Everything we do, every thought we've ever have, is produced by our human will. History keeps its secret safe under the curtain of time, only the worthy knowing the prized knowledge that history wants to protect. Every story is produced by a human will that desires to achieve a longing goal in his life. Sometimes there are pebbles in the way, other times there are enormous, plane mountains that seems impossible to overcome.

But there are still people that dream and fight for doing the impossible a miraculous reality.

In the deepest pits of the Old Satellite District, the once proud Domino City, an urban turmoil roared across an old stadium with euphoria and lust for conflict. It was a time of clashing powers, a time of endless struggles.

It was time to Duel!

From the blue corner, a cloaked figure emerged from the shadows. Only a small glimpse of her smile and a few trends of her pink hair could be seen. She walked to the stairs of the Dueling Battlefield and activated her very old generation Duel Disk. Excited mumbles from the spectators sounded like whistles in the wind across the stadium.

“It’s the mysterious duelist!”

“Who is she!?”

“Pfff, is she really using that garbage?”

“Not even the kid from the market uses that ancient model!”

“I heard she defeated the top 3 from the island ten minutes ago!”

From the red corner, a very tall, muscular and biker-like man walked with confidence and an extremely aggressive aura.

“So, you are the brat who has defeated my underlings! That’s a no-no in my realm! But very well, you little brat! I accept your challenge, Cloaked Pink-Haired Stranger!?”

“Am I famous now? Gracious goodness, how nice! They say you are strong, praised Champion-san, so I’ll use this time the faithful companions of my grandfather’s deck to finish you!”

“…Wait a minute! Are you using 40 cards in your deck!? Are you crazy!? This is Speed Duel! You must have a death wish if you are using more than 20 cards!”

“No, this is a normal duel format, am I right, Referee-san?”

“REALLY!?” The arrogant Champion looked at the referee and he nodded in affirmation. “HA! It matters not! Quick power is the way to win in this age!!!”

The cloaked stranger shuffled her deck to make her cards’ position the most random they could get. “We’ll see about that.” And she put them on her card holder of her Duel Disk.

“DUEL!” Both combatants yelled when they the referee activate the hologram projection.

“My turn!” The Champion shouted. “This is the end of your meddling! Take this! I summon Beast Striker in attack position!” A boar-like warrior emerged from the shattering earth, displaying an outstanding 1850 ATK – 400 DEF – 4 Star Monster status! “And I place two cards face down! My turn is over!”

“Ware no tān!” The cloaked challenger shouted as she draw a card from her deck, her old-tech pink Duel Disk still burning with life. “I set a monster face down and activate Dark Magician Curtain! I pay half of my 8000 life points to summon a Dark Magician!” A dark arcane star materialized above her and a clouded figure materialized from it with stats of 2500 ATK- 2100 DEF – 8 Star Monster. “Dark Magician, use black magic on his monster!”

“Not so fast! I activate Draining Shield trap! Not only I negate your attack, but I absorb his attack damage and transform it into life points for me!”

“Hmph! I put a card face down and end my turn!” She smirked confidently.

“Draw! I activate my Fortress Whale’s Oath! I sacrifice my Beast Striker and another monster from my hand to summon the mighty Fortress Whale!” A 2350 ATK – 2150 DEF – 7 Star Monster appeared on the field! “That’s not all, I activate my magic card Wicked-Breaking Flamberge Baou! I sent one card from my hand to my graveyard and increase my monster’s attack by 500! Fortress Whale, attack her Dark Magician!”

“I activate my trap! Reinforcements! I Increase my Dark Magician’s attack by 500 hundred as well, AND HE DESTROYS YOUR BATTLE WHALE!”

The opponent’s 10,500 life points were reduced by 150.

“You’ll need to do better than that! I set a card face down and my turn is over!”

“Ware no tān! I sacrifice my set down monster to summon my Dark Magician Girl!” A beautiful maiden of arcane secrets flew to the side of her master, with a generous stats of 2000 ATK – 1700 DEF – 6 Star Monster! “Since I don’t trust my luck regarding your set card, I activate Dark Magic Attack spell card! Dark Magician, destroy his card!”

“NO, MY TRAP!”

“DARK MAGICIAN, DARK MAGICIAN GIRL! ATTACK HIM WITH DUAL BLACK MAGIC!”

The master and apprentice launched a black ball cannon towards her enemy, reducing his life points to 5850. The challenger ended her turn with two face down cards.

“THIS DUEL IS NOT OVER! MY TURN!” The Champion laughed maniacally when he saw his drawn card. “I use Fusion Sage! It allows me to add a Polymerization spell to my hand and it also allows me to shuffle! And that’s not all, I activate Pot of Greed! I draw two extra cards from my deck to my hand! And what’s this!? Something better came from my draw than I what was planning to do! Prepare for your annihilation as I summon my powerful Black Luster Soldier through the ritual Black Luster Ritual! I sacrifice two monsters and summon his fury of 3000 ATK and it will annihilate your Dark Magician Girl!”

The challenger whistled with surprise. “Not only you use a forbidden card like Pot of Greed, but you also want to destroy my pretty Magician! Tsk, Tsk, Tsk! I activate my trap, Magical Hats! It allows me to pull from my deck a combination of two spell or traps and put them below their protection! Now, my Magicians, hide below the hats with my selected cards!” The magical hats shuffled and the location of her mage was hidden. “Now, my illegal champion-san! Can you guess where is my loyal mage?”

“DON’T MOCK ME! Attack the second hat from the middle!” Black Luster Soldier lunged towards his objective and destroyed a spell card. “NO WAY!”

“I activate my destroyed spell card’s special effect! Once Geartown is destroyed, I can special summon an Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon!” A powerful machine with stats of 3000 ATK – 2000 DEF – 8 Star Monster appeared behind the challenger.

“IMPOSSIBLE!”

“The deck of my Grandfather and the Heart of the Cards are on my side! My turn! Hmph! This card will do! I activate Banner of courage! All my attacking monster on my turn receive an additional 200 attack points! My Ancient Dragon, destroy the courageous soldier and free him of service from his unworthy master!” The Gear Dragon launched a barrage of green flames towards his enemy and cindered him, reducing the Champion’s life point by 200 hundred points. “Now, my faithful magicians! Attack him with dual black magic!” Another bombardment from the Mage Duo reduced his life points to a mere 1150. “Such irony! And to think that I only had 4000 life points at the end of my first turn!”

“SHUT UP! MY TURN!” The face of horror of the Champion was priceless after he saw his next card.

The challenger whistled. “No monsters or traps to summon?”

“NOO! I WON’T LOSE LIKE THIS!” The Champion drew another three cards.

“That is cheating, my good champion-san!” The confident challenger casually said while saying ‘No’ with her finger.

“THESE ARE ILLEGAL DUELS AND I AM THE CHAMPION, REMEMBER!? I special summon Kaiser Vorse Raider and equip him with Axe of Despair, augmenting his attack points from 1900 to 2900! That’s not all! I equip him with Sword of Dark Destruction and increase his attack power to 3300!! VORSE RAIDER, DESTROY HER GEAR DRAGON!”

“Hmph! Did you already forget about my hidden trap?”

“What!?”

“I activate my trap of Spiritual Swords of Revealing Light! I pay 1000 life points to negate your attack!”

“N-NO!”

“The final turn! Draw! You know, I had high hopes for you too, but it’s over now. I activate De-Spell! It destroys your Axe of Despair and reduces the attack points of your Raider!”

“T-this can’t be happening!”

“Gear Dragon, destroy Vorse Raider!” The mechanical beast ravaged the small warrior. “Game over! DARK MAGICIAN GIRL, DESTROY THIS MEAN CHEATER!”

Her loyal mage flirtatiously winked at her and with a graceful movement of her staff, she sent her master’s enemy to the abyss. The people roared as the monsters disappeared from the field of battle and the referee marked the duel’s end.

“IT’S OVER, IT’S OVER! WE HAVE A NEW CHAMPION IN THE FALLEN DUELIST CIRCUIT! PINK-HAIRED STRANGER, COME AND RECEIVE YOUR CROWN! Huh!!! Where is she!?”

They would never find her, as she masterfully ran away between the shadows and quickly disappeared from the old stadium.

…. ….

In front of the sea shore, a boat and her sailor were enjoying the waves of the ocean. Her beautiful, blonde hair was waving with the tempo of the sea breeze, her freckles were slowly assuming a golden shade as the sun rose. She managed to fish many good prizes for a good meal after school hours and she was happy for it. She soon noticed the cloaked figure approaching to her vessel.

“Andrea, or should I say Champion?” The casual fisherwoman turned off the radio.

“So it’s news already. His power was overrated, Applejack-san. I can’t believe he defeated Neo Domino City’s top duelists with such weak dueling! I’m somewhat glad now that I didn’t use my pure Dark Magician Girl deck or I would have destroyed him in the third turn.”

“Sorry, I gave you bad leads again! I thought that they would give you a challenge but it seems that those were amateurs compared to the legends of old you always speak about. But you were trained by the best of the best, I shouldn’t be surprised that you won against the best of Satellite City in less than three months!”

“And I thank you again for bringing me here every time I ask it of you. I know you are busy with your dairy family business.”

“Don’t worry, I just delivered the goods earlier than they expected so I could bring you here again.”

The cloaked stranger hopped on board and stood beside her. “I couldn’t ask for a better friend to keep my secret safe.” She said with a very sincere voice.

“Will your family get angry if they know that you are here?”

“Duel is in my blood. I don’t think even my dear Grandfather would be able to stop it, Applejack-san.”

“I still feel weird when you call me like that, Andrea! More weird is your attitude you have when you are disguised! Why don’t take off your hood and talk to me like that forever?”

“W-what!? I-I-I can’t!”

“Why not? You act strong disguised, why not with your real face?”

“I-in any case, please use my duelist name while we are here. It’s not safe for us to use real names after an illegal duel in this island. You also…” Her body suddenly shivered and almost fell to her knees if it wasn’t for Applejack’s help.

“Sugarcube!!!”

“I-I-I’m fine, Applejack-san…” She breathed heavily for several seconds. “I’m fine…”

“Have you…?”

“Don’t worry… I did. I’m okay now. Let’s go home.”

“… …Alright, let us go back to Neo Domino City before sunrise comes fully. Classes are about to start and we need a bath before that. Sit tight and relax.” She rushed to the boat’s control panel and ignited the engine. “SWEET APPLE ACRES, SAIL FORWARD!” The boat rushed through the sea.

“KYA! NOT SO FAST, ALEXANDRIA-SAN!”

“Hehehe! Now we are using names, huh, Fluttershy!?”

A strong breeze hit hard the cords that kept Fluttershy’s hoodie in place. When the cords untied, a beautiful wave of natural and long pink hair was reflected on the eyes of Applejack. Her enchanting cyan eyes glimmered with dots of white stars as she enjoyed the ride back home with her friend.

An innocent smile, on top of a shy happiness.

…. ….

The busy city of Neo Domino began its day at six in the morning. First, the businessmen and common workers began their journey to their stores, and work stations, and companies. Then the young mothers carried their children to their kindergarten to receive education and shelter until the end of the work shift, and finally, the students of Neo Domino rushed in the traffic of tardiness and avoided being denied school’s entrance.

Two young girls in particular were rushing toward their school with a slice of bread with honey on their mouths.

The most delicate one was named Andrea Mutuo, and being a student was her life under the rays of the sun. A gentle soul with a fresh and pure smile were her traits. The kindest kid of the block was her fame. Half-Australian and half-Japanese, her family was constant and humble.

“Good morning, Squirrel-san! I brought you the nuts you wanted for your family last week! Hey there, Misters and Misses Pigeons, here are the corn teeth that you love the most!”

“Andrea, we’re gonna be late for classes!”

“Just a minute, Alex-san!”

“You’ll have enough time for this on Saturday so let’s go!”

She also had a weak spot for animals, and she always found time to feed any creature of Mother Nature that she stumbled across. And… that usually gave her several repercussions to her school life during mornings. She never arrived in time to the front gate, and Applejack suffered too because of it.

“Miss Mutou, Miss Ball, you are late again!” An old man blocked their way to the school.

Fluttershy couldn’t help but release a nervous smile at the presence of the old man in front of her. “Haga-sensei, w-we meet again t-today!”

“Sorry we are late, y’all! Can you let us in, teacher?”

“THIS IS THE FIFTH TIME YOU ARRIVE LATE IN THIS MONTH, YOU LITTLE BRATS!!! JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE THE NIECE OF PRINCIPAL MAZAKI DOESN’T MEAN I WILL ALLOW YOU TO DO WHAT YOU PLEASE, MISS MUTOU!!”

“I-I-I-I-I-I understand, Haga-s-s-sensei. It’s just that I have been very busy s-studying and doing my homework! If y-y-you don’t mind, Alex-san and I don’t want to be late for classes and we wish to go inside, if that’s okay with you! Th-th-that’s okay, right?” She smiled shyly and weakly while looking to the floor.

“You don’t deceive me, Miss Mutuo!” Old Haga squished her face in scolding. “You have only critters and clouds in your head! Why don’t you act a bit more like your granny and study much harder and come to school earlier, eh!!?”

“Y-y-y-yes… I understand… Oh, my goodness, what is that!?”

Fluttershy’s face turned around towards the pond that was near the entrance and Prefect Haga did the same.

“I don’t see-“ His captured delinquents soon were climbing the gate and got inside the facilities. “NOT AGAIN!”

“We’re so sorry, teacher, but we’re gonna be late, y’all! Yeeh-haw!”

“COME BACK HERE!” But they escaped. Insector Haga cursed and jumped and kicked his bad fortune on the floor.

…. ….

Inside the classroom, on an ongoing class.

“Now it is time for to show us your research. I believe team C is first today. Miss Mutou, please come to the front and explain your homework research with Miss Jonouchi!”

“Alright, teacher! Be ready to be left amazed with MY awesome class!” The flaming and good-looking rainbow haired girl stood up motivated.

“You mean Andrea‘s class, Rainbow Dash, and besides, did you really study for your presentation about Ener-D?” Applejack almost mocked.

“Don’t use that title lightly, Alex!”

“Why not? Isn’t that the Duelist name that will be known as the next Queen of Games!?” Now she truly mocked in a sarcastic tone. “Better start using it now!”

“You betcha! I am one of the strongest duelist in the city! No, the world!”

“Right, right! Soooo powerful that you were defeated by a champion nobody from Satellite City, right, Andrea!?” Applejack winked at Fluttershy, and the latter smiled embarrassed. “I heard he was defeated in the morning.”

“Bah, I didn’t use my main deck against that guy! Next time, I’ll show him the power of Red-Eyes Blac-!”

“The class, please!”

“You betcha, teacher! Come on, Andrea! We got this in our pockets!”

“Yes, Ashleigh-san!”

“Alright, everyone!” Rainbow connected her wrist data via Wi-Fi-Max to the projector. Her presentation changed images depending on the stage of her speech. “As you know, Kaiba Corporation is the biggest cheese of technology out there, everyone! They created the awesome Ener-D system, a power supply of infinite energy that energizes Neo Domino City and many other super cool cities in the world! But progress takes its toll, and twenty years ago, a catastrophe erupted on the early prototypes of the plant generators of said energy! That made an overload that created a massive tectonic shift.”

“Such event was called the Zero Reverse effect...” Fluttershy said with a soft voice.

“Say it again. Louder.”

“Such event was called the Zero Reverse effect.”

“Louder!”

“Such event was called the Zero Reverse effect!”

“Much better! I still have a lot to teach you about confidence.”

“I believe we all should be amazed that Rainbow is actually giving us a proper class for once, y’all!”

Everyone laughed, even the teacher tried to hide her giggle with her hands, making Rainbow angry.

“Shut up, Alex Ball! I studied all weekend to get this right!”

“Well, at least Miss Jonouchi is being accurate with her information. Please continue.” The teacher said.

Rainbow proceed to explain about the wonders of Ener-D after the legendary corporate genius, Seto Kaiba, perfected the technology with his team of brilliant scientists. She even took the extra effort to research some obscure and fascinating details about what is now known as the Old Satellite District.

Unlike the reports that the news told every day, the Old District suffers an extensive urban decay. The plant used to recycle the garbage from New Domino City is a real deal to process and its residents are made to work in the plant for long periods of time. At least, Kaiba Corporation pays well to the dedicated workers, but even then, those citizens are often looked down upon by many residents of Neo Domino City, which it was something that Rainbow and most of her classmates abhorred to emulate. She also assured that without the services that the Old District offers, the city would be a trash yard bigger than the ego of the legendary Seto Kaiba himself. All in the classroom released a small chuckle.

Except for Fluttershy.

‘Seto Kaiba-san.’, her thoughts echoed in her cloudy mind. ‘My Grandfather’s greatest rival.’

As Rainbow continued to say other funny facts and gain points on behalf of the team, Fluttershy’s mind sailed across the window and reached the gardens were she loved to spend most of her time. She has always been shy in public, barely having an ounce of the courage and determination that her childhood friends, Applejack and Rainbow, possessed.

For her, the only true interaction with living beings, besides Applejack, Rainbow and family, was taking care of critters. She loved it so much that she wished to become a veterinary, a longtime dream for her. That was until her grandfather showed her the world of dueling. Ever since she played Duel Monsters at the age of ten, she slowly became more and more fascinated about that world. Once, after having a casual duel with him, she decided to search the web in the hopes of finding any guide to improve her techniques.

She ended up discovering the greatness of the Legendary King of Games.

His tactics were spot on most of the time. Barely a turn was gone wasted. There were many close calls as well, but in the end, Yugi Mutou, the King of Games, managed to deliver a spectacular victory, with a spectacular strategy, with a spectacular speech.

Fluttershy… wanted to be like his grandfather.

Her grandmother, Anzu Mazaki, sometimes supported her in her dueling fantasies as well, but ever since she became the principal of Neo Domino High ten years ago, she always says to her that studies are important as well. She supports more her dream of becoming a veterinary than being a duelist for various reasons. But Yugi gave the final feather to Fluttershy’s wings when he gifted her his beloved cards. The Dark Magician deck and many other cards to use from the Legendary Duelist himself were now hers!

She entered small entry tournaments, a far cry from professional dueling, but she had the hopes and dream to enter that level one day. She always lost on the first duel and never rose through ranks. Always trembling in public, eyes witnessing her wrong movements, affecting her strategies. It was the feeling of embarrassment that halted her tactics. And fear.

Fear of humiliating her deck’s legacy.

All seemed lost for her, until the day she had a dream of a distant land. She found herself in an ancient dessert, a little oasis glimmered in the middle of nowhere. There she stumbled with a gentle, shadowy figure. She could never figure out how he looked like, but his words were clear and unforgettable.

“I see you are destined to be a great duelist as well. Have faith in the Hearts of the Cards and your own resolve! There was once an old man that I humbly respected who disguised himself to duel an old friend of mine, and taught him how to use strategy! Perhaps, if you disguise yourself and fight, your cards will give you courage as you duel! Have faith, child!”

When she woke up, she felt enlightened. She quickly devised a disguise that made her face hidden; a long, black cloak with several pale golden adornments. There several of those hidden in the basement of her Grandfather, mostly Egyptian accessories. Since she couldn’t face the people from official tournaments like that, she, at first, dueled local players and lost again. As she was getting used to her hidden face, however, a glimpse of courage emerged, and she began to win duels frequently.

The average Joe soon was no longer a source of learning for her.

Then she heard about the illegal duels that the Old District had, but she couldn’t go there. Not without help. Last year, Applejack at first was opposed to the idea of her slipping to the dangerous island of Satellite City, but she eventually gave up on her innocent but decided eyes. Every weekend they could, she made a fast trip for her.

While she delivered her family business’ fresh dairy produce with the occasional help of her older brother, Peter ‘Big Mac’ Ball, Fluttershy began dueling in the forbidden city. She had several loses at the start of her career, her opponents’ tendency to cheat during duels overwhelming, and she even lost several of his grandfather’s cards in the process. But she didn’t gave up, and after twenty gruesome defeats, she began to win against all odds.

She began to take back what was rightfully hers and in only three months after recovering her lost cards, she conquered the island swiftly. She was called the Mysterious Cloaked Stranger or the likes by the public, and forced her voice tone to one much deeper to avoid similarities. The cloaked stranger she was, a far different name than the used on her Online Duel Simulator account.

She was known as Fluttershy there.

As she touched her hidden deck’s case on her school jacket while Rainbow continued with the exposition, Fluttershy wished to find someone who could gave her a True Duel like the ones the Legendary Duelists had in the past. She wanted someone to know her truest self and duel with her own face. Someone who could strip away her shyness in public and made her rise like a phoenix and change for the better. She wanted a duel. She needed a duel. She desired someone who could give her the Joy of War in the Duel of Monsters from the golden days. Only Applejack knew about her longing wish, and someone else as well.

Someone online who called herself Sunset.

…. ….

After school ended, in front of the main gate.

“Going home already?”

“Yes, Ashleigh-san.”

“Boring! Let’s have a duel! I wanna see how much you have grown since last time!”

“I-I-I don’t think that’s a good idea!”

“What? You still use that weak Kuriboh? Or perhaps you forgot to add magic cards on your deck as I told you?”

“Leave her alone, Dash. Andrea needs to do her homework and sleep well tonight! We can’t arrive late again or Prefect Haga will scold us!”

“Bah, whatever! I’ll go to Pinkie’s café if you need anything! Tabitha has come back from her fashion show and she is giving me some rare cards she won in Paris. I also wanna see the sports’ fashion goodies she got me to expand my style! See ya!” Rainbow ran to the bus stop.

“You can’t hide this forever, Sugarcube.” Applejack caressed Fluttershy’s chin. “One day she will find out that you defeated the guy who destroyed her!”

“But Ashleigh-san never uses her true strength during duels. She always uses her experimental deck to test new cards for her main deck. I can’t defeat her.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I just know… I just know…”

“Aren’t… you afraid of crushing her with your current strength?” Fluttershy gripped her skirt when she heard Applejack’s remarks. “Why don’t you talk with that Sunset friend you have online? Perhaps she can give you tips on how to duel better if you really feel that Rainbow can defeat you. You say that she is strong, right?”

“Yes. Nobody but her has defeated me in Online Duel Simulator. The program only gives you random and sometimes very weak cards to compete. It’s not popular because some duels can end up being frustrating and long… But the beat of your heart when hoping that the next card is either your salvation or doom is incredible. It makes it feel healthy… Also, since nobody sees my face, I can think clearly! She is the closest thing I will ever have for the Duel I want. Sunset and I have a fairly decent record of 200 wins and 200 loses.”

“So you are tied. Say, you have known her for almost 3 years now and she said that she lives here. Why don’t you invite her to the movies, or to Diane and Tabitha’s fancy Cupcake Café and have a duel with your real cards? She must have a real deck as well, right?”

“I have thought about it so many times and dreamt about a wonderful time together in person… but she said once that she has a busy life… I don’t want to be a bother. I mean, we don’t even know each other’s real names!”

“Bah, she will love you for who you are! Just try it, okay? Even I can manage to make some time for you and drive you around the most dangerous part if the city, right? I’m sure she can do so as well, even for a few moments.” Fluttershy smiled to that comment. “It will work, you’ll see, Sugarcube! Don’t have any regrets!”

Fluttershy nodded with a brilliant face and said, “Yes, I’ll ask her! Thanks!”

Author's Note

I wanted to make another kind of story to spice my writing a bit and this was my end result. After watching Dark Side of Dimensions and resurrecting my ‘Yu-Gi-Oh!’ spirit, I started writing this up. I had to download some games and even play my very old 2003 starter deck from Pegasus to remember the rules. (I remember wanting Kaiba but it was out of stock )

And the game changed so much, so much, that I decided to omit Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum, and the upcoming Summoning Link, so don’t expect those anytime soon. (Why is there so much crap now!? )

Now, some curious facts about why I choose the names for each character:

-For Fluttershy, I choose Andrea because that is the name of her voice actor in the series. And I chose her to be the descendant of Yugi because she shares personality traits with him.
-For Applejack, I choose the surname Ball because that’s belongs to her voice actress. Alexandria was a name that means, ‘protector of men’, in this case, for Fluttershy’s sake.
-For Rainbow Dash, I choose the name Ashleigh because once again, that’s the name of her voice actress. For those who don’t know, Ashleigh Ball gives life to Applejack and Rainbow’s voice. Her surname, Jounouchi, is the one that belongs to Joey Wheeler in the English dub.

Thanks for reading.