Fire It Up!
BANG!
"What's with these guys!?" Jeremy asked hysterically as he and Cody were still trying to get away from the vans and avoid any sniper who'd be shooting them. Right now, they were in a part of the city that was dirty and vandalized.
"They're so persistent!" Cody muttered. "No matter where we go, we just can't shake them off!"
As they kept driving away from their pursuers, there was a nearby building where another of those black suits was waiting.
"Number 16, they're headed to your position." Someone spoke up via his earpiece.
"Roger." He nodded as he picked up his weapon. But, instead of a rifle like the others used... this guys had a bazooka! He placed it on his left shoulder as he aimed at Cody and Jeremy. "Now we have you." Was all he said before launching a rocket.
Cody and Jeremy heard the sound of that wondered what it was. And not too soon, they saw the rocket heading straight to them so quickly that it was getting real close.
"Aaaaah...!"
BOOM!
"Aaaaah!" Jeremy screamed as he jolted after waking up, sweating a bit. "What.. what happened... ow!" He winced a bit as he touched his arm. When he looked at himself, he noticed that he had some patches on his arms. "Huh?" He felt his face and found a patch on his left cheek. He then also noticed that he found himself inside a relatively dark room and was on a bed, given that he had a sheet covering his body. When he moved it away, he saw that he was wearing his t-shirt, but he wasn't wearing his overalls, but his boxers. "What happened?"
"You passed out." A familiar voice spoke up.
Jeremy turned and saw Cindy near the doorway, letting in some light. "Cindy?"
She smiled and walked over to him. "And while you were asleep, I took care of your injuries."
When Jeremy finally realized he had his boxers exposed to a girl, he blushed and quickly covered himself with the sheet. "I... see."
Cindy then gave him a serious look. "I know that you just woke up, but I've been dying to ask you... What happened to you and Cody."
"Cody!?" Jeremy gasped. "That's right! Everything's coming back to me now!"
Flashback
"Cody and I ran into some guys in black suits. Most likely those who came after his parents!"
Cody and Jeremy tried to get away from the vans.
"And then..."
A rocket came out from nowhere and collided with a shocked Cody and Jeremy.
BOOM!
"Ugh..." Jeremy groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. "Wh-what..." He muttered weakly as he looked up. From a fair distance, he saw one of the vans with its cargo hatch open. And then, he saw two of the black suits dragging an unconscious Cody. "C-Cody..." Jeremy tried to get up, but was too weak.
"What about this?" One of the others asked, referring to what Jeremy assumed was Cody duel runner. Or rather... what's left of it. Its front was busted. Almost demolished. And it was missing its back wheel.
"Forget about that piece of junk." One of the men dragging Cody dismissed. "The boss only wants this kid, and nothing more." At that, he and his comrade threw Cody into the van and closed the hatch.
"Understood." With that said, the three men entered the van and took off, unknowingly leaving a banged up Jeremy behind.
"Co... dy..." Jeremy called out weakly.
Flashback end
"... By the time I could get up, I rushed over here to find you." Jeremy finished.
"Damn..." Cindy muttered.
"We have to find him! Who knows what they'll do to him!?" Jeremy then tried to get up, only for Cindy to place her hands on his shoulders and stop him.
"Now's not the time to rush into things." She said seriously.
"But Cody..." Jeremy tried to protest.
"You just woke up after getting hurt!" Cindy cut him off. "Don't misunderstand, I want to save Cody as much as you do, but as you are now, I can't let you take the risk of getting worse. You need to rest. I promise that we'll look for him... in the morning."
"Morning?" Jeremy repeated.
"Yeah, it's 9 p.m." Cindy explained. "You've been sleeping for a while."
"I see." Jeremy then noticed a few things around here. At the corner of the room was a closet. And there was a shelf nearby, full of a variety of items. Some of them appeared to be trophies. After seeing all this, he realized something. "Wait a minute, this doesn't look like one of Beth's guest rooms."
"Well, I did consider to take you to Beth's apartment. But... my apartment was closer, so here we are."
Jeremy widened his eyes. And then he blushed as he figured out that this was Cindy's bedroom. "I... I see."
"Well, it is getting late, so we should get some sleep. If you need anything, I'll be on the couch."
"Are you fine with sleeping on the couch?"
Cindy shrugged. "It's not that bad, so I don't mind." She then leaned closer and gave him a seductive look. "Unless... you want me to share the bed with you?"
"W-what!?" Jeremy exclaimed with a completely red face.
Cindy then winked. "Juuust kidding!"
Jeremy pouted and looked to the side. "Not funny."
"Okay, jokes aside..." Cindy placed a hand on his shoulder, getting his attention. "Don't worry, Jeremy. We will find Cody. I promise."
Jeremy smiled slightly and nodded. "Right."
It was black. Pitch black. There was nothing to see. Just the sound of dripping water. But then, there was a cold, wet feeling on his cheek.
"Mmmh." Cody groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. Everything seemed blurry at first. But after blinking a couple times, Cody could see better. He appeared to be inside a big room or something. It was dark in here, with some windows high up on the walls letting in some light, even though it was night, from what Cody could tell. He instinctively rubbed his cheek and wiped the water he felt. "Where am I?"
He slowly got up and walked around. "How did I get here?" He instinctively reached down to his waist where he would have his deck holder. But he found nothing. "What the...?! Where's my deck!?" He then looked around... "Ow!" And winced, as he grabbed his right arm. It was hurting. "That really knocked me out." He kept looking around and found a door. He rushed over to it and grabbed the doorknob, trying to open it.
Clunk! Clunk!
But the door didn't open. "It's locked?"
Before he could ponder even further, he noticed the plate behind a peeping slot open. "Sorry kid, but you're not going anywhere."
Cody gasped before glaring at whoever this person was. "What's going on here?! Where am I!?"
"You don't need to care about where you are." The man behind the door replied. "What matters is that we're keeping you safe and secured until we'll ship you out of the city."
"What?! Why?! Where are you taking me?!"
"You'll find out soon enough. Until then, just sit there quietly. There's no escape." At that, the man closed the plate.
Cody stared at the door for a moment before turning around. He just stood there, in silence. 'Just what is going on here? How did those people find me so fast. And more importantly, what exactly do they want from me? Is it something that belonged to my parents? Something that I should know about?' Cody sighed. 'Or more like remember, since I hardly know anything my past.' He then turned to one of the windows and stared at the night sky. 'I just hope Jeremy's okay.'
Meanwhile, in the living room in his penthouse, Jack was sitting on the couch and drew his Red Dragon Archfiend card from his deck, and then stared at it. He had a lot of things in mind. 'There's no way a loser like me could be a Signer. How does Goodwin expect me to save the world when I can't even save myself from losing to the likes of Yusei?'
"Mr. Atlas?" A female voice called out from behind the couch.
"What do you want?" Jack asked rudely, not bothering turning around as he could tell that it was Mina.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt, but, um..." Mina brought up a clipboard. "You see, I've got a breakdown for tomorrow's duel."
"I won't be needing it, Mina. Because I'm not dueling anyone until Yusei gets out!" Jack stood up with his Synchro monster card in his hand. "My rank means nothing anymore! Because he beat me! ME! And until we have a rematch, I'm throwing in my cards!" And to emphasize his point, he tossed Red Dragon Archfiend right on the table.
"But Mr. Atlas, you have a contractual responsibility to your sponsors!"
"You think I care!? I duel for me, not some fat cat holding a checkbook!"
Mina could only stare at Jack, since she wasn't used to see him so upset and angry.
Jack sighed and walked over to the big window. "Don't you realize that dueling is more than just paydays and trophies? Funny the only one who understands is Yusei.
Speaking of Yusei, back at the Facility, he was in his cell with Yanagi, who was snoring in his bed. But Yusei couldn't sleep because he couldn't stop thinking about what he told him. 'I wonder if Yanagi really knows what he's talking about. Do I really have the mark of the Crimson Dragon?' He glanced at his right, where that red glowing mark first appeared.
The next day, early in the morning, Jeremy just got out of Cindy's bedroom. He was instantly approached by the former pro duelist. "How are you feeling? Give me an honest answer."
"Well..." Jeremy paused for a moment. "I still feel a little sore, but other than that, nothing too serious."
"Okay, then I guess you're free to go. But first..." Cindy held up a paper bag, "You're going to need this."
Jeremy blinked. "What's that?"
"While you were asleep and I patched you up, I was thinking: Considering those guys were following us, then they might try to stop us from rescuing Cody. So I took the liberty to buy some clothes we could use to disguise ourselves"
Jeremy looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "Okay."
"Not really my style, but as long as no one recognizes me." Jeremy commented while looking at himself. Instead of his overalls, he was wearing a pair of blue jeans. He was also wearing a white hoodie with the hood on, hiding most of his face.
"That's the point." Cindy replied. And her outfit was also different from her usual style. A pair of black, tight pants, a white shirt and an orange vest. "Otherwise, we might have to deal with more black suits on the way." As she said that, Cindy put sunglasses on. And then, by adding a wig, she made herself look like a young woman with long, brown hair. "So, what do you think?"
Jeremy's eyes widened. "Wow! I hardly recognized you for a sec!"
"Like I said, that's the point." Cindy smiled as she revealed her eyes a little and winked. "Now then, shall we go?"
Jeremy nodded. "Right."
"This is getting nowhere." Cody muttered as he leaned against a wall and sat down on the floor. "What can I do to get out of here? I've been here all night." He was clearly frustrated. "I can't believe I'm being trapped in a room, guarded by some bad guys..." His eyes widened. "Come to think of it, this reminds me of the old days in the Satellite."
Flashback
"Agh!" Cody was pushed into a room by some guys wearing grey hoodies. He was wearing a brown vest over his t-shirt. He was down on his knees as the hooded guys laughed.
"Don't worry, pal. We'll get your buddies later." One of them said mockingly before closing the door.
Cody quickly got up and tried to open the door, but the doorknob didn't budge for some reason. "What?" He kept trying to open, but it was useless. "Come on!" He then tried to bang the door, but to no avail. "It won't open." He looked around. "There must be a way out of here."
He kept looking until he spotted a window on one of the walls, but it was so high that he couldn't reach it. "Getting up there might be tricky." He then kept looking, and it was then he noticed a pile of cardboards. "Maybe I can use those boxes to build a stair to climb up?" He then shook his head. "Nah, it's possible that they can't handle my weight." He then noticed a rusty wrench. He picked it up and stared at it. And then, a thoughtful expression was formed on his face. "I wonder..."
"Let go of me!" Jeremy shouted as he was dragged by two hooded guys. And just like Cody, he was wearing a brown vest over his t-shirt.
"Shut your trap, loser!" A third guy said. "We're gonna rule here in the Satellite, and there's nothing you can do about it..."
CRASH!
"What?! What was that?!" He rushed to the door, unlocked it and opened it. Everyone's eyes landed on the pile of cardboards, leading up to the window... which appeared to be broken. "No way! Did that guy escape!?" The guy walked inside to get a closer look. However, he was so focused on the cardboards and window, he didn't notice Cody standing at the corner.
"Peekaboo!" Cody called out and surprised him, before giving him a right hook, making him stumbling into the pile of cardboards. The guys holding Jeremy were so shocked by this, that they didn't react in time when Cody rushed over to them, hit one of them on his stomach and tossed him into the room.
Jeremy then grabbed the other guy's arm and threw him in, making him land on his buddy. Thinking fast, Cody closed the door and locked it.
"Hey! Let us out of here!" One of the hooded guys shouted from the other side as they banged the door.
"Are you okay?" Cody asked.
"I'm fine. What about you?" Jeremy asked.
Cody smiled. "I'm okay. Don't worry about it."
Jeremy returned the smile.
Flashback end
"I wonder if I can use something to get out of here." Cody looked around for a bit until he found some old cloths. When he walked over to them, he also found a brick. He picked it up and stared at it for a moment before looking around again. And when he did, he noticed a pillar near one of the windows. With all those things in mind, he smiled when a plan was formed in his mind. "I got it."
Some time later, one of the black suits headed to the door. He knocked it twice. "Alright kid, time to..."
CRASH!
"Huh!?" He then pulled out a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. He then opened it and saw something he didn't expect. There were clothes tied together like a rope. One end was tied to the pillar, leading all the way up to a broken window. "What!? It can't be! He escaped!" He ran over to the pillar and grabbed the clothe based rope and tugged it. When he did that, something fell down from the window. He was surprised to see a brick that the other end was tied to. "What? What is this?"
He then heard some footsteps from behind and turned around to see Cody heading to the door. "Hey! Stop!" The man rushed over to him. But Cody got out of the room just in time to close the door and lock it. "Hey! Open the door!" The man called out and banged the door.
Cody smiled. "At least I'm not too rusty." He was about to walk away when he saw a table on his right. And on it was a deck holder. It was opened, revealing Black Brutdrago. "My cards." He grabbed it and ran away.
He found the exit of the place and got out. The first thing he saw was water. Lots of water. It was the ocean. He turned around to face the building he came out from. It looked like an abandoned warehouse. "Looks like they took me to the docks."
"Hey, you there!" Someone called out. Cody turned and saw a whole gang of black suits running to him.
"Damn!" He cursed before running away from them.
"Stop him!" And once again, the chase was on.
Meanwhile, back at the Facility
"Zip it everybody!" Chief Armstrong announced to everyone in a giant room. The prisoners were in a giant assembly room, all lined up in groups. "Good, now that I have your undivided attention, allow me to introduce the Director General himself, Mr. Rex Goodwin. He's here to shed some light on a new program that he'll be implementing here at the Facility over the next few weeks. we're hoping that someone here has the mark of a champion!"
Yusei gasped at what Armstrong said. Tanner and Yanagi, who stood near him, noticed too.
Meanwhile, with Cody
"Did you find him?" One of the black suits asked one of his associates.
"No, he must have slipped away."
"Then keep looking! He couldn't have possibly gone too far!" At that, both of them split up.
They didn't notice Cody hiding behind a garbage can in an alley.
"And here I thought I could get away from them." Cody said quietly. He turned to walk away, but he accidentally pushed the garbage can, tipping it over. It fell onto the ground, making a loud noise.
The black suits nearby heard that sound and followed it.
"You gotta be kidding me." Cody whispered, irritated. He then ran further down in the alleyway. But he didn't get far as he reached the end of the alleyway, where there was a wall. "Oh no!" He turned back and saw the black suits getting closer.
"There he is! He's trapped!" They then approached him slowly.
Cody narrowed his eyes. 'I can't believe it. Am I gonna get captured again?'
But it was then he noticed some movements from the side. He turned and saw a rope. When he looked up, he saw someone standing on top of the building, holding the other end of the rope.
"Quick! Grab on!" The person called out.
Cody hesitated for only 1 second before he grabbed the rope and climbed up.
The black suits rushed over, trying to stop him. But the person holding the rope dragged it, making sure they couldn't grab it. They could only watch as Cody reached the top.
He sighed in relief.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I am. Thanks." He looked up to face the person who saved him. It was someone wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a grey hoodie. It was a boy with short green hair and brown eyes. He also had one of those criminal marks. A small triangle surrounded by a circle on his left cheek. Cody got a little wary. "But, who are you?"
The boy smirked. "You mean you don't recognize me. Or more accurately... don't you recognize my outfit." He put his hood on, hiding his face. "Surely, you have seen it back in the Satellite."
Cody stared at him, looking confused. But that look was replaced by a look of surprise when he suddenly recognized this person's outfit. "Wait! I remember now! You were a member of one those gangs who attacked me and my friends! The Street Phantoms!"
The boy nodded. "You got it. The name's Don. Nice to see you again."
Cody raided an eyebrow. "Not that I'm ungrateful, but why did you save me?"
"Because... you saved me once. Back in the Satellite."
"I did?" Cody blinked.
"Come on. I'm pretty sure you remember. It was when my gang tried to take care of you and your pals..."
Flashback
Cody and Jeremy were running on one of the streets, trying to get away a couple of Street Phantoms.
"Me and one of my comrades chased you and one of your pals to an old building."
The chase took the boys to an abandoned building. When they got inside, it was a dead end. Cody and Jeremy turned around to face the Street Phantoms, who chuckled evilly.
Cody and Jeremy prepared their duel disks, intending to duel them. But then, the place started to shake, much to everyone's shock.
"And that building started to collapse."
As that happened, everyone started to run.
"But before I could get out, I got some debris on me."
There a bunch of debris falling down from above. Some of them ended on one of the Street Phantoms, pinning him down.
Flashback end
"And I thought I was going to die there." Don said.
Cody widened his eyes. "Oh yeah! I remember now!"
Flashback
"Jeremy and I were about to leave the place. But I noticed that one of you guys were trapped."
Cody and Jeremy got through the exit. But Cody stopped and turned around, noticing Don stuck under the debris. At that, he suddenly rushed over to him, shocking Jeremy.
"Cody, what are you doing!?"
Cody started to move the debris and Don just stared at him, unable to believe what was happening. And then, after getting of most of the debris, Cody grabbed on Don's arm and pulled him with all his might. He managed to get him free. More and more debris fell down, so Cody quickly gave Don support as they hurried out of the building. Just in the nick time, they got and met up with Jeremy and the other Street Phantom before the entire building collapsed.
Cody let go of Don, letting him sit down. While Don's comrade checked on him, Jeremy placed a hand on Cody's shoulder.
"Come on, let's go!"
Cody turned to Donnie one last time before running off with Jeremy, leaving two confused Street Phantoms behind.
"Despite all the trouble you and your gang caused me and my friends, I couldn't just leave you in there."
Flashback end
"And after we took over your territory, I never thought I'd see any of you guys again." Cody finished.
Don smiled. "Yeah, funny isn't it?"
"So how come you're here in New Domino City instead of being stuck in the Satellite?" Cody asked.
"After you and your gang took us down, we just split apart. I wandered all alone in a while until I made some new friends. And they had some skills when it came to getting in or out of certain places. Thanks to them, I'm a free man."
Cody smiled. "I see."
"So what's your story?" Don asked curiously. "Not only do I get see you here in New Domino City, but I also get to see you getting hunted by some serious people, and they don't appear to be Security officers."
Cody hesitated, not sure how to explain. "It's a really long story. Someone is after me because of my connection to my dead parents. What they want from me, I have no idea."
Don widened his eyes. "Sounds pretty serious."
"Hey!" Someone called out. The boys turned and saw the black suits climbing up from the other side of the roof.
"Uh oh! Here they come!" Don quickly grabbed a duffel bag that was near him. "Come on, follow me!" He then jumped across the gap between this building and the next. Cody didn't waste any time and jumped after him, and so, the boys ran away.
At the same time, something big was going on at the Kaiba Dome.
"Duelists young and old, professional and amateur alike, welcome to the Kaiba Dome!" The MC announced. "Now let's get ready to wrap things up!"
The announcement was even heard inside a room where Jack prepared himself. "We got an impressive rematch today, so stay tuned!"
"Mr. Atlas?" Mina spoke up. "If it means anything, you've made the right choice to duel today. Now let's put all this Yusei business behind us and move on."
Jack gave her a look that made her frown a bit. "I'll move on when I'm good and ready."
"Of course. I only meant to..."
"Save it, Mina!" Jack cut her off. "I have a duel to prepare for." He then grabbed his deck. 'Because the last thing anyone would want is for me to lose again.'
"All right! now let's give it up for the one, the only... Hunter Pace!" And out of the presenter tunnel, the familiar guy wearing sunglasses under his skull themed helmet emerged, riding on his duel runner.
"Come out, come out, Jack Atlas, it's your old friend!" Hunter called out. "And Hunter Pace has got a score to settle! I'm winning my title back, Pretty Boy!" He earned some cheers and applause from the crowd. He slid to a stop at the staring blocks.
And Jack got his duel runner set and was ready to start.
"And now, please welcome the undefeated undisputed duel champion of the world! The Master of Faster! The one, the only... Jack Atlas!" At that, Jack bursted through the presenter tunnel in the duel stadium.
As he was driving, Jack spoke to the audience. "What say we kick this duel into overdrive!" That earned some loud cheers from the crowd.
"Does Jack Atlas have the moves that matter to take down Hunter Pace's new deck? The word on the circuit is that it's powerful! It's mean, and it's hotter than hot!"
Jack stopped at the starting blocks, right next to Hunter. "If everyone here wants a show, I'll give them a show." He glanced up towards the crowd.
"Go Jack! Go Jack! Go Jack!" Three cheerleaders chanted while all the other people cheered.
Not that Jack felt satisfied by it. 'Go on, cheer. Scream your lungs out. Buy season tickets. Crowd around your televisions to witness this deceit. It's all a waste! You came to see a champion? Well he's stuck in a cell somewhere. But if you want a show, step right up! I'm the all-singing all-dancing runner-up in New Domino City!'
"Jack Atlas and Hunter Pace are at the starting blocks. Now, let's make some noise, New Domino! Are you ready to turbo duel? I think it's finally time to get things started, don't you?"
"I'll fire things up!" Jack stated as he and Hunter activated Speed World.
"Duel mode engaged; Autopilot standing by." And the entire place turned purple. "Turbo duelists. Countdown initiated." At that, a certain holographic screen appeared, preparing to give them the signal.
Jack: 4000 SC: 0
Hunter: 4000 SC: 0
"Ready. Set. Duel." The screen gave them the green light and they took off. Jack was the fastest one as he was ahead of Hunter.
"Hey, Hunter! Watch this!" Jack drew. "Dark Resonator, put up the big G!" Out of a portal, the familiar dark-cloaked fiend with a rod and tuning fork emerged. It put its tools together in an 'X' formation as it turned blue. (ATK: 1300 DEF: 300 LV:3)
"Jack Atlas is off to a strong as start as I have ever seen! I think he's trying to let Hunter Pace know that this is his, and his alone!"
Hunter smirked. "So is that supposed to scare me?"
"No, but these two facedowns should do the trick!" Jack replied as he inserted two into his console.
"Hunter better be careful, or one of those facedowns could lead to an early exit for the former champ!"
Meanwhile, back at the Facility
"Good evening, everyone. If you would allow me a few moments of your time, I will explain the details of the pilot program that Chief Armstrong mentioned earlier." Goodwin lecture as he walked from the podium, and towards the crowd. "I'm sure that many of you feel that you've been dealt a bad hand in your life, but I hope to change that. In fact, for one person here, new opportunities are a handshake away. Your experiences in life can be of great service to the city, and that is why I have decided to select one of you to take under my wing..." As he spoke, the Director stopped right beside Yusei. "And should that person prove himself helpful to me and the city, then I will be more than happy to return the favor. Like, say a full pardon, for example. A clean record. Perhaps even an invite to live here in New Domino City. And now it's just a matter of picking one of you here to come and assist me."
Yusei merely looked at Goodwin, having a feeling that something's up.
With Jeremy and Cindy
"So this is where you last saw him?" Cindy asked, eyeing on the area where Cody was taken away.
"Yeah, it is." Jeremy replied. He pointed to a road. "I remember seeing their van going that way."
Cindy put her hands on her hips. "That is something. But not much."
"I guess." Jeremy then looked around, a thought suddenly coming to his mind. "I wonder what happened to Cody's duel runner?"
It was then they heard the sound nearby. They turned and saw a truck taking off. They were surprised to see the busted duel runner in the open cargo area. And just like that, the truck left.
Cindy had a deadpanned look on her face. "My guess is it's being taken to a junkyard or something."
Jeremy facepalmed. "Great. Cody's not gonna like this." He then sighed. "Where are you Cody?"
"Don't worry, we'll find him." Cindy assured him.
"I just hope he's okay."
'Okay' may not be the best word to describe Cody's situation. He and Don were currently hiding behind a dumpster while the black suits were looking for them.
"They're very persistent, aren't they." Don whispered.
"Tell me about it." Cody replied. "It's only a matter of time before they find us."
"Then we better do something about it." At that, Don started to dig into his duffel bag.
"You got an idea."
"Yeah. Although... I'm not entirely sure if it's good."
Back with Jack
"Don't go losing your cool, Jack, okay?" Hunter called out. "Cuz now it's my turn! Then I'm planning to turn up the heat in this place, Champ! Starting with Skull Conductor!" He held up the card he drew from his deck.
Jack: 4000 SC: 0-1
Hunter: 4000 SC: 0-1
"See losing to you last time cause me a lot of pain. But that was nothing compared to the agony that this monster card is about to orchestrate! Because as soon as I send this old boney here to the graveyard, I can summon out two zombie type monsters who are just dying to burn up some of your life points!" A transparent figure appeared. It was an undead man wearing a musical conductor's outfit. "Say hello to my two Burning Skull Heads!" From two separate portals, two skulls on fire emerged before their flames turned blue. (ATK: 1000 DEF: 800 LV: 3) x2
"And it looks like Hunter Pace is going all out to make sure that this duel doesn't end up like their last rematch!"
"They say that two heads are better than one and I couldn't agree more, especially since you lose a thousand life points for each Skull Head I have on the field! Looks like I'm halfway to my victory lap, doesn't it, Jack?" The two skulls spat fire at Jack, burning a big chunk of his life points.
Jack: 4000-2000 SC: 1-0
Jack's fans were getting worried.
"Oh dear!" The MC said before covering his eyes with one hand. "I can't bear to watch his unfold!"
"Well then, keep your eyes covered, cuz there's lots more to come and I'll start by releasing my Burning Skull Heads in order to summon Skull Flame!" The two skull heads turned into rainbow colored orbs before joining together. And then, it turned into a blazing orb, from which a new monster appeared. It was a skeleton dressed in purple witch doctor robes that showed off the rib cage and a red cape behind him. Flames danced around his person. (ATK: 2600 DEF: 2000 LV: 8)
"Hunter Pace certainly has brought his A-game with him today, folks, and it looks like he's going to do everything in his to make Jack sweat this one out! Now let's see what he's got to fire up next!"
"Well this should send a signal to the world that Jack's number one rank is about to go up in a smoke!" As Hunter said that, another monster appeared. One that everyone recognized. (ATK: 1000 DEF: 800 LV: 3)
"Another Burning Skull Head!? Something tells me Hunter's got a bone to pick with Jack Atlas!"
"Burning Skull Head, attack!" And just like the previous skull heads, this spat fire at Jack.
Jack: 2000-1000 SC: 0
"Our champ's down to his last 1000 life points! It seems like we might all be witnessing Jack Atlas's undefeated streak come to an end!"
"Hear that, Atlas?" Hunter asked. "Sounds to me like your fans have already chucked this one up as a loss for you! And so have I, because I've got a little surprise waiting for you next turn. I get to summon another Burning Skull Head! That means a thousand less life points for you, and a championship title for me!" He laughed a bit. "Don't look so glum, Jack. If you ever miss your title, feel free to contact my agent for a rematch. I'm sure we'll be able to fit you in in a year or two. When you took my title, I lost my sponsors, my paychecks, my house and all my fans! They say that revenge is a dish best served cold, but my burning skulls think heat it up works just fine!"
"It all comes down to this last turn! If Jack can't stop Hunter, he's finished!"
"Hunter's no Yusei." Jack muttered to himself. "He's the same sort of trash I always beat. And it's about time I take out the garbage!
"Listen up! Everybody, back to your cells immediately! The Director's made his decision" Armstrong barked.
"Come on, move it!" One of the guards ordered. Everyone was led back to their rooms as instructed. A certain someone was on his way to his own cell, but...
"Hold it right there, Yusei!" Armstrong called out, making him stop and turn to him. "You're the one the Director has chosen."
"Careful, Yusei." Tanner warned him. After earning a nod from him, he left the place, with Yanagi right behind him.
Goodwin and Armstrong walked over to Yusei, the former now speaking to him. "So tell me, Mr. Fudo, what do you think about the little experiment that I proposed?"
"I don't want any part of it." Yusei simply said.
Armstrong didn't like that kind of answer. "You'll take part and you'll like it you in...!"
But Goodwin simply placed a hand on his big belly, stopping him from saying anything further. "Oh come now, Yusei, I know you want some answers."
"Huh? What kind of answers, Goodwin?" Yusei asked. "What do you mean?"
"Don't act so coy, Yusei. I know all about that Mark of the Dragon that appeared on your arm."
"Really? Then tell me what you know about it. What does it mean?"
"That is what I'm hoping to uncover with your help. I can't do it alone."
"Well, I don't believe you." Yusei scolded. "You're hiding something. You're just gonna use me."
"Of course. We all use each other. look at our city. The Satellite needs the trash that we give them, and they recycle it for energy and heat that we in turn use, Yusei."
"It's not trash that we need. It's freedom."
"Fine, it's your."
"Oh yeah? For what?"
Goodwin turned his back to Yusei and walked a few feet before stopping again- "Just come with me so I can study your Mark of the Dragon. Together, we may be able to unlock the secrets of the Signers. But say no, and well, without that knowledge, we have a special place to send you to, and then who knows what might happen to you once you get there."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, here in the Facility, anything's possible."
"I'll take my chances." Yusei concluded.
"Yes, you will."
"Where are they?!" One of the black suits asked frustratedly. They've been looking for Cody and Don for a while, but found nothing.
"They couldn't have escaped." One of his associates said.
At that moment, two figures appeared from nowhere and passed by in a running pace. The black suits recognized those two as Cody and Don. But, for some reason, they were wearing matching grey hoodies. And on top of that, Cody was bearing Don's duffel bag.
"There they are! Get them!" And once again, they chased after them. The boys ran as fast as they could, with the black suits after them. They reached the corner of one of the buildings and turned left. The black suits followed them and got around the corner. When they did, they saw a pile of wooden boxes placed in front of a pretty high metal fence. They looked up and saw the two boys on top of the pile of boxes, trying to climb over the fence. They even appeared to be wearing their hoods now. "They're trying to get away!" The black suits climbed up after them.
The two boys almost got over, but then, Cody was stopped by one of the black suits who grabbed his leg. As he struggled, his friend got over the fence and jumped down. And before anyone else could get to the other side, they pile of boxes started to become shaky. And moments later, it collapsed, making all people fall down.
Some of them groaned while others slowly got up. One of the black suits looked up and saw Cody trying to get up. He jumped on him and gave him a headlock. "I got him!" The others got up and formed a circle around them. "Now you're coming with us, you brat! You thought wearing the same outfit as your friend could trick us?" He then grabbed Cody's hood and removed it...
Only for all the black suits to drop their jaws. Removing the hood allowed them to see that it wasn't Cody. It was Don!
Don smirked. "Sorry guys, but you picked the wrong person."
They then turned back to the fence and saw Cody on the other side, running away.
Don was smug about this turn of events...
Flashback
Don dug into his duffel bag and then pulled out a grey hoodie, identical to the one he was wearing. "Put this on."
"Huh?" Cody blinked.
"This is what we're gonna do: You and I gonna run, wearing these hoodies. And you will also bear my duffel bag. And as soon as we get the chance, we put our hoods on and you hand me over my duffel bag immediately. That way, those bozos will believe that I am you, allowing me to distract them long enough to let you get away. Of course, if this works, then you'll be on your own from that point."
Cody frowned. "That's too dangerous. If they capture you, who knows what they'll do to you?"
"Yeah, I know the risks." Don smirked. "But I won't go down that easily. After all..." He patted his duffel bag. "I happen to be equipped with a lot of stuff..."
Flashback end
'Including a little 'souvenir' I got from Sector Security.' Don reached into his duffel bag and pulled a small device with on single button. It was stun gun. And with no hesitation, he pushed the button and hit the stun gun on the face of the man holding him...
"GAAAH!" And that gave him a shock, forcing him to let go of Don, and then collapsed on the ground.
The other guys were surprised by this. But that only lasted for a moment before they tried to grabbed him. Big mistake. Don avoided the first guy and hit him with the stun gun. He then tripped another one, making him fall on top of one of the downed men. Two remaining men tried to get him from two sides. Don simply ducked and used his stun gun on one of them. Right after that, he avoided a tackle from the other guy and shocked him as well.
He then simply ran away from them. "Cody should be far away now. Good luck, pal."
Cody was simply running into the city. 'Thanks, Don. Now I just have to find Jeremy and Cindy.'
Back in the Kaiba Dome
"We're back, and Jack Atlas has this one chance to stay undefeated!" The MC said while Jack drew his next card.
Jack: 1000 SC: 0-!
Hunter: 4000 SC: 1-2
"Enough warmup!" Jack said as he turned around and drove in the opposite direction. "It's I kicked this duel unto overdrive! And I'll start by summoning a Big Piece Golem!" Dark Resonator turned into a rainbow colored portal, from which the grey and big faced rock golem emerged. (ATK: 2100 DEF: 0 LV: 5)
While Jack reached for one of his facedown card, the MC spoke up. "What's this? Looks like Jack is going for a facedown!"
"You want a facedown? How about a blast off your runner?" Hunter said.
"Funny, Hunter, but he who laughs last laughs best!" Jack replied and revealed his facedown card. "And my Revival Gift trap card should have me laughing all the way to victory since I can now summon a tuner monster from my graveyard! Next I bring out Dark Resonator!" The named fiend monster emerged from the trap card. (ATK: 1300 DEF: 300 LV: 3)
"Wait! What's happening now?" The MC questioned as two portals opened near Hunter, from which two identical monsters appeared. They kinda looked like tadpoles with arms and legs. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 1500 LV: 3)
"Why don't you tell me, pal?" Hunter asked.
"That's the special effect of the trap, Revival Gift!" The MC explained. "Hunter gets two monster tokens and who knows what those two have planned? Oh! Is Jack going to come back? Will he overcome certain defeat? Will he retain his title as champion? Will he kick into overdrive!?"
"Well, let's find out, shall we!" Jack replied. "Resonator, time to upgrade our golem!" The fiend turned into three stars that circled around and turned into green circles of light that surrounded the golem. Its body became transparent and revealed 5 stars that lined up and created a beam of light. "And with him on my field, I can summon Red Dragon Archfiend!" And from the beam of light, Jack's signature monster appeared with a roar, much to everyone's amazement. (ATK: 3000 DEF: 2000 LV: 8)
"Talk about saving the best for last! Jack Atlas unleashes his most powerful monster! Now let's get fired up!"
Hunter wasn't exactly happy to see Jack's ace monster... again. "This isn't good!"
"Archfiend, attack!" The dragon ignited its right hand and smashed the Burning Skull Head. And right after that, the flames spread and destroyed the two tadpoles.
"Ouch! That's gotta hurt! Hunter's Skull Head is dust, or should I say smoke? And the tokens too! Archfiend's getting warmed up! Wow! Now that's what I call a special ability! As soon as it destroys any monster in defense, all the others get a one-way ticket to the graveyard!"
After passing by Hunter, Jack turned around again and came after him. "Now I'll play my trap! Lineage of Destruction!" His other facedown card flipped and unleashed a purple energy that enveloped his dragon.
"And it appears Jack has played this with the skill and poise of the true champion that he is, and it seems Red Dragon Archfiend is ready to finish things off!"
"Hunter, hope by now you learn not to play with fire! Cuz your career's about to go up in flames again!"
Hunter started to get nervous. "Is it too late to say sorry? Please!?"
"Go ahead while I guarantee it won't help you against him! Attack! Red Dragon Archfiend, show no mercy!" Once again, the dragon ignited its right hand and the destroyed Skull Flame.
Hunter: 4000-3600
Hunter looked up and saw the dragon flying right above him. "Why don't you look on the bright side of this, Hunter? You may lose, but at least it makes for great television!"
Hunter was now really nervous as flames slowly came out of the dragon's maw. "Nice little dragon. You don't really want to attack me, do you?" But unfortunately him, the dragon did just that, and assaulted him with a torrent of flames.
Hunter: 3600-0600 SC: 2-0
"Flame on! Hunter Pace's down to his last 600 points!"
Jack caught up with him. "Don't feel too bad, you're just a warmup! Once we're finished, I've got a rematch with an old friend of mine! So thanks for the practice! It's time to lose the third time! Archfiend, attack!" The dragon thrusted with its right hand unleashed big flames that burned out Hunter's remaining life points.
Hunter: 0600-0000
Hunter's duel runner released a lot of smoke and stopped. Jack drove up to him. "They say that three times are a charm, Hunter, But I have a feeling that your sponsors won't see it that way. Maybe you'd be better off changing brake pads for a living!"
Hunter gritted his teeth
"Jack Atlas wins! In a duel that's sure to down in history, Jack turned certain defeat into victory over former champ, Hunter Pace!"
Jack turned to the audience. "Who's the Master of Faster!? Who rules the duels!? That's right, it's me! Jack Atlas!" As the crowd cheered for him, he had one goal in mind. 'And next time I see Yusei, I'll prove it, once and for all!'
Well, at least it me less time than when I wrote the last chapter. Speaking of chapters, with this one being the third one in the row, it's time for me to move on with GX. Until next time.