Yugioh: World Tour

by Brandy Beavers

The travels of four young women who, through twists of fate, cross paths and are forced to work together. Two thieves, a mechanic, and a former member of society's upper class. The quartet travels the world, each trying to solve their own personal issues that are tangled together in the grander scheme. Set years after 5D's, it attempts to bridge the gap between DM, GX and 5D's.

3. Chapter 3

Hospitals suck. Not just because of the waiting, or the tests, or the pain, but because through it all, there was no way to recover from this.

She remembered it all clearly: an angry customer complaining about his D-Wheel, like so many others, and urging her to fix it as soon as possible. Her inexperience led to panic – how could someone new to the garage do all that work all by herself? The manager was out for the day, and she barely knew how half of the machines worked. Still, she came here to become a mechanic, and that's what she was going to do.

The D-Wheel came in, and she raised it on the platform. So far, so good. She had this. It looked like a simple job – or, at least, her manager made it look simple. Just replace the broken parts with new ones and readjust the paint. That's all she had to do.

The second she went to fix the tires, things went wrong. The jack that was supposed to support it failed – did she not secure it tight enough? – and the whole bike came crashing down. She rolled to the side, but the bike's frame slammed onto her forearm.

She remembered screaming for hours. Or at least, it felt like hours. Her coworker came in sometime later to start his own shift, but by then, she was blinded by tears.

They quickly went to the hospital, but she could tell it was already too late. Her arm hurt too much. It wasn't gonna fall off or anything, but it still hurt. The pain was consistent the whole time. By the time the doctor confirmed her fate, she already knew: "Your arm is going to be damaged for the rest of your life."

xxxxx

"Larissa!"

Larissa jolted up and banged her head on the car above her. She slid out from underneath it, and rubbed the bump. "I swear, I'm going to get brain damage one of these days."

Yugioh World Tour – Third Stop: Mechanics

Larissa dusted off her red leather jacket. Grease stains were splotched throughout it, but they somehow matched the blackish-gray color of the jumpsuit underneath it. She got onto her feet and headed over to the garage door. A lanky man – the manager – stood there, with another unfamiliar boy at his side.

"Larissa, I want you to meet our newest recruit, Roy." The manager patted him on the shoulder. "He just moved to Miami this week."

Roy awkwardly shifted away from the manager's hand.

"Nice to meet you," Larissa said.

"Roy's pretty good with computers, so he'll be a big help with all of the D-Wheel orders we have." The manager nodded to the workstation. "Why don't you show him the ropes?"

"Okay."

Larissa led him to the car that she was fixing previously. Roy watched her as she slid underneath it again.

"So, have you ever worked in a garage before?"

"Not really," Roy said. He gazed blankly around the room. "I worked for a tech company before my family moved. I've made the software for D-Wheels before, but I've never had to build one."

Larissa pulled something and grease splattered around her. Somehow, she managed to avoid getting it on her skin. "Well, there's a first time for everything."

Roy sighed, walking over to a nearby desk. The family and childhood photos told him that it belonged to the girl under the car. A few Duel Monsters cards – Rai Rider, DNA Surgery, and Paralyzing Potion, among others – were spread out across the counter.

"So you're a duelist, too."

"Yep," Larissa said casually. She grabbed a monkey wrench. "Been dueling since I was in elementary school. Besides making D-Wheels, it's all I wanted to do with my life."

"Sounds kind of dull." Roy walked over to the work station. "I mean, staying in this ruckity garage all the time."

Larissa tightened a bolt and reached to grab another tool. "I guess, but it's peaceful here. Miami's where I spent my whole life, and I see no reason to leave."

"Then I guess you're boring too." Roy huffed, then briefly glanced around the garage. "There a bathroom somewhere?"

Larissa pointed to the left without looking. After Roy turned his back, she silently glared at him.

"Larissa!"

Larissa jumped again. She spun around to see her manager at the doorstep. "You have got to stop doing that."

The manager walked up to her. "We've got a new D-Wheel to fix. Help me bring it in."

"Right."

Larissa closed the toolbox and lifted it with her right hand. Her fingers tensed, and the box fell to the floor with a 'slam'. She grabbed her wrist.

The manager ran over. "Arthritis acting up again?"

Larissa shook her head sharply. "No." She bent down and picked the toolbox up with her opposite hand. "I'm fine."

The manager sighed. "Okay, just don't hurt yourself. We don't want you to crush your other hand."

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine." Larissa tossed the toolbox onto a desk. "Where was the D-Wheel, now?"

The manager gestured. "This way."

xxxxx

The manager guided Larissa to a back room, where the D-Wheel sat on an elevated platform about two feet off the ground.

"Be careful with this thing. The owner was very protective of it." He handed Larissa the D-Wheel's key. "I'll let Roy know that you're in here so he can help."

Larissa took the keys and knelt to look at the D-Wheel. The manager stepped out of the room.

"Looks like the dueling interface got overloaded," she thought out loud. "Better fix that separately."

She slid out the terminal's hard drive and gently placed it on a nearby table. She tossed the keys next to it, and then reached for a spray brush.

Roy walked out from behind her. "What kind of D-Wheel is that?"

"Not sure," Larissa said. "I've never seen one like this, but it looks pretty unique."

Roy got closer. His reflection glimmered on its now-renewed paint.

"Anyway." Larissa pointed to the interface. "Boss said you were good with computers, so try to restore that hard drive without damaging the data. The only other thing that's left is the paint and a few loose parts."

"Got it." There was a tinge of annoyance in his voice.

Roy grabbed a chair and began tinkering with the computer. A load bar popped up, and slowly processed the data within it. The two worked in silence for about fifteen minutes, when Larissa stood up.

"Need to grab a tool from my desk," she said. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Right," he said without looking away from the screen.

Larissa passed through the doorway.

The load bar filled at last, and a new window appeared on the screen. Roy yawned and slid the mouse around.

This interface is revolutionary, Roy thought. I've never seen anything like it. He unclipped the data cartridge and turned to his left.

The keys rested only a few feet away.

xxxxx

Larissa returned to the other room, carefully avoiding the loose parts another employee had left out on the floor. When she reached her desk, she hopped onto the stepstool and pried a tool off the wall. As she lowered herself back to the ground, something on her workstation caught her eye.

She put the tool down. A children's drawing had been pinned there years ago – a drawing done by a friend – of a cartoonish D-Wheel. Behind it was the earth, with hurricanes and fire and tidal waves surrounding each corner.

Larissa looked at it closer, taking it off the wall. The design was the same. "It can't be…"

She knelt onto the floor, and reached for something in a shelf underneath her desk. A dusty-gray box came out, with Greek letters stylized around it in green. She brushed the Duel Monsters cards aside, and placed it on the center of the desk.

A loud 'VROOM!' broke her train of thought, followed by screeching tires. She rushed to the window and saw Roy racing down the street. There was no doubt now – that D-Wheel was hers.

Larissa grabbed a set of keys off a hook near her desk, and ran to a garage door labelled 'Indra'.

xxxxx

Roy cruised along the streets of Miami, enjoying the breeze as it flushed past him. Not a bad turn out. One day on the job and he got away with a one-in-a-million ride. He revved the engine. The speed and control on it was incredible.

"Hey!"

Roy darted his eyes at the rearview mirror. An orange D-Wheel drew close behind him. He slammed on the pedal, but the D-Wheel had already caught up with him. The glare over its rider's helmet glinted away. "Damnit, what do you want?"

"That D-Wheel doesn't belong to you!" Larissa yelled over the wind. Stands of her hair spastically flailed out of the back of her helmet.

Roy cracked a smile. "Keh, it does now!" He revved the engine again. "I've already grown attached to it. Thanks for fixing it up so I could take it for a spin."

They approached an intersection, where a red light had halted traffic. The two stopped at the line with a screech.

Larissa gritted her teeth. "I'm not playing around, kid."

"I'm not either. Although, that sounds like fun." He quickly pulled out a deck. "How 'bout it? I want to see what this baby can do."

Larissa eyed her deck. Then her hand. Her wrist had already started to ache.

The light turned yellow.

She gripped the handlebars tighter. "You're going to regret this."

"Speed World – X activated. Scanning surrounding area… City field set. Speed World – Skyscraper. Selecting Duel Course now…"

The light turned green, and the pair of engines roared like a storm.

"Duel!"

Larissa LP: 4000 – Speed Counters: 0

Roy LP: 4000 – Speed Counters: 0

"Ladies first." Roy raced ahead, turning onto the dueling tracks.

"Such a gentleman," Larissa muttered. She drew six cards and put them on the card holder. "Alright, I'll start off by setting two cards and a monster face-down."

Two cards materialized on the roadway, one on each side, before quickly vanishing. Then a smaller card floated over her head, surrounded by a glowing blue sphere.

Larissa SC: 0 → 1

Roy SC: 0 → 1

"That's all? I'll top that easily." He yanked out a card. The wind nearly swiped it because of his speed. "I play summon Saggi the Dark Clown in Attack Mode!"

Inhumane cackles resonated across the sky as a clown jumped off a nearby building. It somersaulted through the air, crossing its legs in a sitting position, and stopped behind Roy's D-Wheel. (600 ATK)

Larissa gritted her teeth and pressed harder on the pedal. The purple tear mark tattooed on the clown's face became more visible as she got closer. "Sorry, but I was never the kind to be afraid of clowns."

"You'll be afraid of this one." Roy took another card and tossed it a red slot. "By discarding Malevolent Mistress from my hand, Saggi's ATK becomes 800 points higher."

A witch's hat loomed over Saggi and showered it in a curtain of darkness. The clown cackled again as black electricity trickled around it, and the monster grew more than twice its size. (600 →1400 ATK)

"Now attack her face-down monster!"

Saggi gathered the black electricity in its hands, which manufactured into a ball of shadows. It volleyed the ball at the blue sphere, and Larissa swerved to the left to evade the attack. The blue sphere cracked from the impact, and exploded seconds later.

"Just as I thought," Roy observed. "Your monsters are no match for my mine."

Larissa realigned herself on the road. "I wouldn't get so cocky if I were you."

"Pfft." Roy watched the dissipating smoke in the rearview mirror. "Please, your monster's long gon–"

A blue lightning bolt shot out of the smoke and struck Saggi directly in the chest. The black electricity already outlining its body conflicted with the blue electricity, and the two coiled around the clown's torso. The clown squirmed around to escape it, but the two kinds of electricity left it immobile.

"What in the –"

"Like I was saying," Larissa cut in. "The monster you destroyed was my Electric Lizard, and thanks to its effect, your clown can't attack until the end of your next turn."

Roy frowned. "Whatever. I'll set a card and end my turn."

Larissa SC: 1 → 2

Roy SC: 1 → 2

"This is where the action starts," Larissa said. "I'll summon Revival Jam and have it destroy your clown!"

As the two duelists veered onto the next track, a formless blue creature splashed out from a manhole. (1500 ATK) It spotted the bound clown and raced towards it, expanding its size to try and engulf it.

"I don't think so!" A trap card flashed beside Roy. "I activate Ready for Intercepting!"

Saggi began to glow an azure blue, overpowering the binds of the electricity long enough for it to regain control of its hand. It snapped its fingers and transformed into a blue sphere just as the jam poured over it. The sphere broke and Saggi burst out with an energy ball in its palm. It ripped against the jam's liquid body and forced it to retreat.

When the jam returned to Larissa, it wriggled in discomfort.

Larissa glanced at her D-Wheel's terminal. A close-up of the two battling monsters had appeared on the screen. Revival Jam's orange ATK score – at 1500 – was met with Saggi's blue DEF score. (1500 DEF)

"He stopped me," she said in disbelief.

"That's right," Roy mocked from afar. "My trap flips any Warrior or Spellcaster-type monster into face-down Defense Position. And, because it was flipped face-down, any lingering effects on Saggi are no longer applied."

The clown crossed its feet again and taunted the opposing monster. Revival Jam ignored it and readjusted.

Larissa sped up again. "Like I said, don't get cocky."

Larissa SC: 2 → 3

Roy SC: 2 → 3

"Alright, I'll switch Saggi to Attack Mode and summon Doron to join it!"

A man dressed head-to-toe in a black cloth twirled out from an alleyway, shooting past Larissa and her monster. It stopped itself the moment it came next to Saggi, where it turned around and glowered at her. (900 ATK) The clown got out of its sitting position, standing a few inches taller than its comrade. (600 ATK)

"Now Doron, attack her Revival Jam!"

Saggi grabbed onto Doron, who used the clown as a springboard to propel itself forward. Larissa drove aside as the monster came flying at her.

"And don't forget, thanks to Speed World – Skyscraper, Warrior-type monsters gain 1000 ATK if they battle a monster whose ATK is higher than its own!"

Larissa checked her terminal. "That's still not right. It has to be a Normal or a Fusion monster." The battle screen popped up, showing her orange-bordered Revival Jam against the pale-bordered Doron. "Uh-oh."

The jam expanded into a net to absorb the attack as Doron came charging forward. (900 → 1900 ATK) A quick glint of light shone in the man's eyes as it darted to the side. It kicked off the ground nearby and slammed into Revival Jam from behind. The jam reformed and tumbled into a brick wall.

Larissa LP: 4000 → 3600

Roy LP: 4000

Larissa sped up again. "It's not gone yet – by paying 1000 Life Points I can bring it back next turn!"

Larissa LP: 3600 → 2600

"Keh, that just makes my job easier."

Saggi shot an energy ball in Larissa's path. It hit the ground directly in front of her, causing her to swerve.

Larissa LP: 2600 → 2000

"Then one card face-down and that's all for now."

The D-Wheel rocked back and forth uncontrollably. Roy was gaining speed and it was getting hard to keep up with him now. Her wrist hurt to the point where each individual bone ached upon movement. Despite this, she forced herself to raise her hand.

Larissa SC: 3 → 4

Roy SC: 3 → 4

"My draw." The words were more of a promise to herself than a declaration. She barely glanced at the card before she swung it out and immediately played it down.

Smoke flushed out of the engine, followed by a plasma-like substance that gelled over in its wake. The smoke took shape into a humanoid figure, and the plasma filled its volume until it molded into a fiery being. (1800 ATK)

"What the heck is that?" Roy asked.

"Fuel Harvester." Larissa brought her wrist closer to her waist. "My favorite monster."

Roy smirked. "I wouldn't get too attached to it. It won't be around for long."

"We'll see." Larissa eyed her wrist.

The pain was spreading – now it was at the point where she started to twitch. If it stayed like this, she wouldn't be able to move it. She grabbed two cards from her hand, set them in the back row, and desperately pressed a button on the side of the terminal.

"Voice control activated," the terminal answered.

Larissa exhaled, calmly placing her hand back on the grip. "Alright, let's do this."

Fuel Harvester nodded and punched its right arm. Lava spewed from its knuckles. It splashed at Saggi the Dark Clown, who frantically covered its eyes and cowered.

Doron jumped in front of it, holding out its hand. The lava met its palm and dissipated against an invisible barrier.

"Nice try." A trap card appeared behind Roy. "But Fellowship prevents any of my Spellcaster or Warrior-type monsters from getting destroyed if the two types exist on the field."

"But you still take damage."

Roy LP: 4000 → 2800

"Even so, I've got everything I need now."

Larissa SC: 4 → 5

Roy SC: 4 → 5

"The stage is set." Roy pointed to the sky. "I activate Speed World – Skyscraper! By removing four of my Speed Counters, I can perform a Fusion Summon!" (Roy SC: 5 → 1)

A portal opened up above the buildings, directly in line with Roy's finger. Saggi and Doron leapt towards it, allowing themselves to get sucked inside.

Larissa reached him in time to see it up close – a masked man in green with two steel rods, one in each hand. It descended to the streets with mysterious elegance. (2000 ATK)

"Masked Vigilante, destroy her Fuel Harvester!"

The masked man clanged the two rods together into an 'X' and rushed at the plasma creature. It spun around, arching a rod at the creature's stomach.

When it came close, a blue gel shifted in front of it, catching the attack. It spilled into the rod and formed a medieval shield around Fuel Harvester's side. The vigilante pressed against the shield, but it wouldn't budge.

"What in the…?" Roy turned his head to the scene. Masked Vigilante backed off, and the shield morphed into the familiar jam. "But that's –"

"Revival Jam," Larissa finished for him. "I did say that he was coming back during my turn, didn't I?"

"But I attacked your other monster, not that!"

"You did –" A trap card materialized in front of Larissa. "– but my Jam Defender redirects your attacks to Revival Jam regardless."

Roy frowned. "Hold on. Even if you blocked the attack, your monster should still be destroyed."

"Not exactly." Another trap card appeared on cue. "I also activated Endurance Aura. It protects my monster from getting destroyed by battle in exchange for 1000 of its ATK and DEF points. And since it was revived in Defense Mode, I've effectively cancelled your attack." (500 DEF → 0 DEF)

"You're annoying, you know that?"

"At least I'm not a thief."

Roy returned his attention to the road. "I set two cards and end my turn."

"Alright, now pay attention, because this is where things get interesting," Larissa called. "By sacrificing my normal draw I get to increase Fuel Harvester's ATK by an extra 1000 points!"

Bright crystalline energy seeped out of her deck, floating majestically into the creature. Sparks expelled off of its collar and started to jet from the back of its neck. (1800 → 2800 ATK)

Larissa SC: 5 → 6

Roy SC: 1 → 2

"Fuel Harvester – destroy his Masked Vigilante! Pyro Overcharge!"

The sparks circled around and gathered around Fuel Harvester's fists. It punched the air, and another stream of lava shot out of its knuckles. Masked Vigilante watched it, unmoved, as it came close.

"Don't think so." Another trap card appeared behind Roy. "Waboku prevents all damage to me and my monsters this turn."

Three sages warped in front of the assassin and repelled the attack. Larissa groaned. Not from her failure, but from the growing pains in her wrist. She exhaled slowly. Deep breaths. That always fixed it.

Fuel Harvester relaxed as well, and the sparks on its neck ceased. (2800 → 1800 ATK)

Larissa SC: 6 → 7

Roy SC: 2 → 3

Roy drew his next card. "About time." He slid the card in and a replication appeared beside him. "I activate Speed Spell – Overboost. This increases my Speed Counters by four but they'll drop down to one at the end of the turn." (Roy SC: 3 → 7) "Naturally, I don't plan on wasting them, so I activate Speed World – Skyscraper's second effect!"

Seven balls of light circled around him.

"By removing seven Speed Counters from it, I get to destroy one Spell or Trap card on the field."

He snapped his fingers, and the lights darted at Larissa. She hit the brakes. As she slowed down, a projection of the Endurance Aura card appeared to shield her. The lights pierced through it like bullets.

[Revival Jam: (0 → 500 DEF)]

"Masked Vigilante, finish what you've started!"

The assassin clanked its rods together and charged at Fuel Harvester. Revival Jam intercepted the blow, but failed to regenerate.

Larissa sped up again. This time she came side-to-side with Roy, and drove past him. "Forgot about my Jam Defender card?"

"Not exactly." Roy smiled.

Fuel Harvester followed Larissa as the assassin's rod slashed through the remains of the blue liquid. While Fuel Harvester had its back was turned, Masked Vigilante used its momentum to swing its other rod at the fiery being's head.

Larissa saw this in her rearview mirror. "Look out!"

Fuel Harvester spun around. The assassin was now only six inches away. Air rushed past the rod as it came down.

Roy laughed. "Sorry, did I forget to mention that my monster can attack twice?" He revved his engine. "Say good-bye to your 'favorite monster'."

"Don't be so sure about that." Larissa looked back at him. "Take a look at where we are."

"What are yo–"

"Speed World – X activated. New terrain has been detected!" his terminal rang.

Roy turned his head, gazing out past the road. They were on a bridge now, over the water and away from the city buildings.

Fuel Harvester charged energy into its hand and caught the rod. Static flared out of it from both ends. The two monsters pushed onto it in an attempt to drive it into the other.

"No! But that means…"

"That's right." Larissa grinned. "You thought you were making your getaway, but this whole time I was pushing you out towards the water."

"Ocean terrain set. Speed World – Umi."

Roy looked at his monitor in disbelief. Fuel Harvester's stats began to climb.

"And thanks to Umi's effect, all Thunder-type monsters gain an additional 200 ATK and DEF. Which means, my monster's ATK is the same as yours!"

Masked Vigilante shoved the rod to one side and out of Fuel Harvester's grasp. With a strong thrust, the assassin drove it at the monster again. The sea breeze blew past them, and Fuel Harvester kicked its leg. (1800 → 2000 ATK) Lava smacked into Masked Vigilante's face as the rod slammed into Fuel Harvester, knocking both monsters in opposite directions. They fell off the bridge and crashed into the waves.

"Don't underestimate me." Larissa gripped the handlebars tighter. Her pain was waning, but it was still there. "You think you're clever because you tricked me before, but this my home. The ocean is my field!"

Roy gritted his teeth. He outstretched an arm. "I activate my trap card – Bellowing Tears!"

A waterfall of droplets rained down next to the bridge.

"This card lets me revive a monster from my Graveyard should one of my monsters be destroyed during the Battle Phase. The only condition is that it can't be the same monster."

The waterfall ceased and a drenched Saggi the Dark Clown appeared in its place. It crossed its legs and pouted. (1500 DEF)

"Then I'll set two cards and end my turn."

"It's time!" Larissa yelled. "I activate Call Of The Haunted!"

A tombstone floated over her head before bursting into flames. They reformed and Fuel Harvester reemerged. (1800 → 2000 ATK)

"Whatever." Roy eyed his Speed Counter Gauge. (Roy SC: 0 → 1)

Larissa leaned to the side as they made a turn. "I'll skip my draw once again in order to strengthen Fuel Harvester."

The majestic sparkles danced around the monster again, and its neck-flame grew fierce. (2000 → 3000 ATK)

Larissa SC: 7 → 8

Roy SC: 1 → 2

"Now I'll activate another one of my trap cards – Defense Paralysis. Until the end of the turn all face-up monsters are changed to Attack Position."

Fuel Harvester jumped up and shot lightning from its fingertips. They clung to Saggi like puppet strings, and forced it to stand. (600 ATK)

Roy scowled. "I know what it does."

"Then you should know what's next. Fuel Harvester – destroy Saggi the Dark Clown!"

Fuel Harvester kicked the concrete and a shockwave of magma surged towards the clown.

"Yes, I did, actually." Roy pressed a button on his D-Wheel. "Which is why I had this set. I activate Speed Spell – Stat Swap!"

The card appeared on Larissa's monitor. "No!"

"By increasing your Speed Counters by two, I can switch the ATK and DEF of two battling monsters." (Larissa SC: 8 → 10) "Perfect timing, right?"

Saggi dodged the shockwave and twirled to tear away the lightning strings. (600 → 1500 ATK) While it spun, it raced towards Fuel Harvester and snatched it into the cartoonish Twister. The clown stopped spinning and jumped away, leaving the plasma monster dizzied. (3000 → 1400 ATK)

Taking this opportunity, the clown unleashed a shadow ball, which struck and destroyed Fuel Harvester with no resistance.

Larissa LP: 2000 → 1900

"Looks like I'm the one with the advantage now."

Saggi returned to Roy's side and stuck out its tongue at Larissa. She ignored it. Instead, her attention fell on the virtual placemat in front of her. No monsters. No more trap cards. She turned to her hand, which consisted solely of Mega Thunderball and Speed Spell – Speed Fusion.

She reached for her Mega Thunderball card. Throbbing pains held her arm down. She had to fight it off, but she couldn't do it now. All she could do was wait for it to fade.

"I end my turn," Larissa said, flustered.

"Good. Now I get to activate a Trap Card of my own, Shadow Claws." A card depicting a dark dragon with glowing purple claws flashed before him. "This card equips to a DARK monster I control."

Saggi held out its fists. Translucent purple claws ripped out of its knuckles.

Roy drew his next card and tossed it in the card holder. "Now for the fun part."

Larissa SC: 10 → 11

Roy SC: 2 → 3

"During each of my Standby Phases, Shadow Claws boosts the ATK of my monster by 100 points for each monster in my Graveyard. I have three, so do the math!"

Saggi raised its claws higher, where they crossed paths with Larissa's view of the sun. (1500 → 1800 ATK) It slashed them back down, and a Sonic Boom resonated across the field. Larissa failed to move in time and the strike connected with her front tire.

Larissa LP: 1900 → 100

"And that's the end of my turn," Roy said. "I should also mention that Shadow Claws allows Saggi to inflicting piercing Battle Damage, so anything you do now will end in your defeat." He brushed his hand along the D-Wheel. "Looks like this baby's mine."

Larissa inhaled deeply. Then exhaled. The weight of her pain lightened with each breath. She slowly lifted her hand off of the handlebar and reached for her deck. The pains reignited all at once, but she persisted and tore a card out from it.

Ocubeam.

A good start, but not enough. She looked to her Speed Counter Gauge. A plan came to her, but it would only cause her more suffering.

It was her only choice.

Larissa SC: 11 → 12

Roy SC: 3 → 4

"I activate Speed World – Umi's effect! By removing seven Speed Counters from it, I get to draw a card. And, if I choose, I can also reveal a Normal Monster in my hand to draw an additional card."

A copy of Mega Thunderball flashed onto Roy's monitor. (Larissa SC: 12 → 5)

Aches streaked along her veins as she reached for her deck again. It raced to her fingertips, and Larissa involuntarily closed one eye out of discomfort.

Her hand touched the deck. She hastily pulled two cards out at once, and immediately threw them into her card holder.

"Got it," she said with a huff. She opened her eye again. "Alright, first I activate Speed Spell – Speed Fusion! With it, I can perform a Fusion Summon of my own!"

She took the spell and her two Normal Monsters and tossed them in the Graveyard.

"I combine my Mega Thunderball with my Ocubeam in order to summon Kaminari Attack!"

Projections of the two cards appeared beside her before quickly converting into a gathering storm. The wind picked up, causing Roy's D-Wheel to sway, and a genie formed out of a veil of clouds. (1900 ATK)

Roy snickered. "You think I'm afraid of that?"

"You should be, because Kaminari Attack is also a Thunder-type monster." (1900 → 2100 ATK) "But besides him, I also summon my Solar Flare Dragon!"

A serpentine magma creature slithered out from underneath the bridge. (1500 ATK)

Roy observed the card's stats as it appeared on his screen. The numbers went down. (1500 → 1300 ATK) "Ha, are you kidding me? You said the ocean was your field, but you summoned a Pyro-type monster knowing that it would weaken itself?"

"The ATK that Solar Flare Dragon lost is made up for the ATK Kaminari Attack gained. Sometimes it's better to compensate," she said sternly. "Especially now – Kaminari Attack, strike down his Saggi the Dark Clown!"

The genie held up its hands, and the storm clouds swirled overhead. Lightning broke out from above, crashing into the street and exterminating the clown before it could react. Roy nearly drove into the lightning onslaught, and swerved to avoid it.

Roy LP: 2800 → 2500

"Now you're exposed."

Solar Flare Dragon crept up behind and seared Roy's back tire. Roy swerved again, only this time he fell in the line of fire. He clenched his jaw as the D-Wheel darted forward.

Roy LP: 2500 → 1200

"All that talk, and that's all you could do?"

"Who ever said I was done?" Larissa panted as she played her last card. "I activate Speed Spell – Speed Storm!"

Kaminari Attack's cloud shifted out from underneath it, where a series of lightning bolts took shape. They morphed into a serpentine creature similar to the Solar Flare Dragon nearby, and raced down at the motorcycle ahead of it.

Roy, still unprepared because of the last attack, met with the full power of the blast. The lightning serpent bit down on the motorcycle and Roy began to swerve again.

Roy LP: 1200 → 200

"And now for the finishing touch," Larissa said. "I move onto my End Phase, which activates my Solar Flare Dragon's effect, inflicting a good 500 damage to your Life Points!"

Solar Flare Dragon drew close to Roy as he slowed down to regain control. Its shadow loomed over him, and he could feel the heat generating from its mouth.

He kicked onto the pedal to zip ahead, but the blast had already been unleashed. It burst on the concrete next to him, causing his motorcycle to skip and lean to the side. The D-Wheel's frame grazed against the railing until the shutdown feature stopped it altogether.

Roy LP: 200 → 0

Roy groaned and shook his head. Larissa stopped next to him.

"Agh, and I just fixed the paint."

xxxxx

The next few hours following Roy's arrest were uneventful. Larissa continued to work (or, rework) on the D-Wheel in silence. The last of the paint sprayed out of its holder, and Larissa closed her toolkit. Finally finished. She went to return it to the waiting center, when someone walked in through the doorway.

Larissa stopped. "Ana…"

"Larissa, is that you?" She walked over.

"I can't believe you're really here. I thought you were still in Japan."

"I was, but… I had to leave." Anastasia averted her gaze, opting to look at her D-Wheel instead.

Larissa nodded in understanding. Even after all this time, she remembered – there was no point in forcing Ana to talk.

"I thought that D-Wheel was yours when I started working on it," she said. "I went to grab another tool when I saw this."

She turned to her desk and delicately handed her the childhood drawing.

"Remember this?"

Anastasia smiled keenly. "Wow, my art was terrible back then."

They both laughed. Ana took the picture into her own hands.

"Well, this isn't just a dream anymore."

"So since you're not in Japan, what brought you back here?"

"I dunno," Anastasia said, still mentally critiquing the drawing. "I guess I wanted to go back to my roots. I even worked at our old elementary school for a little while, and got these old things back."

Anastasia unclipped a box from her belt and slid out some of her cards.

"When you said 'old' you weren't kidding. They look like they're about to peel apart."

"Yeah, these things are like relics now." She slid them back in the box. "Well, I better head out now. Thanks for taking care of my bike."

She grabbed the handles and started to wheel it away.

"Actually, wait," Larissa said.

Anastasia turned back. "Yeah?"

Larissa brushed away a stack of papers and picked up the dusty-gray box. "Your mom left this with me."

Anastasia nearly dropped her D-Wheel but re-clenched her grip on the handlebars at the last second. "She did what?"

"She said a fortuneteller came to her and told her it was important that you specifically had this box." Larissa shrugged, and then rattled it. "I dunno what's in it, and I haven't been able to figure out how to open it."

"Fortuneteller? My mom always was one for that superstition garbage." Anastasia approached Larissa again, who handed her the box. "But why did she leave it with you?"

"She thought that because we were best friends that I would be able to get it to you somehow but… well, you know." Larissa sighed.

Anastasia nodded solemnly. "We'll change that next time." She held up the box again. "Right now, I wanna find out what these symbols mean."

"They're Greek, I know that. What they actually say, no clue."

Anastasia turned her back, analyzing it. "My company had connections in Athens. If my mom went to all that trouble to give this to you then it must be important, so I'll book a flight for this week." She looked to Larissa again. "Want to come with me?"

"What?" Larissa blurted, taken aback. "I dunno…"

"Oh, c'mon." Anastasia gestured with a wave. "Don't you ever get bored staying in this rickety garage all the time?"

Roy's words bit down on her. They stung more coming from her long-lost friend.

After another moment of hesitation, she finally said, "You're right." She smiled. "I've never gone anywhere outside of the state before, and you've practically explored the world."

"I wouldn't say that," Anastasia laughed. "But that sounds like fun. After we solve this box's mystery, we should go on a tour or two and do some sightseeing. Deal?"

Larissa nodded proudly. "Deal."