An island paradise, duelists from all over the world to compete with, a free vacation… What more could you ask for?
Well, I'm not sure… My uncle, the guy who gave me this deck, is a very wise man, and one of the things he said once was, "If something is too good to be true, it probably is."
After all, very little has been known about Arcadia until a year ago, and it seems odd that they've decided to open their doors to tourists now…
Maybe I'm just paranoid…
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DUEL TWO
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Future Glow
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The next day, Andy arrived in Miami, still feeling nauseous from the last ride he had taken on the Whirling Tea Cups.
Disney World… he thought. A barrel of fun for children, too noisy and sugary for anyone past puberty.
He walked into the living room of his house, holding his trophy, to the sound of a familiar television program.
"I'm home!" he said.
His eight-year-old sister Trisha was parked in front of the TV, watching Cartoon Network. She didn't reply.
"I swear…" said Andy, as he set the trophy on a table, "if a burglar waltzed in her and stole everything we owned and Dexter's Laboratory was on, you wouldn't even notice."
"I probably would if he took the TV," replied Trisha, with a smirk. "You won again, huh?"
She shivered a little.
Andy sighed. He could never have convinced Trisha to come watch the tournament, even with the promise of a trip to Disney World.
She had watched him duel once, two years ago. Unfortunately, his opponent was a brutal duelist using some very scary Fiend-Type Monsters, and when Dark Necrofear had been summoned, poor Trisha screamed and ran in terror. It had been very hard to convince her that the demon was not real. Even after successfully doing so, she had been too scared to watch him duel again.
"So…" said Trisha. "Mom and dad are going out tonight… Want to go roller skating?"
Andy hugged her.
"No can do, squirt," he said. "I have school tomorrow, and so do you…"
Trisha sighed.
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At 1:30PM the following day, class was in session at Jerald P. Ross High School, in downtown Houston.
At art class, Francesca was at one of the table-sized desks, making a pencil sketch. She was drawing a portrait of a unicorn, and a rather good one.
She didn't know how her fondness for these creatures had first entered her mind. Ever since she was a little girl, unicorns had occupied her dreams and her fondest fantasies…
"Let's not try to set any speed records, people," said the instructor. "Don't forget, it took Da Vinci three years to paint the Mona Lisa."
Francesca smirked. She would like to think she would finish this faster than that.
The student sitting next to her, a large, muscular boy wearing a shirt with a varsity letter (obviously a member of the football team), looked over her shoulder.
"A unicorn, huh?" he said. "Figures…"
"You have a problem with unicorns, Ox?" replied Francesca.
"Nah…" said Ox. "It just seems that folks like you always draw stuff like that…"
Francesca gave him a cold stare. She was pretty sure that by "folks like you" he meant "girls".
"It's as if not having a Y chromosome makes you incapable of drawing something that's not cute…" he muttered.
"You said 'chromosome'," said Francesca. "That's a pretty big word for someone who probably has to label his socks 'left' and 'right'."
Ox looked at her.
"Tell me something, Ox," she said. "Do you have a Duel Disk?"
"Why yes I do!" he said. "It's in my locker… You want to duel me, Fran?"
"Francesca," she replied. "Only my friends call me 'Fran'.
"And to answer your question, yeah. Meet me in the parking lot after school, and I'll show you just how 'cute' unicorns can be.
"But… If I win, you put those muscles to good use and mow my dad's lawn tomorrow after school."
"And if I win?" he asked, smugly.
"Then I'll…" said Francesca.
She whispered the rest of the sentence into his ear. His eyes opened wide.
"It's a bet…" he said.
Francesca picked up her sketch and moved to another table.
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Two hours later, quite a crowd had gathered in the parking lot.
Two other members of the football team, also wearing t-shirts with varsity letters, ran up to watch the spectacle.
"You gotta see this!" said a third. "Ox is dueling some babe."
"Is he winning?" asked one of them.
"No, that's the crazy part," said the one who had spoken first. "He's getting his ass handed to him!"
Indeed, it sure looked like Ox was in trouble. He had nothing on his side of the field, and only 1,200 Life Points remaining. Francesca, on the other hand, had a Monster that was a unicorn far more intimating than Sunlight Unicorn. It was a fierce-looking creature, with metallic-blue fur streaked with bolts of lightning, a golden mane and tail, and a horn that was also shaped like a bolt of lightning. (2,200 ATK) She had 4,000 Life Points remaining.
"Your move, lunkhead," said Fran.
"Oh, very funny," said Ox, as he drew a card.
"I activate Synthesis Spell," he said, as he played it. "I just have to sacrifice a Level 6 Monster…"
Summoned Skull appeared briefly on the field, before vanishing.
"…and I get to summon the mighty Lycanthrope!"
There was a snarl, and a ferocious-looking wolfman appeared in front of him. It let out a howl. (2,400 ATK)
"So, do you even know what the word 'lycanthrope' means?" asked Fran.
"I'll show you…" said Ox. "Attack with Serrated Shadow Slash!"
The Ritual Monster made a fierce swipe with its claw, and the unicorn shattered. Fran winced a little as her Life Points went down to 3,800.
"And my Monster's not done with you…" said Ox, "because when it dishes out damage, you take 200 extra points of damage for each Normal Monster in my Graveyard. I've got six of them."
Lycanthrope slashed again, and Fran grunted again. Her Life Points went down to 2,600.
"There were a lot of multi-syllabic words in that sentence…" she said with a smirk. "I'm impressed…"
"Just make your move, babe…" he said. "Your luck's about to run out…"
Fran made a draw.
"We'll see about that…" she said. "I'm discarding Hypnocorn from my hand…"
She discarded a card.
"…to Special Summon Egotistical Ape…"
A small, adorable little monkey appeared in front of her… Then its shadow grew into that of a ferocious-looking gorilla. (1,200 ATK)
"I now have to either increase or decrease its Level by an amount equal to the Level of the Monster I discarded. I choose to decrease it, which means its Level is now 1.
"Next, I summon Sunlight Unicorn…"
Sunlight Unicorn appeared in an aura of shining light. (1,800 ATK)
"Then I use Sunlight Unicorn's effect. You remember this, right?"
She took the top card from her deck, and turned it forward.
"Megamorph?" said Ox. "You use that on your Monster and its Attack Score will be cut in half."
"That's why I'm using it on your Monster," replied Fran.
"Uh oh…" said Ox.
Lycanthrope's Attack Score fell to 1,200 Attack Points.
"All right, Egotistical Ape, Sunlight Unicorn!" shouted Fran. "Tune yourselves together so we can summon Thunder Unicorn again."
The small primate flew into the sky, and Sunlight Unicorn galloped after it. Egotistical Ape turned into a set of glowing rings, and Sunlight Unicorn started to fade as she passed through them…
(*1 + *4 = *5)
With a loud neigh, Thunder Unicorn (clearly, Francesca had more than one copy) leapt onto the field again. (2,200 ATK)
"Now for Thunder Unicorn's effect," continued Fran. "She can decrease one Monster's Attack Score by 500 for each Monster I have, so long as she's the only one who attacks this turn."
Lycanthrope shuddered as it was shocked by electricity. (700 ATK)
"And now that your werewolf is nothing more than a sheep in wolf's clothing," said Francesca, "Thunder Unicorn, attack with Super Charger Bolt!"
Electric energy shrouded the mighty steed, and it charged, impaling the Ritual Monster with her horn. Ox shouted out in pain and fell backwards as his Life Points fell to zero.
Francesca walked up to him.
"Still think unicorns are 'cute', meathead?" she asked.
"NO!" screamed Ox. "No I don't! They're not cute at all!"
"Good…" said Fran. "We'll expect you tomorrow at four o'clock."
The crowd dispersed, and two other girls joined Francesca as she left.
"Well, you sure showed him how 'cute' unicorns are!" giggled one of them.
"The whole problem is how the media portrays them…" sighed Fran. "Thanks to them, when people think of unicorns, they think of rainbows and lollipops, and sugarplum pixies…
"If you read the old folklore where unicorns were first mentioned, you'd see that they were as ferocious as lions, and just as deadly. Not cute or docile in the least."
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School had been out for two hours in Baltimore. At the public library, Stan was engaged in a duel with his girlfriend, Christine (no Duel Disks, simply cards on the table).
Christine had Giant Soldier of Stone on the field, defending. (2,000 DEF) She also had Wave-Motion Cannon and Gravity Bind. She had 2,000 Life Points remaining. Stan had one card on the field, Gogogo Golem. (1,800 ATK)
"Okay, let's see here…" said Stan, as he picked up a card from his deck.
"Here we go…" he said, as he set the card beside Gogogo Golem. "Trident Warrior…"
(1,800 ATK)
"Now, I can Overlay my two Level 4 Monsters…"
He placed Trident Warrior on top of Gogogo Golem.
"And Xyz Summon Kachi Kochi Dragon."
He placed the black-bordered card on top of the two regular Monsters, and Christie raised an eyebrow. (2,100 ATK)
"My Gravity Bind…" she said.
"Didn't we go over this?" replied Stan. "That card doesn't work on Xyzs. See, Gravity Bind stops Monsters that are Level 4 or greater from attacking…
"But Xyz Monsters don't have Levels at all, they have Ranks. That makes any card that specifies Levels ineffective against them.
"Meaning Kachi Kochi Dragon is free to attack Giant Soldier of Stone…"
Christie sighed and placed the Rock in her discard pile.
"And Kachi Kochi Dragon has a neat effect…" continued Stan.
He took Trident Warrior from underneath the card and placed it in his own discard pile.
"By detaching one of its Overlay Units when it destroys a Monster, it gets to attack again, meaning it can attack directly. So you lose."
Christie sighed.
"So pay up…" said Stan, with a smile.
Christie made a pout.
Then she got up, and took Stan's face in his hands, and gave him a long, deep kiss.
"So…" she said. "Where did you get these weird cards?"
Stan didn't answer right away. He was trying to catch his breath.
"Oh?" he said. "Oh… My uncle gave me them…
"Kind of weird… Xyz Monsters are pretty new, and pretty rare… But he somehow got a lot of them and a lot of cards that work with them. He told me something about how they and I… 'fit'… I don't know what he meant, but I did find sort of rapport with them."
"Weird…" said Christie.
Then Stan's cellphone in his pocket vibrated. He quickly answered it.
"Mom, I'm in the library, you know?" he said.
He listened.
"Package?" he asked. "Oh, mom, did you read my mail again?"
He listed again.
"From where?" he said.
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When Francesca got home, her father was typing at his computer. He was a patent attorney (admittedly a dull job, but a well-paying one).
"Hi daddy!" she said.
She gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"I found someone who'll mow the lawn tomorrow, and it won't cost you anything."
He sighed. He knew all about the wagers she made… He had no-one but himself to blame though, having told her about similar things he had done in college. (He had thought it would discourage her.)
"What's mom making for dinner?" she asked.
"Bouillabaisse ala Rue Désirée-Pelleprat," he replied.
"I'm eating at Stacy's house…" said Francesca, with a sigh.
"Oh, no you're not, young lady!" he said.
Fran let out another sigh, and sat down on the couch.
"You got her that Cajun-style cookbook for Christmas," he said, "you're eating here when she uses it.
"By the way, you got a package… It's in the dining room."
Francesca stood up.
She walked into the dining room, and saw the package on the dining room table.
Republic of Arcadia? she thought, looking at the mailing label. Now who do I know from there?
She opened the package, and looked inside.
Inside was another letter, along with a train ticket, and two strange cards. They were the size and shape of Duel Monsters cards, but seemed to be made of a strange crystalline substance.
The letter was stranger. It was sealed with wax, apparently stamped with an old-fashioned signet ring. The stamp was a fancy letter A.
She carefully broke the seal, and opened it.
The letter inside read as follows.
Dear Ms. Benedict,
Congratulations for your victory in the recent Houston Regionals. It is thus my great pleasure to offer you an opportunity that will only be made to a few.
In an effort to launch our newly-established Department of Tourism, the Republic of Arcadia is holding an invitation-only Duel Monsters Tournament that promises to be unlike any you have ever seen! If you've dreamed of reaching the same heights that Yugi Mouto climbed to in Battle City, now is your chance!
Consider this letter the permission you need from Arcadia's parliamentary council to come to our humble home. The train ticket enclosed is a free trip to Annapolis, where a special ship will be leaving from Chesapeake Bay on July 1st at noon. The instructions on the back of this letter will tell you how to get there, and the package includes a list of guidelines for what and what not to bring. Simply show the two Crystal Cards that I have enclosed to the attendants, and you will be granted free passage. Do not lose these Cards. More info will be given about them upon your arrival.
I hope to see you soon. Do not miss this opportunity to duel like you never have before in our island paradise!
Sincerely,
Sidney Meyers,
Parliament of the Republic of Arcadia
Fran read this letter three times before it sank in…
Whoa… she thought. And to think I thought this was going to be a dull summer…
A big Duel Monsters tournament? It's like a bolt from the sky!
She ran back into the living room.
"Daddy?" she said. "Remember when you said I could have anything I wanted for my birthday?"
"Within reason…" he replied.
One thing that Francesca didn't notice about the letter…
If it had been sent after she had won the Houston Regionals yesterday, it would never have arrived so soon…
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At this very moment, Andy was looking at the same letter, with a few changes to adjust for him.
This is crazy… he thought. A good kind of crazy…
Still… Mom and dad might find this a little more acceptable than backpacking across Europe… And it's not like I have anything to lose…
He took his Duel Disk, and opened the chamber that contained his Extra Deck. He took out the Fusion Monsters inside. There were five in all.
Folks, we're going places… he thought, as he looked at them.
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Stan had gotten the invitation too, and unlike Francesca and Andy, he decided to do some research into the Republic of Arcadia, the island nation located in the South Atlantic… At this very moment, he was looking up the place on the internet.
The place was an isolated country… No other nation could honestly say that they'd had a hand in settling it, and nautical charts older than three centuries didn't even acknowledge its existence. Until about a year ago, the place had very limited diplomatic relations. They had a UN charter, but it was very rare for them to send an ambassador there. They had never been part of any international alliance, treaty, or pact. It wasn't clear why the Germans had left them alone during World War II, seeing as Arcadia was clearly not impoverished. Those who had gone there had come back with stories of wonderful things and fantastic architecture.
Trade relations were a bit better. Apparently, the country had rich uranium mines. Strangely, Arcadia claimed to have no desire to start a nuclear program of their own, but was quite willing to export its uranium to practically anyone.
Visiting Arcadia had been a problem until about a year ago. You needed permission from a member of their parliament to actually come on land there or stay for any amount of time, and they rarely gave that permission. Last year, they started being more liberal with these visitor's passes, giving them to celebrities and other rich folks who wanted an "unforgettable vacation" as they called them.
One profession that seemed absolutely forbidden to visit the island was reporters. They repeatedly turned down requests for any representative of the press to visit, and members of the parliament said that it was against their policy to grant interviews. In fact, anyone who did visit, even after the travel ban was seemingly lifted, was not allowed to bring any sort of camera or video recorder.
It gave you the suspicion that Arcadia's government had something to hide… And it seemed that now they were truly relaxing their "no visitors" rule indeed by inviting a crowd of people who weren't celebrities.
Stan looked at his Duel Disk.
Should I accept this invitation? he thought.
He put the Disk on, and then shuffled his deck. Maybe it would tell him.
He drew the top card.
It was Gagaga Magician. His favorite Monster.
If that isn't a "yes", he thought, I don't know what is…
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April passed, and so did May and most of June. Getting permission from their parents wasn't easy, but being straight-A students with no discipline problems helped Andy, Francesca, and Stan a lot. (Francesca had to promise her father exactly fifty times not to let any boys touch her.)
On the afternoon of June 30th, all three of them took their duffel bags, carrying the strange Crystal Cards, changes of clothing, their decks, and trusty Duel Disks, and headed for the train station.
They had a boat to catch.
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Annapolis, Maryland. Chesapeake Bay Harbor.
The right boat had been easy to find. It was huge, after all.
Francesca looked around. It was a sizable crowd. There seemed to be about a hundred people waiting to board.
"HEY!" she shouted. "Watch your hands, pal!"
"All right everyone, calm down!" said an amplified voice.
Everyone turned to a man speaking on at the entrance to the ship. He was a tall, blonde-haired man, dressed in sunglasses and a black formal suit.
"Let's have no chaos here," he said, as he spoke through a megaphone. "There'll be plenty of time for chaos once we get there…
"I am…"
He paused for a minute.
"What, you forgot your own name?" asked someone.
Everyone laughed.
"W.P. Brice…" said the man, annoyed. "I'll be in charge of this leg of the trip.
"Now, everyone form two lines, and check those two Crystal Cards you have with the attendants before boarding. Let's try to make this orderly…
"Once you board, the galley has cold sandwiches and snacks. Chicken and ribs will be served at six o'clock…
"Uh, Eastern Standard time… Arcadia uses Atlantic Daylight Time, which is two hours later, I believe.
"Let's try to make this an incident-free trip… The insurance is costing us a fortune as it is…"
Everyone started to line up.
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As the last of the passengers got on, Brice stood to the side. His cellphone started to beep.
"Are they on, Brice?" said a voice as he answered it.
"For the love of…" he said, sounding even more annoyed. "Must even you call me that?"
"Look, I know you don't like this," said the voice, "but among my servants that I could trust for this job, you're one of the few that can act diplomatic."
"I'm flattered…" said Brice, with a sigh.
"Look…" said the voice, "I promise that when the tournament actually starts, you can drop the façade. For now, just put up with it."
"Fine…" said Brice. "To answer your question, Mr. Markova, Mr. Mason, and Miss Benedict are indeed on board."
"Make sure that all three are both safe and happy for the duration of the trip," said the voice. "If anything goes wrong at this point, I am holding you personally responsible."
The man's hand trembled a little as he pocketed the cellphone.
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Slowly, the boat pulled out of the harbor.
The common room Andy had been assigned to was crowded. He sat a bunk, going over his cards.
"So, is this all there is?" he heard someone else ask.
"No," said someone else. "I heard there are actually four ships heading there. This one, one from New York, and two from Europe.
"All I know about this thing is, it's going to be big."
Andy looked at Red Eyes Black Dragon.
"That's a pretty rare card," said a voice next to him. "Where'd you get it?"
Andy looked up, and saw Stan looking at it.
"Eh?" he said. "Oh, the same way that 'Dinosaur' Ryuzaki did, I think… By winning a tournament… But if you want to trade for it, I wouldn't be interested…"
"No problems…" said Stan. "I know what a card is to a duelist… I have plenty of cards that I consider… irreplaceable…"
He leafed through his deck until he found Gagaga Magician.
"Must be pretty rare…" said Andy. "I've never even heard of it…"
"Well, maybe you'll find out what it does soon…" said Stan with a grin.
"Gonna go get a bite…" said Andy. "Maybe we'll see each other again…"
As he left, Andy couldn't shake the feeling that he was right…
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In the galley, the food didn't seem like the best, but at least it was free.
Deviled ham? he thought, looking at one of the sandwiches. This stuff reminds me of the school cafeteria…
Then he saw the duelist next to him, who happened to be Francesca. He sighed a little.
Francesca noticed him.
"Buddy, if you're going to hit on me," she said, "I should let you know, three jerks have already tried in the past hour, and they didn't have much success."
"Eh?" said Andy. "Oh… I don't 'hit' on women! Besides, the way my luck is with them, you'd have probably rejected me anyway.
"Besides, I never assume that a gorgeous woman can't have a brain…
"…although… you are gorgeous…"
He grinned a weak grin.
Francesca looked at him. That was one of the few sincere compliments she had heard from a boy her age in a long time…
"The name's Francesca," she said. "Call me Fran if you want… You any good with your cards?"
"I should hope so," replied Andy.
"Well, maybe when the tournament starts, we can meet up again." she said. "Maybe we can even duel and you can show me yourself."
She smiled sweetly and took her tray to a table.
Andy took a deep breath.
I can stand up to Cyber Blader with no problem… he thought. I'm not afraid of Magical Android or Chevalier de Fleur… I've faced down Harpie Ladies, Amazoness Warriors, and Injection Fairy Lily…
So why is it when it comes to real-life flesh and blood women I turn into a quivering wreck? I really should see a psychologist about this…
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Later, as the afternoon wore on, Stan was sitting above deck, leaning back on a deck chair.
He was going over his deck again, and looked through the cards.
His eyes fell on one… A female Spellcaster dressed in a similar style as Gagaga Magician.
"Is that Dark Magician Girl?" gasped Francesca's voice from behind.
Stan turned and looked at her.
"Dark Magician Girl?" he said with a chuckle. "I wish! No, this is someone else… She looks a little like her, I guess… And she does have sort of a relation with a male Spellcaster that might be similar to Dark Magician Girl's partnership with Dark Magician…
"But sadly, no…"
"Well, I have to say, I kinda admired Dark Magician Girl…" said Francesca, as she sat down.
She opened her Extra Deck, and took out Thunder Unicorn.
"I always had a thing for strong females…"
"Unicorns, huh?" said Stan. "How can you be sure they're female?"
"Well…" said Fran. "I guess I can't, really…
"But there's an old legend about unicorns… Some say that they were fierce protectors of the forests, and could be tamed by no-one…
"No-one, that is, except chaste maidens with pure hearts. Such individuals were the only mortals who could befriend a unicorn and convince one to become a mount."
Stan smirked a little.
"And is your dream to someday do that?" he asked.
Francesca laughed a little.
"It's one thing to enjoy myths and legends about creatures like this," she said. "You start believing them, and you're ready for the screwball academy."
"Anyway… Ciao."
She got up and turned to leave.
"Hey, wait!" shouted Stan. "I didn't get your…"
He stood up.
"…name…"
She was gone. He shrugged.
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Afternoon eventually turned into night.
Sleeping in a common room with nineteen other people was hard to do, but anyone could sleep if he was tired enough.
As the ship continued on into the night, a figure watched it from a dark place, watching it in a crystal ball.
Two hands with long fingernails painted black caressed it.
"Sleep soundly, young ones," she purred, "for soon a sleep of different type will befall you…"
She turned. Six dark figures were watching behind her.
"Be patient, everyone," she said. "It will all start very soon…"
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Stan was on the upper deck to watch the sun rise… And it was then when he saw it.
Arcadia.
The first thing he noticed as the ship approached the island was the huge mountain in the center. Then other features came into view; forests, plains, and odd structures.
He had heard of Pegasus's Duelist Kingdom, and it seemed minute compared to this place. It looked even bigger than Manhattan in terms of size.
"Attention passengers," said Brice's voice over a loudspeaker. "We will be arriving in Rogueport in approximately one half-hour. Take this time to gather your things."
"Rogueport…" said Stan. "Where have I heard that name before?"
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Eventually, the ship docked in a large harbor. Other ships were docked there, presumably merchant ships there to sell their wares.
Brice stood in front of the ship's exit as everyone anxiously waited to disembark.
"Okay people!" he said, "let's not go crazy here…
"Once we're off the ship, follow me to the town square where one of the tournament directors will give everyone a briefing.
"Now let's all try to disembark in an orderly manner…"
Everyone started to scurry off the ship.
"This is NOT an orderly manner!" shouted Brice.
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Rogueport was an odd town. The buildings seemed to suggest those of the Victorian Era of England at first.
But combined with the old-fashioned feel were a few modern conveniences that showed that the place was more up to date than it looked. There were a few modern public phones and some vending machines here and there.
The town square was dominated by a scaffold that held a gallows. Brice led everyone to the area in front of it.
"All right everyone," he said, again through the megaphone. "Quiet down… Quiet down…
"QUIET DOWN!"
After about five minutes, the crowd did quiet down, and someone walked onto the scaffold. It was a woman that looked around thirty years old, with neatly cut blonde hair in bangs, wearing a formal black suit typical for women executives and sunglasses.
"Thank you, Brice," she said, in a strong voice. "Settle down people… My name is Sydney Meyers, and I am one of several members of the Arcadian Parliament that is directing this tournament.
"Please don't be intimidated by this thing… We haven't actually had a public hanging for over a century."
She chuckled a little.
"Now, I know that you're eager to get started, so I'll explain the rules. First off, the people gathered here do not represent the entirety of the contestants. Arcadia has four ports, and as we speak, ships are arriving at them too. This is to ensure everyone doesn't start at the same place.
"Now, you all have two Crystal Cards. Your goal is to get eight. You gain them in two ways.
"The first, and most common way, is by challenging your fellow contestants. The loser of a duel forfeits one Crystal Card to the winner. Losing all your cards eliminates you from the tournament.
"Now, there is a second way. There are special duelists on Arcadia who work for us. I can't say much about them right now… But dueling them can also get you a Crystal Card. Consider them sort of like bonuses in a video game.
"Now, gaining eight of those cards does not guarantee you a spot in the finals. It simply gives you the right to challenge a special duelist for something called a Crystal Star…
"And a Crystal Star is something you need to access your ultimate goal… The Thousand Year Door…"
The crowd went dead silent.
"You heard me…" she said. "The Thousand Year Door is a door located in the side of that mountain in the center of the island. What's in there? Does the Shadow Queen lurk within?
"All I can tell you is, there are only eight Crystal Stars in Arcadia, and only the eight duelists who manage to gain them will be allowed access, and even then, the tournament won't be over for them. New rules will be in place for those lucky eight.
"I can't say what those new rules are at this point… It will be revealed to those who actually get there.
"Of course, that's a long way off, so concentrating on the peliminaries should be your immediate goal at this point.
"I also advise no-one to actually go to the Thousand Year Door unless they actually have a Crystal Star. Unless you can actually get in, there's really nothing to see.
"Now, you'll find the populace of Arcadia friendly and hospitable. They've all been instructed to provide food, lodging, and supplies to tournament guests free of charge.
"Don't worry about us, we can easily foot the bill…
"But… While most of us are friendly, that changes fast if any of our citizens are the victims of theft, vandalism, or violence. If that happens, the offenders will find the constabulary not friendly at all."
He voice was a little stern when she said that. Then her smile returned.
"But don't worry about that, okay!" she beamed. "We're here to have fun after all!
"Now, no dueling is allowed in Rogueport for the next six hours, so to find a challenge, you'll have to leave town… I hope you all brought your walking shoes!
"Having said that, I declare the Thousand Year Door Tournament officially begun!"
She walked down from the scaffold, and the crowd slowly started to disperse.
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Meanwhile, Brice was standing to the side, grumbling to himself.
Then his phone rang again. He answered it.
"Yeah?" he said.
"All right," said the voice, "as I said, you can put your good suit on now.
"Then follow one of them. It doesn't matter to me which one. Time to find out what they're made of."
"Finally," said Brice, as he hung up.
He walked into an alley and removed the sunglasses as a shadowy aura surrounded him…
In a few seconds, he had indeed changed to his "good suit", which was actually a lot like the suit he had been wearing before. The color was different, however, and it had a few accessories that the black one didn't have.
And that wasn't the only way he had changed.
"Now we're talking…" he said, as he straightened his tie.
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Half an hour later, Stan was walking out of a general store, having gotten a map and some essentials – juice, granola bars, and trail mix. As Sydney had said, it had not cost him anything.
"Let's see…" he said, as he looked at the map.
Rogueport had five roads leading from it. One led due north, to the Thousand Year Door. That wasn't an option. The other four roads were direct routes to other towns of Arcadia.
"Petalburg…" he said, "Twilight Town… Keelhaul Key… Man, the folks in charge of this place must be big fans of Nintendo…"
Then he was knocked down as a man barreled into him.
"Oh, I'm s-s-sorry!" said the man, as he got up. "M-m-my fault!"
The man quickly rushed off. As Stan got up, he noticed something.
"HEY!" he shouted. "Hey buddy! You dropped some cards!"
But the man was gone.
Stan looked at the dropped cards. There were four of them. Three of them were Monsters, and didn't seem to be all-too powerful ones: Beautiful Headhuntress, Warrior Dai Grepher, and Axe Raider.
The fourth card was a Spell Card. He looked at it.
His eyes almost popped out of his head as he read the card text. He had never heard of this… But it was powerful…
He looked around for any sign of the man that had dropped it… But he saw none…
He looked at the card again.
I WILL return this when I find that guy… he thought. But… I'm sure he won't mind if I use it until then…
He shuffled it into his deck.
"So…" he said. "Petalburg?
"Seems like the best idea…"
He walked down the road, going southwest, and leaving Rogueport behind.
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Next:
Stan: The tournament has begun in earnest, and I've found my first challenge… And it appears he's one of those "special duelists" that Sydney mentioned.
Thing is, he gives me the creeps, although in all likelihood, that's the whole idea.
His strategy seems sound, but I've dealt with worse…
"Lucky Chance" is coming soon.