Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, Bakugan, or any such properties. All rights belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 6: Pest Problems

Spirits were high in the subway in the days following Yusei's successful run through the Pipeline, and efforts to find working parts for Haruka's Duel Runner were doubled down upon. It was like a star of hope had coalesced above the tunnel, and its rays were shining down on and infecting all its inhabitants.

Security presence seemed to let up, too. The alley leading to the demolished building was still taped off, but Rally and Haruka (with some urging from the former) found out quickly that if they crossed the line, nothing happened.

Haruka tried to get Rally to turn around, but before he knew it they were standing in front of the skeleton of that building, a mess of shattered glass and crushed concrete.

"Hmph! Serves 'em right for what they did to Nervin!" Rally said.

"Yeah..." Haruka agreed halfheartedly, noting blackened spots here and there that could have only been created by one thing. One thing that pretty much dashed any hope that still remained of the Helios business being a hallucination. "Serves 'em right..."

"You think that they might have some merchandise still in there?" Rally asked, a bit too eagerly.

"No!" Haruka said, a bit too quickly. He would rather put as much distance between this place and him as possible. "...I mean, no, probably not. If Security's like you said, they probably swiped anything they could make use of."

Rally seemed to buy that half-baked excuse. "I guess so," he said. "Well, let's go see if that Duel Runner shop might be open yet!"

"Duel Runner shop?" Haruka repeated. He didn't want to say anything rude, but if there was a shop open selling these things and they were wasting time rummaging through garbage...

The shorter teen took a couple of steps forward, clasped his hands behind his back and turned around with a sheepish smile. "Well, it's not much of a shop, really. It's some guy in a tent who has a bunch of scrap parts that he sells," he explained. "He usually closes up for a couple weeks at a time to try and look for more stuff. Not the best quality though, according to Yusei."

"And that's not a shop because...?"

"Hey, someone put a bridge over that gap!" Rally exclaimed, pointing as they rounded a corner.

It wasn't much of a bridge, but sure enough, a big crevice sinking deep into the ground was now spanned by a metal sheet. The sight of it made Haruka leery, but other people seemed to be crossing it without a care in the world.

"That's gonna cut our travel time in half," Rally explained. "If we cross here, this street will take us right up to the shop!"

"But didn't you just say it's not—"

"Let's go!"

Even though the room hadn't been used for its intended purpose in some time, it was kept pristine by the cleaning staff in anticipation of its owner's eventual return. The white walls seemed to glow, the tiled floor polished to a perfect shine. Bookshelves and other furnishings were carefully dusted, and the Duel Runner sitting in the corner of the room was just as neatly cared for.

The well-dressed man with long silver hair stood at the computer terminal, partially hunched over as his nimble fingers flew across the keyboard, filling the room with mechanical clicks as he navigated through the desktop and its various components.

After a moment, the man straightened his back and looked at the computer screen expectantly. Three colored boxes appeared on it, each bearing the static image of a person.

"Can you hear me, you three?" the man asked.

A yawn came from the computer's speakers as the yellow box lit up. "Hello again, Goodwin," a polite, tired feminine voice said.

"Kida," the man greeted in return. "Cyclone, Taka?"

"Here," answered a serene male voice, emanating from the green box.

"What do you want?" said another, annoyed male from the red box.

"I just wanted to inform you that we may have a general location for Haruka," Goodwin explained.

The male in the red box snorted. "What makes you think it's him?"

"I saw Helios's flames shooting into the sky," the silver-haired man replied. "They're quite distinct. It was heartening to see them."

"You're going to look for him, aren't you?" Kida asked. "Someone's going to find him soon?"

Goodwin smiled. "I do have people looking for him, but that's the other issue that I wanted to speak to you about," he said.

"Here we go," growled the man in red.

Pressing on, Goodwin continued, "I thought I would ask if you could do your part and search the various networks to see if you can find any traces of him. Scan for any ongoing duels involving his cards, scrub through camera footage to see if he made any appearances, the like. Is that acceptable?"

The man in red snorted, but the man in green gave a noise of assent. "That shouldn't be too difficult," the man in the green box said. "Where is he, do you think?"

Goodwin pursed his lips. "In the Satellite," he said after a moment. "That's where Helios's flames erupted from."

"Got it," the man in green said. "We'll let you know if we find anything."

"Thank you. I'll leave you to it, then." Goodwin said, folding his arms behind his back and walking out of the room.

The three boxes stayed on the screen, however, and the voices began chattering to one another.

"Kida, you're more familiar with security systems," the man in the green box said. "Do you think you could handle scrubbing through Sector Security footage to see if he was ever recorded?"

"Roger, Cyclone," the woman's voice answered cheerfully. "It's going to be good to have Haruka back. It's been dreadful without him and..." she cut herself off suddenly, the implication left to hang in the air. "It will be nice to have someone to talk to again."

"Yes," Cyclone in green agreed. "Taka, the pool of duels is too wide for just one of us to search. Can you cover Turbo Duels, while I handle the ground duels?"

Taka, the man in the red box, snorted again. "Don't insult me," he said curtly. "I'll find him before either of you."

With that, the red box winked away, followed soon after by the yellow and lastly green.

And the room was silent once more.

"Well, that was a bust... sorry, Haruka," Rally apologized as the pair walked away from a shabby old tent with a yellowed 'We'll be back in...' sign, with the clock crossed out and '2 WEEKS' written below it.

Haruka shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I don't know how we would have paid him anyway," he said. "The other guy let me duel him for the Runner, but we know how that turned out."

"Ah. Right. That's a problem," Rally said sheepishly. His cheeks reddened a little as if that was the first time it even crossed his mind. "We'll just have to keep searching then. We'll get you to the City some day, I promise."

"Thanks, Rally," Haruka said, smiling a little, before it changed into a soft frown.

He really was starting to like the guys. He knew that he had to leave to get his memories back, but not for the first time he wondered if whatever lay across the water was even worth remembering.

"Hey, is that Blitz?!" Rally asked suddenly.

The two had just turned onto a wide street which passed in front of a large, dilapidated factory with a big iron gate out front.

And slumped against the bars of the gate was a familiar form in a bandana and collared shirt.

They ran over to him, Haruka crouching down on one side and Rally taking the other. He didn't seem to be seriously injured, but from the multiple bruises, both black eyes and a bloody nose, he'd clearly taken a beating somehow.

When Blitz heard them next to him, he opened his eyes a little and coughed. "What... what are you two doing here?"

"What are we doing here? What are you doing here?" Rally questioned right back. "What happened to you?! Isn't this Lenny's place?"

Blitz coughed again, and spat out a little glob of blood. "We thought Lenny might have... some sort of idea where to find Duel Runner parts," Blitz answered. "Turns out... after his and Yusei's duel, he doesn't run the place anymore. His brother Benny is in charge, along with his friends Barry and Bug, and... they're even less pleasant."

"Come on, let's get you home..." Rally said, sliding an arm under Blitz's, then looked at Haruka. "Help me with him, Haruka?"

With a nod, Haruka went to grab Blitz as well, but the man suddenly shook his head. "Tank and Nervin are still inside," Blitz said.

If not for the seriousness of the situation, Haruka might have almost laughed that he had to go save Nervin again so soon. "Got it... Rally?"

"Help me move him out of the way," Rally said. Together the two moved him away from the gate and let him rest against the brick wall surrounding the rest of the property. "I'll keep an eye on him... sorry you keep getting wrapped up in all this, Haruka."

Haruka shook his head. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't help you guys out? It'll be alright." he said.

"Be careful," the other two warned.

Pushing the gate open with a rusty squeal, Haruka gave them a thumbs up. "Don't worry about me. I'm basically a professional at this now," he said.

Without waiting for a response, he ran into the plant.

The first room was a large storehouse, the ground floor of which was covered in a maze of boxes and crates which Haruka had to navigate through. It was annoying, but aside from dust particles entering his nose and giving him a sneezing fit, it wasn't too awful.

Coming out on the other side of the maze, Haruka found himself at the base of a staircase that led up onto the second floor of the factory. The handrail was covered in rust and looked to have some jagged edges, and some of the steps looked a bit shady.

Overall, Haruka doubted this place would be up to any modern health and safety codes, but it didn't seem like the current occupants cared much.

He reached the top of the stairs and was met by a raised metal gate about six and a half feet high. The floor and railing around him didn't seem sturdy enough for him to feel comfortable trying to jump it.

From next to him, a robotic voice intoned, "All authorized personnel, please show proper identification for entry."

Haruka looked to his left and saw a panel on the wall. The screen was partially busted, but a light still glowed blue on it, and there was a worn keypad beneath it along with a sensor that was probably once used to scan ID badges.

"I don't have proper identification," Haruka answered, not entirely sure why he was doing so.

He turned fully to face the panel and began to examine it. Even without the obvious age of the place, he could tell somehow that the programming it was using was ancient.

For some reason, he felt the urge to crack his knuckles before he went about tapping away at the keypad. His mind might not have known what he was doing, but his hands certainly did.

Before he even realized it, he had found a way around the identification screen and accessed an override feature.

As Haruka took a final, flourishing stab at a button with his index finger, that same robotic voice from before announced, "System override activated. Security authorization granted. Please proceed," and the tall gate sunk slowly into the ground.

When it was done, Haruka paused. He took a look at his hands, then back at the console.

How had he done that?

"Hey, did you hear that?" asked a gruff voice from somewhere ahead.

"Kekeke… I think we have another visitor!" a high-pitched, snickering voice responded.

"Boss, do you think it's another of their little friends?" that gruff voice said.

"Either that, or our idiot brothers are back with dinner," said a third voice. Haruka immediately didn't like the sound of it. "Go check!"

From around a corner, a silhouette stumbled into view. The figure straightened its back and made an almost pitiful groan. "Did you really have to kick me, boss?"

"Shut up and figure out who it is!" snapped the third voice.

The figure turned toward Haruka, examining him, and in turn allowing Haruka to examine him. He was short and stocky, with a square jaw and short red hair, and wearing a crumpled suit and sunglasses that were too small to be effective.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

"I'm Haruka," Haruka answered. "I hear you guys have been giving my friends some trouble."

A stupid grin came across the man's face. "You're friends with those trespassers then?"

"Trespassers?" Haruka repeated. "They were here to see Lenny. Is that trespassing?"

That grin quickly turned into a scowl as the man spat, "Lenny's not in charge here anymore! Your friends aren't welcome here, and neither are you!"

"Then give me my friends and we'll leave." Haruka said.

The man paused for a second. Was this guy trying to pull some sort of trick? Just give his friends back and they'll part ways… what sort of idiot would make a deal like that?

"No dice. Your friends came into my place uninvited, and since Security isn't doing their jobs properly, I'm afraid that we have to teach them a lesson," said another voice. It was the third voice from before.

The voice's owner appeared a second later, a tall and skinny man in a black coat and jeans with short black hair that spiked on either side of his head. He had a very unpleasant smirk on his face as he casually walked past his lackey and toward Haruka, his hands in his pockets as if he were just out for a Sunday stroll.

"You're Benny?" Haruka asked.

"That's right. And I understand you're Haruka," Benny said. "The glasses guy figured you'd come. Told us we'd be sorry when you did, too."

If not for the current situation, Haruka likely would have blushed at that. "I've got a pretty good track record for getting them out of tight spots," he answered.

1 and 0 is pretty good, right? Better than 0 and 1, anyway.

"So I gathered. Unfortunately, this is where your streak ends, because you're not getting past me." His smirk widened for just a second. "After all, I'm a City elite. Satellite trash like you is no match for me."

"If you're from the City, then how come you're here with all the 'trash?'" Haruka said.

"That's none of your concern!" Benny said quickly. "Now get out of here, before you end up like your friends!"

That seemed to be a sensitive subject for the man. Might be something worth pursuing in there…

"Tell you what, if you're a 'City elite,' then you should have no problem beating me in a duel. But if I win, I get my friends back," Haruka offered, making sure to emphasize that gentle prod. "If I lose…"

"When you lose," Benny challenged. "When you lose… I'll take that Duel Runner of yours! Scum like you shouldn't be desecrating the City anyway."

Haruka felt his stomach drop. "How did you…"

"The fat one told me," Benny said. "So, you up for it?"

The Pyrus duelist raised his arm, powering on his Duel Disk. "I don't really have much choice, do I? I'm not leaving without Tank and Nervin," he said.

Already he felt Helios's fury burning inside of him, and heard that monstrous voice trying to convince him into letting it take over.

They were hurting your friends, Helios's voice whispered, soft and deadly like a serpent. Don't you want to hurt them back?

A part of Haruka did want to hurt them. Badly, too. Just like he had wanted to hurt those thugs who had given him a faulty Duel Runner and then beat up Nervin.

He squeezed his eye shut and forced down those angry urges. He knew he couldn't live with himself if anyone got hurt because of his actions.

"DUEL!"

Haruka: 4000 LP / Benny: 4000 LP

"I'm going first!" Benny announced. "I draw, and I'll summon Howling Insect in attack mode!" A small cricket-like monster with a silver body and blue wings appeared. (3) (1200 ATK/1300 DEF) "I'll now place two cards facedown and end my turn! Make your move, Haruka!"

"Draw!" Haruka said. "I summon Pyrus Ravenoid in attack position and activate its effect! By discarding a card from my hand, I can destroy one of your set Spell or Traps!"

Ravenoid swooped onto the field and without a second of hesitation, it flapped its wings and created a huge whirlwind that destroyed the facedown, which flipped up to reveal that it was a Trap. (4) (1600 ATK/1400 DEF)

"Hmph, there goes Dimensional Prison," Benny said.

"Now I'll have Ravenoid attack your Howling Insect! Reverse Blow!"

Ravenoid soared across the battlefield and hurled a small fireball at Howling Insect, which consumed the creature without any hassle.

Haruka: 4000 LP / Benny: 3600 LP

"Oh well. Can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, and by breaking this egg, you've triggered Howling Insect's effect!" Benny said. "It allows me to summon another Insect monster from my deck with 1500 or less ATK—I'll summon Ultimate Insect LV3!"

A large caterpillar-like insect with a poisonous-looking blue and red body and black underbelly appeared, dozens of legs moving creepily as it stared at Haruka and Ravenoid with red eyes. (3) (1400 ATK/900 DEF)

"LV3?" Haruka repeated. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll find out soon," Benny promised cryptically.

Haruka wasn't sure he liked the sound of that. "I set two cards facedown and end my turn there."

"Draw! And during my Standby Phase, I activate the effect of Ultimate Insect LV3 to let him evolve into Ultimate Insect LV5!" A glowing light washed over the caterpillar, and its body shortened. The scuttling legs became spiny protrusions, except for four that lengthened and allowed it to stand twice as tall as either duelist. (5) (2300 ATK/900 DEF)

Pyrus Ravenoid: (1100 ATK/1400 DEF)

"Huh? Why did Ravenoid's ATK get weaker?!"

Benny grinned cruelly. "My Ultimate Insects' effect. When they're summoned by the level before them, your monsters lose ATK—and with LV5 on the field, that's 500 ATK gone!" he said. "To add to that, I'll summon my Cross-Sword Beetle in attack mode!"

A human-sized beetle with six legs equipped with claws and four long, sharp mandibles appeared next to the tall insect. (4) (1800 ATK/1200 DEF)

"I'll show you what happens to trespassers now!" Benny said in a scarily gleeful voice. "Ultimate Insect, get that bird!"

The bug's extra-long legs clicked against the metal floor as it rushed at Ravenoid, its two snapping pincers catching the humanoid bird and crushing it until it was nothing.

Just before Ravenoid's pixels disappeared, Haruka called out, "I activate the Continuous Trap, Backfire! Whenever a FIRE monster I control is destroyed, you take 500 damage!"

Haruka: 2800 LP / Benny: 3500 LP

"Hmph, is that all?" Benny said. "Cross-Sword Beetle, you're up!"

"Got anything yet, Taka?" Cyclone asked.

"Nothing in Turbo Duels," Taka growled back.

"Kida?"

"No Sector Security footage," Kida answered glumly. "There's so little footage to be found in the Satellite."

"Mm," Cyclone said in response. "Try checking daily reports... wait, I think I might have something!" His voice got suddenly excited. "Well... it's just Backfire, but that suggests that the duelist is playing a FIRE deck!"

"Is that all you've found?" Taka asked.

"It's better than nothing!" Kida scolded.

"That's all so far," Cyclone confirmed. "I'll keep searching, but I'm keeping tabs on this one. Unfortunately it appears that Duel Academy is hosting a duel class at this moment, so the databases keep getting cluttered."

"Idiot should have known better than to go out without one of us," Taka muttered. "Worry about the other duels for now, Cyclone. I'll keep track of this one."

"Are you sure? The Turbo Duels..."

"Don't question me," snapped Taka. "I know what I'm capable of. An extra duel to look after is no issue, and anyway there aren't as many Turbo Duels taking place as there are ground duels."

Cyclone let out a sigh. "If you say so. Transferring the data now."

Haruka: 1000 LP / Benny: 3500 LP

"My move… I draw!" Haruka said slowly, taking a breath to steady himself.

"Hope it's a good one," Benny taunted. "1000 more Life Points, and your Duel Runner is mine!"

Haruka really wished he would shut up. He took another slow breath. He had to keep his head in the game, had to keep calm. If he let things get out of hand… images of the demolished building flashed through his mind.

No. No. No. NO.

"I'll start out by activating my Spell, Fire Recovery! By discarding a card, I get to Special Summon a FIRE monster in my graveyard," Haruka said, pitching one of the two remaining cards in his hand. "I summon Pyrus Laserman in attack position!"

A large robot, just slightly shorter than Ultimate Insect LV5, appeared. Its body was red and yellow, and on its shoulders were mounted two laser turrets and one cannon. (6) (2500 ATK/2000 DEF)

Pyrus Laserman: (2000 ATK/2000 DEF)

"And I'll replace that card I discarded by using Laserman's effect—when he's Special Summoned, I can draw a card for every FIRE monster on my side of the field, which means one!" Haruka said, drawing another card. He smiled slightly. "And I've got just what I need now. I summon Pyrus Hynoid in attack position!"

A long, muscular werewolf pounced onto the field, yellow eyes shining and red fur bristling. (4) (1600 ATK/1000 DEF)

Pyrus Hynoid: (1100 ATK/1000 DEF)

"That's what you were waiting for?" Benny scoffed.

"He is, and he's a good boy!" Haruka shot back. "So good, in fact, that I'll activate the Spell Attribute Change. This allows me to change one of my monster's Attributes, and I'll change Hynoid to EARTH!" Hynoid's body changed from red to brown. "Now, Laserman—attack Cross-Sword Beetle! Leap Sting!"

The robot's upper body swiveled to face the beetle. Its two turrets began to charge up, white energy gathering around the barrels, before unleashing several volleys on the beetle.

Haruka: 1000 LP / Benny: 3300 LP

"And with that done, I'll end my turn."

"This is some sort of joke, right?" Benny asked, drawing another card. "Your monsters are all just prey for my Ultimate Insect, who is now leveling up into LV7, its ultimate form!" The giant bug suddenly sprouted wings and took flight. (7) (2600 ATK/1200 DEF)

Pyrus Laserman: (1800 ATK/2000 DEF)

Pyrus Hynoid: (900 ATK/1000 DEF)

"I'll go ahead and put you out of your misery now—get ready to walk that Runner over here, I understand it's not in working order yet!" Benny taunted. "Ultimate Insect LV7, use Silver Wind on that Hynoid and wipe out the rest of this Satellite trash's Life Points!"

"Kekeke, boss… this might be a—" the snickering voice tried to insist, but it was too late.

Haruka couldn't help but smirk. "I've got the winning formula," he said. "Trap, open! Lava Floes!"

A geyser of lava shot up between the insect and Hynoid. Chunks of brimstone and balls of fire crashed down onto Ultimate Insect, rolling over onto Benny and washing over him like a burning tide.

Haruka: 1000 LP / Benny: 2000 LP

"What just happened?!"

"While I control a FIRE and EARTH monster, if your monster tries to attack, I can destroy it and inflict damage to you equal to half its ATK," Haruka explained. "And with your Ultimate Insect gone, my monsters' ATK goes back up!"

Pyrus Laserman: (2500 ATK/2000 DEF)

Pyrus Hynoid: (1600 ATK/1000 DEF)

That insufferable look wasn't on Benny's face anymore. "I end my turn…"

"I've got him! I've got him!" Taka's voice rang out, almost excitedly. "Pyrus Laserman and Pyrus Hynoid, I've got him!"

"What?!" Kida gasped.

"Good work, Taka!" Cyclone said. "Where is he?"

"He's in Satellite, alright… looks like some abandoned factory. In a duel against an Insect deck user… with a record, too." A window appeared on the computer screen with arrest records for Benny. "Apparently he was pirating Sentendo games and got a 6-month sentence for it."

"The monster," Kida gasped again. "Is Haruka…?"

"He's winning," Taka said. "I'll try and capture his Duel Disk's address… so we can keep track of that idiot."

Cyclone chuckled slightly. "You don't want to admit you missed him."

"YOU IDIOT!" the blue-haired Lenny yelled as he delivered a hard karate chop to the top of his brother's head. "I asked you nicely to clean up that box maze you made while we were gone. Not only did you not do that, you beat up three of our friends and tried to steal a guy's Duel Runner!"

"I'm sorry, big bro," Benny whimpered, covering the spot where his head was chopped. "You said to keep the place safe, you left me in charge…"

"These are our friends!" Lenny said again. "You, Barry, and Bug need to go clean up that maze. Now."

Lenny and his friends—Larry and Lug, who coincidentally were also the older brothers of Benny's friends Barry and Bug—arrived mere moments ago. Lenny bounded up those rickety metal steps without a second thought and raced across the platform, leaping straight through the holographic form of Laserman and tackling his brother.

Now that the scolding was done, the three men who had been previously Haruka's enemies brushed quickly past him and went downstairs.

"I'm really sorry about them," Lenny said as he turned to face Haruka. He had an apologetic smile on his face. "Benny… likes to take things overboard. Way overboard."

"Really? He seemed like a real sweetheart," Haruka said, stretching his arms. "Don't sweat it… I've got Tank and Nervin, so we'll be on our way."

Lenny grabbed Haruka's arm. The gesture wasn't unfriendly, but the man had a hard look in his eyes. "I can't just not sweat it," he said firmly. "Look, I'm sorry I don't know where to find any parts now. But I do have some information that might be helpful if you can finish your Runner soon."

"Go on."

"Since Yusei managed to escape, Sector Security is taking the Pipeline down again next week. Not sure the day yet, but they're going to be putting in some security upgrades." Lenny paused. "I don't want to make you feel stressed, but… that's probably going to be your best, if not your only shot."

Haruka looked at him, and Lenny looked right back. Finally, the Pyrus duelist smiled a little. "No pressure, right?" he said, doing his best to keep the slightest crack out of his voice. "Thanks, Lenny… I'll keep that in mind."

Nope. Noooo pressure at all.

Later that night when everyone had gone home, Rally had tasked Haruka with watching the tent while he went to do "something." The short boy had declined to reveal what this "something" was, and grinned the whole way out of the subway.

And so, Haruka was alone.

That nervous feeling of having the crumbling remains of a city positioned above him disappeared days ago, but there was still something a little… spooky about being alone down there. Surrounded by darkness, with the only source of light being the portable lamps which were now in their dim power saving mode.

He didn't know if he believed in ghosts, but all the same he felt himself jump a foot off the ground when he heard the sudden, brash voice coming from what seemed like nowhere.

"Haruka! OI! HARUKA!" the voice shouted.

His head whipped from left to right, scanning the platform for the source. He was certain it wasn't the voice of Nervin, Tank, or Blitz, and it was way too deep to be Rally's.

"Haruka, can you hear me?!" the voice said again. "Answer me, idiot!"

He looked around again, but still found no one. He checked inside the tent, and again found no one.

There was something weirdly familiar about the voice, though… but of course, he couldn't place it.

Tentatively, Haruka said, "…Hello?"

"Haruka! Where are you?"

"Where are you?" Haruka asked back. "And… who are you?"

A pause. "That's not funny, Haruka. How can you not know who I am?!"

Haruka didn't say anything. Whatever the cause behind it, he couldn't imagine that talking about his amnesia to a disembodied voice would do much good for his mental health.

"Say something! It's me, Taka!" the voice ordered. "We've been trying to find you, where did you go?!"

"Taka…" Haruka repeated. The name sounded familiar enough, but he couldn't place a face to it. "I'm sorry. I can't remember who you are."

Silence again. Then, a frustrated sigh. "Whatever," Taka said. "What happened to you? We know you're in the Satellite, but how did you get there?"

"I don't know," Haruka said honestly. "I can't remember anything… and where are you?"

"Look at your arm, stupid. No, your other arm!" Taka said sharply as Haruka raised an arm, but quickly switched to the one holding his…

"You're… in my Duel Disk?"

"Ding, ding, ding! I've accessed the Disk's mainframe so that I can communicate with you here," Taka said, just a little coldly. "Only for you to not even remember me."

"It's not like I want my memories gone…" Haruka started to say, when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Haruka, I'm back!" Rally called, hopping down from the last step, and rushing over. He gave Haruka a curious look. "Did I hear you talking to someone?"

Haruka looked at his Duel Disk as if expecting Taka to answer, but then lowered it and shook his head slowly. "No… well, just talking to myself," Haruka said.

If he thought it was a little nutty to talk to a voice coming out of his Duel Disk, he didn't want to imagine what Rally would think.

"Well, never mind. Guess what I found!" Rally said excitedly.

"What?"

Rally's hand dove into one of the pockets of his coat and withdrew something. He held it out for Haruka to take.

"This is…" Haruka slowly took the object from him, feeling the smooth, flat item. "This is a CPU, isn't it? And it looks so new… how did you get this?"

That mischievous grin from before came across Rally's face. "Someone threw it away, I guess. Lucky us, huh?"

Something about it wasn't quite convincing, but… "Thanks, Rally. Thanks a lot!" Haruka said, smiling at the shorter boy. "Come on, help me get this into the Duel Runner!"

And with that, the two went to work.

Author's Note: Heeeello everyone, I'm back, and on time this time! Well, actually a bit early, so hooray for that! Longer chapter this week, about 5000 words compared to the usual 3500-4000, so hooray for that as well!

Anyway, maybe not the best duel I've written this far, maybe a little on the nose with the Benny/Barry/Bug stuff, but I didn't want to just retcon the anime with Yusei dueling Lenny which I think the game more or less does. But, we have the debut of Hynoid and Laserman (who I've given an updated effect, because my idiot self kept accidentally having Haruka use more cards than he had drawn at the time), and the addition of some new characters! I hope the jumping around between Haruka and the gang and Cyclone, Taka and Kida wasn't too jarring or messed up the flow too much. But, who exactly are Cyclone, Taka and Kida, and why did Goodwin go to them to find him? Where did Haruka's sweet computer skills come from? Will I manage to get the next chapter out on time? Who knows!

Smell ya later!

P.S., here's Laserman's updated effect. I'll update the database as well.

Pyrus Laserman

Level: 6

Attribute: Fire

Type: Machine/Effect

ATK/DEF: 2500/2000

Effect: When this card is Special Summoned, you can draw 1 card for each face-up FIRE monster you control. You cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck the turn you activate this effect.

What do you guys think, should I give more of the Normal monsters in the deck effects? Smell ya!