Yu-Gi-Oh! Burning Red

Game Two: Team Hotbloods Formed! The Veteran and the Designer!

The sky was painted red as the sun set.

He watched her walking up the steps- queen of the world, now. He always thought she would be. No- rather, he always knew she would be. She deserved it, too. This girl was now acknowledged as the strongest duelist in the world- the second player to hold that title since the king had stepped down.

She turned to say something to him, and when he saw the expression of contempt on her face, his heart nearly broke.

Then she smiled, and his world was completed again.

He reached out to touch her outstretched hand-

"ACHAN!"

Achan Smith was suddenly jolted out of his dream, the image of the girl and the sky fading into nothingness before he could grab them. He groaned slowly opening his eyes. To most people, being greeted by a floating, brown puffball of fur with gigantic adorable eyes and a pair of bat's wings would probably have seemed completely unnatural. To Achan, it was simply a normal part of his day. "…Mornin' Devi," he groaned as he felt his bearings return to him. "…Why are you waking me up so early?"

"Early? We're nearly there, idiot! The plane is landing!" The puffball moved back, giving Achan some room to back up and attempt to smooth out his hair.

Achan pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt, covering the mass of red hair perched atop his head that jutted out in a strange starfish-like shape. He glanced out the window at the approaching airport. "New York…" he muttered.

"Remember, this Shishio guy is a pro! You have to make a good impression, or he might reconsider his offer!" the puffball fussed.

Achan yawned and continued to look out the window, marveling at how the structures on the ground looked like a detailed model from the air. "…I had a dream about her again, Devi."

The puffball paused. "Her?"

"The girl I told you about." Achan sighed, adjusting his jacket. "…Wonder how she's doing right now? I dreamed pro dueling got boring for her, so she switched over to business management…"

Devi's eyes narrowed. "Achan, whatever these dreams you're having are, they never actually happened. You know that, right?"

Achan shrugged. "Well, when we met you told me that this world is one of many. As far as I know, there could be tons of other realities. And maybe in one of those realities, she and I met and fell in love after all."

The puffball jiggled up and down in mid-air as he snickered. "Figures- an alternate universe is the only place you could get a girl."

"WHY YOU-!"

The passengers on flight 34 from Virginia to New York were startled when a young man in his late teens suddenly began snatching at thin air and threatening to "rip the wings off" a companion who didn't exist.


"…Urrgh."

Kaito's entire body ached, and his thoughts seemed clouded and fuzzy. He dimly wondered if he had been hit by a passing car. He tried to piece together what had happened. Slowly, memories began to return. The duel last night. He had been dueling a guy named Reaper. No, the guy's name had been Creed. He couldn't remember whether Creed was his first name or his last name. He had gone out for a walk and met that guy. They'd shaken hands. And then…

Everything came rushing back- the handshake, the strange design on his hand, and the bizarre feeling of euphoria he'd experienced immediately afterwards. Kaito sat bolt upright and shouted in surprise.

As he opened his eyes, he realized the world still seemed a little blurry, and he had a splitting headache. He wondered if whatever had happened to him last night was causing some side effects. Finally, the room around him fell into a recognizable order. He was sitting on a blue couch in what appeared to be a small but well-furnished apartment. He glanced around, groaning in pain. Alright then, he had somehow managed to end up in somebody's apartment. Just where the hell was he?

"Oh, you're awake."

The voice was low, harmonious, and most importantly- female. Even in his pain-dazed state, Kaito still reacted by immediately turning to face the woman.

She was younger than he'd expected- probably not out of her late teens yet. Her hair was cut to about shoulder length, and kept in place with a red headband, and her clothing was quite simple- a black sweater and blue jeans. It occurred to Kaito that if she weren't staring at him with an expression somewhere between amusement and near disdain, she'd probably be fairly pretty. "…Who're you…?" he groaned as he clutched his head, which still felt as if it was on the verge of splitting open.

"My name's Rachel," the girl replied, then paused for a moment. "Rachel Dorothy Wayne." Kaito noticed an unusual note of pride in her voice as she said her full name. "…Anyway, that should be my question. It's not often that I run into a guy collapsed on the street outside my apartment."

Kaito wasn't surprised by the news. "…So I collapsed, huh."

The girl nodded. "I don't know what you were doing last night, but it must have been some party."

Kaito was confused by the statement for a moment, but then something clicked. The girl thought he had been drunk. "…No, that's not it, I was…"

He stopped. What was he supposed to tell her? He'd run into a rookie pro who had given him a handshake that made him high?

"…I don't drink," he finished, conscious of exactly how lame he probably sounded.

The expression of bemused annoyance didn't leave Rachel's face. "Mmmhmmm. Well, I didn't call the cops and I figured you needed to sleep it off, so I brought you up here."

Kaito nodded and muttered "Thanks". He felt like somebody had taken a railroad spike and was pounding it into his head.

Rachel smirked. "Need a prairie oyster? I've got a friend near here who makes a good one. She's probably got some spare vodka too."

Kaito shook his head. "No… thanks…" he groaned. "I told you… I don't drink."

Rachel actually chuckled as he struggled to his feet. "Whatever you say… Mr. Shishio."

Kaito nearly jumped in surprise. "…How do you know my name? Are you a dueling fan or something?"

Rachel continued laughing and shook her head. "…Yeah, a little… I also found this in your pocket." She tossed a black, rectangular object to Kaito, who managed to bring up his hand in time to catch it.

He realized what it was almost instantly. "…You took my wallet?"

"Yep. Only thing that's missing from it is ten bucks for the use of my couch, and seven for the coffee you're probably going to want this morning," Rachel replied nonchalantly.

Several possible retorts flew through Kaito's head. In the end, all he finally managed was "Seven bucks for a cup of coffee?"

Rachel nodded, grinning. "I don't think you've got much of a choice. It's either that or I kick you out on the street with a hangover, or call the police and charge you with harassment. Your choice."

Kaito stared at the girl. "…You're the devil," he managed.

Rachel nodded sagely. "Yep."


Kaito managed to flash her a crooked grin. "...Well then, I hope you've got decent coffee."

"So you're certain that we're not lost."

"Absolutely positive," Achan muttered to his companion as he glanced up at a nearby skyscraper. "Mr. Lawrence said he'd meet us on Thirty-Fourth Street. That's where we are. He should be here any moment now."

The devil-winged Kuriboh simply shrugged its wings. "...Maybe he's already here?"

Achan sighed. "No clue. With a crowd like this I guess it's possible that we'd miss him…"

He scanned the crowd, searching for the blonde-haired manager, when something caught his eye.

Achan's face paled. That man standing by the corner, the blonde one in the black jacket- to anyone else he would have looked perfectly ordinary. But Achan knew this wasn't the case- and he also knew that somehow, the man knew that he had been noticed. Achan managed to shout "Hey, you!" just as the man smirked and began to run.

Devi hissed. "Achan what the hell are you doing?"

Achan shook his head, pointing after the fleeing man. "H-He… he… It's like he ate a duel spirit or something!"

Devi's already enormous eyes widened in disbelief. "What did you just say?"

Achan, however, was no longer standing around and waiting for the conversation to continue. He dashed after the man, hoping to catch up with him before he was completely lost from sight.

"Breakfast's ready."

Kaito glanced up from the couch at Rachel. He wasn't sure what to make of the strange girl- one minute she was going through his pockets and stealing his money, the next she was making him lay back down to rest his hangover while she made breakfast for the two of them. He thought it over for a moment and decided that whatever else she was, the girl had saved him from getting picked up by the cops last night, so it was probably best to humor her.

He managed to pull himself up to a sitting position again, glad that the pain in his skull was finally receding. "So, what's on the menu?"

"Sausage," Rachel replied curtly as she walked out of the kitchen bearing a plate in each hand. "I got a good price on some the last time I went shopping, so I figured I'd use it up now."

Kaito gratefully accepted the plate. "…Hopefully the sausage is better than the coffee," he teased, grinning. "I think you overcharged."

"Or you just don't appreciate good black coffee," Rachel quipped in response. She sat down on an ottoman and tossed Kaito a fork. If he hadn't caught it, it likely would have jabbed his eye out. "…So… Mr. Lion of the East, as long as you're enjoying my hospitality, I've thought of a way you can pay me back for breakfast."

Kaito nearly choked on a link of sausage. "…Ms. Wayne, is there anything here that doesn't cost money?"

Rachel giggled. "Relax, I don't want to take your cash this time. I'm looking for information."

Kaito glared at her suspiciously. "I'm afraid that I don't quite follow."

Rachel smiled sweetly, and Kaito could have sworn that a demonic aura flared up around her for a moment. "You see, I'm a freelance photographer right now, but I do what I can to make ends meet, and papers pay a lot if you can bring them information about celebrities or popular figures. And you, Mr. Shishio, are a public figure."

Kaito groaned. "…You want to INTERVIEW me?"

Rachel's sweet smile transformed into a devilish grin. "No, not yet. For now I'm just going to ask you a few questions about your life. See, I figure… why stop with one interview? If I can get several and sell them to different papers after all…"

Kaito's jaw dropped. "I was kidding when I said you were the devil."

"I'm not a devil, I'm just a girl who knows how to exploit circumstances," Rachel corrected him, her face practically glowing with happiness.

It occurred to Kaito that he- the proud lion of the east- was being completely pushed around by a girl who probably wasn't two years out of high school. "…Forget it," he growled, standing up and laying his plate of sausage on the couch. "I have an appointment later today to meet some kid that my manager wants me to team with for the Kaiser Cup, I hate giving interviews, and you've already technically stolen my money. I'm not sticking around. Thanks for the sausage, switch coffee brands, bye." He strode to the door and prepared to open it and leave.

"Do you really think that's wise?"

Kaito turned slowly. The devil grin was back on Rachel's face. "What do you mean?" he demanded.

"…Well… if you just run off without giving me an interview I might be compelled to release some slightly less-than-flattering information I happen to have about you," the girl practically purred.

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "…What information?"

The devil grin was now something more like a shark's- gotcha, no escape now. "Oh… I could always tell some of the more reliable tabloids that the Lion of the East spent last night in the apartment of a certain nineteen year old photographer. I have photographic evidence of it, after all."

Kaito's jaw dropped. "…You wouldn't dare."

Rachel grinned coyly. "Hey, I sell stuff to tabloids; my dignity's pretty much gone as is. I don't have a lot to lose, and I bet I could make a lot of money if I gave the right people a chance to write some scandalous stuff about the American Pro League's latest media darling. That'd be you, Mr. Shishio." She giggled.

Kaito glared at her. "…You have no idea how much I hate you right now."

"I work for the tabloids, everyone hates me," Rachel replied nonchalantly. "Now, let's talk a bit about you…"


"Achan! Achan, slow down!"

Achan ignored the devil-winged Kuriboh and instead raced after the man in black. There was something wrong about that man, something very wrong. The man turned left, neither running nor walking- Achan slowly realized that the man was pacing himself. "…He wants me to follow?"

The man turned left into an alleyway, and Achan dashed after him. "Stop!"

They had reached the end. The man turned, and Achan pointed at him. "…What the hell are you?" he asked.

The man raised an eyebrow. "…Nice to meet you in person as well, Mr. Smith. You may call me Creed."

"…I didn't ask that," Achan growled. "…I asked what you were."

Creed glanced at Achan inquisitively for a moment, a puzzled expression on his face. After a moment his face brightened as if he had just realized something. "…Oh, I see… you're a seer, aren't you? That explains why he asked me to meet you here…" His voice trailed off.

Achan gritted his teeth in frustration. He didn't know who this man was, but he knew that he was being ignored. "…Yeah, I can see duel energy," he snarled. "Duel energy and anything that uses it. I want to know what you are. You've got human energy, but you're eating it like a spirit. Why? How? What are you?" He fired off his last three questions as if they were accusations.

Creed clicked his tongue. "…Watch your temper, young man. What I am is none of your concern, but I've been sent to deliver a message to you."

Achan felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. Devi floated beside him, shouting something incomprehensible, but he didn't care. "…Who sent you and what message?"

"…The sender asked to remain confidential, but the message is this." Achan stepped back in alarm as he realized that Creed had somehow crossed the distance between them instantly and was now a hair's breadth away from his face. "…You have been chosen to play a game with fate. If you win, you may do as you will. Lose and you lose control of your life." Creed grabbed Achan's wrist. "…The one who gave me this message has also sent you this gift, seer."

Achan screamed in pain as a burning situation ran up the length of his arm. He managed to twist it out of Creed's grip, though just barely, and brought up his palm. A design had been burnt into it- a wide-open eye with lines shooting off in every direction from it, as if it were giving off some sort of supernatural light. He heard Creed's laughter reverberating in his ears. In a blur of movement he whipped his right arm up, and the laughter stopped as he felt his fist smack into the strange man's jaw.

Creed stumbled backward and fell against the wall of the alley. "…Cheap shot…" he muttered. He stood up, dusting himself off as he glared at Achan. "…I see you're resistant to the after-effects of my abilities as well. One of the inherent risks of placing a mark like this on a seer, I suppose."

Achan didn't answer. He simply clenched his fists and assumed a rather clumsy boxing stance. "…Now answer my questions or I'll-"

Achan felt the world around him beginning to dissolve. Before he could ask what was happening, he was standing in the middle of Thirty-Fourth Street's sidewalk. The man he had been talking with had vanished completely. "…What the hell?"

Devi hovered next to the teenager's ear. "He… I've never seen anything like that. He just pushed the space a little and slipped us through."

"Achan! There you are!"

Achan turned to face the man he'd come to thirty-fourth street to meet. "Mr. Lawrence! I just ran into-"

The blonde-haired manager grabbed Achan's hand. "No time to waste, we're late already. Come now, let's go!"


Kaito glared at Rachel. She glared back. The two were sitting on opposite sides of the round table that Rachel had set up in her kitchen. Neither was giving an inch.

Finally, Kaito broke the deadlock of silence. "…I'm not answering that."

"…And I'm asking you why not," Rachel replied. "What's the big deal anyway? All I asked was 'why are you an expatriate?' Did you commit a crime in Japan or something? What?"

"It's nothing like that, but I have my own reasons for living here and not applying for citizenship and I'm not telling them to anyone who plans to sell them. If that's the case I'd rather just let you tell all the papers I spent the night with you." Kaito delivered the last statement with particular venom.

Rachel groaned. "…So unreasonably stubborn," she muttered. After a moment, she sighed and opened the notepad she had carried to the table with her. "…Alright if you're not going to answer that question, how about answering this one- where did that tattoo of yours come from?"

"Tattoo?" Kaito asked, confused.

"Your right hand, genius." Rachel rolled her eyes and pointed to it. "The roaring lion thing. That tattoo."

Kaito stared at the mark. Brilliant- what was he supposed to tell her now? "…Um… I just got this last night," he admitted. "I can't tell you how or why though."

"…Last night? How the hell is that possible?" Rachel stared at the tattoo. "I read online this morning that your match finished only three hours before you showed up here. If you're not going to tell me the truth then this interview's not going to go very smoothly."

Kaito blanched at the angry expression on her face. "…Um…"

Before he could begin to formulate an explanation, he was interrupted by an extremely cheerful tune. He glanced at his coat, which was lying on the couch- he'd left his cell phone in there and turned it on shortly after waking up. He gratefully crossed to the couch and answered the call. "Shishio speaking."

"You're late. Smith and his manager are already on their way. Where are you?"

Kaito groaned. As expected, it was Cole.

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Who's calling, your ex-girlfriend?"

Kaito covered the phone's receiver and shook his head. "Worse. My manager. I'm late." He uncovered the receiver and held the phone back up to his ear. "Cole? Hey, sorry I couldn't get back to you. That Reaper guy jumped me on the way out the stadium and did something to me- I think he might've drugged me. Right now this crazy girl's got me as her captive audience."

"You spent the night with a girl? Please tell me you at least picked someone the tabloids won't go insane over."

Kaito sighed. "…She IS the tabloids. I collapsed outside her house and she's threatening to tell the magazines I stayed over last night if I don't spill my guts."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. When Cole spoke again, a deep note of disappointment was evident in his voice. "Shishio, you've done a lot of stupid things. This one you deserve a prize for."

"I told you, the guy drugged me!" Kaito snapped. "At least… I think he did, I don't know! One minute we're shaking hands and the next I'm in this girl's house and I don't know how I got there and I have this goddam mark on my hand and-"

Cole interrupted. "Mark?"

"Yeah, there's a tattoo on my right hand. Roaring lion. Cute, huh?" The last phrase was filled with as much venom as Kaito could muster.

There was silence on the end of the line again. "Look, Kaito, I'm not in the mood for joking around. Just get down to BI headquarters, NOW."

The hair on the back of Kaito's neck stood up. "I'll be right there."

"Not without me you won't," Rachel interrupted, shutting her notebook. "I'm not letting my meal ticket run away so easily- you understand, don't you?"

Kaito glared at her and returned to his phone call. "…Cole, my captor wants to come along. I don't think we can turn her down."

The sigh on the other end of the line was audible. "Bring the girl too, but be careful. If the tabloids see you two leaving together it won't matter if she tells them you stayed the night or not. See you soon, Shishio."

Kaito snapped the cell phone shut. "…That was my manager. The guy I'm teaming with for the Kaiser Cup just showed up. We're going to go meet him now."

Rachel stood up. "…That stuff you said about that guy drugging you…" she pursed her lips. "Did that stuff actually happen?"

"Yeah. I didn't even see him do it." Kaito shook his head. "One minute we're shaking hands, the next minute I'm on your couch complete with some new body art."

The girl shook her head. "Something's wrong here. Very wrong." She grabbed a shoulder bag that was hanging from a nearby chair and stuffed her notebook into it. "You go first. I'll follow up behind you. If you give me the wrong address, you know what'll happen."

The red-haired duelist's only response was to glare at her for a full thirty seconds before giving her the address and walking out the door.


Cole raised an eyebrow as Kaito finally entered the agreed-upon meeting point- a skyscraper that served as the corporate headquarters of Babylon International, a global company dedicated to selling just about everything, and Kaito's sponsor. "So, the Lion of the East finally makes his appearance. Where's the new girlfriend, Shishio?"

Kaito's snarled at him and said nothing; instead opting to sit down on an armchair opposite the one Cole was sitting in. "…So, where's this Smith guy?"

"Over there," Cole said, pointing to one of the large windows. Kaito looked up.

Kaito's first impressions of Achan were essentially the same as most people who met him. He was obviously in his late teens, somewhere in the nineteen-eighteen range, and while he wasn't much taller than Kaito he was certainly no giant. His skin seemed rather pale- perhaps he didn't spend enough time outside? The teenager turned from the window and adjusted the sleeves of the red sweatshirt he was wearing, which swallowed his hands each time he moved them, and pulled back his hood.

Kaito took one look at the rather unusual hairstyle and burst out laughing, which earned him a glance of disapproval from Cole. "…You know, that hairstyle was quite popular years ago," the manager remarked.

Kaito allowed his laughter to subside before answering. "…Yeah, I know the King of Games used to wear his hair like that but… but…"

Achan sighed. "…Don't worry about it," he muttered, "I'm used to the laughing. One of my co-workers bet me that I wouldn't dare get my hair cut like this before I went pro, and I took him up on it… I've been getting this reaction ever since then."

Cole glared at the two. "…If we're quite done, would you two please introduce yourselves to each other?"

Achan froze. "…Mr. Shishio?"

"Call me Kaito," the older man replied. "We're probably going to be teaming up for the Kaiser Cup, right?"

"…Right… um… Kaito…" Achan stared at him.

"…What? Have I got something in my teeth?"

Achan gulped. "…Um… er…"

"What my client would like to say is that he's been a big fan since you entered the professional dueling circuit and he'd love to form a team with you. Isn't that right, Achan?"

Kaito turned. Thomas Lawrence had stolen up behind his client, and was now offering the lion of the east a handshake. "I'm delighted to meet you as well, Mr. Shishio. My name is Thomas Lawrence, and I represent Mr. Smith's professional interests. I'm honored that you requested for us to form a team with-"

"…I never asked you to form a team with me," Kaito interrupted. "…As a matter of fact, I'm not sure I want to form a team with a kid who can't speak for himself." Kaito grinned in satisfaction at the expression of shock and horror that plastered itself across the manager's face. "I came here because Cole wouldn't shut up."

Lawrence whirled and glared at Cole. "…Matthews, I thought you said your client had invited us personally!"

The other manager shook his head and smiled a crooked smile. "I never made that claim. I said that Babylon International, Mr. Shishio's sponsor, wanted to invite you to team with my client during the Kaiser Cup and that he wasn't opposed to the idea. Mr. Shishio's opinions after meeting your client are not up to me to decide."

Lawrence was too flustered to say a word.

Achan, however, gritted his teeth. "…I can speak for myself just fine!" he snapped. "I was going to ask if you were a seer too. That's all!"

Kaito stared at the teenager. "…So the puppy has fangs after all," he teased. "As for being a seer, I have no clue what the hell that even is."

Achan sighed. "…Guess not… wait, puppy?" He glared at Kaito furiously. "Just because I'm a rookie pro doesn't mean you get to push me around!"

Kaito chuckled. "…You know, I could get to like you, kid. Tell you what… this has been a crappy day for me, and as team mates we'll be expected to know each other's cards. So if you want to earn my respect…"

"A duel?" Achan stared at Kaito. After a moment he managed to string together an articulate sentence. "I-I won't lose, then!"


Kaito stared at Achan. "…I know I said you could pick the location for our duel but… did you have to pick the roof?" He shivered in the chilling wind.

Achan grinned, even as his teeth chattered. "Oh, come on, we both know it's more awesome this way."

Kaito managed to restrain a chuckle. "True. Ready?"

Achan raised his duel disk, which whirred to life. Kaito noticed something about it- namely, it was a much older model, lacking the central hub that most duel disks now carried and instead displaying an old-fashioned life point counter. "Aren't you a little young to get nostalgic about a KC original?" he asked.

"Hey, this duel disk is an antique!" Achan protested. "There are collectors who'd pay out their nose to get their hands on something like this! Plus I like the design better, and it's way more comfortable on your arm than the newer models and-"

"Kid?"

Achan's flow of conversation stopped as Kaito interrupted him. "Yes?"

"…Less talk, more dueling." Kaito raised his right arm, and his duel disk activated.

Both combatants stared at each other for a moment, making eye contact without flinching. Finally, both voices rang out in unison. "DUEL!"


Rachel burst into the conference room of Babylon International breathlessly. "Sorry I'm late," she gasped, staring at the room's posh interior. "Had to sneak past a few damn security guards who didn't believe that Shishio had invited me here-"

"Frankly, I can't believe he did either. You must be the new girlfriend."

Rachel turned. Cole was sitting in the exact same armchair he had occupied when Kaito had entered the building earlier, his face displaying an expression somewhere between amusement and utter contempt. "You realize, Miss, that my client does not take kindly to extortion and neither do I."

"Fine by me," Rachel retorted. "You don't have to like me; you just have to put up with me. Now…"

She whipped out her notebook. "You're Shishio's manager, right? As long as I'm here, you can answer a few questions for me."

"I believe that I have a few that should be answered first, Matthews," Lawrence interrupted. "Why did you deliberately mislead me into thinking that Shishio was receptive to the idea of my client joining his team? I have to protest this treatment, and furthermore-"

Cole smirked. "Relax, Mr. Lawrence. Shishio's treatment of your client in no way indicates he doesn't want to team with him for the Kaiser Cup."

"Really now," Lawrence replied drily, obviously not accepting Cole's explanation.

"It's true. My client is a little… hands-on about assessing opposing duelists, however. I find it very likely that he's just testing the waters with your client, making sure that he's not about to be partnered with an incompetent duelist. Provided your client doesn't make an ass of himself when dueling, everything should work out," Cole replied placidly.

Rachel had the distinct impression that if Lawrence's eyes bugged out any more he'd look something like a Warner Brothers character. "B-But that's-"

"That's precisely the attitude that drew you to Mr. Shishio in the first place, isn't it? Don't complain." Cole sighed. "…Now, Miss…"

"Wayne," Rachel replied. "Rachel Dorothy Wayne. I have a few questions about your client, Mr. Matthews…"


"The challenger takes the first move," Kaito said as he pointed to Achan. "Show me your stuff, kid."

"…Alright then um… My turn! Draw!" Achan pulled a card from his duel disk, attempting to slash the card through the air dramatically.

Kaito sighed. "…No, not quite like that, kid. You have to control the motion or you end up showing the opponent your card. Try it again." He reached for his own deck and demonstrated the proper movement.

"So more like… this?" Achan mimicked the motion perfectly.

Kaito gave the teenager a round of mock applause. "Better. Now show me what you've got!"

"…Um… I summon… okay! Wandering Hero in attack position!" Achan fumbled with the card for a moment before placing it on his duel disk. A brilliant pillar of light appeared in front of him before fading and revealing a single figure dressed in leather armor and a flowing, green cape. The figure's most striking feature, however, was its hair- blonde and extremely spiky. Something about the monster seemed extremely familiar. (1700/1200)

Kaito's jaw dropped. "…Did you just summon Cloud Strife?"

Achan giggled. "Haha, you played that game too? It's pretty old now so once in a while I run into people who don't know him, but yeah, Cloud is the most awesome video game hero ever… so when I got asked to draw all the art for the Wandering archetype I couldn't resist adding a bunch of in-jokes and well, this is the-"

"Art?" Kaito stared at Achan. "Wait a minute, you mean you drew those cards?"

Achan giggled again. "Didn't Mr. Lawrence tell you? My last job was a concept artist for I2! I did the original art for a bunch of cards!"

Kaito managed to recover from his surprise. "…Either way, that was just… well…" he sighed. "I'm not going to lie, that summon was pathetic."

Achan grimaced. "Hey, just because this monster is from an archetype doesn't mean that I'm uncreative or-"

"No, no, not that, I mean the WAY you summoned him was pathetic," Kaito explained. "You're a duelist, right?"

Achan nodded. "…Yeeees?"

"And you want to prove how hot-blooded you are to me, right?"

"Yes?"

Kaito threw out his arms dramatically. "Then come on, show some spirit already!"

Achan stared. "…You really do act this way all the time, huh? Okay then… Wandering Hero's effect activates! Equip Selection!"

A number of holographic card images appeared in front of Achan. "Wandering Hero's monster effect allows me to send a monster card from my hand to the graveyard when he's summoned. In exchange, I select any equip spell from my deck and equip it to him. I send Wandering Fighter to the graveyard in order to equip Wandering Hero with Titan Sword!"

The Hero held up his hand, and light congealed into it, transforming into a massive double-edged broadsword nearly as large as the hero himself. "By this card's effect, my monster gains eight hundred attack points. In addition, monsters it destroys by battle will be sent to the bottom of the deck!" Achan explained as the Hero's attack points climbed. (2500/1200)

He reached into his graveyard slot and pulled out the monster he had discarded "Next, I activate the monster effect of Wandering Fighter. Limit Charging!"

A green aura surrounded Achan and a card popped out of his duel disk. He showed it to Kaito and then added it to his hand. "By Fighter's monster effect, I remove it from play to select a 'Limit Break- Raging Fist' and add it to my hand! Turn end!"

Kaito managed to grin. "NOW you're starting to act like a pro, kid. But now it's my turn… draw!" He looked at the contents of his hand. Golden Soul Hammer… won't do me much good without monsters in the cemetery… need something that can hit over that Hero… ah, here we go! I've got it!"

Kaito selected a card. "I summon Vorse Raider, in attack position!" A portal opened in front of him and the bestial monster leaped out, licking its blade hungrily. (1900/1500)

"Next, I'll set one card and end my turn." Kaito grinned menacingly as the card appeared behind his monster. "Your move, kid."

"Draw!" Achan snatched the card from the top of his deck, this time performing the dramatic slashing motion correctly. He glanced at it. "…You're not going to fool me just because I'm a rookie, Kaito! I activate the quickplay spell card Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your set card!"

As the swirling tornado flew towards the set card, Kaito took a fighting stance. "Chain trap! Threatening Roar!"

As the card flipped up and shattered, Kaito took a deep breath and shouted. The noise reverberated across the arena, causing Wandering Hero to lose its balance and drop its sword. The monster humorously struggled to pick it up as Achan made a face. "Damn, blocking me from attacking? I was hoping it would be a defensive trap…"

Kaito chuckled. "Oh come on, like the Lion of the East wouldn't have a roar. Now let's see what you can do without punching me in the face!"

"I-I can still damage your field though!" Achan declared, selecting a monster in his hand. "Snipe Hunter in attack position!"

A purple-skinned imp appeared in front of the duelist, pointing a gun with a six-numbered spinner mounted on it at Kaito's Vorse Raider. (1500/600)

"Snipe Hunter's effect activates! I send one card from my hand to the graveyard and roll a die to see if it's successful! I send Wandering Beast…" Achan slipped another monster card from his hand into the graveyard, and then pointed his finger into the air. "Death Roulette!"

The spinner on Snipe Hunter's gun whirled, finally stopping on a six. The gun fizzled, but refused to fire. "…Well, damn," Achan muttered. "Um… let's try that again! I remove Wandering Beast from my graveyard to activate its monster effect. Limit Charging!"

The same green glow surrounded Achan as he revealed yet another spell card. "Limit Break- Earth Rave!"

Just as quickly as he had added the cards to his hand, he slid a third card into the graveyard. "Now I'll send Wandering Mage from my hand to the graveyard, and activate Snipe Hunter's effect one more time! Death Roulette!"

The dial spun again, this time landing on a four. Achan laughed. "Alright, now we're talking! Snipe Hunter, obliterate his monster! Death Sniping!"

A purple beam of light lanced out, piercing through Vorse Raider's chest, and the monster exploded. Achan pumped his fist in celebration. "Yeah, I-"

"Don't celebrate until you win," Kaito interrupted. "First rule of the pro leagues. Your turn done, kid?"

Achan sighed and nodded. "…Yes…"

"Good. My turn, draw!"

Kaito glanced at his hand and surveyed his opponent's field. It's odd… during this entire duel he's gone out of his way to add cards to his hand. Those spell cards… from what I saw of the text, each of them requires the monster he removed to search for them in the first place to be on the field to meet their activation conditions. Snipe Hunter is obviously a big part of his strategy since he can instantly recharge his hand from his shots, and his other cards likely take advantage of his large hand size too… but why is he going out of his way to collect new spells instead of using up the ones he's already searched for? It's like he's filling his hand with useless cards on purpose… and to top it off, it's been two turns and still no traps!"

He glanced at the contents of his own hand. Well, let's see if I can't beat the answers out of him!

"I summon Storm Hound in attack position!" Kaito declared. A thunderbolt stuck the rooftop in front of him. However, rather than dissipating, the crackling energy reshaped itself into a large, aggressive Siberian husky made entirely from lightning. The monster howled a challenge at the Wandering Hero, who had finally managed to pick up his sword again. (1500/1200)

Achan stared at the monster. "Fifteen hundred attack points… and an effect monster? I thought they weren't your style!"

Kaito grinned cheekily. "A lion like me makes his own style! Storm Hound's monster effect activates- during my turn I can send up to two normal monsters from my deck to the graveyard. For each monster sent to the graveyard in this way, Storm Hound's attack points increase by three hundred until the end of the turn! Gathering Storm!"

The static electricity that made up Storm Hound's body lanced out as Kaito revealed two cards- King of the Veldt, and a level two monster. He slipped both into his duel disk's graveyard slot as the attack points of Storm Hound increased. (2100/1200)

Achan glared at the hound. "It's still not strong enough to beat my Hero, though!"

"I activate Swing of Memories," Kaito shouted, pointedly ignoring this declaration, "And I target Twin Sprits from my graveyard!"

Suddenly, a pair of pink stars that endlessly circled each other joined Storm Hound. Kaito grinned. "These two are my second tuner." (500/500)

Achan counted levels. "…Level two plus level four… you can't synchro summon King of the Underdog…"

"In the pro leagues you can't rely on a single monster for victory, kid," Kaito replied, still obviously enjoying himself. "I tune my level two Twin Spirits to my level four Storm Hound!"

The stars leaped into the air before spiraling together in a double-helix shape and creating a pair of green, glowing rings. Storm Hound leaped through, transforming into four shining stars. Kaito began to chant. "Human form, lion's heart! Defend the weak, protector of chivalry! Synchro summon! Charge forward bravely, Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth!"

A column of light swallowed the stars and rings, and a mounted horseman charged out carrying two immense lances. (2600/800)

Achan stared at the monster. "…The synchro without an effect. There are only two of them…"

Kaito grinned cheekily. "It used to be that synchro monsters were hard to come by. These days they're far more common. You know, this was one of the first one ever printed. Level six synchros usually aren't my style, but this guy's different." He smiled and revealed the second card in his hand. "Equip spell card, Golden Soul Hammer!"

Gaia reached into the air as both its lances were replaced by a pair of gigantic, golden hammers with spiked tips. "Golden Soul Hammer's effect lets me remove from play a normal monster in my graveyard in order to increase the attack points of the equipped monster by half the removed monster's attack points," Kaito explained. "I remove King of the Veldt!"

A golden aura crackled and surrounded Gaia. (4100/600)

Achan gulped. "…Oh…"

"Gaia Knight, attack! Crushing Soul!" Kaito ordered. The horseman charged, impaling Snipe Hunter with one of its lances and destroying it.

Achan groaned as his life points decreased. "Dammit…" (4000- 2600= 1400)

Kaito smirked. "I set one card and end my turn."

Achan feebly moved a hand to draw his next card, his movements very subdued compared to earlier in the duel. He was about to draw, when Kaito's voice arrested his movements. "Hey! Why are you acting so depressed?"

Achan looked up. "What?"

The Lion of the East's grin seemed to light up the makeshift arena. "Is that really all you can do? Guess it's true what they say about duelists who run archetypes- no brains to think of a comeback play. Guess the game's pretty much over for you, kid. If you can't stand up to me just because my monster is tougher than yours, you aren't much of a duelist." He lowered his duel disk, preparing to deactivate it. "If you're not even going to try to act like a man and bounce back, there's no point in continuing this duel, is there?"

"…Take that back."

Kaito acted like he hadn't heard the younger duelist. "What did you say?"

"Saying that archetype players don't know how to duel. Take that bit back. In fact, take every time you called me 'kid' back, because you're not that much older than me. And take the bit about not acting like a man back. I'm bouncing back; I'm just a little slow about it is all." Achan pointed at Kaito dramatically. "Seriously, you think this is going to stop me? I may be a rookie pro- you may be one of my favorite pro duelists- but there's no way I'm letting you stand there and make fun of me! My turn, draw!"

Kaito chuckled. "NOW you're dueling more like a man."

Achan ignored Kaito's comment. "I remove the Wandering Mage I sent to the graveyard last turn from play to activate its effect! Charging Limit!" The green aura surrounded him as he selected the spell card. "Limit Break- Beast Shift!" He added the card to his hand. Achan smiled. "Yes! Here it is! I summon Wandering Synchron!"

Suddenly, a gigantic stuffed bear with a pair of devil's wings popped into existence on Achan's field, and a small cat wearing a fool's cap leaped onto its shoulders. Kaito stared at the monster. "…Is that…" (1600/1000)

Achan grinned. "Told you I put a lot of in-jokes in the art! Wandering Synchron's monster effect- Lucky Dice!"

The stuffed cat reached back, and the bear mimicked its movements, the two of them rolling a die in unison. "When Wandering Synchron is normal summoned successfully, I roll a die, and then I can special summon a removed-from-play 'Wandering' monster provided that monster's level is less than or equal to the dice roll's result," Achan explained. The die tumbled in front of him, revealing two spots. Achan smirked. "Bingo. I special summon Wandering Mage!"

The stuffed bear grabbed the air and tugged as hard as it could before ripping it open, revealing a swirling void. A man dressed in a red cloak with long, black hair stepped out, brandishing a strange device that looked like something between a gun and a magician's wand in his hands. (800/700)

Kaito stared at the monsters. I get the feeling that he's been building towards this from the beginning… let's see what his big finisher is, then.

"Level four, Wandering Synchron! Level four, Wandering Hero! Level two, Wandering Mage! Tuning!" Achan punched the air as he gave the order. The small cat atop Wandering Synchron's head opened the mouth of the stuffed bear and jumped inside. The sounds of a struggle escaped from within for a moment, and then the monster exploded into four gleaming rings. Hero and mage rose into the air slowly, their eyes closing as they did so, and entered the column that the synchron had created. Achan began to chant. "There are forces so terrible that the earth itself cannot contain them. Dragon dwelling among the stars, lend me your power this once! Synchro summon!"

The light in the column grew to a blinding intensity and the column blazed upwards as if it were trying to pierce the sky itself. Kaito was forced to shield his eyes as Achan completed his chant. "Obliterate… Wandering Eon- ZERO Muthaba!"

Kaito opened his eyes and blinked. Achan's monster hadn't appeared. "…Where…"

Achan grinned and pointed. "Up there."

Kaito looked up. Sure enough, a speck was hovering in the sky, barely visible from the rooftop arena. "…What on earth.."

Achan snapped his fingers. "Maybe this will help you understand."

A viewing screen of some sort appeared in front of Achan, revealing a close-up shot of the monster he had summoned- a gigantic blue and silver dragon with no forelegs and no less than two sets of silver wings that seemed to function as solar panels. (3000/2000)

Kaito stared at the monster. "…Wandering… Oh dear lord. Kid, impressive monster, but that thing has got to be the most pitifully obvious reference yet. You just rearranged the damn letters!"

Achan chuckled. "And it worked, too! Now… Wandering Hero! Wandering Synchron! Wandering Mage! Charging Limit!" Three more spells popped from his deck and were added to his hand.

Kaito narrowed his eyes. He's increasing his hand size again…

Achan smirked. "Now I have a grand total of seven cards in my hand! ZERO's effect… Charging Flare! When it attacks, both of us send every card in our hand to the graveyard, and for each card sent in this way its attack points increase by four hundred!"

It hit Kaito. I get it… this is it! His goal was to build up a massive hand and take me out in one final strike!

As Kaito's single card and Achan's hand of seven were both slipped into the graveyard, ZERO's wings aligned themselves and it began to gather energy into its mouth. Achan smirked. "My monster's attack points are way higher than yours… ZERO! Attack now! Tera Flare!" (6200/2000)

Kaito looked up. A massive burst of energy shot from the sky, slamming into Gaia. The Knight attempted to resist, but ultimately was completely destroyed. (Kaito: 4000-2100= 1900)

Achan shook his head. "My turn's not over yet. See, when ZERO deals battle damage his second effect activates… both of us remove every card in our graveyard from play, and you take one hundred points of damage for each card we remove."

Images appeared above the two- the seven cards Achan had sent to the graveyard, the King of the Veldt from Kaito's hand, Storm Hound, Golden Soul Hammer, Twin Spirits, Gaia, Threatening Roar, Vorse Raider, and Titan's Blade. Sixteen cards in total.

The ground exploded under Kaito, and he shielded himself from the explosion as his life points plummeted. (Kaito: 1900-1600=300)

"During my end phase, ZERO will return to my extra deck," Achan explained as the view-screen hologram vanished. "…But… that's it."

Kaito groaned. The kid wasn't much of a defensive player- in truth, this strategy left him wide open- but it was a damn gutsy move. His set card- Birthright- was useless without a graveyard. It was all up to luck now- luck or fate. He'd have to draw a winning card next turn, or his opponent- who had been thinning his deck the entire time- probably would.

He looked Achan in the eye. "…Kid… no, Achan Smith. That's your name, right?"

Achan nodded.

"…I acknowledge you as a duelist, and I'd love to have you back me up when I go out there to win the Kaiser Cup."

Achan's face split into a massive grin. "Glad to hear it Mr…"

"You can call me Kaito, we're team mates now," Kaito said as he smiled at his opponent. "You've got a lot to learn, but I like your style."

Achan chuckled. "This your way of backing out to save face?"

Kaito shook his head. "…Are you kidding me? You know me better than that if you're a fan." He reached for his deck. "A proud lion like me giving up just because a cub gets a lucky shot in? Like hell! It's my turn!"

Achan stared at Kaito's right hand in shock. "…Wait a minute…"

"DRAW!"

A gust of wind flew along the rooftop as Kaito drew, chilling Achan to the bone.

Kaito glanced at the card in his hand, and immediately slammed it onto his duel disk. "Master of the Underdog, in attack position!"

The long-haired fighter leaped over Kaito's head to take his position on the battlefield. He charged towards Achan before Kaito had even finished giving his orders. "Lionheart Strike!"

The Master of the Underdog pulled back his fist and punched Achan in the face. (Achan: 1400-1400=0)

Achan was still staring at his opponent. "Kaito… your hand!"

Kaito looked at it. "What?"

"The mark on it!"

Kaito glanced at the mark. "Oh, this? I got it from some crazy guy I dueled last night. He called himself Creed, and-"

Achan shook his head. "…Kaito, listen to me. You're not going to believe this, but… you just used your right hand to punch through fate."


Creed stood on a rooftop nearby, unseen by the two, and chuckled. "And so it begins…"

"Creed."

The man turned to face his companion- an elderly man with a short beard and a pair of red-tinted sunglasses. "Yes?"

"…You've done well, giving the marks of amplification to those two. But are you entirely certain about your third choice?"

Creed nodded. "Schuyler is the only human I've met in this city worthy of giving that mark to. In any case, we can't undo it. Their fates are linked now, with a bond that not even the Lion of the East's strength can break."

"A curious thing, fate," the old man mused. "…In the end, I suppose this is a game designed to see if it should be allowed to exist at all."

Creed nodded. "Will you be staying around to watch the results, elder?"

The old man shook his head. "I have business to attend to, I'm afraid. I can, however, reward you for your service." He shook Creed's hand. "Take the rest of the Kaiser Cup off. Go where you want, assist the three you've marked or simply watch them, or ignore them altogether. Compete in the Cup if you can find a team. But if at all possible, enjoy yourself."

Creed nodded again. "Thank you, elder."

The old man walked to the edge of the rooftop and looked down. "…These things look higher every day," he grumbled. He took two steps back, and then abruptly changed direction and leaped towards the ground below.

Creed sighed. "Always a show-off."

FAKE CARDS

Monster/Light/Warrior/Effect/4*
Atk 1700/Def 1200
When this card is summoned, send one monster card from your hand to the graveyard in order to select an equip spell card from your deck and equip it to this card . When this monster would be destroyed, destroy an equip spell card equipped to it instead. You can remove this monster in your graveyard from play to select one "Limit Break- Meteor Blade" from your deck and add it to your hand.

Wandering Mage
Monster/Fire/Spellcaster/Effect/2*
Atk 800/Def 600
When this card is normal summoned, you can shuffle two differently-named "Limit Break" spell cards from your graveyard into your deck and draw one card. When this monster attacks or is attacked, you can send one "Limit Break" spell card from your hand to the graveyard to increase its Atk by 1000 until the end of the damage step. You can remove this card in your graveyard from play to select one "Limit Break- Beast Shift" from your deck and add it to your hand.

Wandering Synchron
Monster/Earth/Machine/Tuner/4*
Atk 1600/Def 1000
When this card is summoned successfully, roll a six-sided die and special summon one of your removed-from-play "Wandering" monsters with a level equal to or lower than the result. This monster cannot be used in a synchro summon unless the other monsters are "Wandering" monsters. You can remove this card in your graveyard from play to select one "Limit Break-Slots" from your deck and add it to your hand.

Wandering Eon- ZERO Muthaba
Monster/Wind/Dragon/Synchro/10*
Atk 3000/Def 2000
"1 'Wandering' tuner + 2 or more non-tuner monsters"
When this card declares an attack, both players send all cards in their hands to the graveyard. This card gains 400 Atk for each card sent to the graveyard in this way until the end of the damage step. When this card inflicts battle damage to your opponent, both players remove all cards in their graveyard from play. Inflict 100 points of damage to your opponent for each card removed in this way. During the end phase of a turn this monster attacked, return it to your extra deck.

(Credit for creation of the above monster goes to Comedy of Circumstances, credit for the Wandering archetype goes to me.)

(Note- to save myself time and energy, I won't list the effects of specific Limit Breaks until they're activated within the fanfic itself. However, each one requires the monster removed to search for it to be on the field, and all require a cost of half your life points if that monster is not the only monster you control. In addition, only one Limit Break can be activated during a turn.)