The First Real Challenge

"Hello, are you James Donovan?"

James stepped back in shock. Standing through the doorway that he just opened, was a teenager. This teenager had pure black hair, dark clothes, and what appeared to be a long, straight, pure white stick.

"Um... Yes?" James answered hesitantly. Luckily for James, he got over his surprise real quick.

"Oh, great! I assume you can deduce why I'm here, but if not, I'll just tell you. I'm here to play a round!" The teenager said. Something about the way they spoke was unsettling, like they were actually twenty years older.

James just barely stopped himself from smacking his forehead in his stupidity. Of course that was what the kid was here for. Hell, he's already taken on some players way younger then James, although this kid looked to be the youngest yet. James shrugged, thinking that one more battle before he went looking for battles wouldn't hurt that much.

"Ok kid, mobile or stationary?" James asked the kid.

About three months after Cardfall, it became essential to ask for mobile or stationary, considering that just starting a game would choose which one to play. Most of the time, it was reliable, but there were mishaps that happened, and they usually ended up in some severe pain.

"Oh, mobile if you can. I'm much better at mobile." The teenager said, gesturing outside. James could've sworn he saw a shadow cross the teenager's face, but dismissed it.

James immediately did a double take. He looked at the kids face again and realized why. The kid was wearing a blank half-mask covering the left side of his face, while the right side showed a mischievous grin and a red eye. Normally, a red eye and half-mask would be a serious red flag for James, but about the past month or so, people started to really get into the spirit of their decks, usually dressing up like a character from the deck or something similar. Just added some flare. James figured the mask was a costume while the red eye was either a contact or genetic alteration. Or maybe it was just his regular eye.

James and the teenager walked out into the street in front of James's apartment building, preparing the game. James formally began the game, and the blue dome covered them both.

"So, what will the stakes be?" James asks, knowing full well the answer. The answer was always the same.

"I bet you already know. How about you tell me your stakes first? Might be a decent change of pace." The teenager responded, their smile getting wider.

James looked at the kid suspiciously. Something wasn't right. However, the game had already started, so no backing out now.

"Alright. My condition is that if I win, you'll give me all perks you may posses, and any valuables you have on you. If you do not have anything of value in you, you will gift me as much money you currently have, whether physical or digital." James said. That would be a high price for an adult, but surely a teenager wouldn't have that much cash, correct?

"Wow, those are quite some stakes! Alright, my turn!"

The teenager looks at James with a smile he was very uncomfortable with.

"My stakes are everything you own, excluding your deck and special card! So money, apartment, wallet, basically anything that you have that I can take!" The teenager states, smiling a grin the devil would be proud of.

"I'M SORRY WHAT!?" Thought James in utter and pure shock. That wasn't what he thought the kid would ask for in a million years!

Suddenly, the game began. James now knew why the kid wanted to say stakes last, so that James couldn't object or use sky high stakes himself.

Suddenly, James had a very good reason to win.

James looks at the kid with furious determination, ready to throw everything he's got at the kid. No messing around, just win as fast as possible.

The teenager pulls out his battlefield card, as well as James.

"I use the battlefield card "Withering Underworld"! When this card is in play, all my "withering" card timers are cut by a third!" Said the kid, smiling savagely.

"Cut by a whole third!? That's ridiculous! That's a game breaking card!" James thought. Suddenly, James immediately became much more fearful. The only cards that were that OP were ones with ridiculously long timers, or a special card. Since it was a battlefield card, it must be a special card, since battlefields don't have wait times.

This kid in front of him was a legendary player.

James realized this was going to be much harder then he thought.