Yu-Gi-Oh! - The World's Reckoning
Disclaimer: No, I do not own anything to do with the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise at all. No characters, no cards, no places, nothing. All credit goes to Kazuki Takahashi and Konami.
What, ANOTHER one? Well yeah, I mean, why not? You can't say you didn't love the card games last time. Good news - this story should have more. And they should be longer. In theory. Anyway, start your engines and full speed towards a new story!
Joey knocked on the door of the Game Shop. "Come on, Yugi! We're gonna be late for school if you stall any longer!" He laughed as he watched his friend struggle to put on his trainers. Yugi had wobbled down his stairs and was leaning against a wall.
"I know, I know, Joey, but I need new shoes!" Yugi finally slotted into the shoes. "Ouch! Hey, where's Tristan and Tea?"
"They ditched us cos you were takin' so long. Come on!" Joey grabbed Yugi's arm and ran to school.
"Joey, wait, I need to - agh" Yugi fell over. "...tie my laces..." He sat up and rubbed his head.
"Well, hurry up! Tristan and Tea are waitin' on us, Yugi!" Joey tapped his foot and folded his arms.
Ten minutes later, Yugi and Joey finally caught up to their friends, who were sat in the corner of the classroom. They were comparing their cards, and Tristan wasn't looking too impressed. "Oh yeah? Well, Cyber Commander could easily beat that!"
"Nah...Maha Vailo is too good to be beat by the likes of him. Yugi gave me him as a gift. That's how I know it's good!" Tea smiled.
"I'd like to see him stand up to my Machines! They'd blow him into the ground!" Tristan punched the air.
"If you say so..." Tea giggled as Tristan put his cards away. She saw Yugi enter and ran to him. "What were you doing that took so long?"
"Putting my shoes on. And falling on my face, thanks to Joey." Yugi nudged his friend and chuckled.
Joey laughed. "Man, that was funny. Anyway, you guys heard about that new set of cards coming out?"
The group listened as Joey explained that he had heard about Industrial Illusions' new plan to release a whole new Structure Deck tomorrow. He said that he was saving up to buy it. "It's called Nova Dawn's Wrath - sounds perfect to go along with my Red-Eyes!" He rubbed his hands together, and his eyes widened. He imagined summoning Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and playing some more cards to make it bigger and more powerful. He imagined sending it to attack his opponent directly, and a giant meteor to erupt from its mouth. "Oh, man, that'd be cool!"
"What do you think the cards'll do?" Yugi nudged his friend.
"I don't know! I want them to make my dragon be unstoppable!"
"Okay, because they'll do that..." Yugi relaxed.
"Hey, who's to say they won't?" Joey stood up. The group laughed.
The day progressed, and eventually Yugi was home again. "Wow, Joey sure was excited about the new cards. Hope they're good, he's saved for ages." He went to bed and fell asleep.
The day of the release came, and Joey was one of the first in line. He'd gathered his friends extra early to get ahead of the crowds. Joey clutched his wallet as the clock ticked to 9am, which is when sales started. His alarm signalled 9am, and the doors to the store opened. He shuffled forward in line, growing impatient for his cards. "Man, this is takin' ages! How long could it take to hand out a few cards?"
"It takes time to hand out stuff, Joey. Besides, it's a whole new deck. It's a little more than a few cards." Yugi looked annoyed by Joey's whining.
"It'll take time for me to use them to beat up these guys for takin' so long! I think one should be significantly longer than the other." Joey folded his arms and continued to shuffle.
"Calm down, Joey. We're almost there!" Tea smiled and stood near Yugi.
Eventually, Joey was 5 people away from the front of the queue. He was shaking on the spot, until he heard a noise. The crowd ran away from the store, leaving Joey stood there on his own. "Huh? Where'd everybody go? Guys?" He saw Tristan running away, and Tea covering Yugi.
It didn't take long for Joey to find his answer. Flames were burning at the back of the building, and staff were shifting boxes of cards away from the blaze. Joey ran to his friends, looking bewildered. "What's going on? Why'd you guys ditch me to roast alive in front of the fire?"
"Some creep attacked a card sale? Who would do that?" Tristan scratched his head. "I mean, they're just gaming cards."
"Maybe it's an electrical fire." Tea looked worried. "Or a gas leak. I'm sure it's nothing too serious."
A car drove past the group and stopped. Out stepped Seto Kaiba, with a serious expression on his face. He shoved past panicking people and slammed his hands down on the table where the cards were being sold. "What did I tell you about maintaining high security around the entire perimeter? Were you even listening to me?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba, I -" The salesman panicked.
"What was that?" Kaiba slammed on the table again.
"I didn't mean to let this happen! I'm sorry!"
"You better be sorry. Now, the media's going to have a field day, making fun of KaibaCorp and its choice of security forces! Just think what they'll say! 'Seto Kaiba's firm can't even keep a card sale safe'! Well done, you moron. You've ruined our public image and potentially damaged our reputation forever! Now, get out of my sight before I'm forced to evict you!" Kaiba walked away, however he was stopped by Joey.
"Hey, Kaiba! When do I get my cards?"
"Tomorrow, at the store just around the corner. That's where you'll get your cards, Wheeler. Nice of you to prioritise the safety of other enthusiasts, though." Kaiba climbed into the car and drove off.
"Like he did when he yelled at that guy? Man, I hate him so much!" Joey punched his hand.
"It'll be okay, Joey." Yugi started to walk home.
The next day, Joey once again gathered his group and was quite far ahead in line. "I'm getting my cards this time, no matter what!"
Joey tried to shove past some people, but failed. As he neared the desk, the interior of the store burst into flame. Joey was blown away by the blast, his denim jacket covered in soot. He brushed himself off and stood up. "Another one? You gotta be kiddin' me!"
Kaiba got out of a car and was on a phone. "I don't care how inconvenient it is, these events are being sabotaged and I want all your force on it! No, I don't care if it'll cost extra! Just look into the blasts!" He hung up and approached the desk. "Call the fire department and get those cards away from the flames."
Kaiba walked towards Yugi, and handed him a note. "Show this to your grandpa, Yugi. He's a veteran gamer, he could understand."
Yugi handed the note back. "What, and risk his store being blown up too? No way!" Yugi looked horrified.
Kaiba sighed. "The note isn't about hosting a sale, Yugi. It's about the new pack, and what Pegasus thinks about it. He may find it...interesting..." Kaiba threw the note back and walked off. It was signed "M.P" and had a castle stamped on it, in premium wax.
"Alright." Yugi grabbed the note and walked home. As he entered, he saw Solomon sweeping in the back. "Grandpa! I have a note for you!" He handed him the note.
Solomon scratched his head. "Well, I've been involved in gaming for a long time, but never have I heard about a release that has caused such an uproar. It says here Pegasus thinks that a certain group may try to sabotage the sales, as they claim they created the cards, not Pegasus. All too weird, if you ask me." Solomon placed the note on the table. "Anyway, have fun with your friends, Yugi! Remember your chores for when you get back!"
"Yeah...anyway, I'll see you later." Yugi left the shop and walked to a park, where he was to meet up with his friends. But the blasts were on his mind...who could want cards that badly? He had to find out...he had a bad feeling about it all.