YuGiOh! Future Conflicts
Chapter 2
Divine Providence

June 29 Birmingham, AL

"…and that is how I got the idea of using Uria as an object of burn." Alain finishes the story of his created deck, Needle Burn, in the food area of the BJCC at lunchtime.

The clouds over Birmingham moved to unveil a bright sunny afternoon. Alain had just finished his duel exam with Dr. Crichton, the exam's head proctor, already described as the duel of the year. To him, though, it had been a great duel, one to remember, but for every step you take, there is always a bigger one after.

"Man, I do not think my deck could stand that pressure. You stared that Ancient Soldier, a monster which Dr. Crichton has won countless duel since its release and, for a moment, I saw you smile. That was determination," Gonzalo Fuentes exclaims, still unbelieving of what had just happened. You wouldn't know it from just meeting him but Gonzalo was one of the most jovial people there. At a short 5'4" and 16 years of age, this teen from Buenos Aires, Argentina had an incredible intelligence to unlock, but, at the moment, was too afraid to use it, especially with deck ideas. Maybe this was what Alain found in common with his new-found friend, a fear of showing their true power.

"It wasn't determination, though a part of that did play in it. To me, it was fun," Alain corrected, "Seeing those new cards…they were relatively new, right?" Both Raj and Gonzalo nodded in agreement. "These semi-new Ancient Soldier cards gave rise to another super powerful monster. God knows I enjoyed it."

"You are thoroughly out of your mind," Raj comments. Many thought as Raj did about Alain, but he was one of a kind. A United States citizen by birth, his Indian parents tried and succeeded at instilling in him a respect for all life. He used to be a pre-med student but found it to be really, which is why he comes to Duel Academy, to improve his natural gift for dueling to the point of financing the rest of his studies.

"So many have said," Alain laughs, "To tell you the truth, this deck is only experimental. This is its first day out in the sun. I'll need to fiddle with it some more to give it more speed."

"You're crazier than I thought to go out with an untested deck," Raj hurriedly says as he takes a bite out of his overly priced slice of cheese pizza.

"I made a promise and I always keep my word. Always. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go buy my meager lunch for the day. Wonder they have that is under $3 and is still filling?" And he leaves knowing full well that his brother Michael and his friends would further talk about him.

"What's his deal?" Gonzalo asks Michael.

"What? His single-mindedness and his various other quirks?" He has always been that way, and somehow, he still has fun. Knowing him, he'll probably keep a record of the deck for another situation and then retire it. His single-mindedness makes him prepared, but flexible and intuitive, like a mix of the last King of Games Jaden Yuki and that famous duel theorist I read about in my few minutes of study. Damn! What was his name…a Dr. Bastion Misawa? That's it. He even has several decks like that doctor dude."

"Strange mix, that one." Raj says, "Oh, here he comes."

Alain comes back with nothing in hand, "I did not see anything in my range. Besides it's almost one o'clock.

Just as he finishes that sentence, the intercom chimes.

ALL PARTICIPATING DUELISTS REPORT TO THE DUELING ARENA FOR NEW ON THE FINAL RESULTS! ALL PARTICIPATING DUELISTS REPORT TO THE DUELING ARENA FOR NEW ON THE FINAL RESULTS!!

"Michael, you hear the lady, time to go." Alain tells his brother.

"Shove off, I can hear ."

Brotherly love. Can't live with it. Can't live without it. "Well, c'mon, then. Gonzalo, Raj. I will hopefully see you guys later," Alain says his goodbyes as he left alongside his brother.

Luckily, they were able to get to the arena in a timely manner. There were a great number of participants hurrying in, hundreds it looked like. Even luckier still, they found good seats in the middle, where they could see and hear their speaker well enough not to strain.

"Wonder what they'll do with us? Either way, we both had a good time," Alain points out to Michael.

"Dude, I seriously do not know and you're right. We did have a good time."

As more kids came in, Michael and Alain continued to look around. Amongst the incoming crowd, they could see the many Duel Academy students that came along Dr. Crichton who still has yet to come in. Quiet becomes the crowd as the stadium lights darken. For a moment, when total darkness blanketed the entire room, there was a growing sense of dread welling up inside it. Out of the distance, Alain could hear the thumping of what could only be described as a heart. THUMP. THUMP. This slow thumping of the heart slowly becomes quicker and louder. What is that noise? Alain thinks despite the darkness, Oh, wait, that's my own heart. Oh, be still, my beating heart. Without warning, a scream bellows, horrible and deathlike, just as a light suddenly comes on. Smoke begins to fill that particular spot. As the smoke began to fade, a figure began to form in the shape of a woman. Further fading, the woman is revealed to be Dr. Crichton.

"Isn't that Dr. Crichton?" Michael asks, oblivious to the fact that everyone in the arena could hear him over their own breath.

"Yeah, and try to be more quiet," Alain tells him, "I think everyone heard you." Though he was reluctant, Michael did settle down.

Once the smoke fully clears, an attendant quickly comes out, bringing her a wireless microphone.

"Ok, as you all know, my name is Dr. Vivian Crichton, current headmaster of the girl Obelisk Blue dorm at the Duel Academy in Japan. You are here today to see if any of you have what it takes to get into my precious school. Sadly, not all of you will be accepted. The results of you exams, whatever they may be, will accessible from the computers out in the foyer. Those who are accepted will also be given the dorm in which they are placed and school uniform, as well as a new state-of-the-art duel disk system, all of which are located and the information desk, except the duel disk itself, which will given to you on the boat going to the duel academy." With the "official" part of my speech out of the way, she adds, "As my already-present students know, our founder, Seto Kaiba, has announced that he will be opening new Academies around the world, each in an isolated spot, and one will happen to placed near North America for those students who lived in that area. I have been given the honor of being temporary chancellor until one is trained for the new office. This particular Academy will be placed in what is commonly known as the Bermuda Triangle, to be specific, a small island within it called Exodus Island. Any here today who have passed and have been accepted, both student and teacher alike, will be assigned there. Those who need a way over to the port in Brunswick, Georgia, where the boat we have chartered is located, will be given a ride over there once we have been notified. The first day of our classes will be August 14th. And at the end of that note, I bid you all farewell and good luck to the lucky few," Crichton leaves and the lights that were once dark come back on with a brilliant fury.

As the others began to file out of the arena and hurry towards the computers that hold their results, Alain holds his hand out, keeping Michael pinned in his seat, "Michael, we need to wait. With all those people trying to get to those computers, we'll be lucky to get a good spot in line without being pushed and pulled out of it, not to mention the ones who will just cut in line. It'll be better if we just wait for the lines to die down."

Michael, angry at being forced down in his seats, stands up without any resistance and says, "Screw that! I've gotta get to that computer!" He jumps over three consecutive rows of chairs to get to a clear aisle and runs to an already long line.

When will he ever learn some patience? After a minutes thought he answers himself, Probably when hell freezes over. While Michael is fighting to stay in line, Alain waits in the hope of one of the lines shortening. To waste the time, Alain pulls a book out of his back pocket and reads.

Melei was not amused by the spectacle, a simple tradition to entertain the students that came. She wasn't worried about that at all. No, the only thing she was worried about was this Alain Johnson. He has tamed the demon. No one can say that and live. I must duel him. Now where exactly is he? Looking to the right, she only sees maniacal guys and girls. To the left, she found her and, to her surprise, he was in the seat, patiently waiting and reading. Peculiar, but as they say, 'All good things come to those who wait.' Making her way through the crowds, she noticed how solemn and peaceful he looked, regretting it was to be her that would interrupt him. Just as she arrived at his seat, Alain noticed her.

"Hello," Alain says as he looks at his new-found guest. Oh, my God! She has to be one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Cálmate, Alano, girls like her never even consider you. She could have any man around so why should she even want me, period.

"Good afternoon," Melei bows respectfully, "I am Cheung Melei and I was a student of the Duel Academy in Japan and am now a student in the Exodus Island campus." Before Alain starts to introduce himself, she continues without pause, "I am already of your name, Mr. Johnson."

"Please call me Alain. I do not like to be formal like that."

"Very well, Alain. Please forgive my rudeness for not allowing you to introduce yourself. I was here when you dueled Ms. Crichton and, to be honest, I believe everyone has heard of your duel, at least within the building," she says earnestly.

"I'm surprised anyone cared to watch me. That was one close duel, though."

"It might have been better if you had a better starting hand."

Alain says, "You could tell that?"

"Yes, your body language gave it away."

"To tell you the truth, that was just a test deck."

"Really?" Melei questions. A rarity among men, especially American men. He is honest and forthright. I am beginning to like him.

"Yes, I was trying to fulfill a promise and to fulfill it, I had to build my deck around it or using it in a unique way."

Yet another rarity. He keeps his word and isn't boisterous. Let's see if he is worthy of both the prophecy and my attention. "Please forgive me. This meeting was not accidental but for a purpose. I wish to challenge you to a duel. I wish it to be on August 8th, your first night there, at midnight, beside Frontier Lake, which is located on our DA campus."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I do not even know if I passed my exams, much less knowing which dorm, if any, I am in," Alain quickly tries to explain the situation to her, "And I won't know until I check an open terminal, and even then, I will have to get them to give me and my brother, who has yet to found his information, a ride to the new Bermuda campus."

"That is no problem. I can just go to the main office computer and look it up there. I could also arrange a pick up for both of you to the cruise line in Georgia." She holds out her hand. "I will take you to the office myself to ensure you of your place on the school roster."

Alain takes her hand and points out, "You know, I can still wait. I am patient. I can duel you here if you would like that."

"No I need to do this. And I cannot duel here because I do not have my deck with me right now," she assures him as she starts guiding him to the main office.

"Why exactly do you want to duel me anyway? I am not that important," he asks loudly enough to let her hear.

As they rounded the last left and into the 3rd room on the left, she answered. "Importance is relative. What may seem like trash to another is someone else's gold. Right now, let's say I am trying to prove a couple of things to myself." And as she sat down at the desk with a serious stare and types Alain's name into the database, she says, "Let's see…yes, it is true that you passed. You have been placed into my rank, Ra Yellow. I see your written grade as well as your duel exam grade was quite high. I will just confirm that you have seen your results and also that you will need a ride to your cruise. All you need to gain the tickets is go to the Information, where your first Ra Yellow uniform is given to you, and tell them that you are also getting your tickets."

"And, what about my brother? Is he in, too? Will I be able to get his tickets for him as well?"

"I will see. Hmm…" she says as she becomes quiet as she searches for Michael. She looks up at Alain and says, "Since there is only one other Johnson listed, I am assuming that Michael Johnson is your brother." He nodded in confirmation. "It's done. He has barely passed the exam but he is in. It is logical to assume that he'll be a Slifer Red. I have also confirmed that he has seen his results and that he will need a ride there as well with you being the keeper of both his and your tickets. You two are to be here at the BJCC at 10 a.m. one week before the first day of class, on the 7th of August. Now about that challenge, will you accept it?"

"Because you have helped me, I will. Besides I never back down from a challenge, especially from a beautiful woman like yourself."

"Thank you for the compliment but I am not comfortable with them coming from a stranger."

"Well, I hope we begin to get to know each other, maybe as friends, especially if we are both Ra Yellows."

"Possibly." She stands up and guides him once again through the corridors and to the foyer. "Do not forget our duel. If you are uncomfortable with the deck you used here, use whatever deck you feel inspired to use. I bid you farewell." She leaves him with the thought of that particular request of hers. She herself had another thought. If it is true, there is a possibility of more.

Alain stood there, simply, though the thought itself was not on the duel directly with Melei. I need to change my deck, as well as bring my soul deck, the deck that houses my dearest cards. He looks at the crowd and thinks, Awww, crap, better get Michael and the cruise tickets at the info table.

And on he went. First, on to the info desk he went. After receiving the tickets and uniforms for both him and Michael, he went on to find his wayward brother. It did not take long to find him, knowing it had been only 15 minutes. And, not surprisingly, the lines were still long, if you call a 15 person in one spot a line. Even with a crowd this big, he found Michael with no problems.

"We gotta get back home and pack," he says grabbing Michael by the collar of his shirt and pulling him out of the line.

"Hey! Do not EVER grab my shirt like that again! And thanks to your it'll be another hour before I get back to where I was!"

"Not really. I already know we passed. A girl wanted to duel me on the new campus but, since I did not know if either of us passed, she went to the main office computer and told me. They placed me in Ra Yellow and you in Slifer Red."

"Damn the test to hell then." He shrugs and says, "I passed. That's all the matters. Now we need to tell them that we need…"

"A ride and our uniforms?" Alain interrupts, "I already have them." He gives Michael his red and white jacket. "We are to be here at the BJCC for the pickup at 10 o'clock, one week before the 14th. And from here, we go to Brunswick, Georgia, where our boat is, and then to our campus. If you do not mind, I'll hold on to the tickets. There'll be found faster on the big day if I keep them in my room."

"Alright, cool. You think Momma will bring us over here then? If not, your car could be stolen if we leave it here. It is the only car that works right now."

"She'll have to."

They left the Civic Center with smiles on their faces and worry in the heart.

"Preparations are set, sire" the lesser being says while quaking in fear.

"Good, this pleases me. I shall spare you your eternal pain for a day as your reward," ??? bellows with glee, "With them complete, our next step can now begin. Tell our human slave above to select the appropriate people for this."

"Right away, sire," it says. With the end of that order, the little thing runs away at full speed.

Alone, he says to himself, "Soon the forbidden shall be the feared."

Convincing their mother to take them wasn't easy but she knew they were stubborn like her and can't be easily swayed.

"She never did like us playing this, even though someone could make a living off of it," Alain says, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, well, she can't control our lives anymore, though she does still love us. Gotta start packing, dude. The only problem I have now is whether to bring just my deck or my other cards as well," Michael ponders for a moment.

"Just take everything. You will never know when you need them."

"Whatever," Michael indifferently says as he goes to his room to find his bags for packing.

August 7 Birmingham, AL

A little over a week has passed by and nothing happened of any importance with the exception of Alain and Michael meeting with Señor Martí. When they told him of their acceptions to DA and what their duels were like, he lit up like a newbie finding his first holofoil. He closed his shop early just to throw them a pizza party. The laughter, the friendship, all this and more heightened their spirits as the days rolled by to this very day, the day of their departure.

As the sun rose, their mother, already awake to go to work, woke both of her sons up to begin their journey. As one could imagine, they weren't exactly morning people. They had to go through the motions of dressing and waking up for a good while before they became fully conscious. Once or twice, Alain bumped into the door, thinking in his waking mind on how to open the door with a sleeping hand.

"You two," their mother says as they begin packing their luggage in the small trunk of Alain's Mazda, "are more important to me than my own motherly instincts. I may not like the fact that you are leaving, even to play that game, but this could lead to good things for you two and…I just want you to be happy and do well," she finishes already in tears.

"Momma, don't cry," Alain says as he hugs her, already trying to hide his tears, "we'll be alright. Tell you what, I will watch out for Michael, making sure he is alright."

"He won't need to watch out for. I can take care of myself. Momma, please, we can take care of ourselves, especially with the Tator on high heat alert," he says as he brings out his retarded self and hugs her.

"I'm a mother. I never stop worrying. Now, get in the car. I have to get to work."

They grabbed their decks and left their home, not to see it again until the next summer vacation. Another 15 minutes and they were again at BJCC. They said their goodbyes to their mother as they unpacked their luggage. And, as they watched her leave, they thought of how much they'll miss everyone, including her.

For a while, they were alone in the parking lot with only their thoughts, or just one thought in Michael's case, but as time rolled by, more students and, eventually, the many buses came by. Getting their things together and into the buses, despite the laws of physics forbidding it, took very little time, and, despite the long trip, it did not seem to take long to Alain. As the bus turned into the port, they could gain a glimpse of the boat that would take them to their new school.

The ship itself turned out to be smaller than Alain had originally thought. The darker, bottom portion with the portholes seemed to be where their rooms were and the lighter, top portion seemed to be some sort of recreational and cafeteria area with what seemed to be a duel field on its left side. All the while Alain was thinking, Not bad, not paying attention to Michael's friendly conversation with another kid.

The bus pulled off at the base of the peer. "Okay, end of the line! Get off my bus so I can have my stupid break! And do not bother me with your questions! Your luggage should have already been transferred to your rooms and/or cargo hold. That lucky driver did not have to full around with the lot of you! NOW GET OUT!" screamed the rough-looking bus driver who obviously did not like anyone, especially young folk.

30 minutes later, everyone was out of the bus with tickets in hand. Of course, Alain and Michael stood together in a never-ending line.

"Who did you talk to over there? I thought I overheard a time or two," Alain asks with sincerity.

"Oh, him? You see that short kid with brown hair and blue eyes over there?" Michael points ahead to the 5'4" kid showing his ticket to the ticket master. "His name is Ethan Crusoe and he appears to be a nice guy. He's kinda quiet, a little distant, and unfortunately, is way younger than us, around 13. He likes Water Attributes like me. He has an accent like he was Australian or something. Weird, huh?"

They took a few more steps forwards as Alain thinks, "Not really, America is a melting pot. We are all of one race or another. Hell, we're Irish and Native American, for Pete's sake. Let's get into the ship."

Once past the ticket master, Alain set out to find his and his brother's room. Coincidentally, it was listed on his ticket stub. Once their room was found, Alain surveyed it, finding 2 beds with one duel disk on one bed. Michael must have already gotten his duel disk. There was also a decent-sized bathroom and television.

Wonder what's on the TV. Picking up the remote, he turns on the television and starts to channel surf.

"…Try out Tea Gardner's institute for dancing..." Nope

"..You can be just as beautiful as actress/model Mai Wheeler…" Nope

"…Yugi Mutuo, former world champion and King of Games, is still missing after
one week of searching…" Nope

"…teen idol Atticus Rhodes will be making an appearance…" Nope

"…humanitarian and millionaire Chazz Princeton makes history…" Nope

":…Syrus Truesdale, brother of the former the well-known duelist, Zane Truesdale, was found barely alive today in a Domino City gutter. He suffered from massive electrical burns…" Nope

Nothing is on. Looking around, Alain notices that Michael is missing. Where is he? It looks like he just threw his stuff in here, took his duel disk, and left. Better go find him before he gets into trouble. He turns off the TV and starts to leave, but as he opens the door, he sees a note taped to it. Opening it and reading it, he thinks to himself, Remember the duel at Frontier Lake? Like I could forget that. The only problem is that I haven't decided which deck I'll use. Well, to the recreation room to find my brother.

Five minutes later, Alain finds himself in a grand hall. Rec room, I guess. But before he could enjoy it, he heard what sounded like Michael screaming at who seemed to be a taller brown-haired, blue-eyed man, who had the look of a self-centered prick. As Alain got nearer to them, he could filter out some of what they were saying.

"...no way, dude. There's no way they are useless. If anything, it's you who is useless. Oh, you say you're all that, that you can have any girl on the planet, I bet you can't even get yourself to stand erect."

The taller Icelandic man suddenly looks angry, restraining himself as he responds, "That's it. You better have your duel disk ready, because one way or another you will get your ass kicked."

"Look who's talkin', Limpy. Meet me outside. Once I get my duel disk, I'll be over there." Michael grasps his deck and disk and heads over to the farthest door to the left.

That guy must have insulted Water attribute monsters. Alain shakes his head. Turbulent as the sea, as always. Better find out about that guy and make sure Michael doesn't go crazy.

Catching a random girl before she leaves, he asks her, "Who is that guy? The one who got my brother riled up?"

"That loud mouth was your brother? The one who bothered the hottest guy in the boat?"

"Yes, and it was probably that guy's fault. Michael only gets that way when someone makes fun of his favorite attribute. Now can you please tell me who he is?"

"Alright, alright. His name is Ian Raleigh from Reykjavik, Iceland. Now let me go see the match."

Alain followed the girl he sequestered to the ship's duel field in time to hear his brother and Ian shout, "Duel on!"

Ian's LP: 8000
Michael's LP: 8000
They draw five cards.

Michael: "I'll go first since you challenged." (Hand: A Legendary Ocean, Abyss Soldier, Unshaven Angler, Big Wave Small Wave, Graceful Charity) "I draw." (Giga Gagagigo) "I activate Graceful Charity. Of course, someone as limpy as you knows what it does," he says sarcastically, "I get to draw 3 cards as long as I discard 2." He draws Mother Grizzly, Gagagigo, and Gogiga Gagagigo while discarding Big Wave Small Wave and Giga Gagagigo. "I now activate the spell A Legendary Ocean." The holographics make the water around the boat rise above their head as the holographics change the steel floor to the stones of Atlantean origin. "This card, as Limpy should know, lowers the level of all Water attributes monster by one as well as give them a little 200 ATT boost. Guess I'll summon Unshaven Angler in ATT mode." An ugly big-mouthed fish with huge teeth and a head light swims to its position on the field from behind Michael. "Your turn."

Ian: (Hand: Shining Angel, Widespread Ruin, Generation Shift, Card Destruction, Diving Dragon-Excelion) "Don't worries, ladies. He's just jealous that I have a . I draw." (Lightning Vortex) "I'll set 1 s/t. I think I'll disrupt you pathetic hand with Card Destruction. We now have to discard our hands and draw the same number we lost." (Ian's new hand: Divination's Charge, Premature Burial, Divine Dragon-Excelion, Reflect Bounder) (Michael's new hand: Amphibious Bugroth MK-3, Hydrogeddon, Levia Dragon-Daedelus, Legendary Fisherman) "Hmm...This is a good hand. I activate Premature Burial. I pay 800 LP but I get to Special Summon one monster of my choice from my graveyard, and that would be my brilliant friend Shining Angel!" Lights shine thorough the holographic water as the image of a blond-haired, winged angel descends from on high. "As delighted as I am at seeing him, I believe I'll sacrifice him for another monster, my Divine Dragon-Excelion (1500/800) in ATT mode!" As if on cue, out of a brilliant ball of light breaks out what appeared to be a legendary Chinese dragon clothed in white, shining scales and gives a roar of great volume.

Michael: "Why in hell would you play that thing? A monster that's weaker than mine? Unless…"

Ian interrupts Michael's train of thought: "…it had an ability of its own? And as dumb as you are, you are right. My dragon gains one ability for every other dragon of the same name in the graveyard, up to 2 abilities. Unfortunately, they cannot accumulate. With one in the graveyard, I think I'll juice my dragon up 1000 ATT. Now, Excelion, attack his worthlessly ugly Angler." His dragon shoots itself into the sky. Once at its peak, it dives straight at the big-mouthed fish, its mouth blazing white with fire as he burns Michael's monster. Ï think I'll end my turn on that note."

Ian's LP: 7200
Michael's LP: 7200

Michael: "I draw." Man, Maiden of the Aqua, not the cards I need. I have nothing in my hand that can help me right now, but… "Now I summon in ATT mode my Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 (1500/1300)! A roar of an engine roars from behind him as a trail of bubbles follows the hurries to its position. "Because of my field spell, my submarine gains two things: first, it gains a 200 ATT boost, and second, since my field spell doubles as Umi, my sub can attack you directly. Attack now, MK-3!" It moves itself through the water to a position behind Ian and fires a barrage of missile towards him. Ian's back arched in pain as his LP dropped. "To quote the famous Limpy, I end on that note."

Ian's LP: 5500
Michael's LP: 7200

Ian, gritting his teeth, so angry at the thought of being attacked, bellows: "You'll pay for that. No one does that to me. NO ONE!! I draw" (Pot of Avarice) "I summon Reflect Bounder (1700/1000) in ATT mode." As the machine covered with mirrors appears, the light from Ian's dragon reflects off him, brightening the field further more. "Excelion, attack MK-3." A streak of light burst from its mouth towards the lone submarine, destroying it completely and leaving only its simulated shrapnel. "Reflect Bounder, show this insolent your power, and attack him directly!" A beam of diffused light generated from its round chest mirror heads towards Michael. "I end my turn. Nothing in your deck can defeat me."

Ian's LP: 5500
Michael's LP: 4700

Michael, unfazed by Ian's ravings, says with confidence: "Obviously, my limpy friend, you don't know me or my deck. I draw." (Fissure) He right for the moment, I cannot do anything to stop him now but I won't allow someone like him to win. "I activate Fissure. This spell destroys my opponent's weakest monster, which happens to be your Reflect Bounder." A crack in the simulated Atlantean stonework forms and a large red hand comes forth from the depths, taking hold of Reflect Bounder and pulling it within. "I set one monster and end my turn."

Ian: "As I thought nothing but garbage. I draw." (Divine Dragon-Excelion) Great! The card I need to finish, or at least almost finish, that white-trash redneck and his filth of a deck. My mother's deck never lets me down. I sacrifice my dragon for another Divine Dragon-Excelion. It now achieves two abilities, which are going to be a 1000 ATT boost and the ability to attack again if it destroys a monster of yours.

Michael, with fear on his face: Umm…I'm screwed

Ian, seeing his fear, haughtily boasts: "Don't worry, because I got a little something more to do. I activate Divination's Charge. This card does for me what Overload Fusion does for Dark Machine Fusions, but for Light Fusions. I now take out of play the Divine Dragon on the field and the two in my graveyard to fusion summon a true supremacy, Divinus Dominatus Dragon (2500/1800) in attack mode!" The spirits of all three dragons merge together to form an even more brilliant three-headed version of itself. "Of course, I would not be so rude as to take you out without first telling you what it can do. It gets one effect for ever Divine Dragon used to fusion summon it. That means three effects. First, I choose to furnish it with a 1500 ATT boost. Next, I will permit it to attack once again in a row if it destroys one of your monsters. And since I want to damage you as much as I can, I will choose its last effect, to return all monsters removed from play to the deck and shuffle it." After returning those three dragons to the deck and shuffle it, he proceeds to the duel. "Ok, Divinus, attack his monster." A triple beam of light shot from its mouths, combining into a chromatic beam which showed no mercy to Michael's set Maiden. At the time of the attack, all Michael could think about was how in the world was he able to take this monstrosity down. "My dragon will attack again, this time at you directly. Show him no mercy!" Another great blast from this creature nearly blew Michael off the boat, only being saving by the railing. "Now I end. There is nothing you can say or do that can change the fact that you are worthless. Now finish your turn so I can finally annihilate you."

Ian's LP: 5500
Michael's LP: 700

Michael, stepping back into his original place at the field, looks at Ian and says with fury in his eyes: "Nobody talks about my deck. My family and my friends helped me build this deck. It may not have any expensive cards in it like yours, but that does not give you the right to trash talk them. I will wipe that smirk off your face and laugh while doing. I draw." The card Alain promised me. He thinks back to the moment he got it.

Flashback, June 31, a week before

"Michael, remember that card I promised? The one for those cards you gave me. Here it is," Alain says as he hands it to him, "You might have to change your deck a little to accommodate it and it is a little situational but, with the right timing, it can turn a duel around."

"Dude, this card says I need to have other cards to use it."

Patiently, Alain responds, "I know, that is why I needed time, to search for the two you needed." Alain takes out the other two, a Gagagigo and a Gogiga Gagagigo.

"At least they are all Water attributes," shrugs Michael while placing those three cards in his deck.

Present

Michael: Well, this is an emergency, so I guess I'll have to use it.

Alain, still watching from the sidelines, yells out, "I can see that card, Michael! I 've been watching and now's the right time to use it!"

Michael: "Already ahead of you, dude. Okay, Limpy, I set one moster and 1 s/t, and end my turn."

Ian, still filled with the thought of taking out Michael: "Is that all? All that time, and you only set a couple of cards. Guess, I will be able to give you the pain you deserve. Okay, ladies, Once I'm done with this , I'll want the company of a couple beautiful ladies to help me celelbrate." A few girls yelled at the comment. "I draw." (Nobleman of Crossout) "Since this is your last turn, gutter trash, and since it is the last turn, I really see no reason why I should conserve them. I activate Nobleman of Crossout. I can now choose one facedown monster on the field and take it out of play and guess what? I choose your monster." Michael watches as the simulated sword cuts through his set Mother Grizzly. "So what if I can't use my dragon's special ability, at least you have no hope to win. Divinus Dominatus Dragon, attack to win..."

Michael interrupts him: "Not so fast, Limpy, I activate a trap card, Gigas Redemption!"

Ian: "What crap is this?"

Michael: "This card will decide whether I will win or lose. The effect is very simple. I take any monster card in my graveyard that has 'Giga' in its name or is named 'Gagagigo', place them in my deck, and shuffle. I then draw as many cards from my deck equal to the amount of cards I placed in. If any of the cards I drew is one of the cards I placed in, I special summon them to the field and your cards are destroyed. If they aren't, well, my cards on the field are destroyed and the cards I drew as discarded to the graveyard. A matter of luck. Now..." After placing Gagagigo, Giga Gagagigo (1850/1000), and Gogiga Gagagigo (2950/2800) in his deck and shuffling it, he looks at Ian and says, "Decision time. I draw three cards. And guess what? I see a Unshaven Angler, a Gagagigo, and a Gogiga Gagagigo. That means I get to special summon these two and you get to lose your cards on the field, your facedown s/t and your 'true power.'" Both of Ian's cards explodes as a young lizard warrior and a much older soulless version of itself leapt from the background placing themselves in ATT mode. All the while, Ian screams as he watches his favored monster and protection leaves his field.

Ian, face twisted in an anger very similar to Michael's earlier mood: "I have no chose but to end"

Michael, laughing at his own luck: "I draw." (Giga Gagagigo) "Like you said to me, I'll end this quickly, With ALO on the field, the levels of my Water monsters are lowered by 1, so a level 5 monster would now be level 4 now. So I summon in ATT mode my Giga Gagagigo (2450/1500)." Another older version of Gagagigo appears from behind Michael, thi one geneticly altered and grafted with the bones of the fallen. "I attack with all three. I win.

Ian's LP: 0
Michael's LP: 700

Michael leaves Ian where he stood as the holograms depicting the cards shut themelves down.

Alain, relieved that Michael won against such a self-centered egomaniac, congratulates him. "Good work, Michael. You like that card I gave you.?"
"Dude, that was awesome. And you were right when you told about that card. It did turn my duel around. That duel made me hungry. You want some dinner? I hear they have some fried chicken tonight, almost as good as KFC chicken."

"You know I cannot resist a chicken dinner. Let's hurry. Just watching you made my appetite huge."

And they left for the dining hall where their dinners awaited them. After having a couple of huge helpings of chicken and mashed potatoes, all the while Michael screaming about the fact that Alain was eating Tator's relatives, both Alian and Michael for their rooms, eager to sleep the rest of the night, wanting to wake up the next morning rested and ready for the their arrival at Exodus Island.

Melei, in her room aboard the boat stares at the starry sky. She thinks of the upcoming duel. My deck is ready. My father gave me the principle card in my deck with the warning not to use it until the time had come. She looks at her deck and says, "And none shall pass if you are judged unworthy."\

to be continued...

Cards made up this chapter

Divination's Charge
Spell
Remove from play monsters from the field or graveyard which are listed on a Light Fusion monster and Special Summon that monster. This counts as a Fusion Summon.

Divinus Dominatus Dragon
Fusion/Light/Dragon
Lv9/2500/1800
Divine Dragon-Excelion + any number of other Divine Dragon-Excelion
When this monster is fusion summoned, it gets one of the following abilities for each "Divine Dragon-Excelion" used to fusion summon this monster. These effects do not accumulate.
1) increase the attack of this card by 1500
2) when this card destroys a monster as a result of battle, inflict damage to your opponent's LP equal to the original attack of the destroyed monster.
3) if a monster is destroyed as a result of battle by this card, this card can attack once more in a row
4) return all cards removed from play to the owner's deck and shuffle it

Gigas Redemption
Trap
This card cannot be activated until your opponen't Battle Phase and the controller of this card has monster with "Giga" in its name or is named "Gagagigo." Place each card in your deck and shuffle it. Then draw cards equal to the number of cards returned to the deck. If any of the drawn cards were one of these cards, destroy all you oppnent's cards and Special Summon those cards to the field. If not, all cards on your side are destroyed and the drawn cards are discarded to the graveyard.

Note: Divinus Dominatus is Latin for "divine domination." Thought it was approppriate for it. And I would still like to know if I should make new hero monsters. It so, my ideas towards them will lead to a new subtype, like Union, Spirit, and Toon.