A Shocking Revelation
"W-what!?" Cody muttered in shock as he stepped back. "S-s-s..."
"Son!?" Tank exclaimed, feeling the same as him. The entire gang were shocked by this.
Including Yusei, but that didn't stop him from pausing the video. "Unbelievable. So those two people are..."
"Cody's mom and dad!?" Nervin filled in.
"No way!" Rally muttered.
"Seriously?" Blitz questioned.
"I... I..." Cody tried to speak, but the shock was overwhelming. "My parents... those are... gah!" He then placed his hands on his head as he suddenly felt something in his mind. There were some faint image flashing in front of him. An image of the two people in video, smiling to him. "Ah!" And then, he started to fall backward, before Jeremy caught him.
"Whoa! Take it easy!"
"S-sorry." Cody muttered. "I... this is much to take in, is all."
"It's fine man. Take some deep breaths." Blitz suggested.
Everyone waited for what felt like a couple of minutes before Cody finally recovered. "Okay, I'm all good now. So then..." He turned to the computer screen and approached it slowly. "This video is from my parents... I never thought that I had something like this with me all this time."
"But why would they hide it inside your pendant?" Jeremy wondered.
"It must be something very important." Yusei deduced. "Let's keep watching the video." He walked over to Cody and started the video again.
"The reason we gave you this video is because we couldn't risk your life by telling you personally." Cody's father continued.
'Risk my life?' Cody repeated in his mind.
"For some reason, your father and I have been attacked by some unknown people. I can still remember the gun shots that almost hit us." The mother explained.
"Gun shots!?" Tank, Blitz, Nervin and Rally repeated.
Cody widened his eyes as something inside his mind clicked.
BANG!
"NOO! NOOOO! HOW DARE YOU-!"
BANG!
"AH!" Cody gasped and fell to his hands and knees, startling everyone.
Yusei paused the video again and kneeled down next to him. "Cody, what's wrong!?"
The black and white haired boy breathed heavily with some sweat running down on his forehead.
"Cody?" Rally called worriedly.
Eventually, Cody started to calm down and was now breathing more normal. "S-sorry guys. The mention of 'gun shots' brought some bad memories."
Yusei's eyes softened. "You mean the nightmares, right?"
"Yeah."
"Are you okay, man?" Nervin asked.
"Don't worry, I'm feeling better now." Cody stood up again. "Let's just keep watching."
Yusei nodded and started the video once again.
"We're not sure where those gunmen came from or what they want." The father spoke. "We have been through many of that kind of incidents for a while. A very awful experience. We can hardly concentrate on the works at our company."
"Those gunmen are very hard to catch." The mother continued. "But your father and I found a lead. We're going to investigate it. And if we find anything, we'll tell you in the next message..." The video then showed the scene of some old-looking warehouse, with a red roof full of a couple of holes. "There's an old warehouse district at the north east parts of New Domino. There, you'll find the next message buried right under the building."
Cody listened to the video intently.
"Just one more thing. If you try to look for our clue, then you might be risking your life since the criminals are still out there. But we know you can do it." The mother said with a small smile. "You are the son of the Cooper family. We know you can solve this case." Then a single tear ran down on her left cheek. "We love you, Cody. We always will."
The father nodded with a proud smile. "We're counting on you, son." At that, the video reached its end.
After that, silence enveloped the hideout. This video was really something else. No one said a single word. But the silence was broken by Cody, who turned around and walked away from the computer.
"Cody?" Rally asked in concern and proceeded to go after him. But he was stopped by hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Yusei, who gave his retreating friend a soft look.
"Let him go, Rally. After what was shown to us, Cody needs some time for himself."
That said, all the others gave Cody a concerned look as he left their sight.
Later on, it was so late, that everyone decided to head to bed. Or in their case, some old mattresses they managed to find. Cody was laying on his mattress, staring at the ceiling thoughtfully. So much happened this day. But the most shaking thing of them all, was the hidden message from his parents. Ever since he met Yusei and the others 10 years ago, he always wished he could remember or find something from his unknown past. And today, he finally found a clue. A clue that told him that his family has been hunted by mysterious people for unknown reasons.
But what could that be? That was one of the biggest questions in his mind. "Good grief." He sighed while getting up from his mattress.
He then heard some footsteps approaching him. He turned and saw Yusei staring at him. "Can't sleep?"
Cody looked down. "Not even a little. I mean, how can I? I just can't stop thinking about that video my parents left me. I mean, to think that they have been attacked by some unknown people."
Yusei just stood there silently as he listened to his friend.
"As I watched the video, I felt something in my mind. I felt their smiles shown to me, as if a fragment of my lost memories returned. And then..." Cody trailed off as he clenched his fists. "There was the moment when the video reminded me of my nightmares. Hearing those screams and the sounds of gun shots. That's just horrifying. I don't want to believe it, but I think it's possible that my nightmares are actually another one of my faint memories. A memory of what could have happened to my parents."
Yusei frowned at this.
"I... I don't think they're in this world. It's most likely that they... they..." Cody couldn't finish the sentence as he choked while tears started to form from his eyes. He then felt a gentle hand on his right shoulder. He looked up and met Yusei's gaze.
"It's okay, Cody. I know it must be painful for you, especially after finally seeing their faces again after many years. But don't forget, we're always there for you."
That seemed to ease Cody's pain a bit.
"Besides, you don't have to worry about them."
"How can you be so sure?" He asked almost silently.
"Because they will always be with you..." Yusei placed a finger on Cody's chest. "Inside your heart. They entrusted you everything they had, so you can help them finish what they started. Maybe you can't do it right now, but I know you will eventually, as long as you know that their spirits live on within you."
Cody's eyes widened at his friend's words. The pain was leaving slowly from his heart as he wiped his eyes. He then looked up to the ceiling again. "Thanks for that Yusei. You're right. My mom and dad wants me to find those who came after them. If they believed that I can manage that..." He held up his right hand and clenched it as his expression was starting to get full of confidence... "...then I'll believe in them as well."
Yusei gave him a small smile.
Cody took a breath before speaking up again. "It won't be easy. This might be tough. Heck, it could be even dangerous. But even so, I'll do it. I'll get out of the Satellite and find the culprit. Just as my parents didn't give up on that task, I won't give up either. Not until I put a stop to the culprit."
"Sounds like you got your own reason to get out of here."
"Got that right!"
"And I know that you and I are gonna get out of here..." Yusei held up his right hand. "...together."
Cody smiled and grabbed it. "Right."
Unbeknownst to them, Jeremy was awake and heard the whole thing. Once it was over, he had his own determined look on his face.
A few days later
Once again, Yusei and Cody were riding through the subway tunnel. But this time, Cody was on his own duel runner. And the chips they got from Rally worked perfectly. Cody was focused on the track. Yusei, however, was lost in thought. 'You beat me once, Jack. But I learned my lesson...'
Flashback
One day, on the ruined streets of the Satellite, Yusei and his former friend, Jack, were facing each other in a duel. A regular duel to be exact. Cody and the others were watching from the sidelines. On Yusei's side of the field, was a purple armored mechanical warrior with a white scarf, and a right knuckle that was bigger than the left one. This monster was named Junk Warrior. (ATK: 2300 DEF: 1300 LV: 5)
On Jack's side, there was a facedown card and another monster. It was a hideous humanoid creature with red hair, bones on its shoulders, and a skull in a mouth for a stomach. This monster was known as Mad Archfiend. (ATK: 1800 DEF: 0 LV: 4)
"You'll never win this duel, Yusei!" Jack declared.
"You sure are sure of yourself." Yusei replied.
"Just sure..." Jack smirked. "...that I'm gonna beat you! Yusei, bring it on!"
"You got it, Jack! Junk Warrior, send him to the scrap heap..." But before Yusei's monster could attack, he was suddenly ensnared by some chains that zapped him. "What's that?!"
"It's my trap..." Jack revealed his facedown card. "Shadow Spell! And with it, I'm gonna finally put an end to your unbeaten streak, Yusei! Now, Mad Archfiend, attack." After crunching the skull, Mad Archfiend's stomach spat its shards and destroyed Junk Warrior.
Yusei: 0300-0000
"How did I let that happen?" Yusei fell to the ground and punched it.
The spectators were shocked by this outcome. Especially Rally. "Did he... just lose?"
"He did, and do you know why our friend just lost?" Jack asked as he approached his fallen rival. "Because his deck has no balance. And without balance, one cannot be a complete duelist. But you know that already, don't you, Yusei?"
Flashback end
Yusei really felt bitter by that memory, but not as much as he felt of the fact that Jack betrayed them all. Cody was now right next to him, and even though he couldn't see any expression, he could feel the bitterness from his friend.
Meanwhile, in the New Domino City, Jack Atlas himself found himself inside a very large penthouse, which happens to be on top of a very high building. He staring through a window, enjoying the view. He was wearing a black muscle shirt and a pair of jeans. He was holding a Duel Monster card with his arms crossed. And on his right arm, he had some kind of red mark that resembled a pair of wings or something. 'Ah, now this is the view that I was always meant to have, even if I did have to double cross a few friends to get it.' He thought to himself. 'Hmph, and to think that it was only a few years ago that I was living amongst the losers and garbage of the Satellite. I'm glad that nightmare is over.' He then looked at the card he was holding. 'Stardust Dragon. I wonder if Yusei still misses you.'
"Quite the view, isn't it, Jack?" A person spoke up from behind. He was tall pale skinned man, with long grey hair that reached into his lower back, with one section of it tied into a ponytail. He wore a dark grey suit and pants, over a collared shirt with some kind of bird emblazoned on it. He was wearing white gloves on the hands he was holding behind his back. This man was Rex Goodwin, the head of Sector Security. "Still thinking about your days in the Satellite?"
"I'm done thinking about that dump, Goodwin." Jack scowled.
"That's good, Jack. Because dwelling the past can sometimes cost you your future, and we worked too hard to let that happen. Now shouldn't you be focusing on your match this evening?"
Jack hmphed and threw the card he was holding into his deck sitting on the table. The card ended up in the middle of the deck, with some of its corners sticking out. "I'm plenty focused, Goodwin. You don't have to worry about me dwelling in the past. Cuz if I had my way, Satellite would've been destroyed years ago."
"I understand how you feel, but the Satellite plays a valuable role in our society. Everyone has been given a role in life. Those in the Satellite exist so that the chosen may prosper. They keep our city functioning by recycling what the chosen discard. Without the Satellite, New Domino City could not exist. Glamorous a role it is not, but a necessary one for everyone's survival. But you know that already, don't you Jack? How silly of me to give a history lesson to someone who experienced it firsthand. Now leave your memories of that place where they belong. It's time for you to make new ones."
"You're right. But what if my past comes looking for me?"
Back in their hideout in the Satellite, Rally was holding a stopwatch, his thumb over the stop button. He was waiting for Yusei and Cody to return from their test-drive. And it didn't take long before they showed up. Rally pressed the stop button the moment they reached the checkpoint and skied into a halt. Their runners were steaming a little as a result.
Rally checked the time he measured on the stopwatch, and rushed over the duel runners. "Guys, that's your best time yet!" He said with excitement while displaying the stopwatch. "You think it's gonna be fast enough to get you both to New Domino City?"
Yusei raised his visor and glanced at it. "It better be."
"I just know it's gonna work!"
"I hope you're right." Cody said. "Time us again."
At that, Yusei and Cody took off again, leaving Rally behind. Around the corner, Jeremy watched this before he left, with a firm look on his face. "It seems you guys are ready to get out of here. Then I'd better get to work, quickly."
Meanwhile, back at New Domino City
"Jack, you're a part of New Domino City now. And the only link you have to the Satellite is Yusei Fudo. And you can rest assured that we're taking every precaution to keep that link buried." Goodwin told Jack.
Back in the Satellite
A lone figure was walking around at the junkyard, seemingly picking up some items. "Hmm, let's see." Jeremy muttered as he eyed the old circuit board. Jeremy smiled. "This will do." As he was looking around, Jeremy was in deep thought. 'Yusei and Cody worked so hard to prepare themselves for this moment. And to think I was planning to help them out, using my project...'
Flashback
Jeremy was inside an old garage building. tinkering with something hidden underneath a big, worn blanket.
"So Jeremy, what is this project you're working with?" Cody asked curiously as his friend was about to head out.
"Sorry, but I don't want to spoil the surprise." Jeremy replied with a smile. "I'll let you guys know when it's finished."
Cody gave him an understanding smile. "Okay then."
Flashback end
'But now the plans have changed.'
"Yo, Jeremy! How's it going!" Someone called out.
Jeremy was brought out of his musings as he turned around and a saw a boy around his age standing there. He had dark-grey eyes and brushy-spiked orange hair with a viridian headband embroidered with two rings at the right side. He was wearing blue jeans, a yellow t-shirt, and a sleeveless brown cargo vest. He was also wearing a pair of earrings in the shape of washers. And finally, he had a bunch of criminal marks on his face. On the forehead, there were a single dot, right next to a big 'M'. And there were triangle shaped marks right at his eyes, follwed by lines running down his cheeks.
"Crow!" Jeremy smiled. "Long time no see!"
"It sure is is." Crow grinned and walked over to him, before giving him a fist bump. "So how's Yusei and Cody doing?"
"They're doing fine. In fact, they're about to do something big."
"And what is that?" Crow asked curiously.
Jeremy's smile widened a bit. "They're about to get to New Domino City!"
Crow's was shocked. "No way! They actually found a way to get to the city!"
"Yeah! It took a long time, but now they're ready to escape."
Crow chuckled. "Well, that's great! I wish I could join them. But unfortunately, someone has to look after those kids back home."
"And they're not causing you too much trouble?"
Crow shrugged. "Nah, they're all good. Although they always ask me for presents every time I show up."
Jeremy grinned. "They sure like getting something from you."
"They sure do. Anyway, do you need help with something?"
And it was then Jeremy gave him a serious look. "As a matter of fact, I do! I'm looking for some parts I need for my project! And I wish to finish it as soon as possible! It's something that Yusei and Cody need to know about before they leave!"
Crow was a little surprised by his tone, but gave him a smirk. "Wow! Sounds really important. Alrighty then, I'll help you out, if you agree to help me get some stuff of my own."
"Sure!"
Meanwhile. something else was going in a very tall building. It had this big sign with the word 'SECURITY' on one of the walls. This place was known as the Sector Security office.
And inside a big room, where some people were sitting in front of a bunch of monitors, Officer Trudge and Storm were talking to an old man with a flattop of grey hair and a matching mustache, wearing a suit. Trudge was eyeing on a set of new cards he just received. "Captain, I know you're less than happy about Yusei getting away, but is this new pursuit deck really necessary? Cuz I don't need any help catching that Satellite."
"Well, judging from your last duel with him, I beg to differ." The captain replied. "Now listen up, if I had my way you'd have been handing out parking tickets until you retire, and this special pursuit deck would've gone to someone who goes by the book. But apparently, Mr. Jack Atlas thinks you deserve a second chance. And when Jack Atlas says do something, I do it."
"No pressure there." Cindy commented.
That earned her a dirty look from Trudge. "Don't act so smug, rookie! As far as I know, you messed up as well."
Cindy rolled her eyes. "At least I didn't take this job to boost my ego like you."
The older officer gritted his teeth. "What did you say!?"
"The truth." Cindy plainly said. "I'm not denying the fact that I lost a turbo duel against a Satellite, but he refused to pull over, so dueling was my last resort. You on the other hand had your target cornered, but was stupid enough to accept his 'challenge' instead of following the rule book."
"Why you...!"
"Enough! Both of you!" The captain interfered. "Storm is not wrong, Trudge. If you had followed the rules, then we wouldn't have been discussing this in the first place. But as I said, you're lucky that Mr. Atlas is giving you another chance. So you better not waste it."
Trudge calmed down a bit and addressed the captain. "So what are my orders?"
"Find Yusei and his duel runner and bring them in. There are some very powerful people that want him off the streets permanently."
"Understood, Captain."
"And just so you remember, there are no third chances with Mr. Atlas. Am I making myself perfectly clear, Officer Trudge?"
"Yes, sir. He may have caught me off guard in our last duel, but next time I'll be ready." Trudge took another look at his new deck. "And will he ever be surprised. Thank you, sir. You won't be disappointed." He saluted to him and started to leave. He turned to one of the guys near the monitors. "When you lock onto the chip's homing signal, let me know."
"And there he goes." Cindy muttered.
"Now, as for you, Officer Storm." The captain spoke up, getting her attention. "I would like to discuss about your last duel. Don't get me wrong, it's not unusual for someone new to make mistakes, especially after working here in three weeks like you. But I am still surprised that a former pro duelist like you could end up losing to someone from the Satellite."
Cindy just shrugged. "To be fair Captain, I also expected all Satellites to be poor in dueling. But this Cody guy turned out to be more skilled than I thought. I guess I should blame myself for underestimating him."
The captain merely nodded. "In any case, I want you to keep doing your work. Just be sure that you do better from now on."
"Yes, sir."
"And if you ever run into Cody again, you better bring him in as well."
"Understood, Captain." She bowed to him and left the room.
"This will do." Jeremy said, putting some more things into a bag.
"Nice. That should be enough for now. Let's head back home." Crow said and gestured to a duel runner he parked nearby. It looked sleek and aerodynamic with wings and a black and yellow design. Crow got on the runner and moved a bit forward, before Jeremy sat behind him. "Alright, here we go!" And with that, Crow drove off.
"Yikes!" Jeremy exclaimed as he felt how fast they went.
"Still not used to ride on runners?" Crow asked with a smirk.
"Not much. Even after I took a ride with Cody. Especially when he turbo dueled Officer Storm."
"Who?"
"A new cop from Sector Security. She's a former pro duelist."
"Wow! They must be really desperate to catch us if they hire former pros." Crow commented. "So, I take it Cody had to fight hard to beat her?"
"Yeah, she really lived up to her dueling style. Honestly, I was worried that Cody would lose."
"But he didn't. We both know how good he is. And so is Yusei."
"That's true." Jeremy glanced to the sky. "Not sure if I'll be that good. I mean, I may be decent when it comes to the regular form of dueling. But..."
"Sounds like you're going to need help with more than your project." Crow noted. "In that case... Oh! We're here!" He pointed out as they reached their destination. It was a large shelter where some kids were playing around. And if one looked up, one could see a small arching bridge that looked like it hasn't been finished. Once Crow pulled over, the kids stopped what they were doing and ran up to them.
"It's Crow!"
"He's back!"
"Did you bring us anything!?"
"Alright kids, settle down!" Crow told them.
One of them noticed Jeremy. "Hey Crow, who's that?"
Crow smirked. "Oh, this is Jeremy!" He placed a hand on the purple-haired guy's shoulder. "This guy here is a mechanical magician. And also one of my and Yusei's pals. Now go on. Say hi."
"Hiii!" The kids greeted.
"Hey there." Jeremy greeted back with a smile.
"Alright then, as for what I brought you..." Crow reached into his own bag and pulled out some duel disks.
"Oooh!" The kids eyed on them in awe.
"Now calm down, you guys. These things aren't working so well. But..." Crow pointed his thumb towards Jeremy. "With our pal here, they will be good to go in no time!"
"Yay!" The kids cheered.
"Here you go! This is the last one." Crow said, handing over the last duel disk to a little girl.
"Thanks Crow!" She said happily before running over to her friends.
Crow smiled before turning to Jeremy, who was sitting at the table and tinkered with a few devices. "So how's it going?"
Jeremy looked up and smiled. "It's going smoothly. In fact, I'm actually finished!" He then put the devices into his bag. "Now my project will be ready to go."
"Sounds good. In that case... let's talk about your other problem."
Jeremy blinked. "What other problem?"
"Duh, I'm talking about turbo dueling. As you said earlier, you haven't learned it."
"Oh that. Well, I wouldn't call that a problem, but..."
"But nothing!" Crow interrupted. "You'll never know when you have to face someone in turbo dueling. And Crow Hogan is going to be your teacher!"
"Uuhh..." Jeremy gave him a weird look.
"Now let's start by taking a look at your deck!"
Meanwhile, somewhere else
"Come on, keep moving you morons!" A hooded thug screamed as he, along with two other hooded people, ran through small alleys.
"They just keep coming!" One of them cried out.
"We just can't get away from them!" The other one added.
"Shut your mouths!" The leader snapped. "If you have energy to complain, then use it to-OW!" Whatever he was about to say next, he couldn't finish it because the moment he reached the end of the alley, foot came came out from nowhere and knocked him out with a kick.
"Huh!?" The other two stopped, staring at the unconscious leader in shock, before the one responsible stepped forward. She folded her arms under her chest and gave them a smug look.
"Hello boys." Cindy greeted. "Going somewhere?~"
The two remaining thugs paled...
And cried with anime tears as they were taken away by Sector Security.
Cindy leaned against her duel runner with a satisfied look. "Well, I guess that's about it.
Meanwhile, after Crow and Jeremy(despite his few protests) went over his deck, they took off on the streets on Crow's duel runner again... Only this time, Crow wasn't the one driving.
"Uh, Crow? Can we stop this now?" Jeremy asked nervously. "I'm not sure this is a good idea..."
"Don't be such a killjoy, Jeremy!" Crow retorted with a grin. "Trust me, you're going to love driving! Now turn to left, right now!"
"Ah!" Jeremy yelped before he did as Crow told him. The duel runner slid and shook for a bit, making it a little dangerous, before Jeremy managed to get it under control.
"Not bad! But we should work on your control over your turns." Crow noted. "Now, turn to right!"
"Oh, come on!" Jeremy complained as he turned.
"Yikes!" Jeremy exclaimed as he and Crow were heading toward a massive chasm that ran through the Satellite. "Uh Crow, how about we turn..."
"No way!" Crow interrupted with a grin. "We're going forward! Full speed ahead!"
"But I..." Jeremy began panicking.
"Just do as I say and speed up!"
Jeremy thought Crow was getting crazy, but he sped up anyway. His heart was beating faster as they quickly approached the chasm. This didn't look good.
"Crow?"
"Okay, now!" Crow said and pointed to a button on the throttle. "Press the button!"
"Huh!?" Jeremy panicked again as he did as he was told.
"Flight mode engaged." The computer voice said as the runner unfolded a pair of wings before it was propelled forward by jets on its rear, propelling the two boys into the air.
"AAAAAHH!" Jeremy screamed.
"WOOHOOO!" Crow cried out wildly.
The duel runner soared through the air like a bird, flying over the deep chasm until it descended and landed on solid ground on the other side.
Somewhere nearby, a few minutes earlier
Cindy was sitting on her duel runner, taking a break from her work. And she was in deep thought. 'Looks like things are going better now. This reminds me of the good old days. When I was a dueling pro.' She then sighed. 'But that was then. After my duel against Jack, that was pretty much it. There's no way I'm gonna...' Her musings were interrupted when she saw a black and yellow duel runner pass by. "Well..." Cindy smirked. "Looks like I'm gonna have some fun." At that, she took off.
Jeremy was panting after that flying. He could almost hear his beating heart.
"Well, how'd you like that?" Crow asked with a smirk. When his friend didn't respond for a while, he started to get worried. But right before he spoke up again...
"That..." Jeremy started to say, as if he was in deep thought. "That was..." He paused for what felt like half a minute. "Incredible!" He exclaimed, his voice full of excitement. "I can't believe we actually flew like that!"
"I know, right?" Crow replied with a smirk. "So how do you like driving a duel runner now?"
"At first, I thought it was shaky. But now, it's really amazing! I can see why you, Yusei and Cody like it..." Before he could finish his sentence, everything turned purple. "What!? What is this!?" Jeremy questioned in shock.
Crow seemed to recognize this phenomenon. "Wait a sec... isn't this Speed World?" It was then he, along with Jeremy, noticed the computer acting on its own.
"Overriding suspect's duel runner." At that, the duel runner's duel mode was activated. "Autopilot engaged."
"Uh oh." Crow said.
"No way! Did we run into Sector Security?" Jeremy glanced left and right, looking for the culprit. Eventually, he noticed a Sector Security Duel Runner on his left. And as for its driver... "Huh?" Jeremy's eyes widened.
"Hi there!" Cindy greeted, waving to him.
"Oh man, it's Officer Storm!"
"So this is the former pro duelist you mentioned earlier." Crow said.
"It's been a while, cutie! How've you been?" Cindy winked.
Jeremy blushed because of that.
As for Crow, he blinked twice before he gave his friend an amused look. "Wow. I didn't know you had hots for female cops."
"It's nothing like that!" Jeremy exclaimed, his face now red as a tomato.
"In any case, you two are stuck in Speed World." Cindy spoke up, now more serious. "So you two can either pull over, or try to defeat me in a turbo duel! What's your choice?"
"Well, I was originally planning to let you just play some cards, just to let you know how it feels like to use them in speed." Crow stated, turning to his friend. "But it looks like you have to duel, right now!"
"What!? No way!" Jeremy protested. "I was barely getting used to drive this thing, but I can't possibly duel! Especially against a former pro like Cindy Storm!"
"Now stop you whining already!" Crow shouted, startling him. "You can't give up before even trying! Aren't you supposed to show your important project to Yusei and Cody before they leave the Satellite? You worked so hard to finish it, just for their sake! Yusei and Cody got the guts to reach their goal! And I know you do too! So don't chicken out now!"
Jeremy recovered from Crow's outburst, and then closed his eyes, thinking back to when Cody found the message from his parents, and when he helped him and Yusei to prepare their runners. He was silent for a long moment. And then, he finally opened his eyes, which were filled with nothing but determination. "You're right. I can't back down now. I've come too far to let my work be in vain. I.. I owe it to myself and the others!"
"That's more like it!" Crow smirked.
"Alright, Cindy! You want a duel..." Jeremy drew his opening hand. "You got one!"
"So you got some spunk, after all." Cindy smirked. "Well then..." She drew her own opening hand.
"LET'S DO THIS!"
Jeremy: 4000
Cindy: 4000
"Now let's see what you are made of!" Cindy drew her sixth card. "Remember this beauty? Your friend faced her before! It's Cyber Harpie Lady!" From a portal, the black armored Harpie with dark pink hair appeared. (ATK: 1800 DEF 1300 LV: 4) "And with that, I end my turn with a facedown!" A card appeared briefly.
"Alright, Jeremy. Time for you to shine!" Crow told him. "Now let her have it!"
"Okay, here goes." Jeremy said nervously and drew his sixth card.
Jeremy: 4000 SC: 0-1
Cindy: 4000 SC: 0-1
"First I'll place one card facedown..." A card appeared briefly. "Then I'll summon Scrap Goblin in defense mode!" A tiny figure appeared next to Crow's duel runner. It was humanoid, and was made of some scrap metal. For example, its main body was a camera and its left arm was a fork. (ATK: 0 DEF: 500 LV: 3)
"..." Cindy blinked at this.
"I end my turn." Jeremy concluded.
"You sure that's all you can do?" Crow asked.
"For now... yeah."
"Really? I'm afraid that doesn't impress me." Cindy commented, disappointed. "At least your friend Cody did much better. Let me show you how it's done!" She drew.
Jeremy: 4000 SC: 1-2
Cindy: 4000 SC: 1-2
"After our last encounter, I decided to change my deck a bit. I summon Harpie Lady 1!" At that, another Harpie appeared. She looked like Cyber Harpie Lady, except that she was clad in a purple body suit instead of armor. (ATK: 1300 DEF: 1400 LV: 4) "And this lady is going to tear your goblin to pieces! As long as she remains on the field, all wind monsters on the field gain 300 attack points!" A green aura enveloped the two harpies. (ATK: 1300-1600) (ATK: 1800-2100) "Now attack his Scrap Goblin!" The Harpie without armor took flight and dive bombed on the tiny monster, landing a powerful kick on it... But to Cindy's confusion, it survived. "What!?"
"My Scrap Goblin has a special ability!" Jeremy explained with a smile. "It can't be destroyed in battle!"
"Nice!" Crow grinned.
"Not bad, I guess." Cindy said. "I'll just end my..." As she spoke, Scrap Goblin exploded. "...turn?" She ended her sentence, surprised by this.
"My Scrap Goblin has a weakness. After being targeted for an attack while being in defense mode, it self-destructs at the end of the battle phase." Jeremy explained.
"I see." Cindy replied, blinking. "Well, as I was saying, I end my turn."
"My turn!" Jeremy drew.
Jeremy: 4000 SC: 2-3
Cindy: 4000 SC: 2-3
"And I summon Scrap Chimera in attack mode!" A new monster appeared, and like Scrap Goblin, this monster was made of scrap metal. It had the likeness of a lion, with a pair of wings, and a snake-headed tail. (ATK: 1700 DEF: 500 LV: 4) "And next I activate its special ability." The chimera roared as a portal opened. "Since it was normal summoned, I'm allowed to summon a tuner monster from my graveyard, as long as it has the word 'Scrap' in its name!"
"A tuner monster!?" Cindy repeated.
"That's right! So now I'll recycle my Scrap Goblin!" The tiny goblin of scrap metal emerged from the portal. (ATK: 0 DEF: 500 LV: LV: 3) "And now when it's back, it's time to give Scrap Chimera a tune up!" The goblin's body turned into 3 stars, which turned into rings of green light. They then lined up before the chimera went through. "As our friend, Yusei once told me: Even the tiniest scrap has value! And this one proves it!" The chimera's body became transparent and revealed 4 stars. The stars lined up, and created a single ray of light that grew bigger and bigger. "I synchro summon Scrap Archfiend!" A large humanoid fiend appeared from the fading light. It's body was made of metal, and it had horns and wings. (ATK: 2700 DEF: 1800 LV: 7)
"Whoa!" Cindy said. "And here I thought dueling you was about to get boring."
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Crow complimented. "Now go get her!"
"Got it! Scrap Archfiend, attack!" The fiendish scrap creature flew towards Cindy's runner and landed a strong punch on Harpie Lady 1, shattering her into pixels.
Cindy: 4000-2900 SC: 3-2 (ATK: 2100-1800)
"I'll end my turn." Jeremy concluded. "So far so good."
"But not for long." Cindy muttered and drew.
Jeremy: 4000 SC: 3-4
Cindy: 2900 SC: 2-3
"First I'm gonna summon Harpie Harpist in attack mode!" Another Harpie appeared on the field. This one had long red hair, and was clad in black. And she was carrying a small harp. (ATK: 1700 DEF: 600 LV: 4) "And next I activate her ability! After being normal summoned, she lets me choose a winged beast type monster other than herself on my field, and one face-up monster on yours. And then, those two are forced to return to the hand."
"No way!" Jeremy cried out as the harpist played the harp. And then, a green aura enveloped Cyber Harpie and Scrap Archfiend before they left the field.
"Too bad for you." Cindy smirked. "And next I'll discard a card from my hand..." She slid a card into her duel disk. "...so I can activate Hysteric Party!" Her facedown card flipped up.
"Not that card again!"
Crow looked at his friend curiously. "So what does that do?"
"It lets her summon as many Harpie Ladies as possible from her graveyard." Jeremy explained.
"And including the card I just discarded, I got two!" Cindy pointed out as Harpie Lady 1 and Cyber Harpie reappeared. (ATK: 1300 DEF: 1400 LV: 4) (ATK: 1800 DEF: 1300 LV: 4) "And as you know, Harpie Lady 1 gives all wind monsters on the field 300 more attack points!" (ATK: 1300-1600) (ATK: 1800-2100) (ATK: 1700-2000)
"That's not good." Crow commented.
"Now you're finished! Harpie Harpist, direct attack!" The named Harpie started to play her harp. And when she did, it unleashed a strong gust that struck Crow's runner, making Jeremy lose control for a moment.
Jeremy: 4000-2000 SC: 4-2
The loss of life points forced the duel runner to slow down. Now Cindy was ahead of the guys. "And now for the final attack! Cyber Harpie, attack!" The black armored Harpie turned and flew towards the boys.
"I activate the trap card, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Jeremy facedown card flipped and released a scarecrow that was made of scrap metal. Because it was in the way, Cyber Harpie stopped herself. "With this trap card, I can negate one of your attacks! After that, it doesn't go to the graveyard. It returns to its facedown position." As he said that, the scarecrow went back into the trap card before it flipped down.
"Man, that was a close one." Crow sighed in relief.
"Don't relax just yet, boys!" Cindy called out. "I can still strike with Harpie Lady 1!" The monster in question quickly approached Crow's duel runner and landed a slashing strike on Jeremy, who cried out.
Jeremy: 2000-0400 SC: 2-1
After the Harpie returned to her side, Cindy raised her right hand in the air. "And with that done, it's time for Cyber Harpie to give Harpie Harpist a tune up!" At that, Cyber Harpie's body turned into 4 stars, and then into rings of light before they lined up.
"Hold on! None of those monsters is a tuner!" Crow protested.
Jeremy had a worried look on his face. "True, but the monster she's about to summon can use one of them as a tuner!"
Cindy smirked at his words. "I'm glad you still remember my Cyber Slash Harpie Lady." Harpie Harpist flew through the rings before she became transparent and revealed four stars. And then, they were swallowed by a bright light. "Now let's see if you can handle her as well as Cody did!" The light died down and revealed the dark pink haired Harpie in golden armor. (ATK: 2600-2900 DEF: 1400 LV: 8) "And then I'll place one card facedown." A card appeared briefly. "And to wrap things up, I can activate Harpie Harpist's effect!" The spirit of the named monster appeared. "At the end of the turn, if she's in the graveyard because she was sent there this turn, I can take a level 4 winged beast type monster with up to 1500 attack points from my deck, and add it to my hand." She took a card from her deck and added it to her hand.
"My turn." Jeremy drew.
Jeremy: 0400 SC: 1-2
Cindy: 2900 SC: 3-4
Jeremy looked at the card he drew before playing it. "I activate the speed spell, Angel Baton! This lets me draw two cards from my deck, and then discard one card." He drew his extra cards, looked at them, and then discarded one card. "Next I summon Scrap Shark in attack mode!" A big shark appeared. Its body was like the others: totally made of scrap metal and items. (ATK: 2100 DEF: 0 LV: 4) "Now attack Harpie Lady 1!" The shark dashed towards the named monster and opened its mouth.
"You just triggered the trap card, Aqua Chorus!" Cindy's facedown card flipped up. "As long as this card is active, if there are at least two monsters on the field with the same name, they gain 500 attack and defense points!"
Crow smirked to her. "I think you need your eyes checked, because none of your two Harpies are the same."
"Actually..." Jeremy spoke up. "Their special abilities make it so their names become 'Harpie Lady'."
"Seriously!?" Crow asked incredulously.
"Got that right." Cindy replied. "But since Harpie Lady 1's attack points will become the same as your shark, I think I'm gonna..." She couldn't finish her sentence as the shark suddenly exploded. Once again, Cindy was confused. "What just happened?"
"As soon as a spell, trap or monster effect is activated, Scrap Shark is automatically destroyed." Jeremy explained.
"That's a crappy ability if you ask me."
"Not entirely. Because I got this..." From a portal, a new monster emerged. It was a bird with a body made of scrap metal. It had red eyes and searchlights on top of its body. (ATK: 100 DEF: 300 LV: 1) "When a Scrap monster I control is destroyed, I can special summon Scrap Searcher from my graveyard."
"And when did that little birdie of yours end up there?" Cindy asked.
"When I used my Angel Baton." Jeremy replied.
"Well, for a pile of scrap metal, that is one cool bird." Crow complimented.
"And that's not all. My Scrap Shark has another effect. After it's destroyed by the effect of a Scrap monster, I can send one Scrap monster from my deck to the graveyard." Jeremy took a card that stuck out of his deck and slid it into his graveyard slot.
"You may have replaced your destroyed monster with a new one, but from the looks of things, I say you're about to be blown away. Especially since my Aqua Chorus card gives my monsters a power boost." (ATK: 1600-2100 DEF: 1400-1900) (ATK: 2900-3400 DEF: 1400-1900)
Jeremy frowned. "I place one card facedown and end my turn." A card appeared briefly.
"My turn!" Cindy drew.
Jeremy: 0400 SC: 2-3
Cindy: 2900 SC: 4-5
"And I think I'll bring out another friend to the field. Another Harpie Lady 1 in attack mode!" An exact copy of the named monster appeared.
"Another one!?" The boys said at the same time.
Cindy smirked to them. "Why only have one Harpie Lady 1 on the field when two are twice the fun?" The new monster glowed with a green aura. (ATK: 1300-1600-1900-2400 DEF: 1400-1900 LV: 4) (ATK: 2100-2400) (ATK: 3400-3700)
"Oh boy!" Crow muttered.
"I'm afraid your little bird is about to get its wings clipped! Now attack!" One of the Harpie Lady 1 turned around, flew towards the metallic bird and tore it to pieces with her talons. "And now to end this! Cyber Slash Harpie, attack!" The golden armored Harpie turned around...
"I activate my trap!" Jeremy interrupted.
"Playing that scarecrow again, are we?"
"No, I'm using my other trap!" His other facedown card flipped up. "Pinpoint Guard! When you attack, I can select one level 4 or below monster from my graveyard, and summon it to the field in defense mode. And I resurrect Scrap Goblin!" The tiny scrap metal figure appeared and crouched down. (ATK: 0 DEF: 500 LV: 3)
"Looks like you saved yourself this turn. But you won't be so lucky next turn, after my Harpie strikes your goblin!" The golden armored Harpie landed strong kick on the goblin. And as everyone expected, it survived this battle. After the Harpie returned to her, Cindy waited for a while. But nothing else happened, much to her annoyance. "Well? Go ahead and blow up! That monster is supposed to be destroyed at the end of the battle phase!"
"Not this time." Jeremy smiled. "You see, since it was summoned by the effect of Pinpoint Guard, it can't be destroyed by card effects."
Cindy's eyes widened. "You mean your monster is safe from its own effect!?"
"For this turn, at least."
Crow grinned. "This just isn't your day, Officer."
"I admit you're doing well so far. But you can't win a duel with defense alone. You need to attack, or take the hit!" She then slid a card into her duel runner. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."
'I hate to admit it, but she's right.' Jeremy thought worriedly. 'I won't get anywhere with only defense. I need to take care of her Harpies, and fast.' He then drew. "My turn!"
Jeremy: 0400 SC: 3-4
Cindy: 2900 SC: 5-6
He looked at the card he drew and smiled. "Okay." That got Cindy's attention. "I release my Scrap Goblin in order to advance summon Scrap Golem!" The goblin's body became bright before it transformed into a colorful portal. And from it, a bigger monster made of scrap metal appeared. Its main body was a fridge, its right arm had a red propeller instead of a hand, and it had a TV acting as its head with red eyes glowing in its screen. (ATK: 2300 DEF: 1400 LV: 5)
"No offense, but that pile of junk is no match for my Harpies." Cindy pointed out.
"Maybe its special ability will change your opinion. Once per turn, I can summon a level 4 or below Scrap monster from my graveyard. So once again, I summon back Scrap Goblin!" The metallic appeared right next to the golem. (ATK: 0 DEF: 500 LV: 3)
"Don't tell me..." Cindy trailed off as her eyes widened in realization.
"And now I'll tune my Scrap Goblin with Scrap Golem in order to synchro summon Scrap Dragon!" The goblin turned into stars and then rings of light before lining up. The golem then went through them before being transparent, revealing 5 stars. And they were then engulfed by a ray of light. "Now come on out my mighty beast!" The light died down and revealed the dragon that let out a loud roar. Its body was made of bits of scrap metal. Some of them formed a pair of big wings and a long tail. (ATK: 2800 DEF: 2000 LV: 8)
"Nice monster." Cindy complimented. "Too bad it's too weak to defeat my Cyber Slash Harpie Lady."
"Don't be so sure! First I'll place two cards facedown!" Two cards appeared briefly. "And now I activate Scrap Dragon's special ability! Once per turn, I can select 1 one card on my field, and 1 card on yours. And then, both of them are destroyed!"
Cindy gasped. "But then..."
"Yes, I'll destroy one of my facedown cards in order to destroy your Cyber Slash Harpie Lady!" The dragon let out a loud screech that caused all other monsters cover their ears. One of Jeremy's three facedown cards was shaking.
As for Cyber Slash Harpie Lady, while covering her ears in pain, a purple aura started to engulf her.
"Atta boy!" Crow cheered. "Once she is gone, you can just..."
"I activate my trap! Interdimensional Matter Transporter!" Cindy interrupted and revealed her facedown card. "This lets me remove one of my monsters from play! And then, at the end of the turn, that monster returns to the field!"
"What!?" Crow exclaimed.
"No way!" Jeremy said in disbelief.
"I'm afraid it's true." Cindy smirked. "But before that happens, I activate Cyber Slash Harpie's special ability. Whenever a spell or trap card is activated, I can send one monster the field back to its owner's hand! Or, in your dragon's case... your extra deck!" The Harpie's eyes glowed green. And then, Jeremy's dragon was engulfed by a green aura before it disappeared.
"Oh no!"
"And with that done, my Cyber Slash Harpie leaves the field, far from your dragon's ability..." The named monster vanished. "And that just leaves your facedown card being the dragon's only target left." Jeremy's middle card shattered into pixels.
"You gotta be joking!" Crow said.
Jeremy gritted his teeth and lowered his head. "I end my turn."
"Ooh, is the little cutie out of options?" Cindy taunted. "That's too bad, especially since my Cyber Slash Harpie is making her comeback!" The named monster reappeared. (ATK: 2600-3700 DEF: 1400-1900 LV: 8) "Now then..." She drew.
Jeremy: 0400 SC: 4-5
Cindy: 2900 SC: 6-7
"I think it's time for me to take you two in! Cyber Slash Harpie, end this duel with Super Talon Strike!" The golden armored Harpie turned to the boys and flew towards them.
"I... I failed!" Jeremy said with hopelessness in his voice.
"It's not over!" Crow encouraged him. "I know you can turn this around!"
"But how!? My Scrap-Iron Scarecrow can only stop one attack per turn! And..." Jeremy said before he suddenly remembered. "Wait!" He glanced at his other facedown. "I still have another card in play! I activate King's Consonance!" It flipped up and created a barrier that blocked the Harpie's talon strike.
"What!?" Cindy exclaimed.
Jeremy sighed in relief. 'To think that I almost forgot about this card...'
Flashback
In their hideout, Jeremy looked over the cards he had on the floor, thinking really hard.
"Hey, Jeremy!" Someone greeted. He looked up and saw Cody standing right in front of him. "What are you doing?"
"Oh, hey Cody. Nothing special. I'm just going through my deck, is all."
"I see. Let me take a look." Cody kneeled down and checked on some of the cards. He hummed thoughtfully. He then smiled. "Well, I gotta admit, these cards are interesting. Especially when they are destroyed. But, I think you need something to support that kind of power." He then rubbed his chin for a moment until. "I know!" He then took out his deck and went through it before he I picked a card. "This one!" He then handed it to Jeremy, who looked at it curiously.
"King's Consonance? Are you sure I should have this?" He asked hesitantly.
"Trust me." Cody smiled. "I'm certain that it will help you when you're in a pinch."
Flashback end
'It seems you were right, Cody. Thank you.' Jeremy thought as the Harpie was forced back to Cindy's runner.
"What just happened?" She questioned.
"This is the effect of King's Consonance! Since your monster was trying to attack me directly, I was able to use it to negate your attack!"
Cindy scoffed. "You stopped one attack, but you still have two more Harpies to worry about. And you can only use that scarecrow once per turn."
"Good thing I don't need to."
"Huh?"
"My King's Consonance isn't done. You see, after negating your attack, I'm allowed to use its second effect! And that effect lets me take monsters from my graveyard in order to synchro summon a level 8 or below monster!"
"Say what!?" Cindy's eyes widened.
And then, from a portal, Scrap Goblin and Golem returned to the field. "So once again, I tune my Scrap Goblin and Scrap Golem in order to synchro summon Scrap Dragon!" The goblin's body turned into rings of light and lined up before the golem went through. And once again, its body became transparent and revealed 5 stars before being engulfed in a single ray of light. It grew bigger and bigger before it died down and revealed the intimidating dragon of scrap metal. (ATK: 2800 DEF: 2000 LV: 8)
"Dude, you're like an oiled machine today." Crow commented.
Cindy didn't show it, but she formed an impressed smile on her face. She then inserted a card into her duel runner. "You may be safe for now, but do you think you can take me on next turn?"
"I'm sure I can, now that my dragon is back! My move!" Jeremy drew.
Jeremy: 0400 SC: 5-6
Cindy: 2900 SC: 7-8
"And now, I..."
"I activate my trap!" Cindy interrupted, surprising Jeremy as her facedown card flipped up. "It's called Raigeki Break! And this lets me discard one card from my hand in order to destroy one card on the field."
Jeremy gasped.
"Oh man." Crow muttered. "Then that means..."
"You can say goodbye to your dragon!" After Cindy discarded one of her cards, the trap card shot out a bolt of lightning that zapped Jeremy's dragon until it exploded.
"Oh no!" Jeremy said.
"And that's that." Cindy said. "This was fun. But I'm afraid you two are about be taken to the facility."
Jeremy closed his eyes, full of disbelief. 'I don't believe it! Just when I thought I could win, she pulled a fast one on me. Looks like... I won't be able to return to my friends! Yusei... Cody... I'm sorry."
It was then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He slowly looked back and saw Crow's smirking face. "Don't give up just yet, Jeremy. This duel is still on."
"What are you talking about? She just destroyed my monster like it was nothing! It's over!"
"Really? I think your dragon is telling you otherwise!" Crow pointed to the screen of his runner.
When Jeremy looked at it, he saw the blinking image of Scrap Dragon. "Oh, I forgot! My Scrap Dragon has another effect!"
"What!?" Cindy's eyes widened.
"Since you destroyed my dragon, I can now summon one of the other Scrap monsters from my graveyard!" A portal appeared next to Crow's duel runner. "Now I summon Scrap Soldier!" And from it, a tall humanoid figure made of scrap metal appeared. It's head had one glowing lamp acting as its eye, and its right arm had a red spear instead of a hand. (ATK: 2100 DEF: 700 LV: 5)
"I don't remember sending that to the graveyard." Cindy said.
"But I did. By using the effect of my Scrap Shark." Jeremy replied. "And speaking of my Shark, I'm gonna summon a second one to the field in attack mode!" The Scrap Soldier was joined by a second metallic shark. (ATK: 2100 DEF: 0 LV: 4) "And now I'll tune my Scrap Soldier and Scrap Shark!" The soldier's body turned into 5 rings of light and then lined up before the shark went through. Its body became transparent and revealed five stars. "And now my two metallic friends will join together to form a creature of mechanical might!" The stars were engulfed by a ray of light. "I synchro summon Scrap Twin Dragon!" The light died down and revealed a new dragon. It had two heads with green glowing eyes, and looked more intimidating than the previous dragon. (ATK: 3000 DEF: 2200 LV: 9)
"Unbelievable!" Cindy said in disbelief.
"I'm afraid it's true!" Jeremy said. "And if you think my first dragon was terrifying, just watch as I'll use my Twin Dragon's special ability! Once per turn, I can destroy one card on my field, and then send two of your cards back to your hand!"
"What!?"
"Awesome!" Crow grinned.
"So I'll destroy my Scrap-Iron Scarecrow..." The named card flipped up before shattering into pixels. "...to get rid of your Cyber Slash Harpie, along with one of the other two Harpies!" The two dragon heads let out a combined roar that pushed Cindy's monsters before they vanished. "And now your remaining Harpie is weakened!" (ATK: 2400-1600) "Next I activate a speed spell! Zero Reverse!"
"What does that do?" Cindy wondered.
"Since I have over 3 speed counters, I get to resurrect a monster that was destroyed by a card effect. The only downside is that the monster summoned by this speed spell will be forced to have 0 attack points. But that's fine, since the monster I'm summoning is my Scrap Dragon!" From a portal, Jeremy's first dragon emerged. (ATK: 2800-0 DEF: 2000 LV: 8) "And with its special ability, my dragon can destroy one of my cards to destroy one of yours. So I'll let my dragon destroy itself in order to destroy your remaining Harpie!" The dragon was enveloped by yellow energy before it took flight and tackled the Harpie. And then, both of them exploded.
"Oh no!" Cindy exclaimed.
"Now, Scrap Twin Dragon, attack her directly! Double Scrap Blast!" The two-headed dragon shot energy beams that joined together into one and swallowed Cindy's duel runner, making her cry out.
Cindy: 2900-0000
And with that, Cindy's duel runner released smoke from its frame and stopped. As the boy drove away, Cindy got off her duel runner and coughed before taking off her helmet. She looked forward and watched Crow's duel runner getting farther away. "Well, that's the second time I lost to someone from the Satellite. I think I've lost my touch. Although... I can't say this duel was boring." She then smiled "Jeremy, huh? I hope I'll get another chance to capture you. I wouldn't mind giving you an 'interrogation'."
As they got further away from the officer, Jeremy was awfully quiet. After all, he never thought he would end up in a turbo duel against a former pro... and win. "I... won. I actually won!"
"See, I told you. You really do have a knack for turbo duels." Crow said, smiling proudly to his friend.
"Guess I shouldn't have doubted you like that." Jeremy replied, smiling back. He then exhaled. "But, I've had enough of adventures today. I need to get to work."
"No problem. Let's head back!" And so, they headed back...
And took all the devices Jeremy fixed to the old garage building. "Okay, time to get started." Jeremy said as he was about to get inside.
"Then I guess that's my cue to leave." Crow said, getting on his duel runner. "Good luck, pal. You're going to need it."
"Thanks, Crow."
"Oh, and when you get back to the others, can you tell them that Crow said hi?"
"Sure." Jeremy replied with a nod.
"Well, I'm off then. See ya!" At that, he drove away.
Jeremy watched his friend leave his sight, before turning to his project, hidden underneath the blanket. "Time to go!" He said seriously.
Later that day
"And it's finished!" Jeremy said as he was running down the streets. "I finally put it together! Now to tell Yusei, Cody and the others!" He reached the stairway that lead him to the subway tunnel where their hideout was. "Yusei! Cody! Are you guys here?" When he got inside, he was confused to find the place empty. "Guys? Where are you?" He then heard some commotion from further away. "Hm?" He followed the noise and came to the area where he saw all his friends. And from the looks of things, Yusei was being congratulated by the others for some reason. He also noticed three unknown guys walking away from them. "Guys?"
That got their attention as they saw Jeremy approach him. "Jeremy! There you are." Cody said, glad to see him.
"Where have you been?" Blitz asked.
"Well..." Jeremy trailed off. "I needed to do something really important."
"And what's that?" Tank asked.
"I'll tell you guys the details, but first..." Jeremy pointed to the three guys who left. "What's the deal with those guys?"
"Oh them?" Nervin smiled. "Just some bullies who tried to steal Yusei and Cody's runners."
"But Yusei wiped the floor with their leader!" Rally added. "It was a bunch of bugs, trying to take him out,, but Yusei smashed him!"
"Is that so?" Jeremy asked with a smile.
"Yeah, and I'm sure they learned their lesson." Yusei replied. "So then, what have you been up to?"
"I was away in my workshop and worked on my project. I was able to finish it with some help from Crow."
"Crow?" Cody repeated. "It's been a while since we saw him! How's he doing?"
"He's fine. And so are the kids he's taking care of."
"Glad to hear." Yusei said.
"Now then..." Jeremy got serious. "About my project... it's something that I've been working for a long time. Something that you guys definitely should know about."
Cody sensed his seriousness and narrowed his eyes. "And what is this project of yours?"
"My project is..." Jeremy paused for a moment. The suspense was almost killing some of the guys, mainly Nervin, Tank and Rally, while the rest of them waited patiently. Eventually, Jeremy said a few more words.
"My very own way to get to the city."
Phew, Im done. It was actually kinda tricky for me to write the dueling part of this chapter, but I hope you guys liked it. Until next time.