Chapter 11: Fortune Cup – Bring it on Kuroe!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's or Yu-Gi-Oh! at all for that matter.
5D's
I woke up on the dusty sofa in Blister's apartment on the morning of the preliminaries. Yusei slept on a sofa at the other side of the room. As I caught sight of him, I couldn't help but watch the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed softly. He was always so serious during the day, but when he was asleep, he looked so innocent. Shaking myself out of my stupor, I glanced at the clock.
9:00 AM! We were all late! I shot off the sofa, and brushed my hair, and shook Yusei awake.
"Yusei! Wake up! We're late! It's 9:00, already! We haven't tuned our Decks!" I yelled. Yusei simply murmured something about a Duel Runner and rolled over. "Yusei!" I bellowed, pulling him off the sofa. He grunted in alarm as his head hit the floor. "Yusei! It's 9:00!" I yelled. Yusei's eyes went wide with shock and he shot up off the floor.
"Why didn't you try to wake me up earlier?" he yelled.
"I did! You wouldn't wake up so I had to pull you off the sofa!" I retorted. Yusei paid no heed and ran right past me, not even bothering to fix his hair, not that he ever needed to. With the amount of hair products he used, his hair felt like it was made of stone, and I often wondered how he managed to hold his head up straight from the weight of it all.
I ran into the kitchen to see him grabbing a piece of toast from the toaster and shoving it in his mouth without any butter. I raised my eyebrow as he rushed to pull his boots on and calmly walked over to the toaster to lift the remaining slice of toast.
"Why are you rushing to leave?" I asked. "We have to get the others up and we still have 3 hours. It only takes half an hour to get there. We were only supposed to tune our Decks," I reminded him. He paused what he was doing and turned his head to look at me. He had just pulled his boots on and he pulled the toast out of his mouth. He was silent for a few seconds.
"Oh…" he finally said. "Well… That's embarrassing…" he muttered. I sighed and sat down on a chair. He frowned. "Something wrong?" he asked me.
"It's just…" I began before sighing again. "It's just…do you think I'll find any links to my past there…?" I asked him nervously. Yusei looked like he didn't know what to say, but he eventually spoke.
"Hmm… I… I'm not sure… Maybe…" He paused and sighed. "I don't really think I can answer that, though… Sorry…" He sheepishly smiled that almost non-existent smile of his. I looked down at the floor as Blister walked in.
"Hey. What's with the mood in here?" he asked. Tanner walked in.
"Yeah. It feels like I'm back in prison," he responded with a smirk.
"Never mind…" I responded and got up. I walked right past them with my head down, not even bothering to acknowledge them anymore. Blister frowned.
"What's wrong with her?" I heard Tanner ask Yusei as I left.
"She's just…troubled, that's all." I heard his voice as I walked into the room we had slept in.
I lay down on the sofa with a sigh and lifted my arm up over my face, pulling the sleeve down. There was nothing there at that moment, but when we met the Black Rose, there had most definitely been something there. I hadn't felt the burning pain that I now associated with the power of the Crimson Dragon since that incident.
Something still puzzled me, though. I clearly wasn't one of the 5 Signers. My mark was different, but if I wasn't a Signer, then what was I? Did the Crimson Dragon choose another Signer, or was I something else entirely? Whatever it was, I felt like I would get some answers at the Fortune Cup, or I hoped I would, at the very least.
I sighed and lowered my arm. Hours seemed to pass by as I lay there until Yusei finally came in and leaned against the doorframe.
"Hikari… It's time to go…" he said. I wasn't listening. "Hikari?" he repeated. I looked up.
"Hm…?" I turned around to face him.
"It's time to go…"
"Oh…" I responded quietly. I got up and walked straight past him without another word, lifting my helmet from the desk as I passed.
I walked out the door, got on my Duel Runner and started it up. Yusei did the same with his and we both put our helmets on before revving and setting off down the street towards the Kaiba Dome, which stood tall, white, and clean, just like the rest of the city.
We pulled our Duel Runners into the garage as directed by the staff and went to wait in the waiting room where I flopped unceremoniously onto the sofa.
"That was graceful," Yusei chuckled.
"What grace?" I asked sarcastically. We both laughed, ignoring one of the staff members—a young man with sandy hair and chocolate brown eyes—who had just walked in.
We turned when he spoke to us. "Excuse me, but the tournament is starting. Please head to the stadium for the opening ceremony," he smiled as his employee handbook told him to, even though he clearly didn't like the thought of filthy Satellite people in his clean, unblemished city.
Yusei and I ignored the obviously forced smile and got up to leave with the other challengers, ignoring Luna teasing Leo about wearing make-up somewhere in the background.
As we walked out into the open I pulled my hair around my face hoping that no one would see who I was.
The MC told all the challengers to line up and the ceremony began. He began by welcoming everyone and by telling them what he had in store for them along with the names of the contestants. Then some of the audience members saw Yusei's criminal marker.
"Hey!" yelled one man in the audience. "That guy's a Satellite!" I looked down at my own old-looking clothes, hoping that no one would notice. However, my luck was in short supply as a rather and posh and stuck up sounding woman in the audience decided to comment on it.
"And just look at that filthy riding suit that girl is wearing! She must be a Satellite too!" she exclaimed.
The arena broke out in an uproar of insults. Suddenly, one of the challengers stepped forward and took the microphone from the MC.
"As a Duelist up here, what it is everyone sees? They are undoubtedly Duelists, selected under the same conditions as all contestants. Having cards, marker or not, we are all the same. No one here should be ashamed of anything. It is rather you, looking at them, through their trivial rose-coloured glasses that are no short of vicious." He handed the microphone back to the MC.
Just then, the Director—Director Goodwin—began to walk out, applauding him. The audience began to follow, one member at a time. Soon, the arena was filled with the sounds of applause.
"Thank you, Greiger, for reminding us of the equality of all the players," he smiled. As I saw the Director, I began to feel a little sick and uneasy, but I ignored it, despite the fact that he looked familiar to me.
I had no time to dwell on it as the MC began to announce the match-ups. The match-up for the first duel was announced. Leo—or Luna, as it was announced—vs Greiger.
After the Duel (because I'm sure you don't want to see/read it again)
Leo came back to the waiting room with a sad expression on his face. However, I was having too much fun with a swivel chair to care too much. I heard Yusei comforting him while I giggled like a child as I swung myself around in the chair.
Yusei came up to me a few minutes later, stopped the chair and leaned on the headrest, looking down at me.
"Havin' fun there?" he grinned. I pouted.
"You're no fun…"
"I know. I'm a killjoy, aren't I?" He chuckled, but he'd have needed to use a megaphone for me to hear it properly, as usual.
Just then, a crashing noise turned our attention to the screen where we saw a knight being beaten by a young woman with a plain white mask. I gasped as the stadium seemed to be torn to pieces by the monsters that she wielded.
"What was that…?" I asked in shock. Yusei was silent for a few seconds; then, his eyes went wide.
"We've seen her before! Remember when our marks began to glow a few days ago?" he whispered to me.
"You can't expect her to be the Black Rose!" I whispered back.
"How can't I? She's got the same destructive power!" he reasoned. I looked back at the screen.
"Maybe… Maybe you're right…" I responded hesitantly. "But… Who's dueling next?"
"Some guy named Shira and myself…" Yusei stated.
"Who's that?" I asked him.
"I'm honestly not sure. I've never heard of him," he explained. "Well, I'll just have to find out in our Duel. You never know. He could be good."
"Maybe. Just be careful," I pleaded.
"Am I ever not?" he smiled. I smiled back just as the MC called out the next contestants. "Well…that's me. See ya."
"Good luck!" I called after him. He waved back to me as he headed out. I was going next after him. I was against some guy called…Kuroe. I looked up at the screen and watched as Shira was actually revealed to be a man named Hunter Pace who wanted his revenge on Jack Atlas for defeating him.
Wow… This guy has a lot of enemies… I thought, thinking about all the things Jack had done. "Oh, well… He deserves it…"
I continued to watch the Duel progressing and was thrilled when Yusei came out victorious. When I saw him next, he was coming into the waiting room with his helmet under one arm and a smile on his face. I grinned at him as he walked over to my chair where I had begun to swivel again. He watched me spin around and chuckled.
"Nice…work…on…that…Duel…" I said each word every time my chair turned to face him before moving on.
"Thanks. You're up next, aren't you?" he asked me. I stopped swivelling and stood up. I sat down again, feeling dizzy, and got back up again when I'd sorted myself out. "You don't want to be dizzy going into a Turbo Duel, you know," he reminded me. "Smart move."
"Oh, blow it out your exhaust pipes… I'm fine, now…" I teased.
"You might want to get out there before they announce you," he advised.
"Ok. Thanks," I said, picking up my helmet.
"Good luck!" he called out as I left. I waved back at him and ran on, just barely reaching my Runner by the time my name was announced. I revved it and sped out of the pits through a cloud of smoke.
I caught up to my opponent as he sped around the track. He was wearing a black riding suit with a black helmet. His Duel Runner was sleek, shiny and black, and the engine let out a monstrous roar as he revved it—a telltale sign of a good engine, I presumed. I looked down at my own Runner. Mine suddenly seemed a lot less impressive, not that it was anything special in the first place.
"Hi, there!" I called out to him. He looked towards me.
"Hi! Good luck!" he called back.
"You, too!" I responded.
Speed World activated, signalling the start of the Duel.
"Duel!" we chorused.
(Hikari: 4000 SC: 1 Kuroe: 4000 SC: 1)
We sped around track, quickly approaching the first corner, when suddenly, he slowed down, allowing me to go around the corner ahead of him with a shout of, "Ladies first!" I didn't question it, thankful for the offer.
"All right then! I draw!" I yelled, drawing a card. "I summon Absorbing Kid from the Sky (ATK: 1300)!" I ordered as a pudgy angelic child rose onto the field. "I place one card face-down! I end my turn!"
(Hikari: 4000 SC: 2 Kuroe: 4000 SC: 2)
"All right, then! It's my move! I draw!" He drew a card. "I summon Armageddon Knight (ATK: 1400) in Attack Mode! When this card is Summoned, I can send one card from my Deck to the Graveyard!" he yelled. A card came out of his Deck. "I choose my Mezuki!" he said, putting the card in his Graveyard. "Next, I attack your Absorbing Kid!" he commanded. My Kid was obliterated and I took 100 Points of damage…and it stung.
"Argh…" I moaned as I got my Runner back under control. "What on Earth was that?" I asked myself. "That felt…real…" I mused. He continued with his turn.
"Next, I activate Foolish Burial and send Il Blud from my hand to the Graveyard! I place one card face-down. That ends my turn," he said, barely audible over the roar of our engines. It seemed that he was aware that he had hurt me and seemed almost ashamed. He couldn't even look at me. Also, it was like he didn't even want to be here.
(Hikari: 3900 SC: 3 Kuroe: 4000 SC: 3)
"All right! I draw! I summon Apocatequil (ATK: 1800) in Attack Mode!" The little monster danced out onto the field. "Attack his Armageddon Knight!" I ordered. The attack went through and his monster was obliterated. It took him a few seconds to get control of his Duel Runner, but soon, he was riding smoothly again. "I end my turn with a face-down!"
(Hikari: 3900 SC: 4 Kuroe: 4000 SC: 4)
"My turn! I draw!" He drew a card.
"I summon Zombie Master (ATK: 1800) in Attack Mode! By removing the Mezuki in my Graveyard from play, I can Summon one Zombie Type monster from my Graveyard! I choose Il Blud (ATK: 2100)!" A portal opened on the ground, and the large, hulking form of Il Blud pulled itself out of the portal and onto the field with a moan.
"I attack your Apocatequil with Il Blud!" he yelled.
"Not so fast! I counter with Waboku!" I countered. The Trap flipped up. "With this card, I can stop all battle damage, and my monsters can't be destroyed this turn!" Kuroe gritted his teeth.
"I end my turn…" he said so quietly that I could barely hear him.
All right… I just need something to stop Il Blud… I have the Equip Spell, I need but I need a Warrior-type monster… I thought.
"I draw!" I drew a card and smirked. "I summon Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke (ATK: 1800) in Attack Mode!" I commanded as the masked shinobi rose onto the field. "Next, I activate the Equip Spell Lightning Blade! This card raises Sasuke's attack points by 800 and reduces all Water Type monsters' Attack Points by 500 (ATK: 2600)! I attack Il Blud!" I yelled as one of the kunai in his hands changed into a long sword that was crackling with powerful electricity.
"ARGH!" Kuroe grunted as he tried to maintain control of his Duel Runner as it spun out of control. His tires managed to grip the road again and he sped forwards behind me. "Nice attack!" he called as his Life Points dropped.
"Thanks! I end my turn with a face-down!" I called back.
(Hikari: 3900 SC: 5 Kuroe: 3500 SC: 5)
"I draw!" he yelled, swiping a card off the top of his Deck. "I summon Dark Tinker (DEF: 1300) in Defence Mode! Next, I activate Speed Spell - Double Summon! By using two of my Speed Counters, I can Summon once more this turn! I Summon A Cat of Ill Omen!" A black feline monster walked onto the field.
"Oh no… He's going to Synchro Summon…" I mused.
"I'm tuning my Level 2 A Cat of Ill Omen and my Level 4 Zombie Master with my Level 2 Dark Tinker!" he cried as the familiar green rings and shining stars appeared. "When the day of Armageddon comes, it will be brought about by the one cloaked in black flames! Burn it all down! Rise! Dark End Dragon (ATK: 2600)!" he bellowed, one hand reaching up into the air where the dragon now flew overhead. It let out a terrifying screech and black fire and smoke began to billow around it.
Dark End Dragon… I thought. The counterpart to my own Light End Dragon… If his other attacks hurt…what's this going to feel like…?
"I activate my Dragon's effect! By removing 500 Attack Points permanently, I can send one of your cards to the Graveyard, and I choose Sasuke!" he ordered.
I bit my lip in frustration, wondering how I was going to get out of this as Sasuke exploded along with Lightning Blade. I heard growling and looked upwards at the dragon cloaked in flames overhead.
"Dark End Dragon, attack her directly!" he commanded. Black fire rushed towards me. I screamed as it engulfed me, but I did not catch fire as I had initially suspected I would, although my clothes became singed slightly. My wheels span, unable to grip the track. I looked at my opponent to see him panting with one arm outstretched towards me. His hand was clenched into a fist. He let his arm relax and appeared to sigh.
"Nice one!" I yelled at him. His response wasn't expected.
"I'm sorry!" he called back.
"For what?"
"For accidentally hurting you! I didn't mean it!"
"Uh, that's ok! It's not your fault!"
There was a pause before he finally declared, "I end my turn!"
(Hikari: 1300 SC: 6 Kuroe: 3500 SC: 4)
I wordlessly drew my next card, realising that it was one that had been used by Kuroe earlier in the Duel. I placed it in my hand and picked up another card. "I Summon Ancient Elf in Defence Mode (DEF: 1200)!" I shouted as a purple-clad elf with a shimmering staff made its way onto the field in a flash of light. Then, I moved my attention to the card that I had just placed in my hand. "Next, I activate Speed Spell - Double Summon! In exchange for two of my Speed Counters, I can Summon once more this turn! From my hand, I Summon the Tuner Monster Felis, Lightsworn Archer in Defence Mode (DEF: 2000)!" The muscular, green-haired cat girl took to the field, lowering her bow as she knelt.
I glanced to my side to see Kuroe's grip on his handlebars tighten. Was he nervous? I turned back to the Duel. "I Tune my Level 4 Ancient Elf with my Level 4 Felis, Lightsworn Archer!" I cried as the usual rings and stars appeared, initiating the Synchro Summon. "I Synchro Summon Angel of Zera in Attack Mode (ATK: 2800)!" The muscular winged man with purple skin took flight on my side of the field with a battle cry. I didn't wait for Kuroe to respond. "Angel of Zera, attack his monster!" Angel of Zera's curved blade struck Dark End Dragon which perished with a loud roar. I heard Kuroe audibly curse as his Life Points dropped. "I place one card face-down and end my turn!"
(Hikari: 1300 SC: 4 Kuroe: 2800 SC: 5)
"I draw!" Kuroe declared as he drew his card. He stared at it for a few moments, and then appeared to sigh, placing the card in his Duel Disk. "I place one card face-down. I end my turn," he stated.
(Hikari: 1300 SC: 5 Kuroe: 2800 SC: 6)
I didn't pause to consider whether this card could possibly be a dangerous Trap Card or not and immediately leapt into action, victory within my sights. "Angel of Zera, attack his Life Points directly!" I declared.
"Not so fast! I won't lose here! Not until I find Goodwin!" he proclaimed. "I activate Draining Shield! With this card, I can negate your attack and gain Life Points equal to your monster's Attack Points!"
"Hah! I activate Seven Tools of the Bandit! I'm sorry, but I have a reason to be here, too! I still need to find an answer to my question! I need to find out who I am! Angel of Zera, fight on!" I yelled. The attack hit him and his Duel Runner spun out from underneath him as his Life Points dropped to zero.
(Hikari: 1300 SC: 5 Kuroe: 0 SC: 4)
I stopped my Duel Runner as quickly as possible, running over to him.
"Are you all right?" I asked as I stooped down beside him. "Are you hurt?"
"Ugh… No… I can't have lost here… I need to find her…" was his only response.
"Huh…?" I asked.
"Don't you understand? I need to find her! Goodwin took her! I know it!" he yelled angrily. If I wasn't confused already by his last comment, now I was confused.
"No, I don't understand! What are you talking about?" I asked, clearly frustrated.
"He has my sister!" he yelled. He stood up and ran straight for Goodwin's office before I could stop him.
"Stop it! You might be hurt!" I called after him as guards stood in front of him and pushed him back. After a few tries of breaking through, he realised that he wasn't getting anywhere and angrily stormed off. At first, I thought that I should help him, but then I remembered my own friends who were at stake. I couldn't tempt fate. Not only that, but I needed to help Yusei get his card back, and I still needed to find out who I was. Getting involved in a fight I knew nothing about wouldn't help me.
I picked up my Runner and brought it inside where I was greeted by Yusei. He ran towards me.
"Hikari! That was incredible!" he exclaimed happily, "and you've hardly ever Turbo Dueled! How did you know what to do so quickly?" That confused me.
"Uh… Honestly…I don't know. Maybe I used to be a Turbo Duelist," I suggested as I took off my helmet.
"Maybe you're right. You were always good at driving. I wouldn't be surprised. No one is that good when they first start off. It's the only logical explanation," he mused.
"I still think that I might understand who I am through this tournament… Will you help me, Yusei? You're the only one here I can count on…" I asked quietly, looking down at my shoes in embarrassment for a second. I looked back up to see Yusei smiling kindly.
"You can always count on me…" he smiled.
"Thank you…" I grinned at him. Suddenly, Yusei sniffed the air.
"You…uh…smell kinda singed… Did that attack actually hit you?" he asked.
"Uh… I think it did… Maybe there are more like the Black Rose…" I pondered.
"If there is, that can't be good news. By the way, who's Dueling next?" I asked.
"I don't know. I hear they're doing something to the set-up of the tournament," he responded.
"Like what? Changing which contestant fights who? Isn't that a little unfair?" I asked.
"Maybe, but that's how it's going down. Maybe you should get yourself checked over in case you got hurt," he suggested kindly.
"No, I think I'm fine. It's only a few bumps and bruises. Nothing I can't handle. I'm more worried about that other guy, though. He fell off his Runner, but he wouldn't listen to me…"
"He walked off the field. There's no doubt that he's all right. He looked perfectly fine to me," Yusei said, trying to stop me from worrying. I sighed in what sort of felt like relief.
"That's good…" I stated somewhat happily. At first, I wondered why I was so concerned about this guy, but I decided to shrug it off. It was none of my concern, nor did he appear to want it to be, but I still hoped he'd find his sister. Poor guy.