Man, I got a few protests to Kevin losing, and even more people took the chance to state the obvious fact that it happened. Yes, Kevin lost. Get over it. It was going to happen no matter what. Here we have it, the prelude to the final battle. I kinda feel guilty that you guys wont get the duel you were hoping for. You'll see what I mean this chapter. Here we go.
Chapter Twenty-One: The Dark Game of Destiny
"What's with the premature duel, Ouja?" Serena asked, her tone even and focused. The white-haired man simply chuckled and inserted his deck into his Duel Disk.
"I told you, call me Bakura. That's my real name, always has been. But all of that aside, you're in my way. You se, Kai has a few things that I want, but he's also currently rather exhausted. I thought I'd give him another five minutes to catch his breath before I duel him. Quite frankly, I need him to be able to stand up for our duel, and if he faced you, it's possible that he simply wouldn't be able to." he explained, but with a new voice, this one cold, sinister and raspy.
"And what is it that you want from Kai that you need to duel him for it?" Serena asked, nonplused.
"His Millennium Rod, his Guardian powers, and his immortal soul." he answered as if it were an answer from a five-year old.
"You really believe in magic?" Serena asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Not only do I believe in it, I wield it at well. And if you don't believe me, prepare to be converted, because when I defeat you, I'll take that strong, flamboyant soul of yours to increase my power." he sneered, drawing five cards. He then drew a sixth and chuckled. "I set one monster face down, and set one card face down. End." he smiled, folding his arms across his chest, his four remaining cards still fanned out. Drawing a card, Serena took a few seconds to decide on which course ofaction she would take.
"I summon Emerald Paladin (1300/200) in attack mode, and then I get to special summon my Emerald Dragon (2400/1400) in attack mode!"
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Outside the Duel Fortress, about a mile north of the structure had been erected a small skyscraper, less than twenty stories high. On the roof of that skyscraper was a tall figure in his early twenties, long black hair bound down his back. He wore simple khakis with a red t-shirt with a black, long sleeved suede black shirt hanging open over it.
His arctic blue eyes remained concentrate on the building where six innocents had just been stripped of their very essence, a seventh soon to join them, and the only one capable of making the difference was currently unconscious. Overall, it was not a good situation.
"Kai, you must get up. You must stand and fight. You have powers that transcend the physical plane, now use them."Tenken uttered in a low tone. "In the coming battle, you will be key in defeating a peril unlike any you have ever before imagined, let alone heard of. Even once I awaken the other Guardians, they will need your mind to lead them, and they will need your power to strengthen them. Now rise, and fight!"
Tenken fell silent for a few seconds, no response coming to him. A few breezes brushed by him, followed by a particularly strong wind brushing along his back for a second.
"I don't have a wallet for you to take," Tenken spoke into the air, not moving in the slightest bit, but that did little to eliminate the surprise from the face of a young man about his age with thick, spiked dirty blonde hair which reached down to his lower neck, appearing both tamed and untamed at the same time. His build was rather slender, but there was an obvious amount of muscle underneath his thin and baggy desert clothing. However, the shock he felt could only seen in one of his eyes, as the left one was covered by a leather eyepatch. "Nikolas Selket. It seems that fate has smiled upon me." Tenken raised his arm and his thin crescent Duel Disk appeared on his arm, deck already in place.
"How did you...?" the young thief stammered, unable to complete his question.
"I could sense your energy, although I must applaud you. Your years as a thief has taught you stealth in your motions, which has, without your knowing, also allowed you to hide you mystical energy at the same. It wasn't until you made contact with me that I could sense you. Yes, you're very powerful, and will be extremely helpful in the final battle."
Nick looked either thunderstruck or sickened; and felt just as confused within himself. "What are you talking about."
"Prepare to awaken." Tenken declared, drawing six cards.
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Within the small cylindrical room which was the elevator, Kai continued to lay on his stomach, his eyes closed and his mind nearly just cut off from reality. He was asleep, and yet he was aware at the same time, as though he were now part of someone else's dream rather than just the observer.
He could see, and yet not see, the energies of several people all around him, could hear what they said, and yet could make no sense of it. He couldn't get any kind of grasp on any of it. And so he continued to lay there.
'I have got to get up. I have to face whoever is on the other side of that door. I have to keep going. I can't let it all go to waste. Not after I've learned so much!' And yet his body wouldn't move.
'Please!'he shouted at himself. 'Come on!'
And amazingly enough, this time he moved. The fingers of his right and began to twitch a little and his head lifted off the ground about half an inch. After a few seconds he dropped again against the steel floor.
'Etsu...Help me...' he pleaded. Again he pushed against the floor, his body feeling as though it weighed several thousand pounds. 'Etsu!' he shouted in his mind, summoning the image of her face to the forefront of his minds eye. 'I am going to keep going, not because of my parents, but for me!' Slowly, amazingly, he began to rise a bit more. He was tired. His muscles were exhausted. His mind we caught up in a flurry of chaos. He rose a bit more, his body screaming at him to stop. Bitting back the pain, he continued to push against the groung. His breathing was already ragged and he was perspiring.
As he neared the point at which he'd have his upper body straight up and his weight on his knees, he again collapsed, his torso hitting the ground with a hard 'thud'. He instantly began to berate himself for giving out when he was so close, but it was no use. His body had no ego to damage or to entice, and so he continued to lay there.
'So, this is where I end? I'm on the verge of the finals of the greatest event this planet has seen in over fifty years, and I'm not going to make it because I couldn't master myself? After all the power I've unlocked, after everything I've learned, and after I'm finally willing to actually fight for something, and I'm going to lose like this?'
It was almost laughable to think about how he would lose. Eventually, the elevator would spit him out, and his unmoving body would tumble onto the floor. His opponent would wait a minute before declaring a forfeit, and that would be it. Game over. Kai would lose. He'd lose without even trying.
'No!' he shouted to himself. 'I don't want it to be like that. I wont let Etsu's defeat be in vain. I wont let myself down, and I wont let her down! I wont let my opponent down, either. They came to Battle City and fought their way to the top to face a true Duelist!'
Again he began to rise, but this time it was little trouble to get to one knee. The trick lay in getting to both feet now.
"Rise, Kai. You are the Guardian of Time. Rise!" he suddenly heard, the voice ringing in his head.
"That's right." he breathed. "Tenken's counting on me. He told me that if I wanted to prepare to face the coming darkness, then I had to go the Finals and learn more and grow stronger!" Slowly he began to push off of his right foot, bringing his left knee off of the floor, but still unable to get his foot underneath him. "I am going to face what's ahead! I wont let a few bruises stand in my way!"And before his body could protest, he forced his left leg fully underneath him and shifted some of his body weight onto it, wincing as a sharp pain shot through his leg.
Much to his surprise, as he gained his balance, the doors before him slid open. To his greater surprise was the fact that there were three bodies within the room, and only one of them was standing.
"Ouja...Monotori? Why are you here? And what happened?" he asked, his surprise evident in his voice.
"Ah, Kai, you're finally here. Well, Ms. Kaiba managed to defeat young Kevin Hunter here. But I couldn't let her duel you, because I wanted that chance, and you didn't have it in you for two more consecutive duels. So I took it upon myself to cut that in half to one. Now it's just you and me Kai. Are you ready?"
"What do you mean? Why is dueling me so important to you?" Kai asked, rather taken aback.
"Ah yes, you wouldn't know or fully understand, would you, Kai. Please, follow me." Ouja offered, turning his back and heading for the back elevator.
"No." Kai declared, reaching to his back and grasping the Millennium Rod and bringing it forth in a threatening manner. Ouja turned his head around and smirking in amusement.
"That's very funny, Kai. Do you really think you can use that against me? Do you really think you have the knowledge or power? You couldn't even kill a man when your rage was at its greatest, so what makes you think you could do anything to me?" At this, Kai's face took on a look of surprise and his muscles slackened slightly in wonder.
'How does he know?'
"Don't look so surprised, Kai. After all, my eyes and ears are everywhere. Like you noted only a few short hours ago, my resources are nearly limitless." came the smug reply.
"You still haven't answered my question." Kai seethed boldly, hiding his fatigue as best as he could.
"Very well. They have had their souls extracted. So have all of the other finalists who have lost a duel here in this fortress." he explained, his tone remaining even.
"What? How?" Kai demanded, his voice riddled with bewilderment.
"If you would come with me, I might explain." the white haired business man sneered, entering the elevator. Sighing in defeat, Kai took the several pained steps through the room to enter the elevator, which closed its doors and began to rise. They ascended in silence, arms folded and staring each other down.
After about three minutes the elevator came to a halt and opened its doors, allowing them both to exit into another room, this one empty of bodies. Kai stopped at the end nearer where they entered, lacking the will to walk across the entire room. Soon they were set, facing each other with their decks in place.
"Now Kai, you've endured three Darkness Games thus far in my tournament. I assume you know what these are, being the history specialist that you are." Kai nodded. "Then I assume that you also would understand who I am if I were to tell you that my name is Bakura." To this, Kai had no reaction. He had never heard this name before, despite all of the studies he'd undergone. Ouja, or more appropriately, Bakura, sighed and then returned his focus to Kai.
"I suppose they worked to keep me out of history. Very well. Three thousand years ago, I was the greatest tomb raider their ever was. I had more power than anyone could possibly face. Or, at least, so I thought. Eventually the Pharaoh Atem, being the bastard child that he was, somehow managed to defeat me and my guardian spirit, or Ka, and so I was sealed away within the Millennium Ring."
"One hundred years ago the Ring came into the hands of a young man name Ryou, who was in fact my reincarnation, much to my relief. I quickly possessed the boy, will easy enough to break. Using him, I eventually drew Atem, who was using the body of a boy name Yugi, into a Darkness Game wherein we revisited the past and his memories were returned. Sadly, his friends somehow found his true name hidden within the recesses of his mind, and he released the power to defeat me."
"I was destroyed, or mostly. Only a fraction of me remained within Bakura. I had been purged from the Millennium Ring and Puzzle, and all of the Millennium Items were lost, and so I had no connection to any sort of magical item to draw power from. I was weak. Very weak. And I couldn't show myself without alerting Yugi's friends. So instead I waited, and waited. Shortly after the events that shook the Earth, Yugi and his friends passed away, and I took my chance. I had strength enough then to cease control of Bakura's body the instant that he died. My spirit in full control rejuvenated his old and decrepit body, and granted it immortality. Using my knowledge of the ancient world, I managed to raid a few tombs to acquire the funds to begin my company, which I used to monitor the world until the Millennium Items would return and I could once again vie for power, this time unheeded." he laughed as he completed his lecture.
Kai merely stared. He had never heard such an outrageous story, and yet, a part of him spoke and affirmed the truth of these words to him. But it seemed impossible. Immortal? Ancient spirit of evil? Thief? Ka? None of it made sense.
"And so you want my Millennium Rod?" Kai assumed, returning the golden object in question to the holster on his back.
"That was my initial plan, yes." Ouja, or rather, Bakura, smiled. "But then something happened. The Guardian, Tenken came, and that alone threw the magical balance in the air around this city into chaos. But then it was revealed that you were a Guardian, and I thought all Hell was going to break loose. I saw my chance. I would obtain the Millennium Rod and the powers of a Guardian. I couldn't believe my fortune!"
"You..." Kai seethed, narrowing his eyes. "You monster."
"Oh please, you don't know a fraction of the evils acts I've committed." Bakura chortled. "For example, I employed the Rare Hunters in order to make sure you and Kevin reached the finals. Kevin's soul carried within it a large amount of untapped energy, and I wanted to push him to his limits, which I did by threatening him and then the girl he had fallen in love with. I left you to your own designs. I didn't need to worry about you making it to the Finals, you and the power you held."
"Damn you." Kai breathed softly, narrowing his eyes. Despite the pain he was in, he could feel adrenaline pumping, beginning to block out the pain and fatigue. Quickly it was dissipating, and his resolve to destroy this demon was growing at the same rate. With a snap of his arm, the Duel Disk on his left arm clicked into place, and a hand of five cards was in place. But beyond that, noticed at first only by Bakura, but a few seconds later by Kai, was the flare of blue magical energy around Kai's body.
"Ah, excellent, you're ready." Bakura smirked, raising his own arm. "Very good. However, we need a change of scenery, don't you think?" With a snap of his fingers, he and Kai were surrounded by a black fog, just like the one he had been surrounded by when he had dueled Tenken. "Welcome to a Darkness Game, Kai Kaethan. Allow me to explain that in the realm where we are now, everything is a part of reality, and the rules of any game are changed, normally to the favor of the who initiates the game, since they set the rules." he chuckled.
"And those rules are?" Kai asked, his voice resolute.
Waving a hand, four crystals, smooth, black and oblong shaped appeared in front of Bakura and another four in front of Kai, only Kai's were white and ridged prisms. Curiously, Kai examined the crystals in front of him. However, once his intellect had left him without a clue as to what they were, he turned again to Bakura. "What are these?"
"These, Kai," the white haired man explained, waving his hand over his four crystals. "Are called Kioku Yours are called Hari. Each of these will be indirectly linked to our Life Points. Each will have a different point value, the first being set to five hundred. The next is one thousand, then two thousand, and then four thousand. In order to destroy one, you must deal me enough overflow damage to destroy one of them, and the same for me if I want to destroy one of yours. So you must deal at least five hundred points of damage to me to destroy the first one. True, we'll still take damage normally, but, if you want to defeat me, you must destroy all four Kioku, as well as leave me with zero Life Points. Furthermore, if either of us gains Life Points, we can regenerate or even create a new Kioku or Hari."
"Is that all?" Kai asked, his power flaring slightly. Bakura shook his head.
"No, not at all. You see, since this is a Darkness Game, there is a need for me to add some sort of rule which would affect us in matters of the soul and mind."
"I don't understand." was Kai's response.
"You see, Kai, each of these Kioku also holds a memory of pain or anguish from your life." Bakura ued. "The more points protecting that memory, the more stressful it will be on you, since it will be a memory you have worked harder hide away. Whenever you destroy one, you will be forced to relive that memory."
"And the Hari?" Kai asked, his eyes narrowing. He was not liking the terms of this game. If it was a Bakura then as time went on, it'd become harder and harder to attack. He'd be entirely unable to win if he were forced to relive his greatest fears!
"Each of those holds the soul of someone in this tower right now. Currently you have Mr. Hunter, Miss Haeru, Miss Akira, and Miss Kaiba."
"What?" Kai gasped in shock. "But, wont that destroy them?"
"To be quite honest, I don't know." Bakura shrugged. "I've never seen a game like this finish. The players tend to break down half way through it from the emotional stress. Let's see if you can't do what others couldn't."
'I have to face him.' Kai declared to himself. 'I can't just sit back as he eludes justice. But why does it have to be me? Why couldn't Tenken face him? This guy seems like a threat to the rest of existence.'
"This will be quite delicious." Bakura smirked. "The perfect victory. When you lose, you will die, being crushed by the guilt of your failure, the possible death of your friends -including Etsu- but also while reliving your most feared and guarded memory. Think of the emotional agony!"
Kai bit back the small moment of fear, his resolve once again flaring, his power doing so as well. "Let's go."
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Tenken looked up into the sky, a small smile on his face. On the ground in front of him was Nikolas Selket, on his knees and shivering, a mix of shock and pain on his face. However, Tenken smiled, both as the events of their duel replayed in his mind, but also as he felt a surge of power in the building behind him.
"Excellent Kai. Very, good. Now, duel, and learn."
Original Cards-None, fun isn't it. Made my life a lot easier this time round.
There you have it. Another short chapter, but it sets the stage for the final Duel. Yes, this will be the final collision between good and evil in the story. Afterwards, there will be come aftermath, and then the next Arc will begin, with a lot more darkness and more intense duels. So, let's get this one going.
Next Time: Kai must face off against Bakura, who has proven to have far more resolve not to die than any of us ever thought, having endured even the great darkness game in which Zork was revived. Can Kai win a duel when he still doesn't know the full extent of what's happening? And what has Tenken unearthed? Next time, in Return of Battle City: Wandering Souls, Darkness of the Past.
Reviewer Responses:
Gearfried the Iron Angel- Nothing! She couldn't do anything, as you can see. She lost, as all to many do when Bakura is involved.
Darksoulkai- I don't know if I deserve that kind of credit. May want to go read thegymrat's fic, What Was, What Is, and What Shall Be before you start to compliment me like that. But it was nice of you to say that, so thanks anyway.
Demon Fan- I didn't say that they're dull. It's a joke my friend and I share, saying they lack personality. What we mean by that is that they're very cold, stoic types. But you realize that after what you just said, we only have about three characters in common, right? And I don't recall there ever being a character in Ronin Warriors named Phoenix. Sorry, I think you've got your animes mixed up.
Blue-Eyes White Knight- Indeed, it was intense.
The White Mage- Yes, it is cool to see that Bakura is back. But as for what he's after, and as for how he beat Serena, you may never know. Why? Because I'm evil like that.
G.O.T. Nick- Yes, it is a crappy way of going. But there are worse ways. And I hope you enjoy that kudo. You wouldn't believe what I went through to get it for you.
John- Cheater.
DragonMaster- Kevin was your favorite to win the Finals? You really think he'd have stood a chance against Kai's Time Deck? You really think that? Serena beat him fairly with skill, power, and the fact that the Blue Eyes chose her over Kevin. And I really don't think Serena deserves to be called 'bitch'. I mean, she's not nearly as bad as her great-grandfather. And yes, I am very happy to kill Kevin off. It makes room for my way cooler characters to appear next arc.
Noble Paladin- Indeed, it is cool, but it turned out worse than Seto's last duel with Bakura, as you can see. And yes, Kai's not very happy.
MatrixFighter- Kevin would have lost, not matter what, because the Blue Eyes chose Serena.
Seeker of the Soul- Yes, you did predict that, but you didn't predict who'd it'd be against. And they were very spiffy dragons, and I'm also not that big a fan of them. Sorry you didn't get the Serena/Bakura duel, but it happens some time.
SulliMike23- Yes, Kevin lost. Even if he'd beaten Serena, he would have lost to Kai, so it really doesn't matter.
The Helldragon- What's wrong with Serena winning? She used an awesome combo to beat Five God Dragon. I mean, it was freakin awesome! And it required a lot of thought to come up with. As for that detail about the colors, things happen. You know, you're up late during college finals week, and you kinda lose touch with reality.
Alright, that's all of them. See ya.