Acceleration (Yusei Fudo x Clarice Ng)

Chapter 31: The Reunion Duel

"You got some explaining to do pal!" Crow said, grey eyes narrowing. He stood at the edge of the pile of garbage.

Yusei stared him down calmly as he dismounted his runner.

"So start talking!" Crow slid down the mountain of trash and landed in front of Yusei.

"First things first."

Both Yusei and Crow looked like they were winding up to punch each other.

"You asked for it!"

Instead of punching, the boys clasped their left hands, and then their right hands lower than their left. Then of course they did the traditional fist bump.

"Hey Yusei!"

"Good to see ya, Crow!"

The boys greeted cheerfully, patting the other's shoulder. Crow laughed and grinned just as widely and crooked as Yusei remembered.

"What've you been up to?"

"Oh, come on, you know me, still fighting a good fight," Crow said. He playfully punched Yusei's shoulder. "Robbing the rich to feed the poor and all that... I see Sector Security got to ya."

Yusei's eyes drifted down to his mark. "Yeah, well, I see you finally learned how to use a wrench."

"Yeah, finished her last year," Crow boasted, proud of his work. "She's a beauty right?" He turned back to face his friend. "Speaking of beauty, where's  Clarice? You two went to the city together. Are you back here by yourself?"

"Um," Yusei's eyes drifted every which way, searching for the proper words. "We had a...small disagreement..."

"You guys got into a fight, then?" Crow raised an eyebrow, and crossed his arms.

Not unheard of for them to fight, but Clarice and Yusei's impulsiveness usually off-set each other. Something else is going on here.

"I just thought it would be a better idea to... get going. Clarice wanted to take our time, but time is something we don't have right now."

Crow shrugged, unconvinced. "If you say so.

"So I hear that you're some big shot champion now?"

"Yeah..." Yusei pursed his lips.

He'd been arrested, thrown in prison, released, stolen his bike back, forced into a tournament, won said tournament, then accused of cheating, and made his way back home. Getting separated from Clarice a couple times along the way.

"Something like that." He told Crow the entire story

"So Goodwin captured your friends and forced you to duel in that tournament?" Crow cried incredulously.

"Yeah, but now I need to make sure they're safe."

"Well then, let's head over to your old hideout."

Yusei scanned the dilapidated city. "Hey Crow, why are the streets so deserted?"

"These creepy cads have been coming around lately, like down there," Crow pointed to two dark-hooded men leading a group of people that might as well be zombies. "Look; they spout these wacky teachings and things trying to round up followers. I hear they're gathering everyone deep in the Satellite."

"Wait, you mean underground?"

"Things have gotten weird here, Yusei, weirder than usual."

Yusei furrowed his brow thoughtfully. 'Then I better take a look into this...'