Of Convictions and Goals

It was Tuesday afternoon, 04/02/1995 in Dominio City.

The wall clock read: 17:39 h.

Meanwhile, on the sofa in the living room of the Omori residence, Kaishu Omori was reading a hefty book titled *Telling Lies* by American author Paul Ekman. His gaze was one of pure concentration on his reading. So concentrated that he had barely noticed the arrival of his father, Koki Omori, from work.

"Hello there, champ. How was school today?—Eh, son? Are you there?"

Curious and puzzled because his son had ignored him in favor of reading a book among all things, Mr. Omori approached the sofa occupied by Kaishu. He then blinked, confused. Certainly, his son's reading preferences had left him astonished, to the point of asking.

"Uh-uh. T-tell-telli-? Is that book... is that in English? Since when do you know how to read English like that, eh, son?... Tell me? Is it good? What is it about?"

With visible annoyance on his face due to the sudden interruption of his reading, Kaishu set his book aside. A sigh of irritation escaped his lips in the process. He then answered Mr. Omori in a rather dispassionate manner. His voice came out tinged with arrogance.

"Haaa... You wouldn't understand. Now. Shu, shu. Just leave me alone."

After that, Kaishu resumed his reading of the book in question.

On the other hand, seeing such a disdainful dismissal from his son, Mr. Omori could not help but turn red with rage immediately. He then exploded. Foam sprayed from his mouth like a rabid bulldog.

"This—this, brat. What kind of manners are those for treating your father, eh?! To your room, now! Punished for a week!"

Kaishu had no choice but to obey his dear father without protest.

...

...

...

My room. Ten minutes later.

Reclining on my bed, I reviewed my Duel Monsters deck with boredom. My mind, for its part, was lost in my thoughts.

'... So that was the reaction to indignation, huh?'

With the help of my father, my sister, my mother, and a few good classmates, I had been able to gather very valuable information about facial microexpressions. Undoubtedly, the best part had been doing it without their explicit knowledge.

Easily, I could now use such skills not only in my detective hobby but also in duels.

Without a doubt, books like those by Paul Ekman made any punishment worthwhile. My current one being a good example of it.

'Ha! A week will fly by, for sure... Like most of the last two years.'

Two years ago, when the change, I would never have imagined myself being so lost in the routine of an ordinary teenager as I am now, to tell the truth.

Nowadays, however, I could even claim to have a social life with people of my apparent age, aside from my immediate family, of course.

Back then, in contrast, I had foreseen a future full of solitude.

Fortunately, I had been wrong about that, aside from the logic of that assumption, of course.

Certainly, the memories and experiences of my life as Ryuji Takuma had predisposed me in that sense.

At that time, apart from my body, I did not believe I had anything in common with boys and girls aged 12-15 years.

Naturally, I had been wrong.

Not in the sense of the experience and mentality of people of that age, nothing like that, but in the ease with which someone from such a cohort made friends.

Not only did I have Kaishu's old friends at my disposal from the start, but also many others along the way. People who, with just a courteous greeting day after day, had gone from being classmates or acquaintances to full-fledged friends.

In other cases, it only took sharing a hobby. Duel Monsters being one such example.

Yugi Muto belonged to that type of cases.

In Kaishu's memories, Yugi did not exist in the slightest.

Primarily, because Kaishu Omori was a very, very absent-minded person.

Despite the fact that Yugi and I were both in the same middle school class: First B.

That particular circumstance was quite a curious surprise at the time.

I definitely did not expect to meet the protagonist of this world on my first day of middle school after the change.

On the other hand, I could not blame the past Kaishu for his absent-mindedness.

Yugi Muto was not the most skilled at socializing. Consequently, his presence in the classroom went largely unnoticed most of the time. Even now, in our third and final year, that fact had not changed in the slightest.

Apart from that, Yugi also had serious problems communicating without stammering or speaking too softly, as well as his apparent personal complex about his height: much shorter than the Japanese average, already quite short to begin with. Gym classes frequently highlighted this aspect.

Most friendships at that stage of life revolved around the brilliance of one person or another. Whether it was physical brilliance or mere perceived brilliance.

The past Kaishu Omori was a good athlete, taller than average, fun for people his age, and above all, approachable; in conclusion: the typical popular kid in the class.

With the help of my academic experiences from my other life, I had even been able to improve Kaishu's terrible school grades. So, in conclusion, he was the perfect kid, at least in appearance.

Thus, making friends had been a piece of cake.

As for Yugi and the future.

'He still doesn't have that strange gold pendant around his neck. Hmm... It will take some time before the main plot begins.'

Over the past few years, I had made a tremendous effort to remember some of the events of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters.

While some things still remained in the shadows, fortunately, others did not.

Although, of course, most of what I remembered was still too vague to be useful.

My memories of that pendant, on the other hand, were somewhat clearer.

A pendant that, apparently, contained a spirit.

A spirit that would become a good friend to Yugi in the future.

Beyond that, I only knew a little more about that spirit. For example, that it had once been a pharaoh of ancient Egypt.

Basically, that was all.

Beyond that, I was at a blank.

No matter how much I researched history books about ancient Egypt, nothing. I had not been able to find anything related to enchanted gold artifacts and that mysterious pharaoh. I knew nothing more about it aside from a few historical mentions here or there, and in the end, things were too vague without veracity or possible triangulation of such or such information. Yes, it had been two years of rather useless solo research, in fact.

The internet might have helped, undoubtedly. But I was at the beginning of 1995. Things in the realm of networks had just begun to take off in Japan at that time. That's why I was very limited in my research on the subject.

Naturally, that would not make me give up, not at all.

For now, my plan was to arrange an appointment with the chief historian of the city museum: the Domino Museum.

A museum whose owner was indeed Mr. Bakura, an acquaintance of my parents and also the father of a new classmate of mine: Ryo Bakura.

If I found nothing there, my only other option was to travel to Egypt myself and then speak with any native knowledgeable about the subject.

'Hmm. I'm getting distracted. Where was I? Oh, that's right... Yugi.'

Returning to the relevant topic.

At the end of the day, Yugi Muto was nothing more than another reclusive kid in the bunch. A boy who, like all children his age, came with tremendous inherent potential, nothing more and nothing less.

'Destiny must be a serious thing in this world. That, or the spirit of the pharaoh was the true protagonist of the show. Perhaps, a bit of both. Yes, it must be that. A powerful personality and a submissive one. Typical of a shounen protagonist. Although I had thought of that before in passing. It makes more sense in my mind now. Hehe. Besides being just a conjecture for now, of course.'

Leaving that thread and returning to the previous one, with Yugi's weak personality, making other male friends did not seem very feasible. His recent past, cold and solitary, was direct proof of that.

At that age, boys were very critical of their choice of friends.

Yugi, unfortunately, had all the flaws on the wrong side. Undoubtedly, the spirit of the pharaoh had helped him with the task of making friends. As if it were some sort of compensatory factor for his weak and shy character.

Knowing Yugi in person, I did not see him taking the initiative to formalize a friendship.

My approach to Yugi had, in fact, been his only way of making friends, with one notable exception.

'There's also her.'

The only other friend I knew of Yugi, besides myself, was Masaki Anzu: a girl.

However, knowing Anzu, it seemed that pity had played a very significant role in the beginning of their relationship.

That, and Yugi and she had known each other since childhood. A time in life when the conventions of age rarely applied.

Thinking more deeply about the subject, my brow furrowed suddenly. A memory flashed back into my mind, followed by understanding.

'I now understand his words from that day... that gratitude out of nowhere and without context. How sweet. She must care a lot for Yugi. To think she thanked me for being his friend. Ha! She probably sees Yugi as a younger brother to protect. Hehe. So maternal. She might even fall in love with him in the future... Love is such a strange thing, but at the same time very simple in its essence. It requires a bond to work from... Hmm... Though, whatever... I'm not French to ramble so much about these topics. Also, it's not really my business in the first place...'

With the topic of love floating in the air, I couldn't help but get lost in the memories of my life as Ryuji Takuma. Fleeting memories of a woman stormed into my mind like a gale. My chest tightened with the arrival of these memories. Involuntarily, a name escaped my lips now clenched with rage.

"... Atsuko."

It was the name of my girlfriend from my past life: Atsuko Nakamura. She had also been my colleague in the first division of the Sendai Metropolitan Police. I missed her terribly. Frequently, I found myself lost in her memory, in our moments together.

I set my deck aside on the bed. Following that, I sat up with my head in my hands.

Gradually, some tears began to roll down my cheeks: cheeks now red from a growing sense of sadness.

A moment of horrible outcome replayed in my head relentlessly: the dull sound of a body hitting the ground after a couple of shots, followed almost immediately by a scream of desperation: my scream.

("... Atsuko, no!").

I trembled.

That memory drove me crazy with rage.

'Damn it!'

That memory made me grit my teeth and close my eyes tightly, regardless of the distance in time and realities.

'Atsuko, I...'

Impotence overwhelmed me like in that fateful moment.

My hands wiped my tears with violence.

'If you were still here... If you were still alive, maybe... Maybe I would have a reason to try to come back. I-I...'

Seconds up, seconds down, shaking my head, I shook off the depression from my features.

I could not afford to get lost in my own mind as I had in those days, not with a body at this age.

It was too risky.

I needed to focus on my present, on my future.

Surely, Atsuko, being Atsuko, would have wanted that for me.

She was that special: a ray of sunshine in my life against the current.

I would have wanted the same for her if such a tragedy had befallen me. I would not want my memory to be dead in her mind, but even less the opposite.

Atsuko's life was too important to me. I would hate to see her consumed by despair.

I needed to focus.

As a result, I breathed deeply over and over until I finally calmed my nerves on edge.

The hormones of an adolescent body could be a very troublesome matter. Especially in moments of great stress: like this moment.

I needed to distract myself with anything within reach. Otherwise, I would succumb to depression again.

For that reason, I took my deck in my hands once more.

Quickly, I searched among my cards for some form of distraction.

I needed to get away from such depressing thoughts.

Seconds up, seconds down, an image of a card suddenly flashed through my mind.

It was a card very special to me. A card that resonated with me on a spiritual level.

Although such a thing sounded quite silly out loud.

Seconds up, seconds down of searching, I found that card.

"Here you are..."

On the back of the card in question, a knight with a terrifying appearance stared back at me with notable intensity. His chest, defined by a breastplate in the shape of a sinister skull, captured my turbulent thoughts.

It was Skull Knight, my strongest monster card.

How could I have a connection with a card of all things? I did not know.

Could it be something related to this world? That was a good assumption, though a conjecture after all. Its effects, however: those were very real. Perhaps they were related to my subconscious or maybe to the actual age of my body. I did not know, truly. But this card helped me forget moments like the present: depressive moments.

That was enough for me.

Although, of course, the mystery behind it still made me salivate with anxiety.

On the other hand, I could live with something like that in the background, at least for now.

'I need a drink, but... Damn my age. God knows I need it. Preferably a mojito. Although I would settle for anything else, without a doubt. Haaa... Damn. Lately, I complain about everything... What the hell is wrong with me?... It must be the hormones. They would drive anyone crazy. I have a dream life: family, friends, goals. I have no reason to complain... I'll bring a couple of beers to the old man later as an apology... I went a bit too far with my little stunt earlier... Maybe I'll even get to drink with him. Who knows? That's a good plan. Let's do it...'

After a pause of indecision, I decided to organize my deck on the bed to pass the time.

"Monsters, by level order. Good."

My gaze carefully scanned all my monsters, and a few seconds later,

"... It's done."

1 X Skull Knight *LV7* ∆Dark∆ (Normal) {Spellcaster} [2650ATK/2250DEF]

1 X Zoa *LV7* ∆Dark∆ (Normal) {Fiend} [2600ATK/1900DEF]

1 X Talons of Shurilane *LV6* ∆Dark∆ (Normal) {Fiend} [2100ATK/2050DEF]

1 X Dragon Seeker *LV6* ∆Dark∆ (Effect) {Fiend} [2000ATK/2100DEF]

1 X Invitation to a Dark Sleep *LV5* ∆Dark∆ (Effect) {Spellcaster} [1500ATK/1800DEF]

1 X Reaper of the Cards *LV5* ∆Dark∆ (Effect) {Fiend} [1380ATK/1930DEF]

2 X Big Eye *LV4* ∆Dark∆ (Effect) {Fiend} [1200ATK/1000DEF]

2 X Castle of Dark Illusions *LV4* ∆Dark∆ (Effect) {Fiend} [920ATK/1930DEF]

3 X Dark King of the Abyss *LV3* ∆Dark∆ (Normal) {Fiend} [1200ATK/800DEF]

3 X Sangan *LV3* ∆Dark∆ (Effect) {Fiend} [1000ATK/600DEF]

3 X Hiro's Shadow Scout *LV2* ∆Dark∆ (Effect) {Fiend} [650ATK/500DEF]

3 X Kiseitai *LV2* ∆Dark∆ (Effect) {Fiend} [300ATK/800DEF]

1 X Chakra *LV7* ∆Dark∆ (Ritual) {Fiend} [2450ATK/2000DEF]

1 X Fiend's Mirrow *LV6* ∆Dark∆ (Ritual) {Fiend} [2100ATK/1800DEF]

From time to time, I paused on this or that monster. Different emotions led me to the moment and place of their respective acquisitions. In some cases, the feeling was strong, and in others, almost insignificant. Mostly, it had to do with the degree of difficulty inherent in their respective acquisitions.

Cards like Castle of Dark Illusions and Reaper of the Cards were as rare as ritual monsters, not counting my other high-level monsters: monsters of which I had only one copy each as direct proof of their complicated acquisition.

'Who would have thought that kids were such skilled negotiators, huh?... Hmm... Maybe it's because I'm a bad negotiator?... God, I hope not.'

Reflecting on those days, I often suffered losses in acquiring those cards. Whether they were monetary losses or exchanging more cards than necessary in favor of others of much lesser value.

'Should I spend some time learning to negotiate? It's never too late to know this or that for the future... Yes... I'll do that.'

Having made my decision, I proceeded to organize the spell cards, this time by type.

"Now, the support of the game: the spells."

After a few seconds,

"Done."

1 X Resurrection of Chakra

1 X Beastly Mirror Ritual

1 X Pot of Greed

1 X Monster Reborn

1 X Change of Heart

1 X Nightmare Steel-Cage

1 X Mystical Space Typhoon

3 X The Forceful Centry

1 X Exchange

1 X Megamorph

1 X Fairy Meteor Crush

1 X Chain Energy

"And finally, the traps..."

With the spell cards, I decided not to spend as much time reminiscing as with the monsters.

In the end, despite the rarity and usefulness of many of them, they did not stand out as much as the monsters themselves. Though I could always describe some of their stronger points, in passing.

**Resurrection of Chakra** and **Beastly Mirror Ritual** would allow me to summon, by paying their respective costs, **Chakra** and **Fiend's Mirrow**, in that order, from the extra deck. Meanwhile, **Pot of Greed** would increase my hand by two cards. **Monster Reborn** would let me bring back a monster from any graveyard at my discretion. **Change of Heart** would let me take control of a monster on my opponent's field. **Nightmare Steel-Cage** would stall the game for two turns in a pinch. **Mystical Space Typhoon** would destroy a spell or trap card anywhere on the field at my discretion. **The Forceful Centry** would allow me to view my opponent's hand and then return one of their cards to their deck. **Exchange** would enable me to swap a card from my hand with one from my opponent's. **Megamorph**, as a combo, could either increase or decrease the power of a specific monster on the field multiplicatively. **Fairy Meteor Crush**, combined with any monster on the field of my choice, would grant the ability to deal piercing damage. Lastly, **Chain Energy**, in combination with **Kiseitai**, would cause my opponent to lose many life points compared to me, without violating the current tournament ban on direct damage cards.

Returning to the topic of my trap cards, after my analysis, I placed them on the bed. Right below where I had previously arranged the spell cards. Once again, sorting them by type.

The best part, this time it took me less than ten seconds. There weren't many.

"... Done."

1 X Mirror Force

1 X Metalmorph

1 X Solemn Judgment

1 X Appropriate

In this aspect of my deck, despite the small number, it was compensated by the high quality and ease of combos of my trap cards.

**Mirror Force** and **Solemn Judgment** could counter almost any type of opponent's plays. **Metalmorph** could be equipped to many monsters, greatly increasing their power. Finally, **Appropriate**, in combination with the effect of **Hiro's Shadow Scout** and the probable greed of the opponent for more cards in their hand, could simultaneously increase the number of my own cards in hand, with the possibility of destroying up to three cards from the opponent's deck.

Except for **Appropriate**, all these cards were very difficult to find.

For example, **Solemn Judgment**, according to all catalogs, had only six copies worldwide. For my prestige as a duelist, I owned one of those few copies, and not by my own merit, to be honest.

"Once again, thank you, Mr. Muto."

Frankly, Yugi's grandfather had helped me immensely with Duel Monsters, not only with acquiring rare new cards for my deck like **Solemn Judgment**, but also with learning many of the lesser-known intricacies of the game.

Of course, as the owner of a small business, Mr. Muto didn't usually do things for me for free, at least not initially.

I didn't expect it otherwise. Almost nothing in life is free. Most things come with a price, whether it's monetary, informational, or emotional.

My friendship with Yugi marked the end of pure economic gain. After all, Yugi and Mr. Muto were grandson and grandfather. Their familial love was unquestionable.

From then on, Mr. Muto gave me numerous discounts at his game store, Kame Game.

Later, noticing my interest in Duel Monsters, the old man even offered me some game advice. Advice for which I remained grateful to this day. Especially because Mr. Muto had been one of the early Duel Monsters players: since five years earlier, when the game first went public in Japan through Industrial Illusions.

"It would have taken me much longer to learn to play or build my current deck if not for him... I hope your expedition to Egypt is going well, old man... By the way, how long has it been now? Three months, right?... I hope nothing bad has happened. Accidents are quite common in that line of work. Yugi wouldn't take such news well. No one would, with something like that."

Collecting my cards once more, my deck was neatly organized again.

My mind wandered away from the Muto family during the process.

Fatigue gradually took over me.

My eyes blinked.

"Uh-uh."

I then returned my cards to their designated drawer. A yawn escaped my mouth.

"Ugh, so sleepy... Should I go to bed now? I haven't even bathed or had dinner yet... Bah, whatever. Someone will wake me up. Then I'll have a drink with the old man. Hehe."

Wrapped in my warm duvet, five minutes later, I fell asleep like a log.

My subsequent dreams were filled with scenes from both worlds' pasts.

In that unreal place created by the mind, like many times before today, I was able to alter many of the most unfortunate events of my life.

I had relived my best moments countless times.

Unfortunately, just as before, upon waking, I would forget it all once again.

As the world of the mind continued to grow, real life seemed to diminish incessantly.

The waters of time flowed on, as always, inexorably.

To be continued...

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3900 words.