Notes: Over the Nexus actually made Seluga interesting instead of just the dumb lug he is in the anime. I had to go more with the game's characterization for him. Also, it was Amber2002161's idea for the Crystal Beasts to choose Radley as the original copies chose Jesse.

Chapter Five

The Lies That You Make Up For All That You Lack

Radley stood looking in the mirror, frowning to himself. The duels in town had been going on for some time now. Both he and Malcolm had been gathering a great deal of labor and both of their parts of the mine were flourishing. Radley did things the normal way—paying them, offering food and board, not harming them. . . . Rumors had started circling that Malcolm was seriously mistreating his labor, but Radley could hardly believe it, if for no other reason than because it was bad business. He certainly didn't trust Malcolm, but at least he thought the man would have to have some business sense if he'd really gotten other mining towns going too. Still, the sound of the rumors made him sick.

To look at himself now, the years of fighting over the mine and then dueling over the mine were taking their toll on him. He was only 23, but the dark lines under his eyes made him look older. He needed to get better sleep. Maybe not even more sleep would fully erase how worn-out he looked and felt, though—it seemed to go all the way through to his soul.

"Radley?"

He turned. Scotch was there, looking at him with nervous eyes.

"I'm ready." He walked away from the mirror and over to his friend. When they went outside, the rest of the Bunch was waiting as well. Radley got on his motorcycle and led them down the street.

Visiting the Red Scarf Saloon was not high on his list of favorite things to do. He had never before gone there and he wasn't looking forward to it now. But Malcolm had to be questioned about this, and the best way to do that was to show up unexpectedly with the entire Bunch.

The Crew was certainly surprised to hear the roar of motorcycles and then see the entire procession pull up in front of their establishment. One of Malcolm's chief stooges, Seluga, came out to see what was happening.

"The boss won't like this," he said as Radley got down from his motorcycle.

"I'm sure he won't, but he can't keep us out," Radley replied. "There's no town law against us going into his establishment. We're going to see him now." He walked through the gate and kept walking, the Bunch quickly surrounding him on all sides for protection's sake.

Seluga, not up for contending with the whole lot of them, just stepped aside. "Just remember I warned you," he said.

Radley looked up at him. "You know, you're actually not a bad guy," he commented. "You try to be a bully, but your heart's not in it. Why do you work for Malcolm?"

Seluga shrugged and looked away. "Times were different then. But this isn't about me. You clearly mean business and you want Malcolm."

"I know." Radley walked past him and into the saloon.

Even in the daytime, the building was dark. It was air-conditioned, thankfully, and many of the Crew were sprawled over tables or back in booths, sleeping off the prior night's binges. Malcolm himself was not in sight, but he quickly appeared from a back room marked Office, no doubt having heard the roar of the engines outside.

"What are you doing here, Radley?" he demanded. "This isn't neutral territory."

"No, but I knew we weren't likely to get a straight answer out in the open," Radley replied. He folded his arms. "We've been hearing some concerning rumors."

"Oh?" Malcolm was unaffected. "What kinds of rumors?"

"About what's happening to the people in your part of the mine." Radley glowered at him. "They say you torture the miners and work them even when they're sick."

"Who says?" Malcolm snapped. Some of the Crew started awake and stumbled to their feet, stunned to see the scene before them.

"People in town." Radley held his ground and the Bunch crowded in close around him as more of the Crew moved to protect Malcolm likewise.

"People who love you, perhaps?" Malcolm sneered. "People who would be more than willing to try to smear the good name of the competition with unseemly propaganda?"

Radley glowered at him. "We don't know where the rumors started. Are you saying they're not true?"

"It sounds like propaganda from Radley lovers, don't it, gentlemen?" Malcolm said, looking over his shoulder at the Crew. They snorted and laughed and nodded their heads in agreement.

"They would say anything you told them to," Radley scoffed.

"And your people wouldn't do likewise with you?" Malcolm countered.

"My people think for themselves," Radley said coolly.

"Oh, come on, Radley! We're really pretty much alike, you and me," Malcolm said. "We're both after the riches in that mine. You're just as cutthroat as me. All businessmen are like that."

Virgil snarled. "Radley is nothing like you! He . . ."

Radley held out an arm to stop Virgil from foolishly charging forward. "You're changing the subject, Malcolm. I don't care what you think about me. I only care about what I've been hearing about the mine."

"And I still say you don't have to look too far to find out who started those slanderous rumors," Malcolm said. "You say your people think for themselves. Well, just start questioning them and sooner or later you'll find out which one of them thought for himself on starting a smear campaign."

Radley glowered. "Alright, if that's your final answer. We're not going to learn anything here." He started to turn to leave. "Let's go."

"You know, Radley, just for the sake of argument, let's say all these nasty rumors are true," Malcolm suddenly spoke. "What would you do about it? What could you do about it? We're the ones with the tanks and the raw power. You're just a little motorcycle gang off the playground. If you got me mad, I mean really got me mad . . ." He stepped into Radley's personal space again and spoke in a low, threatening tone. "I could and would mow down everything and everyone you care about without a second thought or a shred of remorse."

Radley still held his ground, glaring back at the dangerous, hateful enemy he had made. "I know," he said evenly. Inside, his blood was running cold. Mr. Fitzgerald's warnings were coming back to him all the more poignantly now. If he had just stayed back there, if he hadn't brought the Bunch into this situation . . . !

Although, what would Crash Town be right now without him here? He had come to care about the people here, too, and the Bunch was the only barrier between them and Malcolm assuming total control. He couldn't let that happen either. It really was an impossible situation. Malcolm had him backed into a corner.

Malcolm stepped back. "Just so we understand each other," he said louder.

Radley stepped back too, silently glaring, and the bar counter suddenly caught his eye. He moved closer, quirking an eyebrow as he ran his fingers over the writing marring the wood. "'Radley is an idiot'?" He looked back to Malcolm with quickly forming mirth. "You disfigured a perfectly fine counter and call me an idiot?"

Malcolm scowled. "Get out of here, you rat."

Laughing, Radley turned and gestured to the Bunch to follow him out.

"What do you think, Radley?" Scotch asked when they were outside.

Radley sobered. "I don't know." He looked to Seluga, who was standing and watching them warily. "What do you say, Seluga?" he said louder. "You must have heard the rumors too, haven't you? About what's going on in Malcolm's part of the mine?"

Seluga just looked uncomfortable. "What does the boss say?"

"He says it's propaganda directed against him by some of my followers," Radley replied.

"That must be what it is then," Seluga said.

"These guys are all hopeless," Marty said in disgust.

Radley didn't disagree. But he also didn't see that anything else could be done here. "Alright, Seluga. We'll see you tonight at the dusk duel." He walked past, heading for his motorcycle.

The Bunch hurried after him. "We're really going to keep going on with this?!" Billy hissed. "We can't prove the rumors are true, but we can't prove they're not true either!"

Radley frowned, thinking back on what Malcolm had said to him and only him. "Right now, there's nothing we can really do," he said. "We'll have to keep going through the motions. In order to overthrow Malcolm, we need a strong Duelist who will keep winning for us until all of his men are defeated."

"Yeah, but we don't have one," Biff frowned.

"Someday we'll get one," Radley vowed. "In the meantime, let's keep training and improving our decks, just in case."

"You think we'll have to duel?!" Clint exclaimed in alarm.

"I don't know," Radley said. "We just need to be prepared for anything Malcolm throws at us."

And prepare they did. This was the perfect time for Radley to upgrade for other reasons, too. Industrial Illusions had decided to re-release some older and very rare cards that had only been printed one card each in the line before. Those originals were owned by Jesse Anderson, who was still an important name in the pro circuit. To Radley's intrigue and delight, the cards were all about gems. He had never forgotten that old interest, and the cards sounded like they would fit well with his desires to make money. He had been trying to collect all the cards in the new packs. They were all Ultra Rare, so it was difficult. But he had mostly done it, and he had just obtained the final card needed from an exclusive give-away hosted by Industrial Illusions. Now he was just waiting for its delivery.

The knock on the door brought him to attention. Quickly he left the bedroom and entered the living room. But when he opened the door, he couldn't have been more stunned. The president of Industrial Illusions himself, Maximillion Pegasus, was standing there, holding out the card in a protective case.

"Radley-Boy!" Pegasus greeted with his typical jovial nature. "You are Radley, aren't you?"

"Y-Yes," Radley stammered. It was useless to protest the silly nicknames Pegasus bestowed, so he didn't try.

"Oh, I can see my arrival was completely unexpected! It's not a bad time, I hope."

"No, of course not. Come in." Radley held the door open wider.

Pegasus strode inside. "Such a quaint little home," he said. "Well, I wanted to bring you congratulations on your win and present you with the prize personally." He held out the card.

"Thank you," Radley said, still bowled over as he took it. Finally he shook himself back to his senses. "This isn't usual business procedure, is it?"

"Well, no, I must admit it is not," Pegasus said. For once he sobered. "You see, I wanted to talk to you personally about this card, Radley-Boy. All of these cards, the Crystal Beasts, they're very stubborn creatures. The originals chose Jesse Anderson to be their owner. The reprints we've been doing have been every bit as stubborn, so I really don't know if anyone will actually be able to control them in a duel."

". . . You're serious," Radley said in disbelief.

"Oh, quite," Pegasus said. "I'm sure you've heard about the legendary Egyptian God Cards and how hardly anyone could control their power?"

"Yes, but I wasn't sure how much of that to believe," Radley said. "It sounds completely loco."

"You're not really a believer in the cards being real monsters then, hmm?" Pegasus reached into his pocket. "How about we have a duel right here, right now? You can test these ideas out, and I can see whether or not you can truly control these rare and powerful cards."

"You're on," Radley said. How many people could actually say they had dueled the creator of the game? He wasn't about to pass that up, even if Pegasus's reasons sounded bizarre to him. He removed the new card from its protective sleeve and added it to the cards he pulled out of his pocket. He also took out and unfolded his Duel Gun.

Pegasus stared at it. "Ooh, so that's a Duel Gun. They are fascinating, aren't they?"

"They're pretty useful around here," Radley said.

The duel was unlike any he had ever played. Pegasus was right that the Crystal Beasts held some kind of special power. Radley could sense it every time he drew one. But he didn't have any trouble with any of them, including with their ace card Rainbow Dragon. When Pegasus was eventually defeated, he stood in amazement.

"These cards are incredible," Radley said.

"And they most certainly accept you," Pegasus said. "Tell me, Radley-Boy, why was it you wanted these particular cards?"

Radley flushed a bit. "I didn't really have any special reason . . . well, beyond the fact that I thought they fit my personality. I like gems and making money."

"I see," Pegasus mused. "Well, if that was all you're about, I don't think the Crystal Beasts would have responded to you. You must have a noble heart that they can sense. A diamond in the rough, shall we say?"

"If you say so," Radley said.

Pegasus smiled. "I can leave with full confidence knowing my little Crystal Beasts are in good hands."

He also left Radley completely stymied. For a long time he sat in the easy chair in his living room, just staring at the cards.

"You guys have real power, huh?" he said at last.

A faint energy glowed from each of them, warming his hands.

"And you chose me? Why?"

The energy came again, stronger that time, but Radley was no less confused. The years had also started to harden him to the point that he insisted everything he did was for business-related reasons. Sometimes he honestly believed that. It was hard for him to grasp that he was anything like a diamond in the rough, as Pegasus put it. He was just a businessman trying to make his way in the world and getting money through Malcolm's bizarre duels. He wasn't noble at all. Maybe he had started out that way, long ago, but those days were over.

Another knock at the door startled him and he quickly slipped the cards back in his pocket. When he opened it this time, he found himself looking at a scruffy middle-aged man and two children, a boy and a girl. The boy looked close to Ben's age, while the girl seemed a bit younger than Belle. ". . . Can I help you?" he asked.

The man held out his hand. "My name is Jordan Sergio," he said. "These are my children, West and Nico. We just got into town and we were told to seek you out, if you are a Mr. Radley."

Radley quickly snapped to, shaking Jordan's hand. "Yes, I am," he said. "So, I take it you want to duel for me?"

"Very much," Jordan said.

West beamed. "Dad is the greatest Duelist we know!" he proclaimed.

"Well, he's the only adult Duelist we know," Nico said. "But yes, he's very good!"

"Come in." Radley gestured at the living room. He shut the door once they were all inside. "May I ask why you've chosen me instead of Malcolm?"

"We asked around, and everybody said you're the nice one," West said. "We don't wanna help Malcolm!"

"West is pretty much right," Jordan chuckled. Sobering, he added, "A man named Klaus and his grandchildren told us that Malcolm once used children as hostages, while you tried to save them. That clinched it for us."

"That was a long time ago," Radley said. "But yes, you're right. I look after the children in town when I can." He took out his deck. "Before I agree to hire you, show me what you've got."

It was another long duel. Radley eventually won, but he was impressed by Jordan's tenacity and card combos. The meeting ended with him agreeing to hire the new man.

"You won't be sorry!" West proclaimed. "Dad is awesome!"

"Yes, so I've seen," Radley said.

Jordan's eyes shone with pride. It seemed to mean everything to him that his kids were so thrilled with his dueling. "Just tell me what time to be there, and where," he said.

"Sunset in the town crossroads," Radley said. "We come in from the North." Looking to the kids, he added, "Just outside of the fence out there is a small wooden building that no one's using. It might be a fun place for the two of you to make a hideout."

"Really?!" West exclaimed. "That would be so cool! Can we go see it, Dad?!"

"I don't see any reason why not," Jordan chuckled. He looked to Radley. "You are very nice, Sir. Thank you."

Radley shrugged. "It's just a tip. No one is using it, so they might as well. You'll need some place to stay while you're here."

Jordan nodded. "Well, thank you anyway. We came here hoping for a fresh start. I'd say we're well on our way."

Nico gave Radley a shy smile. "Thank you for giving our father a chance."

"I only give what's deserved," Radley said.

Jordan . . . and the kids. . . . The first time I met all of you, and you've loomed large in my life since then. I looked after the kids after you lost to Malcolm's Duelist, Jordan. And I ended up dead because I tried to save you in the mines. I didn't have to do that . . . and I'd already decided I couldn't do anything to help anyone in there, so why . . . why did I? Did I figure my life was already over anyway? I knew I couldn't stand being there with the guards torturing me. They just wanted me dead. They didn't want me to work the mine. But . . . I didn't want to use the mountain to commit suicide. I wanted to live.

Do I still want to live? I already died. It's odd, though . . . I really don't seem to be dead now. I don't think. And I keep fantasizing Kalin is talking to me. Why would I do that? He made it clear that I'm less than an itty-bitty bug to him. I kept being friendly anyway. . . . I wanted us to get along when he was working for me. And . . . I'd wanted to talk to him, to confide in him things I didn't want to burden the Bunch with. I wanted him to feel like he could confide in me too. But he never trusted or liked me. He didn't care what happened to me. He would never try so hard to keep me here.

xxxx

Kalin was back to sorrowfully watching Radley. The doctor had come, but hadn't been able to fully rouse him, and now he seemed to have slipped more deeply under again. He hadn't responded to anything Kalin had tried to say since then.

"There was so much pain in your words, Radley," Kalin said at last. "What did you mean? Were you just having a nightmare? . . . Or were the dead truly blaming you for their fate? . . . I guess I blamed you too, before I woke up enough to realize that I had personally sent so many people to the mines. It was hypocritical of me to blame only you. And . . . I know you didn't mistreat anyone there. They were better off with you than Malcolm.

"I don't even know how the duels for new labor got started in the first place. There's so much I don't know about this town, and the people . . . and you. I never cared before. You have every right not to believe I care now, especially when everyone you trusted abandoned you."

The door opened and a dark-haired girl around Yusei's age was standing there in a blue Turbo Duel uniform. The helmet was under her arm, but she dropped it to a chair—not even noticing said chair was occupied—and ran over to the bed, tearfully taking Radley's hand in hers. "Radley . . . !"

". . . Okay, this just got elevated to a whole new level of weird," Crow said, fumbling to catch the wayward helmet. "Who the heck?!"

"Belle," Kalin said in surprise. "She's the granddaughter of Radley's foreman, Klaus. He wanted to move out of Crash Town when things started getting bad, but he never could get out because of Malcolm."

Belle shakily nodded. "My friend Toru got out before things got really bad," she said. "He just sent this for me today and wanted me to join a Turbo Dueling team he's putting together in the City. I said I would now that we're free to go. Turbo Dueling has always been my dream, and now Toru and his other teammate are expecting me in the morning, but . . ." She stared at Radley.

". . . I'm sure Radley would want you to keep your promise to your friend," Yusei said.

". . . Are you guys close?" Crow asked.

"Oh . . . no." Belle gently laid Radley's hand back on the bed. "I've loved him since he first came here. Just a child's love, you know . . . an innocent crush. Nothing that would go anywhere." She smiled a bit. "He was always respectful and kind. When I wanted to practice Turbo Dueling, he'd let me race against some of the Bunch out on the desert. . . . He tried to keep his distance himself, I guess because he knew how I felt and he didn't want to encourage it when I was so young. . . ."

"You're older now," Crow said. "It's been what, several years?"

"Yeah. And I've got responsibilities in the City. . . ." She still hesitated. "He is going to make it, isn't he?! When Grandpa heard what happened from Scotch, I . . . couldn't stop crying. . . . I was already a basketcase from that horrible Lawton defeating him yesterday, and then to find out he was gone . . ." She choked on a hiccupping sob. "I had to come as soon as I found out he'd been brought back."

". . . We don't know if he'll make it," Kalin said honestly.

"And this could go on for a while," Crow said.

"If you give us a number where you can be reached, we'll let you know whatever happens," Yusei said.

"It just seems so awful to leave him," she said. "If I hadn't agreed to go . . ."

"But you did," Jack interjected. "Toru and this other person are waiting for you and expecting you to be there. Maybe they've even turned down other possible teammates to give you this chance."

". . . I think they have." Belle drew a shaking breath. "You're right; I can't let them down. Radley would never want me to. Just . . ." She bent down and kissed him on the cheek. "Tell him I'm always in his corner."

Yusei smiled a bit. "Maybe he already knows."

It was after she collected the helmet and left that Crow suddenly thought of something else. "Hey, how'd she even know Radley was brought back?" he wondered. "No one's even told the Bunch yet. . . ."

"Trudge must've told her," Yusei said. He frowned. "And speaking of the Bunch, if Trudge hasn't told them, someone really needs to."

"They all abandoned him when he needed them most," Jack said with a scowl of his own.

"Not like you haven't pulled some garbage in your time too," Crow muttered.

Yusei nodded. "Technically it was mainly the ones working the mine who abandoned him," he said. "And in any case, they still have a right to know. They probably feel awful about it now that they think he's dead."

"They might be at the diner," Kalin said. "If they're not there, they might be riding around the desert trying to blow off steam that way."

"Maybe Trudge already tried to find them and couldn't," Yusei said. He got up. "I think I'll call him."

"Or it's possible that he told them and they won't come," Jack grunted.

"I'm sure they'd come," Kalin frowned. "Unless they thought Radley would be upset if they did."

"Would he?" Crow wondered.

Kalin sighed. "I don't know. He probably thinks they don't care about him either." He looked back sadly at the silent man. "I just hope we can convince him someone does."

Yusei paused in the doorway. "I think we can," he said.