The good news is that I was able to write up a new chapter this week. However, the duel will happen in the next one since this chapter was getting to be kind of long. Anyway, enjoy. XD
Chapter 54
As Alex stood her ground, looking calmly and evenly at the hooded figure before her, Kaiba was shocked to see her. Annoyed, he shouted,
"Idiot! You were supposed to stay away."
Alex looked at Kaiba and replied, "Like I was going to stand aside and do nothing. Besides, you three look like you got yourselves in quite an unpleasant situation."
Joey replied, "I wouldn't normally agree with moneybags, but for once, he's right. You've gotta get out of here, Alex."
Meanwhile, Yugi looked at Alex but didn't say anything. He knew that if she was here, she was their only hope left. The hooded figure observed the conversation going on and smirking, he said,
"I don't mean to interrupt, but I wish to confirm something."
He looked at Alex and asked, "I take it that you're the time anomaly?"
Alex figured that there was no point in deceiving the hooded figure, so she simply nodded and replied,
"I am, but I'm not going to tell you exactly which part of the future I'm from."
Joey replied, "Time anomaly? What? I don't get it."
Yugi sighed and replied, "Hopefully, we can explain later, Joey."
The figure replied, "I'm glad that you didn't try to hide it. I would've hated to torture you for such minor information."
Alex replied, "I get it."
The figure looked at his assistant and after whispering a few words to him, the latter disappeared. For a moment, though, Alex saw his face and thought that she recognized him. She didn't know what to make of it although she knew that she needed to focus on the current problem at hand.
Then the figure looked again at Alex and said, "It confuses me that you're the reason I can't go through with my plan."
Alex shrugged and replied, "I don't understand, either. But since you bring it up, what is your plan?"
She looked genuinely curious, which caught the hooded figure off guard. He replied,
"You know, you're the first person ever to ask me that. Everyone else just assumes that I'm evil and that I plan to destroy the world and all that."
Alex replied, "Yeah, but I like to think that I don't make quick judgments about anyone. I try to keep an open mind. I want to understand what your plan is and your motivations."
Amused, the figure replied, "Alright. I can see that you really want to know, for the sake of curiosity."
Before Alex could say anything, the figure snapped his fingers, and he and Alex were surrounded in a black cloud of smoke. Kaiba looked alarmed at what was happening, but as he was about to shout for Alex, Alex could no longer see him or the others.
Once Alex and the hooded figure were alone, the latter said, "This is to make sure that we won't get interrupted by those idiots."
Alex replied, "Oh, you mean Seto and the others?"
The figure replied, "Exactly. I could put them back to sleep, but I just didn't want to bother."
He looked at Alex and then added, "I have this feeling that you might understand, so I'll show you."
The figure then conjured up an image of the past. In that image, it was ancient Greece and a time when the people believed in the Greek gods. The gods reigned supreme, and the people would worship them and give them the respect they deserve. Of course, some gods were revered more than others. What wasn't widely known, though, was that there was a noble family who were their guardians, ensuring that their powers would be contained, should anything unforeseen happen.
As fewer people continued to believe in the Greek gods, opting to believe in one universal god instead, the powers of the Greek gods became weaker. The gods were in danger of disappearing out of existence. However, members of that noble family took steps to ensure that wouldn't happen, protecting the gods and containing their powers. However, there was one god who refused to bow down before that family, opting to be free instead of contained. Then an image, which Alex recognized, appeared of the hooded figure dueling against Alexa although just like what Alex had witnessed, there appeared to be no definitive winner.
After the hooded figure finished showing Alex images of the past, Alex took a minute to process what she saw. Then she looked at the figure and the figure asked,
"So what do you think?"
Alex replied, "Well, I can understand why you've gone through this trouble. You're the god that refused to be enslaved. I can get that. I come from a nation that treasures freedom, after all."
The figure smiled and replied, "I knew you'd get it."
Alex then said, "But here's something I don't understand. What do your actions up to now have to do with what happened in your past? You still haven't told me why you've gone through all this trouble. I doubt it's simply for revenge or something petty."
The figure replied, "Smart girl. You are correct. I wouldn't do this for revenge. As you might have guessed, I was, until quite recently, imprisoned. But I was set free."
Alex replied, "Who set you free?"
The figure replied, "They call themselves representatives of the time agency – whatever that means."
Alex was surprised and didn't try to hide her feelings. She quickly processed his words and thought to herself,
So Cas' bosses set him free? But why?
The figure looked at Alex and said, "I can guess what you're probably thinking. Why did they set me free? They spouted a lot of nonsense, but it comes down to this. They were saying things like how the time periods have gotten messed up beyond what their agents could fix, so they wanted to free me and unleash my powers. In other words, they wanted to reset the world and time itself."
Alex nodded slowly and replied, "I see. So you agree with their ideas?"
The figure replied, "To an extent, but all I wanted at that time was to be free. So I agreed to their request. But as soon as I regained enough of my powers, I took care of them."
Alex looked worried and replied, "You don't mean…"
The figure replied, "Despite what many have misunderstood about me, I'm not evil. I simply put them to sleep, like I did with those duelists."
Alex was relieved to hear that and then said, "Ok. Then let's get back on point. I understand about your past and how you got free. But what do Seto and the others have to do with your ultimate plan? Which, by the way, I still don't know what it is."
The figure laughed and replied, "Yes, I suppose that's fair. Like those people wanted, I want to reset the world and time, too, but in my own way. I want the power of the gods to be restored, but not only that. I want there to be an equal balance of power, a check system, if you will. But in order to do so, I learned that I need to wield the powers of the strongest duelists from each of their respective times. Apparently, dueling energy is what I need."
Alex nodded and replied, "Yes, I can see that."
Inwardly, Alex didn't like how the hooded figure went about capturing Kaiba and the others although she could understand his goals. She then said,
"Ok, I'm getting this, and let's see if I can get why you can't enact your plan. Since I'm a time anomaly, meaning that I don't belong here, it throws a monkey wrench in your plans."
The figure looked questioningly at Alex and asked, "Monkey wrench?"
Alex smiled a bit and replied, "Just a saying back home. But yeah, you can't reset things as long as I'm around."
The figure replied, "Correct. Normally, I'd just take care of you like I've done to the others, but you've been surprisingly sweet and patient with me, so I'll give you an alternative."
Alex looked curiously at the figure, and the figure continued, "Agree to work with me."
Alex replied, "I don't know why I'd agree to that. I'm not refusing immediately, but I don't see the benefit of me helping you."
The figure smirked and replied, "I thought you might say that, so allow me to give you an incentive. I know about you, Alex. At least, the part about losing your brother. Agree to work with me, and I can give him back to you."
Alex's heart clenched at the mention of Andy, and she replied, "You know how to get Andy back? I've been trying, but-"
The figure interrupted, "Yes, I know about your efforts to get your brother back from the void he was forced to. Your efforts are valiant, but in the end, you are still human. But with my powers, I can get your brother back. Then the two of you can live together, as it was meant to be."
Alex replied, "That is tempting. I won't lie."
Alex thought about how she and Andy could end up having their lives back, even if it would come at the cost of resetting the world and time as the hooded figure wanted. However, as Alex had been through so much from the time she lost Andy all the way to up now, plus the fact that she finally found someone who loved her for herself, she knew what her decision had to be.
However, deciding to humor the figure a bit, she looked at him and said, "If I agree to work with you, I'd get Andy back and we'd get to live our lives the way we want. But wouldn't that come at the cost of everyone else? And Seto and the others would remain imprisoned, according to your whims?"
The figure replied, "A small price to pay, I think. And yes, I'm aware of your relationship with Kaiba. But you went into all this because you wanted your brother back. Isn't he more important to you?"
Alex bit on her lower lip and quietly replied, "Family is always important."
The hooded figure smiled and after snapping his fingers, the black cloud around them dissipated, and Alex could see Kaiba and the others. The figure then said,
"I think I know your answer now, and I want them to hear it, too."
The figure looked at Kaiba, feeling victorious that he probably won Alex over to his side. However, Alex simply smiled and replied,
"If you had made that offer before I got myself in too deep, I might have said yes. And as much as I will always love Andy, I find myself surrounded by many people who care about me. I can't keep holding onto the past forever. So to make it official, I will politely refuse your offer."
The figure frowned at Alex and replied, "I was informed you are a genius. I thought you'd be smarter than this, but then again, I suppose love can mess up even the smartest of people."
Kaiba smiled a bit although he didn't say anything. Then Joey asked,
"What's he talkin about? Alex is in love?"
Alex looked apologetically at Joey and replied, "I'll explain later."
The figure shook his head and replied, "No matter. I gave you a fair chance, so as much as it pains me to do this, I'll have to eliminate you."
As the figure conjured up the power from his fingers and then aimed a powerful lightning bolt towards Alex, meant to kill her, suddenly, Alex's bracelet glowed and then Alex was surrounded by a protective magical shield. The lightning bolt fizzled upon reaching the shield, and Alex was saved. Angered, the figure exclaimed,
"What did you do?!"
Before Alex could reply, Alexa appeared beside Alex and replied, "You think my descendant did that? In her time, magic isn't a thing."
The figure looked at Alexa and replied, "You. It's been a long time."
Alexa replied, "Indeed, it has been. I wasn't going to let you hurt her."
Meanwhile, Kaiba and the others witnessed the whole flurry of actions, and emotions were running wild. In particular, Kaiba wanted to shout at Alex for being an idiot, but he was relieved that she was ok and he could always yell at her later.
Alexa looked at Alex and said, "I did give you a warning that talking to him might not work."
Alex shrugged and replied, "Eh, it doesn't hurt to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."
She sighed and then continued, "So I guess we go with your plan?"
Alexa replied, "I know you'd rather settle things peacefully, but at the moment, he doesn't look to be in that sort of mood."
Alexa jerked her head towards the hooded figure, who looked like he was trying to remain calm. At the same time, though, he was clearly annoyed by this turn of events. He just wanted to execute his plan, but there were obstacles in his way. The figure replied,
"Fine. Then how about this? Let's have a duel. You can even state the terms except that she," looking at Alexa, "isn't allowed to assist during the duel. If you win, I'll agree to put an end to my plans and be imprisoned like my fellow gods."
Alex replied, "And if you win?"
The figure replied, "Then you work with me. And I won't guarantee that you get your brother back since you wouldn't agree to my terms."
Alex considered the terms and then replied, "I'll agree with those terms. We'll put everything on the line with a duel. But before we get started, let's establish the rules."
The hooded figure smiled and replied, "Of course. Normally, I'd let you tag duel with people from your time, but since I don't know exactly when in the future you're from and you won't tell me, I'll make an exception. You can choose any two of these idiots to assist you."
He jerked his head towards Kaiba and the other imprisoned duelists. Joey angrily replied, "Who are ya callin an idiot, idiot?!"
Kaiba annoyingly replied, "You are an idiot, Wheeler, but I take offense at being put in the same group as him."
He then looked at Alex and said, "You won't stay out of this, so I'll agree to help you."
Alex gave a look and replied, "That is a generous offer, but I already have a team in mind."
Kaiba was surprised upon hearing Alex's reply, wondering who she was talking about. Before he could ask, though, the figure asked,
"Who do you want?"
Alex smiled and replied, "As long as I'm not limited to picking the duelists you've captured."
The figure replied, "Of course. You're free to choose whoever you want on your team."
Alex nodded and replied, "In that case…"
She looked towards the direction of the alley she emerged from earlier, silently indicating for Mokuba and Max to appear. On cue, they walked towards Alex, and once they reached her, Max grinned and said,
"It's been a dream of mine to duel with you."
Alex smirked and replied, "Oh, I bet."
Mokuba exclaimed, "I can't wait to get started!"
Kaiba and the others who were awake (except for Yugi) were surprised to see Mokuba and Max, and Kaiba said,
"Do none of you listen to me?"
Max laughed and replied, "You should know how stubborn Alex can be, and I think Mokuba might have picked up a little of that from her."
Alex added, "That's not necessarily a bad thing."
Kaiba groaned, feeling exasperated, but before he could say or do anything, Yubel, Astral, and the others appeared behind Alex, Mokuba, and Max. Alexa looked at the figure and said,
"I won't intervene in their duel, but you never mentioned about anyone else."
The figure felt annoyed as more unexpected events continued to throw his plans for a loop. However, he did his best to remain calm and replied,
"True. Well, no matter. At least, now I know what happened to them."
He looked to Yubel and the others. Then he added, "I'll have no problems taking you three down. I easily took down those other morons."
He looked briefly at Kaiba and the others, which made Joey shout in annoyance. Then he continued,
"Let's get this duel started, shall we?"