Season 0: Theme Keycard #1 C24: Prep-Time, Baby!

The motel reception area, usually warm and welcoming, was in complete disarray. Tables were overturned, luggage lay scattered on the marbled floor, and the expensive furniture had piled up to barricade the doors.

Outside, Zombies and Skeletons kept banging against the doors in a rabid rage.

Compared to the savage Beasts they'd seen ripping apart the city through online feeds, these were slower; weaker, but even solid stone can be worn down by a gentle stream given time, let alone their fragile barricades.

They're sitting ducks here, but what choices did they have but hide and hope for a miracle?

“What do we do? What do we do?” Knuckles turning white, face pale and marred with terror, Mrs. Yuki frantically tapped her phone. “—110. Currently, all lines are busy. Please try again after a short while.”

“No, no, no!” She wailed, her voice cracking. “Somebody, please!“

“Mom—” Judai started, but the fear in her tear-filled eyes stopped him.

He'd never seen his mother so emotional, so utterly terrified. It didn't sit right with him. Heart pounding against his ribs, each growl and grunt amplifying the unease churning in his belly, Judai's brown eyes started to subtly change, deepening into a more golden hue that no one, not even Judai himself noticed.

“Don’t bother,” A brooding man behind them snorted. “I just checked MySpace. Whatever this is, it started near KaibaCorp and has since spread all over Domino City. The cops probably can’t even protect themselves; they won't be of much help to us.”

The man's words knocked the wind out of his mother.

Covering her mouth, she sank to her knees, her sobs turning into a raw, heart-wrenching scream.

She tried to stop herself, to offer Judai some comfort, but the more she tried to hold in the tears, the louder her cries became. It did not take long for the terror to spread like wildfire among the staff and tenants alike.

“Shut it! Shut up, you fools! Do you want them to find us?!”

A few of the more level-headed tenants attempted to calm the rest down, but it was too late.

The noise had driven the Monsters into a frenzy, their blows against the doors growing more and more violent until the gaps began to widen, allowing the Skeletons' flaming eyes to peer through the cracks—a sight that caused Judai's grip on his mother's shoulders to slowly tighten as a skeletal fist tipped with blackened claws punched a hole through the door.

"Judai-chan, I'm so sorry," His mother gasped, wrapping her arms around him protectively, nails digging into the small of his back and the nook around his shoulder blade. "I should not have brought you here."

Something stirred within him at her heartfelt apology—something DARK and powerful, whispering tales of terrible wars waged and great Monsters felled.

"To trepidate over weaklings…" Like the rasp of steel on stone, the Supreme King spat, disdain threading his every word. "You shame this King with your cowardice.“

Restless shadows began to writhe and swirl above the young Hero, thickening with each and every of the doorframe's tortured groans.

“Oh, fuck. Oh, shit! It’s not gonna hold!” The men charged forward, throwing their weight against the straining entry, while the women and children scrambled to gather anything that might reinforce their crumbling barricade. “He-Help me! Help me or we're all fucking dead!“

The door shuddered again as the Zombies pressed forward, a mass of decaying flesh and broken limbs crushing each other; smearing dark, toxic blood across the splintering wood, and jamming broken bones into the widening cracks.

Judai turned, gaze locking onto the ravenous Monsters, then squeezed his eyes shut.

He didn't know if the Other-Him could handle this, but he was out of options.

"Tch, you mewling whelp… You can't even fell low-classed Zombies?"

"I don't know how," Judai breathed, teary-eyed.

"Keep hiding behind her skirts, and you'll remain ignorant. Turn and fight!"

Their conversation was cut short as the barricade exploded, and the Monsters lurched through, the first of which was a pair of Zombies joined at the hip. One was a gaunt figure with sickly green skin and a visible ribcage, clad in tattered blue and red, while the other was bloated and pale, his torn dark shirt stretched over his rotund belly.

They're hands-down the most revolting Monster Judai had ever had the misfortune to lay eyes upon, and to make matters worse, they smelled just as foul.

Three-Legged Zombies

[Zombie/Normal]

ATK: 1100

DEF: 800

“Everybody run! Scatter!” Their de facto protector charged forward, his knife tearing into the Zombies’ putrid, decaying flesh, once, twice. Before he could strike again, the blank-eyed creatures seized his throat and hoisted him to eye level. Judai gaped as it brought the man's face to its widened maw, then crunched its teeth against his skull. “NOOO!“

A woman, his wife perhaps, rushed forward to help, only to have her head lopped from her shoulders by a single slap.

“Relinquish our Vessel!“

All too eager to agree, Judai felt himself drawn into a seemingly infinite passage.

Halfway through, a figure strode past him, encased in black armor edged with gold trim, wrapped within a billowing cape that unfurled like the misshapen wings of a Dragon.

The Three-Legged Zombies lunged for a bite, but it wasn't the wide-eyed child they're facing. Not anymore.

It's an Ancient Tyrant whose Soul had endured for millennia. “You gaze upon a King, yet refuse to kneel… Such insolence.“

His fist closed around the larger Zombie's head, crushing bone and splattering brain matter with ease.

The Dark Essence that oozed from the destroyed Zombie coalesced with the shadows radiating from him, forming a crude armor that deflected the burning claws of a Molten Zombie.

For better or worse, he'd been trained extensively in the Way of the Sword, so much so that he could easily rival the Lesser Warrior Spirits.

In comparison…

"This Container is pathetic." Haō growled in frustration.

Fortunately, he's a King first, a Mage second, and a Warrior dead last. “Elemental Hero Avian, Elemental Hero Burstinatrix!“

The two Heroes manifested, blocking the Zombies, but they were barely a nuisance against the rotting corpses—fodders whose usefulness ended with the Fusions they could create.

The Supreme King drew from his Deck, lips curling in disdain at Polymerization.

Then, with a wave of his hand, gathered Darkness to craft a more potent variant using the very Essence of the card. “I activate the Spell card—”

Dark Fusion

Type: Normal Spell

Effect:

● Fusion Summon 1 Fiend Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using monsters from your hand or field as material.

● Your opponent cannot target it with card effects this turn.

“Evil HERO Inferno Wing—HEED MY CALL!“

Space twisted, swallowing the Elemental Heroes whole before spitting out a slender, feminine silhouette draped in a flowing, crimson robe whose massive black wings cast long, ominous shadows that even the Zombies dared not enter. A sound, half-laugh, half-shriek, bubbled from the Evil Hero’s throat as she beckoned the Monsters with a taloned hand.

Evil HERO Inferno Wing

Attribute: FIRE

Level: 6

ATK: 2100

DEF: 1200

Seemingly enraged by the taunt, the Zombies all rushed forth.

The first to meet Evil HERO Inferno Wing was Molten Zombie, but however high he brought his temperature, the Evil HERO easily matched him until eventually her talons began to sink in and through his charred skin with the ease of a hot knife passing through butter.

If only that's where her Attack ended, but no, the Fireball continued through the disintegrating corpse, intensifying as it fed on the Zombie before engulfing all in its wake.

"Judai-chan?" The shaky voice pulled Haō's attention to the woman huddled behind him.

The Supreme King registered no emotion towards her.

His father's a King, his mother a Queen.

This woman was merely a commoner fortunate enough to bear his Reincarnat—'Don't you dare think of her that way! And give me back my body!'

Blinking in equal part confusion and surprise, Haō's eyes widened as he felt his control over their shared Vessel begin to weaken.

“You...“

His armor began to dissipate, the Gentle Darkness receding as he collapsed onto one knee.

"You ungrateful craven… I will have your head for this!"

He had saved them, only to now be shoved aside by his Reincarnation like a discarded toy?!

How was that even possible?

He knew no blade, fought in no war, and had learned no Magic—Yuki Judai was, by all means, little more than a pale imitation of Haō! And yet… "This is my FLESH!“

“Judai! Talk to me!“

Glaring at the woman, the Supreme King hissed, before violently shoving Mrs. Yuki off him. "Keep your filthy hands off me!"

And that was the straw which broke the camel's back, allowing Judai to finally regain control as he tore the last piece of the armor off himself. “Mom!“

“Judai? You… You were—! That armor was—”

Embarrassed and even more guilty that he had allowed any harm to come to her, however negligeble, the Hero knelt beside his mother and took her hand in his. "I'm sorry, Mom. That wasn't me, it was—"

Haō—The name immediately triggered a cascade of fragmented, nonsensical memories. Scenes of him riding through bloodstained battlefields, killing and burning and pillaging to his heart's content, flooded his mind.

Covering his mouth, Judai heaved, swallowing back the bile that had risen to his throat, his eyes watering at the acidic scent that filled his tongue and nostrils. “Judai, what is going on?“

Silence filled the space where words should be. What could he say?

He knew next to nothing about the Apocalypse, and even less about the Soul dwelling within him. How was he to explain the unexplainable? What was he supposed to tell her?

Someone had to know something, right?

'Mr. Ownes.' A name; a face—weary with worry—flickered in his mind. "Mom, can I borrow your phone?"

His Duel Disk was a stripped-down thing, a hand-me-down his dad had bought off a shady dealer for cheap, good for Duels and not much else. He needed a phone.

Before she could answer, a piercing cry ripped through the room.

A child sat beside the headless body of the man who'd tried to protect them.

"Dad... Dad!"

The boy's small hands shook the lifeless form, a dark, spreading stain blooming beneath it.

Every eye in the room flickered away, their faces contorted in a silent, shuddering grief. These weren't warriors, weren't hardened by violence.

They were just ordinary people whose lives had, until today, remained relatively untouched by such brutality.

A peaceful passing was the closest they'd ever known Death, and now, it seemed to be the only constant in their lives.

"Oh God, what did we do to deserve this?" Someone sobbed as a man gently pulled the boy away from his father's body.

"I'm sorry, kid, but your dad—"

"No, no! Let me go!" The boy somehow wrenched himself free, scrambling to Judai and kowtowing. "Big brother, please... Save my dad."

"I—I can't," Judai stammered, stepping back in fear. Of what? It's hard to tell. 'Save him? How?'

"You!" A tenant roared, pointing at Judai as though the boy owed him money and had gone AWOL for months. "Why did you not fight? Why did you not save him?"

Tension was high, and fear higher, thus, before long Judai found himself the center of attention, and sadly not the good kind. “How many have died because you refused to act earlier?!“

Accusation after accusation came at Judai, each so, so much worse than the last.

“He just watched them die…”

“Does he even have a heart?“

“Maybe the bastard's with the Zombi—” It made no sense if one were to dedicate even half a brain cell to it, but some people were just that cunty.

Another would have surely lamented the unfairness of it all, but Judai only felt shame. 'What goes around, comes around.' Haō lightly commented.

The Supreme King would've been amused by their condemnation, if he wasn't so livid.

'To tame cravens, you need only slay one. See who still dares speak against us then.'

"I'm not killing them!" Judai bit his lip.

He couldn't defend himself.

His mother, however, had no such qualms. "Shut the hell up, all of you! Especially you, you coward!"

"What the fuck did you just say to me?!" One of the tenants growled.

"You're a coward, plain and simple," She spat, her voice thick with disgust. "A fat, useless neckbeard. When the Monsters came, you ran. You ran first! What gives you the right to judge my son?"

"But...I don't have Magic.“ He stammered the paper-thin defense.

"So what?" She roared, her words cutting through the group like a blade. "My son is thirteen! Why should he throw his life away for a pack of grown adults? You could've grabbed a pipe, anything and helped! But you were too afraid to lift a finger—all of you! And now you are blaming my boy for something he himself has no control over?! Shame! Shame on you all!"

None dared to meet the woman's gaze as she swept the reception hall like a hawk, and those who still looked like they had something to say were cowed just as quickly by Inferno Wing.

Only after the last of the dissidents had grown quiet did Mrs. Yuki face her son, wiping away a tear on his cheek.

“Mom…”

“It's alright,” She whispered. “I might not be able to fight the Monsters, but I can fight people.”

“I don't know what's going on, but I know someone who might.“ Sharing a hug, Judai grabbed the offered phone from her palm and dialed Lenix's number.

“—Owens speaking—”

“Mr. Owens, Domino City is—”

“—Ah, got you! Sorry, but I'm busy at the moment. Call me back in a flash.”

His lips twitched as he ran his tongue over his teeth.

“It went straight to voicemail.” Judai’s brows furrowed.

“Try again,” His mother urged, and he did, the plastic of the phone warm against his ear, but the result was the same. Again, and again, the call went unanswered.

Just when he's about to give up, the call finally connected and Mr. Owens' voice started to crackle through the speaker, for real this time. “—Judai, please tell me you have left Domino City.“

“Mr. Owens!“ Sheepishly, Judai scratched his head. “I… Well, we were going to, but…”

“—But you didn't get out in time.“

It might've been his imagination, but Judai could have sworn he detected some relief in the man's voice…

Relief and annoyance both, as contradictory as it may appear.

“Sorry.“ Judai instinctively replied.

“—No point crying over spilt milk… Where are you now? Never mind, can you sneak over to Domino Hospital?“

“I… I don't think so.“ If it were only him, Judai would not have hesitated, but—”I'm with a group. I don't think they'll make it.“ Of the 20-something people, only 5 seemed to be in a fighting shape, while the rest were nourishing a nasty wound or trying and clearly failing to hold themselves together.

“—Is your mom with you?“

Judai nodded, a useless gesture he quickly realized. “She is.“

“—Then take her, and everyone who can still move to Domino Hospital. The trip itself will be dangerous, so let them decide for themselves.“

'Smart,' The Other-Him chuckled. 'Do as he says. He's offering you an out.'

Haō hadn’t known him long, but he was already all too familiar with the kind of fool his Reincarnation was. He'd killed hundreds like him before—men with the same delusions of grandeur, the same self-righteous swagger. The so-called Heroes who never seemed to know their own limits. His Reincarnation would have stayed and died for these people if he thought it was the right thing, and Haō wasn’t about to let that happen.

Why, one might ask?

Because in the grand scheme of the Universe, his new life meant far more than these weaklings.

“But—”

“—Judai, you can come back for the rest with reinforcements later. But if you stay now, you're putting your mom and everyone at risk. I'm serious. Get to Domino Hospital. You'll be safer there. And listen, don’t carry this whole thing on your shoulders. If I’m right, anyone with a Duel Disk and cards should be able to hold their own. Don't ask, demand that they contribute.“

Judai glanced at the group and let out a quiet sigh.

He was young, excitable, and naive at times, but he's not blind to reason.

“I understand… What about you, Mr. Owens? Do you need help?”

“—Worry about yourself first, kid. I’ll see you at the hospital. Godspeed.“

Judai handed the phone back to his mom, then turned to the group, pressing his lips thin as he considered his words.

“What’s wrong? What did he say?!”

“He asked me to get all of you to Domino Hospital. Sounds like a lot of survivors have gathered there.”

Judai barely got the words out before someone exploded, voice cracking with panic.

“I do! But look around us! The doors are broken down, there’s blood and corpses everywhere—we’re basically sitting duc—”

Naturally, the universe chose that exact moment to throw a curveball his way in the form of a bloated, winged abomination bursting through the window.

Flesh a rotting mesh of purples and reds, jagged teeth jutting from its oversized maw and dripping with black sludge, its white, feral eyes hungrily locking onto the group.

Dragon Zombie

Attribute: DARK

Level: 3

[Zombie/Normal]

Flavor Text:

“A Dragon revived by sorcery. Its breath is highly corrosive.“

ATK: 1600

DEF: 0

Judai looked over his shoulder as if to say, “See?!“, before ordering Inferno Wing to Attack.

For a fleeting moment, the Tyrant and the Hero became nearly indistinguishable—two halves of the same thought almost.

‘If someone still has something to say after this, I swear…’

— [SK(GX) —

Meanwhile, over at Domino Hospital, a glowing blue-and-white sphere's hovering just above the structure, warping gravity itself for the survivors’ protection.

Its effect? Crippling to any Level 4 or higher Monster caught in its radius as they would quickly discover they'd been rendered nearly immobile and thus incapable of Attacking. This did not mean they were totally safe, of course. There're plenty of Level 3 and below capable of harming humans, but these stragglers weren't that big a threat with the Duelists working together.

Jonouchi's honestly surprised Mr. Fujita had managed to cobble together a stronghold this quickly. It wasn’t a one-man effort, but without him, the hospital staff would’ve taken far too long to calm the patients and organize space for the flood of those who sought asylum.

Around him, people scrambled into motion.

A pair of teens dragged over a bent hospital bedframe and jammed it against the already cluttered entrance.

To the side, an older man's hammering nails into a makeshift plank wall with a broken IV stand. Even the nurses, doctors and patients alike were stacking up overturned tables, metal cabinets, and anything else with weight.

"Someone reinforce the left side! It’s bowing!" A bald man shouted, and a young girl no older than twelve proceeded to shove a stack of meal trays into a gap, while another survivor duct-taped a riot shield to the window frame.

God only knew where he found that. “There, put it over there!”

Pulling up his sleeves, Jonouchi readied himself to help, only to remember his own importance.

He's not the only Duelist around, but he's definitely leagues above these scampering children. “Heh…” Hard to believe he had been around their age just seven years ago. Oh how fast time flew.

“Guys! Incoming!”

The warning snapped every head toward the entrance—Jonouchi’s included—just in time to see an Armored Zombie slam its bulk against the barricade.

“I got it!”

Without hesitation, Jonouchi sprang into action, raising his Duel Disk and Setting Baby Dragon and Red-Eyes Baby Dragon.

Not exactly his heaviest hitters, sure, but Gravity Bind didn’t play favorites.

Still, real life had its advantages.

Two, three, Hell, a dozen Monsters could dogpile one if needed, and thank God for that, or they’d already be toasted.

Jonouchi gagged as the stench hit him—thick, wet, and rotten enough to make his stomach churn.

Still, he powered through it, barking.

“Baby Dragons—circle it! Burn it down!”

Flanking the lumbering corpse, they hovered just outside its swipes, their Flame Breath lighting up the hallway as the two unleashed a coordinated blast and reduced the thing to a smoking, twitching heap.

With 0 DEF, it didn’t last long—but that didn’t make the process any more pleasant.

The charred stink of undead flesh had sent more than a few volunteers stumbling back, coughing and retching.

He thought about dragging the corpse out himself—but stopped short.

Who knew what kind of diseases that thing carried? With a kid on the way—a son—Jonouchi wasn’t about to take that risk. Not now. Not when he had something real to lose.

“Hazmats!” He called out, waving the cleanup crew over.

With the pros stepping in, Jonouchi backed off and returned to his spot, arms crossed, foot tapping with thinly veiled impatience as the group scrambled to patch up the damage to the barricade.

Outside the safety of Gravity Bind’s reach, the Undead swarmed—Level 4 and above, snarling and twitching at the sight of fresh meat just beyond the line.

A few of the dumber ones driven by hunger, stumbled forward—only to collapse mid-step, slamming into the pavement as the Trap's crushing pressure pinned them like ragdolls.

It would be funny, if it wasn't so damn morbid.

Jonouchi would be lying if he said the sight of the Reanimated piling up didn’t scare him shitless.

He’d faced monsters before—real ones, nightmares that defied all logic and rationale—but this felt different. This felt inevitable.

For all his past battles, he’d never stood behind a barricade wondering 'When?' It had only been hours since the outbreak began, and already, hundreds clawed at their doorstep. How many more would come tomorrow? Or the day after? What about the day after that?

How long did they really have before the defenses started to crack?

Before Gravity Bind gave out, or the barricades finally got breached by the horde?

'Yugi, if you're waiting to make an entrance, now's the damn time.'

He begged, and yet again, his plea went unanswered; swallowed by the ceaseless howls, just another of the millions of desperate prayers rising from the smoldering ruins that used to be Domino City.

And like all the others, it too faded.

— [SK(GX)] —

“What the fuck?”

What else could Lenix even say? He’d been gone for—what, an hour? Hour and a half? And somehow, everything had gone to absolute shit in that short span.

Canon had been well and truly fucked in the most spectacular way possible, and the only thing Lenix had to say was, “What's the point?“ Not for the first time, he questioned his fellow Gamer. Lenix knew he was no saint either, but this was simply beyond all reason.

This was a whole war/hate crime.

What could have driven a man to such madness?

Boredom?

Vengeance?!

But for what? Who?! Against whom?!!

'Does it matter, Mortal? He’s presented himself as an enemy. That is all the information you need.'

The words cut clean through the noise in Lenix’s head, sweeping away what little hesitation remained. Staring through the warped shimmer separating Domino City from the outside world, Lenix mumbled. “Don't get your hope up… Our objective's not to fight him. We’re just gonna go in, grab who we can, and get the hell out.”

'Tsk… Don’t be a coward.'

“The brave people end up dead or worse. I'm sure you understand why I'm not too eager to join the club.“

'Ha! He sent dogs after your concubine and you’re just going to roll over?' The First Lord of Horror snorted, voice thick with scorn.

“It wasn’t him.” Lenix replied flatly.

He had had time to think things through, and the pieces just weren't fitting true. Why would Skullie go through all the hassle of rounding up goons, arming them with Magical Artifacts that, let’s be real, couldn’t have been cheap to make, just to kidnap his girlfriend?

If Skullie truly wanted him out of the picture, why hadn’t he taken the shot?

He’d had plenty of opportunities to strike, and he passed on them every time.

Now, out of nowhere, the Necromancer just decided to antagonize a fellow Gamer for no reason? The more Lenix thought about it, the less sense it made.

'You seem so certain… Are you sure you’re not just looking for a reason to chicken out?'

Refusing to dignify the taunt with a response, Lenix opened his Status.

He had one Gacha Draw left, and five EXP Potions in reserve.

He didn’t plan on engaging—not if he could help it—but there was no harm in stacking the odds in his favor, was there?

A little extra insurance never hurt anyone.

DE: 38,400 » 19,200

With a flick of his finger, the program whirred to life before spitting out a .png file which Lenix wasted no time opening.

Universe: Harry Potter

Type: Item (Consumable)

Rarity: Rare

[Lesser Felix Felicis (5)]

Apply the following effect for 1 hour after activation:

● You gain 100 ATK/DEF.

● Put 60 Counters on this card. If the Owner would be destroyed, remove 1 Counter instead. If the Owner activates more than 1 "Lesser Felix Felicis" in the same hour, take 1000 damage.

● You must Attack if able.

Lenix blinked, sighing as he pressed on his temples. “Well, there goes my power-up.”

Not exactly the game-changer he’d been hoping for.

Still, there had to be a reason he'd Destiny Drawn this, right?

Maybe a lucky break was what he needed…?

In the distance, an explosion rocked a skyscraper, sending up a plume of smoke and rattling the surrounding skyline. Narrowing his eyes at the scene, Lenix smacked his lips, then wordlessly uncorked the vial and downed the Liquid Luck in one swig.

Call him crazy, but he had a feeling he's going to need it.

“Domino City…”

Lenix muttered, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth as a cocky, crooked grin tugged at his lips.

“Daddy’s home.”