SailorStar9: With Chapter 76 uploaded, I present Chapter 77 of this fic. For everyone who put this fic on your favorited and followed lists and/or story alerts, thank you, but remember everyone, a lot of authors (myself included) sustain on readers' reviews.
Disclaimer: I own nothing expect the Safiastra and Ami's dueling deck.
Chapter 77: The Unknown Challenger - The Giant Mobile Fortress Surfaces!
Early the next morning...
The Battle Ship neared its final destination, Alcatraz Island.
"What in the world..." Marik was knocked off the chair he was sitting in, he and Ami were standing vigil over Bakura the previous night.
"Something's wrong." Ami frowned.
"You don't say..." Marik drawled and the pair rushed out of Bakura's room.
In the airship's control room...
"What are you doing?" Mokuba snapped. "Steady the ship already."
"What's going on?" Kaiba dashed in.
"The Battle Ship went off the route of our destination." Mokuba explained.
"Hurry and turn us back." Kaiba ordered.
"It's just... the auto-driving system changed route by itself." Fuguta explained.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Kaiba retorted. "Then manually override it."
"What's with the shaking?" Jonouchi asked, the rest of the group running in.
"I can't change it to Manual Mode." Fuguta shouted. "I've lost control."
"Alcatraz's computer has also refused access." Isono reported. "There's no signal from the tower."
"What's that island?" Honda gawked.
"That's the destination of our final battles, Alcatraz." Kaiba answered. "That pitiful wreckage is a symbol of the founder of Kaiba Corporation, Kaiba Gozaburo."
"Our foster father, Kaiba Gozaburo, attempted to conquer the world using the great military industry he founded." Mokuba added. "These ruins are a symbol of his dream. After he died, nii-sama changed Kaiba Corporation into a gaming industry. He destroyed the former military facilities and he then built the Duel Tower in their place."
"I figured out the cause." Fuguta reported. "A hacker invaded our computer and gained access to the ship. He is controlling the system, and it seems he wants to steer the ship."
"Then, do something about it." Mokuba ordered. "We must land on Alcatraz on schedule."
"Who on earth did this?" Kaiba hissed, the airship suddenly dropping into a descend above the ocean.
"Is there really no way to override the control?" Mokuba demanded.
"It's not working." Fuguta replied. "We're completely under the hacker's control."
"Who the hell are you?" Kaiba demanded when Noah's image came onto the screen.
"I've been waiting for you Seto." Noah replied. "And I welcome you duelists as well. My name is Noah. Let's see, if I had to put it in simple terms, Seto, I'd say I am a person far greater than you. Now shall we get to the point? Now then, I would like to invite you to be my guests in my home."
As if on cue, an underwater fortress emerged from the water. The hanger then opened and the airship landed into the hanger.
"Can I ask you to get off the ship, Seto?" Noah requested after the airship docked. "Of course, the other duelists, too."
"And if I were to refuse?" Kaiba fired back.
"I'm afraid you all have to become my prisoners." Noah answered. "You don't have a choice." he activated the fortress' defense systems and had the machine guns aim at the airship as proof.
"He's after me." Kaiba informed the others. "This has nothing to do with you guys. Mokuba, you stay here. Noah, what are your intentions?"
"I believe I told you that I was inviting all the duelists." Noah repeated, firing upon the airship as emphasis.
Outside...
I think that we should do what he wants fro the time being." Yuugi suggested, the group leaving the ship.
"Kaiba, this isn't only your problem anymore." Jonouchi reminded. "It doesn't look like he's going to let us go that easily."
A door then slid open in front of them and Kaiba walked through the door.
"What are you going to do with us?" Yuugi asked.
"To be honest, there are some people here who have been eagerly waiting to see you." Noah replied. They're just a bit ahead. They'll explain everything to you."
"What's that?" Kaiba winced when a bright light shone into the room they just entered.
"Kaiba Seto and his little friends, it's been quite some time." Konosuke greeted.
"You guys..." Kaiba instantly recognized Kaiba Corporation's former executives. "The Big Five."
"The Big Five?" Honda gawked.
"You guys know them?" Otogi asked.
"They betrayed Kaiba." Yuugi explained. "They were a group that controlled Kaiba Corporation."
"They used cheap tricks to try and take over nii-sama's company." Mokuba glared.
"But didn't they lose in the game they set up themselves" Jonouchi wondered. "And weren't they unable to return to our world?"
"We wandered the Virtual World for ages after that." Konosuke remarked. "In a world where you eventually lose all sense of who you are. The only thing driving us is the anger and need for revenge against you. You're not the only one we hate, Kaiba Seto. The other people who also got in the way of our plans and caused our suffering, Muto Yuugi and his pack of buddies are just as guilty for shaming us."
"That grudge isn't even justified." Anzu refuted.
"Just as persistent as you always were, I see." Kaiba glared. "How'd you guys come back, anyway?"
"While we roamed the world of cyberspace, someone who understood our feelings gave us a hand." Konosuke answered.
"I presume you mean that little brat we met earlier called Noah?" Kaiba guessed.
"Noah-sama gave us but one condition to follow." Konosuke related. "If we still want to control Kaiba Corporation as the Big Five, we have to duel you all and beat you fairly. Though we want to kill you as soon as possible, we can't disobey Noah-sama. If you want to get out of here safe and sound, the only way is to duel us. Now then, we invite you yo be our guests in the Duel World."
The scenery faded and the group was transported into the virtual Duel World.
In the virtual Duel World..
"Out of all places..." Ami winced, Marik pulling her to her feet.
"Why are we in a jungle?" Anzu looked around.
"Did I just see a Pterodactyl?" Ami gaped at the flying dinosaur that flew overhead. "It's isn't just the colors and shapes, even the smells seem real."
"They can even imitate pulses in the air." Mokuba heard footsteps.
"Threatening me with such childish holograms that can't even project the sense of touch?" Kaiba scoffed, the Allosaurus' claw passing through him harmlessly. "At any rate, this is nothing more than a poor monkey-level copy of the Solid Vision I created. Are you guys kidding here, or what?" he frowned, when faced with a virtual clone of himself.
"Our duels are based on the Deck Master System." Konosuke started, 'Total Defense Shogun' appearing behind the group. "I'll present a simulated system Duel so you can understand. 'Total Defense Shogun' will act as his own Deck Master. And we'll set 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' as Kaiba Seto's Deck Master."
"It's my turn." Kaiba's virtual clone started. "I'll Summon 'Lord of Dragons'. And I'll activate the Magic Card 'The Flute of Summoning Dragon'. Then I'll use its Special Effect to Summon two other Dragon-type Monsters to the field from my hand. And finally, I'll Summon my Deck Master to the field. Next, a Fusion Summon, I Summon 'Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon'."
"And thanks to its Deck Master Ability, the Ultimate Dragon can attack on the same turn it was Fusion Summoned." Konosuke explained.
"'Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, direct attack 'Total Defense Shogun'." Kaiba's virtual clone ordered.
"But because 'Total Defense Shogun' is a Deck Master himself, he can pay the cost of 1000 Life Points to activate his Deck Master Ability." Konosuke added. "Due to the Effect of Total Defense Barrier, the attacking Monster is destroyed." he had 'Total Defense Shogun' deflect the attack back on 'Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon', taking both Monster and player. "When the Deck Master is destroyed, regardless of how many Life Points the player has, he loses. Any Monster chosen to be the Deck Master has an additional Special Ability to its usual ones. The Monster you choose to be your Deck Master becomes one of the main points of your strategy."
"Screwing with us like this..." Kaiba sneered. "Since you said we'd dueling fairly, why did you make up such ridiculous rules? Big Five, I won't go easy on you guys."
"What do you think?" the Big Five reappeared. "Will you accept the duel with us? You don't have any other way out of here if you don't accept."
"We have no choice but to accept the duel now." Yuugi decided.
"I have a question." Ami piped in. "What are the consequences if we lose?"
"You bring up an excellent point." Konosuke chuckled. "It's only natural that the victorious party is to be presented with compensation from the losing party. As per the risk of your losing to us, our minds wandering this Cyber World will enter your bodies and take control of them. That means you''ll be exchanged with us. You'll wander the Cyber World for all eternity. This is our revenge against you all."
SailorStar9: Any OOC-nes is regretted. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Reviews are much appreciated.