As her bedside alarm rang, Elizabeth Russell immediately jolted awake, shut the alarm off, and sprinted downstairs. It was far too early compared to her normal routine; the morning sun had just risen, but that was what she was counting on.
She awoke to the smell of breakfast three times this week, three times too many. This time, she'll be the one to cook breakfast for the family, not-
A plate of scrambled eggs, and a small mixed salad greeted her as she entered the dining room. She could hear her son Albert brushing his teeth in the downstairs bathroom.
"You're… up early," she whispered, staring at the grander-than-usual breakfast.
"Colosseum Cards opens early today," he said. "It's Saturday, isn't it?"
"Yes," Elizabeth admitted as she slumped down onto the ragged dining chair. It creaked slightly under her weight. Albert gargled some water, spat it out, then grabbed his jacket and a small plastic box on his way to the front door.
"Be back by afternoon. I'll eat out for lunch today. See you later," Albert curtly spoke.
Elizabeth heard the front door open, followed by the click of the lock.
Even after a week, she still wasn't used to seeing her son act like this. Albert was a clumsy and shy boy, always tripping over his own feet and words. Elizabeth would always cook for him and await his beaming smile as they readied themselves for a new school day.
Except, for the fourth time this week, Albert woke up at dawn, cooked for his mother, and left her a lonely breakfast. He could never do something like this, even if he practiced. Elizabeth fondly remembered her son trying to bake a cake for her birthday, only to spend the entire night with her cleaning the burnt oven.
That was because the boy living in her house wasn't her son. His body was the same, but his personality and mind belonged to someone else. He made that very clear the moment Kaz Mcgennis–not Albert Russell–woke up in the hospital. He used to be a twenty-four-year-old law student up until the day he awoke in Albert's body.
Even he had no idea what happened to Albert or why it was Elizabeth's dearest boy who got hijacked. For all the both of them knew, Albert was dead. In his place was a man trapped in a body almost ten years too young and treated his body's mother like a stranger. Every time he spoke, it sounded as if all the love and care Elizabeth gave for her son went unappreciated.
The fact that he never called her "mom" was enough proof of that.
The morning sun gently glittered off the rows of card packs shelved at the back of Colosseum Cards. Alexander, the elderly shop owner, looked up from his game of Solitaire on the counter as the bell on the front door jingled.
"Good morning- Ah! Kaz! The Battle Boxes are empty this early in the morning, so you can go right on ahead!"
He gestured to the front of the counter, where multiple wooden tables, each covered with a cloth Duel Monsters playmat, were spread out across the store. There were two silver tables, each enclosed in glass walls, that were placed closest to the counter that Kaz wasted no time entering and seating himself in.
The metallic tables were nothing like their wooden cousins; a blank grid was engraved onto its surface and the underside of the table was filled in. Two projectors with built-in speakers sat adjacent to each chair, with wires connecting back to the table's central body. That is where the wonder of this machine happens.
Kaz opened the plastic box he'd been carrying, revealing rows of cards, all broken up by bookmarks that named different sections. Most important was the deck-holder tucked in the corner of the box, which he took out and placed into the Deck grid on the table.
The playing area on the table was traced by a white light before pooling into the Deck grid and the opposing Deck grid. A few seconds later, it was filled with a red light, but a press of a button labeled "AI-Mode" on the table's side turned it off. Kaz pressed a button labeled "Solid Vision Monsters: Disable" as well.
A few seconds later, the projectors on Kaz's side of the table lit up, presenting a holographic screen before him.
"Please select Artificial Duelist Deck," A robotic male voice spoke from the projector's speakers. Kaz examined the available options for a moment before settling on an option hidden deeper into the Deck List.
"Selected pre-built deck, belonging to Mai Kujaku, Japanese Regional Championship, year 2000. Please select Artificial Duelist Level."
Alexander raised an eyebrow as Kaz tapped six on the holographic screen.
"Warning. Warning. Current Duelist's Deck is rated under selected level. Warning. Warning- Level recommendation system bypassed." The voice was interrupted by an annoyed tap.
"Digital Deck shuffled. Please select turn order."
Kaz grabbed a coin from his wallet and flipped it. After he grabbed it out of the air and glanced at the result, he selected "User goes first" on the holographic screen.
The table authorized Kaz's selection and after a Solid Vision apparition of a deck, five cards, and a Life Point counter appeared on the opposite side of the table, Kaz drew his first five cards.
Not even a few turns later, he placed his right hand on his deck, signaling his surrender. As the Battle Box tallied statistics relating to the duel, Kaz already grabbed a few cards from the plastic box and held them side-by-side. He then took a few cards out from his deck and replaced them, until he was satisfied with the alterations and started up another duel, this time against Ryota Kajiki.
This was his routine. Kaz would enter as early as possible, hoard the Battle Box for hours of the day, alter his deck as necessary, and repeat the process until he left for lunch or when the store closed. From what Alexander heard, Kaz was gaining a name for himself as "the non-stop Duelist" from other customers.
He wasn't sure what happened to "Albert" that caused such an obsession with Duel Monsters. Just weeks ago, he remembered a group of children entering the store and dueling in the Battle Box. One of the Duelists was Albert. While his cards weren't great, everyone in the group enjoyed dueling with him and each other.
Cheerful. Optimistic. The old Albert always believed that his next card would turn the duel around and when it didn't, he laughed his loss off and gave his seat to the next person in line. His dueling style was aloof; attacking, defending, and responding as he liked and if he could.
Cold. Calculating. The new Albert always shook off or avoided Alexander's questions and seemed to surrender during his duels against the Battle Box almost as much as he started them. From what he saw in the Battle Box's Dueling logs, the new Albert might as well be another artificial Duelist. Always checking cards, always reading them, and playing each card to the maximum of their potential. If he had a dead card in his hand, he would discard it at the first opportunity. He would play defensively, only attacking when he was certain the risks involved were at their lowest, and would press his advantage as much as possible.
The boy dueling before him was not Albert but "Kaz," as he now wanted to be called. All Alexander would get out of the boy was some sort of medical case involving amnesia, but nothing concrete that explains the usually meek boy suffering such a drastic change and playing Duel Monsters all the time, even on school days. He asked about that once, only for the boy to say that he didn't need to go to school anymore.
Alexander missed the old Albert, the boy who lit the store up with his group of friends and bright smile. And that was why, as Kaz dueled over and over into the start of the afternoon, Alexander hoped a certain group would arrive today. Perhaps they could make the old Albert come back.
Kaz sighed as he placed his right hand on his deck, signaling the seventh forfeit this session.
Every time he moved, he was reminded of how different everything felt. Objects always looked slightly bigger or taller than he felt like they should. He had to reach just a little bit further to reach a glass of water and bend down a little more to pick up a card on the ground. And his own body felt like a pressure cooker; cramped and energetic. He had to fidget while sitting just to stave off the urge to pace around a room. The worst part had to be his face.
One week of a stranger staring back from every reflection. One week of living in a place he can't call home. One week of never-ending guilt and unease. He stole a son from a loving mother and he still wasn't used to piloting his body.
Was Albert dead? There really was no way to know. If he really was, how was he supposed to comfort a mother living together with her son's murderer? He knew of her sorrow, but words were meaningless if they couldn't bring Albert back.
Worst of all, he had taken more than Elizabeth's son away from her. When he first awoke in Albert's body, the first thing he saw was a hospital room. Albert's body reacted horribly to his…transition into it, leaving him bedridden. It took a long time for him to learn how to walk again.
And a week-long hospital stay translated to a mountain of medical bills. Elizabeth could barely afford it with her secretary salary. She even had sold his Duel Disk just to make ends meet.
Kaz still hated what he had done to the family. Even though he didn't mean to, he just took and took from a loving mother and a growing son, and he couldn't give anything back. Since he didn't have a resume here, nor was anyone crazy enough to hire a teenage lawyer, he couldn't give a single thing back.
But there was one thing he could do, something he was good at.
Dueling. Kaz was surprised that he woke up in the Yu-Gi-Oh universe, of all things. The one franchise that he was at least confident that he could perform well in, according to his various tournament wins. The game was why he even got interested in law, with all of its wording and effect notations that are vital in understanding the power of effects and their interactions.
Kaz was also very surprised to learn which specific universe he landed in. He landed in Duel Monsters. Specifically, the manga Duel Monsters universe. Judging by a news broadcast of the climatic Duels between Yugi Muto, Diva, and Seto Kaiba…
The events of the manga already occurred and Dark Side of Dimensions was canon.
When Kaz saw the new broadcast one morning, he immediately ran to the library, logged into its slow Windows 98 computer and watched all the tournament replays he could find.
"Gate Guardians Combined attacks directly! Thunder Shot!"
"From my hand, I activate my Trap Card: Harpie's Feather Storm! Since I control a Wind attribute Winged-Beast Monster, your activated monster effects are negated until the end of this turn!"
"Not so fast! I activate Machina Ruinforce's effect! By paying half my Life Points, I negate the activation of your Trap, and your Life Points are halved!"
The card pool wasn't limited to cards from 2004; every card released in his world up to the point he disappeared existed here, save for any card related to or mentioning any Extra Deck mechanic that weren't Fusions.
Hell, Mikanko existed here, in the hands of a pro duelist in Japan. Considering Dark Side of Dimensions had Diva, Yugi, and Kaiba use more modern cards,it made sense for the card pool to be drastically expanded for everyone else as well.
As for the format of the game and duelist ideology, it is the same as what is shown in the anime: Duels were best-of-one, Duelists usually played one copy of each card unless their deck specifically needed multiple copies, banlists don't exist, and worst of all, card rarities were all over the place.
Cards like Dark Magician or Red Eyes Black Dragon were priceless. Kaz spent half an hour searching for sellers and found nothing. Just trying to buy one copy of each card of an archetype like Aliens cost a literal kidney.
The Chaos Command Magician he found in Albert's deck box looked pathetic by comparison.
Albert's deck was horrid even by GOAT format standards. It was slow, had multiple dead cards, and lacked any format staple cards. He only had a handful of good cards but decent wasn't what Kaz needed. If he wants to stand a chance, he needs something broken.
And so, for the past few days, Kaz playtested and edited his deck to the best of his ability. His deck and card pool were still horrible, but he had to start somewhere. The first step towards meeting Yugi Muto, the greatest Duelist in the world.
Kaz already thought out his future: he would duel to the best of his ability, enough to win and warrant the attention of a major character from the story, and hopefully they have some idea on how to send him home. If they can't come to him, then hopefully any winnings would be enough for a flight to and from Domino City.
After all, the story featured the soul of a dead Pharaoh passing on and another man entering the afterlife using a mixture of technology and magic just to play a card game against said Pharaoh. Surely, they could send another soul back where it belongs, right?
Kaz snapped back to reality as the computer's Torrential Tribute wiped his board once more. He immediately placed his hand on his deck and went back to fishing around in Albert's card box. Even after hours of sifting through Albert's cards, he was astounded at the lack of back row removal. He would like a Mystical Space Typhoon right now…
"Albert! Albert!" Kaz only had a split second to turn his head towards the voice before the door to the Battle Box opened and a boy rushed in.
"Oh my goodness!" The boy, about Albert's age, squeezed him with a crushing hug. "Where have you been?! You weren't at school at all! Everyone said you had an 'excused absence,' but you look great!"
The boy released Kaz from the hug and dragged him out of the Battle Box. Kaz glanced at the boy's blazing red hair before two girls snuffed out any chance of a response with another hug.
"It's great to see you again," the shorter of the two girls spoke softly.
"Hey, hey! Looks like you're alive after all!" The other girl lifted her arm to slap Kaz in the back, but he pulled himself away from the two.
He felt a sense of familiarity at the sight of the group, but since he'd never seen them before…
"Who are you guys again?" He asked.
"Oh, come on! Did you forget that we're friends?" The boy with the red hair stepped forward.
Ah, that explained things. Kaz turned to Alexander, who watched the conversation with rapt attention. He turned back to Albert's friends.
"Yes, I did. Long story short, I'm amnesic. That's why I haven't been at school."
"What does amnesic mean?" One of the girls asked. Her eyes traveled up and down Kaz's body.
"It means he forgot things, Corina," the other responded, pushing her glasses up her nose.
"How much do you remember?" Corina whispered.
"Not a lot," Kaz admitted. "I had to relearn Elizabeth's name; that's how bad it is. Doctors aren't sure when my memories will come back." That was the same lie of omission he and Elizabeth shared with anyone who asked about his condition.
The group fell silent. Corina shifted on her feet, unsure of how to respond.
"Well!" Jonah put his hand out. "Then we'll start our friendship over! I'm Jonah, that's Corina, and that's Stacy!"
Kaz didn't shake his hand. "You're taking this awfully well."
Jonah didn't seem to hear that. "It's not too bad. Even if you forgot everything, you're still Albert, right?"
"Kaz."
"Hm?"
"I go by 'Kaz' now. Don't ask, it's just something that I prefer." Kaz looked down, sighed, and shook Jonah's hand. From behind the counter, Alexander beamed a bright smile.
"Hey, Albert- um, Kaz!" Stacy peered into the Battle Box. "Didn't you say you forgot everything? Then why are you playing Duel Monsters?"
"Oh… I'm relearning the game." It's not entirely untrue, with his ongoing adjustment to the new format.
"Really?!" Jonah clasped Kaz's hands. "Then let's Duel! Come on! We haven't Dueled in a while! Maybe it'll jog your memory! I'll go easy on you, promise!"
"I really can't." Kaz muttered as he backed away. What would be the point in Dueling a weaker Duelist? That would just hinder his progress.
"Kaz!" Alexander stood from behind the counter. Everyone turned and watched him approach the group and place a hand on Kaz's shoulder.
"You should give it a try. You've been Dueling against the computer all the time-"
"So you've been here all day every day while we're at school?! Lucky!" Corina whined.
"-but it's no replacement for a real Duelist. You want to get stronger? You'll need real experience." Jonah nodded quickly as Alexander spoke. Kaz stood his ground and glared back.
"You won't know unless you Duel someone else. Duel Jonah or I'm not letting you use the Battle Box." Alexander folded his arms.
"That's blackmail!" Kaz retorted.
"Those are my terms. I'm trying to help you, Kaz." Alexander looked him in the eyes. After a short standoff, Kaz sighed and relented.
Jonah, on the other hand, was ecstatic and was in the middle of pulling his Duel Disk out of his black backpack before Alexander stopped him.
"Kaz prefers using the Battle Box," Alexander said as Kaz already sat back into the Battle Box. "Duel Disks don't have an artificial Duelist opponent system, so he doesn't bring his Duel Disk into the store."
"Awww. But this is so old school!" Jonah pouted as he sat opposite his opponent. Alexander switched the Battle Box's settings into the proper Dueling mode before joining Corina and Stacy to watch outside.
"Get used to it. I did." Kaz shuffled his deck strangely; he did so along the card's vertical side, not horizontal like other Duelists. As both Duelists placed their decks onto the Deck holder slot on the table, Jonah already drew his opening hand.
Kaz's eyebrow twitched. If this happened back at home, it would be a rule infraction.
"Alright! I-" Jonah was cut off by two dice landing on the table.
"Seven." Kaz pushed the dice over to Jonah.
"Hm?"
"...Whoever gets the higher roll gets to pick who goes first."
"Since when was that a rule?"
Kaz winced. Right, anime format. Jonah turned to Alexander, who shrugged. Jonah rolled the two dice, which landed on a five and four.
"Going first or second-?"
"First! Let's Duel!" Jonah shouted.
He didn't waste any time slamming two cards down onto the table.
"I set a Monster and a face-down card!" The Battle Box registered the two face-down cards after a brief shimmer of light from the underlying grid.
"Next, I activate the Continuous Spell Card Machine Assembly Line!" Jonah placed another card, whose card art was simply recreated on the field for its visualization.
"All right, show me what you got, Albert!"
Kaz tapped on the table as he grimaced at his opening hand and draw. It provided a decent opening board, but one card was a situational battle Trap and the other required a tribute; a cost he wasn't willing to pay until he absolutely needed it.
"Entering Stand-By- Nevermind." Kaz shook his head. Anime Duelists hardly ever communicate phases or miss phase-timings anyways; Jonah would say when he had a response. Besides, he must sound like a weirdo if he kept talking like that.
"I Set a Monster… and Set one facedown. End turn." He placed his three cards face down on the table.
Jonah smirked. "Hiding already? Well, then I'll make the first attack! I Normal Summon Drillago (Drillago: Level 4, 1600-1800 ATK/1100 DEF)! With Machine Assembly Line's effect, it gains an extra two hundred Attack Points!"
As Jonah slammed his Monster onto the field, Kaz reminded himself of why he didn't turn on Solid Vision for his practice duels.
Drillago materialized onto the table, with such high-resolution details on its body that could slow down a high-spec computer back in Kaz's home. The numerous drills it wielded shined under the bright store lights. Its body was decorated with small scratches and Kaz could see its robotic joints shift under its weight as it bounced on its feet. The Monster glanced up at its opponent and spun each of its drills individually, ready to pounce on Kaz's face-down card.
Even if it was smaller than the usual Duel Disk projection system, Kaz's heart still raced at seeing the level of realism this world's technology could display. Solid Vision brought beasts, dragons, and robots to life and they would be attacking humans directly. Even if this was no Shadow Game, the sight of seeing Drillago rushing toward his face, each drill spinning in a frenzy, was something Kaz did not want to experience. He couldn't even handle a standard direct attack from Vorse Raider when he first tried the Battle Box; he turned the system off in sheer terror before the attack landed, leaving him a trembling wreck that Alexander had to check on.
"And from my hand, I activate De-Spell!"
What?
"I target your left face-down card! Let's see what that is!" Jonah placed the Spell Card onto his Spell and Trap Zone and pointed at one of Kaz's cards. Kaz clicked his tongue and flipped it over.
"I chain with Book of Moon and target your Drillago."
"Aw, man!" Jonah yelped as the blue book emerged from out of Kaz's card. It opened up, revealing a page filled with magical encryptions, which shined with a bright light right into Jonah's Monster. Drillago hissed at the light before diving right back into its card. Jonah flipped it face down.
"Hm, that was a great play," Alexander muttered.
"What was so good about it? Jonah lost his main offensive monster! Drillago's defense is way too low to withstand anything with decent Attack!" Corina asked.
"De-Spell works on face-down and face-up Spells and Traps," Stacy said. "So Jonah not only forced out a strong Spell that could've interrupted a later offensive, he's taunting Kaz to attack Drillago. He'll either have to step into a powerful Trap, if that's Jonah's face-down, or pass, which wastes Book of Moon and leaves Jonah with an eighteen-hundred Attack Monster the next turn."
"It's more than that," Alexander added. "Even if Jonah chose differently or if Kaz didn't set any Spells, De-Spell forces your opponent to reveal the targeted face-down. Knowing what cards your opponent has Set is a powerful tool to use for the future, even if it's not destroyed. If it was a Trap, Drillago would remain face-up and Jonah could just not attack, deterring Kaz from Normal Summoning any Monster with less than eighteen hundred Attack."
Jonah gave the bystanders a thumbs up. "I wasn't thinking of anything like that, but I'll take the compliments! I Set one more card face down and end my turn!"
On the other hand, Kaz was fuming as he drew another card. He really wished that he didn't have to use Book of Moon so early, but Jonah forced his hand.
He took a moment to examine the board. Drillago was in face-down defense. It's not a problem at all, but Alexander and Stacy were right; if he just left it alone, Jonah would just flip it back up next turn. He did have to step into two face-downs for the attack…
Kaz shrugged. Sure, he'll take that risk. His Set Monster had a powerful defensive effect and unless Jonah happened to run a removal card triggered by an attack or summon, that Monster wasn't going anywhere.
"I Summon Magical Exemplar (Magical Exemplar: Level 4, 1700 ATK/1400 DEF) and enter the Battle Phase. Magical Exemplar attacks your face-down Monster." The magician rose from her card as Kaz placed it on the table. He pointed to the face-down Drillago as Magical Exemplar did some sort of chant in whatever magical language she practiced. A large gem materialized over her target and with a loud thud, crashed into the card. Kaz heard the crunch of metal as bits and pieces of the machine scattered all over the field.
"Since Drillago was destroyed, Machine Assembly Line gains two counters!" Jonah exclaimed.
The spell card rumbled to life; two crane arms emerged from the ground, picked up Drillago's crushed head and torso, and set them onto the assembly line, ready to be processed through various modules and conveyor belts.
Even if Kaz wasn't a fan of Solid Vision attacks, he admired the interactions and details they visualized between cards. Recontextualizing counters as machine parts was a nice touch on the continuous spell; he almost wanted to see what its revival effect would look like.
Almost. An extra body on the field would be troublesome.
"I Set one card and pass turn."
Jonah laughed as he drew another card. "That didn't hurt a bit! I activate my Trap Card! Call of the Haunted! I rebuild Drillago (Drillago: Level 4, 1600-1800 ATK) from the Graveyard!"
The table rumbled as Kaz heard the sound of drills tearing apart metal. Then, Drillago broke through the surface of the table, clawed its way back to its original zone, and ground its drills together, angry at its earlier defeat.
"Then, I Summon Machine King Prototype! Don't underestimate it because it's a prototype, because it gains one hundred Attack and Defense for each other Machine Monster on the field! And there's more!"
Jonah slammed a new Monster onto the field and as the Machine stepped off its throne, he flipped over his remaining face-down card.
"I activate Metalmorph! It gives my Machine King Prototype another three hundred Attack and Defense (Machine King Prototype: Level 3, 1600/1500- 2200 ATK/1900 DEF)!"
Kaz swore as new silver armor fully encased the newly-summoned machine. He expected something like this after Jonah didn't activate any of his face-downs the previous turn, but this was honestly overkill…
"Battle! Machine King Prototype attacks Magical Exemplar and gains half of Magical Exemplar's Attack-!"
"Activate Chaos Burst," Kaz flipped over his remaining face-down. "I Tribute Magical Exemplar and destroy your Machine King Prototype. Also, you take a thousand damage."
"No!" Jonah could only watch as Magical Exemplar's body glowed white for a moment, before detonating as Machine King Prototype lunged forward to destroy her, taking both monsters and the Trap Card out in one swoop (Jonah LP: 8000 - 1000 = 7000).
Jonah grumbled in response, clearly disappointed at his failed attack. "Well, Machine Assembly Line still gains two counters!" As the Spell Card picked up Machine King Prototype's pieces, the bystanders were cheering at this sudden comeback.
"Wow! Way to dodge that attack, Al! Er, Kaz!" Stacy corrected herself.
"All that effort to boost Machine King Prototype was completely wasted. Jonah is in a bad spot now," Corina added.
"It's not over yet!" Jonah disagreed. "I attack your face-down Monster with Drillago! Go! Run it right through!"
The Monster activated its drills once more and finally pounced onto Kaz's card. It thrust its hand downward to reveal a pair of fairies (Gellenduo: Level 4, 1700 ATK/0 DEF).
Everyone watched as the pink and green fairies simply moved to the side, dodging the machine's attack. Drillago retreated back to Jonah's side of the field and stomped its feet angrily at its failed attack.
"Huh? Why didn't the attack work? Drillago has eighteen-hundred attack! Gellenduo has…zero defense?! It should've been destroyed!" Jonah exclaimed.
"That's because Gellenduo can't be destroyed by battle," Kaz stated plainly. Surely, if Jonah could read the stats, he could read the effect too, but Kaz thought wrong.
"Hm, I haven't seen that Monster before! You changed your Deck, didn't you? Alright, I activate the effect of Machine Assembly Line! I send it to the Graveyard to Special Summon a Monster with a level less than or equal to the obtained Junk Counters! My Monsters lose the Attack Point boost, but Machine King Prototype shall be rebuilt from scrap! And I end my turn!" Jonah said.
Kaz stammered as the assembly line activated one last time and hurriedly reconstructed the once-destroyed mech before retracting back into the table. The Prototype still had some scratches and a large dent on the head from Magical Exemplar's attack, but it still rose onto its feet and struck a guts pose (Drillago: 1800-1600 ATK, Machine King Prototype: 1600/1500-1700 ATK/1600 DEF).
"Jonah… Nevermind, forget it. Alexander?" Kaz turned to the shop owner. "The Battle Box can record and replay matches, right?"
Alexander nodded.
"Alright, I'll explain that later. Anyways, draw for turn," Kaz said. He'll have to talk to Jonah about that massive misplay after the duel. Gellenduo had seventeen-hundred Attack Points, which wouldn't have been high enough to overcome Drillago's eighteen hundred Attack if Jonah still kept Machine Assembly Line on the field, leaving them at a standstill. But for some reason, Jonah gave up the Attack boost to summon another seventeen-hundred Attack Monster?
Kaz glanced at his hand. He could attack with Gellenduo to get rid of Drillago… Knowing the rest of Jonah's deck, the face-down Monster is most likely a machine, leaving Machine King Prototype at seventeen-hundred Attack if he flipped it over, which still makes it crashable if Gellenduo attacks the turn after that. But if Jonah draws another Monster or some sort of stat-boosting card, Gellenduo would be destroyed by Machine King Prototype's eighteen-hundred attack, leaving Kaz open to attack. One hundred Life Points and one Monster didn't quite equal the risk…
One thing he learned from his Duels against the computer was that it always seemed to draw the perfect card for the situation. He was familiar with the whole "heart-of-the-cards" stuff the anime was so famous for, which was why so many Duelists ran cards at one. But he never saw anyone do that in-person. Could Jonah–a normal teenager with no anime-magic powers in a Duel with no stakes– actually pull that off? There was only one way to find out.
"I Set one Monster. I switch Gellenduo to Attack Position and it attacks your Drillago. And I'll end my turn after that."
Kaz's fairies spinned in place before its twin hula hoops sliced across the table, cutting Drillago in two, destroying Call of the Haunted with it (Jonah LP: 7000 - 100 = 6900).
"Not bad, but I'm returning that damage!" Jonah boasted as he drew a card. "I Normal Summon Motor Shell (Motor Shell: Level 4, 1300 ATK/1800 DEF)!" As the engine-on-wheels rolled onto the field, he flipped his remaining face-down Monster over.
"I also Flip Summon Gear Golem the Moving Fortress (Gear Golem the Moving Fortress: Level 4, 800 ATK/2200 DEF)! Now my Machine King Prototype has eighteen-hundred Attack from the two machines on the field (Machine King Prototype: 1600/1500-1800 ATK/1600 DEF)!"
Kaz swore bitterly. Everything he didn't want to happen just did, and worse of all, Gear Golem could bypass Gellenduo entirely, leading to a nasty direct attack from Machine King Prototype-
"Machine King Prototype attacks! Rocket Punch!"
-or not.
Jonah thrust his fist forwards, mirroring his favorite monster's attack. The rocket-propelled fist's aim was true and smashed into the twin fairies, who dissipated with a yelp (Kaz LP: 8000 - 100 = 7900).
"Hey, why was it destroyed? I thought-"
"Gellenduo is automatically destroyed if I take any damage." Kaz cutted in. Did he have to reveal every action in-game? It appeared so, as Jonah grinned at this newfound revelation.
"Perfect! Then Motor Shell attacks your face-down Monster!"
Kaz moved Angel O1 to the Graveyard as Motor Shell's wrecking ball smashed into his card. He really regretted changing Gellenduo into attack position now and mentally braced himself for the next attack.
"And finally, Gear Golem attacks you directly!"
Kaz took a deep breath and watched Jonah's monster rush towards him. Gear Golem moved closer and closer, until Kaz could see his own reflection in its shiny chassis and the light glinting off of the numerous spikes on its body. He instinctively leaned backwards, even though he knew in the back of his mind that it was just a Solid Vision projectile, until-
He was pushed back in his chair from the impact on his chest as Gear Golem smacked into him and bounced off. As Jonah's Monster moved back towards its position on the field, Kaz felt his chest tingle and instinctively touched the area where Gear Golem's spikes had embedded themselves. He wasn't bleeding out or screaming as if he was playing a Shadow Game, but the sensation of tangibility was still there.
"Hey, you alright?" Jonah asked worryingly. Kaz took a few deep breaths to compose himself, then shook his head.
"No, it's just… nevermind. I'll talk about it later. Keep going."
"If you say so… alright. I end my turn," Jonah glanced at Alexander, who nodded and crossed his arms. He honestly expected a reaction like this from Kaz, but he was glad that it wasn't as dramatic and severe as last time.
"Alright… oh, come on," Kaz groaned as he glared at his drawn card. Of course he draws a card that would've been good a few turns ago. Now it's just a beatstick.
"Summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (Breaker the Magical Warrior: Level 4, 1600 ATK/1000 DEF)."
Corina and Stacy gasped as the legendary knight came to life on the table; its armor pulsing with red magical energy.
"There it is!" Stacy grasped Alexander's arm. "That's one of Albert's best monsters!"
Well, at least everyone was on the same page about that. One of the greatest monsters during the card game's initial competitive format; a nineteen-hundred attack beatstick with a backrow removal effect. Speaking of which…
"Breaker's effect activates. Since it was Normal Summoned, it gains a Spell Counter, increasing its Attack by three hundred (Breaker the Magical Warrior: 1600-1900 ATK). Breaker attacks your Gear Golem. I end my turn."
With one stroke of Breaker's sword, Jonah's Life Points were greatly slashed, and his Machine King Prototype also fell in strength (Jonah LP: 6900-1100 = 5800 LP, Machine King Prototype: 1800/1700-1700 ATK/1600 DEF).
For the first time since the Duel started, Kaz actually felt optimistic about his chances. Finally, a strong monster on the board while he has his opponent on the backfoot. Jonah didn't have any cards at hand, and Breaker was strong enough to destroy both monsters. This was the perfect time to use his face-down!
"I activate-" Kaz reached for his face-down card, but Jonah was faster.
"I Normal Summon Roulette Barrel (Roulette Barrel: Level 4, 1000 ATK/2000 DEF, Machine King Prototype: 1700/1600-1800 ATK/1700DEF)!"
"Wait!" Kaz snarled. Jonah flinched, but he already placed his Monster face-up on the table. Both Duelists stared at it for a moment before Kaz let out a frustrated sigh. He should've expected this as the Duel progressed.
"After this is over," he said through gritted teeth. "I'm teaching all you guys how to progress through phases."
"Did you have something to activate?" Jonah asked. A glare and frustrated sigh was all he received. He turned to Alexander.
"Can I take that back?" he asked.
Alexander just shook his head. "Sorry, I don't think that setting is on."
"Whatever, it's ok. Just… keep going." Kaz waved his hand dismissively.
"Alright… Alright! Ok! I activate Roulette Barrel's effect! I roll a dice twice, and I get to destroy a monster whose Level is equal to the result! Spin, Roulette Barrel!"
The tank's engine rumbled as its tank barrel began to spin. Kaz's lone monster glared defiantly as the barrel slowed and slowed…
And stopped at the number four, pointed right at Breaker.
"Yes! Fire!" Jonah gleefully yelled. The monster obeyed and with a singular shell, turned Kaz's only line of defense into confetti and smoke. He didn't even get a chance to use its effect.
"Wait!"
"And now! All units! Atta-!"
"For the love of God, wait!"
Jonah shut his mouth as Kaz raised a hand. His face was now awfully pale.
"Don't. Please, just don't directly attack me anymore, ok? Please," Kaz pleaded. Some other customers in the store turned towards the commotion.
"What's wrong with direct attacks?" Stacy frowned. "You never had trouble with it before."
"Well, I have trouble with it now!" Look-" To the surprise of everyone watching, Kaz pulled out a calculator from the plastic box containing all his cards, punched in some numbers, then turned it around for Jonah to see.
"There. Seventy-one hundred minus forty-one hundred is three thousand. That's the Life Points I have left," he panted. "Just end your turn, ok? My face-down can't stop all your attacks."
Jonah looked back and forth between Alexander and Kaz, until the panic-stricken face on Kaz's face won over Alexander's skeptical expression.
"Oh, alright. I end my turn."
"Thank you." Kaz let out a sigh of relief. He took a few deep breaths, tore his eyes from the mechanical army that almost pounced across his near-empty board, and drew his next card.
Never before has he been so happy to see a smiling pot.
"Pot of Greed. Draw two."
Kaz barely forced down a sigh of relief. This was a good draw; enough to buy one more turn.
"Set two and pass turn."
Jonah drew his next card and miraculously, it was the same as Kaz's.
"I activate Pot of Greed! This allows me to draw two cards from my deck!" Said two cards must've been interesting, judging by Jonah's raised eyebrow.
"Um, so if I can't directly attack you, how should we play?" he asked.
"Just play as you normally do. I'll let you know if I have a response during the Battle Phase," Kaz replied. Although truthfully, he wasn't sure how that would work. Did he just have to move his Trap Card off to the side when Jonah pretended to attack?
However, the problem wouldn't appear this turn, as Jonah placed a card face-down and activated Ties of the Brethren from his hand.
"With this Spell Card, I can pay two-thousand Life Points to summon two monsters from my Deck with the same Type, Attribute, and Level as a Monster on my side of the field! Roll out, Super Robot Army! I target Roulette Barrel, and deploy Blue Thunder T-45 in Attack Position and Electromagnetic Turtle in Defense Position from my Deck (Jonah LP: 5800 - 2000 = 3800, Blue Thunder T-45: Level 4, 1700 ATK/1000 DEF, Electromagnetic Turtle: Level 4, 0 ATK/1800 DEF)!"
As he spoke, Jonah searched through his Deck, extracted the cards he desired, then reshuffled. Kaz just slumped in his seat as his opponent summoned his Monsters onto the table, further increasing Machine King Prototype's power (Machine King Prototype: 1800/1700-2000 ATK/1900 DEF).
"Unfortunately, I can't battle the turn I activate Ties of the Brethren. So I'll just switch Roulette Barrel and Motor Shell to Defense Position. It's your move now!"
Corina whistled at the army assembled on Jonah's side of the field.
"Wow, now that's a stacked field! There's a lot of attackers and defenders. That's gonna be hard to break through!"
Kaz had to agree. Things had gone from bad to worse. Yes, he survived an extra turn and the turn after that assuming Jonah didn't destroy his backrow. But he was just delaying the inevitable. He memorized his deck, and it didn't have a single power card that could manage a comeback against a board like that. No Dark Hole, no Raigeki, not even a Mirror Force.
No. There was one. One singular card that could turn the tide. It didn't have an instant blowout effect like other staples and it needed a Monster on the field for it to work. Still, it was by far the strongest card in his deck in terms of long term impact. If he combined it with his facedowns, he would have a devastating combo against Jonah's defensive monsters.
But what were the odds of him drawing a level four Monster and the key card in two turns? He had only used through over a fourth of his deck; what's to say that the key card was buried at the bottom?
But he had to try, didn't he? He drew his next card, praying it was one piece of the puzzle.
It was Photon Lead. In a hand without a single Monster; a useless card.
Or was it? Everyone watching raised an eyebrow at a rare sight; Kaz placed his hand facedown on the table and was now rifling through his Graveyard. He held Gellenduo for a moment, before placing it back into the Graveyard.
"Ok… First, activate Magical Stone Excavation. Discard two, add a card from the Graveyard. Add Pot of Greed. Activate Pot, draw two."
Again, not the key cards he wanted. But that didn't matter. With this new hand, He could still burn through his deck for a chance to get those cards.
"Activate Graceful Charity. Draw three and discard two." And there it was. Exactly what he needed and more to boot. He proceeded with his spell's discard process, then took a glance at Jonah's board. He pulled out his calculator and punched in some numbers. Satisfied with the results, he took a deep breath. The entire process took an entire half minute.
"Normal Summon Defender, the Magical Knight. It gains a Spell Counter upon Summon (Defender, the Magical Knight: Level, 1600 ATK/2000 DEF).
"Woah!" Corina gasped. "In Attack Position? That's nuts!"
"He must have a plan. But what?" Stacy muttered.
"Equip Power of the Guardians." A circle of rusted ancient weapons appeared behind Defender, who flexed as a wave of light showered over the knight.
Everyone–even the usually stoic Alexander– gasped as Kaz finally placed his key card onto the board.
"Wow! How long have you been keeping that card in your closet?!" Jonah leaned back and slapped his forehead.
"You know this card?" Kaz asked.
"Yeah! I heard it's really rare!" Jonah whined. "Man, talk about luck; getting that card right now!"
Stacy and Corina nodded in agreement. Alexander now stared at Kaz with scrutiny and stroked his beard.
"Yes, that's quite an interesting and rare card. I never realized you have it, Kaz. Jonah, you have your work cut out for you. Defender will now be a tough Monster to take down."
Jonah checked the sole Monster standing before his army. The knight's puny dagger looked pathetic against the many guns and metallic limbs ready to crush him, but it stood confidently against the overwhelming odds.
"Well, let's see what it can do!" He grinned
"Sure thing," Kaz replied. "Defender attacks Roulette Barrel. Guardians activates on attack declaration. It gains a Spell Counter and it gives Defender an extra five-hundred more Attack and Defense Points (Defender, the Magical Knight: 1600/2000-2100 ATK/2500 DEF)."
Defender's dagger suddenly grew in size–enough to actually be a sword now–and swung downwards at the machine. But right before the strike connected-
"I activate Interdimensional Matter Transporter! It removes one of my Monsters from play for the turn!"
A second machine appeared behind Roulette Barrel. With a quick flash of its main cannon, the tank was zapped out of play. Defender's sword only struck air, but Kaz immediately focused onto the rest of Jonah's field.
"Alright. Retarget attack to Blue- no, Motor Shell."
Kaz's knight obeyed and pivoted towards his next target. It raised its spiked pauldrons as a shield, but Defender's sword sliced through it and the machine's body in one stroke. The engine-on-wheels exploded in a shower of oil and smoke. But miraculously, the main engine–still sputtering and sparking– remained on the field.
"After it's destroyed, Motor Shell leaves behind an Engine Token (Engine Token: Level 1, 200 ATK/200 DEF)!" Jonah said as he waved the smoke away.
"He should've gone after Blue Thunder. Come on, it's in Attack Position, right there!" Corina whined. "Plus, Jonah has tribute fodder now!"
Kaz was unconcerned as he ended his turn. Unless Jonah had a card that would completely destroy his backrow, he was going to win this turn. But first…
"During Standby, activate Battle Mania." Kaz flipped over the Trap he's been sitting on since the start of the Duel, right as Jonah drew his next card. "All Monsters you control are switched to Attack Position and can't change positions this turn. And they all must attack this turn, if able."
In an instant, each of Jonah's machines activated as if they were possessed. Blue Thunder and Roulette Barrel gunned their engines loudly, Machine King Prototype shook its fists at Kaz, and Electromagnetic Turtle's body sparked as it roared. Even the sparking Engine Token puttered out a few puffs of smoke in agitation.
"What?" Jonah's smile upon seeing his drawn card was wiped on in an instant. "That's crazy!"
"Yep. That's why I tried activating it when I still had Breaker," Kaz replied.
"Well, then check this out!" Jonah recomposed himself. "I Tribute my Engine Token and Electromagnetic Turtle to Summon the mighty Perfect Machine King! Time to power up!!"
The two material Monsters dissolved into bright yellow embers and flowed into the sky, where a cloud suddenly formed over the table. Somehow, Kaz felt a bit of static in the air as the lightning sparked overhead. And with a thundering crash, a great red and white mech–as grandiose as its name suggested–leapt down from the skies onto the field. The Battle Box somehow shook from the machine landing on it. Perfect Machine King let out a loud static-filled roar as it pounded its fists together. Its junior version did the same next to it.
Kaz stared at the boss monster towering before him. He took in the magnificent detailing on the hologram; green lightning arching off of its fists, the smooth metallic armor, and the glowing green eyes ready to smash his Monster into paste.
He honestly shared Jonah's enthusiasm for this towering titan; it was truly a boss monster by design and presence.
Shame it didn't have an effect to back that up.
"Perfect Machine King's effect activates! It gains five-hundred Attack for every other Machine-type monster on the field (Perfect Machine King: Level 8, 2700/1500-4200 ATK/1500 DEF, Machine King Prototype: 2000/1900-1900 ATK/1800 DEF)!"
What followed was a lightning show that could make Zeus blush. Perfect Machine King roared as green energy pooled from its robotic comrades into its hands. Then–with a single flex–it dissipated the storming clouds around the Battle Box and glared at Defender directly with sparking eyes.
"Oh my God!" Corina was losing her mind outside the Battle Box. "Oh my God, oh my God! That's almost as strong as a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Aw nah, he's done for!"
"I'm not done yet!" Jonah exclaimed.
"You're still not done?!" Corina gasped.
"I activate Roulette Barrel's effect!"
Corina was shaking Stacy from excitement now like a hurricane buffeting a tree.
"If it rolls a four, it's game over, man! Game over! Albert's gonna get atomized!"
The machine's barrel slowed, then inched right to the edge of the number four.
"No!" Corina pressed her face against the Battle Box walls and gave a pitiful look at Kaz.
"Yes! Roulette Barrel! Fire!"
"I activate Defender's effect!"
Kaz was cut off by a thundering boom. The tank's shell impacted Defender's shield with a resounding crash and an eruption of fire and smoke.
"It's over!" Jonah proudly exclaimed.
"Well, it's been nice knowing you, man." Corina fell to her knees. "Stacy, hope you get the eu- the eug- the funeral speaker guy role down. There's nothing left to bury."
"Yeah, but the casket ain't gonna be for Defender," Kaz agreed.
"Huh?" Jonah squinted through the heavy smoke. It was faint, but something still stood on the field? It couldn't be!
Yet it was. Somehow, Defender still stood proud after the destructive effect. The only sign of the previous attack was his now singed but still intact shield.
"No way! Why wasn't he destroyed?" Jonah gasped in disbelief.
"I said I activated Defender's effect," Kaz smirked. "By removing the Spell Counter it gains during Normal Summon, it won't be destroyed."
He had to admit, it felt good to pay back Roulette Barrel for destroying Breaker earlier.
Jonah huffed over his thwarted assault. Meanwhile, Corina continued to freak out outside.
"Wow! He actually managed to survive! He has a chance now!"
"But it's out of Spell Counters now, which means I can do this! Perfect Machine King! Attack! Thunder Clap Fist!"
The giant mech immediately leapt into the air and pooled lightning around its fist, to the point where it seemed as if it held a crackling ball of light. With a roar, Perfect Machine King plunged downwards, fist outstretched to smash into the battered knight.
"Power of the Guardians activates again on attack declaration! Defender gains another five-hundred Attack and Defense (Defender, the Magical Knight: 2100/2500-2600 ATK/3000 DEF)!"
"It activates even if the equipped Monster didn't declare an attack?" Stacy gasped.
"But that's not enough!" Corina yelled.
The fist drew closer and closer, until-
"I activate Bacon Saver's effect from the Graveyard and banish it!"
Boing!
A cartoonish pig suddenly bounced out of Kaz's Graveyard, right into the giant fist's path. With a squeal, the pig was promptly roasted alive by a discharge of electricity, leaving only a charred piece of bacon behind that the wind blew away.
But the sacrifice was enough for the mighty machine to land back on Jonah's side of the field, leaving Defender completely unscathed from the devastating blow.
Everyone fell silent. Kaz looked around the Battle Box to find Jonah staring dumbfoundedly at him while Corina's jaw was practically on the floor. Stacy kept staring back and forth between the giant mech and the lone card in Kaz's banishment zone. A few other visitors in the store crowded around the Battle Box from the commotion and all shared equally shocked expressions.
"Did you discard Bacon Saver earlier?" Alexander whispered.
"Through Graceful," Kaz replied.
"I- I don't get it! Why was Perfect Machine King's attack stopped?" Jonah asked.
Kaz simply slid Bacon Saver across the table for Jonah to read himself. His eyes trailed across the text, then widened.
"It negates attacks during both turns? No wonder why!" Jonah slapped his forehead and returned Kaz's card to its original position.
"There's more. 'During either players' Battle Step' gives it a versatile timing window. Shame about the once per Duel limitation though," Kaz elaborated.
The bystanders all murmured around the Battle Box over this new revelation. What was so important about that specific line? But Kaz just waved the questions away.
"I'll explain after the Duel. Don't you have a few more attacks to declare, Jonah?"
"What?" Jonah looked over his field. "No! None of my Monsters are strong enough to defeat Defender! Why would I want to keep attacking?"
Kaz tapped the Battle Mania trap still at the top of his Graveyard. Jonah's eyes widened.
"Oh."
"Yeah. You'll need to pick which Monster goes next."
Jonah looked up and down the field; from his still-agitated machines to the knight who now wielded an even bigger sword than before.
"Um, your Equip Spell would activate each time I attacked, right?"
"Yep."
"I don't know how much damage I'll take, but I think that's way over thirty-eight hundred, isn't it?"
"Yep. That's-" Kaz went back to his calculator and crunched some numbers. "-sixty-two hundred points of damage total. Defender gets up to forty-one hundred attack."
Jonah fell silent. He leaned back in his chair and thought for a minute before he placed his hand on his Deck.
"I… surrender. I don't think there's anything in my Deck that can beat that."
"Even if you did, I still have Waboku and Dark Spirit of the Silent." Kaz flipped his remaining facedowns over. Everyone around the Battle Box shared a little chuckle at his stacked backrow.
As the Solid Vision projections vanished, Kaz pressed a button on the side of the Battle Box that opened another holographic menu. After he selected "Save Replay," Corina entered the Battle Box and gave him a big slap on his back.
"Man, that was an insane duel! I didn't think you reworked your Deck so much! I want to go next!"
"Yeah, that was fun!" Jonah held out his hand. "We should do this again soon, but don't think I'll lose a second time!"
Kaz looked at the outstretched hand for a moment before slowly shaking it, much to Jonah's delight.
"And now we're friends again!" Jonah pulled Kaz into a hug. Even though he was taken aback by the sudden gesture, a small smile tugged at his lips.
"Sure. Friends."
Saying that out loud made him realize how long it's been since he's last talked to someone earnestly. It's not exactly easy to talk to a mother whose son you took away. Yes, he'll have to talk to everyone about his situation at some point, but for now, it feels nice to finally connect to someone without worrying about that.
"What was that about the direct attacks? I've never seen you panic over Solid Vision before," Stacy cut in. The joyous conclusion of the Duel suddenly evaporated as Kaz's face immediately soured at that stressful memory.
"It's complicated," he muttered. "I'll…tell you guys later."
Stacy just nodded and fell silent. Now it was Alexander's turn to step into the Battle Box. He gave Kaz a warm smile.
"Did you enjoy your first in-person Duel?"
Kaz couldn't help but nod. Solid Vision was still a wonder to experience and the energy from all the anime Dueling style did make him feel a lot better. Now he understood a bit why everyone was so against him only silently Dueling against the computer; from the outside, it must've been the most boring and lackluster Duel they've seen.
"Thanks for pushing me towards that. I'll…try to do more of it from now on."
Alexander nodded. Then he snapped his fingers.
"Ah yes, I recall that there was something you needed to speak to Jonah about? Over his attack towards Gellenduo?"
Ah, that. Kaz looked at his former opponent, who was now seated again and eager to listen to what he had to say.
"Ok, so if you look at Gellenduo's and Gear Golem's effect…"
Author's Note
Welcome to another "isekai taken seriously" fic! This'll be a side story that I'll touch on here and there whenever I have time, since scripting Duels are so hard.
I wanted to try my hand on a YGO story, since it's a franchise that I always enjoyed as a kid. Using Duels and cards for characterization and advancing the plot was always an interesting concept in my eyes and I wanted to examine the way we play the game vs anime Duelists in a more serious take.
How would anime Duelists react to our methods of deck building? The way we say effects and pace our turns? It's little differences between us and them, even if it's only because of the anime's visual and narrative-driven duel format, that I wanted to see justified and written seriously.