Disclaimer: I do not own the properties of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise or the work of the cards; I only own the OCs that could or may be involved in this series. I own nothing of the real OCG cards, just the formal OC character.
Chapter 4: The Fugitives of Neo Domino City; Yugo vs Tetsu Trudge
Zuzu Hiiragi only remembered that Yasuko fell unconsciously to the ground, and a bright light came upon her. She had a short flashback of when Yasuko was dueling against Yuri, the one who looked like Yuya but evil, and he was hurting Yasuko.
"Yasuko!" It was the first thing her mind echoed into her head. Zuzu realized that Yasuko was still hurt, and she needed help. Her eyes snapped open, gazing upon the orange sky above her. "Hey, are you okay?" Zuzu heard a voice sounding off close to her ear. She faces Yugo, the rider who came before her when Yasuko became unconscious. That's when she realized how close Yugo was to her face.
Zuzu squealed and pushed Yugo out, forcing him to tumble down until he crashed into his Duel Runner. She refocused her gaze on Yugo. She was by herself. Zuzu had no idea how long she was out before being teleported with Yugo.
"Ow…that hurt," Yugo grunted. "You know, I did that because I was worried about you." Yugo scowls at Zuzu. "What the hell's your problem?!" he exclaimed.
Zuzu blinked in surprise, not sure how she would respond to Yugo. She looked around, amazed at the high-rise buildings surrounding her and Yugo, but the boy was too busy checking on his Duel Runner. She doesn't know where she is exactly. Apparently, whatever the bracelet did, or what Yasuko's keychain did to them, they are in a different world than Maiami City.
The sky turned orange, transforming the day into dusk. Zuzu was so preoccupied with the buildings around her that Yugo had already finished tuning up the Duel Runner.
"Alright," said Yugo, wiping his forehead. "Looks like nothing was damaged; that's a good sign." Despite his relief at the status of his Duel Runner, Yugo turned back toward Zuzu and asked, "Just what the hell happened back there?" Returning to the Duel Runner, Yugo expresses concern about the whole device. "I really worked hard to try and build this thing."
Not that it matters to Zuzu, but she has to know where she is right now. "So, where are we?" she asked.
"Neo Domino City," Yugo answered, looking out at the horizon. "The city where I was born." Zuzu also looked out to the horizon, noticing it lies next to the ocean.
"Neo Domino City?" Zuzu thought. She's never heard of any place called Neo Domino City in her world before. She wonders what kind of city Neo Domino City is like. Then, she recalled what had transpired moments ago. "What happened to the battle royal?" she inquired.
"The what now?" Yugo queried, confused about what Zuzu said.
"The battle royal for the Junior Youth selection at the Arc League Championship." Right there, Zuzu suddenly realizes what was also happening during the event. "That's right," she recalled. "Yasuko was dueling against a boy who looked like Yuya, but my bracelet seemed to connect itself with the keychain Yasuko's been carrying. Then, he disappeared before this boy showed up." She had a short flashback of when she was helping Yasuko. Then, the next thing that happened was that the keychain accidentally teleported them into this strange Neo Domino City.
"Yasuko always has that keychain with her," Zuzu summarized. "Is that what transported me with you here?" She also remembered what Yuya and Yasuko told her about their encounter with another person who resembles Yuya, or Yuya's twin brother, in Yasuko's perspective.
"He looks like Yuya," Zuzu thought. There is no doubt that Yugo's appearance is a heavy resemblance to Yuya. She had to confirm one thing from him. "Are you Yugo?" she asked.
Despite their first meeting, Yugo smiled and seemed surprised at how Zuzu knows his name. "Oh, so you know my name? I'm surprised," he said.
"Are you connected to Fusion?" Zuzu asked, which seemed to tick Yugo off after she mispronounced his name.
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Yugo yelled. "The name's Yugo! It's not Fusion; it's Yugo! Get it! It's Yugo!" What Yugo doesn't know is that his outburst frightened Zuzu to tears.
She wasn't sure how to respond after mistakenly mispronouncing Yugo's name. She sees Yugo calming down and turns back to his Duel Runner.
"Just as I thought," he said. "You're not Rin." Yugo has confirmed his suspensions about Zuzu. "Rin wouldn't get my name wrong." The name made Zuzu realize who Rin was. She had another flashback to when Yuri mentioned someone like Rin.
"Back then, when that Academia duelist dueled Yasuko," Zuzu recalled. "He mentioned that he took Ruri and Rin."
Once Zuzu mentions someone like Yuri, Yugo turns around, shocked that there was another boy who looks exactly like him. "What?!" he gasped. "You mean you've met the guy who took Rin?"
"Yasuko dueled him to a draw, and he refused to back down," Zuzu explained. "That's when you appeared." Zuzu had so many more questions than ever. She tries to connect the dots and needs to know what Yugo knows.
"Who is Rin?" Zuzu asked.
"Where is she now?" Yugo responds with a question of his own instead.
Zuzu has no answer to Yugo's question. "I don't know," she responded. "Right after Yasuko was unconscious, her keychain glowed up and shot a beam at us."
"What? You mean to tell me that Yasuko teleported us?" Yugo inquired, and Zuzu nodded to confirm his answer.
She looked down at the bracelet on her arm, the one item she recalled being with her since childhood. "This bracelet has lit up many times before, and it happens whenever I am with someone who looks like Yuya." Zuzu also recalled that Yasuko's keychain was glowing alongside her bracelet. "And the strangest thing that happened to Yasuko is that she has this keychain, and whenever it glows, the bracelet glows too."
Zuzu seemed to realize that she was t in Maiami City anymore. "This isn't Maiami City, isn't it?" she inquired.
"Like I told you, this is Neo Domino City," Yugo replied. "It's in a different dimension than your Standard Dimension."
"Different dimension?" Zuzu quarried.
"I guess it makes sense you're surprised," said Yugo. "This is the first time you've traveled into a different dimension?"
"I'm in a different dimension?"
Yugo nodded. "Yep, take it from a guy who has traveled to a different dimension a lot," he confirmed. "Though, for me, it feels like coming home." He glanced at the park where people were relaxing and enjoying their day. The little kids play around the fountain, and the adults talk. "Anyway, the first time I traveled across dimensions, I was scared out of my mind," he said. Yugo pulls a card attached to his wrist from his deck, looking at Clear Wing Synchro.
"It was the day when Rin was taken from me," Yugo explained, catching Zuzu's attention. "Just before that, Rin thought that she was being followed." Zuzu listened very carefully to how Yugo came to her dimension in the first place. "I was keeping an eye out for anything suspicious to protect her." He explained his side of the story, telling Zuzu that someone who looked like him had taken Rin somewhere and then teleported right before his eyes. The next thing that came up was Clear Wing Synchro giving him the power to travel across the dimension.
"The next thing I knew, I was in Heartland," Yugo concluded.
Zuzu realized something from Yugo. He claimed that he came to Heartland, and she recalls the Duel between Shun and Sora in the Action Field Spell called Neo Heartland City. "Heartland?" she inquired. "In the Xyz Dimension?"
"Yeah," Yugo confirmed, looking at the Clear Wing Synchro card. "I don't know why I was sent there." He started to reminisce about his time in Heartland City. "It was a war zone. The whole city was in ruins, but at that time, I thought that Rin might be somewhere in that place. So I drove around, searching. And that's when I found him. The guy who looked like me and took Rin." Yugo started to have some doubts about the opponent he faced.
"Your opponent in that duel was…." Zuzu had to assume that the opponent Yugo dueled was mistakenly identified as Yuto.
"He was an Xyz user with the same face I have," Yugo stated. "I wanted to get Rin back from him."
"But it wasn't him," Zuzu rebuked. "That was Yuto."
"Yuto?"
"Yuto was trying to find Ruri, who was kidnapped in the Xyz Dimension," Zuzu reasoned. "he would never take someone you care for."
At that moment, Zuzu found Yugo blushing furiously. "C-Care for?" he stammered. The thought of Rin being his girlfriend makes him scratch his head to ease the embarrassing thoughts plaguing his mind.
Zuzu raised an eyebrow, confused about his relationship with Rin. "Did I get it right? Isn't Rin your girlfriend?" she asked, making Yugo even redder.
He was so embarrassed that Yugo held a hand to stop Zuzu from persisting further. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" he denied. "We're just…childhood friends. It's not like we're dating or anything." He rambles on about being Rin's boyfriend, and it makes sense Zuzu finds it annoying.
"So, why were you in Heartland?" Zuzu asked, and Yugo stopped rambling. Now focused, Yugo takes out the Clear Wing Synchro card to show it to Zuzu.
"The card let me go after her," said Yugo. "Maybe it realized how much I wanted to save her." He was in deep thought, remembering the bright glow from Clear Wing Synchro. It was like Yugo's in deep thought about his first encounter with his doppelgänger. Even Zuzu was pondering the meeting.
Then, both of them gasped at a sudden realization. After hearing from Yugo's side of the story, it all made sense to Zuzu. She first met Yuya's Fusion counterpart, Yuri, after he dueled Yasuko.
"Wait, you mean that the one who kidnapped Rin was…." Yugo clarified.
"Yes, maybe he might have been there too," Zuzu confirmed. "While you were dueling with Yuto, he could have been nearby."
"What?" Yugo inhaled. "You mean that I got the wrong guy?"
"The duelist Yasuko dueled from Academia looked much like Yuto," Zuzu explained. "And they both looked like you. And like Yuya." Yugo blinked once as she continued explaining more. "I think that when Yuya appeared was when I met Yuto, and then you appeared when the duelist and Yasuko dueled to a draw," she theorized. "These actions weren't coincidences; they all have a pattern somehow."
"Not coincidence?" Yugo repeated. He pulls out Clear Wing Synchro, wondering if everything Zuzu says is true. "Then, is that the reason why it made it happen?"
Zuzu shakes her head. "I don't know," she said. "But if it is true, it could be one thing."
"What is it?" Yugo asked.
"The people with the same face are being drawn together," Zuzu delineated.
Right then, Yugo had a sudden flashback of his other encounter with his counterpart, but it wasn't Yuto who was he with. There was the girl, Yasuko, and the other guy who looked exactly like him.
"Now that you mentioned it," said Yugo. "There was another guy who had my face." Yugo moves his head to deny everything that is unraveling. "No, no, no, wait, hang on. It just so happens that there are other guys who look like me."
"It isn't just you," Zuzu added. If she could guess, Rin is the same person who looked like her, which also explains Yugo mistook her to be Rin.
"Wait, you don't mean…." Yugo wasn't sure if what Zuzu meant was true for both.
"Yes, there are two others who look like Rin and me," said Zuzu. "One was Rin, the other was Serena."
"Serena?"
"She's an Academia duelist, like the guy who came to abduct Ruri, Rin, and me." The more she talks about her experience, the better she understands the importance of her identity and the whole story.
"This world is divided into four dimensions. Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Standard. The Fusion Dimension, Academia, is trying to unite all the dimensions into one."
Yugo found it surprising to hear the heavy stuff. "Unite the four dimensions into one?"
"Academia is even willing to start a war to achieve that." Zuzu expressed the sad reality of the conflict.
The thought of someone or people starting a war in a different dimension makes Yugo so angry that he clenches his fist. "They'd go that far?" he questioned. "So, this Serena girl is working with the guy who took Rin, and she's part of the evil army."
Zuzu nodded once to confirm his suspicions. "But now, Academia is after her."
"After her? Why?" Yugo inquired.
"The man in charge of Academia, known as the Professor, seeks to gather people who looks like Rin, Ruri, and me," said Zuzu, feeling more concerned than ever. "I'm sure he'd want Serena back." Still, she has to know his reason why. Why would the Professor want someone like her, Ruri, Rin, and Serena? They have nothing in common with one another but their faces.
"I don't know why the Professor wants us. Or why do the four of us share the same face? Why do you four look alike too?" Zuzu almost forgot about the one thing that happened to be in the middle of this whole thing. "And also, why Yasuko?"
Yugo finds it surprising to change her subject to the one person he met before.
"Yasuko? You mean that girl we rescued before you said she teleported us?" Yugo inquired.
"I mean, I thought I knew her by now, but I still don't understand." Zuzu looked up at the sky, wondering more about the girl. "What does she have to do with any of this?"
Speaking of Yasuko, Zuzu hasn't been fully honest with herself. She thought she knew everything about Yasuko, yet the things she knew about the girl were very mysterious. She knew how to do the Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz Summons. It takes a lot of time to get used to the summing methods and requires a lot of intelligence. Compared to Reiji, she's almost as good as he was and only fifteen.
"I get it," Yugo exclaimed, making Zuzu turn to face him. "That means that Rin is in the Academia place, right?" Yugo placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go."
Zuzu blinked in surprise. "Go where?"
"Isn't it obvious? I now know where Rin is being held." Yugo sounds very excited since Rin could possibly be at the one place where he might find her. "Now that I know where Rin is, we must go over there and bring her back!"
"Go where? To Academia?" Zuzu questioned. "But how?"
"Yugo held Zuzu's wrist that holds the bracelet. "We just have to use this," Yugo claimed. His response was surprising, even for Zuzu. "This bracelet has the power to cross dimensions, right? So if you can use it, it'll send me there with you."
For Zuzu, there was no easy way for Yugo to make him understand. The bracelet is useless unless another person who looks like Yuya appears around them. "It won't work," Zuzu admitted.
"Why not?" Yugo reasoned.
"Because I'm not the one who can make this light up," Zuzu answered truthfully. She can hear Yugo making sounds that tell he's shocked and disappointed. "I told you before. When Yuya appeared, it lit up as if there was someone who looked like him near." Zuzu stands up and then turns around to face the sea. "But for some reason, Yasuko's keychain could do that."
Zuzu could only hope Yugo would understand, but he was always as clueless as Yuya. "Then we have to bring this Yuya guy here or find Yasuko's keychain, right?" he queried, refusing to give up on searching for Rin.
"That's impossible," Zuzu argued.
"Why is it impossible."
Despite how many times she tried to explain, Yugo would always insist on going despite their current situation. "Because…" Zuzu felt something worming into her heart, as if the heavy feeling she knew was returning. "Because…" One thought of Yuya was enough to make tears swell in her eyes. "Yuya isn't here," she cried. Zuzu felt bad for leaving Yasuko behind after she was teleported from her home.
She's all alone. There is no one she can go to. No Yasuko. No Yuya. Nobody. It was all because she kept meeting people who looked like Yuya. And now look at where it got her. She couldn't take it in anymore, and Zuzu started crying. It hurts so much that Zuzu takes a knee, holding her face to stop the tears. Her nose was stuffy, and her eyes brimming red.
Yugo can see how sad Zuzu is right now. He feels bad for yelling at her before, realizing how much she misses her friends back at the Standard Dimension. Yugo remembered something and searched for his white jacket to make her feel better. When it wasn't there, he searched his pockets and found his handkerchief. He offers it to Zuzu, making the girl look up in surprise,
"Here," said Yugo. "Sorry for acting like a jerk back then."
Zuzu had no words to say for Yugo's kindness. She is grateful for Yugo and takes the handkerchief. "Thanks," she said, using it to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I felt the same way too." She looked out into the city. "If I could use this bracelet to travel freely across dimensions, I could go back home." She imagines everyone back at the Standard Dimension. "Back to Yuya, dad, and everyone else there." She thought about what Yugo had said earlier about his Clear Wing Synchro card glowing up, teleporting him across dimensions. "Can't you do anything with that card?" she asked.
Yugo had a disappointed expression in his eyes. "No, I'm afraid I can't," he said, pulling the card from his pocket. "I cannot make it shine at will, either." He puts the card away and approaches Zuzu, kneeling to reach her sight.
"I really am sorry," Yugo apologized. "I just have a bad habit of whatever springs to mind." He seemed to be reminiscing something from his youth. "Rin would always get mad a lot of times. She says that I need to think before acting."
Zuzu blinked, completely taken aback by Yugo's description of Rin. Apparently, she often wonders what Rin was like. It sounds like Rin is also the hot-tempered type of gal. "She always tells me, "Don't do this" and "Don't do that" all the time, and she has a tough left hook."
The girl started to feel a lot better than before. Zuzu laughs with fondness at how much Rin acted toward Yugo. "She's like your mom," she said.
"I know, right?" Yugo replied. "of course, neither Rin nor I know who our real moms are." Now that was a surprise for Zuzu. She never expected Yugo to be an orphan, just like Yasuko. She wondered how Yugo and Rin knew each other despite having no parents with them. Before she could even ask, a loud female scream shrieks into her ears, catching Zuzu and Yugo off guard. They both turn and see a young child approaching the Duel Runner.
"What are you doing?" the mother cried hysterically. "Why would you be doing that? You shouldn't be touching that thing! What if you get sick?"
Now, Yugo finally realizes the situation they are in. "Oh shit!" he cursed and returned to his Duel Runner. He puts on the helmet and then works his way to activate the Duel Runner as quickly as possible.
Zuzu has never seen Yugo panicking before, never recalling anything about Yugo worrying about something other than Rin. "What's wrong, Yugo?" she asked. Zuzu comes over, only for Yugot o eject a spare helmet and throw it to her.
"Here, hurry, get in!" Yugo ordered, moving his leg to get on his Duel Runner.
The girl seemed confused about what was making Yugo panic until the woman with her baby had two men coming to investigate. "Those people over there! They're Commons!" At that moment, the two men turn around, spotting Zuzu and Yugo at the park.
"You two are from the Commons!" the first man demanded.
"This land is strictly for Topsiders only!" the second man responded angrily.
"Shit," Yugo cursed, turning back to Zuzu and ordered, "Get in!"
Zuzu was still oblivious to their situation despite being in a seemingly public park. "But what's going—"
"Get in!" Yugo exclaimed louder than before. Zuzu hesitated at first, but if the reaction from the people was making a scene, then she better come with Yugo. She puts on the helmet, noticing that it has a small button that brings down a glass visor on her eyes.
She hops onboard as Yugo turns the handle, revving up the Duel Runner at full power. With one hard jerk, Yugo slams the board, and then both take off before more bodyguards come and get them.
While Yugo and Zuzu were riding along the major highway, the sky darkened into a navy blue night. The lights from Neo Domino City illuminated them. She holds onto the seat as tightly as possible, and Zuzu starts asking questions about what happened at the park today.
"What just happened back there? Why did we run away?" Zuzu questioned.
"That was a Topsider residential zone," Yugo explained. "I thought so, but I was so caught up with you that I forgot to leave." He sounds very stern despite fleeing from a restricted zone.
"But why do we have to leave? What are the Topsiders?" Zuzu had no idea what Yugo referred to as the Topsiders. The mother mentioned them as "Commons," which makes her wonder what kind of social world this dimension is.
"The Topsiders are society's highest rung in the city, the winners who possess a lot of wealth and status," Yugo answered, his voice becoming even more uncompromising.
"The highest rungs in the city?"
"Neo Domino City is built from a free societal movement based on competition," Yugo chastised. "In this city, winning is everything. The winners win everything. The losers lose everything."
Zuzu was appalled at how Neo Domino City runs society in their dimension. "What? What does that mean?"
Yugo glanced over his shoulder. "That's competition. Those who win get to be on the Topsider. They control 99% of the city's wealth. Even though they're only 1% of the population." His voice strained after talking more about his hometown.
Zuzu didn't realize until now that they'd just exited a tunnel. Upon looking at her surroundings, she marveled at how the city looked. She's seen Maiamai City's better districts, but Neo Domino City looked even more astounding than any city in her dimension. The bright neon lights from the tall skyscrapers move past them as Yugo continues driving the Duel Runner along the highway.
"Wow, they're so beautiful," said Zuzu, awed by how big and stylish the city skyscrapers were.
"It's amazing, right?" Yugo responded. "The whole city is full of prosperity." The two adolescents are coming out of the skyscrapers downtown area and into the view of an opening. Zuzu wonders if there are any buildings around them. She looks closer to the edge of the highway, finding herself completely shocked by what she has seen.
Below the highway, Zuzu is witnessing the worst kind of slums she has ever seen. The buildings are stacked on top, with many looking old and dusty. Speaking of dust, the air makes her lungs feel like they're about to cough out. Even the smell of the skyline makes her cover her nose. Not even Maiami City's worst districts didn't look this bad in Neo Domino City and didn't smell foul.
"My god, what is that stink?" Zuzu asked. "It smells like something's rotting down there."
"That's because it is," Yugo answered dutifully. "Beneath it all, 99% of the population live in the slums. The world of competition where the losers live in. That's the true hometown I grew up in.
"Everything in the city is all about competition. The Topsiders called us "Slum-dwellers." The ordinary citizens, Commons. Though they are treated as equals on the surface, they scorn us as being losers in their hearts, but we won't always be losers. Neo Domino City is a competitive merited-based society, so you should be able to win your way to the top. When we were kids, Rin and I decided to hone our dueling skills."
Zuzu could tell Yugo wasn't fond of telling her everything in Neo Domino City. It only takes one good glimpse of the city to tell her the difference. She thought Neo Domino City was a paradise like Maiami City; instead, it's a dystopian world. Yet, Yugo seems optimistic about reaching the top.
"A guy like me who was raised in the same town I was in made it to a debut,"
Yugo revealed, surprising Zuzu.
She wonders who the person is, having to come from the same place as Yugo. If Yugo claims he come from the Commons and is said to lose all the time, then surely there is someone who may have risen to the top.
"There, it's coming into view," Yugo called.
Zuzu looked up at an incoming billboard hologram. She looks at a very young man with purple eyes, fair skin and spiked blonde hair with two much longer strands in front of his ears which hang further down the rest of his hair. Zuzu can't help but think that the hologram billboard guy was quite attractive.
"That's the Duel King, Jack Atlas," said Yugo.
Zuzu was taken back after Yugo revealed Jack Atlas to be called the Duel King. "Duel King?" she repeated, confused about what the title meant in this dimension.
"He was the first Common to ever become the world champion," Yugo explained. "He won Neo Domino City's ultimate duel festival, the Friendship Cup, and quickly rose to the top." The more Yugo talks about Jack, the more Zuzu realizes something. Yugo speaks highly of Jack Atlas, as if Yugo admires the duelist king. "If he could do it, and I was raised in the same town, I can too. Rin and I used Jack as an example and honed our skills. We dreamt of one day participating in the Friendship Cup and fighting Jack."
Yugo and Zuzu ride past the billboard and into the downtown area of Neo Domino City. "That's why Rin and I built this Duel Runner. So that I can have a Turbo Duel with Jack," said Yugo.
"Turbo Dueling?" Zuzu asked, confused about what Turbo Dueling was. She had no idea there were other kinds of duels besides Action Duels.
Before Yugo could answer back, a loud siren blares into their ears, followed by a loud shout from a man.
"Yugo! Pull over this instance!"
Yugo straightened his back, having to recognize the voice, and then turned around to find out that the officer attempting to pull them over was someone he was familiar with. The officer who was pursuing them was a man who was tall and strong, and he had prominent eyebrows that were noticeable even from a distance. The helmet he wears over his black hair is similar to a police officer, and a visor over his eyes covers the large scar on his left face.
"You little bastard! I've got you now, this time!" the officer shouted.
Typically, anyone who had encounters with a police officer would be afraid since they would get arrested, but Yugo had an annoyed look on his face when he saw the officer. "Oh, him again," he sighed, shoulders sagging with disappointment.
Zuzu stared at Yugo with a raised eyebrow. "You know him?" she asked.
Yugo didn't know who was annoying him now: Zuzu and her questions or the officer he had known since childhood. "He was my truant officer back in the day when Rin and I were kids," he clarified. "Now, he's a member of Sector Security." Turning back to the front, Yugo cursed under his breath. "Damn, can't this guy give me a break? Those people from earlier had to report us to him, huh?"
Yugo twists the handle, and the Duel Runner accelerates at forty miles. Zuzu holds on to the seat very tight, feeling a sharp tuck that pulls her back slightly. She was surprised by Yugo's action.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Zuzu inquired. "They're the police, aren't they? Shouldn't we pull over or something?"
"Not this kind of police," Yugo answered. "They're just the Topsider's dogs. They used to be a member of the special units in the police, but lately, they really had it in for us, Commons."
"But it is still wrong," Zuzu argued. Back in her home dimension, she has always been one to follow the rules and always do her best to not get into trouble.
"If they catch us, they'll throw us into prison!" Yugo contended. He lifts his head slightly to shout at the officer. "And for god's sake, Trudge, didn't we go through with this mellow already?! I told you I paid all that money for the food."
"I just got a call reporting that trespassers were in Sector J13, and I had to know who those trespassers were," Trudge responded. "And look at what I found. It's always you and your little girlfriend. Don't you kids know it's against the law to sneak into that area."
"It was a public park," Yugo exclaimed. "It's for everyone! And Rin is not my girlfriend! We grew up together!"
"Not today, Yugo," Trudge replied, accelerating faster to catch up. "And don't think I'll let up this time. You cost me a lot after you two ran out after paying counterfeits to the store owner."
Yugo makes a disgusted noise and focuses back on the road. "Always thinking you're above the law, hey, Trudge?" He can't believe Yugo's going to be dealing with Trudge again. "Man, Tetsu Trudge always keeps coming back to me. I just don't get it." His voice was very low that Zuzu didn't hear her.
"What do you mean we're going to prison?" Zuzu inquired, already fearing what might happen if they got caught.
"The Topsiders who reported us think we harmed one of them, and now they've got a search warrant for us," said Yugo.
"But they can't do that! That's illegal!" Zuzu accused.
"Yes, they can! They're the Topsiders, after all," Yugo yelled. He twists the handle even tighter, making his Duel Runner accelerate faster. He felt the winds brushing against his face. Yugo looked over his shoulder, noticing that Trudge was touching his visor as if he was getting an order from the higher-ups of Sector Security.
"Roger that out," Trudge complied before focusing on the boy. "Yugo, it looks like you'll be going to the Facility this time," he said. "If you do not comply, then I will have to enforce a duel." With no options left to pull Yugo over, Trudge starts their Turbo Duel. "I Set the Field Spell: Speed World Neo!" Trudge starts the Duel as he Sets the Field Spell Card: Speed World Neo.
The Duel Runner Trudge is riding and activates a giant link bubble that swells over the highway. Zuzu looked around to closely examine what Field Spell the officer played. It seemed somewhat different from the field spells being used in Action Duels. The computer board on Yugo's Duel Runner activates in response to the activation of the field spell. "Duel Mode, on. Autopilot, stand by."
The Duel Runner jets a neo-green blade that resembles hers, but this one is double-bladed and angled symmetrically with the top larger than the lower one. She had no idea what Turbo Duel was or if it was a new kind of dueling.
"So, he's enforcing a duel on me? Right here of all times?" Yugo inquired.
"What is that?" Zuzu asked.
"Trudge's enforcing a duel; if we lose, we'll both get arrested." His answer made Zuzu yell in shock, appalled at her getting arrested despite being fourteen years old.
"What?! But I can't get arrested!" Zuzu exclaimed.
"Hey, you better hold on!" Yugo replied. Turning back to Trudge, he said, "Don't think for once you're going to win against me! We've done this play-through couple of times!"
Trudge smirked, feeling satisfied with Yugo's overconfidence. "Don't worry about me losing this round, you little punk. This time, I'm gonna get you." Right after he said his words, alarms blared across the city.
Zuzu looked around, confused about what would happen now that they would duel. Just then, multiple towers sprout everywhere in the city. The towers were just as tall as the skyscrapers in Neo Domino City. As the towers stopped moving up, the upper section split into segments. Zuzu would see roads inside the segments, allowing more roads to interlink with the highway they are in. The sides eject plates, and Solid Image barriers from the platforms activate, allowing a safer lane for them.
It was astonishing for Zuzu. The highways interconnect with the main road, and more are sprouting everywhere, making it seem like they're dueling in an actual highway.
"By the way," Yugo called, catching Zuzu's attention away from the sight of the highways. "What's your name?" he asked. "I haven't gotten to ask your name yet, and since you know Yasuko. I assume you're a friend of hers."
Speaking of introductions, Zuzu had never properly introduced herself to Yugo since it was the first time they'd met in the Standard Dimension. "It's Zuzu," she announced. "My name is Zuzu Hiiragi."
"Zuzu, huh? Well, then. Hang on tight," said Yugo. "I'm gonna show you what a Turbo Duel is about." Yugo then turns to Officer Trudge, who is riding alongside him. "Heh, just like old times?"
"You and I remember the old times very differently, you little punk," Trudge retorted. "You're not gonna get away that easily."
Despite how angry Trudge is giving him, Yugo seems to enjoy their ongoing feud even though they do not have a good history. "Then let's ride!" And so, Yugo and Trudge accelerate their Duel Runners, pushing past the speed limit as the highway takes them toward the land with the Solid Image projector barriers inside.
Once the two duelists have entered the highway lane, they are ready to begin the first Turbo Duel.
"DUEL!"
DUEL:
Yugo (LP 4000)
VS
Tetsu Trudge (LP 4000)
The two duelists draw five cards and place them on each holder of the wrists next to their decks. The wind is crashing to their faces. Zuzu holds onto the backseat very tightly since riding and dueling simultaneously sound dangerous.
"I'll go first!" Yugo declared. "My turn!"
Turn 1: Yugo (5x cards)
Yugo pulls out one card from his wrist device and then places it on his green neon blade as he Normal Summons Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice (ATK 300/DEF 1500). "From my hand, I summon Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice!" The first monster Yugo summons in the Turbo Duel is a monster that is a huge three-sided dice with eyeballs on each side of the dice. Three little orbs are rotating around the dice monster.
"When there is a WIND attribute monster on my side of the field, I can Special Summon this monster from my hand! Speedroid Taketomborg!" Since the tri-eyed dice is a WIND monster, Yugo Special Summons Speedroid Taketomborg (ATK 600/DEF 1200) from his hand in Defense Position. The second monster Yugo summons is a robot that transforms itself from being a bamboo copter.
"I tune the level 3 Tri-eyed Dice with the level 3 Taketomborg!" Yugo declared. The tri-eyed dice jets itself in the air before it bursts into three green rings that scan the takeomborg, turning it into nothing but three more white glowing orbs.
(3 + 3 = 6)
"Cross-shaped magical sword, slash all of your enemies with your power! I Synchro Summon! Appear, level 6! Hi-Speedroid Kendama!" Yugo tunes the taketomborg to the Tri-eyed dice to Synchro Summon Hi-Speedroid Kendama (ATK 2200/DEF 1600) in Attack Position. The green rings burst a bright white light as the Synchro monster appears beside Yugo. A giant blue monster based on a kendama toy that has a little body between the two shields with a pointy top.
Zuzu was taken back when Yugo made his first Synchro Summon on his turn. She knew Yuto was the boy who could perform an Xyz Summon, but she never expected Yugo to be a duelist who can do a Synchro Summon.
"A Synchro Summon?" Zuzu inquired. It's only then she finally realizes something about Yugo. Suppose Yuto can do an Xyz Summon, and the duelist who dueled Yasuko can do a Synchro Summon. In that case, it's clearly a coincidence that Yugo can perform a Synchro Summon.
Although Yugo pulled off a good start, Trudge had prepared himself for the kind of summon. "Ha! I knew that was the first thing you were going to do! Now I can activate Night Light Catcher from my hand!" Trudge mocked, catching Zuzu and Yugo by surprise. "When my opponent Special Summons a Synchro monster in their side of the field, I can Special Summon this card from my hand, and for the rest of the turn, you cannot activate Synchro monster effects!" Since Yugo had Summoned a Synchro monster, Trudge Special Summons Night Light Catcher (ATK 900/DEF 300) in Defense Position.
The first monster Trudge summons is a little girl with pointy ears holding a butterfly net in her left hand and a lantern in her other. Once she appears on the field, the night light girl shines her lantern to negate the effects of Yugo's Synchro monster.
Yugo makes a low snarl, annoyed that Trudge is always persistent. "Damn, didn't think you've improved this much," he said. Since his monster's effect is negated, and he's locked out of any Synchro monsters, Yugo had no choice but to take a card from his hand and Set it on his field.
"I Set a card face-down and end my turn," he concluded.
Turn 2: Trudge (4x cards)
The two duelists are coming into a turn, and they put a throttle into the acceleration. The sudden increase in speed makes Zuzu nervous. She holds onto the back seating tightly, feeling the duel runner tilting to the right. Zuzu screamed, hoping that both duelists would stop and Duel, not riding on some motorcycles and Duel. "Is this how people duel?" she thought, her mind screaming for the safety of the sidewalk.
"Hey, hey! Are you actually going to duel while you drive?!" Zuzu exclaimed.
"You bet!" Yugo affirmed, much to the girl's shock.
Yugo swivels to the left, and Officer Trudge swivels to the right trying to cut him off, but Yugo keeps his eyes back to ensure he didn't. "L-look out!" Zuzu screamed. "I think we should get off the bike first!"
As if things couldn't get any worse, a loud noise starts hovering next to her ears. The next thing she knew, a helicopter flew next to them with spotlights focused on them. Zuzu wonders what the helicopter was for.
Yugo, on the other hand, knows what the helicopter is. "They're here already," said Yugo. When things couldn't get better, more platforms rose from the higher districts of Neo Domino City. It keeps expanding outwards so that all the highways in the city are connected to one single network.
"Here it comes." Yugo sounded very excited. He accelerates the Duel Runner, bringing the Duel into the now-connected intersection that leads them to the Topsider's view. The Turbo Duel between Yugo and Trudge has escalated into the bird's-eye view of the Topsiders in the major upper districts. Those with tv screens are witnessing the live broadcast of the Turbo Duel.
"Even now, you're still playing that same old deck I keep dueling," Trudge boasted. "You think you're gonna outrun me this time, like before? Well, think again!" He accelerates his Duel Runner faster, almost making him reach closer behind Yugo. "Perhaps if you'd come with me, I could've made things easier for you and your girlfriend, but you two cost me a promotion, and now, I've got a score to settle with you."
Yugo squints over his shoulder, annoyed by Trudge bragging about their usual feud. "Come on, Trudge, I've known you since you were my truant officer. I have my reasons," he said.
"Reason to not obey the law? You always tend to do that all the time," Trudge responded.
"Not all the time."
Zuzu seems to understand Trudge had beef with Yugo, and possibly Rin. She wonders why, though. "Did something happen between the two of you?" she asked.
"Let's just say me and Rin were always getting on this guy's nerve," Yugo responded. "He's not my favorite, but that doesn't mean he's not that bad."
Trudge is also getting annoyed with the kid. "It's my turn! I draw!" Trudge draws a card from his deck. "I Summon the Tuner monster, Jutte Fighter!" As Trudge Normal Summons Jutte Fighter (ATK 700/DEF 900), a monster who is a very short obese man wearing a kimono wielding a hook and has a lantern for a backpack appears on the field.
"Now watch! I tune the level 2 Jutte Fighter with the level 3 Night Light Catcher!" The small jutte man disperses into two green rings, which scan the light catcher, turning her into three white orbs of light.
(3 + 2 + 5)
"Pursue your thieves and enemies to the depths of hell. Appear, sacred soul! I Synchro Summon! Level 5 Goyo Chaser!" Trudge uses his jutte warrior and the catcher to Synchro Summon Goyo Chaser (ATK 1900/DEF 1000) in Attack Position. White light fades to reveal a warrior monster wearing kabuki make-up and a shogun robe with a long hook with a rope at its end.
Zuzu was astonished at how a single officer could do a Synchro Summon in this dimension. If she encountered an officer like him in her dimension, he would've been considered an elite. "They can do a Synchro Summon, too?" she wondered. "So then, this really is a Synchro Dimension."
Trudge points at Yugo's only monster on the field. "Go! I attack Kendama with Goyo Chaser!" Trudge removes another card from his hand to add further play into his Battle Phase and then activates the Quick-Play Spell Card: Rush Recklessly. "And to top it off, I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Rush Recklessly! This card lets me target one monster, and it gains 700 ATK until the end of the turn! I am going to target my Goyo Chaser!" The spell card flips up, and an orange aura illuminates the chaser, allowing him to gain more attack power.
(Goyo Chaser: ATK 1900 → 2600)
Yugo grits his teeth, very annoyed with Trudge's persistence. "So, he's trying to get me in this time, huh?"
The chaser spins his rope hook before throwing it like a spear, hitting the kendama until it explodes. The explosion causes a shockwave that rocks Yugo's Duel Runner as the duelist takes damage.
(Yugo: LP 4000 → 3600)
"Now, I activate Goyo Chaser's effect! When this card destroys a monster in battle, I can Special Summon it into my side of the field with its ATK halved!" Trudge announced.
"What?!" Yugo gasped, completely shocked at the monster's abilities. He watched a dark cloud forming in the field, allowing Trudge to Special Summon Hi-Speedroid Kendama back to his side of the field with its attack points cut in half.
(Hi-Speedroid Kendama: ATK 2200 → 1100)
"Using my monster against me? How low can you go, Trudge?" Yugo questioned his former truant officer.
"As low as I need to get you and your little friend into the Facility," Trudge answered. "Battle! I attack directly with Kendama!" The kendama flies above the two riders and fires blue lasers from its tip. The lasers impact the road near them, causing the duel runner to rock even more as Yugo takes more battle damage.
(Yugo: LP 3600 → 2500)
"Are you okay?" Zuzu asked, concerned if Yugo could handle such intense driving and dueling at the same time.
"Nothing to worry about," Yugo reassured. "But I didn't think Officer Trudge got an upgrade since I last saw him."
At Main Phase 2, Trudge takes two cards from his hand and Sets them on his field. "I Set two cards face-down, and I end my turn!" he concluded. "And that means Rush Recklessly's effect is now over." With the end of the turn, the spell's effect wears off, restoring the chaser's attack points back to normal.
(Goyo Chaser: ATK 2600 → 1900)
Turn 3: Yugo (3x cards)
"Let's give it all we've got!" Yugo exclaimed. "My turn!" He draws a card from his deck. After drawing a card, he puts it in the holder and takes out one card to Normal Summon Speedroid Ohajikid (ATK 1000/DEF 200). The monster Yugo summoned is a mechanical humanoid with a funny-looking hat, one good eye, and a green stone coin. "The turn I summoned this card, I can activate its effect to use one Tuner monster from either graveyard and then to use it and Ohijikid to Synchro Summon!"
Trudge gasped when Yugo was using his own Tuner monster from his graveyard. "What?! You mean you can use my Tuner that's in the graveyard?" he questioned.
"That's right," Yugo exclaimed, glancing over his shoulder to face Trudge. "You're not the only one who can use someone else's monsters." He throws his hand to target Jutte Figher in Trudge's graveyard, and Special Summons it to his side of the field. "I Special Summon Jutte Fighter and then Synchro Summon!" The jutte warrior returns from the graveyard into Yugo's field and turns into two glowing green rings that scan the ohijikid, dissolving its solid mass until it was nothing but three orbs.
"I tune the level 2 Jutte Fighter with the level 3 Speedroid Ohijikid! I Synchro Summon! Appear, constant sway of the swordplay! Level 5, Hi-Speedroid Chanbara!" Yugo uses the jutte warrior and the ohijikid to Synchro Summon Hi-Speedroid Chanbara (ATK 2000/DEF 1000) in Attack Position.
The second Synchro monster Yugo had summoned is a sword with a rocket behind the handle and a figure in the base of the bladed weapon.
"You can't use my monster like that!" Trudge accused.
"Oh, I can, and I will," Yugo countered, beaming back at the officer with enjoyment. "Battle! Chanbara, attack Kendama!" The chanbara monster brings its propulsion into max and rockets its way up into the air before streaking downward to the kendama. "Chanbara's effect activates. When this card battles, it gains 200 ATK points!" The chanbara's red blade glows red, giving the monster additional power.
(Hi-Speedroid Chanbara: ATK 2000 → 2200)
The chanbara strikes through the kendama clean like a knife in a slice of meat, inflicting damage to Trudge for the first time.
(Trudge: 4000 → 2900 LP)
"That all you got?!" Trudge dared.
"I'm not done yet, Trudge!" Yugo yelled. "Chanbara's effect is still activated! It can attack twice during each Battle Phase!"
"It can what?!"
The chanbara swivels around the sky to start aiming for the chaser on Trudge's field. "Go, Chanbara! Attack Goyo Chaser!" he commanded. "And when Chanbara battles a monster, its ATK is increased by 200!"
(Hi-Speedroid Chanbara: ATK 2200 → 2400)
The chanbara swooped in and pierced through the chaser, destroying the monster and inflicting more damage to Trudge.
(Trudge: LP 2900 → 2400)
The officer growls in anger. He was ready to give Yugo another beating in his turn. "So, you think you outsmarted me, huh? Well, I'm 'bout to teach you a brand new lesson, Yugo!" Trudge flips up his Trap Card: Descending Lost Star. "Go, Trap! Descending Lost Star!" he declared. "This card allows me to target one Synchro monster that is in my graveyard and Special Summon it in Defense Position, but its effect is negated, and its DEF points change to 0, furthermore, it's level is reduced by 1." Trudge knows when to never stop, and then chains the effect with his second face-down Continuous Trap Card" Call of the Haunted. "And to add more monsters to my field, I activate the Continuous Trap, Call of the Haunted, which lets me target Jutte Fighter in my graveyard and Special Summon it in Attack Position!" he said. "Appear once more, Jutte Fighter and Goyo Chaser!"
Trudge has made one move ahead of Yugo, as he Special Summons Jutte Fighter in Attack Position, and Goyo Chaser from his graveyard in Defense Position with no defense power and one level decreased.
(Goyo Chaser: DEF 1000 → 0)
(Goyo Chaser: Level 5 → 4)
Given their history, Yugo was amazed at how much effort Trudge was showing. "Wow, I did not expect that coming," he commented. "Ah, well." He takes one card from his hand and Sets it on his field. "I'll just Set this card face-down and then end my turn."
Turn 4: Trudge (1x card)
Trudge then speeds up faster, accelerating the duel runner until he's passed Yugo's despite the duelist reaching the top speed of his duel runner.
"Now I've got you, Yugo," Trudge boasted, cracking a smile on his face. "You've got nowhere to run from here. I've blocked your escape, and soon, this Duel will be over, and I get to take you and your little girlfriend in."
Yugo cracks a smirk as if he's mocking the officer. "Oh, you think so?" He twists the handle, revving up the duel runner very fast. Zuzu screamed, holding onto the backseat with a very tight grip. The duelist comes close to the sloped wall at the highway. With one big thud, the duel runner rode along the sloped wall, letting Yugo take Officer Trudge by surprise.
"Wha-what the hell?!" Trudge inhaled in disbelief at the recklessness Yugo was doing with his duel runner.
Yugo then lands the duel runner back on the highway ahead of the officer. "That was fun," he noted.
"No, it was not!" Zuzu decried. "Don't ever do that again! You shouldn't be so reckless like that!"
"I told you if we get caught, we'll be sent to prison!" Yugo reminded, surprising Zuzu. "If that happens, then I'll never get to participate in the Friendship Cup. And I'll never rise up in this society!" The more he spoke, the more Zuzu realized he sounded angry with the society in Neo Domino City. "This is how it works in Neo Domino City. In this place, duels are the only way to have upward mobility. To have a proper life…to live in a place where we can have normal lives."
Zuzu felt saddened of what kind of life Yugo went through. It's a very harsh reality for him. She understands that Yugo and Rin grew up in a tough world. Not like Yasuko's. She can't help but to sympathize with him.
"Duels are a way of life?" she thought to herself.
"Sorry to burst this reunion, Trudge, but I've got a Friendship Cup to get into, so I can't let you beat me here and now," said Yugo.
"You little punk," Trudge replied in annoyance. "My turn!" He draws a card from his deck. "I summon Torapart!" He Normal Summons Torapart (ATK 600/DEF 600), a tuner monster with two fiends on the opposite side.
"I tune the level 2 Jutte Fighter with the level 4 Goyo Chaser!" The jutte warrior and the chaser go up in the air, as the jutte warrior turns into two green rings that scan the chaser, leaving only four white orbs. "Face the king of the beast! I Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 6, Goyo Predator!" Trudge Synchro Summons Goyo Predator (ATK 2400/DEF 1200) in Attack Position. The next Synchro monster is a beast warrior with samurai fur armor and a giant hook. "But I'm not done yet! I now tune the level 2 Torapart with the level 6 Predator!"
The torapart fiend splits into two green rings, scanning the predator until the monster becomes nothing but six white orbs in the middle. "Bow down before the mighty authority! I Synchro Summon! Appear, level 8! Goyo King!" Trudge tunes the level two torapart fiend with the level six predator to Synchro Summon Goyo King (ATK 2800/DEF 2000) in Attack Position.
The third Synchro monster is the mightiest Goyo warrior in the arsenal. It stands over Trudge with its massive muscles and two long white forelocks on the side, holding a bo with a hook at the end.
"Bringing in the big guns? Eh, Trudge?" Yugo teased, much to Zuzu's surprise. For some reason, Yugo isn't too serious about getting caught and sent to prison. He enjoys the Duel despite the serious circumstances.
"Not big enough for you, Yugo," Trudge retorted. "From my hand, I activate this! The Spell Card: Call of the Warrior!" Trudge activates the Spell Card: Call of the Warrior, a spell card that depicts a warrior blowing a horn to a crowd of soldiers at a campsite. "By targeting one level or higher Warrior monster, this card lets me target one Warrior monster whose level is lower than or equal to that monster, Special Summon it on my field, and then I get to target one monster you control. That monster loses ATK points equal to the monster I Special Summoned." Trudge targets Goyo Predator in the graveyard and then Special Summon it in Attack Position. "I target my Goyo Predator, and Special Summon it back in my field, and by targeting your Chanbara, your monster loses 2400 ATK points!"
The predator emerges from a dark clouded hole in the air. Then the spell card releases a heavy smog surrounding the chanbara, decreasing its attack points significantly.
(Hi-Speedroid Chanbara: ATK 2400 → 0)
"You can't be serious!" Yugo accused. He makes a quick play by activating the Trap Card: Synchro Strike. "Trap activate! Synchro Strike! This card lets me target one Synchro Summoned monster on the field, and that monster gains 500 ATK for every Synchro material used until the end of the turn. I target Chanbara!" The trap card flips up, allowing a bright light to illuminate the smog away, giving the chanbara some attack points.
(Hi-Speedroid Chanbara: ATK 0 → 1000)
"Ha! Like that's gonna save you!" Trudge sneered. "When Goyo King attacks, this monster gains 400 ATK points for each EARTH Warrior monster on me field until the end of my Battle Phase! And don't forget! If a Synchro monster used Torapart as a Synchro Material attacks, you can't activate Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step!" After evading him all these years, he was very excited to bring in Yugo. He was so enthusiastic that Trudge laughed loudly with pride.
"This is checkmate, Yugo!" he boasted. "I've got you right where I want you. Now, stand down and do not attempt to resist. Of course, you always were the one to resist." Trudge felt so excited to finally get Yugo after all their encounters. "Now, I attack your Chanbara with my Goyo King!" The king chaser twirls its bo staff over his head before quickly swinging it at the chanbara.
"And don't forget Goyo King's special effect! When this monster attacks, it gains 400 ATK for every EARTH warrior monster on my field until the end of the Battle Phase!"
(Goyo King: ATK 2800 → 3600)
"Chanbara's effect allows it to gain 200 ATK whenever this monster battles!" Yugo reminded, watching the chanbara glow in a bright orange aura to gain some attack points,
(Hi-Speedroid Chanbara: ATK 1000 → 1200)
"Pathetic!" Trudge jeered. "Your monster's attack is weak against my Goyo King!" The king chaser smacks the chanbara into particles, destroying it with an explosion that rocks Yugo's duel runner. Zuzu screamed as she could feel the shockwave nearly throwing her off the bike.
(Yugo: LP 2500 → 100)
"And now, Goyo King's special effect activates!" Trudge declared. "When this card destroys a monster in battle, I can Special Summon it to my side of the field!" The king chaser hurdles its bo staff down to create a swirling dark cloud in the air, allowing Trudge to Special Summon Hi-Speedroid Chanbara to his side of the field.
With all three of his monsters now on his field, Trudge laughs with pride. "Yes, finally! Now, you're going to the Facility! It's curtains for you, Yugo!" he hooted. "Prepare for the final blow!" Just when he was about to attack, his helmet communicator started to light up, hearing the voice of his superior on the line.
"Duel Chaser 301! Halt your attack at once!"
Trudge can only groan in frustration from the bureaucratic leader of Sector Security. "What are you talking about, sir? I have him right where I want him this time!" he barked through the communicator. "My monsters are set and lined for anything that comes my way! Don't try and pull me out like the last time!" Trudge ignores whoever is on the other line and attacks with the predator chaser.
"I attack directly with Chanbara!" Trudge commanded. "Since I have you again, I'll be doing you the honor of losing to your best monster!" The chanbara flies through the air to start coming toward Yugo and Zuzu. "And last I recall, Chanbara gains 200 ATK every time it battles! So this will be your final grave!"
(Hi-Speedroid Chanbara: ATK 2000 → 2200)
As the chanbara closes in for the final blow, Yugo smiles excitedly, knowing that it's finally time to make a comeback. "You certainly haven't changed, Officer Trudge, but I'm afraid I won't going to the Facility!" he beamed. "Trap activate! Dice Roll Battle!" Yugo flips up his face-down Trap Card: Dice Roll Battle. "When a monster my opponent controls declares an attack, I can target one Speedroid monster in my graveyard and then banish it and one Speedroid tuner monster from my hand to Special Summon one Synchro monster whose level is equal to the two monsters' original levels!"
"What?!" Trudge gasped.
Yugo removes his Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice and then banishes it from the hand. "I banish my level 1 Tuner monster, Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice, from my hand and my level 6 Kendama from my graveyard!" The red-eyed three-sided dice monster and the kendama reappears in the air before they are both banished into oblivion, allowing Yugo to Special Summon his most powerful monster in the deck, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (ATK 2500/DEF 2000)
"Appear, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Yugo declared
From the dark clouds, a large white light bursts from the smog, allowing Clear Wing Synchro to shine its crystal wings over the night sky. The dragon roars with a mighty boom.
Trudge was surprised Yugo had brought out another monster on the field. "That's not possible!" Despite the appearance of Clear Wing Synchro, Trudge will still make a comeback of his own. "But that's what you think! I activate Goyo King's special effect! When a monster is Normal or Special Summoned to your side of the field, I can tribute one Goyo monster on my field. Then, I get to target one level 8 or lower monster you summoned and take control of it!" He throws his hand to demonstrate by allowing the king chaser to swipe his bo staff over to tribute the predator beast.
(Goyo King: ATK 3600 → 3200)
"I tribute my Goyo Predator, and then I get to take control of your dragon!" Trudge exclaimed. "Even now, you still underestimate the power of my monster!" The predator beast appears behind Clear Wing Synchro to take control of it with its ropes. Still, Yugo had another response to the king chaser's effect.
"And you underestimate me once again! I activate Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's special effect! When a level 5 or higher monster activates its effect, it negates and destroys that monster!"
"What?!" Trudge was horrified. Yugo had another counter against his monster.
Clear Wing Synchro lights up its crystal panels on its wings and then flares off a blast of circuit wave energy to the king chaser. "Dichromatic Mirror!" The predator chaser disappears as the circuit energy flares against the king chaser. The monster grunts before it explodes, destroying itself in the process.
"In addition, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon gains its ATK points equal to the monster it destroys until the end of the turn!" Clear Wing Synchro's crystal panels on the wings start to burst out a lot of circuit energy to gain more attack power.
(Clear Wing Synchro Dragon: ATK 2500 → 5300)
"5300 ATK points!?" Trudge cannot believe Yugo got him again. Nonetheless, the power boost will only last until the end of the turn, so Trudge knows what he has to down. "Still, it lasts until the end of the turn, so all I have to do is wait until my next turn, and then I get Yugo in."
"I'm afraid there won't be a next turn, Officer Trudge!" Yugo called. "I banish my Dice Roll Battle from my graveyard to activate its effect! I target two Synchro monsters that are in Attack Position, and then that Synchro monster you control battles my monster and perform the damage calculation!"
"No way!" Trudge exclaimed. "But that means I can't protect myself!"
"Hate to say it, but better luck next time, Officer Trudge!" Yugo cheered. "Go, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Clear Wing Synchro flies up in the air, high in the sky, and then it starts to dive down toward the chanbara. "Hell Whirlwind Dive Slash!" Clear Wing Synchro was so fast that it zipped past the chanbara until the monster went static.
Trudge screamed in frustration as the chanbara was destroying, blowing away all his life points in the battle.
(Trudge: LP 2400 → 0)
WINNER: Yugo
Officer Trudge's duel runner overheats from the defeat, and the bike shuts down after the Duel ends, leaving him to bite the dust. Yugo speeds off, waving back at the officer with satisfaction. "See ya, Trudge. If we ever meet again, just don't call me!"
"Yes!" Zuzu cheered, relieved that the Duel was over and they were safe from the authorities. "We're safe for now, right?" she asked Yugo.
"Don't be stupid," Yugo rebuked.
The girl blinked in confusion, and Yugo's answers proved true when a fifty-foot fall lifted up in front of their way. "Walls!?"
Yugo turns the duel runner hard left to avoid getting hit and keeps riding until something comes into their view. A blockage was formed ahead of the highway with more Sector Security officers in their way.
"We're surrounded!" Zuzu cried.
"Just shut up already!" Yugo retorted, accelerating even faster. The duel runner picked up speeds that blew the winds to their faces. He can see the blockade approaching quickly. He smirked, and the duel runner bounced off the ground with enough push. Zuzu holds on very tightly, feeling the duel runner flying in the air and right above the blockade. The two riders landed with a hard thud but didn't stop. They kept on going.
Zuzu looked behind her, wondering if it would be like this from now on. She is worried about how she will get through to this city.
Back at the apartment complex, Yasuko stays at Lua and Luna's apartment building since she doesn't know other places to sleep. Even if she did, a law prohibits anyone who may be identified as a Common and then get arrested just because she was supposedly a Common. She's grateful to Lua and Luna for allowing her to stay.
In the meantime, she makes herself home in the apartment. Yasuko ignores everything expensive and just goes on with her way. She was cooking something for dinner; surprisingly, the twins offered to help her. Yasuko would've expected them to have some butler or a maid to come to do it for them. Instead, they're resourceful. Guess being alone at home while their parents are off to who knows where pays off.
Yasuko is cooking pasta; judging by the cookbook instructions, it seems very easy to make. Lua and Luna were also cooking pasta with Yasuko. They seem to do it better than she did.
"So, you kids have lived alone for how long?" Yasuko asked, chopping some tomatoes.
"Since we moved here," Luna replied, washing the pasta noodles. "Mom and Dad usually left us some money, and ever since then, we were doing fine just now."
Lua was mixing some vegetables in a pot. "Surprised you knew we could care for ourselves?" he inquired.
"I'm just surprised your parents left you two here alone," said Yasuko. "You, kids, never got to be outside, huh?"
"We got to school," Lune replied. "It's a hybrid class of both online and in person."
Yasuko nodded, understanding the kid's life. Yasuko does not understand the kid's life in Neo Domino City. It should've been hard for them since they are just as young as Sora and the three triples from You Show, but on the other hand, it's rather bizarre to see them living together like a couple.
"Speaking of, where do you go to school?" Lua asked, now working on getting the refreshments.
The cynical girl thinks it's probably best to not tell them about her own dimension. She knew the kids wouldn't understand her or believe anything she might say if she did. Yasuko is thinking through a plan to get the kids on her side, but at the same time, she cannot compromise her true objective.
"It's out of state," Yasuko lied. "I'm not sure any of you heard of it before." Of course, Lua had to huff his chest and turns to her with his hands on his hip.
"Yasuko, please. We're the Topsiders. We've got some connections anywhere."
"Yeah, but not across the dimensions you do not," Yasuko mentally thought. "Like I said, I'm a foreigner. I don't have much to talk about," she spoke.
"But if you're a foreigner, then how'd come you have that Synchro Pendulum card you mentioned earlier?" Lua asked, changing the topic to what he desired to know. "What are they anyways?"
Yasuko starts boiling the water to begin the pasta. "It's an upgrade," she said. "My cards are prototypes for the new line of monsters."
"Really?" Lua inquired, eager to know more. "How'd you get them?"
"It's complicated," Yasuko stated, unsure of her Pendulum card origins. "I was given a package, and the next thing I know, I have new sets of Pendulum cards." She makes up a story to cover why she had them.
"What are the Pendulum cards supposed to do?" It was Luna's turn to ask a question. "I've never heard of these cards; my brother's more of a duelist than I am."
"It's more complex than you think," said Yasuko. Yasuko takes up the finished pasta and sets them on a basket. Once she drained the water, as the cooking book instructed, the pasta should be ready for serving.
"And speaking of cards, I've realized you have a deck too, Luna," Yasuko pointed out. "Do you want to be a duelist like your brother too?" She takes the pasta to the dinner table, with the twins following up with the tomato paste and ready refreshments.
"I wished, but I have this…." Luna paused, unsure of how to respond to the question. "Thing that I can't get over."
"Which is it?"
"She's got stage fright every time she duels," Lua blurted out, much to Luna's chagrin.
"Lua!" she exclaimed.
Lua shrugged. "What? I'm just saying since Yasuko's the one who had to duel her way to get it back for you?" he claimed.
Yasuko knows what kind of challenge Luna might be facing. It's the same thing she went through during her time getting six consecutive wins for the Arc League Championship. The difference was Luna was struggling on her own. She needs someone outside to get her over the fear.
"Is that true?" Yasuko asked.
Luna had a solemn expression on her face, making the girl realize that she does have stage fright. "It's not that I'm scared. It's just…I have this thing when it comes to dueling," she claimed. "I'm unsure if I have what it takes to duel against someone bigger than me."
That's another story Yasuko does not have the answer to. From what she can guess, Luna may seem like a capable duelist. The problem is that she lacks the confidence to deal with opponents.
"It is hard," said Yasuko. "Everyone has doubts about their limits and capabilities. Even I have worried if I fail my deck." She does not do this, but Yasuko thinks Luna has to get the feeling herself. "The only I could say is trust yourself as you trust your deck." Yasuko saw Luna looking up at her, making her eyes glint once. "Just believe in yourself, and just keep trying. And soon, you'll overcome the fear of doubts in your abilities."
Luna had no words to say to Yasuko. She seemed relatively okay with giving some tips, even to Yasuko. She still has Yuya to teach the Synchro Summon, but she can provide advice and guidance to help them improve their dueling.
Lua then called to them, sounding very excited. "Hey! Guys, come check this out!" he beamed, entering the kitchen. "A Turbo Duel is going on in the city, and we've got to see it." He then disappears into the living room.
Yasuko and Luna looked at each other, confused. They wonder who would be Turbo Dueling right in the middle of the night. Yasuko held a glass of water as she and Luna entered the living room.
There, a flat-screen tv comes into view of the newscaster in a helicopter. "Good evening, Neo Domino City! This is lead Topsider reporter, Melissa Claire, coming to you live from the Duel Chopper. Tonight, we have a special breakthrough chase of a Turbo Duel!" There's a surprise for Yasuko, seeing a live duel in the middle of the night while it is still young. "A Duel Chaser, full of security pride, is in pursuit of two people," said Melissa, announcing through the loudspeakers on her helicopter. "The Duel's first turn is over, but the Duel Chaser has managed to stop his play right before he could fight. Who will win, and who will lose? How will this chase end? It's a pulse-pumping live broadcast. This is Melissa Claire, guaranteeing you live entertainment at its finest!"
"Huh? Is this a thing here?" Yasuko asked the twins, gesturing hand holding the glass to the screen.
"Only when things like this Turbo Duel go on," Lua replied, hopping from his couch.
Yasuko makes a small sound, fascinated by seeing a Turbo Duel chase on live tv. "Wonder who's the sorry S.O.B. who got to deal with that?" she inquired, sipping her water.
The tv screen switches to live footage of the two duelists in the middle of a chase with Sector Security. The image zooms closer, and what Yasuko saw was unbelievable. There were two duelists, but those two were most familiar to her.
Zuzu and Yugo, Yuya's "twin brother."
The sight of Zuzu and Yugo live on TV widened Yasuko's eyes in shock, and then spits the water, earning the twins' attention.
"What the—"
OC cards
Tetsu Trudge
Monsters
Night Light Catcher
Warrior/EARTH/Level 3/ATK 900/DEF 300
Effect: (Quick-Effect): If your opponent Special Summons a Synchro monster on their field, you can Special Summon this card from your hand and then, for the rest of the turn, negate the effects of your opponent's Synchro monsters, and also, your opponent cannot Special Summon Synchro monsters. You can only use this effect of "Night Light Catcher" once per turn.
Spells
Call of the Warrior
Normal Spell Card
Effect: If you control a level 5 or higher Warrior monster on your side of the field, you target one Warrior monster on your field and one Warrior monster whose level is less than or equal to that monster from your hand or GY, Special Summon that monster, and then, target one monster your opponent controls, that monster loses ATK equal to the monster you Special Summoned until the end of the turn. You can only activate 1 "Call of the Warrior" once per turn.
Hey readers! Thanks for your patience of waiting for the next chapter. Now, as we move along the story, there will be some custom OC cards as we dive deeper and further into making the story. There will be some OC cards to support each characters depending on the deck they use. And I will make more along the way.
Anyways, I hoped you all enjoy reading this chapter. I want to dive into the Bracelet girls even further in the story since some of their roles are considered to be minor, and I will expand their roles. If you like what you've read, then don't forget to follow the story, and if there are some other readers who find this interesting, then do let them read this and the first book to know what they think. So, good night!