Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh. I do own several things in this fic.
Author's note: This fic is to further develop my writing skills, so feel free to drop any comments or criticisms in your reviews. I will continue my other Yugioh story, just not anytime soon. Sorry to all the fans of that one.
Italic means thinking, flash-back, etc. Most of you would probably know this by now.
Kira Chihaza stood at the balcony of his bungalow, slowly contemplating the decision he was about to take. The wind was whipping against his face, and his eyes were gazing at the wondrous skies above him, where the stars shone bright. He tore his eyes from the wonders of the heavens above and brought them to the letter which he held in his hands, his crimson eyes scanning its contexts.
Dear Kira "Sabreus" Chihaza,
You have been invited to the Gen-ex Tournament. The tournament will be held on the 28th of June at Icarius Island. The purpose of this tournament is to uncover new dueling "champions" who will stand a chance to enter Kaiba's Dueling Academy, where many others have been discovered and are already receiving training to improve their abilities and also the chance to win $1,000,000. Should you wish to enter this tournament, enclosed with this letter is your ticket to the island. Please be at Platform 9 of Marina Bay at 9:00 o'clock sharp tomorrow morning to board the ship. We hope to see you there.
Yours sincerely,
Mokuba Kaiba
Co-owner of Kaiba Corp.
Kira chuckled slightly when he saw his nickname. Sabreus…
People used to call him Demon because of his blood-red hair and eyes. Then all that changed right after his duel at Pennsylvania, where the people there had given the name Sabreus, which was supposed to mean dark and beautiful. Since then, few have called him Demon, though there were occasions where kids would run away from him, screaming. He chuckled again.
Just then his phone rang, and he picked it up.
"Hey Kira, you'll never guess what happened!" the person on the other side yelled.
Kira held the phone away from his ear and suppressed an urge to roll his eyes heavenwards. Typical Suain Hitori, his classmate since two years ago. Also a duelist like himself, Suain's style was vastly different from Kira's, as were their reputation. Kira was renowned for being a level 8 duelist, having won many championships and for his rare collection of cards. Suain was two levels below him, an above average duelist of level 6. Though the gap between their levels was big, it was more because of the rarity of their cards than anything else which left Suain in that position. Kira waited patiently while Suain continued to ramble about how extraordinary, magnificent, wondrous, mind-blowing, unbelievable this event was and that he wouldn't be able to even guess what it is.
"Let me guess, you got a letter from Kaiba Corp. which invited you to the Gen-ex Tournament which will be held on the 28th of June at Icarius Island, giving you the opportunity to join Kaiba's Dueling Academy and also win $1,000,000 in the process. Enclosed with the letter is the ticket to a ship which you have been asked to board at 9:00 o'clock sharp tomorrow morning to the island. Oh, and it's signed by Mokuba Kaiba. Did I get it right?" Stunned silence… Bingo.
"How…how did you know that?" Suain stammered. Kira nearly laughed at the simplicity of the question.
"I got it too, genius."
"You got one too? Cool, that means we'll get to see each other there then," Suain began talking excitedly again. "You are going right?"
"Yeah. You?"
"Me? Of course I'm going! Who knows? I might even get a chance to meet Seto Kaiba himself!" Oh, that's right. Kira had forgotten that Suain was a big fan of Seto Kaiba, and had done his best to imitate him by creating a dragon deck. His deck was significantly different, because no one could ever hope to obtain a single Blue Eyes White Dragon; all three of them being owned by Seto Kaiba himself.
They continued to talking for a while, Suain's excitement never faltering, before Kira decided that he had to pack and advised Suain to do the same. Bidding him good night, he switched the phone off and moved to pack his things. He thought for a moment, then decided to pack light and quickly dumped all the usual stuff-shirt, pants, toiletries, those kind of stuff-into his travel bag. That done, he dropped into his bed, too tired to move. Slowly, his eyelids began to feel heavy and he drifted into a dreamless slumber.
He awakened to a sunny morning the next day. Rolling over, he peered at his alarm clock. 7:30. He still had an hour and a half to get to Marina Bay. He got up and quickly made his bed. Heading to the washroom, he washed himself up, combing his hair as he did so. Changing out of his clothes, he put on a sleeveless shirt, with blue and white designs over it, and a pair of jeans. He took out a jacket as well, with designs similar to his shirt, and put it on as well. Taking his watch, he slid it on and pocketed his wallet as well.
He checked his clock. 7:45. Plenty of time left. He picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. Now where is my Duel Disk, he thought as he searched the room? Oh, that's right. I used it to duel the computer downstairs yesterday.
Opening a private compartment under his bed, he removed two protein bars and slipped them into his pockets. Kira got out of his room and ran down the stairs to his entertainment room.
The room was actually a hemispherical dome where he practiced dueling with his Duel-bot. It was large enough so there was enough space for the images of the monsters to materialize fully, and the only furniture there was a round table half-surrounded by chairs which was situated at the edge of the room. And on top of the table was his Duel Disk.
His Duel Disk was custom-made, specially ordered from Kaiba Corp., and had cost him nearly $9,000. Still, it was well-worth the price, made from the best available materials and had a special feature which he had requested be added in: the ability to switch colors.
He picked it up and examined it, making sure it was functioning perfectly. Satisfied, he slid it on and went outside to wait for a taxi, not forgetting to lock his house.
The trip to the bay took the better part of an hour. He paid the taxi driver and thanked him. Making his way to Platform 9-which wasn't hard to find, with the hundreds of duelists gathering there-he showed his ticket to the guard, who let him pass. He went in and searched the crowd. Most were complaining because they had to wait, while others were talking excitedly amongst themselves. Some were even trading cards and dueling. But still, where was Suain?
"Kira!" There he was.
Kira side-stepped the tackle he was about to receive, while Suain crashed onto the floor, twitching. He quickly got up and glared at him. "You idiot! You had me worried sick. Do you know how close to being late you were?"
Kira eyed his friend amusedly. Suain was wearing his favorite Blue Eyes shirt, with white pants to match. His Duel Disk was nowhere to be seen, which led him to believe it was in his red duffle bag which was slung over his shoulder. A young teenager with unkempt dirt-brown hair, he had experienced an early growth spurt and was half a head taller than Kira. "I'm never late. You know that."
Suain continued to glare at him, trying to muster as much anger as possible. Inevitably, he found it impossible to stay angry at his friend. "Forget it. Just try to be a little earlier next time okay?"
"I never try to do anything either Suain," Kira replied blandly.
Suain threw his hands up in exasperation. "Fine. Whatever." Then he calmed down and grinned. "Guess who I found when I was waiting for you." He looked past Kira's shoulder.
Kira turned, and came face-to-face with an auburn-haired woman who stared back at him with emerald eyes. "Lacus?" he asked in surprised voice.
Lacus Layne was another friend of Kira and Suain, their junior by a year. She was wearing a dark green tunic which hugged her body neatly, with a silver mesh tied at the waist. In her right hand she held her suitcase, while a Duel Disk hung on her left. Kira frowned at this. To the extent of his knowledge, Lacus was no duelist.
"Hi Kira," she greeted him. "Didn't expect to see me here?" She grinned at him.
Behind him, Kira heard Suain burst out in laughter. "You should have seen the look on your face man." He moved between them. "You were like this." And he proceeded to make the most ridiculous face Kira had ever seen in his life, his knees bending slightly while his mouth opened agape and his eyes staring heavenwards. Lacus tried to suppress her giggle but failed miserably.
"You're exaggerating," Kira told Suain as he punched the jaw back into place. Suain grumbled under his breath. Lacus had managed to suppress herself and looked at Kira innocently when he stared at her. So they planned this. Wait till I get my revenge. Just then, he heard the guards lock the gates and soon the speakers buzzed.
"Fellow duelists," the announcement began, "I am sure many of you are already impatient to get onboard the ship towards your destiny so I'll cut this short. Many of you will not be boarding that ship." Roars of protest were heard all over while some duelists looked around in confusion. "Here are some facts for you to digest: Kaiba Corp. doesn't want losers participating in this tournament, much less training at its academy. Therefore it has already been decided early on that only 30 duelists shall board that ship." Another wave of protests. "To get onto that ship, all of you will have to duel until you lose. Only the 30 remaining duelists will be able to board that ship. And the rest gets sent home in shame," the announcer began to cackle madly. "However," he continued, "there is another way to get onboard the ship immediately. If any of you manage to defeat the guards in a duel, you may do so. Be forewarned that they are Kaiba Corp.'s elites and should you lose, you will not only be sent home but one of your precious cards will be taken. So think before you act. Enjoy!" And the speakers went dead.
Many duelists began to move about, issuing challenges, while others backed away, trying to remain unnoticed. Kira ignored all this as a plan continued to form inside his mind. He smirked suddenly and motioned to Lacus and Suain. "Follow me."
They stared at him in confusion, but followed him anyway. "Where are we going?" Suain asked. Kira didn't answer, but merely headed towards the ship. There he stopped in front of the stairs, where two guards were blocking the way.
"You can't board the ship unless you're one of the thirty who are left," one of the guards said. "Or do you wish to challenge one of us?" He smirked.
Kira's eyes did not waver as he stared at him in the eye. "I'll challenge three of you alone. If I win, my friends and I get to board the ship. Agreed?" Suain and Lacus stared at him like he was crazy, and the guards were doing much the same.
The guards recovered first. "Very well, but be warned that if you lose, you and your two friends are automatically disqualified." He called three others to him, asking one to replace him while he and the remaining two walked towards the center of the platform. "Clear the field!" he yelled.
Duelists scurried about, wondering what was happening, while both Suain and Lacus were yelling at him.
"Kira, are you nuts? Didn't you hear what the announcement said? They're Kaiba Corp.'s elites. And you're thinking of taking three alone?" they both yelled at him. "Are you trying to get us disqualified!"
Kira waved them off, marching front to face the three guards, who had already activated their Duel Disks. Ready brother, he asked silently at the back of his mind?
Next time you want me to duel; can you at least ask first, his "brother" replied back?
Kira chuckled. Sorry about that, but you already knew what I was thinking anyway. And you're better suited for mult-dueling.
Fine, but you owe me one for this Kira.
Feel free to call the debts anytime, Zephyr.
Kira dropped back into the shelter of his mind as Zephyr took control. The crowd gasped as his body began its transformation. His hair, which was blood-red, turned dark blue and his eyes shifted into a matching color. His Duel Disk folded out, turning white with metallic blue bolts painted over it. "Let's get this show on the road," Zephyr stated, ignoring the looks he was getting, both from the audience and his opponents. He threw his travel bag aside and drew five.
Zephyr: 4000
Guard 1: 4000
Guard 2: 4000
Guard 3: 4000
"I'll start," the first guard, the one he had challenged, said. He drew six cards. "First is Pot of Greed. I trust all of us here are professional enough to know what it does," he said as he drew two. "Then I'll summon Muka muka (600/300) in attack mode." A crab-like creature appeared on the field, with smoke streaming out from the many tubes on its head. "Next is Infinite Cards, which allows me to hold an unlimited amount of cards in my hand. One card face-down and that's it for my turn." A brown-backed card shimmered into existence on the field.
"I'm next." The second guard, a blonde, drew her card. "I hope you're ready boy, because we're not going to hold anything back."
"Just get it on already," Zephyr said dryly.
"Fine, I use Card Destruction to make us discard our hand and draw new ones." Then first guard's face-down card flipped up, revealing two brown bags with the numbers 50 sewed on both.
"I chained it with my new permanent trap card: Even Share. Now when my opponent-that's you kid-draws cards outside his draw phase, I get to draw the same number of cards." He laughed as he drew nine cards, while Zephyr and the other two guards drew five each.
"Next is Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer (1800/700) in attack mode." A two-faced priest rose on the field, holding his beads in his left hand while chanting softly. "End turn."
If the first and second guards were bad, the third, an exceptionally large man no less, was the worst. "I'm going to beat you down to a pulp!" he yelled as he drew. "1 face-down card and that's it for me."
Zephyr didn't even bother to look at his drawn card. "Orb of Life (0/0) in defense mode." A small crystal ball appeared on the field, glowing with a faint white light. Many duelists began whispering amongst themselves, wondering what his tactic was. Some went and called him names, laughing at his stupidity for putting such a weak monster in defense. "Hey," he called to the first guard. The guard looked at him, puzzled. "What's the downside of Even Share?" The question was so simple it took him off-guard.
He laughed. "If you must know, if you ever have more or the same numbers of cards as I do I have to discard my entire hand and deal 300 points damage to myself for each card. But since I have Infinite Cards and you don't, I doubt that'll be a problem."
Zephyr snickered. "You think that trap cards of you is going to win you this game. What you don't know is that it's a liability. I'll say this now…in the next three turns, all of you are going to fall. Starting with you." He pointed at the third guard. "Then you." The second guard. "And finally you." The first guard glared at him as he pointed. "End turn."
"You think you're that tough?" He drew his card, increasing his hand to 10. "Muka muka gains 300 for both attack and defense for each card in my hand, making it an impressive 3600 attacker." (3600/3300) Many in the crowd gasped as they saw its attack points skyrocket, while some-the more professional duelists-still watched impassively. "And it destroys your pitiful orb!" The monster surged forward, swinging its claws at the orb. There was a sharp "clang" but the orb still hung there, unmoving. "What?"
Zephyr looked at him with an almost bored expression. "Orb of Life can't be destroyed in battle when it is in defense mode. Done yet?"
The first guard growled. "Fine, end turn."
The blonde drew and smiled. She slid four of her cards into her Duel Disk and held the final card for them to see. "I place four of my cards face-down and play Treasure from Heaven. Now we draw until we hold six cards in our hands." She drew six, while the others drew one. "I summon another Kycoo and end my turn." Another priest similar to the first rose on the field.
The third guard drew his card and played it immediately. "I discard one card from my hand to activate the effect of Cost Down. Now all monster cards in my hand are downgraded by two levels. And since it is two levels down, I can now summon Jinzo (2400/1500) without any tributes." A green humanoid appeared on his field, its laser eyes glaring at Zephyr. "I equip it with Big Bang Shot, giving it 400 more attack points and the ability to deal damage through defense. (2800/1500) Go, Psycho Shocker!" Jinzo raised its hand, electricity coursing through it and smashed it down on the orb, raising dusts everywhere. When the dust settled, Zephyr was seen standing with a smirk on his face. "What's so funny?" the guard asked him.
"You are." He held up his Duel Disk, and the guard's eyes widened at the increase.
Zephyr: 6800
Guard 1: 4000
Guard 2: 4000
Guard 3: 4000
"Any damage dealt through Orb of Life is converted into Life Point gain, which means you just helped me. Anything else?"
Veins started popping from the guard's forehead, and he struggled to control himself. Gesturing, he ended his turn.
"My turn then. Draw." Zephyr snapped a card from his Duel Disk and pointed at the large man. "I said you'll fall first and I mean it! Orb of Death (0/0) in attack mode." Another orb appeared on the field, this time omitting a dark glow. "Attack Jinzo!"
Jinzo watched the ball in front of him, before bringing down his fist and smashing it into pieces.
Zephyr: 4000
Guard 1: 4000
Guard 2: 4000
Guard 3: 4000
"Orb of Death's special effect activates! When I receive 2000 or more damage through it I can destroy all the cards on my side of the field to initiate a Thunderbolt-like effect. Go Death Ripple!" All the monsters were suddenly struck by an invisible force, sending them flying into their owners. "Second effect activates. Any of your monsters that are destroyed by the first effect gets their attack points subtracted from your Life Points." The guards gasped as their Life Points went pummeling down.
Zephyr: 4000
Guard 1: 100
Guard 2: 400
Guard 3: 1200
The third guard recovered first and brushed himself. "Looks like your plan failed," he sneered. "I still have 1200 Life Points left." Then his face paled as a figure began appearing on Zephyr's field. Its general shape was that of a man's, but it had a pair of wings, one black, and the other white. In his hands he held a scepter and a sword, both slotted.
"Yinyang Warrior (1500/1500) is automatically summoned to the field from my hand or deck whenever both orbs are sent to the graveyard at the same turn." Zephyr pointed at the third guard, who was sweating profusely. "Finish him. Balance Strike!" The warrior jumped to the other side of the field and slashed at the guard.
Zephyr: 4000
Guard 1: 100
Guard 2: 400
Guard 3: 0
The other two guards watched in shock as their partner's Life Points dropped to zero. "One face-down card and end turn," Zephyr said as he quietly slid the card into his Duel Disk. He pointed at the blonde. "You're next."
The first guard gulped loudly before drawing his card. Then he smiled as he saw his drawn card. "Monster Reborn on Muka muka." The crab-like creature reappeared on the field. (3900/3600) "Attack Yinyang Warrior." The warrior didn't stand a chance.
Zephyr: 1600
Guard 1: 100
Guard 2: 400
Guard 3: 0
"End turn."
The blonde drew, hope shimmering in her eyes. She saw her drawn card and sighed in dejection, gesturing for Zephyr to continue.
Zephyr drew and slapped the card onto his Duel Disk. "One set monster." His hand shifted into his graveyard pile, where he took two cards and showed it to his opponents. "I remove Orb of Life and Orb of Death to re-summon Yinyang Warrior in attack mode." The warrior returned to the field, looking slightly battered but otherwise fine. Zephyr pointed at the blonde. "Go." The warrior jumped forward and delivered the final blow.
Zephyr: 1600
Guard 1: 100
Guard 2: 0
Guard 3: 0
He slid his remaining cards into his Duel Disk. "This is your final turn. If you can't figure out my strategy then you're going to lose." With that, he ended his turn.
The guard drew his card. "Muka muka," he paused, unsure whether to continue or not. If Zephyr was bluffing then he would win the duel. If he was not however, he would be in trouble. "Attack!" The monster came up, only to get entangled in a net.
"Elaborate Defense can negate as many attacks as the turns it has been on the field, not counting the turn I set it," Zephyr explained at his flipped-up card. "I set it two turns ago, which means it can negate three attacks."
"Fine, end turn then." The guard wasn't worried. He still had the strongest monster on the field.
"…That was your last," Zephyr drew and, not bothering to see what it was, flipped his set monster up, revealing a white-robed, female magician. She was carrying a staff with many peculiar runes on them. "Magician of Logic (200/300) when flipped lets me choose a magic card from your graveyards and add it to my hand." The magician made a circular motion with her staff, and three cards came flying at Zephyr-one from each of his opponent. He caught them without batting an eye. "First, your Pot of Greed." They both drew two cards, the guard due to the effect of his trap card. "Then your partner's Card Destruction."
The guard's eyes widened as he realized what his plan was. "I'm chain it with Mystical Space Typhoon from my hand to destroy Even Share."
"You caught up a little late," Zephyr said as he drew his cards. He pressed a button on his Duel Disk, and his face-down card flipped up. "My own Card Destruction. Game Over."
Zephyr: 1600
Guard 1: Decked out
Guard 2: 0
Guard 3: 0
The crowd, who had remained silent until now, continued to do so even after the duel ended. Zephyr looked around and saw that almost every other duel had ceased, their participants watching him instead. He ignored them and picked up his travel bag, moving to board the ship. "You two coming?" he asked Suain and Lacus, both who were staring at him with their mouth hanging. Without waiting for a reply, he turned and moved onto the ship.
Inside his mind Kira was laughing. Revenge is sweet.