(A/N: In case you haven't heard: Byleth is character #5 for Smash Bros. Characters #6 - #11 are in the works and Sakurai isn't taking a break XD. This drops January 28th and February 12th is the newest batch of Fire Emblem DLC for Three Houses. You know what that means? You guys probably aren't getting any chapters in the 2nd half of February XD. So, to make up for that, I decided to get started on this chapter as soon as possible so that at least this one would be out before crunch time. So, enjoy Junko Vs Kaiba. Or don't. It is a Junko chapter after all XD)
With the stage set and Mukuro and Yugi standing idly by as spectators, Kaiba and Junko began their duel for Junko's right to join the Kaiba Corp Grand Prix.
"So, what would it take for me to earn our right to compete?" Junko asked adopting her queenly persona. "Be reasonable after all, both to me and to your pride."
"Hmph," Kaiba said, smirking. "I say if you can keep this duel going for 5 of your turns while also managing to get me below 1,300 life points, I'll consider you tournament worthy."
Junko adopted her Dio persona. "Oh. Is that all? So does it still count if your life points increase after they drop?"
Kaiba thought about this for a second. "All right, for the sake of fairness, you only have to drop my life points below 1,300 once."
"All right, sounds doable." She went back to her queenly persona. "Let us begin, for we are superior." She drew the top card of her deck and the duel officially began. "I summon to the battlefield Fluffal Owl!"
A hooting, fluffy owl, wearing a pince-nez appeared. It had 1,000 attack points and 1,000 defense points.
"Hmph. That thing? It barely has any attack points," Kaiba scoffed.
"Careful, Kaiba," Junko said with a smirk as she switched to her normal self, "Your hubris is showing." She pointed a finger into the air. "I activate the special ability of Fluffal Owl! When its summoned to the field, I get to add one Polymerization from my deck to my hand." Junko did so, then shuffled her deck. "Next, I activate Polymerization to fuse together the Fluffal Owl on my field with the Edge Imp Chain in my hand to form…" Junko trailed off as the action completed, resulting in a hellishly fluffy flying sheep with cymbals being used as propeller blades, connected to its back like strings. The sheep had creepy, bulging green eyes and a soul-devouring stare. It also had a hook for one arm and a buzzsaw for the other. "Frightfur Sheep!"
The Sheep's cry was…quite bizarre, but still sounded like a Sheep's. The monster had 2,000 attack points and 2,000 defense points.
"Hmph, I've seen scarier things hiding under Mokuba's bed," Kaiba scoffed.
Junko adopted her teacher persona. "Looks can be deceiving, in duel monsters as well as life. I shall simply set one card face-down onto the field and end my turn." The face-down hologram appeared, ending Junko's turn.
"Very well, let me show you how a real duelist starts their first turn!" Kaiba declared, going for the top card of his deck. "I draw!" Perfect, he thought when he saw what he drew. "I activate the magic card Graceful Charity! Now I get to draw three cards, provided I discard two."
Junko adopted her Dio persona. "Ah, the old discard and draw strategy," Junko said in her monotone. "I have an inkling what you might be up to, and it won't work."
"Does Junko always do that when she duels?" Yugi asked Mukuro.
"Do what?" Mukuro responded.
"Flip personalities on a dime," Yugi replied.
Mukuro stared a moment at Junko before answering. "Oh. I've been dealing with it all my life I forgot she does that. She usually only flips back and forth that fast when she's excited, confused or angry."
"I suppose dueling Kaiba for someone like her would count as exciting," Yugi stated.
It was so much more than that to Junko, but Mukuro didn't tell Yugi that. Her sister would be furious if she alluded to their grand plan to any degree.
"Now I activate the spell card Premature Burial!" Kaiba declared. "This magic card brings any monster from my graveyard back to the battlefield and I choose this: Rare Metal Dragon!"
Kaiba's flightless, armored dragon appeared on his side of the battlefield with a ferocious roar as Kaiba's life points dropped to 3,200.
"Now, my dragon! Attack Enoshima's monster. Charging Dragon Assault!" Kaiba demanded.
Kaiba's dragon charged forward and barreled straight into Junko's sheep, destroying it and causing her to lose 400 life points. Her total was now 3,600.
"I'm afraid your little stunt, put you in the red there," Junko said, flipping her hair, acting normal.
"For now, but you don't have a monster on the field and mine has 2,400 attack points."
Junko went back to her queen persona. "Such a shame then that your shortsightedness will be your undoing. I activate Frightfur Sheep's effect! When it's sent to the graveyard by battle with a monster or when my opponent destroys it with a monster effect, spell, or trap card, I can summon it to the field again with 800 additional attack points."
"What?" Kaiba gasped.
Frightfur sheep returned with an ominous pink aura surrounding it. It now had 2,800 attack points.
Junko did her Dio pose. "It was a clever little strategy, Kaiba, but I'm afraid I was one step ahead of you. I've learned a lot since Battle City and I aim to put that knowledge to the test. So, will that be all this turn?"
Kaiba growled and plucked a card from his hand. "I set one card face-down on the field," Kaiba said as the face-down hologram appeared. "I'm also setting one monster and ending my turn." The sideways face-down hologram appeared.
"Of course that's what you'll do." Junko flipped to her queen persona. "And, just as before, I'm one step ahead of you. I draw!" Junko drew the top card of her deck. "Next, I activate the power of my face-down card: Designer Frightfur." The card flipped face-up, revealing its purple border and a stuffed lion with fur flying every which way on the artwork. "This trap card allows me to bring back any monster from my graveyard as long as it's an Edge Imp or Fluffal monster. And I choose my Fluffal Owl!"
Junko's Owl returned to the battlefield, but it looked…malformed. Its eyes were all wrong and it had stuffing sticking out.
"Something's wrong with your bird."
Junko adopted her cutesy persona. "Every fashionista knows that you have to take good care of your products or they get all worn and torn. Ooooor, you can be smart and play off a mistake like a collector's item, which is the second effect of Designer Frightfur." She went to normal and extended her arm, fingers shaped in an L. "Now, when I fusion summon a Frightfur monster using Fluffal Owl, I can treat it like it already is a Frightfur monster."
Kaiba seemed confused.
"Let me guess," Junko said, switching to her teacher persona. "You're thinking, what good will that do? Let me show you. I sacrifice 500 life points."
Junko's life points fell to 3,100. "Now, as per Fluffal Owl's ability, I can fusion summon a monster without the need of Polymerization. So, I fuse together it and another monster in my hand to summon Frightfur Sabre-Tooth!"
A blue, cuddly looking, toy tiger appeared, only for the head to rip open, straining the stitching as glowing red eyes appeared inside the body. Energy blades then ejected from its body, including by its tail, making it look like it had a sheathed sword for a tail. It had 2,400 attack points and 2,000 defense points.
"With Frightfur Sabre-Tooth, all Frightfur monsters I control gain 400 attack points!"
Frightfur Sheep's attack total was now 3,200 and Frightfur Sabre-Tooth's was now 2,800.
"And the fun doesn't stop," Junko said, going to normal. "Because now, I attack with Frightfur Sheep! Destroy Kaiba's Rare Metal Dragon!"
"Not so fast, I activate—" Kaiba went to release his trap card, but the button gave an error light. "What?"
Junko's sheep flew towards Rare Metal Dragon, cackling like a mad demon and sliced it up with its buzz saws. Kaiba's life points were torn as much asunder as his monster, bringing him down to 2,400 life points.
"Hold on!" Kaiba declared. "What just happened?"
"Frightfur Sheep has a special ability," Junko declared. "When it attacks or becomes attack, no cards or effects can be activated until after damage has been dealt."
Kaiba nodded, feeling a bit calmer. For a minute there he was worried his duel disk had somehow malfunctioned. Yeah. That would be the day.
"Don't relax just yet, Frightfur Sabre-Tooth, do your think! Take out the rest of Kaiba's face-down monster!"
Frightfur Sabertooth's sword tail lashed out and whipped the card in half, destroying Kaiba's Aqua Madoor.
"Please tell me that's not your best," Junko said, slipping into her Dio persona. "Because if so, this duel will be over soon."
"Oh, is that what you think? Well, I hate to spoil your fun, because your little sweat shop products are about to be eradicated! I draw!" Kaiba shouted. He pulled the top card of his deck to his hand. He nodded. Yup. This would do it. "I activate Polymerization!"
Yugi, Mukuro, and even Junko was shocked.
What? Already? Junko thought. She was nowhere close to prepared for Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon right now.
Kaiba smirked. "Now it's my turn to read your expression. You think I'm going to summon Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon so you're in a panic. Well, fortunately for you, while Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is indeed powerful, it's not the only monster of its lineage at my disposal! Behold!"
A portal opened behind Kaiba as two Blue-Eyes cards were sucked in and out came a sleek, white, blue-eyed two-headed dragon. It roared as the two heads faced different directions.
Junko, Mukuro and Yugi were all confused when this fused Blue-Eyes had the same exact stats as a normal Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
"And just what is that supposed to accomplish?" Junko asked.
"Oh, Enoshima. You still don't get it, do you? Two heads…" Kaiba declared, fanning out his palm towards Frightfur Sabre-Tooth, "Are always better than one!"
Kaiba's dragon unleashed a deadly blast of energy at Frightfur Sabre-Tooth, destroying it. Junko's life points fell to 2,900.
"And now that your deranged cat is gone, your deranged lamb is now on the chopping block to be mutton stew. Blue-Eyes! Attack again!"
"What?" Yugi declared as he and Yami gasped.
The twin blast destroyed the weakened Frightfur Sheep, reducing Junko's life points down to 2,700.
"And that, Miss Enoshima, is how you make a comeback."
Junko started drooling with excitement. "Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! This is so fantastic! To think you still had tricks up your sleeve like this." Junko gave Kaiba a natural, competitive smile. She also then pointed both her index fingers at Kaiba, the sunlight gleaming off her finger nails. "I must give you credit, Kaiba. It seems I underestimated just how resourceful you can be. That will be the last time though."
"Hmph. You talk a good game," Kaiba said. "But lets see you back it up with action. My Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon can't be destroyed battle and if you did manage to damage my life points with it on the field, I'd have the ability to destroy it during my turn with another one of its special abilities."
"So if I want to destroy it, it has to be from out of battle," Junko stated in her Dio pose. "All right, I think I can manage that."
"Heh, easier said than done," Kaiba said and slapped a face-down card into the reader. "One more card face-down. Make my day, princess."
"Oh, believe me, I will. I have my eyes set on that tournament and that dragon isn't going to stop me," Junko said normally. "First, since you destroyed Frightfur Sheep, it comes right back to the field with 2,800 attack points," Junko informed Kaiba. She then drew the top card of her deck and glanced at it. Yup. This would do it.
"And the fun doesn't stop there. I activate the spell card Frightfur patchwork!" Junko exclaimed in her punk persona as the card she played revealed a card artwork of a bunch of fluffal monsters stitched together in a jumbled mess. "This allows me to fetch any Edge Imp monster and one Polymerization right from my fuckin' deck! Hell yeah!" Junko fetched the required cards from her deck. "And now I'm activating my Polymerization to fuse together Edge Imp Sabres with Fluffal Cat to make Frightfur Tiger!"
A blue, bipedal tiger with the Edge Imp possessing the stuffed toy, its eyes glowing inside the mouth appeared. It had 1,900 attack points and 1,200 defense points.
"And since I used Fluffal Cat to fusion summon it, I automatically get Polymerization right back to my fuckin' hand!" Junko declared. She switched to her teacher persona. "There's more. Since Frightfur Tiger was fusion summoned using two monsters, I can select any two cards on the field and destroy them."
"What?" Kaiba gasped.
"Frightfur Tiger, destroy Kaiba's Twin Blue Eyes and one of his face-down cards," Junko instructed.
"I don't think so!" Kaiba shouted. "Reveal face-down card: Dark Sacrifice!" The card artwork depicted a knight looking defeated with a dragon's face with hollowed out eyes behind it. "Sacrifices must be made for my survival and I'll use this opportunity to send Familiar Knight to my graveyard to stop your monster's effect!"
Familiar Knight's spirit rose as a dagger pierced it down through its collarbone and created a fracture of light in the monster that dispersed to protect Kaiba's cards from Frightfur Tiger's effect.
Kaiba smirked. "Oh well," he smirked. "Better luck with your little grand finale next time."
"Hmm, I suppose it's fine," Junko smirked, switching to her normal self. "See, Frightfur Tiger still gives my monsters a boost equal to the amount of Frightfur and Fluffal monsters I control. And since I control two, that's a 600 point boost, baby!"
Frightfur Sheep now had 3,400 attack points and Frightfur Tiger had 2,500.
"And don't think I'm gonna waste this opportunity! Frightfur Sheep, attack Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon! Your monster might not be able to be destroyed by battle, but you're still gonna take damage!" Junko declared.
Frightfur Sheep's buzzsaw propellers slashed up Blue-Eyes and damaged Kaiba's life points, bringing him to 2,000. "Nice. Only 700 more points and that tournament spot's as good as mine," Junko smirked. She moved a card in her hand towards the spell/trap zone reader. "Settin' one card face-down and ending my turn." Her hand was now completely empty except for Polymerization as the hologram appeared.
"It's my move," Kaiba declared. "I draw!" He looked at the two cards in his hand. He would have to deal with the current situation as it was.
"Your pumped-up patchworks are about to feel the wrath of my Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon!" Kaiba shouted. "Attack Frightfur Tiger now!"
Twin Burst dragon blasted Junko's monster to smithereens, reducing her life points to 2,200.
Yugi's body was clenched a bit. This was a pretty close match given Junko was dueling Kaiba using only her own skill.
"I had no idea Junko was such a skilled duelist all on her own." Yugi communicated to Yami.
"It would seem the Orichalcos' power wasn't guiding Junko the entire way. Her skill is truly to be respected. I think even Kaiba can see that."
"The only thing more pathetic than your monsters is this complete waste of my time!" Kaiba declared.
Yami sighed.
"Without your Tiger to boost your Sheep, its attack points are now low enough to be destroyed again!" Kaiba declared. "Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon, attack Frightfur Sheep again: Twin White Lightning!"
Blue-Eyes' attack was released with a roar as Junko lost her Frightfur Sheep again and her life points came down even to Kaiba's. The score was 2,000 to 2,000. Both duelists had now lost half of their life points.
"Impressive," Junko said, arching her back to take her Dio pose. "But how long can you keep it up? The longer Frightfur Sheep remains on the field," she said as the monster was resummoned, "the greater your chances of losing to it," Junko said as the monster returned to the field.
"Hmph, we'll see," Kaiba stated.
"Indeed," Junko responded and drew the top card of her deck. She grinned. Oh, Kaiba was in for it now. She adopted her queen persona. "We activate this spell card: Burden of the Mighty!" Junko declared as her spell was read and activated by the duel disk. "This magic card causes all monsters you control to lose 100 attack points for every level your monster has. And since Twin-Burst Dragon is a level 10 monster, that means it loses 1,000 attack points."
Kaiba and Yugi held their breath as Kaiba's monster's attack power dropped to just 2,000.
"Frightfur Sheep, torture Blue-Eyes some more in the name of your queen! 800 damage to Kaiba's life points!"
Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon howled in pain as Junko's monster cut into it, bringing Kaiba's life points down to 1,200.
"Well, I suppose that will do, won't it?" Junko asked, back in her Dio pose. "You've fallen below the required amount of life points. All I have to do is make sure I survive my next turn and that tournament spot is as good as mine." She immediately went back to her queen persona. "But why stop there? You wouldn't be at all satisfied with just a pitiful, spirited attempt, would you? We think this would be an ample opportunity to go for the gold!"
"Heh," Kaiba chuckled and then laughed. "Hahahahahahahahahaha! Thanks, I haven't laughed like that in a while," the CEO stated, giving Junko his icy glare. "You defeat me? Let's get one thing straight here, blondie. I don't lose."
"Unless Yugi happens to be your opponent, right?" Junko asked.
Kaiba growled.
"Touched a nerve, have we? Well, whatever. Make your move."
"Gladly!" Kaiba declared and drew the top card of his deck. His eyes seemed to hone in on the card he'd just drawn after he'd placed it in his hand. This would work. He might not be able to prevent Junko from getting into his tournament, but he had just the combo to put her in the ground.
"I set one card face-down onto the field," Kaiba declared. "Then, I'm switching Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon into defense mode!" Kaiba declared, swapping his monster's position as it used its wings to guard itself. "Make your move."
"So, resolved to let me into the tournament, have you?" Junko asked, keeping up the Dio Brando impression.
"Hmph. I may not like you, Enoshima, but a deal's a deal and your strategy is rather competent. You're certainly not Joey Wheeler."
"You say that as though you're not already planning to invite Joey Wheeler to the tournament," Junko stated.
"Only to humiliate him," Kaiba said with a smile as it was the only way to save face. "He might've gotten on my nerves in Battle City and placed second at the Canadian Nationals, but now, I'll show him what a real tournament is like. We'll see how far he gets."
Junko went full teacher persona on Kaiba. "The only reason you can't stand him is because he reminds you of everything you used to be: poor, a younger sibling to take care of, with only duel monsters as your comfort while you suffered under an abusive father. To you, it's not Joey's dueling skills and "third-rate deck" that piss you off, it's how much he reminds you of you."
Kaiba started twitching. "You're crazy…that's crazy!" Kaiba started to hyperventilate, eyes shrunken, breathing sounding like the growling of a dog foaming at the mouth.
Junko twirled the tip of her ponytail. "And that, Yugi, is how you undercut your opponent's effectiveness." She went to normal and drew the top card of her deck. "Watch carefully, I'm about to be the second person in the world to ever defeat Seto Kaiba. I activate the spell card Fissure! This spell card destroys the one face-up monster my opponent controls with the lowest attack. Well, you only have one monster, so that kind of narrows down the list of possibilities, doesn't it?"
The ground opened up and destroyed Kaiba's monster as he continued to stare at Junko in icy-cold gaze that seemed to stretch on for yards past her.
"Time to end this!" Junko declared. "Frightfur Sheep. Finish. Him. O—"
"Stop!" Kaiba declared. "This duel isn't over yet! Enoshima, words cannot even begin to describe how repulsed I am at the thought of being compared to Joey Wheeler, but there's one thing you got wrong. I don't care about my past. I buried it along with my stepfather's island," Kaiba declared, swinging his arm out at his side. "I'm Seto Kaiba and not anyone else, do you hear me?" Kaiba shouted, pointing at Junko. "Feel free to psycho-analyze me all you want because you're always going to be wrong," Kaiba growled, lowering his arm, glaring.
"Oh please," Junko said, back in her teacher persona. "You cannot escape your past, no matter how much you try to burn it, shred it, or blow it up. Believe me, I've tried. You are always a product of your environment or stimuli. And you, Kaiba, you're afraid."
"I'm not afraid of anything," Kaiba growled.
"Yes, you are. You're afraid to trust others. Having to have clawed your way to the top at a young age, you feel you have to do everything yourself. You're afraid that the wrong person will take your company if you're not careful. After all, it's already happened twice. And Mokuba, who you cherish, is a liability to your success and wealth. You keep him at only slightly less than arm's length, never to leave him out in the cold, but always trying to seem detached enough that your enemies won't try to use him against you. Afraid that even if you have one friend, you'll go soft that, like murder, it'll be too easy to keep making more. And when you have too many friends, you run out of time to run your business, always wanting to go bowling when you just want to go for a long bike ride to nowhere. You deliberately kill any emotion you feel like a monster on your opponent's battlefield because you feel that's the way it has to be." Junko criticized and then did a poor impression of Kaiba with a gravely B-movie action hero voice. "Grr, I'm Seto Kaiba. I have to be angry and cold to everyone because I can't let my heart feel anything or I'll start making bad decisions or get eaten up by the corporate world. Why yes, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, I would love to marry you."
"Enough!" Kaiba shouted. "I won't entertain your farce any longer! I'm here to duel, not to waste my time with your childish theories about who I am or how I feel! Stick to the card game, Enoshima!"
"The longer you try to run from the truth, the sooner it will catch up with you. The world is round after all."
Yugi stared on with a bit of discontent. On the one hand, Junko was partially right about everything she said. On the other hand, the way she said it made his skin crawl a little.
"It's fine," Yami responded, sensing Yugi's discontent. "Junko's just like that."
"But…"
"We could've never rescued you if not for her aid. Even when the Orichalcos was at its strongest hold on her, Junko still fought back. I believe she's a good person deep down."
"Still…" Yugi thought.
"I'll have a talk with her about it," Yami said.
"Yeah, good idea," Yugi responded.
Kaiba, getting the duel back on track, declared, "Since you destroyed my monster, I can activate this card: Wish of Final Effort! This trap card will allow me to gain life points equal to the destroyed monster's original attack, giving me a grand total of 4,200 life points."
"Too bad most of that is about to go down the toilet," Junko said, acting normal. "Oh, who am I kidding?" She giggled as she pointed at Kaiba with her index finger. "No mercy! Frightfur Sheep, direct attack!"
Junko's monster slammed into Kaiba and slashed at him with its saw blades, bringing his life points down all the way to 1,400.
"A whole lot of effort for a 200 point gain," Junko said.
"It was worth it," Kaiba stated. "Because this is when I put your walking lamb chop in its place."
"Oh, by all means," Junko said with a cool stare, "Make my day."
Kaiba drew the top card of his deck. "From my graveyard, I remove Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon and Rare Metal Dragon in order to summon Chaos Emperor Dragon: Envoy of the End!"
A massive green dragon with an orange mane and covered in a bronze exo-skeleton stormed onto the field. It had 3,000 attack points and 2,500 defense points.
"Yawn," Junko said, pretending to yawn.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I boring you?" Kaiba asked. "Then here's a wakeup call. I give up 1,000 life points to activate Chaos Emperor Dragon's special ability!" Kaiba's life points dropped to a mere 400. "Now we have to send every card in our hands and on our fields to the graveyard. I'm holding two cards with one card face-down on the field and I believe you have your sheep, Burden of the Mighty, and your face-down card."
"Plus the two I have in my hand," Junko stated. "Why are you counting cards? This isn't exactly blackjack."
"Oh, Enoshima," Kaiba chuckled, smirking. "You see, for every card that gets sent to the graveyard this way, you take 300 points of damage. And I count up 9 cards all together. That's 2,700 points of damage!"
"But that means…" Junko trailed off.
Kaiba smirked. "You lose." He then clenched his fist. "Chaos Emperor Dragon! Destroy everything with Chaotic Flame! End this duel!"
The flames engulfed the battlefield as Junko put her arms up to block. "Arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!" Her life points went from a very comfortable 2,000 all the way to 0.
"Game over," Kaiba stated, crossing his arms.
Junko sunk to her knees. "Paaaaaah," she exhaled, "I totally lost. Yugiiiiiii," she whined. "Help me up, I can't feel my legs."
Yugi went over to Junko to shoulder her. "A deal is a deal, Kaiba," Yugi said. "You promised to let Junko compete if she did enough damage to her life points."
"Hmm, suppose I did," Kaiba said, even though he and Junko had already belabored the point earlier. "Well, your girlfriend has already proven herself, so I'll have to send an invitation out later."
"Girlfriend?!" Yugi exclaimed, blushing.
"Yeah!" Junko exclaimed, snuggling him, arms around his neck. "Don't we make such a cute couple?"
"I thought you couldn't feel your legs!" Yugi exclaimed.
"I couldn't, but now I can!" Junko exclaimed, swaying while she held Yugi.
"Seto, I got food!" Mokuba exclaimed. "How'd the duel go?" He noticed the holograms had stopped. "Huh? Already over. Wow, you must've kicked her butt hard, bro."
"Actually, Junko proved she's not just a pretty face and stage personality," Kaiba said seriously. "Remind me to draft an invitation for her when we get back."
"Whoa, seriously?" Mokuba asked.
Kaiba nodded. "I just have one question, Enoshima," Kaiba said. "Where did you learn how to duel?"
"What?" Junko asked, pretending to be a bobble head. "Can't I be self-taught?"
Kaiba glared and growled. He didn't have time for games.
"Oh, all right," she said, giggling with that big huge grin on her face. "I learned from your favorite person ever. I did intern at Industrial Illusions after all."
Pegasus! Kaiba growled to himself.
Kaiba could not book a flight to Industrial Illusions fast enough. Fortunately, on the trip over, his secretary was able to get him a direct meeting with the game creator himself: Maximillian Pegasus. Kaiba thought he would never dare set foot in Pegasus' presence ever again, but something bothered him about Junko. The fact that Pegasus had been the one to teach her how to play duel monsters could not be a coincidence.
He left Mokuba on the plane with Roland, lest he subject Mokuba to Pegasus a second time.
"My dear Kaiba boy," Pegasus said when Kaiba stepped off the elevator directly into the man's office. "How can I help you on such short notice?"
"Cut the pleasantries, Pegasus. I'm here about Enoshima."
"Ahhhh, Junko," Pegasus said in a faux swoon. "That girl is a clever one."
"Too clever," Kaiba remarked. "I've only seen Enoshima duel twice and she's managed to come oddly close to beating me and Yugi. I can't help but think you're responsible. She did say that you taught her."
"Ahhh, to take up the role of mentor was exquisite," Pegasus smiled, sipping his wine. "Junko did good work for Industrial Illusions. She was so eager to learn about the game she was modeling for. She was like the daughter I always wanted. So full of energy, so full of curiosity. I couldn't help but want to sate it."
"Curiosity doesn't equal pro dueling. And quite frankly, I can't help but suspect you're using her to some degree."
"Tch, tch, tch, tch," Pegasus chastised. "Kaiba boy, I'm hurt. Have I not paid back everything I owed to your company for all the wrongs I committed with interest?"
"Perhaps," Kaiba said. Pegasus did settle handsomely in court with one of the fattest checks Kaiba had ever seen. Kaiba was also now a major shareholder in Industrial Illusions as a check and balance to make sure another corporate takeover wouldn't sneak up on him. "So, you're saying Junko is naturally talented? I don't buy it. She's a bobble headed fashionista."
"Well that's awfully narrow minded of you," Pegasus said. "True, it did take her five or six games before she understood the game completely, but I tell you everything she's capable of is all her doing. I could only teach her the basics. She was the one who grew all on her own. Well, I suppose I did supply her with the new Frightfur monsters."
"Why does that not surprise me?" Kaiba asked sourly.
Pegasus chuckled. "I think of Junko like family," he stated. "I don't have any blood relatives left alive, Kaiba boy. Junko helps add that extra sparkle in my life so when she asks for something, I give it. Within reason of course."
"Hmm," Kaiba was a little suspicious of this, thinking maybe Junko had Pegasus wrapped around her thumb or something, but wrote it off as sheer lunacy.
"I already got the call to hear she'll be participating in your brand new tournament," Pegasus said with cheer. "Bravo, Kaiba boy. Don't you worry, I'll cheer safely from my office and home and not bother you one iota."
"How kind of you," Kaiba said, but the way he said it sounded like "go fuck yourself". Still, if she and Pegasus are chummy enough that she called him immediately after our duel, maybe there's nothing to worry about.
"Yes, you are. You're afraid to trust others."
Junko's words echoed in his head. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, Kaiba speculated and looked at the picture of Mokuba inside the locket around his neck.
"Well, as long as you're here, I do have a gift for you," Pegasus said.
"A gift? From you? April Fool's day was months ago," Kaiba remarked.
"Now, now, don't be like that. I promise you'll like this gift," Pegasus stated.
"I'll be the judge of that," Kaiba grumbled.
"Come closer," Pegasus stated, waving Kaiba towards his desk. Only after taking a few steps forward did Kaiba notice the two Duel Monsters cards face-up on the desk. They both caught his eye.
"I was planning on mailing them to you," Pegasus said, "But as long as you're here, you may as well take them."
Kaiba reached for them only to stop. "Hold on, what's the catch? You have to be up to something. You just so conveniently have two cards for me that you're just giving to me? Why don't I buy that? I bet the second I play them their data is laced with a virus or something."
Pegasus dropped the act for a moment, looking solemn. "Kaiba, I really am sorry about everything. I'm sincerely trying to be a better person. Yugi boy opened my eyes about what's truly important. And Junko was such a warm ray of sunshine that I've left the me you knew in Duelist Kingdom long behind. Please take the cards, Kaiba boy. It would mean a lot to me."
"Ugh," Kaiba said, taking the cards and carefully putting them in his coat pocket. "I will take them, but never act like a puppy that's been kicked out into the rain ever again. It's disgusting."
Pegasus chuckled. "Now that's a promise I can keep. Life's too short to act so glum. Happiness is the in thing now."
"Yeah, sure. Happiness. Mmmhmm," Kaiba said dismissively. "I'm going now."
"Have a wonderful trip," Pegasus told him.
Kaiba headed down the elevator and then felt strange and uncomfortable. Like he'd just yelled at Mr. Rogers and was only told in the kindest, most forgiving voice ever, "I'm sorry you are angry, neighbor. You must be going through some rough times. If you ever want to talk, I have two ears that are great at listening."
The idea made Kaiba want to throw up in his own mouth.
"You deliberately kill any emotion you feel like a monster on your opponent's battlefield because you feel that's the way it has to be."
Kaiba slapped the left side of his face, palming his eye. Get out of my head, Enoshima! You don't know the first thing about me!
"Everything all right, Seto?" Mokuba asked when Kaiba got back into the plane and took his seat.
"I'm fine," Kaiba said, surly.
"You don't sound it."
"Drop it, Mokuba," Kaiba growled.
Mokuba shrank back into his seat. He knew better than to talk to Kaiba while his big brother was in a "mood".
Fortunately, Kaiba's mood was improved slightly by a phone call from Chihiro. "What have you got for me?"
"The new AI system is ready for beta testing. I've got test decks ready and everything for your return, sir."
"I won't be back until the end of next week. Have alter ego run a few simulations and then see if Hinata's not busy and have him try it. Give me an updated build after that and we can have the finishing touches ready by the end of next week."
"Yes, sir, understood. Nothing else to report. I'll get back to work." Chihiro then hung up.
From there, Kaiba sank into his seat and was about to nod off when he got another call. He was surprised by the caller ID, but answered anyway. The person on the other line spoke first.
"Speaking. Yes, this is my direct line." He listened to the other persons speak. "Calm down, you're starting to squeak." He then sighed, closing his eyes briefly as he waited for the other party to give him actual useful information. When they were finally finished delivering their message, he responded with. "Don't you have something to cure that?" He listened to the answer. "What do you mean "that's normal"?" He groaned. "I am not yelling." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He waited a long time before he spoke again. "Look, if you say it's normal, I won't argue, I just don't agree." He paused briefly before asking. "What do you mean that's not healthy?" He sighed after hearing a little more. "Fine, I'll get more fresh air and eat more kale. Will that cheer you up?" He sighed again. "Please don't act shocked every single time I agree to your suggestions." He sighed deeper. "You don't have to apologize for it." He waited again before there was just silence on the phone. "Is that all?" He then sighed. "Right. Bye." He then hung up.
"What was that about?" Mokuba asked.
"You don't need to know," Kaiba said, putting his phone away and then leaned back in the chair, turned on the massage function and took a well-deserved nap.
Meanwhile, Junko and Yugi were returning to their hotel, Yami taking control of his and Yugi's shared body while Junko sat down at her computer to blog. Mukuro stood idly in the corner, silent as a statue, trying to act invisible unless needed.
"Junko, about your duel with Kaiba," Yami began.
"Wasn't that great?" Junko asked. "I nearly had him too."
Yami clarified, harshening his tone. "About the things you said to Kaiba."
Junko, realizing where this discussion was heading, put down her laptop screen and spun the chair around to see Yami sitting on the edge of his bed. She waited for him to continue.
"While I don't necessarily disagree with some of the things you said to Kaiba, you were quite harsh, unfair even."
"Didn't we have this conversation about Weevil? I don't mince words, Pharaoh," Junko told him.
"You also asked me to fix you, so I'm trying to help," Yami retorted.
"All right, fine. I lectured Kaiba. Maybe I was a bit overzealous in my criticisms."
"The mocking impression and saying "that is how you undercut your opponent's effectiveness" was going a bit too far," Yami criticized. "Kaiba isn't the friendliest person in the world."
"Not by a longshot," Junko interjected. Yami shot her a look. "Sorry. Continue."
Yami sighed, continuing his statements. "However, I believe Kaiba has the potential for being good without needing to resort to such harsh language and tone."
"Riiiiight, because the half or dozen or more friendship speeches you've tossed him has worked wonders," Junko said sarcastically. "Tell me, does he believe in the heart of the cards yet? What about the power of destiny?"
"Undermining his pride isn't any better," Yami stated.
"Well, doesn't that make you just so charitable," Junko chuckled.
Yami sighed.
"Speaking of those same friendship and destiny speeches, I'm pretty sure I recall times where you've demanded that Kaiba believe you with no consideration for his own feelings. Isn't it unfair to criticize me for doing the same, even if I'm demanding he realize something else about himself?"
Yami briefly recalled how Chiaki had criticized him for lecturing Kaiba after his victory in Battle City. He closed his eyes. "I suppose I'm no better in that regard. Still, our intentions are different."
"Oh? How so? We both want Kaiba to change for the betterment of our own opinion of him."
"Because, Junko, I wanted Kaiba to open his mind and understand things he was deliberately shutting his eyes to because his blindness was hurting others, including himself. Your actions served only to wound Kaiba's pride."
"Is that what you think?"
"Hmm?"
"Sometimes people won't look deep inside themselves unless someone calls them out on their awful behavior. Have you met the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, Hiyoko Saionji?"
"I can't say I have," Yami stated.
"She's in Hajime's class," Junko stated. "I heard she used to be a nasty, yappy dog, the kind that bounces when it barks. She's getting better ever since the debacle with the Orichalcos, but I hear one of her closest friends used to let her treat one of their mutual friends like garbage."
"That's…" Yami couldn't even begin to comprehend the idea.
"No one called her out on her behavior, so she kept doing it. And one day her teacher said "no". And she took it about as well as Kaiba did…at first."
Yugi took control. "No! That's not right! I don't believe that a harsher tone with someone you care about is ever the right thing to do."
"So what would you do if it was your friends?" Junko asked. "Let's use Joey as an example since he's constantly getting himself into trouble."
"I wouldn't yell at Joey, I'd talk to him, like I'm doing with you now."
Junko sighed, smiling. "Oh, Yugi, you're so sweet and adorable. The real world is going to eat you alive if you're not careful."
"What?" Yugi asked, confused.
"Let me tell you something," Junko said, adopting her Dio pose while sitting, but keeping her normal tone of voice. "Outside your circle of friends, and maybe the fans you've made, no one gives two flying fucks about you. You may not want to accept it, but that's the truth. There are more people in the world that don't even know who you are than people that do. And the same goes for me as well. And if someone makes you angry, you don't always have the option to talk it out with them. If you're nice all the time, you'll die young."
"I'm sorry, but I don't agree with that. If you're kind, you can teach someone else to be kind in turn," Yugi responded.
Junko felt icky inside, but she didn't show it. She also couldn't see it, but Yami was smiling. He and Yugi truly were two halves of a greater whole.
"And even if you are right that the real world won't be kind, then I'll just build a strong wall around me of the people I trust, love, and care about and they'll help me through any hardship. That's what I believe," Yugi said, staring at Junko with passive-aggressive conviction.
Junko leaned back in the chair, hands on the arm rests, uncrossing her legs. She tapped one finger against the leather and scanned Yugi's face, analyzing him up at a glance. Something about you…rubs me the wrong way, Junko thought. She stared at the Millennium Puzzle. I wonder, of the two halves, which of you is truly stronger? She put her musings on hold as she addressed Yugi's complaints and criticisms. "Look, Yugi, and Pharaoh." She knew he was listening even if she couldn't see him. "If you two want to be kind and shower the world with love and hope, that's fine by me. But I don't agree with that viewpoint. Never have. Never will. Society seeks to break humanity and you will either live as a shining example, or break down and die prematurely in a hospital bed. Kaiba is currently of the former, but he could easily crash into the latter at the rate he's going. Have you ever considered the possibility that his dismissal of your Ancient Egyptian destiny isn't because he doesn't believe in it, but because he wants no part of it? Because it's an unnecessary, unwanted addition to his life as a young CEO. You, Yugi, you embraced your so-called destiny, but not everyone can be that welcoming to change. That's not exclusive to Kaiba. That's just being human."
"What about you, Junko?" Yugi asked. "Do you welcome change well?"
"Me?" Junko asked. She smiled. "I love change. When things are boring and complacent, and unchanging, I feel awful." She pivoted her whole body so that she was upside-down in the chair, legs going up over the back of it. "Life's no fun if you can't bend the rules a little and gain new perspectives by approaching the same issue from multiple angles. When you do, you'll find that very little in life is binary." Her eyes seemed to zone out. "The world is a vast array of endless possibilities and outcomes. And we, as human beings, do our best to steer our lives towards the path we set out for ourselves." Yugi, fortunately for Junko, missed the empty, nightmarish black void that seemed to gleam in Junko's pupil. He also couldn't hear the screams of despair inside her head. "And when we carve our own destiny, when we make the world we envisioned, that is the most satisfying feeling in the world."
Yami took control. "What about events predetermined by fate?"
Junko sat up straight and stretched her arms up over her head. "A guiding moral compass in my opinion, nothing more. Nothing less. You can't force a prophecy to come true unless you work towards it. Think about it, Pharaoh, though you never got the chance to defeat Marik yourself, you didn't just say you would defeat him because destiny said so, you used destiny as supporting evidence because that's what you wanted to happen. You wanted to defend the world. Just look at Dartz. He said that the Orichalcos was humanity's destiny, but you and your friends rejected that idea so hard it killed him."
"I suppose destiny…might have a human element to it," Yami said, finding it difficult to argue Junko's point.
"I can prove that destiny is but a suggestion, not a predetermined destination," Junko stated.
"How so?" Yami asked.
"Let's say you find a way to freely travel through time. Would you go back to the past to prevent a world-destroying calamity, or would you leave history as it was and only act as an observer. Let's assume, for the sake of argument that this wouldn't have nearly as many repercussions on the timeline you hail from as such an act would normally have. Think of it like murder without getting caught. You go back, you change history, you leave. No one knows you were there, but that catastrophic life changing event is gone for many people that claimed so many lives. Is it destiny? Or is it something you can change?"
Yami thought about this for a moment, but not for much longer. He could see Junko's point. "I think I see what you're saying. If someone has the power to alter the course of destiny in favor of a better future for what they believe in, then they should use it."
"Exactly," Junko said. "Marik and Dartz taking over the world inconvenienced you and your friends. You fought for what you believed in. Even the greatest villains in history only push forward the agendas that they believe in. You can make any victory or grandstanding achievement you want and call it destiny. It's just a word, and words have meaning. I'll give you another example," Junko said with a mischievous smile. "If I said that it's destiny that you and I are to fall in love and get married, what would you think?"
Yami nearly choked on his own spit.
"You don't need to say anything? Your reaction said everything: uncertainty. But so many people say that because destiny says so that we are a slave to it. I hate people like that, never lifting a finger to do anything for themselves because they believe in an unseen power. So boring and easy to read. They're a dime a dozen. But you're not like that, Pharaoh. You as well, Yugi. You rise above challenge after challenge and carve a path you believe in. Call it destiny if you wish, call it ice cream for all anyone cares. All that matters is that it's the path you choose for yourself and you made the decision. Just as a chef handles his knife carefully not for a specific hungry customer but because it's his job to serve good food and he likes to serve it. You carve your path like a roasted turkey to be served until it's all gone. Then you get buried in the ground and your legacy is remembered by all who knew you. That's life. And in death, if you made enough of an impression on society, you are never truly forgotten because you are immortalized in the history books for better or for worse."
Yami and Yugi both let Junko's words sink in. She was making sense and there was very little room for argument. Eventually, Yami smiled. "You are truly a valuable friend, Junko."
"Of course, Pharaoh," Junko said, his caring nature unable to see the toxins in her smile. "Just doing my job and carving my own path as your friend." To see your Ultimate Despair.
(A/N: Junko, stop it! You're evil and I hate you! And sadly, I still need you to be in this story no matter how much I want you to die XD.
That aside, helluva chapter, huh? The duel might've been kinda short, but I feel that everything in this chapter helps be a good celebration for a 100th chapter. And yes, by popular demand, Junko is using Frightfurs now. Arc-V is not canon to DTF and people were saying the archetype fit her so I just decided to give it to her.
And now she's going to be in the Kaiba Corp Grand Prix. Oy vey.
This chapter marks the end of Despair Arc Part 1. Next chapter officially begins the Kaiba Corp Grand Prix. Not sure how long it'll run for, but I have my estimates. That said, we already know Chiaki, Hajime, Makoto, Junko and Joey will be competing, but who will be our other contestants? Leave your guesses in your comments/reviews and you'll see if you're wrong or right soon enough. But, until next time, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)