YU-GI-OH:
Creation of the Cards
A year has passed since I last played duel monsters. After seeing what the "game" held hidden for centuries I have vowed never to play again. I managed to help prevent catastrophe with the creation of five "super cards." I created each of these cards by combining several other cards with a polymerization card and an "enhance magic" card I was lucky enough to obtain. While the "enhance magic" card is no longer in existence (to my knowledge) it may be possible to create these cards without. I am now recording how I created each card in order for future generations to create them and hopefully prevent the same catastrophe from occurring again. In case the wrong person reads this I will not leave the cards with this document and I will not record where they are hidden. So reader I beseech you not to use this information for evil purposes. I can now only hope that this information is found by the right person and that it will save the world if history repeats.
Story:
I was always one to study the Mythology of so called "ancient" civilizations though I never imagined it would cause me so much trouble. It all started when I was introduced to an ancient game called Duel Monsters. Normally, I wouldn't bother with collectable card games due to their difficulty and for lack of seeing a reason for them. However, Duel Monsters was based on an ancient yet mostly unknown story about Egyptian pharaohs that would battle each other using monsters. According to the story the games had been called Shadow Games and the monsters apparently grew so powerful that they threatened to destroy the world. I wasn't entirely interested in the game but I acquired a book explaining the myths and mechanics of the game, which caught my interest. At first it was nothing more than a game until I had received an invitation to fight in a world tournament against the creator of the game. I had made myself into quite a fine player and something about the tournament bothered me. Vowing only to fight against duelist hired by the host of the tournament I gathered my belongings and set off to win the tournament and discover the source of my unrest. \ Crusader Card
Attack: 2500
Defense: 2300
Overview: My strongest created card it is also my first and most difficult to create. Although its attack and defense points are lower than the "Blue Eyes White Dragon" it can defeat the monster thanks to its magical abilities. An "all purpose" card the Crusader Card can operate in all terrains and is very difficult (though not impossible) to defeat. The Crusader Card is mostly a close range attacker but is capable of using a few long-range magic attacks and can steal weapons from other cards allowing for long-range attacks.
Strengths: The Crusader is master of the ancient arts of magic, fighting, and thievery and is therefore best suited to fight cards that have a weakness to these particular forms of fighting. It is strongest against dragon cards that have a weakness to all three of its specialties. Because the card possesses the equipment of the legendary fighter Pioytr (Pi-or- tour) and the master thief the Jackal, fighter cards cannot match its skills unless it is restrained. The card is able to escape almost all forms of restraining trap cards except for the magic circle. Thanks to the power of the Cloak of Levitation and the Water Breather Amulet it can avoid ground based magic cards and fight even underwater.
Weaknesses: Because it depends on archaic weapons of the sword and dagger the Crusader card can only take on one card at a time. When faced with several cards it is at a disadvantage. This card is a combination of three cards, each is a human card so it is highly vulnerable to cards and attacks that have an advantage to human and fighter cards. Cards with a long reach (not projectiles) can also be a problem to the Crusader Card as it does not hold a long-range weapon.
Combined Cards: Young Fighter (Rusted Coat Of Arms, Ancient Armor, Blunt Sword). Pickpocket Thief (Jackal's Armor, Jackal's Tool Kit, Enchanted Dagger). Apprentice Wizard (Spell Book, Water Breather Amulet, Cloak of Levitation).
Story: Unworthy. That was the name I gave to all the duelists that I first fought against. Nearly half a day had passed since I had started dueling against the other contestants but I always won the duel before I got a chance to create a new card. Despite my victories, I always bet only one star chip and refused to accept their star chip when I won. All that changed when I met a famous duelist, Yugi Moto. It had been rumored that he managed to defeat the world champion duelist, Kaiba. Though I was afraid of losing I decided that he was the only opponent who would be capable of lasting long enough for me to put my plan into action.
"Yugi?" I greeted, "Yugi Moto?" "Yes," he replied, "Who are you?" I studied Yugi. He wasn't what I expected, a short kid who appeared to be in his early teens, he had an odd hairstyle, what appeared to be a school uniform and a pyramid shaped talisman hanging from his neck. "Interesting talisman," I continued, ignoring his question, "Ancient Egyptian?" "Yeah," he confirmed, "My grandpa gave it to me from an archeological expedition. It's called the millennium puzzle. Who are you?" Again ignoring his question I asked him, "Might I hold it for a minute?" "No!" he snapped then, catching himself, he calmly explained, "I'm sorry but I don't know you and the Millennium Puzzle is precious to me." "In that case I challenge you to a duel," I challenged. "I won't give up my Millennium Puzzle for a duel!" he warned. "Of course not," I coaxed, "I fully understand the connection people have with gifts from loved ones. I simply heard that you beat Kaiba so I want to see how I'd fare against you." Despite his obvious distrust of me Yugi yelled out, "Yu-gi-oh!" and a taller, older and perhaps wiser version of him stood in front of me. In a gruff and iron willed voice he stated, "Stranger, I don't like your reluctance to answer my questions but I never back down from a duel! I bet two star chips!" "I only want to bet one," I explained calmly. "Are you afraid of losing both of your chips to me?" he mocked. "No, I just don't want to bet two star chips," I replied, "In fact I don't want to bet star chips at all! I'm saving that for eliminators. I'll tell you what; if I win you owe me nothing. If you win I'll give you both my star chips." "An unfair trade," he refused, "I'll accept your proposition but if I win you'll tell me who you are and why you're dueling." "Very well," I accepted.
After hearing a few brief words from Yugi's friends and waiting for the dueling arena to rise, Yugi shouted out, "I start this with the Winged Dragon! Guardian of the." "I'm not interested in detail," I interrupted, "I don't mean to be rude but let's please keep conversation to a minimum." Yugi narrowed his eyes but fell silent and placed his card onto the field. A blue dragon with a bird-like beak hovered on Yugi's end of the field. Staring at my hand I groaned in disgust and slouched to show my displeasure with the cards I pulled. From the ground Yugi's friends snickered. "I'll play my only attack card in defense mode," I groaned, "The Young Fighter, and I'll add the ancient armor increasing his defense points by fifty." A young blonde haired boy wearing cracked and rusted armor appeared crouching on my side of the field. "Boy, he needs to learn a lot more about the heart of the cards," mocked one of Yugi's friends, a blonde haired boy who appeared to be near the age of sixteen, "The Young Fighter is the weakest fighter card in the entire game and the ancient armor is the worst armor card you can get!" "Be quiet Joey!" shushed a brown haired girl, "He's just had some bad luck!" "Though I don't agree with the way he put it Joey's right," smiled Yugi, "Winged Dragon! Fire Breath attack!" The dragon reared up and hurled a raging fireball from its mouth towards my Young Fighter. The fireball struck with grim accuracy and the screams of my card filled the air. "Heh, lost that one!" cheered Joey. Yugi didn't share the same feelings of glee; with an astonished look he stared at how my life points didn't drop! The Young Fighter card stayed crouched on the field but now several runes etched on his armor glowed with fire. "How?" started Yugi. "The ancient armor is magical," I explained, "Now that it's been tempered by your dragon's fire I get to go again!" "Hey that's not fair!" shouted the girl. "No, he's right Téa," calmed Yugi, "The runes of the ancient armor do give another turn but he can't attack or pull another card!"
I shook my head at this revelation and sighed disappointedly as I looked at my cards. "I guess I'll have to give my card the only other defense I can have," I mumbled, "The Rusted Coat of Arms!" Yugi glanced at me like I was crazy and inevitably we heard a comment from Joey about the Rusted Coat of Arms being the weakest shield in the game. Placing a card face down Yugi claimed, "I would appreciate it if you would at least pretend to take this duel seriously." "I am," I insisted, "It's just that I didn't pull any of my good cards!" "Well, you may get one on your next turn," assured Yugi, "But for now I'll play my Dark Magician! His dark magic attack can bypass any shield!" The Dark Magician stared down at my Young Fighter with a cold, hard gaze and thrust his staff towards him." The Rusted Coat of Arms flashed but did nothing to stop the magic. The ancient armor flared up with black flames but my Young Fighter still remained on the field! "Ha!" I snapped, "The Ancient Armor has now been tempered by both fire and magic! His defense power is as strong as it can get! Now I can attack!" I pulled a card from my deck and frowned at it but placed it face down on the field nonetheless. "Now I'll take out your Winged Dragon with this!" I barked, "The Blunt Sword!" Yugi tried unsuccessfully to hold back a snicker and Joey explained that the Blunt Sword was the weakest weapon in the game. "It's the only weapon that the Young Fighter can hold," I screamed, "Young Fighter, take out the Winged Dragon!"
My card sprung into action racing towards the Winged Dragon swinging his sword like a feather duster. The Dragon leapt into the air and spewed a mighty fireball! The Young Fighter swung his sword again slicing the fireball in half but was hurled back to my side of the field! "Don't you know that flying cards have an advantage over ground cards?" mocked Yugi, "Though it is strange that your card managed to survive. No matter, I'll finish this here and now! Dark Magic attack!" Again Yugi's Dark Magician pointed his staff at my Young Fighter but this time the attack was stopped! Flipping over my card I revealed a spellbinding circle! The magic of the Dark Magician stopped and the Magician froze in the wake of the trap! "Clever," congratulated Yugi, "Your move."
I pulled another card from my deck and placed it face down and in defense mode on the field directly behind my Young Fighter whom I also put into defense mode. "I don't believe this!" groaned Yugi, "This isn't even a real duel! All you've done so far is put your cards in defense mode and improved them!" "Well that's too bad!" I growled, "Because I can't draw any card worth using!" Realizing that he couldn't use his Dark Magician for three turns Yugi ordered his Winged Dragon to use its fireball attack, which was promptly blocked by my Young Fighter's shield. Yugi regarded me strangely as he considered his next move. I could tell that he didn't think of me as a worthy opponent any more and that he was possibly considering quitting. After waiting for what seemed like a lifetime Yugi finally barked, "I don't know if this is just a trick of yours or if you really don't have any worthwhile cards but I'll soon find out with this!" He showed me a revealing eye card, which allowed him to see every card in my hand. He was just as unimpressed with my cards as I pretended to be. "If you want to call this a draw I'll accept it," he offered. "No way!" I refused, "I'll win this one!"
Pulling a card I smiled and flipped my card on the field. A short but muscular man wearing a skull helmet and fine black armor appeared on the field. "Watt's the Blacksmith!" I announced, "And I'll combine him with the Hammer of the Gods increasing his attack points and revealing my true intentions! Watts! Re-forge the Young Fighter's equipment!" Now holding a huge, shining stone hammer Watts repeatedly slammed it onto the equipment held by my Young Fighter! Suddenly a tall, strong, ghostly knight rose from the equipment and spoke, "I am what's left of the Paladin Pioytr! Though I was defeated in battle I live on in my armor! Now that it has been re-forged and strengthened with both magic and dragon fire I am free and can bestow my power onto this Young Fighter!" Before the astonished eyes of Yugi and his friends the Young Fighter matured into a full-grown fighter, his sword was re-forged into a sharp sword glowing with blue flame, his armor became shiny and several runes had been carved into it. His shield now bore a decorative pattern bearing the symbol of protection! "I have now created a Paladin card!" I smiled, "Paladin! Destroy the Dark Magician!" "Not so fast!" challenged Yugi, "The Paladin's attack points are still weaker than my Dark Magician's!" I only nodded at the insult and much to Yugi's surprise and dismay the Paladin slashed the Dark Magician's staff breaking it in two! With a scream the Dark Magician was sucked into a portal of dark magic causing Yugi to lose a large portion of his life points. "The Paladin is a light card," I explained, "The Dark Magician is a dark card. As you should know there is no darkness so strong it can't be frightened away by the faintest light!" "I'll admit I underestimated you," Yugi murmured, "A mistake I don't intend to repeat."
Yugi pulled a card from his deck and studied his hand carefully. "For my next card I play Gaia the fierce knight in defense mode!" he decided, "Your move." Taking another card from my deck I frowned, I was hoping for a "Stop Magic" card so that I could get rid of the card Yugi played face down. Instead I ended up pulling another weak card but it was the only one I had available so I played it. "I play the Apprentice Magician!" I announced, "And I'll place one card face down!" "Good move," congratulated Yugi, "But I know what you're up to with that particular card and I can't let that happen! Gaia! Attack the Apprentice Magician!" Gaia's horse neighed and started racing towards my Apprentice Magician but thick green, vines suddenly burst from the ground and bound the horse's legs preventing it from running! "I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that," I apologized, "However, I won't destroy Gaia. Instead I'll give my Apprentice Magician the Spell Book of ages and I protect my cards with this!" I held out a card that I had been keeping for just such an emergency: The Forbidden Doors.
Four intricately carved doors rose from the ground covering my cards and in the center a frog sat upon a Grecian pedestal. "Three doors lead to warriors," it explained, "The other leads to a horrible death." "What?" asked a brown haired boy, "How's Yugi supposed to know which is which?" "You may ask me one question," continued the frog, "But I always lie." "These things are annoying," sighed Yugi, "Okay, tell me which door hides a monster card." The frog remained silent. "It has to be a 'yes' or 'no' answer," I explained. "Very well," concurred Yugi, "Is there a monster behind the first door to your right?" "No," replied the frog. Yugi stood silently for several seconds contemplating his next move. It was obvious that he was worried about the power of the forbidden doors. "Winged Dragon!" he yelled at last, "Attack the first door on the frog's right!" The Dragon spewed a fireball directly at the door! The door opened revealing my Paladin card that held his coat of arms defensively. The fireball struck the shield and dissipated without causing any damage!
Yugi angrily wiped sweat from his brow and waited for my move. Looking at my deck I noticed that I had few cards left and none of them were particularly useful. Taking a single card from my deck I placed it in defense mode and told Yugi it was his move. "I don't know what you're up to and I won't continue this duel until you tell me something about yourself!" he warned. "Boo hoo," I scoffed, "You want to leave? Then leave. But you'll only know my motives if you defeat me." "Come on Yugi, let's just go," urged Joey, "This guy's only been dragging this out!" Yugi narrowed his eyes at me as if trying to read my face. Knowing this I focused on making myself completely expressionless. "I've never backed down and I don't intend to start now!" vowed Yugi, "Frog! Is `there." "Stop!" I interrupted, "The frog said that you may ask him ONE question. If you ask him another it'll mean defeat for your remaining monsters on the field." "Very well then," sighed Yugi, "I'll trust your warning. But that doesn't mean that I can't continue to attack your monsters! Winged Dragon! Attack the door to the left of the Paladin!" The Dragon spewed another ball of fire and the door opened revealing Watts the Blacksmith! Watts swung his hammer forcing a ghost-like creature flying into the fireball! Despite this both the ghost and Watts fell before the power of the fireball! "I knew that would happen," I smiled, "Now thanks to my Morphing Jar, we both give up all cards in our hand to the discard pile and pick out a new hand."
Yugi nodded and we both did as was explained. My second hand was no better than my first: this time I had only one attack card but several upgrades for it. "All right," I growled, "All reports are in. this deck hates me. I'll play my single attack card! The Pickpocket Thief and I'll increase his defense with the Jackal's Armor!" The doors closed hiding my cards again but Yugi smiled. "I remember well where your cards were hidden," he reminded, "Winged Dragon! Destroy the door second door on the frog's right!" The attack was fired and a the door opened revealing the Paladin!" The Paladin held his shield defensively again stopping the Dragon's fire breath! "What?" gasped Yugi. "The doors have been on the field for three turns," I explained, "Therefore they switch but that's not all that stayed on the field for three turns!" A flash behind the doors revealed my next strategy was employed! Drawing another card I smiled and shouted, "My Apprentice Magician has studied all the magic in the Spell Book making him The Wizard and I combine his already formidable magical abilities with the power of the Cloak of Levitation! Wizard! Destroy the Winged Dragon!" The door next to my Paladin card opened revealing another card that looked like my Paladin Card but instead of armor he wore a cape and the clothing the Young Fighter wore. The Wizard darted ahead with a magical aura around his fist. Jumping into the air he flew straight into the Dragon shattering it into nothingness.
"This isn't over," grumbled Yugi, "I still have Gaia and I think I know of a way to free him!" Yugi slapped down a card and a golden flying dragon appeared next to his knight. "The curse of dragon card!" announced Yugi, "And now I use this: the magic of Polymerization! With its magic I combine my two cards making Gaia the Dragon Champion! Gaia! Destroy the Paladin!" Now on a flying card Gaia was freed from my trap and was now charging forward with his lance ready for the attack. The Paladin suddenly rolled underneath Gaia's lance making the attack useless! "The Paladin Pioytr was a master fighter!" I boasted, "There's no fighter card that can defeat him! Now it's time to end this! I combine two cards with my Pickpocket Thief! The Jackal's Tool Kit making him impervious to nearly all trap cards! I'll also give him the Enchanted Dagger which has one very special effect!" The door concealing the Pickpocket Thief opened and the card magically matured into a third representation of the Young Fighter but wearing leather armor and carrying a long dagger on his side! "Jackal!" I ordered, "Throw your dagger and defeat Gaia!" The dagger flew through the air but suddenly struck an invisible wall and flew back into the Jackal's hand!
Yugi pulled his face down card revealing a stop projectile card. "I'm surprised your dagger failed to kill the Jackal but I guess that's the enchantment," he congratulated, "Now we will end this with the Curse of Burning Land!" The Curse of Dragon card blew flames over the ground causing it to burn. Even so I my cards were still unscathed as my Wizard card rose into the air and my other cards did the same! "The three cards are integrated," I explained, "That means that they can all share in a defense now that they're on the same level! I don't really want to defeat you so I'll just do this." I pulled a card from my deck and smiled. "I combine one more card with my Wizard," I stated, "The Water Breather Amulet. And now I use the Polymerization Card combined with my 'Enhance Magic' card!" A blue sapphire amulet appeared on the Wizard's neck and the three attack cards suddenly swirled together forming a single powerful figure! The man wore the re-forged Ancient Armor and Coat of Arms, the Water Breather Amulet, the Cloak of Levitation, the enchanted Dagger, a powerful sword and the Jackal's toolkit. "I present to you the Crusader Card!" I crowed, "The ultimate fighter card! Thank you Yugi. I have done what I wanted and now farewell."
Taking my cards off the board I climbed down from the arena. "Not so fast!" stopped Yugi, "You challenged me to a duel and we'll see it to the end or you must fulfill your part of the bargain." I stopped in my tracks and turned. "As you wish," I sighed. I told him my name and continued, "I came to this tournament because of an invitation I received from Pegasus. For reasons that even I don't know that invitation caused great unrest in me. I have come to find the source of my unrest and, if possible, expel it. However, I don't want to hurt anyone in this quest so I'll only fight eliminators for star chips. With the rest of the duelists I'll use this Enhance Magic card, that I discovered some time ago, to create new cards which will ensure my victory against eliminators. Something is not right here and I intend to find out what." Yugi climbed down and was about to say something to me but I ran off before he could talk.
A year has passed since I last played duel monsters. After seeing what the "game" held hidden for centuries I have vowed never to play again. I managed to help prevent catastrophe with the creation of five "super cards." I created each of these cards by combining several other cards with a polymerization card and an "enhance magic" card I was lucky enough to obtain. While the "enhance magic" card is no longer in existence (to my knowledge) it may be possible to create these cards without. I am now recording how I created each card in order for future generations to create them and hopefully prevent the same catastrophe from occurring again. In case the wrong person reads this I will not leave the cards with this document and I will not record where they are hidden. So reader I beseech you not to use this information for evil purposes. I can now only hope that this information is found by the right person and that it will save the world if history repeats.
Story:
I was always one to study the Mythology of so called "ancient" civilizations though I never imagined it would cause me so much trouble. It all started when I was introduced to an ancient game called Duel Monsters. Normally, I wouldn't bother with collectable card games due to their difficulty and for lack of seeing a reason for them. However, Duel Monsters was based on an ancient yet mostly unknown story about Egyptian pharaohs that would battle each other using monsters. According to the story the games had been called Shadow Games and the monsters apparently grew so powerful that they threatened to destroy the world. I wasn't entirely interested in the game but I acquired a book explaining the myths and mechanics of the game, which caught my interest. At first it was nothing more than a game until I had received an invitation to fight in a world tournament against the creator of the game. I had made myself into quite a fine player and something about the tournament bothered me. Vowing only to fight against duelist hired by the host of the tournament I gathered my belongings and set off to win the tournament and discover the source of my unrest. \ Crusader Card
Attack: 2500
Defense: 2300
Overview: My strongest created card it is also my first and most difficult to create. Although its attack and defense points are lower than the "Blue Eyes White Dragon" it can defeat the monster thanks to its magical abilities. An "all purpose" card the Crusader Card can operate in all terrains and is very difficult (though not impossible) to defeat. The Crusader Card is mostly a close range attacker but is capable of using a few long-range magic attacks and can steal weapons from other cards allowing for long-range attacks.
Strengths: The Crusader is master of the ancient arts of magic, fighting, and thievery and is therefore best suited to fight cards that have a weakness to these particular forms of fighting. It is strongest against dragon cards that have a weakness to all three of its specialties. Because the card possesses the equipment of the legendary fighter Pioytr (Pi-or- tour) and the master thief the Jackal, fighter cards cannot match its skills unless it is restrained. The card is able to escape almost all forms of restraining trap cards except for the magic circle. Thanks to the power of the Cloak of Levitation and the Water Breather Amulet it can avoid ground based magic cards and fight even underwater.
Weaknesses: Because it depends on archaic weapons of the sword and dagger the Crusader card can only take on one card at a time. When faced with several cards it is at a disadvantage. This card is a combination of three cards, each is a human card so it is highly vulnerable to cards and attacks that have an advantage to human and fighter cards. Cards with a long reach (not projectiles) can also be a problem to the Crusader Card as it does not hold a long-range weapon.
Combined Cards: Young Fighter (Rusted Coat Of Arms, Ancient Armor, Blunt Sword). Pickpocket Thief (Jackal's Armor, Jackal's Tool Kit, Enchanted Dagger). Apprentice Wizard (Spell Book, Water Breather Amulet, Cloak of Levitation).
Story: Unworthy. That was the name I gave to all the duelists that I first fought against. Nearly half a day had passed since I had started dueling against the other contestants but I always won the duel before I got a chance to create a new card. Despite my victories, I always bet only one star chip and refused to accept their star chip when I won. All that changed when I met a famous duelist, Yugi Moto. It had been rumored that he managed to defeat the world champion duelist, Kaiba. Though I was afraid of losing I decided that he was the only opponent who would be capable of lasting long enough for me to put my plan into action.
"Yugi?" I greeted, "Yugi Moto?" "Yes," he replied, "Who are you?" I studied Yugi. He wasn't what I expected, a short kid who appeared to be in his early teens, he had an odd hairstyle, what appeared to be a school uniform and a pyramid shaped talisman hanging from his neck. "Interesting talisman," I continued, ignoring his question, "Ancient Egyptian?" "Yeah," he confirmed, "My grandpa gave it to me from an archeological expedition. It's called the millennium puzzle. Who are you?" Again ignoring his question I asked him, "Might I hold it for a minute?" "No!" he snapped then, catching himself, he calmly explained, "I'm sorry but I don't know you and the Millennium Puzzle is precious to me." "In that case I challenge you to a duel," I challenged. "I won't give up my Millennium Puzzle for a duel!" he warned. "Of course not," I coaxed, "I fully understand the connection people have with gifts from loved ones. I simply heard that you beat Kaiba so I want to see how I'd fare against you." Despite his obvious distrust of me Yugi yelled out, "Yu-gi-oh!" and a taller, older and perhaps wiser version of him stood in front of me. In a gruff and iron willed voice he stated, "Stranger, I don't like your reluctance to answer my questions but I never back down from a duel! I bet two star chips!" "I only want to bet one," I explained calmly. "Are you afraid of losing both of your chips to me?" he mocked. "No, I just don't want to bet two star chips," I replied, "In fact I don't want to bet star chips at all! I'm saving that for eliminators. I'll tell you what; if I win you owe me nothing. If you win I'll give you both my star chips." "An unfair trade," he refused, "I'll accept your proposition but if I win you'll tell me who you are and why you're dueling." "Very well," I accepted.
After hearing a few brief words from Yugi's friends and waiting for the dueling arena to rise, Yugi shouted out, "I start this with the Winged Dragon! Guardian of the." "I'm not interested in detail," I interrupted, "I don't mean to be rude but let's please keep conversation to a minimum." Yugi narrowed his eyes but fell silent and placed his card onto the field. A blue dragon with a bird-like beak hovered on Yugi's end of the field. Staring at my hand I groaned in disgust and slouched to show my displeasure with the cards I pulled. From the ground Yugi's friends snickered. "I'll play my only attack card in defense mode," I groaned, "The Young Fighter, and I'll add the ancient armor increasing his defense points by fifty." A young blonde haired boy wearing cracked and rusted armor appeared crouching on my side of the field. "Boy, he needs to learn a lot more about the heart of the cards," mocked one of Yugi's friends, a blonde haired boy who appeared to be near the age of sixteen, "The Young Fighter is the weakest fighter card in the entire game and the ancient armor is the worst armor card you can get!" "Be quiet Joey!" shushed a brown haired girl, "He's just had some bad luck!" "Though I don't agree with the way he put it Joey's right," smiled Yugi, "Winged Dragon! Fire Breath attack!" The dragon reared up and hurled a raging fireball from its mouth towards my Young Fighter. The fireball struck with grim accuracy and the screams of my card filled the air. "Heh, lost that one!" cheered Joey. Yugi didn't share the same feelings of glee; with an astonished look he stared at how my life points didn't drop! The Young Fighter card stayed crouched on the field but now several runes etched on his armor glowed with fire. "How?" started Yugi. "The ancient armor is magical," I explained, "Now that it's been tempered by your dragon's fire I get to go again!" "Hey that's not fair!" shouted the girl. "No, he's right Téa," calmed Yugi, "The runes of the ancient armor do give another turn but he can't attack or pull another card!"
I shook my head at this revelation and sighed disappointedly as I looked at my cards. "I guess I'll have to give my card the only other defense I can have," I mumbled, "The Rusted Coat of Arms!" Yugi glanced at me like I was crazy and inevitably we heard a comment from Joey about the Rusted Coat of Arms being the weakest shield in the game. Placing a card face down Yugi claimed, "I would appreciate it if you would at least pretend to take this duel seriously." "I am," I insisted, "It's just that I didn't pull any of my good cards!" "Well, you may get one on your next turn," assured Yugi, "But for now I'll play my Dark Magician! His dark magic attack can bypass any shield!" The Dark Magician stared down at my Young Fighter with a cold, hard gaze and thrust his staff towards him." The Rusted Coat of Arms flashed but did nothing to stop the magic. The ancient armor flared up with black flames but my Young Fighter still remained on the field! "Ha!" I snapped, "The Ancient Armor has now been tempered by both fire and magic! His defense power is as strong as it can get! Now I can attack!" I pulled a card from my deck and frowned at it but placed it face down on the field nonetheless. "Now I'll take out your Winged Dragon with this!" I barked, "The Blunt Sword!" Yugi tried unsuccessfully to hold back a snicker and Joey explained that the Blunt Sword was the weakest weapon in the game. "It's the only weapon that the Young Fighter can hold," I screamed, "Young Fighter, take out the Winged Dragon!"
My card sprung into action racing towards the Winged Dragon swinging his sword like a feather duster. The Dragon leapt into the air and spewed a mighty fireball! The Young Fighter swung his sword again slicing the fireball in half but was hurled back to my side of the field! "Don't you know that flying cards have an advantage over ground cards?" mocked Yugi, "Though it is strange that your card managed to survive. No matter, I'll finish this here and now! Dark Magic attack!" Again Yugi's Dark Magician pointed his staff at my Young Fighter but this time the attack was stopped! Flipping over my card I revealed a spellbinding circle! The magic of the Dark Magician stopped and the Magician froze in the wake of the trap! "Clever," congratulated Yugi, "Your move."
I pulled another card from my deck and placed it face down and in defense mode on the field directly behind my Young Fighter whom I also put into defense mode. "I don't believe this!" groaned Yugi, "This isn't even a real duel! All you've done so far is put your cards in defense mode and improved them!" "Well that's too bad!" I growled, "Because I can't draw any card worth using!" Realizing that he couldn't use his Dark Magician for three turns Yugi ordered his Winged Dragon to use its fireball attack, which was promptly blocked by my Young Fighter's shield. Yugi regarded me strangely as he considered his next move. I could tell that he didn't think of me as a worthy opponent any more and that he was possibly considering quitting. After waiting for what seemed like a lifetime Yugi finally barked, "I don't know if this is just a trick of yours or if you really don't have any worthwhile cards but I'll soon find out with this!" He showed me a revealing eye card, which allowed him to see every card in my hand. He was just as unimpressed with my cards as I pretended to be. "If you want to call this a draw I'll accept it," he offered. "No way!" I refused, "I'll win this one!"
Pulling a card I smiled and flipped my card on the field. A short but muscular man wearing a skull helmet and fine black armor appeared on the field. "Watt's the Blacksmith!" I announced, "And I'll combine him with the Hammer of the Gods increasing his attack points and revealing my true intentions! Watts! Re-forge the Young Fighter's equipment!" Now holding a huge, shining stone hammer Watts repeatedly slammed it onto the equipment held by my Young Fighter! Suddenly a tall, strong, ghostly knight rose from the equipment and spoke, "I am what's left of the Paladin Pioytr! Though I was defeated in battle I live on in my armor! Now that it has been re-forged and strengthened with both magic and dragon fire I am free and can bestow my power onto this Young Fighter!" Before the astonished eyes of Yugi and his friends the Young Fighter matured into a full-grown fighter, his sword was re-forged into a sharp sword glowing with blue flame, his armor became shiny and several runes had been carved into it. His shield now bore a decorative pattern bearing the symbol of protection! "I have now created a Paladin card!" I smiled, "Paladin! Destroy the Dark Magician!" "Not so fast!" challenged Yugi, "The Paladin's attack points are still weaker than my Dark Magician's!" I only nodded at the insult and much to Yugi's surprise and dismay the Paladin slashed the Dark Magician's staff breaking it in two! With a scream the Dark Magician was sucked into a portal of dark magic causing Yugi to lose a large portion of his life points. "The Paladin is a light card," I explained, "The Dark Magician is a dark card. As you should know there is no darkness so strong it can't be frightened away by the faintest light!" "I'll admit I underestimated you," Yugi murmured, "A mistake I don't intend to repeat."
Yugi pulled a card from his deck and studied his hand carefully. "For my next card I play Gaia the fierce knight in defense mode!" he decided, "Your move." Taking another card from my deck I frowned, I was hoping for a "Stop Magic" card so that I could get rid of the card Yugi played face down. Instead I ended up pulling another weak card but it was the only one I had available so I played it. "I play the Apprentice Magician!" I announced, "And I'll place one card face down!" "Good move," congratulated Yugi, "But I know what you're up to with that particular card and I can't let that happen! Gaia! Attack the Apprentice Magician!" Gaia's horse neighed and started racing towards my Apprentice Magician but thick green, vines suddenly burst from the ground and bound the horse's legs preventing it from running! "I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that," I apologized, "However, I won't destroy Gaia. Instead I'll give my Apprentice Magician the Spell Book of ages and I protect my cards with this!" I held out a card that I had been keeping for just such an emergency: The Forbidden Doors.
Four intricately carved doors rose from the ground covering my cards and in the center a frog sat upon a Grecian pedestal. "Three doors lead to warriors," it explained, "The other leads to a horrible death." "What?" asked a brown haired boy, "How's Yugi supposed to know which is which?" "You may ask me one question," continued the frog, "But I always lie." "These things are annoying," sighed Yugi, "Okay, tell me which door hides a monster card." The frog remained silent. "It has to be a 'yes' or 'no' answer," I explained. "Very well," concurred Yugi, "Is there a monster behind the first door to your right?" "No," replied the frog. Yugi stood silently for several seconds contemplating his next move. It was obvious that he was worried about the power of the forbidden doors. "Winged Dragon!" he yelled at last, "Attack the first door on the frog's right!" The Dragon spewed a fireball directly at the door! The door opened revealing my Paladin card that held his coat of arms defensively. The fireball struck the shield and dissipated without causing any damage!
Yugi angrily wiped sweat from his brow and waited for my move. Looking at my deck I noticed that I had few cards left and none of them were particularly useful. Taking a single card from my deck I placed it in defense mode and told Yugi it was his move. "I don't know what you're up to and I won't continue this duel until you tell me something about yourself!" he warned. "Boo hoo," I scoffed, "You want to leave? Then leave. But you'll only know my motives if you defeat me." "Come on Yugi, let's just go," urged Joey, "This guy's only been dragging this out!" Yugi narrowed his eyes at me as if trying to read my face. Knowing this I focused on making myself completely expressionless. "I've never backed down and I don't intend to start now!" vowed Yugi, "Frog! Is `there." "Stop!" I interrupted, "The frog said that you may ask him ONE question. If you ask him another it'll mean defeat for your remaining monsters on the field." "Very well then," sighed Yugi, "I'll trust your warning. But that doesn't mean that I can't continue to attack your monsters! Winged Dragon! Attack the door to the left of the Paladin!" The Dragon spewed another ball of fire and the door opened revealing Watts the Blacksmith! Watts swung his hammer forcing a ghost-like creature flying into the fireball! Despite this both the ghost and Watts fell before the power of the fireball! "I knew that would happen," I smiled, "Now thanks to my Morphing Jar, we both give up all cards in our hand to the discard pile and pick out a new hand."
Yugi nodded and we both did as was explained. My second hand was no better than my first: this time I had only one attack card but several upgrades for it. "All right," I growled, "All reports are in. this deck hates me. I'll play my single attack card! The Pickpocket Thief and I'll increase his defense with the Jackal's Armor!" The doors closed hiding my cards again but Yugi smiled. "I remember well where your cards were hidden," he reminded, "Winged Dragon! Destroy the door second door on the frog's right!" The attack was fired and a the door opened revealing the Paladin!" The Paladin held his shield defensively again stopping the Dragon's fire breath! "What?" gasped Yugi. "The doors have been on the field for three turns," I explained, "Therefore they switch but that's not all that stayed on the field for three turns!" A flash behind the doors revealed my next strategy was employed! Drawing another card I smiled and shouted, "My Apprentice Magician has studied all the magic in the Spell Book making him The Wizard and I combine his already formidable magical abilities with the power of the Cloak of Levitation! Wizard! Destroy the Winged Dragon!" The door next to my Paladin card opened revealing another card that looked like my Paladin Card but instead of armor he wore a cape and the clothing the Young Fighter wore. The Wizard darted ahead with a magical aura around his fist. Jumping into the air he flew straight into the Dragon shattering it into nothingness.
"This isn't over," grumbled Yugi, "I still have Gaia and I think I know of a way to free him!" Yugi slapped down a card and a golden flying dragon appeared next to his knight. "The curse of dragon card!" announced Yugi, "And now I use this: the magic of Polymerization! With its magic I combine my two cards making Gaia the Dragon Champion! Gaia! Destroy the Paladin!" Now on a flying card Gaia was freed from my trap and was now charging forward with his lance ready for the attack. The Paladin suddenly rolled underneath Gaia's lance making the attack useless! "The Paladin Pioytr was a master fighter!" I boasted, "There's no fighter card that can defeat him! Now it's time to end this! I combine two cards with my Pickpocket Thief! The Jackal's Tool Kit making him impervious to nearly all trap cards! I'll also give him the Enchanted Dagger which has one very special effect!" The door concealing the Pickpocket Thief opened and the card magically matured into a third representation of the Young Fighter but wearing leather armor and carrying a long dagger on his side! "Jackal!" I ordered, "Throw your dagger and defeat Gaia!" The dagger flew through the air but suddenly struck an invisible wall and flew back into the Jackal's hand!
Yugi pulled his face down card revealing a stop projectile card. "I'm surprised your dagger failed to kill the Jackal but I guess that's the enchantment," he congratulated, "Now we will end this with the Curse of Burning Land!" The Curse of Dragon card blew flames over the ground causing it to burn. Even so I my cards were still unscathed as my Wizard card rose into the air and my other cards did the same! "The three cards are integrated," I explained, "That means that they can all share in a defense now that they're on the same level! I don't really want to defeat you so I'll just do this." I pulled a card from my deck and smiled. "I combine one more card with my Wizard," I stated, "The Water Breather Amulet. And now I use the Polymerization Card combined with my 'Enhance Magic' card!" A blue sapphire amulet appeared on the Wizard's neck and the three attack cards suddenly swirled together forming a single powerful figure! The man wore the re-forged Ancient Armor and Coat of Arms, the Water Breather Amulet, the Cloak of Levitation, the enchanted Dagger, a powerful sword and the Jackal's toolkit. "I present to you the Crusader Card!" I crowed, "The ultimate fighter card! Thank you Yugi. I have done what I wanted and now farewell."
Taking my cards off the board I climbed down from the arena. "Not so fast!" stopped Yugi, "You challenged me to a duel and we'll see it to the end or you must fulfill your part of the bargain." I stopped in my tracks and turned. "As you wish," I sighed. I told him my name and continued, "I came to this tournament because of an invitation I received from Pegasus. For reasons that even I don't know that invitation caused great unrest in me. I have come to find the source of my unrest and, if possible, expel it. However, I don't want to hurt anyone in this quest so I'll only fight eliminators for star chips. With the rest of the duelists I'll use this Enhance Magic card, that I discovered some time ago, to create new cards which will ensure my victory against eliminators. Something is not right here and I intend to find out what." Yugi climbed down and was about to say something to me but I ran off before he could talk.