Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, Bakugan, or any such franchise. All rights belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 2: Meeting the Locals
"So you remembered you're name. Well, that's something," Rally said, folding his short arms behind his head. "This amnesia stuff is a toughie."
"You're telling me," Haruka sighed. He pushed his hand through his tangles of brown hair. "It should probably be relieving, but if anything, it's more of a frustration. Getting that little taste, only for it to be blocked off."
Rally turned to face him. "Well, we'll just have to work extra hard to make sure you get your memories back!" the orange-haired boy said. "Dueling got you that much, maybe if you dueled some more, you'd remember something else."
"It can't hurt, I guess," Haruka said finally. "Are you ready to go again, then?"
"Yeah! …Is what I want to say," Rally said with a sheepish smile. "But I just remembered I have something I need to do. Oh! But my friends and I hang out at this subway nearby, if you go there, you can duel with them! They're good guys, and good duelists too!"
The taller male pursed his lips. It was a little disappointing that he couldn't keep dueling Rally, but it would have been selfish of him to assume he could just monopolize the boy's time like that. "Alright. Are you sure they'll let me in, though? This doesn't seem like the type of place where unexpected visitors are easily welcomed…"
Rally waved it off. "Don't you worry about that! Just tell them my name, and they should let you right in!" he said with a confident smile. "It's just south of here—you can't miss it! One of them should be standing guard out front."
'Standing guard out front,' Haruka thought. That… kind of seems like it supports my assumption.
Of course, he didn't dare say that. Rally was showing him a great deal of kindness, stretching out his hand in friendship like that. "Just south of here, guy standing guard out front. Got it," Haruka said, giving Rally a smile in return. "Thanks a lot, Rally."
"No problem! Helping each other out is how we survive around here," Rally answered, giving the amnesiac another wide grin. "I'll be there later. Don't have too much fun without me!"
Without waiting for a response, Rally took off down the alleyway, out of the square. A quick check of his surroundings confirmed that Haruka was alone now, or at least as far as he could tell. He didn't want to think about how many people could be squatting in the ruined buildings nearby.
"Just south of here," he repeated, turning to face the alley, the only visible exit from the area. "It's not like I have any better leads. Guess I should get going too, then…"
Haruka was surprised at just how close by the subway entrance was. After a few annoying, but short minutes of picking his way across pothole-ridden roads and walkways strewn with every manner of trash from broken glass and rusted metal to rotting food and things that he didn't even want to try and identify, he came across what appeared to be the opening to an underground space. A small, square aboveground structure stood crumbling ahead of him, with a set of stairs that descended into darkness.
Just as Rally had said, there was someone standing out front. A tall man, taller than Haruka, and strongly built. He wore two collared shirts, a short-sleeved white one over a long-sleeved green one, and had a bandana wrapped tightly around his head.
And he didn't look particularly pleased to see the newcomer approaching the square of cement he was guarding.
"Can I help you with something?" he asked, his tone clearly suggesting Haruka would be wise to move along.
What exactly was Haruka supposed to say? 'Is this the subway?' 'Hi, I'm Haruka, please step aside?' 'Sup, bro?'
"Um... is this the place Rally mentioned? The subway?" Haruka finally asked.
The guy looked shocked for a second, then set his face again. "Rally? What about him?"
"I just met him... he said that I should come here and wait for him, he had something to do," Haruka explained, certain that the answer sounded as lame coming out as it did in his head.
"So... he'd introduce you later, and we should just let you in first?" the man asked. Haruka thought that it was going to work, but only for a second. "I don't think so. I've never seen you before, so no matter what you say, I'm not buying it. No matter what, you're not coming in here."
Haruka deflated visibly. He opened his mouth to argue, but couldn't form words to rebut with. If he were assigned to protect his friends' hangout area, he doubted that he'd let someone in just like that, especially in a place like this.
"If you get what I'm saying, you should leave," the man said, taking a step forward and puffing out his chest.
Doesn't seem like I have much choice, Haruka thought. I'll go wait for Rally nearby... hopefully I can catch him before he gets here.
Haruka turned to walk away, getting only a few steps before the man called back after him.
"Hey, wait!"
The shorter male turned back to face him, half-expecting a sucker punch to come his way and finding him instinctively dropping a foot back. That was not what met him, however.
"Is that a Duel Disk you've got there?" the guard asked, indicating the device on Haruka's arm. "It was just getting boring around here... how about we have ourselves a duel? Tell you what, if you win, I'll take your word for it and let you in."
Before he even realized it, Haruka was answering, "Let's get at it, then," and allowing his stance to relax.
The man gave him a grin. "That's what I like to hear," he said, brandishing his own Duel Disk.
Both men pressed buttons on their devices and they flared to life. Life point counters tallied up to 4000, and the decks automatically shuffled themselves.
"DUEL!"
Haruka: 4000 LP / Man: 4000 LP
"I'll go first!" the bandana-clad man declared. "I draw! I summon Robotic Knight in attack mode!"
A large mechanical warrior appeared, body done up in red and gold, carrying a sword in its right hand and in the place of its left arm was a machine gun. Piercing eyes glared out from under a metal hat tipped with a metal feather. (4) (1600 ATK/1800 DEF)
"Now I'll equip it with Big Bang Shot! Robotic Knight gains 400 ATK!" he said as the robot began to glow with an orange aura.
Robotic Knight: (2000 ATK/1800 DEF)
"I'll set a card from there, and end my turn! Make your move!"
"Draw!" Haruka said as his eyes swept over his hand.
A 2000 ATK monster right off the bat wasn't something he was expecting, or wanting to see. Some quick math told him that he wasn't prepared for it either, but he knew that leaving it unchecked would only spell disaster in the long run.
"You summoned your robot, now here comes mine! Pyrus Robotallion, in attack position!" Haruka called out.
Similar to the bandana-wearing man's monster, this too was a red and gold robot, though not in any form resembling a knight. Metal shielding covered much of its body, and it had several circles covering its front, hollow like gun barrels. (4) (1500 ATK/1200 DEF)
"Hey, you realize there's a 500 ATK difference between our monsters, don't you?" the man taunted.
"Really? Didn't notice," Haruka shot back. "Just take it easy, there's more to him than meets the eye. Also, when I control another FIRE monster, I can Special Summon Pyrus Falconeer from my hand, but I'll be bringing him in defense position!"
A vaguely humanoid bird soared onto the field, huge red wings beating powerfully. A mane of yellow feathers surrounded its head, and its feet and hands each ended in sharp talons and claws. (3) (1300 ATK/1300 DEF)
"Lastly, I'll set one card face-down and end my turn," Haruka said, placing the aforementioned card into his Duel Disk.
"Can't say I'm feeling wowed right now. I draw!" the man commented. "I summon Battle Ox in attack mode!"
A huge bipedal bull equipped with red and gold armor appeared. Two sharp horns jutted out on either side of its head, and with rippling muscles it raised a huge axe threateningly. (4) (1700 ATK/1000 DEF)
"Battle Ox, take out his robot!" At this command, the ax-wielding ox stormed toward Robotallion, thick legs moving it quickly across the field.
"Think so?" Haruka asked, as the circles on Robotallion's chest glowed a bright green, then fired two laser blasts directly at Battle Ox.
Pyrus Robotallion: (1900 ATK/1200 DEF)
"What?!" the man gasped.
"When Robotallion battles, he gains 200 ATK for every FIRE monster I control-which makes him strong enough to beat down your ox!"
The beams struck the monster, causing it to vaporize nearly instantly.
Pyrus Robotallion: (1500 ATK/1200 DEF)
Haruka: 4000 LP / Man: 3800 LP
"Heh, that wasn't bad! I'll be sure not to make the same mistake twice. Robotic Knight, take care of that bird!"
The mechanical knight raised its machine gun arm in a smooth motion and began firing it rapidly at Falconeer, the bullets all coated in the same orange aura that surrounded it.
"Before you do, I'll activate Backfire! Now whenever one of my FIRE monsters is destroyed, you take 500 damage!" Haruka said. "Trap, open!"
Without fail, the bullets tore through Falconeer, but then some passed through and struck Haruka.
"Ngh?!" he said, surprised as his Life Points began to drop.
"Big Bang Shot's effect! When the equipped monster battles one of your defense mode monsters, you take the difference between them as damage!"
"Alright... but you'll still get damage from Backfire!" A flaming shot of energy flew out and struck the ground in front of the man, sending up sparks around him.
Haruka: 3300 LP / Man: 3300 LP
"This is getting kind of fun," the man said with a smirk. "You're up! Got anything in there to stand up against my Robotic Knight?"
"Guess we'll find out!" Haruka answered truthfully. "Draw! This should work—I'll summon Pyrus Juggernoid in attack position."
A massive red tortoise-like creature appeared, complete with an enormous shell lined with spikes and a thick tail, as well as a square head. (2) (500 ATK/1400 DEF)
"I want to say something about its ATK, but after that stunt with your robot, I'm not sure that's a good idea," the man commented.
"Guess you do have some brains, huh?" Haruka teased back. "I activate the spell, Attribute Change. I target a monster on the field and change its Attribute—so let's make Juggernoid a WIND monster!"
A sudden change came over the tortoise, the red on its body turning into a light green, the gold a darker shade of green.
"This allows me to activate another spell, Storm and Spitfire! This can only be activated if I control a WIND and FIRE monster, but it destroys all spells and traps on the field and inflicts 200 damage to you for each! It's a shame I lose Backfire, but you can't make an omelet without breaking a few plates!"
"I don't think that's how the saying goes," the man sweatdropped, seemingly ignoring the rest of the statement. Nevertheless, when a burst of fiery wind swept across the field and destroyed Haruka's trap, Big Bang Shot, and the man's face-down card, he grimaced.
"That's three cards destroyed, so that'll be 600 damage for you!"
Haruka: 3300 LP / Man: 2700 LP
Haruka was surprised, however, to find that as the orange aura disappeared from Robotic Knight, the monster suddenly vanished as well. "What happened to your monster?"
"You didn't know? When Big Bang Shot is removed from the field, the equipped monster gets removed from play," the man answered.
"Happy accident, I guess," Haruka said. "Unfortunately, I can't conduct my Battle Phase when I activate Storm and Spitfire, so back to you."
"I draw! Come out, Dark Effigy!" the man said as a mass of blackness appeared in front of him, which formed into a cluster of several constantly shifting cubes. (4) (1500 ATK/0 DEF) "And I'll equip it with Stim-Pack to increase its ATK by 700!"
A green potion in a glass bottle appeared floating in midair above the cube entity. The bottle then tipped over and poured onto the creature, causing a white aura to fluctuate around it.
Dark Effigy: (2200 ATK/0 DEF)
The Pyrus duelist cringed slightly at the sight.
"Dark Effigy, attack Robotallion! Even with that ATK boost of yours, my monster will come out on top!" the man said gleefully.
"Think so?" Haruka asked again. "Because I can activate Juggernoid's effect! When you attack a FIRE monster I control, I can change the target to Juggernoid, and then it can't be destroyed by that battle!"
"But it's still in attack mode, so you still take damage!" the man countered. "Go on, Dark Effigy!"
The cube monster shot several cubes at the tortoise, which pelted it and caused several small explosions around it. When the dust settled, though, Juggernoid was still there, unscathed.
Haruka: 1600 LP / Man: 2700 LP
I'm starting to think I might have been better off letting him attack Robotallion… Haruka thought grimly.
"Bet you'll think twice about that, won't you?" the man teased. "I'll set a card, and then hand it back to you!"
"Draw!" Haruka drew. "I tribute Juggernoid in order to summon Pyrus Bee Striker!"
The giant tortoise disappeared, being replaced moments later by an equally enormous wasp. A large red exoskeleton formed around its gold body, and it had a long, wickedly sharp stinger and wings which moved rapidly. (6) (2400 ATK/1600 DEF)
"Let's go, Bee Striker! Get his Effigy!" Haruka ordered. The insect's wings fluttered rapidly as it glided across the field, leaning back and allowing it to take aim with its stinger.
"Activate trap card, Negate Attack! I'll negate that attack and end the Battle Phase!" the man interrupted. A wall of energy formed between Dark Effigy and Bee Striker. Bee Striker tried to stab through the energy, but its stinger couldn't pierce it.
Haruka frowned slightly, wondering why the man had decided to protect the monster. There was the Life Point loss to be concerned with, of course, and the fact that with its equip card, Dark Effigy could easily crush Robotallion, but… was that all there was to it?
Cautiously, Haruka said, "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."
"Last mistake," the man grinned. "Draw! Did you know that if I'm summoning a DARK Normal monster, Dark Effigy can be used as two tributes? So I'll say goodbye to it to bring out Cosmo Queen!"
The mass of cubes disappeared, making way for a tall, regal, vaguely feminine monster in a red dress with dark blue skin and a massive crown-like headdress with a gem in the middle of it. (8) (2900 ATK/2450 DEF)
"That's… not good," Haruka found himself saying.
"Really? I'm pretty fond of her myself," the man replied with a smirk. "Maybe you'll warm up to her when I give her this—Lucky Iron Axe! By equipping her with this, Cosmo Queen gains 500 ATK!" A two-handed axe etched with glowing letters materialized in the queen's hands.
Cosmo Queen: (3400 ATK/2450 DEF)
"Alright, Cosmo Queen! Show that robot your new weapon!" With surprising speed, the majestic monster rushed across the field. The holes on Robotallion's chest glowed as it prepared to fire again.
Pyrus Robotallion: (1900 ATK/1200 DEF)
Robotallion fired lasers from its chest, which struck Cosmo Queen but she just kept charging. She reached it and swung, the axe cleaving cleanly through.
Haruka: 100 LP / Man: 2700 LP
"Running a little low on Life Points, don't you think? One more strike from Cosmo Queen will send you scurrying back to wherever you came from!"
"Grr… I activate my face-down card, Poison of the Old Man, and use its effect to gain 1200 Life Points!" Haruka said. It'll at least keep me alive a bit longer.
Haruka: 1300 LP / Man: 2700 LP
"Just delaying the inevitable," the man waved it off. "Turn end!"
Haruka placed his hand on the top card of his deck, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He felt a warmth spread through him. "Draw," he said, exhaling slowly. He opened his eyes… and grinned. "I summon the Tuner monster, Pyrus El Condor!"
A skinny-limbed creature with a huge Aztec-style mask covering its head floated down onto the field. Its skin and mask were a deep red, and the mask was set with gold and it had rubies for eyes. (3) (1000 ATK/700 DEF)
"Did you say a Tuner?!" the man asked, surprised.
"I did! And with El Condor's effect, I can change the level of a FIRE monster I control. I'll change Bee Striker to level 3, and Tune them together!"
El Condor leapt into the air, transforming into three familiar green rings. Bee Striker flew up into the rings and similarly changed into three stars, which spread between the rings.
Yet again, the words came to him from seemingly nowhere.
"A righteous sense of justice ignites the fire within! Flames of genesis, rage! Synchro Summon, Pyrus Dragonoid!"
That same blazing orange light burst through the rings, absorbing them and the stars. When it dissipated, rather than Leonidas like last time, a new dragon was in its place.
The dragon was massive, perhaps a little bit smaller than Leonidas, but no less impressive. A scaly hide covered its body, an orange underbelly and the rest red, with huge wings, a long neck, and a sharp, slightly jagged horn at the end of its snout. (6) (2500 ATK/2000 DEF)
The man opened his mouth to say something, but his intuition made him shut it. He'd been suckered in by Robotallion's apparent weakness; this guy wouldn't have just Synchro Summoned arbitrarily… would he?
Haruka didn't keep him waiting for long. "I activate the spell, Pyrus and Darkus Correlation! If there's a FIRE and a DARK monster on the field, I subtract 1000 ATK from the DARK monster and give it to the FIRE!"
"What?!"
A red aura surrounded Cosmo Queen, and she seemed to slouch slightly, while a green aura surrounded Dragonoid and made him seem to stand up straighter.
Cosmo Queen: (2400 ATK/2450 DEF)
Pyrus Dragonoid: (3500 ATK/2000 DEF)
"Alright, Drago! Hit her with a Boosted Dragon!"
The dragon reared its head back and opened its jaws, charging up and then shooting off a massive fireball which flew at Cosmo Queen. It consumed her within seconds.
Haruka: 1300 LP / Man: 1600 LP
"And when Dragonoid destroys your monster, you take damage equal to its level times 200! Since Cosmo Queen was level 8…"
"No…" the man's eyes went wide, reflecting the remains of the fireball as it flew past the remains of his monster and directly at him, causing him to raise his arms to try and shield himself.
Haruka: 1300 LP / Man: 0 LP
The Duel Disks again deactivated themselves, and Dragonoid faded along with the fire. Haruka heaved a sigh of relief.
"Shoot, I thought I had you there," the man said, wiping his brow with his arm.
"I thought so too," Haruka admitted. "That was a good duel."
"Yeah, it was," the man agreed. "I guess that means…"
"Heeeey!" Rally's voice called as his long coat and bushy hair rushed into line of sight. "Oh, darn! I missed you guys dueling, didn't I?!"
"Just finished up," Haruka confirmed.
"I thought I'd try and run him off since he's a stranger, but he's pretty tough."
"There's no need for that, he's a good guy, and a good duelist!" Rally promised. "Blitz, this is Haruka. We met a little while ago. Haruka, this is Blitz, one of my best friends!"
"Nice to meet you, Haruka," Blitz said, sticking out his hand.
"You too, Blitz," Haruka answered, accepting the handshake.
"Sorry for hassling you like that," Blitz apologized.
Haruka shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Like you said, I was a stranger. I could have been trouble."
"So where'd you guys meet, anyway?" Blitz asked.
"Up north a bit," Rally explained. "Some of those thugs were chasing me, and I ducked into that little plaza area to hide from them… and what do ya know, I found this guy, passed out on the ground!"
Blitz shot Haruka a curious look, which made the Pyrus duelist blush in embarrassment slightly and shrug.
"I think he's got amnesia," Rally continued. "Oh! Speaking of, did you remember anything?!"
Haruka concentrated for a few moments, then shook his head. "No, nothing… still just the occasional move or combo, or the effects of monsters and stuff like that."
Rally sighed. "Oh well, I'm sure they'll be back soon enough!" he latched onto Haruka's arm and started dragging him toward the stairs. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the other guys!"
Author's Note: That's the end of this chapter, folks! If you've gotten this far, thanks so much! Between you and me, I'm surprised I was able to knock out this chapter in a week, I need to get used to writing on a schedule again.
Anyways, thanks a ton to everyone who has favorited, followed and reviewed! In response to JustAnAverageGuy101, I'll see what I can do about giving abilities to more monsters, but admittedly I used up most of the ones I had in mind. Again, though, I'll see what I can do! Once again, thank you all so much for your responses, I hope I'll be able to keep living up to your expectations!
Last thing before I go, considering Christmas and New Years are right around the corner, I don't know for certain I'll be able to do a chapter a week, at least for the next two weeks. I'll do my best, but holidays can be a pain to work around, especially with family and stuff. In case I don't see you guys before then, Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and Happy New Year! Here's hoping 2023 is even better than 2022!