Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, or Duel Monsters, or Master of Cards by Chuck ZFB. I strongly recommend that you read his story before mine. This is a PARALLEL of that fic, and was written with his permission. So, if you don't like parallel stories, don't go any further. But, if you do, read on. And now I present....



Chapter One: Trapped By The Shadow Games



"I'm gonna get you someday Tina!" I challenged my close friend. I had dueled with her on many occasions, and only been successful once. Well, if you can call forcing her into a surrender a win.

She and her sister were some of the best I knew. Meren, her sister, was almost as good, but had perhaps the more superior cards. She had been able to obtain powerful cards such as, well, you'll see later on.

My, I mean, our story, starts that same day that Tina had pummeled me and my deck into the ground, big time. Her combinations were unbeatable, in most cases. Meren, on the other hand, could always pull some crazy card out of nowhere. I myself, just had what it took to get back up and try again. That and repetitively crush my little brother and his friends.

But I'm getting off subject again. We were killing time in the cafeteria. It was exam week, and since they didn't have permission to walk home with me, I had decided to stick around and help them pass the time for a few hours before the busses arrived. I was shuffling my deck, preparing for my rematch with the black haired female. She was doing the same.

"Your funeral, Lance." she smiled back at me.

I laid my deck down, when I felt a cold chill shoot up my spine. I raised my head too find that Tina was gone. A thick black veil was shrouding everything around me. The table itself was different; a smaller, square one with twin dueling matts painted onto it. I looked around in confusion. It looked like something I had seen on a Japanese cartoon.

"Well, well." a cold, chilling voice spoke up. It was familiar, and very recognizable. That was that scary part. "It looks like my spell worked. You're here safely, as are your companions. This should work out quite nicely. I should earn just enough points to..."

"Pegasus." I seethed.

"Very impressive." he applauded, walking out of the darkness. "Your friends still have as of yet to figure it out." he laughed. He was in his usual red suit with the ruffled V neck. I also took note of the awkward golden eye in his left socket. "I thought that you might be the first to realize what you're up against. I must say that I look forward to dueling such a conclusive player, such as yourself. I think that..."

I was starting to get mad. "What are you talking about. Points? My friends? Talk in a sensible way!" I shouted in my rage.

"Yes, yes. Well, I suppose that you deserve a brief explanation. First of all, this truly is real. Just a different dimension. I intend to duel you and your friends in order to increase my rank and prove my worth to the Champion of my world, so that I might face him. As to how I can communicate with your friends at the same time as you is that I am using a new spell in order to divide myself into three separate personages, in order too do battle with each of you at the same time. And don't harbor any delusions of rescue. As I have already stated, this is simply a separate dimension from the one you are use to. The Shadow Realm at that. The bridge between all others. And I'm using part of my magical energies to mask us from the Champion, so he has no idea that you're here. So we can proceed without interruption. Now, let the Shadow Game begin."

"Don't I have a choice?" I asked.

"No, not really. If even one of you fails to win, all of you will remain trapped in this realm. Now, sit down and prepare to Duel."

I did so, not ready to put it passed Pegasus to do something as sick as trap three teenagers in another dimension for not dueling him. I picked up my hand, and observed it.

'Not bad. A couple of traps and low level monsters. I should be able to gain an early advantage with these. I'm never going to criticize Tina's deck construction abilities. She's a genius.'

"We'll even Duel using the rules of your world. With eight thousand Life Points, and direct damage, you should have the advantage, shouldn't you?"

"Not if you're using that Millennium Eye to read my mind and hand." I responded cooly.

"Don't worry. I'm already using more magic than I probably should. If I were to use the Eye's power to look into your mind, the Champion would see through the mask I've set up, and I would be disqualified. Something I'm not really all that eager to have happen."

"Just play."

"As you wish. I'll star by playing a card face down, and a monster in defense mode." he said, laying the cards down.

'I don't like that one face down card. Knowing Pegasus, it's some extremely powerful trap. So, I'll just defend.'

"I'm going to defend as well, and place two cards face down." I explained.

"How weak you are. And now, I'll sacrifice my Witch of the Black Forest to summon my Parrot Dragon in attack mode." he laughed. A young woman with black raven hair, and dressed in a thick black robe appeared. Then, she melted away, and a large green parrot appeared. It looked fairly harmless, but then again, looks can be deceiving. Armed with massive talons, a long tail, and scaly skin, this thing was more powerful than most people gave it credit for. "Attack with your Bombarding Beak, while I activate my Witch's special ability and search my deck for a monster with 1500 or less defense points." he laughed. The bird flew up and dived down on my defense monster, its beak poised.

What appeared on my field was a monolith statue. It was huge, standing on one knee, bending over with its arms crossed across its chest. His monster collided, and ricocheted off, no damage done.

"You attacked my Giant Soldier of Stone. With his defense points equaling your attack, you can't penetrate him." I smiled. But I knew that since it was only the beginning, I couldn't get to overconfident. Pegasus still had many more powerful monsters, and some of the greatest strategies in the game at his disposal.

"I figured as much. Well, I'm going to erode that colossus of yours." he grinned that frightening grin. He held three cards up, and layed them down to show me. "I'm using my Polymerization card to fuse my Crass Clown, with my Dream Clown, to form Bickuribox in attack mode." I watched in horror as a hideously fat clown with a pole in its hand, and another one with a red bandana with white polka-dots on its head, and holding some little balls in its hands. These two then shifted closer to one another, swirling into each other. When the intense light was gone, I saw a simple Jack-in-the-Box floating in the air above me. Simple, until it burst open and a little sock-puppet with a jesters hat, large beak, blue cape, and overly-sized gloved hands popped out, swinging back and forth on a metal spring. (2300/2000). "Bickuribox, Grim Scythe Slash!" It launched forward, pulling a wickedly curved scythe out of its mouth.

'That is so wrong.' I thought to myself, reaching for one of my down cards, flipping it up. Around my soldier, a wall formed, my golem acting like the key-stone. Pegasus' monster swung the blade down, cracking the metal weapon on the barrier, recoiling back towards its side, as Pegasus' Life Point counter dropped by two hundred points. "Sorry Pegasus, but my Castle Walls card raised my defense points up to 2500 for this turn, and your attack was only 2300, meaning that you lost 200 points." I laughed at him. Sure it was only a small victory, and only a meager lead. But to have scored this against Pegasus, I was proud. Really, I was. But that didn't mean I was ready to loose focus. I was still on the defense, and he already had twenty three hundred point of attack ready to break me down on my next turn. I was going to need something better.

I reached for the deck, when a sharp jolt shot through my head, causing me to freeze and reach my hand up towards temple. I blinked a few times, and then looked back up. 'What was that?' I shook it off and picked the card up off my deck.

"I play a monster in defense mode, and then I'll use this magic card," I declared, turning a card from my hand to show the man with platinum blond hair. It depicted two men in medieval armor, both struck my some king of agony. "Share the Pain." I said, laying it down. 'We both choose one monster on our side of the field, and offer it up to the Graveyard. And since you only have Bickuribox in play, you have no choice but to select it. I myself will discard my newly played Sangan. Which you should know, acts like your Witch of the Black Forest, only for monsters with an attack of 1500 or less." I said, searching my deck, finding the card I wanted, and pulling it out adding it to my hand. "Looks like things are going my way."

He only chuckled as he drew another card. "Your way indeed. But for how long." he smiled. "Besides, you miscalculated. I also have Parrot Dragon on the field. So, I'll discard him instead. And, now I can crumble your defense right here and now. For I play my Dark Rabbit, and double his attack points using my Negative Energy spell." he cried and as disproportionate hare jumped out of nowhere. It was clad in metal shoulder pads, leather straps crossing over its front, a gladiator like skirt, and sticking its tongue out at me. It immediately grew in size, as its power doubled from 1100 to 2200. "Dark Rabbit, attack!" The monstrosity bounded over and delivered dozens of lightening fast punches to my Stone Solder, which crumbled bit by bit into dust until nothing was left.

Then it hit again. Another sharp pain, only worst this time. It was becoming harder to focus, or even just see. And with this strange new disability, and all my monsters on the field gone, my chances at victory suddenly looked very bad. And I swear, I have never before been more scared.

'If I loose, though, what will happen to my friends? What?'



To Be Continued...



Read on. I'm producing this as quickly as I could. And please, don't flame me about spelling and grammar mistakes. I wont listen to those.