Chapter 3: Definitely Not A Scam
Third and hopefully final disclaimer: I don't own anything substantial in regards to the franchise. All intellectual properties belong to their rightful owners.
The search for Duel Runner parts had, as expected, been rather difficult. Three, maybe four days have passed since the four of us agreed to search for said parts—it's not easy to tell, as the days have all seemed to blur together—and very little headway has been made.
Blitz, Nervin and Tank all work in the massive recycling plant that most other residents are forced to work in. During their shifts, they scour the incoming trash for anything that even slightly resembles a Duel Runner part, but unfortunately not much machinery of any sort has passed down the conveyor belts as of late. As they work, Rally and I pick our way through every trash pile and cluttered box we can find, to similar results.
Yusei returns from his constant rides every so often, but he never sticks around long unless it's to sleep. Per Rally's request, he's allowed me to sleep in the large tent, giving me one of the lumpy yellowed chairs to use as a bed, while Yusei makes use of the other and Rally sleeps upon the mattress.
Every morning, my back wakes me up by screaming swear words at me, but the sleep has done me some good. I can't help but wonder when the last time I slept was; my mind is so much clearer now, and though the memories haven't returned, I can at least think.
Today is no different; early in the morning, the sound of Yusei's Duel Runner roaring to life awakens Rally and I as we hear him heading down the tunnel. Dim yellow light floods the tent from a small electric lamp that hangs from the ceiling, and as per usual my back shrieks at me using language that I do not care to repeat here.
"Morning Ben," Rally yawns, balling up the old blanket and tossing it at the foot of the mattress, just as it had been when I entered that first time.
"Morning Rally. Sleep well?" I ask, stretching my arms and arching my back, trying to relieve the tension and knots that the uncomfortable chair created.
He nods, wrapping his massive patchy coat around him as he rises to his feet. He raises a hand concealed by a fist and rubs his eyes, yawning and looking like a tired child who has just woken up from a nap.
"Time for another enjoyable day of hunting for scrap metal, yeah?" I say, yawning as well.
Truth be told, I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to be trying to find. Both Rally and Yusei, when he's been here, have described various parts that we'll be searching for—Yusei going into much better detail than Rally—but it all seems to be going over my head.
I have to wonder what sort of relevance the Duel Runner in my memory had to me; with how clueless I've been during this search, I can't see myself as a tech genius of any sort. Did I actually build it myself, or did someone else build it for me? And if someone did, who?
Or, for that matter, did that Duel Runner even belong to me? Perhaps it was owned by someone else, though this someone must have held some sort of important role in my life.
Whatever the case, the truth has to lie in this place they call the City.
I've asked them about it, but none of them have ever been there; apparently no residents of Satellite are permitted into the City, which is a bit of an issue towards unlocking my memories. Yusei tells me there's a way, but just as the others have said I'll need a Duel Runner to access it.
[Cue in opening theme: "Imagination" by Caleb Hyles feat. Gareth West (English cover of the first opening for Haikyuu!)]
As the sweat rolls down my face, sweltering heat comes in waves
We open on a shot of Ben's face, staring up at the sky as the shadow of a cloud passes over his face. As the cloud drifts past and the sun beams down on his face again, he begins to smile.
I hear our voices echo, as we're standing side by side!
The camera begins to zoom outward, revealing that standing in a circle around Ben is each of the Omni-Heroes; in no particular order, Escuridão, Great Tornado, Absolute Zero, Nova Master, Gaia, and The Shining.
An open window lets in light, I turn my eyes up to the sky,
Now the camera shoots down to the ground, looking up at the assembled group of heroes and their leader as the urban sprawl of Skyscraper shoots up above them
Questionings if to someone will come our way, Mr. Future
Ben's face focuses in on the camera as we see the shadow of someone's legs stepping in front of us. We can see Ben grin as his heroes fall in line beside him.
(Oh come on, come on) If there is still a chance…
A sudden swift upward shift from the camera, and we're viewing Ben and his heroes from above, and in the shadows of Skyscraper, dark figures begin to form, faceless phantoms that stand to oppose our hero.
(Oh come on, come on) Go and get… it!
Taking the first step, Ben leads the charge as his heroes run forward at the shadow figures. Great Tornado streaks through the sky, a bright green wind trailing behind him as The Shining appears alongside him, bright light emanating from his body. Absolute Zero and Nova run right beside Ben, leaving trails of ice and fire in their tracks, respectively, while Gaia stomps alongside, and Escuridão dodges from shadow to shadow, as dark as darkness itself. Just as they reach the figures and begin to fight, a bright light suddenly consumes the screen.
You can't move me, you can't break me!
The light dissipates and shows the heroes at battle. First, we see The Shining lashing out for a punch, his fist enclosed in a blinding bright aura as it smashes into the stomach of Crab Turtle. Next we see Great Tornado blasting away a slew of Spellcaster monsters, namely Endymion and Breaker, among others.
You will always look right through me!
Nova Master appears on screen next, its full body aflame as it lunges toward Frost and Flame Dragon, Absolute Zero combatting the Flame half as Nova Master prepares to strike the Frost half.
I will falter, I will stumble, but I'll keep on suffering!
Gaia raises a massive boulder above its head, hurling it at Doom Dozer as the insect is restrained by shadow tendrils courtesy of Escuridão.
Never give up, never give in—I can't let it end in failure!
We spin to view Ben now, his fist clenched in anticipation as we begin to rotate, revealing that all the battles are going on simultaneously. Finally tired of seeing his heroes fight at his command, he charges into the fray as well—focusing specifically on one shadow figure.
Oh, my imagination's fighting to believe—
Ben throws a punch of his own as he reaches the character, the air around his fist blurring as he strikes mere shadow—though as the figure disappears, we get a sudden glimpse of gray hair…
Believing in something!
The shadows, Skyscraper, and the heroes all disappear at once, leaving Ben standing in the subway tunnel with Rally and the rest of the Satellite crew, looking at him hopefully.
Oh-oh! Believing in something!
Ben mounts his Duel Runner, pulling his helmet on and giving them a grin.
Oh-oh!
And on the last note, he speeds off down the tunnel, the shot fading to grayscale on his friends waving him off. The title, "Stardust Accelerator: A Hero in Time" appears in bright gold lettering, standing out against the gray as the form of the Crimson Dragon wraps around it.
Rally and I have a quick breakfast of a lumpy gray oatmeal—it seems that everything here is lumpy, from the furniture to the food—and burnt black bacon. The City sends over rations for every citizen of the Satellite every week or so, but they certainly aren't handing out gourmet food. Since I am technically not a resident, I don't have my own rations, which means that I've been sharing with the others over the past few days and I can't say I've been looking forward to my next meals.
Breakfast is almost always lumpy gray oatmeal; Rally was excited to find that today's rations also included the bacon, so I can only assume it is a rarity despite it being burnt nearly to a crisp. Lunch is usually some sort of sandwich made with turkey or ham, though with the added stipulation that it smells weird and tastes slightly off, but only in such a way that it just mildly annoys you until you bite into it again. Dinner is a can of meat and a can of vegetables, though they do not give us can openers, instead forcing us to bash open the lid with rocks.
All around, a very appetizing menu.
The bacon left a bad taste in my mouth to be sure, but Rally munched it down happily, and after that was done, we left the subway tunnel, ready to begin our search once again.
Bright light bloomed out before us, bathing the trash-strewn streets in a golden glow, bouncing off scrap metal in blinding reflective bursts. The sky above was blue as can be, without even the slightest glimpse of a cloud drifting along. A steady breeze whistled through the maze of broken buildings, keeping Rally and I cool as we scour the streets on our search for scrap metal.
Hours fly by as we sift through piles of long-abandoned items and hunt through empty buildings for anything that might even bear a semblance of a motorcycle.
However, a problem still remains that, despite the days of searching, I still have very little idea what I'm actually trying to find. If I see anything that seems promising, I call out for Rally, and he almost immediately shoots it down. The objects he describes are things that I can't even begin to fathom, seeming about as out of place to me as components that cause a spaceship to function.
And again, as we have the past several days, Rally and I turn up empty-handed.
For a moment he thought that he may have stumbled across something, a CPU of some sort I believe, though it turned out to be little more than a small square mass of old gray gum wrappers. For what it's worth, it was a very shiny mass of old gray gum wrappers, and I wouldn't have known the difference anyway.
Dirtied hands and scraped knees is our reward for today's work, and as the sun sinks low behind the buildings and covers the ruined city in a deep orange glow Rally excuses himself on ahead.
"This is where we part ways today!" he says, grinning at me. "I've got something I need to do, but I'll be back a bit later. Do me a favor and tell the others for me, okay?"
"Huh? Oh, sure. Be careful dude," I say, patting Rally on the back as he takes a few steps forward.
He turns around to face me and beams even brighter, his eyes squeezed shut as the sun shines directly in his face. "Don't worry about me, Ben! Just make sure you get back to the subway safe!" he replies, before hurrying off down an alley that branches off the main path. I watch him for a little while, but soon he disappears around a building, and I keep walking.
I'm still very cautious about where I step, lacking the grace with which Rally and the others trek through the dirty streets, but I soon find my way back to the plaza area in which our little subway station rests. I begin walking toward the entrance, ready to sit down and bust open a can of meat with a rock, when I hear Blitz's voice calling out from behind me.
"Hey, Ben! Just the person I wanted to see!"
I turn to see the normally nervous man running toward me, a wide grin on his face. His purple dreadlocks bounce wildly as he runs, his eyes fixed on me through the tiny lenses of his glasses.
"Blitz, what's up?" I ask, folding my arms behind the back of my head.
"How's your searching been going?" he asks, mimicking my stance. I give him a grim look, and he grins triumphantly. "That's what I thought! Well, have I got an opportunity for you!"
I stare at him blankly. He doesn't seem to get the hint. "And that opportunity is…?" I lead, gesturing for him to continue.
"Right! Well, I found this guy at the recycling center who said he knows this guy who knows this other guy, who knows this third guy who's selling a Duel Runner, and for cheap!" he exclaims excitedly.
"Are you serious?" I ask, my jaw dropping slightly in shock. If this is legit, then the past few days of searching have paid off; the key to my memories might very well be just beyond the trash-strewn horizon.
Blitz nods vigorously. "Yes! It's this way, come on!" he says, turning and practically sprinting down an alley toward the east of the subway.
He doesn't even stop to look to see if I'm following, so I have no choice but to run after him. It's a game of hopscotch trying to keep up—someone who has lived here their whole life is certainly much less squeamish about their feet being covered with garbage. The buildings close in tighter around us, and soon the path becomes so narrow that we have to move single-file, with no room to run beside one another.
We break through the alley and into another plaza area, this one a dead end, lined with broken windows and dark, yawning doorways. At the furthest end lies a massive concrete building, short in stature, but square and sprawling, probably longer than all the others in that area. There's something ominous about it, and the very sight of it makes my stomach turn like I'd just eaten more of that black ration bacon.
Milling about in front of said building at the foot of a short staircase is a rather rough-looking guy in a ripped leather jacket with a sickly green mohawk. The sleeves are torn off and he wears a ripped green t-shirt underneath, but it must be too small for him, because his midriff is exposed. He turns to face us as we start to approach; he eyes me warily, but when his shifty eyes fall on Blitz, his face breaks out into a hungry grin, like a wolf spotting its prey.
"Hey, I told you I had someone who was looking for a Duel Runner!" Blitz says, raising is hand in greeting. He's practically bouncing as we approach the guy, and I can't help but notice that he looks an awful lot like those guys who were chasing Rally a few days back…
"Ha, good timing! Just had a few other guys come by to ask about it," he replies, clasping his hands together. He turns to me and grins again, and it's all I can do to fight the urge to hit that grin off his face. "So! What can I do to put you in a Duel Runner today?"
I glance over to Blitz, thinking, Man, why did you have to find a sleazeball like this? After a moment, I reply, "Well… how much are you trying to get for it?"
He purses his lips for a second as if he's thinking, then says, "Well, I told the last guy who offered 1500, but I could probably go for… 1000?"
"1000 what, exactly?" I ask, feeling the pit of my stomach sink. I haven't got any form of currency on me, as far as I'm aware.
"You know those things they call DP? Duel Points, or something like that?"
I recall Nervin and Tank talking about that over their nightly cans of meat the night before; it's apparently a currency that's been commonplace in the City but has only recently been ported over here. They somewhat pay the workers in the plant with it, but it's very minimal—it would probably take Blitz, Nervin and Tank weeks, if not months to save up 1000…
Instinctively, I reach into my pockets for money that I knew wouldn't be there, only to find a small leather pouch tucked deep into my left pocket. I fish it out and open it up, revealing a large amount of shining silver and gold coins.
The guy's eyes go wide and he begins to salivate as he sets his sights on all the coins. "Y-yeah, that looks like enough…" he says hungrily, further wringing his hands as he no doubt dreams of what he could do with all that.
"Ben, how did you get so much DP?" Blitz asks in shock. "There's gotta be… 5000 there, at least!"
"I have no idea, I've never seen it before," I admit, but I can tell Blitz doesn't quite believe me. "I just felt around in my pocket and it was there…"
The guy is clearly disappointed when I go through the trouble of counting out 1000 DP and then hand it to him, but he pockets the coins and nods. "Be right back," he says, disappearing into the building and returning a few minutes later pushing a pale blue motorcycle. He guides it down the stairs and lets it come to rest in front of Blitz and I. "Here you are, gentlemen! Pleasure doing business with ya!" and with that, he runs back into the building.
Blitz and I take a moment to survey my newly purchased vehicle.
It's very angular, with a piercing point stabbing forward about halfway over the wheel, then beginning a slope downward and upward. The upper slope heads into the handlebar area of the Duel Runner, underneath which a dusty glass display shows a series of dials, counters and screens, then curves backwards into a leather seat and then into the back point, jutting out halfway over the back tire. Here and there, silver markings are placed in decently appealing ways, though they seem to just be random patterns rather than meaning anything.
"…Looks nice, huh?" Blitz says proudly, placing a hand on one of the handlebars.
"A bit old, but for the price, yeah," I agree, acting as if I know how much a Duel Runner should cost. "Thanks for your help Blitz, I'd never have found this without you!"
"Heh, you think so?" Blitz chuckles bashfully, scratching a red cheek. His eyes pop open again and he grabs the other handlebar. "Come on! Let's go show the others!"
I nod, get behind it, and we begin to push it back along the path we had just taken.
The Duel Runner is actually very light, something which provided some relief for Blitz and I as we hurried it back to the subway, but which proved to be more of a pain than anything after we get it down the stairs…
"HEY! THERE'S NO ENGINE IN THIS PIECE OF JUNK!"
Rally, Nervin and Tank had all been overjoyed to see us wheel the vehicle into the hideout, crowding around it the second we put the kickstand down and let it rest in between two pillars. The questions went around—how much did I pay, where we found it, and then what was inside it.
Blitz and I realized then that we had failed to ask what sort of engine was in there, which leads into Blitz's angry outburst just now.
He seethes and stomps around for a few minutes while the rest of us eat our weird-smelling sandwiches, probably a little less angry than we should be but hey, we're hungry.
After he calms down, he sits next to me and opens up his own weird sandwich. "I'm sorry Ben," he says through bites of sandwich. Rage must have worked up an appetite in him. "This is all my fault… I can't believe I trusted that dirtbag…"
"Hey, don't get so down Blitz," I reply, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's not that big of a deal…" I don't bother to bring up that I had had a bad feeling about the guy to begin with—better to not add insult injury.
"Yes it is a big deal! That was a lot of money you spent!" Blitz shoots back. The anger's rising again, I can tell. He throws his half-eaten sandwich to the ground and stands up, clenching his fists in anger. "I'm gonna go give that lowlife a piece of my mind! I'll be back later, guys."
As he stomps out of the subway, Tank asks, "Think he'll care if I have the rest of his sandwich?"
After excusing myself from the eating circle, I hurriedly follow an angry voice down the same path we had just walked with the useless Duel Runner. I burst into the plaza, just in time to see the green-haired thug dragging a struggling Blitz into the building with the help of another purple-haired thug. The doors slam shut behind them, and suddenly everything is quiet again.
I rush after them, slamming my shoulder into the door to try and bust it open, but only succeed in hurting my shoulder. For a door that has probably been through an explosion of some sort, it's surprisingly sturdy, or else I'm surprisingly weak. I bang my fist against the door several times, but there's no response. I try to peer inside through the cloudy glass doors, but it's too dark to see.
And so, all that's left for me to do is go back to the subway. Maybe Nervin or Tank will be able to help…
When I get back Tank is standing guard outside, and when he spots me he jogs over. I explain the situation, and together we hurry down into the darkness of the subway, where I then proceed to repeat the same explanation to Rally and Nervin.
"What was he thinking?! Damn it," Nervin scowls, clenching his fists. "I don't know… without Yusei here, I don't know if there's anything we can do to help…"
Tank echoes this sentiment, but Rally instead stares incredulously between the two of them. "Are you kidding me?! Guys, come on! We have to do something to help Blitz!"
The other two look ashamed, but say nothing. Finally I speak up and give a suggestion, "This place could be kind of dangerous… maybe you guys should hang back for a bit, wait for Yusei. If Blitz and I don't come back soon, come after us," I say.
Rally looks like he wants to object, but as the other two nod he sighs and says, "Alright… but, here, take this with you," he says, digging through his pocket and pulling out a card. "This is Turbo Booster, my favorite card… it belonged to my dad. Use it and save Blitz, Ben."
I gently take the card from his hand and smile at him. I notice that it's an EARTH monster, and my mind immediately flashes back to me using Gaia to defeat him days before. "Thanks Rally. I'll be sure to use it well," I say gratefully, before running out of the subway for what must have been at least the third time that day alone.
Once I get back to the thugs' hideout, I find the same guy who had sold me the Duel Runner waiting out front. He gives me a sleazy grin as I approach, and says, "Welcome back! Come to make another purchase?"
"A withdrawal, actually," I reply, saying what may very well be the cheesiest line I've ever said. Granted, I have very little to compare it to, so I may be wrong, but from the way it feels coming from my mouth I hope I'm not wrong. "One Blitz, please."
"Hmm? Oh, you mean that purple-haired guy with glasses? I haven't seen him since you two came by for the Duel Runner," he replies, crossing his arms over his chest and displaying a Duel Disk.
Instead of responding, I give him my best tough-guy glare, trying to show that I won't be backing down any time soon.
"I can see you aren't backing down any time soon," he says after a moment, his eyes flashing with some mix of anger and nervousness. "Alright then—let's duel. If you win, I'll let you in so you can see for yourself. Sound good?"
I nod, stepping toward him and activating my Duel Disk. The anger is threatening to boil over inside me as I begin worrying over what might have happened to Blitz.
"DUEL!"
Ben: 4000 LP / Thug: 4000 LP
"Since an unsatisfied customer has come for his money back, I'm taking the first move!" he declares, drawing a card from his deck. He studies his hand for a moment, and then declares, "I'll summon Defender, the Magical Knight in attack mode!"
A knight in heavy blue armor steps forth from a green portal. Gold runs along the edges of his armor, in various patterns all built around several large, round rubies. A massive shield rests in one hand, inlaid with an even larger ruby in the center of the shield surrounded by a curving, symmetrical golden pattern, and in the other hand he holds a very short sword with a fat silver blade. A blue cape billows out from his shoulders while he stares out from beneath his gold-visored helmet, his pale face neutral and uncaring. (Defender, the Magical Knight: Level 4, LIGHT, Spellcaster-type; 1600 ATK/2000 DEF)
"When Defender is summoned, I can place a Spell Counter on him!" the thug explains as the ruby on Defender's shield begins to glow. A golden triangle appears, its three points missing, though at my opponent's declaration one point appears, a golden glowing circle at the top-left. "I'll place one card face-down and end my turn there! Your move, Mr. Customer!" (Defender, the Magical Knight: 1 Spell Counter)
I grit my teeth as I draw. Something about this salesman routine is really starting to piss me off. Glancing through my hand, I immediately declare, "I summon Elemental Hero Knospe in attack mode!"
A tiny yellow plant blooms into existence on my side of the field, seeming to push up through a crack in the cement as it appears at my side. Thin leaves cover its bottom and neck, while a cape of leaves is held to it by a thin silver rope clasped together by a small round amethyst. Its hands and head are made of buds, and it has a tiny, cute face, with small eyes the same color as the gem clasping its cape. (Elemental Hero Knospe: Level 3, EARTH, Plant-type; 600 ATK/1000 DEF)
"Maybe I should have charged you extra then! You clearly think that 600 ATK can take on 1600," taunts the thuggish salesman.
"Maybe I should have just beaten you up and taken the Duel Runner," I shoot back, placing another card on my Duel Disk. "I play Rose Bud! By tributing Knospe, I can summon its evolved form—Elemental Hero Poison Rose!"
Knospe begins to glow with a blinding light, and as the moments pass it begins to grow until it is nearly my height. The buds on its arms and head slowly open, the leaves on its body lengthen into what is almost a dress, and it takes on a humanoid shape. Her skin is a light blue, and she has a long mane of white rose petals jutting out from her head, almost like hair, and now a slim gold tiara set with an amethyst rests on her head. (Elemental Hero Poison Rose: Level 6, EARTH, Plant-type; 1900 ATK/2000 DEF)
"Now, my lovely rose, hit his knight with your Thorn Blizzard!" I order, throwing my hand out.
As if mimicking me, she throws her hand outward too, and from her long leafy sleeves comes a barrage of tiny black thorns, flying through the air directly at Defender. Though some fly past and pierce the thug, the knight hunkers down behind his shield and remains unscathed.
Ben: 4000 LP / Thug: 3700 LP
"Hey, how come your monster isn't destroyed?" I call across curiously once the bombardment ends.
"Well, valued customer, that's how Defender's effect works! By removing one Spell Counter from him, I can prevent a Spellcaster from being destroyed," the annoying salesman replies as the gold triangle on Defender's shield fades out. (Defender, the Magical Knight: 0 Spell Counters)
"Well, since you're mentioning effects, Poison Rose has her own that activates! Each time she inflicts battle damage, she gains 200 ATK and loses 200 DEF!" (Elemental Hero Poison Rose: 1900 – 2100 ATK / 2000 DEF – 1800 DEF)
"From there, I'm going to place two cards face-down and end my turn," I say, passing the duel over to him.
"Hmm, what to do now? I can't wait to unleash my magical mischief on you," he says, drawing a card. "I know! I'll flip over my facedown card, Pitch-Black Power Stone!"
Appearing beside him is a massive black stone, patterned with the same golden triangle on Defender's shield. All three points of the triangle glow, and some kind of energy emanates from it in waves of red aura. (Pitch-Black Power Stone: 3 Spell Counters)
"When my trap is activated, I place 3 Spell Counters on it. Once per turn, I can move one of the Spell Counters to any card I can place one on—namely Defender!"
The gold triangle on Defender's shield begins to glow again as the same upper-left point appears. (Defender: 1 Spell Counter)
"Now I'll summon my Crusader of Endymion in attack mode!"
Beside Defender, a new portal opens up and allows the entrance of another monster in heavy blue armor. However, it's very clear that beneath the armor is a very skinny body, with tiny hands and legs as thin as sticks; there's something intimidating about it though. It looms over Defender, and even more rubies line its armor and along the long blue robe that covers its front; as I look closer, it becomes clear that the armor is being held up by pure magical power. (Crusader of Endymion: Level 4, LIGHT, Spellcaster-type/Gemini; 1900 ATK/1200 DEF)
"Now valued customer, I change Defender to defense mode and end my turn!"
Another draw, and another card that I quite like seeing. I've been getting fairly good draws, though my starting hand was a little lacking. Knospe and Polymerization, then a card called Wroughtweiler, Miracle Fusion, which I set as a bluff, and Hero Barrier are what I started with; I then drew into Rose Bud, and now Elemental Hero Bubbleman.
"I won't hold back now—I'll play the Magic Card Polymerization! By fusing Wroughtweiler and Elemental Hero Bubbleman in my hand, I summon Elemental Hero Gaia!" I shout, feeling my blood boil after being forced to sit through his whole salesman schtick. I don't want to imagine what they must be doing to Blitz in there… I just know I have to get through and save him.
The ground trembles as the colossal fist thrusts forth from a massive green portal, smashing into the ground as he climbs out and takes his place beside Poison Rose. Teen feet tall or more, the earthen warrior assumes a fighting stance, ready for battle. (Elemental Hero Gaia: Level 6, EARTH, Warrior-type; 2200 ATK/2600 DEF)
A long black shadow falls upon the Spellcasters and their master, and the crooked salesman's grin drops from his face. Even the Spellcasters seem to falter at first, but beneath the shadow the massive black stone glows gold and hums with its red aura.
"Next, through Gaia's effect, I can halve the attack of one of your monsters and give it to Gaia. Gaia, hit Crusader of Endymion with your Stone Splitter!" I order.
Gaia smashes his fist into the ground, sending long spears of rock flying toward the Crusader. He tries to block with his heavy armor, using magic to swivel it around to his front, but the spears pierce it; again, as they sap his strength, he shrinks, and Gaia grows. (Elemental Hero Gaia: 2200 ATK – 3150 ATK / Crusader of Endymion: 1900 ATK – 950 ATK)
"I'll now activate my facedown, Miracle Fusion! By removing from play monsters on my field or in my Graveyard, I can Fusion Summon an Elemental Hero! I'll remove Bubbleman and Knospe in order to summon Elemental Hero Absolute Zero!"
And again, the man of ice appears, leaping up out of a portal, his icy armor shining as he catches the sunlight. The interwoven snowflakes that make up his cape seem translucent in the afternoon glow, and his eyes burn a bright, frozen blue, like stars. (Elemental Hero Absolute Zero: Level 8, WATER, Warrior-type; 2500 ATK/2000 DEF)
The crooked salesman's jaw drops further, his once-greedy eyes now only showing shock, and perhaps fear. His lip trembles, and it appears as if he's about to say something, perhaps begin calling for a trusted family member to hide behind.
"Now it's time to show you what happens when you mess with my friends! Gaia, you get the first attack! Tectonic Takedown, hit his Crusader!" the roar rips from my throat with such fury that I'm even scaring myself somewhat. Blood boils like lava bursting from a volcano as Gaia stomps across the field, its pace picking up until it's charging like a bull.
"Hold on! Have you forgotten about Defender's effect?" calls the thug, taken out of his terrified trance as Gaia bears down on his scrawny monster. "I'll remove a Spell Counter from him and Crusader isn't destroyed!" My hero smashes into the spellcaster, but after returning to my field, the dust kicked up by his powerful charge clears up to reveal the unscathed Crusader. (Defender, the Magical Knight: 0 Spell Counters)
Ben: 4000 LP / Thug: 1500 LP
Whereas in the past few duels I've felt as if I were in autopilot as I made my plays, now I know I'm in full control of my actions. I may have shown mercy once and given him a turn to try and come up with a defense, but he made his mistake and now, it's going to cost him.
"Absolute Zero, freeze him! Glacial Suplex!" And on command, the snow-cloaked hero dashes across the field, gliding forward on ice-bottomed boots. Without even having to specify the target, he wraps his icy arms around Crusader and gives it a hard suplex, headfirst into the ground. Ice shatters from Absolute Zero's body and surrounds the thug in a freezing whirlwind, and he lets out a scream as the ice closes in around him.
Ben: 4000 LP / Thug: 0 LP
Our monsters fade from existence, but not before Absolute Zero and Gaia turn to face me, or at least seem to face me. I can't tell if I'm imagining it or not, but every time I've summoned one of them, they seem more… responsive than a hologram should be.
The thug rests on his knees, tan hands clenched on the ground as his chest heaves through heavy breaths. Finally, he looks up at me, stands, and unlocks the doors behind him.
"As promised… the doors have been unlocked for the satisfied customer. Please take up any further issues with my compatriots inside," he says, before running off with his tail between his legs.
The doors slide open with an ominous creak, and a deep black void yawns out from behind it. Blitz is inside there… and I know I've got to save him.
Steeling my nerves and repeating, "Be a hero," I walk forward into the squat concrete building, only giving a slight jump as the doors creakily shut behind me.
"Your monsters are heroes… it's time for you to be a hero too."
TO BE CONTINUED…
AND THERE WE GO! I apologize deeply for the lateness on this chapter, I meant to have it out Wednesday or Thursday, but some circumstances came up and my wife and I were unable to get back home until Sunday. I just want to say thank you all so much for the condolences, I really appreciate it, my sister and I were both very close to our grandpa and it wasn't easy. He had a good life though, and he got to hold my daughter before he passed so he was happy.
Anyways, all that depressing nonsense out of the way, I do apologize for leaving the chapter on such a note, but I wanted to make sure you guys didn't have to wait too long for the upload. A little more narrative-heavy rather than duels, but next chapter will be pretty heavy on the duels! I also tried to establish a bit more worldbuilding, since there's never really any mention of food in the Satellite (from what I can remember), and the bit about the Duel Points is actually borrowed from a fic called Sutādasuto Accelerator by Yusei. I was at a bit of a loss on how to implement it, so I hope you can all forgive me for borrowing that.
Also, we got to see a bit of Ben actually getting mad there at the end. I wonder how he'll deal with things once he gets to fighting the rest of the thugs. I'm a very calm person irl, so anger isn't something I have a lot of experience with lol, so I hope that I portrayed it alright.
Anyways, I'm hoping I'll be able to have the next chapter done this week, but please bear with me if I can't. Trying to get settled back in with an infant is very difficult, especially after being away from home for a few weeks. I'll go ahead and cut the monologuing here, so as always,
Take care, brush yo hair, I'll see ya when I see ya, PEACE~!
P.S. Time Thief, you're actually very close to guessing his ace! Shining isn't his main ace, but until he gets his primary guy back, Shining will more or less serve as his backup ace.