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....

Yes everyone, I'm back to reward my two faithful readers. That's right, only two. If you have been reading this, but just aren't reviewing, now is a time for change. Please. I need support.

Chapter Eight: Quest Revealed

Lance...

"What the heck do you mean that we can't get home?!" I shouted. Meren had just emerged victorious, (Tina: "With our help, might I point out.), and Pegasus had retreated from us after stating that he couldn't send us home. Needless to say, I was more than a little baffled and irked. I looked over at Yugi, who was looking tired and distraught. He shook his head.

"I can see that there is to be no hiding of anything from you. Then, I will tell you in as much truth as you can bear at this moment." he heaved a heavy sigh. "The universe is split into several dimensions. Amongst them are four specific ones: The one that you three are from, the one of mine that you have viewed on the television, the one that I actually exist in, and the Shadow Realm."

"So, what your saying is that your world is different from what we've seen of you in our world." Tina tried to understand.

"Exactly." Yugi confirmed. "You will find that in my world, all the monsters are very real, and can be summoned at will there, but the summoning's success is dependent on ones skills, experience, and magical energies. As the Champion, I am capable of summoning even the mightiest monsters, even Exodia."

"But, what does this have to do with us not being able to return home?" Meren piped up.

"Finally," I said sarcastically. "She speaks."

"You're so mean." she whined/joked back.

"I try."

"Anyway," Yugi continued. "I must confess. The only way to return you three home is to invoke the powers of my Millennium Puzzle. However, I must be defeated by the three of you in a Duel in order to earn the chance."

I sighed. Sure, dueling Yugi wouldn't be easy, but at least he was right here. We could duel him right here and now.

"But, you must also earn a ranking that will allow you to challenge me."

"WHAT!" I screamed. Normally, I was a calm teenager; but that sentence had pushed me over the top.

"How do we do that?" Tina asked.

"There are two ways." Yugi began. "The first is to win several tournaments to increase your status, but that can take years." Our heads dropped and hung. "The second is to gather the Exodia pieces for me. In my world, Exodia is one of a kind, and is constantly being scattered because the immense amount of power that Exodia is full of, after a single use, he will separate and be scattered amongst the winds." he then grew vary serious and remorseful. " So, as you can see, Exodia is very dangerous when used improperly. One man lost his life when he tried to use the dreaded for to defeat me. However, the summoning failed, but not before he had forfeit his life to the beast. I must get the cards back to protect them."

"Wait a second." I interrupted. "Again? You mean that you actually had Exodia once, aside from the time that you first Dueled Kaiba?"

"Yes. However, a man driven by a lust for power and revenge managed to force me to use them against him about four months ago. I don't know how many of the pieces have been recovered, and I cannot go in search of them because of my duties as Champion. So, if you could acquire them, it will instantly earn you a chance to duel me, do to the many Duelists you will need to defeat in order to obtain them."

"Alright," I volunteered as I reached behind me to reach for my deck. "When do we...Leave...MY CARDS!" I shrieked. I spun around and began to pat the table all over in search of the cards. I looked up to find that Tina and Meren were also without decks.

I stood back up in despair when I noticed something on the table. Three cards were laying there.

"My Dark Magician." I sighed in relief. The girls both walked over towards me and grasped one each.

"My Blue Eyes White Dragon." Tina said, sounding very relived.

"And my Dark Magician Girl. But, where are the rest of them?" Meren asked.

"I was afraid that this would happen." Yugi said in distress. "I should have known it was time that this happen."

"Uh, what?" Tina asked.

Yugi looked back at us. "Every seven hundred years or so, the rules of the Shadow Realm change, or I guess that alter would be a way of putting it. It would seem that it has finally happened. The Shadow Realm has noticed the tie between the ancient Shadow Games and Duel Monsters, and has therefore taken your cards for itself."

"Why would it do that?" Meren asked.

"It cannot allow them to pass, but I'm not sure why. But, I can speculate that those three cards have remained because of the bond that you all have with them, since they're your favorites."

"Cool." I said. I actually had managed to put my heart in at least one of my cards. But, my joy was quickly killed by my despair. "But, how can we get the Exodia pieces without decks?" Meren and Tina appeared to also be pondering this.

"I take care of that." Yugi replied, waving his hand, and causing a loud 'thud.' We looked to the ground. My eyes lit up and nearly burst out of their sockets.

"WOW!" we all said in amazement. There were five or six boxes filled with hundreds booster packs. Some I recognized as packs that I had never been able to obtain, or at least in quantities. Others I had no idea existed.

"These should be adequate enough in helping you to construct new decks." Yugi explained. "Just remember to build around your one favorite card that you have right now."

"I've got the box on the left." I shouted, staking my claim. I dived in, tearing the aluminum packets open as quickly as I could. Some of the cards I recognized as ones that I couldn't have hoped to find back home, but many of them I recognized as cards that hadn't been released back home, but that I had seen on the Internet. It was incredible. "I'll finally be able to build that Dark Magician Deck that I never could back home."

***

"Are you three done yet?" Yugi asked.

"Yes, finally." Tina responded. We had each constructed a powerful deck that was built more around a particular theme. It was so cool.

"A few things more." Yugi said, waving his arm across us. In front of each of us appeared a new set of clothes. "These will allow you to blend in easier, and change your clothes every once in a while." I reached out to check mine out. It was a black shirt that was short sleeved, and only reached my waist, but was rather thin, and had a V-neck. There was a pair of navy blue pants that felt like it was made of a similar material. Finally, there was a blue jacket that looked identical to the one that Yugi had worn at Battle City, even as much as to have the ability to become a cape. Also, there was a belt with a small pouch for my deck.

"Also, you'll need these." Yugi said, tossing us three bags, one to each. The looked like the kind of bags that some children carry marbles in, but were bigger. I looked in, finding hundreds of golden Star Chips. "They're our form of currency." he explained. "They would exchange at a rate equal to one of your dollars too one Star Chip. There are three hundred between the three of you. And finally..." his voice trailed off as the lights from our crests suddenly began to act up again. Then, in front of each of us appeared a small white ball, which then shifted to take the shape of o card. Soon, the light had died down enough that I could remove my arm from shielding my eyes. What I found saw was a green Duel Monsters card.

"What are these?" Meren asked, noticing that each of us had one.

"They are cards, born of your souls and crests. They are each one of a kind, and each can only be harnessed by its creator."

"I see." I nodded.

"Now, that is all I can do. I leave you all now." Yugi stated as the Shadow Realm began to dissapear. "Good luck." Then, he vanished.

We found ourselves in a grassy meadow, standing on a path that seemed to lead passed a cluster of trees. "Let's go." I said, tucking my new uniform into my backpack, which I had managed to hold onto. I looked to make sure that Meren and Tina still had their packs and belongings. Soon, we were packed and set to go. And so, we left, walking down the trail to escape the open field, and find a town as soon as possible. "Here we go."

To Be Continued...

Thanks to all who read this. However, I have another commitment to another site, so I might not get an update up after today until my Spring Break starts in two weeks. Sorry. Anyway, now that we're done with the Shadow Realm this is going to heat up, you'll see. So ...Questions, comments, even flames and criticism are all welcomed by me. Just don't reprimand me over my spelling. And keep the reviews coming. I need support, or else I might loose interest in writing. Thank you all, especially Chuck ZFB for allowing me to write off of his story, and Tina and Meren for agreeing to be a part of this. And if you think that this is to much like the Master of the Cards, leave me alone. This is about to go MY way. And, if you do read this story, REVIEW! And, I'm going to need a few new characters every now and then, so please, send me some stuff, and you might find your Duelist appearing at a random point in time. I'm not stealing this idea from Chuck; it's just taken me a while to be at a point where it is appropriate to ask. So please, send me your stuff!