It's Time To Accelerate!
New Domino City. An intended utopia. And advanced city where its residents live in luxury. Of all things people enjoy in this city, there was one thing that everyone loved: Duel Monsters. The most popular card game in the entire world. It was always like since it was created, and has been evolving for many years. And today, the game was so modern, that there was a new form of dueling everyone enjoyed. A form of dueling that's different from using dueling mats or duel disks.
And that form of dueling was... Turbo dueling. Armed with special motorcycles known as Duel Runners, Turbo duelists duel through the road with the 'Speed World' mechanic. Most duels take place at a large stadium, like the Kaiba Dome. Where the citizens of New Domino City watch heart pounding duels on wheels.
Those were the great things in New Domino City.
However... on an island, not too far away from New Domino City, there was another city. One that wasn't as pretty-looking as New Domino. This city was known as... Satellite. Satellite was a city full of old-looking buildings and cracked streets. This city was suffering an urban decay, and it was mostly used as a plant to recycle the garbage from New Domino City. residents of Satellite were made to work in the plant, and were often looked down upon by many residents from New Domino City, generally referred as 'scum' or 'trash'. Criminals roamed the streets and life was hard... but some people managed somehow. And this is where our story begins...
"Huh?" A little boy widened his eyes when he saw something, near the gigantic junkyard. The boy had black hair with gold highlights and royal blue eyes. The upper layer of his hair jutted upward while the lower layer arched forward. He was wearing a blue jacket over a black shirt with a red symbol, a pair of black jeans and brown shoes. The boy approached what he saw and gasped when he saw an unconscious person laying on the ground. "Oh man!" He turned around. "Hey guys! Look here!"
"What is it, Yusei?" Another boy asked as he ran over to the boy now named Yusei. This boy had dark-grey eyes and brushy-spiked orange hair with a viridian headband. He was wearing a sleeveless brown west over a yellow t-shirt, dark-green shorts and red shoes.
He was followed by another boy. This one had purple eyes and spiked blonde hair, with two much longer strands in front of his ears that hanged further down the rest of his hair. He was wearing a white jacket over a blue hoodie, a pair of dark-grey pants and light-grey shoes. "Yeah, what gives?"
"Look at this!" Yusei replied and pointed to what he saw. The two other boys widened their eyes when they saw the unconscious person. They also noticed a small green bag right next to this person.
"Who the heck is that?" The orange-haired boy asked.
"I don't know, but he looks like he's hurt." Yusei said as and his friends approached this person and turned him around so he was laying on his back. He was a boy around their age. Possibly a little older. He had short black hair with a white bang hanging at the right side of his face. He was wearing a torn, grey t-shirt with the yin and yang symbol in the middle of the chest area, a pair of blue jeans and black and white sneakers. There was also some kind of red, shield-shaped pendant around his neck. He appeared to have some bruises on his face.
"Where did he come from?" The blonde boy wondered.
"We can't worry about that now." Yusei said. "Right now, he needs help!" He then turned to the orange-haired boy. "Crow, you carry that bag. I'm pretty sure it belongs to him."
"Right!" The one now named Crow picked up the green bag.
"Jack, help me carry this guy. We'll take him to Martha!"
"Alright then." The blonde boy replied as he and Yusei lifted the unconscious boy up. And with that, they all left the junkyard.
Some time passed, and they all managed to reach their destination. It was an old-looking house, where there were other kids around their age playing around the yard. Two of them seemed to be talking to an elderly woman with long black hair and grey eyes, wearing a red dress and a white apron. When the boys approached her, she looked up and noticed them.
"Yusei, Crow, and Jack." She walked up to them, with a slightly stern look on her face. "Where have you boys been. I hope you..." She stopped herself when she noticed the boy they brought with. "Who is this?"
"We don't know." Crow replied. "We found him laying on the ground at the junkyard."
"He's hurt and needs help!" Yusei added.
Martha noted the boy's bruises and became serious. "Take him inside."
It took for a while, but eventually, Yusei, Jack, Crow were gathered around the hospital bed that was occupied by the mystery boy, who was currently sleeping. "Alright, I did everything I could." Martha said and approached them. "And it seems that it's nothing serious. Just a few bruises, but he'll be fine. He just needs some rest."
"That's a relief." Crow replied.
Martha noticed the bag Crow was holding. "What do you have there?"
"Oh this? We found it right next to this guy. We brought it with us in case it belongs to him." Crow placed it on the floor. "I wonder what's in there." He reached into the bag. "OW!" Only to get slapped on the wrist by Martha.
"Now now. In case that really belongs to this boy, then you're not going to touch anything in it."
"Sorry." He whimpered.
"...mmh."
"Huh?" They all turned to the boy. He was groaning in sleep. He looked really upset.
"What's up with him?" Jack asked.
"I think he's dreaming." Yusei assumed. "And from the looks of it, it's a bad dream."
It was foggy. Very foggy. And it didn't help his worries, as he was running for his life.
"You have to run! Get out of here!" A woman's voice cried out. He kept running, completely overwhelmed by fear.
BANG!
"NOO! NOOOO!" A man's voice screamed. "HOW DARE YOU-!"
BANG!
That sound... It was terrifying. He was never this afraid in his entire life.
"Hurry up and get the boy!" Another male voice demanded.
He tripped and fell onto the ground. He whimpered and looked up and saw shadowy silhouettes approach him. Their hands quickly reached to him...
"NOO!" The boy cried out as he suddenly woke up from the nightmare. He panted, sweat running down from his forehead.
"Are you okay?" Someone asked.
The boy turned to the owner of the voice and came face to face with Yusei. He gasped and tried to back away but winced as he felt some slight pain.
"Calm down." Martha said with a soothing tone. She gave him an assuring look. "You don't have to be afraid, dear boy. We won't hurt you."
The boy stared at her for a moment. He calmed down a bit before speaking up softly. "Where... am I?"
"You're in my orphanage." Martha answered. "Where I take care of homeless children. Like these three." She turned to Yusei and his friends. "They said they found you unconscious at the junkyard and took you here."
"Really?" He turned to them.
"Got that right." Crow spoke up. "You were pretty banged up and needed help. And here you are."
"So, how did you end up there, anyway?" Jack asked. "Did you pick up a fight or something?"
"Jack!" Martha scolded, making the blonde cringe.
"I..." The boy trailed off, thinking about what happened. But... "I don't remember."
"Where do you come from?" Crow asked.
The boy went silent again. And when he spoke up..." I... don't know. I can't remember where I come from."
That surprised everyone.
"What? You really don't know where you come from?" Yusei asked.
"No, I don't. I don't really remember anything."
"Oh dear. It seems you have amnesia. You poor little boy." Martha realized.
"Well, that's not good." Crow muttered. He then remembered the bag he had. "Oh, that's right!" He then held it up to him. "We found this bag right next to you. Do you recognize it?"
The boy took the bag and opened it slowly. He looked inside it and went through the stuff it had. "It seems to have some clothes. Not sure if I recognize... huh?" He then found something else. He pulled it out for everyone to see. It looked like some kind of box. "What's this?" He then opened it and found a deck of cards inside.
"Hey! That looks like a dueling deck!" Jack noted.
The boy picked up the card that was on top. It had a white frame with the picture of a dragon on it. The dragon was black, clad from the neck down in spiked, pitch-black armor that looked like something they'd find back in the Middle Ages. Similarly black scales ran down the front of its body. It also had a pair of wings that looked like torn and tattered flags. The dragon on the picture was standing on its hind legs and held up its armored arms. "This is... my favorite card!"
"Your favorite card?" Yusei repeated. "So this is your deck."
"Yeah, I'm sure of it. I don't know how, but I can tell that this is my deck."
"Does your deck bring back any memories?" Crow asked.
The boy stared at his cards for a moment. And then... he sighed. "No, it doesn't."
Crow slumped his shoulders. "Really?"
"There must be something you remember." Jack said, annoyed. "Come to think of it, do you at least remember your name?"
Now the boy was really silent, trying to remember. He placed both hands on his head. "My name... it's Co... Co..." He was struggling and straining so much that it was painful. He then felt a gentle hand placed on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Martha giving him a sad look.
"It's alright. You don't need to strain yourself. It's no good to harm yourself to do so, so don't force yourself."
The boy relaxed and let go of his head. "Okay." It was then he looked at the deck holder he had, and noticed a name written on it. "Cody Cooper."
"Huh?" Martha blinked.
"That's right!" The boy said, pointing at the name. "My name is Cody Cooper!"
Yusei smiled at this, relieved that one mystery was solved.
And so did Crow. "Well, that's great! It's nice to meet you, Cody! My name's Crow."
"I'm Yusei Fudo." Yusei pitched in.
"Jack." The blonde simply said.
"Nice to meet you." Cody greeted back with a small smile.
Martha smiled as well, pleased at their little moment.
"Hey Martha..." Yusei turned to her. "You're gonna let Cody stay here, right?" Crow gave her puppy eyes.
"Of course." Martha chuckled. "There's no way I would abandon this poor thing. Now then, I need to prepare dinner. Why don't you boys try to get to know each other until I come back?"
"Okay." They agreed. At that, Martha left the room, leaving the boys alone.
"Is it really okay to have me here?" Cody asked with uncertainty.
"What kind of question is that?" Crow asked back. "Of course it is! Here we'll stick together. Like a family. And the first family rule is to help each other when needed. So from now on, consider yourself our new brother!" He finished with a grin.
Jack rolled his eyes.
Yusei however smiled to Crow before turning to Cody. "That's right. So welcome to your new home." He offered a handshake.
Cody's eyes widened for a moment. These guys barely met a stranger like him. And they already accepted him. He smiled again and accepted the gesture. "Thank you...
10 Years later
It was a bright day today, and things were getting excited in New Domino City. If we take a look at the Kaiba Dome, we can see a turbo duel that was about to start. And the MC was now giving everyone in the stadium the announcement.
"Duelists young and old, professional and amateur alike, it's the moment you've been waiting for! So make some noise for the number one ranked turbo duelist in the world... Jack Atlas!"
The moment he finished that sentence, a blonde-haired, purple eyed young man bursted through the presenter tunnel in the duel stadium. He was wearing a white form-fitting motorcycling suit. His white duel runner, that had the design of a mono-wheel and a detachable duel disk, tore through the air and theatrical smoke as thousands of fans let out roars of cheers.
"As he looks to add to his unbeaten streak today, one asks the question: Can anyone take this man down?"
Jack let go of the duel runner on his right side, and pumped his fist in the air. "What say we kick this turbo duel into overdrive!" He yelled, earning more cheering from the crowd.
Meanwhile, something else was happening in the Satellite. In an abandoned and falling apart subway tunnel was another person driving a duel runner.
This duel runner was red and looked more basic, a part of the back was like a half circle. The driver was wearing a matching red helmet. He was wearing a long-sleeved blue jacket with a high collar and amber gems, over a sleeveless black shirt with a red symbol. He was also wearing gloves below his elbows with an amber gem on them. his lower body consisted of black jeans with amber knee pads and calf-high motorcycle boots. This person was Yusei Fudo.
And he was not alone. Another person rode behind him with a grey helmet on his head. This guy was wearing a black leather jacket over a grey t-shirt with the yin and yang symbol, and a red shield-shaped pendant around his neck. He was also wearing a pair of blue jeans and black and white sneakers. His name was Cody Cooper.
As they sped through the tunnel, testing the duel runner's new ship, Yusei was thinking bitterly about their old friend. 'I'm coming for you, Jack. And this time, I'm gonna settle the score!'
Back at the stadium
"And Hunter Pace has finally shown up, eager to retain his title!" Jack was now at the starting line.
And his opponent, Hunter Pace, was right next to him on a duel runner that was in the style of a chopper. He was a tall, skinny man with tanned skin. He was wearing an orange shirt, black jacket and pants, and a skull pendant. He was also wearing sunglasses, even with the skull themed helmet on his head.
"I'll fire things up!" Jack declared and pressed a button on his duel runner.
"Duel Mode Engaged"A computerized voice spoke up as the screens on the duelists' duel runner showed the image of a spell card. "Autopilot Standing By" At that, their duel runners flashed a light wave, and their surroundings turned purple.
"With their Speed World field spells activated, the action's about to start! Now, for those of you joining us for the first time, let's review the rules of engagement. Once Speed World has been activated, the only spells a duelist can use are speed spells! Normal spells now take a back seat to the action. Additionally, a rider's strength is now governed by a duelist's speed counter. The more speed the duelist has, the stronger the move they can make!"
Right in front of the duelists, a holographic screen appeared. It was some kind of screen that would give them the starting signal. "Turbo Duelists. Countdown initiated. Ready. Set. Duel."
Jack: 4000
Hunter: 4000
"You're all mine!" Hunter declared and drew his sixth card.
"Turbo Duel! Turbo Duel! Turbo Duel!" A group of cheerleaders cheered, waving with their pom-poms.
"And Hunter has played a powerful trap! Can Jack Atlas recover?" The MC questioned as the duel went on.
Jack played a card, and a yellow light flashed glared past his right. "You've had your fun, but it's time for my victory lap!" From the yellow light, a dragon that was mostly red with some black appeared and roared. It had three horns on its head. One on each side and the third one on the top. It had red eyes, long demonic wings that had two two spikes on them, armor like scales that were red on its body, and sharp claws and talons. "Now I'm sure you remember my Red Dragon Archfiend from our last match, Hunter. And since you worked so hard to get back here, you can have the honor of falling to my most powerful beast again!"
Jack spun around so that he was drifting backwards. "Archfiend! Send him back to the junkyard with Scorching Crimson Flare" The dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a blazing inferno on Hunter as he screamed and lost his remaining life points.
Hunter: 0300-0000
As Yusei and Cody kept driving, there was small blast and smoke coming off the runner, making the former to slid to a stop. Both if them got off the runner and took off their helmets, revealing Yusei's blue eyes, and Cody's emerald green eyes.
Cody sighed. "Just when I thought it was going to work."
"Yeah." Yusei said and checked the damage. "It's clear the chip wasn't strong enough to handle the pressure. We're going to need something stronger."
Cody placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him an assuring look. "And I'm confident that we'll get a better acceleration chip."
Yusei smiled to him.
"But for now, let's head back and get some rest." That earned him a nod from his friend before they started pushing the duel runner back to their hide out.
"And Jack Atlas' unbeaten streak continues!" The MC commented as the crowd cheered Jack on as he took his victory lap.
Hunter's runner was steaming and he threw his helmet onto the dueling track in frustration.
"Who's the one Master of Faster? Who rules the duels? That's right, it's me!" Jack bragged while pointing his right hand to the sky.
"So how's your duel runner going?" Yusei asked as he and Cody kept pushing the red duel runner.
"Well, I let Jeremy fix the engines while we were gone. Other than that, I'm going to need a better acceleration chip, just like you."
"That's understandable. Hm?" They then heard some noises coming from their hideout, which was an abandoned station. It sounded like an interview on TV.
"Mr. Atlas," The MC said. "Can we get a word? Ever since you burst onto the scene with your first duel runner, the competition hasn't been able to keep up. Is it the power of your ride that has catapulted you to the number one ranking the world?"
Yusei and Cody realized it was the computer they shared with their friends. Three of them watched Jack as Yusei and Cody rolled the duel runner into its repair station. And right in front them, was another duel runner positioned. It looked like the one Yusei had. But this one was split in two different colors. The back of the runner was black. And the other half was white. The runner had the yin and yang symbol printed on its front.
And there was another person crouching on its left side, tinkering with it. He was a boy that was slightly shorter than Yusei and Cody. He had wavy light-purple hair and grey eyes. He was wearing a black t-shirt with the image of a lightning bolt and a pair of overalls.
"How's it going, Jeremy?" Cody asked.
Jeremy looked up with a small smile. "It was kinda tricky. But I think it should be fine... as soon as we get you an acceleration chip." He noticed the damage on Yusei's runner. "I take it the one you tested wasn't good enough."
"Afraid so." Yusei replied.
"Terrific." Jeremy sighed.
The three people who watched the show were also boys around their age. One of them had bluish green eyes and dark-blue hair that was tied in a bunch of dreadlocks. He also had glasses. He was wearing a green vest over a white, long-sleeved shirt and a pair of brown shorts. His name was Nervin.
The guy standing next to him was wearing a blue bandana on his head. He was also wearing a light-green t-shirt over a darker green, long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans. His name was Blitz.
And the third guy, who was sitting on the chair right in front of the computer was slightly broad and had relatively messy brown hair. He was wearing a brown vest over a grayish green t-shirt and a pair of dark-gray pants. His name was Tank.
On screen, Jack rudely took the microphone from the MC. "Let's get this straight. It's not the power of the runner, it's the rider! I'll take on anyone on any ride and I'll still be victorious! Anymore questions?"
"One more. Do you have anything to say to those out there who dream of one day challenging you?"
Yusei chose that moment to turn on the ignition of his duel runner, making its engine roar. And that got everyone's attention. "Oh, hey Yusei." Blitz greeted before turning off the computer.
"Sorry about that. We would watched the duel somewhere else, Yus, honest, but the cable we rigged couldn't stretch any further." Tank explained as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
"Jack was amazing as always." Nervin added.
"Nervin, zip it, would ya!" Blitz scolded as Yusei hooked up his runner.
"What? What I say, Blitz?" Nervin asked.
"He don't want to hear how amazing Jack Atlas is." Blitz reminded him.
"Oh, sorry."
"Only one person should be sorry." Yusei said.
"Right." Blitz agreed. "Jack still owes ya for what he did."
"Got that right." Yusei said absentmindedly.
"So where ya been, Yus?" Tank asked curiously.
Cody decided to answer for Yusei. "We were in the tunnels, testing a new acceleration chip." He then frowned. "Unfortunately, that one didn't work so well."
"That's too bad." Tank replied. "Although, hey, your other runner looked great on TV."
"Tank!" Blitz jammed his left hand into the back of Tank's head to get him to shut up.
"Just tryin to make our friend feel better is all!" Tank defended himself as he pushed Blitz's hand away. "That is Yusei's duel runner. I mean if it weren't for Jack double crossin' Yus and stealin' his ride, Yus woulda been givin' that interview. Well cuz Jack got famous with Yus' runner, all the fame, fortune and glory are Jack's now!"
"Tank!" Blitz yelled again.
Cody turned to Yusei to get a look on his face. He had a feeling that Yusei was not feeling okay, even though he didn't show it.
"Yusei! Cody! Hey, guysi Are you down here!" A young voice echoed throughout the tunnel.
A child burst into their home, a little out of breath. This child had long, bushy red hair, wearing a yellow cap, as well a light-blue coat over what looked like an orange dress. But despite the girly looks, this person was actually a boy. And his name was Rally.
"In here, Rally!" Blitz greeted.
"What's up, little buddy?" Tank greeted as well.
"Wait till you see what I got for Yusei and Cody!" Rally said and ran towards them.
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Nervin asked worriedly
"Cuz you always have bad feelings." Blitz replied.
Rally dug in his pocket and took out two computer chips. "Check it out! A couple of Skyline-30 acceleration chips!"
"Those are Skylines?" Nervin asked as he and the others gathered around get a better look. "Aren't those incredibly expensive?"
Blitz grabbed Rally's arm and examined the chips closer. "It looks like they've never been used. Don't tell me you stole these."
"I didn't steal nothing! They were just laying on the ground broad daylight. Maybe someone dropped it." Rally pulled his hand back and hid the chips in his clasped hands while the three guys exchanged looks of doubt.
"Rally, you shouldn'ta taken what don't belong to ya!" Blitz scolded.
"You know how things are here." Tank added. "Nobody leaves nothin' just lyin' around."
Nervin crouched behind Rally. "If they saw you, they'll track us down and mark us all!" Nervin brushed his left index finger across the triangle mark on Rally's cheek.
"That's enough you guys." Cody scolded.
Yusei nodded and turned to Rally. "Rally, let us see them." The little boy placed the two chips on Yusei's palm. He took a look at them. "This is just what we needed." He handed one of the chips to Cody, who examined it.
"It sure is. What do you think, Jeremy?"
His purple-haired friend grabbed it and nodded. "Definitely." He then went over to Cody's runner to install the chip.
"You can't use that, Yus!" Nervin protested.
"You gotta make Rally take them back." Tank agreed.
"I knew you'd like it! I knew it! Will it make you faster?" Rally asked eagerly.
"Absolutely." Yusei assured him as he took the old chip out and put in the new one.
"No doubt about it." Cody added as he let Jeremy put in the other chip to his runner.
"Well then, maybe they shouldn't return them!" Tank decided.
"Thanks for the support." Cody smirked and gave him a high five.
Blitz and Nervin gave the broad guy a glare. "What?"
"We know how you feel, Yus, but I think it's time to bury the past, move on and forget about Jack Atlas." Nervin attempted to dissuade Yusei.
"But Jack also took Yusei's best card, remember, Nervin!?" Rally shouted indignantly.
"And you remember Jack's in the city, and the people over there don't take too kindly to those of us in Satellite!"
"Yeah, and? In case you forgot, sometimes you gotta stand up to yourself!"
"Well said, little guy." Cody nodded.
But Nervin ignored them, "Yusei, us Satellites should just stay put."
Yusei was on his computer as he retorted. "Jack didn't stay, so why should I?"
"Let him go bro. Don't risk your freedom for some wheels and a card. I think Nerv's right. It's time to put the past in the past." Blitz advised.
"Hate to break to you, Blitz, but some wounds just won't heal so easily." Cody replied sourly. "Jack used to be our friend. But then he'd betrayed us. If you think we can simply forget something like that, then you're wrong."
"Alright then..." Jeremy spoke up and turned to him. "All set. You want to test the engine?"
"Right." Cody grabbed the throttle. "Yusei?"
Yusei's runner made two charging noises. He then stood up and grabbed his own throttle. He gave Cody a nod. "Ready..."
"Set..."
"GO!" Both of them boosted their engines, which filled the subway tunnel with an incredible roar of acceleration.
Everyone just stood there in amazement as the echoes bounced off the walls.
"Heh." Cody smirked, satisfied with the result of his completed runner. And Yusei patted his own runner, with a proud little smile on his face.
"Wow! Now that's what I call power!" Rally cried and Yusei nodded. Rally picked up Yusei's helmet. "Take it out for a spin! Let's find out what it can do!"
But before they could test it out, blinding white light filled the subway, and everyone could hear the sounds of a helicopter.
"What's that?" Tank asked.
Helicopter light beams sweep through the crack over the subway tunnel.
Nervin ran up to peek. "It's Sector Security!"
"Identification number AWX86007, you're in possession of stolen property. Escape is not an option! You're surrounded!" A police officer's voice blared down at them. Everyone turned to Rally.
"We have you surrounded, 86007!" The officer repeated.
"Look watcha did!" Blitz yelled angrily at Rally.
"I didn't do nothing!" Rally insisted. "Blitz, I promise I didn't steal anything! It's like I said before, they were just lying there and nobody was around!"
"None of that matters, Rally!" Blitz started, but stopped when Cody cut him off.
"Don't worry, guys. It's gonna be alright."
"So what should we do?" Blitz asked.
"There's nothing we can do." Tank retorted. "That mark is like a homing device. It sends a signal to security!"
"I got that covered." Yusei replied, rapidly typing on his computer.
Up in the helicopter, the tracking signal blurred. "Agh! The signal! It's been compromised!"
Back down in the tunnel, Yusei and Cody sat on their runners. "I bought you guys a couple of minutes." Yusei said as Rally handed him his helmet.
"Where do you think you're going?" Blitz asked.
"You take the east tunnel. I'm gonna take this chip out for a test drive." Yusei lowered his visor.
"Same here." Cody put his own helmet on before turning to Jeremy. "Jeremy, jump on!"
"I um..." He hesitated.
"It's going to be fine, Come on!" Cody grabbed his hand and made him climb up behind him. And with that, both Yusei and Cody(with Jeremy with him) took off.
"You heard the man! Let's bolt!" Blitz ordered and they all ran for the east tunnel.
Yusei and Cody rode up the tunnel stairs and straight into security visuals.
"This intel was perfect." A turbo duelist officer said, sitting on a Sector Security Duel Runner. He had prominent eyebrows and slightly dark skin. "Central, the prize is in my sights! Lock on to my signal!" He said into his head piece before riding off after Yusei, Cody and Jeremy with the police card and helicopter right behind him.
The helicopter's spotlight tracked Yusei and Cody's driving.
"Wow! Didn't think they'd be on us this quick." Cody commented.
"You on the runners!" The officer called out. "Pull over! There's no use trying to escape!"
"Oh man, it's officer Trudge. I hate that guy!" Jeremy complained.
It was at that moment when Cody's runner came onto a cracked part of the road. And then, it broke, causing Cody and Jeremy to fall.
"Aaah!" Cody screamed.
"Cody! Jeremy!" Yusei called out.
"Hang on tight, Jeremy!" Cody told his friend as they fell down to to a couple of old buildings that were tore down, leaning against each other. They landed on one of them with a thud before skidding down toward the ground. And then, they fell off and rolled over.
"Agh!" Cody grunted as they came to a stop. He coughed a bit before getting up slowly. "Man, that wasn't fun..." He muttered and reached for his chest, and noticed that something was missing. "My pendant!" He looked around until he noticed a bit from his left. He picked it up and checked on it. It appeared to be a crack right in the middle. "Ah man."
"(Cough!) Ow." Jeremy groaned, sitting right behind him.
"Are you okay, Jeremy?" Cody asked.
"I'll live." He replied and got up on his feet. "And you?"
"I'm fine." As he stood up, Cody found his duel runner, laying on the ground a few meters away. "Come on!" He quickly approached it and positioned it before sitting on it. Jeremy took his seat behind him. "Now let's get out of here before..."
Before Cody could finish his sentence, another Sector Security Duel Runner came out of nowhere and got in their way. The person was wearing a uniform similar to Trudge. But they had a slimmer body shape. In fact, the uniform hugged the officer's feminine body a little tightly. It even revealed a little of her... um, nice assets. The officer took off her helmet, revealing her face. She had short black hair and golden eyes.
"Well well, look what the Satellite dragged in." She said tauntingly.
"I'm sorry, we haven't had the pleasure, Ms..." Cody trailed off.
"Oh, I'm kinda new here. Officer Cindy Storm, at your service. And I wasn't expecting to bust two guys on the same runner."
"Cindy Storm?" Jeremy repeated. "Wait a minute..."
"You know her?" Cody asked.
"Not personally, but..." Jeremy trailed off for a moment, before his eyes widened as he remembered something. "I saw her on television once when I guarded the lair while you guys were gone. She's actually a pro. She was one of the best turbo duelists in New Domino City. But then, she faced off against... Jack." As Jeremy explained, he failed to notice the brief frown on Cindy's face. "And after she lost, she was never seen in the pro circuit again."
"So she used to be a pro duelist." Cody noted.
"Yeah, and a really good one."
Cindy smiled a bit. "Well, I'm glad that I still have fans, even in Satellite." She ended with a wink, which caused Jeremy to blush. "But, flattery will get you nowhere. Still though, I'm in a bit of good mood today, so I'll give you one chance." She addressed Cody. "If you two come along quietly, then I won't get too rough on you. So... what do you say?"
Cody made a pose as if pretending to think. He then turned to her. "Yeah, I don't think so. Sorry to disappoint you!" And with that, he and Jeremy took off.
"Actually..." Cindy smirked and put her helmet on. "I was hoping you'd say that. I always love challenges." She then chased after them. And as she did, she pressed a button on her runner, making the image of a certain spell card appear on her screen.
"Duel Mode engaged; Autopilot standing by." With those computerized words said, the field spell, Speed World was activated. And once everything turned purple, Cody's runner started to operate on its own, much to the boys' shock. "Overriding suspect's duel runner." And the duel disk attached to it was automatically activated. "Autopilot engaged."
"No way!" Jeremy said.
"This can't be good." Cody muttered.
Cindy's runner was now right next to Cody's. "Sorry boys! But you won't get away from me... unless you can beat me in a turbo duel! Assuming you even have a deck to play with!"
Cody didn't say anything. But... he drew his opening hand.
"Cody?" Jeremy asked.
"Don't worry, buddy." Cody assured him with a smile. "I got this."
Cindy smirked. "Well in that case, let's not wait any longer!" She drew her own hand.
"LET'S DUEL!"
Cody: 4000
Cindy: 4000
"I'll go first!" Cindy drew her sixth card. "And first I'm gonna summon Birdface in attack mode!" A golden, fierce-looking bird with a blue armor plate appeared and soared through the air right next to her. (ATK: 1600 DEF: 1600 LV: 4) "I place one card facedown and end my turn." A facedown card appeared briefly in front of her runner.
"My turn!" Cody drew.
Cody: 4000 SC: 0-1
Cindy: 4000 SC: 0-1
"I summon Gemini Soldier in defense mode!" In a flash, a small soldier in green armor with white boots, gloves and a scarf appeared. He carried with him a small dart. (ATK: 500 DEF: 300 LV: 2) "Then I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn.
"That's all? I was hoping for something more." Cindy drew.
Cody: 4000 SC: 1-2
Cindy: 4000 SC: 1-2
"I on the other hand can kick things up with this guy; Bladefly!" A red, fat giant fly with a big blade on one of its limbs appeared. (ATK: 600 DEF: 700 LV: 2) "When this monster is out on the field, all wind monsters gain 500 extra attack points."
"Wind monsters?" Jeremy repeated. "That's what Gemini Soldier is." The warrior in questioned glowed briefly with a green aura. (ATK: 500-1000)
"Yeah? Well, so are my two own monsters!" Cindy's monsters glowed the same way. (ATK: 600-1100) (ATK: 1600-2100) "And they're about to give some big whooping! Bladefly, attack his Gemini Soldier!" The giant insect buzzed loudly as it flew towards the small warrior.
"I activate my trap! Ultimate Offering!" One of Cody's facedown cards flipped up. "As long as this card remains on the field, I can make another normal summoning during my main phase or your battle phase. However, an extra normal summoning costs me 500 of my life points..."
Cody: 4000-3500
"So are you going to release your soldier and summon something stronger?" Cindy asked.
"Actually, I'm going to do something better." Cody replied with a smirk, confusing the officer. "I'm gonna gemini summon my Gemini Soldier!" The soldier glowed white.
"Gemini summon?" Cindy repeated.
"It's a certain ability that my gemini monsters possess. They can be normal summoned when they're already on the field. And if that happens, they can activate their effects! Otherwise, they are considered as normal monsters. As for Gemini Soldier..." The small warrior gave Bladefly a kick and sent it back. "His special ability prevents him from being destroyed in battle once per turn. And, right after he battled, I'm allowed to summon a level 4 or below gemini monster from my deck. And I choose Goggle Golem!" A muscular golem with black pants and fingerless gloves appeared. And like the name suggested, it was wearing goggles. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 500 LV: 4)
"Not bad." Cindy complimented. "But that golem is obviously an earth monster. And because of that, my Bladefly makes him 400 points weaker." The golem groaned when a red aura engulfed him. (ATK: 1500-1100)
"I'm not too worried. My Golem can take you on anytime!" Cody said confidently.
Cindy narrowed his eyes. 'Is he serious about that, or is he trying to trick me into attacking that Golem? If it's another gemini monster, then who knows what it might do? But then again...' She glanced at his other monster. 'If I let him keep that Soldier out, then he can summon more of them. In that case...'
"Birdface, attack his Gemini Soldier!" The golden bird flapped its wings making a strong gust that was about to send Gemini Soldier flying.
"My Soldier may be forced to leave, but he won't leave us empty-handed! Due to his ability, I can summon another level 4 or below gemini monster! And I choose Phantom Dragonray Bronto!" From a portal emerged a large stingray that had a long blue neck of a reptile sticking our of its mouth. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 1000 LV: 4)
"Too bad your soldier can't stay for long!" The warrior in question was finally blown away. "Now I just-" But before Cindy could finish her sentence, a dimensional portal opened underneath her monsters. "What the heck!? What is this!?"
"This is the effect of Gemini Trap Hole!" Cody spoke up, getting her attention. She noticed his other facedown card, which was now revealed. "Due to its effect, after a gemini monster is destroyed in battle while being treated as an effect monster, all monsters on your field are destroyed!"
Cindy's monsters were sucked into the portal and it closed itself. And that restored Goggle Golem's strength. (ATK: 1100-1500) Cindy clicked her tongue. "I can't believe I fell for that." She inserted a card into her duel disk. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."
"Here goes!" Cody drew.
Cody: 3500 SC: 2-3
Cindy: 4000 SC: 2-3
"First I'll gemini summon Goggle Golem!" The stone creature glowed white. "And now his original attack points become 2100!" (ATK: 1500-2100) "And now I'll use the effect of Ultimate Offering..."
Cody: 3500-3000
"...so I can gemini summon my Phantom Dragonray Bronto!" The aquatic monster glowed white. "And just like Goggle Golem, it gets stronger! Because now its original attack points become 2300!" (ATK: 1500-2300)
Cindy couldn't help but whistle. "Damn! That's impressive!"
"Just wait until they give you some major damage! Goggle Golem, attack!" The golem turned to Cindy and dashed towards her.
"I activate Call of the Haunted!" One of her facedown cards flipped up. "Now I can summon a monster back from the grave in attack mode! I resurrect my Birdface!" The golden bird in armor came out from a portal. (ATK: 1600 DEF: 1600 LV: 4) But right after it reappeared, Goggle Golem gave it a swift right hook that shattered it into pixels.
Cindy: 4000-3500
"Now with my Birdface destroyed in battle, I can activate its effect, which lets me take a Harpie Lady from my deck, and add it to my hand." One card stuck out of Cindy's deck, allowing her to take it.
"Not bad, but I still have Bronto!" The water monster gushed out a powerful stream of water.
"I got that covered! Thanks to my other trap! Back to the Front!" Cindy's facedown card flipped up. "Once again, I can summon a monster from my graveyard. Only this time, that monster is summoned in defense mode! And guess who comes back..." From a portal, Birdface appeared again. (ATK: 1600 DEF: 1600 LV: 4) Then it was hit by the water stream, completely obliterated. "Once again, I can take Harpie Lady from my deck and add it to my hand." Cindy took another card from her deck.
"Alright then. After Bronto attacks, it switches to defense mode." The water monster lowered its head and wrapped its 'wings' around itself.
"With only 1000 defense points, Bronto is a sitting duck. Especially since it can't switch its battle mode for a while." Jeremy stated.
"I think we need some defense in case she plays something big. I end my turn!"
"Then it's my move!" Cindy drew.
Cody: 3000 SC: 3-4
Cindy: 3500 SC: 3-4
"I summon Cyber Harpie Lady!" The monster that appeared was a woman dressed in some kind of black armor. She had long, dark pink hair and pointy ears. And instead of human hands and feet, she had talons. She also had green feathery wings on her arms. (ATK: 1800 DEF: 1300 LV: 4) "Now I activate the speed spell, Dash Pilfer! If I have 4 or more speed counters, I can take control of one face up monster you have in defense mode! So your Bronto belongs to me now!" The water creature moved to the right side of Cindy's duel runner.
"Well that's just great." Cody said sarcastically.
"It gets better. Because now my Cyber Harpie is about to give your Bronto a tune up!" Both of Cindy's monsters flew higher in the air. And then, Cyber Harpie's body turned into 4 stars, which then turned into rings of green light. As they lined up, Bronto went through the rings, its body became transparent and revealed 4 stars. And then, the stars lined up, they created a single ray of light that grew biggger and bigger, until it even covered the ring-tunnel. "I synchro summon Cyber Slash Harpie Lady!" When the light faded, a new monster took its place. She looked similar to Cyber Harpie Lady. However, her armor was made of gold. She even had some golden armor on her talons. And her feathery wings were purple instead of green. (ATK: 2600 DEF: 1400 LV: 8)
"A synchro monster!?" Cody said.
"But wait!" Jeremy spoke up. "The rules state that you need a tuner monster to synchro summon a monster. And as far as I know, neither Bronto or Cyber Harpie is a tuner monster!"
"I guess you didn't have many chances to watch me on TV." Cindy replied with a smirk. "Otherwise, you would have known about Cyber Slash Harpie Lady's special ability. When I synchro summon her, I can use a Harpie as a tuner monster."
"That's a nifty trick." Cody commented.
"If you like that, just watch as I play this!" Cindy played another speed spell. "I activate Summon Speeder! With this, I can summon a level 4 or below monster from my hand! But first things first..." Her synchro monster flapped her wings, creating a gust. "I activate Cyber Slash Harpie's second ability! Once per turn, when a spell or trap card or effect is activated, I can make a Harpie I control, or a monster you control, return to its owner's hand!"
"Uh oh!" Cody widened his eyes.
"That's right! My target is your Goggle Golem!" The Harpie unleashed the gust and it enveloped the golem. And then, in a flash of light, it left the field. "Now then, with the effect of Summon Speeder, I can now summon my second Cyber Harpie Lady!" Another Harpie in black armor appeared. (ATK: 1800 DEF: 1300 LV: 4)
"Now there are two Harpies!" Jeremy noted nervously.
"Don't worry." Cody assured him. "Due to the effect of Speed Summoner, Cyber Harpie Lady can't attack this turn."
Cindy smirked again. "Why attack with her, when I can do this..." She held up another card. "I activate the speed spell, High Speed Crash! With at least 2 speed counters, I can use this to destroy one of my cards, and then I can destroy another card on the field! So I'll destroy my Cyber Harpie, to destroy Ultimate Offering!" The black armored Harpie glowed with a bright aura as she flew high up before diving toward Cody's trap card. When she collided, both of them shattered into pixels.
"I really shouldn't jinx myself."
"You got that right, pal! Now, Cyber Slash Harpie, let him have it!" The golden armored Harpie made a rushing approach. "Go, Super Talon Strike!" She used her right talon to slash on Cody's left.
Cody: 3000-0400 SC: 4-2
The loss of 2 speed counters made Cody's duel runner slow down.
"You boys better keep up, unless you want to get behind bars." Cindy taunted. "I end my turn."
"Cody? You think you can turn this around?" Jeremy asked worriedly.
"Let me see what I can do. My move!" Cody drew.
Cody: 0400 SC: 2-3
Cindy: 3500 SC: 4-5
"First I activate the speed spell, Angel baton! First I draw two cards, then I discard 1 card from my hand." Cody drew his extra cards, looked at his hand, and then discarded one card. "I play a facedown monster in defense mode!" A facedown card appeared. "Then I'll end my turn with another card facedown." Another card appeared briefly. "Your turn."
Cindy drew.
Cody: 0400 SC: 3-4
Cindy: 3500 SC: 5-6
"I summon Cyber Harpie Lady!" Another Harpie in black armor appeared. (ATK: 1800 DEF: 1300 LV: 4)
"Another one?" Cody questioned.
"Sorry boys, but this is a dead end for you!" Cindy turned her duel runner around so she was driving backwards. "Cyber Harpie, attack his facedown monster!" The named monster took flight and stamped on the facedown monster powerfully. It was then, a small, dark red sheep with eerily glowing eyes was revealed. (ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1)
"Gotcha!" Cody exclaimed as the sheep was enveloped by a sphere of shadows.
"What the...?" Cindy muttered before four more sheep appeared from it. They were in different colors, but had the same glowing eyes as the one that was attacked. (ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1) x4 The shadow sphere was all gone. "What just happened?"
"The monster you destroyed was Scapeghost." Cody explained. "And thanks to its flip effect, I was allowed to summon a bunch of Black Sheep Tokens!"
"Wow! Not bad." Cindy said. "But I still have Cyber Slash Harpie! Now attack!" The golden armored Harpie used her talons and tore one of the four sheep to pieces. After that, Cindy turned around so she was driving normally. "And with that done, I end my turn with a facedown!" A card appeared briefly.
"My turn!" Cody drew.
Cody: 0400 SC: 4-5
Cindy: 3500 SC: 6-7
"I place two cards facedown and end my turn!" Two cards appeared briefly.
"You gotta do better than that!" Cindy retorted and drew her next card.
Cody: 0400 SC: 5-6
Cindy: 3500 SC: 7-8
"And now I discard one card from my hand..." Cindy slid the card she into the graveyard slot.. "...so I can activate the trap card, Hysteric Party!" Her facedown card flipped up. "Thanks to this, I can summon as many copies of Harpie Lady as possible from my graveyard."
"Oh shoot!" Jeremy exclaimed. "The Cyber Harpies are considered as Harpie Lady!"
"Got that right, cutie. But first, I activate Cyber Slash Harpie's ability again! So one of your monsters is sent back to your hand! Or in your token's case... removed from the game." One of the Black Sheep Tokens glowed with a green aura before vanishing.
"Great." Cody muttered.
"And now, thanks to Hysteric Party, my two other Cyber Harpies are here to party!" The two named Harpies in black armor reappeared from a portal. (ATK: 1800 DEF: 1300 LV: 4) x2 "And I think I'll let them destroy your two remaining tokens!" They dashed towards the two sheep and tore them to pieces. "And now I attack with the third one!" The monster in question was about to move.
"I activate Kunai with Chain!" One of Cody's facedown cards flipped up. And it fired a boomerang-style blade with a chain, which wrapped itself around Cyber Harpie. "Due to its effect, I can force your monster into defense mode!"
"Nice work!" Jeremy cheered.
"Don't celebrate just yet!" Cindy retorted. "I have one monster left! Cyber Slash Harpie Lady, attack!" The golden armored Harpie flew towards Cody and raised her right talon, ready to slash him.
"I activate the trap card, Defense Draw!" One of Cody's facedown cards flipped up and created a barrier that blocked the attack. "Thanks to this, the battle damage from your attack is dropped to zero! And as a bonus, I get to draw a card from my deck!" Cody drew.
Cindy scoffed. "Guess this is the end of my turn. Bu I doubt you boys can get out of this mess."
"She's right." Jeremy said. "She's got 4 monsters on her field! It's over!"
"You don't have to worry, Jeremy." Cody said with a smirk. "When I had trouble with my dueling skills, Yusei helped me to improve. And the most important thing he taught me, is to have faith in my cards. If you have faith in your deck, then you have better chance of winning." He then prepared to draw. 'And I'm about to show you!'
"My move!" He drew.
Cody: 0400 SC: 6-7
Cindy: 3500 SC: 8-9
Cody glanced at the card he drew and smiled. "Hang on tight, Jeremy. Because it's time to accelerate!"
Cindy narrowed her eyes.
"I activate the Speed spell, Fallen Synchron!" He held up a card. "With 5 or more speed counters, I can remove monsters in my graveyard from play. And then, I'm allowed to synchro summon!"
"Say what!?" Cindy questioned.
"You heard me! But before I do that, I activate Shapesister!" Cody's facedown card flipped up. "When this trap card is activated, I get to summon it to the field as a normal monster!" And out of it came a metallic substance that changed its shape into a scary woman figure with tendrils for hair. (ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 2)
"But doesn't that go back to your hand by Cyber Slash Harpie's effect?" Jeremy questioned.
"Not necessarily. Her special ability can be activated in response to the activation of a spell or trap card or their effect. If she did that now, then it would happen before Shapesister could be properly summoned to the field."
Jeremy's eyes widened in realization. "Then the only targets for her effect would have been her Harpies!"
"Exactly." Cody smirked.
Cindy scoffed. "So you figured out my Harpie's weakness. So what? I don't see how that thing's going to help."
"You'll find out soon enough. But first I have the effect of Fallen Synchron! Now to bring out the monsters from my graveyard. And the first one is Gemini Soldier!" The small warrior in green armor appeared. "And the next monster is the card I discarded with Angel Baton's effect. The monster known as Grasschopper!" The next monster that appeared was a huge praying mantis with a pair of blades acting as its arms. "And to give these two a tune up, I'm gonna use the tuner monster, Scapeghost!" The eery red sheep appeared.
"No way!" Cindy muttered.
And with that, Scapeghost's body turned into one star, and then to a ring of green light. And the other two monsters went through the ring and their bodies became transparent, revealing a bunch of stars. There were two from Gemini Soldier's body, and five from Grasschopper's body. "Behold as the gemini monsters join forces to bring out a creature of brutal firepower!" The stars lined up and created a single ray of light that grew bigger and bigger. "I synchro summon Black Brutdrago!" When the light faded, his dragon monster appeared with a mighty roar. The armored, black scaled dragon with flag-like wings looked intimidating. (ATK: 3000 DEF: 2600 LV: 8)
"3000 attack points!" Cindy noted in a surprise. "That's a lot of power!"
"Just you wait, because I'm not done yet. Next I summon Featherizer!" A fan shaped spellcaster in green and yellow robe appeared. (ATK: 700 DEF: 1100 LV: 2) "And now Shapesister, tune with Featherizer!"
"What!?" Cindy exclaimed.
"You mean..." Jeremy trailed off.
"That's right, she's a tuner monster!" The metallic ooze woman's body turned into two stars and the two circles of green light. And then, Featherizer went through them as his body became transparent and revealed two stars. They lined up and created another single ray of light. "Now I synchro summon Armory Arm!" The light died down and revealed a large, black mechanical arm with red fingers. (ATK: 1800 DEF: 1200 LV: 4)
"Another synchro monster?" Cindy asked disbelieved.
"Yes, and this monster is going to give my dragon a helping hand!" Cody replied with a smirk. "You see, its ability allows it to equip itself to another monster, and raise that monster's attack points by 1000!" The arm's base gauntlet split apart and reassembled on Black Brutdrago's already armed arm. (ATK: 3000-4000)
"Wow! 4000 attack points!" Jeremy said in awe.
"And that's not the only bonus my dragon gets. Armory Arm has another effect. When the equipped monster destroys a monster in battle, the opposing player takes damage equal to that monster's attack points!"
"It can't be!" Cindy said.
"Now Black Brutdrago, destroy her Cyber Slash Harpie Lady!" The dragon roared loudly and rushed toward the golden armored Harpie, before it slashed her with its armored claws, which caused a big explosion.
Cindy: 3500-0000
With her life points down to zero, her duel runner was automatically shut down, releasing clouds from its frame and finally stopped in its place. Cindy stared at the screen in shock. "Unbelievable." She then looked up when Cody and Jeremy pulled up in front of her runner. "I always hear people saying Satellites being worthless. So this is kinda embarrassing."
"Well officer, if you want to know something, then let me tell you a thing a friend of mine taught me. Don't underestimate us Satellites or our decks. Because what you as weakness is what truly makes us strong." He then saluted her mockingly. "Have a nice day!" At that, the boys drove off.
Cindy watch them drive away for a moment before speaking to herself. "Well, guess I blew it." She then smiled. "But I gotta hand it to him, that guy knows how to duel."
Some time passed until Cody and Jeremy reunited with Yusei and the others. After making sure that everything was calm, they all returned to their hideout and went over what they went through today.
"So the acceleration chips were baits, meant to lead the Sector Security right to us. And Jack was the one behind this?" Cody asked.
"Yeah, that's what Trudge mentioned." Yusei answered.
"That jerk!" Tank growled. "So ditching us wasn't enough. Now Jack's trying to get us behind bars?"
"That stinking traitor!" Blitz muttered angrily.
"Just another reason for us to get into New Domino City and deal with him." Yusei said.
Cody grabbed his cracked pendant and looked at it. Rally noticed this.
"What happened to your pendant?"
"Nothing. I just kinda dropped it when we fled from the Security."
"That thing looks cracked." Nervin noted.
"It's no big deal. I just-whoops!" Cody started to say, but accidentally broke the pendant even more, making pieces of it falling down on the ground. "Great." He said sarcastically, before something fell out of what was left of the pendant. "Huh?"
"What's that?" Jeremy asked.
Cody kneeled down and picked up the object, which looked like a different kind of chip. "It looks like... a memory card."
"What's a memory card doing inside your pendant?" Nervin wondered.
"Let's take a look." Yusei suggested.
Moments later, after inserting the memory card into the computer, everyone stared at the screen patiently, waiting for something to happen. And then, something popped up. "Oh! What is that?" Rally asked.
"It seems like the memory card contains a video file." Yusei replied.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's play it!" Tank said.
"I don't know. I have a bad feeling..."
"Knock it off, Nervin!" Blitz interrupted him.
"Go ahead, Yusei." Cody urged.
And without further ado, Yusei clicked on the video file. It loaded for a moment before the video was revealed. What it was showing was a man and a woman. The man had short black hair and grey eyes, and was wearing a black suit. And for some reason, his face looked similar to Cody, but older. The woman standing next to him had long, silky white hair and emerald green eyes. She was wearing a dark-green sweater and a short, black skirt.
"Cody..." The man spoke up. "If you're watching this video, that means you managed to find this message where we hid it. You better listen carefully, because this is important... my son."
Okay, this took me longer than I was hoping for. But I finally finished the first chapter of my 5D's story. I hope you guys liked it. I especially hope that those who followed me did. I needed to think hard about how to start with my main character, Cody Cooper.
And if you guys are wondering about how Jeremy is part of the gang, then don't worry. I'll give you guys his back story in the future.
Alright, I think that's enough for now. See you guys next time.