This Chapter has been updated as of Feb 3rd 2021. To see exact changes, refer to the edit notes at the bottom of the page.
Hello folks, new month new chapter~
You had no idea how much I wanted to post this chapter immediately I finished typing it out but I wanted to take my time and build up my story reserves. You're in luck if you follow my Code Geass fic because I'm already writing my second reserve as of posting this chapter.
I included an interlude mid chapter and all of them from now on will include expositions. I tried to limit the amount of info but I'm not sure I succeeded.
I am sorry to say but this story will need readers to know the general gameplay of the Yugioh card game to understand things more easily. If you don't, you're gonna have a bad time.
From now on, I will be leaving this writing glossary here so you guys know when a character is speaking or thinking. What's the name of the card or What's its combat stats. When someone is speaking English or any other language from now on. These will change when/if I think of a better way of formatting.
"Hello there!" - Character's speech.
'Not them again...' - Character's inner monologue.
[Spanish:"Where is the Library?" - Character speaking in another language.
"OI! PISS OFF YOU SLAG!" - Character speaking with intense emotion
"That's The King of Games. Yugi Muto!" - Great emphasis on underlined words. Also when spoken in sarcasm, depends on context.
" I was always with you the entire time."
Immediately above is for speech from characters that are [REDACTED*SPOILER*REDACTED]
Elemental Hero Avian - Name of card
ELEMENTAL HERO NEOS - Name of Character's Ace or Signature card
I will also sometimes switch between English and Japanese honorifics such as Mister to -san as well as switching between words like sister to Nee-san and vice versa.
Game Terminology
ATK = Attack. DEF = Defense. LP = Life Points.
Capital lettered words in the middle of a sentence are terminologies from the Yugioh card game. This is so you, but mostly me, won't get confused between a Trap and a trap.
Trap = Trap card (Game Term) while trap = literal word, i.e. "You're walking in a trap".
Other examples, but not all of them, are: Monster, Spell, Quick-Play, Continuous, Summon, Normal, Special, Effect, Fusion, Deck, Graveyard, Field, Discard, Banish, Draw, Duel. (This will change if there's a noticeable demand for it in the reviews and I mean noticeable.
Increased/Decreased Monster stats format:
New Stat (Original Stat (PLUS or -) Modifier).
Example: Increased will look like "2500 (2000 PLUS 500)" *For some reason the Plus symbol doesn't show up.
"Decreased 1500 (2000 - 500)" *While the - symbol does.
Effect Monster's abilities will not be shown unless I deem it for it to be necessary. Otherwise any chapter I write will possess a ridiculous word count. Effect's will only be shown if it's outside of a Duel.
The game terminology section will be deleted 30 chapters later as veteran readers will have already become accustomed to how I write therefore not needing it any longer.
As always,
This story is a non-profit work by me. All characters and cards that appear in the Yugioh franchise here belong rightfully to Konami and the creators of this wonderful show.
Spoilers for the shows will pop out randomly so you have been warned in advanced.
Please support the official releases.
Please excuse any grammar/spelling mistakes as those will be corrected when spotted.
It has been a while since I felt this fired up. Mostly because my old body couldn't afford to but now it seems after years of not being able to it overcompensated, by filling me up with adrenaline. I was so high on it I didn't care about Dueling so seriously like I was in the anime.
"I Summon D.D. Survivor in ATK Position and enter my Battle Phase immediately!" Said card materialized to life on my right through the Solid Vision of the Duel Disk. I can't go for game as I am pretty much sure the the Facedown Jounochi has Set is something to block Survivor. I know he doesn't have Mirror Force but I am not sure if he had Magical Cylinder in the show. I kinda want a flip a coin for some reason.
"Hoho~ You're pretty confident huh? Well? Bring it on!" With that declaration, as well as the fact the audience was chanting "do it, do it, do it." Peer pressure caved in and I declared a Direct Attack. Unlike Zaborg I didn't hear a voice in the ether stating an attack name. As Survivor threw his cloak into the air, hidden inside was someone in semi plate armor, he leaped at Jounochi aiming at his head with a flying kick. "Too hasty! Reverse card, open! Scapegoat."
4 brightly colored sheep popped out from a cloud of smoke. I instantly recognized the card because of what a friend of mine did with them resulting in my first loss. In primary school he pulled off a Synchro summon with this card and the entire table went into debate whether it was a viable move or not. Turns out he was correct and everyone scrambled to get one after school. Couldn't help but smile fondly at that memory before Jounochi's voice cut me off from my daydream. "4 sheep Tokens get Special Summoned onto my field and since they're there, your Survivor has to get through them first."
Scapegoat Token x4 Blue/Orange/Red/Pink
[ATK:0/DEF:0 - LEVEL 1 TOKEN - EARTH BEAST]
Survivor halted mid-kick just as he was about to hit my opponent then somersaulted into the air with his right heel landing on top of the head of an orange sheep, destroying it. I got booed by the females in the crowd. You can boo me all you want but those things are monsters from where/when(?) I'm from.
"Main Phase 2, I reactivate Dimensional Fissure then Set a Reversed card down then end my turn." My card's artwork came to life as the Facedown card of Sakuretsu Armor got re-set back into it's previously slot. I'm worried about what else Jounochi could top-deck seeing how his previous turns resulted him in drawing exactly the card he needed. Some normalcy was brought back as he drew a card and passed the turn back to me.
"Draw." As I drew my next card I had realized that my deck was not sleeved. Ideally, any deck I use would have been sleeved if it wasn't for the fact that the cards I am holding are not the same as back home(?). They felt more... tougher? The word for it escapes me but it definitely feels much sturdier than I remember. I don't think they were made from card board. My old cards looked brand new which was curious.
The card I drew by the way was Soul Release. Nice. With this, I can remove D.D. Crow and Warrior Lady, who I've Discarded for activating Raigeki Break and Lightning Vortex earlier, along with Gilford so Jounochi can't revive him again. Scout Plane and Warrior are also in the Grave because they were destroyed after Dimensional Fissure was bounced back to my hand. I can get rid of Jounochi's Graveyard resource while also boosting my Homunculus' ATK points.
"I Release Survivor to Advance Summon Golden Homunculus from my Hand!" A circle of light emits from below where Survivor was standing with a golden glow. The golden blob of light enveloped over my Monster which steadily increased in size finally stopping at a height that towered over both Jounochi and I twice over. The brilliant shine diminished and the hologram of my card reveals itself. A golden warrior made from one of the world's precious metals.
Golden Homunculus
[ATK:1500/DEF:1500 - LEVEL 6 EFFECT - LIGHT WARRIOR]
"To boost up its ATK I then cast Soul Release allowing me to Banish up to 5 cards from our graveyards." Jounochi tensed up as he realized what I was about to do. "From my Grave I select D.D. Crow, Warrior Lady, Scout Plane and Warrior while I choose Gilford from yours!" As we removed the cards I named from the grave, I saw that Golden Homunculus' ATK didn't increase before realizing that I had to state the Effects so the Disk can simulate it. I'm going to have to do something about that, aren't I?
"Golden Homunculus has a special ability where both its ATK and DEF increase by 300 for each of Banished card I own. With the 4 I just removed and Survivor being Banished from his Releasing that means an increase of 1500 ATK points." The moment I finished speaking my Monster started to glow resplendently as the faded image of my Banished cards appear next to it. They disappeared one by one as they got absorbed into its body. Consequently its stats increased by 300 for every card it absorbed.
Golden Homunculus
[ATK:3000 (1500 PLUS 1500 via Homunculus' Effect)/DEF:3000 (1500 PLUS 1500 via Homunculus' Effect)]
"Golden Harvest. Stone Shard Storm"
A different voice? It was a lot more gravelly than the previous one. This time I heard 2 names and I could tell the first was the name of the Effect I just used while the second was for an attack. I spy at the golden creature who already was looking back at me with a thumbs up gesture. So this is how my day has been going, don't know whether I should complain or just wing it. "Golden Harvest!" Winging, it is. My cheeks flushed as the self awareness of this entire situation came crashing down at me. I feel like a Chunnibyou who just snapped out from their phase. It doesn't help that my voice cracked and my pitch got a few laughs from the audience. Once again, Jounochi surprises me by giving me a look that conveyed sympathy and sent me an encouraging nod. The young man I see in front of me is quite a contrast from the Joey Wheeler from the anime. Is it because of the Sub to Dub translation or because he's older now?
"Battle. Golden Homunculus, destroy one of Jounochi's Tokens! Stone Shard Storm!" The golden warrior with only its right arm raised shoots a shotgun blast of gold fragments at the pink Scapegoat. It didn't get riddled with holes by the golden bullets, probably because the visual effect would have been too much for young kids, and just popped in a cloud of smoke. I got another boo from the female audience in the crowd.
"With that I end my turn and when I do I Activate D.D. Survivor's Effect. Like Scout Plane, whenever it gets Banished from the field I can return it back but unlike Scout Plane I can choose in which position. I Special Summon D.D. Survivor in DEF Position." The armor plated blonde appears next to Golden Homunculus but kneeling on one knee and with his arms raised across chest in an "X".
Golden Homunculus
[ATK:2500 (1500 PLUS 1000 via Homunculus' Effect)/DEF:2500 (1500 PLUS 1500 via Homunculus' Effect - Banished: 4 Monsters)]
"Alright~ That was a pretty good move~ Draw!" He smiled immediately after seeing his card. "I Set a Reversed card Facedown then end my turn." I did not like the way he was smiling. It wasn't the ones he gave me earlier that were filled with arrogance. This one gave off a sense of foreboding.
"Draw. Damn, it's a dud." What I picked up was D.D. Dynamite and Jounochi did not have any enough cards Banished where I can finish him right now. No matter, at least I can clear his field a bit. "Survivor, Homunculus! Destroy his remaining Tokens. Stone Shard Storm!" I went into the Battle Phase and destroyed the remaining sheep Tokens on the field. As I ended my turn, my paranoia regarding that Reversed card sent the alarm bells in my head off as Jounochi still hasn't used it. He drew a card signaling his start of the turn.
"Reverse card, open! Red Eyes Spirit! When I activate this Trap I can target one "Red-Eyes" Monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon him to the field." I was about to tell him he doesn't have a Red-Eyes Monster in the Graveyard when I remembered earlier when Jounochi used "...Graceful Charity. You Discarded Gilford along with another card. It was a Monster wasn't it?" A frosty shiver gripped my body. It's coming. One of Yugioh's staple monsters. Along with Dark Magician and Blue Eyes, Jounochi's Signature Ace was one fans loved.
"Correct. From the Graveyard I Special Summon my deck's Ace. Descend from the skies and reveal yourself, my friend, my comrade, RED-EYES BLACK DRAGON!" If this was the anime, I bet there would have been a kickass OST playing right about now. For some reason my mind selected one of my favorites from Subbed GX, Impossible Victory and boy did it fit which the imagery in front of me.
In the ceiling above us, dark clouds loomed ominously as a whirlwind was centered right in the middle. The spiral of wind turned and turned until gusts exploded outward revealing wings which were outstretched. There in the eye of the storm, dark leathery wings with obsidian scales, red eyes looked into my own and I felt the gaze of this magnificent creature pierce my soul. Turning its head skywards it let out a proud roar that shook the very ground we stood upon. The creature I have only seen through the screen of a laptop appeared before me and my legs gave out. The anime... did not do it justice for in front of me flew a creature I can only call "...beautiful."
RED EYES BLACK DRAGON
[ATK:2400/DEF:2000 - LEVEL 7 NORMAL - DARK DRAGON]
"Then I activate the Magic card Thunder Bolt, destroying all your monsters on the field." HOLY SHIT! That's Raigeki! That makes it the 3rd time he Top-decked the card he needed! With that, both Golden Homunculus and D.D. Survivor got struck by a massive blot of lightning obliterating them into dust. I wasn't worried. I still had my Sakuretsu Armor and despite my awe of Red Eyes, it'll be destroyed once it attacke-
"You put a really good fight, brat." The way he said that made my heart drop. I recognized that tone, after all... I used it myself when I spoke to certain students. "Unless you're a Pro, not many people these days can give me a challenge. You did great as you were able to last this long... but you still need to learn." Just what, just what could he possibly have? "From my hand I activate Heavy Storm to destroy your Facedown!" I... I couldn't believe it. Just how was that possible? I can't even say it was a banned card because we used banned cards earlier. The Banlist must be different here otherwise someone would have said something and I will bet anything that the Duel Disk on my arm would have denied its activation. I stared back at Jounochi dumbfoundedly as I slowly stood back up. He Top-decked every card he needed and didn't pulled any duds. I would have accused anyone else of cheating but I saw him shuffle his deck before we started and Jounochi did not seem the type to do so. In fact, my gut was telling me that he would rather die then cheat. Was the whole bullshit about the Heart of the Cards actually real?!
"...You win, youngster. You win." I stopped all thoughts of being bitter about losing. If I were not so hasty I could have selected a better deck. If I had strategized with a clear head I could have maybe done better. Closing my eyes to dismiss such thoughts, I took my loss with grace. Besides, being salty about losing a card game was silly and decided to look at it this way. I was about to be defeated by the life-like hologram of THE Red Eyes Black Dragon who had one of the coolest sounding attacks: Inferno Fire Blast. If I was going to lose then I didn't mind it was from one of the OG Monsters.
"Now, Red-Eyes! Direct Attack! Dark Mega Flare!" Okay. That was a much cooler attack name. A roaring ball of red energy gathered within the open maw of the Black Dragon. It swelled in power and in mass then condensed itself to the size of a basketball. The spiral red ball of death now had sparks of black lightning. Along with a roar, Red-Eyes blasted its signature attack at me. The moment the hologram (?) hit me however... I felt excruciating pain. The sort of pain that was too much that you couldn't even scream. What the hel-
Interlude - Shizuka Kawai
Moh! I love my brother but sometimes he makes it so hard to do so! I get that he's protective over me because I used to frail but that isn't the case anymore. Seriously, I can't even find a serious boyfriend because they get scared off by my brother's antics. Even Honda-san and Ryuji-san stopped trying because they started to see me as "Jounochi's sister". I didn't mind that Honda-san stopped but I won't lie when I say that when the devilishly good looking Ryuji-san stopped as well I felt a bit sad.
Anyway, what brought this out was that Onii-chan wanted to tag along because he was worried that Ainsley-kun might take advantage of me. The liar. He was just excited in meeting his new apprentice and was acting all tsundere about it. It'd be cute but I was annoyed at him for accidentally finishing my strawberry shortcake. He doesn't even like it in the first place! He dropped me off at the entrance then drove off to the carpark since it'll be an hour or so when Ainsley-kun's plane lands.
As I made my way to the arrival hall, I started to reminiscence on how my brother and I came to know him. Ainsley-kun was very different from how we first met initially. He is an orphan from the states. They don't know who his parents are as he was dropped at the orphanage, all dirty and bruised, with a note saying "Take care of him." Thankfully, the orphanage that took care of him was one of Kaiba-san's personally funded ones so he should have grown up comfortably. Not much too learn about him. When he was left at the orphanage he was around 7 years old. He was a quiet kid, at least that what the matron said. Always by himself, she said. So quiet you would entirely forget that he was there in the first place which was why he hadn't been adopted. My heart went out to the poor boy. They had run out of all the ways they could coax the child in communicating with them and didn't know what to do with him when suddenly he picked up a deck and started Dueling with the other kids. He was a natural. With a mish mash of cards he was able to take on every single kid and have an impressive record of 11 wins and 4 losses. Once that was sent up to the channels, the orphanage was able to activate the Dueling scholarship every orphan there could utilize as long as they were still living there.
Kaiba-san kept a close eye on him. Onii-chan says its because he wants to experiment on the kid but I think it's because Kaiba-san was an orphan himself and even he has love in his heart. Just look at the way he treats Mokuba-kun. Kaiba-san sadly didn't have the time to keep an eye on the American's progress. After all, when one runs a multi-billion company you barely had any time to yourself so he asked Yugi-san if he could. Normally the Duel King would have said yes in a heartbeat but he was busy with his own share of problems.
So, that's how the number 3 ranked World Pro came into the scene. When he heard from his Aibou (partner) about Ainsley-kun he immediately went over to Kaiba Corp and said that he would do it. Onii-chan and Kaiba-san did their usual act when meeting each other but in the end, Kaiba allowed Jounochi-nii to take the case because he knew my brother wouldn't mess up. Like him, Onii-chan had a soft spot of orphans and troubled kids because of how our lives used to be...
Anyway, Nii-chan brushed up on his English and when he became fluent enough he sent a letter to the orphanage addressed to Ainsley-kun, stating that he was interested in sponsoring and taking him on as an apprentice. Receiving a yes and an invitation, he and I flew over to America to meet the child in person and when we did...
Nii-chan tried his best to keep the mood up but... we had a hard time as our hearts broke when we spoke with him. He was so... robotic. No life in him. He only replied back in one word sentences. When we retired for the day and went back to our hotels, I had never seen my brother look so sad. We could only wonder just what could have happened in the boy's life that made him turn out that way. The next day he told me "We're going to make him smile. I don't care if it takes one month, a year or even a hundred... One day he will laugh, smile and have fun... like a kid is supposed to do."
The next day we went to meet him was the same. That is, until my brother stated that he was an up and coming Duelist in the Pro Circuit. For the first time since meeting him, we got an emotional response. His eyes took on a shine and even if it was barely little, we could see some semblance of an emotion from the quiet boy. Seeing that, Nii-chan went on and on about Dueling and how awesome it was. I could barely keep up as my English wasn't as good as his. I was bored around 30 minutes in, I am sad to say, but Ainsley-kun on the other hand kept his attention on Nii-chan the entire time. From then on, we sent messages back and forth and in doing so we discovered that Ainsley-kun would write more than he talked so we sent emails instead.
It was around 2 years after meeting him that we got a letter from him that surprised us. It was a letter stating that he wanted to attend the, at the time, newly founded Central Duel Academy that opened. Once we received that, my brother and I quickly came up with ways on how we were going to allow Ainsley-kun to enter. This was the first time he ever requested anything which got us very excited. Duel Academy was a notoriously difficult school to enter. Not only did the students have to complete their normal education but Dueling education as well. I had thought that it was ridiculous since when did Duel Monsters ever needed a school to learn and play the game? But Nii-san explained.
"Yes its true that you technically don't need to enter a school to learn how to Duel but if you want to Duel in the pro leagues you have to go." He went on explaining that how Dueling was different in the Pro Circuit compared to normal ones. First off, the prize money was no joke. In fact, it's how we were able to comfortably live for the next 9 years. Secondly, Pro Dueling has some sort of an universal banlist that sometimes targeted a Pro if they doing too good.
They tried it with Yugi-san but he was able to win for 6 years straight before retiring from the Pro-Circuit. Every banlist created during that period was something that specifically targeted his deck and every time he would simply make a new deck with a different strategy and win the entire thing with his trusty Black Magician. He even did it, sometimes, with no rare cards and that certainly sent the fans raving in joyful madness as he cemented his position as the Duel King. Even when he's out of the Circuit people go wild when they spot the now single father in public.
There were more things Nii-san explained but after the 2nd point, it went in one ear and out the other. I may Duel but I wasn't at that level nor will I ever be. Ainsley-kun was though or trying to be so he will have to attend the Academy. We still stayed in contact with our ward where my brother and I would constantly ask how he was doing but all we got was "I am doing fine, Miss Kawai, Mr Katsuya." That said, we were not able to message him as much last year because of how Nii-chan was participating in the Circuit for the final time while I finished off University. While we kept apologizing, Ainsley-kun kept assuring us that he was ok and that he needed more time to study anyways. We still couldn't help but feel bad.
I looked at the time and saw that Ainsley-kun's plane just landed and waited patiently for him. I was nervous in meeting Nii-chan's new protege as there were many things about his future I was worried about. Will he be able to attend school normally? Will he be able to succeed in Dueling? Will he finally be able to make some friends? As I pondered on these questions I waited, then waited and waited some more. It was when a hour or so passed that I started to get worried. Nii-chan texted if something was wrong and I replied that maybe there was.
Did Ainsley-kun get lost? Last time we spoke, he was able to get his Japanese at the level where he could speak decently but reading kanji was extremely difficult for him. I was about to call Nii-chan to say that there was a problem when I saw Ainsley-kun walk out. Phew. Sending a quick message to my brother telling him that I found him and will start heading over.
I caught our ward's attention when I called his name and waved at him and when he was in proximity I hugged him. Mainly due to the fact I was worried sick about him. 14 year old boy travelling overseas by himself? I've got an overactive imagination and it didn't help. I asked if he was okay and to my surprise he spoke back in Japanese. It wasn't that he spoke it but the way he did. I remember that he had an noticeable accent that pointedly sounded American. Now however, if I was to cover his face and hear him speak I would have mistakenly thought a local was talking to me.
Oh, the boy! How thoughtful! He explained that since he was going to study here he brushed up on his Japanese though he still made the mistake of calling me Miss. Kawai-san. Looks like I can still spend some time with him teaching him Japanese but I didn't mind. I needed some practice in tutoring someone since I plan on being a teacher.
While we made our way to Nii-san, I noticed that Ainsley-kun was losing focus and would not respond. I guess it's because it's been a long flight and he was jet lagged. We met up with Nii-san who just had to open his mouth and speak in his usual manner but it resulted in something we were not expecting.
"I find it rude to be referred to as a punk when I have a name so use it, you imbecile!"
Nii-san and I shared a quick look because that was the first time Ainsley-kun ever emoted on that level. He even spoke a full sentence! My brother gave me a look that pleaded with me to give him permission to do something so I gave him a nod. His ideas weren't so bad these days.
"Hoho, wish guy huh? My beautiful sister is miles out of ya league! So don't think of any funny ide-" I stand corrected. My lovable brother is still a moron. I give a quick smack on the head while scolding the both of them. While I am glad that Ainsley-kun is emoting I still plant my feet down at him disrespecting other people. Fortunately, Ainsley-kun apologized. He even gave me a compliment which was nice. I haven't heard anyone speak of me like that in a long time that I felt my cheeks go red. Sadly, if Ainsley-kun was older I would have been interested but seeing how he's barely in his teens I didn't. I'm not a shotacon for crying out loud. I'm not Vivian Wong. Ainsley was so eloquent when he spoke I could feel my heart soar with pride. I helped raised this kid you know.
Then I heard my brother speak.
"That's it! We're having a duel!"
I gave him a look that relayed I wasn't going to tolerate any tomfoolery but he mouthed "trust me" and this time he looked a lot more sure of himself. Though I was surprised to hear that Ainsley-kun didn't own a Duel Disk. You'd think that a CEO who raked in millions of dollars would have enough money to provide Disks for his orphanage. Like my brother suggested, the 2 Dueled. There were some moments that had me laugh and cheer on both my brother and our new housemate. I even snorted when Ainsley-kun screamed something in his native tongue. It reminded me of how Kaiba-san would quip with my brother and hearing such a tone from a child was so ridiculous I laughed. That being said, I may not speak Ainsley-kun's language well enough but even I could pick up that he was swearing. It seems he developed a bad habit in the year we weren't watching over him. I made a note of breaking it out of him.
As I watched the young American duel against my brother had I realize something. Ainsley-kun... He was smiling. It wasn't as big as I hoped for. Yes, it had a slight sarcastic vibe to it but it was natural and wasn't as forced as it used to be. His smiles used to look so fake like a person who told you they were fine when really they weren't. You could see the fire blaze brighter in his eyes as he started to get more and more animated with each turn. I looked at my brother with tearful eyes as he gave me a nod. He kept his promise in making Ainsley-kun smile. We were on our way in fulfilling our promise. Then the match came to an end and I wasn't surprised when my brother won. He is a Pro after all, even so, Ainsley-kun made a valiant effort and stood against him for more than 2 turns which could not be said about other kids his age.
When Nii-chan's Red Eyes launched its final attack, Ainsley-kun got hit and a large explosion occurred. Needless to say but it wasn't a real one but virtually created. As we saw Ainsley-kun's Life Points hit 0, people were cheering for both my brother and our ward but mostly for my brother. We saw that Ainsley was laid flat on the ground when the smoke dispersed. Freaking out, my brother and I ran towards him to check what was wrong but he was just sleeping. He had such a peaceful face that it was so adorable to look at. I wanted to pinch his cheeks! My brother gave a soft laugh and picked our sleeping ward up and laid him down in the back of his car. He thanked the audience that gathered and even signed a few autographs and posed for a photo but as it was getting late we excused ourselves and made our way home.
After collecting the Solid Vision projectors, Nii-san carried Ainsley-kun's case into the trunk and when he sat at the driver's seat he mentioned that it was really heavy. Still believe I could have carried it, I'm not so frail you know. As I sat in the passenger seat next to my brother, I turned around to see Ainsley-kun sleeping peacefully in the backseat. Ooohh! His cheeks were so puffy! Nii-san went off at how great the Duel was as if I wasn't there myself but I let him continue as I liked to hear how it was from his perspective. Apparently he thought that Ainsley was going to beat him near the end but chose poorly and lost.
"In a few years Shizuka... After I've finished his training he'll be a Pro for sure. I guarantee it. He has the instincts and when he learns to control his emotions he'll be unbeatable but that won't be for a while. In the meantime, he's gonna have to study hard since it's 100 years to early to beat the Great Jounochi-sama! Ahahahaha!"
I stayed quiet and didn't mention how he admitted he was close to losing and giggled quietly to myself. Life was going to get more fun in our household, isn't it?
POV - Julian
Ow. Those were the first thoughts I had when I woke up. With what strength I could muster, I opened my eyes and barely succeeded. That was one vivid dream. I can't remember the last time my dreams were so realistic. It was fun while it lasted but I needed to get ready for the day. I was excited in meeting Takeo's kids since they returned from Tokyo and brought their spouses along for Christmas. Little Mei was a grown woman now who was married to a decent man and Akihiro was able to score a babe from Russia.
That had me laughing for days as Takeo questioned how his son was able to get with a bombshell. Needless to say, he was sleeping on the couch for a week once Mizuho caught word of it and got jealous. Taking in my surroundings I took note of that I wasn't in my room. It didn't look like any room in Takeo's home unless he refurbished one of his spare guest rooms without me knowing.
I slowly got up and scratched the itch on my bald hea- Huh? Still in disbelief over what I just felt, I molested my head for a good minute confirming what I had just touched. I even pulled off a single strand too see it with my own eyes. "... I did not have hair when I fell asleep last night." Standing up, I struggled in navigating myself to the toilet as my legs were wobbling from what I can tell was from exhaustion. Exiting the room I was in, I entered a corridor I did not recognize at all.
"It can't be...!" I opened several doors until I stumbled into the toilet and turned on the lights. It seems last night wasn't a dream... "BLLLLLUUUEEEEAAAGH!" Thankfully I reached the bidet in time and puked. Flushing the contents I walked to the sink and rinsed my mouth to get rid of the awful taste that lingered within. Washing my face for good measure I looked up to see the mirror and confirmed my suspicions.
...
"What the hell is going on?" I gingerly touched my face and got a sense of dejavu when I examined my face. I had the same exact appearance from my dream. "I don't think last night was a dream, Julian..." Befuddled, I made my way back to my room. It was dark in this house. Not a single light was on except mine. It was a quaint room. It reminded me of several rooms my friends had when I went over to their place to hang during my time as a middle school student. There was a desktop there and taking the initiative I decided to turn it on and see what I could find.
After a hour of researching I had discovered "I'm not in my world..." Normally you'd be right if just from a cursory glance browsing the internet I could tell I wasn't back home on my Earth but "the history I know is nothing like the one back home..."
First off there were a few big differences like the World War. It still happened here but with a key difference. "...in 1945, the Empire of Japan never allied themselves with Germany but with the British..." Consequently the development of the Atom Bomb never took off and Germany surrendered once America joined the war with the intent of helping their overseas allies. America was also a lot more bigger with a few more regions that didn't exist back home and it seems they broke from their British roots 100 years earlier than the history I grew up with. A few good things were that Japan stopped their isolation fairly early, JFK did not get assassinated and that the Great Tragedy of 9-11 never happened.
"Does that mean Uncle Steve is still alive here...?" My mother told me once that father used to be a very different man when Uncle Steve was alive. However, all these wondrous discoveries where balanced out with equally horrible events. "...Prince William and Prince Harry were with Princess Diana in the crash, segregation in Africa is still active with the states having more violent riots regarding equal rights. The Holocaust had a couple million more fatalities..." I felt my head spin as I read both the good and the bad in this world I somehow come into. This was fucking insane.
"Speaking of which, how did I get here?" Concentrating on my memories I tried to see if I could recall if anything strange occurred but nothing. "I remember withdrawing my money then heading to Akihabara but I'm drawing a blank when trying to remember what I did there. Next thing I know I'm on the train heading home..." I froze when I remember about the withdrawal.
Rushing to find my backpack for my wallet I took out my credit and debit cards and checked to see if I could access the bank online only to find "There's no visa or mastercard?!" The only thing I could find online was Visa's but they were about travel visas. I picked up my cards to examine them thoroughly when I saw that instead of the Mastercard logo was KCB. "What the..?" Typing in the search bar I was surprised when I saw the results. "Kaiba Corp Banking…? What?"
That cemented the fact what happened yesterday wasn't a dream. The fact was I was in the world of Yugioh and quite a few years after the original series finished airing it seems. 9 years to be precise. I leaned back in the chair I was on with a hand covering my mouth. "...This is real. This is real and I have somehow transported into Yugioh. Just what the hell is going on." Shit. How did I get here? If it was like one of them Isekai animes Takeo went on about, shouldn't I have met some sort of God or Entity before being transported here? Oh shit...
"Please don't tell me it was Shadow Realm Magic!" Fuck! If I am in Yugioh, shadow games was real and there was magic in this world! Not like Harry Potter magic where only some parts were scary but shadow magic where proper sacrifices resulted in making magical items that contain the soul of the Devil! Real horror and fucked up shit! I could feel myself hyperventilating so I calmed myself by thinking of ways it couldn't be.
"Atem and the Millennium Items were sealed off after the final Duel. Even in GX, shadow games were a hoax where people would fool the ignorant by saying that it was real." Feeling my heartbeat return to normal I took a deep breathe to ride out the last of my panic. "Besides, from what I can remember, the stuff that happened in 5d's was due to overtechnology, not magic, and that won't happen till the distant future."
That being said, I found a blank notebook nearby and started to write the timeline of this world as best as I could but there laid a problem. "I don't fucking remember what happened in GX. I know the whole crap about Shadow Riders, the Cult of Light and Yubel but not the specifics. Can't even start on the 4th season because I only watched the Dub!" If I knew I was getting into this situation I would have brushed up on the show but seeing how I couldn't I wrote down what I know.
"Duel Academy... Silly school adventures... Shadow Riders... Brainwashing cult... Bullshit fortune telling powers... Do not Duel Sartorius..." I heavily underlined that point. The idea of my free will being taken from me was a horrifying thought. "Yandere Yubel and her Jaden obsession... Dimension Hoppin-"
Wait... Dimension Hopping! Yeah! I remember the academy going to another dimension because of Yubel! Maybe with that I can find a way home! My wrist stopped writing as I thought of a question.
…
"…Did...do I even want to return?"
...
I mean let's face it, what was back home so important I had to go back? Parents? Father hates my guts and even I know my mother thinks I'm a waste of space despite doing her best in trying to make me feel loved... My brother? Nicholas and I haven't spoken to each other since our last fight so that's a no. My job? I was about to reach retirement. My hobbies? I paint miniatures and sell them in hobby shops and I am honestly getting sick of it. My friends? All had lives of their own. Even Takeo and Mizuho would get along fine without me...
Man. My life is depressing when I look back on it. The only thing that kept me going was teaching and the students I nurtured have all left to do amazing things with their life. I get the occasional greeting cards and wedding invites but let's face it, who would want to be friends with a 50 plus white guy who only played with figures and video games?
My mood plummeted as I thought about what I had done with my life. The only thing I'm proud of was that I became a teacher and a damn good one if I say so myself. At what cost though? I broke off from my family on bad terms, I left my life in America and moved to Japan and didn't even bothered to find a family of my own...
"No... let's look at it this way... I'm young again. Just how many others can say they can get a restart on life? I can still be a teacher here if I wanted to. From what I can tell I have 2 people who genuinely care about me. I have some cash saved up from checking my bank account online just now. I could finally eat the foods I want again and not worry about my cholesterol! I'm in a world where I can play Yugioh with actual Duel Disks! Fucking hell! I'm in a world where I can say I met Yugi fucking Muto and not sound like a lunatic!"
…
"…and I have to go to school again... FFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU-"
"WOULD YOU KEEP IT DOWN?! I'M TRYING TO SLEEP HERE YOU BRAT!"
"...ck.
It was still jarring for me to woke up the next day and find out I'm in Yugioh. I know it was 9 years after but not exactly sure of where in the timeline I am seeing how Joe- I mean Jounochi is a young adult now. Does that mean I'm near GX? During? After? I was still in the middle of accepting my current reality but my hosts were accommodating. At least Serenit- I mean Shizuka-san was.
"Morning Ainsley-kun! Did you have a good night's sleep?" Shizuka had her hair tied up and was wearing an apron. She was currently setting up the table for breakfast. I helped out setting the dishes.
"Yes Shizuka-san. I'm sorry for troubling you yesterday" I mean I did pass out in front of her after the Duel. I rubbed the spot where the energy blast hit me as phantom pains started to flare up. Why the fuck do I even feel pain from that?
"Oh don't worry about it. You're our new ward now so we knew what we were getting into. Still, I was surprised with how you Dueled yesterday." From what I could tell she was grilling some fish and it smelled scrumptious.
"It wasn't that good, I made several misplays that I wish I could take back" I set down the chopsticks she pointed to and moved to the cupboard.
"Well that's why you're an apprentice. To learn from your mistakes. Don't worry. My brother may act like an idiot time to time but he's really good at Dueling. You'll be a pro in no time!"
I stumbled when I heard that information. Being Joey Wheeler's apprentice? There were better options *coughcoughKaibacoughcough but I didn't mind. It's still Joey Wheeler. Crap, I mean Jounochi. It's gonna take a while till I get acclimated to their eastern names.
"I still can't thank you enough for giving me this opportunity, ma'am" More research for later.
"Moh~ I told you. It's Shizuka-chan or Shizuka-sensei" She turned her head towards me pouting.
"O-of course, Shizuka-sensei…" I still have a hard time using the chan honorific because I cringe at the thought of using it.
"That's better! Now, can you get my brother? He'd normally be awake by now but he said something about waking up in the middle of the night." That was my fault wasn't it? I prepared some hot green tea and poured it into the cup that had Jounochi's face plastered on it and made my way to his room. Taking several tries in finding it I finally knocked on Jounochi's door.
"Whaaat?" Seems like he wasn't a morning person.
"Katsuya-san, breakfast is almost ready. Time to wake up."
"Alright-" I hear a yawn and Jounochi telling me to wait a minute. The door opened revealing the man I had my first Duel with wearing a night cap and pajamas. "Mornin' brat. I see you come bearing gifts." He took the tea I brewed and downed the entire cup. "Ah, that hit the spot. Come along punk. Shizuka-chan's cooking always makes my mornings bearable." Following him, we walked down the stairs to reach the dining room.
"Mornin' sis! What're we having today?" Plopping down in his seat I sat down opposite him.
"Grilled mackerel with pickled radish and miso. I even made the honey glazed boiled potato you like." In the time I went upstairs, my host already had our breakfast set on the table.
"Sweet! You're gonna love this stuff, kid. Shizuka-chan beats any 5 star dish I've eaten." After we all sat down, we said our grace "Itadakimasu!" "Thank you for the food." then digged in. Jounochi was correct, the food was delicious.
"Iya, as good as as always Shizuka-chan!"
"It certainly is, Shizuka-sensei."
"Naww, thanks you two. So. What's your plan for today?"
Before anyone could say anything I decided to control the conversation to have some time to myself. "Well, I'm still a bit jetlagged so I wish to sleep it off a bit. I should be good in a day or so."
The person opposite me did not like that. "Eh? You just got here and you want to sleep some more? Come on! Be a man and tough it out! We can go sightseeing and I can give ya a tour!" Oh bother.
"Nii-chan. You were jetlag as well when we went to the states and remember how many days you spent sleeping?" With narrowed eyes, Shizuka was able to kowtow her brother. Thank you, Shizuka.
"Ah fine. Jetlag is no joke. Guess that means I'll have to let Yugi know we're canceling our meet up." That son of a bitch. I almost relented and gave in... but I really needed to sort out my history...
"It's best if you did. Yugi-san is busy these days anyway, taking care of his child and what not." I promptly choked on the rice I was about to swallow. Yugi had a child?!
"Punk, you aite?" Jounochi slapped my back several times to help me swallow down my food.
"Y-yes. Yug- I mean Muto-san has a child?" That's the first time I've heard of it I thought.
"Yeah, kid. My Aibou has a kid. Sweet little thing she is. She looks just like her mother..." I frowned when I read the atmosphere. There was a somber mood filling the air. What was I missing?
"Is... is something wrong?" I saw the 2 siblings share a look before telling me something that shook me to my core.
"Yugi-san... Well let's just say his wife isn't in the picture anymore."
...
Did Tea Gardner... leave Yugi?! Between the shipping war between Rebecca and Tea, we all knew it'd end with Tea. That's why I was taken by surprise. Out of all the people, Tea was not someone I thought could do that! I had several questions but kept my tact and decided to ask another day. "I see." I mean... What else could I say.
"Finish up, Ainsley-kun. Don't worry about the dishes. My brother will do them." She gave me a sad smile.
"I'm... I'm sorry if I crossed a line."
"Nah kid, you were only curious. It's fine. Take the day off, you look tired"
I looked tired because I felt myself age a few years after hearing that. Finishing my meal and placing the dishes in the sink, I thanked Shizuka and walked upstairs to my room to do some research. I didn't start till late afternoon.
Banishing the depressing mood around mid afternoon, I went on completing the task that I set for myself. That is my personal history or rather this body's history. It was easy to find but my conclusions were troubling.
Apparently, I was a quiet kid and extremely introverted. Nothing much could be said about my life except that I seemed to be some sort of Dueling prodigy which I found to be annoying. If I was a prodigy then I would have to keep up the façade and study my ass off so my actions lined up with the facts known about me. The lack of information showing how empty my life before "waking up" felt engineered to a degree and no matter how much time pass I could not solve its mystery.
Did I supplant someone's life? Did I kill my body's original soul by entering it? Despite my spiritually philosophical dilemma I was somewhat unconvinced I did. I was more leaning on the side that this body was an empty vessel before my awakening seeing how blank my history was. No parents or prior friends, no connections made in the orphanage with the unlikely coincidence that I was acquainted with one of the show's main characters. Too many things in my mind pointed out that this was manufactured.
I thought of maybe confessing the truth but really, who would take me seriously? Jounochi and Shizuka? If they did it was either constantly monitoring me to see if I had some sort of mental illness. Or, if they did, and I literally shuddered at this possibility, they send me to Kaiba Corp (who has access to some tech that's borderline magic) and come to the conclusion that I'm a byproduct of an unnatural phenomenon and would be experimented on, which I might be by the way.
I mean unlike my Earth, here, Shadow magic was an actual thing and the creation of my body (and let's not forget the tiny detail on the matter of transferring of my soul) could be the result of some dark ancient ritual to bring the end of the world... but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Both my hosts have first hand experience in dealing with it so at least they're somewhat experts on it. I doubt they would have let me in their house if it was so. If I were to confess there was a chance they might listen to me and try to help me but that carried a risk. Small? Yes, but I still ain't taking the chance.
Considering how kind Jounochi and Shizuka are, especially how kind the both of them are, I was not willing risk their livelihood on the off chance I'm wrong. I mean Dueling has its origins seeped in archaic occult practices in the show, usually dark in nature, and I had a history where I suddenly "came" to life by Dueling with other kids... It was better safe then sorry. Until I find more evidence to solidify how my existence came to be and deem it safe I will keep up my deception so I truly apologize Shizuka and Jounochi. I mean for fuck sake. Aliens, eldritch entities, ancient magic or even cyborgs from the future, there's number of fucked up shit that can "create" me and all of them them have nightmarish implications in this so called "Children's Cartoon".
The realization that I will be lying to 2 people I like left me soured.
Momentarily satisfied with my research, I spent the following afternoon accommodating my personality to what I've read. I did not want to raise any needless questions and suddenly be in the spotlight. Any changes that were noted I will just blame puberty and me growing up. Reaching about early evening, Jounochi came into my room to let me know he was gonna head out to grab dinner since Shizuka was busy with her friends. I asked if he could get me a katsūdon take out and he left me alone in the house which suited me perfectly. Going over to my suitcase to unpack, I let out a shout of excitement once I saw the contents inside.
"OH FUCK ME! THAT'S MY COLLECTION!" Yep. It sure was. In fact, from what I counted, every single deck I had stored in my hobby room seemed to have travelled with me. Safe to say that I let out a giggle of giddy excitement thinking of what I can do with these babies. I frothed over the possibility with the decks I had. Some of them were tier 0 decks that would easily curb stomp people here. Looking over the decks in my backpack as well as the crap ton in my suitcase, my mood cruelly plummeted as if it got viciously drop-kicked off a cliff.
"1 Copy of Blue-Eyes White Dragon. 1 Copy of Masked Hero Dark Law. 1 Copy of Zoodiac Ratpier. 1 Copy of- 1 Copy of- 1 Copy of- No, nono, nonononononononononono, nonono!" Hieratic Dragons: No playsets. Dragon Rulers: No playsets. Metalfoes: No playsets. Firefists: No playsets. Gemknights: No playsets. Every deck I owned was taken out from their box and every deck I checked had one thing in common. Most of the decks that required a playset of 3 Monsters were reduced to 1 with a few exceptions. The only things I had a set of was Spell and Trap cards and that wasn't the biggest problem.
Picking up the deck that contained Trishula, I was horrified to see that it was "...blank. Why the fuck is this blank?" They were all blanked out in white. I could see the names but the artwork, effects, level, card frame and combat stats were empty. I checked all the extra deck cards like Synchro, XYZ and Pendulums and they were all blanked out as well. Even the few Link cards I collected just before I was forced to retire from the game. Didn't that tidbit royally piss me off.
Fusions were still there so that was a thing. As the result of having all the powerful monster reduced to 1 copy that meant no Firewall blocks, no Electrum Gustav shenanigans, no Darklord Fairy Burn, no Hieratic OTK's, no Teledad and even Zoodiacs were a no. Hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on cards and I couldn't even use them in this world!
I screamed loudly through my pillow to let out my irritation.
There was a small upside to this though. There were a total of 3 decks that were untouched excluding my D.D. Monarch deck. Spellbook Priestess Turbo, Ritual Chaos, and Full Kaiju's. It would take time but I am sure I can create a few more decks from the available cards in my storage but in the meantime, the 4 I have will do nicely. Not that I could really complain though since I could think of a few nasty decks already. Hieractic Buster Blader for example.
"Hey brat! I brought grub! Come and get it before it gets cold!" I could hear Jounochi say. Closing my case, I head to the dining table but not before a curious thought entered my mind. "Why would some of my cards be blank? Pfft, I wonder if I would have to go on search quests to get them back. Yeah right."
Closing door behind me I was not able to see the dim glow, that the 4 decks I set aside, were emitting.
Note to self, past me: Do not try and tempt fate when you're in an anime, my boy. You're just asking for trouble.
"You excited for school?" After sorting out our dinner, Jounochi and I talked.
"I guess. I am more worried about how the exams will be. There was barely any information online." I checked. There wasn't.
"Yeah~ I tried asking that bastard Kaiba but he just flipped me off. You still have 3 quarters of a year till the exams arrive so don't worry to much about it. Oh man this soup's good." My blonde host was already finished with his meal.
"Are you and Kaiba... is friends the right word?" I remember how their dynamic was like. Through a TV screen it was funny to witness but I'd doubt it was anything but funny in real life.
"Nah, not really. I guess reluctant acquaintances would be more fitting. We barely see each other often so that kinda helps. At this point it'd be weird if we stopped and become cordial so we just continue." He offered to take my empty bowl, which I gave to him, he then started washing them. Moving next to him I leaned on the counter beside the sink as the conversation was not yet finished. "Oh we had our moments. Pompous ass kept seeing me as a second rate citizen and all I saw was a spoilt rich boy. Honestly, if it weren't for Aibou, we probably still be hating each other's guts."
"Really? What could Muto-san do to stop hostilities?" A duel perhaps?
"It's kinda long and personal but gist of it is, Yugi told Kaiba I beat Aibou after the Battle City Tournament."
"Oh wow, I'm guessing Kaiba-san was not too pleased about that." Kaiba may have defeated Yugi once but it was because he threatened suicide.
"Actually it was the opposite. He begrudgingly accepted my skills as a Duelist since then but man, let me tell ya, was Dueling Aibou hard. I was able to win by the toss of a coin, haha."
"I see. Is it okay if I can ask you a few questions about the Duel Disk?"
"Man, we need to do something about your conversational skills." Taking a beer from the fridge and tossing me a soda Jounochi made his way to where the sofa was and sat with me following. I pulled a chair from the dining table at sat on it backwards and started on my drink. "So, what's up?"
"I've been wondering about certain functions of the Disk. Is there manual I can borrow so I can see?"
"I'll see if I can find it though I might have dumped it out when we moved. Anything specific you had in mind?"
"Well... There were somethings I was curious about like for example, is there a shuffling function on the device?" I remember seeing some Duel Disks in the anime auto-shuffling cards but couldn't remember if it was done in GX's era.
"Would've been great if it did but no. I did hear though that the next gen's might have that installed. Even heard they're finally stopping production of models with SV-Sliders." I could take a guess in what SV meant and the word Slider brought the memory of the 2 wing-like fliers that separated from the device.
"But I thought they're needed so the holograms can be materialized."
"Yeah but here's the thing, the madlad Kaiba has placed throughout the entirety of Japan these massive towers which basically functions as megasized SV-Sliders. Nowadays, with the many Kaibacorp satellites in space, Duelists don't need the projectors on the Disk no more." I was about to ask him why he still used them but he anticipated my question. "It's a classic. The ones I have are barely worn anymore and I can't just get rid of them... forged many memories with them." He had this glazed look that indicated memories were being brought out to the front of his mind. I waited patiently till he was finished reminiscing.
"The .2 models and .3 don't have sliders but the OG units, which have, are something I always use. It's kinda my calling card now plus it's bulky and has style haha."
I can't deny that. Many kids who watched the original anime would sell their spare kidneys so they could have one and quite frankly I just got mine back so I'll just take the one he ha-. Wait a second. "Wait, back in our duel, you used D.D. Revival. How on Earth did you know to put that in your deck?"
"I was always going to Duel you, brat. I wanted to test your mettle and originally I was going to do it when we had our privacy but I saw how stressful you were so I decided I'd help ya."
"But that doesn't explain how you placed a card in your deck that would counteract mine." I ignored the warm feeling I got in my chest as I was touched by Jounochi's compassion.
"One thing I'll tell you now about the Pro Leagues, brat. Always scout out opponents so you can know his strategy and see if you can counteract it. I knew we were going to duel and I knew what type of deck you would play thanks to Shizuka-chan so I side decked some cards to counteract yours. I may go easy on you but I won't intentionally lose a Duel. Not only is that rude but also highly disrespectful to my opponent. Next time we Duel I expect you to do the same. If you're still planning on being a pro, these are the things you need to know."
"Isn't that underhanded?"
"It's only underhanded if you actively do something to sabotage your opponent or their deck. If it's just seeing how they play it's not underhanded. It's like what sport teams used to do in the past when scouting their opponents. They see what the enemy players do then change their training accordingly but don't count on that because it might be a feint."
"A feint?"
"Some opponents pretend to strategize certain methods when really they don't utilize them. That way, once the match comes up they can take down their opponents, who received false intel, easier seeing how they prepared their deck the wrong way." All this sounded exactly what the pro sports scene was like back home. "Don't worry punk, I'll give you a detailed course over the time we have. The academic stuff I'll leave to Shizuka-chan. What are your majors and minor subjects by the way?"
"Majors are social studies, alchemy and Dueling tactics with minors being literature, archetypal lore creation and card design." Where were these classes back home? I would have studied my ass off if so.
"Dueling tactics and card design I can understand, lore creation and social studies less so. Also, alchemy?" Jounochi scratched his chin.
"From what I've read, its a chemistry based course mixed with certain occult practices along with their history. Biology is also thrown in every few pages." By mentioning occult I could see Jounochi's face drain a little. Guess I was right about him being wary of the stuff.
"Just be careful, don't want to tell Shizuka-chan you blew yourself up." Jounochi said before taking a long sip from his beer. "You need help with your deck?"
"Not really and besides, can't let you see what I'm hiding in there now, can I?" I said while smirking which Jounochi reciprocated.
"You're already learning. That's a prodigy for ya. Seriously though, do ya need any help? I heard that Academia student decks have rares and are pretty powerful to go up against."
That reminds me. "I'm good, I have a few rare cards myself that help me out on occasion but I have to ask. Do rare cards mean they're automatically powerful?"
"Nope." He slurped the last of his beer before placing it down on the side table next to him. "One thing kids these days don't get is that rare doesn't necessarily equate power. It's how you use them."
"Then what's the big deal with rare cards?" Another thing to research more about.
"It's how they're rare. Industrial Illusions makes sure when they produce a powerful card they limit its release." He pulled out his deck from his pocket and pulled 2 copies of "In all my years Dueling I was able to get only 2 copies of Red-Eyes and not without lack of trying mind you." He proceeded to take out and show me his various Red-Eyes support cards. "Duelists who find a rare ace Monster tend to find the supports for it."
"I'm guessing there are many others who try to find Red-Eyes?" I wonder what his reaction will be when he finds out Red-Eyes is going for 50¥ back home.
"Nah, only collectors and the lucky few who come across them by chance. People who stick to an archetype tend to follow each other in case they're willing to part with their collection. I'm following a couple people myself with many others following me for that same opportunity. In fact, I know there's a fellow R-E hunter who'll be your senior. He has a Red-Eyes card even I don't have." Really? I don't remember a character in GX who uses that archetype.
"If they're so hard to collect then why even do it in the first place?" I have my own theories but not a solid one.
"It's in the name. Since rare cards are hard to collect, counter strategies for them aren't usually well known. It's not like everyone can buy a counter card and add it to their deck. If you did it'll clunker your deck synergy. Not to mention facing a rare set is not as common as you think." I cough awkwardly then weep in silence over the tier-0 decks I no longer can use. Seriously. Capital "Curb-Stomp".
"If it's about money, can't someone like you buy the last copy for Red-Eyes?" I'm already assuming it's a no then briefly wonder if that's why I didn't have playsets of certain cards.
"Haha, that'll be the day. If it was so easy to buy specific cards the Duel Monster scene today would be extremely different. Even if I didn't have my signature Ace, in what world can a Duelist buy 3 copies of him? Unless you have a boatload of money you can throw away like that Kaiba it's honestly better to just hold onto it. Though if you happened to have a Blue-Eyes card, nothing but an act from a god will stop Kaiba from getting it." Aaaaand with that, I'm no way in hell using my Blue-Eyes.
"I guess I can see why rare archetypes can be powerful. Speaking of which, is there such an archetype so rare no one has heard of it?" Please say yes otherwise that'll mean my Spellbook and Kaiju's were out.
"Oh definitely, even after all these years not every archetype released has surfaced with new hidden gems being released silently, piling on the problem." I had a tingly feeling when I translated the word "gem" from his sentence. Don't know why though. It seems my internal relief was not as internal as I had hoped since Jounochi was whistling playfully. "Ho~ Does Mr Prodigy here have such an archetype?"
"I cannot confirm nor deny." I deflected which satisfied Jounochi for now.
"Well, looks like a trip to Aibou's card shop is needed after all." Then his mood changed as he propped forward with this elbows on his knees and folded his hands sitting like Shinji's dad from Evangelion. "I won't ask to see your rare deck but under no circumstances" He emphasized. "Will you show them off willy-nilly to anyone who asks to see it. Even when you're at that private island school of yours."
"I can think of the implications but I still am going to ask why."
"Pro-Dueling wasn't such a lucrative career as it was back in my teenage years. There's a lot of money a Duelist can win even if you've come in 3rd. One thing about Kaiba I am forced to admit is that he now has a lot of money than he knows what to do with. Dueling in his sponsored Pro-Circuit, I may not have come 1st, 2nd or even 3rd in all the tournaments I've entered but with the ones I did however I was able to pay off my baby sister's tuition and still have enough to live comfortably till retirement age."
...Just how much money was on the line here? I gave him a nod to let him know he had my full attention.
"With the budding Duelists you're going to be attending school with, there will be the few who will not hesitate to steal, cheat and/or lie so they can have a better chance. Hell, if it happened to the Duel King then it will happen to you as well if you're not careful. One bad thing about owning rare archetypes is that people will have their eyes on you and not all for good reasons. Even if you'll be safe on that island, there's a chance the underworld will come after you and steal what's rightfully yours."
"Mafia?" I guess with card games being this prolific the scum and villainy would adapt their practices to the current climate.
"Similar. Rare Hunters." Wait. Like Malik's group of criminals?
"I'm surprised you know of that. Few people know of that fact with said person regretting he formed such a group."
"Did I say that out loud?" Shit, did I just set off the alarm bells in Jounochi's head?
"Yes. Shizuka-chan mentioned you had that problem and you need to do something about it. Back to what I was saying, despite Malik and his family's best endeavors they weren't able to wipe out them out and have become more dangerous. That being said, I'll take you to Aibou's shop tomorrow so you can register any decks you have. That's one countermeasure that Ishizu chick was able to come up with."
"Wouldn't that be counterproductive? I'll just be announcing to them in big capital letters "STEAL ME". How's that gonna safeguard my decks?" Fuck, I won't be able to register many decks then since it'll be suspicious on how I came across them.
"Well here's the nifty thing about registering. You scan the cards individually and they'll be a holographic button inscribed on the bottom right of your cards. They'll even be an imprint, invisible to the eye, on the surface of the card. That way, they'll be insured and in the case they're stolen, once retrieved they'll be given back to you. With me and another as a witness, even in the infinitesimal small chance the files in the servers were somehow hacked they won't be able claim it as theirs. The only way they can is to win them off you in an Ante Duel."
Is that the in-universe reason for the Eye of Anubis Holograph? Even with all the protection guaranteed I'm not sure if I should do that with every deck I come up with.
"Anyway it's getting late, brat. I'll explain more tomorrow on the way to the shop tomorrow. Remember to bring your phone. The app in there will help with the register." I grimaced uncomfortably as Jounochi ruffled my hair and went off to brush his teeth. I sat on my chair for a bit thinking of what I should do. Once decided I cleared the trash in the living room then headed back upstairs to get ready for bed.
Turn 2 - A feeling I'm not in Kansas - End.
And done~
Truth be told, I was extremely uncomfortable about stating what the difference between the worlds are. As someone who's had lost people in certain events I can see how what I wrote can be offensive which I truly have no intention of doing so. If there is a huge outcry then I will change it while I reiterate that I meant no offence.
That said, comment if you liked the chapter and send any proper criticism my way so I can improve my writing.
Reviewing Corner:
Thatz mann-Rance
Advance summoning is a term used by players who play the OCG format like what Zeromk7 said. I came across it when I went to Japan as an exchange student so I thought I honor the term seeing how the game was started there. Characters in story will comment on that so there's a reason I wrote it so.
Edit: Thanks for the stat spot. As First of Dragons, I'm not going to promise anything since that glow has something to do with it.
Zeromk7
The massive change in Monster Stats came from your review and I hope you like this change. It is pleasing to look at through my eyes but please comment if it did not for you. I'll try to see what I can do to make it easier when reading but this is what I'll stick with for now till I think of a better version.
Edit: I'll take a look at the 2 fics you suggested in terms of stat formatting. I'm trying to avoid looking at other GX fics at the moment so my storytelling does not get influenced by them.
Edit: New Reviews
Everpeach
Thanks, I didn't see that. Wrote the word so many times it passed my mind.
Zet4
I had similar thoughts about using mechanics in eras that didn't have them barring special circumstances like omakes for example. Didn't want my character being this unbeatable Duelist since that wouldn't be fun and isn't the purpose of Julian's character arc. His Ace Monsters will be stated in the next chapter in March. I shouldn't be telling you this but... We, the readers, know about Blue Eyes being only 4 copies... but that doesn't mean Julian knows/remembers :3.
Review corner over,
Stay safe everyone and till next time~
Edit: Feb 1st 2021, for some reason the app uploaded the previous version of the draft I wrote.
Edit: Feb 2nd 2021, Grammar changes, Homunculus stat error fixed, Masked Hero Vision changed to Masked Hero Dark Law (I was watching wandavision at the time so the word got slipped in), added in latest reviewer corner as of Feb 3rd 2021.
