Nightmare Troubadour

by 7th Librarian

Sequel to 'Heirs of Fate'. Three months after the Bride Tournament and his marriage, Bellerophon Pegasus is dying. The curse of the Egyptian Gods steals away the shine of his future breath by painful breath. Worse, the sins of his father overshadow him, threatening to steal all he loves. And even as he battles against ancient darkness, it just seems to herald a greater terror...

2. Family Bonding Activity

Nightmare Troubador
By 7th Librarian

Chapter 2: Family Bonding Activity

With Duelist Kingdom damaged by all the magical shenanigans that had followed the Bride Tournament, Lero and Sumire had relocated to the Kaiba family mansion as a temporary home. Far too large for just Mokuba and his family and even with her Uncles Marik and Odion alongside her mother moving it, had been easy to just claim a block of rooms as 'theirs' and try to build a cosy little home-inside-a-home.

One of those attempted efforts had resulted in them clearing out an old study and converting it into a ground-level tub. First simply the original bathrooms had been annoyingly small and later because as his curse progressed, Lero had become unable to shower without a railing and then bathe at all without help.

What was more disheartening was how fast it was progressing. The last time he'd dueled, the night he'd gotten the curse, had been over ten years ago. Then just three duels in two days and he was so much less. The cane and the exhaustion had been fine, but then he'd lost feeling and movement in his toes. Then the soles of his feet. And tests showed they functioned just fine, blood flow and all. They just didn't work.

And everyone always said they were going to help, going to look and research and encourage him and take care of him and it had been heartwarming for only so brief a time. Now it took all his energy to not cringe or scowl when those reminders happened and he had to hide the hurt away when they spoke with hope, knowing he was going to let them down.

He was dying.

Lero had seen it in his dreams of endless, scorching, frying desert. Ra's wrath was stripping him of the 'waters of life', evaporating him bit by bit. And just like in those dreams, when those waters were gone, he'd be dead. More than dead - he could feel it inside him. Distortions in his being, his soul being burnt away. Ra was returning him to the clay from which man had been forged, to crumble to nothing but dust.

And there was nothing he or anyone else could do about it.

He lifted his right arm free of the bathwater, staring at the dragon's head tattooed on his forearm. The mark of something calling itself the Crimson Dragon. His friend, Jackie, had gotten one - a claw - at the same time he had. But hers was vibrant and red and glowed sometimes. His was dull and faded. So whatever this Crimson Dragon was, it wasn't enough to beat Ra.

It had even given him a link to Jackie, a kind of radar/emotional brief. He knew in what direction she was and her rough feelings at any given moment. It seemed to work better when they were closer to one another, but now she was biking in the American Southwest, beating up bikers and scaring the hell out of targets as a duelist for hire. As far away as she could get and so he only felt flashes of her, akin to seeing something out of the corner of his eye.

Which was fine by Lero. He had so much misery and self-loathing and exhaustion in him right now, he doubted the world could stand another person carrying so much toxicity in them right now. Bad enough everyone else had to live with watching him fall apart on the outside, they didn't need to see how bad it was on the inside.

He sank lower into the bathwater, wishing it could be as comforting to his soul and mind as much as it was to his body. At least he'd managed to convince Sumire and the others he only needed help getting into the bath and checking every fifteen minutes so he didn't drown. Being alone with his dark mood was a small comfort, the last thing he had left to himself before the curse took everything else away from him.

A chirrup roused him from his melancholy and he lifted his head - the TV screen mounted on the far wall was linked to his phone and was displaying an alert from his inbox. Looked like another interview request for CEO of Industrial Illusions, Mrs. Pegasus.

Lero stared at the message, then reached out and defiantly switched the screen off, leaning his head back against the tiled floor so he could stare at the ceiling. Not too long ago, those emails would have been addressed to him. But that hadn't happened in three months. And it wouldn't ever again. No one even inquired after him after the first month, apparently buying the excuses of 'taking a vacation' and 'spending time with his father' at face value instead of digging around for cracks in the story. But then again, Sumire was certainly a lot more interesting than he was as Seto Kaiba's long-lost daughter. And made for even more interesting Pegasus now.

Am I really a Pegasus anymore? At surface level, Lero knew the question was ridiculous. He was his father's son, blood or not, and a dozen different legal documents backed him up. But beyond that level, he found it just hurt. Yes, he disliked the public eye. Yes, he'd had more than his fair share of it. Yes, if people knew about his condition, the questions would never stop.

And yes, without that attention, without an old job as CEO or Head of R&D or even as a duelist, he couldn't help but feel he was orphaned again in all but name. That somehow, Sumire had just shown up and replaced him in every way that mattered. Even though it had been done of pure necessity for Lero's own sake.

The illogical jealousy churned his stomach into something sour and he felt the bathwater suddenly become cold against him as Lero instantly regretted being angry and petulant about Sumire. The ceiling's simple diamond-pattern swam a bit and he closed his eyes as pain swelled in his temples. If his curse didn't kill him soon, this rollercoaster of emotional extremes was going to shred him to pieces.

I just...The thought hung in his mind, spider-silk floating through the depressive void as it vainly tried to find something to latch onto. But there wasn't and whatever he was going to want ceased to matter as the thought melted away.

He just wanted this to be over.

"...oh good. He's still breathing."

Splashing in the water, Lero's eyes snapped open in time to see Rosemary look disparagingly at Sumire. "...he's at home, surrounded by a security detail, and Plato - why would that even be in question?"

"How di...what are you both doing here?" Lero gaped at the pair of them, his whole body warming as his eyes latched onto the stylish bathing suits that they wore, and stalled. "Uhh…"

"Let me save you the confusion, Bellerophon - no, you are not dreaming, and you have not fallen asleep in front of your favourite porn film again." Sumire said, briskly, her hands on the hips of her white one piece.

...I don't have a favorite porn film..." Lero said weakly, sinking a bit lower into the water in his embarrassment. "I don't need porn, I have a wife. And a very sexy girlfriend…."

"Really?" Rosie folded her arms. "Soooo...Jackie didn't take you to your first dirty movie store?"

"No."

"And she didn't buy you a subscription to your favourite porn site for your birthday once?"

"No."

"And you are aware that we've all been texting regularly since the Bride Tournament? And that she overshares when she's drunk?"

"I...was not aware of either of those things…" Lero felt the sudden urge to sink into the bath and never come out. "Why has she been texting you two?"

He was surprised on two levels - firstly that Jackie, who seemed to shun normal female companionship in every way, would willingly choose to have regular friendly contact with two people she'd only known for a week. And secondly, that of all the people at the Bride Tournament, she had chosen Sumire and Rosie, both of whom were about as opposite to Jackie's rough, ready and dirty personality that you could get.

"Well, it started out with her wanting updates," Rosie admitted, sliding into the water, and pressing herself against him. "Real updates from two people who won't answer with 'I'm fine'."

"But it turns out that we get on quite well," Sumire said, sitting on the edge of the bath with her feet in the water. "We share a lot of opinions, and we find each other's stories interesting."

"And she's so cool!" Rosie gushed, a delighted grin on her face. "She sent us a picture of the new tat she got last week - it's beautiful! And some of the stuff she gets up to...it's like she's in a movie!"

She gave a longing sigh. Lero thought he could understand. For someone like Rosie, who's livelihood depended on her body being flawless, and who lived under the regulation of an overbearing mother, being able to just go off and do something crazy like get a new tattoo because you felt like it was a dream.

"She is worried about you, Bellerphon," Sumire reiterated gently. "She says she can feel you through the link you share, your dark emotions. Misery. Loathing. Pain. Fear. She described it as 'trying to choke down five cement mixers one after the other'...which I believe is some kind of drink?"

"It is. She got me to try one once - it's horrible." Lero grimaced at the memory. "I kind of spewed mine into the wrong guy and started a bar fight. Jackie had a good night though, so it was worth it."

Sumire frowned. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the drinking age in the US twenty one? You only came of age three months ago."

Lero grinned conspiratorially. "Well, when you date Jackie, you find that in some places in the US, laws like that are kind of suggestions. And they don't bother with I.D." His grin became embarrassed. "Also, she promised me a kiss if I bought her a round. And I was sixteen and she was exciting."

"And you are being predictable in deflecting, husband mine." Sumire informed him and Lero winced. "Jackie can feel what you're feeling and she does not like it. Since you have apparently closed yourself off to her, she has been reaching out to us for updates and started researching into the Crimson Dragon to see if that may help."

"Sumire, we have all the money in the world to burn on researching that thing and have got nothing. I don't think one woman on a bike is going to find something we haven't, even if she can kick ass six ways from Sunday." Lero said resignedly.

"I think she might have something - she was cagey about it, but said she had some people to reach out to. And money doesn't open all doors, Lero, least of all the ones over the tracks, so to speak." Rosie put in, running hand through his hair. "And she's helping in other ways."

"How? She's across a planet."

"She gave us the perfect way to distract you." Sumire gave him a particularly devious smile. "You get two beautiful women to bath you."

Lero stared at her, then switched his gaze to Rosemary who had a similar grin. "...ummm…"

"Kind of hard to back out now, Lero." Rosie bapped his nose with a sud-covered finger. "You're naked, in the bath and we're here."

"Not backing out...definitely not backing out…" Lero tried hard to think about his words and not the way Rosie's nipples were pressed against his arm through the thin fabric of her navy bikini top.

"Maybe two is not enough," Sumire said playfully. "Maybe he wants even more women in his bathtub fantasy. I wonder if Jessie would be free this afternoon…"

"Jessie has a boyfriend…" Lero reminded them, feebly. Both girls snorted.

"No, Jessie has a Raymon - that's very different," Rosie rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he has qualities that endear him to her, but he is the coleslaw of men - edible, maybe even satisfying, but not sophisticated."

"He is not very supportive of her career choice, I have noticed." Sumire said, her grin twisting into a little look of disapproval. "She has vented several times to me about recent arguments…"

"I know the Bride Tournament was hard on her image and the Nitemare stuff was dangerous afterwards, but Raymon seems to act like all the stuff her family went through is just...not there." Rosemary looked irritated herself and Lero didn't blame her - she had spent all of her life living in the shadow of her Uncle Ryou's magical possessions and the resulting damages.

"That is unkind and unwise of him, I think. As I have learned over the last few months, one cannot simply ignore the past into irrelevance." Sumire said, her frown growing. "And it is a lesson best learned sooner than later…"

"Raymon will come around, he and Jessie have been going strong for nearly three years. You know Jessie - she'd have quit him if she didn't think he was worth the investment." Lero said with a mild shrug. "I'm surprised she hasn't called actually - I thought your phone would be blowing up after the duel, Sumire."

The CEO shook her head. "Jessie wasn't watching. She told me yesterday that she would watch it to catch up later - she's currently meeting her parents in Tokyo for lunch."

"Both her parents are in the same city as their daughter for more than an hour?" Rosemary lifted an eyebrow. "Sound the bells! The apocalypse is nigh!"

Lero thought the sarcasm a bit strong coming from a woman who would divorce her own mother if the option were available, but he tactfully chose not to say anything. A small nod of agreement came from Sumire before she continued.

"I'm afraid the only people 'blowing up my phone' right now is every journalist on the planet. I am suddenly a lot more interested in them now that I actually played a card game. How novel for a woman to be successful at something." Sumire's own sarcasm was light, but tart and left Lero envisioning a stiletto knife plunging into someone's throat.

"That's just the media - they'll ride their dead horses until they're skeletons. I still get the 'how do you feel being both a supermodel and a duelist?' question all the time. Like a woman can't be successful at two things at once. Yet Toppa is a rapper and a duelist and no one questions him about it." Rosemary said with a polite huff. "Anyway, I think they'll probably be more curious as to what Moyatsu's Wicked Canticle, Sinister Doctrine and Lyssian Avatars were."

"I do not have an answer for them. They do not exist in any of our extensive databases, here or at KaibaCorp." Sumire admitted in frustration. "Which strongly implies they are magical or created by someone seeking revenge against us for something. Possibly both."

"It's a sign of trouble, alright." Lero agreed even as Rosemary began to run her hand through his hair gently. "This is how it usually goes - a few minor inciting events or oddities that lead to something bigger. Battle City and the Rare Hunters, the first KC Grand Championship, even Duelist Kingdom. To be honest, Nitemare showing up during the Bride Tournament was a huge screaming exception."

"Yeah, but nearly all of our parents have dealt with those things and passed the knowledge onto us. Not to mention, we aren't a group of teenagers blundering about in tournaments. We're the people who run the tournaments. And the technology. And Duel Monsters." Rosemary pointed out. "So how are we going to react to this?"

"Right now? Just keeping looking into Moyatsu and his cards and hope we get a lead." Lero said, shrugging when she gave him a frown. "We can't do anything without information, Rosie."

"We can at least prepare our defenses." Sumire said, her blue-eyes distant as she stared into the water. "The original Bleeding Edge Duel Disk - somehow - was resistant to magical effects such as Darkness Games and even the reality-warping powers of the Quantum Cube. I believe I am close to replicating such effects into my own versions. The first set of which I will give to us and all of our friends. I have a feeling that whatever thing is behind this, it will come for us."

"Is it Yoshito?" Rosemary asked. "You said you think he stole stuff from the Vault. And if he's creating some kind of magical Duel Monsters weapon with, he'd want to test it against something similar, right? And get revenge?"

Lero scowled at the mention of the Decrall heir and how he'd nearly ruined all their lives without even trying by attempting to Sumire to marry him three months ago. "No, I doubt it. Ironwrought Industries is still solvent despite the huge hit they took and he'd develop anything new in secret to keep the advantage to himself. Testing it with someone like Moyatsu in such a public way is completely counterproductive."

"Well, what did he take? Maybe we can tie it back to him if we know what he can do with it? I know magical stuff and Duel Monsters stuff tend to have a lot of flexibility to their powers, but even the Millenium Items had rules." Rosemary pressed.

"As much as we all want revenge against the slime that is Yoshito, I agree with Bellerophon. He is not behind this. Moreover, the contents of the Vault are only known to the Pegasus family. And you are not a Pegasus, Rosemary." Sumire didn't sound insulting or even condescending, but Lero was still surprised when he almost literally felt Rosemary's hackles raise.

"Soooo did Jackie's instructions involve anything...else?" he asked, his eyes darting to his girlfriend's perfect cleavage. "Like full-on body massage or you two splash-fighting in white t-shirts?"

Sumire rolled her eyes, as Rosemary's scowl was replaced with a playful smile. "Actually yes, she did instruct us to do one thing...throw out your bodywash and make you smell like a grown up for a change."

As she said it, Lero heard a clang as Sumire expertly tossed the bottle of s'mores bodywash into the trash can under the sink.

"Hey!"

"Sorry Lero - Jackie was very explicit."

"Do not worry, husband." Sumire said with a mischievous lift to the corner of her mouth as she sauntered back over to the bath, a new bottle in hand. "We found a scent that we both think is very much you and one we both enjoy." She slid into the water gracefully, squeezing a dollop onto her palm even as Rosemary pulled him into her lap. "And we are going to make sure it gets everywhere…"

Lero felt his face warm again. "I can...bathe myself, you know. I'm a grown man…"

"You can," Rosemary said into his ear in that way she had. "But why should you?"

Lero decided that answering that question would be stupid of him, especially as Sumire began to rub her dollop across his chest.

TTTTTT

"MmmMMMM! Rest of the world can keep its fine dining and fancy wines - this is the best restaurant in the world!"

"...and this was the best suit in my wardrobe until five seconds ago."

"Yeah Dad - don't talk with your mouth full. No one wants to see that!" Rolling her eyes, Jessie deftly plucked the long crinkled noodles from her bowl and slurped them into her mouth. Around them, the tiny restaurant was filled with the sounds of other lunchtime patrons, talking and slurping their own food. Salarymen talked on cell phones, and a few other tables were occupied by families. And for a rare moment in her life, Jessie felt just like them.

Across the tiny table, Joey brandished his chopsticks. "Hey, it's ramen! It's supposed to be messy!"

"You can't use that excuse, Joseph." Mai said with a pointed jab of her chopsticks. "Anything you eat is messy. Salads. Chocolate bars. Even sushi!"

"Aww, I'm just saving it for later," Joey batted away Mai's chopsticks and then deftly snared a piece of meat out of her bowl. A roguishing grin appeared on his face as Mai squawked in indignation as he chowed down on it. "Hehe - the saying's still true! 'My food is good, but yours is better!'"

"No one says that!"

"No one you know! Plenty a guys I know say it all the time!"

"Really?" Mai narrowed her eyes and Joey's grin wilted a bit. "Name me three."

"Well, ah, er...there's...Moe...and Curly...and Larry down at the pier!"

"Those are Three Stooges!" Mai rolled her eyes. "Of course, they're your crowd - you'd fit right in."

"Heck yeah! Joey Wheeler, lifelong stooge!" He thumbed at his chest, grin returning. "And proud of it!"

"What's the definition of a stooge, Joey?"

"Uhhh…"

Jessie hid her grin at her parents bickering in her bowl of ramen, slurping up some more noodles. Getting her parents together for more than five minutes was guaranteed to result in something amusing at the least and exciting at the best. And it was a toss-up everytime. From the way her mother was pointedly eating her ramen with a reserved, guarded air and her dad was eyeing it up like a cat eyes up a caged bird, they were probably going to wind up dueling over this.

Which would be one more duel than she'd had lately. Her manager seemed to be dragging his ass on purpose with how few duels she'd gotten on the Pro Circuit in the last three months. Okay, sure, she'd lost her duel in the Bride Tournament. Which had been broadcasted live. In front of more than a billion people. And had literally held the fate of Duel Monsters in the balance and she was a child of two of its iconic legends. But that shouldn't have hit her career this hard!

Jessie poked at a bobbing piece of meat in frustration. All her manager would say was that it was just fallout, that it'd pass and she'd be getting more duels again. She was still Number Ten in the world, plenty of people would want a chance to duel her.

Yet no one's beating a path to my door to do it. All of Yoshito's Pros have had challenges. The blonde scowled at her ramen. I don't get it. Is it my image? I'm the World Traveller! I've dueled in over half the countries on the planet!

So why had she been stuck in Domino for the last month-and-a-half?

"Hey, kiddo," Her father's voice yanked her out of her reprieve, both of her parents looking at her with concern. "Ya'll right there? You're looking at your ramen like it owes you money."

"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine." Jessie said instantly, but Mai's disbelieving noise made her sigh. "Okay, no. I'm not. I'm stressing my head off about my career and I can't think of any reason why I've suddenly stalled! Everyone else in the Bride Tournament came out with some kind of boost but me!"

"Did they really, though?" Mai asked her pointedly. "Or are you just seeing things like that because it makes you feel better about being miserable?"

"What - no way, mom!" Jessie gaped at her. "I'm not some moody teenager anymore! I'm not just going to make myself miserable without a good reason!"

Joey started ticking things off on his fingers. "Lessee - Lero's cursed and has to hide from the public, Little K's gone back to doing her 'Devil Dragon' routine with some upped prices, that German girl probably got some business stuff out of it-"

"Verthandi knows Lero personally, so I don't think she needed to pull a win in the tournament to negotiate." Mai said knowingly. "She already had an 'in'."

"Fine, business stuff didn't business. That cool masked chick...Jackie? I dunno where she is, but it ain't on the news. And Rosemary's still modeling while her mother gives new meaning to being a control freak." Joey finished. "The only one who came out ahead was Sumire, ya know? And given how hard your mom works running her little side business, can't think running Industrial Illusions leaves her much time 'cept to eat and sleep."

He screamed as a noodle slapped itself across his face like a scar and then toppled over backwards as he struggled to get it off. "Gah! Mai! It's in my beard!"

"Valentine Shipping is not a side business! And you don't have a beard - just a few stray hairs!" Mai rolled her eyes as Joey's flailings, lowering her fork and turning back to Jessie. "He's got a point, though. No one really came out of that tournament smelling of roses. There's no reason to make yourself any more miserable by thinking you're the only one whose struggling."

"Alright, you have a point." Jessie sighed, pushing her ramen away so she could rest her face in her hands grumpily. "But still - I can't even get my name on a tournament listing! And I've had no challenges, either! My manager wouldn't even let me be on the guestlist for Sumire's grand opening today!"

"Jessiebelle, you've come really far in just two years since you started professionally dueling. You can't expect that momentum to last forever. Every dueling career has its ups and downs and dry spells." Mai said reassuringly. "When we were your age, neither of us ranked in tournaments after Duelist Kingdom and Battle City. And Joey had to earn his invite to Paradise Tropics."

"Only cause they knew people'd run scared if they knew the Godfather of Games was sure thing!" Joey reappeared above the table, tossing the defeated noodle side. Seeing Jessie still looking miserable, he leaned in. "Hey, Jess-jess, c'mon. You've had slumps before - why you taking this one so hard?"

"This slump is my life, Dad! I want to be a professional duelist for my life! I don't have the skills to go into Habitat for Humanity like you or run a company like Mom! And yet it's all starting to look like I've peaked at Number Ten and I'm only twenty-one!" Jessie buried her forehead in her arms. "This is supposed to be my thing!"

Joey rubbed his forehead, but Mai interjected before he could reply. "You think dueling wasn't our 'thing' when we were your age? Taking rich, stupid men for every penny they had was my only skill! And goodness knows your father didn't have much going for him-"

Joey looked like he wanted to object, but he didn't want to undermine Mai's point.

"Stop acting like your life is over. Nobody 'peaks'. People don't have a pinnacle that they reach and then their lives become worthless. Do you think everything I've done since winning Intercontinental Champion was worthless? Was having you worthless? Earning my first million in business worthless? Getting on the BBC's 100 Women list twice worthless?"

"I.." Jessie let out a breath. She may have gotten a double dose of stubbornness from her parents, but she also knew when she was beat. She clasped in her hands in front of her, worrying her thumbs together. "I'm just scared, Mom. I feel like I'm going to just lose it all in between blinks. I was doing well and then the Bride Tournament and all that Nitemare stuff and now Raymon is worrying over me and he didn't do that before-"

"Kiddo, you never dueled with those stakes before," Joey interjected. "Anyone who loves ya like he does is just going to be a coiled spring sometimes. Your Aunt Serenity grounded me after the KC Grand Championship for like, a year."

Jessie cocked her head, trying to imagine her short, waifish aunt ordering her towering, fiery father to sit still for a year and failed. "She didn't."

"Naw, she did. Said after all the stuff I went through that year from Duelist Kingdom, said she needed a vacation from worrying about me all the time." Joey said with a shrug. "And mebbe my schoolwork needed some touch-ups, too…"

That she believed more readily, but Jessie still sighed. "It's not the same. Raymon's not dragging me off for well deserved downtime. It's like he's worried I'm going to disappear from his life forever."

"He's not trying to convince you to give up dueling again, is he?" Mai asked with a disapproving frown. "Or falling into that 'white knight' syndrome?"

"No, no, nothing like that -!" Jessie assured her quickly. "Just...he's having a hard time with the magic bits of Duel Monsters. And the media's being waving around the fact Lero dated most of his 'Angels' from the tournament, so he's been a bit jealous of him or something. Even though Lero and I haven't dated at all, and he's married to Sumire now!"

"Pff! That's just the papers being stupid. A guy can't have any female friends without them assumin' stuff," Joey rolled his eyes. "You shoulda heard the stuff they used to print about Tea and your mom when we were at tournaments."

"Remember after the World Championships that one reporter who went through all you guys with Tea trying to figure out which one of you she'd come with?" Mai snorted. "I thought she was going to make him eat his camera! She said to me later-"

Jessie tuned her mother's reminiscing out. These stories came up often enough at family reunions and meetings that she knew them by heart and once they'd finished the World Championship story, they'd move onto the year her mother won Intercontinental Champion and how one stupid reportor had taken a moment of her tall mother and her short Uncle Yugi sharing an awkwardly placed hug in celebration as 'Mai Valentine trading in lovers along with titles'.

Still funny to see her father and her uncle both turn the same shade of red, though for two different reasons, though.

Her eyes panned over the restaurant again. Most of the lunch rush had dribbled out, leaving a few teens with half-eaten bowls probably stone cold as they paged through their phones and an exhausted salaryman sleeping in the corner. Nothing new in a ramen shop; given how the staff was taking the effort to pick up the man's suitcase and move it carefully as they cleaned, he was probably a regular fixture.

But the person in the corner was definitely new and she couldn't even recall seeing him come in. Well, if he was a man. At this distance, it was hard to tell. Their features were soft and silken, with pale pink eyes and pale blue hair styled into a tumbling waterfall down their neck by some rather delicate-looking gold braiding. And a single dangling, emerald earring placed strategically near the top of the earlobe rather than the bottom.

Jessie leaned in, curious despite the rudeness of the action. The person was also wearing a dark green dress shirt with thin black ruffling on the sleeves and collar, topped off with a string bow-tie with a coin as the center of the note. None of this was too out of the ordinary - this was Japan, after all, where self-expression was a way of life and for the more serious duelists, like her cousin, looking 'normal' was an insult.

There was just something about him - she couldn't hear the words as he ordered, but his Japanese was accented like a non-native speaker and had the thick tones of a man - that just made her more and more curious. A feeling of deja vu, almost. That was also a possibility, meeting him before. She was The World Traveller for a reason and Wheeler luck meant they often ran into old friends in the most strange of places.

The man finished his order, saying something that prompted the server to smile - a genuine smile, not the bog-standard, slapped-on service smile - and the man to smile again.

That was when Jessie felt her deja vu lurch again. She had seen that smile before but on another person. And as she thought out it, it all seemed to click into place. The man's soft look, his appearance, his clothes, that smile. A quiet eccentricity with a dash of charm.

"He's a Pegasus." The words were soft, disbelieving and sent a chill through her.

There was a crash as the door was kicked open by a heavy black boot. It slammed into one of the counters so hard glass crashed to the floor and prompted the phone-absorbed teenagers to look up. It was almost comical how all their eyes widened in unison and they leapt out of their seats and scrambled back for safety as a tall, gaunt man dressed in black clothing stomped through the mess. "WHEELER!"

"Frickin' hell, now what?" Joey grumbled to himself as he got up. "Who's looking for revenge now?"

"He's not one of mine, Dad." Jessie said as she rose up, too. "Mine don't usually break things when they come looking for me, either."

"It's why I don't use the Wheeler name," Mai commented as she slurped up the last few of her noodles, looking more amused than concerned by the sudden entrance. "By the way, this one's not coming out of my pocket, Joseph."

"Aw, c'mon, Mai!" Joey shot her a pout, but she just shook her head. Sighing, he turned his attention back to where the man was glancing around the ramen shop angrily. "Hey, tall, dark and bony, have you got any business with me or you just in the habit of kicking open doors like a jackass?"

The man's gaze zeroed in on Joey and his fingers curled into fists so tight Jessie could almost see his bones through the skin. "You're damn right I do, Joey! You and your pointy-haired friend ruined my life!"

"Huh, pointy-haired friend? Look, pal, Tristan and I did a lot of stupid things in our lives, but we didn't hurt nobody who didn't deserve it!" Joey shot back, but his confident sneer stopped halfway across his face and fell into surprise. "No way - I recognize you! You're freakin' Hirutani!"

"Hiru-who?" Jessie asked, frowning.

"He's your dad's old high school bully. Used to run in the same gang and then Hirutan tried to 'recruit' Joey back a couple of times after he met your Uncle." Mai explained, eyes on the confrontation even as she casually pushed aside her empty bowl and grabbed Joey's.

"He tried to kill my best buddy with his own Puzzle like a noose!" Joey finished, slamming a fist into an open palm. "Hirutani, I don't know what sewer you crawled out of, but I'm kicking you back down there so hard you'll end up in China!"

Jessie sweat-dropped. "Dad, please stop talking like those American action flicks you like so much…"

"Twenty years, Joey, twenty years of my life gone because you and your freak friend! And I'm going to take every day of my life out of your hide!" Hirutani snarled and charged forwards, arm cocked back for a punch. "An inch at a time!"

Jessie knew this was in the bag. Hirutani did not look well at all, with his skin so tight all of his bones were visible and his skin-tight clothing was actually a bit baggy. More than that, her dad kept himself in shape and had taken up boxing in recent years. With at obvious blow and stupid headlong rush, she imagined it would only be a jab or two before Hirutani was on the ground, nursing a broken jaw.

Except that didn't happen. She saw her father's fist connect with Hirutani's jaw, twisting his head back and halting his forward momentum. Hirutani staggered back, reeling and Joey's other fist flashed out in a perfect jab to the jaw, snapping Hiurtani's head back.

Only for Hirunitani's gangly arms to clamp down on her father's shoulders and his head to come flying back, a sickening crunch of something breaking as his forehead slammed into her father's nose.

"Joey!" Mai was on her feet in an instant even as Hirutani just began to slam more headbutts into Joey, leaving the blonde man reeling and fumbling back against the table. She grabbed Jessie's arm, half-pulling, half-throwing her away and then whipped around the table, hand coming free of her purse with a taser that she drove straight into Hirutani's neck.

Tasers were no joke. That much voltage should have left Hirutani on the ground, twitching and spasming in pain. And once again, it didn't happen. He howled in pain and his whole body juddered as his muscles seized over and over to the point Joey was clearly suffering from the increasing death grip on his shoulders.

Hirutani ripped one hand off of her father, the blow slapping across Mai's face and sending her reeling, blood already dripping from a split lip. Hirutani snarled and hurled Joey at like a paperweight at Mai, both of them crashing to the ground in a tangle of limbs. "I hate you! Anyone you like, I hate! I'll rip you all to pieces!"

His foot slammed down on the taser before Mai could grab it again, smashing it to pieces. A swift kick into Joey's side sent him collapsing onto Mai again. Then another and another and another, furious angry blows that hit with more force than a man should possess and didn't look like they were stopping anytime soon. "C'mon, Joey, let's hear that smart mouth of yours!"

Jessie was frozen, fingers clenched. She didn't have the training to fight Hirutani directly and if her mother's taser didn't stop him, hers wouldn't. But she couldn't do nothing. This freakishly strong man was going to break her father's ribs at this rate - Joey was already turtling, raising his arms to project his face and Mai was still pinned underneath him.

Through the blood streaming down his nose and the two black eyes forming, Jessie saw her father's brown eyes lock onto hers, his lips moving silently. "Run, Jess."

"Look at me, dammit! Show me some goddamn respect for once and I might let you live, Joey!" Hirtuani roared and a particularly nasty kick making both of her parents groan in pain. He suddenly whirled, tracking to find whatever Joey found more important than him and then his gaze found her.

Shit. Jessie began to back away, but the ramen shop was small and too few tables between him and her. Hirutani tracked her for a second, his shoulders low and tense like a predator's and then he sprang, leaping over the table with a snarl of raw hatred.

A hand clamped onto her shoulder and she felt her body shift as weight was applied. "That is enough of you, you disrespectful cur!"

It was the pink-haired man, using her body for support as he flipped himself into Hirutani's way, legs coiled up underneath him. They both lanced out with perfect timing, catching Hirutani square in the chest with enough force to knock the wind out of him and sending him crashing across the way into another chair.

At the same time, the pink-haired man landed easily and released her, giving her an apologetic smile. "Sorry about grabbing you - I didn't think the table would have taken my weight as well."

"You're...you're fine." Jessie said automatically, brain still trying to process what had just happened. The man had just pulled off a move like an anime and she didn't know anyone who could even think about doing that kind of maneuver.

"Thank you." The man said graciously and turned as Hirutani jumped back to his feet. "I suggest you stay down. The police are on their way, I've already called them."

"You think the police scare me? I've been through a nightmare not even the devil dreams of!" Hirutani snarled, whipping a chair like an impromptu javelin at him. "Get out of my way!"

"No." The man dropped into a stance, his fist flashing out and the chair splintered apart as he punched right through it. Behind it was Hirutani's snarling, lunging face that quickly became one of startled pain as the man's other fist landed square in his throat. The punch became a grip on his neck and one on his belt and then he was being unceremoniously hurled into a wall hard enough to crack the plasterboard.

Hirutani crashed down atop some stools, scattering them even as they drove into his body at awkward angles. Snarling again, he scrabbled to his feet and picked up a new one, using it like a club. Only this time, Joey's fist was there to catch the side of his face and send him crashing to the ground again. "Hey, Hirutani! Your beef is with me, remember? Or you still just a chicken?"

"I'll kill you, Joey!" Hirutani was on his feet again, stool whipping out. Joey caught it with both hands and then pushed, slamming one of the other legs into his chest. Hirutani whuffed out air and Joey twisted the stool free of his grasp, slamming it up against his chin and then whipping it around above his hand to crash down like a professional wrestler.

"That knock some sense into ya?" Joey demanded as the stool broke and Hirutani dropped to all fours, gasping. Then he was dancing back as Hirutani made a few claw-like grabs for him. "Guess not - looks like I'll have to beat it into you! C'mon, monkey, come and get me!"

"I'll kill you! Kill you!" Hirutani charged to his feet, shoving stools and tables aside as he saw Joey backing towards the door. "Don't you dare run, Joey! Fight me like a man!"

"If you catch me, maybe I will!" Joey mocked and then stuck out his tongue. With a roar of frustration, Hirutani stormed after him as the blonde turned and bolted out the restaurant's broken door.

"Dad!" Jessie moved to chase after him, but the pink-haired man caught her wrist.

"Your father is leading him away to keep you safe, you shouldn't ruin that effort. Whatever that Hirutani man is, sane is not one of them." The man urged her gently. "You saw what kind of absurd strength he had."

Jessie wanted to snap or glare at him, but she knew he was right. She tugged her wrist free and sprinted over to help her mother get to her feet. "Mom, are you okay?"

"No, that bastard broke my new heels - I just got these!" Mai grunted in exasperation as she stood, leaning partly on the table and her daughter as she winced in pain. "Got a few kicks to the ribs, though. Man hits like his shoes are concrete."

"Yeah," Jessie agreed in worry. "And your taser barely hurt him at all and I've seen that thing drop men twice Dad's size! How in the hell is Hirutani doing that?"

"It sounds like he's holding a grudge against Joey, kiddo, and grudges are powerful things." Mai informed her as she sat down and pulled off her broken heels, examining them with a frown. "And the older they are, the more they fester and cook inside you. If Hirutani has really been nursing that thing for twenty years to the exclusion of everything else, I don't think anything is going to stop him from making it happen."

"Your mother speaks truth, miss." The pink-haired man said. "Grudges are a powerful motivation. And that single-minded focus can let one do nearly the impossible. Such as shrugging off a taser. Or a stool to the face. "

He gave them both that easy smile. "Still, that does mean I might be able to get the drop on him. I'm no slouch in a fight and a human body, no matter how angry, is still a human body. Please tell the police when they arrive here." Then, with a gentle wave, he was sprinting out the door.

"Hey, wait -" Jessie made a grab for him, but knew she was already going to miss. "Dammit!"

"Who was that guy?" Mai asked as she nursed her sore ribs. "He looked familiar. Do you know him?"

"No." Jessie said, staring after him. And that feeling of deja vu was back again. "At least...I think I don't…"

TTTTTT

"Sheesh, whoever called a city a concrete jungle was right! Especially with angry cats like this guy!" Joey whipped himself around a corner, catching the edge to tighten his turn and felt his jacket ruffle followed by Hirutani's snarl of frustration behind. "That's it, monkey! Come and get me!"

"I'll kill you!"

Joey bolted down the alley without looking back, a swift kick to a tower of crates sending it crashing down behind him. But Hirutani's growls and snarls intensified and the clattering began crunching noises as the other man tore his way through them. Damn, what's it gonna take to slow this guy down? Getting hit by a bus?

But he kept running, ignoring the throbbing his face from the repeated headbutts he'd taken. At least his nose had stopped bleeding, but the two black eyes kept trying to make him wince and he didn't dare - one blink would all it would take to run into something and let Hirutani get ahold of him.

At least they were away from the ramen shop and thus away from Mai and Jessie. Joey loved his girls and knew they could handle themselves against most people, but they'd never been in fights like he had growing up. Real fights, where you didn't stop swinging until the guy was out cold and you had to shrug off stabs and broken noses and ear bites 'cause hesitation meant you entered a world of hurt.

And Hirutani was way too much like some of those guys for his liking now - the scrappers, the desperate, the determined. The ones who fought like animals instead of people because they were just that eager to hurt and fight and win. And it made Joey's blood run cold at the idea of Hirutani ripping his way into Mai and Jessie physically to get to him.

He didn't know where he was running - location was meaningless to him. All he knew was he had to keep going. Just keep moving until Hirutani stopped. He wasn't looking at anything except the path ahead, so it was a jolt when he realised that he recognised the neighborhood. He didn't know how - it had changed dramatically in twenty years.

Where once empty, rotting warehouses had stood, the land had been scarred by heavy diggers and machines carving trenches for new foundations. Around him, pillars of steel formed the skeleton of the new development. Somewhere in the last twenty years, the bad side of town had been forced out of this neighborhood to make way for investment. It was nothing like his last memory of it when Hirutani and his thugs had hung Yugi from a hook by the Puzzle.

Man, I musta really knocked my head to come back here...But in a way, it made a certain insane amount of sense. I put him down here once before. I'll do it again!

He skidded to a halt, whirling just in time to let Hirutani catch his fist with his face. But the other man's momentum didn't even stop and he clawed at Joey, grabbing his head and slamming them together for another headbutt. Joey reeled, dazed, but got his arms around his opponent, felt the ground behind him give away into something and let himself fall backwards - Hirutani first.

It wasn't a pile-drive like in the wrestling Mai liked to watch, but it was close enough. It was some kind of drainage way and Joey heard a sickening crack and a cry of pain from Hirutani as they hit. He felt the other man limpened and he rolled up and away, jumping to his feet and ignoring how the world tilted in any way but level. Must've hit my head really hard…!

Hirutani was limp, sprawled awkwardly across the damp concrete with a thin red line trickling way to join up with a dirty water puddle. Joey grimaced at the sight, felt a bit sick at the idea of just having killed a man, but it didn't last. He'd been doing it self-defense and sad as it was, he was...accepting...of death. Seeing people burn up by god fire, dissolve away into darkness or getting eaten by shadows, killed by giant rampaging monsters and more had been educational.

But it didn't mean he liked it and seeing his one feared leader-turned-bully sprawled out on the ground like that left more than a few regretful feelings loitering about. Most of them escaped in a quiet, sad sigh and the rest followed up with some cheap words. "You had some good potential, Hirutani, the drive to be something better than you were. But hanging onto grudges and pride like that..there's a reason people like you go to Hell."

Not much of an epithet, but it was all Joey felt like saying. His face was hurting fierce and he had to get back to the ramen shop to make sure the girls were okay and the police knew what was happening.

He'd barely gotten a few steps away when a voice from behind him make his blood run cold again. "If...if I'm going back to Hell, Joey...you're...coming...with me!"

"No way…!" Joey twisted back, eyes wide, as Hirutani jerikly, painfully, got his feet. His gaunt build was all the more ghoulish now with the clear line of red staining his hair and threading its way down his face in jagged lines to drip off his pointed chin. "You aren't human!"

"I'm human enough to remember how you ruined my life, Joey...I'm human enough to hate you for it! Despise you for it! Loathe you for it!" Hirtauni's hands twisted his head this way and that and there was another sickening crack as something popped back into place. "And now I'm going to kill you for it! And I'll enjoy every second!"

He took a few steps forwards, pausing only when embers seemed to flicker on the ground around them. Pale purple and dark black, first a few and then a dozen. Hirutani's pupils shrank in fear and he raised an arm as if to ward it away. "No...no...not the fire! Not there! I don't want to go back to the dark fire! I don't want to burn anymore! Please!"

"The fires crave fuel, Hirutani!" The voice echoed out from the complex, deep and menacing and carrying the telltale distortion of being digitally altered. "If your soul will not be theirs, then cast Joey Wheeler's into them! Let his eternal screams be the balm to your hatred!"

"Fuel for the fires…" Hirutani clenched shaking hands into fists at the words and then his lips lifted in a sharp, twisted grin even as trickling blood stained his teeth. "Yes, that's it! That's it! I'll throw you into the hell I experienced, Joey! Now prepare to duel!"

"Duel? I'm not dueling you, you -" Joey bit back a sigh as the embers all flared and swelled into a ring of twisting purple-black flames around them. And he could feel a sudden weight on his arm that was familiar to him as his own hand. A Duel Disk. "You'd think I'd have learned not to say things like that by now!"

Hirutani wasn't listening, sweeping a hand into the flames up his elbow. When he pulled it free, flames engulfed the limb and then began to writhe, twisting into the shape of a Duel Disk. When they cooled into something jet-black and shiny, it wasn't with the familiar hiss of something very hot but the soft, staccato cracking something icy warming up. "Prepare to duel, Joey! The last duel of your life!"

"Yeah, yeah, you and all the weirdos who come after me all say that!" Joey rolled his eyes and drew his opening hand. "But none of you can put your decks where your mouths are!" (JLP: 8000)

"I'll show you!" Hirutani drew six cards, his eyes focusing on them with an intensity that made Joey nervous. "I'll show you!"

He shoved a card into his disk and a continuous spell card appeared in front of him. "I activate the permanent spell card Verdant Sanctuary and set one monster in defense mode! Come and get me!"

"Gladly, ya bozo!" Joey drew for his turn. As far as I know, Hirutani never played Duel Monsters. But since we're surrounded by dis magic fire stuff and some creepy voice was talkin' to him, I have to expect he's packing some serious heat!

His lips lifted in a grin as he caught sight of what was in his opening hand. But then again, so am I! "I summon Blue Flame Swordsman in attack mode!"

Blue fire erupted onto his field, resolving into a burly, bare-armed warrior in dark armor augmented with blue accents. His massive broadsword was carved of blue gemstone and as he drew it, it erupted into similarly-colored flames. "Go, Blue Flame Swordsman! Carve up that set monster and serve it up as my lunch! Blue Flame Slash Rush!" (1800/1600)

Blue Flame Swordsman lunged, two quick flashes of his weapon leaving Hirutani's set monster in three pieces that promptly exploded. Hirutani leered as his Verdant Sanctuary began to glow. "You just killed Gokipole, Joey and when you do, I can add a bug monster to my hand! Not to mention Verdant Sanctuary does the same thing!"

He caught the two cards his deck spat out and then slapped one down on his disk. "And Gokipole lets me summon the monster I got from it, so say hello to my Neo Bug!" (1800/1700)

It was hard to tell what Neo Bug really was beyond a bug. It was snake-like, with six legs, three sets of constantly beating wings, oversized eyes and fang-like mandibles. Joey grimaced at the sight. "The only thing 'neo' about that bug is how ugly it is!"

"You're about to get up close and personal with it, Joey. Since Neo Bug has the same attack points as your monster, Gokipole blows your swordsman!" Hirutani smirked darkly as Blue Flame Swordsman exploded, his armor and weapons melting away in a sudden spire of blue fire. "That's just like you, blundering into a trap without thinking."

"That's where you're wrong, Hirutani, I was expecting you to do something dirty like that! See, when you take out Blue Flame Swordsman, he summons his brother from my deck! The original Flame Swordsman!" Joey grinned as the blue flames begam red and orange, resolving into an identical copy of his original monster saved for the red and orange pattering to him. (1800/1500)

"What?" Hirutani stared at the new monster. "That's not supposed to happen!"

"You shouldn't sound so surprised, your bad luck is about to get even worse! I activate the spell card Skull Dice from my hand! Now I roll a die and your monster's attack is divided by the roll!" Joey watched as the little imp appeared and tossed his red die. It clattered over the playing field and came up on a six. "Bingo! Your monster's attack becomes less than a bug bite! Flame Swordsman! Attack that monster with Flaming Sword of Battle!"

Neo Bug buzzed in terror as it suddenly shrank to one-sixth of its original six, but its new size did nothing to stop Flame Swordsman from slashing it in half and leaving it to burn away into embers. (1800 - 300) (HLP: 6500)

Hirutani grunted as the backlash hit him and his Verdant Sanctuary began to glow. "Don't think you're ahead because of one lucky hit! My Verdant Sanctuary activates again and gives me another bug"

"I can squash two roaches as easily as one, buddy!" Joey grabbed two cards from his hand. "I set these two beauties face down and call it a turn!"

"Draw!" Hirutani ripped the card free and held it out. "Magical Mallet - I shuffle it and two other cards in my hand back into my deck to draw three new cards."

"Sheesh, what was the point of searching those new monsters if you're just going to get rid of them?" Joey said with a mock shrug. "Don't you know how to play the game?"

"I know how to win it!" Hirutani drew his cards and then ripped open the field slot on his disk, slamming a card home and snapping it shut. "I activate the field spell card Giant Ballpark!"

Thick grass and weeds sprouted on the ground, small bees and other insects buzzing around their ankles and Joey looked down to see he was standing on an overgrown home plate. "First bugs, now baseball?"

"I summon Insect Knight!" Hirutani tossed the card down. It was indeed an insect, bi-pedal and covered in chivalric chitin armor that left it looking like a medieval knight. "Now put out that Swordsman's flame for good!" (1900/1500)

Joey grimaced as the knight charged and cut through Flame Swordsman, blade and all, with ease. To his surprise, he didn't hear the familiar sound of life points going down. He looked down at his disk to confirm it was indeed still at eight thousand. "Hey, why didn't I take any damage? Not that I'm complaining."

"It's the effect of Giant Ballpark! I can reduce any damage from one battle to zero by sending a bug monster from my deck to the graveyard! And then, if that monster was a level four or lower normal bug, I can not only summon it to my field but all copies I have of it, too!" Hirutani swept three cards across his disk one after the other. "I summon my three Shiny Black 'C' Squadders!" (2000/0x3)

"Say what? Three monsters for free!?" Joey stared as the new monster leapt into play, all striking dynamic poses. Ther chitin covered bodies were black and reminded him of Kamen Rider outfits save for the fact they all had four arms. "And who gave those normal monsters two thousand attack points? Don't you know the nineteen hundred club is a thing!"

"The beating they're about to give you is the thing you should be worried about. Attack his life points directly!" Hirutani sneered as they charged and Joey was sent skidding back as each Squadder slammed a barrage of punches into him. The blonde man flailed as he teetered close to the edge of the flames, his jacket singed. "So close to burning up, Joey. You might as well just save yourself the trouble and jump in now. I promise the beatings are only going to get worse." (JLP: 8000-2000)

"Tch, they hit hard, Hirutani, but power doesn't mean everything in Duel Monsters! You gotta have strategy!" Joey straightened and pushed a button on his disk. "Reveal Scapegoat!"

The card flashed, spitting out four sleepy-looking puffballs of pink, yellow, blue and green. (0/0x4)

Hirutani stared, then threw back his head and laughed. "I didn't think it was possible, but you got even dumber in the twenty years! Those things could have blocked my attacks!"

"Those weren't attacks, they were a stiff breeze!" Joey called back, hoping his grin hid how his head was throbbing. It was probably best not to mention between the headbutts and the Squadders hits, he'd actually forgotten what his set cards had been for a moment.

"Whatever, you're still going to die! End turn!"

"Draw!" Joey tugged the card free. "I activate Dangerous Machine Type-6!" With a hiss of steam, a large, dangerous and exotic slot-machine rose up in front of them. Then he pointed at his Scapegoats. "Time to show you my new and improved strategy is! With my four level one monsters, I open the Overlay Network!"

Nothing happened.

Joey stared at his goats. "Hey, what gives!?"

The goats all hopped around to stare at him, then at each other and there was a rapid exchange of confused bleats before they all looked at him again. And in unison, somehow managed to shrug despite not having any shoulders.

Joey stared back at them, a bead of sweat forming on the back of his head. "This Bleeding Edge stuff is too realistic…" His Duel Disk beeped at him and he lifted his arm, wincing at the message scrolling across it.

As Tokens disappear if they are sent off the field by any means, they cannot be used as material for an Xyz Summon because Xyz Monsters use their material monsters as batteries to power their effects.

"Now you tell me." Joey grimaced and then grabbed another card from his hand. Thanks Lero - your fancy new game mechanics don't help me at all! "Oh well, if I can't break the rules, I can bend them! To special summon this monster from my hand, I give up all four Scapegoats!"

The tokens all faded away in sparkles of light as his new monster jumped out of the ether. He was a cartoonishly-shaped warrior in full plate, adorably fierce as he hefted both a tower shield and a banner emblazoned with the same kind of face that he had. "This is my Landstar General!" (1500/1500)

"He's general trash." Hirutani said, face twisted in derision. "You went through all that to summon a guy weaker than any of my monsters?"

"Geeze, if that bugs you, you aren't going to like this next bit! For each monster I gave up to summon Landstar General, I can summon another Landstar monster from my deck!" Joey pulled out four cards from his deck and slid them into play to flank his General. "Let's give you some troops to command, buddy! Grappler Landstar! Knight of Landstar! Brigadier of Landstar and Swordsman of Landstar!"

The four new monsters were dressed in modern jungle combat gear, a knight's suit of armor, revolutionary-style outfit complete with musket and simple leather armor complete with sword and shield. All four shared the same face as Landstar General, to the point all might as well have been the same monster in different roles. (1000/500) (1000/1200) (900/1200) (500/1200)

"Those puny things can't even match my monsters all together!" Hirutani laughed. "If you're eager to commit sucide, Joey, just jump into the flames!"

"You really are a one-trick pony, ain't ya, Hirutani? All about power and not strategy! So get a load of my powerful strategy!" Joey chuckled to himself and flipped around one of his remaining cards. "Shield and Sword! Now all the attack and defense points of our monsters flip! Which means your Squadders got zilch, zip and nada in the way of attack points!" (500) (1200x3) (1500)

"What?!" Hirutani's eyes widened as the stats of all the monsters did indeed flip, leaving his sagging and looking weak while Joey's all stood straighter. "Dammit!" (0x3) (1500)

"Knight, Brigadier and Swordsman! Go get all medieval on his bugs!" The knight and swordsman lunged, their weapons slashing the Squadders apart like soft cheese. Brigadier just raised his musket and fired, the blast coring out his target before all insects shattered. (HLP: 6500-5300-4100-2900)

"V-Verdant Sanctuary activates! I add three more bugs to my hand!" Hirutani grabbed the cards as they were spat free from his deck.

"Yeah, but they ain't on the field, so what good are they?" Joey pointed at Insect Knight and General charged across the field, his banner stabbing into the bug at the same it's sword sank into his neck. Both of them exploded into dust. "Go give him a painful hug, Grappler!"

"I activate the effect of Giant Ballpark! I send a bug to the graveyard and negate the damage!" Hirutani grunted in pain as the army monster slashed him across the waist with a combat knife, but his life points didn't decrease. "And I just sent an Insect Knight to the graveyard, so now I summon all three of them!"

Joey frowned as three copies of the knight bugs appeared, clanging their swords together three musketeer-style. "I end my turn and all my monsters' go back to normal."

"You mean they go back to being a bunch of weaklings!" Hirutani drew and slammed the card into his disk. "I activate Reload, meaning I shuffle my hand into my deck and then draw the same number of cards!"

He did so, his sneer curling his lips as he shoved one of them into his disk. "Then I summon another Neo Bug! And then I play Solidarity! Since all I have in my graveyard is Insects, all the ones on my field gain eight hundred attack points!"

Another of the strange bugs appeared and then all four of his monsters began to glow golden as their attack scores began to rise. (1900-2700x3) (1800-2600)

Hirutani's delight was palpable as he saw Joey take and his Landstars take an inadvertent step back. "I've waited twenty years to see you afraid Joey. I knew it would be worth it - seeing the fear in your eyes. I'm going to enjoy this. Insect Knight one attacks your stupid Swordsman!"

The knight sprinted forwards, his sword cleaving through the Landstar, weapons and all, in a single slash. Joey grit his teeth and pointed at his remaining set card. "Go! Underdog's Grit! Now when our monsters fight during this turn, I flip a coin! And if I get it right, I gain the damage I would have taken! Just like a real man, taking it on the chin!"

A coin flipped down out of the sky and crashed in between them with a gleaming Eye of Horus visible. Joey pumped his fist in the air. "Alright! I got Heads!" (JLP: 2000-4200)

"Your luck can't save your forever." Hirutani grit his teeth and his second Insect Knight lunged, spearing through Grappler and shattering him.

"Underdog's Grit, flip that coin!" Joey watched it flip through the air and land on another heads. "Oh yeah, baby!" (JLP: 4200-6400)

"It's not over!" The third Insect Knight took Knight of Landstar's head and the coin flipped again, coming down on tails.

"Frick, that just means you get the life points instead of me!" Joey grimaced as the backlash hit him, an aura of pale energy surrounding Hirutani. But the other man just glared, his sunken eyes fixed solely on Joey. Man, it's like he doesn't even notice everytime we lose life points, we lose some energy or get it back. He's just obsessed with killing me! (JLP: 6400-4200) (HLP: 3200)

"Neo Bug attacks directly! Hypersonic Wings!" The giant bug beat all of its wings, showering Joey with waves of energy that sent him skidding backwards. (JLP: 1400)

Joey felt something cold lick at the back of his leg and yanked it away; that blow had hit him almost into the ring of flames surrounding them and he didn't want to know it was like to be caught up in those fires. Darkness Games and the Shadow Realm or whatever scary name the bad guys gave it had been bad enough "Figures, Hirutani, you still hit like a lightweight!"

"Then why am I the one winning?" Hirutani swept a card into his disk. "I set this face-down and end my turn!"

"My draw!" Joey snapped up the card and his Dangerous Machine-Type 6 began to spin its slots. "During my Standby Phase, my slot machine there goes for a spin and gives an effect based on the result."

The six slots all dinged up at '3' and he grinned. "Alright, I get to draw again!" He did so and his grin spread into a smirk. "And lookit that, Hirutani, its Mystical Space Typhoon! So now your Giant Ballpark is going, going and gone!"

A wind kicked up around them for a moment, shredding all of the grass and flowers around them while the baseball bases were scattered into the surrounding warehouse. "Next I'm going to activate my Level Modulation trap card!"

Steam hissed around Joey's ankles, heralding a giant glass tank rising up behind him. There was a burly shadowed figure faintly visible through the fogged up tank and a monitor attached to it began to flash and then cycle through the numbers one through six. "I pick a monster in my hand and then roll a die! And until the end of my turn, that monster becomes the level I rolled!"

The machine beeped and flashed a big red three, Joey pumping a fist in the air. "Perfect, cause now I can summon my Marauding Captain!" With a battle cry, a lean warrior in mismatched armor and wielding a longsword and short appeared, clashing his weapons together. "And when I summon this guy, I summon a level four or lower monster from my hand!" (1200/700)

A sword tip sheared through the tank's glass and withdrew, allowing a mighty armored fist to blow through it. The act shattered the tank entirely, letting a behemoth of a warrior in pale purple and blue armor lumber free, his helm rendering his voice a guttural growl and his eyes two pinpricks of eager light. "Say hello to Orgoth the Relentless!" (2500/2450)

"He could be Orgoth the Incredible Hulk for all I care," Hirutani sneered. "Neither of your monsters can compete with mine."

"I'm getting there, Hirutani. Unlike you, I've learned some patience over the years, but if you want me to kick your ass faster than I already am, then I'll serve you up a Joey Wheeler Double Sunday Special! First, since I just special summoned a monster I can summon this guy from my hand! Steam Synchron!" Joey slid the card onto his disk and a train whistle blew as a squat, cartoonish front half of a locomotive with eyes and teeny arms appeared. (600/800)

"Now for the main ingredient - I use my level three Steam Synchron to give my level Marauding Captain a tune-up!" Joey mentally breathed a sigh of relief as Steam Synchron became a trio of stars that circled his warrior and turned him into a wire-frame version of himself. Glad I remembered how this one worked - shouldn't have nodded off when Jessie was explaining them to me!

A pillar of light erupted in front of him and he remembered, belatedly, he was supposed to chant a summon for his new monster. Aw, geeze, shouldn't have bluffed my way through that improv class! "Um - This kickass monster's ammo is the stars themselves, cause that's all you'll be seeing when he opens up with the cannons of creation! Synchro Summon! Level 6! Stardust Charge Warrior!" (2000/1300)

Unlike Orgoth, Charge Warrior's armor was sleek and futuristic, six energy cannons attached to the back of his body like a mix of wings and jet propulsion. "And since I summoned him, I can draw again!"

Joey snapped up the card and held it up. "And lookit that, it's my Fissure card! So your Neo Bug is squashed!" The bug beat its wings in defiance and then exploded. "Eh, works for me! And now my Allied Sword card works for my Charge Warrior!"

The Synchro held out his hand and a large sword inset with gemstones appeared in his hand, glinting heroically in the flamelight.

"He's still too weak to attack my monsters. That monster's all flash and no substance." Hirutani mocked. "And his new sword just looks pretty!"

"That's where Orgoth's special ability comes in!" Joey smirked as three dice appeared in the air above them and started spinning. "I roll three dice, so let's see what I get!" The dice clattered across the ground, settling on a pair of threes and a four. "Yes! Two threes means I draw twice!"

He tugged them free and his grin grew as Orgoth clenched his fists, a purple aura surging around him. "And now Orgoth powers up by one hundred points times the total rolled! That's one thousand extra points!" (2500-3500)

Charge Warrior held his sword aloft as it began to shine, light rising from the hilt and igniting each of the orbs in turn. "And thanks to Allied Sword, Charge Warrior gains the same amount of attack! Which means he's now strong to beat your monsters! And his special ability means I can blast all three of them to kingdom come! Attack, Charge Warrior! Charge Barrage Empowered!" (2000-3000)

The wing cannons detached from his back and spun around to level themselves at Hirutani's monsters. All of them fired at the same time, the energy blasts ripping through the Insect Knights and leaving them smoldering hunks of chitin. Hirutani cried out as the blasts sailed into him, driving him back several painful steps and leaving wisps of smoke off his lanky frame. "Dammit...but...Verdant Sanctuary still activates - I get replacement bugs!" (HLP: 3400-2500-2100)

"And a big honkin sword to your face! Orgoth, attack directly!" Joey pointed and the warrior raised his blade over his head, thundering across the battlefield. "Diamond Blade Strike!"

"No!" Hirutani swept out his free hand desperately and his set card flipped up. "Spider Egg! This trap negates your direct attack and gives me three Spider Tokens instead!"

Orgoth's blade sliced through the trap like a hot knife through butter, shattering it. The pieces became light that floated down to Hirutani's field and resolved into three, dog-sized chittering spiders. (100/100x3)

"Tch, just like you. Hanging to the bitter end. Gotta say, Hirutani, I used to look up to you for that, but…" Joey shook his head. "Now you're just like a dog with a bone. Give up and bury it already."

"Never. It's all I have, all I live for and all you're going to suffer for, Joey." Hirutani drew for his turn. "And here's the first step in your end! Card Destruction! Now we both discard our hands and draw the same number of cards!"

Joey complied, wincing at the loss of Gilford the Lightning in that hand. With the way he's summoning bugs like crazy, it'd been nice to be able to nuke'em all at once.

Hirutani drew his new set of cards, his lips parting in a grin that stretched his skin so much it looked like his skull was about to rip free. "I drew it! I activate the continuous spell card Wicked Canticle!"

A pedestal rose up in front of him, an open book set atop it. Joey eyed it warily as it began to flip through its blank pages on its own. Hirutani, however, just kept going. "I summon Flying Kamikiri #2 and thanks to Solidarity, it powers up!"

The new monster was a giant, tan praying mantis who looked more than eager to scrap with Joey's warriors given how it's forearms gleamed like actual swords and rang like metal when it clashed them together. (1500-2300)

"Now who has the weak monster, Hirutani?" Joey shot at him, folding his arms. "That bug doesn't have a prayer with either of my guys!"

"Like you said earlier - a good strategy takes patience! Spider Eggs, attack his Orgoth!" Hirutani laughed as the spiders all charged forwards and Orgoth just sliced them to pieces with a casual swing of his massive blade. "And each time I'd take battle damage, I use the effect of Wicked Canticle to send Sinister Doctrine - Hatred to the graveyard to negate it!"

"Say what?" Joey grimaced as he saw bloody ink spill down the book's pages, vanishing off the bottom and leaving behind a rune that sizzled as it seared itself into the paper. It repeated twice more and as it did, the whole book began to glow. "Oh great - you just unlocked its power-up mode or something!"

"Or something is right - as a quick effect, I destroy Wicked Canticle and tribute on monster to summon a fusion of the mighty Isfet from my deck!" Hirutani laughed as Flying Kamikiri #2 exploded alongside his book. "I fusion summon Tisphonian Avatar!"

"Whose phone? Anne's?" Joey asked, before his expression went from one of confusion to one of surprise as woman clawed her way free of the flames. Her skin was the color of ash, wings tattered black leather and claws dripped with something green and poisonous. A barbed tail lashed behind her as she lifted her head back and screamed into the sky. A scream that was filled with nothing but hatred. The flames around them flared and danced at the noise and he felt his skin crawl all at once. "What the hell did you summon?!" (0/0)

"A monster that is hatred incarnate." Hirutani's grin threatened to split his skin again. "And it's a dish best served cold, so take your turn, Joey!"

"Yeah, sure…" Joey drew, eying up the new monster with worry. It was definitely bad news, but the question was how bad of news was it?

Dangerous Machine Type-6 spun its slots and landed on another 3, prompting him to draw again. Instinct was telling him that Hirutani had summoned Tisphonian Avatar as a wall. But nothing in his hand was going to give his monsters piercing. Aw screw it, I've never back down from a fight before and I'm not going to start now! "I activate Orgoth's effect!"

The dice clattered once more, giving him two fours and two. He drew two more cards as both of his monsters powered up. (3500) (3000) "Orgoth! Crush that chick! Diamond Blade Strike!"

Orgoth charged, and swung his blade down. Only for Tisphonian Avatar to simply cross her arms and catch it, the impact shaking the ground but otherwise doing nothing but prompting Hirutani to laugh. "Sorry, Joey, but you can't kill hatred with something like a measly sword!"

"Figures." Joey muttered to himself and glanced down at his hand. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"Draw!" Hirutani popped open his field slot and shoved a card into it. Grass and flowers rose up around them again. "I will activate another Giant Ballpark!"

He slapped down another card and a duplicate of Flying Kamikiri #2 appeared in front of him. "Go! Attack Orgoth!" (1500-2300)

"Did you lose the single marble you had in the last two decades or what? Orgoth, counter-attack!" Joey watched as Orgoth slashed through Flying Kamikiri without even trying.

"The effect of Giant Ballpark activates! I negate the damage and send Girochin Kuwagata to the graveyard! Then the second effect of Giant Ballpark summons all three of them!" The new bugs were bipedal scissor beetles, colored an ugly shade of pink and even uglier with their human-esque features under their horns. (1700-2500x3)

"Same trick, same result, Hirutani - " Joey's taunt twisted into a scream as Tisphonian Avatar's tail lashed across his chest, driving him back several steps. (JLP: 1400-600)

"Hatred hurts, doesn't it, Joey?" Hirutani said in delight as he watched Joey clutch at his wound. "When a monster dies in battle, Tisphonian Avatar resonates with their hatred at their deaths and deals you eight hundred points of damage!"

"Keh...so you wanna take me down like that, do ya?" Joey lifted his head, one hand still on his chest. "Alright then, Hirutani, maybe giving you what you want will shut you up! I activate the trap Trick Barricade!"

A spot shone on Orgoth suddenly as two small colorful cannons appeared and fired, showering him with confetti while the giant warrior stuck a strongman pose. "This trap means all your monsters that can attack, have to! And they can only attack Orgoth!"

"Idiot, I was planning on that anyway! Kuwagatas! Charge!" Hirutani watched as all three monsters charged through the confetti storm and were slashed into halves by Orgoath's blade. Tisphonian Avatar hissed in anger and reared up, her wings flaring as her tail arched towards Joey like an executioner's blade.

Only there was a resounding clang as it slammed into a shimmering bubble before it could connect with Joey's neck. She screeched in annoyance and lashed out twice more, but the barrier held against her wrath. "What did you do, Joey?"

"Aw, I just activate the other half of my trap combo - Rainbow Life! All I gotta do is ditch one card -" Joey explained and shoved Gearfried the Iron Knight into his graveyard. " - and now all damage I take this turn is made into life points instead!" (JLP: 600- 3000)

Hirutani stared at him, then his expression tightened as he began to seethe. "You were always a lucky little brat. I add four more bugs to my hand thanks to Verdant Sanctuary and then discard three to keep my hand size at six. End turn!"

"Draw!" Joey snapped up the card and then grimaced as his Dangerous Machine Type-6 rolled over a bunch of 6s. With a whine of protest, the machine exploded into scrap. "Tch...so much for luck…!"

He grabbed Charge Warrior and Orgoth's cards, sliding them into a horizontal his field, his monster crossed their arms and knelt. "I put my Stardust Charge Warrior and Orgoth into defense mode!" If I got two fives or sixes with Orgoth's effect, I could attack directly and finish him. But With that Avatar kickin' around the field, I can't take the risk. "I end my turn!"

"I draw!" Hirutani pulled the card free, his lips spread in a nightmarish sneer. "You're runnin' scared - fine, I'll come to you! I switch Tisphonian Avatar to attack mode and have her attack Orgoth!"

The nightmare woman rose to her feet and flew across the field, her claws raking over Orgoth's armor. They left noticeable scratches, but Orgoth just growled and swatted her away with a meaty fist. Hirutani didn't seem bothered. "Like before, I'll use the effect of Giant Ballpark and negate the damage to myself to discard a bug monster! And then I'll summon it and its copies!"

Three Flying Kamikiri #2 appeared on his field in triple flashes of light, clashing their arms together like some kind of choreographed band. "Go on and slice'n'dice that stupid Charge Warrior!"

Joey braced himself as one of the bugs charged, its mantis-blades shearing through his Synchro monster's futuristic armor with ease. Charge Warrior exploded and then he was crying out as Tisphonian Avatar's tail cracked over his chest. "What? It works on my monsters, too!?" (JLP: 3000 - 2200)

"And when did I say it didn't?" Hirutani scoffed and folded his arms, suddenly the cocky, powerful gang leader Joey remembered him as instead of a skeleton of man held together by hatred and willpower. "And don't get any cute ideas about attacking Tisophonian Avatar, either - I take no damage from fights involving her!"

Joey grit his teeth. "Any other tricks she's got you'd want to tell me about?"

"She doesn't need anymore." Hirutani replied. "Now I end my turn so you can take your last one."

"I draw!" Joey yanked the card free and his gaze fell at what he saw. Time Wizard? Even if I got his effect off, his Avatar wouldn't die! And Orgoth isn't going to be a wall for much longer, especially if he draws another Solidary card!

He glanced over at the field and then down at his hand. Maybe I'm focusing on the wrong thing here...the Avatar's a problem, sure, but the real thing to be worrying about is Hirutani. If I could kill him in one shot with something strong enough by attacking his bugs, her effect wouldn't matter!

His hand held Polymerization, Kunai With Chain, Battle Warrior, Gamble and Graceful Dice. But none of these cards can boost Orgoth. I could roll for Orgoth's effect, but I still have bad odds on getting either enough attack points to kill him or to attack directly. Plus there's that set card of his…

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Like a sinister overseer, Hirutani was watching from across the field. "You thought you had got away from me all these years. Enjoying life, while I suffered. And now, right when you least expected it, I'm taking it all away, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

He leered at Joey, his gaunt appearance and manic edge to his tone making him seem more like a walking skeleton than a living person. "I'm going to rip your happy life away from you. Then I'll go after everyone you love, just because I can."

"In your dreams, pal!" Joey shot back and then grabbed Polymerization and Time Wizard from his hand. Time to take a different kind of gamble! "I activate Polymerization, fusing the Orgoth on my field and the Time Wizard in my hand!"

To his relief, his Duel Disk chimed an affirmative at the action and he shoved all three cards into the graveyard slot. Light flared on his field, spitting out Time Wizard. Or Time Wizard with a few upgrades. This top gear now looked more like a crown, he had a sprawling purple collar on his back and his little wand had become a proper-looking staff. "Alright! Yes! Say hello to Time Wizard of Tomorrow!" (2000/1900)

"Eh?" Hirutani cocked his head, looking at the monster dismissively. "That thing can't hurt my Avatar!"

"We'll see about that! I activate Time Wizard of Tomorrow's effect!" The fusion clockman thrust his staff into the air and a giant see-through clock face appeared in between them all. It was divided into quarters, with the top two being time machines and the other two being skulls. "Go, Time Magic Advanced!"

The dial began to spin, slowly at first and then more rapidly. Joey watched it go, trying to ignore how the cold his heart suddenly felt, how his anxiousness was boiling his blood. He'd risked a lot of his duels on gambles before, even ones more magical and dangerous than this. Yet this one felt different.

Was he finally getting old?

Or was it because he'd never had so much to lose before? Mai..Jessiebelle…!

The clock hands slowed, thunking their way from the top to the bottom, then the top again and creaking for the bottom a second time, dinged painfully across to the skulls…

And with one final definitive clang, landed on the top time machine. "Yes! Go! Dust his monsters, Time Wizard!"

'Time Magic!' The wizard glowed, a howling wind picking up that trapped all of Hirutani's monsters in a cyclone. The bugs chattered in alarm, but their forms quickly went from chitin to stone and then crumbled away into dust while Tisphonian Avatar just shielded herself against the onslaught.

Hirutani lowered his arms, staring at the space where his monsters had been..and sneered. "Well, that was useless. You went through all of that, to, what? Intimidate me into surrendering with a light show?"

"Heh, shows what you know." Joey just grinned as Time Wizard of Tomorrow began to glow again. "When my monster nukes all of the others one in play, he adds all the attack points of the monsters destroyed and takes half that total out of your life points! So twenty-three plus twenty-three plus twenty is...well, it doesn't matter cause that's more than you have left, Hirutani!"

"You can't be serious - your little monster did that -" Hirutani was cut off as lighting lanced out of the ether, crashing into him and hurling off his feet in a boneless heap. "No - this can't happen again - I won't lose to you again!" (HLP: 0)

"You're the one who started it, Hirutani! And you have to be a man for once and take the consequences on the chin instead of skulking around for more thugs to do your dirty work!" Joey spat at him, but his anger quickly into panicked surprise as the flames around them flared and darkened to become walls that ate up the light and left them all alone in the dark. "Hey! What gives? Flames are supposed to make things brighter!"

"No- no - I don't want to go back! I don't want the dark again!" Hirutani pleas were unheeded as the flames swarmed out from behind, engulfing him like a shroud. He burned and thrashed in pain, but not an inch of clothing smoldered or a speck of flesh cooked. It was simply torment. "No - please - it hurts! It hurts! Make it stop!"

"Ahh...dammit! Hang on!" Joey dropped his Duel Disk and sprinted across the field, some part of him hating himself for trying to save the man who had just tried to kill him and his family and the rest of him telling he wouldn't be Joey Wheeler if he didn't at least try. "Your hand, Hirtutani! Give me your hand!"

Hirutani stared at him and then stretched out his gaunt, trembling fingers. They fumbled for Joey's grip once, twice, then snared around his wrist. And he pulled.

He pulled Joey towards him into the flames with insane strength he had. "That's it - if I have to suffer, so do you! I told you, Joey, I told you that day in the warehouse! I'd have you in my gang again...or I'd see you dead!"

Joey strained backwards, even planting his foot on Hirutani's face to try and pull his arm free, but the twig-like man's grip was like an iron vise. "You're such an idiot, Hirutani! You had to look a gift horse in the mouth!" His eyes widened as the flames engulfing Hirutani began to crawl up his sleeve, licking and clinging to him like some kind of ooze monster that slowly constricting its way towards his face. And as it did, cold searing pain ate into his body to the point of numbness that drew out an agonizing scream.

Hirutani laughed in a broken way, other hand clawing at Joey's collar and hauling himself up so that more of the twisted black fire would spread.

"Didn't I say that was enough out of you?" The digitized voice echoed through the flaming wall. "Hatred, Hirutani, is a poison that you willingly drank. And now that it's finally killing you, you wail and lament like a child in denial of being unable to get your revenge. Spare us your theatrics and your melodrama and return to the darkness and dust!"

Hirutan's eyes widened, his mouth moved, but no sound came out as the black flames began to eat away at him like a rainstorm on a sandcastle. Bits of him flaked off, then crumbled away, then broke apart until he was nothing but specs of dust.

The flames all vanished in the space between blinks, leaving Joey standing alone in the empty warehouse and suddenly feeling very tired. "What the hell was that all about? Hey - Mr. Mysterious Voice, you gonna tell me what's going on? I think you owe me one after Hirutani tried to kill me!"

Only the quiet sound of retreating footsteps answered him.

"You're not getting away!" Joey sprinted for the source of the noise, caught a glimpse of fluttering fabric down between two of the columns and sped up, whipping around the corner. "Aha! I got you!"

-nothing but the exit leading towards a busy, noontime Domino street. A few people were looking at him oddly at his echoing shout, but that was it. He was otherwise alone.

Joey sighed, rubbing the back of his head as the aches and pains of his duel caught up to him. "Great. More weird stuff to add the Wheeler family history. Can't even get lunch with the family these days anymore…"

His pocket vibrated and he pulled out his phone, seeing it was Jessie before flipping it open and answering. "Hey, Jess-Jess - yeah, I'm okay - yeah, we wound up dueling - the police can wait while I walk off this sore back - Hey, what do you mean your mom ate my ramen!?"

TTTTT

Up in the rafters of the construction, the pink-haired man watched Joey leave. "I wish I could tell you how sorry I am that things escalated the way they did, Joey-boy. You were honestly never meant to get involved at all with that ghastly man, despite his grudge against you. But then you'd also want some answers and well, I'm afraid I can't give you any."

In his palm was the open Wicked Canticle, Hirutani's sallow and loathing glare blaring out the page at him as the Sinister Doctrine - Hatred seared itself over the image. He touched it briefly, a slight smile gracing his lips. "Two down, three to go….and then I'll have what I need to fix the wrongs that the imposter committed upon me and my father."

He pulled out his phone and unlocked it, pressing a button to trigger a speed dial. "Ah, Scott. Hello! Yes, it went fine. The ramen was delicious, though the shop did suffer a bit of a mess and the Wheeler-Valentine family got involved. It was rather unfortunate. Could you arrange for the biggest and most exotic apology thank-you fruit basket to be ready soon? I need to apologize to them."

He snapped his book shut, his faint smile growing. "Though I will say that my father's words about how Valentine women make being glamorous way of life was the truth! Oh, I think I might be developing a crush - be still, my heart!"

There was a pause and he lifted a finger away from his book, tsk'ing dramatically. "Ah, Scott, one must always find time for the small things in life - we can't all be as hardworking and driven as you, otherwise the stresses will cause one to make glaring mistakes like cutting corners when transporting test subjects through a busy metropolis, mmm? Yes, I thought you might understand my point of view. Now, about why I'm calling - have you located the third subject?"

He cocked his head to the side. "Oh? Back to Tokyo yet again? Well, thank goodness for bullet trains! And this one is Anguish? How nice - perhaps we'll get something more entertaining than angry men foaming at the mouth like rabid dogs! It was getting rather tiresome…"

TTTTTTT

It was like watching a burial, even though there was no casket or hole in the ground and no one was dressed in black.

But as he watched the Lucinda medics carefully wheel his father's gurney up the back of the plane, Lero couldn't help but feel he was never going to see his father's face again.

He understood why it was necessary. LuMed's Headquarters were in Italy and had the most advanced and sophisticated means by which to care for the comatose man. And with Pegasus Castle damaged from the Bride Tournament, even the Kaiba Mansion felt crowded with Maximillion and the many pieces of medical equipment that was needed to keep him alive shoved into a room.

Not only that, Lero knew that Annalissa had been emboldened by the story Sumire had give her; that during the final duel, Sumire had worn the a Bleeding Edge headset connected to the one his father had been wearing and somehow, he - or his memories - or his soul - something had influenced Sumire in a way that had allowed her to play Duel Monsters with a deck she had never seen before, let alone held.

Which was why his father was being taken to Italy. The Lucindas were premiere medical specialists renowned the world over, but were equally talented alchemists. No medical facility in Japan was going to house Maximillion and let a doctor place crystals around him and mutter incantations. Only at her home turf could Annalissa test out the process that she said may well indeed wake his father from his coma.

It still hurt, still felt like another part of his life being ripped away by this curse. Not only was he incapable of caring for himself, but now his father, too. It was silly rationalization and illogical, but it still stung and Lero found himself slouching forwards in his chair, hands twisting together so he could brood at them.

A warm, yet strong hand pulled his shoulder back to upright and Lero lifted his head to find himself looking into the gentle expression of his teal-haired manservant. "It will be alright, Young Master.

It is not forever. Not his sleep and not your curse. You will both see each other again."

Lero managed a wane smile. "Thanks, Plato, but we both know that isn't true."

"I beg to differ." As the plane's ramp began to seal shut, Plato guided his charge's wheelchair away from the window and down the hallway. "Your father was always insistent that one look for positives, even if that positive is only that the current suffering will end. I am sure, in a few months time, you and your father will be having wheelchair races down Mokuba's hallways to terrorize him to no end. I have already begun removing side tables and vases in preparation for such shenanigans."

Despite himself, Lero smiled for real at the image. "You realize Dad's going to want a big red wheelchair with racing stripes to make it 'go faster', right?"

"As opposed to yours being matte black and electric silver to make it twenty-percent cooler?" Plato asked mildly in response, chuckling as Lero made a noise of embarrassment. "In other news, your wife's duel is a phenomenal hit and was the shot in the arm her PR needed. Marik Ishtar found a very expensive oil painting he wanted us to evaluate...but then realized it was of Gozaburo as a child and told us not to worry, he has target practice. And Amane Bakura has called Sumire yet again, voicing concerns about her being too tied down to us and something about a Victoria's Secret contract."

Rosemary had described modeling once as a very fast moving river and one had to stay head of trends and fads or risk crashing. So Lero knew that diversity was the key for someone in Rosie's career to survive. Yet the idea of her leaving hurt, given she was a source of his comfort. She had only gotten on a bullet train to Tokyo for her current photo shoot just half-an-hour ago and it stung like a ripped-of band-aid.

It almost hurt as much as the idea of her tanking her career just to cling to a sick man in a chair. "I'll see if I can't think something to placate that witch of a manager. Sumire can run interference again, I think she likes lying to Amane's face and politely hewing down her ego. Politeness-judo between a Japanese woman and a British one is one hell of a fight."

"Your wife is helping you hide your relationship with your girlfriend from her overbearing mother and the world. I think your father would be very proud that you made that sentence true," Plato said with a touch of amusement. "Just like I think he'd be proud at how well your new game mechanics have played out."

"My gift to the world, Synchro monsters and Xyz summoning." Lero didn't bother to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "It took me years to refine those and Sumire's merged I2 with KaibaCorp, opened a theme park and re-created the Bleeding Edge technology for mass public use in three months. Did you know TIME magazine already wants to interview her for person of the year? Even Dad hasn't had that."

Plato paused in walking, letting go of the chair to walk around and frown at him. "Your father is proud of your successes because they're your successes, Lero, not about what those successes are. He wouldn't want you to measure yourself against anyone else in such a fit of pique. He certainly never did."

"Well, I'm not my dad, Plato, okay? I'm an adopted orphan boy! I couldn't even run the company or fix the game on my own! Not like he could have!" The words came out harsher than Lero intended, but he just threw up his hands in defeat. The anger was spent, though and he sank back against the chair, frustration suffocating his voice. "And I'll never have the chance, either."

Plato stared at him silently for a long moment, then knelt down so they were closer to eye level. "Listen to me, Lero."

Lero lifted his head away from the water to look at the manservant's gold eyes. He knew that tone, that look. Plato was so serious that he wasn't deathly serious - death was as serious as Plato.

"I promised your father many, many years ago that I would take care of you. That I would do everything in my power to ensure you had a long, happy and healthy life." Plato said firmly. "I intend to keep that promise. And I promise you, this curse will be broken. And it won't be by your death. You are going to live, have many, many lilac-haired children as per your father's constant requests and you are going to be happy."

Lero stared at him, uncertain as to what to say. Part of him wanted to snap that he was tired of platitudes and well-wishes that didn't mean anything, that they weren't real when the fact he couldn't walk was. But this was Plato and when he got like this, the manservant had a certain timeless quality about him. Like he'd seen this all before and knew it was going to turn out alright.

"I have never lied to you. And I will not start now." Plato assured him with that quiet conviction. "I will not leave your side. No matter how much you hurt and rage and wish for us all to leave you alone to rot with your hurt and misery, I am not going to go. You, my young master, are not - and will never have to - face this trial alone."

The words didn't warm his heart, but the dark cloud brewing in his being began to dissipate and Lero suddenly found his words hard to speak around a sudden lump in his throat. "Thank you, Plato."

"Of course, sir." All business again, Plato stood. "Now that we have reached the doorway, I must go and retrieve the car. In the meantime, you are going to be in the care of your very capable wife who has something she wishes to tell you."

Lero cocked his head as Sumire appeared as if magically summoned by the words, dressed in lycra leggings and a workout shirt. She looked so casual, he almost didn't recognize her. "Um..okay, wow, what's the occasion? Jackie suggest you and Rosemary mud wrestle over me?"

"No." Sumire said with a shake of her head. "Plato shot that idea down - mud takes forever to get out of carpets."

"Oh. I am disappointed." Lero sighed. "So what's the thing you wanted to tell me?"

"When we first met, you professed an interest in seeing my martial arts training," Sumire said, and Lero remembered that awkward Newlywed Nuances game he had insisted on during their first dinner. It felt like a lifetime ago. "I am overdue to make good on this offer."

"That's...nice of you. But...when I said it, I will admit there was that tiny, tiny - I cannot stress how miniscule this portion of me was - bit of me that was hoping we could spar and it'd wind up turning into-"

"One of your pornos, I understand." Sumire said without skipping a beat and Lero whimpered internally, cursing the fact Jackie overshared when she was drunk. "Jackie explained however that you use martial arts movies and fighting anime as inspiration in a lot of your card designs. I am hoping I will spark something."

"That's true, but I haven't really done much designing lately, and there's no room in the new line up for any more - hey!" he protested, as Sumire began wheeling him down the corridor. "I don't get a choice in this?"

"No. Jackie was very clear about that." Sumire informed him, with the same simplicity as she would informing him of the weather. He heard her voice soften as they continued down the corridor. "I'm looking forward to doing something that we both enjoy."

"I…" Lero didn't know what to think. Sumire had never spoken like this before and in the three months they'd been married, he realized he hadn't done anything to get to know any better than he already had. And yet, here she was, fulfilling one of his private, silly fantasies in a bathtub and now willing to share in something that he liked. To her, card design was probably about as entertaining as watching paint dry. Yet she still was making the effort.

He reached up and felt her hand hand slid over his, squeezing his fingers with both strength and a surprising amount of warmth. "Thanks, Sumire. That sounds like it'll be a blast. Let's give it a go."

TTTTT

A/N: So this one is like, waaaay, later than intended to be. Which is my fault. 'Cause I got married to a beautiful woman and being silly and romantic with the bestest waifu can be very distracting. Thankfully, she is also the most sensible of women and not only got my butt back on track, but took the time to edit this chapter so all my characters weren't gnarly, grumpy balls of testosterone. Many thanks, Mei!

Also, I find it a bit of a pity that I may not use Joey in a duel again for awhile - I could totally see his 5Ds era deck incorporating a lot of Yusei's cards like Speed Warrior and some of the Synchrons and all of Yusei's Manga Synchros! They all have that scrappy, ready-to-rumble feel that goes with Joey's monsters.

Next Chapter: Continuing the theme of the duels, the past has come crawling back to haunt Rosemary Bakura yet again. And once more, this threat is tied to the evil that had plagued her family for generations. But who is the mysterious pink-haired 'Pegasus' and why does he need these evils to be?

Find out next in Chapter 3: Puppies, Dragons and Tigers, Oh My!

Original Cards:

Landstar General
EARTH
5 stars
Warrior/Effect
1500/1500
Effect: Cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. Can only be Special Summoned (From the Hand) by Tributing 3 or more Monsters. When Special Summoned in this way, you can Special Summon a number of 'Landstar' Normal Monsters from your Hand, Deck or Graveyard equal to the number of monsters you tributed to summon this card.

Underdog's Grit
Trap Card
Effect: During this turn, hen an opponent's monster attacks a monster you control, flip a coin. If the result is Heads, you gain life points equal to the damage you would have taken from that battle. If the result is Tails, your opponent gains life points equal to that amount instead.

Image: The rough'n'tough man from Heart of the Underdog, armed with a pipe, bracing himself against an unseen adversary looming over him in some kind of alleyway.

Allied Sword
Equip Spell Card
Effect: Equip only to a Warrior-type monster. When you activate this card, select one monster on the field that you control (excluding the equipped monster) When that monster gains ATK points, increase the equipped monster's ATK by the same amount until the End Phase. You may only activate 'Allied Sword' once per turn.