Chapter 6: The First Ride – Part 1

After Yusei leaves us, the days seem to get shorter, time flying by quicker and quicker. There's constant worry etched in Rally's face, and the others spend more time at work. And the quiet left behind by the lack of engines revving in the tunnel… it's almost unnerving in the early morning.

A week passes, and then a second with little excitement to separate the two. My Duel Runner sits in the same spot when our friend rode off, unused, and the rebuilding process stuck at a standstill due to our inability to find a CPU for it. Although, with the void left by Yusei's absence, as helpful as they have been, I can't say whether or not anyone has been looking too hard for it.

Another midday comes upon us, bright yellow sunbeams flooding down from the crevice overhead and filling the dark subway with a comforting golden light. Having been stuck in the subway all day while Rally went off to do something private, due to my still questionable knowledge of the area I've had nothing better to do than stare into the shadows on either end of the tunnel, or watch the aging paint peel on the cracking concrete walls. A few more bits of debris fell from the crevice up above fell today than usual, but aside from that little else has happened of note.

So when Rally comes bounding down the stairs, a secretive grin on his face, needless to say I'm unable to keep from grinning myself. I didn't know when to expect him back, but I had been preparing our lunch rations in case he would be back soon.

The one good thing about Yusei being gone—I get a whole ration to myself now!

"Ben, Ben guess what!" Rally says happily, his hands held behind his back as he bounces up and down on his feet like a little rabbit.

"Calm down dude, sit down and have some lunch," I suggest, handing him the plastic-wrapped sandwich. "Looks like it's roast beef today. Doesn't even smell too bad."

He leans forward and bites onto the offered sandwich, tossing it to the ground with his mouth like an animal. Thank goodness for the cellophane wrapping, or else it would be ruined, and I've waited too long to not have to share my lunch now.

"There's no time for lunch, Ben! Not until you see what I found you!" he insists, his smile a bright beam that seems like it could light up the subway tunnels, driving away the shadows as we followed them far into the earth.

I can't help but laugh a little bit. This is the happiest I've seen him since Yusei left. "Alright, alright. What did you find me?" I ask, admittedly a bit curious to see what has him so worked up.

Another furtive grin comes across his face. "This is our secret, okay Ben? You can't tell anybody about it," he says, moving one hand out from behind his back and sticking out his pinkie. "Swear on it."

My pinkie finger wraps around his, a large size discrepancy between the two as we shake hands. "I swear. Now what's up?"

Rally's other hand darts out from behind his back, his palm flat and facing upward as he presents me with a small, shiny square object. He holds it gingerly, as if he worries that it might break with the slightest wrong move.

"…More gum wrappers?" I ask, not quite sure what I'm seeing at first.

"Yes—wait, no! No, it's a CPU! The CPU that's going to get you to the City!" Rally says, grinning proudly at me and thrusting it into my hands. "Come on, let's go get it installed!"

[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.

My eyes widen in shock and the sandwich I had been planning to eat slips from my hands, breadcrumbs scattering all over and mixing with rubble. "My sandwich…" I complain, though as I stare at the metallic item in my hands, my complaint sounds weak and half-hearted at best.

Without a word, Rally dashes into the tent and returns with a box full of Yusei's old tools, which seems to be almost too big for him. Rusted metal clinks together as he trots along at a good pace despite the fact that the toolbox is larger than his head. He sets it on the ground in front of my Duel Runner with a sigh of relief, and beams at me again and starts waving me over.

I don't even spare my ruined lunch a second glance as I stroll on over, Rally's impatience growing with every easy step I take. I hold onto the CPU gently as I walk, carrying it as gingerly as if it were a puppy, worried that I might break it if I touch it in just the wrong way.

When I reach the Duel Runner, Rally already has the side panel popped off to expose the jungle of circuitry and rusted metal, all bunched around one spot, small and square and just the right size for the piece of metal I hold in my hands.

"You know how to install one of these, right?" I ask, looking at Rally as we crouch down. He holds the corroded old flashlight, the beam shining into the bowels of my machine.

"Yes. No. Sort of," Rally says, a bit sheepish. "Can you, uh… repeat the question?"

Feeling significantly less confident about this than I had been, I repeat my question, asking if he knew how to install a CPU from watching Yusei. Looking in further, I'm able to see that the slot for the CPU is raised up a bit higher than the rest, with indentations running along it that seem to fit with ridges on the inside of the item itself.

"Yeah… I kind of know how to do it. There's a bit of technical stuff that involves the computer that you'll have to do once the CPU is hooked up, but…" he trails off a bit. "It's not too hard. Or, it shouldn't be. Yusei's Runner is built off a different frame than this, so it might be a little different."

And as it turned out, it was a little more than a little different. As the day goes on, "shouldn't be too hard" turns into, "this is harder than I thought…" and eventually, "why is this so hard?!" But we're able to get it done. The diagnostics part—the computer work that Rally had mentioned—isn't near as difficult as he made it out to be.

Though it takes several hours more than we had expected, some time before the others arrive for dinner, Rally and I finish. The engine roars to life, sputtering at first before it grows to a healthy growl, a bit weaker than Yusei's had been, but of course that is to be expected.

I mount the Duel Runner once more, like I did the day we brought it home. Beneath the springy seat, I can feel the old machinery rumbling and whirring like the heartbeat and breathing of some ancient beast, echoing throughout the tunnel at an deafening pitch, reverberating off the cement walls and causing my very bones to quiver.

A grin crosses my face. "Damn. This is… nice," I say, for lack of a better word as I grip onto the handlebars. A small slot holds my Duel Disk, with the dusty screen being a display for Turbo Dueling. I'll admit—the thought of Turbo Dueling doesn't rouse me quite as much as Rally and the rest likely expect; card games on motorcycles do not appeal to me so much.

I can get to the City now, I think, trying to place the day. My grin falls somewhat as I realize that I have another two weeks before the Pipeline will be open again.

Rally beams at me, standing beside me and looking up, now so much shorter than me. Above the thundering calls of the engine, he yells, "Take… for… ride!"

"What?" I shout back, my voice rising.

"Take… for… ride!" he repeats, his words still partially drowned out. "Highway… North! Up the stairs!"

Unable to understand what he is saying, I turn off the engine and allow him to give me the instructions once more.

The Duel Runner bursts into the sunlight, the old beast's howl cutting through the air as it embraces freedom for the first time since it has been repaired. The tires squeal as I drift slightly, turning right and tearing off down the road. Wind rushes past me, whipping my hair and buffeting my face as it skirls around the speeding machine.

Though I'm moving at a fast enough speed that I can't say for sure, I could swear I pass by Blitz and the others on their way back from work. I like to imagine that it was indeed them, and they began to cheer as I tore past.

I weave my way north through the labyrinth of dilapidated buildings and scrap heaps, using an unexpected map tool installed on the Duel Runner to guide me to the "old highway" Rally had mentioned. I'm not proud of how many times I had to turn around, stop short, or take a longer route—and as such, I won't count them here, but know that it was more than someone with a GPS should. Much more.

But finally, I reach the turn onto the old highway—a long stretch of asphalt that rises up into the sky over the crumbling ruins of the city, supported by old cement beams that were placed long ago and edged by rusted guard rails, some of which disappeared entirely long ago.

And yet, despite the questionable state the highway is in, it's…

"Perfect."

I exhale, letting the bike idle underneath me as I look up into the sky overhead. Blue changes to purple and orange as the sun begins its descent, the clouds gone off to bed as stars start to blink overhead in the east like tiny jewels sparkling—and that same red star is there, pulsating in its orbit.

I urge my Duel Runner onto the highway, finding that despite its age it is decently sound. At the very least, there's no noticeable pitfalls or mass amounts of debris, and no sharp things that might pop a tire and cause me to spin out. The turn curves like a snake as it joins onto the road, so I take it easy until I reach the highway itself, flat and wide, with four lanes barely marked by faded white lines. I can't help but wonder how busy this thoroughfare must have been long ago, before whatever disaster caused this ruin.

Ahead of me, the old road lays out far into the distance, curving off before it would cut through a building. I grin, and rev my Runner, allowing the sudden burst of speed to take my worries away for a bit. As I travel over the ruined path, a certain weightless sensation overcomes me, and I start to follow the track ahead without even thinking of it. Is this what it feels like to ride a bicycle? I wish I remembered.

I drift lazily between sides of the road; with no incoming traffic, I don't feel the need to follow any particular traffic laws. I start to wonder if anyone else in the Satellite has working Duel Runners aside from myself and Yusei when he was still here, when I hear the screeching of wheels behind me.

Company, huh? I think, looking over my shoulder to try and spot the oncoming vehicle. I can see the shape approaching, sleek, gray and blue and white with something mounted on the front… oh God, is that a siren?

Yep, it's a siren. I hear the wail of it as it draws near, just barely audible over the roar of my own engine. Something in me advises me to gun it, and I do, pulling far ahead of the pursuing bike. I get the sudden feeling that I'm not supposed to be here, let alone be on a Duel Runner.

Rounding the curve, the other bike falls behind and out of sight. I want to relax and ease up on the engine, but something tells me that I need to keep going.

Soon, however, I hear a robotic voice say, just above my engine, "Autopilot engaged. Activating Speed World…"

And then, the world is covered in purple, and a stern male voice yells out, "Caught you, Satellite scum! Pull over at once!"

HEEEELLO EVERYBODY! It's, uh… ben some time. Heh. Ben some time.

…I apologize for that pun. And for my absence. Not going to go into specifics, but to those of you who remember how in the last chapter I mentioned my childhood dog quit eating, she wound up passing away and it messed me up a lot more than it should have. I couldn't find it in me to write, but I willed myself through this one.

I'm not going to take up too much time for this Author's Note. Again, wanted to apologize for my repeated absences, I'm hoping that this will be the end of it for now. Sorry that this is a bit of a short chapter, but I wanted to get something out to make sure you all knew that neither I nor this story are dead. Next chapter—turbo duel! See you all soon.

As always, take care, brrrrush yo hair, I'll see ya when I see ya, PEACE~

~Chase