Isekai. A Japanese word which roughly translates to "another world". It's a popular trope seen in various forms of media. The idea of being able to reincarnate in another world is appealing, especially if that world is one from a show or game you're a fan of.
As a young man wakes, he thinks about the naivety of that sentiment.
When you really stop and think about it, most video games and anime take place in some kind of crazy deathworld. Even the ones that don't start that way end up escalating to planet destroying threats because of power scaling in shonen media. The young man grumbles as he goes through his morning routine.
Looking in the mirror, the young man took a good look at his current appearance. At first glance he looked young, like a teenager which was accurate with his current body. He had Japanese features and was about 170 cm tall which was around the average height for his peers. He was also quite fit for his age, having a well developed swimmer's physique.
However, while he seemed youthful at first glance, one could tell from looking more closely how much older he felt. He wore a tired expression with heavy bags under his eyes and his dark hair was wild and messy. His body was littered with faded scars, and while they didn't seem to impair him physically, they told a rather tragic story of his experiences.
Yet the thing about his appearance that bothered him the most despite being something that would have once filled him with untold excitement, was that-
I still look like a goddamn anime character. The young man thought to himself with a frustrated sigh.
This was Konami Murasaki, or Murasaki Konami if you wanted to be culturally accurate, and he was an isekai protagonist. One who had gone into his adventure with dreams and excitement, only to be disillusioned with the reality of the experience. Now he just wanted to be left alone to live his life in peace. Unfortunately for him, he was still physically a teenager who had no way to support an isolated lifestyle.
Which led to now, with him packing a deck of Duel Monsters cards into his bag as he prepared for his entrance exam to get into Duel Academy. Yup, he got sent to Yugioh GX, except he ended up going through an entirely different adventure before even setting foot on Academy Island.
The only reason he was even bothering to go despite all the headaches that will inevitably follow is because he still needed to complete his education and get a job, and because his family has been worried for him ever since he finished his first adventure in this world. He wasn't even planning on attending at first and only got a chance to transfer in late thanks to his uncle being able to pull some strings.
As he made his way to the door a woman walked up to him from behind. This was his mother, Murasaki Hanabi.
"Konami, I know things have been hard lately and that you might not be the most excited for this… but I just want you to know that we'll support you no matter what and that we're proud of you. So please do your best and try to enjoy yourself too." She said with a somewhat shaky smile.
Internally, Konami reminded himself that this was why he was willing to go through with attending Duel Academy and getting pulled into the hell that was the plot. His family cared and were trying their best for him, so how could he respond with anything less than his best as well.
"I'll try." He says back with his best attempt at a smile.
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Hanabi POV
Watching her son leave for his practical exam, Hanabi couldn't help but let out a tired sigh. It hurt not knowing what to do, how to treat her own son. She could still remember the days when he seemed bursting with life. How he looked at everything around him with so much wonder and joy as if the world was a fantasy straight out of a fairytale. He was always so considerate too, constantly trying to help with chores and spend time with his parents, it was adorable. That kindness and love of life had always seemed so beautiful to her and it gave her a greater appreciation for her own life. It attracted people to him and gave him a kind of charisma and charm that was hard to describe.
But it wasn't just his charm that drew people in. Her son was talented, incredibly so. He seemed to view the world in a way no one else did and he would always surprise people with his creativity. And nowhere did this seem more apparent than in his greatest passion, Duel Monsters. Hanabi herself thought the game was quite fun, but she never expected it to become as globally recognized as it had. It didn't surprise her when Konami showed interest in the game.
What did surprise her though was how seemingly talented at it he was. She was no expert but even she could recognize that Konami had a connection with the game. The way he could seemingly play circles around opponents so much older than him, how deep his strategies seemed to be, and the maturity of his outlook regarding the game. For him, it wasn't about winning and losing, it was about exploring the game and having fun. He would experiment with random cards and come up with wild combos just to see if he could.
Konami's talent for Duel Monsters garnered him quite a bit of attention as a rising star and Hanabi had to admit that she worried that it might go to his head. Luckily, her son had always been mature for his age and never lost the kindness and humility that made her so proud of him. She remembered the first time he made a friend, bonding over their shared passion for dueling. Alexis was a wonderful girl and would always pester Konami to play with her to help her improve. There was also little Chazz, always trying to be so serious but who couldn't help losing his composure whenever he dueled her son. They declared themselves rivals but she knew they respected each other greatly.
It seemed like life was going perfectly. She had a loving family, her son had earned a scholarship to a renowned dueling prep school which would lead to him being able to attend the famous Duel Academy and he had made close friends. Hanabi found herself smiling as she reminisced on those happier times, but she couldn't help frowning at knowing what happened next. She cursed herself. It was her fault. If she had been paying more attention, hadn't looked away while answering her phone. Maybe she could have seen it, maybe she could have stopped it. Maybe, maybe, maybe. But no, she had been careless, and a simple visit to the park ended with her losing her son for years. And when she finally got him back, he was broken. His creativity was no longer free, his eyes dull, his body covered in horrible scars, and that beautiful love of life was seemingly dead.
She didn't know what to do then and she still doesn't know what to do now. All she can do is pray and hope that he'll get better while doing her best to be there for him. It was why, when her brother suggested Konami attend Duel Academy, she agreed so readily. It hurt to see him leave her again, but she knew staying here wouldn't help him. She could only hope that a new environment would let him forget some of the pain, and maybe, just maybe, it would help him find a reason to love life again.
With that hope she straightened her back. She still had to do her part and support her son. She already knew he would pass his exam, there was no doubt. So she busied herself, cleaning the house and deciding what meal to prepare in order to celebrate his enrollment. She wouldn't give up on her son. She didn't give up back then and she wouldn't give up now. She knew he was doing his best and so would she.
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It took a bit of a walk to get to the Duel Arena where he would take his practical for the entrance exam. After all, even if Kaiba was willing to pull a few strings to give him a chance of attending Duel Academy thanks to his uncle being a trusted employee of Kaiba Corp. and vouching for him, it was still a prestigious school. Konami had to show that he could handle the high standards expected of him.
The written exams were simple enough. He wasn't a genius, but two lifetime's worth of experience meant it wasn't too hard to answer most of the questions. And that was just for the regular school subjects like Math and Science. When it came to any questions regarding Duel Monsters, he breezed through them. Honestly, any fan of the series would have likely done so. Questions regarding the history of the game and such just felt like lore trivia.
Anything related to game mechanics or tactics were literal child's play due to the fact that the anime world just couldn't compare to the regular world in terms of the Metagame. The people in charge of printing cards had no restrictions when it came to bias and giving specific people special cards. Other cards were purposely only given limited prints which forced people to compromise on their deckbuilding. Then there was Yugi's sheer existence causing people to focus more on the Heart of the Cards. While this encouraged people to be creative and build their decks around what they like, it also meant that fewer people were diving deep into how one could build "optimal" decks. It also didn't help that "cheap" tactics like Burn, Stall, and Mill, were discouraged by the community.
This however meant that for someone like Konami who, despite being mediocre in his previous life, had experience facing truly competitive meta decks and who had experienced the life-or-death pressure of shadow games, they could easily handle the current level of competition. This was why, as he stepped into the arena he would be dueling in, he showed no form of anxiety or concern while facing his opponent.
Standing across from Konami was a Duel Academy teacher, he looked fairly normal with his most distinctive features being his sideburns and his large sunglasses. Konami realized that he looked like the guy Bastion dueled in the anime. However, this wasn't a show anymore, meaning this was either the same guy or Duel Academy actually has a weird gimmick of making a bunch of its staff members style themselves the same way. Considering that this was still an anime world despite being reality, either option was viable. It was something to think about.
"Alright applicant, my name is Professor Wade. I'll be acting as your proctor for this duel examination. I've been informed of your circumstances but don't expect me to hold back, understand?" The teacher called out while activating their duel disk.
For his part, Konami simply nodded while activating his own duel disk before responding. "I understand."
Prof. Wade nodded in approval. "Good, then I suppose it's time we get started. Your objective in this examination duel is to beat me using any and every tactic available to you. I will be using a special examination deck to assess you. We will both be playing with the standard 4000 Life Points. Finally, if you get caught cheating then you will automatically fail. In order to pass, you must defeat me. Now with all that said…"
"Let's Duel!"
"Let's Duel!"
Konami Murasaki: 4000 LP
Professor Wade: 4000 LP
"The first turn is yours, applicant." Prof. Wade said with a nod.
"Alright, then I'll start my turn by drawing." Konami had to admit that while it took some time to adjust to the differences between the rules from his previous life and his current one, there were definitely advantages to the anime rules, like the ability for a player to draw on the very first turn.
"I start by activating Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. I then set a monster in face-down defense position. Finally, I set five cards face down." Konami placed the cards and his field was quickly filled. "I'll end my turn."
"Hmm, you've either got a powerful defense or you got a bad hand and are desperately trying to bluff, but either way it won't matter! I draw, then I activate Heavy Storm to destroy all of your spells and traps!" The professor called while activating his call. A holographic storm began brewing in the arena causing the cards floating in front of Konami to shake.
"I activate Magic Jammer in response. By discarding one card from my hand, I can negate the effects of your spell and destroy it." Konami explained while revealing his trap and discarding the last card in his hand. The holographic storm died down and the professor's card shattered, leaving Konami with one face-down monster and four face-down spells or traps.
"Not bad applicant but I'm not done yet. I summon the Goblin Attack Force in attack mode."
Goblin Attack Force: 2300 ATK
"Now I'll have my monster attack your face-down monster! Go! Goblin Beatdown!"
Upon the professor's command, the newly summoned goblins rushed forward and attacked Konami's card. As the card revealed itself, a purple blob appeared in front of Konami before quickly getting destroyed.
"My face down monster was Giant Germ. When it's destroyed, you take 500 damage to your Life Points and I can summon up to two more Giant Germs from my deck." Konami explains simply while summoning his other two germs.
Giant Germ: 1000 ATK
Konami: 4000 LP
Prof. Wade: 3500 LP
"Gah! That was pretty good, but if you keep playing defensively, you'll never beat me. I'll admit though, you've got some nerves of steel. Now let's see how you counter attack. I place one card face down and end my turn. My Goblin Attack Force will also change to defense position due to its effect."
"During your end phase I activate my face down spell, Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face down card." Konami calls out. A twister shoots out from his card and destroys the Professor's face down, which was revealed to be Negate Attack.
Konami drew his next card and let out a small sigh. While the professor complimented him for his composure, Konami couldn't find it in himself to be pleased. It felt abnormal. He should be nervous. Regardless of his skill, this was a test to get into the world's most prestigious school for Duel Monsters. He should feel excitement, nervousness, anything! But he didn't. It was as if there was some kind of disconnect. This was just another duel.
"I activate my face down spell card, Monster Reborn. With it I can revive a monster from either player's graveyard. I choose to revive my Des Volstgalph." Upon being declared, the chosen monster rose from the ground. A dragon with red and blue scales, and feathered wings roared as it flexed its muscles.
Des Volstgalph: 2200 ATK
The professor grimaced as he looked at the state of the board. Konami had three monsters and three face down cards while he only had Goblin Attack Force in defense mode with 0 DEF.
"Impressive, it's certainly a powerful and rare card but I don't recall you sending that monster to the graveyard. Mind explaining that?"
Konami nodded as he answered. "I discarded Des Volstgalph when I activated Magic Jammer during your turn, and now I activate another face down. The equip spell, Fairy Meteor Crush. By equipping this card to my Des Volstgalph, it gains the ability to deal piercing battle damage. Not only that but my dragon's own effect increases his ATK by 200 until the end of the turn, every time a normal or quick-play spell resolves."
The red and blue dragon roared again as it became enveloped in a red aura. Its muscles also began to bulge as if empowered by the aura surrounding it.
Des Volstgalph: 2400 ATK
"Now Des Volstgalph, attack! Draconic Mana Flame!"
Konami's dragon roared before unleashing a breath of shining blue flames at the professor's monster, wiping it out. However, the flames didn't stop and spread around the professor causing him to take damage due to Fairy Meteor Crush's piercing effect.
Prof. Wade: 1100 LP
"Gwah!" The professor cried out from the attack. While the holograms were designed so they couldn't actually hurt people, they were designed to be hyper realistic, almost indistinguishable from reality. This made it difficult for most people to not react to them.
"That's not all. When Des Volstgalph destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the graveyard, it deals 500 points of damage to your Life Points directly. Go Des Volstgalph! Burning Mana Force!"
With another roar, the red and blue dragon caused the flames surrounding the professor to explode. Once the holographic smoke cleared, it revealed Prof. Wade, dazed from the attack but overall fine.
Prof. Wade: 600 LP
"Now this duel is over. Giant Germ, attack with Viral Impact!" Konami declares as one of his Giant Germs leaps at the professor and eliminates the last of his Life Points.
Konami Murasaki: 4000 LP
Prof. Wade: 0 LP
With the duel over both duelists turn off their duel disks and meet at the center of the arena.
"Well done applicant. At first, I thought you had a shaky start but you quickly proved that it was actually a clever setup for some fine dueling. I think it's safe to say that you pass with flying colors. I look forward to seeing you at Duel Academy." The professor said while holding out his hand. Konami paused for a moment before shaking the offered hand.
"Thank you, professor." He said simply.
Prof. Wade nodded before continuing. "Since you're a late transfer I'll explain a few things to you. Normally you wouldn't even be told whether you passed or not until all the paperwork was done but like I said before, I'm aware of your circumstances. This will just help you with the transition to Duel Academy.
At Duel Academy, we have three dorms. Slifer Red, Ra Yellow, and Obelisk Blue. The students are sorted into each dorm based on merit, with Obelisk being the highest rank, Slifer being the lowest, and Ra being the middle rank. This is common knowledge so I'm sure you already knew that.
Now, despite popular belief, students sorted into Slifer aren't seen by the academy as failures. Rather, they are sorted there because the staff agree they require extra help reaching their potential. If we really thought they had no talent, then they wouldn't have been accepted into the academy in the first place. While the facilities aren't as fancy as the other dorms, Slifer students have access to special accommodations to help them with their studies.
Ra Yellow is probably the most normal dorm. Quality facilities and excellent resources to help the students, but nothing too extravagant. It's the dorm that most students get sorted into so it also ends up boasting the largest student population. The Yellow dorm is actually the largest of the three in size, but because the space is spread out between multiple smaller buildings people sometimes forget that.
And finally, Obelisk Blue. Students will hardly ever start in Obelisk Blue in their first year. You would have to get near-perfect scores on both your written and practical exam. The closest person to do so this year was a kid named Bastion Misawa. He got a perfect score on his written exam but while he did very well on his practical, it wasn't enough to get him into Blue. Students who DO manage to start in Obelisk Blue tend to come from various prep schools approved by Kaiba Corp. Attending one of these prep schools can net you extra credit which can help boost your score when we assess your entrance exam results. Of course, this doesn't guarantee you a spot in Blue, it just means you have a better chance. But let me tell you, while getting into Blue is a pain, the rewards are more than worth it. Obelisk Blue has by far the best student facilities. It's hard for me to describe but believe me when I say that the Blue dorm does not skimp out on anything."
The professor paused for a bit so that I could process everything he said. After making sure I was still paying attention he continued with his impromptu lecture.
"Now, those are the dorms. But even if a student starts off in a lower ranking, they have plenty of chances to get promoted. Every month, the staff looks at each student's performance and the students who are performing the best in each of their dorms and grade levels will be able to participate in a promotion exam. Of course, students who are performing very poorly will likewise be subject to an exam that threatens them with demotion to a lower dorm if they fail.
Finally, each dorm has facilities for both boys and girls. For a long time, only the Obelisk dorm supposedly had the facilities to house female students but there were complaints of how female students had less incentive to improve since they could enjoy the best facilities regardless of their skill level.
Anyways, as a late transfer student, you'll be placed automatically in Slifer Red but like I said earlier, there are plenty of opportunities to get promoted. Don't worry if you have trouble remembering everything I said, you'll be getting the information sent to you later by email. I just figured you might like a bit of a heads up for your future. There were a few other things that I didn't mention but as I said, it should be covered in the information sent to your email."
Konami nodded his head at the explanation before responding. "Thank you for the information professor… but I already knew most of that." He said somewhat awkwardly. He wanted to speak up earlier but the professor seemed so enthusiastic and Konami wasn't sure how to interject.
"Huh?! But how?" The professor asked in shock. It seems that finding out his explanation was redundant threw him off a bit, but unknown to Konami, Prof. Wade had spent hours practicing it so that he could seem like a reliable teacher.
"Yeah, during the time between the written exam and the practical today, I did some research on the academy. Since it's public information it was pretty easy to find it and I figured it would be better to be prepared." Konami said with a sheepish shrug. What he didn't say was that he had been keeping an eye on news regarding the academy for years due to its relevance to the plot of GX. He had to admit, he was shocked when he saw the differences between the Duel Academy from the show and the one he would soon be attending.
If he discovered this before his first adventure then he'd probably have freaked out about the butterfly effect or alternate universes, but now he's realized it's just easier to roll with the punches. Plus, now that he's lived through a card game-based apocalypse already, early GX doesn't seem all that scary. It's the later seasons that he would need to worry about and that's assuming the plot plays out similarly to the anime in the first place.
It took a moment for Konami to realize that he had gotten lost in his thoughts again. Professor Wade was waving his hand trying to get his attention and even asked if he needed to see the on-site medic. Konami sheepishly waved him off before deciding he shouldn't linger much longer. He needed to head home to pack and tell his parents how he did. So after thanking the Prof. one last time and saying goodbye, Konami left the testing grounds to prepare for his inevitable arrival at Duel Academy.
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Sheppard POV
Gazing out at the horizon from his office, Chancellor Sheppard waited as a teacher finished giving him a report.
"-with all that considered, we believe Konami Murasaki to be more than suitable as a student of Duel Academy."
Sheppard gave a contemplative hum before responding. "I see. Well new talent is always appreciated here at Duel Academy. Besides, with his recommendations, we all knew Mr. Murasaki would likely be a shoo-in for the Academy and that his entrance exam would mostly be a formality. Keep up the good work."
As the staff member left Sheppard let out a sigh as he looked out the window of his office.
"It really is just like the files said. Exceptional dueling talent, a sharp mind, and incredible creativity. Yet it's clear to see he's struggling with inner demons. It's up to us to help him overcome those demons and to guide him to the bright future he's destined for." Sheppard said with resolve.
However, it wasn't long before his expression faltered and he returned to his chair, holding his head in his hands.
"But how can we help him with the darkness plaguing him when we can't even deal with the darkness threatening our own academy?"
The Abandoned Dorm incident, the Shadow Riders, the Sacred Beasts, and even the Underworld Deck. It felt to him that every year, rather than resolving any threats to his students, all he could do was buy time while more dangers presented themselves.
Yet even that wasn't true, was it?
Despite his efforts countless students had gone missing and the most he could do was try and cover it up, forcing the families of those missing students to wallow in worry and uncertainty.
No, it was clear that something had to change. He couldn't afford to be passive any longer lest he risk his students more than he already has. The fact that it took dealing with an unexpected transfer student to jolt his awareness enough to realize how lax he had become was unacceptable. He had accepted the responsibility of watching over the academy and it was he who had chosen not to delegate the responsibility of dealing with the Shadow Riders. Sheppard knew he had no excuses for his failures but that would change.
He quickly picked up his phone and began making calls. There was lots of work to be done and it would take time to implement any meaningful changes, which was exactly why it was so important to get started right away. Sheppard was not a perfect man and he was perhaps not the best Chancellor, but he would become better. He swore it.