Not quite the same (but card games are still on motorcycles)
Summary: The Lancers are off to the Synchro Dimension with one extra. It's unlikely they'll find anyone to aid them in the war though. A revolution is brewing and at the spearhead is Team Satisfaction.
A continuation from chapter 2 and where this AU begins to diverge from canon.
Reminders for this AU:
Yuzu and Hugo are unchanged.
Selena is a guy called Artemis and Joeri is a girl.
Ute and Ruri are in their late teens/early twenties.
Yuya and Rin are both eleven.
There is no three year break between Fusion Invasion of Xyz/Yusho's disappearance.
Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Exam period is coming up soon and I haven't had much time. I'll probably now be focusing on a different story but I'll still post a new oneshot every now and then or a least finish the stories I've started.
{~~~}
Sometimes, Reiji wondered what amounted to good parenting. With an absent father planning an interdimensional war and a cold detached mother, he thought that Sakaki Yuya had the ideal relationship with his own parents. Even if one was missing and the other was a former mob boss.
Little Sakaki nodded attentively as the boy's mother, the feared Shooting Star, gave him a run down of motherly advice and concern.
"Now always stay with one of the older kids, preferably Noboru. He's the biggest of the bunch and no sane man would mess with him."
"Yes mom."
"Otherwise stick with the ninja. They're an honourable bunch as long as your friends with their lord."
"And ninjas are cool!"
She gave a gentle smile at the childish outburst (and not a chilling scowl). "And they are skilled protectors that will keep you safe."
The boy pouted, looking even younger than his eleven years. "But I don't need protection!" He protested. "I've got Odd-Eyes and the Magicians and even Rebellion to back me up."
The Shooting Star looked tired with a hint of frustration, but was careful not to reveal it to Sakaki. Apparently, this conversation was a continuation from before. "Yes but who will protect you outside of a duel? Not all bad people play card games." Her voice was so…soft, so jarring next to her long coat and biker gear.
(Amazing considering the amount of raw anger Reiji had been subjected to the previous day. Was it normal for parents to hold back on such emotions?)
Sakaki picked up on the hidden emotions immediately and dropped his protests. The boy may have the tendency to be childish but he had a maturity beyond his years (and that made Reiji just a little less guilty about sending him off to war). "I'll stick with Gongenzaka…and Big Bro promised to keep me safe even if there's no one else. Otherwise," a cheeky grin spread across Sakaki's face. "I'll hit those bastards were the sun don't shine! I won't forget your lessons."
The elder Sakaki grinned in approval and ruffled her son's hair.
And Reiji shuddered at the thought of what else that woman could have taught her boy.
"I believe that it is time to make our jump." Reiji announced, hoping that he wouldn't have to deal with burning rubber for cutting the Sakaki family moment short. He was the leader of the Lancers, he will not show his fear of one woman.
The Lancers assembled, jumping from their various states of nervousness and false calm to attentiveness. Sakaki shrugged on a travel pack nearly as big as he was and joined the rest of the group. But his mother wasn't leaving.
"Is something that matter, Mrs Sakaki?" Reiji asked, mentally preparing himself for any death threats that may come his way.
"I'm coming with you." She was the fierce Shooting Star now, not an overprotective mother.
Reiji opened his mouth, ready with a slew of arguments about why she cannot come (other than the fact she was downright terrifying), but she cuts him off before he could say a word.
"What have you told Mrs Mokota about her son?"
The Shooting Star hits hard and straight to the point. Reiji would have preferred dodging a motorcycle than facing the casualties of his crusade. What he had told Michio Mokota's mother of her son's fate: nothing. What would he have told the family of his Lancers should anything happen to them: also nothing. Such words would lower moral and Standard needed every fighter it could get to stand up to the oncoming invaders.
But what of the mothers and fathers? Of the friends and rivals? Of the brothers and sisters?
The Lancers were listening, waiting for his response. Kurosaki in particular, who had already lost everything dear to him, and Artemis as well, who was still shaking off the Academia's teachings.
Would his mother have cared if anything happened to him or Reira? Yes, but only as a mild inconvenience. Akaba Himika had been cheated out of her promise of power by her megalomaniac of a husband and everything around her was a tool for her revenge. The company, the war, her children…
Reiji tossed the Shooting Star a copy of Dimensional Mover and she activated her duel disk along with the rest.
Now things were back on the plan.
{~~~}
Yuzu was flying. The wind curved around her as she sped across the sky. She was holding onto something. Rough, patchy and leather-like. Worn with age and what felt like stitched tears over too bony flesh. Maybe she was on a dragon's back. One with magnificent wings spread across the sky. Or maybe it was flightless and earthbound like Odd-Eyes.
Odd-Eyes...
Odd-Eyes...
Yuya!
Yuzu's eyes flicked open. She wasn't flying. She was on a highway of some sort and definitely not in Miami.
And she was still moving.
"Oi, you awake back there?" There was someone in front of her, someone she was slumped over. He was driving a... motorcycle? How did she get here?
"It's hard enough driving as it is so please don't start struggling." Male, a boy about her age...he shouldn't be able to drive a motorcycle yet. "Hey, I know you're probably scared and don't know where you are but hold on tight." His voice was calming and with the gentle lull of the bike, Yuzu started drifting off to sleep.
"Once we get out of the Tops, I'll explain everything."
"You better." She muttered, closing her eyes to a foreign cityscape.
Hugo sighed as his passenger fell asleep. She was older and dressed like a dude but there was something about her that reminded him of Rin. He couldn't have left her unconscious in that weird arctic dimension.
Rin...
His grip tightened over the handlebar. She was still missing and he had no leads to where she might be.
Hugo swerved off the bright highway and into the dark alleys of the Commons. He had to be careful with his turns. If this girl was anything like Rin, she would be a ridiculously light sleeper.
He just crossed his fingers and hoped that she would be what he needed to find his Rin.
{~~~}
Trash.
That was his first impression of the Synchro dimension. The buildings were falling apart and the roads in terrible condition. There was a lingering smell of rot and garbage littered the street. Men, women, children, were huddled in corners and doorways dressed in rags and above all this poverty were flashing neon lights and towering skyscrapers.
Artemis was beginning to doubt his defection from the Academia. It was this inequality that the Professor aimed to shatter with the fusing of the dimensions.
But did that justify the invasion of the Xyz Dimension? A little voice chirped (and sounded oddly like Kurosaki).
The interdimensional leap had separated the Lancers. He spied a blond head attempting to wrestle his way out of a garbage can and the two youngest duellists dragging an oversized travel pack out of the trash heap. There was no one else around. No ninjas or acrobats or samurais or even Kurosaki or Akaba Reiji.
Artemis was left on babysitting duty.
He pulled the floundering flop out of the trash and grabbed the pack from the two boys. It was heavier than he expected (and he wondered how the tomato kid was able to carry it in the first place) but nothing he couldn't handle. Osiris training had prepared him for worse.
"Come on." Artemis said. When separated from the main party, the next soldier in rank was to take charge. With the other members of his group being a spoiled brat and a pair of children, Artemis was left to lead. "We need to find a secure location to make base as well as consumable water. Then we will attempt to contact Akaba. Should that fail, we will continue with our mission and find allies to aid us."
He strode out of the alley and onto the cracked sidewalk. Part of him wondered how the Academia could have made this all better while another wondered how it could be made worse.
The other boys, because they were no soldiers, fell in line behind him. The tomato kid (Sasaki? Sakasi?) was trying to comfort the younger Akaba while the blond (his name was Sawatari, right?) was muttering something about his father.
Ra training presided that they should be keeping to the shadows and out of plain sight but it was unlikely that the others had any training in stealth. A quick scan of their surroundings alerted Artemis of how much they stuck out. Despite their clothes being slightly dirty from their earlier fall, they were diamonds in a coal heap compared to the locals' threadbare rags and hollow cheeks. It was only a matter of time before they'd be attack by thugs or bandits.
There was a thundering roar and the Lancers were surrounded by a motorcycle gang.
'Looks like we didn't have to wait too long for the welcoming party.' Artemis thought, dropping the pack and readying his duel disk.
Behind him, Sawatari was panicking while tomato-head and mini-Akaba huddled closer together but like himself had their duel disks ready for combat. Maybe those two weren't going to be liabilities after all.
"Well what do we have here, fellas." One of the bikers, probably the leader, sneered.
"A bunch of Tops brats out exploring by the looks of it." Another said.
"Then let's give our young masters a warm Commons greeting."
A duel blade materialised from the leader's motorcycle and the rest followed suit. Apparently the rumours of Synchro using automobiles for duelling were true.
Filing the words Commons and Tops for later analysis, Artemis activated his own duel disk as did the other Lancers.
"Action Field activate: Crossover." A mechanical voice said as the area was covered with Solid Vision and holographic platforms appeared. He had forgotten about Standard's specialty.
They Lancers leapt onto higher ground while the bikers were still dazed. They had to make use of all their advantages.
"Looks like we found ourselves some Security brats." The leader said. "Fancy yourselves officers, kiddies? You're playing with the big boys now!"
"Shut up and duel." Artemis snarled, drawing his opening hand and taking the first turn. He could interrogate these hooligans when he wins. "I summon-"
A whistle sounded and the bikers froze, looking frightened.
"Shit, the brats called in big daddy for help. Get ready to hold your ground!"
The decision among the bikers was unanimous. The opposing duel disks were no longer aimed at them but at the sky and roads. Helicopters and vans, clearly labelled 'SECURITY', surrounded them, spewing out helmeted men in blue uniform. Like the bikers, some had their duel disks attached to motorcycles. It must be something common in this dimension.
"What should we do?" Tomato asked clutching mini-Akaba's hand.
That was a good question. The officers appeared solely focused on the bikers but that could all change with a tip of the hat.
They are enemies until proven otherwise. His Academia training recited.
"We see what they want." Artemis said quietly. "But be prepared to retreat."
"But they're police!" Sawatari protested. "They've got to be on our side. We're the good guys! The Lancers!"
"This isn't Standard, Sawatari." Artemis said. "We don't know anything about this city. We can't go around trusting anyone without knowing their motives."
Sawatari looked as if he wanted to say more but one of the officers approached them.
The officer smiled kindly, almost condescending. "The Sacred Beasts have been resealed."
It was code. We are allies. Follow us to regroup. Academia code.
No.
Artemis activated the Polymerization in his hand, summoning his Lunalight Cat Dancer. The monster lunged at the officer, knocking him back and drawing blood.
"They're with the Academia!" Artemis yelled.
The officer growled. "Arrest them!"
{~~~}
Hugo scowled. Of all the things that it could have been, it had to be that.
"Seriously, Saiga? Cabbages?"
The stall owner shrugged, twiddling a toothpick between his lips. He knew Saiga would have preferred a cigarette but the older man didn't want his bad habits catching onto the younger kids. "Hey, they're in season. Be glad that it's fresh veggies today than some canned or pickled shit."
"But they're cabbages. Purple cabbages." Hugo protested.
"If you don't like it, don't buy." Saiga pulled the toothpick from his mouth like he was taking a drag.
Hugo glared at the violet heads. Cabbages were the most disgusting vegetable in the world...but they were fresh and not covered in mould. Who knows when something like this will turn up in the Commons again?
"I'll take three kilos." This was for the kids. He could stomach a couple of weeks off that stuff if it meant the others were getting something healthy in their systems.
"That's the boy." Saiga filled a pair of paper bags. "Anything else?"
He grabbed a half beaten can of tomatoes, some aging eggplants and an expired pack of banana chips. "That should be it."
Saiga bagged the rest of the goods and Hugo passed his payment: a rusty tool kit. Actual money was literally an arm and a leg so most people had to barter.
Saiga raised a brow. "Didn't you say that your runner have a giant dint on the side?"
"If it's food or my runner, it's going to be food." Hugo said. "At least with that, I can throw black market junk into it. Can't do the same with kids."
"Martha's lucky to still have you around."
"Meh. I owe the lady. I'd be walking the streets if it weren't for her. Besides, the others still come about: Shinji with his bags of sweets, Crow and his 'liberated' goods..." Hugo smiled, gathering up the groceries.
But Saiga wasn't as amused. "Having a bunch of revolutionaries around is never too good, especially Team Satisfaction members. Speaking of revolutionaries..." The man's gaze drifted to the main square and Hugo's eyes followed.
Teen-Rin, Yuzu, was there on an old crate. She was wearing one of his old hoodies and had her back to Saiga's stall, yelling to those passing by.
"That kid's been out there hollering about some war for the past week." Saiga said, flicking his pick. So that was where she had been disappearing to. "Kind of like that time with the spider cult except no one's paying any attention."
"Hey! She's my only lead to finding Rin." But Hugo knew where Saiga was coming from. If Clear Wing hadn't been teleporting him all over the place, Hugo would have found the idea of an interdimensional war completely screwy.
"Really?" The stall owner didn't sound convinced but he tended to run with whatever. "Well you better keep an eye on her." He pulled a battered newspaper from under the counter. "Want to see who pissed off Security the most this month?"
Hugo grinned and peered over the edge to see the wanted posters. There was the notice asking citizens to dob in any troublemakers (not that anyone in the Commons did).
Most of the first page was the petty crimes: a theft here, a trespasser there and a couple idiots who threw trash at the Security buildings. Then it started getting to the real heavy hitters. Some were genuinely good people just trying to change the City for the better but ended up on the wrong side of Security while others were rotten to the core and deserved to be thrown into the Facility. There was a pedo scumbag from the Tops that he was sure to keep an eye out for, an ex-officer that joined the revolution and an entire page dedicated to Team Satisfaction.
Kiryu still had top dollar thanks to being the leader of the group, Crow had his standard breaking-and-entering, burglary and public nuisance charges, Shinji finally his own entry instead of being another face on the gang page and apparently some other guys rose through the rank: Uryu the insect guy (who wasn't technically part of Satisfaction but was just an ally/rival but Security never figured out the difference), some guy with banana-peel hair that he had never seen before and…
Shit.
How in the world…?
Saiga was quick to pick up on his shock. "Need the back room?"
He scanned the market square and sure enough, there was a pair of Security doing their rounds, showing off the latest wanted posters. Just his luck.
"Can you get the groceries back to Martha's? I don't think I'll be back for dinner tonight."
Hugo was certain he kept Yuzu out of Security's sight: avoiding any hidden cameras, keeping their heads down as low as possible and he was sure she didn't even know who Team Satisfaction was.
Damn…this was no time for thinking.
Hugo dashed across the square, and probably bowled over a couple dozen people but hey this was an emergency.
Yuzu was still caught up in her big speech. "We need to act now! Fuse-Hugo! What's the big idea?"
"Explain later. Go now." He pulled her off the crate and dragged her back to the stall, this time people got out of their way and there was less bumping a bruising.
He was glad that he didn't bring his runner with him today. That crash into the streetlight was a little too close to the Momentum core for comfort and he didn't want it breaking down, or worse exploding, while he was riding so it had been left back home. If it were here, Hugo's first instinct would be to jump on and ride off with Security hot on their tails.
Turning the corner into the alley behind Saiga's stall, Hugo led Yuzu through a door hanging on its last hinges and ducked behind one of the many dusty crates.
"What's going on?" Yuzu asked.
"Sector Security, that's what. Now duck down!" He pulled her down behind the crate and covered her mouth. "I'll explain as soon as they're gone."
She glared at him, most likely annoyed by running, ducking and waiting for explanations. Hugo would be too but she was an outsider and his only link to Rin, he couldn't let anything happen to her.
The heavy footsteps and muffled words signalled that Security was interrogating Saiga outside. Corrupt as they were, most officers tended to be civil and leave you alone…especially if you threw obnoxious slang at them.
"You see a pair kids run through here?"
"I won't play stoolpigeon with rozzers, I won't. Ain't seen any chavies 'round 'ere."
"What?"
"Chavies now-a-days, either blaging or bug hunting…heart-swearing coves can't make any chinks with 'em swinging their tails and walking the streets…"
"Uh…"
"Rozzers working in the rookery…dragon's kisses you lot are, dragon's kisses!"
"…Thank you sir…"
"We should be leaving…"
"Then go on you mother-loving buddyboys! Slip those chavies and do us coves good!"
Yuzu's brows were furrowed in confusion while Hugo had to cover his own mouth to stop himself laughing. Good old Commons Talk. Always changing and Security never bothers to learn any of it.
Saiga entered the back room, flicking a toothpick to the side on his way in. "The streets are swept, kids." He said in his normal voice rather than the scratchy half-drunk tone from earlier. "Those buddyboys are clouding by now."
Hugo took in a gulp of air, trying not to burst out laughing. "Thanks Saiga, I owe you big time. It's been so long since I heard some Talk. But you're going to have to talk straight, Yuzu's not from around here."
"Tops?"
"Outsider."
"But an outsider in Team Satisfaction?"
"She's got nothing to do with Team Satisfaction."
"Can someone explain what's going on?!" Yuzu yelled. "What's with 'buddyboys' and 'chavies'? Security is the police right? Shouldn't they be helping people in trouble?"
Oh right. She was right next to him. Didn't Martha say it was rude to talk about someone but not to them when they were in the same room?
The old shopkeeper sighed. "Security does help…if you're from the Tops or if you've got cash or connections. You do at least know what the Tops and Commons are, right?"
Yuzu nodded. "Yeah, the City's divided by wealth and social standing with ninety-nine percent of it all owned by the one percent that's the Tops. It's wrong and unfair."
"And a lot of the Commons will agree with you on that. Tension's been building for years. Smile Chojiro's arrest, the development of Riding Duels, the new Security Director…it's all about to burst, sooner or later."
"Some of the older guys from the orphanage decided to make the burst happen sooner." Hugo said. "They made themselves a group, Team Satisfaction, for the liberation of the Commons."
"And are you a part of it?" Yuzu asked.
"Nah, too messy." And as much as Hugo did want to join the revolution, he still had Rin. It wouldn't do her any good if all her role-models were troublemakers. Hugo pulled out the newspaper and opened it to the wanted posters. "…but according to this, you are."
"Sawatari and Artemis!" Yuzu exclaimed. "But how did they get here?"
"Maybe the same way you did." Because the other-him probably had a dimension-hopping dragon because why not? "But how did they get mixed up with Team Satisfaction?"
"I have no idea." Yuzu stared at the photographs of banana-peel guy and her doppelganger. "Do you think we can find them?"
"I don't think it would be a good idea looking for these friends of yours." Saiga interjected. "Joining up with them will just make you a target for Security. It would be best for you to keep your head down and maybe lay off the war talk."
Hugo had to agree with him there. As much as he wanted to help Yuzu find her friends, getting on Security's bad side was never an option. He had been able to last most of his life without a record or mark and he wasn't about to get one now.
But Yuzu was tearing up. Just like how Rin did whenever he came home with one too many bruises and a concussion. A mad-sort-of-angry sad that meant she was going to run off and do something on her own.
Even if he did want to help, Hugo had no idea where to start looking. He made sure that he had no idea where any of Team Satisfaction's bases were and the Common's was a pretty big place. But you don't get mixed up with Team Satisfaction if you weren't a duellist…
Hugo thinned his lips, hopefully this plan wouldn't backfire. "Hey, you know how duel disks let off a signal for wireless connection and stuff? Maybe if we track down your friends' signals we could locate them. We could use your duel signal to narrow it down since there probably aren't that many outsider signals around."
"Really?!" Her face lit up (and she looked so much like Rin).
He threw a glance at Saiga. He couldn't do this without the older man's help.
Saiga sighed. "Pass your duel disk here."
Yuzu looked confused. "Why? Aren't you just a shopkeeper?"
Hugo grinned. "He ain't just a shopkeeper. Saiga's Blister, the Jack of All Trades and the best bugging hacker in the entire City."
{~~~}
His opponent's lifepoints dropped to zero with a direct attack. There was a crackle as electricity jolted down the cord between them, short-circuiting his opponent's duel disk. The device sparked and his opponent crumbled to the ground, disk unusable with some burns probably underneath.
Shingo sighed, deactivating his duel disk and retracting the jamming cord. The holograms of his monsters faded away. Monarchs, not Abyss Actors.
Akaba had cautioned him about using pendulums, all of the Lancers actually. It wasn't much of a problem for most of their group. Artemis, Dennis and Gongenzaka had a couple cards customer made for their archetypes while Kurosaki and Tsukikage refused to use pendulums altogether. He and Yuya were the ones most affected by these restrictions. Not that they cared much. His little rival pinky promised he'll be careful about using pendulums while Shingo brought an extra deck.
This dimension was different but then again, what else was he expecting? The Tops-Commons split, the corrupted police force, the duel gangs…
A hand was placed on his shoulder. "Not too bad, outsider."
Shingo didn't need to turn to see who was behind him, this was a man too memorable to forget. "Of course! What else would you expect from the great Neo New Sawatari?" He fell back onto his bravado and ego. It was a bad idea to show any weakness around Team Satisfaction's leader.
Kiryu laughed, cold and cruel. "Now that's the spirit. If only everyone had this much enthusiasm." He tightened his grip and Shingo repressed the urge to flinch. "First we run out Security then we bring down the Tops and with you 'Lancers' as comrades…"
"Hey! Kiryu!"
The turned to see Artemis and another Team Satisfaction member, Shinji if he remembered correctly, approaching. Shingo took this as an opportunity to shake off Kiryu's grip. While he was grateful for the guy and his gang for getting them out of that mess with Security, there was something about the man that was plain unnerving.
"We've driven Security out of this Sector." Shinji reported. "They think they're strong but our bonds are stronger. The Commons will be liberated in no time!"
"There are rumours about a duellist using black cards." Artemis interjected, cutting short Shinji's jubilance. "It is most likely Dennis or Kurosaki, maybe even Akaba."
"Well let's grab Yuya and Reira and get going!" Shingo said. The sooner they were able to regroup, the sooner they could part ways with the duel gang.
"Don't be so hasty." Kiryu said, though it was more like a command. He stood taller and his eyes narrowed. "There's no guarantee that this 'black card duellist' is your friend. Who knows how many duellists could use black cards?"
"Three." Artemis said confidently. He squared his shoulders and locked his gaze on the pale man. "Black cards are not regularly used in this area, only from where we come from."
"Really?" Kiryu took several steps forward, staring down at the Fusion boy. "Because the last group that used black cards were part of a brainwashing cult."
"Impossible." Artemis scoffed. "There is-"
"Where did you say this duellist was?" Shingo said, stepping between the two. If there was one thing having a politician for a father was learning to read people and the atmosphere as well as the best way to defuse a situation. The last thing they needed was to antagonize their 'allies'.
"An underground stadium." The tension had dispersed, but it could easily be rekindled.
"Then let's go back to the base and grab the others. By showing our missing comrade how I've been able to keep us together, they would be inspired to join Team Satisfaction's cause." Shingo knew there were holes in his plan but it was the best he could do to appease both sides. If worse comes to worse, they could split from the gang if Yuya and Reira were with them.
"There's no need to head back to base." Kiryu said. "Damon will lead you to the Stadium to fetch your comrade."
Shingo was acquainted with Damon. He had been part of the group that had rescued them and was overall a friendly guy but he was completely loyal to Team Satisfaction and in turn Kiryu. Not good.
"We'll need to head back anyway. Yuya and Reira may be young but they're Lancers like us. They shouldn't be left out of the loop."
"Your kids are safe." Kiryu said, both as a reassurance and threat. "Crow will make sure nothing bad will happen to them. You have nothing to worry about."