Jack was the King, but his kingdom was dying around him. Slowly, the invitations and challenges lessoned in number. The heat of battle that came from the cheering of the crowd began to fade as they lost interest in his world.
Some of him was sad to see them go.
Most of him didn't care.
He continued to duel even as the era to which he belonged was ending. But soon, no one was left to duel. Oh, the game still existed, but not in the way he played. His D-Wheel sat in his garage, unused and kept running only out of habit.
One night he dusted off his helmet, and rode out into the streets. No one, least of all himself, would be able to say why. He rode through the nearly empty streets, enjoying the sound and feel of the wind on his face. He had no destination in mind, moving simply for the desire of the motion. It came as no surprise, however, for him to find himself at Diadlus Bridge.
What surprised him was who he found there.
At the sound of his approach, the other person turned towards him. The man standing before him had aged since the two had last met. It wasn't the withered and worn face that a glimpse into a broken future had shown him, but the thought lines creased his forehead. Time, however, had not dulled the spark of intelligence in his eyes. The two men gazed into each other's eyes for a moment, and then the two turned their gaze to the water.
It was strange, really. The two had grown up in the same house, slept in the same room, and even had the same woman as a mother figure. But the two had always been rivals. Most people didn't know them well enough to notice, and for those that did, it was just common enough to slip below acknowledgement. A word of criticism here, a snob comment there, that was the tiny ritual that went back to the day they met. It was as if their very souls conflicted, but in a strange way that pulled them together instead of pushing them apart.
Maybe it made sense. Or maybe it didn't. The fact remained that it was reality.
They stood in silence for an amount of time neither cared to musher, feeling the breeze on their skin. The only sound was the jet black water clapping on the bridge's steel supports. The black bled into the dark blue at the horizon and with the lights off, the city blotting out the stars and reflecting off the water, it seemed the sky was beneath them and the ocean above.
Neither wanted the moment of perfection to end.
But moments only last a short time. That's why they are moments.
"They're shutting them down you know," said Jack, choosing to end the silence.
Yusei only nodded; there was no need to specify what them meant. The Riding Duel lanes were scheduled to be shut down next month. The courses and paths would still be in place but the power needed to operate them would be diverted for other uses.
Neither said anything else. They didn't need to. For this moment, they were perfectly in sync. The two grabbed their helmets, settled themselves on their respective D-Wheels and look off at full speed.
"Riding Duel, acceleration!"
The following article appeared in the Neo Domino Times later that week.
End of and Era.
The current Riding Duel Champion, Jack Atlas announced today that he will retire at the end of the Lighting on Wheels tournament to be held at the Kaiba Dome next Week.
Mr. Atlas refused to answer questions pertaining to his decision, stating only that he felt it was time for him to move on. He ignored any requests to elaborate.