Chapter 1
"Getting Played"
It began with Yugi Muto falling out of bed after having a nightmare about Yami being captured by an unknown, shadowy creature. It was a nightmare that seemed to have been recurring. "These nightmares are getting to be a pain, literally." he said before seeing his Millennium Puzzle was glowing. "That's strange. Why's the Millennium Puzzle glowing?" he wondered.
But, it was a question that Yugi would have to answer another time, because it was time to go to school. After eating breakfast and saying goodbye to his mother, Yugi left his home at Kame Game Shop. But as he passed the front door of the store, he thought back to when his grandfather left on a secret expedition. However, he then realized the flight Sol was on was supposed to have landed the night before.
Meanwhile, Joey was on his way to school when he stopped to try his luck at a game of chance, or a raffle, and try to win a trip to India. "Around these parts, my right arm has earned me fame and luck at the same time." Joey claimed as he gave the wheel a spin. Later, at Domino High, Yugi and Tea were playing a game that Twilight and her friends found fascinating.
"I'll play this capsule." Tea said before revealing what was under it, a game piece made to look like Happy Lover. "Aw, how adorable." Rarity said. "You're supposed to play your strongest monsters, not your cutest ones." Yugi pointed out as he revealed a monster under one of his own capsules, which was Celtic Guardian. "That means only one thing, Happy Lover has to fight Celtic Guardian." Rainbow said. "This game is definitely a combination of chess and Duel Monsters, only minus the cards and Duel Disks." AJ said as she watched.
"Yeah, but there's a lot more to this game than just having battling each other with monsters. The main goal of this game, Capsule Monsters, is to capture your opponent's symbol game piece." Yugi explained. "I get it. It's like taking your opponent's side of the board in chess, and taking the symbol game piece is pretty much checkmate." Spike said. "And like chess, you need a strong strategy to keep your symbol game piece." Yugi added.
"Right. But cute monsters never hurt." Tea pointed out. Soon, Tristan showed up. "Hey, what's going on over here?" he asked. "Care to take a turn after me?" Tea asked back. Tristan took a closer look. "So, this is the Capsule Monsters board game you told us about, Yugi?" he asked. "It sure is." Yugi answered before Joey came rushing in.
"Guys, you'll never guess what I have in my hand right now, and it's not extra yen!" he said, excitedly. "Just take a deep breath in and out before you tell us." Fluttershy advised before Joey did so. "Good. Now, what is it that you have to show us?" Rarity asked. "Let's just say, it's free tickets to paradise." Joey answered before showing that he actually won the tickets to India. Later, the group was out of school and walking along.
"I still can't believe this guy's luck, both on and off the dueling field! I mean, Joey Wheeler winning a free trip to India?" Rainbow said in disbelief. "Well, at least I'll be able to get us aboard the plane along with Joey, Tristan, Yugi and Tea." Twilight said happily. 'And maybe it can give me some time to study on how Alexander the Great made northwest India part of his empire, better than what a textbook can provide.' she thought.
"This should be fun." Tea admitted, but Fluttershy was lost in thought. 'I have a weird feeling about this trip to India. Every time we go somewhere, we end up in something bigger than we thought. Duelist Kingdom, we ended up stopping Pegasus from stealing souls to bring back his dearly departed wife. Battle City, we had to stop both Marik and Gozaburo Kaiba from conquering the world. And recently we both saved the world from being conquered by Dartz and the Great Leviathan and then saved KaibaCorp from being ruined by Zigfried von Schroeder. I just want things to be normal. Nothing to do with magic, corporate sabotage or anything like that.' she thought.
"Fluttershy?" asked a familiar voice before Fluttershy looked to see it was Yami. "Oh, Yami." the young lady said with a smile, blush and giggle. "Shall we make our way to the airport?" Yami asked. Fluttershy just nodded. "I think we know what you're thinking, girl. You want this vacation to be normal, no evil magic involved, no corporate nonsense, just a fun vacation to India." Tristan said. "Well, wishful thinking. Here's hoping it comes true." AJ said with a tip of her hat.
A while later, they arrived at Delhi airport. "Slow down, people, this ain't a race." Joey said before revealing that he packed a bit too much. "Joey, this isn't a camping trip. It's just a six day vacation." Rainbow said. "Like they say in the Scout Association of Japan, Sonaeyo Tsuneni. Or to translate, be prepared. After all, you never know what you might need in the jungles of India." Joey replied. "I might regret asking, but what'd you pack?" Tea asked.
"Only the essentials. Tents, enough food and water for seven days, cooking utensils, sleeping bags." Joey answered. "Not bad." Twilight said, impressed. "I take it you're all the lucky prize winners?" asked a voice before they saw it was an Indian man. "Just follow me, please." he said before they all saw that he was a pilot, and they were led to his plane.
"It's big enough for all of us. Thank goodness." Rarity said. "I'll take you to the airfield I came from, that way you can meet your tour guide." said the pilot. Soon, they were in the air and over an amazing forest. "Wow. It looks so cool down there!" Rainbow said. "I got dibs to bungee jump over the river!" Pinkie shouted. 'Everyone's pretty excited about this trip. I have a feeling it's gonna be unforgettable.' Yugi thought.
Suddenly, just as Tristan snapped a photo, the plane started to rumble around. "What's going on?" AJ asked. "We're experiencing what appears to be engine trouble. Please keep your seatbelts fastened and do not panic." said the co-pilot before some of them did start to panic. Suddenly, just as Pinkie shouted for everyone to put their heads between their knees, the engine gave out before the pilot started to send out a mayday.
The plane soon clipped a bunch of trees before making a splash down into a lake. Luckily, no one was hurt. "Man, we're lucky we didn't lose our lives." Rainbow said. "And luckier, we still have our food and water." Joey added. "Bad news. The pilot said it might take a while before someone gets the distress signal he sent." Tea reported. "Well, may as well look around." Joey suggested.
"Being lost hasn't stopped us before." Tristan added before they all went into the dense forest. "Am I the only one who thinks walking through the jungles of India is a bad idea?" Tea asked. "Keep in mind, most animals are more afraid of humans than we are of them." Fluttershy pointed out. Suddenly, Tristan spotted something. "Guys, I found something, and it's not a wild animal." he said.
They all looked and saw it was a human before they ran up to him. "You okay?" Twilight asked. A bit later, the stranger was gulping down some water like he hadn't had any in days. "Looks like you were pretty thirsty." AJ said. "Feeling any better?" Fluttershy asked. "Much better. I'm quite lucky you all came along." the stranger replied before a familiar-looking bandana came out of his jacket.
"My grandpa has the same bandana." Yugi said as he picked it up. "Wait a minute! Are you Dr. Muto's grandson?!" the stranger asked, shocked. "As a matter of fact, yes. I'm Yugi Muto. Is my grandpa okay?" Yugi replied. "How shall I put this? Dr. Muto is a colleague of mine and on our latest expedition together, he disappeared." the stranger explained, shocking the group. It all made sense as to where Sol went and why he hadn't returned home after being away for a week, but as to what happened, that was still a mystery.
"Mr. Muto's missing?!" Rarity said in alarm. "Then we have to find him." Yugi added. "My name is Dr. Alex Brisbane, and your grandfather is my archaeological mentor as well as one of my dearest companions. Come with me and I'll show you where I last saw him." the man said. They all agreed and followed Dr. Brisbane. 'Yugi?' Yami asked. "Is something wrong, Yami?" the boy asked back. 'Wouldn't you say that this is all a bit strange?' the ancient one figured.
"Strange, how?" Yugi asked, puzzled. 'Joey just happens to win a trip to India for all of us, our plane just happened to have engine trouble and crashed, then we happen to meet the last man to have seen your grandfather before he disappeared. If you ask me, Yugi, it's all too convenient. Perhaps that's why the Millennium Puzzle has been acting strange.' Yami replied.
Soon, they arrived at a pyramid. "This is it. The very reason your grandfather and I came here." Dr. Brisbane said as they all marveled at the pyramid. "Call me crazy, but aren't pyramids like that supposed to be in Egypt?" Rainbow asked. "Dr. Muto were both as mystified and confused about this find as you are. But nothing could've prepared us for what we were about to discover inside." Dr. Brisbane said.
Soon, they made their way down and toward the pyramid. "So, Dr. Brisbane, what do you think is responsible for this pyramid being here? Who do you think built it?" Twilight asked. "Well, if my theory is correct, it's the legendary Pyramid of Alexander." Dr. Brisbane answered, which struck a chord with Twilight. "As in, Alexander the Great?" she asked. "Correct. About 2,000 years ago, he was the ruler of the greatest empire ever known. It spanned from Macedonia in Greece to here, India. This masterful warrior and brilliant strategist conquered nation after nation. In fact, at one point in history, his empire expanded to Egypt, making him one of the great pharaohs." Dr. Brisbane replied.
"That explains why this pyramid is here." AJ said. "But it doesn't explain why it was built in an Indian jungle, over 3000 miles away from Egypt." Tea pointed out. "Indeed, it's that very mystery that led Yugi's grandfather and I halfway around the continent of Asia in search of its origins. And when we entered its walls, well, only one of us emerged safely." Dr. Brisbane replied.
"So grandpa is still in there?" Yugi asked. "Yes. Follow me and I'll show you where I last saw him." Dr. Brisbane answered. Soon, they all went inside, flashlights in hand. "Stay close, everyone. We must remain together as a group." Dr. Brisbane advised. But as they went along, Pinkie accidentally stepped on a pressure plate and caused spikes to come up right in front of her, just inches away from her.
"Looks like I forgot to mention, there are traps at every turn." Dr. Brisbane said. "You could've fooled us." Joey replied. Soon, they started shimmying along the side of some stairs. "Mind the steps, they could collapse under any pressure at all." Dr. Brisbane warned. "I'm starting to wish we were just hanging out at the local bazar." Joey said. Soon, they started climbing along a ledge on a wall, with a pit of spikes and skeletons below them before they were crawling through a narrow space where they could only go in single file.
"Shouldn't be too much further." Dr. Brisbane said. "You seem to know a lot about this pyramid after only being in here once." AJ remarked, suspiciously. "I simply pay close attention to my surroundings." Dr. Brisbane replied. Soon, they arrived at a large empty chamber. "This is where I last saw your grandfather, Yugi." Dr. Brisbane said.
"Mr. Muto?! Are you in here?!" Spike called. "It's no use, my friend. I've done that for hours and there was no reply." Dr. Brisbane stated. "Did you see him vanish?" Yugi asked. "No, we split up to search the rest of the pyramid. Your grandfather checked this level of the pyramid while I checked the next one above. I came to a locked door and couldn't proceed any further. So I went back down to rejoin Dr. Muto. However, when I came back down, my colleague was nowhere to be seen. Afterwards I discovered a stairwell leading downward, I followed it down but all I found was Dr. Muto's bandana. He seemed to have completely evaporated into thin air, Yugi." Dr. Brisbane explained.
The others were shocked, save for Joey and AJ. "I may not have a college degree, yet, but I know this much; people don't just evaporate." AJ pointed out. "I'm with her, on both counts." Joey added. "Then there's only one thing to do, head downstairs and try to find him." Tea suggested. Everyone was in agreement, so they headed downstairs. After a while, they arrived at yet another empty chamber, but the floor looked like a map.
"This room is about the size as my barn back home." AJ said. "And the floor looks like a map, but what kind of country, what part of a country, looks like that?" Rarity wondered. "I don't think there's any country that has a piece that looks like that." Yugi figured. "You think Mr. Muto found this room before he disappeared?" Fluttershy asked. "Well, it's not big enough to get lost in." Tristan pointed out. "Then maybe there's a clue on that map floor." Joey suggested before he headed down to it, despite protests from Yugi and Rarity.
As soon as Joey stepped on a tile, it started to glow beneath his feet. "What's going on?!" he asked in a panic before he seemingly fell through it. "He's gone!" Spike said in shock. "I have a feeling that Joey may have disappeared the same way Mr. Muto did." Tristan figured. Yugi kneeled down to investigate the tile. "The tile that Joey stepped on looks like a mountain." he said. "And there's a jungle over to the right." AJ pointed out.
"And a desert all the way near the back of the room." Tristan added. "A map of different land types? Where have I seen this before?" Yugi wondered. "It's not Dungeon Dice Monsters, Duke made that one, so it must be..." Pinkie began to say. "Well, according to my research, this pyramid is supposed to contain some kind of ancient game." Dr. Brisbane interrupted. 'Ancient game? No wonder gramps came here. He loves games, and that love is what led him to open the Kame Game Shop.' Yugi thought.
"Guys, I have no choice but to step on a tile and rescue Joey and grandpa." he said aloud. "You don't mean you're thinking of stepping on that map, are you?!" Spike asked, worried. "I have to." Yugi replied. "Well, where you go, we go with ya, partner." AJ said with a tip of her hat. "I appreciate the offer, but I've been leading you guys into dangerous situations for too long." Yugi replied. "Yugi, we're your friends. And I care deeply about you. If you have to rescue a friend and a loved one, you need to with a team. I'd do the same for you." Fluttershy said, softly.
"We all would." Twilight added. "Then let's get going." Tristan said before they all stepped on the same tile Joey did and vanished completely, leaving Dr. Brisbane alone and shocked. As for the rescue party, they all found themselves in a forest. "Are we in the same forest we were in when we met Dr. Brisbane?" Fluttershy wondered before Tea noticed something on her left arm. "Where'd this thing come from?" she asked. "You aren't the only one with one of these, we have them, too." Rainbow replied. "Not to mention these bizarre belts. Not really my style at all." Rarity added.
"Guess we'll find out in time." Yugi figured before they all started moving along. They called out for Joey and Sol, but got no answer. "I think we need a plan other than calling out for them." Tristan suggested. "And where would you suggest we find clues, Watson?" Pinkie asked, bubble pipe in her mouth and detective hat on her head. "Why don't we start with this?" Yugi asked before they all looked and saw what looked like some kind of stone marker. "What is it?" Spike asked. "I don't know, but they're everywhere, look around." Yugi replied.
"They must've been put here for a reason. They have the Eye of Anubis on them." Twilight said as she used a magnifying glass to examine one. 'Yami, I wonder if there's something inside.' Yugi thought. "Guys, I think I heard something." Tristan said before putting his head to the ground. "It's getting closer." he added. "I don't hear or see anything." Twilight replied before they soon heard that same sound, then they saw three creatures that looked like Gokibore coming their way.
"Those ain't pill bugs coming at us!" AJ shouted. "RUN!" Rainbow bellowed before they all did so. "I recognize those creatures, they're from both Duel Monsters and the Capsule Monsters board game! They're Gokibore!" Spike shouted. Suddenly, the other path was blocked by a Kamikiriman. "That looks familiar, too. It's a Kamikiriman!" Yugi added. "Now's not the time to reminisce!" Tristan shouted before one swipe of the Kamikiriman's bladed arm causes the group to split up to try and lose it.
The creature pursued Yugi, Twilight and her friends while Tea and Tristan went another way. "Guys, keep running!" Yugi shouted. But little did he or the others know that his echo was heard all the way up on a mountain by none other than Joey. "Hey, that sounded like Yugi." he said before shouting his name and asking if his little buddy was out in the distance, completely unaware that another creature from both Duel Monsters and Capsule Monsters, called Kurama, normally a level three, Wind attribute Winged Beast with 800 attack and defense points, was overhead.
Right then and there, the creature snatched Joey up. "Hey! Put me down!" he shouted. Meanwhile, Tristan and Tea were running from the Gokibore. "Hurry! They're gaining on us!" Tristan shouted. Meanwhile, Yugi and the others were still running for their lives as the Kamikiriman cut down a tree with its bladed arm. "Quick! Dive!" AJ shouted as she spotted water directly to their right, they didn't hesitate to jump in.
Meanwhile, Tea and Tristan continued to run for it. "Quick! Duck in there!" Tristan said as they approached a small cave. "But who knows what's in there?" Tea asked. "Probably better than what's out here!" Tristan replied. The two slide through the entrance and start falling down a chasm. Meanwhile, Yugi and the others were out of the water and hiding.
"That was way too close for comfort." Yugi said with a sigh. "I agree. And no sign of that walking mantis." AJ added. "I hope Tea and Tristan will be okay." Fluttershy said, worried. Meanwhile, Tristan and Tea had landed on a beach. "Looks like the coast is clear." Tristan said as he looked around. "Speaking of the coast, how'd we wind up on a beach?" Tea asked. "That tunnel, likely. Though there's no way we can grab a board and hang ten right now." Tristan answered before he noticed Tea spotted something behind them. Two unknown creatures.
"Looks like we've got company." Tea said, worried. "Should we run or help them out?" Tristan asked. Soon, the two creatures came out of the sand. "Hey! I recognize that thing, it's the Happy Lover!" Tea said in surprise. "You mean from Duel Monsters?" Tristan asked. "Yeah, and from Capsule Monsters, too." Tea added. "Cute, but what about the small, yellow guy?" Tristan asked. "I think that's Thunder Kid. Spike told me about it during a game of Duel Monsters we were watching some kids play in the park back home. It's a level two, Wind attribute Thunder monster with 700 attack points and 600 defense points." Tea answered.
The creature nodded and happily danced around. Meanwhile, Yugi and the others were calling out their friends by name. "I wouldn't be too loud. What if that Kamikiriman hears us?" Rarity said, worried. Little did she know how right she was as the creature came up behind them, but thankfully, Fluttershy spotted it and her shriek alerted the others. At that moment, the creature began to strike, but Yami quickly took over and evaded while Twilight used her magic to create a forcefield, though the force of the blow sent her and the others flying back a bit.
Each of them, save for Rainbow, soon touched one of the stone markers around them. They started to crack and from them, new monsters emerged. First was none other than the Celtic Guardian, followed by creatures that Spike recognized from playing Duel Monsters. First was LaMoon, a level five, Light attribute spellcaster with 1200 attack points and 1700 defense points. Then there was Petit Dragon, followed by Sonic Maid, then Fiend Reflection #2, a level four, Light attribute Winged Beast with 1100 attack points and 1400 defense points, that was followed by Petit Angel and finally, Haniwa, a level two, Earth attribute Rock monster with 500 attack and defense points.
"What did we just do?" Rainbow asked, worried as their monsters came into view. "Celtic Guardian? Is that you?" Yami asked in surprise. "I know those other creatures! LaMoon, Petit Dragon, Sonic Maid, Fiend Reflection #2, Petit Angel and Haniwa!" Spike added. In moments, Kamikiriman attacked Celtic Guardian, though the brave warrior didn't back down. Soon, the other monsters joined in and attacked.
'Why does this all look so familiar?' Yami wondered. That is, until he came to the same realization that the others came to. "Can this be...?" Yami asked. "If you're thinking what we're thinking, then it likely is!" AJ replied. Right at that moment, the creatures managed to destroy Kamikiriman. They then turned to each of them. "For the duration of this game, I shall protect you, master." Celtic Guardian said to Yugi before kneeling. "As do I, milady." LaMoon said to Twilight before kneeling as well. Petit Dragon lowered its head to Spike, also pledging its loyalty. "I shall not waver in my duty to protect you." Sonic Maid said as she kneeled.
Fiend Reflection also lowered its head to Rarity, pledging its loyalty to her. Petit Angel did the same to Fluttershy and Haniwa to Pinkie, both kneeling at their feet. Suddenly, they all turned into lights and went into the devices on their arms before a capsule popped out of each of them for their respective owners. "Looks like we were right." Spike said as they all looked at their capsules. "I don't know how or why, much like the rest of you, but somehow, we've entered the world of Capsule Monsters!" Yami added.
"And I have a feeling that this game may be played for keeps." put in AJ as the realization that they were in the world of the newest game from Industrial Illusions set in.