These are the first 12 chapters of my Yu-Gi-Oh! fan fic. Sorry for clumping them all together, but I'd rather throw a lot out a once, that way I'll have time to get the rest of it together and continue it. As of now, it's out of production, but I'm thinking of producing it exclusively for this forum. Please comment! Favorite parts, things that need work, etc. In case you're wondering, it starts on chapter 2 because chapter 1 really had nothing to do with it and it just plain sucked. So with that said, read and enjoy!
(In case you're wondering, this is 56 pages in MSWord)
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CHAPTER 2
Yu-Gi-Oh! Trial of Fate: Chapter 2
Rating: 13+ for mild language
AUGUST 6th, 10:00 A.M.
The day turned out beautiful, as the weatherers had predicted. A swift golden sun painted the sky with a blue and white brush. The opening day of Akodia High was upon the brow of the day. The opening day was the third day of the official 219-day school year starting on August 4th.
All the students and faculty were gathered in a large courtyard outside of the cafeteria where the school ate during lunch periods. A neatly trimmed grass reception area where the principal introduced them to the new year complimented the sleek and futuristic school nicely. People were wearing their uniforms, which weren't mandatory, but for formal occasions. Among rows of very uncomfortable plastic chairs filled with discomforted students, the chatter died down as the tall and young principal took the podium. His strong and stern face suggested a German background . . . that and his name was Krauss. His oily and short black hair blew in the tasty spring breeze as he positioned the podium microphone closer to his face.
"I'd like to welcome all the students back for another wonderful year of learning and fun. Our new dueling quad has been finished, some of you already took the liberty of trying it out," The principal said as he stared at a bunch of second years.
Principal Dr. Krauss was a gentleman. He had always been very easy going and polite around anyone he spoke to. That pissed him off even more. How could Krauss be so soft on these little twerps? Where Cain came from, students were taught strict discipline, respect, and honor. None of this soft, right-winged crud. Cain stood behind everyone, not wanting to look like he was comfortable yet. Two students in the back row about five yards in front of Cain were talking, a boy and a girl. The girl was a jewel, her red and black dyed hair, skirt and uniform, and eyes that could pierce the thoughts of any man. It was as if while you were looking into her eyes, you knew everything.
"Hey, who are you?" Said the redheaded girl to Cain.
A boy who had been sitting near her whispered something to her.
"He's that new transfer student, the delinquent," The thin boy said matter-of-factly. "He looks vicious, no wonder he was transferred. I 'eard he kept getting into fights. He even punched a teacher in the face!"
"No way! He must be tough then. He looks strong Kyle," The redhead said.
"Don't go making friends with him Lisa, he'll probably kill you and bury you somewhere," Kyle said laughing.
"Actually, burying isn't my style, I prefer cremation," Cain said.
Kyle nearly jumped due to the fact he hadn't realized Cain had pulled a chair behind him while he was whispering. It was then that Kyle realized how scary Cain was. He was about average height, had a shaved head, a goatee, and a sleeveless black shirt tight to his chest, and black jeans. He had the looks of an athlete. He wasn't ripped, but Kyle knew from the look of his arms that he was buff enough to beat up any kid in the school. The eyes were the most threatening part however. His eyes spoke louder than words; they told stories of living a hard life, having to crawl to where he was now. He wasn't even wearing his uniform.
"What do you want? We don't sell drugs," Kyle said, obviously thinking he was funny.
"Sell drugs? Nah, but if your selling her . . . " Cain said with a grin. Lisa remained faceless, staring at Cain with her beautiful green eyes.
"Scumbag! This isn't Coltworth, no one buys sex down here you low-life!" Kyle said as he stood between Cain and Lisa. Cain had stepped towards Lisa while he was speaking.
"Chill the hell out you damn preppy. I'm just making friends, she seems like someone that wouldn't match you," Cain said coolly.
"What the hell does that mean? We aren't dating or anything!" Kyle said as his short blonde hair starting drifting along with the wind. The principal was still speaking.
"I mean, she's calm, unlike you. She also seems like an outgoing person, a trait you apparently lack since you're spending your time peddling gossip. Not to mention she's gorgeous and you look like a pig just shat on your face," Cain said cross-armed.
"That's it prison boy, you want some, come get it!" Kyle said.
Cain looked at Kyle, confused, and then looked to Lisa. He extended his hand to Lisa and spoke.
"I'm Cain, and you are?" He spoke softer.
"I'm Aliza, but you can call me Lisa," She said looking back at him.
"What? Lisa he's probably a convict for Christ’s sake!" Kyle.
"And for Christ's sake, why don't you shut up? She doesn't want to hear you and neither do I," Cain said.
Looking as if he was about to explode, or blow a hole in the back of his pants, Kyle huffed and sat up. He stomped angrily up the rows to another seat. Cain replaced Kyle and sat.
"That guy never leaves me alone. I swear he takes pictures of me," Lisa said.
"He certainly looks the type. What a creep," Cain said.
"So where did you transfer from?" Lisa said with a bit of interest.
"I came here from Coltworth, like your buddy said," Cain said. "It doesn't get anymore difficult than that place." Cain finished.
As if knowing they were talking, the principal raised his voice higher.
"Now if you'll please come up when your name is called to receive your duel pod cards! The official league begins today!" Krauss said as the crowd broke into applause.
Everyone stood up and remained still, waiting for their names to be called. Cain looked back at Lisa.
"So, are these duel pods like duel disks?" Cain said.
"You duel? You seem like one of those muscle head jocks to me," Lisa said.
"No, where I come from, the strong eat the weak. So it was no choice whether I was fit or not," Cain said.
"Jeez, you sound like you had it hard. Why the sudden change?" Lisa questioned.
"I can't tell you," Cain replied.
"C'mon!" Lisa said smiling. Cain's face went grim.
"No. I can't tell you. It . . . it has to do with my dad. My mom and I had no choice. Let's leave it at that," Cain said.
"Aliza Sanzetti!" Assistant principal Reigner announced. Krauss must have left somewhere, he always seemed busy.
Aliza looked at Cain and slid by him and up the rows to the front where a black box was handed to her. She's so hot, Cain thought.
An hour went by and there was one box left after the large collection had been depleted.
"And a student transfer in his 6th year, Richard Cain!"
The entire student body peered around to see the new man. Speculation and rumor seemed to have run wild about him in the two days school had been underway. As Cain walked up the isle in his informal attire, there were whispers and sometimes giggles as he walked by. He approached the makeshift stage and received the last of the weighty black boxes.
"Have a good year," Reigner covered the mike. "We are expecting good things from you,"
CHAPTER 3
Cain walked down the halls of the school. Surprisingly, they looked a lot more like the halls of a public school. The floors were a bland-colored tile with a worn down coating of shoe marks and scuffmarks that had resisted the persistent assistance of cleaners used by janitors. Similar to Coltworth, the years that he didn't want to remember. Lockers were the only aspect of the inner school that matched the image already burned into Cain's mind of a yuppie social cave. Cain's locker required an access card. Rich people, he thought. He hung his bag inside the locker and pulled out a sheet of paper. Now wearing a white button-down shirt, Cain unfolded the sheet and looked over it.
SCHOOL BEGINS AT 8:55 a.m.
ROOMS LOCK AT: 9:00 a.m. (5 minutes or you fail, I like it)
CAIN, RICHARD
Year: 6
Homeroom - 40f
9:00 A.M. - PERIOD 1 - DUEL HISTORY
9:55 A.M. - PERIOD 2 - ENGLISH 6
10:00 A.M. - PERIOD 3 - MATH 6
11:15 A.M. - PERIOD 4 - LUNCH/FREE DUEL
1:50 P.M. - PERIOD 5 - CARD STUDIES
2:55 P.M. - PERIOD 6 - BIOLOGY 6
4:10 P.M. - PERIOD 7 - DUEL ARENA CHALLENGES
SCHOOL GROUNDS CLOSE AT 7:00 P.M. AND DUELING ARENAS ARE OPEN UNTIL 10:00 P.M.
With the long day ahead of him, Cain looked at the sheet once more and folded it back into a little square no bigger than a cracker that fit conveniently in his pocket. Cain took a pencil, notebook, and his card box with him. The card box was basically a wannabe suitcase with sleeve pages inside for cards and several compartments for other dueling necessities.
Duel History was pathetic. Even though it was only fifty minutes, their teacher, Ms. Crock, was just that. She blabbed and blabbed about some great duel between two unknown entrees in last years Duelist Kingdom, it had been the eighth annual Duelist Kingdom, which meant Battle City was this year. Ms. Crock was a rackety old grouch of a woman who had obviously been divorced by at least three different men. Her stress-worn face gave the impression that she was sixty. Probably not, Cain thought.
English 6 and Math 6 were both just what they had been advertised. English had already given them a book to read for the week and math class was just like the math teacher, repetitive and easy. The woman was hitting on two jock morons in the front row the whole time. She was young, but perhaps too young for hormone fueled teenage boys who still didn't know the world was round.
Lunchtime crept around the corner and reared it's beautiful head. Cain literally jogged out of math class to his locker to put his books away. He kept only his card box on him and proceeded down the hallway. As he was turning the corner to go down the stairs to the cafeteria, two big kids stood in his way.
"Hey chump, how about some free cards?" The slender and pompous kid said. He had slick black hair and about half a foot on Cain.
"Sure! Bend over and I'll give 'em to you," Cain said quickly.
"Ooh, we gots a smart one here Damian!" The other one said. The second student was a gorilla. He was about as tall as Cain if not a bit shorter and had to be at least twice Cain's weight.
"Listen Cain, we run the dueling scene here, so get too famous too quick and you'll be hearing from us," Damian said.
"Why don't we just eliminate the middle man and duel now? I've got Duel Quad 2 reserved," Cain said facing Damian again.
"I don't believe this Rob, this chump wants to take on the number five student in the school on his first day! You're on, moron," Damian said while walking away with the big ape, Rob, from Cain.
What a friggin' dolt.
Cain approached the Dueling Quad after a quick turkey sandwich. It was truly magnificent. There were about sixteen arenas almost all of them already running and bustling with activity. The arenas were actually newer versions of the old Kaiba Corp. Models used during Duelist Kingdom. With a simple metallic structure and state-of-the-art holographic technology, the arenas kept the rankings of all students in the school and city. The design was simple, a Holographic Image Reception Field (or HIRF) in the middle placed over a two by five row of marked squares on each player's fields. Each player also had a podium designed as a Duel Monsters field similar to the one marked on the HIRF. The podiums would scan decks to verify the legality and display statistics of both players on a screen on the right side of their playing field. There were seats on the left for spectators.
Dueling Quad 2 was one of the first in the rows of the four-by-four square formation of dueling arenas. Sliding the reservation card into the slot of the main podium, the lights and holo-graphs commenced operation. All of the arenas were separated by invisible electric fences that prevented anyone from entering without permission. Here, you dueled in style with the best technology Kaiba Corp. could offer. Duel Pods, on the other hand, were best for random locations.
Cain stood at one end of the arena and waited. He glanced around curiously, hoping to catch a glimpse of others' strategies. Is that Lisa?
"Hey! Lisa!" Cain shouted across the way.
"Hey jackass! I'm over here!" Damian's voice echoed across the arena.
"Alright moneybags, any stipulations to this duel?" Cain said as he placed his deck in a receiver on his podium, which scanned his deck.
"Stipulations? This is just a gentleman's match. We don't play dirty here," Damian said while placing his deck in his podium receiver.
"Of course you don't," Cain replied. Cain withdrew six cards from his deck. "Let's duel!"
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Aliza Sanzetti: 3200
Kyle Gate: 6800
Lisa was in danger. She only had three cards in her hand, a Needle Ceiling facedown, and a Dunames Dark Witch on the field. Her opponent, the twitchy kid that Cain had chased off, had challenged her to a duel to 'prove his love for her' or something Hallmark like that. However, he was a good duelist. His beatdown, no matter how unoriginal it was, was built masterfully and he played it just as well.
"Lisa, I will end this now for your sake, if you go on a date with me," Kyle said.
"You little freak, can't you see that you bother me?" Lisa asked.
"How come you always hung around with me last year? Now all of a sudden you're drooling over that criminal!" Kyle yelled. People from other arenas were staring.
"Please, let's just duel so I can be rid of you! I draw," Lisa said as she placed a card in her hand. Good! I could use this puppy! "I'll summon my Angel Rocker by tributing my Dunames Dark Witch!" Lisa announced.
Angel Rocker
6*
1800/1100
WARRIOR/LIGHT
Angel Rocker looked just like it sounded, a heavenly maiden with flowing blonde hair holding an electric guitar. He face was determined and graceful.
"Angel Rocker is my favorite card! It powers its attack or defense up by 300 for every light monster in my graveyard, so I'll raise her attack!" Lisa said.
Angel Rocker
3000/1100
The Archfiend Soldier on Kyle's field had a Mage Power equipped to it with nothing else on the field.
"I'll set one card facedown and attack with Angel Rocker!" Lisa said.
Angel Rocker snapped the knuckles on her right hand and played a powerful note, sending a shockwave towards the helpless soldier.
Aliza Sanzetti: 3200
Kyle Gate: 6200
"This duel is going in a whole new direction!" Lisa said cheering herself on.
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Richard Cain: 8000
Damian Gyver: 8000
"I'll begin with Insane Greed! This magic card lets me draw five cards, choose one, and discard the rest at the cost of 500 life points!" Cain said.
A little red goblin with two huge bags of gold coins appeared on the field and made a face at Damian. Cain drew his cards and discarded four.
Richard Cain: 7500
Damian Gyver: 8000
"I'll set one card facedown and summon Ghoul Guard! This zombie type monster has two abilities, one lets me summon it in face-up defense position, and the other you can learn yourself!" Cain stated.
Ghoul Guard
4*
200/1700
ZOMBIE/DARK
"An unorthodox start with a rare magic card! Honestly, I didn't know that they knew how to play cards in the ghetto!" Damian chuckled.
"Make your move," Cain demanded.
Damian drew his sixth card.
"Have you ever heard of an OTK deck?" Damian said as he stared evilly at his newly drawn card.
"I should of figured that rich persona of yours could only be complimented by a cheap deck," Cain said.
"Cheap it may seem, but it takes a brilliant mind to put together a good one. Especially one that qualified me last year for the National Championships!" Damian declared.
That's where I know him. I had a nagging feeling that I'd seen him before; he's that punk that took second place and complained that his opponent was cheated. This won't be easy at all.
CHAPTER 4
Aliza Sanzetti: 3200
Kyle Gate: 6200
Lisa had retaken command of the duel, confident that she could win now. She knew however, that she couldn't let it get to her head because cockiness just gives more incentive to your opponent.
"I'm glad to see that you're a worthy opponent, because girls don't tend to duel very well," Kyle said. His arrogance seemed to inflate along with his head.
"You'll be singing a different song and dance when you lose," Lisa said. She usually wasn't very strong when it came to insulting people. Lisa was typically quiet, but she had bite.
"I'll end my turn, draw," Lisa said.
"Thank you, I'll draw. Very nice," Kyle smirked. "I'll set one card facedown and one monster facedown as well!"
Two holographic images of the backs of Duel Monsters cards appeared on the field, one vertical and the other horizontal.
"You talk a lot of trash for someone who can't back it up," Lisa said, becoming more enraged the more she looked at Kyle.
Lisa drew a card and added it to her hand.
Well, he seemed pretty pleased with his card. He may be leading me into a trap. I'm not playing him easy this time.
"I activate Nobleman of Crossout! Your facedown monster is removed from play!" Lisa announced.
A tall armored warrior with blonde locks appeared on the field. His sword shined ethereal silver. As the nobleman raised his blade, the facedown card animated itself. An odd creature appeared. It looked like a small worm with demon wings and a single yellow eye. The blade came down and the worm vaporized.
"Crap! That was my Brain Jacker you destroyed. I'll remove my other one from my deck," Kyle said looking frustrated.
"Then, I'll attack with Angel Rocker!" Lisa said.
The Angel Rocker prepared another hard note and played with thunderous force. The shockwave rippled into a strange transparent vortex on Kyle's field.
"Activate Negate Attack!" Kyle declared.
So he was going to take my Angel Rocker, good idea, bad play.
Kyle was looking uneasy. That was his best play apparently. Now he didn't seem to have much confidence. Kyle drew his card and was still.
"For our date tonight, you can meet me at the auditorium, I've got a little show to put on for you," Kyle smiled.
"You little twit, who said you were going to win? You tricked me into playing you anyways! Who says I have to go on a date with you?" Lisa said becoming enraged with Kyle's perverted game.
"Remember? I have your most precious card!" Kyle said. He pulled a card out of his pocket and waved it around.
"You little . . ." Lisa cursed.
The card Kyle held was a Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of The Beginning, it was an unbelievably hard card to come by. Only two kids in the school had one, Lisa being one of them. Kyle had stolen it from her bag when they got to the dueling quad. Lisa had figured he would be a quick and cheap pop of a duelist and a date, which is why she never took it into consideration. However, this wasn't the way she wanted it to turn out. She wouldn't forfeit just because the dork had her card. She was a very quick thinker. In the short seconds that Kyle had been taunting her, she noticed a dueling judge, one of the teachers that patrolled that field, making sure duels stayed clean.
"Disqualification! He stole a card from me!" Lisa shouted.
A female teacher with short red hair stepped towards Kyle.
"What?" Kyle said looking dumbfounded.
The teacher held out her hand to Kyle, he fierce eyes barricaded by her bottle-rimmed glasses, and interesting combination. Kyle was blushing; he had obviously never done anything this shameful. Or had just never been caught. The teacher stared him down with a glare that demanded some kind of response. The kind of look a mother gives to her child after two dollars goes missing off her dresser.
He reached into his pocket and handed the teacher the card. She looked like Kyle had just smacked her. He mouth opened in a surprised curve. Kyle was looking away now.
"You pathetic child! How could you do such a thing? Wait until your parents here about this," She said.
"Please! NOOOOO!" Kyle yelled as he followed her.
The teacher stuck a metal card in a small slot that shut down the dueling arena and handed Lisa her card.
"I'm sorry for that dear, he'll be dealt with. And for the record, keep that card close at all times, I wouldn't be surprised if even teachers tried to take that card from you," The teacher spoke in a paranoid tone.
"Thanks," Lisa replied.
Lisa stared at Kyle, who was slouching away down the pathways between dueling quads. He's gonna be in a lot of trouble.
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"So, this one-turn kill deck of yours, is this all you parents could pay for?" Cain said. He knew these rich kids could only be broken through attacks on their money. Their egos seemed to be so inflated, that they were immune to any kind of psychological attack. Sure it was kind of a cheap tactic to some, but Cain was good at messing with people's heads.
"Enough chit-chat, I play Pot of Greed!" Damian announced, as a small green pot with menacing eyes and a wide evil grin on it's front appeared on the field and spit out two cards.
Next, I'll play Monster Gate! This will help summon the first piece to your demise!" Damian said dramatically.
As a strange energy field gathered on Damian's field, a creature began to emerge from it. A strange mechanical turtle with a large catapult on it's back.
"I special summon Catapult Turtle!" Damian announced.
Cain realized at that moment that there were no less than fifty students watching from the little stands around the arena. Checking out the new guy, can't blame 'em I guess.
"Next, I'll summon Magical Scientist!" Damian said. As he declared this, the crowd of students started whispering and snickering to one another. Here it comes, Cain thought.
"I'm sure you know what comes next, don't you?" Damian laughed.
"I do know, but you won't see it coming!" Cain said almost with a growl. This kid was definitely like a little rat, picking at his last nerve.
"Hahaha! You pushover, everyone said that you had some kind of amazing deck and here you are, completely helpless against what you called, a cheap deck." Damian laughed as he fondled the cards in his hands like gold coins.
"You're playing a coward's deck. You cannot even destroy my Ghoul Guard can you? I can accept defeat if you are able to penetrate my defenses." Cain said.
"Who cares if you accept it or not! I play Poison of The Old Man! I'll gain 1200!" Damian continued.
D: 9200
C: 8000
"Too bad. I guess you're just a stereotypical rich kid. No backbone and no guts, just like Kaiba himself." Cain taunted him.
"You're even going to insult the world champion? Even after he proved victorious over Yugi Moto in the third annual Battle City? You want it? You got it, dumbass!" Damian yelled.
"Ooh, I see we've moved up from four-letter insults. What's next? Keeping your head out of your ass?" Cain laughed.
Damian was becoming even more infuriated. As Cain had assumed, Damian wasn't the kind of person who heard 'no' a lot. He was clearly frustrated with the serious lack of respect Cain was showing.
"Do you see? Even as I stand here, whether I win or lose, I will never show you respect. All the money in the world couldn't buy you a teaspoon," Cain stated.
"I don't need to buy any respect from you! I'll beat it out of you!" Damian said almost screaming.
"Yeah man, you tell him!" Rob, the ogre of a young man who had pushed Cain around earlier said from his little spot on the stands.
"You sit down and shut your face lard ass," Cain yelled to Rob.
"Oh yeah, well . . . you're dumb!" Rob yelled back.
Cain simply looked back, with one eyebrow slightly raised and then looked towards Damian, who was looking the other direction of Rob and rolling his eyes.
"That's a cool friend you got there, I wish my friends were so stupid that they didn't know I was a pathetic duelist and a waste of life as well," Cain shot at Damian venomously.
"SHUT YOUR GODDAMNED FACE, BEGGAR!" Damian shouted.
The crowd had been laughing and cheering, but both duelists were unaware as to whom they were laughing at or cheering for. Cain could less; he hated having any kind of fan club. He had a few experiences in his life.
"I special summon Dark Baltar by paying 1000 of my own life points!" Damian commanded to his Magical Scientist.
D: 8200
C: 8000
A bundle of coins, supposedly representing life points, appeared in front of the hideous little man on Damian's field. As Magical Scientist erupted in an almost cartoon fashioned whirlwind of scientific instruments and colors, a demon began to appear.
Baltar was a beast. He was a beast of the underworld that no doubt served Hades at some point in a story long forgotten. His face was almost metallic and painted with an equally terrifying grin. His tattered shadow-black cape and humanlike body appeared. The scientist finished and stood back at his spot on the field, looking very proud of himself.
DARK BALTAR
Fiend/Dark
2000/1000
"As a down side, any monster I summon with Magical Scientist can't attack directly and will return to my fusion deck at the end of my turn," Damian.
"Dark Baltar, attack Ghoul Guard!" Damian shouted.
As Baltar raised one of his clawed arms, he dashed towards the Ghoul Guard, a stout skeletal creature with a tall shield and club. The Ghoul Guard braced itself as Baltar swung his sharp hand downwards. Suddenly, a large cloud of black smoke erupted from the ground Ghoul Guard was standing on. Baltar flinched and stumbled back from the smoke with a menacing growl. Not phased, but more angry, the persistent monster charged at the smoke cloud again. What happened next, was truly disturbing.
As Baltar made it even closer to the supposed Ghoul Guard, a different shape began to emerge from the cloak of fog. It was taller than Baltar for sure. As the demon realized this, he tried to stop, but a horrible frown became Baltar's last testament to his enemy.
As if the duel had quickly become a show of who could summon the uglier monster, Cain had it won. The monster that stood were Ghoul Guard once stood was about three feet taller than Balter. It was humanlike in many ways, except it's face. It's mouth was about two feet long, and a foot wide. The mouth was laced with hundreds of jagged white teeth, each at least three inches long. One eye bulged from its skull as if it were trying to escape.
Actually, it wasn't humanlike at all. Its body was abnormally muscular and purple. Its bald head reflected the horrid look on Baltar's face. It was then, that the new monster screeched, opened its mouth, and tore into Baltar's chest as Baltar shattered into thousands of pieces. The hideous beast let out a roar, as it's crimson robes fluttered in a holographic wind.
D: 7400
C: 6500
"Wha-wha-what the hell did you do?" Damian stuttered.
"I-I-I just activated a little magic card," Cain mocked Damian's obvious fear. "The quickplay card I activated is called The Mercenary! At the cost of 1500 life points and a tributed monster, I can summon one monster to my side of the field from my deck in any position. I choose the monster, Embodiment of Insanity!" Cain announced.
EMBODIMENT OF INSANITY
6*
Zombie/Dark
2800/2800
"This card has two special abilities. One, when it is special summoned, it's attack and defense points are doubled. Two, when it destroys a monster in battle, I gain life points equal to half the attack points of the destroyed monster, so I gain 1000!" Cain stated happily. The Embodiment Of Insanity let loose a terrible high-pitched laughter that represented it's name well.
D: 7400
C: 7500
"No! That means -" Damian trailed off and was interrupted.
"You cannot win!" Cain yelled.
"I - I end my turn," Damian said.
"Good boy," Cain said slyly.
Cain drew his card and stared at Damian's field. Damian was broken and his c0cky attitude was his downfall. Too much confidence'll kill you, Cain thought. Cain looked at the card he just drew and looked once more at Damian, who was slouched on his podium, waiting to lose.
Cain's gaze had caught Damian's attention. Cain placed his right hand on his deck and shut off his podium.
"Y-y-you're quitting? Why?" Damian questioned.
"You learned your lesson. Change yourself or I'll come back to pound you again," Cain threatened while pointing at Damian. Not to mention that I don't want my real strategies to be exposed in my first match.
Cain walked out from the dueling quad with his hands in his pockets as the crowd that was at his arena slowly dissipated.
"That was cool," A cute voice came from behind him.
"What?" Cain said as he turned towards the owner of the voice..
"That was really cool, no one has ever done that to him before. People talk big, saying they're going to pound him but never do," Lisa said. "No one would have ever passed up a win to teach someone a lesson, and that jerk needed it." Lisa said.
"Thanks. So what happened in your duel?" Cain asked.
"What duel?" Lisa blushed wondering if Cain knew that a date was on the line in her previous duel. She was still ashamed of it.
"You and that trouser stain. I saw you guys stepping into a dueling platform," Cain said.
"Yeah, he stole one of my cards and made me duel for it. And . . . well, if I didn't beat him, he said I'd have to go on a date with him," Lisa said red in the face.
"HAHA! That little bug wanted to go out with you?" Cain laughed.
"What?" Lisa said looking offended.
"No, not like that. I'm surprised he didn't ask his mother first, pathetic kid that he is," Cain laughed.
Lisa smiled a bit and stared back at Cain. Cain looked down at her and his face was straight. For brief seconds, they stared into each other's eyes. She really does have amazing eyes, Cain thought. The piercing green pupils told Cain everything he could ever want to know. From that second or two that he stared, he felt stronger, braver, better. As if these eyes were a source of ethereal power and dignity. More than that, Cain wanted to gaze longer. He wanted that feeling of warmth and beauty.
The feeling that he had lost long ago on the day that he realized that the world doesn't play fair. It was a day that he learned Murphy's Law, anything that can go wrong, would. However, the eyes of this woman revitalized him. He could literally feel wings sprouting from his back. Her black and red shaded hair gave a rebellious feel, a woman that would not accept normal. He knew now that angels did not have white wings and shining gold halos, this angel wore glasses set against a freckled face.
Please help me, was what his eyes were telling her. His hazel eyes told of a past that he wished would go away. Like a deep gash in the flesh, it would never fade. This wound would remain open and bleed on your soul and mind, reminding you of a terrible past. Please tell me what's wrong Cain. This was not a lust for flesh, it was much more deep than this.
However, she could also see the power and bravery swirling in his eyes. Years of struggle in an unknown world where nothing could be right. The grinding time that drilled through his body. His resistance to this created a hard exterior so that he could fight the demons of his past. A weapon. Cain had found his way out, as if he were a soldier returning from war. She wanted to be the pillow under his head. The soft relief that comforted a troubled mind and made everything right. The one that remained there for the rest of a weary life that needed to be reborn. A life that needed her.
Cain took a breath and spoke.
"I . . . I have to go. It's Saturday tomorrow isn't it?" Cain spoke as his he was riding a bike down a rocky hill, trying to stay steady and not trip.
". . . Yeah, yeah it is," Lisa giggled a bit, losing her train of thought.
"If you want, we could . . . hang out." Cain blubbered. Smooth one, Mr. Bond.
"I would like that," Lisa said, blushing for another reason.
Cain didn't mean to, but at that moment, he reached his hand out and touched her cheek. His hand glided down her silky skin and cured him of his stress, a feeling that was new to him. She smiled and walked away. However, she stopped about five feet away and turned around.
"They're having a small tournament and Akodia City tomorrow. We could go there and do lunch or something," She asked innocently.
"Yeah, that sounds fun," Cain replied. He waved and she waved back.
I never thought I'd look forward to going to school, but I think I'm beginning to like it here.
Lisa ran up the stairs to her dorm room, giddy as a schoolgirl you could say. She pulled out her card and slid it in the card reader on her door. The white door clicked open and she hurried in and closed the door. The rooms in the dorms were small, but had beds; color TVs, bathrooms, and even a small kitchen area. Placing her backpack on her bed, she approached the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and stopped. Does he want me as well? She asked herself. I could feel something there, is it really there though?
"Look at you, talking to yourself in the mirror," She chuckled to herself. "We're just going to hang out, duel, and have some lunch, that's all." She assured herself. Please tell me Cain.
After she had changed into her pajamas, she dove onto her bed and grabbed a pillow. She smiled and dozed off to sleep.
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Cain sat on his bed, deep in thought. It's over, I can forget about it. I can finally start anew. Man, I can't wait to see her again.
He rifled through his still unpacked suitcases and found his tank top and sweat pants. Can this really be happening? Mom always told me everything would be better someday. I never did believe her. Could she have been right? If she were right about that, then maybe she was right about dad? No, she wasn't. She was crazy enough not to be right about everything.
Cain then remembered the tournament that they were going to tomorrow. He knew his deck would need a bit of work. He looked at his suitcase and opened it, it was crunch time. He knew his deck needed more trap support, so he separated his deck into three piles; magic, trap, and monster.
Cain sat until about twelve in the morning before he turned in for the night. She's the one, man, so don't let her go. You thought the last one was the one, but you let her go. I know Lisa is. She just feels so . . . perfect. Listen to this, I sound like a damn soap opera.
Better just sleep on it.
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CHAPTER 5: THE LEGACY OF CAIN
*BEEP* 7:30 *BEEP*
The clock chirped.
The morning came and Richard Cain stirred in his dorm room. The sun tickled his face until he couldn't take it. Walking like a zombie, he mumbled to himself and staggered towards the window over the sink. With authority and anger, he slammed it shut, and fell back in his bed.
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Lisa had been awake since seven and couldn't sleep. Her little rendezvous with Cain was the only idea her brain could process. There was something about him that made her feel alive and vivid, like she could conquer the world. Looking through her closet repeatedly and scanning for an outfit to wear, she grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. As if fate itself were egging her and Cain on, an ad for the Akodia Entry-Level Duelist Tournament was on TV.
"Wow! That's awesome! I'm glad I saved up some money, maybe I'll get one of those cards!" Cain said with newfound excitement, as if he needed any more for his day ahead. It had been a long time since Cain felt this way towards anyone. Not even his mother was worthy of his devotion anymore.
Cain pulled out a pair of navy blue jeans. They were his favorite. They were cargo pants, which meant they had two huge pockets on the sides of both legs in addition to the standard pockets. These went on over his favorite pair of black work boots, which were laced with black laces to match the black boots. Cain then tossed on his white Battle City T-shirt. It was all white except for a small portion over the left chest area that read "Battle City Security." It was how he got into Duel Monsters.
Cain had been a youth security guard working for Kaiba Corp. when he was about sixteen. He got into watching the duels. He actually got fired for staring and not doing his duty patrolling the streets for illegal activity. He remembered seeing a boy playing a Summoned Skull and another counterattacking with a Dark Magician. It was so neat and new to him that he had to try it.
Enough memory lane, I got to go meet Lisa! Cain thought this to himself as he pulled out a black, flexi-fit hat that he liked to wear backwards. Lastly, he grabbed his suitcase with his cards and his wallet. Double-checking himself several times to make sure he had everything, he walked into the dormitory hallway and closed the door. As soon as he took one step, he laughed at himself and shook his head. He used his card to open the door and grabbed his deck off the counter in its small blue case.
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Lisa stood at a fountain outside of the Card Center. The card center had to be one of the most unique structures in the entire country. It contained information on every card ever printed and galleries of cards to be observed and studied. There was also a theater that played famous duels like Yugi Moto versus Kaiba in the Battle City Semifinals of the first Battle City. It also contained countless books on dueling strategies, legendary duelists, and other random information. Anyone who played Duel Monsters made it a point to visit the place at least once a year. Not to mention, they sold a lot of cards, some of the rarest packs, too. It was the academy's easiest way to make money.
Lisa heard footsteps and saw Cain about fifty feet down the paved path, coming from the young men's dorms. He was in jeans and a t-shirt, a casual wear. Lisa had gone with a similar fashion. She wore light blue bell-bottoms and black midriff shirt and sneakers.
"Hey Lisa! What's up?" Cain asked. He was carrying a silver suitcase with him.
"Ready to go? I got us train tickets. Are those your cards?" She said pointing to his suitcase.
"Yeah, the more security, the better," Cain winked.
Lisa returned a smile and handed him a ticket for station 4, which was about a twenty minute walk from the school. She put on her backpack and motioned him to follow her.
They walked together, awkwardly silent for about ten minutes. They were outside school grounds now and were walking down a road lined with trees; the station was at the end of the road.
"So, have you lived in Akodia your whole life?" Cain said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah. I'm a local." Lisa responded. "Did you live in Coltworth up until now?' She asked.
"Well, it's a long story, but for the most part, yes." Cain said.
"Anything you can tell me? I want to hear," Lisa said.
"I appreciate it, but it's something I have to deal with," Cain responded coolly.
"Are you sure? It's feels like your holding something back that you need to say," Lisa commented.
"I am. And I'm going to keep it held back until the time is right," Cain said.
Lisa looked away and smiled.
The station was quiet for a Saturday, especially since there was a tournament to go to. Cain and Lisa punched their tickets in the machine and approached the waiting dock. The train arrived only two minutes after they checked in. They got on the train and looked around. Surprisingly, a few younger kids and the usual traveling businessmen only joined them.
"You ready for the dueling?" Cain questioned her as they both sat in a seat.
"Yeah, you?" Lisa replied.
"Of course," Cain answered.
*Awkward silence*
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"A gathering like this is what we need. If we are to recruit anyone worth training, they'll be here," A voice came from the darkness of a dim room.
The man in the long red robe sighed.
"This will be fun. I cannot wait to rebuild what we lost. If we had only thought of this before, things would have been different," The man said. 'We won't fail this time. We will bring the light to the people. The Prophet will come, you'll see. This time, your master will come," The man stated.
"Yes, Captain Cloud," The shadowy voice said. “ We believe in you,†The voice reassured.
"Let the dueling begin, have our men report any strong duelists, we need names and cards for recruiting,†Cloud said. “The prophet may even be a child, so look for anything strange,†Cloud said to the cloaked man.
“I will sir.†The man responded.
“Why are you wearing that cloak again? You look like some kind of rare hunter wannabe,†Cloud questioned. The man was silent as the darkness hid his facial expression. No doubt the man was confused.
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Cain sat in silence for a few minutes before he took out his deck and rifled through it. He seemed a bit nervous for someone who claimed he wasn’t.
“What kind of deck are you playing?†Lisa asked innocently.
“Heh, I’m not even sure. It’s really just a jumble of my favorite cards. It’s worked for me, so I haven’t changed it. Not to mention it makes it easier to confuse an opponent looking for a strategy,†Cain explained.
“Neat, I remember my first deck was like that. I threw together a bunch of my favorite cards. But it sucked, a lot,†Lisa said, laughing a bit.
“So what are you playing today?†Cain returned the question.
“Well, I always liked light monsters, so I have a light/warrior hybrid. I was ranked 31st out of 900 ranked students, so I’d say it works pretty well,†Lisa said pulling her deck out of her pocket book.
It was interesting to see the differences and similarities between the two. Lisa had done an amazing job creating an unbelievably beautiful design of a warrior cradling what seemed to be an injured angel on her silver deck box. The two characters looked at each other with a longing desire, as if they were lovers who were forced to be apart.
The city was in sight through the left window now and Cain couldn't help but stare with fiery ambition. He wanted another tournament. It had been a long time since he could do much serious dueling. The city looked almost like a larger version of the school. It was sleek, white, and very futuristic. All it needed was flying cars and George Lucas to make it perfect.
"So just Cain? I can't call you Richard or even Rich?" Lisa asked flirtatiously.
"Heh, I like Rick or Cain. Whatever you want, just not Richard. That was my father's name," Cain responded.
At the mention of his father, Cain felt a little switch turn on in his head, as if he had tripped a mental wire. He saw a small boy in the corner of a cluttered house. Grime and dust gripped the young child's shirt and brow. He held onto a small doll as he stared into the kitchen with a look of true horror. His eyes trembled. He was a deer in headlights, stunned with the scene before him. Within a few moments, a woman screamed as she fired a gun. Blood dripped down her face and she cursed as loud as she could. The gun slid out of her hand as she fell to her knees. As if someone had heard the boy praying for solace, a tall and menacing figure in a long cloak approached from the shadows of the dim kitchen to where the woman had been shooting. The man lifted his hood as the little boy's eyes widened -
"Cain? Are you okay?" Lisa said.
Cain stumbled out of his mental stupor and looked around and then at his watch. It had been about five minutes. Perspiration grazed his face as Cain struggled to regain feeling in his upper body. He was paralyzed with fear.
"Did I fall asleep?" Cain questioned Lisa, the city behind Lisa was closer than ever.
"Yeah, but you kind of spazzed for a second and then you woke up," Lisa said.
"Well, I feel fine now," Cain said as he sat up, making sure he still had his card box.
"Cain, whose Mora?" Lisa asked. Her face was like when a young girl finally asks her parents where grandma went. It was solemn and unsure.
"I don't know, why?" Cain lied.
"You muttered her name once or twice," Lisa explained.
"I'm not totally sure, I saw a woman screaming. Just a bad dream I guess. I've had 'em before," Cain said.
"Well, please tell me if you want to talk. I don't care if it sounds corny, but you've got something hidden and I just want you to know you can talk to me," Lisa reassured.
Cain turned a light shade of red and nodded.
"Excuse me young man, can you help me?" A man in a suit said from behind Cain and Lisa.
"What do you want gramps?" Cain said coldly.
"I'm sorry to bother you, can you help me with my deck?" The gentleman said.
"Why would you ask me?" Cain said.
"Because you're Richard Cain. You've gained quite a bit of rumor since people heard you joined the Akodia Dueling Academy," He spoke.
"Do you have some kind of history I never heard of?" Lisa asked Cain.
"Long story, but yeah, sort of," Cain said. "Listen man, I don't help people who don't need it," Cain responded.
"What do you mean?" He replied confused.
"You're Hank Murray, one of the top ranked duelists in the veteran league," Cain said.
He sighed and turned red.
"Well, I didn't think you'd know me, but it was worth a try," Murray said.
"You wanted to see my deck. Damned cheater," Cain said standing.
"How dare you!" The man fumed. "Let's see if that deck actually packs some punch! I challenge you to a duel, Richard Cain!" The main shouted as he stood and strapped on his duel disk.
"Bring it on you old fart, I'll smack you around the way your mother should have," Cain said as he inserted his deck.
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CHAPTER 6:
"HEY! HEY!" Lisa screamed. "Chill out Cain!" Lisa said as she stepped between Mr. Murray and the heavy breathing Cain. "Save it for the tournament!"
"This pile of wrinkled skin won't be there! I'd rather whoop him now," Cain said now standing still.
"You need some help son, but I enjoy your competitiveness. I'll wager this box of G.O.D packs if you defeat me!" The man said as he opened his suitcase.
Right there, in the midst of papers and cards, was an unopened box of the newest set of Duel Monsters cards, the ones that Cain and Lisa both saw on TV. It was a small brown box with the Duel Monsters logo and several duel monsters designed on the box. There were at least 30 packs in the box.
"How did you get those?" Cain said, lighting up a bit at the thought of new cards.
"They're real, that's all you need to know," The man said.
"That's good enough for me," Cain said as he turned his duel pod on.
"This doesn't seem like a good idea Cain," Lisa said.
Cain looked down at her; she was still standing between them. He locked with her eyes and adrenaline filled his veins. Once again, he felt stronger. The aura she gave off was radiant enough to light even Cain's shallow heart. He smiled at her and spoke.
"Lisa, this is the perfect opportunity to get a jump on everyone at the tournament. With new cards, our decks would be unstoppable!" Cain said. He sounded like a little child who had just found money on the ground, talking about all the great things he'd get with it.
Lisa turned to look at the man in his business suit and turned back to Cain. She nodded and stood behind him. His competitiveness was a definite plus to her.
"To make things interesting, I have two boxes, one with 36 packs, another with 24. We'll split this box and the winners will get the 36 count box," The middle-ager smiled.
"Sweet deal, I'll take it. Is there any catch?" Cain said.
"Nope, just restoring a bit of my youth."
Cain stared suspiciously for a moment or two. I've never had a positive experience with anyone older than 30. What makes you think this could be any better? He's offering you free cards. He’s probably a pedophile. Does the phrase, "Don't take candy from strangers" pop into mind?
Cain waited for Hank to pop open the box and split the packs into two piles. He let Hank take one stack and then he took the rest.
Hank opened up all his packs and put them into a stack and sorted through them. His eyes lit up once or twice, possibly signifying his discovery of a new card.
Turning away from him, Cain sat in a seat and put the packs on the table. He preferred a slower method. Tearing the thin foil wrapping, he pulled out the little stack of five cards. A few of the cards were reprints, two were not. One was a common, the other was an ultra rare, or a card with engraved gold lettering for the title instead of the regular black or white ink. Holy crap, this card could do some serious damage! I even got one of the pieces for it already!
Now giddy with excitement, Lisa watched Cain tear open the remaining packs with glee as she laughed to herself over his childish stupor. She caught a glimpse of a holographic card that he got, but couldn't clearly see it.
Cain slipped a few cards into his deck and removed a few and placed them in his suitcase.
"Alright grandpa, let's dance!" Cain said activating his Duel Pod.
Richard Cain: 8000
Hank Murray: 8000
"You can call me Hank, rookie," Hank returned venomously.
"Well, at least you got some fight in you. Better than dueling a corpse I suppose," Cain joked darkly.
The train isles were about five people wide, perfect for the duel. Another Kaiba Corps. Invention was the train, a locomotive that could support dueling.
"Since I challenged and gave you some free cards, I seem no problem in me going first!" Hank spoke as he withdrew six cards from his deck.
He pondered his cards for a few moments. He was apparently developing a strategy. His tiny brown mustache and balding head twitched slightly as he chuckled to himself.
"I'll summon Solar Flare Dragon and set one card facedown. You may go." Hank finished.
Solar Flare Dragon wasn't menacingly large, but his flame-engulfed body was enough to bother anyone. The dragon/snake hybrid let loose a roar and settled on the field in front of Hank. Holographic flames glittered brightly as Solar Flare Dragon gazed at Cain.
As Cain was about to draw a card, Solar Flare Dragon arched back, and belched a holographic flame shot aimed at Cain.
The minute fireball exploded in front of Cain with amazing realism. If it had been any more realistic, Cain may have been lacking eyebrows.
C: 7500
M: 8000
"What the hell are you up to?" Cain demanded.
"Don't you remember Solar Flare Dragon? He does 500 points of damage to your life points at the end of each of my turns," Hank said.
Man I'm rusty. I gotta get back into form here.
"I'll draw. I activate Insane Greed! By paying 500 life points, I draw five cards, choose one, and discard the rest!" Cain announced.
C: 7000
M: 8000
A familiar little red demon appeared on the field carrying two large bags of cash. He made a little grunt towards Hank and nodded towards Cain. As soon as Cain placed the four cards in the graveyard, two monsters appeared on the field. Two zombie-like soldiers manifested onto the field. Both had on elegant red ceremonial armor with eastern design and decorations.
"Ahh, the Forgotten Samurai! I remember that card!" Hank spoke.
FORGOTTEN SAMURAI
****
1400/1600
Undead/Light/Effect
"Then I'm sure you know it summons itself automatically when I discard it. Good, at least I don't have to explain half of my cards to you," Cain said.
"Next, I shall tribute one of my samurai to summon the Red Paladin!" Cain declared.
A tall muscular man wearing knight's armor and carrying a large, decorative sword rose from the train floor in front of Cain. His glossy red armor showed rank and superiority.
RED PALADIN
*****
2100/1300
Warrior/Fire
"Paladin, destroy the Solar Flare Dragon!" Cain yelled.
“I’m afraid not! Activate Gravity Bind!†Hank declared, as his trap card manifested a blue grid on the field. The grid seemed to hold Red Paladin from moving. The remaining samurai also looked trapped.
“Damnit! Now my good monsters can’t attack! Well, since my level four and higher monsters are restricted; I’ll play one card face down and end. Go ahead," Cain motioned.
Hank drew.
"I'll activate Poison of The Old Man to inflict 800 points of damage to your life points!" Hank proclaimed.
C: 6200
M: 8000
"I'll activate the magic card, Demon Scorn! It adds an additional 400 points of damage every time a monster inflicts effect damage!" Hank declared.
He's off to a roaring start. Some of those new cards may become useful here.
"Next, I shall summon Raging Flame Sprite!" Hank said as he slipped a card into his Duel Pod.
A little warlock boy appeared on the field. He held a small stick and wore a bright red set of clothes. His fiery cloak and wizard cap made him look intimidating. However, it was still a small child.
"Attack his life points directly!" Hank shouted.
"Oh no!" Cain said in a sarcastic tone.
The little mage molded a fireball out of nothingness with his hand and staff and hurled it at Cain. The fireball, which was much smaller than the dragon's, floated carelessly before popping in front of Cain with a miniature noise.
C: 6100
M: 8000
"How did he attack you directly?" Lisa asked. She had been standing behind Cain, watching with curiosity.
"Raging Flame Sprite can attack directly and each time it successfully deals damage, it's attack increases by 1000. This is a typical burn combo," Cain said motioning towards the sprite and dragon. "It's so typical, that it shouldn't be too hard to topple," Cain said to Lisa.
"You say it will be easy, yet I see the life point difference is expanding," Hank pointed out.
"You are one quick thinking for an old fart knocker," Cain spoke.
"Insult me all you want, you're enemies cannot be defeated with empty remarks, you must triumph over them!" Hank said, slightly irritated. "I end my turn. Go on with your turn," Hank spoke.
The dragon reared his head and let loose a hellish fireball at Cain once again.
C: 5600
M: 8000
Cain winced but gathered himself quickly. "Ok, I've got a nice treat for you. The card I drew is Mystical Space Typhoon! I'll activate it to destroy Gravity Bind!"
A tiny cloud hovered over the blue orb, laced with restricting lasers, and lying vertical on Hank's side of the field. A vicious typhoon roared from under the card. The helpless trap card was beginning to tear apart as the orb started quivering. As if it was resisting, the orb struggled as it was being pulled down into the typhoon. That was until a bolt of lightning cracked the orb into a thousand pieces, which quickly broke it into a thousand pieces.
"Next, I'll summon Green Paladin!" Cain said he dropped a card on the reader.
Another warrior, almost the same as the Red Paladin, appeared on the field. He was exactly the same, except he held a long spear and had green armor.
GREEN PALADIN
****
1300/1300
Warrior/Earth
"Green Paladin, destroy the flame sprite!" Cain commanded.
The paladin ran full speed and pierced the small sorcerer through the chest, shattering the hologram.
C: 5600
M: 7800
"Next, Red Paladin, attack Solar Flare Dragon!" Cain commanded once more.
The Red Paladin strode in his heavy armor towards the dragon, which was showing it's snake-like side by hissing menacingly. The paladin seemed unphased as he proceeded to liberate the dragon's head from it's neck.
C: 5600
M: 7200
"And lastly, samurai, attack him directly!" Cain finished.
The small armored soldier ran with purpose as it raised it's sword, possibly reliving battles once gone by. The sword came down swiftly upon Hank's shoulder.
C: 5600
M: 5800
"That's a much more even score," Cain said with a smug look.
Hank seemed frustrated, yet somehow calm. It was an odd stare he had.
"I end my turn after I play one more card facedown," Cain said as he slipped one last card into the pod.
Surprisingly quiet, Hank drew a card and thought. A minute or two went by as he stared at the card he held.
(In case you're wondering, this is 56 pages in MSWord)
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CHAPTER 2
Yu-Gi-Oh! Trial of Fate: Chapter 2
Rating: 13+ for mild language
AUGUST 6th, 10:00 A.M.
The day turned out beautiful, as the weatherers had predicted. A swift golden sun painted the sky with a blue and white brush. The opening day of Akodia High was upon the brow of the day. The opening day was the third day of the official 219-day school year starting on August 4th.
All the students and faculty were gathered in a large courtyard outside of the cafeteria where the school ate during lunch periods. A neatly trimmed grass reception area where the principal introduced them to the new year complimented the sleek and futuristic school nicely. People were wearing their uniforms, which weren't mandatory, but for formal occasions. Among rows of very uncomfortable plastic chairs filled with discomforted students, the chatter died down as the tall and young principal took the podium. His strong and stern face suggested a German background . . . that and his name was Krauss. His oily and short black hair blew in the tasty spring breeze as he positioned the podium microphone closer to his face.
"I'd like to welcome all the students back for another wonderful year of learning and fun. Our new dueling quad has been finished, some of you already took the liberty of trying it out," The principal said as he stared at a bunch of second years.
Principal Dr. Krauss was a gentleman. He had always been very easy going and polite around anyone he spoke to. That pissed him off even more. How could Krauss be so soft on these little twerps? Where Cain came from, students were taught strict discipline, respect, and honor. None of this soft, right-winged crud. Cain stood behind everyone, not wanting to look like he was comfortable yet. Two students in the back row about five yards in front of Cain were talking, a boy and a girl. The girl was a jewel, her red and black dyed hair, skirt and uniform, and eyes that could pierce the thoughts of any man. It was as if while you were looking into her eyes, you knew everything.
"Hey, who are you?" Said the redheaded girl to Cain.
A boy who had been sitting near her whispered something to her.
"He's that new transfer student, the delinquent," The thin boy said matter-of-factly. "He looks vicious, no wonder he was transferred. I 'eard he kept getting into fights. He even punched a teacher in the face!"
"No way! He must be tough then. He looks strong Kyle," The redhead said.
"Don't go making friends with him Lisa, he'll probably kill you and bury you somewhere," Kyle said laughing.
"Actually, burying isn't my style, I prefer cremation," Cain said.
Kyle nearly jumped due to the fact he hadn't realized Cain had pulled a chair behind him while he was whispering. It was then that Kyle realized how scary Cain was. He was about average height, had a shaved head, a goatee, and a sleeveless black shirt tight to his chest, and black jeans. He had the looks of an athlete. He wasn't ripped, but Kyle knew from the look of his arms that he was buff enough to beat up any kid in the school. The eyes were the most threatening part however. His eyes spoke louder than words; they told stories of living a hard life, having to crawl to where he was now. He wasn't even wearing his uniform.
"What do you want? We don't sell drugs," Kyle said, obviously thinking he was funny.
"Sell drugs? Nah, but if your selling her . . . " Cain said with a grin. Lisa remained faceless, staring at Cain with her beautiful green eyes.
"Scumbag! This isn't Coltworth, no one buys sex down here you low-life!" Kyle said as he stood between Cain and Lisa. Cain had stepped towards Lisa while he was speaking.
"Chill the hell out you damn preppy. I'm just making friends, she seems like someone that wouldn't match you," Cain said coolly.
"What the hell does that mean? We aren't dating or anything!" Kyle said as his short blonde hair starting drifting along with the wind. The principal was still speaking.
"I mean, she's calm, unlike you. She also seems like an outgoing person, a trait you apparently lack since you're spending your time peddling gossip. Not to mention she's gorgeous and you look like a pig just shat on your face," Cain said cross-armed.
"That's it prison boy, you want some, come get it!" Kyle said.
Cain looked at Kyle, confused, and then looked to Lisa. He extended his hand to Lisa and spoke.
"I'm Cain, and you are?" He spoke softer.
"I'm Aliza, but you can call me Lisa," She said looking back at him.
"What? Lisa he's probably a convict for Christ’s sake!" Kyle.
"And for Christ's sake, why don't you shut up? She doesn't want to hear you and neither do I," Cain said.
Looking as if he was about to explode, or blow a hole in the back of his pants, Kyle huffed and sat up. He stomped angrily up the rows to another seat. Cain replaced Kyle and sat.
"That guy never leaves me alone. I swear he takes pictures of me," Lisa said.
"He certainly looks the type. What a creep," Cain said.
"So where did you transfer from?" Lisa said with a bit of interest.
"I came here from Coltworth, like your buddy said," Cain said. "It doesn't get anymore difficult than that place." Cain finished.
As if knowing they were talking, the principal raised his voice higher.
"Now if you'll please come up when your name is called to receive your duel pod cards! The official league begins today!" Krauss said as the crowd broke into applause.
Everyone stood up and remained still, waiting for their names to be called. Cain looked back at Lisa.
"So, are these duel pods like duel disks?" Cain said.
"You duel? You seem like one of those muscle head jocks to me," Lisa said.
"No, where I come from, the strong eat the weak. So it was no choice whether I was fit or not," Cain said.
"Jeez, you sound like you had it hard. Why the sudden change?" Lisa questioned.
"I can't tell you," Cain replied.
"C'mon!" Lisa said smiling. Cain's face went grim.
"No. I can't tell you. It . . . it has to do with my dad. My mom and I had no choice. Let's leave it at that," Cain said.
"Aliza Sanzetti!" Assistant principal Reigner announced. Krauss must have left somewhere, he always seemed busy.
Aliza looked at Cain and slid by him and up the rows to the front where a black box was handed to her. She's so hot, Cain thought.
An hour went by and there was one box left after the large collection had been depleted.
"And a student transfer in his 6th year, Richard Cain!"
The entire student body peered around to see the new man. Speculation and rumor seemed to have run wild about him in the two days school had been underway. As Cain walked up the isle in his informal attire, there were whispers and sometimes giggles as he walked by. He approached the makeshift stage and received the last of the weighty black boxes.
"Have a good year," Reigner covered the mike. "We are expecting good things from you,"
CHAPTER 3
Cain walked down the halls of the school. Surprisingly, they looked a lot more like the halls of a public school. The floors were a bland-colored tile with a worn down coating of shoe marks and scuffmarks that had resisted the persistent assistance of cleaners used by janitors. Similar to Coltworth, the years that he didn't want to remember. Lockers were the only aspect of the inner school that matched the image already burned into Cain's mind of a yuppie social cave. Cain's locker required an access card. Rich people, he thought. He hung his bag inside the locker and pulled out a sheet of paper. Now wearing a white button-down shirt, Cain unfolded the sheet and looked over it.
SCHOOL BEGINS AT 8:55 a.m.
ROOMS LOCK AT: 9:00 a.m. (5 minutes or you fail, I like it)
CAIN, RICHARD
Year: 6
Homeroom - 40f
9:00 A.M. - PERIOD 1 - DUEL HISTORY
9:55 A.M. - PERIOD 2 - ENGLISH 6
10:00 A.M. - PERIOD 3 - MATH 6
11:15 A.M. - PERIOD 4 - LUNCH/FREE DUEL
1:50 P.M. - PERIOD 5 - CARD STUDIES
2:55 P.M. - PERIOD 6 - BIOLOGY 6
4:10 P.M. - PERIOD 7 - DUEL ARENA CHALLENGES
SCHOOL GROUNDS CLOSE AT 7:00 P.M. AND DUELING ARENAS ARE OPEN UNTIL 10:00 P.M.
With the long day ahead of him, Cain looked at the sheet once more and folded it back into a little square no bigger than a cracker that fit conveniently in his pocket. Cain took a pencil, notebook, and his card box with him. The card box was basically a wannabe suitcase with sleeve pages inside for cards and several compartments for other dueling necessities.
Duel History was pathetic. Even though it was only fifty minutes, their teacher, Ms. Crock, was just that. She blabbed and blabbed about some great duel between two unknown entrees in last years Duelist Kingdom, it had been the eighth annual Duelist Kingdom, which meant Battle City was this year. Ms. Crock was a rackety old grouch of a woman who had obviously been divorced by at least three different men. Her stress-worn face gave the impression that she was sixty. Probably not, Cain thought.
English 6 and Math 6 were both just what they had been advertised. English had already given them a book to read for the week and math class was just like the math teacher, repetitive and easy. The woman was hitting on two jock morons in the front row the whole time. She was young, but perhaps too young for hormone fueled teenage boys who still didn't know the world was round.
Lunchtime crept around the corner and reared it's beautiful head. Cain literally jogged out of math class to his locker to put his books away. He kept only his card box on him and proceeded down the hallway. As he was turning the corner to go down the stairs to the cafeteria, two big kids stood in his way.
"Hey chump, how about some free cards?" The slender and pompous kid said. He had slick black hair and about half a foot on Cain.
"Sure! Bend over and I'll give 'em to you," Cain said quickly.
"Ooh, we gots a smart one here Damian!" The other one said. The second student was a gorilla. He was about as tall as Cain if not a bit shorter and had to be at least twice Cain's weight.
"Listen Cain, we run the dueling scene here, so get too famous too quick and you'll be hearing from us," Damian said.
"Why don't we just eliminate the middle man and duel now? I've got Duel Quad 2 reserved," Cain said facing Damian again.
"I don't believe this Rob, this chump wants to take on the number five student in the school on his first day! You're on, moron," Damian said while walking away with the big ape, Rob, from Cain.
What a friggin' dolt.
Cain approached the Dueling Quad after a quick turkey sandwich. It was truly magnificent. There were about sixteen arenas almost all of them already running and bustling with activity. The arenas were actually newer versions of the old Kaiba Corp. Models used during Duelist Kingdom. With a simple metallic structure and state-of-the-art holographic technology, the arenas kept the rankings of all students in the school and city. The design was simple, a Holographic Image Reception Field (or HIRF) in the middle placed over a two by five row of marked squares on each player's fields. Each player also had a podium designed as a Duel Monsters field similar to the one marked on the HIRF. The podiums would scan decks to verify the legality and display statistics of both players on a screen on the right side of their playing field. There were seats on the left for spectators.
Dueling Quad 2 was one of the first in the rows of the four-by-four square formation of dueling arenas. Sliding the reservation card into the slot of the main podium, the lights and holo-graphs commenced operation. All of the arenas were separated by invisible electric fences that prevented anyone from entering without permission. Here, you dueled in style with the best technology Kaiba Corp. could offer. Duel Pods, on the other hand, were best for random locations.
Cain stood at one end of the arena and waited. He glanced around curiously, hoping to catch a glimpse of others' strategies. Is that Lisa?
"Hey! Lisa!" Cain shouted across the way.
"Hey jackass! I'm over here!" Damian's voice echoed across the arena.
"Alright moneybags, any stipulations to this duel?" Cain said as he placed his deck in a receiver on his podium, which scanned his deck.
"Stipulations? This is just a gentleman's match. We don't play dirty here," Damian said while placing his deck in his podium receiver.
"Of course you don't," Cain replied. Cain withdrew six cards from his deck. "Let's duel!"
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Aliza Sanzetti: 3200
Kyle Gate: 6800
Lisa was in danger. She only had three cards in her hand, a Needle Ceiling facedown, and a Dunames Dark Witch on the field. Her opponent, the twitchy kid that Cain had chased off, had challenged her to a duel to 'prove his love for her' or something Hallmark like that. However, he was a good duelist. His beatdown, no matter how unoriginal it was, was built masterfully and he played it just as well.
"Lisa, I will end this now for your sake, if you go on a date with me," Kyle said.
"You little freak, can't you see that you bother me?" Lisa asked.
"How come you always hung around with me last year? Now all of a sudden you're drooling over that criminal!" Kyle yelled. People from other arenas were staring.
"Please, let's just duel so I can be rid of you! I draw," Lisa said as she placed a card in her hand. Good! I could use this puppy! "I'll summon my Angel Rocker by tributing my Dunames Dark Witch!" Lisa announced.
Angel Rocker
6*
1800/1100
WARRIOR/LIGHT
Angel Rocker looked just like it sounded, a heavenly maiden with flowing blonde hair holding an electric guitar. He face was determined and graceful.
"Angel Rocker is my favorite card! It powers its attack or defense up by 300 for every light monster in my graveyard, so I'll raise her attack!" Lisa said.
Angel Rocker
3000/1100
The Archfiend Soldier on Kyle's field had a Mage Power equipped to it with nothing else on the field.
"I'll set one card facedown and attack with Angel Rocker!" Lisa said.
Angel Rocker snapped the knuckles on her right hand and played a powerful note, sending a shockwave towards the helpless soldier.
Aliza Sanzetti: 3200
Kyle Gate: 6200
"This duel is going in a whole new direction!" Lisa said cheering herself on.
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Richard Cain: 8000
Damian Gyver: 8000
"I'll begin with Insane Greed! This magic card lets me draw five cards, choose one, and discard the rest at the cost of 500 life points!" Cain said.
A little red goblin with two huge bags of gold coins appeared on the field and made a face at Damian. Cain drew his cards and discarded four.
Richard Cain: 7500
Damian Gyver: 8000
"I'll set one card facedown and summon Ghoul Guard! This zombie type monster has two abilities, one lets me summon it in face-up defense position, and the other you can learn yourself!" Cain stated.
Ghoul Guard
4*
200/1700
ZOMBIE/DARK
"An unorthodox start with a rare magic card! Honestly, I didn't know that they knew how to play cards in the ghetto!" Damian chuckled.
"Make your move," Cain demanded.
Damian drew his sixth card.
"Have you ever heard of an OTK deck?" Damian said as he stared evilly at his newly drawn card.
"I should of figured that rich persona of yours could only be complimented by a cheap deck," Cain said.
"Cheap it may seem, but it takes a brilliant mind to put together a good one. Especially one that qualified me last year for the National Championships!" Damian declared.
That's where I know him. I had a nagging feeling that I'd seen him before; he's that punk that took second place and complained that his opponent was cheated. This won't be easy at all.
CHAPTER 4
Aliza Sanzetti: 3200
Kyle Gate: 6200
Lisa had retaken command of the duel, confident that she could win now. She knew however, that she couldn't let it get to her head because cockiness just gives more incentive to your opponent.
"I'm glad to see that you're a worthy opponent, because girls don't tend to duel very well," Kyle said. His arrogance seemed to inflate along with his head.
"You'll be singing a different song and dance when you lose," Lisa said. She usually wasn't very strong when it came to insulting people. Lisa was typically quiet, but she had bite.
"I'll end my turn, draw," Lisa said.
"Thank you, I'll draw. Very nice," Kyle smirked. "I'll set one card facedown and one monster facedown as well!"
Two holographic images of the backs of Duel Monsters cards appeared on the field, one vertical and the other horizontal.
"You talk a lot of trash for someone who can't back it up," Lisa said, becoming more enraged the more she looked at Kyle.
Lisa drew a card and added it to her hand.
Well, he seemed pretty pleased with his card. He may be leading me into a trap. I'm not playing him easy this time.
"I activate Nobleman of Crossout! Your facedown monster is removed from play!" Lisa announced.
A tall armored warrior with blonde locks appeared on the field. His sword shined ethereal silver. As the nobleman raised his blade, the facedown card animated itself. An odd creature appeared. It looked like a small worm with demon wings and a single yellow eye. The blade came down and the worm vaporized.
"Crap! That was my Brain Jacker you destroyed. I'll remove my other one from my deck," Kyle said looking frustrated.
"Then, I'll attack with Angel Rocker!" Lisa said.
The Angel Rocker prepared another hard note and played with thunderous force. The shockwave rippled into a strange transparent vortex on Kyle's field.
"Activate Negate Attack!" Kyle declared.
So he was going to take my Angel Rocker, good idea, bad play.
Kyle was looking uneasy. That was his best play apparently. Now he didn't seem to have much confidence. Kyle drew his card and was still.
"For our date tonight, you can meet me at the auditorium, I've got a little show to put on for you," Kyle smiled.
"You little twit, who said you were going to win? You tricked me into playing you anyways! Who says I have to go on a date with you?" Lisa said becoming enraged with Kyle's perverted game.
"Remember? I have your most precious card!" Kyle said. He pulled a card out of his pocket and waved it around.
"You little . . ." Lisa cursed.
The card Kyle held was a Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of The Beginning, it was an unbelievably hard card to come by. Only two kids in the school had one, Lisa being one of them. Kyle had stolen it from her bag when they got to the dueling quad. Lisa had figured he would be a quick and cheap pop of a duelist and a date, which is why she never took it into consideration. However, this wasn't the way she wanted it to turn out. She wouldn't forfeit just because the dork had her card. She was a very quick thinker. In the short seconds that Kyle had been taunting her, she noticed a dueling judge, one of the teachers that patrolled that field, making sure duels stayed clean.
"Disqualification! He stole a card from me!" Lisa shouted.
A female teacher with short red hair stepped towards Kyle.
"What?" Kyle said looking dumbfounded.
The teacher held out her hand to Kyle, he fierce eyes barricaded by her bottle-rimmed glasses, and interesting combination. Kyle was blushing; he had obviously never done anything this shameful. Or had just never been caught. The teacher stared him down with a glare that demanded some kind of response. The kind of look a mother gives to her child after two dollars goes missing off her dresser.
He reached into his pocket and handed the teacher the card. She looked like Kyle had just smacked her. He mouth opened in a surprised curve. Kyle was looking away now.
"You pathetic child! How could you do such a thing? Wait until your parents here about this," She said.
"Please! NOOOOO!" Kyle yelled as he followed her.
The teacher stuck a metal card in a small slot that shut down the dueling arena and handed Lisa her card.
"I'm sorry for that dear, he'll be dealt with. And for the record, keep that card close at all times, I wouldn't be surprised if even teachers tried to take that card from you," The teacher spoke in a paranoid tone.
"Thanks," Lisa replied.
Lisa stared at Kyle, who was slouching away down the pathways between dueling quads. He's gonna be in a lot of trouble.
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"So, this one-turn kill deck of yours, is this all you parents could pay for?" Cain said. He knew these rich kids could only be broken through attacks on their money. Their egos seemed to be so inflated, that they were immune to any kind of psychological attack. Sure it was kind of a cheap tactic to some, but Cain was good at messing with people's heads.
"Enough chit-chat, I play Pot of Greed!" Damian announced, as a small green pot with menacing eyes and a wide evil grin on it's front appeared on the field and spit out two cards.
Next, I'll play Monster Gate! This will help summon the first piece to your demise!" Damian said dramatically.
As a strange energy field gathered on Damian's field, a creature began to emerge from it. A strange mechanical turtle with a large catapult on it's back.
"I special summon Catapult Turtle!" Damian announced.
Cain realized at that moment that there were no less than fifty students watching from the little stands around the arena. Checking out the new guy, can't blame 'em I guess.
"Next, I'll summon Magical Scientist!" Damian said. As he declared this, the crowd of students started whispering and snickering to one another. Here it comes, Cain thought.
"I'm sure you know what comes next, don't you?" Damian laughed.
"I do know, but you won't see it coming!" Cain said almost with a growl. This kid was definitely like a little rat, picking at his last nerve.
"Hahaha! You pushover, everyone said that you had some kind of amazing deck and here you are, completely helpless against what you called, a cheap deck." Damian laughed as he fondled the cards in his hands like gold coins.
"You're playing a coward's deck. You cannot even destroy my Ghoul Guard can you? I can accept defeat if you are able to penetrate my defenses." Cain said.
"Who cares if you accept it or not! I play Poison of The Old Man! I'll gain 1200!" Damian continued.
D: 9200
C: 8000
"Too bad. I guess you're just a stereotypical rich kid. No backbone and no guts, just like Kaiba himself." Cain taunted him.
"You're even going to insult the world champion? Even after he proved victorious over Yugi Moto in the third annual Battle City? You want it? You got it, dumbass!" Damian yelled.
"Ooh, I see we've moved up from four-letter insults. What's next? Keeping your head out of your ass?" Cain laughed.
Damian was becoming even more infuriated. As Cain had assumed, Damian wasn't the kind of person who heard 'no' a lot. He was clearly frustrated with the serious lack of respect Cain was showing.
"Do you see? Even as I stand here, whether I win or lose, I will never show you respect. All the money in the world couldn't buy you a teaspoon," Cain stated.
"I don't need to buy any respect from you! I'll beat it out of you!" Damian said almost screaming.
"Yeah man, you tell him!" Rob, the ogre of a young man who had pushed Cain around earlier said from his little spot on the stands.
"You sit down and shut your face lard ass," Cain yelled to Rob.
"Oh yeah, well . . . you're dumb!" Rob yelled back.
Cain simply looked back, with one eyebrow slightly raised and then looked towards Damian, who was looking the other direction of Rob and rolling his eyes.
"That's a cool friend you got there, I wish my friends were so stupid that they didn't know I was a pathetic duelist and a waste of life as well," Cain shot at Damian venomously.
"SHUT YOUR GODDAMNED FACE, BEGGAR!" Damian shouted.
The crowd had been laughing and cheering, but both duelists were unaware as to whom they were laughing at or cheering for. Cain could less; he hated having any kind of fan club. He had a few experiences in his life.
"I special summon Dark Baltar by paying 1000 of my own life points!" Damian commanded to his Magical Scientist.
D: 8200
C: 8000
A bundle of coins, supposedly representing life points, appeared in front of the hideous little man on Damian's field. As Magical Scientist erupted in an almost cartoon fashioned whirlwind of scientific instruments and colors, a demon began to appear.
Baltar was a beast. He was a beast of the underworld that no doubt served Hades at some point in a story long forgotten. His face was almost metallic and painted with an equally terrifying grin. His tattered shadow-black cape and humanlike body appeared. The scientist finished and stood back at his spot on the field, looking very proud of himself.
DARK BALTAR
Fiend/Dark
2000/1000
"As a down side, any monster I summon with Magical Scientist can't attack directly and will return to my fusion deck at the end of my turn," Damian.
"Dark Baltar, attack Ghoul Guard!" Damian shouted.
As Baltar raised one of his clawed arms, he dashed towards the Ghoul Guard, a stout skeletal creature with a tall shield and club. The Ghoul Guard braced itself as Baltar swung his sharp hand downwards. Suddenly, a large cloud of black smoke erupted from the ground Ghoul Guard was standing on. Baltar flinched and stumbled back from the smoke with a menacing growl. Not phased, but more angry, the persistent monster charged at the smoke cloud again. What happened next, was truly disturbing.
As Baltar made it even closer to the supposed Ghoul Guard, a different shape began to emerge from the cloak of fog. It was taller than Baltar for sure. As the demon realized this, he tried to stop, but a horrible frown became Baltar's last testament to his enemy.
As if the duel had quickly become a show of who could summon the uglier monster, Cain had it won. The monster that stood were Ghoul Guard once stood was about three feet taller than Balter. It was humanlike in many ways, except it's face. It's mouth was about two feet long, and a foot wide. The mouth was laced with hundreds of jagged white teeth, each at least three inches long. One eye bulged from its skull as if it were trying to escape.
Actually, it wasn't humanlike at all. Its body was abnormally muscular and purple. Its bald head reflected the horrid look on Baltar's face. It was then, that the new monster screeched, opened its mouth, and tore into Baltar's chest as Baltar shattered into thousands of pieces. The hideous beast let out a roar, as it's crimson robes fluttered in a holographic wind.
D: 7400
C: 6500
"Wha-wha-what the hell did you do?" Damian stuttered.
"I-I-I just activated a little magic card," Cain mocked Damian's obvious fear. "The quickplay card I activated is called The Mercenary! At the cost of 1500 life points and a tributed monster, I can summon one monster to my side of the field from my deck in any position. I choose the monster, Embodiment of Insanity!" Cain announced.
EMBODIMENT OF INSANITY
6*
Zombie/Dark
2800/2800
"This card has two special abilities. One, when it is special summoned, it's attack and defense points are doubled. Two, when it destroys a monster in battle, I gain life points equal to half the attack points of the destroyed monster, so I gain 1000!" Cain stated happily. The Embodiment Of Insanity let loose a terrible high-pitched laughter that represented it's name well.
D: 7400
C: 7500
"No! That means -" Damian trailed off and was interrupted.
"You cannot win!" Cain yelled.
"I - I end my turn," Damian said.
"Good boy," Cain said slyly.
Cain drew his card and stared at Damian's field. Damian was broken and his c0cky attitude was his downfall. Too much confidence'll kill you, Cain thought. Cain looked at the card he just drew and looked once more at Damian, who was slouched on his podium, waiting to lose.
Cain's gaze had caught Damian's attention. Cain placed his right hand on his deck and shut off his podium.
"Y-y-you're quitting? Why?" Damian questioned.
"You learned your lesson. Change yourself or I'll come back to pound you again," Cain threatened while pointing at Damian. Not to mention that I don't want my real strategies to be exposed in my first match.
The message flashed on both their podiums. The crowd had been watching quietly from when Cain's super monster had hit the field. They were all whispering to one another now, most likely questioning why Cain didn't take the victory.
Cain walked out from the dueling quad with his hands in his pockets as the crowd that was at his arena slowly dissipated.
"That was cool," A cute voice came from behind him.
"What?" Cain said as he turned towards the owner of the voice..
"That was really cool, no one has ever done that to him before. People talk big, saying they're going to pound him but never do," Lisa said. "No one would have ever passed up a win to teach someone a lesson, and that jerk needed it." Lisa said.
"Thanks. So what happened in your duel?" Cain asked.
"What duel?" Lisa blushed wondering if Cain knew that a date was on the line in her previous duel. She was still ashamed of it.
"You and that trouser stain. I saw you guys stepping into a dueling platform," Cain said.
"Yeah, he stole one of my cards and made me duel for it. And . . . well, if I didn't beat him, he said I'd have to go on a date with him," Lisa said red in the face.
"HAHA! That little bug wanted to go out with you?" Cain laughed.
"What?" Lisa said looking offended.
"No, not like that. I'm surprised he didn't ask his mother first, pathetic kid that he is," Cain laughed.
Lisa smiled a bit and stared back at Cain. Cain looked down at her and his face was straight. For brief seconds, they stared into each other's eyes. She really does have amazing eyes, Cain thought. The piercing green pupils told Cain everything he could ever want to know. From that second or two that he stared, he felt stronger, braver, better. As if these eyes were a source of ethereal power and dignity. More than that, Cain wanted to gaze longer. He wanted that feeling of warmth and beauty.
The feeling that he had lost long ago on the day that he realized that the world doesn't play fair. It was a day that he learned Murphy's Law, anything that can go wrong, would. However, the eyes of this woman revitalized him. He could literally feel wings sprouting from his back. Her black and red shaded hair gave a rebellious feel, a woman that would not accept normal. He knew now that angels did not have white wings and shining gold halos, this angel wore glasses set against a freckled face.
Please help me, was what his eyes were telling her. His hazel eyes told of a past that he wished would go away. Like a deep gash in the flesh, it would never fade. This wound would remain open and bleed on your soul and mind, reminding you of a terrible past. Please tell me what's wrong Cain. This was not a lust for flesh, it was much more deep than this.
However, she could also see the power and bravery swirling in his eyes. Years of struggle in an unknown world where nothing could be right. The grinding time that drilled through his body. His resistance to this created a hard exterior so that he could fight the demons of his past. A weapon. Cain had found his way out, as if he were a soldier returning from war. She wanted to be the pillow under his head. The soft relief that comforted a troubled mind and made everything right. The one that remained there for the rest of a weary life that needed to be reborn. A life that needed her.
Cain took a breath and spoke.
"I . . . I have to go. It's Saturday tomorrow isn't it?" Cain spoke as his he was riding a bike down a rocky hill, trying to stay steady and not trip.
". . . Yeah, yeah it is," Lisa giggled a bit, losing her train of thought.
"If you want, we could . . . hang out." Cain blubbered. Smooth one, Mr. Bond.
"I would like that," Lisa said, blushing for another reason.
Cain didn't mean to, but at that moment, he reached his hand out and touched her cheek. His hand glided down her silky skin and cured him of his stress, a feeling that was new to him. She smiled and walked away. However, she stopped about five feet away and turned around.
"They're having a small tournament and Akodia City tomorrow. We could go there and do lunch or something," She asked innocently.
"Yeah, that sounds fun," Cain replied. He waved and she waved back.
I never thought I'd look forward to going to school, but I think I'm beginning to like it here.
Lisa ran up the stairs to her dorm room, giddy as a schoolgirl you could say. She pulled out her card and slid it in the card reader on her door. The white door clicked open and she hurried in and closed the door. The rooms in the dorms were small, but had beds; color TVs, bathrooms, and even a small kitchen area. Placing her backpack on her bed, she approached the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and stopped. Does he want me as well? She asked herself. I could feel something there, is it really there though?
"Look at you, talking to yourself in the mirror," She chuckled to herself. "We're just going to hang out, duel, and have some lunch, that's all." She assured herself. Please tell me Cain.
After she had changed into her pajamas, she dove onto her bed and grabbed a pillow. She smiled and dozed off to sleep.
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Cain sat on his bed, deep in thought. It's over, I can forget about it. I can finally start anew. Man, I can't wait to see her again.
He rifled through his still unpacked suitcases and found his tank top and sweat pants. Can this really be happening? Mom always told me everything would be better someday. I never did believe her. Could she have been right? If she were right about that, then maybe she was right about dad? No, she wasn't. She was crazy enough not to be right about everything.
Cain then remembered the tournament that they were going to tomorrow. He knew his deck would need a bit of work. He looked at his suitcase and opened it, it was crunch time. He knew his deck needed more trap support, so he separated his deck into three piles; magic, trap, and monster.
Cain sat until about twelve in the morning before he turned in for the night. She's the one, man, so don't let her go. You thought the last one was the one, but you let her go. I know Lisa is. She just feels so . . . perfect. Listen to this, I sound like a damn soap opera.
Better just sleep on it.
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CHAPTER 5: THE LEGACY OF CAIN
*BEEP* 7:30 *BEEP*
The clock chirped.
The morning came and Richard Cain stirred in his dorm room. The sun tickled his face until he couldn't take it. Walking like a zombie, he mumbled to himself and staggered towards the window over the sink. With authority and anger, he slammed it shut, and fell back in his bed.
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Lisa had been awake since seven and couldn't sleep. Her little rendezvous with Cain was the only idea her brain could process. There was something about him that made her feel alive and vivid, like she could conquer the world. Looking through her closet repeatedly and scanning for an outfit to wear, she grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. As if fate itself were egging her and Cain on, an ad for the Akodia Entry-Level Duelist Tournament was on TV.
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"Wow! That's awesome! I'm glad I saved up some money, maybe I'll get one of those cards!" Cain said with newfound excitement, as if he needed any more for his day ahead. It had been a long time since Cain felt this way towards anyone. Not even his mother was worthy of his devotion anymore.
Cain pulled out a pair of navy blue jeans. They were his favorite. They were cargo pants, which meant they had two huge pockets on the sides of both legs in addition to the standard pockets. These went on over his favorite pair of black work boots, which were laced with black laces to match the black boots. Cain then tossed on his white Battle City T-shirt. It was all white except for a small portion over the left chest area that read "Battle City Security." It was how he got into Duel Monsters.
Cain had been a youth security guard working for Kaiba Corp. when he was about sixteen. He got into watching the duels. He actually got fired for staring and not doing his duty patrolling the streets for illegal activity. He remembered seeing a boy playing a Summoned Skull and another counterattacking with a Dark Magician. It was so neat and new to him that he had to try it.
Enough memory lane, I got to go meet Lisa! Cain thought this to himself as he pulled out a black, flexi-fit hat that he liked to wear backwards. Lastly, he grabbed his suitcase with his cards and his wallet. Double-checking himself several times to make sure he had everything, he walked into the dormitory hallway and closed the door. As soon as he took one step, he laughed at himself and shook his head. He used his card to open the door and grabbed his deck off the counter in its small blue case.
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Lisa stood at a fountain outside of the Card Center. The card center had to be one of the most unique structures in the entire country. It contained information on every card ever printed and galleries of cards to be observed and studied. There was also a theater that played famous duels like Yugi Moto versus Kaiba in the Battle City Semifinals of the first Battle City. It also contained countless books on dueling strategies, legendary duelists, and other random information. Anyone who played Duel Monsters made it a point to visit the place at least once a year. Not to mention, they sold a lot of cards, some of the rarest packs, too. It was the academy's easiest way to make money.
Lisa heard footsteps and saw Cain about fifty feet down the paved path, coming from the young men's dorms. He was in jeans and a t-shirt, a casual wear. Lisa had gone with a similar fashion. She wore light blue bell-bottoms and black midriff shirt and sneakers.
"Hey Lisa! What's up?" Cain asked. He was carrying a silver suitcase with him.
"Ready to go? I got us train tickets. Are those your cards?" She said pointing to his suitcase.
"Yeah, the more security, the better," Cain winked.
Lisa returned a smile and handed him a ticket for station 4, which was about a twenty minute walk from the school. She put on her backpack and motioned him to follow her.
They walked together, awkwardly silent for about ten minutes. They were outside school grounds now and were walking down a road lined with trees; the station was at the end of the road.
"So, have you lived in Akodia your whole life?" Cain said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah. I'm a local." Lisa responded. "Did you live in Coltworth up until now?' She asked.
"Well, it's a long story, but for the most part, yes." Cain said.
"Anything you can tell me? I want to hear," Lisa said.
"I appreciate it, but it's something I have to deal with," Cain responded coolly.
"Are you sure? It's feels like your holding something back that you need to say," Lisa commented.
"I am. And I'm going to keep it held back until the time is right," Cain said.
Lisa looked away and smiled.
The station was quiet for a Saturday, especially since there was a tournament to go to. Cain and Lisa punched their tickets in the machine and approached the waiting dock. The train arrived only two minutes after they checked in. They got on the train and looked around. Surprisingly, a few younger kids and the usual traveling businessmen only joined them.
"You ready for the dueling?" Cain questioned her as they both sat in a seat.
"Yeah, you?" Lisa replied.
"Of course," Cain answered.
*Awkward silence*
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"A gathering like this is what we need. If we are to recruit anyone worth training, they'll be here," A voice came from the darkness of a dim room.
The man in the long red robe sighed.
"This will be fun. I cannot wait to rebuild what we lost. If we had only thought of this before, things would have been different," The man said. 'We won't fail this time. We will bring the light to the people. The Prophet will come, you'll see. This time, your master will come," The man stated.
"Yes, Captain Cloud," The shadowy voice said. “ We believe in you,†The voice reassured.
"Let the dueling begin, have our men report any strong duelists, we need names and cards for recruiting,†Cloud said. “The prophet may even be a child, so look for anything strange,†Cloud said to the cloaked man.
“I will sir.†The man responded.
“Why are you wearing that cloak again? You look like some kind of rare hunter wannabe,†Cloud questioned. The man was silent as the darkness hid his facial expression. No doubt the man was confused.
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Cain sat in silence for a few minutes before he took out his deck and rifled through it. He seemed a bit nervous for someone who claimed he wasn’t.
“What kind of deck are you playing?†Lisa asked innocently.
“Heh, I’m not even sure. It’s really just a jumble of my favorite cards. It’s worked for me, so I haven’t changed it. Not to mention it makes it easier to confuse an opponent looking for a strategy,†Cain explained.
“Neat, I remember my first deck was like that. I threw together a bunch of my favorite cards. But it sucked, a lot,†Lisa said, laughing a bit.
“So what are you playing today?†Cain returned the question.
“Well, I always liked light monsters, so I have a light/warrior hybrid. I was ranked 31st out of 900 ranked students, so I’d say it works pretty well,†Lisa said pulling her deck out of her pocket book.
It was interesting to see the differences and similarities between the two. Lisa had done an amazing job creating an unbelievably beautiful design of a warrior cradling what seemed to be an injured angel on her silver deck box. The two characters looked at each other with a longing desire, as if they were lovers who were forced to be apart.
The city was in sight through the left window now and Cain couldn't help but stare with fiery ambition. He wanted another tournament. It had been a long time since he could do much serious dueling. The city looked almost like a larger version of the school. It was sleek, white, and very futuristic. All it needed was flying cars and George Lucas to make it perfect.
"So just Cain? I can't call you Richard or even Rich?" Lisa asked flirtatiously.
"Heh, I like Rick or Cain. Whatever you want, just not Richard. That was my father's name," Cain responded.
At the mention of his father, Cain felt a little switch turn on in his head, as if he had tripped a mental wire. He saw a small boy in the corner of a cluttered house. Grime and dust gripped the young child's shirt and brow. He held onto a small doll as he stared into the kitchen with a look of true horror. His eyes trembled. He was a deer in headlights, stunned with the scene before him. Within a few moments, a woman screamed as she fired a gun. Blood dripped down her face and she cursed as loud as she could. The gun slid out of her hand as she fell to her knees. As if someone had heard the boy praying for solace, a tall and menacing figure in a long cloak approached from the shadows of the dim kitchen to where the woman had been shooting. The man lifted his hood as the little boy's eyes widened -
"Cain? Are you okay?" Lisa said.
Cain stumbled out of his mental stupor and looked around and then at his watch. It had been about five minutes. Perspiration grazed his face as Cain struggled to regain feeling in his upper body. He was paralyzed with fear.
"Did I fall asleep?" Cain questioned Lisa, the city behind Lisa was closer than ever.
"Yeah, but you kind of spazzed for a second and then you woke up," Lisa said.
"Well, I feel fine now," Cain said as he sat up, making sure he still had his card box.
"Cain, whose Mora?" Lisa asked. Her face was like when a young girl finally asks her parents where grandma went. It was solemn and unsure.
"I don't know, why?" Cain lied.
"You muttered her name once or twice," Lisa explained.
"I'm not totally sure, I saw a woman screaming. Just a bad dream I guess. I've had 'em before," Cain said.
"Well, please tell me if you want to talk. I don't care if it sounds corny, but you've got something hidden and I just want you to know you can talk to me," Lisa reassured.
Cain turned a light shade of red and nodded.
"Excuse me young man, can you help me?" A man in a suit said from behind Cain and Lisa.
"What do you want gramps?" Cain said coldly.
"I'm sorry to bother you, can you help me with my deck?" The gentleman said.
"Why would you ask me?" Cain said.
"Because you're Richard Cain. You've gained quite a bit of rumor since people heard you joined the Akodia Dueling Academy," He spoke.
"Do you have some kind of history I never heard of?" Lisa asked Cain.
"Long story, but yeah, sort of," Cain said. "Listen man, I don't help people who don't need it," Cain responded.
"What do you mean?" He replied confused.
"You're Hank Murray, one of the top ranked duelists in the veteran league," Cain said.
He sighed and turned red.
"Well, I didn't think you'd know me, but it was worth a try," Murray said.
"You wanted to see my deck. Damned cheater," Cain said standing.
"How dare you!" The man fumed. "Let's see if that deck actually packs some punch! I challenge you to a duel, Richard Cain!" The main shouted as he stood and strapped on his duel disk.
"Bring it on you old fart, I'll smack you around the way your mother should have," Cain said as he inserted his deck.
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CHAPTER 6:
"HEY! HEY!" Lisa screamed. "Chill out Cain!" Lisa said as she stepped between Mr. Murray and the heavy breathing Cain. "Save it for the tournament!"
"This pile of wrinkled skin won't be there! I'd rather whoop him now," Cain said now standing still.
"You need some help son, but I enjoy your competitiveness. I'll wager this box of G.O.D packs if you defeat me!" The man said as he opened his suitcase.
Right there, in the midst of papers and cards, was an unopened box of the newest set of Duel Monsters cards, the ones that Cain and Lisa both saw on TV. It was a small brown box with the Duel Monsters logo and several duel monsters designed on the box. There were at least 30 packs in the box.
"How did you get those?" Cain said, lighting up a bit at the thought of new cards.
"They're real, that's all you need to know," The man said.
"That's good enough for me," Cain said as he turned his duel pod on.
"This doesn't seem like a good idea Cain," Lisa said.
Cain looked down at her; she was still standing between them. He locked with her eyes and adrenaline filled his veins. Once again, he felt stronger. The aura she gave off was radiant enough to light even Cain's shallow heart. He smiled at her and spoke.
"Lisa, this is the perfect opportunity to get a jump on everyone at the tournament. With new cards, our decks would be unstoppable!" Cain said. He sounded like a little child who had just found money on the ground, talking about all the great things he'd get with it.
Lisa turned to look at the man in his business suit and turned back to Cain. She nodded and stood behind him. His competitiveness was a definite plus to her.
"To make things interesting, I have two boxes, one with 36 packs, another with 24. We'll split this box and the winners will get the 36 count box," The middle-ager smiled.
"Sweet deal, I'll take it. Is there any catch?" Cain said.
"Nope, just restoring a bit of my youth."
Cain stared suspiciously for a moment or two. I've never had a positive experience with anyone older than 30. What makes you think this could be any better? He's offering you free cards. He’s probably a pedophile. Does the phrase, "Don't take candy from strangers" pop into mind?
Cain waited for Hank to pop open the box and split the packs into two piles. He let Hank take one stack and then he took the rest.
Hank opened up all his packs and put them into a stack and sorted through them. His eyes lit up once or twice, possibly signifying his discovery of a new card.
Turning away from him, Cain sat in a seat and put the packs on the table. He preferred a slower method. Tearing the thin foil wrapping, he pulled out the little stack of five cards. A few of the cards were reprints, two were not. One was a common, the other was an ultra rare, or a card with engraved gold lettering for the title instead of the regular black or white ink. Holy crap, this card could do some serious damage! I even got one of the pieces for it already!
Now giddy with excitement, Lisa watched Cain tear open the remaining packs with glee as she laughed to herself over his childish stupor. She caught a glimpse of a holographic card that he got, but couldn't clearly see it.
Cain slipped a few cards into his deck and removed a few and placed them in his suitcase.
"Alright grandpa, let's dance!" Cain said activating his Duel Pod.
Richard Cain: 8000
Hank Murray: 8000
"You can call me Hank, rookie," Hank returned venomously.
"Well, at least you got some fight in you. Better than dueling a corpse I suppose," Cain joked darkly.
The train isles were about five people wide, perfect for the duel. Another Kaiba Corps. Invention was the train, a locomotive that could support dueling.
"Since I challenged and gave you some free cards, I seem no problem in me going first!" Hank spoke as he withdrew six cards from his deck.
He pondered his cards for a few moments. He was apparently developing a strategy. His tiny brown mustache and balding head twitched slightly as he chuckled to himself.
"I'll summon Solar Flare Dragon and set one card facedown. You may go." Hank finished.
Solar Flare Dragon wasn't menacingly large, but his flame-engulfed body was enough to bother anyone. The dragon/snake hybrid let loose a roar and settled on the field in front of Hank. Holographic flames glittered brightly as Solar Flare Dragon gazed at Cain.
As Cain was about to draw a card, Solar Flare Dragon arched back, and belched a holographic flame shot aimed at Cain.
The minute fireball exploded in front of Cain with amazing realism. If it had been any more realistic, Cain may have been lacking eyebrows.
C: 7500
M: 8000
"What the hell are you up to?" Cain demanded.
"Don't you remember Solar Flare Dragon? He does 500 points of damage to your life points at the end of each of my turns," Hank said.
Man I'm rusty. I gotta get back into form here.
"I'll draw. I activate Insane Greed! By paying 500 life points, I draw five cards, choose one, and discard the rest!" Cain announced.
C: 7000
M: 8000
A familiar little red demon appeared on the field carrying two large bags of cash. He made a little grunt towards Hank and nodded towards Cain. As soon as Cain placed the four cards in the graveyard, two monsters appeared on the field. Two zombie-like soldiers manifested onto the field. Both had on elegant red ceremonial armor with eastern design and decorations.
"Ahh, the Forgotten Samurai! I remember that card!" Hank spoke.
FORGOTTEN SAMURAI
****
1400/1600
Undead/Light/Effect
"Then I'm sure you know it summons itself automatically when I discard it. Good, at least I don't have to explain half of my cards to you," Cain said.
"Next, I shall tribute one of my samurai to summon the Red Paladin!" Cain declared.
A tall muscular man wearing knight's armor and carrying a large, decorative sword rose from the train floor in front of Cain. His glossy red armor showed rank and superiority.
RED PALADIN
*****
2100/1300
Warrior/Fire
"Paladin, destroy the Solar Flare Dragon!" Cain yelled.
“I’m afraid not! Activate Gravity Bind!†Hank declared, as his trap card manifested a blue grid on the field. The grid seemed to hold Red Paladin from moving. The remaining samurai also looked trapped.
“Damnit! Now my good monsters can’t attack! Well, since my level four and higher monsters are restricted; I’ll play one card face down and end. Go ahead," Cain motioned.
Hank drew.
"I'll activate Poison of The Old Man to inflict 800 points of damage to your life points!" Hank proclaimed.
C: 6200
M: 8000
"I'll activate the magic card, Demon Scorn! It adds an additional 400 points of damage every time a monster inflicts effect damage!" Hank declared.
He's off to a roaring start. Some of those new cards may become useful here.
"Next, I shall summon Raging Flame Sprite!" Hank said as he slipped a card into his Duel Pod.
A little warlock boy appeared on the field. He held a small stick and wore a bright red set of clothes. His fiery cloak and wizard cap made him look intimidating. However, it was still a small child.
"Attack his life points directly!" Hank shouted.
"Oh no!" Cain said in a sarcastic tone.
The little mage molded a fireball out of nothingness with his hand and staff and hurled it at Cain. The fireball, which was much smaller than the dragon's, floated carelessly before popping in front of Cain with a miniature noise.
C: 6100
M: 8000
"How did he attack you directly?" Lisa asked. She had been standing behind Cain, watching with curiosity.
"Raging Flame Sprite can attack directly and each time it successfully deals damage, it's attack increases by 1000. This is a typical burn combo," Cain said motioning towards the sprite and dragon. "It's so typical, that it shouldn't be too hard to topple," Cain said to Lisa.
"You say it will be easy, yet I see the life point difference is expanding," Hank pointed out.
"You are one quick thinking for an old fart knocker," Cain spoke.
"Insult me all you want, you're enemies cannot be defeated with empty remarks, you must triumph over them!" Hank said, slightly irritated. "I end my turn. Go on with your turn," Hank spoke.
The dragon reared his head and let loose a hellish fireball at Cain once again.
C: 5600
M: 8000
Cain winced but gathered himself quickly. "Ok, I've got a nice treat for you. The card I drew is Mystical Space Typhoon! I'll activate it to destroy Gravity Bind!"
A tiny cloud hovered over the blue orb, laced with restricting lasers, and lying vertical on Hank's side of the field. A vicious typhoon roared from under the card. The helpless trap card was beginning to tear apart as the orb started quivering. As if it was resisting, the orb struggled as it was being pulled down into the typhoon. That was until a bolt of lightning cracked the orb into a thousand pieces, which quickly broke it into a thousand pieces.
"Next, I'll summon Green Paladin!" Cain said he dropped a card on the reader.
Another warrior, almost the same as the Red Paladin, appeared on the field. He was exactly the same, except he held a long spear and had green armor.
GREEN PALADIN
****
1300/1300
Warrior/Earth
"Green Paladin, destroy the flame sprite!" Cain commanded.
The paladin ran full speed and pierced the small sorcerer through the chest, shattering the hologram.
C: 5600
M: 7800
"Next, Red Paladin, attack Solar Flare Dragon!" Cain commanded once more.
The Red Paladin strode in his heavy armor towards the dragon, which was showing it's snake-like side by hissing menacingly. The paladin seemed unphased as he proceeded to liberate the dragon's head from it's neck.
C: 5600
M: 7200
"And lastly, samurai, attack him directly!" Cain finished.
The small armored soldier ran with purpose as it raised it's sword, possibly reliving battles once gone by. The sword came down swiftly upon Hank's shoulder.
C: 5600
M: 5800
"That's a much more even score," Cain said with a smug look.
Hank seemed frustrated, yet somehow calm. It was an odd stare he had.
"I end my turn after I play one more card facedown," Cain said as he slipped one last card into the pod.
Surprisingly quiet, Hank drew a card and thought. A minute or two went by as he stared at the card he held.
