This is the second chapter in Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Beyond the Future
Chapter[]
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Beyond the Future
Chapter 2: “The Lone King and the Mysterious D-Wheeler”
After his pseudo-date with Stephanie ended horribly, Jack Atlas drove off down the busy street of Paris in a fury. Not only did Stephanie humiliate him in front of all those people, but that reporter who could speak Japanese heard the entire conversation. This was one scandal the King did not need right now! Despite his irritation, Jack took a deep breath and kept his cool, headed nowhere in particular. He just wanted to blow off some steam by burning gas down the beautiful streets of Paris, France.
Back at the café, the man who had been watching the entire scene unfold put his newspaper away and watched the King disappear around a corner in the distance. “You won’t get away from me, Jack Atlas,” he said to himself with a slight smirk across his lips. “I promise you that.”
The man lifted up his head after keeping it lowered the entire time to avoid being seen. With the reporters gone and Jack no longer at the scene, he no longer cared if the random civilians saw his face. As the light of the setting sun illuminated him, his features became noticeable. He was a middle-aged man, still youthful in appearance at age 37. His black hair ended just above his ears, and his hair was neatly combed back. A scar sat noticeably across his left eye, sort of a mismatch against his deep dark blue eyes. The scar gave him a certain roughness to his appearance despite his rather well-groomed appearance. In addition to that, he was dressed in slightly battered jacket and jeans. He finally made his way over to his dark grey D-Wheel, its rough and jagged ends matching his demeanor quite a bit. There were green and blue stripes painted over the front and side of the device.
As the man turned his head toward the direction Jack drove off in, he was oblivious to the fact that Stephanie was storming back on the scene right behind him. Raged and out of it as the girl was, she was not paying attention to her surroundings. Before either of them realized, they collided right into one another. The man received a face full of Stephanie’s cleavage as he struggled to push her off of him.
“Watch where you’re going,” the man snapped, now on the hard cement ground.
“Likewise, pal!” Stephanie stopped suddenly, eyeing the man oddly. “You speak Japanese?”
The stranger ignored her, raising himself up off the ground. He turned his gaze away from the young woman to where Jack had just turned the corner only minutes ago.
“Hey, what are you doing here in France?” Stephanie asked, despite his annoyance.
The man once again ignored her. He looked at his watch and cursed under his breath.
Stephanie puffed her cheeks angrily and grabbed the man’s arm. “Hey, mister! Why won’t you answer me? I’m asking you a question!”
Finally getting fed up with her, the stranger shot her a dark glare. “That’s none of your concern. Leave me be. I’m busy.”
Stephanie stared back hard at him, eyeing his features. After a moment, her face blushed slightly.
“You’re kind of cute. Okay! I decided I’ll accompany you for a while.”
“What?” the man replied flatly, a blank stare glued to his face.
“I said I’m allowing you to go on a date with me. You should be happy!”
The girl slapped him on the arm playfully, much to his irritation.
“Is this some kind of joke?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?! I’m being nice and letting you go out with me! Be a little more grateful!”
“Listen, women. I don’t have the time for your ridiculous antics.” The man shoved her away from him gently with his forearm. “I’m a very busy man, and you’re holding me up.” He stopped and looked her in the eyes momentarily, recognizing her as the woman who was with Jack. “Besides, aren’t you already dating someone?”
Stephanie scoffed loudly, placing both her hands on her hips. “I don’t even remember that man! So c’mon, please go out with me!”
“Why should I go out with you? I don’t even know your name. Nor do you know mine.”
“I’m Stephanie!” she stated proudly, placing her hand over her chest. Stephanie Mayumi! I’m half English, half Japanese!”
“I don’t care about that! I told you I’m busy!” As he tried to walk away, he was pulled back by Stephanie. She clung to his arm defiantly.
Stephanie began sobbing loudly, tightening her grip on his arm. “Are you gonna shove me aside too?! Just talk to me for a bit, and I promise to leave you alone.”
The man growled, noticing a large group of bystanders gathering around them. Many of them pointed, and some of them had disgusted looks on their faces as they glared at him.
The stranger gritted his teeth. “Shit, now these people have completely misunderstood the situation. I hope you’re happy.”
Stephanie continued to cry, clinging to his arm. Her tears began to wet his sleeve. The man rolled his eyes, realizing Jack was long gone by now. Clicking his tongue sharply, he yanked Stephanie away from the on looking crowd.
“God, you’re such a pest. You just want someone to talk to, is that it? I saw what happened with Jack Atlas earlier.”
Between tears, Stephanie looked into the man’s eyes and nodded slowly.
“And you’re feeling depressed and frustrated, right?”
She nodded again.
“One hour.”
Stephanie gave the stranger a confused look.
“I’ll accompany you for one hour if you promise to keep your mouth shut and stop making a scene. Feel free to get it all off your chest.”
A smile slowly appeared on the girl’s face. “Thank you!”
The man looked at the girl and sighed loudly, placing his hand over his forehead. She stopped him gently with her arm. “Can you hold on for a moment?”
“What is it this time?”
“I left something at the table. Please don’t run away on me.”
“I won’t, so just hurry it up,” the man said in exasperation.
Stephanie smiled again and ran over to the tables in Blue-Eyes Mountain. She hopped over one of the still unconscious news reporters, who received the Jack Atlas treatment, and yanked her shoe out of the crying man’s cake. She apologized and gave the man some money before she ran back to where the stranger she met by chance waited impatiently. The old man stared at the Japanese yen in his hand, unsure of what to do with it.
BREAK
Jack lost track of time as he sped down the roads of France. He had neither destination nor motive. He simply let out all of his pent up emotions, letting the wind carry all of it as far away as possible. He even ignored the cries of his fans along the side of the road.
What was the matter with him? Was this how a king who remained undefeated for ten years is supposed to feel? Was it boredom? The King couldn’t help but feel that he was yelling at himself more than at Stephanie. Despite the fact that Jack announced his undying love for Carly Nagisa during the war with the Dark Signers, her memory was erased after the fact. He had the opportunity to say those same words again, but he wasn’t able to do so. Even to this day, he wasn’t sure why he couldn’t bring himself to tell her his feelings again.
When Jack left Carly behind on the day he left his home, Neo Domino City, he swore to himself that he would return and confess his feelings again after he made himself into the “true king” she wanted him to become. Even after so many years, Carly’s words resonated strongly within his mind.
“I have no doubt that you’ll become a true king everyone can admire someday, Jack. The old Jack Atlas died in that battle with Yusei. It’s time for you to start living as the new Jack Atlas.”
An image of Jack’s greatest rival, Yusei Fudo, flashed in the back of his mind. Just like before, Jack couldn’t help but remember the first defeat Yusei handed him back at the Fortune Cup Duel Monsters tournament. During the last Duel he had with his rival, Jack was once again defeated after a fierce back-and-forth match. Despite being comfortable with his loss at the time and making it big over the years, he never truly felt satisfied for reasons unknown to even himself.
Jack pulled out a Duel Monsters card from the pouch slung on his side. The card named Red Demon’s Dragon had the image of a red and black dragon painted on it. It was the ace card Jack used to use in all of his matches before he decided to not use it anymore. To him, the card represented the bond he shared with his former teammates. Whenever he used it, he immediately thought of them. His goal was to become World King on his own, so he did not want to think about those he began to subconsciously rely on every single time he played the card.
Nothing had changed, even now. As Jack stared into the pastel-colored eyes of the painted red demon dragon, he couldn’t help but recall something Yusei Fudo said to Team 5D’s during their final match.
“I want to be the bond that closes the gaps between our hearts, just like the Planetary Particle. That's why we don't need to be confused! We'll stand as one, and we'll be able to move as one!”
“Then, stand I shall!” Jack recalled himself responding. “I'll move into the world as King!”
Jack asked himself why he was thinking about such useless words at a time like this. Thinking back to his conversation with his manager the other day, Jack realized why he was thinking about Yusei again. His damn manager just had to keep harping on him about the same thing.
“Actually, my King, there is something else I wanted to talk to you about.” Jack recalled Mr. Fred’s words from two days ago.
“What?”
“It’s been nearly 10 years since you’ve become World King. I was thinking it was about time to invite… him for a match.”
“Yusei Fudo, you mean?”
“Yes. It would most certainly boost your popularity if you tested your ever growing strength against the legendary Duelist of Neo Domino City, currently one of history’s strongest Duelists after Yugi Mutou and Judai Yuki. And especially so if you won, Mr. Atlas.”
“I’ve thought about it myself, but I’ll be frank. I don’t feel I’m ready to face him again.”
Jack recalled the puzzled expression on his manager’s face as he said this.
“I am quite honestly surprised, King. I thought you would jump at the chance to challenge your rival again. Don’t you have a desire to settle the score with him and defeat him after all these years of losing?”
“No, that’s not it. Actually, I feel I’ll see him and the others again in the near future. I’m waiting for that time to come before I act on my inner desires.”
Indeed, Jack felt an indescribable feeling as he grasped the card engraved with countless memories of his past in hand. Though he couldn’t put those feelings into words, he felt as though his card was speaking through his soul, trying to tell him something. What that was, he wasn’t entirely sure. He felt he would learn the answer soon enough.
With thoughts of his past lingering, Jack continued to drive into the twilight hovering high above in the distant horizon.
BREAK
About ten minutes later, Stephanie rode with the man she met at the café, sitting behind him on his D-Wheel. She had her arms wrapped around him tightly.
“So what’s your name?” Stephanie called out over the sound of the engine.
“It’s Kyoji.”
“And your given name?”
“Yukio.”
“Okay, Yukio-chan!”
Yukio had a disgusted look on his face. “Don’t call people by their first names when you barely know them.”
“It’s okay, because I’m half English.”
“Don’t use that as an excuse. You probably don’t even speak English.”
“I love you!” Stephanie said in her Engrish accent.
“Random phrases don’t count.” Yukio grew silent for a moment before changing his tone slightly. “So what were you and Jack Atlas fighting about?”
Stephanie turned her head away in anger. “He’s such a jerk! He won’t give me any attention just because he’s in love with another girl.”
“Do you even realize what you’re saying? Just how selfish can you be?”
“But he hasn’t even confessed his feelings to the girl, so I have every right to intervene!” Yukio peered at Stephanie’s expression through his side view mirror, slightly disturbed by how confident she looked while saying something like that. “Say,” she continued, “I’m sure someone like you has loved before. Maybe you can give me pointers.”
“You seem to be gravely mistaken,” Yukio said grimly.
“What? You’ve never loved before?” Stephanie eyed him curiously through his mirror.
“That’s none of your business.”
Stephanie seemed dissatisfied, but her attention was suddenly averted by a nearby restaurant.
“Say, wanna get something to eat?”
“Don’t misunderstand. This isn’t some kind of date,” Yukio grunted, looking very annoyed by this point.
“I know. We’re just friends,” she replied, smiling brightly.
Yukio eyed her cautiously through his mirror. “Friends? We aren’t even acquaintances.”
Stephanie returned his gaze curiously. “If we’re not friends, why are you doing all this for me?”
Yukio’s eye twitched violently as he found himself unable to answer her question.
“How irritating! What a conniving woman!” he thought angrily.
After some more driving and a one-sided conversation, Yukio stopped his D-Wheel along the side of a dark road.
“Okay, you’ve had your fun. I promised you one hour, and one hour is up. This is where we part ways.” Yukio raised his arm and motioned with his arm in a shooing fashion.
Stephanie stared at the man as if he had three heads. “What is it? Do you have to go to the bathroom or something? Did the food not mix well with your stomach? I told you not to order that curry.”
“Are you stupid? I’m trying to be polite here, but you’ve left me no other choice. Get the hell off my D-Wheel.”
Stephanie narrowed her eyes as she observed her surroundings. “You’re gonna let a defenseless woman off in the middle of such a dangerous area? How can you be so heartless?”
Yukio looked around and took notice of the shady area and the scummy-looking people inhabiting it. Some of the men had various drugs out in front of them, while others were exchanging money and gambling. Yukio grew frustrated and slammed his fists on top of his D-Wheel.
“Fine, I’ll take you wherever you want to go if you promise to never bother me again.”
“You’re so kind!” Stephanie gripped his shoulders affectionately as he let out a defeated sigh.
“Stop that,” Yukio said, pushing her arms off of him. “Where do you want to go?”
“The airport. I’m going back to Japan.”
Yukio raised an eyebrow. “So am I, actually. Fine, I’ll take you to the airport. The moment we get there, we’re parting ways. Got it?”
“Got it!”
BREAK
An hour later, Yukio stopped his D-Wheel outside the front doors of the Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris.
“Okay, now get lost,” Yukio said in a commanding tone.
Unlike before, Stephanie stepped off willingly. She turned back to the man and smiled. “So I guess this is goodbye, huh? Thanks for keeping me company. I feel a lot better now.” Stephanie kissed Yukio’s cheek and slipped a piece of paper into the front pocket of his jacket. The man’s face reddened briefly, but he quickly brushed the action off with a clearing of his throat.
Unable to process the situation, Yukio stared back up at the woman with blank eyes. “What is this supposed to be?”
“Call me when you get back home,” she giggled, smiling cutely. She then ran through the front doors of the airport.
Yukio rubbed his cheek for a moment before stopping himself. He scoffed and started his D-Wheel back up.
“As if.”
Yukio drove toward the shipment center to have his D-Wheel shipped back to Japan.
BREAK
Around three hours later, Yukio managed to purchase a last minute ticket and get his D-Wheel shipped to his house. Not long after, he boarded the plane, his small bag hung over his shoulder.
Yukio observed the surrounding passengers carefully as he walked down the isle of the plane. No one in particular stood out as presenting any sort of threat, so Yukio’s nerves calmed a bit. One would not expect any sort of threat from the hairy old man and wrinkly old woman assigned to the same section of the plane as him. Yukio took his seat, avoiding eye contact with the family of two parents and two boys sitting in the seats behind his own. Yukio’s seat was located toward the very back of the plane, one of the window seats in Row K.
Yukio immediately buried his eyes in a book, avoiding eye contact with the nosey old couple sitting horizontally opposite to his seat on the opposite wing-side of the plane. The plane quickly set for its course, Yukio feeling the pressure in his ears as his flight took to the sky. Not long into the flight, Yukio’s attention was focused entirely on his book when he suddenly felt someone sit beside him. It was a familiar presence. He slowly raised his eyes and nearly fumed when he saw Stephanie grinning widely beside him.
“You…! You followed me again!” Yukio’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor as he waved his arm around, letting his book fall onto his lap in the process.
“Wrong!” Stephanie made a cute ‘incorrect’ gesture with her arms, forming in X in front of her chest. “We just happened to be on the same plane and I just happened to be sitting in the same row as you.”
“There’s no way! Where do you live?”
“Neo Domino City.”
Yukio growled and snatched her boarding pass from her. He skimmed it over and began to sweat a bit as he confirmed her seat with his own eyes. “This isn’t possible. Out of all the seats, we ended up sitting together?”
“You don’t believe in destiny?” Stephanie giggled and clutched his arm. He stared at the woman in horror, listening to the pilot tell the passengers that they had a five hour flight ahead of them.
“What a terrible twist of fate,” he grumbled, letting his head hit the back of his chair.
After parting with the girl outside of the airport, Yukio was absolutely positive that would be the last time he ever laid eyes on the woman. Presently, Yukio could kick himself just thinking about how wrong he turned out to be.
“How come you’re just getting to your seat now?” Yukio finally asked, coming out of his self-imposed trance. “We’ve been in the air for ten minutes already,” he mumbled, not even looking the young woman in her eyes. Stephanie, rather carefree and uninterested, fiddled her fingers in a bored fashion as she responded, “Yeah, I had a hard time finding Row K. I can’t believe our seats are all the way here in back of the plane. Don’t you think it’s a bit cold? Maybe I should get one of the attendants to turn it down?”
Yukio rolled his eyes, wondering how this woman could possibly be so dense. “First of all,” he started, “how the hell could you possibly get confused? The seats are ordered in alphabetical order.” Stephanie made an “Ah!” sound as Yukio continued. “Plus, there’s no way the attendant would turn down the air conditioner for you per-“
Too late.
“Hey, you!” Stephanie called over to a young man dressed in a fancy suit and apron. “It’s cold over here! Can you turn down the AC?!” Yukio slapped his hand against his forehead as Stephanie stirred up a scene, only to be told exactly what Yukio was about to finish saying; the air is set and can’t be turned down for just one person. They instead gave her a blanket.
About 30 minutes passed, and Stephanie finally closed her mouth. Yukio again returned to his book, frustrated that he had to waste time finding where he left off in the thick pages. After finding his place, Yukio carried on in his own world, ignoring the ditzy woman sitting beside him. Stephanie was facing Yukio with her elbows propped up on the arm rest and her head resting against her hand while this went on, staring at him in silence. After a while, Yukio became aware of this and did his best to ignore her. She was obviously bored and she occasionally poked his cheek with the index finger of her free hand. Yukio grew slightly annoyed, but he kept trying to ignore her, telling himself that if he acknowledged her it would be more of a headache than ignoring her.
Stephanie eventually lost interest in her finger prodding and decided to try a different approach. She tried tracing her finger along the scar on his face, directly under his left eye. Unlike her previous actions, this got an immediate reaction. Yukio let his book drop yet again, leaned forward in a swift motion, and quickly grabbed her hand in a tight grip. Stephanie was slightly startled by his agility, not pegging his somewhat slim appearance for such an athletic type. Yukio seemed mildly flustered at what was essentially having his face stroked, but Stephanie didn't particularly seem to notice just how flustered he really was.
After a while, Stephanie gave a gasp when Yukio caught her arm with a swift swipe of his hand. "Don't do that," he growled in a deep voice, obviously ticked off. Still oblivious to his discomfort, Stephanie could only offer up her usual confused blinking. "Why?"
Yukio turned his gaze to the back of the seat in front of him as he let go of the girl’s arm. "It's annoying."
"I'm bored,” Stephanie whined. “Talk to me and I'll stop." Yukio, his scowl still plastered to his face, eyed the woman through the corner of his eyes.
"What do we have to talk about?"
Stephanie placed her hand over her chin, lost in thought. "Do you really need to have a reason?” she pondered aloud. “You just talk about something."
Yukio heaved a soft sigh, not taking his eyes off the leather of the plane seat. "I don't like pointless banter." Stephanie responded with a girly moan, not particularly satisfied with his answer. "Why's that?"
Yukio finally turned to look her in the eyes, his frown not leaving him. "Because it's-"
Yukio’s voice cut short when he came to the irritating realization that he had been tricked by the cunning woman. Here he was going on about refusing to take part in pointless dialogue when he was doing just that. He couldn’t help but curse her for being so persistent.
After a long moment where the two shared an awkward meeting of their eyes, Yukio shrugged her off and picked his fallen book back up. Not intending to even finish the sentence he started moments earlier, Yukio’s eyes headed for the words on the pages of his open book. He didn’t even bother to find his place this time. He just read the first line he laid eyes on. Stephanie didn’t take long to realize his intentions, but she was yet to be deterred. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Stephanie wrapped her arms around his and leaned in close enough so that her breath was blowing on the man’s neck. As if she was attempting to see what he was reading, Stephanie lowered her head so the flesh of her cheeks barely touched his. He was seemingly bothered by the close proximity, and Yukio quickly pulled back from her as close to the window as he could possibly get.
"Now what are you doing!?" Yukio’s attempt to place distance in between the two failed miserably when Stephanie slid in her chair so she was near once again.
"What are you reading?" she asked in her cutest sounding voice, pissing him off even more.
"Nothing you would care about," Yukio snapped, his head grinding into the plane window as if he could somehow slip through it.
Stephanie ignored his comment and used her hand to tilt the book just enough to see the title. It appeared to be a catalogue of sorts with information on Duel Monsters strategies and cards. "Duel Monsters?" she asked out loud, eyeing him curiously.
Yukio growled and tugged the book back so he could see the page he was reading again. "Yes,” he said, his tone rising as he became increasingly heated, “and if you don't mind, I'm trying to memorize them.” Yukio waved his hand to shoo the girl away.
"Oh yeah,” Stephanie said thoughtfully, not taking his hint and maintaining her close vicinity. “I guess that was a D-Wheel we were riding on." Yukio shook his head, feeling yet another headache approaching. "You just figured that out?"
Stephanie’s smiled faded, his comment obviously not sitting well with her. "I knew what it was! I just didn't think about it at the time." Yukio scoffed, his back flat against the wall as he attempted to move backward in the awkward position he was sitting in. "And that's different?"
"Yes! Don't try to make it sound like I'm stupid!” Stephanie waved her arms around wildly as she spoke, a somewhat amusing charm to her heated state. “Not knowing something is something is different from knowing something is something and not thinking about it!"
Yukio raised both of his eyes as if he just heard an alien language. "...What? Do you even listen to yourself?"
"What's that mean?"
"It means- Wait, why am I even talking to you!?"
As if she was making a serious attempt to ponder the question, Stephanie tapped her finger against her noggin and looked up toward the plane’s ceiling only a few feet above. "Because I'm a charming, pretty girl and you can't help yourself?"
Stephanie then hugged Yukio's arm tighter. Yukio just stared at her for a while before rubbing his forehead in a tired fashion. "What did I do to deserve this...?” he mumbled before attempting to get more serious with the young woman. “Okay, look, I'm tired of playing with you. I've kept you company and talked to you way more than I ever wanted. So let go of me and leave me alone. I'm not interested in playing games with some fickle women.”
“Fickle?” Stephanie immediately went on the defensive, maintaining her grip on the man’s arm as she leaned right into his face. “I'll have you know I'm a very faithful women. Jack has been the only man I've had any interest in for over ten years! And there have been plenty of men who have been interested in me!"
"Until they got to know you I bet."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying being cute doesn't make up for your personality flaws. You’re childish, pushy, selfish, and you don't listen to-“ Yukio paused when he noticed a sly smirk appearing on Stephanie’s lips. “What's that look for?"
Stephanie gave a girly giggle, placing her hands above her mouth excitedly. "You think I'm cute," she whined, almost sounding like a fangirl of sorts. Yukio grew flustered at this point, placing his hand on the same arm she had clamped to his own. "See, you don't listen! I also said you’re childish, pushy, and selfish!"
"But you're not denying you think I'm cute."
"And you call this being faithful? You're on a plane clinging to some guy you just randomly met on the street a few hours ago!" Yukio proceeded to tug on Stephanie’s arm as he spoke to show emphasis.
Now it was Stephanie’s turn to get a bit flustered as she finally let go of her prey. “Th-that was an unusual circumstance! I told you I needed to talk to someone and what are the chances of just randomly running into someone who speaks Japanese in Paris!?" Stephanie lowered her brow and returned her hand to his arm, returning the tug even harder. "This is just a simple sign of affection, like hand holding."
"If this is simple affection you show a person you just met, do I even want to know what you consider intimate?"
"Don't make me out to be some easy women! Maybe you’re the one attracted to me, since you have these wild ideas in your head, ever think of that?"
"Then explain this!" Yukio reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper Stephanie had given to him earlier. Stephanie grew increasingly flustered as her own voice rang in her ears.
“Call me when you get back home.”
Yukio looked somewhat satisfied as he finally drove the conniving woman into a corner, noting her cheeks turning rosy red. "Uhh...” Stephanie started stammering as she attempted a response, finding it suddenly difficult to look the man in the eyes. “I, uh... W-why don't you explain why you still have it?" The situation reversed itself in a split second, Yukio beginning to turn red in the face himself. "I-" Yukio’s voice faded, replaced by a low growl from deep down in his throat. His growl became a sharp, angry roar, and he ripped the paper in two halves and tossed it into the air for good measure. "I don't!"
Stephanie’s eyes widened, her pink cheeks turning crimson red with a flare of anger. "Now who's being childish!?"
"I don't want to hear that from you!"
"Just admit it! You're attracted to me!"
Yukio’s nose scrunched up in absolute disgust at the woman’s demanding tone. "What!?"
"Admit it!"
"You know-"
Yukio stopped midsentence when he suddenly became aware of his current surroundings. It was as if he was lost in his own world with just Stephanie for some time, but he suddenly took notice of several pairs of eyes gawking in his direction. Yukio started to rub the top of his nose in embarrassment, recalling that this was a plane and everything that just occurred was witnessed by countless of strangers. The man who was sitting on the aisle seat opposite to Stephanie gave Yukio a pleading look, obviously disrupted by the constant bickering.
"Excuse me. Could you two please…quiet down a bit?”
Yukio suddenly adapted a “screw it all” attitude, shooting a glare toward the man that sent a chill down his spine. “Screw it indeed”, Yukio thought. Why should he care what these people thought of him? He’d never see any of them again after this flight anyhow. As he lowered his glare back to Stephanie, Yukio realized he didn’t want to back down to this stubborn woman.
“It’s just,” the man stuttered, “I have a very important meeting ahead of me, and I’m trying to-“
“Shut up!” The man jumped in his seat, startled by the dual shout from both Yukio and Stephanie simultaneously.
As if nothing had even happened, Yukio and Stephanie glared back at each other and picked up where they left off.
"Jack Atlas was right!” Yukio shouted, narrowing his eyes. “You’re delusional!"
The comment obviously struck a wrong nerve as Stephanie recalled something Jack had said to her that infuriated her.
“You’re the one who keeps following me around! Just how delusional can you get?!”
Stephanie went completely silent for a few seconds as Jack’s comment flashed in her mind. After a long pause, the woman’s eyebrows lowered so she could shoot Yukio a dark glare. "Take that back...” Yukio, a bit surprised by the serious tone in the woman’s expression, found himself at a loss of words temporarily. After gaining his voice back, he shot back furiously.
"Why shou-" Yukio was stopped short as Stephanie reached over and grabbed both of his cheeks with her hands. Yukio gave a series of muffled cries as his flesh was pulled and tugged viciously, his saliva splashing out involuntarily. “Take it back now!" Stephanie screamed in a whiny voice, shaking his head like a toy rattle.
"What are you, four years old!?" Yukio managed in between tugs as he made an emergency escape toward his safe spot; namely, the window that he pretended was a safe spot. This, of course, was futile effort on his part. Like a wild chimpanzee, Stephanie climbed up over the armrest and climbed right into Yukio’s lap to continue the assault. Yukio struggled with her a bit more before finally grabbing her hands, pressing his thumbs on the area between her thumb and index fingers, allowing him to easily pull her hands off his face.
"What is wrong with you!?" Yukio stopped short when he noticed the expression on Stephanie’s face, her quivering lip and snotty nose giving off the impression that she was genuinely upset. Yukio found himself suddenly feeling guilty, realizing his words were a bit too much, even for his blunt personality. He let go of her hand and turned toward the dark clouds outside the plane’s window.
"Okay... I'm sorry," he said quietly, almost in a whisper. Stephanie heaved a long sigh before slumping against him for a few moments. A minute or so passed before Stephanie spoke up. As the two quieted down, the eyes that had been watching them finally returned to their own business.
When the realization of her actions came to light in Stephanie’s attempt to calm herself, she grew increasingly embarrassed by her actions. Yukio noticed through the corner of his eye that Stephanie had calmed considerably, a light coat of red coming to her cheeks. He realized that even this crazy woman had some sense of humility when she took a moment to calm herself.
“Okay…” Stephanie started, her voice hushed and repressed. “So for now, let's just agree there might be a tiny mutual attraction here and leave it at that?" Yukio glared at her, still through the corner of his eyes, and seemed irritated at the thought. "...How about we don't?" Upon receiving another long, drawn out stare down from the woman, Yukio gave in and shrugged his shoulders. "Fine. Maybe a very, very... VERY tiny bit, but that's as much as you’re getting!"
This seemed to please Stephanie, at least for the moment. Yukio sighed, feeling all the energy exiting his body. He couldn’t figure out for the life of him how this petite woman managed to drain him so much. After another long pause, Yukio turned and looked at Stephanie from her waist up, attempting to hint at her that she was still crammed in his seat with him. When she didn’t take the hint, Yukio pointed it out to her. "Now get back in your chair."
Upon realizing the fact, Stephanie made quick effort to move back to her seat. As she moved, she felt a shot of pain shoot up her leg that caused her to wince. She glanced back and noticed her leg was bent at the knee and jammed down against the arm rest, leaving her with no room to move.
"Uh-oh..."
"What's wrong?"
"I'm stuck."
"You're what!?" Yukio made an effort of his own to move, but his leg brushed up against Stephanie’s and pushed her deeper into the crack. "Ow, ow, ow, stop moving, that hurts!"
Yukio’s jaw dropped, his hand slapping against his forehead in a bewildered fashion. "Well that's just great. Was your little tantrum worth it?"
"Shut up! Can't you slide back further!?" Stephanie attempted to slide over so her body was pushing against Yukio. The man grunted as her head gutted him in the process. "No, I can't,” he muttered. “I'm against the window!"
Yes, no matter how much he wanted to, he could not pass through the window to escape this insanity!
"Well think of something!" Stephanie demanded through clenched teeth and moans.
"Fine! Just give me a minute." Yukio tried to think, but he started to become more aware of the fact that Stephanie was pressed up against him, making things difficult. Eventually Stephanie spoke up when it was obvious he was not going to be of any help here. "I have an idea. Hug me."
"What!?"
"Hug me, so I can get more room to get my leg free." The worst part to Yukio was the expression on her face, dead serious and lips closed tight, that made it seem like she had just discovered a cure for cancer or something; an expression one makes when deducing something brilliant.
"Hug me, so I can get more room to get my leg free,” she continued in her explanation as if it was rocket science. Yukio, growing flustered yet again, turned away from her eyes uncomfortably. "I... can't you think of something else?"
"What's wrong? Just do it."
Yukio turned his gaze to the wall, once again wishing he could just slip through it. After a long pause, knowing this woman would never give in, Yukio threw his arms up in defeat. "Okay, fine!"
Yukio leaned forward, bringing his raised arms down past the woman’s shoulders, being extra careful to avoid making contact with her…womanly assets. When his arms were wrapped around Stephanie’s waist, he quickly loosened his grip to avoid touching her as much as possible.
"Tighter."
Yukio gritted his teeth, not liking the woman’s tone one bit. Still, he knew the only way to end this disaster was to get her back into her seat as quickly as possible. Yukio did as she said and increased his grip around her waist, feeling her back press against his chest in the process.
"Tighter! I'm not gonna break."
Yukio hugged her as tight as he possibly could, his own chest grinding into her back all throughout. This finally gave Stephanie enough room to wiggle her leg out of its entrapment. Stephanie breathed a sigh of relief, wiggling her foot up over the arm rest—over Yukio’s leg—so it was again resting against the floor where it belonged. "Alright, I'm free."
Yukio heaved a sigh of relief. "Good, now-"
"Wait, wait, wait!"
"Now what!?"
Stephanie gave Yukio a cute smile before laying her head back into his chest. "I wanna stay like this a bit."
"Will you-"
Yukio was cut off by a female’s voice coming from across the seats. It was a flight attendant staring over at the two sternly. "Excuse me, sir, could you and your girlfriend please try to show some... restraint? You’re bothering the other passengers. Plus having both of you in the same seat is a safety issue."
Yukio looked down at Stephanie, who he still had his arms wrapped around. Stephanie smiled up at him playfully, blinking her eyes rapidly. "Yeah Honey, control yourself."
Yukio glared at her agitatedly as an awkward silence befell the entire plane, every single passenger watching a man caress a girl in public view for all to see.
And so Yukio’s plane ride from Hell continued for few hours before the plane finally landed safely in Neo Domino City, Japan. The second he was able to pry himself away from the woman, he hid in the men’s room of the airport for 20 minutes, hoping she would no longer be there when he finally came out.
He was wrong.
BREAK
The familiar cry of the Master of Ceremonies echoed through the Riding Duel stadium of London, England. MC was dressed in his usual red disco outfit as he prepared to host another Duel Monsters match.
“Everybody, listen!”
Jack Atlas was back in his white and purple Riding Suit as he once again stood by his D-Wheel. He grasped his helmet and absorbed the sounds of the crowd as he so often did before his matches. The King looked up at his surroundings. Aside from the usual dome shape of the white stadium, there was a notable English flag hung high in the center.
“I, Master of Ceremonies,” MC continued, “am here to bring you a Duel that will shape the history of Riding Duels as we know it!”
Just as MC was about to continue, a higher pitched voice interrupted him.
“Yes, for I, Master of Parties, am about to declare the release of a new card!”
Master of Ceremonies narrowed his eyes and cocked his head toward the shorter gentleman standing beside him. He also had a unique hair style, but unlike the giant pompadour MC had, the Master of Parties sported a black, fluffy afro.
“Master of Parties, I would appreciate it if you didn’t interrupt me when I’m in the middle of a broadcast!”
“I am trying to gain experience, Father! Don’t yell at me!”
“Fine, I’ll let you announce this information, but the match is mine!”
“Okay!” the Master of Parties sung out in a chirpy voice. “Here and now, I, Master of Parties, MP for short, am announcing the release of the new and improved Speed World, Final Speed World!”
With this major announcement, the crowd cheered uncontrollably.
“This impressive card combines properties of the original Speed World with the more recent Speed World 2 along with new effects that will bring Riding Duels to the next level of advanced game play! And those effects-“
MP was cut off by his father before he could continue.
“…will be introduced one by one as you watch the coming Duels!” MC continued in place of his son.
“Father, I told you not to interrupt me!”
“Listen, my son,” MC said, eying the younger man seriously. “You must never reveal all the facts in the beginning of a broadcast. You must build excitement and anticipation by revealing pieces of information bit by bit. Remember that now, boy!”
MP turned his head away, obviously not liking his father lecturing him over the public broadcast.
Jack tuned out the two broadcasters and focused on positioning himself at the start line of the central track. He dragged his Wheel of Fortune along the dirt, leaving a long trail behind him. One thing did catch his attention, however, and that was the mention of the upgraded Speed World Field Magic card. In Riding Duels, Speed World acts as the central core for any Riding Duelist. One could turn a match in their favor by utilizing the various effects. Speed World 2 had a number of different effects as it was, so Jack pondered how it could possibly be any more advanced. But Mr. Fred hadn’t told him anything about this. As usual, he left out all the details!
Jack looked up toward his opponent, who was also making his way onto the track. He stared into an all-too-familiar face, one he had the pleasure of seeing far too often. He was Mukuro Enjo, noted to be one of the most persistent Riding Duelists in the history of the game. Persistence, Jack thought, was an understatement. If there was someone to represent the meaning of never giving up, Enjo would be that someone.
Enjo rode a black D-Wheel with a flame design painted on the outside that complimented his spiky red-orange hair. He was garbed in his traditional outfit fans knew very well. This consisted of a black fire-pattern jacket over an orange T-shirt. He had noticeably sharp spike cuffs attached to the shoulder area of his jacket as well as a skull-shaped necklace hanging around his neck. His outfit was complete with his matching black pants and black, pointed shoes. His eyes were hidden by the dark sunglasses he always wore in public.
Enjo let out a piercing cry while releasing a blank shot from his unloaded gun. This was something Jack noticed him doing frequently, though he had no idea why it was allowed. Firing a gun of any kind, even a blank, would normally be frowned upon by police. The power of fame was incredible indeed.
“There he is!” Master of Ceremonies shouted through the speaker system. “The King’s greatest rival, Mukuro Enjo!”
“299 losses, 0 wins!” Master of Parties tossed in his five cents.
Jack couldn’t help but look a little surprised by those statistics. He had so many matches that he didn’t bother to keep track of such trivial things, but 299 was far beyond persistence. It was almost unthinkable to the King that he squared off against this man so many times.
“Heh, always with the useless scores.” Enjo sneered at the announcers before facing the crowd of onlookers. “But no matter. I declare today, here and now, in my 300th match with the King! That yours truly, Mukuro Enjo, will be victorious!”
Enjo successfully stirred up the audience. The cheers emitting from the stadium were louder than ever. It was truly fascinating how much support a man who lost so often could muster.
“King, today is the day I rip you from your throne!”
Jack flashed a disapproving frown toward his rival who pointed his finger straight at him. “Hmph! You’ll have to train for another 200 years before you can even think of defeating me, Enjo!”
“Now, King and Challenger,” MC shouted, “get into your starting positions!”
The two Riding Duelists drove toward the start line of the track, revving their engines loudly.
Enjo showed Jack a toothy grin while he confidently shuffled his deck of cards. “My deck’s the greatest today! You don’t stand a chance, Atlas! Yahoo!”
Jack showed no reaction and focused on shuffling his own deck. MC began reciting his usual banter as the two prepared themselves.
“How will you deal with this fearless challenger's stand, King? Make sure all eyes are on this fateful showdown! The time's come to cast some magic on the field! King and Challenger, set the Field Magic, Final Speed World, on!”
In response, both Duelists’ D-Wheels began to undergo an automatic transformation. Their Duel Disks were locked into place. As each player inserted his deck into the appropriate area, one of the field aids walked over to them and handed them a card. Jack lifted the card and saw the words “Final Speed World” written on the top in English, with Japanese katakana written in small print above it to indicate a foreign word.
Neither Duelist had the time to sit and read the card, nor did anyone attending expect them to. After all, a match at such a high level would be all the more exciting with added pressure and unfamiliarity. As Jack expected, each player would slowly learn the rules of this new card through trial and error. Such risks were befitting of the King.
“Duel Mode – on.”
The electronic voice indicated the start of an official Riding Duel, meaning all ordinary Dueling rules were thrown out the window.
MP picked up where his father left off.
“The field has been dominated by Final Speed World! That means magic other than a Speed Spell can't be activated! Any player doing so will take 2000 points of damage!”
“Speed Spells, the greatest characteristic of Riding Duels,” MC continued, “are Magic Cards that can only be activated on a field with Final Speed World cast on it! Their activation requirements differ from normal Magic Cards, as they are determined by the number of Speed Counters one holds! That means the Duelist's speed itself is the magic!” “The starter appears and gives the red signal!” MP’s giant afro bobbed back and forth as he eagerly watched one of the staff members in an orange jump suit wave a red flag.
“Duel-“ MC started.
“Start!” MP finished.
“Don’t interrupt me!”
“Riding Duel! Acceleration!” Jack and Enjo shouted simultaneously.
Faster than the eye could track, the two D-Wheelers roared their engines and sped down the track.
“Under ordinary circumstances, Duels would be conducted with each player holding 4000 Life Points each. However, today’s match will be a rare exception in honor of the release of Final Speed World. Both Mukuro Enjo and Jack Atlas will hold 8000 Life Points each!”
Jack’s D-Wheel, being faster than Enjo’s, arrived at the primary corner first. Just as he was about to pass the corner, Jack lowered his speed and let Enjo’s black D-Wheel pass his Wheel of Fortune. Enjo did not appear surprised by the King’s usual strategy.
“Oh my, Master of Parties! Under normal conditions, two players in a Riding Duel will determine who goes first by racing to the first corner!”
“That’s right, Master of Ceremonies. Our King, however, is always humble and allows his challengers to go first. He claims it’s out of respect, but I personally think he uses the opportunity to examine his opponent’s fighting style.”
“Very well, King.” Enjo passed the first corner and looked away from his opponent. “My turn! Draw!” He drew a card from his deck, adding it with his other five cards to complete his opening hand.
[Mukuro’s LP: 8000] [Mukuro’s SC: 1, Jack’s SC: 1]
“I discard Skull Conductor from my hand into the Graveyard! This allows me to Special Summon two Burning Skull Heads onto my field in Attack Mode.”
Two ghastly looking skeletal heads materialized on Enjo’s field, surrounded by a bright flame. As soon as they appeared on the field, they shot forward and nailed Jack straight in the gut. Caught off guard for a mere moment, Jack gasped. It did not take him long to regain his composure.
[Jack's LP: 8000 -> 6000]
“Playing your usual strategy, are we?” Jack snorted. “How many times has it been now?”
“Shut up! I’m not done yet!” Enjo snapped back. “I release the two Burning Skull Heads to Advance Summon Skull Flame in Attack Mode!”
Jack watched as a full body skeleton rose from the ground, grasping the two flame-covered heads and smashing them into pieces. After doing this, the flames passed onto the skeleton and enveloped its entire body. Tattered blue robes and a red mantle materialized over the skeleton’s body.
“I’ll then set two cards and end my turn!”
Holographic card backings appeared in front of Enjo’s field as he sped alongside Jack.
“Oh my!” MC cried. “Mukuro Enjo has started the match off with a strategy he has used countless times before! How will the King respond?”
“Do you really think the same old strategy will work on me?” Jack grabbed a card from the top of his deck and added it to his hand. “My turn! Draw!”
[Jack’s LP: 6000] [Mukuro’s SC: 2, Jack’s SC: 2]
“I activate Speed Spell – Angel Baton from my hand!”
As Jack inserted the Speed Spell into his Magic/Trap Zone, a blonde-haired woman with elegant, white wings formed behind him. She gave him an earnest smile as she shined a bright, white light over his entire field. She then faded within her own light.
“This card’s effect lets me draw two cards from my deck.” Jack wasted no time picking two more cards off his deck and adding them into his hand. “I then discard one card from my hand after.”
Enjo’s boastful smile turned upside down as he watched the King’s turn unfold.
“If my opponent controls a Monster on the field while I control no Monsters, I can Special Summon Vice Dragon from my hand! I’ll place it in Attack Mode by halving its Attack Power.”
A grey dinosaur-like dragon appeared behind Jack, shrieking out and flapping its bright-green wings above Jack’s head.
[Vice Dragon’s ATK: 2000 -> 1000 / DEF: 2400 -> 1200]
“Tch, what a hypocrite. You’re using the same old strategy as well!” Enjo grumbled his complaints.
“Is that so? Say that after I complete my turn! I Normal Summon the Tuner Monster, Dark Resonator, in Attack Mode!”
A tiny shadow demon wearing armor and a purple-red robe scurried in front of Jack’s Wheel of Fortune. It grasped a two-pronged spear and a blue staff.
“My word! There it is! Jack Atlas always takes the second turn to secure combos like this!” Master of Parties danced around his father excitedly as he spoke.
“I’m Tuning my Level Five Vice Dragon with the Level Three Dark Resonator!”
(5+3=8)
“There it is!” Master of Ceremonies shouted, pushing his son away from him. “The symbol of the evolution of humanity, the Synchro Summon! By using a Tuner Monster in combination with another Monster, one can Synchro Summon if their Monsters’ levels equal the total level of their Synchro Monster!”
Enjo watched as his opponent was surrounded by an intense, green light that pulled the winged dragon toward the spinning Dark Resonator.
“He, who was born from the darkness of his own heart, emerge from within your soul! Synchro Summon! Make him bleed, Blood Mefist!”
Vice Dragon and Dark Resonator were suddenly shriveled up as a demonic figure emerged from the shadows behind them. As the creature drained them of their blood, their dried up corpses turned into dust. The dust was carried by the wind to Enjo, who coughed. Though Solid Vision was fake, it was capable of manipulating the senses and tricking the brain into experiencing false realities.
Blood Mefist revealed its full body, dressed in several layers of robes, all various shades of red. It had the figure of a blue-skinned gentleman, a top hat over its head, and a thick, curly mustache under its nose. The demon held a long staff with a skeleton head poised at the end of it.
Continuing his turn, Jack inserted a card into his Magic/Trap Zone. “I then activate Speed Spell – Overboost! Using the magic of this Speed Spell, my Speed Counters will increase by four!”
Jack’s field lit up once again, this time in a vibrant purple. Enjo grinded his teeth as his opponent sped far ahead of him on the track.
[Jack’s SC: 2 -> 6]
Enjo, however, was far from rattled.
“I knew you’d do that! I can read you like a book, King! Trap Card, activate! Acceleration Zone!”
A purple-colored card known as a Trap Card was flipped over in front of Enjo, revealing the detailed painting and the text to his rival.
“This Trap Card activates when my opponent gains Speed Counters outside of Final Speed World. I gain five Speed Counters!”
Enjo mockingly waved his hand toward Jack as he dashed to his position and sped even further down the track.
[Mukuro’s SC: 2 -> 7]
“Challenger Mukuro Enjo ensues a furious assault on the King with his skillful Trap!” MC proclaimed.
“Clever,” Jack retorted, “but my aim was this! Speed Spell – Half Seize!”
Enjo’s eyes widened in surprise as Jack’s set card revealed itself to him.
“When I have three or more Speed Counters, Half Seize halves the Attack Power of a Monster on the field!”
“What did you say?!”
“Naturally, that includes your Monsters as well! I select your Skull Flame!”
[Skull Flame’s ATK: 2600 -> 1300]
Enjo could only watch as the flames around his caped skeleton began to fizzle. They were tiny and non-threatening now, hardly posing any threat at all.
“Shit…!”
“Then my Life Points increase by the total amount of Attack Points your Skull Flame lost!”
[Jack’s LP: 6000->7300]
“Whoa nelly!” exclaimed Master of Parties. “Jack Atlas quickly turned the damage Mukuro Enjo dealt him into a quick recovery! Our King is just as overwhelming as ever!”
“What’s the matter, Mukuro?” Jack chuckled as he observed his opponent losing his cool. “Don’t tell me this is the result of your training? I haven’t felt a thing!”
Enjo’s eyes began to twitch as Jack pounded his chest, laughing it up.
“Goddamn!”
“I use Blood Mefist to attack Skull Flame! Learn the difference in our strength, challenger! Cursed Blood!”
Blood Mefist raised its skeletal staff and unleashed a wave of blood that struck Flame King’s exposed rib cage. Its bones began to erode and crumble around the defenseless D-Wheeler.
[Enjo’s LP: 8000 -> 6500]
“I won’t let you take away my Speed Counters!” Enjo roared. “Trap, open! Death Accel! This card activates when I’m about to take Battle Damage. I don’t lose any Speed Counters during Damage Calculation and I instead gain Speed Counters for each multiple of 500 damage I took!”
[Mukuro’s SP: 7 -> 10]
“Not too shabby!“ Jack half-smiled as he applauded his rival’s tactics. Enjo was far ahead of Jack on the track now.
He lowered his eyes to sort through the data on his dashboard. He glanced at the various effects of Final Speed World and seemed impressed. He didn’t have the time to carefully read through the lengthy text displayed in front of him, but Jack noted that you could access an effect for each increment of Speed Counters you had. The higher your Speed Counters, the more advanced effects you could use.
Looking at his current data, Jack acknowledged that he had six Speed Counters. He took the time to read the effect listed for five Speed Counters:
“5: Draw 1 card.”
“I activate one of the effects of Final Speed World. By removing five of my Speed Counters, I can draw one card from my deck.”
[Jack’s SC: 6 -> 1]
Jack drew another card and added it to his hand. He then read the effect listed for one Speed Counter on Final Speed World:
“1: Recover 500 Life Points.”
“Using my remaining Speed Counter, I will increase my Life Points by 500 points!”
[Jack’s SC: 1 -> 0]
[Jack’s LP: 7300 -> 7800]
Jack felt a sudden jolt as his D-Wheel began to skid to a sudden stop. It was a sensation he had not previously encountered in Riding Duels. He had his Speed Counters reduced to zero in the past without such turbulence, so what in the world was happening?
“Jack Atlas has taken a large gamble! When a player’s Speed Counters reach zero, they risk crashing themselves and thus forfeiting the Duel! A recent upgrade in the Solid Vision system has made such reality settings possible for extreme game play amongst enthusiasts!”
Jack cursed under his breath as the image of Mr. Fred’s cunning smile appeared in his thoughts. That damn manager of his once again forget to mention such an important detail!
“Hmph! As if Jack Atlas would crash from something like this!”
Jack slammed on his breaks and skidded backward, nearly smashing into one of the walls in the process. Smoke poured out of his Wheel of Fortune and dust funneled into the sky like a tornado.
“I set one card and end my turn!”
As a holographic face-down card appeared on his field, Jack’s D-Wheel began to move back onto the track.
[Jack’s SC: 0 -> 1]
Enjo began cackling when he witnessed this.
“I see! You chose to use your last Speed Counter because the card text of Speed Spell – Overboost states that your Speed Counters normally drop to one at the End Phase of your turn. For most players with higher Speed Counters, it becomes a handicap to keep the card from being overpowered. But I’d expect no less from the King. Using the new effects of Final Speed World, you managed to make a handicap into a means to get a new card and increase your Life Points at the same time while maintaining Speed Counters.”
Jack flashed a smile to Enjo in response. “If anything, your observational skills have increased quite a bit. I’m impressed.”
“When this is over, you’ll be on your knees learning from me! My turn! Draw!”
[Mukuro’s SC: 11, Jack’s SC: 2]
“You aren’t the only one who can use Final Speed World! I remove five Speed Counters to draw an additional card from my deck!”
“5: Draw 1 card.”
[Mukuro’s SC: 11 -> 6]
Enjo drew his card as his D-Wheel began slowing down drastically. Though he was still ahead of Jack, the distance was significantly shortened.
“I’ll then Banish the Skull Flame in my Graveyard in order to Special Summon Speed King – Skull Flame from my hand in Attack Mode!”
Flames began pouring out of Enjo’s Duel Disk as Skull Flame’s skeletal body emerged back onto the field. The flames consumed its body and began to warp and reshape its form. When the flames resided enough for it to show its face, Jack saw the lower half of its body was shaped like a horse’s skeleton, almost like the bones of a Minotaur from Greek mythology. It was covered in gold armor that plated its hind legs all the way up to its chest.
“But wait, there’s more!” Enjo tilted his head back and began to howl like a mad wolf. Using the weight of his body, he tilted his D-Wheel back and did a wheelie on its back tires. Only someone as crazy as Mukuro Enjo would attempt such a dangerous stunt.
“Speed King – Skull Flame’s effect inflicts 400 points of damage to my opponent for each Burning Skull Head in my Graveyard! I’ve got two! That’s 800 points of damage!”
Jack braced himself as the two flaming skeleton heads jumped from Enjo’s Duel Disk and rammed him in the chest. He managed to repress the grunt he was about to make, but he couldn’t hide the uncomfortable expression on his face.
[Jack’s LP = 7800 -> 7000]
“Heh, you ain’t the only one with Life Draining card effects, pal!”
“Whoa boy!” MP exclaimed. “That was an impressive combo, but Jack’s overwhelming combo still puts him in the lead!”
“It ain’t over!” Enjo barked. "I activate Speed Spell - Silver Contrails! This card can be activated when I have five or more Speed Counters. It increases the Attack Power of a Monster on my field by 1000 points! I select Speed King - Skull Flame!"
[Speed King - Skull Flame: ATK: 2600 -> 3600]
“I use Speed King – Skull Flame to attack your Blood Mefist! Skull Fist!”
Speed King galloped on its horse legs over to where Blood Mefist stood. The blue demon attempted to guard itself with its staff, but it was overwhelmed by the Speed King’s quick movement. The skeleton slashed its sharp claws right through the staff and into Blood Mefist’s heart. It screamed as its body burned away, leaving ashes behind.
[Jack’s LP: 7000 -> 6200]
Jack showed no worry, merely brushing off the virtual ashes from his jacket with a flick of his wrist.
“I place one card face-down and end my turn.”
“Wow, that was a nice effort on Mukuro Enjo’s part,” MC commented, “but Jack Atlas remains unfazed!” “My turn! Draw!”
[Mukuro’s SC: 7, Jack’s SC: 3]
Jack wasted no time announcing the start of his turn, but his opponent had other plans.
“Hold your horses!”
Jack stopped in midair as he was about to view the card he just drew. He looked up after Enjo called out to him in his raspy voice.
“What now?”
“I activate my set Trap, Speed Booster! This card can be activated when I have more Speed Counters than my opponent. During my opponent’s turn, I can negate attacks from Monsters they control up to the difference in our Speed Counters.”
“Enjo Mukuro is setting up quite the combo! Will this be the turning point of this Duel?!” MC rolled his eyes as MP spoke too close to the microphone, resulting in a loud pitched screech.
Jack eyed the card hologram carefully and began to rub his hand on his chin in deep thought. After a moment, he removed his hand and commented. “I see. You haven’t played that card against me once during the past 299 matches. Very clever. However, I have a good memory for the cards my opponents have played in the past, even outside of my own matches. You played that card against Yusei in the Fortune Cup, didn’t you?”
Enjo tried to hide the shocked expression on his face, but it proved to be futile. “What?! There’s no way you could remember something like that from over 10 years ago!”
“Just who do you think I am?” Enjo growled as his opponent grinned an all-too-familiar smirk.
“Don’t try to tell me you’ve got a countermeasure for it!”
There was just no way Enjo could bring himself to believe that Jack anticipated he would play this card!
“As a matter of fact, I do. This thing.”
Enjo eyed his camera screen closely and studied the card Jack held up in his hand. He had to zoom his camera in so he could skim the card’s text.
"This card can be Special Summoned by sending 1 Trap Card on the field to the Graveyard."
“T-Trap Eater!? Are you shittin’ me!?”
Enjo’s natural instincts caused him to attempt to dodge the incoming assault from a dark purple demon. There was no way he could dodge it, however, and the small creature gobbled up the Trap Card on his field. Once it finished its feast, it looked up at him and smacked its giant pink lips together in a wide, fangy grin.
One of MC’s aids ran over to him with a holographic screen in hand. Trap Eater’s data was currently on the screen. MC grabbed it and scanned it as he continued his commentary. “Trap Eater is a Monster that only eats the traps of others. It’s a card meant to be Special Summoned at the expense of the opponent's card!”
“I Special Summon Trap Eater in Attack Mode!”
Enjo was visibly shaken, and he was starting to break into a nervous sweat. “I can’t believe you actually stopped my combo…”
“I then activate my Trap, Powerful Rebirth! This card allows me to Special Summon a Level Four or lower Monster from my Graveyard. I choose the Small Piece Golem I discarded before with Speed Spell – Angel Baton. Powerful Rebirth then increases its level by one and increases its Attack and Defense Power is increased by 100 points."
A petite rock creature hopped out of Jack’s Graveyard. The Powerful Rebirth card began to glow, sending a beam of light into the rocky demon’s body. It began to grow in size, about twice as big as it was.
(LV 3 -> LV4) (ATK: 1100 -> 1200) (DEF: 0 -> 100)
“I then activate the effects of Final Speed World. Removing my three remaining Speed Counters, I Special Summon a Level Four or lower Monster from my hand. I Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Influence Dragon, from my hand!”
[Jack’s SC 3 -> 0]
Jack felt a familiar discomfort as his D-Wheel once again slid across the dirt on the track. The King clenched his teeth and slammed both of his feet down onto the ground, forcing the D-Wheel to come to a screeching stop.
“Going for a Synchro, are you?!” Enjo shouted. “Even at the cost of me advancing farther than you?!”
“That’s right!” Jack panted as his D-Wheel finally came to a complete stop. “The risk is well worth it.”
“Whoa, what iron courage our King possesses!” Master of Ceremonies complimented with large tears welling in his eyes. He wiped them away furiously and continued his broadcast. “Just for the record, when a player’s Speed Counters reach zero, if they do not gain Speed Counters by the time their opponent’s next turn ends, they automatically lose by default! It is truly a gamble only recent Riding Duels have allowed for more serious gameplay!”
Jack continued his turn while sitting still atop his D-Wheel. Enjo circled around him, watching his every move intently.
“When Influence Dragon is used as Synchro Material, the Rock-Type Small Piece Golem becomes a Dragon-Type Monster.”
Small Piece Golem’s rocky body began to warp into brown scales. It grew small horns above its eyes and tiny, bony wings from its back.
“I’m Tuning my now Level Four Small Piece Golem with my Level Three Influence Dragon!”
(4+3=7)
“The ruler's shouts echo throughout! Hammer of victory, shatter the very Earth! Synchro Summon! Flap your wings, Explode Wing Dragon!”
[Explode Wing Dragon: LV7/2400/1600]
A gigantic dragon formed from the bright green light that enveloped Jack’s field. Unlike the previous dragons, this dragon had far thicker skin and an overall bulkier proportion. Bright red scales lined its under-wings and its tail. A matching, scaly main formed up the back of its neck and extended over its head.
“MP, that was an impressive strategy, wasn’t it?”
“And that’s not all, MC. Jack Atlas has not yet Normal Summoned during this turn!”
Enjo’s eyes widened as he heard those words, coming to a sudden realization. “Aw, shit! That’s true, ain’t it?!”
“Each player is allowed one Normal Summoning per turn. But advanced players that make use of their card effects can Special Summon additional Monsters!”
Jack grabbed another card from his hand and slammed it down on the Monster Zone of his Duel Disk.
“I Normal Summon Top Runner in Attack Mode!”
A robotic being appeared in a flash of bright light and began dashing around on Jack’s field.
“When Top Runner is face-up on the field, all Synchro Monsters on my field gain an additional 600 Attack Points!”
[Explode Wing Dragon’s ATK: 2400 -> 3000]
“3000 Attack Points!” Enjo cried. “Now my Monster’s got less Attack Power!”
[Speed King – Skull Flame’s ATK: 2600]
“I use Explode Wing Dragon to attack Speed King – Skull Flame!”
Enjo cursed as he braced for the incoming impact.
“When Explode Wing Dragon attacks a Monster with equal or less Attack Power, the Monster is destroyed without applying Damage Calculation and you take damage equal to the Monster’s total Attack Power!”
“Say what!?” Enjo yelped.
Jack sighed, placing his hand behind his head. “Don’t tell me I never used this strategy against you during all the 299 matches I’ve played out. You should remember my strategies better.”
“Sh-Shut up!” Enjo stammered, turning red in the face.
“King Storm!” Jack ordered his mighty dragon to move, and move it did. With one flap of its giant wings, it sent hurricane-force winds pounding on Enjo’s side of the field, nearly knocking him off his D-Wheel. His skeleton warrior was shattered into a pile of lifeless bones.
[Mukuro’s LP: 6500 -> 3900]
[Mukuro’s SC: 7-> 4]
“Don’t think I’m done yet,” the King informed his prey. “Take a look on my field.”
With just one glance, Enjo felt a shiver of sudden doom tremble down his spine. He could already feel the impact from the two beasts still remaining on Jack’s side of the field.
“S-Shit! He’s still got two more Monsters and I have nothing to block their attacks!”
“I Direct Attack you with Trap Eater and Top Runner!” Jack gave the signal to his warriors, sending them off into battle.
[Trap Eater’s ATK: 1900] [Top Runner’s ATK: 1100]
Enjo felt the wind get knocked out of him as he was hit not once, but twice. The force from the impact sent both him and his D-Wheel skidding back. He stopped just short of a nearby wall.
[Mukuro’s LP: 3900 -> 900]
[Mukuro’s SC: 4 -> 1]
The attack left Enjo’s D-Wheel smoking from top to bottom. In combination with the flame designs on its side, it looked as if it was literally on fire. After losing so many Speed Counters, Enjo slowed considerably. He slowly passed Jack, who was still parked in one of the track corners. As Enjo passed him, Jack waved his arms mockingly and directed a grin toward his opponent.
“Yo there! Now you’re nearly over here in the corner with me! Jack Atlas never takes a gamble with a low risk of success!”
Despite his anger, Enjo couldn’t help but return the grin to his rival. “You’re as cocky as ever.”
“I end my turn.” After what seemed like an eternity, Jack’s turn came to an end.
“My turn. Draw.” Enjo drew his card silently; having lost some of his earlier energy after the attacks he just suffered.
[Mukuro’s SC: 2, Jack’s SC: 1]
As Jack’s Speed Counters returned to one, his D-Wheel picked itself off the ground and began to move again, albeit slowly at best. Enjo and Jack were now riding nearly side-by-side, with Enjo only slightly ahead of the King.
Enjo stared at his card for several seconds before closing his eyes. This was an expression Jack experienced countless times. As if he knew what was about to happen, the King wore a confident smile.
“I set a Monster in face-down Defense Position and end my turn.”
“Mukuro is unable to do anything in the face of the King’s overwhelming strategy!” MC spoke the thoughts whirling around Jack’s head.
“It’s the final turn! Draw!” Jack swiped a card off the top of his deck and added it to his hand without even looking at it.
(Mukuro’s SC: 3, Jack’s SC: 2)
“It’s not over ‘til it’s over!” Enjo put on a tough front, but the look on his face said something entirely different.
“No, this Duel ends now! I release Explode Wing Dragon!”
“Oh my God!” Master of Parties shrieked in a high pitch voice. “Is Jack Atlas sacrificing his own Synchro Monster?! What on Earth could he be planning?!”
Enjo narrowed his eyes and glared sharply at Jack. “Just what are you scheming?”
“I Advance Summon Strong Wind Dragon!”
The muscular Explode Wing Dragon was absorbed by the light and replaced by an even buffer jade green colored winged beast. It roared loudly and eyed Enjo as if he were a giant piece of raw beef. Enjo could feel its steamy breath wash over his skin.
[Strong Wind Dragon: LV6/2400/1000]
“Its effect allows it to gain Attack Power equal to half the Attack Points of a Dragon-Type Monster used in its Advance Summon.”
Enjo watched in horror as the beast standing before him grew even more powerful. It now towered even higher above him.
[Strong Wind Dragon’s ATK: 2400 -> 3900]
“Impossible! 3900 Attack Points?!”
“I use Strong Wind Dragon to attack your set Monster!”
Enjo’s card was flipped over. A large, golden turtle was revealed. It had a body shaped like an Egyptian pyramid and the face of a Pharaoh. Though large, the dragon towering above Pyramid Turtle was far more enormous.
[Pyramid Turtle: LV4/1200/1400]
“Incredible!” MC yelled into the microphone. “Strong Wind Dragon has a Piercing Effect! That means when it attacks a Monster with Defense Power lower than its own Attack Power, the player takes the difference in points as direct damage to their Life!”
Enjo said nothing. He knew the effect of the card and knew there was nothing he could do to stop his coming fate.
“Strong Wind Dragon, attack his Pyramid Turtle! Strong Hurricane!”
The large turtle met its maker as it was sent flying against the stadium wall from the force of the wind. It shattered and vanished above the audience. Enjo cried out in pain as the wind smashed into his body and pushed his D-Wheel back against the wall behind him.
[Mukuro’s LP: 900 -> 0] [Mukuro’s SC: 3 -> 0]
Enjo slammed his fist against the top of his now smoking D-Wheel. He felt a strong pain after doing so, but he ignored it. “Damn it!”
“The result is here! In their 300th clash, Jack Atlas, King of the World, once again reigns victorious over Enjo Mukuro! This is truly-“
“…an incredible feat for our King!” Master of Parties cut his father off, much to his annoyance.
“I told you not to interrupt me, boy!”
As the two broadcasters began to bicker on air, their microphones were cut.
Jack got off his D-Wheel and walked over to where Enjo still sat in silence. Enjo rested his head back against the stone wall behind him and began chuckling to himself softly. As Jack approached, he looked up with an inflated smile on his face.
“To think you still beat me each time without your Red Demon’s.”
“I couldn’t call myself Jack Atlas if I relied on Red Demon’s all the time, even if he is my very soul. I’ve come to the top as King because I’ve exhausted every possible strategy in my deck and I’m always searching for new combos. I suggest you do something similar with yours.”
Enjo removed his sunglasses, revealing his black eyes underneath. “Heh, I guess I still have a long way to go before I become King.”
“Yes, you do. But you’ve grown considerably since our first match. I compliment you, but there is always room for improvement. Even for a King like myself.”
Enjo grinned in response, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his forearm. “I like the sound of that.”
Jack fell silent as he watched Enjo climb off his D-Wheel. After a few minutes, he finally spoke again.
“Tell me, Mukuro. Why do you challenge me as much as you do? You’re the most persistent of all my challengers.”
Enjo raised an eyebrow at the King’s sudden question. “Why? Didn’t you just answer that yourself? It’s to improve my skills and compete with the best.”
“Right, I did, didn’t I? Forget I asked.”
Enjo began laughing and grabbed Jack’s hand. The two shook hands as Enjo continued his snickering.
“If you ask me, you really do have some things to work on, King.”
“Hmph,” grumbled Jack, “it pains me to admit it, but you may be right.”
“So what’dya say, Jack Atlas? Wanna grab a couple of beers and stop by my place for a bit? You can tell me all about your troubles if you want.”
“Maybe some other time, Mukuro Enjo. The King has a very tight schedule, you know.”
“Well, ain’t that a damn shame?” Enjo let go of Jack’s hand, still chuckling to himself.
BREAK
Hours later, Jack Atlas sat alone in the empty stadium. The place that was full of noise and commotion earlier was now bare and painfully silent. The man who once felt alive and full of vigor mere hours before now sulked, alone in the dark of night, with his arms folded and his head down. Thoughts of confusion and irritation bounced around in his head. Thoughts of his fight with Stephanie and then his puzzling question to Enjo. No matter how many times he asked himself why he said those things, he couldn’t come up with an answer for the life of him.
And the King sat like that until the sun began to poke its head out over the top of the stadium.
Just as he picked himself up off the bleachers he sat on, his video phone began to ring. The sudden noise made him jump. Once he realized what it was, he pulled the phone from his pocket and flipped it open. As he looked at the bright screen, he saw the icon image of a green-haired girl with pig-tails smiling brightly.
“Ruka?”
Jack was puzzled as to why she was calling him. He hadn’t heard from her in a long time. He eyed his phone curiously before he answered it.
“Hello?”
“Jack, it’s Ruka. Do you have a minute?”
Several minutes passed by as Jack listened to what his old friend had to say. After exchanging concerns over a recent event involving their friend Aki, Ruka got straight to the point.
“I was thinking of reuniting Team 5D’s for a tournament.”
Jack blinked a moment, taken off guard by his friend’s sudden proposal.
“What did you say? You want to reunite Team 5D’s?”
BREAK
Elsewhere, Mr. Fred walked down a dark alleyway in a faraway location. He was dressed in the same clothing as he was before. He finally reached his destination; a tattered building that looked like it was about to fall over at any given moment. Mr. Fred leaned over and pounded his fist against the dusty door of the building. It answered him with a creak and a moan.
After waiting five more minutes, Mr. Fred saw a small window open up in the door. An eye appeared in the hole, though it was too dark for Mr. Fred to make out the owner of said eye.
“State the password.” A gruff voice echoed down the empty alleyway.
Mr. Fred lowered his head in a slight bow. “Gesellschaft des Göttlichen Heilandes.”
“I, Fynn Hartmann, acknowledge you. You may enter.”
A dark figure opened the door and took a step out onto the dirt ground. Mr. Fred nodded his head toward the man as he passed through the entrance of the building.
“Jawohl, Kommandant.”
Mr. Fred followed a group of shady figures down a long, narrow hallway that seemed to extend endlessly. After they finally reached the end of the hall, Mr. Fred and his companions were greeted by a large, flat screen that was hung up on the wall. On that screen was another shadowy figure. The figure had his hands folded politely on the table in front of him. He coldly eyed each person present in the room. Though they were shadowed considerably by the room’s poorly lit atmosphere, Mr. Fred could just make out the outlines of his teammates.
The one who greeted him, Fynn Hartmann, was a rather muscular man, his eyes intense and threatening. There was another man and woman standing in the corner as well. To the back of the room stood a tall thin man and a fatter man with plump features. Another man with darker skin leaned against the wall, his dark eyes barely visible in the shadows. Finally, there was an older senior toward the front of the room seated in a chair in front of the screen. Beside the elder was a young woman with long, blue hair. The shadowed figure on the screen turned back to Fred.
“Welcome back, Mr. Fred. I take it you enjoyed your stay in France?”
Mr. Fred bowed politely to the man speaking to him before smirking sinisterly. “Indeed, Heilandes. It was most educational.”
“I see. Then please share the information you have gathered on Jack Atlas and Aki Izayoi with your peers.”
An evil gleam flashed in Mr. Fred’s eyes as he bowed again.
“Yes, Heilandes. With pleasure.”
oooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo
As Jack learns of a new development, strange men lurk in the shadows!
To be continued in Chapter 3, “Aki Izayoi, 10 Years Later”
Credits
Writing: GoldenUmi (Main Story), ZeroSaber (Yukio/Stephanie plane scene)
Editing: Thanks to a-hole, Halo, and hearow2
Characters Appearing From Anime: Jack Atlas, Stephanie, Mukuro Enjo, Master of Ceremonies, Yusei Fudo (Flashback), Ruka Heartlily, Rua Heartlily (Mentioned), Aki Izayoi (Mentioned)
Original Characters (OC): Yukio Kyoji (ZeroSaber), Master of Parties (GoldenUmi), Plane Staff (GoldenUmi), Mr. Fred (GoldenUmi), Heilandes (GoldenUmi), Fynn Hartmann (GoldenUmi), Mysterious Persons (GoldenUmi)
Duel Writing: hearow2 (Jack vs. Mukuro)
Cards Used in Chapter (In order of appearance):
Speed Spell - High Speed Crash
Red Demon's Dragon (TCG: Red Dragon Archfiend)
Final Speed World (Created by GoldenUmi)
Field Spell
If a Spell Card other than a "Speed Spell" Card is activated, its controller takes 2000 damage. During each player's Standby Phases, each player places 1 Speed Counter of their own on this card (up to 12 each). When a player takes damage, remove Speed Counters of that Player from this card for each multiple of 1000 damage taken. You can remove any number of your own Speed Counters from this card to activate an appropriate effect:
• 1: Recover 500 Life Points.
• 2: Recover 1000 Life Points.
• 3: Special Summon one Level Four or lower Monster from your hand.
• 4: Inflict 800 damage to your opponent for each "Speed Spell" Spell Card in your hand.
• 5: Draw 1 card.
• 6: Add a Monster Card from your Graveyard back into your hand.
• 7: Draw 2 cards.
• 8: Add a Magic or Trap Card from your Graveyard back into your hand.
• 9: Add one card from your deck into your hand.
• 10: Select and destroy 1 card on the field.
• 11: Activate a Trap Card from your hand.
• 12 or more: Special Summon one Monster from your Extra Deck ignoring Summoning Conditions. This effect can only be used once during a turn.
Speed King – Skull Flame (TCG: Supersonic Skull Flame)
Speed Spell - Silver Contrails
Explode Wing Dragon (TCG: Exploder Dragonwing)