Alright, and we are back with another chapter! Before we get to this chapter I have one announcement to make.
I now have an account on AO3! It's under the same username and it's where I have posted some of my other fanfics! It's also where this fanfic will go if something were to happen to it or this website in the future. Don't worry, I'll still upload and update this fanfic here, but for some of my other fics, they are now on AO3! Check it out when you have a chance!
I don't own anything presented. Let's get going!
-Abridged series.-
"Mind speaking."
Normal dialogue.
Joey still had so much on his mind when everyone gathered back at the coffee shop to watch another video. After he was woken up and had his sudden realization that he wasn't really real… which kept him up for hours, touching everyone around him. It all felt real… but now knew it wasn't.
Joey eventually did manage to go back to sleep, after all the emotions from before wore out, and he had another dream with the same people as before. Joey thought back to his next dream.
*flashback*
"I know it's a lot to take in, but you guys deserve to know the truth," one person said. "Everything in your own world is real to you… but to us, it's just a fictional world, with fictional characters like you."
Joey rubbed his head again. "Why am I having these dreams? What is really going on!?"
There was a moment of silence before another person spoke up. "We're here on a mission to help you guys. We came to you first since you're a fan favorite… and because we're gonna need your help in the near future."
"I… still don't get it," Joey said.
Everyone looked at him sympathetically. "How about you get some rest. We can talk more tomorrow night," a girl next to him said. "Besides, I think we could use some more help in all of this, and I think you know who to ask," she added with a wink.
Joey remembered everyone fading away after that, and he was able to get a little more sleep. But he still woke up that morning with so much on his mind, and he knew he couldn't go forward with any of this on his own.
Which had led to today, with everyone getting ready to watch another video. As everyone was talking to each other, Joey quietly tapped Yugi's shoulder. "Hey… Yug…"
Yugi turned around. "Joey? Is something wrong?"
"Uh…" Now how we he supposed to tell Yugi that everything he knew about his life was a lie and that he himself was a lie? "I… have to tell you something… super important," he said, thinking that was the best thing he could come up with at the moment.
Yugi looked at his friend with curiosity and concern. "Yeah? What's up?"
"Um…" Joey looked at the others talking to each other, and figured it wasn't time for them to be brought involved, at least, not until he and Yugi got more information from his dreams. "Can I tell you after we watch the video?"
"Sure, if you're okay with that," Yugi said.
"Yeah… Thanks Yug," Joey said as he sighed in relief. Knowing that Yugi was the most involved in magic and strange things, he figured he should be the first one to share this information with.
Yugi turned back to the others when Yami appeared next to him. "Is something on your mind?"
"It's Joey. I felt something the other day, and I'm feeling it again," Yami replied.
"What are you feeling?" Yugi asked.
"It feels like… some kind of outside source is calling to him."
Yugi glanced back at Joey, who was now talking to Mai. "Hmm, we'll get to the bottom of it together, like we always do," Yugi said back.
Yami smiled. "Right, partner."
Mokuba had the next video uploaded. The brothers were lucky that the previous video didn't show anything from their past, but this video might be different.
"What do you think is gonna happen?" Mokuba asked.
"Hmph, I'm not sure," Kaiba responded. "If anything, we might be watching the duels the dweebs had against the other Big Five members."
"That would be interesting to watch," Mokuba replied.
Meanwhile, Noah was still trying to figure out where these videos came from. Going through all of the databases and information sights he could think of, he still could not find anything.
"Something isn't right here," he said to himself. After he clicked out of another window, the screen that had the next video upload was starting to begin. Noah turned to it with an eyebrow raised.
"Maybe this video will have some kind of answer to it," he said as the video started.
-Yami: Yu-Gi-Oh Season Three! It's like a fanfic, only written by actual writers! – "A fanfic?" Tristan asked.
"Yeah, I know there are people who like writing fanfics about the Duel Monsters," Tea said. "I see people talking about them when I go to Duel Monster Conventions."
Joey knew what Tea was talking about, but the idea of 'fanfic' and seeing all the writers in that one room, with one even controlling him right now, meant a whole other thing to him. And now knowing that there were writers who wrote everything that they did… he needed to stop thinking about the before he could get another headache.
"Writers?" Noah asked. "Fanfic?" None of this was making sense. No one was writing anything, and he wasn't being written about. Something still didn't sit right, and he once again pulled up another screen to see if he could find anything.
He found a fanfic website, filled with stories about the Duel Monsters, like Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, and Blue-Eyes and Red-Eyes. Nothing looked out of the ordinary there, but he kept a bookmark on the page, just in case he had to come back to it.
-Yugi: Where are we Pharaoh?-
-Yami: I don't know Yugi. It seems that team 4Kids have left us stranded here without our friends. And by friends, I mean Joey. – "Hey, what about the rest of us!?" Tristan yelled.
"You guys are friends, but I got dibs on the 'Best Friend' title!" Joey said, patting Tristan on the shoulder.
-Yugi: Man, I haven't been this confused since I randomly started speaking with a British accent in episode six. – "Oh yeah, I remember that," Tea said. She then chuckled. "Maybe Bakura should voice you in these videos." Bakura laughed in response.
"Yugi speaking in a British accent?" Mokuba asked with a laugh. "That's sounds pretty funny! And since you're Yugi's rival, that means you'd have to speak with a French accent."
"There's no way I'm ever doing that," Kaiba said.
-Yugi: Bloody Hell! – "Oh okay, we're getting a flashback," Duke said. "Actually, I didn't see that video. Was Yugi really speaking with an accent?" Duke asked.
"I did," Yugi replied. "I think whoever does these videos is British, and his accent slipped in a little in that video."
"That's actually kind of cute," Mai noted.
-Tristan: Holy bleep on a bleep sandwich! – "Eh, it was funnier with the actual bleeps," Tristan said.
-Yugi: Oi mate, did you just throw a bloody harpoon at me? – "Oh my, that's defiantly British Yugi alright," Mai said.
-Mako: Um… I didn't want you t…-
-Yugi: Shut it you knobhead! Cor, what a f*ckin' muppet! Bloody harpoonin' everythin'! I could've got done in there, right in front a me bird! What a fit bird she is! Bloody 'arpoon! What the bloody hell you playin' at, ya bender? God save the Queen and all that palaver! Wanker! Tart! Loo! Fish 'n chips! Apples and pears! Fanny! Harpoon!-
Yugi was the first one to start laughing. "Blimey! That was a funny scene there, old chaps," he said faking a British accent, which caused everyone to laugh.
"Hey, you got the accent down really well," Bakura said. "Although I think the video has you beat, since that really is a British fellow there."
"Yeah," Yugi said, going back to his normal voice. "It wasn't that exaggerated. But it was still funny."
Mokuba was cracking up at this. "He really went off on Mako, British style!" he said. Kaiba didn't show it, but even he had to admit that was kind of funny.
-Mako: You are one bizarre little man. – "Ha, I was about to say the same thing," Duke said.
"What other accents can you imitate?" Tea asked.
"Uh…" Yugi said, blushing slightly. "I know, the pharaoh can do more accents," he said as the puzzle glowed and Yami was suddenly there, looking sightly confused.
"So, what are the accents you can do?" Duke asked.
"…I can't at the moment," Yami said, slightly red in the face, causing the other to laugh. At this moment, Joey wondered if he should tell Yami about his dream like he did Yugi, but figured that he could hear them when he was talking to Yugi, so he kept quiet, for now.
-Yugi: For once in my life, I knew what it was like to be Bakura.-
-Yami: Bloody Hell. – And now you all know what it's like to be me," Bakura added.
*intro sequence*
Noah once again tried to find out any information about this "Yu-Gi-Oh: The Cancelled Series" that he was watching, but once again, he couldn't find anything. Just like the last time, he was wondering if anything could have possibly been censored.
"It would make sense… but looking at this video, thousands of people have watched this. There should be at least something here," he said to himself. But even then, where were all these views coming from?
-Gansley: Mister Moto, we meet at last!-
-Yugi: Gansley! I'd recognize you anywhere, even though I've only met you the once and had no idea who you were back then. – Yami chuckled. "True, but at the same time, his voice is recognizable, at least in this video."
-Yugi: I supposed you're here to claim my body.-
-Gansley: Yes, but only once I've defeated you in a Children's Card Game.-
-Yugi: But this is a virtual world of your own design, can't you just throw me into a pit of digital lava, drop a holographic concrete elephant on top of me? I mean, be creative! Why does it always have to effing card games? – Yami's eyes widened. "I think I'd prefer the card game if I had to choose between all of that," he said.
"Yeah, me too," Yugi said.
"I mean, some of the things they did during our duels were brutal. I was almost frozen in my duel," Tea said.
"Really!?" Mai asked.
"Yeah, it was really cold," Tea said.
-Gansley: In this card game, we each pick one monster to act as our Deck Master, but once your Deck Master is destroyed, you lose this game and your body will be mine! – "A Deck Master? That's an interesting rule," Mai said. "I'd always have my Harpie Lady as my Deck Master if I played with that rule."
-Gansley: I think the first thing I'll do is trim that ridiculous hair of yours. – "Uh oh, that's not gonna bode well with Yugi," Tristan said.
Yami smirked. "Good luck getting this hair cut off."
Mokuba was picturing what Yugi would look like without his iconic hairstyle… but his mind came up blank because you literally cannot see Yugi without his iconic hair!
-Yami: Listen man, you can threaten me all you like, but let's get one thing straight. Nobody, but nooobody, f*cks with the hair! – Yami chuckled at this.
"That was pretty funny," Tea said. "I sometimes feel like I should do my hair."
Serenity turned to her. "Have you ever tried putting your hair in a ponytail? It might be difficult because your hair is shorter than mine, but I think you could make it work."
Tea pictured how that would look. "You know, that would be cute. I'll have to try it one day."
Noah raised his eyebrows at this line, trying to imagine what Yugi would look like without his hair, also failing like Mokuba.
-Mokuba: Isn't that the orphanage we grew up in Seto? – Mokuba tensed a little at seeing the building. "Well, this is it," he said. He looked up at Kaiba. "I'm a little nervous."
"Look, what's happened has happened. All we need to do now is keep looking forward. We moved on from the past after the Battle City Finals, and all that's left now is to hold on to what we've learned and forge on," Kaiba said.
Mokuba took in what Kaiba had to say, and then got a determined smile on his face. "You're right! We can do this!" He hovered over the play button. "I feel better watching this now. How about you?"
"…Alright, let's see what happens. And if anything goes wrong while watching this, I'll have some things to say about it!"
Yami's group was also paying attention. "Wow, are we actually going to see Kaiba and Mokuba's past?" Tristan asked.
"I think so," Yami said. Noah was thinking the same thing.
-Kaiba: Correction Mokuba, this is where I grew up. You remained relatively the same size. – Noah's eyebrows raised up, and he started to chuckle at this line. "He's right though…" It was then that he realized something. "Did I just laugh at this?" he asked himself. He never imagined that something like this would make him genuinely laugh.
Everyone in Yami's group was laughing. "That's not too hard to believe," Duke said. "With a height difference like that, it would be hard to believe they were brothers unless someone told you."
Even Mokuba was laughing at this line. "I grew a little taller, but when it comes to the heigh genetics, you beat me hands down, Seto," he said in between laughs.
"You're right about that. No one's going to beat me on that front," Kaiba said with a smirk, no doubt thinking some egotistical thoughts.
-Mokuba: Look Seto! It's chibi me, and chibi you! And you look slightly happier than usual! – "You know… they do look cute as kids," Bakura said.
"I wish their circumstances were better, and they were happier," Tea said. "…Or if that really is happier than usual for Kaiba."
-Kaiba: Oh my God! I'm- I'm… cute! – "See, he's better when he smiles like that," Tea said.
Mokua gasped a little. "I remember when you used to smile like that." He gripped the locket he was wearing. "That was one of the only good memories from that place."
Kaiba looked down at his own locket, hanging from his neck. He didn't want to admit it, but he did like how his smile was genuine when he and Mokuba played games as kids, though he wasn't sure he would call it 'cute.'
Noah watched also the brothers as kids. What could've happened if things worked out differently, and he could have grown up with the other Kaiba brothers. But then again, if he hadn't died, then Gozaburo would have never adopted Kaiba and Mokuba. So many what ifs… and alternate universes that he could maybe explore another day.
-Noah: Ah, home sweet home, eh Seto? You and your friends will never escape my twisted maze of illusions. Soon you'll be face-to-face with the truth. The truth that I am the truly the true successor to the Kaiba Corporation. The trueness of it will be truly truthful. – "I feel like the more he says 'truth,' the more suspicious he becomes," Bakura said.
"Ain't that the truth," Joey said, before realizing what he just said and causing the others to laugh.
-Tea: Okay, so how do I wind up on Tatooine? – "Aw no fair! I wanted to see Tatooine!" Tristan said out loud. "It would make up for that lightsaber battle from the other video."
"I'm pretty sure it was just a generic desert, it wasn't Tatooine," Tea said.
-Troll: PWNED!-
-Troll: DON'T GO INTO THE CONVENTION!-
-Tea: Oh no! I'm being attacked by internet trolls! – "Internet trolls?" Mokuba asked. "Don't they go around and try to cause trouble for everyone?"
"You got that right," Kaiba responded. "I've gotten so many spam emails and messages from people like that. They're aren't worth my time, and they aren't worth your time either."
Tea shook her head. "If those things were internet trolls, they'd be a lot more annoying the deal with," she said.
Joey remembered when he was at his tour, there was someone who mentioned quickly that trolls were a part of the fandom. He didn't think too much of it, but now it was starting to make sense. Maybe the real world had internet trolls too?
Being inside the internet now, and browsing the internet trying to find information, Noah picked up on a few websites that housed trolls. He figured they weren't worth his time and he ignored them.
-Troll: THEY'LL KILL MY ABRIDGED SERIES!-
-Troll: PWNED!-
-Tea: Go back to 4Chan you freaks! – "What's 4Chan?" Bakura asked. "Do you think it has something to do with 4Kids?"
"I'm not sure about that," Yami said. "It's possible it's just a coincidence."
Noah remembered seeing briefly a website called 4Chan, but it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. He wondered whether that was for his own good or not.
-Troll: STOP MAKING WEBCOMICS!-
-Troll: PWNED!- "Wow these guys are annoying," Mai said.
-Tristan: I can't believe I've been separated from my soulmate.-
-Duke: Who? The twelve-year-old redhead with the awesome rack. – "Oh no, here we go again," Tea deadpanned as she turned towards the two boys.
-Tristan: That twelve-year-old redhead with the awesome rack happens to be my future wife! – Tea was about to say something when Joey spoke first.
"Hey, let's not talk about my sister in that way!" he yelled. "You two better not be getting any ideas!" Serenity turned away, a little embarrassed from all of this.
"No, no… we get ya!" Duke said. "I'll wait until were both a bit older."
"No, I'll wait until then!" Tristan said back.
"If you two keep that up, neither of you will make it to 'a bit older'!" Joey said back.
-Duke: We gotta get out of here dude! I kind of have this disease where if I don't have half-naked girls applied to my body at regular intervals, I die. – Everyone who was watching the video paused. First, everyone in Yami's group slowly turned towards Duke, who was redder than the shirt he was wearing. He could feel daggers coming from Tea and Mai.
"I… uh…" Duke said, trying to figure out something… anything to say. "I'm pretty sure that uh… disease isn't real. Yeah, it's not real!" he added super quickly.
"And nothing here is real," Joey thought to himself.
Tea and Mai looked at each other before sighing. "Thank goodness is isn't," Tea said.
Next, the Kaiba brothers… and they were mostly suffering from second-hand embarrassment for Duke. They didn't really know the guy as well as the others in the dweeb group, but they couldn't imagine seeing him in that way.
Noah also had to do a double take at this. He almost looked up to see if that was a real disease… but rightfully decided against it, as that search could bring up some… well… this a T rated fic… so… yeah…
-Tristan: Want me to take my top off?-
-Duke: I said half-naked girls!-
-Tristan: How do you know it won't work if you don't try it? – "And why are we still going on with this!?" Mai asked.
-Duke: Dude! Trust me! I know! - "I mean, like I said before, even though I prefer women, I'll date a guy if he's my type," Duke said. "…Fully clothed, that is."
-Gansley: Select your Deck Master Yugi!-
It was at this time that Yami heard something. Yugi appeared and heard the same thing. "Is that…?" Yami asked to himself.
"Kuri, kuri!"
The two duelists looked over and saw Kuriboh's spirit appearing. "Hi Kuriboh," Yugi said. "What are you doing here?"
"Kuri!" He pointed at the computer.
"Oh, these are just some videos that we've been watching," Yugi said. "…Did you want to join us?"
Kuriboh bounced up and down at his request. He flew over to Yugi, who held out his arms so Kuriboh could settle in. Yugi wrapped his arms around the furball while Yami smiled at the two.
"Remember when you were my Deck Master?" Yami asked. Kuriboh nodded. "Well then, let's continue."
-Yami: Hmm, these monsters are indeed strong. Any one of them could prove a formidable ally. Oh, except for Kuriboh. Ha! Imagine if I said I wanted to chose Kuriboh as my Deck Master, eh? That would be absolutely… oh crap in the Nile, I just chose Kuriboh as my deck master, didn't I? – "You chose Kuriboh?" Mai asked. "No offense Hon, but that doesn't seem like a good monster to have as your Deck Master. I know Kuriboh does have his advantages, but still…"
"Actually, I didn't choose him," Yami said. "Kuriboh chose himself!" He looked over at Kuriboh, who's eyes were down casted. They had been that was ever since the video said that he wouldn't be a formidable ally. Yugi was trying to console him by petting the furball.
"And he was an amazing Deck Master!" Yami added. Kuriboh's eye perked up. "You'll probably see it in this video, but he really carried us to victory!" He smiled when he saw Kuriboh cheering up.
"Really?" Joey asked. "Then I have to see this."
Mokuba also wanted to see this. "Yugi choosing Kuriboh? You would think he would've chosen the Dark Magician."
-Kuriboh: Do da la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la! – This got a laugh from everyone in Yugi's group, including Kuriboh.
-Yami: That's an annoying Kuriboh. – "Don't worry Kuriboh, he's not talking about you," Yugi said, petting him again.
"Kuri," Kuriboh responded.
-Mokuba: What's happening Seto?-
-Kaiba: Somehow, we're being shown memories from our past. This was back when I called you Mokie all the time, because apparently, I thought you were named after a fraggle. – "Aw, 'Mokie' sounds like a cute nickname for him," Serenity said.
"I think that's reserved for Kaiba only. He'd probably try to kill anyone else who uses that nickname," Bakura said.
Mokuba was enveloped with nostalgia. "I remember those days," he said somberly. "I still sometimes miss when you called me that."
Kaiba looked at his brother, also remembering those days. He wouldn't dare call him that name out in public, thinking of the press and the gossip, and how that could ruin his reputation and image. However, maybe he could start calling Mokuba that again… when it's just the two of them.
Noah was wondering if he could've been given a nickname if he was able to live out his life with the Kaiba brothers.
-Young Kaiba: Mokie, I believe I am experiencing character development! – Joey felt uneasy at hearing Kaiba being called a 'character,' because he now knew that he was a character. They were all characters!
-Young Mokuba: Wow, what does that feel like?-
-Young Kaiba: It kinda tingles… From this day forth, I'm going to become a total jerk with a stick up my ass the size of East Texas! – "I don't think that's how that works. You just wake up one day and decide to be a jerk?" Mai asked.
"Maybe it works for Kaiba," Tristan said.
"Well, that escalated quickly," Noah said. Mokuba was thinking the same thing… although he knew his brother wasn't a jerk. Rough around the edges, yes, but not a complete jerk.
-Young Mokuba: I'm little!-
-Young Kaiba: Yes Mokie, yes you are. – "Is that supposed to be Mokuba's character development?" Tea asked. "That he realizes he's little?"
-Young Kaiba: And now I sacrifice my pawn to summon Ultimate Elemental Hero Ultimately Shinning Queen;s Pawn! Now I am the Chess Prince! – Mokuba started laughing. "If chess were played like that, it would be a lot more exciting!"
"Possibly," Kaiba said. He remembered there was a game called Capsule Monsters, which was similar to a cross between Duel Monsters and Chess.
Yami was laughing along with the others. "Imagine if real Chess matches were that intense!" Joey said.
"But it's Chess, not Duel Monsters," Bakura said. "Might as well make it interesting," he added.
Noah was also finding Kaiba's exaggeration funny.
-Mokuba: Wow Seto, back then you took gaming really seriously.-
-Kaiba: Is that how you address the Chess Prince? – Okay, let's not get carried away now," Tea said.
-Mokuba: I just thought… -
-Kaiba: Kneel before the Chess Master! – "Too late," Tea added.
"You ain't gonna see me kneel down to Kaiba at any point in my lifetime," Joey said. "And neither will Yug!"
"I don't see myself losing to Kaiba anytime soon," Yami said. "Even when he does put up a good fight."
Kaiba quickly turned to Mokuba. "Don't ever think you have to kneel before me. We are of equal importance."
"Thanks Seto… but do you want me to call you the Chess Master every once in a while?" Mokuba asked with a wink.
"…Maybe."
-Duke: Time's running out dude. I'm losing my grip. I can feel my mojo starting to fade. – "Oh wow, you can hear his music acting up," Bakura said. "That's a nice little detail."
-Tristan: Hold on Duke! With the help of this axe, we'll be sure to find half-naked girls in no time! – "An axe?" Duke asked. "…Like Axe Body Spray? That will get the ladies attention."
"Wanna bet on it?" Mai asked.
-Duke: Why would an axe help?-
-Tristan: Haven't you seen those commercials? Girls love the smell of Axe! – "Hey, we just said that!" Tristan said with a laugh.
-Duke: That's a body spray you dork!-
-Tristan: No, it was definitely a weapon, and the girls were all really hot too. – "I mean, a body spray can be a weapon if used in the right way," Duke said. "Maybe I should try using Axe one day."
-Duke: I can barely… hear my theme music.-
-Tristan: Here goes nothing! Come and get us Hot Teenage Girls! – "I was about to say something… but most of us are also teenagers too, so I won't say it," Tea said.
-Tristan: And now I'm stuck. – "Nice," Joey teased.
"Hey, those walls were harder to break than we thought," Tristan said.
-Trolls: ONE STAR! DOWN THUMB!-
-Tea: Those trolls abducted me, and now they're going to flame me to death! – "What does that mean? They're going to burn her?" Serenity asked.
"No, flaming from internet trolls is different from that," Joey said. "I'll tell you about it some other time."
-Tea: And now I'm being rescued by a penguin. That's right, your heard me, a penguin. – "Not everyday you hear that," Yami said.
-Tea: Geez, this show is turning into a bad Don Bluth movie! Actually, let me rephrase that, this show is just turning into a Don Bluth movie. – "Who's that?" Serenity asked.
"Do you remember before Ma and Pa split, we used to watch these movies? There was one with all the mice, another one with dinosaurs," Joey asked.
"I… think so, but that was a while back," Serenity replied.
"That's who he was. He made those movies," Joey explained.
-Yami: I summon the Agnostic Celtic Guardian!-
-Celtic Guardian: I'm not sure what I believe in. – "Alright, add that to our list on adjectives for the Celtic Guardian," Tristan said.
Noah quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "He knew of the Celtic Guardian, but had never heard of the Agnostic Celtic Guardian. Was it a different card in the same archetype?
-Gansley: It's no good Yugi. With my Deck Master, the Deepsea Warrior, I can reflect your attacks right back at you! – "I don't know if it's just me, but that feels kind of broken," Bakura said.
"At first it does, but he wasn't able to reflect direct attacks. That was his main weakness," Yami said. Kuriboh nodded in response.
-Yami: Yeah? Well with my Kuriboh I can… um… What exactly is your effect Kuriboh?-
-Kuriboh: La-la-la-la!-
-Yami: Oh that's right, being cute. – Serenity started laughing. "I like that ability!" Yami looked over and saw Yugi laughing as well, and so was Kuriboh.
-Yami: How very invaluable. Honestly, I might as well have picked Yugi to be my Deck Master.-
-Yugi: Hey! – "Now how would that work out?" Mai asked.
Yami and Yugi looked at each other. "Honestly, I have no idea."
-Yami: I said you were cute. It's a compliment, geez.-
-Yugi: Your face is cute.-
-Yami: Yep! – Both of the people in question started blushing slightly. The two turned to face each other, with Kuriboh looking back and forth between them.
"Kuri kuri!" Kuriboh chirped with a little laugh. Needless to say, he ships them. No need to tell them that though.
"Yug does have a cute little face," Joey said. He started to extend his hand to ruffle Yugi's hair, only to remember that it was Yami who was in control right now. "And so does the pharaoh."
Tea agreed, thinking both of them did have cute faces.
-Kaiba: Not long after I became a stick in the mud, the Orphanage was visited by the CEO of Kaibacorp, Gozaburo Kaiba! – "Oh here we go," Tea said. "I wonder if the Kaiba's are watching this?"
Mokuba tensed up a little at seeing Gozaburo on the screen. "Um… do we still want to watch this?" he asked Kaiba.
There was a pause before Kaiba took a deep breath. "I'm going to continue. If you don't want to watch, that's fine with me."
Mokuba stared down for a second before a determined look appeared on his face. "If you're going to continue, then I will too!"
"I don't want you to force yourself to watch this if you don't want to," Kaiba said.
"I don't feel forced into watching this," Mokuba said. "Besides, the fact that you're here with me, and Gozaburo is gone forever. All of that makes me feel better about this. If you're willing to look back at the past, then I am too!"
Kaiba smiled at this. "Alright, let's continue, Mokie." He added the last part quietly, but Mokuba still heard it and gasped, a smile coming to his face.
Noah also tensed up a little at seeing Gozaburo. While he was able to save himself using a backup program, he was pretty sure Gozaburo was gone forever. With that in mind, he was also slightly curious how this video would portray his father. "It's okay, he's not here anymore," he said quietly to himself before resuming the video.
-Man: The children are so excited to meet you Mr. Kaiba!-
-Gozaburo: They'll be even more excited when they hear I'm tearing this place down to build my very own theme park! Kaibaland! – "Wow," Mai said. "That's horrible! How could Kaiba end up with an adoptive father like him? I know Kaiba built his own theme park, but at least he didn't have to tear down any old buildings, at least not tearing down non-abandoned ones."
-Man: But what about the orphans?-
Gozaburo: They don't get a theme park. Think man, who would want to go to a place called Orphanland? – "I have feeling this is exaggerated slightly," Yami said. "But if it isn't, then I agree with you Mai, he really is horrible."
Mokuba growled a little. "I hate him even more now."
"Kaibaland is open to everyone, and recently I've added a space for any orphans who want to take shelter there," Kaiba said.
"You're the best Seto!" Mokuba said.
-Young Kaiba: Mokie, I think we just found our meal ticket.-
-Young Mokuba: Yes! Food! I haven't eaten in days! Those bullies keep stealing my lunch money! – "If that's been happening, then the Orphanage isn't doing a good job at keeping tabs on that," Duke said.
"But it helps to have Kaiba with him, knowing how protective he is over Mokuba," Tea said.
-Young Kaiba: It's a figure of speech Mokie.-
-Young Mokuba: Oh. Can I eat it? – "I feel so bad for him now," Serenity said.
-Young Kaiba: Mr. Kaiba, I challenge you to a game of Chess! And if I win, you have to adopt us!-
-Gozaburo: Why in blazes would I agree to that?-
-Young Kaiba: Because if you don't, then I will tell the newspapers that you were scared of playing against a kid. – "That does sound like something that would damage a Kaiba-sized ego," Bakura said with a small laugh.
Noah blinked. "That can't be why Father played that game with them, it can't be!" he said.
-Gozaburo: Listen small person, there's no such thing as bad publicity. Isn't that right other small person?-
-Man: Yes Mr. Gozaburo sir!-
-Gozaburo: Sorry for tearing your ears off by the way. Sometimes I get mad. – "Ack, what is it with these videos and this disturbing imagery?" Tea asked as she placed her hands on her ears.
"I'm pretty sure he didn't, and that cloth is for another reason," Yami said trying to reassure Tea.
Mokuba was nervous. "He couldn't really do that, could he?" he asked Kaiba.
"I doubt it," he replied, but thinking about his ears getting ripped off by him made him shudder slightly.
-Young Kaiba: What if I taunted you by saying 'bawk bawk' and making gestures that compared you to a chicken? – "What are you, five years old? …Oh wait," Joey said, followed by the others laughing.
-Gozaburo: No! Anything but that! – "Wait, that actually worked!?" Duke asked in disbelief while laughing.
"I guess he's not as big of a hotshot as he thinks he is," Mai said.
Mokuba never thought he would see the day when he was laughing at a joke about Gozaburo! "Wow, he's such a wimp if that's all it took for him to make the deal."
"Hmph, worthless," Kaiba agreed.
Noah also never would have seen Gozaburo agree to a deal under that condition. It almost made him laugh a little.
-Gozaburo: You're on kid, but I should warn you, when it comes to Chess, I never…-
-Young Kaiba: Checkmate! – Mokuba started laughing. "You forget you're talking to a Chess Master!" he said triumphantly.
-Gozaburo: Best two out of three? – This got a laugh from everyone watching the video, even Noah let out a small chuckle.
-Young Kaiba: You lost!-
-Gozaburo: But I still have my Horsie! – "Are we going to start nicknaming Chess pieces?" Tea asked. "And it doesn't matter if you still have the knight or not."
"Imagine challenging Kaiba to a game of Chess and not even knowing how the rules work," Joey said.
-Young Kaiba: It's called a Knight.-
-Gozaburo: Why's the knight a horse? – "Because knights riding on horses look cool? I don't know…" Tristan said.
-Young Kaiba: I'm your son now!-
-Gozaburo: Horses can't be knights. I mean, that's just silly. Chess is stupid! – "Is that his version of a rage quit?" Joey asked.
"More of a stupid quit!" Tristan said.
Mokuba was laughing at the entire scene. "I wish that was his actual reaction to losing instead of what really happened," he said.
Noah was also enjoying this portrayal, but he still wasn't sure if it was genuinely liking this, or if it's just spur of the moment.
-Tristan: Here's Johnny! – "No! With that voice, it's not intimidating at all!" Tristan said.
"I have to agree with you on that one," Bakura said.
-Duke: So, where did all the girls go?-
-Tristan: Gee, I don't know, maybe you scared them off with all your constant bitching Duke! – "And to punish you for scaring all the ladies, I'm taking your theme song!" Tristan said in reference to Duke's theme playing while Tristan was talking.
"Hey, you can't do that!" Duke said.
"Make me!"
-Gansley: You've lost Yugi! Your little Kuriboh was fun for a while, but now he's worn out his welcome! – "Oh I get it!" Tea said. "Look at the video description. LittleKuriboh is the name of the user who made these videos!"
"You're right," Yami said. He then turned to Yugi and Kuriboh.
"Check it out, the person who made these videos named himself after you," Yugi said.
"Kuri kuri!" Kuriboh said in delight.
-Yami: This little Kuriboh holds more power than the whole of Team 4Kids combined, and I'll prove it! Kuriboh, activate Super Chibi Kawaii-Desu Moe Mode! – "Kuriboh turned into a rainbow?" Serenity asked.
-Kuriboh: Do the la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la! – "Oh, I get it, now he can bypass the monsters and attack him directly! Smart thinking Yug!" Joey said.
Yami smirked. "I told you guys Kuriboh helped us win the duel!"
"You were awesome out there!" Yugi said to Kuriboh.
"Kuri kuri," the furball said blushing.
-Yami: And now I activate Robot Unicorn Attack! – "That's what you're calling Gaia now?" Mai asked with a chuckle.
-Yami: Go Mighty Unicorn! Cross the Rainbow Bridge and attack his life points directly!-
-Gansley: No! It's a full rainbow! Oh my God it's a… it's a double rainbow all they way! – "And what does it mean?" Tristan asked.
-Gansley: So Intense! – "Nice one Yugi," Bakura said as Gansley was defeated.
-Yami: What a digital dummy! – "Hey, that's my line," Mokuba said. "But he is right though."
-Kuriboh: La-la-la-la!-
-Yami: What's that Kuriboh? Tea's been kidnapped?-
-Kuriboh: La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!-
-Yami: By internet trolls?-
-Kuriboh: La!-
-Yami: And Little Timmy got stuck down a well?-
-Kuriboh: Do da la-la! – "My parents used to watch that show. It's probably the only thing I know about it," Tea said.
-Yami: We had best go and rescue them!-
-Kuriboh: La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!-
-Yami: No, no I don't love you.-
-Kuriboh: La. – Yugi could see Kuriboh getting sad again. "Don't pay attention to that video, we do love you," he said as he petted his head again. "How about I take over again?"
Yami nodded as the two switched places. Kuriboh was now in Yami's arms, which he nuzzled against before flying out.
-Noah: Quip while you can Yugi. You're just delaying the inevitable. Victory is still well within my grasp. Ah, I feel like celebrating. Initiating disco mode! – "Disco Mode? I want a Disco Mode!" Joey said.
"I actually want one too, then I can show off my dance moves!" Tea said.
"It sounds like a lot of fun," Yugi said. He saw Kuriboh dancing to the music.
Noah heard himself laughing as he paused the video. He looked around the vast nothing he was in. "If this place is a backup system for me, does that mean I have complete control over this place?" he wondered. "And if I do, does that mean…"
Noah snapped his fingers, and suddenly the same song played, and disco lights started appearing. Noah gasped as he realized what just happened. "No way," he said to himself.
-[special guest star Antfish as Gozaburo Kaiba!] – "I like that there's more people being added to these videos," Tea said.
-Mokuba: And we're going to California and Texas and New York! And we're going to South Dakota and Oregon and Washington and Michigan! And then we're going to Washington D.C. to take back the White House! – "Well… someone has plans," Mai said. Mokuba was chuckling at this entire sentence.
-Troll: WORST EPISODE EVER!-
-Troll: YEAH, HE JUST DOESN'T CARE ANYMORE!-
-Troll: HIS THINGS WERE BETTER WHEN THEY WERE LIKE FIVE MINUES LONG!-
-Troll: THEY SHOULD ONLY BE THREE MINUTES LONG!-
-Troll: NARUTO ABRIDGED IS SO MUCH BETTER! GOD!-
-Troll: WHY DOES HE KEEP PUTTING OTHER VOICE ACTORS IN THE SHOW?!-
-Troll: THAT KIRBOPHER GUY IS SUCH A BITCH!-
-Troll: WHY IS IT DIFFERENT?!-
-Troll: I DO NOT LIKE DIFFERENT!-
-Troll: DIFFERENT BAD!-
-Troll: ME HATE DIFFERENT!-
-Troll: WHY DID YOU CHANGE?! WHY?!
-Troll: I'M GOING TO UNSUBSCRIBE IF THIS HAPPENS AGAIN!... PWNED!-
"Are those the trolls that this guy has to deal with?" Duke asked.
"Probably, they sound just as annoying as they look," Tristan said. "Hopefully they'll give up and go away."
"Anyways, good video. I think Tea's duel is going to be next," Yugi said.
"Oh great," Tea said sarcastically. "Can't wait to see how this turns out." Everyone started getting up to head home for the day. Joey stood up and was about to check his phone when Yugi tapped his shoulder.
"So what is it you need to talk to me about?" he asked.
"Oh…" Joey was so busy thinking about the video that he forgot about his dreams and what they meant. He waited until the others were gone, and then spoke softly to Yugi.
"It's about these dreams I've been having the past few nights."
"Dreams?"
"Yeah, it's uh… kind of hard to explain…" Joey trailed off, glancing at the ground. Yugi noticed Joey was having difficulty explaining himself, so he spoke up next.
"How about you come over to my place for the night. If you have those dreams again, I'll be there and you can tell me everything," Yugi suggested.
Joey blinked. "Uh, are you sure Yug?"
"Grandpa won't mind, plus the pharaoh might be able to help too! What do you say?"
Joey thought about it for a minute or two. He then turned to Yugi, smiling. "Sure Yug, thank you."
"You're welcome! I'll see you later tonight!" Yugi then waved goodbye and walked off to the game shop. Joey sighed and placed his hands behind his head.
"I hope this isn't too much for you."
Mokuba got up and stretched his arms out. "Well, we got through one video with Gozaburo. How are you feeling?" he asked.
"It wasn't too bad, but that was just the first video. Who knows what will happen next time?" Kaiba replied.
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Mokuba said with a wink.
After enjoying his disco mode, Noah turned it off and everything went back to normal. "That was cool," he said. He was able to recreate his chair, and the screens floating around him, but he was still limited into this tiny space and wasn't allowed to control anything outside the system he was in. Not like he was going to anyhow.
"Should I watch another video?" he asked himself. Looking at another screen, he noticed something he didn't see before.
"Huh? What's this?"
That night, Yugi was cleaning his room a little with Kuriboh floating next to him. "So, did you enjoy the video?" he asked the furball.
Kuriboh jumped up and down, then put on a determined look.
"kuri kuri-ri-ri-ri-ri-ri-ri-ri-ri-ri-ri-ri-ri-ri-ri-ri!" he said in the same tune as the "do-da-la"s from the video. Yugi laughed at this, followed by Kuriboh laughing as well.
"I'll take that as a yes," Yugi said.
"Yugi! Joey's here!" Solomon yelled.
"I'm up in my room!" Yugi called back. Kuriboh turned to Yugi and waved goodbye before fading away. One second later, Joey came into the room with a backpack.
"Hey, Yug," he said. Yugi could tell he was a little nervous.
"Hey, Joey! Come on in!" Joey walked in and closed the door. He placed his backpack on Yugi's desk and sat down in the chair, with Yugi sitting on his bed.
"Alright, let's get it out of the way now. What's going on with these dreams of yours?" Yugi asked.
Joey took a deep breath and started his story. He told Yugi about the large group of people that visited him, how they were called the Yu-Gi-Oh fandom. He told Yugi about his tour throughout the fandom and meeting some of these people. He told Yugi about how they were on some kind of mission and that they needed their help with something. Finally, he told Yugi about the people saying that they weren't real, they were characters in a story, and nothing around them was real.
Once he finished, Yugi sat there on the bed, taking in all this information. Even though Joey couldn't see him, Yami was also paying attention to his story, trying to figure out all the pieces. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Yugi spoke up.
"Well… that's uh… that's a lot to take in."
"Tell me about it! I felt like I was having a crisis when I first found out," Joey said, his head resting on the desk.
Yugi paused again before speaking. "But I know you Joey, and you're not crazy. I believe you, and the pharaoh does too!"
"Really? You do?" Joey asked, almost in a relieving voice.
Yugi nodded. "We'll help you get to the bottom of things. If you have another dream, tell us immediately, and we'll help you figure out the meaning."
Joey smiled. "Thanks again Yug!" He walked over and ruffled Yugi's hair. In the meantime, how about we play some Duel Monsters!" he said grabbing his deck.
"You're on!" Yugi said.
After some intense duels and more popcorn, the two boys were getting tired and started drifting off to sleep. Yugi had the puzzle hanging from the bed, which was starting to emit a soft glow.
Eventually, Joey opened his eyes and found himself back in the dreamscape again. But this time, something was different.
"Yug?! What are you doing here?" Joey asked.
"Joey? I was about to ask the same thing!" Yugi said. The two looked over and saw someone else was with them. "Pharaoh?"
And sure enough, Yami was there, standing in solid form with the two boys. "I think the Millennium Puzzle is causing us to all share a dream."
"Wow, I know there's two of you, but seeing you guys with separate bodies like this," Joey said.
"It's pretty cool, isn't it!"
The three turned around and saw the group of people, smiling at them. Some of them had surprised faces, and some were gasping and looking at Yugi and Yami.
"It's really them," One person said.
"I've always wanted to mee you!" Another person said.
Yugi was stunned at seeing everyone looking at him. He looked like a deer in the headlights, blushing slightly, and still speechless.
"Guys, remember Yugi doesn't so well in front of a large group like this," A boy said.
"Oh right, sorry," One of the girls said.
"You see what I mean Yug?" Joey said. Yugi was still too stunned at all the people looking at him. Joey then turned to Yami. "What about you?"
"…So this is what I've been sensing." He walked up to everyone. "None of you are from here. Is that right?"
"Right!" One person said. "We come form the real world, here to help you guys!"
Yugi snapped out of his daze and shook his head. "Wow, you really weren't kidding Joey." He started walking towards the group of people. "Who are you guys? Joey called you guys the 'fandom'?"
"Yep, the Yu-Gi-Oh fandom," One girl said. "I assume Joey told you the truth, right?"
"Yes he did," Yami said. "But it's still hard to believe that none of us are really… real."
"You're taking this a lot better than Joey did," Another person said.
"Yeah they are," Joey said, watching everything happen.
"You guys said you were on a mission, is that right?" Yami asked. Everyone got quiet before one girl stepped forward.
"Yes we are. We came here from the real world to help you guys. We're not sure how the Abridged Series got into your guy's world, but it was able to connect all of us to your world, and now we can help you get your memories back."
This got Yugi, Yami, and Joey's attention. All three looked at the group, eyes widening slightly.
"You heard us right, we're going to help you guys get your memories that 4Kids censored back!"
We now know what the mission is! Will they succeed? Only one way to find out. Now onto the reviews!
Graceluvbug37, Mrpeepington, epantoja521, Azure Dark: Hope you enjoy the chapter!
SunsetScrewball: I'm looking forward to those parts as well, and I'm glad you like my little subplot!
LordTicky: I'd spend time there too, mostly writing, but also ready as well!
Ronin Warriors Fanatic: Technically, the deus ex machina was from the English dub, which implied that Noah was still alive on a backup system after the explosion.
thedarkpokemaster, danifan3000, Alangalaxy: I think she'll have some words to say about that!
Chronosign: I may one day!
Magical Magician A. E. D: I think the others will discover the fandom soon, and I'm pretty much all over the place when it comes to fandoms.
Breadonator: Yugi's there now, so hopefully the others will too. I don't think Noah has seen any of the other videos. Maybe he will once he's done with season three.
SailorDarkMagicianGirl: Aww thank you! You can tell I got a sort of hyperfixation on Among Us in these past few months.
raydark182: Yeah, no Big Five. In the English Dub, Noah was implied to have survived on a backup file, so that's why he's here!
Dracoog101, TheRichmaster, SpiritStrike: Don't worry! He's got Yugi and Yami on his side now! They'll help him get through all of this!
Evilkitten3, laharl-chan: Oh boy, the ever-longing question on whether anything is real!
Dragonkeeper10: We have Yugi and Yami, and the others will soon join them!
Johnny Spectre: Maybe, his VA is aware of the Abridged Series and has said "Brooklyn Rage!" before.
TheFactMaster: Thank you for that. I had someone say I was lazy because I was a day late. Like sorry, but sometimes real life happens.
kittycatcatcher: True, and I don't think we'll be getting that meta, but that would be an interesting direction to take.
RedRat8: Oh I have something planned for that!
Mellra: I think Joey's gonna be fine with Yugi on his side, and Tea... well... we'll have to wait and see.
Guest: Not this time, but when Kuriboh testifies against him in court, that might be a different story.
Xero the Reaper: Fair enough. Zexal took me a while to warm up to, but I did end up liking it more than I thought I would.
Merinus: This is my favorite review from the last chapter. Thank you so much!
TurboDuel: Card Games on Motorcycles! And I forgot that he had his cousin there (at least in the English dub).
Guest #2: I would have loved if Joey made some kind of cameo in GX!
King-of Seven-Hearts: I might not be able to get a full reaction from him for that moment, but I might try to squeeze something in.
Wingsong555: Everyone give Joey a group hug! He deserves all of them!
Apologies if I missed anyone. See you guys next time!
Next time: Episode 49 - The Incredible Hobson. Duel Standby!