Shark has been so kind to me lately, but he's still the same old grumpy person with everyone else. I guess only some things change. I've barely seen Yuma and Tori keeps on warning me to stay away from Shark. His reputation is in shambles, and he's so alone. I can't walk away. Yuma's got a new friend, so I've heard: I'm begging that when I meet them, they aren't as stupid as him.
Myself and Shark often ride around Heartland. Sometimes we flank school completely, but if my mom doesn't care, then who does? If I don't flank school, Shark'll drop me off round the back. We're riding when I suddenly spot a certain friend of mine. Yuma's anxiously running in place at the center of a group of adults waiting at a crosswalk. The sign changes to a Walk symbol, and Yuma realizes that everyone else has already moved. Still dumb them.
"Hey, Shark-"
"How about we give him a little scare?" Yuma bounds forward into the crosswalk and is jogging across, when he sees that one vehicle isn't stopping.
"Whaah!" He yells. Yuma jumps aside and is barely missed by Shark roaring through on his maroon motorcycle/runner. Shark side-skids and halts after the crosswalk. Yuma breathes a sigh of relief, then indignantly shouts at us, pointing at the traffic light. He obviously hasn't realised who he's dealing with.
"Hey! Red means-" Then Yuma sees who it was. Shark regards Yuma with a calm, wary sort of regret.
"Shark!" It must be easy for Yuma to remember the nasty glint in Shark's eyes, how he snapped Yuma's key in half, how he smirked confidently without a fear that his victims could fight back. Hopefully, Yuma also remembers how Shark kept his word when defeated, and walked away humbled.
"Rose! What are you doing with him?"
"Hangin' out, why?" Yuma regards Shark, his eyes full of anxiety. Shark is the first to look away, inclining his head to Yuma before toggling his handgrip and riding off. Thank goodness.
"So, that was strange. Back entrance of school?"
"Yeah. I need to go in today. A few of my friends have been wondering about me." I said.
"Guess me and The Pack won't see you for a few days?"
"I'll still come, just after school. Gray knows I need head space; he's been so understanding about everything."
I walk into Tori's form to see her as my form hasn't started yet.
"You're late, Yuma. Big-time!" I hear a kid say. He's got blue circular cut hair with one piece standing up and curled.
"I am not!" The boy ignores him and pulls Yuma's deck out of its case, fanning the cards; Bronk and Tori anxiously look at them over his shoulders. I stand with them.
"Hmm...You are. Quite."
"Late how?" Yuma asks, obviously begrudged.
"Late in explaining what's up with those Number cards you play with!"
"If you mean why they're not in my deck right now, that's a no-brainer."
"It is?"
"It is! They're only here when Astral is here!" The boy doesn't look too happy with that explanation.
"Hmm. And who is Astral?" He takes a few steps forward and gets in Yuma's face.
"You know what, it doesn't matter. In the end, it's clear why you're hiding them away: because they're your secret weapon. What lets you win all the time!" I step forward.
"Hey, that's not true at all!" I defend Yuma who looks shocked to see me. After seeing me with Shark, I'm not surprised. The other kid steps back.
"Sure I have some good cards, but the reason I win my matches is because I'm a good duelist!"
"Yeah. Sure it is. Come on. You could never have beaten Shark or Flip without 'em: tell me I'm wrong!"
"Hel-lo? I toldja you were wrong, but if you want me to tell ya again, no problem!" I say. This kid is ticking me off.
"You are wrong! Wrong! Wrong wrong wrong wrong!" Yuma shouts.
"...Wow, six wrongs." Tori says.
"I'da gone seven, just to be sure." It was six.
,Yeah! Plus seven is a lucky number, so there's that." I sigh.
"Look, you can say 'wrong' a hundred times, but I think we all know there's just one way to settle this!"
"A duel! You got it, I'll take on anyone you want, and beat 'em without using a single one of my Number cards!"
"Yuma...!" Tori says anxiously. Yup; the kid's still reckless as hell.
"Huh, boy..."
"Really? Even if the individual I want you to take on is your old foe Shark?" Oh god no. Shark gave up Duelling. The only person he'd surely consider coming out of retirement for is Quattro. But, he'd probably relish in the chance to beat Yuma. Yuma swipes his deck back from the kid.
"No prob! Let's go find 'im and get Duelling! Rosie, you know where he goes now, right?"
"No I don't. He gave me a lift to school because I was late Yuma. We're not best buds or whatever." I lie.
"Wait, hold on, Yuma! You might wanna think twice about lookin' for 'im." Bronk says.
"Huh?" Me and Yuma say.
"After you beat Shark, he really changed. Started hangin' out with a buncha roughneck dudes. If you decide to do this and challenge 'im, you could be in for the duel a' your life!" So Bronk knows about Shark.
At the mall, bystanders wander or stand around. A female voice sounds over the PA system.
- Welcome, and please enjoy your shopping experience with us today.
I walk through the main area of the mall, into a dark, cluttered alleyway somewhere around back. I descend a dark flight of stairs and soon reach the base. There's gravity on the walls. At the end of the alley is a building that may once have been an arcade, with some portions of neon still flickering and glinting off the nose of Shark's ride as I approach.
"Scorch? Chills? Shark?" I ask as I walk in and see one of the other members, Vasca. She's alone.
"Hey, Vasca. You seen any of the others?"
"All upstairs, Roe." The door slides open, and Yuma enters, resolute. The room is dark, except for the lunar glow of a computer screen on the wall; perhaps a game that still works. Me and Vasca hide away; she looks ready to make Yuma pay for intruding.
"What is this place?" Astral floats ahead of Yuma.
"I am getting strange vibes."
"We're coming too!" Tori says confidently. Bronk whimpers. I don't believe this...THEY FOLLOWED ME?!
"Tori, no..." Tori hurries to Yuma's side; Bronk follows more slowly.
"This place is creepy. Hey; ya hear that?" Bronk is a few steps from them when he gets grabbed in a chokehold by a thick arm with a thick iron chain wrapped like a bracelet.
"What in the world?!"
"Hey, get offa me! L-let go!"
"Whadda you little pipsqueaks doin' here? Don'tcha know this is our territory?" The huge, muscle-bound guy with an arm effortlessly around Bronk's throat has short, thick dreadlocks. Yuma lunges for him. Big mistake. That's Scorch, co-leader of The Pack.
"Hey! Let Bronk go!" Someone else grabs Yuma's ankle as it leaves the ground.
"Aahh!"
"Yuma...!" Another huge guy is holding Yuma upside-down by one ankle. It's Chills.
"Lemme go! You're gonna be sorry!"
"I wouldn't bet on that." Four others appear out of deeper inside the arcade, and Tori finds herself surrounded. The one speaking to Tori wears a T-shirt that has a logo, backwards R and K. He has puffy red hair.
"Well, whad' do we got here? If you're lookin' for trouble, it's found. Heheh!" As I emerge from the shadows, Tori calls my name.
"I can't believe you guys followed me here! What the hell?!" I say. Tori looks around nervously.
"I can't believe you're with these clowns! You really didn't tell us?" Bronk gets angry.
"Why would I? The Pack is like family to each other. And you don't belong here." I state, holding a piece of my brown hair in my index and middle finger.
"Hey! Just leave us alone!! Or else, you're gonna have to deal with me when I get down!" Yuma shouts. Attention seeker. Astral floats nearby, similarly upside-down.
"That strategy is not sound. These thugs do not look like they will be putting anyone down, anytime soon."
"Stay outta this, Astral!" Chills looks at Scorch.
"Hey Scorch, what's the next move?"
"Teach 'em a lesson! Heheh..." He tightens his grip on Bronk.
"Stop." The others look up, as does Yuma. There stands Shark on the stairs, frowning, eyes shrewd.
"Let go a' the little brats."
"Shark!" Shark descends the last couple steps. My heart skips beats again. I can't stop thinking about him lately.
"What: You know 'em or somethin'?" Scorch asks.
"Sure do."
"Guess it's your lucky day." Chills smirks. With that, he lets go of Yuma's ankle, letting him fall on his head. Bronk gets similarly dropped. The guys depart through the front door without another word, a couple of them snickering. Yuma and Bronk are still recovering on the floor, Tori at Yuma's side when Shark approaches and stands over them.
"Huh?"
"You shouldn't have come here." Shark says.
"I can't believe you guys didn't trust me."
"You were lyin'! You said you knew nothin' on Shark. You lied to us!" Bronk is getting angrier.
"Yeah! I had my rights. Shark's business is his only. And anyway, if we were friends why would you care, Bronk? He's a good duellist, and smart...everything you're not." I walk out and the others whistle at me.
"Nice job. Tell 'em how it is. Good gal." Scorch says.
"And we are like family, you're right." Vasca agrees, clutching my arm. Shark turns to follow me and the others.
"I came here, 'cause I have business with you, Shark!" Shark halts in the doorway. Oh god; here we go.
"What business?"
"The business of Duelling, that's what."
"Huh?!" Shark seems surprised. Is that...no it can't be. Shark has his back to them; they don't see the surprise and even fear in his eyes. He dismisses it with a smirk.
"Heheheh. I can't duel you."
"Huh? How come?"
"Because I quit dueling."
"Huh?!" Yuma, Tori and Bronk all say in shock. Astral reacts as well, with a sharp turn of the head. Shark keeps walking. Yuma looks at Shark then me.
"Another thing she failed to mention." Bronk growls.
"Yeah, she didn't. And I'm grateful. I'd rather see your expressions myself. And they're gold." Shark says, tossing his runner keys and a wink at me.
"I've moved on, "Yuma. And now I'm movin' on from you." And the door slides shut behind him, leaving Yuma and Tori staring after.
"Whadda you want?" Yuma has returned to the arcade, and is confronting Shark again. Why can't he just let go of the past?
"You know what I want? A duel! Question is, why don't you want one? What happened to you? Both of you."
"You wouldn't understand."
"Yeah, I would! I get frustrated with dueling all the time-trust me!" At this, Yuma glares over his shoulder at Astral, who is listening silently with his back to the conversation, arms crossed.
"Yuma, some things are best left alone." I interfere.
"Rose, why are you hanging with him anyway?" Yuma asks.
"Because I want to Yuma. I don't need to explain myself to you."
"Come on, Shark. Let's just duel."
"For the last time, Yuma; I have quit!" Shark takes off running and grabs my hand.
"Shark...Rose...wait!" Yuma runs after us. Shark's pretty quick, and he has a head start. At a fence that looks like a paneled spider web of wire, Shark kicks off the wall and leaps over it with amazing ease. I try the same thing and it surprisingly works. I look back. Yuma looks panicked for a moment, then resolute.
"Okay, time to high-five the sky- gaaahh!" And he tries to leap the fence and runs smack into it. Astral, of course, has less trouble reaching the other side. Shark next leads the chase across a set of broad, tiled stepping stones on a still pond in a beautiful park somewhere, set far enough apart that they may not have originally been meant as stepping stones, and crossing them is a challenge. Lucky I took balance lessons as part of my gym routine. Yuma is beginning to leap from stone to stone before me and Shark reach the other side.
"You can't lose me!" With this, Yuma makes an impressive leap into the air-but his momentum quits, and he hasn't reached the next stone. After a moment of recognition, he plummets into the water.
"Yaaaahhh!" Astral hovers above, immune to such indignities. Shark reaches the seashore, a long, steel bridge crossing the water far behind him, and turns, breathing heavily.
"You okay?" He asks.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Nice job. You're quite athletic." I compliment.
"Thanks. We finally lost 'im!" Shark says, glad.
"That's gre-"
"Shark!" Oh for the love of Number 37! Shark turns with consternation.
"Huh?!" There stands Yuma, breathing even harder, hands braced on his knees.
"You're not losing anything-- except the duel we're about to have! Whaddaya say?" Shark coolly turns away, hands in his pockets.
"Aw, come on! I thought we were friends!" That gets Shark's attention, and he doesn't like it one bit.
"Rrrgghhh; we are not friends!! You got that?! Why would you even think that anyway?!"
"Why would I think we're friends? Because we dueled!" Shark is astonished, speechless.
"And as your friend, I'm gonna be the one to tell ya-- that it's time you dump those thugs you've been hanging out with. This isn't like you: either of you. Rose, what's going on?" Shark regains some of his aloof.
"It's none a' your business who we hang out with, Yuma." We? Does he consider me an actual friend?
"Oh yeah? I'll make it my business! I beat you, and you both ditch them!"
"Yeah? And what do I get if I beat you?"
"Well, then you..." Yuma lifts the key on its cord around his neck.
"Y-you get to have this."
"No, Yuma; wait." Astral says. If Yuma loses, Shark doesn't just get they key. He gets Astral.
"You keep quiet."
"Huh! Okay-- you got yourself a deal. And once this is all over, I'm gonna get that necklace a' yours!" Yuma is solemn, resolute. The sun is setting, turning the world golden. The area is still, except for Yuma and Shark, preparing to do battle on the empty road beside the ocean. Shark's ride is parked behind him.
"Yuma, are you sure about this?"
"I told you, Astral, I don't want your help during this duel. And that goes for all a' those Number cards as well!"
"What do you mean?" As Yuma speaks, Bronk, Tori, and the other kid run up, watching from a distance.
"I mean it's time I proved the duelist makes the cards, not the other way around!" Yuma says.
"Oh, Yuma..."
"Besides-- it's not fair to use Number cards against Shark; he doesn't have any." Astral looks somewhat surprised at that consideration.
"And hey-- now I've even got a noble cause that I'm dueling for. Shark and Rose shouldn't be hanging with those jerks, and soon they won't be."
"Yuma, I think...All right, then. Consider me a spectator." Astral says. What was he going to say? He floats back to a watching distance behind Yuma. Shark's eyes blaze with something like fear or anger as they regard each other.
"Game time! Duel disk; go!" Yuma's duel panels fold out, and he puts on his gazer.
"Duel gazer, let's roll!" The world is overlaid with a slight tint and filled with descriptive caption boxes.
"Augmented Reality Vision Link established."
Yuma and Shark each already have their starting five cards in hand.
"Let's do this!" They shout.
They face off, the sunset sky full of bright gazervision labels.
"Let's duel!"
"All right! I am feelin' the flow! I summon, Gogogo Golem!" ( ATK 1800 DEF 1500)
"Be careful, Yuma. Shark has a trove of powerful beasts. That Golem is tough, but--"
"Ah, zip it, Astral. Next I place one card facedown; and since I can't attack on the first move of the game, I end my turn!"
"My turn! I draw!! I summon, Friller Shark!" ( ATK 700 DEF 1500)
"But it only has seven hundred attack points. What could Shark be planning?"
"Now I summon Shark Stickers!" (ATK 200 DEF 1000)
"You see, Yuma, when Friller Shark is on the field, Shark Stickers can be summoned right from my hand!"
"And I think I know what's coming next." Astral says.
"Uh-oh..."
"Now I overlay level-three Friller Shark and Shark Stickers!" The two cards are blazing blue as Shark takes them from his duel disk; the monsters on the field turn into light blue and dark blue streams of light and arc high over the duel, crossing paths midair. Xyz Summoning will always look wondrous to me.
"With these two monsters I can build an overlay network and Xyz summon!" The two streams of light zoom into the center of the bright red galactic spiral in the center of the field.
"Ha! Now, say hello to Aero Shark!" (ATK 1900 DEF 1000)
"1900 attack points? That's a hundred more than my Golem! But still-- not more than my trap card can handle!"
"Now I'll play Aero Shark's ability! By using up one overlay unit, you take four hundred points of damage for every card in my hand! And since I have four cards in my hand, that adds up to 1600 points a' damage, Yuma!"
"Oh no!" Aero Shark lets loose with four missiles, which split off four smaller darts each. Yuma braces himself, and gets hit with a barrage of explosions. Tori, Bronk, and the other kid gasp. Within the fire, Yuma stubbornly holds his ground, lifepoints now at 2400.
"Next I activate the spell Mystical Space Typhoon from my hand! Thanks to Typhoon, I can blow off one spell or trap card on the field!"
"Oh no! Not my trap card!" Shark's gazer shines in a streak of white light. He's serious about this duel.
"Now go, Aero Shark! Attack Gogogo Golem with Devouring Dive!" The attack knocks Yuma off his feet, and lowers his lifepoints to 2300.
"Aaaaaaaahhhh!"
"I place one card facedown and end my move!" Yuma hits the ground with a groan, struggling to sit up.
"Unbelievable! Yuma's down to twenty-three hundred lifepoints after just one turn!"
"Shark duels pretty well for a retiree..."
"No joke." Tori gulps.
"Well, Yuma? I hope that you're happy with yourself. You wanted a duel with me and you got one-- and all the hurt that comes with it!"
"Get real! I'm not feelin' hurt at all! My draw! Time to make a move! Now!! All right! I summon, Gagaga Magician!" ( ATK 1500 DEF 1000)
"And the magic of Gagaga, is that once per turn, it can change its level to a number between one and eight!" Yuma looks at his hand.
"Go on; play that Number! I want ya to!" Shark says.
"Huh?!" Me and Yuma speak in unison. Why would he want that?
"Has Shark lost his mind?"
"Yeah, only a Number can destroy a Number, an' Shark doesn't have one! So why would 'e want Yuma to play it?"
"Well? We're waiting, Yuma. You know playing it is the only way you'll be able to beat me. Then again maybe your Number's not enough! Maybe the only reason I agreed to duel you was to prove I could take it down!"
"Yuma."
"Huh?"
"If the duelist really makes the card..."
"Yeah?"
"Then it should not matter if that card in question happens to be weak, or to be strong. And besides all of that, what you've really set out to accomplish here is not to help out your ego as a duelist, but to help your friend Shark!"
"Oh, yeah; I almost forgot. I gotta get 'im to lose those loser friends of his! Rosie too. And to make that happen, I'll do whatever it takes! I activate the spell card, Monster Reborn! And now bring back Gogogo Golem from my graveyard. Next I overlay level-four Gagaga Magician and Gogogo Golem! All right! With these two monsters, an overlay network has been built! And that means, I can Xyz-summon! So appear, Number 39: Utopia!!" The folded wings, helical center, and unformed armor shines gold; the deeper core glows blue, and bears the symbol of the Number 39 glowing in red. ( ATK 2500 DEF 2000)
"Yuma just played a Number card?"
"Yeah, what gives? I thought he was done with those digits."
"It's like I said-- Yuma needs Number cards to win. I knew I was right!"
"Shut it, you blue haired freak. This isn't your duel so zip your mouth be a quiet spectator." I yell at him. He jumps back. Shark glances at me for a moment and turns back to the duel.
"Yes, Yuma, do it! Attack me with your Number monster!"
All right! Go, Utopia! Take out Aero Shark!"
"I'm not afraid! I play Friller Shark's ability!! By banishing the Friller Shark in my graveyard from play, your Utopia's attack is stopped! And it loses five hundred attack points!" Utopia slashes at nothing, and its points decrease to 2000.
"No!"
"Next I play, Fish Rain! Thanks to this trap card, when a fish-type monster is banished from play, I can summon a level three or below fish monster from my hand. And this one, has some bite!"
"Come out! Big Jaws!" (ATK 1800 DEF 300)
"Not good! Now I'm in an even bigger fix than before!"
"Yes; you are, Yuma. I was afraid this would happen."
"Huh?!"
"What you failed to recognize is that Monster Reborn can also bring back a monster from another player's graveyard. You could've brought back Friller Shark, and used Gagaga Magician's level-changing ability, and then Xyz-summoned Leviathan Dragon. And then you could've used Leviathan Dragon to destroy Aero Shark."
"Ugh! Oh, well. I'll get 'im next time. After all, Utopia has two thousand attack points; Shark doesn't have a monster on his field stronger than that. All right, Shark, make your move!"
"Never mind about me - it's Aero Shark and its ability that you should be worried about! Because now, just like before, by using one overlay unit, you take 400 points a' damage for every card in my hand! I have two!" Aero Shark blasts Yuma with its multiple missiles again.
"So that's a walloping worth 800!" Yuma's lifepoints fall to 1500.
"Next I summon Skull Kraken!!"
"Two level three monsters?!"
"It is all right. He still does not have a card that can destroy a Number like Utopia."
"I now overlay Skull Kraken and Big Jaws! And because I have, I can now Xyz summon! Welcome to the duel, the mighty Black Ray Lancer!!" Yuma shudders; Lancer is a warrior with a hovering platform sort of thing instead of legs; its armor is black with fuchsia highlights, and it sports two spoked sails as wings. It wields a red spear with a big red crystal for the spearhead that crackles pinkish-fuchsia. No way; I gave Shark that card! I never thought he'd use it! (ATK 2100 DEF 600)
"And now for the best part! I activate, Lancer's ability! By using one overlay unit, your Utopia's ability is negated this turn!"
"What?!"
"Nooooo!"
"That's right, Yuma. The ability where only a Number can destroy another Number is gone. So now your Utopia can be taken down like any other card!"
"He's right! Which means my Number's about to be seriously crunched."
"Go, Black Ray Lancer! Attack with Shimmering Spear Slash!" Lancer swoops in, spear aglow, and Utopia takes the hit right in the chest.
"Utopia!!" Yuma falls to his knees, looking bleak. His lifepoints now read 1400.
"And I can't believe it's gone..."
"I cannot believe Shark knows a Number's weakness!"
"Aero Shark!! Attack Yuma! Devouring Dive!" Aero Shark plows right into Yuma, and knocks him down, cards scattering, to hit the ground backfirst; Yuma's lifepoints drop to 0, the duel is over, and Shark has won. Shark's monsters shatter in a mist of gold sparkles, and the holographic link begins to dissolve. If he would have had Lancer sooner, would Shark have won their first duel?
"So even with a Number, Yuma lost."
"He got trounced. Poor guy." Bronk can't even look toward the duel. Yuma takes off his gazer, looking truly upset.
"Not just trounced; completely annihilated." Shark removes his own gazer.
"I suppose now I can tell ya. The reason that I stopped dueling, Yuma was because I was crushed when you beat me."
"What?!" I ask. Shark has walked across the field, and grips the gold key around Yuma's neck.
"It's true, Rose. I couldn't tell you either. But I feel all better now." He snaps the leather cord and takes the key, tossing and catching it in one hand.
"And this here is just the cherry on top!" Shark chuckles over his prize; Yuma watches, powerless, on his knees. And I feel so sorry for him; but me and Shark being friends mean we can be there for Rio together. Shark stands, pauses, then turns to leave.
"Then again, keep it. As a reminder of what I did to you." Shark doesn't stop walking as he tosses the key over his shoulder and it clatters on the ground in front of Yuma, who stares at it in distress, then looks up at him.
"Shark, Rose no! Don't go!" Shark has reached his bike. He looks back and throws me a helmet.
"Yuma, you an' I are finished so don't you ever come botherin' me again!" Yuma groans.
"You may think those friends a' mine are thugs and that I stole Rose from you guys, but they're all that I have. And that's just fine with me!"
"Shark...Rose..." He says. Tori and the boy watch anxiously, Tori with tears forming in her eyes. Bronk has bitterly turned his face aside.
"Shark..." Tori says. Shark revs up and rides away. The runner roars away, turns a corner, and zooms out of sight.
"Shark?"
"Yeah?"
"Did you...did you mean what you said? About me and The Pack being all you have?" He sighs and looks back. His eyes have an unfamiliar emotion in them.
"Yeah, I did. You...never mind." With that, Shark focuses on the road ahead. I focus on a different road; the road of my future. Because I honestly have no idea what's going to happen. And that fact alone scares me.