Since days gone by, the trading card game known as Duel Monsters has skyrocketed in popularity around the globe. Thanks to it, many have taken up a deck and set out to prove their skills to their friends and rivals, aiming to become greats one day. Along with the cards, duelists have grown in skill with each passing duel and, thanks to their combined efforts, Duel Monsters continues to prosper. But what happens to the game…when the creatures that inhabit these very cards begin to appear in our world? As true living souls of the Earth?

Yu-Gi-Oh! MASTER DUELS

Duel 001: A Whole New World

~ Planet Earth | Location: Prism City | Time: 1:45 pm ~

A cloudless blue color filled in the skies over Prism City, a beautiful man-built city that is known as the "City of Brilliance" around the world for its beauty, achievements in the many fields and the beautiful shine that blankets the city, often reflecting off its tallest buildings like the shine of a diamond. Since about ten years ago, the spirits that were once merely pictures for the Duel Monsters card game have come to Earth and now, their kind dwindle among the humans. This is most notable in Prism City as the streets are often flooded with them. One could take a stroll through town and meet members of the Ice Barrier, see the Iron Chain Repairman working at his garage or even see the likes of the Dragunity Clan flying overhead with their dragon allies. And these spirits thank the humans for letting them live among them by forming special ties to duelists, allowing them to use their special talents under a new rule dubbed the "Deck Master Rules". But today, as the many citizens of Prism City go about their daily routines, one certain individual stands out from the rest. He is a young adult male with blonde hair, accompanied by radiant blue bangs and tips, dressed in his usual casual wear.

~ Duelist Name: Lukas Yuske - Age: 18 ~

Hi there. My name is Lukas, Lukas Yuske to be exact. And, before you ask, the reasons for my name are because of my parents. My mother is from Japan while my father is from America. Before having me, my mother took on my father's surname….and that's how I ended up with this unique name. And we live here in the twinkling gem known as Prism City…

Lukas comes to a stop at the approaching crosswalk, observing the sign for it to change. As he waited, he looked around and happened to notice others waiting with him, most notably the spirits. He saw Ruddy Rose Witch looking at herself in her makeup mirror, Counselor Lily in a more relaxed attire but wings folded in and even Ancient Elf with Bitron resting comfortably atop her hat, not bothering the elf at all. Shortly after, the light changed again and everyone continued on.

While I may LIVE in Prism City, I wasn't really "born" here to be frank. My family recently moved here when my father got a new job in the city and its been a whole year since then. Aside from that, I am what you would call a "former Duel Monsters player"….meaning I have stopped playing the game for a good while. But don't get me wrong. It's not because I grew to dislike the game or such….no no. On the contrary, it was because a lot of my old friends moved away from town before I came here. After taking the time to get accustomed here, I decided now is a good chance to get back into the game. I'm actually on my way to pick up my new Duel Disk from my dad's workplace. Yep. My dad works at the company in Prism City that manufactures all sorts of Duel Monsters tools and gadgets for people like me….

Continuing down the street, Lukas eventually stopped in front of a tall building with the symbol of a spiral resting against its many windows. The spiral symbol was the current image used for the backs of future Duel Monsters cards as the company itself was named "DM Evolution Industries", the "DM" standing for Duel Monsters. As he entered through the sliding doors, he looked around at a somewhat empty reception area with only a few others resting nearby. At the desk was one of the receptionists working the main counter, another spirit known as Backup Secretary. She noticed Lukas' approach before waving back to him.

"Hello, Lukas. I was expecting your arrival. Your dad has a package left here for you." she said.

"Yeah? Well…that's what I'm here for." he teased with a chuckle. Reaching down beneath the counter, the secretary brough up a long rectagular box with the image of an technological advanced Duel Disk on the cover. His eyes lit up upon seeing it.

"And, just as your dad requested, we had it decorated with your preferred color pattern. The cost has been covered by him as well…he only wishes for you to use it to your heart's content." she explained before sliding the box to him.

"Thanks. I appreciate it." he replied. As he tucked it under his arm, he turned to leave before stopping dead in his tracks. He looked back at Backup Secretary once more.

"By the way, has anything opened up yet? Y'know…in terms of available positions?" he asked. The secretary merely shook her head as, behind her, Brute Enforcer passed by with a clipboard in his hands.

"Sorry, Lukas. Nothing yet. Besides, trust me. The training they put you through before becoming an ACTUAL employee is quite a hassle." she said, whispering the last sentence under her breath. Lukas lightly chuckled.

"Ehhh….you can't blame me for asking. But make sure to thank the others for putting this together for me. You guys are the best." he said before leaving again. The secretary lightly smiled and waved goodbye from her desk.

~ Prism City | Location: Diamond Park | Time: 2:10 pm ~

After collecting the package from his father's workplace, Lukas went to Diamond Park to examine his newly obtained Duel Disk. He sat down at a bench before proceeding to open the box, setting it down by his legs after. In his hands was a sleek Duel Disk that was partially designed after the original model used during the beginnings of the game, except it was stylized in a blue, white and gold combination of colors. Lukas' eyes lit up as he looked it over before attaching it to the magnetic bracer around his wrist.

"Oh wow! This is SO awesome! If I knew this is what duelists were using around now, I would've ordered one a long time ago!" he proclaimed "Then again…I WAS busy with high school and working at that part time job. What else could I do when dueling became somewhat non-existent back home?" He tapped the central sphere, bringing up a virtual display before him. It was asking for details like his name, duelist ID, age and other trivial questions.

"Hmm? What's this? Duelist…ID? What's that? I don't remember needing this before." he thought. Since he did not have one, he lightly sighed before putting the screen away.

"Guess that's something else I have to ask my dad about." he said. Just then, he heard what sounded like the squeals of a small creature nearby. To his surprise, he saw what looked like a flying Kuriboh scurrying away in a hurry, a look of fear in its eyes. But unlike other Kuriboh, this one had a gold tint to its fur, teal blue apendages and small wings.

"W-What in the…?!" Lukas gasped. But shortly after, he saw what looked like a pair of young adult men chasing after it.

"Geez! That stupid thing's fast!" one shouted.

"Tch! Hurry up before we lose it, numbskull!" the other yelled out. As they continued past, they gained Lukas' full attention. He stood up from the bench in a hurry.

"Hey, wait a second! They can't be what I THINK they are…could they?" he thought, imagining the look of fear in Kuriboh. Without wasting a second, he gave chase after them as well. He eventually caught up with the two of them, now having cornered the Kuriboh. It was hiding in the backpack of a young woman about his age with the eyes of the two tailgaters glaring her down. She had short cut black hair with green highlights at the tips and the remainder of it was knotted up in a ponytail behind her.

"Look. We're not here to mess around….hand over the flying hairball!" one demanded. But the woman just shook her head.

"Yeah. Right. Doesn't take long to figure out this thing was running scared of you two. If he don't want to speak with you, then take the hint." she replied. But one of the men grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, pulling her closer to him.

"Listen to me CAREFULLY, sass mouth! I wasn't ASKING for your input on the situation. I'm DEMANDING you to hand over the little twerp to me!" he continued. However, despite being in an unsettling position, the girl did not flinch. She simply narrowed her eyes in disgust.

"Honestly. I can't believe there are creeps like YOU hiding out in this town. You think its fun, doing what you do? Kidnapping smaller, less powerful Spirits and attempting to make money by selling them off? Tch! You guys make me SICK." she replied. The man growled before forcing her around, grabbing onto her bag with his other hand.

"You're the one askin' for this! Just GIVE US THE BAG!" he yelled. However, before he could pry it off her, Lukas had came up behind him and rammed his shoulder into his back, throwing him to the ground.

"OWWW! All right! Who's the wise guy?!" he shouted, looking behind him. The minute he did, his eyes crossed paths with Lukas, glaring back at him with anger.

"I was worried this was the case when I saw you. All you did was verify it for me." he said. The man groaned as he rose back to his feet, showing he was a foot taller than Lukas.

"And just who are you supposed to be buster?!" he asked.

"I don't think I need to give my name…to a bunch of disgusting guys like you. Don't you know its against the rules to attempt "Spirit abduction"? They have minds just like US, you know." Lukas coldly replied. The man growled.

"Great. Now I've got YOU sticking your nose into this, too. Listen here, mack. Do you know how rare a "gold" Kuriboh is? I wasn't planning to kill the little midget! Just shave him bald for the fur!" he replied. This only irked Lukas more.

"That's just as DESPICABLE." he retorted "Look. Either you guys leave both of them alone…or I get the police involved!" He quickly reached under his jacket, ready to pull out his cell phone. The boss growled before his partner got in the way.

"C-C'mon, Nelson. We got no point arguing with them like this. We don't need the COPS here too." the other said. Nelson growled louder, eyes narrowed as he stared down Lukas. He eventually eased off and turned away in spite.

"You got lucky….KID. But if we EVER cross paths again, you'd better do the SMART thing and make yourself scarce. Don't be a hero….if you DON'T want to get on my bad side." Nelson said, threatening him before the two left. When they were a good distance away, Lukas sighed as did the woman. The small Kuriboh peeked its head out of her bag.

"Good riddance to that jerk." she said. She then turned back to Lukas.

"Thanks for coming to help. Then again, even if you didn't, I would've done the same thing as you and phoned the police." she continued. Lukas lightly chuckled.

"That's good….because I was actually bluffing." he said, revealing an empty hand from beneath his coat "It…turns out I left my phone in MY bag before tailing after them." The girl seemed dumbfounded at first before she snickered, turning away with mouth covered.

"Oh MAN! If they knew the truth, you would've been in the DIRT by now." she replied, attempting to halt her snickers. Lukas chuckled a bit himself.

"Yeah. Well, I STILL would've done anything to help out…even if I didn't have my phone. It's only the natural thing to do, right?" he said. The girl nodded back as the Kuriboh rose from her bag and rushed to Lukas, snuggling itself against his face like a happy cat as its gold tinted fur tickled his nose.

"H-Hey! Take it easy, you! I get you want to thank me…but careful you don't get any of your hair up my nose!" Lukas laughed, attemtping to pry the Kuriboh off him. The girl merely watched with a smile on her face, stopping their horseplay by extending her hand to him.

"You sure got guts. My name's Alicia….BUT you can call me "Alice" for short." she said. Lukas smiled back as Kuriboh floated aside him, meeting her with a handshake.

"Lukas is my name. Nice to meet you." he said. After their handshake, Kuriboh regained his attention and offered a handshake too, taking hold of one hand with both of its. Alice chuckled.

"Guess he wants to introduce himself too." she said with a smirk. But all Lukas did was continue smiling.

"Good to meet you too, Kuriboh." he replied, bringing a look of happiness to its face.

END OF DUEL 001