Author's Note: There is no Matt update in this chapter. Not all of the Pokemon World chapters will include Matt from this point on. He's an expert Pokemon trainer, and it's pretty obvious that he's going to win all of his battles. There may still be occasional Matt tidbits, though. Enjoy the show! (--''')

Chapter 15--Mike

Yuugi and Benjamin set out from Stone Town, eager to earn more badges and find the Key. It was a beautiful day, the sort of day when unexpected things aren't supposed to happen. Certainly, neither of them was prepared for what happened next. There was something like an explosion in the air, and a stranger came flying backwards through a Gate, slamming into Yuugi and skidding into a large boulder.

While the stranger groaned, Benjamin glanced at the sword stuck almost hilt-deep into the rock beside him. His eyes were troubled. "Mike....."

He pulled the sword easily out of the rock, lifted a large shield lying nearby, and walked back to Mike's landing site. Seeing Benjamin hold out his gear, Mike smiled in amazement.

Sitting up, he exclaimed, "Ben! What're you doing here?"

From beneath Mike came a muffled, "Ouch...."

Benjamin silently handed Mike his shield and sword. Standing, Mike sheathed his sword and held out the shield. As he did so, it shrank back into its original shape--his Digivice!

Yuugi stood up slowly, coughing. "Who...who are you.....?"

Mike turned, seeing Yuugi for the first time. "Hey, who's your new pal, Ben?"

Yuugi brushed dirt off himself and looked wearily at Mike. "I'm...Yuugi. Yuugi Mutou."

Mike looked askance at him before whispering to Benjamin, "Why are you traveling around with this little kid?"

Yuugi, hearing his none-too-quiet statement, flushed. "I am not a little kid!"

Benjamin intervened before further trouble could begin. "This is Yuugi. He is...my friend."

Mike accepted this with surprising calmness. "Oh. What're you doing here? And where am I?"

Benjamin looked away. "This is the Pokemon World. Yuugi and I are in the Mountain League trying to earn ten badges and defeat the Champion so we can get half of a key."

Mike smiled easily. "Tell you what--I'll come with you and help out!"

Yuugi thought this was a bad idea. "Maybe you shouldn't come with us. We're being chased by these people who want to kill us. They're called Clanners, and they have--"

"Tattoos? Yeah, I've seen them. In fact, a bunch of them attacked me along with these other people. I only escaped because they ended up fighting each other. Still, there's at least one more Clanner you don't have to worry about." He gestured to a blood-spattered head that had fallen through the gate with him.

Yuugi looked like he was going to be sick. "You....you killed him!"

Mike's face was grim. "It was him or me, kid. Sometimes, fighting is the only way out." He kicked the head over the side of the cliff without even looking at it. Then, he turned to Benjamin, smiling once more. "So? What're we waiting for?"

They set off again, no one speaking what was in their minds. Yuugi couldn't help uneasy about Mike; he didn't know him very well, and having someone land on top of you is rarely a good introduction. Inside the Millennium Puzzle, Yami had already decided that he disliked Mike, on the grounds that Mike didn't like Yuugi--he didn't need any other reason than that. He refrained from mentioning this to Yuugi, both because he knew Yuugi wouldn't want him to judge Mike that quickly and because he didn't want to bother Yuugi unless it was important. Benjamin's face was unfathomable; he seemed wary and aloof and just a little sad all at once. Bikaymon, like Yami, had so far chosen to say nothing. He knew that right now, Benjamin needed some time to think.

-o-o-o-o-o-

As they walked, Mike questioned Benjamin. "So, why are these guys chasing that little kid? And why do you have to get this key?"

Benjamin did not meet Mike's eyes as he answered, "Yuugi and I must find the Key to help one of his allies. I do not know him, but if Yuugi trusts him, I do as well. We are pursued by the Clanners because the Overlord wants Yuugi dead. He is dangerous to the Overlord, more dangerous than either of us."

Mike was astounded by this proclamation. "How can that be? All I see is a little short kid with weird hair and a weird necklace. What's so dangerous about him?"

Benjamin frowned. "Yuugi is much more than he seems."

Mike had no time to counter this remark, as he suddenly tripped, dropping most of his gear. Yuugi and Benjamin began picking it up when Yuugi uncovered a small, leather-wrapped package. Drawn by some unknown force, he opened it. Inside was a stack of paper-thin crystals.

Holding one up to the light, Yuugi saw a picture of a dragon. He dropped the crystal in surprise. To everyone's amazement, it did not shatter. Instead, it struck the rock unharmed, giving out a clear, bell- like sound.

Picking it up, Yuugi stared at it, unheeding of Mike and Benjamin's stares. "It looks so similar...can it be?"

How can it? They don't look like Duel Monsters cards, Yami said, putting in his opinion since Yuugi had technically asked him, although he had probably been talking to himself.

"But are they Summon cards? Where could they have come from? I thought Duel Monsters was unique to our World."

Vice said that all Worlds were unique in some way, and that Guardians are a reflection of this.

"Then what did he mean? And what is this?" Yuugi said, perplexed.

Mike waved a hand in front of Yuugi's eyes, not realizing that Yami was communicating with Yuugi mind-to-mind. "Uh...are you okay, kid?"

Yuugi looked up, startled. "Huh? What did you say?"

Mike shook his head. "You need professional help."

Yuugi nodded absently. "Yeah, whatever you say....but....what are these?"

Mike took the dragon card from the stack. "Oh, they're pretty weird. I know what a few of them are, though. This one is called--"

"No, don't say it!"

"--the Lesser Ice Drake." As he spoke, the Lesser Ice Drake appeared before them. Yuugi and Benjamin were both startled, but Mike calmly Desummoned the large dragon-like creature by flipping the crystal down. They were indeed Summon cards.

Yuugi carefully wrapped them again, muttering as he did so, "So they are..."

Summon capable, yes. Who knows what they really are, or where they come from? Yami said skeptically, forgetting that he would probably make Yuugi look crazy by talking to him while someone who didn't know about him, Mike, was present.

"They seem so similar. There must be a connection."

Mike looked at Benjamin. "Ben...who's he talking to?"

Benjamin shook his head, knowing the answer to Mike's question but also knowing that it was Yuugi who should tell Mike about Yami. "Don't ask. You don't want to know."

Shrugging, Mike repacked his belongings. The travelers continued on in the deepening twilight.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Benjamin would have continued walking all night if Bikaymon had not whispered a reminder that they needed to rest at some point. Nodding in sudden comprehension, Benjamin called a halt. He and Yuugi set about making camp for the night, but it was obvious that neither knew very much about it, Benjamin being more used to sleeping in the open and Yuugi having no camping experience whatsoever. Benjamin wandered off, muttering something about territories and scouts, while Yuugi, having collected a useless assortment of twigs and woodchips from the sparse vegetation in the area, attempted to make a fire. He took two pieces of rock, which he fervently hoped were flint and steel, and started banging them together, frequently cutting and bruising his hands instead.

Benjamin slipped noiselessly back, just as Mike said to Yuugi, "Here-- let me give you a hand." Snapping his fingers, a small flare appeared.

Benjamin immediately pressed his hand over it, putting it out. "No fire. It will draw enemies down upon us."

Yuugi knew better than to question this statement, but Mike saw no reason not to. "Aren't you planning on eating something cooked?"

Benjamin shook his head. "I ate yesterday," he said with characteristic Darkling lack of emotion. Benjamin, living in dying Dark World, was used to eating when he could, and usually not every day. Luckily, his Darkling blood allowed him to do this with less health penalties than an ordinary human would have.

Mike turned to Yuugi. "What about you?"

Yuugi shrugged. "I ate this morning," he mentioned unhelpfully. Yuugi, unlike Benjamin, usually ate multiple times a day like a normal human, but he assumed that Benjamin, as an experienced traveler, knew what he was talking about. Used to being the weak link in any team, Yuugi was determined, for once, to be just as strong as everyone else. Of course, trying to keep up with a Darkling's stoic endurance was far from wise, but he didn't know that.

Mike was dumbfounded. "Okay, Ben I'm used to, but what's wrong with you?"

Benjamin, having only some idea of Yuugi's motives and knowing that it would be impossible to talk him out of them, muttered to Mike, "Don't ask. You don't want to know."

None of the travelers probably would have eaten if Benjamin and Yuugi hadn't needed to feed their various creature allies; even so, they weren't carrying a great deal of a supplies, so Mike had to help out. They ended up eating mostly bread, since no one but a Darkling or someone living in Dark World would have eaten the highly questionable food that Benjamin couldn't satisfactorily explain the origins of. After that, they all settled down to doing whatever they felt like. Yami did nothing; as a spirit, he was still largely unable to interact with the material world.

Luminaras, still refusing to go inside its Pokeball, settled down next to Yuugi and Bikaymon. Mike saw that, although Yuugi and Benjamin both saw the necessity of setting a watch, neither knew how to do it. Benjamin volunteered to take first watch. He stared off into space while Yuugi sat staring at the ground.

Finally, he got up and continued attempting to make a fire. Mike poked Benjamin. He was unconcerned, however. "He can't make a fire striking those two pieces of granite together."

While Mike was occupied, Yuugi dug something out of his pocket. Muttering something to the knee-high ball of fluff with clawed hands that appeared from his card, he pointed to his bundle of kindling. The creature, Kuribo, pointed at it and concentrated, and it immediately burst into flame. The small creature squeaked, pleased with itself. Mike, turning around to see what had squeaked, saw Yuugi quickly hide something (his card) behind his back.

Mike nudged Benjamin again. Benjamin, however, remained nonchalant. "It is a magical fire; it will not smoke."

Mike stared at Yuugi. "You had magic, and you decided to try lighting a fire with granite?" he asked, not realizing that Benjamin was talking about Kuribo's magical Burning Hands.

Yuugi was surprised. "Oh, I don't have any magic."

You can Summon. That's magic, Yami pointed out, sounding slightly indignant; Yuugi had a habit of underestimating his own abilities.

"Yeah, but I don't have fire-lighting magic," Yuugi said, shrugging.

Mike was about to ask him who he was talking to when Bikaymon nudged him. "Don't ask. You don't want to know."

Mike shrugged and drew out a piece of wood. Taking a knife out of another pocket, he began to carve it. Suddenly, his hand was stopped.

"Bre umbre!" Luminaras had grabbed the knife blade in his teeth, and was attempting to pull it toward him.

Yuugi intervened before either of them got hurt. Pulling Luminaras backwards, he said, "Sorry--this is Luminaras--he's Vice's Umbreon, that makes him pretty unusual--he must like your knife....." Yuugi trailed off, staring at the weapon in Mike's hand. "That knife--it's one of Vice's!"

It can't be. When has he met Mike? Yami said skeptically; the silver blade and leather-bound hilt looked just like one of Vice's knives, but how could Mike have gotten one? He certainly would never have been able to steal something like that from the Darkling warrior.

"Look at it! It has to be one of his--it's almost identical to the ones he usually fights with."

Mike, waving aside the question of who Yuugi was talking to, leaned forward. "You know Vice?"

Yuugi nodded. "He sent us to look for the Key. We have to rescue him. How did you meet Vice?" Mike thought back, then launched into his story, as his audience--Yuugi, Bikaymon, and Yami, although Mike didn't realize he was listening too.

[flashback]

He was running along the dark street. Had to find shelter. His pursuers were gaining. Had to find shelter now. Suddenly, he saw a figure running in the opposite direction, looking upwards. It shouted something. Mike, transfixed by this scene, was suddenly knocked down when the stranger slammed into him. He wore a long, black coat, and his brilliantly green eyes seemed distracted.
Waving toward the sky, he said hurriedly, "Sorry--wasn't watching where I was going, I--Skye was in trouble, so I wasn't looking--" Suddenly he stopped, staring at the person he had bumped into. "Mike! I am honored," he said, bowing. He smiled. "You are a friend of Benjamin. You can call me Vice."
Before he had a chance to explain further, a falcon shrieked overhead. Seeing Mike's pursuers, he grinned at the dumbfounded boy, then raced off down an ally. Mike was about to help him, as he was clearly out numbered, when the first of his attackers fell backwards with a knife embedded in his throat. Mike glanced up, but both Vice and his unfortunate attackers were gone.

[end flashback]

"...and that's how I met Vice and got this knife. He saved my life, so I'm glad I'll have a chance to repay him."

Luminaras, having succeeded in grabbing Mike's knife, curled up next to it and went to sleep. Mike carefully pulled it away and replaced it in his belt. After this, Yuugi shook Benjamin and told him to go to sleep, knowing that Benjamin would take all the watches if he did not. Only Mike and Bikaymon remained awake, staring into the heart of the fire. Each with their own thoughts. Each with their own concerns.