Recently getting back into the groove of writing and inspired again to try my luck once more with Yugioh fanfics, my girlfriend and I put our heads together to come up with this new series. There's plenty more to come, hopefully daily, if not every other day. In any case, constructive criticism is always welcomed.
Chapter 1 – An Almighty Dark Presence
Life has become tough in the slums of Neo Domino City. People live in poverty, doing whatever they can to get by. Gang fights to control the sparse resources available, economic depression, the death of the game of Duel Monsters are only a few examples of what has happened to the once great city. A 19-year old man lifted his silver and black gloves, sweat dripping down his face, and swept to the side, dodging a blow aimed for his face. "You'll never win, Bruno! Throw as many punches as you could bear, you're not taking me out!"
His opponent towered over him, a tall bronzed man with a muscular build. He gritted his teeth aggressively, "This won't take long… you only beat me last time because of a cheap shot!" Bruno threw punches left and right, each one glazing Leo's skin as he continued to dance around the ring.
Leo flung his arm forward and smashed his glove against Bruno's left shoulder, knocking him off-guard. Recovering unnaturally fast, Bruno countered with a swift, cheap shot at his opponent's dominant arm.
Leo slid back and glanced at his arm. He rubbed his shoulder vigorously, lessening the pain and smirked. "And you're accusing me of cheap shots…"
"Shut the hell up!" Bruno raged, charging straight for Leo. Thinking quickly, Leo bent his body to the side and skimmed his foot against the ring's floor, crashing into Bruno's legs. Bruno collapsed to the floor and glared up at Leo, his legs trembling from the blow. "What? You got a cheap shot; it's only fair to permit me to one too."
"You sonova-" Bruno looked back down at his gloves and a dirty thought crossed his mind. The referee held his hand up and pointed at Bruno with his other. "1, 2—" Bruno leaped up from the floor, nearly losing his balance again as his entire body shifted towards the boxer. "You'll die for that!"
As Leo braced for impact, he noticed that the straps on Bruno's gloves had been undone. Bruno laughed triumphantly as his glove flung off and his bare, boney fist smashed into Leo's cheek. The crowd that was previously cheering uncontrollably now began to gasp in shock.
"Heeelllppp!" A frightened teenage girl screamed, frantically running down the cold, dark street. Deprived of breath, she dropped to her knees and panted heavily, exhausted from running. She turned her head to scout the steps of her follower.
A large crash echoed through the abandoned streets. The girl turned and was greeted by a single lifeless, gray eye gazing at her from the distance. "Get away from me, you freak!" Her heart was pounding faster than she could think. She spotted an alleyway across from her, and without hesitation, darted into it; her pursuer wasn't far behind.
Leo cried out in pain as he recoiled back against the ropes of the ring. His cheek had turned a grotesque blue color, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Bruno sucked in the crowd's cheering, trotting around the ring as if this match was already won. Leo slowly wiped his chin, secretly undoing his own strap.
The girl ran into the alleyway, making it halfway before her shoe got caught on a crack in the cement, causing her to fall. The shadowy figure stepped into the alleyway, smashing his walking cane into the ground. The top of his cane folded out, revealing two hinges.
The man's lips curled into a demented smile, bowing to the girl in a mocking fashion. "Ah! I see you have found the perfect spot! Why don't we just get right down to dueling, finally? I think you made this more dramatic then it had to be." He pulled out his elegant dueldisk and locked it onto his cane as it expanded.
"Are you kidding me?! You chased me all the way here! Everywhere I turned, you were there!" The girl exclaimed, her voice cracking from fear. She continued to crawl back further into the alleyway until she hit a wall. Her eyes widened, she knew she was trapped.
"Now, now, let's not drag this out anymore… shall I go first, my lady?" His dueldisk shined an array of colors, activating its inner computer. "Oh, and the conditions…" Shadows crept over the walls and the duelists, the last glimmer of light fading on the girl's face.
Bruno stopped his gloating, focusing back onto the injured Leo. "Now let's get this over with. Shedding your blood was really pleasing!" Bruno sprung forward, extending his arm out at Leo's face. Right at the last minute, Leo slipped his own glove off. He pounced forward, colliding his own fist against Bruno's. As a cracking sound rung from the impact, a loud, blood-curdling scream boomed through the town.
Both fighters dropped their arms, extreme pain beating through them. With a final musk of strength, Leo punched Bruno directly into the face with his other hand. Unable to take anymore, Bruno collapsed to the floor and surrendered. "You win… I-I can't take anymore…"
Leo exited the ring, dropping his other glove onto the dirty ground below. "Garth, get the bandages and stay here. I'll be back."
"Where do you think you're going?! Are you INSANE? Your hand is probably broken, hell, if you're lucky, you've only cracked a few fingers! We got to get you to a doctor, Leo." Garth demanded, pulling out the bandages from a nearby medical box.
"Did you not hear that scream? I'll be damned if I let someone get hurt in my territory. And judging by the terror in that scream, something's wrong." Leo began to slowly wrap the bandages around his hand, wincing from the pain occasionally. "Hurt? HURT? You are hurt, moron. I know you care for others, but you gotta' draw the line somewhere, buddy."
Leo shook his head and sealed the end of the bandage, biting the rest off. "I'll be fine, Garth. If it worries you that much, go call Senior Solomon and I'll meet you two back at home. He can treat me then. Now I'm going to go see if there's anything wrong, whether you like it or not." He buckled his vest back on and straightened it out.
Garth sighed, but couldn't help but smile slightly. "You idiot, you. Alright, I'll meet you back at home. But you better be ready, you know Solomon will have plenty of shots waiting for you," he said, turning to Leo.
Leo laughed and snatched his coat off the side of an empty chair. "I see no problem with that if he's got a nice dosage of morphine in one of them. Yeah, in fact, tell him to bring some, I'll need it." He slid his coat on and buttoned up.
"Sure thing. Just please don't get yourself hurt more. You never know what's out there anymore."
Next Chapter:
The Girl, the Slums, and the Collector