Background Information
This fanfic takes place in the Multiverse, so it doesn't really belong in any one category. It would make more sense to say that it belongs in all categories (the main characters are mostly from Yu-Gi-Oh, though). A World (a.k.a. one universe) can be based on anything, whether it be made up out of your own head or based on a game/show/book/etc. The Multiverse is a series of Worlds (billions of them) connected by a single central reality. If you have any ideas about new Worlds I could use or places/people you want to see, tell me! Also, know that this is not the beginning of the Chaos Wars, not by a long shot. The rest is unrecorded, (it's very unstructured, I'm afraid) but past events may be alluded to. Any questions or comments are welcome. Thanks, and enjoy my fanfic!
Preface
It could be said that the Chaos War began with the Overlord. Uncountable years ago, the great Star Warriors arose and banished him to the Wilds. This was their last mistake. The Wilds are a vast reserve of chaotic energy, and the Overlord grew strong once more, fed by his hatred for life, trust, friendship, and all positive emotions. It was he who, in his anger, ripped the beautiful World of Akarana in two, giving it the appropriate name Dark World. He was imprisoned for millennia, but his soldiers were not. A subtle reign of terror began throughout the Multiverse, in preparation for their Lord's return. He could not escape his dark prison until he obtained the lost Chaos Seal, used to lock him away.
He was delayed for a time by a weak, pathetic group of freedom fighters, unworthy of the Overlord's notice. It was these weaklings, however, who delayed his return, under the leadership of a human, fondly named "Densetsu" by his army. He and his wife, called Teshiru by the same group, fought for all peoples, sacrificing everything they had, even their very lives...
The army was betrayed, and they fell. Only two members survived. One was the traitor. One was the betrayed. This one denied the past, trying to forget everything that he considered his fault, forgetting even his oath to protect his leader's son--Yuugi. The Overlord would have been at last victorious, if not for a lot of lucky chances, as they say on Sol. Because Yuugi Mutou met Benjamin, a child who knew neither his name nor his parents, and when Benjamin was dying (he survived), Yuugi and his friends were pulled into Dark World by their connection to him. There they met Vicetor, called Vice by his friends (currently all dead), who remembered his oath, and taught them to fight. He taught them to be Summoners, and together they fought the Shadow Master, who was the former Chaos Lieutenant. A lot of lucky chances, if indeed it was mere luck.
The Shadow Master was defeated, but Vice was grievously injured in the final battle. Knowing that the Overlord would begin actively hunting Yuugi now that he had learned of other Worlds, he sent Yuugi and his friends in search of the Chaos Seal, in an attempt to prevent the Overlord from finding it. They failed. Their Gate signature was detected, and the Overlord's forces captured Yuugi and his friends. His friends escaped. He did not. Yuugi was possessed by the Chaos Seer, a powerful and sadistic possessor-type demon. While he was captured, Yuugi's yami--the dark spirit that lived inside his Millennium Puzzle--betrayed him and his friends. Later, they were all rescued by Vice. After this, the mistrusted traitor was separated from the others and was also rescued by Vice. Finally, the war was over, and they could return home. Life would go back to normal now. Or so they thought...
Chapter 1--A New Beginning
It is late, close to ten o'clock. A small, pale child stands in the park by a pool of water that is lovingly referred to as a lake. The child is gaunt and malnourished, his raven-black hair hanging down over his shadowed gray eyes, set in a too thin face. It is impossible to guess his age at a glance; he believes himself to be close fourteen. It's hard to say just what he is; his clothes are too thin and worn to be those of a normal, but his face is too noble and proud to be that of a beggar. He is too honorable to be a thief, but he is too desperate not to steal. He has no home. He cannot remember his parents, any more than his last name. He believes himself to have none, as impossible as it is. He looks like an ordinary street rat, until you look into his eyes. They are deep and strange, filled with a sorrow that cannot be measured in words. He might have been lonely, if he had not always been alone. He is a fierce warrior, ready to fight for justice, but he is also a survivalist. This is not his home, nor even close to his home. These are not his people; he belongs nowhere.
This is Benjamin. He is the Guardian of Dark World, but he has been mistaken for many things in his life. He has been mistaken for a Digidestined, a Pokemon trainer, a Duelist, and even a human. He is none of these things entirely, and some of them partly. He is bonded to a Digimon named Bikaymon, or rather a Dark Digimon, one of the hybrids, but he is not a Digidestined. He has two Pokemon, among other creatures, but he is not a Pokemon trainer. Why he was ever mistaken for a Duelist is unfathomable; there is no connection. As for the last...he is not human, but at the same time, he is not not human. He is a hybrid; genetically, he is half human, half Darkling. Physically, he is easily mistaken for a small, starving human child. It would be easy to pity him, if not for his eyes, and for his often frightening mannerisms.
He waits now for one of his Pokemon allies, Taru. He is hungry, so he has gone fishing. This is probably hiss first meal in several days; Benjamin and his creatures are always hungry. They have grown used to near-starvation. They have grown used to pain.
Just behind Benjamin stands another child. At first glance, they are opposites; this child, although as small as Benjamin, has never been starving or homeless. His clothes fit him, and they are neither worn nor old. He has always known his last name, and he knows who his parents were, although they are dead. He has almost never been mistaken for anything other than what he is, although that in itself is hard to define. He is no warrior, although he is always ready to stand up for the truth. His wide, violet eyes are neither sorrowful nor angry, but rather very innocent, looking out from beneath his blond bangs, in contrast to his otherwise red and black hair, growing straight up. He is perfectly human. This is his home, and he is Benjamin's friend. Benjamin does not understand why any would choose to be his friend, although his loyalty to others could be considered friendship. He was raised in a World full of hatred. He is here to protect the child standing next to him, whom he thinks of as a friend.
This child is Yuugi Mutou. His age, like Benjamin's, is hard to guess because of his size. He too is close to fourteen, although he is probably younger than Benjamin. He is standing here now to wait for Benjamin. He does not question Benjamin's actions; he knows where Benjamin came from. He has been to Dark World.
The people of Dark World live in extreme poverty. There are few organized towns; those that exist are tiny, and full of racial tension. Tribal living is the most common group. Children live in packs inside abandoned buildings in the two surviving cities. They are hunted by the older gangs, mercenary groups who murder just to get a mouthful of food. Many people are nomads. Dark World was once a beautiful place, a place of riches and wisdom. It was destroyed by the Overlord.
The Overlord hates Dark World. He hates everyone and everything that contains even a spark of joy or friendship or trust. No one knows the reason for his hatred. Perhaps it is because he cannot experience these things himself. Who would trust such a creature, who trusts no one but himself? Who could ever be his friend, the friendless one? The Overlord is a strange being, and very old. What he is, no one can say, not even he himself. He hates Benjamin and he hates Bikaymon and Taru and all the rest, but most of all, he hates Yuugi. Even Vice is not completely certain why this is so; perhaps it is because Yuugi is so full of the quality that the Overlord can never have. It is called trust, charisma, friendship...it is the entity that the Overlord cannot abide. Yuugi is always in danger, although he does not fully understand this. He would most likely be dead now if it were not for Vice, his other Darkling friend. He is not here now; in fact, he is at this moment captured by the Overlord himself. He cannot help anyone now. This is up to Benjamin. He does not know that he too is in danger. They are both perilously close to doom. For now, however, Yuugi is only worried that some warden will find them trespassing in the park so late at night. In his World it is illegal. In Benjamin's World, laws do not exist.
They are very different, these two, and yet so very much alike. Both of them are caught up in a struggle they do not fully understand, for reasons they cannot control. Both of them are hated and feared by great and terrible beings. They will go back to Yuugi's home soon; Taru is already returning. Benjamin arrived in this World at the beginning of the Cybernetics War, which neither he nor Yuugi fought in. If he had suspected even for a moment that his World would be in danger, he would never have left it, but he did not realize that the Five Tyrants might be interested in Dark World. The War is almost over in any case; the final battle will be fought in the Pokemon World. Then they will be at peace, for a time. The Overlord is not interested in the Pokemon World yet. He is about to attack Benjamin and Yuugi. Benjamin has been staying with Yuugi and his Grandfather for about two months. He has posed as an exchange student. This required a lot of forgery, but luckily, they were not caught. Neither of them realizes that the Chaos War is about to begin again in earnest. Neither suspects that the Chaos Oracle has arrived.
It was late when they attacked. The troops stormed in, under not only the Oracle but also the feared Chaos Lieutenant, Gash. Their mission was to find and capture Yuugi Mutou, and their secondary target was Benjamin. The Overlord knew Yuugi's World, but was unable to find his exact location within it; he was, however, able to trace Benjamin.
Yuugi immediately called his friends, all Summon-capable Duelists, for help. Their names were Joey Wheeler, Tea Gardner, Seto Kaiba, and Tristan Taylor. The results of the battle were surprising. All of them were captured, and Yuugi and Benjamin remained to rescue them. As they Gated out, however, Chaos attacked again. Benjamin was thrown into the Pokemon World, and Yuugi was sent to the Clanner World. This is where the battle now stands. Yuugi is on his own. Vice has been captured, Benjamin is injured, and no one else knows of his dreadful plight...or do they? Matt is on his way, and he may yet save them all.
