New month new chapter!
Aight, I'm just gonna come clean. I was going to start the GX canon this chapter but I decided that I would spend a couple or so chapters to flesh out Julian as well as the other characters he will be interacting with.
I will also be using a couple of cards that I created in this chapter. If you think they're overpowered/too weak/confusing or any other adjective, let me know. I don't want something to be too outbalanced. You'll notice that some cards that were released in 2020 or the year before will be appearing here. I have a system in place which I will be keeping to myself till later.
The Code Geass fic is going to take a while for me to get going. I kinda forgot how to write something in the 3rd person without being repetitive. Don't ask how, since even I didn't know that could be possible, sorry about that.
Secondly, I just found out this site called Spacebattle and from the looks of things, it might be easier for me to be writing there than on this platform. I can post pictures in lieu of constantly writing out stats. Once I decided I'll let you guys know in the next Author's note.
Lastly, I'm currently on the roll for this fic so, in order to keep me from crashing, I might release 2 chapters a month. 1 in the beginning and the other in the middle. Granted if real life doesn't get that busy, in which case it'll just be the 1 chapter.
Writing Glossary
"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)
"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:
New Stat (Original Stat (PLUS or -) Modifier).
Example-
- [ATK:2500 (2000 PLUS 500)] *The Plus symbol doesn't show up.
- [ATK:1500 (2000 - 500)] *While the "-" Minus 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.
"... around 45 minutes or so till we get there. So, just sit back and relax." My driver announced while yawning. The both of us woke up early this morning and instead of trying to get some more sleep, we decided to head to the store. It wouldn't be open when we get there but Jounochi had a key to the place. He decided, and I agreed quite frankly, that it will be better if we registered my deck privately. Rather than doing so in the middle of the day.
"I hope Muto-san won't mind the interruption." Especially so if he had a kid. Poor guy must be tired as hell taking care of a baby.
"You mean Aibou? Ah don't worry about him. He hasn't been living there for years now. Ji-jii should already be up and setting up the store." said my blonde haired caretaker. Despite the time being 6:48 in the morning, there was quite a bit of traffic on the streets. I reckon we'd reach the store in a hour than in 45 minutes.
Seeing that, I dozed off to try and catch up on some needed sleep as we journeyed to the Kame Game store. I've been feeling more groggy than usual which shouldn't be possible. Even back home, jetlag never really affected me as much. Was it because of my extenuating circumstance? I mean- Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz-
"We're here, brat. Come on, wake up." Being shaken awake violently resulted in me instinctively punching the first thing my eyes saw. Unfortunately, that meant Jounochi's face. You'll have to excuse me, I was understandably startled. Fortunately however, my punch seemed to amuse him more than hurt him considering how weakly it landed on his face. "Alright Rocky, stop messing about and let's go." Dragging me out of the car along with my backpack, he carried me like a sack of potatoes and made his way to the store, opposite to where the car was parked.
A few sniggers and quiet chuckles were sent our way when people saw how dumbfounded I looked. I blinked several times, not quite comprehending what was happening at the moment. Jounochi planted me down in front of the door then proceeded to hook my arms through the straps of my backpack.
My first meeting with Solomon Muto, or rather Sugoroku Muto, had him looking at me funny while I stared back all shell shocked and confused. Once enough processing power came back online, I walked over to the bastard that carried me. Then slammed my backpack across his stomach in revenge.
"HUMPF!" Collapsing to the ground, Jounochi wheezed down there for a bit while I ceremoniously greeted Yugi's pop-pop and walked into the store. The store was just like how it was presented in the anime. Glass display tables in a Reversed U shape with various games on the shelves at the walls. There was a door at the back that lead to somewhere.
"Oh dear, is Jounochi-kun going to be okay?" Sugoroku's voice was a lot deeper than I remember. It was closer to his dubbed one than his subbed.
"He'll be fine, just being overdramatic." Like how I said, the injury I dealt to Jounochi wasn't that bad as he was already in the store with us.
"Peh, caught me off guard is all. Now that I think about it, it was quite pathetic." He joked with a goofy smile showing he wasn't offended by my actions.
"I'd be worried if it wasn't, old man. Wouldn't want you kicking the bucket now, do I?" I quipped back. Already having retrieved my backpack, I placed it down beneath the counter till.
"Why this little punk. Hey pops, see what I got deal with?" Jounochi teased.
"Hahaha, oh it warms my heart seeing my old student taking on an apprentice himself. Come on now, I still have to arrange the store and this body of mine can't quite keep up anymore." Jounochi and I helped with carrying some of the heavier boxes out of storage upstairs. I was impressed that the old man was still working despite his age. Shouldn't he be retired by now?
The door I spotted earlier lead us through into a fairly large room with several tables spaced out aesthetically. There was a staircase, immediately on the left upon entering the room, which we walked up to reach the storage room. We went about restocking the shelves with the products inside the boxes. It took a while but I didn't mind. Reason being, didn't want Yugi's grandpop straining his back like mine did. By the time we finished it was close to 9 am. Opening hour was upon us and I could see a few people standing in line outside.
"Thank you my boys, Yugi usually would have done it by himself but the poor boy has been exhausted more than lately. Little Ůme gets all jealous and tearful when her daddy isn't with her." A series of popping cracks sound out from my neck as I stretched. Ůme? I thought to myself. I'm guessing that's the name of Yugi's daughter. Plum. It's similar to Tea's Japanese name of Anzu. Curious.
"Little tyke is a regular daddy's girl. She's gonna be breaking hearts when she gets older." Finally setting up the display, Jounochi noted the time and saw we wouldn't get to register my deck in private like we discussed. "Oi brat, customers usually won't be as much around lunch time. We'll scan your cards then if we can."
Hearing about scanning, Sugoroku brightened up. "Oh, you're registering! Smart of you, young man. Kids these days don't bother. I'll go prime the scanner in my office upstairs." He made his way to a door near the back and as he opened the door, he turned his head to Jounochi. "My boy, I'm sorry to ask this but can you." He inclines his head my way. "And your student help out with the store today?"
"Sure thing, pops! Hey punk! Come here. I'll instruct ya on how to use the cash register." That brought me back to my youth. I used to do part time at Wal-Mart back when I needed to build up some funds for my move to Japan. It didn't take long to re-learn how to operate on the machine seeing how the till was the same. Press this button to scan. Swipe the barcode. Press another button for cash or card so on so forth.
"Looks like you got the basics down. Let me know if any trouble comes up and I'll help ya then. Now! Customers are gonna start coming in, so remember: smile... Even to the rude ones." Jounochi grumbles out the last part. I give him a nod conveying that I understood. Jounochi unlocked the front door and flipped the store sign from "closed" to "open".
A company of kids, a few teenagers as well as a couple of adults, tagging along the back, rushed in. Since it was around mid March, I can see why the kids weren't in school on a weekday but my eyebrow was arched up from seeing the adults. My eyes rolled up when I tried to think if March 15 had any notable holidays. Don't think there was any internationally or in Japan today. That's another thing to add to the list of "Things Julian needs to research."
I took out a small notebook that fit neatly in my left hand and turned to the 2nd page. Absentmindedly writing down to study up on public holidays, I let out a scoff as I finished noting down my research topic. "This fucking thing is increasing at an exponential rate. Already on Point 17 for fucks sake." I returned to the register once pocketing the book back into my pants.
I was kept busy during the next couple of hours, scanning whatever products people wanted to buy. The purchases mainly consisted a shit-ton of booster packs. There was the occasional board game or two sold and a few Deck boxes. I even got to answer some questions they asked. Nothing too difficult mind you, mostly kids asking how can they summon a particular card. It was amusing to see their reactions over how easily I answered them. My heart joyfully soared as I was instantaneously reminded of my teaching years. The little brats in front of me reminded me of the various enthusiastic students I used to teach.
The ones I couldn't answer were of kids asking why Yugi wasn't here at the store today. Jounochi mostly took care of those. I did too once I got answers based on context and from what I could hear my caretaker say. I helped thinned out the crowd as the amount of people inside the store was getting a bit too much for me. "Muto-san won't be coming to the store today. His babysitter had to cancel at the last minute and he didn't have time to find another one." They pretty much groaned like the holidays were cancelled.
Realizing that the Duel King wasn't going to come to the store, the majority of the kids left. Anyone remaining proceeded to head to the tables next door. Some of them, with the cards they bought earlier, started to edit their decks while chatting with their friends nearby. The rest started to Duel with one another but without using the Disks. Don't think there's enough space inside for that anyway.
"Thank you, my boy. I can take it from here." I jolted in surprise from Sugoroku's sudden reappearance. I turned around to see Sugoroku thanking me for helping him and take over my position. With Yugi's grandfather now back from doing whatever it was upstairs, I set off to partake in my favourite time killing activity: window shopping. I left the counter to see what sort of games were on sale.
Yugio- Uh. I mean, Duel Monster cards were granted, from packs to singles you name it, so I ignored those for now. Mainly because I was curious if this world had any other Trading Card Games. Yup, not even surprised when I couldn't find any MtG cards or even Duel Masters cards. Duel Masters, not Duel Monsters . I remember being flummoxed as a kid when discovering that those 2 were completely different games. I wonder if Wizards on the Coast was even a company in this reality? Another thing to add to the list.
I continued on glancing through after writing down on my notebook, to see what was on the shelves. Board games of various types, couldn't see a cards against humanity though. I spotted some deck boxes but they weren't like ones back home. These were a lot more elaborate with snap buttons and straps you can fasten onto your belt. Incidentally, I found out yesterday that there was a specific brand of belts for duelists. Didn't that tickle me laughing.
Let's see. Tokens, Dice, Duel Disks. No card sleeves though and... I paused when I saw some interesting.
"Dungeon Dice Monsters? What the hell is that? DnD with Yugioh Monsters?" I picked up the beautiful looking black box that was smooth to the touch. The word "Dungeon Dice" was written out in a eye pleasing font with a bold print.
"Published by Industrial Illusions. Made by Otogi Ryuji. Who the hell was that, Japanese Gary Gygax?" Shaking my head, I placed it back on the shelf and went on looking through the store until I circled back round. With nothing else to see I went to the next room.
The store reached a level of ambience where there was a sea of chatter but wasn't too loud on the ear. Busy but not too much of a rush. Seeing how calm it was in the store, I made my way to the tables to see how the Duels was going. There were a group of 4, tag dueling, that instantly reminded me of the old Tag Force games. I clicked my tongue when remembering that the handheld consoles I brought in Akihabara weren't with me in this world. Wasn't that a waste of money.
The adults I saw earlier were playing the sealed format but with packs I have never seen before. Scooping up one of the empty booster packs that fell off the table I give it a quick looksie. "Invasion. Aliens originating from the deep darkness of space. Will you survive them?"
The cover art had a white alien creature with 4 arms and an excessive amount of jelly looking orbs around its body. "Never heard of an Alien Archetype before. Is this one of those anime only ones?" I didn't get much time to muse on this information as I heard the sound of someone being frustratingly irritated.
"With Simorgh attacking you directly, that's game." I saw a boy and a girl facing each other in a game 2 tables down my left. The boy with shockingly normal black hair, looked short even when he was sitting. It was styled in a bowl cut which made him look dorky. The girl on the other hand wore her long orange hair in a pony tail.
Walking over to them, I gleamed the table to see how she won. By having an overwhelming field presence of WIND Monsters it seems. My eyes narrowed when they landed on Dark Simorgh. I remember distinctively that this card was released after GX finished airing. What did that mean?
"Oh come on! That's like the 5th time this week I lost with this deck. These cards suck." The boy scooped up his cards and began to reshuffle. The little Missy was doing the same.
"Satoru, it isn't the cards that suck but you." Big OMPF. 4000 burn damage dealt by the sassy winner.
"I'd like to see you win with them Mina-chan!" blowing a raspberry, Satoru's mood went down the drain with Mina laughing at the kid.
Looking at the size of the kid's deck, I instantly spot he had north of 50 cards in there. No wonder the kid lost. "Hey kid, mind if I take a look?" Maybe I could do something to help him out.
"Huh? Kid?! That's rich coming from you. You look like you're only a few years older than me!" Blink. Right, I wasn't 54 anymore.
"Satoru! Being rude to someone who wants to help isn't nice! He's working here so he might know of some techniques." The little girl turned to me in an apologetic manner. "I'm sorry Onii-chan, he's just angry over losing so many times" Mina said while reaching over to her friend and pinching his ear.
"Owie! Owie! OK, OKAY! I'm sorry! Please look over my deck, Nii-chan!" Now free from the grasp of his friend, Satoru presented his cards to me with both hands while I grabbed a chair nearby and sat down.
I quickly flicked through his entire deck once to see what kind of deck he was playing. Oh. That type of deck. Gad dayum, did it piss me off just looking at-.
[English: "Cut it out, Julian. You're here to help. Just make sure you get a copy of Prime Material Dragon if this kid asks to Duel you." Calming down, I went over his deck and despaired. Some of these cards had no synergy at all.
"Okay. First off, you have too many cards in your deck. Unless you're using some sort of engine to target search certain cards, you're never going to draw the card you need." I advised. Hey, this was my first consultation!
"Target? Engine? I don't use a machine deck dude. Mine's a FIRE deck! FIRE is cool!" he whined in his seat. I didn't comment how fire wasn't "cool" but "hot".
A FIRE deck? Then what the flippin' fuck is the field spell Forest doing in your deck, kid? I instantly imagined Smokey the bear telling me "only you can prevent forest fires" while summoning Mother Grizzly in ATK position.
"...Satoru-kun. I can call you Satoru right?" He gave me a nod so I continued. "Many of the cards you have here are redundant. You mind watching what I take out? I'll explain why." He and I got comfortable as I took out several cards. Explaining about certain cards and their playstyles, I made sure to calmly explain to the kid why some strategies wouldn't fit in here.
"Repeating what I said earlier, Forest is useless in a FIRE deck..." I placed both the Field Spell along with Negate Attack, side by side, to help emphasize my point. "...Not only will drawing a card like Forest make it harder for you, it will also hinder you by making you waste a turn by getting a dud. Instead of getting a Plus like this card." Satoru's head bobs up and down following what I was saying as I tapped twice on the Trap card.
"I see you have Molten Destruction and that's good! It'll give your FIRE Monsters a small boost in ATK so they won't die easily. Forest would be more useful in... Hang on a second." I pull out a few other cards from the kid's deck and it was only when I passed the 9th Insect creature did I notice a pattern.
The kid had enough cards here to have the building blocks for an Insect Beatdown deck. All he needed was some Searches, Supports, Traps to stall and a couple more copies of a particular card then Presto Manifesto, voilà. A decent generic Insect Beatdown deck.
Taking out all of the Insect cards in this deck, I placed them in a pile to the side but that made Satoru upset. "Eh? Why are you taking these out?" Satoru picked up a card of an Insect which had chainsaws for horns.
"I like the way how Chainsaw Insect looks. Why can't I just add it in my FIRE deck?" I could feel my eyes roll themselves automatically. I was about to tell him how utterly stupid that would have been but I saw the boy's face. He looked honestly confused over why he couldn't. Then it hit me.
[English: "You idiot. He's just a child who's playing the game casually. Not like you, Mr Meta. Get a hold of yourself." I berated quietly to myself. Switching back to Japanese, I explained to Satoru about why it wouldn't have been a good idea.
"It's ok to like a card to use it. But it won't mesh well with this deck's playstyle." Placing down the bowl haired boy's FIRE deck, which was now a lot smaller than before, I reached for his Insect cards and individually spread out each card on the table, 5 by 5.
"From what I can see, you have enough to build another deck that primarily uses Insect Monsters and you have quite a few scary ones at that. If you want to use Chainsaw Insect that badly, then just make it." Seriously. Just add Insect Imitation and all over a sudden I could see a swarm of Grasschopper's appearing on the field. With Solid Vision making the card's artwork realistic... My face turned green when imagining these creatures becoming lifelike.
"I... I can make another deck?" I kept my mouth shut tight so I didn't scathingly retort back a "duh". Was making another deck such a hard concept to comprehend?
"Yeah! Why didn't I think of that!?" Mina was just as equally surprised. Huh, I guess so. It probably was so simple of an idea that it slipped from their minds.
"But I don't want to carry 2 decks around with me. It's annoying~" Young man, I used to carry a backpack that held 7 decks, carrying 2 ain't a big fucking deal. There was a simple solution for all this though.
"Then keep the one you don't want to use back home. That way it won't be so bothersome to carry 2. You can just go with whatever style you feel like using that day and choose the deck for the day." With that wisdom dispensed to Satoru, I continued on further in streamlining his decks.
I took out any card unrelated to his FIRE themed deck or an Insect deck and made 2 separate piles for his cards. I gave Satoru a look when I saw that he had more than the max copies allowed for a few cards. When I pointed that detail out he gave me a sheepish grin. Mina on the other hand just laughed out loud in good spirit.
I was just about to finish my consultation when I went over the last 6 cards. One of them took me by surprise, I definitely wasn't expecting to come across an extremely old school card. "Infernal Flame Emperor?"
"Yeah! It's my rare card. A family friend overseas gave me his spare copy since he didn't need it. He's joining West Academy this year!" My gaze went back to the card I was holding.
This flaming piece of shit was a rare card here? For real? Infernal Flame Emperor was introduced in a pretty crappy structure deck alongside its WATER counterpart (The Daedalus Structure deck was a vastly superior deck between the two).
It was downright laughable how this pathetic card was one of these powerful rare cards Jounochi explained to me last night. That being said, Satoru had some pretty sweet-ass support cards for it so maybe that's why? Problem was: I don't remember any of them. That's saying something seeing how I'm a veteran of this game. The memory of Dark Simorgh and the Alien Archetype popped up and I narrowed my eyes in thought. Interesting.
Satoru coughed to break me out of my musing. Attention now back to the present, I presented the now 40 card FIRE deck back to the kid. "Whoever gave you a rare card along the supports for it must really like you, kid." I slide the half completed Insect deck over to the boy and grabbed the notepad that was on each and every table.
Ripping out a page, I wrote down the recommended cards he might want to add so he wouldn't get slaughtered when playing his Insect deck. "There, now your FIRE deck should work much better than before."
I passed him my completed list to the kid. "Here's a list of cards I recommend you get for your other one. I'm pretty sure I saw a couple of what I wrote down in the commons box so have fun treasure hunting."
"Wow, Thanks dude. And don't call me a kid!" I lightly wince at being shouted at in full volume. "Let's see. Gaia Power, Arsenal Bug, Grasschopper? Oh! I have a couple of those back home! Sweet!"
"Now going back to your FIRE deck, I'll go over the specifics on how you easily summon yo-" My temple involuntarily twitched violently over being interrupted.
"If it isn't the Sucker, Satoru. Figures you would be here seeing how crap your deck is." Turning around to give a piece of my mind at being rudely cut off, I saw a trio of boys who looked a year older than the kid I was helping.
"Tch. It's Akio and his cronies." Satoru muttered quietly beside me in annoyance. My eyes sneak a glance at the boy next to me and I saw how he was now slouched down, in a defensive manner with his eyes pointedly looking away, avoiding the gaze of the person who called out to him. Was Akio his bully? My attention now back at this Akio and I'm thinking yes, considering the look he's giving Satoru. I felt my blood boiling in displeasure and couldn't stop what I said next.
"Welcome, dear customer. Please wait your turn while I finish with Satoru-san's deck consultation. In the meantime, please browse the store while I finish up here, the children's section is over there by the corner." I said with a smile just like Jounochi instructed me earlier. Said smile was more akin to a ravenous tiger rather than a warm welcoming one of a member of the store's staff.
"Hey! Look who you're talking to! This is The Tanaka Akio! He's attending a Duel Prep School so he can be in Obelisk Blue in 2 years! Show some respect!" This was said by one of Akio's stooges who gave off the vibe of being "snivelly".
"Shut up, Botan. I don't need your help." Berating his "friend" he turned to me and his eyes thinned out in a line. "And who are you? Never seen you here before. What ,tourist got lost? Airport is that way American." ...Oh you little piece of shit.
"I work here starting today. Katsuya-san over there brought me along to help around the store. After all, being friends with Muto Yugi and all, he'll help around the store time to time." Unlike of me to throw around the big names of this world but I really didn't care at the moment.
"Ha? Yeah right. What would a World Pro be doing with a gaijin like you?" Did this little prick just call me a gaijin? I haven't heard that slur for a while that I actually laughed. "What's so fucking funny?!"
"Sorry, it's just... you're just so cute using such words that I couldn't help but laugh. If you must know, I'm Katsuya-san's apprentice. My name is Ainsley Julian. Nice to meet you, Akio-chan." Was I being petty? Certainly. Was it necessary? Probably not. Was I milking it? Absolutely.
…
Huh. Got real silent all of a sudden. I didn't expect the store to get all quiet with people looking at me in surprise. Even Jounochi who was by the door, greeting in some fans, turned around.
Satoru, who was next to me with Mina, looked at me and said. "You're the American prodigy he took as a student…?" Weird response. Was what I said such a big deal?
"Okay, okay break it up. Now what seems to be the trouble, little ducklings?" Jounochi walked over to us and was giving me a questioning look. I shrugged back 'cause I honestly didn't know what the big deal was.
"You? You're the so called genius he chose over the thousands of us?" I could see Akio starting to shake.
Me and my big mouth. "And?" I retorted. Be quiet, Julian. You're not helping.
"Do you know... just how many of us... here in Japan... applied to get that chance of being his apprentice?! The ones who go to prep school and study our asses off. Tirelessly combing over books and books, sharpening our skills, only to lose to some foreigner who came out of nowhere?!" Jesus, that's some serious anger you're holding there kid.
"Cool it, punk." Jounochi came between us and made sure he was blocking us from each others sights. "I chose him because of his potential. I know it sucks, not getting chosen and all but that's no reason to get all hostile with him." Jounochi said in a cold voice.
"No... No. No! I will not, cannot accept that! You!" Akio went out of his way to make sure I could see him again. Pointing at me he then gestured to the outside "Duel me! Seeing how the world number 3 is here, if I win, I'll take your place as his student!" One of his stooges took off their backpack and strapped a Duel Disk onto his arm.
"No deal. I don't care about taking you on as a student. With how rotten your persona-" Hypocritically cutting Jounochi off, I accepted the Duel and Akio's terms.
"I accept." Jounochi snapped to me and glared. "Sorry interrupting you but... I still want to prove my weight to you Katsuya-san." Jounochi looked at me and when he saw I wouldn't budge he reluctantly relented.
"And! You have to use Satoru's shitty deck! If you want to be the no.3's apprentice then surely you can to do at least that much." A cruel smirk on his lips. Evidently, he did not think my help with Satoru's deck made it any better.
Mina and Satoru had other ideas. "That's not fair!" Turning to me, Mina explained why. "Akio has a really strong Warrior deck! He usually comes up as one of the top 3 in the local tournaments!"
"Then he should have known better in accepting my terms! Come on out American! Let me beat you silly and get this over with!" He then proceeded to walk out of the store with his followers crackling like witches and congratulating him.
Hoho... Formulating how I was going to serve his ass I turned to Satoru showing off a smile that exuded the sadistic mood I was currently feeling. "Don't worry, Satoru-kun. Your deck is now a lot better than he thinks. Add to that, I'll be adding 1 of my cards to your deck." Grabbing a certain Monarch card that would snuggly fit in Satoru's deck, I borrowed the Duel Disk that was beneath the cash register then made my way outside.
Jounochi matched my pace as we made our way outside of the shop. Once again, he asked if I was up for it. "You sure you want to do this?"
"Yes." Hearing how determined I sounded, he gave me a long look before nodding and giving me his blessings.
We made our way a few steps out of the store to where my opponent was waiting. I took the initiative. "Since you're the one who challenged me, I'll go first. A prep student like you can handle that handicap right, Akio-chan?" Without waiting for a response, I shuffled the deck then placed the cards into its slot. Changing from stand-by mode to active, the Duel Disk on my arm flared to life.
By the side, Satoru and Mina was standing next to Jounochi with a crowd gathering around them.
"Katsuya-sama, will the Onii-Chan be alright?" Mina asked.
"He'll be fine. There's a reason why I chose him. You're Satoru right? Watch how he uses ya deck." Jounochi, who had not once taken his eyes off his apprentice, stated confidently.
"Duel." "Duel!"
{Julian} [LP:4000] vs [LP:4000] {Akio}
"First turn, draw." I picked up a card. Looking over my options in my hand, I could already see several methods to bring out Satoru's rare card that was in my hand. For now, I'll go on the defensive. "I summon UFO Turtle in DEF position then Set 2 cards Face-down and end my turn."
With a spacecraft replacing its shell, my Monster materialized with all its limbs tucked inside its protective armor. Like the anime, I can summon Monsters in Face-up DEF position here. Thank God I made some time for researching yesterday. Otherwise I would have looked like an idiot here.
UFO Turtle
[ATK:1400/DEF:1200 - LEVEL 4 EFFECT - FIRE MACHINE]
"That's it? That's your opening move? This is going to be easy! Draw! I summon Dark Blade in ATK mode then equip him with Ace of Despair boosting his ATK up to 2800! Now Dark Blade, attack his pathetic Monster!" The dark armored swordsman rushed to my monster and with a single swing with his axe, destroyed my Turtle.
You shouldn't have done that. Now let me show you the terrifying power of a BURN deck, motherfuckaaaah!
Dark Blade
[ATK:2800 (1800 PLUS 1000 via Equip Spell)/DEF:1500 - LEVEL 4 NORMAL
- DARK WARRIOR]
Dark Blade vs UFO Turtle
(Win) ATK:2800 vs DEF:1200 (Lose)
"I activate UFO Turtle's monster effect, when sent to the Graveyard by battle: I can summon 1 FIRE Monster from my deck with 1500 ATK or less in ATK position. I choose to Special Summon Solar Flare Dragon in ATK position!" Reaching for my deck to grab a card that was sticking halfway out, I drew it and slammed it onto the Duel Disk summoning the fiery serpent shaped dragon I selected earlier. With a burst of fire, Solar Flare Dragon came forth and roared mightily.
Solar Flare Dragon
[ATK:1500/DEF:1000 - LEVEL 4 EFFECT - FIRE PYRO]
The moment the LP counter indicated it was "MAIN-PHASE 2" I pressed 2 buttons in sequence to activate my Face-down Quick Play Spells, starting a Chain Link.
"In response to UFO Turtle's effect, I activate my Quick Play Spell: Mystical Space Typhoon, targeting your Axe of Despair and destroying it! Then I chain another Quick Play Spell: Chain Strike!"
A typhoon in motion moved its way to the enemy's Equip Spell Card and shattered it into pieces. With the card destroyed, several chains covered in fire launch themselves from inside the typhoon and hit Akio's Duel Disk.
Dark Blade
[ATK:1800 (2800 - 1000 via Equip Spell destruction)/DEF:1500]
{Julian} [LP:4000] vs [LP:3200 (4000 - 800 VIA Chain Strike)] {Akio}
"What!? What just happened?" Akio screamed out loud when seeing how the tables got unexpectedly turned on him.
I made a tutting sound. "It's my Spell, Chain Strike. It can only be activated as a Chain Link 2 or higher. Seeing how it's number 3 in line, 400 times 2 equals 800. I don't have to explain simple math's to you know right, Mr. Prep Student?"
"You bastard!" Akio shouted at me. I am going to have so much fun putting this kid in his place. I maybe spiritually 54 but I'm 14 in body right now. I'm going to milk this opportunity as much as I can.
"My my my. Such language. Careful now Wouldn't want to burn yourself over spewing curses." My sadistic side came out giggling as I finished my pun. Somebody stop me!
At the side, Satoru let out a cheer seeing what his edited deck in action. "Woah! My deck's awesome now! I didn't know it could do that!"
"Yeah, I'm surprised as well. Katsuya-sama? I'm a bit confused as to what just happened. What's a chain link?" I could hear Mina asking.
"Hoho, that brat knows about that technique huh?" Jounochi quietly spoke to himself, remarking how his apprentice's emotions were acting out again. "Come on, kid. Control your temper. You'll make all sorts of misplays like that. You already made one. Gonna have to do something about his attitude too. Eerily reminds me of...ugh. Kaiba."
"Katsuya-sama?" The orange haired girl asked once again.
"Right. To answer your question, little girl. A chain link is something that's formed whenever a Duelist wants to respond to a card's effect or its activation with their own card. The more you respond the higher the link becomes."
"But I don't remember being able to use Chain Strike to deal over 400 Damage before."
"That's because he used 2 card effects before using Chain Strike. That card has the nasty ability where it can deal 400 damage times whatever, depending on when it's used in a chain. Since its no. 2 in the link..." Jounochi let that linger in the air to see if Satoru got what he insinuated which the kid did.
"400 times 2 is 800. Woah! My deck is awesome!" Satoru jumped in the air in celebration. Indeed it is, kid. Your deck's style was a terror that plagued the Yugioh scene back home. Lost several games back home where I was Burned to 0. Before I even drew my card. My attention returning to the Duel, I was now waiting on my opponent.
"Grrrr. I'll throw down a card Face-down and end my turn." Akio slid a card into his slot and shook where he stood. His stooges weren't helping his mood as they were shouting in disbelief how Akio got hurt. "SHUT UP YOU DWEEBS!"
"Draw. Main Phase: I activate the Spell Card: Oil. It allows me to retrieve 1 FIRE monster from the Graveyard and add it to my hand." With only 1 monster there, I didn't need to state which card I selected and the Duel Disk seemed to agree with me. It slid UFO Turtle out of the Graveyard slot without my voice input. Clever thing. I pat it affectionately twice on the LP display.
I Summon that card. "I summon UFO Turtle once more but in ATK position." The shelled reptile landed on the ground on all fours.
"Ha! Your Monsters still don't have enough ATK to defeat my Dark Blade." Someone's being impatient I see.
"That's because I didn't use this yet. I play the Field Spell: Molten Destruction." A panel slid out from the outer most right side of the Duel Disk wing. It accepted my Spell when I placed my card in it by emitting that iconic digital sound from the anime. The area in front of me slowly changed into the fiery HellScape depicted in my Spell. Felt weird that I feel a bit hot despite, a hologram, surrounding me. "Now all my FIRE monsters gain 500 ATK but lose 400 DEF."
"WAIT! That means!" One of Akio's stooges, Botan I believe his name was, voiced his disbelief dramatically.
"Yup, Solar Flare Dragon is now 200 ATK points higher than your monster! Go Solar Flare, destroy his creature and Turtle! Direct Attack!"
"Gah!" Covering his eyes, Akio grunts when my Turtle flies straight into his gut.
Solar Flare Dragon
[ATK:2000 (1500 PLUS 500 Via Field Spell)/DEF:600 (1000 - 400 Via Field Spell)
UFO Turtle
[ATK:1900 (1400 PLUS 500)/DEF:800 (1200 - 400 Via Field Spell)
Solar Flare Dragon vs Dark Blade
(Win) ATK:2000 vs ATK:1800 (Lose)
{Julian} [LP:4000] vs [LP:1100 (3200 - 2100 (200 PLUS 1900))] {Akio}
"Wow! Akio lost so much Life in 1 turn! I've never seen that happen before!" Satoru was happy seeing his bully get his comeuppance.
Just as my turn was ending I activated Solar Flare Dragon's ability. "End Phase: I use Solar Flare's Effect to deal you an extra 500 damage. Burn him." I felt gleeful in satiating my sudden pyrophillic tendency when I saw my holographic Monster slither around Akio's body. The dragon let its fire light up intensely.
"Damn you!" If I focused a bit I swear I could hear the kids teeth grinding.
{Julian} [LP:4000] vs [LP:600 (1100 - 500)] {Akio}
"Damn it. How could I been so stupid! Should have used my Face-down. No matter. Draw!" Akio took his time going over his hand and seeing how he could go about his counterattack. "Reverse card, Open!: Call of the Haunted. Come back to your master's side, Dark Blade!"
A tombstone materialized in front of the revealed Trap. An arm clad in black armor erupted from the digitalized soil and unearthed itself from the grave. In the warrior's helm, 2 blood red eyes glowed sinisterly as it took its stance once again.
"With the card I just drew, I activate the Fusion Spell! Along with Pitch-Black Dragon, my 2 Monsters will now Fuse themselves to bring out one of my strongest cards! Fusion Summon: Dragon Knight of the Demon World - Darkblade!"
Akio's Warrior sat upon his stead and a mesmerizing swirl of energy swallowed both Monsters. Flying out from the distortion was Darkblade now on a much bigger dragon.
Darkblade the Dragon Knight
[ATK:2200/DEF:1500 - LEVEL 6 FUSION EFFECT - DARK WARRIOR]
"You see that! That's 1 of Akio-sama's Fusion cards! Only someone who goes to a Prep School would know of such a tactic!" The other of my opponent's stooges, whose name I didn't know, revered to the audience.
"Oh no... With that out, my Monsters won't stand a chance!" said Satoru in a panic. I could see even Jounochi was starting to get worried too. Come on people, it's not like I'm about to lose.
"Now my knight, destroy that foreigner's pesky dragon. Obsidian Slash Strike!" The Fusion Monster charged at Solar Flare and slashed an energy arc at the dragon. My mind played a scene from Bleach where Ichigo launched a Getsuga Tenshō.
Solar Flare roared in pain and disintegrated.
Darkblade Fusion vs Solar Flare Dragon
(Win) ATK:2200 vs ATK: 2000 (Lose)
{Julian} [LP:3800 (4000 - 200)] vs [LP:600] {Akio}
"My Monster!" lamented Satoru.
"Hang in there, Onii-Chan!" Mina called out is support. Various other people in the audience cheered out as well but I didn't pay any attention to them. Mostly because.
[English: "Hingh- F-fucking hell? What was that?" I felt a flare of pain where Solar Flare got hit. Exactly on the spot the energy arc landed on my Monster, I rubbed my face to soothe the sensation. [English: "The fuck's going on? I thought you weren't supposed to feel pain in a Duel?"
"Ha! You wincing over a splash of Damage? Don't worry, there's more where that came from, gaijin." My vision went red hearing that. I was about to angrily retaliate when Jounochi called my name... in English.
"Julian!" My eyes widened when hearing my name. In all the time I knew Jounochi, in real life or through messages, he has never called me by my name before. I turned to him and he only said 1 word to calm the burning feeling I felt in my chest. [English: "Concentrate."
…
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Closing my eyes, I swiped back my hair. Once I opened them back up... "Is that all you got?"
"Tch. I activate my Monster's effect. Each time it successfully deals Battle Damage: I can select up to 3 cards in your Grave and Remove them from play." Taking out the only Monster in my Graveyard, I placed it safely in my pocket, Akio ended his turn by placing 1 card Face-down.
"I'll beat you black and blue in 2 turns. Let's see you match that then, foreigner." I let the insult wash over me and my opponent got annoyed at my indifference to his taunt.
My turn. Soon as I touched the top card of Satoru's deck I felt a rush of warm air where my fingertip landed on the card. I felt something in me... Telling me, no... Ordering me to Draw this card with vigor. "俺のターン... ドロー!
I swear my eyes placed a trick on me as I saw a trail of blaze follow my hand. Realizing how I wasn't on fire, I looked at what I just Drew. "Thestalos…"
That meant in my hand, I had Inferno, Infernal Flame Emperor and one its Support Traps Blazing Proclamation. I was about to Special Summon Inferno to bring out Infernal Flame Emperor when I felt my Monarch card heat up. Shocked, I look down to look at my card only to find My Monster nodding at me in the artwork... I-in that case, I'll save Satoru's Ace for later then.
"I Release UFO to Advance Summon: Thestalos!" A jet of fire bursts out from beneath the Turtle. A few tense seconds later everyone could hear the clanging sound of armor being moved. A figure covered in charcoal, head to toe, calmly walked through the fire and flame. With a splendid flourish, to shake off the soot from his body, my FIRE Monarch graced the battlefield.
Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch
[ATK:2400/DEF:1200 - LEVEL 6 EFFECT - FIRE WARRIOR]
[ATK:2900 (2400 PLUS 500)/DEF:800 (1200 - 400) via Field Spell]
"Huh? I don't remember putting that card in my deck." Satoru says in confusion.
"Wait! Onii-Chan said he was going to add 1 of his cards to your deck. That means..." Jounochi finish off her sentence.
"That this is one of his personal cards. Didn't think you were the charitable type... it suits you, punk." I hear my mentor say. How did he know what I was going to do? Back to the Duel.
"Thestalos has an ability where I can select 1 card in your hand randomly and force you to Discard it. If it's a Monster, you take Burn damage equal to its Level times 100." A card in the middle of Akio's hand glows a hot red, revealing it to be Dark General Freed. Seriously. These Disks are awesome.
Akio cringes as his LP became the nearest to 0 between the two of us. "No...!"
{Julian} [LP:3800] vs [LP: 100 (600 - 500 via Thestalos' Effect)] {Akio}
"I WILL NOT LOSE TO SOME UPSTART FUCK! TRAP CARD, OPEN: Threatening Roar!" My opponent slams the button on his Duel Disk in desperation. "You will not beat ME, you fuck!"
Granted he wasn't literally swearing but it pretty translated as much to me. My only retort was raising my right eyebrow mockingly. A murmur spreads across the crowd when they witnessed just how antagonistic Akio was.
"Such a dirty mouth." A curious passerby, who joined the crowd to see what was going on, spoke out loud.
"Kids these days." said one of the adults who was in the store earlier.
"I saw how that American kid was helping out a customer when this brat came along." Her friend joined in.
"Seriously, what a dick." Good God, girl. Language!
"That's Akio for you." I hear Satoru say.
With Threatening Roar activated, I couldn't conduct my Battle Phase and finish this game. I finish my turn by Setting Blazing Proclamation. I thought I heard a lion growling but ignored it.
"MY TURN, DRAW!" Akio froze when he saw what he drew. Probably a dud. "Yes! I activate Swords of Revealing Light. With that out you can't attack for 3 turns, loser!" Guess it wasn't a dud also HA! Yeah, I don't think so kid.
Blades made of light form above my head, they then descend gently till the tips of the swords touched the ground, fencing off the Monsters on my side of field from attacking for the foreseeable future.
"Holy crap... that's one of the Duel King's staple stunners! It's 15000¥ a pop for 1 of those! How did that bastard Akio get one?!" I turn my head to Satoru in shock. My boy... HOW MUCH FOR A SINGLE CARD?! …Mamamia. I had a gold mine back in my trunk… Cha-Ching!
It seems my reaction gave the wrong impression to everyone. Especially to Akio. "My dad bought me this card as a Birthday gift. This is one of Yugi Muto's strongest Magic cards. Since you already used Mystical Space Typhoon, there's nothing else in that shitty deck that can get rid of it! All I have to do is wait until I Draw one of my ATK boosting Equips! Surrender, Gaijin! NOW, HAND OVER THE APPRENTICESHIP! I WON'T HUMILIATE YOU FURTHER IF YOU DO!"
Akio's cronies congratulated him on a premature victory. Satoru and his friend, Mina, was looking despondent. "It's my fault... if my deck wasn't so weak, Nii-chan wouldn't have lost." Mina started to sniffle alongside the crying boy.
Jounochi, on the other hand, was not as panicked about seeing his apprentice lose like the crowd was assuming. He saw 2 important things. 1) His apprentice only took 200 Damage in the Duel so far. 2) And most importantly, he was, now, a lot more aware of Julian's facial ticks than the others who were spectating. The kid barely had any before 2 days ago. Jounochi could see Julian's lips... which were slightly twitching around the corners.
"Well? You give up, loser?" My opponent taunted at me. I lifted my left hand forward, palm facing skywards then waved it twice towards my body.
"喧嘩上等 (Kenkā Jōtō - Bring it on)" I always wanted to say those words. Couldn't before, 'cause it was irregular for a 50 plus white guy to speak like a Japanese biker gang member. Now however?
"Y-YOUUUUU- I SET A FACE-DOWN! TURN END!" 1 Reversed card materialized. "Do your worst. It'll be your last turn!" Growling out that last bit of his sentence, Akio passed his turn.
[English: "It'll be the last turn alright. But not for what you think. Draw." Helloooooo, other Flame Emperor Support. Time to end this. Kid's starting to really piss me off and my, now discovered, shortened tolerance is about to be breached again.
"Here's a 7 step lesson plan in kicking your ass... [1!]" I tapped on the panel once to use the Effect of the Monster in that zone. "I Banish UFO Turtle from the Graveyard to Special Summon Inferno via its Effect." Removing my fiery turtle from the Graveyard, I then place Inferno next to my Monarch on the Disk. Before Akio could state the obvious, that my Monsters still couldn't attack, I shut him up with my next move.
"[2!] Releasing: Inferno and Thestalos. With their sacrifice I bring out Satoru-kun's Blazing Ace: Infernal Flame Emperor!" Both of my Monsters erupt in flames then gather at the center corresponding to where I placed Satoru's Ace on the Disk.
An angry roar is heard and the shockwave caused by it killed the pillar of fire, making way for the 4-legged Pyro King in all its burning majesty to descend the field.
INFERNAL FLAME EMPEROR
[ATK:2700/DEF:1600 - LEVEL 9 EFFECT - FIRE PYRO]
[ATK:3200 (2700 PLUS 500)/DEF:1200 (1600 - 400) via Field Spell]
"[3!] I activate my Monster's Effect: When its Advance Summon is a success I can Banish up to 5 FIRE Monsters to destroy cards in your Magic/Trap Zones."
"Nice, gāki!" Jounochi was the only one who knew what was about to happen.
Adrenaline rushed through my veins and I couldn't help but let out the thespian in me. "Thestalos, Inferno. Your scattered ashes will bring forth victory. I Banish both of my Monsters in the Graveyard to use the Emperor's Monster Effec-
"Blazing Proclamation"
-t. Huh?" Another voice? It was just like with Zaborg and Golden Homunculus the other day. I stare at the Summoned Card on the Disk, already having an idea who or rather what said that. Was this going to be a regular thing? Or am I just going crazy? Strange that Thestalos didn't give me a similar reaction. It was the same name as my Reversed Trap card. Hmmm.
"Since I Banished 2 FIRE Monsters with Flame Emperor's Effect, I can choose 2 cards in your backrow and Destroy them. Say goodbye to your Swords of Revealing Light and your only Face-down. Blazing Proclamation!" Satoru's Ace Monster created a blade of fire while 2 smaller flames materialize in front of it.
Infernal Flame Emperor gently taps the 2 small flames with its blade and they gently get blown off into the wind. The flaming lion plunged its sword into the ground. Jets of fire bursts from the blade striking the 2 cards I stated.
I saw that Mirror Force was the card that was Face-down. Phew. Seems my trust issues saved my ass just now. Akio screamed out petulantly. "NO. THAT'S NOT FAIR!"
The 2 FIRE cards were ejected from the Graveyard and instead of putting them in my pocket I kept them in Hand. I slide my Spell card, the Support card I Drew this turn, into one of the Spell/Trap zone slots.
"[4!] I activate the Quick Play Spell: Ashful Awakening. I can bring back up to 5 Banished FIRE Monsters to my hand. I chose the 2 that were Banished this turn along with Solar Flare Dragon and UFO Turtle." I placed the fiery serpent and the mechanized reptile back into my Hand. If I had Drawn another copy of Chain Strike I would have won right here. Oh well. I rather like the idea of winning this Duel with overwhelming FIRE power... Just how many puns did I make today?
"[5!] Trap Card, Open: Blazing Proclamation. This allows Flame Emperor to gain 200 ATK per FIRE Attribute Monster in my hand. Due to my Trap Card: Infernal Flame Emperor's ATK now boosts up to 4000 ATK for each FIRE Monster in my hand. 200 times 4 is 800 and add that to its already modified 3200 ATK..."
INFERNAL FLAME EMPEROR
[ATK:4000 (3200 PLUS 800)/DEF:1200 via Blazing Proclamation's Effect]
"4-4000 ATK?!" Akio screamed in turmoil with his cronies joining him.
"I NEVER GOT HIM THAT STRONG BEFORE!" The owner of this card screamed out loud.
I stagger for a moment before wiping my forehead to find sweat pouring down my hand. I needed to finish this now. I'm starting to overheat and see doubles of everything.
"Yes... Now... [6!] Infernal Flame Emperor…" I paused knowing what was about to happen as well as take a deep breath.
"炎帝の爆裂斬 - Flame Emperor's Explosive Slash"
Huh, a Japanese attack name this time. Neat.
"Go, Direct Attack!" Pushing myself to the limit I roared out Infernal Flame Emperor's attack. "Ēntei no... Bakuretsu Zan!" The 4-legged King kicked the ground twice, digging some dirt, then charged at Akio's Fusion Monster. The 2 of them clashed their swords with each other twice. There was a struggle but the Pyro entity overpowered and completely dominated Darkblade the Dragon Knight in swordplay.
Once the hologram of Darkblade was disintegrated, my Monster grabbed its sword's hilt with both hands and performed a perfect 2 handed Ryōdan slash at my opponent, winning this Duel for me.
Infernal Flame Emperor vs Darkblade the Dragon Knight
(Win) ATK:4000 vs ATK: 2200 (Lose)
{Julian} [LP:3800] vs [LP:0 (100 - 1800 ] {Akio}
Winner: Julian
"[7] ...Get Wrecked." I took a long deep breathe to let the now cold air into my lungs. Oh that feels good.
"He won... Nii-chan won using my deck! Yatta!" I could hear the vindication in Satoru's voice as the Duel Disks powered down. This entire situation was nostalgic to me for a reason but I wasn't sure why.
"I... I lost? To some American?" Akio stood still, staring where his Monster got obliterated.
Jounochi walked to Akio. "Him being an American doesn't constitute his skill level. The creator of Duel Monster is American and you don't see him losing as often."
I made my way over to my opponent and held out my hand. Just because the dick was a rude fuck didn't mean I couldn't show some sportsmanship. "It was a fun Duel, I hope we can do it again some other time." Sadly it seems my gesture was ignored.
Akio took one look at me and slapped my hand away. "I don't need your pity!" The kid stormed off with his followers reluctantly going with him.
"Entitled as well as a sore loser." I hear Jounochi scoff out loud.
Satoru and Mina ran over to me with the boy hugging me by the waist. I was a lot taller than him despite seemingly being near his age. Wonder why that is. I could hear the kid profusely thanking me." "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Now Akio won't pick on me as much when I go back to school!" I was uncomfortable with the body contact so I just pat his head awkwardly.
"It's okay, kid. With people like him, you need to learn to let their insults not affect you." I ignore Jounochi's remark, for me to do as I say, while I took out Satoru-kun's deck from the Disk. I handed over his deck back to which he received with both of his hands.
He stares at Thestalos before handing the card back to me but I stopped him. "Huh? But it's yours."
"It is or rather, it was. I think he'll have a better home in your deck." A feeling of déjà vu hits me and I get the feeling I did this before.
"Wow... thanks dude." He smiles warmly. That feeling just got stronger.
"Come on, punk. Need to head back in. We still got a couple of hours more till break time."
I smile as Satoru and Mina run back into the store. But not before rubbing on the painful spot on my face.
Omaké - 3rd POV
When the clock ticked to 6pm, Sugoroku and his 2 helpers escorted the last of the customers out while thanking for their patronage. Jounochi offered to clean the tables and whilst doing that, he advised to Julian to head upstairs to get started on the registering. Because of the Duel the American conducted with Akio, many more customers visited the shop. It wasn't until closing time did Julian get the opportunity to scan his cards.
It was truly novel experience for the dimensionally displaced boy. He decided to only scan his D.D. Monarch deck. For now at least, since the others would have brought unneeded attention to his person. He could always just scan the rest on a later date.
The registration process was as thus follows:
- Turn on the Bluetooth so the phone could connect to the scanner.
- Click on the Duel App in the phone and select the registration tab.
- Scan the cards individually, which took about 40 to 42 seconds each.
- Once the scanning was complete, upload the cards that were now logged into the app into the Industrial Illusions and Kaiba Corporation servers.
- Fill out a form (Name, address, decklist and up to 20 cards in the side deck was needed to be written out in its entirety.)
- Have the Shop owner and any additional witnesses sign the document.
- Scan the document and fax it to a Kaiba Corp Service machine to have it pending for authorization
- Lastly, pay a whooping fee of 10000¥.
After all that was finished, the process was completed. Jounochi footed the bill as a welcoming present to his student. Julian was thankful for the gesture. He could have paid it from his own pocket but it would have made a dent in his limited savings. The de-aged American made a note to get something nice for his caretaker.
This entire process took Julian about 56 minutes. It would have been shorter but the form he was filling out asked what his deck's Ace Monster was and he was stumped.
There was a number of cards that could be designated as his Ace. Yugi's grandfather offered some advice: To choose a monster that, deep in Julian's heart, he knows will save him in a pinch.
Caius the Shadow Monarch was selected in the end.
Seeing how it was dinner time, Sugoroku offered to buy dinner which Jounochi and Julian agreed to. Shizuka also tagged along when Jounochi asked if it was alright.
Julian became excited when the elderly man suggested to call Yugi to join the group. With no objections made, the man called his grandson but alas, the Duel King declined. Stating that he had already eaten and was tired out from the day.
Sad but understandable, the group proceeded to make their way out to a nearby Izakaya. Julian's jubilation in being able to eat meat baffled the adults but he was politely ignored. The group caught up with one another in current events and the evening was spent enjoyably.
With dinner concluded, Sugoroku split off from the group and they all made their own ways home. Reaching back to Jounochi's house, Julian said goodnight and went off to bed after cleaning up with Shizuka doing the same. Jounochi on the other hand sat down on the couch and watched some late night TV. He picked up his phone and called his best friend.
"Hey, Aibou. How've ya been?"
…
"Pretty good, dinner was great. Kinda bummed out you couldn't make it. Wanted to introduce ya to the kid."
…
"I know, shame ya mom had to cancel on the babysitting."
…
"The kid? He's great! A little bit more hot tempered than I remember but otherwise he's swell."
…
"Oh dang, there's a video online? Yikes, he's gonna catch some attention."
…
"Haha! You said it. He needs to polish up his tactics a bit and he'll be smooth sailing. His anger on the other hand, oh boy haha."
…
"Right? I thought the same as well."
…
"Hmm, yeah I'm free next Tuesday. I'll call up the boys and see if we can all meet up. It's been a while since the whole gan- Ah fuck…"
…
"Shit, man... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to... yea... I know... I miss her too."
…
"I'll bring some flowers along and we can go meet her. It's fine. We can sit around and reminiscence on the good times."
…
"Oh, is that little Ůme? Hello, princess! It's your uncle Jounochi!"
…
"No prob, bud. I'll talk to ya tomorrow. Night, Yugi."
Finishing his call, Jounochi went back to watching the re-run of this year's Gaki no Tsukai. He couldn't help but gaze at the photo, on the side table next to him, from time to time.
The picture framed was of the wedding between his best friend along with his beautiful bride. The other 2 males of the group and him on Yugi's side. With a certain blondie and his sister on the other. He was man enough to admit a tear or two had fallen.
Turn 3 - Call me Puncelot - End.
And done~
I really wanted to post this chapter once I finished writing last week but I held in the temptation. Never know when I can post a chapter so it's nice to have a couple in reserve.
There's a few things I hinted about Yugi's wife and it's not a secret as to what happened to her.
You might have noticed that I say 20 cards in the side deck and not the 15. Not a mistake but intentional. More on that later.
Reviewer Corner:
Together the why gosT:
Glad you liked the story so far! Hope this chapter brought the same joy as the previous chapters!
Kuriboh1233
Thanks for the review! I have a timeline all set and just need to write it down as chapters so don't worry about this story dying! I hope my story is one of those good Yugioh SI stories you were talking about, haha.
The Prophecy deck was also something I spent some effort in getting. In fact, it was the first deck I used when I decided to rejoin the Yugioh gaming scene after I stopped in the beginning of the GX format.
I felt the same about the word as well but I stuck to using it. It's a term of endearment which I find sweet.
Review Corner over~
If your review isn't here then it's most likely in the previous chapter. Also, I decided that I won't edit the new reviews into this section from now on.
Leave a review if you think the chapter was great or if you want to add some criticism.
Until then, stay safe everyone and see you next time!
Imma catch up on some needed sleep.
Edit notes: (Mar 03 2021) Stat correction from Solar Flare Dragon's Burn Effect and onwards.
Edit notes: (Mar 10 2021) For some reason the stat correction didn't stick last time. Should be ok now.
