YuGiOh: Cross Roads NEW! [EPISODE 5: RUNNING OUT OF TIME PART TWO] POSTED

[Synchronized]

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[spoiler=Episode 1: Welcome to the Cross-Roads]

For some reason, one I’ve never been able to understand, people seem to believe that in life, they have a purpose. It’s a common perception amongst people of all races, cultures, regardless of how you classify them. As much as I want to believe it, and I’ve tried, I find myself questioning the validity behind it. Every morning I wake up, and every night I go to sleep, and rarely does anything happen that makes me feel different, or makes me feel like something I’ve done is relevant in the grand scheme of things. Maybe it’s just me.

We don’t like outsiders here. The Cross-Roads is the place, the one place on this earth, where absolutely no one cares. It’s not even on maps. Here, the law doesn’t exist. There are criminals running around all over the place, but if you’re here, you accept it. The Officials don’t care, and why should they? Everyone who is here, is here because there’s nowhere else for them to be.

The name’s Kaneko, but they call me Ken. I don’t get it. I don’t get the appeal of a normal life, because I’ve never lived it. I was seven years old when my parents abandoned me here. They left me here to live a life of gambling, caring about nothing but themselves and even then, that was a stretch. I care about no one. Not even myself. No one has ever been there for me and as I said, they have no reason to be. Things work differently here than everywhere else. It’s like something out of an old Western flick, but worse. Nothing but miles and miles of desolate desert wasteland, full of nothing but emptiness.

They call it the Cross-Roads because it’s that point between life and death. Here, not only is your existence irrelevant, people pretend you don’t exist. The kind of people here, castoffs, criminals, you name it, we’ve seen it. Someone considered “decent” here would be seen to the rest of the world as ruthless and brutal.

I didn’t ask for this life. I was never given the option. I can just barely remember that thought, deep in my head, the memory of a young boy with the dream to become the best duelist in the world. I was a young boy wanting nothing more than to see smiles on my parents’ faces as I won a duel on the grand stage. That boy, and that dream, are now gone, and have been replaced by a cold, hardened shell of who I once was.

When they brought me here, I was seven years old. I was terrified, tears in my eyes as I asked my parents repeatedly, “why”? Why did they have to go? And they told me it was only for a short time, a week or so. They said they were going on vacation and I’d be safe here until they came back. Twelve years later, I’m still alone.

It’s a cruel system. As a child, life here makes an Orphanage seem like an amusement park. Once you turn seven, you move into a “Training House”. That’s what they call it. In reality, it’s a group of kids, either born here or in a situation similar to my own, forced to live and obey the commands of a brutal “Duel Guard”. You’re given a Deck of Duel Monsters cards, and sent out into the city. You spend your entire day dueling, but the duels here aren’t like you’d think they are. Here, every game’s an Ante Duel, and the loser must offer up a card to the winner. It didn’t matter if you were seven years old, or sixteen years old. You had to bring your Duel Guard at least one card a day. If you didn’t, you didn’t eat. Often times, we’d go for days without a single bite of food.

It’s awful, the starvation. But it’s just one of the many things that make the Cross-Roads the most brutal, horrific place on Earth. There are robberies, beatings, fights all the time. It’s these things that have turned me into the person I am today. I show no one compassion, yet I don’t start fights, either. I’m not the same as all the others. At first, I played their games, but my lack of purpose took away my will to fight. Yet for some reason, that one day changed everything…

[i]It was twelve years ago, almost to this day. It’s strange, despite all I’ve endured, that I can still remember it clearly. It had been nearly a month since my parents had abandoned me here, and I’d started to realize, despite the small glimmer of hope I held on to, that they weren’t coming back. Gunner, our house’s Duel Guard, had ordered us out, with the always painful reminder that if we didn’t come back with a card, there’d be nothing to eat. I don’t recall the exact day, but it had been six days since I’d eaten anything. The lack of victory wasn’t something we could blame solely on ourselves. They supplied us with a Deck, but it was full of measly cards the rest of the city didn’t want, and so we got stuck with them. That was the catch. More often than not, we didn’t eat, and if we did get lucky enough to win, what we got to eat was hardly worth the effort.

I was in immense pain. I didn’t have tons of dueling experience, and I’d only won a few games; enough to keep me alive, but barely. I’d already a duel that day, and my hope was starting to dwindle. Part of me wanted to just collapse to the ground and give up on it all, but the other part of me refused to give up. I was searching for something, searching for a purpose. I walked through the sandy, dusty city streets, with the intense heat from the sun making it even more difficult to keep fighting. An immense headache had made it hard for me to walk, and just when I was about to fall, I bumped into a man.

It took me all of a second to realize what happened, and I scurried backwards as quickly as possible. Fear and frustration over took me as the man turned around, his grey tattered beard and soul-less green eyes staring me right in the face. He was brimming with anger, and it was just then I realized that I’d interrupted him in the process of beating down a younger duelist for money and cards. The kid had time to run away, leaving me all alone. I continued to back up in fear, wanting to run away, hope that I could just wake up and this would be a dream, and I’d be back home in my bed with my parents just down the hallway.

“You little b****!” He screamed, but not with normal anger. He was furious. I had no idea what to do. I could run, but that wouldn’t have made a difference. I was too fatigued. Besides, it was pointless.

I was going to die anyway. I hardly had the strength to stand, never mind duel. The hope of earning a card and being able to eat had diminished. I wasn’t even hoping for survival anymore. I dropped to my knees, tears streaming from my face and into the dirt, causing small blotches of mud to form around me. Who cared? I didn’t matter. If I’d died right there, no one woulda cared.

That’s why it puzzled me when I stood up. As if through forces beyond my control, I gathered the confidence to issue a challenge, an Ante Duel challenge. The one thing you can’t do at the Cross-Roads is refuse an Ante Duel. It’s sort of an unwritten law. To refuse one would mean you were a coward, and here, only the strong survive…if they’re lucky.

Parts of this memory have faded. I don’t remember how the duel began, but I remember the conclusion. I was beyond exhaustion, on the verge of passing out. As I struggled to keep myself from falling, I remember the man’s words.

“You are nothing! None of you are! That is the point you fail to grasp!” He spoke through crazed eyes, eyes that had seen it all, and would never be able to forget it. “You all fight, you all believe you have a purpose, but you don’t! That is why you are here, and the sooner you accept that, the better off you’ll be! So just lay down and die already!”

I wanted to ignore it. I continued to tell myself that he was wrong, that I did have a purpose. My parents would come back and I’d be able to go to Duel Academy, and become a Professional Duelist. But any time I started to believe, reality kicked me in the face and sent me back to my knees, forced to accept my failure.

He had 2700 Life Points. I’d managed to get in an attack with my Giant Soldier of Stone, which had since been destroyed. I had 300. As an older duelist, not only did he have more experience, he had better cards. I’d fall to my knees in pain, only to will myself back up and play another monster, which he would just destroy.

“I don’t understand! Why don’t you just quit? Why won’t you stay down, accept defeat, accept that you can’t change your life now! You’re just like the rest of us! You too, have a breaking point! Now attack!” His creature attacked, firing a bright blue blast right at me. I don’t remember the monster, but I remember shaking with fear, knowing he was right and knowing I was helpless.

“N...no!” I hadn’t eaten in days, I couldn’t even stand up straight. But my body wouldn’t let me stay down. Something, something was willing me to go on. Just when I wanted to quit, something in my head caused me to stand back up and endure another turn in which I’d suffer even more.

“You can do nothing to stop it! You will lose, and soon you will die! You are not invincible, it doesn’t matter if you’re a child or someone like me! It’s about survival, and you’re simply not strong enough to survive! It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down and get back up, because when all is said and done, you will have accomplished nothing!”

“You’re wrong!” Even at my young age, I could tell that he’d been through everything there was to go through. He was essentially crazy, but that’s what a place like this will do, you either die or you take whatever measures you have to in order to survive. Which is exactly what I’d decided to do. I don’t know how I did it, or why I bothered, but it’s the one thing that kept me from becoming just like the rest. “It doesn’t matter how many times I fall down and get back up, because I’m going to keep doing it, I’m going to keep doing it until I’ve won the duel! I may not have a purpose, but I can’t quit! You can beat me down all you want, but it doesn’t matter! Just like my monsters, even though you’ve destroyed me, I’m going to keep fighting!” And I played it. “I activate the Trap Card, Blasting the Ruins!”

“Nothing can--! What is that?!” He silenced and stared at me, eyes full of fear and confusion.

“Everything in my Deck has been destroyed! You tore my Deck apart and this time I waited for just the right moment! Since there’s over 30 cards in my Graveyard, my Blasting the Ruins Trap can activate, causing you to take 3000 points of damage!” The blue blast, coming at me full force, was whisked back by a strong wind, as pieces of rubble began to emerge from the ground below me, floating up towards the sky. The attack disappeared, and the rubble crashed down upon the man, bringing his Life Points to 0.

I had won. And it was that victory that told me that while there was essentially no hope, I could never truly stop hoping. The man fell to the ground, as did his Deck. But that wasn’t all. Cards fell out of both pockets of his jacket. Tons of them, cards he had stolen. As he pulled himself to his feet, he looked at me, and walked away, leaving all of his cards scattered around the outline of his body in the dirt.

I didn’t know anything, except that I refused to end up like him. I took his Deck and traded it for money, then left the Training House. I was better off trying to make it on my own than dueling for some loser and hardly any food. I took the other cards and used some to build my Deck, keeping the rest. I’d have to use them later.[/i]

At this point, I’ve managed to acquire a Deck that can win games rather easily. Often times, people refuse to challenge me. That day was the first of many duels I’d go on to win, to this day setting a reputation for myself as a duelist you want to avoid. No one bothers me, and I don’t bother them. It’s simple, but it works.

“Look what we got here!” I perked up as the bar door slammed open, and two goons barged in, holding a young guy, about seventeen years old, by the back of his shirt. He wasn’t from here. I could tell they’d roughed him up from the blood on his forehead. His bright blonde hair, polo shirt, and khaki pants caused him to stand out, and not in a good way. Outsiders aren’t really accepted, and if they do come, they certainly don’t want to be noticed.

“Looks like someone didn’t get the memo,” the barkeep snarled. My eyes shifted from the blonde kid to the barkeep. He stood behind the counter with an irritating grin on his face. I’d never really noticed him before, but with his pudgy exterior, scruffy, unshaven beard, and white shirt covered in stains, he really set the stereotype for this entire place. There were a few of us who stood out, but honestly if it weren’t for the fact that they were somewhat skinnier, I wouldnt’ve been able to tell the barkeep from his cronies.

“Yeah, poor guy,” the goon on the left replied. One of ‘em had spiked brown hair, and his outfit literally matched that of the barkeep, while the other had a black mohawk. Your typical tough guys, except not really. People sat in silence, the few of us in the bar, as they threw the kid to the floor. “Let’s show him why outsiders ain’t welcome here!”
“I…I just need directions! I didn’t mean to…” the kid tried to speak, helpless and probably in fear for his life, only for the guy with the mohawk to shut him up with a hard kick to the gut, while he was already on the ground.
“Shut up, or it’ll be worse than it’s already going to be!”

“Leave him alone.” I was almost surprised myself as I stood up, pushing my chair back into the wall in the process. The entire bar looked up at me, including the barkeep, who seemed taken aback at my response.

“What’d you just say?!” The anger in his eyes didn’t phase me. When you’ve got nothing to lose, you’ve got no fear at the same time.

I don’t think the feeling was friendship, or respect, or courage, or anything like that. At that moment, the glimmer of hope began to resurface, and while I lacked compassion, something inside of me knew this was what I had to do. It was completely crazy, but no one ever said I was normal, anyway.

“You stay outta this, or we’ll kill you too!”
“Your empty threats mean nothing to me,” and I meant it, too, as I activated my duel disk, causing the room to illuminate in a burst of light. “I’m sick of this place, and I’m sick of people like you. I was a kid like him once, albeit younger, and damn it I’m tired of seeing s*** like this! Now if the two of you are so tough, what do you say to a duel?”
That got the bar crowd riled up. “A duel? With us?,” the one on the right asked, in a mocking tone.
“I’m glad you can comprehend a basic question.” He growled in response to the sarcasm. “The two of you face me in an Ante Duel. I win, you let the kid go.”
“And if we win?” He paused. “If we win, you give us your entire Deck and all the money you’ve got on you!”
“You’re on.” I grinned at the one with the spiked hair, and he did the same.

“Heheh! I don’t know who you are, but you should’ve just left well enough alone, kid.” The two goons stared at me, full of intensity.
“Well, you show me what’s well enough, and I’ll consider it! Game on!”

[b]To be continued…[/b][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Episode 2 - Mist Opportunity]

There was nothing, not even the usual sound of scattered conversation as the bar’s entire population had moved outside, along with the two goons and myself. Confident, they’d left the fallen outsider in the doorway. He had a good enough view, alright, but with the blood dripping from his forehead, and his face pressed against the wooden steps of the pub, he wasn’t going to be watching much, at least not until he recovered somewhat. We’d gone right out front, literally. With the city’s formatting, there were vast amounts of open space in front of the buildings, as well as between them.

“Since it’s us two onto the one you, I feel I’ll make the first move, eh Kaz?” The mohawked goon looked to his left as Kaz, his partner, responded with a nod of arrogance, and they both activated their duel disks. A strong wind blew sand across the field, adding tension to our stare down.
“Sounds good to me, Frankie,” Kaz responded. “Let’s teach this kid why you don’t meddle in other people’s business.”
“Intimidating, but not really. Let’s see what you’ve got.” It wasn’t the goons that interested me, but the barkeep. While I’d never learned his name, it was a well-known fact that he “ran” things. Not officially, but he was the kind of guy you didn’t want to cross. And he’d stepped outside to watch his cronies take me on. I wasn’t sure I’d made the right decision to stand up for this kid in the first place. No one had ever been there for me, tried to defend me, but it was too late at this point, so I had to make the best of it. Plus, shutting these two up would be worth the inconvenience.
“You asked for it! My draw!” Frankie drew his card almost cautiously, as if he was hoping for something in particular to start. “Just what I was hopin’ for! Go Copy Plant (0/0)!” I did my bet to put on a scared face as large vines shot up from the dirt, twisting themselves together. Suddenly, they stopped, and its eyes opened.
“You’re goin’ for this combo already?” Kaz asked. “Well, if you can pull it off.”
“You bet I can pull it off! Now I activate my Token Replication Spell Card,” Frankie slid the card into his duel disk, and a dark glow surrounded the vine creature, making an entirely black copy of it, same stats and all.
“Interesting. You took one bad monster and made two.”
“Yeah laugh it up all you want, kid! Cause with Token Replication, I can make a duplicate Token of any Level 4 or lower monster on my field!” He grinned. “But the only thing that doesn’t copy, is the monster’s type.”
“Monster’s type? What do you…” Oh, I got it. Copy Plant was a Tuner monster! It took me a second to put it together, but even with the ability to Synchro Summon on his first turn, what could he possibly bring out? I’d already a foolish mistake, but I was determined to prevent it from costing me.
“That’s what I’m talkin’ about! Now, I tune my Copy Plant with my Copy Plant Token to Synchro Summon…Formula Synchron (200/1500)!”

The two plants vanished in the grid-like formation, and a small portal hovered above the field. From out of the portal came a blue robot, with a normal frame, except this one had a special detail, a racecar around its neck. It stormed the field, and a bluish glow began to surround both the robot and the top of Frankie’s Deck at the same time.
“That’s different,” I replied sarcastically. It wasn’t really my nature to act with sarcasm. I simply used it as a method of confusing the opponent. What mattered was knowing what the situation really was. How I acted it out made no difference.
“Different, yeah, because now when Formula Synchron’s summoned, I can draw a card from my Deck!” He did just that, with a glow of confidence about him. “Now, I’ll end my turn with a face-down!”

So he’d basically pulled off what I’d expected to be a huge combo, only to draw a card. Sure the bonus is nice, but something tells me there’s more to this move. I was already regretting my decision. It was a snap judgment, but still, I had no choice but to finish this stupid game. I should’ve just let the kid get what’s coming to him. You come here, that’s what happens. It happened to me. No one helped me, so why does anyone else deserve the help? Whatever. It didn’t make a difference now. I didn’t doubt I’d win, so this kid would get a free pass. I’m sure he won’t care regardless. He’s never gone through what I’ve gone through, what hundreds of us here have gone through. He’ll just be happy to pack his bags and get the hell out of here. I’d decided I wasn’t dueling for him, I was dueling for me. I’d made a decision and now I had to live with it. Heh. Maybe this would even be fun.
“If you’re finished, I’ll go.” Interesting first pick. “I activate the Spell Card Reasoning!” A bright yellow glow emerged from the card, causing Kaz to shield his eyes while Frankie watched on, not as concerned, despite appearing as someone taking residence in an underground cave. “It’s simple. You pick any monster Level from 1-12, and I pick up cards from my Deck until I get a monster,” I paused. “Then, if the monster is the same level as the one you called, it’s sent to the Grave. If not,” I grinned. “If not, I get to Special Summon it to the field!”
“I’ll go wi…” Kaz interrupted.
“Hang on a second Kaz, It’s not your decision. Frankie, I’d like you to make the pick.” He seemed to be the less intelligent of the two, and I planned to use that to my advantage.
“Any level, huh?”
“Frankie, go with Level 4,” Kaz replied through gritted teeth. “It’s the most common. Let’s not take any chances with this guy.”
“I, I dunno Kaz.” Frankie was puzzled, which is exactly what I was going for. “Do you really think he’d make it that easy? I mean it’s a big risk, losing tons of cards in the process.”
“Don’t be stupid. That’s what he wants you to think. He wants to confuse us, that’s why he let you make the pick and not me.”
“Are you sayin’ I’m stupid?” Tension. Well that was a plus. I didn’t plan on it, but, if the shoe fits.
“Don’t be an idiot.” Kaz snapped back. “We’ve got a duel to win. Now pick Level 4 and get on with it!”
Frankie seemed hesitant. Of course I had no idea what the monster was, but by making it seem like I wanted to confuse them, it bettered my chances of them picking Level 4, which is exactly what I was hoping they’d do.
“Fine, Level 4 it is!” Frankie shouted, grilling Kaz in the process. “You better be right about this.”

“4? Alright, let’s see.” I picked up the first card, revealing it to be Monster Gate, and sent it to the Graveyard. Next, Foolish Burial, and there it was. As I revealed the third card, both of their eyes widened, but Kaz’s appeared to be in surprise, while Frankie’s was anger. He’d been right. “Well whattya know? It’s Level 6, and since it is, I can summon it to the field! Come on out, Granmarg the Rock Monarch (2400/1000)!”
A swirling mass of energy formed above the field, as a beam shot down from the center. The earth began to crackle, as my rock monstrosity emerged from the field, standing tall as his bronze armor formed around his large rocky figure. It greatly towered over the Formula Synchron, almost eliciting a look of fright from the creature.
“Oh man! This ain’t good!” Kaz shouted, then turned his attention to the Barkeep, who seemed to be fully focused on the duel. His henchmen were bickering amongst themselves, and I’d already gained the upper hand, but he was content. Then again, he never really talked much, but he was important, and his presence alone had to have them under pressure.
“I activate the Trap Card Shield Team!” His card revealed itself, a bronze shield emerging from it. The shield was together, but broken into four separate parts, each one apparently a token with no attack points. The Formula Synchron grabbed onto it, gaining a boost of confidence. “With this card, my Formula Synchron gains some serious defensive power! I get to summon four Shield Tokens, and the tokens protect my Formula Synchron from any attacks! That means, if you want to get through me, you’re going to have to take down my shield first!
“A solid defense is always nice, but you might’ve rushed a little! I activate the Spell Card Temporary Merge!” They stepped back as a starry glow began to surround my Rock Monarch, as well as my Deck.
“What the…what’s going on?” Kaz inquired, disbelief in his voice.
“I’ll explain, don’t get worried just yet! See with Temporary Merge, at the cost of 500 Life Points, I can remove from play a Tuner monster in my Deck, and this turn only perform a Synchro Summon using that monster and a monster on my field!”

[b]Ken’s Life Points[/b]: (-500) 3500

Small areas of conversation began to pick up as the duel goers watched. While Synchros weren’t uncommon, they could tell I had something big in mind. And I wasn’t disagreeing.
“Now unfortunately, the Level of the Tuner monster gets cut in half before I can make the move, but it doesn’t matter, since the monster I’m removing is Nitro Synchron (300/100)!” A brief burst of fire shot up as an aluminum cylinder appeared on the field, complete with eyes, gloves, and shoes. With two fire pumps on its head, the creature let out a second burst of flame before merging with Granmarg.
“This is all your fault, Frankie!” Kaz snapped at his partner.
“Hey guys, I don’t care whose fault it is! Look at it this way, I’m gonna beat the both of you anyway, so why’s it matter who I beat first? Now, Granmarg the Rock Monarch, merge with Nitro Synchron to create, Nitro Warrior (2800/1000)!”
What had previously been an aluminum can now became the tail of a large, grotesque creature as Nitro Warrior emerged from a ball of fire, sprouting horns on both its head and its shoulders. It crashed down upon the field, shaking the ground as it landed, and bringing with it the amazement of the people standing around us. The kid on the ground managed to lift his head enough to look at it, and I could’ve sworn I saw him smile. It almost sent a chill through me, but I quickly shook it off and focused on the duel. This kid deserved whatever had happened to him, for being too ignorant to appreciate what he had and focusing more on what he didn’t. I wasn’t trying to save him or make him proud, I was trying to prove that you didn’t have to be rich or fancy to play this game.
“My field may be trapless, but you can’t go through five monsters in one turn, so I’m safe regardless! Do your worst!”
“You asked for it! Nitro Warrior, destroy one of his shield tokens with Mach Fireball!” An orb of fire surrounded his right hand, as he leapt into the air and came crashing down, striking the shield and causing the upper right piece to explode completely.
“That was your big move? Now your Nitro Warrior will be destroyed, leaving your field open for a direct strike! You’re foolish!” Kaz smiled, brimming with confidence. It was amazing to me how someone who acts so tough could be so stupid at the same time. So I smiled, and let out a little chuckle for effect. “What’s so funny, huh kid?!”
“Just your arrogance is all.” He looked at me, puzzled. “You’re so sure that you’re going to win this duel, and that you’ve got everything in the bag, that you don’t take the time to think that maybe, just maybe, I’ve actually got a strategy.”
“It’s not arrogance, kid.” He smirked. “When you know you’re gonna win.”
“If you say so! But, before you get to that whole winning thing, allow me to activate Nitro Warrior’s special ability! With this, since Nitro Warrior destroyed one of your monsters in battle, it gets to attack again!”
“Say what?!” Frankie shouted, while Kaz just stood there, angry.
“There’s more. The monster it attacks, if it happens to be in Defense Position, it’s automatically changed to Attack Position!”
“But that means!”
“You’re about to take a whole lot of damage, since Nitro Warrior’s gonna take out another Shield Token!” Frankie cringed as the left corner piece stood straight up, leaving half a shield. “Nitro Warrior, Mach Fireball attack!” He leapt in the air again, right hand surrounded by a fireball, and struck the shield with great intensity, shattering it to pieces, that crashed right into Frankie, who fell to his knees.

[b]Frankie’s Life Points[/b]: (-2800) 1200

“This ain’t good!” Frankie looked to Kaz, who had nothing to say. It was obvious that Kaz was the more arrogant one, whereas Frankie was the brawn of the team. The kid looked up again, his face still covered in blood. I felt sorry for him, but continuously reminded myself that I was doing this for me, not him. Still, he had hope in his eyes, and I couldn’t help but feel that I had a similar hope for myself. Or at least I had. Now nothing remained but cold emptiness. I had nothing to live for, no purpose. I never had anything handed to me, and I never will, whereas this kid’s got a home, a family, he’s got it made. Thinking about it made me furious, and if my cards weren’t on the line I would’ve surrendered and let the kid get taken away. Kids like that, they never appreciate anything, they never work for anything, they have a life, they don’t have to live alone as a seven year old child, and find their own food, water, everything. I was one of those kids, at a time, but now, I was stuck here, hell on Earth, and I’d never be able to be anything more. I hated him, but at the same time, I wanted to see him survive. I was so torn between what I felt was right, and what somewhere in my heart, I knew was right. I’d win, and he’d leave, never realizing how close he was to death. People like us are always below people like him. But what if that hope, what if that hope was real? What if the same hope he had in his heart, I had in mine, and maybe I could leave here? No…my head was beginning to hurt, and I had to stop thinking entirely to focus on the duel. I had to win, there was no other option. I needed my cards, otherwise I’d truly have nothing.

“So you did some damage,” Kaz replied sarcastically. “I’m impressed. You’re not half bad. But you haven’t even had the chance to see what I can do. And besides, with two-on-one odds, you’ve got no chance of winning this thing. I’m going to show you just how worthless you are!”
As he spoke those words, thoughts of my duel twelve years ago, against that ruthless old man, who was no different than the rest of the people here, as he continued to insult me, berating me and making me feel worthless. Well, that wasn’t the case. I wasn’t worthless. I had to win. I had to win to find out what I’m here for. I had to find out who Kaneko Korenaga really was, and what he was supposed to do here. There was a reason I had snapped and finally decided after years of paying no attention to it, to step in and put a stop to this. This didn’t have to be the way things was, did it? I couldn’t think…

“You’re right,” I faced the ground, speaking with a confidence that I had never felt before. “Two on one odds, I can’t beat! So I’m going to have to even them, right now! It’s still my first turn, but I’ve got one card left in my hand!” I turned the card towards the two, and Kaz’s eyes opened wide. He knew it, of course. “I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card Dual Destruction!” As I placed the card in the duel disk, a bright light shone out from it, a light that encased my Nitro Warrior.
“Kaz, I can tell by the look on your face that you know how this one works! When a monster of mine inflicts damage, I can activate this card to allow it to attack again! Of course, there’s a price. A heavy one at that. At the end of my turn, Nitro Warrior is destroyed and I take 2800 points of damage, but it’s worth it to bring this duel down to one-on-one! And since I played a Spell Card, Nitro Warrior gains an added boost of 1000 Attack Points, making it far stronger than before!”

[b]Nitro Warrior[/b] 2800 + 1000 = 3800

“Kaz, help me out somehow!” Frankie asked, desperately in need of saving from his partner who could do nothing to help him.
“It’s not my fault you made foolish mistakes.” Kaz seemed to show no remorse. Not that I was surprised, but you’d think with the two being allies, there’d be at least something. I didn’t care regardless.
“Nitro Warrior, change his Shield Token to Attack Mode, and take Frankie out of this duel with one more Mach Fireball!” This time, the fireball was much larger as Nitro Warrior leapt across the field, crashing down on the shield, but this time destroying not only the token, the entire shield and Formula Synchron as well, as Frankie fell back about five feet, straight into the sand.
“Unbelievable! He took Frankie out in one turn!” The barkeep shouted, genuine shock on his face. “Kaz, make him pay for this! Show him why no one gets involved in our business!” Figures his first comments weren’t pretty ones.

Kaz moved toward the center, now that it was down to one-on-one. We stood face-to-face, winds blowing sand across the duel field as the kid began to stand. I was almost surprised to see him as he started to get up, but the more I saw of him, the more I started to feel that hope in my heart. The more I started to realize there was more to this duel than just saving my cards. I didn’t know what, but I just had to keep dueling and try to find out.
“You’re a tough guy, Ken.” He paused. “But here, toughness is irrelevant unless you can back it up. You stepped into save the kid, but why? He’s just another rich kid, another kid who doesn’t understand or appreciate anything, and you know it!”
“It’s not about him.” Kaz didn’t flinch. “It’s about me. I made the decision to duel, and now with my cards on the line, I’ve got to win. I could care less about the kid, I made the challenge to shut the two of you up.” Out of the corner of my left eye I saw him leaning against the door of the bar. His face showed sorrow, but not anger. He didn’t fully believe me. And to be honest, I wasn’t sure if I fully believed me, either. But Kaz had a point. And I was so torn, I didn’t want to talk, I wanted to duel.
“Ah, so that’s why you issued the challenge?” He laughed. “You can deny it all you want, but courage only makes you weak! That’s what I’m going to show you right here! Now it’s my move, and before I draw, your Nitro Warrior’s destroyed, meaning you take a total 2800 points of damage!”
“Not quite, pal.” While Nitro Warrior’s gone, it’s not sent to the Graveyard, it’s returned to the Extra Deck thanks to the effect of my Temporary Merge! What that means is, while my field’s completely open, I’m still safe with 3500 Life Points.”

“I wouldn’t say safe.” Kaz drew a card, and smiled. He burst into laughter. “I summon Shining Angel (1400/800) in Attack Mode!” A pair of golden wings appeared on the field. As they opened, a man dawning a toga and sandals, and looking remotely human, landed on the field. He stood his ground. “Now here’s where it gets good. I activate the Spell Card Life Exchange! Now, at the cost of half my Life Points, I can add 1 Spell Card from my Graveyard to my hand! And since Frankie was still my partner, I can access his cards, too!” I didn’t like where this was going. “And I choose Token Replication!” It was the same move Frankie made last turn, except I felt like Kaz had a much bigger creature in store. “And why not play it?” A dark glow surrounded the angel, making a completely black copy of it, similar to Copy Plant earlier. Now he had two Shining Angels, but no Tuners. Maybe he wasn’t going for a Synchro Summon like I’d expected.
“Intimidated yet?” He laughed.
“Not quite. It’ll take more than a few measly angels to scare me. I’ve been through it all.”
“You think you’re the only one, huh? Well let me tell you something, you ain’t been through nothing compared to people like me. And it don’t matter, because now I’m satisfied, and I’m going to prove that you’re just as worthless as everyone says you are! See, Life Exchange has a second ability, one that allows me to revive Copy Plant from the Graveyard (0/0)!” The vine formation returned to the field, only this time I knew it wasn’t going towards a racecar. “Why waste anymore time?! I’ll tune my Copy Plant with my Shining Angel and my Shining Angel Token to Synchro Summon, Mist Wurm (2500/1500)!”
Fear shot through my entire body as the large ravenous creature emerged from the ground, covered and spikes, with multiple holes across the back of its body where mist was being released constantly. It let out a roar, its sharp teeth clearly visible through the mist that surrounded it. The people silenced.
“Your Synchro has nothing on mine, and you have no way to save yourself! Mist Wurm, attack with Sulfuric Storm!” The creature’s mouth opened wide, and a cloud of sulfuric mist formed inside it. As it roared in anger, the cloud turned into a beam, which the creature fired straight at me, knocking me to the ground.

[b]Ken’s Life Points[/b]: (-2500) 1000

“Hahahahahah!” Kaz stood tall as I struggled to stand, failing in doing so. “You should just give up and save yourself the embarrassment! We’ll take all your cards, and leave you here to die surrounded by your worthlessness!”
He was right. I had nothing. I never would. What I thought was a brilliant strategy was nothing more than a lucky draw. He’d been sitting there waiting, ready to make his big move, and now I had nothing, nothing but emptiness. I had no choice but to surrender. I prepared to place my hand over my Deck, looking to get the strength to do so.
“You’re wrong!” I looked to my left, as did Kaz, shocked. The kid was still on his feet, though he was in noticeable pain. Who was he to get involved? “I may not know anything about this place, or any of you, but Ken’s far from worthless! Life’s not a walk in the park, and no one ever said it should be! I may look like a rich kid, but I’ve never had it easy! My father was taken from me at eight years old, and I was forced to live with my grandparents in a life of misery until I was old enough to go out on my own! I made decisions I surely regret, but instead of turning them into negativity on myself, I use them to better myself as a person, and help others around me! Ken, let me ask you this, if you had no purpose, why would you step in to save me, huh?!”
“I…it’s not about you! I’m…”
“No, you’re right! It’s not about me! It’s about proving to yourself that you do have a purpose! I don’t need to be saved, I’ve never had someone to support me before, until I decided to go out there and do what I could to help those who needed it! I know I’m never going to be a perfect person, but I feel like I’ve found my purpose in life! I don’t know your life story, but I do know this! The longer you wallow in your own self-pity, the worse off you’ll be! Stop feeling sorry for yourself and hope for the best!” Hope. There it was again. I stared at him for a good thirty seconds, not moving my eyes at all.
“Oh please, this kid…”
“Shut up!” I interrupted. Kaz silenced quickly as I placed a hand on my right knee and started to stand, the sand falling down the outside of my pants to the ground. “He’s right. All my life, I’ve pitied myself, and continued to tell myself that I’m worth nothing. I’ve continued to make myself feel like I didn’t matter, thoughts that were only reinforced by people like you. Well, Kaz, not anymore! If there’s one positive thing I can say about this place, it’s that it gave me the ability to fight until I’m physically unable, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do! I don’t care about your stupid Synchro monster! I’ll take your Mist Wurm out, and I’ll take you out with it!”

I was going to win this duel. It wouldn’t be easy, but taking the easy way’s never really been my thing.

[b]To be continued…[/b][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Episode 3 - Hopeful Spirits]

The words were all there. I looked pathetic, I’m sure, lying there on the ground, too weak to even stand, and yet this kid had faith in me. Despite what I’d said about him, and how I wasn’t dueling for him, I was dueling for me, he urged me to get up and continue. I knew I was standing up for him. It’s just that I kept pushing it down, not wanting to show weakness. It didn’t matter, now. I’d shown weakness. Instead of willing myself to continue, I took comfort in feeling sorry for myself. He said he’d lost his father at age eight…so why was he here? There was a lot more to this kid than I’d assumed at first sight, but now wasn’t exactly the time to try and have a conversation. Kaz stood across from me, his Mist Wurm towering over everything. Suddenly, I felt intimidated by the creature. The pressure to win now was much greater than it was before, because this was about proving something to myself. I could leave here. And I wasn’t going to leave the kid, either. He was the reason I’d gotten back up in the first place.
“[i]It’s time to focus. Kaz, you’re going down![/i]” I drew a card, the only one I had. If I left my field open , that’d be it. He’d attack directly next turn, and this duel would be as good as over.
“Look at you, trying to act tough after your little victory speech. Poor kid thought he might be able to help you.” Kaz laughed, turning to face him. “Frankie, knock this kid down a peg.”
“You stay away from him!” I shouted. He was hardly able to stand as it is, but it didn’t make a difference as Frankie continued towards him. The kid kept his balance, but Frankie blasted him with a right hand to the gut, and he buckled forward, gasping for air.
“Haha!” Kaz liked what he’d seen. “So now the kid’s your friend? Sorry kid, we’ve got big plans for him, and we’re just trying to prove that he’s better off not fighting back! If you wanna save him, you’re gonna have to win, and let’s be honest, your chances of doing so are zero!”
“[i]Hang in there, I’ll get us out of this.[/i]” It was infuriating to watch as he tried to stand. Here I thought this kid was a spoiled loser, but now that I’d known that wasn’t the case, there was so much regret. He was like me, but instead of feeling sorry for himself, he went out there and made something of himself. That’s what I was going to do now. No more Mister Nice Guy!
“I’ll set a monster face-down and end my turn. Let’s see what you’ve got.” The horizontal card materialized in front of me, as Mist Wurm let out another ugly roar, just ready and waiting to destroy it.
“I don’t think you’re in any place to be making challenges at all,” Kaz said slyly. “You’re out of cards, relying on defense, you can’t hide forever!”
As much as I didn’t want to admit it, he was right. Kaz had me cornered, and I had to rely on luck, and defense. If I could hold off until next turn, there was a chance I could turn it around, but it was entirely dependent on Kaz’s actions.
“Who said I was hiding?” I tried to withhold my confidence, at least showing that I had no intentions of backing down. “Do your worst.”
“As you wish! But it won’t be me doing my worst, it’ll be my creature! Mist Wurm, send his face-down monster to the Grave with Sulfuric Shot!” A foul stench filled the air, as the venomous creature prepared to unleash its assault. And I had nothing to stop it, its acidic beam striking my monster, but not destroying it. Not quite yet. “Huh?” He growled.
“Don’t get too ahead of yourself, I’m not as stupid as you think!” Light shot out from the card as it flipped up. A stone jar flew out of the light and hovered on the field. A long, ghoulish creature inside the jar opened its eye and shot out, stopping inches from Kaz’s face, and causing him to step back in fear.
“Get outta here!” Kaz shouted as he tried to swat the monster away.
“Oh don’t worry, he’s going, but first, his special ability activates! See Kaz, you attacked my Morphing Jar (700/600), and when he’s flipped, the two of us have to discard our hands and draw five new cards!” I had none, drawing five which was my only chance to get back in his, whereas Kaz discarded two cards from his hand. He looked angry at first, only to smile as he picked up his new cards, leaving me with a small feeling of concern.
An eerie silence took over as Kaz stood, staring at his hand and not saying anything. I watched him, ready for him to end his turn, set a face-down, or something. He began to laugh. It was a loud, almost frightening laugh where it not for his snarky voice. “Thank you for that.” He smiled. “Because now, I can summon my Light Archer (1000/700) to the field!” Kaz was nothing but smiles as a winged knight, sporting golden armor and a pair of large, white wings behind it appeared on the field, and took its place right next to his Synchro Monster.
“It’s too late to attack,” Kaz explained. “But, that doesn’t mean I can’t use Light Archer’s special ability! Once per turn, my Light Archer can inflict 300 points of damage directly to your Life Points! Now go, illuminate the field with Shining Arrow!” A bow comprised entirely of a bright yellow energy materialized between the creature’s hands. It moved its hands in a motion, forming an arrow, and as it pulled its hand back, the arrow shot out, straight at me, and struck me right in the chest.

[b]Ken’s Life Points[/b]: (-300) 700

“Ken!” The kid yelled from the ground, as Frankie stood over him grinning. “Don’t give up! You can do this!”
Holding my chest, I looked towards him and gave a slight nod. I wasn’t sure I could, but that wasn’t going to stop me from trying. “My move!” With a brand new hand, I stood a much better chance of getting back in this, but I had to do something, and fast. I had 700 Life Points, meaning I had at most, three turns to survive before that Light Archer took me out completely. Game time. “I’ll start with a face-down.” The card materialized as Kaz watched on. I glanced towards the Barkeep, who kept his quiet, stern look. Somehow I knew that if Kaz lost here, he’d be in for it. See if I care.
“I Summon Blizzard Dragon (1800/0) in Attack Mode!” A rigid icicle rose from the dirt, defrosting to reveal a medium sized blue dragon, sporting a pair of wings that weren’t used for flight, merely for show. It fired a cool breeze as it was summoned to make its presence felt. He had no face downs, meaning this would be an academic attack. “Blizzard Dragon, take out his Light Archer with Ice Barrage!” Light Archer readied itself for an attack as Blizzard Dragon opened its mouth, forming a pointed shard of ice. It fired, and continued to do so for nine more shards.
Kaz stood his ground. “You think it’d be that simple?” That’s never a good thing. “You’re not dealing with a loser, kid. Because now I activate Light Archer’s second ability! When he’s selected as an Attack Target, I can redirect the attack to another monster on my field!” The grin on his face gave me chills as I realized how foolish I had been. “Unfortunately, doing so means any Battle Damage dealt to you becomes zero, but that doesn’t matter, because next turn I’ll finish this duel anyway! Mist Wurm, attack with Sulfuric Shot!”
The barrage of frozen shards became surrounded by a bright light, the same that comprised Light Archer’s bow, and instead flew towards Mist Wurm. I knew I stood no chance. The grotesque creature unleashed its attack, disintegrating the shards with no effort at all, and striking my Blizzard Dragon.
“There is nothing you can do, Ken!” Kaz spoke with his face completely covered in confidence. He had this duel under his control, and as much as I hated it, there was nothing I could do. I’d rushed right into an attack, and I legitimately had nothing left but one face down card, and a useless monster in my hand. And the face down, there was no way I’d even be able to use it. It required a Life Point payment that I’d be unable to meet. Was this really the end of the duel? Was there no way I could beat this guy? I’d dueled so many people here in the city, and for the most part beaten all of them. Frankie was no challenge at all, and yet it seemed Kaz was just the opposite.

“Get him out of here.” I looked to my right to see that the voice was coming from none other than the barkeep himself, and he was referring to the kid. The one I was dueling for, the one barely able to stand.
“You keep your hands off him!” I snapped. “This duel’s not over, and I’m not giving up!”
He stared at me, looking ready to respond only to burst into laughter. And not normal laughter, sinister laughter. The kind that sends shivers up your spine. “I don’t care about your little duel! I’ve seen this long enough! Frankie, get him out of here now!”
The kid tried to defend himself, but Frankie grabbed him by the arms and ripped him to his feet. I couldn’t watch this anymore. I had to do something.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Kaz inquired, and I stopped in my tracks. “This duel’s not over yet, and if you try to leave, not only will your chance of saving the kid be lost, your Deck will too!”
It had set in on me. I had been so stupid, so caught up in the struggle of the duel that I didn’t realize this wasn’t about saving him. There was no way these two intended to follow through on their intentions of saving him, and all they’d done in the process was trick me into a duel where now, I had no choice but to finish or face losing my cards. Without my Deck, there’d be no hope at all. But maybe that didn’t matter. I’d spent my whole life worried about me, maybe I had to just give up the cards and save the kid. I could fight these two off, whether it is a duel or a fist-fight. And so I kept walking.
“Ken, wait!” The kid struggled to speak to me, as he tried to fight out of Frankie’s grasp at the same time. “Don’t worry about me! You need to finish this duel! There’s so much you don’t yet understand, and without your cards, the fa-” Frankie blasted him with another shot to the gut, and he coughed up blood which brought a smile to Kaz’s face.
“Without my cards, what?!”
“There’s no…time…to explain! Take this!” Evading Frankie’s grip for a mere second, he tossed me a card. I snatched it out of the air, and Frankie carried him away. He and another figure tossed the kid into an old, sedan and took off, dirt flying out from underneath the wheels of the sandy roads.
“Do you see now, Ken?” Kaz asked. “You can hope all you want, but here it will do you no good! Now your friend is gone, and soon your cards will be too! You’ll truly be left with nothing like the worthless loser you are!” He drew a card, and I felt myself wanting to cry. This kid, he didn’t know me at all, but he’d rather risk his own life than let something happen to mine. It was all my fault, for being stupid enough to accept the terms of this duel, terms that I came up with in the first place. But this time…I wasn’t going to feel sorry for myself. I was going to take that fault and change it. I had no idea how I was going to continue this duel, but I wasn’t going to give up, no matter what happened.
“Shut up!” I glared at him, and he shook for a moment, before smiling. “I didn’t ask for an explanation, and I sure as hell don’t want one! Just shut your damn mouth and make your move, so I can finish this duel!”
“For someone about to lose everything, you seem mighty confident! Let’s knock that down a peg, shall we? I activate Light Archer’s special ability!” Light Archer raised its bow, formed an arrow, and fired it straight at me. As those watching the duel watched on in suspense, I let the shot hit me, again right in the chest as I dropped to the ground.

[b]Ken’s Life Points[/b]: (-300) 400

“Just stay down! There is nothing more you can do! Light Archer can still attack, and even with your face down card, you’re guaranteed to lose!” I heard his voice, but I could see nothing. “No one believes in you, and no one ever has! You’re no better than anyone here, and just because you carry yourself like an outcast doesn’t mean you have any more of a chance to be somebody! Just lie down and die!”
“Is that it? Is he done?” I heard someone in the crowd ask.

[i]“I don’t understand! Why don’t you just quit? Why won’t you stay down, accept defeat, accept that you can’t change your life now! You’re just like the rest of us! You too, have a breaking point! Now attack!” His creature attacked, firing a bright blue blast right at me. I don’t remember the monster, but I remember shaking with fear, knowing he was right and knowing I was helpless.

“N...no!” I hadn’t eaten in days, I couldn’t even stand up straight. But my body wouldn’t let me stay down. Something, something was willing me to go on. Just when I wanted to quit, something in my head caused me to stand back up and endure another turn in which I’d suffer even more.

“You can do nothing to stop it! You will lose, and soon you will die! You are not invincible, it doesn’t matter if you’re a child or someone like me! It’s about survival, and you’re simply not strong enough to survive! It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down and get back up, because when all is said and done, you will have accomplished nothing!”[/i]

No.

“I…I’ve never been one to give up.” It took every bit of effort in my body to push myself against the ground, and force myself to stand.
“He’s up!”
“No way!”
“Are you really that pathetic?” He didn’t know me, who I was, what I’d gone through. And truthfully, neither did I. I had no idea who I really was, just the guy that even when he should lose, gets back up and takes the next attack. “It’s time I end this duel.”
“Go ahead.” I laughed, looking up at Kaz to see that his confidence was gone. He’d hoped to make an example out of me to the rest of the people watching, but I wasn’t going down without a fight. “Attack me, I can’t do anything anyway, right? That’s what you told me. If I’m so pathetic, finish this duel!”
“Do I look stupid to you?” He pointed to my face down card. “I know you’re waiting for me to do just that, so you can play your little Trap, but it’s not going to work! I’ll let you take one more turn, because it’s irrelevant, just like you! With Light Archer on the field, I can attack you with another 300 points of damage next turn, and then, by playing a face-down monster, there’s no way you can attack my Light Archer at all!” A horizontal card materialized next to the angelic figure. “It’s your turn, best of luck, kid. You’ve got some good cards, I can’t wait to take them all and make my Deck even stronger than it already is!”

It worked. I banked it all on one try, and through some miracle, he’d decided not to call my bluff. It was all or nothing now. I didn’t know if I could do it…the pressure came rushing through my body, until I looked down at the card the kid had thrown to me. Of course, I couldn’t use it in this duel. It was a weird looking machine creature, “[b][i]Cyber Valley[/i][/b]”, it was called. But it reminded me of what he’d just gone through at my expense, and the pressure was gone.
“My draw!” I picked up a card. “[i]This is it.[/i]” Exhausted, nervous, and intimidated, I formed a smile, staring straight at Kaz, who’d just realized his mistake. I didn’t have to tell him, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt. “Kaz, you made one mistake too many! You got too confident in yourself, and spent all your time berating me, while I worked on developing a strategy to put you out of this duel! I may not be anything special at all, but as long as someone believes in me, I’ve got a reason to keep fighting! And contrary to what you think, more than one person does! Not only does the kid you took away believe in me, I believe in myself! And that’s the one thing I’ve never before felt in my life! I do have a purpose, and I can fight! I can win! Even though my face-down card couldn’t be used, I bluffed, I kept fighting, hoping that just maybe, you’d decide not to attack! Because you were blinded by your ego, which made it possible for me to get that one last draw!” A light began to surround the card in my hand, far brighter than anything else around, including the Light Archer. It illuminated the entire area, and Kaz stepped back, shielding his eyes from it. “You asked about hope, well I’ll tell you! Hope is the one thing that keeps us fighting! No matter how difficult life can get, if you have hope in yourself and in others around you, you’ll never give up! Just watch! I activate the Spell Card Miracle Rescue!”
A crack emerged in the ground, and the same light that now filled the duel field illuminated it. Kaz continued to shield his eyes as he saw a familiar sight; my Granmarg the Rock Monarch crawled its way out of the hole, surrounded by the bright light.
“What in the world? How is that thing back?!”
“Hope, that’s how.” He looked at me, confused. “I waited, I took the damage, and I never stopped believing I could win this duel! By doing just that, I got a miracle, in the form of my Miracle Rescue card! Since my Life Points are below 500, I’m allowed to Special Summon a non-Synchro Monster from my Graveyard, and I chose my Granmarg the Rock Monarch!”
It felt good to see the fear on Kaz’s face, knowing that I’d had him cornered. After they tricked me to begin with, I couldn’t wait to hit him with the final blast and put an end to this duel. “Even so, you’re not going to do enough damage to win! And next turn, I’ll be able to hit you with enough damage to end this duel! Your hope is useless!”
“Who said I was done?” I asked. “I’ve still got one card left! And it’s my key card, too! Now, since the monster I’m sacrificing was Special Summoned this turn, it can count as two tributes to bring out my most powerful monster, Red Eyes Spirit Dragon (2500/2000)!”

A circular formation of light began to surround Granmarg, moving around him in a fast motion as Kaz and the rest of the people watching looked up at the sky. A dark bolt of lightning struck Granmarg directly, covering him and mixing with the light. “Now, by combining the powers of dark and light, I can summon forth my most powerful monster!” Granmarg became one with the powers of light and darkness, each half of his body taking a different side. I felt my strength coming back to me as the darkness and the light vanished, with a red and black mass of energy taking its place. From the mass emerged a beastly black dragon, with two huge wings behind it. Sharp red spikes lined its legs as well as its wings, and they matched the lines that covered its body. It let out a ferocious roar, so powerful I could actually feel it before it settled on the field.

“That thing…that thing is huge!” Kaz looked at up it, intimidated, and I had to admit, I was somewhat intimidated by it, too. I’d only summoned this creature a few times before, and its mere presence made you take notice.
“Before you run your mouth about how invincible your Light Archer is, allow me to activate one of my monster’s abilities! During the turn my Red Eyes Spirit Dragon is summoned, I can make the Attack Points of any monster on the field 0!” I paused for effect. “Now, let’s make that happen! Go Internal Flame!”
A blue coat of flames surrounded by dragon, and after a moment, it spread its wings and fired it straight at his Archer.

[b]Light Archer’s ATK[/b]: 1000 – 1000 = 0

“Now, for effect two!” I could tell he was concerned. The barkeep was too. Understandably so. I was about to make them pay. “When Red Eyes Spirit Dragon battles with a monster, that monster’s effect is automatically negated! And I’m sure you can put two and two together, right, Kaz? You seem like a smart guy.”
“That means I can’t use my Light Archer’s effect!”
“Exactly.” Grinning, I thought of the kid, and how as soon as this duel was over, I was going to find him, and save him. Just as he had saved me. Now then, on with the attack. “Red Eyes Spirit Dragon, destroy his Light Archer with Spirit Flame Fireball!” He took flight and tilted his head back, screeching as a blue ball of flame shot across the field. The Archer tried to defend itself, but it was pointless, and it exploded into pixels.

[b]Kaz’s Life Points[/b]: (-2500) 0

“Whoa…”
“No way…”
“I don’t believe that, man!”

I listened to the scattered applause and amazement of the people watching the duel, but I was more interested in Kaz’s reaction, and that of the barkeep. To my surprise, the man who I’d just beaten stared at the ground, disappointed and embarrassed at his defeat. The barkeep, on the other hand, stepped forward, clapping in a mocking tone.

“You may have won, but it doesn’t matter.” He was certainly serious. There was no confidence, rather anger. Anger towards Kaz, for failing and forcing him to take business into his own hands. “I run things here, Ken, and you’ve made the mistake of getting involved in my business. Now there’s no joking around here. I’m not Kaz. While he prefers to talk himself up instead of taking things seriously, I plan out every move. Here at the Cross Roads, you don’t get mercy often.” He continued. “But, I was extremely impressed by your dueling skills, and this one time, I’ll let you leave. I don’t care where you go, but I’m going to pretend you didn’t get involved.” I wanted to punch this guy right in the mouth for what he did to the kid, but I’d have to go along with it for the time being, if I ever wanted the chance to save him. “Because the next time I see you, you’ll die.” He turned to Kaz. “Now you worthless idiot, pick yourself up, and let’s go. You’re lucky I don’t kill you right here on the spot!”

As Kaz and the barkeep walked away, those watching dispersed, no longer interested in what was going on, meaning I was by myself. There was no doubt in my mind, he didn’t expect me to leave legitimately, nor did I plan to. I had to save this kid, and as long as he could stay alive long enough for me to find him, we’d be getting somewhere.

*****************************************************************************

I glanced at the card. Why had he given it to me? It was a simple monster, or so it looked. Cyber Valley. I’d heard of it, but I didn’t know too much about it. It seemed almost rare. Just, the type of card you don’t get easily. This kid was so mysterious. At first I’d thought he was just a lost, spoiled rich kid trying to find his way around, but then he told his story. That led me to ask the question: “why did he come here?”

I had an idea. I didn’t think it would make a difference, but I had no leads as to where they went to begin with. I pressed the button on my duel disk, and stepped back as the red light came on and the disk extended. I placed the card on the field in the first Monster Card Zone. What I got was a hologram, but not the hologram you’d expect. A hologram of the kid himself appeared in front of me. He was dressed in the same outfit; red polo, tan khaki shorts, and his hair was spiked, so it was obvious he’d been roughed up before they brought him into the bar. I listened:

“If you’re watching this, I’ve arrived at the Cross Roads. My name is Lucas Kenji, and I’ve come here upon request of the Chancellor of New Domino City’s Duel Academy. Through family connections, I owed him a favor, and so this is what he’s asked me to do. I’ve heard the rumors about this place, that it’s ruthless, brutal, and almost unbearable. I don’t doubt them, but I don’t worry about them either. But, if what we’ve heard is true, there’s much more to worry about than brutality. What is in the process of happening could very well mean the end of the world as we know it.”

[b]To be continued…[/b][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Episode 4 - Running Out of Time Part 1]

[i]I had an idea. I didn’t think it would make a difference, but I had no leads as to where they went to begin with. I pressed the button on my duel disk, and stepped back as the red light came on and the disk extended. I placed the card on the field in the first Monster Card Zone. What I got was a hologram, but not the hologram you’d expect. A hologram of the kid himself appeared in front of me. He was dressed in the same outfit; red polo, tan khaki shorts, and his hair was spiked, so it was obvious he’d been roughed up before they brought him into the bar. I listened:

“If you’re watching this, I’ve arrived at the Cross Roads. My name is Lucas Kenji, and I’ve come here upon request of the Chancellor of New Domino City’s Duel Academy. Through family connections, I owed him a favor, and so this is what he’s asked me to do. I’ve heard the rumors about this place, that it’s ruthless, brutal, and almost unbearable. I don’t doubt them, but I don’t worry about them either. But, if what we’ve heard is true, there’s much more to worry about than brutality. What is in the process of happening could very well mean the end of the world as we know it.”[/i]

Everything had hit me in the face at once. Still struggling to accept the fact that my way of thinking for twelve years had been completely altered within an hour, in addition to the fact that now, I was indebted to a modern city spy who might have been killed already, and well, it was a lot to take in. I’d won the duel. I was by myself now, standing in the emptiness of the city streets. Of course, I’d moved from the duel location. I knew the barkeep didn’t expect me to leave, but I wasn’t going to make myself known just yet. I didn’t need to fend off a bunch of goons when I had to formulate a strategy. Before today, I’d been staying at an Inn down the street. It was small, but I’d acquainted myself with the owner, so there was no fee. Here, the only currency is cards, as I explained earlier. The more your card is worth, the more you can get with it. Everything’s about dueling nowadays. Luckily, I had a huge supply of cards that I’d collected over the years, so food wasn’t an issue.

As for dress, I didn’t have a particular style. I was sporting a pair of black jeans that, though tattered, fit just right. Below them, I had work boots, tan in color, though they had faded over the years, and were more of a dirt brown now. My torso was covered with a white t-shirt, and to top it all off, a black leather jacket that had long since lost its color. My hair, well, it was nothing special. It was a darker shade of brown, spiked in the front, but sort of brushed to the side at the same time. Like I said, I was a simple guy. Living the “Cross Roads” lifestyle, you were lucky to have any clothes at all, so I was in no place to complain. Prepared to move, I deactivated my duel disk, placing the Cyber Valley card in my Deck Case for safekeeping.

I had no idea where to start. I saw the car leave, so I know what direction it went in, but where they planned on taking Lucas, I had no idea. It would be crazy to run around the city, because if they spotted me, I’d have a fight on my hands, and that would take up time. Time I didn’t have. I had to find Lucas, and I had to find him fast.

I took to the streets, staying between or behind buildings so as not to stand out. Being a desert town, the Cross Roads was never very lively, with most people choosing to stay at home and stay cool, or in some cases, alive. I’d never been afraid of it. Before today, I was left alone. People knew how cold I’d become, and I very rarely lost. I’d spent so long looking out for only myself, and now I had someone to save, something to do, a purpose. I had to save Lucas…it was just a matter of finding where they had taken him.

*****************************************************************************

[i]NOTE: This portion of the story is NOT told from Ken’s perspective. Anything told in the first-person sense will be written in bold, not italics, as I don’t want to confuse the flashback with a different storytelling.[/i]

[b]Lucas opened his eyes. He felt a cold chill, but more surprising than that was the breath of fresh air. As he looked around, unable to make out his location, he could at least tell that wherever they were, it was technologically advanced. On the far side of the room sat a huge computer monitor. In front of it, a leather chair, which allowed easy access to the hundreds of buttons that made up the control system. He was on the ground, and the room was empty, but it hadn’t been earlier. There were two doors, both made of metal, one on either side of the room. They were both locked, but one of them was opened a crack, indicating that someone had left the room recently. He tried to sit up, but quickly lost his balance as pain shot through his body.
“[i]No blood. That’s a good sign.[/i]” Lucas breathed a sigh of relief. “[i]Still, I don’t know how I got here. I’ve got to find a way out.[/i]”
It wasn’t so much a way out, as he needed to find a way to get the attackers to come back. He needed to find out why he was here in the first place, and it would involve more than a friendly conversation to do so. For a moment, he wondered about Ken. Had he been able to win the duel? It didn’t matter. He could meet up with him later. Slowly this time, Lucas began to sit up, maneuvering himself to a vertical base. It hurt, but not as badly as before.

It was puzzling, but in a way, it made sense. The Cross Roads was supposed to be this beat-down Western town, with little to no involvement with the rest of the world. A “Wasteland” for the people, so to speak. At twenty years old, this was literally the first time Lucas had even heard of the place, never mind been to it. Of course, he hadn’t been here long, but he’d seen with Ken’s duel alone that the rumors were true. Everything had intimidation to it. You couldn’t take three steps in this place without shaking in fear. So why did they have this technology? Not why, but how? The computer, the monitors, everything in this room rivaled New Domino City in technological advances, and that was regarded as the best of the best. Something didn’t make sense, which was of course why he’d been asked to come here in the first place.

Leaving immediately would be the best bet, but if he could get even three minutes of access to the computer, he might be able to find some valid information. Then again, it could be a trap. He knew for sure he’d been knocked out before they brought him here, simply so that he wouldn’t be able to find out. It was a classic way to cover your tracks, but one that he had no way to prevent. There were three of them. Frankie, who had been a part of Ken’s duel, the driver, and then a figure he wasn’t able to see. After he’d been hit in the gut, he blacked out momentarily, and whatever happened next, he couldn’t remember. However, they’d left him here, at least temporarily. Lucas knew he was valuable to these guys; he was from New Domino, they knew that. He had cards, he had money, and he had a duel runner, but that was hidden. He’d parked it in a cave right outside the city. No one would guess to look there, so it was safe for now.

He walked towards the computer, taking each step with great caution to avoid the pain as much as possible. Not only that, but he had to walk slowly so as not to make noise. If people heard him, they’d rush in here and he’d just as soon be back where he started. They wouldn’t kill him – not yet. Not until they’d gotten the information and valuables they wanted. That was his only advantage, if you could call it that. Didn’t exactly make him feel welcome, but he hadn’t expected to. Carefully, he sat down at the chair, and pressed what he presumed to be the “ON” button. It was the only red button, and it was much larger than the rest of the keys. If it had been an alarm, he’d been in trouble, but luckily, he’d gotten it right.

“SYSTEM ACTIVATED”
“WELCOME, PLEASE ENTER THE PASSWORD,” the computer spoke with a robotic voice. Nothing different in terms of technology. He’d expected a password request. The screen went bright for a moment, until “PASSWORD” appeared in bold red letters above an empty white box. The keys weren’t labeled, but there was a section in the middle that was formatted similar to a regular keyboard. He typed in “password”. Often times it’s so expected, people use it anyway to try and throw off the user, but that wasn’t the case. Maybe these guys were smarter than he thought. “FAILED. PLEASE TRY AGAIN.”

There was no time to sit around trying to guess the password, especially not when they could be back any second. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flash drive. There were tons of USB units, so he picked the first one in the row and put it in. This time, a different password screen appeared, and Lucas typed in a password of his own.
“SYSTEM OVERRIDE ACTIVATED. WELCOME BACK.” One of the benefits of this profession was the technology he had access to. It wasn’t like New Domino. With the security there, any hacking device would be caught seconds later and promptly shut down. But here, despite where he was now, there was no global network, and no one cared enough to maintain a security system.
“REQUEST?” the computer inquired.
“Access system data for Lucas Kenji,” he spoke while typing. This would tell him one, just how much they had on him, and two, whether or not anyone had used the computer recently. A loading bar appeared on the screen, followed by a giant text block of data. His picture appeared, but not a recent one. His hair was significantly shorter, and he was sporting a blue t-shirt. It was an upper body picture, so he couldn’t see anything else, but he remembered the picture from last year’s World Racing Grand Prix. Lucas had participated, but lost. What was even more surprising than the picture, was the fact that the computer had data on literally his entire biography. That meant this information was being supplied to the Cross Roads by New Domino City.
“[i]What exactly is going on here?[/i]” Lucas asked himself, in shock. “[i]Let’s see what else I can find out.[/i] Information on the Cross Roads background,” he asked, typing it into the computer.
The same loading bar came up, followed by an even larger compilation of data. He scrolled through it, reading each line carefully, but quickly as he didn’t have much time left. Surely they’d be coming back soon. As he continued to read, one section in particular caught his attention. That was it…the piece he’d been looking for. It was even worse than he’d expected.

The door burst open. “Hey, what the—” Frankie barged into the room, and Lucas had to act quickly. He pulled the flash drive out, and rolled away from the computer chair towards the wall, which hurt much more than he’d expected. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Just doing a little research,” Lucas replied sarcastically. “What brings you here?”
“Don’t play stupid with me, kid! You know exactly why we’re here, and you know I’ve got no plans of letting you get away with this!” Frankie pushed a button on the wall, one Lucas hadn’t even seen earlier, and a timer appeared above it, reading “15:00”.
“[i]A…a timer?[/i]”
“But I’d rather have some fun first, so here’s the catch.” Frankie laughed. “You and I are going to duel. I’ve signaled for the alarm, and in exactly fifteen minutes, it’ll set off, alerting security, and you’ll have nowhere to run! If you can beat me in time, I’ll turn the timer off and let you leave. How’s that sound?”
He didn’t believe a word of it. In Ken’s duel, Lucas’ freedom was on the line, and they didn’t follow through with that either. Maybe Ken was looking for him. If he could stall for a while, he’d be able to buy some more time. Either way, he didn’t have much of a choice. He activated his duel disk. “I don’t believe for a second you’re serious about letting me go, but crushing you in a duel might make me feel a little better.” Besides, how difficult could it be? Ken had beaten Frankie in one turn, and while Ken was a good guy, he didn’t have a professional Deck. Lucas did.
“Crushing me?” Frankie grinned. “Not on your life.”

“DUEL!”[/b]

*********************************************************************************************
I’d been all over the damn city, moving as discreetly as possible. So far, no one had spotted me, but I wouldn’t be able to evade them forever, and I wasn’t trying to. Whatever they were planning with Lucas…I wondered if it had anything to do with his message. Was there a connection, or was this just a coincidental process?

“Hand ‘em over kid, right now!” The voice was loud, so much so that I ducked back behind the building I was leaning against, not wanting to be noticed. Quietly, I tried to get a look. There were two people, one was about my age. He was dressed in all brown, work boots included, and he was standing over a young kid, about ten years old. The kid had a deck of cards in his hand, and from the looks of things it looked as if he’d just lost a duel. There were tears streaming down his face, but the older kid wouldn’t have it.
“But, I need my cards!” The boy was hesitant, and understandably so. I’d been there once, I’d been that kid and I’d been in his situation. The older kid slapped him right across the face, leaving a mark almost instantly. I cringed, wanting to help him, but doing so would blow my cover for sure.
“I didn’t ask if you needed them! I said hand them over!” The kid shouted.
“You didn’t play fairly! You used cards that weren’t even in your Deck! I’m not giving you my cards, you didn’t win them fair and square!”
“Fair and square, huh?” He grinned. “You want fair and square?” He grabbed the boy by his shirt, lifting him off the ground. Fist tightened, he was ready to strike.

I had no choice but to act. I couldn’t just sit there and let this happen. I ducked out from behind the corner, and grabbed his right fist, gripping it tightly. He turned around in surprise, dropping the boy in the process. As I looked at the boy, the kid caught me off guard with a right hook to the face, and I stumbled back towards the ground. I caught myself, and ducked a second attempt. I turned around. He swung again, but I grabbed his fist, holding it in place.
“Let him go.” I said. Straight, and to the point. I wasn’t messing around.
“Heheh, you think you can overpower me?” He tried to break free, but I gripped his hand tighter. I could see the pain on his face as he gritted his teeth.
“No, I don’t think.” I stared right at him, not moving a muscle. “I know. Now let this kid go.”
“Fine, I’ll let him go, but only under one condition.” He paused. “You agree to an Ante Duel.”

An Ante Duel? Now? I had to find Lucas. But refusing the challenge would draw attention, and that was the last thing I needed. As it was, being out in the open was risky enough. Plus, the boy was only ten years old. I couldn’t stand and watch him be beaten into the ground for trying to keep himself alive. This was a no win situation, but I’d have to duel, and I’d have to do it quickly. “You’re on. I win, the kid goes free, you win, I’ll give you any card from my Deck.” This one I could enforce. He tried to hit the kid, I’d knock him out. Plain and simple. The boy backed up, shaking in fear. Then, the two of us backed up, activating our Duel Disks.

“DUEL!”

*********************************************************************************************

[b]The timer was already ticking, down to 14:55 as Frankie drew his sixth card. “I’ll make the first move. It is my territory, after all.” He laughed, but Lucas paid no attention. His eyes were focused on his own hand, and the timer. He didn’t have much time. What he’d discovered, he had to get that information back to headquarters, and if they caught him beforehand, he might not have that chance. “I’ll start with a face-down monster, and I’ll throw down to face-down cards behind it.” The cards materialized on the field, as Frankie grinned in satisfaction.
“My move!” It couldn’t be that difficult, right? Frankie didn’t seem to have as good as grasp on this game as Kaz did, anyway. “I summon Cyber Phoenix (1200/1600) in Defense Mode!” A square of fire formed on the field, and from it arose a bird-like machine. It had four wings, two on the top, and two on the bottom, along with a three-pronged tail. It settled on the field and folded its top wings over itself for defense. “Now, I’ll play a face-down and end my turn.”
The clock was down to 13:30, and the time wasn’t slowing down, as Frankie drew, not really in a rush to make a big move. “I’ll Tribute my face-down monster, Darkness Seed (1000/1000) to bring out Darkness Bramble (2000/2000)!” The face-down vanished, leaving a dark shadow behind. From that shadow came vines covered in sharp thorns. As the vines rose out of the ground, they unraveled to reveal a horrific looking plant, surrounded by a dark glow. “But it gets better.” Frankie laughed. “Since my Darkness Seed was sent to the Graveyard, I’ll get it back in two turns, and that’ll only make it worse for you! Darkness Bramble, attack his Cyber Phoenix with Darkness Petal!” A flower emerged from the creature’s chest, and it fired a razor sharp line of petals straight across the field, causing Cyber Phoenix to explode into pixels.
“Thanks for that,” Lucas replied. “When Cyber Phoenix is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I get to draw a card!” He checked the timer. 12:50. He still had time, but it was decreasing quickly.
“Draw all the cards you want, there’s no way you’ll win this duel.” Frankie laughed. “Your turn.”
“[i]I don’t get it. He didn’t play with any type of strategy at all against Ken. How is it now he’s got these powerful monsters? This isn’t going to be as easy as I thought.[/i]” Lucas drew a card, bringing the total in his hand to six. “I’ll start by summoning Cyber Valley (0/0) in Attack Mode!” A small metallic snake, covered in spikes materialized on the field. “Next, I activate the Spell Card Machine Duplication! With this card, I can bring out two more copies of Cyber Valley from my Deck!” The creature became surrounded by a red light, and soon two more copies, identical to the original, appeared on the field, yet Frankie didn’t seem concerned. 12:25 on the timer.
“Summon as many weak monsters as you want! There’s no way you’re going to beat me, and even if you somehow managed to, fifteen minutes isn’t nearly enough time!”
“Let’s just see about that! Now, I activate Cyber Valley’s Special Ability! By removing from play two Cyber Valley on my field, I can draw two new cards!” Two of the three Cyber Valley vanished out of play, and Lucas drew two new cards. He smiled. “Just what I wanted! Go, Dimensional Rift!” A portal appeared above the field as bolts of lightning struck the field, not hitting anything in particular.
“What’s that thing do?” Frankie asked, looking up.
“It’s simple. Dimensional Rift hits you for 1000 points of damage for each monster I have removed from play! And I’m sure you can figure that one out! Since I’ve got two Cyber Valley removed from play, you take 2000 points of damage!” The bolts of lightning continued, this time striking Frankie and his monster.

[b]Frankie’s Life Points[/b]: (-2000) 2000

11:20. Frankie started to laugh again, and Lucas couldn’t figure out why. Suddenly, Darkness Bramble became surrounded by the dark glow again, and a similar glow surrounded Frankie himself. “Nice try, but I’m afraid that was all a waste! Because now my Darkness Bramble’s special ability activates! When my Life Points are below 4000 during either player’s End Phase, they’re automatically restored to 4000!”
“[i]No…no way! That’s...unbeatable! If I can’t damage his Life Points, how am I supposed to win this duel?[/i]”

“And in one more turn, I’ll get to bring Darkness Seed to the field! I told you this would be fun! You’re gonna pay for getting involved in our business, and I’m going to make sure of it!”[/b]

*********************************************************************************************

“You got a name?” He asked.
“What’s it to you?” I didn’t want to just give out information. Especially with the possibility that they were looking for me, or at least prepared for me to still be around.
“Heh.” He replied. “I get it. You’re not one for conversation. Fair enough. You can call me Daniel, or the guy that’ll be taking your rarest card!”
“I didn’t really care, but thanks for the update. Well Daniel, why don’t you make the first move?”
“Fine, I’ll end this faster.” He drew a card. “I summon Stygian Security (100/600) in Defense Mode!” A fiendish robot, purple in color, floated up to eye level, a mace in one hand, and a horn in the other. The alarm on its head gave off a red light that continued to circle around as it rested on the field. “That’ll do.”
“[i]Interesting.[/i]” I’d never heard of that card before, but it didn’t take a genius to know it had a special ability. Otherwise he wouldn’t have started out with it. He wanted me to destroy it, so that he could bring out a more powerful monster. Except I had no plans of letting that happen. “I summon Firestorm Phoenix (1500/1000) in Attack Mode!” A ball of fire emerged on the field. As it began to heat up, it began to expand, and soon my two-headed phoenix flew out of it, before landing on the field. “I think that…”
“Hold on, just a second.” Daniel interrupted. “Before you end your turn, I hope you didn’t think I was going to let you off that easily. I activate the effect of my Stygian Taunt Spell Card in my hand. See, as long as I have a Stygian monster on the field, I’m allowed to activate this card during your turn.” He revealed the card. “Now, my Stygian Taunt Spell Card forces your Firestorm Phoenix to attack my Stygian Security, whether you want it to or not!”
Uh-oh. Talk about a bad start. He’d already outsmarted me. I didn’t take into consideration the fact that he had something ready to use in his hand. It almost seemed too easy that he’d just summon the monster, but I didn’t pay attention to it. I had no time, but I had to keep my head on straight otherwise I’d lose this. “Firestorm Phoenix, attack with Twin Flame!” The bird took flight, shooting two streams of fire, one from each mouth, which easily shattered the robot into pixels.
“I thought this might be at least the least bit challenging. It’s obvious you don’t duel nearly as well as you fight.” I remained silent. “Now the effect of my Stygian Security activates, and I can replace it with another one! No harm done!” He smiled mockingly as another Stygian Security appeared on the field.
I spoke through gritted teeth. “I’ll end with a face-down.”
“Of course, you want to have a good strategy, right?” Again with the mocking. This guy was already getting on my nerves. “I summon Stygian Street Patrol (1600/1200) in Attack Mode!” A red motorcycle formed on the field, and on it, a fiendish creature with a pair of horns, making it much more intimidating than the robot next to it. “Don’t worry, I’m not done yet, because now I’ll tune Stygian Security with Stygian Street Patrol to Synchro Summon Stygian Sargeants (2200/1800)!”

As the two creatures prepared to merge, Daniel smiled. He was in total control of the duel, and he’d already managed to get a Synchro out on his second turn.

“You always make mistakes, Ken! You never know when to just stay out of it! And now, you’re going to pay for it, because you won’t be able to make it to Lucas in time! The two of you will become forgotten just like everyone else whose tried to get in our way! This is our city, not yours! And you’re going to pay!”

Oh no…it just then hit me. I’d been trapped. He knew my name, and he knew I was here. I’d fallen right into a simple trap and now there was nothing I could do but duel my way out of it. As the monsters merged, a large shadow began to settle towards the field behind Daniel, who laughed again.

He’d not only outsmarted me in the duel, but he’d outsmarted me by tricking me into this duel, knowing I’d try to help the boy. How could I take down a monster that’s just going to replace itself again?

[b]To be continued…[/b][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Custom Cards Used]

Token Replication
Normal Spell Card
Select 1 Level 4 or lower monster you control. Special Summon 1 "Replication Token" in Attack Position. The stats of the "Replication Token" are the same as that of the selected monster. During the End Phase, destroy all "Replication Token(s)" on the field.
[b]Episodes used[/b]: 2
[url=http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/239619-crds-card-set-14-cards-counting/page__gopid__5007671#entry5007671]VIEW[/url]

Shield Team
Normal Trap Card
Special Summon 4 "Shield Tokens" (EARTH/Level 1/Warrior-Type/100/100) to your field in face-up Defense Position. If your opponent declares an attack, they must select a "Shield Token" as the Attack Target.
[b]Episodes used[/b]: 2
[url=http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/239619-crds-card-set-14-cards-counting/page__gopid__5007671#entry5007671]VIEW[/url]

Temporary Merge
Normal Spell Card
Select 1 Tuner monster from your Deck and pay 500 Life Points. By removing the selected Tuner monster from play and halving its level, you can select 1 face-up monster you control and Synchro Summon a monster from your Extra Deck, using the selected monster and Tuner as Synchro Material. During the End Phase, return the monster Summoned with this card's effect to your Extra Deck.
[b]Episodes used[/b]: 2
[url=http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/239619-crds-card-set-14-cards-counting/page__gopid__5007671#entry5007671]VIEW[/url]

Dual Destruction
Quick-Play Spell Card
You can only activate this card during the Battle Phase. Select 1 face-up monster you control. When the selected monster monster destroys an opponent's monster by battle, the selected monster can attack once more. During the End Phase, destroy the selected monster and take damage equal to its original ATK.
[b]Episodes used[/b]: 2
[url=http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/239619-crds-card-set-14-cards-counting/page__gopid__5007671#entry5007671]VIEW[/url]

Life Exchange
Normal Spell Card
Pay half your Life Points. Select 1 Spell Card in your Graveyard and add it to your hand. If you activate the selected Spell Card this turn, you can Special Summon 1 monster from your Graveyard in face-up Attack Position.
[b]Episodes used[/b]: 2
[url=http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/239619-crds-card-set-14-cards-counting/page__gopid__5007671#entry5007671]VIEW[/url]

Light Archer
***
LIGHT
Fairy / Effect: Once per turn, you can inflict 300 damage to your opponent. If this face-up monster is selected as an Attack Target, you can change the target to another monster you control, except "Light Archer".
1000/700
[b]Episodes used[/b]: 3
[url=http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/239619-crds-card-set-14-cards-counting/page__gopid__5007671#entry5007671]VIEW[/url]

Miracle Rescue
Normal Spell Card
You can only activate this card if you have 500 Life Points or lower. Select 1 non-Synchro Monster from your Graveyard and Special Summon it to your field in face-up attack position. The selected monster cannot be used as Synchro Material, and its effect is negated. Destroy the selected monster during the End Phase of this turn.
[b]Episodes used[/b]: 3
[url=http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/239619-crds-card-set-14-cards-counting/page__gopid__5007671#entry5007671]VIEW[/url]

Red Eyes Spirit Dragon
*******
DARK
Dragon / Effect: If you are Tributing a monster that was Special Summoned during this turn, this card can be Tribute Summoned with 1 Tribute. When this card is Summoned, select 1 monster on the field and reduce its ATK to 0. The effect of any monster that battles with this card is negated. When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, destroy the monster that destroyed it and both players take 500 damage.
2500/2000
[b]Episodes used[/b]: 3
[url=http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/239619-crds-card-set-14-cards-counting/page__gopid__5007671#entry5007671]VIEW[/url]

Firestorm Phoenix
****
FIRE
Winged Beast / Effect: When this card destroys an opponent's Level 5 or higher monster by battle, you can Tribute this card to draw 2 cards. During the End Phase of the turn you activate this effect, discard 1 card from your hand.
1500/1000
[b]Episodes used[/b]: 4
[url=http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/239619-crds-card-set-14-cards-counting-can-i-get-some-feedback-please/]VIEW[/url][/font][/spoiler]


[u]Links to Episodes 5+[/u]

[url=http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/238955-yugioh-cross-roads-new-episode-4-running-out-of-time-part-1-posted-pg-13/page__view__findpost__p__5036853]Episode 5: Running Out of Time Part Two[/url]

[Legend Zero]

I have to say it was an excellent read. I do, however, have a question regarding age. You originally said the main character was left a 3, than again at 7....am I reading it wrong? Also can you give an age of the present day character? I feel he is mid 20 but unsure with his actions.

Starting off in a Western atmosphere is a nice change, although like many you're going for the popular dark setting. The background was nicely done, I'd rather a few full chapters of background then sparingly put in every other chapter. I await your next chapter, KIU.

[Synchronized]

[quote name='Legend Zero' timestamp='1297006944' post='4992809']
I have to say it was an excellent read. I do, however, have a question regarding age. You originally said the main character was left a 3, than again at 7....am I reading it wrong?

[b]I'm not sure where I said that he was left at 3. :/[/b]

Also can you give an age of the present day character? I feel he is mid 20 but unsure with his actions.

[b]He's 19. I was going to include it, but I wasn't sure it was needed as he told the story of when he was seven, and now here he is twelve years later. My apologies.[/b]

Starting off in a Western atmosphere is a nice change, although like many you're going for the popular dark setting.

[b]The purpose of the dark setting is mainly to show the character's personality. I'm going for more of an anti-hero, as opposed to the typical protagonist. I think once you've had the chance to read the next few episodes, it'll make more sense.[/b]

The background was nicely done, I'd rather a few full chapters of background then sparingly put in every other chapter.

[b]Although some may not like it, I plan to completely cover the background in the first three episodes or so. You'll know everything you need to know to progress with the story in about, like I said, three chapters.[/b]

I await your next chapter, KIU.

[b]Thanks! Me too, actually! I'm really enjoying writing this![/b]
[/quote]

[Fusion X. Denver]

That was a good chapter Star.
Like the setting and concept behind it and you've characterized Ken well.
My one gripe is we have no idea what he looks like .-.
You may have wanted to describe him later, but I think it would have been better to do it in the 1st chapter.
Looking forward to more.

[Synchronized]

[quote name='Fusion X. Denver' timestamp='1297011892' post='4992974']
That was a good chapter Star.

[b]Thanks! [/b]

Like the setting and concept behind it and you've characterized Ken well.

[b]I've spent a lot of time coming up with Ken as a character, so it's not just like something I threw together at the last minute, which I think has helped me to portray the character in the actual story.[/b]

My one gripe is we have no idea what he looks like .-.

[b]Held off on that on purpose. The reason being that, as I said, the whole "background" is going to be covered in the first three chapters. It was told from Ken's perspective as he sat at a bar, in the corner, to himself. The reason I waited is because essentially no one saw him. I almost want it to feel like he's standing in front of you telling you this story; you see what a villager at the bar would see.[/b]

You may have wanted to describe him later, but I think it would have been better to do it in the 1st chapter.

[b]As I explained.[/b]

Looking forward to more.
[/quote]

[Tokyo Duel]

This story is everything a future Yu-Gi-Oh! anime or manga should be about. It has all the right elements. The main character isn't likable, but you just can't ignore this vibe he gives off, even in words. And that word: [i]hope[/i]. That is my favorite word, by a long shot. You may not know this, but you added one of my beliefs: that every living creature that can feel can go through hope, no matter his or her situation. I simply love this fan-fic, and I hope it continues. You've always had a talent for writing, but this, in my opinion, is your best work. Keep it up, Star!

[Synchronized]

[quote name='Arashi Idane' timestamp='1297018755' post='4993241']
This story is everything a future Yu-Gi-Oh! anime or manga should be about. It has all the right elements.

[b]It's different. That much I know for sure. And that's got to my favorite element, the fact that I'm taking something that's never been done before in this context, and trying it, while writing about something that I really enjoy writing.[/b]

The main character isn't likable, but you just can't ignore this vibe he gives off, even in words.

[b]Of course. Why would you like Ken? He's been abandoned, sure, but he shows no emotion anymore, he gave up. And yet through his giving up, you can almost sense that deep down inside, he's still fighting.[/b]

And that word: [i]hope[/i]. That is my favorite word, by a long shot. You may not know this, but you added one of my beliefs: that every living creature that can feel can go through hope, no matter his or her situation.

[b]Everyone always has a sense of hope that things will get better, even if you know for sure they won't. And it's that hope that allows people to keep fighting.[/b]

I simply love this fan-fic, and I hope it continues. You've always had a talent for writing, but this, in my opinion, is your best work. Keep it up, Star!

[b]Why thanks! I've definitely spent more time working on this in terms of plot than I have with any other story, and I was literally excited to sit down and start working on it, because I have so many ideas that I want to try out.[/b]
[/quote]

[Synchronized]

Bump! Come on guys, can I get some feedback?

[Legend Zero]

I could have swore I saw a three in there...must have been my imagination, apologies.

[Synchronized]

[quote name='Legend Zero' timestamp='1297122602' post='4996032']
I could have swore I saw a three in there...must have been my imagination, apologies.
[/quote]

No problem!

Should be getting Episode 2 posted tonight, but don't quote me on that.

[Weather Report - Stand]

M'kay kids, this here Star fellow has asked me to take a look at his story, as he is one of the six individuals who still remembers that I used to review stories, thus giving him magical powers. I’m going to… well, look at it and give some advice on stuff. Boy, I wonder whatever happened to Crabhelmet and all the other reviewers
[quote name='Star' timestamp='1296971259' post='4991989']
[Episode 1: Welcome to the Cross-Roads]

For some reason, one I’ve never been able to understand, people seem to believe that in life, they have a purpose. It’s a common perception amongst people of all races, cultures, regardless of how you classify them. As much as I want to believe it, and I’ve tried, I find myself questioning the validity behind it. Every morning I wake up, and every night I go to sleep, and rarely does anything happen that makes me feel different, or makes me feel like something I’ve done is relevant in the grand scheme of things. Maybe it’s just me.

[color=green]I like hope. What’s wrong with hope? Small note, I feel like there are a bunch of commas here. Maybe this bit could be streamlined a little?[/green]

We don’t like outsiders here. The Cross-Roads is the place, the one place on this earth, where absolutely no one cares. It’s not even on maps. Here, the law doesn’t exist. There are criminals running around all over the place, but if you’re here, you accept it. The Officials don’t care, and why should they? Everyone who is here, is here because there’s nowhere else for them to be.

[color=green]Somehow I keep going back to Meteor City from HunterXHunter here. Uh… I think that’s good. Non-sarcastically.[/green]

The name’s Kaneko, but they call me Ken. I don’t get it. I don’t get the appeal of a normal life, because I’ve never lived it. I was seven years old when my parents abandoned me here. They left me here to live a life of gambling, caring about nothing but themselves and even then, that was a stretch. I care about no one. Not even myself. No one has ever been there for me and as I said, they have no reason to be. Things work differently here than everywhere else. It’s like something out of an old Western flick, but worse. Nothing but miles and miles of desolate desert wasteland, full of nothing but emptiness.

[color=green]Uh oh! Sounds like some Wild West Bob up in here? Wait, nobody remembers that. Well I hope that this is better than Crashtown. Or whatever. Stupid second 5D’s useless season.[/green]

They call it the Cross-Roads because it’s that point between life and death. Here, not only is your existence irrelevant, people pretend you don’t exist. The kind of people here, castoffs, criminals, you name it, we’ve seen it. Someone considered “decent” here would be seen to the rest of the world as ruthless and brutal.

[color=green]Hmm. I’m starting to get the vibe around here. The badlands! Watch your back before you get MUGGED!! But still, Semispaghetti Western. Cool.[/green]

I didn’t ask for this life. I was never given the option. I can just barely remember that thought, deep in my head, the memory of a young boy with the dream to become the best duelist in the world. I was a young boy wanting nothing more than to see smiles on my parents’ faces as I won a duel on the grand stage. That boy, and that dream, are now gone, and have been replaced by a cold, hardened shell of who I once was.

[color=green]Heh, card games. Poor kid. What’s stopping him from getting away with his mad dueling skillz that come with the plot armor?[/green]

When they brought me here, I was seven years old. I was terrified, tears in my eyes as I asked my parents repeatedly, “why”? Why did they have to go? And they told me it was only for a short time, a week or so. They said they were going on vacation and I’d be safe here until they came back. Twelve years later, I’m still alone.

[color=green]Poor kid. Let’s all give up together and go out with our mad dueling skillz. Are we going to go into what’s keeping him here soon?[/green]

It’s a cruel system. As a child, life here makes an Orphanage seem like an amusement park. Once you turn seven, you move into a “Training House”. That’s what they call it. In reality, it’s a group of kids, either born here or in a situation similar to my own, forced to live and obey the commands of a brutal “Duel Guard”. You’re given a Deck of Duel Monsters cards, and sent out into the city. You spend your entire day dueling, but the duels here aren’t like you’d think they are. Here, every game’s an Ante Duel, and the loser must offer up a card to the winner. It didn’t matter if you were seven years old, or sixteen years old. You had to bring your Duel Guard at least one card a day. If you didn’t, you didn’t eat. Often times, we’d go for days without a single bite of food.

[color=green]… Willing… suspension… of dis… belief? I’m having a kinda hard time accepting this part. There’s a crappy town for ruffians and they have an orphanageplace? And they take cards for food? Cards that you could buy for a quarter each? How can one lose forty cards so soon—oh yeah thieves. Whoops.[/green]

It’s awful, the starvation. But it’s just one of the many things that make the Cross-Roads the most brutal, horrific place on Earth. There are robberies, beatings, fights all the time. It’s these things that have turned me into the person I am today. I show no one compassion, yet I don’t start fights, either. I’m not the same as all the others. At first, I played their games, but my lack of purpose took away my will to fight. Yet for some reason, that one day changed everything…

[color=green]… Yeah. Why didn’t he run? Well, they could have stopped him, but… still, I’m confused. WHY IS THIS PLACE HERE?[/green]

[i]It was twelve years ago, almost to this day. It’s strange, despite all I’ve endured, that I can still remember it clearly. It had been nearly a month since my parents had abandoned me here, and I’d started to realize, despite the small glimmer of hope I held on to, that they weren’t coming back. Gunner, our house’s Duel Guard, had ordered us out, with the always painful reminder that if we didn’t come back with a card, there’d be nothing to eat. I don’t recall the exact day, but it had been six days since I’d eaten anything. The lack of victory wasn’t something we could blame solely on ourselves. They supplied us with a Deck, but it was full of measly cards the rest of the city didn’t want, and so we got stuck with them. That was the catch. More often than not, we didn’t eat, and if we did get lucky enough to win, what we got to eat was hardly worth the effort.

[/i][color=green]Wait… six days? He’s dead. If he doesn’t eat for three days or so, he’s dead. Maybe not even two days depending on the age. He’s dEaD. And are they supposed to comb the desert for cards? I’m really sorry, but I can’t connect to the campiness of the storyline! Sure, it’s YGO… and yet… mneeeeh… I’m sorry.[/green][i]

I was in immense pain. I didn’t have tons of dueling experience, and I’d only won a few games; enough to keep me alive, but barely. I’d already lost a duel that day, and my hope was starting to dwindle. Part of me wanted to just collapse to the ground and give up on it all, but the other part of me refused to give up. I was searching for something, searching for a purpose. I walked through the sandy, dusty city streets, with the intense heat from the sun making it even more difficult to keep fighting. An immense headache had made it hard for me to walk, and just when I was about to fall, I bumped into a man.

[color=green]Actually here I’m getting the desolation the boy’s feeling and am connecting with his situation. Of course he survives, but I feel sad for him.[/green]

It took me all of a second to realize what happened, and I scurried backwards as quickly as possible. Fear and frustration over took me as the man turned around, his grey tattered beard and soul-less green eyes staring me right in the face. He was brimming with anger, and it was just then I realized that I’d interrupted him in the process of beating down a younger duelist for money and cards. The kid had time to run away, leaving me all alone. I continued to back up in fear, wanting to run away, hope that I could just wake up and this would be a dream, and I’d be back home in my bed with my parents just down the hallway.

[/i][color=green]Um… yeeeesh…[/green][i]

“You little b****!” He screamed, but not with normal anger. He was furious. I had no idea what to do. I could run, but that wouldn’t have made a difference. I was too fatigued. Besides, it was pointless.

[/i][color=green]What a shippy place. Can’t a grown-butt man just walk out to the city, buy a 4-buck pack o’ cards and be done with it? MY SANITY IS SLIPPING[/green][i]

I was going to die anyway. I hardly had the strength to stand, never mind duel. The hope of earning a card and being able to eat had diminished. I wasn’t even hoping for survival anymore. I dropped to my knees, tears streaming from my face and into the dirt, causing small blotches of mud to form around me. Who cared? I didn’t matter. If I’d died right there, no one woulda cared.

[/i][color=green]STRANGER DANGER STRANGER DANGER oh man I’m sorry, there’s nothing else I can think to say here. I’m sorry.[/green][i]

That’s why it puzzled me when I stood up. As if through forces beyond my control, I gathered the confidence to issue a challenge, an Ante Duel challenge. The one thing you can’t do at the Cross-Roads is refuse an Ante Duel. It’s sort of an unwritten law. To refuse one would mean you were a coward, and here, only the strong survive…if they’re lucky.

[/i][color=green]Oh snap, here comes HERO MODE. Sure, the old man could have slapped the clap out of the boy and taken his stuff anyways, but let’s see the heroic comeback…[/green][i]

Parts of this memory have faded. I don’t remember how the duel began, but I remember the conclusion. I was beyond exhaustion, on the verge of passing out. As I struggled to keep myself from falling, I remember the man’s words.

[/i][color=green]Oh boy.[/green][i]

“You are nothing! None of you are! That is the point you fail to grasp!” He spoke through crazed eyes, eyes that had seen it all, and would never be able to forget it. “You all fight, you all believe you have a purpose, but you don’t! That is why you are here, and the sooner you accept that, the better off you’ll be! So just lay down and die already!”

[color=green]Just the words of another sexually repressed man. Maybe he should get a job.[/green]

I wanted to ignore it. I continued to tell myself that he was wrong, that I did have a purpose. My parents would come back and I’d be able to go to Duel Academy, and become a Professional Duelist. But any time I started to believe, reality kicked me in the face and sent me back to my knees, forced to accept my failure.

[color=green]I’m JADED against Duel Academies, but more power to him.[/green]

He had 2700 Life Points. I’d managed to get in an attack with my Giant Soldier of Stone, which had since been destroyed. I had 300. As an older duelist, not only did he have more experience, he had better cards. I’d fall to my knees in pain, only to will myself back up and play another monster, which he would just destroy.

[/i][color=green]I see how bad the situation is. Having to use GSoS, that means there’s no hope. Man.[/green][i]

“I don’t understand! Why don’t you just quit? Why won’t you stay down, accept defeat, accept that you can’t change your life now! You’re just like the rest of us! You too, have a breaking point! Now attack!” His creature attacked, firing a bright blue blast right at me. I don’t remember the monster, but I remember shaking with fear, knowing he was right and knowing I was helpless.

[/i][color=green]SHADDAP YOU PERVERT[/green][i]

“N...no!” I hadn’t eaten in days, I couldn’t even stand up straight. But my body wouldn’t let me stay down. Something, something was willing me to go on. Just when I wanted to quit, something in my head caused me to stand back up and endure another turn in which I’d suffer even more.

[/i][color=green]HERO MODE but really, not six days. THE BOY IS A SKELETON.[/green][i]

“You can do nothing to stop it! You will lose, and soon you will die! You are not invincible, it doesn’t matter if you’re a child or someone like me! It’s about survival, and you’re simply not strong enough to survive! It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down and get back up, because when all is said and done, you will have accomplished nothing!”

[/i][color=green]Okay, I still can’t get with this guy. I’m moving on.[/green][i]

“You’re wrong!” Even at my young age, I could tell that he’d been through everything there was to go through. He was essentially crazy, but that’s what a place like this will do, you either die or you take whatever measures you have to in order to survive. Which is exactly what I’d decided to do. I don’t know how I did it, or why I bothered, but it’s the one thing that kept me from becoming just like the rest. “It doesn’t matter how many times I fall down and get back up, because I’m going to keep doing it, I’m going to keep doing it until I’ve won the duel! I may not have a purpose, but I can’t quit! You can beat me down all you want, but it doesn’t matter! Just like my monsters, even though you’ve destroyed me, I’m going to keep fighting!” And I played it. “I activate the Trap Card, Blasting the Ruins!”

[color=green]WHOOP[/green]

“Nothing can--! What is that?!” He silenced and stared at me, eyes full of fear and confusion.

[/i][color=green]I’m smiling.[/green][i]

“Everything in my Deck has been destroyed! You tore my Deck apart and this time I waited for just the right moment! Since there’s over 30 cards in my Graveyard, my Blasting the Ruins Trap can activate, causing you to take 3000 points of damage!” The blue blast, coming at me full force, was whisked back by a strong wind, as pieces of rubble began to emerge from the ground below me, floating up towards the sky. The attack disappeared, and the rubble crashed down upon the man, bringing his Life Points to 0.

[/i][color=green]Eh, that could’ve been described more fancifully. Still, smile.[/green][i]

I had won. And it was that victory that told me that while there was essentially no hope, I could never truly stop hoping. The man fell to the ground, as did his Deck. But that wasn’t all. Cards fell out of both pockets of his jacket. Tons of them, cards he had stolen. As he pulled himself to his feet, he looked at me, and walked away, leaving all of his cards scattered around the outline of his body in the dirt.

[color=green]WHOOP[/green]

I didn’t know anything, except that I refused to end up like him. I took his Deck and traded it for money, then left the Training House. I was better off trying to make it on my own than dueling for some loser and hardly any food. I took the other cards and used some to build my Deck, keeping the rest. I’d have to use them later.[/i]

[color=green]THERE you go. THAT’S what happened to the plot hole! I’m smiling more.[/green]

At this point, I’ve managed to acquire a Deck that can win games rather easily. Often times, people refuse to challenge me. That day was the first of many duels I’d go on to win, to this day setting a reputation for myself as a duelist you want to avoid. No one bothers me, and I don’t bother them. It’s simple, but it works.

[color=green]Hee hee ha ha. He got more cards and got better from his HEROIC RESOLVE despite being an anit-hero. There’s some characterization![/green]

“Look what we got here!” I perked up as the bar door slammed open, and two goons barged in, holding a young guy, about seventeen years old, by the back of his shirt. He wasn’t from here. I could tell they’d roughed him up from the blood on his forehead. His bright blonde hair, polo shirt, and khaki pants caused him to stand out, and not in a good way. Outsiders aren’t really accepted, and if they do come, they certainly don’t want to be noticed.

[color=green]LET’S RIP IM IN HALF!![/green]

“Looks like someone didn’t get the memo,” the barkeep snarled. My eyes shifted from the blonde kid to the barkeep. He stood behind the counter with an irritating grin on his face. I’d never really noticed him before, but with his pudgy exterior, scruffy, unshaven beard, and white shirt covered in stains, he really set the stereotype for this entire place. There were a few of us who stood out, but honestly if it weren’t for the fact that they were somewhat skinnier, I wouldnt’ve been able to tell the barkeep from his cronies.

[color=green]If only he threw some cards on the ground. A few good meals would catch everybody’s attention.[/green]

“Yeah, poor guy,” the goon on the left replied. One of ‘em had spiked brown hair, and his outfit literally matched that of the barkeep, while the other had a black mohawk. Your typical tough guys, except not really. People sat in silence, the few of us in the bar, as they threw the kid to the floor. “Let’s show him why outsiders ain’t welcome here!”
“I…I just need directions! I didn’t mean to…” the kid tried to speak, helpless and probably in fear for his life, only for the guy with the mohawk to shut him up with a hard kick to the gut, while he was already on the ground.
“Shut up, or it’ll be worse than it’s already going to be!”

[color=green]Still, there are a few too many commas in here, but we still get the basic message: welcome to Jerktown! Population: jerk![/green]

“Leave him alone.” I was almost surprised myself as I stood up, pushing my chair back into the wall in the process. The entire bar looked up at me, including the barkeep, who seemed taken aback at my response.

[color=green]OSNAPANTIHERO[/green]

“What’d you just say?!” The anger in his eyes didn’t phase me. When you’ve got nothing to lose, you’ve got no fear at the same time.

[color=green][i]Does[/i] he have nothing to lose? Or is he hiding something…[/green]

I don’t think the feeling was friendship, or respect, or courage, or anything like that. At that moment, the glimmer of hope began to resurface, and while I lacked compassion, something inside of me knew this was what I had to do. It was completely crazy, but no one ever said I was normal, anyway.

[color=green]So… is this the first time he’s ever done this, after seeing so many guys get beaten up like that before? Confusion sets in.[/green]

“You stay outta this, or we’ll kill you too!”
“Your empty threats mean nothing to me,” and I meant it, too, as I activated my duel disk, causing the room to illuminate in a burst of light. “I’m sick of this place, and I’m sick of people like you. I was a kid like him once, albeit younger, and damn it I’m tired of seeing s*** like this! Now if the two of you are so tough, what do you say to a duel?”
That got the bar crowd riled up. “A duel? With us?,” the one on the right asked, in a mocking tone.
“I’m glad you can comprehend a basic question.” He growled in response to the sarcasm. “The two of you face me in an Ante Duel. I win, you let the kid go.”
“And if we win?” He paused. “If we win, you give us your entire Deck and all the money you’ve got on you!”
“You’re on.” I grinned at the one with the spiked hair, and he did the same.

[color=green]Or he could probably trade him for cards because everybody’s poor. But okay.[/green]

“Heheh! I don’t know who you are, but you should’ve just left well enough alone, kid.” The two goons stared at me, full of intensity.
“Well, you show me what’s well enough, and I’ll consider it! Game on!”

[color=green][i]GETCHA GAME OOON[/i][/green]

[b]To be continued…[/b][/spoiler][/font]
[/quote]

Well! This was better than Crashtown by a longshot. Though it was slightly confusing, seeing as though nobody gives a flarp in this town and they still have an orphanplace they put money into from nowhere, you can still get the feeling of despair from this kid. The ending feels rushed in some respects, but it still works overall. Gouda work and keep writing! Eight flippers out of eleven.

[Synchronized]

[quote name='Weather Report - Stand' timestamp='1297123983' post='4996078']
M'kay kids, this here Star fellow has asked me to take a look at his story, as he is one of the six individuals who still remembers that I used to review stories, thus giving him magical powers. I’m going to… well, look at it and give some advice on stuff. Boy, I wonder whatever happened to Crabhelmet and all the other reviewers

Well! This was better than Crashtown by a longshot. Though it was slightly confusing, seeing as though nobody gives a flarp in this town and they still have an orphanplace they put money into from nowhere, you can still get the feeling of despair from this kid. The ending feels rushed in some respects, but it still works overall. Gouda work and keep writing! Eight flippers out of eleven.
[/quote]

Let's see. When I had written this, as I explained, I wasn't fully satisfied with it, but I felt that I'd done the best I could. One of the places I struggle the most is the introduction to stories. Once you get past the first few episodes, you can really get going. Now, I had to introduce the character and the town, and I admit, I did think of Crashtown a few times during this, though I didn't see the whole arc due to my just recently getting back into the show.

He's an anti-hero, that's for sure. Ken's decision to get involved was sort of, he's telling the story, realizing what he's been through, and finally deciding he doesn't want to deal with it anymore. Thanks a lot for the review, man, and I'm hoping the next episode will be better. I'm working on it now, and I'm liking where it's going so far.

[Anbu-of-Sand]

I gotta say, that was quite some Chapter. It's pretty sweet to have a twist on the Yugimonz classic, with a much more, I guess you can say, 'aggressive' nature to it. I love how the character somehow looks like he wants you to dislike, only for me, that makes him more interesting, and seeing since he is (most likely) the main, your somewhat 'forced' to 'like' him. I also like all the simple things that, I guess you can say 'mislead' the reader. For example, when I read that Kaneko attacked with Giant Soldier of Stone and the monster that other guy attacked with was most likely Blue-Eyes White Dragon, I was expecting to see some crappy highlander Decks.

But then, you show a part that actually shows that there is a good chance there won't be any crappy highlander Decks in here, with the main character that supposedly has a Deck that can win quite easily. I also like how you have little flashback moments, it's quite smart and I've rarely seen it in any fan fic. I somewhat do not like however, is the text. I know it may sound stupid, but I'm just not used to seeing it xD Oh, and seeing it's also based on somewhat of a Western-Cowboy-Like theme, is quite interesting as well. Can't wait for more!

[Synchronized]

[quote name='Anbu-of-Sand' timestamp='1297131842' post='4996406']
I gotta say, that was quite some Chapter. It's pretty sweet to have a twist on the Yugimonz classic, with a much more, I guess you can say, 'aggressive' nature to it.

[b]As much as I was a fan of YuGiOh GX (yes, I was), I think that style doesn't work here. While the Duel Academy will play a part in this later (SPOILER ALERT), it's not going to be in the same atmosphere that GX was.[/b]

I love how the character somehow looks like he wants you to dislike, only for me, that makes him more interesting, and seeing since he is (most likely) the main, your somewhat 'forced' to 'like' him.

[b]I can't relate to Ken, but I can definitely write his character well because I know how I want him to be. And so far, people are reacting in a great way to this, and since you all seem to like the character, I'm definitely going to keep up this style.[/b]

I also like all the simple things that, I guess you can say 'mislead' the reader. For example, when I read that Kaneko attacked with Giant Soldier of Stone and the monster that other guy attacked with was most likely Blue-Eyes White Dragon, I was expecting to see some crappy highlander Decks.

[b]Well, I never really established what it was because it didn't make a difference. The point of the flashback was just to show the confidence that Ken had gained.[/b]

But then, you show a part that actually shows that there is a good chance there won't be any crappy highlander Decks in here, with the main character that supposedly has a Deck that can win quite easily.

[b]He's got a Deck that...well it'll surprise you. That's what I'll say.[/b]

I also like how you have little flashback moments, it's quite smart and I've rarely seen it in any fan fic.

[b]I think the flashbacks are a great writing tool. Especially since it's Ken telling the story, so why not have him take you back to an important moment?[/b]

I somewhat do not like however, is the text. I know it may sound stupid, but I'm just not used to seeing it xD

[b]What do you mean?[/b]

Oh, and seeing it's also based on somewhat of a Western-Cowboy-Like theme, is quite interesting as well. Can't wait for more!

[b]Thanks! Hopefully everyone will continue to read! It'll get better![/b]
[/quote]

[Anbu-of-Sand]

As much as I was a fan of YuGiOh GX (yes, I was), I think that style doesn't work here. While the Duel Academy will play a part in this later (SPOILER ALERT), it's not going to be in the same atmosphere that GX was.
[b]Oh gawd, if there is going to be a Duel Academy, please make it so it isn't so stereotypical, well, you did just say it wasn't going to be in the same atmosphere, so I guess it won't.[/b]

I can't relate to Ken, but I can definitely write his character well because I know how I want him to be. And so far, people are reacting in a great way to this, and since you all seem to like the character, I'm definitely going to keep up this style.
[b]You better ;D[/b]

Well, I never really established what it was because it didn't make a difference. The point of the flashback was just to show the confidence that Ken had gained.
[b]Ah I see, either way, loving the flashbacks.[/b]

He's got a Deck that...well it'll surprise you. That's what I'll say.
[b]Be it an Archetype-based Deck? A custom-card-based Deck? Or even better, A CHAOS DECK!?!?![/b]

I think the flashbacks are a great writing tool. Especially since it's Ken telling the story, so why not have him take you back to an important moment?
[b]Once again, loving the flashbacks.[/b]

What do you mean?
[b]By text, I meant the font, it feels so weird reading a font that isn't the kind you normally see xP[/b]

Thanks! Hopefully everyone will continue to read! It'll get better!
[b]Your welcome.[/b]

[Synchronized]

[quote name='Anbu-of-Sand' timestamp='1297133803' post='4996493']
As much as I was a fan of YuGiOh GX (yes, I was), I think that style doesn't work here. While the Duel Academy will play a part in this later (SPOILER ALERT), it's not going to be in the same atmosphere that GX was.
[b]Oh gawd, if there is going to be a Duel Academy, please make it so it isn't so stereotypical, well, you did just say it wasn't going to be in the same atmosphere, so I guess it won't.[/b]

I can't relate to Ken, but I can definitely write his character well because I know how I want him to be. And so far, people are reacting in a great way to this, and since you all seem to like the character, I'm definitely going to keep up this style.
[b]You better ;D[/b]

Well, I never really established what it was because it didn't make a difference. The point of the flashback was just to show the confidence that Ken had gained.
[b]Ah I see, either way, loving the flashbacks.[/b]

He's got a Deck that...well it'll surprise you. That's what I'll say.
[b]Be it an Archetype-based Deck? A custom-card-based Deck? Or even better, A CHAOS DECK!?!?![/b]

I think the flashbacks are a great writing tool. Especially since it's Ken telling the story, so why not have him take you back to an important moment?
[b]Once again, loving the flashbacks.[/b]

What do you mean?
[b]By text, I meant the font, it feels so weird reading a font that isn't the kind you normally see xP[/b]

Thanks! Hopefully everyone will continue to read! It'll get better!
[b]Your welcome.[/b]
[/quote]

[font=Courier New]Basically, the Duel Academy won't work the way you'll expect it to. It's going to be different from the generic Duel Academy, but I do have to include it because Ken's like, goal as a kid was to be able to go to Duel Academy. It's something I have to include to bring the story together.[/font]

[I am Fate. Embrace me.]

Nice. Worth PMing me for. Keep goin'. + REEEEEEEEP!

[Synchronized]

Episode 2 has been posted! It's a lot longer, but there's so much I want to write and I had to find a good suspense point! Hope you guys like it!

[Synchronized]

Bump!

[Tokyo Duel]

Star, you've done the one thing I thought impossible for you to do.
You just one-upped that previous chapter. Ken went from being a character you simply respect, to being a character who you like and respect. This chapter was truly amazing, and I can't help but wonder what Ken will do. Mist Wurm as a formidable 2500 ATK, and Nitro is gone. I gotta give you props. This truly is a [b]master piece[/b]. If I'm going to far, let me know. But your ability to write is beyond comprehension. You place everything where they need to go, and you drag your in like your writing is a black hole.

[Synchronized]

[quote name='Arashi Idane' timestamp='1297366713' post='5001247']
Star, you've done the one thing I thought impossible for you to do.

You just one-upped that previous chapter. Ken went from being a character you simply respect, to being a character who you like and respect.

[b]In a way, Ken feels about himself, as you the reader feels about him. He doesn't like himself, and thus he's negative on himself. That's what I was going for, at least.[/b]

This chapter was truly amazing, and I can't help but wonder what Ken will do. Mist Wurm as a formidable 2500 ATK, and Nitro is gone. I gotta give you props. This truly is a [b]master piece[/b].

[b]Thanks! I wouldn't say that much, but if you like it, more power to you![/b]

If I'm going to far, let me know. But your ability to write is beyond comprehension. You place everything where they need to go, and you drag your in like your writing is a black hole.

[b]I know how I want the story to play out, so I'm just writing it that way, sort of.[/b]
[/quote]

[Legend Zero]

Well, things surely are picking up. ;D

The chapter was well worth the read...my only concern was the repetition of him telling, the readers, about not having anyone or anything, but that was hopefully ended at the end of this chapter.

[Synchronized]

[quote name='Legend Zero' timestamp='1297374330' post='5001502']
Well, things surely are picking up. ;D

The chapter was well worth the read...my only concern was the repetition of him telling, the readers, about not having anyone or anything, but that was hopefully ended at the end of this chapter.
[/quote]

Let me explain that. I definitely recognized the repetitive aspect of it, but I kept it to really reinforce the point. What I wanted to do, was let the readers REALLY know his backstory, so that I don't have to mention it so many times every episode. By the time you've finished reading Episodes 1 and 2, you should know who Kaneko is and what he's about. Once this duel's finished, it's time for the plot to really begin.

[Legend Zero]

That's good to hear. By the end of that chapter it just become slightly annoying to read, "nobody was there for me." I can understand the purpose, though. I'm in suspense waiting to know the plot. =3

[Synchronized]

[quote name='Legend Zero' timestamp='1297374931' post='5001522']
That's good to hear. By the end of that chapter it just become slightly annoying to read, "nobody was there for me." I can understand the purpose, though. I'm in suspense waiting to know the plot. =3
[/quote]

[font=Courier New]Another way to explain it, would be that Ken was fighting with his "good" and "evil", per se. What I mean is, he was trying to convince himself that he wasn't trying to help, when in reality that's exactly what he was doing. I really wanted to show that emotion.[/font]