New Thunder
Chapter4: Manjoume Thunder! Riding Duel!
"Hmmm..." He outstretched his hand, lingering it over the leather deck holder for a few seconds before shifting it to its nearby companion and after a few more seconds pulling it back. "Still can't decide."
"ANIKIIIIII!" He winced at the explosion or sound, courtesy of his gathered monster card spirits. "YOU'RE KILLING US HERE!"
"JUST TAKE ONE AND GO, DAMN IT! BOSS!"
"Alright, alright! Stop shouting!" He went back to staring but still couldn't decide. "Ghh... I'm going to regret this." He picked up his briefcase and started stuffing all the prepared decks inside. "I'll take you all with me and decide on the spot. That good?"
"... Aniki, you're the best!"
"We're all going! Yahoo!" He would have the loudest fans in the dome. Problem being, only he would be able to hear them.
"... Well, fans are still f-SPIRIT OF BREEZE!"
"Tee-hee! Silly me!" He groaned while he continued, observing in the meanwhile his signature black coat, resting on the bed.
"It's been a while since I wore the whole get up, huh?"
-Break-
"... I still think this is crazy."
"But Manjoume-niisan said it was okay. Aaaah, he's so dreaaaaaamy..."
"RUA!" Ruka shouted at her twin who was in the process of embarrassing her. "I NEVER SAID THAT!"
"You should, though. You got to start working on it." The little crowd of friends laughed (Yusei smiled) as the kid struck a pose, the make up making the whole thing even more ridiculous. For anyone not knowing about it, though, it'd work. "Want me to nudge it for you?"
"DON'T YOU DARE-"
"Good morning." Manjoume let his presence become known, stopping everyone cold. "... Get rid of the make-up, Rua."
"Aw, it took me so much..."
"Good morning, Manjoume-san." Yusei had already gotten used to using the honorific, something that Manjoume was really thankful for.
"Nii-san." Ruka blushed as she greeted him, then noticed his clothes. She had never seen that coat on him before. All black and dark purple.
"Wow! Those clothes look so cool, Manjoume-san!" Rua declared, sparkling eyes and all. Manjoume chuckled. It was only natural. He was the Black Thunder, after all.
"Sonny, what's with the briefcase?" Yannagi didn't have Yusei's same manners, which caused him to frown. Nonetheless, he presented the briefcase and opened it. "Ooooh!"
"That's... A lot of decks." Himuro observed as he stared at the twelve leather card protectors stacked one next to the other inside the briefcase.
"Manjoume-san, why did you bring this many?" Rua asked as he observed how each one was decorated with a small symbol engraving: a sword, a robot head... Something that he couldn't understand which looked like an eye standing on top of a pole.
"I decided to prepare some new decks for the cup but I ended up making too many and couldn't decide which one to bring." He closed it again when saw Rua extending his arm towards one of the decks. "So, I decided to bring them all. I'll just use a different deck in each duel."
"You couldn't decide? A duelist should duel with his favorite cards when dueling seriously, right?" Rua asked as he crossed his arms behind his head.
"... Let's just say that each of these decks contains some of my favorite cards." He sighed and then winced as from his cards erupted a vortex of multicolored spirits and a cacophony of voices expressing affection and gratitude.
Ruka giggled as she observed Manjoume's reaction.
That little yellow card spirit was really annoying him. Almost like he wasn't alone. "Well, Yusei, Manjoume-san, shall we go?"
"Lead the way, Yusei." Manjoume shushed the spirits with a wave of his hand and settled down, allowing the marked duelist to walk in front of him and Rua. "And Rua, get rid of that stuff before we get there. Ruka doesn't wear any."
"Well, she should. She's got to be working on her looks if she wants to-"
"RUAAAAAAAAAA!"
-Break-
"So... We each get into one of these?" Manjoume nodded in answer to Rua's question as they were presented with a corridor with nine doors.
"Yes. We're probably going to be raised on the stage, appearing from below the ground. It's a common scenic trick for a good entrance." He opened one of the three remaining doors which didn't have a red light shining above it, between two occupied ones, checking for anything unusual inside the small room. As he did so, the loud sounds typical of a cheering crowd echoed. "Seems like they're starting."
"Yes!" Rua opened a door in a flash, giving the two older duelist a last grin. "See you upstairs!" He then closed the door behind him. Yusei nodded to Manjoume before getting into the last remaining free door.
"... Game start."
-Break-
"There's only one King... And that is me!" The catchphrase ended his introduction, and heated up the crowd. Jack then lowered his gaze towards the referee-slash-banana hair-slash-commentator. "Who are the Duelists that I'll be fighting against?"
"The Duelists who received an invitation to compete for their dream match with the King..." The strange man trusted his arm and stretched left finger towards the ground in front of him. "Are right here!"
"Ah! We're coming up, we're coming up! Oooh, Red Demon's!" The newfound voice of Rua and the crowd's augmented volume told him that they were indeed coming up. Also, he would be laying eyes on his opponents pretty soon.
"... Impressive." The Duel Dome was a nice stadium, indeed, the various giant screens displaying their headshots. He didn't understand why there was some kind of motorcycling circle as well, though. He then looked at the podium behind them, where Jack was standing beside a motorcycle. For his entrance, maybe?
He started looking at his other opponents. The guy in armor was too flashy for his taste while the big guy looked pretty collected. The girl... He stopped on her. "It's her..." The photograph in the file was outdated but the eyes were the same. The gaze was different, though, much to his surprise. Something had changed with her, but... He couldn't hear himself think. What was the crowd murmuring about?
"Everyone in the audience!" He turned in the direction of the booming voice. The big guy had stolen the mic from the commentator. The crowd quieted down somewhat. "My name is Bommer! As a Duelist standing here, I want to ask the same question that everyone is thinking! And this is my answer!" The dark skinned man pointed his left index finger sharply in Yusei's direction. "This man is chosen as a Duelist under the same condition as us. "Only the cards matter. It doesn't matter whether or not he has a Marker, he is the same as us. Anyone standing here has nothing to be ashamed of. In other words, those of you looking at him through those boring gazes are truly a bother!"
Ah, so they were complaining about Yusei. He sighed. Mindless idiots. This city was full of common prejudice, it seemed. Then, the sound of clapping. Godwin, sitting in a throne on a nearby podium. His image was displayed on the screens, now. The crowd followed suit. Bommer bowed in his direction and then walked back to his supposed position, handing the mic back to the referee on the way.
"Thank you very much for the encouraging words. Bommer-kun." It was Godwin's turn to speak. "All of those reasons are why I have prepared this stadium for you. I am Rex Godwin, the director of Neo Domino City's Public Maintenance Security." Acronyms werent his thing, it seemed. "Also, I have the great honor of overseeing this great competition of Duels, with the finest gathered! Also... To Duelists, social status and the gap between the rich and the poor are irrelevant. True equality is right here!" He finished by trusting his right arm in the air, the crowd going wild again. "Also, we have a special event to add to this manifestation which will involve you that have gathered here to watch!"
He's putting me on the spot, hm? Manjoume guessed that he was announcing the Tag Duel. Announcing it on the very first day without declaring when it'll take place was a good way to make sure people came back each and every day.
"Among the participants, there's one individual that made this request of the King, which he accepted. During the Cup, the two will face off in a Tag Team Duel and choose their partners from the audience!" As expected the crowd went wild at that, even if some murmurs about 'It better not be the trash'. Idiots. "A young prodigy which studied in the prestigious duel academia and never lost a Duel during his tenure as a pro. Manjoume Jun!"
"... Right on the spot." Manjoume smirked, amused as the crowd cheered again. He handed his bag to 'Ruka' and walked towards the referee who looked baffled as yet another person stole the mic from his hands.
"I thank Director Godwin for the passionate although incomplete introduction. Listen up and listen well!" He turned sharply from Godwin to the crowd, his face displayed again on the giant screens. "This is the first time you people from Domino City hear my name, so listen closely and learn how to correctly call my name! 1!" He trusted his free hand into the air, holding up one finger. "10! 100! 1000!" Then back down and back up three other times, holding up one more finger with each trust. "Manjoume Thunder!" With the last one, he trusted up his whole open hand as part of the crowd chorused and the others shouted in surprise and outrage-wait a moment.
He observed the crowd as he lowered his hand again. Indeed, someone had chorused but that was impossible. After the earthquake the city had been pretty much isolated from the rest of the world for what concerned dueling, to the point that Synchro monsters, having been born in Neo Domino City, had only recently started getting diffused in the rest of the world and for now that only meant the rest of the country. It was impossible for a crowd to know of his being in that cup to begin with, figures a crowd of his fans who travelled to get to the stadium. How did that happen?
In the meanwhile, Rua wondered if he had been quick enough to delete that post on that dueling forum. It had only been up for an hour but still...
-Break-
"Hehehe... He's surprised, aibou (partner)." Said partner only responded with his unique way of speaking as they observed the television screen. "He always gets more pumped up when he has an audience. Hope he likes the present. We were lucky to read that post before it got deleted."
"Your meal, sir." He turned around and his mouth went watery as the smell filled his nostrils. He thanked the waitress, said his thanks for the meal and then dug in.
"Hmmm! So good!" Trusting the fork in the air, he grinned at the television. "Go, Thunder!"
-Break-
"Hmm... Whatever." He returned the microphone to the referee who sighed in relief. No more specials. That meant that he could get underway with the Cup itself. He cleared his throat.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let us discover the line ups for the first round!" The screen showed s tournament bracket with portraits shifting continuously. "The participants are nine, so one of them is going to have to fight more battles than the others! Aaaand..." The portraits stopped. "Here they are!"
"... Good." That placement suited him just fine. The match ups were, in the bracket order: Bommer versus 'Ruka', Yusei versus the guy in the stupid french getup, him versus the cloaked guy, and the guy with glasses would duel whoever won between the guy in armor and... "Izayoi Aki."He whispered as he observed the girl. Not even a reaction.
The way the Duels had been drawn, he could meet either Yusei or Rua only in the final match and he would fight the redhead only if she won both of her duels. He wondered what kind of skills could a hikikomori possess, though. Although, I've been an hikikomori too, once. Only three months, though... He shook his head. He couldn't judge neither her personality nor her skills until he knew more about her. He would have to watch her duels closely and read the school's file on her.
"Contestants, please proceed to the waiting area! We're gonna prepare the arena and then call you up! The first match will be Bommer VS Ruka!"
-Break-
"I'm so excited! I'm going to fight that guy! He looks strong, doesn't he?"
"Physically? Indeed." Rua laughed at Manjoume's joke while the former pro rolled his eyes as he stood leaning back against the wall.
"Yusei, I didn't forget what you told me!" Rua then turned his attention to the marked Duelist, sitting in front of him on another divanet. "I won't duel selfishly anymore!" Yusei nodded in approval.
"If you believe in your cards, they'll answer." Manjoume instinctively frowned. That way of talking reminded him of someone. He'd better focus on Rua, though. Should he or not? He did allow him to duel because he wanted him to lose quickly for Ruka's sake, but... He sighed.
"What about what I taught you?" He said and Rua turned in his direction.
"Obviously, I'll also pay attention to my opponent's cards. Well, I hope hehas cards I know about..." Manjoume smiled and then patted him on his head.
"No one can memorize or know about any single card in existence. Not even me." Manjoume continued. "You mostly learn as you play. Never forget that."
"... I won't! Well, I'm going!" Now beaming, the cross-dressing boy ran out of the room.
"'She' is quite fond of you."
"Of us both." Manjoume shot back to Yusei. "Let's just hope the encouragement doesn't actually makes 'her' win." Silence followed. "... Yusei, what do you think of this tournament?"
"I'd prefer if I hadn't been forced to be in it. Also..." Yusei gripped his right forearm. "I originally came to the city because I had a matter to settle with Jack, but after what happened last time..."
"I get it." That presence that scared the monster spirits, the Red Dragon, had been summoned because Yusei and Jack, two individuals with a dragon birthmark, had dueled. Only, last time they were alone. In a stadium full if people... "Is Godwin purposely trying to summon that thing?"
"... Maybe." Yusei admitted. "But he won't be able to, if that's true." Seeing Manjoume's inquiring expression, he continued. "According to Yannagi, there should be five of us and five dragon cards. Without all five, it isn't possible to really summon it."
"... That makes me more at ease." After all, what were the chances of all five Signers being in the same place at the same time if they could have been born anywhere in the world? The thought was ludicrous. "Ruka's duel is starting." He turned to the screen in the room. It was strange how Manjoume hadn't started to believe in 'fate likes to screw people up' yet.
-Break-
"Off to a good start, sir."
"Indeed, Jaeger." Godwin observed as he and his second in command walked to the observatory.
"Though... I worry, is it safe to get one of our assassins out of the tournament so early?" Jaeger asked.
"Are you referring to Shira's match up?" Jaeger nodded.
"I can understand the director's reasoning. Maybe a very strong opponent would be needed to awaken the Signers but the fact rests that he's not under our orders. We selected Shira and Bommer for the same purpose and losing either of them to a wild card is... Troubling."
"That's true." Godwin nodded before smiling. "But, Jaeger, did you know something?"
"Huh? What, sir?"
"The young Manjoume doesn't even have the notion of 'Riding Duel'." Godwin said. Jaeger raised an eyebrow, confused... Then he got it.
"Ahahahahahah!" He started laughing maniacally. "Good one, director! Really clever!"
"Not our fault if Riding Duels are only practiced in Neo Domino City at the moment, right?"
-Break-
"It was a nice duel."
"Yeah, but I still lost..." Rua pouted as he finally got back in his own clothes and Ruka could get rid of the getup.
"Don't beat yourself up like that, Rua. You did good." Manjoume said, the male twin turning in his direction. "You've gotten stronger, Rua."
"Really?" The ex-pro nodded. "Yatta! Manjoume-san praised me!"
"Rua, pipe down..." Ruka said, annoyed.
"You sure you're okay, Ruka?" Tenpei was a bit worried. Ruka had gotten a very strong headache during he duel. The girl nodded.
"Manjoume-san?" The group turned around to find Mikage standing behind them. She bowed. "Good day, everyone. Manjoume-san, we were wondering about your D-Wheel."
"... My what, now?" Manjoume answered, which made everyone in the room look at him strangely. "What are you looking at?"
"O-Okay. We can supply you with a spare one for your Riding Duel then." Mikage continued, scribbling something on her pad. Manjoume just stared back, confused. A terrible suspect was building up in everyone's mind.
"... Manjoume." Yusei forgot the honorific. He couldn't berate him, though, because for once he could actually read his emotions. He looked... Worried? "Have you ever heard the words 'Riding Duel' before?"
"... Yes, actually. But I don't know what that means." Yusei actually facepalmed.
"What about 'Speed World? Nii-san!"
"And 'Speed Magic'? Sonny, you're joking, right?"
"M-Manjoume-sensei doesn't..."
"Hey! Will you stop doing that and tell me what's going on?" Everyone slowly turned to Yusei, at that. The Signer sighed.
-Break-
"... ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" This time, everyone in shouting range covered their ears. "I HAVE TO DUEL WHILE DRIVING A FREAKING MOTORCYCLE?"
"D-Dueling Wheel..." Tenpei tentatively tried to say.
"IT HAS TWO WHEELS, YOU SIT ON IT AND IT'S NOT A BYCICLE! NO MATTER THE NAME, IT STILL IS A MOTORCYCLE!" Manjoume grasped his head, incredulous. What was wrong with that city?
"After Speed World gets set, the D-Wheel goes into auto-pilot. The real problem is that you won't be able to use any Magic Cards during the Duel... Because you don't possess any." Yusei observed, which served to calm Manjoume down.
"... I'll manage." He declared, opening his briefcase. He had the deck for the first round, after all. He picked one holder out of it and then handed it to Ruka after closing it. "This deck doesn't rely heavily on Magic Cards. I'll use this."
"Still, the opponent is gonna have an enormous advantage over you..."
"You think I don't know that?" Rua cringed at the angry tone. "Keep the obvious observations to yourself!" Damn it! I should have researched this the very first time I heard the words 'Riding Duel'!
"Well... I'll ask the staff to prepare a D-Wheel for you. Please come by the garage before your duel starts." Mikage excused herself. This is strange, though. How could the director overlook something this big?
"... Stop looking at me like that. If I have to drive a motorcycle, I'll drive a motorcycle. Now, I'd like to see the ongoing match." It's the hikikomori against the knight guy. That said, Manjoume turned around and started to walk back in the direction of the waiting room.
"Yusei... Do you think Manjoume-san is going to be alright?" Rua asked Yusei, looking at him like a sad puppy.
"... I don't know." Yusei crossed his arms over his chest. "I have been in situations where I couldn't use Magic Cards, but this is like not having any in your deck. That's another thing entirely."
"... Nii-san." The twins stared at Manjoume's retreating back, worry evident in both of their eyes.
-Break-
"... Card on a stick, this just gets better and better." Manjoume cursed as the outcome of the duel was displayed on the screen. A very sever series of burns for Jill de Lanceglove or something, an audience turned into a mob which only needed pitchforks and a way to not get horribly maimed and a hikikomori which was revealed as... "The Black Rose Witch."
"... That makes three of us." Yusei observed and Manjoume cursed.
"How can this be? Maybe the two things are related?" Still, right now he had other things to think about. His own problems. He stood up. "I'm going to the garage. Sorry that I'll miss seeing your Duel. Good luck."
"I'll be seeing you later." Yusei commented before looking for his opponent who wasn't anywhere to be found in the room.
-Break-
"Hmm... It will do."
"Are you sure? There are newer ones..." Manjoume shook his head.
"It's not only about old or new, Mikage. It also about fitting in." Manjoume passed a hand over the front of the bike, removing a bit of dust as he observed it. "This one fits me perfectly... Or will, after a bit of redecoration. I take you can give it a quick paint-job?"
"If you're sure... We'll get it ready for the Duel. And yes, that is possible." Mikage made a sign in the direction of the workers, who started pulling away the D-Wheel. When they were finally alone, she sighed. "Manjoume-san, I'm sorry for all this."
"Don't be. It wasn't your duty to organize this. You're the King's aide, not the director's."
"Still, this damages Atlas-sama as well. All his Duels have always been Riding Duels. If you are to be his opponent... Hmm." Mikage sighed as she thought of what would Jack say.
"... Mikage-san, can I ask you something?" Mikage nodded. "Why do you respect and admire Jack that much when he treats you like dirt whenever he can't have what he wants?"
"Manjoume-san! That's-"
"Answer the question, please." Manjoume cut her off curtly and crossed his arms in front of his chest. She wouldn't be getting out of this by going on another rant about him.
"... He's perfect. A true King in everything. Brains, looks, dueling." Mikage began, lowering her gaze. "And he pretends that same perfection by the people he surrounds himself with."
"... Let me tell you, that won't make him any friends." He recalled a certain period of his life. "Believe me, I know."
"That's not a concern. All he's ever wanted is to better himself, to perfection. I find that's admirable." She then raised her head again. "Also, by staying near him I feel the need to perfect myself as well." She then chuckled. "I even started dueling again. It was fun taking back my old deck and buying new cards for it."
"Hmm..." While that probably wasn't the best reason to start dueling again, he could tell she was enjoying it. "So, it's because he's perfect, huh?"
"My turn for a question, then." Mikage was the one who crossed her arms this time, under her chest. "Why were you so rude to that kid? He was just worried about you."
"... Yeah, that was pretty uncool of me." Manjoume sighed as he thought back to the exchange. He had been rude to say the least. He had let everything get to him. "I guess part of me instinctively wanted to find a let out, while the other part didn't want him to worry about me." Mikage's unchanged gaze translated as 'elaborate'. "As you said I'm supposed to be the one they look up to, what they want to become. I can't let myself be seen as weak. Such a big error... It was already a big blow. I couldn't let him also worry."
"... You're much kinder and more considerate that you let on, you know?" Mikage admitted with a smile. Manjoume blushed. "Although you're right in wanting to defend their image of you, it's also okay to let them worry about you. Making mistakes is only human and I think it makes you easier to relate to. It didn't destroy your image, it just showed, liked I bet you teach in class, that you never stop learning and that even champions have to also keep themselves informed."
"... So the King's perfection makes him hard to relate to?" He smirked, knowing from her surprised and then irritated expression that he had caught her off guard. She didn't listen to her own words, it seemed, or maybe... He had an idea. "Hey, don't look at me like that... I know. What do you say I look at your deck and give you some pointers?"
"... I don't have it with me." Mikage confessed. Manjoume waved his right index finger at her.
"Bad. Lesson 1: a Duelist always carries his deck with him." He walked past her and laid a hand on her left shoulder as he did. "Remember to bring it, tomorrow."
"And what makes you think you'll still be here, tomorrow? I cant exactly meet with people in the crowd." A stab for a stab. He really liked Mikage.
"Hey. I'm Manjoume the Black Thunder. I'll find a way."
-Break-
"It's about to begin..." Ruka was now sitting with her brother, Tenpei, Himuro and Yannagi in the crowd, which was murmuring among them for the first real duel of the story-the first riding duel of the tournament. And even if Manjoume had vehemently told Rua to mind his own business and by reflection everyone else, she couldn't help but be worried about him. "... Think he's gonna be okay?"
"... I doubt it's going to be easy for him." Himuro commented, arms crossed and eyes on the track below. "Even if he's an undefeated ex-pro... A riding duel without possessing a single spell card is going to be difficult to win. His opponent is going to have a great advantage on him. Even more so if he's not new to Riding Duels either. The psychological factor is also going to weight heavily on him."
"... Manjoume-nii-san..." Ruka murmured, worried about Manjoume as well. It wasn't going to be a pretty duel. "Rua, what do you-Huh?" Turning to her right, she found no trace of her twin brother. "Where did he go?"
-Break-
"... There." Manjoume had just put his deck in the motorcyc... D-Wheel's card holder, after making the last late minute adjustments. Anything to give him some kind of advantage. He then put on the provided helmet-black, of course- and got on his borrowed mount. Now, as Mikage had told him, the damn thing would go into auto-pilot once the riding duel started. Now, though, there was the problem of getting out on the field. "Now, Thunder... What will it be? Slowly leading your motorcycle out or... Trying to ride a motorcycle for the first time for a great entrance?"
-Break-
"Everybody listen! The next one will be the long-awaited Riding Duel!" The crowd went wild as the MC talked, the anticipation and excitation almost palpable. "And one of the fortune cup D-Wheelers... The Reviving Shinigami... Shira!" From one of the dome's exits, clouded with a solid vision generated purple haze, out came a big motorcycle, rode by a figure clouded in a black cloak with red plumage. The crowd cheered the mysterious stranger on as he landed on the track and slowed down as he approached the starting line.
"And his opponent... The undefeated prodigy from Duel Academia! Manjoume Black Thundeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!"
-Break-
"... Yeah, right." He gripped hard the accelerator and twisted.
-Break-
"T-There he is!" Ruka gasped as out of an explosion of black smoke came Manjoume, still dressed in his normal clothes, riding a long, old style D-Wheel with a thunder-shaped yellow stripe on both sides, an onyx helmet covering his head. "H-He seems to be okay..." Then he landed. "Huh."
"W-What is this?" The MC gasped mimicked by probably the whole crowd, cheers dieing down as they looked at Manjoume's D-Wheel starting to spin on itself as it landed.
"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" The Black Thunder screamed as the damn thing spiraled out of control, heading for the side of the dome. Darn me and my exhibitionism! I'm going to crash-Eh? Manjoume suddenly found his blood going to his head as he suddenly was upside down. The curved sides of the track had acted as a slide for the D-Wheel. He screamed again under the paralyzed gazes of the now silent stadium as he spiraled through the air... And then landed. Perfectly. In perfect position. On his starting line.
Perfect. Terrible. Silence was what greeted Manjoume as his brain rebooted and registered what had just transpired. He didn't do anything, though. He just waited for something else to happen. He didn't dare move. Nobody did. Ruka had slowly covered her face with her hands.
"... I-Incredibleeeee! The Black Thunder makes a spectacular entrance! With a battle cry!" If the MC didn't believe his own words, he didn't give any sign of that. The crowd just clapped and cheered, accepting what had just happened for a show. Manjoume relaxed. He hoped the thing would start soon. "It's finally time to Duel! Field Magic! Speed World! Set on!"
'Duel mode. Auto-pilot. Stand-by.' Manjoume heard the electronic voice come from his D-Wheel as the screen started displaying an electronic Duel Field. He raised his head as the dome got filled with violet light, signaling the activation of the field magic.
"The field has been set to Speed World. The only magic that can be activated here, is Speed Magic!" Manjoumed tsk-ed under his breath as he then turned to his opponent. He could only see the lower part of his face and his hands, covered in riding gloves. What was up with that getup? As he observed him, the 'Shinigami' smiled wryly at him and played with the accelerator.
"... Eager to start, aren't you?" Manjoume 'hmph'-ed and then focused on the screen and the track in front of them. He started sweating a little. The thing may start going into auto-pilot but he would have to stay on top of it while dueling. Good thing a wind-shield had appeared. That would at least keep his cards from flying away.
"The fated start is now at the countdown!" He felt the engine of his D-Wheel start, the vehicle trembling under his grip. He gulped. He hadn't thought about it that much to not get nervous, but now that he was faced with the situation...
I'm going to Duel while riding a freaking motorcycle!
-Break-
"He's nervous. He's really nervous." Ruka murmured, holding her hands. She could just feel it. Manjoume, usually the epitome of coolness (in both senses, according to him) and always level-headed (well, at least when he didn't get angry or irritated) was currently a nervous wreck.
"... He's going to be alright." Ruka's head shot to the side with speed, revealing Rua, standing on the steps, hands balled into fists, gaze unmoved from Manjoume's figure.
"Rua! Where did you go?"
"... I had to talk with Manjoume-san." Rua admitted as he turned to his sister and motioned for the others to stood so that he could sit. "We just have to believe in him. He's going to be alright."
"... Why are you talking about it like it's a matter of life or death?" Tenpei whispered under his breath. While it was true that it wasn't a matter of life or death, for Manjoume there were many other things implicated into the whole thing.
-Break-
"Now! Riding Duel!" But Manjoume was indeed, at the moment, also fearing for his life as the countdown beeped again and again, counting the seconds separating him from the... "Acceleration!"
"!" He shouted out loud as the D-Wheel took off, immediately gaining speed, his world suddenly becoming very very blurry and his body being plastered against the D-Wheel's seat. HOLYCARP!HOLYCARP!HOLYCARP! Educated even in his thoughts, Manjoume cursed as he tried to look at everything but in front of him. He tried to focus on something, anything that at least LOOKED still. He turned to his left... "Huh?" To see his opponent discarding his cloak.
"This is the moment you've all been waiting for!" The person revealed was a strange individual in a very biker looking get up with sunglasses and bright red hair. "Enjo Mukuro has entered the field!"
"... Wasn't he named Shira?" Manjoume observed.
"This is quite a surprise! And from under that cape appears..." He could still hear the referee thanks to the communicator in his helmet. "The one who bet his life in a Duel against the King! Former D-Wheeler... Enjo Mukuro!"
"... So he isn't the one who's supposed to duel me?" Maybe that would make them cancel the duel. That would be better.
"Hey! Bocchama (rich boy)!" The red-head suddenly pointed rudely at him, which ticked him off a bit. "Your opponent will be me!" He then retreated the hand and pointed at himself with a gloved thumb. "I'll show you my True Riding Duel!"
"... Is that so." He commented, muttering the words in barely more than a whisper-Why did he take his eyes off the road?
"How's that, Thunder? As a D-Wheeler, will you accept me, Enjo Mukuro, as a challenge?" The boisterous man continued. And then...
While he was wrong about Manjoume being a D-Wheeler-just holding onto the thing for dear life was almost too much for him-he had used the right words. "... Very well." He replied with a smile, straightening himself and finally holding his head up. "Motorcycles or not, Manjoume Thunder never refuses a challenge!"
"Umm... I... Ooh... Uhm..." MC was clearly confused. What was he supposed to do? He wasn't one of the contestants but stopping the Duel would ruin all the atmosphere that had been building up. He then noticed the small screen connected to the director's room lighting up.
"It's fine. Let's see how this plays out." Godwin declared with a nod, which made the confused commentator lighten up.
"Let's see what happensssssssssss!" He shouted into the mic, raising one arm to the sky. "Continue the Duel!" The crowd's reaction was of cheering.
-Break-
"Nii-san, why?" Ruka shouted, since she couldn't believe her ears. Manjoume's and Enjo's voices and moves were displayed for the stadium to see. "You could have just refused!"
-Break-
A siren and the word 'Go' appeared on the maxi-screens, signaling the start of the Duel. "I'll make the first move! Draw!" Enjo declared, which suited Manjoume just fine. He would start getting an inkling of what exactly a Riding Duel entailed. He only had the basics that Yusei had told him, which he had repeated like a mantra in his mind. The only field spell was Speed World. You could only use Speed Magic. At each end phase, both players gain a Speed Counter that can be used for Speed Magic. Whenever you receive damage, you lose a Speed Counter. The Maximum number of Speed Counter one can possess is twelve. Though, he had no idea about the strategies Duelists could implement in such an environment. "And from my hand, I'll summon Burning Skull Head!" A bright blue light suddenly shone on the left of Mukuro's D-Wheel, which condensed in the figure of his monster: a giant skull enveloped in flames (Atk:1000). "I set three cards face down. Turn End!"
"... My turn!" Manjoume declared, observing the field and the Speed Counters going up on both his screen and the bigger ones around the dome. "Draw!" Plucking the first card out of his deck, he brought it to his eyes. He eyed warily the three set down cards and the monster. ... I don't know that monster. Why did we let Neo Domino City be this isolated? And why didn't I investigate? "... I summon Gladiator Beast Retiari!" With a swift move, Manjoume placed the card he had just drawn on the opportune slot. His eyes flew to his left, observing as the reptilian looking monster, wearing armor and holding a trident appeared on the left of his own D-Wheel (Atk: 1200).
"Oooh! Manjoume is going to make the first move! Retiari's attack is higher than Burning Skull Head!" While the MC stated the obvious, Manjoume thought about those three cards. Again, he didn't know what kind of cards they could be...
"Battle phase!" But he wouldn't solve anything by sitting idle and stay on the defensive. "Retiari! Attack!" The monster gripped his weapon tight and jumped high, descending towards Mukuro's Monster.
"Trap, activate!" Mukuro declared as one of his set cards raised. "Zero Guard!" Manjoume observed silently as the Burning Skull Head's attack got reduced to 0. "On my field, I choose a monster to set its attack power to 0, and prevents my monster from destruction in battle this turn!"
"... Suit yourself. Sea Warrior's Trident!" Retiari's attack bludgeoned his opponent, who spiraled a bit and hit Mukuro's bike, releasing an explosion of flames. His Life Points descended to 2800.
"Ooooh! Enjo Mukuro took the first hit and got damaged by 1200 points!"
-Break-
"He took damage to protect his monster... Maybe he needs it for a combo?" Tenpei observed. Rua nodded.
"Probably. But... Heh?" Rua's eyes widened as he observed one of the giant screens, displaying... "That guy's Speed Counters didn't drop?"
-Break-
"Trap Card! Death Accel!" Another one of Mukuro's trap cards revealed itself. "When I receive damage in battle, for every 500 points I receive in battle, I get 1 Speed Counter!" The crowd cheered as they saw Enjo's speed counters rise, along with his speed. "Do you see it? This is Enjo Mukuro's revival! You can say this is the strongest Speed Accel Deck!"
"Boastful, aren't you?" 'He used that trap to protect his monster. That means that his strategy needs it on the field. In that case... Ah. Damn it.' The card he would have wanted to summon was currently in his hand. That meant that he couldn't use it with Retiari's special effect. ... Better put up a stronger defense, then. "At the end of the Battle Phase, I activate Retiari's Monster Effect!" Manjoume declared, raising his voice as the cameras did a close up of his helmet-clad head. "If Retiari battled this turn, I can shuffle it back into my deck and special summon another 'Gladiator Beast' card from my deck!"
"Aaah! Manjoume reveals his strategy! His deck is a 'Gladiator Beasts' Deck!"
-Break-
"Gladiator Beasts... Deck?" Yannagi repeated, confused.
"The Gladiator Beasts are a series of card whose effects activate when they're special summoned by the effect of another Gladiator Beast Card." Himuro explained, nodding to himself in approval. "With this deck, he may have a chance at winning. The Gladiator Beasts unleash many effects that are usually mainly possessed by Trap and Spell cards."
"Sugoi(Incredible)..." Rua murmured. Those kind of cards existed?
-Break-
"I special summon from my deck Gladiator Beast Hoplomus, in Defense Position!" Putting his deck back into place, the automated mechanism of the D-Wheel already shuffling it, he placed the selected card face-up, horizontally, in the middle of his field. A fully armored bipedal rhino materialized by his D-Wheel's side, standing on his back legs before kneeling down and crossing his arms over his chest(Def 2100). "Monster effect, activates! When Hoplomus is special summoned by the effect of another Gladiator Beast, his Defense becomes 2400!" And as described, the Gladiator Beast's defense grew of 300 points. Following that... "I place one card face-down. Turn End!"
"Aaaah! Manjoume Thunder has managed to deal heavy damage in the first turn and then fortified his defenses with a monster with a high defense! Will Enjo Mukuro be able to get past this insurmountable wall?" Mukuro simply ignored the MC as he drew one more card.
"Speed Spell, Summon Speeder! Activate!" Manjoume narrowed his eyes at the 'Speed Spell' part as the card appeared in front of the D-Wheel. "If I have four or more Speed Counters, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or Lower monster. Come forward, Skull Vase!" From the Magic Card's ejected what could only be described as a pot with half a skeleton sticking out of it (Atk 800). "Then I release Skull Vase and Burning Skull Head..." The two bone-based monsters disappeared in streaks of light that joined together right above Enjo's D-Wheel. "To Advance Summon Skull Flame!"
Manjoume's raised his head to witness the apparition of the zombie-type monsters, clad in purple robes and a cloak of flames which disappeared as it made his entrance. "... An Atk of 2600!"
"Because I released Skull Vase to Advance Summon, I can draw another card." Done so, Mukuro then turned his head in the direction of Manjoume. "Battle!" As his owner's laughed, Skull Flame shot towards Hoplomus and clawed him with his right arm, in an upward movement. Manjoume instinctively covered winced as his monster cried out and exploded in a shower of gold sparks.
"Enjo Mukuro used a skillful Speed Spell combination attack! Although Manjoume Thunder took no damage because his monster was in defense position, he's now faced with a powerful 2600 Atk Monster!"
"From here on out... Take a good look, everyone." Mukuro shot his hand to the side, activating another of the cards he had set. "Permanent trap Speed Booster, Activate!" Manjoume's eyes widened as something appeared around the exhaust pipes of Mukuro's bike.
"What the... Ah!" He raised one hand as the newly appeared reactor engines suddenly start spouting flames, Mukuro gaining even more speed and putting even more distance between the two of them.
"This is the real face of the Speed Accel Deck! When I have more Speed Counters than my opponent, only then I can activate this trap! During your turn, I can negate a number of monster attacks equal to the difference in number of our Speed Counters. And during my turn, it does 100 Damage per difference in our Speed Counters!" Manjoume 'tsk-ed' as he swerved his head to the giant screen they were currently passing by. He had two, Mukuro had four. "Speed Booster's effect activates!"
"... Damn it." Manjoume cursed as the engines suddenly shot out missiles that homed right for his position, hitting the ground around him. He suddenly felt something gripping his stomach as his D-Wheel swayed right and left because of the shock. He hoped it was only because of scenic effect. He spared his life points, now reduced to 3800, a single glance while he observed his Speed Counters go down to 1.
"There's no one out there that can match me in Speed!" With an exaggerated move, the red-head set another card in his Trap/Spell zone. "I set one card face down. Turn end." He then turned his head back, observing the distance he had put between him and Manjoume. "Ahahahah! How's that, bocchama? The Riding Duel of this Enjo Mukuro!"
"... Shut up! You're noisy! It's my turn!" Again, the card I need it's in my hand. I got to send both of them back to the Deck. Manjoume drew a card, observing his hand. "I Summon Gladiator Beast Bestiari!" With a gesture, an armored humanoid bird with green feathers appeared on Manjoume's D-Wheel's right (Atk 1500). "Then, since I have a Gladiator Beast on the Field, I Special Summon Test Tiger!" Another monster, this one a normal looking tiger dressed in armour. "I activate his Special Effect! I tribute Test Tiger to activate Murmillo's effect, shuffling it into my deck!"
The two monsters disappeared in flashes of light as Manjoume searched for the card he needed. "I Special Summon Gladiator Beast Spartacus!" In a flash of light, a bipedal dinosaur wearing brown battle armor and wielding a giant battleax appear with a roar (Atk 2200). "By his effect, I select an Equip Spell Card from my deck and add it to my hand. Of course I can't use it in this duel."
"Heh. He can't hold a candle to Skull Flame!"
"Trap, Activate! Double Tag Team!" Manjoume continued, ignoring Mukuro's interruption. "When I special summon a Gladiator Beast, I can special summon another from my Deck or Hand! And I choose Gladiator Beast Murmillo from my hand!" A third Gladiator Beast appeared in the same turn, this one an armored humanoid blue fish (800 Atk). "Contact Fusion!"
-Break-
"Ooooh! Contact Fusion?" He spouted out through a full mouth. No one seemed to be bothered by the fact that he had been in there for hours, watching TV and eating... Well, maybe the cook.
-Break-
"Come forth! Gladiator Beast Gaiodiaz!" In a flash of light, the two monster touched each other and disappeared, their sparkles of light recomposing to reveal a taller, more muscular bipedal brown dinosaur, brandishing an enormous golden staff, his armor black and golden (Atk 2600). "... I set down one card. Turn End."
"Heh. Good move, bocchama." Mukuro commented.
-Break-
"Heh? Why didn't he attack?" Rua exclaimed and Ruka sighed. "He could have at least got that monster out of the way!"
"Because of Speed Booster's effect. He would have just negated his attack." The sister explained, and Rua slapped his forehead. Of course.
"Indeed. Also, if the Gladiator Beast gets destroyed in battle, he can't use his effect." Himuro commented. "Manjoume's main objective this turn was to send back to his deck those two monsters."
-Break-
"My turn. I draw!" Mukuro declared as the Speed Counters went up again, reaching 6 for him and 3 for Manjoume. As the solid vision materialized, Mukuro chuckled. "Turn end. Speed Booster's Effect Activates!"
"Tsk." Manjoume held tightly on his D-Wheel as his life points went from 3100 to 2700.
"Smart strategy from Enjo! He didn't attack this turn, probably fearing Manjoume's Trap Card!" Manjoume frowned as he heard that.
He's good. He guessed correctly that the trap I set was one that allowed me to save Gaiodiaz. Also, I would have activated his effect and dealt him damage equal to Skull Flame's Defense, other than summoning two more Gladiator Beasts. "My turn. I draw!" Manjoume drew and cursed. Another Test Tiger. He needed a Gladiator Beast Monster Card to turn things around. He still had more Life Points than his opponent but they were getting reduced pretty quickly. "... Turn end."
"My turn! Draw!" Enjo smiled. "Speed Spell – Count up! By sending any number of card to the graveyard, I increase my speed counters by two! I send one card!" Mukuro's Speed Counters reached 10. "Turn end. Speed Booster's effect activates!
"Aaaah!" Manjoume's D-Wheel swayed again as his life got down to 2100 and his Speed Counters got reduced from 5 to 4 again, while Enjo increased even more, to 11. "My... Turn." He cursed. Gladiator Beast Tygerius didn't shuffle into the deck once he attacked. "... End."
"A pretty tame exchange, but Enjo Mukuro is now in the lead and... Ooooh!" The commentator became as excited as he could when he saw something that rarely happened in a riding duel. "12 Speed Counters! Maximum speed!"
"That's right! The one who was more speed will win a Riding Duel! This speed will be my path to becoming the King!" Mukuro shouted out loud as his D-Wheel kept on distancing itself from Manjoume's own one and was actually starting to gain on him, inverting their positions. "I endured all my training with the belief that to be the King, one must have Speed!" Saying that, he drew one card. "Here I go! Speed Spell, Accel Draw, Activate! This card lets me draw two more cards." The speedster took two more cards from the top of his deck... And then smirked. "It's hereeeeeeee! Speed Spell, the End of Storm!"
"The End of what?" Manjoume raised an eyebrow.
-Break-
"The End of Storm?" Yusei said out loud as he saw the card's close up on the screen in the contestants' room.
-Break-
"This is the King's card. I'll show you how to use The End of Storm in a King's Battle! How a King battles!" If Manjoume had to give his opponent one adjective, it would currently be 'terribly loquacious and repetitive'. "The End of Storm, activate!"
"Darn...!" A cloud of dust raised by strong winds struck the field as the solid vision card activated, even if now Manjoume could only see it by turning around.
"When I have 10 or more Speed Counters, I can activate The End of Storm, and all the Monsters on the field are destroyed! For each monster lost, the player takes 300 points of damage!"
"A powerful card..." The Thunder cringed as he saw both of their Life Points go down of 300, respectively to 2800 and 1800.
"Wow! Mukuro destroyed his own monster to end the stalemate but now he won't be able to follow up with his attack! What will he do?" At the MC's comment, Mukuro just smirked.
"This was all planned. If I remove Skull Flame from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon a monster." That monster being the card that Mukuro raised to the sky before slamming it down on the appropriate card slot. "Yes! Come on! Speed King – Skull Flame!"
Manjoume observed collected as the same monster from before appeared, only having exchanged the flowing robes with a horse body and his 2600 Atk points with 3000 Atk Points. "... Damn it!"
"What the...? He destroyed all the monsters on the field and did damage to himself... And it was all for the purpose of summoning this High Class Monster!" The commentator either sounded or was really excited. Thing is, he was starting to get on Manjoume's nerves. "It's such a perfect combo! What a terrifying Speed Accel Deck!"
"The winner has been decided. Sped King – Skull Flame! Direct attack!" The flaming monster turned back and ran across the whole track in the opposite direction till he was facing Manjoume, ready to stomp on him with his front hooves.
"Trap Card, Waboku! Activate!" Upon card's activation, a barrier of light shone and shielded Manjoume's D-Wheel from the monster which returned to Mukuro's side. "I take no Battle Damage this turn and my monsters cannot be destroyed by battle!" 'If I had any...'
"Hmph. Well, in that case, Speed Booster's Effect!" That he couldn't avoid. He let out a cry of outrage as his life point decreased of 700 more points, to 1100, and his D-Wheel swayed even more. "And... Speed King – Skull Flame's Effect! For each Burning Skull Head in my cemetery, you take 400 points of damage!"
"What?" Manjoume shouted out loud as two images of said monster materialized, flew high in the air and then slammed right on him, his vehicle vibrating all the while. Two? … When he used that magic card, before!
-Break-
"N-Nii-san!" Ruka exclaimed. Rua just gripped his fists tight.
-Break-
"... 300 Life Points left." They weren't enough.
-Break-
"Hihihi... This is looking good, doesn't it?" Jaeger commented. Seemed like, even if they had still lost an assassin, they would be able to get Manjoume out of the cup earlier.
"... Is that all he can do?" Jack murmured, while Mikage cringed in her friend's place.
-Break-
"... Damn it all." Manjoume cursed as he thought of his situation. Without Waboku, he was in a real pinch. Now, even if he by miracle managed to summon a monster with a high enough attack to let him get out alive of the exchange with Speed King – Skull Flame, he would be destroyed and he couldn't start his combo. Also, in any case, Speed Booster could stop all of his attacks. Whatever the case, he would lose next turn. "... Is this the most I can do?"
Sweating, Manjoume went to draw his card for the turn. He turned it around... His eyes widened. "... This card..."
-A few minutes earlier-
"Hmm... I guess I can remove most Spell Cards." Manjoume was sitting beside his newly painted D-Wheel, modifying his deck. "And should I add..."
"Manjoume-san!" His thoughts were interrupted when a loud voice made itself heard. He turned around only to lay eyes on a heaving Rua. Seems like he had ran to get there.
"... Rua." He simply said. They stared at each other for a few seconds before sighing. "Rua, I..."
"I apologize!" Rua cut the black haired teacher-aide off, bowing his head. "I'm sorry but I couldn't, I can't help but worry! Because I fear that you will lose... And lose badly! That's the worse feeling in the world!"
"... Ah." Now he understood. Rua probably knew that better than him since he had recently did that very same thing to him.
"T-That's why..." Rua raised his head back up and presented a single card to Manjoume. "Please, use these in the next duel!"
"... Speed Spell – Angel Baton." Manjoume read the name of the card out loud. "Draw 2 Cards, then discard 1 card. And... Summon Speeder?"
"They're the only Speed Spell Cards I have and... I want you to have them! Please!" Rua continued, emotionally caught in the whole situation. "Let me help in some way!"
"... Rua." Manjoume repeated his name, realizing that, for all his boisterousness, loudness, knuckle-head behaviour... He smiled gently and patted him on his head. "Thank you." The kid was growing on him.
-Right Now-
"... Rua." Manjoume closed his eyes. 'I'll bet everything on this card.' "Magic Card, Activate!"
-Break-
"A magic card? But how-"
"... That's one of my cards!" Rua exclaimed, clearing everything up for everyone else.
-Break-
"Speed Spell – Angel Baton!" Manjoume declared as the card materialized on the track. "I draw two cards, then I discard one card!" Manjoume first discarded the useless Equip spell card he was holding onto from when he had summoned Spartacus, and then placed his fingers on his deck.
"Oooh! Manjoume has no cards on his field! And just two cards he couldn't use in his hand Everything... Everything is riding on this draw!" The MC declared but Manjoume didn't react in any way. He was too focused.
'Everything riding on one draw... This usually happened to you.' Manjoume gripped the first two cards of the deck tightly, plucking them out and then expanding them. The first one was Rua's other card, Speed Spell - Summon Speeder. The second one... His eyes widened. 'When the hell did I put this card in this deck? I...'
"Aaah! I already got three of these!"
"So?" Why the hell did he decide to come open booster packs in his... Well, their room, while he was asleep he would never understand.
"Hmm... Even if I wanted I couldn't use it, so..." He blinked and then turned upwards, to the bunk where he was sleeping. "Here! You take it!"
"I don't use Elemental Heroes." He replied, not bothering to open his eyes yet.
"Ah, come on! Still, you're the only one who uses more than one kind of deck! I'm sure that sooner or later, you'll find an use for this card as well!" That earned his attention. He slowly opened his eyes, laying them on the card in question. "I bet you could already use it. In your VWXYZ deck?"
"... If the alternative is for you to throw it away... I guess I'll take it." He sighed and gently collected the card.
"Hey! I never throw away cards! It's just, with you, I'm sure sooner or later it'll get used!"
He did. He had put it in the deck last night, when he was more awake than asleep... He smiled.
-Break-
"Heh? Manjoume-nii-san..."
"... He's smiling." Rua declared, a smile coming to his face as well. "Manjoume-san is smiling!"
-Break-
"... Rua! Judai!" Manjoume suddenly shouted out loud, surprising the aquamarine boy in the crowd.
-Break-
"What is it?" And a certain glutton in a diner.
-Break-
"This victory is your victory!" Manjoume added the two cards to his hand and then picked up 'that' card out of the three. "I summon Elemental Hero Prisma!"
"Heh? Elemental Hero?" Mukuro repeated, confused as he observed a humanoid figure suddenly appearing in front of Manjoume's D-Wheel, reflecting the light off him in a myriad of colors before... "H-Hey!"
"A-Aaaah!" Suddenly, Manjoume twisted his D-Wheel around. He was now riding backwards. That was the reason he had chose that particular D-Wheel, for that function. "Incredible! Manjoume Thunder suddenly gives us a spectacular maneuver! Also, an Elemental Hero in a Gladiator Beast deck? How peculiar! Still, his attack points are only 1700! Is this the thunder's swan song?"
"Monster effect, activate!" Manjoume declared. "Once a turn, I can reveal 1 Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck, then send one of the Fusion Material Monsters of that card from my Main Deck to my Graveyard! This card's name becomes the same of the discarded card!" The Black Thunder quickly presented the two chosen cards. "I choose Gladiator Beasts Gyzarius and Bestiari!" Prisma's light reflected off his body suddenly condensed in the image of Bestiari. "Then, I activate the Speed Spell – Summon Speeder! And I summon from my hand Gladiator Beast Tygerius!" Declaring this, the spell card shone of blue light and a humanoid white tiger wearing violet armor, holding a sword, appeared on the field (Atk 1800). "Contact fusion!"
"Another contact fusion! What will Manjoume Thunder show us, this time?" The MC commented as the hero and the beast flew high in the sky and then disappeared in a flash of green light.
"Appear! Gladiator Beast Gyzarius!" Flying high before dropping down in a swoop and stretching his wing and limbs at the same time, the black humanoid bird with red plumage instead of hair, wearing a full black armour let out a battle cry (Atk 2400). "Monster effect! When Gyzarius gets Fusion Summoned, I can destroy up to two cards on the field!"
"EH? THEN..." Mukuro realized immediately what that meant as his monster got destroyed in an explosion of flames and golden light. "Skull Flame and... My Speed Booster!" His Jet engines disappeared as well. He gritted his teeth. "... Manjouuuumeeee!"
"Manjoume Thunder! And now, since I have a Gladiator Beast on my field, I Special Summon from my hand one Test Tiger!" Said feline appeared on the field.
"Aaaaah! A wonderful comeback!" MC shouted, excited. "Mukuro's field is wide open!"
"I tribute the Test Tiger to shuffle Gyzarius back into my Extra Deck and then special summon two Gladiator Beasts! Appear, Gladiator Beasts Murmillo and Dimacari!" The Gladiator Beast and the tiger disappeared in sparkles of light and the blue humanoid fish appeared again joined by a bigger looking Gladiator Beast, this one a humanoid bovine with purple skin, long curved horns and wearing huge steel gloves(Atk 1600).
"... Heh. A good combo, but, I will get you next turn, bocchama!" Mukuro declared, laughing out loud. "Stupid! You should have finished me with Gyzarius and the Test Tiger!"
"What makes you think you will have a next turn?" Manjoume cut it off, which confused the red-headed d-wheeler. "Dimacari's special effect is that when he gets summoned by the effect of another Gladiator Beast... He can attack twice during each battle phase!"
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?" Mukuro shouted as the towering mass of purple muscles descended upon him.
"Go, Dimacari! Direct Attack! Twin Dimacari Hook!"
-Break-
"Nii-san!"
"YEAAAAAAAH!"
-Break-
"Go for it, Thunder!"
-Break-
"... Hmph."
-Break-
"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Mukuro shouted out loud as the two attacks in rapid succession reduced his Life Points to 0, his D-Wheeler spinning out of control and crashing on the ground.
"It's over! Manjoume used a splendid combo and seized a turn-around victory!" The MC commented while Manjoume's D-Wheel slowly came to a stop a few meters way from Mukuro's crash site.
"... Finally over." Manjoume whispered under his breath as he removed his helmet and approached his downed opponent, the crowd cheering all the while.
-Break-
"Yes! He did it!" Rua cheered, hugging Tenpei around the neck. "Manjoume-san won! And he used my cards to do it!"
"... I guess his being undefeated as a pro wasn't luck." Himuro conceded. The duel had been enjoyable.
-Break-
"... Yo." Mukuro laughed and saluted Manjoume as the black-haired duelist approached him.
"... I have to thank you, Mukuro." Manjoume told him as he extended his hand for him to grab onto. The D-Wheeler stared at it for a couple seconds before accepting the help and getting pulled back on his feet and then the Thunder began to shook his hand. "You showed me that a Duelist never stops learning. It was probably for the best to have such a strong D-Wheeler as my opponent in this duel."
"Heheheh... Thanks." Mukuro shook the hand back, a bit embarrassed at the praise. "Well, today I lost, but next time... I won't!"
"I'll be waiting for you." After I learn to drive one of these things...
-Break-
"Heh. He hasn't lost his touch." As he paid for his food, he sighed, remembering fond memories. "Our duels were so much fun. Right, partner?" The spirit replied with his usual noise. He smiled. "Yeah... Well, let's go! The world awaits!"
-Break-
"... Seems like there's still a chance to fight him in a Riding Duel, Atlas-sama." Mikage said with a smile as Jack 'hmph'-ed.
"Seems so." He conceded, while Godwin just observed the cheering stadium, Manjoume's face displayed along with the word 'winner' all over the giant screens.
"... Indeed, it seems that when I went looking for strength, my judgment wasn't faulty."
-Break-
"... I really don't understand what goes through that guy's head." She never could. She huffed. "First he becomes a pro, then he drops out after three years to become a teacher and now he's in a live-television exclusive tournament in Neo-Domino City. What the hell?"
"Well, it's nice to see that he hasn't lost his touch nor his talent." He turned to the pudgy man sitting a few feet away on another chair. "Well, I trust everything is ready?"
"Yes, principal. Everything is prepared as not to leave anything overlooked during your absence-de aru." The strange man nodded while the taller one stood up from his chair.
"Very well. Then, we will be departing immediately for Neo Domino City." The man declared, moving a hand to adjust his blonde hair. "I bet Signor Manjoume will be very surprised to see us-na no ne."
To be continued...
In the next chapter...
After proving his valor as a Duelist, Manjoume gets faced with another trial, this time as a teacher as he finds himself to duel against Izayoi Aki, the Black Rose Witch. What will his choices bring about? And who will he turn to for advice? Stay tuned!