So finally, as promised, Yugi shows up in this book. Monty's duel with him will make up this chapter and the next. It is mostly just Yugi and Monty paling around, even though they honestly didn't know each other for very long, and Monty was much younger than Yugi at the time. Still, Yugi makes friends with, like, every one of his enemies on a regular basis, and Monty is friends with Lawrence, so to say that they make friends easily would be an understatement. It makes sense that they would still see each other as friends after so long.
This chapter also finally lets Yugi in on the actions of the Duel Force through his pre-duel talks with Monty. He knew something was up, but didn't know exactly what until now. Whether or not this ever impacts anything is up in the air, but the details are there now for me to use them if I ever want to.
Next week is Reaper, so sorry for the cliffhanger, but not really. Muahahaha!
Next week is Reaper, so sorry for the cliffhanger, but not really. Muahahaha!
Chapter Nine
At Kame Game
Monty
As suddenly as I’d disappeared, I reappeared in Japan in the early morning. I looked around. It was odd not having Lawrence at my side, after so much time of the two of us practically never being apart, but the feeling was pushed aside by a wave of nostalgia. I recognized this place more than I’d realized I would after fourteen years. It had changed, but not too much. I remembered walking the streets with my mom, my allowance in my pocket, marveling over the shops, finally becoming enthralled with one in particular. Green roof, yellow walls, and kids my age and older going in and out with the most interesting things. I turned a corner and looked a short ways away, and there it was: the sign with the shape of a turtle. “GAME” above the door. I’d spent at least one day a week here for three months that year. Seeing Kame Game again almost felt like going home.
Even this place had changed, though. Outside was a decent-sized crowd of people, all Duelists of varying ages, all carrying cards, and most carrying Duel Disks, all of them waiting for the shop to open. A sign in the window listed this place as the childhood home of a particular famous Duelist. I smiled and laughed. If this awaited Yugi every morning that he worked the shop with his aging grandfather, then he couldn’t be eager to begin the day. Yugi is a friendly guy, but he doesn’t really like attention.
Bypassing the large crowd, I snuck around behind the building, to the side door, and I knocked. A gruff, elderly voice called out through the door in Japanese. My Japanese being more than rusty, the only word I caught was “door”.
“Hello?” I replied. After a moment, the door opened a crack, and the owner of the voice appeared there. He was considerably frailer-looking than I remembered, but he still had lively eyes, and wore faded overalls and a red bandana, a broom in hand, ready for the day’s work.
“Sorry,” he began, “tourists are welcome, but you must use the front door.”
Then he paused, and really looked me over. “Wait,”he said, “I know you, from years ago. Montgomery, isn’t it?”
“It’s Monty now, Mr. Muto,” I replied with a smile. “I’m in town for the day, and I was hoping I could talk to Yugi before I have to go.”
He looked me over again, and then looked around the corner to make sure that none of the group out front would see me being let inside in secret, and then, with a shrug, he stepped aside and motioned me in. I stepped right into the living area behind the main store front, a place which I’d seen several times before. Sugoroku Muto, Yugi’s grandfather, said, “He should be here, upstairs in his old room.” He took a deep breath, and then called out in Japanese. A few minutes later, Yugi emerged. His hair was as wild as ever, but he was taller than he’d been back then, though he was still just a bit shorter than me. He recognized me more immediately than his grandfather had.
“Monty,” he said, “it’s been a long time. How have you been?”
I smiled, “That is not an easy question to answer.”
Yugi and I stepped into the living room and sat down. He mentioned that he’d seen some footage of my recent tournament exploits on TV and online. Apparently I’d been making something of a name for myself, with critics even claiming that I’d copied Yugi Muto’s style. John came up. He and Yugi dueled once a few years back at a high profile tournament, and Yugi had, on that day, learned about the Duelist’s Souls. He was curious, so I explained their nature and abilities to him, and then, without even really meaning to, I segued into the story of my life. I told him about the death of my parents not long after I’d returned with them to America, and about my recruitment into the Duelists of the Order. I told him about the things that I’d done for the Order, and how I’d worked to resist them, even while under Yami’s control. I told him about how I’d been freed from the Order, and my time in the Duel Force.
He wasn’t surprised by anything I said, even the stuff about magic and the Shadow Games. I knew he wouldn’t be. Shortly before my family had come to Japan on business all those years ago, Yugi had solved the Millennium Puzzle and been gifted with its power. I’d seen him with it, and even seen the Dark Yugi once. I was one of the few people outside of his circle of immediate friends who recognized the true nature of the many famous Shadow Games that he’s fought since then, I just didn’t share that with people as a general rule. It wasn’t my business. He didn’t judge either, he only listened and occasionally commented on something I said, seeking clarification, and before long, I’d told him everything, up to my time traveling around with Lawrence, up to today.
“And that’s why I’m here,” I concluded. “I was interested in Duel Monsters before I met you in the store that day, but I didn’t even know how to play the game. When you gave me that spare Dark Magician card and taught me some of your favorite strategies, it shaped my path as a Duelist forever. I know we only ever dueled a few times, but I think of you as a mentor to me-.”
“And you feel like, to get stronger, you have to duel me again,” Yugi interjected, reading the situation as accurately as he would in a game.
“Yeah,” I told him, “so I officially challenge you. You’re still the King of Games. I have the right to challenge you for that title.”
“Based on Pegasus’ silly rules from Duelist Kingdom,” Yugi said with a laugh. “I don’t think it really matters anymore. Despite how frustrating it is for me, I think people will always call me the King of Games no matter what happens.”
He looked toward the front of the store. The doors had opened and we could both hear the voices of Yugi’s many fans clamoring for an audience with their hero. “It still surprises me,” Yugi said, “that I have fans and admirers at all, you included. I’m just playing a game, especially these days.”
He looked back over at me, “But I’ll accept your challenge anyway, as your friend. If it helps you out, that’s even better, but mostly I’m just curious to see how strong you are now. To be honest, you weren’t very good when you were a kid. Now I know it’s because you didn’t really know the rules.”
He laughed, and I laughed too. I’d always wondered how Yugi dealt with being a famous Duelist, and now I knew: he dealt with it by being himself.
“Come on,” he said, “if you want to go all out, we’ll need a space big enough. There’s a lot down the street where they tore down an old building and never built anything else. We can duel there.”
Yugi stood and headed for the side door, and I followed.
I heard tufts of dry, half-dead grass crunch against gravel and dirt beneath my feet as the two of us stepped into the lot. There were still bits and pieces of whatever had been here before scattered wide throughout the open, fenced-in area, and the foundation of the building was still in tact, but for the most part, it was just a small, partially overgrown field just off of the side walk. I wasn’t sure exactly how we’d managed to make our way here without being spotted by anyone in Yugi’s entourage, but we’d done it, so we had the place to ourselves.
“You ready?” Yugi asked, standing across from me. I nodded, and he switched on his Duel Disk. Its Life Counter blinked to life, displaying the Japanese standard four thousand starting Life Points. I activated my new Trick Disk with just a thought. A magic circle lit up on the cover of the book-like device, and pages adorned with similar magic markings slid from within it, forming a platform for the cards.
“That’s cool,” said Yugi, but he otherwise didn’t react. Maybe he thought it was a customized Duel Disk of some kind. They have started to become more and more common lately.
“I’ll get us started,” Yugi announced. For a second, as he drew his cards, I had the irrational fear that he would somehow beat me in the first turn of the game, but even for Yugi that was basically impossible. I was just nervous, which was easy as I watched pure competitiveness shine from behind my friend’s kind eyes.
“I summon,” Yugi announced, “the ‘Giant Soldier of Stone’, and I place two cards face-down.”
A giant man made of stone appeared, a pair of stone swords holstered over his shoulders. He drew them both and stood prepared at Yugi’s side (ATK: 1300).
“I counter your ‘Soldier’,” I declared, “with my ‘Mythical Beast Cerberus’.”
A large blue and purple beast, as tall as me, with a wolf’s head and a lion’s head, wearing black armor, appeared at my side protectively (ATK: 1400).
“I set three cards before ending my turn,” I concluded.
“Testing the waters I see,” Yugi noted.
“Just like you did last turn,” I countered, “when you summoned your ‘Stone Soldier’ in attack mode.”
“True,” Yugi replied, “that normally summoning a monster like ‘Giant Soldier of Stone’ in attack mode would be a means to draw my opponent into attacking and glean their strength, but this time it had another purpose.”
He drew, “I reveal ‘Shield Charge’, adding the Defense of my monster to his Attack during the Damage Step this turn.”
The ‘Stone Soldier’ raised one of his arms and charged at my ‘Cerberus’ elbow first (ATK: 1300 -> 3300).
I smiled, I had a feeling. “Reveal,” I declared, gesturing showily, the way I’d often seen Yugi himself do in his high profile games, “’Pigeonholing Book of Spells’ to rearrange the top three cards of my deck, ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’ to destroy your second face-down card, and ‘Emergency Provisions’, sending my other two revealed cards to the Graveyard before they can go there themselves, increasing my Life Points by two thousand.”
As I continued to explain, I took three cards from atop my deck, changed their order, and replaced them, light surrounded me, increasing my strength (4000 -> 6000), and a gust of wind assaulted Yugi’s set card.
“For each Spell I activate,” I continued, “my monster goes up five hundred Attack for the turn.” ‘Cerberus’ began to glow with golden light, and lunged at the ‘Soldier’ (ATK: 1400 -> 3400).
“Then before it can be destroyed by your Spell,” Yugi countered, “I reveal my ‘Shield Spear’, increasing the Attack and Defense of my ‘Soldier’ by another four hundred each, increasing his Attack by a total of eight hundred (3300 -> 4100).”
The ‘Giant Soldier of Stone’ slammed into my ‘Beast’ and overpowered him. He was destroyed, and I took a hit, cushioned by the increase to my Life (6000 -> 5300), so I didn’t mind. Yugi’s turn was over again, so I drew to begin mine, “I set a card and a monster. Come at me again.”
“You’re confident,” Yugi said, looking intrigued. “I wonder what you're planning. I guess I’ll find out.”
He was having fun, and so was I. We were both playing seriously, and yet neither of us had forgotten that we were playing a game. It was refreshing after some of the duels that I’d fought in recent years.
“No more playing around,” Yugi announced, “I’m coming at you all out.” Yugi’s monster, back to its original strength now, stood at Yugi’s side, ready to receive its next command. Meanwhile the crowd from the shop had heard the sounds of battle, and many had come to investigate. There was a small crowd building along the sidewalk. Without even meaning to, Yugi and I were fulfilling the dreams of many of them to see their hero duel in person.
“I’m really impressed,” said Yugi. “It's hard to judge accurately in a video, but now I know for sure. You’ve gotten a lot stronger than you were the last time I saw you duel in person, just a few years ago. You weren’t kidding when you said you’ve been using your time to improve your skills.”
“Thanks,” I told him, wondering when it was that he'd seen me duel last, “but I know I’ve still got a long way to go.”
Yugi looked even more impressed that I was willing to admit that. “Well then,” he said, “if you really want to test yourself against me, don’t expect me to hold anything back.”
I could almost feel Yugi’s decision to go for the win as quickly as possible. I had to stop myself from shaking, and I considered backing down.
No, I thought, stopping myself, this is what I came here for. I’ve set up a good combo, one that even Yugi will have a hard time with. I still have a chance.
“For my turn,” Yugi announced, “I activate the Spell card ‘One Into One’. I return ‘Kuriboh’ in my hand to my deck to add another Level One monster from my deck to my hand.”
I knew what was coming. Yugi showed me his ‘Kuriboh’, placed it atop his deck, and then flipped through his deck, choosing a card to replace it. He showed me his new card, a tiny little fairy-type monster that looked like a puff ball with eyes.
“Because ‘Watapon’ was added to my hand outside of the Draw Phase,” Yugi explained, “I can Special Summon it to the field.”
As he spoke, the fluffy fairy appeared in the air at his side.
“I tribute both of my monsters,” Yugi announced, “to summon the ‘Dark Magician’.”
This is it, I thought with a laugh as the purple-clad sorcerer appeared, brandishing his emerald staff (ATK: 2500). The crowd of onlookers cheered. Yugi’s deck had held Gods, and yet this card was still his most relied-upon, and his most famous.
“My ‘Dark Magician’,” Yugi commanded, “attacks the hidden monster with Dark Magic!”
The ‘Magician’ summoned an orb of emerald light and flung it at my set monster.
“Reveal,” I countered, “’Foolish Revival’, summoning your ‘Watapon’ back to your field in defense mode so that my ‘Ancient Lamp’ has somewhere to redirect your attack to.”
‘Watapon’ reappeared, just as my monster, an over-sized oil lamp, appeared on my field. The ‘Dark Magician’’s attack bounced off of it, back at ‘Watapon’. The furry fairy never stood a chance.
“Clever defense,” Yugi told me. “I didn’t see that one coming.”
I let out a breath that I hadn’t even realized that I’d been holding. I’d actually managed to deflect the attack of Yugi’s ‘Dark Magician’, and now I had a chance to counterattack!
Of course, I had to draw the right cards first.
“I play,” I declared, wishing silently for good luck, “’Pot of Greed’, combined with ‘Serial Spell’. I throw out my hand to draw four new cards.”
“Very nice,” Yugi commented as I drew almost a complete new hand. I didn’t respond, I was too flooded with relief that I’d actually gotten what I needed.
“Alright, Yugi,” I said, “you’ve summoned your ‘Dark Magician’, so it only seems fair that I respond in kind!”
I took a card from my hand and placed it on the Trick Disk, “I Special Summon the denizen of the ‘Lamp’ from within it’s depths.”
Smoke poured from the ‘Lamp’, and took the form of a green genie, “Come out, ‘La Jinn, the Mystical Genie of the Lamp’! And I tribute both of my monsters to summon the ‘Dark Magician’!”
As soon as the muscular magic man had appeared, the genie and his lamp disappeared, and my own sorcerer appeared in their place. Where Yugi’s ‘Dark Magician’ wore purple robes with a darker purple trim and had the complexion fairly typical of a relatively light-skinned man, mine wore purple robes with red trim, and his complexion was emerald green, like his staff. Everything else was the same, however, including his power (ATK: 2500). I heard the crowd murmuring as my monster took the field, and even though I couldn’t really understand what they were saying, I could hear the amazement in their voices. They were surprised that I also had a ‘Dark Magician’, and that I would challenge Yugi’s with my own.
“Finally,” I told my opponent, selecting another card from my hand, “I activate a Spell that I would have been content without, but that I’m happy I drew either way, my ‘Kishido Spirit’. While this is active, if one of my monsters battles a monster with equal Attack, my monster survives.”
My ‘Dark Magician’ was wreathed in a cool blue-white light.
“I attack,” I declared, “your ‘Dark Magician’ with my own, Dark Magic Attack!”
Card of the Day:
Shield Charge
Played by: Yugi Muto
It's a card I made for Yugi. I need no other reason for making this the Card of the Day. Fun fact: I also made a card that is the inverse of this. It's a Trap that depicts a swordsman striking with his sword from behind his shield and reads: Activate when your opponent declares your face-up defense position monster as an attack target: Reduce the ATK of the attacking monster by an amount equal to the ATK of the attack target during the Damage Step this turn. In a deck like Yugi's with monsters that have balanced Attack and Defense, these two cards can be really useful.
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