Soul Card
Author's notes: Hi everybody and welcome to my first Yugioh GX fic! I usually write for Pokémon, but this is an idea that's been rolling around in my head for a while now and I would like to expand my writing range to other fandoms. Also, I know it says Yugioh GX, but as this takes place a few years after the events of the series, I probably won't include any of the cannon characters, although the y do exist and will likely be mentioned at some point. If you think that this would be better in the general Yugioh category, tell me and I'll change it! ^_^
Ok, now that I'm sure that your all tired of hearing me ramble…on with the disclaimer! Sorry, it's gotta be done!
Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, Yugioh GX, or anything else I don't own.
Now that that's over with, on with the fanfic! :)
Chapter 1: Metamorphosis
It was approximately eleven o' clock at night, sometime around late summer. Thunder rumbled in the distance, signaling the approaching storm.
A cat was running through the city streets, something small dangling from its mouth. As it landed gracefully on top of a fence, the glow of the moon illuminating its features, one could see at once that it was no ordinary cat. Its fur was purple, with strange orange swirl markings covering its body, save for its stomach, which was bright pink. Its left eye was a bright green, while the right eye was a light purple. A red ribbon with a bell attached to it was tied around its neck. The bell made a pleasant ringing sound as the strange animal leapt off of the fence towards the ground below.
The cat moved quickly, deliberately, towards a small two-story house nearby, pausing long enough to deposit the item it had been carrying onto the front porch. The kitten began to cry and the cat began furiously licking the tiny body with its warm pink tongue. A purring sound filled the air, followed by the tinkling of bells and what sounded strangely like a lullaby.
Hush now, dear one, Mother is here.
Let all your dreams take wing.
The rat won't bite,
Nor the dog its teeth bare,
Your Mother is here.
The mice shall dance,
The birds shall sing,
May you sleep without a care.
And as you grow, and laugh, and change,
Remember, my dear one, Mother is always near.
So close your eyes,
May you sleep all through the night.
Now is your chance,
Your destiny calls,
As clear as the bells do ring.
Though it may seem strange,
Remember my son,
Mother is always there.
Hearing its mother's song, the tiny kitten let out a squeaky yawn before curling up into a ball and drifting off to sleep.
The cat turned to leave, purr rumbling within her throat as she watched her child sleeping so contently. Hesitating, she glanced back at the front porch one last time, wondering if she was really doing the right thing. A wave of pain surged through her body, informing her that she couldn't worry about that now, and without a second glance, the she-cat took off running, her body beginning to fade, becoming transparent, until she disappeared altogether.
Minutes later, a glow filled the porch where the kitten slept, followed by the soft sounds of a baby in deep sleep.
Fifteen years later…
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I DIDN'T GET INTO DUEL ACCADAMY?"
Fifteen-year-old Tyson Mathews stared at the rejection letter in dismay before crumpling it up into a ball and chucking it across the yard. This was the fifth dueling school he'd tried, and failed, to get into, and apparently they'd gotten tired of seeing him duel and decided to start sending out the rejection letters straight off.
It wasn't that he always lost, more like he rarely won. Whether it was something to do with his deck, or he just plain stunk, he wasn't sure, but wasn't about to give up just because of a few setbacks.
People had told him several times to change his deck, but he didn't want to use the same powerful cards as everyone else: Dragons, Warriors, and Machines. Beast types were more his thing, although he had to admit, powerful Beast type Monsters were hard to come by.
He'd been hoping to get into a dueling school, hone his skills, maybe even pick up a few rare cards to improve his deck.
"So much for that happening," he grumbled, running a hand through his long brown hair with a sigh.
Deciding that shouting at a piece of paper wasn't getting him anywhere, Tyson decided to go for a walk, maybe take a look at a few of the card shops and see if any of the better cards were within his price range.
He'd been walking along, lost in thought, for about ten minutes when a familiar annoying voice rang through the air.
"Well, if it isn't Odd-Eyed Ty! Hey how about a duel?"
"Not today, Dillon," Tyson sighed, immediately heading in the other direction. He'd tried being friendly to Dillon before, only to get three of his best cards stolen. He'd been giving the kid the cold shoulder for months, but he just wouldn't take the hint.
"Aw, come on Odd-Eye, don't be such a spoil sport!" Dillon begged, hurrying over to the teen's side.
Tyson groaned. He didn't know why everyone had to call him that. Sure, his eyes didn't match, but why was that such a big deal? As it was, his left eye was green, and his right eye was light purple. Ok…so maybe that wasn't exactly a normal color, but did that really give people the right to stare at him and call him odd-eyed and all of that? He certainly didn't think so, even if it was true.
"Just one duel!" the ten-year-old whined. "Come on! I'll even pay you for it!"
"What do I look like, a duel machine?" Tyson growled through clenched teeth. "You can't just pay someone to duel you, you know!"
Dillon looked shocked, before a cruel smile found its way to his lips. "Yeah well, you're just a stupid freaky-eyed weirdo, and nobody likes you anyway!" And with that, he stormed off, looking angrier than an Enraged Battle Ox.
Tyson sighed, wondering what the kid's problem was anyway. Heading over to the nearest card shop, he realized in dismay that the cards he wanted were way out of his price range. Some birthday this is, he thought to himself, sitting on a park bench, chin resting on his hands. Couldn't I get just ONE new card? Just ONE?
"Looking for a new card?"
"Huh?" Tyson snapped out of his train of thought to see that a girl around his age had taken a seat next to him on the bench. He blinked, sure his eyes were playing tricks on him. The girl bore a striking resemblance to Dark Magician Girl: Same eyes, same features, although her hair was longer and was a shade of reddish brown rather than blond. If it weren't for the short blue skirt, pink tank top, and yellow flip-flops, Tyson wouldn't have been shocked if she'd pulled out her staff and started blasting things.
"Something the matter?" she asked, eyeing him with what appeared to be amusement.
Tyson could feel himself blushing. "Uh…no! Sorry, it's just…say has anyone ever told you that you look an awful lot like Dark Magician Girl?"
The girl sighed. "Only a million times! She's always been the popular one!" She shook her head before smiling warmly at him. "Call me Valerie," she laughed, reaching out to shake his hand.
He blinked, not sure what to make of her statement, but extended his hand anyway. "I'm Tyson."
The girl snorted, but quickly regained her composure. "Sorry! It's just that that name doesn't really suit you."
Tyson stared at the girl, not really sure whether she was trying to be friendly, or was about to make a joke about how his eyes didn't match. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Well…I should probably get going-"
"WAIT!" Valerie shouted, causing the boy to jump in surprise. She turned to him, and placed a single card in his hand. "Here, take this. I've got a funny feeling that this card was meant for you."
He turned the card towards him, sighing as he read the name. "Catnipped Kitty?" He stared at the girl, giving her his best You-Have-Got-To-Be-Kidding look. "Isn't that card a little…wimpy?"
Valerie shook her head, eyes burning with passion. "There are no wimpy cards. Only wimpy Duelists." She stood up, stretching her arms over her head until her belly button was showing. "I'm not saying you'll win every duel. Heck, I'm not saying you'll win any. All I'm saying is that that card is you. Remember that." And with that, she dashed off, disappearing amongst a crowd of people who were out enjoying the sunshine.
"Oookayyy…" With a shrug, Tyson turned to look at the card in his hands, finding nothing particularly remarkable about it: Beast type, Earth attribute, zero attack, five-hundred defense, two star, Effect Monster. The card looked pretty wimpy, too: a purple kitty sitting adorably on a pink, lacey pillow, hearts floating around it as it playfully batted at what he could only assume was supposed to be cat nip…he paused, squinting at the card for a minute, then groaned. The cat had the same mismatched eyes he did.
So this WAS just another stupid eye joke! He was about to toss the card away, but for some strange reason, hesitated. Shrugging, he shoved the card into his jeans pocket, then continued on his way.
After checking the prices of a few more cards, Tyson decided to head home and run through his card collection again to see if he had overlooked anything. He was just turning the corner to his house when a dude a couple of years older than him walked over, Duel Disk activating.
"Hey man, you duel?"
Tyson rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, but I kinda left my Duel Disk at home."
The teens face brightened. "Hey, no worries! You can borrow my old one! Here, catch!"
Tyson reached out and grabbed the Duel Disk as it was tossed to him, quickly strapping it on. It was a little beat up, but still seemed to be in good working condition.
Tyson drew his cards, mouth dropping open in shock as he stared at his hand:
Green Baboon, Defender of the Forrest
Monster Reborn
Catnipped Kitty
Catnipped Kitty
Catnipped Kitty
He knew he hadn't put Catnipped Kitty in his deck, let alone three of them. Wasn't there only one before? Shrugging, he figured he could at least special summon Green Baboon, Defender of the Forrest after one of the Catnipped Kittys was destroyed.
He drew his first card, Solemn Wishes, which was no more helpful, and began his turn.
"Ok, I'll set one card face down and summon Catnipped Kitty in defense mode!" he announced, as the kitty shimmered to life on the battle field, just as adorable as ever, and just as harmless. Once the cat was summoned, however, Tyson began to feel very strange, as if his body were somehow a million miles away. Hey, what's going on? he tried to cry out, but found himself unable to speak. He watched, feeling as if his soul was no longer connected to his body, as his opponent took his turn.
"Ok! I'll place two cards face down and summon Luster Dragon in attack mode!" A blue dragon appeared on the field, looking ready to eat the kitty for breakfast. "Go! Attack Catnipped Kitty!"
Luster Dragon
ATK: 1900
Catnipped Kitty
DEF: 500
The kitty disappeared instantly, just as Tyson had known it would, but he never got the chance to summon Green Baboon, Defender of the Forrest. The world began to swim, and he fell backwards, unconscious…
He awoke sometime later to see several figures in white hovering over him; doctors he was assuming, whispering things, which he could barely make out.
"This the one...?"
"Fainted…don't…why."
"Tyson Mathews…"
"The adopted kid…took him in, right?"
"Yeah…found…doorstep…Poor kid!"
"…parents been notified?"
"…on their way…sounded…"
Tyson let out a groan before drifting off once more.
The next time he awoke, his parents were standing over him, their expressions full of worry, concern, and…something else…was it guilt?
"Wha…what happened?" he managed to choke out, thankful that his voice was working again.
"You fainted, honey," his mother explained. "Don't you remember?"
He nodded, his head beginning to pound. He winced and held his temples. "Yeah, that I remember."
"The doctor says you just got overheated, and that you can come home tonight if you're feeling up to it," his father continued, looking relieved. "We've told you to mind the heat, you know you don't sweat well!"
"Yeah, I know," Tyson sighed, wishing that his father would spare him the lecture. He knew perfectly well that he didn't sweat like everyone else. If he got too hot he could get sick, or, in extreme cases, faint. Still…he'd never experienced anything like that before…
Deciding that he must have just been dizzy from the heat, Tyson decided that getting some rest was the best thing he could do right now. His parents agreed, and left his room to allow him to get some rest.
Some birthday this turned out to be, he thought to himself as he drifted off to sleep, unaware of the figure watching him from just outside his window…
As Tyson headed home later that night, he couldn't help but wonder exactly what the girl at the park had meant when she said that the card was meant for him, and why there were suddenly three of them. He looked at the three Catnipped Kittys in his hand, a feeling of unease coming over him. There was something strange about these cards…
A bump in the road jolted Tyson out of his thoughts, alerting him that they were almost home.
As the car pulled up to the driveway, Tyson declined his mother's offer of dinner, not being very hungry. He headed wearily up to his room, flopping onto his bed, exhausted.
The dream came almost as soon as he fell asleep. He was standing in a gigantic forest, the ancient looking trees seeming to reach up towards the sky without end. The forest was filled with Beast type monsters of all shapes, sizes, and power levels. A Des Koala sat in a nearby tree eating leaves, its large bright eyes regarding him curiously. He took a step back, only to be greeted by the shrill yowl of a Rescue Cat, none too happy having its tail stepped on. His eyes widened as he stared passed the small cat at a large Big Tusked Mammoth, which was now making its way towards a pool of water.
Ok, this is weird, he thought uneasily, trying not to anger the group of animals that were now all staring at him.
He turned around slowly, so as not to upset the Beasts, but stopped dead in his tracks as he was confronted by three large ape like creatures.
Slowly, one of them stepped forward, gazing at Tyson as if it expected him to be here.
"We are the Guardians of the Forest," he explained, motioning to his companions. "Born here to protect the forest and all who live in it. I am Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest, but we have met before. This is Ancient Crimson Ape," he explained, motioning towards the ape on his right, who was leaning heavily on his staff, looking none too pleased, "and this is Yellow Baboon, Archer of the Forest," he continued, motioning towards the bright yellow baboon on his left, who currently had his bow drawn back, arrow carefully aimed straight at Tyson.
"Why am I here?" Tyson asked, cautiously eyeing Yellow Baboon, who looked like the type to shoot first, ask questions later. "And what do you mean we've met before?"
"That matters not now," Green Baboon replied, as if anticipating the question. "Right now, we have some important matters to discuss." Tyson flinched as the Green Baboon raised his staff high and banged it heavily against the forest floor, causing the forest to go eerily silent. "I have summoned you here for a reason; you are the last hope that we have. You are currently the only link the Beast type Monsters have to the human world." Tyson stared, confused, as a look of sadness came across the Guardians face. "We cannot go to the human world as you can, nor can any monster exist there outside of spirit form," Green Baboon continued, looking sorrowful. "However, there are a few who were sent there at a young age, and thus were able to establish and maintain borrowed human forms. However, it has come to our attention that these human forms are weakening, as we'd known they would eventually." He turned to Tyson, his eyes moist. "We just didn't think it would be this soon. I'm sorry Tyson. So very sorry."
"Sorry for what?" Tyson asked, not sure what the ape was talking about. "What does this have to do with me, anyway?" He sighed, wondering just when he was supposed to wake up from his crazy dream.
"I told you he doesn't remember!" Yellow Baboon growled, turning to face the Defender of the Forest, anger blazing in his eyes.
"I knew this was a foolish plan to begin with!" Ancient Crimson Ape croaked, glaring at Tyson like a cranky old man. "Honestly, sending children, babies even-"
"He does remember," Green Baboon interrupted, an air of superiority in his voice, silencing the other two Guardians. "He just doesn't know it yet. And by the way," he turned his gaze to Ancient Crimson Ape, his eyes full of determination and resolve, "I'm not the only one who put my faith in the younger generation. Remember that."
The old ape grunted, but said no more. Yellow Baboon slowly lowered his bow, but didn't look too happy about it.
"I can offer you help in the form of signs, and I will speak with you when I can," Green Baboon continued, turning back to Tyson, who was beginning to feel more than a little uncomfortable in the Guardians presence. "Just be careful, put your trust only in a select few, and whatever you do, don't-"
Tyson never heard the last of the baboon's sentence, as the dream faded away, and he drifted into a deep and dreamless slumber, unaware that a certain card of his deck was letting off a soft glow…
The next morning…
Tyson awoke feeling rather groggy, sleep seeming very reluctant to leave him. He yawned, stretched, then realized that he had fallen asleep in his clothes the night before.
With a sigh, he headed over to his dresser, grabbed the first set of clothes he could find, and proceeded to get dressed, not caring that his socks didn't match.
What a crazy dream, he thought to himself as he ran a brush through his hair. I gotta give dueling a rest for a bit, it's making me crazy! He turned to his deck, shrugged, and slipped it into its deck case attached to his belt. Aw well, I tried!
Walking over to the mirror on his dresser to make sure he hadn't put his shirt on inside out or anything, which he'd done on more than one occasion, something happened to catch his eye. Pausing, he stared hard at his ears, which were just barely visible beneath his hair, sure that there was something…off.
Pulling his hair back, Tyson frowned as he noticed that the tips of his ears seemed to have developed a slight point to them.
Man, that dream must really be getting to me, I'm starting to see things! he laughed, pushing his hair back to its original position and heading down stairs.
Elsewhere, in another world, Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest let out a heavy sigh.
"It's starting."
Authors notes: Well, that's chapter one, hope everybody enjoyed it! For those of you who were hoping for an actual duel, don't worry, next chapter we get to see Tyson duel! Will he win? I guess you'll just have to wait and find out! :)