The beginning of Fortune

"Are you sure you'll be fine?"

Alan grinned at Leo.

"It's alright. Ylia and I were doing it all the time as kids. When we wanted to sneak out of the castle, Ylia used the Transformation spell to turn us into maids and we left by the backdoor to explore Glitterdale. Sis is good with that spell. Lot of practice."

The prince and the boy were in a room within the Kaiba Dome. Yusei, Ylia, Luna, Dexter, Tanner and Yanagi were at their side and watching the king, now a carbon copy of the little Front Claw Signer.

"King Alan … Will you be fine using my deck?"

"Don't worry, little lady. Ylia's deck is fairly similar so I've got experience dueling it … and with it too. And I told you, it's fine to call us Alan and Ylia. We're not in Summervale."

"Alright. I just wanted to be polite."

"I know. Ready, Yusei?"

"Yeah. Leo?"

"I'm pumped up! Let's go! Let's go!"

The adults chuckled. The green-haired boy seemed to be on a perpetual sugar rush, unlike his quieter and better-behaved sister. The group left the room, Ylia, Luna, Dexter, Tanner and Yanagi heading for the bleachers while the dueling trio went to the arena.

"Remember, Alan: you don't have to win. Just duel to show you're there, win or lose as you want, then it's okay."

"Alright, don't worry about it, Yus. You know how good I am."

In the stadium, a strong gust of wind blew and gathered in a tornado, revealing the feral form of Red Dragon Archfiend. The dragon circled the stadium before landing on the podium. Jack soon emerged and made an aerial barrel roll with his duel runner, landing right before his partner.

"There is only one king, and that's me! Who dares to challenge me to a duel?"

The crowd cheered loudly across the stadium. From rising platforms, the ten participants appeared. There was Yusei, Leo and Alan as Luna, a tall man with a tan skin and impressively muscular built that was nearly seven feet tall and a man in a dark blue hood with fake flames on the shoulders. On the opposing platform was a knight in shining armor, a man dressed like a pastor, a red-haired woman in garnet and white Victorian-like dress, a tall man in a sharp grey suit and a man that seemed in his early twenties and looked a bit like a rebel. The Master of Ceremonies took his microphone.

"Here they are! The ten challengers who were chosen to take on the King have appeared at last! Let's give a round of applauds for those courageous duelists who dare to stand against him!"

Pictures of the participants passed on the big holographic screens. The moment people saw the marker on Yusei's cheek, they began to whisper.

"Hey, look! This guy has a marker!"

"Is he a criminal?"

"I bet he stole someone's invitation …"

"Booh! Go to Satellite! You've got nothing to do in Neo Domino City!"

Leo and Alan looked around, surprised. They knew Yusei was a nice man and he being marked wasn't his fault. He didn't deserve it. The red-haired woman looked at the crowd in surprise. She turned to Yusei and offered a sympathetic face. Yusei gave her a reassuring smile. Leo glared at the crowd.

"Why do they do that? Just because you have a marker doesn't mean you're someone bad."

"That's enough to them." The Signer looked down. "To have a marker means you had a run in with Sector Security. You did something wrong. People don't care what you were caught for. Jaywalking and murder are the same to them as long as you're marked."

Leo growled. Glaring at the crowd, he stepped before the Signer and held his arms protectively before him. Yusei was touched by the gesture. Suddenly, the tall dark-skinned man took the MC's mic.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Greiger. Let me ask you: what is it you see in his man? He is a duelist, like all of us in this arena. He has a deck, he has honor and I have no doubt he was chosen like all of us here under no different circumstances. And yet you look down on him because he had a marker? Because he is a criminal? Do you only know what his crime is? Do you know why he has such marker? You don't, and neither do I. And I do not care. Rather, the only criminals I see in this stadium are you for judging a man simply because he was marked, without seeking to understand why. This man here, as a duelist, has more worth than all of you together!"

The crowd remained silent at the speech. The tall duelist had been merciless in his shaming and Yusei had to admit even he was impressed. Leo's eyes shone.

"He's so cool!"

"Indeed. Nice to see a man of valor in this town."

Akiza seemed grateful, but also sad for some reason. She took her deck and sighed. Greiger's words didn't apply to people like her. Jack was the first to clap his hands, much to Goodwin and Archfiend's surprise. The Director quickly imitated him, soon followed by Yusei's friends and the whole crowd. Goodwin rose from his seat.

"Thanks for those words, Greiger. As you said, no one knows the reason why Mr. Fudo has a marker and none of us hold the right to judge him. He is a duelist like every challenger in his stadium, and like all duelists, he has a deck and his honor. For those reasons, he has the right to stand here and challenge the King. I, Rex Goodwin, director of Sector Security, have spoken. Now, let the Fortune Cup begin!"

The main screen quickly set up the match-ups for the first rounds. Leo found himself against Greiger, Luna/Alan against the man called Professor Frank, Yusei against the man called ominously Player Killer, Akiza against the golden-armored Gill Randsborg and Commander Koda against the rebel-looking man, Jiro. Leo grinned.

"Yes! I get to duel him!"

Yusei winced inwardly. The colossus looked like a powerful foe that could even give him a run for his money. Once they were in the duelist lobby, he, the boy and Alan gathered.

"Are you ready for this?" Alan asked.

"Yeah, I'll take him on! He looks cool! This is going to be a fun duel!"

"Leo, be careful." Yusei warned. "I can tell he's a very strong duelist. Don't underestimate him."

Leo took a worried look.

"Do you think you could win against him?" He shook his head. "Silly question. Of course, you can take him! I bet you can take on anyone in this room!"

"Sure!" Alan smiled. His voice lowered. "He's my student after all. I'd be disappointed if he lost against any duelist Goodwin invited to this tournament."

Yusei nodded.

"I have to win and challenge Jack. But, about Greiger, I can tell I'll win against him but not without some serious hardships."

Leo shivered and took the warning to heart. If Yusei said a duelist would give him trouble, he'd better prepare for the worst. He started setting his deck, only for the Signer to caress his head.

"Remember, Leo: your Morphtronics' main strength is adaptability. It's good to have a strategy in mind, but with them, it's best to have several more at hand in case one proves inefficient. Here." He gave him several cards, among which were Magic Cylinder, Numinous Healer and Breakthrough Skills. "Just in case. Cards like these are always good to have around."

"Alright, Yusei. I'll do my best!"

"I know you will, kid."

Alan smiled. He didn't know if the Signer would be able to raise his and Ylia's child, if they did manage to conceive one, but he knew he'd make an awesome father. Leo and Greiger left to the dueling arena under the crowd's cheers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here is the first round of the Fortune Cup!" The MC declared. "Children around the world must envy this little boy! The youngest contestant of this tournament: the Courageous Master of Machines, Leo!" Leo appeared and waved at the crowd. "Facing him, standing tall against all odds with strength and passion, the Dark Hurricane, Greiger! Duelists, shake hands."

Leo grinned.

"That was cool of you to take Yusei's defense earlier. It wasn't his fault he got this mark. Really, he's a super nice guy. And a good duelist too."

Greiger had a faint smile.

"Then it will be my pleasure to duel him."

The two contestants took one side of the field.

"Let's duel!"

In Leo's defense, he tried. Really. When he saw his opponent go with high-ATK monsters, he went on the defensive with his Magnen lockdown and, when it turned out Greiger's monsters also damaged by card effect, he broke out Skill Drain and his Morphtronics' healing effects. He even managed to summon Power Tool Dragon and get a few counters. But, in the end, Greiger was just that powerful a duelist. And it didn't help that Leo didn't really get classes about dueling either and was a bit limited in knowledge. The boy returned to the lobby with his head down.

"I'm sorry, Yusei. I really tried. But … this guy … You were right. He is strong."

"Don't worry, Leo. The skills you showed were still impressive for a duelist of your level."

"I had to. I have to be strong to protect Luna, at least until she gets Ancient Fairy Dragon back."

Yusei nodded and looked at Alan, who was leaving to renew the Transformation spell. The king got his glance and nodded. Both men silently promised to help the boy reach his goal. Akiza watched from afar. She was jealous of the man's closeness with the two kids. Yusei felt it, because he turned to her and offered a kind smile. Akiza huffed and turned away. A pang of deception crept through her mark and caught her off guard. She looked at the man and was surprised to see him watch her with what looked like puppy eyes.

'… Please? I just want to be friends.'

At least, that's what she felt. And it made her feel strange. She was saved by the call for the next round. Her opponent was Jill Randsborg, a man who dressed and behaved like a Middle-Age knight. A smirk crossed her face. Witch versus knight, huh? And the witch had a draconic servant. How cliché! A wave of bloodlust ran through her body. She could feel Black Rose Dragon's impatient whining, the prospect of tearing the man apart. Yes.Yes, she would. She would call forth her servant and rend the knight's flesh from his bones. Her Plant monsters would feed on his corpse and Black Rose Dragon bathe in his blood! This silly knight was nothing! Nothing but an insect caught in the jaw of a flycatcher. She would enjoy seeing him suffer, drop after drop with every scratch! Suffer like she suffered because of her curse that made every single monster real. He would know the pain that turned her into a witch, so intense he would beg and cry to make it stop. She would stop it. Black Rose Dragon's thorns wrapping around his neck would silence his screams of terror and a snap would put an end to his misery …

Akiza shook herself, cleaning her head from the crimson thoughts that had invaded her mind. She wouldn't kill. She was in a tournament. Sayer was counting on her and the man she had seen in the lobby, the one with a marker and who often smiled kindly at her wouldn't like it. She would defeat her opponent, that's all. No bloodshed.

Yusei winced. He'd just had a very bad feeling about the duel. Leo and Alan/Luna sat at his side and looked at the screen.

"Time to see what this incarnation of Leona can do." Alan uttered.

"If what I felt is anything to come by, Randsborg is in serious trouble."

Leo turned to them.

"Well, if she's the Black Rose Witch, he is already in trouble. Who's Leona anyway?"

"Her first incarnation." Yusei explained. "You don't remember because you don't have a mark yet, but before becoming Signers, we were regular humans. Our actions caught the eye of the Crimson Dragon who chose us as his servants. Leona is the person Akiza was before becoming a Signer, just like you used to be Althiel of Summervale and I used to be Uriah the Prophet."

"Really? You told me about it a little, and Power Tool calls himself Althiel at times. Right, I remember now. We used to be a single being."

"Indeed. Black Rose Dragon and Akiza used to be a single woman known as Leona, the Black Thorn Assassin. She was …" Yusei blushed. "When I was Uriah, the two of us were married. Then I was murdered by a religious cult, and she hunted every single culprit until the religion of The One was toppled. She's always had a knack for large-scale destruction. Astyan, or Jack as he is known today, is a bit more specific with his kills."

Alan chuckled.

"In one of her past lives, she was a general called Helena. She once nuked an entire country to stop an alien invasion and destroy their foothold on our world. A country. Alone. The only thing that could compare is Astyan taking down the God of Time single-handedly in his first life."

Leo looked nervously at the screen.

"And … what can I boast about?"

"Well, you did create devices that could control the weather and the sea and one that could influence the moving of the continents themselves. You also designed a shield that was impervious to anything short of a full-blown Armageddon."

The kid paled considerably.

"I'm not gonna ask what they were used for … or if they were used at all."

"They were." Yusei muttered. "To devastating effect."

In the arena, Akiza had appeared alongside her opponent. The MC spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here they are! On one side, the Virtuous Iron-Blooded Knight, Gill Randsborg!"

The man drew his sword.

"On my sword, I swear as a descendant of the proud knights of before, I will win this duel for you!"

"Sir Randsborg has declared his victory! Facing him is a maiden of mysterious virtues whose might is yet unknown: Akiza Izinsky!"

Luna cringed. Ylia turned to her.

"Are you alright?"

"Her deck …" The girl muttered. "There's a lot of pain coming from it! Pain … and anger."

"Are there monster spirits inside?"

"Yes, several."

The queen looked at the arena. Thanks to Akiza's Psychic Dueling, the monsters could become real. Given they were sentient rather than simple holograms, she wondered if the girl could interact with them. In his stand, the MC put a finger on his ear.

"… Are you serious!? So … this girl is the dreaded Black Rose Witch? Seriously? Oh lord, this is gonna be a dreadful fight!" He took his mic, his voice slightly faltering. "Ladies and gentlemen, I've just received news about Miss Izinsky … She is the Black Rose Witch, the dreaded duelist who can make her monsters real!"

The crowd reacted instantly, booing and calling the girl out. The group winced. In the arena, both Akiza and Sayer in his spot looked around, surprised. Who sold the poor girl!? Akiza looked down. Keeping her control was going to be hard. Randsborg frowned.

"So your true identity is that of the Black Rose Witch. It was fate that brought us face to face, then. As a knight, it is my duty to rip your wretched kind off the face of this earth!"

Akiza didn't say a word. Instead, she remained stoic and even-faced. She wouldn't give in. She was better than that. A wave of sympathy washing through her mark helped her in that. She looked at her opponent.

"Let's duel!"

Gill Randsborg (Masked Knight Burn): 4000 Life Points – Akiza Izinsky (Plant Beatdown): 4000 Life Points

(Play Gomorrah: Devourer of the Divine, from Bayonetta 2)

"I shall take the first turn!" Randsborg decided. "And I summon Masked Knight, Third of its Level!"

A small knight with red eyes and a silver and gold armor appeared.

"Next, I activate its effect, Persona Blast, which inflicts my opponent 400 damage. Feel the burn of righteousness, witch!"

Masked Knight's helmet had a cross-shaped prong. Light came from it that struck Akiza. The girl didn't feel anything.

Akiza: 4000 - 3600

Something tingled in the back of her head. A memory, fleeting and ephemeral, but still there. Triggered by the word "burn".

"Next, I use the card "Level Up". By sending Masked Knight LV3 to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Masked Knight Level the Fifth! And I use his ability, Persona Twin Blast, which takes away a thousand of thy Life Points!"

The knight standing before Akiza was taller, with an improved armor that still had a cross on the helmet. From this cross came a blast of black and white that struck the girl again.

Akiza: 3600 - 2600

Randsborg gloated.

"Do you feel this, witch? This is the light of justice smiting you for your misdeeds! I set a card face-down and end my turn!"

This time, Akiza flinched. The memory flickered more intensely in her head. Fire … misdeed … Pictures flashed in front of her. A burning house, a pyre, a woman with red hairs in a black robe, another watching the house burn, calling for a name she couldn't hear, the same woman clad in black, wielding a whip of rose thorns and a crown of black thorns … Misdeed, she didn't ask for it! She never … wanted to be evil. People, circumstances forced her to. Even today. She blinked several times.

"My turn! Draw!"

Her find was Black Garden. Her hand was made of Rose Witch, Thorns of Malice, Wonder Clover, Lord Poison and Twilight Rose Knight. The girl frowned. She could summon Black Rose Dragon this very turn, but …

"Yeah, get it! Go Randsborg!"

"Take down that witch!"

"You bloody witch get outta there!"

"Burn! Burn!"

The insults brought memories back, memories she knew weren't her own. The witch burning to a stake for the sole crime of knowing Nature magic, holy paladins fending off the monsters she and her sisters had summoned to protect their forest home, a house burning as her husband was trapped inside because he preached a religion that was different from the others … A whip of thorns wraps itself around a throat.

"Who murdered my husband? I want names!"

A battle of mages ending with a temple being ruined and the murderous priest bleeding to death. A forest rising to stop the mechanical invaders that threatened her world.

Fight back. Crush and destroy. This is in your nature. You are the Rear Claw whose talons rend and tear apart. Akiza closed her eyes.

"I summon Twilight Rose Knight in Attack Position. Then, I use his effect to Special Summon Rose Witch!"

The memories hit her dead on. This time, the pictures were clear and there was sound along. But where, where did they come from!? Who were these women? Why did she remember them? Twilight Rose Knight turned to see her fall on her knees and gasped. He was at her side the next second.

"Hold on!"

His hands were fresh on Aliza's skin. Rose Witch looked at her, nervous. The little knight gave her a worried glance and massaged her back. He then removed her glove to see the red claw mark glowing with an eerie light. Rose Witch crossed her arms.

"What do we do?"

Rose Knight gulped and pressed both hands on the mark, praying he had the ability to ease his master's pain. Akiza somewhat felt it because she muttered.

"Summon … Black Rose …"

Rose Witch clenched her teeth and helped her master stand. Akiza's head was thrumming like crazy and she had trouble focusing. But her two monsters were here.

"I am tuning my Level 3 Black Rose Knight with my Level 4 Rose Witch! Chilling flames engulf the entire world! Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!"

Twilight Rose Knight turned into three rings that surrounded Rose Witch, turning her into four stars. A light engulfed it all, from which emerged a gigantic dragon. Its wings were made of rose petals and so was its mane, from which emerged thorns as sharp as a knife. But it was nothing compared to the creature's ebony scales, its feral eyes and the two thorn tentacles that replaced its hands. Wind blew over the arena as a storm of black petals whirled across the field. Black Rose Dragon, the ill-omened drinker of blood. The beast's roar sent everyone cowering on their seat. Akiza shook her head. Her mind was clear, now. Her eyes narrowed.

"You claim yourself a righteous knight? Self-righteous people like you are the reason I became a witch!" She turned to the crowd. "I am the Black Rose Witch, the girl whose cards become real! This is my power … and my curse! And people like you do not make my life any easier! Do you think I enjoy destroying everything around me!?"

She took a card and set it on Black Rose Dragon. The creature was soon covered with threatening thorns. Her eyes fell on Randsborg.

"What did you say, already? This is the light of justice smiting me for my misdeeds? Well, here is my answer: this is the reason thou shall not fuck with a witch! I send Lord Poison to the Graveyard to activate the effect of "Wonder Clover"! This Spell allows me to select a face-up monster I control and, for sending a Level 4 Plant-type monster in my Graveyard, it can attack twice but my other monsters cannot attack this turn. And I choose my only monster: Black Rose Dragon!"

A green aura surged around the dragon. Akiza glared at the knight.

"And now, just so you know what awaits you, "Thorns of Malice" can only be equipped to Black Rose Dragon or a Plant-type monster. It improves their ATK by 600 and …" A wry smile crossed her face. "The opposing monster that is attacked cannot be destroyed. Also, after damage calculation, its ATK and DEF decrease by 600. Payback time, Sir Knight! Black Rose Dragon, use your power! By banishing Lord Poison, I can reduce a monster's attack to zero. Rose Restriction!"

The dragon's thorny tentacles wrapped themselves around the armored knight and brought it on its knees. The crowd gasped.

"Now, attack! Hate Whiplash!"

The remaining vines hammered the knight without destroying it. Randsborg watched, terror in his eyes.

Randsborg: 4000 - 1000

"And now comes the second attack! Black Rose Dragon's effect fades, but I don't need it anymore. However, the effect of Thorns of Malice still applies."

Masked Knght's ATK went from 0 to 2300 before falling to 1900. Black Rose's attack was still 3000. Akiza smirked.

"This is the wrath of a witch. Black Rose Dragon, Black Rose Flare!"

The dragon took its breath and unleashed a purple burst of energy that engulfed Randsborg and his knight. When it faded, the monster was nowhere to be seen and the duelist was on the ground.

Randsborg: 1000 - 0

Akiza wins.

(End music)

Yanagi winced.

"One-Turn Kill, Pissed Off Witch edition."

In the lobby, Yusei, Leo and Alan looked at the screen.

"Nice to see Leona hasn't lost her touch for bloody rampages. That was brutal!"

Yusei was about to answer when he felt Akiza through his mark. She was coming for him. So he left the sofa and went to the door.

"How can I help you?"

Akiza's answer was to grab him by the arm and pull him a little further in the corridor.

"Now you explain."

"Explain what?"

"The memories. How is it that I can remember the lives of other people!?"

Yusei winced. So her collapsing earlier was indeed due to flashbacks. And it was apparently her first time.

"Easy. Those other people are you. They are past you, men and women that you used to be before being born as Akiza Izinsky."

"That's impossible!"

Yusei crossed his arms.

"Ever heard of the word Metempsychosis?"

Akiza frowned.

"I think. It's an other word for Reincarnation, right?"

"Indeed. And Reincarnation is itself a form of born-again immortality. Our bodies are ephemeral, but our souls are immortal. They go through many lives, one after the other. This is true for everyone. We, however, are different."

He revealed her mark and folded his sleeve, revealing his own mark.

"We are Signers, people chosen by an entity called the Crimson Dragon whose duty is to protect the world. Like every human, we die and are reborn. Unlike them, we can remember our past selves and tap in the experience we gained in our previous lives. The flashbacks you had during your duel are the memories of your past selves. I get them sometimes when I dream, but I learned to control them so they don't bother me much. When they first appeared, however …"

Akiza looked at her mark and snarled.

"So they are due to this mark. Wretched thing! Ever since it appeared, it has given me nothing but hardships!"

"You're wrong."

Yusei's hand placed on her arm. His smile was kind.

"This mark grants you powers you can learn to control. Those powers, they are only dangerous if you don't know to use them properly. Just like your Psychic powers.

"But aren't my Psychic powers bound to this mark?"

"At all. They are completely unrelated."

Akiza frowned.

"… Alright. Teach me, then."

The demand caught Yusei aback. It took him a moment to pull himself together.

"Not now. I still have a duel to make. After, though … Here, you can find me at this address."

He handed her a piece of paper. Akiza took it.

"Alright. I'll meet you after the tournament."

On this, she left. Leo and Alan watched from afar.

"She's really tough!"

"If she really is Yusei's soul mate, I know someone who's gonna have his hands full."

Yusei came to the two.

"So, how went the fight between Koda and Jiro?"

The two looked at one another.

"Jiro lost. Badly. It wasn't as brutal as Akiza's beatdown but …"

"Koda completely toyed with him! Jiro couldn't make a single move! It was creepy …"

Yusei nodded. A voice suddenly called Luna and Professor Frank. Alan grinned.

"Gotta go. Wish me luck!"

Leo looked at Yusei who shook his head.

"Trust me, if anyone needs luck, it's Frank. Even using your sister's deck, Alan remains a very deadly duelist."

"This is gonna be fun to watch, then!"

"Depends for who …"

Here is a little chapter in waiting for Legends of Johto. As you can see, I haven't given up on this story. I was just busy somewhere else ... So, sorry there's only a duel and I summarized Leo's duel, but I still have trouble making them. This said, next chapter, we've got Alan vs. Frank and Yusei vs. Hunter Pace. First Riding Duel ... This will not be easy to write. At all. Making Yu-Gi-Oh duels is much harder than writting Pokémon battles. And yeah, even if you're a knight, you shouldn't mess with a witch.

For the reviews ...

- Shadowfire-phoenix: thanks for the comments! I promise next chapters will be more interesting.

- Guest: Akiza is Yusei's soul mate. They will be together.

- Siggimondo: Quillbolt Hedgehog wasn't on the field when Junk Warrior appeared. For Stardust, this is what happens when you don't correctly proof-read your chapter ... Damn, I should've been more careful!

- San child of the wolves: thanks for the comment!

- Guest: so far, the Relentless will be the only original archetype I'll include. But I have several others in store (Winterdeep, Muspel, Viridian, Sarkhan) and I'd like to test them, so maybe they'll make a quick cameo to see if their mechanisms work.

That's all for now. Next update is either Pacific Rim (not sure at all) or Pokémon (the 27, not before).

See you soon!