Yu-Gi-Oh New Heroes Integration

A Rocky Start

"Aren't these kind of... thick?" Emma asked Alex while eyeing his new cards, "They seem a little rougher to touch as well."

"Are they really? I think they're fine." Alex replied while rummaging through junk in one of his desk drawers.

"If you're sure. No harm either way." Emma placed Alex's cards on his table. She walked over to where he was searching for something, "Did you find-"

"Found it! Here you go." Alex tossed a small box towards Emma.

Catching it mid air, Emma thanked Alex,"Ah, nice, thanks for letting me have this. I still can't believe I accidentally threw my Deck Holder out. Here, you can have this."

Emma held out a single card in her hand. It was Caius the Shadow Monarch. Alex recognized it as the lesser version of Caius the Mega Monarch, a card Emma would use to destroy a lot of his strategies.

"Uh... why? I mean, thanks, but Monarchs are your thing, not mine." Alex asked, trying to reject the card.

"Because you need to try out newer cards. If you keep sticking to those cards, you won't be able to get better. At least try putting something new in your deck, you know?"

Alex didn't give her an answer and just stared at the card with an unsure expression. She grabbed his hand and placed it on his palm.

"Just try it once, I'm sure it'll help you! I've got to go now, I promised some friends I'd help them study today." Emma walked to the door and put on her shoes. As she walked out the door, she looked back and smiled, "I'll see you later, Alex. And... try not to stay in the past, okay?"

Emma closed the door and Alex was left with a single card in his hand. He quickly put it away and tried to take his mind off of everything that happened. There was only one place to go.

Alex entered into the Dueling Area. The underground was filled with all sorts of people, completely crowding the place. Alex wasn't sure where to go first. With his last duel, he seemed to have attracted a whole crowd considering it was only against a bot. He decided to go to the clerk for information. As he made his way to the counter, the clerk noticed him and waved. It was the same clerk as last time, with the same grin on his face.

"Well, well, if it isn't Micheal Jr. What brings you up front?" the clerk smirked, looking down at Alex.

"Micheal Jr? What's that supposed to mean?" Alex asked, a little uncomfortable.

"What do you mean what's that supposed to mean? Everyone has you pinned as an apprentice to Micheal. He's huge down here."

"Huge? Like, popular?"

"Not just popular, buddy. He's one of the elite. One of the top 5. Ranked 4th on the leaderboard. People up there barely bring in anyone, since they win so much they've got all the points they need. You've practically got a target on your back now."

"A target? I just started!"

"Yeah, and that means you must be good. That last duel against the bot, everyone saw it because you were Micheal's little squire. Anyone who beats you will use that to boost their own popularity in their duels. Becoming a target does come with its benefits though. You've likely got a bunch of points from the bot duel alone."

Alex quickly checked his Duel Points. He'd amassed quite a bit.

"So let me guess. You have no idea where to go, right? Since you're new and all." the clerk turned his head and stared down at Alex with a single eye.

Alex was a bit creeped out but answered, "H-how'd you know?"

"Because you're the 16th player to join this month. Which means we're going to have a little tournament for all 16 people who joined recently. The New Beginnings Tournament. Champion takes home a lot of points, and gets to challenge any of the top 5."