Yuri -Dueling Grounds/ Neros Island
Yuri took his seat in the Dueling grounds and began to question Nick's intelligence. His eyes glued to them both while they shuffled their decks before placing them on the drive recognizer of their Dueling pod.
"Challenging me to a Duel was a big mistake, kiddo!" Brett declared, drawing his cards.
Nick was quick to disagree with his pompous declaration. "We'll just see about that!" he retorted. "I happen to be good friends with the owner of Red Dragon Gaming. And he hooked me up with some pretty sweet cards."
"That true?" Yuri asked.
"It is," said Tyson. "Ever since his loss to Ren, Nick has been taking Duel Monsters a little more seriously. He's even nabbed himself some victories these past few days."
Carter rubbed his hands together in anticipation. As much as he wanted Nick to beat Brett Martinetti, he already had a good guess as to who the victor would be. "He must be really confident with his newfound skills," he said. "Especially if he thinks he can take on Brett. But I don't think he can stand a chance. Not even a Duelist of Ren's caliber can beat Brett."
Tyson lightly nudged Carter on the shoulder. " Be careful what you say, man. He's up there."
Yuri and the others looked up the rafters and spotted Ren sitting by himself. His arms were crossed and he had an unimpressed look imprinted on his face. It was almost like he knew he was going to be bored with this match. Yuri took a look at the VIP seating in the front row that was usually reserved for birthday parties and other special gatherings. Patty and Crystal were sitting on a leather couch with Brett's friends were treating them like queens, serving them snacks and drinks. Even though Patty detested Brett, she couldn't deny a few refreshments. And, hey, it was free, which was an added bonus.
"Let's Duel!" The two Duelists shouted.
Nick-2000 LP
Brett-2000 LP
"I'll start off first!" Nick declared, sliding the top card off the top of his deck.
"By all means," Brett bowed. "It won't matter who goes first."
Nick narrowed his eyes. "Damn right. I'm gonna beat your ass, rich boy! I'm summoning my Frenzied Panda!" Nick slapped the card onto the interface. The field started lighting up as the projectors worked their magic and rendered the giant behemoth of a panda on Nick's side of the field. It grunted at Brett, holding onto a bamboo stick. Up in the highest seats of the arena, Andre was watching them, hoping that his new friends could handle themselves against this creep. He was ready in case Brett's gang tried anything sneaky. All the while he cringed, seeing the monster Nick summoned.
Frenzied Panda
ATK/1200 DEF/1000
Brett laughed out loud. "Is that it?"
Nick responded with a grin. Incredibly, he thought he summoned something very formidable. "Yeah, he's quite the brute, isn't he? I bet you got nothing that can stand up to him."
"I beg to disagree," said Brett.
"Show me what you got, tough guy!"
"Come on, Nick, focus," Andre whispered in the dark.
Brett burst out laughing at Nick's valiance, which he took for stupidity. "Very well then. I summon Familiar Knight in defense mode!"
Brett's steel-plated knight appeared, knelt on one knee, and holding up his shield.
Familiar Knight
ATK/1200 DEF/1400
"Is that it?" Nick said, mimicking Brett's words. "Man, and here I was expecting the former world-champ to be playing something scary. Well, since his defense is greater than that of my panda's, I'm going to lay down this bad boy. Sonic Duck in attack mode!"
After a display of sparkles and green feathers, the duck creature was rendered next to Frenzied Panda. It had green feathers and was wearing a red scarf around its neck and a bucket on its head.
Sonic Duck
ATK/1700 DEF/700
QUACK! Shouted the Sonic Duck.
"Then, I'm going to perform a little combo, a little something I learned from a hotshot Duelist like yourself. I equip my Sonic Duck with the spell card: Fairy Meteor Crush."
"Not bad, kiddo," said Brett. "Now you can pierce through my monster's defense and take a piece of my Life Points."
Feeling boosted by Brett's compliment, Nick puffed out his chest and confidently pointed at Brett's knight, and ordered his duck to attack the Familiar Knight.
The duck squawked and sped towards the knight at an incredible rate. It used the bucket on its head to ram the knight in the chest, cracking his breastplate. Familiar Knight grunted in agony and shattered into pieces.
Brett-1700 LP
Nick-2000 LP
"Okay, Brett, you're up…huh?"
Brett's field lit up and then a quadrupedal dragon made of shiny black metal with spikes and claws made of fool's gold emerged onto the field. The horn on its nose reflecting the arena perfectly.
"What is that?" Nick asked.
"It's called Rare Metal Dragon. He was summoned by the effect of my Familiar Knight. When he is destroyed, both of us can summon level four or lower monsters from our hands."
Rare Metal Dragon
ATK/2400 DEF/1200
"That's a level four?" Patty asked in utter shock. "It's so powerful."
"It will only get worse," Crystal said coldly, while watching as Nick summoned a Mega Thunderball in defense mode. "I've seen Brett pull this on so many Duelists. He brings up their hopes with that Familiar Knight only to shatter their spirits by summoning that dragon. Nick was really sweet putting his foot forward for me, but I fear he may have put it in his mouth."
"Is that Mega Thunderball all you can muster?" Brett sneered.
Nick lost his confidence at the sight of Brett's dragon. His cards started to tremble in his grip. "No, I switch my panda into defense mode."
"And so, the slaughter begins," laughed Brett. "I summon Garnecia Elefantis!"
The arena's seats took their cue to shake for the incoming monster. A gigantic purplish-blue elephant warrior in decorative tribal armor emerged onto the field. It let out a thundering war cry raising up its swerved sword.
Garnecia Elefantis
ATK/2400 DEF/2000
"Attack his pathetic duck, my great beast!" The elephant warrior charged at Sonic Duck and slashed it across the neck. The duck squawked pathetically as it vanished. Nick's Life Points dropped to 1300 with just one devastating attack.
"Now, my Rare Metal Dragon, make mincemeat of that panda!"
Rare Metal Dragon roared in agreement, firing blue flames at Nick's Frenzied Panda, burning it to cinders.
Poor Nick was in complete disarray. "But…but I thought…," he stammered
"Thought you had the lead over me?" Brett interrupted pretentiously. "Ha! Did you honestly believe I Dueled so amateurishly? This is just the beginning, Nicky-boy. I have plenty of monsters ready to slaughter every pathetic monster in your deck."
Nick gritted his teeth and slammed his fists on the liquid-crystal playing mat. "There is no monster in my deck that's pathetic. I promise you that."
"Then make your move!" taunted one of Brett's friends.
Nick drew.
"Damn," he grimaced. "I summon a monster in defense mode."
Brett found the dousing of Nick's confidence rather pleasing. He drew his card, chuckling. "Now to bring out your next torturer, ready to bring forth the pain. I summon Judge Man!"
The card was Ultra Rare and shimmered with horizontal reflections.
Judge Man
ATK/2200 DEF/1500
"Another monster with more than two-thousand attack points," gasped Patty.
"His deck is full of them," said Crystal. "This Duel is already over."
"Attack his Mega Thunderball!" ordered Brett.
Judge Man grunted, charging forward and whacking Nick's monster with his spiked clubs. Mega Thunderball spun into the air and exploded upon coming into contact with the ceiling. The seats shook again.
"I summon a monster in defense mode!" Nick said.
Brett's turn. The next card he drew made him snigger cruelly at Nick. "I will summon Mr. Volcano to the field!" Brett boasted, summoning a fiery gentleman in a graceful display of magically animated flames.
Mr. Volcano
ATK/2100 DEF/1300
"Brett. He's too strong," Carter said helplessly. "His monster's attack points are reaching the top of the charts. Where does he find all these rare and powerful cards?"
"He's a Martinetti," said Ren, from his lonesome perch. "He can get anything he wants."
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Mr. Volcano conjured up a fiery spell that incinerated Nick's defensive Stone-Ogre Grotto.
"Time for a new hand," said Nick. "I use the spell Card Destruction. Now we discard…"
"I know what it does!"
Brett tossed his hand into the Graveyard and drew a new one, replacing the four cards he had while Nick drew three new cards. He smiled. "Okay, now, Brett. You're not the only one who can summon strong monsters."
It's all or nothing, pal. You and I are a team. I've held you back long enough. I promised I would use you only when it was absolutely necessary. And now's the time. He looked at Crystal. She needs your power to escape the clutches of that jerk. He doesn't deserve her.
"You don't have any strong monsters, do you?' sneered Brett. "I guess my arsenal of powerful monsters has really messed up your head. Why don't you spare yourself the humiliation and quit?"
"I won't quit!" shouted Nick. "Yuri's told me all about you, Martinetti. I didn't want to believe someone was so cruel and arrogant, but after seeing you treat Crystal the way you did today, oh, you proved me wrong. She's a person, not some glittery accessory you can parade around to flaunt your ego. She's a girl who is free to make her own choices. She doesn't have to bend to your whim every time you call her like some common dog. As far as I'm concerned, you don't deserve her!"
"And are you saying you do, Romeo?"
"Far from it. I'm not saying the one she deserves is me, as much as I'd like to be. But she's a friend of Yuri's. I know how much they mean to each other. So long as my best friend is happy I will be happy and that's all that matters."
"That is so sweet," Crystal mumbled to herself.
Brett scoffed and gave a roll of his eyes. "And I suppose you have some card in your deck who can help you achieve this miracle?"
"I do! And here he is. I summon…Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
Everyone in the arena gasped and shouted in amazement. Brett leaned forward over his interface to watch the arena render the rare dragon that not even he had laid eyes on before. The beast gave out a mighty roar flying over the arena and spreading its wings. The creature was nightmarish-black, spiked, and massive in size, dominating the entire arena. Its wings went from wall to wall and its tail coiled behind Nick. The Red-Eyes Black Dragon was no doubt the biggest monster played so far in this Duel.
"It can't be!" Brett gasped, staring at its glowing fiery-red eyes.
Andre gasped in disbelief and ran down the stairs down to the railings around the arena to get a better look at the monster. "Wow! Where did Nick get a card that rare and that powerful? A Red-Eyes Black Dragon!? In this world?"
The beast snarled viciously, lowering itself onto the floor where he shook the arena. Brett's friends all took out their phones and started recording the dragon.
"Where did he get the legendary Red-Eyes Black Dragon?" Ren gasped in wonder. "How is it possible that a dragon of such power and myth be in the hands of a third-rate Duelist like him?"
"I…I don't believe it!" roared Brett, scratching his head in envy and frustration. "My…my family searched far and wide for years looking for that card. And it's been in the hands of this edge-dwelling rat."
Patty smiled triumphantly and folded her arms over her chest, and crossing her legs. "Well, Brett?" she said defiantly. "We're waiting? Think any of your monsters have what it takes to defeat the legendary Red-Eyes Black Dragon?"
Brett dropped his cards and held out his hands. "Nick, wait a second, pal. If you give me the card, I will concede the match and, and, I-I-I'll pay you anything you want I assure you!"
He took out a checkbook from his suit. Then he reached for a pen on his breast pocket and gave it a click. "I can write all kinds of numbers on this check, my friend. Just say the word and the match is yours. And I will give you my word that I will never bother Crystal again."
"That's quite a deal," said Yuri. "I've never seen Brett so worked up before."
Tyson had his eyes on Nick the entire time. He felt that his dragon could win him the match, but the deal would be so much sweeter. "Nick will be a fool not to take the offer," he said. "Think of the reward. A surrender from the world champion; Crystal's freedom; and a blank check. A blank check that can be loaded with whatever sum Nick wants. He could finally move out to the better parts of Aquarius."
Brett tapped the checkbook with his pen. "What do you say, my friend? Do we have a deal?"
"You're willing to do all that for this card?" Nick asked. "As generous as it is, I'm going to have to call you mad. The numbers you write in the check could put your family into welfare. You so sure about this?"
"I am. Come on, Nick, be a friend."
"But we're not friends."
"Not yet, but if you sell me that card we can be. Look at my monsters."
He picked up the cards in the Graveyard, showing off monsters like Beast of Talwar, Gaia the Fierce Knight, Luster Dragon #2, Cosmo Queen. They were all shimmering in holographic foil and their names shined brightly in gold letters.
"Impressive huh? Each of them powerhouses with more than two thousand attack points. You want these babies in your deck, right?"
Nick leaned forward with a greedy look on his face. "Yeah, more than anything."
"Nick, don't!" Patty cried out. "Come on, he's just trying to sucker you in! Don't do it! Do you have any idea how precious that card is? Don't do it!"
"I can buy you the perfect deck," boasted Brett. He raised his voice so he could drown out Patty's cries. "I can get you the best cards, and teach you how to use them, oh, and I can coach you into the pro-leagues."
Nick gasped in amazement. His mouth formed the biggest smile he had ever made. "You'd do that for me? It's been my life's dream to Duel in the pro-leagues."
Andre cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted: "No, Nick! Don't do it, man! Don't be a fool!"
Brett laughed triumphantly. "Pathetic. Look, Nick. Isn't this the bastard who loves getting his kicks by beating you all the time? Look at the fear in his eyes. The idiot. He's just jealous that you're going to be the better Duelist. Now his ass is the one that's going to get kicked. Yes, all you have to do is sell me that Red-Eyes Black Dragon card and we can begin a long and distinguished career. I promise you, you'll be a better student than Randall Lawson."
"Don't do it!" shouted Crystal, jumping out of her seat. "As rare as that card is, it's still just a card. Do you really think a few million dollars is going to hurt Brett's family? For that matter, do you think he'll easily get rid of me for it? Don't do it, honey."
"Will you stop!" commanded Brett.
"But, I can finally have a better life," said Nick. "And you can forever be free of this creep."
Crystal balled her fists. "If you think this is going to have a happy ending you're wrong! Deals with Brett never go well. You'd be better off making deals with the devil. Don't do it!"
"Be quiet!" shouted Brett. "You stupid bitch! What did I just..."
"Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Attack his Mr. Volcano! Infernal Fire Blast!"
The dragon of black charged up a ball of fire and launched it at Mr. Volcano. Brett shielded his face from the gust of the fans which were supposed to mimic the blast of the holographic explosion.
"What are you doing!?" Brett shouted.
His Life Points dropped to 800.
"But how is that possible?" He looked at the field and noticed the Red-Eyes Black Dragon's claws were encased in adamantium steel. "What the hell is that?"
"A spell card called Dragon Nails," Nick said holding up the card. "It boosted the power of my Red-Eyes by six hundred points."
"Three-thousand!" gasped Crystal. "Color me impressed."
Nick felt his knees get weak and it took all he could muster to keep his face from flushing red. His idol was complimenting him for his combo. A rush of confidence flushed through him as if a wave of confidence was cleaning out all the doubt and fear he felt. His Red-Eyes Black Dragon standing before him obeying his commands and bringing awe to everyone, even Brett and his gang. He really did look cool. He had never felt such joy in his life as a Duelist. He felt invincible.
He chuckled with conviction and said, "You make a great offer, Martinetti. One that only a moron would reject. But this card was given to me by someone special in my life. And she expects it back when the day comes that she returns. So, sorry, pal, but I'm going to have to decline."
"Yes!" Andre held up his fist triumphantly. "Way to go, Nick!"
Brett shook his head slowly and menacingly. His face turned red and his body trembled. "So, that's the way it's going to be, huh? I offered you a chance at a new life. I offered you friendship. A chance at the pro-leagues under my wing. And you spit it in my face."
"More like blasted it in your face," joked Nick.
His Red-Eyes Black Dragon roared triumphantly at Nick refusing to give him up. Yuri even applauded Nick for his valiance. Brett offered him a chance to fulfill his dreams and a chance to leave the edge of Aquarius, but he held his own and refused. The card must have been very precious to him, and not for its rarity or its strength. But, because it was a token of someone dear to his heart. The question is…who? He wondered.
At the beginning of his turn, Brett summoned a Swordstalker, a powerful warrior with 2000 ATK, but it was useless now that Nick had a souped-up Red-Eyes Black Dragon on the field. For the past two turns, everyone watched as Nick's Red-Eyes Black Dragon decimated Brett's powerful monsters one by one.
But all of that was soon about to change.
"You played a good game, for a complete fool. I bet you had fun destroying my monsters. But all that ends now. I play Polymerization fusing the two Thunder Dragons in my hand in order to create the all-powerful Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon."
Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon
ATK/2800 DEF/2100
"Some all-powerful," laughed Tyson. "As strong as that dragon is, he's still no match for Nick's Red-Eyes Black Dragon."
"That's where you're wrong!" shouted Brett. "You're going to pay for not taking up my offer, Nick. Now your punishment will ensue with this!" he slapped the card down. "Mystical Space Typhoon! This will destroy your Dragon Nails card! Now your Red-Eyes is weaker than my great beast!"
"Oh-no!" stammered Nick.
Andre sighed sadly and hung his head. "So close," he said. "So close, Nick."
He was so confident with his dragon and so flooded in his own ego that he failed to have his dragon protected with traps or spells. He could only watch with a wide-open mouth as Brett ordered his dragon to attack.
The Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon's large nose horn began to glow bright blue as it was being filled with electricity. Saffron sparks lit up the nose and it released its attack turning Red-Eyes Black Dragon into a smoldering crater.
"Not even the Red-Eyes Black Dragon can match me!" Brett announced with the grin of a madman on his face.
Nick thought he was up to his waist in his own ego. But Brett, he was drowned in it. "He was my best card," Nick said sadly.
With his Red-Eyes gone there was no point in going on. He placed his hand on the top of his deck and surrendered. The scoreboard above displaying his Life Points dropped to 0 and was replaced with the words Surrender.
Everyone in Brett's group laughed.
"And he thought he could just come here and rescue the girl huh?" Brett sneered. "Look at that! Is there a leak coming from the roof or did I just see a tear?"
"Aww, is the baby gonna cry!"
"What hopes did he have beating Brett?"
"What a disgrace."
"Shut up!" shouted Patty. "Nick may have lost but he played great. I doubt any of you can do better."
"They could do some decent damage to me," said Brett approaching the box where Patty and Crystal watched the match. "These guys are some of the best players in the Aquarius, so they would have been more of a challenge than Nicky-boy over there. Say, you're a pretty thing, Patty. We're going to my penthouse for a party after a few games here in the arena. Why don't you come join us?"
"Don't count on it," Patty said, slipping on her backpack. She was about to leave but Crystal stopped her. "Hang on," she said. She fixed the silk pink bow in her hair which was coming loose from the excitement of the match. "Thanks," Patty said. "See you around."
"Bye, Patty," Crystal said.
Brett laughed and gave a shrug. "Suit yourself, babe. No matter, we got plenty of tail to chase while we're there! All of them prettier than some punk-goth like you."
Patty flicked him off and stormed out of the arena.
"Who's the next contestant!" said Brett. "Miller, you game?"
"Hell yeah, I am, boss!"
As the two began their match Nick was sulking towards the stands to meet his friends. Yuri approached him and placed his hand on his back as he led him toward his friends.
"Aw man, that was hard to watch," said Carter. He was waiting at the bottom of the rafters for Nick to join them. He was walking an inch each step. Clearly, the defeat was hard on him.
"You okay, Nick?" asked Ren, coming down the steps. "Yuri, I'll see to Nick. You need to get going. Don't you have to work today?" asked Ren, coming down the steps
"Aw, crap!" Yuri shouted as he darted out the doors. "Bye guys!"
"You good, Nick," Ren said approaching him.
A Spikebot appeared behind Nick as the Duel began.
Nick swiped his sleeve under his nose and sniffed. "Let me guess, I was a fool to challenge him, right?"
"While that's true, I just wanted to say what you did took a lot of guts. Not a lot of guys can stand up to Brett the way you did, let alone put him on the ropes in a Duel. I get him down to at least a thousand Life Points before he manages to beat me. But you did well. I see Mr. Sergei helped you a lot. You really improved at the game, Nick. Perhaps we can Duel sometime."
"I'd like that." Nick wiped a tear from his eye, pretending he was just scratching his face. "Well, I better get home. Got a lot of homework to do. Come on, guys."
Later
"Goodbye, Nick!" Tyson called heading to the neighborhood called the Martin Estates.
"See ya, Tyson!" Nick called skulking towards the bridge leading away from the city. Phobos Corp Tower could still be seen dominating all of Aquarius glimmering like a diamond in the night. He reached the shack town of Los Angeles Rojo, The Red Angels or the Edge of Aquarius, as it was often called by the snobby elite living in the city.
Nick had to show a special ID to the guards each time he crossed the bridge for school each morning. The card was a gift from Yuri's father as well as the funding for Nick's education as a sign of gratitude for saving Yuri from a group of bullies who almost threw him over a bridge when he began his second year of middle school.
As Nick entered the town the night began to shake from the beat of salsa music. His nose got excited sniffing the sweetmeats grilling on the outdoor cookers. The faint orange glow of the bridge's street lamps faded as he set foot into the plaza where the citizens were getting ready for a festival.
Skeletons dressed in mariachi outfits danced from wires over the town and colorful skulls decorated the stores. Nick found his home, a crumby townhouse with the first floor being used as the restaurant. He went through the brick archway into the restaurant. Consuelo Ollanta was popping papas into the fryer. Twelve chickens were being broiled in the spit spinning over the roaring fire. Five small flatscreen televisions hung on the walls were turned into a soccer game. Consuelo's country, Peru, was winning by five points over the other team, Chile. A few more by the entrance tuned into some dramatic soap operas called novelas.
"Nicholas!" Consuelo snapped, slapping her spatula on the greasy counter. "Puta madre! Do you know how late it is?"
"Sorry," Nick said with a shrug.
"Oh, you're in trouble!" Sam jeered.
Consuelo clicked her tongue impatiently. "Probably wasting the afternoon playing cards again. Go upstairs and do your homework. No video games until it is finished. Then I need you to come down for supper."
"Yes ma'am," Nick grumbled before going upstairs to the upper rooms where he and Consuelo lived.
He showered and then got to work on his homework. He took school a lot more seriously now that he was a senior and his friends were graduating he didn't want to get left behind. Mr. Montgomery promised that if Nick left high school with a 3.0 GPA he would pay for his college tuition as well. He couldn't afford to let him down, let alone all his friends. He was tired of always coming back to Los Angeles Rojos after school and seeing his friends go home to multi-million dollar mansions.
Not to mention he was sick of seeing Phobos Tower dominating him from Aquarius in the distance. Even from his window here in the edge, the damn tower was mocking him. Consuelo often said that the tower was a giant middle finger from the rich and powerful living on Aquarius.
"If that was so true, then why is the man living there paying for my education?" Nick always countered.
Not everyone in Aquarius was a complete snob. Yuri, Patty, Tyson and Carter, and even Ren were proof of that. But Consuelo was a hard woman to convince.
When he was done with his homework, Nick went downstairs to the restaurant to eat his dinner.
"Mmm-mmm," he said finishing his meal. "I know I've said this over a hundred times, but you make an excellent pollo a la brasa, Consuelo."
"Don't forget to clean your plate," she ordered.
Sam pointed and laughed.
"And as for you, Samuel. It's your turn to sweep the store."
"But-"
"No, buts!" snapped Consuelo. "Or yours will meet my chancleta!"
Nick sniggered while chewing the last of the chicken. "You're so angry with me tonight. Why?"
"This!" Consuelo said pointing at one of the television screens.
"In an amazing turn of events," said the anchor. "A rare Red-Eyes Black Dragon was played in a Duel this afternoon."
The anchor was replaced by scenes of the dragon blasting away at Brett's army of powerful monsters. Someone recorded the match with their phone.
"The dragon was used in a match against Brett Martinetti, who is rumored to be the sweetheart of pop-sensation Crystal Anderson, and the favorite to win the invitational Phobos Corp. Millennium Tournament next summer. It is unclear who the Duelist who owns the card is, but sources say he is friends with Yuri Montgomery, the son of Duel Monsters creator, Jacob Montgomery, clearly seen here in the footage at the time of the dragon's summoning. The Red-Eyes Black Dragon is an exceptionally rare card rumored have been printed six times."
A cut to show the card.
"Four of the dragons are in the private collections in the eastern hemisphere. One in said to be in China; the second in the collection of the Russian Prime Mister; the third in France used by lingerie model Vanessa Lefevre; and the fourth resides in Greece in the deck of national champion,Tula Konstantinopolites. It is unclear where the remaining cards are, but it appears one of them is in the western hemisphere in the city of Aquarius. As of now, private collectors are said to be storming the island city in search of the Duelist who owns the Red-Eyes Black Dragon."
"Oh yeah, sorry about that," Nick said slouching in his seat.
Consuelo yanked his ear. "You were told never to play that card, Nicholas. It is not yours!"
"You heard the news," said Nick. "I was in a Duel with Brett Martinetti. I almost had him beat. I would have won that match had I not been so overconfident."
"I don't care who you were playing against. No one is to know you have that card. Now my restaurant is going to be overrun with…"
Before she could finish she gasped. Nick felt his heart beating faster in his chest when he saw Brett entering the restaurant. He was not surrounded by his usual group. These goons at his side were tall fierce-looking men. One of them was wearing black tactical gear.
"Sam, go upstairs!" Nick ordered his brother.
"You don't have to tell me twice." Sam darted up to his room.
Brett sniffed the air.
"Smells good," he said walking towards the counter where he pulled out a chicken leg from someone's order. He savored the flavor after savagely biting into it. "Oh man, this is good chicken."
"You're not here for the card, are you?" Nick asked. "Cause if you are, you're even crazier than I thought."
"Mmm-mmm!" Brett shook his head throwing the bare chicken bone into the trash.
He took a handful of brown napkins from the chrome dispenser and wiped away the grease.
"Do you really think a guy like me would come to the ass end of the city for some stupid Red-Eyes Black Dragon? Someone has been watching too many Saturday morning cartoons. No, no, Nicky-Boy. I'm here for her."
"Consuelo?"
"You're late in your payments, lady."
"Please, sir," begged Consuelo. "The restaurant hasn't been doing well lately, what with you deporting all of my best customers away. We can't make the bounty your uncle demands of us. We need more time."
"My uncle gave you a month to get your payments sorted out Consuelo."
Brett arrogantly sat down on the booth where Nick was sitting in. He took one of the fries from Nick's plate, dipped it in ketchup and plopped it into his mouth.
He talked as he chewed. "You can't possibly tell me you haven't been able to make the mark I gave you. Hell, woman, I even deducted two grand just to make things easy on you."
"Have pity, child," Consuelo begged. "What with the repairs my restaurant had to go through after the hurricane and the loss of my customers I'm way behind on my work, señor."
"Excuses, excuses. I gave you plenty of time. Remember, my uncle brought you here to live in Aquarius. And you are under our control until you pay back the expenses it took to get you here. You either pay up or you get sent back to Mexico."
"I'm from Peru, señor!"
"Peru, Mexico, what does it matter? They're cesspools in the underbelly of the world. We have been very patient with you thus far, Consuelo, but rules are rules. And if I were you, I would have thought twice before adopting a kid to take care of. You can't even take care of yourself."
"At least she tries!" shouted Nick. "She knows how to make sacrifices and work hard, unlike a spoiled brat like you. You cannot do this to her! That's against the law?"
"What law?" scoffed Brett. "This isn't America boy-o. This is Aquarius. We have our own set of rules here and we're far and away from the jurisdiction of the American government. This is a city for the one percent. And people like you should be thankful that my uncle was gracious enough to build you a place to stay here in the city."
"Yeah, he built them a swell place!" Nick retorted. "Look at this dump, Brett. He doesn't give a shit about the people! He just uses them as a means to fill his pockets."
"Ding, ding, ding! Bingo," said Brett. "That's the cold hard truth, kid. This is business, Nicky-boy, not a charity. These people wanted a better life and we gave it to them. Provided they pay back the money my uncle spent getting them here."
"Five hundred dollars a month is ridiculous!" Nick countered.
"A small price to pay for what it took to get them here," Brett answered with his trademark Cheshire cat grin.
"You're an inhuman monster, Brett."
"I do what I can. Sorry, Consuelo, but I'm afraid you must go back. You can't pay up then you get out."
Brett's men grabbed Consuelo by her arms. She sobbed protesting for mercy.
"Stop! Let her go!" shouted Nick. "We can pay you back! We need more time though."
"You are out of time, Nicky-boy. But I have an idea. You fork over that Red-Eyes Black Dragon and I can consider it as three months' worth of payments. That will give you both plenty of time to start scrounging up for the future."
"You don't understand, Brett. This card was given to me by my sister, Jeannie, after my parents got divorced I never saw her again. This is all I have of her."
"I wouldn't want to separate you from something so close to your heart Nicky-boy. But it's either the card or your foster mom."
"Fine, fine. Take the card. Just let her go."
"Santiago!" ordered Brett. "Take the card from Nick."
"Yes, sir," said the man in the tactical gear.
"I'll get it," Nick protested. Santiago got closer. "I said I'll get it!"
Santiago punched him in the face, knocking him to the floor. He picked him up and held his arms behind his back.
"This is for going against my offer," Brett said, slipping off his leather jacket. He punched Nick in the stomach. "This is for talking to my girl!" he punched him again.
Consuelo screamed for him to stop.
"And these are for the monsters you destroyed in our match."
He punched him in the gut again and again for every monster he lost in their Duel.
Nick was gasping for air. Saliva oozed from the side of his mouth. Brett reached into Nick's pocket where he pulled out his deck and searched for the dragon.
"Ah, yes!" he said after finding the card. "The mighty Red-Eyes Black Dragon is mine at last. I heard Mr. Montgomery invited you to attend the tournament. Take my advice and save yourself the humiliation, Nicky-Boy. Without this card in your deck, your chances are all but gone."
He tossed the rest of the cards at Nick's face. Santiago let him go. "I appreciate your business, guys. See you in three months. Until then, ta ta."
"My Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Nick groaned in pain, reaching out for it in vain.
He could only watch, beaten and broken on the floor, as his most prized possession disappeared into the night.