"What? You want to challenge me?" Jack stands in the entrance of the garage, coming down from the kitchen. The morning light trickles into the garage. Yusei nods.
"What do you mean, Yusei!? You wanna go against Jack?" Crow moves towards Yusei, carrying some delivery boxes.
"Well, I've had it on my mind for awhile now…" I know Yusei's telling the truth. I know the feeling of having one too many nightmares. "But I want to find another way to fight, one without using Synchro Summoning."
"Another way to fight?" Jack asks. I cross my arms.
"You remember my duel with Ghost, right?" How could we forget? That duel left a bitter taste in all of our mouths.
"Your duel with Ghost…" Crow echoes.
"Synchro Prevention, huh?" Jack mutters.
"Savior Star Dragon bailed me out then… but if Ghost shows up again, I'm not confident I'll win. That's why I want to find a way to fight without using Synchro Summoning." Yusei says he wants to fight without Synchros. Whether such a feat is possible with Yusei's deck, we'll see.
"Yusei…" Crow mutters.
Jack, being the drama queen that he is, jumps over the banisters, landing in front of Yusei. "Fine then, I'll face you. However, there will be no holding back."
"Right." Yusei nods.
"Alright! I'll tag along!" Crow adds.
"Sure." I say, moving to get my riding pads and helmet. "Not like I have anything better to do."
"But, given the facts, could there really be some new way to fight?" Crow says once we're on the road.
"For us? I don't know." I answer. The obvious option here is too hard to pull of right now without completely changing our decks.
"Let's go, Yusei!" Jack calls out.
"Okay!" He answers. The lane changes around us as Speed World 2 activates. I start to zone out. I already know how this duel is going to end. Yusei is going to lose badly. His deck, just like mine, relies heavily on Synchro Summoning. Ignoring that key mechanic is asking to lose. Our only options are Ritual and Fusion Summoning. Typically, decks are built around those summoning methods, rather than having it tacked on.
I remember how Yusei shook after his nightmare this morning. He can't keep fighting with Savior Star Dragon, he said, as he did before. He can only summon it with the power of Crimson Dragon. It's something he can't rely on. He can't control when it appears. It's not a real weapon. That's what he said. I can understand where he's coming from, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
He has Turbo Warrior, I reminded him. A Synchro Monster that cannot be affected by Level 6-or-below Monsters. He has a counter to Ghost right there. He can't afford to rely Turbo Synchron, he responded. I just sighed and left him alone. This was his answer, challenging Jack to find one.
"The pulse of the King now forms a line here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul! Red Daemon's Dragon(ATK:3000)!" Jack's shouts pull me back to reality. "Yusei, let me show you how naive your ideas are! Red Daemon's Dragon attacks Backup Warrior! Absolute Powerforce!" Once Yusei's life points drop, Jack screeches to a halt. We all manage to stop before we cause a crash. Crow starts to shout at Jack, but is interrupted. The holograms start to fade.
"The duel is off!" Jack shouts as the duel lane returns to normal. "The outcome is already clear. There's no point in going any further. Duels are all about power! Regardless of who you're facing, you have to overcome them with Synchro Monsters!" Though I disagree with duels being about power, I can't deny that Jack has a point. We have to make use of the weapons that we are able to use, that leaves us with Synchros.
"But they have Synchro Prevention. If they absorb your Synchro Monster…" Crow's words trail off. I see Yusei's fists clench. His arms shake. I sigh. All of us are at a dead end. Every minute puts us closer to Ghost's next strike.
"I'll win, regardless!" Jack says before he drives off. Crow stares after him and mutters his name under his breath. I look at Yusei. He's more shaken up by this than he'd like to admit. Comforting words can only do so much when you can't offer a solution.
"Pass the straightener." Emiko makes a grabby gesture towards Anako.
"Give me a minute, geez." Anako shakes his head while rolling her eyes. She's wearing her hair down for the party, a rarity. It's been years since she's wore her hair down, you only realise how long it is once it's down. It already reaches the bottom of her ribcage. "Why didn't you bring yours?"
"Yuuka said she was bringing hers, I didn't think I needed to!" Emiko pouts.
"I brought this straightener, and I don't think I'm even going to get to use it." I sigh, turning to Aki. We're all currently camped out in Aki's bedroom, getting ready for the WRGP party. At Aki's invitation, of course. She shakes her head, smiling.
"No, don't straighten your hair." Anako says. I showered before coming over here, but since I didn't straighten my hair first, my hair is slightly curly and a lot fluffier than normal.
"She's right. It such a shame that you always straighten your hair." Emiko says. "I think you should leave your hair like that." I look at her, while putting my hand on the headband in my hair, keeping all of the hair out of my face so I can put makeup on. "You know what I mean." She flicks her hand in my direction, in an attempt to make me stop looking at her funny.
"Guess I will then." I shrug my shoulders before shutting up so I can put my eyeliner on.
"So I see you're perpetuating the stereotype of girls being unable to keep their mouths closed while putting on eyeliner."
"Shut up Anako." I say back. Everyone laughs at how rapid my reply was. Aki's ready first, no surprise to anyone there. I'm not ready too long after her. Meanwhile, Anako and Emiko are far too busy to get ready in a reasonable time. I thought they weren't supposed to be getting along. Aki gives me a look, telling me that she's thinking the same thing. We decide to help them, because we would be here for many hours otherwise.
Aki's dad arranges a driver to take us to the party, not that I complain. We get dropped in the car park. I spot the Yusei's and Crow's D-Wheels while walking to the entrance. We meet the twins, Yusei and Crow inside. We go together down the steps to the main hall.
"I like that colour on you." Yusei says it low enough that I can hear. I just nod and smile, trying to keep my face from going red and matching my dress.
"This is awesome!" Rua gasps. "No less from a World Riding Duel Grand Prix Premium Event!" I spot Kaoru, Shinji and Reika a little bit away from us. The guys opted for a shirt and slacks, while Reika showed up in her regular jeans and riding jacket. No surprise there.
"Still, rarities do exist." Crow says. "Not only Rua, but even Aki came along." Though, I imagine he's not complaining about Aki being here.
"Huh? Oh, well…" Aki stumbles over her words.
"I'm gonna say hi to my brother." I wave to the gang before following Emiko and Anako.
"Oh look who it is." Shinji says once he sees me, shaking his head. "Such a shame, you could have been here with us." He tuts.
"I already told you, I'm here with those losers." I gesture in the direction of Yusei, whose hair isn't that difficult to spot in a crowd.
"Why are you wearing that dress?" Kaoru asks. Shinji's eyes widen slightly, as he turns to look at him. "It's too short."
"Dude, she's worn a lot shorter dresses than that." Shinji says in response. The dress reaches halfway down my thigh, there's a lot shorter dresses out there. I would know, cause I've worn them. Kaoru huffs, I hate when he puts on this 'sensible older brother' persona.
"Let her wear what she wants, stop being a butthole." Anako jumps in the conversation. Emiko laughs repeating the insult to herself. I spot Jack over by the guys, in an incredibly ridiculous outfit. I sigh, shaking my head and turn to back to my friends, not wanting to deal with that right now. Reika just shakes her head slowly at me, sighing too. Kaoru shuts up at this. I look at Shinji in a tight black shirt and matching black slacks. I freeze. Raiden used to wear the exact same thing. Everything starts to blur together as my breathing quickens. I feel Anako place a hand on my arm. She smiles at me, which calms me down a bit.
I hear laughing over the speakers, as screens start appearing all over the room. Jaeger appears on the screens. I sigh. "I would like to welcome you all to this Premium Event for the first World Riding Duel Grand Prix. As all of you know, Neo Domino City has undergone great changes." Oh here we go, we're going to get a lecture on great this City is. But we all know that it couldn't be further from the truth. "Following the opening of the Daedalus Bridge, the boundaries between the City and Satellite have vanished, transforming it into a literal utopia where anyone and everyone can enjoy dueling." I almost laugh out loud, what a load of bull. Anako gives me a knowing look, she knows that too. "The World Riding Duel Grand Prix, or WRGP for short, is an event which serves as a symbol for the newly reborn Neo Domino City. A major event that will build bridges to peace for all eternity!" I don't clap. Only Emiko claps from our group. She looks around confused at us. She's a pampered rich kid whose eyes haven't been opened yet. The rest of us know how terrible this City really is underneath the guise of an utopia. Next, the MC from the Fortune Cup's face appears on the projections. I sigh again.
"Now then, I'm taking this opportunity to give a summary of the first World Riding Duel Grand Prix!" I resist the urge to groan. When will they get rid of this guy? A projection of the Riding Duel course appears in the centre of the room. "The course will be the circling course currently under construction in Neo Domino City's suburbs. The course is ever-changing! In a few months, a series of hot duels will unfold on this varied course in the final round by the D-Wheelers that have cleared the local preliminary rounds! And the highlight of all this will be the three-man team Endurance Riding Duel!" I start tuning out. There's only so much I can put up with. Once the little introductory talk is over, I excuse myself to go find Yusei. I find him next to a buffet table.
"Oh man, I'm starving." I say, looking at the food. Yusei jumps slightly, not expecting me to appear so suddenly. "You doing okay, honey?" I try to say, despite my mouth being full of food.
"You look really nice tonight." He says, completely ignoring my question. I know he likes the red on me, but still. I furrow my eyebrows. He ignores my gaze.
"You're not supposed to lie to me, remember?"
"I'll tell you when we get home." He mumbles, must be bad if he's mumbling.
"Yusei Fudo?" Someone calls out, Yusei turns to look at them. "So, you are the Yusei Fudo who won the Fortune Cup. The word gets around. Oh, pardon me! We haven't introduced ourselves. We are Team Unicorn." The guy gestures to the rest of his team. I raise an eyebrow
"Team Unicorn!?" Crow seems to appear out of nowhere. "I know you guys! You're the Riding Duel Team on a hot-streak! You guys are entering the WRGP too?" I shake my head, surely that should be obvious.
"And you are?" The guy talking to us seems a little taken aback by Crow's sudden appearance.
"I'm Crow, Yusei's teammate." Crow introduces himself with a smile.
"Excuse me." Yusei suddenly turns away from Team Unicorn and starts walking, slightly grazing my shoulder. I take that as my cue to follow him.
"Yusei? Hey, what's wrong!?" Crow calls out after him. I start power walking to keep with Yusei's pace. Boy am I glad I swapped red heels for black flat shoes right now. "Sorry 'bout that. He's not his normal self. You'll have to excuse me." Crow runs after us. "Hey Yusei!" Crow hops between Yusei and I to grab his shoulder, only for Yusei to shirk him off.
"Let go!" Yusei says before he starts walking again, I stay one step short of Yusei. He needs his space right now, but still, I can't help but want to be by his side.
"What are you so on edge about? Is it about Ghost?" Crow's taunts stop Yusei dead in his tracks. "Bullseye, huh? Not saying I don't understand, but that wasn't right back there. They came over to greet you and everything." Crow's right, but Yusei's not in the right frame of mind right now. I can empathise with that.
"Sorry. Tell them I apologise." Yusei walks away, slower this time. I move closer to him, he leans into me slightly. I hear Crow sigh behind us.
I hear the sound of a D-Wheel approaching. I stop, looking around. Yusei notices too, moving back to my side. I hear someone screaming, followed by sound of glass breaking. A D-Wheel lands inside the hall, with glass flying everywhere. More people are screaming now. The driver of D-Wheel moves around the hall before stopping in the center.
"Look at all you meetin' here being all fancy-shmancy…" The D-Wheeler shouts. "WRGP, my ass! Riding Duels ain't some little game!" I spot marks on his face. Security officers start to surround him, only for him to drive right through them. "Outta my way! Outta my way!" The crowd parts quickly, leaving Aki standing right in the centre, duel disk ready.
"Aki!" I scream.
"Move it! Move it! Move it!" The man on the D-Wheel shouts at Aki.
"I summon Black Rose Dragon!" Aki shouts as her dragon appears. Black Rose Dragon flies towards the D-Wheel, hitting it with one of its thorns. The D-Wheel flies out the window, causing more glass to fly everywhere. Security officers run out the holes in the window to the overturned D-Wheel. Somehow, the man is able to get away on the D-Wheel. I blink slowly as the sound of the D-Wheel gets further and further away.
I run to Aki, and make sure she's okay. Crow's panicking more than I am. Kaoru grabs me by the shoulders, shaking me, to see if I'm okay. Anako manages to get him off me. The room has mostly cleared out. I can hear Emiko on the phone with her dad.
"I'll make sure she gets home safe." Anako leaves my side as Emiko starts running, still on the phone.
An uneasy feeling floods over me. Something stirs inside me. I reach out for Yusei and grab his sleeve. Everyone turns to me expectantly.
"W-What was that!?" Ushio passes by us. "Ghost!?" Everyone stops in their tracks. Yusei starts running and we follow. We run towards the garage. I feel like I'm going to vomit. I stumble a few times, but I keep going. Someone stands in our path once we reach the garage. We all grind to a halt.
"What's the big idea, jumping out!? Watch where you're going!" Crow shouts at the man decked out in a riding suit. He didn't really jump out, from what I remember, then again I might be too zoned out to notice.
"Who's he?" Rua says behind me. The man walks slowly, standing in front of Yusei.
"Let's go, Yusei!" Jack says and we start moving again.
"You'd be wasting your time." The man says, stopping us in his tracks. "Even if you went, the duel would be over. And suppose we were to say it wasn't over, Yusei… As you are now, you cannot beat Ghost. Not unless you surpass your own limitations."
"My own limitations?" Yusei echoes.
"That is the only way to beat him." That's man aura. It's like nothing I've ever encountered. It's not an aura that belongs to a psychic. It's somehow metallic. The sensation of brushing your hands on ice cold steel.
"Gimme a break! What's your big deal, bud? Coming outta nowhere and acting like a big shot!" Crow starts running his mouth. Somehow, as strange as it sounds, I believe this mysterious man. Yusei glances back to me, I nod.
"What did you mean by that?" Yusei turns back to the man and asks.
"Follow me." The man starts to move. "It'd be quicker if you try it out for yourself than if I explain it. I'll show you the new strategy none of you know about."
"New strategy?" Yusei echoes again. The mystery man nods and starts to walk away. Yusei, Jack and Crow go towards their D-Wheels.
I lead Aki and the twins to the main entrance of the building. We find a spot that overlooks the Riding Duel course. Crow and Jack pull up on their D-Wheels behind us.
"You're letting him go through with this? What if this is a trap to lure Yusei into the open!?" Aki immediately turns and starts shouting at Crow. I can't keep my eyes off the track.
"Yeah, it just might." Crow ponders.
"Then, why!?" I hear the frustration in Aki's voice.
"It's a risk he can't afford not to take." I close my eyes. I saw the pain in Yusei's eyes. We're out of solutions, and someone offers us one? He'd be crazy not to take this chance.
"Yusei sensed something in him. Something that joins them both together as D-Wheelers…" Crow says.
"As D-Wheelers…" Aki echoes. I don't she's told the guys her plan yet. That's the world Aki wants to enter now.
"It'll be fine, Aki. No need to worry with Yusei around." Rua's right. We just need to trust Yusei knows what he's doing.
"Y-Yeah."
The uneasy feeling from earlier hasn't gone away. I lean on the railings. I close my eyes and try not to vomit. Maybe stuffing all that food in my mouth was a bad idea. They're moving so fast that it's honestly making me feel worse. I turn my back to the course. Everyone seems so enthralled in this speed match that no one bats an eye.
I hear the lanes starting to change. "Alright, they're dueling." I hear Jack says. I walk over to Crow's D-Wheel, getting their duel up on the monitor. Dark Glass, huh? What kind of name is that? This guy sure is a mysterious one. A pseudonym like that, he must be hiding something. I sit on the seat of Crow's D-Wheel in an attempt to make myself feel better. Everyone crowds around me to watch the duel.
"Come on, Yusei! Bring it on and don't hold back!" Dark Glass eggs Yusei on, urging him to take the first turn.
"My turn!" Yusei starts. "I summon Tricular from my hand in defense mode(DEF:300)! I set one card and end my turn."
"Getting a solid scope of things first, I see." I can hear the smirk in Dark Glass' voice. "My turn!" Both of their Speed Counters increase for the first time. "This card can be Special Summoned from my hand if there are monsters only on my opponent's field! I Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Tech Genus Striker(ATK:800)!"
"Tech Genus Striker? I've never seen that monster before." I can barely hear Yusei's mutters over the speakers. Neither have I. Who exactly is this guy?
"A Tuner Monster already. Guess he's going for a Synchro Summon." Jack comments like it isn't already obvious.
"And this card can be Special Summoned from my hand when I Special Summon a Level Four-or-lower Monster to my field! I Special Summon Tech Genus Werewolf(ATK:1200)! I'm tuning my Level Two Tech Genus Striker to my Level Three Tech Genus Werewolf! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Tech Genus Power Gladiator(ATK:2300)!"
"A Synchro Monster!" Rua gasps.
"Next, I Normal Summon the Tuner Monster, Tech Genus Cyber Magician(ATK:0)!" Another Tuner? Interesting.
"No way! He's Synchro Summoning twice in one turn!?" Crow exclaims. It's not exactly common, but not unheard of either. I've actually managed to pull it off before.
"When I Synchro Summon using this card, I'm allowed substitute a monster needed for the Synchro Summon from my hand!" I raise a hand to my mouth. His deck must be very reliant on Synchros. How he has the answer to defeating Ghost, I don't know.
"Synchro Summoning using a monster from your hand!?" Rua gasps again. He's seen Aki do it before, I'm not sure why he's this surprised.
"I'm tuning my Level One Tech Genus Cyber Magician to my Level Four Tech Genus Rush Rhino! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Tech Genus Wonder Magician(ATK:1900)!" His next Synchro Monster appears.
"Now there's two Synchro Monsters!" Yusei exclaims next. Honestly, I swear these people are shocked by the littlest things.
"Will Yusei be okay?" I hear the worry in Ruka's voice.
"He'll be fine. He wouldn't lose to that guy!" Rua assures her.
"Let's go, Yusei! Tech Genus Power Gladiator attacks Tricular! Take this Piercing Damage!" Yusei's life points half in an instant.
"Yusei!" Rua shouts as Yusei's D-Wheel shakes and swerves, only to sigh in relief once he's stable again.
"What's wrong, Yusei? You're staggering!" Dark Glass comments, he's right.
"When Tricular is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon a Vehicler from my deck(DEF:200)!" Good, now Yusei shouldn't take more damage.
"Then, Tech Genus Wonder Magician will attack Vehicler! Machiner's Sorcery!" I sigh, knowing that his turns is over.
"When Vehicler is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon Unicycler from my deck(DEF:100)!"
"I end my turn." How's Yusei going to deal with facing two Synchro Monsters?
"Alright, he's got a monster left!" Rua cheers.
"Well, what's the matter, Yusei? It's your turn!" Dark Glass continues egging on Yusei.
"My turn!" Their Speed Counters increase again, now standing at 2. "I activate the Speed Spell - Synchro Defuse! When my Speed Counters are two or more, it allows me to gain control of a Synchro Monster on my opponent's field until the End Phase!"
"Control of a Synchro Monster?" Jack echoes.
"Now it's all clear!" Crow jumps in with widened eyes. "By using that effect, he'll recreate the same situation as when his Synchro Monster was absorbed by Ghost."
"I'll gain control of Power Gladiator!"
"Alright!" Rua cheers.
"What is he doing?" Jack questions as Dark Glass, all of a sudden, speeds up.
"Behold, Yusei!" Dark Glass exclaims. "This is the new battle-style that will beat Ghost! Accel Synchro!"
"Accel Synchro!?" Yusei echoes. I move so I can get a better look at the screen. Dark Glass only keeps accelerating. As he goes faster, light starts shining out from the screen. I cover my eyes before it blinds me. When I open my eyes again, the monitor is completely blank.
"What's going on?" I mutter. I move so Crow can fiddle around with his D-Wheel.
"Why is it not working?" Crow curses under his breath.
"Accel Synchro." I repeat as I hear my heartbeat in my ears. Everyone turns to me, looking expectantly. "That's why it's not working."
"How does that make any sense!?" Jack crosses his arms, scowling.
"I don't know, but something tells me this is the answer we're looking for."
"Is this how we'll defeat Ghost?" Rua asks me. I nod. I don't know why I'm certain of, but I always listen to my gut instinct.
We all stay silent staring at the screen. Aki checks if we can see the duel from the railings, no luck. I feel oddly calm. Everyone else is on the verge of panic. I tell them to wait, that Yusei will be fine. I can feel his aura from here. I tell Crow to try connecting to the duel again. The monitor switches back on.
"The monitor's back to normal!" Crow exclaims. I see Aki looking at me with wide eyes.
"What's that monster?" There's a single monster on Dark Glass' field. What happened to those two Synchros? I feel my heart beat wildly in my chest again. Everything seems to slow down. I feel like I'm in one of those moments that will change the course of history.
"Yusei's Life Points are down to 1100!" Rua shouts, clearly worried. I still feel oddly calm. I don't know where this comes from.
"What's wrong, Yusei? Given up?" I feel Yusei's aura twinge. He's been shaken by whatever just happened.
"My turn!" Yusei continues regardless. "I activate the Speed Spell, Speed Energy! Drill Warrior's attack power will increase equal to the number of my Speed Counters times 200(ATK:2400-3200)! Next, I summon Gauntlet Warrior(ATK:400)! By releasing this card, it'll increase the attack power of a Warrior-Type Monster on my field by 500 points! I release Gauntlet Warrior! Now, Drill Warrior's attack power increases to 3700(ATK:3200-3700)! Drill Warrior attacks Tech Genus Blade Gunner! Make it shatter, Drill Lancer!"
"Alright!" Rua cheers. I smile.
"Monster effect activates! Tech Genus Blade Gunner can remove itself from the game once per opponent's turn!" My eyes widen.
"What!?" Yusei exclaims as Dark Glass' life points drop to 0. Everyone gasps, including myself.
"He protected his monsters, reducing his Life Points!" Crow shouts.
"No, he threw the match." I say, raising my hand to my mouth.
"Why would he throw the match!?" Everyone turns to me as Jack shouts.
"I'm sure he has his reasons." I ponder. "But I'm sure it has something to do with Accel Synchro."
"Accel Synchro." Crow echoes. Everyone goes silent again as we wait for Yusei to return. I stare up at the moon. Accel Synchro. Is that the answer we've been searching for?