"U…ugh..."
Yuji tried to open his eyes, but the throbbing in his head prevented him from waking up.
He trued it again, for the first time in his life he felt that just opening your eyelids is so hard.
"Where- Kuhn!" After he manages to open his eyes, a surge of light invaded his eyesight, "So... blinding"
Like that, he was repeatedly open and closing his eyes, struggling to adjust his vision.
"Ow..." As he tries to stand up, he quickly fell again.
His limbs are so listless, it was like was comatose for several years without doing a slight exercised.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes.
He was finally able to stand and walks.
"This... where is this place?", asked him as he observed the surrounding.
From his observation, he knew that he was in the middle of the city. But the questions is... which city he was right now? How can he be here?
The city he is observing is weird. The building were very colorful and had different shapes that is like an art, there are many vehicles without wheels and just hovering above the black road, and there is many cute square-shaped robot that resembling Wall-E but more high-tech.
Yuji's eyes begin to twitched, "Am I... in the future?" He took a deep breath, trying to accept his situation.
"Okay... I'm fine, toootally fiiine" told him with a joking tone to cheer himself up.
Looking at the very bright sky above, he knew this is still noon.
"What the?!"
When he's looking at the sky, something caught his attention.
White, fast like a jet, body looks like a mecha especially its wings that shine like a shinning moon.
"Kuh!"
Yuji held his head, his head begins to throb again.
"Uh... help... somebody!" Yuji held his head strongly, the throbbing pain become more intense.
After standing for a while, finally... his throbbing headache is gone.
"What is that thing?! Is that a robot or dragon or both perhaps?! Maybe... is that a Duel Monster?"
Yuji takes a deep breath again, then he held his chin, trying to remember the event before he transferred here.
"Last time, I was dueling Sakura in promotion exam. When our dragon clash at each other... I used Graceful Dice to boost Odd-Eyes' attack, then-
Then a sudden blinding explosion engulf me... but... how can a holographic image transferred me to- no... no way is it true"
Something caught in his mind, when he thought about such probability he began to laugh dried, "No way this is The Spirit World"
As the name suggest, The Spirit World is a world inhabited by spirit... Duel Monster Spirit.
Having comes to such possibility made his body shudder in excitement. If this is the real Spirit World, then maybe he can- with Rainbow Kuriboh.
"No! It's too soon to come for such conclusion!" Shouted him, as he shakes his head.
He's thinking if this is the true Spirit World would him- would Rainbow Kuriboh and the rest... forgive him?
Thinking about such plausible thought scares him.
Yuji grit his teeth, and eyes focused on the view ahead, "I should investigate it further!"
Thus, he ran
.....................................
"..."
After spending some time in the city, he realized that this isn't The Spirit World. Because when he looked around, he hasn't met a single monster, not only that but there's not a single human here.
Not only that, all the building were locked, same as the vehicle. The door of the car won't open, and there isn't any vehicle beside it.
The bizarre thing that all the car is the same model, color, and doesn't have any plate number.
When he tried to look inside all the building and the vehicle, the inside was hollow.
Nothing inside it, not even a speck of dust.
"A-am I... in hell?" Worried him.
The situation he's in is totally bizarre.
He was alone, there isn't anything inside the building and car alike.
"Sakura!"
"Jaden!"
"Someone!"
Yuji panicked, he runs, circling the city and shouting his friends' name one by one.
The eeriness begin to accumulating. His ears then begin hearing the static, annoying sound from the TV.
His eyes become redder and glassy, but no tears were shed, he felt his throat become drier and itches.
But no one was here, he was alone.
"No... no way... no way! Am I truly dead?!"
Just when he began to despair, he heard someone's voice.
"Hagh... hagh...!"
Yuji open his eyes, across him there's a plump guy wielding a strange Duel Disk.
He is sweating all over his body and seems to struggle to catch a breath.
"A person!"
Joyful, he started to run with all of his might toward him.
"Hey! You! Over here!" Shouted Yuji, as he waves his hand, running toward him smiling.
"I'm glad! I thought I was alone"
The plump guy, shifted his gaze toward Yuji. Unknown to him, his eyes widened when he saw Yuji.
"Hiiik!! No!!!" Screamed him terrified.
Yuji stops in his path, shocked to see the guy's reaction. "Huh?", seeing his face, Yuji felt that something squeezing his heart, and for a second he almost didn't breathe.
"W-wait... hold on. I- I won't hurt you, OK? I'm also lost in this world the same as you" said Yuji, as he walks slowly toward the terrified guy.
"Hiiik! D- don't come! Don't come, you demon!!!" Screams him loudly.
The words he utters break Yuji's heart. But he, Yuji, shakes his head and try to talks to the terrified guy.
"L-look! I know I'm doing a lot of awful things in the past... but swear to God I won't, and I won't hurt you, and I'm not a demon. So please... calm-"
Before he finished talking, 4 streams of energy in different color hit the plump guy.
The moment the attacks hit him, it created a huge explosion, sending him flying.
"... What?"
The plump guy fell, then roll into the ground like a rag doll.
Yuji widened his eyes after looking at the sudden attack. He saw that the plump guy is heavily wounded. His clothes become ragged. Bruises, and blood, almost covered his entire body. Blood dripping from his head, nose, mouth, and any open wounds on his body.
Not only that, his limbs especially his two legs were bent into extreme angle, some of his legs'bones also sticking out.
"No... no!" Looking at the critically injured him, Yuji didn't waste any more time and start to running hastily toward him.
When he arrived beside him, Yuji quickly take off his jacket to wipe his blood.
"This..."
But the moment he touched him, his hand and jacket... pass through him. Even though he was terrified of what is happening, he still tries to help the guy.
He pumps his chest, but his hand passes through it. He wants to lift the guy's head, buy his finger passes through it. Wiping his blood with his jacket again also did the same.
No matter what he does, his body and belongings all passed through him.
"Someone!! Somebody!!! Help him!!!", Yuji screamed, he screamed for help.
Again...
Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again....
But help won't come.
"This..." Yuji grits his teeth, clenched his hands, nails dig through the flesh, eyes become redder.
With the state he is in, he can't do anything to tending the guy's wounds.
But-
At least... he can help him by remembering the face of his attacker.
Or so he though
.....................................
The images begin to disappear.
The buildings, The vehicles, the trees... all of it begin to disperse.
The only thing that didn't were the loud cheers of peoples who just witness another insignificant guy being broken in front of their excited eyes.
"ZARC!!!"
They cheered him...
The guy who just blasted the plump guy into a critical situation is being cheered on like he was a HERO.
ZARC! ZARC! ZARC! ZARC! ZARC! ZARC! ZARC! ZARC! ZARC! ZARC! ZARC! ZARC! ZARC! ZARC! ZARC! ZARC! ZARC! ZARC!
Hearing their cheer, the guy in question begin to smile, and that smile turned into a grin, with a proud and exciting expression he raised his arm.
Standing behind him were 4 dragons in different colors that roars loudly into the sky.
"Is that all?!" Shouted him.
He then continues to boast, "Is there no one else who wants to fight me?!
I'm not yet satisfied!
I want to fight stronger and fiercer!"
Boasts him, like he was declaring he was the best and strongest duelist in the world.
His prideful face can't hide his ecstasy for battle and bloodbath, making the other duelists on the observation room, podium, and on the audience's seat cowered in fear.
"There is one... ME!"
Except one guy with dual-colored hair of black as the majority with blue bangs and side locks.
It is unknown if he is fortunate or not that he didn't notice him.
In front of him... so close to his face.
Yuji is glaring at him like he was ready to kill, and when I said KILL is it not for intimidation, but really want to kill him.
"Get your game on, bastard!" Said Yuji.
Even without a deck and Duel Disk, he brazenly step up to him and challenge him heads on like a true duelist one to another.
But his words can't be heard by him. Heck! He even can't see the enraged Yuji that literally glaring just few centimeters away from his face.
"Damn it!!!" Cursed Yuji, all his words fell on deaf ears.
As to relieve him from the anger...
Yuji punch him in the face.
Alas, his punches pass through ZARC's face.
"What's up with that duel?!", asked him, as he threw another punch.
Nobody answers the question...
"A duel should bring hope and joy! A duel should be a clash between two or more souls in the name of sportsmanship!! Not a violent... blood fest!!!", yells him, now launch an upper cut, his fist passed him through again.
"Damn it!!!" Screamed Yuji.
Just he was about to punch him again, a sudden light appears from the corner of his eyes.
Yuji closed his eyes as the light gradually become much more intense and blinding to his eyes.
.....................................
"... Where is this?"
Yuji opens his eyes, his surrounding change again.
"Is this a holographic image like before?" Wondered him, as he observed the surrounding.
Base on his observation, he was on some hill overlooking a ruined city, and based on the dark sky above, it is safe to assume this is nighttime.
Yuji then run again, searching for a person, hoping that this time his body passed through another like a ghost, and someone can finally hear him.
"That!"
But then his gaze stumble upon it.
Body huge as a mountain, scales so pitch black like it was made from shadow, gleaming eyes that can paralyze him like Medusa.
His heart become uneasy, breath become rougher, sweats and chill drenched his back, his heart pounded like it being hammered repeatedly.
Yuji's hand were cold and gleams, his legs become wobbly like jelly, and dread twisted his guts.
But strangely enough, his were filled with various turbulent emotion. His instinct to scream rather than to run, he should- he MUST fight against that monstrosity.
Yuji grind his teeth, eyes glaring fiercely at it. He felt a jolt of anger, that he felt rage flooded his veins.
But his gaze quickly shifted to the girl standing at the hill, opposing the monstrosity in front of her with such courage.
"Sakura!"
Atop of the hill, he saw Sakura opposing the monstrosity alone.
"Sakura come back! Let me do it instead!!"
Like injected with medicine called courage, Yuji hastily run toward her, as his fear being negated by the worriedness of her well-being.
"Sakura! Stop it!"
Shouted Yuji, running with all his might.
"Ray!"
But then he stopped and looked back, there is an oldman with short hair running crazily toward the girl.
But his word caught Yuji's attention, as he shifted his gaze toward the girl and narrowed his eyes to observed more clearly.
She has long, maroon and dark red hair with her hairstyle held by hair clips, and she had violet eyes.
Her face however is like the splitting image of Sakura, albeit she looks much more mature and older because of her age, and not because of her intelligent nor charm.
"Not her... she is not Sakura" realized him.
The oldman run and then passed through his body
Again...
Realized that he just a mere specter, Yuji become silent, but seeing the girl with the face resembling Sakura he decided to run and stop her, even if he knew he can't do anything.
Yuji ran alongside the oldman, but when they finally get closer to her and the monstrosity.
""Gahk!""
Both of them hit an energy like wall.
"Ray! Don't do it! Let me! Let me be the one against him! Ray!!" Shouted the bald oldman knocking on the energy wall.
At his side, Yuji also trying to break the wall by punching it, kicking it, and even ram it with his body.
Alas, his endeavor is useless.
"Rayyy!!!!" The oldman shouted, he became more hysteric than before.
Looking at the oldman, Yuji tried to hit the energy wall harder, "Come on! Break!!!"
Ray, the girl in question, raised her hand and start to activate the four unknown card.
Clustering golden light seeped out from the earth's surface to her four cards, then to her.
"Quit it, Ray! If you do that, you'll..."
The oldman beside Yuji become scared... scared as to losing his daughter.
"Damn it! Come on! Why I can't pass through this wall?! I'm a specter, right?! Why the hell I can pass through the people but not this?!!" Angered Yuji, as he tries to break through it.
Alas, the girl Ray already activate her cards' effect, 4 bracelets appeared on her, creating a shining light that drove away the darkness.
The monstrosity cried as it cursing her, "Wrench! You damn wrench!!"
The moment the monstrosity said those words, Yuji eyes become widened. It is because that tone and voice is belong to the guy that he tried to punch.
"ZARC!!!" Shouted Yuji, eyes gleam with hatred.
The blinding light become much more intense, so intense that it's literally distorting the space and begin to split their vision into four, starting from her spot toward Yuji and the oldman.
"No... not again!!!"