I'd just like to make another announcement here. The Conclusion of the Masked Duelist… was a fake chapter. It has absolutely nothing to do with the storyline at all. I figured that the story was going so smoothly that I'd shake things up a bit with a false chapter, complete with bad jokes, clichés, and a lot of OOC statements from everybody. In layman's terms, it was just a prank. Do you forgive me? Anyways, on with the story! Oh, and don't worry, that chapter was the first and last of my false chapters. Just had to experiment and stuff.
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"The Cope of the Masked Duelist"
By: Von Stupor
Baron Von Stupor had always acted a little eccentric around Yugi and friends, but nothing like he is now. He now seemed very quiet and sorrowful, and would periodically snap his head around, paranoid. Due to the absence of his cope, he now bore a hooded jacket, unzipped. It has a darker shade of gray than that of the late cope.
Just as he agreed, he met everyone at the Kamé Game Store prior to heading off for the finals. There, he met Serenity Wheeler and Duke Devlin, and was reunited with Nina, whom he had met in his earlier travels. Once they were together, they traveled toward the site of the finals, which according to the locater cards, was the Battle city Stadium.
"Von, what's the matter?" Joey asked, concerned. "You've been twitching ever since you got here!"
"His coat got mauled in an accident, Joey," Téa answered for him.
"What?! How'd it happen???"
"Don't worry about it; he got them back for it."
"I… I want my cope…" Von Stupor stuttered. "I feel so… naked…"
"Well, I'm pretty sure that thing meant a lot to you, but it's no reason to act all screwy. Come on, it's just a coat!" Joey reasoned.
"No!" shrieked Von Stupor, grabbing Joey by his jacket. Everyone became nervous.
"Does he always act like this?" Duke whispered to Yugi.
"No, he really doesn't! He's actually a nice guy!" said Yugi, not knowing what to do.
"That wasn't just a coat; it was a cope! Not just any cope; my cope, the cope of Baron Von Stupor! Without it, I am not even a baron at all…" he whimpered, letting go of Joey. "My… my trademark…"
His mask began glowing again and dark electricity surged throughout his body.
"No! Not now!" he shrieked, clutching the mask. He appeared to be resisting Majora's coming.
"I am growing bored, Baron Von Stupor," he complained, his voice distorted. "Allow me to exact revenge on those boys that destroyed your cope." His voice became normal again as he continued. "No! They have been paid their dues! Which you should have allowed me to do! Are you going back on our deal?! We had an agreement! I'm sorry… I wanted to handle things that time… Von Stupor, Von Stupor, what do you do these things? Must I take over your body for good? No! I'm sorry, but I believe that every corrupted duelist has been eliminated from the tournament! Then let us find others. There is no time, the finals begin shortly! You promised me corrupt people to torture!!! You are not keeping your end of the bargain!!!"
Everyone gasped.
"I know that and I apologize, Majora, just please wait until the end of the tournament… Fine. Hurry and get your tournament over with, but I want more victims."
The mask stopped glowing and Von Stupor fell to his knees. He began murmuring something to himself. Joey promptly ran over to Von Stupor and yanked him up by his shirt. resort to violence!"
Von Stupor didn't say a word. Though he could stand on his own, he was very wobbly. His head rolled around on his shoulders as if he were a wandering corpse.
"Von Stupor…" Téa asked him. "Are you alright?"
"I want my cope…" he mumbled in reply. She spied a tear drip off the bottom of
"What kind of sick deal do you have going with Majora?!" he demanded.
"Wh… what?" he asked hazily.
"Don't give me that crap! I heard Majora talking about you bringing him corrupted people to torture! You better spill it, Von, 'cause if I hear another elusive answer out of you, things might have to get ugly!"
"Joey, no!" cried Yugi, pulling Von Stupor away from Joey. "We don't need to resort to violence! Just calm down, Joey!"
Von Stupor wandered away while Tristan joined Yugi and Joey's debate about Von Stupor.
"No, we need to find out what's going on with him, now! He could have intentions that none of us might know about!" Joey insisted.
"That may be true, but he seems to be having some serious side effects from losing his cope! Don't you think we ought to let him get over this first?" Yugi argued.
"I'm sorry Joey, but I'm with Yugi on this one," Tristan agreed.
Téa noticed Von Stupor wandering away and caught up with him.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"I… I must sit down… my cope…"
"How important is your cope to you?"
"It was my friend…"
"Last night… did you intend for it to get destroyed like that?"
"No… but at the time, it did not matter. Your safety was more important than the cope, for it is but an inanimate object. However, its inanimate state does not change the fact… that it was an excruciatingly painful loss…"
"I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help."
Von Stupor simply stared toward the ground. She put her arm around him to console him, but as she did this, he once again grabbed his chest and nearly fell over.
"Von Stupor, wh…?!"
"I'm fine! I'm fine, do not worry," he quickly explained, panting.
"Are you sure? This has happened twice now…"
"Yes, it's just… I'm fine, really."
"Alright, then. Come on, let's keep going to the finals."
"Wait a minute," Joey piped up. "Von, I'm sorry for my reaction earlier, but what is this deal you have going with Majora?"
"Please," Von Stupor pleaded. "I assure you, it's not what it sounds like… give me some time… I promise I'll tell you later…"
"Alright, then, but I've got my eye on you."
"I understand… Cope…"
Together, they all traveled to the Battle City Stadium. As they stepped inside, they saw Kaiba standing in front of his corporate blimp. With him stood Mai Valentine, a cloaked man (presumably a rare hunter), and Bakura.
"Wow, Bakura, you made it?" Téa asked him with interest.
"I wasn't easy, but somehow, I managed," he replied modestly.
Nina very nervously approached Mai.
"You… you're Mai… Oh, my god!" she said in excitement. "You're my idol, and I'm your biggest fan!" she rambled.
"I… can tell… You bear a disturbingly strong likeness to me," Mai replied, feeling uncomfortable.
"Oh, don't worry, I'm not crazy or anything, just hopelessly obsessed with you! I know everything about your life, stuff you may not even think other people do, like how you managed to get your Harpie's Pet Dragon by sleeping—"
Mai clamped her mouth shut, her face a crimson color.
"Shhhhhhhhh!!!" she shushed fiercely. Joey raised an eyebrow, and a smug grin came on his face.
"Don't be getting any ideas, Wheeler!" she snapped.
Nina gasped and said, "Oh, I'm sorry! Sometimes I just get carried away when I talk about you, and—oh, I'll just be quiet now. It's… an honor even being in your presence."
Wish I could say the same, Mai thought.
With Nina close behind, she then approached Von Stupor.
"Anyway," she started. "I've heard some stories about you, Von Stupor. I was hoping to get in a quick exhibition match before the finals actually started. After all, there's a chance I may not get to face you. Simply put, I just want to see if the rumors about you are true. What do you say?"
"…But my cope…" Von Stupor said.
"Hey Von, don't worry about it. You're cope's gone and there's nothing you can do about it. You're gonna have to duel without it eventually, so you should take this opportunity to get used to it, right?" Joey advised.
"I… suppose so…"
Since the tournament finals were not to start for another half hour, Kaiba allowed them to use their duel disks in the stadium, provided they stayed away from the blimp.
"Be warned, though; when the tournament starts, we will disqualify either of you if you're not ready." he stated.
"Are you going first?" Mai asked Von Stupor.
"My… my cope…" he blankly replied.
"I'll take that as a no," she said, drawing. "I'll set one monster and end my turn."
"I-I'll do this…" Von Stupor mumbled, setting three M/T cards and a monster. The three cards appeared in front of him in their respective places.
"I'll summon the Cyber-Harpie and play 'Elegant Egotist', which allows me to summon my Harpie Lady Sisters from my hand! To finish this combo, I'll flip summon the Faith Bird! Moving on to Battle Phase, I order my Faith bird to attack your facedown monster with Beak of Faith attack!"
The Faith Bird wrenched its beak into Von Stupor's face down card, revealing a Sangan.
"That monster lets you select a monster from your deck with an attack value of 1000 or less and add it to your hand! Good move, but it's a shame it won't outlast the remainder of my attack! I order my Cyber-Harpie and Harpie Lady Sisters to attack your Life Points directly!"
"I activate 'Negate Attack'…"
"Well, gee. I suppose I should have expected it. Fine then, your turn."
"I'll summon the Copycat and transfer the attack and defense of your Harpie Lady Sisters. Next, I'll play 'Fissure' to destroy your Faith Bird, since it is the monster with the lowest attack on your side of the field. Now, I'll destroy your Cyber-Harpie with the Copycat."
The Copycat, now endowed with the Harpie Lady Sisters' strength, shot a beam of light from its mirror. The Cyber-Harpie's torso was burned straight through, and it fell to the ground and faded away in defeat.
"That's not a bad move, not a bad move at all, but I actually would have expected something more… flashy from the malevolent Baron Von Stupor," she observed. "Now I shall summon Harpie's Brother!"
"Wait… I activate Trap Hole…"
"Fine, but I can't allow your Copycat to remain on the field, so I'll sacrifice my Harpie Lady Sisters to destroy your Copycat by attacking it!"
"Wh…? Since their attacks are the same, both monsters will be destroyed…"
"Exactly!"
"I'll defend by activating another 'Negate Attack'."
"Hmph. Fine, your turn."
"I draw… I'll play Dark Hole."
Both monsters were sucked into a black void that appeared between them and were never seen again.
"What the… Von Stupor, why didn't you just attack me and save that card for later???"
"I… I don't know…"
"This isn't good," Yugi said to Téa. "Von Stupor's dueling has been thrown way off since he lost his cope! Are you sure there's no way to recover it?"
"It was cut straight down the middle, there's no way we can recover it in time," she replied. "I hope he can hold off Mai without it…"
"I'll pass my turn, there's nothing I can do right now," Mai announced.
"I set one M/T… Your turn…"
"You seem a little disturbed, Von Stupor. If you want to quit the duel, just say so."
"No, I can do it…"
"Alright, then. I'll summon the Skull Red Bird and attack you directly!"
"I'll reduce the damage to zero by discarding Kuriboh."
"You know, you need to get more aggressive! You're never going to beat me if all you do is waste cards fending me off. Make a move, but make something of it this time."
"I… pass."
"Are you even listening to me? I summon Harpie's Brother and attack you directly with both of my monsters!"
The Skull Red Bird slashed Von Stupor with its talons and Harpie's Brother flanked him with his claw, sending his Life Points to 4650.
"Guh!" Von Stupor grunted. "I… I can't do it! My cope… I… I set one M/T and end my turn…"
The word wouldn't cease rolling through Téa's head.
Cope… Cope… His coat… she thought.
"I'll attack you directly with Skull Red Bird, sending your Life Points to 3100!" Mai declared.
"Wait!" Téa exclaimed to Yugi as the Skull Red Bird attacked Von Stupor. "Yugi, take off your jacket and give it to Von Stupor!"
"What?" Yugi asked, confused.
"I've seen you wear your jacket like Von Stupor does before! Just do it!"
Yugi obediently took off his jacket and tossed it to Von Stupor. Von Stupor caught it with one hand, but looked at Yugi incredulously.
"Wear it!" Téa commanded.
"…Why?"
"It's a cope!"
Something must have clicked in Von Stupor's head, because once Téa said this, Von Stupor slapped the jacket around his neck almost instantaneously and shrieked to Mai at the top of his lungs, "Behold, for I am Baron Von Stupor!!!"
"Big deal," said Mai coldly. "Harpie's Brother, attack him directly with Harpie's Claw attack!"
"Not so fast, Valentine of Mai! I activate 'Call of the Haunted' and bring my Sangan back from the grave!" Von Stupor countered.
"Hmph, that's only a setback for me! I told you to get aggressive!"
"All in time, my scantily clad adversary."
Mai looked down at herself and went red.
"I heard you were very perceptive, but I didn't think they meant it like that, you perv—"
"I care not about your garzonkas, despite what you infer! I am merely stating that if I wore any less than you do, I would be nude."
Joey was the only one to laugh.
A nerve popped out of her head as she said, "Excuse me, but are you calling me a slut?"
"No, no. I am calling you a walking advertisement. Why do you ask?"
"You know, I'm gonna make you pay for that remark! So far, these rumors I've been hearing about you are anything but true! Harpie's Brother, attack his Sangan!"
"I shall lose 800 Life Points from that attack, meaning I have a mere 2300 Life Points compared to your 7850. However, the monster I just pulled to my hand shall lead to my victory!"
"Oh, come on! You're at a heavy disadvantage! It'll take a miracle for you to come back!"
"I've come back from worse. I shall first set one M/T and summon Witch of the Black Forest! Next, I'll equip it with both Axe of Despair and Sword of Dark Destruction, raising its attack to 2600! Now attack Harpie's Brother with Meghid Magnified!"
"Now I'm at 7150. That wasn't a bad move, but this war isn't over yet! I'll play my 'Dark Hole', which destroys your Witch of the Black Forest!"
"In doing so, you have activated her effect! I shall now place a monster with a defense of 1500 or less from my deck into my hand!"
"You're up to something, so I'll play 'Rising Air Current', which increases all WIND-type monsters' attack by 500! Now, no matter what monster you summon, it still can't compete with another Harpie's Brother or Cyber Harpie!"
"That is unimportant Mai or Valentine, for I destroy your 'Rising Air Current' with 'Mystical Space Typhoon'! Next, I shall summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp and attack your Life Points directly with Genie Fist attack!"
La Jinn jabbed Mai in the face, dropping her Life points to 5350.
"I knew I'd take a hit one way or another, but that doesn't matter. I'll just draw and… what???"
Mai looked at her hand in shock.
"I… I don't have a monster to summon!" she sputtered.
"That seems like an unbalanced deck to me," Von Stupor said, mockingly. "Clearly the mark of an amateur, as you would say, ha, ha."
"I don't seem to have lost more than half of my Life points, have I?"
"Ha, ha, touché."
"Furthermore, I happen to have placed in the semifinals of the Duelist kingdom tournament. What, pray tell, have you placed in? Sorry kiddo, but you've only become infamous in this region, while I'm known across the world, so don't tell me whose deck is unbalanced when I've clearly got the advantage."
"Does amateur status truly spawn from invisibility in tournaments? Am I truly an amateur in that I haven't placed in any tourneys before now? Is it possible that I am merely an amateur simply because I haven't placed in a large tournament?"
"No, what makes someone an amateur is how long they've actually played. If I'm not mistaken, you haven't played much if you're just now being recognized for your skills."
"So a sub par duelist can duel for many years, and afterward, not be an amateur despite his many mistakes?"
"No, to stop being an amateur, you have to have skill and true dueling experience!"
"I possess both."
"Are you going to duel or sit around and chat all day long?!"
"Very well, then. You speak of having the advantage?"
"Of course, look at the Life Point count."
"Ah, yes, the Life Points. Examine your side of the field compared to mine. I have one monster, and you have none. Now, examine your side of the field compared to mine and speak to me of who has the advantage when I summon the Whiptail Crow and attack you directly with both monsters!"
La Jinn slapped Mai's head while the Whiptail Crow bludgeoned the other side with its tail, cutting her Life Points down to 1900.
"Oh, no…" she groaned. "How could you have come back in just a few turns? All I can do now is set this monster and end my turn…"
"Now you shall feel the wrath once I summon Zombyra the Dark! Attack, my monsters! Zombyra, take the set monster! La jinn, Whiptail Crow, bring in the rear! Behold, for you are defeated-ed-ed!"
The face down monster Skull Red Bird was destroyed easily and La Jinn and Whiptail Crow double teamed her once more, smashing away the rest of her Life Points.
"Ohhhh…" she groaned. "I was so close to beating you, too…"
"Who is of amateurs now, Miss of Valentine?"
"Alright, Alright, I'll admit it. The rumors about you are true, and you beat me fair and square. That doesn't mean I'm down and out yet, though. Since this was an exhibition match, it's not official and I got to see how you duel. I'm going to really adjust my deck to counter yours and I'll be waiting for our rematch!"
"I too, shall stand idly."
Mai walked away with Nina in hot pursuit, and Von Stupor rejoined Yugi and company.
"That was a good duel you had, Von Stupor!" complimented Yugi.
"Why thank you, he whose hair is designed to resemble a five fingered hand!" Von Stupor thanked him. He then turned to Téa. "This victory has been gained thanks to you, Téa. Your courage and bravery weren't really shown in this scene, as there was nothing holding you back from what you did. However, your kindness is greatly admired. Thank you, SuperTéa."
Slightly confused, but appreciating the compliment, she nodded her head and said, "No problem Von Stupor. As long as we're friends, we'll always stay by your side, no matter what!"
"Wait a minute," said Joey, jumping in. "You mind telling us about Majora now, or did you think we'd forget or something?"
"Right," said Von Stupor. "You see, he who wears this mask is prey for Majora. He who wears this cannot take it off unless Majora wills it to come off. Majora will come out and possess the body for his own purpose, which is to inflict as much suffering as he can in people. After all, in the past, he was a very powerful sorcerer that struggled to rule the world but whose spirit was sealed inside this mask before he could. Fortunately for me, I was able to cut a deal with Majora. He would allow me to live out my life as long as I supplied him with people to have his way with. In this world, such people exist that are big headed, that are evil, that are dishonorable in their ways. I seek those people and feed them to Majora. He will do things to them such as destroying their prized possessions through his dark magic so as to not allow it to be traced back to me, or in a worst case scenario, corrupt their mind to where it is nothing but terrifying hallucinations. In doing this, I would help the world, though in a negative way, as well as maintain my life. It is… the only way."
"You're kidding… You're a prisoner of your own mask…" Joey sympathized.
"Alas, I make do."
Tristan piped up and asked, "You know, you were really freaking out back there without your cope. What was with that?"
Von Stupor sighed and said, "My cope is my trademark. It is who I am. One cannot lose track of who they are, or one is lost. Without my cope, I—"
"No way!" Joey cut him off. "Cope or no cope, you're definitely Von Stupor! I mean, there's your deck, the way you word your sentences, and lots of other things! You don't have just one trademark! Besides, who needs a trademark to tell people who they are? As long as you know who you are, then you won't be lost at all! Who cares what other people know you by?"
"Yeah," Tristan added. "Who really cares? If you know who you are, then that's all that matters! Nobody can tell you otherwise."
"Perhaps… Perhaps you are correct. Perhaps though my cope is very near and dear to me, it is not necessary to maintain proper identity. Perhaps… it is a mere accessory and is thusly expendable…" contemplated Von Stupor, taking off Yugi's jacket. "Yugi, I shall not need this anymore. Thank you, all. I shall progress through the finals copeless, but strong."
Kaiba then stepped out of the blimp and stated, "We will be leaving shortly, via this blimp. When the finals begin—"
"Potatoes!" Von Stupor shouted.
"When the finals begin," Kaiba continued, biting his tongue. "We will hold the first round atop the blimp. By the time the first round is finished, we should be at if not already at the true site of the semi-final and final rounds."
He turned and walked into the blimp, and everyone followed close behind.