The Dark Oppressor - Turn Two - A Puzzling Endeavor
"Dude!" Toru exclaimed as Tatsuya wheeled in his Duel Runner to his garage. "Isn't that...is it really?"
"Mom's? Yes, it is. I know, I couldn't believe it either. Hers was the only one that didn't get completely totaled. It's been restored fairly nicely for the most part. But, it needs some major adjustments. The Duel system is glitchy and the brakes need work. the balance seems fine but the engine..." Tatsuya trailed off.
Misaki crossed her arms and glanced down at the Lambda framed Duel Runner. Circling around it, she knelt down and inspected the other parts of the vehicle, frowning at the condition of a few parts she'd spotted.
"How's it lookin' Misaki?" Toru queried.
Misaki knitted her brows and shook her head.
"Difficult...this will be difficult," Misaki sighed. "But the good news is, the frame is still good so we don't need to do much with that. However," she continued, gesturing to the engine. "How did you ride that here? You're lucky it didn't combust on you coming into the city..."
Tatsuya's eyes widened. He could have been blown up? That wasn't exactly how he pictured himself dying. Not that he thought about it that often, but still!
"Fortunately, it's as dead as it gets. That's the only major thing that needs to be done aside from the glitchy system," Misaki summarized.
"You really know your stuff don't you?" Tatsuya said with a nervous laugh.
"She knows more than I do, sad to say, I'm not as much of a wizz on Duel Runners as I thought," Toru added, scratching the back of his head. "She's the brains here," he finished, placing an arm around Misaki after walking up beside her.
Misaki's face tinted pink. She elbowed Toru playfully before turning back to Tatsuya.
"If we can get a new engine, the rest should be easily fixable. But since the shop is closed right now," she mumbled, pausing before continuing on. "I recommend going down to Bootleg. They've got all the intel you'll need about where to get some really good parts around here for a good price," Misaki suggested.
"Bootleg? Like...illegal?" Tatsuya blinked, almost in disbelief about what Misaki was suggesting.
"Don't be stupid. It's just the name of the place," Misaki said flatly.
"I was gonna say," Tatsuya trailed off.
"I'll get the parts needed to fix the Duel System. With any luck we'll be able to get it back up and running again in the next few days," Misaki added.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get to it then. Toru, you comin'?" Tatsuya inquired.
"Huh? Nah man, I need to work on a few things. I'll take a look at yours while you're out to see if there's anything else that needs to be worked on before we replace some parts. Hopefully it won't be too bad," Toru laughed. "You guys take care. I'll wait for you guys here."
"See you in a bit," Tatsuya called over his shoulder as he and Misaki headed out the door.
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Arc Two - Turn Two - A Puzzling Endeavor
WRGP WC
The Dark Oppressor
"Has the circuit responded at all?"
"Not yet...but in due time it will..."
"We must be patient. We will enact the will of the gods soon. Then, and only then, will our future be avoided..."
The place known as Bootleg, wasn't as bad as Tatsuya thought it would be. It was simply a bar with the standard setup and tables to eat at. It had somewhat of an old-timey look to it with its stone walls and flooring. There were several Duelists sitting at the tables, enjoying a meal while swapping card strategies. Behind the bar, was a man with two criminal marks on the side of his face, spiked hair and a pointed nose. He wore a dress shirt with a purple vest overtop.
"That's the owner," Misaki pointed out, gesturing to the shady looking man who was cleaning a glass.
"Figures he'd look as shady as the name of this place sounds," Tatsuya muttered.
"He's not a bad guy," Misaki shrugged, walking down the steps and onto the bar floor.
The bar owner shifted his eyes to the side to see Misaki approaching him. He'd seen her a few times before, but never really got the chance to speak with her. He took note of Tatsuya taking a seat beside Misaki and raised a brow in intrigue.
"What can I do for you two?" The owner said in a rather crackly voice.
Misaki leaned forward and placed her chin in her hands.
"I'll have...a pineapple martini. Easy on the Vodka," she stated with a bored expression.
"Gotcha, and what about you sir?" He asked curiously.
"Not much of a drinker. But I'll take a virgin margarita if you make those," Tatsuya requested.
"I can certainly do that," the owner replied, taking down the order before getting to work.
After a few minutes, he returned with he drinks and slid them in front of the customers.
"So, did you two just come here for a casual drink, or was there something else on your mind?" He inquired, getting a frown from Tatsuya.
"Perceptive as always. We're here because we know you can help us. We're looking for a god Duel Runner engine," Misaki stated simply.
The owner stroked his chin and looked around.
"A Duel Runner engine eh? You're not gonna find many good ones around here nowadays," the owner informed the duo.
"So what you're saying is, you can't help us?" Tatsuya inquired, taking a sip of his drink before setting it down.
"Well now I didn't say that. I do know of one person who happens to have an engine he's not using. But if you want the information," the man grinned, reaching into his pocket to pull out two decks of cards, "you'll have to solve a puzzle!"
"A puzzle?" Tatsuya blinked, watching as the man shuffled the cards around and set a field up before him.
"Yes. You see, I don't just give out information for free. There's always a cost. If you can complete this puzzle, then I will tell you what you want to know," the owner smirked.
Tatsuya watched as he laid out several cards onto the field. He took note that they were all Synchro Monster cards and powerful ones at that. There was XX-Saber Gottoms, Chaos King Archfiend, Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth, Black-Winged Dragon, and Red Dragon Archfiend! In the Graveyard were three copies of the Monster Card, Shiny Black "C." He had one card in his back field.
Tatsuya glanced over at the two cards placed in his Deck Zone and the three cards placed in his Extra Deck Zone. He noticed he had three cards in his back field and he was now being handed five cards for his hand.
"Alright pal, you've got 900 Life Points to work with. Your opponent, me, has 6700 Life Points and a Mirror Force Trap Card. You have to win on this turn. What do you do?" The owner smirked.
As the puzzle began, several duelists gathered around to watch what Tatsuya would do.
"Oh man, not that one!" One said with a groan.
"That one's tough to solve," said another.
Tatsuya looked up at the owner and then down to his cards.
"Am I allowed to know what's in the deck?" Tatsuya inquired.
"Sure. It's not an actual duel, and the goal is to solve the puzzle. How can you if you don't know what the pieces are?" The owner grinned.
Tatsuya nodded and looked at the two cards he was given for a deck. They were the Tuner Monster; Krebons, and Miracle Synchro Fusion!
Glancing at his hand, he saw Brain Control, Emergency Teleport, Dimension Fusion, Fabled Lurrie, and Synchro Fusionist.
That makes things easier, now...what are the Synchros?
Tatsuya thought as he took a gander at the three Extra Deck cards.
Okay, Ultimate Axon Kicker, Magical Android and Dark Strike Fighter. Okay, I think I've got it, Tatsuya thought as he reached for the first card.
"I'll activate Brain Control, paying 800 Life Points to take your XX-Saber Gottoms!" Tatsuya declared, executing the first step in the puzzle.
The owner slid the card over to Tatsuya who took a look at the owner's back field. Knowing that Mirror Force was a threat, he shifted the acquired Monster to defense position.
"Next, I activate Foolish Revival, and I'm bringing back one Shiny Black "C" from your Graveyard. And after that, I'm chaining this card, Karma Cut, banishing all copies of Shiny Black "C" from your Graveyard and the one on the field! And since I had to use Lurrie to do this, he gets summoned back to the field!" Tatsuya declared.
The shop owner banished the needed cards and waited for Tatsuya to continue the turn.
Okay, so far so good. Let's see...I think this will work next, Tatsuya mused, reaching for his next card.
"Now, I activate Emergency Teleport to summon Krebons to the field!" Tatsuya continued, bringing the needed monster to the playing area.
"After that, I summon Synchro Fusionist and tune the three monsters I summoned to bring out Magical Android," Tatsuya explained further, continuing his solving of the puzzle.
Thus far, he hadn't been stopped, so he assumed he made no mistakes. "And since I used Synchro Fusionist as material, I'm allowed to take Miracle Synchro Fusion and add it to my hand," Tatsuya added, taking the needed card from the deck and placing it in his hand.
"You're not doin' too bad new guy. So far you've gotten more right than anyone else in this room," the owner grinned.
"Thanks, and I think I have the rest figured out," Tatsuya smirked. "I activate the card I just drew, fusing Magical Android and Krebons to form, Ultimate Axon Kicker!" Tatsuya roared, slapping the card onto the table.
The onlookers gasped. So far he'd been able to solve every piece of the puzzle with no mistakes. He just needed to find his way through the next part to continue on. Analyzing the playing field, he contemplated his next move.
Okay, the right pieces are in place so far. My only problem is, I don't have Life Points to execute the next phase, Tatsuya thought as he looked at his hand and field. But I have just the way to fix that! Of course, it's so simple!
Tatsuya smirked.
"Time to start the battle phase!" Tatsuya declared, getting a blank expression from the pointy-nosed owner.
"Are you sure you wanna do that?" He asked, trying to test Tatsuya to see if he'd stick with his course of action or deviate.
This was one of his toughest puzzles, and so far Tatsuya was gliding through it. Making him second guess was a way to test him to see just what kind of Duelist he was and if he could be trusted with any information.
"There's really no other way to do this. So yes, I'll be sticking with this plan of attack, and the monster I'll attack is Black-Winged Dragon!" Tatsuya declared.
"Good choice. Now, you know I have Mirror Force, so what happens when I activate it?" The owner quizzed.
"Nothing. XX-Saber Gottoms is in defense mode and Ultimate Axon Kicker can't be destroyed by card effects," Tatsuya fired back.
"Excellent!" The owner exclaimed, discarding Mirror Force to the Graveyard.
"Because of that, I gain 2800 Life Points, putting me at 2900 Life Points. But I'm not done yet. I activate Dimension Fusion, forcing me to pay 2000 Life Points to bring as many Monsters back from the banished zone as possible! And that means that Magical Android and Krebons come back," Tatsuya declared, placing the two cards back onto the field.
The owner placed two Shiny Black "C" cards back onto the field and waited.
"Now I can wrap this up!" Tatsuya declared, getting a surprised reaction from the rest of the bar.
As Tatsuya began the next phase, the bar doors opened up and in walked two men. One of them was rather burly and had a hair style similar to that of the shop owner. He had a more chiseled jawline and blue hair. He wore a brown vest and a black shirt beneath and jeans with black shoes. The second man beside him had a slightly thinner face with some stubble on it. He had brown hair and wore a green vest with a white long-sleeve beneath.
The two glanced over at the counter and observed the duel puzzle that was taking place, and much to their surprise, Tatsuya was nearly done by the looks of things.
"I tune Magical Android and Krebons together to summon Dark Strike Fighter," Tatsuya stated, bringing the powerful Machine from the Extra Deck to the field.
"Good! Keep going," the owner urged him.
Misaki sat there, a neutral expression on her face as she watched. She already knew that Tatsuya would be able to finish the puzzle. She'd seen more than she needed to when she dueled him.
"I activate the effect of Dark Strike Fighter, tributing Ultimate Axon Kicker to deal 2000 points of damage to you," Tatsuya added, executing the strategy before continuing.
"Next I'll do the same with XX-Saber Gottoms to deal you 1800 points of damage. And after that, Dark Strike Fighter is going to take a little trip to the Graveyard himself to deal 1400 points of damage straight to you!" Tatsuya declared.
There was one card left on the field, and Tatsuya had seemingly run out of options. Did he make a mistake? Everyone else in the room seemed to think so. Everyone that is, except Misaki and the two men that entered the room and the owner.
"Lastly, I activate Wicked Rebirth, paying the cost to bring back Dark Strike Fighter to the field! And because of that, I use its effect on itself one more time, and that...is checkmate!" Tatsuya declared, sending the card to the Graveyard, effectively completing the puzzle.
The room went completely silent. After a few minutes, cheers erupted from the onlookers. Misaki simply gave a lazy smile and sipped her drink.
I knew he'd be able to do it. A Duelist like him could probably do anything if given the right cards, she thought, looking over at the owner who was scratching the back of his head nervously.
"Well, he solved it. That means you have to hold up your end of the deal," Misaki stated with a firm tone.
"I suppose you're right huh? Well, it just so happens that not only will you be getting the needed information, but you'll be meeting the person I'm about to introduce...right now," the owner grinned, nodding his head towards the large individual who stepped up to the bar.
"Meet Bolt Tanner. He's the guy to know about your Duel Runner problems..."
Arc Two - Turn Two - A Puzzling Endeavor
End Phase