Entry 18
In the deepest, darkest caves, they found what they needed. After years of an aching desire for what was just out of their grasp, they cradled in shaking palms that which was worth more, both instrumentally and intrinsically, than all the earthly treasures combined. Authority, prestige dominance, security. Power. Indeed when it comes down to it, power is what drives a person to push through the limitations of human influence and strive to satisfy their own yearnings. It is the power they crave that dissolves their sense of morals and logic and even makes obsolete all that is possible and impossible in the world.
No one said power was always a good thing though. That was why they made it there.
And made it out.
Or so they said.
Everywhere you look, you'd see people of all ages gathering on the streets, peeking through store windows, tilting their heads up to the local big screens or intently focused on their portable TV's, waiting for the next move. Every word said and action done triggers a reaction, often many times more expressive than the action itself and no one is content until the last measly point is snuffed out by an unsuspecting trump card.
So is the routine for the game that made it big. So big in fact that what began as something worthy of no more attention than a three of spades, extended to reach every corner of the border and beyond, spreading like an epidemic to the most remote parts of the world and bringing in millions from dealers of the highest calibre, amused collectors and your regular Joe Smow.
By day the town was bustling with students, workers and errand-runners, all hurrying to their destinations without even a glance at the local supplier store, either in hopes of masking their embarrassing little secret or resisting the trap they knew awaited them behind the "Open" sign. Night was when "The Game" dominated, bringing with it both the good and bad sides of human nature; as most things did. The top gamers ruled the streets, leaving in their wake dejected novices in the pool of their own "perfect" decks, awed spectators drooling for even a glimpse of their cards and crowds of wannabe followers with no sense of direction of their own.
Arrogance naturally followed those on the better end of the food chain, which eventually evolved into greed, jealously, treachery and, of course, violence. The days of lunch money bully fights were swiftly trust aside as more potent, dangerous brawls raged (in both reclusive alleys and open streets) over who wanted what and to whose pocket the piece of paper with the pretty, shiny ink should ride first class in.
Lunch money was never nearly sufficient for one of these. Not the shiny ones, anyways.
As the game evolved, so did the accessories which followed suit. Whether it be a standard game board or the latest Duel Disk money could spit out, everyone was more than willing to hand over the greens in order to get their hands on them. Status was the key to survival and owning a couple of worthwhile cards just wasn't enough. Many learned this lesson the hard way.
Status was also about the biggest name in the business, or rather, maintaining the biggest name in the business. Of course at the time, no name posed a higher status than that of Kaiba. Seto Kaiba to be precise. Ring a bell? Well it should. The soundless student sitting in the far corner of class 41-b, who never did any homework or even paid a single drop of attention to the teacher, who managed to A+ every quiz, test and exam was also the highest ranked player in the world.
This ice-eyed youth neither had a penny to his name nor was affiliated with those with pennies to their names, yet in the few short years of his life, managed to gain an empire, the same empire that just so happened to produce one of the most desired commodities at the time. Luck? That was highly unlikely. He was Chief Executive Officer at 16. And knew what he was doing too.
So it was no big surprise that Kaiba indulged in this new craze, taking every opportunity to gain the upper hand and extract whatever consumers had left from their card expenditures. Which he was soon pleased to find out, was a lot. The world was enthralled when the first wave of game-enhancers, known as "Duel Arenas," hit the public. Though rather large (as the name suggests) and only accessible via certain Kaiba Corp-sponsored buildings, these gaming stadiums melted the line between fantasy and reality, fulfilling the gamers' wildest dreams.
An early form of the "Duel Disk" soon followed (which existed for a very short period of time, so short in fact that Kaiba himself was said to have owned the only copy in existence), with it the more refined second version used today. The duel disk, once merely an experiment for enhancing the quality of his holograms, later proved to be his most efficient product as its convenience (and better holograms) sent consumers by the droves, outselling Game Boy Advances and Barbie dolls.
With the creation of the Duel Arenas and Disks, came the demand for competitive gaming sports and tournaments, both of which became global and official at the drop of a hat. Now, rather than gather around their television sets for the seasonal sport championships, families huddled with their snacks and drinks to watch the tournament finals, impatiently waiting to see who is crowned regional, national or world champion.
There was one thing, however, Kaiba had not taken into consideration when devising plans to market his products and that was the unwanted attention from those wishing to swing the advantage in their favour.
Although very few actually dared to usurper Kaiba Corp, many worked through him in order to fulfill their greedy desires. Gangs emerged in the later hours of the day, seeking out their victims and hunting down the unwary in hopes of strengthening what had become the main focus of their lives. To say the streets were unsafe would have been an unapt statement though because law enforcers, too, were on the prowl. That, however, did not mean the streets were completely safe either.
These random street gangs paved the way for more intricate underground organizations who were far more relentless in their actions and whose sought-out prizes evolved beyond those of rare cards. These secret sects proved themselves slippery under the eyes of the law, having in their disposal advanced technology, reliable resources and a ton of cash. They work under the noses of police officers and pedestrians alike, scheming behind closed doors and striking without leaving so much has a fingerprint.
For the most part, these groups carried on unbeknownst to anyone but a select few who were either secretly affiliated with them or sought their destruction. Very few ever knew how long these groups succeeded or whether they succeeded at all. The ones that knew refused to divulge any information and the ones that didn't carried on as if any traces of danger were merely figments of their imagination.
In a sense, these groups were merely a part of life itself, randomly appearing and disappearing from view. But in a different sense, they weren't. Their presence presented a threat to the natural order of society and would only increase in severity over time, much as the game had progressed over the years. This progression soon called for more serious defensive tactics, thereby increasing tension amongst the innocent whom, by then, would have realised that something was wrong.
During these times, the fate of the city or town involved solely rested in the hands of law enforcers and, depending on their competency, determined how soon, if ever, life would return to normal. The game and game accessories corporate executives never involved themselves in such matters, claiming these happenings to be of no fault of their own but rather derived from the greed of the people. On a hearing, Maxamillion Pegasus, billionaire creator of the game, refused to answer any questions concerning these matters, simply stating, "I am only obligated to do my job, let the police handle theirs." He later opted to withdraw from the hearing and went to a card convention where he signed kids' T-shirts and sold grape juice.
Kaiba himself refused any hearings at all and took unusually great lengths to hide himself from the public eye. Eventually, any communication with Kaiba was either through paperwork or his advisors. It came to the point where some wondered if his company had been usurped after all.
These CEOs' reluctance to answer much debated questions and their disregard of the unsettling issues involving their products roused suspicion amongst the public. With no real evidence behind them, the public began making accusations against these corporate tycoons, claiming they were the cause of the happenings. Many even insisted that they were the ones controlling the street gangs and underground sects for one purpose or another; maybe even, to market their products in some sort of sick and twisted way.
These accusations fell on deaf ears and as time passed with no word of response, the tension increased. Finally, fed up with being left in the dark and treated with contempt, mass groups pf pedestrians gathered in the town centres, giving impassioned speeches, and, fuelled by renewed bitterness, rioting the streets. They smashed windows of every shop remotely related to the game, burnt the items found inside and chased the guiltless owners down the streets with weapons and flaming torches. Luckily, the rioting mobs were soon held under bay before serious damage was done.
It seemed that after that day, all of the anger and frustration was vented from the people and the need for action against the gangs and sects simply dissipated. The wiry people lost their passion for the issue and reluctantly accepted the fact that there was nothing they could do. Cards continued to be bought, games were played, kids were bullied for their shinies and the craze was ignited once again.
No one knew that the peace was only the eye of the storm. "They" were yet to make their appearance, such an appearance that would soon prove to be of greater proportions than all of the gangs and sects combined. All beginning with the theft of a rare card.
For me, this is where it begins.
End Entry
A/N: Okay that was pretty strange, boring and made no sense whatsoever but I needed to have it in there. Just take a wild guess and if you don't get it, I'll explain.
This is your last chance to make a guess.
Replies:
Fushicho Hime: Yup that woman was Mai and well, the only reason why it's Mai is because I said I wouldn't add in anymore OCs to make it easier on people. Guess I was wrong about that –walks away laughing- it's great to be cruel. Thanks for the review!
Ciardra: Well, I can't really tell you if you're right or not but at least you're thinking about it simply. Not like I can control it or anything but some people linger on details that weren't even supposed to mean anything important and sometimes think themselves into confusion. Thanks for the review!
Insane Penguin: -Laughs hysterically- You are hilarious! But yeah, I guess that does make some sort of sense. Yup that was Mai, no clone, just Mai. And I didn't portray her like that because I hate her or anything; I just did it because she was the most likely character to do that kind of stuff, that's all. I wonder what would happen if it was Serenity. All well. And yeah, a yami in a gay bar is a funny picture now that you brought it up. Thanks for the review!
Angel in Disguise8: You spelled my name wrong. )
