Yumi begins her journey as a duelist, making an unexpected connection along the way.


Cheering crowds. The sound of it would never lose the magic from all those years ago when she made her debut. The spotlights burned bright around the stadium, appearing as a blinding, white veil obscuring the field from inside the pitch black corridor. She walked slowly, taking in sounds with anticipation building on every step.

This was it. Her entire career - maybe even her entire life - had been leading up to this moment. She would either become the champion or go home with second place. She stopped at the edge of the light leading out of the tunnel to adjust her glasses, then to check through the collection of forty cards she'd use for this final game. Some of them had changed over the years, this last configuration representing the culmination of all her experiences and skill.

Satisfied, she placed the cards into the holder on her wrist, stepping out to roaring applause and enthusiasm from the spectators. Some of them even held signs of encouragement (and one for a glass of milk, whatever that meant). Brushing a stray hair out of her face, she traced across the long scar set into the right side of her forehead with the side of her finger. This was all really happening. It wasn't just a dream. Feeling it brought back memories; some of them painful, others happy, but all milestones on the journey to right here and now.

It was a hot July morning in Chiba. Cicadas screamed from the trees as the sun beat down on top of a small house and the accompanying garden beside it. Windows and doors had already been propped open to compensate for the lack of air conditioning system in the traditional-style home. Inside lived a young girl, seemingly unfazed by the weather as she pulled up her orange hair into two pigtails.

Adjusting a pair of white goggles on top of her head, she grabbed a weathered messenger bag off the floor of a cluttered bedroom and headed for the open front door. "I'll be back later, grandma," she called to the old woman loudly snoring in front of a baseball game on TV. Practically sprinting down the dirt path along the side of the house, she picked up the bicycle propped against the building and walked it to the dirt road leading towards civilization. It was a rusty old thing and the original red paint was all but chipped and worn off, but it still held strong in the face of adversity. Giving the tires a couple kicks to ensure they were in riding condition, she hopped on and began to pedal.

"This time I'll do it," she thought, silently mouthing the words to herself as she did. "I'll make it to the top. This is the summer when Takano Yumi becomes Duel Champion!" It had been her dream since she was a child, spurred on by her parents' stories of their careers as professional duelists. They were her heroes even to this day, and she was certain that this would be the year she'd make it big. Never mind the fact she hadn't even come close to winning a single tournament in the past, let alone anything as big as the World Championship title match. This was going to be the year no matter what.

It was only a couple minutes bike ride to the train station, giving her a relaxing voyage and plenty of time to fantasize about all the possible opponents she could fight today. Forty cards rested in an awkward pile inside the front pocket of her faded overalls, cut off at the knees for staying cool in the heat. Given she had very little money to spend, these would be about all she'd be able to use over the summer. They would do, though. She'd trained hard during the school months and felt more than ready to strike out into the official circuit. She believed in her cards.

Making good time, she arrived in the city proper earlier than expected, though nearly missing her stop after becoming distracted by her fantasies and a particularly cute baby one of the other passengers was holding. She coasted along until she arrived at a local park not too far from her junior high. With how often she'd been commuting to the city and back for things like school, it was sort of amazing she hadn't actually learned its name by now. This wasn't the time for names, though. This was the time for duels. Something like that, at least.

She'd arrived just at the end of one, in fact. A dinosaur creature was in the process of ramming a young boy, tossing him across the field as a Life Point counter ticked down to zero. From the looks of things and the happy crowd, it seemed like it had been a good match.

There was no one she knew from school at the park today. That was probably a good thing, since there weren't many people there that actually seemed to like her, and the few that did already had plans for the break and left the city for some grand adventure or another. Starting off the summer fresh would be nice for a change. Immediately, she pulled open her bag and produced a weathered duel disk, challenging the victor after some enthusiastic praise, then the loser from before, being defeated by both of them after many misplays and mistakes piled up on top of her.

The day went on, everyone at the park eventually getting a turn as the center of attention. Despite an impressively bad beginning, Yumi managed to scrape out a few victories during her next ten duels. If it was any indication of what was to come, this year was definitely looking up from the last few.

In an instant, though, the first day of summer fun came to an end. Everyone suddenly became hesitant to play, turning their attention sheepishly to the top of the slope leading down into the park from the sidewalk. On top of it stood a pink haired girl in a blue dress and matching beret, flanked by two other, seemingly less important girls.

"Who's that?" Yumi whispered to an equally unimportant child near her, not really understanding why everyone was suddenly so afraid.

The other kid was taken aback by her ignorance. "Don't you know? That's Ishikawa Sakuya! She's the best duelist here and has been since forever."

"But I came here all the time during school. Why haven't I seen her before?"

"Because I just returned from studying abroad in France, perdant." Without either of them noticing, Sakuya and her entourage had made their way to the two mumbling children standing out in the open away from everyone else who'd wisely backed away. "The better question would be, 'Who are you and why do you think you can come to my park without permission?'"

Foreign language wasn't Yumi's strong suit. She'd barely learned English at this point and one of her parents was even from America. Deciding to overlook the mysterious(ly insulting) word, she went on to answer the rest of the sentence. "Takano Yumi, and no one ever told me this was your park. I thought it was for the public. I never even learned the name, actually. Do you know what it's called? Also, wasn't that two questions?"

Sakuya was at a loss for words. Pointing towards the entrance, she highlighted a large, multicolored sign with writing on it. "Chiba Park," she said dryly.

Yumi knocked herself on the head. "I forget to read sometimes!" After a brief moment of total silence, Sakuya surprised everyone by breaking into a small chuckle. Nervously, most of the other kids joined in, Yumi deciding to on her own since she thought herself funny.

"You're alright," she said. "I'll forgive you for not knowing the rules this time." Her temperament suddenly snapped into grave seriousness. "Don't let me see you here again or there's going to be trouble."

She turned to leave, only to freeze in place upon hearing, "But I like this park." Her head whipped back over her shoulder. "Everyone here is really nice and we have fun playing together. I don't want to leave." And the most inflammatory statement yet: "Maybe we could duel sometime, too."

Everyone gasped in the way only a group of children placing far too much value onto meaningless playground antics could. Whatever tolerance she had for the newcomer had vanished at the end of that sentence. "If you knew the first thing about how it works around here, you'd know I would never lower myself to the level of someone like you. None of them are worthy to duel me, and some brainless country bumpkin like you certainly isn't any better."

"But how would you know if you don't even try? I bet you're just afraid to lose." Yumi was starting to get frustrated. She had just as much right to be here as anyone else, and all those things Sakuya kept saying about her were mean. It had always been her belief like her parents before her that people could understand each other through things like Duel Monsters. Maybe if they could just settle this the right way, they could come to some kind of understanding, too.

One of the girls flanking Sakuya barked about disrespect and deanding apologies, but was cut off by their seeming leader raising a hand. "If that's how you want to settle this, then fine. I'll give everyone the privilege of watching my duel as I stomp you into the ground." Reaching into a navy and black backpack one of her supporters had been carrying for her, she produced a custom blue trimmed duel disk, sliding it onto her right arm and fastening the clasps. "I'll warn you before we start that I only play with a special Ante Rule. The winner can take any card they want from the loser, so I hope you're not too attached to whatever it is you have there."

"That sounds exciting!" Yumi proclaimed, confident in her win and anticipating being able to add something new to her collection, though not really putting the pieces together that it would mean taking it directly from someone else (she could be a bit slow on the uptake from time to time). After a quick shuffle, they both inserted their decks into the holders on their machines, activating them in unison as they shouted, "Duel!"

Five cards for each of them to start. "I almost feel bad for you carrying around that piece of garbage on your arm, so I'll let you take the first turn." She wasn't exactly wrong in that regard. Yumi's duel disk was a relic by modern standards. A first generation model with chipped paint and several lights gone completely dark. It still worked well enough, though, and she'd managed to find help in keeping it from falling apart. She didn't really have the option to replace it, but it held a great deal of sentimental value that wouldn't allow her to do so, anyway.

"Thanks for the help!" Yumi took a card from her hand and slapped it onto the board. "I summon Flame Viper!" A tiny, orange snake with a single eye in its head materialized between the duelists, a display showing it only possessed a measly 400 ATK. Everyone in the crowd was visibly distraught as such a bad play right out of the gate. "I'll set one card and end my turn."

"This should be over quickly," Sakuya thought to herself. "Draw!" With a small chuckle, she added her new card to her hand, taking another to lay onto the field. "I summon Wiener Dragon in Attack Mode!" In front of her appeared a small dragon creature with stubby legs and wings far too small for its body.

"It's so cute!" Yumi screamed, a small laugh passing through the crowd.

"It is not cute!" Sakuya yelled back. "I'll show you how dangerous it is when I use its effect." The little dragon began to glow a pale orange, then made a sound partway between a roar and a bark. "When I summon this card, it lets me add another copy of itself to my hand." She was already off to a much better start than her opponent, playing a 1700 ATK monster on her first turn and maintaining a six card hand. "I'll activate this card next - Stamping Crush!"

The dragon raised up the tiny legs on the left side of its body, stomping the ground and opening a fissure across the field. It traveled to Yumi's side, exploding outwards and tearing the image of her card - Justi-Break - to pieces. "When I have a Dragon-Type monster on my field, I can use this card to destroy one of your set Magic or Trap Cards, then inflict 500 damage to you." As she said that, the debris organized itself in the air and rained down on the card's owner, reducing her Life Points to 3500.

"My turn isn't over. Now I'll attack your worthless monster with my dragon! Overheat!" From its furry mouth came a blast of fire headed straight for the snake. The reptile let out a panicked shriek before being engulfed, bursting into pieces and further reducing its owner's Life to 2200. "I told you this was a waste of time. I'm feeling generous today, so if you get down on your knees and beg, I might let you walk away from this."

Yumi only smiled despite the devastating loses from this turn. "But we only just started. You can't know how a duel is going to end after the first battle.

Sakuya was unamused by the optimism and only scoffed. "If that's how you want this to end, then fine. I won't hold back at all. I'll play another card from my hand after that, Begging!" A green-bordered projection rose from the ground, depicting a sad basset hound looking up at a hand holding a bone. "By Releasing one of my monsters that's both a Dragon and Beast-Type, I can look at your hand and take a Magic or Trap Card for myself."

That card made no sense to Yumi. "But how can you use that? You only have a Dragon-Type on the field."

Sakuya scoffed again. "My monsters have a special ability that allows them to be both at once as long as they're on the field or in my Graveyard. Now show me your hand." The monster shattered to pieces as Yumi sighed and held out the three cards left to her for her opponent to take. Critter, Sunlight Unicorn, and Gizoku no Gokuisho. Sakuya blinked at the revelation coming upon her. "You really don't have any good cards, do you?" Nevertheless, she took the Trap among them per the constraints of her card.

"I'll set two cards and end my turn," she concluded, placing them face-down on her otherwise barren field. As bad a start as she'd had, Yumi's situation could improve dramatically depending on the next turn's fortune. Her opponent had no wall to block a direct attack and Sunlight Unicorn would more than make up for the gap between their Life Points if it could succeed.

"I'll draw!" she declared, taking the top card off her deck. Things really were about to get much better if this was any indication of what was to come. "Lucky! I play Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards!" An ugly, green jar appeared on the field, a deep laugh emanating from the hole at its top. After completing its effect and adding two new cards to her hand, it shattered.

"I summon Sunlight Unicorn!" she proclaimed, a beautiful, white equine with a long horn and blue mane appearing on her field with a loud whiny. "Now I can use its effect, which lets me excavate the top card of my deck, and if it's an Equip Magic, I can add it to my hand." The Goddess of Victory (or something like it) was smiling on her for this match, since her chance met its mark. "I got Fighting Spirits," she declared, adding the card to her hand with the faintest hint of smug satisfaction.

She outstretched her arm with a smile. "Direct attack! Rainbow Dash!" The monster whinnied a second time, charging forward with head bent to spear Sakuya's undefended body.

"And here I thoght you'd make a better move than that with all the luck you'd been having." This only left Yumi confused, as her situation was obviously far superior at the moment. "I activate my Trap Card," Sakuya declared, "Call of the Living Dead!" Fog began to shroud her side of the field. "This Trap Card lets me take a monster in my Graveyard and summon it back to the field," she explained, just in time for Wiener Dragon to make its triumphant return by bursting from the ground.

Though a bit shaken, Yumi continued her attack. "Sunlight Unicorn still has more ATK, so it won't even matter!"

"You're wrong again," Sakuya declared in defiance. "Did you forget that I set two cards? I activate Roar of Pride!" Her second card flipped up, engulfing her dragon in a white aura. "When my monster battles with one of yours while it's outclassed, I can pay Life Points equal to the difference and add them to its ATK, plus another 300." Her Life Points dropped for the first time, landing at 3900 to make up for the 100 point deficit between the two cards. "Overheat!" she called out, the powered up dragon releasing a beam of fire onto the unicorn, shattering it like the snake before it and reducing Yumi's Life Points to 1900.

Her initial optimism was finally starting to wain, a sharp exhale fro frowing lips signifying her growing dread. "I'll set a card and end my turn," she said in a defeated tone.

"You're outmatched," Sakuya said. "You were a hundred years too early to challenge me, so just give up and save me the trouble of beating you even more.

Despite her tight situation, Yumi refused. "I won't give up until the end!" she declared.

Sakuya shook her head. "Have it your way. Draw!" She placed another monster onto the field. "I summon my second Wiener Dragon and use its effect to add a third copy to my hand." After resolving the effect, she looked to Yumi, her icy blue eyes locking with the other girl's burning red. "This is the end. Both of my dragons will attack you directly." Without any fanfare, the monsters charged twin fireballs in their mouths, blasting the into a single stream headed towards their target. "I told you this is how it would end."

"You say a lot of things, but that doesn't mean they're true," Yumi replied, pressing a button as hard as she could on the inside section of her disk (it was prone to sticking and she had to be sure). "I activate Attack Nullification! This ends the Battle Phase and stops your monsters from attacking me for the rest of this turn."

This caught her off guard. While not a rare card, given the pitiful display before this, it surprised the pink-haired girl to see her opponent putting up any sort of resistance at this point. "So that's how you'll be. Fine, then. I set a card and end my turn."

"Now the fun can really start!" Yumi declared, drawing her card and immediately placing a monster down. "I summon Rusty Swordsman in Attack Mode." A cartoonish little knight with rust-stained armor appeared on her field.

"What do you expect to do with that garbage?" she questioned. It was a valid concern. Rusty Swordsman was nothing more than a Normal Monster with 1500 ATK.

"There's no such thing as a useless card," Yumi said with confidence. "You just have to know how to use it in a way that can make it stand out. I'll equip Rusty Swordsman with Rusty Sword!" The feeble, broken weapon the knight had previously been carrying started to glow, transforming into a large, rust-coated broadsword, filling the monster with determination.

"I can only equip Rusty Sword to a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster that's ATK and DEF aren't higher than 1500. While it's equipped, Rusty Swordsman gains an effect!" It's ATK state began to climb as the little warrior flexed. "Now it's original ATK is increased by its DEF!" This added up to 2500.

"That's not all! Now I equip Fighting Spirits from my hand!" The already empowered warrior began to glow bright white as its ATK grew to 3100. "Thi card increases my monster's ATK by 300 for every monster on your side of the field. Now I attack your second dragon and activate Rusty Swordsman's second effect!" Yumi's Life Points reduced to 1400, the missing values adding to the swordsman's ATK, boosting it to 3600. "I can pay up to 500 Life Points to increase his ATK by that same amount. Rusty Slice!"

The attack connected, Wiener Dragon letting out a whimper before shattering into pieces and taking 1900 Life Points with it. Whether it was luck or hidden skill, she'd managed to nearly even them out at 1400 and 200 Life Points, respectively. Her field was far superior now, too, even if Swordsman's ATK fell to 3300 after the fact. However, Sakuya was not disturbed by this.

"I didn't give you enough credit. That whole idiot persona is just an act, after all. The bad plays, the terrible cards; you use all that to throw your opponent off before you go in for the kill. I won't be falling for it anymore." She pressed a button to activate her set card. "When you destroyed my monster, I activated my Trap Card, Beast Unleashed!" A violent-rimmed card flipped up, portraying a violent gorilla tearing out of a suit and tie.

"When one of my Beast-Type monsters is destroyed, I can add its ATK to another Beast monster on my field until the end of my turn." The remaining dragon's ATK strength grew to 3400, overtaking the knight by a mere 100 points.

"I end my turn," Yumi said, disappointed that she was once again outmaneuvered by her opponent despite the comeback she'd just achieved.

"Draw!" Sakuya shouted, smiling slightly at seeing the Fusion card in her hand. "I play Poison Fang from my hand. This is a Permanent Magic Card that inflicts 500 damage to you every time one of my Beast-Type monsters damages you from battle. Attack! Overheat Plus!" The addition to the attack name soon became clear, as the dragon's ATK grew by another 100 points. "Whenever my dragon attacks, it gains 100 ATK for every other Dragon-Type monster in my Graveyard, so I have you to thank for finally letting me use this ability."

The swordsman hid behind its sword, enduring the heat as best it could. "I use Fighting Spirits' second effect to destroy itself in place of my monster." The aura around the knight vanished as its equip card disappeared. It's ATK would drop to 3100 following the battle.

Damage was still to come, though. "Because of my Beast Unleashed effect, all Battle Damage is halved until the end of this turn, so you'll only take 100 from my attack, plus the 500 from my Poison Fang." Yumi's Life Points dropped further, leaving her at 800. She couldn't afford to be hit anymore. That effect damage would be too devastating now. "I'll end my turn with that."

The thought of losing hadn't crossed her mind at all today. Losing had always seemed like an inevitable part of playing the game. It didn't matter. It was just another way to grow and learn. But this duel had stakes. For the first time, she was afraid to lose. If she lost this, she'd lose one of her cards. Every single one of them was precious to her and she couldn't imagine parting with any of them. She had to win at all costs.

Drawing for her turn, she saw her out. "I'll attack with Rusty Swordsman and use its effect to increase its ATK by 500!" Her Life Points fell to a dangerous 300, in turn raising the knight's ATK to 3600. "Your dragon's ATK went back to normal after you ended your turn, so now you'll take 1900 points of damage!" She was right, and the look of irritation on Sakuya's face said she had no counter. As her monster shattered, her own Life was reduced to 100. "I set once card and end my turn."

"I've played with you long enough." Sakuya began her turn by drawing. "I summon my final Wiener Dragon in Attack Position. Now, I activate the Magic Card, Fusion!" Red and blue colors began to spiral in the air, drawing in her monster on the field and the Emerald Dragon from her hand. "I use my Level 5 or lower Beast-Type monster on my field and the Level 6 or higher Dragon-Type monster from my hand to create my ultimate monster! Fusion Summon!" She clasped her hands together above her head, then brought them down in a swift motion in front of her. "Appear before me, Level 8! Sad-Eyes Hound Dragon!"

From the spiraling energy appeared a massive dragon creature covered in brown and white fur. True to its name, its eyes were that of a big, lovable hound dog, though the fangs poking from its jowls betrayed any innocence. Despite the theatrics, though, it only possessed 3000 ATK, 600 shy of matching Rusty Swordsman after its multiple buffs.

"I activate Sad-Eyes' effect, Draining Eyes!" The dragon's eyes began to glow, sending out waves of light towards Rusty Swordsman. They appeared harmful, electricity crackling around it as they impacted. "Once per turn, Sad-Eyes can drain 1000 ATK from any monster on your field until the end of my turn, bringing your monster to 2600 ATK."

The dragon changed positions. Previously, it had laid its head on its paws as if begging for some kind of gigantic treat. Now it raised up, towering over the field and decidedly ready to attack. "This is the end!" Beam Eyes of Destruction!" The dragon fired two yellow blasts of energy from its eyes, targeting the knight.

"I have one more card, or did you forget about that?" As Yumi tried to repeat her opponent's previous words back at her, she activated her set. "I use Intrigue Shield!" A gold and black shield appeared in Rusty Swordsman's hand. Hiding behind it, the eye beams found their mark on the newly created defense, dissipating and accomplishing nothing.

Sakuya was taken aback at this. "When I activate it, Intrigue Shield becomes an equip card to one of my monsters. I don't take any damage from battles with it, and it can't be destroyed in battle once per turn while it's in Attack Mode."

Seeing no other options for the time being, Sakuya set one card and ended her turn. "Draw!" Yumi said, finding nothing useful or needed on that draw. "Rusty Slice!" she commanded, the knight charging forward now that its ATK had been restored.

"That won't work. I can activate Sad-Eyes' effect during either turn." The scene repeated itself, but in reverse. The swordsman's blows were swatted away by the dragon, whose own counterattack was blocked by the shield. In the end, it was a stalemate. Yumi ended her turn after that with nothing else to do. Sakuya did the same drawing an unusable monster.

The next turn, however, changed all that. Yumi's demeanor shifted. She was far less excitable, a calm rushing through her mind. She no longer felt afraid. A wave of relief and happiness washed over her as she looked at the card she'd just drawn. "This was a fun duel. We should do this again sometime. Yumi was sure of herself again. Sheknew she would win now.

"I Release Rusty Swordsman to Advance Summon! Make your debut, Majesty Magician!" The knight transformed into a ball of white light, flying upwards until it exploded into red, blue, and green fireworks. From out of the explosions appeared a white-suited humanoid in a top hat, half its face covered by a black mask with a white star over the right eye. It adjusted its black bow tie and gave a bow after landing on the field. "If the monster I use for Release was originally a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 ATK and DEF or less, I only need one Release to summon him."

"What do you expect a monster with only 2500 ATK to do for you?" Sakuya asked, skeptical of anything that seemed to be nothing but fanfare in place of an actual strategy.

"Majesty Magician has a special trick just for situations like this," she answered. With a flick of its wrist, a puff of smoke appeared, allowing it to grab a black cane from within despite the physical impossibility. "It's treated like one of the monsters I can use to summon it for card effects!" She slipped a card onto the board. "Instant Magic, Grandeur! This lets me take an Equip Magic Card from my Graveyard and equip it to a monster on my field. I choose Rusty Sword!"

The magician swung its cane around on its forearm, tossing it into the air where it exploded into another puff of smoke. Out fell the sword from before, which it caught in hand and swung onto its shoulder. "Now Majesty Magician's ATK increased to 4500!" There were gasps from the crowd, most of which had remained silent for the majority of the duel after how surprisingly engaging it turned out to be (rather than the curbstomp most of Sakuya's matches ended as). Not only did it reach such a high number, it comfortably overtook Sad-Eyes with room to spare. Was this newcomer really going to beat Sakuya?

"I activate Sad-Eyes' effect to reduce your monster's ATK by 1000." Even with this, it was still 500 points too high, and 400 more than her remaining Life Points.

"That won't do any good, sorry. Majesty Magician, it's time to end the show. Majesty Strike!" Turning the sword over in its hand into a reverse grip, the monster rushed forward, intending to cleave the dragon in half. It went low, striking up as Sad-Eyes charged forward to try and bite its opponent. They were about to connect. She was about to win.

"Reverse card, open." A hush fell over the entire park as the monsters clashed. They stood still, neither making a move. Finally Majesty Magician twitched. Then it groaned. Finally, it shattered into pieces, taking the last of Yumi's Life Points with it.

"I activated my Trap Card, Castle of Dragon Souls. By banishing a Dragon in my Graveyard, I can increase the attack of another Dragon on my field by 700. That put Sad-Eyes' ATK at 3700, 200 points higher than your magician."

Yumi fell to her knees in despair and defeat. How could she lose here? It actually mattered this time. How could she lose when it mattered this much? With every ounce of willpower, she fought back the urge to cry as Sakuya Approached her. "This one will do," she said coldly, taking the Majesty Magician off Yumi's duel disk and dropping the borrowed Trap Card from before in its place. "Get out of my sight."

She walked away in defeat, pulling her goggles down over her eyes in shame, a few members of the crowd whispering among themselves about how this was inevitable from the start - this is what happened when you dueled Sakuya. Without even the motivation to ride her bike, she plodded along the sidewalk with it aimlessly until dusk. Her grandmother would be expecting her back soon, but she didn't want to go home. She'd lost something today that she could never replace.

Eventually, she wandered along to a hillside overlooking a road. Not quite as romantic as a pier or a riverside, but it would have to do. Her mind started to wander as she watched the cars go by, too distracted to notice that someone had sat down beside her for a good few minutes. Once her consciousness returned, she was shocked to see Sakuya next to her.

She pushed away on the ground, tumbling over a bit as she lifted her goggles up. Tears fell all over her face and her dull gray t-shirt, not even realizing she'd been crying. "Oh, c-crap. Sorry, I-I'm...sorry. I'm sorry." The other girl raised an eyebrow. "I won't come back. I promise."

"I'm not here to scare you off again," she said. Reaching into her backpack, she pulled out a card. "Take this." It was Majesty Magician.

Yumi looked at it, not daring to reach forward. "You won. It's yours now.

Sakuya scoffed. "Like I have any use for a card like this. It's meant for you." She paused, waiting for Yumi to finally accept it, which she eventually did. "I'm sorry about all the stuff I said before. I kind of have a reputation here. It's why I don't duel. If I had to go find everyone I beat and give them their cards back, someone would let it slip eventually and then that would the end of me."

"But why do all that in the first place?" Somewhere between the park and this hill, an evil(?) clone must have assumed Sakuya's identity. She'd completely changed personalities.

"When I was younger, I used to get bullied a lot. One day I finally stood up for myself and I started fighting people, but I didn't to keep hurting everyone like that. That's why I switch to Duel Monsters. All I had to do was beat whoever was best around the city and everyone was too scared of me to start anything. Have to keep up appearances, though."

"You do all this so people won't pick on you?" she asked to confirm.

Sakuya nodded, pulling her knees up to her chest. "Yeah. I hate what I do, but I'm too weak to try and change at this point. It's okay if you don't forgive me. I get it."

"That's not true!" Yumi blurted out, nearly causing Sakuya to jump out of her skin. "My parents used to say that you can understand people through dueling, and I think I understand now. You think you need to hurt people so they don't hurt you back, but I know if people could see you like this, they'd like you, too. And you're not weak at all. You're one of the strongest duelists I've ever seen, and your deck is super cool and cute. And you came all this way just to explain everything to me and give my card back."

Sakuya laughed quietly, even smiling a bit. "You talk really fast sometimes." She paused for a second. "Wait, you like me?"

Yumi laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head. "Well, yeah. You can't be all bad, right? And I still want to play again sometime like I said before."

Sakuya couldn't help but laugh harder. She placed a hand over her mouth, trying to hide the fact she was blushing, too. "You're not all bad either, Miss Takano," she said with a sigh.

"You can just call me Yumi. I don't mind."

"Then I guess you can call me Sakuya." She got up after that. "You can come back to the park if you want. I'll think of a story to explain it, so just play along." She paused, looking to the side and shifting back and forth. "And maybe we could...do something together sometime. Since you 'like' me, and stuff. And people do stuff together if they 'like' each other. Like I could give you some cards if you want to try and make your deck better, and we could practice without a bunch of people watching. Or something. I don't know."

Yumi stared up at her with starry-eyed amazement. "I have to go home now, " Sakuya said abruptly. "Bye, I guess." She took off down the sidewalk at the closest thing to a sprint her sandals would allow. All Yumi could do while she watched was grin. She made a friend on the first day of summer. If that wasn't a sign of good things to come, nothing was. She replaced Majesty Magician back with the rest of her cards, hopped on her bike, and pedaled towards home.

He cracked his neck, flipping the matted locks of hair attached to his head in every direction. Darkness was all he could see. That was fine, though. This was home. "Home" as far as a word like that meant anything to him, though the form he was in was decidedly not what he'd consider casual wear. "Almost time to start," he said lazily, cracking his neck a few more times. "Five more minutes won't hurt." Returning to rest, his slumber would continue for now.


Cards Used in Order of Appearance

Flame Viper
EARTH
Level 2
Pyro
400 ATK/450 DEF

Wiener Dragon
FIRE
Level 4
Dragon/Effect
1700 ATK/1200 DEF
This card is also treated as Beast-Type while on the field or in the Graveyard. When this card is Normal Summoned: You can add 1 "Wiener Dragon" from your Deck to your hand. While attacking, this card gains 100 ATK for each Dragon-Type monster in your Graveyard.

Stamping Crush (Stamping Destruction)
Normal Spell Card
If you control a Dragon-Type monster: Target 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field; destroy that target, and if you do, inflict 500 damage to its controller.

Justi-Break
Normal Trap Card
Activate only when your opponent declares an attack against a face-up Normal Monster you control. Destroy all monsters on the field, except face-up Attack Position Normal Monsters.

Begging
Normal Spell Card
Tribute 1 monster that is both Dragon-Type and Beast-Type; add 1 Spell or Trap card from your opponent's hand to your hand.

Gizoku no Gokuisho (Secrets of the Gallant)
Normal Trap Card
Select 1 Normal Monster you control. When the selected monster inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent this turn, your opponent discards 2 random cards.

Critter (Sangan)
DARK
Level 3
Fiend/Effect
1000 ATK/ 600 DEF
When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: Add 1 monster monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck to your hand.

Sunlight Unicorn
LIGHT
Level 4
Beast/Effect
1800 ATK/1000 DEF
Once per turn: You can excavate the top card of your deck, and if it is an Equip Spell Card, add it to your hand. Otherwise, place it on the bottom of your Deck.

Pot of Greed
Normal Spell Card
Draw 2 cards.

Fighting Spirits (Fighting Spirit)
Equip Spell Card
The equipped monster gains 300 ATK for each monster your opponent controls. If it would be destroyed in battle, you can destroy this card instead.

Call of the Living Dead (Call of the Haunted)
Continuous Trap Card
Activate this card by targeting 1 monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon that target in Attack Position. When this card leaves the field, destroy that target. When that target is destroyed, destroy this card.

Roar of Pride (Prideful Roar)
Normal Trap Card
During damage calculations, if your monster battles an opponent's monster with a higher ATK: Pay Life Points equal to the difference in ATK; your monster gains ATK equal to that difference +300, during damage calculation only.

Attack Nullification (Negate Attack)
Counter Trap Card
When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target the attacking monster; negate the attack, then end the Battle Phase.

Rusty Swordsman
EARTH
Level 4
Warrior
1500 ATK/1000 DEF

Rusty Sword
Equip Spell Card
You can only equip this card to a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and DEF. The equipped monster gains these effects: This card's original ATK increases equal to its DEF. When this card attacks, during the Damage Step: You can pay Life Points in multiples of 100 (maximum 500); this card gains ATK equal to that amount.

Beast Unleashed
Normal Trap Card
Activate only when a Beast-Type monster on your side of the field is destroyed while there is another Beast-Type monster on your side of the field. All face-up Beast-Type monsters on your side of the field gain ATK equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster, until the end of your next turn. Any Battle Damage inflicted to your opponent during your turn is halved.

Fusion (Polymerization)
Normal Spell Card
Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using monsters from your hand or side of the field as Fusion Materials.

Poison Fang (Poison Fangs)
Continuous Spell Card
Each time a Beast-Type monster inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent, inflict 500 damage to your opponent.

Emerald Dragon (Luster Dragon #2)
WIND
Level 6
Dragon
2400 ATK/1400 DEF

Sad-Eyes Hound Dragon
EARTH
Level 8
Dragon/Fusion/Effect
3000 ATK/2500 DEF
1 Level 6 or higher Dragon-Type monster + 1 Level 5 or lower Beast-Type monster
This card is also treated as Beast-Type while on the field or in the Graveyard. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can target 1 face-up monster on the field; it loses 1000 ATK until the End Phase. If this Fusion Summoned card is sent to the Graveyard: You can add both cards used as Fusion Material to your hand.

Intrigue Shield
Normal Trap Card
Target 1 face-up monster you control; equip this card to that target. Once per turn, while the equipped monster is in Attack Position, it cannot be destroyed by battle. You take no battle damage from attacks involving it.

Majesty Magician
DARK
Level 8
Spellcaster/Effect
2500 ATK/2000 DEF
You can Tribute Summon this card by Tributing 1 monster that was originally a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and DEF. This card is treated as an appropriate target for a card that specifically designates a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and DEF while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard (its Level and ATK/DEF do not change).

Grandeur (Swords at Dawn)
Quick-Play Spell Card
Target 1 Equip Spell Card in your Graveyard and 1 appropriate monster on the field, equip the Equip Spell Card to that monster. Destroy that Equip Spell Card during the End Phase. If you activate this card, you cannot Special Summon for the rest of this turn. You can only activate 1 "Swords at Dawn" per turn.

Castle of Dragon Souls
Continuous Trap Card
Once per turn: You can banish 1 Dragon-Type monster from your Graveyard, then target 1 monster you control; it gains 700 ATK, until the End Phase (even after this card leaves the field or the monster becomes unaffected by card effects). When this face-up card on the field is sent to the Graveyard: You can target 1 of your banished Dragon-Type monsters; Special Summon that target. You can only control 1 "Castle of Dragon Souls".


(Friend suggested I repost stuff here, so I figured I'd do that. You can read the original on my AO3 where I'll update first under the same name, though these chapters might be all I post for reasons. Going to be adding my original end notes on all of these if that kind of thing interests you. Putting this here to explain the situation.)

Just wanted to say a couple things here at the end. Thanks for reading through chapter 1. I've been working on this for a while now and felt like it was finally ready to post. Give me some feedback and tell me if you liked it. Tell me if you hated it, too. Crush my dreams. Make me never want to write another story for the rest of my life. Force me to burn my computer just because I have a word processor installed on it. Either route is acceptable.

As you probably noticed, I'm using the Japanese names for cards in the story. They're Japanese characters playing the Japanese version of the game, so there's no reason not to. There's always going to be a ledger of cards used at the bottom, though, so don't get worried if you don't know what's what.

And for all of you frantically checking the wiki for new packs you've never heard of, there are going to be brand new cards I've created just for this story. It wouldn't do to have the two main characters of the story using decks full of cards we've seen before. For the future, I'll also be trying to show off some older, fun archetypes that never made it into the show or manga, so look forward to that if you've been dying to see an Ultimate Insect player. It's also perfectly acceptable to laugh at "Wiener Dragon". Sakuya just doesn't want to admit it sounds embarrassing for people who know English.

A small note on how I handle things like honorifics and other quirks of Japanese. In general, I just find it really awkward to mix languages like that, so I usually translate stuff to its closest English equivalent, provided a character isn't literally talking in another language.

That beginning and end were kind of weird. I wonder what that was about. You should probably keep reading to see what's going on with all of that.

Thanks again for reading and any comments. Next update in two weeks. Remember to always explain Pot of Greed.