I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. My goal is to be a Pokémon Master, to learn all about Pokémon and see the world while I'm at it.
But this...this isn't what I'm expecting.
Somehow, I've ended up in a strange city called Domino, and they've never even heard of Pokémon at all. Instead, the city is famous for something called "Duel Monsters"-a type of game that's played with cards that you place on strange devices that you wear on your wrist, and the people who play them are simply known as "Duelists".
And not only that, there's a giant festival being held today and everyone who's going has the chance to dress up as their favorite Duel Monster while also dueling others for the sake of the game itself. I, for one, am into parties and celebrations when I have the chance…
But right now, all I want to do is figure out a way home...
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1st Draw
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Bad Dreams
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"I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams."
-Jonas Salk
"Serena! Serena, wake up!"
Saki lets out a long sigh as she stops knocking on her daughter's door. She has been trying to get her daughter to wake up for the past ten minutes, and all that she's heard is Serena refusing to do so. Of all days that Serena decides to sleep in, it is this one.
With no other alternative, she pulls out her cellphone, searches the contact list for her daughter's number, presses it, and then places the phone to her ear. After hearing the dial tone twice, she hears her daughter's sleepy voice on the other end.
"Hello?" Serena murmurs, slightly drowzy.
"GET UP RIGHT NOW!" Saki shouts, loud enough that she hears her daughter jump out of bed in alarm. "Do you know what time it is?"
On the other side, Serena untangles herself from her blankets before she looks at her alarm clock, depicting a white and black dragon encircling one another. She stares at the time: 8:15.
"Yeah, I do," Serena replies to her cellphone. "It's a quarter past 8."
"And do you know what time you promised to meet your friends at Clock Tower Square?" Saki continues.
"8:30." Serena answers. She lets out a large yawn before she takes a look at a witch's hat (part of her costume for the day) resting on top of her mirror. "We're going to go see Millefui at her food truck and have breakfast there before the line gets too long-"
"Which it has, since it opens in half an hour," Saki interrupts. "But, there's two reasons why you need to wake up now."
"And why's that, mom?"
"The first is that, not only are Haruka, Masato and Mokuba in the living room already in their costumes, and Rebecca and her brothers will be at Kaiba Land after they prepare their costumes and have breakfast -"
"Can you cut to the chase?"
"Millefui stated that she has something special for you if you get there in time. She didn't tell me what it was, but instead sent you a picture of it on your phone."
"What kind of crazy thing is she going to give-" Serena stops when she sees the image of said "something special" on her phone-a Duel Monster card that she has been searching for quite some time. Her eyes grow to the size of sand dollars as she places the phone to her ear and whispers, "S...She's going to give me this? You're not kidding, right?"
"Would I ever kid on something like that?" Saki says with a smile. "As they say, 'A picture is worth a thousand words.' If you want to know for yourself, you have to go see her before she decides to hand it to someone else."
"...Tell her that I'm going to get there before she flips the sign and the first pancake is served!" says Serena, standing up and turning to her deck. "That card is mine!"
Saki just smiles as she hangs up and hears her daughter running around her room to get in her costume. She hears the sounds of the television in the living room-Serena's friends are currently watching something known as The Final Deletion and talking about their plans at the Spirit Festival after the opening duel finished.
But still, there is something bugging Saki. Sure, she's happy that her daughter is going to be attending the festival with her friends, and that Serena is now enrolled in the prestigious Domino City Duel Academy and she will be attending classes the day after, but she just can't shake the feeling that something will go wrong today.
She wishes she can asks Haruka to look into the future through the girl's Tarot cards, but she won't. Instead, Saki just lets out a sigh before leaving the hallway just as she hears Serena turn the radio on and it blares out a song on the radio.
"I feel numb...I feel numb in this kingdom…"
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As Serena is quickly getting prepared into her costume, someone else is also getting set into a costume of their own.
Ash Ketchum is quiet as Sugoroku Muto helps him into a costume of a warrior dressed in red armor with golden accents. Pikachu is already dressed as an adorable jester with a red musketeer hat topped with a bright, fluffy pink feather and munching on some cookies as the old man begins to explain about Domino City. Ash is half-paying attention to all of this information as he tries to figure out how he landed in this city, where there is no such things as Pokémon but instead a card game that is known as "Duel Monsters", and how his mother is doing and whether or not she is aware that her son is missing.
"There, we're almost done," says Sugoroku, stepping back. Staring in front of a mirror, Ash can see the finer details of his outfit-including the sword and large shield with a purple orb in the center. Sugoroku smiles as he pats Ash on the shoulder. "Now we need one more thing."
"And what's that?" asks Ash. Even though he's been in costume before, he at least knew where he was-but this is a completely different city. No, maybe he's in a completely different world.
"What's the point of dressing as a Duel Monster if you don't have a deck and Duel Disk for when someone challenges you to a duel?" asks Sugoroku, approaching a table that held two things: a Duel Disk and a deck of cards. "If you use this, promise me two things: 1) don't duel until you actually have seen someone duel and 2) believe in the Heart of the Cards."
"The Heart of the what?" Ash repeats.
"Grandpa always talks about that, about how if a duelist is in tune with the cards in his deck, then they'll draw the card that will help change things around."
Ash, seeing someone behind him via the mirror, turns around. The person in front of him is dressed in a costume-a purple sorcerer's garb with a matching curved helmet, while wielding a long green scepter in hand. The boy is somewhat shorter than Ash is, with blond bangs framing his face, and a pair of wide amethyst eyes that make him a few years younger than the Pokémon trainer. In fact, if it wasn't for how he sounded, Ash would've immediately believed that the boy was.
The most prominent thing that the boy is wearing is strange pendant on a thick chain that looks like an inverted pyramid, its eye in the center almost staring into Ash's soul. For some odd reason, Ash can sense something within that thing…
Something powerful.
"Who are you?" asks Ash, as the purple-clothed boy approaches Pikachu. Pikachu tenses, but after the boy scratches his chin, Pikachu just sighs and relaxes.
"So, Yugi," says Sugoroku. "You ready for the big day?"
The boy, Yugi, just nods his head. "Yep. I better get going before the gates open." He turns to Ash. "And you're Ash, right?" Ash just nods his head. "Well, I hope that, for as long as you stay here, you'll become a great duelist. Say, why don't you join me and I can give you a tour of Domino City?"
"Sure, I guess." Ash clumsily adjusts the Duel Disk until it fits snugly on his left arm. "What do you say, Pikachu?"
"Pika!" chirps Pikachu as he leaps from the cushion he sat at and onto Ash's left shoulder. Yugi smiles as he leads Ash out of the Game Shop, along with saying a goodbye to his grandfather, while Sugoroku looked on. When the door closed, he let out a sigh.
"This boy is going to unleash something big," he says to no one in particular. "Don't you think so, Atem?"
"I absolutely agree."
A figure emerges from the shadows, looking like an older Yugi, barring the tanned skin, the spiky hair with three additional lightning bolt-like bangs, his garb that makes him look similar to a Pharaoh from Ancient Egypt, and the fierce crimson eyes instead of innocent amethyst ones. Atem, as the figure is named, turns to Sugoroku.
"Should I shadow them?" he asks the older man.
Sugoroku shakes his head and smiles.
"Let's see where this goes first," he answers. "Then, we'll take it from there. After all, it is Ash Ketchum's first day here."
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"Finally, you're done!" says Haruka, seeing Serena plop herself onto the couch in her costume. "We were just about to watch that scene in Delete or Decay where BROKEN Matt tells his brother to train with a kangaroo!"
On the television, that is exactly what is playing-BROKEN Matt Hardy is having his brother fight a kangaroo (who he claims has the soul of the famous boxer Smokin' Joe Fraiser), and the kangaroo is apparently winning.
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry about that," says Serena, adjusting the peaked hat that tops her head. "Oooh, this is exciting...we have to get to Thousand Pieces Café right now!"
"And then we need to get to Kaiba Land for the opening ceremonies." Mokuba adds. "I assure you, you definitely can't miss this duel."
"What are you implying?" asks Serena, placing her hand on her cheek, and an elbow on the skirt of her black dress.
"My brother and his 'boyfriend', are dueling to see whoever gets to pull the Bound Scepter of Destiny out of its pedestal," Mokuba explains. "And…" He smirks, seeing Serena and Haruka eating up everything he's saying. "Well, maybe there might be a kiss and.."
"What are we waiting for?!" says Masato, standing up. He turns to Saki who is having a cup of coffee at the dinner table. "We have to go now. See you later!"
Saki smiles as she sees her daughter and friends hop off the couch, gather their Duel Disks, cards and more, before talking to themselves about the fun they were going to have. As she does, she picks up the remote control and turns off the TV, relishing in the silence before she looks at a picture on the refrigerator, depicting a younger Serena grinning while holding a Kuriboh plushie. Has it really been three years since the two moved to Domino City? Her daughter has now become more confident, outgoing and bold, completely different to the shy, quiet one who would be bullied for her cards.
But still...
"Why do I still feel like something bad is going to happen?" she whispers to no one but herself.
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Kaiba Land is one of the shining monuments of Domino City, dedicated to the sports of Duel Monsters. If you had to ask Mokuba as to why this amusement park was made in the first place, he would go and tell the story of how his brother would dream of making them to bring smiles to children, especially orphans. "The orphans can go for free," is something Seto Kaiba once said.
Of course, Ash Ketchum has no idea about this backstory. He doesn't even know the name of the Duel Monster he's cosplaying as (Breaker the Magical Warrior). All he knows is that there are various people at the amusement park, some wearing a costume, some carrying Duel Disks, and some of them already engaged in duels, all while he feels like a pineapple in a tomato patch due to having Pikachu on his shoulder. Many children have rushed toward him, curious as to what Pikachu is (he has had to tell them repeatedly that Pikachu isn't a "real-life Duel Monster") and has successfully avoided all of Pikachu's attempts to shock anyone who pulled on his face or yank his tail, for the most part.
"So," says Yugi, noticing how Ash is looking at the distance. "Do you have any questions?"
"Um, yeah…" Ash answers, pointing to a statue in the distance. The statue depicts a young boy firmly wielding a scepter in his hands, their face a mixture of inevitable doom and determination. In front of it is a make-shift stage and various people standing in front of it, as if anticipating something. "What's that?"
"Oh that?" says Yugi. "That statue holds something known as the Bound Scepter of Destiny. It's been a part of Kaiba Land ever since it was constructed-duelists try to test their skills in front of it, and the winner is allowed to pull the scepter out of its pedestal. The scepter is supposed to be pulled by someone worthy of its power."
"Have you tried pulling it before?"
"I have," Yugi answers. "Unfortunately, even if I'm known as 'The King of Games', the scepter refuses to budge whenever I tried to pull it out. It's like Excalibur in some cases."
"Excalibur?" Ash tilts his head.
"Excalibur is the legendary sword that was given to King Arthur. Some say that Arthur pulled it out of a sword or anvil to prove that he would be the rightful ruler of Great Britain."
Yugi and Ash turn around to see a young girl beind them, dressed in a silver long-sleeved blouse along with matching pants, knee-high boots and fingerless gloves, with one of these gloved hands running through her long blond hair. In her left hand is a sword with a glowing blade and strapped to her right arm is a silver and gold colored Duel Disk with black engravings and the body of the Disk resembling a gear. Covering her large cyan eyes are a pair of glasses with red half-moon frames.
"Rebecca!" Yugi exclaims, seeing the girl. "I suppose you went ahead of your brothers?"
"I wouldn't call them brothers, darling," Rebecca giggles. "But yeah, I couldn't wait! Have you seen Serena and the others? What about Kaiba and Jounochi? Are they 'preparing' for their duel? And if they are, are they-"
She is quickly interrupted by someone tapping her on the head with a broom. Rebecca turns to find Serena smiling at her, dressed as a witch with long blond hair, and her witch's outfit decorated with magenta ribbons. In her hand is a broom, decorated with a loop of string with starry beads around the bristles. She has a Duel Disk too, colored black and orange, strapped to her left arm.
"Come on, we'll get to see some 'real action' when the duel starts," Serena smirks, looking at Rebecca's outfit. "D. D Warrior Lady, huh?"
"Yep! And you're Ghostrick Witch, huh?" says Rebecca, lightly poking Serena's chest with her sword. "Where are the others?"
"They're coming, they're coming," says Serena, with a wave of her hand. She turns around, a hand above her eyes. "And here they are now."
Ash watches as he sees Serena's friends, all dressed up as various Duel Monsters and all of them having Duel Disks on them. Mokuba is Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss (who is adjusting his beret so it doesn't get detached from his wig), Masato is dressed as Warlock of the Ice Barrier (who is adjusting one of the long cyan bangs of his wig so it doesn't land in front of his face), and Haruka is Crystal Seer, briefly pulling back the turban covering her head. It is there Ash can get a better look at the girl, tears forming in his eyes as he cries out,
"May!" He rushes toward Haruka and wraps his arms around her. "I finally find a familiar face here!"
"Huh-" Haruka has no time to react as she's tackled by the boy dressed as Breaker the Magical Warrior. Ash, in the meanwhile, is just laughing out of relief.
"Hey!" says Serena, pulling Ash to the side. "I don't know who you are, but you can't just go out and tackle my friend like that. And for the record, her name is 'Haruka', not 'May'."
Ash steps back as he looks at Haruka, remembering the girl from Petalburgh City that is now preparing to travel to the Johto Region, before also remembering that this is probably not the May he knows. And the boy with blue hair and glasses...Ash wants to say 'Max', but now realizes that it's not going to be the same person he knows. Trying his hardest not to cry, he just smiles.
"S...sorry about that," he says. "It's just...you look like somebody that I used to know, and all."
"I get that," says Haruka, turning to the side. "And, now that you know my name, I can introduce you to my little brother Masato…" Masato waves a hello. "And the one dressed in red is Mokuba."
"Hey," says Mokuba, shaking Ash's hand. "Welcome to Domino City, and you made it just in time. We're about to start the opening ceremonies."
"Yeah, we were about to go to the stage before all the good seats got taken," says Yugi. "So, Haruka, what do you predict for the duel?"
"Aside from the usual thing of them talking smack against one another, summoning their stars, and someone attempting to pull the scepter out…" Haruka explains. "Well, maybe I can see the two 'making up' at the end."
Serena and Rebecca giggle, Mokuba and Masato roll their eyes, Yugi just smiles, and Ash and Pikachu are confused.
"Pika?" says the Pokémon.
"WOW!" says Masato, seeing Pikachu dressed up as Peten the Dark Clown. "What is that thing?"
"This is Pikachu, a Pokémon and my very best friend," Ash answers, recalling how Max accidentally got himself electrocuted when they first met. He brushes the thought aside as he asks, "I don't suppose Pokémon exist here, huh?"
"Never heard of them," says Rebecca, placing a hand on her chin as she tilts her head to the right. "So..wait, are you from another world?"
"I guess so…" The thought of being in another world really didn't settle with Ash; at least when he travels to other regions, his mother knows where he's at and can trust him in that he'll be safe. But here? He doesn't even know if his mother is fully aware of where he's at!
"That's so cool!" says Rebecca. "What am I like there? Do I have any siblings? Am I an expert duelist? Do I like weapons?"
"Um, I have no idea...times four," Ash answers awkwardly. "I've never seen you before in my world."
"Darn," Rebecca pouts. "Oh well, I'll learn that another time. Come on, the duel is about to start!"
"Let's go, let's go!" says Serena, latching onto Ash's arm. "We're about to see history today!"
"Last one there pays for lunch!" Haruka adds, chasing after her friends. Yugi just watches them go before he looks down at the strange pyramid on a chain he wears over his costume. He carefully traces the eye in the center, almost as if it's like a good luck charm to help ward away bad spirits.
Please let nothing bad happen...He thinks. Especially not here of all places…
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"It's about to start, it's about to start!" Serena squeals as she squeezes into the front of the crowd, eyes wide as she sees a woman dressed as Penumbral Soldier Lady about to address the crowd. The woman smiles to everyone as the background music begins to fade.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" says the woman. "Welcome to this year's Duel Monster Spirit Festival, sponsored by the one and only Kaiba Corp.! For those who know me, and for those who don't, I am Cynthia, head of Domino City's Duel Academy, and I will be your host for what I hope will be best Spirit Festival we've had in quite some time!"
There is some cheers from the crowd as Ash looks in confusion.
"This place has a school for dueling?" He whispers to his friends..
"Yep!" Masato says with a grin. "The five of us are gonna start taking classes the day after tomorrow. It's said that the school was built to help inspire a new generation of duelists and only those who pass the entrance exams have a chance of entering! Why? Are there any in your world?"
"Not that I know of. I do know that there are schools where students learn about Pokémon, though."
"Well then, just kick back and watch the magic of Duel Monsters appear before your very eyes," says Haruka. "You'll be a believer in the game soon enough."
"And now," Cynthia continues. "Let me introduce our competitors for today's opening duel. To my left, we have one of Domino City's stories of how anyone can become a duelist through hard work, determination and sheer luck. Calling himself the 'Godfather of Duel Monsters', and wielder of the legendary Red Eyes Black Dragon, I give you the one and only…" She inhales deeply before announcing, "Katsuya Jounochi!"
There is a round of cheers as the first competitor appears. From Ash can see, the person is tall, lanky with a head of a blond hair and a set of mischievous honey-brown eyes. He is dressed in a set of black dragon-like armor with a Duel Disk looking similar to the head of a black dragon with fierce red eyes on his arm. From the loud squeals coming from Serena, Haruka and Rebecca next to him, he has plenty of fangirls. Jounochi grins and waves to the adoring crowd.
"Welcome….Duelists of Domino City!" He shouts into the microphone. "Man, it's good to be back!"
"Indeed it is," Cynthia smiles. "And his opponent who needs no introduction...to many people around the world, this man is known for being a lot of things. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist...okay, maybe not that third one." This gets a few chuckles from the crowd, particularly from the girls. "So I'll cut to the chase and introduce the creator of the Duel Disk, founder of the Kaiba Land amusement park, and CEO of Kaiba Corp. Presenting…" With a dramatic flourish and a hand to the side, Cynthia turns to her right as she announces the name, "Seto Kaiba!"
The audience cheers even louder (if that's even possible), as Jounochi's opponent arrives on stage. Unlike the black draconic armor Jounochi is decked out in, Kaiba's outfit is simply a silver duster alongside long black gloves, and a dragon-like helm with a head of long red hair that trails to his waist. On his right arm is a Duel Disk modeled to look like the head of a dragon, except this one is based on a white dragon with blue eyes. Out of the people cheering for him, Mokuba is the loudest.
"Go get him, bro!" he shouts, jumping up and down and waving his arms in the air. Kaiba momentarily looks to the audience and flashes a grin, all while Ash steps back in surprise.
"Wait...that guy's your brother?!" he exclaims, looking between both Seto and Mokuba. "H...how…"
"All right, you two," says Cynthia, as both duelists meet at the center. "Let's have a fair and friendly duel today; no tricks, all right?"
"Trust us, Miss Cynthia," says Jounochi. "Since when did Seto and I do something...inappropriate?"
Seto just snorts as he and Jounochi exchange decks to shuffle it. As they do, Ash blinks...he feels like he's seeing double. Instead of them wielding Duel Disks and cards, the two of them are wielding weapons; Kaiba is wielding a staff, and Jounochi is holding an axe with a dark blade. In Cynthia's place is a woman in a tan dress and light blue hair, and the two of them take fighting stances. Jounochi is about to make the first move…
"Ash! Hey, Ash!"
Ash blinks as Masato shakes him slightly. "Whatcha thinking about?"
"I'm just seeing the two prepare to fight…" Ash answers, technically telling the truth. Masato just grins.
"It's gonna get even better now," he says. "The real show is about to begin."
"Are we ready then?" asks Cynthia, as both duelists walk to opposite ends of the stage, their Duel Disks activating.
"I'm ready as I'll ever be!" says Jounochi with a wide grin on his face. "What say you?"
"Let's make this showy, shall we?" says Seto, drawing five cards from his deck.
"Then let the duel...BEGIN!" Cynthia announces as the crowd cheers once more.
(Seto Kaiba: 8000) - - - - - - - (Katsuya Jounochi: 8000)
"Here's how a duel starts," says Masato to Ash. "Each duelists starts off with five cards and 8000 lifepoints. They draw a card at the beginning of their turn-or not, depending on previous card effects-and then can play cards on their Duel Disks. You win when your opponent has no more lifepoints, no more cards to draw from their decks, or they surrender. But don't worry, you'll get the hang of it soon enough."
"It's my move," says Jounochi, drawing a card. "And I think I'll start off with Alligator's Sword in Defense Mode."
He plays a card, depicting a bipedal alligator in black armor wielding a sword. (1200 DEF)
"Wow…" Ash whispers. "That's a Duel Monster?"
"It's a Normal-type one, though," Masato explains. "Yellow cards have no effects, orange ones have effects, and…" Haruka nudges him in the stomach and places a finger to her lips. "Well, you'll see more soon enough."
"And I'm ending it with one card facedown," Jounochi adds, slipping a card into the his Duel Disk while a holographic version of that materializes behind Alligator's Sword. "And that ends my turn."
"My turn," says Seto, drawing his card. "And it looks like your Alligator's Sword is going to be turned into a nice purse soon. I summon Enraged Battle Ox in Attack Mode!"
With a roar, a bipedal ox dressed in red and gold battle armor materializes, wielding a battle axe. (1700 ATK)
"Ooh, this won't end well…" Serena notes.
"What do you mean?" asks Ash.
"Notice that Alligator's Sword in Defense Mode while Enraged Battle Ox is in Attack Mode?" says Serena. Ash nods his head. "Well, normally, Jounochi would be safe and wouldn't lose any life points should that ox attack. However, Enraged Battle Ox can inflict damage even if a monster is in Defense Mode; the difference is instead taken from Alligator's Sword's Defense Points."
"Go my monster!" says Seto. "Smash Jounochi's Alligator's Sword in half!"
Enraged Battle Ox charges toward Alligator's Sword like, well an ox would, bringing its weapon down and cleaving the reptilian warrior into pixels and taking some of Jounochi's lifepoints with him.
(Seto: 8000) - - - - - - - (Jounochi: 7500)
"Not so fast," says Jounochi. "I'm activating my facedown card, Call of the Haunted!"
The facedown card flips over, revealing the Continuous Trap Card. Soon, Alligator's Sword returns, sword ready. (1500 ATK)
"Huh?" says Ash. "But didn't Seto destroy that thing already?"
"Call of the Haunted can bring back a monster from the graveyard," Serena explains. "And the monster gets to stay on the field for as long as that Trap Card is in play."
"Oh…"
"Guess I'll end it one card facedown," Seto notes, slipping his own facedown card behind Enraged Battle Ox. He smirks as Jounochi prepares to draw his card. "Show me your moves, love."
The comment causes a wave of squeals to come from the audience, mostly from girls. Ash tilts his head in confusion as Jounochi draws his card.
"You want my moves, huh?" he chuckles. "Then I'll show them to you! I play Polymerization to fuse Alligator's Sword with Baby Dragon to form my Alligator's Sword Dragon!"
Appearing next to Alligator's Sword is an adorable orange dragon (1200 ATK) that lets out a squeal before the two fly into a vortex above their heads. Seconds later, the two return, but this time it depicts Alligator's Sword riding Baby Dragon. (1700 ATK)
"Whoa!" says Ash. "Is that a Fusion?"
"Yep!" says Rebecca. "The most basic type of summon when you combine two or more monsters together. Of course, there are better ways of summoning, but that'll be for later."
"Normally if I should attack, both of our monsters go kaput," says Jounochi. "But Alligator Sword's Dragon can attack directly if the only monsters you control are of either Earth, Fire or Water attribute. And your Ox there is Earth so…"
Alligator Sword's Dragon flies into the air and swoops past Enraged Battle Ox, aiming an attack at Seto's Duel Disk with its sword before returning to Jounochi's side. Much of the audience cheers as Cynthia nods her head in approval.
(Seto: 6300) - - - - - - - (Jounochi: 7500)
"And I'm not done," Jounochi continues. "I'll be placing one monster and another card facedown to end my turn."
A facedown defense monster and another card behind that appears besides Alligator Sword's Dragon. Seto takes the time to draw his card.
"Not bad," he notes. "But it'll take more than that to defeat me. I activate my facedown card, The Melody of Awakening Dragon!"
Seto's facedown card reveals itself. It is a Spell Card depicting the Lord of D. playing a blue and white electric guitar.
"That's new," Jounochi mutters as he watches his opponent discard a card from his hand.
"By discarding one card from my hand," Seto explains, showing White Stone of Legend before sending it to the graveyard, "I'll be able to take two Dragons with 3000 ATK or more and 2500 DEF or less from my deck into my hand. Plus, by discarding White Stone of Legend from my hand, I can add an additional Blue-Eyes White Dragon for a total of three dragons that I'll use to wipe you out next turn."
"OOOH!" The crowd gasps. Ash looks in utter confusion as he turns to Mokuba.
"My brother's strongest monsters are the Blue Eyes White Dragons," he explains. "And having three of them in his hand spells 'Big Trouble' for Jounochi."
Ash just nods his head as Seto reveals one of those Blue-Eyes White Dragons to Jounochi. Jounochi gulps.
"Y...you're not gonna summon that thing now...right?" he stammers.
"Nope," Seto smirks. "But to summon my Blue-Eyes Alternate White Dragon, I'll have to show you at least one of them."
"Oh boy…"
With a mighty roar, a majestic dragon comes into view. Ash can hardly say anything as the dragon flaps its mighty wings. It looks similar to the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon, except there are a few black markings on the wings to differentiate it from its more well-known cousin. (3000 ATK)
"I'm not done," Seto continues. "If I sacrifice my dragon's attack, I can destroy one monster you control. So…"
The Alternate White Dragon opens its mouth and fires a blast of lightning that incinerates Jounochi's Fusion Monster. Then, Enraged Battle Ox lets out a snort and charges toward Jounochi's facedown monster, an adorable baby dragon with black scales, cleaving it in half and taking more of Jounochi's lifepoints. (700 DEF)
(Seto: 6300) - - - - - - - (Jounochi: 6500)
"I knew you were gonna do that," Jounochi smirks. "By destroying my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon, I can Special Summon a level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster on the field!"
"Ha!" Seto replies. "What are you going to do? Summon your normal Red-Eyes Black Dragon? If you're going to try and summon Red Eyes Darkness Dragon to strike back, then I'm afraid you're mistaken."
"Who said it was just my regular Red-Eyes?" says Jounochi. "Introducing one of the newest members of my deck...the great and powerful Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning!"
Bolts of lightning rain from the sky as the Fiend-type monster materializes, skeletal-looking with red eyes and black wings and sharp claws ready to swipe anything in half. (2500 ATK)
"That's not all," Jounochi continues. "When Red-Eyes Baby Dragon is destroyed in battle, I can equip him to my Archfiend to give him an additional 300 Attack Points!"
Red-Eyes Baby Dragon perchs itself onto the Archfiend's shoulder and growls softly. (2500 - 2800 ATK)
"Then it looks like I'm ending this with one card facedown," says Seto, slipping a facedown card behind his two monsters. "Let's see where this new monster takes us."
"Gladly," says Jounochi, drawing his card. "And now, I'll use my regular Normal Summon so I can Gemini Summon my Archfiend!"
"Gemini Summon?" Haruka repeats. "I don't think I've ever heard of a Red-Eyes monster like that before…"
"When I Gemini Summon my Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning, I can now activate his effect!" Jounochi exclaims. "He can destroy every monster you control whose defense is less than its attack!"
"And with Red-Eyes Baby Dragon equipped, he can destroy Seto's Blue-Eyes Alternate White Dragon!" Mokuba exclaims. "That's genius!"
"Go, my Archfiend!" says Jounochi, pointing toward Seto's monsters. "Destroy them!"
The Archfiend of Lightning raised its claws into the air as bolts of lightning struck down on Seto's side of the field. Then, after a rather large bolt, the field is clear.
"He's ready for a direct attack!" Cynthia announces. "This could be the move that chances everything!"
"Attack directly!" Jounochi exclaims.
Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning swoops into the sky, preparing an orb of darkness that he hurls directly at Seto's Duel Disk. Unfortunately, the CEO is prepared.
"You activated my Trap Card, Negate Attack!" says Seto, shielding himself with his Duel Disk as he reveals his facedown card.
The attack bounces harmlessly against the card as the crowd looks disappointed. Jounochi just groans.
"Why do you always have the card on ya?" he asks. "Besides," With a smirk, he places another card facedown. "That thing can't stop us at night…"
Another burst of squees from the girls catches Ash off-guard. Cynthia chuckles as Seto draws a card.
"Leave the one-liners in the bedroom, dears," she says. "Now, if we can get back to the duel…."
"Not bad," Seto says with a smile. "But two can play that game! I summon Lord of D. in Attack Mode!"
"Ooh, Jounochi's in a corner…" Serena says with a wince as the Spellcaster materializes. "This will not end well."
"The monster looks weak compared to Jounochi's Archfiend though," says Ash, noting the 1200 ATK score on the Spellcaster.
"But Lord of D. can protect Seto's Dragon-type monsters from card effects," says Rebecca. "Not to mention that Lord of D. can be used in conjunction with-"
"The Flute of Summoning Dragon!" Seto announces, finishing Rebecca's sentence. "And with this card, I can Special Summon my two Blue-Eyes White Dragons onto the field!"
"Yeah, he's done for," says Serena. "Say, did we make a bet on who would win this duel?"
"No, I don't think so." Rebecca answers.
Lord of D. takes the golden flute with the dragon's head at the bottom and blows on it. The flute vanishes and appearing by his sides are two Blue-Eyes White Dragons. (3000 ATK x2)
"And now," Seto continues. "I think it's time for me to clear the field. Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning with White Lightning!"
The first Blue-Eyes White Dragon opens its mouth and unleashes a burst of energy that temporarily blinds everyone. When the light dies down, the Archfiend of Lightning, and the Red- Eyes Baby Dragon equipped to it, is gone.
(Seto: 6300) - - - - - - - (Jounochi: 6300)
"And this is the part where Jounochi must tank 4000 points worth of damage, right?" asks Masato. The others nod their heads. "This is gonna hurt."
Jounochi gulps as he quickly takes a card from his deck to his hand (an effect from Red-Eyes Baby Dragon) just as Lord of D. smirks.
"This isn't personal, puppy," says Seto. "But don't worry, I'll make it up to you tonight."
"Oooh…." Rebecca, Serena and Haruka say in response. For the third time, Ash is confused.
"What's going on?" asks Ash. Pikachu also tilts its head in confusion.
"Can't you see it?" says Rebecca with a dreamy sigh. "From the way they look at each other, or how they talk...that love is in the air?"
"Love?" Ash repeats incredulously. "They're in love?!"
"Duh," Serena replies with an eye roll. "Oh wait, don't tell me…"
"What?" asks Ash, looking around. "What's wrong?
"Those two...they must like girls back in your world!" Serena exclaims. "Oh the agony!" Masato and Mokuba roll their eyes at their friend's melodrama just as Seto has announced that Lord of D. attacks directly.
Jounochi has no time to protect himself as both Spellcaster and Dragon fire blasts of energy, darkness and light, at him. He brings up his Duel Disk to shield himself, but he ends up being thrown back a few feet as his lifepoints drop even further.
(Seto: 6300) - - - - - - - (Jounochi: 2100)
"Oh my!" Cynthia comments. "Jounochi is now to about a quarter of his lifepoints! How will he respond?"
"With this!" says Jounochi, slowly standing up. "I activate my Shock Draw Trap Card! Now, for every 1000 points of damage I took this turn, I get to draw a card from my deck!"
A gasp catches everyone by surprise as Jounochi's facedown card reveals itself. Jounochi smirks as he begins to draw cards.
"Amazing!" says Cynthia. "Jounochi took a 4000 point direct attack for a new hand. But will the cards he draw be enough?"
"You'll just have to wait and see," says Jounochi. "Back to you...love."
Seto grunts as he sets two cards facedown. Meanwhile, Jounochi draws a card to expand his hand to six.
"All right, time to bring this to a close!" says Jounochi. "First, I activate my Trap Card, Red-Eyes Spirit!"
The first of Jounochi's two facedown cards lifted, revealing Red-Eyes Black Dragon surrounded by a yellow light. Then, materializing on the field, is Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning (2500 ATK)
"This Trap Card lets me Special Summon a 'Red-Eyes' Monster from my Graveyard onto the field," Jounochi explains. "But I'm not done; I play Red-Eyes Transmigration!"
A Spell Card appears, depicting a purple-skinned being wrapped in flames. The Ritual Spell Card bursts into flames as Jounochi shows off two cards: The Red Stone of Legend and Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
"By sacrificing materials from my hand that equal Level 8 or more, I can summon my powerful Lord of the Red in Attack Mode!" says Jounochi. "And before you ask, when you sent my Archfiend to the graveyard while Red-Eyes Baby Dragon was equipped to it, I could search for a Level 1 Dragon-type monster from my Deck and add it into my hand. So you did me a big favor…"
"Like he will tonight…" Haruka adds with a smile.
"Like you will tonight," Jounochi adds with a wink. Haruka and Serena give each other a high-five as Seto chuckles.
Emerging from the flames is a warrior dressed in armor modeled after the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. The Monster smirked as it stared down Lord of D. (2400 ATK)
"Seto's in trouble now…" says Mokuba, noting how Jounochi is laughing.
"And don't forget my second facedown card, Castle of Dragon Souls!" Jounochi exclaims.
The second card lifts, depicting a stone castle rising to the sky and a myriad of dragons surrounding it. A card, Red-Eyes Baby Dragon, pops out of Jounochi's graveyard.
"Here's how this card works," he explains. "I banish one Dragon in my Graveyard, then I choose a monster on the field. The monster chosen gets an additional 700 Attack Points until the end of my turn."
"That means…" Seto's eyes widen as he sees Red-Eye's Archfiend now at 3200 ATK Then, Lord of the Red begins to glow, summoning a huge fireball directly at a sweating Lord of D.
"Oh, did I forget to mention that whenever a card, or its effect, activates, my Lord of the Red can destroy a monster on the field?" asks Jounochi. "Silly me; I can be so forgetful!"
Lord of the Red hurls its fireball at Lord of D., the Spellcaster unable to scream before it becomes nothing but ashes. Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning then follows it up by flying into the air.
"And you know what my Archfiend's capable of…"
The Fiend-type Monster summons a bolt of lightning that strikes both of Seto's Blue-Eyes White Dragons, the monsters letting out one final roar before being sent to the graveyard.
"Now let's try this again," says Jounochi. "Attack directly!"
Lord of Red and Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning fly toward the CEO as everyone else look in awe. Ash and Pikachu are about to cheer...
But Ash pauses.
Instead of the duel, he now sees Jounochi rushing toward a defenseless Seto, whose face is covered in blood, alongside his weapon. Jounochi does not see this though; instead, he has his axe raised into the air, ready to chop Seto's head clean off…
"NO!" Ash cries out, just as the two monsters are about to strike. Everyone momentarily stops and turns to Ash, who blinks and sees everyone staring at him. Serena turns bright red and knocks him over the head with her broom.
"What in the world are you doing?" she hisses, grabbing his arm. "Are you trying to ruin the duel for everyone?"
"N...no!" Ash stammers out. "You see...I thought...Jounochi...he was attacking Seto and…"
"Well, yeah he was attacking Seto. Who wouldn't miss an opportunity to unleash about 5000 points of damage to one's lifepoints?"
"But…" Ash stays quiet as Jounochi continues his attack, with both Archfiend and Lord of the Red firing their attacks that cause Seto to be knocked back a few feet (but otherwise, he's still standing).
(Seto: 700) - - - - - - - (Jounochi: 2100)
As Jounochi's monsters return to their side of the field, Seto lets out a laugh as his facedown cards lift, revealing his copy of Shock Draw and Call of the Haunted.
"Five cards to be drawn and a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the graveyard?" Rebecca exclaims. "Why do I feel like this is gonna end badly?"
As Seto draws five more cards, and his Blue-Eyes White Dragon emerges from the graveyard, Jounochi grins.
"Now this is what I wanted to see!" he says. "But, in case you get any funny ideas-and I'm not talking about those in bed-" Another round of squeals emerges. "I'll be equipping Lord of the Red with Dragon Shield!"
A spiky shield emerges in Lord of the Red's hands.
"As long as this card is equipped onto my Dragon, it can't be destroyed by battle or card effects AND any battle damage from attacks get dropped to zero," Jounochi explains. "So you could summon a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon combined with Fairy's Meteor Crush and to destroy him and he'd still be standing!"
"Oh, you naive boy," says Seto, wagging a finger at his opponent as he draws a card. "I won't have to use Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon to defeat you. First off, I activate Curse of Fiend to move all our monsters into Defense Mode."
The Spell Card is played as all monsters crouch into Defense Mode.
"Next," Seto continues. "I activate my Ritual Spell Card, Chaos Form!"
Jounochi gasps as he sees the Spell Card-a purple and silver gate opening with black energy being unleashed-appear on the field. Then, Seto's Blue-Eyes White Dragon begins to glow.
"This Ritual Card can be used on a variety of monsters," Seto explains. "But for this specific summon, I'll sacrifice Blue-Eyes White Dragon to summon my Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon in Attack Mode!"
Blue-Eyes White Dragon begins to grow, its body resembling ice as it unleashed a burst of azure flames from its wings. It lets out a low growl at Jounochi and his monsters. (4000 ATK)
"Oh boy…" says Masato.
"And what was that you said? Something about 'Fairy Meteor Crush', hmm?" Seto tilts his head to the side. "Well, my Chaos MAX Dragon can inflict piercing damage onto your monster and the damage you take doubles."
"Well, that's if it's left standing," says Jounochi. "Since you activated your Ritual Card, I can use Lord of the Red's ability to destroy your dragon!"
Lord of the Red flies into the air once more and hurls a ball of fire at Seto's more powerful dragon. A cloud of smoke hits the arena as everyone waits for the results. When the smoke clears…
Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon is still left standing!
"What?! But...how…" Jounochi stammers, just as shocked as everyone else. Seto laughs.
"My Chaos MAX Dragon can't be destroyed by your measly Lord of the Red," he explains. "And, while Lord of the Red will be spared from the humiliation of being destroyed, you have no protection for your Archfiend, now do you?
"Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, attack with Blue Chaos Flame Blitz!"
Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon opens its mouth and unleashes a blast of blue fire at the defensive Archfiend, the monster letting out an unearthly howl before being sent to the graveyard.
(Seto: 700) - - - - - - - (Jounochi: 0)
"The duel is over!" says Cynthia. "And the winner is Seto Kaiba!"
There's some more cheers as the holograms vanish and the two duelists approach the center of the stage. Jounochi smirks as he and Seto shake hands.
"Not bad," he says. "That thing with Shock Draw and Call of the Haunted though...you sure you weren't reading my mind when designing that deck?"
"Hardly." Seto smirks as he drag Jounochi closer. "We were too busy looking into each others' eyes for me to even consider such a thing."
The air is tense as the audience is anticipating the next move. Serena, Rebecca and Haruka are bouncing on the balls of their feet, Masato is slowly raising his hands to his ears, Mokuba just pinches the bridge of his nose, and Ash is absolutely confused. Pikachu tilts his head once more.
"So…" Jounochi cups a hand underneath Seto's chin as he leans closer. "What do you say? Do we kiss and make-up?"
"Do it, do it, do it, do it…!" The girls chant to themselves.
Seto's grin grows before he takes Jounochi into his arms and places a deep kiss onto the blond duelist's lips.
"YAY!" cry most of the audience as Ash finds himself disoriented from the screaming fangirls (and fanboys). Serena has her cellphone out and is taking as many photos as she can before the two lovers have to step away. Cynthia clears her throat as she approaches Seto Kaiba.
"Congratulations on your victory," she says. "And now, as victor of this duel, you are given the chance to pull the Bound Scepter of Destiny out of its pedestal. Will you be the chosen one this time around?"
"Let's see," Seto turns to the statue, his eyes momentarily locking onto the statue's own, before he grasps onto the scepter with both hands. The audience is silence once more as Ash can see the crystal on the scepter glowing. Another rush of memories appears in his mind…
0-0-0-0-0-0-
The wielder of the scepter is on the run, avoiding blasts of lightning all while trying to figure out how to use the scepter's power before it's too late. Their heart is pounding in their chest as they raced throughout the corridors...Left here, right there...it's all too confusing.
Eventually, the person stops at a dead end. A shadow looms over them; the figure slowly turns around, and standing in front of them is Seto Kaiba with a wicked look in his eye.
"There you are…" Seto smirks, his body glowing with a dark aura. "I finally found you, you little rat."
The staff wielder whimpers as he points the staff toward Kaiba. Then, there is a blast of red light…
0-0-0-0-0-0
"Don't do it!" Ash screams out, rushing toward the stage. "Seto, don't pull the scepter out!"
Everyone turns to see Ash scramble to the stage, tackling Seto to the side just as he's about to pull the scepter out of the statue's hands. There's a lot of whispering as Jounochi drags Ash away from his boyfriend.
"What the heck are you doing, kid?" he exclaims. "Wait...weren't you the one who tried to stop the duel earlier?"
"You don't understand!" Ash exclaims. "Something...in that staff...you can't let Seto pull it out."
"And why not?!" Jounochi narrows his eyes as moves Ash to the side.
"You have to believe me on this," Ash continues. "There's something inside that is going to hurt people, or worse."
"How do we trust you?" Ash gulps just as Seto approaches the scepter, also not believing the boy's words. Before Ash can say anything else, Jounochi grabs his arm and pulls him away. Seto grabs onto the scepter once more and with a mighty tug…
Nothing happens.
Ash lets out a sigh as Cynthia helps him get back to his friends, all of them looking at him as if he has grown an additional head. The woman stares at him for a while before turning to the audience.
"Well," she announces to a microphone. "That was quite an unexpected surprise, but you never know what to expect in the world of Duel Monsters! And with that, the opening ceremonies have ended. Now go out and celebrate the joy of dueling!"
Everyone cheers as Cynthia bows to the audience. Ash takes one more look at the statue before he goes back to his new friends, still trying to figure out what he has just seen.
I'm not mad... He thinks to himself. At least...I hope I'm not….
0-0-0-0-0-0-
Within the darkness, the being begins to awaken.
How long has it been since he could feel a presence of power? Days? Months? Years? It seems like time is nothing when you are asleep.
But now, now they can feel a sense of self after what feels like an eternity. In no time, he will awaken. He will escape his prison and unleash his power on those would dare try to cross him.
In no time, he will be free.
0-0-0-0-0-0-
Serena: So Ash, did you like what you see?
Ash: Yeah, I did! The duel was amazing! I can't wait to see what else is coming. As long as it doesn't involve that creepy scepter...
Masato: You won't have to wait long; Serena's going to be dueling as a promise to a friend of hers.
Rebecca: And she's going against me. She's got no chance against my monsters.
Mokuba: Today's festivities are just starting everyone.
Haruka: Next time, Ab Initio Chapter 2: "Friend Guard".
Rebecca: It's time for us to hit the climax!