Toon Pendulum Chapter 1 (Patreon)

Yugioh Arc-V parody: Bad Day/Tier 1

Toon Pendulum

Yuuya wishes to entertain people and put smiles on people’s faces. So he uses a deck full of fun and wacky toons to entertain, though they are usually high level so he does brick, and even when he does bring them out he plays around too much and gets into trouble.

Chapter 1

In the universe of Standard, Action Duels are all the rage. Made possible by Solid Vision, starting in Paradise City before reaching around the world. Using hard light it creates a field based on the Action Field chosen. The modified terrain is fully interactive and very real,  so it can be dangerous if treated as a joke. The monsters are also made real thanks to the advanced technology, so people can actually touch on them, ride on them, and use them to grab Action Cards which are scattered about the field.

This new system took dueling to a whole new level.

Some new rules came into play of course. To prevent Duelists from hording Action Cards, they could only hold one at a time. These cards were also divided into both Spells and Traps, picking up a trap could lead to big trouble as it goes off as soon as it is touched, often punishing the user. The types of cards also varied on the field chosen.

Understanding and making use of said cards can turn the tide of battle. It wasn’t just the next draw that could change someone’s fate but the next card they picked up.

Duels were much more interactive, and duelists began to favor certain duel fields and action cards. Many duelists even dug the danger, there was an extra touch some spice that made dueling even more exciting. Audiences loved it!

Because duels were more interactive and sporty, there came a debate on physical interaction between the duelists themselves. Some duelists saw no issue in physically assaulting a duelist to prevent them from getting action cards. It was highly questionable if it was fair or sporting.

Some tournaments made it forbidden for duelists to touch each other during duels, there were enough hazards in Action Duels after all. A few companies believed the point of Action Duels were the Action Cards, so preventing duelists from using the cards was frowned upon. How fair would it be if a duelist grabbed another and prevented them from drawing, setting cards, or summoning? Talk about boring.

Said companies only made it clear that the duelists couldn’t touch each other, or risk facing a penalty, but at the same time there wasn’t a rule on the monsters playing interference.

Plus physically assaulting someone was a clear red flag. Other companies saw no issue with it, claiming sports like Football and Hockey had contact and it made things more exciting. This lack of solid rule enforcement allowed duelists to perform underhanded tactics to trip up or jack up an opponent.

Junior Leagues for kids and young people, had stricter rules, as to teach morals and good sportsmanship to the youth. Sadly that didn’t prevent the young adults and grown people who came to Action Duels later from abusing the lack of consistent rules and regulations.

Because Action Duels were a main source of entertainment different styles bloomed. Entertainment Duels, Cooking Duels, Sports Duels, Quiz Duels, Divination Duels, Martial Arts Duels, Heavystrong Duels, Comedy Duels, Horror Duels, Western Duels, Nature Duels, and even Erotic Duels to name a few. Each of them had their own unique fans and consumers, even broadcast on specific channels.

With so many styles it was only natural that schools specializing in said style tended to pop up. In Paradise City the most prestigious school was known as Leo Duel School aka LDS. The school offered courses for Fusion Summoning, Synchro Summoning, and Xyz Summoning. They taught the basics, and people of this universe didn’t know of the more advanced techniques.

Our story begins in a smaller school, one that seeks to promote Entertainment Dueling! You Show School!

They had a total of five students currently, three junior class members and two senior students. Yuuya Sakaki and Yuzu Hiiragi. Her father Syuzo Hiiragi owns and runs the school. He was friends with Yuuya’s father and mother. After Yusyo disappeared he became like a father figure to Yuuya.

Yusyo had become the number one duelist in the world, his duels put smiles on people’s faces. His duels sold out and had high ratings. Yuuya was so proud of him, and proud to be his son! Then one day...he vanished…

He was supposed to duel another pro duelist, the event was set up months in advanced, the hype built up with each passing week. Then when the time came...he didn’t show up.

Yusyo Sakaki disappeared, and became known as a joke and a coward. Yuuya was devastated, and he worked hard to become a great entertainer like his father...but…

The tomato head was a bit confused. He was acting more like a clown than a performer. Even his dueling skills weren’t great, he often bricked and thus got his ass kicked in every duel he played. His win to lose ratio was awful!

Instead of grabbing Action Cards he often wasted time cracking jokes and playing the fool. He was under the impression having people laugh at him was the same thing as laughing with him or for his performance. Sadly his “jokes” were coming off as childish, trying too hard, and frankly obnoxious. The fact his dueling skills weren’t strong, made his goofing around worse.

His deck was made of Toon monsters. Sakaki loved cartoons, they were so fun and silly, they were able to put smiles on people’s faces. Even for adults it reminded them of their youth, and some cartoons were so timeless they lasted for ages. Yuuya made his deck completely of Toons but didn’t have a proper strategy with them. He ran three of every high level Toon available, which caused him to not be able to summon anything, which left him open to attacks, aka bricking!

By the time he was able to summon anything his opponent had plenty of time to set up and prepare, so he walked into spells, traps, and monster effects! He couldn’t even show off the wonder of Toon monsters, before he was stomped!

So when he was going to duel Strong Ishijima it was seen as a bad idea. Ishijima was the duelist who his dad was gonna fight, and has since become a champion of the Pro League.

Yuuya wanted to win this duel for his father. Was he ready? Nope!

Despite his many loses he didn’t learn from them, he just laughed them off. He was ignoring advice from his teacher and his friends.

Strong was the poster child for LID now, so challenging him was a problem. Hiiragi was against it, Nico was clearly wanting Yuuya to be a piece of meat for the grinder, a glorified show pony for Strong to crush. Smiley didn’t deny it, instead offered to give You Show the latest and greatest Solid Vision technology for free.

Hiiragi changed his tune only to be smacked by his daughter. Sakaki had a lot to think about. He gazed at his pendant while wearing his goggles. ‘Things don’t change...I haven’t changed...I haven’t moved forward at all…’ His father told him that when he cried or felt like crying he should laugh instead, summon the biggest laugh he could muster. It was a complex bit advice given to a child who had little understanding of the world, let alone life and their emotions.

‘I’ll start to have fun once I start laughing, and it will become the energy I need to keep going!’ He swayed the pendant, it was a pendulum, the more you push, the more it comes back. His dad’s advice ran through his head.

“Dueling…” Two duelists go back and forth, the pendulum sways back and forth with each person’s turn, every summon, set card, spell activated, or trap sprung it caused an effect opening up new possibilities. Dueling was so amazing so fun...he loved it...even though he lost…

Right now, he was scared of facing Strong. He knew, he knew he wasn’t a good a duelist as his father. His father said he couldn’t do anything frozen in fear, he had to have courage to step forward if he wanted to win.

‘This sucks...I want to win...I want to be like dad...I want to be a pro…’ Every time he lost he laughed, every time people mocked him and his deck he laughed, every time people called his father a joke or a coward he…

Tears welled up in his eyes. ‘I wanna cry...this sucks...Dad I’m sorry I...I don’t think I’m good enough...I…I’m scared...I’m weak...I’m a failure...’

Suddenly his goggles were lifted up. “Mom?!” The tall woman smiled and waved.

Yoko Sakaki stood next to him. “Were you crying sweetie?” He wiped his eyes.

“No way, hahaha, no tears here!” He smiled brightly.

“You know, it’s okay to cry dear.” She patted his shoulder.

“But dad said…” Yoko sighed.

The woman pulled her son in for a hug. “Your father was many things, but he wasn’t the best at giving advice.” She rubbed the back of his head. “It’s okay to be scared, it’s okay to be sad, it’s okay to be lost sometimes.”

“Huh?”

His mother pulled back and got to his level. “Yuuya...the problem comes when people let their fear keep them from moving forward and trying new things, when they allow their sadness to take away their strength and become chained down, even when lost people don’t reach out and ask for help.”

She cupped his cheek. “I’ve seen a lot of your duels, I can see that things bother you, that you clown around to hide it. You don’t ask for help, you act so tough like nothing bothers you and you’re okay, but you don’t have to put on a fake smile…”

“My smile is fake…” He trembled. “But how…”

“I’m your mother, I’ve raised you and been there for you, good times and bad. You can’t fool me sweetie!”

“Was Dad ever scared?”

“Hmm...in some ways yes, but he found excitement in it, like someone who goes through haunted houses at festivals.” For some it was fun to be scared. “Your father was always a bold one, jumping into things without a second thought, but you need to know it got him into trouble more than once.”

She poked his cheek. “I can tell you I’ve been sad and scared before, but I’ve never let it get the best of me. These feelings help one process.” She smiled at him. “Tell me how you really feel.”

His hand balled into a fist. “I don’t know what to do mom...I’m scared...I miss dad...I want to entertain people and make them smile...I love my deck but I struggle dueling...but I wanna keep dueling...I wanna be a pro!” He didn’t want to give up, he didn’t want to run away!

“That’s my boy!” Smack! She slapped his back proudly. “If you wanna be a duelist, become an entertainer, go pro. I’ll support you, you don’t have to do it all alone!”

Yoko loved her husband but she wanted to deck him right now. Her husband’s fame came on the back of many failures, trial and error, but to their son he was perfect, and his words gospel. The advice he had received as a child needed way more context and explaining.

She found her son at a crossroads, he was scared of Strong, but she had a feeling he would charge in and challenge him for his father’s sake. He wouldn’t be prepared and he’d be crushed, and this loss would have pushed him too far. Yuuya wasn’t processing his sadness properly, someday a straw would fall that’d break him, and he wouldn’t be able to bounce back.

Yuuya was holding in too much, and trying to shoulder everything. While he was laughing things off, doubt seeped into the cracks and took root in him. He was trying to be like his father, at least the version of his father everyone saw. The Star, the great entertainer, the legend.

Never realizing he didn’t need to fill his shoes, but forge his own path. His father wasn’t perfect, he didn’t fear the future, only because he lived in the now, and he also didn’t let the past hold him back in a way that rubbed people the wrong way. He could cause a whole mess but once today became tomorrow, he forgot all about yesterday. It left them with more trouble than Yoko cared to admit.

If you asked her, Yuuya would be an even greater duelist than his father, in his own way.

Her son was like a classic bike or car, full of potential to really get going, it just needed a tune up. “Come on sweetie let’s go!”

“Go where?” He held her hand.

“To the card shop, if you are are gonna face Strong, your deck needs a tune up.” He blushed.

“You think I can beat him?”

“Yuuya sweetie, anything is possible, but this will all depend on you. You aren’t your father and you don’t have to be, you can entertain people your way. That’s what I wanna see your way!”

“My way?” His heart fluttered. He was always trying to do what his dad did, and when he didn’t he laughed and joked. All the heavy thoughts of what he was doing wrong? He never blamed his deck, so put the weight on himself, but instead of crying and getting upset he laughed. Laughing without properly processing, putting on the fake smile, as if everything was fine. He was lying to himself. His dueling was missing something, he wasn’t giving it his all, he was too busy trying to be his dad, not himself!

They made it to the card shop and they started buying up packs left and right. “Hmm which one should I get?” There were two packs he had his eye on. “Let’s let fate decide.” He let the pendulum swing and something in his heart chose.

In this pack were some strange cards Yuuya had never seen before. Pendulum Cards!

To be continued...Toons vs Battleguard