This chapter has been massively edited as of Feb 6th 2021.
Hello everyone,
It's been a while huh?
Simple put, I got burnt out. 'Cause of work and various other personal matters I kinda lost my drive for creative writing.
I should honestly be posting another chapter of the Code Geass story as well as the Gundam Build Fighters one but I lost my momentum.
For Code Geass, it's mostly because I saw the Resurrection of Lelouch movie and... I don't know what to say about that movie. Don't get me wrong it was a fun movie to watch but there was a lot of things I was hoping to see to get a sense of catharsis but it didn't happen.
While I get that it was because of the limited run time so there was only so many things you can put into the movie, I can't help but be a bit annoyed that some things were cut out.
For Build Fighters it's mostly because I found several flaws in the in-universe story building rules I made for the story. I had to do a massive overhaul so that when something happened, it would make sense in the narrative without it being something that resembles an ass pull (I.E. A Deus-Ex-Machina).
Thankfully, I'm getting a few new ideas I'm interested in trying and reworking my timeline for both stories.
Anyway, this story is something not to take too seriously.
Like I said in the summary, this is a simple Isekai story of an OC that I made. I hesitate in calling it a self insert because this character has barely a few traits that I have in common so I opted in calling it a Isekai character. This story might become a series cross jumping to other franchises but I'm still playing with that idea.
Anyway, I hope you're in for some mindless fun about a 'Ossan'/old man regaining his sense of youth.
As always,
This story is a non-profit work by me. All characters that appear in the Yugioh franchise here belong rightfully to Konami and the creators of this wonderful show.
Spoilers for the shows will pop out randomly so you are warned in advanced.
Please support the official releases.
Please excuse any grammar/spelling mistakes as those will be corrected when spotted.
The year was 2058. The place? Japan. Specifically Tokyo - Akihabara. Oh right, Earth BD2. I forget to add that tidbit from time to time. Still not used to this. Anyway, many who enjoyed watching anime should know of this district. The mythical street where many oversea fans wish to travel to at least once. Hell, it's part of the reason why I- Huh, what's that? Oh right, my bad.
Getting back on track, despite being known as the "Holy Land of Anime", Akihabara was not always a place where it shops would sell an overwhelming amount of merchandize based on anime, manga, visual novel or anything related to the entertainment industry. Hehe even that one~ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
In fact, Akihabara used to be the go-to-place for cheap electronics in Japan during the late 20th century. In fact, if you knew what to look out for and where to look you can easily spot the many stores that still sell these devices for a relatively small price. For one person, rather than coming here to purchase anything related to anime, he was here to buy a few game devices that held sentimental value. Care to guess who that person is?
"Hm-hm~ Hm hm hm hm~ hm hm hmm."
Yup, me. My name was... is? Meh. is Julian Ainsley. Age: 54 and whatever. In my first life I was born and raised in San Francisco from a family with a helluva lot of money. Moved to Japan around the age of 27 so I could teach students in middle school. Why did I make the decision to move all the way there? I wanted to get away from my family bu~t that is something for later.
"Hm-hmmm hm h- Oh? Finally."
Now pay attention, newbie. This is how it all got started.
A small smile spread across my face as I finally located the store I was looking for. The Mandarake Complex. A tall black building that exclusively sold second hand goods in good condition. Mostly. Yes, from a limited edition T-Shirt to a Con Exclusive Figure, you had a relatively good chance in finding whatever it is here, and I was here to get my hands on some vintage stuff.
Taking a quick look, I scanned the building's floor plans to spot the section I was looking for and easily found it. Went up the elevator to reach the 7th floor where I was welcomed inside the building with a gust of warm air. From the heaters of course and thankfully not from any person. Basking in the warmth for a bit to shake off the cold, I then started to look for the items I have been searching for the past few weeks.
It didn't take long to find considering how organized the Japanese are. In the span of 5 minutes or so I had in my hand: A silver PSP 2000. A black PSVita. A Nintendo DS as well as the Nintendo Switch. All of them were neatly packaged in clear plastic bags. Personally, I would have said that they were in mint condition but the small notes glued on the packages said otherwise.
"Small scratch on the back, minor Light damage to plastic, loose earphone plug hole." You gotta hand it to them. Back home this would have been considered near mint and yet here they let such a thing drastically lower its value. Not that I'm complaining. Helps me anyways.
The handheld consoles now safely placed in my basket, I then ponder on the reason as to why I have been feeling so nostalgic lately. The past week I have had this urge to play some of the games I used to have when I was a kid. Key phrase being "Used to have". Used to have Super Smash Ultimate. Used to have Animal Crossing. Used to have Tag Force. I can thank my parents for that one. Somehow, it got into their heads that by getting rid of them I would take my studies seriously. I was by the way but they didn't believe me one bit. Thankfully, some of the games I was searching for were in the same aisle so 10 minutes later I pretty much found everything I was looking for.
I felt a frown form on my brow as I looked at my watch. It'll be a couple of hours until my return train would arrive and there was an enormous amount of time left between then and now. To solve this conundrum I decided to do some window shopping to pass the time and see what was on display. It's been a while since I've done anything like this so I think I'll take my time.
Idly walking by other customers, I zigzagged around the store to look at just what was on for sale at this floor. I noted that there were mostly couples around 30 to 37 years old here. They probably were looking to buy presents for their kids or nephews/nieces and whatnot. I mean, it's Christmas after all.
Slowly making my way to the section where they displayed the older toys from the Power Ranger series or as its called in Japan: Super Sentai. I couldn't help but let myself smile when I spotted the various Megazords and the Morphing devices from shows long since passed. The newer era Super Sentai Megazords and Morphers had more sleek designs and cooler gimmicks that I wished I could have had when I was a child. Buuuuuuu~t, that being said I treasured the early 2000's era Megazords the most. They had a more whacky appearance that made me instantly love the show.
"Eh~ what the hell. Let's see if they have a SPD Morpher. Always wanted that thing." I hummed to the tune the SPD theme song as I moved to the Morpher's section when I stopped suddenly in my tracks. I had to blink a couple of times to register what I just saw, not completely sure if that worked. Bewildered, I take a few steps back to confirm what I just passed by since the object I saw should definitely not be in this section.
"Is that... That's a duel disk. What the hell is that doing here?" Yup, sure was. More specifically, it was the GX Duel Academy Version - Slifer Red Variant. Curious to know the story of the why and what it was doing here I poked my head out of the aisle to spot for a member of staff. Badada-dadam badada-dad- Oh, I found someone.
[Japanese: "Excuse me? Why is there a Duel Disk in the Super Sentai area?" I asked, from what I am guessing from how he looked, a teenager who worked here.
The young man looked at me confused before he let out a small chuckle. [Japanese: "Pardon me sir. Just surprised to hear Japanese from a foreigner is all. Well as for the reason why, the Tokusatsu section on this floor is going to be relocated to a lower level while this one is going to be changed into a trading card area."
He pointed further down the display and to my embarrassment there were other Yugioh related merchandise on display I somehow seemed to have missed.
[Japanese: "Right now the manager is slowly moving the merchandise here himself so that it will be easier for the younger staff when the overhaul comes." In a small voice that was obviously not meant to be heard by me [Japanese: "Though, God knows why since the move isn't scheduled till 2 months later." I made no indication that I heard him, amusing as it was.
Turning his attention back to me, the staff asked if there was anything else he could help with to which I politely said no and thanked the young man. Making my way to the Yugioh section, I was hit with a nostalgic blast of childhood memories when perusing what was on display. Figures of Yugioh monsters and characters from various series' There was that Iconic Blue-Eyes White Dragon along with a wicked looking Dark Magician. Next to them was a set of moveable figures of all the main characters from the franchise with a couple characters I don't recognize. New ones perhaps?
There were the several official prop replicas from the original era such as the Millennium Puzzle that caught my eye. It seems that some time ago Konami released the entire Millennium Items set which was mightily impressive. For the Zexal era they released Duel Gazers and the Duel Disks the characters used in the show. D-Pads, was it? There were numerous other items as well but I could barely recognize them.
Of course there were the Duel Disks and my my was there an impressive selection available for sale. The Original Mattel Battle City Version, a classic and a personal favourite. The Edge Lord Chaos Duel Disk from the Orichalcos arc also made by Mattel. Surprisingly even the Dia Dhank was for sale although but it was merely a collectors item from what I could tell. I don't think you can load cards into the slots.
From the GX era I discovered that not only where they were selling the regular version but the dorm colored ones as well. Red, yellow and blue along with a grey one but don't ask me who used that. Didn't have the faintest idea on who could have used that in the show. From 5D's there was both version's of Yusei's Junk Custom Disk as well as Crow's Black Bird Disk. I already saw the Zexal D-Pads and I'm not gonna lie... I was kinda hoping we get some of the... more fantastical ones. I mean come on, we have the tech for it. Seriously, if Konami ever released Disks from ARC-V my ass would be first in line for the preorder.
Along with these collectables were some pretty cool looking card sleeves. I would have bought some but it has been a while since I even touched any of the decks I had back at my apartment. If I remember correctly I still have like 12 unopened sleeve packs back home... Best not to add more to the pile.
That itch to buy became stronger when I saw that there were some booster boxes going on sale. If I was any younger I probably would have resisted the urge but ultimately lose to that primal need to buy it. To be honest, I wouldn't know what I'd do with the cards. They weren't even the latest boosters but older ones from ARC-V. I guess that even after all these years I still hard the habit of just wanting to buy it for the sake of tearing packs open. Seeing what cards I got was a bonus anyway.
Just as I was about to start window shopping down the single cards aisle did the sound of a child sobbing tore my attention away from what I was looking at. Turning around I saw a couple of children who could not be any be any older than 10 staring at a display shelf that showcased mint condition cards.
[Japanese: "Cheer up Yuuki! The next time we come the price will be lowered." The young girl was rubbing the back of the other kid in an effort to comfort the obviously distressed boy. Incidentally, he was the source of the noise
[Japanese: "B-but nee-chan... It's going up! This is the 4th time this week we visited the store and this is the cheapest one left!" The young boy who I'm assuming is Yuuki had puffy, chest nut colored hair. His sister on the other hand had dark navy blue hair which was odd in itself. What kid dyes their hair that color at such an age? She moved to hug her little brother which sent a stinging jolt to my heart. She seemed to be at least a year older than the boy. Looking around, I noticed there weren't any adults who remotely look related to them. Where are their parents?
The staff member looked down sadly at the boy and simply uttered an apology. [Japanese: "I'm sorry little guy. Right now this card is a big hit with the players because after 17 years there's finally a resurgence in it's archetype... maybe come again after February and see if the price went down."
The child's chin wobbled and I could see his eyes glistening as tears were beginning to form from where I'm standing. Honestly, my heart went out to the boy. After all, I was exactly in the same position myself at his age. I never did get that card.
I tried stealthly my way closer to the group so I could get a better look at the card. Curiously looking over at the price of the card, my eyes nearly bulged at the fact that- JESUS CHRIST! 30,500 YEN FOR A SINGLE FUCKING CARD!? That's nearly 300 bucks! Sure! It wasn't a problem for someone like me, but kids on the other hand?!
Puffy haired boy was right. The one he had pointed to was the cheapest option. There were other variations of the same card but the spike in prices was nothing to laugh at. The most expensive option of the card was around 70,000 Yen and it was a card completely foiled. You could barely see the artwork of the card for fuck's sake!
Seemingly having enough, the little girl started to drag Yuuki away from the display case. [Japanese: "Yuuki... lets just go... We can try and find a cheaper one for sale a few months later."
Her brother on the other hand resisted and tried to pry her hand off of his. [Japanese: "B-but... it's a really good card... No one would ever want to give theirs away... This is the last one..." He turned around stretching his free arm out for the card out of his reach.
I frowned at the scene playing in front of me. I honestly really hate the sound of children crying and the very sound of it I find incredibly disgusting. Merely looking at a crying child made me unbearably angry so with that I made a decision. [Japanese: "Excuse me? That card. Yeah that one. I want it. Now."
The staff was startled at my sudden appearance, turning to me with wide eyes. His eyes narrowed a bit as I heard his reply through gritted teeth. [Japanese: "Of course... Sir."
Yuuki's sister turned her face to me and glared while the boy looked up at me in horror. The staff member gave the boy a look of pity and with great reluctance, unlocked the display and took the card off the wall. He handed it to me, who by the way, was purposely ignoring the feeling of being stared at with contempt. What I had planned didn't seem obvious to them which was fine by me, it would make the surprise better. Not going to even lie that there was a tiny part of me that wanted to fuck around with the kid.
The staff member begrudgingly handed the card and as I grabbed hold of the card I saw that it was an Elemental Hero Archetype: Legendary Hero - The Genesis. Whatever the heck a Legendary Hero was.
Legendary Hero - The Genesis
[ATK:2100/DEF:0 - STANCE 7 EFFECT - TRANSMIGRANT LIGHT WARRIOR]
I didn't bother reading the card's effect because quite frankly it contained terminology that was completely alien to me. What the fuck is Transmigration Summoning?
The card was a glittering silver with it's borders trimmed in cascading rainbow. The creature displayed on the card looked like what a comic book superhero looked like in their final and strongest form. That is, a ridiculous looking man in spandex with barely enough armor to actually be considered as protective.
After I finished inspecting the card, I was unsurprised to see Yuuki and his sister staring at me in sadness and in anger respectively. I could practically feel the hate the girl was giving off as she thought I ruined her little brother's Christmas. The little guy looked so desperate and was really trying real hard to not start crying in front of me. I thought the girl was going to say something so imagine my surprise when it was Yuuki instead.
[Japanese: "M-Mister? E-excuse me Sir...? I-is there anyway you can let me get the card? I- I need to quickly get some money from my p-parents so... can you wai-?" I couldn't help myself. Really, I couldn't. Even if I'm an old man, there's still that little piece of troll that survived all this time.
[Japanese: "No need to get your parents, little guy. I'll buy this for yah." Cutting him off, I smiled warmly as I saw the boy's face freeze before adopting a more hopeful look.
[Japanese: "-t for just a few... huh? B-b-but... why?" Because I'm the type of bastard who likes pranking kids? Old habit from my job.
[Japanese: "Meh, just an old timer being self-indulgent. Now come along." With the ruse now over, I thanked the staff and moved my way towards the counter to pay for the stuff I'm carrying. Sure enough, I could spot Yuuki and his sister following at the edge of my peripheral.
I was vaguely aware that the cashier was scanning the items and totaling the price as I was more paying attention to the kid who was now giddy with excitement. His sister was ruffling his hair and chastising him about talking to strangers. Normally I would to but seeing how it was Christmas I thought it would damper the young boy's spirit if I lectured him. Still though, be wary when taking to strangers, kids. Yuuki didn't look bothered as he was talking about how he won't be losing games from now on.
I let out a small chuckle as the kid reminded me of my younger days. I would have the same reaction when I had just bought a card that would allow me to play the damn game. Instead of you know, waiting for my opponent to finish off his long ass combo. My attention was brought back to the present as I heard the cashier reached the tail end of the totaling
[Japanese:"... and with the Legendary Hero - The Genesis card, your total is 72,452 Yen with tax." Swiping my debit card to settle the bill, the cashier bagged my items then handed it to me. I took out the card which was now cased in one of those hard plastic card sleeve top-loaders and passed it to the kid.
[Japanese: "Here, Kozō. If this was the anime I'd probably duel you to see if you could win the card off me but forgive this old mad. It's been decades since I played this game." I internally smirk as I saw Yuuki snap up at attention and looked at me with eyes filled with child like despair. For a kid who probably loves the game, it probably "DOES NOT COMPUTE" with him.
[Japanese: "Eh!? Years!? I can't think of not playing for even a week! How can you do it for years?!" See?
A glaze went over my eyes as I remembered the time when "I" decided to quit playing games like Yu-Gi-Oh. [Japanese: "Ehhh~ Didn't have the time for it... and it got really complicating every year!" I made an exaggerated gesture that conveyed me having a massive headache.
Yuuki giggled while he took the card off my hand. He stared at it for a while before looking up with a smile [Japanese: "Thanks mister. You didn't have to do that."
[Japanese: "It's Christmas, kid. After years of just getting presents for myself... I thought it would be nice to give one to someone else instead." I saw that Yuuki was wondering why I looked sad but he quickly dismissed it before he started tugging on my hand.
[Japanese: "Hey! It's been years since you played right? Are you free mister?! I can teach you about how this game got better! Come on! It can be my thanks for the card!" Looking at my watch I could see that I still have some time before boarding. Eh, why not. Not like there's anybody waiting at home anyways.
Nodding to Yuuki, I was amused at how he was pulling a total stranger's hand and dragging me to where the tables were located. I think I might actually have to tell him off for that. Even if Japan is safer than the States that doesn't mean crime is non-existent here. Though I did looked around as I couldn't see where his sister walked off to so I asked. [Japanese: "Where did your sister go off to?"
[Japanese: "Ah, she went off to let my parents know I'll be staying here for a bit so they can do whatever they want." Couldn't help but think that Yuuki's parents must really trust their kids for them to be by themselves... and hoping it wasn't because they were negligent parents.
Finding a free table, we both sat down and I watched as little Yuuki take his deck out and sleeve his new card in. I caught sight of the cards he was using and sure enough [Japanese: "Oh? You use a HERO deck?"
[Japanese: "Yeah! And not just any HERO deck but Elemental and Masked!" All hail Dark Law. That card was fucking scary to go up against. It's also why I got a copy for myself.
[Japanese: "So kid, how much more convoluted did this card game become? When I quit they just added the Link Monsters." Actually it was a year after they did and that was what? Like 2016? 17? Either way, around that time I would lose interest in the game along with my drive for collecting but that's another story.
[Japanese: "Wow, that's like Master rule 4! Well here's what happened." I was only listening to the kid so I could kill some time and rest my feet for a bit. Imagine my surprise when I actually had fun hearing what the game was like through the eyes of a modern kid. Like a veteran wanting to get back into the game, I asked questions that they probably would have asked.
First and foremost, what I dreaded the most. [Japanese: "Is there a new summoning mechanic?"
[Japanese: "Yup! I think 2 new ones for you, mister. Transmigration and Type-Cast Summoning!" Even as Yuuki took his time explaining the mechanics, gun to my head I still have no idea how to do it. Something involving the deck and graveyard or something? I don't know.
Then we moved onto a topic I was interested in. [Japanese: "Can I even get a turn playing before my opponent OTK's me?"
[Japanese: "Not really. You can still face those types of decks but they won't win much crystals if they do use them." Crystals? What the hell was he talking about? Like gacha currency? I would make a joke about crystal meth but it wasn't appropriate considering the kid's age.
When I asked about what he meant by crystals he explained that Konami released a MMORPG-like phone app for the Yugioh card game. In it a player can travel to different timelines and have your character interact with NPC's or even the main cast and duel with them. There was even some sort of SIMS element to it where you can make your own dimension and fill it with things you can buy in the in-game store.
[Japanese: "Kid, how does that answer my question." I was clearly missing something if he thought this would be enough.
Yuuki pulled out his phone and opened the app. He selected a tab where it directed him to the camera app. [Japanese: "You can record any Duel you have with another person. When someone wins, there's this S-AI that analyzes how it went and gives out different amounts of crystals to both players depending on how well they did."
No way in hell would Konami release a game where you could just abuse currency grinding that easily. [Japanese: "Can't you just record playing a deck with yourself and just get endless amount of crystals?"
[Japanese: "Ha! You're funny, mister! Not really. You see, in order to get crystals you need to send a Duel Request to another player with the app. You can only duel them once to receive them. At least until you or they create a new deck in game, then you can Duel each other again. That being said, you can't use the same cards as last time when you played them. I mean, you can. it's just that you will receive less or no crystals if you do." Jesus Christ. Games these days were a lot more complex than when I was a kid. That would have been an impossible feature to add back in the 20's.
[Japanese: "Okay... And how does the app stop opponents from just OTK'ing me?" I get that I can be a bit slow now that I'm older but I don't think it was that bad.
[Japanese: "Huh? Oh right. OTK's don't earn a lot of crystals unless both players have a high in-game rank so we don't bother." Okay. I think I get it. Some sort of protection for more casual players who aren't into the competitive scene. [Japanese: "Duel Monsters is a lot more beginner friendly right now because at one point it got so bad there was a mass leaving for older players. Newer people didn't bother staying because of how harsh the remaining players were to them. I mean, why keep playing if all I'm going face against is $1000 Tier-0 Deck?"
I lean my head back to stretch while contemplating on what I've heard. For all the good things I hear about the current state of Yugioh, I find it all soured when I hear how some players bullied newer ones with expensive decks. [Japanese: "I'm starting to remember why I didn't mind quitting when I did." The whole reason why I started to spend money to get powerful cards was because anyone I played with back then would be just like that. You couldn't even play the darn game without having a combo interrupter and those were expensive to buy.
The kid who I had been listening to for the last, let me see, 20 or so minutes grimaced and agreed. [Japanese: "Yeah, that's one of the reasons why they created the phone game. Apparently if it failed then Konami would have the card game shut down." Holy! I nearly slipped off from the chair with how surprised I was. Yugioh, shutting down? That sounded impossible! Just how badly did their sales tank?
Settling back on my seat I asked a question that I found to be quite coincidental. [Japanese: "So with the app, you can earn in game currency depending on how you did? What, like the old PSP games?" How bizarre. The day I come to Akihabara to buy the Tag Force games I find out there's a similar system being used in real life.
[Japanese: "PSP? Umm. Do you mean like Legacy of the Duelist?" Ho! Is that still being released? Better check once I get back home. [Japanese: "Yeah, it kind of is. The app encourages us to play more rogue like decks and even full archetypal ones. Like my deck." He took out his deck and expertly spread the cards out like a dealer in a casino. They were all face-up so I could see them clearly. [Japanese: "If I used D-Hero's my drop rate would be lower but since I'm only using E-Hero's it's not."
Interesting. What about support cards that don't fit into the archetype? [Japanese: "What happens if you add in things like hand traps?" I was about to get extremely salty.
[Japanese: "Cards like Mirror Force or Reinforcement won't lower your scores much but adding hand traps like Ash Blossom will. The Yokai Girl cards are a heck lot cheaper than before because of that." I could feel my teeth grinding to dust with how hard as I was biting on them. Not noticing my despair, Yuuki went in for the kill. [Japanese: "Konami also decided that since they're adopting a more beginner friendly stance, they would print out more of the harder to get cards." I guess he could see my confusion as I was wondering about the card I bought for him. [Japanese: "This one is different. It's a new type of Summoning method that was recently released and right now everyone is clamoring to get it. Heroes are popular with everyone you know."
Yuuki went on describing how the game entered a period of "Reset". As I listened on, I was still feeling salty as hell cause most of the cards I spent a lot of money on had their value decreased by a lot. Why couldn't they have done this while I was still playing? Would have saved me a ton of money.
Ironically, the game became more like the anime of old where players would play with some sort of theme. It also helped that there was a master rule I was not familiar with, where it promoted that type of playing. [Japanese: "Konami also started to release many supports of really old cards to help increase the amount of archetypes in the game. Like my Hero deck. I have some cards that can almost do what Ash Blossom does but won't drop my score as much. Even old school cards like Harpie Lady got a significant boost where it's a pretty popular deck to play now." Holy fuck, was that nostalgic.
[Japanese: "In that case, what's the current meta like?" My question confused the boy.
[Japanese: "Meta? You mean like what's the most popular deck like Harpies?" Yuuki tilted his head to the side like how a puppy would.
[Japanese: "I mean like, the strongest. Like which deck is used the most in tournaments."
The young lad in front of me gave me a look of disgust eerily similar to the one in Soul Eater when someone talks about Excalibur. [Japanese: "Ugh. Please tell me you're not one of those players."
[Japanese: "Had to be if you wanted to play back in my day, kiddo. I'm really curious what's it like now hearing all this." and boy was I pleasantly surprised. I was told, unless you were in a tournament where the banlist was mandatory, "casual" players (That is, players who aren't in tournaments) could play any card they wanted as long as they followed their latest errata'd effects. A gentlemen's agreement of sorts to encourage a free style of playing. It felt weird hearing that following the banlist was no longer a requirement to playing now. I would very much like to come back to this format.
After a while we reached the topic of the anime. Yuuki asked me what my favourite series was. I was about to state 5D's when a flash of an old forgotten memory made me remember how I got introduced to Yu-Gi-Oh in the first place. [Japanese: "...GX."
[Japanese: "Me too! Arc-V is also another favourite but GX all the way!" I was surprised he knew of the show since that series would have been nearly 50 years before his time. Curiosity abound I asked why he would like GX more than even the modern Yu-Gi-Oh anime. Personally, I haven't seen the latest season but the characters looked cool and the monster designs were a lot better than GX.
[Japanese: "It's mostly because of the plot. I liked it 'cause it was a lot more light-hearted and fun before it got dark and depressing. The current anime have characters duel with high stakes and I kind of got sick of it." I disagreed with him and when I did, he made this face like I spoke something akin to blasphemy. The face he pulled was funny to me as he asked in a strangled voice [Japanese: "Why not?"
I explained that in terms of viewership; just having a show about kids playing wouldn't last on the air for too long. [Japanese: "The studio wouldn't just air a show about kids having fun with card games. It would get boring after a while. I mean, there will be a niche group of followers who would like it for sure but the anime was aimed at kids. If the star of the show was like GX's main character who kept on winning with a smile then it would get stale. Sure, some of the duels Jaden had were difficult and sure he won by the skin of his teeth but at the end of the episode he was the same old Jaden."
The kid in front of me looked at me confused so I explained further. [Japanese: "Stories get more interesting to watch when the stakes are high. For example. Yugi dueling Atem for the first and final time. The character who was once meek will face off against the series' invincible duelist where victory determined whether the ancient pharaoh gained his right to a peaceful rest. A loss would show that despite the journey Yugi's been on, he still hasn't changed."
I could see how I hadn't convinced Yuuki of my point. I then proceeded to list out several other examples from different eras of the Yu-Gi-Oh. The fun loving Yuya turning into the violent Z-Arc by ironically following the latter's destiny, of winning no matter the cost, so he can save his friends. The Barian Emperor: Shark, betraying Yuma and his friends so his people would not suffer once more. The villainous Z-One turning out to be a "I'm trying to save you!" villain.
[Japanese: "Gaaah. That sounds something an adult would say. Why can't we just keep things fun and simple." Yuuki groaned.
I was about to comment that he too will be saying what I was saying 10 years from now when something refrained me. I realized the reason why I stopped was because those words was something my old man used to say to me when I was a kid... The less in common I had with him the better.
Looking back at the boy I could see he still had that childish sense of wonder every kid possessed... Best not to shatter his worldview and let him keep his innocence. Certainly wished mine was still with me. Plus, it's Christmas! Don't want to be all Scrooge-like now do I? I couldn't stop a chuckle escaping from me when I shook my head. I suddenly felt just how old this body was as I made the realization; that I used to have the same thoughts as little Yuuki did when I was a kid. It wasn't till I grew up and went through life did my perspective of things changed.
But yes.
[Japanese: "You're right kid, sometimes it's nice for things to be fun and simple." I did often ask in the privacy of my mind: why couldn't we just keep things fun and simple? It certainly would have saved me a lot of heartache and pain. Yuuki had a look of triumph and nodded his head fervently. "What I would give to be in Duel Academy. right now..."
...
I didn't realize that it had gotten deathly silent around me or that fact it was silent for that matter, as I wondered off to imaginationland. The sound of my phone alarm broke me out of a trance. Taking out my phone I felt my eyes bug out as it was nearly time for boarding and I was nowhere near the train station. It's already been an hour!? How?!
[Japanese: "OH CRAP! Hey Kid! Sorry for just barging out but I'm really late for my train! Merry Christmas, kid and stay safe!" Packing up my belongings into my plastic bag I ran towards the exit.
[Japanese: "Hey! Mister! We didn't even duel!" Turning around, that small part of me that wanted to give Yugioh another shot came out. Hey, the kid did say it was more casual now.
[Japanese: "Maybe next time! I'll keep an eye out for ya! I promise!" If we ever meet, that is. Chances are: we won't.
[Japanese: "Next time, promise! Thank you for the card Mister!" A smile adorned my face as I saw how happy the child looked. No problem kiddo, it was my genuine pleasure. Merry Christmas.
Not having time to wait for the elevator I opted for the stairs and took off like a man set on fire. I had under 10 minutes to reach Akihabara station and by running my ass off I just barely made it to the platform. I had to transfer to Tokyo station from where I am, so seeing no other choice, I wedged myself in the fully packed compartment. I could have waited for a less packed train but I had to make up for time lost. More running later, I reached the bullet train about 2 minutes before it departed and lamented on the fact that I arrived late. I had this plan of buying a delicious looking bento I spotted in the station when I came from Sendai, they had the thickest cut of pork cutlet and arranged the rice and vegetables in this beautiful aesthetic. Even plan on getting some drinks for the trip back home. I didn't bother eating in Akihabara earlier because of that bento!
"2 hour long ass ride back home. No food. No drink. This is going to suck." Spoiler alert, it did.
?'s POV
It was around 9pm when Julian arrived back to his 3 room apartment. It seems he couldn't muster up the energy to make dinner so he settled out for take out which had sadly gotten cold because of the weather.
Undressing to more simple clothing, shirt and shorts, he made his way to the fridge to take out a can of Kirin and microwaved his dinner.
While waiting, Julian made his way to his hobby room and took out his handheld consoles so he could charge them. Like many single males who could afford it, he had a mancave of around 130 net square feet. It was tiny compared to his old one in San Francisco but it suited his current needs just fine.
The many figurines he once had he sold off in order to move to Japan, just leaving his card collections and a few other trinkets of sentimental value. He had to sell his Warhammer armies once he found out the game wasn't played here as much. As he was going to be staying in Japan from then on, he sold his collection at great reluctance to make space for his other belongings.
Recently he started a Gunpla collection as there was this revolutionary game that was going to be available for demo in a few months involving the use of the plastic models. Daniella, a friend who was working on the game, told him it was going to blow his mind and that's why he started on making them.
Satisfied with the fact that his recently bought devices were now charging Julian made his way into the dining table to eat. Finishing his meal, he cleaned the dishes and threw out the trash. His Nightingale gunpla just needed to have its detailing finished so sitting back down in his mancave he picked up his air brush and mindlessly painted. He didn't get to finish it this night since the drive wasn't even in him anymore. Yugioh was what replaced it instead.
It had been years since he had last thought of the TCG. A chance meeting with an enthusiastic player was all that was needed to reignite his interest in the game. Setting down his tools, Julian made his way to the corner of the room where his card collections was. In the drawer of one of the glass cabinets he took out several plastic briefcases that housed all of the decks he used to play as well as cards he would keep in reserves.
In total he had approximately around hundreds if not thousands of cards, many of them being undecked, waiting to find a home. Julian created and possessed many decks through the years. The ones that he fancied: The Buster Blader deck, Spellbooks, Blue Eyes and Cubics.
Then, there were his tier 1 decks (or at the very least they were when released): Zoodiac, Nekcroz, Spyral and Master Peace.
Taking out the decks from their protective boxes, he started shuffling through them just to see the artwork and drown himself in memories. Picking up a Buster Blader card he remembered the times where he would have fun with his friends regardless who won and lost.
Now shuffling through the Blue Eyes deck, he reminiscences about the time he joined a local tournament thinking he could easily win the entire thing. Julian, not even scoring a single win in said tournament, had it revealed to him that he was merely a mediocre player. The event certainly hurt his ego.
Putting the Blue Eyes deck back into its box, he reached for the Zoodiac Deck. Memories of a distant past flash before his eyes of when he didn't take his loss quite well. Researching on decks and strategies, he decided in heavily invest on a deck where he wouldn't lose as badly as he did before. His search lead him to the heavy XYZ Summoning archetype of Beast Warriors. His joy when in the next tournament he ended up as the 2nd place winner. His victory turning to ash when Zoodiacs where hit hard in the next ban list.
There were many more cards and he kept looking on and on gazing through the decks he had hoarded throughout his youth. He briefly smiled when he saw Shi En. If asked to make an estimate, he probably had around 40 decks at minimum and 90 maximum. You would be right if you were to state that having that amount of cards was ridiculous. If you had to calculate just how much he had spent in gaining that amount; it would range in the tens of thousands of dollars.
Julian honestly thought he didn't have a problem since he could afford such luxuries. When it came out that he had spent that much on card games alone he received an intervention from his family and friends stating they were worried about him. That was the start of when he became estranged with his family. He frowned as he realized his Bujin deck was missing a few cards. Looking for them is going to be a hassle.
His mother, God bless her soul, still keeps constant contact with Julian. Even today she wished him a Merry Christmas but his father on the other hand... Father treated him as if he didn't exist with his older brother sadly following their old man's footsteps. Which was ironic for Julian since it was his older brother that started Julian's obsession with the game.
The old American started looking through his Bahamut Awesome deck while he thought about his older brother, Nicholas. There was nothing much he could complain about him honestly. He was hard working, pretty fit and a fun person to be around. It was really strange how their relationship had devolved to the point where they would only ask about the other through their mother.
They used to be quite close as kids. In fact, most of the stuff Julian liked was because Nicholas liked them in the first place. Why did Julian like Power Rangers? Because Nicholas did. Why did Julian liked Warhammer? Because Julian did. Why did Julian like Yu-Gi-Oh? Because his brother did.
Resuming his perusing, he picked up his Burning Abyss deck as thoughts of Nick now consumed his mind. Till this day, Julian was unsure as to why Nicholas cut all contact from him. He had theories of course but nothing concrete. Julian thought that perhaps it was because he kept following his older brother and maybe Nicholas was sick and tired of him. It was random but one day Nicholas just cut all contact with Julian. He did ask for an explanation but his older brother coldly rebuked at every turn. 20 years ago it got really nasty when with a raging temper Nicholas crossed a line.
He had to close his eyes and breathe in deeply as he stopped looking mid-way into his Wind-Up deck. Fists... were thrown that day. Things were said that could never be taken back and relationships ended. It was after finally receiving his Bachelor's as well as his mother's blessings did Julian leave his family and apply to be a teacher in Japan. The furthest place from America where he could live comfortably.
He would have many failures in the beginnings but those soon turn into memories he would cherish. After being in Japan for a few years did Julian finally find his footing and started to live again. Then came the good times.
Meeting his next door neighbor, Takeo, whose kids got intrigued over the fact that a foreigner was living all the way in the country side. The school he was teaching in became a lot more joyful to work at once word got around the English teacher was an avid figure painter and was very good at it. Meeting Chiaki, the woman he thought he was going to marry, only for them to break it off amicably once they couldn't come to a decision about kids. He smiled often when he thought of her even when the memories were bitter sweet.
As his memories came to an end, Julian had reached for the final and oldest deck in his collection. It was the deck Nick had made for him so he could start playing all those years ago. It was extremely old. The corners where peeling off from the cardboard and even when in card sleeves the cards looked dirty to touch but touch them he did. This deck was not his strongest nor was it his favourite. It was his most precious for it was the one that let him start his journey into the hobby.
"D.D. Survivor." Picking up this particular card he could still remember everything about it even after all these years. A Level 4 Effect Monster. 1800 ATK and 200 DEF. It possessed a DARK attribute and was a Warrior class. It had the effect where if it was Banished while Face-up on your side of the field you can special summon it back to your side at the end phase. The art displayed a blonde male clad in armor who had a brown cloak completely covering him, head to toe, as he travelled across a desert in the night.
By itself it wasn't much but when used in tandem with other cards, this unassuming Monster became extremely annoying to Julian's opponents. Tribute fodder for bigger and scarier Monsters mostly of the royal variety. The theme of this deck was alternate dimensions and the cracks in-between them. The strongest Monster here was a Level 3 card that increased in strength per Banished card which was a funny concept to Julian. The deck used the Banishing mechanic as its main strategy with many of the cards inside that either benefitted from it or helped with removal.
Placing down the final card, Julian slid his oldest deck back into its deck box. Gently, he put it back into the first of his cases and started to get ready for bed. Brushing his teeth and closing the lights, the tired old man finally laid down on his bed whilst thinking of the things he would need to do tomorrow. Stocking up on groceries. Swinging by Takeo's place to greet his family. Complete the several unfinished paintjobs that were clogging up his desk.
Just as he closed his eyes, Julian remembers the boy Yuuki and how happy he was when receiving a card. How fun it was talking about Yugioh after such a long time. How simple life as a kid was when all he had to worry about what card he would draw next. Just as the sweet embrace of Sandman reached him, did he remember how he said what he would give anything so he could be in Duel Academy.
"Ha... I wish...ZZZ" These were the last words Julian spoke before he started falling asleep. Time to get to w̴̨̡̡͕̻͙̭̥̰͓̹̫̆͂̉̒̇̀̄͒̄́͐̓̂͛͌ó̸̧̯̰̺͈̗̤̘̼̒̃̇̀̅̍̈̕͝͝ͅr̴̢̲̻̗͔͓͎͙̱͈̼̉̂̅̽́̿̀̿͌͋̕̚͝k̴̖̞̮͓̩̣̳͓̯̪̣̥͈͔͓̎̽̿͗͑́̔̉̈́̂͑͌͛̕.
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̶̴̧̢̧̨̛͈̼̮̳̞̤̱̘̭̞̥̜̪̖̠͓̘̙̯͗͌̽͐̂̈́̾̅̃͂̈̈́̉͆̔̊͌͛̚͘͠͠͝I̶̺̽̄̽̀͗̓̈́̈́̆̂͊̈́ ̷̛̫̦̬͚͈͉̰͆̔̐̇̔̓̍͑̈́̓͝h̴̼̭̞͉̱͇̝̝̉̍̈́̿̾͗̓͛̈͝͝ò̷̠̟̣̼̈́͑̒̐̃p̷̛̛̻͈͖̓̈́̑̾͑́̊͝e̷̲̳̗͛ ̶̱̎̊̓̃̅ţ̴̧̺͈̙̯̳̬̺̞͂̈͋̀̐́͗͗̒̃̌͋̕ͅh̴̝̜́e̵̛̦̹͓͍̠̋̄̈͊̋̍̈͘͝͝ͅ ̸̧̛̞̹̳̪̹̯̤̩͎̪͉̝̌́́̎́̒̀̈́̔͜͜ȅ̵͙̲̭̣̫̺̩͔̭̘̻͊͑̑̍ͅx̵̡̩̥̗̰̽̽̽̿̾̔̐̽̂̆̉͘p̷͖̘̖̪̦̺̾̇͗̕͘e̵̢͈̪̫̬͖͕̭̦͌͂r̶̡̩̭̓͑i̸̖͎͍͙̺͑͑͐̆̄̎͂̔̈́̍̌̄̏̎͘è̴̛͖̳̯͕n̷̢̘̟̖͑̒̀̄̀͝c̷̯͖̘̈̃̍̉é̶̛͕̼̎̏̇͑̉̇́̍̇͘͝ ̵̳̖̫̭͙̗̺̏́͑͂̌͆i̴̹͖̥͇̫̥̿͌̈́͗̂̈́́̋͛̈́̍̈̋̊͘s̷̛͍͓̈́̄̔̎̀̾͑͒̒͠͝ ̸̘̗̳͇̪̼̙͔͚̬̪̘͔̐̕e̷͚̣̝̝͎̩̫͕̤̲͇̭̺̞̍̿̚͝v̸̡̝̩̀́̾̀͐̓̽̿͛͂͋͜͝͝ḛ̷̢̻̻̈̔̒̓̃́̃͘͘r̶̜͉̠̮̣̙̪̘̖̱͉̘̪̤̿̔̑̔͊̋́͐͠ý̸͉̣͓̭͍͋̇̑̓͛͑̋͒̎̚̕ẗ̴̢̺̦̫̪̺̯̠͐̾̽͐͒̀͑̿̃͘͠͠h̵̡̻̝͇̣̩̫̱̯̟̳̣̥̤̒̐̕͠ͅḯ̷̜̫̬̱̙̘͕̯͓͚̤̼͚̻̆̑͜n̴̖̲͇͎̹͙͈͈̩̖͙̋͜g̸̛̤͇̺̹̬͕͍̦̩͓̜̠̊̓̅̆̍̽̀͛͝ ̷̨̲́͑̉ȳ̵̧̖͔͙̯̳͎̠͚͖͔̪̘͇̯̈́̈͊͛͗͒̀͋̈́̚͘͝͠ơ̵̧̯͖̱̰̑̈́̌̇̈́u̷̧͖̯̩̤̫̖̗͒͜ ̸̢̨̡̡̦̭̝͇̰̫̩̀͌̐͛̏̍̇̆h̴̯̼̻͛̓̿͊̄̊͐̓̃͆͑̓́͝͝a̷̳̘̖͕̝̐̈́͐̕̚̚ͅv̶̨̤̩̖̞̳̜͔̠̻́̊̃̓̂͆̓̍̒̇̀̑̕͠e̵̡̛̺̲̭̻͎͍͉͋́̓ ̶̢̮̫̝͉̻̳̭̯̘̦̪̑̈́̈́̏̈́̆b̷͎̋̓̓͗̉͆̈́̄̈́̅͂͑e̸̺͇̝̘̳̗͗͒̾̒̈́͜ē̷̘͍̫̺̪͕͎̰̩͕͇̅̅̀̎̈́̃̐́͝͠n̸̡̢̤̹̬͍̞̘̤͑̂̔͘ ̶̢̡̡̼̣͓̬̭̱̝̿̋̅̌͂̍̉̔̾̏͊́̒͘͝w̶̨̧͕̹͕͕̐̃̏̑̏̓̊̉̆̓̾ḯ̶͕͖̳̥̉̌̃̀̔ŝ̴̤̲̙̰͈̺̜̼̺̪̖̀̀̊̔̆͊͌̀ͅh̵̢͍͈̺̻͎̊͒̇̕i̶̺̘̟̫̊́͗͒̀͑̎̋̎͝ͅn̶̡̧̬̬͔͙͎̟͈̳̬͌́̓̾̈́̀̄̽͊̉̚͘͜ǵ̴̜̫̱͇̯͙̔̂̓̋͂̍̒̃͘̕̚ ̶̨̢̡͎̖̼̝̣̫̰̥̦͙̈̑f̵̧̢̨̲̼̖̬̜̼͍̲̘̫͇͑̈́̽́͜ơ̶̤̼̖̠̞͙͊̉̌̊̍͗r̴̢̢̹̠̆͋͑̊͘͜͝
̷̨̫̹͎͍͚̹͔̼̲͎̒̎̀̅̄̋͗̓͆̈́̔͒̚B̷̛͚̓̿̕ỹ̸̮̲͖̰̭̮͚̼̱̞̻͗̆̆̎̀̓̽̋͘͠ ̸̡̯̀̍̍̓̑͑̓̅t̴͍͙̱̩̜̻̑̍̌͑͛̈́͒͋̀̍͌͠͠h̸͖̥̺̭̹̫͈̗͉̦̿̍̾̄̑̀̈́͋̎́͌̑̋ͅȩ̵̛̛̤͙̪̗͎̹̝̗̗͉͉̦͎ ̷̨̙̻͙̯͉̩̍̔̃̇̇̌͘͠w̷̛͍͉̜̥͗̅̄̔̾͗̐̆̕ͅà̵̢̨̢̡̻̼̗̺͕̱͔̯̙̖̓̓̐̽́͑̀̈͂͘͘͝͝y̸̛͚͓͗͂̓̈̿̒̂̓͋̏̚
T̶̩̟̞̃̒͆̿̄̍͊̔̋͆̐h̴̢͎̺̬̹̦͍̑́̎ͅe̴̻̖̝̼̅̾ͅ ans̵̛͖̰̭̣̬͎͎̔̀̓̎͂̅̉͜͝͝w̷͎̳̳̼̹̻͍̯̫̥̺̝̹͔̄̾̚͜ȩ̴̧̩͔̦̣͙̥̠͖̙͙͙͉͑̍̀̃̅̀͊̇͗͜ṟ̴͓̰̩̺̳̝͙̔̐ͅͅ
I͍̻̯̮̫̋̆̏͜ş̴͍̮͕̖̳̦̲̤̥̺͊ͅ ̵̢̧͓̝̝̮̙̣̙̘̹͈̤̎͋̌́͂̂̏̔̎͘͜y̴̧̛̺̰̖̯͎̿̋͊̄̆̑̈́̓̃̔̏̕͠ơ̵̝̙̞̼̔̀͊̓̽̌̉̔̔̎̓̅̚͜͠u̸͉̭̅̍̽̋͒͑͜͝r̶͕̰̯̜̞̱̓͛͋̚͝͝ ̵̢̤͖̞̻̬̪̩̀̋́̍͒͠ͅḷ̵̙͓̺̖̞̘̮̻̀͐̊̚į̵̛̗̙̪̿̋̈́̔̌̀̔̏̐̈́̀͗̚f̵̧̡̢̡̧̛͈͎̪̙̼̰͓̑̀͆͜͝e̴͙̯̺̲͊̒̓̂͘
I felt a bit queasy which usually happens when I'm travelling. Though I don't remember getting on a train, boat or plane. Probably means that I'm in Takeo's car and we're going on a drive.
So imagine my surprise when someone starts shaking me gently to wake me up. The first thing I see after wiping the crust from my eyes is a flight attendant.
"Excuse me, sir? We are just about to land at Narita Airport so if you could, please raise up your seat and wear your seat belt."
"Uhh... Sure" was my clever response.
After all I don't remember getting on a plane. Just how much fucking saké did I drink with Takeo? Seeing as I don't have splitting hangover I can say not so much which brings on the question "How on Earth did I get in a plane?"
I was apparently in a window seat and no one was sitting next to me. Yay me? Opening the window flap and sure enough I could see we were about to land at Narita airport. I was about to slide the window flap back down when I saw...
WHAT THE FUCK?! IS THAT A DRAGON!?
Fucking hell! I rubbed my eyes and stare out the window and guess what. THE DRAGON'S STILL FUCKING THERE! FLYING AROUND THE OTHER PLANES LIKE IT DIDN'T GIVE A SHIT. SO EXCUSE ME IF I STARTED TO PANIC AND SCREAMED.
WHAT LADY!? WHAT DO YOU MEAN, WHY AM I SCREAMING!? THERE'S A HONEST TO GOD, DRAGON DOWN THERE! WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING AT ME?!
...
WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S SOMEONE DUELING THERE?! MAKE SOME SENSE, WOMAN!
TURN 0 - A sense of adventure - End.
How was that? This is going to be a slow story that won't be taking itself too seriously and something to help my creative juices.
I apologize since it's another Isekai story I'm writing but for now, that's what I am comfortable writing and will be writing for the foreseeable future.
Comment if you liked it and criticism will be taking seriously unless I already explained it in an author's note or is something I will ignore (either because I don't want to spoil or if the comment is useless).
I'll be making many edits so to those who follow this story, you are warned that you might get email updates about chapters I've already released and isn't a new chapter.
Until next time,
Stay safe folks.
Feb 6th 2021 Edit: Along with fixing grammar and spelling mistakes, I filled out the beginning with more dialogue via conversation and not in 3rd person speak. It hit me that since it was Julian's POV, he should be talking more than taking note. I also added in what the updated state of the OCG is like in the future. Julian's backstory has several details erased since I can use those for later chapters. I apologize to my earlier followers but I'm hoping you forget them by the time I write them several chapters later. S-AL means Smart Artificial Intelligence. Think of the phone being powerful enough where it could do what I wrote. This is years in the future so I took some liberties with how the tech will be like at that point.
Feb 13th 2021: Cleaned up some sections.
Mar 05th 2021: Fixing grammar mistakes, not sure if I got them all.
Mar 12th 2021: Major rework on some parts. I was never satisfied with the previous versions of this chapter. This one, however, is finally much closer to the one I had planned out.