Disclaimer: I do not own the properties of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise or the work of the cards; I only own the OCs that could or may be involved in this series. I own nothing of the real OCG cards, just the formal OC character.
Chapter 6: The Book Behind the Cover
It seemed like it was only about five days since Yasuko first arrived at Neo Domino City, and already, she could guess that the city was filled with an abundance of prosperity. Yet, it makes her uneasy. The whole thing about "Tops" and "Commons' does not fit her picture of a city. Sure, it might've been some economics. Still, the whole dimension is very different from her Standard Dimension.
Yasuko was staying with Lua and Luna, and already, they were warming up to her despite being from a different world. In return, Yasuko teaches the kids about dueling. Lua and Luna have good decks; they need to sharpen their skills to adapt to any situation that hinders their play. Of course, she will be using some of their decks that they wasted money making but don't have time to duel with. She can't imagine how much money the twins have just for a couple of decks.
Lua was standing across from Yasuko in the twin's mega-sized pool. They were having practice runs with Lua, improving his deck. Luna was up next after Lua. His field setup was perfect in the mock duel between Lua and Yasuko.
He had Morphtronic Smartfon and Gadget Gamer on his field with the Continuous Spell Card: Gadget Box face up on the field.
As for Yasuko, she helps Luna construct a deck that might suit the twin sister. She is borrowing the deck for a test drive in the duel since she refuses to disclose any information related to Pendulum Cards in her deck. Instead, she will be using some of Luna's decks for herself, and already, it's working like a charm.
She has Naturia Antjaw (ATK 400/DEF 200), Naturia Horneedle (ATK 1800/DEF 200), and Naturia Sunflower (ATK 500/DEF 0), all of which are in Defense Position, and two Set cards face-down on her field. So far, she's been keeping Lua at bay with Luna's new, improved deck she customized for the twin sister since she needed to know more about dueling.
"Alright, My turn! I draw!" Lua draws a card. He looks down at it and smirks, confident that he has the cards he needs to beat Yasuko after failing to do so seven times since they've been practicing. "I activate Gadget Gamer's effect to tribute itself so I can Special Summon one Morphtronic monster from my hand and one Gadget Hauler from my deck!" He does so by tributing the gaming gadget on the field. "I Special Summon my Morphtronic Scopen and Gadget Hauler!" Although Lua has improved, Yasuko is aware of what Lua is about to do and turns the tables against him.
"You managed to summon your two necessary monsters, but I'm afraid that's going to cost you," said Yasuko. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Naturia Blessing!" Yasuko flips up her Quick-Play Spell Card: Naturia Blessing. "This card lets me Special Summon one Naturia monster from the graveyard or hand!" Yasuko picks the one monster to summon and Special Summons Naturia Camellia (ATK 1400/DEF 700) from her graveyard in Defense Position. "I summon Naturia Camellia!" A portal opens a hole, allowing Yasuko to summon out three flowers, one red, blue, and yellow, all with eyes. Once that resolves, by tributing his gaming gadget, Lua Special Summons Morphtronic Scopen (ATK 800/DEF 1400) in Defense Position from his hand and Gadget Hauler (ATK 1300/DEF 0) from the deck in Attack Position. On Lua's side of the field, a robotic microscope bot emerges with a giant truck with a cannon in the hauler.
"When Carmellia was summoned, I can activate its effect to send one Naturia card from my deck to the graveyard," Yasuko explained. "I send Naturia Mole Cricket from my deck to the graveyard." Yasuko chooses to send Naturia Mole Cricket from her deck to the graveyard.
"Why Mole Cricket?" Lua inquired. "What does that do?"
"Why not? You have to expect what your opponent will do next," Yasuko lectured.
Lua feels unsure of what Yasuko might do next, but he decides to use what Yasuko taught him about his deck. "Alright then, in that case, I activate this! The Spell Card is called Hidden Armory!" Lua activates the Spell Card: Hidden Armory. "This spell allows me to send one card from the top of my deck to the graveyard, and I can add one Equip Spell Card from my deck to my hand!" Lua sends one card from the top of his deck to the graveyard and then adds the Equip Spell Card: Angel Ring. "And I think I'll add Angel Ring to my hand." After he handed his card, Lua continued with his next move. "Now, I tune my level 3 Scopen with my level 6 Gadget Hauler!" Lua declared.
(3 + 6 = 9)
Yasuko has been mentally telling herself that Lua is still just a kid. He still needs dynamics of how his deck works. "Bad move, Lua," she thought.
Once he decides, the scope robot turns into three green rings to scan the hauler, turning the monster into six glowing white orbs. "I Synchro Summon! Power Tool Braver Dragon!" Lua Synchro Summon Power Tool Braver Dragon (ATK 2700/DEF 2300) in Attack Position. From the field, the giant yellow, mechanical dragon with a power clamp and a drill appears in the area.
"How'd that go?" Lua inquired, hoping to get a good point from the girl. "Now I can activate my Braver Dragon's special effect!"
Yasuko, on the other hand, doesn't seem like it's impressive. It was downright sloppy. "It's horrible," she commented. "You just made yourself vulnerable." She gestures to the hornneedle bee on her field to use the effect. "When you Special Summoned a monster, I activate Horneedle's special effect to tribute one Naturai monster on my field and destroy it," she said. "And since Carmerilla is on my field, I can send two cards to the graveyard instead because of its continuous effect!"
Lua gasped, shocked at what Yasuko was doing. "I send two cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard and destroy Power Tool Braver Dragon!" The hornneedle bee starts to buzz straight at the braver dragon, destroying it with a big explosion. The impact sends a shockwave to Lua, blowing his face to make him cover.
"When a card effect destroys a monster, I can activate this Trap Card: Naturia Smash!" Yasuko flips up her face-down Trap Card: Naturia Smash. "When a Natura card destroys a monster you control by battle or card effect, I can inflict damage to your life points equal to the attack points of the destroyed monster." Once the trap card was activated, the remaining debris of the braver dragon fell right on top of Lua. He screamed, falling backward as he lost all his life points.
(Lua: LP 2100 → 0)
The solid images disappear once the duel is decided, and Yasuko wins again. She walks around the pool to get to Lua with her twin sister beside her. The girl comes to Lua, and the boy props upwards.
"Aw man," Lua whined. "Not again!" He was so mad that Lua hit the stone floor. "Why did I lose again?" As soon as the girls approached him, Lua looked up to Yasuko. "What went wrong with that move? I had everything to bring out that monster you taught me to summon," he said.
"And that's what went wrong," Yasuko pointed out. "You were putting so much effort trying to summon your most powerful monster that you failed to see what your opponent has." She places a hand on her hip, giving Lua a slight disapproval. "I took out your powerful monsters because I knew you were about to do that. To counter it, I use every monster in this deck that could stop it from coming to the field. Some have some strong abilities that no Synchro monsters could do." She gestures to the twin girl beside her. "Luna would've done the same thing if you were dueling her."
Lua looked away with a pouty face. "Maybe because you're being so hard," he murmured.
Yasuko heard his muttering. "Or maybe it's because I've been doing this longer than you," she responded.
Right as Lua gets back up, someone else enters the backyard and calls out to the boy. "But it seems like you're improving better than I could've done."
The twins and Yasuko all turn around to see Akiza standing at the doorway with her arms crossed. "I'm amazed you're teaching him better than what I can do for the other club members back at school."
Yasuko isn't sure of how great she can teach, considering that she's only taught two people in her dimension. Yet, he's not here or anywhere in the Synchro Dimension. "Let's just say I had some experience with this kind of work before," she said. Yasuko hands the duel disk back to Luna and heads over to the older girl. "So, what do you have that I need to know?" she inquired.
"About those two people you told me about? The ones who were on the news that trespassed into the Tops?" Akiza assumed, which made Yasuko nod once.
"Yep," she confirmed.
"About that…" Akiza started. "I don't think I could do anything about them. Sector Security wants them, and I'm afraid my father doesn't have that kind of jurisdiction to appeal to their removal from the list."
Yasuko snorted with annoyance. "And who's the a-hole that made the decision?" she asked.
"The Sector Security Director," Akiza answered. "Even if I was my father's daughter, I don't have any authority regarding Sector Security."
Yasuko felt her shoulders sagged with disappointment, making the worth of everything she's worked up to now useless. "Great, just what I need," she said. "More bureaucracy crap."
"And also…" Akiza responded. "There's something else." The twins and Yasuko turn back to the girl. From the look of suspicion on Akiza, it was right there that Yasuko knew her secret was almost blown. "When I investigated your name, no one mentioned a "Yasuko Yukihana" in the roster," she said. The twins were surprised and looked at the girl with the same reaction as Akiza.
"What? You mean to tell me you people have a roster?" Yasuko inquired.
"The Tops isn't very vast," Akiza replied. "So, you should be honest and tell us who you are."
Yasuko takes a deep breath before exhaling, sure they have already become wary of her. "How 'bout somewhere where we can eat," she stated, which made the three of them raise an eyebrow.
Back at the same pizza place where Yasuko had taken Lua and Luna, Yasuko eats pizza with the twins while Akiza sits across the table. It would appear Akiza was also familiar with the typical pizza place shop despite her being from the Tops. The shop owner is delighted that Topsiders are coming to his pizza shop.
"So, here's the truth," said Yasuko. "I'm not their cousin." She admits to Akiza the full extent of her story.
"It's true," Luna admitted, supporting the girl. "Akiza, I know that foreigners and Commons aren't supposed to be here, but you must help her."
Akiza didn't take the news very well. "Wait," she interrupted. "Hold on a second. You told me that she was your cousin."
"It's a bit complicated than that," said Lua. "You see, she's not from here. As in, she's not from Neo Domino City." Yasuko was grateful Lua tried to be courteous with her if Akiza could help. Yet, the reaction from Akiza is jeopardizing her mission. Akiza looked appalled once Lua revealed she wasn't from the Tops or the Commons.
"So, you're not from here?" Akiza inquired, leaning against the table to hear Yasuko's confirmation.
"Yep," Yasuko confirmed, unfazed or deadpanned from her reaction. "To put it simply… I am from an alternate dimension or universe." She chews some more pizza. Yasuko has no regrets or expectations from the three since this is the most bizarre story she will tell them.
Akiza snorted, shaking her head in disbelief. "Oh, you're telling me you're not from the city?"
"No, I'm telling you, I am not from this dimension," Yasuko affirmed. "A photographer took me in, moved to this country similar to mine, and raised in Tokyo before coming to Maiami City."
As Yasuko eats her slice, the twins are glancing at each other, confused about the story. Luna tilted her head and asked, "What's Maiami City?"
Yasuko looked at the three of them, deadpanned. "What? Never heard of a city called Maiami City?"
Lua shakes his head. "Nope, nothing I know of," he stated. "Why? Is that a city?"
"It's a city in Japan, and this is Japan, but it's not my Japan," Yasuko pointed out. "I am from an alternate universe. Why did you think you all never heard of Pendulum Summon before?"
The more she speaks, the more confused all three of them are. Akiza isn't sure what to believe. About the whole alternate dimension or universe. "I…I don't follow."
Yasuko signed with annoyance. "Okay…" She throws her pizza slice down and breaks up more pieces to clarify her point. "Imagine this whole pizza is the universe. This is the most interesting and confusing thing I've experienced. The multiverse is "somewhat" real, but not some random crap you get from movies and comics. There are other dimensions like this one.
"Here's my dimension," said Yasuko, moving her unfinished pizza aside. "This is the same thing as this one, where you guys do Synchro Summons." She 78pushes the cheese pizza right next to the other she dubbed as "Home."
"Now, imagine if you enter through one of these two dimensions. You find them familiar, but they're different," Yasuko explained. "Same world. Same dueling. Same crap. Except I have both called Pendulum and Synchro Summon. My dimension has more summoning methods than this dimension because I have different types of summonings, while you guys have only Synchro." Yasuko leans back, expecting something out of the three. "Now, does that make sense?"
Akiza, Lua, and Luna have not spoken about what Yasuko told them. The moment of silence came to their minds, processing what kind of story Yasuko was telling them.
"Okay, so… here's what I can see," Akiza started. "You're…insane!" She accused. "I mean, other summoning methods? Like what? Something different than Synchro?"
"Like Fusion and Xyz," Yasuko told her.
"What's Fusion?" Luna inquired.
"And what are Xyz?" Lua joined in.
"Trust me on this one. You'll find many crazy things when you travel across the universes," said Yasuko. She resumes eating her pizza while entirely oblivious to the astonishment of the twins and the incredulity from Akiza.
"Okay, so, if you are supposed to be from this alternate dimension, then what are you even doing here," Akiza interrogated, crossing her arms as if she thought the girl was lying.
"To stop everyone from the Fusion Dimension from taking over other dimensions or universes," Yasuko answered bluntly, showing no urgency or any form of desperation. "You all don't realize, but there's a way going on, and sick people from another dimension are trying to conquer all other dimensions and reunite them into one single dimension." She finishes her pizza and wipes her napkins. "That's why I'm here."
Yasuko didn't expect much from them since they wouldn't believe a single word coming from her mouth or the story she told them. "I thought I could find allies who can help me and some other people who came with me to stop them." She gets up and picks up her gym bag. "Guess there's no point since you all think I'm just another trespasser in this city." And with that, Yasuko walks right out of the pizza store, ignoring them since they wouldn't believe her otherwise.
She steps outside of the shop, and Yasuko checks her duel disk. She still cannot contact Yuya in this dimension because she doesn't know if they even make it across. As she checked her device, Luna came out of the shop, wanting to see her.
"Wait, Yasuko," Luna began. "What do you mean other people? You mean somebody else came with you, like that girl you talked about? That classmate on TV?"
Right on cue, Lua also came out of the shop. "Luna, wait. Hold on," he said, grabbing Luna's arm. "Luna, we can't just assume she's actually from another dimension. We don't even know where to start with that."
Luna pulls away from her brother and turns halfway to say something to Lua. "Look, I think she speaks the truth," she stated.
"But…" Lua uttered.
"C'mon, Lua, think about it. Pendulum Summon? You and I never heard of that, and no one in this city has ever heard of a Pendulum Summon," Luna divulged. "How'd you think Yasuko is lying?" her brother isn't sure how to respond.
"Well, I…" Lua stuttered.
"Because she isn't."
All three of them glanced over their shoulders to see Akiza approaching them out of the pizza shop, probably paying for the pizza they all had. "I'm not the one to accuse, but if you have proof, then I'll have no choice but to call security," she stated.
"Proof, huh?" Yasuko had an idea that might give her the proof. She took out her duel disk and scrolled over something on her device. She browsed through much stuff and then found what she needed, hoping that Akiza wouldn't accuse her of being a fake. "Does this suffice?" She hands over the duel disk to Akiza.
The red-haired girl checks what Yasuko is showing her, and her reaction sells it. Akiza's face turned surprised. "What the…what is this?" Her response gave the twins the impression that Akiza was watching something. They lean up to look closer, and the girl lowers the device to show them.
It was a video recording of when Yasuko was in the Arc League Championship. Her mother, Chloe, managed to record some of the duels and send them over to show Yasuko some of her duels. And it had everything she needed to show them her story. She then browsed through some of the pictures Chloe had sent her.
Some of them were screenshots of Yasuko doing her duels in the recordings of the duel broadcast on the web.
"Whoa, check it out. Did that girl turn into a city?" Lua pointed at the video. "I've never seen that before."
"Did Yasuko ride a dragon?" Luna inquired.
Then they came to the part of her Fusion and Xyz Summon, which she's done countless times. When they finish the last video, Yasuko returns the duel disk to show them another thing. She stops to see the picture of the You-Show Duel School taking a group photo before the Arc League Championship. She led the kids and Akiza to the photo, and the picture took them back.
"Hey, I know her," said Lua, pointing at Zuzu in the picture. "She was the one who was on TV in that Turbo Duel."
"And him too," Luna recognized, pointing at the picture, specifically Yuya. "But he looks different."
"Yeah, I thought it was him, too," Akiza agreed. "But this one…he seemed different."
"Oh really?" Yasuko inclined. "Like the fact that this boy has a different hair color and eyes?" Despite bearing similar faces, she couldn't believe anyone would realize how different Yuya and Yugo were.
"Is that his twin?" Lua asked.
"I'm going to be honest; I am sure he's Yuya's twin brother or a clone," Yasuko assumed, making some gestures that were a bit confusing even for her.
"Yuya?" Lua and Luna queried.
"That's his name," said Yasuko. "Yuya Sakaki, and let me tell you, he's not what you seemed." She looks back at the picture. "Yuya loves to make people smile and does these Entertainment Duels. You can't imagine how passionate he is about that stuff." She happens to notice something out of the ordinary in the picture. She didn't realize until now that, out of everyone in You-Show, Yasuko was the only one who didn't smile. She wonders why. She puts the duel disk away and turns her attention to the three kids. "So, does that story help?" she asked.
None of them know what to say now that Yasuko has told her side of the story. They saw her as different from what they thought of her before.
"Is this what you called Fusion Summon?" Luna asked. "Fusing two monsters?"
"It's like Synchro but different.," said Lua.
Akiza wasn't sure what to make out of Yasuko. At first, she talked nonsense about this alternate universe or dimension, whatever she spoke of, but seeing the videos gave her a new perspective.
"Who are you?" Akiza questioned.
Yasuko shrugged. "I'm a girl trying to find allies," she replied.
Akiza didn't know what to make out. This whole alternate universe thing. The Dimensions War. Other summoning methods. It was overwhelming to understand.
"Oh…okay, what if you are from the alternate universe? What will you do about it?" Akiza asked. "Like, what do you have to do?"
"Well, first off, I'm here to find allies who could understand what is going on out there and then regroup with my so-called Lancers," she explained. "Unfortunately, the teleportation device was clunky, and now I have no idea where the others are."
"Have you tried contacting the Sector Security?" Lua suggested.
"After seeing Zuzu and Yuya's twin brother being chased on TV, that is out of the question," Yasuko rebuked. "I needed people like you, who are very influential in this high-rise society you called a city, to help me find them."
The twins aren't sure how they can do something for Yasuko. They're only kids, not some politician or an entity. Yet, if they are going to help her, then there are options that they can use since they're from the Tops.
"Uh, I don't think Lua and I should be getting involved with this," said Luna. "If Lua and I are caught, we will be in trouble."
Luna does have a point there. Since Lua and Luna are all kids, Yasuko can't get them too involved with her mission. She turned to Akiza and said, "Luna's right; they're too young to even do anything for me, but I'm hoping you can help me."
"You mean, like, be a guide?" Akiza assumed.
"As a backup," Yasuko replied. "This is a city of rich and powerful, so what else am I supposed to know?"
Akiza had a slight cringe over Yasuko's ignorance of her home. "It's a bit more than that," she said. "Wait right here." Akiza walks past her and the twins, turning around a corner. A loud, roaring engine blows up about two minutes later, making Yasuko flinch slightly.
Right out of the corner, Akiza rides what appears to be a Duel Runner, the one Yugo rides on his own, but Akiza has a Duel Runner encoded entirely in crimson red. It has blade wings on each side on the front.
Akiza puts on a helmet and opens a compartment on the left side to get a spare one. She hands it over to Yasuko. "Take this and show where we can start," she said.
Yasuko wasn't sure if she should ride on that thing. She's never experienced riding a motorcycle before. "Tell me, you can drive that thing?" she assumed, already putting the helmet over her head.
Akiza gives a smile. "Trust me, I've been doing this more than you'll ever get to ride one," she assured.
"But there's no room on that thing," Yasuko pointed out. Akiza pressed a button on the keypad, and the back of the Duel Runner lowered the platform down. A second seat was starting to be configured at the red spot. Yasuko takes a deep breath and then rolls over the back to sit right behind Akiza. She loops her arms around her, securing her position to ride in a Duel Runner for the first time. "Are you old enough to drive?" she wondered.
"Please, I've been old enough to drive this thing since your age," Akiza assured. "Now, hang on tight." Akiza takes control of the handlebar and twists it. The Duel Runner lets out a smooth roar like a water stream. "I'm going to take Yasuko out to Neo Domino City. You kids better get back home," she told Lua and Luna. "We'll be back before dark."
"Okay," Lua and Luna said together. And with that, Akiza and Yasuko beams into the streets, with Yasuko holding to Akiza's back.
Yasuko wonders what it must've been like riding a motorcycle and dueling simultaneously. It takes many skills to do that, especially in the Synchro Dimension. Akiza takes her across the city highway, viewing the skyline on a bright day. It's such a marvel to watch the skyscrapers. It reminds her of a postcard Chloe sent her when she was in New York City, Melbourne, or even Dubai. Neo Domino City is unlike anything she's ever seen in her dimension. Still, Lua and Luna mentioned the Tops and Commons, so there's something terrible about that topic.
"Hey, Akiza," Yasuko called. "What's the big deal with the Tops and Commons?" If Neo Domino City is divided between the rich and the poor, she must know the whole thing. "Do they have some beef with each other?"
"What made you think of that?" Akiza inquired.
Yasuko thought about her life when Chloe took her in. "I…guess you could say I don't have much luxury like you or any of those people you called the Tops," she said. "From what Lua and Luna told me, the Tops don't allow anyone who is a Common into their property, so is there something bad about that?"
Akiza doesn't respond momentarily, but Yasuko can understand that the silent response tells her how bad society is in Neo Domino City. "Oh, so it's worse than bad," she responded.
"Much worse," Akiza agreed. "Everyone thinks Neo Domino City is a place of huge opportunities and prospering to glory, but this city isn't what you might think." The ride takes them through the tunnel. "Neo Domino City is the worst." As soon as they exited the tunnel, Yasuko noticed the skyscrapers weren't present. She turned her eyes down and saw the slums of Neo Domino City. Everything looked bleak, and the buildings hadn't been renovated in decades.
"Wow, this place is a shithole," Yasuko commented, which made Akiza glance over and give her a look. "What? This city is the most horrible thing I've seen."
Akiza shrugged and turned back to the road. "The average Common earns less than what the Tops earned in a decade," she said. "Neo Domino City wasn't always like this. It used to be a once beloved community, but as more people move here, so does the cost of living. The city boomed so much that they built more skyscrapers, and the people who call us the Tops are getting richer while those in the Commons get the scraps."
"And I'd take it you've been getting the good stuff because you're the Senator's daughter?" Yasuko asked.
"That's what you get when you're the Top," Akiza replied.
Yasuko snorted and looked over to her shoulder, watching the skyscrapers of the Tops grow smaller by every mile. She can't help but feel angered that this is the kind of society the Synchro Dimension is about. The rich get richer while the poor get poorer. She's no stranger to how she lives in luxury and impoverished lifestyles.
"This is just pitiful," said Yasuko. "You people have everything you wanted, but none of these people could afford a water bottle." It's mind-boggling to see the decaying rot occurring in the city. With her eyes turning back to the slums, all she could get was a frown.
"It's how things are," said Akiza, "And what you say is true about this whole Dimensions war; it can't change this. Not here in Neo Domino City."
"What makes you say that?" Yasuko inquired. She was expecting Akiza to be somebody she feels it's her privilege since she's from the Tops. After all, rich people get everything. "Because you don't care what happens to this city?" she assumed, cocking one eyebrow. "I swear, you rich people are always so stuck up."
Akiza looked sharply, glancing back at Yasuko after she offended her with her ignorance. "What gave you that impression?" she snapped.
"I'm an orphan if you're wondering," said Yasuko. Turning back to the slums, she had some reminiscence of the environment. "I grew up in a similar place, but it's not worse than Neo Domino City. It's a small village, but I had no one. I was alone for as long as I can remember. Then, my mother adopted me, took me in, and I moved to Tokyo. But that doesn't mean I live a luxury life like you or the twins.
"Not all of us are what you and the twins call the Tops, Senator's daughters, some wealthy people who live their lives in full stomachs, or anyone supposedly famous for being famous. They live like how they wanted to be because you guys are filthy rich," Yasuko admitted, averting her eyes down on the road. "And none of them don't understand what it means to struggle."
None of the girls respond to each other for about a minute, letting Akiza ride themselves around the highway. They enter another tunnel, leaving behind the divided city and through the route. The two riders exit the tunnel to come into view of the skyscrapers once again.
"I know struggle too," Akiza revealed, causing Yasuko to look at her in surprise. "If you know what it means to struggle, then I know what it means to be in that struggle."
"Oh…" Yasuko uttered.
"You may think the Tops are where people like me can't do anything about this stuff, but you're lucky to meet me instead," said Akiza. "Everyone here, even in my age group, is supposed to be significant people in the future. The Tops are the ones who produce the best of the best in the world. And that gives them the very idea of elite schools.
"Schools which I dropped out of. I dropped out of many schools in the city because they all follow the same system. Even my classmates are always looking for me to approve them of." The sound of Aliza's tone gives an impression of Yasuko. "But I don't approve any of them. They're all just fakes trying to get my daddy's approval. And he's a busy man."
Yasuko narrows her eyes slightly, giving her nothing but sympathy for Akiza. "So, you hate this city too?" she wondered.
"I detest everything about Neo Domino City. The Tops. The Commons. All of it. Only by paper do they seem equal, but in reality, it's all a lie," Akiza replied. "99% of residents here live in poverty, and the 1% gets everything."
"So, why didn't you help them?" Yasuko questioned.
"I am unsure how I can help them," Akiza replied. "All the Tops don't want to help unless it helps. They don't want to give up on the game of being the best. That's how things work here in Neo Domino City. You either win or lose. It's not something immoral. That's how I live in."
Yasuko is still determining what to make out of this city now. At first, she thought that it was all about the rich and the poor, but Akiza gave her something to understand. Neo Domino City is less prosperous than she thought. Kids like Lua and Luna may seem to have it all, but Akiza knows what kind of society they live by.
Win. Lose. It's all-or-nothing.
As two girls started to come to an exit, something was beeping for the two of them to hear.
Looking down, Yasuko realized that her duel disk made the beep. If it was beeping, then it could only be one thing. Akiza parks the duel runner over on the sidewalk.
"What is that?" Akiza questioned, looking over to Yasuko.
"It's a DPS locator," Yasuko answered. "This only works if I have someone in my contacts list being pinged to the exact location of someone I know if they have a duel disk with them."
"DPS?"
"Dimensional Positioning System," Yasuko clarified. "Given to me by my incumbent leader to make sure we can track each other when we're cross into other dimensions." Yasuko checks what she has in her duel disk. When she did, her eyes widened in disbelief.
"No way…"
A beam of light warps in the backstreet alley somewhere in the slums of Neo Domino City. Everything turns into a rainbow color from what appears to be the function of a teleporting device. A blue light emits on the ground before it expands outwards. The light disappears, allowing Yuya, Serena, Sylvio, and Riley to emerge from the portal.
Yuya looked around, noticing the decaying buildings around them. He isn't sure how to describe them. They all walk out on the street and into the opening.
Sylvio rolls his shoulder, looking exhausted after a short dimensional travel. Despite their ability to travel across the dimensions, they all looked tired. "That was most uncomfortable," he said, rolling his right shoulder before his left. "Dimensional travel is not so easy."
The boy with red and green hair scans the buildings. He doesn't seem to be familiar with any of them. When he looked up, Yuya noticed the large structures towering over the other buildings. "Where are we?" he wondered.
"My guess…we're probably in the Synchro Dimension," Serena assumed.
Yuya needs to know something first. He checks the duel disk to see if he can contact Yasuko. "I just hope Yasuko made it," he said. He pressed the call to get Yasuko. The duel disk was making the call, but after five seconds, the call went dead, unable to set up a connection. Much to Yuya's surprise, he doesn't even have a bar to call her or anyone he knows. "There's no reception," he said. "How can that be?"
"Each Dimension is different," Serena explained. "The tech is not like the ones from the Standard Dimension."
Yuya turns to Serena. "You mean I can't call Yasuko or even Zuzu with my duel disk?" he questioned.
Serena nodded. "I'm afraid so," she confirmed. "Which means we can't contact the others."
Yuya frowned, a bit irritated that he couldn't be sure if Yasuko made it into the Synchro Dimension. He must still carry out the mission since the Lancers teleported away from the Standard Dimension. "Zuzu is here, but where's Gongenzaka and the others?" Yuya could feel the dread coming into his stomach, unsure of how he would find Yasuko or any of the Lancers here in the Synchro Dimension.
As he was lost in his thoughts, a loud siren suddenly sounded off from a distance. Everyone turns to the source and sees a single motorcycle coming their way. The bike stops before them, and the officer parks his duel runner to get a good look at them.
"Yugo!" the voice of Tetsu Trudge called. "So, we meet again! You managed to get away from me this time! But now, I've got you right where I want you, Yugo!" He points at Yuya, an angry scowl barring in on the boy.
Yuya had yet to learn what the officer was talking about. The officer pointed at him as if Yuya was accused of doing something he did not. He points to himself, asking, "Wait, are you talking about me?" He doesn't know how to respond. It's only been seconds since the Lancers were teleported to the Synchro Dimension, and there's already someone who seemingly recognizes him.
"Yes, you!" Trudge retorted. "I tried to take you and your little girlfriend in but was demoted because of you! Going back to being on patrol is a heavy blow for me, and now, I'm here to bring you and that girl in!"
Yuya holds his hand out. "Whoa, wait, hold on there, officer!" he panicked. "This is a big misunderstanding. I'm not Yugo. I'm Yuya Sakaki."
The only response he got from the officer was a spit to the ground. "Tsk. Don't play dumb with me, you little maggot! I know that face when I see one! You beat me in a turbo duel a few days ago!" He holds out to the rest of the Lancers who came with Yuya. "The rest of you! Don't move! You're all under arrest!" When things worsen, a patrol car drives behind them, blocking their other exit.
"Hold it right there!" One of the officers announced. Three more officers came out of the patrol car and covered the end. "This is Sector Security! You are surrounded!"
"It's about time, you backups, arrive!" Trudge exclaimed, but one of the officers noticed Trudge, giving him a look of disapproval.
"Private Trudge, you know that this isn't your sector! Go back to your post!"
"You're kidding me?! I just found this punk here wandering around, if you don't mind!" Trudge rebuked.
Sylvio scowls at the officers, unfathomed of how they are treating them. "What are they talking about?"
The three Lancers didn't know that Riley was intimidated by the sight of the four officers. Riley backs away, holding the teddy bear Riley brought while traveling across the dimension. Terrified, Riley cries and turns around to flee.
Yuya notices Riley running away to the other side. "Riley!" He runs after the youngest Lancer, never losing sight of Riley. As Riley was about to get to the other side of the street, Riley bumped into something hard, causing Riley to reel back and land on the ground.
Yuya comes up behind Riley, ensuring the youngest Lancer isn't hurt. "Are you okay?" he asked, but Riley did not reply. Instead, Riley looked up to whatever blocked them from leaving the scene. He also looked up and saw a wall of "Gate Blockers" blocking their exit. Yuya is even more confused now. First, an officer mistakes him for someone he's not, and then these things block their way. Yuya notices something about these walls. They all have a single eye in the center, only to realize that these aren't just ordinary walls. They're all monsters.
"What the…Real Solid Vision?" Yuya wondered. "How can that be? They activate it from outside?" Yuya was so distracted that he didn't see what was coming next.
More "Gate Blockers" appear from nowhere, sealing every corner to the other exits, leaving the Lancers no escape. Yuya looked around, seeing all the Gate Blockers covering every alley, road, and open courtyard.
"You have wanted fugitives by the order of the Director since five days ago, and now, we're taking you in!" said one of the officers. At once, the three officers from the patrol car activate their duel disk. "Do not resist! Now surrender!"
"You've got to be kidding!" Yuya called. "We just got here!"
"Shut up, Yugo!" Trudge yelled, activating the duel disk on his duel runner. "Don't make this harder than it seemed. The rest of you three boozos! Take a hike! This is my fugitive right here! So I'm bringing him in!"
"What the hell! You think you guys know us!? Do you have any idea who you're talking to!" Sylvio snapped, furious that he'd traveled dimensions to listen to these officers mouthing their authority over them. "I am Sylvio Sawatgari!"
Yuya can tell by the provocative tone coming from Sylvio. "Wait, Sawatari! Let me just—"
"You want a duel! You got yourself a one!" Sylvio challenged. "I'll show you amateurs who you're dealing with and teach you to know your place!" Sylvio brings up his left arm, where his duel disk was attached. He activates the device, allowing a green glowing blade to emit from the disk.
"Wait! Hold on, Sawatari! I don't think—" Yuya paused as he heard another duel disk activated and glanced over to see Serena with her duel disk active. "Not you, too, Serena!"
Sylvio brought up a hand in the air. "Action Field, on!" With a single snap of his finger, the duel disk activates the Field Spell: Crossover. "Field Spell Crossover!" The surrounding area conjures blue floating platforms all over the field, turning the scene into a neon-glowing playground.
"Duel!"
DUEL
Sylvio Sawatari and Serena
VS.
2x Sector Security and Tetsu Trudge
The Action Cards scatter, raining all over the field like snow. With Serena and Sylvio dueling against these Sector Security officers, all Yuya can do is look on, dejected that they're already in trouble the moment they got into the Synchro Dimension. His shoulder sagged, feeling like he was left out of the conflict. He could only say one thing, and Yuya didn't like it.
"Are you kidding me?"
OC Cards:
Naturia Smash
Normal Trap Card
Effect: When a "Naturia" monster you control destroys a monster(s) your opponent controls by battle or card effect, you can inflict damage to your opponent's life points equal to the highest ATK of the monster(s) that was destroyed.
Here is the sixth chapter of the series, and now we're definitely going to be getting into the most interesting part. I know it's not something expected like a duel or something, but I am going to be working more on these as soon as the next arc comes. I apologize for some delays, but you know how life kicks into your face and then stallls you for sometime. If you enjoy this story, then don't forget to leave down a comment, favor, follow, or recommend this to someone else who may seemed interested in reading this story. Take care now!