Me: Hey everyone and welcome back to another brand new chapter to The Millennium Puzzle
Hikari: We do apologize again for our lack of updates
Me: Hopefully with things running a tad bit differently now we can get back to updating our stories because the juices are flowing and I have many story ideas just waiting to come alive
Hikari: So without further ado please enjoy Chapter 24 to The Millennium Puzzle
Disclaimer: We do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! and never will. It's the rightful property of Kazuki Takahashi the only things we do own are the manga that we buy. We also do not own Heila or Yami Heila for they belong to Animegirl20 she's just kind enough to loan them to us the only one we do own is Arainaina and any others who may appear in future chapters.
"..."- Talking
'...'- Thoughts
(...)- Yami to Hikari
/.../- Hikari to Yami
Duel 24: Capsule Monster Chess
It was another beautiful day and like many days, Yugi was on his way home from school all with the exception of Joey and Yami. Normally on any given day, Yugi could be seen walking home with either Yami or Joey or sometimes both but unfortunately today the pair could not accompany Yugi home which was fine as it gave Yugi time to reflect to himself.
'So, There's this candy store on the way home from school. It's always got a crowd of kids around it. They're fighting over one particular coin machine….Capsule Monsters! "Capmon" for short. It's the biggest thing with Elementary School and Junior High School kids. Each egg-shaped capsule has a different toy monster inside.' come Yugi's thoughts he just so happens to catch a bunch of children gathered around the candy shop during his walk home from school.
'The number shows the monster's level, from 1 to 5. There are 250 different monsters. The game is played like chess. Two players pick five of their best monsters, and pit them against each other. The monsters fight on an 8x8 game board that's supposed to be the mythical planet Garnaster (Boards sold Separately). There are 50 different fields to play on'
'You win the game by defeating all your opponent's monsters. Each monster has different attack powers and movement abilities, so you need to plan your strategy carefully. What's more, you can't see your opponent's monsters until the start of the game, That's what makes capsule monsters so interesting' come Yugi's thoughts as he continues to watch children in front of him for Yugi himself was all too familiar with Capsule Monsters and was silently hoping to one day play it with Yami or at least try to anyways.
'And today, another battle is brewing in front of the coin machine' thinks Yugi only to be halted by a child's voice.
"Want to trade capsule monsters with me?" asks a child to another as they continue to gather around the machine.
"DARN, not another level 1" comes another reply this time from another who was disappointed that he didn't get what he wanted from the machine before making room for the next person in line.
"WHA-!?" is Yugi's only remark as another kid cuts in front of him. "Hey I'm next, no cutting in line"
"Cutting? You were just spacing out" remarks the kid to Yugi as he turns to look at him. "Besides… aren't you in High School? I mean you don't look like it, but… You're too old to play capmon".
"HA HA… Listen… Age doesn't mean anything to a real gamer" , 'What a brat' replies Yugi as he tries to hide his distaste for the kid because Yugi knew differently.
"Huh! If you want it that much, then you can go first. This time" chimes the kid as he gives Yugi a slight glare before stepping aside for Yugi to go first.
'Gee thanks a lot', "Heh Heh… 100 yen, 100 yen…" chants Yugi as he goes up to the machine, excited that he could finally get a capsule monster to take home and show to Yami for Yugi was always excited for new games especially when it was games he could involve Yami in.
But as Yugi slowly approaches the machine to give it a 100 yen does Yugi come to the realization that the machine didn't budge after turning the handle. "WHAT!? WHERE'S THE CAPSULE!? IT ATE MY MONEY!"
"GRR! COME ON, YOU STUPID MACHINE!" cries Yugi as he begins to shake the machine in hopes it would give him his capsule. "GIMME MY CAPSULE".
"WA HA HA HA HA! IT'S STUCK!" laughs a kid.
"WHAT A DUMMY" laughs another.
But as this continues on, does nobody seem to take notice of someone approaching Yugi and the group of kids outside until it was too late and the next thing Yugi knew was someone hitting him on the head.
"UGH" cries Yugi.
"HEY KID! DON'T HIT THE MACHINE!" yells a grumpy old man as he becomes enraged with Yugi for banging on his machine.
"OW OW OW…" whimpers Yugi as he holds his head in pain from where the old man had hit him.
"WAHA! IT'S "DENTURES" LOOK OUT!" cries out a kid as they laugh and point at the old man who was currently scolding Yugi.
"YOU THINK I'LL LET YOU BREAK IT JUST BECAUSE YOU LOST A HUNDRED YEN? THIS MACHINE IS EXPENSIVE! IT'S WORTH MORE THAN YOU ARE'
'The candy store owner (a.k.a "old man dentures"). Well known for being grouchy and stingy' come Yugi's thoughts as he finally takes a look at the old man. "S..Sorry…" stutters Yugi. 'It stole my 100 yen. Why do I have to apologize' wonders Yugi as he continues to rub his head.
But of course as this continues on does anyone fail to see the new addition to the group until stomping of feet could be heard which catches one kid's attention.
"...!"
"HEY, isn't that…?!"
"NO WAY! IT'S KAIBA! THE CAPSULE MONSTER CHAMPION!" cry the kids as they finally take notice of a kid who was about Yugi's height and long shaggy black hair who was currently surrounded by goons of his own.
"HEY, YUGI" calls the kid who manages to get Yugi's attention.
"HUH..?!"
"You're Yugi Mutou, aren't you?" asks the teen who currently stood before everyone.
'Who's HE? How does he know my name…? He looks like a grade schooler but…' ponders Yugi as he finally gives the teen his full and undivided attention completely unaware that Yami was not too far away from everything for Yami began to worry when Yugi had yet to come home after school.
"HEH HEH HEH...Don't rack your brain, You don't know me", "This is the first time we've met. But I know all about you" chimes the teen to Yugi which completely baffles Yugi as he continues to try and put the pieces together.
"You know Seto Kaiba don't you? He's my big brother!" is all the teen says before Yugi finally fills in the gap. 'KAIBA'S LITTLE BROTHER?!', 'Kaiba, the Duel Monsters expert…?!'
"I get it! You must be Kaiba's…" but before Yugi can even finish what it was he was going to say Seto's little brother cuts him off.
"SHEESH…", "My brother masters any game he plays. He's my HERO. I can't believe that a little shrimp like you actually beat him… I thought you might be pretty cool, but I guess I was wrong" remarks Seto's brother again as Yugi moves to take a quick glance over his shoulder as the kids continue on in silence.
"...HUH?", 'That's funny… the other kids have been quiet ever since Kaiba's brother got here…' thinks Yugi.
"I'm pretty good at "Capmon" I won the last tournament… What about you, Yugi? It looks like you play it too" snickers the other as he continues to look at Yugi.
"Well… I'm not that good! I just started a little while ago" admits Yugi who also forgot to mention that he's been practicing with Yami as they both have been learning how to play whenever they could.
"HEH HEH HEH… Don't be so modest…" giggles the other before he suddenly becomes serious and gives Yugi a stern face. "GET HIM".
With that said, the goons that were with Seto's younger brother had recently made a bee line for Yugi and ended up surrounding him, cornering him from trying to escape. "HUH…?!" panics Yugi who isn't sure what to do.
/Yami I could really use your help.../ panics Yugi's mind as he tries to contact Yami threw their special bond.
(YUGI! I'm almost there…. Why didn't you call for me sooner?) asks Yami as he begins to pick up the pace allowing him to be in eyesight of what was currently going on before him.
/I'm sorry Yami...I had only stopped at the candy store in hopes of buying a couple of capsule monsters for us to play with/ is all Yugi could muster before being jolted from his connection with Yami by the goons that had him surrounded.
"WHERE DID YOU GET THOSE FROM?!" squeeks Yugi as he suddenly sees tasers and guns being shoved at him in all different directions.
"Those are my followers...Don't even think of trying to escape" remarks the younger Kaiba all the while causing panic to spread all over Yugi's face.
"HEY, "Dentures!" We'll take this machine" shouts the younger Kaiba as he stands next to the capsule monster machine all the while trying to catch the old man's attention.
"WHY YOU LITTLE…" is all the old man can get out before looking to his feet and the stack of bills that the younger Kaiba had thrown at his feet. "OH!?"
"Keep the change" smirks the younger Kaiba as he turns to walk away.
"PLEASE COME AGAIN" chimes the old man, happiness clearly etched on his face as he grabs the stack of bills he just received for his machine.
"ALL RIGHT YUGI! I'm taking you someplace special", "Aren't you excited?!" remarks the Younger Kaiba as he motions for his goon to load up the machine while the others try to push Yugi towards the car.
"YUGI!" come the shouts of Yami's voice as he witnesses the goons trying to push Yugi into the black car.
"YAMI" cries Yugi as he happens to see Yami mere seconds from their position.
'This is it, Big brother! You will be avenged' and with that in thought the goons along with the younger Kaiba succeed in pushing Yugi into the vehicle before driving off to an abandoned warehouse.
"YUGI" is all Yami is able to get out as he just witnessed his koi be taken away by a bunch of goons.
(Yugi I promise I'll save you...don't worry) was all that Yami could get out threw their bond as he begins to chase after the black car.
Abandoned Warehouse
"This...This is our secret hideout! Now do you get it?", "You have to play capsule monster chess with me" demands the younger Kaiba to Yugi as they stand within an empty warehouse with a capsule monster chess board setup in the middle.
"Uh… Please take it easy on me…" mumbles Yugi as he tries to hide his fears in front of everyone.
"What IS this guy? Are all high schoolers this wussy?" asks a goon as he steps in front of Yugi with a glaring look to his face.
"..." is all Yugi can say as he tries to back away from the goon.
"You got something to say, skinny?!"
"You mess with us and we'll burn your house to the ground" threatens another as they begin to gang up on Yugi once more.
"Look at this stupid necklace" scoffs a goon as he makes to grab Yugi's puzzle.
"Let's smash it" replies another as fear begins to spread across Yugi's face.
"NO, Please..DON'T" cries Yugi as one of the goons grabs it.
"GIVE IT HEAR" shouts the kid.
"NO" screams Yugi, just as the Millennium Puzzle erupts with a bright light engulfing everyone within the abandoned building. As soon as the light fades does a deep, rich baritone voice ring out.
"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY PUZZLE AND MY KOI, YOU LITTLE BRATS" is all that you hear as crimson eyes glare daggers at each and every person standing in the room for there standing in Yugi's place was none other than a pissed off Yami.
"BRR…" cringe the kids as they try to back away from Yami.
"K-Kaiba! H-He's not the same anymore" stammers another goon who was standing next to his leader.
"That's okay, I know what's up", "My brother told me about it… He said Yugi turns into a different person when he games… That's the Yugi I want to beat" remarks Kaiba as he sits idly watching everything that has unfolded before them.
"Quit bragging and let's play" snickers Yami as he glares over at the young Kaiba. And with that game begins.
"I've chosen battlefield 7 "Crisis Hill". It's the board I do best at" remarks Kaiba.
"Prepare your capsule monsters, you can use any level you like" remarks Yami to the young Kaiba before him all the while hoping that Yugi had shown him just enough to keep a float.
"HEH HEH… That's why I brought the coin machine, If I used my regular collection, there wouldn't be any challenge. We'll each take turns drawing capsules, first Yugi, then Me" explains Kaiba to Yami as he gestures to the coin machine.
"Okay" and with that Yami went first while turning the knob for his first monster. Within a couple of seconds the first monster drops with a clank.
"Tch… Level 1…" mumbles Yami as he holds up the first of 5 monsters.
"My turn" orders Kaiba as his minion turns the knob for his first monster before handing it over to Kaiba. "All right, I got a level 5", "Good for me, bad for you! And don't complain, luck is a part of skill" chirps the young Kaiba as he holds up his level 5 monster.
Eventually after each turn, both players have 5 monsters on their side of the field. On Yami's side, he had a level 4, level 2 and three level 1's while on Kaiba's side he had three level 5's and too level 4's.
'AHA...looks like this battle is over before it's even started! GOTCHA! The machine was rigged! I even paid "dentures" to act his part… HEH HEH HEH…' come the smug thoughts of Kaiba who thought he had this game in the bag.
"But before we get going...this game needs some danger to make it interesting", "If you lose, I cut off your finger with this" smirks Kaiba as he holds up a switch blade pocket knife. "GYA HA HA HA HA".
"Ok! But if I win… You have to play a penalty game as punishment" remarks Yami with a smirk.
And so with that said, Kaiba quickly goes over all the rules of the game.
Before the game starts, you place your capsules anywhere on your side of the field. However, the only thing you know about your opponent's monsters is the level on their capsules. The starting layout influences the outcome of the game, so experience and instinct are crucial in placement.
"Let's go, Yugi", "GAME START" with the signal to start, the capsules are removed.
As soon as the capsules are removed, the monsters that are revealed go as follows. On Kaiba's side we have the skull at lvl 4, dinosaur wing at lvl 5, cobrada at lvl 4, gumbo at lvl 5 and head sucker at lvl 5. While on Yami's side of the field we have devil's castle at lvl 1, flower man at lvl 1, eye mouth at lvl 1, the great "pa" at lvl 4 and torigun at lvl 2.
"I'll go first" exclaims Kaiba. 'Yugi's layout is like a beginner's'
"Just so you know, This is a Shadow Game" remarks Yami, as he reminds young Kaiba that this wasn't just any game but one with higher stakes.
"HMPH! I KNEW this game would be special, Then I'll make sure to attack right away" remarks young Kaiba as he goes to move his first monster, gumbo lvl 5.
"I'll meet you head on" remarks Yami as he moves eye mouth lvl 1.
"Stupid, you came at me with a low level monster! Gya HA HA HA", "I'll show you who's the better player, FIGHT" laughs Kaiba when suddenly Kaiba's gumbo begins to move and attacks Yami's eye mouth by slicing it in half.
"BWA HA HA! One down four to go" laughs Kaiba.
"HEH HEH…" chuckles Yami as he continues to hold his ground.
"WH-What are you laughing at?! You're the one who lost.`` panics Kaiba who didn't understand the reasoning behind Yami's laugh.
"I'll teach you the rules of gaming, No matter what the circumstances, always act like you have the upper hand!", "That's rule number one" remarks Yami.
"Y-You think you can teach me?!" shouts Kaiba as he begins to fluster and get mad.
"Stay cool at all times! That's rule number two" replies Yami as he points a finger at Kaiba.
"UGG...GRR…" grunts Kaiba as he continues to lose his cool with Yami.
"Now I'll go on the offensive" was all Yami said as he went to move his great "pa" lvl 4 on the board which happened to be in front of Kaiba's snake like creature.
"They killed each other" was all that was said between the two.
"Now, I'm left with three monsters… and Kaiba has four," whispers Yami as he looks at the board and what's left of his monsters.
"Moron, even if I lost one monste, I'm still totally going to beat you" chuckles Kaiba as he moves dinosaur wing lvl 5 next to Yami's flower man lvl 1 which gives him the victory over Yami's monster. "Dead! Yugi has two monsters left".
"For my next move… devil castle runs away to the left" replies Yami as he goes to move devil castle.
"You think I'll let you get away?! I'll follow and eat you right up" replies Kaiba as he goes to move head sucker which in turn ate Yami's devil castle.
"WA HA HA HA HA", "YOU HAVE ONE MONSTER LEFT! And I've got four, You can't fight them.. I WIN" grins Kaiba as if he truly had Yami beat.
"HEH HEH…" chuckles Yami
"What's so funny!? Don't tell me that laughs a stupid rule too" cries Kaiba who didn't understand what was happening right now for it looked as though he truly was winning.
"NO...This is a laugh of victory" remarks Yami with a grin.
'WHAT…?!' thinks Kaiba who wasn't sure what was going on as panic begins to settle over him.
"Take a good look at your monsters' positions on the field" explains Yami
"Th-They're lined up diagonally" exclaims Kaiba as he finally saw what Yami was doing with all the monsters as he got ready to make his last move.
"My last monster...the "torigun"...it's low level, it can't make sharp turns, and it's terrible at close combat, but it has one special talent… and that's once per game it can defeat any number of enemies, even level 5 ones, in a diagonal super attack" admits Yami as he explains everything to Kaiba.
'Th...That's...Yugi sacrificed all of his monsters but one…?! Just to draw my four into a line' thinks a shocked Kaiba as he continues to stare at the board before them.
"HERE I GO" and with that Yami called out his attack, his last and final attack. "Whirlwind Razor Beak Slash" and just like that the torigun creature made a straight diagonal attack threw each and everyone of Kaiba's creatures destroying them in the process.
"Hold your trump card till the end", "Rule number three! Remember it well" replies Yami as he points a finger at Kaiba as the game finally comes to an end.
'I lose…!', 'ME…' panics Kaiba as he knew what would happen next.
"PENALTY GAME!" shouts Yami.
"Wh-What's going on?!", "A capsule over my head?!" exclaims Kaiba. 'Th-This is what made my brother go crazy'.
"HEH...HEE HEE..YUGI...My brother's revenge is well under way! The secret project "Death T" is coming" remarks Kaiba right before the capsule enclosed around the young Kaiba.
'Death T?!' wonders Yami as he caught every word from Kaiba right before his capsule closed.
"Too bad, but you aren't a match for me! Think about that while you're trapped in your capsule" is all Yami says before standing and walking away from the game and the group of kids who now surrounded their leader.
"AIEEE! IT'S DARK! I CAN'T MOVE! I'M SCARED! BIG BROTHER! HELP MEEEE!" come the cries of Kaiba as he becomes trapped within his own mind.
"K-Kaiba!" call one of the kids as they try to help him but unsure of what to do as they continue to stand around the younger boy all the while Yami continued walking, never turning back as he was determined to get both him and Yugi to safety before they suddenly changed their minds.
"We can play again later...When you've learned the rules" were the only whispers from Yami before finally disappearing from site.
TBC
A/N: So how was it? Good? Bad? Please R&R and it looks like Mokuba finally made an appearance even if he was kinda a brat in it. But like all good things, this brings us to the end of book 3, next up book 4 and Duel 25: The One-Inch Terror in which *drum roll please* Joey saves the day YAY!