I'm sorry, no one told me!" Says Lazar. He kneels on the ground and bows deeply in front of the one in gold, with the oldest one standing behind her, the one of late teenage age at one side of her and the youngest one on the other side of her. "I beg your forgiveness!" Lazar says. He jumps up, points to the Directors and turns to the officers now assembled in a straight line behind him. "What're you buffoons standing around for, these are the new Directors, salute them!" Says Lazar, shouting. The guards salute and chorus, in perfect unison. "Ten-hut!" "That's better! And from now on, you're to do whatever they say, understood?!" Lazar asks. "Yes, Sir!" "This will be even easier than I imagined." The one of late teenage age thinks to himself.
Above them, the fallen tablet casts an ominous shadow.
Night, on a street somewhere in Domino. A guy is riding a blue duel runner.
Suddenly, a huge shadow looms over him. He turns and looks up. The face of the monster is reflected in his helmet visor, a white shell, black face, with glowing red lines. The duelist cries out, in fear.
Later that night, a few Security cars are on the scene, with a few low-ranks looking around. They hear the sounds of more vehicles approaching. "We got company." The officer standing by the cars waves a red glow stick to flag down the newcomers. "Time to see who Headquarters sent us."
Minako flashes her Security badge, all business. In the six months, Minako is now seventeen and her long, blonde hair is now knee-length, she still has her hair tied in a simple red bow though. "Minako Aino, Sector Chief of Special Investigations."
Beside Minako, Trudge shows his badge also. Instead of Trudge's usual uniform, he's wearing a button-up, white shirt and carries a blazer slung over his shoulder. The six months have done Trudge good, he looks taller, more at ease with himself. "Officer Trudge, Vice-Chief." The guards lead the two investigators into the scene. "How's the victim?" Asks Minako. "Pretty banged-up, can't stay conscious for more than a few minutes or so." "Guess we'll have to wait for his testimony." Minako says. She looks up from her musings, sees what they've been led to see, and gasps. "And from the looks of that runner, it'll be some story." Says Trudge.
The blue runner has been scorched and melted halfway into scrap.
"That's five of these accidents in a week." Trudge says, aside to Minako. "These are no accidents, Trudge. The city is under attack." Says Minako.
The computer screen shows several different readouts, all of them various shades of red through Sakura's monochromatic safety goggles. "She's purring like a kitten." Yusei says. "A few more tweaks and we should be able to test this new engine at full throttle." Says Sakura. Jack, in his riding suit, is revving the engine of a duel runner on blocks, experimentally. Sakura's sitting at the computer behind Jack watching the data, Crow and Yusei are standing by. In the six months, Jack's now twenty, Sakura and Yusei are now both nineteen, and Crow's now eighteen.
Grim, who looks very much the same, is lying down on the ramp, asleep.
"Forget a few more tweaks, Sakura! I say test it now!" Crow says. "Why not? With Jack Atlas in the driver's seat, what could possibly go wrong?" Sakura's screen flashes and shows an ominous exclamation point. "A lot." Says Sakura. She turns to Jack. "Jack, lay off the accelerator." Sakura says. "Accelerate more?! Okay!" Says Jack, shouting over the roar of the engine. "No, decelerate!" Both Crow and Yusei say, shouting.
And thick black smoke explodes from the first-floor windows of the building, a respectable-looking white townhouse, the basement of which they're using as a garage. Passersby stop walking and chatter, nervously. "What was that?" "What just happened?"
Yusei coughs away the dust and smoke, and next to him Crow shoves a piece of scrap metal off of himself. Sakura stands up and takes off her safety goggles. Sakura's face and bare arms are smutched with soot, she's wearing her usual black, sleeveless, formfitting top, with the rectangular and diamond shaped cutouts around the neckline.
Grim's woken up from the explosion, glancing over at the scene.
"Hey, is everybody alright?" Asks Sakura. "Yeah, we're all okay." Crow says. Jack sits up, scattering debris. "The duel runner, on the other hand." Says Jack. Is reduced to a pile of twisted junk metal. Yusei kneels over it. "We pushed it too hard." Yusei says. Sakura stands beside him, sort of standing over him a little bit, now seeing that during the six months her hair is much longer than what it was. Sakura's raven black, red highlighted and gradated hair is now down to her mid-lower legs and it's gotten slightly wavier, if at all possible. At the moment, Sakura's hair is loosely done up in a ponytail, with the ends resembling curved feathers, rather than her signature partial twin tails. "Whaddaya mean we? That was all Jack!" Says Crow. "I beg your pardon?! You were the one who told me to go full-throttle!" Jack says. "Please, since when does Jack Atlas, the so-called Master of Faster, the Sultan of Speed, do what someone else tells 'im to do?" Asks Crow.
At the ground-floor semiopaque windows above them, bystanders are starting to crowd around, wondering where the explosion came from.
"Clearly I was just testing your judgment, a test you failed I might add." Crow says. "Why, you!" Says Jack. "Bring it on!" Crow says.
"That's enough!"
"Huh?" Asks both Jack and Crow.
Yusei stands up from the wreckage of the runner and looks up toward the stairs to the ground floor level, Sakura's looking up towards there, as well.
Grim lifts up his head, looking up at the door.
"Uh-oh, our landlord." Crow says. "Aw, she doesn't scare me!" Says Jack.
Their landlord is a tough old woman, in a plain dark blue, old-fashioned dress and a very severe bun, almost as severe as the scowl on her face. She looks like the kind of old-fashioned librarian nobody crosses. A bunch of bystanders are peering through the doorway behind her. "Oh, is that so, mister tough guy? Well, does living on the streets with the rats scare ya?! 'Cause I'm this close to tossing you bums out!"
Crow looks sheepish. "Wait! No, you don't understand! That explosion, it was just…" Jack says, stammering.
"Just nothing! I'm sick and tired of all your excuses so don't even bother with them!"
Jack and Crow look crestfallen.
Yusei joins them. "Sorry, Zora. We've been working on the new engine again." Says Yusei.
Sakura joins him at his side.
Zora practically swoons, her scowl vanishing. "Ahh! Yusei, dear, say no more. You and your sister go ahead and make all the noise you two want." Zora says. She walks down the ramp, walking past Grim as she makes her way down. "After all, you did save the world from those Dark Signers." Says Zora. She then leans closer towards Yusei and Sakura. "I know you say it was all four of you, but you really just ought to quit being so modest!" Zora says, whispering aside to Sakura and Yusei. "Sure, whatever you say." Says Sakura, blankly. Jack and Crow sigh, in relief or exasperation, it's hard to tell. "Oh, where's that sweet younger sister of yours? Is she not home yet?" Zora asks. "She's at Martha's. She'll be home before it gets dark." Says Yusei. Just then, they hear sirens.
Outside, a plain black car with sirens blaring pulls up outside. The crowd is chattering. "Sector Security?" "What in the world?" "What're they doing here?"
Zora walks outside, as Trudge steps out of the car. "Oh dear, please accept my apology. I know my tenants can be a bit noisy, but they really mean no harm." Zora says. She then laughs, nervously. "Well, maybe two out of the four do, but Sakura and Yusei." Says Zora. "Heh. Relax, that's not why we're here. No, I'm afraid, there're even bigger issues at hand." Trudge says.
Sakura, Yusei, with Grim walking between the two half-twins, Jack and Crow have joined them outside. All four look serious at the sound of that. "Oh, my! It sounds serious!" Says Zora. "Sakura, Gentlemen, if you don't mind. Let's talk inside." Minako says.
An old electric fan whirs away on the wall of Yusei, Sakura, Jack and Crow's basement-garage. Trudge and Minako are standing over the runner wreck in the center of the room.
Sakura and Yusei are both still picking through it. Now seeing, in slightly better light, that the explosion scorched the floor black about two feet around the wreck. Grim's lying down on the floor nearby.
"Don't tell me you guys are still working on that new duel engine prototype?" Asks Trudge.
Sakura stands up, holding a piece of the wreck in her hand to examine it closer. "We sure are. And if we can ever get the thing to work right, it will really take our game to the next level." Sakura says.
Crow, leaning against the stairs, thumbs over his shoulder at a poster on the wall. "And that's what it's gonna take to win the Grand Prix, the toughest, roughest duel contest ever to hit New Domino City. It'll be here before we know it!" Says Crow.
"Right, and since it's three or four duelists to a team, creating one new engine design that we can all use is the best way to soup up all our runners at once, and guarantee that victory and dueling immortality will be ours!" Jack says. He taps with his fist another poster that depicts a turbo-duel, determinedly. Jack's standing at the top of another set of stairs, opposite of Crow's.
"What more do you guys have to prove? You already saved the world. If y'ask me, it's all right for you to rest on your laurels a bit. Especially you, Sakura. You haven't entirely recovered since the combined Signer power backfired and struck you right in the heart, that's sort of easy to tell. Your hair is proof of that, too. Not that it looks bad or anything." Says Trudge.
Sakura runs a hand through her hair, casually. "I have grown rather fond of having my hair this way now. Thank you for your concern for my health. However, I'm fine." Sakura says.
"Anyway, Trudge! No way! A true duelist never rests. He or she's always training and getting better! Isn't that right, Sakura?" Asks Crow.
"That is right, Crow. However, winning the Grand Prix isn't what I am training for." Sakura says. She's still holding the object she removed from the wreck, and her Mark of the Dragon is visible on her bare right arm, as well as the additional markings that run along her arms, the long, ridged scar that goes straight down her left arm, and the several, ridged scars that run either horizontally or diagonally along her arms. Most of Sakura's scars and markings are visible at this point, without her coat or detached sleeves on, and with her hair being done up in a loose ponytail at the moment. "True, we may have saved the world. However, it was close, too close for comfort. We nearly lost everything that we care for. Crow, I know you and Jack came out of it more sure of your duel skills than ever." Says Sakura.
Jack nods, firmly.
As does Crow.
"But, as for Yusei and I, we have never been more uncertain." Sakura says. Yusei walks up and stands next to her, he nods. Sakura then hands the object that she removed from the wreck over to Yusei, who takes it from her and examines it, closely.
Minako clears her throat, primly. "Speaking of uncertainty." Says Minako, changing the subject, awkwardly. "Sector Security has its fair share, these days." Trudge says.
"Lemme guess, that's why you're here." Says Jack.
"Have you heard the rumors? About the Ghost?" Trudge asks.
"The Ghost?" Asks Yusei.
"Yeah, I think so! He's that guy who's supposed to appear at night, challenge you to a duel, an' then force you into a crash, right?" Crow asks, conspiratorially.
"Yeah. As you know, when New Domino City and Satellite were linked up, turbo-duels were legalized. It didn't take long before all types of special courses were being built, but it wasn't until the Grand Prix was announced, and they came out with that new 'Speed World Two' card, that things really went into overdrive. Duelists from all over were battling on side-streets and highways, day and night." Says Minako.
"Of course they were! There's no better way to sharpen your skills for the Grand Prix than with a freewheelin' turbo-duel!" Crow says.
"I agree, because there are supposed to be safety measures in place to make sure that no one gets injured." Says Minako.
"Wait, are you saying that Ghost's not a rumor, that he's real and he's found a way to bypass the safety measures?!" Jack asks.
"That's correct, Mr. Atlas. You're quite astute." Says Minako. "Don't tell 'im that, Chief! It'll go to his head!" Trudge says.
"So, what's this gotta do with us? I mean, it's clear what has to be done! Someone's gotta go out late at night, take 'im on in a turbo-duel and beat 'im!" Says Crow.
"Exactly right!" Trudge says. He and Minako look at Yusei. "So, how 'bout it?" Asks Trudge.
"Uh, so how about what?" Yusei asks.
Crow's new yellow jacket has a stylized blackbird on the back. "Ohh, no! I know where you're goin' with this, Trudge! And you can just forget it!" Says Crow.
Yusei, Sakura and Jack look more ambivalent.
But Crow isn't beyond telling them no to their faces. "Don't get me wrong, I hate that people're getting hurt, but we've got the Grand Prix to prepare for, and we don't have any time to spare! You guys're Security, you take care of it!" Crow says. He all but shoves Trudge and Minako out the door. The crowd has dispersed. "Thanks for droppin' in! Great seein' ya! Bye!" Says Crow.
He closes the door and bolts it. "Now, let's get back to work, shall we?" Crow asks.
"Uh." Says Yusei. Jack sighs, he has one of his arms wrapped around Sakura's waist. "Okay." Jack says.
Trudge and Minako are driving one of Domino's highways. Trudge is driving, on the right hand side, with Minako in the passenger seat. "You take rejection pretty well, Trudge." Says Minako. "How else should I take it? What Crow said was right. Just because they saved the City once, shouldn't mean they have to step up every time there's a problem. They should be allowed to live their lives however they like. We're Security, so we should catch this guy." Trudge says. "Mm. But how?" Asks Minako. "By doing exactly what Crow suggested!" Trudge thinks to himself.
Night. A garage door opens ahead of Trudge and his Security-model duel runner. He's wearing his usual riding suit. "Okay, men. You see any sign of the Ghost and you radio to me!" Trudge says, via-radio. He rides out of the garage, followed by five or so more officers on runners. Trudge is riding along the street. "It's my turn to be the hero. After all, how hard could it be?" Trudge thinks to himself.
Trudge rides his runner on the highways of New Domino, late at night. "Feels good to have a duel disk strapped on." Trudge thinks to himself.
Flashback. In a rather familiar turbo-duel, Trudge skids sideways, as he directs his Montage Dragon against Yusei and his Junk Warrior. "In fact, I don't think I've had a turbo-duel in the line of duty since the good old days with Yusei!" Trudge thinks to himself, in voice-over. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "And if he had the chops to save the City, then so do I! And tonight, I'm gonna prove it to everyone!" Trudge thinks to himself.
Then his runner screen lights up. "Unidentified duelist approaching." Says the computer. "Whaddaya know, an unregistered duel runner. Jackpot, it must be the Ghost!" Trudge says. He rides on.
The shadowy challenger pursues.
Trudge watches his runner screen. "And he's forcing me into a turbo-duel, perfect! Let's do this! I activate the field spell, 'Speed World Two'!" Says Trudge. "Duel mode, engaged. Autopilot, activated." The computer says. A wave of purple light spreads out from Trudge's runner, tinting the clouds above fuchsia. Big, illuminated, and very visible signs pop up at intervals along the road, each reading duel lane. Trudge changes lanes, as a holographic barrier springs up between the lane he changes into and the rest of the street. Trudge coasts around a corner.
His opponent follows.
They're now traveling on one of the narrower tracks with rounded edges, built especially for duel runners.
"Hope you can keep up! My move!" Says Trudge. He draws. "And I summon Samurai Sword Baron!" Trudge says. Samurai Sword Baron has 1600 attack points and is a level 4 monster. "But since I went first, I can't attack with him. So, I'll end my turn there!" Says Trudge.
"Then it's to me!" He draws. "And I summon Wise Core in defense mode." Wise Core has 0 attack points and 0 defense points. "Also, I'll place two cards facedown."
"This is the duelist that everyone is so afraid of? He plays a monster with zero attack points? Huh! Beating him and locking him up will be easier than I thought!" Trudge thinks to himself. "I'm gonna put you in cuffs, Ghost!" Trudge says. He draws. "My turn! I summon Jutte Fighter!" Says Trudge. Jutte Fighter has 700 attack points and is a level 2 monster. "And now I'm going to tune 'im with my Samurai Sword Baron for a synchro-summon! Say hello to Goyo Guardian!" Trudge says. Goyo Guardian has 2800 attack points and is a level 6 monster. "And say goodbye to your monster because when Goyo Guardian takes down that Wise Core, he steals it to my side of the field! Do your thing, Goyo!" Says Trudge.
"Not so fast! I activate 'Negate Attack'!"
Negate Attack's shielding force repels Goyo's lasso.
"Uggh. So that's how you wanna play it, huh, Ghost?! Fine, you may've stopped his attack, but his attack points are still locked and loaded for next round! But before we get to that, take this! I activate the 'Speed Spell-Count Up'! It lets me gain two speed counters for every card I send to the graveyard!" Trudge says. He discards one, the effect monster Gonogo, and his speed counters increase to 4. "Next I activate the effect of 'Speed World Two'! Now by removing four speed counters, I deal eight hundred points of damage for each speed spell in my hand! And since I currently hold two speed spells, you take sixteen-hundred points of damage!" Says Trudge. His speed counters decrease to zero, his attack appears in the form of a wave of fire from his rear engine. "Feel the heat!" Trudge says.
"Nnngh-ouagh!" The Ghost's lifepoints decrease to 2400.
Trudge falls behind him, with his reduced speed. "Hey, look on the bright side. Since you took damage from 'Speed World Two', you don't lose any of your speed counters." Says Trudge. He laughs. "Your turn now!" Trudge says.
"And I'll make you pay with it! I activate the trap 'Spark Breaker'! It destroys all the monsters on my field!" The card crackles with electrical energy, and Wise Core disintegrates.
"What?! Why would you wanna destroy your own monsters?" Asks Trudge.
"Because when Wise Core's destroyed due to a card effect, I'm allowed to summon Machine Emperor Wisel from my deck or hand!" Above the Ghost and his runner, five glowing cards appear fanned in midair, lighting up the sky.
"Rrrghh!" Trudge winces away from the light, then looks up, shocked, as Goyo Guardian gets sucked into the light, the glowing green infinity symbol above, and vanishes. "No! Goyo Guardian!" Trudge says.
Above, where the infinity symbol has glowed, a monster appears around it with the infinity across its chest. Its attack points are off the charts, rising from 2500 to 5800, immediately.
"No way! What's happening?! Uuuugghhh?! Whaaaaaaaahhhh!" Says Trudge. That giant glowing green infinity symbol is the last thing he sees.
The runner schematics on Yusei's computer screen suddenly go fuzzy. "Huh?" Yusei asks.
And there's a big explosion on a runner track somewhere in Domino. Trudge's runner lies fallen on the ground on its side, smoking. Some distance away, Trudge's helmet lies abandoned, its visor cracked to pieces.
Crow yawns as he rides home late at night. "Ugh, another night shift in the books. Holding down a job and being a full-time duelist sure takes it outta ya." Crow thinks to himself.
He hears sirens. Crow's riding past a loop of runner track, on which an ambulance has parked. Crow looks over at the accident, stops riding, and takes off his goggles. Then Crow recognizes Trudge, being loaded into the ambulance.
Trudge is wrapped in bandages, like a mummy, and is clearly in a lot of pain.
"Trudge!" Says Crow. A tear runs down his cheek, he can't believe it. "I gotta tell Sakura and the guys!" Crow says.
Yusei pushes through the front doors of the hospital, Sakura, who now has her hair done up in her signature partial twin tails, while the rest falls completely loose down the back, and has regained her detached sleeves and long, black tailcoat, and Jack a step behind. "Crow! Minako!" Says Yusei. "Hey." Crow says. "Where's Trudge?!" Asks Jack. "The E.R.!" Minako says. "Will he make it?" Asks Sakura. "The doctors aren't sure yet." Crow says.
They all turn at the sound of a door opening. Trudge is wheeled out into the hallway, still wrapped in bandages.
All five hurry to his side. "Trudge!" Says Jack. "Nurse, prep the O.R., stat!" Yusei leans over Trudge to see his face. Trudge is wincing, in pain, but conscious. Both sides of Trudge's jaw have gauze pads taped to them. Bandages are wrapped around his forehead and across his cheek, holding in place a swath of them covering his right eye and ear. "What happened? Who did this?!" Yusei asks. "The Ghost...! Watch out...! Synchros are useless!" Says Trudge. "Whadda you mean?" Yusei asks.
The doctors wheel Trudge away. "There's no time to lose! Let's move!" They wheel Trudge through a door, and the light above it lights up, bright red.
All five stand in the hallway for a moment, silent. Jack approaches Minako. "So, Trudge took on the Ghost all alone?" Asks Jack. "I'm afraid so. He really took what you guys said to heart, that this was something Security should fix. But I guess, it was a bit more than he could handle." Minako says, her voice wavering. The three guys and Sakura are silent. Yusei's eyes narrow, he's come to a decision.
The first-story windows of Zora's building blaze fluorescent light.
Inside. Crow hits the WRGP poster on the wall with a fist. "Man! This is all my fault, I'm the one who turned 'im down!" Says Crow, angrily.
Jack's leaning against a wall nearby.
Sakura is sitting in a chair, almost reminiscent to a throne, one leg crossed over the other, and one hand against her cheek. Grim's lying down at her feet.
Yusei sits at a table, fingers laced under his chin, in thought.
All four are tense and worried, but Crow's distraught. "He's all banged-up 'cause a' me." Crow says.
Jack walks across the room, and now stands next to Sakura, who has gotten up from her throne-styled chair. Grim gets up to his feet, standing before her. Sakura lightly pats Grim's head, petting him, and turns to Crow. "Stop it, Crow. That isn't true, and playing the blame game won't solve anything. It certainly won't stop the Ghost." Says Sakura, as she walks off, with Grim following beside her.
Jack follows a step behind.
"Then what?! Should we all just sit around here and pout?!" Crow asks.
"Actually." Says Sakura.
Crow catches his riding helmet that she tossed to him.
"I have a better idea." Sakura says. Yusei's putting on his gloves, while Jack has picked up his own helmet. "We go find the Ghost, and we take him down!" Says Sakura. "Right! No one hurts one of our pals and gets away with it!" Jack says, backing up her words. Yusei nods, mutely, in agreement.
In short order, sheets are thrown off of their duel runners, each one shiny and ready for action. Yusei's red runner, with its aerodynamic, wave-motion design, Jack's white runner, with its distinctive circular shape, and Sakura's black runner, with its futuristic structure.
Crow begins to cheer up. "All right! Let's go! Yeah!" Says Crow. He jams his helmet onto his head and hurries over to them.
The garage door opens, Jack's on the right wing, Crow left, Sakura, with Grim lying down on his specially built-in platform, already securely fastened to it and the runner, also to the right, and Yusei riding center. They rev up their engines, race up the ramp outside, and out onto the dark streets. Jack splits off to Yusei's left, Sakura follows beside him, and Crow to his right.
"Lovely night for a duel!" Jack says, cool and confident, via-radio.
"I'll say, and for some major payback!" Says Crow.
Yusei hears Crow over his radio. "This is gonna be fun!" Crow says, via-radio. Yusei's somber, ready to avenge Trudge.
The teardrop-loop arch looms on the skyline.
Crow keeps riding. "Looks like the sun is startin' to come up." Says Crow.
"We have been riding around all night long and there hasn't been one sign of the Ghost!" Sakura says.
Then, Yusei's runner screen starts beeping. It shows a camera feed behind the runner, of a duel runner appearing over the horizon behind him. "Huh?" Asks Yusei. "Unidentified duelist approaching from the rear." The computer says. "The Ghost! It's just gotta be!" Says Yusei. "All right!" Jack says, via-radio. "Get 'im!" Says Crow, via-radio. "Setting 'Speed World Two'!" Yusei says. He presses the button on top of his right-side hand grip. The card image flashes across his runner screen, as it switches to a dueling display, a glimpse at the clock on his screen that reads 5:10 A.M. and his speed's fluctuating around 100 kph. "Duel mode engaged. Autopilot activated." Says the computer. A ring of light spreads from Yusei's runner. The duel lane signs pop up and a red glowing holographic barrier separates him from the main road. Loudspeakers blare on the nearby streets. "A turbo-duel is about to commence. All non-dueling vehicles must vacate the combat lane immediately." The computer says. "It's go-time!" Says Yusei. His runner screen is showing schematics of New Domino's runner courses. "Formulating cross-town duel course, and awaiting Central Grid Authority's official authorization. Authorization, granted." The computer says.
The entire street is elevated a story upward by means of a rather extravagantly nifty mechanized system. Apparently this happens every time there's a turbo-duel starting in the streets. The side of the elevated street bears a scrolling ticker that reads, duel lane set-caution. "Combat lane transfiguration, underway. Combat lane transfiguration, underway." Says the computer. The track on top of the building lights up, back lit for easy visibility.
Yusei and the Ghost race across it and onto a curve-sided runner track.
"Let's rev it up!" Yusei says.
"Me first! And I think I'll summon Wise Core from my hand!" Says Ghost.
Wise Core is a level-one dark-attribute machine-type monster, with zero attack points, and zero defense points.
"Then, I'll place one card face down to end my turn!" Ghost says.
"A monster with zero attack points? My turn now! You may not care for attack points, but I tend to like them! Come on out, Max Warrior!" Says Yusei. Max Warrior has 1600 attack points and is a level 4 monster. "Now, Max Warrior, attack Wise Core! Oh, and by the way. When Max Warrior attacks, he gains four hundred points to help with his assault! Now let 'im have it!" Yusei says.
"No, he'll keep it, because I activate the trap 'Labyrinth of Klein'! This makes all battle damage for the turn become zero, and keeps any monsters from getting destroyed! But there's more. The monster that waged the attack now has his original attack points swapped with his original defense points!" Says Ghost.
Max Warrior switches to defense mode and his attack points become 800 due to his own ability. "He's protecting that Wise Core. But the question is, why?" Yusei thinks to himself. "Oh well. If I destroy it, it won't matter. Which is why I'm gonna special-summon, Turbo Booster!" Yusei says. Turbo Booster has 0 attack points and is a level1 monster. "Ya see, since I successfully summoned a monster this turn, I'm now allowed to special-summon Turbo Booster from my hand. He won't hang around for long, but long enough for me to take down your Wise Core! That's right, since he mixed it up with Max Warrior, he's fair game to take down!" Says Yusei.
Turbo Booster itself explodes, as it shoots its arm-rockets toward Wise Core. Two direct hits.
The Ghost, unfazed, draws even with Yusei. Even at this close range, his face is obscured. "Hmph. Why, thank you." Ghost says.
"Huh!" Says Yusei.
The Ghost's eyes can be seen through his visor, they are an unnatural shade of yellow, and slightly luminescent. "Fool! Don't you know? When Wise Core is destroyed due to an effect, all monsters on my field are destroyed, but I then get to summon Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity, Wisel Top!" Ghost says. Wisel Top has 500 attack points. "Wisel Attack!" Says Ghost. Wisel Attack has 1200 attack points. "Wisel Guard!" Ghost says. Wisel Guard has 1200 attack points. "And Wisel Carrier from my deck or my hand!" Says Ghost. Wisel Carrier has 800 attack points.
"Impossible! Five monsters summoned at once?!" Yusei asks.
"That depends on how you look at it. I activate the special ability of Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity!" Says Ghost. Two hatches open up on Wisel Infinity, each in the shape of a teardrop facing the other, an infinity symbol. One of the five pieces unfolds to become an arm, as does another, a third unfolds legs, and they start to snap together. A hatch opens in the top of Wisel Infinity and a head snaps down into it. The head unfolds, it's armored in white metal, like the rest of the giant robot, and its face is black with glowing red outlines, not unlike the visage of an Earthbound Immortal. Green lights can be seen fusing and smoldering in its chest. It's big, it's bad, it's a huge fighting robot. The light of the rising sun glistens off its shiny metal. "Hahahahahahaha!" Ghost laughs.
Yusei turns his head and looks up at the huge robot looming above him.
"From five comes one, and now you're done!" Ghost says.
"Uh-oh. So much for payback!" Says Yusei.
The robot reaches for him with one giant metal hand.