High above, on the stands, the cheering of thousands of people waiting for the duel, but down in the sub-level staging bay, there was only dead silence.
Across the bay, Duel Chaser 227 sat rigid upon the pristine white chassis of his Security D-Wheel. His uniform was buttoned straight to the throat; his dark visor and sunglasses over his eyes, leaving only a hard, unyielding jaw. As though the dead silence of the place gave him confidence, his voice carried flat across the floor:
"I am an officer of the law and order. I will bring order to this track. Not through shortcuts. Through strength."
# Suite — Yugo
Far below the corridors, deeper down in the underground bay of the building, the roar of an engine tore the silence to absolute pieces.
My engine.
The kid who is supposed to be my supervisor just stood there frozen in the quiet. I didn't give him any pleasantries or wait around for some briefing. I grabbed my helmet, vaulted onto my and Rin's D-Wheel, and gunned the throttle as hard as it would go.
Behind me, the poor guy started coughing as the thick cloud of dust my tires kicked up.
My and Rin's D-Wheel surged forward up the access ramps. From that underground bay of this building straight into the launch gates of the Duel Palace, I tore through the passage in eight minutes flat.
# Duel Palace
Daylight poured through the opening launch gate like a blinding white curtain, hitting me all at once alongside the deafening, thunderous roar of the crowd.
"And here comes our challenger!" Melissa's voice boomed throughout the stadium. "A rider who climbed straight out of the Commons with a sky-high dream! The hot-blooded hurricane himself—YUUUUGO!"
Stadium was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with thousands of Commons. They erupted into an ear-splitting cheer.
Ignoring this noise, a thought suddenly slammed into my head.
"Oh yeah... Yuzu must've been enjoying her duel that she forgot to tell everyone about the Dimension war! Well, can't be helped. Guess I'll have to shout it out to the whole crowd in her place!"
Before I could say a word, the heavy white Security D-Wheel rolled out from the opposite gate, its red siren lights pulsing with authority that cut right through the track.
"And his opponent!" Melissa announced with a dramatic blare of fanfare. "A man standing under the badge of justice! Who has come to reclaim his honour by defeating the person he once lost to! Security Officer, Duel Chaser 227!"
Our D-Wheels slowed to a parallel crawl along the starting straightaway, rumbling against each other like two territorial beasts sizing up a kill.
I glanced sideways, narrowing my eyes behind my visor. I felt like I'd seen this guy somewhere before—and once Melissa mentioned him wanting payback against the guy who beat him, the memory clicked right into place. The second it did, whatever else I had been thinking about completely vanished from my brain.
"Wait a second..." I muttered, scowling across the gap. "You're that cop from the highway!"
"I won't deny what happened last time," Duel Chaser 227 said, his voice calm. "I lost to you. I allowed my childishness to guide my judgment, and in doing so, I disgraced this uniform. The whispers in the barracks... the demotions..."
He turned his head squarely toward me.
"However, I will not crush you out of petty spite today. I will defeat you fairly. By the rules, under the eyes of the entire City. And when you lose on this track, I will personally escort you to the Facility."
Melissa didn't miss a beat to fire up the audience. "Oh! Duel Chaser 227 has just announced his words with such confidence!"
# Roget
On his Director's chair, Roget watched. His voice had a smooth, quiet cadence.
"You intend to win while reclaiming your dignity?
"I specifically arranged this duel to give you the chance to undo the damage you've inflicted on Security's reputation. Make no mistake: if you lose, your troubles will only be beginning."
He lifted a white pawn from his chessboard, gently creasing it between his fingers. "But let's see what you can accomplish."
# Duel Palace
"What an unbelievable statement of professional integrity!" Melissa shouted. "You hear that, folks? That is the pride and duty of a true Security officer!"
My hands clamped down hard on the handlebars, my teeth grinding together.
"You really think winning a card game fixes everything?! You talk about playing fair, but what about after I beat you on the high-roads? I won fair and square back then, too! And what did your 'honorable' buddies do? They chased me and Yuzu down just because Security wasn't strong enough to take a loss!"
A sudden hush rippled across the grandstands, and then the Commons section blew up into a violent roar.
"He's right!" A chubby man shouted from the railing. "You bastards chased 'em down anyway! You only locked 'em up 'cause you couldn't take being beaten by a kid from the slums!"
"Security only plays fair when they're on camera! Scums!"
The Commons stands began to churn with angry unrest.
"Whoa, whoa, settle down, everyone!" Melissa pleaded hastily, her giant hologram waving its arms frantically in the air. "This is the Friendship Cup! We're here to bridge divides, remember? Love, sport, and mutual respect!"
Above all the chaos, tucked away in the sealed private boxes of the Tops, a nobleman dressed in a velvet frock coat glanced down at the churning crowd with cold disdain.
"Utter savages," he remarked dryly to his companions, taking a slow sip of vintage wine. "Their shouting completely ruins the bouquet of this vintage. Security should have simply neutralized that boy in the cells."
Down on the asphalt, the starting gantry lights flashed yellow.
"Field Spell! Crossover Acceleration!"
A bright wave of light washed over the entire circuit.
"Riding Duel... ACCELERATION!"
Duel Chaser 227 LP: 4000
Yugo LP: 4000
# Turn 1 — 227
"I will claim the first turn," 227 announced. His heavy D-Wheel surged forward, crossing the first corner ahead of me. "I summon Ancient Gear Scout Cog in Attack Position!"
A small, brass-plated automaton materialized onto his side of the road, and its single glowing red optical sensor blinking.
[Earth / Machine / Effect / Level 2 / ATK: 600 / DEF: 600]
...
In her private suite, Celina gasped at the screen, her eyes widened.
...
"When Scout Cog is Summoned, its effect activates," 227 continued calmly. "I add one 'Ancient Gear' card from my Deck to my hand." A card ejected from his D-Wheel's deck slot, and he snapped it up without even looking at it. "Next, I activate the Spell card: P-Proto Dispatch. This allows me to add one 'P-Proto' monster from my Deck to my hand. I choose P-Proto Patrolman. I set two cards face-down. My turn is complete."
# Turn 2 — Yugo
"What's his deal?" I thought, staring at that pathetic little cog clattering on the road. "Why summon a monster with such low attack in Attack Position?"
Whatever he was plotting, I wasn't going to sit back and wait. I cranked the throttle, swinging into the outside lane until I was riding dead even with his rear wheel.
"My turn! Draw!"
I grabbed my drawn card and slammed another straight onto my Duel Disk. "From my hand, I Normal Summon Speedroid Double Yoyo!"
A pair of bright mechanical yoyos bounced out onto the road.
[Wind / Machine / Effect / Level 4 / ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1400]
"And since I control a WIND monster, I can Special Summon Speedroid Taketomborg from my hand!"
A spinning bamboo-copter mechanism dropped down right beside Double Yoyo, its paper fan buzzing.
[Wind / Machine / Effect / Level 3 / ATK: 600 / DEF: 1200]
"Now I activate Taketomborg's effect! By tributing it, I can Special Summon a 'Speedroid' Tuner from my Deck! Come on out, Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice!"
Taketomborg burst into green wind particles, and in its place hovered a tiny, glowing six-sided die with six stars orbiting around it.
[Wind / Machine / Tuner / Effect / Level 1 / ATK: 100 / DEF: 100]
"I tune the Level 4 Double Yoyo with the Level 1 Tuner monster, Red-Eyed Dice!"
Red-Eyed Dice spun into a single bright green ring of light, encircling Double Yoyo as four glowing stars aligned right through the center.
"Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 5, Hi-Speedroid Chanbara!"
Out of the blast of light came my sleek, dual-bladed warrior riding on its kendama craft.
[Wind / Machine / Synchro / Effect / Level 5 / ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1000]
"Battle! Chanbara, attack Ancient Gear Scout Cog! And when Chanbara battles, its effect activates automatically—it gains 200 ATK for each attack!"
Chanbara ATK: 2000 → 2200
Chanbara's twin blades carved through the air in a violent arc, cleanly slicing that brass cog right down the middle. The thing blew apart into a shower of scrap metal and black smoke.
227 didn't even flinch, even though the blast wave rattled hard against him.
Duel Chaser 227 LP: 4000 → 2400
"Chanbara can attack twice during each Battle Phase!" I grinned "Take this! Direct attack!"
Chanbara ATK: 2200 → 2400
Chanbara surged forward again, blades drawn to finish it in one go.
"Is the duel already over?!"
"Predictable," 227 muttered coldly. "From my hand, I activate the effect of P-Proto Siren Tuner! When an opponent's monster declares direct attack, I can Special Summon this card in Defense Position!"
A crimson-and-blue siren mounted on tracked wheels dropped.
[Fire / Machine / Tuner / Effect / Level 4 / ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1400]
"Furthermore, when Siren Tuner is Summoned by its own effect, it places one Pursuit Counter on the attacking monster!"
A pulsing red holographic tracker locked right onto Chanbara's chest.
[Hi-Speedroid Chanbara: 1 Pursuit Counter]
Chanbara's second strike sliced clean through Siren Tuner, blowing it up in a blinding shower of sparks.
I clicked my tongue in frustration. "Cheeky cop... I set one card face-down and end my turn!"
# Turn 3 — 227
"My turn. Draw."
He checked his card with chilling precision. "I Normal Summon the Tuner monster, P-Proto Jutte Cadet!"
A miniature robotic patrolman brandishing an iron jitte baton sped onto the circuit.
[Earth / Warrior / Tuner / Effect / Level 2 / ATK: 700 / DEF: 900]
"Next, from my hand, I Special Summon P-Proto Patrolman, which can be Summoned when a 'P-Proto' Tuner monster is on the field!"
An armor-plated officer holding an energy stunner dropped heavily into formation beside it.
[Earth / Warrior / Effect / Level 4 / ATK: 1700 / DEF: 1200]
"I tune the Level 4 P-Proto Patrolman with the Level 2 Tuner monster, Jutte Cadet!"
Jutte Cadet dissolved into two glowing rings, surrounding Patrolman as four bright stars dissolved.
"Clad in the iron mantle of the law, strike down all disturbance!" 227 barked like he was reading an execution order. "Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 6! Goyo Guardian!"
A rmored warrior wielding an iron jitte and heavy spiked chains slammed down onto the track.
[Earth / Warrior / Synchro / Effect / Level 6 / ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2000]
"Goyo Guardian is out already!" Melissa shrieked into her mic. "Security's signature enforcer! Yugo's Chanbara is completely outmatched!"
"That is only the first protocol," 227 said, his tone dropping low and dangerous. "Now, I activate the Quick-Play Spell: Protocol Conversion - Dual Drive! This card can only be activated if I have less Life Points than my opponent. It allows me to banish monsters from my Graveyard, and perform an Extra Deck Summon! I banish the Level 2, Ancient Gear Scout Cog and the Level 4, P-Proto Siren Tuner from my Graveyard!"
I narrowed my eyes. "So that's why he let that weak little cog get destroyed on purpose...!"
In a shade darkness, two cards dissolved.
Above the track, the sky warped as a violent crimson-and-blue vortex ripped open through the clouds. 227 didn't clap his hands. He didn't make any theatrical pose, say a prayer, or chant an invocation. His gloved hands locked onto his steering grips like a machine.
"The ancient mechanical core with the pursuit tracking system! Capture all enemies of law and rupture them! Fusion Summon! Appear! Ancient Gear Hell Hound!"
From the heart of the swirling portal, a terrifying two-headed mechanical beast made of rusted, grinding gears leaped onto the road, snarling with raw malice.
[Earth / Machine / Fusion / Effect / Level 7 / ATK: 2600 / DEF: 2000]
...
In her suite, Celina bolted straight up from her bed, as her eyes shrank in disbelief. "That's... Academia's..." She whispered, confused. "Why does Security have Academia's cards?
"Wait... I've never seen this kind of monster."
...
In another room, Yuzu clutched her hands tightly against her chest, frozen in place. She had watched Celina duel, just like all her other friends, but this was a officer of City Security. "How can a Duel Chaser use Fusion...?"
...
Down in a dimly lit room, Dennis Macfield stood leaning against a glass wall, casually idling cards between his fingers. His trademark smile had completely vanished. "...Has Academia already infiltrated the Synchro Dimension? Why wasn't I informed...?" He muttered under his breath with low voice.
...
Shun Kurosaki sat rigid in the darkness of his suite. He didn't stand up. He didn't yell. But his fists so tight they cracked. His eyes narrowed into the feral glare of a hunting falcon locking onto its prey. The images alone of the monster dragged him straight back to the smoking ruins of Heartland.
Yet, after a second, his brow furrowed as he stared at the white circuitry etched into the beast's flanks. "This monster... It isn't the monster Academia used until now. What is this?"
# Council Chamber
Inside the Administrative Council Chamber, the five elders shifted uneasily in their towering seats. Reiji Akaba stood before them, his crimson scarf hanging motionless, his face as blank as unreadable mask.
"Interesting..." He said aloud. "A Security officer, from a Bureau so obsessed with public order and crime deterrence, has suddenly deployed a Fusion monster."
# Battle Phase — 227
Down on the track, 227 raised his hand. "Battle! Goyo Guardian attack Hi-Speedroid Chanbara!"
The giant warrior swung its massive iron jitte, chains rattling violently as it lunged straight toward Chanbara.
"Like hell you will!" I yelled. "Trap card, open! Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!"
The rusted iron scarecrow popped out of the road, intercepting Goyo Guardian's crushing blow and deflecting the strike before resetting itself neatly face-down.
"Scrap-Iron Scarecrow negates one attack, then sets itself right back on the field!"
"A temporary delay," 227 countered without missing a beat. "Ancient Gear Hell Hound, attack Hi-Speedroid Chanbara!"
The two-headed metal brute leaped high into the air.
My eyes whipped wildly across the track. There! A glowing Action Card was pulsing right on the turn!
"Hold on tight, Chanbara!"
I gunned the engine and yanked my handlebars hard to the left. And snatched the card.
"Action Spell: Evasion!" I roared, jamming the card into my Duel Disk. "My monster is saved!"
Hell Hound's massive jaws snapped shut right through empty air, passing harmlessly through Chanbara as if it were a ghost.
227 didn't even turn his head. In fact, as I looked back, I realized he'd driven right past two Action Cards lying completely out in the open on his side of the road without even looking at them.
Melissa's voice buzzed through the speakers. "And Yugo manages to survive by the skin of his teeth using an Action Card! Meanwhile, Duel Chaser 227 continues to fight entirely on his own strength, relying solely on his deck! A duelist standing on his own two feet versus a challenger scrambling from scraps!"
The mockery started up in the high tiers of the Commons.
"Hey! What are you doing crawling on the walls?!"
"He's taking you on fair and square with his own cards, and you're diving for lucky pickups?! Show that Security officer what Commons strength is!"
"Have some pride, kid! You're making us look like cowards!"
...
Down in the low slums, in front of the beaten-up old electronics store, few kids stood inches from the buzzing television screen, their small hands clenched.
"Then why don't they get on a D-Wheel and beat him themselves?!" One of the older boys yelled at the glass.
"Exactly!" A younger girl shouted. "Yugo's the one Dueling! He already fought that cop! They just sit in the stands yelling like they know better!"
"Everyone, please," Sister said softly. "Getting angry won't help Yugo."
"But Sister, they're being unfair!" The boy protested fiercely. "He's doing everything he can!"
"I know," she murmured.
She didn't defend the crowd, and she didn't tell the children who was right. Her eyes lifted toward the flickering screen, looking at Yugo, her expression filled with a quiet, fierce pride.
"Do your best, Yugo. Rin surely must be watching you."
...
Out on the track, my face burned crimson underneath my helmet.
"Shut up! All of you, just shut up!" I screamed straight into the rushing wind. "It's his choice not to pick up Action Cards! That's his business! I'm playing by the rules of this tournament, and there isn't a single rule that says I have to handicap myself just because he wants to make a point!"
"These people... they don't care about what's right! They don't give a damn about what happens to me if I get sent to the Facility! They just want a show! They want me to put my neck on the line while they sit on their asses and shout orders at me!"
"I activate the effect of P-Proto Warrant Officer from my hand by showing this card," 227 cut in, completely unfazed by the roaring mob. "By removing one Pursuit Counter from a monster on the field, I can take control of it until the end phase! I remove the Pursuit Counter from Hi-Speedroid Chanbara!"
A beam of magnetic light fired from his card, locking onto Chanbara's chest. And it moved from my side to beside his D-Wheel.
"He stole Chanbara!" Melissa gasped. "With Goyo Guardian and Hell Hound already in play, Yugo is completely defenseless!"
Up in his director's suite, Roget leaned forward in his chair, his fingers tightening around that white pawn. "Finish it."
227 glanced sideways at me. My knuckles were shaking white on the throttle, my chest heaving with ragged breaths.
"On the highways," 227 said, his voice steady, "you called Security thieves who hide behind stolen authority. You said we only do what we want and what we are told to do. You claimed we take what isn't ours."
He pressed a card onto his Duel-board.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell from my hand: Restitution Protocol! If I control a monster whose control was changed, I can return it to its owner's field in Defense Position, and if I do, I draw one card."
Chanbara drifted right back over to my side of the road, kneeling down into a defensive stance.
"Wh... what?!" Melissa shrieked into her microphone. "He gave it back?!"
Back in his office, Roget's hand squeezed into a tight fist—and the white pawn snapped cleanly.
227 never flinched. "I told you, Yugo. I will defeat you with my own monsters, on my own strength. I will not give you or the Commons an excuse to claim this victory was tainted."
He drew his card. "I end my turn."
# Turn 4 — Yugo
I stared at him, my heart hammering heavy, my mind spinning.
"This guy... he's serious. He's really dead serious about this."
"My turn!"
I drew from my deck, my fingers trembling just a little.
I looked over with analytical gaze. Over on 227's side stood Goyo Guardian with 2800 ATK and that terrifying Fusion monster, Ancient Gear Hell Hound, with 2600 ATK.
"One card at a time... that's how he's cutting me down. The hairs I'm hanging on by are thinning card by card!"
Then I looked down at the card in my hand. My grip tightened.
"I Normal Summon the Tuner monster, Speedroid CarTurbo!"
A small mechanical engine materialized onto the track.
[Wind / Machine / Tuner / Effect / Level 3 / ATK: 800 / DEF: 1200]
"I tune the Level 5 Hi-Speedroid Chanbara with the Level 3 Tuner monster, CarTurbo!"
CarTurbo dissolved into three radiant green rings, circling Chanbara as five brilliant stars burst across the circuit.
"Spread those sharp wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light!
"Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 8, Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake!"
A radiant blue mechanical dragon erupted from the clouds, spreading massive wings ablaze with emerald light.
[Wind / Machine / Synchro / Effect / Level 8 / ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2800]
"Kitedrake's effect activates when it's Synchro Summoned! It destroys all other cards on the field! Whirlwind Destruction!"
A devastating storm of gale-force energy tore across the asphalt, howling straight for 227's monsters. Destroying them!
227's jaw clenched. For the very first time, his unshakeable military posture cracked.
I leaned forward over my handlebars, my eyes blazing with fierce, unstoppable determination.
"All right, 227! I'm ending this right now! Kitedrake, direct attack!"