A Duelist's Destiny Chapter One: The Dueling Demon
Kakuzo woke up and sleepily turned over in his bed to look over across his room at the alarm clock, which was beeping annoyingly. With a moan, he dragged himself out of bed and made his way to the alarm clock. With a silent curse, he turned it off and then stared balefully at it. He then walked into his closet and came back out dressed in blue jeans, a white T-shirt with a yin-yang covering his chest, and a black vest with decorative metal chains strapped lengthwise along the front. He sits on his bed and reaches towards the floor for his steel toed combat boots. He slips on his foots, and then stands, walking to a dresser. From the top of the dresser, he picks up a pair of black, fingerless gloves. He places them snugly over his hands and then walks out of the room, closing the door. A few moments pass, before he comes back in again. He goes to his desk and picks up a belt with a rectangular holding device attached. He puts on his belt and then looks inside the desk drawer for something. He fishes out a stack of brown cards and then places it into the holding device on his belt. He grabs a backpack that is standing next to the door and then exits again.
He makes his way through a hallway. While passing an open door, he yells, "Yo, Pop! I am going to school! I will be back sometime in the afternoon!"
Without waiting for an answer, he heads out the front door and grabs a mountain bike that is resting against the side of the house. He wheels it out to the street and hops on and begins peddling across town.
He rides for a few blocks before coming up to a large three story school, many people about his age milling around the campus. Some were standing under the slender trees that dotted the campus, seeking small shelter from the hot, spring sun. Off to one side of the building was a good number of picnic tables which served two purposes. The first and the intended use was to provide the students with an adequate lunch area under fair weather conditions. The second use, brought about by a good sized portion of the student body, was as the meeting place for the game of games at the time: Duel Monsters.
Yes indeed, this game was all the rage for people of all ages, especially the slightly rebellious youth, of which Kakuzo was a prime example. He used to be known as the school loner, who would have no problem with roughing up anyone who made him too mad. Now, he was still known as the school loner, but now one who could back up his attitude in what was supposed to be a way to level the playing field for conflicts between students. His few losses were accredited by everyone to simply luck of the draw. It also didn't help that whoever Kakuzo lost to, he would challenge them within the next day and win easily. However, today would prove to be slightly different.
As Kakuzo secured his bike to the bike rack, he spared a glance to the school clock tower. It divulged to him that he still had almost an hour until the first bell. Most everyone got to the school early in order to partake of or watch the many duels that would spring up. Figuring he had enough time for a leisurely duel, he sets off to seek a random opponent, shuffling his deck as he made his way to the tables.
After walking around, he sees that most everyone is already busy. He decides to simply sit at an empty table with his deck to one side, but near. This was a universal sign that a duelist was accepting challenges at that time. With this decision, Kakuzo did not have to wait long. Soon, two teens about his age step up in front of his table, their decks clearly visible.
The pair was a girl and a boy, and it could be told by the way they stood in relation to each other that they trusted and complimented each other perfectly. Kakuzo had heard of these two, and had even seen one of their duels. They were the Shining Love Tag-Team, a name that drew a derisive snort from Kakuzo everytime he heard it. But, on that matter, what was a tag-team doing with a solo duelist like himself? His answer would soon be delivered.
The boy stepped up closer to Kakuzo and looks down his nose at the other teen. Apparently, the Shining Love Team's record has inflated the boy's ego. When he speaks, it is in a haughty, conceited manner.
"So, the Lone Demon of Jumon High is accepting challenges from the likes of us unworthy amateurs?" The boy, Ichi, was referring to Kakuzo's nickname he had picked up, mostly due to the fact that he never had, or needed any friends or companions. Also, as per his reputation, Kakuzo ending up just minding his own business and getting challenged randomly than asking for challenges.
By this time, a good bit of the teens surrounding the table had drawn in closer, attracted by the tone in Ichi's voice, which obviously meant a duel was in store. One that had never been seen in the schoolyard.
Kakuzo looked up at Ichi with his half-lidded eyes almost lazily, much like a wolf who thought a rabbit not enough of an effort to get up and chase.
"You call your peers amateurs?" Kakuzo inquired. "Everyone of them has their own special skill and style, some of which just haven't revealed themselves yet. I don't think they like the idea of being thought of as amateurs"
With this, the crowd bristled in general consensus, and then glared at Ichi collectively. At this point, his girlfriend, Rei, stepped up and began to try to save the situation from ruin.
"Now, people, we all know how slick of a character the Demon can be, especially with words. So, let's just please stay friends, please?" With that last bit, she smiled brightly, pacifying everyone with her brilliant smile. Ichi, who was watching her speak, finally snapped out of his daze and turned back to Kakuzo, an arrogant smile still on his face.
"Kakuzo, we have a way that is sure to defeat you!" This statement brought many varied comments from the crowd, of course. Kakuzo then looked more interested, something resembling a fire burning in his eyes so to speak. He was eager for a challenge.
"Oh really? What is this master plan of yours? Something I have been wondering as well...What is a tag-team like you two seeking to challenge a solo duelist? Each group mostly sticks to one or the other. Why me?"
The pair smiled knowingly, before Rei took up the challenge.
"Oh, that's the whole point! You are not used to dueling in a duel like we play, so we challenge you to a tag-team match"
The crowd bristled again at this declaration. Never before had Kakuzo dueled with anyone on his side as long as they could remember. Also, no one had dared to challenge him to a tag-team duel. A momentous day indeed.
Kakuzo blinks, and then laughs lightly. This angers the pair before him as they took this to be a slap in the face of their pride. After a while, he waves a hand in front of him as though to dismiss his laughter, which he does. He then looks at them in a serious way, and speaks in very much the same way.
"An interesting prospect indeed. However, I have one more question. Why should I agree to your challenge? What is in it for me"
Ichi smirks and fishes inside his jacket and pulls out a pamphlet with various pictures from the game of Duel Monsters on it. There was a lot of writing on it, but the one word that caught Kakuzo's attention was the word 'Tournment'.
"I have exclusive information on this tournement," Ichi explained, "and an exclusive private invitation. If you win, you get my invite. Deal?"
This was an opportunity that Kakuzo would not lose no matter what. He pulls his deck closer and motions for the two to sit down in front of him. They do as instructed, but Rei speaks up.
"Wait! You haven't chosen a team-mate yet, Kakuzo."
With that, Kakuzo smiled and said, "How about this...I will duel both of you at once just by myself, but each turn I will get two draws and two normal summons. Agreed?"
Ichi, headstrong, quickly agreed and drew the first five cards of his deck. Rei sighed at her significant other's brashness, but drew her five as well. Kakuzo followed suit.
"Since I am still at a disadvantage, I hope you two won't mind me going first, will you?" asked Kakuzo. Not awaiting an answer, he drew his sixth card and the duel was underway.
Kakuzo-8000
Ichi-8000
Rei-8000
Kakuzo looked over his cards and thought briefly before acting. He placed two monster cards in face down defense mode and set another card. He then waved to his opponents to start their turn.
Ichi looked over to Rei who nodded in return. Ichi drew his sixth card and began his play. "First, I set one moster face down in defense mode, and set one card face down. I then turn the game over to my lovely Rei"
Rei smiled sweetly at him and then drew her card.She set two cards face down and played a magic card.
"I play Dian Keto the Cure Master to raise my life points by 1000. Take your turn, Demon."
Kakuzo-8000
Ichi-8000
Rei-9000
Kakuzo draws and then looks to his opponents. "Why do you say that name as if its a curse? I consider it an honor," Kakuzo said. Rei blinksed and then replied indignantly. "What do you mean? The name of the Lone Demon, your name, is not an honor, but a curse indeed. You have no comrades or friends, something rare and unusual in this area. You are a disgrace to this whole school. You dress so trashy it borders on gang looks. You are nothing but a social outcast!"
Kakuzo waits throughout her whole mini-tirade calmly until she pauses before asking, "Are you quite through?"
Rei blinks before answering. "Yes..Yes, I am done."
Kakuzo nods before replying. "Good. I was getting a headache." Leaving Rei's mouth gaping like a fish out of water's, he looks over his hand with a critical eye. This goes on for a few seconds before he nods to himself self-satisfied. He flips one of his set monsters face up, revealing an orange tinted background, but a brown bug in the foreground. Ichi realized what it was and blanched. Kakuzo merely smirked and explained for the sake of the crowd.
"My Man-Eater Bug, when flipped face up, is allowed to destroy monster on the field. Its target, of course, is Ichi's face down monster," Kakuzo said, smirking.(450/600)
Ichi growled and made a new pile in front of his deck with his destroyed montster. Kakuzo carried out the rest of his turn. He played a green tinted card onto his magic/trap field. Its picture was that of a jar with a horrible grin on it. This was the Pot of Greed card, which allowed its user to draw two additional cards, which Kakuzo did. He then smirked, an action which increasingly annoyed his opponents to no end. He then slid his Bug and the other face down card into his graveyard pile, where the Pot of Greed also went after being used. He then laid down a card depicting a demon-like figure in a black robe.
"I sacrifice my Bug and my face down Witch of the Black Forest(1100/1200) for my Invader of Darkness(2900/2500) in attack mode. As long as he is face up on the field, none of my opponents may play quick-play magic cards. I now carry out the effect of my Witch"
Kakuzo explained his plays thoroughly during every one of his duels. Some said that it was so less-experienced opponents could not say that he cheated somehow, due to their inexperience. Kakuzo looked through his deck for a monster and slides it into his hand, and then shuffles his deck before replacing it.
"Witch of the Black Forest's effect allows me to look for a monster with 1500 defense points from my deck and transfer it to my hand whenever my Witch dies. Now, for the second part of my combo"
He then took the card he recently acquired and with a magic card and another monster, sets it in his graveyard. He then takes a purple tinted card from a separate pile that until now consisted of only a single card that was face down. He places it on his field with a smirk.
"This is my Black Skull Dragon(3200/2500) which I summoned by fusing Summoned Skull and Red Eyes Black Dragon from my hand with the aid of the Polymerization magic card. Now, my second normal summon for this turn"
He laid another orange tinted card on the field; one depicting a multi-armed figure, like one out of the Hindu faith. "This is Senju of the Thousand Hands(1400/1000). His effect allows me to search through my deck for one ritual monster card and add it to my hand. I will do that now..." He looked through his deck for a card and transfered it into his hand with the feel of a practiced motion. "...and now I will begin my battle phase"
The two tag teamers were nervously looking at their hands, trying to figure out a way to get around the veritable army that had amassed itself in just two turns in front of them. Kakuzo tapped a finger to his Invader of Darkness and then pointed to Ichi's field. "With my Invader, I will attack your life points directly," declared Kakuzo.
At this Ichi flusters slightly but then flips over his face down card, showing a swirling vortex in front of a violet tinted background. "My Negate Attack ends your battle phase for this turn. Anything else, Demon?" snickered Ichi, his pride momentarily returning to him along with a glimmer of hope. Kakuzo simply shrugs and motions for him to go on with his turn.
Ichi proudly draws and smirks and places a monster in face down defense mode. He then turns to Rei. "Your turn, love."
Rei draws silently, as though thinking. She looks at her new card and places it face down and playing a magic card with the picture of a leaf on it.
"I play Goblin's Secret Remedy, and I choose to raise Ichi's life points by 600 points," she explained.
Kakuzo-8000
Ichi-8600
Rei-9000
She then looks at Kakuzo once more, and asks a question. "Your name, Demon...Is it because your deck seems to primarily consist of Dark attributed monsters? I have never heard of the origin of your name around here."
Kakuzo sighs and shrugs. "You are a sharp one, but I am not sure. Yes, my deck is primarily Dark types, but as far as I know, they call me Demon because they think me as ugly as one. And I couldn't care less about what a lot of drones think of me. Now, are you done?"
Rei nodded silently, once more thinking. She signals once again for Kakuzo to take his turn, which he does, drawing two cards. He smirks and looks at his opponents. "The darkness is really coming for you two today, isn't it? I summon Sonic Bird in attack mode!(1400/1000) Its effect allows me to search my deck for one ritual magic card in my deck and add it to my hand." He carries out the effect and shuffles his deck, still smirking.
"This is the most fun I have had all week. I play the ritual magic card Curse of the Masked Beast! For its effect, I tribute my Senju and my Sonic Bird for their collective eight star levels. And that allows me to summon The Masked Beast in attack mode!(3200/1800) Scared yet? I have a total of 7300 attack points on the field. For my second normal summon, I place a monster in face down defense mode. And now, with my Invader of the Darkness, I will attack Ichi's face down monster."
Ichi smirks and flips over his card. "It's the Giant Germ(1000/100) card. It deal 500 points of direct damage to you and I get to summon the other two from my deck to my field in face down defense mode."
Ichi searches through his deck for the two cards and place them as he said. Kakuzo sighs and shrugs.
"A life point deck..or decks, really. Great. They are always an annoyance. With my other two monsters, I will finish off the Germs, and deal myself another 1000 points of damage. Take your turn."
Kakuzo-6500
Ichi-8600
Rei-9000
Ichi drew and laid down a face down defense mode monster and signaled to Rei. She draws and places the card in face down defense mode, signaling it was a monster. She then signaled for Kakuzo to go. He drew his two cards and then looks at the field. He then lays one card in face up attack mode.
"I summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp!(1800/1000) And now I flip up my face down monster, the Magician of Faith!(300/200) Her effect allows me to take back on magic card from my graveyard. And I take and use the Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards"
Kakuzo drew again and looked at his rapidly dwindling deck. "Hmm...Maybe I should not have demanded for two draws," he thought to himself. He then looked to his opponents and smirked. "I lay one magic or trap face down and I activate the equip card United We Stand, placing it on my La Jinn, raising its attack and defense points 800 points for each face up monster on my side of the field.(5800/5000) I then attack Ichi's face down card with my Invader of Darkness."
Ichi flipped over his card and discarded two cards form his hand. "It was the Fire Sorcerer," he explained. "You destroyed it, but I deal 800 points of damage to your life points per its effect!"
Kakuzo-5700
Ichi-8600
Rei-9000
Kakuzo shrugged and then looked to Rei's field. "With my Black Skull Dragon, I attack your face down card."
Rei flips over her card, revealing a squirrel looking thing.
"It was the Nimble Momonga. (1000/100) It gives me 1000 life points and allows me to summon two more in defense mode, which I do now." She carried out the effect and then looked to Kakuzo while shuffling.
Kakuzo-5700
Ichi-8600
Rei-10000
Kakuzo then pointed to his Magician of Faith. "My Magician and my Masked Beast will attack your other squirrels..."
Kakuzo-5700
Ichi-8600
Rei-12000
Kakuzo smirked. "I hope you enjoyed those life points, cause they are about to come right back out! My La Jinn will attack your life directly. And then I end my turn."
Kakuzo-5700
Ichi-8600
Rei-6200
Ichi drew and held up three of his cards in his hand to show to Kakuzo as he glared. They were all the same, and they were Tremendous Fire cards.
"For hurting my Ichi, I will deal to you 3000 life points of damage and deal myself 1500. A rather fair trade off I say."
Kakuzo-2700
Ichi-7100
Rei-6200
Ichi then laid a monster in face up attack mode. "I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer(1800/700)!" Ichi declared. "And with it I will attack your weak Magician of Faith."
Kakuzo smirked and flipped over his face down card. "I activate Collected Power, and I use its effect to swap the United We Stand Card to my Magician of Faith.(4300/4200) Seems like your plan backfired, Ichi. Your name sure is a lie."
Kakuzo-2700
Ichi-4600
Rei-6200
Ichi fumed as he set his monster in the graveyard and then motioned for Rei to take her turn. She drew and looked at Kakuzo dead in the eye.
"You may have the power on the field, but look at the life points. You have barely over a fourth left, while neither of us have dropped below half. I lay this card face down, and play two more Goblin's Secret Remedies, both on Ichi. Take your turn, Demon."
Kakuzo-2700
Ichi-5800
Rei-6200
Kakuzo drew and estimated he only had about ten turns until his deck would be in danger of disappearing. He had to finish them off quickly. His monster field was locked with his monsters filling up all the spaces, and already almost all the cream-of-the-crop monsters were already out. He would just have to keep at their life points. Ichi was wide open, but Rei had a face down card. A Mirror Force Card would hurt him badly right now...But Kakuzo was never one to be overly cautious.
"With my Magician, I attack your life, Ichi." Ichi simply discarded a card form his hand to the graveyard and explained, "I discard a Kuriboh to negate the damage from your Magician."
Kakauzo shrugged and followed through with his attack. "Then my La Jinn will attack your life."
Ichi did nothing to protest. Kakuzo, liking to be equal to all, decided to begin attacking Rei.
"And My Masked Beast will atta-" His words were cut short as Rei simply showed a Kuriboh card from her hand being placed into the graveyard. Kakuzo coughs slightly and follows through once more.
"So my Black Skull Dragon will attack your life, and my Invader of Darkness will try to attack Ichi once more. End turn."
Kakuzo-2700
Ichi-1100
Rei-3000
Ichi drew and simply played a magic card. "I play Hinotama to decrease your life points by 500, and then I end my turn."
Kakuzo-2200
Ichi-1100
Rei-3000
Rei flips over her face down card. "In response to Ichi's Hinotama, I activate Bad Reaction to Simochi, causing any life point gain for you to turn into damage. I will proceed with my turn." She drew, leaving Kakuzo confused and wary. Rei looked at her new card and smirked. "I now activate two Rain of Mercy cards. Each one raises everyone's life points by 1000, so everyone gets a 2000 point increase...except for the Demon, who loses 2000 instead, thanks to my trap. End turn."
Kakuzo-200
Ichi-3100
Rei-5000
Kakuzo grimaces and draws two cards. He looks at his hand, to the field, and back to his hand again. The way was clear, and his path was set.
"I would like to extend my thanks for this challenge, Ichi and Rei. But sadly, it ends this turn...my turn"
Ichi smirked condescendingly. "You must have lost your mind, Demon. You have but a meager 200 life points, while both of us are well in the thousands"
Kakuzo simply smirked back and then played a magic card.
"I activate the equip card Mage Power, and I attach it to my La Jinn.(2800/2000) I then set down three other magic or trap cards.(4300/3500) Ready for the loss? With My La Jinn, I will finish off Ichi easily."
Kakuzo-200
Ichi-0
Rei-5000
Kakuzo turned his head away from the fuming Ichi and smirked at Rei.
"See what happens when you team up with a jerk that soaks up everything you do for him yet does nothing in return? That's all that happened this game. You have healed him and he does nothing when I attack you. Some relationship."
Ichi flusters a bit and stutters. "B-But t-that's our s-strategy"
Kakuzo simply shrugs. "I am sure it is more than your strategy. But, its none of my busniess. With My Masked Beast and my Black Skull Dragon, I will win this duel. I attack."
Kakuzo-200 Winner
Ichi-0
Rei-0
Kakuzo turns once more to Ichi. "Now...About that invite"
Ichi nods angrily and hands Kakuzo the flyer and a small envelope. Kakuzo takes them and his deck and gets up from the table. All around him he could hear the crowd that had gathered talking about his win. But he didn't care. No many how many times he won, no one would really care about him...So he wouldn't care about them in return. Alone, leaving the majority of his peers behind, he walks into the main doors of Jumon High, just as the bell begins to tolls for the morning classes' imminent arrival.
The End
Once again, I am a new writer, and one who has not played Yu-Gi-Oh in quite some time, so it will take a while for me to acquaint myself with the new cards and such. Also, I will be accepting well developed character/deck ideas. So, if you have any suggestions, let me know please.
Note: When Kakuzo refered to Ichi's name being a joke, Ichi means 'One' in Japanese. Also, Rei means 'zero'. For some reason I thought it would be kinda funny if their names represented numbers, since they had life point decks...Or maybe I am just really into binary. You never know...I accept comments, criticisms, flames, and suggestions. Anything! FeedbackGood.
Thank you, and see ya next chapter!