Author's Note:Oh, jeez. It seems like I haven't had much time for anything. I am an abysmal, dismal failure at updating, I know. Four chapters in and... this (and my other stories) deserve to be updated much faster than they are now. Maybe I'll be able to get some things done over Spring Break... So anyway, the new chapter is up; Read, Relax, and Review. Whether it's compliments or criticisms, they can do nothing but help my writing.
Disclaimer:You do know that I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds, right? Nor will I ever be worthy of owning it, seeing as I suck at dueling IRL...
Chapter 4: Kaiser Coliseum
While Team Aegis started their day off with a couple of duels, Lynn was resting in bed.
She wasn't asleep; far from it. She had been staring at the cream-colored ceiling for at least an hour now. Her mind, however, was going a mile a minute concerning yesterday and last night.
She loved her job… well, her formerjob… more than anybody. Sector Security were the people who kept order in Neo Domino. They were the ones who went out of their way to make sure that this utopia didn't dissolve into anarchy. It saved her life eight years ago, and now it was her life.
If she was asked what the best part of her job was, it was hunting criminals down. It gave her a sense of satisfaction, a way for her to feel accomplished whenever she brought one into custody. It was good knowing that there would be one less criminal off the streets when she did her job. And even if they were released, a mark would be grafted onto their faces so they could be easily tracked down again if need be.
But no matter how many criminals were brought to justice, she could never be fully satisfied until-
"Lynn! Can I come in?"
Lynn smiled a little bit at the youngster's voice. "Yeah, Landon. Come on in."
The door opened, and Landon, dressed in all black with a cap showing the insignia for one of the most popular video games in existence, stepped in carrying a bowl of cereal with a spoon in it. He had turned 12 a week ago. He had the same green eyes as Lynn, but while she inherited their father's long and blond hair, he had their mother's short brown hair which barely reached his neck. Lynn loved her brother to pieces, and raised him from infancy after the untimely death of their parents.
Landon set the bowl of cereal on the nightstand next to Lynn's bed. "So, how long are you going to be on vacation?"
"Indefinitely," she replied. Lynn couldn't muster the heart to tell him that she got fired the day before yesterday and that they were relying on the money she saved up to last them through the month. So she came up with the next best thing: vacation time. Even though she was in the dumps, there was no reason to drag him down as well. Landon's happiness was paramount to her.
"How are your holding up?" he asked.
Lynn tentatively took a deep breath, the pain from getting knocked off of her D-Wheel during her Riding Duel with Raymond still lingered, but it was dulled. It was the reason she hadn't even tried to get out of bed since she climbed in it last night. "Still hurts a little," she replied. "If I just lay here a little longer, it'll go away soon. I'm tougher than I look."
"Well, that's good. I was hoping you'd duel me today."
"Probably later. And it'll have to be without the disks."
"But it's no fun dueling without Solid Vision! I wanna see my hands in action!"
Lynn shook her head, smiling. "I know, brother. But I have to take it easy today. You understand, right? Thanks for the cereal, by the way."
"You're welcome. If you need anything else, I'll be in my room playing my Xbox 1080." Landon turned and left the room, closing the door on his way out.
Alone once again, Lynn sat up and set the bowl of cereal on her lap. She began to munch while her thoughts continued to race.
Most people terminated from their job- their livelihood- would likely be depressed for a short time. Whenever Lynn was feeling upset, she got on her D-Wheel and rode, only stopping to eat, sleep, take care of business, and see to her brother for the next day and a half. While she rode, she couldn't think of anything else but how much she hated that she couldn't perform her calling: to put everyone from that wretched island wasteland called Satellite in their place. If people hated them so much, why couldn't they just send them all back to where they came from in a mass exodus when they left the Facility? Or at least kill some of the more dangerous ones?
It was around 1:00 a.m. last night that she came upon Charlotte on a beach next to Riverside Dr. She was resting a few feet from a dingy rowboat. Who in the world would be out on a small rowboat thatlate at night? Only runaways who were leaving Neo Domino City (and she honestly couldn't understand why anyone would do such a thing) or those arriving from Satellite. The drowned rat appearance that Charlotte sported told her that it couldn't be the first choice. It also didn't help that she got up and ran when she was spotted. However, being in the water for so long made Charlotte unsteady on solid ground, and she stumbled onto the sand. Lynn quickly ran up to her and flipped the girl on her back, bombarding the poor girl with questions while pinning her. Was she from Satellite? How did she get to Neo Domino unspotted? What was her reason for leaving? Charlotte struggled, but Lynn's grip was tighter. What would get her to talk?
Maybe if she threatened to do some serious harm… She looked to the gauntlet she wore on her right arm. The hidden blade would surprise anyone who tried to assault her while she was off-duty, and she often kept it for protection. She reached over with one hand to press the button…
Only for Charlotte to use her hand, now free, and splash a fistful of dirt in Lynn's eyes. The former officer screamed and tried to wipe it away with her hands while Charlotte took the opportunity to shove her assailant off of her and run away again. She stumbled more, but Lynn couldn't pursue if she didn't know which way she was going.
After a couple of minutes, part of Lynn's visibility returned. She regretted not having her visor over her eyes. A more pressing matter occurred to her: Where did that girl run off to? It was then that she realized that she was on the beach. That would mean footprints on the sand! The same thing that led to Charlotte's escape could also help Lynn track her down. Reaching inside her pocket to get her cell phone (since it was the middle of the night and she needed some quick light), Lynn opened it, turned the backlight to its highest setting, and held it about halfway to the ground to search for footprints. She discovered a trail with intermittent large prints indicating someone who fell. It eventually pointed towards an alleyway.
With her vision mostly cleared, Lynn ran back to her D-Wheel, set her visor in place and rode into the alley. She discovered Charlotte holding on to the wall of a building for support and tried to run her over. Charlotte dodged somehow, and ran back out the way she came. Lynn set her bike in reverse and slowly eased out of the alley.
Pulling her bike in front of the blond after a short ride, Lynn thought she had her cornered. If she was in her right mind at the time, she would've just called Sector Security to have her taken away to the Facility. But her hatred for Satellite scum combined with being unable to perform her calling overrode any common sense she had. She just needed… an outlet for her frustrations.
The blade protruded out of the gauntlet. Lynn relished the look of fear on Charlotte's face. Maybe, just this once, she could murder someone and get away with it. Besides, the girl was from Satellite; nobody would give a damn…
It was then that Raymond showed up. Lynn was officially caught in the act, and she got a can full of root beer in the face for it. He rescued Charlotte, she pursued and challenged him to a duel, he proceeded to beat the crap out of her, and now she was laying in bed contemplating all of this.
Finishing her cereal, Lynn set the bowl aside and decided to finally get out of bed. It was time for her to go job hunting, and she needed to access the damage to her D-Wheel in detail. If she ever saw those either of those two again, she'd be ready. She won't go off the deep end next time, but they would pay for humiliating her at the very least.
"Hey."
Raymond looked back at Charlotte while he was preparing dinner. "What's up? Something on your mind?"
The blond sighed from where she was sitting at the dinner table. "Listen… I really appreciate you for letting me stay here. I really do. But… ever since your friends left, something's been bugging me."
"What's the problem?" Raymond asked.
"The fact that you took me in," Charlotte responded. "I-I'm not saying that there's a problem with that, but… I just want to know why. I mean, you said you think I'm attractive and everything, but there's got to be a deeper reason than that. Tell me, why take someone in who is practically a stranger to you? What are your true intentions? You told Lynn, before you dueled her, that people should judge others by what they do and not where they come from. I thought everyone in this place hated Satellite and anyone from it. Why would you think differently?"
Raymond gazed straight into her eyes. Was that… doubt he was seeing? She probably didn't think that he was as benevolent as he made himself out to be.
He took a deep breath before speaking. "My mother… after she died five years ago, I found that she had left me a farewell note underneath her bedside lamp. I don't have the note anymore, but I can still remember it word for word." He turned around and solemnly stirred the macaroni. "It went like this…
"'Dear Raymond, Upon reading this, then you already know that I've died and gone to heaven. I honestly don't know if I've been the best parent to you, but I've done all that I can since your father died when you were three. You're a teenager now, and I know that you'll be going through some changes and experiences that'll influence your mindset for the rest of your life. There's so much that I want to tell you, but I'm out of time, so I'll tell you what's most important:
"Make your own decisions, and don't ever follow blindly in another's footsteps. Keep an open mind about anything and everything. When you think about something and it appears to be the status quo, ask yourself why that is. And whether or not you come up with an answer, don't ever take anything you see or hear at face value. Go out and experience it for yourself. Who knows, maybe what you thought was the truth wasn't so after all.
"One last thing: When you make up your mind about anything after forming your own opinion, be absolute in your decision. A person is nothing if they don't constantly stand up for what they believe in.
"Raymond, I love you unconditionally. More than I can ever put into words. Thank you for being the joy of my life for the past 14 years. I wish I can be there to witness your growth as a young man… no. I will be there, as your guardian angel. Now you'll have a real one to compliment the angels you already use while dueling. I wish you the best in life, my son.
"With all the love I have in my heart, Mother.'"
A pregnant silence filled the room after Raymond finished reciting his mother's letter to Charlotte. After a couple of minutes, he turned around to face her. "Ever since her death, I've been opening my mind to all tons of things, even the one thing that sits as the back of everyone's mind: Satellite. Everyone says that it's a haven for criminals, lowlifes and all manner of uncivilized people. While most of it may be true, people have to keep in mind that it's a wasteland. People over there have to struggle to survive and that can mean resorting to desperate measures such as crime. I'm pretty sure most of them don't do it for fun." Charlotte shook her head, confirming his thoughts.
"I also started wondering how the situation can change. Maybe if those in Satellite got another leg-up… one that didn't deal with garbage… there's be less crime, and less fear in people. Why hasn't it been done already? Neo Domino City is advancing, but at the same time, it seems like we're trying to push Satellite back further and further away from our own development. Personally, I don't think it's fair, especially when you think about life before the Zero Reverse occurred.
"People in Satellite were part of our city back then.
"I suppose that's what I'm really wishing for. Unity between Neo Domino and Satellite. People like me and people like you. How could it hurt anyone? Sure, things will be rough at first, but wouldn't it be great for people to not fear their neighbors?"
Charlotte said nothing at first after Raymond finished; she was too busy trying to contemplate all of this. "Hmm… so, you're basically saying that the reason you took me in was to prove to everyone that people from Satellite aren't as bad as they make them out to be? Am I some kind of experiment or something?"
"No, no! You're not an experiment, Charlotte," Raymond protested. "You're a person. The reason I took you in actually had nothing to do with Satellite. It was about offering help to someone who desperately needed it. You don't know your way around this city, all you have are the clothes on your back plus my clothes that you're wearing now, and I'd rather you not try to steal food in an unfamiliar place. You're like a… Warrior Lady of the Wasteland in… Armed Dragon LV 10 territory."
"…What?"
Raymond sighed, turning off his stove to plate the food. "I know that probably didn't make sense. But if it weren't for me, who knows what would've happened to you. Even if you had gotten away from Lynn somehow…
"I took you in because I felt you needed the help and support of someone. You're a good person, Charlotte."
"What makes you think that I'm a good person? You don't even know me that well."
"Neither do you know me well, and yet you tackled me on the couch and kissed me when I said that you could stay."
Charlotte couldn't look more flustered. "That… that was just- I was just overjoyed and overreacted because of it!" She glared at him as he turned around, smirking. "That is never going to happen again, Raymond. Never. You hear me?"
Raymond dropped the smirk, but still had a bit of mirth in his eyes as he nodded. "You know, when I was out riding last night, and I saw you being pursued, my cards… they seemed to speak to me. They told me that something wasn't right. I quickly figured that out when I saw Lynn's blade upon arriving. I did what I thought was right and helped you escape. Now that I think about it… maybe it was my mom directing me on this path." He came over to the table with two platefuls of tilapia with macaroni and cheese and set them down. He poured two glasses of water as he continued. "The guardian angel that she is now… did she somehow speak to the angels of my deck? I don't know, but I am glad you're alright Charlotte. I hope that answers everything you need to know..."
"Not everything, but still quite a bit," Charlotte responded. "Thank you for being open with me, Raymond. And… I'm sorry about your loss."
"It's okay. I'm okay. We should start eating now; cold fish doesn't sound to good to me."
The two housemates began to dig in, chancing unnoticeable glances at each other much like they did at breakfast.
"Duel!"
In an underground section of an almost-finished construction site where a Turbo Duel Stadium was to be built, two grown men were about to throw down.
On the left was a man in his mid-20s wearing white pants and a shirt, both covered in splotches of paint. His face had a few streaks of white paint, and so did his short, black hair.
The man on the right appeared to be in his early 30s, with smooth brown hair and sliver-rimmed glasses. He wore a black shirt with the card art of Dark Hole airbrushed on it, along with khaki pants and white shoes.
"Be careful, Michael," the man in glasses said as he drew. "I use a different deck every day. I'm familiar with tons of strategies."
"Probably because you own this place, Spencer," Michael replied. "That doesn't matter, because I'll end this quickly!"
Spencer: 8,000 LP vs. Michael: 8,000 LP
The older lad simply chuckled. "We'll see who ends it quickly. I summon The Six Samurai - Yaichi! Appear!"
He played the card, and out of a portal stepped an archer with a ponytail wearing blue and yellow armor of Japanese feudal design. He notched a arrow into his bow and took aim at Michael, ready to shoot on command (1300 ATK).
"So, Six Samurai, huh?" the painter remarked. "Not much of a hassle."
"I seriously recommend that you don't underestimate me or the cards in either of my decks," Spencer replied. "I set a card to my back row and end my turn." A facedown card appeared behind Yaichi.
"My move," Michael declared as he drew. "I'll start off by summoning Armed Dragon LV3!"
A portal opened in front of him, and an orange baby dragon with grey armor in places appeared with a small roar. Its wings seemed way too small for its body, and it had small spikes running down the length of its belly. (1200 ATK).
"He might not be much to look at, but that'll change once I play this!" A Spell Card appeared on his field. "Level Up! Now I can tribute a monster to Special Summon a monster with the same name but of a higher Level from my hand or deck."
Armed Dragon LV3 suddenly glowed white and began to enlarge to…
"Armed Dragon LV5!"
The glow faded. Michael's monster now had red skin and armor of an even greyer color covered its skin in more places. It now sported plentymore blades on its shoulders, tail, head, fingertips, and kneecaps. Three lines of spikes ran down its chest, which housed hidden rotary saw blades. (2,400 ATK).
"Armed Dragon LV5, attack Yaichi! Armory Blades!"
The saw blades on Armed Dragon's belly spun and shot towards the archer. Yaichi shot an arrow and deflected one of the blades to the side, then quickly dodged the second one. Unluckily for him, he landed right in the path of the third blade which split him in half with ease before he dissolved into pixels. (S: 8,000 - 6,800)
"Not bad," stated Spencer.
"Of course not," Michael replied. "But it's about to get a lot worse. I set a card facedown…"
"And I activate this!" Spencer declared as his own lifted. "Dust Tornado! Now I can destroy your facedown card." A tan tornado suddenly erupted and obliterated Michael's facedown card, a Magic Jammer. "I also get to Set a Spell or Trap from my hand." A new facedown card appeared next to his fading Dust Tornado card.
Michael grimaced at the loss of his card. "Hmm… I end my turn. Now Armed Dragon LV5's effect activates. Since it destroyed a monster by battle during this turn, I can level it up again!"
Armed Dragon began to glow white once again and grew even larger. The glow faded, and Spencer beheld Armed Dragon LV7, a behemoth of a dragon whose spikes were even more pronounced than its previous form, even to the point where its small wings were fully armored (2800 ATK).
"So, how will you get past this, Spencer?" Michael taunted.
Spencer just grinned at the hulking dragon, who roared loudly at him. "You'll see. Probably. My turn!"
S: 6,800 LP - M: 8,000 LP
Spencer drew his card, and a glint appeared in his eye. "First off, I activate my facedown card, Backs to the Wall! This lowers my Life Points down to a miniscule 100."
Michael was too shocked to say anything as his opponent's Life Points plummeted. (Spencer: 6,800 - 100 LP)
"This allows me to Special Summon as many different "Six Samurai" monsters as I possibly can from my Graveyard," Spencer explained.
"But the only there is Yaichi!" Michael protested. "You would put yourself in that situation just to bring him back?"
Spencer nodded as Yaichi reappeared kneeling with his arms crossed, his bow lying on the ground in front of him (800 DEF).
"There's more on the way. I summon Field Commander Rahz!"
Spencer played the card, and out of a portal appeared a middle-aged man wearing well-worn grey and yellow armor, a tattered blue cape, and a red headband. He wielded a bronze longsword that was in need of repair like his armor (1,600 ATK).
"Rahz's effect kicks in when Normal or Special Summoned, allowing me to take any Level 4 or lower Warrior from my deck and place it on top as long as it's not another Rahz." He went through his deck and took a monster out, had it shuffled, and placed the picked card on top.
"Almost done. I place one card facedown…"
A facedown appeared behind Rahz.
"And now for this Spell. I activate Reversal Quiz! First, I send every card in my hand and on my side of the field to the graveyard." As Spencer tossed his hand, everything on Spencer's field simply vanished.
Michael couldn't understand the odd things that his opponent was doing.
"Now, I get to guess what the top card of my deck is. If I call it right, our Life Points are switched.
Michael gasped.
"You get it now, right? Not only was Rahz needed so I can be 100% certain of what card would be on top, but Backs to the Wall made the difference in our Life Points significant enough for the whole thing to matter. "
"I… This is… That's why?" Michael proclaimed helplessly.
"Now, I declare… Monster." Spencer picked up his top card and showed it to his opponent: The Six Samurai - Zanji. Michael, who clearly had the field and hand advantage as of now, balked as their Life Point totals switched. (S: 100 - 8,000 LP; M: 8,000 - 100 LP)
"Oh, and you should know this as well," Spencer said. "The card I laid facedown before activating Reversal Quiz was called Black Pendant. When sent from the field to the Graveyard, the opponent takes 500 damage. That's quite a bit more than you have to spare at the moment."
Spencer pointed up, and Michael looked to see the piece of jewelry floating above him. The pendant shattered, causing it's fragments to rain down on him. (M: 100 - 0 LP)
Final Score: S: 8,000 LP - M: 0 LP
As the holograms disappeared, Spencer wiped his head on his shirt as if he had just escaped a dangerous situation. "Well, that was fun."
"I've never been in a duel that ended so quickly in my life," Michael lamented. "Now what am I gonna do for the next twenty minutes of my break?"
"You'll find something," Spencer reassured. "Now, I've gotta get back upstairs and see how Louise is doing." He waved to Michael as he started to ascend up a flight of stairs to the front counter of his store.
Charlotte smiled to herself after thinking about last night. Raymond, she decided, was a pretty good cook. And the way that he had answered her questions… she could tell that Raymond was true to his feelings.
It was now the day after she had met the rest of Team Aegis. Earlier, the two of them took a cab to the nearby mall to go clothes shopping. Once they reached a clothing store, she had modeled three sets of outfits in front of a mirror before buying them along with a pair of shoes. Raymond noticed that she didn't buy any blouses or skirts. It seemed that she preferred pants and the like. Was she a tomboy at heart?
Charlotte was now sporting a black, short sleeved shirt and white pants, along with her new white and blue shoes. While at the mall, Raymond also bought her a white helmet for whenever she would ride with him on his D-Wheel, as she was doing now. They were headed for C4, the warehouse turned card store/dueling arena. Zack and Siren were already inside awaiting their arrival.
As they approached the building, Charlotte looked up in awe. If it was rundown in the past, it certainly didn't look that way now. There weren't any visible signs of maintenance needed as far as she could tell. It resembled… a miniature indoor stadium.
Raymond drove into the parking lot and parked his D-Wheel. After they both got off, they proceeded to the entrance. The electronic doors slid open and they walked in.
Charlotte was amazed when they set foot inside. The place looked even bigger than it did outside. On the left side of the entrance was a large glass case containing individual cards with price tags placed underneath them. Next to that was a shelf for D-Wheelers to place their helmets for safekeeping. Duel Monsters packs, structure decks, card sleeves, and Duel Disks were to her immediate right. Looking forward, she saw a yellow bar that blocked off a short hallway leading to the rest of the stadium. Beyond that, she could see plenty of duels taking place.
Two young boys were in the center. One of them had The Masked Beast towering over his opponent's 3 Mokey Mokeys.
On the far left, a teenage girl had Red Gadget, Yellow Gadget, and Green Gadget with a Continuous Spell Card on her field. Her opponent, a man in his late 20s, activated a trap which caused a loud roar to resonate throughout the building.
Beyond that, she could see the faint image of Siren and her Magical Android burning through an opposing Chaos Sorcerer while Zack clapped from one of the benches on the sidelines.
Raymond walked up to the front desk. "Hey Louise," he greeted the young redhead standing behind it. "Is Spencer around? I need to talk to him for a minute."
Louise nodded and smiled. She grabbed a walkie-talkie and spoke into it. "Spencer, Raymond is here to see you."
"Oh, good! Tell him I'm on my way up there," came the response.
Louise put the walkie-talkie down and said, "He's coming." Five seconds later, a door behind her opened, and Spencer appeared.
"Raymond! Here at last, I see. Zack and Siren said you'd be here, and you would be bringing your girlfriend around." Noticing Raymond's groan, he looked over to Charlotte who was still watching all of the duels going on. "Is that the lucky girl?"
"How many people are they going to tell that to?" moaned Raymond. "She's not my girlfriend, Spencer. She's just a friend from out of town who's staying with me for a while."
"Oh, really? Then what was with the make-out session yesterday on your couch?" Spencer retorted.
"You mean… they seriously… They told you about that!"
Spencer laughed. "Of course they did. You know how those two are. They'll jump at any chance to embarrass you. But you know they don't mean any harm about it. So, why don't you introduce me to her?"
Raymond walked over to Charlotte and patted her on the shoulder. She jumped a little and spun towards Raymond. "Sorry for interrupting. The store manager wanted to make your acquaintance." He guided her to the counter. "Spencer, this is Charlotte. Charlotte, this is Spencer. He owns the place."
"It's nice to meet you," said Charlotte, holding out her hand.
Spencer shook it with a firm grip. "The pleasure's all mine. You must be eager to duel. You looked like you longed to be out there. Admission is only 250 yen."
Charlotte looked away. "I'd love to duel, but… I don't have any cards. It's not that I don't know how the game is played, but I've never had a deck before."
"Is that so? How would you like to purchase a starter deck? They range from 600-1500 yen," Spencer offered. "Take a look around and see if there's anything you'd like."
"Alright, I'll do that. Thank you."
As Charlotte left to look at the decks, Spencer looked at Louise. "Take a 10 minute break, alright?" Louise nodded and left while he addressed Raymond again. "So, where'd you meet her?
"A couple of nights ago on Riverside Dr., I was on the way home from patrolling C4 when I saw her. She looked like she was in trouble, so I helped her out."
"Trouble, huh? Well, it happens a lot to people who don't know Neo Domino like those of us who live here."
"Yeah, The person had a D-Wheel and pursued, and I got challenged to a duel. Needless to say, I cleaned house."
"Impressive. And she's staying with you until she leaves?"
"Right." 'I wonder when she will leave?'
"You're a good man, Raymond. I think you'll be destined for great things in life if you continue helping people like her and I."
"You don't need to worry about C4, Spencer. As long as Team Aegis is around, Team Ballistic will never reclaim their territory. It's been six months already. You'd think they learned by now."
"True, true. And they can't try anything sadistic, either. Godwin and Sector Security will punish them if they do. Criminal marks are unsightly things on people."
It was then that Charlotte came back to the counter. "There are so many cards that I don't know which ones to pick."
Spencer nodded his head. "First-time duelists are sometimes overwhelmed by all of the cards available in this game. Hmm… why don't you look at some of the individual cards? If you see something you like, I can help you build a deck around them."
Charlotte decided to browse through the Synchro Monsters first. Cards like them were extremely rare in Satellite. After 30 seconds, she saw a small group of four Synchros being sold together for a cheap price. 'These cards… they're so varied, but they seem to be part of the same family.'
"Excuse me," she said to Spencer. "These cards… what can you tell me about them?"
Spencer looked to where Charlotte's eyes were fixed. "Ah, so you're interested in thoseguys, huh? Let's see… They're not Tier 1 as of now, but most of the Synchros in that family have some good effects. If played right, you'll rarely find yourself lacking for monsters. That's what I believe, at any rate."
"Plenty of people overlook those cards for more proven archetypes like Six Samurai, Scraps, Gravekeepers and others," Raymond added. "But they have access to some excellent cards that take advantage of their type, and that can help with deck construction. The non-Synchro monsters are fairly inexpensive as well."
"I think I'll give them a shot," Charlotte decided. "I always did want to be different, after all. So… what are the regular monsters like?"
Spencer went over to the shelf and retrieved a box containing tons of cards listed in alphabetical order. "This is the most important card for the deck," he explained, pulling out a card and placing it on the counter.
Charlotte looked hard at the card. "It doesn't look like much… aside from being a tuner, it's pretty much an average card."
"Wait until you see the rest of them," said Raymond. "You won't know which ones to put in your deck. Spencer, how much are these cards?"
"The Synchros cost 150 yen each, and most of the cards in this archetype cost 25-100 yen each," the store owner replied.
"That's good. She's going to need a few support cards, though. For starters, I think we're going to need 2 copies of…"
Spencer had gotten the cards that Raymond requested, and let them into the arena after Raymond paid admission for him and Charlotte. They spent the next fifteen minutes and putting her first deck together, with some help from Zack and Siren.
"Congratulations, Charlotte. You now have your very own deck!" said Raymond. "I hope it works out well for you."
"Thanks, you guys." Charlotte replied, still ruffling through her cards. "I really think this is actually a good deck."
"Sounds like someone didn't have enough faith in our ability to make decks," Siren chided playfully.
"That's not it at all and you know it," Charlotte replied.
"Geez, can't take a joke. You and Raymond are both too stiff."
"Lies," said Raymond. "I am not stiff."
"Like you're not being stiff right now?" countered Zack. "Anyway, we're going to go talk to Spencer and see if he wants to watch Cherlotte duel. He might have time for a match. Come on, Siren."
"Right behind you!" The two of them walked off to the front of the store. Raymond and Charlotte watched until they were out of sight.
"Yeah, the day's not complete until we test out that deck of yours," said Raymond.
Charlotte nodded in agreement. She looked out all over the arena; plenty of people were still dueling. "Hmm…I need to find an opponent…"
"Well, you could always duel me.," offered Raymond. "It could be fun!"
"Don't bother," said a voice behind them. "I'll take her on."
The two of them turned to face the intruding voice. Standing eight feet in front of them was none other than Lynn herself, dressed in an orange shirt and blue jeans with a scowl on her face.
"So, the Satellite scum is a duelist," she said. "How amusing. Now, it's time for a little payback!"
Next chapter:
Lynn: I honestly never thought I'd run into you two again. And here of all places.
Raymond: I honestly refuse to believe this is some kind of coincidence.
Lynn: Who knows, maybe it is. Now is your little scum girlfriend going to accept my challenge or not?
Charlotte: The only scum here is you. I'll show you that I'm more than the trash you make me out to be!
"Variety Comes Out" is coming up next on "The Pursuit of Balance!"