[IC] Yu-Gi-Oh! OMEGA

[Rethel34]

*Kaiba Dome Arena*



“Ladies and gentlemen!” the MC bellowed over the intercom. Even in the airlock, Valin could hear every word the MC said, loud and clear. “Welcome, to the Kaiba Dome!”

Valin could hear the applause resounding from the stands, but he knew it was only a fraction of the volume of the MC. Valin chuckled to himself. That MC can get these guys prepped for anything, he thought as he tightened the straps on his boots.

“We have a special treat in store for you today!” the MC continued.

Valin grabbed his gloves and pulled them on as the same introduction was voiced, with the same applause. A treat is right. With the Satellite Circuit coming up and my two-year anniversary as their King…

“Before I get too deeply into detail about that, let me introduce the challenger!”

…I can’t afford to hold anything back. I must show that I…

“You’ve seen him Duel here time after time…”

…am undeniably, undoubtedly, undefeatable….

“…and he seems to be the next-best Duelist we have here….”

I…am…the best, he thought as he put his helmet on.

“Welcome, Nicholas, ‘the Dragster’, O’Neil!”

Valin started his runner the second he knew O’Neil would be shooting out onto the track from his own airlock. He gave the crowd time to calm down, then he revved the engine as loud as he could without damaging it, slipping Volspire Dragon from the sleeve around his neck with a fluid motion.

“Shhh…” the MC said. “Do you hear that? I believe that’s the sound of the Maelstrom Rider! And if it is, you know what’s bound—”

Valin didn’t give him time to finish. He swiftly placed Volspire Dragon in the middle card slot of his Duel Disk. A huge hologram of the intimidating dragon burst from the dark airlock where Valin sat. It made a quick circuit around the dome before perching atop the central tower. As it roared, signifying that Valin had won before the Duel began, Valin slipped it from his Duel Disk back into the sleeve.

The MC, as usual, made a big deal about everything and gave the crowd a pep talk about the appearance of New Domino’s King, the Master of Faster, the Flamboyant Firestorm…

“Valiiiiiiinnnnn Rooooootoooorrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!” the MC screamed, and Valin stomped the accelerator on his Runner, and it rocketed up and off the airlock ramp. Valin soared into the air, given extra aerodynamics by the wings on his Runner. He felt as if he were twenty…thirty…fourty…fifty feet in the air. He yanked his Runner into a backflip, performing a number of other crowd-pleasing tricks as the vehicle soared down to the starting position.

“New Domino City!” Valin shouted through his helmet’s microphone. “Are you ready to see Volspire Dragon and his King conquer another Duelist today?”

The crowd erupted in applause, and Valin heard Nicholas speak up. “You sure are cocky, aren’t you?”

“I have a right to be. I didn’t earn this title for nothing, did I?”

“Duelists! Start your engines!” the MC roared.

Valin rebooted his runner, as he had turned it off to hear Nicholas.

“Now, activate ‘Speed World 3’!”

Valin hit the button on the runner, and the cool feminine voice spoke into his earpiece, “‘Speed World 3’ activated. Duel Mode engaged. Autopilot standing by. Awaiting countdown. 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…”

A high-pitched ding! filled the dome as the holographic light before Valin and Nicholas turned from red to green. Valin once again smashed down the accelerator, rocketing out ahead of Nicholas. Nicholas was not completely unprepared, though. He had a faster-than-average Runner himself, but he wasn’t as fast as Valin.

Valin flew around the first turn a full second ahead of Nicholas, violently pulling his first card out of his Deck with pronounced vigor.

“It looks like I’ve got the first move. No surprise, there,” Valin said. He glanced at his hand and smiled. This Duel would be quick and simple, and he had the cards to win right here in his hand.

“Right, then!” Valin declared. “I Summon ‘Wyvern Fury’ to my field in Attack Position!” As he spoke the words, a blue portal opened to his right, and the wyvern displayed in the card’s image was projected into the arena as a hologram, flying beside Valin at high speed.

“Now because of my monster’s ability,” Valin stated, “I am allowed to attack you directly. And yes,” he said, noting the look of shock on Nick’s face, “this means even on the first turn of the Duel. Go, ‘Wyvern Fury’, and take him down to size!”

The wyvern changed its course, flying directly for O’Neil, now a full five seconds behind Valin, and lashed out with its spear-pointed tail, reducing O’Neil’s Life Points to 2500 before returning to Valin’s side.

“Now, I shall Set one card and end my turn,” Valin concluded, and “Wyvern Fury” vanished from Valin’s field.

“That means it’s my turn. Wait!” Nicholas exclaimed. “What happened to your ‘Wyvern’?”

“Regrettably, he is banished during the End Phase of a turn during which I activate his ability. Then he returns to my field just in time to be dangerous again.”

“Fine by me. I’ll still dish out what I can. I Summon ‘Alpha Dasher’ in Attack Mode! Then I’ll promptly have him attack you for 1600 points of damage!”

“Maybe so,” Valin said as the rollerblading monster began dashing toward him, “but your Life Points are about to feel the same as mine. I reveal my Trap: ‘Reflection of Sword’!” As the attack collided with Valin, a mirror appeared between the two duelists, and a doppelganger of “Alpha Dasher” emerged from it, striking Nicholas with the same amount of damage, leaving Valin with 2400 Life Points, and Nicholas with only 900. Both players’ Speed counters drop back to 0 after the attack.

“I’m not done, yet, Valin!” Nicholas said. “I’ll place one card face-down before my turn is over, but don’t think this means you win!”

“But I do win, Nick,” Valin said as he drew his next card and added it to his hand without looking at it. He didn’t even say anything as “Wyvern Fury” leaped back into existence on his field. “Let me show you how,” Valin continued. “First, I activate my ‘Broken Engine’ Speed Spell! This prevents your face-down card from being activated when I remove the Speed Counter I just gained! Then I Summon ‘Blue-Flame Phoenix’, and when my monsters’ ATK equal 3000, like they do now, you know what will follow.

“The victory, all too simply, is mine, Nicholas!” Valin exclaimed. “Now, behold as my monsters unite, combining their strength to Ignis Summon forth a formidably powerful beast! ‘VOLSPIRE DRAGON’!”

Valin was almost unaware of the shouting and applause from the crowd around him as he shouted the final command of the Duel. The immense dragon flapping its wings above him released a triumphant roar as Valin bellowed, “‘Volspire Dragon’! Attack with MAELSTROM FLARE!”

- - -  - - -

*Sector Security HQ, Sergeant Lydia Madison’s Office*

A knock sounded on Madison’s office door as the conclusion of Valin Rotor’s most recent duel played out on her holoscreen. “Come in!” she called, lowering the volume of the duel and spinning her chair back around so it faced the door.

Director Blade Takashi strode into the room, and Madison’s face grew grim. When Blade was giving her orders directly rather than Chief Felvrin, there was something wrong.

Madison gestured to the chair in front of her desk. “Please, sir, make yourself comfortable.”

“Thank you, Madison, but I won’t be here long. You remember how when you took this job I told you that if our guards down in Rat’s Nest failed at protecting Valin’s old friends, that you would be the first to go down there?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, both of those guards were found unconscious by one of our patrols going through the area. There has also been a report of a kidnapping.”

“A kidnapping? Who?”

“A youth by the name of Ned, Ms. Madison.” Blade slipped a small photo from the inside of his suit jacket and slid it across the desk. “We believe this is the work of the gang called Los Demonios Conquistadores. What’s worse is you could probably arrest them all for not having their green cards.” Blade smirked at his own remark.

Madison feigned a grin. “Got it. I’ll get him back before the sun sets, sir.”

“I knew I could count on you, Sergeant.”

Madison nodded and got to her feet, reaching out her hand to shake Blade’s before he left the room.

- - -  - - -

*Kaiba Dome Lobby*

Valin had somehow been pressed into another autograph signing. He forced himself to smile through the growing cramp in his fingers after signing his 136th autograph. As he signed the 137th and had his picture taken with some teen girl who was obsessing over him, he found an excuse to break away, noticing the face of his predecessor, Blade Takashi.

“Thank goodness,” Valin said so that only Blade could hear him. “Can you help me out here? This is killing me.”

“There’s something more important than your signing going on, Valin. I’ve heard recently that one of your old friends, Ned, from the slums has been kidnapped.”

“So? I have no ties to them anymore. Why should I care?”

“Well, helping us find this missing youth could get you out of this signing.”

“Not a chance! Going back to that pathetic place is worse than this, Blade! You wouldn’t be helping me; you’d be punishing me!”

“Then I can’t let you leave your signing, Valin. I came here to enlist your help, and if you refuse to give it, then I must leave you here and return to my business.”

“Are you kidding, Blade?”

“When have you known me to joke?”

Valin sighed. “Fine, I’ll see what I can do about this kid. But you’d better keep the press off of this. I can’t be seen going in there.”

“You have my word.”

Valin and Blade returned to the table Valin had been sitting at, and Blade announced that Valin would not be signing any more for the day, much to the disappointment of the crowd. Moaning their complaints, the people swarming in the lobby slowly disbanded, and Valin and Blade went their separate ways.

As he found his Duel Runner, Valin was once again encountered by Nicholas. “Listen here, King,” Nick spat, scowling. “I’ll earn that spot one of these days, as soon as this setup thing stops.”

“Setup? Nick, do you even know what you’re talking about?”

“Of course I do! Why else could you summon Volspire Dragon every time you Dueled?”

“Because, Nick. I have the skill and the cards to crush simple Duelists like you. Do you really think that if you shuffled my cards, that I would be any worse off? It wouldn’t happen, Nick. Now quit wasting my time before I get Security.”

“Someone will put you in your place one of these days, Valin.”

“And I bet you think that’s going to be you. Not a chance,” Valin finished as he started up his Runner and rode away from the Dome.

[Todd Howard]

"The Casual Spot"
Rat's Nest

Ysabel sat in a chair, in a rather empty room. She stared silently at the stone floor in thought, worried about Ned. She was also very irritated, not understanding how she let this happen. Her foot violently tapped against the floor. She slowly glanced over at the radio, before trying to turn it on. Nothing happened. In response, she violently smacked the radio, which caused it to turn on.

“Valiiiiiiinnnnn Rooooootoooorrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!” She nearly fell backwards, the sound of the MC introducing Valin shocking her. She quickly turned down the volume, narrowing her eyes as she stared at the radio. Just in time to catch one of Valin's duels. She had a gut feeling... This one was it. He was getting knocked down this time.

“New Domino City! Are you ready to see Volspire Dragon and his King conquer another Duelist today?” She could hear the crowds, the excitement. Everybody was so excited to see Valin duel. He was truly a superstar, everybody loved him. Everybody wanted to see him win- Well, almost everybody...

Ysabel listened as the duel began. She had to admit, Valin was a good duelist. It wouldn't be easy for anyone to beat him. But somebody had to be able to do it. She wanted to hear one day of his defeat. She'd praise the man or woman that kicked him down. That person would be a true champion. She sighed, as Valin seemed to grab control of the duel quickly, and more than that, he was already setting up his big play. Again.

“Now, behold as my monsters unite, combining their strength to Ignis Summon forth a formidably powerful beast! ‘VOLSPIRE DRAGON’!”

The cheers. All for him... For Volspire Dragon. That monster was powerful. More powerful than anything she had in her deck, most certainly. She looked back at the floor, clenching her hand into a fist as she continued to listen, praying for some sort of comeback before this attack happened. "Come on... Come on...!"

“‘Volspire Dragon’! Attack with MAELSTROM FLARE!”

The radio instantly cut off as Ysabel grabbed it and threw it, effectively yanking the cord out of the wall. Just as she did, the door opened. Dexter and Leah were about to enter, though quickly they had been stopped by the sound of the radio smashing against the wall beside them. "Ysabel..." Dexter groaned, keeping a strait face. He walked inside and walked towards the radio, kneeling down. He observed it, wondering how long it'd take to fix this time.

"Ysabel..." Leah muttered, walking inside after Dexter. She had a small bag with some lunch for all of them. "I-I know your worried, and frustrated... But you can't let it get to you like this." She tried to be reasonable, an obvious frown was on her face as she held up the bag. "I brought some lunch for us... There's extra for Ned, he'll be back soon."

"You both really trust Sector Security don't you?" Ysabel asked, simply getting questionable glances as a response. She stood up, and crossed her arms. "They don't do hardly anything for us, they can't! You expect them to get Ned back?!" She was becoming hostile, and Dexter was one to try and calm her down before anything got more out of hand. He stood up and turned around, adjusting the goggles on his head. "It's not that I trust Sector Security. It's that they are more equipped for the job than we are. None of us are physical forces, we would be easily beaten down by those who took Ned. We aren't staying here because we want to, Ysabel. You have to understand that we are staying here-"

"You're scared!" Ysabel spat, making the man in front of her become silent. She shook her head, grabbing her Duel Disk off the table and walking past him. "You're not looking for Ned because you're scared?! Imagine how scared HE is! He's sensitive! You both know this!"

Leah stepped aside, not wanting to be in Ysabel's path as she headed for the door. "I'll look for him myself! I can't wait around here any longer, I can't trust that they'll find him! They know as much as we do!" She stopped right as she began storming out the door, making Dexter and Leah stare at each other.

"Dex, do you think she's right?" Leah asked softly, her eyes obviously expressing a lot of concern. Dexter didn't look at her, instead walking back over to the radio. He sighed deeply, beginning to pick up the pieces. Leah sat the bag down as she got no response, and felt even worse. "Dex..."

"She'll be fine." Dexter assured, a small smile was on his face as he stood up with the radio in his hands. He turned around, walking towards his desk. It was a very worn down table, but it was good enough for him. "She's always been like this, even since we were kids. She charges into things head-first, and comes out on top. Some call that stupidity, but it's really her showing how brave she is. Braver than I am..." As Dexter stopped, the room went silent. Allowing him to begin work on the radio, which would hopefully be finished by the time the week was over...

"The Streets"
Rat's Nest

Ysabel walked down the old, dirty street leading away from her hangout. She was determined to find Ned, and wasn't going to trust Sector Security with the task. At least alone. She couldn't truly argue with them if they helped her, but she wasn't going to trust them to do it by themselves. She felt bad for how angry she had gotten, frowning and looking down at the ground. It was uncalled for. She worried for Ned greatly though, he was like a little brother to her.

"Ned... Where are you?" She asked, starring at the road ahead of her. Nobody she could depend on. She was used to doing things for herself anyways, and once she found the thugs that kidnapped Ned... She didn't care how big they were, or how many there could possibly be. She was getting him back, and showing Dexter and Leah that they needed to take action more often. Especially for one another. "How have they not learned this by now?" She grumbled, shaking her head. She felt a mixture of anger and sadness run through her, and Valin's duel hadn't helped her. She needed to try and forget... But she couldn't. It was impossible for her to forget Valin after he just ditched everyone.

"Focus on the task at hand, calm down... Calm down..." She repeated to herself under her breath, as she continued moving forwards. Keeping her eyes peeled for anywhere where the gang could be held up. The depressing part about that was that they could be literally anywhere. So much ground to cover... Her feet were going to hate her for this for many weeks to come.

[IVIasterJay]

The Silver Dragons' Aerie
in the Rat's Nest

The base of operations for the Silver Dragons was inside of an old auto garage, long since closed to business. The gang was small, only having six members at the moment, so they didn't need much space. Uncomfortable couches lined one wall, opposite a row of large doors that had once opened for broken cars. Against a third wall was a dozen or so monitors, most showing nothing, a few showing feed from the few working cameras the gang had watching their turf. The last wall was covered in posters from dueling events past and present. Two posters stood out: one was Maximillion Pegasus daring the viewer to take up his game, and the other was of Valin Rotor summoning Volspire Dragon. It was opposite the later where Ian was to be found.

Ian sat upside-down in a large recliner, his feet over the back and his head on the footrest. He had his eyes closed, looking to be sound asleep, but those in the room knew that he was wide awake. The blue-lit headphones on the gang leader's head were playing the broadcast of another one of Valin's duels. A momentary frown told the other members of the Silver Dragons that Valin had crushed his opponent, again. He always did. For the first time in almost an hour, Ian moved. One hand reached up to tap the headphones twice, the command to rewind and replay, and then he was asleep again. Or at least he would have been.

Someone kicked the footrest of Ian's recliner down, forcing his attention. The silver-haired boy sighed softly and asked, "What is it Bell?" before opening one eye. The other was open almost as fast though. Ian's lazy gaze shifted to the face of his antagonistic friend. "And you probably shouldn't raise your leg to kick my pillow when you're wearing a miniskirt."

Cybell Astrid, the previous leader of the Silver Dragons, stood on the ceiling looking up menacingly at Ian. Oh, no, that's wrong; he's the one that's upside-down. Ian didn't bother to right himself. Cybell was absolutely gorgeous with her long silver hair and striking red attire that matched her eyes. "Yeah whatever, they're black if you didn't see," she shot back. "Are you're still listening to Valin?"

Ian yawned and flipped backwards out of the worn recliner, legs passing to either side of the girl who stood without moving. His feet met the ground and Ian finished his roll standing with his face inches from hers. "Yes," was all she got from him. Just another part of the game they were constantly playing.

In one swift motion, she plucked the large headphones off of his head and tossed them across the room. They landed in the lap of a sleeping orange-haired boy, who until then had been sound asleep and snoring for all to hear. Bell's ruby eyes burned deep into Ian's blue. "And? Ready to give up yet?" She asked him to, told him too, so he didn't.

Ian let the breath that had caught in his throat when she'd thrown his precious headphones slip out between his teeth audibly. "I can't beat him. His monster, his deck... he... is too strong. I wouldn't stand a chance, not in a million years."

"Exactly. Now you see reason. There is no way you could beat him in a duel." Cybell sounded pleased with herself. Then again, she usually did.

A subtle glow lit Ian's sapphire eyes. "But that shouldn't stop me from trying. A duel is a duel, after all; anything can happen." The last bit found its mark and Bell's eyes narrowed. Ian had told her the same thing before he'd dueled her and won control of the gang.

In the background, Kellian finished being woken up and watching the two predators circle each other. Before Ian had beaten her, and just about everyone else in the gang, Killian's loyalty had been to Cybell. Now the entire chain of command was messed up. All of the old members followed Cybell's word, but she recognized Ian as the leader. It was all very confusing to Killian. He wished they'd just get a room already. And he'd probably get yelled at for touching Ian's headphones.

Ian noticed Bell's eyes narrow slightly. So she was still mad at him for stealing her gang? It was so hard to tell with her. Half the time it was like she had a thing for him, and the other half he had to look over his shoulder to make sure she wasn't about to kill him. Ian wasn't sure which version of the story he preferred. She continued, "Whatever. Losing to the best couldn't really be counted against you."

Ian saw the pitch and swung. "That's true. You shouldn't feel bad for losing to me then." He made sure to say it with a smile, just to push the point in even deeper.

She growled and walked away. "Ian, I'm sorry to tell you that your results just came in, and it's official: You're an ass."

"That stings, stings deep Bell," Ian was in a good mood today. Usually he would have shut her out by now. Had he had an idea about something as he'd listened to Valin's duel?

Bell walked to the door of the room and pulled it open. "Anyone up for a circuit on the Strider?" Bell had more money than most out here, and she'd even built her very own runner from a combination of made and bought parts. Ian suspected that was one of the main reason she'd been in charge of the Silver Dragon gang in the first place. It was an open invitation, but none of the others spoke up, which meant a few hours of captivity aboard the runner with Bell for Ian. He always got stuck with that job. Little did he know that the others turned her down just so that he would be stuck with the job. Cybell wouldn't use her runner without someone else. There had been an accident with the first runner she'd tried to build where it had skidded and she'd been trapped underneath it for hours. How she could be terrified of the things yet love using one was something Ian just didn't understand.

Ian held out his hand and stood in the doorway as if awaiting something. Killian figured it out fast and threw the headphones to Gin. The larger man in the corner of the room passed them to Cherish, or more accurately, to the back of her pink-haired head. Her chair spun around, and she deflected them with only a moment of attention, letting her rotation bring her back to her monitors. She let the boy next to her deal with the others' game. Frey, a small boy with messy black hair, managed to keep Ian's precious headphones from hitting the ground and shot them across the room to be caught by their leader's outstretched hand. Ian turned with a smile and walked out of the base. It wasn't wise to keep Bell waiting.

The Streets
in the Rat's Nest

Cybell drove like a maniac, which is to say she was driving the same as usual. Ian put a mental check in the box for suicidal tendencies underneath her name. Yeah, she definitely had those. Ian rode behind her on her white duel runner, arms wrapped around her for fear of falling off. He wondered if a person would survive falling off a runner at such a speed. Probably not. Bell's eyes picked out an opening between two buildings up ahead and made for it. The runner spun ninety degrees, barely slowing as it rocketed through the narrow alley and onto the street on the other side. Another insane turn righted the runner as it continued down the nearly-empty street. Ian wished she wouldn't do that, but saying so would only make her do it even more. If any of the others in the gang saw him like this, holding onto Bell, scared for his life and yelling every time she accelerated, they'd laugh up a storm and never let him live it down. Ian closed his eyes and tightened his grip, just wanting this run to be over already.

[UnendingEmpire]

~Kaiba Dome: Front Row Seats~
Sheesh, this MC is loud. Candy Deepwick appreciated a good duel just as much as the next girl with a deck of man-eating sweets, which were surprisingly few. However, just because she liked duels didn't mean she liked MCs screaming at the top of their lungs about every last detail of them. The loud cheers of the audience weren't especially pleasing, either. She kind of wished she could make Man-Eating Caramel come to life and plug her ears shut, or the mouths of everybody around her. But still, despite the fact that she wasn't fond of the volume of the crowd, even she couldn't resist the excitement when the King of Games summoned his vicious Volspire Dragon. A beast like that certainly demanded respect, but Candy always liked to think that her Man-Eating Cake could destroy such a monster and knock Valin Rotor right off his throne. While it may have been a bit too ambitious, that was a goal the Deepwick heir liked to keep in mind.

In the end, she left overall satisfied. Since the Deepwick Confectionery Factory wasn't really famous or anything, Candy could blend in with the common folk if she dressed the part. When going places a long way from home - especially on her Duel Runner - she always did. Today, for instance, was a simple white T-shirt with Man-Eating Chocolate on the front, tasty brown teeth bared and ready to chow down, paired with an equally simple black skirt and brown shoes. Of course, she regretted her fashion choices about halfway to the Kaiba Dome when she realized she was wearing a skirt on her Duel Runner, which could have had all sorts of things go wrong. All she'd have to do was just make it home, though. Now where did I park it? Just over there, right? Between those two...those two guys shouting about missing Duel Runners. Great. Of all the days to forget a phone.

~Rat's Nest: Remarkably Unremarkable Diner~
"Eat up," Anima said, keeping a strong poker face. She hated eating in the Rat's Nest, because it always felt like somebody was about to jump her for whatever stolen money she had left. But, when finances started running low, it was a good place to get a sandwich for herself and a bowl of piping hot soup for Wynter both for a very low price. She landed a nice haul today, but what about tomorrow? Would she hit the jackpot? Or would she get caught and quite possibly get killed?

"Your hands are sweating," Wynter nonchalantly commented before taking down her first spoonful of soup. Most people would probably spit it out and exclaim how hot it was, but her species wasn't accustomed to the grievously low surface temperatures of this Earth planet. She needed all the heat she could get so that she wouldn't freeze to death before leaving this place and going home to have her body restored. "I don't know why you're worried, but it's unlike you."

"I'm not worried," Anima lied.

"You can't lie to me; I've been around you long enough to read you like a book." With something resembling a sly smile, Wynter downed her spoonful of soup. Earthlings were so dishonest about the most trivial things, even with themselves. If only Wynter could get the irony that she was the most self-dishonest of all because she believed she wasn't a native of this planet. Anima and Wynter sat in silence for the next couple of respective bites and spoonfuls. It was Anima who broke it.

"We ordered to go, so we should get going," she said, getting up and leaving a bill to cover their food on the table. "Bad guys won't beat themselves, so we need to stay on our toes." Making sure a petite girl in a blue winter coat was still behind her, Anima stepped outside, stuffed the rest of her sandwich into her mouth, and started up her black & green Duel Runner. There was always something bad happening in the Rat's Nest, and she just liked the feeling she got when righting those wrongs. And of course, if she could snatch some crook's money to hold herself and Wynter up in the meantime, all the better. With the rev of an engine, Anima and Wynter took off, going slow so the latter didn't spill her soup.

[Rethel34]

*New Domino Streets*

Valin sped down the streets of New Domino, headed for the Rat’s Nest. He wasn’t very far when blue lights and a siren sounded behind him. He pulled over, and when the Security came to speak with him, Valin said aloud, “Don’t you know who I am?”

“I’m fully aware of who you are, Mr. Rotor,” the slightly familiar female voice said. “I’m actually a huge fan, and this has nothing to do with the fact that you were speeding.”

Valin finally looked at who was speaking with, and was surprised to see that the Security who had pulled him over was Sergeant Madison. “Then what does this have to do with, Sergeant?”

“I have been informed that earlier today, you were given the responsibility of tracking down one of your old friends, correct?”

“Very,” Valin replied.

“Well, I happen to know that the potential culprits are a group known as Los Demonios Conquistadores. Director Takashi informed me himself, and told me he forgot to give you this same intel.”

“Muchas gracias,” Valin said, mocking the fact that they were hunting Mexican gangsters. “Any knowledge on their base of operations?”

“Sadly, no. But I’d imagine we can find that ourselves once we’re there.”

“Alright. Got a plan?”

“Nothing more than the fact that we should split up and contact each other should we find anything.”

“Fine by me,” Valin said. “Good luck, Sergeant.”

“Same to you, Valin,” Madison concluded.

*Rat’s Nest Streets*

Valin was rocketing along the roads in the Rat’s Nest, not having seen anyone yet. Everything seemed abandoned today. Then, out of a side alley, a lone man marched. Valin swerved and skidded to a halt to avoid hitting the man, who was not just an ordinary man. His tattoos and attire marked him as nothing more than a vile Duel Gang member.

“Are you out of your mind?” Valin shouted, dismounting his runner. “I could have hit you!”

“Yeah, well. It would’ve been on your head,” the man retorted.

“I don’t have time for this stupidity. Do you know where I can find the base of operations for Los Demonios Conquistadores? If not, then get out of my way.”

“I know, but first, why are you looking for them?”

“To save an old friend. Now spill it.”

“Oh, I will, but in order for me to give that information, you need to defeat me in a Duel.”

“What? And waste my time on you? Not a chance!”

“Then I guess I’ll spread the rumor that New Domino’s King has a darker side to him.”

Valin realized he had been outwitted. “Fine. Name your prize if you were to win.”

The gangster smiled. “That card you got around your neck, and that nice runner of yours.”

“Too much.”

“Really? Then you don’t really want to save this friend of yours.”

“Alright.... Alright.... I’ll do it,” Valin agreed.

“Good. My name’s Lokney, by the way. Let’s Duel!” The man readied his Duel disk as Valin reached back, hit the “DISENGAGE” button on his runner and retrieved his own. “And I think I’ll start us off!” Lokney said, drawing first. “I’ll Set two cards and a monster,” Lokney said, an ugly sneer creeping across his face. “Let’s see how the King deals with surprises.”

“Not too well, Lokney,” Valin replied as he drew his card. “You’ll find that I’ll only play harder.” Valin examined his hand. Some decent cards, but not the best I’ve ever gotten. Still, I think that if I stick to power for the moment, I’ll be alright. “I Summon ‘D.D. Dracofang’!” Valin shouted. The 1800 Attack Point dragon leapt into existence on Valin’s side of the field, staring hungrily at the face-down card on Lokney’s playing field. “I won’t make you wait. ‘Dracofang’, devour his monster!”

The dragon flapped its leathery wings quickly and dived at the face-down monster. As his attack collided, the monster flipped itself face-up, revealing itself to be ‘Cyber Jar’, and as it did so, Lokney revealed one of his two face-down cards. “Heh,” the gangster chuckled. “You’ve triggered the effects of both ‘Cyber Jar’ and ‘Mirage Tube’! Now your monster is destroyed along with mine, and you take 1000 points of damage!”

“Is that all?” Valin said as the effect of Lokney’s Spell Card collided with him. “I thought you’d be capable of much larger hits.”

“That’s only the beginning, Mr. King,” Lokney spat sarcastically. “Now, pick up the top 5 cards of your Deck! Any Level 4 or lower monsters are Summoned in Attack Mode, or Set, and all other cards are added to our hands. As for mine, I have two more face-down monsters to play before we’re all done here, while the other three go to my hand.”

A smile formed on Valin’s lips as he saw the cards. ‘Silver Dragon-Wing’, ‘Blue-Flame Phoenix’, ‘Molten Wing’, ‘Draco Burst Baloon’, and ‘Mirror Force’. Guess my luck’s not so bad today after all. “Well, I have a monster to Set as well, but I’ve also got Draco Burst Balloon and Blue-Flame Phoenix to Summon in Attack Position! And, it’s still the Battle Phase, so my monsters will attack yours!”

The small bobbing string-tailed dragon and the flaming blue bird launched themselves at Lokney’s field, revealing the two face-down monsters. “That just triggers their effects!” Lokney called as ‘Sangan’ and ‘Magician of Faith’ were both destroyed. “Now, I add ‘Glow-Up Bulb’ from my Deck and ‘Mirage Tube’ from my Graveyard to my hand!”

It’s like he’s trying to let me destroy his cards so he can manipulate the outcome. He’s a lot smarter than I was expecting, that’s for sure, Valin thought. “All right, Lokney. Add whatever you want, but you’re about to see what I can do. I now equip ‘Draco Burst Balloon’ with ‘Molten Wing’, increasing his Attack power by 600 so that he is now 1500! Now, my two monsters collide, combining their might in a fiery forge to create a formidable beast! Behold, as I Ignis Summon...‘Volspire Dragon’!” Valin watched as his great dragon materialized above him and let out a roar, opening its maws wide and taking aim toward Lokney.

Lokney flinched, but quickly regained his ground. The sign of fear was brief, but it was there. That’s right. Be afraid. Letting your opponent know that you are only shows just how powerless you are to stop them, Valin thought. “I may not be able to attack, but you do take damage because of ‘Draco Burst Balloon’s’ ability. 900 damage to be exact.” A flaming spirit of the small dragon was released from Volspire’s throat and slammed violently into Lokney, bursting into a large blaze. “And with that done, ‘Burst Balloon’ is now banished from play. Your demise is coming, but for now, I’ll Special Summon ‘Volspire Centurion’ in Defense Position and Set two cards before my turn is over.” Even though I’ve got an advantage for the moment, I can’t be too safe. Not when I know he’s playing quite a number of forbidden cards that he’s playing.

Lokney drew his card and stood firm, and Valin thought he saw a hint of satisfaction in his facial expression. “I now banish ‘Magician of Faith’ and ‘Sangan’ from my Graveyard,” Lokney declared, “to Special Summon ‘Chaos Sorcerer’! And with his Summoning, I will activate his ability and target ‘Volspire Dragon’!”

“And thanks to your ignorance,” Valin retorted, “you target my ‘Centurion’ instead! Did you really think that getting rid of my ‘Dragon’ would be that easy?”

“You’re still a pampered brat who will learn his place by the end of this Duel,” Lokney sneered. “There are a number of ways to slay a dragon. And even though my intentions failed, at least one of your monsters is banished. Now I Normal Summon my ‘Glow-Up Bulb’, and with that done, I will use my new monster to tune up my ‘Sorcerer’! My two minions combine together to create a new servant who will bring destruction. I Synchro Summon, ‘Dark Strike Fighter’!”

The great armored machine came forward from the radiant green Synchro Rings, a powerful, flying, mechanical fortress that would intimidate any normal opponent, but Valin was no normal opponent. “Now I place four cards face-down. Get ready, Valin. You will soon see my true power come into play,” Lokney concluded.

Valin pulled his next card from his Deck and glanced at it, but decided not to play it yet. “I’ll get straight to the point, Lokney. ‘Volspire Dragon’! Attack with Maelstrom Flare!”

“And you thought I didn’t prepare for this?” Lokney spat. “Activate ‘Ring of Destruction’! Now say farewell to your ‘Dragon’ as well as the last of your Life Points!”

“You mock me, Lokney. I’m called the King for a reason. I activate my ‘Dragon Immunity’ which prevents the destruction of my Dragon-Type monsters for this turn when I discard one card from my hand! This means that neither of us can take damage from the effect of ‘Ring of Destruction’, and my attack continues!”

“Not successfully if I activate two of my face-down cards! ‘Waboku’! ‘Mirage Tube’! Activate!”

“Not nearly as impressive, Lokney. You’re growing desperate.” Valin watched his Life Point counter drop to the halfway point of 2000. He’s got something bigger coming. I’ve just got to keep my guard up, and keep him scared. “I Set one card. It’s your move, Lokney.”

Lokney drew his card and grabbed another, sending the second one directly to the Graveyard. “I use the ability of ‘Glow-Up Bulb’ from my Graveyard to Special Summon it. Then I Tribute it to make room for a more useful monster: ‘Cyber Dragon’!”

“You’re still down from me a notch.”

“Would you just shut up!? You’ll learn to respect a true duelist when this is over! ‘Dark Strike Fighter’, activate your effect and dish him out another 1000 damage!”

The floating tank produced a cannon, and “Cyber Dragon’ became its ammunition. The next thing Valin knew, a large blast was rocketing his way. He covered his eyes until he was certain the blinding light was gone, and he noticed his Life Point counter dropping into the red interval of 1000 Life Points remaining. It’s not every day my Life Points drop this low, but it seems that at least my opponents can’t do that without cheating. That’s a relief.

“Now I banish my ‘Cyber Dragon’ and ‘Cyber Jar’ from my Graveyard to Special Summon a true King! Come forth, my beast! ‘Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End’!”

The images of the two banish monsters formed and faded away, swirling into a huge purple portal to Lokney’s left. Slowly, bit by bit, the titanic dragon that rivaled “Volspire” emerged from its depths, letting a trembling roar to announce its arrival.

[IVIasterJay]

The Streets
in the Rat's Nest

Ian took a mouthful of cold soda and waited a second before letting the taste vanish. He sat atop a trash bin outside of an old convenience store, Bell had gone back inside after grabbing them each a soda to see if she could find anything worth eating. Ian was watching a strangely shaped cloud move across the sky when she came back out. "Anything good" he asked. She just popped a bubble and tossed him a pack of gum. That was a negative on the chocolate bar then. Dang, he'd really wanted a chocolate bar. Ian jumped down and handed Bell back the pack, sans one stick.

After disappearing the pack to some pocket Ian had no idea where, Bell slipped on her silver helmet and was ready to take off. With a sigh at her impatience, Ian climbed on behind her and held on for his life as she rocketed down the street. He let his head fall back so he was watching the sky, and he found the strange cloud that he had begun following. "Hello Nimbusman, how are you doing today?" Thankfully, Bell couldn't hear him talking to an imaginary monster through her helmet, and even if she could have, she probably had music playing inside it.

A bright light of a duel kicking off caught Ian's eye, his new friend dissolving into mist and vapor. Ian absentmindedly wondered who was dueling, and if it was someone he knew. He pulled out his phone and pointed it in the direction of the duel. The first duel disk he tried to hack was a nice one, too nice to be hacked into by a simple wireless program running from a modified cellphone, but the other was a cheapy. It was easy for Ian to hack into the duel disk and scan the files to display the duel on his phone, and this was all with one hand while moving far over the speed limit down narrow streets. When he saw who the Rat's Nest local was dueling, Ian forgot to hold on and almost fell right off the back of the Strider. "No fuckin' way! There is no way!" Valin Rotor! Here!?

It was like someone had dropped blood into the water and Ian had turned into a shark, nothing else mattered in the moment. Bell hadn't noticed anything. Ian reached around and wrote something with his finger on her arm, a signal to swap control. Bell let go without hesitation, Ian grabbing the Strider's controls from her in a second. Ian ran through the street layout of the area, and figured that the road on the left, six alley's ahead, would connect to where he figured the duel was. But the angle was too sharp, he wouldn't be able to make the corner. The Strider streaked past the turn at full speed. Ian saw a hole in the road ahead, and aimed the runner for it. It bounced into the air for a moment, long enough for Ian to reorient the runner's ball 180 degrees. When it crashed back down, the runner skidded to a sudden stop and took off in the opposite direction, the riders still facing the original. The rider found the turn and emerged onto a larger road, finally having enough room to rotate the two passengers so they were facing the direction of motion. Ian gunned it.

"So what is it?" Bell finally asked as Ian brought the Strider to a slow crawl. He was peering down every street they passed, looking for the duel.

Ian gave her back control of the runner and hopped off, practically hopping with excitement. "You won't believe it!"

Bell's eyes almost fell out of her head from the strength of the channeled annoyance in the roll of her eyes. "Try me." She swore that his eyes were sparkling. She wondered if he was on something.

"Valin Mother Fuckin' Rotor! Here, in the Nest! We need to be checking this out!"

Yeah, he was definitely on something if he thought someone like Valin would ever set foot in the Rat's Nest. "You're right: I don't believe you." It was as if she'd taken a pin to his overinflated excitement. "We should probably check it out anyways." Wow he rebounded fast.

A flash of light made the pair spin to see what was happening. The one, the only, the Volspire Dragon rose into the air,a blast of power crushing its enemy for sure lit up the area again. "Holy shi-," it was Bell who spoke, but they were both sprinting in the direction of the summoned beast before she'd even finished the thought. Ian and Bell stopped short as they emerged from a back alley onto a wider street. There he was, Valin Rotor, dueling some Rat's Nest nobody. Then the nobody did something unimaginable; he summoned his own dragon in response to Volspire. A huge, dark dragon shimmered int being.

Bell looked away from the clash of titanic dragons to look at Ian. He had his phone out and was recording the duel with it. He had the hacking system running in the background. Looking away from the screen, his wide eyes met Bell's. He looked like he was in shock, and his voice shook when he spoke. "Valin, he's... losing."