Yu-Gi-Oh! Ascension

Before you read or say anything, keep in mind that this IS a Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic so gaps in logic and the incorporation of convoluted plotlines or terrible plot devices that may or may not involve magic might occur. With that said, I'm experimenting with a more mature and philosophical approach to the genre (if you could consider it that) that just happens to involve card games for whatever reason. Below are a few notes.

- Set in an AU mixture of 5Ds and Zexal with OCs and MAYBE an occasional allusion to someone from the series.
- Chapters will typically be long (over 4000 words) except for the first chapter of each arc.
- There won't always be a duel(s) in each chapter, but when there are, I try to make them realistic with the help of CCG (ironic, I know).
- There's gonna be LOTS of CCG.
- I'll probably be too busy to update this consistently, but I'm aiming for at most a month between each chapter.

You have been warned.

The faint traces of a new dawn broke through the forlorn cloud cover that engulfed the sky. Sunlight shone through the gaps in the cover to slowly illuminate a vast metropolis below that unfolded into the endless horizon. The radiance flowed over a sharp precipice overlooking the urban landscape. Three figures emerged, following the sunlight’s descent to the edge of the cliff. There, they gazed over the endless stretches of civilization.

One figure held out his hand with an open palm over the edge as if he was trying to grasp the city below.

“The Nexus almost seems to be within reach.”

A second figure nodded.

“And yet it must never be within reach.”

The third figure merely stood in place, silently reveling in the majestic radiance of the sunrise. The first figure continued speaking.

“The world seems so peaceful now. All these people, all these lives passing by in blissful ignorance of the weight their footsteps will carry, the marks their ignorance will leave.”

“It is in their nature, our nature to be imperfect. It is the imperfect nature of all life to struggle against the inevitability of death and the insignificance of its own existence. What can we do but struggle against the nature of mankind and its desire to live in blissful ignorance?”

“Yes. What can we do but hope that our own footsteps will create a ripple, a ripple strong enough to defy the currents of eternity, to create a better world beyond the endless horizon?”

The third figure held out his hand. An intricately-woven tesseract with kaleidoscopic panels of ever changing fractal patterns materialized. The figure finally broke his silence as he opened the dodecahedron, unleashing a blindingly brilliant spectrum of radiance upon the landscape below.

“And God said, ‘Let there be light…’”

A pandemic had swept across the world. No words were needed to describe its sheer scope and magnitude, to record its significance in history, or to tell of the severe toll it had exacted on mankind. Its very existence was evidenced by the aftermath of its wake, an aftermath that scarred the landscapes of the world with barren fields of tombstones. The stones were scattered across vast stretches of land, extending endlessly beyond the horizon. They rose up from the ground like a field of flowers displayed for the world to see and for mankind to remember the extent of nature’s feral savagery - a sharp contrast to mankind’s own futility, its own insignificance. But before the stones could spread to cover the surface of the world, before the pandemic could challenge mankind’s hold on the world with the threat of extinction, their grand architect was interrupted.

In its most desperate hour, mankind made a gamble - a gamble to turn on itself in the hope of saving itself. The remaining vestiges of the World Health Organization gathered the brightest minds of the world in that last gamble. Samples of the most severe strains of the pathogen were collected while subjects were gathered to be exposed to the pathogen, to be experimented on, to be dehumanized and desecrated in the hope of finding a way to unlock the secrets of the pathogen and the secrets to stopping the pandemic.

Subjects were gathered from around the world, in the shackled torment of knowledge or the blissful freedom of ignorance, with the noble consent of martyrdom or with the malicious mandate of massacre. Subjects were gathered to relinquish their humanity, to give up their lives so that the rest of the world would have an infinitesimal chance at survival - to make the ultimate sacrifice. To the fortune of mankind, the sacrifice was not made in vain.

The pandemic gradually declined and receded from the surface of the world, retreating into the recesses of the primordial realms of its birth - the ancient realms of the world long forsaken by the memories of men. In the brief moment of respite, mankind began to rebuild and to continue on in its vain existence, choosing to believe that its tribulations had passed. Mankind was spared of judgment for the moment, but mankind was not absolved of its sins.

− − −

Each stone was raised to commemorate a life that was taken, either consumed by the pandemic itself or through the sacrifice made to subdue the pandemic. A small boy stood in front of two tombstones, two slabs of fine granite lingering among a field of seemingly endless slabs. Along the upper surface of the stones, etchings were made, spelling out the names of their tenants. The boy knew that the names belonged to his parents. They were among the people who made the sacrifice.

The boy had smooth black hair with stubborn patches of light ruffles. His face had a clear complexion that was contrasted by his rich hazelnut eyes and sharp features. The boy was dressed in formal attire and was holding a single flower with both hands. The flower was covered with enfolding petals of a luscious lavender shade that gently subsided into a clear white background that surrounded the flower’s honey-colored center.

The boy stood in place, unsure of what to do. Then, he felt the weight of a hand being placed on his shoulder. The boy turned around to face a middle-aged man.

The man’s hair was parted from the middle, a sign of the onset of baldness. His face maintained a stern but calm expression that complemented his sharp features, features which resembled those of the boy but more rugged and worn. The man stared solemnly at the boy.

The boy only stood there as an unnerving sensation seemed to cluster inside him, filling him with anxiety and dread. He was only a boy, left in a world full of grief and sorrow, a world that was waking up to face a bleak and uncertain future. The two people that had once made up the boy’s entire life were buried under six feet of stone and dirt. Noticing that the boy stood idly in place, the man spoke up.

“You must be strong, Kazuya,” urged the middle-aged man, “Not only for your sake, but for theirs as well. They sacrificed everything for you, so you could be here. Do you understand?”

The boy shook his head. “Why?”

There was a tone of frustration in the boy’s question. The man tried to soothe the boy with a pat on the head, but no matter what the man said, the boy would not fully understand and maybe never will. He knew that. Sometimes he doubted his own understanding and his own resolve, but he knew that the boy’s parents had made a great sacrifice, a sacrifice that many others had also shared for the sake of preserving one small thing - hope. It was the hope that despite everything that was wrong with the world, there would always be a new dawn in the horizon, lit with the possibilities of a brighter tomorrow. He would not let that sacrifice be made in vain, and he would commit his life to honoring that sacrifice and provide the boy with the life his parents had hoped for.

The man knelt down to the boy’s height.

“These things are not for us to decide. Life can be short and cruel, it can take away everything you have and leave you with nothing, and even if you do everything right, anything can still go wrong. But life can also be long and full of joy and happiness, filled with blessings so precious that they give you hope beyond all hope and a reason to always press on, no matter what. Your parents both understood this, and they understood that even though there would always be misery, that the world would never be perfect, it wouldn’t stop them from trying to make it a better place. They believed in that ideal so strongly that they give their lives for it - the hope that you can grow up in a better world than the one they left behind.”

“But why? Why couldn’t it have been someone else? Why did it have to be my parents?”

The man’s expression tensed up. “The kind of sacrifice they made, it isn’t something you can force on people. They volunteered with many others because they believed that the hope their sacrifice could create was more valuable than their own lives.”

The man felt at a loss for words. He could feel the boy’s pain. It was a conflicting pain that the man also struggled with and would always struggle with for the rest of his days. Still, he could not let the boy succumb to it. The boy had to be strong to survive in the world. And so the man continued on.

“In short, they did it out of love. All the people who made the sacrifice, they did it out of love for someone precious to them, someone so important to them that nothing else in the world mattered, that they would give up everything to preserve and protect. That is the nature of love, and love is the embodiment of the human essence, of what it means to be alive, to have a life worth living for.”

The boy felt a warm sensation trickling down his cheek. It was a single teardrop. The boy knew that he had to be strong and wiped off the teardrop, not wanting the man to see his weakness.

“I think I understand uncle.”

The boy feigned a look of understanding and tried to convince himself that he understood why he had to be strong, but the pain was still there, unyielding, undying. Still, his uncle seemed to be satisfied with the boy’s expression by returning a smile. The man gently pushed the boy forward, urging the boy on to pay his respects.

The boy walked up to the tombstone and placed the flower he was holding onto the ground by the foundation of the stone.

“It’s an amaranthine,” stated the man, “In mythology, the amaranthine symbolizes immortality. Although the flower might wither and die, the stem and the roots that hold the true essence of life will survive and flourish in a never-ending cycle of rebirth.”

“But my parents… they’re never coming back.”

“No, but their hopes and dreams will live on through you. Do you understand what that means?”

The boy understood. The man did not need any words to convey his message. The boy knew that he had to be strong and unwavering in his resolve if he truly wanted to pay his respects to the small memorial that lay ahead of him. He had to be strong from the bottom of his heart to live the life he was meant to live.

“I understand uncle,” stated the boy as he turned back to the tombstones, “I need to be strong.”

The boy gulped down the unnerving sensation that seemed to be clustered inside him. He wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince his uncle or himself.

- Three Years Later -

A boy stood in front of two tombstones. They were the same tombstones the boy had paid his respects to three years ago. The surface of the stones was occasionally marked with small fractures and some of the edges were chipped from years of weathering. The boy still possessed the same smooth black hair with even more unruly ruffles now while his face still had a clear complexion that contrasted his hazelnut eyes and sharp features. The boy was dressed in formal attire and holding a single flower with both hands. The flower had the same palette of patterns crisped over its white, enfolding petals.

The boy knelt down and placed the flower at the base of the tombstone on the left. Then, he placed his palm against the surface of the stone. The cold hard surface contrasted the warm, soft touch of his palm.

“After everything that’s happened… I’m still here.”

The boy stood in place and contemplated what his uncle had said the last time he was here.

“I know that I need to be strong, but it’s hard.”

The boy placed a hand against his chest. It felt raw. The rhythmic pounding of his heart was the only indication that there was something underneath his chest. It was the only proof that he was still alive. But the pulse felt weak.

“It still hurts. It hasn’t gotten any better. Uncle Hidetaka said that it would get better, and that I just need to wait. But it’s already been three years. Haven’t I waited long enough?”

The boy felt a chill pass through him, engulfing him in a frozen shock. A soft screeching resounded through the air. The noise sounded like words contorted by a horribly inhuman voice.

“You’re right…”

Paralysis set through the boy’s body, stiffening his muscles and limbs until all feeling fled from him. The only sensation remaining was a cold and suffocating fear that gnawed away at his insides, piercing through his body down to the bones.

“You have waited long enough… Now it’s time to join me!”

The foundation of the tombstone cracked. A grotesque, decaying hand emerged from the chasm, reaching out towards the boy. Unable to shake himself free from his paralysis, the boy succumbed to the overwhelming terror flooding through his senses and let out a blood-curdling scream.

− − −

The boy sat up in his bed, drenched in cold sweat and gasping for breath. After a moment of panting, the boy regained his bearings and looked around, realizing that he was in his room. The whole ordeal had been a nightmare.

The door to the room suddenly flew wide open. An aged man rushed through the entrance and turned on the light. The man hurried to the boy’s side. Noticing the boy’s disturbed condition, the man placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“Uncle, I’m fine!” proclaimed the boy as he shrugged off the man’s hand.

“Kazuya,” replied the man as he sat down on the bed, “You had that nightmare again, didn’t you?”

The boy looked away.

“I’m fine. There’s nothing to talk about.”

The man placed his palm against the boy’s forehead. The man immediately felt the telltale signs of a severe fever.

“It’s getting worse. Your forehead is burning up, much more than last time. I’ll go get you a wet towel and some water.”

The man left the room. The boy sat in place and took slow and deep breaths as he tried to calm his mind. Vivid fragments of the dream swirled around in his head, giving him an unbearable headache. The boy could only sit in place and endure the torment until it subsided.

The same nightmare had been recurring every few days for the last two months or so. It was a fragment of a past life forever shattered beyond any hope of repair. It was a fragment the boy hoped would eventually die out as he adjusted to his new life. There was nothing the boy could do but move on.

From time to time, the boy would hear mention of the tragedy that had occurred all those years ago. Fragments of his old life would resurface in a brief moment of emotional relapse, bringing back all the anguish, all the terror that the boy had tried so hard to suppress and contain. Yet just as the fragments of his old life would cling on to life, refusing to fade away from his mind, the boy would endure. The boy knew he had to be strong if he ever wanted to shed away the burden of his past. But he wasn’t sure if he was strong enough.

The recurring nightmares had taken their toll on the boy’s health. He was frequently absent from school due to a recurring sickness that had developed alongside his weakening mental and emotional state. Just as the boy was about to succumb to another bout of ever-growing despair, he was torn from his thoughts by his uncle’s return.

“Sorry for the wait, Kazuya, I had to make sure that the water was hot enough.”

The man put the boy back into bed and placed a warm towel on the boy’s forehead. The man then placed a large cup of water on the counter next to the bed and sat down by the boy’s side.

“How are you feeling now?”

“Maybe a little worse than last time.”

“If this is getting worse, we should go see a doctor. I could stay home tomorrow. Your parents would want you -”

“I’m fine,” howled the boy, “I don’t need you to always act like this when there’s nothing going on -”

The man scorned at the boy.

“I’m just concerned about your health.”

The man sat on the bed. “I know that what you went through, what you’re still going through - it’s more than anyone should have to go through at your age. I might not always know how to help or what do to at all, but I try to do what I can.”

The boy stayed silent. The man continued speaking.

“I know that I’ll never be able to replace them, but as your guardian, it is my duty to do everything I can to provide for you, to make sure that you can have a good life. So if there’s ever anything you need, you can let me know, and I’ll do my best to provide. Just rest for now. I’ll check up on you later.”

The boy paused for a moment and then slowly nodded.

The man stood up and walked out of the room, leaving the boy alone to his thoughts. The headache was slowly fading. The boy closed his eyes, hoping that the agonizing ordeal would be over for the night. Tomorrow would be a whole new day, bringing with it a dawn of new possibilities.

− − −

The gentle warmth of sunlight caressed Kazuya’s face, awakening him to the beginning of a new day. The boy felt better than he did the night before, well enough to get up from his bed and attend to his personal hygiene. After washing up, Kazuya dressed up and left his room to start the day.

“Uncle,” said the boy, “I’m feeling better today.”

The boy’s uncle was reading a newspaper.

“Better enough to not skip school again?”

Kazuya had mixed feelings about going to school. Only a few weeks had passed since the new term started, but Kazuya had already missed over half of his classes. He would have a daunting workload to catch up on. Still, he had excelled in his studies in the past so Kazuya wasn’t too worried about catching up.

Beyond his academic concerns, Kazuya had little interest in the social aspect of school. He had always felt distant from people. Kazuya only exchanged common courtesies with his classmates and went through the motions of trying to be a normal student, but he never felt engaged, never quite like he belonged. Kazuya didn’t take part in any clubs, had no remarkable aptitude for sports, and didn’t have any hobbies of note. As a result, Kazuya became detached, never growing close to anyone. Kazuya had no real friends, no one to talk with during lunch, to play with during recess, and no one to help him fit into the routine of trying to be a normal boy.

The thought of returning to all of that made Kazuya feel uncomfortable. Still, he knew that he couldn’t keep on skipping forever.

“Well?” asked the man.

Kazuya was distracted from his thoughts and returned to the matter at hand.

“I guess I should.”

“Good. I’ll make you some breakfast and then walk you to the rail station.”

− − −

Exiting the train, Kazuya followed the familiar pathway through the streets of the Upper Niijuku District. Although it was still early in the morning, the surrounding streets were already a bustling metropolis, thriving with the rush of life.

Looking around, Kazuya noticed that there was a camera crew shooting by the center of square. The cameras were all focused on a reporter standing in front of a large memorial statue. Kazuya remembered that the memorial had been an old war monument that was transformed into a memorial of the terrible tragedy that had occurred all those years ago - the tragedy that had claimed the lives of Kazuya’s parents, among many others. It must have been some kind of special memorial service. Kazuya never kept track of which days were officially designated to be memorial days to commemorate the sacrifices made during the outbreak.

Kazuya didn’t want to be reminded of what happened.

Still, it surprised Kazuya that so many people were so busy scurrying around, attending to whatever business they had to attend to. It was a national custom to spend the morning honoring the departed - the people who made the sacrifice during the great pandemic.

A few kids were playing in the background of the shooting. Kazuya guessed that they were too young to remember anything from the tragic incident. To them, it was only an obscure event from the past that would never affect them, never have any real bearing on their lives. What did the names of some people they had never met before matter to them? They were too engaged in the simple pleasures of life - in the act of living their own lives - to care. Although memorials would always be held to honor the memories of the departed, life would go on, as it always had, and nothing would really change. The thought made Kazuya a little sad.

Trudging on, Kazuya walked past an arcade. He could see kids, mostly his age or older, engrossed in whatever digital adventures they were partaking in. Kazuya wondered if they thought the custom of honoring the departed just seemed like a waste of perfectly good time they could have spent doing more constructive things, like trying to get the next high score on whatever game they were engaged in.

Despite himself, Kazuya felt drawn to the arcade. The arcade offered a distraction, a brief moment of escape and respite from the world around him. Glancing at his watch, Kazuya saw that there was well over an hour before school would commence. It would only take Kazuya around fifteen minutes to get to school. Kazuya felt no need to resist his strange and sudden impulse to go into the arcade.

Walking through the entrance, Kazuya saw a large digital screen in the back of the arcade, broadcasting a news feed of the memorial services that were being held nearby. Kazuya looked away, trying to find an empty game station. The only ones available were by the end of the arcade, next to the digital screen.

Kazuya walked over to an empty station and tried his best to ignore the noise of the broadcast. Despite his best efforts, Kazuya could still hear fragments of the news report.

“To honor the lives of those who made the ultimate sacrifice - to give away everything…”

The broadcast made Kazuya feel sick. The children playing in the streets and everyone in the arcade had their own special way of “honoring” those who made the ultimate sacrifice - by ignoring them completely. Kazuya wondered if the adults who preached commemoration truly felt that way or if they were just the same deep down. Maybe the way the children were honoring the departed was not so special after all.

“Hypocrites. Life is for the living. Dead is dead. That’s what you all really think.”

“That’s quite a disrespectful thing to say.”

Kazuya turned towards the source of the voice. Kazuya saw an aged man with greying hair that matched the grey of his business suit, sitting on a station close to Kazuya’s own station. The man was staring intensely at the screen of his game station, almost as if he was oblivious to his surroundings. It was a strange sight to see an old man in an arcade, so captivated by a game designed for kids. Still, there was no one else nearby so Kazuya assumed the aged man must have been addressing him.

“Sorry sir, can I help you?”

The man was still focused on his station’s screen when he responded.

“That comment you just made. It’s quite a rude thing to say, especially on a commemoration day.”

Kazuya had hoped that he had muttered softly enough so that nobody would hear him, but the aged man clearly had good hearing.

“My comment wasn’t meant -”

“Don’t try to pretend you didn’t say it. If you say something, then you should mean it. If you don’t mean it, then you shouldn’t say it. People didn’t learn to talk just so they can blabber about every stupid thought that goes through their heads.”

“I didn’t mean to offend you sir, I was just -”

Kazuya realized that he was trying to justify himself. Something about the tone of the man’s voice made Kazuya feel on edge, as if he was trying to defend himself.

Kazuya continued. “I was just thinking about how on a commemoration day, people are expected to pay their respects to the departed, but everyone here is busy doing their own thing so I thought it was strange that the screen would be on a channel broadcasting -”

“Why is it strange? People might be watching it.”

“But no one here seems to be watching it.”

“That’s not true. I’m watching it.”

Kazuya was confused by the man’s response. The man was still clearly focusing on his game station’s screen, not the news broadcast.

“I know what you’re thinking,” continued the man before Kazuya could respond, “How could I be watching the news when I’m so busy staring at the screen in front of me. You should be old enough to know that you don’t see everything using just your eyes. In fact, some of the most important things in life can’t be seen by your eyes at all - like the sacrifices that are being commemorated, sacrifices made so spoiled brats can keep on playing whatever video games they like.”

Kazuya was becoming frustrated by the man’s condescending tone. It seemed especially hypocritical considering how intensely the man was focused on his own game station as he was reprimanding everyone else around him.

“I’ve seen them. I know what it’s like. My parents were also among those who made that sacrifice -”

“Then you should know better than to be so rude. You think that people are disrespecting the departed because they don’t make grand gestures by wailing through the streets like old women? It’s just the opposite. People are respecting the sacrifices made because they’re living their lives as if nothing happened.”

“What? How can you say that?”

“Because that’s what making a sacrifice means - putting the life of someone else before your own, so that they can live happily in your stead while you rot miserably in the ground, six feet under. Without someone being happy in the end, what’s the point?”

Kazuya felt like the man was deliberately taunting him. It made Kazuya furious.

“You think that was the point? You think they gave away everything just so everyone else could act like nothing happened? My parents don’t deserve that level of disrespect, they don’t -”

“Maybe not,” interrupted the man, “But the world doesn’t spin around the sun, giving everyone what they deserve. No, the world couldn’t care less. People are the ones who make the choices, and the choices aren’t always easy. The people who make the choices have to live with the consequences of their choices for the rest of their lives - unless they made the choice your parents did, of course.”

“Don’t try to change the subject!” Kazuya was practically yelling. A few of the people around Kazuya were angrily starting at him, at the disturbance he was causing. “You just disrespected -”

“Alright, I won’t change the subject.”

The aged man finally stopped looking at the game station screen. The man turned his gaze to Kazuya.

He continued. “Here’s a scenario that might help better illustrate what I’m trying to say. There’s a train that’s been derailed from its tracks, and it’s slowly speeding up towards a cart stationed next to a power station. There are five people inside the cart. By the time the train hits the cart, the train will be moving so fast that the impact will most likely kill everyone inside the cart and hit the power station as well. The collision with the power station might just cause an explosion that’ll kill everyone nearby as well. You notice that there are five people standing by the tracks. You think that there’s a chance to stop the train by pushing one of the five people onto the track, to stop the train from hitting the cart. What do you do?”

Kazuya’s expression twisted into one of incredulous disbelief.

“What kind of twisted question is that?”

“It’s an analogy. So I’ll ask you again, what do you do?”

“How can anyone answer such a ridiculous question -”

“How indeed?” The man looked slightly amused. “The way I see it, there are two natural choices that most people would pick. You can either choose to stand by and do nothing, letting things play out as they will, or you can choose to take action and push someone else onto the track in the hope that the impact of the body will stop the train before the train reaches the critical velocity. The first one might be more morally acceptable, to stand by and do nothing while the ship slowly sinks into the water, but the second choice gives you a chance at saving people that would otherwise meet a grisly demise - at the cost of playing God and choosing who gets to be sacrificed for the greater good.”

Kazuya became disturbed by what the man said.

“How does this relate to -”

“Don’t you see? Those were the choices we had. We could either stand by and do nothing as nature took its course to correct its greatest mistake - the creation of mankind with its exceptional capacity for destroying itself and everything around it - or we could try to rise above nature by…”

The man trailed off and his expression hardened, as if he was wanted to avoid voicing his thoughts out loud, as if he was trying to suppress old memories from resurfacing - to bury them. Kazuya thought the man’s expression reminded Kazuya of his own.

But the man continued. “By exposing people to the pathogen, by experimenting on them like lab rats in the hope that we could uncover a way to stop the pandemic from killing the rest of us. Neither choice is a great choice, of course. The first choice almost guarantees that many people would die, that maybe everyone would die. The second choice doesn’t guarantee anything at all, as you can’t know for sure how many people it would take to find a way to stop the pandemic or if it’s even possible at all. In the analogy of the train, how many people would be enough to stop the train - how many would you be willing to push? One is morally acceptable while the other is morally detestable.”

The man paused for a moment before continuing.

“But we don’t always have the luxury of conforming to a higher standard of morality than the world allows. At the end of the day, morality is only a word, blurred beyond any recognition in the real world.”

Kazuya was silent. The man was crazy to turn such an idle comment on Kazuya’s part into such a crazy, pseudo-philosophical discourse. Then, Kazuya realized something, something the man had been trying to tell him all along.

“You’re wrong,” stated Kazuya, “There’s a third choice.”

The man raised his eyebrows in a mixture of surprise and intrigue.

“Oh? And what’s that?”

“You can jump in front of the train yourself.”

The man smiled as if he was satisfied with Kazuya’s response.

“Suicide is also a sin, but it’s certainly less morally reprehensible than homicide. And that is the choice that was made by those who chose to sacrifice themselves. They knew that if they didn’t do anything, mankind could have very well met its end. They also knew that if they didn’t do anything, mankind would be stubborn enough to destroy itself in the hopes of trying to save itself. People would turn against each other thinking that if they could offer up the life of someone else in their stead, they would be spared.”

The man seemed to have lost his gaze on Kazuya. His eyes looked distant, as if he was looking across a great distance.

The man continued. “Ultimately, those who sacrificed themselves chose to gamble on mankind’s innate capacity for selfishness and self-destruction, knowing that it was the best bet they had. They chose to make the sacrifice so that they could preserve mankind despite all of its faults. They chose to make the sacrifice in the hope that mankind might survive long enough to outgrow its faults, to become better for it so they can make the world into a better place.”

Kazuya heard his uncle’s words echoed in the man’s rambling. The man seemed to notice Kazuya’s epiphany as he suddenly stopped and became silent.

“Who are you,” asked Kazuya, “And what are you doing in an arcade? Adults never go to arcades, and when they do, it’s not always with the best intentions.”

The man chuckled at Kazuya’s implication.

“I’m not too old to just give up on living, am I? Despite what it might look like, adults still have to live life too. I just happen to be an old man who enjoys a good duel when I see one.”

“A good duel?”

“Yes,” replied the man as he pointed to his game station, “I used to play the card game Duel Monsters back when it was played with actual cards. Now you kids have all your technology doing everything for you, you don’t even need physical cards anymore. How far the world has come since then…”

The main trailed off, but his words caught Kazuya’s attention. His uncle used to play the game too. Kazuya remembered seeing his uncle’s collection once when he first moved in with his uncle.

“Well,” continued the man, “Excuse an old man for his ramblings. You don’t seem half as dumb as your original comment made you out to be. I must be off now, don’t waste too much of your life on these distractions.”

Kazuya was left speechless by the strange transpiration of events. He had never met someone so bizarre, so deliberately unorthodox. Still, what the man had said intrigued Kazuya and left a trace of morbid fascination within Kazuya’s imagination.

The man had said that he was watching a good duel. That sparked Kazuya’s interest. Kazuya was familiar with the game of Duel Monsters. It was one of the most popular games in the world, transcending through the traditional boundaries a card game could only hope to attain, Duel Monsters became a global phenomenon that attracted players of every age and background.

Kazuya walked up to the game station the man had been using. The screen had an intricate digitally-themed background, designed to appeal to kids of Kazuya’s age. At the center of the screen was a menu of options.

Duel Portal Online
Duel Terminal Version
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< Replay recorded successfully. >
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NEW DUEL
QUICK DUEL
SPECTATE
REPLAY
TRADE

Kazuya inserted two fifty yen coins into the coin slot of the game station. That would give him half an hour’s worth of access to the station, but that was more than enough time. Kazuya clicked on the “REPLAY” option, changing the screen into a list of all the replays that were saved onto the local system. Kazuya had no way of knowing exactly which replay the man had saved. Scrolling down the list, Kazuya found a Last Replay option. Kazuya selected that option and the screen proceeded to setup the background for the replay. As the replay was only a record of the exact scripts of the original game to minimize the size of the file, only a scripted recreation of the original game would be played as opposed to the actual replay of the original game.

− − −

Duel Start
Ryouga: 8000 (5/0/0) || Naoko: 8000 (5/0/0)

Ryouga rolls a five. Naoko rolls a three. Ryouga goes first.

Turn 1
Ryouga: 8000 (6/0/0) || Naoko: 8000 (5/0/0)

Ryouga Field:
N/A

Naoko Field:
N/A

Ryouga activates Charge of the Light Brigade milling Compensation, Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter, and Eclipse Wyvern to add Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress from his Deck to his hand. Compensation becomes CL1 while Eclipse Wyvern becomes CL2. Eclipse Wyvern banishes Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon from Ryouga’s deck. Compensation lets Ryouga draw one card.

Compensation


Ryouga activates Solar Recharge by discarding Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress to draw two cards and mill Mystical Space Typhoon and Avatar of Malice. Ryouga uses the effect of Avatar of Malice by banishing Eclipse Wyvern to special summon itself in face-up defense position. Avatar of Malice (6/0/0).

Avatar of Malice


Eclipse Wyvern adds Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon from Ryouga’s Banished Pile to his hand. Ryouga normal summons Plaguespreader Zombie and tunes it to Avatar of Malice to synchro summon Beelze, King of Dark Dragons (8/3000/3000). Avatar of Malice shuffles itself back into Ryouga’s deck.

Ryouga sets two cards and ends.

Turn 2
Ryouga: 8000 (5/1/2) || Naoko: 8000 (6/0/0)

Ryouga Field:
1 Beelze, King of Dark Dragons (8/3000/3000).
2 Set Support

Naoko Field:
N/A

Naoko activates Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying Ryouga’s set Book of Moon. Naoko activates Treasure Hunt.

Treasure Hunt


Naoko normal summons Gishki Abyss (2/800/500) and activates its effect.

Ryouga chains by discarding Effect Veiler to negate the effect of Gishki Abyss. Naoko responds by activating Fog Cover, negating Effect Veiler’s effect.

Fog Cover


Gishki Abyss’s effect resolves, searching Gishki Auger. Treasure Hunt (C: 0 -> 1).

Naoko discards Gishki Auger to search Gishki Shadow.

Gishki Auger


Treasure Hunt (C: 1 -> 2). Naoko discards Gishki Shadow to search Forbidden Ritual of the Gishki. Treasure Hunt (C: 2 -> 3). She then sends Treasure Hunt to the graveyard to draw two cards.

Naoko activates Salvage, adding Gishki Shadow and Gishki Auger from her Graveyard to her hand. She then discards Gishki Shadow followed by Gishki Auger to search Gishki Aquamirror and Gishki Vision. Naoko discards Gishki Vision to add Evigishki Levianima from her Deck to her hand.

Naoko tributes Gishki Abyss to activate Forbidden Ritual of the Gishki, tributing Ryouga’s Beelzebub, King of Dark Dragons to ritual summon Evigishki Levianima.

Forbidden Ritual of the Gishki


Ryouga Field:
1 Set Support

Naoko Field:
1 Evigishki Levianima (8/2700/1500)

Ryouga activates his set Raigeki Break, discarding Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon to destroy Naoko’s Evigishki Levianima. Naoko banishes Gishki Auger from her Graveyard to revive Evigishki Levianima. Naoko proceeds to Battle Phase and attacks Ryouga directly with Evigishki Levianima, triggering its effect to draw a card. Naoko draws Instant Freeze and the attack continues.

Ryouga: 8000 -> 5300

Naoko sets two cards and ends.

Turn 3
Ryouga: 5300 (5/0/0) || Naoko: 8000 (3/1/2)

Ryouga Field:
N/A

Naoko Field:
1 Evigishki Levianima (8/2700/1500)
2 Set Support

Ryouga banishes Plaguespreader Zombie and Effect Veiler from his Graveyard to special summon Lightpulsar Dragon from his hand. Ryouga activates A Wingbeat of a Giant Dragon, targeting Lightpulsar Dragon.

Naoko chains with Lifeforce Shield, targeting Evigishki Levianima and her set support card.

Lifeforce Shield


Naoko: 8000 -> 6400

Ryouga activates Support Recycle, shuffling Solar Recharge, Charge of the Light Brigade, Book of Moon, and Compensation from his Graveyard into his Deck and draws 1 card. Support Recycle banishes itself.

Support Recycle


Ryouga normal summons Card Trooper and uses its effect to mill Joan, Lightsworn Vindicator, Chaos Sorcerer, and Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner. Joan, Lightsworn Vindicator special summons itself in face-up defense position. Joan, Lightsworn Vindicator (4/1800/1500).

Joan, Lightsworn Vindicator


Ryouga banishes Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter from his Graveyard to special summon Dark Dragon Collapserpent from his hand. Dark Dragon Collapserpent (4/1800/1700). He tunes it with Joan, Lightsworn Vindicator to synchro summon Crimson Blader (8/2800/2600). Dark Dragon Collapserpent adds White Dragon Wyvburster from Ryouga’s Deck to his hand. Ryouga banishes Dark Dragon Collapserpent and Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress from his Graveyard to special summon Lightpulsar Dragon from his hand again.

Ryouga enters Battle Phase. Ryouga attacks Levianima with Lightpulsar Dragon, destroying the dragon and triggering its effect, reviving Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon.

Ryouga: 5300 -> 5100

Ryouga continues by attacking Levianima with Crimson Blader, but Naoko responds by activating her set trap card Instant Freeze, targeting Crimson Blader.

Instant Freeze


Ryouga continues by attacking Evigishki Levianima with Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, destroying the Ritual Monster.

Naoko: 6400 -> 6300

Ryouga enters Main Phase 2 and uses the effect of Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon to special summon Beelze, King of Dark Dragons from his Graveyard. Ryouga sets one card and ends.

Turn 4
Ryouga: 5300 (1/4/1) || Naoko: 6300 (5/0/1)

Ryouga Field:
1 Card Trooper (3/400/400)
1 Set Monster
1 Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (10/2800/2000)
1 Beelze, King of Dark Dragons (8/3000/3000)
1 Set Support

Naoko Field:
1 Instant Freeze

Naoko normal summons Gishki Beast and uses its effect to special summon Gishki Shadow from her Graveyard. Naoko then overlays the two monsters to xyz summon Bahamut Shark (R4/X2/2600/2100).

Ryouga uses his set Chaos Vortex by banishing Chaos Sorcerer and Joan, Lightsworn Vindicator from his Graveyard to banish Bahamut Shark.

Chaos Vortex


Ryouga then adds Plaguespreader Zombie from his banished pile to his hand. Naoko proceeds to activate Surface to special summon Gishki Abyss from her Graveyard. Gishki Abyss (2/800/500). Gishki Abyss searches another Gishki Auger.

Naoko discards Gishki Auger to search Gishki Vision. Naoko discards Gishki Vision to search Evigishki Soul Ogre. Naoko activates Aquatic Abundance, shuffling Gishki Beast, two Gishki Vision, and Gishki Shadow from her Graveyard to her Deck to draw two cards.

Aquatic Abundance


Naoko activates Gishki Aquamirror, discarding another Evigishki Levianima to ritual summon Evigishki Soul Ogre (8/2800/2800). Naoko uses the effect of Gishki Aquamirror by shuffling itself into her Deck to return Evigishki Levianima from her Graveyard to her hand. Naoko activates the effect of Evigishki Soul Ogre by discarding Evigishki Levianima to spin Beelze, King of Dark Dragons back into Ryouga’s Extra Deck. Naoko banishes Gishki Auger from her Graveyard to revive her first Evigishki Levianima (8/2700/1500).

Naoko enters Battle Phase. Naoko attacks Card Trooper with Evigishki Soul Ogre, destroying it.

Ryouga: 5300 -> 2900

Ryouga draws a card from Card Trooper’s effect. Naoko attacks Ryouga’s set monster with Evigishki Levianima, triggering its effect to draw one card for Naoko. Naoko draws Gishki Beast, letting Naoko look at one card in Ryouga’s hand. Ryouga reveals Solar Recharge. The attack continues; Evigishki Levianima destroys Ryouga’s set Crimson Blader, destroying Naoko’s Instant Freeze.

Naoko enters Main Phase 2. Naoko overlays her two ritual monsters to xyz summon Jormungand, the World Serpent (R8/X2/3500/2500).

Jormungand, the World Serpent


Naoko uses the effect of Jormungand, the World Serpent by detaching Evigishki Soul Ogre to special summon it from her Graveyard.

Ryouga Field:
1 Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (10/2800/2400)

Naoko Field:
1 Gishki Abyss (2/800/500)
1 Jormungand, the World Serpent (R8/X1/3500/2500)
1 Evigishki Soul Ogre (8/2800/2800)

Naoko discards Gishki Beast to activate the effect of Soul Ogre, spinning Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon into Ryouga’s deck. Naoko sets one support card and ends.

Turn 5
Ryouga: 2900 (4/0/0) || Naoko: 6300 (1/3/1)

Ryouga Field:
N/A

Naoko Field:
1 Gishki Abyss (2/800/500)
1 Jormungand, the World Serpent (R8/X1/3500/2500)
1 Evigishki Soul Ogre (8/2800/2800)

Ryouga banishes Chaos Sorcerer from his Graveyard to special summon White Dragon Wyvburster (4/1700/1800). Ryouga normal summons Plaguespreader Zombie (2/400/200) and tunes it to White Dragon Wyvburster to synchro summon Dragon of the Primordial Dawn (6/2500/2000).

Dragon of the Primordial Dawn


White Dragon Wyvburster searches Dark Dragon Collapserpent. Dragon of the Primordial Dawn returns Naoko’s Jormungand, the World Serpent to her Extra Deck. Ryouga returns one card from his hand to the Deck to special summon Plaguespreader Zombie (2/400/200) from his Graveyard.

Naoko responds to the summon by tributing Gishki Abyss to activate her set trap card Malevolent Whripool, targeting Ryouga’s two monsters.

Malevolent Whirlpool


Ryouga chains with Lifeforce Shield, targeting his two monsters.

Ryouga: 2900 -> 1300

Ryouga draws one card from Lifeforce Shield. Ryouga tunes Dragon of the Primordial Dawn with Plaguespreader Zombie to synchro summon Protogenoi - Embodiment of Chaos (8/0/2500) in defense position.

Protogenoi - Embodiment of Chaos


Plaguespreader Zombie banishes itself. The effect of Protogenoi - Embodiment of Chaos sends Support Recycle, Compensation, Necro Gardna, Dark Armed Dragon, and Avatar of Malice from Ryouga’s Deck to the Graveyard. Compensation draws one card for Ryouga.

Ryouga activates the effect of Protogenoi - Embodiment of Chaos to return Joan, Lightsworn Vindicator and Plaguespreader Zombie from Ryouga’s Banished Pile to his Graveyard. Ryouga then discards Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress and Dark Dragon Collapserpent to revive Lightpulsar Dragon (6/2500/1500). Ryouga banishes Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress to revive Avatar of Malice (6/0/0).

Ryouga then overlays Avatar of Malice with Lightpulsar Dragon to xyz summon Hieratic Dragon King of Atum (R6/X2/2400/2100) in defense position. Ryouga detaches Lightpulsar Dragon from Hieratic Dragon King of Atum to special summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (10/0/0) from his Deck in defense-position. Ryouga uses the effect of Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon to special summon Lightpulsar Dragon from his Graveyard in defense position. Ryouga ends.

Turn 6
Ryouga: 1300 (1/4/0) || Naoko: 6300 (2/1/0)

Ryouga Field:
1 Protogenoi - Embodiment of Chaos (8/0/2500)
1 Hieratic Dragon King of Atum (R4/X1/2400/2100)
1 Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (10/0/0)
1 Lightpulsar Dragon (6/2500/1500)

Naoko Field:
1 Evigishki Soul Ogre (8/2800/2800)

Naoko activates Consecration of Rites.

Consecration of Rites


Naoko returns Evigishki Levianima from her Graveyard to her hand and searches Forbidden Ritual of the Gishki. Naoko normal summons Gishki Dweller (4/1800/1200).

Gishki Dweller


Naoko uses Gishki Dweller’s effect to return Gishki Beast from her Graveyard to her hand. Naoko tributes Gishki Dweller to activate Forbidden Ritual of the Gishki, tributing Ryouga’s Protogenoi - Embodiment of Chaos to ritual summon Evigishki Levianima (8/2700/1500). Naoko uses the effect of Evigishki Soul Ogre by discarding Gishki Beast to spin Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon into Ryouga’s Deck.

Naoko enters Battle Phase. Naoko attacks Hieratic Dragon King of Atum with Evigishki Soul Ogre, but Ryouga responds by banishing Necro Gardna from his Graveyard, negating the attack. Naoko attacks Hieratic Dragon King of Atum with Evigishki Levianima, triggering its effect to draw a card. Naoko draws Miracle Ritual. The attack continues, destroying Ryouga’s monster. Avatar of Malice shuffles itself back into Ryouga’s deck.

Naoko enters Main Phase 2. Naoko activates Miracle Ritual.

Miracle Ritual


Naoko: 6300 -> 5300

Naoko banishes Gishki Beast and Gishki Dweller from her Graveyard to ritual summon Evigishki Levianima from her Graveyard. Naoko overlays her three monsters to xyz summon Jormungand, the World Serpent (R8/X3/3500/2500).

Naoko uses the effect of Jormungand, the World Serpent by detaching three Xyz Materials from it to send all other cards in both players’ hands and fields to the Graveyard. Ryouga sends Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner from his hand and Lightpulsar Dragon from his field to the Graveyard. Jormungand, the World Serpent (R8/X0/3500 -> 4500/2500).

Naoko ends.

Turn 7
Ryouga: 1300 (1/0/0) || Naoko: 5300 (0/1/0)

Ryouga Field:
N/A

Naoko Field:
1 Jormungand, the World Serpent (R8/X0/4500/2500)

Ryouga activates Miracle Synchro.

Miracle Synchro


Ryouga: 1300 -> 300

Ryouga banishes Plaguespreader Zombie and Lightpulsar Dragon from his Graveyard to −

− − −

“Kazuya?”

Kazuya was distracted from the duel by a familiar voice. Kazuya turned around to face two boys around Kazuya’s age both wearing the same uniform as Kazuya. They were Kazuya’s classmates. Both boys had a quizzical expression on their face.

“Oh, hello Ando and Hayashi. I didn’t notice you two.”

“Yeah,” replied one of the boys, “You face was pressed against the screen. I gotta say, I didn’t expect to find someone like you here.”

“What’re you playing anyway?” asked the other boy.

“I wasn’t playing anything,” replied Kazuya, “I was watching a replay of a Duel Monsters game.”

“Duel Monsters?” asked the first boy as he rushed over to the game station. His eyes lit up with fascination when he gazed upon the screen.

The second boy walked over and awed at the quick-paced exchange occurring before his eyes.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone that good,” stated the second boy, “Are you any good Kazuya?”

“Oh, uh…”

Kazuya had a general idea of how the game worked, but many of the finer details of the game escaped his grasp. He had never paid much attention to the game until now.

“Come on Kazuya,” stated the first boy, “We should get going.”

Kazuya checked his watch again. He still had over half an hour before school started.

“We still have plenty of time. I want to finish watching this -”

“But Kazuya,” interrupted the first boy, “We were going to get some help for the homework. Wait, Kazuya, you’re pretty good at math right? You could help us too!”

“Homework?” repeated Kazuya, “But I’ve been sick. I don’t think I’d know anything.”

“Also,” the second boy cut-in, “The home ed class baked too many cookies so they’re giving away free samples!”

“Alright,” Kazuya finally relented, “You convinced me. Let’s get going then.”

Although Kazuya was a little hesitant to leave when he could’ve spent a few more minutes exploring the mysteries and wonders of the duel terminal, Kazuya was also a little glad to be distracted from the crazy ramblings of the old man. Kazuya chuckled at the irony. The old man had told him to ‘not waste too much on these distractions,’ but Kazuya wasn’t sure if he knew which was really the distraction anymore. Either way, today would be different from before, and Kazuya took some solace in that.

Kazuya left the arcade with his two classmates. On their way to school, the subject of conversation had revolved around the trading card game of Duel Monsters, prompted by Kazuya’s newly-found fascination with the game and unrelenting motivation to unlock all of its secrets. He had never had much to talk to his classmates about, until now, and his they seemed to be quite knowledgeable about the topic of interest, compared to Kazuya at least. Kazuya felt satisfied. He finally found a hobby and something, a hobby that had helped him make a connection to two more people.

Also, besides that, this chapter is a little long so that's why the duel was condensed into the minimum interactions, without any dialogue or body movement or anything whatsoever from the duelists. I plan on writing most duels with as much interaction with the players as possible, like a script play for an anime duel so don't be too turned off by the format of the duel because I don't plan on doing it like this ever again.

A gentle breeze descended on the fields of Niijuku Junior High.  Its presence rustled a few fading leaves from some trees in the distance, causing the leaves to twirl in a gentle cascade onto the ground below.  Kazuya watched their graceful descent from the comfort of the soft grass he was sprawled over.  They seemed to be reveling in the moment, flaunting in one last hurrah before all the signs of life faded from their auburn veins.  Autumn had slowly crept over the fields, and the sunlight was setting with the new season’s dawn.

Ando and Hayashi, Kazuya’s friends, were standing six meters apart as they stared each other down.  Both boys had their arms raised horizontally with a duel disk strapped onto the front of their arms.  They were engaged in a duel for the honor of obtaining three booster packs from the newest set, Infinity’s Ascension.  

The three packs were the last packs of a box the three boys had bought together.  The box contained twenty four booster packs, but instead of sharing the contents of the box like normal people, Kazuya’s friends had decided to make things more interesting.  Twenty-one packs would be split between the three while the remaining three packs would be given to the winner of a three-way duel.

Although Kazuya had an innate aptitude for learning all the intricacies of the game, he still had to learn the more complex mechanics of many cards and the rulings that governed their interactions so Kazuya opted to sit the offer out and watch his friends duel instead.

“Hurry up,” prompted Kazuya, “It’s getting dark.”

“Don’t worry,” replied Ando with a smirk, “I’m about to finish him off.”

“But your field’s essentially empty,” remarked Hayashi, “There’s not much you can do with a single Pashuul.”

“I disagree.  I know the heart of the cards is on my side.  Draw!”

Turn 8
Ando: 3400 (3/1/0) || Hayashi: 4000 (0/4/3)

Ando Field:
1 X-Saber Pashuul (2/100/-0-)

Hayashi Field:
3 Batteryman AA (3/-3000-/0)
1 Batteryman Industrial Strength (8/-2600-/0)
1 Portable Battery Pack
2 Set Support

“During my standby phase,” declared Ando, “Pashuul deals me a thousand.”

Ando: 3400 −> 2400

“But that’s nothing,” continued Ando, “Because I summon XX-Saber Ragigura!”

XX-Saber Ragigura (1/-200-/1000).

Ando’s duel disk ejected a card from its Graveyard slot.  “Its effect lets me return XX-Saber Faultroll from my grave to my hand.  Then, I’ll special summon it!”

XX-Saber Faultroll (6/-2400-/1800).

“Using its effect,” stated Ando, “I’ll special summon XX-Saber Boggart Knight from the grave!”

XX-Saber Boggart Knight (4/-1900-/1000).

“Those damn saber trolls…” complained Hayashi.

“Now, I activate Saber Slash.  When it resolves, I get to destroy a face-up card for each X-Saber I control!”

“Hmm,” pondered Hayashi as he poured over the contents of his hand and checked his set support cards, “Which cards do I want to save?”

“I know you’ve got that Lifeforce Shield,” proclaimed Ando, “So you could just choose to save all your cards.”

“And pay all my life points?  Good one Ando, but we can’t all be scrubs like you.  I activate Lifeforce Shield and pay thirty-two hundred to keep two Batteryman AA and Industrial Strength.  I’m also gonna target my set card, in case you want to synch into Hyunlei.”

Hayashi: 4000 −> 800

“Interesting decision,” stated Ando as he raised his eyebrows in surprise, “But it makes no difference.  Saber Slash resolves, letting me choose your three double A’s and your Portable Battery Pack, but only one double A and Battery Pack get destroyed.”  

The space above contorted into a swirling spiral.  A saber emerged from the spiral, slashing away at one of Hayashi’s Batteryman AA and his face-up trap card.

2 Batteryman AA (3/- 3000 −> 2000-/0).

“Next,” continued Ando “I tune my Pashuul to Faultroll and Ragigura!  I’m too lazy to come up with a Synchro chant so Synchro summon - Mist Wurm!”

The ground beneath the field burst open into a giant fissure as a behemoth of an earthworm sprawled up from its depths.  The earthworm was covered with massive scales of an amethyst shade with protrusions centered on each scale that spewed out opaque fumes of a purplish hue.  

Mist Wurm (9/-2500-/1500).

“Oh no,” gasped Hayashi as he realized what was about to happen, “Not that!”

“Yes!” bellowed Ando with frantic fervor, “Now, Mist Wurm’s effect activates, bouncing all your monsters back to your hand!”

The three remaining Batteryman plummeted into the fissure, leaving only one set support card remaining on Hayashi’s side of the field.  It was clear for a direct attack from either Mist Wurm or Boggart Knight, and either attack would win Ando the duel if they connected.

Glancing at the card in his hand, Ando knew that he had won.  He had Lifeforce Shield to stop any destruction shenanigans Hayashi could pull.  Even if Hayashi had a Dimensional Prison or something to get rid of one monster, Ando still had his XX-Saber Boggart Knight to seal the deal.

Certain of his imminent victory, Ando raised his fist in triumph as he declared, “Enter battle phase.  Mist Wurm, attack him directly!”

“Moment of truth,” announced Hayashi as he raised his right hand alongside the revelation of his set support card, “Support card reveal - Magic Cylinder!”

“What the f-”

Before Ando could finish his derogatory remark, his monster unleashed its fury upon Hayashi, only to be intercepted by a large cylinder that reflected the brunt of the assault back at Ando.  The impulse of the attack blasted Ando back onto the ground behind him as his duel disk’s Life Point counter dropped to zero.

Ando: 2400 -> 0

Duel End
Winner:  Hayashi

The holograms projected by the duel disks’ visual interface faded.  The two boys collected their cards and stored them away into their respective deck boxes before putting their duel disks away into their backpacks.

“Took you long enough Hayashi,” stated Kazuya as he got up on his feet, “It wasn’t very nice of you to toy with him like that.”

“Toy with me?” interjected Ando with a reddened face, “I almost had him!  What kind of noob uses Magic Cylinder?  That card is pure *****.”

“The teapot calling the kettle black,” mused Hayashi as he walked over with his arms crossed behind his head.

“Why you -”

“Calm down Ando,” stated Kazuya, “It’s just a game.”

“Easy for you to say.  You didn’t just get screwed over by the biggest lucksack of the century!”

“Am I lucksacking now?” questioned Hayashi with an expression of feigned confusion, “I thought you said that Magic Cylinder was *****.”

“It is,” proclaimed Ando, “But it’s also a lucksack when you have it at just the right time as a perfect counter to my plays!”

“Hey now,” added Kazuya, “It was set for three turns.  Hayashi was bidding his time.”

“Yeah,” continued Hayashi, “Maybe your plays were just bad.”

“I had the perfect play!  I had Lifeforce Shield in my hand to protect my monsters while I went for the push.”

“Ah, that’s your problem,” explained Hayashi, “Lifeforce Shield can be a double-edged sword.  The drain on your life points isn’t always worth an extra card, and it isn’t the most versatile way to protect your monsters from backrow.  I main Cylinder as a tech due to how popular Lifeforce Shield is.  If you had Forbidden Lance instead, you would’ve won.”

“Who even plays that trash anymore?  The card advantage from Shield is so much better.  And you play Shield too, you hypocrite!”

“Both have their advantages so I play both.”

“Bullsh -”

“Watch the language,” warned Kazuya.

“Whatever,” continued Ando, “It doesn’t matter what a noob like you plays.  None of the pros play Lance.”

“Because they’re pro enough to know how to use their cards right,” stated Hayashi, “Which is why  they’re pros and you’re… well, you.”

Ando was seething with rage.  None of the boys spoke for the rest of the walk back to the rail station.  Ando sat on the farthest bench from the two other boys, making sure to avoid eye contact with either boy.  Kazuya knew that it was best to just let Ando calm down on his own terms.  Hayashi tried to fill the awkward silence with idle conversation.

“So Kazuya,” started Hayashi, “Any big plans for the break?”

It was the beginning of Autumn Vacation, and school would be closed for an entire week.  The prospect of being granted the liberty to spend an entire week without any schoolwork to stress over drove most students ecstatic, but Kazuya was an exception.  While other kids spent time with their friends or family, Kazuya would spend it alone.  His only two true friends, Ando and Hayashi, would be spending their vacations visiting relatives, and his uncle would be out of town on a business trip for most of the break.

“Not really,” replied Kazuya, “My uncle’s out of town.”

“Oh, that sucks.”

“Yeah, but I’ll manage.  I’ve been able to find something to do for the last few years.”

Although Kazuya usually did manage to find something to keep himself occupied, it was mostly through helping his uncle with his work or by getting ahead on his schoolwork.  This time though, Kazuya hadn’t asked for any work in advance to finish over break.  He had hoped that he could’ve spent it with friends, but the prospect had vanished as soon as he realized just how few friends he truly had.

Noticing the look of sadness on Kazuya’s face, Hayashi decided to try to cheer him up.

“Here,” stated Hayashi as he pulled out three unopened booster packs of the newest set from his backpack, “Have them.”

Hayashi handed Kazuya his “winnings” from the small escapade from just a while ago.  Kazuya was touched by the gesture and sat in silence, unsure of how to respond.  Hayashi must’ve noticed.

“Don’t make this weird,” added Hayashi, “We both know your small collection could use a few more cards.”

Ando walked over to see what was going on.

“What’re you two doing?”

“Just being a good friend,” explained Hayashi, “Unlike some people who’ll throw temper tantrums whenever they lose.”

“Are you still focused on that?” asked Ando, as he put on an air of listlessness, “I get that you pulled off a few good moves, but it wasn’t anything special.  You don’t have to always bring it up every chance you get.”

“Girls, please,” stated Kazuya, “Let’s try to be civilized.”

Seeing his friends argue was a normal sight, and it cheered Kazuya up.  He felt like his normal self again.

“I’m being perfectly civil,” replied Ando, “Hayashi’s the one that brought it up.”

Hayashi decided to disregard Ando’s accusation and move on by responding to his original inquiry.

“Kazuya won’t have much to do over break so I decided to give him my winnings from our duel to remind him that we’re not abandoning him.”

Hayashi put an emphasis on the “we.”

“Oh, well, in that case, I guess you’re welcome, Kazuya.”

“Idiot,” asserted Hayashi, “These were my winnings.  You didn’t do sh -”

“Calm down,” retorted Ando, “One of those packs was originally mine, and I agreed to the duel so by the transitive property, this was half my gift.”

“What?” asked Hayashi, dumbfounded by the convoluted logic Ando had just presented, “That’s not even what the transitive property mea-”

Before Hayashi could finish chiding Ando, Kazuya decided to interject.

“Thank you very much, Ando.  I know how much you hate letting people borrow your cards so this gesture is especially generous.”

Ando rubbed his chin and nodded in agreement.

“I do have my moments.”

The three boys spent the rest their wait for the train reminiscing over their collective anecdotes.  Kazuya couldn’t help but smile and revel in the memorable experiences he had shared with his friends.  Kazuya felt like he could finally move on and live his life on his own terms.  

Yet despite Kazuya’s optimistic outlook, he couldn’t help but recall what his uncle had said to him all those years ago.  He needed to be strong so he could fulfill his parents’ legacy.  Was that what his parents would have wanted for him - to simply live his life as he pleased?  Or was there something else?

Kazuya was unsure of the answer to the self-imposed question.  

Kazuya scoured through his head, trying to revive the earliest memories of his parents, to evoke the excerpts of the time they spent with him in a panorama of his stream of consciousness.  Only vague fragments of their appearances resurfaced briefly before fading away.  The years of psychological suppression had taken their toll on Kazuya’s memory.  He truly didn’t remember anything about his parents.  His only connection to them now existed through what his uncle had confided in him.

Kazuya reminisced over one of the many times he had questioned his uncle on the subject.

− − −

A small boy was sitting on a chair by a table.  He held a worn picture frame in his hand, intensely examining every detail of the picture encased inside.  The picture was a discolored photograph with smeared edges.  The photograph captured two figures, standing next to each other, holding a small bundle enclosed between their arms.

“This is the only photograph I could save,” stated a man reading a newspaper in the corner of the room, “All the others were confiscated when your parents… made their choice.”

The boy could barely discern any features from either of the figures.  They only stood out as two shapes against a faded background.

“What were they like?”

The man lowered his newspaper and studied the boy for a moment before speaking up.

“Your parents were both very passionate about their work.  They were both biomedical engineers.”

“Bio - what?”

The man chuckled.

“Biomedical engineers.  It’s a broad field that encompasses the best of both the medical sciences and the engineering disciplines.”

The boy’s eyes were wide open with wonderment.

“What do they do?”

The man held his chin, deep in thought.

“Well, biomedical engineers engage in a wide area of work.  Almost anything from operating medical instruments and devices to studying biological systems to making cutting edge developments in the frontiers of science.  The discipline is very broad and all-encompassing.  It ties all the various disciplines of science and engineering together and applies them to solve the most important pursuit of all time.”

“What’s that?” inquired the boy.

“The pursuit of life.   All life is connected - from the smallest bacterium to the largest mammals - all life is connected.  Your parents wanted to study this connection, and understand how all the different organisms in the world interacted with another to shape the world around them.  They believed that by understanding how everything was connected, they could understand how the world around them, how the world around us, works.  And in doing so, they hoped to understand how to make the world a better place for everyone.”

“Wow,” proclaimed the boy.

“Yes, your parents were trying to accomplish something wonderful.”

“Did they succeed?”

The question seemed innocent enough, but the weight it carried was immense.  It strained the main beyond all his years.  The boy noticed the burden the man was carrying.

“No, they were never able to finish their research before…”

The boy knew what the man was leading to.

“I understand.”

The boy didn’t want to hear the man finish the sentence.

“Kazuya,” said the man, “The world can be a harsh place.  You are your parents’ legacy.  Everything they believed in, everything they sacrificed, they did it for your sake.  You must honor their memory.  You must be strong.”

− − −

“I am my parent’s legacy,” repeated Kazuya in his head.

Kazuya wondered what that entailed for him.  He was his parent’s legacy, but he didn’t know what to do.  Should he have followed in his parents’ footsteps and dedicate his own life to trying to make the world a better place?  Kazuya wasn’t sure that he was strong enough, that he had what it took to aspire to the same heights that his parents did.

Then, Kazuya remembered his encounter with the eccentric old man in the arcade.

“Without someone being happy in the end, what’s the point?”

Although Kazuya wouldn’t be changing the world by playing card games, the game was something that made Kazuya feel content with his life.  If he only had a limited amount of time in the world, wouldn’t it be better for him to spend that time doing whatever made him happy?  After all, wasn’t that the point of life?

Kazuya was stirred from his thoughts by the arrival of the train.  The three boys entered the compartment, each taking a seat by a window.

The sky gleamed with a copper brilliance as the sun slowly sank into the horizon.  In the distance, Kazuya could make out the faint traces of bright light glistening on the surface of the sea.  It was a perfect sunset and it seemed like the perfect atmosphere for the ending of the first quarter of school, of the first chapter of Kazuya’s new life.

Ando’s stop was the first destination, and the boy exchanged farewells with his friends.  A few minutes later, the train arrived at Hayashi’s destination, and the boy gave Kazuya a firm handshake before exiting the train.  Finally, Kazuya was left all alone.  

The ride seemed to drag on for hours, as Kazuya stared out the window into the distant horizon.  Kazuya placed his palm against the window.  The horizon almost seemed to be within his reach, but whenever Kazuya tried to touch it, it would slip away from his grasp, always lingering just a little farther away. Eventually, the train arrived at Kazuya’s destination.

Exiting the train and leaving the station, Kazuya could feel his stomach growling, demanding to be fed.  Kazuya had made the trip many times, enough to become familiar with the local establishments.  There was a noodle stand just down the block that Kazuya had frequented whenever he was back late.  Although the items were expensive, Kazuya always left the stand with a sense of satisfaction.  Deciding that the onset of Autumn Vacation was an event that warranted celebration, regardless of expenses, Kazuya settled on alleviating his yearning at the stand.

Kazuya walked over to the stand and ordered a large portion of udon stir fry with a side of salt baked squid.  The order was delivered almost immediately.  After treating himself, Kazuya decided that he’d spend the rest of the night browsing through the local mall.

Kazuya spent his time casually perusing through the wares of whatever store caught his whim.  One game store in particular had the newest model of the duel disk with its associated accessories, all configured with the revolutionary virtual reality technology that had only been recently released to the public.  Instead of using holographic projections to model the cards used during a duel, the duel disk had a duel gazer accessory - a fashionable pair of shaded frames that integrated the visual interface of the duel directly into the user’s visual cortex.  It allowed every small detail of the duel to be captured from the perspective of either duelist to the highest resolution the brain could process.

As tempting as it was, the new duel disk was just a highly stylized but non-essential accessory itself, and Kazuya didn’t want to spend any money on something so trivial.  Instead, Kazuya opted to check out the mall’s arcade.  It was getting late so Kazuya would only be able to spend an hour at most before it became too dark.

In the distance, Kazuya could make out a model of a dragon that seemed to spring to life from the wall.  The dragon was holding the prominently displayed “Dragon’s Nest” heading with its claws.  Kazuya walked towards it.  Nearing his destination, Kazuya noticed that there was a stall set up by the entrance to the arcade.  A young woman was handing out flyers by a station in the corner.  

The woman was wearing a blue blazer over a white formal shirt with a matching blue skirt and hat set.  Jagged red patterns emblazoned the outfit in two straight lines that ran down the sides of the suite, matching the girl’s crimson-dyed hair, arranged with one bang on each side of her head.  The woman looked like an exact replica of the image of Tour Guide from the Underworld.

A few people were around the stall, taking pictures.  Kazuya walked up to the woman.

“Hi there little boy,” welcomed the woman with an animated disposition, “Would you like to sign-up for the mall’s biannual Young Lion’s tournament?”

“Young Lion’s tournament?”

“Yes!  It’s a Duel Monsters tournament sponsored by both the Southeast Asian branch of Konami Incorporated and the mall.  It costs two thousand yen, but half of the proceeds go to public reconstruction projects while the other half goes into prize support!  Here, take this.”

The girl handed Kazuya a flyer.

− − −

THE OFFICIAL BIANNUAL
DUEL MONSTERS
YOUNG LION’S TOURNAMENT!
-
Come show us your burning passion as a duelist at the Young Lion’s tournament!
The Young Lion’s tournament is an official DCI sponsored tournament.
In addition to a generous amount of prize support, official Duel Points can be earned.
-
Time:  Tenth Month, 21st - 22nd 10:00 - 21:00
Registration:  Tenth Month 20th 10:00 - 18:00
Location:  Heisei Mall - Public Events Plaza
Entry Fee:  2,000 ¥
-
Half of all proceeds will be donated to public reconstruction projects.
Please visit the official Duel Monsters website for more information.

− − −

Two thousand yen wasn’t that much money.  Kazuya’s uncle had left Kazuya plenty of money for personal expenses.  Still, Kazuya wasn’t too enticed by the prospect of entering an official tournament.  It would be his first ever experience playing the game at a competitive setting, and Kazuya wasn’t convinced that he had what it took to play Duel Monsters at such a high level.

Kazuya stored the flyer into his backpack and walked to a game station.  Inserting four fifty-yen coins into the coin slot, Kazuya turned on the duel terminal program and logged into his account.  The introductory sequence flashed onto the screen, rapidly transitioning from displays of the summoning animations of monsters and clashes between their digital models.  The whole sequence was excessively animated and filled with extravagant beaming colors, enough to captivate the attention of most kids.  Kazuya, however, had seen the sequence numerous times since his first time using the program just over a month ago and remained unaffected.  He waited patiently for the program to load.

Welcome to Duel Portal Online!
Duel Terminal Version 3.1.2

The online collection a player had was usually a reflection of what cards they had in real life alongside any cards they acquired through opening online booster packs or trading with other players.  Kazuya’s own collection wasn’t particularly impressive as it only consisted of the few cards he pulled from his booster packs in real life.  Still, Kazuya valued the gameplay experience the duel terminal could afford him.

A few seconds later, the introductory sequence finished, and the program was fully loaded.

Duel Portal Online
Duel Terminal Version 3.1.2
---
< New Duel Puzzle exclusive card inside! >
---
NEW DUEL
QUICK DUEL
SPECTATE
REPLAY
TRADE

The announcement caught Kazuya’s attention.  None of the other game stations Kazuya used at other arcades had ever displayed an announcement like that.  Kazuya decided to click on the < QUICK DUEL > option which contained random puzzles, built-in challenges, and single elimination duels.

Duel Portal Online
Duel Terminal Version 3.1.2
---
< QUICK DUELS >
---
SINGLE
PUZZLE
CHALLENGE
MAIN MENU

Kazuya clicked on the < PUZZLE > option.  The screen opened up a long list of duel puzzles that players could solve for Duel Tickets, a built-in monetary system that allowed players to either enter into online tournaments or buy online cards and packs.  One of the puzzles was labeled, “Duel Puzzle Exclusive!”  Intrigued by what the “exclusive card” could be, Kazuya selected the puzzle.

Duel Portal Online
Duel Terminal Version 3.1.2
---
< 5 Duel Tickets per try. >
---
ACCEPT
DECLINE

Kazuya had not expected the puzzle to cost any tickets, especially not five per try.  The only time Kazuya had tried solving duel puzzles was when he first started playing the game.  It was before Kazuya had realized that duel puzzles were nothing like real duel scenarios he would encounter.  Soon after his first few attempts, Kazuya began to realize that all duel puzzles were completely unrealistic game states with the most obscure cards that involved making a ridiculously convoluted sequence of plays to achieve a one turn kill.

As Kazuya was only interested in learning how the game worked and not wrapping his mind around how to solve the most convoluted combos people could think of, Kazuya decided to forego the puzzles in favor of quick single duels.  Still, Kazuya had learned quite a bit about the game since then.  Too intrigued by the mystery and too drawn to the challenge, Kazuya decided to go for it.

Kazuya clicked on < ACCEPT > and the screen instantly morphed into a cluttered duel field with a single caption on top.

− − −

---
Win on this turn!
---

You: 1000 (6/0/2) || Opponent: 13600 (0/2/5)

Your Hand:
2 Viper’s Rebirth
1 Smashing Ground
1 Symbol of Heritage
1 Worm Solid
1 Worm Queen

Your Field:
1 Worm Call
1 Limit Reverse

Your Graveyard:
1 Reptilianne Gardna
1 Reptilianne Viper

Your Deck:
2 Worm Illidan
2 Worm Queen
1 Worm Tentacles

Your Extra Deck:
1 Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier

Opponent’s Field:
2 Dragon Master Knight (12/5500/5000)
5 Gravity Bind

− − −

“Well,” admitted Kazuya, “That’s something else.”

Kazuya quickly read over the texts of all the cards he was unfamiliar with and tried to visualize all the possible courses of action he could undertake.

- Elsewhere -

Three teenage boys walked through the third floor of the mall.  The boy in the middle had wavy blond hair with streaks of crimson highlights that seemed to shift like dancing flames with every step the boy took.  He was clad in a matching maroon sports jacket.  The two other boys wore covered in hoodies.

“Yo Shiro,” addressed the boy on the left as he turned to the boy in the center, “How many copies of the exclusive prize card do you think are left?”

“Hopefully enough for all of us,” replied the boy in the middle, “I can’t imagine that anyone would’ve been able to crack the code that fast, except for me of course.”

The boy in the middle smirked as he crossed his arms behind his back.  The boy on the left sighed.

“Don’t worry about it,” started the boy on the right, “I’ve heard that the puzzle was extra hard this time.”

“As opposed to usual?” inquired the boy on the left.

“That’s also what I’ve heard,” confirmed the boy in the center, “Apparently people have been getting smart.  Konami is concerned that hackers have been infiltrating their networks to get the prize codes.  Their terminals have been running out of exclusives much faster than they had anticipated.”

“Typical Konami,” commented the boy on the right, “Always underestimating us players.  Luckily you’ve got the new duel disk Shiro.”

“Yeah,” agreed the boy in the center, “Luckily for me, that strange message didn’t turn out to be your average chain spam mail.  Who would’ve thought that the program could’ve done so much.”

The two boys nodded.

“Looks like we’re here,” stated the boy in the center as he stopped in front an arcade.

The arcade had part of a model dragon clinging to the wall outside, upholding a boldly titled “Dragon’s Nest” heading.  Looking around, Shiro noticed that the mall was almost deserted.  Only a few stragglers were walking off into the distance.  It was the perfect time to strike.

The three boys entered the arcade.  The arcade supervisor had already left.  There was only one source of light in the entire room.  The three boys followed the glow of the light into the end of the room.  The light was emanating from the screen of an active game station.  The station was being used by a younger boy with messy black hair.  The younger boy was oblivious to the presence of the three older boys.  The younger boy was too captivated by the screen of the station.

“Come on, come on,” muttered the boy as he rapidly executed a sequence of commands on the game station’s datapad.

Walking closer, Shiro noticed that the boy was engaged in a game of Duel Monsters.  Shiro instantly recognized the setup of the field as the setup of the duel puzzle Shiro had planned on hacking.

“Awesome!” exclaimed the boy as he fist pumped into the air, “I finally beat it!  That took fore -”

The boy trailed off as he turned around.  Three older boys surrounded him.

“What’re you up to, little man?” demanded the boy in the middle.

“I - uh…”

The younger boy wasn’t sure how to respond.

Shiro stared at the screen.  The boy had just solved the puzzle.

“Don’t worry,” stated Shiro, “We’re not looking for trouble.  We just wanted to get a go at the game station after you.”

The younger boy looked relieved.

“Oh, sure.  Let me just finish up here.”

The boy turned to the game station.  A code was displayed at the top of the screen, and the boy promptly entered the code into his own datapad.  The code corresponded to the serial number of a specific card that could be printed once from any duel terminal.

“There,” stated the boy, “All finished.”

The boy walked off into the direction of the exit.

“Not bad,” stated Shiro, “For a kid that age to solve a puzzle of this level.  That kid’s got potential, if he were to ever get into competitive Duel Monsters.”

“Yo Shiro,” started one of the other boys, “Hurry up.”

“Calm yourself, Fuyumi.  Perfection takes time.  I would know from personal experience.”

“Always the modesty with this guy.”

After a few minutes had passed, Shiro let out a growl and kicked the game station.

“Stupid piece of sh -”

“What happened?” asked one of the other boys.

“This game station won’t print out any more codes.  Apparently that kid got the last exclusive for the day.”

“Couldn’t we just wait till tomorrow then?”

“No,” stated Shiro, “The program’s proxy generator doesn’t recalibrate every day so it’ll have the same source code tomorrow.  If we try to use it then, Konami will notice that my duel disk’s IP somehow accessed their exclusive prize card from their a duel terminal even though their source code has reset.  They’ll get suspicious, maybe suspicious enough to try to track me down.  It’d be a hassle to try to re-encrypt my duel disk’s source code so I’d rather not go through the trouble.”

“Well what the fu -”

“No need for that kind of language,” interrupted Shiro as he calmed himself, “We’ll just have to find the kid and ask him nicely.”

Shiro smiled as he put an emphasis on the “ask him nicely.”

“Is it really worth the hassle?”

“Risking breaking international intellectual property laws for a single card?  Probably not.  But the boy intrigues me.  If he could solve such a complicated puzzle, I wonder what else he could accomplish, given the proper tutelage.”

− Third Floor of the Mall −

Kazuya walked up to a duel terminal located right in the middle of the food court.  Kazuya mused that the large clearing around the terminal was spacious enough for several people to engage in simultaneous duels.

Kazuya pulled out his datapad and extracted the code he had recorded earlier from the game station at the arcade.  He had managed to solve the duel puzzle and received a code for an exclusive card.  Barely able to contain his excitement, Kazuya entered the code into the duel terminal.  A few seconds later, one of the open slots in the terminal ejected a highly-foiled card.

Kazuya picked up the card and examined it closely.

Glarung - Harbinger of the Dawn
Monster | LIGHT | Rank 6 | ATK: 2700 | DEF: 2100
Dragon | Xyz | Effect:
2 Level 6 monsters
Once per turn:  You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; add 1 Dragon-Type monster from your Deck or Graveyard to your hand.  Discard 1 card.

“What a powerful effect,” noted Kazuya.

“I couldn’t agree more,” stated a voice in the distance.

Kazuya turned to the source of the voice to see the same three older boys that he had encountered earlier at the arcade.

“Did you get the exclusive too?” asked Kazuya.

“Not yet,” replied Shiro as he walked towards Kazuya, “You see, you somehow managed to acquire the last copy of the exclusive that they’re giving out for the day.”

“Oh,” stated Kazuya, “You’ll still be able to get it tomorrow though, right?”

“Not exactly.  Instead of wasting the time it takes to solve those convoluted duel puzzles they come up with, I’d rather spend my time actually dueling.  In the spirit of efficiency, I have a program on my duel disk that can extract codes directly from duel terminals.  That way, I don’t have to waste any duel points to acquire any cards that I might need.”

Kazuya became apprehensive of the older boy.  Shiro noticed Kazuya’s concern.

“Forgive me,” proclaimed Shiro, “Let me introduce myself.  I’m Nakamura Shirotetsu, but you can call me Shiro for short.”

“Satoru Kazuya,” replied the boy, “And I should really be leaving.”

The two other older boys walked around to the sides of the plaza, surrounding Kazuya.

“Please, stay,” urged Shiro, “We haven’t even gotten acquainted.”

Kazuya looked around.  The three older boys were all taller.  Kazuya wouldn’t be able to outrun them.  It didn’t look like he had much of a choice.

“What do you want?” asked Kazuya.

“Just the card you’re holding right now.  It’s a duel puzzle exclusive so it’s hard to come by.  I’m ready to make a generous offer for it so name your price.”

“Let me go and I won’t call security.”

“Not a very good bargain.  How about I give you five thousand yen for it?  I’ll even throw in a couple of quality rares.”

“Five thousand yen?” asked Kazuya, dumbfounded.

Kazuya was surprised by the extremely generous offer the older boy had just made.  Kazuya couldn’t fathom why a piece of cardboard could be worth so much money to some people.

“Not enough?  Fine, I’ll make it eight thousand.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just that I’d rather not make these kinds of deals with people like you.”

“People like me?  I’m affronted by your insinuation.  I happen to be a perfectly good, law-abiding citizen of the Republic of Japan.”

“Who apparently hacks into duel terminals.  That has to break at least five different laws.”

“I see.  So that’s how you’re gonna play it.”

Shiro walked up to the duel terminal while Kazuya retreated away from the older boy.

“Like you so astutely pointed out,” started Shiro, “I like to partake in activities that some people might consider to be of a questionable legality.  Those people are just stuck-up losers with nothing better to do than call out other people for having a little fun.”

“What’s your point?”

“I happen to have a program on my duel disk that can hack other programs down to their source codes. What does that mean, you ask?  Simple - I can track anything that goes on in a program and modify it, down to the very record of the execution.  Since you accessed the game station at the arcade, I happen to have your account’s exact ID, an ID that I can use in a hack and then report to an official Konami representative for hacking.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Shiro simply smiled.

“Would you like a demonstration?”

Shiro took out his duel disk from his gym bag and plugged in one of its cables into a socket on the duel terminal.  The duel terminal activated immediately, followed by a digital voice that read out the information of the account that had just accessed the duel terminal.

"USER NAME:  SATORU KAZUYA.  ACCOUNT ID: 36617 -"

“Stop!” demanded Kazuya, now panicking, “I believe you.  What do you want?”

“I’ve already made that clear,” replied Shiro as he extended an open palm to Kazuya.

Kazuya grudgingly handed Shiro the prize card.

“Can I leave now?” asked Kazuya.

“And miss out on all the fun?  I don’t think so.  I’ve got a proposal for you.  If you can defeat me in a duel, I’ll return your prize card to you.  If you can’t defeat me, then I’ll keep the prize card and delete your account.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then I’ll just simply go with my original threat of using your account to perform a hack and then reporting the hack to an official representative, making sure that they get all the details they need to ban you from playing anything even remotely Duel Monsters-related… for life.”

Kazuya gulped as a sensation of dreaded terror flooded throughout his body.  Kazuya tried to hold it back.  Shiro might’ve been bluffing, but Kazuya didn’t want to take the risk.  He had to persevere.  He had to be strong.  Kazuya took out his duel disk from his backpack.

“That’s what I thought,” continued Shiro as he strapped the duel disk onto his left arm and activated it, “Let’s get this party started!”

Kazuya mirrored Shiro’s actions.  Both players simultaneously declared, “Duel!”

Duel Start
Kazuya: 8000 (5/0/0) || Shiro: 8000 (5/0/0)

Both duel disks automatically projected a hologram of a rolling die.  Kazuya’s die settled on four while Shiro’s die settled on six.

“Looks like lady luck is on my side,” commented Shiro with a smirk, “And I’ll be sure to put on a good show.  Draw!”

Turn 1
Kazuya: 8000 (5/0/0) || Shiro: 8000 (6/0/0)

Kazuya Field:
N/A

Shiro Field:
N/A

“I’ll start the turn,” proclaimed Shiro, “By activating Dragon Shrine!  Its effect lets me send Labradorite Dragon from my deck to the grave.  Since I sent a normal monster, Dragon Shrine lets me send another dragon.  I choose Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos!”

Shiro’s deck slot ejected a card, which Shiro placed into his grave.  Shiro then placed a card from his hand onto a monster slot.

“Next,” continued Shiro, “I normal summon Dragard!  Its effect brings back Labradorite Dragon in defense.”

Dragard (4/-1300-/1900).  Labradorite Dragon (6/0/-2400-).

“Now,” stated Shiro, “I’ll tune Labradorite Dragon to Dragard!  Let the earth shatter!  Let the skies fall!  Let the oceans boil!  Let the world tremble in the wake of its destruction!  Synchro summon - Trident Dragion!”

A massive three-headed dragon rose from the depths of the field, ravaging its surroundings.

Trident Dragion (10/-3000-/2800).

“Woah,” exclaimed Kazuya, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I should hope not,” replied Shiro, “It’s one of a kind.”

“One of a kind?”

“Yes, I had it custom made as my prize for winning the Young Lion’s tournament last year.  You should look into it sometime.”

Kazuya tried to ignore Shiro’s attempt at making casual conversation.

“I have to win this duel first.”

Shiro grinned.

“Alright, suit yourself.  I set two support and end.”

Turn 2
Kazuya: 8000 (6/0/0) || Shiro: 8000 (2/1/2)

Kazuya Field:
N/A

Shiro Field:
1 Trident Dragion (10/-3000-/2800)
2 Set Support

Kazuya glanced over the contents of his hand.  He had the perfect play in mind.

“I use Mystical Space Typhoon on your right set support!”

“Chain,” responded Shiro with a smile, “Hieratic Seal From the Ashes!  I’ll use it to send Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit from my deck to the grave.”

“Oh no,” muttered Kazuya, “This means that you’ll get it back from the grave.”

“Never blindly MST someone unless you’re going for a big push.  Now, since your spell destroys my trap, I can bring back Tefnuit from the grave!”

Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit (6/-2100-/1400).

Kazuya was gritting his teeth.  He had never played against Hieratics before and didn’t know what to expect.  Shiro seemed to be bored with Kazuya’s performance, letting out a long, dramatic sigh.

“Any other brilliant moves?” inquired Shiro.

“Just one,” replied Kazuya, “I normal summon Whirlwind Avian!”

Whirlwind Avian
Monster | WIND | **** | ATK: 1600 | DEF: 800


Whirlwind Avian (4/-1600-/800).

“Upon summon,” continued Kazuya, “I’ll use its effect to spin your Trident Dragion back into your extra deck!”

“Avians huh?  A solid tier two deck, but it won’t be enough.  I discard Effect Veiler to negate your monster’s effect!”

“Chain,” interjected Kazuya, “With Strategic Regroup!”

Strategic Regroup


“With this,” explained Kazuya, “I’ll return my Avian to my hand, making your Veiler lose its target.  Then, my Avian’s effect will resolve, spinning your Trident Dragion back into your extra deck!”

The three-headed dragon was spun up into the sky by an overwhelming gust.

“Not bad,” admitted Shiro, “A very efficient way to run Avians.  Most people play them for their swarming capability, but you’re playing them more as a grindy control deck.  Of course, there’s no perfect way to play every deck.  To each their own.”

“Enough with the lectures.  Using the second normal summon Strategic Regroup granted me, I’ll bring back Whirlwind Avian and use its effect to bounce Tefnuit back to your hand.”

Shiro briefly shuffled the cards in his hand before nodding in affirmation.  The golden-scaled dragon was thrown into the sky by a strong whirlwind.

“With your field empty,” stated Kazuya, “I’ll enter battle phase.  Whirlwind Avian, attack him directly!”

The winged-beast unleashed another bout of gust, engulfing Shiro in a small tornado.

Shiro: 8000 −> 6400

“Finally,” concluded Kazuya, “I’ll set one card and end.”

Turn 3
Kazuya: 8000 (3/1/1) || Shiro: 6400 (4/0/1)

Kazuya Field:
1 Whirlwind Avian (4/-1600-/800)
1 Set Support

Shiro Field:
1 Set Support

“Already behind in card advantage,” remarked Shiro, “Not good.  I guess I only have one play.  I normal summon Card Car D.”

Card Car D (2/800/400).

“In response to the summon, I discard Effect Veiler to negate its effect.”

“Not quite,” replied Shiro as his set support card revealed itself, “I chain to Veiler with my own Fiendish Chain!”

“What?  Why would you do that?”

Kazuya was bewildered by the older boy’s strange move.

“You see,” explained Shiro with a smirk, “Because Fiendish Chain would resolve first and apply one mode of negation onto Card Car D, Effect Veiler would resolve without effect because it can’t apply another mode of negation.  Although the mode of negation Effect Veiler applies is different from the one Fiendish Chain applies, my monster is still considered to be negated by Chain so Veiler’s effect fizzles.”

“Are you sure?”

Kazuya questioned the frail logic behind Shiro’s argument.  Shiro looked unfazed.

“Absolutely.  Our duel disks don’t seem to have any issue with it, and if you’re still not convinced, feel free to look it up while I wait.”

“No, I don’t question the programming behind the duel disks.”

“Good.  Since Card Car D tributes itself as a cost, its effect will resolve while it’s off the field, unhindered by my Fiendish Chain.  I tribute Card Car D to draw two cards.”

Shiro drew two cards.  Kazuya tried to recall his understanding of the basic game mechanics.  Shiro seemed to be following the rules at least.

“With that,” declared Shiro, “I go into my end phase and end my turn.”

Turn 4
Kazuya: 8000 (3/1/1) || Shiro: 6400 (5/0/1)

Kazuya Field:
1 Whirlwind Avian (4/-1600-/800)
1 Set Support

Shiro Field:
1 Fiendish Chain

Kazuya placed a card onto an empty monster slot.

“I normal summon Carrier Avian.”

Carrier Avian


Carrier Avian (4/1500/800).

“Its effect,” declared Kazuya, “Lets me search for Swiftwing Avian.  Then, I’ll use the effect of Swiftwing Avian by returning Carrier Avian from my field to my hand to special summon itself!”

Swiftwing Avian


Swiftwing Avian (4/1400/1000).

“Now,” continued Kazuya, “Enter battle phase.  Swiftwing Avian, attack him directly!”

Shiro: 6400 −> 5000

“Should’ve attacked before you summoned that,” chided Shiro, “I would’ve taken more damage.”

“Only one hundred more,” responded Kazuya as he realized his small mistake, “So it’ll hardly make a difference.”

“A small amount of damage can add up quickly.  Still, I don’t mind you misplaying.  If anything, I’d welcome you to misplay more often.”

Shiro flashed one of his characteristic smiles at Kazuya.  Kazuya tried to ignore Shiro’s mockery.

“Next,” continued Kazuya, “Whirlwind Avian, attack him directly!”

Shiro:  5000 −> 3400

“You’re just relentless, aren’t you?”

“I’d be a little more worried if I were you.  You’re in a losing position.”

“Then you worry too much,” replied Shiro, “And I’m not in a losing position.”

“Whatever,” declared Kazuya, “I’ll enter main phase two.  I set two support and end.”

Turn 5
Kazuya: 8000 (1/2/3) || Shiro: 3400 (5/0/1)

Kazuya Field:
1 Whirlwind Avian (4/-1600-/800)
1 Swiftwing Avian (4/-1400-/1000)
3 Set Support

Shiro Field:
1 Fiendish Chain

“Interesting move,” noted Shiro, “Not going for a Xyz play.  Is it because you need a monster for a set support card…”

Shiro rubbed his chin with an expression of exaggerated contemplation.

“Or is it because you don’t have any worthwhile Xyz monsters in the first place?” finished Shiro.

“Make your move and find out.”

“I will.  First, I activate Magic Planter by sending my Fiendish Chain to the grave to draw two cards.”

“Magic Planter?” thought Kazuya, “How could a deck like his be able to support enough continuous traps to make it viable?”

“Next,” continued Shiro, “I activate Hieratic Seal of Convocation to search out Hieratic Dragon of Eset.  Its effect lets me normal summon it, though its attack is reduced to a mere one thousand points!”

Hieratic Dragon of Eset (5/-1000-/1400).

“Damn it,” thought Kazuya, “That dodges my Bottomless Trap Hole!”

“Next,” continued Shiro, “I activate A Wingbeat of a Giant Dragon, returning my Eset to my hand to destroy your three support cards!”

“I’ll chain,” declared Kazuya, “With my set Strategic Regroup to return itself and Whirlwind Avian to my hand.”

“I figured as much.  Wingbeat resolves, destroying your other two support cards.”

The dragon fluttered its wings, sending a typhoon across the field that engulfed Kazuya’s two set cards in its havoc and shattered them into a rain of pixels.

“I’m disappointed,” stated Shiro as he checked the two cards he had just destroyed on his duel disk, “A Bottomless Trap Hole and a Dimensional Prison down the drain.  Do you always overextend like that or did you not know that Wingbeat was a card?”

“I wasn’t overextending,” defended Kazuya, “And I know that Wingbeat is a card.  I didn’t know that you’d be able to summon a level five or higher monster that could dodge Bottomless.”

Shiro closed his eyes and held his chin with one hand, as if he was deep in contemplation.

“I see.  Cards that destroy backrow or protect cards from backrow are pretty common nowadays so it’s strange for you to use a card like Dimensional Prison when it isn’t reliable at stopping an opponent from making a push.  It’s the sign that you’re either a bad player or…”

Shiro opened his eyes and continued in his revelation.

“You don’t have common, chainable staples, which is itself a further indication that you’re still relatively new to the game or that you don’t want to spend much money on the game.  Since you had the tickets to solve that duel puzzle and you have a duel disk, I’ll assume the latter is false.  The former reinforces my original assertion that you don’t have many worthwhile xyz monsters to use, if any at all.  That explains why you’re using Mirror Force - you don’t have any xyz plays that can replace the negative card advantage produced from performing a xyz summon or any xyz that can protect itself so you have to resort to cards like Mirror Force to protect your vulnerable monsters.”

Kazuya remained speechless, shocked by Shiro’s conclusion.  Shiro simply smirked again.

“Did I impress you with my brilliant deduction?” asked Shiro, “It’s one of my many talents.”

“That wasn’t anything special,” replied Kazuya, “Anyone with half a brain could’ve figured that out.”

“Oh I doubt it,” continued Shiro, “Judging from your expression after I gave my deduction, I’d say I was the first one to ever figure that out.”

“It doesn’t matter,” proclaimed Shiro, “I built this deck to counter top tier decks that rely on their extra deck, like yours.”

“Yeah?  Let’s find out how well you did.  Since you control a monster and my field is empty, I special summon Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit.”

Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit (6/-2100-/1400).

“Then,” continued Shiro, “I activate Hieratic Seal of Divination!”

Hieratic Seal of Divination


“By tributing Eset from my hand,” explained Shiro, “I can draw two cards.  Next, Eset’s effect activates, special summoning a second Labradorite Dragon from my deck.”

Labradorite Dragon (6/0/-0-).

“Now,” declared Shiro, “I’ll overlay my two monsters!  Let the blinding radiance of the sun god engulf the world in its majestic light!  Xyz summon Hieratic Dragon King of Atum!”

Hieratic Dragon King of Atum (R6/X2/-2400-/2100).

“Using its effect,” stated Shiro, “I’ll detach Tefnuit to special summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon from my deck!”

Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (10/0/-0-).

“Then,” continued Shiro, “Using the effect of Red-Eyes, I’ll bring back Tefnuit.  I’ll also banish Eset and Dragard from my grave to special summon Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos from my grave.”

Kazuya Field:
1 Swiftwing Avian (4/-1400-/1000)

Shiro Field:
1 Hieratic Dragon King of Atum (R6/X1/-2400-/2100)
1 Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (10/0/-0-)
1 Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit (6/-2100-/1400)
1 Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos (7/-2800-/1800)

Kazuya braced himself for the inevitable assault.

Shiro raised his right hand towards Kazuya, declaring, “Enter battle phase.  Blaster, destroy his Swiftwing Avian!”

The inferno dragon lunged at the winged beast and unleashed a torrent of searing flames, incinerating it into a shower of pixels.

Kazuya: 8000 −> 6600

“Next,” continued Shiro, “Tefnuit, attack him directly!”

The light dragon unleashed a pulsing wave of light at Kazuya.

Kazuya: 6600 −> 4500

“Is that it?” taunted Kazuya.

“For now.  Enter main two.  I’ll set two cards and end.  Let’s see how you respond.”

Turn 6
Kazuya: 4500 (4/0/0) || Shiro: 3400 (2/4/2)

Kazuya Field:
N/A

Shiro Field:
1 Hieratic Dragon King of Atum (R6/X1/-2400-/2100)
1 Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (10/0/-0-)
1 Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit (6/-2100-/1400)
1 Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos (7/-2800-/1800)
2 Set Support

Kazuya stared at the card he just drew, Instant Spell Summon.  

Instant Spell Summon


Mentally browsing through his deck list, Kazuya contemplated on every card he could search and all the plays he could make for each card.  With no field presence facing an opposing field with four monsters and two set support cards, Kazuya’s choices were limited.  Still, he was desperate, and he needed to do something.  He had to trust in his cards.

“Here goes,” declared Kazuya as he thrust the card he drew into his duel disk’s Support slot, “I activate Instant Spell Summon.  Response?”

“Go ahead.  I want to see what kind of play you can make.”

“Alright,” continued Kazuya, “I search out Malevolent Tempest.  Instant Spell Summon banishes itself.  Then, I’ll normal summon Whirlwind Avian.  Its effect activates, spinning your Atum!”

Whirlwind Avian (4/-1600-/800).

“Chain,” declared Shiro, “With my set Skill Drain!”

Shiro: 3400 −> 2400

“Skill Drain?” questioned Kazuya in his head, “Why would he play that card?  It cripples his own deck just as much as mine.  Still, I can’t let it resolve.”

“Chain,” responded Kazuya as he instinctively reached for his Malevolent Tempest, “With -”

“With what?” interjected Shiro, “Consider your next move very carefully.  I know exactly what cards you have in your hand so I know what your optimal play is, but do you?”

“Stop trying to confuse me!”

“I’m not trying to confuse you,” claimed Shiro, “Think about it.  If you try to use Malevolent Tempest to bounce your monster and destroy my Skill Drain, you’ll have an empty field.”

Kazuya caught himself just before he inserted the spell into one of his duel disk’s Support slot.

“Tch,” let out Kazuya in frustration, “I’ll chain with Strategic Regroup!”

“Chain!” declared Shiro, “With Hieratic Seal of Reflection!  By tributing my Tefnuit, your spell is negated.  Then, Tefnuit lets me special summon Flamvell Guard from my deck.”

Flamvell Guard (1/0/-0-).

“You liar,” declared Kazuya, “You tricked me!”

“No I didn’t,” denied Shiro, “If you used Malevolent Tempest immediately, I would’ve either negated it or let it resolve.  Had I negated it, you’d have no way to get rid of Skill Drain with the cards in your possession, effectively limiting your potential plays to just playing defense with Carrier Avian.  The alternative in which I don’t negate your Tempest, you would have no monsters on the field, and I could run you over next turn.”

Kazuya hated to admit it to himself, but Shiro was right.

“This way,” continued Shiro, “You have a chance to fight back now that you know what my backrow is.”

Kazuya wasn’t sure what to do.  He had counted on his Strategic Regroup to let him abuse Whirlwind Avian’s effect.  Kazuya didn’t anticipate Shiro’s Skill Drain, however.  That card changed everything.

“You’re probably wondering why I’m playing Skill Drain,” addressed Shiro, “Am I right?”

Kazuya remained silent.

“So anti-social,” noted Shiro, “No wonder you’ve got no friends.”

Kazuya leered coldly at Shiro, who only responded with a look of amusement.  

“Anyway, to address your question, I play Skill Drain because it’s useful.  Most tier decks rely on monster effects that resolve while the monster is on the field so Skill Drain is crippling for them.  You might be thinking that Skill Drain is equally crippling on my deck, but your assessment is only partially true.  Would you like me to explain why?”

“Go ahead, I could use the time to think.”

“Oh I know you could,” joked Shiro with a grin, “Your plays have been terrible so far.  Moving on, you remember when you destroyed my Hieratic Seal from the Ashes earlier, right?  I play the card because it lets me recycle my banished Hieratics as well as dump them into the grave.  Why is that important?  It lets me provide an endless cycle of fuel for my Dragon Rulers.”

“Dragon Rulers?”

Thinking back on the cards Shiro played, Kazuya realized that despite their unusual effects, they all synergized together perfectly.  Dragon Shrine, while usually a minus one in terms of card advantage, could be used to send the normal Dragon-Type monsters in Shiro’s deck to the graveyard to minimize Shiro’s chances of drawing into them while also dumping his Dragon Rulers into the grave, for grave recursion later on.  Hieratic Seal From the Ashes could provide constant fuel to make sure the Dragon Rulers were never dead in his grave or hand.  Skill Drain also negated the Dragon Rulers’ effect to return themselves to the hand in case Seal From the Ashes was missing.  The combination of Fiendish Chain, Hieratic Seal From the Ashes, and Skill Drain would provide enough targets for Magic Planter while Magic Planter itself provided an out to Skill Drain whenever Shiro would need it to.  The abundance of card-drawing effects allowed Shiro to tie those interactions together into a coherent and solid strategy, into a solid deck.

“You get it now kid?  The dragon rulers provide my deck with multiple angles of attack without having to rely on the extra deck, pretty much invalidating your strategy.  You don’t think you’re the only person to notice the inherent weakness of decks that rely on their extra decks too much, do you?  That would be presumptuous.”

“Because you’re such a model of humility, hypocrite.”

Shiro smiled at Kazuya.  Kazuya was getting annoyed by Shiro’s derisive habits.  Shiro continued.

“Despite how I might act, I acknowledge that my opponents could be just as smart as I am, if not more so.  In accordance to that belief, I make my plays under the assumption that at any given moment, my opponent could have the perfect counter to disrupt my plays, to have the perfect cards to destroy my field, or to have the perfect set up to lock me out of the game or OTK me.  I have to play at my best - to keep track of every small detail, consider every possibility, and catch every mistake I could make before I make it to even have a chance of winning.  Take, for example, your attempt to Veiler my Card Car D.”

Kazuya considered the scenario.  When Kazuya tried to use Effect Veiler on Shiro’s Card Car D, Shiro made a completely unexpected play by using his set Fiendish Chain to negate his own Card Car D, making Effect Veiler resolve without effect.  It was the perfect response.  Despite Kazuya’s dislike of Shiro, Kazuya couldn’t help but acknowledge that he would have never even considered such a play.  Shiro stared at Kazuya for a moment before continuing.

“Most players only consider Fiendish Chain’s utility in negating an opponent’s monster’s effect.  A true duelist, however, considers how to apply their cards to their full potential by considering every single possible play they can make with their cards and choosing the best play at any given moment.  A true duelist can read a card beyond its text and see into their opponent’s hearts from the flow of the battle.  That is the mark of a true duelist.”

“A true duelist,” echoed Kazuya, slightly in awe, “If that’s what it takes to win this duel, then I’ll do whatever it takes to become a true duelist!”

Shiro’s facial expression underwent a drastic transformation.  The light-hearted mockery that seemed to characterize Shiro’s disposition vanished from the lines of his face.  He looked cold and unforgiving.

“You lack the heart of a true duelist, and at your current level, you don’t possess the skill to defeat me.”

Kazuya became irritated by Shiro’s patronizing attitude.

“You think you can predict the outcome of this duel based on what you think you know about me?  Guess what!  You don’t know anything about me, and this duel is far from over!”

“On the contrary,” replied Shiro, “Your level as a duelist is reflected by your plays and the underlying strategy behind those plays.  Your current strategy is to abuse Whirlwind Avian’s effect to bounce monsters without expending cards and making one-for-one tradeoffs, much like how Fire Fists can make one-for-one trade-offs with extra deck monsters after they’ve generated surplus card advantage.  That strategy will not work, and by extension, the outcome of this duel has already been determined.”

Kazuya grit his teeth as the realization dawned upon him.  Shiro had a commanding field presence while Kazuya had almost nothing.  Only a miracle would help him turn the duel around.

“Then again,” offered Shiro, “I’m not a perfect duelist either so everything I’ve said could be wrong.  If you think you have what it takes to defeat me, then show me!”

Prompted by Shiro’s taunt, Kazuya decided that he would throw everything he had at Shiro.  If that wasn’t enough, if a miracle was what Kazuya needed, then he would make one.

“I will!  I return Whirlwind Avian back to my hand to special summon Carrier Avian!”

Shiro simply gave Kazuya his iconic smile.

Carrier Avian (4/1500/-800-).

“Then,” continued Kazuya, “Its effect triggers.  In response to the trigger, I’ll activate Malevolent Tempest to return Carrier Avian to my hand!”

Shiro simply shook his head.  He was disappointed in Kazuya’s decision.

“But which effect should I use?” pondered Kazuya as he examined the board state, “Destroying just one of his monsters won’t be enough.  No, any outcome based on the cards that I have is inevitable.  I have to change the inevitable - I have to create a future for myself!”

Kazuya placed his hand on top of his deck.  He could almost feel a pulsating beat emanating from the hearts themselves.  It seemed as if they were calling to him.

“I have to believe in my deck,” realized Kazuya, “I have to believe in the heart of the cards!”

A bead of sweat raced down Kazuya’s face.  Kazuya continued, gulping.

“I use Malevolent Tempest’s effect to draw a card.  Then, Carrier Avian’s effect resolves while it’s off the field so it dodges Skill Drain’s negation.  I’ll search Guardian Avian.”

“A tuner,” reflected Shiro as he raised his eyebrows in surprise, “Of course… Looks like I miscalculated.”

Glancing at the card he had just drawn, Kazuya smiled.  His gamble had paid off, and his deck had bestowed him with hope.

“I’ll set one support card,” declared Kazuya, “And end.”

Turn 7
Kazuya: 4500 (3/0/1) || Shiro: 2400 (3/3/1)

Kazuya Field:
1 Set Support

Shiro Field:
1 Hieratic Dragon King of Atum (R6/X1/-2400-/2100)
1 Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (10/0/-0-)
1 Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos (7/-2800-/1800)
1 Flamvell Guard (1/0/-0-)
1 Skill Drain

Shiro examined the cards in his hand and smiled.

“Enter battle phase.  Atum, attack him directly!”

“Response,” stated Kazuya, “With Mirror Force!”

“Chain,” declared Shiro as he slid a card from his hand into his duel disk, “With Book of Moon on my Atum.”

Before the barrier of light could absorb the attacking monsters, Hieratic Dragon King of Atum disappeared as the projection of its card was set face-down in defense position.  The inferno dragon was absorbed by the barrier, shattering the dragon into an explosion of pixels.

“Enter main two,” continued Shiro, “I tune Flamvell Guard to Red-Eyes!  Let the starlight be consumed as darkness engulfs the sky.  Appear before us, terror of the cosmos!  Synchro summon - Star Eater!”

A colossal, serpentine shape swarmed through the surroundings, coiling around the field and engulfing the two duelists.  From behind the massive layers of its fiery, ember-colored body, a giant draconian figure appeared.

Star Eater (11/-3200-/2800).

“Finally,” concluded Shiro, “I’ll pass.”

Turn 8
Kazuya: 4500 (4/0/0) || Shiro: 2400 (2/2/1)

Kazuya Field:
N/A

Shiro Field:
1 Set Monster
1 Star Eater (11/-3200-/2800)
1 Skill Drain

“Looks like I’m making a comeback,” declared Kazuya, “Where’s all your patronizing confidence now?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

“I activate Icarus Legacy!”

Icarus Legacy


“By discarding Carrier Avian,” stated Kazuya, “I can draw two cards.  Next, I normal summon Whirlwind Avian.”

Whirlwind Avian (4/-1600-/800).

“Then,” continued Kazuya, “Its effect triggers.  I’ll chain to the trigger with Forbidden Lance!”

“Interesting,” stated Shiro, “I don’t have a response.”

“Shame.  Forbidden Lance prevents Whirlwind Avian from being affected by your Skill Drain so my monster’s effect resolves, spinning your set Hieratic Dragon King of Atum back into your extra deck.”

“I see,” muttered Shiro, “So you’re going for a synchro summon.  Let’s see how this plays out.”

Kazuya raised his eyebrows.  “How did you know?”

“Don’t worry about it.  Just continue.”

“As you wish.  Since I control a wind monster, I can special summon Guardian Avian from my hand!”

Guardian Avian


Guardian Avian (2/800/-500-).

“Next,” continued Kazuya, “I tune Guardian Avian to Whirlwind Avian.  Let the winds of change sweep through the world and clear the path to a bright horizon!  Synchro summon - Orient Dragon!”

Orient Dragon (6/-2300-/1000).

“Its effect activates,” stated Kazuya, “But I’ll chain to it by banishing Guardian Avian from my grave to make Orient Dragon immune to support cards!”

“Impressive,” commented Shiro.

“Orient Dragon banishes your Star Eater!  Now, enter battle phase.  Orient Dragon, attack him directly!”

Shiro:  2400 −> 100

“Ooh,” exaggerated Shiro as he backed up while holding his chest, pretending to be injured, “That hurt!”

“It’ll hurt even more when you lose next turn!  I enter main two and set one support card.  Turn end.”

Turn 9
Kazuya: 4500 (0/1/1) || Shiro: 100 (3/0/1)

Kazuya Field:
1 Orient Dragon (6/-2300-/1000)
1 Set Support

Shiro Field:
1 Skill Drain

“To start things off, I’ll activate Mystical Space Typhoon to clear away your backrow.”

Kazuya grunted with chagrin.  

“Calm down,” Kazuya mentally ordered to himself, “He must’ve just drawn MST.  Otherwise, he would’ve used it on his last turn.  That means that he has to play his two cards under Skill Drain too so he shouldn’t be able to OTK me.”

“You’re probably thinking that I you’ll survive for another turn,” observed Shiro, “But you’re wrong.  While I did just draw the MST, I’ve had what I needed to win for a few turns now.”

“You’re bluffing.”

“Am I?” asked Shiro with a tone of playfulness, “I guess we’re about to find out.  I activate Magic Planter, sending my Skill Drain to the grave to draw two cards.”

“Damn!” thought Kazuya, “If he top decks what he needs…”

“I normal summon Dragard and use its effect to bring back Flamvell Guard.”

Dragard (4/1300/1900).  Flamvell Guard (1/100/2000).

“Flamvell Guard?” asked Kazuya in surprise, “Does that mean you have -”

“Yup,” answered Shiro, “Just what I need.  I banish Flamvell Guard to special summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!”

Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (10/2800/2400).

“Then,” continued Shiro, “I’ll use its effect to bring back Labradorite Dragon, but it won’t be around for long.  First, I set a support card.  Next, I’ll tune Labradorite Dragon to Dragard.  Once again, let the earth shatter!  Let the sky fall!  Let the oceans boil!  Let the world tremble in the wake of your destruction!  Synchro summon - Trident Dragion!”

The three-headed, colossal dragon appeared once more.

Trident Dragion (10/3000/2800).

“Its effect triggers,” announced Shiro, “Letting it destroy both my Red-Eyes and my set support card to gain an additional attack for each card destroyed!”

“No!” howled Kazuya as he realized the implication of the effect.

“I told you so!  Now, enter battle phase.  Trident Dragion, destroy his Orient Dragon!”

The colossal dragon tore the lesser dragon apart with its three heads, causing the lesser dragon’s remnants to shatter into a burst of pixels.

Kazuya: 4500 −> 3800

“Again,” demanded Shiro, “Trident Dragion, attack him directly!”

Kazuya: 3800 −> 800

“And finally,” declared Shiro, “Trident Dragion, finish him off!”

Kazuya: 800 −> 0

Duel End
Winner:  Shiro

Shiro fell back onto his posterior, too shocked by the brutal defeat to move.  He was so close to winning, but he let it all slip past him, out of his reach.  Now he would lose the prize card from the duel puzzle and potentially be banned from playing Duel Monsters for life.

“I - I lost…” whimpered Kazuya as his eyes started watering.

Shiro walked up to Kazuya with his arms crossed behind his head.  His eyes were closed while his mouth was stretched into a huge grin.

“See,” proclaimed Shiro, “I told you so!”

Kazuya only looked up at Shiro.  A tear streamed down Kazuya’s face.  Shiro pouted.

“Aw, you’re spoiling my victory.  So much for celebrating.”

Shiro knelt down to Kazuya’s level.

“Don’t sweat it kid,” stated Shiro as he handed Kazuya his prize card back, “I was only joking about the whole blackmailing thing.”

Kazuya’s face contorted into an expression of incredulous disbelief, swiftly followed by an expression of outrage.

“What?” howled Kazuya.  His face was seething with rage.

Shiro backed away, laughing nervously and gesturing for the boy to calm down.

“You see,” explained Shiro, “I only wanted to duel you to see how good you were, and I’ve gotta say, even though you’re only a beginner, you’re not half bad.”

Kazuya was silent, still seething with rage.

“Okay, let me make a peace offer.  I want you to join our team.”

Shiro gestured to the two other boys he had cornered Kazuya with.

“That’s Daichi and that’s Fuyumi,” stated Shiro.

The two boys snapped their fingers at Kazuya.

“And they’re my bros,” continued Shiro, “But they both kind of suck in comparison to me.  Then again, who doesn’t, am I right?”

Shiro flashed another one of his classic smiles and posed with both index fingers pointing towards Kazuya.  Kazuya stood in place, not making any motion to give away his stance on the matter.  Kazuya could swear that there was a cricket chirping in the background.

“Right,” stated Shiro, “Moving on.  For me to have any chance of getting to day two of the team event, I need to have someone else who’s at least somewhat competent.  That’s where you come in.”

Kazuya was taken aback by the offer.

“Why would I want to join you?  You threatened to ban me from the game for life!”

“I’ll pimp up your deck with some sweet staples and personal techs of mine as well as some hot ***** extra deck cards, all free of charge.  It’s the offer of a life time, so what’d you say?”

Kazuya felt his anger slowly subsiding, enough to actually consider the older boy’s offer.  It was tempting, but something didn’t seem right.

“Why do you want me to join?  You were taunting me about how much I sucked all throughout the duel.”

“Hey, don’t look so down,” cheered Shiro, “Most people don’t even have the honor of making it past turn five against me.  You should be proud of your accomplishment, despite what I might have said earlier.  It’s just how I roll.  I don’t mean nothing by it.”

Shiro’s offer seemed genuine enough, and Kazuya didn’t really have anything to lose by seeing what Shiro had to offer.  Still, Kazuya felt too drained to fully consider all the implications of the proposal.

“I don’t know.  I’m too tired to think about it.  I should go home.”

“I get you.  Here,” Shiro offered Kazuya a business card, “That’s the official business card of my team.  My contact info is on there, in case you decide to take me up on my offer.  Registration is this upcoming Tuesday so don’t wait too long.”

Kazuya took the card and placed it in his wallet.

“I should get going now.”

“Us too,” replied Shiro as he gestured to the two other boys.

Kazuya turned around and walked out of the alley.  The three older boys soon followed, walking off in a different direction.

“Yo Shiro,” started one of the other two boys.

“What’s up Fuyumi,” answered Shiro.

“When you were dueling, I noticed that you drew your second Dragard with Hieratic Seal of Divination on turn five.”

“What about it?”

“You could’ve gone for the OTK on turn seven if you wanted to.  Instead, you let him beat your ***** for a few turns.”

Shiro smacked the boy on the back of his head.

“I didn’t let him beat my ***** for a few turns, *****.  I was testing his potential.”

“But why,” asked the other boy, “There’s plenty of other decent duelists who want to team up with you.  That kid’s only a beginner, so you’d have to spend quite a bit of time to train him if you want him to be in tournament shape by Wednesday.”

Shiro stopped in place and looked up at the ceiling, into the sparkling night sky beyond the glass.

“That’s true,” admitted Shiro as he trailed off, “… I don’t know.  There’s something about that boy.  Something special.  I can tell - he’s going to have one hell of a future, and I kind of want in on the ride.”

Shiro couldn’t help but revel in the majestic beauty of the night sky.  The stars looked especially bright.

So this chapter is pretty long, over 12,000 words, so it might have some, maybe even a lot, of mistakes.  Feel free to point them out so I can edit them.  Some interesting trivia:
- The duel puzzle Kazuya solves is based on the puzzle #6 on YGOPro, which abuses the Dewloren loop.
- The minimum deck size in the fanfic is 50, as opposed to the usual 40 to allow for more personalized tech choices as opposed to streamlined decks.
- The banlist is also a custom banlist, hence why REDMD showed up twice.  More details on that later.