Yu-Gi-Oh! another

[Kankurou]

Hey there. I've been an active member of Neo Ark Cradle for quite a while under the same username, and thought I wouldn't hurt to pass by here too.

So, this is a fan story which my and some friends came up with a while ago and I felt like it'd be a waste to not continue it, so I'm currently working actively on it, releasing new chapters whenver I'm able to (usually it takes a little over than a month). We originally intended for a fan manga, but my schedule doesn't allow me to draw everything, so right now I'm using a fic format while making artworks for the cards, characters and one or two scenes. I'm still learning how this forum works and all, so I'm not sure how exactly I'll be posting the chapters - in NAC, I make new posts for new chapters, and put the chapters inside spoiler tabs so that they don't occupy too much space. I'm not sure if there's anything similar around here. I'll see what I'm able to do.

I've released 19 chapters already on NAC (feel free to check it there, too; it's way more organized since I'm not yet used to this forum :P), but I started with a very lame script format which I only changed on chapter 11, so I'm currently reworking the initial chapters. I'll post them here as I rewrite them (because honestly, I'm ashamed of how poorly I initially wrote them).

Well then, enough blah blah blah. Here is the prologue, I hope you enjoy it! Any feedback is appreciated! (Note: I'll have to split it a lot here because of the short character limit, but feel free to check it on NAC as well!)

Edit: Okay, I'd have to split chapters in about 5~6 parts in this forum... I'll leave the first part of the prologue here as a preview. If you have a NAC account, you can check all chapters released so far here. I'm sorry for the mess, but it'll be really a pain if I have to make over 4 replies for every chapter, I'll see what I can do. :P

Character designs for the prologue (in order of appearance):
-Hana Kaiba
-Kakimoto
-Mori Yamamoto
-Jugo Sadame
-Ryohei Sadame

Duel Monsters...

This game has always been the trigger for supernatural events…

Prologue Side A – “HANA KAIBA”

“Are you done, Hana?!”

“I'mh mhrushimh my teef! (‘I'm brushing my teeth!’)” The girl responds to her father from the bathroom.

“We’re leaving in five minutes!” he states from another room, ready to leave.


My name is Hana Kaiba. I just turned 17 last Monday, on January 21st.
My father, Akira Kaiba, is the CEO of Neo Kaiba Corporation, this huuuge company that produces everything related to Duel Monsters.
I think that's part of the reason why he adopted me when I was 5.


As she finishes brushing her teeth, Hana looks through the window of her bathroom and sees a very unique kind of butterfly, that looked like something that came straight out of a cartoon.

“Ah! A Naturia Butterfly!” she notes, amazed, as she gently pokes the window, playing with the butterfly.

Hana hears her father press the car’s honk from outside.

“Coming!!” she yells, irritated, accidentally making the Naturia Butterfly fly away. “Oh, shoot. Well, it doesn’t matter, I have to leave anyway!”

She checks if her mouth is properly wiped on the mirror and leaves the bathroom in a hurry, grabbing a jacket and heading straight to the car.


I was supposed to be in university already, but I'm still not sure about which course I should take. I was thinking about Computer Engineering or something similar, but... I dunno.
Today, my father requested me to go to the corporation with him. Maybe he's willing to show me a bit of the actual work to help me make up my mind? I'm pretty excited!


After a few minutes of driving, Akira parks the car in a reserved parking space, right in front of a gigantic building with a huge sign displaying the letters “NKC” on it.

“We’re here” he tells Hana, removing the safety belt, as the girl whistles, looking at the building.

“No matter how many times I come here, I can’t with how stupidly big this thing is…” She thinks to herself.


Neo Kaiba Corporation - or NKC for short. A corporation born a few years ago, when the heads of Kaiba Corporation and Industrial Illusions, the biggest companies in the world of games, agreed to unite and form one major company, which would become the monopoly of Duel Monsters, the most popular game in the last 20 years, representing alone 84% of all profit Kaiba Corporation used to obtain when it was still a general gaming company.
Among others, NKC is responsible for all material related to Duel Monsters, including the cards, Duel Disks, Dueling Arenas, apps, tournaments and other minor material. It has smaller branches in several countries, but this very building, here in Origo City, is the core company.


“Come on in, we're heading to the 5th floor.”

“Roger!”

Father and daughter step into the elevator, where another employee greets Akira very politely. As the elevator stops on the 5th floor and Akira steps in, more employees welcome him. An excited Hana walks right behind him, holding herself to not touch everything and talk to everyone in there, and they enter a room.

“Oh, Mr. Kaiba! Good afternoon!” A relatively aged-looking man sitting in a computer desk interrupts his quick typing to greet Akira.

“Afternoon, Kakimoto.” He replies, objectively. “This is my daughter, Hana.”

“Oh, so that's her! Pleased to meet you, Hana-chan.” Kakimoto greets Hana with a silly smile and with a silly tone of voice, as if Hana was a young child.

“Ah, same here!” Hana replies, excited.

“This is Kakimoto.” Akira explains to the girl. “He works in the technology sector. His job is to develop, review and fix card codings for Duel Disks.”

“Ah! Really?!”

“Huhuh, yes, that’s right.” Kakimoto explains with a smile.

“So dad did bring me here to help me making up my mind!” Hana thinks to herself, almost euphoric about her father’s gesture.

At that time, another man enters the room, with an incomplete suit and messy hair, and on his face, he had the silliest smile a man on his thirties could ever pull.

“Hello~~!” the man says in a singing tone, raising his palm. “Akira-kun, Kakimoto-kun! And… Hana-chan, right?”

“Yamamoto-san.” Akira greets him briefly bowing his head.

“Good afternoon!” Kakimoto follows up.

“G- Good afternoon…” Hana stutters, surprised. “’Yamamoto’… Ah, isn’t he dad’s associate? He totally doesn’t look like someone as important as dad…”

Much to the girl’s surprise, the silly-looking man approaches her and looks her in the eye, above his small glasses, with a slightly less silly smile.

“I’ll get straight to the point, Hana-chan. Akira-kun and I discussed about this, and we'd like to know what you would think of working here for a while as a trainee.”

“W- Wah—Me?!” Hana stutters, barely able to speak out of shock and excitement. “I- It’d be awesome! Can I?!”

“Hahaha, that's the spirit!” Yamamoto comments, cheerful. “I'd gladly accept Akira-kun's dear daughter to join us! However, I can't just let you in because you're his daughter – that wouldn't be ethical! So we’ll have to undergo an interview first, okay?”

“Sure! That’s great!”

“Oh, and one more thing. You are a duelist, aren't you? Almost everyone here in NKC is a duelist.”

Yamamoto points at Kakimoto with his thumb, wearing his silly smile on his face.

“What do you say we see what you've got against Kakimoto-kun? I'd love to see your dueling! ♥”

“My dueling?” Hana repeats, surprised by the request.

“I'll interview you after I analyze your skills with the cards. Is that okay?”

“Well, sure thing! I love dueling, anyway!” Hana replies, energetic.

“Good! Let’s get started then! ♥”

“Ah…!” Hana gasps, checking her waist; “I didn’t bring my Deck along…”

The girl’s concern is soon relieved as her father stretches his hand, holding her Deck.

“I brought it.”

“For real?!” the girl exclaims in joy, as she grabs the Deck. “Thanks a bunch, dad!” “Dad sure is being exceptionally nice today…" She thinks to herself. "Is he in a good mood?”

As Hana and Kakimoto set their Duel Disks, Akira and Yamamoto talk in a quiet tone from a couple of meters away.

“Will you be able to ‘diagnose’ her just by watching her Duel?” The former asks with a serious expression.

“You said that Hana-chan is easily controlled by her emotions, right, Akira-kun? I chose Kakimoto-kun especially for this reason. If she is what I suspect she is, then I should be able to confirm it with this duel. If the 'diagnosis' is positive, I'll make her some questions and further investigate it.” Yamamoto answers, this time with an unusual serious tone.

“I see...”

The duelists’ Duel Disks enter Duel Mode and link to each other; the cards in their Deck slots are read by the Duel Disks, as both draw their initial 5-card hand, with the touch screens now displaying the field and the cards in the players’ hands. A virtual coin toss is performed, with Kakimoto winning – which allows him to choose whether to go first or second. He chooses the former, and the touch screens mark the begin of the duel.

“Duel!!” both players shout in unison.

[Kankurou]

“Since it’s my turn, I draw one card!” Kakimoto declares, conducting his normal draw. “I set one monster, as well as two Spell or Trap Cards face-down! You can go now, Hana-chan” he declares with a gentle tone, after a quick glimpse over the cards in his hand.

“That’s it?” his opponent asks, surprised, before conducting her normal draw as well. “Well then, my turn! Since I control no cards, I’ll Special Summon Zacheus from my hand!”

The virtual image of Zacheus, Titan Ruler of Harmony (ATK 0) appears on Hana’s field.

“Attack Position?” the mid-aged man notes. “I see Hana-chan is a reckless player.”

“Then, I Normal Summon Satyr!”

The image of a new titan – Satyr, Titan Ruler of Fortune (ATK 1700) – appears on Hana’s field at the right of Zacheus, moments before both turn into yellow rays of light.

“I’m Overlaying my Zacheus and Satyr! With these two, I can Summon a Rank 4 Xyz Monster! I’ll Xyz Summon Calisto!!”

Following the girl’s words, the overlaying rays of light create an Overlay Network and explode, making a new Titan manifest – Calisto, Titan Ruler of Vicissitudes (ATK 2200).

“I’ll activate Calisto’s effect! I detach Satyr to change your Set monster into Attack Position! Also, since I’m detaching Satyr, I can draw 1 card!”

“Indeed, you are a very straightforward player, Hana-chan.” Kakimoto states with a gentle tone, as his Set monster – Needle Worm (DEF 600 → ATK 750) is flipped face-up. “With my Needle Worm being flipped, its Flip Effect activates. Please, send 5 cards from your Deck to the Graveyard, Hana-chan.”

“What?! Straight to the Graveyard?!” the girl asks, shocked. “Ugh…”

Hana takes five cards from her Deck and place them in the Graveyard slot with a very uneasy expression (Hana’s Deck: 34 → 29)

“Well, either way, I’ll inflict some good damage this turn!” Hana declares, going on with her turn. “I activate Monster Reborn! Revive, Satyr!”

The long-haired titan rises from the Graveyard (ATK 1700), standing next to Calisto.

“Go for it, Satyr!” she declares as she presses a button on her touch screen. With the movement of his hands, Satyr surrounds Needle Worm with a purple aura, making it apparently suffer for a few moments before being shattered (Kakimoto 4000 → 3050).

“Now, it’s your turn, Calisto! Heheh, we’ll bring his LP below 1000 in the first turn!”

“I activate my Trap Card, Vain Betrayer!” her opponent declares as he presses a button on his touch screen, making one of his face-down cards reveal itself.

Before Calisto is able to slash Kakimoto with his blade, a purple beam of light is shot from the latter’s Trap Card and hits the titan, making him unable to move.

“Calisto! What happened?!” Hana asks, concerned about her monster.

“While my Trap Card is affecting your monster…” Kakimoto explains, “…it will not be able to attack or activate its effects, and during each of your End Phases, you’ll have to send three cards from your Deck to the Graveyard.”

“More effects to send my cards directly to the Graveyard! What's up with his Deck?!” Hana thinks to herself. “I Set one card. Turn end!”

“And at that moment, please send 3 cards from your Deck to the Graveyard, Hana-chan.”

“Kuh…” Once more, the girl hesitantly takes three cards from her Deck and places them in her Graveyard slot (Hana’s Deck: 29 → 26).

“Back to me; I draw one card” Kakimoto declares serenely. “I activate a Spell Card, Worm Nest. This card will Special Summon three Worm Tokens to my field.”

Three Worm Tokens (ATK 100 each) appear on his field.

“Eew, more worms…” Hana thinks to herself, with a slightly disgusted expression, but tries to conceal it in respect for her opponent.

“Next, I Normal Summon Melodious Worm! With this card’s effect, I’m able to Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Insect-Type monster from my hand – I Special Summon Shield Worm!”

The Melodious (ATK 1000) and Shield (ATK 800 → DEF 2000) worms appear on Kakimoto’s field, filling his Monster Card Zones.

“At this moment, the effect of my Shield Worm activates, making my opponent send one card to the Graveyard for each Insect-Type monster I control – meaning five, if you’d be so gentle.”

“There he goes again…!” The girl mentally complains as he sends five more cards to the Graveyard, becoming increasingly bothered (Hana’s Deck: 26 → 21)

“Melodious Worm is a tuner monster! I’m tuning the Level 4 Shield Worm with the Level 3 Melodious Worm! Synchro Summon!”

Melodious Worm transforms into three rings that surround Shield Worm, who in turn transform into four stars that align, creating a blast of energy.

“I’m Summoning a Level 7 Synchro Monster – appear, Great Hercules Worm!”

The enormous monster manifests from the blast of energy (ATK 2500), surprising Hana.

“Since I used Melodious Worm to Synchro Summon an Insect, its effect will make both of us send 4 cards to the Graveyard, Hana-chan.” Kakimoto explains, as he serenely sends four cards from his Deck to the Graveyard. (Kakimoto's Deck: 33 → 29)

“Four more…?! And he’s losing cards, too…?” the girl thinks, sending four more cards to the Graveyard. (Hana’s Deck: 21 → 17)

“I activate Hercules Worm’s effect – I will send D.D. Worm from my Deck to the Graveyard in order to shuffle Worm Nest back into my Graveyard!” Kakimoto explains, as he places the former into his Graveyard slot and the latter into his Deck, which is then automatically shuffled. “I will use Hercules Worm to attack Satyr, Titan Ruler of Fortune!”

“Finally doing some offensive, huh?” Hana comments, as the opponent’s monster dashes towards Satyr, striking and destroying it (Hana 4000 → 3200). “Too bad for you though, Satyr won't let you get away with defeating him! Satyr will destroy your monster as well!”

Upon destroying Satyr, Great Hercules Worm is surrounded by a purple aura, which makes it shatter moments after.

“Oh, I’m aware of it, Hana-chan.” Kakimoto explains with his gentle smile. “However, my Hercules Worm won't 'let you get away with defeating him' either! When this card is destroyed, it will make you send 5 cards to the Graveyard!”

Hana gasps upon her opponent’s explanation; she hesitantly sends five more cards to the Graveyard. (Hana’s Deck: 17 → 12)

“Also, I activate my Trap Card, Regretful Rebirth!” her opponent continues. “I will revive Hercules Worm!”

The enormous Worm rises from Kakimoto’s Graveyard (DEF 900).

“Nice move! So you plan to defeat Calisto too!” his opponent notes, excited to see his opponent finally playing offensively; however, she is quickly corrected by him:

“Unfortunately, you are mistaken, Hana-chan. The monster revived by this Trap Card is Special Summoned in Defense Position. Besides, I have no reasons to destroy Calisto, since leaving it on the field means you will lose additional cards every turn.”

“Eh? So why did you revive it in the first place?”

“As I end my turn, the effect of Regretful Rebirth will end, causing Hercules Worm to be destroyed again" Kakimoto gently explains. "And that means...?”

“Agh, no!” his opponent exclaims with a suffering expression.

“I’m sorry, Hana-chan, but yes! Before I end my turn, I will activate Hercules Worm’s effect again – I will send another D.D. Worm to the Graveyard and shuffle Regretful Rebirth back into my Deck. Also, I activate a Continuous Spell Card, Insect Neglect. Then, I end my turn.” as he does, the Hercules Worm on his field is shattered. “With Hercules Worm being destroyed, its effect will activate again; please, send 5 more cards to the Graveyard, Hana-chan.”

“C’mon…!” Hana mutters, clearly bothered, as she sends five cards to the Graveyard. (Hana’s Deck: 12 → 7)

…

“Melodious Worm, Great Hercules Worm and Regretful Rebirth” Akira comments with Yamamoto, both watching the duel. “With only those three cards, he’s made Hana mill 14 cards. Hana will deck out for sure if she lets Kakimoto's next turn come. She's starting to feel frustrated.”

“No, that's wrong, Akira-kun.” Yamamoto replies.

“What do you mean?”

“I believe that what makes Hana-chan frustrated is the fact that she doesn't want her cards to go to the Graveyard like that. That's why I chose Kakimoto-kun as her opponent.”

Akira looks at Yamamoto with an expression that says “I’m not following”, to which Yamamoto replies, with a silly smile:

“Well, just watch and you'll see. ♥”

...

(still continues)

[Kankurou]

“He keeps making me send my monsters directly from my Deck to the Graveyard… And even destroyed his monster on purpose twice for that… I was getting excited to see he’d finally play for real, but this old geezer is a jerk…!” Hana thinks to herself annoyed. “I’m so sorry…” She says mentally, looking at her Graveyard slot with a slightly sad expression.

“My turn!” Hana declares, conducting her normal draw. (Hana’s Deck: 7 → 6) “Then, what do you think about this?! I activate Pot of Avarice! I will recover 5 cards from the Graveyard, and draw 2 cards on top of that!”

“Sorry, I can only retrieve five of you…!” Hana says mentally as she takes five monster cards form her Graveyard and shuffles them back into her Deck; afterwards, she draws 2 cards. (Hana's Deck: 6 → 11 → 9)

“I Normal Summon Rhod!”

The Mohawk titan appears on Hana’s field (ATK 1800) at the side of a still paralyzed Calisto.

“Once I enter my Battle Phase…” the girl continues, “…I can Special Summon Bastian from my hand!”

The spear bearer titan manifests on the field as well (ATK 2300).

“Let’s win this turn, my Titans!” the girl declares energetically, but with a serious expression. “Rhod, destroy one of those Worm Tokens!”

“Neglected!” her opponent jokes. “I activate the effect of Insect Neglect! By banishing one D.D. Worm from my Graveyard, I negate the attack.”

The Worm Token is surrounded by a cage of light, protecting it from Rhod’s flaming blow.

“Also, since I banished D.D. Worm, I draw one card.” Kakimoto explains, taking a card from the top of his Deck.

“Tch, in that case, you go, Bastian!”

“Neglected again! Insect Neglect’s effect has no limit of activation! I will banish another D.D. Worm to negate this attack, as well as drawing another card!”

Once more, the Worm Token is protected by a cage of light, shielding it from Bastian’s spear.

“Dang it! Just how many Insects do you have in your Graveyard?!”

“I have sent two with Hercules Worm’s effect, and have sent four more cards with Melodious Worm’s.” her opponent explains smiling, innocently. “My Graveyard is filled with monsters to banish”.

“Again, sending his own monsters to the Graveyard too…” Hana thinks to herself, getting increasingly annoyed. “Kuh, I end my turn…”

With the end of Hana’s Battle Phase, Bastian, Titan Ruler of Jousts vanishes from the field.

“And at this moment, since Calisto is still on the field….” Kakimoto explains.

Hana grinds her teeth as she sends three cards from her Deck to her Graveyard. (Hana’s Deck: 9 → 6)

“Back to me!” Kakimoto declares as he draws a card with an innocent smile. “First, I change my Worm Tokens to Defense Position and Set 1 Spell or Trap Card! Better safe than sorry, right?”

The three Worm Tokens are switched to Defense Position (DEF 100 each), while the virtual image of a face-down card appears alongside Insect Neglect.

“Now, I Normal Summon Dark Bug! With this card’s effect, I can revive a Level 3 tuner monster from my Graveyard – and I choose Melodious Worm!”

As the Dark Bug appears on the field (ATK 100), it releases a dark thread from its torso which brings Melodious Worm back from the Graveyard (DEF 400).

“I’m tuning my Level 1 Dark Bug with my Level 3 Melodious Worm! Synchro Summon! I Summon a Level 4 Synchro Monster – appear, Dark Diviner!”

The insects once more turn into rings and stars, producing an explosion of energy from where a new monster donning a weary cloak manifests (ATK 2000).

“Next, I banish Warm Worm and Needle Worm from my Graveyard to Special Summon Doom Dozer from my hand!”

The monstrous insect appears on Kakimoto’s last Monster Card Zone (ATK 2800).

“Since I banished cards, the effect of my banished D.D. Worms activate; please, send two cards to the Graveyard, Hana-chan.”

Hana silently takes two cards from her Deck and places them in her Graveyard slot, apparently looking down, making her eyes be concealed by her fringe. (Hana’s Deck 6 → 4).

“You like offensive plays, right, Hana-chan? I will attack, then.” He explains in his gentle tone. “I will begin by attacking Rhod, Titan Ruler of Harms with Doom Dozer!”

Doom Dozer rampages towards Rhod, destroying him in a fierce strike; the impact of the attack produces a breeze that makes a silent Hana’s clothes and hair wave. (Hana 3200 → 2200).

“When this monster inflicts Battle Damage, you must send one card from your Deck to the Graveyard, Hana-chan.”

Still silent, Hana takes another card from her Deck and places it in her Graveyard slot. (Hana’s Deck: 4 → 3).

“And, the grand finale! Dark Diviner attacks Calisto, Titan Ruler of Vicissitudes! This card makes your card's ATK 2000, and prevents its own destruction, so that only your card is destroyed!”

Dark Diviner and Calisto (ATK 2200 → 2000) clash, with the former’s enchant preventing its own destruction, so only Calisto is destroyed.

“When this monster destroys another monster, you are forced to send three more cards – in other words, the rest of your deck – to the Graveyard! Sorry Hana-chan, it seems I’ll come out as victorious this time!”

Hana sends the remainder of her Deck to the Graveyard, still without muttering a single word, her eyes hidden by her fringe. (Hana’s Deck: 3 → 0)

“As I thought. The duel is over.” Akira comments with Yamamoto. “So, Yamamoto-san, what do you th-“

“Tsk, tsk. Look at her. It's not over.” The peculiar-looking man says with a discreetly malicious smile. “This is what I was waiting for.”

Akira is surprised by Yamamoto’s statement, but before he can ask him what he meant, Hana breaks the silence, in a quiet tone:

“..Now you've done it.” She clenches her fist and raises her head, revealing that her eyes are almost in tears. “You sent every single of my monsters to the Graveyard without even giving them a chance to fight!!” She says, outraged, surprising her opponent.

Her father discreetly sighs, still watching the duel, with his arms crossed.

“Such a childish way of thinking...”

“No, Akira-kun.” Yamamoto argues, serenely. “It may sound childish for us, but it's perfectly understandable for Hana-chan.”

“I activate a Trap Card!” the girl declares, still with anger noticeable in her voice. “Plan B! I’ll add Titanic Duel back to my hand!”

“One of the cards I made her mill…” Kakimoto observes. “But it’s no use, Hana-chan. When you begin your turn, since you can no longer draw cards, you will lose.” He gently explains.

“No, I won’t!” his opponent counters. “In exchange for retrieving a Normal Spell or Trap Card from the Graveyard, Plan B skips my next Draw Phase! I won’t draw, so I won’t lose!!”

“Oh…!”

“I Normal Summon Lazaro! Even though the Xyz Monster will have only 1 Overlay Unit, I can instantly Summon an Xyz Monster with this guy!”

“Ugh, I’ve already depleted her Deck… I just need to survive this turn…!” Kakimoto analyzes. “Sorry Hana-chan, I can’t let you. I activate a Trap Card, Torrential Tribute!”

As soon as Lazaro, Titan Ruler of Stars (ATK 0) appears on the field, Kakimoto’s Trap Card produces a violent stream of water that destroys it alongside his own monsters.

“Again…!!” Hana mutters grinding her teeth. “And you keep destroying your own monsters, too! Don’t you have any respect for the Duel Monsters spirits?!”

“P- Pardon?” Kakimoto asks, confused.

“Let’s kick his ass, guys! I activate Soul Charge!! Come back – Calisto! Fedor! Rhod! Hector! Satyr!”

The army of Titans swarm on Hana’s field surrounded by a white aura, standing tall in front of their master, making Kakimoto gasp.

“W- Was that a bluff, Hana-chan? You will take 2500 damage and lose…!”

(yes, still continues...)

[Kankurou]

“He keeps making me send my monsters directly from my Deck to the Graveyard… And even destroyed his monster on purpose twice for that… I was getting excited to see he’d finally play for real, but this old geezer is a jerk…!” Hana thinks to herself annoyed. “I’m so sorry…” She says mentally, looking at her Graveyard slot with a slightly sad expression.

“My turn!” Hana declares, conducting her normal draw. (Hana’s Deck: 7 → 6) “Then, what do you think about this?! I activate Pot of Avarice! I will recover 5 cards from the Graveyard, and draw 2 cards on top of that!”

“Sorry, I can only retrieve five of you…!” Hana says mentally as she takes five monster cards form her Graveyard and shuffles them back into her Deck; afterwards, she draws 2 cards. (Hana's Deck: 6 → 11 → 9)

“I Normal Summon Rhod!”

The Mohawk titan appears on Hana’s field (ATK 1800) at the side of a still paralyzed Calisto.

“Once I enter my Battle Phase…” the girl continues, “…I can Special Summon Bastian from my hand!”

The spear bearer titan manifests on the field as well (ATK 2300).

“Let’s win this turn, my Titans!” the girl declares energetically, but with a serious expression. “Rhod, destroy one of those Worm Tokens!”

“Neglected!” her opponent jokes. “I activate the effect of Insect Neglect! By banishing one D.D. Worm from my Graveyard, I negate the attack.”

The Worm Token is surrounded by a cage of light, protecting it from Rhod’s flaming blow.

“Also, since I banished D.D. Worm, I draw one card.” Kakimoto explains, taking a card from the top of his Deck.

“Tch, in that case, you go, Bastian!”

“Neglected again! Insect Neglect’s effect has no limit of activation! I will banish another D.D. Worm to negate this attack, as well as drawing another card!”

Once more, the Worm Token is protected by a cage of light, shielding it from Bastian’s spear.

“Dang it! Just how many Insects do you have in your Graveyard?!”

“I have sent two with Hercules Worm’s effect, and have sent four more cards with Melodious Worm’s.” her opponent explains smiling, innocently. “My Graveyard is filled with monsters to banish”.

“Again, sending his own monsters to the Graveyard too…” Hana thinks to herself, getting increasingly annoyed. “Kuh, I end my turn…”

With the end of Hana’s Battle Phase, Bastian, Titan Ruler of Jousts vanishes from the field.

“And at this moment, since Calisto is still on the field….” Kakimoto explains.

Hana grinds her teeth as she sends three cards from her Deck to her Graveyard. (Hana’s Deck: 9 → 6)

“Back to me!” Kakimoto declares as he draws a card with an innocent smile. “First, I change my Worm Tokens to Defense Position and Set 1 Spell or Trap Card! Better safe than sorry, right?”

The three Worm Tokens are switched to Defense Position (DEF 100 each), while the virtual image of a face-down card appears alongside Insect Neglect.

“Now, I Normal Summon Dark Bug! With this card’s effect, I can revive a Level 3 tuner monster from my Graveyard – and I choose Melodious Worm!”

As the Dark Bug appears on the field (ATK 100), it releases a dark thread from its torso which brings Melodious Worm back from the Graveyard (DEF 400).

“I’m tuning my Level 1 Dark Bug with my Level 3 Melodious Worm! Synchro Summon! I Summon a Level 4 Synchro Monster – appear, Dark Diviner!”

The insects once more turn into rings and stars, producing an explosion of energy from where a new monster donning a weary cloak manifests (ATK 2000).

“Next, I banish Warm Worm and Needle Worm from my Graveyard to Special Summon Doom Dozer from my hand!”

The monstrous insect appears on Kakimoto’s last Monster Card Zone (ATK 2800).

“Since I banished cards, the effect of my banished D.D. Worms activate; please, send two cards to the Graveyard, Hana-chan.”

Hana silently takes two cards from her Deck and places them in her Graveyard slot, apparently looking down, making her eyes be concealed by her fringe. (Hana’s Deck 6 → 4).

“You like offensive plays, right, Hana-chan? I will attack, then.” He explains in his gentle tone. “I will begin by attacking Rhod, Titan Ruler of Harms with Doom Dozer!”

Doom Dozer rampages towards Rhod, destroying him in a fierce strike; the impact of the attack produces a breeze that makes a silent Hana’s clothes and hair wave. (Hana 3200 → 2200).

“When this monster inflicts Battle Damage, you must send one card from your Deck to the Graveyard, Hana-chan.”

Still silent, Hana takes another card from her Deck and places it in her Graveyard slot. (Hana’s Deck: 4 → 3).

“And, the grand finale! Dark Diviner attacks Calisto, Titan Ruler of Vicissitudes! This card makes your card's ATK 2000, and prevents its own destruction, so that only your card is destroyed!”

Dark Diviner and Calisto (ATK 2200 → 2000) clash, with the former’s enchant preventing its own destruction, so only Calisto is destroyed.

“When this monster destroys another monster, you are forced to send three more cards – in other words, the rest of your deck – to the Graveyard! Sorry Hana-chan, it seems I’ll come out as victorious this time!”

Hana sends the remainder of her Deck to the Graveyard, still without muttering a single word, her eyes hidden by her fringe. (Hana’s Deck: 3 → 0)

“As I thought. The duel is over.” Akira comments with Yamamoto. “So, Yamamoto-san, what do you th-“

“Tsk, tsk. Look at her. It's not over.” The peculiar-looking man says with a discreetly malicious smile. “This is what I was waiting for.”

Akira is surprised by Yamamoto’s statement, but before he can ask him what he meant, Hana breaks the silence, in a quiet tone:

“..Now you've done it.” She clenches her fist and raises her head, revealing that her eyes are almost in tears. “You sent every single of my monsters to the Graveyard without even giving them a chance to fight!!” She says, outraged, surprising her opponent.

Her father discreetly sighs, still watching the duel, with his arms crossed.

“Such a childish way of thinking...”

“No, Akira-kun.” Yamamoto argues, serenely. “It may sound childish for us, but it's perfectly understandable for Hana-chan.”

(...just one more to go...)

[Kankurou]

“I activate a Trap Card!” the girl declares, still with anger noticeable in her voice. “Plan B! I’ll add Titanic Duel back to my hand!”

“One of the cards I made her mill…” Kakimoto observes. “But it’s no use, Hana-chan. When you begin your turn, since you can no longer draw cards, you will lose.” He gently explains.

“No, I won’t!” his opponent counters. “In exchange for retrieving a Normal Spell or Trap Card from the Graveyard, Plan B skips my next Draw Phase! I won’t draw, so I won’t lose!!”

“Oh…!”

“I Normal Summon Lazaro! Even though the Xyz Monster will have only 1 Overlay Unit, I can instantly Summon an Xyz Monster with this guy!”

“Ugh, I’ve already depleted her Deck… I just need to survive this turn…!” Kakimoto analyzes. “Sorry Hana-chan, I can’t let you. I activate a Trap Card, Torrential Tribute!”

As soon as Lazaro, Titan Ruler of Stars (ATK 0) appears on the field, Kakimoto’s Trap Card produces a violent stream of water that destroys it alongside his own monsters.

“Again…!!” Hana mutters grinding her teeth. “And you keep destroying your own monsters, too! Don’t you have any respect for the Duel Monsters spirits?!”

“P- Pardon?” Kakimoto asks, confused.

“Let’s kick his ass, guys! I activate Soul Charge!! Come back – Calisto! Fedor! Rhod! Hector! Satyr!”

The army of Titans swarm on Hana’s field surrounded by a white aura, standing tall in front of their master, making Kakimoto gasp.

“W- Was that a bluff, Hana-chan? You will take 2500 damage and lose…!”

The white aura surrounding the Titans fire at Hana as white beams of light; however, Hana stands firm, unshaken. As the white light is about to take its toll on Hana’s Life Points, a blond Titan manifests in front of her, repelling the light, before vanishing (Hana 2200).

“W- What? She didn’t take the damage…?”

“If my Life Points would be reduced to zero, Tadeu can protect my Life Points, only once!” Hana explains in a firm tone. “I protect them and they protect me! This is how a true duelist should be!!”

Following Hana’s words, faint images of humanoid figures start appearing around her.

“W- What’s that…?” Akira mutters, unfolding his arms, while Yamamoto keeps composed, smiling.

“Don’t disgrace my proud titans by throwing them away without a fight!!”

Once Hana pronounces those words from the bottom of her soul, the image of all her Titans appear around her as clear as the day, leaving Kakimoto shocked and confused.

“D- Did the Solid Vision system malfunction…?” he asks, cold-sweating. “T- There are way over five monsters on her field…!”

“That settles it.” Yamamoto tells himself, satisfied.

“I activate the card I recovered with Plan B – Titanic Duel!!” the girl continues, as the virtual image of the card appears on her field. “The monsters summoned by Soul Charge normally cannot attack, but thanks to this card, my titans’ attack cannot be prevented or disrupted this turn, and they’ll gain 300 ATK!!” [1]

Kakimoto watches Hana’s Titans speechless, still very confused, as they prepare to battle.

“Let’s do this!!” she shouts stretching her arm, as her army of titans charges and attacks Kakimoto, who moans and puts his arms in front of his face and torso to protect himself, scared. (Kakimoto 3050 → 0) After a couple of seconds, the mid-aged man sits on the ground, still astounded, noticing he is unharmed.

Hana stands still, panting with a serious expression, as the Duel Disks declare her as the winner, exiting Duel Mode and making the image of her titans disappear.

Akira remains speechless, trying to understand what happened. Yamamoto walks on him.

“It went as I thought. For someone tied to the spirits, facing a Deck like Kakimoto-kun’s should be very stressful. Hana-chan's emotions would make her summon her powers. It seems Kakimoto-kun was not harmed, so I suppose Hana-chan can contact spirits, but not use their powers; at least not yet. Let's begin the interview right away. I will study her case thoroughly.”

“Y- Yamamoto-san...” Akira stutters, regaining his composure. “So she is indeed...?”

“Yes.” Yamamoto immediately responds, serious. “As expected, Hana-chan is a cipher.”

Akira swallows. He looks fixatedly at her daughter for a few seconds, displaying some concern in his eyes.

“...I see…” he mutters, closing his eyes.

Prologue Side A – END

[1] This part caused confusion among readers, so I believe it will be better to add a note explaining it. When I wrote this duel, Soul Charge still hadn't been released in the OCG/TCG; hence, in this story, it has its original anime effect, which doesn't skip the Battle Phase, but instead, just prevents the Special Summoned monsters from attacking (like in the effect of Swords of Revealing Lights, for example). That's why Titanic Duel worked in that scenario, allowing the Titans to attack nonetheless.



Prologue Side B – “JUGO SADAME”


“Hey, Ryohei! Hurry up! You arrived late last week!”

The young man shouts, sitting on his started-up motorcycle.

“I know, I know! Jeez, why do I have to take additional classes during vacation too...”

“Because you only care about this game and don't focus on school.” He immediately replies, emotionless.

“There you go again! Like you're one to talk!”

“I never got an under-average grade back in school, if you ask me.”

The younger boy grunts and puts on a helmet, getting on the motorcycle too, as his older brother accelerates.


I'm Jugo Sadame. 17 years old. And for some reason, I still have to babysit my 12-year-old brother.
I know father says it was the same with me and Koga. But come on, Koga is 2 years older than me. Ryohei is 5 years younger. At this age, 5 years makes some serious difference.


The young man, Jugo, parks the motorcycle near a bus stop, with his brother, Ryohei, coming down and removing his helmet.

“…say, Jugo-nii-chan.”

“Hm?” Jugo looks at him with the visor of his helmet open.

“When you’re eighteen, are you gonna work in the NKC like Koga-nii-chan?” he asks with a kind of serious expression, handing his helmet to Jugo.

“…Dunno.” He answers after a few seconds, as he puts the helmet on his arm, pulling it up his elbow.

“I think it's kinda in the blood, huh? We three are all about Duel Monsters!”

“Woah, there. You're the only one who's all about Duel Monsters. Koga just works there, and I just play it to pass time.” Jugo replies indifferent.

“Yeah, right! When I was little, all you two did was duel! And it’s been quite a while since we last saw Koga-nii-san! He’s pretty much dedicating his life to Duel Monsters, isn’t him?”

Jugo closes his eyes, slightly annoyed by Ryohei’s words. “Koga is just doing some overtime like any employee has to do one time or another. And I don't think I'll ever work there.” He answers coldly. “And you should get your head off it a little, too. Or you'll end up failing school this year.”

Ryohei frowns, scowling. As Jugo is about to start his motorcycle up again, Ryohei gasps, having an idea.

“…Say, Jugo-nii-chan!”

“Hm?!” He murmurs in a 'What is it now?' tone.

“Let’s make a deal, then?” he explains excitedly. “We'll start leaving home a bit earlier every Friday so that we duel once before I go to course! Since I’ll have just dueled, I’ll be more settled down about the game and will pay more attention to the class, then!”

Jugo makes a surprised expression for a second, but then starts chuckling. “Pff, that’s Ryohei for you. I wanted to keep looking for a job today, y’know…”

“C’mon, you have the rest of the day to do that! A tiny duel won’t last more than five minutes!”

Jugo sighs. “Listen up brat, you better not fail school.” He says as he removes his helmet and comes down from the motorcycle, making a huge smile appear on Ryohei’s face.

“Yeah!! Count on it!!” He exclaims, taking his Duel Disk from his backpack.

“…Wait, do you always bring your Duel Disk to school?” the older brother asks with a hopeless expression.

“Huh, as if you didn’t care yours with you all the time, too!”

“…Well, touché.” He replies expressionless, taking his Duel Disk from the motorcycle’s rack.


But I can’t complain. We three are birds of a feather, after all. Once we get something into our heads, no one can diverge us. I can just pity father for having to raise us almost by himself. We probably weren’t easy task.
I wonder if things would be too different if mother was still alive…


Jugo and Ryohei set their Duel Disks and enter Duel Mode, linking to each other.

“Duel!!” they shout in unison, drawing their initial hands. Per the result of the virtual coin toss, Ryohei gets to choose who will play first.

[Kankurou]

“Awright, I’m going first! Draw!” he declares. “I’ll Summon Majestic Phoenix!”

The scarlet bird appears on Ryohei’s field, flapping its long wins (ATK 1000).

“Then, I activate Foolish Burial! I'll send Gravedigger of Chaos straight from my Deck to the Graveyard!”

The virtual image of the card appears on Ryohei’s field, as he takes the monster, whose artwork depicts a grinning gravedigger wearing a suit and an animal fur, and places it in his Graveyard slot. Afterwards, his Deck is automatically shuffled.

“He chose Gravedigger to gain some early hand avantage?” Jugo notes, slightly surprised. “Good choice.”

“I Set 2 cards! Turn end!” Ryohei declares as the virtual image of two face-down cards appear on his field.

“Then, it’s my turn.” Jugo declares, calm, as opposed to an energetic Ryohei. After checking the card he’s drawn, Jugo looks at his opponent. “Ryohei is grinning… He’s waiting for me to destroy his Phoenix so he can send more high-Level monsters to the Graveyard. And even if I don’t, he’s pretty much set to Summon INOCHI next turn.” he analyzes.

“I activate Graceful Charity! I'll draw 3 cards and discard 2 afterwards! I discard Bastian and Card of Compensation!” Jugo explains as he places two cards from his hand into the Graveyard slot; Afterwards, he takes two more cards from his Deck. “Since I discarded Card of Compensation for a card effect, I’ll draw 2 more cards!”

Jugo quickly glimpses over his new hand and immediately proceeds with his combo:

“I activate Ulysis' effect! Ulysis can only be Summoned from my hand if Special Summon it by discarding a Normal Spell or Trap Card – I’m discarding Reinforcement of the Army!”

As Jugo sends the green card to his Graveyard, Ulysis, Titan Ruler of Spirits appears on his field (ATK 1500).

“I also get to activate my Spell’s effect, followed by Tadeu’s! Since I’ve Special Summoned Ulysis, I can discard Tadeu from my hand! And with Ulysis effect, I’ll activate Reinforcement of the Army’s effect and add Achiel to my hand!”

“Uh-oh…” Ryohei mutters, concerned. “Not Achiel….”

“Now everything’s set! I’ll banish Gravedigger of Chaos, Foolish Burial, Tadeu and Card of Compensation from the Graveyard to Special Summon Achiel!”

Achiel, Titan Ruler of Heavens descends to the field from the sky (DEF 1700).

“Then, I Normal Summon Acis!”

Acis, Titan Ruler of Thoughts appears next to Ulysis (ATK 1600), with three titans now standing on Jugo’s field.

“Ugh, c’mon!” Ryohei protests. “Your super combos aren’t fair! I can’t even follow them!”

“Huh, like heck!” Jugo replies, smirking. “You just play too recklessly! I overlay my three Level 4 monsters, and use these monsters to construct an Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!!”

The three titans become rays of light that overlay, creating an Overlay Network.

“Descend – Fausto, Titan Ruler of Titans!!”

Following Jugo’s words, the Overlay Network explodes, with a new titan manifesting from it (ATK 2500).

“Battle! I attack Majestic Phoenix with Fausto! And at that moment, I activate Acis’ effect – I’ll detach him from Fausto to prevent your phoenix from being destroyed!”

A cross appears in Fausto’s eyes, as he slashes the phoenix, unable to destroy it.

“Tch!” Ryohei scowls, being hit by a breeze resultant of the battle (Ryohei 4000 → 2500).

“Perfect. I set 1 card. That ends my turn!”

“My turn…” Ryohei declares, quieter. “Ugh, he cleared my Graveyard and prevented me from using phoenix’s effect… I guess I should’ve waited to play Foolish Burial…”

However, as he looks at the card he drew, his expression immediately changes to a joyful one.

“Oh, heck yeah! Talk ‘bout luck!” he celebrates, putting the drawn card on his left hand and grabbing another card. “I’ll Summon Ryko!”

Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter appears on Ryohei’s field, growling (ATK 200), making Jugo surprised.

“He should’ve set Ryko to send more monsters to his Graveyard… What is he planning?”

“Awright, let’s go! I’ll overlay Ryko and Phoenix! Xyz Summon!!”

Ryohei’s monsters transform into yellow and red lights that overlay, creating another Overlay Network.

“The power to revive the dead – INOCHI-no-Reiryu!!” [1]

The soul dragon manifests from the exploding Overlay Network (DEF 1900).

"’Why did he Summon INOCHI with a clean Graveyard?’, you must be thinking!” Ryohei explains, with a huge smile on his face. “Because of this card - I activate The Living Graveyard! I'll pay some LP as a cost, and my Deck will become my Graveyard for INOCHI’s effect!” (Ryohei 2500 → 1500) “Now then, I activate INOCHI's effect! Thanks to The Living Graveyard, I can detach 1 Overlay Unit to ‘revive’ a monster from my Deck – let’s go, Netherworld Knight!!”

The soul dragon dives into the ground, entering Netherworld Knight’s corpse; moments later, the ground cracks and the knight rises, with INOCHI’s wings visible on his back (ATK 2800 → 3000).

“While INOCHI's soul is in his body, my knight's ATK and DEF will increase by 200!” Ryohei explains very energetically. “Also, since my Deck was treated as my Graveyard, Netherworld Knight's effect activates! As long as it remains on the field, the ATK of your Fausto is reduced to 0!”

With a swing of his cursed sword, Netherworld Knight pierces Fausto with a purple beam, making the latter grunt as he loses his strength and starts sweating (ATK 2500 → 0).

“Awright, that’ll be some damage! Netherworld Knight attacks Fausto!!”

The knight flaps the wings granted by INOCHI and takes flight, dashing towards Fausto with his sword pointed at him.

“I activate two cards!” Jugo quickly declares, activating a card on his Spell/Trap Card Zone and sending one card from his hand to his Graveyard slot. “My Trap Card, Immortal Spirits, will prevent any monster from being destroyed this turn - either by battle or by effect! Also, by sending Honest from my hand to the Graveyard, Fausto's ATK will be increased by Netherworld Knight's ATK!”

Honest’s wings grow on Fausto’s back, who regains his strength and takes flight towards Netherworld Knight as well. (ATK 0 → 3000)

“Ugh, I’ve already declared the attack, so I can’t stop it…” Ryohei notices, concerned. “But still, Fausto's ATK is zero, it won't overcome Netherworld Knight's... And Immortal Spirits’ effect will prevent the destruction of both… It’ll end up in a complete tie?!”

Netherworld Knight swings his sword and Fausto, his staff – both clash in mid-air, with their weapons colliding, producing a shockwave that makes Ryohei grunt; However, both monsters immediately return to the ground, unharmed. Honest’s wings also slowly vanish from Fausto’s back (ATK 3000 → 0).

“There you go again, protecting my monsters!” Ryohei comments, confused. “If you had let them destroy each other, my field would be empty next turn, wouldn’t it!”

“For as long as I have these Titans, there's nothing I can't do!” Jugo explains, confident. “I'm sure you already have counters for my attacks - but in spite of that, all the pieces I need are already in the right places!”

“Eh?!” Ryohei exclaims, shocked, as he ends his turn.


“Titans”. These cards can do anything. I just need to gather the right cards, and I can do anything with them.
I’m really thankful for “her” for having given me these cards. Whenever I duel with them, I feel like I can hear her excited voice as she dueled.
I promise I’ll become stronger and stronger with these cards… And when we meet again… I’ll be the strongest duelist you’ve ever faced!

[Kankurou]

“My turn!” Jugo declares, conducting his normal draw. “I activate The Warrior Returning Alive! I’ll recover Bastian, and Normal Summon him!”

Jugo plays the card on his Monster Zones as soon as he takes it from the Graveyard, making Bastian, Titan Ruler of Jousts appear on his field (ATK 2300).

“Bastian is a titan who exists solely for battle; He can’t exist on the field except during the Battle Phase! However, before he vanishes, I chain Fausto's effect to his! I detach 1 Overlay Unit to make Netherworld Knight gain Bastian's effects!”

Fausto absorbs one Overlay Unit with his staff; with one movement of it, he connects Bastian and Netherworld Knight with a rope of light.

“Ugh, they’ll gain each other’s effects?!” Ryohei repeats. “That means—“

“That’s right! Since Netherworld Knight will gain Bastian’s effect, it will vanish as well!”

Bastian slowly vanishes, his body scattering like a sheet of paper in the water, with Netherworld Knight vanishing too in the same rate as Bastian, until both completely disappear.

“Then, since Netherworld Knight left the field, Fausto regains his ATK!” Jugo explains, confident, as Fausto’s ATK goes back to normal (ATK 0 → 2500).

“Ugh… I activate Death Shield!” Ryohei declares, nervous about Jugo’s moves, with the virtual image of the Trap Card appearing on his field. “I’ll mill three cards!”

Ryohei takes the three cards on the top of his Deck – Monster Reborn, The Retriever and Super Conductor Tyranno – and places them in his Graveyard slot; A purple shield with golden structure materializes in front of Ryohei.

“Since I have over five monsters in my Graveyard, my shield will gain its full counters – five! That means I can negate five attacks!”

The souls of five monsters from Ryohei’s Graveyard are reflected in the shield’s purple segments, each monster on a different one.

“Also, I've got The Retriever milled! This means that he'll let me retrieve another card I milled!!”

The poor boy with a rope and a lantern browses Ryohei’s Graveyard, looking for a card; when he finds it, he hands it over to Ryohei, who displays the card to Jugo with a big smile on his face – Monster Reborn.

“I expected him to block my attacks, but to think he would already set the conditions to revive another high-Level monster from his Graveyard...” Jugo thinks to himself, with a brief smile.

“As expected! But I said that I’ve got the pieces I need in the places I need them even knowing you’d block my attacks, remember?” Jugo taunts Ryohei, who gulps.

“I’ll activate Fedor’s effect! By detaching one unit from Fausto, I can Special Summon him from my hand!”

Fedor, Titan Ruler of Flow appears on Jugo’s field (ATK 1700), with one of Fausto’s Overlay Unit swirling around him, before vanishing.

“And the last piece I need – I activate Equal Give and Take! This card allows us to take a monster from each other's Graveyard! I’ll be taking your Tyranno!” Jugo explains, as the electric dinosaur rises from Ryohei’s Graveyard to Jugo’s field (ATK 3300).

“Ack…! To think you’d revive my monster before I did…” Ryohei comments, cold-sweating. “Then, I’ll take Achiel!” The winged titan rises from Jugo’s Graveyard to Ryohei’s field (DEF 1700). “Even with Tyranno’s effect, Jugo can’t win this turn…” He analyzes. “At least with Achiel’s effect, I’ll retrieve my banished Gravedigger!”

“I activate Fedor’s effect!” Jugo declares. “I'll make his Level equal to Tyranno's!”

“Eh?” Ryohei says, surprised.

A gentle stream of water surrounds Tyranno, following Fedor’s hand movements; eight orange stars materialize on the stream, and as they do, the stream surrounds Fedor (Level 4 → Level 8).

“I Overlay Fedor and Super Conductor Tyranno, and use these monsters to construct an Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!!”

Fedor and Tyranno become two rays of light that overlay, forming an Overlay Network. As the network explodes, a mechanical looking monster manifests from it.

“Come - Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder!!”

“Oh! One of Jugo-nii-chan’s prize cards!” Ryohei comments, amazed, front the robotic puppet (DEF 2500). “To think he’d actually manage to Summon it…!”

“I detach Fausto's last Overlay Unit to activate another of his effects!” Jugo continues. “I'll change its own control to you, and draw 1 card!”

“You're giving me another titan?! Only to draw 1 card?!” Ryohei comments, confused, as Fausto disappears from Jugo’s field and appears on Ryohei’s, at Achiel’s side.

“Drawing is not my goal! Giant Grinder's effect only works with enemy monsters! I activate Giant Grinder's effect - I'll detach 1 Overlay Unit to destroy ‘your’ Fausto and burn you for its ATK - 2500!!”

“….No way?!” Ryohei exclaims, shocked.

Several strings snare Fausto and take it to Giant Grinder's chest, which start working and grinds the titan.

“You're grinding your own monster?! That's horrible, nii-chan!” Ryohei protests.

“Don't give me that! The Solid Vison may look nasty, but a duel is a duel!” Jugo replies, with a brief smile. “Besides, all of my titans would proudly sacrifice themselves for the sake of our victory!”

A cannon comes out from Giant Grinder's chest, and shots a projectile shaped like Fausto towards Ryohei.

“Fire!! Grasp our victory, Fausto!!”

“Dwaaarghh!!” Ryohei screams, as the Fausto-shaped projectile hits him and explodes (Ryohei 1500 → 0).

Ryohei is thrown on the floor by the shockwave. As his LP reach 0, the Duel Disks announce Jugo as the winner and exit Duel Mode, making the virtual images of the monsters vanish. Jugo walks towards Ryohei.

“There you go, you had your duel for today. Now, as you promised, take the class seriously!” He says, offering Ryohei his hand.

“Ow... Y-yeah, alright.” Ryohei replies, with his hand on his shoulder.

“Hm? Are you okay, Ryohei?”

“Yeah, I just scratched my arm when I fell!”

“Oh, was that because of the duel? It was supposed to be 100% safe...” Jugo mutters, confused.

“It is, don't worry, I'm just a bit clumsy!” Ryohei replies, energetic, as he quickly stands up, smiling. “Hee hee! The bus should be here soon, thanks for the duel, nii-chan!”

“Sure...” Jugo replies, still a little confused. “Well, I'll be heading back home, take care then.”

“Yep!!” Ryohei replies to Jugo with his arms crossed and an arrogant smile, as the latter turns around and puts on his helmet.

Before starting up his motorcycle, Jugo glimpses again over Ryohei’s shoulder, noticing his T-shirt is ripped on that spot. He looks at it for a couple of seconds and turns his head back to the street, accelerating.

...

“My little ones, did you see that? We seem to finally have found it - The reason why Duel Monsters is destroying this world.”

The man says in a sweet tone, checking several screens.

“It's about time we start acting for good, don't you think?”

A group of six people listen to the man from behind; he then turns around.

“Oh, and Koga-kun. You’ve done a great job. I'm glad to have you by my side.” The man tells one of the six as he starts walking, soon passing by him. “Be sure to make the most out of that Void-Eyes dragon. ♥”

“Yes, sir…” the young man replies in a quiet tone.

Prologue Side B – END

[1] Lit. “Soul Dragon INOCHI”. “Inochi” means “life” or “life force”; in this case, it is used as a proper noun.

BONUS: This is an artwork of the scene where Fausto and Netherworld Knight clash, which I drew when I was still planning on making this series a fan manga. I still have it, so I thought I wouldn't hurt to leave it here as a bonus.
http://s7.postimg.org/r0qbd0ysb/clash.png

[Sanokal]

Eh? I know people have precious time to use, but how am I the only one looking at this?

Looks interesting, particularly with how the protagonist is fitting into the story. It was a bit difficult to follow at times due to the lack of monster descriptions.

Also, have you considered posting these on fanfiction.net? It'd probably get some attention there.

[BBDD]

Great job! I really mean it. The script is very well written, the duels are fun and the story's engaging.
I liked both the main characters, and them being one the opposite of the other, while still using the same deck.

I'm looking forward to reading more of your fanfic