"Alright! What do you think, Pinoko, Yusei? Don't I look just like Ruka?"
"No wonder you're twins. I can't tell the difference at all!"
"Right?" Rua is very pleased by Yanagi's agreeance. I'm not fooled.
"Hmm, maybe if you were silent I could believe it. When you open your mouth, it's clear you're not Ruka."
The girl I speak of kicks her brother's shin. "I don't act like that!"
I stay over by Yusei, giving him a few last words of encouragement. "Do your best, Yusei. And look for me in the stands, okay? I came prepared." I unfurl the fabric sign I'd painted a few nights back. It says simply "YUSEI!" on the front. The other side bears a squiggly drawing of his D-Wheel and helmet, reading "LEAVE THEM IN THE DUST!" I'm not the best when it comes to artistic skill, but I think its recognizable enough. I show him both, explaining breifly. "This side is for standing duels, then when you have a riding duel, I'll flip it to this side. I also brought some pom-poms, red and white for your D-Wheel colors." My lips stretch, showing my teeth in a cheery smile.
"I will. I'll be dueling for you and our friends, but please don't leave the stands. I still worry about what Yeager said..." He momentarily smooths his hand over my elbow but lets it drop when he sees Rua coming. "Just, don't go anywhere alone?" I nod. With luck he'd be able to maintain focus knowing that I'm not going anywhere.
"Then, Yusei, shall we depart?"
"Yes," he intones, staring at the phony Ruka before they turn to leave. "Rua, it's best if you don't wear makeup."
"Oh, really?"
I put a palm on the real Ruka's back as they vacate the hall. She is frustrated by her twin's mannerisms. "It'll be fine, Ruka. We just have to find our seats and we can take a load off, okay? Forget him." She's grateful for the support, aware of my feelings toward her brother's shenanigans.
It doesn't take long to find our seats. All five are situated next to each other at the opening of the row. Each time we'd pass someone, they'd give us a look, sometimes stretching out in their seat as if saying "Don't sit in my row!" I end up sat between the age groups, Himuro and Yanagi on my right, Ruka and Tenpei on my left.
As my butt hits the chair, I see the stage is already set up to begin. The Director from the facility, Godwin, sits in an amrchair behind a dark wood podium. There's a man in magenta with a fine pencil moustache on his lip, seemingly the annoucer with the microphone in his grip. "Everybody listen!" He shouts, dancing around the stage to be seen from all angles. "The Duel of Fortune Cup is finally starting!" The crowd cheers.
The wind picks up, creating a near tornado in the middle of the stadium, but it vanishes and in it's place is the dragon Jack used against Yusei. "Red Daemon's Dragon has appeared!" cries the announcer. There is false enthusiasm in his voice, but there's a backing track of a whirring engine. "And the sound of this D-Wheel must mean..."
The dragon comes to rest on the highest platform on the stage. The dragon's master shoots from the tunnel entrance to the track, using the curled lip of it to jump to the platform. The bleachers are crammed with fans shouting their support, our group notably not included. He dismounts the bike, standing in front of his ace monster, and relieves himself of his helmet.
"There's only one King, and it's me!" Jack raises a finger to the sky. "Who's going to duel me?"
The emcee moves to the front of Jack on the platform below. "The duelists who recieved the lucky tickets for a chance at a dream match against the King are here!" It's at this point that the stage's panels recede, allowing duelists both familiar and not to rise up from underneath.
"There's Yusei and Rua!" I say to the others. I flip open my purse, readying the pom-poms and sign for when they introduce them all. There are eight in total, but only two that I plan to cheer for. The platform they stand on finally stops, flush with the stage floor. "Go Yusei! Go Ru- Go Ruka!" I momentarily forget that it's supposed to be Ruka participating. Better watch myself not to let that slip. The audience continues to whoop cheers as their faces flash across the jumbotron screens.
Rua looks ridiculous in his picture, holding up his fingers in two peace signs. He looks nothing like you right now," I say to the young girl.
"Thanks."
Once the screen shows Yusei, the crowd loses it's good energy. "Hey, there's a guy with a marker!" It's the first shout I hear before the masses start to agree.
"You're right."
"If they're going to choose someone like that, then I wish they could have chosen one of us."
I try to convince myself that they're just ignorant and not worth my time, but then someone speaks up just across the aisle.
"He probably stole someone's invitation."
"You really think the Fortune Cup staff doesn't know who they sent invitations to?" I throw over my shoulder at the man. "If anyone did that they'd be turned away at the door. Get a clue." He says nothing else. I don't even want to look at him. The air around us is chilly, muttering spreading amongst the ill-informed masses. They're judging him for his record but they have no clue how good he is.
The five of us are some of the few that haven't said a word against him. Instead of being silent, I chose to act. I can't change these people's minds, but I can show Yusei how much we support him easily when it's so quiet in the stands. I grab the pom-poms, setting my plan in motion.
"Yusei! Chin up!" Rua hadn't brought any herself, but was sweet enough to teach me some simple cheers. Hands together, apart, up, then together again... She had taught me enough to be visible with my movements, which is exactly what my aim was.
"Yusei, Yusei, he's our man!" I scream. I hadn't come up with many cheers, but it's nothing to scoff at. Ruka was hard working and easy to be around. It was nice of her to help me with them. "If he can't do it, no one can!"
Even the announcer is stunned by the negative reaction, not quite knowing how to proceed. One of the other contestants, a large man with brown skin and long hair, snatches the mic from his hand.
He begins to speak, quieting the murmurs around us. "Everyone! My name is Bommer. I see a few in the crowd have good hearts, but what of the rest? As one of the duelists standing here, I want to ask what the rest of you are seeing." He points to blue eyed mechanic who looks entirely unaffected by the scorn. "This man is a duelist chosen in the same manner as the rest of us! Whether you have a marker or not, as long as you have cards, we're all the same. As long as you're standing here, there's nothing to be ashamed of. If you're going to stare at him through stupid rose-colored glasses, then your words do nothing but incite violence!"
It's a heartwarming speech. I'm glad someone is standing up for him, Yusei deserves to be on that stage. He's probably the most skilled duelist in the whole stadium right now. Godwin starts clapping, a sign to everyone else in the stadium. Bommer bows slightly to him, handing the microphone back to the magenta-clad man.
"Whoo!" Ruka and I are the first to cheer, the audience joining the director in applause. The gray haired man stands to speak as well.
"Thank you for your heartfelt words, Bommer. What I have prepared in this arena is exactly what you said. I am Rex Godwin, the person in charge of Neo Domino City's Public Maintenance Department. To thank everyone for their public maintenance, I organized this great duel festival. Differences in status or wealth do not matter for duelists. This is true equality."
"What a load of crud!" I can't help the growl that comes from my mouth. "He's using Yusei's background as a Satellite to force him to participate. It's not equality, it's bull-" I look at the children next to me. "-Honkey. It's bull honkey."
"I've heard people say bullshit before," says idignantly.
"Hey! Don't use that word," I scold her. Before she can say anything else, the emcee continues his duties.
"Here are the matchups for the first round!
The match doesn't end well. The first two opponents are Rua and Bommer, the latter of which had swept the floor with him. Ruka, though she seemed unwell during the duel, had perked back up afterward. Her brother wasn't faring as well.
"Stop moping just because you lost," she says to him as the three of us walk through the hall with Tenpei.
"That's right," the bespectaled child concurs. "You did your best."
"Yeah, you can't let this loss get to you. My brother would always say "The journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step." And you did so much better than last time!" I praise. "You were able to adjust to his dueling at the end."
"But I didn't win."
"But I didn't win! How can you say that I'm getting better when I can't beat you? I can't beat anybody."
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step. I've lost before too, but I'm able to win now because I learned from my mistakes. You can also learn from your losses and become a skilled duelist, Pinoko."
"Just win your next duel." I look up at the voice. Yusei is leaning against the wall in front of us, but we hadn't noticed as we all comforted the young boy who had lost his duel. "The experience of losing never goes to waste."
"Yusei, don't you dare lose. We'll be cheering you on from the stands!"
I turn on the boy, challenging. "There's no chance of that happening. Rua, you know his skill firsthand!"
But we are not alone in the hall. A stranger walks by, a foul expression upon her beautiful face. I shuffle the kids out of her way as she passes. The harsh glare she gives my protector doesn't go unnoticed.
"What's up with her?" Rua asks.
"I don't know but... don't you think she seems sad?" I step toward her from my place, watching her flee the corridor.
"Yeah." Ruka, at least, is on the same page as me. "Almost... lonely."
"You guys get back to your seats. I'll be seeing you." Yusei stalks off, perturbed by the chance meeting. I herd the children back to the stands.
"The blood and iron knight of justice! The veteran hero! What kind of duel will he show us today? Jill deLauncebaeux!"
The lights are off in the stadium, making for a good atmosphere to introduce the next duelists. Jill is going to be facing the girl we passed in the hallway, Aki Izayoi. He promises to win, but none of us know what kinds of cards she has. She could be a very powerful duelist, but so could Jill I suppose.
"He seems very popular," remarks our oldest friend.
"He's a jerk who brags about justice, but his skills are real," Himuro adds.
"But we don't know if the other duelist is skilled too. She could win."
"His opponent in this duel makes her entrance! Along with battle epxerience and skill, the beautiful woman also brings many mysteries! Will we witness the birth of a new prodigy today? Aki Izayoi!" When all participants have been properly introduced, the lights return to the arena. Rua hums in thought.
"I feel like I've seen her before."
"We just met her a little while ago."
"Not then. Sometime before that."
I laugh. "You don't seem very sure about that. She does seem a little familiar though." Ruka suddenly gasps, looking at the girl on the stage. "What's wrong sweetie?"
"Her deck... It seems like it's in pain."
At first I thought the girl would be defeated, but Aki quickly took control of the duel. Although her powers were terrifying, she didn't seem to be particularly violent. Ruka and I are convinced that her soul is in pain. I was scared of the wind in the stadium, the sting of air whipping my hair around my face, but the woman behind it all didn't seem malignant to me.
She had carelessly revealed her identity with her ace monster, the Black Rose Dragon. The same exact dragon that Yusei told me about, from the duel field in Daimon. The crowd turned on her when they saw it. Every member of the audience had screamed something hateful, some going so far as to shout "Burn the witch!" They remain totally silent when she comes away with victory, the only screams to come at her were filled with terror and vitriol. Not a single person called her name.
Still, I don't know her. Maybe someday... but Yusei's first duel was soon to start. There are data cables hooked up to the D-Wheel, performing some last minute maintenance to make sure he's prepared. Himuro and I stay with him in the contestant's room while he gets ready.
"All systems are go, captain!" I report, finishing the program check on his ever present laptop computer. I seemed to have missed what Himuro was saying, as Yusei goes to respond.
"The ressurected grim reaper?"
"Those who dueled him have never dueled again due to fear. That's why the strange D-Wheeler is famous." Himuro leans against a desk while speaking. "Are you going to use that card?"
"I won't use Stardust." Yusei puts his cards in his Duel Disk. "I'm going to use Stardust when I have to settle things with Jack."
"But that-" I start, thinking better of it instantly. "Nevermind. I believe in you. You don't need to use Stardust to win, not even against Jack."
"There you go again. Think I can beat Jack with just one card too?" The mechanic's tone is teasing, but he only says what's true.
"Laugh it up, Yusei. Just... make sure you win." I give his arm a tight squeeze as I pass by.
"I will. Himuro." The man in question looks up. "Make sure she gets back safe."
Yusei's paranoia knew no bounds, tasking Himuro with escorting me back to our seats. When we get there, its nearly time for Yusei's duel to start.
Rua and I would cheer for him as loud as we could, we decide. My sign has travelled out of my purse and into my hands, ready to be flailed about in glee.
"Yusei is up next," mentions the boy sitting next to his sister, turning to his brunette friend.
He responds anxiously. "I wonder if he'll be okay."
"There's no way An-chan will lose!" says Yanagi, a grin playing on his features.
"That's right, but Tenpei hasn't seen Yusei duel before." I nod at the young boy. "Get ready, Tenpei! There's no other duelist like him!"
Our chatter has to be cut short, however as the emcee starts his announcement. "Everybody listen! This is what you've been waiting for! A riding duel!" He yells, sending the crowd hollering with applause. "The first D-Wheeler selected to participate in the Fortune Cup is Yusei Fudo!"
At his cue, the man zips from the entrance tunnel, a cloud of smoke spewing around the area for effect. He comes to a stop a short distance from our seats, smoothly looking up at the bleachers from his starting position. Is he looking for us?
"We don't want punks with markers!"
"Stop acting cool!"
Most of the people up in the stands are hurling insults at him, either not remembering what Bommer said earlier or just not caring.
"We believe in you!" cheers the girl on my left.
Her twin does the same. "You can do it, Yusei!" They're showing me up! Time to break out the big guns.
Two wooden dowels are placed on the edges of the fabric, making it easy for me to hold taught. I flash the side that says "YUSEI!" and scream his name. He's found us, staring up to our small party's placement in the rows of seats. I flip the banner around. "Keep acting cool! It's working!" The small smile isn't like the one he shows me in quiet moments when it's just the two of us. It's softer, more restrained, but I can see it well in the oversized projection of his face in the air.
"His opponent D-Wheeler is Shira, the ressurected grim reaper!" Yusei's adversary flies from the same entrance, taking his spot next to my protector.
"We're counting on you, grim reaper! Don't lose to a guy with a marker!"
"Smash him!"
"Grim reaper! You should definitely lose to the guy with the marker!" It's like a battlefield. I feel like I'm warring against the crowd, the six of us against thousands of them. I hope the insults don't bother him, but they bother me.
"Everyone's mean. They don't have to hate him that much." It seems they bother Rua as well.
"They think he's a bad guy because of his marker. They want to hate someone, so they hate him because its easy. Listen, Rua," I look the boy in the eyes. "It's easy to be mean. What's hard is turning the other cheek, forgiving, and being kind. Don't ever forget."
He nods firmly. "I won't."
"It's finally time for the duel! Set on the field spell Speed World!" The purple hue of Speed World washes over the entire stadium, just like the night we were arrested. "Speed World has taken over the field! Now spells that aren't speed spells can't be activated! There's the start signal of destiny with the countdown! It's time for the riding duel! Acceleration!"
They take off instantly, but it appears one of the contestants should be there. The person facing Yusei throws off the cloak, showing he isn't Shira, but he's familiar.
"Sorry to keep you waiting! Mukuro Enjo has arrived!" Oh my stars. That's the guy from when I met Yusei! He wass dueling Jack while Nervin, Blitz, and Taka were watching! I'd never seen his face, but I knew his name. It's hard for me to forget words and phrases, whether I hear them or read them.
My visual skills are... lacking, to say the least. Even if I'd seen him, I wouldn't have recognized I've been just horrible at every artistic medium I've ever touched. My skills are in my mind, not in my body.
"This is a surprise! Underneath the hood is the fiery D-Wheeler who's willing to risk his life to defeat the King! Mukuro Enjo!"
"What's the meaning of this?" growls Himuro. I look over at the man, worried about the duel.
"I don't know... They won't let this continue, will they?"
"I'll be your oppenent. I'll show you what a riding duel is really about!" says the D-Wheeler in disguise. Yusei doesn't reply. "What's wrong, Yusei? If you're a D-Wheeler, then accept Mukuro Enjo's challenge!"
He's not a nice person, no surprise there, but he won't beat Yusei. "HEY! Don't act so full of yourself, Enjo! Yusei will put you down like a disobedient dog!"
"Don't heckle me!" the unexpected duelist hollers back. "This is a duel, not a play!
"Fine," he finally answers. "I'll be your opponent!"
"This is.. Uh..." starts the emcee. The predicament is understandable, but the duelists probably won't wait for the official go ahead. "Oh. The organizer has given permission! The duel continues!"
It hadn't been going well, but Yusei was due a turnover. I know it.
"Yusei intentionally brought down his own speed counters!" shouts the announcer.
"What's the meaning of this?" Yanagi wonders aloud, but I don't have an answer. Speed spells are beyond me, never having done anything but a standing duel in my life. I supply what I can, though.
"I don't know what he's doing, but I know he's winning. Yusei is always in the process of winning."
"He's betting on potential." Himuro seems to know what's happening, at least.
"Potential?" repeats the brunette boy.
"Yes. The speed spell Shift Down decreases his speed counters by six, but he can now draw two cards from his deck."
Rua understands his explanation and tells him so. "I see. His heart believes in his cards."
"Yeah. That's his strength."
"Give me a Y! Give me a U! Give me an S!" The others already know what I'm spelling, ready to shout at my cue. " Give me an E! Give me an I! What does that spell!?"
"Yusei!"
