A/N: Interesting chappies lately, eh?
Drake: "Interesting" isn't the word.
Alpha: Don't worry, this chapter will be verrrrrrry interesting!
Drake: Good. I- wait. WHAT DO YOU MEAN!?
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh!, only the original characters and elements of this fic. Oh yeah, I don't own "Shade", or Martin. They belong to Gema J. Gall, highly skilled fic writer and fellow Christian.
Drake: With all the things you plan to do to me, I doubt the Christian part.
Alpha: This from the guy who's got a pervert in his head.
Lance:*So?*
My knowledge of snappy remarks are wearing thin, so please do not mind if I refrain from spending half my time on these. In short...I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! DON'T ASK AGAIN!
Lyz: Yay! Now he's ours!
Lyzza: TO VICTORY!
Alpha: *sigh* I thought I murdered the Fanta company owners.
Both: SO IT WAS YOU!
Alpha: *gulps*
Shameless Advertisements:
Dark Magician Agency, a fic where one Spellcastor tries to keep the peace, get the girl, and make reviewers laugh out loud.
Digia 2: The cast of Digimon Tamers reinacting Grandia 2, the 3rd most popular RPG so far that I own.
Both fics and ads owned and payed for by E-100 Alpha
Correction: Last chapter, I said a crime was going to be commited, with Mokuba and his toons as top suspects. Unfortunatly, due to sudden, rare, insperation, I've changed my plan.
***************************************************************
Drake woke up very early the next morning with an exasperated sigh.
Somehow, Lara had managed to get past every dragon in his deck, sneak into his room, and cunningly fall asleep in a position which would make him blush uncontrollably for several months.
*You were right. She IS evil!*
*I know.* Drake thought with a loving sigh.
*Maybe she'll quite if you meanly tell her you only blush to humor her.*
*That's not mean. It's the truth.*
* SAY WHA!?* Lance mentally exclaimed.*Drake, I am both surprised and proud beyond belief! Do you actually enjoy it?*
*Yes* Drake said uncomfortably,*but I fake blushing instead of enjoying it. I mean, if I did the other option, and wanted it, wouldn't that make me a pervert?*
*Drake, you're friends with a New Yorker puppy, an airplane speedbump, the Ballerina Queen of the Fairies, a bird-brained flirt, a former midget with his super-hero alter ego, a dimension-hopping poster-boy, a Brit with a Spikey from Mario on his head, your rival for Fortune Kids Magazine, and his little brother, and me, no explanation required. If you were a pervert, no one would care!*
*I guess.* Drake sent, smiling.
He sighed again as Lara slighty stirred. When she was asleep, her beaty was quiet. She was angelic, innocent, soft. But when she was awake, her beaty went full out, proudly proclaiming itself to the world, not afraid to say it existed.
He really couldn't describe how he felt about her actions. True, she was highly flirtatious, but that was not only her personality, it was also a way she showed her love. At least that was his opinion, however insane it may be.
But what if he actually returned and accepted her actions? If he loved her flirtatiousness, did that really make him the pervert he feared he may be? Then again, as said before, that was her personality, which he loved. So, did loving her make him a pervert?
*AGH! I'M LOST IN A MAZE OF A CONFUSED MIND!*
*Sorry.* Drake sent.
*S'Ok. Anyway, I have a great idea!*
*Uh, oh.*
*Very funny. Tell me, is all you're wearing that shirt and your"red-hot" boxers?*
*They're just red with a flame emroidary!*Drake thought, embarrased.*Yes, why?*
*Take off the shirt, and pretend you're still asleep. Maybe we can succeed in making her blush, for once.*
For one moment, the question of Love or Lewd entered Drake's mind again. However, he soon forgot it.
Throwing the red dhirt on the floor, he was shocked when he heard Lara yawn. But she was still asleep, so he queitly slipped back into the blanket.
What happened next was decidedly interesting. Lara unconcsiously put her arms around his neck.
*It must be some sixth sense!* Lance laughed histerically.
Drake didn't mind. In fact, he was happy for this.
Also, he didn't pretend. He quickly fell asleep in her embrace.
Lara did open her eyes a few minutes later, and her first thought was slight shock. The second thought was to immediately close her mouth, so no drool came out.
Smiling, she nudged closer to Drake, then fell asleep.
*No redness!*Lance angrily said, quietly though.*Why can't I ever succeed?*
"Maybe because you can't with me."
In his Soul Room, Lance looked up. Prima was there, wearing the same silk nightgown that Lara currently was.
Lance immediately blushed, then smiled happily."Maybe you're right."
Smiling, Prima walked up and kissed him softly.
Lance feinted in happiness.
"Great!" Prima whispered happily, leaning down laying him."Now let's see if HE blushes when he wakes up like this!*
***************************************************************
"I'm bored." Ryo said. "What?"
Everyone who knew what his definition of Fun was had backed away.
"I just want a duel."
Everyone who knew his dueling skill backed away further, except for the two Kaibas.
Seto was teaching a few advanced moves to Mokuba, which was no easy task with Pegasus's deck.
*I'll say it without shame: I hope I don't get paired against you, Mokuba! Your skills are incredible!"
"Thanks!" Mokuba said happily.
Drake and Lara came down, wearing casual clothes but still kept their wings.
"I still say you must lift weights."Lara whispered, there were too many suspicious stares for her to say something that could possibly lead to the wrong thing.
"All I do is practice Self-Defense." Drake said for the umpteenth time."I rarely ever work out other ways.
* I don't care what he says.*Prima said.*Both he and his yami have better six-packs than his dad's wine collection!*
*Tell me about it.*Lara thought happily, slightly blushing.
"Drake! Wanna' duel?"Ryo asked, holding up his deck.
"Sure!" Drake said eagerly."The tournament is in six days, and I need the practice!"
More than one of the group was shocked. In the comfort of the inn and excitement of living in the Shadow Realm, they had almost forgotten why they were here.
Seto abruptly stood up, and started walking to the door.
"Where ya' going, Seto?" Mokuba asked.
"To town."He answered."I'm sure they have a few card shops. Not that I need any, but several others could use major improvements to THEIR decks."
Everyone glared, then followed him.
***************************************************************
Shade sat alone in her room, thinking.
Her favorite possession was tilting again, this time in the direction of her window.
She sighed, wishing she knew what it meant. Martin was still snoring softly in the other room, most of the others had gone out, and Zeph and Mike were talking to each other. Somehow, she had a strange feeling it would be more than rude to inturrupt them.
That was another mystery. Ever since she had recieved the strange item, she had these unexplained feelings. Though they appeared in her mind only a few times a week in the real world, here they were going haywire.
The strangest part was the possession itself. It had a constant habit of tugging in a certain direction sometimes. Although she trusted and loved it like the one who gave it to her, it strangely always found a way to mess things up.
Once, she had followed it's pull to an alleyway, where she heard a boy crying, after she heard his girlfriend scream.
Another time, much less serious, she had followed it at night when she needed to open a certain door.
Luckily for her, her blindness nullifyed the possibility in the minds of the teachers, when they thought she might be sabotaging the Men's room.
Sighing in relief, she felt its weight return to its normal state.
As she put it back into her bag, she realized also that it had appeared out of nowhere when it started tugging, just as it had in the real world.
She heard the door open, and heard the shy squeak of Martin's voice and stepped out of the room.
"So, Martin, what does Zeph want us to do for her now?"
If she could see, Shade might have giggled to notice Martin blushing.
"Umm, she's with Mike."He said."They're, umm, doing that thing you and Luther always did when something really good happened."
Making out. Figures.
"I guess we have the day free then."She sighed, grabbing Martin's hand."So how about a little us-shopping, for a change?"
From the polite groan she heard, Shade figured Martin had had enough shopping.
***************************************************************
A large building in the center of the shopping district was were the group had decided to go.
Bursting out in insane laughter, the group was greeted by the manager, a pale, tall man with purple robes and an expressionless face.
"I'm sorry, customers, but we are closed."He said in a voice as monotone as the rest of him."Please come back some time. We are cleaning the mess from the vandalism last night."
"Vandalism?"Joey asked in wonder."How could a store with..that... namehahahah!"
The others resisted snorting. It was a bit ironic that vandals could break into, and get out, of a store named "Labyrinth Wall-Mart."
"Well, what do we do until then? Tea asked.
"What else?"Mai said happily."Shop at other places."
Lara and Tea both cheered. Most of the men groaned.
"Fine."Seto said."I have a few things on my personal list, anyway."
"As he walked away, Kaiba gladly enjoyed the fact that no one knew his secret love of looking in Dark Magician Girls's Secret......."
"SHUT UP, DOG!"
"Dark Magician Girl's Secret...GREAT IDEA!"
The group sweatdropped as Mai ran off to the aforementioned store.
"I'm off to!" Tea said, heading toward a shop called "Dark Witch's Wardrobe."
"I hope she gets the same outfit!"
"You and me both, little one!"
Joey groaned. The fact that both Yugi and his yami could swoon over the most feminine tomboy ever was sickining to him.
[A/N:Then again, he doesn't think of Mai as tomboyish.]
"Well, if they go-" Tristan walked off somewhere.
[A/N:I don't know where, probably somewhere dangerous only idiots would go.]
"Hey Tristan, wait for me!" Joey said.
"Yugi,"Yami said,"Now that you're my size, we might need a few changes so not to look too similar."
"Ok, let's go!"
[A/N:For the sake of the story{which is falling into several simultaneous Plot Holes}, and the fact that the store they go to is a secret, I'll tell you where they went later.]
"Hey, TV store!" Mokuba cried before running off. "Must see Bugs Bunny!"
"My dad chose well."Drake said.
"Off I go!" Ryo said. A store known as Hero's Accessories was nearby.
"That leaves us." Lara said happily."Any idea where to go?"
"No, not-"
Drake glanced at a store they almost passed.
""Devlin's Dicing Cup"?"Drake said incredulously."I've heard the name Devlin somewhere before."
"Then let's go!" Lara said, irratably.
Entering the doors, they were greeted by:
"Welcome Duelists! Don't you fret!
Devlin's game's the best one yet!
He's so strong, he's so cool,
In monster games, Duke Devlin rules! Yaaaaaaaaay!"
"Cheerleaders?" Drake said, sweatdropping.
"Pardon them, I've asked them to stop, but sadly, and obviously, they can't."
The owner of the voice was a tall man with black hair that looked like Yami, if Yami's had gone flat accidentally!
[A/N: Heaven forbid! Sorry, force of habit.]
He had creepy green eyes, and had an earring with a die attached to it by a string.
"My name is Duke Devlin!"He said, bowing slightly." And who may ask, is this lovely lady?"
Lara blushed. Drake noticed.
"Lara Justina. My girlfriend."Drake said, heavy emphasis on the last word.
"Oh, sorry."Duke said."And you?"
"Drake Pegasus, Dragon Duelist!"He answered, grinning proudly.
Though Lara slapped her hand to her forehead, Duke looked shocked.
"Pegasus?! As in, Maximilian Pegasus?!"
"Yeah, he's my dad."
Duke looked as if all his dreams had come true.
"You probably don't know this, but I've created a game myself! Dungeon Dice Monsters!"
"Oh, yeah! That's right. My dad told me about a new game he was going to promote after the tou-"
"YESSSSSSS!" Duke exclaimed, throwing his hand into the air.
"However, I'm afraid you'll also need the approval of a certain major Industrial Illusions executive."
"Oh."Duke said, slighty down."Who?"
"Me." Drake said, smirking. "If the game's any good, I'll approve of it!"
"Fine."Devlin said, smiling."I challenge you to a duel of Dungeon Dice Monsters."
"I'll be glad to duel you, after I learn the rules, of course."
"Of course." Duke said."Only a desperate jerk would duel someone who doesn't know the rules of his own game."
***************************************************************
Seto walked out of the tailor's, holding his new suit in an outfit.
He looked at what he held in his hand. It worried him that, even after all his demands and instructions, the owner of the shop still thankd him with several rare DM booster packs.
"I wonder what the Tailor of the Fickle's other customers are like?"Seto said, sweatdropping."Ah well. At least I have this. Buckle-boy won't be the only one to win with style anymore."
***************************************************************
"Why do I feel like this is a bad idea?"Yugi asked, seeing the name of the store."Yami, are you sure?"
"Of course,"Yami answered, smiling."Why would it be a mistake?"
The store had a proud sign labled "Leather Lovers Anonymous."
***************************************************************
The group, with the exception of Drake and Lara, met up in the central square of the market.
"Did anyone else go through heck?"Yugi asked, wearing his new leather jacket.[Same one from the Dice Monster arc!]
"Just you wait and see."Seto said, smirking.
"Is that a threat?"Yami said, jokingly. He now wore a cape made from his jacket, more buckles, and two more belts.
"Where are Drake and Lara?"Mokuba interupted, holding his new Blue Eyes White [plushie] Dragon doll.
[A/N: No, no, PLEASE- *Crowd of people saying AWWWWWWWW burst his eardrums*]
Those old enough, or perverse enough, paled at the possibility.
[A/N: Sorry for all the inturruptions in this chapter, but I MUST.BE.HEARD. N.E. ways, I must say that if Drake has problems now, just wait until the Digimon crossover, when a certain bunny rabbit comes along.]
"Maybe we should go find them."Bakura said, reddining slightly.
***************************************************************
Shade walked through town, led by hand, with Martin.
The sounds and smells of this town were incredible. The scent of Griggle sugar [fully photosynthesized!]filled the Health Drink Cafe, and there were several coos of Kuribohs coming from a pet store.
Suddenly, she felt something smash into her. She fell to the ground, dropping most of her things.
"Shade! Are you ok?"Martin's concerned voice asked.
"I'm sorry!" Came a new voice, a few steps away. It sounded like he was picking things up.
Martin helped Shade up, and she felt her things being put back into her hands."I'm sorry."The voice said again. It was a boy, young, with a thick Egyptian accent.
"It's ok."Shade said."I just didn't listen-"
"Oh, crap!"Came the boy's voice again, embarrassed."It's not enough that I sleepwalk, but I run into a blind person? I'm such an idiot."
"It's ok."Shade repeated, more firmly.
Suddenly, the boys gasped."Where did you get that?"
Shade realized her prized treasure was in her hands again, and it was tugging harder than ever before toward this new boy. She felt as though it might snap in two of it's weight didn't rip her arms off first.
"This is-"
"Give it to me!"He suddenly shouted. His voice had strangly deepened, and somehow Shade felt he was now taller than her.
Before anything happened, a new voice made itself known."Marik! Time for lunch!"
Suddenly, the sense of danger was gone. Shade no longer felt any weight, or power in the boy. He had suddenly switched from dark and cruel to young and innocent again.
"Coming, Isis!"
Shade heard him run away, then felt Martin grab her hand and start to run back to the inn. It wasn't neccessary;she had almost ran back herself.
{Who was that..Marik kid?} She asked herself.{I don't know why, but I was more scared in those few seconds than I've ever been!}
***************************************************************
Drake and Lara were found in Duke's shop, in the middle of the battle. while Lara quickly tried to explain the rules, Drake and Duke kept at it.
"Now, I'll send my Attack Crest-powered Barrel Dragon through the Warp Vortex!" Drake commanded. [ATK:60 DEF:10 HP:20]
The mechanical dragon used hover-jets on his feet to fly to the warp, then appeared on Duke's end.
"I'll use three more Movement Crests to position him,"Drake said as the dragon centered itself against Duke's platform."And attack with Proton Blast!"
The dragon's shot evaporated Duke's Defense Shogun.[ATK:10 DEF:50 HP:0]
"And I'll use the four Magic Crests I have stored to use his special effect! He can attack two more times, taking your Hearts to One!"
"Unbelievable."Duke said in amazement.[Heart:1] "This is the first time I've come this close to being beaten in such few turns, and I've only lost once! And that was to your dad!"
"You might want to hold the praising speeches, Duke." Drake said, remembering Helios.
"I'll hold only my victory!"Duke said, rolling his dice."Ah, a level 3 monster! Dimension the Dice!"
The dice unfolded, revealing the Invader of the Throne. [ATK:10 DEF:30 HP:10]
"Her effect allows her to switch places with whatever monster you have that I want!"Duke said, smiling. The throne dissapeared, and in it's place the Barrel Dragon teleported, while the Invader was where the BD once was.
"Now, Barrel Dragon! Proton Blast!"
The blast obliterated the Invader.
"And I'll also use my Magic Crests to attack twice more, in conjunction with my Fiend Reflection's special ability!" [ATK:0 DEF:0 HP:10]
{I was wondering why he summoned that.} Drake thought.
*Don't worry, whatever happens, he'll lose!*
"I can use the Reflection's ability to bouce my attack to your entire field area, including your Hearts!"
"CRAP!" Drake yelled.
All of Drake's other monsters were destroyed, and his hearts as well. [Heart:1]
"Good game Drake, but next turn your old dragon will end this duel for me!"
"Not if I can summon a strong enough creature to fight it, Devlin!" Drake said."Go, Dice Roll!"
The final toss was made. The results were promising. 1 Magiv, 2 LV:4 crests.
"Perfect! Now I can summon a monster to end this!"
"As if!" Duke said, flipping a strand of hair."What creature could possibly turn this duel around?"
Drake grabbed the dice, and smirked."Take a guess, Duke! Dimension the Dice!"
The dice unfolded, in an empty space. The monster was: "Lord of D.!" [ATK:10 DEF:10 HP 30]
"What good will it do?"Duke said, scowling.
"A horde of good, Devlin! I'm using that Magic Crest to use the Flute of Summoning Dragon!"
"No!" Duke exclaimed. {The Flute allows the player using it to roll again! And if it lands on Summon Crests, each crest rolled will summon a Dragon!}
"Go, Dice Roll!"
The dice seemed to move in slow motion. One stopped: Trap. Another:Attack. The last: LV4 Summon.
"And that's the end of it, Duke!"Drake called." I summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"
"No way! Impossible!"
"Way to go, Dragon-breath!" Seto applauded.
"Speak for yourself."Drake muttered, then looked at the field.
The dragon had always commanded authority, and it's stats insured it would recieve! [ATK: 70 DEF:50 HP:100]
"Now, Blue Eyes! Reflect your blast off of the Reflection! White Lightning Attack!"
The Blue Eyes sucked up a great breath, then let loose it's tremendous blast.
"Argh!" Duke groaned. [Heart:0]
The group cried out in cheers.
"No denying, that's an incredible game you've got, Duke!" Drake said."When this Shadow Realm ordeal is all settled, I'll draw up the contract with my dad."
Duke smiled, tears forming in his eyes."You have no idea how much this means to me, thank you, Drake Pegasus!"
"New friend?" Seto asked as they left the shop.
"More like new partner." Drake admitted.
"So, what have the rest have you guys been doing while Drake racked up another victory?" Lara asked.
"Don't ask." Both Tristan and Joey said simultaneaously.
"New outfits." Everyone except Mokuba said.
"Toy store!" Mokuba said happily, showing his dragon plushie.
"Before I forget, take these."
Seto threw one pack of cards to Joey, and one to Yami.
"Huh?" They asked.
"Greetings of thanks. Don't ask."
The three immediately opened them.
"Sword Hunter, Polymerization, Mad Sword Beast, Meteor Dragon, and Goblin Attack Force!? Unbeleivable!" Joey said very happily.
"DMG."Yami said happily, showing the now famous card."Plus the Dark Magic Curtain, and three cards I'll refrain from speaking of."
"Of course."Seto said, slightly miffed.
"Good thing those two got packs." Yugi said uncomfortably." I'm not entering the tournament."
"WHAAAAAA?" Everyone except Yami said.
"I'm just as good as you, Yami." Yugi said, smiling slightly."And no competitors deserve TWO of us in the tournament!"
"True."Yami said, chuckling.
***************************************************************
"It's not enougghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."
The monster's cold voice echoed throughout his stronghold, reeking of misery.
"Master!" The Phantom cried, running to his boss." What's wrong?"
"The Rituallllll. It's not completeeeeeee." Need timeeeeeeeee."
"How long!?" The fiend yelled to the swirling darkness in the room." And when?"
"Soooooooon. Must be soooon."
"What's wrong?"The Phantom asked, worried.
"Life, fading.......Armor! Need Armor!"
"It's happining already!" The Phantom cried, talking to his partners."Our lord is losing his life, and all because these damned ingrates can't find his armor!"
"Oh, I'm hurt."
Buster stepped out of the shadows.
"What! Why are you out of your chambers?" Yamimakai demanded.
Buster reached into his pocket. From his robe he pulled-
"A piece!" Zemia cried happily. The green armor, glowing green through darkness, could not have looked better.
Tossing the piece in the air, Buster smiled slightly as he saw it's power going into the darkness. In a quick flash of green light, it was done.
"Who was it!"Came the dark voice of their master, empowered by incredible forces."Who gave me back my strength?"
"It was I, oh great lord."Buster said, bowing so low he nearly kissed the floor."And it wasn't to hard to find. We were merely loking in the wrong places."
"You shall be greatly rewarded. what is your rank?"
"Squire, sir."Buster said, slightly reluctant.
"Rise again, GENERAL Buster Slade."
Buster actually nearly fell. When he picked himself up, his face was of pure victory.
"My lord, your respect is undeserved."Buster said."I'm sure any one of the others could have found it. They probably could find it in their own rooms faster than I found it elsewhere."
At this, more than one of the Imperial Leaders grimaced, but quickly hid their fear.
"Thank you, young one."The voice said."While there are still three more pieces to recover, you have greatly aided me."
There was suddenly a stirring. A shadow in the darkness moved.
"I have regained the power to Merge!"The voice laughed, mirthfully."My dear boy, you may be much more than just a General!"
Before another word was said, a streak of pure darkness hit Buster in the chest.
"No way!" Phantom yelled defiantly."You cannot mean!-"
Buster looked up, and his eyes held something...more. A darkness that shrouded his normally black eyes to the point of invisibility, a feeling of some extra life.
"Yes way, Phantom!"Buster yelled, and his voice was not alone."We are now one! The part of me that is your master will be helping the Buster half find the rest of the pieces!"
All the Fiend Leaders bowed. Except for the Phantom.
"Why would you choose him!?" the fiend demanded." Why pick a human to hold the ultimate powers of darkness?"
A flash of darkness. Then nothing.
The other Leaders gasped, seeing the Phanton's dust on the floor, with Buster's hand outstretched like a claw.
"Let that be a lesson to you all." The almagam of two Monsters, one human, one demon, spoke."You do not question my commands."
The force turned, twisting his face into a smile that would make the bravest shriek."Let the world know, that I am returning. Three more pieces, and two sacrificial beings, and Zera the Mant shall reign supreme once more!
***************************************************************
A/N: Zera the Mant. Real monster, ultimate darkness, future appearance on cartoon show. All I will say.
Next chapter: A halfway point will be reached. As the tournament begins, an indescribable force intervenes. When all is said and done, will the forces of good triumph? Or will the two who can make all the difference be swept away, leaving the Mant's path clear? A pivitol point approaches, in the next chapter, of The Fellowship of the Dragoon.
Drake: "Interesting" isn't the word.
Alpha: Don't worry, this chapter will be verrrrrrry interesting!
Drake: Good. I- wait. WHAT DO YOU MEAN!?
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh!, only the original characters and elements of this fic. Oh yeah, I don't own "Shade", or Martin. They belong to Gema J. Gall, highly skilled fic writer and fellow Christian.
Drake: With all the things you plan to do to me, I doubt the Christian part.
Alpha: This from the guy who's got a pervert in his head.
Lance:*So?*
My knowledge of snappy remarks are wearing thin, so please do not mind if I refrain from spending half my time on these. In short...I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! DON'T ASK AGAIN!
Lyz: Yay! Now he's ours!
Lyzza: TO VICTORY!
Alpha: *sigh* I thought I murdered the Fanta company owners.
Both: SO IT WAS YOU!
Alpha: *gulps*
Shameless Advertisements:
Dark Magician Agency, a fic where one Spellcastor tries to keep the peace, get the girl, and make reviewers laugh out loud.
Digia 2: The cast of Digimon Tamers reinacting Grandia 2, the 3rd most popular RPG so far that I own.
Both fics and ads owned and payed for by E-100 Alpha
Correction: Last chapter, I said a crime was going to be commited, with Mokuba and his toons as top suspects. Unfortunatly, due to sudden, rare, insperation, I've changed my plan.
***************************************************************
Drake woke up very early the next morning with an exasperated sigh.
Somehow, Lara had managed to get past every dragon in his deck, sneak into his room, and cunningly fall asleep in a position which would make him blush uncontrollably for several months.
*You were right. She IS evil!*
*I know.* Drake thought with a loving sigh.
*Maybe she'll quite if you meanly tell her you only blush to humor her.*
*That's not mean. It's the truth.*
* SAY WHA!?* Lance mentally exclaimed.*Drake, I am both surprised and proud beyond belief! Do you actually enjoy it?*
*Yes* Drake said uncomfortably,*but I fake blushing instead of enjoying it. I mean, if I did the other option, and wanted it, wouldn't that make me a pervert?*
*Drake, you're friends with a New Yorker puppy, an airplane speedbump, the Ballerina Queen of the Fairies, a bird-brained flirt, a former midget with his super-hero alter ego, a dimension-hopping poster-boy, a Brit with a Spikey from Mario on his head, your rival for Fortune Kids Magazine, and his little brother, and me, no explanation required. If you were a pervert, no one would care!*
*I guess.* Drake sent, smiling.
He sighed again as Lara slighty stirred. When she was asleep, her beaty was quiet. She was angelic, innocent, soft. But when she was awake, her beaty went full out, proudly proclaiming itself to the world, not afraid to say it existed.
He really couldn't describe how he felt about her actions. True, she was highly flirtatious, but that was not only her personality, it was also a way she showed her love. At least that was his opinion, however insane it may be.
But what if he actually returned and accepted her actions? If he loved her flirtatiousness, did that really make him the pervert he feared he may be? Then again, as said before, that was her personality, which he loved. So, did loving her make him a pervert?
*AGH! I'M LOST IN A MAZE OF A CONFUSED MIND!*
*Sorry.* Drake sent.
*S'Ok. Anyway, I have a great idea!*
*Uh, oh.*
*Very funny. Tell me, is all you're wearing that shirt and your"red-hot" boxers?*
*They're just red with a flame emroidary!*Drake thought, embarrased.*Yes, why?*
*Take off the shirt, and pretend you're still asleep. Maybe we can succeed in making her blush, for once.*
For one moment, the question of Love or Lewd entered Drake's mind again. However, he soon forgot it.
Throwing the red dhirt on the floor, he was shocked when he heard Lara yawn. But she was still asleep, so he queitly slipped back into the blanket.
What happened next was decidedly interesting. Lara unconcsiously put her arms around his neck.
*It must be some sixth sense!* Lance laughed histerically.
Drake didn't mind. In fact, he was happy for this.
Also, he didn't pretend. He quickly fell asleep in her embrace.
Lara did open her eyes a few minutes later, and her first thought was slight shock. The second thought was to immediately close her mouth, so no drool came out.
Smiling, she nudged closer to Drake, then fell asleep.
*No redness!*Lance angrily said, quietly though.*Why can't I ever succeed?*
"Maybe because you can't with me."
In his Soul Room, Lance looked up. Prima was there, wearing the same silk nightgown that Lara currently was.
Lance immediately blushed, then smiled happily."Maybe you're right."
Smiling, Prima walked up and kissed him softly.
Lance feinted in happiness.
"Great!" Prima whispered happily, leaning down laying him."Now let's see if HE blushes when he wakes up like this!*
***************************************************************
"I'm bored." Ryo said. "What?"
Everyone who knew what his definition of Fun was had backed away.
"I just want a duel."
Everyone who knew his dueling skill backed away further, except for the two Kaibas.
Seto was teaching a few advanced moves to Mokuba, which was no easy task with Pegasus's deck.
*I'll say it without shame: I hope I don't get paired against you, Mokuba! Your skills are incredible!"
"Thanks!" Mokuba said happily.
Drake and Lara came down, wearing casual clothes but still kept their wings.
"I still say you must lift weights."Lara whispered, there were too many suspicious stares for her to say something that could possibly lead to the wrong thing.
"All I do is practice Self-Defense." Drake said for the umpteenth time."I rarely ever work out other ways.
* I don't care what he says.*Prima said.*Both he and his yami have better six-packs than his dad's wine collection!*
*Tell me about it.*Lara thought happily, slightly blushing.
"Drake! Wanna' duel?"Ryo asked, holding up his deck.
"Sure!" Drake said eagerly."The tournament is in six days, and I need the practice!"
More than one of the group was shocked. In the comfort of the inn and excitement of living in the Shadow Realm, they had almost forgotten why they were here.
Seto abruptly stood up, and started walking to the door.
"Where ya' going, Seto?" Mokuba asked.
"To town."He answered."I'm sure they have a few card shops. Not that I need any, but several others could use major improvements to THEIR decks."
Everyone glared, then followed him.
***************************************************************
Shade sat alone in her room, thinking.
Her favorite possession was tilting again, this time in the direction of her window.
She sighed, wishing she knew what it meant. Martin was still snoring softly in the other room, most of the others had gone out, and Zeph and Mike were talking to each other. Somehow, she had a strange feeling it would be more than rude to inturrupt them.
That was another mystery. Ever since she had recieved the strange item, she had these unexplained feelings. Though they appeared in her mind only a few times a week in the real world, here they were going haywire.
The strangest part was the possession itself. It had a constant habit of tugging in a certain direction sometimes. Although she trusted and loved it like the one who gave it to her, it strangely always found a way to mess things up.
Once, she had followed it's pull to an alleyway, where she heard a boy crying, after she heard his girlfriend scream.
Another time, much less serious, she had followed it at night when she needed to open a certain door.
Luckily for her, her blindness nullifyed the possibility in the minds of the teachers, when they thought she might be sabotaging the Men's room.
Sighing in relief, she felt its weight return to its normal state.
As she put it back into her bag, she realized also that it had appeared out of nowhere when it started tugging, just as it had in the real world.
She heard the door open, and heard the shy squeak of Martin's voice and stepped out of the room.
"So, Martin, what does Zeph want us to do for her now?"
If she could see, Shade might have giggled to notice Martin blushing.
"Umm, she's with Mike."He said."They're, umm, doing that thing you and Luther always did when something really good happened."
Making out. Figures.
"I guess we have the day free then."She sighed, grabbing Martin's hand."So how about a little us-shopping, for a change?"
From the polite groan she heard, Shade figured Martin had had enough shopping.
***************************************************************
A large building in the center of the shopping district was were the group had decided to go.
Bursting out in insane laughter, the group was greeted by the manager, a pale, tall man with purple robes and an expressionless face.
"I'm sorry, customers, but we are closed."He said in a voice as monotone as the rest of him."Please come back some time. We are cleaning the mess from the vandalism last night."
"Vandalism?"Joey asked in wonder."How could a store with..that... namehahahah!"
The others resisted snorting. It was a bit ironic that vandals could break into, and get out, of a store named "Labyrinth Wall-Mart."
"Well, what do we do until then? Tea asked.
"What else?"Mai said happily."Shop at other places."
Lara and Tea both cheered. Most of the men groaned.
"Fine."Seto said."I have a few things on my personal list, anyway."
"As he walked away, Kaiba gladly enjoyed the fact that no one knew his secret love of looking in Dark Magician Girls's Secret......."
"SHUT UP, DOG!"
"Dark Magician Girl's Secret...GREAT IDEA!"
The group sweatdropped as Mai ran off to the aforementioned store.
"I'm off to!" Tea said, heading toward a shop called "Dark Witch's Wardrobe."
"I hope she gets the same outfit!"
"You and me both, little one!"
Joey groaned. The fact that both Yugi and his yami could swoon over the most feminine tomboy ever was sickining to him.
[A/N:Then again, he doesn't think of Mai as tomboyish.]
"Well, if they go-" Tristan walked off somewhere.
[A/N:I don't know where, probably somewhere dangerous only idiots would go.]
"Hey Tristan, wait for me!" Joey said.
"Yugi,"Yami said,"Now that you're my size, we might need a few changes so not to look too similar."
"Ok, let's go!"
[A/N:For the sake of the story{which is falling into several simultaneous Plot Holes}, and the fact that the store they go to is a secret, I'll tell you where they went later.]
"Hey, TV store!" Mokuba cried before running off. "Must see Bugs Bunny!"
"My dad chose well."Drake said.
"Off I go!" Ryo said. A store known as Hero's Accessories was nearby.
"That leaves us." Lara said happily."Any idea where to go?"
"No, not-"
Drake glanced at a store they almost passed.
""Devlin's Dicing Cup"?"Drake said incredulously."I've heard the name Devlin somewhere before."
"Then let's go!" Lara said, irratably.
Entering the doors, they were greeted by:
"Welcome Duelists! Don't you fret!
Devlin's game's the best one yet!
He's so strong, he's so cool,
In monster games, Duke Devlin rules! Yaaaaaaaaay!"
"Cheerleaders?" Drake said, sweatdropping.
"Pardon them, I've asked them to stop, but sadly, and obviously, they can't."
The owner of the voice was a tall man with black hair that looked like Yami, if Yami's had gone flat accidentally!
[A/N: Heaven forbid! Sorry, force of habit.]
He had creepy green eyes, and had an earring with a die attached to it by a string.
"My name is Duke Devlin!"He said, bowing slightly." And who may ask, is this lovely lady?"
Lara blushed. Drake noticed.
"Lara Justina. My girlfriend."Drake said, heavy emphasis on the last word.
"Oh, sorry."Duke said."And you?"
"Drake Pegasus, Dragon Duelist!"He answered, grinning proudly.
Though Lara slapped her hand to her forehead, Duke looked shocked.
"Pegasus?! As in, Maximilian Pegasus?!"
"Yeah, he's my dad."
Duke looked as if all his dreams had come true.
"You probably don't know this, but I've created a game myself! Dungeon Dice Monsters!"
"Oh, yeah! That's right. My dad told me about a new game he was going to promote after the tou-"
"YESSSSSSS!" Duke exclaimed, throwing his hand into the air.
"However, I'm afraid you'll also need the approval of a certain major Industrial Illusions executive."
"Oh."Duke said, slighty down."Who?"
"Me." Drake said, smirking. "If the game's any good, I'll approve of it!"
"Fine."Devlin said, smiling."I challenge you to a duel of Dungeon Dice Monsters."
"I'll be glad to duel you, after I learn the rules, of course."
"Of course." Duke said."Only a desperate jerk would duel someone who doesn't know the rules of his own game."
***************************************************************
Seto walked out of the tailor's, holding his new suit in an outfit.
He looked at what he held in his hand. It worried him that, even after all his demands and instructions, the owner of the shop still thankd him with several rare DM booster packs.
"I wonder what the Tailor of the Fickle's other customers are like?"Seto said, sweatdropping."Ah well. At least I have this. Buckle-boy won't be the only one to win with style anymore."
***************************************************************
"Why do I feel like this is a bad idea?"Yugi asked, seeing the name of the store."Yami, are you sure?"
"Of course,"Yami answered, smiling."Why would it be a mistake?"
The store had a proud sign labled "Leather Lovers Anonymous."
***************************************************************
The group, with the exception of Drake and Lara, met up in the central square of the market.
"Did anyone else go through heck?"Yugi asked, wearing his new leather jacket.[Same one from the Dice Monster arc!]
"Just you wait and see."Seto said, smirking.
"Is that a threat?"Yami said, jokingly. He now wore a cape made from his jacket, more buckles, and two more belts.
"Where are Drake and Lara?"Mokuba interupted, holding his new Blue Eyes White [plushie] Dragon doll.
[A/N: No, no, PLEASE- *Crowd of people saying AWWWWWWWW burst his eardrums*]
Those old enough, or perverse enough, paled at the possibility.
[A/N: Sorry for all the inturruptions in this chapter, but I MUST.BE.HEARD. N.E. ways, I must say that if Drake has problems now, just wait until the Digimon crossover, when a certain bunny rabbit comes along.]
"Maybe we should go find them."Bakura said, reddining slightly.
***************************************************************
Shade walked through town, led by hand, with Martin.
The sounds and smells of this town were incredible. The scent of Griggle sugar [fully photosynthesized!]filled the Health Drink Cafe, and there were several coos of Kuribohs coming from a pet store.
Suddenly, she felt something smash into her. She fell to the ground, dropping most of her things.
"Shade! Are you ok?"Martin's concerned voice asked.
"I'm sorry!" Came a new voice, a few steps away. It sounded like he was picking things up.
Martin helped Shade up, and she felt her things being put back into her hands."I'm sorry."The voice said again. It was a boy, young, with a thick Egyptian accent.
"It's ok."Shade said."I just didn't listen-"
"Oh, crap!"Came the boy's voice again, embarrassed."It's not enough that I sleepwalk, but I run into a blind person? I'm such an idiot."
"It's ok."Shade repeated, more firmly.
Suddenly, the boys gasped."Where did you get that?"
Shade realized her prized treasure was in her hands again, and it was tugging harder than ever before toward this new boy. She felt as though it might snap in two of it's weight didn't rip her arms off first.
"This is-"
"Give it to me!"He suddenly shouted. His voice had strangly deepened, and somehow Shade felt he was now taller than her.
Before anything happened, a new voice made itself known."Marik! Time for lunch!"
Suddenly, the sense of danger was gone. Shade no longer felt any weight, or power in the boy. He had suddenly switched from dark and cruel to young and innocent again.
"Coming, Isis!"
Shade heard him run away, then felt Martin grab her hand and start to run back to the inn. It wasn't neccessary;she had almost ran back herself.
{Who was that..Marik kid?} She asked herself.{I don't know why, but I was more scared in those few seconds than I've ever been!}
***************************************************************
Drake and Lara were found in Duke's shop, in the middle of the battle. while Lara quickly tried to explain the rules, Drake and Duke kept at it.
"Now, I'll send my Attack Crest-powered Barrel Dragon through the Warp Vortex!" Drake commanded. [ATK:60 DEF:10 HP:20]
The mechanical dragon used hover-jets on his feet to fly to the warp, then appeared on Duke's end.
"I'll use three more Movement Crests to position him,"Drake said as the dragon centered itself against Duke's platform."And attack with Proton Blast!"
The dragon's shot evaporated Duke's Defense Shogun.[ATK:10 DEF:50 HP:0]
"And I'll use the four Magic Crests I have stored to use his special effect! He can attack two more times, taking your Hearts to One!"
"Unbelievable."Duke said in amazement.[Heart:1] "This is the first time I've come this close to being beaten in such few turns, and I've only lost once! And that was to your dad!"
"You might want to hold the praising speeches, Duke." Drake said, remembering Helios.
"I'll hold only my victory!"Duke said, rolling his dice."Ah, a level 3 monster! Dimension the Dice!"
The dice unfolded, revealing the Invader of the Throne. [ATK:10 DEF:30 HP:10]
"Her effect allows her to switch places with whatever monster you have that I want!"Duke said, smiling. The throne dissapeared, and in it's place the Barrel Dragon teleported, while the Invader was where the BD once was.
"Now, Barrel Dragon! Proton Blast!"
The blast obliterated the Invader.
"And I'll also use my Magic Crests to attack twice more, in conjunction with my Fiend Reflection's special ability!" [ATK:0 DEF:0 HP:10]
{I was wondering why he summoned that.} Drake thought.
*Don't worry, whatever happens, he'll lose!*
"I can use the Reflection's ability to bouce my attack to your entire field area, including your Hearts!"
"CRAP!" Drake yelled.
All of Drake's other monsters were destroyed, and his hearts as well. [Heart:1]
"Good game Drake, but next turn your old dragon will end this duel for me!"
"Not if I can summon a strong enough creature to fight it, Devlin!" Drake said."Go, Dice Roll!"
The final toss was made. The results were promising. 1 Magiv, 2 LV:4 crests.
"Perfect! Now I can summon a monster to end this!"
"As if!" Duke said, flipping a strand of hair."What creature could possibly turn this duel around?"
Drake grabbed the dice, and smirked."Take a guess, Duke! Dimension the Dice!"
The dice unfolded, in an empty space. The monster was: "Lord of D.!" [ATK:10 DEF:10 HP 30]
"What good will it do?"Duke said, scowling.
"A horde of good, Devlin! I'm using that Magic Crest to use the Flute of Summoning Dragon!"
"No!" Duke exclaimed. {The Flute allows the player using it to roll again! And if it lands on Summon Crests, each crest rolled will summon a Dragon!}
"Go, Dice Roll!"
The dice seemed to move in slow motion. One stopped: Trap. Another:Attack. The last: LV4 Summon.
"And that's the end of it, Duke!"Drake called." I summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"
"No way! Impossible!"
"Way to go, Dragon-breath!" Seto applauded.
"Speak for yourself."Drake muttered, then looked at the field.
The dragon had always commanded authority, and it's stats insured it would recieve! [ATK: 70 DEF:50 HP:100]
"Now, Blue Eyes! Reflect your blast off of the Reflection! White Lightning Attack!"
The Blue Eyes sucked up a great breath, then let loose it's tremendous blast.
"Argh!" Duke groaned. [Heart:0]
The group cried out in cheers.
"No denying, that's an incredible game you've got, Duke!" Drake said."When this Shadow Realm ordeal is all settled, I'll draw up the contract with my dad."
Duke smiled, tears forming in his eyes."You have no idea how much this means to me, thank you, Drake Pegasus!"
"New friend?" Seto asked as they left the shop.
"More like new partner." Drake admitted.
"So, what have the rest have you guys been doing while Drake racked up another victory?" Lara asked.
"Don't ask." Both Tristan and Joey said simultaneaously.
"New outfits." Everyone except Mokuba said.
"Toy store!" Mokuba said happily, showing his dragon plushie.
"Before I forget, take these."
Seto threw one pack of cards to Joey, and one to Yami.
"Huh?" They asked.
"Greetings of thanks. Don't ask."
The three immediately opened them.
"Sword Hunter, Polymerization, Mad Sword Beast, Meteor Dragon, and Goblin Attack Force!? Unbeleivable!" Joey said very happily.
"DMG."Yami said happily, showing the now famous card."Plus the Dark Magic Curtain, and three cards I'll refrain from speaking of."
"Of course."Seto said, slightly miffed.
"Good thing those two got packs." Yugi said uncomfortably." I'm not entering the tournament."
"WHAAAAAA?" Everyone except Yami said.
"I'm just as good as you, Yami." Yugi said, smiling slightly."And no competitors deserve TWO of us in the tournament!"
"True."Yami said, chuckling.
***************************************************************
"It's not enougghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."
The monster's cold voice echoed throughout his stronghold, reeking of misery.
"Master!" The Phantom cried, running to his boss." What's wrong?"
"The Rituallllll. It's not completeeeeeee." Need timeeeeeeeee."
"How long!?" The fiend yelled to the swirling darkness in the room." And when?"
"Soooooooon. Must be soooon."
"What's wrong?"The Phantom asked, worried.
"Life, fading.......Armor! Need Armor!"
"It's happining already!" The Phantom cried, talking to his partners."Our lord is losing his life, and all because these damned ingrates can't find his armor!"
"Oh, I'm hurt."
Buster stepped out of the shadows.
"What! Why are you out of your chambers?" Yamimakai demanded.
Buster reached into his pocket. From his robe he pulled-
"A piece!" Zemia cried happily. The green armor, glowing green through darkness, could not have looked better.
Tossing the piece in the air, Buster smiled slightly as he saw it's power going into the darkness. In a quick flash of green light, it was done.
"Who was it!"Came the dark voice of their master, empowered by incredible forces."Who gave me back my strength?"
"It was I, oh great lord."Buster said, bowing so low he nearly kissed the floor."And it wasn't to hard to find. We were merely loking in the wrong places."
"You shall be greatly rewarded. what is your rank?"
"Squire, sir."Buster said, slightly reluctant.
"Rise again, GENERAL Buster Slade."
Buster actually nearly fell. When he picked himself up, his face was of pure victory.
"My lord, your respect is undeserved."Buster said."I'm sure any one of the others could have found it. They probably could find it in their own rooms faster than I found it elsewhere."
At this, more than one of the Imperial Leaders grimaced, but quickly hid their fear.
"Thank you, young one."The voice said."While there are still three more pieces to recover, you have greatly aided me."
There was suddenly a stirring. A shadow in the darkness moved.
"I have regained the power to Merge!"The voice laughed, mirthfully."My dear boy, you may be much more than just a General!"
Before another word was said, a streak of pure darkness hit Buster in the chest.
"No way!" Phantom yelled defiantly."You cannot mean!-"
Buster looked up, and his eyes held something...more. A darkness that shrouded his normally black eyes to the point of invisibility, a feeling of some extra life.
"Yes way, Phantom!"Buster yelled, and his voice was not alone."We are now one! The part of me that is your master will be helping the Buster half find the rest of the pieces!"
All the Fiend Leaders bowed. Except for the Phantom.
"Why would you choose him!?" the fiend demanded." Why pick a human to hold the ultimate powers of darkness?"
A flash of darkness. Then nothing.
The other Leaders gasped, seeing the Phanton's dust on the floor, with Buster's hand outstretched like a claw.
"Let that be a lesson to you all." The almagam of two Monsters, one human, one demon, spoke."You do not question my commands."
The force turned, twisting his face into a smile that would make the bravest shriek."Let the world know, that I am returning. Three more pieces, and two sacrificial beings, and Zera the Mant shall reign supreme once more!
***************************************************************
A/N: Zera the Mant. Real monster, ultimate darkness, future appearance on cartoon show. All I will say.
Next chapter: A halfway point will be reached. As the tournament begins, an indescribable force intervenes. When all is said and done, will the forces of good triumph? Or will the two who can make all the difference be swept away, leaving the Mant's path clear? A pivitol point approaches, in the next chapter, of The Fellowship of the Dragoon.