DEADASS I QUIT THIS PIECE OF SHIT GAME!
That was the start of a 2000 word long rant Johnny Well had on all of his social media profiles. It was the fifth time he's made that statement this year alone. Most of the rant consisted of insults thrown at Chuck's expense. The word "carried" was used exactly 10 times in the same paragraph.
"So Karey-san's no longer your manager?" spoke a man from the other side of the room.
"Yeah, we had a difference of opinion," Chuck responded, turning off his phone. He was sitting in a seiza position, neatly folded legs and straight spine, on a cushion facing a low hanging table. Walking to the other side of the table was a middle aged man with cyan eyes behind black rimmed glasses. His long sleeved white buttoned shirt that had numerous wrinkles in it. His black hair was neatly combed aside from a silver streak on the right side. A simple mustache and soul patch accompanied the neutral expression he carried. In his hands were two large bowls of pork ramen and two sets of chopsticks. He set one bowl and a pair of chopsticks in front of Chuck before walking to the other side of the table and sitting in a seiza position himself.
"Well, in that case, we need to find you a new manager," the man said before slurping some of the noodles in his bowl.
"About that, dad…" Chuck hesitated for a brief moment.
"Something the matter, Charles?" the pro duelist's father questioned.
"Thing is, I feel like taking a break from the pro scene for a while," Chuck answered with uncertainty in his voice.
Chuck's father looked at his son quizzically, "Any particular reason why? After all, being a pro duelist's been your dream since you were a child."
"I know, but playing in the pro league is just exhausting," Chuck explained, picking up his chopsticks, "I need to recharge."
"Far be it from me to lead your life," the older man said, "But talent such as yours shouldn't go to waste," the ringing of a bell interrupted their conversation, "Hold that thought," he stood up, leaving his ramen bowl behind, to walk to a nearby door. On the other side was a card shop. In the store was a gray haired young man wearing a black shirt, a patched dirty blue jacket, dark green cargo shorts, and beat up black sneakers. It was Sid Newman, and the sweat he was pouring suggested he ran a marathon just to get to this shop.
"Welcome to the White Lotus Card Shop," the older man declared as he walked in front of a counter separating the two, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"I heard rumors… that the owner of this card shop… trains master duelists," Sid explained through ragged breaths, "I need to find him!"
"For what reason would you need to see him?" the older man asked. Sid's eyes drifted towards a poster on the wall. On it showed a picture of Blue Eyes White Dragon and Dark Magician ready to clash. Written on it in large colorful letters read 'Community Center Dueling Tournament. Saturday, August 25. Prize Pool $200.' The older man took notice of Sid's glance. Suddenly, everything became clear, "You can't be serious!"
Sid clenched his fists, "I'm perfectly serious! I'm willing to do whatever it takes to win that prize money to help my family meet ends this month."
"Boy, how long have you been playing Duel Monsters?"
Sid recoiled as he broke into a cold sweat, "Uh, I just started playing today."
The older man shook his head, "Boy, let go of those deluded fantasies of yours. No amount of intense training will prepare you for a tournament a week from now. There are people in that tournament who want that prize money just as much as you do and have years of experience. You'd get destroyed. There's no way a new player can just win a tournament like that!"
"Well, I know someone who could," Sid declared, "Charles Ikari! Just like how he clutched the West Coast regionals!"
9 months ago.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Thank you for your patience! It's time to begin the first match of the West Coast Dueling Association Regional Chanpionship!"
The roar of the crowd was deafening. Even those watching from home could feel the electric fervor of the crowd as the MC continued.
"This year's competition promises to bring the dueling action like never before. Introducing first: he's a ferocious duelist who's put an end to numerous careers. Please give a round of applause for last year's champion, Roy Cortez!"
A dense fog filled the right side of the arena, walking forward was a burly, tattooed man wearing a leather jacket over a white a-shirt, black jeans adorned with chains, leather boots, and glitzy sunglasses. The arrogant smirk on his face suggested he loved the applause and attention the audience gave him.
"And introducing his opponent. He's a brand new rookie duelist who miraculously made it past the qualifying round. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, Charles Ikari!"
Chuck emerged from the other side of the arena, coughing and sputtering as the smoke machines continued to billow. He then lost his footing and tripped, falling flat on his stomach. Everyone laughed at Chuck's expense as he scrambled to get back up. He could only give a sheepish smile as he regained his footing. As the teen continued walking to the battlefield, Roy smirked. This kid was easy pickings. Crushing his spirits should be fun.
"Now if both duelists are ready, let the GAMES BEGIN!"
The crowd erupted into cheers as both player's activated their duel disks and drew their opening hands.
"Let's Duel!"
Roy won the coin toss at the start, giving him rights to decide who would go first. He chose to have the first turn.
"I'll start by playing Eldlixir of the Black Awakening. With this spell, I can special summon one zombie monster from my hand or deck in defense mode. And I know just the one to pick. Show yourself, Eldlich the Golden Lord!" from Roy's deck, Eldlich the Golden Lord (Lv. 10, ATK. 2500, DEF. 2800) dropped onto the field, it's gaudy and massive golden body illuminating the field as it's purple cape billowed in an unseen wind, "Due to the effect of my spell card, I'm only allowed to special summon zombie monsters for the rest of the turn, as if it'll matter anyway. Now, I'll set four cards and end my turn," Chuck looked at this situation and tightened his gaze. Four cards in the backrow was not a good thing. Then again, Roy spent his entire hand to make this play.
"My turn, I draw!" Chuck took a look at the card he just drew. This card could easily swing the duel in his favor, but first he had to play a different card, "I'll start by playing the spell card Lightning Storm. When I have no face up cards on my field, I can activate this and destroy all spell and trap cards on your field," a surge of lightning appeared over the dueling arena, blitzing towards Roy's backrow.
"I don't think so. I activate my trap card, Solemn Judgment!" As Roy's trap flipped up, an imposing bearded figure wearing white robes towered over the field, "With this, I can pay half my life points to negate the effect of your spell and destroy it," Roy payed the lifepoint cost, leaving him with 4000. With a wave of the bearded figure's hand, the lightning dissipated immediately, "C'mon, did you really think that would work? Maybe you could get away with things like that on the playground, but not here in the big leagues."
"Oh, I know," Chuck replied.
"Huh?"
"I figured you had some kind of negate in your back row," Chuck explained, pulling out a second card from his hand, "I only used Lightning Storm to bait it out. I have another card to take care of those traps. I play Harpie's Feather Duster!"
"You had that in your hand?!" Roy panicked. Harpie's Feather Duster destroyed every spell and trap the opponent controlled. A large white wing with a gold ring attached to the end appeared over the field. In a swift motion, the wing swept over Roy's backrow, sending all three of those cards into the graveyard, "Lucky break, punk!" Roy snarled.
"Now, I'll set one card on each of my zones and end my turn," Chuck plopped down a monster card in face down defense position and a card in his spell and trap zone.
"What's the matter? Too scared to fight like a man?" Roy goaded as he drew. It didn't have the desired effect as Chuck didn't react in any way, "I activate the effect of Eldlixir of the Black Awakening. By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can set on my field one Golden Land card from my deck. I chose Conquistador of the Golden Land," a card set itself on his inner-left spell and trap zone. The trap in question had an effect to summon itself as a zombie monster (Lv. 5, ATK. 500, DEF. 1800). If it was summoned when an Eldlich monster was on the field, it could destroy one face up card on the field, "Then I set one more card on the field. Now I'll switch my Eldlich to Attack mode," Roy switched his monster from a horizontal position to a vertical position, indicating that it could now attack, "Now, Eldlich, attack his face down monster!" Eldlich reared back it's fist before extending into a massive punch that threatened to destroy Chuck's face down monster. But Chuck had other plans.
"Not today, my trap card activates! Scrap Iron Scarecrow! This activates whenever your monster declares an attack, negating it," a scarecrow made of junk appeared in front of Eldlich, forcing him to stop his advance, "Thats not all. Instead of going to the graveyard, Scrap Iron Scarecrow returns face down," Chuck's trap flipped back down, readying itself for use in the coming turns.
"Ugh! I end my turn," Roy growled. This kid was just a worthless rookie, how was he giving Roy such a hard time?
"Okay, my move!" Chuck looked at his drawn card and smirked, "I play the spell card Cosmic Cyclone. Now for the low price of 1000 life points, I can banish one spell or trap card on the field. I'll be picking that Golden Land trap you set last turn."
"WHAT?!" after Chuck payed the lifepoint cost, leaving him with 7000, a swirling vortex of cosmic energy erupted, enveloping Roy's face down trap, removing it from the field and the game, "Punk…"
Chuck continued with his turn, "Now, I normal summon Cyberse Synchron," (Lv. 1, DARK, Cyberse/Tuner, Atk. 100, Def. 100), "Now I reveal my face down monster, Tuningware," (Lv. 1, LIGHT, Machine, Atk. 100, Def. 300), "Now that I have both of them on the field, level one Cyberse Synchron tunes level one Tuningware," both monsters innitiated a synchro summon. Tuningware transformed into a single star. Chuck could have made Tuningware act as a level two monster, but chose not to, "Inner strength and courage. These are the tenants of victory. Now, share your strength with us. Synchro Summon. Ride! Formula Synchron!" the synchro tuner monster, Formula Synchron (Lv. 2, LIGHT, Machine/Synchro/Tuner, Atk. 200, Def. 1500), appeared on the field.
"You triggered my trap card!" Roy declared, "Torrential Tribute! I can activate this whenever a monster is summoned on the field. Now all monsters are destroyed," a violent tidal wave swept through the entire field, drowning all monsters in it's turbulent waters. Now the field was reset, no monsters in sight.
"Because of the effects of both Tuningware and Formula Synchron, I draw two cards from my deck," Chuck took a look at the two cards he drew. These could come in handy, just not now, "There's nothing left I can do, I end my turn."
"My turn," after Roy drew his card, he smirked, "Perfect. I set one card on my field. Now I'll activate the effect of my Eldlich from the Graveyard. I can send one spell or trap I control to the graveyard and add Eldlich back to my hand and special summon a zombie monster from my hand," the card Roy set vanished as he took a card back from his graveyard, "and it just so happens that I have a zombie in my hand," the card he took back was none other than Eldlich the Golden Lord, who was plopped onto the field, "Also, whenever this monster is summoned this way, it gets an additional 1000 attack points and is immune to card destruction effects until your next end phase," as Roy stated, Eldlich rose from Atk. 2500 to Atk. 3500. Furthermore, Chuck couldn't destroy it with card effects his coming turn, "I think I'll end it at that," attacking directly would have been pointless, due to Scrap Iron Scarecrow still being set on the field.
"My turn," Chuck entered his draw phase, smiling when he saw what he got, "Yes, exactly what I needed. I summon Junk Synchron," (Lv. 3, DARK, Warrior, Atk. 1300, Def. 500), "Now I activate his effect. When he's normal summoned, I can special summon a level two or lower monster from my graveyard. I summon Formula Synchron."
"You're even more of a rookie than I thought! You can't synchro summon with just tunner monsters!" Roy mocked.
"I wasn't going to. Because I successfully summoned a monster from my graveyard, I can special summon Doppelwarrior," Chuck special summoned from his hand Doppelwarrior (Lv. 2, DARK, Warrior, Atk. 800, Def. 800), "Now Level three Junk Synchron tunes level two Doppelwarrior," Junk Synchron created three rings, allowing Doppelwarrior to jump in, "The stage is set. Now with your power, we will vanquish evil! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Junk Speeder!" Junk Speeder (Lv. 5, WIND, Warrior/Synchro, Atk. 1800, Def. 1000) blitzed onto the field, "Now Junk Speeder's effect activates, letting me summon as many tuner monsters from my deck to the field as possible. But before that, I chain Doppelwarrior's effect. Because it was used in a synchro summon, I can summon two Doppel tokens to my field," (Lv. 1, DARK, Warrior/Token, Atk. 400, Def. 400), "Now I have one spot left on my main monster zone, I use Junk Speeder's effect to summon another Junk Sunchron to my field," a copy of Junk Synchron appeared on the field, completely filling Chuck's monster zones aside from the extra space, "Now Level three Junk Synchron tunes both level one Doppel tokens to bring forth a second Junk Speeder."
"You're doing pretty good for an amateur," Roy waved his hand as a second Junk Speeder appeared on the field, "But you need to do better than that to scare me."
"Believe me, Roy, I always give my best," Chuck declared, "And now you're gonna see it. Level two Formula Synchro tunes two level five Junk Speeders. The stars align to bring forth the power of creation. The great beast of the cosmos soars once again!" a massive beam of light struck down on the arena, blinding the audience in it's majestic glow, "Synchro Summon! Soar! Shooting Quasar Dragon!" emerging from the beam of light was the gargantuan beast, Shooting Quasar Dragon (Lv. 12, LIGHT, Dragon/Synchro, Atk. 4000, Def. 4000). It's grand roar reverberated throughout the entire stadium.
"No way! Where'd he get a card that rare?!" Roy panicked as sweat began beading down his head.
"Shooting Quasar Dragon, attack Eldlich the Golden Lord! Cosmic Devastator!" Shooting Quasar Dragon reared back it's head as cosmic energy swirled in it's jaws. It then unleashed the pent up energy in an all out attack on Eldlich the Golden Lord, who evaporated into dust. Roy was left with 3500 lifepoints, "And thats not all. Because my dragon was synchro summoned with two non-tuner monsters, it can attack twice in one turn."
"But… that would mean!"
"Shooting Quasar Dragon attacks directly! Cosmic Devastator!" Chuck's Dragon gave a fantastic roar as it blasted Roy's lifepoints to zero. Roy could hardly believe what just happened.
"No way! He beat me! There's no way!" he screamed in utter disbelief. A rookie wasn't allowed to beat a champion like him. It just wasn't right.
"Good Game," Chuck said, giving a peace sign.
"Unbelievable! Charles Ikari has emerged victorious in an absolutely blistering match against Roy Cortez!"
The MC's voice spelled pure disbelief in what he just witnessed. Even the audience was dumbfounded at what just happened. A rookie duelist made last year's champion look like a novice.
"Charles Ikari caused a major upset defeating last year's regional champion in the first round. He went on to be the runner up in the national championship. An unknown prodigy entered the dueling world, causing no shortage of controversy with how naturally talented he was."
"Do you seriously believe that he just had that kind of talent naturally?" the middle aged man asked with a disapproving expression.
"I mean, that's what people online seem to say," Sid replied, now feeling unsure.
The older man rubbed his temples and groaned loudly, "Didn't anyone ever tell you not everything on the internet is true? You think my son was able to put a performance of that magnitude without years of training?"
Sid shrieked in utter disbelief when he heard that last sentence, "Wait, did you just say your son? You're Chuck's dad?!"
"Huh? I guess I did say that," Chuck's dad uttered, realizing what he just revealed accidentally, "Yup, that's me. Ren Ikari, owner of the White Lotus card shop, at your service."
"You're the owner of this shop too?!" Sid exclaimed in excitement, "It all makes sense now! Chuck only got as good as he is because his father, the legendary Duel Monsters teacher, trained him!"
The ringing of the store bell alerted the two of them of a new presence. It was Sarah. The little girl poked her head through the door shyly as both sets of eyes were focused on her.
"Um… hello…" she mumbled. Sarah felt a strong and familiar aura within this shop. She entered with the intent of investigating, but considered turning around and leaving.
"Let me guess, you want to train under the owner too, don't you?" Ren asked.
Sarah's eyes perked up when she heard that, "There's someone here who can train me in Duel Monsters?!" she now suddenly decided to stay, fully walking into the shop, "Can I see him?"
"I have to stop running my mouth," Ren muttered to himself as he rubbed his temples.
"C'mon, sir, I'm begging you," Sid implored, "Let me and the kid study under you."
Suddenly, Chuck emerged from the door leading to the back. He just finished his bowl of ramen as he walked into the room. Ren took notice of his son. Chuck with an empty large ramen bowl less than a minute after receiving it? Sounds about right. On the other end, Sid and Sarah went wide eyed.
"It's you!" Sarah yelled, "What are you doing here?!"
"Uhhh, this is my dad's card shop," Chuck replied, "Why wouldn't I be here?"
"He's your dad?" Sarah asked, looking at Ren. Of course, that familiar aura she felt was the spirits inside Chuck's deck.
Ren asked his son, "Charles, do you know these two?"
"Yeah they were at the school," Chuck replied, "I heard some arguing from the back. He trying to buy your first edition print of Exodia?" he asked that jokingly, but Ren didn't look amused.
"These two want to train under me."
"WHAT?!" Chuck exclaimed, flinging his empty bowl in the air out of surprise. Everyone gaped in fear as the bowl slowly made it's way back to earth. Thankfully, Ren was just barely able to catch it.
"Watch it! This is expensive!" he scolded as he set the bowl on the counter.
"You two seriously want to train under my dad?" Chuck asked the two fledgling duelists. Both teen and child nodded their heads in uncanny unison.
"The Ikari training regimen is very strict and difficult," Ren informed, "Do both of you have the mental and physical fortitude needed to meet my standards?"
"I need to learn dueling, mister," Sarah pleaded.
Ren didn't budge, "You didn't answer my question. Do either of you have the fortitude necessary to engage in my training?"
"Sir, I'm willing to go through anything in order to get stronger!" Sid declared, yet Ren still wasn't convinced. Chuck looked into the eyes of both Sid and Sarah. He saw a feirce determination in Sid's eyes and a desperate pleading in Sarah's eyes.
"Dad, I think you should train them," Chuck expressed to his father in a different language.
"You think so?" Ren replied in that same language, "The girl is too skittish and the boy is too delusional."
"Father, Sid-kun and Sarah-chan are very serious about learning how to duel. I've sensed their earnestness and their determination."
"You have any idea what they're saying?" Sid whispered to Sarah.
"No, not at all," she replied, unable to decipher the language the Ikari's were speaking.
"I can sense their overflowing feelings as well, Charles," Ren responded, "It's their resilience I worry about. How can I know they won't run away screaming like so many others?"
"Well, even if they do, you have nothing to lose, right?" Chuck reasoned, "And they have everything to gain."
Ren rubbed his chin in thought. After weighing the pros and cons in his head, he made his decision, "Alright then! I'll do it," he addressed in English.
Both Sid and Sarah were elated when they heard those words. Chuck, on the other hand, gave both of them a sympathetic smile, "You have my condolences," he remarked. The two aspiring duelists shifted their moods immediately when they heard that.
"Hey! Is that any way to speak of your old teacher?" Ren retorted to his son.
"Uhhh, Mr. Ikari, what's he talking about?" Sid asked, suddenly questioning his life choices.
Ren looked upon his new students with a stare that would disarm even the strongest of soldiers, "Both of you stand up straight!" both Sid and Sarah felt a sudden urge to do just as the older man said, "From this point onwards, you are to refer to me as Sensei Ikari."
They have no clue what they signed up for, Chuck thought to himself nostalgically. All those endless hours of harsh cramming seemed like an endless memory.
Ren walked back and forth in front of his new students as he spoke, "Now then, before we begin training, it's important for me to establish the Ikari family's principles of Dueling honor. Number one: we don't throw temper tantrums just because we lose at a card game, no matter how unfair it might have felt. Expressing negativity will only spread negativity.
"Number two: under no circumstances are you to ever cheat. There is no true satisfaction in winning dishonestly.
"Number three: never hold back on your opponent. If you go easy on someone, you're denying him or her a chance to grow.
"Number four: always show respect to your opponent. You needn't devolve to throwing jeers or insults, even if your opponent does it.
"Number five: never give up. No matter how bad the situation may look, a duel is never done until the last card is drawn.
"Finally, number six: always strive to improve. If you allow your skills to stagnate, everyone will eventually surpass you. Do both of you understand these principles?"
"Yes, Sensei Ikari," both students declared in uncanny unison.
"Now that you understand our code, it's time to begin your training. For your first test, name every type of spell card!" both Sid and Sarah felt their minds go blank. Being put on the spot immediately would do that to you.
"Uhh, aren't they all just the same type of card?" Sid unconfidently answered.
Ren sighed in disbelief, "Wow, you really do need help. Son, would you kindly?"
Chuck obediently answered, "Normal, quick-play, continuous, equip, field, ritual, and pendulum," both Sid and Sarah stared at Chuck in amazement. He didn't even hesitate or pause for even a moment.
"The world of dueling is a vast place," Ren explained, "The amount of strategies and combinations can overwhelm even the most intelligent people."
Sid spoke, "Mr. Ikari—" and then immediately stopped talking when a wooden object whipped in front of his face, just short of striking him. Sid went pale as the fast wind blew right in front of him.
Ren stood with a bokken wooden sword in a Ko Gasumi stance, a murderous aura enveloping his entire being, "What did I get through telling you, boy?! You are to refer to me as Sensei Ikari and nothing more!"
"Y-yes, Sensei Ikari!" Sid blurted in pure fear. Even Sarah felt herself terrified at this exchange.
"We will now cram all the information you need to know about spell cards," Ren declared with a stern tone of voice, "Neither of you will eat nor sleep until you memorize this information!"
Sid blurted out, "Wait, you mean we can't even take breaks? How—" another narrow miss of Ren's bokken shut him up immediately.
"Never talk back to your sensei!" Ren roared, his eyes burning with a hellish stare, "When I'm done with you, dueling will become more natural to you than breathing! You'll play for the love of the game rather than greed!"
Under the immense pressure he faced, Sid could only scream in anguish.
Ren took a moment to stop terrorizing Sid to address his son, "Can you pick up my ramen, it's still in the back."
"Sure thing," he responded, walking back through the door he and his father came in from. As Chuck picked up his father's bowl of ramen, his eyes drifted to a foldable table tucked away in the corner. He focused on it for a few seconds, reminiscing on the joy and fun that table provided him. If only they were still around.
A week passed and both Sid and Sarah endured Ren's strict and unforgiving training regimen. The tournament was underway in it's final match: Chuck versus a young woman with long brown hair. Chuck's opponent had on her field two monsters. One was a demonic dragon-like creature with angelic wings. This monster was known as True King of All Calamities (Rank. 9, DARK, Wyrm, Xyz, Atk. 3000, Def. 3000). The other was a cybernetic creature resembling a fox with nine digitized tails, Virtual World Kyubi - Shenshen (Lv. 9, WIND, Psychic, Synchro, Atk. 2800, Def. 2400). Ren was surprised when he heard Chuck planned to enter the tournament. After all, he wanted to take a break from professional dueling. Was there an ulterior motive?
Sid entered the tournament as well, managing to win in the first two rounds before getting eliminated. He was disappointed for losing, but he was even more frightened of what his sensei thought of his mediocre performance. To his relief, Ren actually praised Sid for how well he did.
"I half expected you to be eliminated in the first round," he joked to his pupil, "For your first tournament, you did exceptionally well. You should be proud of your accomplishment."
Sid felt an immense wave of pride hearing his teacher speak those words.
As for Sarah, she decided to not enter the tournament. She wasn't restricted from entering because of her age. She just didn't feel like entering. It seemed as though her reasons for wanting to learn dueling went beyond playing at tournaments.
It was now Chuck's turn. With such feirce opposition, Chuck could only perform a T-set, setting a facedown card in both the spell & trap zone and the monster zone. His opponent chuckled in early victory when she saw this. Thinking she essentially had game, she went on the offensive.
"Now I attack with True King of all Calamities!"
"That's exactly what I wanted you to do," Chuck smirked.
"What?"
Chuck's face down card flipped up, "Reveal trap card! Mirror Force!"
"Not Mirror Force!"
"This card activates whenever you declare an attack, destroying all your attack position monsters!" Both of Chuck's opponent's monsters disintegrated in a veil of reflected light.
"Noooooooo!" Chuck's opponent screeched before devolving into a scowl. How dare he. No one makes a fool out of her.
"Did you see that?" Sid muttered loudly from the stands, "Tell me you saw that."
"Boy, what else do you think I'm looking at?" Ren, seated next to Sid, asked in annoyance. Sid reeled back, worried that Sensei Ikari would scold him further. Instead, he gave his pupil a serious look, "But do you know why he was capable of turning the duel around in one move? Chuck's greatest asset is not his card play, but his unshakable resolve. No matter what the enemy throws at him, he keeps his cool and continues the duel. You should learn from his example."
Sid payed close attention to Ren's words. Chuck was obviously more steel-skinned than most other duelists. Was this the result of his father's training?
The match continued. Thanks to Chuck's Mirror Force play, he was able to take control of the duel.
"Satellite Warrior, attack directly with Skylight Strike!" Satellite Warrior (Lv. 10, DARK, Warrior/Synchro, Atk. 2500, now Atk. 4500, Def. 2000) rushed forward, reducing the opposing duelist's lifepoints to zero with a direct attack. With that, Chuck won the tournament.
"Alright, Chuck!" Sid cheered. While he was happy for the winner, others in the audience weren't. Some of the audience members called Chuck a "sexist pig" for denying a girl victory in the tournament. Other vocal audience members accused Chuck of bullying lower ranked duelists. He didn't react, even when trash was thrown his way.
All Chuck said was "Good Game."
Later, Chuck walked towards the exit of the community center. In his hand was a small slip of paper.
"Chuck!" Shouted a voice from behind. The pro duelist turned around to see Sid running over to him, "Hey Chuck, I wanted to congratulate you on winning the tournament. Don't listen to what those people said, you won fair and square!"
"Thanks, Sid," Chuck responded before presenting the other teen with the piece of paper, prompting him to take it. Sid did just that, nearly fainting in surprise at what he saw. It was a check for $200.
"Chuck, I don't know what to say," Sid stuttered, "Why would you give me this?"
"You need it more than me. Besides, it was never about the money for me," he said as he walked off, leaving Sid to himself. He looked at the check in his hand. Most people would never consider handing over something like this. So that's what Mr. Ikari meant by playing for the love of the game rather than greed. But Chuck doesn't seem to enjoy the game at all.
As Chuck exited the building, he thought back to his first match in the regionals. After the duel, Roy Cortez cornered Chuck backstage and accused him of cheating. When Chuck assured that he didn't cheat, Roy called him a liar and lifted him by his collar. Roy threatened to kill Chuck before a security guard intervened. Roy was banned from all official tournaments following that incident.
The Ikari Corner
Chuck: Dad, you're training methods haven't changed a bit after all these years, have they?
Ren: Of course not. It's how your grandfather taught me and how I taught you. Given how you won the biggest tournament in the west coast, I'd say it's effective.
Chuck: I guess all those tears were worth it in the end.
Ren: Hard word always is.
Chuck: Now it's time for Ikari Family Trivia:
Ren Ikari is actually a master swordsman. He's so precise with his bokken he can always narrowly miss someone without fail. In fact, his bokken has never struck another human being.
Ren: Be thankful I don't use real steel. I'm not as accurate with that as I am with wood.
Chuck: Uh… sure. Next time, I go on a date?
Ren: It's about time, son. So when can I expect grandchildren?
Chuck: LATER!
Ren: Hey, get back here!
To be continued…
Dedicated in memory of Kazuki Takahashi. May the Heart of the Cards smile upon you in the Afterlife.