Hello, readers. I have been trying for years to figure out a decent idea for a Yu-Gi-Oh!/Final Fantasy VII crossover, and I now believe I have arrived at the answer. Just so you know, this story takes place about five years after the Memory Arc within Yu-Gi-Oh!, and I will be using dub names because they are what I am the most comfortable with. My apologies to the manga and Japanese subtitle purists. Now, without further ado, let the card games begin.
._.
Prologue
Seto Kaiba was less than pleased. For one thing, he had just come out of a major KaibaCorp staff meeting, during which he had discovered that his funds were less than sufficient to take on the projects he wished to have done before the year was out, which included opening a new Kaibaland location, and releasing a prototype of a new Duel Disk system which would have even more realistic holographic projections than before. However, those projects were not going to get done, as it seemed his company was beginning to sink into the red, and the revenue from Kaibaland and Duel Disk sales was not enough to cover the difference. He had to raise money quickly, or risk KaibaCorp going under and getting bought out by Industrial Illusions.
As he shuddered at the thought of the CEO of Industrial Illusions running his company, the other reason he was annoyed came to the forefront of his mind. Just after having left that meeting, he had been accosted by Mokuba, who claimed there was a very important call waiting for him from one Maximillion Pegasus, CEO of Industrial Illusions. He had gritted his teeth at the notification, for Pegasus was hardly who he wanted to talk to. To make matters worse, the cultured CEO had asked him to meet him in person at his castle in Duelist Kingdom. The last time the CEO had requested a personal meeting, it had been a trap set up by Dartz, and even if it wasn't, Pegasus was usually the sort of person to deliver the kind of mystic mumbo-jumbo that Kaiba tried to actively avoid. Though he was more accepting of the spiritual side of things than he had been, the young CEO still had very little patience for it.
His hand tightened around the control for the Blue Eyes White Jet, and his eyes flicked to the global positioning system. He was about to reach the island, so he prepared for his descent and subsequent landing.
Pegasus, I swear, if you've called me out here to try and sell a takeover bid or merger, so help me… he growled internally as he realized an alternative reason why the silver-haired man could have called him over.
He landed the jet in a clearing in the forest just outside of Pegasus's castle, and ascended the stairs to the front door, which swung open before him. Kaiba expected to be led inside by some of Pegasus's goons, but was instead greeted by the man himself.
"Welcome, Kaiba-boy, my old friend." Pegasus said in his usual lilting tone, smiling at the new arrival as if his coming was a complete surprise.
Kaiba was not impressed. "Spare me the pleasantries, Pegasus. You said this was important."
The silver-haired CEO raised an eyebrow at the man before him. Five years had yet to soften his demeanor towards him. Kaiba was dressed in a white suit, with a blue tie that accentuated his narrowed, icy eyes. His perfectly coiffed hair had started falling into his eyes. Perhaps Kaiba-boy was under a bit of stress?
"Well," Pegasus began, turning away from his guest, "if you must know why I called you here, then follow me. But you needn't be so rude about it."
Kaiba barely succeeded in holding back a frustrated groan. He didn't have the time for this nonsense, but as the major representative of his company, he was forced to hold a professional appearance and attitude. He followed the red-suited man as he led him up through many corridors and staircases, into his personal office. He tried to avoid the eyes of the massive painting of Cecelia, Pegasus's dead wife, as he took a seat on the opposite side of the desk from Pegasus himself. The room remained quite lavishly decorated, despite the fact that it was hardly ever used any more.
"Care for a drink?" Pegasus asked as he pulled out two glasses and some wine.
Kaiba narrowed his eyes, his nostrils flaring as he shot back, "I don't drink."
"Are you sure you don't need one?" the other CEO asked mockingly. "I may not have both eyes at full capacity anymore…"
He pulled aside the curtain of hair covering the empty socket where the Millenium Eye had once rested, causing Kaiba to- barely- repress a shudder and a look of disgust. He let the hair drop again, and continued, "But any fool could see you're under some stress. I've heard you're dealing with some financial issues, Kaiba-boy."
Kaiba stood up violently, almost knocking his chair down. "Pegasus, I've told you about five million times already, I am not selling my company!"
"Did I ask you to share or sell KaibaCorp?" the older man asked with the air of one talking to an impetuous child. "I don't believe so. No, you see, so much as I don't care to admit it… My company is beginning to suffer as well…"
The younger CEO, now starting to calm down, sat slowly back down in his chair, and flatly asked, "Really?"
Pegasus nodded, sighing as he looked down at his glass of wine. "People just don't seem to want to play card games any more. I'm having difficulty coming up with new and better cards to entice the new generations, but it just doesn't seem to have the same magic it once had. It's been years since the last world-wide tournament, and great names like Yugi Moto, Joey Wheeler, Seto Kaiba… they're all slipping into nigh-invisibility. I suppose it's only your company that keeps your name from fading entirely…"
Kaiba grumbled. He resented the implication that his dueling skills would be forgotten, but Pegasus did have a point. The great tournaments like Duelist Kingdom, Battle City, and the KC Grand Prix were now a thing of the past. Dueling was starting to lose momentum, and with it, their companies were losing value. Truth be told, he had only wanted to develop a new Duel Disk because he hoped it might rekindle the dueling phenomenon…
"What do you propose we do about it?" Kaiba asked, wondering precisely what Pegasus was after.
Pegasus smiled as he took a sip of his wine. Kaiba was now involved in his plan. He had caught him hook, line, and sinker. "Host another tournament. You and me. We find a new location, get duelists from all over the world, give the great gaming age of Duel Monsters one last hurrah, and see if that will generate a new interest."
Kaiba smirked sardonically. "As grand as that sentiment sounds, on the basis of logic, I have to decline. Hosting another tournament would require massive fundings from us both, and if your little scheme fails, then both of our companies go completely bankrupt."
"Ah yes." Pegasus conceded. "If I'm wrong, then yes, we do both go under. But- we're already close to going under as it is. Think of it this way: would you rather us put aside our differences and pride and work together to keep this little game of ours alive, spawning new memories even if we both go under as a result? Or would you rather allow yourself to go under anyway, and fade forever into the pages of obscurity, to be bought out by another, say, Paradius?"
That did it. The reminder of KaibaCorp's previous buyout was more than the brown-haired CEO could stand to hear. "Fine. You've got yourself a tournament. But why not just tell me this over the phone? Why drag me out here? You must have an ulterior motive."
Pegasus shrugged. "Well, it was amusing to see your frustrated expression. And I haven't seen you in forever. But you're right, Kaiba-boy. I do have another reason in bringing you to my humble abode."
Kaiba crossed his arms, and glared at the other CEO, waiting for him to get to the point.
Pegasus looked through his only eye and a few strands of silver, slightly over the top of is wine glass at the other man as he spoke. "Have you ever heard of a concept known as the Lifestream?"
._.
And there's the opening chapter. Join us for our next episode as we see Yugi and the others' reactions to a new tournament being held.