"Get ready, duel enthusiasts." The MC's voice pushed its way through the small, dusty speakers built into the TV. It hung from the ceiling in the small garage, mounted in the top right corner. It was only to alert Yusei of his duel and to watch the one before him.
Crow and Spark had just walked off the arena, having lost their duel in a draw. Their opponent was a bit on the strange side, talking about hypnosis and its influence on one's youthful brain. To say it was an interesting duel, would be an understatement.
"In twenty minutes, our next duelists will be entering the arena." Yusei ran through a few checkpoints on his runner, making sure he had fixed everything. You'd think that after so many crashes, Yusei would know exactly what needed to be fixed. Even mechanics make mistakes.
"Ringer." Red eyes snapped from the TV. "Could you come here for a second and hold this?" Complying, he took the pliers in white, sharp teeth and held still. It seemed there was a wire that needed to be tightened, and Yusei probably had to stretch.
The warrior mechanic duelist came back a minute later, screwdriver in hand, and kneeled down to finish the last repair. Ringer worked his jaw, relieving the tension from holding the pliers too tightly.
"Ready, partner?" The animal barked and jumped to his hind legs, the only sound in his ears was the tag on his red collar. Then, he heard it. Strong and heavy footfalls just beyond the door. It held an authority to it, but familiarity. Ringer paused, front paws resting gently on Yusei's shoulders. The sound stopped and the stranger knocked.
"Hey, Yusei," came Tanner's voice, the dark grey door opening to allow his head through. "Can I talk to you and Ringer?"
"Sure." Ringer dropped back to the ground and rushed to greet the older duelist. The action earned a pat on the head. "What did you want to talk about?"
"Yanagi and the kids wanted to wish you two good luck."
"You came for something else." Yusei grabbed his deck, sliding it into its holder; right behind his hip. Ringer stared at the teal-haired man, eyes bugged out of his cranium. He left Yanagi with Crow, Leo, Spark, and Kari. That had to be interesting. Hopefully, Luna and Shard could help calm them down.
"You're dueling against Shira." The teen nodded. "I came to warn you to be careful. Before he went pro, he dueled underground. Back then, they called him the Shadow Reaper. It's because any duelist who's gone against him hasn't just lost, but they were afraid to duel again."
"I'll keep that in mind." Grabbing the cherry red helmets, Yusei secured his partner's before his own. They only had a couple of minutes until they would be announced.
The fox's mind raced with thoughts from the previous match. The crowd had booed them before and Greiger had stood up for them. It didn't change anything when Crow and Spark had stepped into the arena, confident in their abilities as duelists and the cards they carried. Roars of disapproval and insults spread through the people. Many mentioned sending Crow back home. There were some directed to the yellow fox, wanting to ship him to the pound.
"Are you adding Stardust to your deck?" Tanner asked. Ringer glanced at the black and yellow-haired teen, wondering the same.
"No," he sighed as he stepped to the garage door. "I'm saving it for Jack. Tell the others we said thanks." A huffed bark followed after the man's retreating back. The black fox stared at the door for a few more seconds. Yusei tugged the metal door open with a loud CLANG. Ringer looked back to the door Tanner had left through, watching it shrink in size as he followed Yusei down the tunnel.
"Ready, partner?" Ringer's cheerful chirp slid into a whine. It echoed down the wide tunnel, almost banging against the metal door leading to the duel arena. A gloved hand was placed across his shoulders, lightly scratching black fur. "We'll be okay. Just ignore any comments, like being in the Satellite."
The teen clamped the deck holder onto his forearm and slotted his cards. Yusei jumped onto their runner and Ringer jumped behind him. The piercing shriek of metal rubbing against metal bounced down the hallway seconds before the door shook open. It rattled as it was pulled up, curling above their heads, and Ringer squinted at the blinding stadium lights.
"Are you ready, ladies and gents?" The MC's voice was loud. The cheering fans answering his question screamed over him. The runner's engine roared to life, a comforting purr thrumming against Ringer's ears.
"Sounds like the first Turbo Duel of the tournament is about to start!" The MC shouted into his microphone. "Our first duelist is a long way from home, trying a shot at first class. He's the little Satelite who could, YUSEI FUDO!"
The duel runner bucked as Yusei hit the accelerator. Ringer's claws dug into the seat's material to keep from falling off. It sped onto the track. They skidded to a stop at the start line. The crowd stared at the holographic orb in the center of the arena showcasing Yusei's marked profile. Ringer looked to the crowd, searching for their friends.
"Go back to the Satellite!"
"Nobody wants you here!"
"You belong in the Facility!"
Ringer felt Yusei lean, pressing his blue jacket against Ringer's cheek. He rested his chin on the teen's shoulder. A gloved hand pointed into the crowd. Red eyes scanned the area, then locked onto what Yusei was showing him. It was their friends, cheering them on and wishing them luck.
"And dueling against him is the Shadow Reaper himself, put your hands together for SHIRA!" The crowd cheered, chanting and counting on Yusei's opponent to defeat him. Ringer turned, peering around the curved backrest of the runner to see a cloaked figure on a black and silver runner, a stripe of red paint curved down the front.
"Knock him out of the match!"
"Go, Shira!"
"Duelist, start your engines!" Ringer stared at the man they were about to duel, while Yusei followed the MC's instructions. He couldn't figure it out. Ringer had sat in the room with Shira, waiting for their match to start. This man didn't seem like it was Shira.
First, his scent was off. Shira had smelled like a damp basement or the garage Yusei and he was staying in. Ringer had caught the musky odor when they first entered the waiting room. Shira had chosen to sit in a corner, far away from everyone. Ringer walked around, greeting all the contestants with a friendly chirp. When he had reached the secluded duelist, Shira had offered a hand for him to sniff.
This man, even over the scent of exhaust, smelled like toasted nuts and smoldering trees. It was faint, hidden under that black and orange cloak. Maybe it was his imagination. Or it might be something Yusei should know. Ringer whined and pawed at Yusei's back.
"What is it, Ringer?" The teen didn't turn his head, cobalt eyes set on the countdown projected in the purple haze. Ringer growled at the imposter, tapping on the blue jacket.
Yusei didn't get a chance to look. The count down had finished and gave them the green light. Yusei hit the gas, followed by the not Shira. Ringer watched that black cloak flapping in the wind created by the runners. It didn't take long for the wind to rip it away.
"Hold the phone, folks," the MC cried out in shock. "That's not Shira. It's Hunter Pace, the former king who made it his life to win back his title!" Yusei had turned his head, catching a glimpse of Hunter.
"I'm guessing that's what you were trying to tell me." Ringer huffed and rolled his eyes. "Wonder what's going to happen now."
"I can tell yah, Yusei," Hunter stated. "You can accept my challenge. Or are you going to act like a coward and decline in front of all these people?" Ringer was sure the man behind them was smiling.
"What do you think, Ringer?" The fox flashed his teeth, smiling, then huffed a response. "I'll take that as a yes. Okay, Hunter, you're on."
Ringer stared ahead of Yusei to the MC's booth as they made another lap around the track. The man was whipping his face with something white, probably a towel or tissue. Ringer was sure, if he was close enough the bitter, tangy scent of nerves frying would be rolling off the man.
Their front tire passed over the starting line again. The MC was stuttering into the mic. What are we waiting for? Ringer wondered as he squirmed in his seat.
"I-I don't…" The MC cleared his throat and looked away from the runners as they passed. For a split second, he stopped. A sigh of relief was picked up by the microphone before he shouted, "The match has been approved! Let the duel commence." The audience roared with a new form of energy, similar to a drug addict getting a fix after a six-month detox attempt.
Ringer felt a bit of tension melt away, loosening the collar around his neck, and took a deep breath. He rested his forehead against Yusei's back. Ringer was sure the duel would have been canceled.
"Okay back there, Ringer?" The fox chirped, then nudged Yusei's elbow with a nose, eager. "Guess that answers my next question."
"Hope you don't mind the interruption," Hunter called out to them. Ringer could hear the grin forming on his face. "But, I have a duel to win, and I'll start by summoning my Burning Skull Head in attack mode."
The monster's data slid across the visor of Ringer's helmet; 1000 attack points and 800 defense. The fox turned around. Red eyes met red eyes. The skull floated beside Hunter, its lip-less expression seemed to stretch into an impossible grin. Its surface was not the usually depicted patches of cream and tan colors, but black with scorch marks and shades of grey left behind by the flames that wrapped around it.
"I throw three facedowns to end my turn." The cards flashed in front of Hunter's runner, disappearing out of sight after a few seconds.
"It's our move," Yusei stated, drawing a card from his deck and activating Speed World's effect. Ringer saw Speed Warrior clutched in his partner's hand, freshly drawn from the stack of cards on his wrist. "I'll start by summoning out Speed Warrior in attack mode."
The familiar monster appeared beside their runner in a flash of colorful lights. Ringer barked playfully to the hologram, who gave him a small salute in greeting.
"Now, my Speed Warrior will attack your Burning Skull Head." Ringer watched the hologram, a soft and warming glow flowed from the warrior. The monster's attack points doubled on the fox's visor to 1800. "This activates his special ability; when Speed Warrior attacks the same turn he is summoned, his attack points are doubled."
The warrior slid around and jumped at the skull, braving the danger of flames and bone shrapnel.
"Then I'll activate one of my facedowns: Zero Guard." The card flipped over on the field. Hunter smiled. "This means I can lower my Skull's attack points to zero and it won't be destroyed. Unfortunately, I'll still take damage." Speed Warrior passed through the skull and hit the duelist with a powerful gust. Hunter's life points dropped to 2200. "Since I took damage from battle, I can activate another one of my face downs: Doom Accelerator. Not only will I keep the Speed Counter I gained this round, but I will gain another for every 500 life points I lost."
Ringer growled softly as the Speed Counters listed under Hunter's name on his visor increased to 4. Knots twisted in his gut as he watched Hunter's speed increased, the older duelist speeding ahead of them and howling in excitement. The MC was saying something, probably blabbering about Hunter's strategy.
"Hope you can handle the speed, Yusei. With my new acceleration deck, that's all you and that mutt of yours are gonna get!" Hunter's voice came through Ringer's helmet. "Let's see if you can catch up."
"I'll end my turn by laying down two face downs." The cards appeared on Yusei's field. Speed Warrior's attack points returned to their normal 800 as Zero Guard's effect wore off on Hunter's monster. Burning Skull Head's attack points were returned.
"My turn," Hunter smirked. Ringer heard the mechanical beep of the Speed Counters increasing. He already knew the score, but his red eyes stared holes into the numbers on the glass of his helmet. "And I'm gonna start by taking this duel up a notch by activating the speed spell Summon Speeder. This allows me to summon a monster from my hand since I have over 4 speed counters. Now, I summon out Skull Base."
A glass chalice took up Hunter's other side, gold-rimmed and veins running through the surface. Water filled the cup, leaving a couple of inches from the top. A skeleton was half-submerged, rib cage, and the forearm's twin bones poked out of the liquid.
Out of the corner of his eye, just past the pixelated numbers of the new monster's data, Ringer saw Yusei push a button in his duel disk.
"Now I activate one of my facedowns: Slip Stream." The card flipped up about to activate, but Hunter kept talking.
"It doesn't matter what card you play because I tribute my Burning Skull Head and Skull Base to advance summon Skull Flame!" The two monsters on Hunter's field shattered, shimmering shards floating in the air for a moment before they gathered together. The pieces molded themselves into a new shape, this one bigger than Speed Warrior.
2600 attack points shifted into Ringer's peripheral vision. This wasn't good. The fox placed a paw on Yusei's back to get his attention. His partner's muscles were tense and hard from anticipation. Yusei knew it, too.
"Since I used Skull Base to advance summon my monster, its ability activates and allows me to draw a card from my deck." Hunter's hand arched out of the safety of his runner as he completed the action. "Skull Flame, Attack Speed Warrior."
The monster turned and fired a tight ball of flames and heat at Speed Warrior. It blasted through, shattering their monster, and hit them.
Yusei grunted, trying to keep the runner from spinning out of control. Ringer dug his claws into the soft cushion under him. Their life points dropped to 2300 and lost a speed counter. The wind around them slowed in response and Ringer growled at Hunter's shrinking form.
"Look at that folks," the MC shouted. "Hunter Pace is not pulling any punches. He was able to level the playing field in just one turn!"
"I know, buddy," Yusei replied to the growls.
"You know, I heard you were good," Hunter commented. "That you had almost defeated Jack. And I gotta say, this has been fun, but this duel is gonna end soon. I got a score to settle with the King."
"That's not gonna happen," Yusei shouted over the cheering crowd. They seemed to be in agreement with Hunter. "Ringer and I have too much at stake here."
"Well, I play one of my facedowns: Speed Booster." The card flipped up, but Ringer could only see the spirling black hole design on the back of the card. "While my counters are more than yours, this card has two abilities. The first can be activated on my turn; I can inflict 100 points of damage for the difference of speed counters between us. Which I will do now."
A pair of boosters flashed onto the back of Hunter's runner, the holograms covering his old exhaust pipes. Something else was attached to them. Some kind of container with a white lid.
Ringer peered over his partner's shoulder just in time to see something move on the surface. Columns of grey smoke shot out of the white lids and arched above their heads, then one exploded to their right. Yusei swerved to avoid it but almost ran into another. The teen growled in frustration as another hit just ahead of them.
Their life points dropped to 1900.
"I'll end my turn with a facedown."
A beep sounded from the screen in front of Yusei as his turn began. Then, a few more. The effect of Slip Stream had activated. A smile stretched across Ringer's muzzle as their speed increased to catch up with Hunter.
"How are you doing back there, Yusei?" Hunter teased. "Guess it's true what they say, huh? If you can't handle the heat-" Hunter cut himself off, finally noticing the pair had gained speed.
"What were you saying?" Yusei smirked. Their runner was mere feet from Hunter's, close enough for Ringer to see his silver nose ring.
"How are you keeping up with me?" Hunter turned. "The hell? When did your speed counters increase to that?"
"When you activated your speed spell, it allowed me to activate Slip Stream." Ringer growled at Hunter's monster, teeth bared at the one who destroyed Speed Warrior. "Now, we are evenly matched."
"Not with my face down; Acceleration Zone." Yusei cursed under his breath. "Since you used a card other than Speed World to gain speed counters, I will be gaining five more counters."
The boosters on Hunter's runner flared, rocketing the duelist several meters ahead of the pair. Hunter howled happily as he drove away.
"You'll never catch up with me, Yusei. I'm too good at the big leagues." Yusei growled again but tried to ignore the taunts.
"I activate the Speed Spell-Summon Speeder to bring out Quillbolt Hedgehog." Ringer looked over to their only line of defense. It squeaked a greeting to him and Ringer yipped back.
"Then, I summon Junk Synchron to the field. Next, I'll activate his ability to bring Speed Warrior back from the graveyard." The two monsters took up either side of the runner, almost protecting the pair. The warrior's greenish-grey armor was painted over in shades of blue. "I just have to summon him in defense mode with his special abilities negated."
Ringer looked at each monster Yusei had managed to summon. His chest tingled with excitement. The fox knew what Yusei was planning.
"I tune Speed Warrior with Junk Synchron to Synchro Summon my Junk Warrior!" The tingling turned to a buzzing itch. Ringer howled as the monsters turned transparent, the star levels the only thing left behind.
Junk Synchron faded to nothing but three green rings that circled Speed Warrior's two blueish balls of light. The stars expanded to fit the rings, almost like a cannon being fired.
When the light extinguished, their monster was left behind. His indigo armor shone with leftover holographic star particles. When they turned the corner, that white scarf flapped violently.
"Junk Warrior is going to attack Skull Flame, but before he does his special ability kicks in." Quillbolt Hedgehog adopted a white mist glow, practically spreading to the synchro monster. Ringer watched in glee as the 2300 attack points increased to 3100. "He gains attack points equal to the attack of all level two or lower monsters on my field. Now, attack his Skull Flame!"
Junk Warrior sped up, following the command, and drew an armored arm back, ready to strike the zombie monster. Ringer glanced behind them, just in time to see the smirk on Hunter's face.
"Not so fast, Yusei. I activate the second ability of my Speed Booster to negate your attack." Their warrior threw the wound-up punch, hitting a barrier that sent it back beside the cherry red runner. Ringer growled to himself. "Since my speed counters are still greater than yours, I can negate as many attacks you throw my way as our difference in speed counters. You can't touch me!"
Ringer heard Yusei curse under his breath. They had to think of something and quickly, there was only a 100 point difference in their life points.
"I place one card face down to end my turn."
"My turn," Hunter said, drawing a card and prompting the Speed World field spell to activate. "Look at that Yusei, I'm about to lap you!" The man cackled. Yusei and Ringer turned. Hunter was only a few feet from their back tire. This wasn't good. "You know, this has been fun. Reminded me of the old days, where my monsters deflected attacks as fast as they were dealt. I had to learn how to as well. But after my defeat, I had to change tactics."
Ringer groaned and tipped his head to Yusei's back. This guy never seems to stop talking!
"I trained," Hunter continued. "I learned how to harness the power of speed. How to use it to my advantage. And I'm gonna use it once more; I play the speed spell Acceleration Draw. Since I have twelve speed counters and you don't, I can draw two cards." There was a pause as he drew the two cards before his shout rang out over the crowd. "I did it! End of Storm is in my hand!"
"He has End of Storm?" Yusei blurted out. The air seemed to leave Ringer's lungs.
"And I'm gonna activate it." A gust of strong wind ran over the field, destroying any and all cards in its path. Quillbolt Hedgehog cried out before shattering to pieces and Junk Warrior let out a shout of surprise before it suffered the same fate.
The wind rushed at the runners, trying to push them back with all their might. It stopped after a few moments, satisfied with the damage it dished out. Yusei's life points were down to 1300. Hunter's were at 1900 and was ahead of them.
"I remove my Skull Flame from play in order to special summon Speed King Skull Flame to my field." The ground seemed to shake under them, rocking their runners with the force. Ringer's stomach dropped. The monster that was summoned looked horrifying, galloping alongside Hunter's duel runner.
It looked like a centar, with a horse body and a human torso. The only difference was the flames dancing on its head and where its tail should be. Ringer would dare compare it to something straight from hell itself, but the hologram was three times his size.
"Now Speed King Skull Flame, attack Yusei directly and end this duel!" The monster threw his front hooves into the air and turned around, charging at his target.
"I activate my facedown; Scrap-Iron Scarecrow." The card flipped up and the mashed-together scarecrow was projected in front of the runner. Hunter's monster reared back, hooves in the air, and stomped their pathetic defense back into its card. Then, Speed King Skull Flame rushed back to his master's side.
Ringer breathed a sigh of relief. That was too close.
"You're only delaying the inevitable, Yusei. There was no need to draw this out any further," Hunter mocked. "But since you wanted to do this the hard way, we can. I activate the first ability of Speed Booster to deal 500 points of damage right at you."
Those smoke columns shot in the air and arched above their heads. One hit the ground, too close to Yusei for Ringer's comfort. The next hit a few inches from their back tire as they swerved from the first. A nauseous feeling bubbled to Ringer's throat as their points dropped. He heard his partner curse quietly once more.
"Next, I'll activate my King's ability. I can inflict 400 points of damage for every Burning Skull Flame in my graveyard." From his hand, Speed King fired a ball of flames similar to Skull Flames'. It flew at them and hit the front console. Yusei grunted from the force. "I'll end my turn there. Hope you enjoy your final turn."
Yusei drew his card silently, and his computer beeped.
What is he going to do? Ringer wondered. He looked at Yusei's cards. Then, smiled at the one in his hand. It was Shift Down. Maybe they could still win this. Ringer pawed at Yusei's back and nudged his elbow with a black nose.
"I was thinking the same thing, Ringer." The card disappeared. "I activate the speed spell Shift Down. By reducing my speed counters by six, I can draw two cards from my deck."
The runner bucked at the dramatic decrease in speed. Ringer's claws dug into the soft cushion under him.
"I summon Nitro Synchron to my field. Then, I activate my Quillbolt Hedgehog's ability to bring it back from the grave." The two monsters flew a few feet from the front tire. "I activate my facedown: Give and Take. This allows me to summon a monster from my graveyard to your side of the field in defense mode. So, welcome back Junk Synchron."
The little orange man had a blue tint washed over him, and crossed his arms over his face and chest as he took up Hunter's other side.
"This card also allows me to increase the level of a monster I control by the level of the monster I just summoned to your field." Quillbolt Hedgehog gave a squeak of approval, level increasing to 5. "I tuned my Hedgehog with Nitro Synchron to synchro summon Nitro Warrior."
The green and dark blue monster stood beside their runner, casting a fake shadow over them. Ringer grinned. He liked where this was going.
"Since I special summoned Quillbolt Hedgehog with its ability, I have to remove it from play. But, that doesn't stop me from activating Nitro Synchron's ability, which lets me draw a card from my deck."
"It doesn't matter how many cards you draw, Yusei. You're still gonna lose on my next turn," Hunter challenged. Ringer watched, squirming in his seat as his partner drew the card. He did it!
"I activate Gap Storm to destroy all spells and traps on the field." A gust of created winds raced over their field, shattering all non-monster cards in its path. The boosters on Hunter's runner exploded into thousands of tiny, shiny particles.
"What? NO!" Hunter protested. But the damage was already done.
"Nitro Warrior, attack Speed King Skull Flame," Yusei commanded. "Since I've activated a spell card this turn, I can increase Nitro Warrior's attack by 1000."
The monster threw his arm back and punched Hunter's monster square in the chest. It shattered and Hunter's life points decreased to 1100. Nitro Warrior's attack points dropped back to 2800.
"Since he was able to destroy your monster in battle, Nitro Warrior's second effect kicks in. I can switch one of your monsters from defense to attack." Junk Warrior's blue tint faded away and his defensive position dropped. "Then, he can attack one more time."
Nitro Warrior threw another punch, aimed at Junk Synchron. The little monster tried to defend himself, tossing his arms up to block the attack. It only resulted in him being pushed back into Hunter. Electricity cracked at the contact.
"Can't we be friends?" Hunter shouted as the attack got closer to him and exploded. Grey stream burst out of his runner as his life points dropped to zero and his runner's speed dropped exponentially.
The crowd was silent as the MC shouted the winner of the match. To Ringer, it was almost as bad as the verbal abuse they spouted. Yusei pulled his runner to a stop and ran to their opponent, Ringer at his heels. The fox trotted past, reaching Hunter to make sure he was okay.
The man was on the ground, meters from his steaming runner. He was shaking, which worried Ringer. Was he having a hard time breathing? Did something happen? Was he hurt? Then, Hunter threw his head back in laughter, cheerful and a bit unstable. Either way, it made the fox smile.
"That was great," Hunter breathed. Ringer padded up to him and nudged his shoulder, playfully. Hunter placed a hand across the animal's shoulders. "Next time, I can guarantee you won't win."
Yusei smiled softly and nodded. The older man threw his head back once more and cackled that insane laughter, ending in a coughing fit. Ringer smiled and stepped away from him, walking beside his partner as they pushed their runner off the track and to their temporary garage.
Ringer jumped onto the seat of the runner and Yusei pulled his helmet off, setting it beside his own. Then, plopped onto the floor. The fox could tell his partner was tired. It's been a long day and the sun should be setting in a couple of hours.
"Let's go, bud." Yusei reached a hand to Ringer's muzzle and scratched it a few times, before standing up. Ringer followed him out, claws clicking on the tile as they made their way down to the room to sit with the other competitors.
"Psst. Yusei." The pair stopped and looked around. "Over here."
They looked down the dark hallway they were about to pass. They couldn't see anything, but black. Ringer's head bent down and snarled, smiling a threat into the unknown. He took a step forward, closer to the dark to let his eyes adjust.
A familiar scent hit his nose; the familiar musty smell of a basement or Yusei's garage. It was Shira. The man stepped forward into the light. The dark hood of his cloak was pulled down, revealing his messy, dark blue hair. He had been in a fight recently, one eye swollen and turning a purple color. There was another bruise forming on his jaw.
"You must be Shira," Yusei inquired. Ringer stayed between the two. He may have met the man once, but it didn't mean that he trusted him. Yet.
"Yeah. It's nice to meet you." The man stuck a hand out and Yusei shook it. "Sorry, we didn't get to duel. You did great out there."
"Thanks."
"And you must be Ringer." He dropped to his level and placed a hand on the fox's forehead. Ringer chirped a greeting and pressed his ringed head into the hand. Shira's breath was hot against his ear as he whispered, "Keep him safe. Goodwin is planning something."
Ringer offered a confused tilt of his head as the man stood up. What did he mean? They already assumed Goodwin was up to something. He knew about their marks and most of the duelists here had them as well. It was the only thing Shira said, before disappearing back into the dark hallway.
"That was a bit… strange." Ringer huffed in agreement. They continued their way back to the competitors' room and Ringer hoped for a chance to take a nap.