A/N: Hello again everyone! I just want to thank you all for your feedback and support! I never expected that this story would take off so fast. Now to answer a few questions:
Guest: Sorry, but sticking to the rules concerning the Extra Deck which means I can only have up to 15 Monsters in my Extra Deck
Guest 101: I won't be adding any E-Hero monsters that Jaden (except Bubbleman) as they would make the MC look like a copycat and they're not exactly compatible with the Masked Hero archetype anyways.
Now we go back to the story! This is the beginning of the Underworld Arc (which will be about 2-3 chapters long before canon starts) where our young hero goes underground in duels to raise the money he needs to apply to Duel Academy. So without further ado, let's get on with the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh except my OC(s). Everything else belongs to Konami.
"You're going down!": Normal speech
'Hope he's not hearing my thoughts': Mental thoughts
"I will end you!": When a character is using some form of power, or is possessed.
(ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, LV: 4): level 4 monster in Attack mode
(ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, LV: 4): level 4 monster in Defense mode
Somehow I'm in GX!
Chapter 3: Welcome to the Underworld!
SI POV:
After kicking Punk Leader's ass both on the duel field and off of it, I walked with an excited Kevin who couldn't stop chattering about my duel all the way back to the orphanage where we then had lunch with the other orphans. After scarfing down my lunch, I waited until nightfall while planning to sneak out of the orphanage. Making sure that everyone else was asleep, I changed out of my PJs into some dark jeans and shirt, with a red hoodie instead of my regular jacket. 'At least with this on, no one who knows me will easily recognize me. Still, it's not like I'm counting on meeting any of my friends in the Arena' I thought to myself as I put on my Duel Disk and slid my deck into one of my pants' back pockets.
Next step was to figure out a way to sneak out of the building. Since Misako has taken to locking the front doors when it was bedtime and hiding the keys after my little incident with the car, I took a peak through my window and saw that it's fortunately situated above some thick bushes. Using tied up bed-sheets as a ladder, I quickly made climbed low enough to jump into the bushes which thankfully broke my fall.
'Freedom at last!' I thought to myself with excitement. Making my way to the area Punk Leader described to me about before I sent him to Dream World, I recognized the place as a typical rundown bar with a sign on the door that said "Closed for Renovations".
'This must be the place' I thought before looking around me to make sure there were no bystanders. Knocking on the door twice, I didn't have to wait long before someone opened the peephole, looked down at me, and asked gruffly, "What do you want kid?"
Smirking, I help up the Sand Gambler card before replying, "Pardon me, sir, but I think someone lost this card, if you know what I mean."
Grunting in understanding, the man closed the peephole and opened the door fully to reveal a tall well-built man who looked to be in his 50s but was still in top shape. He was wearing a tank top shirt and black jeans. Judging from his stiff posture to his buzz-cut hair to the symbol-like tattoo on his arm, he seemed like a typical military man who left the service years ago. 'Must be the bouncer.' I thought to myself while looking at the man's biceps which are about as big as my legs.
"Don't want any trouble here, understand kid?" the man asked roughly while glaring down at me. 'Damn monster could probably use my whole body as a dumbbell with one hand. It's best that I don't get on his shit list' I thought myself before replying smoothly, "Sure thing."
Making my way deeper into the hallway towards the voices of a crowd yelling, I ended up in what looked like a bar that was converted into an illegal fight club, with a Duel 'Arena' (which was basically a an area drawn in white paint) instead of a fight cage, and duelists were already in the arena surrounded by a crowd of excited people who were of course placing bets on the outcome of the match.
Looking around for the bookie, I found him standing in the middle of the crowd, wearing a grey sweat suit smoking a cigarette in his mouth while counting a wad of cash in his hands, occasionally grunting out words to an assistant who stood next to him and jotted down the bets his boss accepted.
I quickly made my way through the crowd until I was standing in front of him before asking, "Are you the one whose taking bets over the duels? I'd like to place a bet." Without even looking at me, the man continued counting the money in his hand while replying, "Yeah I'm the one in charge of the betting around here. Who're you betting on and how much? We only take either cash or rare cards, so don't come at us with checks and IOUs or we'll throw your ass out of here before you can even sign that scrap of toilet paper."
Well that's a surprise. Since when do bookies take rare cards as bets? Granted this is the Yu-Gi-Oh universe where nearly everything is solved by dueling, but still I asked him, "Since when do bookies take rare cards as bets? How do you guys even know how much a rare card is worth anyway? There's no way they're all priced the same."
With a huff the bookie looked up from his wad of cash with an annoyed look on his face before answering bitingly, "Since the cards started becoming more valuable than gems, dumbass. We keep a list of rare card with us at all times, and the rarer and more powerful a card is, the more it will sell. Now make your bet kid, time is money after all."
Glaring at him for the dumbass comment, I held up my Insect Queen card before asking, "How much is this worth?"
After taking the card from me and inspecting it to make sure it's not a fake, the bookie conferred with his assistant who pulled out a laptop from God knows where and starting looking up the card's price before showing it to his employer. After a few minutes, the bookie turned back to me and said, "Says on the list that it's worth around 50 bucks, and don't even think about arguing over the price. Either take it as it is or fuck off and come back with actual cash. So what's it gonna be kid?"
This guy was really starting to piss me off. While glaring at him I told him, "I'm betting this card on me winning a duel."
After telling his assistant to write down the details of the bet, the bookie looked back at me with an unpleasant grin and replied, "Fine, but the card stays with me. We'll call you when we have a duel set up for you. In the meantime wait in the crowd until your duel comes up. What's your name kid?"
His question instantly set off alarm bells in my head. After looking up on the Internet that participating in underground dueling betting rings was illegal, I decided against revealing my real name in case this whole thing comes back to bite me in the ass. After a few moments of thinking up a fake name for myself, I finally hit on one that I actually liked. Turning back to the bookie, I told him before turning away and disappearing into the crowd, "when it's time for the duel to start, call for Red Hood (1)."
After waiting for what seemed like hours, when in reality it was only 30 minutes, I was finally called from the crowd and made my way to one end of the Duel Field.
An unofficial announcer then made it to the center of the field before shouting above the crowd's noise, "LISTEN UP EVERYONE! In this corner we have a newcomer to our arena, a mysterious duelist who refuses to show his face! Please welcome THE RED HOOD!"
I just stood there silently with crossed arms while taking the crowds boos and jeers. 'Jeez, either these guys really hate newbies and rookies, or there's a hazing ritual I don't know about' I thought with a grimace.
After a few moments of heckling and insults, the crowd quieted enough for the announcer to continue, "AAAAND in this corner, we have our favorite Dino Duelist, a veteran of the arena, please welcome REEEEXX RAAPTOOR!"
It took me a few seconds to get over my shock at the announcer's words. What the actual shit!? Rex Raptor!? Since when was he in the GX series? Sure there were references to characters from the original series like Mai Valentine, and there were characters who actually made an appearance like the Paradox brothers, Seto Kaiba, and Yugi Muto himself, but Rex Raptor was definitely not one of those who fit in either category.
I looked at the other side of the field and immediately recognized the guy from the original series. Rex clearly grew up from the kid portrayed in the series, and was now taller and even sporting a goatee. However, there were a few things he didn't change at all, like his style of clothing which were still a beanie with a green jacket and dark pants. Even his cocky smirk was still there as he leered at me from the other side of the field.
"A kid!? What's a snot-nosed brat like you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be in bed by now?" he mocked with a smirk to the laughter of the crowd.
Is this asshole for real? That was his best attempt at trash talk? Well I never was the type of guy who took shit lying down. With an unimpressed look on my face, I shot back, "Aren't you supposed to be in the Pro Leagues by now? Or did they get tired of watching you get your sorry ass kicked by literally everyone? So what's a washed up idiot like you doing here anyway?"
A hush fell over the crowd before a couple of "ooohs" were let out at the major burn I just handed out before turning to laugh at Rex who's face turned nearly purple with rage. Trembling in anger, he growled, "Oh I'm gonna make you wish you were back under your mommy's skirt, brat!"
With a shit-eating grin on my face, I countered, "Whatever you say, you old has-been." 'I just love it when I manage to piss people off' I thought to myself happily. Trust me, there's little out there that gives you a better thrill than metaphorically burying a dumbass who's trying to get under your skin.
Nearly frothing with rage, Rex snapped at the announcer to start the duel, already chomping at the bit to get back at me. 'Good. An angry opponent is often a reckless one.' I thought with satisfaction.
Clearing his throat, the announcer yelled out, "Now that we got the introductions out of the way, let's start with the duel!" to the crowd's cheers.
"DUEL!"
Rex Raptor: 4000
Red Hood (aka Cenric): 4000
"Champs before rookies, brat!" yelled out Rex as he took the first turn. Drawing his card, he quickly looked at it before smirking. Looking back at me, he called out, "First, I'm going to use Gilasaurus'sspecial ability in order to Special Summon it on the Field in Attack Mode!" I watched with a blank face as he brought out his raptor-like monster (ATK: 1400, DEF: 300/ LV: 3). While sporting a cocky smirk, he continued, "Since I haven't Normal Summoned a monster this turn yet, I'm allowed to bring out Two-Headed King Rex (ATK: 1600, DEF: 1200/ LV: 4) as well!" and immediately afterwards he brought out a monster that had the body of T-Rex but with wings and having two heads instead of one. Finally, Rex called out, "then I'll set one face down card and end my turn!"
"Alright! My Draw!" I called out before looking at the card I drew, which was Pot of Avarice. 'Good card for later in the duel' I thought as I added it to my hand which included: E-HERO Solid Soldier, E-HERO Blazeman, E-HERO Prisma, Pinpoint Guard, and Legacy of a Hero.
'Okay, time for some strategy. From the series, Rex was mainly a Dino/Dragon duelist who focused on bringing out low-medium powered Dino monsters to sacrifice them so that he can bring out his High-powered Dragons. If he's sticking to the same style, then I have to stop him from flooding his field with monsters before he sacrifices them' I summarized in my head. I took a look at his face down card before deciding I had to clear out his field while leaving some defense to stop any counter attacks. I then called out my move, "Alright! I summon Elemental HERO Solid Soldier in Attack Mode (ATK: 1300, DEF: 1100, LV: 4)!" and brought out my monster who jumped out in his diamond-like armor with long curved gauntlets that extended to his elbows before taking a battle stance.
"Now I activate his special ability! If I successfully Normal Summoned him out to the field, I'm now allowed to Special Summon another Level 4 or lower HERO monster from my hand, and I choose Elemental HERO Blazeman (ATK: 1200, DEF: 1800, LV: 4)!" I continued and brought out Blazeman who emerged with his mix of orange-white-black armor, which had a contraption on the back that was like Spiderman's from Infinity War, and his fiery fists and mane that gave him his name. "And since he was successfully summoned," I continued with a smile, "I'm allowed to add one Polymerization from my Deck to my hand!"
After adding said card into my hand, I quickly pressed it on my duel disk, "Now I fuse my Solid Soldier and my Blazeman, who is a Fire Attribute Monster, in order to summon the great master of infernos, Elemental HERO Nova Master!" I then watched as my two monsters ascended into a vortex and spun around each other rapidly until my Fusion Monster emerged in his red-and-gold flame styled armor (ATK: 2600, DEF: 2100, LV: 8).
"Since he was sent from the field to the Graveyard by a Spell Card's effect, Solid Soldier's second ability activates, which allows me to summon one "HERO" monster from the Graveyard in Defense Position, so rise Blazeman (ATK: 1200, DEF: 1800, LV: 4)!" I cried out as Blazeman erupted from the ground in a flash of fire before taking a knee and crossing his arms in an "X".
I then point at Rex's field, "Battle! Nova Master! Attack his Two-Headed King Rex with Nova Flame Bomb (2)!" Nova Master immediately held out his hands and created a fireball the size of a boulder before raising it above his head and throwing at Rex's monster which culminated in a large explosion.
"GAH!" growled out Rex as his monster was blasted to bits.
Rex Raptor: 4000 – 1000= 3000
Red Hood: 4000
With a smirk I continued, "When Nova Master destroys a monster in battle, I'm allowed to draw one card from my Deck."
After drawing my card, I grinned when I saw E-HERO Shadow Mist in my hand, and ended my turn.
With a growl, Rex drew his card before smiling after looking at it. Uh-oh. He then smugly called out, "I activate Pot of Greed which allows me draw two more cards." Honestly why the fuck do duelists explain Pot of Greed's ability when every idiot knows what it does?
I quickly interrupted my mental ranting as I saw Rex draw his two cards and continue with his turn, "Now I summon my second Gilasaurus (ATK: 1400, DEF: 300/LV: 3)" and immediately summoned out his second raptor monster. He then held up two Spell Cards, "I now activate Monster Reborn and Double Summon, so I'm bringing back Two-Headed King Rex (ATK: 1600, DEF: 1200, LV: 4), and now I sacrifice both of my Gilasauruses in order to summon Serpent Night Dragon (ATK: 2350, DEF: 2400)!"
I watched in awe as the elegant black Serpent Night Dragon soared out before settling in-front of Rex with a roar. However, something was bothering me. Why did Rex go all this way to summon a monster that has less attack points than mine? Unless…
"His face down!" I gasped as Rex activated it with a grin, "You catch on quickly kid, but that won't save you! I now activate my Tyrant Wing Trap Card and equip it to Serpent Night Dragon, which not only gives it a 400 ATK point boost, but also allows it to attack two times this turn!"
Serpent Night Dragon roared as its wings grew to an enormous size (ATK: 2350 – 2750). Rex then shouted, "Battle! Serpent Night Dragon, destroy both of this brat's monsters with Onyx Flame!" the dragon quickly roared in obedience to its master's command and shot out a jet-black stream of flames that quickly engulfed my monsters which cried out in pain before exploding.
Wincing, I threw up my arms to absorb the shockwave from the explosions as both of my monsters were shattered into pixels.
Rex Raptor: 3000
Red Hood: 4000 – 150 = 3850
With a cocky smirk, Rex continued with the battle, "Don't think you're done just yet, you little punk! Two-Headed King Rex, show this loser why he shouldn't mess with the best!" with a roar, the two-headed T-Rex rushed me before swiping its tail into my body.
"GAH!" I cried out as I was pushed back a few steps. Turns out that while the holograms weren't real, the shockwaves from their attacks were still enough to push opponents or even knock them flat if they were strong enough.
Rex Raptor: 3000
Red Hood: 3850 – 1600 = 2250
With a grin, Rex taunted me, "I think that's enough of a beating for one turn! You're up now kid! You should probably quit while you still can. Since my turn just ended, the effects of Tyrant Wing wears off." Serpent Night Dragon's wings quickly shrunk down to their normal size as the Trap Card was sent to the Graveyard (ATK: 2750 – 2350)
Gritting my teeth, I drew my card, which turned out to be HERO Signal. 'Time to play some defense', I thought to myself before grabbing Shadow Mist, Pinpoint Guard, and HERO Signal. I then called out, "I set a monster face down in Defense Mode, and then I set two face down cards. I end my turn." I then turned to Rex Raptor with a glare as my three face downs appeared. If he attacked this turn, I will be able to use both my trap cards to bring out 2 monsters unto the field from my Deck and Graveyard, and add a third one to my hand to my Deck using Shadow Mist's effect when she's sent to the Graveyard.
Either way I wasn't taking any chances with this guy. While the series portrayed him as a joke, he's no pushover as he was able to give Joey Wheeler a hard time in both of his duels.
With a derisive laugh, Rex drew his card, "What's the matter kid? Not so confident now are you? Don't think for a second that your little face-downs are going stop me because Serpent Night Dragon is going to blow them away! I now activate the Spell Card A Wing-beat of Giant Dragon! This card allows me to return one Level 5 or higher Dragon-Type monster to my hand in exchange for destroying all Spell and Trap Cards on the field! Now return to me Serpent Night Dragon!" with a roar Serpent Night Dragon took off and returned to Rex's hand with beats of its wings which generated gusts of air that quickly destroyed my face-downs. Rex then shouted, "Battle! Two-Headed King Rex, destroy his monster!" with a roar the T-Rex quickly charged at and bit down at my face-down which was revealed to be Shadow Mist before being destroyed.
I immediately called out, "The monster that was destroyed was Elemental HERO Shadow Mist! When she's sent to the Graveyard, I'm allowed to add a HERO monster to my hand, and I choose Elemental HERO Stratos!" before adding said monster into my hand.
With a scoff, Rex continued on, "Whatever, kid. I set one monster face-down and end my turn."
'He's building up his field to summon Serpent Night Dragon or another dragon again, so I need to take out his monsters before that can happen' I thought grimly before drawing my card, and smiled since I just drew Mask Change. With a grin, I began my turn, "First I'm summoning Elemental HERO Stratos in Attack Mode (ATK: 1800, DEF: 300, LV: 4), and since he was successfully summoned this turn, I'm allowed to add another HERO monster to my hand, and I choose my second Elemental HERO Blazeman!" as I added Blazeman to my hand, Stratos came soaring out with his mechanical turbine wings before settling on my side of the field with a battle stance.
Smiling, I continued, "Now Stratos will attack your Two-Headed King Rex!" Stratos then took the air before diving at the T-REX with a punch that caused to screech before it exploded and caused Rex to shield himself with his arms while growling.
Rex Raptor: 3000 – 200 = 2800
Red Hood: 2250
I then held up the Change Spell Card, "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card Mask Change! Now I can sacrifice a HERO monster on the field, in order to summon a Masked HERO Fusion Monster that has the same attribute and higher level than the sacrificed monster! So now I sacrifice my Stratos in order to summon Masked HERO Divine Wind (ATK: 2700, DEF: 1900, LV: 8)!" Stratos then glowed so brightly that I could only see his silhouette which grew and changed until the light faded to reveal Divine Wind in his green and white armor along with his white cape.
I then shouted, "Divine Wind! Destroy his face downmonster with Great Wind Sphere!" Divine Wind then formed a ball of concentrated wind in his palm before launching it at the card before destroying it.
I then continued on to activate Divine Wind's effect, "Like Nova Master, when Divine Wind destroys an enemy monster in battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I can draw 1 card from my Deck!" I then drew my card which turned out to be my Shift Trap Card. Ending my turn, I looked back at Rex Raptor only to find him… smiling? That's not good.
While still smiling arrogantly, Rex called out, "So you think that by destroying my monsters you can stop me from bringing out my dragons, don't you?"
With a grimace, I replied, "Well that's what I'm counting on, but I guess you have other ideas."
With a laugh, Rex Raptor confirmed my suspicions as a dark silhouette began to form in the place where his face down monster was, "Well guess again you little punk, since the monster you just destroyed was-"
"Totem Dragon!" I gasped as the small eyeless dragon with a long neck and turtle-like circular body was revealed.
"Looks like you did your homework brat! So you know that on my next turn, Totem Dragon can be Special Summoned from the Graveyard since I don't have any monsters!"
Rex then drew his card, before smirking at me, "Now my Totem Dragon can rise once more (ATK: 400, DEF: 200, LV: 2), and it counts as 2 sacrifices for Dragon-Type Monsters! So now I sacrifice my Totem Dragon to summon the tyrannical ruler of dragons, Tyrant Dragon (ATK: 2900, DEF: 2500, LV: 8)!" I looked on with dread as the enormous bronze-colored dragon came out with a roar with unfurled wings as it settled on Rex's side of the field. Looks like Rex upgraded his deck since the original series.
While laughing like a maniac, Rex shouted, "Tyrant Dragon! Attack his Divine Wind now!" with an ear-shattering roar, Tyrant Dragon opened its mouth and fired a blast of flames at Divine Wind. The flames quickly reached the HERO before bypassing him and knocking into me.
Rex Raptor: 2800
Red Hood: 2250 – 200 = 2050
When the smoke cleared, Rex Raptor was shocked to see my HERO still standing tall. Before he opened his mouth, I explained, "One of Divine Wind's special abilities is that he can't be destroyed in battle."
Rex Raptor then got an evil grin before shooting back, "Well one of Tyrant Dragon's abilities is that if you still have a monster on your field after its first attack, then it's allowed attack again! Now attack his Divine Wind once more!" Tyrant Dragon didn't waste any time in shooting out another blast of fire which this time caused me to stagger from the force. Rex then ended his turn smugly.
Rex Raptor: 2800
Red Hood: 2050 – 200 = 1850
'Okay, all I need is a good draw to turn this around' I thought to myself with a frown. I then quickly drew my card before looking down at Skydive Scorcher and a huge smile quickly grew on my face. I then looked back at Rex and began the game winning combo, "First I summon out Elemental HERO Blazeman (ATK: 1200, DEF: 1800, LV: 4), and once again I use his special ability to add another Polymerization from my Deck to my hand." After adding the card to my hand I then held it up before calling out, "I now fuse my Elemental HERO Blazeman with Elemental HERO Prisma in my hand to summon the master of light, Elemental HERO The Shining!" the two heroes were quickly sucked into a vortex and began to spin around each other with blinding speed before out came the Shining with his white and gold armor complete with a floating spiked halo behind him (ATK: 2600, DEF: 2100, LV: 8)
Frowning, Rex Raptor snorted before taunting, "So what? Your little glow-stick still has less Attack Points than my dragon!"
With a grin, I countered, "Exactly! Which means I can activate Skydive Scorcher! By selecting one Elemental HERO Fusion Monster on the field, I can destroy all of your monsters that have higher Attack Points, and then you take damage equal to your monster's original Attack Points!"
Taking a step back with wide eyes, Rex exclaimed in shock, "But that means-"
"This duel is over!" I continued for him, "Go Shining! Destroy his Tyrant Dragon with Skydive Scorcher!" with a shout my HERO jumped high in the air before diving at the dragon while spinning so fast that he was set ablaze until he hit the dragon which screeched in rage and agony as it was destroyed in an almighty explosion.
"NOOOOO!" screamed Rex as he realized he just lost the Duel to what he thought was some amateur. Again.
Rex Raptor: 2800 – 2900= 0 (LOSE!)
Red Hood: 1850 (WINNER!)
The crowd was silent for a moment as they tried to comprehend how a rookie managed to beat a veteran against all odds, and then promptly went berserk. Breathing heavily, I stood there for a few moments listening to the crowd calling my name, "RED HOOD! RED HOOD! RED HOOD!"
Making my way out of the cheering crowd to the bug-eyed bookie whose jaw was wide open and his cigarette on the edge of falling out of his mouth. Guess he thought I wouldn't win as well. I then held out my hand in front of him with a shit-eating grin, "My winnings."
It took the bookie a few moments to snap back to normal and hand me my Insect Queen card back along with 250$ which immediately caused me to a double take.
What the fuck!? How the hell did I just win 250$ from a single duel!?
Seeing the expression on my face, the bookie immediately went to an explanation that the betting odds of me winning that duel was set at 5/1 which means I won 5$ for every 1$ I just bet on my victory (3).
Shaking out of my surprise, I quickly took the money with what must have been dollar signs in my eyes.
'Looks like I'll be able to make those 10 grand in no time' I thought to myself happily.
2 months later
'I really should learn to shut the fuck up before I jinx myself' I thought angrily to myself with a twitching eyebrow as the bookie handed me the winnings of my 500$ bet, which turned out be the original amount I bet plus a measly 25$.
Apparently, my victory over Rex Raptor, who was seen as something of a local champion since he was an ex-Pro Duelist, and my subsequent winning streak earned me one hell of a reputation as the newest dueling phenom of the underground circuit. One huge disadvantage of this new reputation was that no one was really going to bet on me losing a match, which quickly changed the betting odds of me winning my matches from 5/1 to 1/10, which means I went from making 250$ over a 50$ bet to making 10$ over a 100$ bet.
To offset this, I tried taking on more challenges like dueling multiple opponents simultaneously, which briefly made more money. However, as soon as I won the first couple of matches, my reputation soared even higher, and put the betting odds of me winning my matches at 1/20, hence the 25$ profit over a 500$ bet. Unfortunately I couldn't bet against myself as that was against the rules, and I can't lose on purpose for two reasons. The first reason is the fact that the people in the arena aren't stupid, and immediately know when a duelist is taking a dive which led to them having a standard policy of beating the shit out of said duelist, confiscating his deck and duel disk, and then throwing his sorry ass out the door headfirst along with banning him for life (which makes a dive way too risky for me). The second reason that stopped me from losing on purpose was my pride as a duelist. There was no way in hell that I was going to lose to some amateur who only knows 1-2 combos and still be able to look at myself in the mirror.
Right now, all I managed to scrounge up was some 3000$. While this was not a small amount, it was still nowhere near the 10000$ deposit fee required for the Entrance Exams.
Still, the underground dueling circuit wasn't all bad. With several good things coming out of it (excluding the money). I was able to make friends with the bouncer whose name turned out to be Joe Black. He was the only man who knew my true name, and after I explained the reason for the fake name, he swore to me on his honor as a former soldier that he wouldn't tell a soul. As I suspected he was a military veteran in his fifties who retired from his military career with full honors to spend his life with his 13 year old daughter Serena Black. I later found out his wife passed away a few years ago from an illness. After becoming good friends with him, Joe would sometimes invite me over to dinner where he then introduced me to his daughter who was also aspiring to be a duelist. After meeting and dueling Serena Black a couple of times, I could say wholeheartedly that the kid had a bright future ahead of her if she ever made it to Duel Academy. The kid was uncannily gifted and had a mean Spellcaster Deck. Eventually, she also became one of my close friends with me seeing her as the impish little sister who was impossible not to love. Our sibling-like bond, however, didn't stop Joe from being an overprotective papa bear. After noticing our friendship, he immediately took me aside and described to me in vivid detail on what he would do to me if I ever hurt to his daughter (with some of the shit he mentioned coming straight out of his days in the military) while smiling creepily down at me the whole time. Needless to say I was scared shitless and quickly assured Joe that I only saw his daughter as a sister, and I would never dare do anything to hurt her. Smiling genuinely this time, Joe clapped my back and went back to the grill to make steak for dinner.
Aside from making money and friends, I was able to get my hands on some rare cards that were used in bets instead of money. While most were not compatible with my deck, I was actually able to get my hands on a copy of Elemental HERO Escuridao, along with a couple of good cards like Draining Shield and Sebek's Blessing.
Most importantly, I was able to hone my skills against opponents in the underground circuit. While none of them were as good as Rex Raptor, they were still leagues better than my first ever opponent. Honestly, I've seen kids in the orphanage play better than him. He must have either cheated against his opponents or just bullied them to break their concentration.
After many duels I was able to optimize my deck and made more adjustments to it. I also built up a Side Deck which I quickly came to appreciate its importance when I sometimes had to duel multiple opponents one at a time while quickly adjusting my deck between duels to make myself less predictable (4).
Despite all of that, I was coming close to tearing my hair out over current problem. How in the hell was I going to put together 7000$ for the exam? I sighed in frustration, and decided to call it a night before tiredly walking out the door of the arena.
Noticing my downcast expression at the door, Joe called out to me as I passed by, "What's with the long face kid? It's the first time I see a guy who wins 3 duels in a row act so sad."
Looking at him with my mind in turmoil, I decided that I trusted Joe enough to tell him about my problem, and I could really use some advice right now. After sitting down on the stairs leading up to the "bar" I quickly unloaded what I had on my chest. After a few moments of silence, Joe sighed tiredly as he sat down next to me, "I understand how you feel kid. Matter of fact I've been trying to raise money for Serena to go to Duel Academy too, but the truth is people like you and me weren't meant to go those fancy schools, which makes getting in there all the harder for us."
Deciding that Joe needed support for a change, I tried to smile encouragingly at him before telling him, "Don't worry Joe. You know that guys like you and me don't give up that easy. Besides, when there's a will there's a way. We'll figure this out somehow." which apparently did the trick as Joe gave a small smile in return.
That's when a third voice sounded out in the alley, "As much as I would hate to ruin such a beautiful moment, I'm afraid I'll have to."
Fully alert, Joe and I immediately stood up from the stairs and looked around for the source of the voice, which was revealed to be a short portly man in a well-designed tux standing in the alley with what seemed like two professional bodyguards who were definitely dressed and trained to protect VIPs. The trio came closer and became more visible under the bar's lights. The midget in the suit smiled before addressing me, "Are you the duelist known as the Red Hood?"
Immediately alarm bells were going off in my head as I looked back at him. 'This guy looks like the typical shady character who's usually part of the mafia, or is it the yakuza here?' I thought to myself warily. Thanking whatever higher power that I still had my hood on and that the dim lights made it hard to see my face, I replied cautiously, "Who wants to know?"
Still smiling, the man came forward and extended his hand, "Just a fan of your dueling skills. I saw footage of several of your duels. You got tremendous potential kid, which is why I'm coming to you with an offer from my employers."
Deciding that now was not the time and place to be rude, I quickly shook the man's hand before asking, "What kind of offer?" even though every instinct inside of me was telling me to tell him to take his offer and shove it.
Grinning at me, the man elaborated on his offer, "In a week, a special tournament will be held by my employers for the elite. By elite I mean that only our most important clientele are allowed to watch, and only the best underground duelists are invited to participate in it. The winner not only wins the 50000$ prize money, but also earns the right to be called King of the Underworld. My employers sent me here to offer you a chance to win riches and glory beyond your wildest dreams. So what do you say kid? Are you ready to drop these amateurs and duel with the big leagues?"
It took me a few moments of shocked silence to fully comprehend the guy's offer. After regaining my composure, I knew deep down that this was both an opportunity and a problem. On one hand, I had no idea what kind of shady organization this guy was part of, and I had no guarantee that they wouldn't double cross me if I won the tournament. On the other hand, the prize money's amount nearly took my breath away. 50000 dollars!? That was enough for me to pay both the entrance fee and the tuition for a full year at Duel Academy with plenty of money left to spare.
Before I could make my decision, Joe stepped up behind and clapped a hand on my shoulder. Turning me around he told me concernedly, "Don't do this kid. You can't trust these guys."
Midget (as I started calling him in mind) then laughed derisively, "Are you really gonna listen to this old fart, kid? He's clearly trying to hold you back."
Joe scowled and stepped forward only for Midget's two bodyguards to do the same with threatening looks. Glaring at the trio, Joe growled, "Watch it you little punk, or I'll-"
"You won't do anything, you old geezer." Interrupted Midget with a scoff while glaring back at Joe, "Besides, who're you anyway. His babysitter?" then he turned to me and held out what looked like a business card which I hesitantly took, "Think over what I just said kid, and if you're ready to stop listening to this old man's bedtime stories, then meet us at the location specified on this card. It's also your entry ticket, so don't lose it."
Turning around, Midget and his bodyguards began to walk away before he stopped and turned around and told us, "I almost forgot to tell you guys that's in your best interests to keep quiet about this meeting, or my employers will ensure you stay silent forever."
After that little threat, the trio continued walking until they went around a corner and disappeared from our views. Joe scowled in the direction they left before turning to me, "Don't take the offer Cenric!" he pleaded, "I've heard about these tournaments, and nothing good comes out of them. Duelists who participate either end up traumatized or they disappear altogether!"
Despite every instinct in my body screaming at me to do as Joe says, I knew that I didn't have a choice. The Entrance Exams were a month away, and there was no way I'd be able to raise 10000$ without an opportunity like this.
I looked down at the ticket Midget gave me before looking back at Joe with a determined face, "I'm sorry Joe, but you know I don't have a choice. I'm joining the tournament."
Joe scowled at me for a few minutes, and I kept staring back at him with the same determined look. Finally, his face softened and he looked away.
"I hope you know what you're doing kid." He said with a sigh.
Looking back at the card, I reply grimly, "So do I."
A/N: That wraps it up for this chapter, folks. The next couple of chapter will be dedicated to the Underworld Tournament! As always feel free to drop any questions and feedback in the comments section.
(1): Before you ask, yes that was a reference and a tribute to the Red Hood from DC Comics, and he is one of my favorite DC characters.
(2): The attacks that I'm stating for the fusion monsters are all purely imaginative.
(3): Basically with fractional betting odds, you calculate your winnings by multiplying the bet with the numerator, and then dividing the product with the denominator.
(4): Shoutout to a guy1013 for helping me improve my Deck. Also, I forgot to list the Side Deck in case of rounds of duels for you guys so here is the whole thing:
My Deck so far:
Main Deck (45 cards total):
Monsters: 21 cards total:
3 x Elemental HERO Shadow Mist
3 x Elemental HERO Stratos
2 x Elemental HERO Blazeman
2 x Elemental HERO Knospe
1 x Elemental HERO Woodsman
1 x Elemental HERO Ocean
1 x Elemental HERO Prisma
1 x Elemental HERO Bladedge
1 x Elemental HERO Bubbleman
1 x Elemental HERO Captain Gold
1 x Elemental HERO Ice-edge
1 x Elemental HERO Necroshade
1 x Elemental HERO Heat
1 x Elemental HERO Solid Soldier
1 x Phantom Magician
Spells and Traps (24 cards total):
Spells (20 cards total):
3 x Polymerization
3 x Mask Change
2 x Form Change
2 x Mask Charge
2 x Miracle Fusion
1 x Parallel World Fusion
1 x Future Fusion
1 x Pot of Avarice
1 x Legacy of a Hero
1 x Skyscraper
1 x Skydive Scorcher
1 x United We Stand
1 x Sebek's Blessing
Traps (4 cards total):
1 x Skill Breakthrough
1 x Paradox Fusion
1 x Shift
1 x Pinpoint Guard
Extra Deck (15 cards total):
1 x Elemental HERO Nova Master
1 x Elemental HERO Great Tornado
1 x Elemental HERO Gaia
1 x Elemental HERO Absolute Zero
1 x Elemental HERO Terra Firma
1 x Elemental HERO The Shining
1 x Elemental HERO Core
1 x Contrast HERO Chaos
1 x Masked HERO Dark Law
1 x Masked HERO Acid
1 x Masked HERO Blast
1 x Masked HERO Divine Wind
1 x Masked HERO Dian
1 x Masked HERO Anki
1 x Masked HERO Koga
Side Deck (15 cards total):
1 x Elemental HERO Woodsman
1 x Elemental HERO Ocean
1 x Elemental HERO Prisma
1 x Elemental HERO Lady Heat
1 x Elemental HERO Voltic
1 x A Hero Lives!
1 x Fusion Gate
1 x Draining Shield
1 x Hero Signal
1 x Elemental HERO Escuridao
1 x Masked HERO Goka
1 x Masked HERO Vapor