Chapter 2: Getting Started
The cool air of Godzilla City blew over Shawn's face as he pedaled toward the card shop, bringing a feeling of calmness and placidity. The local card shop was conveniently located just a block away from the KaibaCorp dueling stadium. It was normally always busy, but because of the tournament starting soon, it was extremely packed. The shop itself was just an old pizzeria that was bought out by KaibaCorp and turned into a card shop. It was relatively large, with an entrance on either side, and then a main entrance in the front. It had a solar panel roof to conserve energy, and a state-of-the-art security system to ensure complete safety of the cards.
Shawn locked his bike up in the bike rack outside the shop. From there, he could already see posters for the tournament taped to the windows, making him even more excited and prompting him to rush in and snatch up any cards that might be left. His deck was decent for an amateur, but the professionals played on an entirely different level, and he knew that.
Pulling the doors open, the interior of the shop was absorbed into the young duelist. Thousands upon thousands of cards were laid out on steel tables, organized in all kinds of different ways. Beautifully shiny laptops called Card Terminals were positioned on stands in between each table. They were used for easily searching out any available data on a card, such as its type, rarity, and if it was in stock at the shop at the time of visitation. Due to the shop's massive popularity, especially during tournament times, cards had to be trucked in every couple of days in order to keep customers satisfied.
Stepping over to an unoccupied Card Terminal, Shawn started it up, proceeding directly to the EARTH-attribute cards. He skimmed through the list, considering his budget and his skill level. Due to his budget, some cards he really wanted were out of his reach, but most of them were doable, and in stock, fortunately. He looked around at all the other customers, wondering how many of them would be participating in the tournament. Most of them seemed like amateurs like him, but a few appeared to be seasoned duelists, wearing standard issue Duel Disks and duel belts already.
Remembering he still had to sign up before he could do any official dueling, he quickly memorized the pack codes for the cards, leaving the Card Terminal, swiftly turning and smacking right into a teenager holding a handful of new cards. Seeing the kid drop his cards as this happened, Shawn immediately apologized and bent down to help the kid pick them up. "I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going. I was in a hurry."
"What are you doing? Don't touch my cards!" the teen shouted, bumping Shawn out of the way. "I don't want you stealing any of my precious cards. I need these to win the tournament."
Shawn stood up, insulted that the kid thought he would steal his cards. "Hey, I was just trying to help. You don't have to be a butthead about it."
"Shut up, idiot!" the teen said, stuffing his cards in his pockets and running out of the shop, leaving Shawn a little dumbfounded.
"Um, okay…" He returned his focus to his current goal of getting his cards, proceeding to the table directly across from him that held a good portion of the monster cards he needed. Ah, these will do just fine.
His card buying finished, he left for the entrance, happy with his selection. Going through the cards he bought as he left the shop, he barely had time to notice that the teenager from before was standing next to his bike, only he wasn't alone. Three other teenagers were with him.
"Hey, you with the cards," announced the bulkiest teen, who also happened to be holding a steel bat.
Shawn looked up, a little intimidated by what he saw. "Y-yes?"
"My little brother here tells me you stole one of his cards."
"What? No, I didn't. We bumped into each other—" Shawn was cut off as the two teens grabbed his arms, holding him wide open for an assault.
The bulkiest teen reached into Shawn's pocket and retrieved a card, surprising Shawn. "Look what we have here. Is this your card, Mikey?"
The teen from before nodded. "Yep, that's it, Mitch. He must've snuck it into his pocket somehow!"
Shawn blurted out, "That's bull! I didn't even touch his cards! You framed me!"
Mitch raised the bat above his head, preparing to strike Shawn. "How it happened doesn't matter. The fact is, you had my brother's card in your pocket, so you technically were stealing it. Good thing he noticed, because that card was worth $25. Looks like you'll have to pay interest on it, just for attempting, so get ready, kid. Once I beat the snot out of you, I'll take all your cards. Surely a punk like you can't afford any cards worth $25."
Shawn struggled, but it was futile. The other two teens were too strong and kept him from getting away. This can't be happening. I'm finally on my way to becoming a pro, and these guys are going to mess it all up…
Car exhaust boomed down the street, delaying Mitch's swing. The sound of a monstrous supercharged V8 screamed as a bright red 2003 Ford Mustang GT sped into view, startling the muggers. The car didn't appear to be stopping, which scared the boys enough to leap out of the way. Shawn remained, stricken with fear. The brakes of the car screeched as it turned, and it came skidding to a stop next to the sidewalk.
Mitch appeared from behind a garbage can, shaking his fist angrily. "Hey, what's the big deal! You almost killed us!"
The car purred for a moment before the engine shut off. No movement could be seen through the tinted windows. The driver's side door opened and a young man stepped out. What stood out instantly was the black and red Duel Disk attached to his left arm, which matched his red shirt and black pants.
Shawn didn't know who this man was, but he was glad he arrived. Hm, he seems familiar.
Fortunately, Mitch recognized the man, and backed off at once. "L-l-let's get out of here, guys. I just remembered my dad bought me some new cards! We don't need this kid's!"
As he turned, the man finally addressed him. "Why the rush? I came here to duel."
Without turning to face the man, Mitch responded, "No way, man! I'll take my chances in the tournament!" He, his little brother, and his two goons high-tailed it down the closest alleyway.
The man smiled, then stepped over to Shawn. He had similar spiked brown hair, but his was only spiked in the front. "I don't think they'll be bothering you anytime soon. Watch yourself."
He began walking away toward the card shop entrance when Shawn realized he was one of the men on the tournament flyers posted all over. Holy crap, that's him! I have to talk to him! "Wait!" The man stopped. "You're Derek Myers, aren't you?"
Turning, the man replied, "Yeah, I am. Did you need something?"
"I wanted to say thanks," Shawn said. "They would've taken all the cards I just bought for the tournament if you hadn't shown up."
"It was nothing," Derek said, shrugging his shoulders. "Bullies like him don't deserve to duel. So you're entered in the tournament, huh?"
Shawn twiddled his thumbs. "Well, not yet. I just found out about it today, so I still have to register."
"Did you get all the cards you needed from here?"
"Most of them. I didn't have enough money for some, like Valkyrion the Magna Warrior. He was too expensive."
"Sorry," Derek said, a tone of understanding in his voice. "I know how that feels. I used to save up for months just for a couple cards." He paused. "I'll tell you what. Why don't you register for the tournament and then meet me back here?"
"Okay, but how come?"
"You'll see. You better hurry up before registration closes for the day."
"All right. Thanks again!"
Derek smiled as Shawn left, then pressed a button on his car remote, locking it. He entered the shop as Shawn removed his bike from the rack and hopped on, pedaling as fast as he could toward the dueling stadium.
Man, I can't believe I met the state champion. I have to tell Mindy and Sam as soon as I can. Shawn slowed his pedaling down to a crawl as he found himself in front of the dueling stadium, marveling at its colossal stature and beauty. For a 10-year-old building, it looked like it had just been built yesterday.
The smell of hotdogs and burgers filled the air as he went inside, a few concession stands catching his eye. He wiped some drool from his chin and returned his focus to the reception desk in the center of the spacious room. There were three women doing miscellaneous duties behind it, but they all looked up as soon as he approached.
"Hello. Are you here to register for the KaibaCorp Battle City 2 Qualifier tournament?" asked the pink-haired woman in the middle, a tired smile on her face.
"Yes, ma'am," Shawn answered. What? Battle City 2 Qualifier tournament?
"Name?"
"Shawn Smith."
"It appears you've never participated in a tournament before. Is that correct?"
"Yes." And I didn't think the first one I'd be in would be a qualifier for the second Battle City…
"You'll be needing a Duel Disk then, I assume?"
"That's correct."
After each answer, she would type furiously on the keyboard, the other two women watching. As she finished typing her last passage, the blue-haired woman to her right disappeared into the room behind the desk, returning shortly with a blue-and-white box, handing it over to Shawn.
He popped the top off the box, gazing inside at his shiny new gizmo like a fat kid who had just entered Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Wow, my very own Duel Disk. It's so beautiful. His gazing was interrupted as the green-haired woman set a pen and paper on the counter in front of him. He skimmed over the paper, which was a safety waiver, and signed promptly. The green-haired woman took the paper and handed it to the blue-haired woman, who fed it into her computer, which then printed out a small ticket.
"This is your ticket of admittance to the tournament," said the woman, sliding it to him on the counter. "Without it, you will not be permitted to duel in the tournament." She also gave him a small booklet. "This is the official KaibaCorp rulebook. You're expected to read and understand all the rules within. You've already received your Duel Disk, which is what you will be using in all of your duels. If you lose or break it, you will be supplied with a new one, but try not to lose or break the one you have, please." Finally, she handed him a white paper with the names of all the participants and when the tournament would officially begin. "This paper lists each competitor, but you will not know who you face until right before the match, in order to keep everybody on an even playing field. Do you understand everything I've told you?"
Shawn nodded, processing everything as well as he could. "Yes, I do. Thank you."
"You're welcome, and good luck," she said, returning to her computer.
Left to his own devices, Shawn jogged out of the stadium, eager to meet Derek back at the card shop. I wonder what he wants with me. I'm just a kid and he's a state champion. He hopped back on his bike and took off for the card shop. He noticed it was already getting dark outside, and his mother was probably worried about him. I hope this doesn't take too long. I don't want my mom grounding me. Hm, I wonder what Mindy's doing right now…
"Hey, Shawn!" Mindy shouted happily, waving to him as he arrived.
"Mindy? What are you doing here?" asked Shawn, locking his bike up.
"I wanted to help you with choosing your new cards and maybe help you practice," she said, holding out her deck. "Then I saw Derek. We started talking and he explained what happened earlier. I'm glad you're okay."
"Thanks…" Shawn said, blushing.
"Shawn," Derek said, grabbing Shawn's attention with his low-pitched voice. "You're all registered for the tournament, I see."
"Yeah, but I didn't know it'd be the prelude to Battle City 2!" Shawn blurted, holding the Duel Disk box underneath his arm. "Battle City was the biggest Duel Monsters tournament in history, and this one will probably be even bigger! I'm stoked to even be a part of the qualifier! I just have to build my deck and practice, which might be a little difficult. The tournament starts on Saturday and it's already Thursday night."
"That's what I wanted to see you about," Derek said, opening the shop's door. "Come on."
Inside, the shop was mostly older kids now since the younger ones had gone home for the night. After signing a few autographs, Derek took Shawn to a Card Terminal and started it up, Mindy watching from the side.
"Make a list of the cards you couldn't afford," said Derek, stepping to the side.
"What do you mean? Why?" Shawn asked, dumbfounded.
"I'll buy them for you, of course."
At this statement, Shawn was confounded. "Why would you do that? You don't owe me. If anything, I owe you." This is so amazing, yet weird. Why is a state champion buying cards for an amateur like me? Surely he's got better things to use his money on.
Mindy butted in, saying, "Just take the offer, Shawn. It's not like he's doing this for nothing. We both want to see you succeed in this tournament, and you can't do that if you're missing cards."
Shawn looked up at Derek, who was even taller than Sam by a few inches. "But…you hardly know me."
"You remind me of myself when I was your age," explained Derek. "From what Mindy's told me, you have a good heart, and I have a feeling you'll go far in this tournament."
"Go far?" Shawn gleamed. "I'm going to win and go to Battle City 2, and I'm only 15!"
"Yeah, but you can't do that if you're always wondering about the cards you could've had," Mindy maintained. "It's just common knowledge of the human mind. Now, come on, pick your cards."
Still hesitant, Shawn gradually moved up to the Card Terminal and made his list. When he finished, Derek looked it over and left the two alone to get the cards. Shawn popped the top off his Duel Disk box again, removing the Disk from its cushioning, his eyes fixed on it.
"Let me see that," Mindy said, snatching it from his hands and trying it on. She clenched her fist and the Duel Disk activated, changing from Standby Mode to Duel Mode. She giggled, fiddling with the buttons and the Life Point counter. "This is pretty cool, but it's almost as big as my whole arm!"
Whoa. I didn't think it was possible for her to get any hotter. The Duel Disk has proven me wrong. "Uh, why don't I take that back?" He unclipped it from her arm, placing it on his instead and exhaling sharply. Phew, moment of extreme awkwardness avoided…
Derek returned with a metal tin just then, handing it over to Shawn carefully. "Here you go. All of the cards you listed are in here."
"How can I thank you?"
"Just do your best in the tournament. Who knows, maybe we'll end up dueling each other in the finals."
The electronic entrance doors slid open, a startlingly chilling breeze blowing in. Everyone looked over to the doors, seeing a group of men adorned in purple robes standing there.
"Who are they…?" Shawn questioned, watching as they slinked their way past him.
I've got a bad feeling about this. Mindy rubbed her arms, trying to warm up from the cold breeze the men had brought along with them. "They look like Ghouls, but that's impossible… Ghouls worked for Marik, and he was defeated 10 years ago at Battle City… What's going on?"
The men slithered over to the shop owner, where the apparent leader of the group held out his vein-covered hand.
"Give me all of your rare cards and we won't have to hurt anybody!" the Ghoul demanded, shaking his hand over and over as if that would make the shop owner give in quicker.
"This is a KaibaCorp card shop, pal!" the shop owner said, sticking up for him. "You better get out of here or you'll be punished under the full extent of the law. I've already got you on camera so don't make this worse for yourself."
"Worse for myself? You're the one who should be worried!" His veiny hand grabbed hold of the shop owner's collar, pulling the man close to him. "You have no idea of the horrors that await those who defy us! Your pathetic cameras and laws are useless against us!" He threw the shop owner back, the man hitting a shelf of tins and card sleeves, knocking them over.
That's it! I won't stand by and watch them do this, not after what I went through earlier. Shawn took a step forward but Derek held out his arm, stopping him. "Huh?"
"I'll handle this," Derek said flatly, taking a few steps toward the ghostly men. "Hey! Does someone need to call the Ghost Busters on you guys?"
The men switched their attention to Derek, eerily glaring at him. The one who interacted with the shop owner made his way to the front of the group again, lifting his arm to point at Derek. "You think you're funny mocking us, boy?"
"Funny? No," said Derek. "Just honest. You guys really do look like you could be in a Ghost Busters movie."
The man snarled. "Who are you, boy?"
"Derek Myers. Maybe you've heard of me. I'm the state champion, soon-to-be world champion, so I suggest you just leave before things get crazy."
Ah! Derek Myers, huh? He holds the extremely rare Crush Card Virus card. I must obtain it! The man frowned. "How about we settle this in a duel, hm? Certainly you wouldn't object, right?"
"As long as you leave once I beat you."
"Oh, of course…of course." He doesn't realize this won't be a simple one-on-one duel. That fool will be facing all of us!
"Then let's do this." Derek raised his arm, his Duel Disk springing into action. He slid his deck into place, the Disk lighting up as if on command. He stood by, waiting for his opponent to ready himself.