Chapter 1

Darkness, it was nice. It was calm, peaceful- no one could pull the teenage duellist from his slumber- not even that annoying ghost, Astral.

"Yuma-"

Then again, Tori could wake him.

Wait! Tori?! What was she doing in his room?!

Yuma snapped awake- then realising his mistake, braced himself for the impact he was about to have from the floor.

Nothing happened.

He wasn't in his hammock, there was a cold metal pressing against his back instead. Where was he?

"Yuma! Are you even listening to me?"

"Yo, Tori," it was Bronk, "What if it isn't Yuma? What if it's a clone, or something?"

"You could be right…" Tori replied nervously.

What were his two best friends on about? Heck, what were they even doing in the same room as him this early in the (what felt like) morning?

The teen's eyes snapped open, and a cry of shock escaped his lips. He was in small, cramped, bare, metal room, and with him, sitting on 6 different chairs- all made of a shining metal, were Tori, Bronk, Kat, Caswell, Flip and Shark.

"What are you guys doing here?!" Yuma yelled, then looking around once more, he murmured to himself, "Yet, where the heck is here?"

"We were hoping you would tell us, Yuma!" a panicked Flip cried, his eyes widening behind his glasses.

"Me?" was Yuma's reply, "How am I supposed to know?"

"Told you that he wouldn't know." Mocked shark frowning deeply in the geeky kid's direction.

Bronk tipped his head to the left, a look of bewilderment crossing his face,

"But Yuma- you were the one to get us in that van."

Now it was Yuma's turn to be confused, he had told the gang to get into a van? That just sounded creepy. Plus, why would he say such a thing?

"You did say something about helping someone called Astral." Kat prompted.

Astral! That was it! He would surely know what had happened. He glanced around him- yet there was no sign of the blue alien. He then looked down at his chest and gasped, his key had vanished- Astral must have been inside! Yuma tried to reach forward to check his pockets- but for the first time- the teen realised that his hands were tied tightly behind his back.

"I'm tied up!" Yuma glared at his friends.

"No-" shark added, "We're tied up." He pulled his own arms to prove his point.

Yuma glanced nervously around,

"So no one knows where we are? Correct?" he queried, hiding the panic he felt in his heart.

He was replied by shakes of the heads.

"And no one knows why we're here?"

More shakes.

"And no one knows where my key or Astral are?"

This time there were only 5 negative replies. Tori looked up meekly,

"Tori?" Yuma asked- his heat in his throat,

The girl glanced around, as if checking no one unwanted was in the room,

"I woke just before anyone else- and someone came into the room- they were dressed all in white- like those scientists dealing with nuclear matter,"

Yuma feared that he knew what was coming.

"They came across to you, and took the key. They laughed and said something about an astral world, then left. Yuma? What did they mean?"

Clenching his teeth Yuma replied,

"They meant, Tori, that they've got Astral, they have the key- and with them- they're gonna take over the whole of astral world- the place where Astral comes from."

SOOOOO, what do ya all think? it's short- yep- but it's only a starter chapter...

What happened to the key?

where is the beloved Astral?

Where are our young heroes?

What will happen next?

Who will review?!

all reviews deeply appreciated, and I will only carry on with this if I get enough likes, Fav.s and reviews!

the cards are in you hands! (But not in a duelling way...)

LL99 OUT!