Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, Bakugan, or any such franchises. All rights belong to their respective creators.
Chapter 1: The Fire Within-Awaken, Satellite!
The ground felt hard and cold to the touch, rough cement brushing against the hand as it slowly tightened into a weak fist. A groan was emitted as the hand flattened again, the arm it was connected to beginning to tremble as the owner of the limbs tried to push itself up, only to fall flat again.
In a bushy blur of orange, a short boy in a tattered blue coat entered the dirty little square, ducking behind the corner of a ruined building. He breathed heavily as he peeked around into the alleyway he had entered from, heart beating out of his chest as he watched for the hooligans who had been chasing him.
A sigh of relief escaped his lips as the leather-jacket clad forms of his pursuers hurtled past the alley, and he stood up a little straighter. Time to go back.
He stepped away from the building and turned back down the alley, ready to walk... but he froze mid-step. There was a noise. A shiver shot up his spine as he briefly wondered if those guys could have found another way around, but he knew this area.
Again, there was the noise. He turned around, brown eyes sweeping quickly to find the source.
There it lay. There he lay.
The source of the noise was a male, taller than the orange-haired boy, laying on his stomach with his limbs splayed out to the sides. He was dressed in a long-sleeved gray shirt and pants, which looked too pristine for a place like this. Only his shoes fit the part, which seemed thoroughly broken in, rough around the edges and with dirty soles.
The boy hurried over to the prone person, greeted by a shallow groan as he crouched down and began shaking the male's arm. "H-hey! You ok? Guy?"
"Urgh..." the male responded, shifting his head slightly and causing the mop of brown hair to shift as well, unveiling the face beneath. He was young, likely in his late teens. An eye opened, blinking rapidly as the sun hit it. "Bright."
"Uh... yeah, it's bright, it's the middle of the day!" the boy said, confused. "This isn't a great place to sleep, you know! It's not safe!"
His words were answered by a cough, and a tongue flicking across dry lips. "Not... sleeping," the young man said. His voice was a bit stronger, but he still clearly wasn't having a good time. "Where am I...?"
"You don't know?" the orange-haired boy asked. He tilted his head slightly as he considered how to explain. "Well... you're in the Satellite! It used to be called Domino City, I guess, but that was a long time ago."
"Satellite," the man repeated, as if tasting the word.
"Yeah!" the boy agreed, nodding his head rapidly. "My name's Rally. Me and my friends live nearby... I don't think I've ever seen you around, though. What's your name?"
Silence. The guy tried again to push himself up, and this time managed to get into a kneeling position. His green eyes stared at the ground, like he was deep in thought.
"Uh... hey? Your name?" Rally repeated.
Silence. Then, "I'm... not sure," was the answer, spoken in an honest voice, full of confusion.
"You don't know your own name?" Rally asked incredulously, receiving a shake of the head as a response. "Oh! Maybe it's amnesia? That's rough..."
"You're telling me," the guy said with a sigh. He moved to one knee, bracing his left arm against it before finally getting to an awkward stand.
Whoever washes this guy's clothes is going to be real mad, Rally thought. He looked up at the man, unable to avoid seeing the grime that coated the front of his shirt and was smudged on his face. Then he caught sight of something that he hadn't noticed before-gleaming on the guy's left arm was a metal device.
"Hey, is that-" Rally began, seizing the arm and raising it. "It is! It's a Duel Disk!"
"Duel Disk?" the guy repeated, confused and gazing down at the indicated object. "Is that what this thing is?"
The device consisted of a round silver center flanked by two wing-like protrusions, one longer than the other, with blue squares stamped onto the protrusions. The main object was almost a perfect circle, except for a slot which jutted out slightly, containing what appeared to be a deck of cards.
"Yeah, a Duel Disk! Are you a duelist then?" Rally paused only to realize the silliness of that question. "Of course you are, why else would you have a Duel Disk?"
"I... guess that would make sense," the guy responded. He wasn't really sure what the kid was talking about, but he didn't see any good option here other than just nodding his head and acting like he understood.
Rally crossed his arms. "So... you don't remember anything," he said, pursing his lips in thought. He snapped his fingers. "I've got it! Maybe dueling will jog your memory a little? It can't hurt, anyway! Right?"
The kid's smile was pure innocence and excitement. It was hard to just say no to a face like that, along with the way he began to bounce on the balls of his feet ever so slightly.
"Well...what if I don't know how to duel?"
That smile became devious, for just a second. "Don't worry-I'll take it easy on ya!" Rally answered, giving him a thumbs-up. His smile faltered. "Oh, shoot. I don't have my deck or Duel Disk on me... I'll be right back, okay? Don't go anywhere!"
Rally didn't even wait for affirmation before running off, leaving the young man alone in the grimy plaza, looking around to finally get a good look at his surroundings.
Tall, crumbling buildings rose up around him, windows either long gone or with some jagged remnants sticking in their frames, garbage overflowing all over the place. Dark puddles of who-knows-what leaked out from who-knows-where; the young man didn't seem particularly keen on finding out either of those things.
Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust and decay. Rally had said this place was once called 'Domino City...' what could have happened to make it into this place?
He then examined the device on his arm, the 'Duel Disk,' as Rally had referred to it. He couldn't say that it felt familiar, but then again, if it felt familiar, if anything felt familiar, he supposed he wouldn't be in this situation.
There was only a little time to ponder on this until Rally returned, bearing a similar device, though his was a bit more beat-up; less shiny, a little scuffed, and a bit big for his small frame. But he was beaming like a spotlight, fumbling to strap the Duel Disk to his arm. He seemed so genuine about wanting to help.
"You ready for this? I said I'd go easy on ya, but this excited, I don't know if I can hold back!" Rally declared with a gleeful shudder.
That smile was infectious. Confused as he was, the young man gave him a small smile in response. "I won't forget you said that, if I actually remember how to play."
The next movement did seem at least a little familiar to the amnesiac. Rally raised the arm bearing his Duel Disk, and with barely a second's hesitation, the young man did the same.
"Let's rev it up!" Rally howled. When the stranger looked at him weirdly, Rally smiled sheepishly. "It's, uh, something a friend of mine says."
"DUEL!"
The Guy: 4000 LP / Rally: 4000 LP
"I'll make the first move! Take some notes if ya need!" Rally said. "I draw! I'll summon Gradius in Attack Mode!"
A green portal opened up and out flew a spaceship, shining white with a pair of wings that formed uppercase L's on either side of the cockpit. It hovered in place, thrusters emitting orange flames while missile holders primed for attack. (4) (1200 ATK/800 DEF)
"Next I activate the Spell Card, Banner of Courage! With this out, my monsters gain 300 ATK during my Battle Phase!" Rally informed as a banner sprung up on a pole behind him, red and white cloth flapping in an invisible breeze. "From there, I'll set one card face-down and end my turn! Your move!"
"I'll draw, then," the guy said, placing a hand on top of his deck and drawing forth a card, adding it to the hand of five which had popped out of the deck slot at the start of the duel.
He'd been looking over these cards for most of Rally's turn; he got an odd feeling from them, familiar, but somehow foreign. He knew they belonged to him, but he needed to string together what they were for.
This might work, he thought, choosing a card.
"I summon Pyrus Saurus, in attack position."
Another portal opened up, this time allowing for a bipedal dinosaur to enter the fray. Its body was muscular and covered in hard, red platelike armor, and the visible skin was yellow. Its face was equipped with a beak and several sharp horns, including one which jutted out dangerously from its snout. (4) (1900 ATK/600 DEF)
Rally's smile dropped ever so slightly at the sight of the beast, but came back just as quickly. "Whoa... I've never seen a monster like that before!"
"I... probably have," the guy answered, halfway between being awkward and trying to make a joke. "Well... next, I... I guess I'll attack?"
The dinosaur didn't even wait for a formal declaration, the mere suggestion was all it needed. Its heavy feet pounded the ground as it stampeded forward, before bending its knees and hurtling into the air. Moments later, several hundred pounds of angry dinosaur smashed down onto Gradius, utterly destroying it.
The Guy: 4000 LP / Rally: 3300 LP
"Woo! That was a doozy!" Rally said as the debris settled.
"Not bad, big guy," the stranger complimented, giving the ceratopsian creature a thumbs-up. "I think... I'll set one card face-down and end my turn there."
"My move, then!" Rally announced. "Draw! I summon Card Trooper, in attack mode!"
A small red and blue robot on tank treads appeared, two bright eyes shining like searchlights. (3) (400 ATK/400 DEF) "Now I'll activate Card Trooper's effect! I send the top 3 cards from my deck to the graveyard, and it gains 500 ATK for each-and if you can't multiply, that's 1500 ATK gained-along with a 300 boost from Banner of Courage!"
Card Trooper: (2200 ATK/400 DEF)
The stranger whistled, impressed. "That's a pretty efficient robot."
"If you think that's good, wait 'til you see this! Card Trooper, run 'em over!" Rally ordered, throwing his hand out for emphasis.
The searchlight eyes focused in on Saurus and the tank treads began to spin, crawling across the field and slowly picking up speed.
Saurus braced itself for the attack while its master watched, ready to lament the loss of his creature, when he suddenly remembered the card he had set. "Hold on! Trap card, open! Wall of Fire!"
As the card flipped up, a wall of red-hot flames shot up from the ground between Card Trooper and Saurus, encircling the muscular dinosaur. "When you attack one of my FIRE monsters, I can activate Wall of Fire to negate that attack and end the Battle Pha-wait, what?"
Rally grunted as the flames shrank, allowing Card Trooper to plow through. "My Counter Trap, Malfunction! I pay 500 Life Points to negate your Trap, but it gets set in its original position-which means your Saurus is going extinct!"
The red and blue robot slammed into Saurus with surprising strength and sent the dinosaur flying, bursting into an explosion of pixels.
The Guy: 3700 LP / Rally: 2800 LP
"Quite the price to pay to get rid of Saurus," the stranger commented.
The bushy-haired boy across the field gave him a wink. "He was a little too tough for my liking. Besides, when this turn's over, Card Trooper goes back to its original ATK and it wouldn't be a good idea to let that happen with your guy running around. I set a card and end my turn!"
Card Trooper: (400 ATK/400 DEF)
"Draw!" the stranger said, voice a bit stronger this time. Something about this all felt right-the sensation of the cards in his hand, the weight of the Duel Disk on his arm. "I summon Pyrus Serpenoid in attack position!"
A long snake with a yellow underbelly and red back covered in yellow geometric patterns slithered onto the field, coiling up ready to strike. It had a diamond-shaped head with predatory yellow eyes and frills that fanned out on either side, and a forked tail with a yellow rattle that shook viciously. (2) (600 ATK/900 DEF)
Card Trooper: (200 ATK/400 DEF)
"What? Why did Card Trooper lose ATK?" Rally asked.
"When Serpenoid is on the field, your monsters lose 200 ATK for each FIRE monster I control-but it's about to lose some more, because I activate Double Summon! Come out, Pyrus Centipoid!"
The appearance of this monster shot a chill up the spines of both Rally and the stranger who summoned it. A huge, red-bodied centipede with thick, skittering legs appeared beside the snake, rising up tall and glaring down at its foes. (3) (800 ATK/1600 DEF)
Card Trooper: (0 ATK/400 DEF)
"Yeesh, is this your way to avenge Saurus?" Rally said.
"Something like that," the stranger agreed. "Serpenoid, constrict that Card Trooper!"
The giant snake lunged across the field and wrapped itself around the robot, tail rattling dangerously as the coils tightened, crushing Card Trooper into nothingness.
The Guy: 3700 LP / Rally: 1900 LP
"Ah... sorry, Card Trooper," Rally said softly. "But you've activated its effect-when Card Trooper goes to the graveyard, I get to draw a card!"
The stranger raised an eyebrow curiously, understanding dawning as to why Rally would have chosen to leave that monster vulnerable. "I hope it's one that will help you-keep the attack going, Centipoid!"
Similar to its serpentine counterpart, the centipede darted across the field, body slithering creepily until reaching its opponent. It reared back and spat a glob of poison from its fierce pincers, then returned to its original position.
The Guy: 3700 LP / Rally: 1100 LP
"Go ahead with your turn, Rally!"
Truth be told, the stranger was beginning to feel pretty confident with how this duel was playing out. Even if Rally had something to rival his monsters after Serpenoid's weakening effect, there was Wall of Fire to be reckoned with. That should be enough to end the duel, right?
"Draw! Activate, Bait Doll!"
Wrong.
"When Bait Doll is activated, I target a set card you control and flip it face-up. If the timing for its activation is correct, it goes through-but we both know this isn't the right condition for Wall of Fire!" Rally grinned.
The indicated trap flipped face-up to reveal the image of a dragon wreathed in a protective wall of flames. The stranger cringed slightly as the card was shattered, his defensive strategy disappearing along with it.
"For my next move, I'll be summoning Blue Thunder T-45 in attack mode!"
Another spaceship, this one silver and with a fatter body and shorter wings than Gradius, appeared, blue jets fired from roaring thrusters as it floated in position. (4) (1700 ATK/1000 DEF)
Blue Thunder T-45: (1300 ATK/1000 DEF)
"Even with your Serpenoid's ATK drop, it's still enough to take out your monsters, and then some, thanks to Banner of Courage! Go on, Blue Thunder, lock on to Serpenoid and fire!"
Blue Thunder T-45: (1600 ATK/1000 DEF)
There was a mechanical whirring as weaponry shifted positions, focusing in on the coiled serpent, and fired. Serpenoid was blown away in an instant.
The Guy: 2700 LP / Rally: 1100 LP
Blue Thunder T-45: (2000 ATK/1000 DEF)
Not good, the stranger thought. That was two defensive opportunities out of commission.
"And when Blue Thunder destroys a monster by battle, I get to Special Summon a Thunder Option Token!" Rally informed him excitedly, pumping his fist. "And thanks to Banner of Courage..."
Alongside the spaceship appeared a small object orbiting around it, a mostly oblong shape but with two long, thin protrusions that jutted out from a glowing core. Blue flames erupted from a thruster, just like the monster it was summoned from. (4) (1500 ATK/1500 DEF)
Thunder Option Token: 1800
"Thunder Option Token, wipe out that Centipoid!"
A blast of glowing green energy shot from the core, vaporizing the giant insect on the spot.
The Guy: 1300 LP / Rally: 1100 LP
However, after the explosion faded away, something remained behind: the transparent form of Centipoid! It pounced at the energy core, the afterimage passing through it, but causing it to explode all the same.
"What was that?!"
"Oh, right—when Centipoid is destroyed, the monster that destroyed it is also destroyed!"
"That's not bad, but even though you got the token out of the way, you've still got the original to contend with! Turn end!" Rally said with a wink.
Blue Thunder T-45: (1700 ATK/1000 DEF)
Thunder Option Token: (1500 ATK/1500 DEF)
"Draw!" He looked over the card he drew along with the rest of his hand, and frowned slightly.
A Spell? That's... wait, WAIT. Yeah. Yeah, this could work. A plan was forming. The threads of strategy were connecting, and before he even realized what he was doing, his hand began to work out the motions.
"I activate the Spell, Rapid Fire! By saying bye-bye to a FIRE monster in my hand-I'll choose my Pyrus Tuskor-I can get two new FIRE monsters!" the stranger said as he added two new cards to his hand. "Next, I summon the Tuner monster, Pyrus Monarus, in attack position!"
This new arrival took the form of a humanoid female with butterfly wings, red and yellow like the rest of the stranger's monsters. Long antennae atop its head twitched, moving slowly but nimbly in an invisible breeze. (3) (1100 ATK/1000 DEF)
"A Tuner monster?!" Rally said, the bravado rapidly dropping away. "You have Synchros?!"
"I hope so!" the stranger answered proudly.
"You hope so?!" Rally repeated, as both he and Monarus fell flat on their faces anime-style.
"I hope so!" the stranger confirmed. "Because I'll activate Monarus's effect-I discard a card from my hand to Special Summon a FIRE monster from my graveyard, but it can't attack and it's destroyed during the End Phase! Not that it'll... hopefully... be around that long. Come back, Tuskor!"
The ground seemed to quake as an armored elephant took the field, red and gold with four long, sharp tusks and a powerful trunk that ended in spikes. (5) (2000 ATK/2000 DEF)
"Now, I'm going to Synchro Summon! I think!" the stranger said, not missing a beat as he improvised his way through the motions. "I tune Level 5 Tuskor with Level 3 Monarus to Synchro Summon... something!"
He wasn't sure it was even going to work like that, but somehow, it did; the human butterfly spread its hands and flapped its wings once before turning into a trio of green rings. The elephant, in what could only be described as a heavily armed circus act, leapt into those rings and transformed as well, this time becoming five stars which spread throughout the rings.
The words came to him without warning.
"From the depths of despair rises a new hope! The doomed give up their spirits to awaken the fire within! Synchro Summon! Evolve to fight, Pyrus Omega Leonidas!"
A blazing orange light erupted from between the rings, consuming the stars. The stranger and Rally both held their breaths, neither entirely sure of what exactly an "Omega Leonidas" was.
They didn't have to wait long.
The fiery light dissipated, and what was left behind was a terrific monster: a red dragon stood tall and fearsome, towering over the duelists. Gold ran up its back and covered the tips of its wings, and a gleaming golden horn jutted from its nose, while its hands and feet were equipped with wickedly sharp claws. (8) (3000 ATK/2700 DEF)
"Whoa," Rally said, looking up at the massive dragon, and the stranger was inclined to agree. He certainly hadn't been expecting a monster like that.
Omega Leonidas beat its wings once impatiently, looking back at the stranger as if expecting a command since he had the gall to summon it. Its horn glinted dangerously in the sunlight.
There was something unspoken in the way their eyes met. A quick, but sharp jolt to the brain. The stranger knew what to do.
"Omega Leonidas, attack Blue Thunder T-45! Alpha Blaster!"
"Hooold it!" Rally called out, snapping out of the awe to realize he had a response. "Time for my Spell that'll spell your doom! Limiter Removal! All Machine-types I control have their ATK doubled!"
Blue Thunder T-45: (3400 ATK/1000 DEF)
"That's not going to help! Omega Leonidas, time for your special ability!" the stranger commanded.
"What?!"
"By removing from play a FIRE monster in my graveyard, Leonidas gains that monster's ATK! So if I removed, say, Tuskor, Leonidas would have enough ATK to defeat you even with Limiter Removal!"
A slot in the stranger's Duel Disk glowed red, and a ball of red light popped out, darting toward Omega Leonidas. The ball enlarged, surrounding the dragon before dissipating into a blazing aura. Leonidas let out a massive roar in response.
Pyrus Omega Leonidas: (5000 ATK/2700 DEF)
"Let's go, Leonidas! Omega Eraser!"
The dragon reeled back, opening its mouth and charging a furious red beam. It shot out with blinding speed, slicing through the spaceship and striking past it, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The Guy: 1300 LP / Rally: 0 LP
Seconds passed, and the monsters faded from existence. The stranger's Duel Disk deactivated itself, mechanical wings parting and snapping back into their original positions.
As the dust settled, Rally was seen on one knee, head to the ground. He looked so much smaller than he actually was then, and so vulnerable…
"Hey… you alright?" the stranger asked slowly, taking a tentative step in Rally's direction. "Rally?"
"…That was awesome!" Rally said, popping up as if he were a weasel in a game that involved weasels being hit by hammers. There was a bright, broad grin on his face that seemed to light up the whole area. "Your monsters were sooo cool! You're a really great duelist! Oh, did you remember anything?! That jogged your memory, right?!"
The sudden change in Rally's mood and positioning took the guy off guard, causing him to stumble back in surprise. His foot caught on a piece of debris behind him, sending him toppling back down to the ground, landing flat on his back with a grunt.
"Oh! Sorry!" Rally quickly apologized, rushing over and reaching a hand out to help the young man up. "Are you…?"
"I'm fine," the stranger answered, accepting the hand up. "I didn't remember anything really… well, I remembered those combos, I guess, but it was more like my hand moved on its own?"
"Oh," Rally said, disappointed. "Well, can't be helped, I guess… it was kind of silly to think that a duel would do anything."
The stranger shook his head. "No, no, it wasn't silly at all. It's not like we had any other leads," he said. "Besides—ngh!"
He was about to say more, when a sharp jolt of lightning ran through his mind. His hand clapped onto his forehead, eyes squeezing shut and teeth gritting in pain, but it lasted less than a second before it disappeared as suddenly as it came on.
"Hey?" Rally said.
"I… remembered something," the stranger said after a deep breath. "Haruka… my name is Haruka."
"Heeey that's great!" Rally said cheerfully, patting the newly named Haruka on the back. "I can't say I would have named you Haruka myself, but in a way, it kind of fits! Did you remember anything else?"
Haruka furrowed his brow in thought. "My last name is… Godai. Yeah. Yeah, that sounds right…" he paused, then smiled slightly and stuck his hand out. "I'm Haruka Godai. It's nice to meet you, Rally."
Rally grinned broadly again and the pair shook hands. "Nice to meet you too, Haruka."
Author's note: If you've read this far, thanks so much! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I did warn you that there would be Bakugan cards involved, so I hope it wasn't too jarring! Stay tuned for the next chapter, working on it as I type this so I'm aiming for it to be out no later than next week. In case that doesn't pan out, though, due to holidays and all that, Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it, and happy holidays to the rest of ya!