Leo Corporation. A gaming company that specializes in a popular card game called Duel Monsters, which was created by Maximillion Pegasus. The CEO of the company was none other than Leo Akaba, father of his daughter Ray. As a young girl, she was always ambitious and strong-willed while also deeply cared about him, having high hopes for his future…until that one fateful day.
An employee had already informed Leo of some tragic news that occurred. He called Ray into his office, worrying about how it'll affect her. Once she entered, she asked if everything was okay upon seeing his dismayed face. He broke the news about how his meeting with Seto Kaiba was abruptly cancelled, shocking and upsetting her.
"What?!" Ray asked. "How come?!"
"It appears Mr. Kaiba has mysteriously fallen ill," Leo explained. "But not to worry. Hopefully he will come to his senses soon. I really do think adding mass to the current Solid Vision technology will make the basic card game far more exciting than it already is."
"I hope so," the young girl said, sounding a bit sad. "I really want to take part in these Action Duels."
"And you will," Leo said reassuringly. "It will just be a bit delayed."
Several days after the unexpected cancellation was made, Kaiba visited the company to talk to Leo about something, surprising the latter. He had recently returned from a tournament to take care of personal business with Pegasus, so after that whole fiasco was dealt with, conversing with Leo Corporation's CEO was the first thing that came to his mind.
"I thought about what you said about adding mass to Solid Vision," Kaiba informed. "And I came to the conclusion that it's a stupid idea."
"What?" Leo asked. "But you said-"
"Forget what I initially said," Kaiba interrupted. "If you add mass to Solid Vision, what's next? The holograms become sentient and destroy the world?"
"Sir, I don't understand what you mean," Leo said.
"I have undergone a series of rather unexplainable events due to malfunctions in the current system," Kaiba explained. "And I realized that your ideas could doom the world to destruction. So I would advise you to stay out of the dueling business for the sake of everyone on Earth."
Ray overheard the entire conversation between the two CEOs when she noticed Kaiba heading towards his office a couple minutes earlier. She had secretly followed him until he entered through the office's double doors; one of them was left partially open, unfortunately allowing her to hear the world-shattering news. She was left in total disbelief after their talk had ended, turning around to lean against the door to process what happened. Kaiba walked out of the office to head to his limo and return to his company, KaibaCorp, not noticing the disquieted girl on his way out. The moment he turned the corner and disappeared from the hallway, she immediately got up and ran into Leo's office, completely heartbroken about how the deal was officially shot down.
"What are we going to do now?" Ray asked, hugging her father tightly as she sobbed.
"Don't worry, Ray," Leo said. "We're Akabas, and Akabas never give up. We'll find a way to make Action Duels a reality."
Sadly, Action Duels never became a reality as it soon became a forgotten fantasy. One day, news went all around Domino City on the newest craze from KaibaCorp: Duel Disks. They became immensely popular at a rapid rate among Duelists that it left Leo Corporation in the shadows to eventually crumble and fall. Because of the Duel Disks' success, Leo and Ray soon lost the company due to bankruptcy. They struggled to avoid living the rest of their lives in poverty, forcing the young girl to sell all her cards to make some money; she even might have ended up with the possibility of cutting and selling her hair as well. Whatever tactic she resorted to, it was all for one purpose: to make her father happy again. She was willing to give her title as a Duelist up just so they can be closer to living normal lives.
Fortunately Leo recently managed to find a stable job within Domino City that had a good minimum wage during the week before the upcoming Battle City tournament began. Ray got super excited because it means he'll be able to save enough money to buy a house for the two of them. It didn't matter to her if the Akaba family name was overlooked by the general dueling public; as long as they pull through this conflict, that's all that matters to her.
"I'm so sorry we had to go through this," Leo said, realizing his daughter gave up her dreams for the sake of happiness. "Maybe some day we'll be able to afford cards for you."
But Ray shook her head, her now-shoulder-length hair moving slightly. "What matters is us rebuilding our future," she decided. "It's like what you said: Akabas never give up."
To Ray, family was what's important to her and always comes first in her jurisdiction. Not everyone is a Duelist and she is okay with that; she still loves the card game and will check out some duels when she wants to, but even her interest in Duel Monsters pales in comparison to the strong bond she has with Leo. She clearly remembered those words he told her several days ago was definite evidence on how they will stick together through any situation, regardless if it is worse than their current one or not.
Leo chuckled. "That's my girl," he happily said, ruffling his daughter's newly-cut hair.
A few days later, Battle City has begun. One of the first duels that initiated was between Yugi Muto, the King of Games, and someone named Seeker; he was one of the many Rare Hunters that are scattered all over Domino City to infiltrate the tournament as part of orders from their leader Marik Ishtar, who was unknown to everyone while his Rare Hunters were. As the duel progressed, a young boy was watching. He had side-parted hair with a silver color scheme with light green highlights. Many of you would recognize him as Zarc Nightstone from Timeline B, but due to the failed idea of Action Duels in the main timeline, he was still just called by his real name: Michael Lindonson. He wasn't taking part in Battle City because he doesn't want to wager his Odd-Eyes Dragon and end up losing him.
Michael looked at Odd-Eyes Dragon. "Don't worry, buddy," he said. "I'll make sure no one ever takes you away, not even those Rare Hunter creeps."
He continued watching the duel, holding Odd-Eyes in his hand. Seeker had just summoned Exodia's head, enabling Yugi to activate his Trap card Chain Destruction to destroy every copy of Exodia's head his opponent had in his deck and hand in order to prevent him from summoning Exodia the Forbidden One. He then played his face-down Dust Tornado to destroy Swords of Revealing Light. Once it was his turn, he used Monster Reborn to revive Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast in attack position and had it destroy the Head of Exodia that was on the field. Summoned Skull and Alpha the Magnet Warrior then attacked Seeker directly—with Alpha gaining 200 ATK during the Damage Step after Summoned Skull attacked—and reduced his LP down to 0, resulting in Yugi winning his first duel for Battle City and without losing any of his LP. Michael was amazed at what he witnessed and wanted to talk to him, but before he could, he saw that Seeker was acting weird, almost as if he was being mind controlled.
Michael looked at Odd-Eyes Dragon. "What's that?" he asked, holding the card up to his ear. "You're saying there's something evil going on? Like what?" He paused, then he smiled. "Then it's a good thing we're not in this tournament."
After Marik used Seeker to introduce himself to Yugi and his friend Joey Wheeler and declare he will be a pharaoh by taking some kind of puzzle and the three cards Michael never heard of, his mind-controlled puppet's body fell to the ground; either Seeker passed out or his soul was sent away to some kind of wasteland were all the lost souls wanted revenge. Regardless, after the two friends conversed with each other, Michael walked over to Yugi to talk to him.
"Can I help you?" Yugi asked.
"I… I heard what that creepy guy was saying," Michael said. "Odd-Eyes even told me he was sensing something evil. What's going on?"
"Odd-Eyes?" Yugi questioned.
"Yeah," Michael answered, showing Yugi the card. "I know he's not much, but some day, I'll get some friends for him so he won't feel lonely."
Yugi looked at the card. "I see," he said. "May I take a look at it?"
Michael handed his card to Yugi for him to see. Odd-Eyes Dragon was a Level 7 DARK monster with 2500 ATK and 2000 DEF. His effect allows him to inflict damage equal to half of the original ATK of an opponent's monster that was sent to the Graveyard. Aside from his effective stats, the tri-color-haired teen was more curious about how the young boy treated Odd-Eyes as if the card was real. Does he have some kind of unique ability that no one else had?
"You said this card was lonely," Yugi said, giving Odd-Eyes back to Michael. "Don't you have a deck?"
"Yeah, but it's a Magician and Sorcerer deck," Michael explained. "Odd-Eyes is the only dragon I have, but I want to get more dragons to keep him company."
Michael's deck consisted of regular effect Magicians and Sorcerers, so they don't really stand out. However, all their abilities worked well together with each other and with Odd-Eyes, leading him to his deck construction. He also mentioned on how he wasn't taking part in Battle City because he doesn't want to lose his favorite card, especially at the hands of Marik and the Rare Hunters.
"Odd-Eyes is special to me," the young boy explained. "I saw him in a display case at a card store and it felt like he was calling to me."
"So your dragon chose you instead of the other way around," Yugi realized.
"I guess you can say that," Michael said.
Yugi smiled softly. "You are different from other kids your age," he said. "But know this: never forget to follow your heart. If you continue to stick to what you believe in, you could end up becoming someone extraordinary."
Michael became starry-eyed after hearing these words of advice, almost as if this moment is what changed his life. "Thank you, sir!" he said, sounding too happy. "I'll never forget your advice!"
The next day, Michael was sitting at a park bench, analyzing the cards he currently has. He was determined to trust his instincts from now on after his encounter with Yugi. At the same time, Ray walked down the park's pathway; with her father working to buy a house, she figured she needed a quick walk after everything the two were going through. Her eyes caught a glimpse of the onion-haired boy, causing her to stop walking and turn her head to where he was sitting. She noticed he was scanning through his deck; she may not be a Duelist anymore, but she couldn't resist seeing someone who also enjoys Duel Monsters. She walked over to the bench with a double desire: she didn't to disturb him with what he was doing, but she also wanted to talk to him.
But Michael quickly noticed Ray. "Hi," he said. "Wanna duel?"
Ray looked a bit saddened. "I can't," she sadly admitted.
"Why not?" Michael asked.
"My dad lost the family company," Ray explained. "And in order to help him get enough money, I had to sell all my cards and…" She gently tugged on a lock of her shoulder-length hair.
This was an indicator to Michael that she used to have long hair, but she had to sell it to raise some money. She then explained how her dad recently found a job and how they will soon search for a house to live in and start living normal lives.
"So you gave up on being a Duelist just so your dad could have more money?" Michael asked.
Ray nodded in response. "But I'm not giving up," she said. "Akabas never give up!"
"Akaba…" Michael mused. Then his eyes widened. "So that's what happened to Leo Corporation!" he realized. "Those KaibaCorp Duel Disks must have put your dad out of business!"
"They did," Ray said. "We might have lost everything, but we're trying to improve ourselves."
"Don't you miss your cards?" Michael asked. "Didn't you hear them crying in pain?"
Ray paused what she was about to say after hearing those questions from Michael. She never knew monster cards had emotions…or maybe they really do emote and only a few can communicate with them. She asked what he meant by that and if he can tell how they were feeling.
"It's the reason why I didn't take part in Battle City," Michael explained, holding up Odd-Eyes Dragon. "I'm a good Duelist, but I would have risked losing Odd-Eyes forever, especially to those Rare Hunter creeps. He chose me for a reason, so I want him to stay by my side."
"So you can actually hear your cards speak to you?" Ray asked.
"Just Odd-Eyes," Michael clarified. "We have a special bond. Sure he doesn't fit with all my Magician and Sorcerer cards, but I'm gonna get more dragons so he'll have friends."
Ray was surprised and amazed at how distinct Michael is from the rest of the boys and how much he cares for his Odd-Eyes. She never thought she would encounter a special person in her life, even if she and Leo were in a slowly easing heat of the moment. Maybe they can get to know each other more and help him find some more dragons to include in his deck so that his favorite card won't feel lonely.
"I could help, but I'm not sure," Ray admitted. "My dad has been a bit protective of me ever since we lost the company. He doesn't want me to get hurt."
"It's okay," Michael said. "Your dad will never know." He held out his hand. "Michael Lindonson."
Ray looked at his hand before smiling and shaking it. "Ray Akaba," she said.
And from that moment on, Michael and Ray became friends. They spent the entire day hanging out with each other as they watched a couple Battle City duels and developed a powerful bond with each other throughout the next few days. It was even emphasized not long after the tournament was over when the Duel Monster Spirit World was forced opened into Earth by a mysterious new threat, causing the monsters to spill into the human world and all kinds of bizarre weather events to occur globally. During that time, Ray and Leo still haven't gotten enough money yet despite the work and hours her father was doing; then again, it was a job he was recently hired into, so it will take some time. However, they did save enough money for her to get a new deck that focuses on an archetype called Hope Dragon. She had a total of four aces—Hope Dragons Flower, Bird, Wind, and Moon, all with effects that can help her gain Life Points and select monster card zones on her opponent's field to prevent them from summoning their monsters.
"I activate Polymerization!" Ray declared. "And I'll use it to combine my four Hope Dragons to summon Hope Dragon Nature!"
She and Michael were in a tag team duel against two employees from Doma, an organization with the intention of capturing human souls with a Spell card called the Seal of Orichalcos. This threat was virtually life or death because the two kids can't afford to lose any duels as they risk their very souls to try and defeat the employees. Right now, Ray finished Fusion Summoning Hope Dragon Nature and was getting ready to activate her effect.
"I activate Hope Dragon Nature's special ability!" Ray announced. "All of your unoccupied monster card zones are blocked! And for every blocked zone, I regain 400 life points!"
Since she was referring to her opponent, he only had three empty zones, which became blocked as she gained 1200 Life Points. She was then ready for her Battle Phase.
"What?!" the Doma employee asked. "How could you obtain that kind of card?!"
"Because I am an Akaba," Ray answered. "And Akabas never give up!"
"And we're doing this for my friend," Michael said, referring to Odd-Eyes Dragon. "He won't forgive anyone who brings harm to his home world!"
They could tell that Odd-Eyes was absolutely livid at Doma for putting the Duel Monster Spirit World in danger like that. Even if he now resides as a card on Earth, it was still his home and any threat that endangers it must be thwarted at all costs.
"But that's not all," Ray added. "I activate the Spell card Union Attack, allowing me to share my Battle Phase with my partner!"
Both Doma employees were shocked at the Spell card she used. They couldn't believe that something like that exists and it was bringing them one step closer to their defeat. Together, Ray and Michael declared their attacks.
"Feel the rage of my dragon!" Michael declared. "Spiral Flame Strike!"
"Natural Energy Bloom!" Ray added.
Odd-Eyes and Nature unleashed their signature attacks, with Ray destroying one of her opponent's monsters—the one in attack position was sent to the Graveyard while the other in defense position remained intact—and Michael wiping out the other employee's only monster. He then immediately followed it up by activating Odd-Eyes' effect.
"Now I activate Odd-Eyes Dragon's special ability!" Michael exclaimed. "You lose life points equal to half of the monster's attack points he just knocked out, which is enough to finish you off!"
Odd-Eyes directed another attack towards the Doma employee, bringing his LP down to 0. Due to the overwhelming power of the Seal of Orichalcos, it captured his soul and sent it back to Dartz's main organization, leaving his body to collapse on the ground.
"Don't celebrate yet," the remaining Doma employee said. "You've still got me."
"I know," Ray replied. "So hopefully this Hinotama card should be enough to finish you off as well."
Ray activated Hinotama, causing fireballs to rain down towards the other employee, draining his lingering Life Points and losing his soul to the Orichalcos. Both bodies laid on the ground, soulless and unconscious as the two kids were relieved to win this duel, but also horrified that they witnessed as something so scary as that.
"Are we doing the right thing?" Ray asked.
"We are," Michael answered. "Odd-Eyes' home is at risk. We need to protect it."
"But what if we end up losing?" Ray asked. "Could we lose our souls forever?"
"We'll be fine," Michael reassured. "And as long as we keep winning, your dad will never know what had happened."
Eventually, the Doma threat was vanquished and both worlds were now at peace, relaxing Odd-Eyes Dragon. About a decade later, almost one year before the King of Games' influential legacy began with a bisexual soon-to-be Slifer Red male teen, Ray and Michael were now 14 going on 15, with the young Akaba girl having her hair now past her shoulders. Leo has saved enough money to buy himself and his daughter a house, finally putting an end to their struggle with poverty.
On one peaceful evening, Michael and Ray were at the local park, excited about things to come. "I can't believe we're going to Duel Academy in a few days," Ray said. "What do you think the school is like?"
"I'm not sure," Michael admitted. "But I heard the training varies depending on the rank system."
"Rank system?" Ray asked.
"Yeah, Kaiba created them based on these powerful cards from Battle City," Michael explained. "The best Duelists are in Obelisk Blue, the second best Duelists are in Ra Yellow, and the third best Duelists are in Slifer Red."
Ray heard those three names before and guessed they were named after the rumored Egyptian God Cards. She became more certain about her assumption because she recalled hearing about Kaiba and Yugi's duel during Battle City when they summoned Obelisk the Tormentor and Slifer the Sky Dragon respectively. She then thought it was unfair that Obelisk Blue was ranked the highest and Slifer Red the lowest; she wondered just how egotistical the CEO was.
"Guess Kaiba is still bitter about Yugi defeating him," Ray commented.
"Probably," Michael agreed.
"But he definitely deserved that," Ray added. "That's what he gets for ruining my dad's business!"
Although Ray was glad that she and Leo now have a place to live in, she never forgave Kaiba for letting them go bankrupt. Speaking of which, she hasn't gotten a chance to figure out what her future will be since her main intention was to endure and help get out of poverty. She gave up her dreams of being a Duelist by selling her old cards and here she is right now, playing Duel Monsters once again and attending the first ever duel school with Michael. Her thoughts shifted topics and she started thinking about him and how much they have been through together.
"Michael… What are your dreams for the future?" Ray asked.
"Duh!" Michael replied. "I'm gonna be the World Duel King so I can keep the world entertained!"
"Entertained?" Ray asked.
"Yeah," Michael answered. "I'll do that by putting on performances as I duel."
"You don't care about winning?" Ray asked.
"Not really," Michael admitted. "As long as the crowd is entertained and smiling, that's a perfect victory for me."
Michael loved the thought of hosting Entertainment Duels and being what he called a professional Dueltainer. It made Ray remember the rejected concept of Action Duels due to the claim that monsters could gain emotions and cause an apocalypse. Her face then grew depressed because it was the true source of where she and her father were at and how much they suffered over the years. It was more upsetting to know that they would have been perfect for her friend to use to achieve his dream.
"I'm sorry," Ray said, sounding a bit hurt. "It sounds like those Action Duels would have been perfect for you. But now…" She let out a sob, being unable to speak.
Michael wiped a tear away from Ray's cheek. "Don't start crying on me," he said. "Sure I won't be able to interact with Odd-Eyes Dragon during duels, but I can still entertain the crowd through other methods."
Ray looked up at Michael's face after hearing him speak. There was only one type of duels and everyone has been doing these standard duels for a long time, whether it was a single match, a tag team, a 2-on-1, or even a battle royale. She was then reassured on how he knows there will be new methods introduced in the near future, making her pleased to know she had someone like him for a friend. …Or maybe more than a friend. Just then, the two leaned forward and locked lips with each other, sharing their very first kiss together.
Ultimately the two parted for air. Ray had a glazed look in her eyes, almost as if she enjoyed the kiss. But she quickly realized what just happened and she looked away, embarrassed. "I'm so sorry!" she said. "I don't know why I did that! I-"
Michael shushed Ray as he gave her a second kiss. "Don't worry," he said. "Besides, Duel Academy is on an island far away from here. Leo will never know."