Chapter 2
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, its plot, characters, settings, and cards. I only own Rin.
The day of the Fortune Cup had finally come. Rin and Akiza were waiting inside the Arcadia Movement's mobile command center. Akiza was nervously going through her cards one last time before the tournament opening. "You're still nervous, aren't you, Aki?" Rin asked her. Sayer had already given Akiza a pep talk that had boosted her confidence, but she was still a little apprehensive.
Akiza sighed. "I'm not worried about the opening or being in front of so many people. I'm concerned about what they'll think when they see me duel. They'll be afraid just like everyone else."
"You don't have to worry so much, Akiza," Rin told her. "Remember, you're not going in there alone. I'll be in the Kaiba Dome, too. And I'll be cheering you in every duel no matter what everyone else says or thinks."
Akiza smiled in response. "Thanks, Rin. We'd better head inside. They'll be starting soon."
The two women entered the Kaiba Dome and split up in the hall. Akiza went to join the other duelists, while Rin went to watch the opening from one of the many duel field exits. She didn't have to wait long before the announcer began.
"Duelist young and old, professional and amateur alike, put your hands together for our Director of Ceremonies, Rex Goodwin!" The crowd cheered as Rin scowled. Then, a gust of wind rushed through the arena as Red Dragon Archfiend appeared. "Ladies and gentlemen, Red Dragon Archfiend has taken to the skies. You know what that means, let's hear it for the reigning Champion, the King of the Cards, the one man who rules the duel, the Master of Faster himself…"
'God, his ego is even bigger than I remember. Get on with it already,' Rin thought in irritation.
"Jack Atlas!" The crowd went wild as Jack entered the arena and the announcer finished the introduction.
"New Domino City, what say we kick this tournament into overdrive?! Let's get this started!" Jack declared boldly.
"It's time we meet the lucky duelists who were selected to compete for the chance to go head to head with Mr. Atlas. The Fortune eight!" The announcer stated as the platforms carrying the duelist began to rise up into the arena.
As the duelists entered, Rin's eyes skimmed over each one before freezing in place on one particular duelist. She'd recognize him anywhere. 'I-it can't be. Th-there's no way.' "Yusei?!" Rin whispered in shocked amazement. His identity was confirmed as the announcer introduced the eight duelists.
"Now, let's hear it for the always mysterious Shira, the great Grieger, Commander Coda, the Professor, Miss Akiza Izinski, Sir Randsborg, the lovely Miss Luna, and Yusei Fudo!"
The crowd went into an uproar upon seeing the mark on Yusei's left cheek. Rin knew what the mark meant: Yusei was sent to the facility for entering New Domino City from Satellite. The crowd Booed and hurled insults at him. The announcer was at a loss of what to do until the duelist Grieger took the mic.
"I have to say something," he began. "My name is Grieger. I know things are different in this city, but where I come from, you judge a guy on his spirit. This kid right here may have been branded by your people as a no-good, but when I look at him, all I see is a duelist. And being a duelist myself, that means I have to respect him until he gives me a reason not to. Because a duelist doesn't judge another duelist based on where he comes from or who his family is or how much money he has. That isn't what really matters."
With that he gave the mic back to the announcer. Rin smiled at Grieger's words. She now had a deep respect for the man. Her smile widened when everyone in the arena broke out in applause. However, her scowl returned when Goodwin spoke.
"Thank you for those well-chosen and heartfelt words. In our world, social status and personal wealth draws a line between ourselves and our fellow man. But I had a vision of a duel tournament that would, if only for a fleeting while, remove that line. A tournament separate from the competition of life. Where the haves and the have-nots could meet each other on a level playing field and prove themselves to each other and to the world. Fellow duelists, welcome to the Fortune Cup!" The crowd cheered loudly in response.
Then the announcer spoke again. "And now, let's turn to the bracket shuffler." When the matches were decided it was as follows: Luna vs Grieger in the first match, Akiza vs Sir Randsborg in the second match, Yusei vs Shira in the third match, and the Professor vs Commander Coda in the fourth match. All the duelist left the arena via the various exits to prepare for their respective matches. Rin watched Yusei leave through a different exit, however before he was completely out of the arena their eyes met for a moment. Rin saw the recognition flash across his eyes and took off back the way she came.
It had been three years since she had seen Yusei last. Three years since she had come to the city with Jack after her "brother's" treachery. Would Yusei even want to see her? Would he still consider her a friend? Rin has hesitant to find out. Thinking she had gotten far enough away, Rin stopped to catch her breath.
She stiffened, however, when she felt a hand grab her forearm and heard a familiar voice. "So this is where you ran off to."
Rin turned only to see a pair of extremely familiar cobalt-blue eyes. "Yusei." Rin looked down at the floor, suddenly finding her feet to be very interesting. That is, until Yusei hugged her causing her eyes to widen in shock.
"You have no idea how worried I was," he told her. "When Jack told me you had run away-"
"Wait," Rin interrupted, as she pulled away. "When did Jack tell you about that?"
"As soon as I got to the City. It was one of the first things I asked. We were worried about you, Rin."
"You were worried? After what happened? And who's "we"?"
Yusei chuckled. "Crow, Martha, Rally, and everyone. None of us ever believed you had anything to do with what Jack did. There's something I've been wondering about, though. Why didn't you come home after you left Jack?"
Rin looked down again. "I was afraid. Since I left with Jack, I was afraid that everyone would think I had some part in it. I was afraid you would hate me."
"Rin, look at me," he told her sternly. She did. "Rally, Crow and I all think of you as a sister. And I know that Martha thinks of you as a daughter. We could never hate you."
"Yusei," Rin whispered. "Thank you."
A few minutes later, Rin stood leaning against the wall of the waiting area listening to the conversation between Yusei and "Luna". Yusei had told her it was actually Leo, Luna's twin brother, and that he would introduce her to them and his friends from the city later.
"This Duel Disk you fixed up for me rocks!" "Luna" exclaimed.
Yusei smiled. "Glad you like it."
"I can't believe I'm actually about to do this," "she" said excitedly. "You don't have any last minute pointers for me, do ya?"
"Yep. Remember to adapt to your opponent."
"I can do that," "Luna" said confidently before heading toward the arena.
As "Luna" left, Rin took a seat next to Yusei. "So, how do you think he'll do in this duel?" she asked him.
"If he remembers what I told him, then he has good chance." Then they both turned to the TV screen to watch.
"And now," the announcer began, "coming to us strait from the Tops, a precious half-pint bundle of wonder, Little Miss Luna! Hoping to take her down, the wall of wallop, the tower of power, Grieger! Alright children, play nice. Let's shake those hands."
The two to duelist shook hands and exchanged words, however Rin could hear them over the crowd. Then they returned to their corners.
"And now, it's time to start the duel. Players activate your duel disks."
"Let's Duel!"
Grieger: 4000
"Luna": 4000
Grieger started "The first move's mine. I draw. From my hand, I activate Star Blast."
"A spell? You're not starting with a monster?"
"I first have to lower my monster's level by harnessing the power of Star Blast and sacrificing 500 life points."
Grieger: 3500
"Luna": 4000
"Why would you do all that?"
"See, my Summon Reactor SK is a level 5. So by taking its power down a notch, I can summon it directly to the field in attack mode. (lv. 5 ATK: 2000 DEF: 1400)"
"Yikes. It's got 2000 attack points."
"That's right. I believe that one must sacrifice a little in order to gain a lot. I end my turn with a face down card."
"Grieger's off to a strong start. Let's see how little Miss Luna responds," the announcer said.
"Here I go. I draw! You're not the only one off to a strong start. I summon Morphtronic Cellphon in attack mode. (lv. 1 ATK: 100 DEF: 100) Pretty cool don't cha think? My Morphtronic deck rules! And I'm about to show you why."
"Before you make any more moves, I get to activate Reactor SK's special ability. Because you summoned a monster to the field, Reactor SK gets to hit you with 800 points of damage."
Grieger: 3500
"Luna": 3200
"Incredible! Grieger's monster can attack Miss Luna anytime she summons a monster," the announcer commented.
"Not bad mister, but it's gonna take more than that to weaken my Morphtronic deck."
"You keep taking of these Morphtronic's of yours, but so far I'm not impressed."
"Yeah, well, I'm about to impress your face. Alright, let's go, Cellphon! Start dialing, now! Whatever number the dial lands on, that's the number of cards from the top of my deck I get flip over. And if the last card I flip is a level four or below Morphtronic, I can summon it out. And we've got a 2. The second card is… Oh, yeah! Get ready for Morphtronic Boomboxen, comin' at cha live. (lv. 4 ATK: 1200 DEF: 400) Now, I play a face down and end my turn."
"It's my turn. I draw. And from my hand, I summon Trap Reactor Y Fi to the field in attack mode. (lv. 4 ATK: 800 DEF: 1800) Trap Reactor, attack! Take out Morphtronic Cellphon."
"Gotcha, Grieger. I activate my Morphtransition trap card. And now I can switch my Cellphon to defense mode and put your attack on hold."
"Hah. By playing your trap, you walked right into mine. It's called Trap Reactor for a reason after all. You see, Trap Reactor reacts to your trap card activation and lays directly into you for 800 points of damage. Attack!"
Grieger: 3500
"Luna": 2400
'Oh, boy. Hang in there kid.' Rin thought to herself.
"That was a cheap shot."
"I'm not done with you yet, little girl. I've still got more fight for you."
"Bring it."
"Summon Reactor SK, unplug that Boomboxen permanently." Boomboxen wasn't destroyed, however.
"It appears as if Summon Reactor SK has been grounded by Boomboxen," the announcer stated.
"Haha. When my Boomboxen's in defense mode, it can tune out one attack every turn."
"But that only allows me to use Damage Summon. See, after an unsuccessful attack on your monster, Damage Summon allows me to sacrifice 800 life points in order to summon a new monster."
Grieger: 2700
"Luna": 2400
"So you're sacrificing your own life points again?"
"I am. And next, I summon Spell Reactor RE to the field. (lv. 3 ATK: 1200 DEF: 900) You might not like the sound of this, but Spell Reactor RE, beat down that Boomboxen."
"My tunes!"
"I place one card face down and end my turn."
'If Summon Reactor damages Leo for summoning and Trap Reactor damages him for activating traps, then Spell Reactor will likely damage Leo for activating spells. Hopefully, Leo has also realized it and can adjust his plan accordingly.' Rin thought.
"You don't seem very rattled. Don't you realize I've backed you into a corner? I got all three of my reactor monsters on my field. You've already brought direct damage upon yourself by summoning out monsters and triggering trap cards. So, what power do you think this next reactor monster possess? Seems obvious to me. That right, every duelist need to be able to summon monsters and activate traps and spells. But if you do any of that, you're going to take damage on to yourself. I can spend the rest of the duel doing nothing but watch as you chip away at your own life points every time you try to do something."
'So I was right.' "It looks like the kid finally realized the situation "she's" in,"Rin observed.
"Don't get scared," She heard Yusei mumble at the screen as if Leo could hear him.
"You're goin' down!" "Luna" said defiantly. Grieger's words had shaken "her" confidence for a moment but "she" quickly regained it. "I've never tried this before, but here goes. This next round determines everything. It's my move. Now I draw and activate Cellphon's special ability. Dialing, Now! What's it gonna be? It's a 3! Now I can look at three cards.
"I switch Cellphon into attack mode. Start dialing, now." "Luna" looked nervous until Cellphon landed on 1. "All right, there we go! I summon Morphtronic Datatron in attack mode! (lv. 3 ATK: 1200 DEF: 600)"
"You're life points don't stand a chance against me, little girl. Because no matter what card you play, you're taking damage."
"These Reactors of Grieger have got Luna pinned to the wall!" the announcer exclaimed. "I can't watch, and yet I can't look away."
Grieger: 2700
"Luna": 1600
"This is it. By, um, releasing one monster on my field I can activate Datatron's special power which will burn you with 600 points of direct damage. So I release Cellphon.
Grieger: 2100
"Luna": 1600
"Alright, so far so good. And now, I release Datatron in order to advance summon Gadget Hauler! (lv. 6 ATK: 1300 DEF: 0) Ta-Da! Now, unless I'm mistaken, I won't take any damage 'cause Summon Reactor's ability only works once a turn, right?"
'Good thinking! Now he just needs to stay calm and not break lose,' Rin thought
"Time to break lose!"
'Or not.' Rin sweat dropped.
"From my hand I release Morphtronic Magnen. Now whenever I send one of my Morphtronic's from my hand to the Graveyard, Gadget Hauler gains 800 attack points. (1300 to 2100) Next, I activate the Factory of 100 Machines spell. And with the power of this card, I'm able to remove every Morphtronic in my Graveyard from play."
"What's all this about?" the announcer asked. "It seem like 4 of Luna's Morphtronic monsters are hitching a ride with Gadget Hauler."
"For every Machine-type monster catching a ride with it, Gadget Hauler gains 200 attack points. So now, it's got a whopping 2900!"
"The activation of that spell card brings you one step closer to certain defeat. Spell Reactor, attack! And that leaves you with only 800 life points, little girl. One more move and your finished."
Grieger: 2100
"Luna": 800
"No, not if I attack. You don't have a Battle Reactor. Gadget Hauler, take out his Trap Reactor Y Fi! Yeah! Did it work?"
"You may be small, but you have a warrior's spirit. As a warrior myself, I salute your strength!"
"Well, thanks I guess, but how come you're not, like, damaged?"
"Because of the Delta Reactor trap card."
"What does that do!?"
"By sending Trap Reactor, Spell Reactor and Summon Reactor to the Graveyard, I can negate your attack and activate Delta Reactor and use Flying Fortress SKY FIRE to summon a reign of doom."
"It looks like Grieger has activated the fatal trap card. This duel might be over. Could Luna be our first loser?" the announcer asked.
"I activate Flying Fortress SKY FIRE's special ability. And with this, I can send a card to my Graveyard in order to obliterate one card on your field. Victory is mine."
"Gadget Hauler!"
"And now you're wide open for a direct attack."
Grieger: 2100 - winner
"Luna": 0000
"It's over. Grieger will be advancing to the second round and Luna will be getting a gift basket."
'Poor kid. I hope he'll be okay,' Rin thought to herself. She went to talk to Akiza before her duel while Yusei went to talk to Leo.
