The poster was one of the more intriguing ones on a board filled with dozens. "Experienced duelists requested for participation in a scientific study." No further description was given, except for the time and location of the study. Ethan studied the poster, considering the proposition. He was one of the few players of Duel Monsters in his town, and considered himself to be fairly skilled. Twenty or thirty years ago, someone like him would be sent to a special duel academy, to refine his or her knowledge of the game. However, every school like that had been closed for some time, after everyone realized how foolish it was to teach teenagers dueling skills and nothing else.

Duel Monsters wasn't as popular as it once was; many new games were constantly being developed, and there hadn't been any new cards in ages. To most, the game has ceased being interesting. There were only a few competitive deck types, and the cards required for those decks were very expensive. Also, every combo had been thought of, and every strategy had been used to death. There was no longer anything innovative or exciting about the game.

It was this fact that made the poster intriguing. Someone, and likely someone of influence, had shown an interest in Duel Monsters. Ethan began to feel an excited anticipation. He immediately made up his mind to participate in the study, and jotted down the address and time in one of his notebooks. Just then, the class bell rang, alerting Ethan that class had started. He quickly returned the notebook to his backpack and ran to his next class.

--

The day had finally arrived. Ethan looked through his deck once more, affirming that all of his cards were there. He was very proud of his deck, especially since it had held its own against many stronger competitors. Ethan put the deck in his backpack with the rest of his collection. After a quick breakfast, he got on his bike and set off for the lab.

Ethan arrived about ten minutes early, and was directed to the lounge. There were already a few people there, and he sat down next to a girl who was probably thirteen or fourteen.

"Hey, are you a duelist too?" Ethan turned to see the girl's excited face looking at him. He looked at her blankly, then replied, "No, I'm just here for the free food." Seeing her confused look, Ethan sighed, "Yes, I'm a duelist too. Isn't everyone in here?"

"Oh…of course!" she laughed. "I guess I'm just a little excited. I heard that they're going to be testing some sort of new dueling system, and since I love dueling and everything related to dueling, I had to come! My name is Sara. What's yours?"

"I'm Ethan. A new dueling system?"

"Well, I don't know any specifics, of course. I don't know if it's a new apparatus, or new rules, or new cards, or anything else. But apparently it's going to revolutionize dueling! I can't wait!"

A new dueling system, mused Ethan. Well, the game definitely needed a new hook. It wasn't as popular as it used to be, and anything that brought in new players to compete against was alright in his book. Abruptly Ethan realized that Sara was still talking.

"I'm not too good of a duelist yet, but I know the rules, and I love my deck! My fairies have never let me down, and I feel so close to them every time I play! It's almost as if there's a bond between us!"

"Hold on," said Ethan. "Duel Monsters is and always has been a strategy game, and nothing more. If you think that the monsters are real, there's something wrong with you."

Unfazed, Sara replied, "Believe what you want, but I'm sure we have a connection. How do you design your deck if not from your heart?"

"It's called strategy," Ethan said. "You pick cards that work well together, and that give you the best chance of winning. Treating the game like a fairy tale is sure to cause you to lose."

"Fairy tale! That's funny, because I use fairies in my deck!" laughed Sara.

Ethan groaned. The pun was no coincidence, but apparently Sara didn't realize that. How clueless was this girl? As Ethan started thinking of an excuse to leave, the door opened. Finally, thought Ethan, we can get going and I won't have to deal with her anymore.

The professor entered the room and began to speak. "Hello everyone. My name is Professor Watson, and I'd like to welcome you all to my facility. I trust you all know the reason we are here. If not, let me explain. My colleagues and I have been doing some fascinating research on Duel Monsters technology. We have found a new way of dueling involving special atmospheric projectors. The experience is enhanced almost to the point of reality. I've done some preliminary studies, but the technology's true potential has yet to be tested. I would like two volunteers to participate in a duel."

Naturally, the exuberant Sara's hand shot up first. "I'm ready! Pick me! I'm a great duelist!"

"Alright, we'll take you, and, just for simplicity's sake, the boy next to you," smiled the professor. Ethan looked up, realized what the professor said, and quickly checked the other side of Sara. There was no one there. Well, I may not be rid of her, thought Ethan, but at least I can defeat her in a duel.

"You two, follow me," said Professor Watson. "My assistant, Professor Johnson, will lead the rest of you to the viewing area. You won't want to miss this," he finished with a smile. He turned to leave, and
Ethan and Sara quickly followed him.

--

As they walked down the hall, Professor Watson began explaining the game to the two duelists. "The layout and turn structure are the same as you remember: maximum hand size of six cards, no more than five monsters, and all that. Playing cards is also the same: one monster per turn, traps can't be activated right away, and so on. The core of the game is the same."

"So it's simply a cosmetic change?" inquired Ethan.

"Well, the appearance is drastically improved, yes. But there's more to it than that. You know the text on the cards? All of the abilities? Forget them."

"Forget them?" gasped Sara. "But if you take away the special abilities, there's nothing left! Whoever has the strongest monsters wins!"

"Not so," the professor replied, with one of his characteristic smiles. "I don't know if you're aware of this, but Duel Monsters has its roots in ancient Egypt. These monsters were once real, summoned by sorcerers to battle each other! Naturally, the creator of Duel Monsters wanted to give the players some sense of what this was like, so he simplified the monsters' special powers and incorporated them into the game. Many of the cards, like Burst Stream of Destruction or Release Restraint, were already the abilities of their corresponding monster. Or, for another example, consider Skelengel. Its game text allows the player to draw a card, but in Egypt, there were no cards to draw! It's very likely that the real Skelengel gave the user some sort of advantage, but what is was is unknown. However, we may have found a way to restore the game to what it was!"

"Real monsters? Impossible," said Ethan, ignoring the superior look that Sara was giving him. "And now a game without rules? I can't believe I showed up for this."

"Believe me, you'll be glad you came," replied the professor. "Here we are at the dueling arena. As I said, you'll find the layout to be familiar. Take your positions, and let me know when you are ready. I'll start up the projectors and say one or two more things, then you're on your own."

"Here we go!" exclaimed Sara. "This is going to be incredible!"

"Alright, we might as well begin," said Ethan as he shuffled his deck.

--

The lights went out, and several gold spheres in the corners of the room began to glow. Suddenly, the darkness was replaces with a sort of hazy gray. "It's ready!" came the professor's voice. "Since this is still in the experimental stages, we'll go easy the first time. I'll start you both off with 2000 life points, but I don't want either of you to make a direct attack on each other. Stick with monster combat for now. Also, try different commands with your monsters. Trust your intuition to determine the card effects. Ready? Duel!"

This is going to be tricky, thought Ethan. I'm a practical duelist, not a theoretical one. I learn the rules and I use them. And now I have to make up the rules? Well, here goes.

Ethan drew six cards and examined his hand. "I'll play the Unknown Warrior of Fiend," he said, placing the card onto his display. There was a hissing sound from behind him, as his monster stepped out from the haze and unto the field.

Startled, Ethan looked up from where the monster had emerged. Well, new cinematics were always welcome, he thought. "I'll finish my turn by playing one card face down."

"Sorry, Ethan, but your monster is too weak for my Keldo!" cried Sara, as she placed the card on her display. "I'll attack your Unknown Warrior!"

"Bad move," replied Ethan. "I activate my Reinforcements trap card!" Immediately two monsters identical to his own emerged, and rushed at the Keldo. They grabbed it and dragged it down through the haze.

"What?!" exclaimed Sara incredulously, as her life points changed to 1700. "That not what the card does!"

"I know that's not what it does!" yelled Ethan. "What's going on, Professor?"

"You called in reinforcements," stated the professor. "They came."

Ethan blinked, trying to make sense of what he just saw. "Wow!" said Sara. "This game is fantastic! Now I want to try something!" she added, playing a card face down. "Your move!"

Ethan sighed. Amateur, he thought. You basically just told me that you played a trap. "You shouldn't have said that," he told Sara. "But, since I'm prohibited from attacking you, you're off the hook. I'll end my turn."

"Shouldn't have said that? We're playing for fun! Experimenting! Who cares who wins or loses!" said Sara as she drew. "And speaking of experimenting, I'd think I'll try something. Come on out, Fairy Guardian!"

"So it's a stalemate," said Ethan. "You'll have to do better than that to beat me."

"Oh, I will," replied Sara. "I'll also play my Dark Energy card!"

"On Fairy Guardian?" asked Ethan. "That won't work. The card clearly states that it only works on fiend monsters!"

"Is that so? Take a look at the field," answered Sara.

Sure enough, something was happening. Long black streams emerged from the Ethan's monster, connecting it with the Fairy Guardian. Slowly, a dark aura formed around the Fairy Guardian, as the Unknown Warrior seemed to fade away. The shadowy tendrils joining the monsters disappeared, leaving Ethan gaping at the field.

"Fairy Guardian, attack!" cried Sara.

Ethan's monster disintegrated under the force of the Fairy Guardian, leaving him with 1400 life points. "I thought that might happen," said Sara with a grin of satisfaction. "Normally, Dark Energy would bring out the dark powers from within a fiend monster, increasing its strength. However, my fairy didn't have any dark powers. Dark Energy still needs a source, so it stole the power from the only dark monster on the field: your Unknown Warrior of Fiend. Your monster lost 300 attack points, and my monster gained those 300 attack points. That's how it beat you."

Ethan couldn't believe what he was hearing. This girl was altering the rules of Duel Monsters to gain an advantage! He was a little surprised that it worked too, since every duel disk and duel arena had the rules programmed into them. One could change the technology to use new rules, but not in the middle of a duel! Maybe the professor had designed some self-aware system?

Then again, this duel was like nothing he had ever played. All of the effects were logical, and the graphical overhaul was a nice touch. Maybe the rules were enhanced, and Sara just got lucky? Maybe she had heard a bit about the game from someone else? Maybe…

But no. He could spent all the time he wanted on maybes. The duel was here and now, and it was his turn. Ethan suddenly realized that he would have to think on his feet to win this one. All of the strategy he learned was no longer applicable. The next draw could hold any number of possibilities, and none of them were ones he would have prepared for.

--

"Wake up! It's your turn!" came Sara's voice.

Ethan look at her in annoyance, then drew his next card. As he looked at his hand, a strategy began to form in his mind. Well, it certainly wasn't a part of the rules, but if Dark Energy had worked for Sara, maybe this would work for him.

Ethan placed the card he just drew on the display. "I summon Tripwire Beast, in attack mode! Next, I play the magic card Heavy Storm!"

The haze above them darkened, and Ethan was sure that he could feel a strong wind. No, he thought, there's no way this is real. Could Sara feel this too?

Ethan looked across the field, and was a bit shocked to see Sara's hair blowing around. Wind? Here? He peered into the haze, trying to see if there were fans of some sort causing the disturbance. Just then, a bright flash of light startled him out of his concentration. Lightning? No…

But Sara's face down card was gone, and Ethan was sure he could smell just the slightest bit of ozone. Either this was the most realistic simulation he had ever seen, or there was something seriously wrong here. As Ethan tried to regain his composure, he hoped it was the former.

Wait. Something else was happening too. His Tripwire Beast was now crackling with electricity, emanating a bright yellow glow. Ethan smiled smugly to himself, pleased that his gamble had paid off. "You threw me off a little last turn, but now it's time to strike back!" he called to Sara. "Tripwire Beast! Attack her Fairy Guardian!"

A bright flash briefly obscured his view. When the haze returned, Ethan's monster was alone on the field, and Sara's life points were reduced to 1300. But she was positively beaming.

"This is the most amazing duel I've ever played!" She shouted. "Everything seems so real, and all of the effects are just as you'd imagine them! I can't wait to draw my next card!"

"Go for it," Ethan offered. "I'm done with my turn."

Sara drew a card and added it to her hand. She looked at the three cards in her hand a bit expectantly, apparently hoping for some new card combination. But apparently her search was in vain, because she simply said, "I'll play Spirit of the Harp in defense mode. I may not be able to do much," Sara added, "but I can't wait to see what you'll do!"

Ethan drew a card and smiled as he saw what it was. "Wish granted!" he told Sara. "I play Polymerization!"

Sara looked surprised for a brief moment. "Tripwire Beast isn't in any fusions." Then she laughed. "But why should that stop us? Let's see what you've got!"

"Well, since you asked…" smiled Ethan. "Tripwire Beast, merge with M-Warrior #1 to form Electromagnetic Beast!" The Magnetic Warrior emerged onto the field and immediately seemed to liquefy. The fluid covered Ethan's Tripwire Beast, which shone a bright bluish white. The glow dimmed, and a fearsome looking creature stood on the field.

"I'm not done yet," said Ethan. He selected a card and grinned at the irony of it. "I play Fairy Meteor Crush!"

"Haha! Fairy Crush!" laughed Sara. "And you're using it to crush my fairy! Do you realize that this is the second time today you've done something like that? What are the odds?"

Ethan shook his head. He couldn't take much more of this. "Pretty good, actually," he said under his breath. "Go, Electromagnetic Beast! Destroy her Spirit of the Harp with your Polarity Blast attack!" Blue lightning crackled around Sara's monster before consuming it entirely. Her life points dropped to 1100.

Ethan looked on, satisfied with the results. "Your move," he told Sara.

"Thanks for that," Sara smiled. "For when two of my fairies are in the graveyard, their energies return as the Soul of Purity and Light!"

Ethan wasn't too worried. It was a strong monster, but still weaker than his Electromagnetic Beast. However, Sara's next words surprised him.

"Alone, my Soul may be weak. But my next card will bring out her true strength! Sky Scourge Invicil, I summon you to the field! Unleash the power of Soul of Purity and Light!"

Immediately, Sara's Soul of Purity and Light engulfed Ethan's Electromagnetic Beast. A whitish-gray cloud surrounded his monster, blocking it from sight. The cloud seemed to expand momentarily, then was quickly sucked into Invicil. Ethan blinked, not believing what he saw. There, on his side of the field, were his Magnetic Warrior and Tripwire Beast! What had happened to his Electromagnetic Beast?

"Surprised?" asked Sara. "Sky Scourge can take the power of any Light monster used to summon him, and use it to cancel the effects of all spell cards. That includes your Polymerization!"

Ethan stared in disbelief. But Sara's next words shook him out of his stupor.

"Sky Scourge Invicil, attack his Magnetic Warrior!"

Ethan's Magnetic Warrior disintegrated. His life points dropped to 200.

--

Ethan's mind was reeling. Sara had 900 more life points than he did, and he was looking at what had to be one of the strongest monsters in Sara's deck. Even worse, the anti-magic energy was still on the field, meaning his spells were useless, and his only monster was a relatively weak one. How could this happen? This girl was an amateur, almost a joke. Yet here she was, far in the lead, while Ethan was doing his best to keep up.

It might just be the new rules, or even luck of the draw. However, Ethan realized, it's a poor duelist that can be beaten by luck. Skill and strategy determined the outcome of duels, not chance. He immediately resolved to win, to show Sara and everyone watching that he was a skilled duelist, and that no amount of luck would defeat him.

Ethan drew a card and put it into his hand. "I'll play one card face down, then switch my Tripwire Beast into defense mode," he said. "Your turn."

Sara took her next card, then smiled happily. "You already know my next move. Invicil, destroy his Tripwire Beast!"

"Hold on," said Ethan. "I activate Shadow Spell!" Huge metal chains shot out from the haze around them, ensnaring Sara's monster. "The binding force of Shadow Spell decreases Invicil's strength and prevents him from performing any actions. That means he can no longer destroy my spell cards!"

Sara frowned. "I guess I'll have to end my turn then. I'll finish by playing two cards face down. Your move."

The sudden change in Sara's mood surprised Ethan, but he decided to ignore it for now, and drew his next card. "I'll switch my Tripwire Beast back into attack mode, and equip it with my Electro-Whip!" As he played the card, a giant, sparking whip appeared in the talons of the Tripwire Beast. The restrained Invicil glowed bright white and started struggling in response, but nothing happened. The glow died down.

Ethan smiled. Another gamble had paid off. He definitely was learning the new game. It was time to go for the jackpot. "Take a look at your monster," he called to Sara. "The metal chains do a good job of containing your monster. However, they also make an excellent conductor for my Electro-Whip!" He paused to let it sink in, then shouted, "Tripwire Beast! Attack with Shocking Snare!"

The whip shot out and wrapped around Invicil. "No!" cried Sara. Her monster was immediately covered with violently sparking metal. With a bright flash, Invicil disappeared from the field.

Sara glanced at her life point counter, which now read 500. "Not bad," she told Ethan evenly. "But you haven't seen the last of my Invicil!"

Ethan looked at her, a bit shocked. What had happened? Just before, she was laughing and complimenting him on all of his moves. Now she had a cold look in her eyes.

"Invicil, return from the grave! I activate Rope of Life!" As Sara discarded the only card in her hand, a rope reached down into the haze. It stopped briefly, pulled taut, then began to lift something out. Slowly, her Sky Scourge Invicil was returned to the field, but it looked much different. The haze around them seemed to stick to Invicil, and its eyes had a red glow.

"Rope of Life is an evil card, despite the name," Sara explained. "It first requires a sacrifice of my entire hand. Then, it calls forth a warrior from the grave. But the restored monster is now a soulless shell! You can see that its white aura is gone. The Soul of Purity and Light remains in the graveyard, and now dark energies power my monster!"

Ethan looked at her Shadow Scourge Invicil with a vague apprehension. It was definitely a monstrosity. "If you despise the card so much, why did you use it?" asked Ethan.

"I may hate Rope of Life," replied Sara, "but I hate seeing my Invicil in the graveyard even more. Also, if he's on the field, I can restore him to his original state, which I now intend to do. Reveal second face down card! Soul of the Pure!"

A small fairy appeared, flew around Invicil several times, and disappeared into its chest. The red glow in Invicil's eyes died down, and the haze seemed to slide off it.

"The dark energies counteracted the normal effect of that card, which would usually increase my life points," Sara said. "Instead, Sky Scourge Invicil lost some of his strength. But it was well worth it, because my Invicil is no longer a slave to the shadows."

Ethan looked at the field, then at his hand, then back at the field. Sky Scourge Invicil was still strong enough to destroy his Tripwire Beast, and there he could do nothing about it. He couldn't even put his monster into defense mode, since it had attacked. "That's it," he said. "There's nothing I can do. Your turn."

Sara drew, then solemnly declared, "It's time to end this. Invicil, attack his Tripwire Beast and wipe out the rest of his life points."

Ethan couldn't believe it. He had lost. He stared in desperation at his declining life point total. Suddenly, just as it hit zero, he felt a sharp pain, as though someone was driving an icy knife into him. However, just as the pain was becoming unbearable, the lights went on, the haze lifted, and his pain ceased.

"What's the matter?" called Sara. "Losing wasn't THAT hard on you, was it?"

"Ethan looked up, shaking his head. "It…it was nothing. Don't worry about it." As they dismounted the platform, he added, "Nice duel. You played well."

"So did you," smiled Sara. "I guess it's tricky playing with unwritten rules. But don't worry. I'm sure we'll both catch on really soon."

Yes, thought Ethan. I'll master this game no matter what it takes.