"Do you see that wonderful sky, Shiki?"

"Yeah..." A little boy said as he and his grandfather stared up at the night sky.

"What do you think when you see the night sky?" His grandfather asked, but Shiki didn't really know how to answer that. "When I look up at it, I see a lot of possibilities. In fact, they're infinite. I've always been about the future. That's why I became an inventor. My inventions help make the future."

"You're inventions always are so cool, Grandpa Ziggy." Shiki claimed. "When are you going to show me that one cool invention you've been working on?"

"Maybe when you are older, Shiki." Ziggy said. "It's something special for you, and when you become a duelist, you'll love it."

"A duelist... If I do that, I'll make many friends, won't I?" Shiki questioned.

"You just might." Ziggy said. With that thought, Shiki looked up to the sky and imagined all the possibilities that he'll have when he has friends in the future.

...

That was when Shiki began to wake up from the sound of an alarm. Shiki woke up and it was the start of a brand new day. One where he's hoping he'll have a better one. As he woke up, the memories of that dream came back to him since that was an actual memory. That memory had to have been about ten years ago. Now Shiki is fifteen and his future didn't turn out the way he had hoped.

"Morning, Grandpa." Shiki said as he turned to a photo of him and his grandfather. Sadly, his grandfather passed away many years ago and now he's on his own. "Oh man! I'm going to be late again!" He said as he hurried as fast as he could to get dressed and get to school from his small house.

...

Sakura High

This story is about a boy named Shiki Grandbell. He's fifteen, lives alone, and lives in a city known as Sakura City. Before, he lived with his grandfather since he never really knew his parents. Now, his grandfather is gone and he's all alone. The death of his grandfather was hard on him since he was really the only family Shiki had, and there's one other thing about his situation.

"I'll let it go this time, but don't cut it so close next time."

"Yes, sir." Shiki said as he got finished being lectured by a teacher about his behavior and was on his way. He just walked through the halls and pass other students, but they all just appear to ignore him.

"Check it out. The latest duel is going viral."

"And check out some of the new designs for avatars."

"Are you going to login to Duel Links today?" Everyone was talking about this cool virtual reality called Duel Links. It's where duelists from all around the world can dive their consciousness into a virtual place and many of them have duels in there.

"Duel Links... Must be fun." Shiki said. Just like many others, Shiki enjoys dueling and would love to check out duel links. The problem is that he doesn't have a deck or a duel disk. Since whatever money he has goes to his living arrangements, he can't really afford such things. The part that really bothers him is that everyone talks about it. 'I wish I could talk to others about it, but I don't know anything about Duel Links. I don't know how to open up to people. Ever since Grandpa Ziggy passed away, I'm just not sure how to open up to people and make friends.' Shiki would love to have some since he lives a lonely life, but he's just not sure how to make any. As he was walking and was a little distracted about how upsetting his situation was, he just made his way down some stairs as someone was running down them and bumped right into him and knocked him down the last few steps.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!"

"Be careful." Shiki groaned as he met that the person who knocked him down was a girl.

"Sorry again. It's Shiki. Right?"

"Yeah... You're Rebecca Bluegarden." Shiki said.

"That's me. Here." Rebecca said as she helped him up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Shiki said as he was feeling a little awkward about this. Not only does he not know how to socialize, but Rebecca is a little cute.

"Well, I should have been more careful. I got a little distracted by some of these videos from Duel Links." Rebecca explained as she showed she was watching some videos. "Some people are so lucky. I wish Aoneko was lucky."

"Who?" Shiki questioned.

"Never heard of her? I don't blame you. Anyway, I need to get going. Bye. Sorry again for bumping into you." Rebecca said as she hurried off like nothing really happened. Shiki wanted to say more to her, but he wasn't really sure what more he could say to her. It's hard feeling like a social outcast that people just walk through.

...

Shiki's Home

Since Shiki only lived with his grandfather, he lived in a pretty small house and had the whole place to himself. Since he didn't have any friends, school and home were the only places he could be found. How he wishes it was all different.

"Grandpa, I really miss you." Shiki said as he stared down at the photo. "Whenever I was feeling down, you always had some great invention that made me feel better. I wish I could do something like that." Shiki misses his grandfather greatly. Grandpa Ziggy always knew what to say and what to do to cheer him Shiki up. It's hard living alone and feeling like you have no one. "Come to think of it, I bet there are still some around down in your shed. I haven't really been in there or touched any of your inventions since you passed away." Loosing his grandfather was hard, so he never really touched his stuff. Since so many years have passed since that happened, maybe it was time he opened it up again. There was a shed near the house, but that was really used as Ziggy's office and lab. Deciding to finally go in there, he walked on out to the shed. Still having the key to it, he opened it up and stepped inside for the first time in a long time to have many memories come back. All the tools, inventions, and everything was just how he remembered it. He remembered all the times with his grandfather and were some of the happiest times he's had. "Many I haven't touched some of these since I was a kid." As he looked around, he soon spotted one box sitting right on the desk. "I wonder what's in this one? I don't think I ever opened it." Curious as to what was in there, he opened it up and was a little surprised about it. Inside was a duel disk and a deck. "A duel disk?" He reached down for it, but the moment he touched it, it turned on.

"DNA sequence confirmed and activated. Authorization granted. Owner: Shiki Grandbell."

"What? What is this?" Shiki questioned. Somehow after all these years, the duel disk was still working and it was activating simply by touching it. It seemed to have DNA scanning technology that recognized Shiki.

"Hello, Shiki. At last we meet."

"What?! This duel disk is talking?!" Shiki said as he was a little freaked.

"That's right." That was when something started to emerge from it. It looked like a woman, but she was only about the size of a doll. She appeared to be wearing black leather over her arms and legs with her wearing blue armored heels and blue and silver armor over her body. She also had a blue helmet with a gold four-point star that covered her head except the mouth and also had a long tail of auburn hair with long blonde hair. "Greetings, Shiki. I am so glad we finally meet."

"Who are you?!" Shiki questioned.

"I am an A.I. that has been named Ether Duel Eternal Network System, but you may call me Eden." An A.I. that's been waiting for Shiki? What is this?

...

Rebecca

Meanwhile, Rebecca has returned home and hurried right up to her room. Once she got there, she went right on her bed and had her own duel disk ready.

"Right. Time to get to work." Rebecca said. "Initiate Link!" She activated a feature on her duel disk and enveloped her in a bright light. Once that happened, her body went limp because her mind was being transported to a virtual reality. It was like her mind was being downloaded. Once she got there, her appearance completely changed with her wearing a navy blue piece with a skirt and her hair turned white. She was even given cat ears and a tail. Upon arrival, she was now in a cybernetic city-like place. She was really Aoneko

"Welcome to Duel Links."

"Okay. Time to try and get some views and start making my way up. I just need to find someone to duel." Aoneko said and got moving. She could interact in this world like it was reality. Duel Links is a place where many duelists come to face each other, and they can even stream their duels. Aoneko is hoping to be one of the best streamers.

...

Shiki

"It's nice to meet you, Shiki." Eden said. "I have been waiting to make your acquaintance. I'm sure you are rather confused about all of this, but it's rather simple. I was created by your grandfather to... Are you even listening to me?" Shiki was still baffled and amazed at what he found. He couldn't stop trying to study it.

"Sorry." Shiki said. This was so weird to him. Eden is a program, but she seems to be acting like a normal person. "So, you're saying my grandfather built you?"

"Built, program, coded, and everything. He alone created me." Eden claimed. "Your Grandfather Ziggy was a genius that was ahead of his time if he was able to create something like me."

"Well, you should know that my grandfather passed away a long time ago." Shiki informed.

"Yes, I'm aware. I have already uploaded many current status to inform me of what has become since I've been in here this whole time." Eden said as she seemed sad about his passing as well. It seemed that Ziggy uploaded some sort of emotional program in her. "As upsetting as that is, I'm glad you finally found me because I was programed for you."

"For me?" Shiki questioned. That was when he remembered something about his grandfather. "Are you that cool invention he wanted to give me?"

"I am." Eden admitted with Shiki amazed with this. "I have been programmed to aid you in dueling, emotional support, and your needs. In a way, you could say that I am your friend."

"A friend?!" Shiki said as he couldn't believe it. One was right before him now, and it was virtual one at that.

"Your grandfather also built this deck for you." Eden said as she showed the deck meant for Shiki. Shiki took a hold of it and saw they were all cards that he was actually familiar with.

"Some of these cards were Grandpa's." Shiki said.

"Your grandfather created me solely for you, Shiki." Eden claimed. "He wanted you to have a friend that would stay by your side. That's what I'm here for. He said you like to duel, so let's explore the world of it together." This sounded amazing to Shiki. He wanted a friend and now he has one. He likes to duel and Eden could help with that. It was like his grandfather was ready for when a time like this might come. Shiki couldn't ignore it if his grandfather did this for him. That's why he took the duel disk Eden is in and placed it on his wrist.

"This feels... I don't know. I'm speechless." Shiki said.

"That's perfectly fine." Eden said. "How about we start by exploring this virtual reality program known as Duel Links?"

"You can do that? I don't have an account or anything." Shiki said.

"It shouldn't be a problem. Just insert the deck in your duel disk and we can begin." Eden said. This sounded exciting to Shiki. He just had to try it. He took the deck and inserted it right into the duel disk so he began a new adventure. "Initiate Link!" That was when a light surrounded Shiki and he was being sent to a new reality.

...

A Company

As big as Duel Links is, a big company needs to monitor it for the safety of the public. A company known as Interstellar was the one responsible for creating and monitoring Duel Links. It's their responsibility to make sure everything runs efficiently with little to no complications for the good of the people that are inside. As they were doing just that, someone was alerted about a problem.

"Sir! An unrecognized duel disk has been detected within Duel Links." She alerted the one in charge with him wearing a suit and having white hair.

"Unrecognized? Are you sure?" The boss said.

"Yes, sir."

"How can that be? Those who have logged into Duel Links has a duel disk or a program that our company created. How can there be an unrecognized one?" The boss questioned as this sounds like it needs immediate attention.

...

Duel Links

"Man... I can't seem to find anything that works." Aoneko said as she just walked around Duel Links. "I need something that will make a great video, but there doesn't appear to be anything." She tried to figure out what she was going to do until someone appeared right in front of her. By chance, it happened to be Shiki, but he looked completely different. He was wearing black attire with long gloves and a scarf-like piece. His hair also turned white and he actually had black horns on his head.

"Welcome to Duel Links." Eden said.

"Duel Links?! Really?!" Shiki said as he looked around and almost couldn't believe it. Then, he soon spotted his reflection in a window and completely freaked at his appearance. "What happened to me?! I have horns! How did this happen to me?!"

"Hey. Are you okay?" Aoneko asked and got his attention.

"What?! You have cat ears and a tail?! Are you even a human?!" Shiki questioned.

"Of course I'm human." Aoneko said. "Wait a minute. I think I get what's going on. This is your first time in Duel Links isn't it?"

"Uh... Actually, it is." Shiki said.

"Well, welcome. Around here, I'm call Aoneko." She introduced. "I get you're a little freaked, but it's okay. You just took the form of your avatar. I know it might be weird, but that's part of what make this fun."

"Your avatar's design was based on random choices of the cards in your deck, but I wouldn't worry about that." Eden said. That was when Aoneko first noticed her.

"What the...?! What is that thing coming out of your duel disk?!" Aoneko said.

"This is Eden, and my name is..." "Alert! Alert!" Shiki didn't get the chance to introduce himself because that's when trouble started and some large robot were coming at them.

"What is that?!" Shiki questioned.

"It's a security bot. It's a program for Duel Links." Aoneko said. "Around here, programs have a physical form. What does it want?"

"Unrecognized duel disk detected." The robot said as it was aimed right at Shiki. "Surrender or be terminated in duel."

"What's this thing talking about?" Shiki questioned.

"Oh dear... I believe this is my fault." Eden said. "Since your duel disk wasn't design by the people that runs this place, or doesn't really have a program. Their systems seem to have detected us as some sort of threat."

"Can't we just explain the situation?" Shiki asked.

"Surrender or be terminated in duel." The robot repeated.

"I don't think it will listen." Eden said. "I'm afraid if this thing captures us, I might be deleted or taken away from you." When she said that, Shiki instantly got alerted. No way he was going to let that happen. "Our only chance to escape is to defeat this thing in a duel."

"A duel? That's it?" Shiki questioned. "That actually sounds like it could be fun. Let's do it!"

'He's actually going to try and take that thing on? Security bots are loaded with decks that can be difficult to beat.' Aoneko said. 'This is his first time here and something like this has already happened. Who is this guy?'

"Okay. I'm looking forward to a duel, so let's see what you can do." Shiki said as he accepted the challenge of the robot. This is a lot of firsts for Shiki. He finds his first friend, first time in the virtual world, and now it looks like he might have his first duel. Let's just hope it won't be his last.