Chapter One: Duelists
He never had many friends. He was just an ordinary 16-year-old with a quiet, secretive demeanor that resulted in his peers to neglect him. Worse still, he did not have any exceptional looks, nor did he follow the latest fashion in clothing. His family was not rich as well.
In fact, he did not have any family at all. His parents, like his peers, abandoned him. His mother no longer existed in the part of his mind labeled 'living' whereas his father had been missing for years. A few recollections of his childhood revealed that he had been living alone all this time. Except for the dilapidated apartment that a distant relative donated to him, he did not really have any assets. At times, he had to go hungry for days, had to endure the chilling frost of winter, had to use an invented remedy with no scientific proof to cure his fever.
Whenever he routinely called out 'I'm back home' to his empty home at Old Tops after school every day, how he wished he could have somebody who could give him a big hug and warmly welcome him with a homemade meal. How he wished he could turn on the tap and enjoy cool, refreshing water while lazing on a tatami. How he wished he could quit his job at the nearby convenience store and whole-heartedly indulge into his world of Duel Monsters, late into the night every day.
'Hey, Yuchi! You got full marks for your Rulings test! Congrats!'
'Perfect grasping and timing. Good work, Kendai.'
But he did not need those praises! He had already heard enough of it. Since young, he was always regarded as a Duel Monsters prodigy. 'Yeah,' he would sometimes think to himself sarcastically, 'I'm a genius. A genius with few friends. A genius with no extra time to spare. A genius who did not want to hear anymore good things about himself.'
Yuchi had his own dreams. Since he never lost to anyone in a duel, he thought that he might just as well use his abilities to help other people. A glance into his bedroom, you would find that aside from a dusty wardrobe, a broken single-person bed with holes all over the place, suggesting that the bedroom might be inhabited by millions of termites; the rest of the room was literally overflowing with loads and loads of papers. Posters stuck onto the yellowish wall. Newspapers cutouts here and there. All sorts of papers related to one single topic: U.N.D.E.A.D.
U.N.D.E.A.D. Standing for UNit DEvelopment And Decisions, it was an organization established under the Momentum Research and Development (M.R.D.) sector of Kaiba Corporation, the company responsible for the rise and flourish of Duel Monsters and later, the D-Wheel system in the city.
'Duel Monsters robots built for security purposes,' Yuchi read out the title as he glanced through one of the newspaper cutouts. He had always wanted to ride on one of those gigantic beasts, playing the Good Samaritan who defended Neo Domino City from the evils of the world. He knew somehow that his father was related to the organization, he understood that it would not be the best idea to follow his footsteps, but he wanted to have a try at it, it would help fulfill his great dreams and perhaps, find out hints about his father's whereabouts.
Yuchi rummaged through the mailbox at the corner of the apartment corridor. Letters from Sector Security, bills from the electricity supply company, more bills from the water supply company… Yuchi half-closed his eyes in search for his prey. The morning was bright; much sunlight could penetrate through the heavily dented roof, glistening the damp floor.
'Gotcha',' Yuchi smiled, as he pulled out a torn copy of the Neo Domino Daily from the stack of papers. His neighbor, the old Mr. John, would donate him a previous-day copy of the tabloid from his workplace every day. Yuchi needed that reservoir of information very much; it was his only way to obtain more knowledge about U.N.D.E.A.D.
'Bang!' Yuchi slammed the heavy door beside him and trolled into the bedroom, feeling quite satisfied with his results. To him, nothing was better than being able to reach one step closer to his dreams. He poured out a hot cup of hot chocolate from a dirty kettle. That would be his breakfast.
There was not much news about U.N.D.E.A.D. as usual today. 'Maybe it's because there was too much classified information?' Yuchi deduced, taking a sip. Since Washington and Beijing built their own Units years ago, news coverage of the mysterious organization became less and less.
Yuchi placed his Neo Domino Daily on the chair and changed into his school uniform. Yuchi buttoned up his shirt, which looked half as white as it was in the first place. He tucked the edges into his tattered blue long pants, put on his school badge and his prized possession – a shiny, white Duel Disk that he won during a tournament three years ago. Before that, he did not really own any of those things; he either dueled in the old-fashioned Duel Rings at the shabby KaibaLand or borrowed the Duel Disks from other people, much to the annoyance of some.
He slotted his deck into the Duel Disk and was ready to go. Yuchi received the deck enclosed in an anonymous letter one day seven years ago. He had been using the same deck to duel ever since then, with his peers or in class. He did not need to buy those expensive booster packs to strengthen his deck; he thought that it was unnecessary. The most important things to a duelist, he believed, were a sense of confidence and a clear mind.
Yuchi tugged a pail and put it along the corridor. Mr. John's blasting radio from the next door announced that it would rain today, so Yuchi had to collect water for drinking and sanitation purposes.
One flight of steps and Yuchi was down at the ground floor of the two-storey apartment. Somebody said that it had fifteen floors many decades ago, but the rest of the thirteen floors were reduced to debris by some weird-looking spiral structure that emerged from the sky many decades ago.
Anyway, Yuchi took a last glance at his home and got on his bicycle. It was a shabby piece of metal that other people regarded as 'junk' and just left it behind in the back alley.
Yuchi rode along the streets, past the heavy traffic at the junction, ignoring the eyes of passers-by who don't really appreciate such antiques at the vicinity. D-Wheels were still the top priority for any teenager who wanted to own a vehicle for himself or herself. As it was time to start school, one might see a lot of reds, blues and blacks on the street, all operated by the uniform-wearing 15 or 16-year-olds.
But Yuchi did not care for such lavishness. Since the Speed World System was abolished for its complexity years ago, riding at top speed, sprinting through the duel lanes, feeling the breeze on your face, all really did not matter that much. He thought that it would be simple and easy to just duel with your Duel Disk on one hand while controlling the bicycle with another hand.
Yuchi rode past the magnificent KaibaCorp building. Probably the tallest building in the world, it had more than enough space to house thousands of workers with more than a million inventions, all thanks to the facilities provided by the great Seto Kaiba. The red signboard, emboldened with the white words 'KC', dazzled like a ruby on the top of what looked like a white sword.
The two most acclaimed inventions from the company in the recent era would be the Momentum Reactor and the Units, giant robots powered by the 'Fortune' reactor and incorporated with the Duel Monsters system, whose purpose was to defend the city from anyone who violate the Asimov Treaty. Yuchi had read it once on Neo Domino Daily. The Asimov Treaty was signed by members of the United Nations two decades ago, right after Unit-0 Prototype was built.
A short journey after the KaibaCorp beast, Yuchi reached the Duel Stadium. The dome still remained as grand as ever as it was fifty years ago. Being the official venue of the prestigious W.R.G.P. tournament (which would be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year), the Duel Stadium was a paradise of opportunities for promising duelists who wanted to show off their talents. The glaring sun shone the dome so bright that it looked like a giant golden bun. Yuchi smiled while wiping off the sweat on his forehead with his free hand. He had always wished to become the Duel Champion there one day, but since he did not have a D-Wheel of his own, the wish seemed far away.
'Ohaiyo, Yuchi,' someone greeted him from the back. Yuchi took a peek at his back. Came Kaworu Ikari, who had long white hair and ruby eyes in contrast to Yuchi's neat, short brown hair and blue eyes. Kaworu was the typical bishounen one would encounter in anime and manga, boasting good looks and a sweet, polite demeanor.
Kaworu was Yuchi's friend and only best friend since middle school. His family, like Yuchi's, was not wealthy either, but at least he lived a life of happiness and warmth under his parents' care. Unlike his other peers, Kaworu did not seem to be concerned about Yuchi's personality; he was probably the only person in Yuchi's life who could tolerate his silence.
'Ohaiyo,' greeted Yuchi back, not looking at the plain-haired teenager in a tiny black D-Wheel at the back. He needed to focus on controlling his bike.
The sun was shining at full brightness now. Yuchi glanced at his watch. Eight fifteen. No time to waste; he must hurry to school now.
Yuchi pedaled harder and sent the bike in full speed. He could literally feel the wind lapping at his face as he rode quickly, past a row of shops, a university, more shops and a large dull building. Kaworu did not want to lose to his friend either; he accelerated and followed closely behind Yuchi's bike.
By eight thirty, both Yuchi and Kaworu had reached the school. The green words that flashed past the digital screen at the school gate read 'Neo Domino City Duel Academy'. It was the place that Yuchi and Kaworu had been studying in since middle school. The architecture of the school building did not change much from when it was first built at the start of the century: an orange amphitheater which housed the school hall and the dueling stadium and three towers arranged close at the back colored red, blue, yellow respectively, signifying the class system that a certain company president created. The class system no longer existed, however there was still much rivalry among the inhabitants of the three towers.
As the two best friends enjoyed a stroll into the school, they suddenly heard a loud explosion from the back, followed by the cries of some girls. Turning back to see the culprit who created the din, they saw two young duelists running frantically towards them. One of them was screaming, 'H…Help! I…I…It's Pr…Professor Bonaparte again!'
Kaworu facepalmed. He and Yuchi knew who it was again: the infamous Professor Jonathan Bonaparte, great-great grandson of the former Vice Chancellor of the school. An expert in the theoretical part of Duel Monsters science, but a failure when it came to the practical part.
Today, Professor Bonaparte seemed to be trying out another of his 'prized' concoctions again: the Super Duper Awesome Duel Monsters Expert Juice. With a Test Number 17 at the end.
'Looks like it's gonna be big today,' sighed Kaworu. Yuchi observed the situation quietly.
From the smoke half a mile away emerged a monster. The two-meter tall monster had hideous grey skin that resembled a zombie's, large, burgling eyes, and a big, fat stomach. The laboratory coat that his original identity wore apparently could not fit into his enormous body and burst. Amazingly, the white Duel Disk that he wore on his left wrist still remained clean and intact.
'DUEL WITH MEEEEE!' roared the monster.
'What a big mess,' Kaworu commented as he reached into his pocket to retrieve his deck.
The monster stepped forward, stomping towards Yuchi and his friend. A few schoolgirls hurried to the sides of the lane.
'DUEL WITH MEEEEEEEEEEEEE!' roared the monster again, as he stomped into the school gate, much to the horror of the cleaning robots nearby. But nobody wanted to listen to him.
Kaworu attempted to take a step forward but was halted by Yuchi. Kaworu understood what his friend meant and nodded to him.
Yuchi walked calmly towards the gigantic monster, stopping just twenty feet in front of him.
He pointed at the mutated Professor, and shouted at him, 'You! Duel with me!'
Such a twist in events shocked everyone nearby, except for Kaworu. He just happened to know that his friend would do something like this.
'Look! It's that cool guy from Class 1-B! Is he going to stop Professor Bonaparte from going insane again today?' whispered a girl at the back.
'Yeah, I guess we're going to witness his super ace monster once more,' whispered another.
Kaworu understood who they were referring to – Yuchi's rare Synchro Monster, the one card that even the mighty aristocrat of the Manjoume Family couldn't afford to own, Supernova Angel Knight.
'DUEL!' shouted both duelists, after what seemed to be an exchange of glares between them. Decks shuffled.
'WHATTT? Y…Y…YOUR ULTIMATE ACE MONSTER?' exclaimed a shocked Professor.
'I'm afraid so,' said his opponent, who could surprisingly remain calm and collected under such circumstances. 'I tune my Level 3 Magical Fairy Apprentice with my Level 5 Sapphire Angel!'
Large, green rings emerged from the sky, enclosing the designated monsters.
'The lord of paradise, descend from the sky! Flap your great wings, and bring me to victory!'
Kaworu could not bear anymore the feeling of excitement in his heart. 'It's finally here,' he thought.
The tuned monsters disappeared in a flash of white light, and burst into a cluster of bright, shiny glitters, slowly diminishing to reveal a magnificent warrior. The warrior had big, white wings resembling those of a fairy, and was holding a long sword. A halo appeared out of nowhere, settling down on top of his armored head.
'Synchro Summon! My ultimate ace, Supernova Angel Knight!' announced Yuchi.
Professor Bonaparte could not hide the terrified expression on his face as the white warrior was being summoned to the field.
The next moment he knew, a gale swept out the monsters on his field and his Life Points count on the Duel Disk was nullified. He had lost the duel.
Kaworu arrived with the laboratory assistant, who claimed that he had concocted an antidote to bring the Professor back to normal. 'Let's go,' Yuchi said to his friend coldly and turned back, ignoring the old man who was overwhelmed with despair from his loss. The assistant immediately attended to him.
Lunchtime. Yuchi walked up to the rooftop alone. He did not have any money to buy food from the canteen, but he did not want to take any of Kaworu's food either. That was his principle of life.
He looked down below. The wreckage caused by Professor Bonaparte just now was still there, although the man himself had obviously retreated back to his nest, probably scheming for another round of failed experiment. People in school uniforms were merrily tucking into their food and talking to each other in groups, or engaging in the sport known as dueling. The Professors were busy walking around in the school compound and observing the behavior of students, ensuring that nothing would go wrong.
Suddenly, something outside the school gate caught his eye. A man, dressed in black, drove a big D-Wheel and stopped before the school gate. Slowly and steadily, the man parked his vehicle as instructed by the guarding robot, stepped into the school and marched towards his direction. The man was much taller than Yuchi was, and was wearing a black Duel Disk around his left wrist. Yuchi could vaguely guessed who that person was, although he could not confirm since he could not see the man's face.
Kaworu made his way to the rooftop and hurriedly ran towards Yuchi. 'S…Someone wants to see you,' he panted.
Yuchi was led by Kaworu to the dueling stadium, where many people were already gathered there. At the middle of the open amphitheatre was the man he just saw.
Yuchi froze. 'Was he the person that I suspected? Why did he want to see me?' Many questions emerged in his mind.
Kaworu did not bother to look at the facial expression of his friend and dragged him to the front of the man. Besides the man, two other things were also present at the middle of the stage. They were the D-Wheels used by the school for training purposes.
'Excellent,' applauded the man with a deep, hoarse voice. The man looked just two or three years older than Yuchi and Kaworu, but was much stronger and more muscular for his age. He had long black hair, fitting his handsome face well.
The man walked towards Yuchi and offered a handshake. Yuchi turned his head to the side.
'Still remember me?' asked the man. Yuchi let out a grudge.
The man smiled and put his hand on Yuchi's shoulder. 'Today we're going to settle our scores,' he said.
Preview for Chapter 2
Yuchi's Riding Duel with the mysterious man began…
Who was the man exactly? Why did he challenge Yuchi to a duel?
And what was the relationship between them?
Yuchi's Supernova Angel Knight clashed with the man's ace monster, Berserk Dragon!
Berserk Dragon was actually… An Xyz Monster!
What powers did Berserk Dragon have?
Don't miss the exciting Chapter 2: Rival!
Duel… Standby!
...
A Note from the Author
Hurray! I've finally completed Chapter One of my first ever fanfiction!
Please review this piece of work after reading! I accept both praise and criticism! Arigato ne!
And if you're wondering why my first chapter seems a bit long, I've actually planned each chapter to be as long as this.
Next chapter will feature one full-length duel. So don't miss it next week!
- Project M.G.