Personal Note
This fic has no characters from the show in it, it's set in the real world with the possibility of an alternate reality in which people have the ability to morph into duel monsters. It'll contain monsters from the show (none of which I own) as well as magic abilities and trap cards.
P.S. I have no idea what these rainbow cards do and so have decided to include them in the fic
Duel Monsters World
Yu-gi-oh had become an overnight sensation in Japan and was now spreading its tendrils overseas infecting avid gamers of all ages with the dueling virus. Many people believed that it was a fad that would pass by eventually like Pokemon, Digimon and the Power Rangers that had once been so popular that you couldn't go anywhere without hearing their names mentioned. However now they had drifted away and although the shows were still running they were by no means as popular as they had been.
Yu-gi-oh however was something different, when Konami recognized that Yu-gi-oh might never go away they decided to exploit the possibility by designed the first dueling arenas. The small compact machines that were about the size of many computer consoles allowed duelists to witness their battles in a holographic simulation. It was a great feat of technology that had gamers worldwide dueling for money, cards and bragging rights. However there was one card that did nothing, a so called rainbow card; Konami had denied producing these seemingly worthless cards and got complaints from everywhere about how people had been screwed over. With Yu-gi-oh cards costing ten dollars now people expected to get what they paid for.
This was the case for Miles Davies, saving money to buy these cards was hard work, he didn't have enough to duel yet and therefore had to scrimp and save at every corner. Mowing lawns, shoveling snow filled driveways and even unclogging blocked toilets. It was definitely dirty work but he figured it'd be worth it. Normally he would've first bought a starter deck and built up his forces from there but when those corporate bloodhounds at Konami realized the profit they could make from booster packs alone they ceased making them and also cut the number of cards in a booster down to three. People had to start over as old dueling cards from 2002 onward became useless and were not compatible with the holographic dueling fields. So far Miles had thirty cards, he'd started collecting when he found his first ever card on the side of the road, it wasn't particularly powerful but Silver Fang was enough to get him hooked on the game.
His parents thought that they were a waste of time and that he shouldn't waste his money on such frivolous things but Miles was determined and hid his cards inside of a video case. He watched the official Yu-gi-oh duelist championships on the television, avidly trying to pick up tips and strategies from players like Zack Powell and Daniel Jakeman. His most powerful card so far was Curse of Dragon but he knew every card type and what its attack power was in the known world. And that's why he was hoping to get a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon in this pack.
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"That'll be ten dollars please," the fat, balding shopkeeper mumbled in between bits of his Mars bar. Digging in his pocket for a few seconds Miles extended the bill and the shopkeeper handed him his pack of three cards, "Thank you," Miles wiped the bits of Mars bar stuck to his face away as he walked off and headed out of the door.
Being fifteen Miles lived in a small town with not that much going for it, in fact the only thing that seemed to generate any income was the Yu-gi-oh store. Stopping in a side alley on his way home so as not to be spotted by his parents or any of their friends he could feel his fingers shaking with light anticipation. It sounded stupid but Miles had been working hard for four months for this moment and was determined to savor it.
Opening up the packet he noticed the back of the cards and inhaled the smell that could only come from a new pack of dueling cards. Discarding the packet in a trashcan beside him he wetted his lips and turned over the first card.
Armored Lizard, Miles was pretty happy with that and smiled slightly as he reached for the next card and turned it over, Fissure, another pretty good card that Miles could use in battle. Even though he'd been hoping for all monster cards he could live with that. The back of the final card loomed in front of him and he turned it around to reveal…multi-colored stripes of yellow, black, blue and all the other colors of the rainbow. At first Miles stared at the card in disbelief, then his anger kicked in and he marched back towards the store.
By the time he got there the storekeeper had finished his Mars and was busy slurping out of a McDonalds drink container, "Hey!" Miles ordered causing the unaware man to jump slightly, "I want a different pack. I got this," he thrust the rainbow card into the mans face.
The shopkeeper raised his eyebrows before pointing down to a sign next to him, "Sorry kid but as the sign says, all sales are final and the store cannot be held responsible for rainbow cards being included in packs."
"That's such bullshit," Miles cried throwing his arms up in the air before marching out of the store again and making his way home. "All that work for nothing," he muttered slamming the door to his home and marching upstairs, his parents weren't home yet and wouldn't be for another three hours. Placing Armored Lizard and Fissure with his other cards Miles flopped down onto his bed and stared at the rainbow card. "Great," he muttered, "all that work and I got to be one of the unlucky chumps with a useless card." Flinging it onto the floor he left his bedroom and closed his door with a slam, however when he left the lone card on the floor emitted a faint glow lighting up part of the darkened room.
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"And once again Zack Powell has defeated another opponent to bring his winning streak up to 128, he is a true dueling legend and one who will never…" Miles frowned as the television blinked off. Looked around he searched for the remote until he noticed that his mother was standing behind him clutching it in her hand.
"Miles Davies, how many times have I told you that I don't want you watching that garbage," she frowned her hands set firmly on her hips.
"Uh…eleven?"
"Don't get cute young man, and how many times have I told you not to leave your bedroom light on after you're finished up their?"
Miles looked confused, "But it isn't on."
"Don't lie to me I saw it when I parked in the driveway, now march yourself upstairs and turn it off," she pointed a finger at the staircase.
"But mom…" she accentuated her point by jabbing her finger at the staircase. Sighing Miles got off of the couch and passed by her, "Fine, but I swear I didn't leave it on." Climbing the stairs Miles reached the landing and headed for his room, he was about to open the door when he noticed that there was a light on, it was creeping through the crack at the bottom of his door. "That's weird I could've sworn…" he stalled dumbfounded at what he saw, in the middle of his floor lay the rainbow card. But the only difference was that this time the colors were glowing.
Approaching with caution Miles reached down and picked up the card, it seemed to glow brighter, "What the…" however Miles didn't have time to finish his sentence. A bright white flash enveloped his room blinding him for the moment and there was the distinct feeling of his falling before Miles blacked out.
To Be Continued
Chapter 2
There was a distinct smell of flowers in the area, the only kind you'd recognize in a greenhouse. There was also a certain cold feeling to the air around him. Drowsy Miles smacked his lips before calling, "Mom! Turn the heating on will you?" No answer, "MOM," this time he yelled loudly, "Turn the heating on," still no answer. Feeling to his sides in an attempt to find his blanket Miles felt his hands come into contact with soft, moist, grass. Opening his eyes he squinted for just a second while his eyes adjusted and stared up at the clear blue sky.
Wait a minute. Sky?
Sitting upright Miles observed his surroundings with a mixture of shock and awe. He was lying in some sort of forest; tall trees covered the area with flowers sprouting out from every surface. There was no place like this in his town, 'It must be a dream,' his mind figured, leaning to one side he pinched himself and winced from the pain. It was no dream.
Scrambling to his feet Miles was positive he heard a sound, a sort of low padding coming from the trees, but when he spun around the sound would stop, his eyes didn't register anything out of the ordinary apart from the obvious. Putting the sound down to the fact that he must be hearing things Miles took a few steps forward before noticing that the sound was there again. But once again when he stopped the noise stopped, "Hello!" he called into the thick brush, "Is anybody there?"
Suddenly there was a hiss to his right, snapping his head towards the sound he scanned the treeline and locked onto a pair of yellow eyes that stared back at him. His mind was tore into two, try to communicate or run like hell? In the end the latter got the better of him and Miles turned to start running. He heard whatever it was roar as if angered by his sudden movements and when he went to move his legs he felt something stick to the left one. Ignoring whatever was on his leg he tried to run but soon found out that he couldn't when the leg that had something on it gave out and he crashed to the floor.
His face slammed against the grass sending a sharp pain up into his brain. His eyes welled up and he felt whatever was after him start dragging him back towards it. Spinning onto his back to see whatever it was Miles froze, if he hadn't known better he'd have sworn he was looking at a Hunter Spider. The creature noticed that its prey was looking at it and hissed showing two furry fangs that dripped with yellow venom, its demonic face covered in hair and it's six eyes staring back at him. "HOLY SHIT!" Miles noticed that the stuff around his legs was now in fact webbing and the spider obviously believed it was looking at its next meal. "FUCK OFF. FUCK OFF," Miles desperately kicked at the soft dirt but couldn't get any traction and kept getting closer to the spider. Finally realizing it was useless Miles stopped struggling and laid back, he decided to say his last words now before dying in screaming agony, as he'd most likely be consumed alive. "This is so fucking unfair!"
That was when the spider stalled and hissed menacingly, Miles looked up and noticed that the spider no longer had its sights on him but was instead looking at something behind him. Before he could turn a loud voice cut through the air, "Dark magic attack," a blue ball of…something crashed into the spider that screeched loudly before falling to the ground with a thud and a gaping hole in its chest that spewed green blood that blended in with the grass.
Turning slowly Miles noticed some guy who looked in his thirties making his way towards him, getting down onto one knee the mystery savior cut the webbing from Miles' legs and smiled reassuringly at him, "Are you okay?" All Miles could do was nod dumbly, "You're lucky I found you, those things are pretty nasty," he motioned towards the dead spider.
"T…t…thank you," Miles stammered.
The man smiled again, "No problem," with the webbing gone the stranger helped Miles up and brushed his back down.
"How…did you…"
"Kill it?" another nod from Miles, "it's a long story Miles. One I'm gonna have to explain, but first you're gonna have to promise me that you'll keep an open mind."
Miles ignored the last part, "How do you know my name?"
The stranger shrugged, "I know everything about you, you're fifteen, from California and live at 42 Crescent Drive," the young boy stared dumbfounded at the man. "Let me put it this way, you're a wannabe duelist right?"
"Yeah."
"Well Miles now you get to take part in one of the greatest duels ever, only this one ain't no game," he noticed the confused look on Miles' face, "Let me show you."
"AH," Miles jumped back a few feet as the stranger in front of him started to glow before disappearing completely. When the light faded though Miles gawked at an actual real life Dark Magician.
"Don't be frightened Miles," the Dark Magician had the same voice as the stranger, "It's still me," the light appeared again and this time he was back to normal.
"How?" that was the only word Miles could think of.
"You got a rainbow card right?" a nod for confirmation, "these rainbow cards aren't from Konami, they have been telling the truth. However what they didn't tell you was that they didn't think up the game of Duel Monster, sure they thought of a name, characters and whatnot but the game existed already…in real life."
"You're kidding!" the stranger turned Miles back to face the Hunter Spider, "You're not kidding."
"Fraid not kid, those cards are copies of actual cards they found. You see there's a war going on here. Nobody knows how it got started but it's been going on for centuries, now the people of this dimension found out a way to harness the power inside of them and call on that power if they ever needed to fight. Hence me," he pointed to himself, "Dark Magician. However now our reality is in danger too, you see the war here is heating up with the leader of the largest army being a Mythic Dragon. He seems determined to rule over everybody and crush anyone who gets in his way to do it," Miles hadn't noticed but the two had started walking. "Those rainbow cards are actually gateways to this dimension, only one person in a hundred is chosen and if they choose to shoulder the responsibility then they'll remain here with us until either the battle is won or they die."
"Wait…die?" Miles stalled, "You mean dead like that thing back then."
The stranger nodded, "Unfortunately not everyone is able to control their powers and if they can't then the beast within takes over them forever. They can only sit back and watch as the beast carries out unspeakable deeds," he noticed Miles pale, "But I wouldn't worry, it hardly ever happens."
"That's comforting to know," he noticed a large cave up ahead, "What's in there?"
"Home base, it's where this contingents group of rebels hideout from the Mythic dragon forces. Are you following me so far?"
Miles nodded, "I guess, but…" he grabbed his head, "This is a lot to take in."
"I know, I was like you too at first," Miles looked up, "Three years I've been here fighting for my home, and let me tell ya. It's been one wild ride."
Miles jumped when a Silver Fang appeared from the cave, it growled upon seeing Miles but when it noticed the guy he was standing next to a bright light appeared and a young girl who couldn't have been more that seventeen stood before them. "Glad to see you back, I was beginning to get worried," Miles gawked at her. She was beautiful, long flowing brown hair, pale green eyes and a figure to die for.
"We ran into a bit of unexpected bother," the stranger laughed while slapping Miles so hard on the back that it nearly floored him, "Miles this is Melanie."
"Uh…hi," Miles extended a hand but the girl just cocked an eyebrow.
"Hello," she then turned back to the stranger as if Miles wasn't there, "Dylan we got word from the Kintari base, they were hit last night and over half of their forces destroyed. I said they could meet here with us until they can rebuild their forces."
Miles mentally noted the strangers name and watched him groan, "Damn it, that's the fourth faction this month to be hit. They're definitely closing in on us," there was an awkward pause, "Any word from the larger kingdoms?"
"They're still ignoring us," Melanie spat, "bunch of cowards."
Dylan nodded, "Come on, let's go inside, it'll be dark soon."
Miles discovered that the inside of the cave was huge, winding tunnels led off to different ways, Dylan explained that while some led off to training rooms and living quarters other led to traps in case they were ever attacked by the Mythic Dragons army. Along the way down the corridor Miles noticed many different people moving around, some were in duel monsters form, others weren't. "Oh, excuse me," Miles mentioned after bumping into an Axe Raider who gave a friendly smile and moved off. "How many of you live here?" Miles asked from behind Dylan and Melanie.
"About sixty two," Dylan replied, "all trained and from earth, and if you decide to stay then you'll be a part of the family too."
Stay? Miles hadn't thought of that, what about his family, he couldn't leave them behind could he? But if he left he'd be giving up the opportunity to duel alongside actual duel monsters, and protect earth from possible disaster. By the way Dylan and Melanie were talking he figured that the war was not going in their favor. But could he live here for…well forever. "Hey Dylan," the large man turned to look at him, "If I decide to stay and help you, will I be here forever?"
An uneasy look was shared between the man and the girl, they stopped walking and Dylan took a deep breath, "I'm not going to lie to you Miles because if you decide to stay I don't want you accusing me of not giving you the full picture. We're losing this war, our numbers continue to get less and less by the day and we don't have enough people willing to stay and fight. But what they don't understand is if they don't make a stand now then in a matter of ten years the Mythic Dragon is going to find a way to get through to our reality and then we're all in big trouble," he paused. "If you decided to stay a portal opens every five years but if you go back you may never return, the card that brought the here is still active and will remain so until you hand it over to one of us. That card can take you home now but I promise that if you do then there's a good chance that I'll be seeing you very soon."
Miles understood the situation, "How long do I have to decide?"
"Two hours," Miles groaned, "I know it isn't long but think of it this way, you were chosen because you're special to the world. Technically you have a responsibility to protect earth as do we, if you leave you'll be turning your back on your birthright. However if you do go no one will think any less of you," Melanie snorted but Dylan ignored her. "Talk to some of the other guys, I'll tell you when you have five minutes remaining. You can make your decision then okay?" Miles nodded. "There's a bunch of them through there training and relaxing, they won't mind if you just come up and talk to them," the youngster seemed reluctant, "Go ahead, they won't mind, they were all in the same position as you once."
Nodding Miles went through the arch and entered the room, once he'd gone Melanie turned back to Dylan, "You think he'll stay?"
"To be honest, I have no clue."
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"So you actually like it here?" Miles had been talking to one of the fellow guys his age named Steven for over an hour and couldn't get over how happy he seemed.
"What's not to like, you're in an adventure and what's more nobler than dying for your world?" Steve rested his head against the hard stonewall, "But I can't decide for you, only you can do that."
"Don't you miss your family?"
Steve gave a thin smile and nodded, "Of course I miss my family, but if we win this war in say ten years. Only five years will have passed back home and I will have only aged two years?"
Miles shook his head, "How's that possible."
"Time passes a lot quicker here than back home, oh sure they feel the same length but they're not. Here twenty-four hours will pass and only twelve will have gone by back home. And as for the aging thing, thanks to our powers we only age a year every five. Normal people in this world age normally but us…na uh."
"That's amazing."
"Well we've gotta have some perks," Miles turned to see a Swordstalker enter the room and slump onto one of the benches, slowly he morphed back into a big muscular man in his twenties, "We're out risking life and limb every day."
"What Brian is trying to say is that the bad far outweighs the good," the room fell silent and when Miles looked up he saw Dylan standing before him.
"It's time to make a decision," he said his voice void of all emotion, "guys give us a second," everyone exited the room leaving the two alone. "Have you decided what you're going to do?"
"Yeah," Miles stood up and removed the rainbow card from his trouser pocket, staring at it he marveled at its glow and saw his bedroom through it, "I think you'd better hang onto this for a while," he extended the card and Dylan smiled.
"Are you sure, you do realize that you'd be risking your life and may not see home again?" Dylan studied Miles' face, he seemed determined when he looked back up at him again.
"I'm sure."
Dylan took the card and the glow faded, Miles watched as his room was replaced instead by the colored stripes, Dylan put a hand on his shoulder, "Welcome to the family kid."
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By Boulder
This fic has no characters from the show in it, it's set in the real world with the possibility of an alternate reality in which people have the ability to morph into duel monsters. It'll contain monsters from the show (none of which I own) as well as magic abilities and trap cards.
P.S. I have no idea what these rainbow cards do and so have decided to include them in the fic
Duel Monsters World
Yu-gi-oh had become an overnight sensation in Japan and was now spreading its tendrils overseas infecting avid gamers of all ages with the dueling virus. Many people believed that it was a fad that would pass by eventually like Pokemon, Digimon and the Power Rangers that had once been so popular that you couldn't go anywhere without hearing their names mentioned. However now they had drifted away and although the shows were still running they were by no means as popular as they had been.
Yu-gi-oh however was something different, when Konami recognized that Yu-gi-oh might never go away they decided to exploit the possibility by designed the first dueling arenas. The small compact machines that were about the size of many computer consoles allowed duelists to witness their battles in a holographic simulation. It was a great feat of technology that had gamers worldwide dueling for money, cards and bragging rights. However there was one card that did nothing, a so called rainbow card; Konami had denied producing these seemingly worthless cards and got complaints from everywhere about how people had been screwed over. With Yu-gi-oh cards costing ten dollars now people expected to get what they paid for.
This was the case for Miles Davies, saving money to buy these cards was hard work, he didn't have enough to duel yet and therefore had to scrimp and save at every corner. Mowing lawns, shoveling snow filled driveways and even unclogging blocked toilets. It was definitely dirty work but he figured it'd be worth it. Normally he would've first bought a starter deck and built up his forces from there but when those corporate bloodhounds at Konami realized the profit they could make from booster packs alone they ceased making them and also cut the number of cards in a booster down to three. People had to start over as old dueling cards from 2002 onward became useless and were not compatible with the holographic dueling fields. So far Miles had thirty cards, he'd started collecting when he found his first ever card on the side of the road, it wasn't particularly powerful but Silver Fang was enough to get him hooked on the game.
His parents thought that they were a waste of time and that he shouldn't waste his money on such frivolous things but Miles was determined and hid his cards inside of a video case. He watched the official Yu-gi-oh duelist championships on the television, avidly trying to pick up tips and strategies from players like Zack Powell and Daniel Jakeman. His most powerful card so far was Curse of Dragon but he knew every card type and what its attack power was in the known world. And that's why he was hoping to get a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon in this pack.
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"That'll be ten dollars please," the fat, balding shopkeeper mumbled in between bits of his Mars bar. Digging in his pocket for a few seconds Miles extended the bill and the shopkeeper handed him his pack of three cards, "Thank you," Miles wiped the bits of Mars bar stuck to his face away as he walked off and headed out of the door.
Being fifteen Miles lived in a small town with not that much going for it, in fact the only thing that seemed to generate any income was the Yu-gi-oh store. Stopping in a side alley on his way home so as not to be spotted by his parents or any of their friends he could feel his fingers shaking with light anticipation. It sounded stupid but Miles had been working hard for four months for this moment and was determined to savor it.
Opening up the packet he noticed the back of the cards and inhaled the smell that could only come from a new pack of dueling cards. Discarding the packet in a trashcan beside him he wetted his lips and turned over the first card.
Armored Lizard, Miles was pretty happy with that and smiled slightly as he reached for the next card and turned it over, Fissure, another pretty good card that Miles could use in battle. Even though he'd been hoping for all monster cards he could live with that. The back of the final card loomed in front of him and he turned it around to reveal…multi-colored stripes of yellow, black, blue and all the other colors of the rainbow. At first Miles stared at the card in disbelief, then his anger kicked in and he marched back towards the store.
By the time he got there the storekeeper had finished his Mars and was busy slurping out of a McDonalds drink container, "Hey!" Miles ordered causing the unaware man to jump slightly, "I want a different pack. I got this," he thrust the rainbow card into the mans face.
The shopkeeper raised his eyebrows before pointing down to a sign next to him, "Sorry kid but as the sign says, all sales are final and the store cannot be held responsible for rainbow cards being included in packs."
"That's such bullshit," Miles cried throwing his arms up in the air before marching out of the store again and making his way home. "All that work for nothing," he muttered slamming the door to his home and marching upstairs, his parents weren't home yet and wouldn't be for another three hours. Placing Armored Lizard and Fissure with his other cards Miles flopped down onto his bed and stared at the rainbow card. "Great," he muttered, "all that work and I got to be one of the unlucky chumps with a useless card." Flinging it onto the floor he left his bedroom and closed his door with a slam, however when he left the lone card on the floor emitted a faint glow lighting up part of the darkened room.
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"And once again Zack Powell has defeated another opponent to bring his winning streak up to 128, he is a true dueling legend and one who will never…" Miles frowned as the television blinked off. Looked around he searched for the remote until he noticed that his mother was standing behind him clutching it in her hand.
"Miles Davies, how many times have I told you that I don't want you watching that garbage," she frowned her hands set firmly on her hips.
"Uh…eleven?"
"Don't get cute young man, and how many times have I told you not to leave your bedroom light on after you're finished up their?"
Miles looked confused, "But it isn't on."
"Don't lie to me I saw it when I parked in the driveway, now march yourself upstairs and turn it off," she pointed a finger at the staircase.
"But mom…" she accentuated her point by jabbing her finger at the staircase. Sighing Miles got off of the couch and passed by her, "Fine, but I swear I didn't leave it on." Climbing the stairs Miles reached the landing and headed for his room, he was about to open the door when he noticed that there was a light on, it was creeping through the crack at the bottom of his door. "That's weird I could've sworn…" he stalled dumbfounded at what he saw, in the middle of his floor lay the rainbow card. But the only difference was that this time the colors were glowing.
Approaching with caution Miles reached down and picked up the card, it seemed to glow brighter, "What the…" however Miles didn't have time to finish his sentence. A bright white flash enveloped his room blinding him for the moment and there was the distinct feeling of his falling before Miles blacked out.
To Be Continued
Chapter 2
There was a distinct smell of flowers in the area, the only kind you'd recognize in a greenhouse. There was also a certain cold feeling to the air around him. Drowsy Miles smacked his lips before calling, "Mom! Turn the heating on will you?" No answer, "MOM," this time he yelled loudly, "Turn the heating on," still no answer. Feeling to his sides in an attempt to find his blanket Miles felt his hands come into contact with soft, moist, grass. Opening his eyes he squinted for just a second while his eyes adjusted and stared up at the clear blue sky.
Wait a minute. Sky?
Sitting upright Miles observed his surroundings with a mixture of shock and awe. He was lying in some sort of forest; tall trees covered the area with flowers sprouting out from every surface. There was no place like this in his town, 'It must be a dream,' his mind figured, leaning to one side he pinched himself and winced from the pain. It was no dream.
Scrambling to his feet Miles was positive he heard a sound, a sort of low padding coming from the trees, but when he spun around the sound would stop, his eyes didn't register anything out of the ordinary apart from the obvious. Putting the sound down to the fact that he must be hearing things Miles took a few steps forward before noticing that the sound was there again. But once again when he stopped the noise stopped, "Hello!" he called into the thick brush, "Is anybody there?"
Suddenly there was a hiss to his right, snapping his head towards the sound he scanned the treeline and locked onto a pair of yellow eyes that stared back at him. His mind was tore into two, try to communicate or run like hell? In the end the latter got the better of him and Miles turned to start running. He heard whatever it was roar as if angered by his sudden movements and when he went to move his legs he felt something stick to the left one. Ignoring whatever was on his leg he tried to run but soon found out that he couldn't when the leg that had something on it gave out and he crashed to the floor.
His face slammed against the grass sending a sharp pain up into his brain. His eyes welled up and he felt whatever was after him start dragging him back towards it. Spinning onto his back to see whatever it was Miles froze, if he hadn't known better he'd have sworn he was looking at a Hunter Spider. The creature noticed that its prey was looking at it and hissed showing two furry fangs that dripped with yellow venom, its demonic face covered in hair and it's six eyes staring back at him. "HOLY SHIT!" Miles noticed that the stuff around his legs was now in fact webbing and the spider obviously believed it was looking at its next meal. "FUCK OFF. FUCK OFF," Miles desperately kicked at the soft dirt but couldn't get any traction and kept getting closer to the spider. Finally realizing it was useless Miles stopped struggling and laid back, he decided to say his last words now before dying in screaming agony, as he'd most likely be consumed alive. "This is so fucking unfair!"
That was when the spider stalled and hissed menacingly, Miles looked up and noticed that the spider no longer had its sights on him but was instead looking at something behind him. Before he could turn a loud voice cut through the air, "Dark magic attack," a blue ball of…something crashed into the spider that screeched loudly before falling to the ground with a thud and a gaping hole in its chest that spewed green blood that blended in with the grass.
Turning slowly Miles noticed some guy who looked in his thirties making his way towards him, getting down onto one knee the mystery savior cut the webbing from Miles' legs and smiled reassuringly at him, "Are you okay?" All Miles could do was nod dumbly, "You're lucky I found you, those things are pretty nasty," he motioned towards the dead spider.
"T…t…thank you," Miles stammered.
The man smiled again, "No problem," with the webbing gone the stranger helped Miles up and brushed his back down.
"How…did you…"
"Kill it?" another nod from Miles, "it's a long story Miles. One I'm gonna have to explain, but first you're gonna have to promise me that you'll keep an open mind."
Miles ignored the last part, "How do you know my name?"
The stranger shrugged, "I know everything about you, you're fifteen, from California and live at 42 Crescent Drive," the young boy stared dumbfounded at the man. "Let me put it this way, you're a wannabe duelist right?"
"Yeah."
"Well Miles now you get to take part in one of the greatest duels ever, only this one ain't no game," he noticed the confused look on Miles' face, "Let me show you."
"AH," Miles jumped back a few feet as the stranger in front of him started to glow before disappearing completely. When the light faded though Miles gawked at an actual real life Dark Magician.
"Don't be frightened Miles," the Dark Magician had the same voice as the stranger, "It's still me," the light appeared again and this time he was back to normal.
"How?" that was the only word Miles could think of.
"You got a rainbow card right?" a nod for confirmation, "these rainbow cards aren't from Konami, they have been telling the truth. However what they didn't tell you was that they didn't think up the game of Duel Monster, sure they thought of a name, characters and whatnot but the game existed already…in real life."
"You're kidding!" the stranger turned Miles back to face the Hunter Spider, "You're not kidding."
"Fraid not kid, those cards are copies of actual cards they found. You see there's a war going on here. Nobody knows how it got started but it's been going on for centuries, now the people of this dimension found out a way to harness the power inside of them and call on that power if they ever needed to fight. Hence me," he pointed to himself, "Dark Magician. However now our reality is in danger too, you see the war here is heating up with the leader of the largest army being a Mythic Dragon. He seems determined to rule over everybody and crush anyone who gets in his way to do it," Miles hadn't noticed but the two had started walking. "Those rainbow cards are actually gateways to this dimension, only one person in a hundred is chosen and if they choose to shoulder the responsibility then they'll remain here with us until either the battle is won or they die."
"Wait…die?" Miles stalled, "You mean dead like that thing back then."
The stranger nodded, "Unfortunately not everyone is able to control their powers and if they can't then the beast within takes over them forever. They can only sit back and watch as the beast carries out unspeakable deeds," he noticed Miles pale, "But I wouldn't worry, it hardly ever happens."
"That's comforting to know," he noticed a large cave up ahead, "What's in there?"
"Home base, it's where this contingents group of rebels hideout from the Mythic dragon forces. Are you following me so far?"
Miles nodded, "I guess, but…" he grabbed his head, "This is a lot to take in."
"I know, I was like you too at first," Miles looked up, "Three years I've been here fighting for my home, and let me tell ya. It's been one wild ride."
Miles jumped when a Silver Fang appeared from the cave, it growled upon seeing Miles but when it noticed the guy he was standing next to a bright light appeared and a young girl who couldn't have been more that seventeen stood before them. "Glad to see you back, I was beginning to get worried," Miles gawked at her. She was beautiful, long flowing brown hair, pale green eyes and a figure to die for.
"We ran into a bit of unexpected bother," the stranger laughed while slapping Miles so hard on the back that it nearly floored him, "Miles this is Melanie."
"Uh…hi," Miles extended a hand but the girl just cocked an eyebrow.
"Hello," she then turned back to the stranger as if Miles wasn't there, "Dylan we got word from the Kintari base, they were hit last night and over half of their forces destroyed. I said they could meet here with us until they can rebuild their forces."
Miles mentally noted the strangers name and watched him groan, "Damn it, that's the fourth faction this month to be hit. They're definitely closing in on us," there was an awkward pause, "Any word from the larger kingdoms?"
"They're still ignoring us," Melanie spat, "bunch of cowards."
Dylan nodded, "Come on, let's go inside, it'll be dark soon."
Miles discovered that the inside of the cave was huge, winding tunnels led off to different ways, Dylan explained that while some led off to training rooms and living quarters other led to traps in case they were ever attacked by the Mythic Dragons army. Along the way down the corridor Miles noticed many different people moving around, some were in duel monsters form, others weren't. "Oh, excuse me," Miles mentioned after bumping into an Axe Raider who gave a friendly smile and moved off. "How many of you live here?" Miles asked from behind Dylan and Melanie.
"About sixty two," Dylan replied, "all trained and from earth, and if you decide to stay then you'll be a part of the family too."
Stay? Miles hadn't thought of that, what about his family, he couldn't leave them behind could he? But if he left he'd be giving up the opportunity to duel alongside actual duel monsters, and protect earth from possible disaster. By the way Dylan and Melanie were talking he figured that the war was not going in their favor. But could he live here for…well forever. "Hey Dylan," the large man turned to look at him, "If I decide to stay and help you, will I be here forever?"
An uneasy look was shared between the man and the girl, they stopped walking and Dylan took a deep breath, "I'm not going to lie to you Miles because if you decide to stay I don't want you accusing me of not giving you the full picture. We're losing this war, our numbers continue to get less and less by the day and we don't have enough people willing to stay and fight. But what they don't understand is if they don't make a stand now then in a matter of ten years the Mythic Dragon is going to find a way to get through to our reality and then we're all in big trouble," he paused. "If you decided to stay a portal opens every five years but if you go back you may never return, the card that brought the here is still active and will remain so until you hand it over to one of us. That card can take you home now but I promise that if you do then there's a good chance that I'll be seeing you very soon."
Miles understood the situation, "How long do I have to decide?"
"Two hours," Miles groaned, "I know it isn't long but think of it this way, you were chosen because you're special to the world. Technically you have a responsibility to protect earth as do we, if you leave you'll be turning your back on your birthright. However if you do go no one will think any less of you," Melanie snorted but Dylan ignored her. "Talk to some of the other guys, I'll tell you when you have five minutes remaining. You can make your decision then okay?" Miles nodded. "There's a bunch of them through there training and relaxing, they won't mind if you just come up and talk to them," the youngster seemed reluctant, "Go ahead, they won't mind, they were all in the same position as you once."
Nodding Miles went through the arch and entered the room, once he'd gone Melanie turned back to Dylan, "You think he'll stay?"
"To be honest, I have no clue."
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"So you actually like it here?" Miles had been talking to one of the fellow guys his age named Steven for over an hour and couldn't get over how happy he seemed.
"What's not to like, you're in an adventure and what's more nobler than dying for your world?" Steve rested his head against the hard stonewall, "But I can't decide for you, only you can do that."
"Don't you miss your family?"
Steve gave a thin smile and nodded, "Of course I miss my family, but if we win this war in say ten years. Only five years will have passed back home and I will have only aged two years?"
Miles shook his head, "How's that possible."
"Time passes a lot quicker here than back home, oh sure they feel the same length but they're not. Here twenty-four hours will pass and only twelve will have gone by back home. And as for the aging thing, thanks to our powers we only age a year every five. Normal people in this world age normally but us…na uh."
"That's amazing."
"Well we've gotta have some perks," Miles turned to see a Swordstalker enter the room and slump onto one of the benches, slowly he morphed back into a big muscular man in his twenties, "We're out risking life and limb every day."
"What Brian is trying to say is that the bad far outweighs the good," the room fell silent and when Miles looked up he saw Dylan standing before him.
"It's time to make a decision," he said his voice void of all emotion, "guys give us a second," everyone exited the room leaving the two alone. "Have you decided what you're going to do?"
"Yeah," Miles stood up and removed the rainbow card from his trouser pocket, staring at it he marveled at its glow and saw his bedroom through it, "I think you'd better hang onto this for a while," he extended the card and Dylan smiled.
"Are you sure, you do realize that you'd be risking your life and may not see home again?" Dylan studied Miles' face, he seemed determined when he looked back up at him again.
"I'm sure."
Dylan took the card and the glow faded, Miles watched as his room was replaced instead by the colored stripes, Dylan put a hand on his shoulder, "Welcome to the family kid."
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By Boulder