[I][B]You may have heard of a guy called Yugi Mouto. The greatest Duel Monsters duelist in the world. Most people would agree to that point. (Well, except maybe Seto Kaiba…)
He’s made a lot of achievements – he won the Duelist Kingdom tournament, and the Battle City tournament.
I’ve won quite a few tournaments too, but of course, they were all chump change compared to what he’s done.
Who am I? Well, um…
I’m his apprentice…
Well, truthfully, not really. We’ve never really met, but I like to call myself that. He inspired me to use his two favorite Monsters to create a Spellcaster-themed deck. And I hope to meet him someday…
But the important thing is, I’ve finally been invited to a major tournament myself. And should I go far in it, my dream of meeting my idol may become closer to reality.
My name is Stanley Mason, and I’m sixteen years old.
And it’s time to take the Battle Ox by the horns.
[size=3][b]YU-GI-OH!
The Thousand-Year Door
ACT ONE
CHAPTER ONE
Doorway to Destiny
Miami.
Sunday evening.
Andy was still feeling sick as he got home, carrying his luggage in one hand, and his tournament trophy in the other.
He had learned one important lesson about Disney World:
It was as follows:
If you’re going to ride the Whirling Tea Cups, don’t eat until after you do so.
“’Happiest Place on Earth’, they say,” he grumbled, “more like the noisiest, most nauseating, most sugary, and most overrated.”
As he walked in, his kid sister was parked in front of the television, and the distinctive sound of old Loony Tunes cartoons were on.
“A burglar could waltz in here and steal everything we own,” he mumbled, “and if cartoons were on, you wouldn’t notice.”
“I would so if he took the TV,” she mused. “Hi, big brother… You won again, huh?”
“Yeah,” replied Andy, “and I wish you’d have come to watch me!”
“I already told you,” she shuddered, “Duel Monsters scare me…”
Andy sighed. This all went back to the time she watched him compete in his first tournament. He had taken a direct attack from a Dark Necrofear, and the blow had knocked him down for a few seconds. Trisha had been freaked out by it – she had honestly believed that the Fiend was real, and was going to kill him. He ended up winning the duel, but after that, Trisha refused to watch him duel, no matter how much he assured her that he could take it.
He guessed he couldn’t blame her. His sister cared for him a lot. But he wished she would shake this fear of scary Monsters…
He looked in disgust at the sight of Bugs Bunny blowing up Yosemite Sam with a cannon.
“Trisha,” he moaned, “did you know that when some of these cartoons were made, our grandparents were in grade school?”
“You should watch,” suggested Trisha. “They’re funny.”
“Much as I love the sight of anvils being dropped on people’s heads, I think I’ll pass,” sighed Andy sarcastically.
“Suit yourself,” answered Trisha. “Mom and dad are working tonight at some special meeting, so they left money for pizza, and your mail is on the counter. There was a weird letter yesterday, by the way.”
“Weird?” asked Andy.
“Yeah,” she replied. “Is pepperoni okay?”
“Uh, sure,” he answered.
He went to the counter.
His mail consisted of a copy of Dueling Today a letter from his pen pal, and…
He held up a strange envelope. It was larger than normal, had a lot of postage, and was made of golden paper. The front had his address, and a strange return address:
[b]Sydney Meyers
Rogueport
Monster Island
Even stranger was the way it was sealed. The envelope was sealed with wax, and stamped with a signet ring that had a design like a strange eye on it.
Curious, he broke the seal and opened it.
Inside were four things – a letter, a train ticket, and two strange cards. They were the size and shape of Duel Monsters cards, but they seemed strangely made of crystal – or… something. They had the images of golden stars on the center.
He read the letter:
[b]Dear Mr. Markova,
Congratulations on winning your latest tournament! I shake you warmly by the hand! I am writing to offer you the chance of a lifetime – to compete in one of the greatest of tournaments that the free world can offer.
I am one of the members of a council who heads Monster Island, a new community located in the south Atlantic. Though we have yet to obtain an official UN charter, we are a populous territory who have decided to open our shores for a great Duel Monsters tournament, where great duelists such as yourselves can compete for fame, prizes, and glory like none other.
To compete, you need only your Disk, your deck, and your skill!
Enclosed you will find a train ticket for a train to Annapolis. A special ship will be leaving from Chesapeake Bay on July 1st at noon. The instructions on the back of this letter will tell you how to get there. Simply show the two Crystal Cards that I have enclosed to the attendants, and you will be granted free passage. Do not lose these Cards. More info will be given about them upon your arrival.
I hope to see you soon. Do not miss this opportunity to duel like you never have before in our island paradise!
Sincerely,
Miss Sidney Meyers
Council of Monster Island
Andy took the strange letter to his room and read it several times.
A community called “Monster Island”? he thought. They must take Duel Monsters seriously!
He took out his Disk and looked at his favorite cards.
Heh, why not? he thought. I’ve got nothing to lose, and so much to gain!
He took his Disk out his duffle bag.
“Disk,” he said, “you and I are going places!”
Of course, it never occurred to him that this letter had to have been sent before he had actually won the tournament…
* * * * * * * * * *
Boston
3PM, the following day.
Two girls were walking out of class of Paul Revere High School, with books in their arms.
“So Fran,” perked one of the girls, “wanna stop at the mall?”
”I’d love to Cindy,” sighed Francesca, “but the algebra final exam is coming up on Wednesday, and I need to study.”
“Why bother studying?” frowned Cindy. “You know you’re gonna ace it!”
“Only an idiot gets too sure of herself,” replied Francesca. “Besides…”
“Oh Fran…” called a voice.
“Uh oh,” groaned Francesca, “egotist at two o’clock…”
A boy in a football jersey came up.
“Hey Fran, I…” he started.
“The name is Francesca, Steven,” growled Francesca. “Only my friends are allowed to call me Fran. Not dopes who mistakenly believe that they’re God’s gift to women…”
“Heh, heh,” smiled Steven. “Resistance – nice.”
“I know what you want, Steve,” frowned Francesca. “And you know the rules – I won’t go out with you unless you can beat me in Duel Monsters.”
“Well, I’m taking you up on that offer!” exclaimed Steve.
He pulled a deck out of his pocket.
“I’ve got a killer deck now!”
Francesca sighed.
“Fine,” she replied, pulling her deck out of her belt (she was never without it). “I have a half hour to kill. There’s a table over there. But if I win, you have to mow my parents’ lawn tomorrow!”
“You’re on!” he smiled.
* * * * * * * * * *
Ten minutes later.
“There any reason you’re hiding behind a nothing but a Wall of Revealing Light and a Mask of Restrict?” asked Francesca as she drew from her deck.
“You’ll see,” smiled Steve.
“I place a card facedown,” she said, placing it behind her five Monsters. “It’s your turn.”
Steve drew a card.
“I activate Dust Tornado!” shouted Francesca. “It destroys your Wall!”
Doesn’t matter laughed Steve, discarding it.
He placed a card down.
“I play Card Destruction!”
Francesca shrugged. She discarded her hand and drew a new hand, as did Steve.
“Now I play my facedown card,” he continued, “The Warrior Returning Alive!”
He took a card from his discard pile.
“Then,” he continued, picking up his discard pile, “I remove one Light and one Dark Monster from play to summon Black Luster Soldier, Envoy of the Beginning!”
He threw the card on the table.
“How long did you have to beg your dad before he bought you that?” frowned Francesca.
“Cute,” smiled Steve, “he’ll win the duel for me!”
“Now he’ll attack your Amazoness Paladin and your Amazoness Fighter!”
Francesca smiled and discarded the two cards.
“Anything else?” she asked.
“No, your move.”
“Fine,” she said, drawing.
“I play Monster Reborn, to bring the Paladin back,” she said.
She recovered the Paladin and replaced the card.
“Then I summon Amazoness Tiger,” she continued.
She put another card down.
“With five Amazons on my side, her Attack is 3,100, just enough to destroy your Soldier,” she smiled, “so she’ll attack…”
Steve gasped.
“And seeing as your Life Points are now 4,900, the combined Attack of my four other ladies is more than enough to finish you off.”
The crowd gathering around them cheered.
“Really, Steven,” she mused, gathering her cards, “if you ever want to be a true duelist, you have to learn better strategy. Had we been dueling with Disks, losing 4,900 Life Points from direct attacks would have seriously hurt you. That Envoy was powerful, but nothing in this game is indestructible.”
Steve was dumbfounded.
“Be at my parents’ house at four tomorrow, and bring your own refreshment,” she snickered, walking away.
“Do I have to?” moaned Steve.
“Steve,” frowned Francesca, “In Duel Monsters, wagers are sacred. You must honor them. If you don’t, you’ll never be a true duelist.”
* * * * * * * * * *
“Hi daddy!” she exclaimed, as she walked onto her patio.
She kissed him on the cheek. Her father was doing what he loved doing – barbecuing.
“Hi Fran,” he smiled. “I’m trying something new tonight – mesquite ribs.”
“Good news,” grinned Francesca. “I found someone who’ll mow the lawn tomorrow – for free.”
Her father frowned. He knew about the dueling wagers she had often made.
“You got a letter on the counter,” he sighed.
Fran went inside and looked at the letter, a similar one to the one Andy had gotten.
She read the letter.
Wow, she thought. The opportunity of a lifetime!
After all, I’ve got nothing to lose, and so much to gain…
“Daddy?” she called, walking back out. “Remember when you said I could have anything you could afford for my birthday?”
* * * * * * * * * *
New York City.
The same day.
4 PM.
At a public library, Stan was playing a tabletop duel with his girlfriend. She was new at this, but he never went easy on anybody…
Especially with the bet she had made…
“Okay…” said Colette, drawing. “A Legendary Ocean lets me summon Terrorking Salmon with no sacrifice…”
She put a card down.
“And I’ll attack that facedown card!”
Stan lifted the card, and smiled.
“Sorry,” he smiled, but you activated Magician of Faith’s special effect, which lets me recover one Magic Card from my Graveyard, and I’m getting back the one you made me discard with your Delinquent Duo!”
He skimmed through his discard pile and retrieved a card.
“My turn?” he asked.
“Go ahead honey,” she smiled.
He drew.
“Now you’re gonna see the combo that won me Saturday’s tournament!” he exclaimed. “First I flip summon my Old Vindictive Magician!”
He flipped the card.
“…which destroys one opposing Monster, so goodbye Terrorking Salmon!”
Colette moaned as she discarded the card.
“Now,” he continued, “I’ll sacrifice Old Vindictive Magician for Dark Magician Girl…”
He switched cards on the table. Colette gasped in surprise.
“…AND, I’ll use the Magic Card, the Sage’s Stone, to summon Dark Magician!”
He leafed through his deck and took his prize card out, placing it beside Dark Magician Girl.
“Now I attack, and say bye-bye to your Life Points!” he laughed.
“Oh…” moaned Colette.
Stan slowly gathered his cards.
“You lost,” he grinned evilly. “Now you must pay the price…”
Colette sighed. Then she walked up to him…
She held his head in her hands and gave him a big, deep kiss on the lips.
After thirty seconds, she let go, and Stan caught his breath.
“Think about that the next time you make dumb wagers,” he gasped.
“How on earth did you get Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl?” pouted Colette. “I thought only Yugi Mouto had those two!”
Stan chuckled. “They are rare cards,” he answered, “but they aren’t unique. Yugi inspired me – I like to think that I’m his… apprentice.
“You know, as he would say, a card like Dark Magician is special. With most cards in a deck, the duelist chooses them when he builds the deck… but in some cases, a Monster chooses him. That’s the case with Dark Magician…
“See, it was strange how I got this card, and many of the rare cards in my deck. I had a rich, snobbish great uncle named Julius Taft Mason who my family barely even knew. When he died, we didn’t expect to be mentioned in his will. And I certainly didn’t expect an old codger like him to have any Duel Monsters cards. But to my surprise, he left me a bunch of rare cards when he died, including the two Magicians. He left no explanation, but his will did have a requirement – that I use them to become a great duelist. So I built a deck, eventually got a Disk, and the rest is history.”
“So why are you playing for kisses when you could do so much more?” asked Colette. “Surely, there must be an even bigger tournament out there than the Big Apple Tournament.”
“Maybe,” replied Stanley. “But I’ll just have to wait until I’m invited to one…”
* * * * * * * * * *
The subway ride home was short and aggravating.
At his Manhattan townhouse, he smelled pasta sauce cooking.
“Mom, I’m home!” he exclaimed, entering the kitchen.
“Hi dear,” she answered. “You got a letter.”
Stan looked strangely at the letter. He took it to his room and opened it.
He read the letter, one almost identical to the one Andy and Francesca had gotten.
A light sparkled in his eyes.
He took out an old family album and opened to a specific page. A picture of a fat, frumpish man in an outdated business suit with a huge moustache was there.
“Uncle Julius,” he smiled, “I’m finally going to meet your demands… I may not know why you gave me those cards or why you wanted me to become a great duelist, but this tournament will make me one!
“After all, I’ve got nothing to lose, and so much to gain.”
He ran out of his room.
“Mom!” he shouted. “Hey mom!”
* * * * * * * * * *
For each of the three teenagers, it had taken a great deal of persuasion and promising, but eventually, permission was granted. One of the perks of being straight-A students with no discipline problems was that your parents trusted you. And after Francesca promised exactly fifty times not to let any boys touch her, her father consented. (Even then, he insisted she take a canister of mace with her).
School ended on a high note. Grades came in, and celebrations started. But for three teens at three cities on the East Coast, preparations were made.
On June 30th, Stan, Francesca, and Andy packed up everything they could carry, along with their trusty Duel Disks. They stowed their decks in their belts, along with the strange Crystal Cards, and head for the train stations.
They each had a boat to catch.
Continued...