Seal of Darkness
Author's Note: Surprised my first fic about this got encouragement. I'm bored- so here's another installment.
Now is Tristan's turn to taste the power of the Seal!
(Dartz's Lair)
The green hexagram seal made a whirring noise and began to shrink.
It no longer encircled the whole field. Now it only encircled a punk looking dude with long hair- Joey's latest victim.
The punk dug his fingers into his hair and roared as though he were in intensive torment.
Then something bright like vapor shot from his back and into the air.
Joey smirked as the green hexagram seal on his forehead slowly faded.
"Dats da breaks," he said simply, giving the now lifeless shell the slightest of glances. "Someone's gotta pay for dis power..."
Dartz rose from his throne and clapped.
"Most excellent," he encouraged his newest associate. "You've been doing very well on these test duelists I purchased to train you. I believe you're almost ready..."
Joey grinned widely.
'You've got no idea master,' he thought to himself wickedly. "I'm gonna show Yugi he's not dah only one with power anymore! Mine puts his ta shame...'
Part of Joey still revolted within him at the thought, insisting that Yugi was his best friend.
However, the thought was easily cast aside. Joey remembered that he had power now.
A new emotion toward Yugi had been manifested in him by the Orichalcos. Envy that Yugi had been enjoying ancient magic for years now.
This envy was tempered by a new desire- for Joey to show Yugi his power!
He was once again strong and no one could stop him.
'This is my real self,' he thought privately. 'The Seal set it free, so I owe Masta Dartz my allegience...'
Joey was contented with these thoughts, but briefly thought of Tristan. His old partner in crime- back when the two of them had been big and bad.
Joey began to think- didn't Tristan deserve to be freed too? To have his old self back?
"Masta Dartz sir," he spoke. "I know you're always looking fah new recruits to our side. I know just the perfect man for da job!"
Dartz smirked with amusement, but wondered if he should indulge Joseph Wheeler in this new fancy.
After all- what did he have to lose?
Nothing! He would gain another associate to help him release the Great Beast...
"Go on," Dartz encouraged.
"Master," Joey continued. "My friend. His name is Tristan. He used to be just like me, until Yugi manipulated him too! He weakened my friend and took away his pride. Just like he did me!"
Dartz feigned sympathy.
"You musn't seem too surprised Joey. That's how most humans in this world are. They're evil, just like Yugi. They all manipulate others and turn them into fakes, rather than what they are."
With that Dartz made an Orichalcos card out of seemingly nothing, and passed it to Joey along with a green crystal.
"Your friend will join us," Dartz predicted certainly. "Just do for him what I did you Joey. Find I way to make him play the seal. I will do the rest..."
Dartz feigned a fatherly smile and clapped Joey on the shoulder.
"Thanks master," Joey said.
(Later, at Domino Park)
Tristan picked up the pace when he saw Joey- running quickly to where his friend was.
He gave an odd glance at the green crystal hanging around Joey's neck, but said nothing about it.
Joey smirked, seeing that Tristan's gaze had caught the crystal.
"Got one for you too," he told Tristan, reaching into his pocket. "Let's call it a sign of our friendship!"
Tristan blushed slightly, but accepted the gift from his oldest friend. He regarded Joey like a brother.
Joey got excited when the necklace was over Tristan's neck, and the stone now rested against his shirt.
"Thanks man," Tristan said. "Why did you ask me to bring my duel disk though?"
"Wanna have a duel?" Joey suggested with a playful grin that looked more like himself. "For all time's sake. Come on!"
Tristan wasn't especially fond of getting creamed, which he almost certainly would by Joey...
He had some powerful machines in his deck now, suggested by his duel with Nezbit in Cyber World. Still, he doubted he'd be any match for his friend...
"Alright pal!" Tristan exclaimed, conjuring up enthusiasm for his friend's sake. "Let's duel!"
Joey nodded with a smile and Tristan noticed his friend's duel disk was different from the usual one- something he hadn't caught before.
"Like my new duel disk!?" Joey teased in a friendly manner. "Maybe I'll getcha one- if I lose..."
"Yeah?" Tristan replied. "Well me first!"
He pulled a card from his deck.
"One card in defense mode," Tristan announced and said card appeared in front of him. "Do your worst..."
"Oh I will!" Joey joked with a playful grin. "First though, I think I'd like ta see what kinda monsters you're packing these days. I activate Exchange!"
The magic card appeared and flipped into activation position.
Tristan and Joey met in the middle of their playing field.
"You take first pick," Joey said, revealing his hand.
Tristan was a little surprised by a card he'd never seen before- a spell card with a strange symbol inside a circle.
He scanned the rest of Joey's hand, and should have reasonably went for his friend's Time Wizard.
Yet, his hand hesitated when he reached out to take it. He looked at the strange card again.
Something was calling to him for some reason. Call him ridiculous! He couldn't explain it...
Tristan wondered if he was making the right move, but he gave into the gnawing desire that had strangely awakened in him to have that weird card.
He took the Seal of Orichalcos card.
"Think I'll take your new one," Tristan joked. "If you don't mind..."
'Excellent,' Joey thought to himself.
"No sweat pal!" he said aloud. "I'll take your favorite card then! Cyber Commander..."
Tristan nodded and the two friends resumed their places, facing one another.
"To finish my turn," Joey said. "I'll also throw a monsta in defense!"
Tristan drew and studied his hand with an odd expression.
'Play it,' Joey thought eagerly, watching his friend's hesitation. 'Play that card you took from me. I know you got it in ya Tristan...'
Tristan wasn't sure what to do.
He wasn't even sure how to use the card he'd taken, yet the desire was now to activate it.
What would happen though- since he wasn't sure what this card did?
He had almost decided on skipping the Orichalcos card for now, when something else awoke in him with the desire.
He remembered how he and Joey had once ruled the school and taken whatever they'd wanted.
For a moment Tristan could almost imagine he was still that guy. The feeling of power and satisfaction from bullying arose in him for the first time in years.
Tristan couldn't deny he hungered for that again.
For some reason his hand went to Joey's gift. He held the green stone in an enclosed fist, like a religious person might take hold of a medal.
Then there was something else he could no longer deny, and strangely it seemed to gnaw at him more and more- as his old mean self seemed to be reawakening.
"Now I activate, the Seal of Orichalcos!"
Joey smirked slightly, but Tristan thought nothing of it.
The field slot on Tristan's duel disk opened, and he hesitated only a moment.
His hand paused with the card between his fingers, as he thought briefly one last time that he had no idea what this would even do.
Then desire won out and he flung the card into the slot and the disk closed.
Tristan suddenly roared as his body and heart madly accelerated- wondering if he was losing his breath.
It was pounding in his head, but then a clear mental image pleasing to him settled into his brain.
He was Tristan Taylor again! Powerful Tristan...
A green seal expanded from where his feet touched the ground, quickly encircling their playing field.
Tristan inhaled with pleasure, basking in the feeling of power swelling in him.
He loved it!
"Don't know what that card you handed me did man," Tristan said, in a voice somewhat different than usual. "Thanks though!"
Joey didn't disguise a more devious smile now- his aim won.
"Feeling better right?" Joey asked, knowing exactly how good Tristan's new power felt.
"Like a new man!" Tristan said, and lifted his spiked wig, revealing a green symbol now engraved on his forehead.
"Then congratulations," Joey told him. "The power is yours now. You passed this test."
Tristan was a little surprised to see Joey place his hand over his deck in surrender, realizing he'd just won the duel.
However, the seal didn't do anything else. It simply weakened and slowly vanished from their field.
Joey knew Dartz had dispelled the Seal- now that the duel's purpose had been served.
Tristan felt only slight loss as the Seal faded from his forehead also, but he knew the power could be called back anytime he wanted- if he only had that card!
Joey reached into his pocket and handed Tristan exactly that. Just the card he desired!
Then he took his own card back from his friend, and the two of them shared devious smiles- both of them knowing their old duo was back with a new twist.
"Listen Tristan," Joey said. "Yugi isn't our friend. He's been tricking us all this time."
Tristan's head was still swimming the Seal's residual power, so he didn't disagree. He felt confused and almost dazed.
"Remember how strong we was?" Joey reminded him. "Back when we was da boyz? That little runt didn't like us being powerful once he got himself a special puzzle..."
Tristan didn't know why, but what Joey was saying made a strange new sense to him.
"Lead on," Tristan said, because that seemed like the right thing to say.
"You got it," Joey nodded. "Time for ya tah meet Masta Dartz!"
Fin