Summary: It is many years into the future; Duel Monsters has evolved from being simply a card game, and has now become a way of life. The challenges that duelist face is now more than reputation, rare cards, and cash prizes, though that is what every individual in the world seeks. These are their tales, and this is the story, of Yu-Gi-Oh! Nexus….
Disclaimer: I do not own anything of the Yu-Gi-Oh. Franchise, at all. I simply write this story for fun.
Author's Warning(s): This story contains all OC's. Main characters will have author created cards and minor characters from this story may have decks that have been known to belong to Canon characters. If any of that turn's you off in anyway, then please do not proceed to read this, and please do not leave unnecessary reviews. Cards as we know will have Japanese Translated (OCG) names first, before American (TCG) names, if applicable. For example:
-Hellfire Djinn Hell Burner (Japanese) - Infernal Incinerator (American)
-Red Demon's Dragon (Japanese) - Red Dragon Archfiend (American)
A list of translated cards will be announced behind it, if applicable.
As far as duels go:
Duelist 1: LP 4000
Duelist 2: LP 4000
Monsters, for example: Blue Eyes White Dragon (ATK: 3000) if it's in attack mode, or (DEF: 2500) if it's in defense mode. Other than that, it will be ATK first, then DEF (3000/2500). Enjoy
Turn 1: Beating the Juvenile System! Touch the Stratosphere!
Duel Monsters. This statement of two words means completely different from the times of yesterday. Duelist Kingdom and Battle City are now considered "vintage", and the main players from those days are legends, etched in history for all time. The times when the Three Phantom Demons were raised in Duel Academy is nearly as classic, and has emerged a new cult of King wannabes and Red admirers all around the world. Having a duel monsters deck, and being able to win proficiently is so important in these days, it has become the primary source of income to millions of individuals and families. Not to say that millions of people are in the Pro Leagues, but prefectural governments pay people small amounts of money for winning officially registered matches. This initiative was put in place to help eliminate poverty all around the nation. If you are 15 years of age, you can register a duel disk and begin getting paid for being skillful at the game!
However, in this day and time, it has been the catalyst of many domestic crimes. Because of the high-tech technology involved, the line of what a legal or illegal duel is has become haphazard; cyber-criminals can and have hacked governmental mainframes to gain more than they deserve for victories, trick computers to get them into raising their ranks, even embezzle funds without having to activate a single card. It's a system that is constantly updating, shifting, and encoding for the betterment of everyone in Japan, despite the many risks involved with it.
With that noted, enter Meichi Yasuo, a 15 year old boy with jet-black wild spiky hair and chocolate brown eyes. Yasuo dreams exactly what every other 15-year-old boy wants, a girl to be freaky with. Alongside that, become the greatest duelist in the world! However, there are several issues with this dream that won't be obtained very easily for him. For starters…
"MEICHI!" shouted a professor. Yasuo blinked, and looked to the front of the classroom he was in. The professor was holding a piece of chalk and had a sentence on the board. "What was I just discussing about?" he said sternly. Yasuo leaned back in his chair and placed his hands on the back of his head.
"Sir, you were discussing about how you're such an ass and need to kill yourself for teaching basic kanji to a bunch of juvie's." he replied. The other boys in the class snickered, which wasn't too much, as the class only contained 9 of them.
"Hm…being a smart-aleck again, are we?" replied the professor. "That's too bad, because you were doing so well…while you were ASLEEP!" he shouted.
"Look, I don't know what the hell you were talking about?" Meichi responded. "But honestly, you should go to sleep too, only I'd recommend going the route of sleep's cousin, death. It'd suit you better." The snickers became outright bursts of laughter. The professor scolded while pressing a button at the bottom of his desk, and two very large security guards rushed into the classroom.
"What's the problem Professor?" They asked while looking around. They seemed a little confused because they expected more commotion than what was presented.
"Please escort Mr. Meichi from my classroom back to his holding room." He answered. "Obviously he doesn't understand the concept of his education for disrupting my class."
"Please stand, Yasuo," said one of the guards coming over to Meichi.
"Why should I, Boris?" He asked icily to the guard. "How many times this week have we been acquainted with you touching me?"
"Excuse me?" asked the guard uncomfortably.
"Look, you're not a disgusting religious official or anything, so I don't see why you feel the need to wanna touch me!" he asked while sitting up straight.
"Meichi Yasuo!" shouted the other guard. "You are in direct violation of the JX 1-47; you are disrupting this classroom, you are refusing the orders of a J. Officer, and you are on your third and FINAL strike." His command was strong and full of force. He then made his way over to Yasuo. "I suggest you get off your butt…" he grabbed Yasuo by the arm and pulled him hard enough to get him onto his feet. "Hold out your hands…" He proceeded to cuff Yasuo from behind him. "…And come quietly with us, you brat!" finished the guard.
"Why Ichigo, you flatter me with praise! I knew you've always been kinky, but I don't roll that way!" Teased Yasuo. As the class proceeded to laugh again, the guard began to squeeze onto his arms painfully, which made him wince and stop grinning. The Security guards escorted Yasuo from the classroom, and closed the door behind him.
Yasuo Meichi is a delinquent, and this title that he's gained for himself has landed him from New Domino Duel Academy to the Jyounochi Detention Center for Incriminating Boys in the span of less than one month. For him, he knew that this was a horrible move for his record and his life, but he decided to go against the flow, and mess-up everybody else's life he seeks to mess his up even further, like the professors and guards. He already had a court date set for next week, but after today, he was probably not allowed to be a part of the alternative school that the Center provides, which leads the question on where he was going to be transferred off to next.
The guards led him to his particular room, pressed a few buttons on the keyboard to the left, and the door slid open. After letting off the cuffs, they pushed him inside. Because it was juvenile hall and not jail, these rooms are known as holding areas, though everyone else knew better and just called them "cells."
"Hm…you're the only one currently held, oh two seventeen ninety-two" said the guard named Boris.
"What about the other guys who were smart enough to ditch class like me?" Yasuo asked him back. "That, or say screw you to that Beauregard guy…"
"That's Beauregard-sensei." Answered the other guard. "And trust us, those guys weren't smart, and neither are you. You're hearing is definitely going to be pushed up from next week to sometime soon. We've given you all the chances we can, Yasuo, but now you'll be sent out to Hinamizawa, in the countryside. They're the hardest juvenile center in the whole country, and you'll deserve no less" He completed. The two of them turned, and walked away from him.
Yasuo lay down on his bed, and began to reflect on things. Was he really going to spend the rest of his adolescence rotting in detention centers until they sent him to a real prison? Yasuo turned his head, and saw a magazine was placed on the table. Was that there earlier in the day? Curiosity got the best of him, and looked at the cover of it. The front picture had two teenagers, a boy and a girl, no older than his age. They were both holding a Duel Monsters card, the girl was smiling and the boy was grinning. Like Yasuo, the boy in the picture black spiky hair, though his was pointed vertically up, and also had brown eyes. The girl had chocolate brown hair that reached her shoulders. Yasuo began to get angry as he looked at the caption at the left of the photo:
"Virgil Saunders: an Intercontinental Champion Contender, a Duel Academy Legend to Be?" On the bottom, it read in large red letters "The Most Anticipated Dueling Duo is Coming to Duel Academia!" The girl also had a caption on the right, but Meichi didn't even bother to look at it.
"What a joke!" he nearly shouted while ripping the magazine cover off. They were all the same age, but as they were all dealt different hands in life, and Yasuo's ended up with him being in a Detention Center. He walked over to the toilet in the cell, placed the crumpled paper in and flushed. Virgil's face was faced up as it spun in the toilet and made it's way down the drain….
In the city, a large governmental building was in place near the center of downtown. In this building was a large conference room that had many people wearing different colors, pins, and these people were in all shapes and sizes. However, each of these people had one thing in common: they were educators, and they all were in this building for a national conference that happened once a year. An elder gentleman walked up to the podium of this room, and tapped the microphone several times to earn people's attention. He was a little bit on the portly side, had gray hair, and wore a long white and black garb.
"Testing, testing," he said into the mic to make sure it worked. His voice was slightly rough, but he was highly spirited. When the chattering of teachers ended, they all sat down in seats at tables that had names of different institutions, cities, and prefectures on them. The teachers were the representatives from the respective places. "Allow me to be the first to welcome everybody to the 129th Educator's Convention." He announced. The representatives all clapped politely. "Along with the normal festivities and fun that we have here, there is also a time for us to get down with a little business…" A hand in the far left corner of the room rose high into the air. The gentleman running the conference reluctantly pointed towards them. "Yes, from Duel Academy – KC Campus, please state your name and business." He commented. A middle-aged man with a long blue blazer with white trimming stood up. He had short black hair, and a pronounced black, bushy mustache.
"Greetings Superintendent, and everybody on the Educational Council Convention." He started. A huge number of other teachers from other tables, and even from his own, began to roll their eyes and hold their heads up with their hands. "My name is Doctor Mori Rokuro from Duel Academia." He said. His voice was quite boastful, even forgetting to state which campus he's from, as there is now more than 1 Duel Academy. "I would just like to take this time to let everybody within this council know that it is with great pride and pleasure…" he took an unnecessary dramatic pause. "To announce that Virgil Saunders, Japan's own and Europe's Teenager Division Champion, will be coming to Duel Academy to complete his dueling education, and pursue the Championships that exist within our very own country AND continent." He finished. He took another pause. After several seconds, a teacher began to applause from the other corner of the room. It reluctantly spread, until it was an awkward applause throughout the entire conference hall.
"Thank you for the announcement, Doctor Mori." Said the superintendent with a large sweat drop developing from the back of his head. "May Mr. Saunders have a wonderful school year and more to come, as well as all the students at Duel Academy – Kaiba Corp Campus." He finished. Dr. Mori's colleagues glared at him to sit down, and he did. "Let's begin this conference, shall we?" he continued.
The Hall went through and discussed everything; from budget cuts, to employment quotas, to one of the schools needing funds for a new building, to new rules of promotions, and even to the increasing of spending to scout for students who were Professional Level (this was, of course, brought up by Dr. Mori). After nearly 2 hours of discussions, debates, and voting's, the Superintendent dismissed the Conference.
"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen for your input and your support for the Educational Conference! We will convene again later on this week for any more brought-up topics, and everybody have a wonderful remainder here!" he announced with a heavy smile on his face. . There was grand applause from everyone, and as everybody got up from there seats and began to talk once again. "May I see the representatives from Duel Academia –Kaiba Campus and Jyounochi Detention Center please?" he said. The reps from each school looked at each other, and made their way past the crowds to meet with the superintendent….
It had been several hours since Yasuo had been put back into his cell. Two guards, different from the ones earlier, came and opened it up with the correct numerical combination.
"Number 021792," he said. Yasuo had been asleep, and woke up feeling groggy, and now, irritated that it was time to deal with the red tape and bureaucracy once again. "You have been summoned to the highest court of juvenile law beginning tomorrow morning at 8." He said. Following his statement, he handed Yasuo a letter.
"The contents of this letter shall explain the hearing procedure, protocols, and the possible decisions which will be made. If you wish for an appeal, please fill out the following forms attached to the document." He said while handing him a pen.
"I know how things work around here, Kenyoshi." Said Yasuo while grabbing the envelope and pen from the two gentlemen. He then threw the contents onto the floor and glared at them. "So if there's anything else you need me for, then save it; the last thing I need it to hear from either of you two" He said defiantly.
"You know something, Yasuo," said one of the guards, dropping his professionalism. "You are the most incompetent, pompous ASS I have ever had the misfortune to meet. And anything that happens to you outside of these walls after your hearing tomorrow, you deserve it with full force, and everybody, whether a fellow inmate of yours, friend, and employees here will rejoice to your suffering." He finished. The two guards closed the cell door behind them, and proceeded to walk away. Yasuo picked up the envelope they gave him, and began to read the contents that were inside. Besides the majority of it seeming like things that he was used to, his heard indeed did sink when he got to the alternative choices that could happen to him:
_You will be permanently removed from your current residence and spend 3 years at the Jyounochi Detention Center exiled from other inmates, including educational, recreational, and social privileges revoked. OR
_You shall spend 3 years of your childhood in the Hinamizawa Detention Center before going to maximum security prison, The Facility, no later than your 18th Birthday."
"With any of these, I'm screwed either way." Said Yasuo. He shook his head as he read over the note once more. "Damn, how'd I get myself to this point?" he asked himself as he tossed it off of his bed. "Oh yeah, my wonderful ass life." He finished sarcastically. He lay down once more, disregarding that his hair was already unkempt and nappy from his sleeping earlier…
It was sometime later, but when they all assembled, they all meet within a separate, smaller conference room. There were four DA-KC reps, and sat at one side of the extra long table, and there were only two JDC reps, which sat at the other end. The Superintendent sat at the front of this room, and his face, which was normally happy and full of joy, became eerily serious.
"Okay you all, look," he said sternly. "I don't plan to keep you guys in here for long, but something has happened." He announced. His voice, which was already quite rough, sent chills down most of the others' spines. He looked over to the two men from JDC. "Do you gentlemen know of a name of Meichi Yasuo?" he asked. The two representatives nodded.
"He's one of the most foul-mouthed, annoying and incompetent students I have ever come to know." Said one of the men. "He's been held with us for one week, and he has brought hell and high water with him."
"As a matter a fact, during the conference, we got a notification that Yasuo has broken yet another rule, and has met his three strike limit from the Reform School." Said the other. "Within this weekend, he will be transferred to a facility within Hinamizawa, and if no improvement there, he will be forced to go to prison at the Facility in New Domino." He finished. The Superintendent typed in a few things in on the computer, pressed a button, and a letter came up on a wide screen monitor. It was typed, and it was clear what it wanted from the get-go, even though it was nearly two pages long.
"Take Meichi out of the JDC and place him into the Founding Institution of Dueling?" Read Dr. Mori out loud. "What could that mean…?
"It means this person wants Yasuo into Duel Academy." Said one of Dr. Mori's colleagues. This man had long black hair that reached down his back. He wore a black suit with a red undershirt, and dark sunglasses to cover his eyes. His voice was cool and assuring. It matched with everything about him, his demeanor, his poise, and his attitude. He was definitely the most mysterious man in the whole room.
"Well, that's preposterous; just because he sends a letter, that's going to force him out of juvie and into the halls of the most prestigious dueling school in the country and the WORLD? I don't think so…"
"I doubt this man just sent this letter as an empty statement or threat." Continued the man with dark sunglasses. "Superintendent, what did this man send alongside with the letter?" he asked.
"Hm... You're wise beyond your years, Naito-sensei." Said the Superintendent while standing up. He pulled an envelope from the inner pocket of his white blazer, and handed it to the DA representatives. When they opened it, everyone's eyes widened with shock. They were also all speechless, minus Dr. Mori.
"Suh-suh-suh-Superintendent!" he shouted. "Deh…Do you know how much MONEY THIS IS!" he shouted.
"This could fund all the projects mentioned tonight, and more!" said the one female DA representative. The check was handed to the JDC reps, who had the exact same reaction.
"I couldn't afford to tell the entire conference that we've been given this sum of money," he replied while taking back the check and pocketing it. "Whoever sent this to me is obviously an extremely powerful individual."
"What was the address?" asked Dr. Mori. "Can't you track it from that?"
"There was no return address on the other envelope." The gray haired man replied. "To be honest, I actually considered several things, like ripping the check and not mentioning anything, as well as taking the money and funding what needs to be funded." He said honestly. "However, read the bottom passage of the letter." As attention was directed towards it, the part he mentioned for them to read was: "I am watching your every move."
"Ridiculous". Said Dr. Mori. "I don't negotiate with a terrorist, no matter how much Yen he has in his pockets!"
"Yeah, I'm not sure if that's something that can just happen." Said one of the JDC reps. "We would also need to give word in with the local government about these matters…"
"As well as Kaiba Seto ; this does involve his establishment."
"Then we might as well all begin our suffering." Said the longhaired man. "Look, if he's willing to spend this amount of money for one student to get to Duel Academy, imagine what else he could possibly accomplish with his funds?" He said.
"Then what do we do?" asked the DA female representative.
"Easy, we don't do it!" shouted Dr. Mori. "If he gets in by bribery, then that would unlock an entire unnecessary scandal and story!" he continued. "Then what, just ANY student could get in by just having the cash for it? The integrity of Duel Academy would be ruined forever!"
"I don't want to just sign this student into the school." Said the Superintendent. "I also don't want to inform any governments or business's on what's going on, especially Kaiba Corporation heads. But we need to all come to a decision on what's going to be the future of Meichi, as well as this money…." Everyone was silent for what felt like a while; it was the ultimate test of integrity and morals vs. need and greed. Dr. Mori spook up first, he continued to push his argument for no. One JDC guard began to argue for it; they wanted a portion of the heavy amount of money given. After a minute of loud arguing, the longhaired man spoke up once again.
"The answer to this is simple." He started. "We allow Meichi Yasuo out of juvenile hall simply for one shot; to duel for his opportunity to come to the academy. In order to come in, you must pass a written and practical exam. Therefore, we will grant Meichi those services. If he passes the tests, then he can come to the Academy. If not, it wasn't because he wasn't given a shot, it'd be because he failed on his own chance to get in…"
"Naito, that's not going to happen!" shouted Mori. "First off, this guy is a delinquent; I don't care who he knows or how much cash they have; he did something to where he BROKE THE LAW and is in Juvenile Detention. Second of all, school is already in session, and has been now for an entire week. And besides, if this guy is as obnoxious and unruly as these two gentlemen declare he is, then there is no place for a student of such behavior at our establishment. That's why places like JDC were built and operate anyways…"
"Dr. Mori, I think that's probably the best possible solution we have for this problem." Piped up the fourth DA representative. "Besides, Naito has always been the one to figure out tough issues like this…." Dr. Mori had a large X-shaped vein pop up on his forehead, which the other rep noticed very quickly. "Not to say that you haven't or don't…."
"Listen you…" Dr. Mori began, but the Superintendent cut him off. "We are going to vote on this and handle this like the grown adults we all are." He cut in. "Now, raise your hand if you're for having him stay at the Jyounochi Center, and forget that this whole bribing issue has never been brought about." There were 7 people in the room; Dr. Mori, one of the guards, and one of the other Duel Academy reps raised their hands. "Okay, now who's for giving him the shot?" he asked. He, Naito, the female DA Rep, and the other JDC guard raised their hand. "That's 4 to 3. We shall now have a short conference call with the Principal of Duel Academia, as well as the local government and let them know of the…situation." He said.
"What about Kaiba Seto ?" everyone's eyes turned to the Superintendent. He paused for several seconds before continuing his answer.
"As much as I'd prefer not to have to chat with him, it's something that can't be helped. We will reach him, or at least contact Kaiba Corporation and inform them as well." Everybody nodded, and presumed to give a call to those who needed to be spoken to…
It was the next morning. Yasuo rolled out of bed, and after using the restroom, right on point; two guards began opening the door to his room.
"It is time," they told him. Yasuo began putting on his orange juvie uniform with his ID number on it. When he did so, he was immediately cuffed and taken away. Yasuo didn't reflect the "wonderful memories" as he was going down the halls. He had only been there for a week and a few days, but he still couldn't help but feel that something serious was going to go down in court. He was taken all the way up past the holding rooms (cells), classrooms, and even the Security offices. Eventually, they made their way to the beginning of the entire building, and he was brought over to a front desk.
"Am I being released?" he asked, confused.
"Several circumstances have been brought up, Meichi" answered one of the guards. "Everything will be explained to you soon enough." Still being held on tightly by guards, as well as handcuffed, they made their way to the woman at the front desk. She was protected by a barrier of thick glass, minus the small hole that was able to transfer belongings from the offices to the inmates. The security guards unlocked the cuffs, while still gripping the hell out of his upper arms.
"Meichi Yasuo?" she asked while handing him a large yellow envelope. He took it, and eyed the contents inside. "You should find your dueling deck, your wallet, and your cellular device, which has now been dead for your entire holding," she added. The first thing he reached for was his dueling deck. He scanned and flipped through all of them to make sure that they were there. It was surreal; he had been locked away from his cards, from the entire outside world for what felt like months, but here they were, in his hand, having a fresh duel monsters cards smell like they always do. Carefully, he placed them back into his deck holder, and pocketed the rest of his items.
"Where's my Duel Disk?" he asked. He possessed the Duel Disk Model that was from the days of Battle City. It was definitely an outdated model, but it was all he had, nonetheless needed for his purposes as a duelist.
"It has been confiscated by the Security Personnel." She answered. "All Duel Disk Models older than 15 years are not allowed to be on the premise of New Domino."
"That's a stupid rule." He replied. "It's my Duel Disk, who gave these guys the right to take my property?"
"I don't make the rules, but trust me, they place them there for a reason." Following this, the guards took him outside the front. Awaiting them was an ancient black car, one from around 20 to 30 years ago. He was guided to the car, and placed in the middle between the two guards. When they accelerated, the man in the front seat turned and handed Yasuo a pencil and a stack of papers stabled together.
"Good morning, Mr. Meichi." He began.
"Why're we here? Aren't I supposed to go to court?" Yasuo replied.
"Actually, there has been a slight change of plans." The man in the front seat said. "You've been given an opportunity that others in your age group and circumstance would not be able to partake." He said. "However, in order to seize this chance, you must complete and pass this test here," he said. Yasuo took the papers from him and eyed over the front page. Immediately, his head was full of questions and pictures of duel monsters cards. Each of the pictures had four multiple-choice answers, as well as a question; What is this card's Attribute? What's this card's Type? What are this card's ATK and DEF points? Is this a Fusion, Synchro, or Ritual Monster? Which theme deck would this card is best suited for. How many monsters must you release to Advance Summon this card? Is this card currently Forbidden, Limited, Semi-Limited, or Unlimited? Is this card Continuous, Counter, or Field? Which one of these two card combinations would lock your opponent from using Spell and Trap Cards? How many Spell Counters would need to be removed from the field to Special Summon this card? As well as one of the free write questions: Explain TeleDAD, and why it has been slowed down in contemporary Duel Monsters today.
"Jeez, what is all of this?" he asked while gripping his head.
"As I said, it is designed to test your duel monsters knowledge." Said the man in the front seat. "Now, you will complete this test in the time it takes to get to our destination…"
"Where are we going?"
"You will see soon enough, Meichi, now complete the test." Answered the guard. Flicking though, he saw that there were 100 questions. Reluctantly, he picked up the provided pencil, and then began. Some of the questions were breezy easy; for example, TeleDAD was the Emergency Teleport and Dark Armed Dragon themed deck that has won several national and international championships. However, others of them ended up giving him a headache, such as trying to figure out exactly how many defense points Frog the Jam has. If it was too hard, then it would end up as a guess, and he would continue forward with it. Eventually, the car stopped, and they reached to where they were going. Yasuo looked up to a humongous gate with the Blue Eyes White Dragon staring down on them.
"Kaibaland?" interjected Yasuo loudly.
"Please continue with your test, and hurry!" Commanded the man in the front seat. He was on Question 68 at that point, but he continued to go through and answered what he could. As opposed to paying money like all the other cars were in line, the driver showed the employee at the register a particular badge. She nodded, and they proceeded to drive inside the amusement park. When they finally parked, the driver, one of the guards, and the man in the front seat pulled out their smart phones and began to type in a few messages within.
"Have you finished?" One of them asked. Yasuo was now on Question 80.
"No I'm not," he answered. "Is there any way I can…"
"Come with us." The five of them made their way over to their next destination, the Kaiba Dome. Yasuo has been here several times in his lifetime, to see significant duels take place, as well as participate in dueling with the Artificial Intelligence robot. They made their way into a small room, where several desks were present. "When you complete your test, leave it on your desk, and come outside." They said. Yasuo sat down, and finished the other impossible 20 questions. When he completed it, he made his way out to where the guards where, and the next thing he knew, he was standing in front of a large, over-sized door.
Here is a Standardized Duel Disk," Presented to him was a white duel disk. It was a model that would be given to a dueling student.
"I'm still lost." He answered while taking the Duel Disk. "I'm supposed to go to court, why am I about to Duel somebody?"
"It will all become clear to you when you walk through the door." Said the man who drove the car.
"Look, you guys have been saying this now for the past hour and a half!" interjected Yasuo. "Now, I want answers to what's going on; why did I take that test, and why am I about to duel? The only time when that happens…is…." Yasuo had a light bulb go off in his head. Was he going to be registered back into New Domino Duel Academy? He couldn't be; in order to do that, re-registration had to be done, paper's had to be signed, identification numbers had to be issued out. As he was thinking this, the large garage door opened, and Yasuo walked towards the light. When he passed, he was presented in being in the center of the Kaiba Dome. He looked around, and he saw the tens of thousands of seats, each of them empty, and his footsteps echoed loudly throughout the entire arena. Straight ahead of him was a man. He was middle-aged, and the most noticeable trait about him was his bushy black mustache. It was Dr. Mori from the Educational Convention, though Yasuo wouldn't know that by looking at him.
"You must be the ruckus that everybody is talking about, Meichi Yasuo, is it?" asked the man.
"Who wants to know?" Yasuo replied.
"My name is Dr. Mori Rokuro, Professor of Tactics and Strategy at Duel Academia, as well as the Vice Principle." He answered. "Earning this title has given me the knowledge to know pretty much anything and everything there is to know about Duel Monsters."
"So then you must know exactly why I'm here." Yasuo looked at the guy funny; he was wearing a long blue blazer with white trimmings. He also had a fancy looking turtle neck under the blazer; it looked like something a high class man would wear, and he couldn't stand those who felt they were above the rest.
"I do kid, and you're here for one of the most unethical reason's I've ever had to deal with in my career." Dr. Mori answered. "I don't know how or why, but somebody outside this arena likes you a whole lot." He continued. "They like you enough…to send the Educational Board ¥1 BILLION to give you a shot to this school!" ($12 Million)
"Wait, WHAT?" replied Yasuo. His eyes went wide, his head began to spin; this all was starting to get even more confusing then when it all began this morning. "Woah, whoa, woah, whoa, woah, you guys obviously must have the wrong guy here!" he said. "I don't know anybody who has that much money. And if I do, then they're one hell of a liar!"
"Trust us, I thought that as well. However, you're the only one with your name in the Jyounochi Detention Center, and it was among the demand with the money." Answered the doctor. "However, that's all you receive with that, is a SHOT at our school, it doesn't mean you're getting in on the spot…"
"Whatever, you saying I can't become a student at your crappy school?" asked Yasuo? It was weird; he knew he was going to be transferred when he woke up this morning, but to Duel Academia?
"Hm…you couldn't even get in by trying." Said the doctor. "You should have filled out the written exam on your way here, but school has already been in session for a week now, and you coming in would only be one more dander of a student." He closed his eyes and grinned. "You might as well go back to your two square meals and hour of sunlight, because I'll make sure that you never set foot within MY prime dueling institution in Japan…"
"Well if you want me out of it so bad, I guess I might as well knock you out of my way and become a student there, huh?" said Yasuo. "I accept your challenge, teach. And when I do, you'll end up doing something of my favorite expression…"
"That's Doctor, and what expression?" asked the professor while taking out his dueling deck.
"Cry….Cry HARDER!" Yasuo activated his Duel Disk. He then shuffled, and then placed his deck in the slot. All of a sudden, he felt his cards vibrate and shuffle within his Duel Disk! "What the hell?" he asked.
"Hm…that's self shuffling technology, kid." Answered the doctor. "That's old school, but then again, I'm going to be the one to take you into the true new school." He said while placing his deck in a holder on his arm, though it wasn't a Duel Disk. Yasuo saw a small light green light scan through his cards by going down, and then going up. Following that, five translucent cards showed up in front of the doctor.
"What is that?" he asked him.
"It's digital technology," Dr. Mori answered. "It registers my deck, and now not only are the monsters holograms, but my hand and drawing is as well!" A boastful grin appeared on his face. "Only the best of the elite are allowed to possess this." He said.
"You're technology doesn't impress me." Said Yasuo.
"Trust me, it will in due time."
"DUEL!" They shouted in unison
Yasuo LP: 4000
Dr. Mori LP: 4000
"This is going to be the last duel you'll ever have as a legal child, so I'll go on ahead and allow you to go first."
"With PLEASURE!" said Yasuo as he drew his first card. Not the best hand he could start off with; a Level 5 monster, three spells and two traps, he was going to make do. "I'll place down 1…2 cards face down, and that'll do for now.
"That's it? With moves like that, the Billion Yen wasn't even worth for that person to spend on you!" a new card appeared in front of Dr. Mori. "I'll start things off by activating this card, it's called Tempest (Heavy Storm), and everybody knows what this does." A spell card with a circular moving storm appeared on the professor's side of the field. All of a sudden, a powerful gust swooped down the entire playing field, destroying both facedown cards Yasuo had in front of him. "Now that you have no cards to protect you, I'm going to summon first the Gigante of Chains, in ATK mode!" A tall, dark skinned warrior appeared onto the field. When the word "tall" is mentioned, it's because his monster was literally standing at 10 feet tall. He was holding a long chain to be used as his weapon (1800/1600). "However, he won't be staying long, because I activate the Spell Card Dual Summon (Double Summon)! This allows me to summon once more this turn. Therefore, I release my Gigante of Chains, to reveal the Earthstomp Gigante!" (Pronounced Gee-gone-tay) The 10-foot man was replaced by an even taller and larger figure. Earthstomp Gigante had pale gray skin, and its face did not look like it belonged to a human being. His eyes were solid white, and where a nose should be was just one large slit in the middle of his face. Yasuo strained his neck looking up at the creature; it stood at nearly 20 feet tall, or the height of a big two-story home (2400/1200). "Earthstomp, take out the first chunk of his life points! Gigante Demolition!" The pale beast moved his extremely large foot, which was about the size of two combined SUV's, and it made its way towards Yasuo…
"I don't think so, teach!" interjected Yasuo. "From my hand, I get to summon this 5 star monster whenever you directly attack me! And his name, is Ballistic Bouncer!" Out sprung a warrior that was wearing orange metallic armor all over his body. His hair consisted of 7 extremely long orange braids and he had two large springs in the bottom of each of his boots. He landed on one knee, and was ready to take he attack head on (0/2100).
"It's Doctor, and nice try kid, but your monsters defense is still less than that of my monsters attack!" said Dr. Mori. The giant continued to move it's foot, and crushed the bouncing monster under its heel.
"Hey, it was in defense mode at least, so my life points are safe." Said Yasuo.
"Be that as it may, they won't be for long." Answered the professor. "I'll end this turn by laying one card face-down." He pressed another one of the translucent cards in front of him, and it became a solid face down. "Let's see what you've got now."
"We will, trust me," said Yasuo, drawing his next card. "And from my hand, I'm going to summon Ballistic Cyborg Baron in ATK mode!" This monster had gray-silver metallic armor for his forearms, legs, and a helmet to complete. The helmet had two large bent horns, and his right arm consisted of a heavily large battle mace (1200/1200). "Now, here's how this guy works; when he's summoned, I can do one of two things. Either I pay 500 Life Points to destroy a face-up Spell or Trap, or half the ATK and DEF of one of your monsters until the end of this turn. And because you have no face-up Spells/Traps I'm going to go ahead and half your giant's points!" The Cyborg Baron held out its right arm; when it did this, the giant quivered, despite being more than 4x his height and size. (Earthstomp Gigante: 1200/600).
"So our monster's are equal now, big whoop." Said the Doctor. He looked at his hand. "You're attack's not going to do anything for you anyways." He thought as he looked at one of his Quick-Play Spells, grinning.
"They are, until I activate the Equip card Ballistic Power! " began Yasuo. "This card increases one Ballistic monsters ATK on the field by 500!" (Ballistic Cyborg Baron: ATK 1700). "Go Ballistic Cyborg Baron, destroy his giant!" The Baron raised his right hand, containing the mace, and slammed it down to the ground. Doing so sent a powerful red wave over to the giant.
"I don't think so, amateur! From my hand, I play Gigante Shockwave!" Earthstomp Gigante expanded its arms and gave a mighty shout that expanded throughout the entire arena. The sheer power from its outburst took Cyborg Baron's wave, and shot it back towards him. He was destroyed, and by his destruction, and a small detonation device was left in his monster zone.
Yasuo LP: 3500
Mori LP: 4000
"What was that?" asked Yasuo confusedly.
"That…" began Dr. Mori. "…Was the power of my Gigante Shockwave. Anytime a Gigante monster on my field is about to be destroyed in battle, the current attack points of both monsters switch until the end of the turn, therefore, you took all the damage AND lost your monster in battle. The only setback to it, is that this particular monster can't attack on my next turn, but that's a small price to pay to make sure my giant is safe," he said. Yasuo scowled him.
"Fine, then I'll just lay two cards face down, and that'll be my turn."
"What's that little box thing?" Asked Dr. Mori, pointing out the small detonation device on Yasuo's field. As he asked this, his Gigante's attack points went back to normal at 2400.
"What, that old thing?" he asked mockingly. "I thought you were the doctor, and know everything and anything there is to know about Duel Monsters?" he grinned at his ignorance. Now it was Dr. Mori's turn to scowl.
"This is not a time for clowning around, now answer my question, young man!"
"But wait a second, just not even a minute ago, I'm an amateur, and NOW I'm a young man?" Just as Dr. Mori looked like he was about to yell, Yasuo answered the question. "Don't let your panties get in a bunch, DOC. It's a side effect of my Ballistic Power equip card; if it was destroyed by an effect you'd have taken 1000 points of damage. But because it was destroyed in battle, the next time your monster attacks me, it's destroyed and you take damage equal to its original attack points." Explained Yasuo. "Because you're monster can't attack this round anyway, it's fine."
"You disrespectful brat…." Said the Doctor as another card appeared in front of him. "I don't have any other monsters, but I activate the Field Spell Giant's Valley!" the Doctor pressed onto his card, and the same arena that Yasuo was used to disappeared into a void. The hologram that maneuvered through was several green peaked mountains that encircled both of the duelists. They were still in a circle, but there was definitely more nature; birds were loudly "cawing", several roars could also be heard in the distance, Yasuo even swore he saw an overly tall figure jump from mountain to mountain before disappearing; a Giant.
"What's this thing do?" asked Yasuo.
"Ah, now who's the one who knows nothing of the game?" asked the Doctor. "Its effect will be explained once it's ready. For now, I'm going to place this card face down, and it now goes over to you." Yasuo drew his next card. He was looking for any and all clues that could point him out to what the card's effect was. His Earthstomp Gigante was still at 2400, so it wasn't an increase points effect. He proceeded with his turn.
"I'll lay this monster face down in Defense mode. And I too will end my turn on simple note." Said Yasuo.
"Well then, it's time that we really kick-start this duel!" shouted Doctor Mori. A new translucent virtual card showed up in front of him. He then pointed to his field. "First, my Giant's Valley card activates; to my field, a Gigante Token comes onto my field!" Emerging from the ground, a brown, wood-like creature came up. It also had a flat, non-human looking face; it was skinny and stood at nearly 12 feet tall (2000/2000). "Luckily for you, this bad boy can't attack you at all. But next, I'll activate another one of its special abilities; because most of my Gigante monsters in my Deck are very powerful, they require two sacrifices to summon. However, under Giant Valley, Gigante monsters can come out with one less sacrifice. Therefore, I release my Earthstomp Gigante from my field…" his 20 foot pale giant began to disappear from the field. On Yasuo's side, his detonation device from his "Ballistic Power" card exploded, but no effect happened. "Oh yes, by Earthstomp going away and not attacking, no damage to me," grinned Dr. Mori. "And I shall introduce you to the last duel monster you'll ever see in person for the next three years of your life…STRATOSPHERE GIGANTE!" On his field, the pale gray giant was replaced with one who was emerging from the ground; its entire body was a vibrant light green color, it's shoulders contained one, two, three, four VERY large spikes the size and shape of large Christmas trees. Yasuo strained his neck to see the previous monster, but this one was so extremely tall, that after seeing its blank, gargantuan face, it's hologram reached beyond the entire Kaiba Dome. Looking up no longer cut it, you literally had to cock your neck and straighten your back to see it at it's most complete. Because of the Field Spell, he was able to fully look at it, though realistically, only it's two thick, light green legs and the bottom part of it's crotch area was visible within the Kaiba Dome's limits (3000/3500).
Yasuo had no clue what to say, but as it was still standing up straight, he went on ahead and activated one of his face-down cards.
"I don't think so Doc!" he shouted over the monsters loud entrance. "I activate the one and only, Pitfall of Hades (Bottomless Trap Hole)! So say goodbye to your little giant, because now it's removed from the game!" A new hole emerged from under the giant, however, although it opened as wide as it could without crossing over to Dr. Mori's or Yasuo's side, the hole was only as big enough to where Stratosphere Gigante's heel was the only thing to go into the pitfall. This giant, feeling the hole under it's heel picked up its foot, and kicked some dirt down it, which ended up being an entire glob, and managed to fill up the entire "bottomless" hole.
"Hm…I knew you'd try something like that, but this monster is so humongous, he's immune to all Spell and Trap Cards. Oh, and another thing, when this card attacks, it forces all Spell and Trap cards onto the field back into the owners hands!" Yasuo winced. "Now, my Stratosphere Gigante, attack Meichi's little facedown monster!" From high into the sky of the field spell, Stratosphere Gigante eyed his right hand. Instantly, a red orb began to circle it, and a powerful storm ended up being created. He then turned it over towards Yasuo, and the red storm came swirling down to crash on him and his monster. The powerful windstorm ended up placing both Dr. Mori's and Yasuo's face-down Spell/Trap cards into their hands, although, the Giant's Valley wasn't affected at all. The red orb, and the centerfold of the storm hit his facedown monster, and the recoil power ended up making Yasuo fall onto his back with much force. On one of the mountains, one of the giant monsters began waving its arm in triumph; one of his brethren destroyed an enemy.
"Why wasn't this Giant's Valley returned to your hand, Rokuro!" spat Yasuo.
"Doctor, young man!" Dr. Mori spat back angrily. "Because any and all effects that would remove this card from my field from Gigante monsters is negated." He explained. "If I or you played Hurricane (Giant Trunade) to return it to my hand, it would. But not because of a Gigante effect. I'll lay this card facedown, again, and it goes back over to you, Meichi. Though with this monster out here, it won't be volleying like this for very long." Said Dr. Mori. Yasuo drew his next card after struggling to get back onto his feet.
Time after time, Yasuo would place a monster facedown, and it would be blown away by Stratosphere Gigante. And each time he blew it away; Yasuo would find himself on the ground. Dr. Mori still managed to get Gigante Tokens, but they meant nothing to the duel as he didn't attack nor defend with any of them. Finally, after this happened for the fourth time in a row, Dr. Mori found himself with 4 Gigante Tokens and one overly tall Stratosphere Giant.
"I activate the magic card, Gigantic Crush! If I control a face-up 'Gigante' monster, I can pay multiples of 500 life points to destroy one card on the field. So, by paying 1000 life points, this takes that puny defensive monster and your flip card out of my way!" A blast from the doctor's field shot through and destroyed Yasuo's face down cards. This was it; the Stratosphere Gigante would attack and his tokens would follow. This duel was over for Yasuo. "Stratosphere Gigante, attack Meichi directly!" The same gargantuan storm developed in the light green giant's palm. It then fired it down upon Yasuo. The core of his storm was flying down to strike him at a rate that seemed faster than the others, possibly because he had no defense on him this time. Before he could properly brace himself, PLOW! The core of the gust storm hit him right in his stomach and the wind blades blew him to slide backwards on his feet before toppling over to the ground once again. For several seconds, the wind was literally knocked out of him. The holograms have never had that much power like this before, and now it was going to cost him the duel.
Yasuo LP: 500
Dr. Mori LP: 3000
"And fortunately for you, even though my Gigante Tokens are very powerful, they aren't allowed to attack." Snarled Dr. Mori. "Face it, applicant. You aren't going to stop this cycle. To be honest, I feel sorry for many people when they have to face this monstrosity, but I have no remorse for people like you who break the law, and people like the man or woman who sent in the money to bribe the government. It was unfortunate that it worked, and it's a shame that you've gotten as far as you've gotten under dishonest means." He continued. "So, who was it? An aunt or uncle, bitter parents, or do you know somebody in those illegal crime rings? Though I'd imagine that they could have simply just bought your way out of a lawsuit…"
"I don't know why am here or who sent for me to go to Duel Academia..." piped Yasuo weakly. "My mom is gone, and my dad ran away after I was born, like a COWARD!" he managed to crawl onto his feet, but buckled down onto one hand and one knee when he came to.
"Awww…poor baby. That doesn't give you an excuse to act like a brat to teachers and faculty, especially those who've only been trying to help you." The doctor replied. "I've taken a look at your records, and you were actually a pretty good student at your other institution. Whatever happened, you're all out of chances, and with this loss, you'll be sure to pay for your actions and your snobbish attitude."
"You don't know a damn thing about me…"
"There you go, cussing, vandalism, theft, illegal dueling, a 15 year old like yourself has no place doing things like that, nonetheless any human being in society. Now look, you can surrender here and be taken back to your detention center. If you ask me, that would be the smartest solution for you. You can't continue in the state that you've been put in…"
"Yeah, by YOU!" Yasuo managed to climb himself onto his feet. "Now you look here, doctor; you might have looked at my records, what I've done and what grades I had. However, you still do not know ME, Meichi Yasuo. You don't know what I've been through, what I've seen, what I've experienced…" he made a fist with his hand as he thought about the boy, Virgil Saunders from the magazine cover. "And you know what, it's educators like yourself; with your expensive shoes and turtleneck sweaters alongside your Ph. D's and elitist attitudes that make guys like me SICK. You're the one's who're the snobs! That's why you get dished out the attitude that you can't stand from me." He drew his next card. "And trust me, as far as this duel goes, I will make you humble!"
"That's nice and all, but unfortunately, there is no possible way that you can come out of this with a win." Said Dr. Mori. "Now hurry up and make your move…"
"You're gonna eat those words…" said Yasuo as he eyed the card he just drew. "See, because this card is going to change everything around! I summon onto the field Mini-Ballistic in ATK mode!" To the field, a small boy with night vision goggles came onto the field. He also had a small connector blaster on his left hand, a red glove on his right hand, and two oversized red boots (0/0).
"Hm…so it seems that you've gone off the deep end, huh?" asked Dr. Mori. "That's a pitiful monster to put up against the sheer power of my Deck. No matter what special abilities it can muster, I've seen them all, so if you're done…"
"Not so fast, teach, I am nowhere near done with you yet!" interrupted Yasuo. "From my Graveyard, I activate the effect of my Ballistic Tae-Kwon do Daimyo! I can Special Summon him to the field if I control a 'Ballistic' Tuner Monster on my field. And guess who Mini-Ballistic is?" From the sky, a tall man with golden armor over its legs, along with golden boots and a gold and black Japanese feudal war helmet came onto the field. The rest of his body was uncovered, revealing his bulging muscles from his torso up (1400/1200).
"And…?" asked Dr. Mori eying his opponent's two new monsters.
"And," answered Yasuo. "I'm going to tune my Level 4 Tae-Kwon do Daimyo with my Level 2 Mini-Ballistic!" stated Yasuo. Mini-Ballistic broke down to become two stars and went within the Tae-Kwon do Daimyo, and the green circles emerged. "When you're trapped and backed into a corner…" began Yasuo, closing his eyes. "…You become your only weapon, and to save yourself, you have no choice but to go BALLISTIC! I Synchro Summon, the Ballistic Chainsaw Duke!" Emerging from the two green circles was a warrior covered from head to toe in red metallic armor. His helmet had 3 tall and sharp spikes, he possessed a chainsaw that was had a red cover on it, but still exposed the rotating blades, and his eyes were two bright lights that could pierce through any darkness (2400/1800).
"Hm…good move, but as you can see, my Gigante is still superior to your Chainsaw Duke!" he said. All of a sudden, the doctor remembered something from one of his own duel monster prep classes, something that involved the Ballistic monsters and their special abilities. "Wait a second…"
"Hm…seems like you already know what my Duke can do!" said Yasuo. "He can either A) gain attack points equal to the number of 'Ballistic' monsters in my graveyard times 500 or B) I can discard cards in my hand, and destroy Spell and Trap cards on your side of the field equal to the number I discard…"
"Hm…let me guess, choice A, right?" asked Dr. Mori.
"Wrong! I choose the second option!" laughed Yasuo. "I have 3 cards in my hand, and I'm going to discard two of them to get rid of your face-down card AND your Giant's Valley!" Dr. Mori looked shocked; the armored Duke revved up his chainsaw, and then threw it towards the facedown card. It moved and soared through like a boomerang; after chopping the facedown card with its blow, it continued to move up to the sky of the Giant's Valley. Flipping through, it sliced through the entire valley that they were standing in, as if it were paper. The chainsaw flew through right beside Yasuo, and when it swung over Dr. Mori's way, he flinched and hopped towards the ground in a "duck-and-cover" position. It was still cutting the whole valley throughout the dome, and when it finished, it went all the way over towards the duke, who caught it fiercely and posed. The Valley finally began to crumble, and when it did, the Kaiba Dome was back to normal once more, though Stratosphere Gigante could no longer be seen, except it's crotch area and legs, as it was taller than the roof of the Kaiba Dome."
"Despite my Valley's Destruction, I still get to keep my tokens, and they're not that much weaker than your monster kid…"
"Wrong again!" said Yasuo. "See, I tuned Chainsaw Duke with Ballistic Mini. When Ballistic Mini tunes a Ballistic Synchro, it increases the Synchro monster's ATK points by 1000!" A red aura was shown over Ballistic Chainsaw Duke, and his ATK points went all the way up to 3400.
"It still doesn't mean a think, Meichi!" shouted the Doctor. "See, because in my hand, I have the perfect two cards that will revive my giant, and have him destroy your monster, and deplete your life points!" he continued. "This move means absolutely nothing…."
"Buzz!" interjected Yasuo. "Sorry teach, but that's three strikes, YOU'RE OUT! Another effect that my Mini-Ballistic has, is that when it tunes a 'Ballistic' Monster, that monster not only gains the 1000 ATK points, but it can also attack every single monster that you have on your side of the field! His weakness of no ATK or DEF points is the strength of his other fellow Ballistics! To give me a true statement victory, I activate the last card in my hand, the field spell Ballistic Battlefield!" The scenery of the Kaiba Dome changed once again, but this time, they were in a desert with a red sky and low hanging sun. There were bombs and explosives going off everywhere; different warrior and machine monsters were battling it out, and blood, intestines, and mechanical parts were constantly hitting the burning sands around them. "Now, with this card, it increases all of my "Ballistic" monsters ATK and DEF on the field by it's own level x100. Therefore, I count 6 stars on my Synchro!" (Ballistic Chainsaw Duke: ATK 4000 DEF: 2400). "There are more effects with this field card, but they definitely will not be necessary, because even you can conclude, Doctor, that this duel is finished."
"I don't believe this…" said Doctor Mori. He desperately looked at his hologram cards; they could help them if there was a next turn, but they couldn't help him right now. "I don't BELIEVE THIS!"
"Believe it!" interrupted Yasuo. "Go Ballistic Chainsaw Duke, attack his first Gigante Token!" The duke revved up its chainsaw once more and rushed over to its target. In one swoop of it's weapon, the 12 foot token was sliced in half, and was destroyed upon impact with the ground.
Yasuo LP: 500
Dr. Mori LP: 1000
"Now, Ballistic Chainsaw Duke, destroy the Stratosphere Gigante and end this duel!" the duke now took a few steps back; as a matter a fact, it walked behind Yasuo and all the way as far as it could to get a good running start. When he faced Dr. Mori once more, he flashed his headlight eyes towards him. He bolted, and when he did, he past Yasuo and jumped as high and as mightily as he could. The jump worked; it was over the Kaiba Dome and was well on its way towards the Giants head. From the giant's perspective, he saw a small red dot coming up from it's waist area up, but by time it got neck level, he saw that it was a monster attacking! Stratosphere Gigante moved it's hand to stop the chainsaw wielding warrior, but it was too late; he drove his chainsaw deep into the giant's throat, and moved down, continuously having the saw pierced in it's body. The blade wasn't long enough to come out on the other side due to the giant's thick size, but it was still deep enough to truly damage him. Stratosphere Gigante gave a roar, but its throat was cut, therefore mumbling the roar to a few loud whimpers. Finally, the Chainsaw Duke was down towards the giant's waist area, and was back into the Kaiba Dome. He pulled his chainsaw out and landed on one knee and hand in the center of the dueling arena. BLAM! The giant's hologram exploded, and Doctor Mori's Life point meter hit 0, as it was his time to tumble to the ground.
Yasuo LP: 500
Dr. Mori LP: 0
Yasuo made a fist, and connected it with his chest. In the same motion, he pointed to Doctor Mori.
"Cry, cry harder, Dr. Rokuro…" said Yasuo. The Doctor made his way to his hands and knees, and gripped onto his hair as the Kaiba Dome resumed to its normality. Yasuo said his statement once again. "Cry, cry harder…"
The rest of these chapters will not end up being this long as this one. Next time, on Yu-Gi-Oh! Nexus, Turn Two—"1…2…3…Combo Breaker"!