"Unreal! You got to meet Team Satisfaction!?" Toru exclaimed.
"Yep. And they're every bit as good as they're made out to be. When I went in after that slime ball Gordon, they mopped the floor with the gang that tried to attack me and sent them packing. And after making Gordon shart himself, I got the part you wanted back. Unfortunately it was a piece of trash. However...
Five hours ago...
"Sheesh. I could have sworn I had that one in the bag. I guess Team Satisfaction isn't the best for nothing," Tatsuya laughed, stepping forward to shake Crows' hand.
"Well, I can't say I wasn't worried after you pulled out Grapha and Sillva. Had I not drawn the cards that I did, I wouldn't have been able to pull it off," Crow grinned. "You had me worried for a while."
"Ha! I guess so. Still, that Blackwing Armor Master is quite the card. I'm glad I got the chance to see it," Tatsuya said with a faint smile.
"That was one hell of a duel!" Came Kalin's voice, causing the two duelists to turn towards the leader of Team Satisfaction.
"I agree. You're a pretty good duelist Tatsuya. Maybe next time you're in town, we can square off," Jack said with a smirk.
Already beat you in my dreams. Maybe I'll get a crack at you in real life after all...
"I'd like that. It'll give me a chance to see how I stack up to the rest of you," Tatsuya smirked.
"I wouldn't mind a duel either," Yusei added. "I was intrigued by your strategy. It's a pretty solid tactic you have going there."
"Thanks Yusei," Tatsuya replied. "It took me a while to form this deck. But it worked out the way I had hoped."
"Good to know. Oh yeah! I nearly forgot," Yusei paused, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small CPU chip, "this is for you. It should replace the phoney CPU that shopkeeper sold you."
"You sure Yusei? I mean...you sure you don't want me to pay for it?" Tatsuya inquired.
"It's cool. Just take it," Yusei said with a smile.
"Thanks man. I'll make sure it's well taken care of," Tatsuya replied.
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Arc One - Fifth Turn - Turbo Toru!
WRGP WC
The Dark Oppressor!
"Here's your money by the way," Tatsuya stated, handing Toru the money he'd given him to purchase the part with.
"Huh? You mean you didn't get another one?" Toru inquired, a trickle of sweat sliding down his face as he took the money.
"Oh I got another one alright. It's better than the piece of scrap I was given. Straight from Yusei himself," Tatsuya grinned, handing Toru the CPU he was given.
Toru's eyes widened slightly as he saw the CPU chip. He took it and analyzed it.
"Dude! This is way better than what I asked for! I think this will help me finish the Duel Runner!" Toru exclaimed.
"What? Already?" Tatsuya blinked, taken aback by the statement Toru just made.
"What do you think I was doing while you were in town? Looking at magazines all day?" Toru laughed.
"Yes..." Tatsuya deadpanned.
"Err...okay fair point. I did take a tiny break," Toru laughed. "I can't help it. Duelist Weekly is out and there are some great tips for beginning Turbo Duelists! That...and the center folds are nice too. Like Sherry Leblanc!" Toru exclaimed, opening up a magazine to reveal the woman Tatsuya had seen in front of the card shop.
"Man, if I could meet her, my life would be nearly complete," Toru grinned.
"So by almost, you mean it will be once you meet Misty Tredwell as well," Tatsuya grimaced.
"That's about the size of it," Toru grinned.
"Then I suppose I shouldn't tell you that I met Sherry Leblanc in the city today," Tatsuya smirked.
"Say what!?" Toru exclaimed.
"Oops. Did I say that out loud?" Tatsuya snickered.
"You're playin' me. Right?" Toru said in a hopeful tone.
"I dunno. Seeing Chevalier De Fleur on the field was pretty sweet," Tatsuya continued, getting a disgruntled look from Toru.
"So you really did see her. Lucky punk," Toru muttered.
"Is that jealousy I hear?" Tatsuya laughed.
"Put a sock in it Tatsuya," Toru smirked, elbowing his friend playfully.
The two laughed together and discussed the rest of the events that happened in town. Toru was astonished to learn that Tatsuya had taken on Crow in a duel and almost won. Needless to say, his jealousy grew just a bit more after getting that type of news. As the time passed, Tatsuya decided it was time to go and check on Nico and West.
Tatsuya knocked on the door to the hideout and waited for West and Nico to answer. The door opened to reveal West whose face lit up upon seeing his friend.
"Nico! Tatsuya's back!" West exclaimed.
"Hey you two," Tatsuya greeted, getting a tight hug from West and then one from Nico as she came to greet him.
"How was your trip into the city? Did you get any new cards? Did you duel anyone cool!? Tell me!" West pleaded.
"West? Must you be so impatient? Give Tatsuya a chance to sit and rest. He's had a long day. Though I am curious...what did you do in the city?" Nico inquired.
"Well, since you asked," Tatsuya laughed.
Tatsuya began to explain what happened while he was in the city. He spoke of how he had been tricked by Gordon and of how he defeated the little con artist. West's excitement grew the moment Team Satisfaction was mentioned. Nico was surprised as well. West laughed when he told them about what he and Kalin did to the shopkeeper and his partner. Nico, though she abhorred violence, thought the two had it coming to them.
"And then I dueled Crow. Man was that one heck of a duel," Tatsuya laughed.
"You dueled Crow! That's awesome! Did'ja win!?" West asked eagerly.
"Are you kidding? I lost. But I nearly beat him. Had he not summoned Armor Master, I would have won. But eh, can't complain," Tatsuya shrugged.
"It sounds like you had a blast," Nico inputted.
"You're not kidding," Tatsuya smirked. "I hope I get to see them again. They were really nice. They even said they wouldn't mind dueling me if I ever came back."
"That's so cool!" West and Nico both exclaimed.
"What's shakin' you three? Did I hear you guys talking about Team Satisfaction again?" Toru stated as he walked into the hideout.
"Toru! Did you hear!? Tatsuya met Team Satisfaction and dueled with Crow! He also beat up a thug with Kalin. Isn't that cool!?" West exclaimed.
Toru laughed and nodded.
"Yep. And it's all thanks to my request," Toru grinned.
"If that's true," Nico paused, tapping her chin with her index finger, "doesn't that mean that it was because of your request that Tatsuya was put in that dangerous situation to begin with?" Nico asked.
Toru recoiled at the statement made by Nico and scratched the back of his head nervously.
"Well uh...I guess I didn't think about that. Anyway! I came to tell you guys some important news. After several months of turmoil, blood sweat and tears, I have finally completed my Duel Runner!" Toru said proudly.
"Really!?" West and Nico squealed in excitement.
"Oh yeah! Toru's goin' turbo baby! You guys wanna come watch?" Toru asked enthusiastically.
"You bet!" West and Nico said in unison.
"Yo Tatsuya, you comin' too?" Toru asked curiously.
"Huh? Sure, why not? Might as well see how well you can ride," Tatsuya smirked, getting a thumbs up from Toru.
In the center of Crash Town, a woman stood outside the town's Flower Shop. She had dark brown hair and brown eyes. Her skin was lightly tanned and she wore a long pink skirt and a black top that was tied in the front, securing her bosom. Standing beside her was a man with a receding hairline and three yellow marks on his face, a symbol of having been in the Facility. He wore a neckerchief and a vest that was brown along with a long sleeve white dress shirt beneath.
"It seems like things are starting to fall into place aren't they?" The man said with a smirk, leaning against one of the supports on the deck of the Flower Shop.
"Indeed they are. The time for our takeover is coming quickly. But we need to be patient and wait for the opportune moment. Our time will come, Malcom..."
"Whoa! Look at Toru go!" West exclaimed as he watched Toru race around on the outskirts of Crash Town.
"He's really tearing it up out there," Tatsuya observed, watching as Toru made a few tight turns before racing in their direction.
"Looks more like he's being reckless to me," Nico said with a worried frown.
"Whoa, whoa whoa!" Toru shouted as he barely got his bearings straight and leveled out again as he skidded to a stop in front of the group, spraying sand everywhere.
Tatsuya instinctively closed his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his face to protect his eyes. Nico and West did the same before lowering their arms.
"Whoops! Sorry about that you guys," Toru laughed nervously.
"Toru!" West complained, coughing a little and shaking the sand off his clothes.
"My dress..." Nico groaned.
"What? I said sorry," Toru muttered.
"It's okay Toru. No harm done," Tatsuya said as he brushed the sand from his hair and clothes.
"So, how'd I do out there? Pretty cool huh?" Toru grinned.
"Cooler than cool! You were awesome Toru!" West shouted enthusiastically.
"Just be sure to work on your stopping next time," Nico cautioned, getting a chuckle out of Toru.
"Yeah, I'll do that. So, Tatsuya, how about you? Wanna give my Duel Runner a test drive?" Toru asked him, getting a raised brow from the Dark World duelist.
"Me? Ride your Duel Runner? You sure about that?" Tatsuya blinked.
"Yeah! Come on, just for a spin. You don't need to go far, just a few laps around the desert ought to do it," Toru grinned, handing Tatsuya the helmet he'd been wearing.
Tatsuya took it and looked at it for a moment. Was he really about to be able to ride a Duel Runner? Nervously, he put the helmet on and got onto the Duel Runner. Adjusting himself on the seat he looked over at his friends who gave him a thumbs up.
"Go for it man!" Toru urged him.
"Yeah...sure," Tatsuya replied, taking a deep breath as he grabbed hold of the handgrips and revved the engine to life. The roar of the engine send a shiver through Tatsuya's frame. Mixed with fear and excitement, Tatsuya popped the clutch and took off, kicking up dust as he raced.
"That..." Toru coughed, "was a really fast start!" Toru said as he brushed the dust from his face.
Tatsuya did his best to keep his focus, though he wobbled a bit as he rode, trying to get the hang of the Duel Runner.
"That's it! Keep it up!" Toru encouraged as he watched Tatsuya start to get a grip on the concept of riding.
Turning up the speed, Tatsuya rocketed forward and leaned into a turn, arcing wide before coming back around and making a slightly rocky stop in front of the group. Breathing heavily, Tatsuya removed the helmet and took a deep breath.
"Not bad dude! How do ya feel?" Toru asked, waiting for Tatsuya to catch his breath.
"That...was incredible!" Tatsuya laughed, slowly getting off the Duel Runner and dusting himself off. "I felt like I was flying out there."
"Heh, you actually started off faster than I did. Not a bad start dash dude!" Toru commended him.
"Thanks, but I think it was just pure excitement on my part. I was hasty," Tatsuya grinned.
"That was so cool Tatsuya!" West cheered.
"Are you alright Tatsuya? You looked nervous out there," Nico stated, walking up to Tatsuya with a concerned look on her visage.
Tatsuya gave her a reassuring smile before placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"I'm okay Nico. You worry too much sometimes, you know?" Tatsuya stated softly.
Nico smiled faintly and nodded.
"I suppose I do, don't I?" Nico replied with a slight laugh.
"Well gang, I think it's time I got this back into the house. I need to work on it a bit more. The acceleration's good, but it could use a little more work on the handling. The balance is off so it needs more work," Toru informed the crew.
"Don't work too hard now. You'll have to sleep eventually," Tatsuya stated with a laugh.
"Pffft, I know that. Don't you worry about me Tatsuya. We already have enough of a worrier in Nico here," Toru grinned.
Nico blushed profusely and then shook her head laughing.
"Okay guys, I get it. I need to relax. And on that note, West? We need to get home. It's almost dark, and we really shouldn't be out at that time," Nico said worriedly, taking West by the hand and leading him away.
"See you guys tomorrow!" West called out, leaving Toru and Tatsuya to their own devices.
"They're right you know. Right around this time, the Malcom and Ramon Groups will be out and about. We'd best not get caught in the middle of that," Toru warned, getting a nod from Tatsuya.
"I heard that. Let's head back and get some rest." replied.
And with that, the two best friends made tracks back into town as the sun began to set.
Fifth Turn - Turbo Toru!
End Phase!