The Better Man

With Joey being left to contend with his own opponent, Kaiba was left to contend with Alister. After all, the two did still have a score to settle after their last duel and it was time for the redhead and the brunette to settle things between them once and for all. "Nothing can prepare you for what I'm about to unleash. Your soul's mine." Alister tosses his whip aside and activates his duel disk. Kaiba activates his as well and draws his cards.

"Let's duel!" the redhead and brunette declare.

Since Alister was the challenger, he made the first move by summoning a cyborg called Science Soldier in defense mode. It had a weak defense of 800 points. Kaiba summons his trusty X Head Cannon and attacks Science Soldier. Alister summons another cyborg called Cyber Soldier of Darkworld, which was 400 defense points stronger than his last monster. After that, he plays a card face down. Kaiba summons Y Dragon Head, but decides to keep his monsters individual and have them deal damage. Y Dragon Head attacks Alister's monster while X Head Cannon attacks his life points directly. Kaiba knew right away that something was wrong. Alister was making this too easy. Still, the brunette ended his turn by playing a card face down.

The redhead grinned. "You've been so preoccupied with your own monsters, you forgot what I have in my deck. What I have here is a card I used last time; one that changes the entire game."

Kaiba's eyes widen. "Hold on! Did you just draw what I think you did, Alister?"

In answer, Alister activates the Seal of Orichalcos and he becomes overwhelmed with its magic. "Watch as I call upon the dark powers of the Orichalcos." Smoke shrouds the field and everyone's surroundings begin to change.

When the smoke clears, Kaiba finds himself standing in some sort of underground shack. A few seconds later, some adolescent boys come down the stairs carrying supplies. A boy with raven hair noticed Kaiba's presence. "Excuse me, but this hideout's been taken." His friends agree and tell Kaiba to clear out as they begin eating. The trio had gone out of their way to gather their food from storage units because the town's shops and markets had been closed down. They explained that KaibaCorp had brought the land and began taking it over. Civilans who refused to leave had been hiding underground instead of going to the camps.

Not that Kaiba wasn't listening to their explanations, but he couldn't take his eyes off of the chess set he saw in the corner. "I had a chessboard like this when I was a kid," he muttered.

The raven-haired boy, Aaron, heard him and asked, "Do you remember how to play?"

"Of course," Kaiba answered, "I was the best." Aaron's friends resume eating and tell him to gather more supplies. They even tell Kaiba to go with him and that he might as well pitch in if he intends to stay. Nonetheless, Kaiba followed Aaron outside. "Are you brats always this friendly?"

"Only when we're in a good mood," said the blonde wearing a hat.

Kaiba was having a hard time telling himself that this was an illusion. He could see, hear, and touch everything and he was clearly a part of all this. How else would those boys be able to see him? Looking at the devastation, Kaiba asks Aaron, "How long has this Kaiba Corporation nonsense been going on?"

To Aaron, it seemed like forever. "Gozaboro bought our land about a year ago and when people wouldn't leave, the tanks rolled in. We try not to stay in one place for too long, because you never know where his men are hiding out. That's why we snuck underground. That's what everyone does these days. Well, those who haven't been forced out, that is. Luckily, my friends and I haven't been noticed."

Kaiba couldn't take his eyes off of the rubble and burnt buildings. He remembered that his stepfather had a reputation for violence and cruelty and that he designed vehicles for war. I get it. Because of my stepfather, Alister's life was turned into a living hell.

Kaiba's thoughts were interrupted when Aaron made a suggestion. "When we get back, why don't you and I play a game of chess and we'll see if you are the best?" Then he saw smoke in the distance and realized how close it was to the hideout. Worried about his friends, Aaron started running back. Kaiba followed him. "Oh, no, they might be trapped!" Aaron cried.

Kaiba grabs his arm before he can run off. "Stop! Are you crazy?"

"I have to find my friends! Let me go!" Aaron pleads as he tries to break free. Looking closely at the boy, Kaiba saw his brother and even heard his voice. Then the tanks started coming in. Aaron finally broke free and ran away.

Just then, Kaiba's machines appeared and took the blasts being fired by the tanks. Kaiba also sees Alister standing next to the tanks. "What the hell was the point of all this?"

"Those three kids you saw were my best friends when I was growing up," Alister explained. "We all looked out for one another until your stepfather ran us out of town. What do you think now that you've had a taste of my past? Your father's tanks ruined my life, now see how it feels!" Alister reveals a trap called Tank Court, supplying him with other tanks to join his KC-1 Crate and giving it 1500 attack points. Kaiba also lost 2000 life points and his Y Dragon Head from the attack. To end his turn, Alister plays a card face down.

It was hard for Kaiba to get those images out of his head, but he couldn't let them distract him from his duel. He played Monster Reborn to revive his Y Dragon Head. Now he could summon his Z Metal Dragon and merge his machines together to form XYZ Dragon Cannon. Next, he could activate his tank's special ability and send one of his cards to the graveyard to destroy one of Alister's cards. With Alister's Tank Court destroyed, his forces were gone and his tank lost 1500 attack points. Now Kaiba's Dragon Cannon could blast Alister's Crate with ease.

The blast of the attack transports the duelists back to the temple where they were having their match. Alister may have lost 800 life points, but it came to no surprise that Kaiba would fight with such brute force. "Oh, well. I should have expected hostile behavior from you, right? You are the son of Gozaboro Kaiba."

"Watch it," Kaiba warned. "I have nothing in common with that bastard. He was a demon!"

"Could've fooled me," Alister snorted. "You're more alike than you think. What the hell could the princess have been thinking telling me there was good inside of you?"

"At least she could see it."

"Yeah, well, she was wrong. You're evil and so is everyone else. This planet's full of evil and greed. Unfortunately, I found that out the hard way years ago. The lust for power that drove your father to do what he did to my friends and family still exists today. There's a little bit of it in everyone. But that's all going to change with the help of my new family, because we plan to do away with all the evil ones so we can rebuild the world into the paradise it once was. Princess Emily is one of the few who's still pure hearted and she's going to help us do it and people like you will get what you deserve; an eternity being locked away where you can't hurt anyone again!"

Kaiba couldn't stand to hear it anymore. "If you need her help, then why do you want to kill her? Or did you not know anything about it? Think about it, Briar is the chosen one and she has the power to save the world from evil, right? And you say you're trying to save the world too. If that's true, then why do you guys have a plot to kill her unless you're not who you say you are?"

"Shut up!" Alister yelled. "Let's just continue the duel!" But Kaiba was right and he was actually tormented by that. But there was no time for discussion. It was Alister's turn and he played a magic card called Junk Dealer. Now he could revive his two cyborgs to the field with half of their attack points. But they would gain 500 attack points thanks to the Seal of Orichalcos. To join his arsenal, Alister summoned Kinetic Soldier. Now that his three cyborgs were in play, Alister could activate his trap called Cyber Revolt. Now Alister could send every card Kaiba had on the field to the graveyard along with every card in his hand.

Alister activates a dangerous magic card called Sky Union, sacrificing his three cyborgs and summoning an airship called Air Fortress Zigarat. "You don't stand a chance. I now wield the most powerful war machine ever created." And with the Orichalcos, the airship now had a total of 3000 attack points. Kaiba noticed that the airship looked very similar to the busted Dyna Dude action figure Alister always carried as did the robot token summoned by the airship. And Alister would receive one every turn. Kaiba plays Pot of Greed and draws two cards from his deck and places a card face down.

"This is it, and how appropriate," Alister growled. "You're about to feel the same agony my family felt from your stepfather. Now start saying your goodbyes because it all ends here. I've been waiting for this for years." Zigarat uses its Sky Cannon Blast to attack Kaiba directly, but the brunette activates a trap called Magical Trick Mirror to play the effects of Alister's Junk Dealer and revive Judge Man in attack mode. Kaiba was now down to his last 100 life points and Alister received his second robot token. "I stand by what I said, Kaiba. You're a heartless tyrant just like Gozaboro. Why else would you try so hard to save yourself?"

"I was like that long ago, but I've changed for the better," Kaiba argues. "Alister, this is a lot for me to admit, but saving my company is the least of my problems. The fate of the world is at stake and I'm fighting to save it unlike you. So you see, I'm actually fighting for the people I care about."

"You think you're a better man than me? Especially when you cause pain to innocent people like my little brother Mikey?"

"I think I'm more human than you," Kaiba countered. "And I'm about to prove it!" He plays Soul Exchange and sacrifices Alister's robot tokens to summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Now both duelists had a monster on the field with 3000 attack points. Alister plays a card face down and ends his turn so he can get another token. Kaiba plays a card face down and attacks Alister's token with his White Dragon.

Alister plays a magic card called Toy Robot Box, allowing him to summon three more tokens for the three cards in his hand. He sacrifices one of his tokens and summons Spell Canceller. It had 2300 attack points and prevented Kaiba from playing any magic cards. "Soon everyone like you will be erased from this world."

"I thought you hated violence," Kaiba argued.

"I do."

"Bullshit," Kaiba growled. "You and your army of rejects plan on destroying everyone who doesn't share the same misguided ideals as you do."

"You're wrong," Alister snapped. "We're saving Earth! If people like you continue to exist, the world will crumble!"

"Let me ask you something, what if your brother was still by your side? Would you still try to wipe out mankind even if it meant hurting him?"

"How dare you! It's your fault he's gone! And I don't need a lecture from you."

The brunette disagreed. "It's not a lecture. It's a piece of wisdom you need to hear. Take it from another big brother and accept the truth, someone who would know much. It was your duty to protect Mikey with your life and you failed. Mikey was captured because of you. You've no one to blame but yourself and you know it."

Now Alister was outraged. "I'll send you to Hell!" And he had his Zigarat attack Blue-Eyes with Sky Cannon Blast.

"Unlike you, I plan to save the people I love, by winning this duel," said Kaiba. He reveals his hidden trap Tyrant Wing, giving his White Dragon 400 additional attack points. She launches her White Lightning and the Air Fortress self-destructs, leaving Alister with 1000 life points.

"I'm not worried," said the redhead. "After all, who needs monsters when I've got the Orichalcos? What do you have?"

"I have the support of my friends and the Great Goddess Millennia to see me through."

Alister didn't believe him. "What friends?"

"I have Yugi, the pharaoh, Wheeler, and Briar," Kaiba answers. He sighs and explains, "And I was wrong to mistreat them and push them all away when they were only trying to reach out to me. And now I just might lose them forever. Alister, you mentioned that Briar considered me her friend and she was nothing but nice to me. Know why? She actually saw the good in me and refused to give up on me. So did the Great Goddess. And with everyone's help, I became a warrior of destiny. And I wasn't kidding when I said I wasn't fighting just for myself." He looks up and sheds a tear. "I want my friends back."

Alister finally calms down as he listens to the brunette. He's actually thinking about someone else and not just himself. Could I have been wrong about him all along?

Kaiba wasn't finished. "Alister, do you want Briar to be killed? Because I don't. I want to save her and treat her with all she deserved from me as a friend."

"No," Alister softly answered. "I don't want her to die." Then he began thinking about the time he spent with her and all she told him.

"Then help me and I promise I'll help to save the rest of the world," Kaiba asked.

"I can't," said Alister. "I know my own life's at stake too, but there's nothing I can do to help you. Besides, look at the field. I have three monsters and you have your Blue-Eyes."

"Give me one more turn and I'll make good on my promise," said Kaiba. Trusting in Kaiba, Alister ends his turn. Kaiba trusts in himself and draws the Fang of Critias and he merges it with his trap and Blue-Eyes to form Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon. With her attack, the Tyrant Dragon destroys all of Alister's monsters and the rest of his life points.

"It worked," Alister groaned. "You won." He reaches into his coat pocket and takes out the sphere of fire. "Take this," he says, throwing it to the brunette. "I couldn't save my brother, so I've got to make sure you save the princess." He chuckles to himself. "Now I know Emily wasn't the one who was wrong about you; I was. You are a good person. I'm sorry. And if she believes in you, then I do too." And he groans and collapses.

Kaiba takes the treasure of fire and looks back at the redhead. "Thank you, Alister." He turns around and looks back. "Wheeler should have caught up by now. I hope he's all right. But I don't have time to turn around and bail him out. I've got to catch up to the pharaoh so we can stop Dartz and save Briar." And he hurries to find Yami.