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Prologue - Not Crazy

Jaden sat at the little desk in his hotel, the faint hum of his laptop filling the otherwise quiet room. In his hand, he held an empty orange bottle. Almost empty, he corrected himself, popping the cap off and tilting it, staring at the single half-pill rattling at the bottom.

For weeks now, he'd been forced to ratio his medication. Something about an embargo overseas had made refills nearly impossible to get, and without the full dosage, the dreams were coming back. The dreams he hated. The ones he spent years convincing himself were just the product of an overactive imagination.

They weren't normal dreams, or even nightmares. They felt too real—like memories.

Memories of another life.

As a kid, Jaden had been convinced he was special. He'd wake up in the middle of the night with vivid recollections of a completely different world—a world where Duel Monsters was just a game, not the global phenomenon it was in this one. He used to talk about it all the time, excitedly explaining to anyone who would listen about an animated show called Yu-Gi-Oh! and its hero, Yugi Muto. His parents thought it was cute at first, just a quirky imagination. But when the stories didn't stop—when he started insisting they were memories, not made-up fantasies and he needed to buy Duel Monster cards when they weren't as popular and expensive—they got worried.

By the time Jaden was eight, his parents and doctors had told him so many times the dreams weren't real that even he began to doubt. Maybe it was just a wild imagination. Things were different, after all. If he was Jaden, why was Rebecca Hawkins his sister? That wasn't a thing in the anime.

And then the hallucinations started.

At least, that's what the doctors called them. One day, not too long after his parents had passed and he and his sister went live with his grandpa, they were playing Duel Monsters and Jaden was absolutely certain he'd seen Elemental Hero Burstanatrix wink at him. Not a faint whisper or some trick of the mind—a full, booming voice, calling him by name and offering battle advice. It freaked him out so much he'd dropped his cards and refused to play again.

The same thing happened with other cards over the next few months. They'd speak to him, or their images would shimmer like they were coming to life. Maybe when he was younger he would have thought it was cool, like something out of the anime he remembered from his dreams. But after years of being told that didn't happen, and finally believing it himself, he didn't know what to think. He started having panic attacks, convinced he was losing his mind. His grandpa took him to doctors, who diagnosed him with an overactive imagination and potential early-onset psychosis. The medication helped—after starting it, the voices stopped, and the dreams became less vivid.

It was easier to believe the doctors than the alternative: that the dreams were real, that he had lived another life, that he had died, and that magic—actual magic—was somehow part of this world.

Jaden sighed, rubbing his temples as the faint edge of a headache began to creep in. The problem now was that the medication wasn't working. With only half doses, the dreams, or memories, or whatever they were, had come back, stronger than ever. They weren't just annoying—they were impossible to ignore. The details, the clarity, were too sharp. They weren't dreams. They were memories.

Memories of Yu-Gi-Oh! episodes he'd watched a thousand times in his old life.

Memories of Yugi summoning Exodia and defeating Seto Kaiba, a moment that, to his growing horror, had just actually happened in this world. The news had been everywhere for weeks. It was all anyone could talk about.

Jaden stared at the Web page displayed on his computer monitor. Multiple tabs were open, all displaying different articles related to Duel Monsters. His eyes darted back and forth, as he read headline after headline. A wave of nausea hit him. How could this be real? How could something he'd watched as an anime in another life be playing out exactly as he remembered it?

He'd been scouring Duel Monsters news all night. Every video, every forum, every blog, were talking about the "Duel of the Decade".

Yugi Muto, an unranked, unknown duelist had beaten Seto Kaiba, one of the best duelists in the world. Not only that, but Kaiba had summoned his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons and would have won the duel if Yugi Muto hadn't done the impossible.

Exodia.

No duelist had ever managed to summon Exodia before. Most people thought it was impossible. Which made the duel between Yugi and Kaiba all anyone in the Duel Monster community could talk about.

Jaden hadn't even heard about the duel until a few days ago. He enjoyed sports more than Duel Monsters, so he didn't keep up with the community gossip. But when his sister and grandfather came home after a Duel Monster's tournament out of state, Yugi Muto was all Rebecca could talk about.

Did I ever even need you? Jaden wondered as he closed the bottle and tossed it away. He had started taking them years ago because he thought he was going insane. The dreams/memories, while annoying, had been manageable. But when Duel Monster cards started talking to him? That was where he had drawn the line and agreed to start taking medication.

Now he had to wonder about that too.

For years, he had lived with the belief that his memories of Yu-Gi-Oh!, and the voices he'd heard as a kid were just childhood delusions. Every doctor he had ever gone to had told him the exact same thing, that his dreams and hallucinations were the result of an overactive thalamus.

But now, staring at the undeniable proof of his memories in the form of real-world events, he couldn't ignore the truth any longer. How could he deny the evidence right in front of his eyes?

This world—it really was the Yu-Gi-Oh! universe.

And somehow, for reasons he couldn't begin to guess, he'd been reborn here.

Did that mean everything he saw in the memories real?

Had his Duel Monster cards actually been talking to him?

But how was any of this possible? None of it made sense.

Jaden couldn't wrap his head around how some stranger from another dimension could know so much about this world. A world without real magic—which made the connection even more confusing. How could someone see into and predict the future of a totally different reality?

In enough detail to turn it into a TV show?

A fictional show where apparently I didn't even exist, Jaden realized with a start. His counterpart had watched the anime multiple times, yet there was no mention of a Jaden Hawkins.

Not even when Rebecca and Grandpa showed up!

Except, that part actually made sense.

Jaden used to love Duel Monsters. He would play it all the time with his grandpa when he was a kid. But when he started hallucinating Duel Monster cards talking to him, he stopped playing and focused on sports where his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. Even after he'd started taking his medication and the hallucinations stopped, he still hadn't really gotten back into the game.

Jaden leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk and burying his face in his hands. "How can it be real if it's wrong?" he whispered.

But wasn't that the same question his younger self had asked every time something didn't match his dreams? Back then, the differences had made it easier to believe the doctors.

There's only one way to find out if it's all true, Jaden glanced at the drawer in his desk where his old Duel Monsters deck sat untouched. He hadn't looked at it in years, not since he'd convinced himself the cards were part of his illness.

But now, with everything he'd seen and remembered, he felt a pull to open the drawer and see them again. To confront the truth he'd spent so long denying.

With a deep breath, Jaden pulled the drawer open. Shoved in the back of the drawer was his deck. Next to the deck stood a hero with goggles and a tank strapped to his back.

Jaden blinked hard, but the figure didn't vanish. Elemental Hero Bubbleman jumped out of the drawer, landing with a splashy flourish, striking a heroic pose.

"Elemental Hero Bubbleman, reporting for duty, boss!" Bubbleman said, his voice chipper and energetic, brimming with excitement.

Jaden stared, speechless. This couldn't be real. And yet, there he was—Bubbleman, alive and talking, just like the cards used to years ago. There was no denying it.

"You're…real?"

"As real as you are!" Bubbleman grinned, his tone bright and reassuring. "I've been waiting for this moment! Ever since you stuffed us in that drawer, I knew the day would come when you'd need a hero again." He leaned in, his bright green goggles reflecting Jaden's stunned expression. "So…what's the plan, boss?"

Jaden ran a hand through his hair, still trying to make sense of everything. He couldn't believe it. For so long he'd ignored his cards out of fear, convinced they were just hallucinations. A symptom of his unstable mind. But now the impossible was reality. The memories, the hallucinations of Duel Monster spirits he'd written off for years as delusions—they were real!

Magic was real!

He never imagined he'd be face-to-face with Duel Monsters spirits like this again. As a kid, he remembered feeling like his cards had personalities all their own, but that stopped after he started medication for his hallucinations and paranoia. Maybe suppressing all that had blocked his ability to connect to the duel spirits and now that he stopped taking the full dose, it was coming back.

Jaden looked at Bubbleman again. This was like something straight out of the anime. There were so many things running through his mind right now. But one thought rose to the surface, louder than the rest.

If Bubbleman was real, then…could Jaden bond with his duel spirits?

In the GX anime, Jaden and Yubel had proven it was possible, but Jaden was the Supreme King and they had used Super Polymerization. Jaden didn't think he had any power besides being able to see Duel Monster spirits, but maybe…

"Bubbleman, I need to ask you something," he began, and he hoped like hell the anime was right again. "I've heard myths about Duel Spirits. That they can bond with a duelist and make them stronger. Is that true?"

"It is possible. People used to do it all the time during Shadow Games. However, it is up to the human, not the Duel Monster. The human soul has to be strong enough to sustain the bond. The stronger the Duel Monster, the more taxing the bond."

There was no implication of anything in his voice, so Jaden counted that as a win.

"Is it possible for me to bond with you?"

"Bond with me, huh?" Bubbleman tapped his chin as if considering the question carefully. "I think you might be strong enough for that."

"And if I bond with you…could I bond with stronger spirits later?" Jaden asked. "Build my strength up over time?"

Bubbleman crossed his arms with a proud puff of his chest. "Now you're getting it! Bonding with me would be a great first step. Every hero starts somewhere, right?"

Jaden nodded thoughtfully. It wasn't the instant power-up he'd been hoping for, but it was a start.

"You up for it?"

Bubbleman shifted uncomfortably, his cheerful demeanor dimming. "Boss, I like your attitude. I really do. But here's the thing—I can't bond with you."

Jaden blinked, caught off guard. "Wait, what? Why not?"

Bubbleman rubbed the back of his head. "It's not that I don't want to, boss. If it were up to me, we'd be all in. But...we can't. Not yet, anyway."

Jaden was confused. "But why not?" he asked again. He wasn't going to force the hero to bond with him if Bubbleman didn't want to, but he thought they'd been on the same page.

Bubbleman eyes darted to Jaden's deck. He opened his mouth to answer, but before the hero could get a word out, something—no, someone—rose out of the deck of cards.

It was a woman—well, sort of—female would be a better description. She wasn't human, that much was obvious. Her skin was a deep pink-purple color that shouldn't work but somehow did, like a sunset got mixed with an alien. Two massive black wings unfurled behind her, each one almost as big as her body. They weren't feathered like angel wings either—they were in pure demon territory, all leather and membrane stretched between sharp bone spines that looked like they could slice through steel.

Holy shit. Holy shit. Jaden felt like his brain was short-circuiting. Yubel? THE Yubel? The same Yubel who had been Jaden Yuki's guardian in his past life, who had gone psycho and nearly destroyed multiple dimensions because of a twisted interpretation of love?

"My king, you've finally summoned me!" Yubel drifted closer until she was practically sitting in his lap. "Oh, how long I've waited for this moment!"

"Uh...I don't remember summoning anyone," Jaden said, leaning back in his chair, to avoid his face being smothered by her giant cleavage. He was confused on so many levels. Wasn't she supposed to only have one tit?

"You didn't need to!" Yubel purred, her eyes glimmering with obsessive devotion. "You stopped drowning me out with that horrible medicine."

Jaden stared at Yubel who was completely in his lap now, and tried to process what was happening. The Yubel he remembered from the anime was... different. Like, way different. That Yubel had been all about "love is pain" and "if you truly love someone, you have to make them suffer" kind of bullshit. This one was just... clingy. Obsessive, yeah, but not in the same psychotic way.

And then it hit him.

"She never went to space," he whispered to himself.

Yubel tilted her head. "Space? Why would I go to space, my king?"

That's when everything clicked into place. In the anime, Yubel's powers were hurting people and Jaden had sent her into space attached to some KaibaCorp satellite during that card design contest. That's where she got exposed to the Light of Destruction, which turned her already possessive love into something seriously messed up.

But in this world? That contest never happened. Which meant no Neo-Spacians either, now that he thought about it, but more importantly, it meant this Yubel had never been exposed to the Light of Destruction. She was just... regular obsessed with him, not batshit insane obsessed.

And honestly? He was kind of into it. After binge-watching all of Fairy Tail three times and developing what he'd call a totally normal appreciation for Mirajane's Satan Soul forms, demon girls had become a bit of a thing for him. And Yubel? She was hitting all those buttons. The wings, the claws, the mismatched eyes that shouldn't work but somehow did... plus, the way she was sitting in my lap wasn't exactly unpleasant.

"My king," Yubel cooed, and yeah, that should NOT have sent shivers down his spine the way it did.

What was he supposed to do with this? On one hand, having Yubel on his side could be incredibly useful. In the GX anime, her power combined with the power of the Supreme King had given Jaden a bunch of abilities, even if he never really used them. And this version seemed more... stable? Still obsessed, yeah, but in a way that was more "I want to cuddle you forever" than "I'm going to murder everyone you love to prove my devotion."

Bubbleman, still standing nearby, looking uncomfortable as hell cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uh, boss? I was about to tell you—"

Yubel whipped her head toward him, her expression instantly shifting from adoration to venomous hostility. "Silence, you insignificant puddle of a spirit!" she snapped, her wings flaring dramatically. "How dare you interrupt my reunion with my king?"

Now Jaden got why Bubbleman couldn't bond with him—Yubel probably wouldn't let anyone else get that close.

Bubbleman raised his hands in surrender, taking a step back. "Whoa, whoa, no disrespect meant! I just—uh—thought he might wanna know his soul isn't ready for—"

"You presume to know my king's strength better than I do?" Yubel hissed, her voice low and dangerous. "His soul is perfection. He doesn't need your approval."

She lunged off Jaden's lap like a demon missile, straight for Bubbleman. The hero raised his blaster, water already starting to spiral around the barrel. Not wanting the two spirits to turn his hotel room into a warzone, Jaden reached out without thinking and grabbed Yubel by the hips, yanking her back into his lap.

"Enough."

Whoa. That word… it came out of his mouth but it didn't sound like me. It was deeper, heavier somehow, resonating with a quiet power that made the air vibrate.

Yubel just... froze. Those massive demon wings that had been flared out threateningly a second ago dropped, folding in close. Her whole body went rigid in his lap, and Jaden could feel her trembling slightly under his hands.

If this was the real world, he'd be googling therapists right now, looking for someone who specialized in thousand-year-old demon girls with attachment issues. But this wasn't the real world. This was Yu-Gi-Oh!, where the solution to every problem was either card games or embracing whatever magical bullshit got thrown your way.

And right now? That magical bullshit was telling Jaden he had power over Yubel. Real power. The kind that made her submit instantly when he took control.

He could work with that.

"My king..." she whispered, and her voice was different now—less domineering demon queen, more... well, submissive wasn't quite the right word. Devoted, maybe?

Jaden tightened his grip on her hips, testing the waters. That weird pressure in the room increased, and Yubel actually shuddered.

"We're going to have a conversation," he said, keeping that commanding tone that seemed to affect her so much. "And you're going to behave. Understood?"

She nodded, melting back against his chest. "Yes, my king. Anything you desire."

Well damn. Guess the Supreme King thing wasn't just a fancy title. Now he just had to figure out how to use it without turning into an actual tyrant.

But first—getting Yubel to stop trying to murder his other cards seemed like a good start.

"Good. Now, what were you trying to say, Bubbleman?"

Bubbleman glanced warily at Yubel, then back at Jaden. "Boss, I was gonna say your soul isn't strong enough to bond with a spirit as powerful as her yet."

Jaden blinked, processing that. "Wait, so I can't bond with her?"

"Not yet!" Bubbleman said quickly. "It's not about you not being good enough, boss—it's just that a bond with someone like Yubel is…uh…" He trailed off, searching for the right word.

"Catastrophic," Yubel supplied sweetly as if discussing the weather. "For anyone else, of course."

Bubbleman nodded nervously. "Yeah, catastrophic. You'd have to build up your soul's strength first, maybe bond with a weaker Duel Spirit—"

"Weaker?" Yubel's tone was sharp enough to cut glass. "How dare you suggest my king settle for some pathetic little nobody?" She turned her blazing eyes on Jaden, her expression softening instantly. "You don't need anyone but me, my king. We were meant to be together—forever."

"Okay…" Jaden nodded. "So… it is possible for us to bond, then?"

"Possible?" Yubel's voice rose in disbelief, and she clutched his chest dramatically. "It is not only possible—it is destiny! Your soul was made for mine, my king. I've waited lifetimes for this moment!"

"Right," Jaden looked over her shoulder at Bubbleman. "You mentioned something about it being dangerous before. What's that about?"

Yubel smiled—a wide, predatory smile that was equal parts loving and unnerving. "Oh, my precious king. A bond with me is no small thing. My power is vast, and your soul must be strong enough to withstand it. But you are no ordinary duelist. You are mine, and that makes you special."

Jaden didn't look away from Bubbleman, completely ignoring Yubel. She clearly wasn't an unbiased source of information.

"What do you think? Am I strong enough to bond with you?"

Yubel tensed in his lap, her wings bristling. Before she could start another demonic hissy fit, Jaden tightened his grip on Yubel's hip to remind her who was in control.

"No," he said firmly, and he was sure he was channeling Supreme King energy again. "Listen to me."

Yubel shivered, but Jaden could feel the tension thrumming through her body, like a compressed spring ready to unleash hell if she didn't like what he had to say.

"You're looking at this all wrong," he continued, softening his tone slightly. Not too much—he was starting to think Yubel responded better to authority than gentleness. "I'm not replacing you. I'm not ignoring you. I'm getting stronger for you."

That got her attention. Her head turned, those mismatched eyes staring into his.

"Think about it," Jaden said. "You want us to bond, right? To be together forever?"

Yubel nodded eagerly.

"Then help me get strong enough to handle it. Because right now?" Jaden gestured between them. "This would probably fuck me up. You know it would."

"I would never hurt you, my king!" she protested, but there was uncertainty in her voice.

"Not on purpose," Jaden agreed. "But you're basically spiritual nuclear power, and I'm running on AA batteries right now. We try to bond, and..." he made an explosion sound and mimed my head exploding.

Bubbleman snorted, then quickly tried to cover it with a cough when Yubel glared at him.

"So here's the deal," Jaden said, drawing her attention back to him. "I'm going to bond with Bubbleman first. Get stronger. Then maybe work my way up through some other spirits. And when I'm ready—when I'm strong enough to handle you without harming myself—then we bond. For real. Forever. Deal?"

Yubel's face went through a fascinating series of expressions; possessiveness, jealousy, consideration, and finally, reluctant acceptance. "You promise?" she asked. "You won't forget about me?"

Jaden snorted. "Pretty sure that's impossible." She was literally a sexy demon girl sitting in his lap. "But yeah, I promise."

Yubel nodded slowly, then turned to Bubbleman with narrowed eyes. "If you harm him..."

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Bubbleman said quickly. "Just trying to help the boss level up, you know?"

Jaden looked at him expectantly. "So? Are we doing this?"

"You bet!" Bubbleman grinned and stuck out his fist

Jaden glanced at the offered fist, then at Yubel who was watching with barely contained jealousy, then back at the fist and bumped his knuckles against the hero's.

"Here we go!" Bubbleman floated into the air, glowing with a bright, blue light. "One hero-duelist bond, coming right up!"

The light surged toward Jaden, enveloping him in a warm, tingling energy. His eyes snapped shut against the brightness, and for a moment, he felt like he was standing in the middle of a rushing river.

When the light faded, he blinked his eyes open. Bubbleman was gone.

"Bubbleman? Where'd you go?" Jaden asked, spinning in his chair. He looked around the room, but the Duel Monster spirit was nowhere in sight.

"At ease, boss," Bubbleman's familiar, cheerful voice echoed—not in the room, but in Jaden's mind. "I've taken up residence in your soul," the hero explained. "Until you adapt to the bond and grow stronger, you won't have enough power to manifest me outside your body. But don't worry, I'm still here."

Jaden frowned, holding up his hand half-expecting it to glow or do something dramatic. "I don't feel any different," he admitted.

"Well, I'm not exactly Bladeedge, boss," Bubbleman said, a hint of sheepishness in his tone. "The benefits are subtle for now—your soul will grow stronger over time, and you might pick up a bit of a hero's instinct.

"That's because I'm not exactly a powerhouse, boss," Bubbleman admitted sheepishly. "The bond will make your soul a little stronger over time, but for now? You might pick up a few hero instincts. Maybe better reflexes? Oh! Or an uncanny ability to find water sources!"

Oh, well that was cool at least.

"You're starting small, but heroes always rise to the occasion!" Bubbleman reassured him. "Besides, if I wasn't easy to bond with, you'd never be ready for a spirit like her." There was a clear note of unease in his voice, and Jaden didn't have to ask to know who he meant.

Jaden sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Fair point, I guess."

Before he could dive further into what this newfound bond might mean, a knock on his bedroom door interrupted their conversation "Jaden?" came Arthur's voice from the hallway. A moment later, the door cracked open, and his grandpa stuck his head in. "Breakfast is ready."

Oh shit! Jaden froze, his heart pounding. Yubel was still draped across his lap, and he braced himself for the inevitable questions—or worse, a full-blown freak-out from his grandpa when he saw the sexy demon girl straddling his grandson.

But his grandpa didn't react. He didn't even glance at Yubel. His expression remained calm and warm, like nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Are you feeling all right, Jaden?" he asked. "You look a bit pale."

"I'm okay, Grandpa," Jaden said. "Still waking up I guess."

"Well, don't take too long coming down. Breakfast will get cold and your sister has some important news," you better wake up, you're not going to believe what's happened," Arthur said, closing the door gently behind him.

Jaden let out a shaky breath, staring at the door for a moment before turning to Yubel, who was now smirking like a cat that had caught a mouse. "He didn't see you."

"Of course not, my king," Yubel said, her tone sweetly condescending. "Humans without strong spiritual awareness cannot perceive Duel Spirits like me. Only those with exceptional souls—like yours—have that privilege."

"Right. Privilege." Jaden muttered, glancing down at his hand, turning it over, and flexing his fingers, still not feeling anything unusual.

Yubel leaned in, resting her chin on Jaden's shoulder. "You're wasting time on that little puddle of a spirit, my king. You don't need him. You have me."

"Didn't we just talk about this?" Jaden shot her a pointed look. "I can't bond with you yet without turning into a human glow stick. Or worse."

Yubel pouted but didn't argue. Instead, she nestled closer, her wings folding in as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Very well, my king. But don't take too long. I don't like sharing you."

Jaden rolled his eyes and stood, forcing Yubel to slide off his lap and hover beside him. "I guess we'll figure this out as we go," he muttered to himself as he opened the door and followed his grandpa down to the kitchen.

"That's the spirit!" Bubbleman's voice echoed with enthusiasm. "Heroes always look to the future. That's where the action is!"

In the kitchen, Jaden found Rebecca already at the table. She was shoveling down breakfast while flipping through her Duel Monsters with her free hand. Little Miss Prodigy, going hard at it even during breakfast.

"You're gonna choke if you keep inhaling your food like that," he said, ruffling her blonde hair as he passed her seat.

Rebecca swatted his hand away without even looking up. "Quiet, I'm strategizing," she mumbled through a mouthful of syrup-soaked waffle.

At just twelve years old, Rebecca was on track to be the youngest U.S. Duel Monsters champion ever. She took the game way more seriously than James ever had.

Jaden was about to ask when they were leaving for her next tournament when he saw it—a sleek silver briefcase sitting on the counter. He set his toast down and walked over.

Inside the case, nestled in plush red velvet lining was a glove. The glove had a rubber collar around its wrist with ten star-shaped holes. Sitting next to the glove was two small, golden star-shaped chips that looked like they would fit perfectly into the glove's holes. But it was the line of five cards spread out in the case that had his attention. Jaden recognized them instantly. They were the same five cards Maximillion Pegasus sent to Yugi Muto and the 39 other duelists he invited to the Duelist Kingdom tournament.

Those cards...

The same cards he had seen in his dreams!

Jaden read through the five cards, each explaining a different aspect of the Duelist Kingdom tournament.

The first card laid out the basics: There was an exclusive competition being hosted by Maximillion Pegasus, the creator of a game called Duel Monsters. Only the world's top duelists were invited to participate.

The second card explained the rules: Participants would be ferried to Pegasus's private island, where they would duel each other using their Duel Monsters decks. The star chips would act like a form of currency once the tournament started. Win a duel, get chips. Lose all your chips, and you are out of the tournament.

The third card described the tournament structure: Duelists would need to collect ten star chips to gain entry into Pegasus's castle for the finals. The last duelist standing would be crowned the King of Games.

The fourth card, however, surprised him. It detailed the grand prize: The winner would receive three million pounds and the opportunity to duel Pegasus himself. If whichever duelist won the tournament could defeat the creator of Duel Monsters, they would earn the right to ask him to grant any wish within his considerable power.

Jaden knew all that already. It was just like he remembered in the anime. Well, except for one thing…

"Where did you get these?" he heard himself ask, though his own voice sounded distant in his ears.

He didn't remember it ever being mentioned in the anime that Rebecca had been invited to Duelist Kingdom. She hadn't shown up until after the tournament was over. She'd come storming into Yugi's grandpa's shop, demanding his Blue-Eyes White Dragon, claiming it was stolen from her grandfather Arthur Hawkins.

Had she been invited and just decided not to go? Or was she late? She was coming from America after all. Maybe that was why she had been in Domino City. She'd come for the tournament, missed the ferry, and since she was already here decided to shake down Grandpa Muto.

Rebecca gave him an exasperated look. "Ugh, I got invited to some private tournament," she shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "I guess since I was invited they assumed I would accept and sent the stuff already."

"You're not going to accept?" their grandfather asked, surprised.

Rebecca waved a fork speared with waffle dismissively, flinging syrup across the table. "I don't have time for it, Grandpa. I'm trying to qualify for the National Championship, remember? That's way more important."

"Now hold on Rebecca," Arthur said seriously. "I know the Nationals are important to you, but we shouldn't dismiss this Duelist Kingdom invitation so hastily."

"But Grandpa, I don't have time for both tournaments!" Rebecca protested.

Arthur nodded. "I understand, Rebecca. But you have to see that this is no ordinary tournament. It's a private tournament being held by Maximillion Pegasus himself. A personal invitation from the host carries much weight. I'm afraid ignoring it would not be wise."

Jaden picked up the cards, holding them in his hands. A ship. An island. A pile of treasure. A dueling gauntlet. And a blank card.

The details really did match the cards from his dreams perfectly.

Did that mean everything else he saw was real too? Egyptian God cards coming to life in Battle City. Millennium Items with actual magical powers. Shadow Games! Pegasus stealing souls at Duelist Kingdom!

Rebecca bit her lip. "But the Nationals..."

"How about I go in Rebecca's place?" Jaden blurted out.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "You? You touched your Duel Monsters deck in years, Jaden."

Jaden scrambled for an explanation. "Well, with Rebecca making such a name for herself in the pro circuit, I didn't want to embarrass her at a tournament," he said. The lie was flimsy, but it was all he could come up with on the spot.

Rebecca's face lit up. "You'd really go to Pegasus' tournament for me?"

"Of course," I said, ruffling her hair again. "That's what big brothers are for, right?"

Besides, there was no way in hell he was going to let his little sister compete in Pegasus' tournament. Not now that he knew everything he saw in his dreams was actually going to happen.

Between the cheating, Bandit Keith and his gun, Panik and his "intimidation tactics", fucking shadow games, and Pegaus stealing souls—Duelist Kingdom island was a death trap!

"So when does this thing start?" Jaden asked closing the case. There hadn't been a date on any of the cards.

"The ferry leaves in two hours," Rebecca says through another mouthful of waffle.

Two hours? TWO FUCKING HOURS?

Jaden looked at Rebecca, still shoveling waffles into her mouth, completely oblivious to the bullet she was dodging. "Great!" he said heading back to the stairs. "I'll just... grab my deck and..."

Fuck. His deck. When was the last time he even looked at his cards? Not counting today, what was it? Ten years? More?

Grandpa was giving him that look, the one that said he knows something is up. But what was Jaden supposed to tell him? 'Hey, by the way, that fancy tournament invitation? Yeah, it's actually a front for magical soul-stealing shenanigans!'

Jaden hurried up the stairs. With only two hours until the ferry left, he was barely going to have time to hit up the Domino City equivalent of Walmart for camping gear and food, never mind a card shop.

Was re-watching the Duel between Jaden and Dimitri while reading Stacking the Deck by Jordino (if you haven't checked out that, why are you reading this? Go read it now!)

Wondered how Jaden would duel against other characters from Duelist Kingdom and Battle City!

Naturally that led to a self-insert in an alt-universe where the two series are happening at the same time lol!