Disclaimer: I don’t own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s. Only Ethan and the wizard are mine.
Chapter One- Bitter Rival
The cheers of the crowd roared through the stadium as the duel came to an end. The people chanted, “Jack! Jack! Jack!” Said person faced the crowd and waved an arm as he turned to wave to all four sections before approaching his opponent who had risen to his feet. “Good game, Greiger,” he said, holding out a hand.
“It was. I thought I had you a couple of times,” Greiger said with a smile. “I’ll be wanting a rematch, you know.” He took the hand.
“Of course. I look forward to it.”
The two men departed for opposite end of the stadium, Jack grinning as he did so. It was good to be the Duel King. He was paid well, lived in a plush place, and had wealthy sponsors. All three things, including the sponsors, hinged on his ability to keep winning. That Jack did well. He had a powerful deck that never failed to win him a match. He gained a crowd of fans and loyal fans who always came to watch and cheer him on.
Speaking of which, here come some now, he thought as some of his youngest fans, kids, lined the walls of the corridor. Some smiled at him while others yelled his name. He beamed at them and then his eyes landed on a boy with wide blue eyes whose fingers fluttered about in what seemed like a random fashion, but Jack knew better: The boy was using sign language. Jack had been taught sign language for such an eventuality and he practiced it every day. The boy’s fingers spelled out his name and then drew them up his head to indicate Jack’s hairstyle. How cute. He invented a sign for my name.
“Hi,” Jack signed. “What’s your name?”
“Ethan,” was the reply. “Mr. Atlas? May I have your autograph?” He pulled out a notebook and a pen with a hopeful look.
“Yes, of course.” Jack took the book and pen and scrawled his name as well as a personal message to the boy. He handed both back and signed, “By the way, I liked the sign you came up for my name. Share it with your friends.”
Ethan put his things away and signed, “Thank you. I will.”
Jack smiled and patted Ethan’s shoulder before moving on. He knew he had just brightened Ethan’s day by stopping to speak with him. He enjoyed being around the kids. Only with them was he warm; to adults he was cold and aloof. He displayed warm or cold to his opponents, depending on who they were. Greiger was one of the former. He was a likeable man and cared about kids just like he did. Those two traits made their rivalry a friendly, easygoing one.
Jack’s thoughts carried him from the locker room, down the sidewalk, and to the docks. His mind ran through his schedule of upcoming duels. He had a duel with a Kalin Kessler tomorrow morning and one with Officer Tetsu Trudge in the afternoon. Tonight, however, he would be dueling Hunter Pace. The thought of Hunter made Jack roll his eyes.
Hunter Pace was his most persistent rival and one to whom he was cold. Hunter had been the Duel King until Jack defeated him a little over a year ago. Since then, he’s been challenging Jack every two or three weeks, but losing every time. One would think that he would give up and realize that his glory days are over. Even I know that one day I’ll lose and someone else will be Duel King or Queen.
Jack was on Hunter’s mind while Jack had been dueling Greiger. The redhead had been watching that duel before double-checking his cards and strategies for his duel tonight. His deck was a solid one; red-hot and clever. It was the best deck he ever made and yet it wasn’t enough to beat Jack. He growled to himself as he put it away. “The only way I’m going to beat Jack would be if he didn’t show up. A no-show is a loss and the challenger would be the new Duel King. The thing is Jack’s never late so he’ll keep winning.”
“Never late, you say?” a voice said suddenly. Hunter whipped his head to his left to see a man with gray hair and long sweeping crimson robes sitting on the bench beside him. “Who the hell are you?” he demanded.
“Just a traveling wizard,” he said. “I sense those who could benefit from my help and teleport myself there. Tell me what troubles you, young man?”
Hunter briefly wondered why this wizard would ask about his troubles if he could sense that Hunter could benefit from his help but then chose not to question it. “I’m dueling a rival tonight who took my title of Duel King more than a year ago. I’ve challenged him repeatedly since then but he always wins. I feel my title was taken from me unfairly. If Jack were to not show tonight, I would win automatically and be the King again.”
“I see. You would benefit from my help and I believe I know just the items to help you.” He reached into his robes and pulled out a capped dart and a medallion. “This is a two-fold plan. This dart contains a formula to change a human into a merperson.”
“Merperson? So, merpeople are real?”
“Oh, yes, they exist. They used to live peacefully with humans until we believed they were just a myth.
“Once Jack has changed, put his medallion against his throat. It will draw his voice and human memories into itself as long as you state it. Without his voice and memories and being a permanent merman, Jack won’t show and can’t tell anyone what you did because he can’t speak and won’t remember.”
Hunter grinned. “That’s perfect. So, how much do you want? I assume you’re selling them to me for a price.”
“You assume correctly. I understand that pro duelists are paid a fee to appear at their scheduled duels.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“I would accept, at most, half of tonight’s fee as payment. I will meet you in the concourse of the stadium where you will pay me once you are declared the winner. I warn you though; if you try to stiff me, I will turn you into a jackass as punishment.”
Hunter gulped before saying, “I’ll pay you. I swear it!”
The wizard smiled as he handed over the dart and medallion. “Then, it’s a deal.”
“Great, but I have no idea where Jack is right now.”
The wizard produced a glass ball. “Place your hand on this and think of Jack. I will then ask my seeing sphere for his location.”
Hunter did as instructed. He focused on Jack’s appearance as he put a hand on the glass. He saw the wizard chant in an unknown language; at least unknown to him. The sphere glowed white and the center cleared to show Jack standing on an isolated dock.
“Perfect,” the wizard said as the sphere ceased glowing and the image faded. “Now is the time to use the items. You’ll be able to push him into the water once you’ve used the medallion.”
“Yes. That is perfect.” Hunter got up. “I’m heading there right now.”
“Good luck, Hunter,” the wizard murmured as the duelist ran off. His magical senses had indeed told him that this man could use his help. He believed Hunter’s story, though it wasn’t entirely true that Hunter lost his title unfairly, but the wizard didn’t know that. He had had the dart on him for a time and when told about Jack, he knew the dart would be perfect for getting rid of Jack.
The medallion was an all-purpose item. It would do whatever the holder wanted. In this case, he suggested that it would take Jack’s voice and human memories. He would be unable to speak or remember being human, but he would still have his name and whatever skills he possessed or learned. He’ll be able to make a life for himself in the sea, the wizard thought. Maybe he’ll catch a mermaid’s eye and end up marrying her.
Chapter Two- Stolen
Jack closed his eyes as he felt the breeze on his face. He had moved to a tall cliff not far from the dock he had been at; the view of the open ocean was impressive and was one of Jack’s favorite views. I can’t stay too much longer. I do have a rematch with Hunter; as much as I enjoy being paid to duel, I’m growing tired of Hunter’s constant challenges. He should give up. He’ll never be the Duel King again.
“Well. Fancy meeting you here, Jack,” came Hunter’s drawling voice from behind. “Not hard to spot you as this cliff’s quite high.” Hunter had arrived to see Jack heading for the cliff and casually followed, catching his breath as he did so as he had run for the docks.
Jack turned to see his rival with a confident smirk on his face. “I would say the same about you. What brings you here?”
“I’m here to reclaim my title.”
“Really? If you think I’ll let you win, you’re crazy.”
“I don’t want you to let me win. I want you to forfeit by not showing up tonight.”
Jack scowled as he stalked over to Hunter and seized his jacket. “Listen, Hunter. We will be dueling tonight. I’d rather die than-,” He trailed off as he felt a prick in his abdomen. He gasped it and pulled it out before shooting Hunters a death glare. “What,” he began weakly. “What did you do?”
“I stuck you with a formula that will insure that I become the Duel King again. Oh, don’t worry, it won’t kill you,” he said, the last part as a result of the look of horror on Jack’s face. “But it will guarantee that you won’t be at our duel or any duel in the future.” Hunter laughed as Jack gave a groan and he collapsed to the ground as his legs gave way.
Jack landed on his right side and propped himself up before turning his eyes to his legs. They looked limp and appeared to be twitching toward one another and yet he couldn’t feel them moving. His legs drew together and then a long fishtail ripped through the middle of his pants. It was white with matching fins and down the length of the front and back was a wide blue stripe. The fins flicked side to side and then the lower third of the tail moved up and down, slapping the rocky ground and Jack actually felt the rocks under the tail. Oh, God! That tail is attached to me! In fact, that’s where my legs should be!
He looked up at Hunter. “So, this is your plan? Turning me into a…a…merman? You seriously think this will stop me?”
“I do. The formula is irreversible.”
Jack smirked. “You are crazy. I can simply swim up to someone and tell them what happened.”
“No, you won’t.” Hunter pulled out the medallion, crouched down near Jack, and pressed it to the merman’s throat. “Jack, with this medallion, I remove your voice and all memory of being human.” The medallion glowed, drawing Jack’s voice into itself and Jack’s eyes went blank as his memories of human life were taken from him. The medallion ceased glowing and Hunter shoved the still recovering merman off the edge and into the water below. The redhead smirked. “Good luck, Jack. You’re going to need it.” He turned and started making his way to the stadium to claim his title and pay the wizard. After that, I’ll look over Jack’s dueling schedule and see who my opponents will be.
Jack floated down through the water before he flicked his tail to halt his descent. He put a hand to his head and shook it. What happened? I feel a little…strange, almost empty. He opened his eyes and looked around. He didn’t recognize this part of the sea and concluded that he was far from home…or was he? He couldn’t remember where his home was and wasn’t sure where to start looking for other merpeople. Thanks to the dart, Jack now had basic merpeople knowledge and skills such as swimming with a tail and a rather unusual ability he was about to discover.
“Are you lost?” came a young voice.
Jack turned to see a small fish looking at him with concern. His mouth dropped at hearing a talking fish. His lips moved to ask how the fish was talking, but no sound came out. He put a hand to his throat as he continued to try to talk. I can’t speak! What happened to my voice? He settled for nodding at the fish as he gestured to the depths around him with a lost look in his eyes.
“I can take you to the nearest village and introduce you to the governor who runs the place as the king lives elsewhere,” the fish offered.
Jack nodded gratefully to him and followed him to the sea bottom and then along it. Jack looked around, feeling as if he was seeing his environment and sea life for the first time. But, that’s ridiculous. I’ve lived in the sea my whole life; at least I think I did. Jack felt frustrated. He knew his name and a few skills though he wasn’t sure which ones, but he couldn’t remember his home, his family, or his life. He was a lost, scared merman and wanted someone to know him and help him recover his memories. And if not, I suppose I could build a new life.
They came to a ridge and the fish stopped. Jack did too and gaped at the village that spread out before him. As he continued to follow the fish, he looked around him. He saw tall department buildings, short small businesses, fish and other sea creatures swimming about, and lots of merpeople all laughing, talking, and shopping. The place was so new to him and yet it seemed familiar. Perhaps I live in a village like this and maybe it was a little smaller.
His presence didn’t go unnoticed. Those he passed would turn and he felt they were staring after him. He glanced back at one point to see a merboy had turned to look. There was something about his wide eyes that was familiar. I feel like I’ve seen eyes like that only a different color. He looked away to keep swimming and saw merpeople ahead of him had turned to stare and moved to let him and his guide pass. They weren’t staring in a rude way; more of curiosity for he was a stranger and they wondered who he was. I would enjoy the attention if I wasn’t feeling so empty and lost. He didn’t know who he had been before being found by the fish, so any confidence he used to have was gone.
A large manor house sat before the village and it was here that the fish led Jack. They passed merpeople who looked like servants as they swam by and Jack glimpsed rooms as they swam down a hall. They came to a double-doored room with the doors wide open and sitting at a desk was a stately merman with gray hair and pale blue eyes.
“Governor Rex Goodwin,” the fish said. “I found a lost merman, but I don’t know his name as he can’t speak.”
Goodwin dismissed the fish before shifting his eyes to Jack. “Is that true? You can’t speak?” Jack moved his lips soundlessly. “All right then. Where did you come from?” Jack gave a shrug. “Do you know where you are?” Jack shook his head. “Clearly this is a case of amnesia. Do you know your name?” Jack nodded and Goodwin held up his hands and decided to try something. He used his hands to say, “Can you sign it?”
Jack’s face lit up at seeing something he knew and signed, “Jack. My name’s Jack.”
Goodwin smiled. “Ah, you know sign language. You can speak to me that way.”
Jack’s hands moved quickly as he signed, “I recently lost my voice somehow. I know I talked before but I can’t remember how I lost it or how to get it back. I can’t remember my life before now.”
“It sounds like whatever caused your amnesia took your voice as well. That’s very unusual. In any event, I invite you to live with me until you can recall where you live and how you lost your voice.”
Jack saw no reason not to accept Goodwin’s invitation as he bowed and signed, “Thank you,” gratefully.
Chapter Three- Link Forged
Goodwin led Jack out of the office and toward the guest rooms. He felt sympathy for Jack’s situation. He had no memory of anything save his name and sign language and, no doubt, any merpeople abilities that came naturally to them. That is fortunate; if we couldn’t talk to sea life who knows where Jack might have ended up.
“Jack, while you’re here, might I suggest befriending others your age and maybe even play with the kids.” He looked back to see genuine interest in Jack’s eyes. I think I hit upon one of Jack’s interests. Good. I should assign someone to accompany Jack; someone who knows sign language and can translate for him. He blinked as he came out of his thoughts and saw his heir, Yusei, approaching. Yusei had been the son of a dear friend and when the boy had been born, Goodwin was named his godfather. Several months after Yusei’s birth, both of his parents perished and he became the boy’s guardian and been raising him to be governor after him. It was a plan that both Yusei and the sea king approved of and Yusei took to his studies with enthusiasm. And he knows sign language as a part of his studies. I’ll ask him later if he would like to help and befriend Jack.
Jack had been admiring the smooth hall walls when he saw a handsome teenage merman coming up from the opposite way. He had eyes as blue as the sea and spiky black and yellow hair. His tail color matched his eyes and he had a curious yellow mark on his left cheek. I wonder who he is. I find him rather attractive.
The teen inclined his head to Goodwin in acknowledgment. “Rex,” he said.
“Yusei,” Goodwin replied. He waved a hand to Jack. “This is Jack. He will be staying for a time.”
Yusei went to Jack with a smile and held out a hand while thinking, Wow, he’s handsome.
Jack smiled back as he took Yusei’s hand. The moment their hands touched, a sudden bolt of pain lanced through both of their heads. They released hands to grip their temples with a grunt of pain, though Jack’s was silent.
“Yusei! Jack!” Goodwin said in alarm.
“Uh, I’m all right,” Yusei managed to say. “I just suddenly had a migraine which is strange as I never had one before.”
“Me neither,” came a voice in his head.
Yusei shook his head slightly and groaned, “Oh, great. Now I’m hearing a voice in my head.”
“A voice in your head?” Goodwin repeated and then smiled at them. “Yusei. Jack. You two are connected. When two merpeople are destined to be together and meet for the first time, a telepathic link is forged. Destined matches are extremely rare and cannot be denied.”
“Telepathic link?” Yusei repeated. “You mean, I’m hearing Jack’s voice in my head and that means he’s my match?”
“Yes and this is good as Jack somehow lost his voice and doesn’t remember how it happened. He can’t seem to remember a lot of things, actually, but he does know sign language.”
Yusei faced Jack with shock. “You can’t remember anything?”
Jack shook his head. “I can’t. I don’t remember where I live or how I got here or how fish can talk.”
Yusei found this last comment odd and concluded that Jack’s amnesia was worse than he or Goodwin thought.
“Yusei, as Jack is your future husband, I will leave him in your hands. Show him to your room and speak with him.”
“All right.” He took Jack’s hand and led him out of the hall and into another hall before arriving in Yusei’s room.
“There’s not much I can say about myself,” Jack said as they sat on the bed. “So, you talk. I heard you address the governor by his first name. Why?”
“He’s my godfather. My dad was a dear friend and named Rex my godfather when I was born. Several months later, both of my parents died and Rex took me in. He taught me everything a child should know before teaching me the ways of a governor.”
“Can he do that?”
“Yes. The king and I both approve of the idea. I know running the village is a big job but Rex knows I can do it.” Yusei lapsed into silence as he couldn’t really think of anything to say. Normally with an engaged couple, they would share their interests and backgrounds, but it wasn’t possible in this instance as Jack’s memories were gone. He felt for him; to not know your history was an awful thing. He casually glanced at Jack who seemed interested in the room. Yusei’s eyes roved over Jack’s body until he saw a strange-looking belt looped around the waist. It was lopsided owing to the square brown box hanging next to Jack’s right hip. He stared at it before deciding to ask via telepathy. “What’s this?” he asked, touching the box.
“Hmm?” He looked over and down. “I don’t know.” He jostled the box and multiple clinks were heard. Jack flipped the top open and Yusei said, “Cards. Duel Monsters cards.” He slid one out. It looked just like the ones everyone in the sea played. It was placed in a waterproof holder with circuitry so that it could interface with their underwater Duel Disks. He turned it around to look at the monster.
“Red Dragon Archfiend,” he read. “That’s a powerful card.”
Jack leaned over to read the card. “Yes, it is. Yusei…maybe I’m a duelist.”
“I say you are. I mean, you realize that the players are called duelists. Speaking of which…I’m a duelist too.”
“Yeah? I take it you’re good.”
Yusei decided to switch to telepathy again. “I am, but so are others in the village and there are probably even better duelists throughout the sea.”
“I’d like to meet them.”
“You will. Tomorrow. For now, it is dinnertime and we’ll also need to move a bed of your own into the room.”
“Yes, tomorrow. I’ll need you to translate my signed responses.”
“Right. You know,” Yusei said as he led the way to the dining hall. “Your telepathic voice is real nice.”
“It is?” Jack smiled before saying, “Yours sounds like your actual voice.”
“That’s interesting,” Yusei said. “So, your actual voice would sound like your telepathic one.”
“Maybe. I can’t even remember what my voice sounded like.”
Goodwin listened as Yusei related that Jack was a duelist and they planned to meet with Yusei’s closest friends tomorrow. Finally Goodwin said, “That’s an excellent idea. I had suggested to Jack about making new friends before we met up with you. I am also pleased that you found a part of Jack’s past. I look forward to hearing about tomorrow’s outing.”
Jack’s hands flew as he signed, “Governor? Yusei said that I will need my own bed in his room.”
Goodwin nodded. “That’s correct. I will have that attended to.”
Jack signed, “Thank you.” He returned to his dinner and reflected on the day. He was aware that he only knew part of it and yet what he knew was a lot. He had started out as the guest of the village governor and was now the destined match of the governor’s godson with whom he had a telepathic link. They found that he was a duelist and he would meet others tomorrow.
Chapter Four- New Friends
Jack awoke the following morning, looking forward to it. He had decided that he was going to build new memories based off the one thing he knew about himself. He wanted to lose that lost look in his eyes and face.
“Good morning,” spoke Yusei via telepathy and Jack looked over as his match sat up and rose from his bed by floating into the water.
“Good morning,” he replied and copied the motion of getting up. “I’m excited about today.”
“I believe it. I’m excited for you to meet my friends. As it so happens, I was going to see them today. We were going to talk combos and strategies.” The two swam out of the room and headed for breakfast.
“Yusei. How did the fish that led me here talk?”
“We could always talk to sea life. It’s a natural merperson trait.”
Jack rubbed the back of his neck. “I can’t believe I forgot that. One would think I wouldn’t.”
“That is true.” They entered and greeted Goodwin with bows and nods before sitting.
“So, what exactly will you do with your friends, Yusei?” he asked as everyone filled their plates.
“Introduce Jack, for starters and explain that he’s my future husband and his lost memories and voice. After that, we would talk duel strategies and tactics.”
“Yusei,” Jack signed. “I think strategies are best demonstrated through dueling.”
Yusei saw a hinting look in Jack’s eyes and smiled. “I see. You want to duel me.”
“Yes,” he signed. “And in front of your friends. I...feel a duel is more intense with an audience.”
“Agreed,” Yusei said before starting on his food.
Yusei was soon leading Jack to his and his friends’ meeting place with two duel disks in a collapsible pouch and his deck in a box in his hand. He was sure that Jack and his friends would get along, despite the communication obstacle. And of course, I can translate his signs.
“Yusei!” a voice called as the pair entered the small area that was an expanse of smooth sand with rocky seats around the perimeter. Two teens and two kids were gathered in the center.
“Hi, Crow,” Yusei greeted the one who had called who had spiked orange hair and an orange and black tail. “Akiza. Leo. Luna.” He nodded to an auburn-haired girl with a ruby red tail and the kids with identical aqua-colored hair and tails. The merboy was familiar to Jack and realized that he was the one he saw on the way to the manor.
Recognition struck the boy also and said, “I know you. You were following a fish to the governor’s manor.”
Yusei smiled as went to Jack’s side and put a hand on his shoulder. “This is Jack…my destined match.”
“Really?” Akiza said. “That’s very rare. I’ve read that destined matches can speak to each other telepathically.”
“That’s true and good as Jack’s lost his voice and his memories.”
“No,” Luna said in soft horror. “That’s awful.”
“We did learn a couple of things. Jack knows sign language and that he’s a duelist,” Yusei said. He saw interest in his friends’ eyes and added, “Jack told me he wants to duel me in front of you.”
“I don’t know, Jack,” Leo said. “Yusei’s pretty strong.”
“Compared to you, of course he is,” Luna pointed out.
Jack grinned and his hands flew. “He says he’s got a strong monster,” Yusei translated. “I saw it myself yesterday.”
“Sounds like something I want to see,” Crow said before taking a seat with the others following suite. Jack accepted a disk from Yusei and found that he knew how to use it. I must have used one to duel, he thought as he put it on and placed his deck in place and activated the disk. “Duel!” both said telepathically while Yusei along said it out loud.
Several turns later, Yusei found himself in trouble. Jack’s dragon had been summoned quickly and was dominating the field. Yusei was impressed with how quickly Jack brought out his dragon and surmised that Red Dragon had be Jack’s ace monster. But at least I got to summon my dragon before it got destroyed, he thought as Jack drew a card to start his turn. A few gestures and Yusei’s life points hit zero. Unlike humans who go to one knee upon losing, merpeople drift to one side. That’s what Yusei did and a flick of his fins stopped him. He smiled as Crow and the twins gathered around Jack to congratulate him and comment on his cards while Akiza went to Yusei.
“I think you just lost your top dueling title in this village,” she said.
“I’m not too bothered by that. Besides, I’m not familiar with Jack’s deck. Give me some time and I’ll have it figured out.”
Akiza looked at the others. “You know, you’re lucky to be matched to such a handsome guy. I really like his tail.”
“I know.” Yusei gazed at the tail. It was as white as sea foam with a wide blue stripe down the front and back of it. “But, I really like his eyes. Such a nice shade of purple but it has the lost look of a child that doesn’t suit him.”
“He’s lost his memory of who he is, Yusei. He’s working on making new ones. Maybe being a top duelist is what he needs to be. I bet duelists from all over the sea would come here to challenge him.”
“Yeah. I think you’re right.”
“Yusei! Help!” Yusei startled at Jack’s loud and sudden call.
“Yusei?” Akiza inquired, seeing his reaction.
“Jack just spoke to me. I got our link yesterday and it was working out as I could tell Jack was going to talk just by looking at him. But just now, I wasn’t looking and…it was louder than it was yesterday. He needs my help. Excuse me.” He swam over to the group.
“Yusei,” Crow said. “I asked Jack a rather complicated question about two strategies in my deck. I…forgot he can’t talk.”
Yusei smiled, now understanding the problem. “Well, ask again and I’ll translate for Jack.” He had a suspicion about Crow’s strategies and had already given his opinion about them. Naturally, Crow wanted a new opinion and he would be happy to translate Jack’s signs.
&&&&
“Jack, you startled me when you called earlier,” Yusei said as they swam through a store later.
“Oh. I guess I was too loud, huh?”
“A little, but it’s okay. This link is still new to us.”
“True. I do like your friends, especially the twins.”
“I thought you would and they’re your friends now as well.”
“You’re right. Yusei, I hope this is a good sign, but I feel as if I was a professional duelist. Dueling you with the others watching felt familiar as well as the moves I made.”
“That is a good sign and Akiza had suggested you be the village’s top duelist. Others would come from all around to challenge you.”
“Top duelist? Wouldn’t I need to beat the best?”
“You did. It was me. Trust me, though. Being governor would not leave much time to be the top duelist. I’d rather have it go to someone who would have time.”
“All right, then. I’m the top duelist now.”
Chapter Five- Questions
Jack spent the next few weeks getting to know the villagers, teaching sign language to some, and refining his dueling skills. He had gone through his deck and read the cards to be familiar with them while every now and then, wondered why some cards were in his deck in the first place.
The villagers simply loved Jack as he became acclimated to their home. His lack of voice and memory earned sympathy from them and they were willing to help him build new memories. Some helped by dueling him. His skills earned him the support of the village and truly being their top duelist. The kids were in awe of Jack’s skills and his warm personality. They eagerly took to sign language and could have simple conversations with him. Jack enjoyed being with the kids and he had another sensation of this being familiar.
He was signing with the twins when a voice said, “Excuse me. Are you Jack?” He turned to see a young mermaid with a blue and orange tail, straight black hair, and gray eyes. She held a merperson’s version of a camera and had a nervous smile on her face. He nodded and her smile turned shy. “I’m from out of two and was asking about the top duelist here and I was told about you. Is it true you can’t speak or remember your past?”
“Hey, who are you asking about that?” Leo demanded angrily before Jack gently patted his shoulder to calm him.
“Well, uh, I’m Carly and I’m a reporter and a duelist. I was hoping to write an article about my duel with him.”
Jack perked up at this. A duel with an out of towner would insure that his reputation would spread and bring other challengers. He grabbed his disk from a sheath on his back and slid it on before putting his deck in its slot. Carly beamed as she grabbed her disk and deck.
Carly proved herself a capable duelist, but wasn’t able to withstand Jack’s assault. She wasn’t upset with losing and she questioned Jack for a time as she was trained in sign language. Jack thought that made sense; reporters have to be prepared for any kind of interviewee. She snapped a few photos, thanked Jack for his time, and swam off.
“She wasn’t very strong,” Leo commented.
“No,” Jack signed. “But her story will bring others.”
Luna nodded. “And that’ll require them to schedule a duel with you and they’ll take place in the official arena.”
“Who schedules the duels?” Jack signed.
“The governor, but he may give that job to Yusei.”
Yusei nodded after Jack recounted the event later that day. “Luna’s right. Rex gave me the job of scheduling official duel challenges. Once this article is printed, it will likely bring other duelists who wish to test themselves against you.”
“That would be nice, Yusei, but suppose I lose. What then?”
“Well, if you lose to an out of towner, then you still hold your title of top village duelist. If you lost to one from the village…”
“They become the top duelist. I pretty much figured that out.”
Both mermen telepathically laughed and Yusei did so out loud. “So, will only the duelists from Carly’s town challenge me?” Jack asked.
“Oh no. The paper she writes for gets distributed all over the sea.”
“It does?”
Yusei nodded. He found it odd that some aspects of merpeople life surprised Jack. I thought his lost memories were only about himself, not parts of everyday life.
“How fast does the paper get delivered?”
“Depends on how close a village is to the source. For us, it could arrive a day or two after it’s printed and usually delivered by a merperson from the village. Those further away receive the paper by a delivery sea creature.”
“Domesticated?”
“Oh, yes.”
“What kinds?”
“Sea turtles.”
Jack frowned. “I don’t think so.”
“You’re right, I was joking. We use manta rays. They’re swift, sleek, and don’t need to surface to breathe as dolphins do.”
“They’re also bigger than dolphins.”
“Yes. Jack, I’m finding your memory loss curious. You don’t recall your past, but it seems parts of our kind’s way of life are missing too.”
“I know. It doesn’t make sense why I ask about certain aspects. I do have a question that likely falls into that category. Yusei, I’m curious about the mark on your cheek.”
Yusei traced the mark with a finger. “Yes, that is something you should already know. It helps visitors identify me as Rex’s heir. When I take over as governor, the mark will be removed.”
Jack felt mild frustration at not knowing this information. He ran a hand over his hair and slowly exhaled. “Yusei, I hate to admit it, but my amnesia scares me. I recall only one thing about myself and some parts of our kinds’ society are a surprise to me when they shouldn’t. That makes no sense at all.”
The look of frustration and misery on Jack’s face broke Yusei’s heart. He swam over and hugged him. He felt Jack embrace him too and Yusei ran his tail up and down Jack’s tail. “It’ll be all right,” Yusei said softly. “Amnesia is probably like a disease. It has to get worse before it gets better. This could be the worst part.”
“So, I could start getting better and soon?”
“You could…or you may never recover. That is a possibility.”
“I had considered that and as I’ve been here for weeks, it’s highly likely that I’ll never remember or even speak. So, I’m working on building new memories and a new life.”
Goodwin floated outside Yusei’s office where the two mermen were seated for a moment before swimming away, lost in thought. He had spent time trying to find out how Jack lost his voice and memory but to no avail. There were no sea witches or warlocks so he didn’t strike any kind of bargain.
The fact that he doesn’t remember some facts of life is indeed odd. Why? It’s almost like he used to be human and then became a merman, but that’s impossible. Humans can’t become merpeople; at least not to my knowledge.
I hope that Jack regains his voice and memories so he can tell us how he lost them and why. I would be most interested in hearing that story. Although…he’s been here for weeks and shows no sign of recovering either one. The mystery of their loss will likely stay a mystery.
Jack went out a few days later to spend time with his fan club which was comprised of only kids. He enjoyed being with them and they loved speaking with him either by signing or talking. Jack taught them new signs each time they met and it pleased him when they demonstrated the signs they learned recently.
“Jack!” came Leo’s voice as Jack came up to the group. He was holding a paper in one hand. “Jack, look.” He held up the paper, opened it, and showed the article about him.
“The paper came today and the one who brought them is still here. I think she wants to see you.”
“Really?” Jack signed. “Take me to her.”
Leo took Jack’s hand and pulled him toward the town square.
Chapter Six- Fortune-Telling
It wasn’t hard to spot the one passing out the papers for she wasn’t familiar to Jack. She had black hair like Carly, pale blue eyes, and a tail of such a pale blue it was almost white. She looked up as Leo pulled Jack up to her and she smiled at him.
“So, you are Jack. The one who dueled my friend Carly and soundly defeated her. My name’s Misty, by the way.” She held out her hand and Jack took it with a friendly smile.
“I was told you wanted to see me,” Jack signed while Leo translated.
“Indeed. In addition to being a model, I’m also a duelist and I would like to be your first official challenger.”
“You’ll have to schedule it with Yusei,” Leo said.
“I intend to. The article said that he’s your match. He’s lucky to have you.” She tilted her head as she looked into Jack’s innocent yet haunted purple eyes. “Your eyes speak to me,” she said, her voice taking on a breathy, mystical tone. “I have a hobby of fortune-telling and I do it by touching others’ faces.” She brought her fingers close to Jack’s face. “May I?”
Jack nodded, seeing no harm in it. He kept his eyes open as did Misty, her fingers running gently and lightly over his forehead, cheeks, and jawline. “I see,” she said in that same strange tone. “Your past is shrouded in mystery. You wish to know it, but are content to move forward with or without it. That is fine for with your future, your past will return.”
Jack mouthed, “How?” Misty simply smiled and it was clear she was able to figure out what he had mouthed. “I cannot say how. I just sense that it will return but I don’t know how or when. Now, I will go schedule our duel.” She was still smiling as she swam off for the manor.
Jack stared after her. Her prediction of his past returning was a bit disconcerting as he had already decided to move on without it. He shook his head slightly. Misty calls it fortune-telling and such a thing is usually guesswork or simply states that which the person in question already knows. I’m going to dismiss what I heard and go on with the life I have. He headed back to the kids with Leo at his side.
“Jack do you think you will remember your past?” Leo asked.
Jack shook his head. “I doubt it,” he signed. “I like how my life is going and I don’t really have to know what came before.”
&&&&
Yusei consulted his business planner. “Will the day after tomorrow be good? It will give everyone time to prepare and by that I mean the duelists and the fans.”
“That would be fine. I must say, Yusei, you are lucky to be matched to such a handsome merman.”
“I think so, too.” He had his head down to write down the duel, but then looked up as a thought occurred to him. “Did you tell him a fortune?”
“I like to call it predicting the future. I predicated that somewhere in the future, he will recall his past.”
Yusei raised an eyebrow. “Honestly, Misty, Jack seems happy without his voice and memories. Telling him that may have disrupted his peace of mind.”
“Wouldn’t you like to know more about him?”
“Of course I would, but with no idea how he came to be this way, I fine with what I already know.”
“Understood. Well, I’ll just buy some essentials and rent a hotel room to stay in. Tell Jack I’ll see him after tomorrow.”
“I will.” Once Misty had left, Yusei leaned back in his chair, his fins flicking up and down as he stared at the ceiling. He was honest when he said that Jack was happy without his voice and memories thought Jack did wish to have both back. He wished for that too, but it seemed unlikely to happen as the how and why was a mystery. Yes, Jack is happy and doesn’t need false hope in recovering his past. We will keep going as we have has well as plan our wedding. As tradition dictates, the governor will perform the ceremony and I would like to spend our honeymoon as a camping trip or even something as simple as being alone and undisturbed.
“The day after tomorrow?” Jack asked before nodding. “Yes, that’s acceptable.”
“I thought so and I’d like to loan this to you.” He slid a card across the desk to Jack. He picked it up, looked at it, and then at Yusei in surprise.
“Your Stardust Dragon? Are you sure?”
“Yes. I feel it would work well with your dragon.”
“Thank you. I’ll return it after the duel.” Jack put it in his deck box.
“I know. Now, have you given any thought to our wedding or honeymoon?”
“I would like to shop for rings and choose music for the reception.”
“Of course. I was thinking about our honeymoon. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. I was thinking maybe a camping trip.”
“That sounds good to me.”
“Great. Jack, Misty told me she read your fortune and that it concerned recalling your past.”
“Yes, but I’m not dwelling on it. I’m happy with what I’ve got: A warm friendly community, a comfortable home, friends, and a fiancée. I feel I didn’t have all of this before and didn’t realize what I was missing.”
“I told Misty that you were happy with how things are. I wish you could get your voice and memories back, but I’m fine if you don’t. Let us dismiss her claims and focus on your duel and our wedding details.”
The day of the duel arrived and Jack could sense the excitement in the water as well as on the faces of the villagers. Many wished him luck and some told him to crush his opponent. He found such comments harsh. Yes, he wanted to win, but did it have to be brutal? He posed this question to Yusei who smiled and patted a shoulder.
“Go with your instincts, Jack. They won’t steer you wrong.”
“Thanks.” He swam into the concourse while Yusei went to the box reserved for the governor and special guests. He arrived to see Goodwin already seated and took the seat beside him. He looked left and right, taking in the view. “It’s been a while since we had officials duels. I had forgotten about this great view,” Yusei said.
“Yes. Events like this are rare but hopefully with Jack, we can have these duels more often. The money these duels could generate would be good for us.”
“Especially once visiting duelists come to challenge Jack as their fans will likely come too.”
“Jack’s opponent today is Misty, yes? The one who can predict the future by touching people’s faces.”
“Yes and she did touch Jack’s face. She admitted to me that Jack could recall his past at some point in the future.”
“Did she now? What do you think of that?”
“As much as I’d like Jack to remember as I’ll then know more about him, he’s happy right now. I pointed that out to Jack and he agrees that he would be fine with not speaking or remembering.”
“If that is his decision, I will respect it. Honestly, I had observed Jack being happy and becoming a bit more confident these last few weeks.”
“Yeah. His eyes are losing some of that lost look I felt didn’t suit him.” He stopped speaking as the duelists swam into the arena and the crowd cheered for the coming duel.
Chapter Seven- Recovery
Jack’s duel and victory over Misty opened the door for other duelists to come and schedule for a duel with Jack. Yusei coordinated the schedule with Jack so as to not overwhelm him.
Jack dueled every challenger he had and won each time, some were more challenging than others. The crowds loved every moment of the duels and the local villagers loved Jack more than ever and put their full support behind him. Through all these duels, Jack kept feeling as if he had done all this before he could remember. His frustration over his lost memory kept coming back, despite his determination to not dwell on it.
I try to move on and, to a degree, I succeeded, he thought as he sat with Yusei a few weeks after his duel with Misty and going over his dueling schedule. But my dueling matches has a feel of déjà vu; as if I was a pro duelist long before I came to live here.
“Jack? Are you listening?”
He blinked and focused on Yusei. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Jack, what’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry, it’s just that my matches give me a feeling of déjà vu, like I was a pro before living here and it frustrates me that I can’t remember.”
Yusei put a hand on one of Jack’s. “I know it’s frustrating. You need something to take your mind off it and I think I know just the thing. It’s this special place only I go to. I’d like to show it to you.”
“A special place?” Jack smiled. “That sounds like fun to me. Can we go now?”
“That was the idea.” Both rose and swam out of the manor, through the village, and into open waters. Yusei was soon leading the way as he knew where to go. He hoped his special place would cheer Jack up and make him feel less frustrated. He swam off near the shore and then up until he had surfaced under a pier and Jack followed.
“This is your special place?”
“Yeah. I come here to listen to the humans and learn a little about them. Some of them that come by are duelists.” He saw Jack’s eyes light up at this before the blonde looked up at the pier above them that concealed them from sight. Yusei inwardly smiled. I thought that would interest him.
Jack observed the humans above, listening to them talk to one another and their conversations seemed familiar to him. He pushed that feeling away and contented himself with simply the way humans moved on their legs. So many different ways of moving, unlike us. Must be because they have two limbs instead of one, not to mention that their body shapes seems to be a factor in how they walk.
He heard footsteps above and glimpsed a man approaching the pier’s edge. He stood there silently for a moment before laughing in a triumphant manner he didn’t like and then he spoke in a voice full of arrogance. “Jack, if only you could have seen me duel today! I blew my opponent away! Man, it’s great to be the Duel King. Of course you would know all about that, if you remember it, that is! But, you don’t. You will spend the rest of your life swimming in the sea, unable to talk and not remembering your human life. That being the case, I don’t need to hold on to this anymore.” The man laughed again and the sound of something hitting the water was heard. The man left and Jack and Yusei ducked down to stare at each other with wide eyes.
“Jack, do you think he was talking about you?”
“Possibly. The Jack he spoke about does fit me. I can’t talk and I can’t remember my life before we met.”
“Well, either way it doesn’t matter. We’re a match and will marry before too long. You know, I realized that we haven’t done something that couples usually do and I say we take care of that.” Yusei brought his lips to Jack’s lips in a loving kiss and Jack returned the gesture with equal passion. They parted and smiled happily at each other until a bright glow in the distance drew their attention.
They turned in its direction as a glowing sphere and a stream of energy appeared, streaked through the water, and headed for Jack. The sphere entered his mouth and settled in his throat while the stream entered his forehead. Jack blinked and shook his head as his memories returned.
“Jack! Jack are you all right? What was that sphere and that steam of light?” Yusei asked, worried and alarmed.
Jack beamed at him. “I’m fine. Actually, I’m great. I can talk again and I remember everything now.”
Yusei gasped at hearing Jack’s voice, which did sound his telepathic one and then beamed back. “That is great.”
“Yes. I was the one that man spoke about. His name is Hunter Pace and he was a dueling rival. He had been the Duel King until I defeated a little over a year ago. He had issued rematches since then. Well, the day you and I met, I had been along on a cliff when Hunter showed up, claiming he was going to reclaim his title by saying that if I forfeited by a no-show, he would automatically win. I had seized his jacket and was telling him that we would duel when he stuck me with a dart.” Jack pointed at his abdomen. “The dart turned me into a merman. He then used a medallion to take my voice and my memories of being human. I believe he pushed me off the cliff and into the sea as my next memory is being underwater.”
“No wonder you couldn’t remember. You were born human so naturally most of your memories were taken from you and why certain aspects of merpeople life were a surprise.”
“I think what Hunter threw into the water was the medallion. Let’s go see.” Jack swam off in the direction his voice and memories came from with Yusei behind him. Jack found the medallion easily as the filtered sunlight glinted off it. He picked it up and found words etched along the edge. He read them and looked at Yusei. “This medallion could do anything as long as the holder states his desire. Hunter’s desire is still imprinted on it as well as a reversal. It was our kiss that did the trick. It says here that in order to restore voice and memories, a loving kiss must be received and returned.”
“I see,” Yusei said. “So…I suppose you’ll return to your life on land.”
Jack shook his head. “I can’t go back. I forgot to tell you that Hunter had said the formula was irreversible. I live here now and besides, we’re destined mates, Yusei. We belong together.”
Yusei nodded. “Yes, we are. I am sorry you can’t be human again.”
“I know, but if I hadn’t become a merman, we would never have known we were destined for each other. Now, let’s return home and tell our village what happened.”
“Gladly.” Yusei took Jack’s hand and they swam off for home. Yusei was thrilled. He had brought Jack to his special place to cheer him up and had inadvertently led him to his home city. They had also arrived in time to hear Hunter speak about what he had done to Jack before throwing away the medallion holding Jack’s voice and memories. Now Jack can talk and remembers everything. His actual voice is like his telepathic voice. I can hardly wait to tell Rex and our friends that Jack is like everyone else now. He glanced sideways at his beloved, the two no longer holding hands.
Jack performed a corkscrew as they head home. He now knew who he had been and who he was now. It was now clear why some things about sea life were a surprise: He had been human his whole life and then he was a merman with no idea of who he was.
That’s over now. I have my memories and voice back and any other things about sea life I don’t know can be answered with the understanding that I had been human. He then smiled. Surely, Yusei wasn’t the only one who was curious about humans. I would be happy to answer any questions they have. In fact, I have one myself and I believe Goodwin can answer it.
Chapter Eight- Reconnecting
Goodwin raised an eyebrow. “Human? Well, that explains quite a bit. I admit, I had briefly thought you had been human, but dismissed it as such a transformation didn’t seem possible to me.”
“Clearly, it is possible for humans have wizards who can use magic. I think Hunter met a wizard who gave him the dart and medallion.” He gave a grim smile. “Pro dueling is very competitive among humans. One loss and you’re no longer the Duel King or Queen until you can win it back.”
“That is competitive. It is not so with us possibly because we are so spread out.”
“That’s something I want to ask. How did Duel Monsters end up down here?”
“A pair of marine biologists who happen to be duelists,” Goodwin replied. “The sea king at the time had a fascination with humans and went to introduce himself. It turns out that they were trustworthy and they surfaced to speak for quite a while. They mentioned Duel Monsters and how people were working on the concept of dueling underwater.”
“The concept didn’t last long. These days they speak of dueling while riding a machine called a motorcycle. The idea would be to attach a Duel Disk to a motorcycle with the Disk able to be detached if necessary.”
“Underwater dueling lasted long enough for our kind to obtain the cards and disks needed to duel and it seems the card holders survived.”
“They were viewed as a practical use in case they accidentally get dropped in water.”
Jack swam through the village by himself. He had no duels and Yusei was busy with an actual governor duty. Goodwin had spread the word last night of Jack getting his voice and memory back and having been human before coming here. There were indeed some who were curious about humans, especially his fan club and he answered the questions, amused with how people loved his voice.
“Jack, your voice is cute with that accent,” Akiza sighed. “And your eyes show a lot more confidence than they did before.”
“I know. I didn’t like how lost they looked and with my memory back, all of my confidence has returned as well.”
Jack was soon out in open waters and headed toward his former home, surfacing his head only before slowly moving in the shadows of the piers. He listened to the talk of sailors and was happy to understand their lingo again. Before yesterday, I wouldn’t have completely understood, but now I do and it makes me happy. He moved toward the isolated pier where he had been before going to the cliff on his last day as a human. He saw the shadow of a man on the water’s surface and slipped under the pier. He floated there for a moment and was about to duck down when he heard his name spoken.
“Jack, I wish you were here. Hunter is an arrogant jerk and boats of how no one can beat him. I know you could beat him. Why did you not show up? Where are you now?”
That’s Trudge, Jack thought before moving out to the front of the pier, only his head visible. "Officer Trudge,” he called. “Down here.” The man knelt down and looked down before his eyes went wide with surprise.
“Jack!” he exclaimed. “What are you doing there? Where have you been? You let Hunter win your match by not showing up.”
“I didn’t let him win. I had amnesia so I didn’t know who I was, much less a scheduled duel.”
“Amnesia? Hunter gave you amnesia?”
“Not total amnesia. I knew my name, had my dueling skills, and could still use sign language luckily enough. I managed to recover only yesterday.”
“Where have you been all this time?”
Jack sighed. “I’ve been living in the sea.” He leaned back and exposed his tail.
Trudge’s eyes went round and his mouth dropped. “You’re a…merman? When? How?”
“It was the day Hunter and I were supposed to duel. He was hinting of wanting to win by my not showing up. When I got close to tell him we would duel, he stuck me with a dart which changed me permanently into a merman. He then used this to take my voice and human memories.” He tossed the medallion he had kept to Trudge. “I spent weeks with other merpeople, including one who is my destined match and, as a result, we developed a telepathic link. It was yesterday that we were here and hunted was boasting about his duel. He threw the medallion into the water before leaving. When my beloved, Yusei, kissed me and I returned it, that was what allowed me to talk and remember again.”
Trudge scowled. “If obstructing one’s dueling opponent was a crime, I’d arrest that punk,” he growled.
“I agree, but you can’t do anything. No one believes my kind exists and I can’t exactly leave the water.”
“True. So, you’re engaged, huh?”
Jack nodded. “Yusei is the godson of the village governor who is grooming him to take over one day. Sign language is part of his education and he was translating my signs. He is also in charge of scheduling my dueling opponents.”
“What? You can duel underwater?”
Jack laughed. “Yeah. That’s why the card holder were originally made. I’m the top duelist in the village and so far, none of the visiting duelists have beaten me.”
Trudge heard the familiar note of pride in Jack’s voice and silently admitted that he missed it. “I wish you could beat Hunter. His demands and boasting is really irritating me.”
“Look through my duel records,” Jack said. “You know I’ve had some tough duels. One of them should be able to beat Hunter and keep him from ever reclaiming his title. He’ll regret his stunt to get me out of the way.”
Trudge grinned. “I’ll do that. I promise not to tell them what happened to you, only that you left town. I will tell Hunter that I know but it’ll stay between the two of us.”
“That would be best.”
“Jack, I would have loved to duel you again. We were supposed to the day after you vanished.”
“Yes, I recall that. There’s a large boulder in that direction.” He pointed. “What say you drive out there about high noon in two days from today? You’ll have your duel then.” “Two days. Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“Great.” Jack dived down, giving Trudge a better look at his tail before it vanished.
“Jack!” Yusei called as the blonde entered the village. “Where did you go?”
“I was at the pier of my old home and actually spoke to one of my opponents, an officer of the law. He liked me as well as duel me.”
“Then, he knows?”
“Yes. He won’t tell anyone and I will duel him at high noon in two days. It’ll make up for the one we were supposed to have the day after I changed.”
“Two days. I’m…not busy then. You think I could tag along?”
“Sure. I mentioned you to Trudge. He’d probably like to meet you.”
“Great.” Yusei looked forward to speaking to a human, but for now he would speak to Jack about the race he had been a part of and learn from him. After all, it wouldn’t do for him to forget it again.
