A New Kind of Duel Begins
"Vroom! Vroom! ——"
It was twilight, sunset. The vast red light of the sky pressed down heavily on the land. On a desolate road in the outskirts of the Satellite Sector, the roar of two motorcycles erupted simultaneously. The powerful engine, as Yugi Muto made his first test ignition, brought an incredibly different kind of shock.
At the starting line, Yugi carefully adjusted his helmet strap. Beside him, Ushio skillfully pressed a button, and a visor smoothly descended from his gray-white helmet.
"Heh, ready, trash~" Ushio sneered arrogantly, then, with a flick of his arm, slapped a button on his Duel Runner. "But even if you're not, this officer isn't giving you any more time to stall!"
"A hunt is a hunt, and trash is trash!"
"Let this moment be the beginning of your frantic escape!!"
"Here we go!!"
"Field Spell Speed World!! Set!!!"
"Snap! —"
The moment the button was pressed, the two Duel Runners instantly linked up. Their respective Speed Duel panels lit up, and at the same time, a cold, synthesized voice, full of mechanical texture, broadcasted!
"Duel Mode activated! Auto-pilot ready!"
An icy-blue rule field descended from the sky. In an instant, everything around Yugi and Ushio transformed into a grid-like state of countless lines. The distant factory chimneys looked like wireframes on a drawing, and the surrounding police officers began to blur.
The entire world was reduced to almost just two riders and a winding track!!
"DUEL!!!"
Both shouted in unison. Explosive engine roars thundered at the starting line, rapidly spinning tires screeched against the ground, followed by countless flying sparks, then a sudden surge of dust and flying debris!!
Yugi gripped the handlebars of the Duel Runner tightly. Only after confirming the autopilot's stability did he gradually relax his posture. But as he focused all his attention on the card duel, he realized the first turn had been taken by Ushio!
"Tsk..." Yugi frowned slightly, drawing his initial hand amidst the howling wind. Speed Duels were different from traditional Duels. Due to the unique mechanism of Speed Counters, the advantage of the first turn was greatly amplified.
"Hahahahahaha!!" Ushio laughed wildly. "Looks like your Duel Runner is pretty average! Among all the illegal duelists I've seen, yours might be the slowest!!"
"The first turn in a Speed Duel is determined by speed!!"
"You lowly explosion-maker, enjoy eating my dust!!"
"My turn!! Draw!!"
"Boom! —"
The moment Ushio slammed a card from his deck, the speed of his Duel Runner surged. He whipped around a sharp corner, sweeping countless loose stones onto Yugi's windshield, creating a sound like hail.
Yugi, familiar with the original series, knew very well that in Speed Duels, a Duel Runner's speed was closely tied to the number of Speed Counters (SPC). The higher the SPC count, the faster the Duel Runner. Some professional-level Duel Runners, when reaching a full twelve SPC, could even approach speeds of four hundred kilometers per hour!
Besides using Speed Spell cards, Duelists gained SPC through natural accumulation each turn. At the start of each Duelist's Standby Phase, the Duel Runner would automatically gain one Speed Counter.
Ushio's sudden burst of speed came from this.
"I Normal Summon Assault Dog in Attack Position!" Ushio slapped down three cards consecutively, shouting, "Then I set two cards! Turn end!"
A dazzling bright light ignited from the left side of Ushio's white pursuit Duel Runner. The shifting light quickly transformed into a mechanical hound! Excited howls echoed within the Speed World's space. This agile, swift beast galloped furiously on all fours, carrying two armored cannons on its back, closely following Ushio!
[Assault Dog] [Level 4] [EARTH / Beast / Effect] [ATK/DEF: 1200/800]
In the dashboard, Ushio's speed constantly fluctuated around 200 km/h. The distance between them gradually widened, but soon, Yugi drew a card, and with a near-explosive burst of speed, he halted the expansion of that gap!
"It's my turn! Draw!" Yugi declared loudly, the intense acceleration pushing his body against the seatback. "I Normal Summon Necro Gardna in Defense Position!"
"I set one card! Turn end!"
[Necro Gardna] [Level 3] [DARK / Warrior / Effect] [ATK/DEF: 600/1300]
Ushio's Brutal Tactics
"Heh heh~ Choosing to play defense right away, huh?" Ushio sneered. "You trash are really boring!"
"Next, I'll show you what a real duel is all about!!"
"My turn! Draw!"
"At this moment, my SPC has accumulated to two, so this card can be activated!!"
"Speed Spell—SP: Defensive Blast!!"
"Select one Defense Position monster on the field and change it to Attack Position!!"
"A struggling prey just makes the hunt so much more satisfying!"
"You coward! Prepare to face this officer's attack head-on!!"
"Boom! —"
Ushio roared as he slammed down the card. A pulsating energy wave instantly surged towards Yugi's rear. A flash of light swept over, and Necro Gardna, originally in Defense Position, was forcefully twisted into Attack Mode.
"And I'll add another monster in Attack Position!" Ushio declared. "Assault Sentinel!"
[Assault Sentinel] [Level 4] [WIND / Warrior / Effect] [ATK/DEF: 1600/1200]
"Battle Phase!!" Ushio swiftly swung his arm. As his Duel Runner drifted elegantly through the turn, Assault Dog aimed its two cannons backward. "Assault Dog, attack Necro Gardna!!"
"Bang!—Bang!—"
The sound of powerful cannons boomed. Two fiery streaks of artillery fire shot directly towards Yugi's monster.
Just as the projectiles were about to explode, Yugi flipped his Set card, launching a counterattack. Necro Gardna, initially slightly weaker than Assault Dog, suddenly surged in battle power. After dodging the cannon fire with a swift movement, it landed a heavy punch, smashing Ushio's monster into fragments!!
"Whoosh! ——"
The shattered card dissolved into scattered light, then was crushed by the rapidly accelerating Duel Runner. Amidst the strong wind, a card stood upright. Yugi declared, "Trap Card Activate – Inspire!!"
"This card allows me to increase the ATK of one monster on my field by 700 until the end of the turn!!"
"With this card's boost, Necro Gardna's ATK has just surpassed Assault Dog's!!"
"Beep beep beep beep —
[Necro Gardna, ATK: 600 → 1300]
But Ushio smirked with disdainful satisfaction. "Heh heh, but that just makes the outcome even more to my liking~"
"The effect of Assault Dog activates! When this card is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon another Assault Dog from my Deck!!"
"This officer's attack isn't over yet, scum!!"
"Assault Sentinel, attack Necro Gardna!!"
"Both Assault Dogs, direct attack!!!"