Disclaimer: I do not own any authentic Yu-Gi-Oh! Or Yu-Gi-Oh! GX characters. They are wholly used without permission. Any original characters are the property of their respective creators. The Arcane Chronicles are based on YuGiOh internet team Team Arcane. Any resemblance to actual real life should be taken as a very sad sign indeed.


The distant past, during the age of the Pharaohs:

The Pharaoh watched with cautious eyes as the caravan prepared for it's long and arduous journey. He knew this was a desperate measure, but with the King of Thieves lusting for the power of the Millennium Items, he dared not risk his kingdom's other mystical items. Already, the Amulet was on it's way. The Items would be needed for the coming conflict, but soon, he sensed, they would need to be sealed away for their own protection. He had already instructed the Tombkeepers of the actions to take if worst came to worst.

"My Pharaoh, is this necessary?" The Pharaoh turned to see his loyal friend, High Priest Seto.

"I cannot be certain, my friend. I merely prepare in case I fail in my duties. The battle to come will be harder without it's presence, but we cannot risk him getting ahold of it. If that were to happen, it would be the beginning of the end. Nothing would survive."

Together, they watched as it was finally brought out, surrounded by loyal guards who knew their actions now might save the world. It was a wand of power, not unlike the Millennium Rod. However, it's power was far different than that of any other Item. While the remaining Items dealt with the powers of the mind, this was a cosmic controller, a karmic balancer, keeping both good and evil energies in check.

It was the almighty Scepter of the Balance.

"You trust the Arcane?"

"I do." The Pharaoh understood Seto's hesitation. The Arcane was a hastily devised alliance between warring factions that agreed only that neither side wanted the Thief getting the Scepter. But both sides also understood the need to maintain a balance of power between themselves, lest nature itself revolt. He simply hoped that was enough to keep the power of the Scepter in check.

Their instructions were simple. Take the Scepter, and guard it at all cost. Replenish their ranks as necessary, no matter how long it would take to ensure it's permanent safety.

As the caravan began to move, the Pharaoh and Seto watched, concerned. "I hope they're up to it," said the High Priest.

"So do I, old friend. So do I."

In truth, he knew it would not be enough. He knew this from a prophecy delivered by the Necklace only a day prior. One day, far from now, the balance would be upset, and one that knew the powers of the darkness and the light would be needed. He knew that somehow, the Puzzle around his neck would play some small role in that coming conflict... A role in helping to find the Warrior of the Balance.

Wishing that future champion good fortune, the Pharaoh turned away from the Arcane, to prepare to fact the defiler of his father's tomb.


The caravan traveled for many months, even after hearing of the deaths of the Pharaoh and the Thief. They knew their orders, and that if the time came to be recalled, word would be sent to them. All traces of this alliance's existence was erased, as was any mention of the Scepter. None seeking true power, no matter how knowledgeable, would learn of their charge.

And as the centuries past, the roles were passed down through generations, to new recruits proven worthy of maintaining the balance. In time, the Pharaoh returned, reincarnated into the body and mind of a master gamer named Yugi Mutoh. But this is not his story. No, he never recalled the Scepter, so deep were the methods used to hide it's existence. But he did play a minor role in it's destiny.


The four friends stood in a circle, hands together, as the girl drew, oddly enough, a smiling face on the backs of their hands. They knew that they would soon face great challenges. As they reaffirmed their spiritual connections, the bearer of the Puzzle felt the slightest pulsation from his Item. His best friend, who would be one of the Pharaoh's greatest allies, felt it as well. Neither thought anything of it. Both went on to become legendary.

Far later, the Pharaoh finally reached his long deserved reward, unaware that there was unfinished business a mere generation away. He also remained unaware that actions had already been taken to handle that business.


A Generation after the Second Coming of the Pharaoh:

The Pharaoh's Ally watched as the neophyte Duelists continued their game. In truth, he didn't quite know why he'd chosen today to visit the park. He'd merely had a strange feeling there was someone he was supposed to help.

"I sacrifice Kojikocy and Mysterious Puppeteer to summon Hyozanryu in attack mode!" The Ally watched, rooting for the poor guy. He'd seen this player try ten times already to win a match, but he just didn't have anything to work with in his cards. But he kept trying, a sign of a true Duelist spirit... And he would know.

He watched as the powerful Dragon of Diamonds appeared, roaring it's emergence to the world.

ATK: 2100

"And now I'll equip it with the spell card Megamorph, which doubles it's attack as long as my lifepoints are lower than your's!"

The card appeared on the field, and the Dragon seemed to double in size.

ATK: 4200

LP: 1500 Opponent LP: 3500

"Now ATTACK WITH DIAMOND FIRE!"

The opponent simply laughed. "BIG MISTAKE! REVEAL TRAP CARD!"

"WHAT?!"

"DISARMAMENT!" Even as he said it, a facedown card shifted upwards. "This trap card destroys all equip spell cards on the field, like your Megamorph!"

Megamorphed shattered, and Hyozanryu began to shrink to his original size and strength.

ATK: 2100

"OH NO!"

The attack struck at the Shinato, King of a Higher Plane on the field. The Ally winced. The player was about to lose again

Shinato atk: 3300

The player watched as the attack rebounded and annihilated his monster. His Lifepoints took a massive blow as well. He had no cards in his hand, either, so he knew what was coming.

LP: 300

"Pathetic." The opponent scoffed. "You ARE a rank amateur. And now that your turn's obviously finished, I'll finish you off." He drew a card, but didn't bother looking at it. He didn't need to. "SHINATO, FINISH HIM OFF!" The angelic monster lowered it's gaze upon the player and lashed out with utterly anti-climatic eyebeams, knocking the player off his feet and scattering his deck.

LP: 0

Shinato faded. Disgusted, the Opponent turned away. "And stop wasting the time of REAL Duelists."

The Ally hated that kind of attitude. It always came with the worst kind of a duelist, one that couldn't simply enjoy the game and enjoyed hurting others. He'd met and fought far too many like the opponent. Ignoring the Opponent, he turned to see the player picking up his cards, utterly dejected.

Then, the Ally felt the slightest pulse, and had a strange feeling.

Far away, the Scepter glowed.

"It's found a new recruit," said the leader of Good.

"Looks like. But for which side?" The leader of Evil watched as the scepter shot out an energy beam at the wall, forming an image of the park.

The Ally walked over and knelt down to help the player gather his deck.

"He's right. I'm never going to be any good at this." The player sighed. Maybe it was time to give it up.

"That's the wrong attitude to have, pal," said the Ally as he handed Hyozanryu back to the player. "You're just starting. It takes practice to learn how to build a deck properly. Just keep at it, and someday you'll show that loudmouth who the real Duelist is."

The player looked up, astonished. "You're-"

"Yeah. I am. But nevermind that. You can't just give up because you lose a few fights here and there. You've got what it takes. You'll see that in time."

"Are... Are you sure?"

"Definitely. I've been where you are. And I've learned from the best to never give up just because things aren't looking good."

The deck gathered, both stood up, face to face. "You're just saying that to make me feel better, right?"

"If I was, I wouldn't do this." The ally reached into his own deck holder, and brought out two cards. He hadn't played the game for a long time, but these were special cards to him. Still, something told him they needed to be passed on. Heck, his best friend had felt the same thing a few days ago, and passed on his Winged Kuriboh. It was weird, but it felt right. "Now, I'd better get going. But I've got a feeling you've got a real future at this."

Turning away, the Ally smiled.

"THANKS! I won't let you down!"

"I know you won't. Hey, what's your name, anyway? I wanna know what I should tell people when they ask me who to be rooting for in the future."

"My name's Aaron. But everyone just calls me CyberV."

The Ally chuckled. Someone had obviously seen way too many Sentais.

"Good luck, CyberV."

CyberV watched the Ally go, before daring to look at the two cards. Rocket Warrior and the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Both pulsed slightly, and his eyes widened. "Wow..."


"There," said the leader of Good. "That is the one we need."

"You still haven't told me which side he's supposed to be on."

"That's the strange part. He's BOTH."

They watched the mystical image of the player called CyberV, the future Warrior of the Balance, walk away, headed towards a date with destiny.


Yu-Gi-Oh!: Arcane Chronicles

Episode 1: Welcome to Arcane Academy! The Warrior of the Balance Arrives!

Written by: Aaron (CyberV) Thall and Jason (Ramesus) Jointer


Two weeks later:

"MAIL CALL!" A somewhat shrill voice called out. Groaning, CyberV looked up from his cards. Ever since that day in the park, he'd been trying to build decks around these special cards... Chaos was always an option, but it felt so... cheap. Everyone used it these days, and the lack of inventiveness bothered him to no end. Still, he had to do something. His Underdog deck, the one that had failed every duel, simply didn't cut it. Never had, never would. There was a reason everyone called out "There's no need to fear!" whenever he pulled it out.

"You've got a letter! It looks important!"

Cursing whatever fates invented yelling, he went downstairs to get his mail. Taking it, he figured it was just another credit card advertisement.

Then he saw the official seal of the Arcane Academy.

He couldn't believe it. The Arcane Academy was almost as selective as Duel Academy, and just as famous. They picked their students, not by application, but by methods no one really could explain. You didn't apply to Arcane Academy. You got invited. Arcane had produced dozens of world class champions, but each and every one was sworn to secrecy about the school, making the mystique surrounding it almost irresistible.

Hesitantly, he opened the envelope and read the letter within, taking care to not drop the special card inside, bearing the same seal as the envelope.

"We are writing to inform you that you have been invited to attend Arcane Academy. We have been watching you, and see great potential. If you wish to let us help you cultivate that potential into talent, place the enclosed card into the field zone on your Duel Disk. Further instructions will follow."

It was a lot to take in. Still, he felt he was handling all this with the maturity a true Duelist should always display.

"YES! YES YES YES YES YES!"

Rushing to his room, he pulled out his Duel Disk. Strapping it to his wrist, he deployed it to play mode and opened the field slot. Without hesitation, he put in the Seal of the Arcane.

The Disk glowed for a moment, then went silent. Confused, he opened the field slot, but the Seal of the Arcane had changed. Now there were simply instructions on it. A time, a place, and the suggestion to bring only the essentials and his inventory.

Silently, he promised the Arcane Academy that he would definitely be there.


THREE DAYS LATER:

CyberV had been shocked at getting invited to the Arcane Academy. But he was awestruck as he looked up at the private jet bearing the school's insignia, the crossing of the staves of the greatest Duel Monsters Spellcasters in history. With his inventory and supplies safely tucked into his duffel bag, he reached into his belt-mounted card holder and pulled out the Red-Eyes and Rocket Warrior. They almost seemed to pulse as he looked at them.

"I guess I'm on my way..."

Tucking them back into the holder, he made his way to the jet. But as he reached the stairway, someone appeared in the doorway.

"HEY! You must be CyberV, right? We were starting to worry about you! You're the last to arrive."

He blinked. Silently, he admonished himself for not realizing that he wasn't going to be the only newcomer from the area.

"Sorry about that... I got lost."

"Don't sweat it. But we'll be taking off soon, so hurry up!" CyberV quickly made his way up to the door.

"Oh, just for the record, I'm called Ramesus. The Academy sent me to make sure everyone was oriented before they arrived. Relax, I'll explain everything once we're up in the air."

"You're not a first year?"

"Starting my third. Believe it or not, I'm one of the highest ranked students."

"And you're playing tour guide?"

Ramesus shrugged. "Eh. Good for the karma. Now go find a seat. We're taking off."

Nodding, CyberV moved past him towards the passenger cabin. What he found was akin to a luxury hotel room with seat belts. It was a gamer's haven, littered with games of skill, chance, speed and strength. And several other new recruits were busy enjoying themselves.

"Ummm... Hi?"

Several looked up, then returned to their games. One, however, just chuckled, a player with blue hair and glasses

"Hey. Welcome to the party. Name's Jay. You must be the Underdog guy, right? I guess they were desperate for new blood."

CyberV sighed.

"Oh, relax! I'm just kidding. I think... Anyway, don't mind them. They're just in the zone. It happens. Now, let's see..."

Jay began rattling off names, enough that it was very easy to zone out quickly. But three instantly drew his attention.

"Ummm... Who are they?" He couldn't help but stare as two girls went at it with everything they had in a non-holographic duel.

"That's Ashes and Nat. They both placed in the top ten at regionals. Ashes specializes in fire monsters, and Nat's considered the Queen of the Cyber Dragons."

"Raging Flame Sprite's about to take you down!" boasted Ashes.

"She'll have to get through my Cyber Dragon first, and that's not gonna happen." Nat grinned. They'd faced off once before, and Ashes was always a welcome challenge.

"They're... intense..."

"And hot?" asked CyberV.

"Yes."

"I like this school already."

"Smart man."

Another new student grabbed his attention as well, mainly by how she glared balefully at him, her eyes filled with... hatred?

"Who's she?"

"She's called Prodigal. Her real name's Hikari. She's a legacy."

"A legacy?"

"A duelist who's the son or daughter of a famous player. They usually inherit the skills of their parents."

"So, why is she staring at me like she's ready to rip out my throat?"

"Dunno. Maybe she just resents sharing a plane with someone who's never won a duel."

"..."

"...Gas? It could be gas."

CyberV sighed again. Ramesus stuck his head into the cabin.

"Okay, it's time to go. Everyone better buckle up, because we're off in two minutes."

Grudgingly, the new students did as they were told. Bags were quickly stored as everyone rushed for window seats. They needn't have bothered; there were plenty. Everyone kept their decks with them, as well as their inventories. Once everyone was situated, Ramesus sat down and buckled up as well, right next to CyberV.

"There's still a few windows left," he said.

"Yeah, I know. The Academy wanted me to look over your cards. They know you have potential, but they're concerned as to why it hasn't been realized."

"Here," he said, pulling out his Underdog deck. Ramesus took it and began looking through it.

"Ouch," muttered the older student. "That explains a lot. There's no theme, synergy, or style here. No one ever taught you about deck building?"

"Never had enough good cards to try," admitted the newcomer. "My inventory's pretty lame, too. Mostly commons and rares no one would want."

"Well, don't worry. The school's got a fairly extensive card library. But don't you have ANY cards really worth using?"

"Well, there are two I just got..." He reached into the card holder and brought out Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Rocket Warrior again.

"NOW we're talking. I bet between us, we could design a great Red-Eyes deck."

"Really?"

"Really. Heck, I have my inventory here, too. I've got about ten thousand cards and I've already perfected my deck. Let's take a look, see what we can do."

They felt the plane accelerate and take off. In moments, they were on their way to the Academy. As the other new students returned to their interrupted games, Ramesus brought out his dragon support inventory.

"We'll sideline Rocket Warrior for now. Red-Eyes is a powerhouse, and he deserves a powerful deck. I suggest we start with... two more."

Their work continued for the duration of the flight. As the time passed, Ramesus explained how the deck could be used for various combos, each powerful alone, but devastating together.

"And I think now, we can put Underdog to sleep once and for all," said Ramesus as CyberV took the cards not salvaged from the deck to make the new one, and placed them in his binder. "Feels good, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. There's a lot of bad memories with that deck."

"Well relax, this new deck we've built for you'll knock 'em dead. So, come up with a name for it yet?"

He thought for a moment, about the Duelist that had given him the Red-Eyes. "Red-Eyes Legacy."

"Legacy?"

"I have my reasons."

Ramesus shrugged. "Your call. Anyway, it's time I did that little introduction thing."

"Yeah. Might help."

Ramesus clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention.

"Okay, new students, listen up! As you all know, you have been accepted in the Arcane Academy, one of the most prestigious dueling schools in the world. You have been selected for your skills and your drive. Upon arrival, you will be divided into three groups, based on the dueling style you prefer. Each style comes with a specific color uniform. Aggro style students will wear purple. Combos will have green. Control wears white."

"Tres ugly," muttered Ashes.

"Duly noted, but Duel Academy laid claim to red yellow and blue before we could, so just deal with it. Moving on. Upon arrival, you will each undergo an initiation duel. This is so the school can determine your strengths and weaknesses, and tailor your education to your specific needs. A select few will be invited to participate in one of our campus clubs. Invitations into these clubs can come at any time, from any member authorized to do so. If invited, you will have to pass a test, but, unfortunately, the majority of you will not be approached, and some approached will fail. I suggest you each prepare for your duels once I'm finished, because some of you will be invited DURING your initiation duels."

There were murmurs of excitement and confusion then.

"In any case, first years usually share rooms, two per room. Pick your roommates while you have a choice. Remember, there'll be more students coming from other areas as well."

"I claim Ashes!" yelled Nat.

"Can I claim asylum?" asked Nat.

"Hey," said Jay to CyberV. "You and me? I bet I could turn you into a winner."

"Beats being treated like an insect."

"Continuing..." said Ramesus, "there are a few ground rules. Unauthorized duels will not affect your rank within the school. Ante rules are illegal, and cause for immediate expulsion. Use common sense to figure out what else is not allowed. It's a co-ed dorm. Not a frat house. Remember, above all else, you are not to share anything you learn about the Academy with the outside world."

"Why is that?" asked Hikari. CyberV was surprised to hear her speak for the first time. He was also relieved that for the moment, she didn't want to rip out his liver.

"Because it gives the school a mystique. And it's cool. Anyway, that's pretty much all you really need to know about Arcane for now. We'll be landing shortly, and transportation is waiting to take us to the school. Initiation duels will begin as soon as we arrive, so use this time to finish preparing your decks. We want to see you at your very best today. Now get back in your seats."

As everyone bucked up again, Ramesus once more sat next to CyberV.

'You especially need to finish studying that deck. I'm YOUR initiation duelist."

"WHAT?! How is that fair? You know this deck as well as I do!"

"Exactly. I've eliminated the lousy cards. Now I need to see how you deal with an unfair disadvantage. And I warn you, I'm not gonna go easy on you."

Staring at the Legacy deck, CyberV wondered if it was going to be enough to be whatever Ramesus was about to throw at him.


The bus taking the students to the Academy was fairly nondescript, probably to keep anyone from tailing it to the Academy. The fewer people who knew how to get in, the fewer that could learn the secrets. While the other students were busy preparing their decks for their duels, CyberV was noticing the slight pulsing again, coming from the Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

"What's going on?" He didn't take his eyes off the card for the entire trip, not until they arrived.

The Academy itself was impressive enough to distract him from the pulsing card completely. It looked like the equivalent of a Hogwarts, but for dueling. A gigantic castle, seemingly based on the Castle of Dark Shadows.

"Amazing..."

"Yes," said Ramesus. "Now everyone, at the entrance, you will find a list of names. Locate your own, and go to the dueling arena specified for you. Your challengers are waiting. CyberV, you might as well just come with me."

The neophyte duelist nodded and followed. It didn't take him long to realize that they weren't headed for an arena.

"Where are we going?"

"There's something I need to show you before we begin. You see, your duel is far more than just an initiation. You are being invited onto my team."

"Your team? You mean one of the clubs you mentioned."

"Exactly. There are two clubs, the League of Good Duelists, and the League of Evil Duelists. The two groups stage mock-battles between the light and the dark."

"Why do that?"

"The school is based around an ancient Egyptian legend. Have you ever heard of the Millennium Items?"

"Anyone that's studied Yugi Mutou knows about them."

"Well, what isn't common knowledge is that there were actually more than seven items. There were three others. One, the Pyramid of Light, was destroyed after an accident at Kaibacorp's dueling arena about 12 years ago. The second, the Millennium Pendant, was split into two, and is still missing. The final one is supposedly here."

Ramesus opened a door into a massive hallway... And hanging on the far wall was a beautiful golden Scepter.

"The legends call it the Scepter of the Balance. It's powers are not well stated, but it's said that only the balance of power between good and evil can contain it's abilities. Personally, I think it's just a cheap carnival prize with some Kaibacorp holotech inside. In any case, it somehow chooses our new students. It really wanted you."

"Wow... That's the secret of Arcane Academy?"

"Yes. Now, what say we get on with your initiation duel? If you pass my test, you can join my team."

"Okay!" Both of them extended their Duel Disks to play mode.

"LET'S DUEL!"

Ramesus LP: 8000

CyberV LP: 8000

"I'll start things off, said Ramesus. "Oh, and for the record, the school trains students for endurance dueling, so we get 8000 lifepoints instead of 4000. They say it's to help us learn to deal with players who keep raising their lifepoints during a duel. Now, I place one monster facedown, and two spell cards facedown as well. And that's all for now."

Three holocards appeared.

CyberV drew his sixth card and looked at his hand. Immediately, he knew a good play to make.

"I play the magic card Polymerization!"

"Already?!"

"You got it! I'll combine the Red-Eyes Black Dragon and the King of the Swamp in my hand! Since King of the Swamp can take the place of half of a fusion combo, he'll mimic Summoned Skull as I create the Black Skull Dragon!" As he played the three cards, the gigantic dragon appeared, roaring defiance to the world around it.

B. Skull Dragon ATK/def: 3200/2500

"I also play Mystical Space Typhoon and remove the facedown card to your left!"

As he pointed to the card, it shattered.

"Nice," said Ramesus. "You destroyed gateway to the dark world. But that's not going to save you."

"It doesn't have to! Black Skull Dragon, destroy his facedown monster with Molten Fireball Blast!" The dragon roared and fired at the facedown card, shattering and revealing-

"Thanks. You just flipped my Cyber Jar. Say bye-bye to B. Skull Dragon."

Cyber Jar ATK/def: 900/900

"Oh no!" Cyber Jar opened it's maw wide, creating a vacuum. CyberV could only watch as Black Skull Dragon was sucked into it before the Jar exploded.

"And in addition, we each take the top five cards from our decks and summon all the level four or lower monsters to the field, but only after we show each other what we got"

Each quickly drew their five cards.

"My new cards," said Ramesus, "are Sillva, Kycco, Mystic Tomato, Forces of Darkness, and Brron!"

"Dark World monsters? Oh man... Now let's see... Double Coston, Magician of Faith, Red Eyes B. Chick, change of heart, call of the haunted."

"Now we summon our new monsters!"

Even as Ramesus said it, each new creature appeared.

Double Coston ATK/def: 1700/1650

Red Eyes B. Chick: 800/500

Magician of Faith: 300/400

Brron mad king of dark world ATK/1800 def/400

Mystic Tomato atk 1400 def/ 1100

Kycco atk 1800 def 700

"You should have summoned Magician of Faith and the Chick in defense mode," said Ramesus. "You really have a lot to learn. But you will."

"Man..." muttered CyberV, berating himself for his second mistake of the turn. "But don't worry, because Chick's not staying! I activate his special ability! You see, when the Chick is summoned to the field, it can be sacrificed to bring out Red-Eyes Black Dragon! So come on out and make your presence known!"

The Chick blew a plume of smoke before it began to grow, shattering it's shell as it matured into the awesomely powerful dragon known and feared for it's ferocity.

Red-Eyes Black Dragon:2400/2000

"Reveal trap!" yelled Ramesus as his facedown card revealed itself. "Mind Crush! Now I declare 1 card name! If it's in your hand, it goes to the graveyard. Otherwise, one of my own cards goes to the graveyard."

"And since Cyber Jar made me show you some of my hand, you don't need to guess!"

"Exactly, and I choose Call of the Haunted!"

Frustrated, CyberV discarded the resurrection trap to the graveyard. 'So much for bringing back Black Skull Dragon anytime soon...'

"And best of all, you ended your battle phase when you summoned Red-Eyes with Chick's effect, so you can't attack me anymore this turn."

"Then I guess I end my turn."

Ramesus smirked. "My turn. I set two cards down, and a monster facedown as well."

Three cards appeared.

"Now I play Card Destruction! We each discard our hands and draw new cards equal to the number we just sent to the graveyard."

Both duelists quickly did so.

"And guess what? I had two Dark World monsters in hand, but since I only have one open slot available, I'll special summon Beiige!"

Beiige ATK/1600 def/1300

CyberV didn't like where this was going. A complete monster roster, and he was incredibly vulnerable with Magician of Faith in attack mode.

"I'll switch Brron and Mystic Tomato to defense mode." The two monster knelt down. "And now I'll destroy your Double Coston with Kycco the Ghost Destroyer! Kycco, attack with Mystic Bead Exorcism!"

Kycco lashed out with it's holy beads, which wrapped around Double Coston, sending the monster to oblivion.

Ramesus LP: 8000

CyberV LP: 7900

"And now I'll activate Kycoo's special ability. Say goodbye to Double Coston permanently, and your precious Red-Eyes Black Dragon as well! Kycoo lets me remove two monsters from your graveyard, after all, and the last thing I want is you finding a way to use the basis for your deck for a quick seven or eight star powerhouse summon. Finally, I'll set one card facedown and end my turn."

Another card appeared behind Brron.

'Why didn't he attack my Magician of Faith? He could have done me a lot worse damage than just 100 lifepoints. He's just toying with me!' CyberV narrowed his eyes as he drew his card. He swore Ramesus would regret that mistake.

"Activate trap!" yelled Ramesus, as the card behind Brron rose up. "It's a nasty little customer called The Forces of Darkness. It lets me return two card with Dark World in their name to my hand. And I choose Gateway and Sillva."

The card faded as the two named cards were ejected from the graveyard and scooped up by Ramesus.

"Here we go..." CyberV looked at the card, then breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been waiting for that one. "I switch Magician of Faith to defense mode." The Magician knelt down and began praying. "And now I'll play the spell card Inferno Fire Blast." He placed it on the field, and it rose behind Red-Eyes Black Dragon. "Here's how it works. Normally, Red-Eyes could only attack one of your monsters, since your field is covered. However, when this card is played, it allows the Red-Eyes one direct attack on your lifepoints instead!"

"NO!"

"RED-EYES BLACK DRAGON, ATTACK RAMESUS DIRECTLY WITH INFERNO FIRE BLAST!"

The mighty dragon roared as he launched a massive fireball at Ramesus, who shielded his eyes as it struck him.

Ramesus LP: 5600

CyberV LP: 7900

"Now I place one monster facedown and end my turn."

"Nice move, but you should have attacked my monsters, because they're going to crush you before long. I activate the spell card Dragged Down into the Grave!" The card appeared on the field. "We each get to look at each other's hands and pick one. What we pick goes to the graveyard."

CyberV bit back a curse. He only had one card in his hand, and that was supposed to be his trump card for later. He would have played it last turn, but he wanted to remove Ramesus' monster advantage first. Now it was too late.

"Ah, the Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon. Tough loss, friend."

"Yeah, well you lose Gateway."

Ramesus shrugged. "Big deal. I switch Kycoo and Beiige into defense mode and end my turn."

"DRAW!" CyberV took a card from his deck. "REVEAL CYBER JAR! Now, just like before, all our monsters are sent to the graveyard and we each draw five cards. But you know the drill by now."

"Perfect," chuckled Ramesus. He quickly summoned his new monsters.

Broww 1400/800 (atk mode)

Newdoria 1200/800 (atk mode)

Scarr 500/500 (facedown)

"I also have Mystic Plasma Zone and Pot of Avarice."

"Mine are Swords of Revealing Light, Polymerization, Luster Dragon (1900/1600), Another B. Chick (800/500), Lord of D. (1200/1100). Chick and Lord in def, Luster in atk!"

The monsters appeared.

"Now, I activate a spell card! Graceful Charity! It lets me draw three cards as long as I discard two from my hand."

"I activate my trap card Dark Deal!" Just as CyberV drew his cards and discarded two, the trap on Ramesus's side of the first raised. "It adds an effect to Graceful Charity. It makes me discard one card from my hand, and I discard Sillva! But he isn't staying gone, because his special ability activates, and I get to summon him to the field! And still, there's more! Now you have to take two cards from your hand and return them to the bottom of your deck. Now, with only one card in hand, what are you gonna do? You've lost. Admit it. In a minute, I'm gonna trample you."

'He might be right,' realized CyberV as he tucked two cards at the bottom of his deck. 'The one card I've got is all I can play now, and if it doesn't pan out, he'll crush me completely!'


Elsewhere, a dueling arena stood empty, save for a single Duelist, who was getting most impatient.

"Something's wrong..."

Cursing inwardly, he had a bad feeling he knew what it was, and began running towards the great hall.


"Well? Make your move, so I can finish you off." Ramesus chuckled. He had the newcomer now. The deck might have been stronger, but the duelist himself still left much to be desired.

"You want my move, well here it is!" CyberV placed his last card into his Duel Disk. "I activate Pot of Greed! This spell card lets me draw two new cards!"

'And if they're not exactly what I need, I'm finished!' he added silently.

He reached for his deck, and felt the pulsing again, far stronger this time. Then, he heard the roar of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. But he understood it like it was speaking english.

"I hear you, my friend. I don't understand what's going on, but I hear you..."

"Just believe in the heart of the cards," said a voice. He looked down to see his card holder glowing.

"Rocket Warrior?" he whispered. "What's going on?"

"I'm waiting..." said Ramesus. "What's keeping you?"

"Would you believe I'm having a conversation with a rocket and a dragon?"

Ramesus's eyes went wide. 'It can't be! He's discovered a duel spirit already? No... TWO DUEL SPIRITS! Those cards he was given... They're coming to life! What's going on?!'

"Okay, Rocket Warrior. I'll trust in the two of you. If you say to believe in the heart of the cards, then I will!" CyberV drew, and he was astonished.

"I told you," said the voice he knew belonged to Rocket Warrior. "As long as you believe, you will be strong."

"You were right, Rocket Warrior, and now I'm going to show Ramesus just how strong I can be! I activate Monster Reborn, and summon to the field Black Skull Dragon once more!"

Rising from the ashes, Black Skull Dragon roared defiantly.

Black Skull Dragon: 3200/2500

"And now I'll activate my other new card, Premature Burial! It costs me 800 lifepoints, but it lets me summon another monster from my graveyard, and I'll choose the one I discarded using Graceful Charity!"

"You WHAT?!"

CyberV LP: 7100

Ramesus LP: 5600

"I choose the almighty JINZO!"

A grave appeared, and a robotic fist smashed through it from below. Slowly, Jinzo rose from the dead to join Black Skull Dragon and the previously summoned monsters.

Jinzo: 2400/1500

"JINZO!? I didn't give you that card!"

"No, you didn't. My Underdog deck was lame, I admit, but it DID hold one or two decent cards, and those cards completely throw your knowledge advantage out the window! You may have been good enough to keep me from using Darkness Dragon and B. Skull Dragon until now, but you dismissed it Underdog too quickly, and now you're going to pay for that mistake! I'm taking you down!"

'I can't believe this! He actually turned the entire duel around with one card! How could he have drawn both those revival cards with Pot of Greed!?! It's not possible!' Ramesus braced himself.

"Now that Jinzo's in play, you can't activate any traps you might have on the field. And that leaves me free to take out your strongest monsters! JINZO! Attack Sillva with Psycho Shock Blast!"

Jinzo thrust his hand forward, energy crackling. He fired, and Sillva shattered.

CyberV LP: 7100

Ramesus LP: 5500

"Now, Black Skull Dragon, destroy Broww! Molten Fireballs!"

Black Skull Dragon obeyed, launching his attack once more. Broww shattered on impact with this mighty attack.

CyberV LP: 7100

Ramesus LP: 3700

"Normally, a duel would end right here. The only thing saving you from defeat is Arcane's practice of double lifepoints! I'd have Luster Dragon attack Newdoria, but I feel like keeping Jinzo around. That WAS what you were planning to do with his special ability, wasn't it? Send my trap defense back to the graveyard? Not happening."

"A wise decision. I can see that Arcane was right to invite you to attend. You prevented me from causing you serious damage to your lifepoints, you came back from unfair advantage, you saw through my Newdoria strategy. And you're correct. If this was a regulation match, you would have just won. You're stronger than I expected, and I've seen enough. You pass the test."

All the monsters and cards vanished, the duel ended prematurely.

'Glad that's over. I know he had Scarr facedown, and the last thing I wanted was giving him anymore hand advantage than he did already. But why did he just toy with me? Why didn't he destroy Magician of Faith when he had the chance? Attacking her would have done me serious damage and made me more vulnerable. Was he just playing nice, going easy on me because I'm just a beginner?'

"You still need to work on those careless mistakes, like the one you made with Cyber Jar, but you'll learn. In time."

"Why didn't you attack the Magician of Faith?"

Ramesus blinked. "Oh, that? I figured you were suffering enough from that mistake already. I try not to take too much advantage of beginners. It's not fair to exploit their inexperience, y'know? So, what do you say? Join my group?"

"Join Good? I'd be honored."

Ramesus chuckled. "Man, I'm the head of EVIL, not Good."

And as he said that, the Scepter of the Balance began to glow with an unearthly light.

"THE SCEPTER!" exclaimed Ramesus. "Something's happening!"

'That light... Where's it coming from? It can't be holographic like Ramesus said! And why would someone leading evil be so... nice?'

The Scepter's Wdjat symbol shone brightly, then shot a beam out at CyberV's head. Instantly, the young duelist's mind was filled with images of ancient Egypt.

He saw a great battle between good and evil. The brave Pharaoh fighting against the Thief using the power of the Gods.

'That guy looks like Yugi Mutou!'

He saw both fall, their souls sealed into Items. He saw the Arcane evolve from a caravan into the Academy of today.

He found himself lying before the Pharaoh, who regarded him gravely.

"You have finally come."

"I... have?" CyberV pulled himself up. "Where am I?"

"You are within the mystical memories of the Scepter of the Balance, young one, and it has chosen you to safeguard the balance."

"How do I do that?"

"You will know when the time comes. Be careful, Warrior of the Balance. Evil is growing in power, and if you cannot stop it, the world will be plunged into chaos and horror."

"But why me?"

"Because you have just chosen, albeit accidentally, to serve both the darkness and the light. You find yourself trapped between Good and Evil. Only one who is of both can control the power of this final Millennium Item, and protect the world from it. I wish you luck, Warrior. Your path is a difficult one, but I am certain you shall find a way."

The floor chose that moment to shatter under CyberV, and he found himself falling into the endless dark below.

"GAH!" He sat up, sweating. He was back in the great hall. "I'm not dead... I'm not dead... It was a dream. No strangely dressed Yugi. No ancient monsters. No collapsing floor... Just a dream."

"I'm afraid you're wrong." CyberV looked up to see someone he had yet to meet. "If you had those visions, I'm afraid bad things are about to happen. Where's Ramesus?"

"He's right..." CyberV looked around. Ramesus was nowhere to be found. And neither was the Scepter. "...Oh."

"I'm called LazyMan, and you were supposed to be at your initiation duel half an hour ago."

CyberV couldn't believe what he was hearing. "But Ramesus said HE was my initiation duel, and then he invited me to join his team and... Oh, getting a headache..."

"I was afraid of that. Get up."

Hesitantly, CyberV pulled himself off the floor of the great hall. "What's going on?"

"The Scepter, when it chose you to attend, failed to place you with good, evil, or neutral. That's never happened before. Normally, it selects one, and we base invitations to the two sides based on that. This time, we left it to a simple coin toss. Ramesus lost and I won."

"That means that YOU'RE-"

"The head of the Good Duelists, yes. I won the toss, and you were supposed to be tested by me. He must have shanghaied you to circumvent and outmaneuver me. Now where is the Scepter?"

"I don't know. I just remember saying that yes, I wanted to join good when Ramesus asked if I wanted to join his team, and then that light and those visions."

LazyMan sighed. "You joined both at once. And the Scepter chose you to be the Warrior. And now it's missing."

"But what does all that mean?"

"It means this... You MUST pass your initiation duel now. You HAVE to... Because if you don't, it's the beginning of the end of the world."

'The end of the world?! He means it! Ramesus was wrong! That thing WAS magic! And if it was magic, that means I've just doomed everyone!' CyberV had a sickening feeling that things were about to go downhill quickly, and he only had himself to blame. 'What do I do?! WHAT DO I DO NOW?!'

TO BE CONTINUED...

Next Time: Initiation Duel! Rise to the Challenge, Warrior!