The gang had left the virtual hanger only to find themselves on the streets of Domino. The entire town seemed completely deserted of life, save for themselves.
"I'm glad your safe Serenity," said Joe.
"But Tristan…" she trailed off.
"Don't worry," said Yu-Gi. "We'll find him. His mind has to be around here somewhere."
"Yu-Gi's right," agreed Téa.
"You, kid," Drake said to Kevin. "You seem to know a lot about this place."
"Well, yeah," admitted Kevin. "I've been stuck here a while…"
"Where would they take Tristan?" asked Drake.
"Honestly, I have no idea," sighed Kevin.
"What do you mean you have no idea you little spy?!" demanded Joe, getting right in Kevin's face.
"I'm not a spy!" protested Kevin.
"Easy Joe, we can't prove who he is one way or another," said Duke.
"You want to know who I am?" asked Kevin. "Fine. My name is Kevin Hunter. I was one of the Battle City contestants until I got conned into this stupid game…had four locator cards too. My dad's name is Adam Hunter, and he's a former Duel Monsters champion in America, which is where I came from to enter this contest, Florida."
"Adam Hunter?" asked Drake. "I've heard that name before."
"You have Drake?" asked Lara. The redhead nodded.
"Drake?" asked Kevin. "As in Drake Pegasus? One of the greatest dragon duelists in the world?"
"Yes."
"Wow! I didn't realize it before!" exclaimed Kevin. "Pleased to meet you!" He started shaking Drake's hand. "I use a combination of dragons and warriors in my deck."
"I'd be interested in seeing you duel," said Drake. "If you're anything like your father, you shouldn't be half bad."
"I'm better than that!" protested Kevin.
"I also recognize that name, Adam Hunter," commented Yu-Gi. "Didn't he work in Egypt?"
"Yes he did, why do you ask?" asked Kevin. "My dad is an archaeologist."
"That's right!" exclaimed Yu-Gi. "My grandpa, Solomon Motou, talked about him a bit. Apparently he went on a dig with your dad and Prof. Hawkins."
"Solomon is your grandpa?" asked Kevin. "My dad always spoke really highly of him. He also kept talking about a theory they came up with, about Duel Monsters being linked to an ancient Egyptian game."
"Don't open that can of worms," groaned Duke.
"What do you mean?" asked Kevin.
Lara laughed, "Well, Mr. Pegasus did base Duel Monsters off of an Egyptian Game."
Drake nodded, "Dad did a bit of exploring in Egypt before he adopted me, that's what… 'inspired' him."
"Wow! I had no idea!" exclaimed Kevin. He then glanced at the Millennial Puzzle. "That's the Eye of Horus."
Yu-Gi nodded, "My puzzle came from ancient Egypt. Grandpa brought it back and I put it together."
"Puzzle? You mean the Millennial Puzzle?" asked Kevin, stunned.
"You know about the Millennial Items?" gaped Drake.
"A little, some stuff my dad told me," admitted Kevin.
"I think you know too much for your own good!" exclaimed Joe.
"Brother!" protested Serenity.
"Sorry sis, but we have to be careful with those freaks running around," said Joe.
By this point in time the group had passed Domino City Hall. There was a large fountain in front of it. Without warning, the ground lurched violently. The teens were thrown off of their feet. The street cracked open, the water main broken. Geysers erupted, instantly flooding the street. The fountain exploded, forcing the group to cover their eyes. When they looked up, a Duel Monster was standing on the fountain spray. It was semi-humanoid, with green scales on its arms and legs. It wore a blue uniform with many protrusions on the joints that looked like fins. It wore a helmet much like a biker's.
"Gamesly!" gasped Yu-Gi.
"You mean one of the Big 5?!" exclaimed Joe.
"Let's get out of here!" suggested Duke. But after looking around, he realized that was impossible. The gaps in the road were too wide for them to jump. They also divided the group. Joe, Serenity, and Yu-Gi were on one section. Drake, Lara, and Duke were on another. Téa was alone on a third. Kevin was alone on the fourth segment, closest to Gamesly.
"Joe, I'm scared," moaned Serenity.
He put an arm around her. "I won't let him touch you."
"Great, just great," groaned Téa, looking at the lake that was forming. Fortunately, most of the water was draining down the cracks, but there was still enough to present a formidable barrier.
"What the heck do you want?!" demanded Drake.
"The same thing I have always wanted," smirked Gamesly. "A body to escape this virtual prison!"
"Then you're looking in the wrong place!" snapped Lara.
"Give back Tristan you freak!" demanded Joe.
Gamesly laughed, "Your friend's body is not in my possession. However, soon yours will be!" He pointed to Kevin.
"Never!" snapped Kevin.
"Impudent brat! You will duel me and when you lose your body will mine!" exclaimed Gamesly.
"Joe, I think this proves that Kevin is on our side," said Yu-Gi.
"Well…maybe…"
/This shouldn't be, Yu-Gi,/ said Yami. /We already beat Gamesly. He shouldn't be allowed to duel anyone else./
/You're right Yami,/ agreed Yu-Gi. "Gamesly! Leave him alone! You already lost a duel to us, so you can't duel Kevin!"
"Silence!" bellowed Gamesly. He turned back to Kevin. "Now prepare to lose!"
Kevin chuckled.
"What's so funny?!" demanded Gamesly.
"You," the blond replied. "I should have known it was only a matter of time before the last of you clowns showed up. None of you have beaten me yet, and you'll lose like the rest of them."
"You beat four of the Big 5 already?!" exclaimed Téa.
"Yup," admitted Kevin. "Which is part of the reason I've been here so long. They can't admit defeat."
"Stupid businessmen going for round two," said Lara, bitterly. "Liars all of them. We beat them all already, so they should let us go."
"They just change the rules to suit themselves," agreed Drake. "Then there's that brat…I don't like where any of this is heading."
"Kevin! Be careful!" called Yu-Gi as he activated his duel disk. "I've gone against Gamesly before, and…" A small watery explosion cut off his warning.
"There will be no helping the duelist!" spat Gamesly.
"I can handle him," said Kevin.
"Then let's duel!" said Gamesly. "Select your deck from the virtual database…"
"I know, I know," shot Kevin. "I've done it enough." He quickly reselected his deck from the cards in front of him. "And my Deck Master has not changed! Buster Blader!" His monster had dark blue and golden armor and wore a helmet that completely covered its head. On top of the helmet was two horns that looked like lightning bolts. In its hands was a thick sword as tall as it was.
"Since I have taken the form of a monster, I will be my own Deck Master," said Gamesly. "Deepsea Warrior."
"Let's duel!" exclaimed Kevin.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"Fools, I have them all right where I want them," Noah smirked as he watched the group on the screen. He then looked over at the Kaiba brothers, who were still roaming a virtual forest.
"I know the Big 5 want to use us to escape this place. But what about that Noah kid?" Mokuba asked Seto. "Who is he and what is he getting out of this?" His older brother did not reply. "Seto…Did you here me?"
"I heard your question Mokuba, I have no answer," said Seto, icily. "If I had to guess, I'd say he wants what's mine. Just like everyone else, he wants to be as powerful as I am. What puzzles me is how he created this place. There is no way that punk created a virtual universe on his own."
"Maybe the Big 5 helped him?" Mokuba suggested.
"I doubt it. Those old fools couldn't pull this off," Kaiba said. "Granted, it's only a copy of the virtual technology I created, but someone else is involved and it's only a matter of time until I find them."
"I'll help you Seto, come on," Mokuba said as he started running.
"That's a good point," commented Shayla, hearing as much of all the conversations as Noah did. "How did you make this place? Did you copy Kaiba Corp.'s software?"
"None of your business!" snapped Noah.
"Is someone helping you?" asked Shayla, trying to remain calm and keep her tone steady.
"No!" replied Noah. "I don't need anyone's help."
"That's a lie," Shayla replied. "So someone is helping you. Who is it?"
"No one!"
"I will always know when you're lying," Shayla said. "You can't hope to hide anything from me."
Noah gritted his teeth and resumed typing from his control terminal.
"Hey Seto, what's that?" Mokuba asked as he ran to a door that had appeared. "It looks like a way out!"
"Mokuba! Slow down!" his brother cautioned.
"It's probably an emergency exit, back to the real world!" Mokuba exclaimed, happily.
"Stop right there! We have to be careful!" Kaiba warned as he opened the door.
"I can't see, it's too bright!" Mokuba complained.
"What are you doing?" Shayla asked Noah.
Noah laughed, "My program has finished scanning his memories. Now, I'm going to force him to face his past!"
"That's absolutely sick!" Shayla growled.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThe light faded and the Kaiba brothers found themselves at the last place they ever wanted to see again. It was a single story, white building. A high fence ran around the grounds. Children's toys were scattered in various corners of the yard.
"I know this place…it's the orphanage we grew up in," Mokuba said, sadly. "I never knew it was still around."
"It's a trick, a cheap virtual illusion like everything else," Kaiba grumbled. "But how did Noah find out we once lived here?"
"I don't believe it," Mokuba moaned. "I was hoping I'd never have to see this place again."
"I told you Mokuba, this orphanage is just a virtual illusion and nothing more," Kaiba said, tersely.
"It still brings back bad memories," Mokuba said. "Why did we get sent there in the first place?"
"After our parents died, there was no one left to take care of us. So we got dumped off here until they could find another family to take us in," Kaiba explained, bitterly.
"I'll never forget the day I first saw this place. It was the worst day of my entire life," Mokuba admitted.
"Welcome boys," said a voice from behind them.
"Huh?" asked the two, turning around
"Someone is here Seto," commented Mokuba.
The brothers were in for one of the biggest virtual shocks in their life. Two adults were standing by the gate, with two young boys between them.
" Mokuba! It's us!" gasped Kaiba, recognizing the young versions of themselves. "Somehow Noah was able to tap into our memories and replay events from our past!"
The people faded and the sun set, but the majority of the scenery did not change. Kevin had been right when he said Noah did not let time flow normally in this virtual world.
"I remember now," sighed Mokuba, watching the six-year old version of himself sitting in a swing in the corner, all alone. "On our first day here I sat in that swing all day. But how could Noah have known that? I was alone the entire time. The only other person who saw me there was Seto. Actually, Seto was the only one who cared about me."
"Moki!" called twelve-year-old Kaiba, walking up to his younger brother.
"Hey Seto…How did you know I was out here?" asked young Mokuba, looking a bit dejected.
"Lucky guess…Hey pal, cheer up. We've got to make the most of this place. Come on, let's take a little walk," suggested young Seto, rubbing his brother's head.
Once again, time seemed to jump ahead. The young Kaiba brothers were walking along a bridge over a small river. The two real Kaiba brothers looked a bit irked, and a bit unsure.
"Okay, spill it. What's on your mind?" asked young Kaiba.
"I miss mom and dad," sniffed young Mokuba. "I wish that they were here with us right now. It's not fair that they left us here all alone."
" Come on, no crying. Tears aren't going to help us now," said young Kaiba. "There's only one way you and I are going to get through all of this. We've got to get tough. Emotions will only get in the way of our survival."
"Tough?" asked young Mokuba
"That's right. Don't expect anyone else to help us ever again," young Seto told him. "You and I are on our own now."
" I guess that was your idea of a Pep talk," older Mokuba said to his brother. "Thanks a lot…"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"Fools! This is just the beginning of my torture!" laughed Noah.
"You are completely insane," Shayla said. That didn't bode well for her, since she was his prisoner. "I wonder if you even have a heart…"
"No one asked for your opinion!"
"Tough luck, you got it," she replied, tersely. Her head tilted a bit to the screen that showed the Kaiba brothers. "That explains a little."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"I'll start this duel by playing one monster face down in defense mode," said Gamesly. "As former vice president of business for Kaiba Corp. I know how to handle my resources. And I duel the same way."
"For all the good that that will do you," said Kevin. "I summon Ryu-Kishin Powered in attack mode!" His monster looked mechanical, with bulky pink armor and wicked talons. The head was relatively small, but still filled with razor-like teeth. Its stats were 1600 and 1200.
"Not a bad monster to start out with," commented Drake.
"But remember, he's playing by their rules," said Lara. "And we don't know what either of their Deck Masters can do."
"Ryu-Kishin!" ordered Kevin. "Attack his face down card now!"
The large fiend charged the face down card hologram. In a flash a cartoon parrot was revealed and disappeared.
"Thank you," said Gamesly. "Although that was a rather poor business decision for you. You activated Ishinigrade's flip effect, meaning you have to place one card in your hand in the graveyard." (AN/ I am completely guessing at the spelling of his monsters. I swear he invented these!)
"Fine," answered Kevin, sliding one card into his graveyard.
"Not only that, but I get to summon another Ishinigrade to the field," said Gamesly, placing his second Ishingrade on his duel disk.
"Here we go again," groaned Yu-Gi.
"What do you mean Yug?" asked Joe.
"Gamesly believes in having a lot of monsters," said Yu-Gi. "But he does not respect them. He discards them carelessly. It is just sad."
"Well, I guess we'd better cheer Kevin on then," agreed Joe.
"Right," agreed Téa, who was close enough to hear them without being able to join them. "Come on! Pound that guy!"
"My turn," said Gamesly as he drew his card. "Ah, a very profitable investment. I summon Nimble Momonga to the field." His monster could easily pass itself off as a flying squirrel. Its attack was 1000 and its defense was 100.
"That puny little thing is the best you've got?!" exclaimed Joe.
"On the contrary Mr. Wheeler, Nimble Momonga is a rather useful investment," said Gamesly.
"What are you, some kind of stock broker?!" yelled Duke. "This is Duel Monsters! Not Monopoly!"
"Chill guys, I can handle that rodent," said Kevin.
"Then prove it," smirked Gamesly.
"Fine! I summon Spear Dragon to the field in attack mode!" yelled Kevin. His dragon was a cross between blue and green, with a snout that was shaped exactly like its namesake, a spear. Its stats were 1900 and 0.
"You have to be careful when you attack with Spear Dragon!" warned Drake. Kevin nodded. Spear Dragon automatically got turned to defense mode when it attacked.
"Ryu-Kishin Powered, attack the Nimble Momonga!" ordered Kevin. His fiend once again charged forward, claws raised.
"Kevin! No!" yelled Yu-Gi. "He has two monsters on the field!"
"Huh?" asked Kevin.
"Activate Deck Master's special ability, Reflector Hole!" exclaimed Gamesly.
"What the heck?!" demanded Kevin.
Gamesly's two monsters disappeared, and a black void appeared in front of Ryu-Kishin Powered. Kevin's monster disappeared in the void. A millisecond later the hole appeared in front of Kevin. His monster charged out of it, slashing Kevin across his chest. He cried out in pain and surprise and slid to one knee.
"Kevin!" exclaimed the spectators.
"That was a low trick you creep!" exclaimed Kevin.
Gamesly laughed, "My Deck Master's special ability will turn all your monsters against you, and deal direct damage!"
"Aw man, that means he's almost down to half his life points!" exclaimed Joe.
"Look again!" said Yu-Gi.
Kevin's life points were only at 3200.
"What?! How is that possible?! You should have lost 1600 life points!" exclaimed Gamesly.
Kevin smirked. "You forgot about my Deck Master. Buster Blader cuts all direct attacks in half." Buster Blader stood behind him, sword gleaming menacingly.
"Nice choice," complimented Duke.
"That is the only wise business venture you have made," said Gamesly. "But I've been in business since before you were born! I can crush my competition in my sleep! It won't be long before you go under! You won't last against my wise investing. Nimble Momonga, when sent to the graveyard, increased my life points reserve by 1000!" He know had 5000 life points.
"Can you at all, possible, consider talking like a normal person for once?" asked Téa. Gamesly ignored her.
"I also get to summon another Nimble Momonga to the field," said Gamesly, his second flying squirrel appearing.
Kevin smirked, "You've forgotten one thing, Mr. Business."
"And what is that?"
"It costs you two monsters to activate your Deck Master's special ability," said Kevin. "And currently, you have one!"
"Oh?"
"You've left yourself wide open for an attack!" exclaimed Kevin. "And I'm going to make it good! I activate Dragon Treasure, raising the stats of Spear Dragon by 500 points!"
"Way to go!" cheered Serenity.
"Thanks," replied Kevin. "Now Spear Dragon, attack!" His monster leapt into the air, targeting the rodent. There was a yell and a flash of light as Gamesly was nearly pushed off of his perch on top of the fountain's spray. Nimble Momonga disappeared into bits of data. Deepsea Warrior dropped to 3600 life points. "Ha! Take that!"
"Foolish whelp!" exclaimed Gamesly. "I led you to attack me!"
"What are you jabbering about now?" demanded Joe.
"It's his monster's special ability," said Lara. "He gains another 1000 life points, and can summon another Nimble Momonga to the field."
"Correct," said Gamesly. "It appears the lady has more business sense than the lot of you combined!" His third Nimble Momonga appeared, and his life points rose to 4600.
"That's not all," sighed Yu-Gi.
"What do you mean?" asked Téa.
Gamesly answered, "Since I lost more than 1000 life points, I can summon Ruclamba the Spirit King to the field!"
"You what?!" demanded Kevin.
Gamesly's Ruclamba appeared next to his rodent. It was a cross between a snake and an alligator. It had green scales and curved claws and sat upright on its coils. It also had bluish hair. Its stats were 1000 and 2000.
"When I was working for Kaiba Corp., I always liked to have a large work force, so I could adjust it as I pleased," said Gamesly. "And that is how I duel. If one monster will not suffice, there will always be another."
"There's one problem with your deck!" exclaimed Drake. "You have so many monsters in it, you don't have enough magic and trap cards! That's a poor business decision." Drake smirked. "You always were a bit senile, Gamesly."
"When I escape to the real world in this brat's body, I'll personally see to the destruction of Industrial Illusion!" exclaimed Gamesly. "That will wipe the smirk off of your face."
"You couldn't handle it once, what makes you think you'll do any better now?" challenged Lara.
"Your business decisions have always been lousy," added Drake. "And look where its gotten you, trapped in a virtual world."
"Don't start talking like him now!" exclaimed Joe.
"You know this walking fish stick?" Kevin asked Drake.
"Don't ask," Drake and Lara replied together, coldly.
"Fine…" shrugged Kevin. "I play one card face down and that will end my turn."
"Meet Yowe!" said Gamesly as he placed his next monster on the duel disk. A lizard with hard, scaly armor appeared with his other two. What was unusual about it was the fact that it had six legs. Its attack was the same as its defense at 500 points.
"I prefer quality over quantity in my monsters," said Kevin. "Yours are nothing but weaklings!"
"We'll see who's the weakest!" countered Gamesly. "First I set this card. Now, Ruclamba, attack the Spear Dragon!"
"What is he thinking?!" exclaimed Duke. "His monster is 900 attack points weaker than Kevin's!"
"But Gamesly isn't aiming at Spear Dragon's attack points," said Yu-Gi. "He's using Spear Dragon's defense points!"
"I don't understand," said Serenity.
"Spear Dragon is moved to defense mode after it attacks," called Drake.
The lizard and the dragon clashed and in a bright flash of light, Spear Dragon was gone. Luckily for Kevin, it was in defense mode so he lost no life points and felt no pain.
"Since an attack was declared, I can activate the trap card I just played," said Gamesly.
"A trap card? Not good," said Joe.
"Activate Compulsory Evacuation!" yelled Gamesly. "This send Ryu-Kishin Powered right back into your hand!"
"Oh no!" gasped Kevin as his monster disappeared from the field.
"He's got no monsters left!" exclaimed Duke.
"Hang in there Kevin!" called Téa.
"Attack his life points directly, Nimble Momonga!" ordered Gamesly. The squirrel leapt into the air, and slashed at Kevin's face. He jerked backwards, trying to get away from it. Luckily, his Buster Blader was there to reduce the life point loss. His life points dropped to 2700.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"I'm glad I hired you to do my dirty work, Gamesly," Noah commented, watching from the safety of his surveillance room.
"Big words coming from someone who just sits there," muttered Shayla.
"Like you did anything else?" Noah shot.
"What are you planning?" Shayla asked. "You're hiding behind the Big 5, and I know that someone else is helping you. So what do you hope to gain?"
"My life and everything that was stolen from me!"
"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Shayla.
"None of your concern!" he snapped.
"Enough games Noah!" called Kaiba, his shouts coming through the screen. "Come here and face me."
"Enjoy the trip down memory lane," said Noah as he hit a few buttons.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"Now what?" asked Mokuba.
"Sorry, check mate," said young Seto. The real Kaiba brothers looked through a window and watched as they played chess together in the past. Kaiba's eyes narrowed, a scowl forming across his face.
"Again?" asked young Mokuba. "And in just five moves this time! You have got to be the best chess player in the whole entire world!"
"Almost," shrugged young Kaiba,
"Oh yeah? Name someone better than you?" challenged young Mokuba.
"You for one, Moki," said young Kaiba, ruffling his brother's hair. "If you would pay attention."
"Fine, let's play again," conceded young Mokuba.
xxxx
"These visions must be painful to watch," Noah chuckled. "I bet Seto Kaiba has never experienced virtual software that interacts with a person's memories. It's just what I need to destroy him once and for all. I've been waiting for this day for what feels like an eternity. His empire will be mine. Keep watching your past Seto."
"That is absolutely nauseating," Shayla said. "No one, absolutely no one has the right to toy with people's minds like that."
"The thief deserves it!" snapped Noah.
"No one deserves that," Shayla said, once again thinking of Mai. "You have no idea what you are doing."
xxxxx
"Your move, Moki," said young Seto.
"Okay, I'll go here," said young Mokuba, moving one of his pieces.
" Hmm…." young Kaiba considered his next move. In the silence the TV could be heard.
"And he did it again folks. Gozaburo Kaiba has retained his title as world chess champion," said the announcer. "The corporate genius and world champ is a master strategist and hasn't lost a single match. He has made the claim that there isn't a person alive who can beat him. Make no mistake, this business tycoon has a heart of gold. Here he is donating a portion of his winnings to a local orphanage. I'm sure he just made a lot of children very happy."
"That's the day that changed my life forever. I met my stepfather for the first time," thought Kaiba as he watched his own memories.
Once again time jumped ahead at Noah's command. The scene had not changed, they were still at the orphanage. But Gozaburo had just arrived and was walking through the gates.
" Look Seto, it's him," groaned Mokuba.
"Welcome Mr. Kaiba," greeted one of the virtual workers.
"It's just a cheap virtual projection," Kaiba said with gritted teeth. "That's all, because he's long gone."
"This way sir, the children are this way," said the worker, oblivious to the watchers. "They'll be thrilled to meet you."
"Look, I don't want any of these brats touching me," snapped Gozaburo. "Let's just take a few pictures for the papers and I'll be on my way. Time is money you know." They walked across the porch to the main office. A side door opened and young Seto and Mokuba poked their heads out, watching. "What is that stench? You do bathe these little urchins, don't you?"
" That man is our ticket out of this dump Moki," said young Seto, watching him.
"But how?" asked young Mokuba. "He's just here to visit, not to adopt anyone."
"I'll make sure he takes us," said young Kaiba, fire burning in his blue eyes.
"What? But how?" asked young Mokuba.
"Just follow me and do what I say bro," said young Seto. "Okay…Gozaburo, it's time to match wits with me and lose at your own game." He gathered his courage and approached the businessman. "Good afternoon Mr. Kaiba."
"Yeah, I suppose, now if you'll excuse me kid, I'm in a rush," replied Gozaburo, huffily.
"I have a challenge for you and I know you never pass one up," said young Seto.
"Hmm? Yes, go on," said Gozaburo, curiously.
"Here's what I propose," said young Seto. "One game of chess, me against you. If I win, you adopt my brother and me today, no questions asked."
Gozaburo laughed, "That's a good one. No one beats me at chess kid, and I've been playing it for years. I was the world champion when you were sucking your thumb. You're in over your head kid." He glowered at the boy. "What makes you think you can beat me?"
"Because I never lose either," replied young Seto, confidently. "What do you say?"
The worker who had been escorting Gozaburo around was sweating bullets he was so nervous.
"Well, you certainly have a great deal of confidence. I have to give you credit for that," commented Gozaburo. "But I'm a busy man and baby-sitting for you isn't on my schedule."
"So you're going to back down? Wait until the newspapers find out you're scared of a kid," said young Seto.
"What's that?!" demanded Gozaburo. "You wouldn't dare tell them that! I have a reputation to uphold you brat!" He could see the fire in Seto's eyes. He knew the kid would tell. "All right then, let's play kid. One match, one chance only."
"That's all I need," smirked young Seto.
"Set us up in a quiet room, now!" Gozaburo ordered the worker
"Sure…yes…right…" stammered the worker as he scurried away.
"Let's get this game over with," said Gozaburo as he walked inside.
"Pretty impressive for a twelve-year-old," commented Kaiba as he watched.
" What made you so sure you were going to beat Gozaburo at chess Seto?" asked Mokuba.
"My desire to win that game was far greater than his Mokuba. By challenging Gozaburo I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, to Gozaburo it was just a game," said Kaiba, in his most popular tone.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"Arrogant jerk," muttered Shayla. She had spent enough time in an orphanage herself to know what it was like to have people like Gozaburo come through. They only felt charitable when it earned them a tax cut. She had quickly learned to hide when they came to visit. After all, the newspapers seemed to have a field day when it came to blind orphans.
"I know," agreed Noah, thinking she was talking about Seto Kaiba. "He doesn't deserve anything that he has! And soon, I will reclaim it!"
"If you want arrogance, why don't you use a mirror?" suggested Shayla.
"How can you be defending Seto?" asked Noah. "I would think you would understand by now that he cares about nothing but himself. That's why he has all of this coming to him!"
Shayla did know there was some truth to that statement, however, she wasn't about to agree with Noah. "And you think you're any better? That only proves your pride." Then something clicked. "You said before that the Big 5 betrayed Gozaburo."
"What if I did?" asked Noah, who was back to typing.
"What happened then?"
"When the time is right…"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"This won't take too long junior," said Gozaburo, sarcastically.
"Those were my thoughts exactly, 'pops'," retorted young Seto. "Your move." The chess board was set. The game was about to begin
"After you," said Gozaburo. "You'll need all the help you can get."
"Pawn to E3," declared young Kaiba.
"That's my opening move kid," said Gozaburo, waspishly.
"I know," said young Kaiba. "I've studied all your matches."
"Studying is one thing," replied Gozaburo, taking his first move like he always did. "Mastering is another."
The game started, young Kaiba playing his hardest, Gozaburo watching him condescendingly.
"I had his strategies memorized," commented Kaiba as he watched from outside.
"Check mate," declared young Kaiba. "You lose."
"No!" exclaimed Gozaburo, stunned. "How could you beat me?!"
"Now you have to adopt us like you promised Mr. Kaiba," said young Seto.
"That was the day I took control of my future," said the non-virtual Kaiba.
"Well, it was also the day you stopped calling me Moki," said Mokuba, a bit harshly.
"If it wasn't for me, we never would have escaped that rat hole," said Kaiba. "I turned our lives around that day." Mokuba shook his head and walked towards the door the lead into the orphanage. He looked ticked. "Hey! Come back!"
"I liked the way it was before we got here!" snapped Mokuba, using a tone he never used with his brother before. "At least back then, you actually smiled once and a while!"
Kaiba took a deep breath, "Wait a second Mokuba, get a grip. You're going to fall right into Noah's trap. He's using these illusions to turn us against each other. It's fake! The past is over!" Mokuba turned to the door and pulled it open.
Then, he dropped out of sight, screaming. The door had opened to a cliff on the ocean's edge.
"Mokuba!" yelled Kaiba, grabbing his brother's arm before he could plunge.
"Don't let go!" begged Mokuba.
"I've got you…Don't look down," called Kaiba as he began to pull his brother to safety
"Too late!" cried Mokuba. "I can't hold on much longer."
Kaiba pushed against the ground and Mokuba landed safely with him. The orphanage was gone. Nothing was around them save crashing waves far below and rocky, barren land.
"You're safe," said Kaiba, breathing a bit heavily.
"Thanks, Seto," replied Mokuba, who seemed a bit shaken.
"This place is more dangerous than I thought," commented Kaiba. "Somehow, Noah has accessed virtual software that replicates the sensation of touch." He stood up. "I know you can here me Noah! You won't get away with this you little twerp!"
"I thought we had the latest virtual software Seto," said Mokuba. "This place seems way more real than any cyber environment I've ever seen in my entire life! If you hadn't grabbed my arm…I don't know what would have happened to me, thanks Seto." Tears were forming in his eyes.
"I don't know what game Noah is playing, but it is not Duel Monsters!" growled Kaiba. "That punk! He doesn't know who he is up against! Hear that Noah?! You'll never succeed! I'll make sure of it!" He turned to his brother. "Mokuba…"
"What's up big brother?" asked Mokuba as he stood up and followed his brother.
"No matter what you see from this point forward I want you to remember this: the past is over, and I may not be proud of every decision I made, but everything I did, I did for us, so we would have a better life," Kaiba said, emotionlessly. "Now let's move ahead and don't look back."
"Okay…" replied Mokuba, warily.
"I have a feeling the worst is yet to come," commented Kaiba.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"You have so much to learn," smirked Noah.
"That last line is a sure bet that things are going to get ugly," Shayla muttered, quietly.
"Can you believe him?" asked Noah. "Blackmailing Gozaburo into adopting him…tsk."
Shayla shrugged. She couldn't help but find similarities from her stay at an orphanage and the Kaiba's. She knew what it was like to be willing to do anything to escape from a place like that. Granted, she didn't approve of Kaiba's choice of guardian, but she could not condemn him for his actions.
"No one ever wanted me," she thought, bitterly.
"Seto thinks he has everything in control, right from the beginning," continued Noah. "Well, I'm going to prove him dead wrong! It's only fair, after what he did to me, and Gozaburo, and the…"
"Why are you defending Gozaburo?" asked Shayla. "Besides, he's not one to talk to me about 'fair.'"
Noah fell completely silent. He hadn't realized Shayla would pick up on so much. And it seemed like all his denials would only reaffirm the truth to her. He hadn't realized she could be so …dangerous to keep around. Yet he needed her, it was all part of the plan.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"I will play one monster face down in attack mode," said Kevin as he slid his newest monster onto the duel disk. A card hologram appeared in front of him, in front of his face down magic card. "I can't attack, Gamesly had three monsters on the field, and he'll just reflect my attack!"
"Kevin's in a tight spot," said Duke, making the same observation.
"Come on Kevin! I know you can win this!" encouraged Yu-Gi.
"You'll never win," said Gamesly. "First, I move my Yowe into attack mode."
"But that monster only has 500 attack points," said Serenity, sounding confused.
"By moving it to attack mode, I activate it's special ability," said Gamesly. "You cannot draw a card next turn!"
Kevin glared at him.
Gamesly laughed, "This is why big business always triumphs. I tribute my Yowe and Nimble Momonga to summon Rainbow Snake and Ganna!" A huge green snake appeared in front of Gamesly, beside his Ruclamba. It had a line and circle pattern on its scales which looked vaguely Indian. It was so massive it curled around the Gamesly's side of the field, behind him, and loamed over the entire duel. It had 2200 attack points.
"No! Now he gains another 1000 life points for sending that rodent to the graveyard!" exclaimed Téa. That was true. Gamesly now had 5600 life points.
"And he can summon another Nimble Momonga, giving him three monsters!" added Duke.
"No he can't," smirked Kevin. "Because according to Duel Monster rules, you can only have a maximum of three of any kind of card. And you've already used your third Nimble Momonga." He laughed. "There's none left in your deck to summon!"
"That's right!" cheered Drake. "And I noticed he didn't summon Ishinigrade, which means he only had two in his deck to begin with!"
"Not enough magic and trap cards, and limited on repeated summoning of your favorite monsters…your deck is pathetic!" exclaimed Joe.
"A simpleton like yourself cannot fathom the costs of running an effective business," said the Deepsea Warrior. "Let me educate you, using your friend as an example!"
"Bring it on wise guy," snapped Kevin.
"As you wish," smirked Gamesly under the helmet. "Rainbow Snake and Ganna, bind his face down monster!" The snake did as it was told. It lashed forward, wrapping Kevin's monster in its coils.
The monster revealed itself as Slate Warrior. It was an unusually colorful warrior, with bright yellow shoulder pads and collar. It wore a blue helmet that fit its face snuggly. Its stats were 1900 and 1400.
Rainbow Snake and Ganna continued to crush Slate Warrior. Then, there was a bright flash of light. Data bits flew. The light faded. Slate Warrior stood.
"What is the meaning of this?!" demanded Gamesly.
"You activated Slate Warrior's special ability," smirked Kevin. "When Slate Warrior is flipped over, it gains 300 attack and defense points. That made it 200 points stronger than your monster." Sure enough, Gamesly's life points dropped to 5400.
"But that effect only lasts to the end of this turn," said Yu-Gi.
"He can handle it, Yug," said Joe. "The runt's been doing pretty good so far."
"Consider that luck," spat Gamesly. "But I do not rely on luck in my duels or in my business. I activate Premature Burial to bring back my Rainbow Snake and Ganna! And next turn, it will eliminate all your monsters!"
"He has two monsters on the field," Serenity observed. "That means he can use his special ability!"
"Yes, but it will cost him his most powerful monster," commented Drake.
"I summon Drillago to the field!" announced Kevin. In a flash his monster appeared next to Slate Warrior. A mechanical monster with drills on every possible square inch of its body appeared in front of Kevin. Its stats were 1600 and 1100. Kevin then paused, considering his next move.
"What's the matter boy? Competition keeping you guessing?" smirked Gamesly.
"Attack his Ruclamba, Drillago!" ordered Kevin. The mechanical Duel Monster began to bore down on the reptilian one.
"You are an idiot!" exclaimed Gamesly. "I activate my special ability, Reflector Hole!"
Drillago disappeared into the void, only to reappear in front of Kevin, attacking him. Kevin gasped in pain and slid to the ground. But his own Deck Master's ability kicked in, sparing him some life points. Kevin now had 1900.
"Kevin! Are you okay?!" called the group.
"Fine…" he groaned as he struggled to his feet.
Gamesly laughed, "You might as well give up now! You cannot hope to compete with my superior planning."
"Trying to con an opponent into giving up is a sure sign of cowardice," spat Kevin. "And you're completely defenseless. So, Slate Warrior, attack his life points directly!"
"AGH!" gasped Gamesly as Slate Warrior slashed at him, dropping him down to 3500 life points.
"Show him who's in control!" cheered Duke.
"Kick Big 5 tail!" added Drake.
"He won't be able to recover now!" cheered Téa.
"You're forgetting," said Yu-Gi. "He can now special summon another Ruclamba to the field because he lost more than 1000 life points." As he spoke, the alligator-like creature appeared in front of Gamesly.
"An annoyance," grumbled Kevin.
Gamesly laughed as he drew his next card. "Get ready to lose everything! This next monster is an invaluable asset! It will force you under in a New York minute!"
"I doubt that," shrugged Kevin.
"I summon Don Turtle to the field!" announced Gamesly. A red and gold turtle appeared next to his Ruclamba. It hardly seemed intimidating, considering it only had an attack of 1100. Its defense wasn't much better at 1200.
Kevin was choking back laughter. "That's your frightening monster?"
"Now to activate its special ability!" declared Gamesly. Two more Don Turtles appeared beside it.
"Now that can be trouble," said Duke. "Kevin will never be able to get through his defenses to get to his life points!"
"Yes, but all of Gamesly's monsters are too weak to attack Kevin," Yu-Gi pointed out.
"A stale mate?" asked Drake. "Somehow, I doubt that."
"Now, to crush my competition!" smirked Gamesly. "I activate Offerings to the Doomed. By discarding one card in my hand, I can send any one of your monsters to the graveyard!"
"You can think that," said Kevin. Then he smirked back. "I activate Magic Jammer! By discarding one card in my hand, I can negate your magic card!" Gamesly frowned.
"Nice job!" cheered Téa.
"He's just stalling!" added Lara. "There's no way that piece of worm chow will win!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"I feel like I haven't eaten in months," complained Mokuba as he walked through the virtual forest with Seto Kaiba. It seemed to be Noah's favorite setting for them. But then they arrived at a clearing. A small cottage sat in it. "Hey, do you think anyone is serving food in that shack?"
"I doubt it," replied Kaiba, simply. "Hmm… a house in the middle of the woods. This seems a little too convenient."
"Do you think it is another one of Noah's virtual traps?" asked Mokuba.
"Just let me open it and stay right next to me Mokuba," said Kaiba. Mokuba did so. Kaiba opened the door. The small cottage opened to reveal a large manor inside. They were standing in the main hall, which was lit by a chandelier. A large staircase covered with red carpet was on the opposite side of the room. But for the most part their was minimal furnishings. "What?! Hold on! It's our stepfather's old house!" Kaiba seemed to be taken back by the place.
"Another blast from our past," groaned Mokuba. Then he noticed people walking. There was a potato-shaped butler, leading young Seto. Mokuba was behind him, trying to hide in his brother's shadow. "Look! It's a virtual projection of our first day in this house!"
"That's right!" agreed Kaiba, still unnerved. "It's the day Gozaburo took us home from the orphanage."
"It was no picnic…" said Mokuba, looking down.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"You actually thought you were ready to play in the big leagues," smirked Noah.
"I don't know what you are trying to achieve here, but you are setting yourself up for failure," said Shayla, tersely.
"You are in no position to be talking about failures!" snapped Noah.
"Trust me, there are a whole lot worse things running around in reality that I've come in contact with," said Shayla, trying to sound calm.
"I don't need your comments!"
"Odd…my scales say that you do," said Shayla, who was a bit surprised herself. His last statement had been a complete lie. "You need someone to talk to?" she asked sarcastically.
"No!"
A blatant lie. Shayla was confused by it.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"Now, if a train from Boston is traveling at 180 mph and a train from New York is traveling at …" a tutor droned on. Young Seto was slowly falling asleep in his textbook. He had been working for hours without a break and was at him limit.
"Wake up!" snapped the butler. "I sincerely apologize for interrupting your lesson professor, it seems young Seto was more concerned with the backs of his eyelids. Continue. I have strict orders. My boss has no patients for slackards."
"I don't slack!" snapped young Seto.
Once again, time jumped ahead by hours. They were now in the dining hall. The table was long and laden. Gozaburo sat at the head like a king. Seto and Mokuba were at the far end, not that they were complaining.
"I hear you are falling behind in your studies, so you'll no longer have the weekends off, starting immediately," said Gozaburo, harshly.
"But… I've been working so hard!" protested young Seto.
"Not hard enough!" yelled Gozaburo. "You must have discipline Seto, it's the only way to crush your enemies!"
"But I don't have enemies!" argued young Seto.
"Of course you do! You're just not aware of them yet! You have to learn that you can trust no one at all! Including me!" growled Gozaburo. He turned to the butler. "Hopsin! Confiscate Seto's toys immediately! "
"Yes sir," replied the butler with a bow.
"Now you will concentrate on your studies instead of wasting your brain away!" yelled Gozaburo. Young Kaiba was glaring at him venomously.
The walls blurred and reformed. The Kaiba brothers were now it Seto's room, a while later the same evening.
"That ought to do it," said Hopsin, boxing up all of Seto's toys. "It's for your own good. Your stepfather is a very wise man and I think he knows what's best for you. I'd advise you not to disappoint him."
Young Kaiba was glaring daggers at his back, looking like he was ready to punch the potato-shaped man.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"That explains a lot," murmured Shayla.
"Brat…" muttered Noah, watching the screens.
"You had better be referring to Gozaburo," replied Shayla, still putting on a front.
"He's only treating Seto like he deserves to be treated!"
"I don't know what problem you have with Kaiba, but whatever it is, you are going about it in all the wrong ways. Take my word on it, you will be a whole lot better off confronting him yourself, no tricks. And I don't lie."
"Will you just be quiet?!" She was striking way too many nerves for his comfort.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"The way they treat Seto stinks, but I know how to make him smile," thought young Mokuba. He looked out his bedroom window to see the light still on in his brother's at this late hour. Young Mokuba grabbed something on his bedside table and slipped into the hall.
There, he leaned against the wall. The butler appeared, walking his way.
"Well, here it goes," thought Mokuba. "Excuse me…"
"Hey, back to bed," ordered Hopsin.
"Okay, but first I have to give Seto his textbook back," said young Mokuba, holding out the object in his hand. "You heard dad, got to study, study, study."
"I'll see that he gets it," said the butler, taking the book. "Now off to bed!"
In Seto's room, he collapsed on the couch, completely exhausted.
"If I see one more textbook I think I'm going to barf," he thought with a groan
"Sleeping? Already?" asked Hopsin, walking in. "You still have one more lesson left tonight. And you left this textbook behind, if I were you, I'd be more careful next time." He set the book in front of Seto.
"Whatever you say Hopsin," replied young Seto, apathetically.
"Your next lesson is in one hour," said Hopsin on his way out.
"I can't take this!" exclaimed young Seto, throwing the book across the room. It popped open and several small pieces of paper fell out. Curious, young Kaiba walked over and picked them up. One was a note, which he began reading.
'Dear Seto, I guess you've found my hiding place. Remember big bro, they can't take away everything from us. So enjoy my gift, but don't let them find it. Love Moki.'
"Thanks bro…" said young Seto, softly. He picked up the other pieces of paper. "My Duel Monsters cards! Well, they're not the greatest cards, but they're mine. …" He began to flip through them. Kaiba watched, not letting even the slightest trace of emotion show on his face. Mokuba was watching, but he looked curious.
"Huh? A Blue-Eyes, White Dragon?" said young Kaiba, finding a childish drawing of one behind all of his cards. "Mokuba made me a blue-eyes card! One day, I know I'll have the real thing in my deck, just wait!" He turned and looked out of the window at the night sky.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"That explain a whole lot," commented Shayla.
"He was such a weakling, and he still is," countered Noah. "That's why I can reclaim my rightful empire!"
"As much as you like to complain about Kaiba's ego, you're as full of it as he is," replied Shayla. "And I don't lie."
"You're getting to be more trouble than you're worth!" snapped Noah.
"I never asked to be here!"
"Do you want another first-hand demonstration of my software?!"
"That's absolutely vile," said Shayla, her upper lip curling in disgust.
"How is this possible?!" thought Noah, blown away when he recognized the expression on her face. "She's actually sympathizing with that thief!" But it wasn't sympathy; it was empathy. He stood up and vanished from the control room
Shayla was surprised when she felt him leave.
"Now what?" she asked, but there was no answer. Her strong front began to fall a little. "I am in so much trouble…"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThe house vanished around the Kaiba brothers and was replaced by nothing but darkness. Noah appeared in front of them.
"A good show by the Kaiba boys," he gloated, clapping. "That trip down memory lane really pulls at the heartstrings, doesn't it?"
"We've had enough of your sick and twisted games!" yelled Kaiba, his hands tightening into fists.
"Why, I've only just begun!" laughed Noah, insanity showing in his eyes. "So get ready to relive every painful moment of your entire lives!"
"What?!" demanded Kaiba.
"It's going to be a very bumpy ride," Noah chuckled.
"Look kid, what do you expect to gain from this!?" shouted Kaiba.
"Everything that should have been mine from the beginning," answered Noah. With that he vanished.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"I'm prisoner of a psychopath…great…" muttered Shayla as she listened to their conversation. But that was not what occupied most of her thoughts. She was still surprised about what she learned about Kaiba's past, and a whole lot of answers about his personality had been answered. But what hit home the most was the similarities she kept finding between his life and hers.
"It's not completely the same," she reminded herself. "He had his brother. I was alone. For fifteen and a half years, I was…completely…totally…alone."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"Let's see if you can handle this!" yelled Kevin. "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior to the field!" His spellcaster appeared to the right of his Drillago. It had stats of 1600 and 1100. "And since I summoned it, I get to add one spell counter to it."
"Spell counter?" asked Serenity.
"It's a special marker in Duel Monsters," said Yu-Gi. "You don't see them too much though. They can be very helpful…if you use them right."
"One spell counter on Breaker increases its attack points by 300," explained Drake.
"That gives my monster a total of 1900 attack points," smirked Kevin.
"That's good!" cheered Téa.
"He still can't attack as long as Gamesly as so many extra monsters to tribute for his Deck Master's special ability," reminded Duke. "And I count four!"
"Somehow, he has to get rid of them then, to win," said Lara.
"And I will!" said Kevin. "First, I activate Fissure. That destroys one of your monsters with the lowest attack!"
There was a low rumbling beneath the earth. The ground braced themselves, trying to stay upright. Another crack opened beneath one of Gamesly's Don Turtles, and it disappeared.
"Looks like your business is going under," joked Kevin.
"A minor loss," said Gamesly. "In the business world, you learn that losses come. But a true businessman knows how to deal with them."
"Deal with this then! Drillago, attack!" ordered Kevin.
"But he can still reflect it!" warned Téa.
"Yes, but Kevin knows he has to weaken Gamesly's defense," reminded Yu-Gi. "And Kevin's Buster Blader will help cushion the loss."
Kevin was already bracing himself as his machine-type monster disappeared into the black hole. It reappeared a second later, its sharp drills grinding into the duelist. He tried to bite his lip, but his cry of pain still came out. However, his Buster Blader was ready, decreasing the damage he took by half. Kevin's life points stopped at 1100. But activating Reflector Hole cost Gamesly his last two Don Turtles.
"Hang in there!" called Joe.
"Now's the time to finish him!" agreed Téa.
"Right," nodded Kevin, trying not to look as hurt as he felt. "Breaker! Attack Ruclamba! Magic Slam!" His monster raised both hands up high, and a ball of power formed in them. This it fired at Ruclamba, which disappeared in a final burst of glory. Gamesly's life points dropped by 900, not enough to activate his last Ruclamba's special ability.
"Anyone want fish sticks for dinner?" asked Kevin, grinning broadly. "Because I'm going to fry this one! Slate Warrior! Attack his life points directly!"
Slate Warrior did so, and now it was Gamesly's turn to gasp in pain. His life points dropped to 700.
"Way to go! You can do it! Finish him!" cheered the spectators.
"I place one magic card. Your move, Mr. Business," said Kevin.
"Return, Ruclamba the Spirit King!" ordered Gamesly, since the direct attack cost him 1900 life points.
"Now whose assets are being frozen?" taunted Kevin.
"Please don't talk like him!" exclaimed Joe. "It was bad enough listening to Johnson's lawyer talk for an hour!"
"It looks like your assets are about to be washed away!" laughed Gamesly.
"What are you jabbering about now?" asked Kevin.
"I summoned a monster, so I can activate Torrential Tribute!" exclaimed Gamesly.
"Woah! That's a really rare card!" gasped Drake.
The fountain seemed to have come to life, creating a mini tidal wave on the virtual streets of Domino. It washed away all monsters on the field, as well as drenching the duelists.
"I didn't want a shower!" protested Lara.
"No! My monsters!" exclaimed Kevin.
"He's wide open for a direct attack!" exclaimed Joe.
"I summon Wall of Illusions in defense mode," said Gamesly. His monster looked like a primitive panel made of skins. A strange mask was in the middle. Its stats were 1000 and 1850.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"He doesn't even have a right to breathe on that card," grumbled Shayla.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Defense mode?" everyone echoed.
"Then, I activate Premature Burial to bring back my Nimble Momonga," said Gamesly as his squirrel reappeared.
"Activate Trap Hole!" announced Kevin. "That sends your rodent right back to the graveyard!"
"But I still gain 1000 life points from its special effect," Deepsea Warrior reminded him. That gave him 1700 life points.
"Kevin should have won this!" protested Serenity. "He just keeps raising his life points."
"My turn then," said Kevin, drawing a card. "Ha! I summon Skilled White Magician to the field!" This monster had an attack of 1700 and a defense of 1900.
/White Magician?/ Yu-Gi asked.
/Yes, I wonder if it has any ties to our Dark Magician…/ replied Yami.
"He still doesn't have enough attack points to take out Wall of Illusions," Drake pointed-out.
"That ends my turn," said Kevin.
He had 1100 life points and his Skilled White Magician. Gamesly had 1700 life points and Wall of Illusions.
"I summon Melkin the Four-Faced Beast to the field in defense mode," said Gamesly. His monster looked like a fusion of four masks, two red, two yellow. Its stats were 1500 and 1200.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"He had better not fail," grumbled Noah. "Their failures are a reflection of me. And I can't allow Yu-Gi and his friends make me look like a failure."
"Of course," replied Shayla, dryly. "I'm sure you can do that fine on your own. They'll beat you every time until you get the nerve to confront them."
"They will not beat me!" yelled Noah.
"We have to find a way out of here!" came Mokuba's voice from one of the screens
"…And as for you Seto…your power will soon be mine!" Noah said to the screen.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"This place was designed to isolate us from outside contact, but that won't stop me. Let's go Mokuba," said Kaiba.
"After today I never want to see a virtual tree again," said Mokuba as they continued through the virtual forest again.
"That figures," muttered Seto. "That punk must be keeping us trapped here because he is too scared to confront me face to face."
The air shimmered in front of the brothers. An ornate oak door formed.
"Check it out Seto!" exclaimed Mokuba "Another door! Should we go?"
"…yes," answered Kaiba after a moment's thought. "Let's see where that kid is leading us now." He once again opened the door, standing protectively in front of his little brother.
"What's this?!" demanded Kaiba as an office revealed itself.
"We're back at home at Kaiba Corp.," said Mokuba.
"It's a virtual simulation of my office," said Kaiba, a bit taken back.
The large chair behind the desk turned around, facing the door and the brothers.
"This is my office!" exclaimed Gozaburo Kaiba. Seto Kaiba gasped in surprise, his blue eyes growing wide. He was more than stunned. "No one disturbs me here!"
"I know," said a slightly older young Seto. He was standing right being the real Kaiba brothers. The virtual Kaiba walked forward to confront his stepfather, reenacting Kaiba's memories. "But I'm sick of waiting to talk to you and I have something important to say!"
"Seto, another virtual scene from the past!" said Mokuba
"Grr, I know this," growled Kaiba. "It was the day I finally worked up the courage to confront our stepfather."
"You're here to talk about your invention, right?" said Gozaburo, holding a handful of papers his stepson had given him days ago. "Look, I've already told you. It's no good!" He threw the papers into the air and they fluttered around the room.
"Do you have any idea how long it took me to design that virtual video game software?!" demanded young Seto. "You just can't admit that I invented something you never could!"
"Right," agreed Kaiba, shaking from rage watching it.
"This little game of yours is of no use to me," Gozaburo shot.
"Use your eyes!" yelled young Kaiba "This software could make this company billions of dollars!"
"I've heard enough you little brat!" shouted Gozaburo. "We don't make child's toys here! Kaiba Corp. is my company! We make vehicles for combat! Go that?! Now listen to me! If you're going to take over this company some day, you'll have to forget about you're little games! I adopted you so you could learn my family business! The business of winning battles, defeating your enemies and rising to ultimate power! "
"No way! You're insane!" countered young Kaiba. The real one was biting his lip.
"Guards, take my stepson away!" ordered Gozaburo.
His security team grabbed young Seto by the arms and began to pull him out of the room.
"Get your hands off of me!" demanded young Seto. "You can't treat me like this! You'll be sorry! You old fool!"
"I'll never forget that day," thought Kaiba. "Not only did my stepfather shoot down my virtual gaming program, but to make things worse he stole my invention and passed it off as his own!"
The office faded and trees grew in place of the walls.
"Seto! We're back in Noah's virtual forest!" exclaimed Mokuba
"It's not Noah's forest, because whoever helped Noah build this virtual world is using the same software that our stepfather stole from me! Thought it's been enhanced, the basic program is the same as mine," replied Kaiba.
"That's true," agreed Mokuba, realizing it was.
"And I have a feeling its no coincidence. I just have to remember that everything we see here is just an illusion, because all of these memories are messing with my head," said Kaiba. Then he shouted, "Noah, I don't know who you are kid, but I intend to find out! I know you can hear everything I say, and no matter what your after and who's helping you, you never succeed! Never! If you're so powerful why don't you come down here and face me you coward!"
Of course, no answer came.
"Seto! Look what I found!" exclaimed Mokuba, bring a cell phone over to him.
"Why would this be here?" asked Kaiba. He turned it on, but all he got was static.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"All in good time Seto, all in good time," laughed Noah.
"Is that true?" asked Shayla. "Was this virtual world made from one of Kaiba's stolen inventions?"
"No!" snapped Noah.
"You're lying, so Kaiba is right," said Shayla.
"Grrr," grumbled Noah. "None of this is any of your concern!"
"You drug me here, you trapped me here, so somehow, I think that qualifies me to make it my concern."
"You're a pawn here and nothing else!"
"Even if you don't tell me who, I already know someone else has a hand in this. What makes you so sure you're not a pawn?"
"I AM NOT!"
"What are you trying to prove by all of this anyways?"
"I will prove that I'm truly more deserving than Seto Kaiba!"
"Deserving of what?" asked Shayla
"For years I've lived in Seto's shadow, trying to prove that I'm the better one. I should be the president of Kaiba Corp. not him, and it's about time that I prove it to Gozaburo that he should have left the company to me!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThe cell phone that Mokuba had found tuned in to Shayla and Noah's conversation long enough to pick up Noah's last lines before it went dead.
"What?!" thought Kaiba, stunned. "But my stepfather Gozaburo has been missing without a trace for over five years! And why would Noah want to prove something to him anyways?! This kid is not who he seems to be, but who is he?"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"What are your connections to the Kaibas?" asked Shayla. "Don't bother denying it, I already know there is a connection, and I will know if you lie."
"I don't have to answer to you!" spat Noah.
"You can't lead me around like a puppet forever, Noah!" Kaiba's voice filtered to them.
"In my world I can do whatever I want! And besides, I'm having too much fun toying with your head to stop now," said Noah. "Seto, if you think this is bad just wait to see what I have in store for you next!"
"You're just a spoiler brat who doesn't know how to deal with his own problem," retorted Shayla.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxKevin grinned as he drew his next card, "You don't stand a chance."
"I doesn't matter what monster you summon, you can't hope to attack me without hurting yourself," said Gamesly.
"You know, I've always wanted to do this," smirked Kevin. "Just watch."
"He's got something planned," said Joe.
"But what?" asked Serenity.
"Whatever it is, he seems pretty confident," replied Téa.
"First, I play one card face down," announced Kevin as he slid one magic card into place. "Then, I activate White Dragon Ritual!"
"A ritual monster?!" exclaimed Drake.
"Woah! White Dragon? As in Blue-Eyes, White Dragon?" asked Duke.
"Good thing Kaiba isn't here," agreed Téa.
"I will use my Skilled White Magician to open the Gates of Chaos and release the Paladin of White Dragon!" declared Kevin. With a lot of flashy pyrotechnics, the Skilled White Magician disappeared. In its place stood the paladin, with stats of 1900 and 1200.
"That creature is supposed to present me with a formidable challenge?" asked Gamesly.
"Paladin, attack!" ordered Kevin, as if to prove a point.
"Activate Reflector Hole!" announced Gamesly, his Melkin and Wall of Illusions vanishing.
"What are you thinking?!" demanded Joe. "You'll lose the duel!"
"Negate Attack," said Kevin, his monster bouncing harmlessly off of an invisible wall that formed in front of him. Kevin turned to Joe. "I had to get rid of his monsters somehow. Does this mean you've stopped thinking I'm a spy."
"Well…maybe…." Joe trailed off.
"Meet my Skull Knight #2!" said Gamesly as he started his turn. Skull Knight #2's stats were 1000 and 1200, not enough to compete with the paladin. "Then I play one card face down."
"That's all?" asked Kevin. "This is going to be too easy!" He laughed. "Like I've said, I've always wanted to do this. And luckily for me, the virtual world is going to help!"
"What does he mean, brother?" asked Serenity.
"No clue," answered Joe.
Drake looked around. "It should work, but the kid is in a heap of trouble if Kaiba shows up."
"I tribute my Paladin of White Dragon to summon the Blue-Eyes, Dragon!" said Kevin, boldly. In a flash of light the weaker monster was gone, replaced by Seto Kaiba's pride and joy.
"How the heck can he do that?!" yelled Duke.
"He had a Blue-Eyes?!" gasped Téa.
"That's Paladin of White Dragon's special ability," explained Drake.
"That's what Kevin meant when he said the virtual world would help him!" Lara exclaimed.
"What do you mean?" asked Duke.
"Under normal circumstances, he'd need to own a Blue-Eyes to be able to summon it with the paladin," said Drake. "But the virtual world will cause it to appear regardless."
"Well, an impressive move," commented Joe. "But he's dead if Kaiba shows up."
"And just in case you were considering using that card to stop me, it won't work," said Kevin, indicating Gamesly's face down trap or magic card. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to blow it away!" The holograms activated, showing the card hologram sailing away. Gamesly slipped it into his graveyard.
"Now, I activate my own magic card, which will remove your Skull Knight from play," said Kevin. "Your turn."
"Why didn't he attack?" asked Téa. "Gamesly is wide open!"
"The Blue-Eyes can't attack on the first turn when it is summoned this way," Yu-Gi said.
"Erm…guys, don't turn around," said Joe. And, being such good listeners, they all turned around.
"What the heck is going on here?!" demanded Seto Kaiba, his eyes glowing with fury.
"How'd that Blue-Eyes get there?" asked Mokuba.
"The kid isn't going to live to see his next birthday…" muttered Drake.
"This is going to get ugly," agreed Duke.
"It might be more merciful for Gamesly to beat him and take his body," added Lara.
Kaiba was livid. He was more than stressed out from Noah's mind games, and seeing someone else using his favorite monster was enough to push him to do something incredibly rash.
Kevin was oblivious to the dangers that awaited him at the end of the duel.
"Kaiba! You're okay!" called Yu-Gi.
Kaiba didn't reply. He was too busy glaring full-out swords at Kevin.
"I play one monster face down and end my turn," said Gamesly.
"You won't last," said Kevin. "For all your business knowledge, you will lose. I summon Aqua Madoor to the field in attack mode!" His monster had sea blue hair that was shaped like seaweed. It wore a pale white, green, and blue jumpsuit. Its face was covered with a white mask. Its attack was 1200 and its defense was 2000.
"I also activate United We Stand," declared Kevin, not wanting to risk Gamesly having a high-defense monster. "That raises the attack of my Aqua Madoor by 800 for every monster I have on the field, and I count two!" This brought Aqua Madoor up to 2800 attack points.
"Cream him!" cheered Serenity.
"With pleasure," smiled Kevin. "Aqua Madoor, take out his face down monster! Aqua Rush!"
In another drenching wave, Gamesly's last monster vanished.
"A poor business move," said Gamesly.
There was a loud explosion.
"What the!?" yelled everyone as the ground shook beneath them.
"That was my Fiber Jar," smirked Gamesly.
"Oh, this is trouble," said Drake.
"It forces us to take all our cards on the field, in the graveyard, and in our hands and shuffle them with our decks," explained Gamesly. "Then we get to increase our revenue by drawing a new hand."
"My Blue-Eyes…in the graveyard…" fumed Kaiba.
"You can still win this!" called Yu-Gi. "The duel isn't over yet!"
"Right," agreed Kevin. "I place two cards and end my turn."
"You'll remember this move," said Gamesly. "I summon my Don Turtle! Then, its special ability activates, allowing me to summon two more!"
"Three monsters already?!" gasped Duke. "Even with Buster Blader's special ability, he won't last a direct assault by all of them!"
"He still has two magic cards," Téa reminded him.
"And you'll remember this move," said Kevin. "I activate Trap Hole, destroying one of your Don Turtles!"
"Two is more than enough to finish you!" snapped Gamesly. "You're business is dead! Don Turtles, attack!"
"Negate Attack!" announced Kevin, stopping one of the monsters in its tracks. But still the other one managed to land a hit. Buster Blader's special ability activated, leaving Kevin with 550 life points.
"Enjoy it while you can," Kevin said. "First, I activate Card Destruction. That means we must discard our hands and draw another five cards!"
"What profit can you gain by this?" asked Gamesly.
"What is he doing?" asked Serenity.
"You'll see," answered Joe, because he had no other answer.
Kaiba was still glowering at him from a distance.
"Perfect!" exclaimed Kevin as he picked up his last card. "You're about to meet my favorite monster!"
"And that would be?" asked Gamesly.
Kevin smirked. "First, I must remove one light-attribute monster and one dark-attribute monster in my graveyard from play. Thanks to Card Destruction, they're there. Now, behold my Chaos Emperor Dragon!" With a loud bellow his favorite dragon appeared. It was turquoise with silver plating. It could compete with the Blue-Eyes in size. It's stats were the same at 3000 and 2500.
"Nice touch," commented Drake, admiring the dragon.
"Woah…" was all anyone else could say.
Gamesly laughed.
"What is so funny, fish face?!" demanded Joe.
"It doesn't matter how strong your monster is, it will still be reflected right back at you!" laughed Gamesly. "A pricey and foolish investment."
"My turn isn't over yet," said Kevin. "I equip my Chaos Emperor Dragon with Big Bang Shot!"
"What does that do?" asked Gamesly, his eyes narrowing.
"It increases my dragon's attack by 400 points," said Kevin.
"Have you learned nothing?" asked Gamesly. "You won't be able to hurt me!"
Kevin didn't answer his taunts. "I now activate Tailor of the Fickle, to move my Big Bang Shot to another target."
"You have no other monsters!" yelled Lara.
"I'm not targeting one of my monsters, but one of yours, Gamesly," said Kevin. "Now one of your Don Turtles is equipped with my Big Bang Shot."
"What good does that do you?" asked Gamesly.
"I now activate my third magic card," said Kevin. "Harpy's Feather Duster."
"Mai!" gasped Joe.
"So you eliminate all magic cards on my side of the field, so what?" asked Gamesly.
"It means your business is sunk," said Kevin. "Since I moved my Big Bang Shot, it is also destroyed. And when Big Bang Shot is destroyed, it means the monster it is equipped to is destroyed as well! That means you only have one monster on the field, that means you can't activate Reflector Hole!"
"NO!" cried Gamesly.
"You're done for!" exclaimed Kevin. "Attack, Chaos Emperor Dragon! Midnight Destruction!"
"NO!" screamed Gamesly as his final Don Turtle was vaporized, along with his remaining life points, and himself. "I was so close…!"
The cracks in the streets began to mend themselves with Gamesly gone. The trembling nearly brought the duelists to their knees. Steam rose as the water quickly evaporated. Yami looked up, passed the fountain. A hybrid creature was staring ravenously at where Gamesly used to stand. But her prey was no longer here, and so she moved on.
/Ammit?!/ gasped Yami.
/What did you say, Yami?/ asked Yu-Gi.
/N-Nothing…/
The gang quickly reunited.
"That was a really impressive duel, Kevin," complimented Yu-Gi.
"That means a lot coming from the King of Games," replied Kevin.
"That last move was ingenious," said Lara.
"Thanks, that also means a lot coming from a lovely lady like yourself," replied Kevin.
"Oh brother…" groaned Joe.
"Still think I'm the spy?" asked Kevin.
"Well…I don't know, the whole duel could be a set up," said Joe.
"Good thing is, we're almost all back together," said Téa.
"Oh?" asked Kevin.
"Kaiba and Mokuba showed up while you were dueling," she explained.
"Really?" asked Kevin, somewhat excitedly, looking around.
"I have a feeling we're going to need to play ref," Drake whispered to Duke.
Kevin was walking right into the dragon's lair. He was approaching Seto Kaiba, completely oblivious of the death glare he was being given.
"Hello," said Kevin, brightly, extending his hand to the CEO. "My name is Kevin Hunter. You're Seto Kaiba. I'm one of your biggest fans." Kaiba continued to glare him down, not moving. "Erm…"
"A Kaiba fan?" echoed Joe. "Poor kid is disillusioned."
"It's an honor to finally meet you," Kevin continued.
"Listen Hunter," said Kaiba, his voice reaching a new low temperature-wise. "I don't spend time with dragon-duelist wanna-bes. You have some nerve using my Blue-Eyes in that duel. You're asking for trouble. A poor excuse of a duelist like yourself could never handle my dragons! Here's some advice, avoid the major leagues, mouse, because you are in over your head. And I certainly don't need fans, I work alone."
"What is your problem?!" demanded Kevin.
"You don't get it, do you mouse?" asked Kaiba, instantly jumping at the chance to insult Kevin's size. He was barely as tall as Yami, which wasn't saying much. "You are a disgrace of a duelist, and you don't deserve to be within a hundred miles of my Blue-Eyes!" The rest of the group had walked over, expecting a full out brawl any minutes.
"I don't like your attitude!" snapped Kevin. "You have no right to insult me!"
"Don't take that tone with me!" countered Kaiba. "You had better watch your tongue, mouse, or you will regret it!"
"Seto!" exclaimed Mokuba, shocked. Mokuba presence was enough to keep Kaiba from slugging Kevin on the spot.
Kaiba stepped passed Kevin, bumping his shoulder rather harshly. Mokuba quickly caught up.
"What's with him?" Kevin asked the others.
"He's always like that," said Drake. "Always."
"Well, that cinches it for me," said Joe.
"What do you mean?" asked Duke.
"If Kaiba doesn't like you, you're okay in my book," said Joe, extending his hand to Kevin. "Sorry if I didn't trust you earlier."
"Hey, I understand," said Kevin, shaking Joe's hand.