Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan-fiction Series: The Shadow Games Rising

Chapter One The Puzzle of the Gods

In ancient times, this game was used to predict the futures of men and kings... but the magic ceremonies where destinies were actually decided were known as "Shadow Games". This historic game... it can be traced as far back as ancient Egypt...

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Yuugi continued to play with his game on the desk as the bell rang for recess. "Recess! Let's play basketball!" shouted one of the students excitedly.

"Hey, let's have the girls play!" suggested another student grinning. One of the students turned around to see Yuugi still sitting on his desk building a tower out of playing cards. "Hey, Yuugi!" the student called. Yuugi's concentration broke and the tower collapsed. As he timidly looked up the student continued, "Instead of sitting alone, playing by yourself, why not join us and play some basketball?" Yuugi slowly shook his head smiling sadly.

"Eh? I'm fine... every team I join just loses anyway..." Yuugi answered quietly. The student shrugged and left the classroom to join his friends. Yuugi sighed and began to put the cards together in a pile as he though aloud to himself. "I wish I could play a game with everyone sometimes... but I keep plenty of games in my bag..." As Yuugi put up the deck of cards, he smiled brightly as a sudden thought came to him. "Ah, that's right! The treasure I always carry! What if I finish that today!" Yuugi said excitedly to himself. From out of the dark depths of his school bag, Yuugi pulled out a beautiful golden chest covered in hieroglyphs and set it on his desk. "My greatest treasure is inside this box! It has a riddle! The treasure in this box 'can be seen, but you haven't seen it'... so, what could it mean? The answer is..." Just as Yuugi was about to open the chest, it was snatched up from his desk within seconds. Yuugi blinked and looked up to see Honda Hiroto, a fellow classmate looming over him carrying the chest. "Ah! Honda-kun!" yelped Yuugi as he got to his feet. Honda sneered down at Yuugi as he held the chest high over his head. "Heh heh... Yuugi, what are you doin' in here alone?! It's way too dark and gloomy! And hey... this chest thing... you said treasure huh? What was it 'it can be seen, you've seen it'...?!" sneered Honda laughing. Yuugi began to jump up and down cursing his grade-schooler height shouting, "Please Honda-kun... give it back!"

"Nah!" laughed Honda as he continued to hold the chest high over his head, as Yuugi's hand could barely reach his chest.

"Give it back!" Yuugi shouted again as he continued to jump up and down.

"And he passes to Jounouchi!" yelled Honda throwing the chest over Yuugi's head.

"Ah!" Yuugi cried out as he whirled around saying, "Please, stop! It's valuable to me!"

Jounouchi Katsuya caught the chest in one hand. Like Honda he was tall and lanky with a mean look in his eyes. Jounouchi scoffed at the chest and threw it up and down like a ball saying, "Why the hell are you talkin' to yourself Yuugi? You're acting like a girl about this treasure and you jumpin' up and down is getting annoying! Quit it, Yuugi!" Jounouchi then knelt down to Yuugi's height keeping the chest out of reach and said, "Let me teach you how to act like a man! Listen, I'll give this box of yours back... but only if you try with all your might to get it! Come on, you want it back right? Hit me then, fight for it!"

"BUT... BUT, I HATE FIGHTING AND VIOLENCE!" Yuugi said, shouting at the top of his lungs. Jounouchi jumped back and covered his ears. "Argh! You've got a loud voice, but no guts behind it..." muttered Jounouchi glaring at Yuugi as Honda just watched grinning. Yuugi bit his lip sadly and pleaded in a softer tone, "Anyway... please just give the box back!"

"Not a chance!" mocked Honda grinning crookedly.

"By the way what's in the box, anyway Yuugi?" asked Jounouchi as he tossed the box up and down. Yuugi panicked and said, "Y... you can go ahead and look, but please don't lose it!! It's extremely precious to me!" Jounouchi opened the box ever so slightly and peeked in squinting.