YU-GI-OH! Forever
A fan-fiction by neomage
(DISCLAIMER: NO MORE BUTCHERING OF GOOD SHOWS! NO MORE BUTCHERING OF GOOD SHOWS! NO MORE – huh? We're on live? Oh, uh…ahem. Yu-Gi-Oh does not belong to neomage. .;;;)
CHAPTER 21
OUTSIDE KAIBACORP
"Well, it seems all of your friends will be together again in one place, eh, Yugi?" Grandma remarked.
"It's been a good long while," Mr. Muto agreed.
Presently Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor walked up. "Hey, Yug, been a while, eh?" Mr. Wheeler greeted his old friend. "And Bakura! Good to see ya, buddy!"
"Hello, everyone," said Mr. Bakura politely.
Mrs. Wheeler looked around. "Hey, Ryou honey, where's the missus? Shouldn't she be here?"
"Don't worry – we already phoned her," Mr. Muto assured her. "She should be here shortly, too…"
A car horn behind the group caused them all to turn in surprise. "Hi, everyone!" Mrs. Bakura called in a chirpy voice. "Great to see everybody again!"
"Hey there!" Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor called out.
Mrs. Bakura parked the car properly, then got out and hugged everyone, giving an extra-special one to her husband. "It's so good to see you after so long, dear," she whispered.
"You, too, honey," he replied.
"Hey, you two, save the mushy stuff for later! Your son's about to duel!" Mr. Taylor announced.
The Bakuras broke their embrace for a moment and looked up at the big-screen, where Kyo was shown about to duel Marcus Ironside. "So it is!" exclaimed Mr. Bakura.
"You go get him, son!" Mrs. Bakura called out. The others sweated when they heard this – she truly hadn't lost her hyperactivity, even into her middle life.
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KAIBACORP ROOFTOP
"So…I get to duel you, girly-boy?" Marcus jeered him. "I was watching your duel earlier. You use angel monsters…angel monsters – hmph! Only one of three types of men would use such sissy stuff – a wimp, a loser, or a fag. Hey – maybe you're all three!"
Kyo said nothing. Marcus decided to take the insults to another level.
"Oh, I get it – you're thinking of how I smashed the little amateur slut in my last duel, aren't you? And you've been scared shitless, and now you're wishing you didn't have to duel against me? Well, I can't say I blame you – sissy-fag-boy!"
Blaze stared in disbelief. "Jeez…when Marcus decides to insult somebody, he sure likes to go all-out…"
Then Kyo slowly raised his hand to his face and took off his glasses. "Watch the glasses," he said in a dead voice as he dropped them to the ground.
Yugo saw this – and immediately his eyes widened in horror. Oh, SHIT, no…!
The glasses seemed to fall in slow motion, right up to the moment when they almost hit the ground – and just at that moment Kyo raised his foot and stamped down hard, crushing them and sending glass fragments flying everywhere. He ground his heel into the spot where he'd stomped on the glasses; when he lifted his foot again, all that remained was a very crushed frame.
Even Kaiba was astonished. "Destroying his own glasses like that…in such a violent way…is he trying to send a message across…?"
Kyo's brow was knitted severely, his eyes narrowed into vicious-looking slits. Then he spoke, and his tone was like sub-zero frost. "When I'm done with you," he vowed, pointing to his broken glasses, "you're gonna be looking like that."
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"Oh, damn, oh, damn, oh, damn, oh, damn…" Jenna whispered over and over.
"Huh? Sweetie, what's wrong?" Flora asked, concerned.
"Oh, for the love of God…Marcus made Kyo crush his own glasses…you should NEVER make Kyo even take off his glasses, let alone crush them like that…" Jenna's face was a picture of real fright.
"You're scaring me, Jenna," Miki said in a tiny voice.
"What's the big deal?" Wade asked.
Jenna looked directly at him. "Just this: if Kyo takes off his glasses and destroys them, right before any confrontation, it means one thing and one thing only – if you don't end up in a body bag, you'll wish you had."
"…what…?" Flora asked, wide-eyed.
"Kyo…violent…? That can't be right!" Miki protested.
"Under normal circumstances, he's so peaceful he wouldn't even swat a mosquito," Jenna explained. "And even when he plays Duel Monsters, he knows how to play with sportsmanship conduct. But…"
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"…there's one thing Kyo will never tolerate, EVER: anybody who takes their insults one step too far, especially when the insult is about someone he cares about," Yugo recalled. "Usually he knows how to take insults and be a man, but…when you go the extra mile, he'll really go postal on your ass."
"And you've seen evidence of this?" Blaze asked, disbelieving.
"Yeah." Yugo shuddered at the memory in his mind. "Last year, our class had this guy who was a pain and got on everybody's nerves every hour of the day. This guy – he made fun of Kyo lots of times, teasing him about everything…his clothes, his glasses, his habits – everything, and I mean everything. Kyo just took it all with a straight face, never fought back, not even when the guy left a whole lot of scandalous notes about Kyo everywhere on the campus…"
"And?" Blaze prompted.
"Well…things came to a head one afternoon," Yugo told her. "It was Kyo's mother's birthday, and he'd just finished making a watercolor painting in the art room to take home to her. Next thing you know, just as we were all there complimenting and commenting on the painting, the guy walked in, grabbed the canvas and ripped the whole thing apart, saying only a sissy or a mama's boy makes girly presents for his mom."
"I see," said Blaze. "What did Kyo do?"
Yugo flinched. "He…he took off his glasses, said, 'I've had it with your shit,' then picked up a crowbar that had been laying near the teacher's desk, and…well…he let the guy have it all. And all the time, he was crying…crying because his mother's present had been so recklessly destroyed…and that he had to resort to this…"
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"…" Flora, Wade and Miki stared at Jenna in shock as she related the tale.
"By the time Kyo finally stopped hitting him," Jenna revealed, "the guy had a broken jaw, a fractured arm, six split ribs and a splintered kneecap. And lots of bruises everywhere." She winced at the recollection.
"…my God…" Miki's hand went to her mouth in horror.
"Kyo got suspended for two weeks after that…they would've expelled him, if not for the fact that that particular guy was a known troublemaker and lots of complaints had previously been lodged against him by both students and teachers. But Kyo's folks had to pay for the guy's medical costs, and they settled out of court with his folks…" Jenna sighed sadly. "It was heartache for everyone."
"Have there been any other incidents since that one?" Wade asked worriedly.
"Thankfully, no," Jena answered. "All the bullies at school steered clear of Kyo after he came back to school, and it's been that way ever since. Nobody messes with Kyo, his family or his friends, or else they know they're going to get it. Still…Kyo's been filled with guilt ever since the incident. He used to keep on talking about how he almost killed the guy over a simple painting…he doesn't talk about it very much anymore these days, because it's too painful a recollection for him…"
Jenna paused. "I think the thing that hurt him the most about what happened was the anguish he ended up putting his mom and dad through. So, to prevent anything of the sort from ever happening again, he developed that little warning signal: he takes off his glasses and crushes it under his foot. So far, anybody who's seen him do that has gotten the message in a hurry, but…" She flashed a sickly worried glance at the screen. "Something tells me that, since he's doing that now after so long, he might not show any mercy at all to Marcus…"
Miki hung her head. "And he's doing that because of me…" she whispered.
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Marcus merely grinned. "Is that supposed to frighten me?"
Kyo spat to the side. "Talk all you want, but know this: You have been warned."
The coin appeared on the field at that moment. "I choose tails!" Marcus called. The coin was flipped…and it came down as heads.
"Oh, well," Marcus shrugged it off. "You can go first, pal."
Kyo drew six cards, then looked at his hand. "I'll set two cards facedown, and then I'll summon Zolga (ATK 1700, DEF 1200) in Attack Mode!" A moment later a mage wearing a purple robe and floating above the ground appeared on the field.
"Fine, then! My turn!" Marcus drew his card. "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn!"
Kyo drew another card, and his tone became even more poisonous. "Now I activate my first trap card, The Eye of Truth!" A moment later an elaborately designed eye appeared on his side of the field.
"What's THAT?" asked Marcus.
"As long as this trap remains face-up," said Kyo, "you have to reveal your hand; and if you have any Magic cards in your hand during your Standby Phase, you get 1000 points added to your life points."
"Hmmm…sounds bittersweet, but increasing my life points – I guess I can live with that," Marcus shrugged.
"Bittersweet? It's about to become simply bitter!" Kyo snapped. "Now I activate my other trap card, Bad Reaction to Simochi!"
Suddenly brown fog began to creep all over the field. "As long as this card remains active," said Kyo, "the act of increasing your life points is reversed and, instead, you get damage done to your life points. So, instead of increasing your life points with the Eye of Truth's effect, Bad Reaction to Simochi decreases your life points by 1000 during your Standby Phases if you have Magic cards in your hand!"
Marcus's eyes widened in alarm. "Holy SHIT!"
"Now, then…let's see the cards you're holding," Kyo instructed him.
Scowling fiercely, Marcus held up his hand for Kyo to see. He was holding two 7 Completed magic cards, the Pot of Greed magic card, the Time Machine trap card, and Spikebot (ATK 1800, DEF 1700). "I'm gonna pay you back for this, punk!" Marcus threatened.
"Well, just hold on now – I'm not done yet," countered Kyo. "Now, I'll offer Zolga as a tribute to summon a different monster: The Agent of Judgment – Saturn (ATK 2400, DEF 0)!"
A winged angel immediately appeared on the field, with pure light in his palms – and just then, Kyo's life points shot up to 10,000! "Zolga's effect," he explained. "Whosoever controls Zolga and offers him as a tribute for a successful Tribute Summon or Set can increase their life points by 2000. And now – Saturn, destroy his facedown monster!"
With that command given, Saturn fired his pure light energy, destroying the monster and revealing it to be the Battle Footballer (ATK 1000, DEF 2100), a gridiron cyborg. "All right, now I'll end my turn," Kyo announced. "Give me your best shot…asshole."
Marcus muttered curses under his breath as he drew his next card, which proved to be the Acrobat Monkey (ATK 1000, DEF 1800) – and he grimaced as the Eye of Truth and Bad Reaction trap cards together sapped his life points, putting him at 7000 life points. Shit…if this guy can see my cards with that trap card, that means he can predict my strategies! And that Bad Reaction to Simochi trap isn't making this any better, either…I have to do something, but – what?
He sighed. He may as well try something. He didn't know what cards Kyo might be holding, but at the same time he wasn't about to abandon every strategy he knew just because this kid had pulled a lucky move on him. "All right! I'll set this monster in Defense Mode, set this card facedown, and end my turn!"
But Kyo just chuckled. "Your Acrobat Monkey in Defense Mode and the Time Machine trap card facedown," he spoke up. "I know what you're trying to pull. You expect me to attack your monster and destroy it, then you'll use your Time Machine to bring it back to the field, and then tribute it for your Spikebot, which you'll then equip with your 7 Completed cards. That's just too simple a strategy, Marcus…and I've broken it."
Marcus's eyes widened in outrage. DAMN YOU!
Kaiba smiled, seeing the panic on Marcus's face. "The cool, reserved Marcus Ironside has been unnerved by two simple cards owned by a newcomer," he shook his head. "Now, if anything is more embarrassing than this, then please show it to me."
Kyo drew his next card. "All right then…I'll set another card facedown, and end my turn. I'm not going to play your little game."
Marcus drew his card – and winced as the two trap cards again sapped his life points, putting him at 6000. Reluctantly he showed the card he'd just drawn – Cyber Falcon (ATK 1400, DEF 1200). "Now, you're gonna pay for your little stunt, you bastard!" he said wrathfully. "For now, I'm going to summon Cyber Falcon to the field!"
Moments later a jet-powered hawk appeared on the field. "Then, I'll equip him with both of my 7 Completed cards – to increase his ATK to a full 2800!"
"Not quite right, Mac," Kyo snorted scornfully. "For I activate the magic of the card I set facedown just now, Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy one of your 7 Completed cards!" And as he played the card from his hand, a huge typhoon appeared on the field and destroyed one of the 7 Completed cards, reducing Cyber Falcon's ATK to 2100.
"Oh, for Christ's sake!" Marcus cursed.
"No, no, no…don't be carrying on like that, you naughty little shit-face," Kyo reproved him, wagging a disapproving finger.
"Man…Kyo surely isn't giving Marcus any chances, is he?" Blaze asked, wonder in her voice.
"I'll say," Yugo agreed. "Kyo really means business."
"Well, you can't really do anything else, so…do you end your turn?" Kyo goaded Marcus.
"Yes! Yes, I do, you little windbag!" Marcus rasped.
Kyo now grinned and drew another card – and then the smile disappeared. "So, Marcus," he informed his opponent, "it would seem that the judgment of the heavens is really coming for you, eh? For I have something in my hand that'll spell the end for you!"
Marcus looked up in utter astonishment. As if he hasn't done enough already…
Kyo was now holding four cards in his hand. He held up one of them and said, "You know this card, Marcus – I used it in my last duel against Jenna! Now, say hello to the judgment of heaven, coming from the Sanctuary in the Sky!"
He played the card; moments later the familiar castle appeared, hovering overhead, as a somewhat holy light shone down on both of them. "And next," Kyo went on, "I'm going to summon another monster! You've seen my first heavenly agent, the Agent of Creation – Venus; and you just got acquainted with my second heavenly agent, the Agent of Judgment – Saturn…now, prepare to meet the third of my four agents, the Agent of Force – Mars (ATK 0, DEF 0)!"
In a moment an angel clad in red robes and carrying a war hammer appeared beside Saturn. But Marcus took one look at his stats and laughed out loud. "That guy is supposed to frighten me, because…why?"
"Because, when the Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field, and my life points are higher than yours, the Agent of Force's ATK and DEF are increased by the difference between our life points…and if I remember correctly, you have 6000 life points, and I have 10,000…and 10,000 minus 6000 equals…"
Marcus's jaw dropped as the realization sank in. "He…he gets 4000 ATK and 4000 DEF!"
"Exactly right! And now…" Kyo held up another card and played it. "I activate the power of the magic card, Fairy Meteor Crush! When a monster equipped with this card attacks a Defense Mode monster whose DEF is lower than the attacking monster's ATK, the difference is inflicted as Battle Damage to the defending player's life points! And I'm going to equip the Agent of Judgment – Saturn with this card!"
Instantly a red glow began to surround Saturn's body. "Now, Saturn! Attack and destroy the facedown card, Acrobat Monkey!"
Saturn flew forward, and with one swing of his shining weapon the facedown Acrobat Monkey was crushed to tiny metal pieces. Since Saturn's ATK was 2400 and the Monkey's DEF was 1800, Marcus suffered 600 points of damage, reducing him to 5400 life points. Then, as Mars attacked and slammed his hammer into the Cyber Falcon, Marcus suffered another 1900 points of damage, leaving him with 3500 life points.
But just as Cyber Falcon was destroyed, Marcus decided that enough was enough. "Fine! I activate my trap card, Time Machine, to return Cyber Falcon right back to the field in the same Battle Position he was in!" And one moment later the metallic bird appeared, screeching in fury.
"It'll soon be over, anyway," Kyo shook his head. "You may as well call it quits."
"Marcus Ironside NEVER QUITS!" Marcus exploded as he drew his card, grimacing in pain as Bad Reaction to Simochi robbed him of yet another 1000 life points, leaving him with just 2500. But when he looked at the card he'd just drawn…he chuckled…then snickered…then laughed uproariously.
"Hey, angel-boy, look at this! This card will signal your doom!" And he held it up for Kyo to see. Kyo's eyes widened in surprise when he saw what it was – Jinzo (ATK 2400, DEF 1500)!
"Oh, hell, no! Not Jinzo!" he cried.
"Oh, yes! Now your traps will become useless!" Marcus roared triumphantly as he sacrificed the Cyber Falcon to summon the monster. In a moment Jinzo appeared on the field, its ugly mask glaring at Kyo. At the same time, much to Kyo's chagrin, the effects of the Eye of Truth and Bad Reaction to Simochi were negated!
Hiding his hand once more, Marcus pulled out one card. "Now, I'll activate the Pot of Greed card, to draw two more cards from my deck!" And he played the card, drawing two cards as he'd said.
Then, taking a good look at his new cards, Marcus chuckled. "All right, then, girly-boy, prepare yourself! First, I'll set one card facedown…" Which he did. "…and then, I'll equip Jinzo with the magic card, Amplifier!"
Kyo started. Amplifier?
A giant dome-shaped machine appeared on Jinzo's head. "Just what is that supposed to be?" asked Kyo suspiciously.
"You'll soon find out," said Marcus. And he sniggered evilly…
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neomage: Y'all thought Kyo was a saint, right? WRONG! Of course, I was debating with myself whether to give him such a violent past, but then I realized that if I edited it more than I did, I'd become like Kids WB (in yer faces, butchers of good work! ;D). Anyway, like it, hate it, just review and let me know! Uh…please…? -