Yu-Gi-Oh! MASTER DUELS
Duel 002: Let the Light Shine On - Part 1
~ Prism City - Location: Lukas' Home | Time: 9:40 pm ~
The rest of the day came and went as normal for Lukas as he returned home a while later with the small Kuriboh at his side. He quickly spoke with his parents about what had transpired at the park and they were both shocked but pleased with their son's actions at the same time. They agreed to let Kuriboh stay with them as they had dinner together and eventually Kuriboh went to Lukas' bedroom with him, the room itself adorned with blown-up posters depicting Duel Monster card artworks. He sat atop his blue and white checkered bed, working on obtaining his Duelist ID that was required to use the Duel Disk. His father stood nearby, there for help if he needed it. But as Lukas finished typing in his information, the screen changed to a projected fanfare and congratulatory message.
"And that's all there is to it. You are now officially registered in the Duel Monsters servers. With it, you'll be able to compete in official tournaments and other events so long as you show them your Duelist ID." his father said. With the disk on his arm, Lukas chuckled and faced his father.
"Thanks again, dad. This has to be the coolest gift I ever got." he said. His father lightly chuckled.
"I'm glad son. Just consider that your gift for graduating high school." he explained. Kuriboh looked on as Lukas smiled to himself, remembering his graduation day from the school he attended in his birth home. He stood on the podium with a proud, beaming grin as he accepted his diploma and turned to his classmates with a wave. He returned back to reality as he looked on a nearby tabletop, seeing a framed photo of his classmates on that same day.
"I wonder how everyone is doing…." he said. His father glanced at the picture before walking over and affectionally rubbed his son's head.
"I know it must still feel weird….being far away from home. But I have a funny feeling our lives are only to get better now that I have a better paying job. Your mom already did so much to help us. So now it's my turn." he said "And, as for you, don't fret too much. Your future is still open to whatever you want it to be." Lukas smiled.
"Thanks dad." he said.
"All right then. Good night son." his father said as he left the room. Lukas set his Duel Disk down nearby before taking out, from a pocket of his backpack, his dueling deck. Kuriboh floated over his shoulder as it looked at the cards he had. The deck itself was full of a variety of light attributed cards, the Lightsworns proudly showcased as the deck's overall focus. Lukas eventually noticed the curious hairball's eyes.
"Cool, aren't they? This was the deck I used to play back in my hometown. It's not exactly what many would call "top tier" or "first class" nowadays, but it's still one I put my trust in. I mean, without trusting your deck, what good will it be to you?" he said. Kuriboh seemed a bit puzzled.
"Hmm? What? You don't get what I meant? Well, think of it like this. A long time ago, someone once said that trusting your deck is the same as believing in the "heart of the cards". It means that as long as you have faith in your cards and do your best to duel with honor, they'll never let you down." he said. The small monster still seemed confused as it scratched its head, but Lukas merely chuckled.
"Don't worry. Maybe you'll understand it someday." he said, scratching its head. Kuriboh lightly cooed, feeling good from the pets, as Lukas looked at his deck.
"Still…I haven't dueled in a long time. I wonder…if my deck still has trust in me now. Now that I'm dueling again….I've got to be prepared for whatever new crazy stuff the game has dished out since." he thought "Hope we're ready." He then put away his deck in its case, setting it near his Duel Disk, before tucking himself under his bed sheets. Kuriboh took a spot for itself on Lukas' opposite pillow, rolling around like an energetic animal before finding a comfortable spot. Lukas observed the whole thing before chuckling softly.
"Good night, Kuriboh…" he said.
~ Later That Night… ~
The moon and stars eventually took over the sky as the silence of night swept over the city. Most were now asleep in their beds, save for a few nocturnal humans at their evening shifts or other monsters that lived among the night, such as Feral Imps gathered together in the bushes of the park or the Ghostricks walking around the lit streets. But in Lukas' bedroom, while he and Kuriboh slept, a faint light made its way inside before floating over towards him. As it came closer, the light grew brighter before it transformed into a more humanoid form. It stood over the sleeping boy, showing a feminine appearance, before lightly smiling to itself. It placed a hand on Lukas' head and gently rubbed it.
Such a pure and gentle spirit…I know you will make good use of this gift….
The glowing figure then reached for Lukas' deck and placed its hand upon them, causing the cards to give off a faint glow. For a brief moment, Kuriboh's eyes squinted open because of the glare. Though it was still half asleep, the small creature could make out the glowing figure as another Duel Spirit named Loagaeth. She looked back at Kuriboh before putting a finger to her lips.
Shhhh. It is okay….your friend is safe…
Without another word, Kuriboh merely shrugged and rolled over in its sleep. Loagaeth chuckled before rising once again, her focus now turned to Lukas.
Lukas…never lose your shining light. For it will be what you need most of all…
Before leaving, she put her hand atop his and casted a strange light from her palm. She then disappeared from the room, leaving a faintly glowing symbol on the back of his left hand. The symbol took the form of a nearly complete sun before it faded away, embedding itself in his skin.
~ The Next Day | Location: DM Evolution Industries | Time: 12:20 pm ~
When the sun rose again, Lukas returned to the illustrious halls of Duel Monsters Industries and once again spoke with Backup Secretary at the main desk. This time, the small Kuriboh was with him, floating just above his shoulder. That morning, his parents told him of how duelists could partner with Spirits and how he could go about the procedure, something he and Kuriboh agreed to before coming.
"So, I assume you are here because you and this Kuriboh wish to be partners?" she asked. Both nodded simultaneously as Lukas rubbed the small furball's head.
"It's actually more HIS wish than it was mine. Yesterday, some bullies were chasing him around the park. They were looking to shave the poor little guy and sell off his fur. He wants to be my partner as way of saying thanks." Lukas said. The secretary looked down with a distressed look.
"Oh. Wonderful." she said "It looks like there are still those who hate us Spirits still lingering about here." Lukas and Kuriboh looked on in worry, exchanging a brief glance at each other.
"Sorry….if I touched on a sensitive subject." he said. They soon saw the likes of Draconnet and Cyberse Wizard alongside her.
"It's okay. Most of us have gotten used to this since we arrived. All we can do is look past it and try to enjoy our new lives. She feels the same….though hearing about more humans doing it doesn't help." Cyberse Wizard explained. The secretary rose her head and adjusted her glasses.
"M-My apologies, Lukas. I didn't mean to make you worried. But….I greatly appreciate your concern." she said. The others nodded.
"Yeah! Same here!" Draconnet called out with glee. As Backup Secretary took time to calm herself, Cyberse Wizard took over handling their partner certification. A handprint panel was brought up on the desk and required both prints of the duelist along with their intended partner. Lukas went first followed by the small Kuriboh, who Lukas helped push down on its hand for the registration. Afterwards, following a bit more information input, a virtual screen was projected before Lukas. It showed him his duelist ID, profile picture, Kuriboh's portrait alongside his new information.
DUELIST NAME: Lukas Yuske
AGE: 18 Years Old
LEVEL: Newbie
PARTNER: Neo-Wing Kuriboh
DUELIST ID: 96235275
Lukas took notice of the listed name for his partner, looking puzzled at first.
"Hold on. What is a "Neo-Wing"? Is that some breed of Kuriboh? I thought this guy was a normal one, just with gold fur." he asked. Just then, a light could be seen emitting from Kuriboh's body as Lukas shielded his eyes momentarily. When the light faded away, he looked back in shock to see a pair of more heavenly wings on his back. They appeared a level higher than those of Winged Kuriboh, having a more celestial angel aura about them.
"Whoa! No way! Those are AWESOME little bud!" he exclaimed. The Kuriboh squealed with joy as it flew around the room. Backup Secretary chuckled.
"If you didn't know, Lukas, Spirits can sometimes evolve into newer forms when they become partnered with a duelist. In this case, it looks like you bonding with Kuriboh allowed him to grow those majestic wings." she explained. Kuriboh then returned to Lukas' side as he applauded the furball's change by rubbing his head. But from outside, the likes of Nelson could be seen spying on them from around the corner. A sinister smirk was on his face as he remained locked onto Kuriboh.
~ Location: Diamond Park | Time: 1:00 pm ~
Following their trip to the office, Lukas and Kuriboh celebrated their new partnership by grabbing a pair of hot dogs together at the park. They turned to one another, bumped dogs with each other and smiled.
"Here's to the beginning of an awesome partnership." Lukas said before taking a bite. Kuriboh began munching away, floating alongside him as he sat on a bench. Just then, they noticed someone approaching them. Lukas glanced to see the girl from yesterday, Alice, walking over.
"Huh. What are the odds I'd find you guys here again?" she asked.
"Oh. Hey, Alice. You normally come by the park?" Lukas asked. Alice slipped off her backpack before taking a seat next to Lukas on the bench, opposite of Kuriboh.
"Well, whenever I feel like it. I mean, I've got to think about when school starts up again next month." she explained. Lukas was surprised while Kuriboh merely glanced.
"Yeah? What grade are you….if I might ask?" he asked. Alice paused for a moment.
"I'm about to start my first year of college actually. I'm attending Diamond University." she said.
"Really? Same here." Lukas replied, chuckling afterwards. Alice smirked as she coyly looked back.
"What? No way. I'd imagine some goofball like YOU would still be in high school or something." she said. Lukas shook his head, still chewing his food.
"Nope. I'm going to college too. But how funny is it we'll be attending the same one?" Lukas said. Alice shook her head, still not believing what she was hearing. As they talked, the two had no idea that Kuriboh had went back to the food stall vendor and came back with another hot dog, this time bringing it to Alice. Surprised at first, she accepted the Spirit's gift with a smile.
"Well….maybe we'll end up in a few classes together. Heh. You never know." she said. But just as she was about to take a bite, the likes of Nelson and his partner from yesterday appearing halted them all.
"Well, well, well….I guess SOMEONE didn't get my warning from yesterday. Now did you…punk?" he asked, glaring straight at Lukas. But all he did was sigh.
"You again?" he groaned "Y'know….I'm serious man. I WILL call the cops on you if you don't leave Kuriboh alone." He then reached under his coat, attempting the same bluff as yesterday. But Nelson merely grinned as he hinted to his partner. In a flash, he whipped out a small burlap bag and threw it over Kuriboh, snagging the creature inside before they both ran off laughing. Alice and Lukas gasped.
"NO WAY did he just do that! In broad daylight?!" Alice shouted. Lukas growled, hearing Kuriboh's squeals for help, before turning to her.
"C'mon! If he STILL wants Kuriboh's fur, we gotta stop him!" he said. Alice nodded silently before they each grabbed their stuff and gave chase. They followed them through most of the twists and turns of the city streets, keeping their eyes on the burlap sack. But they were too far away to notice Nelson grinning, planning to lure them somewhere since the beginning. By the time they did stop, Lukas and Alice wound up chasing them all the way towards an abadoned parking lot far from the park. The two stopped to catch their breath.
"I-It's no use, Nelson. L-Let Kuriboh go!" Lukas shouted, stopping to breath. Nelson smirked.
"Fine with me." he said "He'll be MINE eventually." Giving a nod, his partner opened the bag and let Kuriboh out. The small hairball flew over to Lukas, clinging onto his shoulder out of fear. The two angrily glared at Nelson.
"How can someone like you treat a Spirit this way?!" Alice shouted "Don't you have any common decency?!" Nelson chuckled.
"Why should I have to fret over a "fictional creature brought to life from a children's card game"? As far as I care, they're just holograms that we can exploit." he said. Alice growled while Lukas looked on coldly.
"You're just despicable." Lukas said. Nelson clicked his tongue, wagging his finger.
"Nah. What I am….is SMART. Notice something about where we are?" he replied. The two looked around them, not seeing anyone around them for miles.
"This end of town happens to be where a lot of my "prey" gets caught. And I led you two here like a fish on a hook." Nelson continued "Now that we're here, you got two choices….blondie." Turning to his partner, he stuck his arm out as a Duel Disk, similar to Lukas' model, was attached onto it.
"What? You want to duel me?" Lukas asked.
"You could say that….but there's going to stakes at risk…such as your furry friend. Duel me and win. That's all you gotta do to save that pipsqueak. Lose…and the thing comes with me, no disputes." Nelson explained. Alice huffed.
"We don't have to do either, JERK. C'mon Lukas. Let's just go. We got Kuriboh." Alice said. Lukas agreed and started to turn away, but Nelson's voice stopped them.
"Hold up! I didn't explain the "third option"….if you decided to just walk up and leave." Nelson said. Lukas glanced back as Nelson pressed a button on his disk. Suddenly, there was a beeping sound coming from Lukas' bag. He opened it up to find his Duel Disk emitting a red light from the top. Bringing up the screen, it showed a "TERMINATION" screen saying he wanted to sever his partnership with Kuriboh.
"W-What the heck?!" he shouted. Nelson sneered as Alice turned back.
"Oh, you dirty WEASEL! You hacked your Duel Disk, didn't you?!" she exclaimed. Nelson laughed in a triumphant manner.
"That's right! All it took was time and patience. But now, I have the power to hack into any nearby Duel Disk and sever a duelist's tie to his partner…meaning I can erase ALL traces of you partnering up with my "meal ticket" with a push of a button." he said "It's your call still. But know that if you choose to back out of this duel or walk away, I push this here button….and your Kuriboh is up for grabs." His partner smirked as he swung the burlap sack menacingly, scaring Kuriboh into ducking behind Lukas. The two remained quiet as Nelson waited an answer. Lukas looked down at his Duel Disk in silence before rising his head.
"If it'll finally put you in your place, FINE. I don't mind dueling a criminal like you." Lukas said, denying the screen that popped up "But when I win, you'll not only leave my partner alone but ALL Spirits living here in Prism City!" Nelson huffed.
"Whatever you say, "king of games". But since we're dueling using the Deck Master rule, which I HOPE you've studied up on, that means I get to use MY partner to help me out." he said. Giving a whistle, a small monster appeared clinging onto Nelson's back. It gave a sinister sneer as Lukas quickly recognized it.
"A Snipe Hunter? That's who your partnered with?" Lukas asked from shock. Snipe Hunter's grin grew more, showing his pointy teeth.
"That's right! And unlike your "friend", I don't mind helping clipping the ties between duelist and Spirit! Nyah ha ha ha ha ha HA!" it laughed. Alice groaned.
"Great. Guess you can't trust ALL Spirits." she said "Even they have some rotten apples somewhere." Lukas attached his Duel Disk on as Kuriboh rose to his shoulder, the two exchaning a brief glance before nodding.
"So…it's me and Kuriboh against you and Snipe Hunter? Shouldn't be too hard." he said, inserting his deck. The two then activated their Duel Disks, emitting a virtual dueling field while a energy sphere enveloped the area around them. This was "Duel Space", a virtual reality setting for all duelists and was programmed into every Duel Disk currently available.
"Hey. Just to ask…what's your skill level?" Alice muttered. Lukas glanced to her.
"Well, I used to duel a lot back home. But…my friends all left town at some point, so I decided to quit. But now that I'm living here in Prism City, that's different now. So don't worry. I should be able to handle this." Lukas explained. But Alice still remained uneasy, looking back at Nelson.
"I hope you haven't gotten too rusty." she thought. As the duel was about to begin, both Kuriboh and Snipe Hunter began to glow as they each shrunk slightly in order to stand above their partner's shoulder. This was the normal for using Deck Master rules in a duel, something Lukas was a bit taken back by but not by much. Each then drew five cards.
"Let's DUEL!" they shouted.
DUEL BEGIN!
LUKAS (w/ Neo-Wing Kuriboh) vs. NELSON (w/Snipe Hunter)
4000 - 4000
As the others stood on the sidelines, Alice reached into her pocket for her cell phone. But when she turned on the screen, she noticed the Wi-Fi signal was low.
"Dang it. Guess Nelson chose this spot KNOWING the wi-fi is crud." she thought.
"Since you came after us first, I hope you don't mind that WE take the first move." Lukas said. Nelson merely shrugged.
"Fine with me." he said. Lukas then turned his attention to his cards with Kuriboh. But one look at them brought a look of shock.
"W-Wait a second! These cards….they don't look like mine at all!" he thought. What he was referring to was his Lightsworn cards, most having strangely taken on a new art style or a different image printed on each card.
"Aww geez! What a time to get new cards that you HAVEN'T had time to strategize with! Unless I figure out a strategy quickly, I really MIGHT lose Kuriboh." he thought.
TO BE CONTINUED…
END OF DUEL 002