Yu-Gi-Oh GM Book 1:
The Rise of El Loco Desperado
Hey there fans, this is The Rainwalker here! Are you ready for a unique look at the Yu-Gi-Oh universe? Well come with me and share in the incredible story of a legally blind man's rise to dueling superstardom. Share in the adventures of a writer on a journey to save the world from an evil 5,000 years in the making. Come and share in Yu-Gi-Oh GM. But before we start there are some people I'd like to thank. For starters: Rocket6923 for his help in correcting all the technical glitches in my writing, Lobo Argost for his help with the duels, jraito111 from Duelist Network for his invaluable help in bringing the forthcoming original cards to life. A special shout out to my dear friends Peach Wookiee, WhiteAsukaLover, and Lady Von Whippingberg. All right before we get started there's the matter of the Disclaimer.
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is strictly the property of Kazuki Takehahshi. I'm just borrowing his characters but I promise to put them away when I've finished. David Cardigan and all original characters in this story are strictly my property.
A new hand
5,000 years ago, when Egyptian kings played games of great and terrible power, my name was Ahmad Rahim! The Rahim clan and the family of Pharaoh Akunumkanon had been friends since the time of Pharaoh Menses. So as my father was friends with the Pharaoh, I was friends with his son crown prince Atem. As a long line of chancellors to the Pharaoh my family sought to protect them from threats from outside and within Egypt. One of the most dangerous threats we sought was the Necronomicon, a powerful book of ancient evil magic which held the key to the destruction of the entire world. My family sought the tome hoping to destroy it. But for all my efforts in the end it cost me my life. Reborn 5,000 years later as David Cardigan I discovered why I'd been reborn when the Necronomicon reappeared. Again I strove to claim it and destroy it as I'd pledged, and again I fell short. In the process I lost contact with good friends and a woman I loved. But just when I thought that I would never find the Necronomicon and fulfill my vow a game called Duel Monsters would set me on a course to a fateful meeting with a remarkable group of people whose lives I would change and on the same hand have my life changed by. There is a level of dueling excellence that goes beyond King of Games, beyond world champion, a level known as…GRAND MASTER!
This is the story of my rise to dueling glory.
The slender young man with short cropped brown hair groaned and rubbed his eyes, his mind still locked in a cobwebbed haze. Slowly he stumbled to his feet still rocked by disorientation and smelled the scent of smoke and death all around. The emerald green-eyed man looked around. His disorientation vanished a second later as his blood suddenly ran cold, his face drained of color. The place where he stood was in fact Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland, Oregon the city that was his home. This place he had loved to come to looking for good character descriptions and quirks was now empty and lifeless. The fountains he had loved to look at around the TriMet downtown Visitors Center were dry and cracked from disuse. Many of the bricks in the square had been torn up, the pillars nearby charred and crumbled. The buildings around him were in the same state save for the flames and billowing black smoke that spewed from the giant sacrificial urns that had once been buildings. The sky overhead was black as midnight and not only from the clouds of smoke. Lightning flashed through the smoke adding to the terrible aura this place held. David Cardigan, supernatural detective, and a man who had saved Portland and the world from horrors no one should ever have to see looked around distraught at what had happened. Eyes wide as saucers, the pale-faced writer tried to let out a scream. Yet his scream sounded more like a whisper as the "Noooooo!" poured from his throat.
A million questions ripped through David's brain. How had this happened? When had this happened? Why wasn't I able to stop it?
The questions came to an abrupt halt when David sensed evil coming closer. Cursing his visual impairment he looked around. His attention was drawn to four people, two men and two women clad in long flowing black robes. What horrified David the most was the inferno red glow in the men and women's eyes and the onyx-colored amulets shaped like jackal heads around their necks. What are they doing here? David thought.
Before David could question them the four transformed into powerful looking jackals the size of a Great Dane. The jackal-like creatures' eyes continued to glow with the same terrible red aura. David tried to summon his own power…and found that he couldn't! David already frightened now felt like an olive ready to be skinned. The jackals let out an unearthly howl of challenge. David, knowing that even with his martial arts skills he was sorely overmatched, turned and ran. He ran towards the only building in the square that was standing, the Tri-Met visitors center. The canines gave chase. David's mind was besieged by hundreds of voices cackling evilly. It was all David could do to keep his thoughts straight in the face of such a mental onslaught as he ran for his life. He managed to make it to the glass double doors that marked the entrance. David reached for the doors…and found his relief they were unlocked. David raced inside and closed the door.
The cackling ceased in his head and David suddenly felt a surge within his being that marked his magic returning. David looked around the still intact building. Spotting several stone benches David pointed at them calling forth his power to grab a hold of them and float them in front of the door to act as a shield. The jackals at that very moment reached the door and leaped at it…and David was rewarded with the sounds of flesh smacking against thick glass and his barrier only to be repelled. David smirked at his cleverness but knew he had to get out of there as that barrier wouldn't hold out forever. Looking around the room yet again he spotted a door. David hoped and prayed it was a way out. The jackals barreled into the barricaded door barking and snarling their frustration. David raced for the door and found again to his relief it was unlocked. Not bothering to look where he was going, he opened the door, leapt through it…and to his surprise ended up several blocks away from Pioneer Courthouse Square on Salmon street. Though like the rest of the city it was a smoking, charred ruin. David grimaced as he looked around and spotted the McDonald's he had loved to go to when a convention had been held at the Hilton hotel in downtown Portland. David turned to go back the way he'd come only to discover that the door which had helped him escape had vanished. What's going on here? David thought scared and clearly baffled.
Several unearthly howls drew David's attention westward. From that direction a large pack of black jackals rushed towards him. And judging from the size of the group there were hundreds to thousands of the red-eyed monsters eager to tear him apart. David turned to flee and suddenly found his three other routes of escape blocked off by more jackals. David backed towards the center of the crossroad as the jackals licked their lips, growled, and bore their teeth at David. David felt the icy cold rush of fear surge through his being that told him he was going to die, slaughtered beneath a wave of giant jackals. But just as the creatures prepared to leap in for the kill a bright light burst from the darkened sky. David covered his eyes and squinted as he watched in stunned astonishment. The light seemed to grow turning night into day. The fires in the buildings went out, and the jackals were blown away from David by the powerful light. David on a whim looked up at the light and saw six gigantic figures descend. He ran from where he was standing until he was a block away as the large figures landed. "What…the…hell?" David whispered as he looked on 6 people that landed.
The person who led this group of six was a large version…of himself. However unlike David who wore only a white shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes, this one had on a button-up red shirt, a long black coat, and a big black cowboy hat. What really stood out was the strange device on his right arm. The machine was shaped to look like a bald eagle diving. The larger version of himself flipped a switch and the eagle's wings unfurled to show depressions for what looked like playing cards 5 red on the left, 5 blue on the right. In the enlarged version of himself David saw a grim determination. David was then drawn to the figures to the left and right of him. One was a short boy dressed in the school uniform of someone from Japan. The boy had blue eyes and tri-colored black and Magenta hair with blonde tips at the front. David felt a pang of recognition "That hair…it's just like Atem's," he whispered out loud.
On the boy's left arm was a machine like the bald eagle-shaped device yet somehow different as it was more disk-shaped and like the bald eagle device had slots for what could only have been cards. Beside the young man was a teenage girl with shoulder-length auburn hair and blue eyes. The slender, athletic-looking girl was dressed in a Japanese school girl outfit which included a mini skirt and pair of orange slip-on boots. Like the smaller boy David noted she too had a disk-like thing on her right arm, and she was holding one of the boy's hands. Beside them was a boy with long brown hair tied back and wearing a red and black head band. The green-eyed boy however wore a red vest, black shirt, jeans, and shoes. To the left of his larger self David noticed a teen boy of around 18 or so with messy blonde hair and a cocky grin on his face. Yet in the boy's eyes David somehow could feel the pain he was hiding. His free hand held the hand of a girl who looked to be in her mid-twenties, had violet eyes, long wavy blonde hair, and wore a very stylish-looking regular length coat, mini skirt, and high-heeled slip-on boots all colored purple. A violet brazier completed the outfit and exposed ample amounts of her upper and lower chest. David sensed there was a connection between the two blondes of shared pain and the potential for something more…romantic. The larger David looked up and whispered in a low voice, "Let's…dance!"
Those words echoed deep within David's mind
All the figures raised the strange devices just as they clicked into a ready position. The larger David drew a card from the deck and slapped it into one of the card-shaped slots on the wings. A flash of light caused the real David to cover his eyes. When he regained his bearings he found that his surroundings had again changed. Now he was on the disk itself. And along with smaller more human versions of those he'd seen there were several others. One was a girl with sandy red-brown hair that fell to her back, and a gentle expression on her face. Another was a young man with red-brown hair short with a point at the front and a permanent glare written on his face. What also surprised David even more were the Japanese male, the African American male both in business attire, a blonde woman wearing blue jeans, black shoes, and a peach-colored turtle neck. David felt the old pain surge up as he recognized the woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes. This was a woman he had once loved. Beside her was a smaller woman who was chubbier than any of the others and had short cropped black hair, a purple shirt, light blue jeans, black shoes and wore chains on her wrists that glowed white. David felt a surge of rage rush through him in recognition of this woman. She was someone who had once been considered a friend and more by him until her betrayal. But that left the question: Why were all these people here? Before he could even ask his attention was brought to the sandy red-brown haired girl who stated, "Destiny once again calls he who lives twice. Maintain your kindness and humanity and you will be rewarded."
"Huh?" David said dumbly.
David was then drawn to the Japanese man. "Bonds of friendship must be restored if the world is to stand a chance."
David then looked at the large and slender African American male who explained, "The Freakahs must rise again, and new members must join."
Now that's not like the friend I know David thought dryly.
He suddenly looked behind him…and found himself staring face to face with the one who had planned on serving for the whole of his life in ages past. Atem dressed as he was in his outfit of Egyptian royalty looked squarely at David and stated, "Do not directly interfere in the course of my destiny, old friend. The consequences would be catastrophic."
David was then twirled around to face the smaller version of Atem. "When my aibou leaves my heart will be stuck between light and darkness. Only love and friendship can keep me from going over the edge."
David's attention was drawn to the woman with her long blonde locks tied back. "Return to me so we may be complete again."
David looked at the raven-haired chubby woman. "My betrayal was not what it seemed. The false servant of the Messiah holds my mind and soul captive."
David looked on the boy with messy blonde hair. "You are the one who holds the key to my defeating the demons of my past."
"Me? How?" David asked thoroughly confused from all he'd heard.
But before he could say anything else the woman with flowing wavy blonde hair spoke. "My heart has been clouded by darkness. Bring me back to the light Onii-san."
David gasped. That was the name she…meaning the black-haired woman gave me when we went to college.
The boy with short brown hair spoke next. "Give me a good bat and I'll provide some extra protection."
David suddenly noticed the baseball bat in his hands. Not knowing why he gave it to him before he was drawn to the boy with the long head band. "The dark jackals are returning from the shadows. Be fully prepared!"
He turned his attention to the girl with short brown hair. She looked at him and stated, "We've been friends for so long but my heart cries for more. You help us, and we'll help you."
David looked up at the larger David as he spoke up. "The proverbial ball is in your court now, chancellor. Will you shirk from your responsibilities and doom the world, or will you face them head on like the hero you claim to be? The time of your decision draws near, chancellor. Pay very close attention…because you will only get one chance."
The larger David then raised his free hand to show a large card in it. He turned the card over and surge of blazing light blinded David.
David Cardigan bolted upright into a sitting position in his bed as he let out a squawk of fear. His body was trembling in fear, covered in cold sweat, his heart pumping like a war drum, and breathing heavily a hand instinctively going over his heart. David looked around again disoriented then calmed himself down as his memory came back to him. This was the bedroom of the single apartment he rented in Southeast Portland. Though a successful writer David had chosen to rent feeling that he wasn't ready to own a home…yet. David took deep breaths to calm himself. Then he wiped his brow and whispered, "No more triple cheese double burger specials from Burger World before bedtime."
David looked at the digital clock on the shelf beside his bed."Six o' clock aie yah." He sighed before he got out of bed.
David turned a switch on his clock and the radio in the clock started playing. To his relief the station was playing Enya. This allowed David to begin his rigorous ritual of morning warm ups and stretches. Being a black belt in taekwondo David had been taught some good habits by his instructor Master Diwaker Sabarna. Eventually he dressed himself in his sweat suit and went out jogging in the park near his apartment building. Yet the events of the dream still weighed heavily on his consciousness. David ran past the large artificial pond in the park. Being mid spring, the local water fowl ducks, geese, and even a heron or two had returned to the pond. David ran past the pond and over to the covered area he used for his workouts. David launched into his regular workout session of stretches, kicks, punches and his Taekwondo forms. A half hour later David left the park and jogged home as he thought Who am I trying to fool? I can't escape that dream through these workout sessions. That was a mystic dream I had. They're coming back, and what has it to do with what I saw?
David continued to ponder these questions as he showered changed into a red button up shirt, jeans, and walking shoes. David was about to turn his attention to working on his latest novel when David heard someone pounding at the door to his apartment. "Open up! Open up in there, Cardigan!" A voice from outside bellowed. David rolled his eyes. "I know you're in there, Cardigan! Open up now, boy! You and I are havin' a talk!"
David sighed it was his less than reputable landlord Shawntelle Brooks. "Another day in paradise," David muttered before heading for the door.
What are the implications of this dream? What's in store for David Cardigan. For the answer to these questions find out in Part 2 of 'A new Hand'. Please read and review and have a nice day.