"Hmpf. That was easy." Rio dismisses.
"Looked like it." Turning around, she takes sight of Relon and Nile walking her way.
Smiling, all refocus on the leader.
"Gr… I'm… not… done…! I can still…!"
"Whoa, take it easy Neil! You fell pretty hard there." The male says assisting him to get shoved off. "Get away from me! Good for nothing bastard!"
"Is that anyway to talk to a friend of yours?" Rio questions.
"Friend? Ha! I… have… nor need any!" He grunts getting to a knee.
"You know, I'm seeing a pattern." Nile responds walking forward. "You do shit, you get shit on, you get mad, and then you lose. That pattern seems to keep up. So maybe a change is needed, Dumbass Number One." He crosses his arms.
"Wait a second…" Relon blinks looking closer to the teen. "Ryan Hecate?" At the name, said male jumps slightly. "I knew it."
"Who?" Nile asks. "Him?"
"Yeah. He was a duelist competing in the duel circuit. Out of nowhere, he got banned due to all kinds of stuff. Foul language, trash talking, inappropriate gestures, and destruction of Kaiba Corp property. I thought it was weird because he had a clean record and a relatively good fanbase. I guess we know the cause…"
"The destruction of Kaiba Corp property I can get behind. Vandalism against Kaiba is always a good thing." Nile gives a thumbs up.
"Heh, happy someone understands." Ryan puffs out his chest with pride.
"That's not exactly good praise nor are the things you've supposedly done." Rio sighs.
"I'm still confused, Ryan." Relon speaks up. "Why change to a life of crime with these guys?"
"That's…" He begins to pause.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Neil chuckles.
"What's so funny, Dumbass Number One?"
"Everyone has… a secret to hide. You know about… that all too well, don't you… Lucinance?" His eyes falling upon Relon's arm.
Retracting it on instinct, his vermillion eyes narrow as do the others to Neil slowly rising to his feet.
"This idiot may be good dueling-wise… but in the common sense department, he's nothing but a damn dumbass." He points catching his breath. "Lemme tell you dolts something. Every single duelist out there making a living in the circuit got something to hide. No one is truly an 'inspiration' or 'good.' There's always that line between a truly good duelist and those that have gone past the point of redemption!" He smirks stepping back towards the edge.
"What do you-"
Cut off as the sound of sirens blare in all directions, Nile quickly runs to the edge to see numerous police cars parking.
"Looks like those cops we called finally arrived." Rio mutters.
"Yeah but we're still here!" Nile grimaces.
"Hehehe, consider yourself done Ryan!" He bids jumping off the roof.
"Wait, Neil!" Ryan calls rushing to the edge to see the man already jumping off the fire escape making his departure.
"Tch! Bastard ran like a-"
"Insults for later!" Rio cuts off. "We need to get out of here before we get caught up with the likes of them!"
"Got any plans then?!"
Hurrying to the side where Neil ran off, Relon clicks his tongue at the cars already filling the once escape route.
"We're surrounded!"
"And they're coming up the fire escape!" Nile adds.
Looking at their options, his eyes take notice of the next building a good distance away. Pacing around the edge of the roof, he finds another fire escape with less officers.
Two of us sure, but not all four can get through without being caught! There has to be-
Snapping to the sky at the sound of an engine, Relon's blood runs hot with excitement as his mouth curves into a smile.
"Anna!" He exclaims.
Flying in, she lands jumping off to march directly to him.
"YOU TWO HAVE A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO-" Cut off by the sudden embrace, she blinks.
"Anna, you don't know how clutch you just came in! Here's the plan! Huddle up! Rio, Anna is flying you out of here. Nile, think Sera can give you a boost from rooftop to rooftop?"
"Hell yeah. That's easy for us!"
"Ryan."
"Uh, yeah?"
"You and I are booking it on foot." He gives a confident grin.
"But Relon-" Both girls begin to be cut off.
"We don't have time. This is the best that I can come up with. We'll meet at the Tropical Cafe. Ready?"
"Do we have a choice?" Nile grins with excitement.
"Do you want to deal with the cops?"
"Helllllll naw, homie!"
"BREAK!"
"After this is over, you are so not going near him!"
"Save your useless complaints for after we're all out of here, Anna!" Rio groans hugging the girl as they take off.
"Sera!" Nile calls rushing and hopping off the roof to feel a force push him over and onto the next roof.
"See you guys there!" The three bids in unison.
"Yeah! Let's go Ryan!"
"Why…?" Hopping over the edge onto the fire escape, Relon looks back to the puzzled look the tall teen wears.
"Why what?"
"Sorry, Neil wasn't joking about me lacking in the common sense department." He gives a sorrowful chuckle. "Why not leave me with them…? I was a part of the gang. I was doing what they were doing too. Until Neil tossed me out…"
"Isn't it obvious?" Relon hops over the ledge towards Ryan. "Everyone has stuff they aren't proud of but that doesn't mean we have to be shackled to that. Our past makes us who we are but what we want to do from there is determined by our own actions. You're no different from Neil or me in that aspect." He smiles.
"Hey, stop right there!" Snapping their heads, they take in the sight of officers finally emerging atop the roof.
"Now, come on!" He exclaims, both taking off over the ledge and down the fire escape.
Reaching the bottom, they leap off onto the roof of a vehicle before dashing into the alleyway before the cops can reach them.
"All that stuff!" Ryan voices from behind him. "Did you really mean it?"
"Of course! Besides, it's the right thing to do after all!"
Taking in his words, a smile graces the tall teen's features. Turning the corner, Relon slams into a force knocking him to the ground.
"Oof!" Both sounds.
"The hell?" He winces holding his now aching head.
Opening them, he takes in the individual before him with the assistance of the moonlight. A masked female seeming to be around their age and Relon's height. She has fair skin and dark burgundy hair. Her hair is mostly chin-length with the addition of elbow-length bangs that frame both sides of her face. Her front bangs are rolled with a device on top of her head with the rest hanging down on each side.
Her wardrobe appears to have Victorian influences. A red corset with short, light green puffy sleeves worn underneath a sleeveless, a magenta trench coat, black, elbow-length, fingerless gloves with gold bracelets above them, red high-heeled pumps and black thigh-high stockings connected to a skirt by suspenders, a red neck choker and an emerald crested golden cross-shaped medallion.
Pulling her legs back as she recoils from the impact, the sound of the authorities a little ways away catches their attention. With little time to process, he gets to his feet grabbing her hand.
"I know a way out! Follow me!" Ryan calls out taking the lead.
"Hurry!" He quickly helps her to her feet as they follow Ryan. "We'll lose them in the crowd!"
Looking on at the back of Relon, her eyes trace to his hand gripping hers.
This boy. He's…
"There!" Ryan shouts for all to focus up ahead at the bright light.
Exiting onto the busy sidewalk accompanied by the numerous neon lights, they quickly merge into the crowd. Looking back as the officers come out looking around, Relon breathes a sigh of relief to notice the once physical touch no longer present in his hand. Looking to his side, the girl no longer remains.
"Where did she…?"
"Hey, where'd that girl go?"
"I don't know." He says still surveying the crowd before lowering from his top toes. "Wherever she went, I hope she's okay…"
From across the street in another alleyway, the girl looks on at the two depart. Lingering on Relon, she vanishes into the shadows.
Tropical Café
Opening the door, a bell chimes the arrival of the two as they pause to take in the scenery around them. Like the name suggests, it's a relatively quaint area excluding its enormous size. Several workers behind the encounters making meals as another group to their backs prepare colorful fruit blends. Looking around, they eventually spot the others in the corner of the building at a round table.
"Glad you guys finally made it!" Nile exclaims holding a blueberry smoothie.
"Are you unharmed, Relon?"
"I'm fine, Rio. What about you all?"
"Aside from some slight bruising by a certain someone, never been better." Anna cuts to her blue-haired friend.
"You two were elbowing each other, weren't you." He states not as a question.
"Hmpf." Both sound looking away from the other.
"By the way, how are you Ryan?" Rio asks, said both taken aback by the numerous eyes.
"How about we get something then talk about tonight." Relon suggests rolling his neck. "To think something as simple as a night walk would turn into something like this. I had a feeling…"
"Thank you." Rio breathes out, retaking her seat as do the rest.
Soon ordering, all look to Ryan.
"Haha, how should I start this?"
"Start from wherever you like." Relon offers.
"Well, I guess…" He pauses to pull out a deck. "Would be with these guys."
"Your deck. A duelist's heart and soul so to speak." Anna notes.
"Yeah. All my life, I've been fascinated not by card designs or strengths, but rather their story."
"Their story?" Anna repeats.
"Everything has a story so it's reasonable to add cards to the group." Nile suggests.
"From a young age, I've had this knack for learning the history of a deck and its cards through touch. My deck given by my late family has so many stories stacked on top of one another that I never got bored of learning about it. Eventually all I had left was my deck. When I got recruited, I wasn't in it to win or to make a name for myself. At least, not at first. I still had to keep myself supported after all. I just wanted to learn the story behind the cards other duelists used. Some had stories but the more and more I dueled, I started to struggle in finding duelists that had a story. So I figured increasing my rank and challenging better pros would lead me to finding more stories. So I focused on winning. So much that it became an obsession. My hunger for learning about the history of decks eventually blindsided me."
"What happened?" His solemn eyes lift to meet the worried expressions of everyone with Relon dead center.
"Prepping for another duel, I saw my opponent's deck right there. Without thinking, I practically lunged for it, entranced in its history. That's when Gaven, Neil, and the others appeared. Phone in hand with a picture of me in the act."
"So that's it." Rio mutters, crossing her arms. "Blackmail."
"Y-Yeah." He scratches at the back of his head. "Either I get reported for cheating or I listen to what they want."
"A few sets of gang-like behavior and you were kicked out, sponsorship in the wind and financial support with it." Nile surmises.
"Yeah… I mean, it's not all bad. Because of it, Gaven allowed me to become one of them and I got to see so many stories that I couldn't before. Not to mention he paid for my tuition into Uni Academy. Of course, now I won't be able to do school next semester. I'll probably have to get a job, haha. Least I'm a pro at washing dishes. Though, I'm honestly grateful."
SLAM!
Jumping, all look to Relon gritting his teeth. Confused, Ryan looks around with a few eyes on them.
"Grateful…?" Relon growls under his breath gaining his attention. "They ruined your life!" He snaps up to reveal the fury in his eyes.
"R-Relon, chill dude. It's fine!" Ryan raises his hands as more look their way.
"No, it's-" Feeling a hand grab both his wrists respectively, he lowers his gaze to both girls gripping him with understanding expressions.
As if silently speaking, Relon's tension leaves his body as he takes a seat reaching and pulling out his deck.
"Why are you so upset? And why are you placing your deck in front of me?"
"Because." He huffs. "Before I had my plane crash, Dad told me about my ancestry. In other words, the history of my deck. I want you to see it. Then you'll understand."
Hesitating for a moment, he gulps before doing so. Holding the deck, he breathes out looking at Domitianus.
Chaos. Bloodshed. Screams of agony. Cheers rejoicing in the adrenaline from victory. Some loath the brutal frenzy of battle while others yearn for the next bout of weapons to clash. Chains, spears, axes, swords. Chariots, horses, armor. Numerous tools of such a large variety with each of similar quality. The art of fighting seemed pointless as there was little to think about. The gate opened and the fighting ensued. Afterwards, there would come a pause. Workers of the colosseum cleaning up the blood, the bodies before the next engagement would begin. The colosseum's champion was honored as was the newcomer. One would come out on top. The champion donned in garments fit for royalty. The newcomer with a dull blade. Both clashed. One not even 1% of effort and the other more than even 100%. The newcomer would lose but his life would be spared.
[Come face me once you've improved.]
So he did. He battled and overcame numerous other opponents and hurdles. Never giving an inch. On and on he fought. Wake up, fight, fight, fight, fight some more, rest, eat, fight, sleep, wake up, and do it all over. Days became weeks and weeks turned into months. Every time he returned to face the champion, he would hold a much better challenge than before but like the last dozen bouts between the two, it would end the same.
[Never stop. Always keep coming back. That is what it means to be a gladiator.]
A lesson well learned, it would come to prove as the ultimate trial when destruction sought out the very land itself. The element's worst struck without kindness. Floods, thunderstorms, hurricanes, fire, earthquakes spread across the land engulfing all in its wake. All that was left was a single colosseum. It's sturdy architecture having held against hell itself. At its center, the once newcomer now veteran. The once cheers and chants for his name and his fellow gladiators all but a distant memory.
In that moment, the champion's words sought his response. Afterwards, he fought. He versus the him he wished to become. He versus his idol. He versus the him of the past. He versus one. He versus a hundred. The beating and grunts resounded across the land. He was not the only one to survive. He had his weapons, his experiences, but most of all he had the colosseum. Now, he would slowly regain what he lost. One by one, the crowds began to reappear. Old and new faces became present. Challengers lined up before him.
The champion he sought after no longer existed. He was him. And before him, a new warrior fresh to fight. They fought. Down and down the newcomer was knocked as the challenger urged him to stand and he did. Beaten on the ground breathing for the very life he was in fear of losing, the champion walked to him stretching out a hand.
[You wish to become a gladiator, do you? Never stop. Always keep coming back. That is what it means to be a gladiator. Come face me once you've improved.]
Placing down the deck, all look to the tears trailing down Ryan's face. Rubbing his eyes, Ryan adjusts to refocus on the empty seat. Looking around, he notices Anna and Rio point behind him. About to turn, he feels the cold touch associated with a cup as noted by the droplets along the sides. Placing the smoothie down before him, Relon sits back down sipping on a red smoothie.
"Ahh~. Kiwi Quencher, how I've missed you my love. Able to quench even my most vehement anger~." He smacks his lips from the taste of kiwi and strawberry, joyfulness evident in both his tone and demeanor. "Well?" He smiles. "Saw anything good?"
"How…?"
"He's tenacious." Rio states.
"He's equally as stubborn as myself." Anna adds next.
"He's selfless too, that's for sure." Nile quips.
At a loss for words, Ryan can only look down at the Gladiator Beast deck.
"Who are you?"
"Relon Tarbin Lucinance." He answers with a relaxed smile.
"Relon… Lucinance…?" Ryan furrows, his eyes lifting to Relon's bandaged arm. In doing so, his eyes widen in realization. "You're him!" He exclaims.
"Shhh!" Anna and Nile remind.
"Oh, sorry!" He says aloud to nearby patrons within the establishment.
"Haha, you're definitely an interesting guy." Relon chuckles. "My name was used so much back then that very few don't know of me."
Going into thought, Ryan takes a sip of his smoothie before continuing to think.
"Relon."
"Yeah?" He raises his brows taking another sip of his own smoothie.
Looking up once more to Relon's amused demeanor, conviction etches itself upon Ryan's face.
"I've made mistakes throughout my life. Time and time again, I continued to make the same mistakes." His fists ball. "Looking at the decks of duelists…! Knowing what led them to be who they are…! I've never enjoyed a duel more! At the duel circuit, I was able to go against some of the best! Both in skill and history! Relon, please, duel me!"
"... I thought you'd never ask, Ryan!"