Okay! I was feeling nostalgic recently, and I was reading all the Yusei Fudo fanfics I could find, even on quizilla. I guess I just noticed that in almost every story, the O.C. is a signer, or is super good at dueling, or otherwise sort of a mary sue, or it's just a character that I don't feel any connection to. I know I've done the same in the past, no matter how much I want to forget it! Anyways, please enjoy! I didn't beta this so there may be some typos...
Oh! By the way, I'll probably use the Japanese names here and the Japanese terminology from the subbed anime.
EDIT 08.21.2022: New and improved, fresh and shiny Chapter 1! PLEASE tell me how you feel about it, good or bad by leaving a review! Thank you to every reader new and old with the guts to sail away on a journey of exposition with me! Feeling saucy? Read this story up to Chapter 22 but be warned, for all is not family friendly on this ship! Italicized text is the character's thoughts. Italicized text in quotations can be a flashback or voices coming through a tv or phone. And yes I made up YGO-sounding names and places. There's a lot of headcanon here. This seriously took me all night to rewrite. It is currently 4 am why am I still awake? LOL Enjoy!
Trash.
Heat sink.
Copper wiring.
Trash.
Trash.
Trash.
The conveyor belt rolls ever onrward, never getting tired or needing a snack. I sigh.
Optical drive.
Integrated circuit.
Trash.
The most exciting thing I've done all week is be held up at knifepoint on a Tuesday. It was a nice purse, but I have a different one by now, the kind made of faux fur textile. It looked like a cottonball. I hit the glaring red button to stop the belt. It was time to clock out.
Just enough time to get home, eat, sleep, and come back tomorrow. It's all the rage in Satellite.
I grab the cottonball from my locker, always locked up tight to prevent theft. I kept an umbrella in there as well, especially in case of nights like these. Outside the recycling plant, the sky rumbles threateningly. It had been drizzling since morning.
When the heavy door shuts behind me, I'm sure it hasn't been pouring for long. The wind had started to beat against the building just as I had resecured my locker. My umbrella would do little for my legs, so I thought it best to take the tunnels home. I open the umbrella, doubtful it would even keep my hair dry. I start a steady, yet brisk, walk to the nearest tunnel entrance, avoiding as many of the puddles as I can manage.
The stagnant air I take refuge in is a relief. I shake the umbrella, closing it and readjusting my outer layer just inside the lip of the pipe. The rain is loud, but less so in the subway system. I know the way home. Living in Satellite all your life will do that to you. I take a few turns down the pipeline, barely walking a half mile when I realize I am not alone in here.
"Is someone there?"
No voice answers me, but that doesn't mean it's empty. I strain my ears.
It sounds like a whine. Like a child or an animal.
The sound comes again. This time, it solidifies the source as an animal in my mind. If there is a being in need around here, then I can't just leave. The whimpering noise resonates from the tunnel on my left.
I guess that's where I'm headed.
I steady myself, doing my utmost to not make a peep as I descend the tube to find the source.
It smells down here. It's like... motor oil? Exhaust, motor oil, hot metal and grease. I'm a dead woman walking, following a Were-Cyborg and tonight is the full moon. And he rides a Harley. This is how I die.
Whether or not I'm going crazy is... debateable. I'm close now, reassured by the growing sounds of a desperate animal. At the very end of the tunnel I see it. A tiny, wiggling tail attached to a canine, caramel brown and facing the other way.
It looked small enough to place in my hand with room to spare. Relieved now that I know it isn't a Were-Cyborg, I swiftly stepped to the dog. It sat aside the tunnel's end, looking through the gaps of a torn curtain that obscurs from view what lies beyond. The animal spots me, panting sadly.
"Hey, pup. Little one, are you somebody's baby?" A wet nose bumps against my inner wrist. I scratch its ears, shock filling me as it rolls upon it's back for a belly rub.
"Who's a good boy? Oh, you're a boy dog. What's your name, guy?"
What kind of name suits him? Clint Eastwood? James Dean? Bertie Higgins? Rocky Balboa?
All old films from before even my parents' time, but that's all we have in Satellite. Leftovers of a lost age that were no longer needed in Neo Domino City. Old CDs and classic movies filled the short list of my media consumption. It's the same for everyone in this town.
"How about Rocky, if you don't have a name?" He can't, of course, respond with words. A little woof is all I require to run away with it.
"I say they're oldies but goodies. Everyone disagrees except you. Rocky it is." I'm nodding along at my own thoughts, getting caught up in my own head, so much that the skipping crack of a pebble down the tube alerts me to the presence of another.
"You! Stop hanging around our hideout! I don't know how many-" There is a man stalking towards me, all lank and blue locs. Glasses bounce on his nose with each step. I've known men who looked weak that could certainly raise hell. Time to go.
"Puh-please, I don't have anything!" Rocky is clutched to my chest. We need out, the longer this goes on the more alone I feel in this stupid tube. I'm underground, if I screamed would anyone even hear me? My feet are moving of their own accord, taking steps back as the man grows nearer. Rustling fabric explodes around me. I've stepped off the ledge and fell through the curtain. Spinning to the ground, the threadbare cloth constricts my limbs, winding me up in drapes.
"Fuck. Please don't rob me." The bespectacled man can't see my face for the cloth, but my warbled voice can't sound very tough. He'll see me as an easy payday and piss it away, surely.
"How about you answer my questions instead. What were you doing here, skulking around our place?"
"It-it was stupid. I-" I rush through the explanation. "I followed noises."
"And? What were you gonna do when you got here? If I hadn't found you."
"Take the dog and run." I dare not move an inch as I await a response. Did he leave?
"We don't have a dog." Evidently not. He is still here.
"Well, I followed dog noises. I found a dog. I was gonna snatch it up and go home. Please don't take my stuff?"
"Deal. I never wanted to rob you, in any case." I felt tugs at the fabric around me. Light filtered into my eyes, then brightened as the last bit of the curtains were unwrapped.
"Oh. I- Thank you! Thank you very much! I didn't mean any harm, I swear it on my Mama, God rest her soul."
"I see the dog. I believe you, we've just had some issues in the past. Junkies who thought this place was vacant and tried to move in. I'm Nervin, my friends and I live here." He reaches out for my hand and lifts me off the ground.
Okay, maybe not all lank.
"Pinoko. Pleased to meet you, Nervin. I actually fixed up a maintenance shed in Hot Spot. I'm staying there now, it's just East of the Big Drain if you've-"
"'Ey, what's the hold up? Nervin, it's starting!"
I stare at the drapes where the new voice comes from. There are people behind the scaffolding and curtains that hang by the edge of the tracks. "Friends of yours?" I ask.
"Yes. We're meeting here to watch a riding duel. Have you heard of the King?" He's leading me towards the opening of the drapes. A tinny imitation of a cheering audience drifts from within.
"Of course I have. If my brain was all card games, I may even keep up with the matches. You work at the Recycling Plant as well, don't you? I can't even find the time to check duel schedules anymore."
Shit. You don't play anymore, Pinoko, don't get ahead of yourself. You are the embodiment of an uninterested third party. If he asks, you checked the schedules because your old friends used to watch them. Any story that doesn't invite questions is fine.
I follow Nervin up the ramp on the other side of the rails.
"Yeah, we try to make time for it." The space inside was warm. A computer buzzed in the corner, an overweight man hunched over it. He swiveled his chair to face the entrance. The figure at his side was more casual about his inquisitive look, the bandana and goatee giving him a sharp appearance. "Did I miss it?" Nervin ignores the clear inquiry of the two at the desk.
"It's just starting. Who's the chick?" the man in the chair asks finally.
"Right, this is Pinoko. She was outside, kinda tripped into the place. We said hello, promised not to steal from each other, we're best friends now. Pinoko, this is Taka and Blitz." He gestures to them vaguely in his rush to watch the duel. He squeezes in beside Taka who rolls back his chair to make room. I deposit Rocky on the sofa opposite the computer desk. I can hear the duel commentary fine from here.
"Who's this, then?" Blitz waves a limb at the couch.
"This is Rocky. He's the reason I came here. I could hear him in the tunnels, tracked him to your... door, I guess? That's where Nervin found me." I gently rub the dog's stomach as I speak. "He seems good, and he's all alone. I want to help him so I named him Rocky and I'm taking him home with me."
It's been several years since I watched a riding duel. There's a new King on the throne now, though I can't remember who it used to be. Jack Atlas almost glowed in the spotlight. He picked the right career path, that much can be seen with how he soaks up the adulation from the fans.
The match is over just as I've settled into the couch cushion.
Is this really a testament to Jack's skill? The other duelist left himself wide open, no contingencies. Every card he played only served his own defeat.
Onscreen, Jack snatches the mic from the commentator.
"If the King used his full strength from the beginning, it would have been over in an instant! The King's duel must be entertaining!"
"It bothers me that he refers to himself in the third person. Besides, monarchies are dead." I cross my legs on the sofa, playing up my disinterest. There's a noise outside. It would've been drowned out by the volume of the duel had I been closer to the speakers.
I shift around, attempting to peek out the entrance casually. All I catch is flashes of color. Red, black, some blue. I attempt to catch the other's attention, knowing someone is right outside.
"Guys. Guys, do you hear that?" I'm doubtful they're even listening when no one says a word. I'm definitely hearing clanking out there.
"Yeah. There's lots of noises here, we've got rats." Blitz's eyes stay glued to the screen until a revving engine breaks him out of the trance. He looks at whoever was outside, immediately switching off the monitor. "Hey, Yusei."
"Sorry about that. We can't help but be interested in Jack and this is the only place the T.V. works." Taka speaks as though he's distraught, but I'm praying it's another friend. I gather my fluffy bag and stuff Rocky inside. We may end up running if this goes south and things you keep on your person are harder to steal.
"He was amazing. He's even stronger than before." Nervin's acting odd, I think, but his hopeful smile lets me relax. If someone I was unfriendly with had been in my shed, I wouldn't greet them like this.
"His opponent was weak, right?" The voice on the other side of the textile is deep, smoothly ghosting over the words. It's like steel, cool and heavy.
"He was short-sighted. Seems like a publicity stunt to me." I left the couch, joining the gathering crowd by the doorway. "Now tell me this your a friend, Nervin, or me and my purse are blowing this joint." I laid my eyes on the D-Wheel first. I'd never seen one except on screens. The code behind a machine that pretty has to match.
"He's cool, don't get your panties in a twist," Nervin says, but doesn't go any further.
That's fine. I can do my own introductions.
"It's Yusei, isn't it? I'm Pinoko." I step ahead, hand raised in greeting. When he grasps it, he isn't overly forceful. Just a simple, firm shake before releasing. "I've only just made the accquaintance of gearheads one, two, and three over here. What's one more?"
"Good meeting you. You duel?"
Stupid, stupid, stupid. I can't duel anymore, so why'd I open my big mouth about it? It's okay, Pinoko. Deep breaths, come up with something believable.
"No. No, it was never more than a hobby and that was years ago. I got older and the work at the Recylcing Plant doubled, you know?"
The cracked ceiling let in some light overhead, glinting in the blue orbs trained on me.
"And even you could see they weren't on equal footing." Yusei turns back to the bike's chassis. "He's bored."
The three men I first encountered remain grouped as they are, silently watching. Taka is the first to break rank.
"What's the status of the D-Wheel?"
"Shut it, can't you tell just by looking?" Blitz seems to know something I don't. He quickly shushes Taka as though it were a sensitive subject, but he's determined to ask his questions.
"That's right... How is Jack's former D-Wheel performing?"
"Can't you sense the mood? Zip it." Blitz bears down on him which only fuels his frustration.
"But we're all angry at Jack!" Taka rounds on the taller man. "Yusei should've been King at that stadium! But that punk Jack stole the D-Wheel Yusei built!" That only draws me back to Yusei. Were-Cyborg on a Harley is slightly more realistic than tall, dark and handsome on a home-brewed D-Wheel.
"That's insane. You expect me to believe your friend built two, not one, but two D-Wheels? From Satellite scrap?" I'm looking at Taka now, searching for signs of a fib, but nothing jumps out at me. He doesn't look like he's lying. "There's no way. Yusei, if you built this, you'd have to be an expert." The silence is his reply.
Were-Cyborg has forfeited the race. Tall, dark and handsome pulls into the lead! I'm awarding one point for each D.I.Y-Wheel.
"Lord. You did build this." My knees knock against each other. "And it's beautiful. How did you find matching rear guards? How'd you find matching anything?" I'm scooting closer to the bike with each word.
"We made a lot of the outer body. Some of them, we were just lucky." He puncuates his sentences with the twists of a spanner or the tapping of keys. Each movement is a tender affair, treating the machine as one does a friend.
"What happened here?" I point past the man to the silver cap on the side of the bike. "These are clearly from another model. This access panel should never be close enough to the asphalt to develop these marks."
"I'm aware. The fit of them is problematic, but they weren't made to be placed here."
"And how did you code her? This can't be running on factory settings."
"The original systems are from another bike. I've only changed the code, not written a new one. The integrated circuits were ripped from other deviced, they had to be loaded with software."
"They're written in C, no doubt. Any bike using valves this size would have to. Any newer code would have come after they dropped off the market." As D-Wheels grew more popular among Duelists, the technology grew sharper, more efficient. These days, valves are enlarged for better cooling and exhaust. Yusei's demeanor turned more relaxed at my prodding. His eyes on me felt softer than before. "Have you thought about writing a code from scratch? Try C++ if you can spare the time."
"You changed tunes fast. What was all that about not believing me?" Taka chuffed from his seat.
"Sorry, Taka. I was too quick to dismiss you guys. Scrap is what I do. I have been humbled, thank you."
Yusei worked diligently, not bothered in the slightest by the conversation around him. I tried not to peer over his shoulder too much, standing behind him on the concrete.
"Yusei!"
"WAAAAH!"
I jumped, stumbling around Yusei's shoulders. An unknown voice had echoed down the railway. I step back over wires and tools. A mistaken foot placed on a tire iron slips from under me. I almost tumble clear over the bike, but catch myself in the seat. Yusei's hand on my hip helped me not to go airborne. If I could squeeze through the other side, between the throttle and the cushion, I could escape with my belongings should it turn out the voice is that of a villain.
That and I wouldn't have to show my face to Yusei. Is human touch so foreign that you'll fall all over yourself for a duelist, Pinoko? Geez!
"Hi Rally."
"Hey."
Another unneccessary heart attack. I've been living alone for too long.
"Good, everyone's here. Yusei!" I can see now that it's only a boy who calls his name.
"What's the rush, Rally?"
The boy passes them without a word, rummaging in his pockets for something hurriedly. My eyes go certifiably googly when he pulls it out.
"Can you use this for your D-Wheel?"
"What is that?"
"Oh my stars!" I lean in, still sitting on the machine I fell upon. In his palm is miniscule computer chip in mint condition. The few flourescent bulbs nearby ignite the metallic lettering that reads, "Kaiba Corp."
"Hey!" Blitz grabs the hand that bears the offering. "This is brand new! Where did you get it?"
"You have it all wrong!" Rally wrenches out of the grip. "I found it among the junk."
"Excuse me, little boy? You have right there a Skyline 30. That's the finest accelerator money can buy on this side of Daedalus Bridge."
These things are still on special order foloowing a year on the market. They haven't even hit mass production yet. If that was in the scrap, then I'm the Queen.
"You didn't steal again, did you?" Blitz isn't giving him room to breathe, all the better to catch him in a lie.
He recoils from me.
"I'm not a little boy and I didn't steal it!" He casts me a distrustful glance. '"I don't know you. Why are you here?"
"I'm Pinoko, I just met everyone today. Are they your friends as well?"
"Yeah. I'm Rally." I smile at the youngest, but Taka must not be done with him.
"If that's stolen, then all of us might get arrested."
"We don't want to wear this mark." Nervin traces the marker below Rally's eye.
"Stop." The man in front of me rises to full height.
Seriously? He's gorgeous. He's a mechanic. He's good with kids. Swoon!
He moves toward the boy, hand outstreched. He's happy to oblige, placing the acceleration chip in his palm.
"I'll use it." Yusei returned to the folding stool in front of the access panel. I scoot over to clear the way. The access panel for the acceleration board is on the back wheel well.
"You'll need a new device driver. It should already be on the integrated circuit, you only have to install it on your BIOS." I'm nearly salivating, but I sutifully keep my arms at my sides. I certainly don't like it when stranger mess with my things.
"Are you sure, Yusei?" Blitz questioned.
"It'll definitely run faster!" Rally said excitedly. Yusei fiddled about with the chip.
"Yusei," Nervin starts. "I know how you feel, but forget about Jack." Rally won't be dissuaded, though.
"Yusei is going to settle things with Jack!"
"But in order to do that, he'll have to face many dangers. Is it worth it?"
"But Jack stole Yusei's ace monster!" Nervin is done arguing with him, however, and shoves past him.
"Yusei, are you really going to leave here?"
"I'm not leaving. I'm just going."
"Don't do it. That place isn't for us." There's a plea barely hidden in Blitz's tone. "From the beginning, Jack was different from us."
The computer beeps. I raise a brow as the bronze-skinned duelist reaches for the handlebar behind me. He revs the engine.
"Woah!" The machine below me rumbles. The vibration of the it is startling. "Wow. That's, uh."
There is nothing going on between my legs. There is nothing happening. Ignore it, Pinoko.
"Pinoko is speechless, see? It's totally better, right?" At Yusei's approval, Rally picks up the helmet for him. The light from cracked ceiling grows brighter. It can't be morning yet. The full moon must be bright tonight. "Go for a ride! It's really fast!" The light was intensifying.
"As nice as this bike is, I'm more of a 'fast car slow" kind of girl. I'll just let you-" The brillant glare morphs areound dark shapes, turning into several spotlights above. "Uh, that's not the moon. That is not the moon!"
"What is it?"
"It's security!"
"Identification number AWX 86007, Rally Dawson! You're under suspicion of robbery! Surrender immediately! Come out! As long as you have a marker, you can't escape!"
"You!" Blitz makes a fist as if to swipe at the boy. The younger holds up Yusei's helmet like a shield.
"I'm sorry! I took it from the factory because I wanted Yusei to beat Jack!"
"That's no excuse!"
Thankfully, Yusei steps between them so I can focus. There's no time to waste. The computer has a GUI loaded, that's just fine. Once I have the command prompt open, I type in line after line.
Run the proxy server. Create the executable file. Code it to use the D-Wheel's hardware. Run the jammer.
"Stealing is wrong, always! Sorry, I had to commandeer this, Yusei." Typing the last few characters, I run the file. "Done. We're jamming the marker signal, but we have to go!"
"Get out of here, hide somplace. I'll distract security." Yusei is throwing his leg over the bike. I moved back just in time to not get squished.
"Wait, Yusei! You're not going to-" The throttle is put in full gear, tires squeal on the pavement. We shoot off up the stairs. "-DO EXACTLY WHAT I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO DO!" My hands instinctively clenched in the fabric on his back. "I'm still on the bike!"
"You're loud," Yusei huffs.
"Well, excuse the hell out me, Mr. tall, dark, and mechanically skilled! There's no helmet, no seatbelts, and I've never gone this fast before in my life! I'm kind of having a crisis over here!"
Once we hit a straight stretch of road, Yusei pulls a second helmet out of the side compartment. He passes it around to me. I gratefully take the helmet and slip it on.
"Better now, thank you!" I try to block out the calls to stop from security. They aren't far behind. A few turns, alleys, and a metal gate later, Yusei skids to a stop in the entrance of a desolate parking garage. "Why are we stopping?"
Two guards pull up. They depart their vehicles to approach on foot, but leave them running.
"Where'd you steal that D-Wheel from? Bonnie and Clyde needed a payday?" The bigger one spits. Yusei is silent. "Neither of you have markers. You're decoys, huh? I guess garbage helps other garbage. You'll be arrested for aiding their escape. I also want to know where you got that D-Wheel."
It seems to go in one ear and out the other for the blue eyed D-Wheeler. "Hey. Let's Duel."
I'm on a bike with a crazy person. That's the explanation I'm going with. Does he even have a deck to duel with?
"A piece of garbage from Satellite wants to duel me? You don't even have cards. Stop making me laugh." For once, Security and I are on the same wavelength. Yusei pulls a deck from seemingly nowhere.
"I found cards." He places them in his arm bracer, the place where his duel disk would normally rest. "If I win, you forget about everything that happened today."
"There's no way we can do that!" The smaller guard is affronted by the suggestion, but the rude one quiets him with a hand.
"You talk big. I accept."
"Ushio, you can't do this."
"I'll take the responsibility. You guys go home." Ushio, the big one, directs it at the other guard. There must be others outside.
While they squabble, I quietly scold Yusei. "Are you crazy? They'll have us put away if you lose!"
"Then I won't lose," Yusei counters. "You're an interesting man," he speaks louder, directing it this time at the other D-Wheeler.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't trust Security. But a duelist... that's a different story. You accepted this duel, so I'll trust you."
As Ushio saddles his bike, my eyes follow him suspiciously. "You really know how to make things interesting."
A/N: 1. Integrated circuit is a fancy word for a microchip.
2. C is a coding language. Today, most cars have software written in C or C++. C++ is the newest of the two.
3. BIOS stands for Basic Input/Output System. It basically runs the hardware that needs to be on to run a computer. BIOS is loaded to enable the keyboard, mouse, and monitor before the operating system is loaded.
4. GUI stands for Graphic User Interface. This is your desktop, basically a visual representation of the code. If you double click on a file, you're using the GUI.
