A/N:First update for the month of September! Super sorry about the wait, I spent all morning making Potatoes Au Gratin yesterday, then went to a Labor Day weekend party and got wasted. The potatoes were SO GOOD. I got the recipe from Spend With Pennies, but if you want a crowd pleaser you just have to add nutmeg, like a half teaspoon. Seriously, so good. Also I'm going to come back through this chapter tomorrow morning for typos, but I wanted to get it out for y'all before I went to bed. A big special thank you to all my readers out there that helped me get this far! Please keep reading, as the best is yet to come! If you have the time and want to see me keep going strong with the rewrite, please stop in and leave a review before you go! It means more to me than you could ever know!
"I don't think you understand, Yusei. I'm not letting you go with no backup." She crosses her arms. Having had a bit of time to rest, some color had returned to her skin, breathing life into her battered visage.
"Last time I took you with me you were marked. And-" I try to object, but I'm silenced summarily by the glare she shoots me. In the safety of Saiga's hideout, I'd helped drain the fluid from her lid. She had complained enough to put Rally to shame.
"I don't know how much help I'll be but I want to be there. And I thought we agreed no more feeling guilty about the detention center? I want to support you, Yusei." Her face holds no malice, no signs of trickery. Pinoko wouldn't lie about things like this, though I suspect she's not inclined to tell just anyone her whole story. If she can sincerely say that she trusts me, I can trust her to tell me about her past when she's ready.
I should also trust her to know her limits... But I can't help the monsterous worry from dredging its daunting head from deep inside, gripping my heart in its maw.
The marker is ringed by a border of irritated pink skin. The same torturous device that was used on me, they had turned it on her. She'll be looked at with disdain for the image of a droplet upon her cheekbone. It marks her as unfit for polite society. Unfit for life. She winces when a guard snaps a baton against her back. "Eyes down!" She obediently follows the prisoner ahead of her up the ramp and into the back of the vehicle, eyes on the floor, but raises her gaze when she enters. When she lays eyes on me the elation on her face catches me off guard. I watch her sit next to me, thighs pressing against mine.
"Yusei!" She embraces me once the doors have shut. "Thank God! I was really worried I'd never see you again."
Her reaction to my presence was the exact opposite of what I expected. She was glad to see me, not resentful for my involvement in her capture. Her life will never be the same because I took her with me and yet the gaze fixed on me is adoring and hopeful. The longer we remained in the detention center, the less I expected to see that look in her eyes.
"Himuro has committed a terrible crime, with the assistance of his cellmate Pinoko! Everyone here will be held responsible! Your free time is revoked for an entire year! No one is allowed to leave their cells!"
Himuro's limp body rests before her. She scrabbles on all fours, eyes intently locked on his chest for the tell-tale rise and fall of breath.
When she tries speaking to me, she's kicked to the side. Takasu tells her to shut up, that she and all the inmates are garbage. Her body wasn't moving for longer than I was hoping. When I spoke it was like the words were pulled from my chest. I had no way of preventing that duel. Seeing her thrown around, something pulled on my heart and made me act.
Even after being tortured for her connection with me for a second time, she graced me with the special brand of affection only she could give. Lying on the concrete of her cell, she looked me in the eyes and apologized. She gave me her Marshmallon, trusted me to keep her card safe. The last card she got from her late brother.
I cupped her head gently, as though one wrong move could lead to her demise. That was how it felt in the thick of it all, like she would turn to dust in my arms.
The images flash and fade away, returning me to my current predicament. I try to loosen my jaw, still tensed from the memories. "Okay. But," The grin melts off her face. "If it gets dicey, I want you to take any chance you have to run. I don't want to see you hurt." I could be imagining the flush blooming over her face. She turns back to the door at the end of the hall.
"Alright. I think that's fair, but there are some things even I can't run from," she says easily. We'd talked to each other a lot in the day after our first meeting. She dropped off Rocky each morning before walking with the three oldest of our friends to the recycling plant. On one of those early mornings, she told me of her life there. She lived rough, as did every citizen of Satellite was doomed to. She was an excellent runner. Rally had even timed her once, spinning the tale as we ate that night. She'd run
We reenter the room. Saiga still occupies the furthest desk, decorated with cables, hubs, network switches and more. He solemnly continues tapping away on the two laptops in front of him. Pinoko walks to the window where we stood earlier, putting one hand against the glass. The adopted pup who previously chewed on a cardboard box ran to her, stumbling with his large paws. He'll grow into them and he seems to enjoy having the time to play. Against my better judgement, we would both be infiltrating the vault. Leaving Rocky here was safest for him right now.
I choose to inspect the few personal items Saiga has kept, displayed on a small table behind him. The most prominent is a photo frame. Between the glass is an image of a young Saiga and a blonde man. Each of them has a hand on the trophy, lifting it between them. The blonde man has a card in his other hand.
"Machiner's Sniper..." I mumble.
"Ha. That was easy." I turn to Saiga. He must not have heard me. "I found it. It seems your precious D-Wheel is at the top floor of the vault. I'll search for the password for the lock on the door. I should be able to do it." He wheels his chair to the other laptop.
"You... You used to be a duelist?" I hold the frame between us. When he recognizes what's in my hands, he shoots from the seat.
"Hey! Stop touching other people's stuff!" He growls.
"A D-Wheeler specializing in tag duels," I clarify.
"I wasn't officially a pro." He stares out the window. "I was a broken duelist in an exhibition league. That's all I was. Now stop messing with that and come over here." I do as he asks, placing the photo and card as I had found them.
"How's it going?" I ask, approaching the older man. He looks over his left shoulder at me.
"I acquired the password." He glances in Pinoko's direction. "Hm. I was wondering why she was so quiet," he says finding her asleep.
"Impressive," I return. He's only been at this for a couple hours. He looks back to the laptop.
"I'm willing to bet you're going to end up back at the detention center."
"I have something I need to do and..." I glance at the marked woman resting under the windows. Her eyes are closed, clearly unable to hear what I'm about to say. "I need to return what I took from her." He seems to pick up on the fact that I'm not talking about just her cards.
Saiga masks his interest, though his expression betrays him with a raised brow. "That doesn't matter to me."
The night had left me tired. If I get some rest now maybe Saiga will have everything prepared when I wake up. I decide decide the best place for me is slumped against the wall beside the girl from Satellite. As much as she assured me that she is fine, she still needs to sleep off the injuries from the detention center.
Slowing my breath, I start to slip away from the waking world and into a deep sleep.
It's midday when Saiga drops the duffel in front of Yusei. The two of us are sat at one of the many desks, going over the plan we would soon set into motion. "Here's everything you'll need. The rest depends on your luck." However, when Yusei makes to take the duffel's strap, he moves it from his reach. "Answer me! Why are you going when you know that you'll end up being captured?"
The tension in the room rises dramatically, but Yusei keeps a cool head as usual. "Because the bond with our friends is there. All we're doing is going to get it back."
"Friends?" Saiga laughs, devoid of any joy. "You're doing this for something that lame?" His roll slows when Yusei pointedly turns to the photo frame resting by the shelves. "Yeah, I understand. I used to have a friend too. But the only thing he left behind was this emotionless reality of deep despair and living death. A bond with your friends? That's just an illusion. Before long, all you'll do is think of yourself so you'll hurt and use others so that you can survive. Just like me.
"The lucky one survived. However, I never rode a D-Wheel again." He looks devastated. I can see that the bond he had with Yuji is still there. Why else would he keep that picture? He approaches the table it rests upon. "It's the same as being dead. This card is the remnant of our bond. After the accident, he only sent me this card. He was insinuating that I had forsaken him. Risk your life for a friend? In the end, that's impossible to do! In that case, it's better not to make friends in the first place."
Yusei had already done what Saiga says is impossible. He'd risked everything for me, us, all of his friends. "You-" But I'm being yanked from the room before I can make a counter argument. The grasp of his hand speaks of determination. He isn't one to be idle, that's for sure. Yusei was clearly agitated by the dismissal of our bond and he is the kind of man to show his values by his actions. Everyone in Satellite was counting on him. Rally. Nervin. Blitz. Taka. They are not an illusion.
The duffel rests on one shoulder, his hand dropping mine when we've cleared the building. "He's wrong. About you. About everything he said."
He doesn't say a thing, but the corner of his mouth quirks up.
Having talked the plan to death earlier, there was little chance that we would forget it. The building wasn't what I thought, less flashy and much shorter than I expected. We stop in a narrow alley just a few storefronts away from our target.
"Okay, patch me up!" I giggle, handing him a bandage from my pockets. This was the first accessory to our disguise; covering the marker. I hold onto one of the other bandages as he takes it. The crumpling of the package can barely be heard over the bustling in the street. Before I feel the touch of the bandage, a hand sweeps a few strands of hair behind my right ear. It makes me feel adored, the soft brush of his fingers on my cheek.
Alright, cool it. Pine over Yusei later please?
The sticky bandage is temperate in the warm breeze that flows through the alley. I hide my flushed face by looking intently at the wrapper, extracting the adhesive fabric. "Can you maybe... get down here?" I'm a little embarrassed at how much I have to stretch to reach his marker. Many have poked fun at my height, but not Yusei. He bends slightly at the middle, enough to get a good placement of the bandaid over his mark. My hands ghost across his face, pressing down the edges to make it stick. Those blue orbs have watched me the whole time, but turn away once I lower my arms. The only thing to do next is gain access into the building.
The doors aren't guarded. Yusei silently leads us through the lobby. A closet on the far end provides us with the privacy to change into the full disguise. We decided it'd be better to go in together, as either of us waiting outside would be too conspicuous. To say changing in a room with the duelist hasn't been on my mind, especially after our moment in the alley, would be a total lie.
Slipping into the supply closet is easy, no one even looks our way. "You first," Yusei says, facing the door inside dark compartment.
"Right." He slips off the bag, holding it around his back to me. Grasping the bag, I slide the zipper open to see our outfits take up most of the space. I put on the pants of the coveralls first, sliding them over my legs with my shoes and skirt on. The shoes are a tight fit, but the skirt is undone and pulled over my head. I take off my shirt, leaving me in a bra and coveralls. I zip it up to my collarbone from there and I'm fully dressed. "Done," I say, folding my affects and placing them under the coveralls Yusei would be donning.
A hat falls onto my head suddenly, laying askew on my crown. Yusei's voice is amused, teasing. "You forgot the hat." When I turn around, one of those special smiles plays upon his lips. The little grin he sends me from time to time, looking vulnerable and so soft.
"Thanks. Your turn." We sidle around each other, gazes never meeting. I copy the position he previously held, gulping and staring at the door while I stuff my long hair in the cap. I'd been hard pressed not to bump up against him while changing. My stature gave me an easier time of it than a man of Yusei's height. In Japan, one of the shortest populations in the world, most of the hoi polloi aren't over 20cm taller than me. He's not excessively tall for a Japanese adult, though he is above average.
I'm lucky, however, in a lot of ways. If I were a normal height, riding behind the duelist would be impossible. The tail end of his D-Wheel slopes up into a backrest, too close for any normal-sized human to fit. And if I weighed more, well... From looking at the code, I can assume the D-Wheel was only meant for one rider. The code's passenger weight parameters only went up to 140kg, and that's pushing it. That first ride had been bumpy and risky to tell the truth, we hadn't adjusted the tire pressure or suspension until the night after. Yusei obviously weighs more than I do, so my 40kg plus him could have easily ruined the ride for good.
Yusei had confessed to me that he'd never really expected it to work with two people and that he was interested in the doors it opened. Sadly, there's no way to put a sidecar on his bike, not without fully refitting the device with a new engine and frame. At that point, it's easier to start from scratch.
The rustling of clothes from behind brings me back to reality. He's started undressing. There is a soft thump, probably an article of his clothing falling to the ground. "Sorry," he mutters after bumping our elbows together.
"No, it's fine." I try moving closer to the door to give him room. Words cease, the space being filled by two slaps ringing off the ground, his boots being stripped off. Then there's the clicking of iron, clacking against itself. In spite of myself, the dark space feels warm, my ears and face surely reddened. The slip of leather through the straps. The clinking against the contrete floor after being dropped. There's something verifiably erotic about the sounds.
I press my front against the door, whether in an effort to get away or to conceal the flush on my skin is impossible for me to answer. My ears strain at the sound of a zipper being undone.
I'm going to combust. Stars help me.
I jump at the graze of something soft against my neck. "My bad." He'd leaned over, his voice resonating very close to my ears. I can see some movement in my peripheral as he removes the coveralls from the bag sitting on the shelving unit. Each wall had shelves crammed up against it. He must have bumped me when he was taking off his pants. My teeth click shut. This is torture.
Before I know it, he's zipped up and settled his cap on top. "You look kind of... different in coveralls." To ease the nervous tension, I intend to start conversation.
"So do you. Very cute." He opens the door for us, stepping out into the light. I duck my head and go along quietly. It's almost closing time. Workers file out the many glass doors, passing by us as we walk in the exact opposite direction. Contrary to its purpose, the conversation did not make me less nervous. We've walked down a couple of hallways and up a flight of stairs. We had planned to wait in the bathrooms before the lights went out and emerge only 5 minutes later, just in case.
Sitting in the stall for that short length of time was irritating me, all I could think of was the duelist in the next room.
He must have been kidding. A joke between friends. Or maybe he actually thinks you're cute... No, there's just no way. You're confusing fantasy with reality again!
All my life, I've been ridiculed. My looks, my smarts, nothing was good enough to make me anything but trash. I open the stall door, the stopwatch in my hand notifying me the time has passed. I exit the washroom silently, peeking out before leaving. Yusei should be out soon too.
The lights are off, all the people are gone except for us and we should have an easy time finding the D-Wheel. "Ready?" I whirl around at the voice, relieved to find Yusei there.
"Yes, let's be off."
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep-
"Can you turn that off now?" He says nothing but silences the device. Saiga had included it in packing the duffel bag and it had lead us here to the top floor storage room. Crates and cubes cover as much of the room as possible while still maintaining traversability. The box we stood aside is where our stuff is, according to Saiga's tracker anyway. "So how do we get in there?"
I don't know what he might have said. The bright spotlights that turned on in that moment stopped any further discussion about our next step.
"I'm surprised. I knew you two would try something, but garbage is garbage. I can't believe you tried to sneak into the security vault. So scary!" It was Ushio, the cop from before, standing behind us. Of course! No way the day could end without more meddling from this guy.
"This belongs to us and our friends!" declares the blue eyed duelist. Ushio's smile stays right where it is.
"You're wrong. Everything held here belongs to Neo Domino City. Let me also add that the lives of Satellite garbage belong to this city also! I'll send you both back to the detention center again." He points at us. "After them!" Shit. We have to get into the box. My mind races, trying to come up with a solution. The choice is made, however, as I'm thrown bodily into the box. I almost scream at the feeling, holding it back when I see Yusei follow after me. We put on our helmets and sit on the bike, preparing to deal with Ushio again.
Fuck. Yusei's going to do something crazy again.
"That's what I call two rats in a trap. Give up, you garbage!"
The sound of the vehicle turning on is a little unnerving. "Hey, I know we're in a problematic situation but you're not thinking of... No, nevermind. I trust you." I secure my arms around him, readying as best I can for something dangerous and stupid to follow. This is the life I signed up for, I suppose, and Yusei has never led me astray.
Yusei revs, then we fly, busting through the wall of the box. The splintering of the wooden panel is loud, louder than Ushio's shouting. The vehicle jumps over the security gaurds that surround the crate, making a slopping left turn and driving toward a door thats already closing. I grip him tighter, squeezing through the gap of the door as it slides closed. We make another left.
Shooting straight down the corridor, we're knocked off course by Ushio on his own D-Wheel.
"You fool! Did you really think you could escape from me? Hurry and give up!"
"You're the foolish one!" I shout back. "Did you get some new cards to compensate for your lack of brains again? You can't win against Yusei!" Our D-Wheel simply speeds up, the man in front trying to lose the other.
"C'mon, you can at least participate in our conversation! If you can't, then why don't you talk to me with your cards, like a duelist?"
"What?" It's the first word Yusei has uttered during the chase.
"I forcibly activate a field spell! Speed World set on!" The security guard is right on our heels, but we stay in front. If he's in first, he'll have the first draw.
"I accept this duel."
"Duel!" They shout in unison, D-Wheels initiating the duel sequence.
Yusei is the first to draw. "I go first. I draw. I summon Bolt Hedgehog in defense position." He places one of the cutest little things I've ever seen on the field. "If we can just get through that opening..."
Ushio chuckles darkly. "It's my turn. I draw!" Each of their speed counters raise by one. "From my hand, I summon Search Striker in attack position! Search Striker! Crush that Satellite Punk's lame monster! Cleaver Strike!"
"Those monsters are lame!"
"You can't beat us with cards like that."
"All of your monsters are garbage!"
"You really thought you could beat me with monsters that weak?" Wetness soaks my cheeks. Why do they hate me and my cards? I run, tripping in my haste to get away. Three sets of laughter meet my ears, my face turning red. I'm humiliated and sad, but I'm also angry. They should find something more productive to do with their time. Ryuuga wouldn't act like this if he was here. He's turn the other cheek.
So even with the negative thoughts running through my head, I cried and I ran. I ran through the ruins of Satellite, ran through the door of the subway station, ran through the door to the room Ryuuga and I shared for as long as I can remember. He was inside, surprised by the commotion I was making. "Hey!" His smile fades at the waterfall of tears he sees. "Woah, what's wrong, baby? What happened?"
"Nii-" I'm blubbering, endeavoring to stop my sobs and get it out in words. "Nii-san, these girls, they said I'm wea-weak, my cards a-are weak. They said my ca-" I wipe my nose with my sleeve, sniffling. "My cards are trash. I'm trash and I'm weak." Safety envelops me when my big brother kneels down and hugs me. He always knows what to say and he always makes me feel like I'm safe. I never could figure out how he does it.
"Who cares?" He says it softly to not rattle my nerves, pulling away to wipe my tears. "If you keep going and put in the work, doesn't that make you strong? And if you were weak, would that be so bad? You can be so many other things, like smart or kind or anything! You aren't defined by your flaws. Neither are your cards. Every card has a purpose, weak or strong. We're the same."
I watch a blue light strike Bolt Hedgehog. The monster crumbles, destroyed by the raw strength of another card. "I set one card and end my turn!"
"It's my turn." Yusei draws from his deck.
A smug grin rests on the guard's face. "Yusei doesn't have any lame cards," I say. I can't be mum when people talk down to as true a duelist as Yusei.
"What'd you say?"
"He doesn't have any lame cards! All cards have a purpose! None of them are lame! Even the weakest card has a reason to exist. So what if your cards are strong?" Talking tough is something I try to avoid as it usually gets my ass beat or my purse stolen, but I'm not willing to be a coward anymore. Somehow the life I'm living now has changed me into someone a little more hardened.
"You aren't even a duelist. You don't know anything, just some Satellite trash that loves to run her mouth. I'll show you both, now play your cards!"
"From my hand, I summon the tuner monster Junk Synchron. When Junk Synchron is successfully summoned, I can special summon a level two or below monster from my graveyard in defense position. Resurrect, Bolt Hedgehog!" This is Yusei's chance. "Level 3 Junk Synchron tunes level 2 Bolt Hedgehog!"
"You're synchro summoning right now? How arrogant of you when all you are is garbage." As Junk Warrior appears on the field, Ushio activates his set card. "I won't let you do that! I activate my trap Discord Counter! This card negates your synchro summon and returns the synchro material monsters to the field in defense position! In other words, your Junk Warrior separates into Bolt Hedgehog and Junk Synchron! Furthermore, due to the effect of Discord Counter, you are not allowed to summon a monster until the end phase of your next turn!"
"Shit. Yusei, this isn't good. He's stalling us," I prod, leaning up to speak into his ear.
"Yeah. Our priority is to escape through that opening." On the D-Wheel's graphic interface the opening is displayed. It's straight ahead of us. Yusei pushes the bike harder, speeding away from the officer. "Alright."
"Great, now get us out of here please?" I'm only teasing, but it falls away when I see what occurs next. "The door, it's closing. Ushio, that bastard, he's trapping us!" Yusei depresses the pedal, but later decides to power slide into another left turn. Desperate to stay in sync with him and not bring us toppling down, I press against his back. Leaning only as far as he does, I bend my knees and squeeze them against the frame.
Don't want to wipe out, now. Focus on balance. Stand, then hips forward off the back wheel.
Yusei has taught me so much about D-Wheels in the months we have known each other. However, knowledge does not translate easily into application for a beginner like me. Thankfully, the machine stays upright, speeding down the next hallway. The door at the end slides shut before we even get close.
At every turn, doorways are being blocked, cornering us every time. Yusei only grows more agitated at each occurence.
"I know how trash think. Dance! Spin! Flee! I'll drive you deeper into a corner! I'll teach you that you're nothing but garbage!" We haven't been able to shake the man off yet. He's howling with laughter. "It's my turn! I draw! From my hand, I summon Chaser Squad in attack position. Then Search Striker and Chaser Squad attack your two Satellite scrap iron monsters! Fire!"
At our sides the Solid Vision disintegrates, both monsters having been destroyed. "Due to Chaser Squad's monster effect, when it destroys a monster in defense position, you take 500 points of damage! Then I set one card in my hand and end my turn."
"My turn!" Yusei draws a card but he can't summon a monster until the end phase. "I set one card. I end my turn."
Ushio, smugness apparent, smirks cruelly. "Just like I thought. Due to my Discord Counter, you can't summon a monster this turn! All the roads have been blocked!"
"Gosh, I hate to say it but I think he's right," I tell the D-Wheeler that I'm clinging to. "They keep shutting doors on us. There aren't any exits left!"
"You no longer have an escape route! The only thing ahead of you is a dead end! All you can do is surrender!" The two of us are headed for an elevator shaft, doors closed. The hallway stretches ahead of us, only housing the one set of doors. Yusei makes no indication of turning.
"Keep going!" A voice commands through my helmet. Saiga!
"You're... Saiga."
"Just keep going forward!" Yusei tries to interject, but gets spoken over. "Go!"
I'm quick to assent, regardless of danger. "There's no arguing with a tone like that..." It seems being driven around on a D-Wheel at speeds of hundreds of kilometers per hour had made me a little less fearful of the activity. I hold tight when Yusei guns it down the corridor, expecting a bumpy ride ahead. I cower, helmet pressed between the man's shoulder blades.
"Duck!" At the last second, Yusei does the same and a blistering heat erupts, doors flying off with a bang. The dark smoke conceals us and our path.
"Oh my stars! We're falling, oh goodness. Yusei! I want to live!" Releasing the duelist, my hands fly to the backrest, urgently securing myself to the vehichle. I'm so light I feel like the wind is trying to whisk me away. "I'm about to cry! Yusei!"
"Not such a smart mouth now, huh? Don't think this is enough to escape! I'll chase the two of you to the depths of hell!" The officer draws a card. "Don't let your guard down! It's still the middle of a duel! From my hand, I activate the speed spell Rapid Shotwing! One of the monsters on my field gains 100 attack points this turn for every speed counter! The total combined attack of my two monsters is 3500! That's enough to finish off your life! Search Striker attacks you directly! Cleaver Strike!"
The attack distracts Yusei enough to lose his hold, the air current pulling him up and away. "Yusei!" Thankfully he's managed to grip the clutch and hangs onto the D-Wheel. "Yusei, oh my gosh!" I can't think of anything to say, only the fact that Yusei is dangling precariously, hung in the air and increasingly at risk. Removing one hand from the backrest would only compromise my hold, but my heart is telling me to reach out to him.
"And with this, it'll all be over. Chaser Squad attacks you again directly!" Beams form in the monster's hands, coming straight at Yusei. He manages to pull himself closer, able to activate a trap card before it's too late. I hug him with one arm once he's seated. I don't want to lose you.
"I told you to install seatbelts! But did anybody listen? No!" I'm just relieved to have him back. I was very close to losing him, and that scares me. It scares me more than it should.
"I flip over my set card. Confusion Chaff!" Glowing paper scraps burst from the trap, hitting Ushio's monster and obscuring its view.
"What?"
"I can activate Confusion Chaff when you attack me directly for a second time. The attack is negated and that monster battles against the monster that attacked me the first time." The monsters do battle, ultimately resulting in the destruction of Chaser Squad.
"Damn! I set one card and end my turn."
"Lift up your D-Wheel!" Saiga shouts over the radio. "Lift it! Hurry!"
We're getting close to the ground floor. Yusei raises his front wheel and I brace for impact, returning both arms to his waist. We reach the bottom of the shaft where we bounce, waiting for the panels of the door to shift apart. We leave Ushio behind in the elevator.
"Yes! Now, where's the closest exit?" I lean around the rider to look at the screen.
"I won't let you get away!" Shit. I thought we lost him!
Ushio is riding on a walkway parrallel to us. He busts through the railing, hopping down to our level. He rams Yusei's bike.
"Asshole!" I cry out, jostled by the hit.
"Shut it! You're garbage like he is. Did you really think you could escape?"
The pressure against the machine stops. "Saiga! Thank goodness you're here!" He's taken point next to us on his own motorcycle, jamming it into Ushio's. He kicks Yusei's opponent in the head, forcing him to correct his steering and slow down. Eventually Ushio loses the battle, losing his balance and crashing. Saiga matches our speed.
"Saiga," Yusei says. "Why are you here?"
"I just wanted to see what would happen to the young couple who kept babbling on about the bonds of friendship. I don't have those sentimental feelings about friendship. Since I did you this favor, you'll have to repay me in cash."
"What happened?" He must be talking about that picture. The partner Saiga had, the other half of his tag team.
"He was my best friend. I actually believed that at the time. No, that's what I presumed. But at the same time, I was about to sever my ties with Yuji, even though I called him my friend. I was going to become single so that I could head to the big leagues. We were in a duel, I got mad at him because he summoned that card. I was distracted... Debris from another crash detached his sidecar and I was the one with the motor. At the last moment I turned away, let him crash."
"Saiga," I start, forlorn. He continues.
"I already told you. The more a person talks about his friends, the more he's only thinking about himself. You use them and hurt them. And at the final moment, you betray them easily." The smile he wears doesn't reach his eyes. "The betrayed probably can't stand it. He lived, but he had to retire. He continues to live to this day hating me."
"Did your partner say that to you?" Yusei questions.
"He doesn't need to. I know." It takes a moment for Yusei to rebut him.
"It's true that the word "friend" may be an illusion. But as long as the bond remains, it's real. That's why we came to retrieve that bond."
He's right. Everyone in Satellite believes in him. This D-Wheel is the symbol of the connection with our friends in Satellite.
"Stop! It's not over between us yet!" We all look back, knowing Ushio is catching up. "Now it's your turn!"
"Here I go! My turn! Discord Counter's effect has already worn off." Yusei picks a card from his hand. "From my hand, I summon Speed Warrior. On the turn Speed Warrior is summoned, its attack points are doubled."
"Your strategies are obvious! I activate my trap card Power Bind! I can activate this card when the opponent summons a monster. That monster can't attack this turn and its attack points become zero until your next standby phase! Too bad! If its attack points doubled, it would've been able to destroy Search Striker!"
"Hey, what are you going to do?" Saiga seems uncertain about Yusei's victory.
"He's going to win, Saiga! Just watch!"
"From my hand, I activate the speed spell Reactor Pod! I can activate this card when I have 4 or more speed counters. I select one monster on my field with 1000 or fewer attack points. The opponent takes damage equal to that monster's original attack points. You take damage equal to Speed Warrior's 900 attack points! I set one card and end my turn."
"How dare you do that when you're just garbage!" Ushio grunts angrily. "Damn! I draw! I'll crush that zero attack point piece of trash! Search Striker attacks Speed Warrior!"
"I activate my trap! Scrap Iron Scarecrow! With this card, your monster's attack is negated once per turn. Afterwards, it is set again on the field." Scrap Iron Scarecrow is one of Yusei's most favored traps. He uses it nearly every time he duels.
"Then I activate the continuous trap Final Countdown! With this card, during the main phase of my turn, I can deal damage by sending to the graveyard this card and any number of spell or trap cards on my field that are set due to its effect. Sending two cards deals 500 points of damage, three cards deals 1500 points and four cards deals 300 points. You have 1400 life points! In other words, if I set two more cards and send them to the graveyard, you're done! Here I go! I set the first card. I end my turn."
"Just like he said, it's a countdown to your life points becoming zero. On the next turn, you'll definitely lose!"
"My turn! I switch Speed Warrior to defense position. Then I summon Heal Waver in defense position. Starlight Wave! Once a turn, I select a monster other than this one, and I gain 100 life points per level. I select level 2 Speed Warrior, so I gain 200 life points."
"Good job, Yusei. He's gonna need a third card to use that effect, that gives you some room to counter!"
"I set two cards and end my turn."
"My turn. I summon the tuner monster Torapart! Level 2 Torapart tunes level 4 Search Striker!" The officer almost giggles. "I feel the electricity. Synchro summon! Come, Goyo Guardian! Goyo Guardian attacks Heal Waver! Goyo Lariat!"
"I activate my trap Scrap Iron Scarecrow." But the scarecrow doesn't come to protect Heal Waver.
"I won't let you! Due to Torapart's monster effect, since it was sent to the graveyard due to a synchro summon, you can't activate trap cards! Now Goyo Guardian's monster effect activates! When your monster is destroyed, I can negate its destruction and gain control of that monster! Welcome, Heal Waver! I'm going to use your life restoration effect. Starlight Wave!" Goyo Guardian wraps it's weapon around the Heal Waver and drags it to Ushio's field. He cackles like a madman. "I'm being resurrected! Look! I gain 600 life points so now I'm at 3000 life points! And with Final Countdown, I set the second card!"
"What are you going to do? If you don't win on the next turn, he'll set the third card, and you'll lose! Don't you know that?" Saiga yells.
"All I need to do is believe in the bond with our friends." Yusei is as serious as usual.
"Stop saying such stupid things! If you're definitely going to lose the duel, then you have to think about an alternate plan!" Saiga rebukes, face contorting in rage.
"Stop saying that the bond with my friends is stupid." I embrace the man tighter, supporting him silently. He pats one of my hands, soft leather smoothing over bare skin. He knows how much I disagree with the brunette man. "Similar to me, you're taking good care of that card."
"That thing symbolizes that Yuji hasn't forgiven me!" I can hear Saiga's voice crack, emotions running close to the surface.
"You're wrong. During the accident, your partner rescued that card from the flames. I can tell from the marks that it was repaired." The jack of all trades starts to lose steam, face softening into something thoughtful. "Your partner has always forgiven you. Actually, he probably didn't even think about that. He was only thinking about one thing. He wanted to protect the bond he had with you, because he didn't want to sever that bond. Because he cared about the bond he had with you."
Saiga looks utterly defeated now, hunching over his bike. Yusei has him convinced but keeps going. "As long as there's a bond, you're friends forever. Just like I have my friends. Just like I have Pinoko. That's why I fight for our bond and the bond we have with our friends. My turn!"
A bond with Yusei... doesn't sound bad at all.
"I summon Turbo Synchron. When a tuner monster is on my field, I can special summon Bolt Hedgehog from my graveyard due to its monster effect. Turbo Synchron attacks Heal Waver!"
"What? Turbo Synchron's attack points are less than Heal Waver's defense points! Have you lost your mind?" The little tuner attacks anyway, being bounced off and doing 1500 points of damage to Yusei's life points. "You fool. Are you commiting suicide? You only have 100 life points left!"
"At this moment, Turbo Synchron's monster effect activates. When this monster attacks, I can special summon one monster from my hand whose attack points are equal or less than the damage I took. Appear, Road Runner!" I've cooed over the puny pink pheasant for hours on end before, much to Nervin's chagrin. The first time I'd seen it was the night we met. "I flip over the trap card Urgent Tuning. With this card, I release one tuner monster and one or more other monsters on my field to special summon one synchro monster that fulfills the requirements.
"Here I go! Turbo Synchron Tunes Bolt Hedgehog, Speed Warrior, and Road Runner! The bond comes together to call forth a new power. Become the path that lights the way! Synchro summon! Come, Turbo Warrior!" Yusei could turn around a match with just a few turns. It's mesmerizing watching him duel. "Turbo Warrior attacks Goyo Guardian."
"You fool," Ushio scoffs. "Have you lost your mind? Goyo Guardian has 2800 attack points! They're more than yours!"
"However, Goyo Guardian is level 6. Due to Turbo Warrior's monster effect, the attack points of all level 6 or higher monsters are halved! High Rate Power!"
"Even if it's destroyed in battle, I still have life points remaining. On my next turn, the countdown will lead you to zero!"
"I activate my trap Synchro Strike. For every monster that was used to synchro summon this turn, the synchro monster gains 500 attack points."
The stunned city employee mutters, "What? Four monsters were used to summon the monster. Therefore, it has 4500 attack points? That's crazy!"
"Yusei! Pinoko!" Saiga's warning comes too late, the officer has started to bump our D-Wheel again.
"I'm not allowed to lose against a piece of garbage from Satellite!" He's rammed us several times before the tag team duelist gets in the middle, shouting our names. He engages with the officer, keeping their D-Wheels locked together. Ushio looks a little red, but I assume it to be a trick of the light. "You're...? Stop interfering!" Somehow Saiga manages to keep him back, meeting the cop's befuddled stare.
"Saiga..."
"Hurry! Deal the final blow for your friends!" The former tag team duealist was holding his own. "Connect the bond!"
With a nod, Yusei makes his final move. "Go, Turbo Warrior! Break through! Accel Slash!" Goyo Guardian is wrecked by Yusei's attack, making Ushio's life points zero. His D-Wheel starts smoking as soon as it happens, taking Saiga down with his when he crashes. They get tangled up together in the fall.
"Saiga!" Yusei and I cry as one.
Saiga waves us off. "Go! Do't worry about me!" The proceeding corridor slopes up to a ramp. This is the exit we've been looking for, but the guards here aren't as lax as the ones at the entrance. The second we're out of the building, the security guards snap their attention to us.
They're armed, all of them with a cattle prod. The voltage is nothing compared to the facility, but the pain is more than enough to have us both screaming in agony. We're almost free from them and a cattle prod catches Yusei in the neck. "Y-Yusei!" He's pushing the machine as fast as it can go to get us out of there, but he's fading. The amount of electricity I soaked up has turned spots of my eyesight dark and I'm breathing heavily.
I'm so far gone I don't register the pile of junk until we've crashed into it.
1. From my research, motorcycles that are overloaded with weight have a slower response time, but it can also lead to tires popping and increased wear on all the parts. If you're driving an overloaded bike, you'd have to take it easy on the turns and stuff to not pop a tire or wipe out. The formula for the weight is a stupidly complicated equation that I am not learning so she found it in the code LOL. Yusei's D-Wheel looks to me like maybe a 500-700 pound vehicle. It may seem like a lot especially since Pinoko and Yusei together are only 220lbs about, but really you don't want to be that close to the maximum capacity if you can help it. Less weight on a bike will generally correlate with better response time. There are many one person motorcycles today that can hold a second passenger if you adjust the suspension and tire pressure.
2. Hoi polloi is an old greek word meaning "the many" or "the common people." It has a slightly derogative connotation nowadays but I use it to mean the common man, the masses.
3. Yusei is described as 175cm and 58kg according to the manga, not sure if there was ever official answers about it in the anime.
4. 115kg is roughly 250lbs. 40kg is roughly 90lbs. 58 kg is roughly 130lbs. 175cm is roughly 5'9". 144cm is roughly 4'9".
5. Power sliding is a driving technique used to turn. You're taking your body weight off of the rear wheel so it can lose traction, skidding and allowing you to turn by letting the rear wheel spin the bike with the momentum while you brake, then you hit the throttle after the apex and roll through the corner. There's some cool youtube videos about it, as well as brake sliding and trail braking. Very interesting stuff.
6. I have no clue why but I feel like Ushio and Saiga would be a cute pairing. It must have come to me in a dream or something because I can only think that they would be so adorable and that Ushio would be a very blushy top with power bottom saiga LMAO kind of like Goodbye to Destiny by Shibue Yofune, which btw DNI with that manga if you are a minor! It's very adult!
