Prologue: In which we are introduced to our protagonists (Good guys, for those who don’t know what a protagonist is)

Name: Kenni Pairotekku (Kenny Pyroteck)
Age: 8
Gender: Male
Background: He is small, and young, therefore, quite vulnerable. Quite prone to being snatched up by fan girls going “WAI! What a cutie!” and the like. It may send many a guy jealous of him, but he’d gladly trade at times. More of his heritage comes later in the story. Even though fan girls bug him all the time, he is not above having crushes. Some have even included teachers and older classmates- he has a high intelligence from his parents, and so, he is put in high school classes- and as a result of these crushes, he is prone to blush around girls.
Duelling Style: Flip Effect/Fiends/Staple Based

Name: Ruokeba “Ruo” Gaado (Roo-oh-kay-bah Gar-doe)
Age: 15
Gender: Male
Background: A bit of a playboy, he is the first of Kenni’s “bodyguards”. Listening to him talk and actually understanding it is a task in itself, because of his heavy Texan accent ((therefore the author will probably have to put an entire chapter around Ruo’s words ^_^;)). He often teases his little prot้g้e, but out of kindness. He is the stronger of the pair, but is a short-tempered Texan, with a shorter fuse on pulling out his sword, handed down to him by his father.
Duelling Style: Water/Offensive

Name: Kazimo “Kazi” Teru (Kah-zee-moe T-air-ru)
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Background: The other of Kenni’s bodyguards, he is the smarter of the two. While Ruo’s the brawn, he’s the brain, and is often the one to put Ruo in his place when Ruo loses his temper. When Ruo is being stupid, or perhaps a bit playboy-ish, he is there straight away with a “KONG!” and “Omae (Hentai) Bakadan!” ((Omae=You (Impolite, only to be used with people you hate or are quite close to), Hentai=Slightly perverted, someone who is a pervert and takes part in perverted acts, Bakadan=Idiot (Full version of Baka, which is same meaning))) He is the one who cares more about Kenni’s safety and well-being. His affection to Kenni can be mistaken as homosexuality, but that is not the case. He gives love to Kenni, but that of like a father or mother would give their child.
Duelling Style: Machines/Strategic/Slightly Defensive/Dark/Staple Based

[ Chapter One: Our Intro ]

Naomi-Sensei: Pairotekku-san!
Kenni: *is asleep, but wakes up abruptly* Hai! ((Hai! = Yes!))
Naomi-Sensei: Class is over… I hope you had a nice sleep.

Kenni looked up at his History teacher. Naomi-Sensei wore glasses, and her slightly long brown hair puffed down to her shoulders. She had a somewhat pretty face, even if it was stern at times, like now. Kenni felt himself blush as she looked at her.

Naomi-Sensei: What are you thinking about?
Kenni: Thinking about when I did the Byzantine Empire.
Naomi-Sensei: *smirks, knowing what he must have been thinking, judging by his blush* You’d better run along, before you miss the bus home.
Kenni: I thought you know, Naomi-Sensei. I don’t have a home.

Kenni got off from his desk, looking saddened. Naomi-Sensei looked a little guilty at reminding him about a sore spot.

Kenni: Wait for me!

He was too late. The bus had gone. Some of the older guys pulled the Bi Da face at him, ((Pulling the lower eyelid down, while poking the tongue out)), as the girls looked at him sympathetically.

Heather: Missed it again?
Kenni: Rioka-san?

He turned around to see Heather Rioka, the class representative. She had a few cute freckles, and she had caring eyes, blue and concerned. Kenni felt himself go red again.

Heather: Hai. I take it you missed the bus again, Pairotekku-kun.
Kenni: *sadly* Hai…
Heather: Aww… I’ll give you a lift, ne? ((Ne? = Eh?))
Kenni: Arigatou, Rioka-san!

Heather smiled at him, and helped Kenni onto her bike, before getting on herself. After he was told to hold on tight, Kenni blushed again, as he held Heather around the waist, to stop himself from falling off. She pedalled on.

She dropped him off by the beach, where Kenni has asked her to stop.

Heather: Ja ne, Pairotekku-kun! ((Ja ne = See ya, or along those lines))
Kenni: Ja ne, Rioka-san!

He sighed and looked on at her, longingly, blushing, as she rode away. It would be another two days until he saw her again. It was Friday, after all. He walked along the beach’s sandy floor, and looked at his reflection in the water.

He was a small boy of eight years. His short, spiked red hair, spiked backwards, and a little tufty fringe going over his face, blew in the wind. His ruby red eyes scanned the face staring back at him. He had a cute little face that sent all the fan girls wild. His eyes looked down onto the opposite boy’s body. Small, not scrawny shrimpy, but not muscular either. Short, but not too short, yet not tall. He sighed again, and picked up a stone. He tossed it into the water. It skimmed three times, before going under.

He gently sang to himself, singing “Zankoku na Tenshi no Te-Ze” ((The Cruel Angel’s Thesis, inside joke for Evangelion fans)). He didn’t noticed some fanatic girls coming up behind.

Girl 1: WAI! Kenni-chan has such a CUTE singing voice!
Girl 2: Sing some more, for us, Kenni-chan!
Kenni: ‘I was being watched!’ *Hwaa!* ((Sound effect for the heavy anime sigh, with the little cloud puff.))

Ruo: So, ya getting bugged bah the girlies agin, ne, Kenni-chan? ((Bah=By, Ya=You’re/You, Agin=Again))

Kenni looked up at who spoke. It was Ruo, his bodyguard. He looked at his friend. He was tall, and fifteen years of age. He had a goofy grin on, long blue hair, scruffy and reaching down to his butt, wearing a school uniform, of a very known school that was known for average knowledge students.

Kenni: Ruo-san! Help me! *to the girls* Hanase! Hanase! ((Hanase=Let me go in Japanese))
Girl 3: Aww! He said he loves us in Spanish!
Girls: Aww!
Ruo & Kenni: -_-;
Ruo: Awraht! Show’s ovuh! Kenni-chan’s beat fer thuh day!

The girls scattered off, and Ruo dusted Kenni off with a firm hand.

Ruo: Tahm ta take ya home, ne?
Kenni: Hai, Ruo-san.

Ruo picked his small friend up and flopped the boy onto his back, holding Kenni’s legs tight to stop him from falling off, and gave him a piggyback ride. Soon, they reached a fast food joint. Ruo took them inside, and got some orders, three orders, oddly enough, while Kenni got a table for three.

[ Chapter Two: The Spider Spinning the Web ]

Ruo came back to the table Kenni had saved, with a tray laden with a kid’s meal, a burger, and a heap of fries.

Ruo: The usual order! A kiddie meal for the kiddie, a burger for me, and frahs for Kazi.
Kenni: Hope he gets here soon.
Ruo: Ah, he otta get ‘ere soon anyweh!

The door opened and in strode in a boy of about sixteen, with white hair, spiked about like lightning sparks. He was wearing the uniform of a school of a well known school of intelligent boys, and he got a few wolf whistles about how “hot” he looked from some girls, as he walked towards Kenni and Ruo’s table, holding some packets behind his back.

Kenni: Right on time.
Kazi: Yep! ^_^ Were you expecting any later from the master of speed?
Ruo: Aww, never(!)
Kazi: Omae bakadan!
Kenni: ^_^; Uh, well, did you get them, Kazi?
Kazi: *pretends to look curious* Get what? *grins* Oh, these?

He pulled what seemed like six card booster packets. One was decorated with Atemu standing ready to duel, with a giant web behind him. The other also had Atemu in a duel stance, but this time with a fierce, techno looking Black Magician behind him.

Ruo: Awraht! *high-fives Kazi*
Kazi: Yep! Two new booster packs have come out! Naturally, I was first in line.
Kenni: So, what are these new boosters called?
Kazi: Have a look for yourself.

He tossed two packets to Ruo, and two to Kenni.

Kenni: Web of Mayhem, and Gear Powered Gods? These sound like themed boosters.
Kazi: I asked the guy at the store. He said WOM deals with Insects, and GPG deals with Machines.
Kenni: *stops eating, too quickly, and starts choking*

Ruo slapped him on the back quickly, to get it out, to no avail. Kenni was starting to turn blue, until Kazi administered a Heimlich manoeuvre, making the small boy cough up a piece of his meal.

Kazi: Still got the fear of bugs, ne?
Kenni: *looks miserable* Hai…
Ruo: Ya still ain’t told muh whah ya got that fear anyweh.
Kenni: I don’t want to talk about it.
Kazi: Well, don’t worry, only a quarter of WOM are Insects at least.

He sighed. He knew why Kenni had such an insect phobia. He didn’t want to Ruo to read into it so much though. He gently started to unbutton his uniform, feeling hot. There were more catcalls, like “Take it all off, honey!” He sighed with a “Hwaa!” and took his school jacket off, still wearing a tie and white shirt.

Kenni gulped and opened his first packet, WOM, to get any cards out of the way. They looked okay, until he reached the Rare inside. He dropped it paralysed with fear.

Kenni: *scared like hell* Ta-Ta-Ran-Chew-La…
Kazi: Tarantula? Oh, yeah, the guy in the store said there was a new card, like Insect Queen, called Tarantula. Is the picture scary or something?
Kenni: Kinda…

He handed Kazi quickly, willing to get rid of it. Kazi looked at it. The picture had darkness surrounding a large tarantula, threateningly about to eat an egg or something.

Kazi: Yeesh! That is creepy! I don’t blame ya, Kenni.
Kenni: I’m not taking that card…
Kazi: Sure, I bet someone could use it. Just leave it here, and someone’ll probably pick it up.

Kenni nodded and opened his other packet, of GPG. He got to the Rare this time, beaming.

Kenni: I like this one.
Kazi: What is it?
Kenni: Black Shock Magician. It has a shiny, glittery picture and gold writing, so that means it’s something like Secret Rare, doesn’t it?

He handed the card to Kazi again. He looked at it. It looked like Black Magician, with high tech mechanical outfitting on, and it was holding a staff topped with a small Android Psycho Shocker head.

Kazi: Yep. Lucky you, kid! All I got was Black Shock Factory, Super Rare.
Ruo: Ah got Fusion Machine, Rare.
Kenni: What does it do?
Ruo: Ah can fuse two monsters on the field together. But they dun haf ta be mahn. Ah can fuse one of mah monsters with theirs, or Ah can fuse two of his. Or if Ah’m playing team matches… Well ya get thuh ahdeer.

They all nodded, content with what they had received in their packets, except with the Tarantula card incident. They all left their Insect cards there, and got up from the table. They left the restaurant.

A scrawny looking boy, wearing lots of insect like items, including an Egyptian scarab amulet, and spider bracelets, noticed all the cards on the table, especially the Ultra Rare Tarantula card. He noted that he had been looking a long time for one, picking it up and sniggering.

Chapter Three: A Tournament in the Wings

The morning sun rose and shone through Kenni’s window. He lived with Ruo and Kazi in their apartment. Kenni was snuggled up in bed, a mattress on the floor like the Japanese do, the covers wrapped round him. He stirred and looked so sweet in his sleep. His alarm went off. He didn’t notice it. He didn’t tell it had gone off, as he’d slept right through it. Ruo hadn’t slept through it though. He opened the door and looked in.

Ruo: Aww(!) Ain’t that sweet? Hey, kid! Wake up!

There was no reaction from Kenni, who was still fast asleep.

Ruo: _ Hmmm… *spots a bucket of water with a note on it* “To Ruo-san, if Ah haven’t woken up after mah alarm has gone off, please throw this on me.” Well, if ya say so! *hurls the water on Kenni*

He sat upright, shivering from the impact. He sneezed cutely, sitting there in his pyjamas.

Kenni: I take it you got the note?
Ruo: Nah, (No) Ah jus wanted to do it anyweh.
Kenni: Well, thanks, anyway…
Ruo: Nah, ((Now)) we gotta go, so get outta bed… *yanks the covers off*

Kenni shivered and sneezed again. Ruo dragged him by the neck of his pyjamas, out of bed, and left him to get dressed.

Supplementary: Web of Mayhem (WOM), Gear Powered Gods (GPG), Web of Mayhem (FMB)