Hello fanfiction fans.

I've written a lot of stuff in my time, but perhaps the fic that defined me as a YGO fanfiction writer was my 'crossover' of Yu-Gi-Oh and 'Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door'.

At any rate, I've evolved a great deal as a writer since then, and at the suggestion of Lux-Nero (who is beta-reading for me this time, and who I'd like to thank now) I have decided to remake the fic, with updated rules, and a few new surprises thrown in.

Now, I realize that remakes can often backfire (that God-awful remake of Charlie's Angels is proof of that) but like I said, I've gotten better since this fic first appeared in 2005 (has it really been that long?) and the game has evolved too.

This fic takes place about five years before the events of Episode 001 of 'Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's', and takes some serious liberties. For example, Xyz Monsters do exist (but are very new). We are technically in the Shadowchasers universe (and you might even see a younger version of someone from a Shadowchasers fic) but don't expect a major crossover.

Take Mario through the door and down the next 2 warp pipes. In the second room search the bush in front of the pipe to find a coin. Also, search behind the warp pipe on the left to find a star piece. The Pianta Parlor is a place in Rogueport in the game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.Mario can come here to play minigames for Pianta Tokens, which can be exchanged for items and badges. There are slot machines as well as four minigames to play, and each of the minigames uses one of the four different curses Mario receives from the Black Chest Demons.

If you haven't read the original fic, it's up to you whether to do so or not. If you have, I might not surprise you completely… But I hope to do so a little.

With that in mind, let's begin…

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Ever watch the old movie Superman II?

In case you forgot, here's the five-minute synopsis: In the previous movie, prior to the destruction of Krypton, Superman's father Jor-El had banished the cruel insurrectionist General Zod and his two accomplices to the Phantom Zone, a fate reserved for only the worst of criminals (Krypton had no death penalty). At the beginning of the second movie, Superman saves Paris from nuclear destruction by hurling the bomb into space; but this has the unforeseen side effect of destroying the Phantom Zone and freeing the three criminals.

Due to Earth's yellow sun, Zod has all of Superman's powers on Earth, but none of his virtues, having learned nothing from his decades of imprisonment. (The same went for his two partners, but seeing as they lacked lucidity or intelligence, it was doubtful that they could have been much of a threat without him.) He is almost bored with the ease at which he and his cohorts are able to conquer the planet, until Superman arrives to challenge them. They give him a serious run for his money… Even Superman's archenemy Lex Luthor, who had given him so much grief in the first film, is little more than an unwitting dupe in this one.

Now, Zod was clearly a monster, there's no denying that; he had no redeemable qualities at all. Perhaps some tragic event in his past caused him to take the path of Evil, but if that was the case, we never learned of it. And if you saw the movie, you were almost definitely cheering for Superman. But if any of us were in the same situation and had his powers, we may not admit it, but we'd likely be doing what Zod was doing, rather what Superman was.

Why do I say this? Human nature.

Being a hero takes self-control and restraint, as well as self-denial. If you have great powers, you must resist the urge to use them for selfish reasons. Temptation whispers into the ears of all men, and the more a man's potential to do evil, the more tempting the whispers get, and the harder it is not to give in. If you had super strength, the power to fly, and bullet-resistant skin, would you want to follow the established rules, or impose your own?

This is proven by the fact that in popular fiction, villains tend to outnumber heroes by ten to one on average…

It was a thousand years ago that one soul achieved power and gave in to temptation… And the consequences were dire…

She was defeated… But not permanently…

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Yu-Gi-Oh!

The Thousand Year Door

Redux

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A fanfic by Cyber Commander

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I do not own the rights to 'Yu-Gi-Oh', or to 'Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door'. The former is a registered trademark of Konami, and the latter is a registered trademark of Nintendo of America.

BOOK ONE

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DUEL ONE

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Prologue

Shadow of Eyes

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It was the second week of April.

For most students in the United States, it was Spring Break.

At Six Flags America, in Mitchellville, Maryland ('a world apart, but not a world away', from both Baltimore and Washington DC) the final round of the Maryland State Duel Monsters Tournament was taking place, in the middle of Skull Island.

One of the players was a tall, thin kid with a crew cut, a green shirt, and jeans. He had no Monsters in front of him, just two set cards in his Spell Zone. He had 4,000 Life Points remaining.

The other player had 2,500 remaining, but he had a Monster… An odd Spellcaster in black, a peaked hat, a veil covering the lower half of his face, large shoulder pads, and chains attached to his belt that entwined around his torso and right leg. An odd-looking crest was on his belt buckle. (1,500 ATK)

The duelist looked at his opponent's two set cards. He adjusted the hat on his head (a baseball cap that was on backwards) and then drew a card.

'I summon Flelf,' he said.

He played the card, and a Monster appeared in a shower of gold that… Well, that was an elf. He was dressed in a green jerkin, armored leggings, and a long, flowing blue cape. He held a rapier. (800 ATK)

'This could get ugly, people,' said the announcer. 'I hope for Ben's sake that those cards aren't bluffs…'

'Attack him directly!' shouted the duelist, as Flelf rushed towards Ben.

'Oh, they aren't bluffs,' said Ben, as one of them lifted up. 'I activate… A Hero Emerges!

'Now, normally, this would require you to choose a card in my hand at random… But seeing as I only have one card in my hand right now, let's cut right to the chase…'

He threw the one card on his Duel Disk, and there was a flash of energy.

In an aura of light, the armored form of Elemental Hero Bladedge appeared. (2,600 ATK)

'Well, your hero certainly… emerged…' said the other duelist, nervously.

He took a card from his hand, and fit it into his Disk. It quickly materialized behind the two Spellcasters.

'My turn is over…' he said.

'I draw one card…' said Ben, making a draw.

Then he other set card lifted up.

'I activate Enemy Controller!' he shouted. 'Now I can move Gagaga Magician into Defense Mode.'

The odd Spellcaster knelt and assumed a defensive position. (1,000 DEF)

'Next…' said Ben, as he played the card he had just drawn, 'I play Hero Heart. By cutting Bladedge's Attack Score in half, he can attack twice this turn…'

Bladedge fell to an Attack Score of 1,300. Then he made a rush at Flelf, swiping with his blades and cutting the elf in two. Then he swiped with his other blade, cutting Gagaga Magician in twain. The duelist's Life Points fell to 1,700.

'Seems Ben has turned this around 180!' shouted the announcer.

'Or not…' said Ben's opponent.

His facedown Spell Card lifted up.

'I activate Gagagaback!' he said. 'Because one of the Monsters you just destroyed had the word 'Gagaga' in its name, I get to bring back both of them…'

Flelf appeared first (800 ATK) and then Gagaga Magician. (1,500 ATK)

'The downside is…' he continued, 'I now take 600 points of damage per Monster…'

He grunted as a surge of energy struck him, sending his Life Points down to 500.

'Hoping for a Destiny Draw, Stan?' chuckled Ben. 'I end my turn, which means that Bladedge's Attack Score returns to normal.'

(2,600 ATK)

'That happens more often than you may think, Ben…' said Stan. 'My move…'

He drew a card.

'Yeah, this one does the trick…

'First I activate Gagaga Magician's effect… In case you didn't know what that is, I can make his Level any I choose from 1 to 8. For this instance, I'm choosing 6.

Four stars, just like those that indicated the Level of a Monster on its card, appeared on Gagaga Magician's belt. Then two more of them appeared.

'Flelf can also change his Level, in a different way,' continued Stan. 'By revealing a Monster in my hand, like this one…'

He flipped around the card he had drawn, which was Gogogo Golem.

'…Flelf's Level increases by the revealed Monster's Level. That means Flelf is now Level 6 too…

'And because both Gagaga Magician and Flelf are Spellcasters… By combining them, I can build the Overlay Network!'

Flelf and Gagaga Magician turned into particles of energy, which turned into a glowing portal…

'Looks like Stan is going to treat us to one of those new Xyz Summons that we've been hearing so much about,' said the announcer.

'You got it…' said Stan. 'Come on out!'

The crowd gasped as a very familiar looking female Spellcaster leapt out of the portal. She looked almost exactly like a legendary Monster used by a famous duelist of years past… (2,400 ATK)

'It can't be…' gasped Ben. 'Dark Magician Girl?'

'Not quite…' said Stan. 'Magi Magi Magician Girl. Maybe she's Dark Magician Girl in another form, but the jury's still out on that…

'But her effect is a powerful one… By getting rid of one of her Overlay Units and removing one card in my hand from play…'

He discarded Gagaga Magician and then pocketed Gogogo Golem.

'Well, see for yourself…'

Magi Magi Magician Girl pointed her wand, and Bladedge's eyes appeared glazed…

And then he was pulled over to Stan's side of the field.

'HEY!' shouted Ben.

'With Xyzs,' said Stan, as Magi Magi Magician Girl pointed her scepter again, 'it's a whole new game! Dark Burning Blast!'

The Xyz Spellcaster shot a bolt of dark energy, and Ben screamed in pain.

'And now for Bladedge!' shouted Stan.

The Elemental Hero made a rush for Ben, slashing with his swords and knocking him over. Ben collapsed as his Life Points fell to zero.

'Ladies and gentlemen!' exclaimed the announcer, 'we have a winner… Stanley Mason!'

The crowd started to cheer as Stan took a deep breath. He took hold of his hat, and switched it so it was right-side-forward.

The front of the hat had the same odd crest on it that was on Gagaga Magician's belt.

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Several thousand miles away, a figure was seated in a dark room.

The only light in the room came from the television screen that was showing the duel…

…and from the figure's eyes…

'Impressive…' said the figure. 'A new and unorthodox strategy, and yet you have adjusted to it well, Stanley… And your fondness for Spellcasters is one that I can't help but admire…'

The figure sighed.

'You remind me of Damien when he was your age… He would commend you… Posthumously…

'Well, enjoy your glory and your prize now… As dark as your Monsters are, things are going to get darker…'

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The tournament at Six Flags was not the only Duel Monsters Tournament happening at this time. At Kaibaland in Houston, the Houston Regionals were now in their final round.

One of the players was a hulking, bald man about twenty years old, wearing a Gold's Gym t-shirt and jeans.

His field consisted of Don Zaloog (1,400 ATK), Dark Scorpion Meanae the Thorn (1,000 ATK), and two set cards. He had 3,700 Life Points remaining.

His opponent was a teenage girl about sixteen years old. She had flowing blonde hair and a slim figure, on which she wore a jean jacket over a halter top and a cutoff pair of jeans. She had one Monster, a pure white unicorn with a flowing blue mane (1,800 ATK) and two set cards. She had 3,600 Life Points remaining.

She looked at him.

'Your move, Earl…' she said.

Earl made a draw. Then he smirked.

'I summon Dark Scorpion Chick the Yellow!' he shouted.

He played the card, and another member of the Dark Scorpions did a somersault onto the field, the young, blonde-haired member holding a wooden mallet. (1,000 ATK)

'He's not all too strong…' said Earl, as he held a Spell Card forward. 'But that's a good thing, because if he were any stronger, I wouldn't be able to play Secret Pass to the Treasures.'

He played the card.

'That lets him attack directly this turn… But before he does…'

One of his set cards lifted up.

'I'll activate Spell Reclamation. So I toss one card…'

He discarded a card – Dark Scorpion Gorg the Strong.

'And I get that Spell back…'

He took Secret Pass to the Treasures from his discard slot.

'I'll save it for later…' he continued. 'For now… Chick, attack directly with Mallet Mash!'

Chick leapt at the female duelist, ignoring the unicorn and slugging her in the gut with the hammer. She grunted as her Life Points fell to 2,600.

'Now I can use Chick's effect,' said Earl. 'One of them at least… And I'll use the one to send Sunlight Unicorn back to your hand…'

Sunlight Unicorn vanished and the owner frowned as she took the card from her Disk.

'That means Don has a clear shot!' said Earl, as the leader of the Dark Scorpions drew his twin pistols.

He fired and the female duelist grunted again. Her Life Points fell to 1,200.

'Now you lose one card from your hand…' said Earl.

'Why thank you…' said his opponent.

'Eh?' said Earl.

'The only card in my hand is this Sunlight Unicorn that Chick just bounced back there…' she replied.

She discarded it.

'Which means I can use this…'

One of her facedown cards lifted up.

'Call of the Haunted!'

Sunlight Unicorn appeared again. (1,800 ATK)

'Francesca seems to have lucked out for now,' said the announcer. 'But it's gonna take more than that to turn this around…'

'Well, I guess I won't be attacking with Meanae…' said Earl. 'So I'll move her to Defense Mode…'

Meanae knelt, and crossed her arms. (1,800 DEF)

Then Earl's other set card lifted up.

'Then I activate Safe Zone, and hotwire it to Don…'

'A curious maneuver on Earl's part,' said the announcer. 'Safe Zone makes Don Zaloog almost indestructible… What's his game?'

Francesca looked at Earl's last facedown card.

I know what his 'game' is, she thought. Dark Scorpion Combination, a powerful Trap that can only be used when he has all five Dark Scorpions on the field…

He has three right now, and can get the other two with Meanae's effect, along with Chick if I get rid of him… But not Don… If he loses Don, it throws a serious wrench in his plan…

'My move…' she said.

She drew a card.

'All right, muscles,' she said, 'I'm using Sunlight Unicorn's effect… I get to flip the top card on my deck, and if it's an Equip Spell, I get to keep it… If not, I place it at the bottom…'

Everyone in the crowd watched as she slowly took the top card from her deck…

She flipped it around.

'And it's Mage Power!' exclaimed the announcer. 'Not only is it an Equip Spell, but a darn good one!'

'That's right…' said Francesca, as she threw it into her Disk. 'By Equipping it to Sunlight Unicorn, she gains 500 Attack and Defense Points for each Spell and Trap Card I have…'

(3,300 ATK)

'Not gonna do it…' said Earl, nervously.

'But this will…' said Francesca, as she played the card she had drawn this turn. 'Wild Nature's Release. It increases my Beast-Type Monster's Attack Score by her Defense Score…'

Sunlight Unicorn glared at the three Dark Scorpions as a flaming aura surrounded her.

'Keep in mind that Mage Power increased her Defense Score as well as her Attack Score…'

(5,800 ATK)

'Sweet Christmas!' gasped Earl.

'Now attack Don Zaloog!' shouted Francesca.

Sunlight Unicorn charged, using her horn like a lance.

'Safe Zone might protect Don…' said Francesca, 'but it doesn't protect you…'

The sharp horn crashed into the bandit leader, and he was propelled backwards, flying into Earl and knocking them both to the floor as Earl's Life Points plummeted to zero.

'Ladies and gentlemen, Francesca Benedict is the winner!' exclaimed the announcer.

Fran sighed as the crowd started cheering.

Then she shivered in excitement…

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The dark figure was watching the duel conclude.

'I admire your ingenuity, Francesca,' said the figure. 'So clever…

'It's a pity, really… In another place and another time, we could have been allies…

'It might have helped if you had better taste in cards, but I suppose some things can't be avoided, even after so long…'

The figure waved a dark hand, and the channel changed again.

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Disney World, Orlando.

In front of the Epcot Center, the final round of the Florida State Duel Monsters Tournament was in full swing.

One player, a sixteen-year old girl wearing a red dress, a cowboy hat, and pigtails, stood in stark contrast to the rather ugly Fiend she had in front of her: Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World. (1,600 ATK)

Her opponent was a boy about the same age, tall, muscular, wearing a white shirt, a black leather jacket, matching pants, and sunglasses. The Monster he had was both famous and rare… Red-Eyes Black Dragon. (2,400 ATK)

Both players were tied at 3,500 Life Points.

'This isn't over, Andy,' she said, as Beiige moved to Defense Mode. (1,300 DEF)

'I'll set this,' she continued, as a set card flashed into view in her Spell Zone, 'and end my turn...'

'We'll see about that Ronda,' said Andy, as he made a draw.

'Perfect!' he said, as he played it. 'Stamping Destruction! Because I have a Dragon, this destroys your Trap Card and deals 500 points of damage!'

'As if!' laughed Ronda, as the Trap Card lifted up. 'It's a tricky Trap called Dark Deal!

'I give up 1,000 Life Points… Then, step one, your Spell Card's effect is negated… Then, step two, it gains a new effect… It makes me discard one card from my hand at random!'

'You only have one card in your hand…' gasped Andy.

'Guess you're stuck with it!' laughed Ronda.

'Ronda just played Andy for a sucker!' said the announcer as Ronda discarded the card. 'The only question is, just how dangerous is that card?'

There was an explosion of foul black smoke, and Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World, appeared in the center of it. (2,500 ATK)

'Well, pretty darn dangerous, it seems…' he continued.

'Now I use Reign-Beaux's effect,' said Ronda. 'Say bye-bye to Red-Eyes!'

The large Dragon exploded into pixels.

'It's still my move!' shouted Andy.

He set a card in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

'There…' he said. 'Make your move…'

Ronda made a draw.

'Mmm…' she said. 'Beiige, move to Attack Mode…'

The Vanguard stood up. (1,600 ATK)

'Reign-Beaux, attack him directly with Wave of Destruction!'

The Overlord of Dark World pointed his trident, and blasted a bolt of burning dark energy. Andy bent double as it slammed into his stomach and his Life Points fell to 1,000.

'Andy is in trouble!' shouted the announcer, as the crowd started to get riled. 'This may be over!'

'Not yet…' said Andy, as his facedown card lifted up. 'I activate Damage Gate. This Trap lets me Special Summon a Monster from my Graveyard with Attack Points equal to or less than the Life Points I just lost.'

Red-Eyes appeared once again, and roared. (2,400 ATK)

'I end my turn…' said Ronda.

'Then I draw!' shouted Andy.

He drew a card.

'I play Polymerization!' he shouted. 'I'll fuse together Red-Eyes with my Goddess with the Third Eye…'

Shy Guy's Toy Box - Super Mario Wiki, The Mario Encyclopedia

As he played the Spell Card, the young, graceful Fairy in a green gown appeared, her third eye closed…

Then her two regular eyes closed, her third one opened, and she faded from view. A phantasmal image of the Summoned Skull appeared in her place.

A vortex appeared, and both Red-Eyes and the phantom Skull were both drawn through it…

With a bellowing roar, the monstrous form of Black Skull Dragon emerged from the vortex. (3,200 ATK)

'Thirty-two hundred Attack Points?' gasped Ronda.

'I can do better…' said Andy, as he played the last card in his hand. 'Dragon's Mirror! By removing Goddess and Red Eyes from play, I can fuse them together again into a different Monster…'

The two Monsters appeared again, and were drawn into a vortex again…

There was a fierce explosion of fire, and the mighty Meteor Black Dragon appeared next to its counterpart. (3,500 ATK)

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Ronda gulped…

'Attack her Fiends!' shouted Andy. 'Double Meteor Flare!'

Black Skull Dragon and Meteor Black Dragon fired blazing balls of flame from their jowls, incinerating Beiige and Reign-Beaux and throwing Ronda backwards.

Andy sighed as the crowd began to cheer. It seemed he was the winner.

Actually, that was a lot better than most of my dates… he thought.

He sighed as the Monsters vanished. He took off the sunglasses.

Wonder if there's still time to go on Space Mountain today?

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Again, the dark figure was watching.

Well, Andy… she thought, your strategy isn't very subtle… But it works… And I can't argue with success…

The dark figure sighed. The three teenagers had no idea who she was, but she knew plenty about them. She had devoted years to finding them. Waiting for them had been the only thing that had kept her sane…

And after so many years… It was time… Time for the very thing she was waiting for…

She picked up a mobile phone.

'You can start sending out the invitations…' she said.

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Coming up next:

Stan: Arcadia… There's a place that draws interest…

It's an island nation that, up to a year ago, has purposely remained isolated, limiting its diplomatic and trade deals with other countries and discouraging people from visiting there.

And it wasn't like other isolated countries like Iran… The goals of places like that are well-known. Arcadia was a mystery.

It all seemed to change last year, and they opened their doors slightly… We found out that, for one, Duel Monsters is popular there… And now it seems that I have an invitation to a super-deluxe tournament that their parliament wants to hold?

A push to seriously promote tourism? Maybe… But it seems a chance to actually go somewhere with my deck.

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'Future Glow' is coming soon.