"Dueling for Dummies"
Yu-Gi-Oh!/BtVS crossover
Note: This takes place after the situation with Dartz but before that duelling Grand Prix thing (mostly because I never saw any of it and don't want to screw up). In BtVS this starts just before the episode involving the Incan Mummy Girl thing. Also if this drabble/short does wind up getting a lot of votes, enough to convince me to make it into a full fledged fanfic then I will require a beta reader that is not only familiar with the Anime series but also is knowledgeable enough about how the game is played (both the real card game and how it is played on the TV show) to help me out.
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A 747 Flying Over the Pacific Ocean Towards Japan, Mid-DayI CAN'T BELIEVE THEY ACTUALLY DID IT! Xander yelled mentally as he sat in his seat aboard the airplane looking to the average passer by like sulking child.
In truth though he was more annoyed and angry then technically sulking because the one time his parents decided to do something that might be considered appropriate for loving and encouraging parents they had to choose something that took him from his friends. It had all begun about a week ago when Herr Snyder made the announcement over the personal address system in the school that it was time again for the student exchange program to begin and that all students were encouraged to get involved. Actually he made it sound like he wanted a vacation from as many of the 'juvenile delinquents' as possible and maybe have some respectable students around for a change. At the time he wasn't all that worried because he believed that there was no way that his parents would welcome a perfect stranger into the house or even be interested in anything school related. However no more than two days after the announcement had been made at school his parents told him to start packing his bags because in five days he'd be going overseas as part of the student exchange program. At first he'd ignored their statement figuring it was nothing more than some drunken nonsense that would be gone from their heads after two hours of heavy drinking.
Of course it HAD to turn out to be the one time they actually told the truth! He grumbled mentally as he recalled getting socked in the jaw the next day for not even starting to pack.
Naturally he had gone running to the gang so that they could try and find a way out of his current predicament but surprisingly they actually seemed to be in favour of it. Oh both Willow and Buffy were going to miss him but Giles pointed out it would only be for two weeks and that visiting another country, on the school's dollar, could be quite enjoyable. Both girls agreed with Willow only laying down the stipulation that he had to contact her once a day at least via email before she'd agree to let him go. Never mind that he was not quite passing his computer class with Miss Calendar so the chances of him figuring out how to send his bestest bud an email was iffy at best. So all in all he had not been a happy camper at that point so he decided to see if he could plead or beg his way out via the one person with the power to slam the brakes on his leaving.
Should have known that troll would be loving the idea of me being elsewhere! He thought as he remembered Snyder's oh so joyful expression when the problem was laid out for him.
In the end he was forced to go along with the exchange thing or be forced to spend time in detention until he graduated or as Snyder had put it 'when he attempted to graduate'. So stuck between the forces of evil (his parents and Snyder) and his encouraging friends (you shouldn't have! Really!) he resigned himself to his fate and began packing what he thought he'd need for the two weeks he'd be gone. Five days later a fancy looking car had pulled up to the curb in front of the house and two goons in suits had gotten out. After exchanging a few brief words in Japanese (Tony could speak and understand Japanese!?!?!?!) the goons had spoken in rough English ordering him to get his things and get into the car. Too floored by hearing his father speak anything other than bad English he'd done as he was told and was quickly whisked away to the airport. Then came the next surprise in that that he somehow managed to get a FIRST CLASS SEAT on the plane while the flunkies had to settle for coach. It had been a mixed experience since then with the pros being a comfy seat, good food and hottie stewardesses left and right. The cons being… well… the fact that he did not want to be here and did not sign up for this were definitely cons and as such were impairing his ability to enjoy his visit to the rich persons' area.
"Is there anything I can do for you Mr. Harris?" came the voice of a particularly beautiful stewardess that he was sure had unofficially made herself his personal stewardess and made sure her co-workers knew this.
Considering she was a definite knockout and looked to be no more than a couple of months out of high school he would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted to ask if she'd like to go for a cuppa coffee when they landed. However since he figured he wouldn't be able to get away from good 1 and goon 2 anytime soon he restrained that impulse and just asked her for a refill for his glass of Pepsi. With a 'right away Mr. Harris' she turned and began walking down the aisle to where the food was and definitely had an unprofessional swaying of her hips going on no doubt for his viewing pleasure.
Like a wise man once said: I hate seeing her go but I love watching her leave. He thought to himself as he enjoyed what he was seeing.
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Domino City Airport, Domino City, Mid-Afternoon (Local Time)
Who in their right mind names a city after a rectangular block with red and white dots on it? He thought to himself for the third time since the head stewardess announced over the plane's P.A system that they'd be landing in Domino City shortly.
Then again people probably thought the same thing about naming a town 'Sunnydale' but at least his hometown wasn't named after a game piece. Following the two thugs they guided him to an expensive looking limo that had a vaguely familiar 'KC' logo on the back doors. He knew he'd seen it before but for the life of him he couldn't figure out where and it was causing a distinct itch to his brain. Getting in he was distinctly annoyed to find that the two morons had taken up bookend positions on either side of him and given their considerable muscle mass and bulk he was definitely not comfortable. So rather than dwell on the fact that he was being sandwiched by two guys who could probably double as boulders both physically and mentally he decided to try and figure out what was going on and who he was being so gracefully delivered to like this.
The first clue were the goons and the fact that they had personally come to escort him to the family he'd be staying with for the next two weeks. Now while he might never have paid anything more than a vague amount of attention to the details of the student exchange program in the past he was fairly certain that this was not the standard M.O for every student. That meant that whomever he was going to get stuck with had done this on his or her own authority rather than it being the actions of the school boards of either country. Next came the first class seat and the limo he was sitting in both of which did not come cheap which meant his new friend was likely well off financially. Maybe not in the top ten of Japan's wealthiest families but definitely a player in the corporate game given the logo on the limo and what that implied. This could be either good thing or a bad thing depending on what type of rich person his new landlord turned out to be. On the one had they could be a kind fifty-something C.E.O who'll make him feel welcome and do their best to make his stay in Japan both enjoyable and educational. On the other they could be penny-pinching scrooges who only signed up for the student exchange program for the potential public relations benefits and would be sure he did nothing to ruin this.
Knowing my luck I'll probably wind up with the latter knowing my famiy's history of bad luck! He thought with distaste as he mentally began to prepare himself for the most horrible 'pain-in-the-ass' two weeks ever.
About thirty minutes later they pulled up to the front gates of what had to be one of the most impressive mansions he had ever seen. Not that he'd seen many mansions having never left Sunnydale but there were enough fancy houses back home that he'd managed to get a taste of what they looked like. In any case the mansion in front of him was definitely 'whoa' worthy making him believe that whatever the disposition of the person he'd be living with for the next two weeks it'd definitely be something to tell the gang about back home. Once they'd been buzzed in and pulled up to the front entrance one of the thugs got his suitcases from the trunk and together they entered the building to meet with the owner. Didn't have to travel far though because there at the top of the twin staircases looking down at him like a king of a castle was certainly the owner.
Problem was the owner didn't look much older than he was which surprised him.
"So your Alexander Harris?" asked the young man rhetorically in a manner implying great disappointment, "I guessed I shouldn't have expected much consider you're Anthony's son. While you live here though I hope you'll at least try to act like a civilized person otherwise the deals off. So follow Vincent and he'll show you to your room."
"Sure thing. Just one question before I go." He said before waiting to see if the young man who acted just as bad as Cordelia, only with a refined vocabulary, would let him ask his question.
"And that would be?" the young man asked impatiently.
"Um… just who the hell are you?" he asked honestly because he did not have a clue who he was talking to.
"Anthony didn't tell you? Typical." The young man said sounding like he had an opinion of Tony Harris similar to Xander's, "My name is Seto Kaiba and I am the C.E.O of the Kaiba Corporation."
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Four Days Later, Kaiba Mansion, Xander's RoomFour days into my stay and already I want to kick Seto's ass on general principle. Xander thought as he sat at his desk and continued to do his thankfully little bit of homework.
It had been the first thing he'd told upon showing up for breakfast the next morning. While it was true that he was technically here to experience Japanese culture and to basically be led around the town by Kaiba the snotty C.E.O apparently considered such duties beneath him and dumped him on the local high school. He wasn't totally alone as he had Seto's little brother Mokuba to help him survive the rough patches but still the elder Kaiba's 'high and mighty' routine was wearing away at his last nerve. Over the course of the four days at the local high school he'd been introduced to four of Mokuba's friends but had been asked by the younger Kaiba brother to not tell Seto. Apparently Yugi Moto, Joey Wheeler, Téa Gardner and Tristan Taylor were kinda the enemy as far as the C.E.O of Kaiba Corp was concerned and the prick would likely get angry that Mokuba was associating with them. After making the promise not to say a word everything went pretty smoothly and he was even introduced to the hottest game in Japan called Duel Monsters. Apparently this game was the reason for the feud of sorts between the Yugi Crew and Seto Kaiba since the elder Kaiba had once been the undisputed champ only to be displaced Yugi who had never duelled professionally before that match. Given the superiority complex the guy wore around his neck like an expensive silk tie it probably had been quite the blow to the over inflated ego.
Still not quite sure of all the rules of the game but it looked pretty cool when Joey and Yugi played against each other at lunch yesterday. He thought as he closed his textbook and decided to head down to the kitchen for a quick snack.
Walking down the hallway he tried his best to recall the way to his destination when the sound of an angry argument caught his ear and despite the presence of Hellmouth paranoia his curiosity demanded he investigate. Using his finely tuned sense of selective hearing (hey! It comes in handy sometimes and especially where Snyder is involved) he found the source of the commotion two minutes later coming from Seto's office. Deciding eavesdropping was the correct course of action he edged as close to the door as he could without touching it and listened to hear what had gotten ol' Setty's panties in a bunch.
"I think you misunderstand your position Mr. Ishida. While I will admit your company is making impressive progress it will be years before it might constitute a threat to my company." Seto said frigidly as he tried to make his position of superiority clear, "Assuming of course I even let you get that powerful in the first place."
"Perhaps but I'm sure your step-father Gozaburo thought the same thing about you and yet here you are living in his home and running his company." Ishida said with hostility, "Clearly just because something looks like it's not a threat doesn't necessarily make it so."
Ahhh the sounds of a corporate C.E.O pissing contest! He thought with a roll of the eyes as both Ishida and Kaiba went into another round of posturing and veiled threats or insults.
"Look Mr. Ishida as much as I would like to continue this debate I have more important things to do then argue with someone who is at best a minor competitor in the corporate field." Seto remarked sounding distinctly annoyed as well as impatient, "So unless you have something to say of interest to me I suggest you leave."
"Perhaps this proposal of mine will catch your interest then. Like you I have no wish for a prolonged struggle between our respective companies so I propose we settle things in a more efficient manner." Ishida said like he was making a sales pitch, "One week from now we will have a five person team elimination Duel Monsters match, as that seems to be your chosen field of expertise, and the winner will get to choose his prize."
There was silence for a moment but Seto must have nodded because afterwards Ishida continued with his proposal.
"The teams will be composed of three professional duelists, one rookie who has competed professionally for less than a year and one person hand picked by the opposing team's manager namely you or me." Ishida explained laying down the ground rules, "The duelists will square off one-on-one until there are only two left at which point you and I will join the survivors of our respective teams in a final tag team duel. As stated if you should win you will be able to ask for anything you desire be it merely one of my subsidiaries or my entire corporate empire. However should I win the same opportunity will be given to me making it entirely possible for you to lose everything you own. What do you think of my proposal?"
I'm not sure why I'm thinking this but I really don't think that Seto should agree to this. He thought since he smelled something fishy in the works, I could care less about that prick Kaiba but given how nice Mokuba's been to me since I got here I'd kinda feel bad if he wound up being kicked to the curb because his older brother's ego got them in trouble.
"I think you're a fool for challenging me to Duel Monsters Mr. Ishida but your 'one wish' prize for the winner is quite tempting since it would save me both time and money crushing you the normal way." Seto replied sounding supremely confident in his skills and questioned Ishida's intelligence at the same time, "It's a deal then. You'll have my list of duelists in two days as well as my choice for your final team member."
"While it will likely take me two days as well to choose the four members of my team I have already chosen who will be your final member." Ishida said with a voice that practically screamed that he had a sinister smile on his face, "Mr. Harris! Why don't you come in and sit down. I know you've heard the particulars of the deal and I have chosen you to be the final member of Seto Kaiba's team."
"HUH!?" Xander exclaimed as his surprise caused him to stumble forward and open the door by accident.
"You can't be serious!" Kaiba declared no doubt beginning to sense that Ishida was up to something sneaky.
"I assure you I'm quite serious. While I am aware that Mr. Harris has little if any real experience at Duel Monsters I'm sure under your tutelage he can be made into a competent duelist in time." Ishida said with barely believable civility, "After all if the one time Duel Monsters champion cannot do it then perhaps your skills are not as impressive as I've been led to believe."
Seto's being played and if I don't do something quickly his ego will drag him even deeper into the muck. Xander thought as his mind scrambled for a way to throw a monkey wrench into Ishida's plans.
"Well then how about we compromise here guys." He said taking the two businessmen by surprise and getting their attention at the same time, "How about as a handicap you let Seto here produce four cards, designed by me, especially for this match. What they'll be will be kept a secret until the day of the duel but in return I'll guarantee that they won't be all-powerful and will have a weakness that your team can exploit. Basically you'd still get to put a newbie like me on Seto's team but the four cards I make will give me a fighting chance to stay in the game. Sound good to you?"
Mr. Ishida looked speculative for a moment but apparently when he saw the look of indecision on Seto's face that was enough to entice his ambitious nature forward.
"You have a deal Mr. Harris. So long as you hold to the stipulations you mentioned I see no reason why you should be prevented from creating four cards of your own." Mr. Ishida replied pretending to be the epitome of fairness.
Both he and Ishida looked at Seto to see what his decision would be but given Kaiba boy's pride, ego and superiority complex the teen from good old Sunnyhell had little doubt which way the young C.E.O would choose.
"Fine. Just make sure you're equally happy when you see who I've chosen to be your final member." Seto said making it clear that while he wasn't happy he would allow Ishida's choice to stand.
"Of course. See you in seven days then Mr. Kaiba." Ishida said with a formal bow and with that he trotted out of the elder Kaiba brother's office like he had already won.
"I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into Harris." Seto said making it clear that he would not allow Xander to cost him his empire, "Start working on your card designs immediately. I'll expect them by tomorrow evening at the latest. Now leave."
With those words Seto effectively made it so he no longer acknowledged Xander existed instead preferring to focus on running his business as well as choosing the other four members of his team. Knowing it wouldn't be worth the effort to try and chat with the young C.E.O any longer the founding male member of the Scooby gang turned towards the door and headed back to his room.
Now if only I knew how to design a Duel Monsters card I'd be in business! He thought sarcastically as he tried to come up with four card ideas for a game he'd only discovered a few days ago.
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Kaiba Land, Main Dueling Arena, Seven Days Later"What the HELL are all those people and TV cameras doing out there!?" Xander asked in surprise after ducking back behind the curtain separating the backstage area from the duelling platform.
"Seto's idea I'm afraid." Mokuba replied in a tone showing that he didn't think it was a good thing either, "He's still pretty mad at Ishida so I bet he wants to embarrass the man on international TV."
"INTERNATIONAL TV!?!?! You mean this thing is going to be broadcast worldwide!" Xander exclaimed as a distinct case of stage fright aka cold feet came over him.
While the rest of the team might think this odd both he and Mokuba knew he was perfectly justified in his apprehension. While it was true that for the past seven days Seto Kaiba had worked him like a dog pounding every duelling fact and strategy into his head it was still only a week of training versus the months if not years of experience everyone else had. No matter how good a duelist Seto was there was no way he could take a nobody off the street and in under a week make him as good as an experienced Duel Monsters player. The elder Kaiba brother knew this judging from the fact that he had given the Scooby a suitcase of rare and powerful cards to construct a duel deck from. No doubt the idiot thought that with cards like those even a monkey could win a duel. However he knew from countless comic books that you could put the most powerful weapon in existence into the hands of an amateur and he'd still be an amateur. The only comfort Xander had in his present situation came from the four cards he'd design himself (with a little help from Mokuba). He'd worked late into the night and most of the next day drawing the cards and then listing their characteristics like special effects and attack points. He must have gone through at least five separate drafts of each card before he finally felt confident enough in his creations to take them to Seto.
The He-Cordy actually looked impressed if that raised eyebrow thing was any hint. He thought as he tried to calm himself down with a couple of deep breaths.
Now the big day had arrived and as a fun little twist the opponents for the matches would be randomly chosen by a computer to ensure fairness.
Fairness my ASS! He thought as the differences in skill level between him and the others once more entered his mind.
"Relax Xander!" came the voice of one of his team mates as she put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "It's okay to be a little edgy before your first real duel as long as you don't let the fear control you. Just go out there when you're called and give it your best shot!"
"Thanks Mai." He said with genuine gratitude at the support the blonde duelist had given him.
Then the light shining in from the other side of the curtain went out only to be replaced with a dimmer one that was most likely a spotlight.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Kaiba Land and the 'Battle of Champions' exhibition tournament!" declared the announcer sounding strangely like that famous boxing match announcer, "As you may have seen on the posters or in the advertisements on TV this is an team elimination duelling tournament between Team Kaiba and Team Ishida. Members of both teams will face each other one-one-one until only one member of each time remains. Then both Mr. Seto Kaiba and Mr. Aizen Ishida will team up with their surviving duelist to fight it out in a deciding tag team duel to decide the ultimate winner of this event. So without further adieu let's have the computer select our first two duelists!"
Pleasenotmepleasenotmepleasenotme!! He thought as he prayed to whatever higher being might take pity on him not to put him out there first.
"The first match of this tournament will be Alexander Harris from Team Kaiba versus Rafael from Team Ishida!" declared the announcer with energy in order to hype up the crowd, "Would the chosen duelists please step forward and step onto the duelling platform please."
"Shit!" he muttered to himself as he willed his uneasy legs to take him to and through the curtain, "The Harris luck strikes again! Thanks a LOT Tony!"
Walking down the red carpet that had been laid out from the backstage area where he'd been to the platform ahead of him he did his best not to notice the crowd but rather focus on his opponent coming at him from the other side of the arena. He didn't have much luck since the crowd was going nuts with a mixture of cheers and booing with the latter most likely directed at him knowing his luck. Climbing up the steps to get onto the platform he almost tripped on the final step but managed to regain his balance hopefully without anyone noticing his clumsiness too much. The laughter he heard seconds later told him he had been caught and caught on live TV at that.
Sure hope the gang isn't watching this back home! He thought as he composed himself as best he could and did the traditional 'stare down your opponent' move all duels pretty much required.
"Don't worry kid. I'll make sure to go easy on you." Rafael, dressed like a cross between a biker and an Angel wannabe, said with generosity.
"Thanks for offering but I'd prefer it if you duelled me honestly." He said with his brain asking his heart what the hell it thought it was doing, "After all it'll hardly be as satisfying when I win if it turns out I only beat you 'cause you were holding back."
This surprised Rafael a bit but then he smiled and nodded silently saying that he would fight the male Scooby fair and square.
"Duelists! Insert your decks into your duel disks!" the announcer ordered with authority.
Taking the deck he made out of a leather holster Kaiba had tossed at him this morning he slid it into the designated slot on the 'duel disk' thing he had clamped to his forearm. Rafael did the same and immediately, both on their disks and on the big screen above their heads, life points totalling four thousand appeared.
"Duelists! Activate your duel disks!" yelled the announcer.
Pressing the button on the underside of the duel disk where Mokuba had shown him he watched as the two separate wings of the disk snapped together to become one and then slide into position pointing at Rafael. A cascade of electronic lights flashed over the card slots indicating that the device was active and connected to the duelling system of the arena.
"Duelists! Are you Ready?" the announcer asked them looking back and forth between Xander and Rafael.
"Definitely!" Xander replied trying to sound battle ready and eager to get started.
"I was born ready!" Rafael said sounding like he had already won.
"Then without further delay: IT'S TIME TO DUEL!" the announcer declared and with that the first real duel of Xander LaVelle Harris began for the world to see.
No pressure right?
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