Author's Notes: Welcome to my sequel Struggle of Chaos. In order to understand the whole story, you must have read Pharaoh's Servant and Dark Crisis. This chapter has a small recap explaining the main event which went down.
Edit on 9/14/07: Another thing I want to point out is I have decided to change Yami's name to Atem since the dub series is now finished.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but the original characters are owned by me. Here's Chapter 1.
Chapter 1: The Arrival of the Beasts!
Six long years have passed since the Galactic Dragon was destroyed and the universe was free from its terror. The Guardians, a race of higher beings, were grateful to Yugi and his friends for having saved Animus and returning it to its former beauty. While Yugi was there, he found out he was really the reincarnation of Ra the Golden Phoenix Dragon and it was his responsibility to protect the universe from the Galactic Dragon. Kaiba and Joey also discovered they were actually reincarnations of Ammon the Bronze Phoenix Dragon, in which its soul was split in two.
Lately, Yugi was losing contact with the Guardians in recent years, but Kiki, Pluto's younger sister, explained to him the details. She told him that major problems caused the Guardians to barely have the time to speak to Yugi and his friends, although Yugi thought she was neglecting some important information.
The only person he missed was Artemis. He had last seen her in Animus after they defeated the Galactic Dragon. Yugi could not fully understand why she left despite Atem saying she would be back when needed. After all, it was revealed she was the reincarnation of Mesenet the Silver Phoenix Dragon.
Yugi kept in contact with Téa who was in Adelaide, Australia with Nick. He once believed Téa was in love with Atem, but the ancient Pharaoh knew she desired Nick. Even though Yugi once had a crush on Téa, his heart belonged to Artemis. Now he was having second thoughts on their relationship.
As Yugi continued his way back to the Kame Game Shop, his mind drifted over the previous years of his life; remembering how the Millennium Puzzle became the epicenter of all the trouble he and his friends were involved. Even though he won the Ceremonial Duel against Atem, he remained stuck on Earth until the Guardians showed up. One particularly evil Guardian named Pluto had wanted the puzzle only to have his plans foiled and then Seiryu, the supposed rival to Pluto, had stolen the puzzle in order to resurrect the Galactic Dragon.
Needless to say, Yugi had managed to prevail in the end with the aid of his friends and the few good Guardians, like Artemis and Yukai. Things started to calm down after the event, leaving Yugi to pursue his normal life.
As for the Millennium Items, Yugi was originally in possession of all seven before he and Kaiba thought it was best to lock them away in a secret vault. Whatever powers the items once held seem to have dissipated, nothing more than ancient artifacts. Still to be on the safe side, sealing them away was a wise choice.
Yugi walked passed by various buildings; rain was pouring, and Yugi carried an umbrella in his right hand while he held his textbooks in the other. He was attending a local college, as did Joey who surprisingly passed high school. Tristan, on the other hand, had a working job which took most of his social life away so he did not spend much time with his friends. Ryou and Bakura went to Egypt and met up with Ishizu, Marik and Odion to uncover any new mysteries that were long forgotten.
As for Kaiba, he still was CEO of KaibaCorp, and his brother, Mokuba, was co-president. Unlike teens of Mokuba's age, he earned enough money that could make him retire in his thirties. KaibaCorp was back in business and the company was very successful selling its latest high-tech machinery. Of course, Kaiba had competition with two American companies, Industrial Illusions and Mendez Enterprises, a company owned by one of the Guardians which continues to escalate its sales with its new products.
Yugi finally arrived home, unlocking the door to the Game Shop and finding his grandfather and Atem placing their newest stock on shelves and in the display case. Atem had been helping Solomon while Yugi was gone studying.
The former Pharaoh smiled as he saw Yugi enter the shop. He noticed the young man lay his umbrella aside the counter and walked over to them. "So, how was class?" Atem asked.
"Just the same, studying, difficult tests, too much work." Yugi responded wearily. "To be honest, I'd much rather be fighting the Galactic Dragon all over again than take on university studies."
Atem chuckled. "I know it's hard work but you're intelligent. Don't worry."
Yugi smirked. "I may as well go study for tomorrow's exam." He headed upstairs, leaving Atem and Solomon to resume their work.
Yugi arrived to his room and closed the door quietly. He placed his books on his desk and decided to turn on his laptop, which was a gift from Atem and Joey for his twenty-third birthday. In the morning, Yugi responded to Kiki's email and he sent one back to her earlier. Kiki probably did not get the chance to answer since she lived in New York, meaning if it's daytime in Japan, then New York had to be sleeping. Instead, Yugi turned off his laptop and went to open his textbooks and study. For almost an hour, he studied, and he was slowly drifting to sleep.
In his dream, Yugi stood upon a cliff overlooking Animus. He saw before him three beastly creatures that were destroying a city. They seemed familiar to him for some reason… Like he had seen them somewhere in the past. It did not take long for Yugi to realize that these monsters were on the paintings that hung in Artemis' temple.
The red dragon-like creature spewed flames from its jaw, incinerating anything in its path. The cat-like monster sent out a blast of light as the black beast copied the same attack as the dragon, obliterating everything it was in contact with its flames. Then a shadowed being appeared behind them as it absorbed dark energy flowing from the three monsters.
Yugi got a better look at the creature and noticed it resembled a dragon, but it was not the Galactic Dragon. It extended its long wings and opened its fierce blue eyes that stared straight at Yugi. The dragon bared its sharp claws as it rose in the air, taking flight and carrying out its own attack aimed for Yugi.
He tried to shield his eyes from the blast, but he was then transported somewhere else, away from the destruction.
The images disappeared and Yugi snapped opened his eyes with terror in them. He was sure those had to be visions, and this one practically felt real to him. He noticed he was in a cold sweat, lifting his head from his textbook and turning his head to the clock on his desk to read it was past midnight. He did not know how long he had been asleep, or if Atem and Solomon were already in bed.
A flash of light beamed in his eyes. He rushed to his window and his eyes nearly doubled in size. The same three beasts he saw in his vision were loose and wrecking havoc in Domino City. Yugi had to wake up Atem and his friends, and figure out what was going on. He quickly grabbed his deck and duel disk, and headed out his bedroom, bursting into Atem's room.
The Pharaoh was awake and he could not believe what he was seeing. "Yugi, what is going on?" he asked fearfully.
"I don't know, but we have to investigate!" Yugi decided. He ran to his living room and picked up the phone to call Joey. He waited for his friend to answer, and he finally did. "Joey, have you checked outside?"
Joey was rubbing the sleep from his eyes and he faced the window from his apartment. "I don't see anything, Yug…" Joey mumbled. After he was fully wide awake, he nearly stumbled back on a nearby chair and grasped the phone even tighter. "What are those?"
"Bring Ammon, Joey!" Yugi suggested, taking out his card which contained Ra the Golden Phoenix Dragon. "We may need them." He hung up, leaving a baffled Joey on the other line.
Joey placed his phone back on its receiver, and rummaged through his deck to locate Ammon. He found the card and ran out of his apartment to meet Yugi at the Game Shop. Yugi and Atem left immediately and caught up with Joey outside. The three wanted to find the source of the strange light and of the creatures. Terrified people looked on in horror as the monsters rampaged through the city, annihilating anything in their path.
Yugi stood defiantly and raised his card high in the air. "I summon Ra the Golden Phoenix Dragon!" he called out, but nothing happened.
"Uh, Yugi…. Where is it…?" Joey questioned, looking around to see whether the dragon emerged.
Yugi looked at his card and gasped. A magical seal surrounded Ra, as if binding its power from being unleashed. The seal contained foreign symbols around it. Yugi's eyes quivered as he stared at the three creatures, and the light was coming from them.
"Joey, summon Ammon!" Atem yelled out.
"But I'm not sure if it'll work without Kaiba…" Joey said.
"Wheeler, you don't need to fetch me." Kaiba replied as he walked towards them, his white trench coat flailing as he moved.
"I hope this will work." Joey remarked as he held out Ammon. The card shined and appearing in the sky was a bronze creature with wings and a head resembling a phoenix, and body and tail similar to a dragon. Ammon roared as the three monsters instantly stopped their rampage.
Kaiba took out his duel disk and placed his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons on it. The trio of dragons materialized and joined Ammon as they took flight. Joey had his duel disk on his arm and summoned his loyal Red-Eyes Black Dragon to complete Ammon's special ability. With four dragons out, Ammon's second ability came into effect as it was able to power-up itself when there are dragons nearby.
"Ammon, destroy those monsters!" Joey ordered, and he earned an angered look from Kaiba. Their Ka obeyed as it shot out streams of light that blinded everything around it.
The three beasts did not flinch from their position and received the full damage by the attack. A huge explosion took place and the creatures were gone. Yugi knew that the job was done too easy and he sensed something was not right. He felt two presences nearby and scanned the shadows everywhere, searching for the cause.
"Partner, what is wrong?" Atem queried, raising an eyebrow.
Yugi snapped out his trance and looked back at Atem. "Someone is responsible for this, and they'll be back." He warned. Joey and Kaiba gave him confused looks.
"If there is trouble brewing, then where are the Guardians?" Kaiba asked. He was under the impression they had to be responsible.
"Yeah, they should be here to tell us what is goin' on." Joey agreed.
Yugi's face darkened. "I've been trying to communicate with them for awhile," Yugi said. "Kiki has contacted me and she told me they're having their own problems, which may be the same with us."
"How have you spoken to her at all today?" Atem inquired. He did know that Yugi exchanged information with Kiki online.
"I sent her an email." Yugi said, and immediately ran back home to check his laptop. Kaiba, Joey and Atem followed him as two beings watched them.
"Is it necessary to look after them?" A masculine voice complained. He was speaking to a being not resembling a Guardian's human-like form as he himself didn't appear the same way.
"Quit whining!" A feminine voice scolded, twitching her forked tail. A red gem glittered on her forehead as her purple body shined in the starlight.
"Even if we are Lesser Guardians," the first voice stated, "doesn't mean we have to be pushed around by some girl." Yellow rings surrounded his body, each glowing and illuminating his dark body. His red eyes gleamed directly at violet ones.
The owner of the violet eyes pricked up her long ears. "Be careful what you say, Heka, you do not want to get hurt by her, now do we?"
Heka lied down on the rooftop which they stood upon. "Tyche, maybe we should not allow these mortals to meddle in our affairs, they do not know what they are facing." He protested.
Tyche released white bird-like wings from her back. "We have to follow them no matter what. She knows that the reincarnates are the only ones that can help."
Heka sighed. "Fine…" He stretched out black butterfly-like wings, and the two took flight into the night sky.
Meanwhile at the Game Shop, Solomon was awake and he wondered what the raucous was about outside. He saw his grandson and his three friends rush indoors and up to Yugi's room. The old man did not bother to ask them what they were all doing wide awake. They slammed the door to Yugi's room, and Yugi turned on his laptop to see if he received an email from Kiki.
"She responded!" Yugi said, beginning to open it. The email read:
Yugi, you must come right away to New York! The Guardians may need your help, and also, there has been recent attacks here and in Animus by creatures known as the Beasts of Chaos. There is no time to waste! You, Joey and Kaiba must return, or the fate of all mankind and of the Guardians will be vanquished!
There is no time to explain all the details, but you should know what you must do now. I shall be awaiting you at the JFK Airport as soon as possible. Please, this is very urgent!
"Well, you don't see that everyday." Joey commented after they read the email.
"Then there is something going on." Yugi mused.
"It may explain why Ra was not summoned when you called it." Atem replied.
"So, do we go?" Joey asked.
Yugi turned to face Kaiba. "Will you be offering us the transportation, or do we have to pay for plane tickets?"
Kaiba remained silent. Moments later he responded, "Those Guardians will be pestering me to go anyway."
"Then we leave first thing in the morning!" Joey said happily.
"Ah, Joey, it is morning." Atem replied.
"And I didn't even get any sleep!" Joey whined, yawning as his eyes began drooping.
As the sun arose on the horizon, three beings were perched on a rooftop beside the Game Shop, staring at the window leading into Yugi's room. Each of them held three cards which contained the creatures that created chaos during the night. They smirked as they heard Yugi and his friends agreeing to go to America to visit the Guardians.
"Everything is falling into place." A female voice observed.
"The mortals don't even know what lies before them in their little trip." A male voice snickered. He glanced at the third being who held a gold object in his hand.
"They'll never escape what fate has in store for them." The third person said. They vanished into the darkness as an unsuspecting Yugi was walking into their trap.
Author's Notes: Well, there we go… Like I did in Dark Crisis, here's next chapter's summary:
Yugi, Joey, Kaiba and Atem head to America to meet up with the Guardians, but their trip turns into a deadly one as the Beasts of Chaos appear again. Yugi is unable to summon Ra because of the seal enclosing the card. It's a battle in the sky as they try to reach their destination safely, and who could be after them? Who are those two other beings whom seem to be on their side? Find out next time on Struggle of Chaos - Chapter 2: The Sky Battle! Ammon vs. the Beasts of Chaos!