Dueling For Respect - Part 1
The last time we saw Cody and Yusei, they ran into the Jack Atlas, their former friend. Cody took off, along with Cindy, so Yusei could deal with Jack himself. Both of them headed to the Kaiba Dome, where Yusei could face Jack in a turbo duel. And it was an intense duel. But, something unexpected happened before their duel could reach the end: some glowing red marks appeared on their arms. The same thing happened to Cody when he and Cindy met up with Jeremy. And then, during their duel, a big crimson red dragon suddenly appeared, and knocked Yusei and Jack off the field, interrupting their duel. And not just that, the dragon caused a blackout in the entire city. Finally, before Yusei could get some answers from Jack regarding the glowing marks, he was surrounded by Security officers.
And now, as for Cody and the others...
"What in the world just happened?" Cody asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine." Cindy replied, still stunned by tonight's event. "I mean, first there was some kind of glowing mark on your arm, and now the whole city is suffering a blackout. Not to mention that strange red light in the distance."
"What was the deal with that mark anyway?" Jeremy wondered.
"I don't know." Cody looked at his arm, where the glowing mark appeared earlier. "How did it even appear on my arm? Just what is going on here?"
And then suddenly, the city buildings started to lit up, one after another.
"Oh! The power is back!" Jeremy pointed out.
"Ah!" Cindy widened her eyes as some kind of buzzing sound came from one of her pockets.
"What's that?" Cody asked.
"Just my phone. Probably from the headquarters." She pulled it out of the pocket and answered. "Cindy Storm here."
"Storm, it's the captain." The person on the other end of the line answered.
"What's up, Captain?"
"I wanted to make sure you were okay. I couldn't contact you earlier because of the blackout."
"That's understandable."
"So what's your status?"
"Well..." Cindy paused for a moment before coming up with a story. "Earlier tonight, I found Cody driving on the street past curfew. So I tried to stop him by dueling him. Unfortunately..." She glanced at the gemini duelist. "He defeated me. And for some reason, my duel runner started to malfunction and I lost control. And then..." She paused again thinking about what to say next. "I crashed."
"Oh!" The captain sounded surprised. "Are you hurt?"
"Just a few bruises, but otherwise, I'm completely fine. My runner, on the other hand, is totally busted. I won't be able to use it again."
"I see. I'll be sure to get you a new one. In the meantime, I suggest you take the rest of the week off."
"Understood, Captain." At that, she hung up.
"You... actually lied to him?" Jeremy asked.
Cindy smiled. "As I said earlier, I've decided to help you guys find what you're looking for. And luckily for me, the captain lets me take the rest of the week off, giving me plenty of time to do that."
"Sounds good. Now then..." Cody glanced towards the city buildings. "What to do?"
"(Yawn) Actually..." Jeremy spoke up tiredly. "I don't think I can do anything more tonight. How about we find a place where we can stay for the night?"
Cody smiled. "Yeah, good idea."
"In that case..." Cindy spoke up. "I know someone who can help."
"Who?"
"Just a friend of mine. She can give you guys a place to sleep."
"Fine by me. But first..." Jeremy glanced at his submarine. "I need to hide my submarine somewhere."
And so, after leaving the submarine in a place where it couldn't be found, the two boys were walking right behind Cindy. Cody was dragging his duel runner on the way. Because it didn't have enough space for three people to ride on. As they walked, Cody and Jeremy couldn't help but admire the city life around them. People wandered the streets, enjoying the nightlife and laughing as they went about their lives. Not many people took note of the trio, who walked around with the duel runner.
"New Domino City." Cody muttered.
"I can't believe we actually managed to get here." Jeremy added.
"You ain't seen nothing yet." Cindy replied with smirk. "I know a big mall nearby I could show you guys someday."
"So, about this friend of yours..." Cody turned his attention to her.
"Oh, she's a neighbor who lives a floor above my apartment. And she's also a reliable friend."
"What kind of person is she?" Jeremy asked curiously.
"Well... she doesn't talk much. And when it comes to jobs, she works using her computer, so she doesn't come out often. Ah, we're here!"
The two boys looked and saw a tall building. It was plain white, an appeared to have over 10 floors.
DING DONG!
Cindy rang the doorbell of an apartment that was on the building's eight floor. The trio waited for a short moment before the door opened.
"Yes?" A young woman answered. She appeared to be around their age. She was pretty slim, had brown hair in shoulder length, and was clad in a green t-shirt that was a little big and revealed her left shoulder, and a pair of jeans. She was also wearing glasses over her gray eyes. Although, judging from how tired they looked, this person didn't have much sleep lately. She rubbed her eyes before noticing Cindy. "Oh, Cindy."
"Hey, Beth." Cindy greeted. She then noted her friend's sleepy look. "Working late again, huh?"
"Yeah, just a lot more to write." Beth sighed. "And the deadline is in the morning."
"Tough luck."
Beth finally noticed the two boys. "Who are they?"
"Oh, just two acquaintances of mine. They kinda need a place to stay."
Beth tilted her head. "Why not let them sleep in your place?"
"Because I don't have guest rooms like you." Cindy repeated.
"That's true." The young brown-haired woman stepped aside. "Welcome."
"Thank you." Cody said gratefully as he and Jeremy walked in. They took note of the living room that was linked to the kitchen. There was a small TV at the corner, a small tea table in the middle and a desk with a computer at the wall. The computer appeared to be on.
"Okay." Cindy spoke up, getting their attention. "I'll meet you guys 8:30 AM, and then we can discuss about you know what?"
"Sounds good to me." Cody replied.
"Same here." Jeremy said with a yawn.
"Well then, see ya." At that, Cindy left.
"Thanks again for having us here." Cody said.
"Sorry for bothering you." Jeremy added.
Beth tilted her head again. "It's fine. Cindy seems to like you two, so I don't mind." She then walked over to her computer and continued her work. She then pointed to a direction, which the boys followed and saw a hallway. "The two guest rooms are on the left side of the hallway."
"Okay." Cody nodded.
"It's really kind of you letting us stay." Jeremy said appreciatively.
"..." Beth just kept typing on her computer.
"She really isn't much of a talker." Jeremy commented.
"Anyway, let's head to the bed." Cody suggested. "We have big day tomorrow."
"Right." At that, the boys took one guest room each, which was pretty average with a single bed and a nightstand.
It was a very bright day, and many kids were playing around in a park. However, a young boy was sitting alone on one of the swings.
"Hmmm..." Cody sighed.
"Hey there." A young female voice greeted.
Cody lifted his head up slowly as he noticed someone with a turquoise skirt. He then noticed her white t-shirt. He even noticed some locks of black hair dangling on the front. But before he could see her face...
BANG!
Cody found himself in a dark place. And it was raining.
"NOO! NOOOO! HOW DARE YOU-!"
BANG!
Cody gasped in horror at that loud sound. And before he knew it, a gun appeared right in front of his face. And then...
BANG!"
"Aaah!" Cody cried as he jolted. He panted heavily for a moment before he looked around. He then recognized the bed room he found himself in. He placed a hand on his forehead. "That nightmare again. I just don't seem to get over it. And who was that girl I saw."
Some minutes later, Cody got changed and came to the kitchen where Jeremy was enjoying his breakfast, which was eggs and toast. "Good morning Cody."
"Morning." He simply replied and took a seat where his own dish was already prepared.
"You sleep well?" Jeremy asked.
"More or less." Cody said, not feeling like talking about his nightmare.
"Well I certainly did." Jeremy replied as he happily ate his meal.
DING DONG!
"Hm?" Cody turned to the door in the entrance hall, where the sound of the doorbell came from.
"I'll take it." Beth said as she passed by and headed to the door and opened it.
"Morning, Beth!" A familiar voice greeted.
"Morning, Cindy. Cody and Jeremy are awake if you want to meet with them."
"Thank you." Beth came back with Cindy behind. And the latter was wearing regular clothes instead of her uniform. She was wearing a black t-shirt that showed off her midriff. She was also wearing a pair of jeans shorts and black boots with heels. Jeremy couldn't help but blush because of her outfit. It clearly showed off her curves. "Hey guys! Did you wait long."
"Not really." Cody replied while Jeremy merely nodded, still blushing.
"Alright, in that case..."
"(Yawn)" Before Cindy could speak further, she turned to Beth who let out a yawn.
"I take it you've been working all night." Cindy guessed with a knowing smile.
"Yeah..." Beth replied while rubbing her eyes. "But I just finished my work minutes ago and sent it to my editor..."
"Then you earned yourself a nap. Come here." Cindy took her friend away to her bed room and let her sleep. "Okay, as I was saying..." Cindy took a seat at the kitchen table with the boys. "How about we go over what we're about to do?"
"Right." Jeremy replied and brought up a laptop and turned it on. "Cody already told you about this, but I'm gonna say it anyway. One day, back in the Satellite, Cody happened to find a memory card, containing a recorded message from his parents." He turned the laptop around to show her the image of Cody's parents.
"So these are your parents, huh?" Cindy said, eyeing on the image.
"Yeah." Cody said almost with low a tone in his voice.
"They kinda look like important people. Maybe even wealthy."
"Any chance you know anything about them?" Cody asked hopefully.
Cindy was quiet for a moment before shaking her head. "Sorry, but I can't say for sure."
"I see." Cody lowered his head.
"Anyway..." Jeremy spoke up again and turned the laptop so he could type on it. "According to what they said in their message, they hid the next one here..." He turned it around again and showed the image the old-looking warehouse district. "It's buried right under this place. And that's where we're going."
"Sounds simple enough." Cindy said confidently.
"Then let's get going." Cody declared.
"Sure, but before we do that, there's something I need to get first." Cindy said, getting curious looks from the boys.
Cody and Jeremy watched as Cindy approached a garage and opened the gate. And when she did, they saw something covered in a tarp. "Now let's see if this beauty works just as it used to." Cindy said as she approached and removed the tarp.
Cody and Jeremy widened their eyes at the sight of what she just revealed.
Meanwhile, inside a tall building, something else was happening. Inside a dark courtroom, a judge was going through complaints about those who were caught doing things they shouldn't. "Who's next?" The judge said in a bored tone as the next sat in a chair. And that person was none other than... "Yusei Fudo? Look at him, he's a boy, what's so bad about this kid?" The judge sounded exasperated. "Let's check out the complaint. Mr. Yusei Fudo... turbo dueling without a license, blah blah, malicious mischief, blady blah blah... entering the limits of New Domino City without a permit! Hmm... well now, we can't have that, can we? So here's a little tracking dye."
A machine that kinda looked like a gun descended from the ceiling. It then fired a laser. As it hit Yusei's skin, a yellow triangle was formed near his left eye. And then, the laser drew a yellow line from that eye down to the bottom of his jaw. "Is this supposed to tickle?" He asked sarcastically.
"It's supposed to make sure that we can keep an eye on you." The judge replied. "Now, to discuss punishment; I believe a few months in the Facility should do it. Not to worry, young man. Think of it as a sort of... summer camp. Lots of time to yourself, arts and crafts, colorful characters. After your sentence (ahem), I mean vacation is over, you're free to go back to the Satellite. As long as you never duel or set foot in New Domino City again!"
And after that, Yusei was taken to a paddy wagon that was full of other facility goers. The city rushed by as the 'passengers' waited for their arrival.
"Hey kid!" An old man who sat right next to Yusei greeted, getting his attention. This man had disheveled gray hair and was dressed in a dark gray kimono with a sash and yellow vest and wooden sandals. Yusei turned away from the grinning old man. But that didn't stop him. "How ya doin!?" He pushed himself up in between the wall and Yusei's back. Yusei turned away again but the old man followed. "I'm sure ya heard of me, young fella, name's Yanagi! Adventure's my name and famous relics are my game! Put her there!" Yanagi held out his hand to shake. But Yusei ignored him and stared at the city. "Guess you're not into shaking hands. Well that's alright. Wait a second, I never forget a face. You were at the Kaiba Dome! I saw Sector Security take you away!"
Flashback
"So was it you who made all the power in the city go out? And that monster, did you cause that red dragon to appear as well?"
Yanagi was right outside the Kaiba Dome and screamed in shock as the mysterious dragon rose up from the arena and spread its wings.
"Cuz if you did...
Flashback end
"...Not bad. I mean that was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"
"You saw that?" Yusei inquired.
"Did I see it? The whole city saw that dragon! Please tell me where you got it! East India, the South American Pyramids, Lost Caves!?" Yanagi was obviously excited as he wanted to know about that dragon.
At the same time, Jack was in his penthouse, and slept in his bed. Although, he wasn't sleeping peacefully right now...
"Aaah!" Jack was pushed on the ground by a strong whirlwind. As he lied there helplessly, the red serpentine dragon met eye to eye with him as it approached him.
"AAAH!" Jack bolted upwards from his bed, waking up from his nightmare. 'My arm... why does it hurt so much?' He held onto his arm, which throbbed in pain. 'I can't remember.'
Moments later, Jack walked down the stairs to his living room where he saw Mina putting a few flowers into a vase. "Mina, what happened to me last night?"
"What do you mean, Mr. Atlas? Are you saying that you don't remember?" She asked smiling. "You were in the Kaiba Dome. You had a duel with a Satellite named Yusei. It was amazing! You had him on the ropes and then he countered, and you countered, and then the power outage saved you from losing."
"Saved me from what? That's impossible! I had him right where I wanted him!" Jack said angrily.
"Oh! Um, of course you did!" Mina snapped herself to his direction and bowed apologetically. "Please don't be angry, Mr. Atlas."
"Right." Jack grumbled as he walked away.
"Wait! Where are you headed off to!?" Mina called out as Jack walked through the door. "Mr. Goodwin told me you should be resting!"
Speaking of Goodwin, he was sitting at his desk in his office, where he, along with Lazar, listened to Zigzix while a holo bubble displayed the duel from last night. "You see, when Jack and Yusei's dragons attacked each other, there was a huge burst of the ultimate energy I was talking about! I call it Ener-D. Get it? It rhymes with energy and the 'D' is for dueling, so you get the (clears throat) idea."
"Whatever we call it Zigzix, this power flux was apparently strong enough to awaken the ancient and mystical powers of the Crimson Dragon!" Lazar chuckled.
"THE CRIMSON DRAGON!?" The crazy engineer screamed loudly in shock as he practically pounced on Goodwin's desk. "But its energy is immeasurable! We have no idea what would happen should all its powers be unleashed! Earthquakes, tornadoes, cataclysmic catastrophes, COMPLETE GENERATOR MELTDOWN!" He spun around like crazy until the screen went blank.
"We lost the signal right here. The dragon overloaded the power grid."
"Excellent." Goodwin said. "So it seems the power created by its summoning is greater than we ever imagined."
Yusei (and his new acquaintance, Yanagi) finally arrived at the Facility, which was a huge building surrounded by walls. "Welcome to the Facility, your home away from home." One of the guards said as the paddy wagon stopped at the larking area. "A warm bed, three square meals a day, everything the public miscreant could want." And so, the people who were escorted stepped out of the van, one by one. Yusei was next to step out with Yanagi right behind him. "Hurry up!" The guard pushed him hard, forcing him forward. Yusei stumbled as he stopped right next to another guard, who used a device to scan his crime mark.
"Identification number G2MA2-88: Illegal entry to New Domino City."
"Hah! Bet you wish you stayed in the Satellite now." The guard sneered as Yusei kept walking, along with the other prisoners. "Now listen up, the rules are simple: no chewing gum, no fighting and no dueling! Also, you probably don't want to get too close these bars. Some of these guys 'bite'." He pointed to the many cells in the giant room as some of the prisoners in there reached out through the bars aggressively, as if they were trying to bust out. "
Some time later, the group was walking through a smaller hallway, where there even more cells. "Now as long as you stay quiet and follow those directions, you should be safe." As the guard kept explaining the rules, Yusei caught a glimpse of one the prisoners behind those cells. It was a man with spiky blue blue hair and devious eyes. He also had yellow marking that ran below his eyes. He wore a black t-shirt with a brown vest over it.
"Alright..." The guard stopped and took a small device. When he pressed the button, some of the cell doors opened. "Here are your new rooms. I hope the water-stained battleship gray is to your liking."
"Ahaha! Home sweet home!" Yanagi cheered as he kicked off his sandals, jumped on one of the beds and kissed it.
"Yanagi has been here a few times before as you can tell." The guard mentioned to Yusei. "Personally, I think the food's finally gotten to him." He pressed a button the his device and the door closed.
As the guard walked through the hallway... "Hey guard!" An arm reached out and waved to him.
"What do you want?"
"Thought I'd throw a little welcome party for my new neighbors." The person the arm belonged to said and gave him a thumbs up. "You know, teach them the ropes, make sure they stay in line."
"Good luck. New guy looks like trouble." The guard said with a smirk as he pressed a button on his device. The electronic lock beeped and clicked as the door opened. The person inside, who happened to be the man with spiky blue hair, chuckled.
"Aah, great to be back!" Yanagi said, looking through the only window, with his feet planted onto the wall below it. "You know, you're so much nicer than my last roommate."
"What's a guy like you doing here?" Yusei asked curiously.
"Me? I collect cards!"
"Everyone does that."
"Not quite!" The old man jumped of the wall. "See, mine are illegal magic relics! They're from ancient civilizations!"
"That sounds pretty cool. Wish I could see some."
"Tada!" Yanagi took a few from card from out of his person. "Look here, and here!" And another after another. "Like I said, I've been stuck here so many times I learned how to sneak in my entire deck past the guards, and it's a good thing I did.
"Why? We can't duel." Yusei reminded him.
"You got a lot to learn, sonny. Dueling is the only way to stay safe, and you'll learn that lesson soon enough." Yanagi fanned his whole deck for Yusei to see. "But as long as we got these cards, we're set!"
"...Okay?"
Meanwhile, on the highway in the city
"I certainly missed this." Cindy said happily as she, Cody and Jeremy were driving. Cody was on his own duel runner with Jeremy sitting behind him. As for Cindy... what she went to get from the garage was her own, personal duel runner. It was mostly green with a few purple linings on the sides. On its front was a bird-like face with fierce-looking eyes. On its rear end, its sides were shaped like green feather wings. "What a relief that this baby is still alive and kicking."
"So you used to turbo duel with that runner?" Jeremy asked.
"Got that right. In my days in the world of pros, this beauty has been reliable during my many duels. At least until..." Cindy trailed off as her expression went from happy to somber.
"Oh." Jeremy frowned, felling bad for bringing up bad memories.
"In any case, we should arrive at the east parts soon." Cody spoke up. "Come on!" He accelerated.
"Right!" Cindy nodded and did the same.
Eventually, the trio reached the area. They got off the duel runners. There were a bunch of old-looking buildings. "Okay, this is it." Cody said. "Now, where to find it?"
"I believe this abandoned warehouse is supposed to have a red roof full of holes." Cindy replied.
"Found it!" Jeremy said pointing to a direction. Cody and Cindy followed his finger and saw a building a bit away. Its appearance matched the one shown in the video.
"Great! Then let's head inside and get what we came for!" Cindy walked over to the warehouse and opened the front door.
Cody and Jeremy followed her inside. It was kinda dark, the only light source being some of the sunlight coming form the holes of the roof. "Now, time to find the clue." Cody declared.
"Well well well. Who do we have here?" A new voice spoke up, startling the trio. It was then they noticed that a few people were hiding in the shadows.
"Wait! The director's in a meeting! He can't be disturbed!" Mina called out as she caught up with Jack. But he ignored her and kept walking to Goodwin's office.
"Look at this!" Zigzix held up a holo screen with pulsing lights in different color. "The Ener-D increased when both dragons were out. But, it only went into overdrive when they attacked each other."
"Very interesting." Lazar commented. "We must find out why these two beasts were able to awaken the Crimson Dragon."
That was when Goodwin heard the door slid open. When he looked up, he saw Jack entering with Mina right behind him. "Uh...I'm sorry, Director." She apologized.
"Jack..." Was all Goodwin could say before the champion noticed the video they were playing.
"That's my duel! Did these two peons record what happened last night!?" Jack demanded, pointing an accusing finger towards Zigzix and Lazar.
"Calm down, Jack." Goodwin said as he slowly appraoched him with his hands behind his back. "You broke a dozen laws last night. You're lucky that your little match didn't end up on the news. It's our job to protect you, Jack, so we need to know what happened. So then, please help all of us help you. Tell us about the Crimson Dragon."
"Sure, like what Goodwin?" Jack asked sarcastically. "I know. How about this!?" He pulled back his right sleeve, revealing his wing-shaped mark. "This started to burn!"
In response, Goodwin placed his right hand on his chest and bowed to him. "You should be proud. It's the Crimson Dragon's mark. It's a symbol of power. You are one of the rare few known as a Signer." Lazar, Zigzix and Mina bowed to Jack, just like Goodwin.
"So what?" Jack retorted, unconvinced as he rolled his sleeve back.
"This sign indicates that you're destined for great things."
"Yeah? Well I already knew I was destined for greatness! So tell me, why did Yusei have one as well?"
"What was that?" Goodwin asked, sounding surprised. "That Satellite had a sign as well?"
"Didn't your cameras pick it up?"
"Jack, signs mean far more than you know. You have to be sure that Yusei had one."
"So what if he had one? Yusei's not destined for anything but minimum wage. Plus, he didn't have one in the Satellite, so it must be a fake. Huh?" Jack caught a glimpse of something on the monitor. "What was that on the video? Play it back for me! Before this!"
Zigzix did as he said and the events leading up to the duel reversed. "There! Come on, come on!" Zigzix struggled at Jack's demand until he managed to pause the video at the moment Jack noticed: the moment when Yusei activated a trap card right before the duel was interrupted. "I want that image enlarged!"
"Uh, of course!" Zigzix replied as the image of the trap card grew closer.
Jack was shocked to see what it was. "That card! That's... that's Meteor Stream!"
"You are correct as usual." Lazar replied. "And you should be pleased that the power went out. Otherwise, your unbeaten streak would've come to an end. If you don't believe me, see for yourself." He indicated the video.
"I activate a speed spell! End of Storm!"
"Don't look so depressed, Jack. I guess your friend Yusei learned some new tricks. You probably thought your combo would give you back Stardust, but you opened the door for a counter attack. It's an easy mistake."
"A mistake?" Jack repeated angrily. "You had better watch what you say in front of me you miserable purple-haired little freak!"
"I only speak the truth." Lazar stated, unfazed by Jack's threat.
"I knew what I was doing all along! How many times must I tell you Yusei's just a loser!? I'm the champ, and I'm the one who's gone undefeated in New Domino City!"
"Then why doesn't our dear champion know what happens when Yusei's Meteor Stream counters your intended move. You lose the match." Lazar finished with a creepy grin.
"But I still had 900 life points after my combo, and his Meteor Stream was only gonna take away..." But when Jack remembered the amount of life point damage the trap card could deal, he realized that he would have lost... 'All of them!' That truth hit him harder than Junk Warrior's Scrap Fist. "There was... nothing I could do. I actually lost to him. Impossible!" He gritted his teeth and clenched his hands, angry and frustrated that Yusei actually made a fool out of him.
"Jack..." Goodwin placed a gloved hand on the King's right fist, trying to sound soothing. "Last night never happened. No one outside this room knows this video exists."
"But I know, Goodwin!" Jack threw the director's hand away. "I know what happened last night! And I'm gonna settle some unfinished business! Where is Yusei!? I have to duel him again!"
Goodwin merely turned around and took a few steps away from him. "I'm afraid that's a little tricky right now. Yusei's a Satellite; therefore he's been taken to the Facility. And I'm afraid he won't be leaving for quite some time. But don't worry, Jack. We hear that he's being made to feel right at home."
"...I'm going." Jack said bluntly and headed to the door.
"The Facility? If this is your idea of a joke, I'm not laughing, Jack! Don't throw away all that we've worked for just to prove that you're the best against him. Your sign, Jack, it is your destiny."
Jack glared at the director, but knew that he wouldn't allow him to go to the Facility.
"Looks like we got some unwanted guests." The voice spoke further as a bunch of street punks, about 10 people, surrounded Cody and the others.
"This is bad." Jeremy said nervously.
"That would be understatement of the day." Cindy replied.
That earned her some attention from the thugs who grinned and whistled wolfishly to her. "Hey, what a hot chick."
One of the punks, clad in a black hoodie snuck up from behind and reached out for her butt, intending to give it a pinch... "Gah!" Only for her to quickly turn around, grab his wrist and give him a glare.
"I don't think so." She said in a dark tone before giving him a sharp kick right where the sun don't shine, causing Cody, Jeremy and all the other street punks to cringe.
"Aaaaah!" The poor guy let out a high pitched moan as he fell to his knees.
"Does anyone else want a piece of me?" She asked, glaring at them.
The street punks started to get nervous. Some of them even backed away from the trio.
"Hehehe! You're a feisty one. I like that." The mysterious voice, presumably belonging to the leader, spoke up as a tall figure walked slowly out of the shadows. This guy was tall and had light tan skin, red eyes and messy black hair. He was wearing an unzipped black leather jacket over a gray t-shirt with the image of a fiery skull, blue jeans and black army boots.
"Who are you?" Cody asked, not feeling intimidated by his grim look.
"I'm the guy in charge in here. The name's Kai Hutchins. And you should know, kid, that me and my buddies don't take intruders so lightly."
"Another former pro duelist, huh?" Jeremy muttered.
"Really?" Cody turned to him.
"Got that right." Cindy replied. "He was a ruthless turbo duelist using zombie cards. Just like me and many other duelists, he was defeated by Jack. And let me tell you, this guy gave Jack a run for his money."
"If it isn't Cindy Storm." Kai grinned. "I thought that pretty face of yours looked familiar."
Cindy grimaced. "Still creepy as ever."
"Now that wasn't nice. Perhaps I need to teach you some manners." He approached her slowly, only for Cody and Jeremy and get in his way.
"Look, we didn't come here to deal with guys like you." Cody said firmly.
"Oh yeah?" Kai glared and towered over him. "Then why did you twerps come here, to our territory?"
Cody wished that he could come up with a clever lie, but couldn't. So he chose to be blunt. "We're just here because we're looking for something. Something important."
"Oh, and what's that?" Kai inquired.
"None of your business!" Jeremy retorted.
The taller man glared at him. "None of my business, eh? Well, considering you twerps think whatever you're looking for is hidden in our turf, I say it pretty much is!" He the grabbed Jeremy on his t-shirt. "So don't get smart with me, loser!"
But then, Cody put a leg behind Kai, grabbed his left arm and yanked him, causing him to trip and fall on the ground. That earned him some gasps from the street punks.
Kai rose to his feet slowly. "You are so dead, little man!"
"You talk big, Kai. But that won't stop us." Cody said determinedly. "If you really want to kick us out, then let's settle this. But instead of using fists, let's have our cards do the fighting.
"What?" Kai gave him an incredulous look. "Are you challenging me to a duel?"
"Yes." Cody simply said, still determined.
That earned him some laughter from Kai's followers.
"You? Challenging Kai Hutchins?"
"What a joke!"
"That must be stupidest thing I've ever heard!"
But Cody smirked. "Shall I take it that you guys expect your boss to accept my challenge, or hide behind you like a coward?"
Once again, the street punks gasped.
As for Kai, he glared at him for a moment before letting a loud laughter. "You've got guts, I'll give you that! You know what, you're right. Talk is cheap. Let's settle this like real men do! Boys! Get the duel disks!" At his command, two of his followers approached them, each of them holding a duel disk. The one who strapped his duel disk on Kai's arm was a guy wearing a green ripped sweater and a yellow bandana on his head. The one who gave Cody his duel disk was the hoodie guy, stumbling a bit as he barely recovered from Cindy's kick from earlier.
And then everyone gave the two duelists some space as the two backed away from each other a bit. They then inserted their decks into their duel disks. "Now then, kid. Let's if you've got the skills to take on Kai Hutchins, the Dueling Nightmare."
"I'm waiting for your draw, Kai!" Cody replied calmly as he drew his opening.
"Okay then..." Kai grinned and drew his own hand.
"Let's duel!"
Cody: 4000
Kai: 4000
"As the big man, I'll start!" Kai drew his sixth card. "I summon Pyramid Turtle in defense mode!" A big brown turtle with a pyramid as a shell appeared and turned blue. (ATK: 1200 DEF: 1400 LV: 4) "I place one card facedown and end my turn." A card appeared at Kai's feet. "Let's see what you've got, kid!"
"Alright then!" Cody drew. "First I summon Sublimation Knight in attack mode!" A knight in shining armor with a yellow cape rose up on his field. There were some pipes on his armor, giving it steampunk kinda vibe. He even had a couple of pipes on his sword. (ATK: 1300 DEF: 200 LV: 3) "And next I activate his special ability! As soon as he's summoned, I can take a fire warrior or a gemini monster from my hand or deck and equip it him." A card came out of Cody's deck. "And the monster I choose... is Phoenix Gearfried!" Another warrior appeared behind the knight. He was tall and wore white and red armor with golden linings. He was holding a big sword with his right hand and had a shield strapped on his left arm. There were some flames coming out of his back.
"So? That doesn't seem to make your knight any stronger." Kai stated.
"That's were you're wrong, Kai! Because due to my knight's special ability, the monster acting as his equip spell gives him 500 more attack points!" Gearfried's body emitted an orange aura that surrounded Sublimation Knight. (ATK: 1300-1800) "Now attack his Pyramid Turtle!" The leaped up in the air and then landed right in front of the turtle before cutting it in half with his sword.
"Ha!" Kai grinned. "You walked right into that one! Due to Pyramid Turtle's special ability, after being destroyed in battle I can summon a zombie type with up to 2000 defense points from my deck! So here comes Fear from the Dark!" What appeared to be purple smoke appeared from the ground. A moment later, it took the shape of an evil-looking ghost that was as tall as him. (ATK: 1700 DEF: 1500 LV: 4)
Jeremy frowned. "I don't know what he's gonna do with that thing, but it can't be good."
Cindy narrowed her eyes. "It's worse than you think, so brace yourself."
Cody inserted a card into his duel disk. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."
"Then it's my turn." Kai drew his next card and looked at it. He chuckled. "Perfect! You're about to see why I'm the best duelist around here! I summon the tuner monster, Plaguespreader Zombie!" A hideous creature made of numerous different body parts from assorted animals appeared with a dull moan. (ATK: 400 DEF: 200 LV: 2)
"A tuner monster?" Cody repeated, realizing where this was going.
"That's right, and now I'll tune him with my Fear from the Dark in order to synchro summon Revived King Ha Des!" The zombie's body turned into two stars, and circled around the ghost before they turned into rings of green light. The ghost was slowly fading as 4 stars appeared from within its body and lined up before creating a ray of light. And then, a new zombie out of the light slowly. It was clad in regal dark purple and crimson robes with a skull breast plate over its chest, and wore a regal crown adorned with purple gems. Its flesh was pallid. (ATK: 2450 DEF: 0 LV: 6)
"Yikes!" Jeremy yelped in fear.
"Told you to brace yourself." Cindy said.
Kai's followers cheered at his synchro monster. "If you think he's scary now, just wait until he drags your monster down to the grave! Now, Ha Des, destroy his Sublimation Knight!" The undead king raised his right hand and unleashed a blast of shadow that reduced the knight to dust, causing Gearfried to vanish as well.
Cody: 4000-3350
"Bad move, Kai! Because when my Knight is destroyed, the gemini monster he was equipped with is summoned back from my graveyard!"
Kai smirked. "Think again, kid! My Revived King makes that effect useless!"
"What!?" Cody exclaimed.
"As long as he's on my field, the effects of any monster that's destroyed by my zombies are negated."
"Seriously?" Jeremy asked in disbelief.
"It's your move, kid!"
"Fine." Cody drew. 'A monster that negates the effects of my monsters when they're destroyed. This won't be easy.' Cody took a card from his hand. "I summon Gemini Soldier in defense mode!" The small, green soldier with his dart at hand appeared and turned blue. (ATK: 500 DEF: 300 LV: 2) "And that's all."
Kai just scoffed. "So you think that puny thing will help you, eh?" He then drew his next card. "It won't do a thing, compared to this!" His facedown card flipped up. "With my Call of the Haunted, I can summon a monster back from my graveyard. And I think you remember my Fear from the Dark." The evil ghost appeared again. (ATK: 1700 DEF: 1500 LV:4) "And next I summon Pain Painter!" The ghost was joined by a zombie that was big and broad, wearing a pair of overalls. It was holding a paintbrush in one hand and a bucket full of paint in the other hand. (ATK: 400 DEF: 200 LV: 2) "When this guy is on the field, his name becomes Plaguespreader Zombie."
"Plaguespreader Zombie?" Jeremy repeated.
"Yeah, that thing is a support card for that monster." Cindy explained. "Including Revived King Ha Des, there are 3 synchro monsters that require Plaguespreader Zombie as a synchro material."
Cody heard her explanation loud and clear. "So does that mean you're about to summon another synchro monster?"
Kai grinned. "Got that right! But first I activate Pain Painter's special ability! I get to choose up to two zombie type monsters on my field and make their level become 2!" The zombie dipped his paintbrush into the bucket. He then waved the now purple paint drenched brush until it unleashed a dark purple aura that circled around Kai's other two monsters. (LV: 4-2) (LV: 6-2)
"And now I tune my Pain Painter with these two guys to bring out an even more terrifying creature!" As Pain Painter turned into two stars and circled around the other two zombies before becomings ring of green light, Fear and Ha Des' bodies turned transparent and revealed a total of 4 stars that lined up and created a ray of light. "I synchro summon Archfiend Zombie-Skull!" The light died down and revealed a rotting, demonic creature with strands of decaying muscles coming loose from its form, its skeleton apparent within the rotten flesh and its immense talons a bloody red. Its bat-like wings spread and sent a gust of noxious wind across the field as it roared, crimson eyes glaring at Cody. (ATK: 2500 DEF: 1200 LV: 6)
"And I thought the previous one was ugly." Cody muttered.
"That's just the beginning, because now I activate the spell card, Book of Life! This lets me summon a zombie type monster from my graveyard, like the Revived King Ha Des!" The undead king rose up on the field again. (ATK: 2450 DEF: 0 LV: 6) "And after my monster is summoned, one monster in your graveyard is removed from play. I think I'll pick your Sublimation Knight."
The card in question came out of Cody's graveyard slot, allowing him to put it away.
"And now it's time to take out your puny monster! Ha Des, attack!" Once again, the undead king fired a blast of shadow.
"I activate the spell card, Super Double Summon!" Cody's facedown card flipped up. "This lets me choose a gemini monster on my field and normal summon it instantly. Which means I get to gemini summon my Gemini Soldier!" The soldier glowed white. The glowing even repelled the attack.
"What?" Kai's eyes widened.
"Thanks to his special ability, Gemini Soldier can survive in battle once per turn." Cody explained. "And after being in battle, he lets me summon a level 4 or lower gemini monster from my deck. Come on out, Tuned Magician!" A magician appeared next to the soldier, clad in a green, white and yellow robe with a pointy yellow hat, and wielding a staff. (ATK: 1800 DEF: 1600 LV: 4)
"Yes, now he's got two monsters out!" Jeremy cheered.
"But not for long!" Kai retorted. "Archfiend Zombie-Skull, zap that little twerp!" The skeletal zombie monster unleashed a bolt of purple lightning that evaporated Gemini Soldier. "That should do it! I end my turn!"
Cody drew his next card. "Now then, since I have at least two normal monsters in my graveyard, I can summon Woodland Archer to the field!" A blue skinned man with gray hair and beard appeared. He had horns on his head, some purple scales on his arms, hands, legs and tail, and was holding a bow in his left hand. (ATK: 1400 DEF: 1300 LV: 3)
Kai's followers were confused. "What? That can't be right!" The guy with yellow bandana protested.
"Yeah, there are no normal monsters in your graveyard!" The hoodie guy agreed.
"On the contrary." Cindy said with a smirk. "Due to their abilities, gemini monsters count as normal monsters when they're on the field or in the graveyard."
"That's an appropriate ability." Kai admitted.
"Not as appropriate as Tuned Magician's ability will be, once I gemini summon him." The named monster glowed white.
"And what is this ability of his."
Cody smirked. "That he now counts as a tuner monster."
The former pro gasped.
"Which means I can now tune him with my Woodland Archer!" The magician's body turned into 4 stars that circled around the archer before turning into rings of green light. "Now two become one! A being with an electrifying might!" The archer's body turned transparent and revealed 3 stars that lined up and created a beam of light. "I synchro summon Lightning Warrior!" The light died down and revealed a man with wild blonde hair. He was clad in silver armor with a piece of red clothing around his waist. He roared as his body unleashed some lightning. (ATK: 2400 DEF: 1200 LV: 7) "And next I'll equip him with the spell card, Synchro Boost!" A spell card appeared and transferred some blue energy to him. "With this, my monster's level is increased by 1 while it gains 500 extra attack points." (ATK: 2400-2900 LV: 7-8)
The street punks gasped at this.
"Now Lightning Warrior, take down his Ha Des! Lightning Punisher!" The blonde man's body crackled with electricity as he thrusted his right palm, firing a bolt that zapped the undead king until he shattered into pixels.
Kai: 4000-3550
"Not bad, kid." Kai said, smirking a bit.
"It gets better. When Lightning Warrior destroys a monster in battle and sends it ti the graveyard, you take 300 points of damage for every card in your hand."
Kai gasped and looked at his hand. "And I've got 3 cards."
Cindy smirked. "Which means 900 points of damage to you."
"Let him have it, Cody!" Jeremy cheered.
"Go, Lightning Ray!" The warrior another lightning bolt that gave Kai a direct hit as he cried out.
Kai: 3550-2650
"I place one card facedown and end my turn." Cody concluded as he inserted a card into his duel disk.
"No way! That punk took the lead!" One of Kai's followers muttered.
"Come on, Kai! Fight back!" Another one cheered.
Kai was staring at the floor for a moment, worrying them further. But then... "Hahahaha!" He laughed loudly.
"What's so funny?" Cody asked.
"I didn't think you would put up that much of a fight! I guess you're not as weak as I thought you were." Kai then gave him an evil grin. "But if you think I'm gonna let you win so easily, think again!" He drew his next card. "Now I activate Pot of Greed! This lets me draw two cards from my deck." He drew his extra cards and looked at them. He grinned again as he revealed one of them. "And it looks one of them is my Zombie World field spell!"
At that, then entire place was suddenly filled with a thick mist, alarming Cody and his friends.
Around the time Cody, Jeremy and Cindy came to the abandoned warehouse, Yusei and Yanagi were surprised when their cell door opened, revealing the blue-haired man, who was followed by many other prisoners. They forced the two of them out of their cell and dragged away to a large room... which appeared to be a dueling field. "Say hello, newbie, to my duel stadium! Hope you know how to duel." The blue-haired man taunted before activating his duel disk. "Ready?"
Yusei kept a brave face. Yanagi on the other hand was nervous.
"Ready guys? Let's see what he's made of!" The man approached Yusei, while Yanagi hid behind his new friend. The guy got in Yusei's face. "Now lemme tell how things are gonna work around here. First day in, everyone duels. You duel good, you get respect. But, don't get no ideas, cuz I'm the best!"
Yanagi realized who this person was, a laughable recognization spread across his face. "Of course you're the best! You're Bolt Tanner! He's a pro, and I'm your biggest fan! Can I have an autograph, please!?"
"Sure, but I only write in black and blue!" The guy now named Tanner snapped at him.
"Oh man, the old guy had that comin." A guy dressed in orange with messy blonde hair whispered to a shorter, bigger guy. He had close-cut dark-gray hair. he was wearing a gray vest and red shirt.
"Tanner sure does hate it when anybody brings up his past."
"Congrats, you got your first opponent, and it's yours truly! And I'm gonna mop the floor with that big head of yours! And cuz you got no deck, looks like you're dueling with a reject one we put together."
Yanagi laughed in response. "Actually... I smuggled in my own deck, Tanner, and it's the greatest deck ever made!"
Tanner grinned like he didn't believe him.
"I call it my Treasure Deck, and it's packed: relics, fossils, antiques! See, see, see, see?" Yanagi pulled out his cards from their hiding places before dancing around with them. "It's all here!"
"A treasure deck?" The guy in orange asked disbelieved.
"How'd he get that?" The short guy wondered.
Tanner didn't seem to be worried. "Either way, they won't help you, grandpa? Where is your deck?" He turned to Yusei.
"Not with me." He simply said.
"After I'm through with Gramps over here, I'll rustle up some cards for you, and then I'll teach you a thing or two about dueling in the Facility. And you better believe it'll be a lesson you'll never forget."
Yanagi got between the two of them, trying to push them apart. "Okay, everyone calm down. I've been here before and I know how the rules are supposed to work! If I win, then well, I'll be in charge!"
"Like that would ever happen!" Tanner shouted.
"Well, since you're so confident, let's get this duel started so I can end it!" Yanagi put his duel disk on his arm. "Whoohoo! This is like a dream come true, Tanner, dueling my hero!"
"Just go!"
"Be careful, Tanner." The guy in orange warned him. "After all, if his deck's for real, the you just might have a fight on your hands."
Tanner just smirked. "Like his Treasure Deck is real! Don't make me laugh!"
"Oh, they're real, I promise! And they're gonna put me in charge of this place!"
"Grandpa, age before beauty!" Tanner insulted.
But Yanagi just laughed. "I get it! I'm first."
Yanagi: 4000
Tanner: 4000
"Watch this!" Yanagi drew his sixth card. He then held up another one from his hand. "A priceless artifact! I got this one during my last amazing adventure! I befriended an ancient tribe of Aztec warriors who led me to their secret forbidden temple where I found-"
"Save the stories for bed time, Grandpa, and make your move!"
"Where I found this!" Yanagi kissed his card. "The ancient relic known as the Crystal Skull!" A radiant pillar of light erupted from the monster zone. Everyone watched in amazement as the monster slowly rose up from the ground. "So who's laughing now, Tanner!?" The light died down and revealed the monster, and like the name suggested, it was a skull made of crystal. (ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1) But then, to Yanagi's bewilderment, the Crystal Skull unleashed a bolt of lightning and zapped him.
Yanagi: 4000-3000
Tanner's cronies couldn't help but laugh at this. "You didn't read the fine print, Gramps!" The guy in orange said.
"Looks like his treasure has its own curse. He lost life points just for summoning it!" The short guy added.
Yanagi recovered and was actually excited. "But of course! The curse proves it that it's no fake! The Astecs promised me it was real!"
"And what else did they promise? Montezuma's revenge?"
"Hey Grandpa, I got an ancient artifact for ya, it's your wardrobe; if there's one thing the ancient Astecs didn't give you, it was a mirror!"
Tanner laughed at their insults. "Oh yeah! Not to mention deodorant!"
"You think you're funny!?" Yanagi, angry for once. "Just you wait! The ancient and mystical powers of the Crystal Powers will stop your laughing at your tracks!"
"Okay, Gramps, story time's over. So now it's my turn!" Tanner drew his sixth card. "And I'm starting out with this: my spell card, Cost Down! By discarding one card from my hand, all the monsters I'm holding have their levels downgraded by 2!"
Yanagi looked confused. "And why'd you do that?"
"Cuz you're a funny guy, Grandpa, and I want the chance to embarrass you even more! And this guy should keep the misery coming! I summon Ushi Oni, and he's worse than anything you might run into here!" A large, blue humanoid bull popped out of a small yellow pot and roared. (ATK: 2150 DEF: 1950 LV: 6-4)
Yanagi was very frightened by it appearance, much to Tanner's amusement. "You look scared, Grandpa, and you should be, because my Ushi Oni is about to turn your Crystal Skull into an Astec ruin! Ushi One, take out that ancient relic!" The bull charged.
"You can't! The Crystal Skull is a priceless artifact!" Yanagi protested, but to no avail since the bull head-butted it and shattered it to pieces. The prisoners cheered, but Yanagi screamed and threw up his hands. "Don't you know what you've just done!?"
"I just destroyed an ancient artifact, Gramps! Guess what, now it really is ancient history! Your turn."
"Well let's see what other treasures I have for you. Watch this!" Yanagi drew his next card. He laughed when he saw what he got. "This was a rare find indeed! During my adventures in India, I discovered this Ashoka Pillar in the lost capital of the ancient Mora Empire!" A very tall pillar rose up from the ground and stretched up really high. It almost reached the ceiling of the room. Intricate designs decorated the base and top of the pillar. (ATK: 0 DEF: 2200 LV: 3) Yanagi laughed loudly as it made its appearance.
"Looks more like a giant lamppost to me." The short guy commented.
"Yeah, that don't seem so special." His pal added.
"Well it is." Yanagi replied. "See, the Ashoka Pillar is a source of great strength to the Valeria culture. It's over a millennia and no one knows quite how it was created. I have my suspicions..."
"Hey Grandpa, give the college lecture a break!" Tanner interrupted. "They tried to teach me that back at the Re-education Center and I flunked it a dozen times!"
"I'd be happy to tutor you in all the relevant texts. For instance..." Yanagi held up a card. "This Spirit Mask card is a treasured artifact from an African tribe!" A heavily detailed mask attached itself onto the top of the pillar. Tanner and his cronies found this sight ridiculous.
"All that's good for is Halloween."
"But it has vast supernatural powers! Just wait till next turn!"
"Don't think so!" Tanner drew. "I've had enough of Astec this, Ashoka that, and African whatever! So I think I'll end this lecture of yours and start up one of my own! See I rule this place, and it's time you losers learned a lesson in respect! Now let's get this class started!"
"Uh oh..." Yanagi said nervously.
"I summon Giant Ushi Oni!" The fiendish bull vanished in flash of light as a different one appeared. It was like Ushi Oni, except it had more bulk, blue hide, instead of a jar, its body was attached to the body of a spider. (ATK: 2600 DEF: 2100 LV: 8) "Hey Grandpa, you might wanna close your eyes! Unless you wanna see your pillar get pulverized!" The spider bull jumped up in the air before landing the pillar and crushed it with its spider legs.
"So much for that!" The guy in orange said as Yanagi screamed and ducked for the pieces of the pillar that fell down before shattering to pixels.
"But wait guys, Gramps wasn't lying about that pillar's strength. Cuz as soon as it gets destroyed, it delivers 2000 points of damage to its owner!"
As soon as Tanner said that, Yanagi was struck by a bolt of lightning.
Yanagi: 3000-1000
"And let's not forget your supernatural Spirit Mask. It went right to the graveyard and that means you take one card from your hand, throw it in afterwards to keep it company!"
"Oh... yeah..." Yanagi picked a card and sadly sent it to the graveyard.
"Tanner's right. he should have saved that mask for some masquerade ball." The guy in orange said.
"If you wanna see some real magic, check out Ushi's special ability! If he destroys a monster in battle, he can attack you all over again! Now Giant Ushi Oni, attack!"
Yanagi screamed and fell right before the spider bull could sink its teeth into his head.
Yanagi: 1000-0000
Yusei ran to his side. "Are you okay?"
Yanagi sat up and gathered the cards he dropped when he fell.
"Class dismissed." Tanner smirked before walking towards the old man "You may have been here before, Grandpa, but you never dueled with the likes of me! Since you lost, that means I'm still in charge of this place!" He stepped on Yanagi's last card, the Crystal Skull. "Now get out of here, and leave your precious treasures with me!"
"Please, let me keep my deck! I'm just an old man, Mr. Tanner!" Yanagi whined as he tried to release his card from Tanner's weight. "I've spent my entire life collecting all these rare cards! These cards are all I have left! You understand; they're like my children! These cards are so special and so delicate that they require proper supervision! I've climbed Mount Everest, I've survived the Saharan heat, I've touched the north and south poles, and in all these travels, there's nothing as precious as these cards! Just open your heart and let me keep them safe and sound! AAGGH!" Yanagi cried out as Tanner bruised the card with the sole of his shoe. "You can't do this!"
Yusei finally had enough and placed a hand on Tanner's shoulder, getting his attention. And then, he kicked his boot below Tanner's feet, literally sweeping him off them, and crashing to the hard cold floor.
Tanner growled as he got up. "Looks like you just earned yourself a duel."
Yusei kneeled down in front of Yanagi. "Can I borrow your cards?" He asked, surprising the old man before taking his deck. "I can see the true value of your Treasure Deck."
"What?" Yanagi asked.
"Huh?" Tanner certainly didn't expect this.
"So you think this Treasure Deck is worthless?" Yusei asked while standing up and turned to the former pro. "Then prove it, Tanner."
"Duel you? With that deck?" Tanner scoffed as he got up on his feet. "Please, I want a challenge!"
"And you'll get one. You said we duel here for respect. I think it's about time you learn what that really means."
Yanagi smiled to his new friend.
Tanner merely chuckled at his declaration. He was about to show this newbie what happens to anyone who messes with him.
"What is this?" Cody asked as he, Cindy and Jeremy looked around, still surrounded by the mist. Eventually, it lifted a bit. But when it did, they were shocked to see that they were in a forest. A really dead forest, where they barely could se sky because of the mist, with the full moon as the only light source. And on top of that, there were bunch of skulls everywhere on the ground. "What the...?"
"Hehehhehe!" Kai chuckled evilly. "Welcome to my world. A world of pain and horror!"
To Be Continued...
This is the first the time I finish a chapter in the middle of a duel. But since it's been over a month since my last update, and this chapter has over 10 000 words, I might as well do that. I hope this was worth the wait. I'll try to be faster with the next chapter. Until then...