Leafeon12: Sounds good, and like I said, I'll definitely take it into consideration. As a side note, though, Yugi does have Yami's powers, it's just that he doesn't like fighting and only really uses them to get around quickly, for self-defense, or to control a crowd.
TOWTWUKER: I like those ideas!
Thunderwolf7226: Good to know! Yeah, I pulled some pretty heavy inspiration from Ghostfreak, my favorite Ben 10 alien (besides Fasttrack); I didn't want to make Dom a stereotypical ghost capable of only sneaking around, so I just surfed the web until I found a design I liked, which was a mix between Ghostfreak's Outer and Inner Layers. But, yeah, Dom's Yami is cool… but instead of being capable of change, Lamia is a demon who likes to eat kids. And since she can't eat kids, Lamia gets grumpy, takes over, and lets out her frustration by being far more brutal than Dom intends to.
The next day, everyone had gathered in Tamao's room (as it was the biggest) to discuss who could have sent those two assassins.
"Well, the first one said something about the 'Wheel of the Circle's Call'. Is there any information on that?" Moka asked. Yami shook his head as he took control.
"Nothing. It's likely an underground phrase of a cult, or something akin to that."
Dom coughed and into his sleeve. "An' Freakshow kept shoutin' 'bout how 'his Mistress Haliya was right' 'bout tryin' t' kill anyone who couldn' adequa'ely control themsel'es."
"The Wheel of the Circle's Call… it almost reminds me a war wheel. You guys know that? 'Once the wheel of war starts rolling, there's no stopping it'. That's the phrase. Maybe they're just declaring war on you because you're a freakishly strong Mage?" Yukari suggested.
"Tch…" Dom hissed as he clutched his head. "Great, now she's pitchin' in…"
Everybody gave him an expectant look.
"Long ago, mages were hunted. Perhaps this is merely a continuation of that?" Tamao took a step back from 'Dom'.
"But Yukari hasn't been hunted yet." Moka frowned. Yami nodded fervently.
"A classic tactic: taking out the largest threat first!"
"So, a witch-hunter…" Kurumu murmured. "Then I'll be protecting you from now on, Yugi!"
"Anyone who kills my man answers to me." Tamao nodded with a sultry look.
"I'm with them, Yugi." Moka pitched in. Yukari nodded with a smile. Dom gave an exaggerated stretch.
"Well, since this is goin' t' devolve into an orgy, I'm gonna leave…" Yami glared half-heartedly before giving Yugi control.
"Well, I wouldn't mind that…" Tamao muttered.
"Thirsty! That's what I am! Later!" Yugi darted out of the door.
(-)
The Duelist sat down at the bench near the vending machine, sighing as he popped open his soda. Why couldn't he just have a normal interaction with girls his age?
"Perhaps because you're too nice?" Yami suggested as he materialized.
I am not too nice, Yugi thought, almost offended.
"If you'd left Moka alone after saving her, you wouldn't be alienated from the rest of the male student body. If you let Kurumu suffer, you wouldn't be under constant threat of being enslaved. If Yukari was paired with Moka, they'd both be off of your back and Yukari wouldn't be trying to bed you. And Tamao could kill you if she got too close to your neck during sex."
"You're one to talk! You helped me out every single time when I could have stayed out of it and not put our lives on the line." The younger half muttered.
"Fine, so I help keep my reincarnation alive. Bakura did the same thing, as did Marik."
"So what's the point?"
"My point is that this starting to get dangerous, Yugi. The more friends you make, the more enemies pop up and eventually it will come to a head. All I ask is that you curb the amount of trouble you get us into." Yami advised. Yugi nodded.
"Okay, I get it. Anything else you want to talk about?"
"…Yes. Something is coming."
Yugi frowned. "'Something'?"
"I'm not sure, but it's on par with the threat of Anubis, perhaps even more so. I was thinking of letting in Moka so that we cover more ground."
"And what would we be looking for?" The King of Games asked. Before an answer could come forth, a massive rumbling shook the ground. A second after that stopped, the sound of an explosion was heard not too far away.
"Little Chimera!" Yugi shouted, then jumped on the beast's back as they sped towards where smoke was rising.
(-)
"Ah… ya don' think that's a bad boom, do ya?" Dom asked as the girls went to the window of their homeroom, watching as smoke rose.
"If it is, we need to help!" Moka said urgently. The Texan sighed and spread his arms out.
"Fine. I'll get us there."
"No lemon-grabbing!" Yukari told him.
"I like shit I can grab, thanks."
(-)
The scene was chaos. Even though Yugi had used that phrase before, it seemed as if it was the only thing that described the scene before him. Half a dozen students were in the ground, alive but badly injured. The worst part was that all of them clearly didn't have the time to transform and defend themselves. Whoever had come through wanted the job done quick but less than clean.
"Pale Beast! Giant Rat! Gladiator Beast Andal! Man-Eater Bug! Flying Kamakiri! Des Feral Imp! Get those students to the infirmary." The six monsters nodded and picked up a student each effortlessly. By the time they'd all started walking off, Kurumu, Moka, Mao, Dom, and Yukari appeared next to him. Dom huffed.
"No offense, but you're heavy."
Ignoring him, Moka ran up to Yugi.
"What happened here?" She asked, anxiety evident. Yugi shrugged.
"Not sure yet… but that broken-into office looks like a promising start." All of the teens filed into an older office, with papers strewn about and metal being dented by someone strong.
"The only thing this guy touched were the medical files." Yukari noted, looking at the ones that were still in there. "Guys… this intruder was looking at medical files. From last night."
Everybody turned their attention to Yugi. He shrugged.
"We can take anything."
"Not in a cramped office. We need to tell a teacher." Mao ordered. They left… only to be greeted by three teachers, all tense.
"Oh, it's them." One of the female teachers said. All the tension left the teachers.
"How d'you know we weren't the ones behind that?" Kurumu asked.
The male teacher sighed. "When something bad happens, your little group is always there to investigate."
"Oh."
After a brief interrogation on what happened to the students, Yugi explained and they were all let go.
And, of course, they ended up back at Mao's room.
"So, anybody know what caused that smoke? No blown generators, as far as I could tell." Yukari asked.
"It was coming off of the ground. Maybe the intruder's Monster form can make explosions?" Moka suggested.
Yukari shook her head. "They'd be an S-Class, if that were the case."
"Well, if this guy is obsessed with Yugi, I say we wait out in plain sight and have that creep come to us!" Tamao exclaimed, punching her palm.
"Yeah, but did you see how easily those students were taken out?" Kurumu argued. "Look, I want to protect my Love as much as the next girl, but we'd need everybody present to have a chance at winning."
Moka stepped forward and pointed to her rosary. Yugi tugged it off, letting Inner Moka stretch and give a small yawn.
"Hmph. I'd like to take a crack at whoever this is, but it'd take more planning than usual. And if we're going to fight, the foreigner can't be present." Inner Moka pointed to where Dom used to be.
"What the-"
"Aw, c'mon… ya don't little old me?" Came a raspy voice. Everybody shuddered as the room dropped a few degrees.
"No. You're not in control, and as such, you're a liability." Moka folded her arms as Dom's Ghost form became visible. He changed back but just as quickly looked anywhere but Moka.
(-)
Yami stood in the middle of the yard. It was flat and open – perfect for a fight and seeing anyone coming. The girls were in hiding, with Dom not present.
He shouted about he had to play "Doom 2016" (yet another weird American thing) before ghosting away.
It wasn't long until someone stepped out onto the yard as well. Kyzaer.
He was patched up and ready for another shot.
"So, Mage, you got lucky with your Ghoul friend back there, but this time will go very differently." Kyzaer announced, unsheathing his dagger, and in the other hand, summoning purple flames.
"If you're so sure about that, then let me test your skills with a low-level summon. If you beat that, I'll get serious about this." Yami boasted, doing an arm-fold and cocky look not unlike Perfect Cell.
"Alright, then. Which thrall shall you throw at me again? A dragon? That water deity? Or perhaps some third-rate trash barely worthy of my time?"
The Forgotten Pharaoh smirked as he flipped a card and then put it in his pocket.
In a small burst of light, Red Eyes Black Chick was standing between them. Kyzaer actually let out a laugh.
"You honestly think that will stop someone as skilled as me? A baby dragon, hardly capable of producing flame?" Yami shrugged.
"When you kill it, it'll become something much deadlier. So, get your warm-up in, because I don't wait very long."
Kyzaer darted forward without warning and slit REBC's throat. It let out a small squeak as it turned back to Yami and shed a tear.
Kyzaer chuckled and did a series of small stretches. "Really, that was child's play. Onto the main show, yes? Ta-ta!"
Reds Eye Black Chick's body started to glow, enlarging. When it was done, Yami smirked as Red Eyes Black Dragon let out an earth-rumbling roar. Kyzaer's face fell as he stared down the dragon.
"Oh…" Then the servant burst out laughing. "Oh! Ohahaha! This is too good to be true! I see now what this – a mere warm-up in its entirety for when I slay the Bakunawa! I mean, how much more fitting is a dragon?"
The Pharaoh scowled. "Let me-"
A small whine rang out, cutting through the air. Yami had just enough time to look back to Kyzaer after a small search to see that Kyzaer no longer had a chest. In its place was a gaping, cauterized hole.
"What the-" Yami looked around again, now very much feeling like he wouldn't escape without a few scratches. "Show yourself!"
"Fine." A boy with dark hair and glowing blue irises landed in front of Red Eyes Black Dragon, looking slightly bored. "Here I am, wizard."
REBD backed up a bit in order to be able to fire off a fireball if need be.
"Who are you? How did you kill Kyzaer?" The Duelist demanded. The mysterious boy shrugged.
"It wasn't hard after I broke in and found out where he was. Then he came here. As for who I am…" He held out a hand. "Ryu Umi. The Bakunawa."
"The… what?" Inner Moka came out of hiding to Yami's side.
"Water dragon. I'm a God." Ryu looked down to Kyzaer's corpse with distaste. "And he is the enemy's pawn."
"So, you're also looking for the one who wants my Love's head?" Kurumu asked, coming out as well.
"Yes. Haliya is her name. But what reason would she have for wanting your head? I mean, you're all so weak that it's a bit pathetic. Even if you were to be added to Haliya's power, it wouldn't even amount to fifteen percent. And of that fifteen percent, five is from that vampire."
"Why you little – I am an S-Class! A vampire! Nobody has ever managed to defeat me! You better take those words back before you regret it!" Moka snapped. Ryu chuckled darkly.
"If you kicked me, you'd break your leg. No, no… you'd shatter every bone." Mao put a hand on Moka's shoulder.
"If he isn't bluffing, Moka, it wouldn't be wise to pick a fight with him, especially after he just one-shot the guy that took Yugi and Dom to incapacitate." The vampire grunted and shrugged off the mermaid.
"Now, let's see… a Vampire, a Mage, a Mermaid, a Witch, and a Succubus. All female, with the sole exception of the Mage. Interesting." Ryu yawned and folded his arms. "I want someone to hit me with everything they've got."
"Are you insane?!" Yami shouted. Ryu chuckled.
"No. I'm just curious if I've still got everything in working order. Now, come on – one free attack, no holding back. Maybe the dragon? Or the Mermaid?"
Yami nodded before Moka could volunteer. "Red Eyes Black Dragon! Attack with lethal force!"
The large dragon charged up a sole beam. Ryu just stood there, still looking bored.
REBD let loose a red stream of fire that consumed Ryu completely. When it stopped…
"No way…" Kurumu shook her head. Ryu was standing, clothes not even singed. He smirked darkly.
"My turn." In one swift punch, he snapped Red Eyes Black Dragon's neck. It broke into a flurry of shards. Ryu turned to walk away, but then turned around to look Yami in the eye.
"We'll be seeing each other again soon."
(-)
"Wait, so th' guy who broke into th' office was a good guy who's tryin' t' kill a girl named 'Haliya'? An' tha' intruder is a kid who's a God whose real form is a water dragon?" Dom repeated after Mao. She nodded.
"Yeah… his power, though. It was on par with Moka's other self, and that was just for a split second when he punched Yugi's dragon."
"Damn. If tha' guy can take ou' a dragon, then what chance does Yami have?" Tamao frowned.
"Why'd you call Yugi that?"
"Wha'? 'Yami'?" She nodded. "Well, I fig'red it was a nickname. Ask 'im, though. I'm jus' his unqualified bodyguard."
Tamao smiled. "And a foreigner! So, why don't you tell me about that?"
"Abou' America?" The mermaid nodded excitedly.
"Well… iss… okay? I guess? M' life hasn' really been th' greatest."
"How so?"
"Well, I died painfully. Tha' was fun." Tamao winced.
"Sorry."
The Texan shrugged. "It's fine. Though, the girls back home are smokin' hot – seriously, a flannel shirt put on th' mornin' after an' nothin' else?"
"Oh, really? Tell me more."
"Uh… More?" They shared a small laugh. "Seriously, though, there isn' much t' highligh'. I don' really have a life. Although we did have a train tha' would come by at night an' screech. That was always nice t' hear. But this place? Iss too quiet."
Tamao nodded. "I can sympathize. Back home, I could swim all I wanted to without consequence. And then I come here, hoping to do the same and finally be with my open, and I'm forced to hide. I get why, but I still don't enjoy it."
"Well, 'ey, you're th' cap'ain o' th' swim team. Nobody would ques'ion it if you were t' sneak into th' pool for a few extra hours o' practice."
She smiled. "Thanks, Don."
"Dom." He corrected her.
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in!" Mao shouted. Yugi quickly entered and locked the door behind him.
"Girls… fighting over me… need break…" Tamao pouted.
"Kurumu said we could have you together, the cheater!" She stormed out of Dom's room with a determined look.
The foreigner snickered. "If only I was as lucky as you."
"You want to have sex with four girls in a row, have at it. But I seriously doubt either of us could do it." Yugi huffed as he flopped onto Dom's bed.
(-)
Diathala glared at the crystal ball. Kyzaer had been effortlessly killed. However, it did also confirm that the Bakunawa was at Yokai Academy. And that was worthy of Goddess Haliya's attention.
Walking out of her room with Dianthrall in tow, the servant held her head high.
"My Goddess," Diathala began, "I have great news."
Haliya looked up from her wine glass with a raised brow. Diathala continued.
"Kyzaer is dead." The Goddess immediately glared.
"Pardon me, but how is that 'good news'?"
"Because it has shown us that the Bakunawa is there, seeking to ally with the Mage. I believe that he plans to take the artifact for himself."
Haliya calmly took a sip of her wine. "Then it is good. And Kyzaer was too ambitious. I congratulate you, my child. Is that all?"
Dianthrall took the chance to speak. "No, my Mother. I, too, have something to share."
"Then speak."
"I believe that we should bide our time and grow our ranks. After all, you should have more allies when the time comes to battle the Mage and the Bakunawa. It is not wise to just charge in-"
"I have waited centuries for this, my child. I know what is best. Do not attempt to lecture me on how to enact revenge." Dianthrall bowed his head further.
"…Yes, Goddess."
"Good. Now, come here." The man walked to Haliya, humbly bowing again as soon as he was in reach of her.
"Tell me, Dianthrall. Do you believe in my cause?"
"If I did not, my Queen, I would not be here today."
"Very well." Haliya stabbed him in the shoulder without warning. Dianthrall screamed, clutching the dagger. "Tell me… does your faith waver?"
"N-No, m-" She twisted the knife and finished off her wine.
"Yes, it does. Be glad that you are still of use to me, Dianthrall." Before he could speak again, purple flames engulfed the dagger and went into the wound.
Diathala watched the display with a sadistic smile as her brother slowly morphed into a monster. Dianthrall's arm and shoulder grew as his face became more rodent-looking. When the purple flames stopped going into his body, Dianthrall was covered in odd patches of fur and whimpered, his face now looking like a rat's. Haliya smirked.
"A rat… how ironic. So, your faith did waver." Her eyes flicked over to Diathala, who looked like she was in ecstasy from the horrid display. "My child, take Rafiir here to the cages in the dungeons and then come see me in my chambers."
Diathala grinned as she took the newly christened Rafiir by the collar.
After she had locked him up, she went to Kaliya's room, where she was laying under the covers with a sultry expression.
"What was your request, my Mother?" Diathala asked.
"Bed me, wouldn't you? I'm tired of waking up alone."
(-)
Seto woke with a start, clutching his chest. Why did he dream of Yugi, dead? Nothing made sense. Just fire and death…
Kaiba picked up the letter on his desk and looked it over, running a hand through his hair.
An idea for a new deck set, centered around three Monster Queens: a Succubi, Vampiress, and a Mermaid. The fourth strongest card was a Magic Card, showcasing a young witch with a smile. And as a favor, a sole card made in a friend's memory.
It was a request that Seto had all the right to deny. But he just couldn't find it in himself to do so. Yes, Yugi had bested him at every turn, and yes, he had stolen his pride from Kaiba, but Yugi had been the only one to ever hold out hope for him. And in a world where Kaiba was almost universally hated, that meant something. So, yes, Seto was going to humor his old rival, just out of respect. That didn't mean that Seto was ever going to give up on his goal of beating Yugi once and for all. He would as soon as the blasted teen returned from the school that was almost nonexistent.
Hello, everybody. This chapter was certainly an overload of skipping from one place to another, but I think it certainly helps push everything forward. Things are going to come to a head soon, with Ryu vs. Haliya in the near future. Seriously, I've built it up for a few chapters now, but have only shown one fight. And who am I to deny my fans the awesomeness that is two bitter Gods duking it over an old pharaoh and a kid from Domino?
In all seriousness, I hope this came out well. A bit of filler was added, and I still feel like this could have turned out better.
