Crimson Pokemon

Chapter 15

The next morning, the teen stood at the door of his cell and waited. He ignored the pleas from his partner and they slowly died with realization. It wasn't going to work. Ringer wasn't allowed to go with Yusei. He wasn't allowed to stay by his side because Ringer didn't trust his opponent.

Through the tiny barred window, Yusei could watch a couple of guards unlock his door. They stood on either side of him as they escorted the duelist to the center of the building. Ringer tried small whimpers and whines again in hopes he would be heard.

"Ringer," was the only thing Yusei needed to say to get the fox to stop, to understand. Alex, on the other hand, stared at his back with a burning hatred.

Armstrong stood tall at the bridge, a smug grin on his face. "Morning, Yusei. How'd you and your partner sleep last night?"

"Fine," he replied. Armstrong's grin spread and chuckled silently.

"Good," he boomed. "'Cause it'll be the last good sleep you'll have in a long time. Since you have no deck, I win by default!" Chains clanged and rattled above, a cell door unlocked with a rattle of keys. A yelp rang out and the chains' sound rushed. Yusei turned at a particularly pained bark. Ringer's muzzle was bound with a black cord, ankles shuffled chains behind him. Two guards led the fox downstairs to the stretch of metal they stood on.

"Hold on," Yusei shouted. He held up the thrown-together deck. "I have a deck." He couldn't help a small smile spread across his lips watching Armstrong's laughter cut off and expression change to shock.

"How?" he demanded. "Cards aren't allowed in this section of the Facility!"

"Clearly, you don't understand the amount of care a duelist puts into their deck," Yusei said with a grin. It quickly faded as he turned his attention to his chained partner. "What are you doing with Ringer? I thought he was to stay in our cell until the duel was over."

"Well," the fat man drew out. A smile about the same size as him stretched across the dark-skinned man's face. "I gave a call to my higher-ups and they said if an animal was being put in lockdown, then they are placed in the pound. They have their own lockdown system there." Yusei bit back a growl as two more guards hurried over with duel disks. They strapped the dark-colored machines to the duelists then a chain to the ground.

"What's with the chain?" He asked, watching the guards holding Ringer's muzzle leash tie it to the railing.

"This," Armstrong tapped the deck chamber in a thinking way of sorts. "Is just a way to make things a little more interesting. It'll just send a little tickle."

"What kind of tickle?" The large man didn't reply and inserted his deck into the machine on his forearm. Yusei did the same, their Life Points counting up to 4000 in no time. They drew their cards to start the duel. "I'll start things off." He glanced down at his hand and drew a new card to begin his turn. "I summon Great Phantom Thief in defense mode!"

One inmate called out excitedly, most likely the one who gave Yusei the card. The card's hologram was dressed in a long, dark blue-purple cape with a matching hat. Under it was a red shirt and a red pair of gloves.

"My turn!" Armstrong drew a card. "I summon Iron Chain Repairman." The image was big like its master. Two chains held up a pair of green work pants. White fighting bandages cut off the bottoms and its arms had large metal cuffs. The monster's head was covered in a red bandana, eyes shielded in yellow goggles. "Attack the Great Phantom Thief!" It swung the large metal hammer at the man on Yusei's field, crushing it instantly.

"Now, my monster's effect activates," Armstrong said. "Because my Repairman was able to send one of your monsters to the Graveyard, you get hit with 300 points of damage." The monster swung his hammer again, this time hitting the ground and sending a wave of air at Yusei. His points decreased.