Between My Brother and Me: When the World Falls Down

Rated: T

Author: Green Phantom Queen

Summary: What would have happened if Yami won the duel against Raphael? The Chosen are soon warped to a future where the Pharaoh rules with an iron fist, and their allies have turned against them. Their only hope is their reliance to each other and their determination to return to old times past.

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Chapter 6-When the World Lead Heroically

The world always needed heroes, but it never needed them as much as now. The people who weren't killing for gods or violence prayed for a savior to take their sorrows away. These people, risking life and limb for people they never knew, would come dressed in rags with food, water and hope.

However, some heroes were only doing these deeds for the rewards. Who wouldn't want to be given free food for their charity and generosity? Certainly not a greedy and heartless person, that's for sure. So hidden beneath masks of justice were the hearts of the wicked.

Still, the weak and meek looked up to these people, having no choice not to. And the heroes and villains continued their goals of self-satisfaction without any consequence to the world around them.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"And that's the story," said Mokuba, finishing the tale. "That's why I was on the rooftop."

"It would've been nice to warn us first, you now." Tristan noted, hands gripping onto the handles of his motorcycle. "So now what?"

"We get the Millennium Items and then you'll take us back to Kaiba Corp.," May explained, sitting in the side cart of Tristan's motorcycle with Mokuba. "Then, Max and I will go to Petalburgh and see our parents."

"The same ones who told you to come here?"

"The very same."

"All right, then." Tristan pressed on the brakes of his motorcycle as they neared the Game Shop. "Hurry up, then. I'm going to make a few calls."

May and Mokuba nodded their heads as they rushed toward the Game Shop. When they reached Yugi's room, they found the other Millennium Items waiting for them.

"There they are," said May, lightly grasping onto the Millennium Key worn around her neck. "They're safe."

Mokuba went to a pillow and removed its pillow case. Then, he started to place the items into it. When he reached for the Millennium Rod, he hesitated.

"What's wrong?" asked May. "What do you sense?"

"This item..." Mokuba murmured. "It wants me to be its owner."

"Cool. What type of things does it do?"

"Um...nothing special," Mokuba lied, taking the rod into his hand. "Now come on, let's get outside. I bet Seto is waiting for me."

May nodded her head as she and Mokuba went downstairs, to the Game Shop, and opened the door. They saw bikers talking to each other, laughing and having a good time. To May, it was a startling contrast to the bikers that chased her and Max in Death Valley.

"Hey!" said a biker. Approaching May and Mokuba was a young woman with long violet hair tied back with a blue ribbon. Despite being dressed in black, the female biker smiled at them sweetly. "I'm Miho Nosaka, it's nice to meet you!"

"I'm May," said the Pokémon Coordinator. "Are you a friend of Tristan's?"

"Yep! I'm his second-in-command. Or I was, until you inherited his title."

"Yeah, once I...WHAT?" May looked around, seeing the other bikers before pointing to herself. "I inherited...a bike gang? How?"

"It's because I'm off," said Tristan, walking toward May. "Once I take you and your brother to Petalburgh, I'm leaving Domino for a while. Also, I need one of the Millennium Items from you. The Ring."

"What for?" asked Mokuba, digging into the pillow case.

"The Ring locates Millennium Items," Tristan explained, lighting a cigarette. "I'm off to find the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle in the hopes of reuniting the gang together."

"The Millennium Puzzle was shattered by Yugi back at Death Valley," said May. "How will that reunite the gang?"

"Sometime after Yugi turned evil, he mailed the broken puzzle to us." Tristan explained, taking a deep swag of cigarette smoke. He exhaled before continuing. "He said that if we fixed the puzzle, then we'd get him back. But that thing mocked us as we were unable to solve it—it wasn't long until we started arguing against one another, taking the pieces of the puzzle with us and going our separate ways. Well, almost separate ways."

"And the biker gang?" asked Mokuba, handing Tristan the Millennium Ring.

"Tristan said he made it to band people who wanted to protect the town," said Miho. "He also said that whomever beat him in a Monster Match earns the title of leader and gains his motorcycle: Guardian St. Joan."

"Sounds interesting enough," said May. "But I'm going to need to learn how to...control one of those things."

"That's why I'm here to help you," Miho replied with a smile. "Isn't that right, Tristan?"

"Yeah," Tristan turned to his Duel Disk and pulled out two cards. "Catch."

He tossed May a card, the Coordinator catching it with her hand. They depicted a warrior wielding a giant shield for protection, the other a man in large silver armor with swords on his back.

"Big Shield Gardna and Total Defense Shogun?" She asked. "What are these for?"

"You're a Weapon Vessel, right? They're for your protection. You'll need it against Yugi and his psychopathic spirit. Now come on; I'm gonna teach you how to control St. Joan...just like I taught her..."

"Her?" asked Mokuba.

"Serenity Wheeler," Tristan answered, looking up to the sky. "Before she left my life forever..."

0-0-0-0-0-

"How psychopathic has Yugi become since we were gone?" asked Max,staring at the Kaibas. "How bad is it?"

"It's horrible," said Kaiba, walking toward one of the monitors. He began to type stuff down, not even looking at the keys that his fingers nimbly typed on. "Take a look."

Max looked in horror as he saw people living in fear. There were people fighting against each other, others in rituals of the occult...but the thing that worried him were that these people had red eyes and stones around their necks.

"Orichalcos Stones?" He exclaimed. "But how?"

"An event known as 'The Collapse' happened when Yugi went into power," Noah explained. "Fragments of the Orichalcos stone were found all around the world, and the people began to fight over them. Soon, they began to act crazy and not like themselves. The stones fed on the evil and negative feelings from the people who obtained them, slowly transforming them into monsters."

"That's insane..." Max took a step back. "It's madness..."

"And with the Legendary Dragons gone, our defense lies on the Academy," Kaiba continued, pointing to one of the monitors. It depicted a large school with three different colored domes: one yellow, one blue and one red. "The students here are trained to become exceptional duelists, ones that can stand up to the challenge of the Orichalcos and to stop this threat once and for all. Of course...they don't know that last part."

"How long did it take to make the Academy? I mean...it's been four years since the incident, right?"

"Four years?" Kaiba hesitated then let out a laugh. "Four years! I don't know who's outdated calendar you've been seeing, but it's been at least ten years since the event happened."

"T-ten years?" Max's eyes widened. "So...it's not 2008. It's 2014?"

"You catch on so easily," said Noah. "Congratulations."

"This isn't funny!" said Max. "Mom and dad have been waiting for May and I for ten years and one week! This can't be right! It just can't be..."

"It is, Max. We're in a future where the world hates us..."

Max turned around to see May, Mokuba and Tristan approach them. Mokuba held the Millennium Necklace in hand and the Millennium Rod in another.

"Take this," He said, tossing the necklace to Max. "It's yours."

"A necklace?" asked Max, staring at it. "What's so useful about it?"

"You can see a glimpse into the future. However, it's not always predictable as to when you can see it." The Defender of the King turned to see his brother. "Seto...you're old..."

Kaiba smiled sadly as he felt his younger brother hug him. With a gentle hand, the CEO began to stroke his younger brother's head.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it Mokie?" Mokuba hesitated at that nickname. He hadn't heard it in such a long time. The Defender of the King began to sob and tugged onto Kaiba's duster tighter.

"I missed you so much..." Mokuba hiccuped. "I wanted to see you again...and now..."

"It's alright," Kaiba said in a soothing tone. "I'm here. Everything will be alright."

"No it won't..." Mokuba replied. "It'll never be alright..."

As the young boy continued to sob, Tristan motioned for May and Max to follow him. Max looked on in confusion, but May just nodded her head.

"We have to get going," She said to Max. "We're heading home."

"To mom and dad? But...after all these years..."

May turned to her brother and smiled. "They'll always welcome us with open arms," She told him. "It'll be nice to have the town cheering for us when we set foot, right?"

"I guess so..." Max placed the Millennium Necklace around his neck as he spoke. "I just hope Mom and Dad will be there when that happens..."

0-0-0-0-0-

Yugi shuffled the deck in his hands and hummed a song to himself. The plan to get the Academy riled up was near completion, and he couldn't wait. He continued to hum the song as the cards became tainted with shadow magic.

"Come, child of darkness," Yugi sang. "Come to us and play dead forever...we'll have cream and sugar for you all if you're welcome..."

He laughed and stood up, dancing around like he was Cinderella at the ball. He was so excited—another toy was going to be his! He was bored with the so-called "Legendary Knights" that helped him and Yami defeat Dartz. Now they were just life-size dolls that did his bidding when the world became too quiet. Timaeus was his favorite though; oh how he loved running a finger down the scar that blinded the turquoise-armored knight. It made him feel happy. Critias and Hermos were also fun...if fun was beating them until they were black and blue and breaking every bone in their body, just to see them regenerate and do it again.

"It's done!" Yugi cried, showing the deck to Yami. "Can I go now? Please? I'll be good!"

Yami just chuckled, manipulating the glass orb in his hand with a flick of the wrist. Then he hesitated...he grasped his head in pain as the symbol of the Millennium Items shone on his forehead.

"No!" He gasped. "The Items...I sense them!"

"Are you alright?" asked Yugi, going to the Pharaoh and hugging him. "It's alright, the Items can't hurt you. The Orichalcos is stronger than they are."

"But why do I sense them now? Why after all this time? Unless..." Yami lowered his hands when the pain disappeared. "They have found new owners..."

"But who would want those stupid pieces of gold anyway?" Yugi tapped his chin with a finger. Then he gasped and growled. "Those three...they want to get rid of our power! I won't let them!"

At that thought, the Vessel of the Pharaoh growled and gnashed his teeth. His teeth grew into sharp fangs and his nails became sharp talons at the mere thought of the Chosen using one of the Millennium Items against them. Black markings tattooed his skin as he spoke.

"I will devour them piece by piece," Yugi snarled. "I will have them as my toys forever! But first..." He stared at the deck in hand and smiled. "I have some chaos to create..."

With a snap of his fingers, the shadows swallowed him up. Then, he disappeared. Yami grabbed the glass orb in hand, the grip he had on it making it crack.

"We need more soldiers," Yami murmured to himself. "That boy shall be the first one we've had in a long time..."

0-0-0-0-0-

The trip to Petalburgh City was pretty quiet...except for the parts of May riding on the Guardian St. Joan motorcycle and Tristan telling her to be careful on it. Unlike most motorcycles that were black with red trimming, St. Joan was white and gold with angelic wings on the side. May was having a hard time maintaining a good grip on the cycle, mostly having Miho sitting behind her to help guide it. Following May were the rest of the bikers, some of them comforting Max and telling him that they weren't going to attack him with chains or pipes.

"Look!" said Miho, raising a hand over her eyes. "I think that's Petalburgh!"

May looked up, seeing the city as she remembered it. There were the people talking to themselves and their Pokémon. There were children at play in the park. And there were the emotions and memories that made her remember that this was her home.

"We're home..." She whispered, leaning into the motorcycle. "We're home!"

At the roar of the engine, the citizens of Petalburgh turned to see a band of motorcycles coming toward them. The leader stepped on the brakes and waited until the motorcycle came to a complete halt. Then, she got off.

"It's me, May!" She said. "How are you?"

The citizens looked at each other before looking back at May. Max also got off the motorcycle and made his introductions. In an instant, the town began to cheer, huddling around the children of Norman.

"You're pretty popular around here!" Miho noted.

"Tell me about it," May said to herself over the adoring crowd. She looked around and asked, "Has anyone seen our parents? Where are they?"

"May? Is that you?"

May turned around, seeing someone hand her a single red rose. Taking it into her hand, she looked up, seeing a person with green hair and a handsome face looking at her in shock.

"Do...I know you?" May asked. "You're...so familiar."

"It's me, Drew! You know, you're Pokémon Coordinator rival?"

"Drew? Oh my god, it is you! What are you doing here?"

"Well," said another voice. "He's here since this is one of the only remaining refuges ever since this whole Collapse affected us." May noted a person walking up to her, the person having their purple hair tied into a long ponytail and was dressed in a dark green ensemble. "And here you are, waltzing in and all you can say is 'What are you doing here?'"

"Harley!" Max exclaimed. "You're here also?"

"Aw, look at you..." said Harley, bending down to Max's eye level. "Even after all this time, you're still such a cute little child..."

"Who happens to be a Duelist," Max retorted, showing off his Duel Disk. "Now if you excuse me...where's my mom and dad?"

"They're back at the Petalburgh Gym," said Drew. "Just go there and you'll see them. Although, I doubt you'll be able to leave so soon. What with you coming back after you went missing for a single decade and all."

"Thanks for the advice," said May. "Now if you'll excuse me..." She and Max squeezed through the circle of townsfolk before getting back on the motorcycles. "We have to get going."

"Bye then!" said Max, waving to Harley and Drew. "We're going to save the world and turn everything back to normal! We promise!"

May nodded her head as she and her brother went back onto the motorcycles. Miho smiled and waved goodbye as she help lead the bikers toward the Petalburgh City Gym. The crowd of people gave their wishes toward their saviors, none of them even thinking a negative thought toward them.

"I truly hope they can save the world," said Drew. "It's been so long..."

"Well, they have to." Harley noted,crossing his arms. "The Pokémon World hasn't been holding on well since that event either. It's only a matter of time before we're targeted by our own Pokémon tainted by the 'Collapse'."

"Do you think we should tell them about..."

"No." Drew shook his head. "They already have a lot of trouble on their hands..."

0-0-0-0-0-

"So, what exactly is a Gym here?" Tristan asked Max. "Is it some special place for people to work out?"

"Trainers come to these gyms to battle the Gym Leaders," Max answered. "They do so in order to be qualified for the Pokémon League. You need eight badges in order to qualify and—OH NO!"

Tristan immediately put on the brakes as he saw a Slaking guarding the path to the Petalburgh Gym. It opened its eyes and growled at the trespassers.

"What is that thing?" asked Tristan.

"That's a Slaking!" said May. She pressed the brakes onto the motorcycle and hopped off. "Slaking, hold your fire! It's us, May and—"

Slaking roared and began to charge toward them, its feet pounding against the ground with every step it took. May took out a card and closed her eyes.

"Go, Big Shield Gardna!" She cried. "Combine with me and let me protect my friends!"

A burst of light covered May before it dimmed. The Goddess of Joy was dressed in a purple tunic and orange pants, her brown hair shaggy and down to her waist with a large shield in her hands. When Slaking brought down a fist, the shield absorbed the attack.

"Calm down, Slaking..." May grunted. "It's us! May and Max...we're here!"

Slaking stared into May's eyes, as if trying to understand her words. It snarled and then opened its mouth in preparation of a Hyper Beam.

"Go Banette!" said Max, tossing a Pokéball at Slaking. "Attack with Sucker Punch!"

The Pokéball opened as Banette rushed toward the larger Normal-type Pokémon as it landed a powerful punch in the stomach. Slaking gasped and fell on his back, the Hyper Beam dissipating.

"That was close," Tristan sighed. "Now what?"

"Who's there? Put your hands up!"

The bikers raised their hands in the air as the elder Gym Leader of Petalburgh City approached them. May gasped when she saw her father...even if he had aged, she knew that face and voice anywhere.

"Dad!" May cried, rushing toward Norman. "Dad, it's me!"

"...May?" asked Norman, seeing his daughter. "May, you...you look like you've grown in the jungle. And Max..." He looked up to his son. "You haven't aged a day..."

"Dad..." Max felt tears well in his eyes as he got off the motorcycle. "DAD!"

Max rushed toward Norman and hugged him, sobbing his eyes out. Norman smiled and patted the heads of his children, a smile on his wizened face.

"Where have you been?" asked the Gym Leader. "We waited for so long and you never came back...but now you're here. Come inside...your mother would want to see you again. And please...won't you stay with us for a while?

"We don't know about the staying part, Dad." May shook her head. "We have to save the world from destruction. It's suffering because we weren't there to save it. We just came to make sure you are alright and then we need to go back to Domino..."

"At least have lunch with us. Please? Your mom will make your favorite foods. She hasn't made those in quite some time."

"Well, I guess that's fine." said Max. He turned to Tristan and Miho. "What do you guys think?"

"Sounds like a plan," said Tristan. "I'll lead the gang to get something to eat and we'll come back here in an hour. You better be ready back then."

"Promise," said May. "We'll be here. See you in a while."

Tristan gave them a two-fingered salute before nodding at the other bikers. The motorcyclists revved their engines and left toward the city, leaving the Petalburgh siblings alone with their father.

"So," Norman began. "Tell me about what happened while you were supposedly gone for that week."

"It all started when we entered Domino City," Max began as the three walked toward the Gym. "We found this Game Shop that gave us Duel Disks and decks before being attacked by a giant monster..."

0-0-0-0-0-

Mokuba looked at the Millennium Rod in his hand as his brother and step-brother began to talk. He only heard parts relating to the world collapsing while he was gone, and that Yugi was a complete psychopath, but the rest of the time was mostly spent talking to Khonsu. His hands slid up and down the handle of the Rod, tempting him to use its power on some unsuspecting victim.

"Mokuba," Kaiba began, noticing the bored look in his brother's eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Seto." Mokuba replied. "I'm just...uneasy when it comes to holding this thing. This thing created so many casualties back at Battle City, and now it wants me to be its owner. What if I become evil like Marik did? What happens when I get my own dark side that tries to kill everyone I love?"

"You're stronger than that," said Noah. "And from what that man told you, you have no darkness in your heart. Even if the Millennium Rod tried to tempt you into becoming evil, the chances of that becoming true is equal to the chance of Gozaburo coming back to ruin our lives."

"But still...I can't be careless. I'll only use the Millennium Rod when I feel threatened and nothing more." Mokuba took a good look into the eye on the Millennium Rod and narrowed his eyes. "I'm not a monster...and I'm sure that I'll never be one."

Suddenly there was the sound of a phone ringing. Kaiba picked it up.

"What is it?" He asked. There was some silence as the CEO heard the voice speak. "Yes. Wait...he what? What do you mean he's at the island? And he WHAT? No! This can't be happening! Do something about it, alright?"

Kaiba hung up after that. He began to pace back and forth, swearing underneath his breath and pulling his hair. Mokuba turned to Noah as if to ask, "What's going on?", but Noah just shrugged his shoulders. Kaiba punched the wall in anger as he let out a scream.

"What's going on, Seto?" asked Mokuba. "What's happening?"

"Yugi was spotted at the Academy," Kaiba snarled. "He knows about the project!"

0-0-0-0-0-

"Thank you for everything, Counselor!" said Yugi, walking out of Counselor Sheppard's office. With the door closed, the King of Games smiled at how the plan was working. The Counselor didn't have a single clue about what Yugi Muto really is; Kaiba was getting sloppy.

"Wow! It's really you!" cried a voice. Yugi turned around and saw a boy with brown hair, a black shirt, red jacket and white pants rush up to him. "Oh my god, it's you! Yugi Muto!"

"That's me," Yugi said with a smile. "It's nice to see an energetic duelist like you. What's your name?"

"Me?" The duelist pointed to himself. "I'm Jaden Yuki, and I'm gonna be the next King of Games!"

0-0-0-0-0-

Jaden: Yugi's deck is going to be shown in the academy? Sweet!

May: Not sweet; Yugi is planning something...something bad...

Max: We have to get the Book of Secret Arts and figure out what to do next.

Tristan: And I have to head out to find the others.

Mokuba: We need to go to the Academy and stop Yugi's plan from going to fruition.

Noah: We have to plan our next step.

Kaiba: Next time, "Chapter 7-When the World Plot Strategically"

Yugi: Oh, pretty little Jaden...step up and become our new toy for us...