Sometime in the next two weeks, there will be a duel that can be done under one of two ways: one with a made up card, and one with official cards. Write a review with your opinion. You will influence this book, so think about your decision! Without further ado, enjoy the last setting chapter. The next chapter has lots of dueling action, and it only gets better from there! Let's go!

DUELIST

Chapter Three: Destinies

Max stopped running as the treadmill ground to a halt. He grabbed his towel and mopped his sweaty forehead, panting for oxygen. 'No training tomorrow.' Jade said. Chris and Max rose up a feeble, exhausted cheer. The three had been on a brutal training regime, and now the Regional Qualifiers were just two days away.

'The Regional Qualifiers are on Saturday, and we need to rest up for them. So early to bed tonight.' Jade said firmly, as protective as a mother hen. 'We won't duel well at all if we're exhausted. The Shockwave is going to be brutal there, and we need to be at the top of our game to win through.' Jade continued.

'Good idea.' Max said. 'Let's spend tomorrow after school just honing our decks privately. We can meet at my house to head to the Qualifiers together.'

Though the three were from different regions, the Qualifiers for several regions were all held at a large building in the Central Business District. Max, Jade and Chris all had their tournaments in that area.

Max went home to his empty house. The next day, he spread all his good cards out, and carefully selected the optimal cards to put in his deck. He spent hours going through every card deemed good enough to make the cut. He chose a precise ratio, and stuck to it, cutting out individual cards out of hundreds. When he had about 80-100 cards left, he built a deck, then shuffled cards around until he had a good deck. He went through it several times, then changed some cards and went through it again. After cutting cards about 5 times, he chose from a card pool of 60 several times before he was satisfied with his Fusion Beatdown deck. It was ready for the Qualifiers, which were 1-duel only, so he didn't need a Side Deck yet.

Chris ate, like he always did, while surveying all his cards. He split them into categories, sub-categories, and sub-sub-categories, then started cutting cards. He then put them together in different ratios for a 4-star Beatdown deck. He included a few six-star cards, and one seven-star to help make his ultimate creature. He put a single card in his Fusion Deck and smiled. By the end of the day, his deck, and his stomach, were packed full.

Jade moved cards repeatedly, bringing them together, apart and in circles, like an elaborate dance or an arcane ritual. Slowly she weeded out cards, and paired combinations together. She started pairing and separating them from her central combo, Lord of Dragons and the Flute of Summoning Dragon. Through intuition and logic, she cut combinations until she had a card pool like Max's, but one connected like a jigsaw. Eventually she packed a versatile, surprising deck, then packed about 20 cards to change in between duels to perplex opponents. She smiled and narrowed her eyes. She was ready.

The three met in front of Max's house as agreed. They looked through each other's decks, and were quite impressed.

'Wow, Chris. Your deck has some serious punch! Especially that Fusion Monster! I wouldn't want to be staring THAT down.' Max said.

'I try, Max. I try.' Chris replied.

Max looked through Jade's deck, confused. 'Look through it again.' Jade suggested.

Max did, and began to piece together the puzzle. 'WOW, Jade! This isn't a deck, it's a masterpiece! And if I know you, the best combos are the ones I don't see.'

'Probably.' Jade said, with an enigmatic smile.

Because the Regional Qualifiers were held in the same building, the three walked together in order to get to the qualifiers. After buying a light meal (and a heavy meal for Chris) they decided to head through the town square, which was so large that it seemed deserted, despite the hundreds of people often in it on Saturdays.

Unfortunately, they had forgotten the monthly market in this part of the city. They forced through the crowds, gaining ground with difficulty, only to find Chris missing.

'Chris! Chris!' Jade yelled.

'Hey! Chris! Where are you?' Max shouted.

Suddenly Chris appeared, carrying a hot chicken kebab with a bite taken out of it from a nearby store. 'Let's go guys.' Chris said, then took another large bite.

'DO YOU EVER STOP EATING!?' Jade screamed at him.

'Apparently not.' Chris said.

Jade opened her mouth to yell at him again, but stopped and just slapped her forehead instead.

'It just isn't worth the bother to get through that thick skull of yours.' Jade said.

'What?' Chris said, mouth full of chicken.

'Never mind.' Jade sighed.

The three continued on, past small stores with things hanging from the roofs, gaudy eye-catching tents full of fortune-tellers, face painters and caricature artists. Luckily they had only skimmed the food section, so they, (aka Chris) were not led astray. They continued past the crowds, until they could see the end of the market. The crowds were not so thick here, and the three settled to a walk rather than a shove.

'You three!' Someone called out. They turned to see a small woman, about Max's height. She had deep wrinkles on her face, and a mysterious look. She was standing outside a royal blue tent with plastic crystal balls from the walls. A large eye marked the tent, the eye being a bright red.

'You three are Max, Jade and Chris.' She said and smiled. 'You are the ones I have waited for. I have tidings of dire import for you.' She said and narrowed her eyes in seriousness.

'Yeah right.' Chris said. 'Fortune tellers are totally fake.'

'I don't know about this one…' Jade said. 'Something about her seems….familiar.'

'We're going to be late.' Chris said.

Jade checked her watch. 'Nah, we've got plenty of time.' She said. 'Come on!'

She jogged towards the tent. Max hesitated, then followed. Chris followed at a walk, muttering to himself. Max heard the words 'gypsy' and 'fake' , as if he needed any proof of what Chris was saying, which was quite obvious.

They entered the tent, and looked around. The royal blue here was a shade darker, and wooden shelves covered most of the walls, stopping only at the entrance. They were all packed with knick-knacks and trinkets. An octangular table with two chairs and a purple tablecloth and a crystal ball was in the exact centre of the tent. How she transported all this only she knew.

'The three of you are heading to the Regional Qualifiers. It is good that you entered my tent, for if you did not, you would assuredly have failed in your quest to bring honor back to the dueling world.' The seer said.

Max and Jade widened eyes in amazement, and Chris rose an eyebrow. 'Not bad.' He said. 'It's obvious we were going to the Qualifiers, but how did you know about why? Do that many people try to do this?' he said.

'Max.' the seer said. 'Give me your hand, and I shall reveal what awaits you in the trials ahead of you. All three of you face a difficult road, and all of you have your own obstacles to overcome. Should one of you fail, you will almost certainly lose. Should two of you fail, you have no chance to overcome the great evil that will be unleashed if your enemy wins the tournament!'

'Patrick?' Max asked.

'No.' the seer said. 'Patrick is but a minnow against the shark you face. A practicer of the arts of manipulating the shadows, he is an incredible duelist. Two of you are destined to face him, but if one of you fail your task, all three of you will face him, and you will all have the odds against you. Pay great heed to what I tell you, for it may save the lives of millions of duelists!'

'Someone winning a tournament won't kill millions of duelists.' Chris said. 'That's impossible.'

'Max. Your hand.' The seer said. Max handed over his hand, and the seer took it. Suddenly Max was no longer in the tent. He floated in a black nothingness. The seer appeared next to him.

'The visions you see cannot harm you, but rest assured, they will come to pass..if you last that long. Now, let us see your future!'

'I predict that you will suffer a great defeat. A friend's intervention may save you, but may also doom you to a fate of being a victim of the shadows!'

'How can…' Max said, but all of a sudden wind gushed past him. He had the sensation of accelerating. Then a bright light appeared, and quickly filled his vision. He closed his eyes.

Max opened his eyes. He was standing in the audience of a huge stadium. The champion duelist, Lance Rameras, was standing on one side of a dueling arena. The other duelist was him.

'Now you're finished!' Lance said. 'When my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon strikes, you'll be lucky to get up today, let alone duel in half an hour!'

Max noticed the dueling field. To his horror, he had nothing on his field, and a 4500 ATK monster about to take him down. The dragon was gigantic, about 9 metres tall. It had three heads, and huge wings. Each head had a symbol on it, and each was looking menacingly at Max. Well him. Well future him. Max's brain hurt.

'Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Attack his Life Points directly!' Max screamed, and collapsed, completely defeated. Max looked on in horror. 'Is this my fate?' he asked.

'It might.' The seer said.

The microphone blared out. 'The winner of Duel One of the Semifinals is Lance Rameras! They will have their second duel in thirty minutes!'

Jade and Chris ran onto the arena, then the arena, Jade, Chris and Max's future self disappeared.

'Max. Your ordeal is the most simple, yet may be the hardest. Your path will be difficult. Every duel you fight will be a test of your inner strength and will, and will be very hard to overcome. Yet overcome you must.' The seer said.

They returned to the tent in a rush. Max let go of the seer's hand, shaken by what he had just witnessed. 'Chris.' The seer said. 'I cannot show visions to those who do not believe. Thus, there is no need to grasp my hand. Sit opposite me, and I will tell you your future…if you choose to listen.'

Chris sighed, and sat. The seer closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke. 'Max. Jade. You must not speak of anything you are about to witness. Chris will learn his destiny or not. He does not hear these words.'

'Now, Chris. Your fate.' Max and Jade suddenly were propelled into the dark, joined by the seer. 'Your fate is also dangerous and difficult. You also face difficult battles. Then you will be forced to make a choice. If you accept your destiny, you shall save the world from evil. If not, you will condemn your friend to a terrible battle, which he is unlikely to win!'

They heard Chris's voice, but not Chris himself. 'So a choice can save the world or doom my friend, but only if I listen to YOU? Give me a break.'

'I see you ignore your destiny, Chris.' The seer continued. 'You will accept your destiny, or you shall cause your friend to suffer. If you defeat the evil one, two horrors will be averted! If not, your friend must face him, and even if he wins, you will wander alone. Then, the evil shall return, and defeat Max Winter! You will be forced to fight for your friend's very soul.'

'There is no such thing as a soul!' Chris's voice yelled. 'This is insanity! You are a false seer who tries to make money by duping idiots!' he yelled.

'You go too far.' The seer said. 'Very well. I intended to hide this from you, but since you will not listen, I can tell you this!' A bright light appeared, to reveal an open-air stadium, atop a tall hill. A figure, shrouded in fog to mask his identity, faced Chris.

'Now I summon the Winged Tormentor of the Sky!' the figure yelled. A giant creature, the height of a 15-storey building, appeared. It was absolutely huge. It was a GIANT, muscled warrior, with golden wings. The warrior was red, and had two mouths.

'Winged Tormentor of the Sky! Attack him with the fury of three Egyptian Gods!' the figure said, then all was black.

'What happened?' Max said. 'Did Chris survive? Did he get hit? What?'

'That is masked by fate.' The seer said. They were suddenly back in the tent. 'Your fortune is told, Chris.'

'Yeah, whatever.' Chris said.

'Jade. You have a unique destiny. Take my hand, and see the future.' The seer said. Jade sat down, and took the woman's hand. All of a sudden, Max was no longer in the tent. Jade and the seer were already there, waiting.

'Jade.' The seer began. 'Your role is very important. If you do not use all your strength and courage to overcome the obstacles in your path, Max will not just fail: he will die, claimed by the shadows for eternity.'

'When the shadows attempt to destroy him, you must help him defeat their hold. A terrible battle will strike him, and he will be on the brink of being lost. Only by defeating him can you save him from his fate. Only you can prevent his defeat: and if he is defeated, you will all be claimed by the shadows, as will millions of others!'

Max was back in the tent once more. The seer released Jade's hand. She stood up, and addressed the three of them. 'All three of you have destinies.' She said. 'But I sense that one of you may fail to take to heart these warnings. You all must follow what you have learnt today. Far more is at stake than you can comprehend.'

'But in order to achieve your destinies, you must win the Regional Qualifiers to progress! So you three had better get moving, lest your journey end before it even begins.' The seer said.

The three left the tent, and blinked in the bright sunlight. They closed their eyes to adjust, then gingerly opened them again.

'That gypsy was a total fake.' Chris said with a smirk.

'I doubt it.' Jade said. 'Something about her seemed familiar.'

'Your mind's just playing tricks on you.' Chris said.

'I think the one who may fail to believe the warnings is you Chris.' Jade said.

'Well she WOULD say that, to get more business for her and her kind. I'm the skeptic. Anyone can sense THAT.' Chris said.

'Then how did she know not only we were going to the Qualifiers, but WHY we were going there?' Jade challenged.

'I don't know.' Chris said. 'But there's got to be a logical explanation!'

'There is!' Jade said. 'You're a closed minded, thick-skulled moron, that's what!'

The two were gathering up for a real shouting match, when Max intervened. 'GUYS!' he yelled. They turned to him. 'What?' they said in unison.

'The Qualifiers. We'll miss them if we don't hurry up.' He said.

'Right! The tournament!' Chris said.

'Let's go!' Jade said.

The three walked out of the market, and crossed several streets, Chris and Jade arguing most of the way. Max resigned himself and tuned them out. They argued right up until they entered the building.

Then they split, according to their location. 'I'll see you guys when the day's dueling is over, okay guys?' Max said.

'We'll meet up at lunch. I checked.' Jade said.

'Alright, see you then!' Max said.

'Lunch? What time?' Chris said.

Max and Jade laughed. 'What are we going to do with you, Chris?' Jade said.

'Well, you could give me a sandwich!' Chris said.

This reduced the three to such paroxysms of mirth that they could barely stand up. When they finished laughing, they looked at each other and cracked up again.

Then it was time to go. 'See you guys at lunch!' Max said, leaving the elevator.

'Bye, Max!' the two said, then the door closed, and the elevator hummed, leading them up.

Max walked down the corridor, and entered the room. It was a large room, with about 20 areas with mats, so duelists wouldn't be hurt much if they fell from exhaustion. Max saw the duelists, took a deep breath, and took out his deck to put in his Duel Disk. He closed the door, firmly taking the step, to win this in order to achieve the first part of his destiny.

END OF CHAPTER

Join me next week, for Chapter Four: Trial of the Qualifiers, where Max faces his first tournament duel: against a brutal Red-Eyes deck! He seems to be winning…but is he?

Then, in Chapter Five: Clash of the Red-Eyes, Max brings out a powerful Fusion Monster, and destroys Red-Eyes. But when Jack brings out an even stronger monster, is Max at the end of his rope?

Chapter Five will have either a made-up card or a real card, based on what you guys decide. Write a review, and add your opinion! I want to know! The duel is in your hands, and you only have a couple of weeks to decide! Think carefully, and don't miss next week's boiling hot dueling action!