Satellite and Unexpected Encounters
A/N: Card pool does not match OCG 2009/2010 release dates. Cards shown/mentioned are available in 5Ds era until mid 2011.
It's been about a week since Red Hat as bee staying in Martha's house, along with many of the orphan kids that lived there. While he didn't really mind the kids, they could be quite troublesome at times. Didn't help that Martha wouldn't let him sleep either. He was often woken up early by her, usually to do either some clean up and help her make breakfast for everyone, including himself.
He found it rather amusing, but at the same time bothersome. He was not used to this kind of morning routine. When he lived alone, he would either sleep the day or spend time outside doing his own thing. It's one of the reasons he didn't eat much besides instant ramen. Since, most of his money was spend on cards or supplies.
He felt like a freeloader living in this orphanage, so he helped out in any way he could. Usually when he was done, he would look after the kids meanwhile Martha went out to get supplies. Although, his focus was set on Lara. Just what happened a week back? When the last turn of the duel occurred, her attitude changed for that moment. It felt so unlike her to change just for that moment. What he also noticed was her glowing red eye for that moment before it went back to normal. Was he losing his mind, or did something else happened? Whatever may be the case, he'll figure it out in due time. For now, he needed answers, which he had none at the moment.
Lara noticed he was lost in thought as he wasn't really watching them anymore. She approached him while the other kids were occupied. "Um... Mr. Red Hat. Is something the matter?"
He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Lara. "It's nothing. Was just thinking about a few things."
"You been here for about a week and you haven't thought about playing with us." She replied. "You tend to spend more time on the couch sleeping. At least, until Martha or one of the kids wake you up."
"I always preferred sleeping in, even when I have things to do." He answered back. There was one thing we wanted to ask her about. He hoped this was the right time to ask. "Your deck... have you always had that deck?"
Lara nodded with a smile. "I always had this deck since I was little. My momma and papa gave it to me."
Red Hat's eyes soften a little after hearing that. "Where are they, if I may ask?"
Lara looked away for a moment before replying. "I don't know where they are. They said that they would return if I behave and act as dignified as possible. I was set here alone, until I found Martha and the other kids."
Red Hat scowled at the information he just heard. What kind of parents would send their only daughter to a hell hole like Satellite? He highly doubt it was for her own protection, since the family was already known by Sector Security and other members of society. If he didn't know any better, he'd assume, they felt shame for their own daughter and wanted to cover their tracks. He didn't want to make assumptions, but that's he could imagine for the time being.
"How have you been holding up? Does anyone around here treat you well?" He asked, hoping he wasn't pushing his luck.
Lara gave him a disappointed look before answering. "While the kids in the orphanage don't seem to mind me. Others from outside or any adult outside the orphanage despises me. I don't understand why they hate me."
Red Hat wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know how to. So, what those Sector Security goons said the other day was true. Her family brought great shame upon themselves, yet they mistreat a young girl who had nothing to do with their mess. Why take your anger on a girl that did nothing wrong? It felt ludicrous to him.
"Do you do anything special with anyone?" He asked again.
To his surprise, Lara replied to him with a cheerful expression. "Often, the kids and I tend to play various games. Mostly Duel Monsters on a dueling mat. We rarely use duel disks unless it gets heated."
"I see... Sounds like a great pass time to me." He looks away to watch the kids play around. "When I was a kid, Duel Monsters would be the only thing I play, since that was the only thing that interested me."
"Really? You only like playing Duel Monsters? How did you get that good anyway?" Lara asked, curious as to how his dueling is on par with a pro.
"Years of practice. I had to learn how to play at a young age and learn all the all rules of the game. Including obscure rules many don't get and some pros sometime forgetting." He answered as he took out two of his decks. "I had to buy a lot of cards to keep creating decks I'd be using. I'm nothing more than a small time Pro in the minor leagues in New Domino City at the moment."
Lara turned her head around in shock at what he blurted out. This also caught the attention of the other kids. "You're from New Domino City?!"
This causes the other kids to approach the duo with shocked looks on their faces. "You're from New Domino City? Then what are you doing here in Satellite?" A girl asked.
"Are you here to make fun of us?!" A boy asked.
"No one from New Domino City comes here! If anything, those that leave never return here!" Another boy pointed out.
"Don't misunderstand, I moved into New Domino City a couple months back, but I wasn't born there." He clarified, not wanting this conversation to derail as much as it did. "I went there to become a Pro Duelist, but some circumstances cause me to just be a small-time pro. I came here to Satellite out of curiosity, despite tall the warnings I was given."
"How did you even get here anyway?! For all we know, you can be some sort of spy, a gang member, or officer in disguise!" A boy with dark yellow hair accused him. What stood out about this boy among the other kids was the black jacket he was wearing.
Red Hat raised an eye brow at the accusation. "I saved Lara back there a week ago. Sector Security doesn't know who I am and actually want to hunt me down. It wasn't an act either. How can I be an officer? I'm nowhere near fit to be one and I'm not even in my 20s. I'm 18 years old."
"Walter, don't accuse Mr. Red Hat on silly things!" Lara scolded him. "He's not the type of guy to do anything of the sort. He saved me from both of them. Isn't that enough?"
The blonde boy, now name Walter, wouldn't let him go that easily. "I don't know what you're after, but just to let you know. I'll be the one to stop you here!"
While Red Hat found this amusing, he wanted to put an end to this ridiculous fiasco. "How about I duel you. I'll show you I'm not like them."
"With all the cards you obtained in New Domino City? No way, man! You have an unfair advantage! Not to mention, those are the same cards you used against Sector Security!" Walter pointed out with a scowl.
Red Hat blinked a few times, registering what he said. "I fail to see your point... You do realize Lara helped me in that duel right?" He was only half correct as he had another deck which contained very powerful cards.
"We can't really obtain cards very easily." Lara spoke up as she began to explain to him. "We tend to find cards on the ground or from scraps. We build decks on what we can find."
"I see what's up now. So, because of that, all of you build decks from random cards you can obtain or from scraps." He replied.
"Yeah, that's right!" Walter said as he pointed at Red Hat. "I may not be as strong as you, but I'll find a way to beat you!"
One of the boys sweat dropped at his claim. "You do realize to tend to borrow cards from other kids and you never give them back, right?"
Walter blushed at what his 'lackey' blurted out. "Hey! Don't tell him that!"
Red Hat chuckled, finding the situation amusing. He took out his deck from one of his deck boxes and gave it to Lara. This left the young girl confused. "Why are you giving me this?"
"I decided to play his little game. I need an empty deck box, so I'll give you this deck until I can find forty random cards from the streets to duel him."
"Um... we have empty deck boxes in the house." Lara said, fighting the urge to giggle at him. "You could have just asked for an empty deck box. You didn't have to give me your deck."
Red Hat rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Mind if you go and get me an empty deck box." He requested, taking back his deck and putting back to his deck box.
Lara nodded and ran inside the house. After a couple of minutes of searching, Lara came back outside and handed over the empty deck box to Red Hat. "You sure you'll be okay out there?" She asked, worried about his well-being.
Red Hat smiled as he took the deck box. "Who said I'm leaving behind my decks and duel disk? I never leave without them, even if it strains me sometimes when I do other personal activities."
Lara chuckled as she rubbed the back of her head. "I hope you come back safe and sound, Mr. Red Hat!"
He nodded. "I'll return here by the evening. You can count on it."
Red Hat leaves the orphanage, fully prepared to find 40 cards around the Satellite, in hopes to actually build a deck to duel against Walter. All the other kids waved at him, hoping for his safe return if he was able to accomplish his goal.
Satellite Square
Red Hat has been looking around the main Satellite Square for quite some time now. He's looked around both rubble and various collapsed buildings. The most he was able to find was seven cards. The final card he was able to find was the card called, Reeze, Whirlwind of Gusto. The other cards he found at the moment were Pikeru's Circle of Enchantment, Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, Windstorm of Etaqua, Flying Kamakuri #1, Gusto Squirro, and Luster Dragon.
Red Hat only collected the most useful cards he could find. Many of the other cards he would find were very old normal monsters. Many of them being level 5 and level 6 with stats that couldn't even beat a Luster Dragon he just found in battle. To his knowledge, those cards were made at a time when there wasn't as many cards, but he had no way to confirm any of this. Still, that didn't mean he was desperate enough to pick up any card he could find. His deck needed to somewhat function, right?
A certain siren blaring broke him out of his thoughts and quickly ran inside one of the buildings that contained the most piles rubble. Keeping his head down, he looked around and carefully took a peek to see if security found or noticed him. He heard them stop their vehicles and saw them step out. They looked around the area, but much to his relief, they never entered the building he was in. He made sure to crawl away from the area to avoid detection and made his way out of the building.
'If Sector Security catches me, it's all over. That was too close for comfort. Searching through the main broken-down city is out of the question for the time being.' He thought as he continued to crawl away from the area. Once the coast was clear, he ran away as fast as he could. Not wanting to stay around this section any longer than he has to.
B.A.D Area
Red Hat's running would soon lead him to an unknown place that he's never been before yet. This place was even worse than the last place. 'This whole area is destroyed...' He thought as he observed the land. It had everything from destroyed buildings, loads of junk and garbage, and to top it off, a giant hole that surrounds the mainland. He didn't even want to know what's down there, nor the consequences if he were to fall. So, he made sure to stay as far away from that area as possible.
'No point worrying about this place. Let's continue finding whatever functioning cards I can find.' He thought as he began searching the rubble and junk for whatever card he could possibly find.
Most cards he found were again, old outdated normal monsters, traps that were not useful to him, or spells that were just outdated and didn't actually help him, or did very little to help with whatever game plan he was attempting to come up with. So far, he found six usable cards: Rising Air Current, Creature Swap, Raigeki Break, Gusto Thunderbolt, Gusto Gulldo, and Whirlwind of Gusto. He kept looking around in hopes of finding his next seventh card. Hidden under a pile of rubble, he found a seventh card, this time another monster named Gusto Codor.
'Why am I finding specific cards like this? Can it be?' He hoped nothing suspicious would come up when looking for cards. Yet, it seemed that half of the cards he was finding, besides the cards he didn't find useful, were indeed wind attribute monsters. Since that's what he was finding to be useful, he may as well build a wind attribute theme deck. Although, he couldn't help but shake the feeling that there was something more to this than meets the eye.
"Why are you here?" A voice from behind called out to him.
Red Hat turned around and noticed a brown-haired man alone with him. He wore a black shirt with a red jacket, a pair of blue jeans with a black belt, and wore brown boots. What stood out to this man was the yellow marking on is left cheek. That marking, Red Hat recognized. It meant he was arrested and taken to the facility. Least, according to his very limited sources.
"I'm just looking for cards to build a deck that's all..." He answered.
"You aren't supposed to be around here. This place is ground zero for bad omens." The man replied.
"What makes you say that? Who are you even?" Red Hat asked, not understanding what's so special about this particular area.
"My name is KENYoU." The man, now known as KENYoU introduced himself as he took a look at the boy in question. "You look very familiar, but... you aren't him. You can't be him!"
Red Hat raised an eye brow at his reaction. "What are you saying?"
KENYoU snapped out of his thoughts. "As I was saying, you can't be here. This place is ground zero for bad omens."
"But why? Something special about this place?" Red Hat asked again. this time hoping, he wouldn't just dodge the question again.
KENYoU sighed and began to explain. "This area is what originated the catastrophe of this place. The crater, as the story goes. This area was ground zero for the total destruction of the city. Only a fool would come here. This place is where all criminals go to, to avoid Sector Security."
"Then why are you here? Better yet, how come nothing has happened to me?" Red Hat asked again, demanding more answers from him.
"I come here on occasion." He looked at the grim sky around him. "Not like there's much for me to look forward to anymore."
"Why is that? What happened anyway?" Red Hat asked him, now very curious about his predicament.
KENYoU sighed once more as he looked at him. "You see this mark on my left cheek. I was caught by Sector Security some time ago. I was sent to the facility, which is not a pleasant place to eb in. While I was able to get out. It's too late for me. All I can hope for is work at a connivence store, which there's barely any in this city."
"Can't any of you just... well, you know, escape?" Red Hat questioned.
KENYoU shook his head. "Impossible. There's only one way of this city. It's through the pipeline, but unless you have a duel runner. You'll never make it. Ignoring that pipeline is heavily guarded by Sector Security and it's duel chasers. Besides, even if I could leave the city, I'm already labeled as a criminal. New Domino City citizens would heavily discriminate against me, even knowing I'm from the Satellite."
Red Hat sighed, now knowing the situation at hand. He could not be caught or be wondering around this recklessly. If he were to be caught, it's game over to any future plans he has. He had to complete deck as soon as possible. He had no time to play around anymore. "Thanks for the heads up I guess."
"Please leave at once. Last thing we want is something happening to us." Both of them began to leave the area, with Red Hat heading to the opposite direction. KENYoU stopped and turned his head around. 'You can't be him. You're a lot younger than him...' He sighed and left the area. 'My life after graduation is a mess.' He thought as he left the excursed area.
Abandoned Amusement Park
Red Hat had been walking around for over an hour since he had to travel around the B.A.D area. Feeling like he was just wondering around. His wondering led him to an abandoned amusement park. The main attractions of this park were a Ferris wheel, a roller coaster, a monster world game which had been destroyed and completely unusable, and a hall of mirrors which he refuse to enter.
'An amusement park? In this kind of place? If this place is as bad as it was for an island, then why is there an amusement park here? Something doesn't add up here...' He thought, wondering how such a place could even exist, despite being abandoned.
He began searching the entire amusement park for any cards that were scattered around. Searching from under the rides, to the far interior, to even on the rides themselves, among other buildings that were in site. This time he found ten usable cards. The following cards were: Daigusto Gullos; Windar, Sage of Gusto; Kamui, Hope of Gusto; Gusto Egul, A second copy of Gusto Gulldo, Gusto Falco, Daigusto Eguls, A second copy of Whirlwind of Gusto, Daigusto Falcos, and finally his final find; Caam, Serenity of Gusto.
'Why am I finding these cards specifically again? It's like I'm being led to them or something...' He thought as he put away his cards. Making that 21 main deck cards, two of them being synchros. He was tempted to put more synchros, but remembered that he could only use the scattered cards. 'This is extremely limited, but I have to test myself out. Besides, there may be a situation where I'll have to do something like this. Maybe even prove a point.'
He then suddenly felt strong winds. He could hear what he thought was a young woman's laughter. He shook his head and calmed himself down. Was he going mad? Was there someone out there that was messing with him? If so, then he'll get to bottom of this.
"Didn't think I'd see you here." An older woman spoke up.
Red Hat turned around and noticed said woman. She had short bright yellow hair with two locks of hair extended to both sides in front, and brown eyes. She wore light purple sleeveless shirt, a long purple skirt that reached below her knees and wore high heels.
"Been a long time, hasn't it?" The woman asked.
Red Hat looked at her confused. "Have we met before? I don't recall ever meeting someone like you before."
The blonde woman now looked him with a confused look. "Surely you must remember me, if even a little." However, as she took a closer look at him, she realized her mistake. He isn't the same guy she knew long ago. Not only was he much younger, his red cap had a different logo, he had a small and barely noticeable earing on his right ear, and his features were a bit rougher around the edges. "Oh, sorry about that. I thought you were someone else that looked very much like you."
That statement left Red Hat even more confused. "What do you mean I look like someone you know? Who even are you anyway?"
"My bad! Since you don't know me, my name is Celia Kazami. I used to attend the same academy as the boy that looked very much like you way back. Back then I had a group of friends, calling each other The Six Attribute Masters!" The woman, now named Celia introduced herself.
"Celia huh? Well, nice to meet you too." He said as they both shook hands. "If you don't mind me asking. Who was that boy that looks like me that you're comparing me to. How have things been going for you? What brings you here to the Satellite of all places?"
"Woah, slow down there! One question at a time, thank you!" She stated as she began to answer each question at a time. "The boy I referring to always called himself, 'The Red Hat.' No one knew his real name, and back at the Academy where I attended, he was quite an infamous duelist. That is... until he met a certainly blue haired girl which he fell in love with. Even back then, he wouldn't admit to anyone."
Red Hat was shocked at the revelation she just described. 'Someone else also known as 'The Red Hat'?' He thought, only to remember a couple weeks back. They mentioned they haven't heard of the name in a long time. If that was the case, then what happened to him? How come he didn't know or ever heard of him? Surely, he would have known something about this person. "That detail aside... How have you been doing Miss Celia?"
"Since you asked so nicely. I've been traveling to where the winds take me. No matter where I am, I'm always doing quite well." Celia explained with a calmed look.
"Why live here in Satellite? Do you have another reason as to why you decided to stay here?" He asked, curious as to why a woman her age, a graduate no less, would be living in such a place.
"At first, it was to find my old friends, but I moved on from that. I like traveling where the winds go." She explained closing her eyes with a smile. "Guess the winds wanted me to see you it seems."
"You seem to be doing well, despite the harsh conditions you're living in." He pointed out.
Celia chuckled as she looked at him. "It's not as hard to live here as some claim. You just need to know how to get your way around here. Saving food, water, and even supplies. I managed to stay away from trouble, even when I follow the winds."
Red Hat was rather impressed with this woman, despite being so carefree while in a hell hole. "I wish you luck on your travels."
Celia nods and waves at him. "May our paths cross again by the winds." As the winds began to pick up. Celia left the area as fast as she could in the opposite direction, leaving Red Hat alone.
'So, there's another Red Hat. Least according to her knowledge...' He pondered about what that woman explained to him. 'If that's the case, then what happened to him?' He decided this was a trivial manner that wasn't worth making a fuse about. He took a deep breath and cleared his mind before he continued his search.
Shoreline
He didn't know how he managed to get back to the shoreline where he hid his boat. He had to be extra careful around this area as it was known to have Sector Security officers patrol the area. From what he gathered; the main reason was because of a few rouge people were building a bridge to get to New Domino City. So, Security would come by frequently to capture anyone that tried complete the bridge.
'I'm no construction expert, but doesn't this project seem impossible?' He thought as further inspected the bridge, as he was now able to get a good look of it. It was well crafted for being built by used materials, but he felt like it wouldn't last for a long time. 'I hope my boat doesn't get discovered...' He wondered and continued to look for scattered cards.
Carefully looking around the area, he was able to find ten more cards. The following cards he found were: Blast With Chain, Dust Tornado, Compulsory Evacuation Device; Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth; Hunter Owl, Haripe Lady #1, Sasuke Samurai, Terraforming, Book of Moon, and the final card he found was Winda, Priestess of Gusto. That now makes it 30 main deck cards and three extra deck monsters.
'Who would throw away a Book of Moon? And why would someone throw away Compulsory? This two are actually very useful cards!' He thought in bewilderment.
'The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.' A woman's voice called out.
Red Hat turned around and looked around the area. He didn't dare call out anyone, since that would give away his position to either security, or leftover gang members. 'Did someone call me? Or am I losing my mind?' He stood around to see if the same voice would call out to him again, only he heard nothing of the sort again. 'What's wrong with me?'
He eventually had to leave the area immediately. The last thing he wanted was facing more of Sector Security or any remaining gangs. What he didn't realize due to the pollution around Satellite. The sun was beginning to set.
Abandoned Factory
He had no idea why he entered this old factory complex, but he didn't care. He was here for one objective only. That was to find any scattered cards he could find that were most useful to him.
'This place sure feels haunted. The darkness around this complex doesn't help...' He acknowledged, not even entering the complex for fear that something terrible can go wrong. So, he stayed in the outer areas. He also had to explore very carefully to avoid any possible Sector Security officers or gangs that were hiding.
The further he explored around the complex, the darker it became. Winds began blowing across his face. This area was definitely not safe. Despite searching the area as hard as he could, he only found five usable cards. The following cards were: Speed Bird, The Tricky, Black Horn of Heaven, Upstart Goblin, and his last card he found was Psychokinesis.
'Two of these cards can be very helpful. My latest card is a fairly decent card. Ironic cause I have a couple of psychic monsters.' He thought with a smile as he put away the remaining cards. Now, making that 35 main deck cards. He still needed 5 more cards. He could use that one card he found which is completely busted. Since, he technically found it in Satellite.
"Hey! Is someone there!"
Red Hat immediately went inside the factory complex and hid behind the structure of the factory. 'Dang, Sector Security is already here.' He thought as he took a peek every now and then. Quietly moving around the area while keeping a sharp eye on them.
"Who do you think would stay in a place like this?" An officer asked.
"More savages that's who." The other officer said irritated. "Satellite scum just don't know when to quit."
"Whoever is in here, do you think they're planning to escape?" The first officer questioned.
"This is an abandoned factory complex. The one you're talking about is the trash pipeline." The second officer answered. "Not like it matters, the pipeline is inactive for several minutes. You'll need a fast runner to even make it to the exit. Even then, it's heavily guarded and the gates are sealed shut."
The first officer chuckled. "That's the only way. It's a false sense of hope anyway. We made sure it's near impossible to get a duel runner. Even then, they'll be stopped by our duel chasers."
"Tell that to Officer Trudge. Reports say he failed to capture a satellite punk, since he lost to him." The second officer explained. "How hard is it to catch one satellite punk is beyond me."
"He must be doing a terrible job is he can't even get a single punk he's been chasing for days now." Both officers continue to investigate the area. Oblivious to the fact, Red Hat overheard their conversation. "Hear that Wade and Dean are getting scold by the chief tomorrow?"
The second officer nodded. "I heard that they challenged some pink which we eventually exposed that he's not a resident to Satellite. He came here on his own free will and challenged the two with a little girl helping him."
"The red cap guy, right? Just who is that punk anyway? Why would he even come to this place anyway? There's no record of him being a criminal." The first officer explained.
"Guess he chose the criminal life this time. Is he a kidnapper?" The second officer questioned.
"If he is, then we're capturing him. Maybe we'll take it easy on the girl, that is, if we can even find her in the first place." The two continue their patrol around the abandoned factory.
'So, that's another way out huh? Not like it matters since I don't have a duel runner, ad even if I did. I never learned how to drive.' He thought, slowly crawling his way around the area, until he was able to make it to the other side of factory. 'They are looking for me. Sorry to say, but I can't stay here for much longer.'
He checked his surroundings, and noticed a police car parked nearby. He quickly ran off in the opposite direction of the parked car. Hoping he wasn't caught or being followed.
Unknown Hideout
Red Hat has been running away for quite some time. After catching his breath, he eventually stumbled upon a subway entrance. While he was tempted to go there, he didn't want to risk going underground just yet. He looked around for more cards he could pick up that were useable.
The following cards he collected were: Genetic Woman, Delta Flyer, Twister, Emergency Teleport and his final card he found was Daigusto Spheeze. That now made 39 main deck cards with a few extra deck monsters, all synchros. He decided to put that one card he first found and place it in the deck to complete and actual 40 card deck.
'Trouble awaits you, my friend.' Another feminine voice called out to him.
Red Hat looked around once more. Thinking he had lost his mind; he shook his head and slapped his face together. As he was about to head back to the orphanage...
"Stop right there!" An officer called out.
"You're under arrest! Put your hands up!" Another officer called out.
"There's nowhere to run, Red Hat guy."
Red Hat turned around and notice four Sector Security officers pointing their weapons at him. He placed one of his other decks into his duel disk.
"Shut off that duel disk! If you comply and turn yourself in, then maybe we won't send you to the facility!" A familiar voice called out, which was the same officer he first met, Wade.
"It's over, come with us now!" Another officer, which turned out to be Dean started to approach him. "Try anything and we'll open fire!"
"You guys don't quit, do you? Like I'll be turning myself in just to be thrown into the facility. I did nothing wrong." He simply stated, trying to remain calm.
Dean waved his finger at him. "Tch, tch, you clearly didn't read the fine print. You're trespassing into unauthorized areas, you came into the Satellite without a warrant, and you dueled against us. Turn yourself in now, and the most you'll get is a fine."
"As if I'd believe that. I've been told, Sector Security bullies it's citizens into submission, and makes sure they can't fight back. I'll fight back against you and take me leave!" He proudly proclaims.
'The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.' The same feminine voice spoke out to him.
"Why am I hearing voices..." He replied to seemingly no one.
"He's lost it, Georg." Wade stated.
"Let's arrest him now. Lioside on me, go!" All four officers now charged in attempt to arrest Red Hat.
He wasn't having any of that, as if by instinct, he activated his duel disk and summoned two monster, which so happened to be Winda and Spheeze. "I won't go down without a fight!"
A strong breeze pushed the officers away, which turned out to be their power. Red Hat was baffled at what he just witnessed, only to see his monsters wink at him. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he imagined it, but thought nothing of it at the moment. What mattered was getting out of here. The strong winds from his monster gave just enough time for him to run past them and reach the underground subway, hoping to flank them and run off.
"Dang it! After him, now!" Lioside commanded as they all went after Red Hat on foot. Since his location was impossible for them to travel in their current vehicles.
Red Hat ran through the tunnel area, eventually noticing abandoned, broken-down trains in the area. He kept up the pace and crossed to the other side, while going through the tunnel. He had no knowledge of the area, but he had to hurry up, ignoring the darkness coming with it.
"Don't let him escape!" Sector Security officers called out.
'Man, these guys won't quit. I shouldn't be too surprised though.' He thought as he kept running through the tunnels. The area was about to get dark soon. He didn't much time before he had to return to the orphanage. Only problem, he had to get these Sector Security grunts off his back.
'No choice, have to go to that area and hope they back off.' He thought, dreading what will happen if he returns to that area.
B.A.D Area
Red Hat has been running for his live. He slowly grew tired from exhaustion after running for so long. Ignoring his growing hunger and fatigue. But he couldn't stop now, not with security coming his way. He won't be captured and he was going to use whatever means necessary to be free from those grunts.
'These guys are still chasing me? Warning shots is bad enough.' He thought, panting heavily and keeping his balance from constant running and hiding. As he went deeper into the area, he snuck into one of the buildings and hope to find a back door and keep on running.
As the sky turned dark, Red Hat remained in hidden in various area until he knew the coast was clear. He still had to keep an eye on for any gang members or savages that could potentially live here.
After hiding for what appeared like an eternity. The four Sector Security grunts came by, also winded, but recovered quickly. "We lost him!" Lioside yelled out.
"Should we investigate further?" asked Dean.
"Captain, we lost our target deep into the B.A.D area." Georg reported in. "Should we proceed to investigate deep into the area?"
'Negative! The Director specifically gave orders for us to not engage or investigate anyone that's in the B.A.D area!' The captain informed them.
"Can we get clearance to investigate the area?!" Wade reported in.
'It's not negotiable with the director. I've tried before and he wouldn't budge.'
"Are we giving up on the mission, sir?" Dean asked.
'No! He'll have to leave the B.A.D area eventually. Your next task is to patrol the outer perimeter of the B.A.D area and Satellite! He won't leave this area.'
"Copy that, Captain!" Lioside answered as they ended their call. "Let's move everyone! We'll catch that boy in the red hat soon enough!" The officers soon left the B.A.D area, never to be seen again for the time being.
Once they we're completely out of sight, unaware that Red Hat has been listening in to their conversation. He stood up from his hiding spot and sighed in relief.
"Finally, it's over... for now." He took a look around and noticed that the sun has fully set. "I have to get back to Martha's place. Need to get a move on." He began running back to the orphanage, avoiding narrow passage ways and pitch-black areas.
Martha's Place
It took a long while, but Red Hat was able to return to Martha's place. Albeit all tired and winded from all the running he pulled off. Panting from his running, he entered the orphanage, only to be greeted by Lara and a few other kids.
"Mr. Red Hat! Where have you been?!" Lara asked as she hugged him.
"Yo! Why are you here so late?!" Walter asked with irritation in his voice. "It's already past dinner time and we're about to sleep! Where have you been?"
"Sorry about that, but I'm tired." He replied as she sat down on the couch. "I found and picked up 40 cards, but I was caught and being chased by Sector Security."
"Wait, you were?!" Lara gasped, hoping he was okay.
"You managed to escape Sector Security? How did you do it?" Walter asked, shocked that Red Hat was even able to escape and run off without getting captured.
"While I was caught, I engaged them using my duel disk. Somehow, I was able to hold them back long enough to run into the tunnels." He left out the part where the monsters somehow helped him directly... as if they were alive. He also didn't mention the voices he's been hearing as of late. "Once I left the tunnels, I ran all the way to a specific area where Sector Security doesn't come by." He explained.
"You managed to escape?! That's amazing! No one ever escapes Sector Security by themselves!" Lara cheered.
"It was mostly by sheer luck and right place at the right time. If it was anywhere else. I probably would have been caught." He corrected.
"Least you made it out okay. Say, you didn't forget about our duel right? With the cards you found out there of course." Walter reminded him.
Red Hat chuckled as he laid down on the couch. "I haven't forgotten, but let's save it for tomorrow. I'm really tired after all that running."
"That should be a fun time." Lara smiled as she left the living room with Walter. "Good night, Mr. Red Hat!"
Red Hat would soon fall asleep on the couch, not even bothering to have a small meal. Feeling it wasn't worth it at the moment. Not that it would matter, since he lived off instant ramen anyway.
Spirit Realm
He didn't think he would dream something strange in a while. He didn't think anything he dreamt would be real. Yet somehow, what he saw right now wasn't what he expected.
The night sky was covered in dense clouds, covering the moon. The area he was currently in was an unknown graveyard. He wondered why he would be dreaming of such a thing? It felt so unnatural for him to even think of such a thing. He decided to look around the so-called graveyard. For the most part he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Just a standard graveyard with standard tombstones.
When he took a look around, he noticed a few graves have been dug up and the corpses were no longer around. He noticed there was a mess around these graves. Who went grave robbing around these areas? Who would even gain anything from grave robbing anyway? Valuables were very uncommon to find inside a grave.
'What are you doing here, human?' A low voice spoke up.
Red Hat instantly paled and turned around, shocked to see who stood in front of him. It was none other than the Skull Servant. But not just any Skull Servant. It was none other than the King of the Skull Servants. What could he possibly want with him? Better yet, how was he even talking to him? Why was he dreaming this?
"I don't know..." He answered. "I don't even know how I ended up here..."
'Leave this graveyard at once. This graveyard has been disturbed for long enough.' The Skull Servant King ordered.
"What do you mean it's been disturbed for so long? What happened here anyway? Was it constantly being grave robbed?" He asked, not following what he was implying.
'The Zombie Master has been reviving many of the dead. Many spirits of the dead, wish to remain dead.' The king explained. 'He has even revived me as well, among other spirits. The spirits want him gone.'
'Zombie Master? What do they have against him?' Red Hat thought. He had no understanding on many of these monsters' stories. To him, all of their stories was just that, stories. For people who wish to know some trivia on them. Yet, here he was talking to the King of the Skull Servants. "Why do you and others have a vendetta against Zombie Master?"
'He's been reviving the undead against their own will. His goals are nothing more than malicious. He wishes to revive the undead for his own evil schemes. One of them is send spirits to the other realm and take over humans.' He further explained, glaring at Red Hat.
'Where did this come from all of a sudden?' Red Hat thought, shocked at what he was hearing. "Tell me, what is he up to? Who has he been with?"
'You already know too much, human. You cannot be trusted!' The Skull Servant's eyes began to glow red. 'Be gone!' The skull servant released a powerful wave of dark energy knocking him back and leaving Red Hat out cold as he disappears from the site.
'What does he want with that human?' said the skull servant as he left the graveyard and continued walking down his own path.
Back in Martha's Place
Red Hat woke up in silence, panting rapidly, sweat running down from his forehead. Just what was he dreaming? Was it even a dream? Cause, he would never dream of something like that. He wiped the sweat from his forehead as he stood up from the couch.
'What is going on here?' He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. Noticing it was still the middle of the night. 'Why can't I get these dreams out of my mind?' He stood up and left to the backyard. Taking a deep breath, he stared out into the night sky.
'Was I really dreaming? Or was I really experiencing that?' He thought, not understanding what happened there. Was it a dream or some alternative reality. He felt that attack back there, so was it real? He had so many questions, yet had no answers.
'To be free, you have to be vigilant and take risks.' A feminine voice called out.
Red Hat looked around to find the voice. Was he really losing it? Just what was going on. He never heard voices before, why now? Was this the supernatural?
"What are you doing out here, Mr. Red Hat?" Lara asked, as she stood near the door, wearing her usual attire without her shoes. "Is something the matter?"
He shook his head, denying his predicaments. "It's nothing, Lara. I can't sleep is all." He then looked at her "Why are you out here this late at night?"
"I came by to get a glass of water, but I saw you out here." She explained. "Is something the matter? What's bothering you?"
"Nothing much." He sighed. Not wanting to lie to her any longer, this time wanted to come clean. "Actually no, there's something I have to tell you."
"What is it? You don't look so happy." Lara stated, tilting her head in confusion.
"After tomorrow, once I duel Walter. I'm leaving the Satellite in the same way I came." He said with a solemn look on his face.
Lara's eyes widened as he said that. "What do you mean?! Does that mean you won't come back?!"
"I'm sorry, Lara. But things have gotten out of hand as of late." He apologized as he began to explain himself. "Sector Security is now after me. They are patrolling around the outer perimeter. I don't wish to get caught and I don't want to Engauge them either. All I'll be doing is antagonizing them, forcing them to call for support just to bring me down."
"Then you can stay here! You don't have to go out there anymore! Martha and the rest of the kids can help you!" Lara said with a determined face.
Red Hat shook his head in disapproval as he bent down to a knee so he was at her level. "I don't want to burden you all for my problems and mistakes. I don't want you kids getting involved, and I don't know what Sector Security can do to any of you children. Besides..." He gently rubbed her head. "They know you tag along with me. They'll use you as a bargaining chip to get to me. I don't want you to suffer because of me. You already suffered enough."
Lara stood there bewildered by what he just implied. So, he really was worried about her? No one in her life was this worried about her. Not even her parents cared about her this much. "Mr. Red Hat, thank you for all that you've done for me while you were here."
"Even though I'm heading back home. That doesn't mean we'll split apart. Someday we'll meet again." He smiled at her. "Who knows, it may be sooner than you think."
Lara smiled and lightly giggled. "I hope to see you again someday after you leave. You're the best person I met in a long time since Martha."
He chuckled at her response. "You give me too much credit. I'm not that amazing." he picked her up with one arm. "Come on, now. A young girl like you needs to sleep."
"What if I don't want to sleep?" Lara started hitting him playfully.
"No can do. You need our sleep." He reminded her as he carried her to what appeared to be her bed. "Last thing I need is Martha giving me an earful."
She yawned as Red Hat even tucked her in gently. "Good night, Mr. Red Hat."
"Sweet dreams, Lara." He said before gently closing the door, hoping it they didn't make much noise.
Lara soon fell into a deep sleep. However, she wasn't satisfied with their talk. She didn't want Red Hat to leave. Besides Martha, he was the only other kind person she has ever met. Sure, the kids, and even Walter were nice to her, but she felt like they were just being nice. While Walter only really protected the kid out of obligation.
'Please, stay with me... Stay with us, Mr. Red Hat.' She mumbled in her sleep, unaware that a certain monster spirit was watching over her.
Back down stairs, Red Hat laid back down on the couch. Attempting to fall back asleep. What kept him awake was the growing questions he was having. He wouldn't admit to anyone, but he was worried for the kid's well-being. The Satellite was not a very good home. They deserve better, but there was nothing he could really do about it. He was no hero or savior; he was just an ordinary person being tangled by so much trouble he brought upon himself.
'There is so much to think about. I just hope I can escape with little to no resistance.' He thought as he tried to look at all his options. 'If I can get to my boat without being detected at night. I may be able to sneak back into Domino City long before dawn.'
There was only one escape. He could not afford to mess this up. He wouldn't allow the others to get involved with his affairs. Despite the people he's met before. Finding them would be a chore, and he would not get them involved just to sneak back to New Domino City. If Sector Security didn't know he quietly left the Satellite. Then they'd be stuck on a wild goose chase for a long while. Least, until they figure out that something is wrong.
'It's all or nothing. There's no going back if I go through with it. I'll give the kids one duel as to celebrate that I'm leaving tomorrow night.' He thought, hoping they wouldn't be too shocked that he would leave without saying goodbye.
His troubles have only just begun.
A/N: That's it for this chapter. Next time will be the duel between the Red Hat using a deck he made from random cards he found on the many floors, and to see how will he escape the Satellite.
To get this out of the way for the time being. This incarnate of Red Hat is not the same one from GX. If it was, then wouldn't various characters recognize him in any way? Cause I do not believe in the multiple theories that the internet has been spreading about the Red Hat and who he is. Cause some Tag Force characters are older versions of the same characters from GX. Just letting you know now. This Red Hat is not the same person as the one from GX.
Another heads up, before people start to ask. Main characters will not be showing up beyond cameos and name mentioning. It's more focused on the Tag Force specific characters and what they're doing. They're just being dragged into scenarios. Anyway, that's all for now. See you next time.