Disclaimer: Only gonna say this once; don't own YuGiOh, Duel Monsters, Madison Square Garden or the Taj Mahal... or anything else that you might think of, 'cause I am a BROKE COLLEGE STUDENT. Poop, I can barely afford the computer I'm typing this on, so don't nobody sue me, I'm ain't making any money off of any of this. End of Story. Well... technically this is just the BEGINNING of the story, but... Aw, forget it; you know what I mean!
A/N: Welcome, one and all! This isn't the first major story that I've written, but it is the first I'm hoping to post the entirety of on As you most likely already know, this is a Yugioh fanfic, but what you might not already know is that it probably won't feature any of the characters we know and love from the anime. I plan to mention or make reference to them at some point, but only very rarely will they make any guest appearances. Also, the story is slightly AU, combining both elements from the show with real-life factors from the card game. I also may fudge the rules of the game a little or tweak card effects, but only when it helps make the story more dramatic and I'll always try to mention such changes in an A/N when I do make them.
The Low-Down: This story takes place just after the Battle City arc concludes in Japan. Duel Monsters has become almost as popular in the States as it has in its home country, and there's a tournament being held to determine the #1 Duelist in America. The Regional Qualifiers for the North-East United States are about to take place in New York City, and the public is looking forward to an exciting competition... but as always with the game of Duel Monsters, there are unseen forces at work; some good... and some Evil...
History of a Duelist
Regional Arc
Chapter 1: Lost and Found
"Crud. Now where am I?" Ry Ottulich said aloud. The 21 year-old, 5'9 Montana native was standing on a bustling street corner staring at a colorful mosaic of interwoven lines that supposedly represented the New York City subway system. At the moment it might as well have been a picture of a squirrel, because he had absolutely no idea what any of it meant. He looked down at the Kaibacorp Duel Disk strapped on his left forearm. At this rate I'm not gonna even get a chance to use this thing.
He took a moment to mentally run through the events of the past two months. Living in his home state he had always thought of himself as a decent duelist, but he'd never bothered entering any tournaments other than the one at the local card shop. After his parents had both gotten job offers in upstate New York and moved there, he had found some new circles to play in. It quickly became apparent that he wasn't a decent duelist: he was exceptional. He never bothered keeping track of his win/loss record before, but since moving to NY and beginning play in the official US Rankings, he now stood at 45-0, with half a dozen local tournament titles under his belt. His last victory, that of State Champion, had earned him the right to compete in the Regional Qualifiers for this year's US Championship.
Ry pulled a wristwatch that usually went on his dueling arm from the pocket of his blue jeans and glanced at it in irritation. If I don't make it to the tournament before registration ends... He looked around in desperation and spotted a woman who looked to be about in her mid-thirties walking towards him. He slipped the watch back into its pocket and subconsciously smoothed the red pullover shirt he was wearing.
"Um, excuse me Miss," he addressed her, trying to be as polite as possible, "You wouldn't happen to know how to get to Madison Square Garden from here, would you?" The woman smiled and pointed down the subway entrance.
"Head right down there and catch the No. 6 train from platform two. Ride it three stops and get off, you'll be about two blocks north of the Garden," she answered. Ry's face lit up in a broad smile.
"Thank you! Thank you very much!" He waved a curt goodbye to the woman and bolted for the stairs leading down into the subway, leaping over the last seven and landing in a crouch. He jogged forward a little and swiped his recently bought fare card to get into the platform hub. He quickly located platform 2 and once again started the waiting game. By the electronic display on the wall he saw that he had five minutes until the next train.
"Hey!" a young voice yelled from behind him. He turned and found a young boy, maybe 14 or so, pointing at him. "You a duelist?" the lad asked.
"Uh... yeah," Ry answered hesitantly, hefting the device on his arm. Was this kid going to challenge him to a duel? I don't have time for-
"There's a duel going on over at platform 9, and they're using Duel Disks! You gotta come check it out!" With that the boy turned and sprinted off, joining a small group of other kids his age, all running in the same direction.
"A duel, huh?" Ry smiled. He'd never actually seen a match using Duel Disks before; being as expensive as they were only the very richest or most-skilled duelists used them. He'd put in a lot of overtime to afford the device he now wore. Seeing them in action before the tourney might be a good idea. He stepped forward to follow the running kids but stopped dead, mentally slapping himself. Aw man, I can't leave now, I'll miss the train! He turned back to the platform and continued waiting. From somewhere down the hub, he heard what he knew had to be the computer generated roars of duel monsters, and then a brief round of cheering applause.
"Then again," he said out loud, glancing at the wall display, "it couldn't hurt if I just watched for a minute or two." He smiled again broadly, turning and running off towards platform 9. "Subway duel, here I come!"
He found the correct platform easily, but when he got there he found his way blocked by a throng of onlookers. He stood up on his toes trying to see over the crowd. Man, I thought New Yorkers were supposed to be short? Hoping it wasn't going to anger anyone, he began pushing his way though the mob, apologizing as he went, trying to get a better view. He could hear the two duelists speaking in voices muffled by the mumbling of the crowd, one female and one male, but he couldn't quite make out what they were saying. He was almost to the front when he heard the first clear statement.
"Now, Gemini Elf, attack his life points directly!" the female voice called out. There was a sound of what could only be a monster rushing forwards, followed by a short yelp from the male duelist, and the shimmering sound of holographic generators shutting down. Another round of applause broke out just as Ry pushed his way to the front of the crowd. His shoulders slumped in resignation just as the watched the last remnants of whatever cards had just been on the field fade away, along with a rapidly dispersing crowd.
"Man, I just can't win," he said. He was just about to turn away when the duelist closest to him, the woman, caught his eye. She was still standing with her back to him, though she had walked over to her opponent and was shaking his hand.
"Nice duel," Ry heard her say, "You really put up a fight." The other man laughed slightly.
"Six turns? You call that putting up a fight?" he asked.
"Hey, don't feel bad; everybody has a bad duel sometimes." She said cheerily as she turned and began walking away. "See you around!" She only got a few steps before she found herself face to face with another man wearing a Duel Disk. She smiled and placed her hands on her hips. "Do I have another challenger already?" She stood about 6'1, had a slender build and short but curly auburn hair. She was dressed in blue sneakers, faded jeans and a bright yellow t-shirt that left her midsection exposed. The Duel Disk on her arm looked almost like it would have been too heavy for her delicate figure. Needless to say, Ry was more than a little dumbfounded. "What's the matter, you never seen a girl with a Duel Disk before?"
"Uh, yeah... I mean no, I haven't but... well, I'd love to challenge you to a duel, but I've got to..." he trailed off as he remembered the reason for his being there in the first place. "Oh, crap! Er, sorry, but I gotta run!" He backpedaled several steps before turning and sprinting back towards platform 2. The female duelist cocked her head, a bemused look on her face. Ry stopped about two dozen steps away and turned. "It was nice meeting you!" he yelled back before resuming his mad dash. He managed to make it back to platform 2 just in time to see the subway train pulling away from the station.
"Hey, wait!" he called out, knowing full well it was pointless. The car picked up speed and zipped off down the tunnel, taking the last hope he had of getting to the Regionals on time with it. He sighed heavily. It's a sign. I know it is. Maybe I should just call it quits and be happy with being State Champion. He turned around only to find himself once again face-to-face with the auburn-haired duelist. She had her arms crossed and was tapping her foot, still wearing a faint smile. Ry opened his mouth to tell her again he had to go, but stopped himself. Aw, what the heck, maybe a little action will make me feel better. He took a few steps back and pressed the button his Duel Disk that caused it to shift into dueling mode.
"Okay, if it's a duel you want-"
"You're going to the tournament at MSG, aren't you?" she asked suddenly. Ry shrugged.
"I was. It's too late to get there now, the next train won't be by for another twenty minutes," he said, nodding at the electronic display on the wall. He narrowed his eyes at her. "You don't want to duel, do you?" She smiled at him and shook her head, motioning for him to follow her.
"C'mon, I'm headed there too, and I know another way." She turned and headed off the platform. Ry raised an eyebrow at her from behind, snapping his Duel Disk back into standby mode.
"Um..." he started to speak. The girl turned around at the end of the platform and stared at him.
"Well? What're you waiting for? I said c'mon!" she called back. Snapping to his senses, Ry jogged forward and the two headed out of the subway. "First time in the Big Apple, huh?" she asked.
"Yeah," Ry answered, still a little nervous but rapidly growing more comfortable around her. "I just moved upstate from Montana a couple months ago." The two emerged back onto the street and the girl began walking down the block. "Um, I don't mean to be rude, but how are we gonna get to the Garden from here?" The redhead smiled and reached into her pocket, producing a set of keys and pointing them at a car parked by the curb.
"That's how." Ry watched as she pushed a button on her keychain and unlocked the doors of a bright yellow Ford Focus Z3 that matched her shirt impeccably. She stepped to the driver side door and opened it, motioning for him to go around to the other side. "C'mon slowpoke, we're not gonna make it to the tournament if you keep dragging you feet!" she chided him. Ry hurried over and waited for the traffic to clear before climbing into the car himself.
"Sorry. Hey, I'm Ry Ottulich, by the way," he said. She reached over and shook the hand that he offered.
"Name's Melanie Hansen. Nice to meetcha!" she said cheerfully. Ry nodded. Damn, she's a happy one.
"Are you sure we're gonna be able to get there on time this way? I mean I heard New York traffic was really bad. The only place I can think of that's worse is Los Angeles," he joked. Melanie smiled broadly.
"Well then, you're in luck, Ry Ottulich," she said, pulling off her Duel Disk and setting it on the back seat. "I just happen to be from Los Angeles!" She slipped the key into the ignition and turned it, pulling her seatbelt on with the other hand. She looked out at the passing traffic briefly, before looking at him and winking. "Buckle up!"
Ry swallowed hard. Why do I suddenly have the feeling that I'm not gonna make it to the tournament after all?
A/N: Well folks, that's the first chapter! Sorry we didn't get to see any duels this time around; I promise you one next time! Please read and review, and know that I'm always on the lookout for OCs, either just characters or characters w/ decks, if you can think it up then I bet I can fit it in!
Next Chapter: The Regional Championships; Round One