CHAPTER 13:
HOSTAGE!
A week later, the potion from Tsunade was ready. They rendezvoused with Joey, and Mai and Joey hung onto Harry as he Apparated with them to the Kawai household. There, they were met at the door by Miss Kawai, who greeted them all. Joey looked the worst for wear: it was his first time experiencing Apparition, and he was trying to hold onto his breakfast.
They brought the potion in, where Serenity was waiting, brother and sister exchanging greetings. "Here you go, Serenity," Harry said, holding out the flask filled with emerald green liquid. "Just a bit of warning, though, it'll taste somewhat bad, so Tsunade claims."
Serenity shrugged. "I'm used to it. Mom always said that good medicine tastes bitter," she said resignedly, before downing it. She grimaced at the taste, but set the flask down.
"Hey, Harry," Joey asked. "How long until this potion takes effect?"
"It takes a few minutes," Harry said. "Be thankful it's not Skele-Gro. I once had to regrow all the bones in my arm thanks to an incompetent teacher."
"How did that happen?" Mai asked.
"Broke my arm playing Quidditch." On the Kawais and Joey's bemused looks, Harry said, "It's like a combination of soccer and basketball played on broomsticks in mid-air, only you have enchanted cannonballs and a small winged ball to liven things up. Someone had sabotaged those cannonballs to attack me, and I ended up falling from a height. One of the teachers, who was a total incompetent, tried to heal my broken bone, but he removed all the bones in my arm."
Mai frowned. Harry had shared some anecdotes of his adventures with her. "Was that Lockhart?"
"Yep."
"Who?" Joey asked.
"Gilderoy Lockhart," Mai said. "Almost as big a fop as Pegasus and as big a narcissist as Seto Kaiba. He claimed to be a famous monster hunter, but he actually used a memory-altering spell to steal the exploits of other people. About the only thing he had going for him was his looks, personality, and his cosmetics tips. He was also a shameless self-promoter. Harry told me he accidentally removed almost all of his memory while trying to attack Harry and a friend."
"While we were trying to rescue someone else," Harry added. Ginny wasn't a happy memory now, though, and neither was Ron.
"Yeah, still can't believe you managed to kill a Basilisk, of all things," Mai muttered.
"A Basilisk?" Miss Kawai paled. She clearly didn't know what it was, but knew it was bad news.
"Think a snake longer than a bus, with a gaze that will petrify you if you look at the reflection, or kill you if you look at its eyes directly, and venom that basically kills anything. I was bloody lucky to survive," Harry said. "And its master was even worse. Think the wizard equivalent of a terrorist who doesn't die, and you have Voldemort. I shudder to think what he would have been like with Shadow Magic."
"Yeah, the stuff I've already seen is freaky enough," Joey said.
Serenity, who wasn't wearing her glasses at the moment, blinked suddenly. She looked around, and then, looked at Joey, and then the others. "Joey? Mom?"
"Can you see, Serenity?" Joey asked.
"Better than I have for a long time, big brother," Serenity said, a smile coming over her features. "I don't even need glasses anymore."
Miss Kawai frowned. "I'll have to get your eyes tested to be sure. But what are we going to tell the doctors?"
"Tell them that you managed to find someone to pay for the operation elsewhere," Harry said. "Anything else, and the doctors might get suspicious. It's a rare condition, right?"
"Yes, I was only one of twelve people to have this particular condition in the world," Serenity said.
"There you go."
It was not long after Serenity regaining her eyesight that the Japanese national finals for Duel Monsters came up. Mai decided to invite Yugi and his friends over, using her rather large TV set as an incentive. Yugi, Joey, Anzu, Honda, Bakura, and Solomon all came over, as did Hermione, Dan, and Mokuba. A last minute addition was Serenity and her mother.
It was almost like a party, in a way. Before the finals began, they discussed various goings-on. Joey wanted to become a better Duel Monsters player, and both Mai and Harry, along with Yugi, gave him tips. Hermione, Dan, and Mokuba raised the issue of the mysterious hacker with Harry and Mai, and it seemed that, before long, the three of them were going to have to claim refuge within Kujaku Mansion.
Then, the finals began. After a few semi-final rounds, they showed the victors, 'Insector' Haga, and 'Dinosaur' Ryuzaki, fourteen and fifteen respectively. Haga was a short boy with green hair in a pudding-bowl style cut, and thick glasses, the bridge of which resembled a scarab beetle vaguely. He was dressed in green. Ryuzaki had dark hair with a purple streak, wearing a backwards cap.
The two finalists entered the Battle Box, and prepared for their duel. "They may be toddlers," Mai remarked, "but they're competent duellists. Sadly, the better older ones feel that, with the likes of Seto Kaiba not currently playing, they may not bother. How is your big brother, Mokuba?"
"Still in seclusion, though he's been sending emails," Mokuba said. "Apparently the Duel Disk System prototype is almost complete. By the way, I heard Pegasus sent out invites to Duellist Kingdom."
"We got one not long ago," Harry said. "Yugi, did you get anything from Industrial Illusions?"
"I received a package for Yugi this afternoon," Solomon said. "It's back at the shop."
"Okay, but be careful. Pegasus was able to use Shadow Magic to talk with us via the DVD in the package. He might be able to inveigle you into a Shadow Game."
"A Shadow Game?" Miss Kawai asked.
"Long story."
As they watched Haga and Ryuzaki face off, Yugi looked at Mai. "Miss Valentine…who do you think will win?"
"Well, first off, you can call me Mai," Mai said. "And secondly…well, offhand, I'd say Haga. Ryuzaki's a decent player, but Haga's good at powering up his cards and using traps, while Ryuzaki tends to charge on in, using brute force to try and overwhelm his opponents. Each deck has its own advantages and disadvantages, and certain playing styles suit certain players better than others. Ryuzaki could get lucky: much of how one wins the game is based on what cards you draw, and Haga may not get the cards he wants or needs."
"How do you think Yugi would do?" Anzu asked.
Mai pursed her lips. "I cannot say, as I've only seen Yugi play once. Given how well Yugi's deck stood up to Kaiba's own, I'm sure he would do well, but luck plays a role, as I said. How else was he able to get Exodia's five cards into his hand, then? Such luck won't last forever."
As it turned out, Mai's prediction about the outcome of the duel was right on the money. As the duel entered its closing stages, an overconfident Ryuzaki blundered into a trap, leaving him vulnerable to Haga's counterattack. As the audience cheered for Haga, Pegasus emerged to give the champion a trophy. He mentioned an upcoming tournament he was sponsoring, one that Harry and Mai was sure was the Duellist Kingdom.
"I get it now," Joey muttered. "I see how those things actually work, the Trap cards and those combos."
"It's a basic precept of Duel Monsters, Joey," Mai said. "Once you get the hang of it, you can build your deck around your playing style. You know, Yugi, if Pegasus has sent you an invite to Duellist Kingdom, maybe we can have a duel sometime."
"I look forward to it," Yugi said with a smile.
Unfortunately, there were no smiles the next day. Hermione, Dan and Mokuba had fled to Kujaku Mansion early the next morning, the younger Kaiba brother looking close to tears. Harry and Hermione cast the Fidelius, with Mai as the Secret Keeper, before they tried to get the story out of them. Dan ran a hand through his hair. "It's begun. The Big 5 and Pegasus have seized control of Kaiba Corp. There's a cover story that Seto, unable to deal with his loss to Yugi, committed suicide by leaping off a cliff into the sea near his workshop."
"I'm sure my big brother is still alive," Mokuba said, "but even so…it hurts even being told that, and especially so soon after he came out of that coma."
Hermione patted Mokuba's shoulder reassuringly, before looking at Harry. "I've set the Fidelius on a number of safes containing vital documents the Big 5 and Pegasus need to legitimise this little boardroom coup. But that will only delay them."
"Where is Seto?" Harry asked.
"He made a rather terse phone call saying that some thugs working for the Big 5 tried to attack him, and he barely managed to escape. He's looking to find a way to take the fight to Pegasus at the Duellist Kingdom, but first, he's going to try and lock Pegasus and the Big 5 out of Kaiba Corp's systems. Again, he can only delay them so much."
"Why does Pegasus want to take over Kaiba Corp anyway?" Mai mused. "Why didn't the Big 5 take over on their own?"
"I don't know," Mokuba said, "but Pegasus has been involved with us ever since he helped fund the Battle Box system. And the Big 5 want Pegasus to beat Yugi publicly at Duel Monsters."
"Which means the Duellist Kingdom," Mai said. "He'll need to guarantee beating Yugi. And he'll have to find a way of getting him there in the first place. Yugi, after your warnings, may want to decline, so Pegasus might try and get a hostage."
At that thought, Harry got a bad feeling about that. And then, the phone rang. Harry answered it. "Kujaku Mansion, Harry speaking."
"Harry? It's Yugi…" Yugi said, his voice thick with emotion. "Pegasus…took Grandpa."
Harry and Mai got to the hospital to find Yugi, Anzu, Joey, Bakura and Honda present, all seated around a bed with the comatose body of Solomon in it. "What happened?" Harry asked.
"Pegasus happened," Honda scowled. "There was a DVD in that package, but Pegasus began speaking to us like he was actually talking to us. Then, he had Yugi play a Shadow Game version of Duel Monsters. He then put a timer on it, and Pegasus won, barely, by dint of having the most life points at the end of it."
"He stole Grandpa's soul," Yugi wept quietly. "And he was using that Millennium Eye of his to see what monsters I was using…well, Shadow was using. Lately, we've been working together during duels and games. Shadow's somewhat upset about losing to Pegasus."
"So, Pegasus has got a hostage now," Mai remarked. "Mokuba's hiding out back home with Dan and Hermione. The Big 5 and Pegasus have made their move on Kaiba Corp. Our home's under the Fidelius."
"I'm heading to Duellist Kingdom with Mai. I was going to do it as her plus one, but given what's happened, I'm also going to see if I can find a way of dealing with Pegasus," Harry said. "Unfortunately, by the rules of Shadow Games, he's probably done little wrong…but I'm not going to let this stand."
Yugi straightened, his hair and expression showing Shadow had taken over. "Thank you, Harry. But I will face down Pegasus and win, even on his terms."
"Pegasus is going to stack the deck in his favour," Mai pointed out. "He may even employ means of making sure you don't reach the finals. He mentioned 'Player Killers', probably skilled Duel Monsters players who eliminate excess players. He'd probably put a bounty on you for them to eliminate you quickly. If he beats you one way or another, Kaiba Corp will belong to him and the Big 5."
"Then we will stop him," Shadow said. "I have to get Grandpa back, for Yugi's sake, and for my own. And Pegasus is misusing the Millennium Eye, using it for his own selfish ways. We're going to the Duellist Kingdom together."
"Good," Harry said. Still, he couldn't help but sense some unease. Like something bad was going to happen…
Pegasus was enjoying his favourite pastime. Many would be somewhat surprised to learn that said pastime was enjoying reading Funny Rabbit, a comic book series that was meant for younger children. Oh, they would have guessed that he was drinking the finest vintage wine and perfectly-aged Gorgonzola cheese, but reading Funny Rabbit? Then again, those who knew Pegasus and his sometimes childish nature would have guessed.
As he chuckled softly at the antics, he heard the door open, and a guest come in. He sighed softly, knowing that this guest was troublesome. But he had been sent this guest by someone who knew something about the Millennium Items, and who wanted to keep an eye out for the Pharaoh's reincarnation.
"Haven't you got anything better to do than to read stupid cartoons, Muggle?" demanded a voice.
Pegasus sighed. "Not at this moment. And you forget, as I am the wielder of the Millennium Eye, I am no mere Muggle or No-Maj or whatever you deign to call me."
"But both Kaibas are missing!" the guest snapped, his dark robes swishing around him. "And we have no guarantee that either Muto or Potter will come here!"
Pegasus sighed, before putting down the book and the wineglass, and fishing around in his jacket pocket, before pulling out a card, which showed the image of Solomon Muto, the old man's hands pressed up as if against the fourth wall of the card image. His guest peered at the card sharply. "That contains his soul?"
"Of course. Yugi-boy will come here to save his grandfather, and his alter ego's pride was wounded by my winning against him," Pegasus said. "Harry, from what I have learned, has a quixotic and pathological need to save people, and he warned me against taking action against Yugi. Not to mention he would be protective of Miss Valentine. They'll come to the Duellist Kingdom. As one of my Player Killers, you should be able to take some rare cards as spoils of victory for your master."
"My…colleague. We bow to nobody," his guest said tightly.
"Oh? And your father bent the knee to Voldemort, if I recall." Pegasus looked up at his guest with blonde hair and a thin, pointed face, now scowling. "I know that you are working with Marik Ishtar, head of the Ghouls, and with them, the Rare Hunters, and that you are scouting out the Pharaoh's reincarnation for him. As long as you don't interfere with my plans, I'll allow you to do what you will. But kindly do not look down on me, Draco-boy, or it may be the last thing you do."
Draco Malfoy's face twisted in anger. "And you, Pegasus, will remember to respect your betters."
"Once one comes along, I will," Pegasus smirked, sending Draco striding from the room with a snarl.
Oh, that was immensely satisfying, Pegasus thought. As fun as it was to torment some people, Draco Malfoy was becoming a veritable treat. So much like Kaiba, and yet so much less. Still, at least he had some interesting facts about the Millennium Items.
Before he returned to his book, he looked up at the walls of the dining hall he was in, looking at the paintings. In particular, the one depicting a blonde-haired woman in her late teens, beautiful and elegant.
Picking up his wineglass, Pegasus toasted the portrait. "Soon, Cyndia. Soon…"
CHAPTER 13 ANNOTATIONS:
So, Duellist Kingdom is happening…but with an extra complication.
Now, I didn't set out to bring Draco in originally, but I needed a reason to keep Harry occupied, other than cheerleading Mai. And with the Millennium Key, Harry has become, if not OP, then at least a bit of a derailer. We'll explore why Draco is working with Marik later, but for those who want to know something, Draco's decided to fund the Ghouls, partly to spite the Weasleys (he knows Bill works with the Tomb Keepers).
Review-answering time! Gilgamesh the King of Heroes: None whatsoever. As noted before, Bakura's father is alive. This story is mostly based on the manga, albeit with a lot of elements from the anime.
Still Not Dead Yet: Actually, I reckon Harry was rather restrained in his assessment of Snape. Snape is NOT a good person. The Undertale reference was just something done on a whim. I did something similar in Light the Blue Touch Paper and Run Like Hell, so I chose a different scene from the game to have a Sans sneeze cut.
Dracomancer1: Having it flow readily was purely serendipitous, I assure you. I make a lot of shit up as I go along.
Reishin Amara: Actually, given how Yu-Gi-Oh! is about doing battle without a physical confrontation, but using one's wits instead (the pre-Duel Monsters improvised games include some pretty cunning ones), I would say winning a card game against the Undertale monsters rather than attacking them would be better.
No numbered annotations this time.