Inspired by the Fifth Factor and some other fanfics on this site.
This is a remake of Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V: The Mirrored Pendulum. However, as you'll probably tell from this first chapter, things will be going a bit differently. It won't just be the same thing, since that would be boring for those who already read the original.
Disclaimer 1: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! nor do I own the characters or cards. I only own the custom cards and OC's.
Disclaimer 2: Characters are aged up two years in the fanfic (to make things more convenient since the characters are older than me or around my age).
Spelling/Grammar and other mistakes might be present. I'll be using a mix of Anime and TCG effects, whichever one fits the story I want to tell.
Without any further ado, enjoy the first chapter!
(This'll be more relevant when there are more chapter, but I recommend you give this story like four to six chapter to see if you like it. It usually takes that long to determine whether you will love a story or won't).
Edit #1: Added a character profile for Haruki Yuuji (the MC)
Here's the Character Profile for my OC/MC:
Name: Haruki Yuuji
Age: 16
Hair Color/s: Grey and green
Eye Color: Grey
Likes: Dueling, People who strive for their childish dreams like himself, Good food
Dislikes: Those to take away other's freedom, Losing a duel, Feeling helpless, Sweets
Personality: A bit rough on the exterior, blunt in his speaking patterns. However, under that rough exterior is that of a regular 16-year-old boy who cares deeply for the people who resonate with him.
Goal/s: To become the strongest duelist in the world & to fulfill a promise to an old friend.
Scale 01: Pendulum of Destiny
A grey-haired youth sat on the ground in the middle of a volcanic arena. Blood dripped out of his mouth and other wounds that were found on his body. His vision blurred as he felt his remaining life slowly slip away from him.
To win.
That was his goal in coming here to Maiami City.
To become the strongest duelist in the world, he challenges the best.
However, in the end, he bit off more than he could. In this underground arena, he would die as nothing more than a forgotten weakling.
A failure destined to die here.
Earlier…
A tall grey-haired teen wearing a white long-sleeve shirt with a blue-collar, dark blue pants, and brown colored boots, gloves, and belt stepped out of the bus and thanked the driver before it drove away. Wrapped around his neck was a necklace that had a sparkling, silver pendant at the bottom.
He took a deep breath, taking in the bustling city around him.
"Looks like I'm finally here. Maiami City." Yuuji said.
The dueling capital of the world, renowned for hosting countless tournaments and thrilling dueling events, is a paradise for duelists. With its vibrant scene and a plethora of prestigious dueling schools scattered throughout the city, it stands as the ultimate haven for aspiring duelists.
Yuuji, being one of these aspiring duelists, had come here to prove himself and become the greatest duelist the world had ever seen as a promise to his late father, who had passed a few years back.
What to do first? Yuuji wondered. Maybe I should look around to see if I can find some local tournaments.
Or maybe try out some of the delicacies around here. He had enough money to indulge in someone nice at least one time.
"Well, I can't do either of these things if I don't look around," Yuuji said. "I'll just keep going straight in one direction until I find something interesting."
Was it practical? No. But he was going to do it anyway.
A while later, Yuuji passed by many interesting shops and restaurants, visiting each and every one that he found (even if he didn't end up spending any money at the places). However, nothing really caught his eye as something he just needed to have.
Unknown to Yuuji, he had caught the eye of a shady man, who caught sight of his duel disk which was kept in extremely good condition. Not only that, but the pendant necklace on his looked very valuable. The perfect person to trick…no, convince to take part in the underground arena.
The shady man followed Yuuji from a distance for a few blocks, eventually finding an opportunity to approach the youth when he had decided to take a break by sitting down on a bench.
"Excuse me, young man. Do you have a moment?" The man asked.
"Huh? What's up?" Yuuji replied a bit confused at why a man would just suddenly approach him.
"You seem like a daring young man. Would you be interested in taking a risk?"
"No." Yuuji flat-out said, making the man sweat a bit.
"Ahem," The man cleared his throat. "What I meant was that you look like a talented young duelist. I was curious if you wanted to compete in a little match. You'll be compensated heavily of course."
"Sounds suspicious. What's the catch?"
"There is no catch. We…no, I've just been feeling a little generous today, and—"
"I pass," Yuuji interrupted. "Sounds like a pain."
"You didn't let me finish," The man said, a little annoyed. "I've been feeling a little generous today, so I wanted to allow someone to compete for a prize."
"..." Yuuji remained silent, a bit intrigued at the proposal.
"If you happened to win this match against our champion, you would be rewarded with ¥150,000 ($1000 in USD). With the cash prize, you would also be given free entry into the Maiami Championships even if you haven't fulfilled the requirements."
Now he was interested.
"When and where?" Yuuji immediately asked.
"Just follow me," The man said. "The match will take place in a secluded area, away from the public eye. We don't want the police to buy in with our fun, right?"
Major Red Flag, though Yuuji just didn't care. The prospect of dueling against strong opponents was the reason he came here in the first place. The stronger the opponent, the more he could grow.
If this guy even tries to pull something funny, I'll just knock his lights out. Yuuji thought as he followed the man.
The man brought Yuuji into an alleyway towards a door that a tall security officer guarded. After saying some sort of a secret password, the security officer let them through the door, which led into a massive underground room, with a stadium at its center surrounded by giant cage walls. Above it all was a massive high-tech machine—a Real Solid Vision Projector.
"Just make your way into the arena. Your opponent will be here shortly." The shady man instructed, pointing towards an area that led towards one side of the arena.
Yuuji followed the instructions, making his way into the arena. Soon, the spectator area just outside of the caged arena was filled through and through with spectators, all looking shady and overall not like your typical person.
"Welcome to the Underground Duel Circuit, dudes and dudettes!" An announcer, wearing punk-like clothing greeted the crowd. "I'm your host, MC VampVamp, here to commentate an absolute doozy of a match!"
The ground began to shake around Yuuji, worrying him as a cloud of smoke filled the opposite end of the arena.
"In the right corner, standing at 198 cm (6 feet 6 inches), the Champion of the Underworld who had never lost any of his fifty duels. The one, the only, Black Death!"
The crowd cheered as a tan-skinned tall, burly man, with dozens of tattoos covering his arms and neck appeared.
"In the left corner is our challenger, Haruki Yuuji!" MC VampVamp announced. "Will he be able to defeat the Black Death, or will he fall short like everyone else!? Find out soon!"
"A soft-looking little man like you has some nerve coming into the Underground Arena," Black Death said as he looked down on Yuuji. "You'll end up the same as everyone else who has challenged me."
"Am I now?" Yuuji confidently smirked. "We'll just have to wait and see, champion. Don't be surprised when I destroy that streak of yours with this duel."
"This isn't going to be like any duel you've had before." Black Death stated as he pressed some buttons on his duel disk, which sent out a red wire that wrapped around the arm that Yuuji wore his duel disk on.
"What the hell? What's this?" Yuuji was surprised as he tried to get it off.
"A duel anchor. To ensure that you don't plan on fleeing until the end of this duel. Moreover, it'll shock either of us whenever we receive any damage. The more damage they receive the more severe the shock."
"Oh. Pretty neat." Yuuji simply responded, a lot calmer than he should be when faced with such information. "When are we starting?"
"Now." Black Death said as the Real Solid Vision Projector began whirring.
"Action Field on!" MC VampVamp announced. "Volcanic Hell!"
The arena around the two began to change. The ground beneath them turned into large rock platforms that floated on top of rivers of lava which emitted heat way more real than Yuuji had been expecting. Action Cards were then dispersed around the arena.
That's weird. Usually, Real Solid Vision Arenas don't have factors like heat or humidity, at least from what I've heard.
He couldn't think much about it as Black Death spoke.
"You better be prepared, Haruki Yuuji. Or else this duel may be your last."
Ominous.
Soon after that statement, the duel began.
[Duel!] The two shouted in unison as they drew their first five cards.
Black Death — LP: 4000
Haruki Yuuji — LP: 4000
"Challenger's turn first!" Yuuji announced. "I summon Antique Light Bulb (Light/Fairy/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 3)!"
A floating lightbulb appeared on Yuuji's field.
"I then set two cards, and end my turn," Yuuji concluded with two face-downs. "Your turn champion."
"My turn! Draw!" Black Death drew a card. "From my hand, I summon Ally of Justice - Core Destroyer (Dark/Machine/Effect/ATK: 1200/DEF: 200/LV: 3)!"
A yellow machine on four legs with a red eye appeared.
"Battle!" Black Death moves into his Battle Phase. "Core Destroyer attacks Antique Light Bulb!"
The red eye of the machine begins to glow as an energy beam is shot out of it towards Yuuji's monster.
"Core Destroyer's effect activates!" Black Death continued. "When this monster attacks a Light Monster, during the damage step that monster is destroyed!"
The energy beam destroys the Lightbulb, causing Yuuji to wince at the sheer force of the shockwave produced by the attack.
That shouldn't be normal either. Yuuji thought. It's like the Real Solid Vision Machine was cranked up to the max.
"Now go Core Destroyer, attack him directly!"
Core Destroyer shoots another energy beam, its target this time being Yuuji. He then notices an Action Card on a platform nearby, planning to grab it to hopefully stop the attack when Black Death suddenly tugs on the duel anchor, causing Yuuji to be pulled back and almost fall into the lava. Soon after, he was hit directly by the attack, which not only sent him flying back but also caused the duel anchor to start electrocuting him.
Yuuji let out a pained scream as his Life Points dropped.
Yuuji — LP: 4000 → 2800
"That was just a taste of what you had gotten yourself into. Main Phase 2." Black Death concludes his Battle Phase. "I set three cards and end my turn."
"As expected of Black Death, establishing control of the duel in an instant, and pushing his opponents into a corner!" MC VampVamp exclaimed.
"Gah!" Yuuji gasped as the electrocution stopped. "Finally…"
Okay. That hurt like hell. It lasted a lot longer than he thought it would.
This is what I signed up for when I got here. If I don't pull through, all I've gone through to get here will be wasted. Yuuji thought as he stood back up.
"My turn! Draw!" Yuuji drew a card. It was another Antique Monster. "I summon the Tuner Monster, Antique Resonance Mirror (Light/Fairy/Tuner/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 2)!"
A pristine-looking floating mirror appears on Yuuji's field.
"Another 0 ATK monster?" Black Death frowned. "You can't stand up to my monsters with ones as weak as those."
"Not everything is as it seems with my monsters," Yuuji smirked. "Resonance Mirror's effect now activates! When it is summoned onto my field, I can Special Summon an Antique Monster directly from my deck. Come forth, Antique Forgotten Mask (Light/Fairy/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 5)!"
A floating spirit wearing an old, black mask appeared.
"Battle!" Yuuji moved into his Battle Phase. "Forgotten Mask attacks Core Destroyer!"
The spirit flies towards Core Destroyer.
"Are you an idiot? What is a monster with 0 ATK going to do?" Black Death frowned.
"This! Forgotten Mask's effect activates! At the start of the damage step, it swaps attack points with the monster it's battling!"
(Core Destroyer — ATK: 1200 → 0)
(Forgotten Mask — ATK: 0 → 1200)
"It doesn't matter! Core Destroyer's effect is stronger!" Black Death shouted. "When it battles a Light Monster, that monster is automatically destroyed!"
"Not this time!" Yuuji announced. "I activate Antique Light Bulb's effect from my graveyard! By banishing it, I can negate the activation of an effect that targets an Antique Monster I control! Meaning now my attack goes through!"
Forgotten Mask wraps around Core Destroyer, crushing it with its power and causing it to explode.
"..." Black Death stood strong, not even phased by the shockwaves of the explosion or the electrical shock from the duel anchor.
Black Death — LP: 4000 → 2800
"How was that champion?" Yuuji said with a sly smile. "My monsters aren't that weak, now are they?"
"Happy just because you got a little hit in," Black Death cracked his neck. "That arrogance of yours will be your downfall."
"Whatever," Yuuji rolled his eyes. "I end my turn."
"My turn! Draw!" Black Death began his turn. "I activate the effect of Ally of Justice Crimson Eye from my hand! When my opponent controls a Light Monster, I can Special Summon this monster from my hand!"
A quadrupedal machine with a red coating and blue wings outstretched on its back appeared.
[Ally of Justice - Crimson Eye (Dark/Machine/Tuner/Effect/ATK: 600/DEF: 400/LV: 2)]
"Crimson Eye's effect activates!" Black Death continued. "When this card is Special Summoned by its effect, I can target a Machine-Type Monster in my graveyard and Special Summon it onto my field. Arise once again, Ally of Justice - Core Destroyer (ATK: 1200/DEF: 200/LV: 3)!"
The yellow-coated quadrupedal machine with a red eye appeared once again.
He just brought it back that easily? Yuuji frowned. No wonder they call him the champion.
"Now, the Level 2 Crimson Eye tunes the Level 3 Core Destroyer!"
A Synchro Summon!?
The two machine monsters transform into green rings and orbs, respectively that eventually line up together as Black Death begins chanting.
"Machines flock together, and give birth to a new power! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 5! Ally of Justice - Catastor (Dark/Machine/Synchro/Effect/ATK: 2200/DEF: 1200/LV: 5)!"
A four-legged spider-like machine with a white body and golden head with a red dot at the center appeared.
"Would you look at that!" MC VampVamp exclaimed. "Black Death has performed a fantastic Synchro Summon, summoning the monster he used to annihilate most of his opponents in the past!"
It must have a strong effect. One that's similar to Core Destroyer's. Yuuji thought. Looking closer, this new monster just looks like a bigger, stronger version of it.
"Battle!" Black Death moves into his Battle Phase. "Catastor attacks Antique Forgotten Mask! At the same time, its effect now activates! Whenever it battles a non-Dark Monster, that monster is automatically destroyed! Static Vaporization!"
The red dot at the center of its head begins to glow as a red beam of energy is shot out of it, destroying Forgotten Mask.
"Catastor now targets Antique Resonance Mirror for an attack!" Black Death announced. "Once again, its effect activates, destroying your monster!"
Catastor shoots another red energy beam at Yuuji's remaining monster, vaporizing it.
"Now for you! Catastor now attacks you directly!"
His machine monster shoots another beam of energy, this time being directed at Yuuji. Yuuji starts running, hopping across a few islands towards an Action Card he had spotted. At the same time, Black Death pulls the duel anchor, causing Yuuji to lose balance again.
No, not this time!
Yuuji turns sideways, rolling onto the ground. This action shifted the weight of his body around, making him just heavy enough to avoid being pulled by The Champion. Taking this newfound opportunity, Yuuji regains his footing, jumping onto a final island and snagging an Action Card.
"I activate the Action Spell, Evasion!" Yuuji announced. "With it, when my opponent's monster declares an attack, I can negate that attack instead!"
"Tough luck kid," Black Death said as he revealed an Action Card he had picked up while Yuuji wasn't looking. "I activate the Action Spell, No Action, preventing the activation of your Action Spell!"
"Damn…" Yuuji cursed as he sent the Action Spell he had just found to the graveyard. "Then what about this! I activated my set trap, Emergency Barrier! When my Life Points are less than or equal to that of my opponents, I can reduce the battle damage I receive for the rest of this turn to zero!"
Before Catastor's energy beam could reach Yuuji, a barrier formed around him, protecting him from harm.
"That's all I can do this turn," Black Death stated. "I end my turn."
"Amazing! Just when it looked like the Champion had pushed him into a corner, Yuuji had managed to thwart that attempt and survive!" MC VampVamp announced. "What an electrifying duel!"
"My turn! Draw!" Yuuji drew a card. "I activate the Spell Card, Antique Repair! With it, I can summon back all of my Antique Monsters that were destroyed during the previous turn! Return to my field, Antique Resonance Mirror (ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 2) and Antique Forgotten Mask (ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 5)!"
Yuuji's previously destroyed monsters returned to his field.
"Bringing them back?" Black Death frowned. "Don't tell me you plan on doing the same thing again."
"Of course not." Yuuji smiled. "I plan on taking a page out of your book right now. I now tune my Level 2 Antique Resonance Mirror to my Level 5 Antique Forgotten Mask!"
"What!?" Black Death was shocked.
Yuuji's two monsters transform into green rings and orbs respectively, lining up together in a straight line.
"Item of old lost through time. Bring about your legacy!" Yuuji chanted. "Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 7! The statue that stood guard in front of the emperor's tomb, Antique Guardian Statue (Light/Fairy/Synchro/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 7) in defense mode!"
A giant stone statue depicting a man with a shield appeared on Yuuji's field.
"I set a card, and end my turn," Yuuji concluded, much to Black Death and everyone watching's surprise.
"That's it? No counterattack?" Black Death frowned.
"I may be arrogant, but I'm not stupid," Yuuji stated. "With what I have now, I can't win by just attacking you head-on."
"It seems like you aren't just an immature duelist after all." Black Death commented. "Very well. My turn! Draw!"
He drew a card.
"I summon the Tuner Monster, Ally of Justice - Cycle Reader (Dark/Machine/Tuner/Effect/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000/LV: 3)!" A machine spider appeared on his field. "Then, I activate my set Continuous Spell, Swords of Concealing Light! When this card is activated, all monsters on my opponent's field are flipped face-down. Furthermore, monsters you control cannot change their battle positions, nor can they be flipped face-up."
Guardian Statue disappears, being turned into a face-down card. A dark-chained spirit appeared above it.
This is bad. Guardian Statue's effect can only be activated while it's face-up on the field. Yuuji grimaced. Now it's just a regular 0 ATK and DEF monster.
"Battle!" Black Death moved into his battle phase. "Ally of Justice - Cycle Reader attacks your face-down monster!"
The machine monster crawls forward, extending its legs to slash right through Yuuji's face-down monster, destroying it.
"Ally of Justice - Catastor now attacks you directly!" Black Death announced as his monster shot a red energy beam directly at Yuuji.
"I activate my set Continuous Trap, Halve Attack! As long as this card remains on my field—woah!" Yuuji trips as he feels a tug on the duel anchor, when he regains his footing, he notices Black Death grab an Action Card that is on top of a small rock hill.
"I activate the Action Spell, Magma Cremation! When my opponent activates a Spell/Trap Card during the Battle Phase, I can negate the activation of the effect and destroy that card!"
"Dammit!" Yuuji cursed as his trap card was destroyed.
"Now go Catastor! Attack him directly! Static Vaporization!"
Yuuji braces himself, being hit directly by the energy beam. He's sent tumbling onto the ground from the force of the attack, nearly dropping into the river of lava behind him, barely managing to stop himself before he went over the edge.
—Zzap!
Yuuji felt a faint shock from the duel anchor before a much stronger shock soon rushed in. He let out a blood-curdling scream as he felt his consciousness fade.
Yuuji — LP: 2800 → 600
"Blerg!" Yuuji coughed up blood as he dropped to the floor.
I-I bit off more than I can chew. Yuuji finally realized the gravity of the situation he was in.
He thought he could handle it, and he was handling it. So what happened? How did things go so wrong so quickly?
"Don't think your suffering is over yet," Black Death stated. "The Level 3 Ally of Justice - Cycle Reader tunes the Level 5 Ally of Justice - Catastor!"
The two monsters transform into green rings and orbs, lining up together as he begins chanting.
"Machines flock together once again. Bring about the titan that marks the end of justice as we know it! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 8! Destroyer of Justice - Violent Cannon (Dark/Machine/Synchro/Effect/ATK: 2800/DEF: 0/LV: 8)!"
A massive machine cannon coated in black and yellow paint appeared. In front of its giant cannon was a red scope that aimed directly at Yuuji.
"There it is! Black Death ace monster that has never been defeated!" MC VampVamp announced. "It looks like this duel is finally coming to an end!"
The crowd of rough spectators began cheering.
"It's about time!"
"Kill him!"
The crowd of rough spectators began cheering.
"While Violent Cannon is on the field, during the End Phase of each turn, you take 1000 points of damage!" Black Death declared as a beam of energy was being charged within his monster's cannon. "Eradication Ray!"
The machine monster then shot a beam of energy, wide enough and strong enough to eradicate anything in its path.
"I…activate my set trap…Mirror's Embrace." Yuuji said as he struggled to get back on his feet. "When I…When I would take damage by an effect…I can reduce the damage I receive to zero instead."
A barrier appeared around Yuuji, shielding him from the surely fatal attack.
"You can squirm all you want, your demise is imminent," Black Death stated. "It's your turn now."
"..." Yuuji had an unsure expression as he stared at his opponent's field. He was screwed. The sole card in his hand was an Equip Spell that couldn't help him in this situation.
Am I going to die here? Yuuji thought he clutched his beating head.
His vision blurred as he began to reminisce on his reason for coming here in the first place. It was to become the strongest right? He planned on throwing himself at the strongest opponents in the room until he eventually won.
A naive mindset that had gotten him in this situation in the first place. This underground arena would be his grave, because of that naive idea.
Instead of becoming the strongest, he would end up as a forgotten nobody, a statistic on this man's record.
Nobody would care if I just gave up right? A dark thought went through Yuuji's mind. My only living relative has died already, and I have no actual friends.
His vision blurred, his hearing dulling as he began falling forward—he stopped struggling, accepting his fate.
'When times are rough, just smile.'
A phrase echoed through his mind.
'You can't control what happens to you, but you can control how you react to it.'
A quote that his father said to motivate him when he was five.
'Break free from your doubts, and fight. Just like a Pendulum, if you're pushed into a corner, fight back just as hard.'
One that he didn't understand at first.
'All for the sake of…'
"…Winning." Yuuji finished the sentence with a mutter, stomping his feet on the ground to stop himself from falling. "To win, let go of any doubts weighing on your mind, and fight…and fight…and fight and fight and fight."
It was all making sense now. The final piece of a puzzle he was missing to complete himself.
Doubt.
That was what was holding him back. While he always tried to act confident, even to the point of sounding arrogant, it wasn't true confidence. It was an act. True confidence isn't like that at all.
"Having faith in yourself even in the face of adversity. That's what you were trying to teach me, right Father?" Yuuji began laughing, the pendant on his necklace beginning to glow. "How was I dumb enough to not realize this sooner?"
He may not be able to get rid of his old habit completely, but that didn't matter. All that mattered now was the present moment.
"Sounds like you have some loose screws in your head," Black Death frowned. "Did you lose so much blood that you began hallucinating?"
"None of that matters right now," Yuuji stated as he placed his hand on top of his deck. "This turn, I'll scale that wall put up in front of me!"
Elsewhere, on the surface, a young man with a similar face, with tomato-colored hair, had reached a similar epiphany. The blue pendant on his necklace beginning to glow brightly.
[Current Theme Playing: Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V Sound Duel 1 - Swing! Pendulum of Souls]
"As long as I have faith in both me and my deck, the path to victory will shine! My turn! Draw!"
Yuuji drew a card with all his might. The card he drew was Final Stand.
"I activate the Spell Card Final Stand!" Yuuji announced. "When this card is activated, I must discard all other cards in my hand and forfeit my next two draw phases before I can use its effect!"
"Forfeiting your next two draw phases!?" Black Death was surprised. "Have you gone mad!?"
"It's a price I have to pay to win this duel," Yuuji said. "When Final Stand is activated, I can draw cards from my deck until I have five cards in my hand!"
Yuuji drew five cards but was surprised when they all appeared blank.
Blank cards?
Soon, his pendulum necklace began to glow, as his blank cards transformed into monster cards. However, unlike regular monster cards, half of the card was the regular brown color, while the other half had the green color of a Spell Card.
"..." Yuuji was shocked but smiled. "I don't know what the hell is happening, but let's go with it."
The people of the arena, no…the whole world would be shocked about the event that transpired that day.
"I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Antique Maker - Swinging Soul (Dark/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 100/DEF: 2000/LV: 3/SC: 1) and Scale 8 Antique Maker - Mira (Dark/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 2000/DEF: 100/LV: 5/SC: 8)!" Yuuji declared as he placed two cards on opposite ends of his duel disk.
The words [PENDULUM] appear between them in rainbow font. Two transparent blue pillars appeared beside Yuuji, with a magician in a white robe holding a pendulum and a woman in a black cloak holding a mirror rising into each zone. A giant, silver pendulum swung above him.
"What the hell is happening?" Black Death said with a shocked expression.
"Now I can summon monsters Levels 2 through 7 all at the same time!" Yuuji announced. "Shine, Pendulum of Destiny! Draw an arc across the ether, and reflect onto me a path to victory! Pendulum Summon! Come forth, my faithful companions!"
A portal appeared between the two zones, with three beams of energy shooting out of them.
"Item used to store the tales of old, Antique Journal (Light/Fairy/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 4/SC: 3)!"
An old journal written in an unidentified language appeared.
"The dazzling sword that burns brightly through adversity, Antique Dawning Blaze (Light/Fairy/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 5/SC: 7)!"
A fiery blade with a golden hilt appeared.
"And finally, amber-eyed dragon born from the deep embrace of phantoms, Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon (Dark/Dragon/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/LV: 7/SC: 4)!"
A giant yellow-eyed dragon with purple scales and bone-like armor plated around it appeared. Multiple colorful gemstones could be found scattered around its body.
At LDS Tower…
Akaba Reiji, a man with grey hair, wearing red glasses and a similarly colored scarf moved with quick strides—a serious expression on his face. He had just gotten an urgent report about something that had just occurred a few moments ago. After pressing a few keys on a pad, the door in front of him opened. He walked into the control room, gazing at the panicking security personnel who were frantically searching for something.
"What's the report?" Reiji asked as he approached a tall man with dark hair and glasses with dark blue lenses.
"We've managed to detect two sources of high-level summoning energies," Nakajima stated. "From our findings, the source of the energies is a summoning method called Pendulum—one that we have never seen before."
"Pendulum Summoning?" Reiji's eyes widened. A small smile formed on his normally stoic face. "How interesting…"
Back in the arena…
"He summoned three monsters simultaneously. Not only that, but he also summoned Level 5 and 7 monsters without using tributes?" Black Death's jaw almost dropped. "This can't be legal!"
"My duel disk says it's just fine, so deal with it," Yuuji stated. "Since the duel didn't automatically end, it means that this summoning method is just as legal as any other summoning method."
"Tch," Black Death clicked his tongue.
"Antique Dawning Blaze's effect activates!" Yuuji announced. "It can equip itself to a monster on my field. Furthermore, when a monster is equipped with Dawning Blaze, it gains 500 ATK for each monster currently on the field. Since there are two monsters on my field and one on yours, Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon gains 1500 ATK!"
Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon caught the hilt of Dawning Blaze in its mouth.
(Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon — ATK: 2500 → 4000)
"Antique Maker - Swinging Soul's Pendulum Effect activates!" Yuuji continued. "When a Pendulum Monster on my field has its ATK increased, I can increase its ATK by an extra 800!"
(Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon — ATK: 4000 → 4800)
"That's not all, Antique Journal's effect activates!" Yuuji shouts. "Once per turn, I can target a monster in my Pendulum Zone, and Special Summon it! However, its effects are negated and it is banished when it is destroyed! Descend to the field, Antique Maker - Mira (ATK: 2000/DEF: 100/LV: 5)!"
The old journal suddenly swelled, its size increasing rapidly. At the same moment, a portal opened beneath Antique Maker - Mira, pulling her inside. She reappeared seconds later as another portal formed on one of the journal's pages.
"Now all the preparations are complete. Here comes the climax!" Yuuji announced as he pumped his fist forward. "Battle! Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon, attack Destroyer of Justice - Violent Cannon! Blazing Phantom Rush!"
Phantom Dragon charges forward, blade in its mouth which ignites into a massive, fiery blade.
"I won't falter!" Black Death shouts as one of his face-down traps is activated. "I activate my Trap Card, Supreme Justice! When a Dark Monster I control would be destroyed by battle, I can negate its destruction! With this, your fate is sealed!"
"Naive!" Yuuji shouts, surprising Black Death. The orbs scattered across Phantom Dragon's body begin to glow. "Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon's effect now activates! When it deals battle damage, it deals additional damage equal to the number of Pendulum Monsters on my field other than itself times 600. Meaning on top of the original damage you take already, you take an additional 1200!"
"What!?" Black Death exclaimed. He quickly turned to search for an Action Spell, finding one on a nearby island. However, before he could reach it, he was stopped by Yuuji who pulled on the anchor to keep the man still.
"Dammit!" Black Death cursed as he tried to move. He was so close to reaching the Action Card, but couldn't get that tiny bit closer thanks to Yuuji's interference.
"Now finish him, Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!"
Phantom Dragon slams the massive flame sword down on Violent Cannon, slicing cleanly through it and creating an explosion that tears the duel anchor, and sends Black Death flying into a rock hill.
Black Death — LP: 2800 → 0
Winner: Yuuji
[BGM (Background Music) Ends Here.]
The Action Field disappeared, returning them to the arena. The crowd was left stunned by what had just happened. Yuuji just let out a sigh as he turned the other way, walking out of the arena without a word. Before he could leave the underground, he was stopped by that same shady man, who greeted him with a smile.
"What a fantastic duel," The man complimented. "You put on quite the show for us all. Defeating the Champion is not easy…hey! Where are you going!?"
"I'm leaving," Yuuji stated as he kept walking towards the exit.
"Leaving, eh? We can't have that, now can we?" The shady man said with a sinister smirk as five tall men in uniform surrounded him. "I've taken a liking to those cards of yours, so I'll be taking them. I'm sure they'll sell for a good buck in the underground market."
"Revealing your true colors now, huh?" Yuuji frowned. "How scummy of you."
"It's just business," The shady man said as he took off his sunglasses. "It's nothing personal, kid. We can't have you go around freely after thrashing our champion like that."
"Makes sense," Yuuji replied with an uninterested expression as he sized up the five guards surrounding him. "However, you've made one fatal error…"
"Huh?"
"If you think I'm about to just come with you quietly…" Yuuji said as he cracked his knuckles. "...I hope you're ready to bite the curb."
A guard swings his fist at Yuuji, but he ducks under it, slamming his elbow directly into the guard's side, making him drop almost instantly.
"One down…" Yuuji turned to the rest. "Five to go."
After beating six grown men into a pulp, Yuuji dusts his hands off.
That was surprisingly easy. Yuuji thought as he looked at the six unconscious men around him. I should probably leave now, I doubt that I'd have the stamina to fight another group of grown men.
Yuuji made his way through the exit, finally returning back to the surface. As he walked down the alleyway, he made himself a subconscious promise not to follow a suspicious man anywhere ever again—something that should've been obvious now that he was thinking about it, but he thought he could handle it.
"Never again…" Yuuji sighed. "I'm exhausted."
For now, he would just find a place to stay tonight and call it a day.
A while later, he found a decent hotel to stay in. It wasn't too fancy, but it's not like he was complaining. He lived in way worse anyway. After taking a quick shower, he threw himself onto the bed, instantly sinking into it.
"Those new cards, where did they come from?"
His mind drifted off to his new cards. He had never seen cards like those in his life. Not to mention, that entirely new summoning method that he had just done on the blue. He didn't even remember how he did it, as if he had just acted on instinct there.
Ah, well whatever. Yuuji casually dismissed these thoughts. I'm too tired to think about weird shit. I'll worry about it tomorrow
He felt his vision fade as he began dozing off to sleep.
Elsewhere, at LDS Tower…
Nakajima walked into the office, with a clipboard in his hand. Akaba Reiji sensed his presence, greeting the man without even needing to turn to him.
"What's the report?"
"Reiji-dono, we've managed to identify the two users of this new summoning method," Nakajima informed his employer. "One of the sources came from Sakaki Yuya, a 16-year-old student at Maiami City High School. His duel class is Junior Youth. Here is his tournament record."
Nakajima pressed a few buttons, changing the monitor screen in front of them. Reiji analyzed the result with a neutral expression.
"A win rate of 50%. Where does he study dueling?"
"He studies at the You Show Duel School."
"You Show Duel School?" Reiji seemed to recognize the name of the school. "And his name is Sakaki Yuya, right?"
"That's right," Nakajima nodded. "As you can tell, he is Sakaki Yusho's son."
"Sakaki Yusho, the man who disappeared three years ago, has a son who has used an unknown summoning method…" Reiji muttered. "What about the other user?"
Nakajima presses a few buttons, changing the screen to show Yuuji and his win rate.
"Haruki Yuuji, 16-years-old. A duelist born in the Outpost." Nakajima stated.
"The Outpost? The area with the highest amount of crime in Japan?" Reiji wondered with a surprised expression. "A place that even the police have trouble keeping under control."
"Yes. As for his win rate…" Nakajima pressed a few buttons, showing Yuuji's record. "An overall unimpressive record. Out of the sixty duels he had this year, he has only won twenty."
"A 33% winrate…" Reiji muttered. "Is there anything else we know about him?"
"Nothing," Nakajima stated. "All we know is that he had just arrived in Maiami City today, and is currently residing at the Black Lotus Hotel near LDS Tower."
"Do a background check on both of them," Reiji ordered. "Especially Haruki Yuuji. I want to know everything about him, from his past, to even the food he likes. Everything."
"Right away, Reiji-dono," Nakajima bowed. "I'll get to it now."
Nakajima swiftly left the office, leaving Reiji alone with his thoughts.
"Sakaki Yuya, and Haruki Yuuji…just how are you two connected…"
He didn't mention it to Nakajima, but he was sure that he noticed this as well. The two youths have nearly identical faces. If it wasn't for their other features like hair color or choice of clothing, they'd look nearly identical, like brothers.
This can't be a coincidence… Reiji thought as he pulled up another file, a secret file that his father had left before disappearing. On it depicted two purple-haired children, a boy and a girl. The purple-haired boy had a face similar to that of both Yuuji and Yuya.
Custom/Altered Cards:
Monster Cards -
Antique Light Bulb
ATK: 0, DEF: 0, LV: 3
Light/Fairy/Effect
Monster Effect: If an Antique Monster you control is targeted by an effect that would destroy it: You can banish this card from your Graveyard; negate that effect.
Antique Resonance Mirror
ATK: 0, DEF: 0, LV: 2
Light/Fairy/Tuner/Effect
Monster Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned onto the field: Target 1 Antique or Antique Maker from your deck, and Special Summon it onto the field.
Antique Forgotten Mask
ATK: 0, DEF: 0, LV: 5
Light/Fairy/Effect
Monster Effect: During the damage step, swap the ATK of this monster and the monster it is battling until the End Phase.
Antique Guardian Statue
ATK: 0, DEF: 0, LV: 7
Light/Fairy/Synchro/Effect
Monster Effect: Cannot be destroyed by battle while it is face-up on the field. If this card would be destroyed by card effect; banish one Antique Monster from your graveyard instead. Your opponent can only target this monster for attacks while it is on the field.
Destroyer of Justice - Violent Cannon
ATK: 2800, DEF: 0, LV: 8
Dark/Machine/Synchro/Effect
Monster Effect: This card cannot be in Defense Position. If this card battles a Light Monster, during the Damage Step (Quick Effect): Destroy that monster, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to its original ATK. You can only use this effect of Destroyer of Justice once per turn. During the End Phase of either player's turn: Inflict 1000 damage to your opponent.
Antique Maker - Swinging Soul
ATK: 100, DEF: 2000, LV: 3, SC: 1
Dark/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect
Pendulum Effect: Once per turn: If a Pendulum Monster's ATK is increased, you can increase its ATK by an additional 800.
Monster Effect: If you control an Antique Monster in your Main Monster Zone, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. Once per turn: You can target 1 monster on the field; switch its ATK and DEF until the End Phase.
Antique Maker - Mira
ATK: 2000, DEF: 100, LV: 5, SC: 8
Dark/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect
Pendulum Effect: Once per Battle Phase: If you would take battle damage, you can negate that damage, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to half the damage you would have taken.
Monster Effect: Once per turn: If this card is Summoned, you can add 1 Antique Card from your Deck to your hand.
Antique Journal
ATK: 0, DEF: 0, LV: 4, SC: 3
Light/Fairy/Pendulum/Effect
Pendulum Effect: Once per turn: You can Special Summon this card from your Pendulum Zone.
Monster Effect: Once per turn: You can target 1 monster in either Pendulum Zone; Special Summon it to your field. Monsters Special Summoned by this effect have their effects negated, and if they are destroyed, banish them instead.
Antique Dawning Blaze
ATK: 0, DEF: 0, LV: 5, SC: 7
Light/Fairy/Pendulum/Effect
Pendulum Effect: Pendulum Monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle.
Monster Effect: Once per turn: You can target 1 monster you control; equip this card to that target. It gains 500 ATK for each monster on the field at the time this effect is activated.
Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon
ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, LV: 7, SC: 4
Dark/Dragon/Pendulum/Effect
Pendulum Effect: Once per turn: when an attack is declared involving a face-up monster while you control only Pendulum Monsters on your field: You can make that monster you control gain 1200 ATK until the end of the Battle Phase (even if this card leaves the field).
Monster Effect: When this Pendulum Summoned card inflicts battle damage: deal damage to your opponent equal to the number of Pendulum Monsters on your field (excluding this card) x 600. If this card is destroyed by battle or card effect, set it into an empty Pendulum Zone.
Spell/Trap Cards -
Emergency Barrier
Normal Trap Card
When your Life Points are lower than your opponent's: For the rest of this turn, reduce all battle damage you would take to 0.
Antique Repair
Spell Card
When this card resolves: Special Summon all Antique Monsters that were destroyed during your previous turn.
Swords of Concealing Light
Continuous Spell Card
Destroy this card during your 2nd Standby Phase after activation. When this card resolves: Change all monsters your opponent controls to face-down Defense Position. While this card is on the field, monsters your opponent controls cannot change their battle positions or be flipped face-up.
Halve Attack
Continuous Trap Card
Halves the battle damage you receive as long as this card remains face-up on the field
Magma Cremation
Action Spell Card
When your opponent activates a Spell/Trap Card during the Battle Phase, negate the activation of the effect and destroy that card.
Mirror's Embrace
Normal Trap Card
When you would take effect damage; reduce the damage you receive to zero.
Final Stand
Spell Card
You must forfeit your next two Draw Phases and discard all other cards in your hand to activate this card's effect. Draw card until you have five in your hand.
Supreme Justice
Counter Trap Card
When a Dark Monster you control would be destroyed by battle, negate its destruction.
And that's the first chapter. Pretty different, right? I realized that Yuuji as a character always felt like an outsider in the original (which he was supposed to be, but I didn't like the way I handled it, so I changed it). I also realized that I tried to stick to the cannon material too much, and skimmed through a lot of the Standard Dimension Arc (which I found boring to write at first), but now I realize that I was wrong. It's not that the arc itself was boring, it was just that I wasn't being creative enough with the way I handled it. This time, I plan on taking my time and not rushing through it (though knowing me, the Standard Dimension Arc may still be like 10 chapters anyway, but who knows).
Overall, just expect a more chaotic story overall, since there will be a lot of Yuuji shenanigans. I finally plan on breaking free from my fear and just writing the way I want to write (as long as it actually makes a cohesive narrative in the end).
As for Yuuji's character in this, he's a little less mature than he was in the original, and actually has some flaws to his character now aside from just calling him an amateur at dueling when he lost his memories (since as you could probably tell, most of the time it didn't feel like he was an amateur at all). I also gave him a goal, which is to be the strongest duelist in the world, a basic one, but one that I feel like fits his current character.
On the topic of Yuuji's manga dragons, thanks to a suggestion from Supreme King winter Yuki, I decided to make him gradually gain the dragons whenever he resonates with one of his counterparts. Makes things easier for me when writing the duels since he won't be overbearingly powerful at the start (he'll still be really strong though).
That's all I wanted to say. Drop some reviews, I like seeing that number go up 👍. The next chapter will come out at random, so look out for it.