365 Days of Starshipping (Part 2)

Starlight Junktion

7/26/19

He wasn't entirely sure what he'd been expecting from a place called Starlight Junktion, but from Judai's first look at the place from afar, up on the entrance platform, it certainly lived up to its name. There were more colors and lights scattered around than there were in Neo Domino, which was a seriously an impressive feat, and he could see immediately where it got its namesake from - there was a huge highway junction in the very middle of the city, whose streets ran outwards towards the edge of the city before scattering into hundreds of intertwining roads.

"Welcome to Starlight Junktion!" Junk Synchron cheered next to him, floating slightly forward so he could see him before pointing at their side, "The staircase to get down to the ground level is over here - it's just a bunch of tiny pegs on the wall though, so be really careful."

Judai blinked at the 'staircase', seeing that it was indeed just a collection of pegs that he was sure would be practically impossible to see unless you were looking for them. There was no way he was going to go down those, they were far too small for him to even get a grip on with his feet, so he shrugged and took a different route.

He hopped over the platform's safety railing and jumped, chuckling slightly in amusement at the flabbergasted looks Yusei's three duel spirits gave him after he'd landed on the ground safely. Judai was sturdy enough to be able to land on two feet without breaking a bone from that height - hell, he'd done it from higher before.

"G-give us a bit of warning next time!" Sonic Chick complained, flying down next to him while Synchron picked up Quillbolt and floated down, "Besides, don't you have wings?"

"I try not to use them too often, plus it wasn't that high up - there was no reason to bring them out," Judai explained, grinning easily in the face of three exasperated duel monsters, "Either way, we're all down now, so lead the way! You guys know where the card is, right?"

"It's in the building that's right in the middle of the city, in the center of the highway junction," Quillbolt stated, waddling over to him. Judai picked him up, letting him sit on one of his arms with his back facing away from him so he didn't get stabbed by the bolts and screws in it.

"It'll say 'Restricted' everywhere around it, but I've got access to it since I'm part of the 'Junk' lineage so don't worry about that," Synchron added on, floating ahead of him, "Also, don't mind the streets and alleys here - it'll look very messy to you with all the stuff strewn about, but it's all actually organized and monitored! Monsters keep piles of scrap metal and such outside their houses, shops, and just pretty much anywhere they can that's not on the actual street or blocking the sidewalks."

He hadn't been kidding, either. As they wandered through the streets and alleys to get to the center, passing under dozens of highway roads that were suspended in the air by seemingly nothing, Judai saw more scrap parts and metal and technology than he'd ever seen before in his life; there were hundreds of unique contraptions littering the city, alongside dozens of Yusei's monsters that he'd only ever seen in passing - some Junk monsters and a lot of Scrap monsters.

Judai was a little surprised that Stardust Dragon wasn't here, though. He'd been half-expecting it since this place was occupied by so many of Yusei's spirits that it might as well be Yusei's territory the same was Judai owned it. Then again, Stardust very well could be here and merely deciding not to show their face until Yusei himself was able to visit.

Yusei is going to have an absolute field day when he comes to visit, Judai thought, seeing now that his spirits held every bit the creativeness and smarts that Yusei did. He looked forward to seeing what kinds of things they'd make when they were put together.

Soon enough they'd reached the center, easily entering the polished, modern-looking building thanks to Synchron flying up to the door and getting recognized by the scanning system. The group wove through a few rooms before finally stumbling across the one that held the card - it was safely stored away in a display case that was easily popped open, and it seemed to glitter slightly when Judai gently picked it up.

"Alright, thanks for helping me out so much guys, I appreciate it," Judai said, smiling at the spirits who merely shook their heads while looking excited.

"No, thank you for finally getting that card to Yusei for us," Synchron replied, adjusting his scarf idly with one hand while he continued happily, "First you fixed his core, then you helped him with materializing us, and now this... we owe you so much, for everything."

Sonic Chick and Quillbolt nodded their heads vigorously in agreement, and Judai had to hold back a laugh at how endearing the trio was when they were together.

"If you really feel like you owe me somethin', then just pay it back by making sure Yusei finds his place here," Judai said, shaking his head slightly with an exasperated sigh, "Anyway, I should be off now, it's already nine o'clock and dinner is calling me." He thought for a few moments before stating, "I'll give the card to him tomorrow so he can come right away. Knowing him, he wouldn't get much sleep tonight if I told him now."

"That gives us time to tell everyone and prepare," Quillbolt chirped, rolling out of Judai's grasp when he let him back on the ground.

Judai double-checked to make sure the card was safe in his pocket before tearing open a portal and waving goodbye, stepping back into the bedroom with a relieved sigh; his stomach growled, and he was all too happy to go seek out Yusei downstairs and get some food in his stomach.

He hadn't eaten since breakfast and he definitely didn't count the crackers he'd gotten from the Aromages as a meal (though they were really good crackers, made with some herbs from their forest that he didn't know much about). Plus, he was more than ready to curl up with Yusei and unwind after being hyper-vigilant for most of the day while checking places for corruption.