Chapter One: Darkness Dawns on a New Day
The sun had risen over the skyline of New Mephisto City. A city where Duel Monsters is played by child and adult alike, and Duel Disk systems are often as common as Cell Phones. It was a typical day. People walked the streets, children taking buses and trains to their schools, birds and squirrels sharing the trees... The looming presence of the Blackheart Corporation's skyscraper was nothing new to these people. It's a sight they see daily as they roam the streets and sidewalks. The shadow cast over a large portion of the city was welcome shade in the usually warm and sunny weather of New Mephisto. However, today was a sad day for the children of New Mephisto; it was the first day of school. And so begins our story...
As we begin, we look upon the life of our hero, Nick Poljacik. A boy 15 years of age, with blond hair and greenish blue eyes. He loves to play games, especially ones that involve strategy, such as Duel Monsters. Here we see him in what seems to be an endless slumber...without a single care in the world.
*BLEEEEP!!!*
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*BLEEEEEP!!!!!*
Nick's cell phone rang as Nick was fast asleep in his bed. Finally he awoke and answered it.
"Who is this and why are you calling me so damn early in the morning!?" he said.
A familiar voice boomed back at him from his ear piece, "Dude, it's Tony, and its the first day of High School. You said to meet you outside your house... NOW HURRY UP AND GET OUT HERE!!!"
It was Antonio Nicosia, his best friend of many years. He had always been around to help him, especially to bail him out of trouble. This time he wanted to make sure the both of them would stay out of trouble.
"Alright, I'll be right out in 5 minutes. Just lemme get dressed and grab a snack or something." Nick said sleepily.
"Well, make it quick, we can't be late on our first day. Besides, you know who else is gonna be there right?"
"Yeah...I know." Nick said with a smile on his face. "Laurna is going to the same school as us."
"Yup. So if you're not out here in 5 minutes she's all mine!!" Tony exclaimed as he blushed.
Nick got out of bed and got dressed in his school uniform, and packed his backpack full of his usual needs for the day: His books, notebook, an apple in case he got hungry, his Duel Monsters Deck, and his custom-made Duel Disk. He then rushed downstairs to tell his brother he was leaving for school. He went to the kitchen to get a quick bite to eat, and called out to his brother.
"Duo!!! I'm gonna leave for school in a couple minutes...Wasn't there something you were gonna give me?"
"Yeah!" Duo yelled from his room, " Just come over here so I can give it to ya."
Nick approached his room with a banana in his hand and gently proped open his the door to see his brother on the computer, as usual. "What are you gonna give me? Hurry it up cause I'm gonna be late!"
"Here," Duo extended his hand out to Nick, holding an envelope. "It's a rare card, and some spending money for today. Auntie told me to make sure you get enough money everyday for lunch and whatever you need afterschool. Don't tell her, but I put a little bit extra in there for today. As for the rare card, I got that last night from some friends. I know you'll like it. Now get going! It's 15 minutes to eight! And make sure you're home before Auntie!! You know how she gets sometimes!!"
"Oh crap," Nick said as he took the envelope and rushed outside. "Okay, Tony, I'm ready to go!"
"Well it's about time...we'll be lucky if we're half an hour late..."
"Then quit talking and let's go!" Nick said as he took off running.
*Meanwhile*
At the Blackheart Corporation building....Inside the office of Jeff Blackheart, President of Blackheart Corporation...
"President Blackheart, are all the preparations complete?" A shadowy figure asked.
A dark, grim voice replied back. "Yes, everything is set for my announcement later today. You may go now Zane, I have some work to do."
"Thank you sir, I'll get back to work as well."
The man known as Zane Takio, exited the office. As the door closed, the President Blackheart looked at his computer screen.
"Hmmm...Perhaps the people of this city will enjoy a little friendly competition..." He said, as he reclined in his chair, pondering what the next few months in New Mephisto would be like.
---
The two boys finally arrived at school to find that they weren't late at all. The bell would not ring for another 15 minutes.
"See? I told you that shortcut would save us some time!" Tony said as he was catching his breath.
Breathing heavily, Nick replied, "Yeah, it did. But next time, I'll just make sure I wake up on time, because that's the first and last time I ever run on the train tracks! We were nearly killed!"
"That's your choice Nick, that was the most exciting thing I've ever done in my life! Now c'mon lets go find Laurna before class starts."
"YOU LOOKIN' FOR ME?!!??!?" A purple haired girl screamed as she popped up behind Nick.
It was Laurna Hope, one of the only female duelists Nick and Tony knew, as well as the girl they both have a crush on...
"WHOA! Don't sneak up on us like that Laurna...We just had a near-death experience! You could've given me a heart attack!" Nick said with a little smile on his face.
"Okay, okay, let's just get to class boys, we don't want to be late..."
*RIIIIIINGGG!!!!*
The three of them barely sat down in their seats when the bell sounded. A tall, thin man entered the room carrying a book bag and a stack of papers.
"Hello, my name is Mr. Marcus. Welcome to New Mephisto High School. I'll be your homeroom teacher this year. To tell you a little bit about myself, I'm 34 years old, I have a Bachelor's degree in Physics, I'm married, I've got 3 kids, I'm an Intercontinental Duel Monsters Champion, and I give daily homework. Any questions?"
Murmurs filled the room at the moment he mentioned he was an IC Champ. The students' hands shot up to ask for a Duel.
"Now, now, kids, we'll have plenty of time for that in due time. For now, open up your textbooks to page 12 so we can begin a lesson for today."
---
As soon as the classes were over, Nick, Antonio, and Laurna all found their friends to compare classes and see how their first days were. Nick saw one of his friends talking to Mr. Marcus about Duel Monsters.
"Well, I'd like to get to know my students better before any of them challenge me to a duel. I don't want to make anyone bitter towards me, and I don't want anyone to think they're above me because they can win against me."
"Oh c'mon just one duel! I want to try out my new deck!" said the boy.
Nick called to him, "Hey Manny! I'll duel you!"
The boy was Manny Hung, a neighbor of Nick's. He isn't a good duelist and is constantly trying to improve his deck. The amount of money he spends on cards isn't reflected in the cards he uses to duel.
"Alright, let's duel then! Prepare to lose!"
The boys then slipped on their Duel Disks, and prepared their decks. Mr. Marcus looked on with an amused look on his face. At that moment, Nick remembered the rare card his brother had given him that morning.
"Hey Manny, wait a second." Nick took the envelope out of his backpack. Slowly he opened it as he took a peek at the card. "WHOA!" exclaimed Nick as he added the card to his deck immediately. "Okay, now I'm ready," said Nick, as he inserted his deck into his Duel Disk.
"Let's begin then!"
Manny: 4000 Nick:4000
"Take the first move Nick."
"Okay, I set 3 M/T facedown, and play Goblin Attack Force in attack mode. End turn."
"Now it's my turn, and I've already got this game in the bag! I play Zombyra the Dark in attack mode and activate Tribute to the Doomed."
"I activate Imperial Order, which negates the effect of your magic card."
"Ugh, well then, I set 2 M/T facedown and end my turn."
Nick looked at the cards in his hand...Buster Blader and Lord of Dragons. He wasn't sure what to do next, so he drew his card.
"I choose to pay 700 LP for Imperial Order, and I summon Lord of Dragons in attack mode. Then I have my Goblin Attack Force attack Zombyra."
"Ha! Now you're in for it! Rush Recklessly!"
"I still have Imperial Order in Play, so I'm still stronger."
"OH NO! I forgot it was a permanent trap!" Manny hit himself on the head with the hand that wasn't holding his cards.
Manny watch as his Zombyra was clubbed and bludgeoned to pieces by Nick's Goblin Attack Force, making him lose 200 LP.
"Now Lord or Dragons attack him directly!"
Manny: 2700 Nick: 3300
The duel had drawn a crowd, including Antonio and Laurna, along with their friends. They all watched closely, especially Laurna.
"Come on Nick! I would've finished him off turns ago!" Tony taunted him.
"But it's only my second turn" Nick thought.
"Okay my move." I activate Dust Tornado on your Imperial Order to destroy it. I summon Thunder Nyan Nyan in attack mode and then I play Malevolent Nuzzler. I attack your Lord of Dragons."
Manny: 2700 Nick: 1800
"Heh, now who's in the lead? I end my turn."
Nick was frustrated at the last move Manny had made. He was distracted by the fact that Laurna was watching him. He drew his card, which to his amazement was the card his brother had given to him this morning.
"I play one of my facedown cards, Premature Burial, and by paying 800 LP I can bring back a monster from my grave. I choose Lord of Dragons."
Manny: 2700 Nick: 1000
"You're just wasting time before I win, Nick, just give up now..."
"Now, I sacrifice my two monsters...and summon TYRANT DRAGON!"
The people in the crowd were in awe of such a rare card, even Antonio.
"Now, I play the card in my hand, United We Stand to increase my dragon's ATK by 800 points for every monster I have on the field! Now I attack your Thunder Nyan Nyan."
Manny: 1100 Nick:1000
"Ugh...I'm gonna lose this one... I'm in the lead by 100 LP, but that won't last for long, not with that dragon on the field! I even stacked my deck with extra powerful monsters! I play one monster in defense mode and end my turn."
Nick was amazed at the power of his new card, and felt confidence surging back to him. He was going to win this duel, and show off to the whole crowd watching him. He knew this would impress Laurna.
"Manny, you've played a fair duel, and I like how you never quit despite how many times you lose. But its time to end this little game of ours...I summon Goblin Attack Force from the Graveyard with Monster Reborn, and I attack your set monster."
Manny watched again as his Zombyra was being defeated by a team of Goblins. And feared what would come next.
"Now, I send my Tyrant Dragon to attack you directly! Sorry Manny, but this one's over!"
Manny covered his eyes as the great dragon flew towards him, its neck rearing back, preparing to launch a barrage of flames....but suddenly, the dragon stopped in its tracks. Then it disappeared altogether. The holo-projectors began reconfiguring themselves, and a dark figure appeared to them. It was President Blackheart.
"Hello, duelists of New Mephisto. I am Jeff Blackheart, as you already know. I am broadcasting this message across the city to any compatible Duel Disks. I wish to announce the start of a Duel Monsters Tournament. The rules are similar to Kaiba Corporation's Battle City Tournament from a few years back. That includes the Rare Card Ante Rule. If you wish to participate, you may come to the front courtyard of Blackheart Corporation's business center to download the Tournament rules and protocols into your Duel Disk systems. It will be open from 3:30 to 4:30 PM tomorrow. Only those who attend will allowed to participate. As for the tournament itself, I must explain a few rules. You may challenge any other participant as long you are within the bounds of my tracking system. When you duel, you must duel for a Decoding Device, which will allow you to enter the finals if you collect 4 of these. They will be used to decode your password issued to you when you download the tournament data. My eliminators will also be patrolling the city to eliminate any trouble or unworthy duelists. The finals will take place in the Blackheart Spire, which was built as part of the Blackheart Corporate Plaza. The first place winner will have the honor to duel me to become a part of Blackheart Corporation, as an honorary executive. And I must say, that is a very highly paying job. You won't even have to do any work! The rest shall be explained in the download data from tomorrow's event. This message will also be a part of it. Good luck to all, and don't forget to register for the tournament tomorrow."
Everyone in the city who owned a Duel Disk saw this message. All duels in the city were stopped for this announcement. Nick, Antonio, Laurna, and the rest of them were left awestruck. They all considered themselves top-notch duelists. It was also an opportunity to improve their decks by winning their opponents' rarest cards. Also, the prospect of being paid millions of dollars for doing no work whatsoever sweetened the deal. They would have to make sure that they registered for this tournament tomorrow afternoon.
---
"Turn those damned cameras off now. The announcement is over. Now get out of my office!"
Jeff waited impatiently in his chair for the cameramen to gather their equipment and leave him. As soon as they were gone he shut the doors and closed the curtains, keeping any light from coming into the room.
"Okay, you can come out now."
A dark figure emerged from the floor, and sat on Blackheart's chair.
"I've done what you asked me, now where's your end of the deal?"
The dark figure spoke into Jeff's mind, [IF YOU WISH FOR ME TO UPHOLD MY END OF THE BARGAIN I MUST BECOME A PART OF YOU. A PART OF YOUR MIND. A PART OF YOUR BODY. WILL YOU BE ABLE TO HANDLE THAT? IF YOU ARE THEN EXTEND YOUR HAND TO ME. I SHALL DO THE REST.]
Jeff hesitantly extended his hand towards the dark figure. Suddenly, it pounced onto him, completely wrapping itself around his body. He screamed out in pain as so many changes happened to him at once...until the two became one...
"Ahh...much better..." Jeff said with a wicked smile on his face..."With my new self, no one will be able to stop me!! MWUAHAHAHHHAHAHA!! WHAHAAHAHAH!! AHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!"
The door cracked open to reveal Zane, Jeff's assistant, looking in on President Blackheart.
"Uhh, sir! I hate to interupt but it's time for your 4:30 appointment."
"Thank you, go prepare the helicopter, I'll be waiting outside."
And with that, Jeff stepped out of his office making sure he locked the door behind him.