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Legend of the White Dragon


MewMew3

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NOTE: I am new around here. This is my first topic here and my first fanfic in a long time. If you have any responses or constructive criticisms I'd very much like to hear it.Blackness. Dark gray clouds streaked the sky in thin tapers, yawning fingers stretching out to smother all of New York City in its grip, blotting out the sun so completely it was indistinguishable from night. Rain was usually beautiful, mystifying, bringing joy and sadness to whomever it visited, but now it was a thick smattering dirty hailstorm.

 

Duel 1 - The Next King of Games

 

Maya scampered as frantically as a frightened hare, bolting past the sluggish people, hopping past sidewalks, and almost killing herself sidestepping speeding cars. She didn’t even bother to put her backpack over her head, leaving her completely unshielded to the cold, heavy storm. She was a fast, but it wouldn’t save her from being late to the Academy.

The Academy of New York City was one of many Duel Academies around the country and the world, prodigious schools that trained unassuming duelists into renowned champions. But just to enter, 
applicants had to pass two difficult tests. Maya already passed the written exam mailed to her with an average score. Now she had to arrive in person to pass the practical exam.

What was a duelist? A duelist was a strange human being: a star athlete and a fantasy gaming nerd, a warrior and an artist. What tied all those idiosyncrasies together was Duel Monsters; a mass-produced trading card 
game of magic and fantastic creatures known as Duel Monsters. It was a game given such weight by the public an expert reaped as much wealth and fame as a Super Bowl star.

But the best thing of all was to be a true duelist, a champion player who embodied the best qualities of the game. And the greatest True Duelist that ever lived was the King of Games himself, Yugi Motou. No duelist could ever hope to be him. The best a duelist could do was climb near to him as possible.

The academy was right ahead! In her carelessness Maya tripped and fell, plummeting to the mud and grit below. Her backpack ruptured open scattering everything in it. She doubled in agony, bitten by pain in her scraped palms, arms, and chest. After a few red, searing moments she scrambled on the sidewalk for her things. She quickly recovered a dozen cards from her Structure Deck, and a strange contraption for playing the game (or “dueling” as it was called) called a Duel Disk.

But the rest of her deck was completely missing, lost somewhere in the mud, 
streaming away to a gutter somewhere… Just as she was about to give up, she heard a haggard voice croak, “Aren’t these yours?”

 

She looked up. It was a bum, a small, dirty, dark old man with haggard hair and beard, crumpled in his hideous clothes like a brown paper bag. He huddled against a towering wall where a cornice of the Academy building gave him small protection from the bitter elements. With a wrinkled, sinewy hand, he offered her missing card.

Maya quickly snatched her cards, not oblivious to the fact that he was cowering under the very building that represented the academy she was trying to get in to. “Thanks.”

Maya burst through the front door, wheezing and panting, her face blue and her arms limp from exhaustion. But that dizzying, simple happiness vanished only after a few seconds and was replaced by the usual mists of anxiety. She was very late.

She staggered to the stadium inside. There was a large arena surrounded by an amphitheater. Within the arena were a dozen sprayed tennis 
courts where applicants dueled proctors for their Practical Exams. The amphitheater was a ghost town. Hardly any spectators remained. Even the last applicants were wrapping up their duels and leaving.

She tugged the coat of someone who looked like an administrator, an aloof and neatly dressed man with suave sunglasses, an elegant, neatly trimmed goatee, and adorned academy uniform. “Please let me take my exam!”

The administrator glanced back at the dirty girl, a small glean of contempt in his eyes. “Sorry but all the tests are over.”

“Please, let me take it! I came all this way in the rain!”

“Try again next year. Everything happens for a reason.”

She showed her scraped arms and palms. “Like me slamming myself on the sidewalk?”

He waved her off dismissively. “You’re too late. Come again next year.”

“No, let her try out.”

Both looked up in surprise. A young man in a top-ranking student’s uniform, a long white and blue blazer, stood on the top tier of the amphitheater. He was a short and portly but handsome young man, with a tumble of 
thick black hair and warm but brilliant and piercing brown eyes. He carried an air of nobility but also what would have been a rustic’s charm if it weren’t for his uniform and the rank it suggested.

“I don’t think you can do that, Matthew.” The administrator protested. “All the tests are finished and all the proctors are gone. It’s a violation of academy rules and is simply aggravating to make an exception.”

 

“But it is seven-o-three p.m., and the emails said all practical exams are closed at seven-o-five. She's technically on time and you technically are a proctor." The proctor was about to object; he was exhausted with the day and he had no intention of dueling. But Matthew answered for him. “I choose to challenge her as a proctor. After all, save the best for last.”

 

The administrator tried to object, but gave up midway. “Whatever.” He sighed and shook his head. “Duelists are crazy.” He turned to dirty and obnoxious girl before him. If it weren’t for her he would have been at home by now to watch a James Bond marathon on TNT. “What’s your name?”

“Marina Bozuslowsky, but you can call me Maya Brooks to make things easier.”

 

The tired proctor raised a weary eyebrow beneath his large shades. "Sounds Russian. You don't look Russian to me."

 

"My dad's a Russian Jew and my mom was a black Muslim." Maya breathlessly answered, impatiently waiting to duel.

 

"And now she is..."

 

"Dead."

 

“Uh huh.” He scribbled her name nonchalantly on a pad he was carrying. “Interesting.” He pointed to one of the exit doors. “The duel will happen in ten minutes. You may want to clean yourself up beforehand. The bathroom is over there.”

 

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Maya winced as she scrubbed off her wounds and tried her best to get the grime off her clothes without soaking herself. She checked herself with the small, cracked bathroom mirror. An insignificant girl of seventeen years and dark brown skin stared back in anger and contempt. Her face, smattered by a handful of red blemishes she was dumb enough to keep touching, was made worse by her mess of black hair, unruly as snakes, she herself had cut and dyed with disastrous 
results.

Pathetic.
 

Matthew looked like the young, handsome, rising star of every teen girl's dreams, a young prince as it were. He tussled his “rebellious but charming” hair with ease and grace. He built his body with healthy tan bronzed by outdoor jogging, and a lean fitness only hours of yoga could bring. He really did look like a true pro duelist, or something Maya and her best friend Jolene would disparage as a "bourgeois celebrity" before smoking a blunt. 

 

And Maya…

The grime was hardly off. Her purple jacket was tarred from her fall. Her wrist chains, necklaces, choker, and black skirt were all smeared with grime. It was bad as her technicolor mess of toothpaste purple and puke green highlights. Her gashes, once fiery red, were now sickly dark. She looked like as if Yugi was beaten up at school and left crouching and moaning on the floor.

A small but powerfully hot flame of anger and indignation started to burn inside her but never went past a simmer. Realizing it was time to duel, she stumbled away.

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The futuristic elevator below effortlessly pushed Maya upward through the floor to make her debut. Matthew stood opposite her, already ready for combat. Maya strapped the Duel Disk around her wrist. It spun into place; its two “wings” snapping together to form a portable gaming platform. She quickly slipped her deck into a large slot above her wrist.

 

Maya: 4000 || Matthew: 4000

 

“You get to go first.” Matthew said. “Not like it will do you any good."

“Thanks…” Maya ignored his false magnanimity drew her first card. She didn’t have a bad opening hand. She had a powerful combo she could use… “Alright. Here goes. I summon Mermaid Knight in attack mode.” She slapped her card on one of five slots on the arm blade. And behold! A dazzling holographic display of lights and energetic, technological sounds! A shape suddenly appeared on the stage! A monster was summoned! Maya’s monster was an amazonian mermaid with 1500 ATK, with sea green skin and wearing purple armor, brandishing a short and shield.

“I set two cards face down.” She slid her two spell or traps cards into two narrow slits beneath her monster slots. Two huge holographic face down cards materialized behind her warrior mermaid. “Turn end.”

“My turn!” Matthew announced. “I draw!” He barely glanced at his hand. “I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4!” The holographic lights formed into a small, sleek, silver hawk with 1600 ATK on Matthew’s side of the field. It looked more mechanical than organic with its jointed limbs and armored metal body. “I set two of my own face-down cards.” Two oversized cards appeared behind his “dragon”. “You’re move.”

Now was the time! “I activate A Legendary Ocean!” Maya slid her card in a special sixth compartment on the side of her arm blade. . The space around them began to twirl into a glowing, holographic rainbow. The whole arena itself changed into the bottom of a sunken city. The bright yellow of the sun high above danced with the aquamarine, mossy buildings and the ocean blue fishes in an evocative ballet.

“My Ocean increases my monsters’ ATK points by 200. Mermaid Knight’s effect allows it to attack twice when Legendary Ocean is up. My Ocean also downgrades the Level of all of my monsters by 1. Now I can summon a Level 5 monster. I summon Giga Gagagigo.” A bulky reptilian monster, sporting a whooping 2450 ATK with blue-green armor and scales, now 2560 ATK, marshaled next to Maya’s amazon mermaid.

“Go my monsters! Destroy Matthew’s Horus and then his Life Points.” Both monsters instantly threw themselves at Matthew’s dragon with the speed and directness of a javelin.

“Not so fast!” Matthew countered. “I reveal my trap, Negate Attack!”

One of Matthew’s face down cards lifted up. A barrier, transparent but with impossible hardness, effortlessly shoved Maya’s monsters away, forcing them to retreat. “Negate Attack negates all attacks.” Matthew elaborated. “Furthermore, it ends the battle Phase all together.”

Maya grunted in irritation. She couldn’t even graze him!

“Strange. You’re pretty reckless for a water duelist. That doesn’t really fit in.” Maya noticed a narrow squint in Matthew’s eyes, a small pique in his stare. “You walked right into my trap. Didn’t you ever stop to think why I didn’t attack you?”

Maya bit her lip in frustration, embarrassed. 

Matthew drew his next card as if he was practicing the motions in front of fans for years. “Now I’ll show you how to make a proper attack. First, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Ocean field spell.” A cyclone of whirling lightning and fury whiplashed the whole field into frenzy. The buildings of the ancient city crubled instantly and the entire ocean scene was vaporized. Matthew summoned yet another monster. A boiling, oozing elemental ball of molten earth took to the field, Gaia Soul the Combustible Collective, a monster with a whooping 2000 ATK!

“And that’s not all! I activate Level Up!!! In case you haven’t noticed, my Horus monsters come in Levels; LV4, LV6, and LV8. With Level Up!! I evolve my Horus to the next level!” Matthew’s silver hawk glowed in a soft, green light. Thunder burst from its form as its body grew in size and complexity, morphing it into a greater creature. This was Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6, a larger silver hawk shaped more like a dragon. “Battle! Gaia, destroy Mermaid Kn-“

Maya reacted, flipping one of her cards in defense. “I activate Gravity Bind! Monsters above Level 4 can’t attack!”

“I activate my trap, Royal Decree!” Matthew retorted. “All of your traps are negated!" Maya’s card cloaked in a red hue and later faded to black.

“Now where was I? Oh yes. Gaia, destroy Mermaid Knight!” the boiling elemental shot a blazing torch of flame from its eye, incinerating the warrior mermaid before it even got a chance to scream. Maya’s Duel Disk made small beeping sounds as it trickled Maya’s Life points down by 500.

“I’m not done yet! Horus, attack her reptilian beast with Blackheart Fire Blast!”

“But Horus is weaker!” Maya protested.

“I activate Shrink from my hand!” The spell card reduced Giga Gagagigo’s ATK from a mighty 2450 to a mediocre 1225. With a loud screech, Matthew’s dragon launched a volcano of flames, bursting Maya’s monster into ashes. Maya winced as she was mercilessly singed from the backburner of the inferno.

And Matthew still wasn’t done yet. His Horus dragon once more began to glow. “If Horus LV6 destroys a monster it evolves at the End Phase into Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8!” Horus expanded, doubling in size, developing every angle of its body until it reached its highest state, one of the mightiest of dragons. There was a fiery aura around Horus, or was it intimidation from its sheer size. Matthew set one final card face down.

Defeat began to set in, but there was still one more measure.

“I set one monster face-down.” A huge card appeared horizontally, right in front of Horus’s aim, waiting to be obliterated.

Matthew gave Maya a pitying glance. “I activate Nobleman of Crossout. Your monster is banished instead of being sent to the Graveyard.” A blinding flash of light shaped as a sharp blade stabbed through the card, vaporizing it instantaneously. Maya was wide open.

“Horus the Black Flame Dragon, finish her off with Blackheart Fire Blast!” His dragon screeched for one final time before firing a cannon of darkened flamed at its victim. Maya blew up and was consumed by the remorseless fire. The flames sizzled out and died. Smoke rose up, clearing the arena. Maya was conquered, beaten.
 

Maya: 0 || Matthew: 4000

 

“Well, that’s it.” Matthew concluded in a matter-of-fact tone. He almost wiped his hands of the matter. “Good game.”

Maya remained silent. The fighting flame in her test extinguished into the black ash of resentment. She tore her duel disk and threw it on the floor in disgust. She lost any chance she had of going to the Academy to escape home and school.  

“You really need to work on your game if you want to come here." Matthew might as well have wagged his finger at her. "You didn’t even scratch one Life Point from me. Come back next year.”

Silently nodding, Maya scooped herself up and left the arena to the dark world outside. Home and school were the last places she wanted to go to. They were like tight prison cells or small black coffins. Only imprisonment awaited.

 

She staggered out of the stadium in gloom and defeat, but not before sitting next to the homeless man who helped her earlier. They huddled together against the rain, pushing their backs against the cold steel of the stadium wall. She worked at homeless shelters during the summer and clearly understood how wealthy people like Matthew drained money from the society everyone else needed to function to real estate for their further profit, like the duel stadium behind them to condos at Battery Park. 

 

Had the man not helped her pick up her cards she would never have made it inside to duel on time. She lost anyway despite the kind gesture, but she wanted to show gratitude anyway. She handed him her rarest card, Ocean Dragon Lord - Neo-Daedalus. "It's worth some money. I don't think I'll ever use it." 

She got up and left, not knowing how much the man appreciated her gift, if he appreciated it at all. But then she saw a few faint rays of sunlight managed to pierce through the black, raining clouds outside. And some of the heavy ashes blew away. Maybe there was still something ahead to look forward to.

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Personally, I didn't really like all the bolding. It reminds me of cheesy comics. A lot. Gawd I hate them. And I also didn't like the way Maya refused to give change to that poor guy. I mean, he helped her get her cards back! Surely that's worth some reward, especially for a guy so far into poverty that he has to resort to begging? Well, I hope he appears later in the story and has significance, otherwise that entire sequence had been completely pointless....

Also, when's the story set anyway? Between DM and GX? Or sometime after GX?

Also, the most depressing paragraph in the fanfic, in my opinion, was this;
[quote]

But the best thing of all was to be a true duelist, a champion player who embodied the best qualities of the game. And the greatest True Duelist that ever lived was the King of Games himself, Yugi Mutou. No duelist could ever hope to be him. [b]The best a duelist could do was climb as near to him as possible.[/b][/quote]
:(
That's like, seriously depressing. Strange that the paragraph before it, the one describing a 'duelist', happens to be my most favorite.

But in any case, looks pretty cool! Though I'd like to know what on earth this has to do with the 'Legend of the White Dragon'. Oh well, that'll probably be explained later.

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[quote name='Merciful Idiot' timestamp='1349431474' post='6038296']
Personally, I didn't really like all the bolding. It reminds me of cheesy comics. A lot. Gawd I hate them. And I also didn't like the way Maya refused to give change to that poor guy. I mean, he helped her get her cards back! Surely that's worth some reward, especially for a guy so far into poverty that he has to resort to begging? Well, I hope he appears later in the story and has significance, otherwise that entire sequence had been completely pointless....[/quote]

Maya's evil is banal and that is what's significant. Yes, the bum reappears.

[quote]Also, when's the story set anyway? Between DM and GX? Or sometime after GX?[/quote]

It is an alternate timeline after DM.

[quote]Also, the most depressing paragraph in the fanfic, in my opinion, was this;

:(
That's like, seriously depressing. Strange that the paragraph before it, the one describing a 'duelist', happens to be my most favorite.[/quote]

Unfortunately that is how many people in a craft see "the masters", mythologized until they are unreachable like the moon.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Duel 2 - Life as Clockwork

 

Grey: the bricks of the buildings, the cement of the sidewalks outside. A cold fall morning. The bedroom shares this gloom. Maya presses the few plastic keys she has on her cheap electronic piano, letting dissonances speak. Squawk! Squawk! Magpies. Crows. Starved, skeletal birds perch on a twisted black tree outside. Solitude, remoteness. A little perching space for crows and magpies.

She turns to warm sunlight and blue skies; a green terraced playing field opens. Overgrown bright yellow flowers veer to the sun as radars; playful man-sized bumblebees and fairy-like bluejays zoom from flower to flower. Barring the many levels, deceptive brick walls and stairs. Cunning illusions, appearing as things they’re not, and at other times vanishing upon touch. The simple and complex, virtuosity, the bright sheen, of Mozart cadenzas and serenades.

A few notes in E-flat major, a wistful yearning from the pit of Hell. – An impulse!!! Presto tremolos and scales; rapid-fire shots spitting flames of red and orange! The birds and bees mutate into monstrous dancing inferi!! Thick chord strokes; a lion’s roar, a jet erupts from the red caverns of the earth! 
HELLFIRE!!! Two notes held a fifth apart, what the viola could allow – simmering, dying down in sonorous vibrations: hot updraft, and quieting down…

Ghostly whisperings echoed from Maya’s mouth. She let the blurry smoke settle until she could see shades of green and red. She reached into the green dirt and pulled out a sprout. As she planned the possibilities of that section the sprout grew a bit, it’s leaves and curls maturing. She pulled a hot, glowing, orange string from the red. She strung them together until she made a curling line of bright green and flaming red.


A B

She was about to scrawl her ideas on a notebook when father sharply racketed at her door. Her ideas vanished. She bit her lip.

“You know I don’t like it when you lock your door. And I hear you making noises again like you’re a schizophrenic. I’m tired of it. Only abnormal people do this. It’s time to cook breakfast and talk about college. Come on!”

Maya stepped out into their Lower East Side Manhattan apartment, one of many prison cells in the project building they lived in, a place so small a few steps took you anywhere. Her mind not with her, Maya let her arms prepare two omelets. She sat on a small circular table opposite her father to eat.

Alexandar Bozuslowsky, was a tall, pale, sinewy man with an already grey hair and mustache. His face was of a noble’s: a broad forehead and lofty, aquiline nose and cheeks with piercing cold, blue eyes. Between father and daughter stood a small, black-framed picture of mother, a woman with kind, warm dark eyes and dark, earthy skin, with a black shawl draped over her head. 

“So how will you get into college?” Father asked, “You’re doing poorly in school and you haven’t taken your SATs yet and it’s your senior year. What’s going on?”

This was going to be fun. “What do you mean I'm doing bad in school? I have only Bs and As. I'll figure something out for the SATs.”

“I hope so. I will absolutely not support you if you don’t get into college. After work you will buy practice books and I will make sure you study every day. Until then, no more music. Period.”

An awkward pause. “Dad, you don't need a 98 average to have a good life. There is so much more to living than top grades. And I need to write music. I want to get into Juilliard.”

“No you don’t. You won’t be getting into any arts college on my watch, unless you want to starve in Williamsburg like your hipster friend Jolene will in a few years. I don’t want anything more to do with your amusements.”

“It’s not amusement!” Maya protested. Had she not been afraid of her father she would have smashed her fist on the tiny table so hard it would have collapses. Was she some stupid child? “I compose for college. I have a huge portfolio. I can write any classical and jazz piece, let alone for Juilliard. I don’t need these worthless SATs. I don’t need to go get a worthless job, working to please some asshole in a suit, living a miserable life like you.”

“Yes you do, Maya. Music is like professional sports. Only a few make it. The rest starve or become piano teachers. Do I need to take you by the hand and force you to do everything right or will you do it yourself? Ever since mom died of cancer my career has been reduced to nothing. Do you understand?”

Maya let her face fall on her hand. "That is your weakness." She grumbled, but didn't dare tell to his face.

Father held her hands tightly and gazed firmly at her. “I only want you to be independent, strong, and happy and live without worry.” She could see in his eyes that he was honest. “Look at us? Our talents are nothing. We can only work with the dirty mob.”

 

Didn’t father realize was the dirty mob? But Maya could only roll with the punches.

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School was a prison, a garrison of small, tightly crowded cells linked together by narrow, packed hallways. Thick metal doors shut in the classrooms, rusty steel beams barred the windows opening to the world outside, supposedly to prevent students from falling out.  Professor Feynman, who had a neatly-trimmed goatee but was nondescript in every other way, scribbled the classical mechanics of macroscopic objects on the chalkboard, bibbling every detail of a thought experiment in very brusque, hushed tone. Supposedly it was about torque a machine needed to rotate a bowling ball ten meters in the moon's gravity? 

 

Maya turned to her notebook, pen on her left hand and paper on the other, scribbling anything but math. She was still working out the rondo-like piece she improvised a few hours ago. How would she transition from the sunlit country of green to the boiling geyser of sulfur red? And what theme could she use to unite the whole piece together? If only she found that, making variations of theme to fit the different moods of her rondo would be a simple task. And did I mention she was setting the music to the timbre and sounds of a viola?   

Feynman stood above her, his shadow looming over her, a tall ugly being, not unlike the academy administrator from last weekend. With a deft hand he swiped away her sparse series of notes. Grumbling, Maya collapsed on her desk.

A small, compact note ungracefully hit her head. She opened it up:
 

 

Quote

It probably sucked didn’t it, you talentless hack? Lol degree in music. Have fun at McDonalds.


 

Maya craned her head. Jolene Summers, a petit, cat-like girl with bright blond hair skimmed with bright red highlights sat distractedly in feigned innocence. Her hands and feet were small and nimble and her sharp, bright green eyes gleaned behind her horn–rimmed glasses.

 

Jolene was the sun as Maya was the moon, and a bright sun she was. As Maya wore used dark clothes; black jackets, combat boots, dark lipstick, and cheap chain necklaces, Jolene wore the latest from Brooklyn Industry; a bright green vest full of pins and colored all sorts of designs on her purse and sneakers with permanent markers. But they always shopped at Search & Destroy together. That was how a bright meadow and a blast furnace became best friends.

 

Maya quickly scribbled her response and handed it back to her.

 

 

Quote

You must have a bright future ahead of you. At least I can write something.

 

 

Quote

So how was the entrance exam? Was the proctor hard cher?


 

 

Quote

A total success. I lost in three rounds to some prick named Matthew.I wish I could be a true duelist but I hate the people who play the game. I’ll never be good enough. I don’t know even if I want to


 

 

Quote

At Duel Prep School they told me to ‘be yourself and never give up!’ But everyone used a Monarch Deck and told me how much I sucked for not using one. I refused to change so I dropped out. That’s just the way Duel Monsters is.


 

“JC, write the answer for question twenty one.” Feynman dragged JC from the back just behind Maya sat. JC, or Jeffrey Cade, was large, fat, dark boy with thick tufts of curly black hair sprawled all over his head and face while his small, mole-like eyes peeped out of his thick, black glasses.

Feynman snatched and crumpled up Maya’s second note. “Both of you have detention.” He briskly handed JC the chalk. “Write.”

JC seemed to feel as hopelessly cramped as Maya did. For some reason, he did something Maya never considered. He snapped. He shattered the chalk against the board and glared at Feynman. He was the only kid big enough to meet him at eye level. “You know what you are old man? You’re just a prop! You’re just a failed man who had his dreams crushed and decided to be a miserable drone to the corporate government system instead! All you do is feed bright impressionable young minds to the ruthless prison industrial complex that is our education system! You're not a great man! You're the Last Man!”

 

Maya and Jolene did a facepalm. They had years of experience with JC's pseudo-philosophy pseudo-activism bullshit, but deep down they felt everything he spoke the truth. Either way, they knew full well where this conversation was going.

 

“You wanna' be a smartass? You have ten detentions!” Feynman cursed. “I am not in the mood for another one of your pretentious rants!”

But that didn’t faze JC. A gifted orator, he gestured to the whole classroom. “You’re nothing but props too! You’re nothing more than slaves with slave morality, processed meat! You’re nothing more than fodder for greedy, fatcat suits with a vampire’s bloodlust for the innocent! You’re constrained by the social norms of the mass media to become cogs in the machine! Can any of you eunuchs dare comprehend the true weight of my doctrine?"

Now the whole class groaned, but a few “brave” souls egged him on. “You tell ‘em JC!” Yukio Fujiwara, a tall punky kid with spiky black hair and a soul patch, hollered from the back of the class.

“Shut up Yukio!” Jolene threw her hiss over Maya’s head to smack her target. “Thanks for getting yourself in trouble idiot!”

Feynman lost it. “ENOUGH! DETENTION FOR THE WHOLE CLASS! THE FOUR OF YOU TO THE OFFICE!” The whole class shook in an uproar, a din echoed through the entire facility, and Feynman promptly threw out the four insurgents.

Maya, Jolene, JC, and Yukio were left twiddling their thumbs in apprehension in the office waiting room. Jolene and Yukio were bickering with each other with the sharp little stings so commonly found in couple. It wasn’t even about what happened at class anymore but something completely random. Meanwhile Maya had a sudden urge to punch JC in the face. She was in no mood to lie to her father about why she was late from school.

JC seemed not to care, his hands locking together in front of his face, his thick eyebrows sternly compressed together, deep in thought… – He suddenly hit Maya with the back of his hand. “Any of you guys duel? Are you warriors or are you part of the motley crowd?”

“I failed my Entrance Exam. Go away.”

“I don’t want jaded professionals anyway. I don’t want facility Gestapo, poisoned by the stench of money and hemmed in by the box of rules. I want teenagers. I want zen stupidity; pure selfish, enlightened, entitled assholishness that grapes authority in the face like it was Pamela Anderson's face. I want vision.”

He was certainly interesting. “JC, even if I could understand you, I wouldn’t." Maya pointed to the door. "The street corner and tinfoil hat are over there.”

“No, hear me out. You, me, Jolene, Yukio, we are broken cogs of the machine. That is why we were thrown out by Feynman the teacher-bot. We are forced to live this giant, fake lie. We get up. We go to school. We do stupid shit other people force us to do. We sleep. We get up. Who we are is what our parents tell us and who our parents are is what their boss tells them.”

“And your point is…”

“Life is a circle draining to a dead end. I used to care about school, but then I realized it didn’t really matter what I did. I kept trying to be something other people wanted but then I realized it was like chasing the moon. It’s like taping sandwiches on you so you never go hungry again. Do you guys want to be duelists or not?”
 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

JC and his three new followers descended down the antique outdoor steps of a dilapidated apartment building not too far from their school. He took a while to prize open the complex of locks and opened the thick door, leading them to the large cave that was the basement below.

It was a complete mess, filled with a random jumble of different furniture everywhere. Old taped political posters and scribbled acid trip graffiti decorated the red brick and white plaster walls; the largest one was the oddest; a primitive outline of what looked like some kind of lizard man wielding a massive, erect penis. 

 

Scores of old moldy pamphlets of stark black and white pictures and books were littered everywhere. Maya picked the largest pamphlet. It showed a picture of a full moon shining brightly, illuminating a field overgrowing the ruins of what used to be mighty skyscrapers. It’s title: Disintegration. – The only technology present was an old TV with a few Nintendo 64 games and an old Windows XP computer with ludicrously large amplifiers. A huge black flag hung over, emblazoned with fiery red words:

 

JC’s Dungeon

 

“Welcome to my humble abode. What do you think? Isn’t it magnificent!”

Maya could smell the dirt and rotting wood. Jolene wanted to say something nice but fumbled for words.

“You know why I brought you here?" JC spoke, demanding their attention. "Last week I was kicked out of McDonalds in Manhattan Mall, because they were out of ketchup! McDonalds, famous for its fries you put on ketchup, was out of grapeing ketchup! I shouted ‘VIVA LA REVOLUTION!’ I called on the people to fight against McDonalds and to overthrow their corporate masters! And people just stared me, dumbstruck like a bunch of lobotomized cows, like I was crazy! Some big fat guy called Miguel glared at me as if saying, ‘How dare you talk about McDonalds in this fashion!’ And I said, ‘grape you fat asshole!’ and I punched him in the face! And that is how I was expelled from McDonalds in its typical, corrupt, corporate, fascist fashion! You know what McDonalds is? McDonalds is the embodiment of conformity and mediocrity, a black hole of nihilism where the will to power is negated to nothing more than a stupefying marching stupor for the next happy meal!”

“What does this have to do with us being duelists?” Jolene asked.

“Everything! The entire dueling world is one giant McDonalds! Corporations control every facet of our lives and control Duel Monsters like any other product! They expect you to grovel and eat whatever shitty food and happy meal they give you and not complain! But if you demand any food of real substance like ketchup with your fries the employees or a flunky like VolcanoMan throws beats you and throws you out! What those useful idiots don’t understand is that no matter how much more privilege they get for being sell-outs they will always be pawns of the manager in the office! The reason why they no one realizes this is because the manager sits in the back!”

Maya, Jolene, and Yukio didn’t know what to say. Were they mesmerized or appalled? They didn’t know.

JC regained his strength and spoke again, but no longer in shouts but in horse whispers. He pointed at each member of his audience. “Jolene, this is why you left prep school and will never win the nationals. Yukio, this is why you won't run your family's resteraunt and why your Elemental Hero Deck SUCKS. Maya, this is why you lost against Matthew, and why you feel like such a loser trapped in a dead end. But fear not! From now on we are Team Dark Duelists. Every weekend we meet up here to play Mario Kart and watch Fight Club, but most importantly to cause chaos and show all the stuck up pros out there what we're worth. This is the beginning of a grand heroic myth. The twilight of the gods is here. VIVA LA REVOLUTION!

His small audience made a tiny applause. Somehow, in spite of his abrasiveness, crudeness, and obscenity, or because of it, he was able to gain the hearts of the three lonely souls in front of him. In this dirty old basement in lower Manhattan one of the deepest changes in human history was made. And all four were part of this spark, this tiny yet infinite moment.

Maya headed back up. She had to come up with some good excuse for father now.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Jolene said. “Do you have a Duelist ID?”

“What?”

“Every duelist must register in the Dueling Network to compete in tournaments.” Jolene explained. “It’s a huge Internet database and forum, kind of like YouTube or Reddit. You make an account, you can make videos, store deck recipes and trading lists in notes, receive feedback, and each time you duel in a major event it will be recorded live and broadcast on your channel. You can even gain followers.”

 

JC picked a copy of Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra and brandished it in front of her face. "Have you heard of the Ubermensch?"

 

Maya replied, "I know it's something Nazis and edgy teens pretend to me. I'm more familiar with your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."

 

Inflamed, JC boldly declared, "The Ubermensch is nothing like Christ! He is the Antichrist!" 

 

"Please don't vex him." Jolene pleaded to her friend. "Just register and get it done over with."
 

This was all so new to Maya. Anxiousness, but at the same excitement. The inferi whispered in her ears again. Maya shrugged and cast the die. She registered her new Duelist ID.

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I have to say, the writing here is superb and the plot started out with a solid classic debut, but then the second chapter completely shifted from the classic formula into something new and innovative - a philosophical approach to the game as opposed to the standard duel because it's fun motif. Although I personally didn't enjoy the first duel that much, the rest of the story makes up for it. I especially like Jolene's rants, they're quite entertaining. Good luck with your future chapters.

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  • 2 weeks later...


I have to say, the writing here is superb and the plot started out with a solid classic debut, but then the second chapter completely shifted from the classic formula into something new and innovative - a philosophical approach to the game as opposed to the standard duel because it's fun motif. Although I personally didn't enjoy the first duel that much, the rest of the story makes up for it. I especially like Jolene's rants, they're quite entertaining. Good luck with your future chapters.


The first duel was meant to be bad to show how much she sucks.


Didn't see this coming. I also didn't see Maya agree to join the club, but more importantly, why would she want to run around, wreaking havoc? Confusing.


It's not about wrecking havoc it's about feeling frustrated, alienated, and disenfranchized. She's an emo artsy pimple-faced reject 17 year old. What else did you think she would do?

SailMaster and Sim, I'm glad you are enjoying and following this. Anyway now...

Duel 3 – First Steps

Maya stooped low with her net wipes, carefully massaging the cards and game cartridges inside the display case. Casey, the store manager, couldn’t bear to see his precious collections tainted in any way, even through too much cleaning. This was Game Stop in Manhattan Mall, Maya’s best odd job. 

But it was a beautiful place here, a vibrant, fun atmosphere. Two boys were duking it out in a Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament held in the store. The mall gave this electrifying feeling, like some great arena where all the best players would come together to compete in all sorts of games. 

Well, the cream of it. People where Maya lived and went to school just dueled on the street or in the schoolyard or in a basketball court. That’s where she saw JC and Yukio duel once, and JC totally creamed him. The highest prize was fifty dollars while the best card at Game Stop cost a whooping $500. No wonder JC was crazy. There was no way to climb up, almost as if – A commercial break on the nearby television.

Melodramatic synthetic strings with a rap beat behind play in the background. “When you duel...” A young man of pasty white skin, oiled brown hair, wearing an expensive suit steps outside an immaculate penthouse apartment and descends down his skyscraper castle. “When things get tough...” He emerges from the garage below in a powerful, sleek jet-black car, plowing through the city. “The tough get going!” – Cut to mid-duel with a comically degenerate drag queen, an obvious foil to our hero, stealing rare cards from two people by a strip club. “SEIZE THE POWER OF CHOAS!!” The young man triumphantly plays Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning and slaughters his opponents. He shows his epic card, blazing in front of him, waiting to be grabbed by the viewer. “Chaos, the power of a true duelist!” 

 

Not too far away there was a McDonalds. Inside sat a golem just awoken from his millennia old slumber, a mountain made of flesh. He made JC look absolutely minuscule. His haircut and sideways cap made his head look like a pencil butt. Wrapped around his Xtra Large Coke™ were several wet cards, prized weapons of his defeated opponents, taped together. He was the mighty Miguel, duel monsters champion of Manhattan Mall. He lived one floor beneath Maya and her father, just beneath the floor of their apartment. 

His face glued to its food, the golem reached into the toxic wasteland in front of him and stuffed a Big Mac™ into his mouth and chewed.

Sickly, weak pulsating noises…

Sickly, weak pulsating noises…

Sickly, weak pulsating noises…

 

A handsome young man stepped up to an arena at the center of the mall, gazing at the audience around him with a quiet confidence. I was the same young man in the commercial, the same young man Maya lost to a few days ago: Matthew.

A throng of duelists who gathered round to see him, the center of the axis. An emerging giant, Matthew laid waste to one tournament after the other. The State Championship was his and the Nationals were just a breadth away. And it showed in his proud white academy uniform. Two large men, wearing dark glasses and dark green suits, flanked behind him; his personal bodyguards. Matthew drew his followers closer by talking. 

 

"Greetings duelists! I welcome you all to this special event. The dueling world is not what it used to be. We have abandoned the true duelist and have become tainted by darkness. A true duelist does not cheat during a duel. A true duelist does not steal or pirate cards and gear from our stores. A true duelist does stake money or other antis. A true duelist never backs down from a duel. A true duelist never disrespects his many friends. A true duelist is never alone.

Those without the light are forever swallowed into the darkness, wandering hopelessly for all eternity. This isn’t just some fairy tale to scare you into obeisance. Evil duelists would challenge Yugi in dark game and received their punishments. Countless of duelists who became wicked would fall into a coma in an alleyway. They arrived there by the bad choices they made in life and were judged thusly. Coincidence? I don’t think so."

The tension in a huge, mountain-sized obese man wearing a small baseball cap next to Maya was palpable. “Uh-oh. I don’t wanna’ end up in the shadow realm. What do I do?”

 

Such comments perplexed Maya as much as they irked her. Jolene and Yukio just arrived to Gamestop to say hello before commenting on Matthew's gathering.

 

Yukio scratched his head in confusion. "What in Lucifer's name is this? Why is some academy kid turning a card game into a cult?"

 

Maya wondered about that too. She posited, "Matthew is guilting people to give him money. Charities do it all the time. And if you put people in a made up in crowd you'll hook them for life."

 

"I took a business elective course in college prep." Jolene commented. "I think it's called a target market."

 

But there is hope. Me and my team have never lost a duel because we always duel honorably and always have the back of his friends. You, too, can be a true duelist. Burn away the darkness! Team Shining Crusaders is now in town! This is the TRUTH! We are now holding the Phoenix Challenge, a fun little duel puzzle where the winner will get $300. All you have to do is make a small donation that will go to children’s hospitals around the world. Thank you for supporting us in our time of need.

A picture of a handsome but paternally stern young man with the highest white regalia of the Academy showed on a big screen behind Phoenix. The went wild. They roared in affirmation, so deafening nothing else could be heard but their unified consent. They threw their fists in the air, chanting “YUGI! YUGI! YUGI!”

 

The huge audience lined up in anticipation. One member after another processed through, faced the challenge, and lost. Maya seized the chance to make decent money for a change, creeping out of Game Stop with Jolene and Yukio, and before she knew it the crown thrust her in the arena. 

 

Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning staring down at her. The huge, heavily armored soldier was one of the strongest and most iconic monsters in the game. The puzzle? To use her limited resources to get past the opponent’s monster and reduce its life points to zero before the turn ended.

 

Maya: 100 || TEST: 4000

Maya’s hand:
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Tribute to the Doomed (Spell Card): Discard 1 card. Destroy 1 monster on the field.
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Chiron the Mage (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Lv. 4/1800 ATK/1000 DEF): Once per turn: You can discard 1 Spell Card to target 1 Spell/Trap Card your opponent controls; destroy that target.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Megamorph (Equip Spell Card): While your Life Points are lower than your opponent's, the original ATK of the 
equipped monster is doubled. While your Life Points are higher, the original ATK of the equipped monster is halved.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amazoness Swords Woman (EARTH/Warrior/Lv. 4/1500 ATK/1300 DEF): Your opponent takes all Battle Damage that you would have taken from a battle involving this card.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maya spoke to herself, her gears grinding, “Chiron and Amazoness obviously can’t beat BLS. I need to remove it with Tribute. Then either monster equipped with Megamorph should win the challenge. But neither of them, even when equipped, will have enough ATK. Unless… I use Amazoness in a different way!”

“I activate Megamorph and equip it to none other than Black Luster Soldier!” The soldier became surrounded by a fierce lightning aura and doubled in size, looking even more intimidating than before. “I summon Amazoness Swords Woman! Appear!” A busty, bronze, scantily clad warrior woman manifested on the stage.

“Amazoness Swords Woman, attack Black Luster Soldier!” Maya boldly declared. SERRATTED SABER SLASH!!! The amazon pounced at the mighty soldier-giant as a leopard, sword drawn out for the kill –

A face down card Maya didn’t see revealed itself: Skill Drain. The battle suspended in mid air, frozen in time briefly enough for a red aura to drain the energy away from both monsters. With Amazoness’ effect negated, all the damage would go back to Maya.

With an effortless contemptuous swing of its large sword, the giant soldier cleaved the amazon in half. The shockwave from the attack threw Maya back and slammed her to the ground. Maya cursed at herself for not seeing that face down Skill Drain, but realized that even if she did there was nothing she could have done. Only then did she realize the game was rigged.

 

Maya: 0 || TEST: 4000

 

"Seems you didn’t pay up.” Matthew said behind her. “That’ll be twenty dollars.”

“No, you rigged the game.” Maya protested. “Even if I played the winning combo there was still card to prevent me from going through. You designed it to have no true solution.” 

The audience stood for a moment in shock and then started to boo. Matthew was appalled. "I faced you the other day and you lost. Now you're making excuses, something a true duelist never does. Take her away."

Frightened and outraged, Maya tried to jump one of the guards who surrounded her in the face. The guard effortlessly caught Maya’s hand and twisted her wrist with ease. The two guards dog piled her, burying her on the ground with their knees. They wrenched her deck and gave it Phoenix who held up high as a trophy to the jeering audience and threw it to Miguel. The huge, mountain sized man caught it with a large, greasy hand.

One desperate option remained. “Hey fatass!” Maya roared. “I challenge you to a duel!” The audience stopped.

 

Miguel ascended the dueling platform. His huge, intimidating body could now be entirely seen. “You have any idea who I am? I'm the mall champion. You must either have balls or be stupid to challenge me in my domain! What’s your rank?”

"Do you have a rank, mall champ?" Maya retorted. "Didn't think so. We duel for our decks. If I win, I take your entire deck. If I lose, you take mine.”  

The entire audience burst into laughter. “I’m surprised anyone would be want to duel you, you ugly and obnoxious dyke.” Miguel guffawed. “No wonder you got floored today. Zero out of ten. Wouldn’t bang. It’s not like you have a deck to duel me with anyway.”

“So you're a coward? A true duelist does not run away from battle, remember?"

 

Miguel's face turned red. He accepted the challenge. Matthew ordered the guards to release Maya and hand her her deck. The crowd buzzed in expectation while cameras hovered into place to record the duel live for the whole dueling world to see online.
 

Maya: 4000 || Miguel: 4000

 

MAYA'S TURN: She draws her first card. “I summon Mermaid Knight in attack mode!” Under the dazzling white lights and whirring sounds of the holographic systems, the amazonian mermaid wielding a saber appears. “I set two cards face down. Turn end.”

MIGUEL'S TURN: “That’s it? What a weak move. Suits a half-pint like you. I summon Cyber Dragon!” A long and thick cybernetic serpent manifests. “Because I don’t have any monsters on my field I can special summon this bad boy. But there’s more. I tribute Cyber Dragon to summon Mobius the Frost Monarch!” Cyber Dragon disappears in a vortex on the floor and is a towering, apish beast ironclad in icy blue armor takes its place. 

“When Mobius is summoned it destroys two backrow cards!” The monarch waves its hand in a stormy blizzard Zarathustra’s two cards are blown away. She grimaces. He sneers. “Go Mobius, smash the ugly, obnoxious dyke’s dyke monster! BLIZZARD CRUSHER!!! Mobius pounds Mermaid Knight to the ground, crushing her. Zarathustra winces at the destruction of her monster and the total clearing of her field, much to Volcano’s delight. (LP 4000 -> 3100)

“Now I play Foolish Burial. I select one monster in my deck and sent it to the graveyard.” He proceeds and dumps one monster, sneering. He followed every step to complete his plan. She doesn’t stand a chance! “And I end my turn.”

MAYA'S TURN: Miguel already summoned a massive monster, and a Monarch no less! Her forehead grows moist… Her arms and legs freeze… Icy drops… “I set one monster face down and one card face down.” Two large, holographic cards the size of her body manifests.“Turn end.”

MIGUEL'S TURN: “I can’t believe you didn’t give up yet. Stupid little duelists like you should disappear. I activate the Treeborn Frog’s effect. If have no spell or trap cards on my field my little froggy revives.” He takes a card out of his graveyard, a dark compartment inside the duel disk and places it on the portable tray. A small, leaf green frog with budding wings and a small appears. (DEF 100)

“Now I tribute my Treeborn Frog to summon Grandmarg the Rock Monarch!” The leaf green frog disappears and another apish beast, this time clothed in earth brown armor, towers in its place. “When this monarch is summoned it destroys any face down card I choose.” Granmarg rasies a boulder with one arm and smashes Zarathustra’s face down monster. Volcano imperiously waves his hand. “Grandmarg, attack her! Wipe her out! GRANITE CRUSHER!!!

“I activate my face down card: Call of the Haunted!" Maya counters. "I revive Mother Grizzley!” An eerie spirit ball floats out of her graveyard and becomes a whole physical being: a large, teal-colored bear.  Granmarg’s fist collides with the bear. (LP: 3100 -> 2100) “When Mother Grizzly is destroyed by battle, I can summon any WATER monster with 1500 or less ATK from my deck, and I choose another Mother Grizzly!” A second bear materializes to replace the first.

"Mobius, crush the second Mother Grizzly!” Miguel commands, and the monarch’s fist collides, shattering the bear instantly. (LP: 2100 -> 1100)

 

“I summon Star Boy with Mother Grizzly’s effect!” Maya says. An alien creature, a red starfish with one leering eye and large tentacles underneath it, is summoned. (ATK 550)

Miguel wrinkles his face in contempt. “I end my turn.”

MAYA'S TURN – In relief, she smiles. “Your monarchs are strong, but I finally found a way to beat them. Even better yet, I don’t have to tribute. Normally, my monster is Level 5, but because the Field Spell I just drew, I can summon it as a Level 4. I play A Legendary Ocean!” Slides her spell card in the special sixth slot of the duel disk. The field around them transforms into a new environment! A sunken city beneath a shallow sea appears. Fish dance beneath the sunlight above and above the decaying buildings below. Everything is colored in underwater colors of deep blue, turquoise, and aquamarine, like through stained glass windows.

“Now I summon my monster, Gigagagio!” A large, bulky, and ominous reptilian soldier was summoned. “Its ATK is originally 2450, but with A Legendary Ocean it’s ATK increases by 200 and with Star Boy in play its ATK increases by 500.”

“B-But that means!” Miguel gasps.

“3150 ATK. Gigagagio, kill Mobius! GRAVITY FIST!!! The reptilian jumps on Mobius and dents its armor with its fist, then crushes its head with its hands. The monarch groans and falls to the ground, beaten. Volcano lurches back, as if he himself was hit. (LP: 4000 -> 3950)

“This is all you are, VolcanoMan. You’re nothing more than a litmus test. Once I reach past your 2400 ATK beat sticks you're done. You can churn out as many monarchs as you can but you’ll never stop me. I'll change Star Boy to defense mode and set one card face down. Turn end.”

MIGUEL'S TURN: – Draws. His fear turns into ridicule. “HA! You thought you could beat the monarchs! Well, see about this! I resurrect Treeborn Frog and tribute it to summon my first and best monarch, Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!” Another huge apish brute materializes, this time in gold and white armor with the shoulders joined by an electrical conduit. “When Zaborg is summoned it destroys one monster on the field!” The thunder kind forged a thunderbolt in its hands and threw it at Gigagagio, incinerating it to ashes.

Miguel laughs, “You idiot! You forgot one important thing you n00b, their effects! You can summon the most powerful monster to the field, but as soon as I summon a monarch BAM your dead! You think you’re some genius groundbreaker who will take the world by storm! But it’s time to teach you some REALITY!" 

"I activate Monster Reborn! I choose Gagagagio! Reborn the monster!” A large sapphire ankh levitates above the field. It shines and burns with red light and resurrects Zarathustra’s reptilian warrior with its energies. 

“Reborn the monster?" Maya questioned, "That doesn’t even make any sense?”

“OMG SHUT UP you ugly obnoxious dyke! Go my monsters! Finish off my opponent and win the duel for me!” Zaborg shoots bolts from the blue. Star Boy explodes from the impact. Grandmarg and Gigagagio jump with their combined strength and pummel Zarathustra out of the stage. She falls hard on the ground and slides to the edge of the arena, a hair’s length short of falling out. Miguel thrust his fists into the air to the cheering crowd. “YUSS! I WON!”

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Yes, I realize what the point of the first duel was. I just don't really like the card choices. It's only a minor nuissance, and I'm probably the only one who minds so feel free to ignore my previous post. But on the off chance you're interested in hearing out my rationale on what a good duel is: I prefer more realistic duels that involve tier 1-2 decks or duels with custom cards that are more anime-ish with more unrealistic decks that play smoothly without all the terrible cards anime duels have. Maybe even a combination of both. In the few fanfics I've attempted to write before they died off from lack of readership, I try to incorporate this ideology. Legendary Six Sams vs. Custom-made Spellcasters, X-Sabers vs. Constellar, Psychics vs. Constellar. They have a few mistakes that I have yet to clean up, but I'll do so when I have the time. Dead Zone is also a good example.

For the purposes of this fanfic, the duels so far are good enough. Besides, the plot is what's keeping me hooked. The writing style has a nice stream-of-consciousness quality infused with the modern day tone. It's much more entertaining and realistic, maybe even relatable, than the majority of the other fanfics on here that have unbelievable characters with stale dialogue and style. That much alone makes this fanfic praiseworthy. I especially liked how much of an arrogant ass you portrayed the VolcanoMan to be. Keep up the good work.

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These are like the duels in the show: overdramatic and ridiculous. But that's absolutely okay. smile.png


Of course. It's YGO. wink.png Next chapter:


Duel 4 – Counterattack!! – The First Idol Shatters

Miguel chuckled to himself, content in his victory while Maya lay cold, stone still on the ground, her arm and lef dangling precariously from the edge of the platform. It was as if she was on a steel beam hundreds of feet in the air. A small push away from a plummet to her death.

 

A voice rang in her head, “Come on! Get up! You can still do it! You have to do something! Even if you have 1 Life left. Fight! Live!” Jolene’s voice!

Another voice, “Don’t let that two-bit punk beat you! He barks big but he's a small dog!” Yukio’s voice!

Maya got up. She was still in the game. “I activated this trap when your monsters attacked me: Nutrient Z. I gained 4000 life points just before they were subtracted, leaving me with 50 Life left.”

Miguel shook his fist in frustration. “You ugly –“

“Obnoxious dyke? Can you please come up with another insult?”

Jolene shouted at Maya from the crowd. “You made an amazing move! Now roast this marshmallow so hard we’ll eat smores after the duel!”

Yukio thrust his fist in the air. “Kick this hyperactive lobotomized egotistical overinflated baboon’s red ass back in Matthew's blowhole where you found him!”

 

The duel continued.


Maya: 50 || Miguel: 3950

 

MIGUEL'S TURN: “Pfft! Whatever! I set two cards face down. And my turn is over.” Two cards appear facedown in front of him. 
 

MAYA'S TURN: She has only one card in her hand. She looks a little shaky but smartens up. “I will find a way to beat you.” She says more to herself than to her opponent. “The answer is somewhere in my deck, maybe even in yours.” I set one card face down. Turn end.”

MIGUEL'S TURN: “I’ll put you down once and for all. I tribute my Zaborg the Thunder monarch to summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!” The first monarch in gold and white armor vanishes and is replaced by a second one. It gathers electricity in its hands unto a thunderbolt and hurls it at – being no monster to hit on Zarathustra’s field, it hits Gigagagio instead. The muscle bound reptilian soldier screams before being completely disintegrated. 

 

Volcano stares, baffled, his eyes wide open. “B-But how! 

 

It is Maya's turn to smirk. “Your mind's a simple program. Your entire strategy is a basic string of commands. Revive Treeborn Frog. Tribute for Monarch. Revive Treeborn Frog. Tribute for Monarch. Rinse. Lather. Repeat. You duel as mindlessly as you eat at McDonalds."

 

Miguel winces as if punched in the face, small squeaks come from between his teeth. "We'll see who the dumb duelist is, stupid! Monarchs, attack!" Both monsters leap, their fists withdrawn for the kill.

“I activate Tornado Wall!” Maya counters. Some of the waters surrounding them separate from the rest of the ocean scene, whirling and twisting until they form vortexes. The monarchs repel back by their force. “As long as A Legendary Ocean is in play, I'm safe.”

MAYA'S TURN: “I draw. I set another card face down.”

MIGUEL'S TURN: "Who's the coward now? Monarchs, attack!” His flunkies jump for another attack but are brushed away by the watery barrier.

MAYA'S TURN: She sees Miguel is clearly frustrated and his attack was just a way of lashing out. Good. “I set one more card face down. Turn end.”

MIGUEL'S TURN: “Yes! I found a way to beat you! I tribute Grandmarg the Rock Monarch to summon Kuraz the Light Monarch!” The apish golem vanishes and a golden-colored golem takes its place. Its armor is like Zaborg’s except it shines and radiates light rather than conducts thunder. (ATK 2400) “When Kuraz is summoned I can destroy two cards you control. You get to draw two cards but I don’t see you using those any time soon. Now Kuraz, destroy her Legendary Ocean and Tornado Wall!” The monarch of light spreads it arms and both cards burn away under brilliant light. Everyone is transported back to the arena.

“You know, you could have just destroyed A Legendary Ocean. Tornado Wall would’ve died. But then again, I’m not surprised.” Maya rebukes him.

“OMG STFU!" Miguel yells, "Monarchs, attack!” His beasts join up to smite the offender.

“I activate Waboku.” Maya counters. A gathering of priestesses materializes. They chant a spell and their white magic creates a barrier to deflect the monarch’s attack. 

MAYA'S TURN: “Thanks for giving me two extra cards. You can only duel as long as you can continue your loop, so I will stop one of your commands. I activate Dark Hole! Destroy all of his monsters!” Volcano eeps meekly as a black vortex appears at the middle of the platform, dragging his monarchs to oblivion. 

“I-I activate My Body As A Shield!” Miguel stammers. “I-I pay up some life points and my monarchs are saved!” (LP 3950 à 2450) Energy sprouts from his body and forms an astral image of himself. The golem-sized ghost slips itself between the abyss and the monarchs, preventing them from being sucked in.

“I counter with Solemn Judgment!" Maya rebukes him. "By paying half of my life points I stop your spell!” Three austere old sages dressed in the ancient Biblical robes grace the field with their appearances. With a chant and a judicious wave of their hands the astral form of VolcanoMan shrinks into nothing. Free from any barrier, the monarchs fall into the abyss. Volcano’s field is empty. 

“I'll will beat you right now!” Maya boldly declares. It is now time to be fearless. “I remove four monsters from my graveyard to special summon two Fenrirs.” From the cave-like graveyard in her duel disk four ghostly spheres fly out. From the ground two puddles form and out of those puddles rise two white, snarling wolfs with icy blue eyes. “My first Fenrir, attack him directly SEDITIOUS SLASH!!! The first wolf pounces at Volcano full speed.

“I activate Scapegoat!” Miguel desperately calls out four small, sleepy eyed sheep, all of different colors, none of any threat. Both wolves leap at two of the sheep and devour them instantly. “I end my turn.”

MIGUEL'S TURN: He is backed in a corner. This is his only chance. “I draw!”

!!!!!!

A loud, shrill ring hits everyone’s ears. The judge overseeing the duel bloes his large, silver whistle. “That is an illegal move. “ He declares. “If Fenrir successfully destroys one of your monsters in battle you cannot draw a card during your Draw Phase due to Fenrir’s effect.”

“I can’t stop you from summoning your Treeborn Frog and I can’t stop you from summoning your monarchs, but I can stop you from drawing them.” Maya explains to him, folding her arms.

Miguel shakes his head. “No! It can’t be! I resurrect Treeborn Frog with its effect!” The all-too familiar small green frog returned. “Please” He says to himself. ”Let there be a miracle. Let the Heart of the Cards answer me. I am a warrior of the light, a true duelist!"

 MAYA'S TURN: “You're a consumer in a club made by businesses just to make you a loyal customer. I play Monster Reborn and revive Gigagagigo, the very monster you turned against me.” Her faithful armored lizard soldier materialized once again on her field. “I attack Treeborn Frog and your two Sheep Tokens! Destroy them!” The two Fenrirs pounce on and demolish the two sheep. Gigagagigo shatters Treeborn Frog with one punch.

MIGUEL'S TURN: Paralyzed. He can’t draw. He can’t defend himself. He can’t do anything.

ZARATHUSTRA – Time to move for the kill! “This is your end. Go play with ten years at Toy's R Us. Direct attack with all my monsters! Finish him!” All three monsters strike him all at once with a powerful collective blow. He teeters precariously, losing his balance. TIMMMMMBEEEEER! The titan crashes to the ground, unleashing a glorious earthquake like frantic applause. 

 

Maya: 25 || Miguel: 0

 

The audience was reduced to silence, left choking in their own shock.

“And the winner of this duel is none other than our bold newcomer!” The judge declared. Bright lights and exploding sparkling dust erupted from the corners of the stage. A stray few in the audience began to clap, slowly and cautiously, but became more open and bold. The rest of the audience hissed and booed them and their new duelist. Matthew threw his hands up in the air as if he didn't know what to make of the situation, then vanished.

Maya tiptoed to the unconscious goliath, sprawled all over the other side. She took his deck and picked his pockets and jacket for any extra cards or money she could find and silently hopped down to the ground. Jolene rushed to her and they gave each other a quick hug – Then they stopped, realizing how embarrassing and hokey it was, let alone with Yukio watching it.

The two friends hurried back to JC’s Dungeon as quickly as they could to tell him of their victory. They burst inside, panting like dogs. “Guys!” Jolene shouted. “Maya just beat Miguel!”

No one paid heed. A whole new group of people gathered in front of the only computer there, with none other than JC himself sitting up front. They were on the Dueling Network on JC’s channel. Displayed for all to see were videos of JC’s last several duels. Maya could see they were automatically uploaded to his channel by the tournament organizers because of their HD quality, unlike the other videos crowded in his channel, which were mostly his excessive and obscene rants.

JC was on a roll. “Look at that! Look at that shit right now! Look at me beat down that little kid right there! Right there! OW! Poor sucker! – Look at this! Here’s my duel against a former Regional Champ! Watch me smite this goon with my Master of Oz all pumped up! OW! 8000 damage right there! Goddamn I’m a sexy mothergrapeer!”

“Um, technically its ATK is really 7900 because – “

“SHUT UP!”

Maya prodded JC with her finger. JC swiveled his large, black, comfy chair – shaped like the throne of a James Bond supervillain. “WHAT!?

“I just beat Miguel, the champion of Westside Mall. It was a really tough duel but I came out on top.” 

JC laughed. “You beat a mall champion? How amusing! Here, let me give you a pat in the head! I’m so proud of you! Oh and by the way, about one tenth a portion of all your winnings goes to the team to be accessed by everyone.” He yanked a handful of the cards Maya just won and took one twenty-dollar bill. “We don’t have the luxury to be elitist snobs like other teams. Everyone most contribute. We’re socialists who hate America so that’s how we roll.”

Maya was crushed but two tired to fight back. She really was proud of beating Miguel. She opened her account after JC had his laugh and, surely enough, her duel with Miguel was uploaded in HD. She replayed the duel a few times, feeling good about her hard won success.

JC loomed behind her. “Actually, that’s not a bad duel. Smart handling of the situation. How many followers do you have?”

Maya looked at a small corner of the screen.

“You have only one follower? HA HA HA HA!”

“Look who’s talking. You have like what, twelve disciples?”

Twelve hundred, mind you. So yeah, I’m a pretty impressive guy.”

“Twelve hundred is not a lot.” Jolene corrected. “Mathew – that guy who conned everybody at the mall – has about five hundred thousand.”

JC backed off dramatically. “WHOA! WHOA THERE! Mathew is another story altogether. We’ll deal with him later.”

Maya searched her friends channels just to compare. Yukio had 10 followers, Jolene had 3, JC, true to his word, had about 1200. She glazed over the channels of Matthew and someof his Shining Crusaders. Their counts were far more massive, by the thousands. Miguel was a random loser from the street by comparison. He wasn’t even part of team. He had only 120 followers.

Their duel was also uploaded on his channel, including a... "commentary" he made about said duel. Out of a morbid curiosity Maya went to see what he had to say.

BULLIED BY DARK DUELIST
 

 

Quote

[…]Today I lost to this nasty BITCH. […] She kept calling me names. She kept trying to intimidate me. She even had her dyke lesbian friend to cheer her own with her “Grrrl Power!” mantras with her beta male boyfriend. What grapeing hoes! Those self-centered, whiny, selfish, ignorant bitches! Those pomegranates need to give that guy’s ball’s back and he needs to GTFO but bang those hoes into submission first! […]


 

“Talk about being butthurt” Jolene snarked. “Wanna go to a thrift store and smoke a bit?"

“I can’t. I need to run errands with my dad tomorrow. Did you do the Calculus and Physics homework? Because I did all of my Literature, History, and French homework. We’ll swap as we usually do.” 
 

Yukio tapped her on the shoulder before she left. He said, "You did a really did a great job there. Making a come back with only 25 Life is not something many duelists can do. Most guys collapse at anything lower than 500. It really inspired me. Keep fighting for what you believe in.

Maya gave Yukio the warmest hug she could, with Jolene joining in. JC hollared at them, "GAAAAAAAAAY!" Nobody listened to him.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Duel 5 – Among Fish As Among Men

Father and daughter sat jam-packed in a train of countless faces in one of the many subways of New York City. The dirty steel train roared, buckled, and bobbed wildly as it streaked underground. Father checked his bag of files for the hundredth time today. All the credentials were there: His resume, his legal citizenship, immaculate records of his previous jobs, even his university thesis. He held in front of him the means to claim a job with the fraction of the lucre and benefits as his old one as biochemist. He would take no chances. There was no room for error, absolutely none. All this raced in his head but if one looked at him they would only see a cold mask.

Maya, his daughter, was not here. She seemed to stare fixedly at a point far away, her eyes slightly widened, her arms tense and fidgeting as if trying to break away from chains while her legs kicked in the air. Father shook his head. She looked demented and Maya in one her crazed trances were the last thing he wanted right now, but he was no mood to reprimand her in front of a million strangers. 

Father gently nudged her. “What are you thinking about?”

Maya shook her head.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing. Leave me alone.”

Father felt like he was prying open a clam. Could he please know at least one thing that went inside his daughter’s head! They were completely lost with each other. Then it struck him. Don’t force the turtle out. Encourage it come out. “When I was young my father would sometimes take me fishing and –“

“Not interested.”

Hold on.” He rebuked sternly enough to get her attention. “My father would talk about the fish of the sea as if they were people, kind of like in a Dr. Seuss book. I know you like riddles and games, so I made some for you to figure out." He cleared his throat, then approached her with his riddle. "A schooling of suspicion is the best schooling. A beautiful fish is always a poisonous fish. A flounder is a fool; it only looks one way. Never trust the flying fish; they can never escape the ocean that bore them. Sharks are your friends; they eat all the bad fish.”

“If beautiful fish are the most poisonous fish, then why puffer fish and lion are fish the most poisonous? Flounders look from the bottom up, so why does it matter? Flying fish escape the ocean not out of cowardice, so what’s the problem?”

“Are you now giving riddles to my riddles?”

“No, I’m just questioning your questions.”

 

The train made a stop. Dozens of people flowed in and out of the train, kind of fish in a two way current. Maya decided to play a little game of her own. She stuck her worn out boot through the open door as the automated voice chimed, "Stand behind the closing doors, please." The doors collided at her boot, and were forced to open again. The doors shut and open a few times more, making the passengers grumble and yell at her. Maya shot back at them, asking them where they were really going and if they truly wanted to be here. Everyone shouted in the negative until she finally obliged them.  
 

Father threw his arms in the air. Was she annoying him on purpose? "We'll arrive at the DIViant Bros. company soon. Get ready. We will be meeting the CEO himself, a very rare opportunity. Be at your best behavior. You may even meet his son. No room for error.”

“Just so you can use me as a pawn to seal your ties with the upper class.” Maya said.

“Yes. I’m a horrible evil bastard but you know you're as manipulative as I am. You know there’s no other way.”

In a matter of minutes they were in the antechamber of a tall building, glowing with the warm colors of bronze, cedar, and alabaster. They quickly ran into the restrooms to change from their usual clothes into their newly rented suits and they soared the elevator into an employment office high above. The office was like a fishbowl. Everything was so straight, steely, cold, and clean it was unreal.

A short man dressed in an expensive, refined suit and with thick, black hair overgelled in a fashion disturbingly familiar to father’s, entered into the small office. He shook father’s hands with a large, congenial smile. “Hello Mr. Aleksandar Bozo…”

“Bozuslowski.” Father pronounced for him.

“Right. I’m Derrick Carter, the CEO of this company. And you are…” He turned to Maya.

Father gestured to her. “My daughter, Marina.”

Maya blew a grin out of proportion just for him. "HELLO! NICE TO MEET YOUUUUU!" She greeted him with all the sincerity she could muster. "I LOVE you're suit! Such sophistication and taste! Did you get it Brioni's? Must have cost at least a thousand! You can buy the man as much as you can buy the suit!"

 

She shook Mr. Carter's hand emphatically. The rich man chuckled to father. "You're daughter is certainly enthusiastic!" To Maya he said, “Nice to meet you. Do you duel? You must have heard about my son, Matthew. He’s a real expert at the game. He keeps winning tournament after tournament. Opponent’s just roll right in front of him.”

“I agree.” Maya said in good cheer. “He is the kind of man who holds his principles above the crowd. He fights people of his own strength, face to face, as a real man should. He must have pulled up those bootstraps to get where he is now. Too many rich kids just buy their way into school, you know."

Father faked a smile. “That’s enough.”

“No, no. It’s fine.” Mr. Carter replied. “There’s nothing wrong with Ms. Marina showing enthusiasm for her favorite duelist. Uh-hum!” He turned his attention to father. “Mr. Bozuslowsky, your experience in biochemistry certainly makes you eligible for hiring. You once made biochemical weapons for KaibaCorp before it became a gaming company. We even hold some of Mr. Kaiba's shares today, but we're still in the arms dealing business. Let’s talk this through.” Mr. Carter led father into a boardroom behind them with a panorama view of the city outside and closed the door.

Maya was left to her own designs. She pulled out her notebook and began to work on her music, her viola solo piece. With her inspiration died down she was able to approach the music cerebrally and build its structure.

 

Somewhere within the sparse, gray, skeletal crows and magpies within her introduction she found the building blocks for her idea, the seed from which the whole plant will germinate. D C# F# A. It was alright. She even found a design for the whole movement: Intro A B A B A. But that was merely the first movement. What about the rest? Hmm... 

Her cell phone rank. She was forced to pick it up. “Hello?”
 

Quote

JC: I have to talk to you! Something really terrible happened!

MAYA: You now got kicked out of Burger King?

JC: No this is serious! My Dueling Network account got deleted! Everything is lost! My videos, my duels, my followers! Everything’s gone! Not only that, but everyone else’s too! You, me, Jolene, Yukio; it’s all gone!

MAYA: Damn!

JC: I have no idea who did this! I don’t know what to do! Next Friday all four of us meet up in my basement! We’ve got to do something!

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  • 1 month later...

Duel 6 – Conjurers and Scientists: The First Clash

JC was bellowing out another long-winded rant which, to spare the reader, I will not write. "Cowards! Greedy, sneaking, rotten cowards, hiding behind the stone money-green idols of exploitation and mass debt-murder.”

“So now our accounts are deleted what do we do?” Yukio asked. “You’re our leader. You got us into this mess.”

“Well excuse me, princess! You joined the revolution by your own volition, citizen! This isn’t the safe corporate environment you’re used to! There’s no contract and no warranty in my club! If you don’t like it get out!”

“Wait, guys, I have an idea.” Jolene suggested. “Matthew is hosting an 
event at the stadium where Maya dueled him.” She unfolded a large, colorful flyer from her pocket and read it aloud. “Aa fun gathering for families and duelists of all ages. Music, dancing, and, the biggest event, a chance to challenge a top duelist for a grand prize of $1000.”

 

JC shrugged. “Yeah, so.”

“Well, this is an opportunity to offer a complaint to him, maybe even expose him for the censoring despot he really is?” Jolene suggested.

JC laughed disparagingly. “You honestly think he’s gonna’ 
listen to us?” He imitated a whimpering, childish voice. “Please Mr. Matthew can we have our channels you purposefully deleted back?” He went back to his normal, grating voice. “His herd of brainwashed sheep are beyond help, you dumb broad!"

Yukio wanted to smack JC in the face but knew if he did the team would go nowhere. He waved his hand dismissively, feeling like a 
completejerk. “We should do this. We’re already screwed over a wet tombstone on Sunday morning so we might as well crash their party, loud and proud and right in the middle for everyone to see. They'll never forget us."

Fire lit up in JC’s eyes, like small, gleaming gems. “I’ll personally pwn Matthew in front of his crowd of salivating cattle and sniveling sycophants! Let’s do this!”

Maya mumbled. “The way to JC’s heart is through his ass.”

---------------------------------------------------------

Hundreds of people gathered around the formidable domed academy building as drones of flies until the entire block was crowded beyond sight. The gang of four was effortlessly devoured by the teaming mass of duelists and non-duelists alike. Some people even spent the whole night huddled in tents. Slowly but surely the mass squeezed through the large front door. On top a stoof blazoned a huge poster of Yugi in a shining aura surrounded by some of his most famous monsters.

The vast auditorium surrounding the stadium was completely full with a massive, thick throng of people. The entire place was dark except for the bright, colorful show lights spiraling out from the arena in the center, now pushed upward by massive pistons from the pit below to above the crowd. A group of four instrumentalists, with none other than Phoenix himself at the center, played catchy soft rock tunes in the center.

Are you a duelist’s friend,
a true duelist’s best friend?
Do you pray every night
for a future so bright?
Practice the duelist’s honor,
in your private heart’s space
Practice the duelist’s honor,
in your most secret place.


Dark ones invade to break us,
inside and out to take us.
Showing many paths to sin,
gateways to Hell from within.
Poor dirt with nothing to lose,
sneak and crawl to chain us too.
In life losers can’t duel fair,
that’s why they’re all down there. 


Are you a duelist’s friend,
a true duelist’s best friend?
Do you pray every night
for a future so bright?
Practice the duelist’s honor,
in your private heart’s space
Practice the duelist’s honor,
in your most secret place.


There was no way Matthew wrote this song. Or was there? It was that bad. The melody and harmonies were pretty bland, at least to Maya's judgment. 

“HEY YOU!” JC shouted and jumped unto the stage. “You’re the legendary Phoenix, aren’t you, leader of Team Shining Crusaders, aren’t you!”

Did Matthew notice a fly? “Yes, that would be me.”

“Well good!” JC then uprooted Maya, Jolene, and Yukio one by one and thrust them on the stage with him. “We are Team Dark Duelists and we’re here to send you to Hell for deleting our accounts. You wanna’ talk about the duelist’s honor, then talk about how you silence any dissent raised against you!”

JC seized the microphone. He shouted to the audience. “Matthew is nothing but a con man out to make lifelong suckers out of you by selling you bullshit stories! I now quote Nietzsche’s Zarathustra, “Verily, my brothers, I say unto thee, beware the priestly types for they are vampires who sucketh on the blood of their 
victim chattel, draining life and vitality from the earth! The priests, in seeing the world a dirty and dark place have made it so – for that is where vampires liveth – and thus they prey on the blinded and fettered living… For have you heard, quoteth he who has come down the mountain, for God is dead!”

Jolene “Do those lines even exist?” 

“Since when did petty details matter to the Ubermensch.” Maya quipped.

JC kept ranting, “The song you stupid masses just listened to is the perfect example of moral blackmail and corporate elitism! The lyrics are an airport screen test for your good behavior to the corporate mainstream, and a sheepdog’s warning to dissenters, ‘BARK BARK! Get back in line, sheep!’ It brainwashes you into accepting a lifestyle that is meant to benefit fat cats like Matthew and his cronies! And just the song itself is the embodiment of weak, soft, Christian rock, and sanitized, dumbed-down corporate media teenage girls listen to!"

The irritated audience started to boo but JC was unfazed. He seized Maya and thrust her to the center of the stage. “You tell them what needs to be said. Be the man with the burning lantern. Set them free.”

Maya couldn’t believe this was happening. Matthew looked amused. Like a horsefly his little rival kept coming back. He raised his hands to quiet his audience. “Let her speak.”

Maya cleared her throat, forcing herself to overcome her stage fright. “I saw an old homeless man sitting in the shadow of your huge building. He was the same man I met before I dueled Matthew for an entrance exam. You talk about being a true duelist, about supporting your friends, doing what's right, and so forth. Why not use your money to help the homeless man? I honestly think being a 'true duelist' is like being a 'gamer'. It's a demographic created by businessmen to make you feel like your in the cool kids' club, but it's only to sell you cards for as long as they can."

 

The crowd booed at Maya and her team mates. Matthew pointed and laughed at her. "You're clearly mad from losing and jealous of me. You only wish you could be a true duelist but you're nothing but a loser dog."He pointed at JC. “Now is the time for your retribution. I will each clean you up one by one, first with JC because he began all this nonsense and last with Maya since she is worst."

Matthew's two bodyguards emerged from one of the doors below and shoved Yukio, Jolene, and Maya to the corner and blocked them from going any further. JC stood staunchly, staring down his opponent, ready for the merciless ordeal that waited ahead.

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  • 1 month later...

Duel 7 – Hell’s Stench

 

Matthew gestured the crowd for a volunteer. "Who wants to take out the trash? You'll get $1,000." 

 

A duelist known as Phillip, from none other than Matthew's own team, came down to accept the challenge. He stared JC down with cold blue eyes behind his huge square glasses. “Let’s see whatcha’ got, sporty.” Phillip said with a voice that was soft and low, but dangerous. His neatly trimmed mustache and the massive earphones he always wore for some reason make him look even more unsettling. He seemed to wait, taught and patient as a tiger waiting to strike its prey.

 

You asked for it!” JC shot back. He activated his duel disk and let it unfold itself into place. 

 

Phillip: 4000  II  JC: 4000

 

Suddenly, the arena and the whole atrium above became dark as if all of the lights went out. And could JC see a fog? He clutched his neck and arms and legs. He felt as if tight invisible bands were wrapped around him, chocking him. “What is this?”

 

“I thought you might ask.” Phillip answered his question. “You and your friends like spouting like little teapots how the Shadow Realm is just some myth. You’re dead wrong, sporty.”

 

JC’s jaw dropped. “This has got to be a hoax! This shit is nothing but smokes and mirrors to try to scare me into submitting into blind obedience!”

 

“Oh really.” The glare in Enigma’s eyes intensified. “We’ll see, doubting Thomas.”

 

PHILLIP'S TURN: “I summon Elemental HERO Stratos!” A lean man glad in spandex and wearing a machine with two fans appears. “I search for one Elemental HERO in my Deck and add it to my hand and I choose Destiny HERO Disk Commander. Next move, I activate Destiny Draw. I discard Disk Commander and draw 2 cards.” He fills his hand with 7 cards. “Hmm… I like my hand nice and big so I’ll just set one card face down and end my turn.”

 

JC'S TURN: "Time to die old man! I draw! I summon Berserk Gorilla!” A huge ape with bloodshot eyes and bulging, flailing limps appears. “Gorilla, pound his Stratos down!” The gorilla rushes, pulls Stratos from the air and smashes it on the ground. (Enigma’s LP: 4000 à 3800)

 

Phillip winces. To JC’s shock his body is burning and a small part of his body even burns off! The flames vanish as suddenly as they appear, leaving his right shoulder missing! But his right arm was still moving, suspended in mid air!

 

PHILLIP'S TURN: “I told you but you wouldn’t believe me. The Shadow Realm is real, and likewise all of the rules of Shadow Games are real too. The loser of this duel will be burned away into the darkness.”

 

Even JC is appalled. “That’s sick! How can you even want that!”

 

“I don’t destroy a dark duelist, a dark duelist does that to himself. I would rather drive a nail through the head of a dark duelist if that prevented her from turning any more people away from the light.”

 

JC almost cannot speak. “You’re insane.”  

 

Phillip remains completely unfazed. “I activate Premature Burial. I pay 800 to resurrect Destiny HERO Disk Commander!” His card flips face up. Enigma is set on fire again, burning away a part of his torso, as sleek and shiny warrior wielding many disks and weapons rises from the dead. (LP: 3800 à 3000) “With Disk Commander’s effect I draw 2 more cards. I Tribute Disk Commander to summon Thestolas the Firestone Monarch!” The flashy warrior shatters and is replaced by a bulky, apish monster with burning fists, clad in clunky red armor. “Thestolas activates. I choose your left most card in your hand.” JC drops his card. “I see your monster is Big Koala.” Enigma gloats.“You lose 100 Life Points per its Level Stars, so you lose 700.”

 

The monarch throws a fireball straight at JC. It crashes into him. JC screams in pain as he burns in flames and as part of his right thigh is scorched away. (JC’s LP: 4000 à 3300). He can’t believe his eyes! His right leg is still standing, but at the same time he can’t feel anything where part of his thigh used to be. Impossible!

 

Phillip is right about to attack. JC snaps with a knee-jerk reaction. “I activate Threatening Roar! You can’t attack this turn!” His card flips face up. A huge roaring din surges from it, forcing Thestolas to wince. 

 

Phillip grunts. “Looks like you evaded me this time. Next time you won’t be so lucky, sporty. I activate Foolish Burial and dump Malicious into the Graveyard and I set three cards face down. My turn ends.”

 

JC'S TURN: “I activate Pot of Greed, which allows me to –“

 

“Draw two cards.” Maya quipped. “The audience isn’t made of goldfish.”

 

“SHUT UP! I play Giant Trunade!” A dusty, gray maelstrom cycles into motion, howling.

 

"Not so fast, sporty!" Phillip responded, "Activate Enemy Controller!” A huge early 90s gaming controller materialized. “I use it on your Beserk Gorilla! Left, right, A, B!” Distressed scoffs, “Big deal! It’s only in defense, unless –“ Beserk Gorilla, due to its effect, bursts into pieces to a laughing Enigma. The maelstrom blows off Enigmas cards back to his hand, but he remains unfazed, grinning.

 

"Lets see you laugh at this! Monster Reborn! Revive Big Koala!” The familiar ankh shines blood red and takes the shape of a huge koala bear at least three times Distressed’s height. “I play Polymerization, fusing Big Koala with Des Kangaroo to summon Master of Oz!” A kangaroo wearing punching gloves and Big Koala liquefy and blur together, forming a giant kangaroo-koala chimera towering at least fifteen meters tall. Enigma’s jaw drops. He chokes for air.

 

“Battle! Master of Oz, kill Thestolas! One monarch is bad enough for one day!” Master of Oz slams a gloved fist, pounding right through Thestolas’s armor, shattering it. Enigma curses under his breath. (LP: 3000 à 1200) He screams as hellish fires burn away the middle of torso, leaving a huge gap between his chest and his pelvis. “How do you like that, you grapeing creep. I set one card down. Your move, that is, if you have a move.”

 

The gang behind him thrust their fists into the air. “Yes JC!” Jolene brightly bounced, throwing her fists in the air. “We knew you could do it!”

 

PHILLIP'S TURN: “This duel ends now, psychologically anyway. I activate Destiny Hero Malicious in my Graveyard to Special Summon him.” A superhero wearing devil-style clothing with large black wings emerges from a dark vortex below.  “And now I sacrifice him to summon my favorite monster Caius the Shadow Monarch!” A familiar monarch figure, now dressed in obsidian armor as dark as night, appeared from the void. “With Chaius’s effect I will banish from play your precious ace monster.” Caius cupped its hands together and grew a dark sphere pulsating with wicked electrical energy.

 

"Bottomless Trap Hole!” JC said. Caius throws its sphere at Oz, collides with it – at the same time a another sphere, huge, more of a whole, just as dark as Caius’s, opens up and sucks Caius in. In a flash both dark orbs vanish, leaving behind an empty field. But JC knew his trap was not enough to save his best monster or the duel. “But I won’t give up. I set 1 card face down.”

 

PHILLIP'S TURN: “You just won’t learn, will you? I activate Destiny Hero Malicious in my Graveyard. I remove it from play to special summon another one!” The familiar warrior in devil’s costume appeared only to vanish a few seconds later. “I sacrifice it to summon Raiza the Storm Monarch!” A familiar looking giant, clothed this time in metallic green and gray, graced the field with its presence.  

 

“With Raiza’s effect your face down is put back on top of your deck.” Raiza conjures a small tornado and in a whiplash JC’s card vaporizes. “Now time to pummel you! Raiza, beat this dark duelist down!” Raisa leers forward and slams Distressed with its fists, throwing him back, toppling on the floor. (LP 3000 à 600) Distressed’s body bursts into flame and hescreams. Smoke rises, leaving almost all of his torso gone, his arms and legs suspended on their own. “I set 1 face down."

 

The audience roars in delight at the sight of JC suffering. He will fall prey to the shadows any time now.

 

JC'S TURN: He breathes heavily. He scrapes with a hoarse voice. “I… will… not… lose…” He collapses on his knees again and buries his face with his hands. It’s as if his brain is evaporating, leaving a pleasant diffusion in his skull where it used to be. His hatred of himself and his obese body, the contempt he received at his school, his mother’s screaming and ugly face all spiral into a black hole. The floor beneath him softens and he feels himself sink, down, down, down… He places his hand on his deck, ready to surrender.

 

– Until! He clutches his fists so hard his nails dig into his palms. He can’t understand why, but for some reason a big part of him screams that he can’t die, even if darkness consumes him. JC rises up to his feet again to see Phoenix and Enigma’s vexed faces. There is still one last option.

 

JC'S TURN: “I summon Bazoo the Soul Eater.” A baboon with strange glowing blue fur is summoned. “I remove from play 3 monsters from my Graveyard to power him up by 300 points each.” Three wispy, silvery spheres escape from Distressed’s graveyard slot and enter into Bazoo’s mouth, making it triple its size. (ATK 1600 à 2500) “I… I set 1 face down. I end my turn.”

 

PHILLIP'S TURN: “Holding out, huh sporty?” He smirks. “It won’t last for long. Face it, sporty, you’ll only be able to do it so long. You will soon run out of defenses and when you do,” His voice softened even more, becoming even more dangerous. “You lose. I end my turn.”

 

JC seethes with rage. “You’re toying with me, you little bitch! How dare you! I’ll grape you up right now!”

 

“No! It’s an obvious trap!” Maya shouts.

 

“SHUT UP! What am I to do anyway?"

 

JC'S TURN: "I use Bazoo’s effect again!” Bazoo engorces once more. (ATK 1600 à 1900) “I activate my face down, Horn of the Phantom Beast!” Pheonix and Enigma’s jaws drop. “Where the hell did he get that card?” Two huge gold antler-like horns emblazon on top of Bazoo’s head, engulfing it in powerful red-hot flames. (ATK 1900 à 2700). “Then I play Wild Nature’s Release!” Bazoo’s body grows even larger, its muscles bulge to the point of shattering outside its body. (ATK 2700 à 3600)

 

“Last time I bothered to do math 3600 minus 2400 equals 1200, the exact amount of life points you have.” Enigma’s eyes shine with fear. He lurches back. “When this attack connects it’s game. Bazoo, finish him off!” Bazoo breathes into its hands and molds in its palms two shining balls of light and throws them at Raiza. The destructive balls were just about to connect –

 

“Game over, sporty. I activate my trap, Phoenix Wing Wind Blast. I discard 1 card to bounce Bazoo back to your hand.” And at that instant the two white hot balls are instantly snuffed out. Bazoo bursts into flames, burning away into a small orange ball, and shoots straight at Distressed’s duel disk.

 

JC sinks to the floor, his head low, never to rise up again. There were no words left for him to say. The gang behind him also sinks, their heads just as low.    

 

The crowd roars into a full thunderstorm, thrilled at Phillip's victory fast approaching.

 

PHILLIP'S TURN: “To think you actually were close to beating me, sporty. Raiza, finish him!” Raiza flexes its huge hands and a gust of wind hits Distressed so hard it knocks him to the edge of the arena. Corroding flames return and sear away the rest of his body until nothing is left.

 

Yukio, Jolene, and Maya cry out in despair. The crowd cheers in adulation.

 

Phillip: 1200  II  JC: 0

 

The dark swirling clouds thin and dissipate. The whole arena and the entire crowd surrounding it form into view and Phoenix is now, once more, a short man on a high stand with uniform.

 

JC was still there! The gang rushed to him. He was unconscious but still there. Yukio shook JC violently. “Wake up, you stupid prat! Wake up!”

 

Jolene took out of her purse a water bottle and poured it all over JC’s head and slapped him over again. A few moments later JC eyes fluttered open and he violently shook as if he was being tazered. JC breathed heavily. Slowly and in great pain he came to his knees.

 

Matthew's bodyguards leered over the gang, holding filled syringes, the noxious liquid inside squirting out. Maya’s eyes widened. “What’s that?”

 

Matthew explained, "It puts them to sleep, provided they weren’t knocked out in the ‘shadow game’ already. It causes them to enter into a nightmare where all the beasts of Hell attack them. When Kaiba lost his first shadow game to Yugi he was punished for his misdeeds by imagining being attacked by monsters. When JC gets through with this he will want to be a saint. And not just him. All of you get the drug. I would inject every person I saw with this drug if it meant keeping them away from corrupting true duelists.”

 

"How is that even legal?" Jolene was incensed, almost beyond words.

 

"Rich prep school kids really can do everything." Maya remarked bitterly.

 

As the bodyguards approached them, Maya’s eyes hopped from JC to Yukio to the guards to Jolene to her duel disk to the guards to her duel disk to guards. “We have no other option but fight.”

 

Maya took off her duel disk and lunged it straight at one of the guard’s faces. The disk shattered his face with a sickening crack, throwing him on the ground moaning in pain. JC and Yukio together smashed the second bodyguard with their fists, pummeling him to the ground. The gang got up and ran to the arena door.

 

“No!” Matthew screamed over his microphone. “Guards, stop them!"

 

The gang slammed through the atrium and out into the city outside. They scattered away from each other like leaves in the wind, sprinting indiscriminately in any possible direction like hooligan idiots. They never looked back.

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Duel 8 – The “Old” World

 

Maya and Jolene sat at the top of the school building, smoking. They weren’t allowed up there but they didn’t care. Ever since Maya stole the school keys they copied them and had access to every room of the building. Maya inhaled the smoke deeply like it was a soothing medicine and exhaled. The smoke trailed up and away to the air above. It was chilly but sunny and the sky was a cloudless endless deep sea of blue. Maya wished she could fly.

 

“How’s your little bro?” She asked her best friend.

 

Jolene gave a smile so bright Maya could only love her for it. “You mean Chip? He’s doing great. He learned the difference between a fact and an opinion in kindergarten today. He also learned how important it is think of other people’s feelings.”  

 

“Most grown ups still can’t do that.” 

A la JC. Now I’m depressed. Do you have literature and history for today?”

 

Maya produced the literature and history homework due today for Jolene to copy. Jolene in turn produced math and physics homework for Maya to copy. A loud hollow knocking rang from the metal door. Four knocks then a pause… four knocks then a pause… Jolene rushed to open the door. It was Yukio.

“Heyyyyyyy!” Jolene hugged and kissed him. “How’ve you been?”

"I thought I could bring over my band to Team Dark Duelists. It would be cool.”

 

“Really? Awesome!”

“We could use the band to get more people on the team and our songs could critique the system. People don’t call me Voltaire for nothing.” The couple sat down. “What are you reading Maya?” Yukio asked politely.

 

Maya showed him the cover. Thus Spoke Zarathustra. But Yukio could see the inside. The pages were covered with walls of hieroglyphic underlines and circles, sentences written around the pages and some musical notes. “Cool. JC has that book too.”

 

“Yup. Trying to see what it's all about. Too bad he doesn’t actually read it.”

 

"And how is it?"

 

"Everything is pretentious and in coded language. It's like reading the Bible except more boring."

 

"Nietzsche had moon in Sagittarius." Jolene told her. "Like my favorite Gemini, Yukio. No wonder you guys are such space cases."

 

"That's such a Virgo thing to say." Maya mocked her.

 

Jolene hugged and cuddled next to Yukio. Maya was ready to throw up on the page. Why couldn’t people keep that crap to themselves? “Anyway, JC’s sick so he wants us minions work out a plan to attack the Shining Crusaders while he’s out. So far I can’t think of anything to do.”

 

“He went to a woman for advice? Isn’t that heresy to him?”

 

“No idea”. Yukio said. “But we need to come up with something."

 

“Well, we could recruit other teams if there are any.” Jolene suggested. “Many are just branches of the Shining Crusaders now, but I’m sure there are some who are willing to join our cause.”

 

“Which I tried. A few teams said yes like Team 42, Team Green, Team Battle Nerds…”

 

“They have some pretty good duelists but our problem is simple numbers. How can we match that? We don’t have a chance.”

 

“We can create a chance. We will level the playing field." Maya suggested. "We beat other big teams, but not as big as Matthew's."

 

Yukio's eyes shone bright with excitement. He knew where she was going. "We climb up the ranks to grow more powerful. Then we fight Matthew head to head. But where do we set up our base of operations?

 

Maya shrugged. “I don’t know.”

 

“Maybe we can set it up near our headquarters.” Jolene suggested. “You know, JC’s basement. And there is one more issue, sweety. All our accounts are deleted. We still need to publicize our duels to show the dueling world we won. Otherwise, Matthew can spin the story and claim it never happened.”

 

Maya took out her camera. “Daily Motion?”

 

Jolene squinted, but Maya could see the laughter in her eyes. “Where did you steal that?”

 

“From the computer lab.”

 

Yukio shook his head. “You’re both crazy. I’m outta’ here.” He kissed Jolene before leaving.

 

Maya buried her face deeper into her book.

 

“Don’t make that nasty face at me!” Jolene joked.

 

The next day JC was back in spirits. Predictably he announced his return like the Terminator and demanded a session in his “headquarters” after school. Yukio elaborated yesterday’s plan.

 

JC stroked his scraggly beard. “Hmm… Excellent! I like the way you think Yukio. You have the heart of a lion and the eyes of an eagle. There’s just one problem. YOU, MAYA! Where’s your deck?”

 

“I lost it.” Maya sheepishly responded.

 

“What kind of duelist loses their deck?” JC exasperated, the whole basement ringing with his loud voice. “I swear I’m going to make a vlog about this on. We all need to revamp our decks a bit if we’re going to compete against all those generic monarch decks. We will need to find effective strategies based on our own unique decks.”    

 

Now it was Yukio’s turn to scratch his goatee. “Hmm… Yeah. That’ll be a problem. Monarchs are the most effective decks out there. We can use some anti-monarch support but other than that we’re just going to have to find a bunch of new cards and swing at the dark. There are other mainstream decks to fight against too, like Lightsworn. I haven’t seen many Chaos decks. Maybe it’s because the cards are so expensive only Matthew can use them. And we might face Yata-Garasu.”

 

Everyone groaned, “When will that bird die already!” Yata could end any duel on the spot. Unsurprisngly, only people like Matthew could afford such a broken card.

 

“Anyway!” JC interjected. “I have a plan. Yukio and me will pick on the weakest link. I found a decent pro named Cristy from Team Sailor Sensei. We lure her to a layer of our choosing and have Jolene catfight her to the death."

 

“We’re dueling, JC, not shooting porn.” Maya reminded.

 

A wicked grin came to JC's face. “Me and Yukio will lure Cristy to her doom. Maya, Jolene, you get to steal rare cards from her."

 

“Guess this wraps it up.” Yukio said. “I gotta’ go practice.” And he left.

 

“I gotta’ pick Chip up.” Jolene left.

 

“I gotta’ go back to the kitchen to cook for my dad so he doesn’t kill me.” Maya left.

 

JC stood all alone in his basement. Was any of this even worth it? JC didn’t know what he was doing and he doubted his friends knew either. There was a burning in his chest, a fire of passion and anger and frustration and it had to go somewhere. Whether it was ranting passionately in a video or dueling some goon of the system or creating his little revolution he had to do it. There was nothing else he could think of doing. Everything else seemed so empty.

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Wow. I am basically speechless.

 

I'm going to say this as general, though, I do not basically like fan fiction. Admittedly, I see it as an interesting way to spend the time, but generally I don't like writing it.

 

However, as a fellow writer, I will say this: from what I've read so far, you were born to be a writer.

 

I'm going to say this with the upmost solemnity, and I hope you take it the same:

 

I didn't read all chapter, but I did read a couple. Your descriptive writing is excellent. You cannot imagine how many times I actually thought this descriptive writing is taken right out of some of Tolstoy's works - and for that you should be proud. I understand that with descriptions often comes blabbering, but you, dear sir, nail it perfectly so that the reader doesn't get bored from reading it.

 

Secondly, you've got paragraph sequencing done really well. Not at one point did I feel that it jumps uncontrollably and / or that the plot does not follow an orderly fashion. It does indeed, and if you can write like this naturally, without stopping and thinking of how and where the next paragraph goes, then props to you.

 

Third, you posses something that writers strive for for a long period of time - the ability to create layers to your characters. You've given them such Philosophical inquiries, such entertaining thoughts and sentences - for one second did I think that this is fan fiction, but rather, a really intriguing story set in a fan fiction universe. I honestly can't give you more praise for such things.

 

Those are the three points that I had to make right after reading the first two chapters. Continue on with this kind of writing and I can almost promise you that you will create inspiring and great works. And, if nothing else, aim for just the couple of things that your writing lacks: Conciseness (which is not particularly a problem in creative writing) and a hook. This story is interesting, but it'd be even more intriguing with a good hook to replace the first duel, because that is really what sells stories. If you can master these elements as well, you will not only be a great writer, but also leave me in envy. So, all that is left to say after that is bravo sir. Your story and writing is, indeed, magnificent.

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