Chapter 1: What to do when you wake up
The Current Objective: A man was granted a vision of a 'System' as he so dubbed it and was asked to create a new him after he perished. Informed that he would be going to the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, the man quickly made his new self and got started on his journey.
"Ugh." I groaned as I gained consciousness, and as I sat up, I looked around the room to see that I was in a two-room apartment, one bathroom with a washing machine, one everything else, seemingly sleeping on a pull-out couch, a small kitchen stacked with some dirty dishes. It was rather quaint, but I supposed it would be home for a while.
Welcome! Congratulations on waking up! You've unlocked the following menus: Deck, Quests, Skills and Stats! You may access any of these by simply thinking about them.
"Oh, right." I sigh as I remember that this wasn't a normal isekai. I had a System that would be providing commentary occasionally, and as such, yeah not normal. To test what the System meant, I thought 'Quests' as it's always good to know what you're aiming for. In there, there were two options, one filled out, the other looking rather strange.
Stop Z-ARC: As your selected goal, you have resolved to defeat Z-ARC, be that by preventing his seemingly inevitable resurrection, or by defeating him in the final battle and potentially even helping him regain his humanity. Rewards: +10,000 XP, +1,000,000 Duel Credits, +500 Relationship XP [Platonic] with any [Platonic] relationships, +1000 Relationship XP [Romantic] with any [Romantic] relationships, [Demon Preventer], [Demon Defeater] or [Demon Redeemer] title, depending on method of success.
Standard Start: You've selected to start in the Standard Dimension, and as such, the Fusion Dimension is not far from attacking! You don't have long until then, and as such you'll need to ingratiate yourself to at least one [Plot Character] before the invasion. Objective: Get relationship status with one [Plot Character] to the [Invaluable Friend] tier of [Platonic] or any [Romantic] tier. Deadline: 6 Weeks. Rewards: ?
Huh. So there were titles? I guess those would grant me some sort of strength in some way, probably more Duel Credits or XP if I had to guess, but that second one. No known rewards and a deadline of six weeks. I suppose that if that deadline passes without me getting to that '[Invaluable Friend]' requirement, as I didn't see myself romancing anyone just yet, I'd be stuck in Standard, but that'd be boring, wouldn't it? Welp! Time to get started!
Picking up the lime green duel disk on the bedside table, I found that it functioned like a phone, complete with internet browser, so I looked up dueling schedules, particularly those of note as I knew that Yuya's duel where Pendulum made its debut would be relatively soon. I unfortunately found that it had already occurred, perhaps a week ago. Great, I thought, already on the back foot. Since the duel's already happened, Pendulum is now a thing, which is great, but I can't stand by Yuya now. Sighing, I clicked on a replay, and skipped towards the end. After all, I knew how the duel went and that would be boring to watch, as I saw that, somehow, the duel was actually like fifty minutes long, which was surprising.
After scrubbing through footage for a bit, I found the 'First Pendulum', as I internally referred to it, and pressed play.
Replay
Turn 5: Yuya Sakaki
"Alright!" The digital version of Yuya declared, "The Pendulum has been swinging your way all this time, Ishijima, but watch as it swings my way! I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon and Scale 8 Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon! Now I can summon monsters from levels two through seven, all at the same time! This duel is mine! I Pendulum Summon! Turn up the heat, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon…
Replay End
Wut? I thought, "Odd-Eyes Pendulum monsters?! Isn't that manga Yuya? He's supposed to activate Stargazer and Timegazer, although his voice did seem to be quite a bit higher, and was his hair longer? Oi, System! Is this one of those changes you mentioned? And 'Ishijima'? Isn't that a sub name?" I shout,
Perhaps. I cannot directly answer any of your questions regarding the structure of this universe. What I have given you should be enough.
I sighed at the System's response, but to be fair, I was expecting it to not even give me what it did. Removing the deck of cards that sat in the duel disk, I thumbed through it to see one of my favourite archetypes, deck full of teal spells and extra deck complete with fifteen black bordered cards. Holding out a series of three cards, one effect monster and two Xyz monsters, I smiled. "Well, you'll make duels somewhat simple!" I cheered, although I noted that I may want to acquire a 'weaker' deck at some point, so as not to make this too easy as the deck was considered rather good by real world standards, and as such would be insane by anime logic. As I placed the remaining cards back in the deck and leaned the three cards on the duel disk as I headed over to the kitchen to prepare some breakfast.
A quick serving of eggs on toast later, and apparently 10 xp for my [Cooking] skill, about a tenth of a level, I put my plate next to the sink where I saw that the dishes there may have been worse than I expected. Oh well, time to get started. Half an hour later, and perhaps one mishap with adding a bit too much soap to the water, I'd cleaned my dishes and put them all away. Sighing, I checked the time, and upon noticing that it was only nine-thirty, I picked up the duel disk after slotting the three cards back in, holding it to my wrist as I'd seen in the show, and it clipped on. I then made sure I had the wallet that was on my coffee table and my keys that were on the door hook, and I locked the door as I headed out. Taking note of the floor number, apartment number and building address, I moved towards a park that my duel disk informed me was nearby.
Upon arriving, I saw a number of people taking spots on duel fields to duel, some very old (and bad) monsters, like think wouldn't normally be played, even in Legend of the Blue Eyes White Dragon format old (and bad). But everyone seemed to be having fun, and that was what mattered. Wandering around, I noticed a small group of what seemed to be about three thugs converging around something (or someone my mind supplied), and I moved to investigate.
"Oh, look at you!" The largest thug taunted, a small, surprised whimper confirming that it was someone they were crowding, "You think you can come in here with a different deck and a fancy summoning method you shouldn't have and we wouldn't recognise who you were, Hiiragi Yuzu? Especially after what you pulled with Boss Sawatari!"
"I told you already, I'm not the girl you think I am!" A female voice rang out, and my eyes narrowed. It did sound familiar, and the name the thug had said: Hiiragi Yuzu, the name that Zuzu Boyle bore in the Japanese version of the show, and 'Boss Sawatari'? So, this was after Yuto was it? But there shouldn't be a girl who resembles Zu-Yuzu, I corrected myself, in Standard yet. Celina, although I believe Serena would be her name here comes during the Battle Royale if I remember correctly. "Hey!" I called out, the three thugs turning to me and I realised that they were indeed Sawatari's lackeys, "Leave that person alone. If you want to pick on her for something she didn't do, beat me in a duel first."
"Heh!" The only one who's spoken chuckled, cracking his knuckles, "Big man over here thinks himself a knight in shining armour, does he?" I caught a glance at the girl behind him, and I saw a flash of dark purple, Ruri?! I thought, She should be in the Professor's custody by now, as much as that is terrible. A scowl appeared on my face,
"Well, are you going to accept my challenge?" I asked,
"We all duel or none of us duel." He responded,
"Sure. I can take you all on at once." Sure, I may be being a bit cocky, but I didn't care. This was my first chance to be a hero!
Objective Acquired: Defeat the three thugs in a duel and save the girl! On Success: +100 XP, +1000 Duel Credits, Unlock [Platonic] relationship with [?] and upgrade relationship status to [Thankful]. On Failure: Gain title [Knight in not so Shining Armour], -1000 Duel Credits.
Bonus Objective(s): Obtain one Alternative Win Condition, Xyz Summon using an Xyz monster, Win without taking damage. Rewards on success: +50 XP and +500 Duel Credits per.
Ah. My first quest! I was wondering when one would appear. And it already had bonus objectives? Interesting! I don't think I'd be able to do the first one, as the odds are reducing life points to zero would be how I defeat them all, but the second and third would be very possible.
"Let's duel!" We all declared, activating our duel disks.
Joseph: 4000 LP
V.S.
Thugs One, Two and Three: 4000 LP (x3)
Turn 1: Thug Three (5 in hand)
"I'll go first!" Lackey number three began, "I summon Thunder Kid in attack mode! (Level 2, 700 ATK) and then I set a card and end my turn!" To say I was underwhelmed would be the understatement of the century. Granted, I knew thug one would likely have the most competent deck, but this was just sad. A monster with basically zero attack points and likely a battle trap. What a great first turn I sarcastically thought.
Turn 2: Thug Two (5 in hand)
"And then it's me! Like my partner I summon a Thunder Kid in attack mode, but I set two cards instead." Again, I was disappointed. A single change, but nothing different from Thug Two.
Turn 3: Thug One (5 in hand)
"And finally, me! Gemini Elf come to me! (Level 4, 1900 ATK) Then, I activate the equip spell Wonder Wand to give my Elf an additional five hundred attack points. (1900 ATK + 500 = 2400 ATK) How do you like that? I set three cards and end my turn!"
"Before I start, wow," I said, feeling condescending for some reason, "The only somewhat impressive one of you was the last one, 2400 attack is nothing to sneeze at, and those face-downs? I'm willing to bet that at least one of you have a Mirror Force face-down and another is probably Magic Cylinder. Decent cards. For battle traps that is. Anyways, before I start, do I draw? Not used to this ruleset."
"No. But you can attack." Thug One volunteered,
"Alright then. That does seem a bit strange, but eh, who am I to care?"
Turn 4: Joseph (5 in hand)
"I'll start by summoning Purrelyly in attack mode (Level 1, 100 ATK) and then I use its effect to search a non-Quick Play 'Purrely' spell to my hand. I choose the field spell Stray Purrely Street which I activate. Then, I use the Quick Play spell Purrely Happy Memory which prevents Purrelyly's next destruction by card effect, but that doesn't matter as I use Purrelyly's other effect. I can target one 'Purrely' Quick Play spell in my graveyard and immediately Xyz Summon the Xyz monster that mentions it using those cards." As I played my cards, a street full of stalls appeared as well as a small black cat/dog thing who seemed to be rather joyous.
"Wh-What? You have Xyz as well? But you're not an LDS student!" Thug One shouted,
"Don't need to be a genius to understand how to overlay," I responded, "I Xyz Summon, Rank 2, Epurrely Happiness (Rank 2, 2000 ATK, 2 ORU)!" Jumping out from the Xyz Portal was a slightly larger, cream coloured creature, joy having shaped it.
"A mere 2000 attack points? That's nothing!"
"Maybe not right now but let me show you the power of my deck. I activate the Quick Play spell Purrely Sleepy Memory, which prevents the next instance of battle or effect damage I'd take this turn, then Epurrely Happiness's effect activates. I can attach Sleepy Memory as material, up to thrice per turn." I announce as my monster took a hyper quick nap, a small smile appearing at the cuteness. (2 ORU + 1 = 3 ORU) "Next, I play Purrely Delicious Memory which prevents Happiness from being destroyed by battle this turn, and Happiness attaches Delicious Memory as well. When a 'Purrely' Xyz monster has Delicious Memory as material, it gains three hundred attack AND defence for each Xyz material it has." (2000 ATK + 300*4 = 3200 ATK, 100 DEF + 300*4 = 1300 DEF, 3 ORU + 1 = 4 ORU) My opponents' eyes widened slightly as my monster gained strength,
"And next, Purrely Pretty Memory. This gives us all one thousand life points, but Happiness gets one more material (4000 LP + 1000 = 5000 LP (x4)) and don't bother worrying about Happiness's stats, as since it now has five materials, I can rebuild the Overlay Network using only Happiness!"
"An Xyz Summon using an Xyz monster?!" Thugs Two and Three exclaimed,
"Uh, yeah? If you'd known anything about Xyz it is its ability to grow from adversity," I heard the girl I highly suspected to be Ruri gasp slightly at my declaration, "This summon will also transfer all my monster's materials, so don't worry about me loosing strength. I Xyz Summon, Rank 7, Expurrely Happiness! (Rank 7, 2500 ATK, 5 ORU) Then, I use the effect granted by Pretty Memory to destroy Stray Purrely Street and attach Lackey One's monster, the Gemini Elf, then, Happiness gains the buffs from Delicious Memory." (2500 ATK + 300*6 = 4300 ATK, 1100 DEF + 300*6 = 2900 DEF, 5 ORU + 1 = 6 ORU) As my majestic ace descended from the portal, the pure joy radiating off it put a massive grin on my face, especially as I saw the pause my opponents had, "Happiness can attack a number of times equal to the number of 'Happy Memories' attached to it plus one, so that's twice! Attack Thunder Kid number one, and when Happiness battles, it automatically inflicts fifteen hundred damage, so you're out!" The thug let out a cry as he was hit by my ball of fluff, being instantly defeated. (5000 LP – 1500 – 3600 = 0 LP) "And attack the second Thunder Kid and defeat that lackey!" Again, the same happened, and now it was me and Thug One. (5000 LP – 1500 – 3600 = 0 LP) "I end my turn."
Turn 5: Thug One (1 in hand)
"It's my turn! I draw!" Thug One called, slightly gritting his teeth,
"During the Standby Phase, Sleepy Memory allows me to draw one." I provided,
"Of course it does," he growled sarcastically, "Oh well, I set a monster and end my turn."
Turn 6: Joseph (2 in hand)
"And that's game! I draw, but that doesn't matter, and now let's battle! Happiness destroys your monster!" (5000 LP – 1500 = 3500 LP)
"Call of the Haunted! This summons back my second Gemini Elf!" (Level 4, 1900 ATK) As the monster appeared, the thug seemed to realise his mistake when it appeared in attack mode,
"And with the burn this still kills! Expurrely Happiness, POUNCE!" My monster happily obliged, and I smiled as the thug was pleading with a hologram, who, props to the devs, was looking at him with some curiosity before hitting the final blow. (3500 LP – 1500 – 2400 = 0 LP)
Joseph Wins!
Skill Level Up: [Dueling] increased from Level 0 to Level 1. Your draws will now be 1% better than your difficulty setting's baseline.
"Now scram." I told the thugs, rubbing my monster's head as it disappeared, and props to the devs again, it really felt like a real pet! I also really do need a 'weaker' deck. Maybe I can go to a card shop at some point? There's surely a deck that fits my specifications. Thankfully, the thugs took the hint and got lost, and I approached the girl, and I noticed just how dirty her clothes were, and upon spying a familiar bracelet, my suspicions were confirmed, "Hey, want a hand?" I asked as Ruri looked up at me, a small smile now on her face,
"Sure." She said, grabbing my outstretched hand as I helped her up, "Thank you for helping. My name is Kurosaki Ruri, what's yours?"
"Joseph. No family name." I added upon seeing her slight look of confusion, "My family hasn't been involved for several years and I thought it time to ditch my last tie to them. So what got you in that situation?" I inquired, making some story up on the fly, as after all, the System had noted that so long as I didn't specify it was a joke or lie, statements such as this would be applied as my actual backstory, so to speak.
"Oh, well I was out for a walk when they stopped me and demanded a duel, and when I won they crowded me and then you appeared. Apparently, I look similar to a girl who beat their boss and they wanted revenge." Ruri answered, brushing a lock of her purple hair behind her ear, and I could also hear the white lie in the first part. Perhaps she just arrived and didn't want to involve me in the dimensional wars yet, which I understood. I gave a 'hmm' and spoke up,
"Do you have a place to stay?" I asked,
"What brings on such a question?" Ruri responded,
"Well, given the state of your clothing, I doubt that just being pushed on the ground would do that."
"O-Oh," Ruri stuttered slightly, "Well, what were you thinking?"
"Well, I have an apartment, and while there isn't much space, I'm sure there'd be enough for you to temporarily live there, and we could head out to the store to get some privacy things. But only if that's okay with you. I don't wish to impose, of course."
"That seems… Acceptable. Should we head out?" She asked,
"Yes. The quicker we do that the better." I nodded, "Also, what should I refer to you as? I don't wish to be rude."
"Well, considering what you've done today, I think my given name would be acceptable." Ruri smiled,
"Thank you, Ruri. And I'd be honoured if you referred to me by mine as well." We both laughed at that, as it had went unsaid what with my lack of a family name. We then headed out to the store, and I got a notification.
Objective Complete: Win the duel. Rewards: +100 XP, +1000 Duel Credits, Relationship unlocked: Ruri [Platonic], Relationship Upgraded: Ruri [Platonic]: [Acquaintance] to [Thankful]. Relationships menu unlocked.
Bonus Objectives completed: Xyz Summon using an Xyz monster, Win without taking damage. Rewards: +100 XP, +1000 Duel Credits
New Objective Acquired: Head to the store with Ruri and get everything necessary without going broke! Current Budget: 10000 Duel Credits. Rewards: +50 XP, Ruri becomes your housemate.
Upon getting the notification, I silently gulped. Why was 'without going broke' part of the objective? I internally questioned, as we entered AEKI, the local superstore.
Hey everyone! Thanks for reading this chapter, and I hope you all enjoyed! As I said last chapter, this chapter would start the canon divergences, with a very major one, being Ruri isn't captured by Academia, and is in Standard. I would also like to quickly clarify, despite the offer Joseph gave, he currently has no romantic intentions with her nor anyone for the moment. The ship is still undecided, Ruri is just the first of the potential candidates.
I hope you also liked the choice of deck that Joseph is starting with, being Purrely! For those that don't know, Purrely is an archetype focused on two level one monsters, Purrely and Purrelyly, who get the archetypal spell cards, which represent the memories the little fellows have, and they grow based on them. The 'Memory' spells also give additional effects when attached as material, and they recently (as of publishing) have finished a rather good run in the meta in the OCG. As Joseph stated in the chapter, he will be looking into a 'weaker' deck by the anime's standards. Unlike the similar story, concept wise in Does Action Dueling Have a Meta?, Joseph will not be trying to apply a more realistic dueling philosophy upon the world. He may introduce concepts that the anime doesn't seem to follow, at least to his close allies, but nothing on the scale of that fic. Do check it out if you have time though as it is very well written and one of my personal favourites.
Anyways to answer my reviews on ff;
To answer some common questions, especially regarding a certain character: I hear you, and I've already taken them into consideration, which should be teased in this chapter. Also deck choice will be taken into account as well!
Carmen Sandiego: I do find your choices interesting. Thanks for your input!
Makotoxvalerie: I can assure you that at this point that there will probably be some subversion of those plot points, I don't particularly like them in canon as is, and this is a kinda self-indulgent fic after all. And those nicknames are perfect! Joseph will probably use them lol.
Kurenai lui: Yuri vs Joseph is something certainly on the horizon! It probably won't be until the Battle Royal at least, but it is something to look forward to!
Thank you all for reviewing, and that's not to not thank the people who commented over on AO3, I appreciate every last word you've all written to me!
Thank you all again, and I'll see you all next time, probably in two weeks, for Joseph and Ruri shopping! – NightWingBOI