Chapter Two
Clarity Through Rainfall
I emerged from the darkness and opened my eyes. The sky above carried the gray haze of smog, and the alley around me was dusty and pocked with debris. I struggled to a standing position and fell against the crumbling stone building to my right. The sun broke through the bleak sky, and I blinked at it.
Where was I? I had this feeling like- like something terrible just happened. Wait. Who was I? I couldn't remember… anything…
It wasn't long before I heard a clamor and a boy ran past the alley. He looked like he was running for his life. I pushed myself off the wall and stumbled to the end of the alley, kicking a shard of shattered green stone aside as I rushed past. I peered out at him. He stood tall and met my eyes; his were a bright hazel. He looked like he was in his teen years, maybe around my age. Er, if only I could remember what age that was…
"Hey! Stop, you!" Those were the voices I had heard earlier. Two men in uniform stared down the boy. "Sector Security orders you to stand down!"
The boy laughed but I caught a hint of nervousness in it. I slid out between him and the two officers. I noticed the disk on my arm, which instinct guided me into activating. It extended like a sickle while I took off the top card. I threw it down, and a huge white dragon burst out. They both halted, and I said, "S-Stand down, I'm warning both of you!"
"Ha. Think a hologram can save you? Dumb Satellite trash." He tried to walk through the Blue-Eyes… and bumped into its head. "The hell?"
"Attack," I ordered. A white beam of energy shot from my dragon's mouth and blasted them both. They went flying backwards and landed with a hard thunk! They scrambled to their feet, tossed back fearful glances, and ran away. I yelled after them, "Cowards!"
"Ha, you're pretty tough!" I had almost forgotten about the guy. He had short, straight hair colored light blue. He wore a brown vest with a cream fur collar over a red shirt and jeans. A lavender headband was tied under his bangs. He grinned as he gave me the head-to-toe. "Got a name?"
"Um, not really," I answered.
"Whaaat? How can you not have a name?"
"I don't remember. I don't remember anything, actually. Where am I?"
"Don't remember anything, huh?" He grasped his chin. "Hey, maybe I can help! You should come with me. This is the Satellite, by the way."
"Oh. Where are we going?"
"You ask too many questions! You'll see when we get there."
"Uh, okay then. I'll follow you."
"Yeah. Stick close. We're in a dangerous area." He took my hand, looked me in the eyes, and winked. "The name's Kalin by the way."
Kalin broke into a sprint without letting go of my hand. After running past grimy streets and dreary people, we stopped at a ruined building overlooking the ocean. The sun was starting its descent, and its orange was fiery on the water's surface. "We're here."
"It's pretty," I muttered.
"Hah, yeah. After seeing it every day, I hardly even notice it now," he said. "Anyways, come on. They're waiting."
"Who?"
"Like I said, you ask too many questions." I followed him to the top of the building. The whole roof on this section had fallen in. Part of the wall was missing, so the sunset was visible. There was a table in the middle of the open room with a map on it. It appeared to be an island marked into different sections, and each was labeled with a different letter.
Three other guys stood around the room. They were all wearing the same sleeveless jacket as Kalin along with jeans, but they had different shirts. One was wearing a black shirt; he had blond hair and violet eyes. He spoke with a strange accent: "Kalin! Where have you been?"
"I was busy," he answered.
"Being chased by someone, I bet," another said. He had orange, spiky hair, gray eyes, and a yellow mark shaped like an "M" on his forehead. He wore a yellow shirt and had a navy headband on.
"Hey, who's that?" asked the last one. He had blue eyes and black hair spiked up with gold highlights. He wore a black shirt with a red symbol on it. His words cast all their attention on me. I instinctively looked at my own feet, which were bare and dirty.
"What I was busy with," Kalin said with a smug smile. "I'm getting her to join. I, uh, may have been running from Securities… until she totally made them her bitches. They were running with their tails between their legs after what she pulled. It was the greatest thing I've ever seen!"
…Greatest? Did he really mean that? Before I could think more on it, the blond grunted. "If she wants to be on the team, she needs more than scare tactics. She's got to have dueling skills."
"Would it kill ya to be nice, Jack? Sorry about him. The name's Crow," the orange-haired one said as he stuck out his hand. I shook it.
"Nice to meet you," I said. I hoped he got my silent thanks as well.
"I'm Yusei," the one with black hair said. "And what about you? What's your name?"
"That's the thing," Kalin said. "See, she's lost her memory. She doesn't know her name or anything about herself. She didn't even know where she was when I found her!"
Their expressions hardened with sympathy – barring Jack's. Crow, who was standing beside me, put a hand on my shoulder. "That's rough. Don't worry, though; you've got friends now. We'll help you through this!"
"Yeah," Yusei agreed. "Out here, we have to stick together."
Their smiles were so reassuring that I couldn't help but reflect the expression. Doubts screamed at me, but where could the harm be? They were going out of their way to help me. "I'm lucky I ran into you guys."
Jack slammed a hand on the desk and pointed the other at me. "Duel me."
"Eh?"
"If you're not some charity case, prove it." He activated his disk. "Duel me now."
"I'm telling you it's not necessary," Kalin assured.
"Can you be nice for once in your life?" Crow added.
Yusei sighed. "There's no stopping Jack from being Jack. Understand that accepting is entirely your choice."
My choice?
But he was telling me to, and with that fire in his eyes… I flicked out my wrist. The duel disk activated. I said, "Sure. You can go fi-"
"DUEL START!"
Jack loosed the harsh shout while already drawing his sixth card. "I discard a monster to special summon Power Giant. Its level is lowered by the monster I sent, dropping it from six to five. I summon Dread Dragon and tune it with Power Giant for a Synchro Summon!"
A trio of green rings reached towards the orange-painted sky. A pillar of light broke through the stray clouds. A claw ripped the rings apart. A purple dragon soaring on crimson wings glowered down at me. Jack said, "Introducing Exploder Dragonwing. I set one card face-down and end my turn."
I glanced over my hand. I could see how the abilities had the potential to work together. I'd use them before; I was sure of it. "I discard a level eight or higher dragon to special summon Hardened Arm Dragon, and I banish it from my field to special summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!"
Red-Eyes ripped out of Hardened Arm Dragon's corpse. Its 2800 attack had the potential to overcome Exploder Dragonwing's 2400. I said, "I'll use Darkness Metal Dragon's ability to special summon a Dragon-type from my hand, like Genesis Dragon!"
Its brown scales and wings reflected the purple of the oncoming night. Its 2200 attack power would be useful in tacking on damage if I was able to remove his monster. I could add more if I wanted to expend all my resources, but I was wary of his trap. I decided to keep the other cards in my hand as a safety net.
A whistle from the sidelines dragged me up from my strategizing. Kalin had his fingers tucked into his jean pocket and the other hand waving towards our monsters. "Check it. They both use dragons. Best friends already."
"Hey, yeah!" Crow said. "They're totally matching!"
"That could mean they could share strategies to help each other improve," Yusei said.
Their banter seemed to make Jack… angrier? If the downward twitching of his nostrils was anything to go by, definitely angrier. I gulped. "Uh… Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon battles Exploder Dragonwing…"
"Trap activate!" he shouted. "Prideful Roar! I pay life points equal to the difference between our battling monsters' attack, and Exploder Dragonwing gains that amount plus 300!"
Dragonwing batted Red-Eyes out of the sky as though it were a bothersome fly. To be honest, I felt much the same. My life counter dropped from 4000 to 3700 while his fell to 3600. Kalin said, "Look at that! She took the lead."
"That's your takeaway?" Jack growled.
"I end my turn!" I said, hoping the cutoff would prevent any more fury directed my way.
Jack slammed a card on his disk. The card zone glowed, and a four-armed being of darkness materialized on his field. He thrust his arm forward and exclaimed, "Exploder Dragonwing attacks Genesis Dragon! Effect trigger! Dragonwing has the greater attack; thusly, Genesis Dragon is destroyed, and you take every point of its attack power as direct damage."
"Wha?" I squeaked. A surge of red and orange shone from within Genesis. Its body expanded and blew to bits, which rained onto me. My life points dropped to 1500.
"Archfiend Interceptor now attacks directly!"
The dark monster charged. I held up my arms to defend myself, but the monster phased through. I kept my eyes shut. Had I just lost? That would be embarrassing, especially in front of all these guys I hoped I could be friends with…
I cracked open one eye to peek at my life points.
100.
"Set card and turn end," Jack said. "I'll warn you now, though. Archfiend Interceptor's ability deals 500 damage if you declare an attack."
"How kind of you to warn her," Kalin said with a giggle.
"More like he wants her to know how trapped she is," Crow murmured.
The corners of my mouth twitched down as I picked up the top card of my deck. Jack said, "Hope it was a lucky draw, 'cause that's your only way out of the grave you dug."
"Tch," Kalin said, "you just gonna let him say that?"
Well, yes. He was the experienced one, and quite tall, and also very angry, so… I met Kalin's eyes and had to stop myself from grimacing. He was looking at me like he was expecting something. That was why he had brought me here, right? That and to help me. I couldn't let him down.
I flicked the card I had drawn over my shoulder, and it fluttered to the ground. Jack said, "Oh, good. Folding will at least save some face."
"Actually," I said while fanning out the two cards left in my hand, "I don't need it. I use the spell Monster Reborn to recover the monster I discarded on my first turn: Felgrand Dragon!"
Laces of golden silk spiraled up from my graveyard. They twisted and wove the webbing of the dragon's wings. Its gilded scales followed, and its silver underbelly caught the sunset's flare. I said, "When Felgrand is special summoned from the grave, it gains 200 attack times the level of another monster in my graveyard. I'll choose Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, who just so happens to have ten stars!"
Red shone in Felgrand's eyes. Its 2800 attack boosted to 4800. I said, "Felgrand attacks Archfiend Interceptor!"
"Stupid duelist! You didn't account for everything on the field even when I warned you!" Jack said. "Interceptor's ability wipes out your life points!"
"Quick-Play Spell activate!" I called. "Forbidden Chalice increases Interceptor's attack by 400 and negates its ability!"
A blast of golden flames seared through Archfiend Interceptor. Jack's life fell from 3600 all the way to 600. His brow set over his eyes, casting a menacing shadow. He pressed a button on his duel disk. His trap, Destruction Ring, flipped up. It attached to Exploder Dragonwing, detonated, and dealt 1000 damage to both of us.
I stammered, "What- why did- you-"
He shuffled his deck and kept all his attention on Kalin. "Tomorrow. Where?"
Kalin dusted off his hands and smiled as though nothing was wrong in the world. "Glad you finally asked! Sector H. We leave at dawn. Ready up early and we leave from here together."
Jack's response was an affirmative grunt. He left without another word. I had a finger up and was trying to speak. Didn't work out.
Crow set his fists on his hips and said, "Pshaww! I bet he forced a tie because he knew he would lose."
"That's not like him at all," Yusei said. "I'm guessing he decided he'd seen enough."
Kalin waved his hand in the air. "Who caaares. Important thing is we all totally agree she belongs. Right?"
"I liked the part when you tossed the card," Crow said. "Shows you got the most important part of dueling down: style."
"…I don't think that's the most important part," Yusei said. "It's strategy, which I would say you showed good thought processes in."
"Ahh, you think too much!" Crow countered.
I bent down, scooped up the card, and shuffled it into my deck. "Th-thanks. I appreciate it, but, but why was he so angry with me?"
Kalin broke out into laughter. "He has this idea we're 'dueling gods' or some shit! Must've been he thought you cramped his style, then you went and kicked his ass!"
"Th-that's not what happened, okay?" I said, waving my hands as though to put out a fire. "Please don't say that to him!"
I yelped as Kalin hooked his arm around my shoulders. "Riiight. You should be the one to do it. I mean… you two are teammates now."
He spoke with a sly smile that swiftly infected me. I shook my head to wipe it away and shout, "I- I would never say that! Um… I'm on the team? For real?"
Kalin let go of me in a small bout of laughter. "How much more obvious do I have to make it?"
"That means she can go on the mission tomorrow!" Crow said. "Uh, wait. Did you say we're leaving here at dawn?"
"That a problem?" Yusei asked.
"Of course it's not a problem for you, but… dammit… I have to go set up some DVR, and, uh… I'll see you guys in the morning!"
"Think I'll head out, too," Yusei said. "Have some deckbuilding to work on."
We waved our good-byes. Once we were alone, Kalin crossed his arms and stared at me. I blinked. "Um… what are you doing?"
"Waiting for you to ask."
"Ask… what?"
He scoffed and threw up his hands as though exasperated. "You're kidding! We've been referencing like a bazillion things you have no way of understanding and you can't even think of one question?"
I grasped my arm and dropped my gaze. "I'm, uh, not much of a talker. I think."
"I hope that changes!" He wore a bright smile. "C'mon. You're wondering about what Jack asked, right? And you've gotta be curious about what we're doing tomorrow, don'tcha?"
"You ask too many questions," I retorted. He laughed. The sound made me happy, and I felt like I hadn't known happiness in a long while.
"In the Satellite, duel gangs reign supreme. They do what they want, no matter what happens to the people around them. Each one of them rules a zone. The larger the zone, the tougher the gang. They make life miserable for anyone in their zone who isn't in their gang.
"We decided to end that. We call ourselves Team Satisfaction, and we're going to unite Satellite one zone at a time."
"Fitting name," I muttered. "I don't understand how beating bad people in duels stops them from being bad, though."
"Way ahead of you," he said as he walked over to a box in the corner. He tossed me what looked like extended handcuffs. "One end attaches to your disk, the other to the opponent's. Loser's gets destroyed. I'll stop there, since I'm sure you can put two and two together."
I pocketed the cuffs. When I did, I noticed I was wearing khaki cargo pants. I put them in my first right side pocket, the one I liked to put my hands in. Of course, this made me wonder what exactly I was wearing. What did I look like? Kalin's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "So what kind of duel disk is that? I've never seen one like it."
I looked at my disk. The entire card zone was compacted inside. The outside was a navy color, and the card zones were a lighter blue. While open, it resembled a scythe. The graveyard reached out from the center like a claw. The life point display was in the center of the circle, its screen currently dark. On the bottom of the circle, symbols were carved into the duel disk. They looked familiar, but I couldn't place it. "I don't remember where I got it."
"Right, right. You know, you not knowing this stuff is starting to get annoying."
"For you? Think how bad it is for me!"
"Well, sor-ry princess. It's not always about you." He laughed, and I did, too. The sun had almost set, and darkness began its descent upon the Satellite. "So! You need a place to stay, right? I bet you're dying to go home with me."
His knowing smile paired well with my utter confusion. "Uh, sure."
"No, you're not supposed to- It was a joke! You're not supposed to say 'yes' to everything!"
"Oh. Okay."
He pointed an accusatory finger at me. "Not 'okay,' either!"
I blinked. After a moment, I gave a weak thumbs-up. "Cool."
"Jesus H. Christ," he muttered under his breath while pinching the bridge of his nose. I couldn't help but laugh at his frustration. When I did, he lightened to a small smile. "Where I was going with this was, I know someone who can help you. Follow me."
He grasped my hand and dragged me off again. We stopped at a cottage-like house. It was well taken care of, something I hadn't yet seen in the Satellite. Kalin knocked on the door. I heard scuffling and yelling before the door opened.
"Who is it?" The woman wore an old-fashioned burgundy dress with a diamond shaped pendant. She had black dreadlocks and a hardened but kind face. "Kalin! You shouldn't be out this late. Can't you at least try to stay out of trouble?"
"No can do," he answered. "Martha, I'd like you to meet my friend. She needs a place to stay for the night."
She gave me the head-to-toe, too. "Oh, why hello there! I've never seen you around before. You finally found a girl, Kalin!"
I tilted my head. What'd that mean? Kalin's face was bright red. "It's not like that! She can't remember anything, and we're just trying to help her."
"You have amnesia? Poor dear, of course you're welcome to stay here a while! Just make sure not to do anything reckless if you're hanging out with that crowd." She shot Kalin a warning glance. He only kept smiling, though.
I said, "Huh? But you said we were going to your house, Kalin."
He waved his arms in front of his face, as though fanning flames from Martha's laser glare. "That was just a joke, remember? It was a joke! Anyway, you, you should really go in! So I can run! I mean, so I can leave. I'll find you tomorrow."
"Kalin…" I wrapped my arms around him, and he stiffened. I whispered into him, "Thank you."
I released him and slipped inside the cottage. Martha, however, didn't follow me in and closed the door behind me. I decided to look around the place. In the hall stood a body-length mirror. Curiosity guided me into its reflection.
I had long, white hair and thick bangs that fell over my eyes. My hair fell a few inches past my shoulders. The blue of my eyes was shocking because of how pale my skin was. I almost looked sick. I was wearing a solid black one-armed shirt with the sleeve on the left side. I was still wearing those khaki cargo pants.
I smiled at myself. Though my world was on the brink of collapse, I had managed to find solid ground for my feet. Yusei was right: we need friends. Now I was a part of a team.
And all thanks to Kalin.
Martha opened the door, grumbling about something. I heard traces of a few curses. After a few moments, she noticed me standing there.
"Ah, you're still down here. Good. You need to rest up. Upstairs, take the second room on the right. There are kids sleeping up there, so try to be quiet. Oh, and it's always nice to meet a new face." Her smile was warm in a motherly way. "Dear, I hope you've known what you've gotten yourself into. The people around here… are not good people. They feel like they do what they need to survive. I can tell that you're a kind person, and that's why I'm saying this. Those boys are kind, too. Except you… you haven't been here. Just please promise me you'll be safe."
Her eyes showed fear for me. Me, a person she'd just met. Was that even possible? She could be faking it, or- or she actually cared.
"I promise I'll always come back. I never break my promises." I felt a great weight upon that statement, but I had no idea why. "Good night, Martha, and thank you."
I headed upstairs and went to my room. I hopped on the soft bed and fell asleep almost instantly. Martha woke me up with a bang or two on the door. I headed downstairs to find six kids messing around. Two were helping Martha cook breakfast while the others were roughhousing.
"Good morning!" Martha looked cheery as ever. I offered a weak smile. The other four kids happened to notice me. They stopped to stare and whisper.
Great. Minutes in and I was already the center of attention. I wanted a way to be left alone, so I bent down next to all of them and whispered, "Truth is, I'm a Duel Monster that likes to eat people. Children are the tastiest."
I licked my lips. They ran away screaming. I sat in my chair and enjoyed the peace. The girls who were cooking laughed. The older one said, "Serves them right for coming up with dumb rumors."
"Breakfast's ready," yelled the younger. I sat at the end of the table and chowed on bland stew. I was hungry enough to empty the bowl despite the lack of flavor. When I was done, I sat outside, waiting.
I decided to see if anything was in my pockets. The front and back pockets were empty besides the cuffs Kalin gave me. In the right middle pocket was a blue crystal bracelet. Its translucence showed the world tinged blue. I slipped it on my wrist. A tiny heart adorned it. This was important, wasn't it? Someone gave it to me, someone special. Who..?
"Hey!" Kalin yelled, and I jumped. He laughed and sat beside me. "You ready to go? How's the deck?"
"Uh, I forgot to look through it." I reached for my deck but he intercepted my hand.
"Too late now. Time to go! Wait. Why aren't you wearing any shoes?"
I glanced down at my bare feet. "I don't wear any?"
"Weird, but whatever. Let's go!" He led me back to the same building from yesterday, which he told me was Team Satisfaction's hideout. This time I was sure to remember the path. On the way, he said, "So. I've been coming up with names for you."
"…Huh?"
"You can't go around with no name! I have to call you something. How do you feel about 'Whitey?' Because of your hair, of course."
I pouted. "No."
"You said 'no!' That's a good sign. How about 'Shortey?'"
I suddenly became aware of our height difference. The crown of my head reached his collarbone at best. "No way!"
He giggled. "Joking, joking. I had to make sure you had at least a smidge of aggression before you have to duel."
He was testing me..? I shook it off as we met up with Yusei, Jack, and Crow. Kalin said, "Okay guys, don't be too worried, because this is probably the weakest gang out there: five members who call themselves the Samurai. A perfect match for us. Yusei, Crow, and Jack will storm the inside, I'll cover the outside, and Shortey'll take the roof."
"Hey! You said-"
"Yeah, I lied."
"Let's go already," Jack grumbled. He was the first to leave, and we all followed. We wound through a maze of back streets and alleyways. Kalin guided us to a large sunbaked building. A guy wearing an odd headdress went inside. Another was leaning on the wall facing us, but he wasn't looking in our direction.
"Around here," Yusei called from behind us. The others followed into an alley that passed the entrance while I stayed put. A ladder was next to the entrance guard. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jack, Crow and Yusei slip inside. Kalin rounded the building. A commotion attracted the entrance guard, and I stole the chance to dash over and climb the ladder.
One of them knelt on the edge of the building. I quietly pulled out one of the cuffs and attached it to my disk. It made a clicking sound, and the man immediately turned. I tossed the other end, which snapped to his disk.
"Oh, so you're one of them, then? Team Satisfaction? This should be easy. I just got some girl!" He cackled, and I scowled. Poor thing had no idea what was in store for him. I activated my duel disk and held it like a scythe. "Nice novelty disk. Too bad it'll be scrap once I'm done with you!"
"DUEL START!"
I winced at his intense shout. Was that something people said? I exclaimed, "Um, duel start!"
My opponent said, "Not the quickest draw in the west, are you."
I tried to ignore his jab. A bead of sweat rolled down the back of my heated neck anyway. I focused on my hand. Like yesterday, familiarity struck me when I saw the cards. I knew what I was doing. Probably. I ordered, "You go first."
He drew a card, and a grin flashed across his face. "You're in for it now! I summon The Six Samurai – Yariza in defense mode. I set one card and end my turn."
I drew and frowned at the card. The Eye of Timaeus? It had no description. How was I supposed to use it? I shoved it out of my mind and focused on the others. "Okay, first I use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face-down!"
A tornado swept up and destroyed his set spell. It had turned out to be Level Limit – Area B. "I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 and destroy Yariza!"
The bronze hatchling pecked apart my opponent's monster. I said, "I set one card face-down and end my turn. Since Horus destroyed your monster, he levels up!"
My LV4 monster changed to LV6; its bright feathers elongated and wings stretched out. Horus LV6 had 2300 attack. My opponent said, "Your moves are nothing compared to my special string. Try to keep up with this! I summon Legendary Six Samurai – Enishi! I'll use the effect of Grandmaster of the Six Samurai in my hand, special summoning him since another Six Samurai is on the field. Now that I have two Six Samurai monsters, I can special summon Great Shogun Shien!"
A green-armored warrior wielding a fiery blade sprouted in front of my opponent. Next to him, an older samurai with black robes folded his arms over his chest. A giant, harrowing warrior rose behind them. Its crimson steel plates and katana blade were reminiscent of blood. Enishi's 1700 attack boosted to 2200 thanks to its effect. The Grandmaster had 2100 attack and Shogun 2500.
Oh, shit. I bit my lip. He'd summoned three powerful monsters in one turn!
"What's wrong," he taunted. "Scared? Shogun, destroy Horus!"
"I activate Waboku!" The holographic trap card flipped up to reveal three men wearing light blue robes. "For the rest of this turn, my monster can't be destroyed by battle, and I take no battle damage."
"I don't need attacks to destroy your dragon. I end my Battle Phase and activate my spell card, Smashing Ground! The monster on your field with the highest defense is destroyed, and since Horus is the only one…" A yellow cloud gathered above us, and a huge fist descended from it. The hand slammed the roof, but my dragon soared above the strike. My opponent growled, "What the hell? Why wasn't it destroyed?"
My smile only lasted a second since I was still at a clear disadvantage. "Horus's special ability. Spell cards can't affect him."
"It won't make any difference in the end," he assured. "I end my turn."
At least he had no cards in his backline. At least. I drew and hesitated to look at what it was. When I did, I was surprised by how giddy it made me. "I activate the Ancient Rules spell card! This lets me special summon a level five or higher normal monster from my hand, like the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
The shining white dragon appeared out of a scroll. He and the bronze dragon at his side growled in unison. Blue-Eyes' 3000 attack looked down on all of the samurais'. My opponent commented, "How'd you get your hands on a card that rare..?"
"I'll also summon Exploder Dragon in attack mode," I continued. "First, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 battles Grandmaster!"
Black fire lit along Horus's bronze feathers. A wingbeat buffeted my opponent with a storm of ebony heat. Grandmaster shattered under the pressure, sharp feathers tore through the fabric of my opponent's clothing, and his life points fell to 3800. He grunted and muttered, "The hell was that pain?"
"Blue-Eyes attacks Enishi! White Lightning!" Sparks crackled behind the dragon's fangs before firing. Enishi's 2200 attack had dropped to 1700, his ability no longer active since one Six Samurai was destroyed. Blue-Eyes' strike blasted through and dealt 1300 damage, lowering my opponent's life to 2500. His chest heaved and he placed a hand over the tears in the arms of his t-shirt.
"Am I going nuts?" he asked to no one in particular. He shook out his arms and said, "Chick, you must be as dumb as you look. You left my strongest monster on the field!"
I ignored his obvious insult. Let my actions speak for themselves. "Exploder Dragon battles Great Shogun Shien."
He laughed. "Your monster only has 1000 attack to mine's 2500! Is math not a strong suit? Guess I should've expected it from a chick."
The small, black lizard was sliced apart by the shogun's scarlet katana. A red ball of fire in the shape of a ticking bomb was left behind. I said, "Exploder Dragon's effect activates. I take no Battle Damage when he attacks, and the monster who destroys him is also destroyed!"
My opponent sneered as his field was left empty. I said, "My turn is over. Since Horus destroyed one of your monsters, he levels up again! Horus LV8 takes the field!"
Horus's final iteration matched the Blue-Eyes in size and attack strength. A sapphire formed at the crown of his head, and a red aura surrounded him. His signature black fire oozed from his mouth with each exhale of breath.
"Two with 3000 attack," muttered my opponent. He drew and was expressionless. "I summon Legendary Six Samurai – Kageki in defense position. By his effect, I can special summon another Six Samurai from my hand. I choose The Six Samurai – Zanji in attack mode and end my turn."
Two brown-suited warriors stood with spread stances opposite me. The defensive samurai tinged blue and showed off its 2000 defense. The other had 1800 attack. Why would he choose to summon it in attack position? He must have been baiting me. I peered at my drawn card. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Zanji!"
"You fell for that one easily," mocked my opponent with a smirk. "I knew you would, idiot! Zanji's effect destroys the attacking monster after battle, and instead of having him destroyed, I can choose to sacrifice Kageki instead! Both of your powerful monsters are doomed since you won't have enough attack strength to wipe out my life points!"
Right, his 1800 attack meant each of my 1200 points worth of damage would leave him with 100 life points and me with no monsters. However. "That makes no difference. In this battle, I use the Quick Play Spell Blind Spot Strike! This takes the defensive power of your defense position monster and adds it to the attack of one of my monsters. Kageki's 2000 defense boosts Blue-Eyes to a grand total of 5000 attack!"
"What?" he shouted.
"Looks like your little 'trap' will be your downfall! Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack continues!" Blue light swarmed around his samurai and melded into White Lightning. Blue-Eyes White Dragon's powered up attack was now enough to wipe out my opponent's life points. Electricity consumed the man, and he screamed.
Black smoke billowed from his exploded duel disk, and my cuff returned to me. When the smoke cleared, my opponent was gone. My breath hitched. He must have fallen off the building. I flew down the ladder and ran into Kalin. He stood over the one I'd faced and whistled.
"Nice work! Are his clothes steaming? Hah, that's kind of cool!" He stepped over the man's limp body. "I heard what he was saying about you. I'm surprised you didn't talk mad shit back once you started winning."
"You… were watching?"
"Weeell, I figured you'd have no problems with the duel. But. Sometimes when we have these gangs backed into a corner, they pull some nasty tricks. Looks like…" He nudged the unconscious man with a toe. "You can handle yourself."
"You're not surprised I won? I mean, uh, I am."
"Nah, not to someone who can kick Security ass like you do," he said with a wink. The easy confidence in his statement relieved my jarred nerves. "Besides, these guys were too easy! I finished mine way before you. The others are still inside finishing up."
"…It didn't seem easy to me…"
He set a fist on his hip and shot me a glare. "Think again. You didn't take a single point of damage that duel, which is exactly what I'd expect from a member of Team Satisfaction."
The way he said it with such pride made my heart swell. I couldn't keep a smile from slowly spreading. When it did, he laughed. I asked, "What's so funny?"
"Nothing. I just like your smile." Heat crept through my cheeks, and he laughed again. "Your whole face is red!"
"Oh? Like yours last night?" The memory made him blush again, and I laughed like he had seconds ago.
"Hey! Having too much fun without me, huh?" Crow marched out with a smirk plastered on his face. He gave a thumbs-up, saying, "Mission success!"
"Nice work!" Kalin exclaimed. "And the others?"
"Agh, they're taking too long!" Crow threw up his hands and looked to the dark sky. "Huh. Looks like it's gonna rain."
I clasped my hands together. "I love the rain."
"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Crow asked. I looked into his gray eyes and laughed.
"I don't remember!" A raindrop fell on my head. A drizzle built up. "We should probably get out of here, shouldn't we?"
As if on cue, Yusei walked out. He said, "That's four of five, I'm guessing. Hey, rain! Haven't had any in awhile."
I asked, "Why's Jack taking so long?"
Yusei rolled his eyes. "He has to make 'the perfect win'. I swear his ego could cover all of the Satellite."
"At least it'd be an umbrella to work with," I joked. I thought it was pretty cheesy but it made them laugh. A raindrop fell on my nose, and I watched it slip down and fall to the ground.
Jack's voice boomed, "Well, that takes care of him! That was the most amazing win to date. Really, I don't know how I'm going to top myself. You should have been there!"
"Oh look, Jack. The world weeps for us missing your victory," I said. Kalin broke into a mad fit of laughter. Jack tried to act mad but couldn't with Kalin breaking down. When Kalin finally stopped, he led us back to the hideout.
It hit me when we were almost back. I paused and looked skyward. The rain was pouring now, and we were all drenched. Kalin noticed I had stopped. "Something wrong?"
I could only look up at the sky. A single memory had found me: Darkness on a massive city of green glass. I ran along sundried cobblestone streets and someone screamed my name. They called again, again, again…
"I remember my name," I said.
"Really? That's great!" Kalin exclaimed. "Don't just stand there, Shortey! Tell us what it is!"
I flashed a huge grin at my team. "Rain. My name is Rain."
End of Chapter Two
(((A/N: This duel was fun to set up. I'm a big fan of the Horus line, personally. :)
DiamondRose-413: Thanks so much! Your comment made my day when I saw it. I hope you continue to enjoy the story, and I appreciate the review!
Thanks again for reading, and see you next week with an update!)))
